a big boy. in a big boy bed.

Carson is now in a big boy bed. (Does he look adorable here, or WHAT?!) It happened sooner than we thought it would, but our crib had basically become a deathtrap. This kid...sigh...if there's a way to get a limb stuck inside something (a toy, a shopping cart, you name it) he'll do it. This proved true with our crib as well. At least weekly he'd get his arm or foot stuck between the wood slats. It made me nervous, but I was always able to get him out without any major drama, and I really wasn't ready to give up the "confinement" a crib offers at sleep times. Then one day he got his leg stuck all the way to his thigh. The poor guy was really uncomfortable and it was only made worse with my efforts to loosen him. I was just beginning to feel desperate, as though I'd have to break the crib in order to save my poor baby's chubby leg, which was now red and raw from the tight fit, when it finally occured to me: DUH! VEGETABLE OIL! I ran downstairs, listening to him cry out to me, "Ouchie, Mama, ouchie!" Sure enough, once he was slicked up like a greased pig, his leg slid right out. The toughest part was getting his knobby knee, but with a little encouragement, even that gave way. But that did it for me. That was the final blow and a week later he had a new li'l bed and the old was on it's way to crib heaven. It was fun to finally get out some of his room decor from our house in AZ (I had waited because I had figured I would put it up when the boys shared a room. I've now accepted they may never share a room, what with Wyatt's night terrors, etc.) Part of his decor is a charming and oh-so-cute quilt Dixie made him when he was born. It's vintage fabric, which went with his super-cute vintage nursery he had in Arizona. I even found a grocery sack full of leftover fabric scraps! He was all set, except I ran into a problem with the pillow. If I used a regular pillow, it took up so much space on the bed that he was no longer protected from the short guardrails. I needed a pillow that didn't go so far down on the bed. So...I took a leap of faith and decided I'd brave the sewing machine. For those that know me well, the idea of sewing something is as about as appealing to me as a root canal. It stresses me out. Things always go wrong and I have absolutely no patience for it. One tiny thing goes wrong and I throw up my hands in defeat, "That's it! I'm done!" Anyway, I held my breath and you'll never believe it, but...I DID IT!!! I custom-made a pillow and it turned out darn-stinkin' cute (if I do say so myself)! I took my "regular" pillow and cut 1/3 of it off, making it just the right size. It only took me an hour and a half (that may sound like a long time for you experienced seamstresses, but for me, it was a pleasant surprise) and when I was done, I was ready to show & tell to everyone and anyone who would listen! If a vacuum-cleaner salesman would have shown up at my door, I probably would have pulled out my prize-winning pillow with pride!

I wanted to do some fancy-schmancy stuff.

Isn't it cool?????? Also, I wanted to take a close-up

of the cute red clown pattern. I love it!

~

The amputated pillow. How sad.

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This part took forever. I had to twist and turn

the fabric to sew the "Z" of the ric-rac. But I wanted

to do it right and my mom thought this would be

the best way from the ric-rac (sp?) bunching up

when I have to wash the pillowcase.

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Here it is with the quilt Dixie made.

A Patchwork of Love

As soon as we took posession of our new home, our first thought was to paint. Immediately. The colors the house had been left in were atrocious. Everyone is entitled to their own tastes and likes, but the "unique" colorwheel we were faced with was anything but MY taste. The kitchen was Granny Smith Apple Green and the adjoining family room was Chocolate Brown (I actually considered keeping the brown, but in the end decided not to). Since the rooms are really one big room, we wanted them to be the same color. I decided on a green: "River Reed", to be exact. I love the color and was pleased to still love the color after it was up. It wasn't until we moved our furniture in that I realized my giant error. I love the green walls and I love my dark brown couches. However, I failed to imagine how they'd look together. No one else seemed to share my depressed opinion, but I hated it. I was so frustrated. I wasn't about to repaint what had just been painted and new couches were out of the question. After time, the colors grew on me a little, but I still did not love it. There's nothing worse than facing daily a huge mistake that you know is upon your shoulders alone and that you have no choice other than to live with. I needed a way to help the two colors blend.

Then I got an idea! My mom has been making some beautiful quilts. Why not ask her nicely, pretty-please-with-a-cherry-on-top if she would make me a throw that I could put on my couch to help tie in the brown and green together? Of course, Mom being Mom, she was generous enough to oblige. I told her I wanted something to help tie in the green walls, brown couches, red accents, and white entertainment center and my white/brown kitchen dining set.

Did she deliver, or what? And the best part is, it is SO ME! I love the red paisley! And the green border fabric makes me think of something from a Jane Austen novel!

Thanks, Mom! You have made me so much happier with my home by sharing your talent. Anyone who comes into my kitchen or family room has commented on my beautiful throw and the fabulous quilting!

You are always so good to endulge my "projects", which deep down we know means a lot of work for you. Especially when I start something with the phrase, "Would you mind helping me make..." Yes, I admit it. What I really mean is "Would you make for me..." Let's face it, sewing never was my forte! Thank heavens it is yours!

*

P.S. Brett loves it, too. It's wrapped around his legs on nearly a nightly basis! And I think it's funny that GOLF happened to be on the television when I took this picture. Really...what are the chances of that?!