This has always been my favorite time ever in my kids’ lives. I love the stocky baby, footed jammies, crawling/sitting/standing time. I love snuggling her and having a good amount of baby to hang on to. And I love their independence. Kate started crawling for real on February 10th, about a day after I posted that “almost crawling” video, and started pulling herself up on things she can get a grip on the next day. She uses the wire tracks at the top of this toy to pull herself up. And doesn’t she look proud of herself!

And a 10 on Thursday…

First, here’s the quilt top.

I still have to pick out the reverse side fabric and actually quilt it together, which I have a feeling is more difficult than sewing the quilt top! I’ll let you know.

And my Ten on Thursday, the quilting edition.

1. Make sure you check the size of the quilt you’re quilting before you get started. I seriously thought this was a lap quilt. I’m pretty sure it will fit on a twin size bed. =) Whoops.

2. Don’t try to think up 10 things about quilting while you’re trying to sew a straight line.

3. If you tell yourself “it’s ok, nothing’s perfect” ten times over about a particular imperfection, it’s not ok and it’s going to drive you nuts.

4. Rotary cutters are the coolest invention ever.

5. They’re also wicked sharp. Ouch!

6. Just because you can cut 10 layers of fabric with a rotary cutter doesn’t mean you should.

7. Quilting isn’t as hard as I thought it would be. It’s just fabric and thread.

8. If you don’t cut something precisely, it’ll drive you nuts when you have to sew it. The sashing on the side (the white pieces) were cut like 10 layers at a time and there’s a tiny wiggle in my cutting that echoed through all 10 layers. Trying to sew that in a straight line is no fun at all.

9. I need one of these. Aren’t they beautiful?

10. I totally see why some quilts are $200 bucks. They’re not the cheapest things if you use nice fabric and it’s a fair amount of work! I’m sure the more intricate designs REALLY are. This one probably cost me around 75 bucks not counting the tools to get started.

Here’s the Product list…

First, the quilt top I saw that made me want to do it…

http://retromummy.blogspot.com/2010/01/quilt-top.html

(See? Does it look huge? I was thinking lap quilt and just forced that image into a lap quilt size, I think.)

The Pattern

The remarkably helpful directions.

The fabric was from here, but I bought the last set. It was Amy Butler Daisy Chain fat quarters. There were 10 of them, and they were 30 bucks.

Then batting, and sashing fabric from Hancock, the batting is cotton instead of polyester and was 34 for 3 yards, and the sashing was 16 bucks or so. Add a couple of spools of thread and there ya go.

I’ll post pictures when I finish it, which saying that is like the kiss of death as far as actually posting them, but I think in this case I most certainly will show it off. Maybe I’ll get it done this weekend, we’ll see.

So…close…

I found these online and thought a few little girls’ mommas would be interested….

I shouldn’t even post this. You know how they say if you’re trying to do something, like say, diet, that you should tell as many people as possible and it’ll keep you motivated? I don’t think that works with me. It’s like if I tell anyone anything I end up spazzing out on it and not doing anything. =) So I think I’m jinxing myself by even posting this.

So I’ve always wanted to quilt. I thought there was some mystical method to it that I just couldn’t figure out. I mean, batting? Binding? What? Too hard. But still. My MIL quilts (and does all sorts of crafty things) and I just think it’s so cool.

I’m a diehard Oh-dee-doh reader, meaning I have them in my feedreader, and they mentioned a website that’s doing a quilt-a-long. So I could learn to quilt via the internet? Step by step easy peasy? Count me in. =) They linked to Oh Fransson! and the quilt at the top of the page is the one they’re quilting a long.

So I bought my supplies and a few basics and I’m giving it a go. Apparently in this quilt-a-long she’s not going into great detail about how to use the tools because she did in their last quilt a long, but I’m just going to look it up and figure it out as I go. I’ll let you know if I make any progress whatsoever, which since I posted about it here, I won’t. =)

The Dixon’s have been competing for the sickest family in Alabama and we’ve been putting up a pretty good fight for the title. Dash came down with RSV Thursday (of last week) and was starting to get over it when I came down with a 24 hour stomach flu Monday at 3PM followed by John at 9PM. Kate came down with RSV Tuesday. Then John and I joined in on the RSV fun Wednesday. We’re FINALLY feeling human again.

RSV sucks. Not that the stomach flu was any kind of picnic.

Bad things happen when your toddler is the only healthy member of the family. I’m not exactly sure what Dash got away with the past few days but I’m pretty sure it’s just shy of murder.

BLAH. Dash has it. He developed a crappy cough two days ago and we decided to call the doc today and he asked us to bring him in. Sure enough, he tested positive for RSV. I have no idea how he got it, we haven’t been to little gym in a few weeks and he hasn’t been around other kids for a while. Maybe he licked a shopping cart when I wasn’t looking. He’s 2, after all. =)

I’m sure Kate will get it too and she’s out of the age where it’s super serious if she gets it but it’ll still suck. I’m trying to keep him from loving on her too much.

We were planning on going to Houston to visit a friend of mine and her spankin’ new baby, but of course that’s not looking possible right now either.

=(

1. We had a lovely Christmas. Did you?

2. Dash and Kate with their loot from our house.

3. Dash sweetly gave his sister both of her presents. He didn’t even try to keep them for himself. =)

4. We played around with the camera the day after Christmas…

These are my favorites.

5. John got a fry daddy for Christmas from me, we’ve already Christened it with onion rings and chicken fingers. Yum.

6. Did you know Big Bob BBQ sauce mixed with white sauce is delicious?

7. The radiator is acting up on the truck so I drove the car today and John was going to look at the truck while I was at work. I also accidentally took the truck keys with me to work. Whoops.

8. I’m looking forward to Krispy Kreme on New Year’s Eve. =)

9. I’m also looking forward to 2010. Surely it will be better than 2009, right?

10. We got our nooks at work and I’m on the fence about keeping it and downloading every free book known to man or selling it on ebay and buying something else.

11. (Bonus!) We’re tearing up some new Super Mario Brothers for Wii at our house. =) I bought the Mario and Sonic olympics game, too, we’re checking that out tonight.

I had to bribe Dash with a Christmas present to get him to sit and smile with his sister, but in the meantime I took a few of Miss Kate.

1. Biggest Loser Finale is tonight! Yay!! I’m pulling for Amanda and Daniel. I doubt Amanda has a chance but Daniel might with the at home competition…

2. Kate is officially sitting up. At 4.5 months. That’s a full month and a half sooner than Dash.

3. Christmas shopping is done save a Super Mario Brothers game for John’s brother’s kids.

4. We committed to not junking up our house with stuff that won’t get played with for long and I think we did a pretty good job. Mostly Melissa and Doug wooden food, a few Thomas sets and a marble run game. Kate’s getting some cute fisher price blocks that Dash likes, too.

5. We had our office Christmas party the other day and we all got Nooks, Barnes and Noble’s version of the Kindle. Still not sure how I feel about that, I like paper books but I also like gadgety techy things. =)

6. All of us were super sick for the past few weeks with a cold that would.not.die. We’re all better now, thank goodness. My parents caught it too and they’re better as well.

7. I think we’re starting baby food in the next few weeks. I’m going to try making my own again. So far I have a ton of sweet potato frozen, ready to go. =)

8. Seven (and now eight) is going to have to do it! I have to get back to work!!