The Sailor and The Whale

A sudden jolt and darkness. Something shifting in the hull...just bilge water. She closes her eyes praying to be rocked back to sleep by the rhythms she's grown accustomed to over the past few months. Not tonight. The shifting is now a predictable tap, tap, tap and she is hopelessly awake. Thrusting her legs over the side of her bunk, she slowly makes her way to the head. No longer needing her eyesight, she navigates the predictable route to her one place of solace. She sits....relieved somewhat by the simple routine of movement, but the tapping continues and she knows she's in for a long, restless night.

It's been an extended expedition. Over a year at sea with two failed sightings. Not this time. She has been tracking this creature too long. She knew her. Her comings and her goings. Her movements and habits. She knew it couldn't be long now. All too soon - she would see her. It would be spiritual and beautiful. It would be bittersweet - as all endings that precede great beginnings are. But she was ready. They were ready.

With a slight smile she lifted her heavy-laden body and again circumvented obstacles in the dark. She heaved her body back into the bunk, eyes wide, hoping that it was soon to come.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Finish Object Friday: Readers' Wreath

This was such a fun project. I used this tutorial. It took about 30 minutes total and cost about $3.

37 Weeks

16 Weeks

21 weeks

24 Weeks

37 Weeks

37 Weeks

Getting Ready

We had our last appointment on Friday - which also happened to be our fifth wedding anniversary. Baby is looking good. Strong heartbeat, head down and "butt to the front" (anterior) position, 1.5 cm dilated, and I still weigh less than my husband. Not a bad way to start your anniversary.

Doc did seem a little surprised that I was dilated and stated that I might go into early labor...but who knows when? We're not stressing too much over it, but we certainly are getting a bag packed ASAP.

Here are a few pics of us "preparing" in our own special ways. Enjoy.

Lil' Girl's Nursery: A Photo Tour

Lil' White Bird from mobile. 

Other Lil' Birds on mobile.

Mobile from Lil' Girl's perspective.

From Daddy's perspective.

From Momma's perspective.

ABC's by momma.

Changing table - daddy painted it.

Reading corner. Thanks daddy for the pretty blue table.
Thanks Nana and Pop for the glider.

Baby's crib.

Lil' houses for Lil' birds.

Moses basket in the reading corner. 

Daddy's wall of gear: Bjorn, sling, and diaper bag.

Giveaway: Silohuette Craft Cutter {A Soft Place to Land}

It's obvious from the last 10+ posts that I am indeed in full "nesting" mode. Although, I would like to state (in my own defense) that any self-respecting crafty chick is always in the nesting mode. It never ends. We live in a constant state of making everything prettier, better, more "homey."

I've been looking into fabric and vinyl decals, screen printing & making my own tees, and paper crafts...mostly because sewing, knitting, and embroidery are "limited" and I just don't have the financial ability or available space to explore carpentry or metal-working.

Enter the best giveaway ever. A Soft Place to Land is hosting a most amazing giveaway. One Silhouette Craft Cutter is up for grabs, but they don't stop there. They throw in software, a USB cable, 2 cutting mats, a cutting blade, and a $10 gift card to the Silhouette online store. BOOM! If that doesn't blow your mind, nothing will.

I don't really want to tell you all about this opportunity (no offense intended), but I kind of want it for myself.

Happy posting and best of luck.

Finished Object: Nursing Cover

As you all know, I don't part with money if I don't have to. Which is why my my husband's "To Do" list has grown exponentially over the past few months. It's a good thing that I have been carrying my own weight (physically growing exponentially) in my sewing. Why buy things when you can make them? In fact, my husband pretty much hates going shopping with me because it usually always ends with, "I could make that."

Enter the nursing cover. I knew I could get by with a baby blanket draped over the shoulder...but the covers just seemed so nifty and private. So, thanks to Sew Much Ado for the excellent nursing cover tutorial. If you can sew a straight edge, it's not hard to figure out. This tutorial is straight forward and informative and completely worth the 15 minutes to save $40.

I'm extremely happy with my finished project. I used scrap fabric, which I'll be honest isn't bright or happy and doesn't really inspire me to make milk...but, it'll do. Now, if I could only learn how to work with wood and metal....

Three Little Birds...okay, seven

Birds for the mobile are done....now to finish. Here's a sneak-a-roo.

Nursery Library Necessities

We like books in this family, which is more than evident by the three completely filled, floor to ceiling bookcases in our guest room - as well as the fact that most of our furniture is hosting some kind of literary guest. This means, baby girl is gonna have books.

With limited space in a nursery, no spare bookcases, and a desire to stay within our budget, we have been forced into ingenuity and "make-it-workedness." Enter the nursery's library.

I like using books as decor. So, I thought it was obvious that lil' one's dresser would sport some written word. But, books are slippery beasts and I have no desire to wake a sleeping newborn with the crash of several Dr. Seuss renditions on the floor. We have some bookends in the casa, but nothing suitable for a nursery (marble horse heads = trip to the ER and possible DEFACS visit). So, I whipped up some canvas bookends - which are basically giant bean bags, but do a great job of keeping those books in their proper place. I chose to hand embroider these with one of Matt's favorite quotes from one of his favorite books.

Next, we decided to make a hanging bookshelf - as seen here. We, however, encountered the small problem of not really being able to nail anything into our walls. Our lil' rental has plaster walls and we just don't want to risk a giant hole (in the wall and our wallet). So, using the handy-dandy picture railing found through the house - we made our own version. It consists of three fabric shelves and holds a total of 40-50 pounds. Not bad for what equated to an hour's worth of work and it serves as wall decor.

Thought of the day: Functional and pretty is really the way to go....oh, and handmade.