Embroidery

So, I've finished a few tops, and am feverishly working on finishing a gift for an adult friend (shock!).

I've got one other shirt done, but no pics uploaded yet. One inked-up shirt for my darling Si-Pi (he loves me so much, and the feeling is mutual), and two (two!!) other gifts for adult friends all ready to go (that is, all ready to be embroidered).

There actually has been a slight lull in baby-births...although I am not caught up...I've been considering being a bit more selective with who I do this for. Simply put, some people really value it, and it seems--to my great surprise--some don't. I don't want to labor and spend a ton of time lovingly creating something when it won't be appreciated. So...that might help free up my embroidery-time a bit. I can easily hand-make simpler gifts in those cases.

Additionally, I have some gingham lying around and I really, really, really want to try chicken scratch. I'm sure I have lots of time to do that! :)

I'm really looking forward to starting some embroidery lessons with a friend (or two) of mine this Fall. It will be so much fun to teach these gals this very simple, easy home-craft, not to mention to have regularly scheduled visits to chat and catch up. All the while creating beautiful things for our homes or for others. Yay!

Without further ado, here are the latest baby shirts!

Front:


Back:


I really enjoyed this one--I don't often work on colored shirts, and I've never done (probably because I usually work on white) a mono-chromatic (one color, different shades) one like this. I really like the effect.

The baby this was for is so feminine and lovely. And I think the color would also look darling on her, but I haven't seen it on. She's dainty enough, too, that I didn't have to worry about the shirt size. It was a 6-9 month, but it didn't seem as big as the white 6-9 month shirts I usually work on.

Next one...
Front:


Back:


Isn't Aria an awesome name?!

I was really excited to work on gray, but now I think I ought to have chosen a design with less colors...maybe just pink and white or black...I do love this design and the colors...but they don't *pop* quite like I want them to.

Hopefully this shirt still fit when the gift was delivered. :)

My Husband's (and Brother-in-Law's) Web comic

My Husband is "officially" launching the collaborative website he and his brother are crafting.

Legendary Boys of Floyd is a comic and blog, with artwork by my brother-in-law, Tim, and website design, as well as concept, stories, and blogging by my husband, Tom.

It's been a fun thing for him to work on and own. It gives him a purpose and a distraction for his non-working, painful days.

Today he's at PAX, wearing an official shirt and passing out free stickers to whomever will take them. Hopefully he doesn't get kicked out!

Living in the Pacific Northwest, there is almost literally a coffee stand on every corner, so coffee, coffee shops, home-grown v. Corporate (AKA Starbucks) coffee, silliness, pictures and stories are all things you'll find there.

A few of my favorite comics and posts are listed below, but they're almost all good. So, go check it out!

The Claim
The Bust
The Change

Jooky Junk!
coffee antics

Milestones

Isreal is one. It's gone by way too fast...



He's really great at walking now, and he loves to climb...scares me nearly to death! He wants to go and do so much, but luckily, he still loves to snuggle and takes great joy in people.

He's a great hugger--he'll hug you on command: "hugs!" He will also make kissing sounds when I say "kiss" and sometimes he'll even give kisses.

He is very in to music. every time he hears even a musical...sound, he'll start rocking and bobbing. And during his little adventures around the house I've heard him humming--simply adorable!

He can sign "all done", claps enthusiastically, and I think he tried to sign to nurse the other day--he seemed pretty pleased with himself. I'm not great about teaching him signs...but he is getting it, so I should work on it.

He doesn't talk a lot. He makes a ton of noises, and communicates...but he doesn't have words like Eve did. By the time she was 1, eve had a huge vocabulary. He has maybe half a dozen words. "Wow" is a recent favorite. He also like "sit" and "dog."

Why does he have to grow so fast? Lately, whenever casual references have come up, Tom's been quick to point out that we may be done--it breaks my heart to think of no more babies! ugh.

As is customary, he got two Birthday parties, and his very own mini cake, each day. The cake was on my allergy elimination diet, even the frosting! I made a big cake with white frosting for the non-birthday folks, and a little one with green frosting (colored with pureed spinach!) for the Birthday boy.





I'd love to share the frosting receipe, but I was really winging it all along. I used coconut butter, Hemp milk, and coconut oil, along with sugar and vanilla. I will say, making your own powdered sugar is time consuming. Next time I'm just going to order corn-free powdered sugar. Eve says she wants a pink chocolate cake. I'm thinking Beets will be the coloring of choice!

The new normal

Hey there blog-land.

been away living life.

Thought I'd update you all on things:

Tom's "condition" is, basically, permanent. There is nothing more that can be done, surgically. Hopefully, now L&I will approve some alternative treatments like Chiropractic. He has early stages of arthritis in his lower back which is probably why he has hip pain.

The doctor said in time (years?) Tom might be able to do some of the activities he used to enjoy.

I can't even express how sad I am for Tom about this. And of course, it's not what I wanted to hear about the situation either. He is constantly in pain, and has somewhat regular bouts of intense sharp pain that last for days. And that is the new normal.

We've been living with it for nearly a year and a half now, so I know we can deal with it. But, we've also had a bit of hope that eventually things would get figured out and he'd be fixed. Now? Not a lot of room for hope. :(

Israel is walking! And he has a few "words" like more and kitty. He's definitely not the little communicator Eve was, but he's such an explorer and so independent. He's still just the sweetest little guy ever. He is a joy and a blessing. I'm so glad he's part of our family.

Eve is coming out of the pit of being three and a half, and is blossoming into the most pleasant almost-four year old. I'm really glad too, I like...liking her! :)

I'm on a crazy diet--again--trying to figure out food allergies. So far, it's still a mystery and I miss cheese, Pizza, cheese, beer and...cheese. If I end up being allergic to dairy...how will I go on?

I have to make all my own everything. This week I made a yummy and rather time consuming batch of Quinoa apple banana muffins. If I end up having to make this kind of eating a lifestyle, I will have to borrow or buy a food processor--hand grating an apple is just...too much. So...I'm giving it more time. I've lost all my Peanut baby weight though...so the diet has it's benefits. I've got plans to keep going until the 16th of August, taking a day off to gorge on cheese, and then starting an even more strict 28 day elimination/detox diet. That is, if I don't see improvement in my various ailments between now and the 16th. If I do...I may have already had my last hurrah with cheese. :(

I am almost done with another onesie, so I'll have two to show you. Unfortunately, I spend all my time either cooking or cleaning up after cooking, so I've very little time for onesies, and even less for downloading and uploading pictures. :)

I still have one all "inked up" and ready to get started on, and then I have half a dozen more to design, ink, and stitch...it's harder because my hands hurt so much...I may have to retire if I can't get this thing solved.