laid out.

here it is, all laid out... i think it looks great. now, if only it would sew itself.

camera sadness.

i barely get the camera out, and finn starts crying. this is probably why there are so few pictures of him, as of late (mom...). he wants to see the pictures on the digital screen... which, of course, is much more fun than having your picture taken, even if there is the perfect morning light streaming into the bedroom, with great, vibrant colors all around... that digital screen is all he wants to see. i did get one happy one at the end, although not as clear as i woulda liked.

ironed. measured. cut.

i haven't made a quilt in awhile. the first two i made were on a singer 'tiny tailor,' which could be the smallest sewing machine known to man. anyway, back then (2001) i was not aware of such handy gadgets as the cutting mat and the fabric cutter (which is like a pizza cutter thingy). so this time, the cutting was not only faster, but much more precise. this should also make for a more even quilt. yea! so all of the ironing, measuring and cutting are completed for the top portion of the blanket. i am still dreaming up what i want to do with the back - go simple, or a little extravagant...
not sure.

there's around 125 8x8 squares here, in case you were wondering...

sleeping update

so far the tally is:

3 full nights in bed, total perfectness

2 naps started in bed, but ended up in crib, and 1 nap not even attempted in the bed (this would be yesterday when i had a migraine, no messing around then!)

so the naps aren't going well, but nite time sleep is great (can i just say that this is obviously because his room is pitch black at night and he probably can't see his hand in front of his face. that would make me stay in bed alright.)

the blueprint.

well, the blueprint has been made for finn's quilt. it's really just a collection of 7x7 inch squares, but with the way i plan to lay the fabrics out, it will look like a brick patio, kind of - not good at explaining these things. over naptime, i will check my fabric storehouse to see what, if any, amounts of fabric i will need to purchase. all fabrics will be washed and ready for cutting... and then the fun begins.

after a little googling, i have learned that this pattern is called "herringbone." all the fabric is ready to be ironed and cut today!! i am excited to get it all laid out - hopefully it turns out as cool as i am hoping...

yet another change.

i know it's only been one night, but never did i think transitioning finn to a bed could be so easy. granted it is not a bed - it is just his crib mattress on the floor. but still. he stayed on it the whole night, from 7PM to 7AM. without a peep. okay, there was one loud thump around 7:20.

finn never ceases to amaze me. and i am grateful that i don't have to lift his little(big) 30 pound body over that gate anymore.

the crib will stay up though - just in case night two, or naps are not as easy.

new obsession

no, not mine. finn's.

he saw a commercial today, during the news, for jeopardy. since then, he has been running around saying 'jeopardy' as well as he can in his almost-two-year-old voice. and now that jeopardy is on, he is watching with rapt attention (it's the teen tournament week) and cries when the commercials come on.

i suppose there could be worse things to let him watch (like caillou...)

home at last.

after eleven days of illinois fun, finn and i are home.
the drive was long. i will explain more later.
my back is hurting.
i am eating a mini-digiorno pizza in reward for such a ridiculous drive.

more tomorrow.

approximately sixty five percent complete.

that's how complete this pregnancy is. it's hard for me to imagine all of the things that must be accomplished before this baby comes, in 12-15 weeks. not that the list is incredibly long, but the things on the list are incredibly HUGE. for example, MOVE. not just MOVE, but MOVE to another state. not just another state, but one that is six hours away. and before we can MOVE, we must SELL the house. after we SELL and MOVE, there is, of course, the finding of WHO will cut me open to get our baby out. and after that happens, the HOW will i lose all of this weight quicker than i did with finn.

so much to happen, and only thirty five percent left. yikes! it's getting scary!

for now, i will just enjoy my lemon lime arctic freeze from dairy queen, and think about all of that later.

weekend creations.

fudge.
my first batch of fudge didn't even make it into the baking pan to cool. this is a no-brainer recipe, one that you can't mess up. and then it fell into the hands of my pregnant self. all you do is microwave 16 oz. of semi-sweet baking chocolate, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, then after you microwave that, you add 2 tsp. vanilla. mix it, put it in a foil lined 8x8, and throw it in the fridge for two hours. easy, right? not when you buy unsweetened baking chocolate instead of semi sweet. there is no amount of sugar in the world that can correct this evil flavor. and it does not microwave well.

but my second batch, made with the correct ingredients, came out just lovely. i even added walnuts to one half of the batch. (sidenote: there is more of it, of course, these were just the pieces that made it into the photo...)



pound cake with lemon icing.
i haven't tried this one yet, so i can't say it turned out perfect, but it sure looks pretty...
i used a classic butter pound cake recipe... butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk, flour, salt and baking powder. the batter sure tasted good. i was hoping for a loaf, but the recipe called for a bundt cake, so i just went with it.
i never really thought about why a pound cake is called by it's name. i guess to me it's like asking 'why is an apple called an apple?' but there is a reason for it's name. after my recipe digging, i found that a pound cake is so called because back 'in the day' it called for a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, and a pound of eggs... and obviously some other things.
anyway, it was fun to make something from scratch, something that i have never made before. hopefully it's as good as sara lee's. mmm.

then there came the icing... lemon icing sounded good, so i went with it. typical icing recipe, just powdered sugar and then added a couple tbsp of lemon juice... it tasted good by itself, so i am hoping it is just as good on the cake!

i have tried the cake since writing this, and it is good --- not AS good as sara lee. in fact not even close. still, tasty, just less pound cakey, i think.

i'm not sure why the baking bug has bit me, but it has. i have a banana bread on the docket tomorrow (mom's recipe) and after that, i am stopping!! i ordered some fabric for finn's quilt which should be here in the next few days, so hopefully the sewing bug will overpower the baking bug.

finn chattering on and on... pretty cute.

fairytales

for some reason, i have been really into watching fairytale-ish movies lately. here are two that i have really enjoyed. both of these movies have a good storyline that keeps your attention, while also remaining slightly humorous, but not too obnoxious. (in my humble opinion)

The passage from this world to the fantasy kingdom of Stormhold is through a breech in a wall by an English village. In the 1800s, a boy becomes a man when he ventures through the breech to prove his love for the village beauty by finding a fallen star. The star is no lump of rock, but a maiden, Yvaine, and Tristan, the youth, is not the only one searching for her: three witches, led by Lamia, want her heart to make them young. The sons of the dead king of Stormhold want her because she possesses a ruby that will give one of them title to the throne. Assisting Tristan are his mother, the victim of a spell, and a transvestite pirate of the skies. Will Tristan win his true love? Written by {jhailey@hotmail.com}


Folklore collectors and con artists, Jake and Will Grimm, travel from village to village pretending to protect townsfolk from enchanted creatures and performing exorcisms. They are put to the test, however, when they encounter a real magical curse in a haunted forest with real magical beings, requiring genuine courage. Written by IMDb Editors