Baby, It's Cold Outside

With the recent cold snap, we have had to switch to Winter mode at our house. We bundle up before leaving the house and always take blankets and coats with us when we leave. Of course, this means that I have come across a few projects to keep me busy and Shelby warm. I made her a hat that can be tied on so she can't pull it off and some mittens. I was thinking the mittens would be super quick and easy, but I did have to take out a lot of stitching and try again a number of times. Several hours later - I know have a working mitten pattern.
Here she is modeling my handiwork. She can't pull the mittens off, which is a very good thing. However, they are very difficult to get on her and she would rather not cooperate (what a surprise).

This is her fancy new coat from Grandma. It is super soft and super warm though I don't think Shelby appreciates the coat for much more than the big buttons near her mouth that she can chew on. I do hope everyone is staying warm and I also hope that it will warm up a bit!

Nice Rug!

The long awaited day has arrived that I finished the rug for Shelby's nursery, and it only took just over a year. I am just glad that I finished it before she turned 1. I am really glad to have it done and I am also glad that my fingers can hopefully start to heal now. They are riddled with needle pokes and I actually shoved the needle up under my fingernail multiple times on the same finger. I do consider it a victory that I did not get any blood on the rug during its creation.

I saw this idea for making a rug on a sewing blog and thought it would be a great addition to the nursery. I remember it seeming like a weekend project when I read it. Well soon after I started, I realized that it was going to take a lot longer than a weekend and being 7 months pregnant I wasn't too good at sitting down and working on it for very long. I quickly put it in a bag in the corner and ignored it. I decided to get working on it again in September. I have probably put in nearly 100 hours to finish the thing. First, you had to braid all the fabric and then hand sew it all together. I am glad to be done with it and Shelby seems to like it, but honestly my advice would be to buy a rug instead of make one like this. Any price would be worth it.

I just don't know what I am going to do with all of my extra time now. I have been using my nights to get this done for several months now. Perhaps I will just try to catch up on some sleep. I am sure I can come up with some more projects to work on, but they will not involve a needle and thread for a little while.

Hee Haw Farms

For Halloween, I wanted to do something fun that Shelby could participate in so after some thought I decided on a hayride. I looked up some different places you could go to go on a hayride and we decided on Hee Haw Farms in PG. I wasn't too interested in paying a lot of money because I really didn't think Shelby would care one way or the other what we did. Boy was I wrong.

We did go on a hayride and it ended up being a Trick or Treat Hayride. Every so often we all would yell "Trick or Treat!" and someone in a costume would throw handfuls of candy into the wagon. It was the best form of trick or treating I have ever done. I sat on my butt while someone else drove me around to people who would throw candy at me. Could it get any better? I think not. Shelby really liked the hayride and was even giggling at times.

We also rode the burlap sack slide, which was quite fast and fun. Shelby went down the most because she got to ride with both Mom and Dad. This was the only thing that I am not sure if she really liked or not. She did like the animal train ride a lot. It was one of those trains with big farm barrells that are cut into seats and painted to look like animals. She liked that ride whether she was riding or watching.

This is one of the goat gymnasts. They had this little tower built and the goats had to climb from one platform to the next to get to the top to get some food. I think one of the goats got scared on this particular platform.

They also had an elaborate petting zoo. You know me and animals. The petting zoo was disgusting and not one of us actually touched an animal but we did mingle amongst them and look at them. There were pigs, goats, chickens, bunnies, ducks, and a miniature horse that had a sign that said "I bite". Shelby's absolute favorite part of the whole place was Bunnyville. There was a big area that was fenced off and had little houses in it. There were bunnies all over the place in there and you could just watch them hop around. Shelby was fascinated with the bunnies. I don't know what it was about them, but she loved them.

We had such a great time at Hee Haw Farms and it ended up being the perfect activity for Shelby's first Halloween. The best part was that we had just decided to head home when we felt a raindrop. Once we got loaded into the car, the rain let loose and it was a downpour. Our timing couldn't have been better.

Busy Little Critter

While Kelly was home I found that I could get a lot done, even while Shelby was awake because there was someone else to watch her. This was kind of a new thing, so I was taking advantage. One afternoon, I was busy straightening up the house and putting things away. I had made several trips up and down the stairs, and a few trips down to the basement as well. As I was walking through the family room Kelly said "You are a busy little critter." I just assumed he was talking to Shelby and I laughed and thought don't I know it. Then I noticed him staring at me. I guess I just got caught up in being so productive I couldn't help myself. I will say this - we did get a lot of stuff done while he was here. Our list includes:

Fixed some problems with the computer

Fixed some other problems with the printer

Started a major cleaning out of all the closets (which I will finish)

Mowed and trimmed the yard

Fertilized the lawn

Cleaned out and winterized the flower beds

Changed the oil in both cars

Installed new windshield wipers on both cars

Got my car inspected, emmissioned, and registered

Made my Grandma's Pumpkin Chiffon Cake

I only mention the cake because it was a major undertaking. It is really delicious, but very involved. I think it took me 2 1/2 hours to get it ready to go in the oven. Then it had to bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. It was worth it, but I won't be making it again soon. I still can't believe how often she made it, now that I know how hard it is to make.

Here is a picture of the really busy little critter. We put her in the car and then when we got home this is what she looked like. The problem with having her not remember last winter is that she has no recollection of ever wearing socks and apparently never feels that she needs to wear them. The shoes sometimes help to keep the socks on, but how in the world did she do this? This is how we found the shoe and sock combo on the seat of the car when we got home!

She is such a funny little thing and is always coming up with new stuff. I can't imagine what I am in for when she finally figures out how to crawl. Right now, she just rolls and sits up. She is super fast and can turn really fast now with the sitting thing, but if she ever has the patience to learn how to crawl I am going to be in some real trouble.