Newest Creation

So my new sewing machine arrived last week and I was pretty excited. It's not the best machine in the world, and it's been refurbished, but it's machine a'plenty for a complete beginner like me. The last time I sewed anything was in Grade 7 or 8 home economics class. And somehow, during that class, I managed to sew my finger in the machine. :(

But! I am older and wiser now (right?) and I figured I better invest in a starter machine so I can feed these creative urges properly. I have spent the past week second guessing myself after reading a few sewing blogs and discovering that it is actually kind hard to sew. You have to be precise, for one, and I am rarely patient enough to achieve that. And you have to be sort of good at sewing before you can really make anything cool.

Or so I thought. Today, I manned up and pulled out the machine, threaded it up and went searching for a starter project, something to build my confidence and perhaps get this sewing snowball rollin'. I found a great tutorial for a simple skirt on Made and decided I would give it a bash. Behold! The first thing I have sewn in 20 years! A skirt for Mia.

I am really pleased with how it turned out, I learned quite a few things and got a better feel for my machine so I think I'll try a second one. There's a lot not quite right with it, but what could be better than seeing how excited Mia was when she saw the skirt that I had made just for her. Awesome!

I am still somewhat self-doubting about my sewing skill but I am determined to try and learn a little bit anyway. Craig says I can make curtains for the new downstairs. Yay!

Come on, Irene!

We've been keeping a close eye on Hurricane Irene all week. Most of the prediction models had her making landfall east of Raleigh, on the Outer Banks, but every now and again a model would show her rolling right over central NC and I have to admit, I'm a little disappointed not to see more of her. Not that I want a Category 3 hurricane tippy-tapping on my window, but there was (in the back of my mind) a tinge of excitement at the prospect of witnessing something so scary and different. Especially after experiencing my first earthquake on Tuesday. What a week!

As of now, Irene is roughly 250 miles from here, off the coast of NC, but we are seeing some bands of rain starting already. The sky is grey and black and looks ominous. We should be in for a soggy tomorrow, but hopefully a safe one. :)

Hurricane Irene

All eyes are on the gigantic storm just over the Bahamas today and the latest forecast models have it headed for NC and making landfall as a Category 3 hurricane. Now, whether we see it this far inland is another thing altogether. Still, there's a buzz in the air around here. Maybe I should really think about getting that hurricane preparedness kit together after all. :/

Burton is growing up too fast...

I have been reluctant to do it but last night I finally gave in to Craig's insistence that I cut Burton's hair. There was just something so cute about that mop of crazy, super-soft hair, I just knew that if I cut it, the door would be wide open for some of the baby to leave and the boy to enter.

<------At the beginning of summer.

And I was right. Look at this big fella. ------>

So cute! But so big! :(

Back to blogging...

Ok, ok, I know. I have been down this road before. What can I say? I'm a fickle, fickle girl. Nevertheless, I have decided to try and commit more time to writing and have convinced myself that I can keep up this blog, at least until the next latest and greatest thing comes about. Mostly, I don't want to simply fire up a schwack of pictures on Facebook anymore. Those that care need the story too. :)

So. What is new? We are in the midst of a complete construction/disaster zone after the great flood of two weeks ago. Since then, we have new floors in the bathroom and laundry room, new walls all over, new paint, new doors and soon we will have the carpeting in. There is light at the end of the tunnel! I have been fairly grumpy about all the clutter, dust and random workers in our house but I am excited at the prospect of a new basement. It really needed a lot of work. The kids have taken it all in stride, but we have been fairly cooped up these past two weeks. That has resulted in a lot of fighting, time-outs and grouchy time for all of us. :)

I have been working on a new blanket for Mia (see above). I found a lovely "flower" granny square pattern that is very easy and pretty. I'm only a quarter of the way through and hoping that I don't lose interest soon. You know I love to project jump. :)

In other news, Craig and Mia have started a new season of soccer, with Craig head coaching for the first time. I think they are both enjoying it, despite the crazy hot weather. Jack has really taken off with swimming. He now swims a distance on his own, jumps off the diving board and the poolside and his confidence is really high. He was so resistant before, but it was like a switch went off and he decided he actually could swim. He starts lessons in September. Burton is BUSY, talking and running and getting into everything. He keeps me hoppin'.

Ok, on that note, I better get back to parenting. I promise to TRY and keep this up. Don't forget to check in here every now and again. :)