Wholecloth is Finished

So this past week, I had my 3 hour glucose tolerance test (BTW, still don't know if I passed or not, but so far no calls from the doctor's office, so I hope that's a good sign) and I had just finished the quilting on this wholecloth crib quilt. I made up some binding for it and had to leave it sit for a day without working on it. That was actually hard. I find hand sewing the binding to be addictive and irresistable. How can you not? You spend ages on a quilt and just a few more hours sewing to finish it all up.


Anyway, I wanted to take it along with me to have something to do in the lab. I did take a book, but I have a hard time concentrating on books when people are talking around me. Sewing is perfect, except that it sometimes makes people want to talk to you, which is exactly what happened. But it helped to pass the time, anyway. I finished the entire binding during my appointment.

After the test, I came home, treated it for a couple little blood stains I managed to get on it from pricking myself when quilting and threw it in the laundry. I am so impatient to see the final product and washing just makes it perfect.

The Man made me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, so I ate that while trying to get some work caught up. Wow. I wasn't hungry until after I finally got to eat. About half an hour after I ate it, I got all hot and started sweating and ended up going to lie down for awhile. It went away after 15 minutes or so and then I felt fine. What in the world was that about? The sugar and the fasting suddenly get to me?

But the quilt is finished and it is perfect. The preprinted design completely disappeared and the quilt is wonderfully soft and wrinkly. Whose genius idea was this to make it for a baby boy? I'm thinking he doesn't get to really touch it. Much.

Wish I could get better photos of it, but this is the best I could do. I tried. I think you can click on them to enlarge and see a little closer.

Salad Tables and Boxes

The other day on Martha, there was a Jon Traunfeld from the University of Maryland talking about making salad tables and he demonstrated building the table and showed a smaller salad box. What a great idea!

I've been thinking about how/where we can put some sort of raised bed in our backyard. The deer are terrible pests. It never occurred to me that I'd have deer trouble in the city, but what did I know? They've already eaten my budding tulips for this year.

Anyway, you can check out the segment and the instructions at Martha's website here, or for more detailed instructions and information, including the smaller salad boxes, download here from the Maryland Cooperative Extension.

Photos from University of Maryland's instruction sheet

I so want these right now!

These lemon spritz cookies with buttercream filling are beautiful and sound yummy. I want.

I Don't Know Where I Am

So its been almost 3 weeks since I last posted. I don't know where I've been. I have a lot of things on my mind right now, I guess, and don't seem to have anything actually completed to talk about.

What's on my mind? Um.

Well, I have 79 days before the baby is due, according to my little ticker thing. Am I ready? No. We set up the crib and dresser in my office, but we are missing a mattress yet. That's about all that we've purchased.

Got the lamp from Pier 1 this week and I bought nickel knobs to replace the wooden ones that came with the dresser. I like.

I did pick up a bedding set I liked, but I still want to make another. I don't know why. Because I can.

After watching the rates for a couple months, we've decided to go ahead and refinance our mortgage. Yay! This excites me, cause we're knocking off more than 2 points on our rate. 'Course, we'll have to shell out for the fees, but whatever. The payback is worth it. I've already recalculated everything on my spreadsheet, because I'm that nerd that gets totally excited over the spreadsheets.

We also had a contractor come out yesterday to give us a quote on rebuilding the basement bathroom that we ripped out almost a year ago. I can't tell you how much it excites me to get started on this too. We're going to redo the basement bathroom first and then, hopefully, we will move right on to the upstairs bathroom. They said they could start in 2 weeks, so we've been out looking at tile and pedestal sinks and fixtures for down there cause it sounds like it won't take long to complete. Its a tiny bathroom, so I guess that's not a surprise. Yay!

Let's see. What else? Oh, I failed my first glucose screening test by 1 point. Suck. Now I have to go back for a 3 hour test with blood draws every hour. I can't tell you how much that annoys me. I hate this stuff and every time I go to the lab, its packed with weird people. The doctor is still lecturing me on cakes, cookies & ice cream and looking at me like that must be all that I eat. From what I have heard, 2 out of 3 women who fail the first test pass the second. I desperately hope that works for me, but I am not holding my breath. I have decided that I don't particularly like her, but I've gotten scheduled for her again. My 3rd time in a row. Oh well. The appointments from here on out don't sound like much fun.

I did finish a few items that I've had unfinished for ages and put them in the Etsy shop. Yay for that too.

Gray Corduroy Bag

Ruffled Apron 1

Ruffled Apron 2

Oh, and I could possibly be getting another dog. Its a long story. Not a toy dog, though. Regular sized. I don't know how I feel about this, but whatever. Bad timing?? Agh. I'll survive, right? We'll see. I'm currently ignoring the idea until it appears that it will actually happen. That's my favorite tactic.

So. That's it. I'll be back around eventually.

Silly dog. Isn't he cute?