Moving Right Along...

Most of our belongings are packed now (picture taken yesterday, but camera ran out of batteries).  We went to pick up the keys to our new apartment this afternoon and boy does it feel spacious compared to our current living space.  We will have to take a picture of our new living room and do a comparison once we have everything settled.  Baby Girl was utterly fascinated by the ceiling fans as she was laying on her playmat while I unpacked a couple boxes.  I think I opened the closet containing the washer and dryer about 6 times just to make sure it really was there!  

Never take having a washer and dryer in your home for granted!!!  We have been sharing two washers & two dryers (Both you have to pay for each load) with 15 other families on our floor in the married student housing for the past 4 years.  Seeing as the number of children on our floor has almost tripled in the years we have been living here, you can imagine how hard it is to do laundry between the hours of 8am-10pm (yes, there are restrictions on the use of the room, they even shut off power to the lights).

Well, You won't be hearing from me until after the memorial day weekend most likely as we do not get our internet until Tuesday.  I pray you all have a wonderful weekend, enjoying the time with friends and family!

3 Months...

Our Little Darling is 3 months old (as of a couple of days ago)!  When people say that the time flies by, they are not joking!  Ziona has so much personality already and I can see a little bit of us in her as she grows almost daily.  Daddy will hold her hands as she pulls herself up to a standing position.  She loves spending time with him as the squeals of laughter and giggles (on both their parts) carry to the other room as I am packing up the last of our belongings.  I can't wait to move to our new place where all of us will have so much room, perhaps it is just in time for a little crawler...

A Mother's Love: Blogger's Quilt Festival

Amy's Creative Side is hosting the Blogger's Quilt Festival this month; be sure to check her icon to see the other quilts entered in this year's group!  Voting will open in a few days...(I am #309 if you like my quilt, either way, be sure to check out all the beautiful projects entered this year!)...

It has been a year since I first shared my quilt which I've called, A Mother's Love.  I Can't begin to imagine what this year would have held even if I had been told.

Last year we lost our triplet babies; the first at 12 weeks, and then the other 2 three weeks later.  I was pretty overwhelmed and yet I wanted to find a way to honor their memories even though I will not meet them in this world.  When I was at the quilt shop I was given a brochure advertising a contest to make a quilt top that used 1 jelly roll, 1 charm square pack, and up to 2 yards of other material.  This is the design that I came up with, although in the end I did not enter it in the contest, when it was completed I felt like I had won something in my own heart.

I worked at the quilt on and off for several months and yet every time I tried to complete it, my heart was heavy and I folded it away in disgust with myself.  In April of last year I contracted meningitis which made it impossible to work, but I was able to spend short amounts of time sitting on the couch at a table to piece some of the parts together; before I knew it, I had completed all of the top besides the sashing I added later.   I could see the goal in sight and suddenly I made the goal to myself  to have the quilt completed by mother's day 2011.

A couple days before the due date I finally had everything pieced, spray basted together and had only to add the quilt stitching.  I went with a swirling flower design that I randomly came up with in my head.  The quilt was finished and bound just before the goal I had set out for myself.

A month later we would find out that I was pregnant again.  This past February I gave birth to our precious daughter, Ziona.  I still am trying to figure out the best quilt design to honor this wonderful miracle that was given to us.  What I learned about myself was that sometimes I do my best work when I have not planned everything out.  I let my heart lead on this project and for now, it remains my favorite quilt that I have ever made.

Red, White and Blue Blog Hop

I am sorry that I have been away for so long.  I have been caught up in the moment to my packing and getting ready for our move next weekend.  Our apartment is full of boxes stacked in the corner and I have reached that point where I am no longer sorting items but just stuffing them in a box.  I thought I would be a little depressed about this, but I keep reminding myself that I purged 4 shopping carts last fall and 2 this spring in anticipation of our move.  Not only that, but I also purged my fabric stash by many, many yards of fabrics I was never going to use.  Now I just have to get rid of a few more rolls of decor fabric once we've settled on our color pallet for the living room.  I am planning to redo a chair we have with some fabric I was given, at least I pray it is the right color so I don't have to shop for fabric.

Madame Samm At SEW WE QUILT has done it again!  Along with her friend Jane, they shall be hosting the Red, White & Blue Blog hop this July!  There 100 people signed up to share their blocks, I hope you will be willing to check it out!  It's one of the first projects I hope to tackle when we get moved in next weekend.  I am hoping to put together a little quilt with the block I put together for my post in the blog hop, maybe a nice picnic blanket.  I also need to get working on my Quilt for our Baby Girl!

I really, really wanted to be involved with Giveaway Day this year with my own giveaway, but it fell on the worst weekend for me for obvious reasons.  Plus my fabric and craft items are already packed!  Please check it out for yourself though but clicking on the icon.  Perhaps I will have to arrange a little giveaway after I move to purge just a little more fabric!

Do First: May

Do First Lists and Links:
I have been out of the loop in the blog world; there are so many new ideas, blog hops, and linky groups added since I left to jump start motherhood!  One of these lovely blogs I found about a week ago at a quarter to midnight!  My baby girl may be sleeping but I cannot seem to shut my brain off.  So I went blog hopping in my own fashion where I randomly click from blog to blog until I find something that catches my eye.  Which brought me to Lawson and Lotti's monthly DO FIRST post and linky parties.  Oh how I do love a good list!  So this month is going to be a short one because of the move.  Oh how I wish I could plan to finish all the projects I shared with you on last Monday's Post.

Must Do:

1.  Pack My Fabric

2.  Pack My tools

3.  Finish Cowboy Table Topper

Might Do:

1.  Colour My World Challenge-April Yellow

2.  Get my crafting area unpacked

3.  Make a Design Wall

What do you have planned for the month?  What do you want to finish or start?  Make your own list and link up for fun!  I have found that posting to WIP Wednesdays and TGIFF for my projects has kept me a bit accountable in the past when I was actively crafting and blogging.  I am trying to live up to the Process Pledge by showing more of my projects while they are in formation mode.  I love the input and I have been given fantastic ideas that I would not have thought of for a project and would have missed out on great learning opportunities had I not shown my projects unfinished and developing!