Grandma update

Just a quick update on my grandma (previous pots can be found here and here): I mentioned that she was really out of it mentally. I feared she'd never return to the grandma I knew. But after some medication, she's much better. She knows who we are, and she speaks English again. And she LOVES her quilt, which makes me so happy!

Playing tag

Baby tag blankets are a quick and easy project, and they are a nice way to use up scraps.

The only thing is, the ribbon can get pricey if you don't have scraps of that on hand. And I never seem to have the right colors.



I am making shopping cart covers for me and a friend, and I used leftover scraps from that for this project.



The back is fleece. I used different colored, sized and textured ribbons, along with rick-rack. I made it small for little hands to handle.

He seems to like it.



I remember when I was little and would take a nap and my mom would sew up a present for me.

Puzzling

I came across this website where I guess you can make an online puzzle out of an image and then put it together on the computer. Well, lo and behold, one of the puzzle options is a picture of a purse I made and hand embroidered.



(click)

Only the site isn't really working for me. I just thought it rather odd because I never knew these puzzles existed until last night, then I happened across this quite by accident, not looking for puzzles. Just weird.

This is it on the top right. Oh, and the pot holders below that are mine, too.

Grandma's quilt

I told you all recently that my 89-year-old grandma fell and broke her hip. Until then, she was in excellent health and lived independently. She was still mostly herself through the hospital and rehab stay, then went to stay with my uncle. Apparently, she got some sort of sundowner's issue at night and was very difficult to deal with. This week, she got out of bed (she wasn't supposed to walk on her own) and fell in the middle of the night. She fractured her femur, ended up in surgery and back in the hospital. At that point, her mind kind of went. She has expressed that she's ready to die and she has reverted to mostly speaking Spanish and not really knowing what is going on. It's pretty awful.

In the meantime, I had decided to make this quilt for her. Unfortunately, now that it's done, I'm not sure she'll understand who I am or that I made it for her. But I do hope that it will brighten her days, few as they may be, at the rehab center. It is unlikely she will ever live away from professional care again.

Anyway, sorry for the downer story, but here's the quilt. I used one Moda Dream On Charm Pack for the front, sashed with yellow. I had a second charm pack and used four squares of that one, one at each corner. And I bought one yard of fabric for the green border, which is from the same line.



I do worry that the yellow sort of washes out the squares, but yellow is my favorite color. As far as I'm concerned, the world can't be too bright and cheery.



For the back, I decided to do something pretty (not just a solid fabric) because I had that second Charm Pack. So I did some lines and used white around them. The white shows off the squares a little better. I used a bright green for the binding.

I stippled this quilt, because I love the texture that it gives. Then I washed it to get an even nicer, puckery texture.

Too small for his britches

I recently went a little bonkers sewing baby pants. Actually, these pants from "Simple Sewing for Baby" are really quick and easy. They are one size, though, and too big yet for Brock at 8 months.



I got all of these cute fabrics from Hip Stitch, an Albuquerque fabric boutique and sewing lounge that is altogether awesome.



I added rick rack to the bottoms as a cute touch, and I think it made them 10 times more adorable.





This book is full of easy and cute ideas. I think some of them will make great gifts, too!



It felt good to put a dent in my to-do list. I went a little overboard planning projects that I don't have time for!

On another note, I'm almost done with the quilt I'm making for my Grandma. Unfortunately, she fell again the other day and broke another bone. She isn't doing well and I fear I may not finish it in time to give to her, but I'm hoping for the best.

Who is this young man?

And where has my baby gone? He's 8 months and a week, but in some of these pictures he looks like a little boy instead of a baby.

New and improved!

Hi everyone! After a good year and a half of neglect, I have updated my blog a little bit.

I have added "pages" up at the top for easy access to some of my favorite things. Many of those topics also remain on the sidebar for the time being. I think the saddest part is that there aren't comments on the pages, as opposed to posts, so where will the religious nuts leave their brave, anonymous hate messages to me?

One of the pages has my sewing/needlework projects. It's a time consuming process, so I have only managed to make it back through 2009. I'll add the ones before that eventually.

Anyway, I hope this makes Additional Jesus so exciting that you can't wait to check back for more! I should also add that I have been on a roll when it comes to crafting. During my pregnancy and Brock's early months, I just didn't have time or motivation. But now, well, LOOK OUT!

A wee quilt for my wee boy

I recently mentioned that I was visiting Emily's blog and spotted her cute kid's quilt made from Moda charm packs. It made me miss quilting, and it seemed like a quick and easy project that I was willing to take on.

I grabbed a couple of Max & Whiskers charm packs from Basic Grey for Moda and ordered 1-1/2 yards of one of the fabrics for the backing. I used 1/2 yard of another fabric for the binding, though that was cutting it close.

Here is the front:



Here is the back:



Close up of some of the fabrics. No, my corners don't always line up, but I try really hard.



I had an embroidered quilt tag made by esty.com seller From the Heart Creations. She was great about working with me to create a label that fit his full name.



This got me excited about quilting. I've already started on another charm pack quilt, this one with sashing. It's using the Dream On collection and has a vintage sheets feel to it. I'm already on my way with that one, so I'll have pics soon. I'm not sure who it's for yet. I guess I'll see how big it turns out and decide if it's a baby quilt or a lap quilt.

Bad hair days

It seems that on Additional Jesus, when it rains posts, it pours posts. I guess that's not bad after the drought this blog has been suffering. I get a few minutes and get to writing.

So, Brock is well-known for his crazy hair. He's got quite a puff on his head. Or, he did. I thought it was getting a bit out of hand, so I wanted to get his hair cut.



But Mark thought that was a waste of money. So when I was at work one night, he cut it himself. How hard can it be, right? You just cut straight across the bangs, right? And it looks good, right?



Um. Oops.

He looked super-dorky, you guys. I noticed it the next day when I got up. I couldn't stop laughing at him. It was crooked and had long pieces that were missed entirely. Oh, Lordy. I tried to fix it up, and for the most part did.

This is after a little work, but still dorky:



It doesn't look like my kid to me!!

But a little mousse and a comb, and he's stylin.



And fat. Did I mention FAT? I'm so proud. He gets those thighs from me!



That's Brock at 7 months.

A gift for my Brocky Boy

I was visiting Emily's blog, So Much for My Plans, and saw this adorable quilt that she made. I hope she doesn't mind that I posted it here.



It appeals to me because my sewing time is limited and it's just made with a charm pack, or pre-cut squares. No cutting = saving a lot of time. It's simple and beautiful. And I'm a copy cat, so I'm making one for Brock as a gift, maybe for his first birthday.

I'm using the Max & Whiskers collection from Moda.



I'll keep you posted! I'm excitedly watching the mailbox for my fabrics.

The new American Idol: Mark?

Yes, we are unabashed American Idol fans. I told myself I was done with it, though. After all the judge swaps, I wasn't sure I'd like it. Plus, it is so many hours a week of watching time, I felt I wouldn't have time with the baby and working evenings three nights a week.

But here I am.

There's a kid named Robbie Rosen, and every time I see him, I say, "Mark! It's you when you were younger!"

So, here you go. See for yourself.

My new-but-really-old Singer

I have a new family member to introduce you to! It's my new Singer, which is older than I am.



I got it from eBay Singerman12, who fully refurbishes and tests the machines he sells. It's adorable and tiny and extremely heavy. That's because it is made of all metal, in a they-sure-don't-make-'em-like-the-used-to kind of way.



It's an industrial strength machine, which means it can handle thick, heavy fabric in a way my Kenmore can't.



It's basic. It can only do a straight stitch. It came with lots of presser feet to do gathering, piping, zippers, etc., but no zig-zag, overcast or blind hem. But that's fine, because I can use my Kenmore for that. I was having some trouble doing free-motion quilting because the fabric was catching on the face plate. Then I noticed the metal was all chewed up, I guess from the needle striking it. The sewing machine repair shop said it was from sewing too-heavy fabric and forcing it through, thus bending the needle slightly out of whack.

Now I can get my Kenmore fixed up and use my Singer for heavy-duty work!

My Grandma

My grandma is going to be 90 this summer. She's always been healthy as a horse. My grandpa, that was a whole 'nother story. He had everything wrong with him, and maybe the fact that my grandma had to do everything and take care of everyone is what kept her strong and healthy.

She still lives alone and takes care of herself.

Until Tuesday evening, when she went outside to do something. She fell and cut up her head, and she broke her hip and pelvis several times. It was freezing out, and just after dark.

What did she do? She crawled. She could only use one leg. And did I mention she's about to turn 90? That's right. For a 90-year-old to crawl any distance at all would be hard. To do it with multiple bone breaks, the use of only one leg and a head wound, well, I can't even imagine.

But she's a tough cookie, and after some time out in the cold night, she made it into her house and called for help.

She's doing surprisingly well. She's alert and already had surgery and is doing physical therapy. She's in good spirits. Of course, we don't know what this means for her future or if she'll be able to recover enough to go home and live alone again. But I thank God that she had the strength to get inside. She would have likely frozen to death out there.

Brain sucking

I haven't posted many craft items lately, so I figured it was time. I hadn't knitted since I was pregnant, but my niece requested this hat, and it was a nice, quick knit.



It's a Chain Chomp from Super Mario Bros.




She's 10, but I needed a model, and Brock didn't mind having his head munched for a minute.



Pattern can be found here.



And here is what a Chain Chomp looks like:

Hope you like your naked guys soft and squishy!

I love the shamelessness of a nekkid baby! They love being that way and feel no embarrassment. It's beautiful.



Brock is almost 7 months old. He's sitting up strong and also standing strong, but only if I hold him.



He seems to be having a lot of cozy play-in-jammies kind of days lately with the freezing weather!



Well, tomorrow (Monday) is my birthday! I'm 37. What the heck?!

Mr. Brock turns 6 months old

What happened to my baby? He's 6 months old already. When I look at the back of his neck, I see a little boy's neck. Not a baby's! OK, so I'm insane.





He's getting nice and fat ...



He's so amazing. It's so fun now that he's interactive, alert and interested in his world. I know he's been that way for a while, but I don't get on and blog very often. He was a little difficult the first few months -- very fussy. But now, he's just a fabulous little boy.



He still doesn't roll over much. He sometimes goes back to belly, but he can't roll the other way and he gets really upset about being on his belly. For a long time, he slept a good 12-13 straight hours. But then he got a cold and ever since he's been waking around 4 or 5 a.m. for a feeding. I'm sort of eager for that to end, but then again, he goes right back down and then we sleep for quite a while, so I'm actually getting more sleep than when he started his day at 7 or so.

I'm only working 3 evenings a week outside the home right now, but I'm still doing the Warehouse Fabrics Inc. blog, so I'm very busy! I'm really grateful for that opportunity to earn money from home. I also manage their social networking (Facebook, twitter and flickr) and put together the newsletter.

Still breast-feeding, and that's going pretty good now. For a little while, I was having a lot of pain and discomfort, but I'm feeling better and think I can keep at it! We just started solids last week, and that's loads of messy fun.



He can also sit up like a big boy, but can flop over at any moment.



Brock loves his baths. LOVES THEM!!! He likes to get real stiff and hold his arms down at his sides while kicking off the bottom of his tub. He looks like he's doing Lord of the Dance. All the while, he has a very serious expression. Here, he's hiding his wee-wee from the pervs out there.



For now, I just enjoy cuddling my little angel as much as I can.