Little Bit's First Communion

I just remembered I haven't posted about Little Bit's First Communion! She received the Sacrement a few weeks ago.
For those who don't know First Communion is when a person received Eucharist for the first time, often done at age 7-8, so grade 2.

Our new parish doesn't have the entire class, she goes to a Catholic school, do their sacrements all at once, but spread out over several weeks. This is way nicer because it means Mass isn't super long because of the number of kiddos.

Little Bit picked out her dress herself and was so proud of it! She looks gorgeous and I can't believe how grown up she is getting! What happened to my baby??

LOL she looks so tiny compared to Shane and I but my little girl is really growing up!

Stocking Madness

   I made DH a new Christmas Stocking. He's a HUGE Alabama Crimson Tide fan. Apparently so is Rebel, the younger of my two Maltese. He got on top of my cutouts. I used the red for the lining. I think he was trying to claim this one, but well...DH is much, MUCH bigger lol.

 I had DH helping with the design and placement of the applique, which is wool felt. I've really gotten into using wool felt, at least for Christmas appliques. I'm not 100% sure why, but I think it really gives things a Christmas feel. I embroidered the Alabama 'A' on the football, I'd meant to do it before I sewed the parts all together but forgot. I had to do it once it was totally finished, but it didn't turn out too bad, and I only tried to sew the entire stocking together once.

DH absolutely loved this stocking, and has taken pictures to e-mail to his cousin and daddy back in NC, they too are Alabama fans.

 I used the same fabric as the lining for the heel patch and the background for the snowman. DH wouldn't let me add bells to the toes, aparently that is not manly lol. We decided to go for the cuff instead of the ruffle for the same reason, I think. I'm rather impressed with myself for getting the fabric direction right on both sides of the stocking. Notice the snowman's helmut? I cut out on of the helmuts from the fabric, fabric glued it to the wool and zig zagged around it all. I don't intend for this to be washed much so I'm hoping it won't fray.

  I've got myself into it though, now Little Bit has decided she wants a princess stocking, so I'm going to have to hit either Walmart or Fabricland, as the quilt stores here don't stock anything like that, mostly because the quality of the fabric isn't very good. My thinking is when she's older she'll want another stocking that suits her more so the fact it won't survive too many years doesn't matter. 

 Wool felt always felt primitive to me,and I'm not really a huge fan of the primitive style. It just doesn't suit me I guess, but then I started seeing it used in non-primitive work and really loved the texture, and warm feel it adds to things. So when the one of the projects from the blog hop awhile ago was a wool penny mat I decided to try it, and LOVED it. So now I'm a wool convert, total novice still as I've worked with nothing but wool felt, and those just the colours I can pick up at the store, but it is fun, and especially for tiny pieces easier then fabric applique.

 I got the border added onto my baby quilt. I really like how it accents the piano key middle border. I'm hoping to get this sandwiched and quilted this weekend. I'll then sew the prairie points on and add the binding. I think that will work best. I'm using a large fleece panel/blanket that was on sale for the back, and maybe I'll leave out the batting all together. I love using soft, fuzzy backs for baby/smaller children quilts. It just makes them so cozy!

I got the pictures from Little Bit doing the draw yesterday! Ignore the mess and her wearing her towel as pjs, my moment of reality if you will lol.  I interupted her play time to get the pictures. She is feeling some better today, only a slight fever, compared to the raging one yesterday. I've fingures crossed she'll be well enough to go to the Christmas concert tonight at her school.

I think I missed the postman yesterday so I'll have to wait to this evening or tomorrow to pick up my package at the post office. I'm hoping its my Christmas present from the Elves at Fat Quarter Shop. Speaking of which, they are doing 12 Days of Christmas so you should head over. Every day a different line will be on sale! I'm heading over now.

Have a great day!

Hmmm I've used my store of update titles....

So I found my scraps from Winter White Schnibbles back in September. My good intentioned tidying ended rather abruptly when I realized I could make another of Miss Rosie's Tuffets...so I did.



Isn't the snowman cute? I really liked him. I actually forgot to add the carrot nose, I'd had it made but forgot to put it on before I baked him off. Ooops.
I actually read all the directions this time so it turned out bigger then the last courthouse steps one I made. I also picked up a little set of 3 funnels at the dollar store. They really helped get all the walnut shells in there. This one is quite firm, not rock hard, but definitely sturdy. The first one really is kinda wimpy, especially now that it has settled.

Here is the first block in Picnic, the November Schnibble pattern. This one goes together nicely, and the trick Carrie came up with to make the HST using charms squares, without wasting but still able to trim down, is GENIUS. Check it out.

Little Bit wrote her letter to Santa with Daddy's help. This is her first time writing to Santa, who will write back with the help of Canada Post. Santa's address you ask? North Pole, HOH OHO Canada. Seriously that is the address, which is very cute if you ask me.
Little Bit drew pictures for the jolly man too. So we added it to the envelope.
I'll get a stamp and she can mail it after school tomorrow.


So I'm getting close to my 100th post,and following blog tradition have decided to have a giveaway. I haven't decided all yet what but it will involve some fabric and most likely a couple of pin toppers. I will post more about it next time. But one thing I decided is there will be more then one winner. Just saying.

A Hard Weekend

This has been a hard weekend for me. Friday was my son's 4th birthday, which we celebrated by cleaning his headstone, and leaving a foil balloon and flowers at his grave. You see my son died at 5 days old from a horrific genetic disease.
This is always a hard day but this year I have the knowledge that I will be having a hysterectomy in September. There will be no more children for me.
At least not biological, and by the time we can afford to adopt, well I don't know what will happen then. I've more or less given up on trying to figure out what will happen in the distant future. Every time in my life where I make plans I've had to deal with some serious disappointments. So I try to live in the now as much as possible.

Yesterday, we had Little Bit's last soccer game of the year.

She played really well, paid attention and was really trying to get in there. She has to be told which way to kick the ball, which the coach forgot to do before the game. Once she had that figured out she was great. All the kids got this little trophy, which means the world to Little Bit. She still has hers from last year, and it's definitely one of her prized possessions.

Yesterday afternoon, in a all day deluge of rain, we had the annual pool party for my mom's side of the family at my brother's (formally my mother's) place.
It was nice to see many of my cousins, and all the little girls. We had 9 girls under the age of 6, and one 10 year old. The 10 year old was wonderful taking care of the little ones.
All of 3 of my siblings were there, which sounds great except we don't really get on all that well.
I have to admit to being cowardly and going out to gazebo were the guys were. I spent most of the afternoon very pleasantly, and managed to keep them from killing themselves trying to fry the turkey.

So maybe it wasn't such a bad weekend...hard but not bad.