Wow. It's been how long?

Last October, my husband and I bought our first house! We packed and moved with the help of awesome friends and family.

Then, it took forever for me to get my craft stuff unpacked. Not because I was busy, per say, but because I was exhausted. If you follow my FB, then you've already seen this:

That was a month ago. I'm 5 1/2 months along with baby number 3. Hero came with us to the ultrasound and couldn't wait to find out what the baby was. He is so excited that the baby gets to sleep in his room! 

One of my biggest deterrents for not crafting and blogging, is that I have been so tired. Not just because I'm pregnant with my 3rd baby, which is reason enough. . . but because I have an infection. I'm going to go ahead and tell the world (or at least the small number of you who still ready my blog) because I've never heard of this before.

In my first visit to the OB, they wanted a urine sample (normal) and it grew e coli (not normal). The doctor had me take a 10 day course of antibiotics to clear up the bladder infection. One of the side effects of the meds is drowsiness (as in: do not operate heavy machinery). Then two months later, another sample that grew e coli again. Another round of antibiotics was taken. Then, at the 20 week visit, they took a urine sample via catheter (yuck) to make sure that I wasn't contaminating the samples, and guess what?! E coli again. After a third round of the 10 day antibiotic, I am now on a daily suppressant medication (again, drowsy inducing) because apparently if the bladder infection gets to my kidneys, I could end up in preterm labor. YIKES!

I have been told that a bladder infection like this is very common with pregnant women. And that e coli is naturally in your system, so it's not that crazy for it to be what grew, but I'm not a person prone to bladder infections. My mom can only think of one when I was 2, and I can't think of any. So, I'm wondering, has anyone else dealt with this personally, or had a friend who has. As far as I know, I'm the only one EVER (which I know is not true, but boy does it feel this way!)

This is my excuse for not keeping on top of things. I'm now starting to feel better, and have done a few crafty things, including Christmas gifts that I never shared. I plan to get back into the swing of things now that I'm not feeling so tired all. the. time. 

We moved! and Halloween!

If you follow me on FB or on Twitter, you know that my husband and I just bought a house and moved! It was a busy week, with us getting keys on Friday, and a week later on Saturday, moving. It was hectic with packing up all our stuff and trying to clean and paint in the new house. (I'll show you the paint later).

This is how I hoped I would be through the whole experience: happy, excited and lookin' cute.

(google image search)

Instead, I looked more like this, except even worse, because this woman has make-up and earrings, I had neither. They were packed...

(google image search)

I am so lucky to have my in-laws who helped me just dump stuff in boxes the night before the move so that when our friends/family showed up the next morning, we were out of the old place and into the new in less than 2 hours. Not joking.

(google search image)

After 3 weeks, I am mostly unpacked, with one big exception: my craft stuff. I just haven't had the energy for sewing/crafting anyway. It's coming out this weekend though, and I'm excited! It's a big endeavor. 

I only had 4 boxes of clothes (including hangers and shoes), but I have 7 boxes of craft stuff. And that's not counting the 3 plastic storage tubs of fabric... I think it might be a sickness. . . or at least a good entry for Linda's (at Craftaholics Anonymous) "You might be a craftaholic when..." contest.

Moving on to the Halloween part, I didn't do much for the holiday because it was right after we had moved. I whipped up a costume for Hero before we moved. At first, he wanted to be a tiger, then a gorilla. But knowing that I was going to be busy packing and moving, I didn't want to attempt anything big and was thrilled when I suggested Cat in the Hat (inspired by MADE) and he went for it! I did have a moment when he whined about wanted to be a gorilla instead. My response was the choice of Cat in the Hat or nothing. He chose the Cat, thank goodness! I made the hat (a bit too big), and the bowtie. I bought a black shirt and pants, and white gloves. The bowtie is just stitched onto the shirt. I took it off to store and Hero can now use the shirt while it fits.

I reused Hero's old panda costume for Pretty. I moved the bowtie onto the hat for a hairbow instead. . . make it a bit more girly. I figure I can move it back and forth depending on the gender it is needed for. It was a simple thing.

We always go trick or treating at Jake's mom's work in the morning.

And that night we went trick or treating in our new neighborhood. Hero refused to pose for pictures for me, but I tricked them with "Hey, Buddy!" and I'm happy with the resulting picture of both kids. It wasn't until I was almost done with Hero's costume that I noticed they would both be wearing red, black and white. Cuteness.

Hero wimped out on trick or treating after half the street, so he and Jake went home to pass out candy. Pretty was going strong and we did the whole street, both sides. She was so funny because as long as the bowl of candy was on her level, she would keep taking treats and putting them in her bucket. I tried to stop her, but the people thought it was cute. She ended up getting 3 or 4 pieces at each house! On the walk home, she wouldn't let me hold her heavy bucket or hold her. Stubborn girl walked and carried her own bucket the whole time!

Happy late Halloween! And here's hoping I get the sewing machine out this weekend! Wish me luck!

The Traumatic Fix

My sweet little Pretty has two sleep items, the bunny and the blanket.

But as much as she loves that bunny, it's really the blanket that is important. Whenever I check on her in the middle of the night, the blanket is being snuggled, while the bunny is tossed to the side.

A few weeks ago, I noticed that the blanket had a hole. I put it on the mental list to fix, but didn't worry too much about it until I saw Pretty playing with the hole. So I decided to fix it right then. Pretty wasn't too happy with me taking her blanket.

Here she is throwing a fit on the floor.

And here she is pulling on the end to get it back.

I decided to do a cute circle patch using Heat 'N' Bond. I traced two circles onto the paper side of the Heat 'N' Bond.

Then I cut loosely around them and ironed them onto the back of the fabric. I picked a scrap piece that had similar colors and tones as the blanket.

Then I ironed one circle on each side, centered over the hole, matching them up as close as possible.

I should have sewed the hole together first, but a bit of a distraction that kept me from thinking clearly. Here's Pretty, tugging on the blanket and crying.

The last step I took was to sew around the circles by hand to add a bit of security. I decided on sewing by hand, rather than machine, to purposefully give it that home-fixed look. And, of course, I had to do it quickly and deal with Pretty tugging and crying the whole time.

So it turned out a bit more home-fixed looking than I wanted, but I still think it is cute.

She was so happy to get her blanket back, she went right into playing with it.

I have mixed feelings about needed to repair it again. I kind of hope I need to so there's more than one lone spot, but I don't want to go through that again. This is much better:

And that's just awesome.

Summer! And now on Twitter!

Hey everyone. I'm slowly trying to work my way back into a more regular crafting schedule. This summer has been awesome with swimming lessons where the biggest goal was learning to back float.

Watch the video and tell me, would you believe the first lesson he refused to get in the water?

We've been hiking, and eating watermelon.

Doesn't she make this look so good?!

And later today, we will be taking the kids on their first sleep-in-a-tent camping trip. I'm excited to start doing these type things with my family! 

But I have a few crafty things coming up. I'm joint hosting a baby shower next week, so I'll get to show off a few things from that. Plus, I'm still trying to sell my sock creations in my shop, Lively Designs. 

And here's something new! I've just joined Twitter. I'm a bit slow when it comes to the social sites. I finally joined MySpace when all of my friends had switched to FB. But now, you can follow me on FB (here), add pictures of things you've made from my tutorials on Flickr (here, I would LOVE to see it!), and on Twitter @CraftwConfdence. (Before you ask, yes. There are letters missing. I just couldn't fit it all in!). Whew! I did it. I'm finally "in" and "cool". Maybe not. Who knows.

Have an awesome weekend! And let's pray that sleeping on the ground in a tent with two kids and a snoring husband for two nights doesn't result in a sad murder/murder/murder/suicide.

Later.

Happy Birthday, Hero!

My sweet little boy is 4 years old. His birthday was at the beginning of the month, and we celebrated for about a week with all the different parties. I didn't go all out for his because I went as a leader to my church's girls camp that same week and was gone for his actual birthday. But we did have cake:

And I made cupcakes. Hero wanted the strawberry mix, but I didn't want the cake to be pink, so I added most of my liquid red food dye and it turned out an awesome red. Add some sprinkles, and we were set.

And he got his first 2-wheeler bike.

I made this bicycle bucket following the tutorial at Noodlehead.

I made a few minor changes, mainly because I made it at midnight the night before he got it and I didn't have some of the supplies. First, I made my own double sided fusible stiff interfacing using stiff sewable interfacing and Heat 'n' Bond. Second, I applied snaps for the closure instead of Velcro. Both changes worked great.

I can't believe he's 4 already! I am a lucky Momma.

Parade! Yay?

I took my kids to our city celebration parade this morning. It's the first parade for both of my kids. I don't remember going to many parades growing up... I thought it would be fun for them!

I left in pretty good time, but I forgot to grab the shade for Pretty's part of the double stroller. I also forgot my camera, so these are from my phone. 

I parked in a neighborhood, and walked to try and meet up with a friend of mine. I never did get to her, because it was too far to walk to where she was from where I parked. So we stopped on the side of the parade route and sat alone.

And about 5 minutes into the parade, Hero asked to go home. . . then made this face for the rest of the time.

I had snacks and water for them, and Hero just played with his action figures he had brought. This is the only reason we lasted as long as we did. Pretty seemed to like it a bit more. She loves to wave at people, so it was awesome. Plus, she was a fan of the little flags that were given out. Hero rejected his, and Pretty was good with two!

In the end, we had to leave before the parade was over because Hero needed a bathroom and Pretty was tired of being confined. Luckily, we found the porta-potties in time, and Pretty fell asleep. This was the best part of the whole experience.

Today's adventure leads me to believe that the reason I don't remember going to parades when I was young is because my parents knew already what I discovered today: parades are boring. Next year, I'll hope to sleep in instead!

For Jon.

My husband and I met almost 8 years ago. At the time I was in a first aid class at the University of Utah. I took the class to become certified and hopefully qualify for a job at a kids summer camp. I didn't get the job, but I found a new love: First Aid. I switched my major from English to Health Education and Promotion with an emphasis in Emergency Medical Services. 

The summer that Jake and I were planning our wedding, I was also taking the First Aid Lab Instructor course, so that I could teach my new found love to other students. Jake and I were married in August, and then I got the teaching job for the Fall semester. It was as an instructor that I met Jon Bowers. He was also a Lab Instructor and in the same major as me.

Jon worked as an EMT, saving lives.

Jake took the same courses as I did, one semester behind, and pretty soon we were all teaching together. It was such a fun job to have! I miss it more than any job I've ever had. Jon and I also took classes together, and soon he became a good friend to both of us.

Me, Jake and Jon.
Even  while attending and working at the U, Jon was a big BYU fan!

One week ago, early Sunday morning, Jon was on his way to work as an ambulance worker. While stopped at a red light, a drunk driver plowed into him from behind (news story). His car was crushed between the drunk driver and the car in front of him. After fighting for a week in the ICU, he died yesterday morning. Jon is gone and Jake and I are still dazed by how quickly and abruptly he was taken from his family and friends. 

I know that his family is dealing with many more emotions, but also they are going to have to deal with the finances. I am hoping that, if you are able, you will please donate to a fund for the medical and funeral expenses that this sad event will bring. It doesn't take much to make a difference. Just click the donate button below and follow the directions to donate safely through PayPal. The money will be going into my PayPal account, but I will then be giving it to Jon's mother. 

I know this might be too much for my little craft blog, but I couldn't sit by and do nothing. And the worst thing that can happen is we are in the same place we were before. 

Jon, we miss you. You are a great friend and there needs to be more like you.

*UPDATE: Jon's co-workers set up a donation fund for his family through Zion's Bank, I will be putting the money collected into that account, or you can donate directly through any Zion's location.*

To my mom(s)

I am one lucky chick. I have an amazing mother. This is the only picture I could find with her and me, and this was on Mother's Day in 2008. Time for more pictures!!

Me, Mom, and my sister Audrey.

My mom is the one who taught me how to sew. She is very talented. She made both of the blessing outfits for my kids without patterns. She looked at size 2 (2!!) versions of each outfit and figured how to size it down to 0-3 mo size...

She even made the pipping and frog eye closures herself!

 

I am lucky to have a good example and loving mother. She is a wonderful grandma too. Hero was born 2 days before her birthday and every year since then, she has been kind of lost in the shuffle. I appreciate her love of my kids, and they love her too!

Now, I am an extra lucky woman, because I have a great mother-in-law, whom I love! I've heard others complain about their crazy MILs, and I just laugh to myself. I have been living in the basement of my in-laws for almost a year now, and it's been great!

Here's a picture of my MIL and her daughter-in-laws... we are all lucky enough to have married on of her sons, who we know are great because of her!!

the Hsiao women (minus Jake's sister...)

She is funny and patient. Her boys like to tease, and she can dish it back just as quickly as they can! She is teaching me to cook traditional Chinese dishes, and Jake has been loving that!

over-seeing Chinese New Year preparations, I love that it's her 4 boys that can roll and assemble the dumplings so fast.

She is also a wonderful NaiNai (grandma). My kids love her!

To both moms, I say, thank you for being there for me, Jake and the kids. We are so lucky to have you in our lives!