Baby days

Today day marks one month till our baby is due. One month! It still feels surreal, even though I have gained over 30 pounds and have a huge belly... hard to imagine that there will be a baby at the end of all this and that a new family is coming together.

Our baby's first photos and our first family photo!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Its amazing how far D. and I have come in our communication skills and how strong our determination to be good parents/a strong family is. Involuntary change and commitment aren't either of our cup of tea but this situation is so different then anything we have been though that we have both been challenged to love each other/our family at a newly unselfish level and it has turned onto a truly beautiful future instead of something to be scared of.

I miss our Philly days sometimes...

At the same time as this huge change has been happening I started a new Etsy store to sell vintage or just unique items I find at thrift stores. Its been really fun, we feel like its a treasure hunt now when we go looking for things to sell, and the response has been pretty good! Its been interesting because my This Blue Wing sales are almost always to people who I know, Walden Road  however, is the opposite! Only 2 out of 23 sales have been to people I know! Never a dull moment around here, good thing we like to stay busy!

Baby cat just thinks its a pillow

So I'm feeling incredibly blessed tonight, and excited about the next few months, well years really... I feel blessed by all the people who have been sharing this crazy time with me, my family, friends. Blessed by D. who takes such good care of me and who I am watching turn into a dad and man I can truly respect, with a creative mind that inspires me and will keep me growing for years! And in awe that in less then a month I will have tiny man in my arms!

Bees

So my friend Elizabeth is having an exciting year, she has just graduated, is starting a new job and (as David's sister) will be an Auntie to our baby, another first for her!  I thought I would make a blog about Bees for her, 'cause she loves them, and I love her! These are a few that I found on Etsy.com:

I like the gears, kind of like a clock.

link

lil' crocheted bee

This last little bee was in an orchard off of 14th in Hanford... about 5 years ago, when I first got my camera.

Ely Bee, love you and am so excited to see how this year goes for you!

cupcakes and flowers

Today I drove thought beautiful Pennsylvania countryside to Hersey, Pa. I seem to be missing the chocolate loving gene that runs so strong though my family so I didn't stop to take photos of Cocoa Ave, or Chocolate Ave... I was on a mission to find pants that fit. Maternity pants that fit and didn't cost over $50.00. I went to the outlets in Hersey and found  that Motherhood Maternity store? Obviously I haven't ever shopped there before, but now my 5 month pregnant self isn't fitting into anything I own... I'm happy to report that I found two pairs of jeans (with the extra sexy stretchy stuff on top!), about four shirts (all without the collars, bows, and poka-dots that I remember my mom wearing) and a very kind and helpful staff! I had to swim my way back home because it was raining SO HARD! This area has so many storms, but I love it.

In other news I'm working on making phone covers as my newest project. So far I have only done two so far and don't quite have it right, but I will get it! here are a few photos of the second one: 

                                          

So I will keep working on them and keep you posted!

Washington, DC weekend. part 1

This weekend I’m in Washington DC with my friend David and his Mama, Loretta. The Smithsonian 2010 Folk Life Festival was going on and we stopped to see the Mexico exhibits. I still don’t know what this is called but I remember watching men get ready to perform this dance (done in thanksgiving for the corn, bean, and pumpkin harvest)one time when we were visiting the ruins and market at Mitla:

It was crazy to see those guys in DC, I remember being so nervous for them when I was little( 11?), that time they were in a stone court with stone walls on two sides, didn’t think it would go to well for them if they fell! There were also some musicians playing traditional music and a man introducing ignorant America to the wonders of Mescal... haha. I finally learned why they have worms in the bottle: back in the day they would dilute it with sugar cane water and the worms would only fall to the bottom if it was pure Mescal, now it’s just tradition.

We also went to the Museum of Natural History and spent time in the butterfly exhibit, beautiful little things! One landed on my hair, he looked slightly like bark from a tree when his wings were closed, still striking to look at, but when he opened his wings to fly they were light blue on top! I couldn’t get any photos of the blue outer wings, but here he is:

We also say the Hope Diamond and so many kinds of stones and gems. I was so captivated by all the different colors and textures of the uncut gems, mother of pearl, quartz, even sulfur was beautiful! I wasn't able to get photos of them because it was too dark in the rooms, but it was amazing!

The day I made Pizza

 I have been collecting cook books for years but never have time to make any of the receipts that take more than an hour... but I always say "Someday...”, I even bought a new apron a few months ago that has just been begging to be used for a project worthy of its cuteness.

Yesterday I only worked half a day and I found a receipt for pizza crust and sauce, the silly part is that I found it on the internet and not in one of my many cook books, hah.

So I went to Super Fresh and bought the ingredients that I didn’t already have, and to Target for a pizza stone and spent the next 4+ hours playing in the kitchen.

I started with the sauce, I have never even made pasta sauce from scratch but I think I will now. I was finally able to use my new blender (Christmas present from my parents) to puree the plum tomatoes...


It took about 30 minutes to get all the ingredients together, and then it had to cook for an hour and a half which was almost perfect because I was able to make the crust whilst the sauce cooked.
Apparently my stove doesn't know how to simmer things, it just boils, so I had a stove top that resembled a splatter painting...that smelled good. Luckily I found the pot’s lid before it got too out of control.

I have a lovely red Kitchen Aid mixer that my Mama gave me a while ago and I used it to mix the dough. I’m pretty sure this is the first time I have made any kind of dough (including for cookies) that I didn’t make a single mistake and didn’t have to start over! I usually get distracted, but thankfully, despite the two new kitties in the house, I did well this time! haha

So they turned out well! I have to get a rolling pin next time because the crusts came out too thick but it was a fun afternoon and I felt like I concurred something! The new kitties stayed out of the kitchen, nothing burned, it tasted good annnnd the Flyers won the game last night… It was a good day!

Well last week I needed a break from beading...so I worked on book markers...with beads on them! Hah, just can't get away from them! I guess I just needed half a change.

 http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=1248188 
I think they look like jewelry for your books! And personally I think they will increase your desire to read the very second you put it in your book, simply because they look so pretty , hah. The other reason I like making them is, once the sewing part is done, they are easy to pack up and take with me to work or where ever Im going and plan on having some time to kill, they dont take up much room, and I dont need to carry that many beads with me....

Then when this new week hit I was in the braceleting mood, and made a trip to Jo Anne's again... came home with a bunch of chunky beads and set to work, I have made six since Sunday night! I think its funny how my crafting moods can change so quickly... I guess it works? hah

This weekend I am going to DC with some of my best friend.... Photos will follow for sure! They are having their Cherry Blossom festival this weekend! I haven't been to DC since I was 15ish? So I am excited! More next week!

Rachel M.

Last night I made a new monster, with a cow-owl.... Isn't he cute!? He could even pass as a cowboy monster, since he is made out of handkerchief material, then the cow-owl would make more sense, haha
(http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=1226509)






I bought all kinds of fabric at Jo Ann's this last weekend, those little squares that they sell for quilting? I love them. Plus there was a 30% off sale... dangerous... I go through fazes as far as crafts go, I’m still beading but need a little brake from it as my main focus, hence the sudden need to sew! I made two dresses for my little niece, but since she lives in distant California and I am here in Pa its hard to make sure they are perfect before I send them to her… luckily her mom and Oma know how to sew too and can fix them if they aren’t quite right…


I also made a little jellyfish patch for a onsie (this one is for the little guy I nanny). I will be making more of them eventually, to sell, but I have to practice a little more first.

Hope you all have a lovely day!!

So this is my first attempt at blogging... I guess I’m a little behind! haha.

A few months ago I started selling bracelets and little monsters on Etsy.com ( www.etsy.com/shop/thisbluewing ), mostly to people I know, which is great because I am a little bit attached to everything I make and its been nice to know who they are going too. Now it has been going beyond just people who know me... Two weeks ago I started and Artfire.com page ( http://www.artfire.com/users/ThisBlueWing ) and love it too.

Over the last year or so I have been trying to find a way to put some money aside to help fund a group that is helping people/children who are being sold as slaves, for sex or anything else. So I decided to start making whatever came into my head and trying to sell it, putting a large portion (25%) of each sale into a saving account to be donated to one or more groups at the end of this year (so December 2010). I read the book "The Road of Lost Innocence" by Somaly Mam (www.somaly.org) (she was sold as a child and now rescues children who face the same horrible childhood that she had.) I was inspired to try to raise some money to help her cause, and also wanted to help here in the US as well. I have been working pretty steadily on it and have been blessed by the support I have gotten over the last year, and super excited to see where this all leads!

This blog will be about my adventures this next 9 months!