Friday, May 15, 2009

Pretty in Polka Dots


Lydia is 2 whole months old!
Weight: 9 lbs. 14.5 oz. (25%)
Length: 22" (45%)
Head circumference: 14.5" (5%)
Smiles all around!

Can you see an opera singer in the making??

And this one's just sweet:

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Blessing for a Princess

Last Sunday was Lydia's blessing day, and did she ever look like an angel! This was my blessing dress as a baby that Mom had in the cedar chest, so I put my own touch on it by adding a strip of fabric left over from my wedding dress and finishing it off with new lace at the bottom.

This little crocheted jacket and bonnet were made my my Granny, Lydia's namesake, for when my mom was blessed and she let me borrow it for the special day.

When I put Lydia's dress on, Seth said "princess!", a sweet comment from a little boy whose vocabulary doesn't typically include that word. Here is our little princess ready for her special day. This is a typical pose from her with her little fist up under her chin - so cute!


Here are other photos from the day. Hopefully I can get some photos from someone else where we're all actually looking at the same camera! She received a beautiful blessing from her daddy, an especially memorable part being when he blessed her with faith and courage, as her great grandmothers had, and for whom she is named (Lydia is my grandmother and Pauline is Matt's grandmother...two special ladies whom we miss very much).

Crafting is in her blood

How can Lydia help but be a crafter? She's surrounded by all things made especially for her. I just have to brag about my creative and thoughtful family by sharing a sample of special handmade gifts given to her by her grandma and aunts. It's a bit lengthy with all the photos, but I wanted to show EVERYTHING.

This is her everyday quilt, made by Grandma Chappell, my mom, that she lays on in the bouncy seat. I love the colors and cute triangles. Most of you know she is only content when she's carried around, but I snapped this quick photo of her sleeping. The trick? The vacuum is on right by her head...worked like a charm.

Here is her special we-don't-use-it-as-a-quilt-but-just-admire-it-from-afar quilt. My mom embroidered each panel, and I just love the little old fashioned pictures. AND she held a quilting bee at her house so the the whole thing is HAND quilted. Here's the overall quilt...

...and here are close-ups of each block:

Aunt Terilyn (my sis) came all the way from Atlanta to visit, and I was so happy she made one of her flannel blankets for Lydia. You can only see a little bit of the edge at the bottom, but she crocheted the edges, and I love that the size is perfect for swaddling, as modeled by our cute little burrito herself.

And this cute little blanket "pouch" is a gift from her other talented Aunt Gerilyn (my other sis). I've not seen anything like it, and I love the colors and soft fabrics.

She is a loved little girl to have such wonderfully creative and generous women in her life!

The next Iron Chef...

Seth and I made cookies together today, something we haven't done since before Lydia was born, and I have truly missed our special times together, just the two of us. He was so excited to "scoop and dump!" and to spend time with Mommy. I painted this apron for him a few months ago so we initiated it today with the usual chocolate chip recipe.

My mom gave me this apron years ago, something she got way back when she used to do projects using Artex paints. Anyone else's mom into that (probably the craft trend just after the resin grapes that everyone made and put on their coffee tables and just before the cross stitch boom)? Mom had the full set of paint tubes neatly organized by color in a can the size of a deep popcorn tin. The pattern was stamped on the apron and all that was left to do was to paint it, which I did with fabric paint.

Really, I do want to teach my children the joy of cooking and I hope they will grow to enjoy it as I have. The other day (don't ask me why I was thinking of Christmas...random is my middle name these days) I was remembering how much fun it was to take a whole Saturday and crack open the Cooky Book (yes that's how it's spelled on the book) and make Christmas goodies with Mom. I also recall when we were stranded at home on a snow day making bread. I don't remember everything that we made, but I remember the time spent together. Thanks for the memories, Mom.

Someday...

I don't know what mailing list I got onto, but in the last couple of weeks, I received these quilt/fabric catalogs. I'm salivating as I peruse the Hancock's pages, although I have to do it in small doses since every speck of every page is saturated with colors and patterns - sensory overload...see what I mean? Someday I'll be able to return to sewing, quilting and creating, but for now I'm devoted full time to these little ones, a "creative" endeavor in itself.