Can't Have Too Many... Polka Dots, That Is

That belated baby shower gift I spoke of during the flower hat post has become more and more belated. I get more and more forgetful... meaning to deliver it, and then forgetting over and again. So, out of my guilty forgetfulness, I made this as an addition to the package for the little girl for whom the shower was held. This is the same pattern I used to make this dress for Petra... not coincidentally also in polka dots, which, if I may say again, I LOVE. It's a pattern that I made myself... and I think I really should somehow get it on to the computer to share with... well... anyone who would like it, I suppose. This is the same material from which I made a kimono for Petra, also. I think it's way cute. And I did it from start to (almost) finish in the time Petra took a nap this afternoon. It's a pretty basic pattern, and the more times I do it, the faster I'm getting, and the better it turns out. I just hope the sizing is right. Fingers tightly crossed. I still need to make labels for my baby clothes. Just one more thing to put on the remember-to-do list.

Parking

Parks really are great. There are quite a few in this small town in which we live... and they're mostly really nice. There are some new exciting ones, but I think the parks I like best are the old parks. You know, the ones with the paint chipping off of the equipment, the metal slides that burn your skin as you go down them, and the swings with chains without plastic coating so they constantly grab your hair. Yes, I like those parks. They have so much character. They're simple and joyful. I can hardly imagine the vast amount of fun that has been had in them by children over the years. Corbin's favorite part of this trip was the bunch of daisies that he found. He picked some for me. He then proceeded to pick every last one and toss it into the water. It brought him great joy. I didn't feel bad about him destroying them for that very fact. Flowers are meant to bring joy. No one ever specified exactly how. Petra just enjoys hanging out in the wrap. It's one of her favorite spots to be.

I will miss summer when it is gone, and lately it seems as if though it is leaving quickly. The air is brisk and the foliage isn't as green as it used to be. The thought of winter here in this tundra... this frozen desert, as someone called it recently, makes my heart sink sometimes. It's just too cold... it seems to suck the life out of the living. We must simply enjoy the chances we have to be outside, to absorb our vitamin D. So we will go parking while we can... to all the parks... over and over again.

Also, I took photos of myself with my children because I have nearly none. I generally have the camera taking photos of them... and all of a sudden, there is a three year period of me missing from all photos. However, that DSLR is nearly impossible to take photos of oneself with by simply holding. Heavy. And yes, that's Petra chewing on the camera strap as I try to get a photo of her sweet self.

Ruffles are a Girl's Best Friend

Thanks to the lovely J. Crew, I've been on a bit of a ruffles kick. Especially when it comes to ruffles on plain stretchy tees... and things made from plain stretchy tees, like this skirt. I made it thinking that it would fit my little girl, but again, I vastly misjudged sizing. Way too big. But perfect for another little girl I know.

I learned a few things while making this skirt... like where to place the ruffles, and to use more pins than I think necessary. The first one always has more problems than I want. This material was very slippery and extremely stretchy, which makes it fantastic to wear, but a little difficult with which to work. However, it was extremely simple. I simply cut off the bottom of a stretchy XL woman's tee that I found on excessive clearance at Stuffmart (seriously, cheaper than buying fabric) and cut strips from the leftover material that I ruffled end on end, then sewed it to the skirt. Not exactly in the right place, mind you... but now I know how to make the next ones. :)

Purple Polka Dots

So... has this officially turned into my sewing blog yet? I'm pretty compulsive about sewing things lately. I really love it. I especially love making sweet little girl things, and even more especially love polka dots. Like... really alot. If I had to pick a favorite pattern, polka dots would be it. I made this for my Petra, who is almost five months old. She's a pretty stylish girl, if I may say so myself. :) Really, why would I not sew? It's fun... inexpensive (that is, if you let it be) and I love having little original clothing pieces running around on the children in my life.

This dress is made of cotton, fully lined, has some pleats of some kind in the front... that was a little problem, I'll be Googling that next time. And the final touch? Vintage buttons from Susie's stash at Susie's Sewing Corner - now the only place to buy (new) fabric and thread by the full spool in town. Seriously? Yes. The only place. I must say, I'm very disappointed with Walmart for taking away their fabric section. But, we do not live by Walmart alone. Actually, I find I rarely go there anymore, which I think is fantastic because it's just one giant time and money sucking building of stuff. Stuffmart. That's what it is. However, that's not what this is about.

I enjoy sewing more and more... now all I need is a room fully dedicated to the art, so my dining room can have peace again. But, that will happen exactly whenever it is that we buy a different house.

Flower Child

Well, my sewing machine broke last week. Yes, I know, it was horrible. But, alas! My wonderful mother-in-law had one that she had been saving for me. :) So, I was only without a sewing machine for a matter of days. Even though one of those sewing machine-less days kept me from getting baby shower gifts made. Dang it. Oh, well. Better late than never when gifts are concerned. So, the first thing I made with my new sewing machine (which is like a tank, by the way, heavy and metal... it gives me confidence) was a flower hat for my love. I had a black rib-knit tee that didn't fit very well, so it is slowly becoming baby hats. Baby hats with funky flowers, that is. I think one of these will make its way into the belated baby shower gift. Yes. Definitely.

Fuzzy Skirt

I made a haul on fabric samples the other day at a local thrift store. The best thing about these fabric samples? Other than being three for a dollar, even if they're just tiny, I can always get a little skirt or two out of them. This one I gave to Mia. It's perfect for her. Her dad is basically a rock star and her mom is one of the coolest girls ever. So, for their offspring, a cool rocker-chick skirt is just the ticket.

4 Months is my Favorite

I am so enjoying my little girl. Especially this month... 4 months is my very favorite age. She's so smiley and interactive. She giggles at me, which I must say is quite more like a squeak. She's got constantly sweaty feet and hands that get so sticky I'm fairly certain that if she had the coordination she could climb walls. Corbin still loves his baby sister. He gives her kisses on the head... NOT on the mouth. Apparently her kisses are much too slimy for him. :) He gives her hugs and talks to her. She watches everything he does. She likes to hang out in the Bumbo from Ben and Tasha (fantastic thing!) She's a sweetie. And yes, that's red hair. Weird. I hope it stays red!

I could be a minimalist... If I had less stuff.

Well, I'm not quite sure I can handle all the toys in this house anymore. How many toys do children need, anyway? In comparison to what they actually have, especially American children, I'm more than certain they don't need nearly as many. Our son, Corbin, has lots of toys. He's got a ton of generous aunts and uncles, two sets of grandparents, and a bunch of friends who love him very much and love to give him things. But how many things does a child really need? To what extent is a child able to appreciate things if said child never knows what it is like to not have something? If there never was a void in Corbin's life for toys, yet it has been filled anyway, then what what does that look like? I'll tell you: it looks like a huge pile of toys. Certainly, these toys are used. He plays with them. His friends play with them. But, I can't help but think that if there were fewer of them, they would play just as contentedly with those.

The reason I don't really believe that there should be so many toys in our home isn't specifically pointed toward the fact that I don't want there to be toys strewn about incessantly. However, if there are toys that are all around the house that the child doesn't pick up (by the way, I totally believe that if a child is old enough to get a toy out, that child is old enough to put it back) they only cause a headache for me, the mom, tripping over them, giving me constant visual clutter that in turn clutters my mental focus. The main reason is that I don't want to teach our children either to be materialistic or that it is an acceptable behavior. Things should simply not envelop our lives, be we adults or children.

As a kid, I remember the best things with which to play... very large cardboard boxes. Refrigerator boxes, stove boxes, wheelchair boxes... I'm pretty sure the reason for that last one is that we had an uncle who sold wheelchairs. My memory is foggy. But I do remember the joy that came from turning that big box into a house, or a fort, or a store, and pretending in it all afternoon long... or generally until it rained. Why must toys now need batteries... or be made of cheap plastic that breaks. Why must these be given to children at every turn? Want some lunch? Well, here's a cheeseburger and a toy! Sure, McDonald's, I know that sugar and salt aren't addictive enough on their own, toys were necessary to completely reel in the kiddos.

I'm not trying to say that I hate toys. I like toys. Just not hundreds at once. I like toys that encourage imagination. I think every home should have a dress up box filled with hats, scarves, capes, and some excessively puffy prom dresses from the 80's. I love blocks and Lincoln Logs. Play-Doh is great - I make it myself. Puppets are cool. I'm fine with cars (in limited quantities) and dinosaurs and animals (also in limited quantities). But I say no, thank you, to some toys. Loud toys. Toys with batteries. Extremely specific toys that you can only use in one way or must simply push a button and that one function is all they have, like action figures. Toys with small parts. Very cheap toys that are just going to break if they haven't already. And, in our case, toys that overflow from the toy box.

Back to my original pondering... how many toys should a child have? I've come to an arbitrarily decided number of 25. Some may say that is excessively small, some may say it is excessively large, but I think it may be just right. Quality over quantity has many virtues. So, starting this evening after Corbin wakes up from his nap, we'll be sifting through his stash of toys to decide which special 25 will be staying with us. It might be painful, but sometimes that's necessary, because I care about our family's well being more.

I also realize that this isn't something that applies only to Corbin and toys. It's a lifestyle that we're trying to adopt. Let's call it... de-accumulating. I have far too many things. I might even say I have vastly far too many things. How many belts does a girl need? Not nearly as many as I have. We'll be going through my things next. But, first, to the toys!