Here

We are here. 

That's a deceptively obvious statement, considering the amount of time, effort, etc., that was necessary to make it valid! Somehow, some way (I'm still fuzzy on the details) we managed to pack up our belongings and start the trek to Virginia. Actually, that's not entirely true, because it's very clear to me that the only way we did it was with an army of helpful friends & family, my parents (who made the 1-hour trek to our home an insane number of times that last month!), and Pablo's brother (whom we tasked with everything unpleasant that we didn't really want to do...). 

The drive up was interesting -- not really bad, in the sense that our new little Laddie slept virtually the entire time, the two older kids were relatively well behaved (we used our van's DVD player for the first time, which was a huge boon!), and the drive itself was smooth. It was just very, very, very long. Elongated by the necessity of frequent feeding/potty/eating breaks. But, by God's grace, we arrived! Three days later we signed the lease on a rental -- a providential story in itself, since the rental we were planning on pre-move turned out to be a 2nd floor unit with no outside area for the kids to play. Just before we went to see it, I found another rental that cost less and had some outdoor space for the kids. And it's in the perfect location, too. We unpacked the truck the same day we moved in (and also drove a few miles away to pick up a Craigslist washer and dryer, as the unit didn't have them!).

The littles and I enjoyed watching this fellow rustling up some breakfast

Two days later, Rosa came down with a stomach bug. The next evening, the rest of us got it. There has been a lot of laundry lately -- thank goodness for that washer and dryer! It has easily (or rather, not-so-easily *wink*) been the craziest four weeks of my life, but God has sustained us through it all. And really, very little has actually gone "wrong." He has blessed us over and over again, even as we've been bombarded with challenge after challenge.

Spring is on its way here -- our second spring this year!  

Little by little, box by box, we're settling into a new rhythm. And hopefully I'll be able to stop and catch my breath soon!

Special Delivery

At long last, he's here -- this little love of ours, this long awaited baby boy. Our ray of sunshine after the storm. 

Sixteen days early, just like his sister. But the biggest of our babies at 7 lb 13 oz and 21 1/2 inches. He is sweet and kissable, and oh! that newborn smell!

There are so many things I am grateful for -- a straightforward, 5 hour labor; a wonderful labor and delivery nurse and my laid back OBGYN; a husband who can make me laugh through contractions (him, watching the contraction monitor: "Wow, that's a big one!" As if I needed to be informed...); a natural, complication-free birth; and most of all, a healthy baby.

He is adored by his siblings (and his parents!), and has settled in to our family beautifully -- i.e., he can sleep through Little Man and Rosa's rabble rousing. Hopefully that will last past the newborn stage!

I marvel at this tiny life that God has entrusted to our care. So much healing, so much joy in such a tiny package. 

And now we finish packing up our worldly goods (of which there are too many, despite my extensive decluttering!). My efforts to "take it easy" in the middle of our first big move are not entirely successful, despite my husband's selfless care and constant reminders to not overdo it. Fortunately, this has been my swiftest recovery thus far. Still, I think the long drive will actually be a rest after this week's busy-ness! Thank goodness our newest addition is very happy in his car seat... so far. Speaking of that new addition, I'm thinking he'll go by "Laddie" in this little Internet space of mine. 

Thank you ever so much, those of you who have prayed with and for us over the past year and more -- when we count our blessings, we count you! 

A Bit of Britannia in Leather

I've been needing a larger purse cosmetic bag for quite some time now -- the little zippered pouch I was using was just a tad too small for my mommy necessities (compact, chap stick, hand sanitizer, tiny hairbrush, bandaids, etc.). A "Mommy bag" was starting to seem more and more desirable, especially now that it's diaper bag season again. The obvious solution was to make one, since I have plenty of scrap everything in my stash. 

But why not have a little fun with it? As a committed Anglophile -- but one whose tastes (and husband!) do not permit the blazoning of the Union Jack all over our dwelling -- the design seemed clear. Originally I planned to make it with fabric, but the more I thought about it, the less I thought that the fabrics I have on hand would be suitable. So if not fabric, then what? Leather, of course!

I was extremely skeptical about how well the leather would work -- especially stitching multiple layers of it together for the Union Jack pattern! I've had limited success stitching leather with my sewing machine, and the prospect of doing it all by hand... not appealing, to say the least. Fortunately, I gave the machine a try. It loved the really thick stuff, and only skipped a few stitches in toto.

I even had a salvaged red purse zipper with a red pull in my stash -- and it was just the right length! The brown suede leather is from a skirt that I bought way back when for $1. It's the skirt that just keeps on giving! The tan suede is from a jacket, and the red leather is from a bag of leather scraps my husband got for free at a local saddle shop. 

The pattern was the same I used for the pouch in my makeup travel bag -- it's half of a sheet of printer paper (i.e., it's 8 1/2" by 5 1/2") with the corners rounded. The sides are 2 1/2" wide, and the whole thing uses 1/2" seam allowance. So the bag's finished dimensions are roughly 4 1/2" by 7 1/2, with 1 1/2" side gussets. I really like this shape for a cosmetic bag; it's easy to access everything, and it's quite simple to construct (the hardest parts are the curves, and making sure the gusset lines up with both sides of the bag).

Do you want a peek at the lining? Of course you do -- or, if you don't, here's one, anyway! *wink*

And here's a better view!

I found the British fabric at JoAnn's (so handy when trends coincide with my interests!), and knew it would be just the thing for the lining. So yes, technically this is not an entirely "stashed" project. But for a few dollars, I couldn't resist. Plus, I now have some of the British fabric leftover for future projects.

You may be able to tell from the picture that it's a tad shiny -- that's because I used some super thin vinyl, leftover from my Peter Rabbit table re-do, as a protective layer. I figure that I won't want to be washing this very often due to the leather outer (though yes, you *can* wash leather on a gentle cycle if you're willing to take the risk), but quilting cotton doesn't exactly repel liquids, lotions, or the other substances that might be stored inside. It gives the bag a bit of a crinkly sound, but it actually worked out much better than I anticipated. I think basting the vinyl to the fabric before stitching it did the trick. 

So there you have it -- a new "Mommy bag" that's the perfect size (probably should have checked that before I made it, but all's well that ends well), while simultaneously sating my craving for British things. A happy ending, indeed!