It is done!!!!

Yeah!!! I finially finished one of the puff quilts. I wanted to have it done last Saturday, but that didn't happen. All I had left was the bias tape around the outside. I started, did half of a side and it looked really bad on the back, but perfect on the front. So I had to pick all the stitches out, but I lost my seam ripper. So I had to find time to go buy one and then pick the seam, and then finish it up. The bias tape look a lot better than it did the first time, but it's not perfect. I think because it's so thick that you are basically pulling the fabric through the machine that it pulls the material different.  Though I did break a needle, and when I replaced it I sewed a lot better. I guess I just had a dull needle! So here is what the quilt looks like......

 I put it on Wesson's bed, so you can see the size that it turned out to be.

        Remember the tutorial wanted it to be 8x8 puffs. I did 6x11 puffs. I'm glad I changed the dimensions. I think it would have looked funny 8x8. I am a little on the short side for length, but I'm ok with that. If you decide to make one, just make it 6x12.

The back is still not perfect. But it's not nearly as bad as it was before.

           I still plan on making a crib skirt to match, but I think I will wait a while to make that. Oh, and I added up all of my receipts and found out how much I saved. I made this quilt for about $35 dollars  (plus another $30 for a walking foot, but I'm not counting that), when I was supposed to spend about $70!!!! The next quilt I think I will try selling on Ebay and see what happens that way. I mean I already have all the supplies, and half of it put together.....

Also this week I made these!!!

And this!

    Some new toys for Baby Barrett and a double sided swaddle blanket! I wanted Baby Barrett to have some new thing too. I love the fabric for this blanket, which I got 50% off. I also decided to do a vine stitch around the edge,  which I really like. I have material for one more swaddle blanket to make. Maybe I will get that done tomorrow!

32 week pregnancy pics.

 

Here is my lovely 32 week pics. Only 8-10 weeks left!!!

And no my belly button never does pop out, much to my husbands disappointment. 

Maybe it has something to do will all my braces I wear. I won't allow my button to pop!

31 week appointment

Went to the doctor and I still am measuring 4 weeks early. So that means I measure at 35 weeks. Bummer. I was hoping that it would be less. I asked my doctor what that means. If I would just have a big baby, or if I need to worry about something else (c-section). She won't tell me one way of another. She think the baby is "generous" in size. I told her my last one was big, and she replied that I also had a c-section. I should have mentioned he had a c-section because his head was positioned wrong and not because it was too big. She had me schedule an  ultrasound for my next 2 week appointment before I come see her. She also mentioned that she would have me have another ultrasound closer to my due date around 38 weeks, to look at the size again. I'm hoping I just have extra fluid or something and that the baby is not too big that I have to have a c-section. Or rather my doctor would feel strongly about me having one and not allowing a VBAC. :( On a positive note I gained less than a pound. But on the other hand she told me I am not allowed to run outside anymore. I can run on a treadmill, but it's too icy to run outside and she doesn't want me to fall and injure myself and my baby. So it looks like it's the treadmill and "Mom's into Fitness-- 3rd Trimester" for me. I'll post another picture next weeks and you can see how much bigger I am. Which is twice as big as most people!

Lately the weather here has been really cold. Like -17 cold on some days. Needless to say, I've missed my running outside. Today we were supposed to get freezing rain and drizzle all day. So I was going to miss my run again and be stuck workout inside. But when it came time to run, it was a marvelous 37 degrees!!! I even got 3 miles in before it got too dark. It took me 45 mins. but it was 3 miles outside!!!! It just reminded me that I was  training for my first 1/2 marathon this time last year and the problems I had running outside. One time my uncle (who ran it with us) was talking to my dad and asking why I was having such a hard time with my running. My dad responds "Well.... when it's below zero outside with a negative wind chill, and the snow is up to you knees (remember we had a blizzard this time last year) LanaMarie just has a hard time finding running outside!" My Uncle responded with a "well I guess I can see why she is having trouble."
I can't wait for the weather to stay around the 30- 40's so I can keep running outside. By that time will be more walking than running, but you get the idea.

More and more puffs!!!

So today I finished the second top of the puff quilt. Remember I bought material for 3 quilts on accident.

So here it is!!!

I did a different pattern than the last one.

So tell me what you think. I know they almost look the same, but which do you like better?

Quilt #1

or Quilt #2

In addition to finishing the top of my quilt, I also went to the store and bought the High and Low loft batting for just one quilt. Instead of paying $20 for the batting I got it for $11!!!! The measurement again were wrong on the tutorial.  I think I might try making my own with different direction and how to save money on making one of these beauties!!! What do you think? I got a bag of high loft batting which cost less then buying it off the roll and it was 30% off. Then for the the low loft batting she also mentions that you can use fleece. Well the fleece was 40% off and normally cost more than the batting on sale. Remember the batting is 30% off. I decided to go to the remnants (which is the part of the fabric that is left over on a bolt and too small to sale. Usually for 30% the normal price) section of fabric and got a piece of fleece. So the fleece was already marked down, but then I got it for an additional 50% off. So I got a little more than I needed, because I know I would use it for different projects. I paid $2 for my low loft batting instead of $9.99. Monday I plan on going to JoAnn's and getting the milky (normally over $12 a yard) for 50% off!!! Can't wait!!!

Let me know which quilt you like the best!!!!

On top of that pile of puffs!!!

So as you know I found a tutorial for making a puff quilt here. Well..... I guess I don't know how to read instructions, or it was worded weird, and I got way too much fabric. By way too much, I mean enough for 3 quilts!!!! Not just one!!!! Well technically, I'm 4 puffs short, I plan on piecing some material together to finish up those 4 puffs. I also plan on making a taggie blanket out of the scrap material, so I don't' waste any! Oh... and I decided to buy my own fabric. Thank you guys for your encouragement to go a ahead a give it a shot! I am so glad you did!!!! Once a got my fabric using a ton of coupons and one gift card (Thanks Bethany) I spent $18 dollars on fabric instead of $64!!!! I got my fabric and we so excited I started cutting up all my squares...... then I realized I had way too much!!! I figured wasted fabric already that I would finish cutting up all the squares and see where that got me. I also noticed that she was making a 8X 8 square quilt with a 5 inch border. If you do the math that makes it the totally wrong size for a crib. So I altered mine to be a 6x11 square quilt. This makes it about an inch wider than the mattress and a few inches shorter than the length of the mattress. I decided I could live with that. I also ended up having to buy some more muslin for the backing. I was confused when I bought it because it came in 90 inches and 120 inches instead of the normal 45 inches. So I bought more, this time knowing I was making more than one quilt. Again I used coupons and spent $4 instead of $9. So all in all this is what I ended up with.....

A whole lots of puffs!!!!!

I then organized them all into individual blankets. I did 2 different patterns and the 3rd ended up not having enough of the right material so I just did a random pattern. I made lovely little graphs to help me keep track of each pattern and bagged them up separately.

I know really Hi-tech.

I then figured out how to put the walking foot on my machine. Just so you know... there are no instructions included with the Brother walking foot. So I googled it and figured it out. Though... there is a piece that came with it that I never figured out what it was for.......so I did without it! 

And this my friend is what I did while Wesson took his 2 hour nap!!!

I still need to buy batting (which is on sale this weekend) and some of that fuzzy green material for the back and the 5 inch border. So even though it looks too narrow, it will have an additional 4 inches around the edge.  ( You have to subtract the seams with.) Now I just have to decide what color I want to do the binding. I'm thinking a dark brown. What do you think?

It's all in the face....30 weeks!

Yeah!!! I made it to 30 weeks!!! Hopefully I only have 10 (or less) weeks less!!! I have a feeling it will be more like 12 more weeks, but baby will come will baby will come!!! I try not to dwell or focus too much on a due date. Last time I was planning on going early, but was induced a week late! I got depressed and worried after I passed my due date. So I plan on being more positive this time around!
Anyways.... I was looking through some pictures and I found this little beauty!!! This was me a 30 weeks last time!

Notice the face!!!! Yeah!!! It's a little swollen!!! I forgot how swollen I got with Wesson!!! My feet and legs were pretty bad too. I couldn't fit into most of my nice shoes. So when I when to church, I had to wear sandals. Which is not fun to wear walking through a foot of snow at below freezing!!! I'm so glad I'm not retaining water like I did last time! I still wear my fashionable and warm boots!!!
On a good note, I'm back in my old routine and working out three times a week! I hope that will help with water retention! That and drinking 1.5 liters of water a day!!! I'm afraid I won't be running for too much longer! Last night I ran 1/4 miles and walked a 1/4 mile for a little over 2 miles. That took a lot out of me and I was swollen and sore today from it. I won't be doing that 3 times a week. Maybe just once. I'm at the point were I really want to workout hard core and go run 6 miles! I crave the day that I can do that again and get my old body back!!!! Don't worry I'm not pushing myself too hard in my workouts, my body will not let me.

On a funny note. I have these 2 older ladies at my church who I run into every week in the bathroom. I always have the funniest conversations with them. Every week they tell me that I'm a lot bigger than I was last week and they don't think I can get much bigger! They always forget when I'm due, so when I tell them end of March. They always gasp and start going on about how I will have the baby earlier than that. I tell them I was overdue with my last one, so I'm not planning on having the baby early. That's when I get comments like.... "You will be huge by then!!! I don't know how you will be able to find clothes that will fit you!!!" or "Yeah!!! You will be having 13 lb baby for sure!!!" or " I know you said that you are not having twins, but it looks like you have 5 or 6 babies in you!!!" They then usually leave and leave me to just laugh my head off in the bathroom stall!!! I can't wait to see what they will say next week!!!

29 week appt.

I had me 29 week appointment today. It's been 5 weeks since I went in last. It was a quick in and out appointment. My Dr. confirmed that I passed my blood and Glucose test with flying colors. I gained about 6 more lbs. That's one more lb then I was planning on. (I plan for 1 lb a week) But that was all Thanksgiving and Christmas goodies also! My Dr. then told me I was measuring at 33 week. She told me they would do a ultrasound at 39 weeks and see how things are going.  I don't know how the ultrasound will change things. I measured big with Wesson and he was a big baby! This is my second, so I assume I would measure big with this one too. I won't do a c-section and I can't induce, so just let me have the baby. The due date CAN NOT be wrong. I mean, come on the the same Dr. put the sperm in there. We can't be off by 4 weeks!!! I hope she doesn't pressure me into having a c-section, I guess that is my biggest worry. Or she will tell me it's 12 lbs. Then I might worry about trying to go natural.