Sewing 101

Today, my sister-in-law came over to help me set up my sewing machine and show me how to make burp cloths. Christy has been making her own burp cloths and bibs, so I was extremely grateful when she offered up her expertise. This was actually my second time taking "Family Sewing 101". When my dog, Kiwi, was just a puppy, my mom and I set out to make her a pad for her kennel using my mom's machine. We got a rectangular piece of thick foam, some fabric we liked and a zipper, and went to town. We successfully completed the project and I couldn't wait to get my own sewing machine one day. Well, for my last birthday, Michael surprised me with my very own Brother XL-2600i! (not sure what the numbers mean, but it sounds fancy, right?) After taking my machine out of the box, I was immediately overwhelmed by all of the buttons, settings and attachments that it came with. Everything that I thought I'd remember from my previous sewing lesson, suddenly flew right out of my mind. But in all fairness, I didn't have to set up my mom's machine right out of the box; she had done all of the dirty work. 

So, today when Christy arrived, I was crossing my fingers that she wouldn't turn and run once she saw that I didn't even have the right color thread loaded up. But before we could even talk sewing, as soon as he walked through the door, 3 1/2 year old Jacob presented me with the sweetest gift! He handed me a bird house that he made for our new house! I was also made aware that he had put sparkles on it; is that cute or what? :)

Can't wait to find a place to hang this!

Once everyone got situated (Ryan snoozing in his car seat, Zoey rocking sleepily in her swing and Jacob on the floor with an art project), we attempted to get my machine up and running. After a lot of trial and error in regards to finding the right setting (sometimes a fancy machine is not the best machine), I was finally on my way to burp cloth glory. Christy was a great teacher, all while juggling a demanding toddler and an infant who eventually woke up needing his mommy. When all was said and done, I had completed one cloth and Christy sacrificed her own project to make sure mine turned out well. 

My intense focus on making my lines straight must be what kept me from taking any pictures of my lovely visitors. Once they left, I did snap a picture of Zoey who fell asleep shortly after everyone arrived and stayed that way throughout the entire visit. 

Snoozin' while Jacob (and Ryan) watched The Lion King

I may not have any pictures of Jacob from today, but that kid sure does know how to make me laugh every time I see him. His innocent remarks reminded me why it's probably a good thing that my first born is a girl. After banging on the sliding glass door to get his mom's attention, he urgently told her that he had to "go poop". She let him in, scooted him toward the bathroom and told him she'd be there when it was time for him to wipe. Once summoned, she joined him in the bathroom, from where I heard her say, "Eww, Jake, that's so gross!". I tried not to panic (I've learned from movies that boys can manage to turn bathrooms into danger zones in a matter of minutes). When he emerged, Jacob shared a bit of information that I could have lived without. "Aunt Dana, my poop left a skid mark!" he said proudly. Hahaha. Boys and their fascination with poop; I'll never understand it!

Unfortunately, Michael wasn't able to make it home before Christy and the kids had to head out.   They had a decent drive ahead of them (in unavoidable traffic) and she and I both needed to get some sort of dinner on our tables. When Michael did get home, he scooped up a fresh-faced Zoey and took her outside to check on his garden. I spied on them for a bit and then snapped these precious pics. 

Checking out how the berries are coming along

Explaining what's what

When they came back inside, Michael was excited to tell me that he's pretty sure Zoey really likes it out there. Apparently she was totally calm, just taking everything in and enjoying the fresh air. I wonder if he'll still want her as a garden buddy once she's able to walk and pull on all of the plants? That'll be quite a sight ;)