My First Baby Quilt

I made this quilt for a friend. I don't know whether she is having a boy or girl yet and don't have the chance to wait to find out. I am always afraid of picking fabric, especially when I needed 15 different ones. I started with one I liked and then starting adding coordinating pieces.

This quilt was modeled after Crazy Mom Quilts Ragged Quilt. It wasn't very hard or time consuming, I worked on it for a couple of hours a night for about 7 days.

I am ready to try more quilting projects...the christmas stockings are probably first on the list, then more quilts.

Thanksgiving - Eve...more crafty projects.

I am working on a quilt. I will post pictures later. It is a very cute brown, orange & blue ragged square quilt. The top is done and I am ready to make the back, put it together and then quilt it!

In the mean time I found these rose barrettes to make for my little girl...they will go well with her brother's hand me down clothes.

I don't know how or when (ok I could maybe guess) but I think I may be catching the quilting bug and I haven't even made a quilt yet...but I have several ideas in my head.

I want to make a "big boy bed" quilt for Isaak, something with blues and browns.  Yes a big boy bed is in his future this spring, we need the crib for baby number 2 (April 2011).

I want to make a baby/crib quilt for our yet-to-be named daughter. Greens, Yellows, Blues, maybe a little pink.

I want to make a tree skirt that has quilt blocks in it (maybe not this year), maybe something like this.

I want to make 4 Christmas stockings, with the front made from red and green quilt squares.

I want to try this coins baby quilt.

I also want to try this simple square quilt or this raggedy quilt. Maybe I can whip one of them up in the next couple of weeks (too optimistic?), I do already have some fabric.

I already know what my problem is going to be...the prep. I just want to put it together! Not try to match colors, measure or cut...and certainly not pre-wash the fabric. Who has the patience for all of that, not me.

It's already been a month!?!

We moved home on March 25th. Our last few days in Amsterdam were hectic and filled with cleaning and packing. Thank goodness Janet was there to help. We couldn't have done it with out her.

We also couldn't have made it through our airport ordeal with out Courtenay & Brian. The dogs stayed with Courtenay & Brian for the last few days while we cleared out the apartment and spent the two nights in a hotel. They also helped us load our 7 suitcases, 2 very large dog crates and jogger into the van taxi. Kevin and Janet took Isaak and the dogs to the airport on the train and Courtenay and I squeezed in to the van with all of our luggage. It took us almost 2 hours to get checked in and all of our extra baggage fees paid. We dumped the dogs (yes both) off the luggage cart a couple of times. Isaak had his own seat on the flight, with his carseat. It really made all of the difference in the flight home. Andrea and Luis met us at the airport and helped us shuttle everything to our temporary apartment.

Our move home would have a lot more painful, physically, mentally and emotionally with out such great friends.

Somethings we settled right back into, it has taken a little while longer on others.  I am still not up for grocery shopping at Winco. I have to work up to it.

The new job is great! I love my team, boss and job. Granted I am no expert yet...but ignorance is bliss.

Other then work we have been getting back into the swing of things. Running on the weekend, taking the dogs to the dog park, working through Isaak's first ear infection, being at the farm for Dad's birthday, divying up some of Dad's stuff (guns...painful), watching Isaak get closer to walking, taking swim lessons with Isaak, Kevin's flying lessons, trying to get the book club book read before Wednesday, returning to the "wine club" (oh how it has grown from that first Champagne night) and reconnecting with our friends.

This weekend we are headed to Phoenix to visit Kevin's parents. Kevin and Isaak fly down Thursday morning and I will leave after work on Friday.

Easter

It just occured to me that Easter is right around the corner, well...Sew Mama Sew provided a little bit of a reminder.

I can't wait to get to Portland and to get my hands on a sewing machine! I have a handful of cute little critters that I want to make for Isaak for Easter!

Thanks to Sew Mama Sew,

I want to make this...

and this...

and this...

and this...

and this...

and this...

ooh and this...

ooh ooh and this!

It looks like I will be busy.

Isaak's 1st Birthday

Isaak had his first birthday last week. It is hard to believe an entire year has passed since Isaak was born. We celebrated with our friends Courtenay, Brian, Esther, Huib & Bo.

Don't judge me on the high chair. It was free and I am not complaining, however the pastel ruffles woudn't have been my first choice.


I wasn't up to making a cake, instead I made these peanut butter & jelly bars. They were suitably messy for a 1st birthday.


Isaak didn't really know what to do with the presents or how to unwrap them, I am sure he will learn before long.


I love this rocking horse! Thank you Esther & Huib.

And to top it all off, Kevin took this video of Isaak playing in his bath yesterday.

At least we know he doesn't mind water in his face.

Crocus Break

For Kevin's Crocus break this year we decided to take a 7 day road trip through Luxembourg and Germany. Our plans were to spend the weekend in Luxembourg with Kevin's cousins Anne & Jim, then drive to Bavaria and spend a couple of days with my cousin Amy and then wing it for a couple of days.

All good road trips have to start with a little drama or tramatic experience. Ours was no different. While we were in the final stages of packing the car the apartment door was left open and isaak craweled out to the stairwell and promptly fell down half a flight. He developed a nasty bruise and goose egg on his forehead. He cried for a few minutes, I tried to put ice on it but that would only bring on more screaming.

On to Luxembourg. We were going to stop in Maastricht and have lunch on the way. We ended up in a traffic jam outside of Maastricht, it took us 1.5 hours to go 5 km. Lunch ended up being at 2pm and at the Mcdonalds. Oh well. We made it to Anne & Jim's around 5pm. The last time Kevin had seen Anne & Jim was at their wedding, 30+ years ago. He didn't remember it but Anne had the pictures to prove it.

We spent the weekend relaxing, meeting their kids, see a few of the local sites, and eating and drinking very well!



Monday we headed on to Grafenwohr, in Germany, to see my cousin Amy. I think this is the first time that Amy and I had really seen each other in 20 years. When we were little we use to play together when ever our parents would visit each other. We are similar in age and similar personalities, when we were little we looked very similar too. Amy's dad, Scotty, likes to tell the story of my dad trying to get the 3 of us (Greg, Denise & I) all in to the car to head home, but rather then herding me to the car he had Amy in hand. We met Amy's beautiful little girl Allora.



Isaak was instantly in love, although I think his enthusiasm scared Allora at first.


While at Amy's we made a day trip to Nuremburg. Umm...bratwust, beer, pretzels and dumplings.



Wednesday morning we decided to head to Munich for the day. More bavarian food. I think Kevin and I both put on a few pounds during this trip. We didn't really do much siteseeing in Munich, but then what more do you need to see other then food.

Isaak decided that he had had the last of the mashed baby food, while we were traveling. He refused anything more then 2 bites of mashed food, so we threw our hands in the air and just started feeding him from our plates. He really liked the sausage and dumplings. The look on his face when we gave him saurkraut. Priceless.



After Munich we headed north to Bacharach. Bacharach is a cute little town on the Rhine, surrounded by little castles - on both sides of the river. We stayed at a cute little hotel and just relaxed.





Friday we headed home.

We tried to limit our driving to about 4 hours a day. Anything more then that and Isaak would really start to complain, which I promptly solved by feeding him teeting cookies. You do what you have to...

Moving Home

We will be moving home on March 25th. I have taken another job for Nike, in Portland. This move is a little bittersweet. We have really enjoyed living in Europe, made some great friends here and I really like the people I work with. Having Isaak has really made us want to be closer to our family and the loss of my father has only made that a bigger priority. When we decided that we wanted to move home we didn't expect it to happen this soon.

Before heading home we have a little more travel to squeeze in. Friday, Feb 19th, we head to Luxumbourg to spend the weekend with Kevin's cousins. Monday we will drive on to Germany and spend a couple of days with my cousin before heading on to Munich and possibly Saltzburg.

Isaak is more fun every day. He is getting close to walking and as chatty as ever. It is hard to believe that he is almost 1 year old.

Isaak and his little wheelie cart

MOV03237
Originally uploaded by Kevin & Dana

I have been contemplating one of these toys for Isaak for a while. I know that once he is fully walking I will wish he was still crawling...but I couldn't resist. Note the last little "push" he does at the end, definitely a "you are in my way mom" move.

A padded room

Below is our attempt to limit the number of bruises on Isaak's forehead.