Finished Product Friday

Life has been crazy lately.  Being a stay-at-home mom is hard work. This 2-year-old is wearing this 34-week-pregnant-mom out.

He is nonstop energy, sweetness, entertainment development, and discovery. This makes me feel blessed to have this extra time one-on-one with my sweet little man to be a part of all of it. It amazes me how quickly he learns about the world that is so new to him. It is crazy to watch him go from the kid saying a word or two and us racking our brains to figure out what he is trying to tell us, to a kid communicating in sentences..."I watch Mickey TV please, Mommy?" "Mommy pitch gloves?" "I have more pop tarts, please?" "I sorry for hit, Mommy." "I love you SOOO MUCH!" 

But he is also a little frustration, confusion, crabbiness, whiny, noisy, aggressive, and rebellious. The whole terrible twos is not a myth. I wouldn't call him terrible by any means but his newfound independence has made him a little sassy. He thinks rules don't apply. He thinks anything and everything is his for the taking and messing and throwing. He thinks he can always have what he wants when he wants it. And when he doesn't get it, he thinks it is perfectly acceptable to hit or bite or cry to tell you just how much he wants it. And that makes me so tired, and frustrated and impatient at times. Sometimes I lose my temper. Sometimes I don't use MY inside voice. Sometimes I temporarily forget that he is still a new human just learning how to be a person, just as much as I am a newish mother learning how to be a parent. But I have also seen God building up in me more patience and calm than I had before. I am learning that I can't do it alone. I am seeing more of God's grace in the moments where I mess up and Shea turns out okay anyways. The times when I have to tell my little boy sorry for how I reacted and he hugs me and says he loves me remind me of my Father's love and forgiveness.

 There is no still or chill in this little one. But because he is more or less an energy drink in a 27-pound package, he is FINALLY taking decent naps. 

And what a blessing that 1-2 hours a day has been. Not only do I get to fight him for 15 minutes to stay in bed, but I get to spend the next 10 minutes or so singing and cuddling my little person and holding his hand until he finally gives up fighting. Then I get to do the other things I love, like crocheting and sewing. And thanks to that quiet time, here is what I have finished this week. Before this week I have been busy making memory blankets like these twin onesie quilts.

But this week I have been doing IN-MEMORY projects. A dear friend from high school sent me this message a little while back.

"Hey Meredith,

Hope you are doing well, I see you're expecting your second little boy is well. 😊 I have a couple of sort of special baby quilts I would like to have made I was wondering if you were possibly interested in doing them for me...I am expecting another boy in July, and my brother Alex is expecting his first at the end of August. We were both very close to my grandmother who passed away in 2008, and for as long as anyone can remember she was always wearing the silk pajamas. Not real silk of course just some kind of fake polyester. I have a pair of those and I would like to have a baby quilt made for both of our children that incorporated those pajamas into patches. nothing large just small baby quilts." 

So here is what she got. This is quilt #1.

Working on number 2 during today's nap if all goes as planned...which it often doesn't.

This is the second In-Memory project I finished this week...another mermaid wrap blanket.

This one was extra special, and here is why. This is the text I received with her custom order.

"Oh my gosh I have been looking for someone to make these for me for a year now! My best friend and I both shared a love for mermaids and she passed away last summer, our favorite colors were pink and purple and she loved lime green, could I possibly get one with those colors?"

I love how it turned out and so did she. 

I hope it brings her comfort. 

I would love to do more projects like these (or any projects for that matter), so message me here or on Facebook if you are interested. 

To-Do List Tuesday-Before Baby #2

Baby Patten Turner Strauss will be joining the family soon.  Not sure when, but going from previous experience with his big brother, Shea, who decided to mix things up by trying to come 7 weeks early, it could be soon. But if he decided to be like most babies he may not be here until his due date on July 29th. Gotta wait and see.

But there is quite a to-do list to finish before he arrives. I am blessed to say that list is MUCH shorter than it was last week. My dad and little brother came and did some extensive house-prepping and cleaning and detailing the past several days. I cannot thank them enough for all of the love and hard work they put into our house that had bit by bit gotten a little out of hand.

They cleaned out our whole garage and added shelves to store our stuff that doesn't have a spot in the house. That included burning a pile of about 70 cardboard boxes that had accumulated since we moved in a few years ago, and shop-vaccing crawly critters who decided to make those boxes home. As soon as we have our next yard sale we will be able to fit 2 cars in the garage, which hasn't been possible since we moved here.  

The kitchen appliances are sparkling, the windows are clean, the floors and baseboards are scrubbed. A few minutes ago Shea left the living room and headed in the kitchen.  He's supposed to stay in the living room with me. When I asked him to come back he started crying. "I white, I white." I am not yet fluent in toddler speak but I am getting there. I was stumped.  I said, "show Mommy what you want."  He grabbed a dish towel off the stove, ran back in the room, and proceeded to "white" (wipe) the windows.  "I clean, Mommy."  He has learned a servant's heart by watching the people he loves and looks up to.  I think his love language is acts of service like his daddy and my daddy.  So I smiled and thanked him and gave him a big hug because my love language is physical touch.  :)

Paint has been touched up. We could probably sell this house tomorrow if we wanted to.  They left early this morning to drive back to Texas leaving behind a different house than the one they arrived at.  We are truly grateful.  

To-Do List

-Finsh organizing Patten's nursery and Shea's bedroom

-have another yard sale to clear out the rest of the garage

-clean my bedroom and bathroom as well as the rest of the house has been cleaned

-organize my arts and crafts from the studio in my basement (see previous post)

-finish the edging on My brother's high school t-shirt quilt

-make some quilts for my friend from high school

It's done list

-twin onesie quilts

-puppy quilt for Ryder

-photo props for Lorie 

(who happened to have done an amazing job on Shea's one and 2 year old pictures)

Www.lorieallison.com

-a crocheted baby blanket

-and another mermaid wrap blanket

If you are interested in having me make you something, either message me on Facebook or leave a comment at the bottom of this post.

I love my crazy life and am so thankful for the help with the craziness.

Today's to-do list includes joining my hubby for lunch at UTC followed by a visit to the doctor to check up on our little Patten...hopefully followed by a nap for the other little one when we get home.

We may not have it all together at the Strauss house, but we are on our way, works-in-progress. And God is using us and molding us and teaching us and humbling us and LOVING US in the midst of the madness.

My verse for today:

If I say "my foot slips," your mercy will hold me up. In the multitude of my anxieties within me, your comforts delight my soul. Psalms 94:18-19

I was anxious, thinking "how in the world will it all get done? We aren't even close to being ready for Patten. This place is a mess and I don't know where to start. How are we going to afford another one?" But it is getting done. And we have been blessed with resources and help to make life more organized. And God will provide what we need just like he always does. He has brought comfort and joy to my soul in the form of organization and family.  Now that they have headed home, I am homesick but I'm looking forward to a family reunion soon when Patten comes. 

WIP (Work in Progress) Wednesday-Shea

Today is my son's second birthday!

My how time has flown!  

I must say this kid may be the coolest 2-year-old out there.  He is a blast.  Lately he is obsessed...and I mean OBSESSED...with all things sports and Mickey Mouse.  He loves watching baseball, basketball, and hockey.

His two favorite people are the goalie and the umpire.  In his own words he loves them "SO MUCH!" 
He knows the umpire says, "strike one, strike two, strike three, you're out, and SAFE!"  He goes around the house throwing balls, swinging bats, and sliding into imaginary bases.  

Hockey is a new obsession.  He likes to tell us that the goalie wears a helmet, gloves, and pads, and he carries a hockey stick. 
Until a few weeks ago, he could have cared less about cartoons.  But out of nowhere he is now crazy about Mickey Mouse, more specifically, the Road Rally episode.  For that reason, he will be having a Mickey-themed birthday party this Saturday.  I can't wait!  I happened to stumble upon a Mickey Mouse Road Rally cake at Publix.  The design has actually been retired but they said they had one kit left at the store.  I felt like I deserved a mom-of-the-year award when I found this cake.  

Shea is a super-sweet, super-entertaining, super-cuddly, super-fun kid....MOST OF THE TIME.  But let me tell you, he sure is a work in progress.  I am not one to claim my child is perfect.  Lately he has needed frequent reminders to have nice hands and a nice mouth with his friends.  This is code word for no hitting or biting. Bedtime is a fight almost every night. He likes to say no and will make a run for it any chance he gets. And sometimes he uses his dogs as baseball tees. But he is learning to be a person and we are learning to be parents. Life is good and we are blessed with our little work in progress.

On my sewing table (cough cough kitchen table) is one of two twin quilts. I am sewing on the back now. 

What is your work in progress?

Inspire Me Monday-Monika soon-to-be Patel

So normally my Inspire Me Monday posts are about artists and crafters that inspire me with their work.  But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that my inspiration has come from other places lately...most recently from my dear friend, Monika.

This past month has been my most creative month in a while.  I think I can attribute that to lots of things.  First, I would have to say that I have made more things because I have had more orders than I normally do.  I am grateful for that.  It will keep me busy after school gets out for the summer.  My last day of school this year is May 22.  I don't know who is more excited, me or the students.  I like teaching, and I like my kids, but I am glad that school isn't year-round.  All that to say I am glad I have something to keep me busy this summer besides just my little boy and my hubby...who I am super looking forward to spending more time with really soon.

  :)   This is the longest list of orders I have ever had outside of the holiday season.

1. 4 Mermaid Tail Blanket Wraps-DONE...This is where I can say that inspiration came from a friend.  Blakely, one of my husband's co-workers posted a link to mermaid tail patterns on my Facebook and within a day I had people requesting I make them.  They were really fun to make and I hope I get to make more in the near future.
   
   
   
2. 2 T-shirt Quilts-DONE
   One is not pictured because it is a surprise.
3. Heart Quilt-DONE
   
4. Secret Special Surprise for my LITTLE brother who is graduating from high school in 2 weeks-WIP (work in progress)
   
5. Onezie Quilts for twins-one boy and one girl-WIP
   
6. Crocheted Football Headbands-To-do list
7. Newborn Crocheted Elephant Hat and Diaper Cover-WIP
8. Teddy Bear Quilt-waiting on fabric to arrive from Etsy
   
   
9. T-shirt Quilt Order-waiting on shirts
10. Quilt for my dear friend and her Hubby-to-be!-DONE
    
    

This dear friend of mine, Monika, has been an inspiration to me since we were roommates and teammates on the track and cross-country team at UTC. 

She is a jack-of-all trades, that woman.  I am inspired by her ambition and ability to throw her whole heart into a variety of hobbies and callings and passions and be a rockstar at all of them.  If this tells you anything about her, her wedding is next Saturday and she spent literally all day yesterday preparing for her physical therapy final today.  Next year she will be graduating from PT school.  So yesterday her only break was catching up on life with me over some Crust Pizza.  I felt special.  As I pulled up to her house to park my car, I was greeted by a giant community garden that Monika created herself.  It has brought the people of the community together and is a source of food and fun for the neighborhood.  And she made it on her own.  No one asked her to or paid her to or praised her for it.  She just saw a need in the community and an empty lifeless space owned by a neighborhood church and she asked them if she could give it life.  Look at it now.  It used to be a lot overrun with weeds and now it is a beautiful garden.

I am so excited about the new adventure she is soon embarking on with a great man.  I just pray that her marriage is as much of a treasure and light in her life as mine has been.  I pray they continue to make each-other's hearts happy and inspire each-other to more wonderful things.  I can't wait to see what the Patel team does.  Here is a testament to Monika's awesomeness and Pranav's love for her...proof that these two will do more for the world together than they ever would apart.  This is what Pranav said of Monika on their wedding website.

Why I chose Monika

Her determination, honesty, and humility are magnetic. She maintains an active, yet simple lifestyle, helping others and contributing to our community. She's adaptable and all-accepting.  She has an unconditional giving nature in every act.  She's in sync with nature, reads often, and has not missed a single day of journaling since the age of six, which shows discipline, commitment to one life principle. Mark Twain, one of Monika's favorite authors, made a statement when announcing his engagement, and nothing could ring more true for my feelings toward her:

"I am not worrying about whether you will love my future wife or not—if you know her twenty-four hours & then don’t love her, you will accomplish what nobody else has ever succeeded in doing since she was born. She just naturally drops into everybody’s affections that comes across her."


So I have concluded that if Monika can do it all, I can do it all, too.  I can't wait until her wedding next weekend.  It is going to be a blast.

This was her on my wedding day RAPPING...yes RAPPING a "speech" at my reception.  I won't be rapping but I do plan on returning the favor as creatively as possible. ;)

I can't wait to share in her special day in 6 days! Eek!

Finished Project Friday

I know the blog has been collecting a little dust lately.  Sorry for that.  I did notice, however, that it has been getting quite a large number of views!  Yay for Scrap Stash Studio!  But no comments...so if you read, respond.  Let me know who you are and what got you here.  A LOT has changed since my last post.  First of all, I am happy to announce that my family is growing.  The Strauss house will be one boy busier in July.  Patten Turner Strauss will be baby number 2 for the Strauss family!  Yay for children.  I am truly thankful to be blessed with the gift of motherhood and look forward to all that is to come with my house full of boys.  :)

That being said, the studio has been on the back burner lately.  This is due, in part, to the frigid temperatures and lack of sufficient heat in that old brick building lovingly known as Scrap Stash Studio.  But the sun has come out and soon I will sling open those doors and welcome in Scrappy Crafters. 
I am also so excited to announce that I will have new friends joining me in the building.  Andrea Smith is amazing.  She has an organization called Operation Santa that she has been going strong running for quite a number of years.  She collects items throughout the year to give to less-fortunate children at Christmas.  Her operation has outgrown her house and she needed a donation station.  So she will be collecting items throughout the year to prepare for the holidays.  Along with that, she will also be running a thrift store of sorts to help offset rent costs and raise money for purchases at the holidays.  So donate away my friends!  You can donate any type of item you wish.  She will also hold frequent yard sales at the "Studio/Op-drop."  I will post updates as they come available.  I believe her first yard sale will be the first Saturday in May.
I have a few craft class/party ideas floating in my head and will soon get them on the calendar. 
1.  T-shirt scrap rag rugs- $10...rag base and t-shirt scraps provided but you are welcome to bring your own shirts too.

2. Custom Planners from books...I have done this class before but would like to try it again.  I made one out of the children's book Peter Pan and have used it all school year.  The class will be $10.  Cost includes needed supplies and binding rings.  Bring your own book or purchase one for just a little extra from my collection.

3. Etsy Craft Party-this project is a mystery to me.  I believe it is some sort of paper-crafting.  Etsy will send me info on what this project entails and educate me on how to educate you.  Tentative date will be June 5th or 6th.  More details to come.  Price, date, and time are to be determined.
4. Sewing Party-$5 for studio usage.  I plan on this just being a hang out for my sewing friends and wannabe sewing friends.  I am new to the sewing world...self-taught.  This is something I am proud of but also would love to learn from my veteran stitching friends.  Bring your machines or needles or come empty-handed and we can share materials and knowledge.  We could even do a fabric swap and exchange scraps.  I think this would be super fun and I would love to pick your brains.  Varner, Turner, Kim, and Ms. Mary...you all come to mind.  So be there or be square!  :)
Please let me know your level of interest in these projects.  Heck, even throw out some dates that you think may work well for you and I will try to make them happen.  My life is sort of in plan as I go mode at the moment so I will let you know as things materialize.  As always, suggestions are welcome for future class ideas.
I am also Thankful for the orders that have been piling up.  My sewing machine and crochet hooks have stayed busy lately.  In the past month, I have:
*...Crocheted an afghan for baby Patten.

*...Completed a quilt for a dear family member who has a little one on the way.

*...Crocheted 3 mermaid tail blankets.  They all turned out super cute.  You can order one if you would like.  Adult size $60, Child size $50, Toddler size $40, and Baby size $30. 

*...Completed 2 t-shirt quilts. One quilt was for one of my best friends from high-school's little sister.  It was a lot of shirts...the biggest quilt I have ever made.  All of the shirts were from events and teams from my hometown so quilting it brought back a lot of memories. 

One quilt is a surprise that has not yet been revealed to its future owner so I will have to show it off later.
*...Cut all the squares out for my 3 upcoming quilts.  One quilt is for one of my dear friends who is getting married next weekend and her hubby-to-be.  The fabric combination is even prettier than the inspiration photo that she sent me:

(This is the inspiration photo...not her quilt.)  Hers is going to be even cooler!  I can't wait to get started on it.  The other 2 quilts are for twins!  How cool is that?  A former student of mine has one-year-old twins, a boy and a girl.  What makes this project even cooler is that I am using all of the onezies from their first holidays...first New Years, first Valentines, first Easter, first Halloween, first Thanksgiving, first Christmas.  They are going to be coordinating quilts.  Eeeek!

*...Made my first overseas purchase of fabric for a special baby quilt.  Who knew it would be hard to track down cotton fabric with teddy bears on it?  I never would have thought.  But my package should be arriving in the next few days.  I can't wait to see it!