When do I have time for crafting?

If there is on thing I don't need, it is another hobby. I already have difficulty storing all the apparatus for my current hobbies, not to mention all of five minutes a week to spend doing anything creative. Lately I've really been missing the sense of creation, as I really love to make something the way I see it in my mind. Sometimes, in a perfect mesh of enthusiasm and ability, the thing turns out just as pictured. All too often, it gets about 75% there, which most days is good enough for me! Sewing isn't really a new hobby for me, but I'm branching out a bit with a new passion.

I love handbags. LOVE them. My husband, love him too, gave me a gift certificate for the greatest thing ever. No, not a massage, although I did get one of those for Christmas! Rather, he bought me a gift certificate to 1154Lill, only the greatest custom handbag/purse design shop ever. Even better than the gift certificate itself, was the gift of his time while we were in Kansas City for my brother's wedding. He walked around and around the Plaza with an exhausted toddler while I pored over fabric swatches, samples, and generally had the time of my life. So I got to thinking, why not make some myself? I'm not promising that my productions are going to be half as professional as Lill's, but they will be mine. Yippee! Of course, I'm not really up to snuff sewing wise so I have two projects in the meantime to help me sharpen my rusty skills. I finished this one this weekend, which I promise will NOT be worn with the pictured black sweater during the spring... Hey, I did take off my socks for the picture (give me some credit, I was wearing jeans before).

This weekend was a very rare lazy weekend so I had a chance to squeeze in some sewing during nap times and the like. The last few weeks have been far busier! On the most undocumented busy weekend in a long time, Kim and his dad rebuilt the fence that Ike tried to knock down. This was the one bit of damage that we had, right between our house and our neighbor's. Unfortunatly this is our only neighbor that has a dog, coincientally one that Boudreaux would love to eat. Thankfully the fence is back up and the dogs can now try to eat each other without actually getting to one another.

Kim remembers why he finished up his degree.

Alastair and Granny.

We also went to the zoo. Here is Alastair in his happiest activity of all: riding a zebra on the merry go round. Our friend Ella and Cole gave Alastair a book about merry go rounds for his birthday and he loves it! Everyone in my family can just about recite it from memory we have read it so many times. And everytime we pass by one at the zoo or mall he shouts, "up and down on the merry go round!" Who could resist?

He even got to ride on the train at Hermann Park. He was, however, not a big fan of the train making stops. At the second stop (of four) he decided that was enough and I had a hard time keeping him onboard until the end.



Alastair, so happy to be on the train. This the face he makes when he asks for juice or a lollypop. (Previously known as "loll-plop")