Pitty Pat Baby

Blessed Beyond Measure...

There are times when my heart overflows with joy and gratitude.  I have so much to be grateful for today.  This coming Monday I will start my new job in my new home city and I am very excited!  I've looked and looked for a job and feel like I've run the human resources gauntlet for the past nine weeks, but I made it and that is what counts.  I've learned alot about perseverance and my faith has grown so much.  God has held me up and kept me safe.  He has been faithful no matter the circumstances.  He never fails me.

This afternoon I had the opportunity to spend several hours babysitting Zach.  The first thing out of that baby's mouth when Kelly and Zach arrived was "Mimi".  Kelly and I laughed.  It was the first time he had said Mimi in recognition of me.  Wow oh wow!  That sure felt wonderful!

After Kelly left, we played for awhile, but soon he was tired and needed a nap.  I put him in the playpen (which now resides at my house!) and he slept for 30 minutes and woke up crying.  I tried to wait to see if he would go back to sleep on his own, but that wasn't to be so I just picked him up, bundled him in a light blanket and rocked him.  Zach hums when he is tired and cuddling on a shoulder.  I rocked and sang and loved on that child remembering the times I had rocked my own son and daughter.  You see, I am blessed beyond measure!  I tried several times to put Zach back down, but he wasn't having it so for two hours I loved on him while he slept so peacefully in my arms.  Zach and I were making memories together.  What did you do with your afternoon?

Life Changes

Well!  Just in case anyone out there is occasionally checking my blog....I'm back, but in a new home in a new state.  No, it is not the state of confusion~!  I've been planning on making a move to Arizona to be near my family and the time finally arrived.  It took weeks and weeks of planning, hard work, packing, and moving to get it done.  I quit my job the end of April and moved to Phoenix on May 1st.  My sweet and patient son-in-law Michael flew to Dallas on the 1st and got into the UHaul truck and started driving with me leading the way in my trusty car.  We arrived at Kelly and Michael's home in Phoenix at 7 PM on May 2nd.  I honestly had thought I would just sit in my car and bawl like a baby when we arrived, but I was so tired I couldn't even do that much.  Kelly had a wonderful steak dinner ready for us and I fell into their guest bed by 8:30 PM.  The next morning Michael's guys from the college age group he mentors met us at my new home and they proceeded to unpack the truck.  They were all so kind and I just wanted to kiss each one of them for taking their Saturday morning to help me!  I am so grateful to all who helped make my dream become reality.  I've been able to completely unpack my home and everything is in it's place.  My home is seven minutes from Kelly and Michael's new home which is very convenient.

I had my first sleepover with my three boys night before last and we had a great time!  The big boys love my studio and they all slept very well.  I, on the other hand, was up and down several times just checking on them.  Needless to say, this Mimi took a nap yesterday.

Now that my studio is organized I am ready to make more baby shoes!  I'll be posting pics of my new studio and products soon!  So very glad to be here!

My Three Boys

I had the pure joy of visiting my family in Scottsdale this past week.  My trip in February is an annual affair where I get to take care of the boys while their Mom and Dad attend the annual Chick-fil-a conference which was held in Orlando this year.  Also, this year there was one more boy to play with.....  Andrew is five, Jackson is three, and Zachary is seven months.  Yes, I was busy!  Yes, I was tired, but YES, I was invigorated.  Our boys are healthy, beautiful, kind, and loving.  They genuinely care about each other and are sensitive to what is happening around them.  I've always said children are mini adults who can't quite communicate while adults are children in grown up clothes.  If you listen with your heart you can understand what either generation is saying (or not).

Andrew asked that I bring fabric and baby shoes to sew.  He is fascinated with the whole process so I brought several lengths of fabric fit for boys ~ rocket ships, Air Force, and plain blue.  We discussed how to make a pattern for the shoes Jack's puppy dog (stuffed) needed.  In the end, I had to repurpose one shoe because it was cut too large and we made a cap for the puppy dog that matched his Air Force shoes.  Andrew wanted capes for his action figure doll and a stuffed dog so we cut patterns and made the capes and pants for the action figure from the rocket fabric. 

One evening, we made chocolate pudding from scratch and had a science lesson about cornstarch and it's many uses.  Andrew never forgets anything and when his Mom was back home he asked her if she knew that you could use cornstarch in the bath for rashes.  She looked so surprised.

I got to hear Zach say Mimi for the first time.  What joy!  He is talking more and more and growing so very fast as are the other two.   I am truly a blessed Mimi!

My Sweet Girl

Today is my sweet baby girl’s birthday!  Even though it has been quite some time since she was born I still remember a lot of the details.  She was born ten days early and I had already been in the hospital about ten days earlier than that with early/false labor.  I remember being so disappointed that she wasn’t born that day, but I was reassured that she would probably be born within the next two weeks and sure enough that is exactly what happened. 

I wasn’t in labor long that day.  I'd had such a problem when her brother was born six years earlier because of all the meds I was given that I had made up my mind to use as few as possible when Kelly was born.  Her Dad and I had taken Lamaze classes which was a new “old” technique just catching on with young couples.  I managed to use the breathing techniques for the whole labor and delivery with only a small injection of Demerol near the end.  What a difference the Lamaze made!  She was pink, healthy, pretty and alert!  She was laid into the isolette next to me and softly mewed so her Daddy started calling her kitten Kelly right away.  In contrast to my first labor and delivery, I was up and walking to the nursery within a few hours and I could think clearly and she was doing great without all the drugs in her system.   We brought Kelly home on Valentines Day and that was the most beautiful gift I had ever received for Valentines!  Now, Kelly is a mom of three beautiful, sweet little boys.  Hard to believe so much time has gone by so quickly.   There is so much more I could write or say about my beautiful daughter.  I could go on forever, but I think I will save some of that for later. Thank you Kelly for gracing my life with your love and sweetness!  You are so loved!

Where It All Begins....

I love my studio.  It isn't large, but it is perfect for me!  I love sewing, scrapbooking, or painting in the quiet with my radio tuned to KLUV hearing the songs that take me back to the "good old days".  Lots of fun and very relaxing.  As you will see, I have lots to remind me of my past and more to remind me of my future!  I am a highly organized person and tend to put off creating anything until everything is in it's place.  Not entirely sure what that may mean psychologically, but really don't care.  It works well for me whether I am in my studio or at work.  I love to see how folks live and work.  So inspirational!  Here's my main work area.  This table was in my Mom and Dad's first home in Colorado when I was born.  It is pine and they painted it bright yellow at one point and then stripped and varnished it.  I love that this table traveled all over as we moved with the Air Force.  It isn't nearly big enough for what I need, but I make do just so I can continue to use it. 

I've also displayed lots of items that are now vintage (showing my age abit here!).  The turquoise and copper canisters were always in my Mom's kitchen along with the matching bread box and cake carrier which I also have.  So glad my Mom gave those to me years ago!  I also found all the pennants I collected as we moved around and traveled and have them displayed in my studio right along with my Brownie and Girl Scout caps.  Just lots of fond memories of days gone by.....

Happy Baby

My daughter recently sent me a link to some photos that her friend Joy took of our sweet baby Zach.  They are beautiful pictures of a sweet, smiling, and very happy baby.  I had to share at least one picture so you can see how well Zach is doing.  He is now six months old and growing so fast!  His latest discovery has been his feet and boy, are they ever growing!!  The first pair of baby shoes I made look tiny compared to the pair I made today for him.  For Christmas, I gave him tan corduroy pants and a light blue jacket with teddy bear ears on the hood.  The first time he wore that jacket, Jackson, my three year old grandson took one look and proclaimed, "He looks like Pooh!"  Jackson is a huge fan of Pooh and Tigger.  For Christmas, Jackson and his Mom went shopping at JoAnn's for a gift for me and Jack picked out all sorts of fabric, buttons, and thread for Pitty Pat Baby and of course, teddy bear buttons were included.  Wonder if he will recognize those buttons when the shoes arrive at their home this next week?  These shoes are made of washable microsuede and lined in blue flannel.

New Beginnings

This blog is the result of baby shoes I made for my newest grandson.  After my daughter received that first pair of shoes she and her friends encouraged me to offer my handmade shoes and other accessories to others.  I feel such joy and have to smile when I make the baby shoes and think about the tiny toes that will be warm and protected. 

I hope you too will enjoy what I write as I share my heart.

Here's to "new beginnings" and God's grace!