Exhale.

Sometimes I forget to breathe. 

And I know some people can turn that into a dumb blonde joke.

Whatever.  

But I just exhaled, 

like really, actually, literally, physically exhaled... 

and it was amazing. 

Like, stars-in-a-jar amazing.

Source: weheartit.com via Madison on Pinterest

Do it. 

Take a big breath. 

And let it ALLLLL out. 

Doesn't it feel nice? 

Mine was more refreshing than a long hot shower, and we all know how much I love those. 

Weird thing, that breathing. 

Source: keraleda.tumblr.com via Madison on Pinterest

breathtaking, right?

***

All commission sewing projects are done and gone

Pictures uploaded to computer

New sewing area (finally) created in new house 

(the hubby was not a fan of me using the kitchen table- so, my plan worked- ha!)

Computer/office nook set up 

(no more computer on chair, mouse on scrap of fabric on table, keyboard on lap)

Last of the boxes unpacked

40 envelopes addressed, stuffed, stamped and sent

Garage sale OVER

Dishes done

Babies sleeping

Laundry going

Hubby out with long-time-no-see best friend

Lights down low

TV OFF

Pandora ON

(sing it, Adele)

writing now...

... and EXHALE.

it just feels. so. good

Source: flickr.com via Madison on Pinterest

Sometimes, I just get way too caught up in what's happening next 

that I forget 

to focus on 

what's happening now. 

Source: 25.media.tumblr.com via Madison on Pinterest

It's a constant struggle for me. 

I have to realize that 

there will always be deadlines, 

I will always have laundry, 

some thing- whatever that 'thing' may be- will always need to be done,

there will always be DIY projects on Pinterest that beckon my name, 

my inbox will always have emails that need replies,

I will never run out of family members to call, 

someone will always be expecting something of me, 

and my house will never be completely clean. 

And that's ok.

Because there will also always be a 'now'. 

Lots of things happen 'now'. 

And I need to stop thinking about what needs to be done and worry about what is being done, 

because there's nothing like the present

 or something like that, right? 

Source: etsy.com via Madison on Pinterest

I think a lot of women have this problem. 

We try to be everything by doing everything. 

Guess what?

That's stupid. 

And we are a smart bunch, I like to think.
Oh, we can get shit done, if you know what I mean.
But nobody can do everything, let's get real. 

Source: weheartit.com via kait on Pinterest

So, to all of you 

stay-at-home-moms, working moms, single moms, new moms, 

single ladies busting your butts, married ladies busting your butts, 

wives, daughters, sisters, girlfriends, college goers, law school students, waitresses...

sit down, relax, and           exhale.

And know- even if it's just for this moment- that you. are. everything. 

You are doing exactly what you need to be doing.

You are being. 

And that is a beautiful thing. 

And so are you. 

Source: singingthroughtherain.com via ty on Pinterest

***

I was going to post all latest quilts/finishes/sewing projects tonight, 

but then I figured I couldn't post those until I posted Willow's birthday pics from August

(yeah, August), 

and then I started thinking about my Grandpa Paul and how I really need to call him to let him know that I got his letter, 

which got me thinking about all the letters that I sent out (wait-did they all go out?), 

which got me thinking about the new big quilt that's in the works, 

which got me thinking about my blocks I need to finish for my charity circle, 

which made me think about the best way to organize my scraps in my new studioish area, 

which made me think about where in the world I'm going to actually plug in my sewing machine down there, 

which made me think that I never found a bobbin cover for my friend's sewing machine like I said I would forever ago, 

which made me think of her birthday presents, 

which made me think about Willow's party and the lack of post and/or uploaded pictures for the rest of my family to see. 

See what I mean?

EXHALE. 

I'm working on it...

I needed a little boost tonight, 

so I figured somebody else out there might need one, too. 

I tried to be as non-girl-powerish as possible while still keepin' it real. 

Source: live-inspired.com via Rachel on Pinterest

Sickos.

Willow and I are sick.

It's crappy.

All she wants to do is eat popsicles.

We don't have any popsicles.

I happen to look like death, so I doubt we'll be venturing out for popsicles any time soon.

We just have some pretty bad cough/cold situations.

Thank goodness we don't have the flu.

That would be way crappier.

Oh, and I sound like a 80-year-old woman who's been smoking since her teens.

Not pretty.

And, Willow keeps tricking me.

I think she's coming in for a hug, some nice momma-lovin' with her said little sickie-face...

and then she just uses me as a snot rag.

Not nice.

I've gone through several shirts today.

Despite the sickies, I've got some fun things to share.

These cute little pants for my soon-to-be nephew, Cash:

Aren't they so much fun?

And each pair is reversible... so it's like she got 8 pairs of pants instead of 4!

I can't wait to make them in little girly colors for my lovie...

I used the Quick Change Trousers pattern from AMH's Handmade Beginnings book.

Let me tell you... SO EASY!

SO!

I didn't plan on making so many pairs, but I did.

That's how easy/quick/fun they are to make.

And then I made little onesies to match all of them:

I don't have the best pictures, I know.

I was in a crazy hurry to send these to Texas in time for my sister's shower.

I had to harass her for a week for an address...

and then when I finally got it from her, she gave me the wrong zip so the box didn't even get there in time :(

I was bummed.

I'm missing my sister... ever have those days?

Especially right now, because we're both preggers... due less than 4 weeks apart.

Which would be totally fun IF one of us didn't live in Texas and the other in Michigan.

And, since our due dates are so close, I can't be there for Baby Cash's delivery, she can't be here for mine.

Double bummer.

I'm totally jealous of my mom.

She's going to Texas for 2 weeks.

She gets to be there.

Not fair.

Yup, I'm gonna whine about because I want to and I'm sick so I can.

Ok, on with it.

I've also got this little pillow cover to share:

It's actually on its way to Rachel of p.s. i quilt as we speak...

She needed one.

It's similar to the Happy Pillow I made earlier this year.

Rachel's on the left, Happy Pillow on the right

And, I added some hand-stitching like I did on the Happy Pillow as well.

I'm slightly addicted to hand-quilting these days.

And I must say, practice does make perfect.

Not that my stitches are perfect... just saying I definitely see a difference from my first projects.

If anyone is looking into trying out hand-quilting, I suggest checking this out.

It's oh-so-helpful and Anna Maria Horner is the bomb, obviously.

However,

I seem to be finding other things to hand-quilt instead of my big huge projects that I should be working on... namely the girls' quilts.

I need to get on those.

Time is running out.

Oh, other fun news!

My Hunting Camp Quilt was featured over at Modern Day Quilts!

Go check out all the other super-cool quilts, there's LOTS!

And if you haven't entered already, go enter yourself in the

LAZY SUNDAY GIVEAWAY!

I think that's about all for today...

It was only 9 am... and then I cried.

There are absolutely no pictures in this post. You'll soon understand why.

Let’s see…

This morning started when Willow poured the leftover contents of our breakfast smoothies from the blender onto the countertop, which obviously oozed its way onto the floor, the dishwasher, and then to the piles of crap that I have gotten way too used to having on the kitchen counter.

Then, there was the mixing of the sugar and milk on the kitchen floor while mommy was gone for .00002 seconds throwing all the smoothie towels into the washing machine.

You know when you’re a kid and your mom turns her head for a second and you take that time to douse your cereal with as much sugar as possible because you know it’s not a mom-approved amount (which makes it just that much better) and then by the time you get to the bottom of the bowl there is this thick, syrupy super-sweet gunk just waiting for you to slurp up?

Yeah, well that was covering my entire kitchen floor when I returned from the laundry room.

Willow went to timeout.

When I went into the bathroom to retrieve the only clean towels left in the house big enough to tackle the sugar-syrup fiasco, I came across two brand new rolls of toilet paper sitting in the toilet bowl, swollen with water. I calmly went to the kitchen to grab some plastic grocery bags to deal with the soggy toilet paper situation; I was soon reminded that my floor is covered in goo.

So I climbed my 7-months-pregnant self on to the stove to reach the bags.

Don’t worry, I completed my mission unscathed… I’m just glad nobody was there to see it. It was not pretty.

On the way back to the bathroom I heard a never-good, “Ugggh, Willow!!”, which is exactly what Willow says when she’s made a huge mess.

From her nice little corner of timeout, somebody managed to find a permanent black marker and then proceeded to draw all over herself and the front door. Strangely enough, I was grateful she found the marker because I knew yesterday it had been misplaced and needed to be located before something bad happened. Well…

Before I even said a word, Willow informed me she had just had an accident in timeout. I wanted to tell her that if maybe she had been focusing on her bodily functions a little more than she was on decorating herself and my entryway, there wouldn’t have been a problem.

I bit my tongue and stripped off her clothes.

I put Willow in the tub, turned on the water, and shoved my hand into the toilet to grab the TP using my plastic bags-turned-gloves. I turned back around just in time to see- but not in time to stop (of course)- my sweet child squeeze a half-full bottle of shampoo onto the floor, with the entire lid off, to ensure the quickest flow of suds, I’m sure.

I took the now-empty bottle from her hands and shut off the water. I never even managed to plug up the water in the first place, so I walked into the kitchen to throw away the evidence of the Shampoo Spill as well as the Toilet Paper Soak.

Oh yeah, that’s right, my kitchen is still freaking covered in goo which is slowly turning to glue, which is covered in the last usable towels in the house.

Awesome.

So, I climbed my 7-months-pregnant self back over the stove to toss the crap in the garbage, which is when I accidentally opened the oven door with my hand.

*I think everyone should know at this point that my hand on the oven door was holding up almost all my weight as well as keeping me from falling.*

Needless to say, the opening of the oven door skewed my already-messed-up sense of balance even more and I was tossed, inevitably, into the kitchen-floor goo.

I heard a “What was that?” from the bathtub.

I calmly replied, “Nothing.”

“I need a towel.” was the response I got.

I muttered, “Yeah, good luck with that.”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Okay.”

I was picking myself up from the plunge into the goo when I heard Willow turn on the water.

“Turn it off, please.”

And yes, I did say please… because manners are important- even when half your body is covered in the stickiest, sugariest, grossest junk on the planet.

“What? I can’t hear you. I’m going to clean up my mess.”

“What mess?” -that’s right I had already completely forgotten about the pile of shampoo that awaited me once I returned to the bathroom.

“No don’t clean it, Mommy will get it!”

“What?”

…SPLASH, SPLASH, SPLASH, SPLASH…

Shit.

I literally peeled myself from my kitchen floor, stuck my foot into a nearby shoebox to prevent the spreading of the stick, and walk-shuffled around the corner to find soapy water flooding out of my bathroom and into my hallway.

I walk-shuffle-floated into the bathroom, shut off the water, picked Willow out of the tub, ditched my soaked cardboard shoe for a nearby flip-flop, went downstairs to look for something- anything- to clean up something-anything.

Then, from the laundry room I heard the distinct sound of dripping coming from the other room. I grabbed a pile of rags, dirty –I’m sure, and nervously peeked in the direction of the dripping sound.

Water was leaking from my bathroom, through the ceiling, onto my entertainment center in the basement. I half-ran (remember? pregnant) upstairs with my inadequate pile of dirty rags, half-sticking to my stupid flip-flop because of my goo covered foot. The water had advanced from the bathroom, to the hallway, and into the front room.

Somebody please explain to me how 4 quick splashes of water from a hair-rinsing cup equals total destruction of my 1^st floor.

I’ll tell you how: because I’m me and Willow is my daughter. That’s how. THAT’S. HOW.

RECAP:

Partly wiped smoothie smears all over the counter, serious thicker-than-syrup-and-slowly-turning-into-cement concoction covering the kitchen floor, permanent marker all over my front door and my child, a puddle in the entryway, yucky-wet clothes tossed into a pile, warm soapy water slowly making its way through the bathroom, into the hallway and out into the rest of my house as well as leaking into the basement and onto my wooden TV stand, carpet, and lamp, I’m covered in gritty, sticky, kitchen floor goo, Willow is covered in permanent marker, wet, and naked because the whole ‘take a bath’ thing obviously didn’t pan out, there are no more towels to clean anything up or dry anyone off, and I can’t get to the only two sinks in the house without either navigating my way through sticky slime or wading through a lake.

I managed to stay surprisingly calm through everything. Really, I did. I even freaked me out a little bit.

-BUT-

and here it is...

I looked at the clock, it said 9 am… and then I cried.

At least I got the rolls of TP out of the toilet.

EDITED TO ADD:

I'm sure everyone will be glad to know that the milk-and-sugar cement has since been scraped off my kitchen floor. I used a dust pan as the scraper along with boiling hot water and then I mopped about 7 times, so the floor is no longer sticky.

The permanent marker has been Magic Erasered off my front door. It took 2 to complete the job... but it's clean. Willow is next...

I had to use dirty towels to wipe up the shampoo mess in the bathroom/hallway/front room. But that's okay because I think the soapy shampoo kind of helped cancel out the dirtiness of the towels. I guess it turned out in the end because my bathroom floor is now REALLY clean.

The basement was mostly unharmed in the making of the messes.

All of the dirty clothes and towels made their way down to the laundry room. I know what I'll be doing today: 4 basketfuls of my favorite chore. yeahnotreally.

Willow is still covered in marker and has not yet taken a bath. But there aren't any towels anyway, so I'm fine with it.

She IS taking a nap, however, which is what allowed the cleaning to commence.

I will no longer be hoisting myself on to any more appliances, kitchen or otherwise.

I got to take a shower to melt all the stickiness off of myself, but I had to dry off with a sweatshirt... no big deal.

Oh, and I only cried for a minute or two because my doctor's office called and interrupted my self-pity party to inform me that I had missed my appointment this morning. For the second time in a row.

AND... I wouldn't trade in my little Willow for anything in the whole world!

I think she was just testing me...