Riot and Frolic

Cool Down

With a forecast of 96 degrees and a heat index of 105 today (I don't understand any of those words or numbers), I thought I'd prepare some icy delights last night.

Many of you know, I am slightly obsessed with popsicles.  Not so much the making of them, just really the eating of them.  I bought a bag of those nifty freeze pops before my lonely weekend and they were gone in three days.  I'll let you do the math on that one.

I don't have many cravings when I'm pregnant. But I do like icy beverages, ice-like desserts, icy fruit, or just plain ice.  I would eat it non-stop if I could. Non-stop.  Oooh, Frappuccino.  You were my downfall on baby #1.  

So, with an excuse of "saving money in the long run," I bought a few popsicle molds at good ol' Target and asked my ma for the recipe of those popsicles she always used to make when we were little.  (But Ma had Tupperware popsicle molds!  So fancy!)

Childhood Popsicles

Ingredients:

- one package Kool-Aid

- one package Jello

- 2/3 cup sugar

- 2 cups boiling water

- 2 cups cold water

Combine first three ingredients in a heat-safe bowl.  Pour in boiling water and mix well to dissolve Jello.  Then add 2 cups cold water. Fill popsicle molds.  

Ta-da!

AND I also got this great idea from this cute website to make root beer float popsicles.  Yum!

So excited.  It's not too wrong to eat these before 8am, is it?  

History Lesson

I made a ring pillow, or wedding ring cushion, for my bro-ski and his amazing fiance's wedding. This is one of the many things I never thought of while planning my own wedding.  In fact, I was wondering why the ring pillow exists in a wedding at all.

I didn't find a great history on the piece.  Basically, in Roman times, people would carry precious metals and stones to the emperors on cushions to present them the gifts.  Also, when hauling royal crowns around, they were also placed on fancy pillows.  

I did however find a massive amount of ring pillows to choose from, if you're in the market and don't have a crafty, non-sleeping sister to make one for you.

Are you part of the royal family?  Maybe this elaborate ring bearer pillow is for you.  For $350, Emici Bridal will make you a beautiful silk dupioni, silver leaf bead, and freshwater pearl cushion for your well-dressed 6-year-old's cousin's son to carry the rings you will wear for the rest of your life.  Dang.

On the other hand, you could have FLORAL make you a snazzy ring pillow for your disco-themed wedding for $4.  

Flowers are big, both literally and figuratively, in the ring pillow world.  KZBRIDAL makes some fancy and low-key pretty pillows for your ring-bearing needs.

As far as I could gather, a ring bearer's cushion, or whatever you want to call it, is a hand-sized pillow, often with a strap on the back to facilitate non-droppage.  Monograms or wedding dates are sometimes embroidered onto the fabric for a great keepsake effect.  There's often a pair of ribbons to tie the rings securely onto the pillow and some sort of embellishment to make the ring bearer (if it's a young boy) feel just a little bit silly, but proud to be included nonetheless.

The ring bearer could also be your (hopefully well-trained) dog, which has become popular in the past couple years.  Although human or canine, there should be some practice involved. Nerves and crowds make for interesting reactions in both species.  Be prepared for something to happen if you're including small children or animals in your wedding.  

My V was in our friends' wedding last year (at almost two years old).  We practiced throwing flowers in our living-dining room for two days and she had some panache going into the ceremony.  But apparently, chucking those petals both over her shoulder and, with gusto, at her feet was the winning action.  

Oh.  You want to know what I made?  Gee, thanks.  Check it out.

 

Those felt flowers?  Soooo fun to make.  Homemade Ginger has a great tutorial on how to make rolled felt flowers.  Seriously easy and fun.  I will make many much more of those.

 

List of Last Week's Labors of Love

- a nap.

- realization that Mae Cake is the best popsicle eating partner.  She slurps all the juice and I get all the ice.  It's perfect for my pregnant, ice-loving self.

- an embarrassing number of popsicles consumed.

- one quilt.

- best lullaby ever.  (You're one step closer to being featured on the "hot guy" section.)

 

Memo

- two seasons of Make It or Break It watched.  It's so terrible, it's great.  I do not recommend it.  I only watch it.

- two fun group classes taught in a row, resulting in a sweaty and sore lady.

- the most hours I've actually worked (for my actual job) in three years.  

- a quiet house.

- more True Blood season 3.  I do think they have some handsome men on that show.

Nino Muñoz for People magazine

 

 

And the third day felt like a week again...

 

This will be my fourth day with no one else in my house.  It's weird and boring. 

G and the ladies went to visit my in-laws for the weekend.  I couldn't bear the thought of driving the 12 hours to Ohio being so crazy-pregnant, but thought they should go and have some big-family fun: sports tournaments of all variety, arguing, watching Wimbledon, arguing, more sports, eating.  

The gang seemed to have a good trip out there.  But last night (day two), I got a call from a crying V saying she wanted me to come with and how she missed me. This morning, G got a call from a crying me saying how I was lonely.  We're all OK now.  No crying.    

I keep thinking of an elbow [this links to a different song, but how much does this guy look like Ricky Gervais and sound like Peter Gabriel?] lyric: I miss your stupid face.  I hate that I'm missing that G of mine.  I mostly think of myself as quite independent, but his absence makes me realize how much I love him.  Grr, what a rascal.  Turns out I like having him around.  

My bestie came over last night and seemed a little amazed at the amount of stuff I had gotten done.  I realized that my time management skills are a little out of whack with no one around. Usually, I need to cram any activity into a small time window.  Errands?  Before G leaves for work, but after breakfast.  Crafts?  After I put the ladies up for a nap, but before they wake up. Blog?  Before I fall asleep, yet after the ladies go to bed.  But with nobody else's needs to be met, I just keep going on hyperactive mode.  

I've spent approximately 20 hours on the quilt and it's almost done.  I have run out of thread twice.  It's that whole measuring thing.  Although I do not like quilting, I do like binding.  I'm nearing the end of that process now, so I should have a picture of the done-deal tomorrow.

Want to know what I learned about making a quilt?  I would actually title this section

What I would do differently:

• cut different-sized rectangles for a more random look.  Since I didn't measure or try to square everything up, I could have gone for an less exact look and had it be more awesome.
• I would press.  *sigh.*  Yep, I'd get that iron out and press some seams open.
• play with the color layout more.  I like it, but might have tried to couple more combinations (done each stripe one color, or ombre'd the stripes or something).
• actually basted the "quilt sandwich" together.  I pinned it a bit, but heard of something called "basting spray" which just speaks to all parts of me.  
• cut a wider bias tape.  I'd like to try hand-sewing it next time, but I really didn't have much slush room (AKA- room to screw up).
• buy lots of thread.  

But hey, my first attempt ain't so bad.

 

 

Don't Feel Bad, But...

...you just got your ass kicked by a pregnant lady.  I've wanted to say this for a variety of reasons the last eight months, but I'll apply it to my craftiness today.

Yep.  That quilt is all…quilted.  It awaits the binding process because, to tell you the truth, I cannot stand to sit at the sewing machine anymore today.  Quilting was not my favorite part of making a quilt.  Ironic, huh?  

My "process":

I decided early on that I wasn't going to put too much stock into measuring and pressing, like all quilting knowledge tells you to do.  I had my general idea of design, combining the striped front of SouleMama's seemingly too-easy blanket and Posie Gets Cozy's amazing quilt back.  I cut a zillion 4.5 x 10.5" rectangles.  Way too many rectangles.  

Sewed sewed sewed, then laid them out on my batting to take a guess at the solid stripe width. The winning measurement for those was 3.5".  

Sew sew sew.  Then cut top and bottom white stripes [random music video link] to fit.  

Sew sew sew.  Sleep.  Wake up to searing back cramp from non-ergonomic sewing position. Piece together quilt back from not-quite-long enough muslin that's remaining and add a cute little stripe .

Sew sew sew.  Start quilting.  Swear quite a lot.  Discover dislike of quilting.  So much fabric to handle!  Take break to make bias binding.  Neat!  (Here's a great tutorial on how to make your own bias tape, plus her website is phenom[enal].)  Give in to using an iron. Go back to quilting and swearing.

Sew sew sew.  Give up for today.

BIG THANK YOU to my dearest friend, Cathy, for her emergency thread delivery!  Plus, we got to chat and I don't get to see her to often because we're both crazy.  Or busy.  Or crazy busy.  Something like that.  Anyways, it was way up and above the call of duty and totally awesome of her.

I'm listening to elbow.  You haven't heard of them?  Check out "One Day Like This" on the playlist.  Who-ah.  They're great.  AND having just looked up their website for the link, I highly recommend checking out their site.  Play with that first page you get.  Fun.  

Tomorrow: lessons learned about making a quilt, and Navin Johnson.

Photo by Mel Traxel