Projects

If I had to pick my favorite part of any sewing project I would have to say it's picking out fabric. I love looking at fabric and imagining what cute patterns I can find to suit it perfectly. However, sometimes (read a vast majority of the time) I end up with more fabric than I have time to sew. The forecast for Saturday was very cold and rainy, so I decided Ruth Ann and I would stay indoors all day. After I spent some quality time catching up on TV shows I've been saving on the DVR, this stack of fabric began to call my name...



But after washing and ironing all my fabric selections my least favorite part of any sewing project must be completed...cutting out the pattern. Many of you know that twice a month I take sewing lessons. My sewing teacher has a small shop in her backyard and sells the best fabric & patterns for children. She recently went to a fabric show in Birmingham, Al and brought back several cute (& easy) patterns from a stay at home mom who lives just outside of B'ham. The designer of these patterns promised they were quick projects and would only take 2 hours to complete. There were several cute dresses to pick from...this was my favorite...



Several girls in my sewing class thought it looked like a night gown, but I thought it was very cute and I really liked the ties at the shoulders.

I didn't start cutting out my fabric until around 5pm and usually when I cut my fabric I also go ahead and cut from several different fabrics so I can make several dresses at a time. I took a break for supper and to get Ruth Ann ready for bed so I didn't' actually start sewing until around 9pm. And even then I was slightly distracted by the Miss America pageant so 2 hours passed and I wasn't quite finished with my dress, but I was pretty close. The pattern was very easy to follow but I did change a few things according to what I have learned in my sewing classes. Although the sun came out today it continues to be very cold so I spend a little time this morning putting the finishing touches on my project...here's the result...



Isn't it cute! I can't wait to see Ruth Ann wear it this summer. I think it will perfect for the hot summer days in South Carolina!

Here's Ruth Ann checking it out...



She was even ready to put it on to see if it fit!

Where has the time gone??

Wow, where has the month of January gone? I can't believe we already have one month under our belts for 2010! I also can't believe I haven't posted anything on the blog since January 9th! We've had a rough couple of weeks at the McCarty house. First Arch came down with a GI bug, then a week later Ruth Ann had it too. Unfortunately Ruth Ann had both upper and lower GI issues which made for a lot of mess and a lot of scary moments for this first time momma! However, I have now learned how to completely disassemble the Britax Boulevard car seat, straps and all and then successfully reassemble after washing. Call me if you have any questions...I'll be happy to guide you through the process. Through it all I was very happy to discover that the sight and smell of my child's vomit does not make me in turn want to vomit with her. I seem to be immune to it where Ruth Ann is concerned. I had secretly feared I would not be able to care for a sick child because my gag reflex has been become incredibly sensitive since being pregnant with Ruth Ann. I guess nature has a way of taking care of that for you! Anyway, enough gross talk...we did have a few fun moments this month...

Ruth Ann got a wagon from Santa this year. It was cold and rainy on Christmas day so we didn't take it out for a spin that day, and then it got put in the garage and we all kinda forgot it was there. We finally broke it in one afternoon when I got home with Ruth Ann. She and her daddy took it out for a spin around the yard...





Ruth Ann says, "Thanks Aunt Andrea for my cute shirt...my mom and I love it!"





I promise not to let so much time go by again. I'll be back for sure on Feb 1st to post 14 month pics!

Is the bow too much??

I could find a reason for Ruth Ann to wear a bow for any and every situation imaginable. Tonight the bubbles in her bubble bath were particularly bubbly and I saw a photo opportunity waiting to happen. One problem...it needed a little color. What better way to add some color than with a large hair bow! See, I told you there is always a reason to add a bow.

I mentioned Ruth Ann's love for a bubble bath earlier this week...but someone else also enjoys a bubble bath...



Lacie Lou loves watching the bubbles fill the bath tub but usually exits when Ruth Ann gets in the tub. Although these two get along pretty well...I think Lacie still doesn't trust Ruth Ann completely.

We would win

If we entered a contest for "Best Looking Dog"...I think we would totally win!



Griff just gets better looking every day! And he's not just a pretty face...he's also very useful for lots of other things...here are a few...

He's a great pillow to lean on...



And he'll help the other animals out with bath time to clean those hard to reach places...



And he helps clean Ruth Ann up from time to time...



We waited a long time to bring this pretty boy home...he's proven to be worth our wait!

I LOVE Bathtime!!

I can't get enough of bathtime. Ruth Ann LOVES a bubble bath...much like her Grammy and mother before her!



Unfortunately tonight her scuba diving tiger needed a little mouth to mouth resuscitation...



Lately Ruth Ann has been grabbing the sides of her chubby little face with her equally chubby hands to which I've been responding by saying "Oh No!". After a few days of this I can now say "Oh No!"...and she responds by grabbing her face...here's the results of my efforts...







And that my friends is classical conditioning at it's best!

Post 200!

Since this is my 200th post...I better make it special!! A friend of mine requested I put together some pictures of Ruth Ann from her first year so you can see how much she has changed. I've seen others put together photo collages, but I'm not that computer literate, so I'm just going to post some of my favorites from this last year individually. Here we go...I hope their in chronological order...









I included a picture with Spencer because I can't believe how much he has changed this year too!!



And look at how little our Griffy dog was!!









This is one of my very favorite pictures!


(3 Months Old)




(5 Months Old)


(6 Months Old)


(7 Months Old)


(8 Months Old)


(9 Months Old)




(10 Months Old)




(11 Months Old)


(12 Months Old)

It's fun to look back and see Ruth Ann (& her bows) grow every month. It also makes me want to cry a little bit because it's hard seeing my baby girl grow up right before me eyes. It's been a really fun year and I know we have lots of fun years ahead of us...but what I would give to go back and hold that tiny baby girl again!

13 months old

It seems like the last year flew by in a flash...but this last month seems to have moved at a snail's pace. I'm sure it's all the anticipation of the holiday season which you would think as an adult would not still have this affect on me...but somehow it still does. It could also be that my family was home with me on most of my days off during the last month...which always makes the days seem longer to me.

Anyway, today Ruth Ann is 13 months old. I'm not sure when I'll stop documenting her monthly birthday...she may be 54 months old (aka...4 1/2 years) and I'll still be taking monthly pictures! I got Ruth Ann all dressed up for an Auburn football game...actually, I forgot Auburn was playing today, Arch remind me when he got home from hunting at lunch time so we changed clothes. However, once we started watching the game it appears that Auburn forgot they were playing today also! At least Ruth Ann looked really cute!