Nesting, sort of

I’m in unchartered waters, nesting for someone else!!

My good friend Erin has asked me to be her birth coach… she was due on Sunday the 26th… so, any day now!  So, I find myself looking at my home with an extra-critical eye making sure all my ducks are in a row for me to be able to leave on short notice…

God is good, and the baby will come when it’s the right time.  I actually like the heightened sense of, “Any time now!!”  I’m not tense/nervous at all…  I’m just eager with anticipation!!

Audrey was eight days past my EDD, which were surely the longest days of my life. 

So, if you think of it, pray for a good labor for Erin, who has never done this before!!  I have been present at a few births, but never as a “real” coach, so please pray that I remember helpful things at the appropriate times, and that I am able to encourage and bring peace.  Having hiked with Erin up a mountain, I am confident in her ability to have perseverance and strength for the long haul, but… the shorter the “long haul” the better!

By the way, I did some sewing for the baby’s room.  Here’s a valance I made:

Valance by Karen, Roman shade by Erin

And look at this AMAZING dresser, made for the baby by Erin’s dad:

The room’s all ready, so is Erin and her hubby.  Now, all we need is a baby!!

Learning curve

I like change.  I really do.  I get bored if things get in a rut.  Usually.

But, it often takes me so long to learn “X New Thing” that it makes it not worth it.

A small example might be, say, a new grocery store.  One opened up fairly near to me recently, a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market.  Maybe this isn’t a fair comparison, because I’m really not a fan of Wal-Mart anyways.  (I heard on the radio the other day that Wal-Mart is the largest private employer in the state.  I found that somewhat disturbing.)  However, I’ve only been in the “Neighborhood Market” twice, both times to pick up one “quick” item.  I will not return.  I like “my” grocery stores, and the time it takes to learn where everything is located, and all the ins and outs of shopping at a new place, well, it’s just not worth it.

I’ve made a few crib bumpers in my sewing days, and I make them pretty much the same.  However, in one I’m making currently, I decided to inspect the (store-bought) one that I’m using in Fiala’s cradle.  I saw that they sewed the two short sides, the bottom long side, then bound the top with… umm… a strip of enforced fabric (I don’t know what the term is).  I thought, “How clever!  What a time saver!”  Previously, I’ve sewn the two long sides, one short side, then turned the whole thing right-side out.  I thought this new way would save so much time.

Well, I won’t go into the reasons why, but I’m now about to rip-stitch out the binding.  For the second time.  The first time, I was only about 1/4 done.  This time, I was about 7/8 done.  Hmph.  It has not been any kind of time saver, due to my mistakes and unforeseen problems.

I’ve learned a lot, like all the things that can go wrong with such a technique.  And, each time I attempt it, I am doing it better.  But, I’m finding myself really wishing I had done it the “old” way in the first place.

However, having a contrasting bound bit across the top is really appealing to me now, and even though I could alter the bumper to do it the old way, I’d lose the contrasting binding, and I really don’t want to do that.  I like the way it looks with contrasting binding.

So… rip stitch it is.