My new favorite quote

How can there be too many children? That's like saying there are too many
flowers. ~Mother Theresa

Sewing?

The Nursing Mom's sewing list has these "sew alongs" where we all sew together, together, together. The happier we'll be.

Right now I am doing a sew along for a new pattern from one of the moms on the list, Angela. http://www.blesseddesigns.net I'm working on getting a wearable version of BD 1002, a nursing shirt. My last batch of nursing shirts all went on ebay, where they sold nicely. But in a few days (literally) I'll need some new ones.

So, I'm up to my third attempt at getting the pattern to fit my figure, or what I think my figure will be in x number of days. The nice thing is that according to her size charts I really only need a size L (instead of the plus size that I was before) but I still have to do a FBA. But her directions were VERY clear in the pattern, so I think I can carry that idea over to other patterns. About the size thing, this baby doesn't like chocolate or ice cream, two of the main things that "did me in" for my other 4 pregnancies. So even though I weigh more, my frame is much better proportioned (it's all baby - not even a belly button left), and I'm pretty excited about getting to know my new non-pregnant body soon.

So I sewed today on Take 3, but I didn't choose the fabric carefully. I ended up needing to do a short sleeved version because I ran out of fabric, and it is currently 36 degrees F here, so this is a late spring top, for sure, and it is kind of slinky, onion-skin-ish, fabric. The good thing is that it was from the $1 table at WM, so it's test fabric anyway, but I always hope for a slightly wearable "test" garment. I also tried to do the sweetheart neckline version, but it got all wonky when I tried to stabilize it with lastin, so I need to cut it out and just bind it with FOE making it a regular v-neck. I don't currently have the right color of FOE, but it dyes well with plain old RIT dye, but I think I need to wait to use RIT until I'm not pregnant. If I get the hems done on this shirt all I'll have to do is the neckline which shouldn't take too long when I'm able and ready to get to it.

Technology

I don't even know if I should bother with this project. We have a Sony VAIO laptop that dh bought way back (PCG F250 if you need to know). At three years old it zapped out on us, so we put it aside and bought a new desktop (which was a great deal from Dell - still going!)

Having the new computer didn't settle things. We gave it to Brother in Law computer genius to look at. He said it was the motherboard, but wasn't worth replacing. Other websites said SONY had a faulty part that they weren't fessing up to. Of course Sony would take a peek at it for $350, so it wasn't really worth it. Until last year I stumbled upon this page: http://www.physik.uni-freiburg.de/~zwerger/cip/Vaio/indexeng.htm

I have been working on installing a version of Linux (that would be the easy thing first, right?) but there was still some kind of problem that wouldn't let me install the whole OS, and I couldn't get Windows off of it.

Not wanting this thing to beat me, I humbled myself to ask Dad for help. Dad's built computers. His garage is a computer parts scavenger's dream house. He can figure it out. Amazingly he didn't even blink when I told him what I wanted to do. The alternative was to give the computer to my three year old with a screwdriver and say, here, have fun. Which he would have. And he might have even fixed it, in a couple of years, but he's three, you know? Dad said he could replace the capacitors that were faulty for me then I could install Linux and play with it from there.

And sweet day! Dad can replace capacitors on a laptop that comes with dire warnings about opening it up without SONY certification! And it works!

I'm going to prove that I can still handle technology. No, I don't want to learn how to work the DVD player, the 7 year old and 5 year old have already mastered that. I want to get this computer (it is a cute notebook, by the way) on our home wireless network so that I, too, can sit somewhere besides the catch all room that is the office and "surf" at the same time as the kids are watching Veggie Tales.

By the way, the screensavers on LINUX are great - right now they are set on all random and it's one of the highlights of the kids' day to check out what's playing now! We don't get out much.

And since the new capacitors only cost 21.00, it's ok if all the kids can play with it. It's just a fancy Leap Pad to them.

I have this wireless USB thing for it (Netgear MA111) but I have to learn how to "build it into the code", or some of the people at the Linux forum have said they may or may not get this USB adapter to work with the version (and there are many) of the OS that I am using (Fedora Core).

I'm thinking this isn't like programming in basic.

I'll keep things updated. The baby is due any day, so maybe I'll wait a little while longer. If nothing else, the kids can be on that computer while I get my stuff done on the desktop.

We did actually have Christmas here

We haven't gotten around to practicing "let's all get into a picture and let the camera take it for us" so this is one that Daddy took on Christmas Eve after church. Most of he festive stuff is off the tree, so hopefully we can get the tree down before the baby gets here and try the "family picture" thing again.

Other categories I want to include

• Ideas for sewing projects
• Status on getting the zillions of remodeling projects done around here
• baby news (countdown 2 weeks)
• book reviews

I've wanted a blog for a long time. Why? Because I hate writing in a journal, there's too much rattling around in my head, sometimes I want to say something but the only people to talk to are 7 and under. So this is my early birthday present, late Christmas present, New Year's Resolution, or whatever else to me, so I can get some of these things out of my head without talking anyone's head off and boring them to tears. If you read it, great, if you get bored, that's your own fault - you've been warned.

I'll post things in several categories (hence the favorite things and random thoughts title):

• reactions to current events
• hobbies and crafts (as a way to motivate myself to get things done and document progress on the hard things)
• eureka moments
  
• life with 5 precious kids and a fantastic hubby