Billie Ann doll

I LOVE a handmade doll. Seriously. Like more than my three girls love dolls.  For years I have made various dolls for my girls and others using Bit of Whimsy patterns. They sew up very quickly and easily and have just that vintage look I like.  And the best part - my girls love them!

Here is L's Katie Kitten:

And E's Mae doll:

M's Billie Ann doll has been much loved and looks it:

Like the princess bandaid?

M's doll (named Shirley Ann) even kept M company in the hospital while waiting for the surgeons to set her broken arm.

This is the Jane doll I made for a dear friend's daughter.  Her daughter has an old soul so I tried to make her a more mature doll:

So when I was trying to figure out what to give my precious niece for Christmas that wasn't plastic (I really try to avoid landfill gifts whenever possible), I decided to make her a Billie Ann doll to be cousins with M's doll.  I was a little nervous about what she would think (if all advertisements directed at you as a young child are full of plastic toys that light up and twirl, why would you be excited about something as stationary and boring as a handmade doll?) but she loved it!  The best part was seeing the cousin dolls playing together.  Wish I had taken a picture of that!

I also made her brothers homemade gifts for Christmas.  But more on that later.  My goal for next year? To make each of  my girls quilts for Christmas!  Here's to handmade gifts!

Working mom

Hello again, much neglected blog.  Where have I been?  I have been taking care of children, sewing, cooking, trying to clean my house, working part time, all the things we all try to keep up with as moms.  I thought about you a lot, composed many entries in my head, had many projects to show you, but alas, never made it to the computer.

Anywho, here I am, back to you.  I hope to be better about posting but no promises:)

So last night I attended my church Circle group.  The topic of discussion was New Year's resolutions and the wonderful ladies in our group had some great ideas.  The ideas involved family, work, personal time, but all centered on balance.  What a tricky word that is for moms.  I know it is for me.  I have started back to lawyering as a consultant but may have to ramp those hours up even more for various reasons.

My return to work means that I will have to address issues of balance in a more intensified way than I have in the past two years.  I have grown so much while not working in all areas of my life.  I don't want to lose what I've learned and I hope to be a more balanced and centered working mom than I was before.

I feel closer to my children and more connected with them than ever before.  It took me a little time to learn to just be with them, listen to them, hang out with them without constantly worrying about work.  They are growing and changing into their own individual selves and it is so cool (and sometimes scary and frustrating) to watch that process.  I must make sure to hang on to that connection.

I also have grown exponentially as a creative person.  I have completed several quilts, learned more than I can even enumerate about quilting, sewing, piecing, color, texture, etc., and have made many garments as well.  This creativity makes me so happy, which benefits everyone in my family.

The lack of stress and light heartedness I have cultivated over the last two years has been a gift I did not realize I needed.  When I run into lawyers I used to work with, they without fail comment on how much happier I am.  I am chattier with supermarket personnel, I smile at bank people (for the most part) even when they are enforcing all of their ridiculous rules that prevent me from accessing my own money.  (Don't get me started on this subject!)  I actually have lunch with friends for no reason except to just catch up.  I hope that I can keep this perspective as a I move forward.

So to sum up, here are my new rules:

(1)  Work only while the kids are at school or asleep.
(2)   Do something creative at least 3 times per week.
(3)   Try my very hardest not to take everything so seriously.

Think it will work?  I don't know.  But I am going to give it a shot:)