A SECRET SANTA QUILT.

merry christmas! i'm your secret santa!

i hope you like your quilt! i am not really great at sewing. i don't cut fabric in straight lines and i don't sew straight either. i've named your quilt a "hodge podge" quilt. i don't know if you saw online or not, but i've started an etsy shop. i wanted to keep myself busy with crafting- well, anything really. i've realized that it's something i need to do to stay content. i need to make. so i've made christmas cards and a print.

for december, i decided that i would make this quilt my monthly project. it is the "season of giving", so i'm not listing anything (this quilt) in my shop. now that you know a little bit about the background, i'll let you in on the story of the quilt.

when rorie was just 5 months old in the winter of 2012 i drove to the lincoln square area and picked up two garbage bags full of fabric scraps. i used freecycle and thought i could make something for rorie. well, i didn't. but i held onto the fabric and moved it with us to NH.

some of the fabric i used was from my old kitchen curtains in chicago.

some are scraps from jacobs crib sheets (stars) and my current kitchen curtains (newspaper).

there's a red sweatshirt material from a "camp squanto" sweatshirt whose original owner was my dad (it was falling apart).

other fabric is leftover from the pillowcases i sewed while pregnant with jake. i was nesting (little red flowers & green).

and lastly, there's fabric from the scraps of a dress my mom sewed for rorie when we were waiting for jacob to make his arrival.

the back of the quilt is an old fleece blanket i impulse bought at old navy when i was in high school in VA. both of my kids have spit-up on it (don't worry, i washed it!).

so there you have it...the story behind this epic "hodge podge" quilt that i made specifically for you,

my "secret santa 2014: out-of-towners-edition" (town=chicago-birth place of the burgh babes)

so merry christmas, again!

i love + miss you!

chelsea

p.s. i had my friend britta... if you were wondering who this was sent to.

ADJUSTING.

i've been going through the worst emotional roller coaster lately, but more on that later. i don't really want to even think back to the happenings of last week. i will in time... but for now... i'm moving on.

today i'm thinking about our sweet boy. we went to our new midwife last week and they think he is transverse or sideways in my belly. at this point... we want him to be head down. so think plummeting thoughts for him.

i've been looking at a lot of freezer recipes. i'm trying to find things that are dairy-free for the most part or paleo... since that's my preferred way of eating anyways. i've been doing really bad not eating dairy during this pregnancy. and i've been paying the price... but cheese and ice cream- it's just so good. i stumbled across this article about why cheese is so addicting. makes sense... dang cheese. anyways, i have had some very good luck with slow cooker recipes, muffin recipes, and a bunch of other goodies. i'm going to get started on a few to freeze later this week.

i've been doing a lot of unpacking and trying to get the house in order. rorie and jacob will eventually share a room and it's finally coming together as it is in my head. which is nice... since that hasn't been the case for the whole move here.

rorie and i are adjusting to life here as well. we really miss our friends back in chicago. she talks about sadie and eden often. which hurts my heart. thank goodness for letters, skype, and texting. my aunt, carin, and cousin, maggie, came over this weekend and rorie just soaked up the play time with maggie. i think we are in need of a playgroup... it's on my large to-do list.



now i'm going to rest... and eat a donut. did i tell you my neighbor is a donut shop? it's heavenly.

PACKING TIPS.

1) start early. a few boxes each day starting a month or two before leaving helped me to not feel too overwhelmed. plus, packing and organizing is my thing. i don't consider it a chore. i mean, i even love to unpack the grocery bags and fold laundry (no, really...ask my mom)...so packing is sort of my "happy" place.

2) never buy boxes. we got our boxes from a grocery store. they have too many anyways and are happy to give them away for free. and a lot of them are really, really sturdy... it's great!

3) enlist the help of friends. we've got a good group of solid friends on both ends. i'm really thankful for that.

4) starbucks. i'm just saying... i've been giving them a lot of business because i'm 30 weeks pregnant and i'll miss my local java.

5) you can do it. a simple saying to keep me going. as well as talking to people about my feelings, fears, & worries. i'm a firm believer in community and know how healing it can be to spill your guts. i'm thankful for family & friends who care so much.

today we pack up. we prepare last minute details for our trip tomorrow out of our sleeping city we have called home for the past 8 years...

MOVING, RUBY, & THE BURGH BABES.

this whole moving experience is really making me feel all sorts of crazy. i'm up. i'm down. i'm healthy. i'm stuffing my face with pizza. it's really ugly guys.

my biggest concern is that this is my first time doing this alone. as in, without my family. i've moved about 6 times in my life and then 5 times in/after college. that's 11 times that i've packed up my stuff and moved. the only difference this time... is that it's just me and aaron packing up our stuff. not me and the other 5 people in my family. not me and 15 of my burgh babes. just us.

and things keep happening that are out of my control- per usual, but right now they are really hitting me hard. troubles with getting our rental application approved, utility troubles, new house owner issues, our wii is broken, my internet keeps going out, aaron sprained his ankle, my toddler is running out of things to do because i keep packing her toys, my maternity pants don't fit, liquid laundry detergent spilled in the trunk of my car... i mean, a lot of these things are just ridiculous.

.....

but yesterday was wonderful. i got to meet sweet ruby for the first time. she's the daughter of my friend, christine. the only one in our group to have a baby as of now. my large group of college girlfriends is called the burgh babes- after our IM basketball team- now we're working on our second team... the burgh babies. so far we have two with a third in the works.

we all gathered together in a wrigleyville apartment to have dinner together and pass around the sweet one month old. it was really great to get together again with my chicago family. and it's fun to see how our group is growing and changing with significant others, spouses, and babies. we've shared a lot of fun memories together and it really does keep getting better. i like that we are all in different places in life, too. it really makes me appreciate our differing experiences and perspectives. it's a beautiful thing i think.

H2O.

i think i need to drink more water.

when i'm not very busy... when the day slows down or my to-do list is all crossed off... when i'm alone...when the babe falls asleep and the apartment is dark except for a string of twinkle lights... when it's silent and still... i go to a very sad and lonely place. at least right now. when i'm planning and preparing for a move. when i'm in my third trimester with my second. when i'm hungry like a beast. when i'm fragile and tired.

it's mostly my body that seems to be against me. in my head i know how silly it is to feel this way. how silly it is to worry and stress about things i can't do anything about. it's silly because i know everything will work out fine and perfect and for the absolute best. i know all these things and i trust very much in the lord and everything he is to me in every facet of the world i live in. but my poor, weak, human body is still freaking out... even though i know it's dumb.

so this week i'm focusing on drinking more water. it's a very small thing, but it's one constant thing that i can focus my whole mind on through these next two weeks. and it makes me feel better.

and plus... we all need more water.

OUR TRIP TO NH.

we just got back from our trip to NH. we flew united on the way there- boo - and my most favorite airline ever, jetblue, on the way back- yay! we, as always, bought rorie a seat and brought her car seat on the plane. it's the absolute safest was for children to travel and it keeps your car seat as safe as can be.we're not rich by any means, but we make it work each and every time we fly. and that's that.

rorie did not like the first flight (well it was united). it fell right when she was supposed to take her nap. and we all know how well rorie naps on planes. (if you don't remember- see this post). aaron had worked the night before and was in the row in front of us. so it was me and rorie in our happy place. ha! i mostly let her watch curious george on my phone and play with stickers because i was just exhausted already and there was no way she was going to fall asleep and my partner was down for the count exhausted, too.

for the first part of the trip i made an effort to tell her not to kick the seat in front of her. well... then the dumb guy reclined his seat and i may or may not have encouraged her feet movement after that. i mean really. our trip home was a beautiful thing. we left boston at 8am. we were bumped up to the second row- the one with extra room between the seats- and i had no one sitting next to me. it was perfection. thank you jetblue. you are, as they say, amazeballs.

we set out to find a place to live and for aaron to meet his floor managers and get a tour of the hospital (he's a RN for anyone who doesn't know). it was a great trip overall and we are hoping to hear back from the places we liked and find out where we will officially be living in a few weeks. i'll keep you posted.

for now... we are really glad to be back in our city apartment. rorie is busy coloring, reading, and building towers while aaron and i are freaking out about life (in good and bad ways, of course). we are really relishing the time we have left here.

it's so bittersweet!!! AH! i can't take it...

SEWING CLOTH WIPES AND THINKING.

i've been feeling really antsy the past two days. rorie started to not eat two days ago and told us she had a "tummy ache". which really is the cutest thing to hear her say. as clear as a bell. she was lethargic and sleepy. that night she threw up a few times in her bed. i was really glad i bought all the extra sheets from when she had reflux because we ended up changing her bed a lot that night. she hasn't gotten sick again, but she still constantly complains about her "tummy ache". ugh... this girl has had enough. i'm not going to lie... i do remember a very specific time in target when she went all ravenous cave woman on the shopping cart. must have picked up a few things from that. whateeev.

today she's been slightly better. she took two long naps and at little bits here and there throughout the day. yesterday it snowed all day and i plopped myself down to make us some more cloth wipes. i've been meaning to do it for a while and the perfect time and setting presented itself. it was absolutely what i needed. i'm not a sewer by any means. i can some what successfully sew in a straight line. so that's what i did. over and over. twice around each flannel wipe. i thought of my grandma who sewed our huge "sewing pile" each time she visited out house. i thought of the blankies she's knitted for each grandchild and now each great-grandchild. i thought of my mother who sewed me a ring sling in the dark during a power outage the hottest summer that rorie was born. i thought of the cloth wipes she meticulously sewed for me the days before rorie was to make her eventful entrance. i prayed for the women in my life who sew as i sat at my machine watching the snow fall steadily.

i also thought of my brother... who sewed a pillowcase out of boxer looking material when he was in high school. he was really proud of it and i'm not likely to forget that little bit of happiness he exuded.

i sat and sewed while aaron and mikayla entertained rorie in the front room. i listened to their laughing and jokes and funny voices they gave our stuffed creatures. i breathed in my whole world while sewing cloth wipes for our new edition. preparing for his arrival as best i can amidst a move.

i've been feeling really antsy the past two days. the preparation to find a place to live in NH is weighing heavy on my heart. i don't quite feel like i posses the adult-like qualities to do it on my own. i still wish i had my mom and dad to help me out with everything. i mean, my mom even helped me find the apartment we're in right now. i guess it's just time for aaron and me to branch out, become adults, and find our own place to live. let's be real... we are going to be parents of two soon.

so please keep us in your happy thoughts and prayers.( my happy thoughts were always supposed to help the red sox win. since there's a thick layer of snow over most of my world... i think it's ok to think of us instead)