For My Valentines

I saw this idea over at Martha Stewart, you know, the queen of craft. She has a whole section on kid friendly crafts for Valentines day. This one seemed the easiest, so that's where we started.

Step 1- sharpen your crayons and save the shavings

Step 2- spread shavings in a wax-paper sandwich

Step 3- sandwich wax paper in parchment paper

Step 4- iron on medium

Step 5- allow to cool, about 2 to 3 minutes

Step 6- cut out heart shapes (I used the old fold in half technique)

Step 7- tape to string and tape in a window

It took about a half hour start to finish & we love it!

- Rian

Another lonely night while my husband flies this way or that. I've been filling my time by peeping into your lives. I've been going through the comments you left about your blogs and the others you follow and one by one I am making my way through. It has been delightful. Really. You and google reader, which are slowly being one in the same, are my life line to the outside world. I never knew how hard it would be to live in isolation for 6 months, but so far Maaike has remained admission free, so definitely well worth it.

Funny story, or rather amazing really, while in Beijing I met two women who had been on Presserfoot. Seriously! They were both expats living in China, but when we got to talking and some how conversations turned to sewing I mentioned that my sister and I run a blog called Presserfoot.com and they were like, "oh, I've been on your blog before." What! I hate sounding like a high school girl, but that is like totally awesome! One woman was from Virginia and the other was from Kentucky. I have retained a close friendship with the one from Virginia and this is what I found on Stephanie's blog today:

You may remember this project from our anthropologies inspired tutorials, the catch and release scarf. I'm loving the striped one. Might be just the project to get me out of the February blues. Glad you are still following us Steph!

Things I never thought I'd sew

I have so much to catch you up on. I have actually been sewing! Crazy I know. While my husband was back in China Kelli flew out to keep me company! It was awesome...minus Kelli throwing up on arrival and then getting the flu, but we both made three skirts while she was here. I shall post on them later when I have the time to go through the photos.

Today's post however is on yesterday's sewing project...arm restraints. Yes. I can't believe it either. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be sewing custom arm restraints for my daughter. But here we are.

Every day I have to change out her trach ties (aka the straps that go around her neck to hold the tracheostomy in). I usually swaddle Maaike in a receiving blanket to get the job done, but she has now figured out how to wriggle her arms out. Last week as I was cleaning the wound area she got one of her arms out, reached up, and decannulated herself (aka pulled the tracheostomy out of her throat!)! I stayed calm and cool in the moment, but after I got it back in her neck I let myself have a freak out. As trach kids get older it becomes more common, often as an attention ploy, but 7 months is a little young for that. So, for now, arm restraints it is. But, at least I made it pretty!