It's been quite the spring break.

We had such beautiful weather last Saturday that David decided to take the kids on their first bike ride of the season. It ended with a trip to the ER early Easter morning when we realized that under all the cuts and abrasions Allison got from crashing her bike, was a broken arm. Ouch! We are finding out that she has a high tolerance for pain. She had trouble sleeping that night but never told us and the doctor was even surprised it was broken because she was so calm and only rated her pain a six out of ten (on their smiley face chart).

As if that wasn't enough, we then went ahead with the surgery to remove her tonsils and adnoids on Tuesday. Yeah, I feel pretty bad about that right about now. She's had a tough day. Nausea has thrown her recovery off track some, staying late at the hospital and not keeping enough down today. But I think we have turned a corner. She actually gave me a spontaneous hug while I made mashed potatoes for her at 2:30.

This photo was taken as we were leaving the hospital. Trying to time it well enough between bouts of throwing up and anti-nausea meds to make it the 10 minute drive home. We made it! Oh and apparantly three puppy dog stickers will get you smiles too. Need to remember that. She chose puppies over princesses.

I hear the worst is still ahead of us. But Daddy might have just saved the day by bringing home Dream Lites for all the kids mid-morning when he picked up more anti-nausea meds. She keeps checking to see if her batteries are done charging. Honestly we've been really holding off on buying these since it seems like a terrible waist of $90. But none of them have let up in the wanting and this morning when I asked if she was sad, she nodded "yes". Then I asked if it was because it hurts a lot more than she was expecting, she nodded "yes" again. About broke my heart. She's been wearing a constant frown and I know she's hurting. Yet she's able to tell me she's only a two on the pain rating. Very tough girl! So if that Dream Lite tonight puts even a hint of a smile on her face, I can live with another "cheesy" toy they will eventually be bored of, in the house.

By the way, don't ever Google the surgery your child is about to have. Not good, not good. I am looking forward to these next 12 days being over with so I can not think about all the possible bad things that could still happen. Yet I am also enjoying the snuggle time with my girl. She so rarely wants to snuggle with me.

We still need to get a permanant cast on her. She will miss soccer this spring but that's better than swimming during the summer. Next, we will have to figure out how she is going to navigate school after she misses an extra seven days, without the use of her dominant arm (writing, bathroom breaks, lunch, carrying a backpack, switching from bus to carpool, etc...). One day at a time, while trying NOT to worry.

"So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:24

Final TaDollies {In the Shop}

With only nine weeks left of school I'm running out of time for doll making. When I took them out of the shop a bit ago I had four inquaries about when they would next be available. So in an effort to not do that to you again (stop abruptly, that is), I have devised a plan to let you know exactly how many more I can make.

I have made separate listings for each doll I have time for in my schedule. They are all numbered with "sell by" and "ship by" dates in their titles. Basically I have 7 weeks of sewing time and can make two dolls per week. If any one doll doesn't get ordered by her "order by" date, she will not be made. When they are gone, they are gone. I will not be making anything custom over the summer or until after next Christmas. Life just gets too hectic over here. Plus I have a goal of making two more quilt tops for myself and then quilting all three. Sounds dreamy!

 

So, if you'd still like a doll, hop on over to {my shop} and snatch one up.

You can even order her as a mermaid.  Eeek!

 

p.s. If you have any questions, please note that my daughter is having her tonsils removed tomorrow so it may take me a day or two to get back to you, but I will. Thanks!

Another Sweet Doll...

...for another sweet girl.

 

She loves purple and her mom sent me the cutest line of purple fabrics to work with.

I added velvet ribbon (I recently bought light pink, hot pink and more turquoise) and vintage blue flower buttons. Isn't she adorable?

I especially love the addition of the extra border at the bottom. Her name would have been swalloed up by the house print so this was my solution.

 

I tell ya I get to work with some of the neatest people.
Thank you HeidiLynne for sharing your story with me!

Making a Dollie {Tips and Tricks}

This little cutie went home last week. And as I was making another one this week I hought I'd share a couple of tips about doll making.

 

 

If you've ever thought about creating one yourself, Nicole Owen's free pattern can be found {here}.

I have tweaked it some by adding the skirt, bodice bib, pocket and different hand shape. But the process is the same and the basic pattern is brilliant.

One of the hardest parts is sewing the arms and legs into the seems. The kind of hard that can leave you scratching your head wondering why you ever thought you could make a doll in the first place. But really it's only that way if you stuff the legs and arms as full as I do. I like a more plump doll. And for my own girls I didn't stuff them very much and I have regretted it to the point of redoing them.

So, if you are in to stuffing, I suggest you stuff the arms and legs to the top and then use your finger to push it way down so you have about an inch open at the top. Then pin it there so the stuffing stays down. This will make the portion that lays inside the seem lay as flat as it can. I also like to stitch those seems with my zipper foot so I can have less of my foot in the way. When the side of your foot butts up to the stuffed apendage you will be tearing your hair out and then tearing the seem out. Trust me.

{Psst...I've been drolling over this ^ sweet stack of fabrics lately. I think it wants to be a chevron striped quilt top with alternating white stripes, don't you?}

The last tip that I only just realized a couple of months ago is to attach the arms first and then the legs. I can't beleive I had been doing that backwards all these years. It seriously helps to not have the legs in the way when you are lining up the arms perfectly. Duh!

The next tweak I may give the pattern is to make the body itself 1/2-1" wider than I have been. It gets really tight around the base of my machine once the skirt has been added and I'm sewing ribbon to her waist.

Anywho...just thought you'd like to know. :)

I'll have another little lady to share with you tomorrow.

{SHOP NOTE} If you'd rather have me make your wee one a doll, I'll be taking more orders in 2 weeks. Allison is having her tonsils and adnoids removed next Tuesday so I'll be helping her recover first. Thankfully it's spring break next week, but she'll have to miss school for another week after that. She's nervouse as you can imagine so prayers would be much appreciated. After that, I'll have about 6 weeks left before school is out (yikes!) which will put a stop to any new orders for quite a while with the exception of an occasional ready-to-ship item as I have time.

Thanks for your support of TaDa! these past two months. I hadn't really intended to open up again, but because of you and some ebay sales I did, we were able to replace our stove and save for Allison's surgery. The glass top cracked recently so we were eating a lot of waffles and crock pot meals. Now my counters are clear of alternate cooking devices. Yay! ;)

Paris Paws {In the Shop}

Ready to ship,for sale!

{Here}