Leaving My Girls

Last Friday I left Lauren, Amelia, and Thomas for the weekend. Lauren and I both cried. Thomas said, "You're coming back on Sunday!" I told him not to make fun of us. He didn't. Lauren is being such a good mother. She is so compassionate about everything she does for Amelia. I am so proud of her and everything she is doing. You don't know what it's going to be like when you become a grandmother until it really happens. You have conversations with your daughter that you haven't had before. You rock your grandbaby and remember what it was like the first time you held her mother. You realize you are too old to be a mother yourself, but it sure is nice to borrow them for a while. You wish you could share this with your own mother.

Today I finally got to show pictures to my friends in Perry. They didn't even mind looking at all 3 albums. Even the waitress looked at them. Everyone always comments on Amelia's hair. It is so dark and lots of it. I can't wait until I can show her to my friends in person. I know I will be on Cloud 9!

I've Been Busy

The other day, two people asked me if I had blogged lately. I've been rather busy. First there was the sewing and monograming getting ready for Miss Amelia's arrival. Then she finally came on October the 2nd at 10:57 AM weighing in at 6 lbs 7 oz and 20.5 inches long. She looks just like her Daddy. However, Lauren and I both have a cowlick just like my Daddy did and guess what, so does Amelia. The cowlick lives on!

I have trouble finding words to describe what being a grandmother is like. It's everything I had dreamed of and then more. I was so fortunate to be asked to help out during the first days. Lauren and Thomas are such good parents. It is awesome to see them work together taking care of Amelia. Lauren can soothe her like no other. Thomas is next and I have found a few tricks that work.

Did I mention how awesome Lauren was during delivery? She made having a baby look like a piece of cake! It was an awesome experience. We had two very good L & D nurses, one of which was Kristen (my great niece).

My sister has been awesome also. She has brought dinner twice and stops by daily to let us know what is going on in the world outside! Allen is smitten by Miss Amelia. He comes by after work for dinner and holds her before he leaves to go back to Perry. If he doesn't come by, we Skype so he can see his precious grandgirl.

I'm going home today for the weekend to give the parents some space. I hope I don't cry, but I know I am going to miss being here with Lauren, Thomas, Amelia, and Scarlett.

Summer Crafts

I am in a very "crafty" mood these days. I am trying to launch my jewelry business, so I've been making some jewelry to sell. Charlotte and Anna Grace helped me last week at the beach. I'll post some of the creations when Charlotte sends me the pictures. I have finally gotten in the sewing mood. I cannot sew unless I get in the mood. I have always been that way. I can sew for weeks into the wee hours of the morning and then I won't sew a stitch for months. Right now I am working on items for the nursery and clothes for Amelia. On Sunday, I made a table cloth and topper for the table in the nursery. I have basket liners to make for the nursery. I have bought the baskets and will paint them brown. The liners will be gold and red to match the bedding. I made a zebra print dress last night with bloomers. I have to finish them today. I need to make another trip to Wal-Mart to get the rest of the supplies. I also bought a pattern for baby shoes. They are so cute! I can't wait to make shoes to match the outfits that I make. One thing about sewing baby clothes is that it doesn't take long. I am still debating whether or not to purchase a monogramming machine. I am spending way too much money on monogramming. I have found a machine for $549 at Singer in Macon. They give free lessons which I would definitely need. I could also use this as another source of income if my part-time job goes away.

Jewels by Frances

For a year now, I have been designing jewelry. Jennifer Dempsey gave me my first lesson last summer and I was hooked. I love to make necklaces, earrings, and bracelets to match outfits that I own. Sometimes, I make a necklace and buy an outfit to match it. My "habit" has become quite costly so I am making plans to sell it. I made my first piece for sale Monday night. I plan to have some home parties to introduce my friends to my jewelry. There will be the option to buy the jewelry I design or design your own. I love teaching people how to make things. Imagine that! I like to go to The Mart in Atlanta and purchase pendants, beads, accessories and findings. I get so excited when I see the low prices. My sister Charlotte picks out beads that I may have overlooked and makes suggestions of how to put them together with other beads. I have another friend, Lynne Phelps, that has taught me some basic jewelry-making techniques. She taught me how to crimp my necklaces where they won't come apart. Having the right tools is very important in jewelry making. Lynne has helped me to realize that. Designing jewelry gives me so much satisfaction. I love laying out the beads and watching the piece come to life. Threading the beads is very relaxing to me. It's like eating potato chips, you just can't stop! When I first started making jewelry, my beads were kept in plastic boxes with small compartments. As I purchased new beads, the colors got all mixed up and I would have 3-4 boxes open when I was designing. I also had a problem getting the beads out of the small compartments. Now I have clear glass jars that hold my beads. They are beautiful and I can see what I have and what I need to buy. The glass jars are spice jars. Some of them came from Ikea, Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Michaels, and Party City. I have them on elevated spice rack shelves in my craft room. Ocasionally I buy beads from Michael's or Hobby Lobby. I try to buy them when they are on sale. I have bought some things over the Internet, but I'm not good at looking at the pictures and knowing what I'm buying. Sometimes I am disappointed when it arrives. One of the first things I did when I learned how to make jewelry, I took old jewelry that I did not wear and took it apart, added new beads to spice it up, and then I have a new piece of jewelry. Some of my most favorite pieces have evolved this way.

Amelia's Wardrobe

One of my newest hobbies is to buy clothes for Amelia that will be born in October. I have had so much fun doing this. I won't buy anything unless it is on sale or very reasonable. I seem to have a fettish for baby shoes. They didn't have such cute shoes when my children were babies. I just can't figure out the sizes. I don't know if the shoes I've bought will match the outfit when she can wear it. Oh well, they are just so cute! Thomas and Allen say "cute" is the adjective we use to describe everything we buy Amelia. I have to agree with them.

Yesterday I went shopping for material with my friend Eunice. She is teaching me to smock. I have learned two stitches and we are designing Ameilia's coming home from the hospital outfit. It is hard to find smocking material. It's even harder to find newborn patterns to sew. I am going to make a bishop dress. I don't know what I'm going to smock, but Eunice has suggested a smocking pattern called Jennifer. The material I found is pink, light green, and a microcheck red and white gingham. These are 3 different pieces of material.
I'm still debating about whether or not to buy a monogramming machine. I am spending about $30 a week on monogramming. I found a Brother machine for $549 at the Singer store in Macon. They offer free lessons on the machines they sell. I'm thinking this could be a good money maker for me while I am keeping Amelia. My family jokes that I monogram everything. I would if I owned a machine!