Project Linus Quilts

As many of you know, I've used my quilting obsession to make and donate blankets to the local El Paso Project Linus chapter since arriving here almost a year and a half ago. All the handmade blankets collected by the charity each month are dispersed to El Paso's six neonatal units, six hospital children wings, the child rape trauma center, Child Protective Services, and several police stations. So far the local chapter has collected over 1000 blankets this year and the need is ever growing.

Thus far in 2010, I have donated 11 blankets myself AND have become more involved by assuming the role of Blanket Pick-Up Girl. My "job" is to collect any blankets dropped off at our four locations around town several times a month. I inspect and label the collection before dropping them off with our Delivery Lady, Sara. While some may complain about how far it is from one side of town to the other, I find it a great way to get to know the city AND I run other errands while I'm at it.

Due to the impending arrive of Baby Billy Bob, I have been trying to whittle down my fabric stash (Yikes! I'm slowly turning into my mother!!!) by increasing quilt production. I have worked hard and now have 10 quilts in reserve that I can use to donate for the rest of 2010 ... and part of 2011 ... or until I figure out how to get back to the sewing machine with a little one around.

Here are some photos of my latest creations:

Princesses w/ Sparkly Butterflies

A use for green and blue scraps

A use for pink and purple scraps

Cowboy Stars

Flannel Sharks (fabric donated by our good friend, Sue, during her move)

Fleece Rag quilt (fabric also donated by Sue)

Far Out!

More Sparkly Butterflies

Purple Obsession!

Now that my reserves are somewhat ready, I'm eager to move onto my Baby Sewing To-Do List. Check back soon for those completed projects!

Are you ready for some football?

Are YOU ready for some football? The NFL held their first pre-season game last night and college football is in the full swing of fall practice.

We can't wait to see our beloved Cougs take on the tough challengers from Oklahoma State in Stillwater in less than a month...so we're definitely ready!!!

Even Baby Billy Bob is ready for some Cougar Football - be it the 2011 season when this shirt will actually fit him/her. I've also added an NFL-themed project to my sewing to-do list, but that will be a secret until I actually get it done!

Baby Smith Update

Today marks the 32nd week of pregnancy and we're starting to count down the days until our due date: October 3rd. We still do not know the sex of the baby as Army medical only pays for one ultrasound ... unless there is something serious that needs to be checked out. So, we've resigned ourselves to be excited for it to be a surprise! (Plus, it's fun to see people's reactions when we tell them we don't/won't know!)

The nursery is slowly starting to come together. We agreed upon a decorating scheme (sage green, pale yellow and brown with Jungle Animals). We ordered posters of said Jungle Animals and now just need Hobby Lobby frames to go on sale. Our crib arrived this week (Thanks, Mom & Bruce!!!) and after Cam spent an hour this afternoon putting it together, the room actually looks and feels like a nursery.

I promised Cam's mother that I would document the assembly process, so I thought that I'd share with everyone else too!

Step 1: Open all the boxes and deal with mountains of Styrofoam

Step 2: Figure out which pieces are which

Step 3: Giggle at the number of "dummy" labels on each piece

Step 4: Get annoyed at the photographer documenting each step

Finished Product with the Proud Daddy

What did I do the whole time? I read the instructions, of course! (with a little help...)

Now that the nursery is nearly complete, I'm starting to feel the pressure to get all my baby-related sewing projects done. First up: a crib dust ruffle. I already have instructions and fabric, so I just need to find motivation to dive in and get it done!

I'm also being pestered for a "bump picture", so for all of you (you know who you are!), here's the little bump that's poked out from under all the "normal" chub:
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Swing, Batter, Batter, Swing!

A few months ago, Cam was invited to join his battery's softball team and compete in the Ft. Bliss Softball Tournament throughout the summer. He has been spending several nights a week swinging some wood/aluminum and playing in the dirt against other Army teams.

The A-4 THAAD Battery guys have been doing pretty well each week and have only been blown-out (i.e. mercy rule was in effect) once. Most recently, Cam has been behind the plate playing Catcher. He has the cleat bruises on his knee to prove his competitiveness - heaven forbid anyone tries to slide home, because there will be a former offensive lineman blocking the plate! He's also been improving his batting average and has driven in several runs in the last few games.

I recently drug my bum out to some of the games and enjoyed cheering on our team, while chatting with some wives of the other teams.

Here are a few shots of the guys in action:

A-4 warms up before the game
Cam (2nd from the right in the background) is behind the guy in white shirt and shorts

Playing Catcher

Line Drive!

Dash for 2nd

The next game will be a Saturday tournament against some local employees of Wells Fargo. Let's hope our guys can put on a good show against the civilians!

Home Improvements, Stage 4 (and final ... for a while)

Some of Cam's Block Leave was spent finishing up various Home Improvement activities around the house. Our list keeps getting longer, but we've prioritized some things that need to be done before the Big Arrival in October.

In the last two weeks, Cam has completed all of our interior painting, he hung photos and pictures, he rearranged furniture, AND he cleaned and organized the garage.

No more white walls for us! Every room in the house is now painted (except for the Laundry Room and the closets). We chose calming blue colors for our bedroom and bathroom. The blues came from a mountain painting we inherited from Cam's parents and turned out to match the mountain posters we've had since college.

We used the same two blues and decided to go with a beach theme in our bathroom and now have a calming view to look at while we soak in our big bathtub!


The last room to be painted was the Office/Craft Room/new Guest Room. We HAD to have a WSU Cougar room somewhere in the house! There are still pictures waiting to be framed and hung, but there is definitely the Wazzu theme being rocked!

Cam also worked on organizing the garage and can now park his truck back in there. He built himself a workbench for his chop-saw and circular saw without managing to damage any appendages. (Sorry, Tim!)

Needless to say, he was a very busy boy, but our house looks so much better for it! Good work, Hubby! You're the best!!!