Tiny blankets for tiny babies
I am doing this. And I think you should, too.
An exert from the site:
Hospitals all across the country are in need of small, very small, baby blankets. In cases of fetal demise, babies are so tiny, even the smallest nursery blanket is much too big to wrap around their tiny bodies.
I know how parents feel when they are presented with their tiny baby, for the first and last time. Having to deal with a large blanket that doesn’t fit, is a distraction. And, unnecessary.
If you can sew or crotchet/knit, would you please help me to supply blankets for these mothers? Our current donations are going to the Medical Center of Arlington, in Arlington, Texas. A special mailbox will be set up soon.
They would like 48 small (12″) and 48 medium (24″) to start with, in small pink, baby blue, white, and yellow prints. Use your best judgement, we don’t want the prints of the blankets to detract from very small babies.
I can’t even imagine what it feels like to come home from the hospital without your baby. I’m teary-eyed at my desk now, just thinking of it. But I am sure that getting to keep a special little blanket that held your baby, even for a minute, is a comfort.
I know I always have plenty of cozy flannel in my craft closet, so I’m sure you do, too. If you’re reading this post and you have any sewing/knitting/crocheting ability, please make a blanket or two.
*** UPDATED 11/09/09 ***
Finished blankets can be shipped to this address:
Meryntha Haro
1301 East Debbie Lane, Ste 102
#162
Mansfield, TX 76063
1301 East Debbie Lane, Ste 102
#162
Mansfield, TX 76063
Another kitchen miracle
And I was damn proud of myself. Me! The girl who is faaaamous for opening the fridge and cupboards and whining that there is nothing to eat, when she is staring at a whack of groceries.
Last night, I came home from work and realized that we really didn’t have much in the way of groceries. We spent the weekend away, so we didn’t have much of anything — except weekend-away essentials like marshmallows, hot dogs, and chips.
I called Darling Husband and insisted that he get groceries after he got off work last night. We had nothing for breakfast, lunch or dinner for the next day (today), and he absolutely needed to buy a few things.
After we hung up, I was pouty. I knew he’d go to the store, somehow spend $50 or $60 — because we can’t come out of the grocery store with less than that — and then have to
spend our usual amount on groceries on Saturday.
I didn’t like that idea.
So I poked through the fridge and examined my options. We had … well, this:
Editor’s note: We also had bacon, but I forgot to take a “before” photo of it. It‘s eating me up — ha, food pun — so let’s pretend you just saw a pic of bacon. Also, I think you know you’re a blogger when you are actually upset you forgot to snap a photo of a half-empty pack of bacon.
I scrambled up the eggs, cooked the bacon, chopped up the green onion, and made …
Yummy breakfast burritos!
They looked so good, I wanted to eat them then, even though it was 7 p.m. Fresh with excitement, I moved onto the harder task: lunch and dinner.*
Editor’s note: Yes, I almost always make dinner a day in advance, because (A) Darling Husband works most evenings, and needs something to take with him, and (B) I need to eat as close to 5 p.m. as possible, for the good of humankind. So I need a pre-made dinner I can gobble within seconds of getting off my dreaded bus.
Anyway, onto lunch and dinner …
Yummy Chicken Bacon wraps!
While I was assembling the wraps, I noticed that they weren’t going to be enough for a meal — especially for my big, strapping Darling Husband.
So I resorted to a dirty little sidedish …
Um … Kraft Dinner and hotdogs
Yes, folks — the Dirty D. Kraft Dinner. KD with hot dogs. KD and HD, if you will.
I was proud of myself for finding a way to use up the hotdogs — and give Darling Husband the meat he is so very obsessed with — and I had exactly enough milk to make the cheese sauce. I mean to the drop, exactly enough. It was like KD fate or something.
Chicken Bacon wraps
(with, uh, KD & HD)
(with, uh, KD & HD)
I was happy to call Darling Husband back and tell him that there was no need to get groceries — I had someone managed to create breakfast, lunch and dinner out of freaking nothing.
Because I’m just that awesome of a wife.
This is the way we wash the clothes …
It wasn’t that long ago that every day had a regular task …
Monday: Washing
Tuesday: Ironing
Wednesday: Sewing/mending
Thursday: Market (food-shopping)
Friday: Cleaning
Saturday: Baking
Sunday: Day of rest
These days, I know my schedule is more like this …
Monday: Struggle through the workday. Usually Date Night (unless Darling Husband is working).
Tuesday: Struggle through the workday. Slump in front of TV in exhausion.
Wednesday: Struggle through the workday. Sometimes craft with friends.
Thursday: Struggle through the workday. Be eternally grateful tomorrow is Friday.
Friday: Struggle through the workday. Sometimes have dinner at the in-laws.
Saturday: Get groceries (or make lists for Darling Husband to get groceries). Clean house. Do laundry.
Sunday: Cook/bake. Finish cleaning house. Attempt to possibly fold laundry.
It lacks that old-fashioned charm, doesn’t it? It’s also terribly un-balanced. I hate spending most of my weekend doing chores, and so the idea of spreading them out is looking very appealing.
Plus, there is the embarassing fact that I do not iron clothing: only hair and iron-on decals. Seriously. But I know I’ve got to start, now that I’m officially creeping up on 30.
You already know about my Laura Ingalls Wilder obsession — Ma Ingalls followed this little ditty — so it’s not surprising that I’ve decided to make my own version. HOWEVER, I am a modern woman, so I am also building in little rewards …
Monday: Laundry … and Date Night with Darling Husband
Tuesday: Ironing … and painting
Wednesday: Vacuuming/sweeping … and Spa Night*
Thursday: Mending … and craft night with the girls
Friday: Clean the bathrooms … and sewing
Saturday: Grocery-shopping … and scrapbooking
Sunday: Cooking/baking … and nail-painting**
Tuesday: Ironing … and painting
Wednesday: Vacuuming/sweeping … and Spa Night*
Thursday: Mending … and craft night with the girls
Friday: Clean the bathrooms … and sewing
Saturday: Grocery-shopping … and scrapbooking
Sunday: Cooking/baking … and nail-painting**
* I am not rich. Spa night takes place in my own bathroom, FYI. Anybody can do a facial.
** Yes, nail-painting is a whole activity for me. I do fingers and toes every week, and sometimes I like doing elaborate extremely bizarre designs. Just ask Little Sis — she is horrified.
Working hard — sadly, not "hardly working"
Please excuse the lack of bloggy-blogging.
I’m about to commit a violent crime with a stapler. Or a hole-punch. Because, you see, I am still stuck at work — and will be every night this week.
Oh, what a lovely way to kick off the fall season. Is mine the only workplace that is suddenly going bananas???
My Husband Rocks
Dear Darling Husband,
I was not having a happy week. I love that you tried to make things better, in your own way, every day …
- On Monday, you took me out for dinner. I was venting for the whole ride there, but you just quietly listened. You knew I would calm down once I was settled in the booth with a cold drink, and you were right. You’re always right, when it comes to me.
- On Tuesday, you remembered that I used to like playing ATV Offroad Fury on the old PS2. You dug it out and patiently played it with me. You didn’t laugh at my horrible lack of coordination/video game skills, and even gave me tips on pulling tricks — once you were safely doubling me in points, of course.
- On Wednesday night, you washed the sinkful of dishes that was adding to my stress, and did a load of the laundry that I was too flustered to get to. That helped.
- On Thursday morning you handed me $20 and told me to go to the used bookshop, since it always makes me happy. I got to spend a glorious half-hour wandering around the shop, unwinding, and bought a book I used to have, and loved.
- Today, I raced around like a madwoman trying to get dressed and straighten my hair. When I finally made it into the kitchen, I saw that you had already packed our lunches — which left me an extra couple of minutes to re-straighten the kinky bits. Luckily.
These might seem like little things, but they meant a lot to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Love, your wife
xoxo
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