Typically on Thursday I pick up an old blog post and reintroduce it to you.  This Thursday I’m doing something a little different.  I am throwing you back to my old life.  Here’s me, cute as can be playing with my childcare kids.

From 2000 until 2008 I was an in home childcare provider.  I have to say, it’s hard work but it was my most fun job ever.

After careful consideration, I’ve decided to go back to it.

Don’t worry…I’ll still be here on the blog every day.  Kelli and I will still have quilts in magazines sometimes but we won’t be chasing and chasing deadlines anymore and for that, we are both really happy.  Too many times Kelli and I found ourselves just wishing for a minute that we could sew things simply because we wanted to sew it.  We found ourselves wanting to cross stitch, punch needle or rug hook and just didn’t have the time for it as deadlines were always looming.

Sadly, our hobby of quilting became work.  We had trouble leaving work out of our personal relationship and it wasn’t quite as fun as it used to be.  It wasn’t that much fun for the family either.  Being creative on demand takes the fun out of being creative.  Plus the income is strange and sporadic.  It is definitely a feast or famine way of life.

I am happily going back to a regular pay check with day to day people contact.  I miss that-the regular paychecks…but mostly the people.  As fun as it seems to be able to hang out in jammies all day if you want to, it can loose it’s appeal after awhile.

I debated about getting a job in town but my heart isn’t in that.  I still want to be a stay at home mom and wife.   Here there is a big shortage of child care providers so I’m hoping I can fill a need in our community and provide quality care for the families.

Hubby and I have plans to make the basement into a childcare space keeping the mess of it all away from our living space.  I will likely start out doing care on the main floor and once the basement is finished, I’ll move operations there.  I’ve been drawing things out and testing ideas trying to make the best use of our space.

I’ll have a 24′ x 28′ space but that has the stairs, a tiny 1/2 bath and a closet in it.  I can see the kids having LOTS of fun on the platform on the bottom of the stairs.  It’s screaming dress up clothes and a stage to me!

Under the stairs I am hoping to put a “playing house” area.  I have a doll bed and highchair along with a little cupboard that will work there.  In fact, I kept many of my favorite things from doing childcare the first time.  I always thought I might do it again.

I think we will wall off a little room so that two cribs can fit there so we have a quite place for infants to sleep-I’ve thought about putting a plexi-glass window in so I can see them sleeping.

I’ll be watching sales for a couch, television, desk and file cabinet….little by little we’ll get what we need.

I am super excited about all of the upcoming changes.  I can’t wait to get into the house and can’t wait to get back to a job that I love and I can’t wait to get back to being just a hobby quilter and blogger.  There is something really comforting about it all!!

Each Thursday I do a throwback Thursday post highlighting a blog post from the past.  Today is one of those posts.

I’ve been packing a little…not a lot but a little.  I’ve mostly started taking down decorations and packing away things that we don’t actually use.   The walls are looking a little bare.  Part of that makes me so excited and part a little sad.  I have been trying to do a box a day, hoping that I’ll actually have quite a few boxes already packed by the time we actually move.

As I was packing the other day I found my Bottle Cap Trivet went into the box.  This was such a fun project to do.

I was originally inspired to make it after I found this vintage trivet at the thrift store.

One of the reasons I loved making it was that it was a fun and easy travel project.

The one I made didn’t have a pattern to it like the original did….It might be fun to make another one that does.

I did a little tutorial on how to make it.  You can see that by following this link.  I even did a video that shows how to make them.

I’ll add this to my ever ending list of things I’d love to get time for…but until the house is done I might as well put it on the back burner.

If you even make one, send me a picture…I’d love to see it!

Each Thursday I do a throwback Thursday post highlighting a blog post from the past.  Today is one of those posts.

This week I went why back in the archives back to 2009.  I had made this quilt.  At the time, this quilt was way out of the box for me.  I made it for my newly born great niece.

This was a really fun quilt to make, in fact, I’d love to make one again.  It’s one of those quilts that when I started out making it, I was really uncomfortable with the process but by the end of it, I was really comfortable and happy with now it came together.

It’s such a different sewing process when sewing something like this.  There is no sitting at the machine for a long time.  I was up finding a piece, sewing a couple on and then to the other blocks to see if my pieces was big enough to fit in.

I call these type of free form quilts bomb making quilts.  I always end up with a sewing room that looks like a bomb went off in it!  Lots of fun but VERY messy!!

I need another baby quilt – this time for a great nephew that was born just last week.  I thought about making one of these so I went to the archives looking for the blog post so I could find the instructions on making the quilt.  If you’re interested it’s a Victoria Findlay Wolfe design.  You can find the free tutorial here if you’re interested.

Now that I see the quilt, I’m itching to make another but then again, I’m itching to make a quilt out of upcycled shirts too.  Right now, I think the shirts are winning out.  Either way, I need to get working on the baby quilt…that baby isn’t getting any smaller!!