Mimi and Bean

Bean, EB, and Mimi

Mimi and Bean are the presh head's paternal grandparents.  They live in Florida on the Space Coast.  They get to watch rocket and space shuttle launches from their front yard.  It's pretty cool.

Living in Florida means we do not get to see them very often.  We cherish our time with them when they visit.   Last week they came up to see their grandbaby.  And maybe us, but mainly their grandbaby.  We took them on a Western North Carolina adventure.  We began with Park Rhythms on Thursday night.  Kat Williams was amazing as usual.  And EB made lots of new friends. 

Clapping along with Kat

 EB loves Ms. Nancy

 Then we headed over to Chimney Rock on Friday morning.  What a beautiful day!  

 Mimi, Chris, EB sporting a new sun hat, Beth

On Saturday, we headed over to the Black Mountain Tailgate Market for coffee and bagels.  It was another beautiful day, so afterward we went to the playground in Montreat.  EB loves swinging, sliding and driving the resident Cozy Coupes.  Mimi and Bean proved to be excellent swing pushers and car drivers.  Ella Brooks had a blast with them. 

 

Ella Brooks loves driving

 Mimi giving Ella Brooks a push

 Bean's turn to power the coupe

We had a great visit over Father's Day weekend.  Grandparents are such a treasure!  Thanks Mimi and Bean!

Recalls and Close Calls

This week our presh head's crib was recalled.  This is a massive recall of Graco and Simplicity drop side cribs sold between 2007 and 2010.  Thankfully, we have not had any incidents with the crib, but I did send in for the repair kit that will permanently fix the drop side of the crib.  [On a side note, there is legislation being pushed through Congress to ban drop side cribs from being made or sold in the US.]

While I was on the Consumer Product Safety Commission website I was bombarded with a large number of recently recalled items.  Alarmingly, most of the products were specific to infants and children. 

As a Christian, I know that our lives and the lives of our loved ones, children included, are in the hands of God.  We are not to live in fear of all the things that could go wrong.  (What a waste of precious time!)  However, when I scanned the reasons for the recalls it was mostly due to high levels of toxic substances or cheap, breakable parts that led to choking or suffocating hazards.

We trust companies that create and market toys and other kids' items to make the best decisions for our children.  I expect Graco to inspect, test, and ultimately build a quality item.  My child's life and limbs are at stake if they don't.  What I cannot understand is the risks companies are willing to take to save money.  Adding more lead to paint or dye certainly means less of the other materials necessary.  It is a cheap filling agent.  Yet, it is one that can and does cause permanent brain damage to infants and children.  So why is it still used so abundantly?  Plastic has proven to be one of the most convenient materials ever created.  Yet, companies make products just strong enough to meet standards.  In a good many cases it still is not strong enough.  (Not to mention the ridiculous amounts of petroleum that are required to make plastic, but that is an entirely different rant for another day.)

This is certainly not a perfect world.  I recognize that even the most enterprising and cautious companies make mistakes.  I just wish that more companies would take seriously their responsibilities to the people that are using their products. 

I'll step down from my soapbox now.  

The Presh Head  with pool hair enjoying Kat Williams at Park Rhythms

A Sad Day

About 18 months ago I received a wonderful surprise for Christmas. I mentioned in passing that I was interested in starting a new hobby. After being influenced by my beautiful and talented friend, Leigh, I decided sewing would be a great use of my time and creativity. It was a brief mention, but one that stuck. Under the Christmas tree sat my new sewing machine.

I immediately set to work making bags and baby sets. I found all sorts of websites, blogs and books that inspired and informed me. As I became more confident I began to venture into uncharted territory: quilting. Something about the process delights my obsessive-compulsive sensibilities.


My very first project- a purse for my friend Jenny



A baby set for my friend Niki



Applique bibs



Max's Quilt- Front



Max's Quilt- Back

Unfortunately, my Singer could not handle the demands I placed on it. I sent it in last week for a routine tuning and clean up thinking that the skipped stitches, broken thread and tension issues were simple matters to fix; just a few screws to be tightened or a lint ball in the wrong place. Sadly, this is not the case. I did the Singer in after only 18 months of sewing.

What is most disappointing is that I am in the middle of several projects. Stacks of prepared fabrics are sitting on my bookcase waiting to be turned into a throw, a quilt, a set of cafe curtains, a sundress for the presh head. The sewing projects that are floating around in my head are amassing and I am running out of room. And there will be no outlet for the time being.

This is a sad day indeed.