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The theme for the Back Tack 4 Swap that is. I know my partner has received her goodies, so here’s an almost full reveal of what I sent.

Gold {something that sparkles}:

A simple necklace made with hemp and fair trade glass beads. I bought enough to make one for myself too. I also included an altered journal which had a little bit of shimmer to it.

Frankincense {something that smells or tastes good}:

These are homemade soaps and an assortment of itty bitty chocolate bars. The soap was fun, easy and such a blast to make, even Declan helped. We will be making more soon.

Myrrh {a little something for you}:

Another beautiful Emmeline apron, complete wth pockets (with extra goodies inside) and decorative stitching. This is the 5th one I’ve made, still not one for myself yet. I need to learn a better way to photograph an apron. Not pictured are 4 little Otedamas that are just adorably addictive, both to make and play with.

That’s all for now. We’re off to the Tamale Festival today, and maybe a little craft fair that I heard some buzz about. I’ll let you know.

Finally.

I have a tendency to get in trouble with swaps. The fear of my partner not liking what I make literrally freezes me up until the last minute. Then it’s a mad rush.

This time it was different. I knew what I wanted to do, but my paycheck was late, so I completely missed the deadline. But it’s been wrapped, boxed and shipped as of last night! Go me! Only what… 8 days late?

Back Tack 4 was a lot of fun and I enjoyed the openess of the central theme: Gold Frankincense and Myrrh

This time there are no colour, size, or material restrictions, all we ask is that you take the theme and run with it, and make 3 items according to the individual outlines below.

The first item is something that sparkles [the Gold part]- cards, decorations, calenders…..see where your imagination will take you. [It doesn't need to be gold]

The second item is something which has some sort of sensory aspect to it [the Frankincense part] - either smell or taste. Baked goods? Shortbread? Chocolate, soaps, the mind can run free here, but be mindful of customs regulations in different countries. Sealed food stuffs are generally ok, but check with your partner before sending anything.

The third item is a small gift for your partner for Christmas [the Myrrh part] Perhaps a small item for the tree, or mantlepiece. Quiz your partner to see what their theming is for this Christmas, and tie in your gift! or make them something they might like to use through the year - a calender, a purse, a scarf.

Here’s a sneak peak. When my partner gets her package I’ll post more photos.

 In the  meantime, check out the Back Tack Flickr pool. Lots of gorgeous goodies! And my partner, Kristin’s, beautiful blog: Kleas.

I’ve been feeling quilty lately. Baby showers seem to be the best inspiraion for me. I gives me a deadline and an excuse to give a gift that will last instead of something that will be used for a month or two and then donated.

I have few baby gifts that we still use now that my youngest is a year. One of them is a small sampler quilt that my mom picked up at at a truck stop somewhere outside of Payson, Az.

Here’s the version I created. I think it turned out really well. I had a couple different quils in mind when I desgined this. PurlBee lists a great tutorial. Crazy Mom Quilts had a beautiful version. Don’t forget this sassy one too.

I used 6or 7 different greens that I picked up at JoAnns. The brown is a super soft linen blend. The backing is Alexader Henry’s Giraffe Crossing.

When I asked the mama-to-be what her nursery theme was she said giraffes and outdoorsy colors. I hope it fits in okay. If not I know quite a few boys here that would be happy to keep it!

(That’s my 6′2" brother for size reference!)

My children - They are healthy, ornery and intelligent. My life is hectic, full and amazing with them in it. They have thought me to be patient, to look at the world through different eyes.

My husband - Though our marriage is still fresh, our partnership is anything but new. I am thankful that he is by my side, helping and supporting. He is the mayonnaise on my sandwich of life - without him everything would be too dry. 

My mother - Currently she is furiously scrubbing "her bathroom" which happens to be the main bathroom that a certain mostly potty-trained little boy pees all over. She’s also made breakfast and cleaned the kitchen this morning. Our household would come to a grinding stop without her in it with us. Some may dread having their mother come to stay with em, but we absolutely adore her.

The rest of my family - Every one of them rounds out this little slice of life that I call my own. Were they not here something would feel amiss.

The rain - While the mud in my dirt backyard is not fun, I am happy to have the rain wash everything away. It gives us a chance to hunker down and enjoy time as a family while drinking hot spiced cider.

I am thankful that we are healthy, that we have a home and have food to fill our bellies. There are needy families who cannot say that they have health, wealth or happiness like I can. Though money can be scarce most of the time, I am rich. For that I am eternally thankful.

Now… where’s the turkey?

Wow! It’s been awhile. When I picked ‘Runaway October’ as my blog name I wasn’t kidding. Things just pick up and move so fast this time of year.

- Our normal computer is down for the count. I believe I need a new power supply for it, but funds are very limited. It’s much harder to blog when you don’t have your normal setup, with programs and FTPs and the like. Trust me.

- Rowan turned 1 year old last month. He has 8 teeth, and is definitely on the move. He still prefers to crawl, but he’s got it down and I bet he stops crawling entirely soon. He just walked all the way across the bedroom, as a matter of fact. He seems to walk better holding something in one hand, like it gives him a mission.

- A fellow bloggy friend just had a very large benign brain tumor successfully removed. Be sure and visit her and send her well wishes.

- My Christmas crafting is not going as well as planned. I get so stuck when trying to think of gifts for everyone. Then I start worrying about making everything perfect. Then I worry that the gift will not be liked and I’ll find it a Goodwill in a couple of months, etc etc. I’m also finding that handmade does not mean cheaper. 

- We are all getting over a double round of the stomach bug. It’s so hard to watch kids be sick, and pukey sick is even worse. I guess you never really think about learning to puke, but it’s so obvious when someone doesn’t know how. Declan is a very loud and violent puker.

- Speaking of Declan, we took him to the doctor to have a wheezy cough looked at.  It turns out it was asthma. He’s currently taking Orapred and thrice daily breathing treatments of Xopenex. He’s doing much better. Thankfully he’s not on a full time regiment of meds. The Xopenex is $45 a week alone after insurance!

- I’m woefully behind on my Sunday Stash. I don’t know if I’ll get caught up, but hopefully I’ll stay on top of things.

That’s all for now my pretties. Hopefully I’ll be a little more regular on my posts. I try, I swear. A blog is a lot of work!