A Sister's Helping Hand

You know, I'm glad I'm having two girls. I'm glad I'm forming what my sister Cindy calls "A girl herd." I'm sure boys are great and all, but having grown up with four sisters, I know the power that sisters can have. I hope that I can raise my little girls to love and respect each other the way me and my sisters are. We aren't competitive. We don't compare or have drama or get jealous. We are just genuinely happy for each other and celebrate each other's successes. How exactly this came about, I am not sure. Girls are naturally competitive and drama-filled. But somehow, we missed that memo. I hope that when my girls are grown, they will have each other for support the way my sisters are for me. It seems like each sister has their area of expertise, and when you need something, ONE of them will be able to help you.

This is what happened this last week. With the coming of my babies, I knew I needed to purchase bedding for each baby. I didn't want to re-use Afton's bedding, since I really wanted a nursery that was for THEM. (Having been the fifth daughter, I know the joy of hand-me-downs.) I wasn't sure what colors I wanted to do the room in, until we decided to name the second baby Scarlett. And then I was like--well, you can't do anything but red with a name like that, can you? But what goes with red? I did some searches online for red, green, and white baby bedding. It's a tricky color scheme because you don't want to look Christmasy. But I loved the colors. In my search I found this:

I LOVED it. But what I didn't love was the price. This sucker costs $430. And I would need to buy TWO. Not a possibility. But I couldn't find anything else remotely similar with those colors. And I really wanted those colors!

Which sister's expertise did I draw on? Well, first I went to Nicki. And she was so freaking awesome about it. Like all Nielson sisters, Nicki loves a project. We are definatley a hobby-project type of family. We all five of us have hobbies and are always working on some kind of project. Sewing is just one of Nicki's. I also talked to my sister Cindy, who is also an accomplished seamstress. Unfortunately, this time of year is rather crazy for her, since she works for the Water Conservency District AND she does consults for people's yards. Spring is crazy. So she was not able to actually help sew--though she did help me plan material and she found me the patterns to use. After Cindy and I went to a few stores, I ended up buying most of  the material online at fabric.com, and Cindy we great helping me decide which was best. I obviously couldn't match it perfectly or even very closely, but was happy with what I found.

I was just so glad though, that my sisters were so willing to help me make bedding for my girls. For sewing is NOT in my comfort zone. I have sewn before and I'm not all that bad at it, but I don't have a machine and I haven't sewn anything in years. The last project was the peti-skirts for my ballroom kids--a HUGE undertaking that Cindy took on. She made TEN of thsoe pink and black skirts, teenager size. It was A LOT! I did some of the sewing, but most was Cindy.

Anyway, So this weekend, Nicki and I set to work. We spent to 8-hour days sewing. Mom helped out the second day by taking our kids--which was MUCH appreciated. Nicki did the hard part--figuring out the pattern, cutting the fabric, and pinning it. I did most the sewing which, it turns out, is actually the easiest part. We Ripley's bumpers the first day, and got the cording done for Scarlett's that day, too.

Nicki and I sewing like crazy on Ripley's bedding. Photo compliments of Bethany, Cindy's daughter, who saved our bacon the first day by watching our kids! We love you, Bep!

 On day 2, Mom took our kids, and Nicki and I had a quiet morning finishing Scarlett's bedding, and then working on the dust ruffles for both.

We did the bedding different for each girl, but the dust ruffle was the same.

Completed baby bedding! I admit we were hugging excitedly when we got them done! We were so pleased with how they turned out!

Scarlett's bedding after we completed the dust ruffles. Aren't they cute? Think I'll make a valance just like it!

So the next day we got Nicki's crib that she didn't need anymore, and set it up in the nursury. I like how each bed is similar, but different--that's how I want to see my girls, whether they are identical or not.

Scarlett's Bed

Ripley's Bed

There's still a lot more to do in the room before it's ready. Trevor spent a good month repainting, putting up beadboard, adding crown molding and a chair rail, and of course, putting in that awesome laminate flooring which we LOVE and is SO much cheaper and more practical than carpet!  Now my Dad is making the shelving for the closet, and my awesome sister Aundi is going to cross-stitch some wall hangings (she's SO good at it) and my sister-in-law Andrea will help me with using wooden blocks to put their names on the wall. It's going to be so cute! I love it!

Again, I am so grateful for my family. I have so much support and help. I could never have done this without Nicki, who was willing to devote two entire days during her Easter break to help me. I am truly blessed. I hope my girls love each other as much as I love my sisters!