Confessions of a Pregnant Person

Last night, certain it had to be 10, 11 or 12 pm I went to bed. Josh came in about 15 minutes later because he wanted me to come check out the shelves he had built in the garage. I crawled back out of bed and happened to glance at the clock to discover it was just 9:03.

My legs seriously burn after climbing the stairs. With laundry in the basement, living areas main floor, bedrooms upstairs, there is a lot of stair climbing worked into my day. Consequently, a lot of leg burning.

I count the stair climbing as exercise.

And it's all the workout this body is currently seeing.

After carrying up a basket of clean laundry (two flight of stairs) and then carrying the dirty laundry down the first flight I have now resorted to kicking--I mean gently encouraging with my foot--the aforementioned basket of dirty laundry, sending it careening down the basement steps like an out-of-control toboggan.

Disturbingly enough, as I watch the basket crash and the clothes scatter, I find myself rather delighted.

In an attempt to finally finish up the last of the laundry I threw in a white sheet, a red towel, random white socks, a pair of jeans, and a few shirts, breaking nearly every laundry rule in existence. And nothing is pink, so there. ;o)

Yesterday, I shaved my legs for the first time in around two weeks. It made me reminisce good ol' high school when I shaved them about once a day. Along with the daily leg shaving, I used to change my nail polish nearly nightly to match the next days' outfit . . . Those were the days . . . My fingernails haven't seen polish in over a year I'm sure, and my toes get updated maybe every 4-6 weeks. At least I'm still kind-of-sort-of putting forth an effort. I do continue to brush my teeth daily. (Go me!) Oh, and shower too! ;o)

"Graceful" is unfortunately not an accurate adjective in describing anything I do. (Did anybody happen to hear a solo cymbal crash at the beginning of one of the songs at church this past Sunday? Yep, that was me--I got my mallet hung up amidst the windchimes/suspended cymbal/bell tree area). Maybe "elephantine" "clumsy" "fumbly" "weeble-ish" would be better words?

So, there you have it, a few of my deepest and darkest secrets. Enjoy. ;o)

Some Jackson Sweetness

Today, while I puttered about the kitchen Jackson rushed outside with a few packs of seeds he had unearthed a few days ago--packets I had bought with the intention of planting several years back and never got around to. He had been talking about planting flowers for several days now. I had attempted to explain that we needed to wait until spring time but I don't think he was really grasping the concept. So I let him get about his business.

I saw him rush past with a watering can, I heard the water turn on outside.

A few moments later, he came into the house sobbing, "It's not working!!!"

I followed him outside to see where he had ripped open a pack of zinnias and a pack of sunflowers and scattered them under a tree, then thoroughly watered them. He was under the impression he would be immediately rewarded with grown-up flowers.

It nearly broke my heart. Poor guy. If I could have made flowers magically appear at that moment I most definitely would have. We had a little talk about plants taking time, just like it takes Jackson a long time to get as big as Daddy. Maybe he got it, maybe not. Just a moment of sweetness I hope I always remember . . .

Isabella's Big Week

First, as you recall, last Sunday, there was the

"Loosing of First Tooth" Then on Tuesday, the "Acquiring of First Violin"
And finally on Saturday, "The Official Removal of Training Wheels"

Yikes! That's a whole lot of growing up in one week's time!

(sniff, sniff) ;o)

If you need a laugh--

Picture this:
I'm sitting at my computer.
I lean back in my chair. (Even though this is something I tell my girls between 5-10 times a day NOT to do in their chairs. Especially during school time--drives me crazy!!)
I forget I had rearranged the furniture in my room. Previously, when leaning back (and I must have done this a lot . . .) there was a bed directly behind me.
Alas, it was no longer there.
I continue my descent backwards (realizing mid-fall this could get ugly).
And land with a resounding thud.
Baby was rather startled.
I was rather startled.
Right shoulder and hip are rather startled . . .
A very good lesson for me in "practicing what you preach." ;oP

Some more Projects . . .

The girls' skirts are completed and I found some sweaters at Tar.get to match just in time for the cooler weather. These are the first clothing items I have sewed where I have not used a pattern--and they ARE simple skirts, which would be pretty hard to screw up, nevertheless I am happy they turned out. My wool felt has arrived--I think I have finally found a good source for it (and the best price) at an online store called Prairie Point Junction that is actually based out of Cozad, NE. Weird. These are the colors for all the little woodland creatures I am making for the boys' room.

And these are the beginnings of some animals. The owl I found a free pattern for online, the hedgehog and mushroom are my own doodlings. I asked Marissa if she knew what it was, and she DID guess hedgehog right off, so I was happy it was at least recognizable. ;o) I have a squirrel drawing in the works . . . just have to figure out a way to represent it in felt. My plan is to sew them onto either burlap or some other "rougher" looking kind of fabric using a variety of embroidery stitches to embellish--and then mount them individually in small embroidery hoops.
In the end I hope to have a grouping of animals to hang on the wall. It should be a fun little project.

I'm pretty sure I am in "nesting" mode, unfortunately for me, my nesting hasn't involved any strong urges to deep clean anything . . . Instead you will find me with bunches of little projects started all over the place, coercing my girls to help me rearrange the furniture in my bedroom, and *ahem* we may have even wrestled a recliner up two flights of stairs . . . That was probably not the most brilliant of ideas. It did come apart in two sections though. It was the base that was heaviest. By the second set of stairs we discovered that rolling it end over end worked much better. Now the boys have a comfy recliner in their room--a perfect place to sit and nurse a baby. And also, as Jackson has discovered over the last few days, a perfect place to take a nap. ;o)

Happy Autumn!!!

Even though I have been celebrating for awhile now, it is finally official (well, officially at 4:18 I believe). Fall is here. And did you know you can balance an egg on its end when the equinox hits? We're going to give it a try today. We kicked off our morning with homemade spice donuts and hot apple cider, perfect fall fare. I think of all the cooking memories I have growing up, making donuts with my mom is perhaps my all-time favorite. Rolling them out, using a glass to cut the shape, than using a miniature jam jar to cut the hole, dropping them in the oil, watching them brown, draining them on paper towels and then finally coating them in a sugar/cinnamon mixture. I still remember it all vividly.

And because of it, to this day I just can't bring myself to eat store-bought donuts. They are just not the same. Ruined for life. ;o) But this morning, it was a very tasty start to THE BEST SEASON OF ALLLLLLLL!!!! ;o) Oh, and a "heads up" but we are in some sort of canned pumpkin crisis, the stores being out of it for three weeks now, due to some sort of manufacturing glitch. I'm hoping it is remedied soon. I'm rather devastated because many of my favorite fall recipes call for pumpkin. If I get desperate I may have a huge session where I make my own puree' but I'm still hoping I don't have to resort to that. If you find canned pumpkin anywhere, do let me know! ;o)

Weekend Highlights

So, Emmett's become pretty self-sufficient in "#1" even in spite of his vertical challenges. I really need to finish potty-training him, we're still struggling with "#2" and an intense fear of the toilet. But today I found him putting a diaper on himself, and let's face it, if he has the mental capabilities to diaper himself to do his business, he should be more than able to use the toilet. I laugh every time I see him in the bathroom though--we did get him a stool, but he wants to do it just like Jackson. Unfortunately, he has less than stellar aim.

(After reading a story about a family who managed to lose their kids for a month due to some innocent bathtime photos, I decided I better remove the pic of Emmett using the potty. Who knows what weirdos are out there . . .)

Next, a "diver" ensemble Jackson rummaged out of Grandpa and Grandma's shed. It definitely beats the "butterfly" he put together a few days earlier using a pink ballerina outfit, mismatched princess shoes, a tiara, and of course, wings.

I read Jackson a book about carving pumpkins. He was thrilled to discover pumpkins at the store this weekend. He came home with the impression we would be carving it immediately. I came home with the impression it would be a fun activity sometime in the next month. He has continued to follow me around asking for a "happy pumpkin." And then he broke the stem off. I said maybe we could make a pie with it now, which he took to mean IMMEDIATELY. And the drama continues . . .

Two toothless girlies--Marissa managed to pull out her fourth tooth on Saturday--all by herself, and Isabella lost her very first one this morning. Hopefully, Marissa WILL have her two front teeth for Christmas. ;o)

And slipping in a picture of me and the belly, tomorrow I hit 6 months, leaving me with 3--or 13 weeks, however you want to look at it. As I look at this picture though I have to wonder what I will look like in three more months. I'm wondering if this may be more of a "Jackson-sized" baby . . .

And what happens when you miss your Sunday afternoon nap--still a very important event in the life of my four year old.

We kicked off Girls of Grace at church tonight, and I do believe we now have our complete "back-to-school" schedule in place. And life is busy. Oh, and get this, my sister informed me that all those Cubbies patches I have been meticulously hand sewing on for FOUR YEARS now are actually iron-on. Good to know--definitely the highlight of my weekend. ;o)

A Wild Goose Chase

Last night we headed over to Pio.neer's Park to see if we could find some geese to feed. We were not disappointed. There were a lot of geese and we had a lot of stale buns, so it was a good combination. ;o) It was an absolutely perfect and gorgeous evening. The geese seemed to know the drill well and would basically eat of the kids' hands.

Isabella feeding a goose: Marissa feeding a goose:
Jackson feeding a goose:

Emmett feeding . . . oh, wait, Emmett CHASING a goose:

Jackson deciding Emmett was onto something there:

So, while Josh and the girls leisurely tossed bread in the water, the boys and I somehow found ourselves on the other side of the pond, herding up every last goose that had yet to jump/fly/plunge desperately into the water. And there really was quite a substantial goose gathering. For me, it brought back fond memories of loading pigs for market, geese proving to be just as wily, the ground similarly slippery . . . Much to Emmett's disappointment--although he did get very close on several occasions--he never did catch a goose. It truly was not for lack of trying. A lovely evening had by all. Oh, and did I mention Isabella managed to slide down an embankment feet landing in the "water" **ahem** She was not overly enthused. Truth be told, it was quite gross. ;o)

A Grapevine Obsession

I came to the realization this week that I have some serious dead twig love. If you have no idea what grapevine is, you just don't know what you are missing. Pretty much any area that looks empty, stick some form of grapevine there, and I think, you're good to go. ;o) Grapevine comes in:

Wreath form,

Lighted ball form, Garland form,

Basket form,

More Wreath form,

Big Ball form,

and not pictured Bee Skep form

And more Garland form,
oh and a glimpse of Pumpkin form

I'm trying to think if I missed anything . . .

I seriously own no less than ten grapevine wreaths--in a variety of sizes--I have the garland unraveled across my tv armoire, my kitchen cupboards, and stuffed into an old window box with faux bittersweet stuff. Then there's the balls, the baskets . . . And it's not like I went out and loaded up my cart with grapevine, but it's a 50% off sale at Hob.by Lob.by that I can always count on. Over the years I guess I've collected a lot of it. It has always drawn me in. So there you have it, my decorating theme . . . dead sticks, everywhere you look, there they are. They're cheap and I love them. And while I am confessing personality quirks, I put up all my fall decorations the last week of July. Seriously. I love fall-- perhaps even more than I love grapevine . . . ;o)

My Computer has Died

It's true. So for awhile there may be a scarcity of posting, or commenting. Josh has the capabilities of checking out a laptop through the college, so that's what I have when he is home with it. Hopefully we can figure out what to do quickly. I'm gearing up to teach a class for our women's group at church and everything is on the hard drive of the other computer . . . So, I have at the most two weeks to get all that information off and installed somewhere else . . . And all my pictures . . . Josh thinks the hard drive is fine though. I hope he is right! I wasn't up to date in getting my pictures in Snap.fish--not too far behind--but I would lose a lot of stuff. Sad times at my home. ;o)

UPDATE!!! Thanks to Craigs.list I'm up and going again! (Well, except for the whole transfering picture and files thing . . . that may take awhile and totally will not involve me and my "expertise") $88 got me a faster running "computer part", new keyboard, mouse, monitor, and maybe some sort of cord. And no, I was not heading up this search, Josh was (in fact his conversation with the small computer business owner went something like this "Okay, I'm sending my wife to pick this up, and she'll have no idea what we were talking about . . ") I should be insulted, but it is--unfortunately--very true. I am quite proud of myself for plugging everything into the correct spots to get this baby turned on. That's another small step in a positive direction. And this computer has more pretty pictures saved as my "background" for the monitor. I've got this lovely fall one up now. So, life is good. ;o)

Kicking off the Week

Thanks to Emmett's endearing 5:55 am wake-up call this morning, Monday has started off with a bang--I had showered and dressed, my laundry from the weekend gathered, a load started, glimpses of a vivid pink sunrise witnessed and tea sipped all before 6:45 this morning. Woohoo! ;o) I'm sure I'll be ready for a nap in a few hours. And I'm officially wearing my running shoes, not for running mind you, but as a means of self-preservation. "Barefoot and pregnant" really isn't cutting it around these parts anymore. Those feet have been protesting a bit too much, so I'm hoping shoes will make the difference. The good news--according to the little counter on my blog the due date is now 98 days away--we have broke the 100 day mark. Exciting and petrifying all at the same time. ;o) But I must admit, I'm feeling pretty pregnant now, energy waning, more trips to the bathroom, worn out after climbing the stairs . . . I suppose that was bound to happen sooner or later. ;o)

I had a productive weekend with my sewing machine, tackling some patterns from this book. The first project was a "letter satchel" as a birthday present for one of Isabella's friends. It's suppose to be a little place to save your cards and letters--something my girls love to do, and then we end up with papers stuffed into all crevices of their room. I'm hoping to get some made for them as Christmas presents. And my other project was a new fall bag for me, the "mama bag" also from the same book. It's nice and roomy and I can shove all kinds of stuff in it.

(Oh, and if you look carefully at the bottom of this picture you will see "grapevine ball lights" that Tar.get is clearancing out of their "outdoor" section or whatever it's called. I LOVE them and want to tuck them all over the house. They were still $9 for I believe an 8 foot strand, but OH! they are soooo pretty.)

I'm hoping to finish up some corduroy skirts for the girls this evening--I'm "winging" these, which you can do with skirts, since they are basically rectangles sewed together. ;o) According to my Jo.ann's advertisement "September is national sewing month!" so I'm living it up. I think it's also "Sign up for a library card month" so you should do that too if you haven't already. ;o)

Anyway, I'm off, happy Monday to all!

9/11--where were you?

I was 8 months pregnant with Marissa, wearing a red maternity t-shirt, at home watching Go.od Mor.ning America before heading to our women's Bible study at church. I tuned in to see the first tower with smoke coming out of it, and reporters talking that a plane had hit the building. And then I watched in shock as another plane flew in and hit the other one. The realization came swiftly to those on the television and to myself that this just wasn't some random and isolated event. For the next few days I was basically glued to the television. What were you doing?

Spiderman Strikes

After all the stunts my boys have pulled, I am still amazed at my slowness and stupidity when it comes to putting glaring clues together. Case in point, today:
I lay Emmett down for his nap and begin schoolwork with the girls. Jackson usually hangs around for this period of 20-30 minutes, just to make sure Emmett is good and sleeping, before he lays down for his nap. Sometimes he hangs around with us wanting to do school, sometimes he heads downstairs to the "play-dough station" and sometimes he just does "whatever"--as long as it's not bothering Emmett. Today he was running. And running and running, around and around my living room/entry area, which has a lovely half-wall--perfect for running circles around. I figured it was a good way for him to get some energy out and let him have at it.
At one point he came into the dining room, all sweaty and panting, and said something about a spiderweb. Which I'm sure got a distracted and dismissive "Oh neat!" from me. And off he went to run some more. This is the point where my brain begins to slowly connect the dots--running 'round and 'round . . . spiderweb . . . MISSING new spool of thread I had just gotten to complete a sewing project!!! And I dash into the living room, bracing for the damage.
Yes, there was my spool of thread, strung around the coffee table, the couch--the wall and piano having another color of thread that he rummaged up from who knows where. All in all it wasn't THAT bad. I'm happy I still have enough thread remaining and Jackson was REALLY proud of his "Spider.man spiderweb" (which by the way, he has never even seen Spider.man). So proud in fact, he couldn't wait to show Daddy because Daddy would say it is "SO cool, and AWESOME!" (his words, not mine) ;o)

And now I'm pondering, is there some sort of superhero explanation to help me understand why my embroidery scissors were shoved through the screen in the dining room window this morning? Wonders TRULY will never cease.

Labor Day Fun

Some corn husking-- And bonfire building--
Hot dog roasting--

(And then marshmallows for s'mores!)

Lots of good eating--
Lazing on a blanket and enjoying a beautiful evening--
Followed by the final swim of the season--even Grandpa and Daddy managed the pool's 72 degree temps. Although the hot tub was the preferred route by all. ;o)

All adds up to another Labor Day and "official" end to summer celebrated. So long to swimming, but here's to hoping there are a whole lot more bonfires (and s'mores eating . . .). ;o)

A Morning at the Farm

We spent the morning at my parents' today, getting our fill of outdoors and nature and grandparent visiting--always good times. ;o)

How to Enjoy a Rainy Day

~Open a window or two, listen, look, smell~

~Read a little~

~Sew a little~

~Light a candle~
~Sip something warm and toasty~
~Bake some cookies~

~Catch some rain drops~

~Get wet~

~Find exhilaration and joy~

~Warm up with good soup~

~Snuggle up close with someone you love~

~Tuck your precious bunch into bed~

~Get another cup of something warm~

~Enjoy the dark and quiet, and count your blessings~

Today--

Emmett set what I believe to be our family's record, a total of five bathing experiences in a 24 hour period.
#1--his bath last night
#2--Snuck into Josh's shower this morning (while I snickered, thinking HA! now he'll have it out of his system and not sneak into mine)
#3--Snuck into my shower
#4--An impromptu before-lunch bath after a disastrous hot cocoa experience (to which I thought, "At least no bath tonight . . .")
#5--An evening bath after REALLY enjoying the chicken enchiladas
And then I missed orchestra rehearsal because I couldn't get my van to start. Turns out it was the battery, most likely caused by a light that remained on in the back because someone-whose-name-starts-with-E likes to climb all over the place pushing buttons. So, I took my clean children back inside and worked on this:

Which in case you cannot tell, is a member of the "Harvest Folk" family I am creating out of wool felt, pipe cleaners, embroidery floss, and wooden beads. I'd like to tell you they are for my children, but that wouldn't be the entire truth. I'm having a bit too much fun creating wee little people and gathering tiny little paraphernalia for them to go about their wee little lives with. The patterns come from this book, in case you too need a little harvest family for yourself. However, I must admit, the work is a bit tedious--this little person is only about three inches tall. So, if you see me walking all hunched over and squinty, you will know why. ;o) Hopefully I can get a nice-sized family made, as well as their woodland dwelling before fall is over . . .

And now, on to tomorrow!

Ahh, September . . .

September

by Helen Hunt Jackson

The goldenrod is yellow;

The corn is turning brown;

The trees in apple orchards

With fruit are bending down.

The gentian's bluest fringes

Are curling in the sun;

In dusky pods the milkweed

Its hidden silk has spun.

The sedges flaunt their harvest

In every meadow-nook;

And asters by the brookside

Make asters in the brook.

From dewy lanes at morning

The grapes' sweet odors rise;

At noon the roads all flutter

With yellow butterflies.

By all these lovely tokens

September days are here,

With summer's best of weather,

And autumn's best of cheer.

As far as I'm concerned fall is here. I LOVE this time of year, probably my most favorite season of all. It makes my heart sing. ;o) Happy September to all!