Burpies

I made this set of patchwork burp cloths for my sister Melissa. She's having a baby boy any day now. I love how they turned out. I love the navy with the other fabrics & the little hint of orange in the floral print makes me happy too. Anyway, I hope she likes them as much as I do. I went ahead & made an extra set that I listed in the etsy shop.

My appointment at the doctor went well. Nothing new to report. I did lose a couple pounds from last week, which they said is actually quite normal this late in pregnancy. Alright. Doesn't make any sense, but I'll take it.

I ended up testing positive for the Group B Strep which means I need an antibiotic in my IV when I go into labor. The doctor told me that even if my water doesn't break, but I'm having contractions I need to get to the hospital right away. I guess this group B strep combined with having a VBAC means I've got a lot they've got to monitor. Makes me feel really comfortable. Ha ha. No wonder I've lost weight...too much stress! Anyway, no internal exam today & that's just fine with me. I don't want anything upset down there....don't want this baby coming before Dylan gets back.

Good Morning

We bought some muffins at the store yesterday. Sadie insisted on having an entire muffin this morning for breakfast. Our conversation:

Sadie: "We bring this home."

Me: "Yeah. We brought those home, huh."

Sadie: "From a restaurant."

Really from the grocery store. But how does she even know that word? Restaurant.

Anyway, I'll be back later to report on how my appointment with the doctor goes & to share what I've been working on.

View From the Top

Trying to get a photo of my belly. One where I don't look fat. It's quite impossible. 3 weeks & 2 days until my due date.



A few other views from around this place today:



The weather is pretty nasty out. Cold & windy. We had snow last night & there's supposed to be more on the way. Hit the fabric store earlier. Hoping to have enough energy to work on a few projects this evening.

Today's Color

We have a brand new set of washable markers in this house.

Just Call Me Sensitive

There have been some people in the last few days who have really rubbed me the wrong way. I have formulated an opinion of said people in my mind. Would they be welcomed into my home? Absolutely not. Is that very Christlike. No. Maybe I'll work on that someday.

But there are few things that have been at the front of my mind....things I want to get out so I can go on:

"Cherish your own emotions and never undervalue them."
-Robert Henri

I believe that emotions are a beautiful thing. I see no weakness in an emotional person. I have always been a very sensitive person....and on a few occasions I have been told by people, that I consider not to be very cool, "Oh, you're too sensitive".

Luckily I was raised by the most amazing parents that let me be me. They let me feel. Did I ever see my Mother of Father cry.....not really that I can remember. I could probably count the occasions on one hand....for both of them combined. They could keep it under control. Still they never treated me like I was less, or stupid, or unreasonable because I never could keep my tears back.

My mind & my heart are so closely linked. Again, something I feel is beautiful. And anyone that tells themselves to deny feeling emotion (for fear of being weak)......is really a sad case.

I didn't really know who Robert Henri was when I found that quote.....but wouldn't you know it...he's a painter. A creative! My favorite kind of people.

On another note. I have always hated people with egos. A huge ego is the most unattractive quality a person can posses....and that just gets under my skin quicker than anything. It's ugly! And I feel sad for these "ugly" people. Even more sad that we have to exist in this world with them around.

Now....am I perfect. NO. Just expressing some thoughts. I do fully realize that there are things that I need to work on in my life. That I need to become better.....and put aside my own ego. That would be one of the reasons why we are here in this life, right? So just because I express my feelings & emotions on something it does not mean I'm saying I'm better than you. And if you feel that way......well maybe you're a little more sensitive then you're letting yourself believe.

And although I love you all. I feel no need for comments on this one, so I'm turning them off.

If you Feel Discouraged....

That there's a lack of color here
Please don't worry lover
It's really bursting at the seams
Absorbing everything
The spectrum's A to Z

-Death Cab For Cutie

Have you noticed a little lack of color around here? I have. My photo taking has really come to a hault. I'm going to focus on it this week though. Sounded like a good idea to me since I'm not getting anything else creative done.

Today I have very little patience & Sadie of course is extremely whiny & emotional. Nothing a little cookie dough couldn't fix though. Hoping for a smoother afternoon.



And, what my belly looked like after Sadie had her way with it the other night. A little row of stickers.

The Burning Question

What to put in the Netflix queue while Dylan is away? Hmmm.

I want to watch stuff that he wouldn't care about seeing. Maybe girly stuff? Maybe a TV series? I just finished up with Project Runway. That was fun.

Any suggestions?

Tears & Enchiladas

I could not stop crying from the time I woke up this morning, because today Dylan started his drive out to Cleveland. It's just been too much for me. I even cried at my doctor appointment this morning when he asked what was going on with me. He said he could tell from the look on my face that I had some things concerning me. I've never been good at hiding my emotions, or telling a lie. My face always gives it away. Anyway, good news is that the baby's head is down. Bad news, the scale was not very nice to me today.

And the tears just continued when I got home. We had lunch together & then Dylan took off. Sadie has been very confused. Trying to hug me & wipe my tears with her blanket. She keeps saying "It's okay." & one time even said, "you be okay sweetheart."

I miss him so much already. I know this all is very pathetic, but I have a problem with over-anticipating things & my emotions just fall right in line. It would not be this hard except I'm feeling the weight of just how long he will be gone. He bought me flowers today, which always makes me a little mad because I don't think he should spend money on that kind of extra stuff. They're pretty, but they make me cry. His stuff is all gone, that makes me cry too. A little time & I'll get used to it all & things will be just fine.

SO....enchiladas. We had some yummy vegetarian enchiladas last night. They were a big hit. I got them from Ashley's recipe website. I'm trying her chicken pasta next!

Bits & Pieces

I have been a bit preoccupied & haven't felt like there's been anything substantial to post about. Thought I'd share a little bit of what's going on in my mind, even if it's not that interesting.

*Been trying to work on Sadie with her glasses. We're making steps, very small steps, but trying to put forth more of an effort.

*Potty training is coming along as well.

*Bought myself 2 pairs of cropped sweat pants. It's all about comfort right now. Dylan says I'm waddling. I feel big.

*Today is Dylan's last day of work at the GAP. Goodbye Gap discount. I have loved you for the past 7 years. I will miss you A LOT! And sorry to all who have enjoyed Friends & Family Days, those are long gone as well.

*Planning on keeping busy with projects while Dylan is gone. On the top of the list are: birthday gift for Amber, baby gift for Melissa & my quilt for the new baby.

*This Friday I will be 4 weeks away from my due date. Scary.

Overwhelmed

Well, Dylan accepted the job in Cleveland at TWIST Creative. We're really excited about this opportunity & what it means for his & our future.

In the same breath, I'm nervous & scared & overwhelmed.

Dylan will be going out to Cleveland for 3 weeks while Sadie & I stay behind to get ready for the new baby & get the house packed up. Every once in a while (a least two or three times a day) I get a little teary thinking about being without him for all that time. Especially while I am so big & pregnant, so emotionally vulnerable & so tired. Then I think of how blessed I am to have a family with so much love for each other that it is so difficult for us to be apart, even just for a few days.

I'm nervous about moving to a city that I've never even seen before. Nervous about moving with a newborn. Nervous about Sadie & all the change that will be happening all at once & how it will affect her. And, I'm just plain overwhelmed with all that has to be done to get ready for the move & welcoming this new baby.

One day at a time though, right? We'll get through it.

Spring has hit Rexburg & that is a wonderful thing for our moods. Sadie & I will be heading to the park in a little bit.

Last night I was able to get this receiving blanket done for the new babe. This is for her spunky side...unlike the sweet floral monstrosity that I'm trying to work on. I'm at a stand still with that right now & I'm wondering if I should hand-quilt it or
machine quilt it. I've actually never done either. Hmm. Also on the list of projects to complete are some matching burp cloths for this receiving blanket. New, fresh burp cloths are really nice I think....especially since Sadie was the spit up queen.

I'm Ready for a Nap

Well, things week was abandoned because of a very spontaneous trip to Las Vegas to visit with family over the weekend. We realized that Dylan wasn't scheduled to work at the GAP for about 5 days in a row, so we hopped on the opportunity & headed down to Vegas. My mom didn't even mind that I had to do my laundry when we got there....Did I mention, very spur of the moment trip! It was perfect timing. Any later in my pregnancy & with a newborn on the way there probably wouldn't have been any travel for a while.

It was a perfect trip. The weather was great. We got to spend a good amount of time with everybody & I even got to see Michelle & Chanel. Sadie had a blast with so much room to run around & with so many people to interact with. So, we're now back home with a million things to tend to around here, but I'm too dang tired.

Oh! I took a total of 3 photos on this trip. How lame am I? Or rather, how lazy!!!

Updates

Went to the doctor this morning. Nothing new to report except that I'm as big as a house. The doctor thinks that the baby is head down, but that's just from feeling from the outside. They'll be able to better tell at my next appointment in just 2 weeks. SO....6 more weeks until d-day.

We've had a couple days with really good weather. Sunshine & high 40's. What a difference 40 degrees in March is compared to 40 degrees in October. It's felt wonderful to open up the windows & let a little fresh air in. Just glorious. Today we are gloomy & windy. Will it rain?

I saw over on SouleMama's blog this morning the coolest thing. Head over there & check out her blog book. The company that puts these together is Blurb. I think this is a fabulous idea. I have been meaning to print up all my posts, but haven't wanted to use up our printer ink. I plan on compiling one of these books just as soon as we have enough money to spend on stuff other than just necessities.

Sadie has been throwing major tantrums these days. All of the sudden they are just out of control. Wondering if she is learning it from me as I get less & less patient as this pregnancy draws to an end. We have been working on taking naps & so far she's had one every day this week. It's helping with her behavior in the last half of the day.

On a really good note, she's back to potty training. We abandoned her panties & switched back to diapers in January & are just now coming back around. She's doing a great job & is really interested in it again. Very excited about this!

Things Week - Day 4

Baby souvenirs:

The little hospital anklet that Sadie wore when she was born. We didn't have to cut this thing because it kept sliding off her foot. Also, one of the many little bows that they kept sticking on her head. Those things would be falling off in no time.

Ahhh, sweet memories of a healthy, squishy, newborn baby girl with such good color & such pretty little eyes. Looking forward to a repeat.

Things Week - Day 3

Santa Plate:

This plate was made by my Aunt GayeLynn. She made one for each of us as a Christmas gift in 1984. Each of us had a different design. We ate dinner off these plates every night! How many years did we eat off these plates, Mom? Anyway, we loved them & it's something I can never get rid of.

Heather, Amber...what was on your plate. For some reason I'm thinking Amber's was a dog, but not sure.

Also, this plate jogs memories of those orange & yellow McDonald's plates. They had Ronald McDonald, the Hamburgler & that purple guy, whose name I can't remember. Do you all remember those? I think everybody had them.

Things Week - Day 2

Colorful decor:
I guess Dylan & I are drawn to brightly colored things when it comes to our home decor. Especially leaning towards the warm colors. Hi orange! We like you! Anyway, this Paul Klee print was purchased at Ikea a few years back. It's amazing to me that something this "modern" looking was painted in 1930.

This one we acquired from Amber. Also purchased at Ikea. This one is big & is the first thing you see when you walk in our door. It's like a big, colorful "Hello!"


The round vase was purchased at The Great Indoors in Las Vegas a few years back. I didn't want to buy it because I thought it cost a little too much. I remember Dylan saying, "Come on. We're never going to find anything like this again. We have to get it." I'm glad we did, because I really, really LOVE this piece. This is the one item in our home that gets the most comments. Other people seem to love it too.

I don't know that there's a really big story behind all this stuff, but one thing that comes to mind is a comment that a visiting teacher once made. When we first moved up here to Idaho, my visiting teachers had come to visit a couple times. During one of the visits I mentioned that Dylan was an Art major. One of the ladies then said, "OOOoooooohhh!! That makes so much more sense" looking around at our apartment. And, I imagine that in her head she continued to think, "No wonder nothing in your house looks like it's from WalMart." Or, "No wonder everything in your house is so funky!"

Things Week - Day 1

We all have stuff in our lives...things. Lately I've been looking around at the things I have. Most of these things have a story behind them. I thought I'd dedicate a week to some of my things & tell their story.

So to kick off "Things Week", I give you....the creepy ceramic head that I made when I was 10 years old:



My older sister took private art lessons from an art teacher that taught at one of our schools. When she completed the classes, my Mom was cool enough to sign me up for them. Now this is all from my 10 year old recollection so how true this all it, I can't really remember. All I remember is that I really wanted to do what my older sisters were doing. Hello, ballet classes like Heather...not a good idea for me. Sorry mom. I'm pretty sure that I begged you to get me going with that.

Anyway, this is one of the projects I worked on with this art teacher & it took weeks. I remember her saying, "We're going to work on the ears tomorrow, so go home & look at every body's ears while you're at the dinner table." She'd have me observe where features fall on the face & I remember having this realization that ears were a lot lower on the head than I always thought they were.

I'm not sure why some of the features are a little out of whack...oh yeah, I was 10 years old. Check out those massive eyebrows & lips. He kinda has some african american looking features but his coloring is super white. And the hair...how cool is the hair! I put every single piece on there.

So, is my guy creepy? Yes. Does it creep me out that Sadie calls it "daddy" sometimes. Yes. (Dylan, this guy looks nothing like you.) Do I still love it? Yep.

Oh! One other amazingly cool thing that I did in those art classes was to make a paper mache mask of my face. I laid on the ground & the teacher covered my face in the paper mache & left me two little holes for my nostrils so that I could breathe while it dried. Where that mask is today, I have no idea.

2 & 1/2

She's 2 & 1/2 now. Can you believe I have a 2 & 1/2 year old on my hands?!? Crazy! Sometimes Dylan will say to me, "Can you believe that she's that baby we brought home from the hospital?". Man, time flies with these little ones. I'm enjoying so much about Sadie who is right in the middle of the terrible twos, but we have some struggles too.

So a little about this girl right now:

*She loves dresses & skirts.
*loves to have her hair in pig tails.
*loves coloring & more recently, drawing.
*has SO MUCH energy
*likes Toy Story, Finding Nemo, Barbie, Cinderella
*some of my favorite words this week: chicklish = licorice & roos bur = root beer
*can be bossy & dramatic
*likes to play rough with Maddy
*loves the snow
*jumps & runs a lot
*loves nursery
*has an insane imagination. Yesterday the vacuum cord held up over her head was a rainbow.
*Is so soft & squishy & so delightful to kiss & hug.
*Is excited for "baby sister" to come...I think.

He's Coming Home!!!

Dylan has been in Cleveland for the past few days & we've been missing him very badly. There is an episode of LOST waiting for him, as well as a chocolate cake from Cold Stone in the freezer & lots of hugs & kisses from his girls. Can't wait to see & touch & smell him tonight. Do you like the way your husband smells? or am I just crazy?

Anyway, he feels like his interview went really well & now we just have to wait to hear back. I don't know if it's all that's happening with Dylan but I've been feeling very strongly that I need to get things done. Hello nesting! I cleaned & organized Sadie's toys yesterday. The fridge is on my list for today & maybe my tupperware cupboard.

AND....last night I pieced the top for the baby's quilt. It is gorgeous!!!! The fabrics have been cut but sitting around here for quite a while. I kept looking at them, thinking they were getting stale. I wasn't too excited about my choices anymore, BUT once the top starting coming together, I kept falling more & more in love with it. It's going to be on hold now while I wait for a backing fabric that I just ordered through the mail. I'm not sure if I should share a photo of it now or wait until it's all completed....you know, in ALL it's glory.

Just completing that quilt top last night has got me all excited to complete things today too.....just gotta wait for my underwear to dry so I can get dressed & go to the grocery store. Hope you have a great Saturday!