Bits and Pieces

I feel something of a compulsion to note the little happenings of our lives on my blog. My kids love to go through and peruse past posts. So, in that vane, here are some bits a pieces of our lives this past week. Anna and I finally finished our ladybug counting project. They line the front hall and Anna works on her numbers whenever they catch her fancy.

We made fimo necklaces in Activity Days and the kids wanted to try out the clay when we got home. Sean was gone that night so it turned out to be a bit of a lifesaver for my sanity. The kids were engrossed, and it was very relaxing to fiddle around with the substance for me, as well.

Our lovely cat (the cat formerly known as Gigi) is settling down quite a bit and we are enjoying him ever so much more now that his claws are clipped (yes, you read right - he is a he - not a she). Why we did not trim-up Greyor's little scratchy things sooner is beyond me. Anna keeps walking around the house telling Greyor he is a very good kitty now that doesn't scratch.

And, as you can see, we are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of the new little sister. Clothes are washed and organized and hung; a quilt is planned and waiting to be started (maybe tomorrow!); a playpen is purchased to serve as her first bed; her newborn hat is knit, awaiting its final seam; and now we are waiting for the new carpeting that continues to be delayed (I think we are on our third revised delivery date) so that we can finally get the girls' room set-up complete with crib and a new bed for Annaliese. I am trying to get life as organized as possible to smooth this transition. But I hope I am wise enough to know that one can only do so much, and then one has to just accept things as they are. In the meantime, however, I do not wish to squander a single moment of time when I feel good enough to do something - anything. ;>

Status Report

I have reached the point in my pregnancy where I am actually daydreaming about and craving exercise. I love exercise, but I hardly ever do it, because part of me hates it. I have caught myself fantasizing about yoga practice and sit-ups and running on the treadmill, even weight-lifting. I am already designing fitness programs for three, five and six months from now. The way my baby sits it is virtually impossible for me to exercise at this point in time. My lungs are so completely compressed that just trotting up and down the stairs one time requires a complete cool-down routine. Making dinner occasionally becomes an impossibility half-way through preparation. I am forced to sit on a chair and either wait for Sean to get home and finish, or else boss my sweet children around telling them what to stir, what to wash and when to add things.

This morning everything hurt when I woke up. As I lay there I remember thinking, "Why does my stomach hurt? and my back?" Then I rolled over and in the process happened upon my ever-expanding belly, "Oh, yeah! I'm pregnant - that's why everything hurts!"

I really do not enjoy pregnancy - even when I feel really lucky to even be pregnant. I'm grateful to be almost done with all of this - it is not my cup of tea. I admit I am jealous of women who "love" being pregnant. I can't decide if I have an attitude problem, or if I have legitimate reasons to want to skip over these nine months. For now the sofa is my friend and sleep is a sweet escape from my reality. Two more months. I will survive!

A Lego Birthday

Djeryd wanted a Lego birthday party this year. My wonderful husband obliged coming up with all sorts of fun Lego games for the boys to play. I was left to simply take pictures and enjoy observing while Sean did all the usual party-work. It was so incredibly nice for me. Oh, and the kids had a fun time, too.

My sister's kids are some of my kids' best friends, so everybody had a great day as we had cousins to play with. (Do you see Anna's cute little CTR ring? Oh, my sweet Sunbeam!)

Erik and Emma played most of the games at the party, but I think they had gotten a little bored by the time the big boys constructed their final challenge - a Lego bridge that spanned three feet - quite a feat.

First Project

Here it is: my very first project in my new studio. I made celebration bunting. By the end of today it will have been used three times already. We string it about for birthdays and such. It lends quite a festive aire. I got the idea from Amanda Blake Soule's book The Creative Family.

Before and After: Studio

We spent New Year's weekend in a very noisy mess of hammers and fancy nail guns and air compressors. It was a crazy, fun, wild ride, and I am delighted to be on the other side of it all this evening. The above room became my studio in earnest around the first of October. Halloween costumes had to be made and I needed a space to create three of them simultaneously. It was functional, but not ideal. I found it rather ugly and, so, did not take any pictures of it (a nasty habit of mine when it comes to before-and-after posts). Last Saturday Sean and I trotted off to Home Depot to take our first step towards making this room a beautiful creative space.

Upon removing the carpet we found press board. It all had to be ripped out and replaced with plywood. Sean painted for two evenings in the meantime. On Thursday the new plywood was nailed down and Sean and his dad spent an hour-and-a-half figuring out just the right patterning for the bamboo flooring (complete with computer renderings (oh, I love that man!)).

On Friday Sean's dad (yes, two whole days in a row, bless his heart) and my parents joined the party. It was ridiculously noisy. I tried to stay downstairs, away from the all the ear-blasting bangs and pops. By about seven o'clock that night we all sat down to ice cream sundaes and then sent everybody home, sore and exhausted.

Today was the fun stuff - the icing on the cake. Sean, Djeryd and I got to put it all together. It took us all day, but at a nice leisurely pace. Djeryd was a huge help. I am so pleased with the results. I know I still have a few days, if not weeks, of organizing all the junk that doesn't have a home yet. And there is still a work table to be constructed to give my new stools a home (not to mention all my paper-crafting supplies). Thanks go out to my parents and in-laws (Carol, thank you for loaning me your husband for two days), my kiddos, and of course my darling, wonderful husband who pushed ahead through every obstacle with a glowing smile on his face and reassuring words on his lips.

For kicks, Sean wanted me to include my original conceptual drawings. I still need an ironing cupboard you see, and the drapes need to be made, but I think it's a pretty incredible match - all things considered.

Happy New Year, Everyone!!!!

Four Christmases

We are fortunate enough to live near all of our family. Consequently we have a multitude of Christmases. First off we head to my brother's gorgeous house for Christmas Eve, a tradition that has been held for as long as I can remember. We always act out the Nativity (well, the kids do it now, thank goodness). My nieces loved their presents and I loved that I made them.

Our second Christmas is post-Christmas-Eve-Christmas -Eve. We had cocoa and Sean read our new Christmas book - The Polar Express. After treats we all opened our new Christmas jammies and tucked in for the night.

Christmas number three is the traditional Christmas morning. We found our three little love bugs sitting ever so quietly at the top of the stairs waiting very patiently for Mom and Dad to wake up and find them. Sometimes their honesty astounds me. We cut way back on Christmas gifts this year and it was so nice. We told the kids for a couple of months that they were only getting a few gifts and they would be small. They grumbled a bit at first, but got used to the idea, and it made for such a sweet, peaceful day. They kids were so grateful for each and every gift they received. What a lovely change from last year.

Last, but not least, we headed over to Sean's parents for Christmas with his family. We all had a great time. I think it is a real treat for the kids to see all of their cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents in just two short days. We are so blessed. The big treat for Christmas day at Grandma and Grandpa's was a basketball hoop with six unique basketballs (one for each child) to play with at Grandma's house. As adults, I think it was the most fun we've had as we spent two child-free hours in Paul's shop assembling the basketball hoop.

Admittedly, we had one more Christmas the next day. Because assembling the basketball hoop took so much longer than expected, we did not get around to our big Christmas feast we had planned at home. I will try to remember to post a picture or two of Christmas dinner.

All in all it was a wonderful, slow-paced holiday. I loved crafting almost every gift we gave this year. And helping Erik make his presents for Sean, Djeryd and Anna. It was sweet and joyful and relaxing and fulfilling. It was busy, but I did not feel that rush-rush hustle and bustle that comes with hitting store after store looking for gifts. Granted, I made about 20 trips to Jo-Ann's in two short months, but it was different than toy stores and the mall. Every year is different so I have no idea what next year will bring with a nine month old. I am sure she will not be as flexible with my crafting intentions as Anna was. I hope I can keep a bit of what we gained this year, though. It was my happiest Christmas in recent memory. Perhaps because my body literally forced me to take everything one day at a time and let a lot of things go. Hey! a blessing of pregnancy.

The Ugly Winner

I had to get this post up before Christmas because I just don't think it would be as funny or as festive after December 25th. Last weekend we were invited to an "Ugly Christmas Sweater Party". We had not completely decided to go until the day of the party because I had not been feeling well for the previous two weeks (feeling much better now, thank you). So, as great as Sean's costume turned out, I could have made it so much more hideous had I been fully engaged in the costuming earlier in the planning phase.

As it was, my horridly dressed husband won the prize for "Ugliest Ensemble". Please note the high-water pants. (I would have killed for some red socks to go with those!) The glasses are mine, and do not look in any way silly when they are resting on my nose. We were ridiculously proud (seems fitting, since he looked ridiculous). It was so much fun to put all those finely-honed costuming skills to work in the midst of my child-rearing sabbatical.

Dustin, you should know that you were our complete inspiration and I was kicking myself all night for not getting out to a thrift store and rounding up a nice women's snowman vest to go with that striped turtleneck (maternity wear - gotta love having a current wardrobe that my husband can actually wear - not that he does - at least - I mean - unless it's for a prize).

Merry Christmas to all! Have a wonderful holiday!

The Tree

Thanks to Djeryd our Christmas tree is up. This wonderful little man got home from school one day, tromped up to the attic (the attics are very accessible in this house - yea!!), and hauled down all the Christmas boxes, including the tree. He set up and decorated the tree, then hauled every last box back up to the attic and put everything away! What a great kid!

This year we decided (after getting the idea from some friends) to let every single person in this family put the star on the tree. It all felt rather silly to me to keep putting it on and taking it off, but it kept the kids happy. They were all satisfied, and that counts for a lot.

We also took a family picture in front of the tree this year which we have never done. I think it is a neat tradition that lots of families do, but we've just never thought of it before. It was actually rather exciting for me because we got to drag out the tripod and I got to use the delayed release on my shutter. Very fun to play with the camera. ;>

Glittering With My Girl

A couple of weeks ago Anna and I slipped some glitter into our shopping cart at the craft store, and a whole bag of cinnamon scented pine cones. By the end of the afternoon we had our first sparkle of Christmas magic. It was a very fun and easy project involving only pine cones, rubber cement and glitter.

Anna took her turn at all aspects and did a fine job (at least for a three-year-old). This is one of the biggest things I miss about the kids being in public school, instead of home with me. I miss the projects - all of us all together doing something fun and creative. Occasionally I will put out some art supplies and the kids will delve into it after school, but by the time snacks and homework are over they really just want to run and play for a while.

I hope we can do some fun things together over Christmas. I checked out some fun books from the library and I would like to add some homemade ornaments to the tree this year (kiddo-made, not mommy-made). However I have been forced to cut back on my ambitious projects this year. As my body enters this final phase of baby-making I just can't keep up with myself. So I will take it one day at a time - moment by moment - with a smile on my face. I'll just do what I can, and let the rest fall away. (Thank you, Sean, for picking up all the pieces I am dropping. I love you.)

Yuck!

I've already been sick for three months of this pregnancy. Will someone please tell me why it is starting all over again for the final three months of this pregnancy?

My Drum

I have been thinking about this post for a long time. When I hear the corny, canned 1950's version of "The Little Drummer Boy" I want to either laugh or gag. Thank goodness Josh Groban decided to redo it for his Noel album (see him sing it live). Now, almost everytime I hear it little tears prick the corners of my eyes. I cannot help but ponder what gift I would give to honor my King.

I see myself in many ways in the same position as the Little Drummer Boy. I have nothing fit to give a king - I am very poor and simple in that way. All I have is my little drum - an instrument that is so much apart of me I do not even realize I have it, I do not even realize it is my gift. So what is my drum? It is my life. The little drummer boy gives all of his fine-tuned, acquired knowledge and skill, as meager as it is, as a gift to honor the Savior. I am young and weak and flawed, but the strengths I have come from God and dedicating them to him daily - my life to him daily - is the greatest song I can play for my Master.

Oven Update

Wahoo!!!! He have stove again!!!! Yea for Sean! For the first time ever our stove has the correct heating element, and guess what? It preheats in five minutes now, instead of fifteen. AMAZING!!! I still only have two burners, but Sean is working on that little annoyance (okay, acutally it's a big annoyance - but hey, I have the ability to cook hot food again - so who cares!!). Merry Christmas to me!

Thanksgiving Aftermath

We had two wonderful Thanksgivings, and I'm not actually going to blog about them, although I probably should. I thought I would take a moment to mention the Thanksgiving aftermath, however. The day after Thanksgivagain (Friday Thanksgiving with the Wilcox family, as opposed to Thursday Thanksgiving at the Hawkins' home) revealed the potential damage of preparing Thanksgiving dinner using an ill-fitted range. I won't go into all the details, suffice it to say our inherited stove is sort of a hodge-podge of inappropriate parts. To say it drives me crazy on a good day is an understatement. I am a woman who likes to cook, and likes to do it "right".

Back to my little story. Saturday evening I put a batch of cookies in the oven. After one and half hours the oven had achieved a maximum temperature of 330*. The cookies baked a little longer than called for (at a lower temperature than called for), but turned out okay. We resigned ourselves to replacing the element in the stove and continued to use the cook top. Until last night, when Sean thought he would take a look at the element needing replacement and get it ordered (still not done). In the process of removing the element (which for some scary reason seemed to only be brushing up against the necessary wires, as opposed to completely, tightly intertwined with the necessary wires), the element started breaking into pieces. It also gave Sean quite a little shock (electrically speaking) and he has decommissioned the stove until further notice.

Dah!!!! Suddenly my kids are asking for sweet breads, and I just want to make dinner, and maybe a batch of rolls or garlic toast. No dice. Stir-fry is not even an option. Oh, and pasta! But that's not stopping us. Oh, no. We can make waffles. We have a crock pot. I have even been considering pulling out the reflector oven from our emergency kit and whipping up some biscuits. (Don't anybody hold your breath on that last one.)

So, as far as Thanksgiving goes. I just want to say that I am grateful for a working stove - when I have one - and the possibility of a working stove on the horizon. I'm so thankful to have something to look forward to.

The Face

When I showed the finished face to Anna, she gasped and said: "She has a dark mouth and a pink nose and black things up there - did you do that, Mommy?" Can't wait for Christmas!!

FHE: A Tasting Party

Along with songs, stories, and snowflakes, we drowned our kids in hot cocoa last night. My Activity Day girls and I are making little gift jars of homemade cocoa mix this week and I had to find out the best recipe. Enter: idea for a tasting party.

I made up six different kinds of cocoa, based on a single recipe. We had plain, cinnamon and mint - each made with two different kinds of sugar. While the kids cut snowflakes with Daddy to hang in their rooms, I set up the tasting table.

It was so much fun. My favorite part was the quiet after they each drank their swallows as they tried to decide if they liked the flavors and why. One was a doosy - cinnamon cocoa made with powdered sugar. It was surprisingly bitter (although it tasted fine with granulated sugar). All in all it was a very fun Family Night. And I am all set for Activity Days as a bonus!