Garden-Bed Christmas Tree, Number 3

It's ok if you laugh . . . I don't know of any other suburban family who habitually cut their Christmas tree from their garden bed!  We also have no idea how two fast-growing pines were growing in this garden bed to begin with, but they have been very convenient!  Here's John cutting our first Christmas tree in 2009.  In 2010 we didn't put up a tree because Gemma had just been born and then we left town for New York.  Last year, we cut the second tree, and I thought that it would be our last free tree . . . but branches from the 2009 tree grew back quite splendidly, and so the tradition continues!

Sizing it up . . . 

Hmm, this little piece?

Daddy's little helper . . . 

The tree, and its conqueror!  

(and I think there's a smudge on our camera lens!)

(Yes, definitely a smudge . . . )

As it turns out, it's our tallest tree yet!  It works wonderfully with our very high ceilings in the living room!

Thanks to our families, we have many pretty and special ornaments now.  

Six of our nest wedding favors made it home with us, so I stuck them in the tree.  They need candy or something . . . hmm.

With family coming to us this year, it does feel a bit more like Christmas and less like we're just pretending.  :)

The Party

On Gemma's actual birthday, we had some friends over for lunch and a playdate.  Four little girls 2 and under, with peanut-butter-and-honey sandwiches shaped like snowflakes and Christmas trees, and carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting . . . yes, it was fun!  That night, we also let her open her gifts from Mommy and Daddy and the Grandmas and Grandpas.  But this past Friday we put up the balloons, family and more friends came, and we had the actual party!

Gemma opened a new baby, a bathtime book and an ABC puzzle, and loves them all!  We took a picture of the decorations the next morning when the lighting was better.

Aren't they lovely?  I made the garland back in April for a bridal shower outside, and it just happened to be the perfect length for the wall and four windows in the dining room!  My inspiration came from the path less traveled . . . once again . . . and, anyway, you can buy similar ones from her etsy shop!  

It was such a fun time that I could hardly sleep at night!  (Usually I'm a very hard sleeper, too!)  Thanks so much to our family and friends for coming to celebrate with us!

It was an evening of mixed emotions, too, as we had just heard the sad news of the shooting in Connecticut that day.  Yet another shooting.  This time at an elementary school.  We are especially thankful to have had our darling Gemma Grace for two years, and grieve with all the families up north.  I've found comfort in the words of Psalm 27:13-14.

"I would have despaired unless I had believed that I wouldsee the goodness of the LORD In the land of the living. Wait for the LORD ; Be strong and let your heart take courage ; Yes, wait for the LORD."

Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

supper this week

Maybe this will be my last week of meal plans for a while?  That would be nice!  I think . . .

We finally had a birthday dinner for Gemma on Friday night, and hopefully I'll be able to share some photos soon!  We had ham, so now we have leftover ham for sandwiches, for frying up with breakfast, etc.  Hence Monday and Tuesday's themes . . .

Monday:  Chicken Cordon Bleu with brown rice
Tuesday:  Lentil Soup (with the ham bone)
Wednesday:  {Thai}
Thursday:  pizza (hmm, maybe I should pick up some pineapple and make Hawaiian pizza!)
Friday:  Roast chicken breast, baked potatoes
Saturday:  Black bean quesadillas
Sunday:  TBD
Monday (Christmas eve!):  Shrimp Scampi over rice

Dolly's Diaper Bag

It's finished, and ready for Christmas!

Most of the ideas came from this blog post, found via pinterest (of course!).  I loved the little aqua doll diaper bag, and then discovered upon further reading that it wasn't homemade at all, but a purchased scrap book caddy!  So, I rushed out to Michael's and found the exact same one, for about $4.  I also bought the little "magic" bottles for $2 (is it tacky to talk about money so much?).  

For the dolly diapers, I only had to buy velcro!  The pattern and directions are from this blog.  I just changed  the directions slightly to add a strip of the loop end all the way across the fronts, to make them more adjustable.  I cut up an old t-shirt for all the white, and used fabric scraps for the three colorful diapers!

It also has a changing pad and wipes case!  Yay for scraps, once again!  I begged the fleece scraps off my mother, after eyeing $7 fleece remnants at Joann Fabrics.  I already had scrap terry cloth for the changing pad, which I also just made up as I went along, adding a the heart and ribbon loop to make it more detailed.

Aren't they sweet?  These two little items were the quickest and most fun to make, I think!  They aren't perfect, though, so don't look too closely!

And, finally, with some leftover organic cotton I knitted up a blankie for Gemma's baby.  The little book is from the $1 section at Michael's, and I added the title to it . . . so she can "write" in her baby's book while I try to work on her sister's baby book!

I am just so excited!  These little sewing projects have been the most fun things to sew ever, I think!  The next project . . . is for a special little boy!

Are you making any Christmas surprises?

38 weeks

38 weeks!

It feels like a race against the calendar, now, to get everything done . . . 

Thankfully, the surprising sudden back stiffness/pain which hit at 35/36 weeks is a bit relieved.  I'm resigned to waddling, but it was worse before.  At that point, I was wondering how I could make it through the holidays without being able to move very well!  Now, I'm just wondering where the time is going.  We're making steady progress on my mental list of to-do's-before-baby, but I'm sure not everything will get done.  That's what sisters are for, right??? Only 12 days until I get to see mine, and I'm so excited!

Now we are 2

Now we are 2, and saying a lot of new words!  "uck" (oink), "mow" (meow), "ow," "toe," "rah" (rock), "Maw," "girl" (with no "r"), "pie," "gok" (gate), "bee," "honey," and, yes, she can finally say "no!"  However, we haven't started telling Mommy and Daddy "no," which makes them happy!  We also like to parrot some other words, like "snow," "fluff," and "rough," but haven't used them in context enough for Mommy to count them yet.  And there are some things we say which no one else understands, like "it's wee wee!"  It must be that ancient Irish blood showing itself . . .

A daily occurrence . . . 

Now we are 2, and thanks to Grandma B, we know how to blow on hot things, particularly candles, just in time for her birthday!  Unfortunately, this did not save us from touching the stove one day . . . we take after Mommy, I'm afraid.

Daddy is a genius . . . a pan of ice water in her high chair was the perfect way to get ice on her poor burns!  (It helps that ice cubes are fun to play with!)

Now we are 2, and we know a lot more letters, too!  B, C, K, U, F, and e for certain, and there may be more . . .

Now we are 2, and we have started liking bananas again!  And we like cheese (different kinds!) for the first time ever!

Now we are 2, and we get to go to Sunday School!

Gemma's first Sunday School paper!

Now we are 2, and still in diapers, but at least we're not afraid of the potty anymore.  In fact, it's quite fun to sit on, and have our bunnies sit on . . .

Now we are 2, and we like to put our blanket over our head . . .

Now we are 2, and loving babies as much as ever, and Great Grandma, too . . .

<3

supper this week

I just pulled a bread pudding out of the oven.  :)  Somehow, that reminded me to share this week's supper plans!

Monday:  Basil/Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken (planning to try this recipe tonight, found via pinterest!)
Tuesday:  Macaroni & Cheese
Wednesday:  {Thai}
Thursday:  Chicken Marsala with Cacio e Pepe
Friday:  Ham, Sweet Potatoes, some chunky applesauce, a green veggie, and maybe some regular potatoes, too . . . because we're having a birthday dinner round 2 for Gemma!
Saturday:  Veggie Burritos
Sunday:  Honey Baked Chicken and Rice

Birthday Surprises in the Making!

Ooh, I am so excited right now!  Gemma Grace turns 2 on Friday!!! And I just finished sewing her main gift:  

A carrier for her baby!

I don't know if she'll really "get" it until baby sister is born and she sees me wearing the new one around, but hopefully that won't be long from now, anyway!  

At first, I thought I would just copy our carrier and maybe consult some Mei-Tai tutorials online, but I ended up purchasing a pdf pattern from etsy and I'm so glad that I did!  It certainly saved me time, and it likely saved me a lot of headaches.  The instructions were very clear and easy to follow and I couldn't be happier with the result!

Source: etsy.com via Gretchen on Pinterest

Since I was using fabrics I had on-hand plus an extra buckle which I clipped off Gemma's changing table (the changing pad has a buckle, too, and we didn't need two!), other than the pattern, all I had to purchase were the little bar slide buckles for the shoulder straps.  I was kind of sad that I couldn't find plastic ones to match the main buckle, but the metal ones work just fine.  Total cost for this project was just about $8!

And I just can't wait to see Gemma trying it on!  Now to finish her Christmas diaper bag . . . 

Breakfast Date with Mommy

We drove to New York to be with our families for Thanksgiving, and drove back on Sunday night through the night.  It seems to work best that way for now.  Gemma sleeps pretty well and we avoid all the traffic.  But, of course, by our arrival in the morning she's up and ready to go!  And since Daddy usually does all the driving, a Mommy who did get a bit of sleep tries to think of things to do . . . like getting out of the house for breakfast.  :)  This time we went to the Starbucks in Target for their oatmeal.

Oh, yes, it's yummy.  :)

"Can you smile for Mommy's camera?"

34 weeks!

It really is going by quickly, and I feel like there's so much to be done for the baby!  We're having company tomorrow?  Oh, well, I really need to find the perfect sock baskets and tidy up the nursery!  That's my crazy mind talking . . . I need to wash the boppy, swing cover, diaper bag and such . . . and stock the diaper bag . . . and shampoo the car and install the infant seat . . . and write the birth plan and pack my bag . . . oh, and Thanksgiving and Gemma's birthday are happening sooner than all of this, and probably Christmas, too!  Well.

I did at least get the burp cloths for the new one finished yesterday!

Four with pretty fabrics . . . 

And one with ribbons.  :)

23 months old

Almost 2, and cute as a button!

Gemma loves reading and being read to.  :)  I frequently find her on the couch or in the big rocking chair in her room with an open book.   

I wrote down a few new words which I'd forgotten to include last month!  "Cukoo," "Back pack" (she leaves off the ending "ck"), "out," "da" ("down"), "me" and "my" (can also mean "mine").  Most of these words she was already saying last month, though, and she hasn't seemed to add any new ones recently.  She has learned a lot more letters, though!  She definitely now knows Y, T, A, S, P, V, and d, and I think there are a bunch more spinning around in her head which have yet to be solidified!

We continue to enjoy our outings to the library and store, and now she likes to bring her own shopping bag, just like Mommy.  You may see it over her arm in the picture above!

And she still loves her Judy Rogers anytime.  John often puts it on over the Apple TV in the mornings while she has her morning milk and o's.  She's leaning back, watching the photo stream in this picture! 

It's almost funny that she's wearing her jacket with no hood in this picture, because she now almost always insists on having it "on."  :)  Gemma loves helping, too . . . lately she likes to pull a chair up to the counter or sink where Mommy is cooking or doing dishes so she can stand on it and help.  It does make things a bit more complicated, but I love spending the time with her, too!  She's very good at picking up her toys (most of the time!) and even did it once recently without being asked!  But she has seemed to have a methodical personality for a while.  She likes to put things back in their places.  

 

And now someone is awake . . . so off I go!

supper this week

(This was one of the best meals we had on our Europe trip!  

Wonderful, wonderful pasta at a little place in Rome called Cacio e Pepe!)

Last week's plans got adjusted a bit, since it turned out that I didn't need to cook for as many nights as I'd planned.  :)  Some things just got pushed to this week . . . 

Monday:  pancit

Tuesday:  Roast chicken breast, stuffing, squash

Wednesday:  White chili for lunch (we're having company, yay!) and take-out Thai for dinner

Thursday:  Refried bean enchiladas

Friday:  Pot roast with potatos, carrots, etc.

Saturday:  Shrimp scampi

Sunday:  {We'll be eating with friends at their home, Lord willing!}

Eternal Glory . . .

photo from outside a castle in Germany :)

 

Yesterday was November 7, which means that Gemma turned 23 months old, and my favorite sister, Heidi, turned another year older!  She's not old by any means . . . but she's past 18 and thus a true lady, so I'll leave it to the lady herself to reveal her age if she so desires.  ;)  I was looking through some old folders on our computer to see if I could find any fun photos of the two of us, but finally settled on this one:

 

 

Happy Birthday, Sis!

 

I don't like to get very political on our little family blog, but yesterday was also quite disappointing to me.  It's funny, because I had expected our current president to be reelected all along, and didn't think I was very emotionally tied up in the race . . . but there's a distinct difference between the expectation of an unpleasant event and its final realization.  I think Jane Austen said something like that.  ;)  It's true, though!  As we arrived at church for prayer last night, I was hit with memories from prayer meeting the week before, when we'd all gathered to focus on prayer for our nation.  The entire day had been designated as a day for prayer and fasting (although some people like pregnant me did not fast from food!).  Now it was all settled . . . for the worse, I am convinced.

 

I know intellectually that God is still on His throne, and meditating on that helped a little bit.

 

Then, this line from a hymn by James G. Small helped even more:

"Eternal glory gleams afar,

To nerve my faint endeavor"

 

We have the hope of eternity before us.  We have a Savior who will never fail us.  In fact, eternity is coming upon us quickly, and our lives here in our country will be but a faint memory, then!

 

I don't know how people who do not have Jesus do it.  I don't know how they get through their difficult times.  If I had to muster up my own strength all the time . . . I would be a basket case.

 

"So now to watch, to work, to war;

And then to rest forever."

Happy Election Day!

We walked around the pond and over the hill to our polling place today . . . one of the benefits of neighborhood living.  :)

I like how many people are using Facebook to list one item they are thankful for each day for the month of November. . . . it has been helping me to be thinking about what I'm thankful for throughout each day.  And today I am very thankful for the privilege we have to vote.  

Whew, it was a busy weekend and Monday, though.  I think I could use the entire rest of the week to get our house cleaned and in order!  

32 weeks

32 weeks!

I'm feeling pretty tired again these days.  It's not quite to the point where I need a daily nap, but I think it will be, soon!

Everything looks well with baby . . . by the way I'm measuring, the midwives think that she'll be a good-sized girl like her big sister!  (Gemma was 8lbs, 9.7 oz.)

I guess it's not nesting per se, but I am feeling the urge to get all the baby clothes ready and the nursery just so . . . which is kind of funny since she won't be sleeping in the nursery for at least a few months!  

Gemma is very interested in "helping."  :)