Cha! Cha! Gigi

Read this poem, my last entry.

2010-06-22T22:52:00.004-04:00

1. Please read this poem, and be careful to read it one line at a time.

Lost Generation

I realize this may be a shock but
'Happiness comes from within'
is a lie, and
'Money will make me happy'
So in thirty years I will tell my children
they are not the most important thing in my life.
My employer will know that
I have my priorities straight because
work
is more important than
family
I tell you this
Once upon a time
Families stayed together
but this will not be true in my era
this is a quick fix society
Experts tell me
Thirty years from now I will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of my divorce
I do not concede that
I will live in a country of my own making
In the future
Environmental destruction will be the norm
No longer can it be said that
My peers and I care about this earth
It will be evident that
My generation is apathetic and lethargic
It is foolish to presume that
There is hope.

And all of this will come true unless we choose to reverse it.

2. Now read each line, starting from the last line to the first line (reverse it). Did you like that? I loved it, and it reinforced, for me, all the thousands of wonderful things we can teach our children as teachers, mothers, fathers, role models.

This was a poem we read in class tonight and I wanted to share it in a blog post. Actually, I want it to be my last blog post. I hardly ever blog, and hardly anyone even reads it, but still I want closure. I just said I hardly blog and this is true, but it's one other "thing" I've always got in back of my head to do. I'm seriously enjoying life right now, and I think it's because I'm truly trying to simplify. Calling it quits on the blog is one way to "tie up" this loose end-- this project I wished I could have done more with. I've met some really awesome people through blogging, and even seen sides of friends and family that I never knew about. I wonder if it's cheating to keep peeking at other people's blogs when you've quit your own? Maybe so. But I've got to pack up all these little unfinished projects and focus on my family, these pesky assignments for school, old friends, and good times.

Wish you all the best. Love, C.

Projects I Am Currently Working On.

2010-05-31T14:40:00.002-04:00

So this summer will surely be a busy one with school and all, but sometimes my little projects are something I really look forward to. Plus, if they are written down, perhaps I'll be more motivated to check them off the list! Here's a short list of a few things I'd love to work on this summer:

* My 101 in 1001 list. I started this last summer and have recently completed 7 of the items! Some are long term goals, other things I have wanted to do so I can check them off my list.

*MBC MAT work. This has got to count for something, right?

*My brother's quilt. I have no pictures of it, yet, but I have been waiting to bind it forever...

*Ashley's quilt. It's a wedding gift and I have a year, right? Another one I don't have a picture of!

*A Blurb book for Jeremy's family. I started this last year, but our computer crashed when I was scanning the last batch.

*A Blurb book about Ocean City. Because it might be my last summer in a while.

*A Blurb book for our little family for 2009. And then I'll work my way back to finishing the one I started so long ago for 2008.

*Papercuttings- some silouettes of our little family.

*A papercuttings wall. I have so many of them, but haven't put them up. There's just one space left in our tiny house and you can bet I am taking it!

I think that sounds pretty good. What do you want to accomplish this summer?

Saturday Trip to the Zoo

2010-05-28T23:05:00.005-04:00

These pictures uploaded all over the place, so randomly! Oh well.

We went to the Natural Bridge Zoo last Saturday and we brought Ellie. The zoo is small, but it really does have a nice collection of animals. If Charlie talks at all, it's usually about animals. And Ellie is so smart -- I actually did a practicum in her classroom this year at the very time they presented animal projects. Her favorite animal is the cheetah, which she knew a ton of information about-- and although she and I saw one earlier this year at the National Zoo, the Natural Bridge zoo had no cheetah. I think everyone had a good time!

They have lots of cute little animals running around-- like exotic chickens that jump into the trees!

There are some photographs of me at the zoo in 1985 or 86, and most are of me petting a baby elephant. I found out that the zoo has had this elephant since around that time, and it being their only elephant, she's all grown up! I wish she had a buddy.Moments before the rain came. A moment I want to remember.But wish I had painted my toenails.
Charlie wouldn't feed the animals so I dropped some food on the base of his stroller. The llamas loved it! Charlie-- not so much.
Giraffes have looooong tongues! Feels funny!
Ellie is so pretty, huh! She ran out of purchased food at one point and ran over to an animals trough and took some food out to share with the other animals! I sure hope Leslie writes down some Ellie stories!
Cute little goats!

Watching the monkeys while it rained....
We discovered Charlie had a fever soon after this.... which is why he looks sooo over it!
Wish I could've gotten just a little closer!

Peonies

2010-05-28T22:31:00.006-04:00

Peonies
This morning the green fists of the peonies are getting ready to break my heart as the sun rises, as the sun strokes them with his old, buttery fingers and they open - pools of lace, white and pink - and all day the black ants climb over them,

 boring their deep and mysterious holes  into the curls,  craving the sweet sap,  taking it away   to their dark, underground cities -  and all day  under the shifty wind,  as in a dance to the great wedding,   the flowers bend their bright bodies,  and tip their fragrance to the air,  and rise,  their red stems holding

 all that dampness and recklessness  gladly and lightly,  and there it is again -  beauty the brave, the exemplary,   blazing open.  Do you love this world?  Do you cherish your humble and silky life?  Do you adore the green grass, with its terror beneath?   Do you also hurry, half-dressed and barefoot, into the garden,  and softly,  and exclaiming of their dearness,  fill your arms with the white and pink flowers,   with their honeyed heaviness, their lush trembling,  their eagerness  to be wild and perfect for a moment, before they are  nothing, forever?

-- Mary Oliver

Everybody is Moving Away!!!

2010-05-28T21:58:00.007-04:00

So, Sam's getting married (and moving wherever the Marine {Ben} takes her!) AND Leslie, Paul and Ellie are moving to Charleston, SC AND Jeremy's parents are also moving to Tennessee. All this in the span of the next 2 weeks or 2 months. Kinda crazy and I know we are really going to miss everybody!

So, me being who I am, I feel like we should have a few more get-togethers before everybody drives off into the sunset. We will hopefully do something for Memorial Day, and we are also thinking of going to Pearisburg to help Jeremy's folks pack up (and maybe slip up to Cascades or something, too.)

We had a little picnic in Jordan's Point Park. I realized after I looked at all the pictures that I never took a picture of Ellie, who was with us. After we ate, she found a big branch and wanted everyone to go down to the Min-each (for Mini-beach); no one took her up on the offer because we just wanted to hang out in the grassy area. Good times.

Here are the siblings:

Playing in the grass! We don't have any grass at home so this was super exciting for him! :)
He really loves his aunts and cousin!
Samantha and Buster
Chillaxing.

One Last Go

2010-05-28T21:32:00.003-04:00

Well, it's been quite a while since I've blogged and I've decided to give one .... last.... try.

I stopped for a few reasons:

1. I started this blog a couple of years ago thinking I could use it like a scrapbook, and upload the blog to Blurb or something. But then Blurb and Blogger couldn't get along a few months back, and Blurb decided it wouldn't publish Blogger blogs. A few days ago I checked, and they're back on good terms, so maybe that's a good reason to continue.

2. I am swamped for time as a mom, wife, student. I just realized I haven't fixed my hair, like a real person, since last weekend, and I haven't worn makeup since ... the Wednesday before that. I look terrible, and most of the time I feel like a chicken with my head cut off. How can I find the time to do this, too?

3. I don't love to share my thoughts publicly. Most of the time, I'm just trying to write down some details from something we did, but sometimes I want to just break out in a real rant, but realize that I could really offend someone, or it's risky. For this reason, sometimes blogging feels a little fake.

4. Who reads this anyway? I feel like sharing things sometimes, but wouldn't Facebook be just as effective if I have no one who reads this blog anyway?

Ok, so that's just a few reasons I want to stop... but since I love to read other folks' blogs, and because it is easier to make a scrapbook when you have some sort of reference, ... and, I guess also because Leslie asked me to... I'll give another shot.

24/25 Posts: Cookies!

2010-01-04T00:32:00.004-05:00

So after spending so much time with other kids, home must have looked a little boring for Charlie. Luckily, my aunt Anna had sent us a Gingerbread Cookie decorating kit (Brilliant gift!) It may have been as early as 9 am, but I wanted to do something fun!

Here's what he did:

Gotta sample the icing, like any good baker!

This is what we did after!
24 Posts! I have just one more, and that is one I'll have to do tomorrow!

23/25 Posts: A Quick Trip to Philadelphia, Part 2

2010-01-04T00:11:00.003-05:00

Since Jeremy had never been to Reading Terminal Market, and we were downtown, Becca drove us there for lunch. I think Jeremy and I both had cheesesteaks on the brain! It's a great place to go, so many choices!

Even close to 3 pm, it was still packed with long lines. We chose, instead of cheesesteaks, to eat at this one Jewish deli! So good! We walked around afterwards, looking at the different bakeries and candy shops... and my camera batteries died.

We had nice relaxing evening that night, and hung out more with family the next day. I got to see my grandparents, and my aunt and some other cousins. We left the next day, stopping in Baltimore to see Jeremy's friend Kevin, and his family. They have 3 kids that Charlie also got to play with! He especially had a great holiday, I think, because he got to play with so many kids!

22/25 Posts: A Quick Trip to Philadelphia, part 1

2010-01-03T22:58:00.008-05:00

After leaving Pearisburg, we headed home for the night, only to hit the road for another trip the next morning. We went to visit my family in Philadelphia. We didn't arrive until later in the night Sunday, but when we woke up Monday morning, Charlie came downstairs and saw lots of kids! For a little kid who hardly ever gets to see kids, and to see so many kids over the weekend, he was in paradise!

Here's Ryan, my cousin Matt's youngest, most adorable baby, and Jeremy...
Charlie, Andrea (my cousin Becca's girl) and Matt Jr. (Matt's oldest boy): all coloring, watching Baby Einstein (I think!)
I know, Charlie's not smiling... sometimes he doesn't... but he really loved being around Andrea and Matt, and especially Jeffrey! He just kept jabbering and talking all about it. He had a blast!
There's Jeffrey! Charlie was into exploring the place...
Ryan and Jeremy... in the same spot... still going at the teether giraffe!
Cutie pie!!!
My Uncle Mark and his grandson Ryan :) Sweet pic.
I think this is right after MJ gave Charlie a hug :)
So we decided to head downtown to the National Academy of Sciences. It was the perfect choice for all the ages of kids we had. There was a special exhibit about George Washington Carver, a Butterfly garden, animal exhibits, dinosaurs and a dig, etc.

On the way into the city, Charlie fell asleep. He even let me carry him while sleeping, which is completely unheard of! This kid is a fighter when it comes to sleep!
Ryan looking cute, as usual!
He's always a good sport, never saw him fuss!
Andrea and Matt, Jr.
So the animal exhibits were stuffed animals. They were really well-done! Charlie had seen animals at the zoo and the aquarium, but he'd never been able to walk on his own at those places. Here, he could stand in front of the glass and stare and chat about them all he wanted! That he did!
He's not always shy! Here he's talking to them about these animals!
While the rest of the group was ready after a few minutes, our little guy wanted to stay at many of the exhibits! Wonder if we've got a little scientist on our hands?
At the "dig" area, kids had to wear goggles and they got this special tool. I gotta be honest, I thought it was going to be one big sandbox. I was really impressed, though; it was not easy to dig into these "rocks" (more like some kind of cement). Plus, there were actually things to "DIG!"
Jeffrey helping Matt, Jr.
Becca and Charlie! (Becca is my cousin; also is Matt's sister, and Mark's daughter!)
Look at what they could dig, if they spent days doing it! I believe it's some kind of claw.
Charlie's looking for something!
Matt Jr. was just happy, happy! Here he is in front of a Polar bear!
Our little walker, going at his own pace.
In the butterfly garden! They had tons of different kinds of butterflies all over the place. I wanted one to come land on our shoulders, but :(
After this, we split into 2 groups: Those who were too puckered out to continue, and Those who were ready for Lunch! I'm always up for food, so off we went for lunch at Reading Terminal Market!

21/25 Posts: Pearisburg

2010-01-03T22:20:00.004-05:00

Jeremy's parents live in Pearisburg, Virginia-- outside of Blacksburg. He has 6 siblings, lots of neices and nephews; there's always a little crowd at their house during the holidays!

Grandma Carolyn
Our old dog Buster, now with Sam. Such a sweetie pie.
Charlie had a blast playing there!

Charlie and Aunt Kim
Grandpa and Ivan, Candi's youngest son

Kim's son, Isaiah
Kim's daughters Hannah and Maura, and Candi's eldest daughter, Maddie
Ivan and Charlie playing ball again! (See photos below -- from them playing this summer!)

20/25 Posts: Christmas Day

2010-01-03T22:07:00.002-05:00

Here's a quick post from that morning. Charlie and Jeremy-- looking at the tree. I think we actually woke him up (completely NOT the norm!) and I went down to capture his face.
And here's Charlie's face. When he's nervous, or unsure, he's just very still. Granted, he was probably tired but....
And then I forgot to take pictures. But as he opened gifts, and played with the toys and wrapping paper, he had great time!

My family came over for brunch, I burned most everything, but it was a nice morning. We played Guitar Hero for the longest time, and then they went to watch Invictus while Charlie slept and I did dishes (there were a gazillion!).

19/25 Posts: Christmas Eve

2010-01-03T20:49:00.007-05:00

We spend Christmas Eve at my parent's house. They always have a nice fire going in the wood stove, and my mom made Kifta (an Armenian soup but here's a Lebanese recipe) for dinner -- so yummy !

Charlie loved tearing ornaments off their tree...
Here's this face he's been making lately. Sort of smiling, laughing...
Loved tearing into the presents...
Wearing bows..

There's that funny face again !
Not sure what my brother Michael is doing ....
These aren't really in order, oops...

My dad in his Christmas outfit.... :)
Michael and Lulu
Jeremy
Moi
My mom... and Callie and Lulu

Not sure what's going on here...
We never can all smile for a family photo!!!

18/25 Posts: A Little More Fun in the Snow

2010-01-03T20:33:00.006-05:00

Like I said, the snow's here for a while, so we may as well have fun with it!

Here's our punk snowman that greeted everyone on Christmas morning.
Mohawk.
This is how much snow was still in Jeremy's truck, even nearly a week after.
The neighborhood is usually not much of a neighborhood. People keep to themselves. But with the snow, our neighborhood was crawling with people out walking, or sledding. This is the community next door. Tons of kids sledding for hours. I can't wait to move to a "real" neighborhood, hopefully when I'm done with school!
Creek.
Happy boys.
Happy boy!

Even in the cold wet snow.

17/25 Post-Christmas Posts: Snow Part 2

2010-01-03T18:52:00.007-05:00

This is 5 days after it snowed: Even today there's still a lot of snow left. That picture above is from a creek near our house. We went sledding again-- always to the hill near the church across the street. It's a great hill to go down in a sled-- but NOT up. I hate the trek up, especially in deep snow. I may or may not have complained about that....

Here are my boys sledding. Charlie's first time.
He wasn't upset, but he wasn't laughing, either!
I tried, but got about the same reaction. No reaction.
Some ice.
More ice.
Green grass. Something we won't see for a while. It's supposed to be this cold for at least 2 more weeks.
After sledding, we took Charlie to the little playset. He was pretty relieved to be out of the snow.

Walking with Da-da. Did I tell you he says Da-da all the time. No Ma-ma. Da-da! :)

16/25 Post-Christmas Posts: Charlie Photos

2010-01-03T11:18:00.006-05:00

So many moons ago, I hoped to have a child that my good friend Kim could photograph, but she moved away when her hubby graduated from law school! :( She's busy taking lots of family photos now with her own little one out in Idaho-- see here. Next time Kim is in town, I want her to take photos! :)

Then Charlie came along and we wanted photos! I loved Kim's style, but wasn't sure we'd find anyone in Rockbridge County who could take photos as good. Seems like all we could find at first were photographers with the awful backdrops or sitting poses....

But we got lucky and met Abbie! Abbie was also a law wife who was just starting a photography business when we first met. She took some wonderful family photos of us at Boxerwood. Like all those law families do, though, she moved away! (Why they don't want to stay in our little town??) She's doing great things in Nashville-- look at her blog here. I hope she'll take pictures next time we see here; if she comes back to town, or even if my in-laws decide to move to Nashville!

So, Kim and Abbie are gone, but I still want good photos! Randomly and fortunately, I found out about Brandi Hall! I sort of knew Brandi a little, from seeing her around town and a place where she worked, but I didn't know she took photos. I saw her website around Thanksgiving, and then a friend of mine had some photos taken. Immediately I had to ask her if she wanted to do some shots of Charlie!

Click here to watch a slideshow of all the photos!

I love them so :) and these were the ones I mentioned a while back that would be a little Christmas surprise for Jeremy. He especially loves Boxerwood, as he works with the Education Foundation, and Charlie had a great time.

If you live anywhere near Lexington, I would really recommend giving Brandi a call! I was so happy to discover someone who's willing to get out there and take pictures outside of a studio, for a reasonable price, and who is just really loves to do it!

15/25 Post-Christmas Posts: Snow, Part 1

2009-12-30T21:54:00.006-05:00

So we were supposed to have holiday parties on the last day before Christmas vacation, but a big snow was predicted, so they cancelled school. All my French Club cakes and goody bags.... well, at least we got a real snow!

Here's Charlie that day. Always willing to tear things apart, he discovered an open box of pasta, and proceeded to spread them around the room. Here's just the start.
We like to participate in our local Christmas Basket Program. Here's how much snow there was in the early afternoon, about 3 pm, on Friday. It was fast to stick. After the program, I thought it would be a good time to take a quick drive around town-- soooo wrong was I! Our little Jetta just does not do well in the snow, and neither did a lot of other cars on the steep hills around Rockbridge County.

Actually, you might have heard about the people on Interstate 81, stuck in the Lexington portion of the road, needing to be rescued because their cars had no where to go for nearly 2 days.
Here's what it looked like the next morning, when Jeremy went to take the dog for a walk.
She HATED it, having to tunnel thru the cold wet stuff! She was confused-- where should she go?

More snow pics...

We thought it would be a good time to sled.....

But it was a workout walking thru the deep, deep snow. Carrying a 20+lb. kid and a sled, ... this was more than a workout.
Here's the accumulation by the next morning, and it was still snowing, although its' hard to tell in these pictures. It didn't stop snowing until mid -afternoon Saturday.

We finally made it to the church across the street for some shelter, and I wasn't sure I wanted to continue. I put Charlie in the sling, thinking that would make life easier. Since he was all bundled in layers, I couldn't fold his legs under, so they stuck down. I could only lift the lower portion of my leg, and trying to walk in 1.5+ft. deep snow.... it was exhausting at that point.
Jeremy went on to try to sled, but it was too deep, even trying to make tracks to start.
Here's when Charlie said, "THAT's it! Time to go home, NOWWW!"
And we went. Happy to oblige. We'd sled some other day. This snow wasn't going anywhere!

14/25 Posts: A Wee Bunny

2009-12-30T21:48:00.004-05:00

I have had a Wee Wonderfuls bunny pattern for ages, but hadn't ever finished one. My friend's daughter seemed like the perfect girl to make it for.

It was fun to make... but reminds me that I need to refine my sewing skills. Maybe that's why I always tell myself it's just better when it looks homemade!

I made a little doll quilt that matches, or she could use it with the dolls she got for Christmas this year. I have one last step on that quilt before it's done & I'll photograph it.

I'm sorry the photograph is sideways, I can't figure out why. But you get the general idea!

13/25 Posts: Papercutting

2009-12-30T20:57:00.005-05:00

So Christmas was wonderful this year, and I need to finish up all my 25 posts. I hope to finish before '10!

Here's one gift I was so excited to give: a papercutting of my parents house. I really enjoyed doing this one, the largest one yet. I can't wait to do more.

The finished product:
The house on "The Land" (we always called it that because my parents owned the land years before they built on it):

12/25 Posts: Little Christmas Miracles

2009-12-18T08:41:00.003-05:00

I avoid writing anything too personal on my blog, just because you never know who reads it, but this morning I am thinking about yesterday. It was a day of mixed feelings-- sadness and hopefulness, blessings:

Yesterday, I attended a "birthday party" for a co-worker's daughter who passed away last February. We released balloons-- one pink balloon for every day of life she lived (53). Watching those balloons fade into the sky was a difficult but beautiful moment. Little Maelyn Grace touched our lives in the short time she was with us, and her death helps me realize just how special every day is with my own little miracle:

I also want to say how happy I am for my friend who suffered a miscarriage, struggled with the effects of fertility drugs and the effects of PCOS-- only to have a little miracle occur one day when she discovered she was pregnant. This October she gave birth to a healthy little beautiful boy, and she's loving every moment.

Another friend just gave birth, and is now the proud mom to a pretty little girl. This holiday season will be so special for them, too.

But who I'm thinking about the most is one of my sister-in-laws. She also struggled for years with PCOS and infertility. They've wanted children for so long. She also suffered a miscarriage this year, but yesterday she learned she is pregnant... with twins!

I just feel a mix of emotions. I am hopeful for my friend and co-worker to have a child that she and her husband want so badly. And, for my sister-in-law, I am so happy! I can't think of more perfect parents-to-be! This year was one I doubt I'll ever forget, because of all these little children in my life who are little miracles.

I hope that no one struggling with infertility gives up hope; I have seen the power of faith and prayer. No matter what happens, though, with or without children, I hope we learn to value all the days we have together.

11/25 Posts: I Finally Understand Why Ellen Doesn't Like Glitter.

2009-12-17T23:31:00.003-05:00

I might be OCD, or maybe just a perfectionist about some things, some times. I drive myself crazy. That's a whole other story.

I told myself that it would be soooo simple to just make homemade cards. That it's delightful to receive handmade cards, so maybe I should make some this year. That it would take a day or two. That I would write a nice little personal message in each one so that it doesn't seem all generic. That it would be much cheaper. I was soo wrong on all counts, but I am still happy with the way these turned out!

It all started with the discovery of this little paper punch. I could not leave Michaels without it, and knew I needed to use it to get my money's worth. Next, we needed a photo. Although I found the perfect photo of Charlie, Jeremy really wanted the photo to be of the 3 of us. The one I used was my favorite. I put the one of Charlie that I liked so much inside the card.

It seemed a little bare without the snowflakes, and I made them before I purchased the blank cards-- which of course were only sold as white. Jeremy said they needed a little something-- and that's when my mini-nightmare began. I glued and glittered 3 snowflakes on 80+ cards! Am I nuts? Maybe. But I could not send them out looking too bland-- again with the OCD/Perfectionism! They gradually became much simpler than the one above.

But, I finally understand why Ellen doesn't like glitter. I sent these cards out last week, but I can't escape glitter. We still see it, we wear it, we eat it!

******I'm halfway done with Christmas posts! I might just make it this year!

10/25 Posts: Terrariums from Baby Food Jars!

2009-12-17T22:46:00.005-05:00

So when you think Christmas, you think terrariums, right? Ok, probably not. But here in our house we've got a big collection of baby food jars that are just screaming to be used for something. (I want to recycle them, but our local recycler does not recycle glass anymore- boo!).

Truth is, I have been wanting a little terrarium for a while. I remember when I was little someone whose home I visited had a beautiful terrarium, and there was something enchanting about it. Plus, I have this odd thing for gnomes and little red mushrooms with white dots-- who knows?

Another reason I wanted to do this project is that we wanted to create a unique gift that the kids could create during the holidays that would last all year. They've already made tons of snowmen-- out of glue, of paper, of old tiles--; they've made ornaments, gingerbread men, and little outfits for candy canes to wear. Nothing against these projects, but we wanted to make something a little more special. These are not outright Christmas gifts, either; they're festive enough being green and red!

*If you are interested in doing this project, read to the end, and I got the idea from this page.

We did this project in two days with the kids, but it took some preparation in advance. Prior to the first day, we collected moss from a trail. We brought a big Tupperware and a few moist rags. We laid layers of moss between the rags, and put the moss in the fridge until we needed it.

Classroom Day 1- we created the mushrooms out of Sculpey. I was surprised just how much one little row of the clay will go, and the kids seemed to enjoy it. They created the most adorable little mushrooms; some had stripes, dots, ... just sooo cute! I baked the mushrooms later that day at home. *
That evening at home, Jeremy and I painted the jar tops. The jars had been soaked in very hot water, scrubbed, washed and dried. Rubbing alcohol removed remaining glue. We also purchased little stones and charcoal (carbon). We took a big glop of potting soil from a pot in the back.
Classroom Day 2- Kids put together the terrariums. I returned their mushrooms, they created labels with directions on how to care for them. The terrariums consisted of:

2 Tablespoons of rocks

2 Teaspoons of charcoal

2+ Tablespoons of soil

1 round of moss

Next, the kid spritzed the moss until it was damp but not soaked. They placed any mushrooms they'd made inside, along with plastic animals or little things for their forrest floor.
This was one of my favorite projects I have done, although it was more expensive and time consuming than I initially thought. We have plenty of supplies left over, so maybe I'll do this again later in the year; for now, I don't care if I ever soak another baby food bottle in hot water!!!
If you are interested in doing this project, here are some honest thoughts:

-I am interested in doing this again, but I am not a big fan of Sculpey. I did not like baking the Sculpey. It might have been because there were so many different thicknesses of mushrooms, so I had to check them at intervals and remove them. It was difficult keeping up with whose mushroom was whose, even with a number system. Really, though, it was the fumes that bothered me. It just doesn't feel right burning fumes like that- sort of seemed like I was burning plastic. I mean, is that what Sculpey is? I almost don't want to know!

-It is a costly project for a large class. I try to keep a class project to a max of $10-15, but this was much more than that:

$25/ Sculpey (enough for each student to have 1 red row and 1 small portion white)

$7/Aquarium rocks

$6/Carbon

Baby food jars- free (from Charlie!)

Soil - free (from my back porch planter!)

Paint-free (craft paint already owned)

Gift tags-free (from Christmas stash of wrapping supplies)

I thought for sure I'd have a ton of Sculpey left, but nothing is left.

-Baby food jars are a pain to get clean! I soaked them in hot, hot water and still some of the glue would not come off. I scrubbed and scrubbed. I finally used a little rubbing alcohol to get them clean.
What is most important is that the kids loved making these! They were so disappointed not to take them home that day, but we made them wait until all the holiday stuff goes home. I hope they last until next year!

9/25 Posts: For Santa (UPDATED!)

2009-12-17T22:33:00.005-05:00

What would Christmas Eve be without a little cookie plate for Santa? Charlie and I spent a day over at the Creative Kiln. I hadn't been there in so long, maybe since the summertime. I miss my old painting buddies Kim and Lyndsey, but both are busy with newborns Jonah and Holly!

Even still, I had a great time with Charlie making this plate and would love to make it tradition to make something using his handprints or footprints, as long as he'll let me. I doubt when he's 16 and too cool for me that he'll let me dip his hand in paint and me make some kind of cutesy thing, so I will take advantage of this while I can!
Update: My cousin sent me this link, and I just can't wait to do something like these next year!

8/25 Posts: Real Snow!

2009-12-08T10:52:00.007-05:00

We took Charlie out to Raphine, Va-- it's about 15 minutes north of Lexington but still in Rockbridge County-- to Cyrus McCormick farm. Jeremy seemed a little skeptical to go (would it be worth it to drive that far when all the snow is gone in Lexington?), but it was totally worth it! The weather reports said that Raphine got 8 inches! We bundled up, grabbed the dog, and headed out!

I think it's been more than 10 years since we've had this much snow here, and we're supposed to get even more this afternoon (and this winter altogether!).

Having fun playing in the snow, but skeptical at first!
Absolutely beautiful!
The mill
The pond
Yet another shot of me, holding Charlie just like this... there are a lot! And he never looks! :)
A beautiful scene... a snowy path leading to a.. Coca Cola machine!
Jeremy and Lulu
She's not a fan of any sort of precipitation!
Parting shot-

7/25: No Christmas Parade?

2009-12-08T10:41:00.004-05:00

We got our first snow last Saturday, and although we got very little snow in Lexington, other parts of the county got lots of snow (8 inches in Raphine-- we went there on Sunday!). They postponed the Christmas parade until Monday, which was, of course, my last night of class. Since I had hoped we could have someone snap pics of us in our winter gear watching the parade, and it was cancelled, Leslie met us in Hopkins Green and snapped some shots.

Here is Charlie and Leslie, he's telling her all about the big snowmen in the park!
Charlie and me
Under the huge Christmas tree

6/25 Posts: Santas 1 & 2

2009-12-08T10:32:00.005-05:00

Charlie saw Santa for the first time at Horses Christmas. It didn't seem to phase him, and he wasn't too interested in meeting him.

Charlie saw Santa again at Walmart. This time, he did his If I Don't Look At You, Maybe You'll Go Away face. He did that when we had Halloween masks on, and I hear he even did it when his babysitter got her hair cut! He won't look at you if you're doing something that makes him nervous, which is too funny to me!

This Saturday, Charlie and I will go to Roanoke to see Santa AGAIN; this will be the official Santa trip I've been planning for a while. We're going with my friend Tracy and her daughter, Devin. Can't wait; will post pictures of that after the weekend!

5/5 Posts: Doll Quilts

2009-12-08T08:18:00.003-05:00

Maybe it was 3 years ago that Wee Wonderfuls posted about her wall of doll quilts? Ever since, I've loved the idea. I don't have much wall space left, and maybe in our next house, I can have one. I've found a few on ebay, and my cousin made me 2 that are just beautiful! I can't wait to put them up. Until then, I'll just have to make some as gifts for little girls! This is a Christmas gift for little baby Haley (Jonathan and Lyndsey) due just days before Christmas.

4/25 Posts: The Perfect Christmas Card Photo

2009-12-08T07:55:00.003-05:00

Disclaimer: If you are my husband, parents, brother, or in-laws, please skip this post!

Since the fall, I've been trying to capture a good picture of Charlie to use as a Christmas card photo. I have been dying to get a better camera, but for now, I've just had to make due with my ole Coolpix. It's slow, and by the time it captures the shot, Charlie's moved on.

Attempt 1: In October, we tried in the leaves by Lee Chapel. He won't look at the camera; rather, I can get shots of him looking at the camera, but they just don't seem to capture his personality like I'd hope.
Attempt 2: Ok, next I tried a cute shot in his winter coat... he won't open his eyes.... Attempt 3: Ok, maybe I need to enlist some help. My sister-in-law tried last weekend in Hopkins Green, but we couldn't capture a single shot of the three of us looking... Attempt 4: I tried to put him in his Christmas outfit, and do an update of the one from last year... but can't capture a shot of him looking at the camera! Final, Successful Attempt: In the end, I picked this one! As a secret surprise gift for Jeremy and some family, we did a photo shoot in Boxerwood with Brandi Hall. I haven't seen all the shots yet, but this one is just perfect. And yes, he's not looking at the camera! It is just the perfect photo of him, though! Love it.

3/25 Posts: Horses Christmas

2009-12-08T07:13:00.004-05:00

So the next town over, Buena Vista, used to have a college named Southern Seminary. It was an women's college until I was in high school, and then it became Southern Virginia College (now Southern Virginia University). A lot of the girls who went to Southern Sem had a horse or two, they had a huge barn and riding was a big part of the school. I mention this because apparently they used to have a tradition called Horses Christmas, where they'd dress up their horses and show them off to the community. A local lady, who actually was my horseback riding instructor (story for some other day), decided she'd like to bring it back to the community.

The so-called Horses Christmas was in Glen Maury Park, and there was an entire elementary school there, so Charlie and I couldn't get too close to the "ring," but we could catch the riders before they entered the ring. First, local middle schoolers performed traditional holidays songs, performed and such. They decorated the tree in the middle with carrots, apples, and other treats for the horses to enjoy after the trotted around the ring in front of the kids.
So the kids dressed up, and dressed up the horses themselves. I thought it was sweet was the kids did...Snowmen....
At first, he just wasn't sure what to think of it all....
Local riders...
He was so happy to see his girlfriend Addie there. It was so funny all the younger kids just kept pointing...
See?

Santa arrived last. The kids were so excited. This was Charlie's first time seeing Santa, but he didn't seem to notice, really.
I just wanted to show you the organizer's dog... even he was all dressed up!

I wish they would have allowed the kids to interact with the horses, Charlie would have loved that !

2/25 Posts: Papercuttings

2009-12-08T07:05:00.003-05:00

Considering the fact that I'm on student loans and not working, I know I have to be a little more creative with gifts this year. I'm also really short on time, having just finished my last class last night and my practicum journals need to be finished in the next few days.

I love papercuttings, as I have written about before.... so...

I am thinking for some folks, nostalgic about their homes maybe because they are moving or have just made a new home for themselves... Papercuttings of houses seems like a relatively easy project.

I know I am not the most technical of cutters, but I think it can be a nice gift.

Here's our friends Jonathan and Lyndsey's house-- they just moved to Northern Va.

1/25 Posts: Family Get-Togethers

2009-12-06T12:38:00.006-05:00

I have had camera issues, and I finally was able to take care of that today, so I'm going to play catch up! I don't think it would be possible for me to post every single day of the 25 days before Christmas, but I do think I could pull together 25 posts about holiday-stuff. Here goes...

So the day after Thanksgiving, we met up with Jeremy's family in Christiansburg. It may have been Blacksburg. I don't know, I can never tell what town you're in up there because it's all just one big Hokieville. Either way, we were originally going to take the kids to a park so they'd get good and worn out, but it was freezing cold and flurrying. It was also Black Friday and we weren't nuts enough to be shopping that day... so that left us bowling!

Seems like every single year bowling is something we end up doing. Might be my immediate family, or my family in PA, but it always happens. I am honestly horrible at bowling (but try playing me on the Wii! I'm really good a that!), but I try. But seriously, no one wants to bowl the rest of the year, it seems, and I wonder why the holidays inspire people to go!

*On the drive up, we passed this family van. Nothing too strange from far away, but then you get a little closer...
*They have a full-on bike rack, with the kid's bikes attached-- wheels removed. Was it necessary? Don't you think it would have been just as easy to put them in the trunk? There was something funny about this to us!
*Is there anything sweeter than a sleeping baby?
*Charlie loved watching his cousins play, and helped his young cousin Zai sort through the balls as they arrived.

*Cousin Maura

*Cousin Zai

*With Aunt Kim

25 Posts! (This one doesn't count!)

2009-12-02T18:26:00.003-05:00

It's time! A few years ago, I did this and really had fun finding festive ways to celebrate the holidays and share it with friends. I'm hoping to do 25 total posts all about the holidays, and the posts might be photos, stories, traditions, recipes, projects, etc.

So far, it looks like 3 other people are playing along (hopefully!), and I can't wait to follow along!

Jessie

Kim (who gets bonus points because she has a newborn and I could barely function at this time last year!)

and Jane!!!

Who's up for 25 Days of Christmas?

2009-11-08T19:21:00.002-05:00

Ok, I know I haven't blogged in ages, but I'm getting super excited for Christmas. It's like Charlie's first Christmas, really. I'd love to do another 25 posts of Christmas. Not necessarily something big for each one, but just to share some of the festive-ness on the blog. Hopefully, it might inspire me to blog more! Anyone else game?

A Box of Kleenex

2009-07-30T09:13:00.005-04:00

So last night we watched this movie and I wish I would have known just how sad it would be:
Dear Zachary: A Letter to A Son About His Father.

The movie is a documentary about a man who is murdered (Andrew). His close friend, the film-maker, wanted to interview everyone who was touched by the man's life. As it turned out, as the movie was being filmed in the weeks and months after his death, the woman who killed Andrew (Shirley) fled to Canada, discovered she was pregnant with Andrew's child and never serves a sentence for his murder. In fact, Justice is never served. Andrew's parents seek custody of Andrew and Shirley's child- Zachary. Shirley manipulates the legal system; Andrew's parents, in order to spend as much time with Zachary as possible, have to jump through Shirley's hoops to spend time with the baby. Shirley ends up killing baby Zachary at 13 mos, then takes her own life.

I'm still so sad about this, but it sure does make me hold Charlie that much tighter. I would recommend the movie, but with caution for any parent. It was amazing to see how Andrew touched so many lives, and to see his parents stay so strong through all the tragedies they had to endure.

Today

2009-07-29T08:14:00.006-04:00

I am so glad to finally be home. We've been in that car for what feels like weeks: Gettysburg, PA; Williamsburg/Va. Beach, VA; Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, TN; Ocean City, NJ; Pearisburg, VA. I remember at the beginning of the summer I was thrilled at the idea of going to multiple reunions, a wedding, and beaches. Now I think I am just crazy for thinking we could do so much! We did have a good time on all our little trips, and Charlie was a good sport through it all. It was just the stuck in the car feeling I want to escape! I doubt we'll travel again until Thanksgiving.

Today....

I'm watching: this.

I'm listening to: a sleeping baby. Finally. He's getting a molar in and the nighttime has been torture for him. Traveling hasn't helped.

I'm wondering: are there any cute boy clothes patterns? Besides rompers? I mean there are tons and tons of adorable girl dresses....

I'm working on: a quilt like this! Here's the original from Denyse Schmidt. I love the colors and the quilting pattern on this one (you'll have to look at her web page). Buying solid colors really isn't as easy as you'd think. I didn't want to drive to a fabric store (at least an hour away) so I ordered online what looked to be the closest in color to each she'd chosen. Definitely not the same, but I'll make it my own.

I'm excited about: getting my hair cut tomorrow! I am currently really not liking my 'do. Think I'm going back to this number:

I'm super excited about: checking the mailbox! No word yet from MBC. I might just sit at the mailbox until the postal lady comes! :)

I'm going to go: swimming!

Maybe later: I'll post vacation photos :)

Watch Out Ladies!

2009-07-26T10:49:00.002-04:00

When I was on maternity leave, I got hooked on Jon and Kate plus 8. Really loved that show. I go back to work and they hit the tabloids and the rest is old news to you. Saw this and wanted to share! Did you hear that he's getting his own show?

Match.com-Jon Gosselin - watch more funny videos

Blogging Break Over....

2009-07-25T07:11:00.005-04:00

Well, I abandoned this poor little blog a little longer than I thought I would. Summer's almost over; I'll have to post more about our summer vacations (we have spent so much time in the car!) later.

Right now, let me update you for a quick minute: I'm waiting to find out if I got into grad school. I'm that person who runs to the mailbox when I see the mailwoman because I'm so excited to open that envelope. You see, I've been at this job for 7 years. I am ready to either advance in my career or make plans to move on. When I think about becoming a student again, I'm excited. This also may be an opportunity for me to be home with Charlie, as the classes are evenings and weekends. If I get in, and work, I may not see him very much! So, we'll see.

If it doesn't work out, I may have to return to my job but we're also interested in making some other changes: moving. We are so ready to move from this little house! 5 years in this house has been great but.... it's so small! We need more room! A yard and some privacy would be great. I'm tired of hearing what's going on next door, or hearing my neighbor snore.

Finally, Charlie! Our little guy is so much fun. Watching him tear apart the house -- who has time to blog! He's crawling all over the place and is just a super happy guy. He was waving for a while but not so much lately. It seems he says "Mama!" but we're not quite sure. The photo above is from our recent reunion in Tenn.

Well, now that our computer is working again (down for about 2 months) I hope to blog again a little more . I've just started a new quilt and I've been baking a lot. My camera cards are full and ready to share photos, but I'm so itching for a good camera!!!

More updates soon. Hope you have had a great summer!

It's Not You....

2009-04-19T20:54:00.002-04:00

I've decided to take a blogging break. I've just run full out of steam. No time for crafts, laundry, cooking or anything right now. But we'll be back this summer! Enjoy the beautiful spring!

Charlie's First Girlfriend

2009-04-07T12:32:00.009-04:00

So Charlie's got his first girlfriend-- Addie! She's the daughter of my friend and co-worker Lindsey. She may be 13 months older than him, but they still have a good time together!

Here they are the other day on a little road trip. He gazed her way and watched her... when he wasn't screaming or crying! :) He's used to having Mom or Dad next to him in the car. Addie didn't mind, though; she just kept saying, "Baby!" Can you tell that's what she's doing? She held his hand and tried to comfort him when he cried.
Another day they hung out in our classroom together. Here they've taken over my chair. This was right after she'd put her arm around him, but right at this moment he put his hand on her leg and she said, "No!" :)

She kissed and hugged him, and even tried to push his stroller.
I tried to capture the kisses she gave him on the cheek, but it didn't work out.
So cute!
I love having a little guy-- twice when we've gone swimming, a baby girl will just grab on and won't let go. It doesn't even phase him! This will be fun in about 16 years, huh! :)

Photos from Charlie @ 5 months

2009-04-07T10:31:00.016-04:00

I never imagined that I'd be saying this so soon: Charlie is 6 months old!!!! (Ok, give it a few days!) He's just a ton of fun right now. Napping less during the day so he doesn't miss out on any of the fun stuff going on; teething; attempting to crawl; laughing and curious about so much. But these 6 months have really flown by. I'm really looking forward to these next few months because soon I'll be home with him over summer vacation-- we'll have lots of fun!
His first high chair at a restaurant. Hope it was clean! :)
Grumpy b/c he's got a bucket on his head :(

One of his favorite things in the morning-- sit in the high chair while Mom makes her lunch, chew on spoons or drink out of his sippy cup!
Those eyes!
Grumpy squishy faces!

Always loves playing with Dad.
Hanging out with Uncle Mike! This is up at the W and L tennis courts- Michael came to town when Carnegie Mellon played W And L-- just a quick visit earlier this month.

I'm in Love!

2009-04-06T11:48:00.005-04:00

This morning I discovered via Soulemama a new site that I just love: The Paper Princess! I love anything vintage-inspired, and everything on her site is just adorable. She's got these stamps that you can custom order with your child's name...
I don't know if Charlie will have freckles, but I had to pick up one stamp in the "Howie" style... too cute!

She's also got bookplates...

Sorry about the size of this one, but Jennifer- it does say Hank!!!! This one is my favorite!
Stationary-- love these!!!

It makes me want to get into design... I just wouldn't even know where to start. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Surround Snoring and A Few Links...

2009-03-27T14:24:00.004-04:00

Snoring has been a big topic around here lately... Charlie's on a schedule, of sorts-- which has helped a little at night-- he's mostly sleeping through the night like he was from 0-3 months. Charlie sleeping thru night- check. So I should be sleeping, too-- right?

Jeremy is a snorer. I can sleep through it mostly, but I do sometimes wake up and say, "Could you please turn over???" That helps. A couple times he's gotten frustated with me because I will wake up and ask him to turn over but he's awake (maybe just got in bed or something). He didn't understand why I did that, and I could only say that I thought I heard snoring....

Well, this morning we figured it out. I heard snoring from Jeremy's side of the bed, and then a second set of snores. Turns out it is the neighbor's snoring! I have no idea if he'd ever read my blog, but all I can say is this-- if I have heard his snoring through the walls (and though you may be thinking it, I don't have super sonic hearing!:) ), he must be a super LOUD sleeper! The walls aren't that thin!

It even woke up Jeremy, who thought I was snoring!

Anyway, we're all doing well otherwise. Went to a W&L/VMI/SVU meet yesterday-- more like went swimming at a track meet (according to Jeremy) b/c it rained so much. Charlie never complained, though. Today we'll go swimming (for real), go to a spring soccer game, and then to a birthday dinner for Leslie.

Have a nice weekend!
******************************************************

On to the random links...

What a cute party idea!

High Fructose Corn Syrup-- surprising info.

And, finally, these are photos of some very unhappy little pets....

I Feel Better Now

2009-03-24T12:08:00.005-04:00

Yesterday evening on the news, they had a segment about Charles Manson. They showed footage of him testifying in court. The moment they chose just happened to be when he stated his name: "Charles Willis Milles Manson." My jaw dropped because that's Charlie's name! (Charles Willis C.) For a second there, I really thought that maybe we should change his name... Manson really creeps me out!

Of course we didn't think about that when we named him, but now I feel much better because I discovered that he shares his name with a cricketer by the name Charles Willis and a dinnerware/stemware company.

Yes, I'm a dork! :) Have a good week.

For Christiansburg Folks

2009-03-24T09:59:00.010-04:00

For those of you interested in the black sisters...

The three sisters, together, on trial...

So this is from Jeremy really. For all y'all down in C-burg who have heard all those stories about the black sisters... or maybe you've witnessed something yourself! For years Jeremy has tried to get me to go to his old middle school in Christiansburg-- I'll look but you would never catch me inside! Apparently it's haunted by these women dressed in black-- and I wanted to post the website that Leslie sent him... and a few others.

One on her way into trial...The house in NJ then...And the same house now...The apparent suicide note...

Too bad we missed this!

We've got Teeth! and other news

2009-03-21T10:05:00.003-04:00

Charlie's got 2 little teeth that came in this week.. he's doing fine! He's doing just fine but I have no new photos.

In other news... Jeremy will be not be teaching third grade next year! More details later.

Gotta run, but hope everyone enjoys their weekend!

Who's a better driver?

2009-03-15T10:12:00.001-04:00

Carolyn... or John? :)

And then here are some cute Puppy & John photos from 2 very different times in his life...

Class-y Photo :)

2009-03-10T10:56:00.002-04:00

So the kids in one class made this with me a few weeks ago... In case you can't tell, they are placed in such a way as to spell O-B-A-M-A-! I thought it would be a fun souvenir of the day to print out a copy of this for them.

There's A New Kid in Town

2009-03-09T08:24:00.004-04:00

My friend Ashley babysat Charlie the other day-- this was the first time I'd left him with anyone (except his sitter who watches him while I have to work)-- while Jeremy and I went to a funeral. She's got a baby of her own- a little Maltese named Bella. Bella is just adorale and loved Charlie, as you can see, she kicked and pawed at him! These two need to play again! :)

Snow & Swimming in March

2009-03-04T18:52:00.007-05:00

So it is March, but the weather is anything but spring-like! We finally got a good snow on Sunday evening... it was so nice to finally have a few inches of snow to play in! We spent most of the weekend (before it snowed) just relaxing with my parents. Their house is heated by wood stove, so it was NICE and WARM!

These are the puppies they got over Christmas: Callie is a lab mix & Tinkerbella is a Yorkie/something :) mix! In case you can't figure out this shot, they are curled up together on the couch.

Jeremy started reading The Outliners, ended up finishing it and also reading The Last Lecture before we had to go back to work Tuesday.

My mom looked into vacation stuff....

While my dad played and rested with Charlie. I asked him to pretend he was asleep here (he's a good actor, huh!) so that I could post the photo that follows with it...

Here he is, really asleep with me! In case you are wondering what's up with the walls of this house, it was actually a log cabin. They loved it, but moved to a "real" house because there were so many bats!
Later in the afternoon, we took Charlie swimming at W and L. I've been waiting to do this for such a long time now, but Sundays are the only day I can make it when the pool is open. Yes, it was snowing, but I expected the pool to be really warm. They told me it would be warm... but it was freezing! Apparently they keep it cold so the swim team doesn't overheat during practice or meets. Charlie was a trooper, though-- we swam about 10 "baby" laps and he kicked, smiled, and laughed the whole time. I was freezing afterwards and Charlie was a few shades closer to white, but I can't wait to go again. In fact, this spring we're signed up to the Mommy and me class. After we were finished, we walked outside to this sight:

The following morning, we bundled Charlie up and were going to go sledding. It was just so windy, though, that he didn't enjoy it. Here he says, "Please, take me inside!" He might be more like me-- not super outdoorsy! :)

Here he is, relieved to finally be back inside from that nasty chill! Maybe next year he'll be happier to try sledding!

4 Months, Already?

2009-03-04T18:21:00.007-05:00

Mr. Charlie (a.k.a. Bunkles, Bubbles, etc.) is 4 months old already? I can't believe it. I know it's totally cliche to say it, but time flies when you're having fun. Sleep, I miss, but I'm enjoying everything else. He's so much fun! The above photo is about 3 weeks ago with his favorite toy-- an Oball! He loves to chew on it, it's lightweight and he can easily grab it.He's definetely a little thinker. He watches everything, especially things that move and the pets... loves Lulu (she makes him laugh!), and doesn't always react right away. He's crying a lot less than he was 2 months ago (could be that I'm getting better about what I eat!) and loves to play now.

He loves the Oball, this Teddy Bear (a gift from my mom and dad in the hospital), his exersaucer, spinning toys, squeeky toys, and music. Always so curious about noises.

He has a loud, infectious laugh that I can hear rooms away... it's a big belly laugh! He loves to be tickled and "rough house"... baby style wrestle-mania! :) In case you didn't notice, he never misses a meal. This past month he did start rice cereal. This was his first night eating it... he wasn't quite sure if he liked it, but now he wants to devour it. He'd eat the bowl if we let him!

Ok, normally I don't put the Bumbo in a higher chair, but this was just for a photo. He's perfectly content in the Bumbo for a while, just loves to watch the world. Doesn't he just look like such a goober? :)

This was his last night in his little baby bathtub. I loved that thing, but he's just too big for it! He's in one for toddlers now. He's also started sleeping in the crib (about a week now)... no more bassinet!

This past month has been a blast. We made a day trip to D.C. and Charlie had so much fun watching the kids play in IKEA (Did you really think I'd go to DC and not stop there?). He's spent some time with grandparents and cousins, especially new cousins -- Ivan! And just this past weekend he got to hang out with my Oma, his great-grandma!

I can't wait to see what he does next... which by the looks of things, might be walking! :)

More Laughs...

2009-01-24T20:30:00.008-05:00

Oh Snap!

2009-01-23T08:18:00.002-05:00

I just discovered a great website for baby clothes-- it cracked me up this morning and I hope to pick one of these up for a friend who is due later this year... the website is here. Here are some of my favorite designs:

Charlie's 3rd Month!

2009-01-18T13:30:00.005-05:00

This has been a bittersweet month for me, as Charlie has become so fun but I have returned to work. I haven't had a "real" work day yet, as I worked 4 half days last week and Friday was a 2 hr. delay-- I think next week will be really hard. But anyway, here's some photos from the past month...

This one just cracks me up, and it's from one of my favorite days with him. He's like a doh-boy, all squishy!Christmas was fun-- he loved to stare at the lights and we considered keeping it up all year! Too bad my camera couldn't capture that better!Suprised!Such a sweetheart. Cheeks getting really fat! He's a big eater, and it shows on his cheeks. He's got to be 15 lbs. at least, now.

I love that hat! Makes me want to learn to knit, but I know it'd be dangerous for me to pick up another hobby!

Lounging...Always sucking on his fingers-- we'll have a thumbsucker for sure.Sweet, as always.Gotta have shades, baby.Another photo I love ...Kicking all the time! Loves to chat with us...

Laughs all the time!! And can pick up his head with much less frustration than before. Loves to stand up (with a little help from Mom and Dad) and look around!

This kid is such a joy! Hope you're all well. Will post Christmas photos soon. Yes, I know it's January!

Charlie's Room

2009-01-18T12:22:00.009-05:00

So the nursery was finally clean enough to photograph-- as clean as it's going to be at this point. I wrote before about some of the things we wanted for the room. I got most of my ideas from an article in a British baby magazine. There's a neverending pile of baby stuff each day and he hasn't even slept in this room yet. The room is a little dark and is hard to photograph, so I apologize that many of the photos are blurry. I actually made the nursery set the day before he arrived. I thought maybe if I did the finishing touches on that, he'd come... and he did! The Alexander Henry print is one I love and have a ton of fabric leftover for more projects. Here's the wardrobe, toybox, changing area (we pull out the changing pad). Jeremy's bike hangs on the wall and Charlie's first toy is ready for him to use (it will be a while!)-- the Rody.
This stool by One Step was a gift from a cousin, and it is where we keep our diaper/bath caddy. (I love that bag!!!)A Flensted mobile I love... Here are the shelves with my craft stuff and his books-- only a portion of them-- you know we have tons of books! The embroidery is by my cousin-- so cute and perfect for the room. The hot air balloon is by Nostalgic Bay and you may remember seeing them in the shop windows in Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. The chair we painted and covered the seat cushion-- the chair belonged to my great grandfather, and I remember sitting in that when I was very little.
The room has a little alcove just perfect for this desk-- 2 filing cabinets and an IKEA glass desktop. We had a much larger space in our old "office", where we used an antique door (with a plexiglass top) as the desktop. (One side was for computer work, and the other for sewing and crafting). Not as much space here, but it works for us for now.
We've got "Keep Calm" reminders all over the house-- both Christmas gifts from 2007. Made here, history of them here. I have a blue one downstairs near the living room.

This chair is actually pink-- I got it about 5 years ago as a gift. Made my first slipcover for this chair, which isn't perfect by any means (as this chair is an odd shape) but serves its purpose.

Well, that's the tour. I'm pretty bummed that I can't get pictures without them being blurry, I'm going to try again sometime.

I Need A Laugh Today...

2009-01-12T20:43:00.002-05:00

Back To Work :(

2009-01-09T09:41:00.003-05:00

So next week I return to work, and this week I've been trying to have a nice, relaxing week with Charlie. I'll post again soon-- we have lots of photos from Christmas vacation, but right now I just want to hang out with my little guy.

Charlie will be 3 months old when I go back, and it's amazing to see just how much he's changed already. We're starting to seek his personality peeking out and he's such a sweet guy-- to me! He is a little timid and shy, sometimes fussy with other people, even Jeremy right now, but I hear that's normal. He loves to talk and play, and especially to stand up and look around at everything. Loves bathtime so much!

Jeremy will be home with him for 2 weeks, and I'll start with 1/2 days-- still, I don't know how I'll do it. I hate to miss a second with him, but I'm so lucky I got to be home with him for 3 months. I'm going to upload a million photos to my iPod so I can look at them all day :) Wish me luck!

I'll blog again in a few weeks, but until then, enjoy this new blog I found all about Lex Vegas.

Holiday Goodies

2008-12-22T13:42:00.003-05:00

So there won't be any handmade gifts this year... there's just no time. Well, there were the homemade gifts of sweets and such, but that's it. I am going to finish shopping today, and tommorow & Wed. will do some preparations for Christmas morning Brunch!

There will be some Mexican Brunch Casserole... (will post recipe later)

Latkes (I'm not Jewish I know, but I make these every year after I had some awesome roommates who were Jewish)...

Ebelskivers (I'm not Danish.... but I also like to make these each year...)

Sausage Balls...

And whatever caramels & Pumpkin Surprise Pie is leftover from Christmas Eve dinner at my parents' house!

There is one cookie I'd love to make, but will prob. not have time for -- here's the recipe. It looked delicious in this month's Country Living.

Oh, one more thing-- check out her adorable cookies! I'm totally making the cherry cookies next year!

Grandpa 'Stache

2008-12-18T11:56:00.004-05:00

So my dad has a mustache:

but nothing as crazy as these!

More.

Quick and Easy Recipes & A Few More Sweets

2008-12-18T10:05:00.007-05:00

So I spent most of the weekend preparing some meals and cookie plates for some folks who needed a little something. Thinking I ought to pick easy but yummy favorites, I tried to keep it simple. I thought for sure I could spare an hour here and there, but by Sunday it became apparent that I needed some help... called in my sister-in-law Sam for help! Thank goodness for her, couldn't have done it without her help!

(I'll Post A Picture Soon of the Cookies... need to upload to our slow computer....)

For the meals, I quadrupuled this recipe... but I love to use Corn Flakes on top of the casserole instead of bread crumbs.

We used Martha's Sugar Cookies and Royal Icing (both were actually much less complicated than her usual recipes-- make sure you use only 2 egg whites for the icing, not the 5 she says on the video); White and Milk Chocolate dipped pretzel rods; Spitzbuben; and Kim's Christmas Caramels.

You MUST make the caramels ... I don't know anyone who doesn't like them and I'm making a second batch today. Here's the recipe:

Kim's Christmas Caramels
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
dash of salt
-Combine ingredients in heavy pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon until temperature reaches soft-ball state on candy thermometer (about 15 minutes). Pour into buttered 7x11'' pan. Cool, cut into squares, and wrap in wax paper. Makes about 75 pieces.

Jeremy's been a big help in the lunch and dinner department lately, but I still love to spend a little time in the kitchen. This week I discovered two really easy things to throw together that are both pretty good (of course, it's much better when it's homemade, but who has the time???): Chicken Noodle Soup and Peppermint Patty Brownies:

Quick and Easy Chicken Noodle Soup:
2-4 cans chicken broth (low sodium!)
2-3 carrots, cut into small pieces
2-3 stalks celery, cut into small pieces
roasted chicken, about 2 cups, shredded
2-3 portions pasta, uncooked
a little salt and pepper
-Combine all but the pasta in the broth, allow to boil. Add pasta. Soup's ready when the pasta is!!!

Peppermint Patty Brownies:
1 bag of Peppermint Patties
your favorite brownie mix
-Make brownie mix according to directions. Pour half the mixture into baking dish. Top with Patties. Cover Patties with remaining mixture & bake.

Baking-- Recipes Reviewed

2008-12-10T12:30:00.007-05:00

I wanted to share a few baking recipes that you should definetely try. Believe me, I'm much more of a cook than a baker (I don't like how precise everything needs to be!), so these recipes are a little more relaxed than your usual ones....

Iced Pumpkin Cookies. De-lish!!! I saw these on Angry Chicken back in October and had to try. They really are rather cake-like, and they were gone so quickly that I have no photos...

No Knead Bread. So I think it'dbe fun to this out again. Mine turned out a little too crusty-- I mean, that's often what I like best about store-bought bread-- the crust, but my jaw hurt after chewing so much. But this lady's kid sure makes it look easy, huh!

Pumpkin Surprise Pie. This was yummy and was a big hit on Thanksgiving.

Barefoot Contessa's Sticky Buns. I tried this recipe out within a day of seeing her on Good Morning America. Soooooooooooooo good! Soooooooooo easy!

I'd love to have some more recipes-- the simple & easy ones are best right now-- if you want to pass any on. Hope you're having a good week.

My "Vacation" & Links for Photobooks & Baking

2008-12-09T10:35:00.007-05:00

(Cinderella topper found on Bake It Pretty)
I honestly have had a few people ask me if I'm enjoying my "vacation".... I never know just how to respond. I haven't had too much free time between nursing, laundry, errands, etc. to enjoy a leisurely day. Nursing takes an incredible amount of time, but I enjoy it and I see a decrease in the length of each "session," if you will. I'm so glad that I stuck with it (there have been plenty of times that I wanted to quit)... but I won't say much more about that :)

Besides writing a billion thank you notes, I've been using any free minute I have to organize our overflowing house or bake. I see other moms trying to squeeze in something they enjoy, too! :)

I used to be big into scrapbooking, but I can't seem to find the time. Plus, there are bags and bags of scraps of paper, stamps, stickers, etc. that I just hate having to store... I'm always trying to get rid of stuff! Our house is tiny, we love it, but it is tiny... I have to remind myself often that people in Europe somehow live in smaller places.

I've found much simpler solutions that I'm pretty happy with-- digital photo books. Originally, I wanted to try the Kodak (regular) photo books... but I didn't like the pages. They may be different now, but the ones I saw were glossy and looked like someone just printed them from a typical printer. I wanted something a little nicer.

I can nurse (Is that T.M.I.?), scan, upload photos, burn photo cds, organize pages all at once. All one-handed, sitting-for-long-periods-of-time activities.

So, I worked on a Blurb book. Love it! It took some time, months in fact, to piece it all together. It was our wedding album, so I wanted to make it just right. You can actually work on it offline, which was nice. Once you are satisfied, you just load it to the site. Here's a preview of ours. The quality is outstanding-- it looks like a real, professionally-printed book that we'll cherish.

I just recieved it last week and my mother has stolen it already. I haven't seen it since Thursday :) When I get it back, I will post some photos of it...

Excited by the prospect of organizing ALL of our photos that way, I looked into some other options.. just to explore a little.

I discovered Martha Stewarts's Mini books at Kodak. I love these. The quality is just as nice a Blurb (I saw one finished), but it's of course much smaller. I love the cover options, and think these would make great gifts! (Perhaps they will be....!!! Christmas is right around the corner!)

Another site I discovered that I totally want to try is StoriesbyEveryone.com. You pick the theme, upload your photos, add your captions, and Voila! It looks just like those cool scrapbooks that used to take years.... I'm guessing. Like I said, I've got to try this one out.

Finally, I wanted to share 2 other links I love exploring right now... Since I've been home more, I've been baking more and love baking "accesories:"

Fancy Flours: You have got to check this one out. She's got every kind of cookie cutter, sprinkle, glitter, even adorable cupcake liners... yes, these have little Christmas lights cut out--

Bake It Pretty- Cupcake topper kits, inspiring photos...

Charlie's First Two Months

2008-12-08T11:45:00.009-05:00

I've been meaning to post for some time now-- most especially I want to thank you all for your blessings, support, well-wishes, advice, gifts-- we feel so fortunate to be so cared for! Charlie's wonderful-- he's a sweet, happy boy who has already changed so much in just these first two months.

Delivery was really not the nightmare I imagined! We went in that cold October morning around 4 or 5, and really the epidural was something I didn't go in planning to have. I won't go into too much detail, but I will say, after walking for some time and realizing that I wasn't going to win a prize if I didn't have an epidural-- I saw no reason not to have one at that point! WOW! I will recommend that to everyone!
Charlie was born at 11:44 a.m. He was so much bigger than we'd thought-- we were told to expect 6 lbs, maybe a little more. In fact, at one point during my pregnancy, they considered taking him out early because they thought he was too small! But when he arrived, he was 8 lbs., 2 oz. & 19.5 in. !!! He was slightly jaundiced those first few days, but he quickly returned to his birthweight by the second week and he turned pale like his Mommy & Daddy. The above picture makes me laugh because he looks so chubby and so much older than just few days old.
We took him on a short hike up on the Blue Ridge Parkway right before Jeremy went back to work. It was such a beautiful day, and it was so nice to get out of the house!
Unfortunately, Charlie didn't seem to like it much-- probably takes after me in that way! :)
Jeremy is great with Charlie (and me!) He took off about a week of work, and I was practically clinging to his legs when he was headed back to work (I wasn't ready to do it on my own!) Charlie will smile when he holds him, and I have to laugh still at the songs Jeremy would sing-- The Beverly Hillbillies theme & The Gambler ("Son I made I life out of reading people's faces.... ) were ones that seemed to calm Charlie those first few weeks.Sleep was hard at first, just like everyone says. Charlie most likely had his days and nights mixed up. He'd be up for most of the night-- mostly just being curious about the world, not always fussing. This book really helped with those first few weeks, I'd recommend that.Now that we're headed to his third month, things are starting to fall in place. He's a good napper, and he's slept through the night a few times (YAY!!!). (I have a theory that this is why-- another recommendation!) I don't think he likes the bassinet very much, so he still sleeps with us a portion of the night, which is okay, because it's so exciting to wake up and see him! :)He's already had 2 special holidays! Halloween and Thanksgiving. Charlie did have a Halloween costume, but even though it was sized for newborns, it was much too big. So he wore all the Haloween/pumokin stuff he'd been given. We didn't go anywhere that evening, but that day I took him to my dad's workplace and to school so Charlie could meet Jeremy's class. That was so fun. Thanksgiving we stayed in town and went to some friends-of-the-family's home. Charlie was passed around the whole afternoon & he was sweet for them all... good for us, because they've all volunteered to babysit! I love being home with him. I have until sometime in January, then Jeremy will be home for 2 weeks with him. We have lucked out and have the most wonderful, sweet lady who volunteered to sit for us! She's missing having a baby in her house (she's got 5 kids), and we know Charlie will be well cared for.I love his expressions. He watches the world and is mesmorized by our faces and the noises we make. He especially loves the Christmas tree, and we're not sure if he likes the ornaments or lights, but maybe we need to keep it up all year!Such a sweetie.He loves his paci! And he, of course, has to be a Hokie. Here we are watching the ACC championship last Saturday. We're so excited for Christmas. Can't wait to have Jeremy home again with Charlie and me, and to visit family and friends. Start some traditions. Luckily, since he's so young, I don't feel like I have to go crazy with the gifts. After all, he's gotten so many presents just for his arrival that he hasn't played with yet! :)

Well, there you have it. I promised pictures of our little sweet pea, and now I'm off to play with him! Hope you are all enjoying the holidays, and we'll post again soon.

Funnies

2008-11-25T07:33:00.002-05:00

I swear I'm getting photos together of Charlie, and everything is great... we feel so lucky to have such caring friends and family-- thank you!

Just wanted to post a quick joke and video---
A young man named John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad attitude and an even worse vocabulary. Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity. John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to "clean up" the bird's vocabulary. Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot. The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder. John, in desperation, threw up his hand, grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer. For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute. Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer. The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and said, "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior."

John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude. As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued, "May I ask what the turkey did?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Charlie!

2008-10-23T10:53:00.002-04:00

Meet Charlie!

Charles Willis was born on October 13 at 11:44 am. A whopping 8 lbs, 2 oz-- 19.5 inches long! :) It was an easy delivery (thank you, epidural!) and we're enjoying every minute with our sweet boy!

More photos, soon!

About to Pop!

2008-10-09T07:10:00.002-04:00

Ok, so we're in the early stages of labor at this point, and we're just waiting... waiting... waiting! I hadn't posted in so long that I wanted to put one last post while we're still preggers. I tried to get the hubby to cooperate for pictures, with no luck!

Hopefully, in the next few days, I can post again so you can see our little man.

We can't wait! This has been quite an adventure already! :)

FYI: Bottles and Other Plastics

2008-09-03T22:07:00.003-04:00

Here's an article that popped up today on MSN.

Honestly, I hadn't heard much about this until a cousin emailed me about BPA free bottles, and then Felt Mouse did this post. I've done more research since then and we've eliminated most of our "standard" plastic containers...

I wanted to share a great website I've purchased baby bottles and pacifiers from these past few months that are BPA free: Baby Green Pea ( We decided on the Adiri and Green to Grow)...

Playing Catchup- Spring Photos!

2008-08-31T13:16:00.009-04:00

I've been meaning to post these for some time- all from the Spring:

Leslie was in a race here in Lexington... She won first place! Yay for Leslie!

The very next weekend, Jeremy and Michael did the Lexington Road and River Relay together. Go Jeremy! :)

Here's Michael at the bike/kayak exchange.

These are my parent's friends Alan and Cinda. Cinda's been like an aunt to me since I was little. She just retired from Washington and Lee as the head women's coach. She and Alan decided to sell the house, pack up their belongings into storage, and head off to Thailand for a year or two. For Mother's Day, we took my parents to Peaks of Otter for lunch and a walk around. It was really fun!What a tree hugger :)My cousin Julie's hubby (Mason) graduated from UVA and we spent the day with family in Charlottesville... My parents with my aunt Libby and uncle PatBrother and Sister!
My cousin Julie and I
and this is Keyes, her son!

Some photos of our "foster" dog Buster-- pre-haircut!

And finally, some projects from Spring:

A butter dish for my mom... this is the third of this design that I've done for her.

And for me, a new pincushion. I wanted something sturdy for when I'm quilting. I like to put a little bag under the pincushion for cut threads and other trash, so this flowerpot works really well to weigh it down.

10 Reasons We Had A Great Summer! (Part 2)

2008-08-31T11:28:00.015-04:00

Finally, I have the chance to finish my "Top Ten"...

Reason #4: Ohiopyle, PA

My parents invited us to go with them to Ohiopyle State Park (outside of Pittsburgh). My brother and his girlfriend Pam also came with. My dad found a great little house for us all to stay, and it was right near the river and biking trails. While they biked, I read books or wandered around the little old town. I don't think we've taken a trip as a family since I've been married, so that was cool. My brother is also starting a new coaching job this fall, so it was good to spend time with him and Pam before he left town. My favorite part of the trip was probably going to Fallingwater with my mom and Pam. I'd read about the house in so many of my Art History books, but to see it in person was just amazing. I don't think Wright's designs were always very practical, very liveable-- but he certainly was able to incorporate Nature into each and every room. I wished that I could wander the house without a tour guide, because they breeze right through every room. I'd highly recommend visiting.

****(I'll have to add my photos later-- I used my brother's camera and he's got to forward them to me!)

Another day, we all visited a different Frank Lloyd Wright house-- called Kentuck Knob. Everything is based on the shape of a hexagon. What I really found interesting after touring both homes was that Wright seldomly visited the homes he designed. He visited Kentuck Knob only once-- and that was because of a disagreement with the builder.

Anyway, it was a really fun trip. We ate well and had a great time. I know we'll go there again next summer. Another excuse to go to Fallingwater!

Reason #3: Bumming Around Town

Since we didn't travel very much, we pretty much hung out around Lexington. For most of the summer, we both worked odd jobs here and there. Some tutoring, some house painting for Jeremy; for me, some tutoring, some training, and some subbing at school (trying to earn extra maternity leave!). It was weird at first because we both felt guilty for not working, but after a few weeks of having the luxury of sleeping in, napping, hanging out in the AC-- we were well-adjusted!

A few doggie baths... Buster is so cute!
And here's the extent of my gardening this summer: There were a few fun days in town-- Fourth of July's Balloon Rally-- we went friends and family to watch the fireworks after a great BBQ dinner. The balloons were all over town for a few days:

Reason #2: Mother Hens! :)

We've never felt more loved! :) It's just been amazing how kind and generous our co-workers, friends and family have been... whether they're sharing advice or goodies for the baby, or even just sharing in their excitement with us... it's made this such a wonderful experience! This kid is already so lucky!

I wish I could post photos of all the adorable outfits and toys and goodies he's recieved, but I would like to post some of the handmade goodies:

Gown and hat from The Felt Mouse! It's just too cute-- she's so crafty! She's having a boy of her own-- due a few weeks after our little one. It's been fun to see experience this at the same time.

Needlepoint by my cousin, Becca. These pictures do it no justice-- it's so well done! She even made the frame-- including painting the blocks! Seriously! This girl needs to start an etsy shop at the very least! Will be perfect in the nursery.

Reason #1: Nesting! and Counting Down to the Arrival!

We've taken the preparations for the baby's arrival in stride. We've taken our own little baby steps-- everything we're supposed to do can be a little overwhelming, so it's been a slow process but I think we're almost ready! We spent some time over the summer getting ready-- us, the house, the car, work, etc.

(oh, the MINI sold in 2 days-- the buyer took 10 minutes to decide! We ended up getting a VW Jetta. Miss the MINI but love having more room!)

I've done a major cleaning of the house, oh, 3 or 4 times-- usually after we get a bunch of baby stuff I realize that we don't have room... so I get rid of even more stuff. The Goodwill folks have seen me a lot! It's been good, though, to simplify. We've also been recycling more and more-- also, paying closer attention to the chemicals we use for cleaning or what's in our food.

We've also been taking a childbirthing class-- that's taken away some of my anxieties and offered some strategies I hadn't known about. Although Jeremy hated the live birth videos, for some reason, I feel more motivated to meet him and less scared to go through it all.

Anyway, in less than 50 days, we'll get to meet our little man! This last month is one I have mixed feelings about-- I don't want it to go by too quickly (I'm not sure I'm ready!) but then again, I can't wait to meet him and I feel like a cow! I'm just glad we had the summer to relax together and get ready.

I hope everyone had a great summer!

10 Reasons We Had A Great Summer! (Part 1)

2008-08-26T16:55:00.017-04:00

This might be a long post, but I haven't blogged in so long and I wanted to post about this summer. I don't have very many photos, and I think I'll have to keep it to a "Top Ten" format-- for time's sake. :) Our summer officially ended last Wednesday when school began again. I think today was the first day it really sunk in for us-- our summer really is over?!? It went by so quickly and we had a blast. The best part about summer ending is that fall's around the corner, and with that... we finally get to meet Junior! :)

Reason #10: I Finally Finished The Quilt!

Earlier this summer I may have mentioned that I was almost finished... yeah, that was before I realized just how long it would take me to hand quilt it. I'm loving the finished quilt (sorry the pictures are so dark-- it's been so cloudy all week):

In about 2 days, we'll be handing it over to our friends-- those Newlyweds-- who deserve their wedding gift sometime this year! It also should count as a housewarming gift since they just purchased their new house. Hope they love it! I would recommend D. Schmidt's pattern, although I followed it to the "T" and at one point, things werent' matching up correctly. I improvised by changing the shape of the circle. I don't think it's very noticeable and looks pretty close to the original design. Not perfect, but something I'm satisfied with :) !

I started my friend's baby quilt yesterday, but it shouldn't take half as long. Her baby is due soon after ours, so I gotta get on the ball! Once I finish hers, I'll be working on one for our little Junior-- probably will be the same D. Schmidt quilt pattern, but 4 rings (vs. the 12 with this gifted quilt).

Reason #9: Good Reads

For the first summer in a long time, I had the time to curl up on the sofa with a good book. That was really nice. Of course, I've been reading What To Expect but I also read all the Shopaholic books. Those were fun! This was my favorite of Sophie Kinsella's books:I read a few other "Chick Lit" books, but I can't remember the titles. I am reading Eat Pray Love right now, and I'm not breezing through it like some of my other summer reads, but I enjoy her writing. I've just started her visit to India...

Has anyone read Petite Anglaise?

What about this new Amy Butler book? It's killing me not to buy this. I have promised myself that if I can make it to the end of September... it just looks like it's got some great projects. Reason #8: Chessie Walks and Spoiled Doggies

Jeremy and I tried to go out on the trails nearby every couple of days. We'd take Buster (our "foster" dog) and Lulu. The trail is part of Rails to Trails-- old railbed trails. It all runs along the river and I love that it's just minutes away. Another perk of Lex Vegas! :)

We have seen so much wildlife each time-- there's even a little beaver den that I like to stop and watch. I've only seen them active very early in the morning.

We took the dogs everywhere this summer-- walks and to the river, on trails, etc. Buster even has his own little seat in the truck!

Reason #7: Summer Swimming

We swam all the time this summer! It felt great to get out a few days a week. We went to Lake Douthat a few times, Goshen (Indian Pool), a pool in town (Thanks, Sam!), and even out on the James (a great kayaking trip with my parents). Always refreshing and something I already miss. The weather's already a little too chilly for river swimming.

Reason #6: Soccer Camp

Soccer camp is a fun tradition in my family. When I was growing up, my dad ran the camp and all my cousins would come in for the week. Being "creative" rather than "athletic" I usually watched from the sidelines, and eventually my cousin Becca joined me on the sidelines. We spent lots of time checking out the camp counselors and shopping!

Now my brother runs the camp. We had Becca's kids in for soccer camp-- I think this might be their 3rd year. It was fun getting the spend time with everyeone, but being pregnant, I have to say I was completely, utterly, COMPLETELY worn out after they left... Dont' get me wrong, they're great kids but I definetely think being a mom is going to wear me out! At the end of the week, Becca came in for the weekend and we all hit the lake. Fun,fun!

More photos from our Lake Douthat outing:

Reason #5: Ocean CityJeremy and I had planned to take 2 trips to the shore this summer, but our second trip had to be cancelled when we sold the MINI. (We'd be broke if we'd driven the truck 7 hours with these gas prices!) We did make it in June and it was WONDERFUL!

It was still pretty early in the season, so the beaches weren't crowded. The boardwalk wasn't, either, so it was just nice to chill out. We played lots of putt-putt, ate lots of yummy food and candy, and stayed out on the beach for most of the day. I can't wait to take the baby there next summer!

Long Time No Blog :)

2008-08-26T06:34:00.005-04:00

I have so much to post from the summer... I don't know where to begin! Instead, I'll share somethings that made me laugh this morning....

My favorite parts are when she cleans Tessa up before eating and describes Tessa's dreams.

Even funnier may be this cat-- but we only get to see him for a second:

And finally, check out this cake website!

She's Leaving Me...

2008-07-18T12:32:00.003-04:00

My sweet little Cooper's leaving us Monday... I'm saaaad! Her new owner is a great guy who lives in the next town over-- so we'll still see her around, I guess. I really wanted to keep her-- yes, car seats do fit in MINIs, but with the car seat in the back, the front seat's space is very limited... unless you mind sitting in the glove compartment. This was a great car but not really the right car for baby! :(

Hope you are having a great summer. We're staying busy but really enjoying ourselves. I've got a million photos to post, but just dont' seem to have the time! Will update soon.

Fun Stuff!

2008-06-29T10:32:00.007-04:00

I've been working on my first real quilt these past few months... I've never worked with a pattern and never have even sewed circles, so I was challenging myself when I picked up the Single Girl quilt by Denyse Schmidt.

Here's one example:
I love it. I can't pull myself away from it and I don't know how I'll wrap it up and give it away-- I'm sort of attached! I can't reveal just yet the finished product for 2 reasons: 1- I'm not finished (but I'm close!) and 2- It's a belated wedding gift for some friends (hey, you have a year, right!).

I've even picked out my next quilt pattern: "Texas Tulip"-- one I already have and one for which I even have the perfect fabrics for, too! I'm ready to jump on it and get started.

I'll fallen for some designs I found on Print and Pattern by sprout design. I'm hoping to put something on pottery for the nursery...

Boy, Oh Boy!

2008-06-23T21:25:00.012-04:00

So I am pretty excited about the nursery! I feel like I have to get it together NOW but I know, we've got time! A few people asked what I have in mind so I wanted to share a few of the awesome things I've found for the room... I'm sticking with this sort of nursery.

First off, the most awesome fabric EVER!!!
I've always liked Alexander Henry's 2-D Zoo, but had no reason to buy it... until now. I have some of both...I love, love, love it! It's been really hard to find-- literally for weeks I searched high and low for it, and found the jackpot last week when I discovered one store that got a big shipment in. I can't decide if I like the primary colored one better or the blue/green one better-- either way the design is too cute.

My mom got us an adorable Flensted Mobile:

One of the first things I picked out was a Rody. It can hold a couple hundred pounds-- so if he jumps off his bed it won't pop. They also are adjustable so you can change them depending on the kid's height.

We got the one in orange. The pets are scared to death of it!

Something I found while we were on vacation last week was a Bolz train toy-- I don't know to call it besides a spinner. You crank it, the train goes around the track and it makes choo-choo noises. I drove Jeremy crazy.

And last, but not least, I've picked up a few Miffy things. Some books and toys. I love these:

I am having waaay too much fun with this!

Never Do This While You're Pregnant.

2008-06-12T14:47:00.005-04:00

A few years ago, our school was renovated and our playground equipment, blacktop, etc. was destroyed, unfortunately. So the community has really worked hard to collect funds for new playground equipment, but those sets are sooo expensive! I wondered if there was anything I could do to help.
I'd heard that there was a huge map of the USA on the blacktop that the kids really enjoyed, so I considered doing one of my own with some classes. Looking into the costs, I knew I'd have to get a grant. And, while we're at it, I figured we could go ahead and do a big world map, too!
Of course, I wrote this grant waaaay back in January before I knew I'd be pregnant. I got my grant. Paint and supplies we got with the help of Sherwin-Williams. Huge--HUGE-- map stencils from Peaceful Playgrounds. We looked at the directions and figured it would only take a day--we wanted to include all classes (450 kids!)-- but the directions said it would take 6 folks 4 hours. I worried that the maps would be done and that there'd be tears from those kids who really wanted to help.... Boy, we were wrong!
The photos you're seeing are from day 2. I forgot to take pictures day 1 because I was too hot! It was approximately 1 million degrees on the blacktop, both days-- don't worry I wore plenty of sunscreen and drank lots of water. Yes, both days. And we even had to make a second run to the paint store because we ran out of paint. Almost every single person in the building came to help with these monster sized beauties, and some classes came out for a good hour or so just to help. We had lots of parent volunteers.

Some spots were painted by adults, but nearly everything was painted by our students. Too fun!

So it's done, and both maps look awesome! I've got to take final photos of them, but I'm still recovering. Seriously, I stayed away from the paint, but I still had to tell the kids where to paint, and what color (it was a huge color-by- number). The heat, the bending down, the bending down, the heat, the clean up, the rushing around (each class got at least 1/2 hr)... somehow it all added up and wiped me out! What was most difficult was that after you laid the stencil (8 sheets that are wider than most classrooms), you connected dots to make the borders of states (easy) and countries of the world (insane Geography quiz!). My dad, my coworkers, volunteers and myself worked on those borders for nearly 2 hours... 6 people in 4 hours, right!

Now that I can walk again, and it has finally cooled off here, I'll be able to enjoy it... but now the kids are all gone! :) Hope you parents are enjoying your summer!

Cutie Pies!

2008-06-12T14:13:00.006-04:00

Check out these cute kids! I'm hoping our boy will be as cute!
First, here's my cousin Matt's son, Matt Jr.:
Want him to be on the cover of Parents magazine? vote here!

And here's another cutie-- Ezra, my godson! Such a sweet little boy! I wish I could've made it to California this summer again, but with our little one on the way... plus Autumn's got a little GIRL on the way (due about a week after us!)
Awwww!!! I can't wait to meet our boy! :)

It's Definetely a Boy!!!!

2008-06-01T11:19:00.006-04:00

We had our ultrasound on Thursday... here's what we saw:

A little baby foot!Next we saw this weird shape... can you guess what it is???

It's the baby's bottom cheeks and wee-wee!

He went on to show us for a good while that he's definetely a boy. For most of my pregnancy, I was so sure it was a girl!

Next, we saw an almost perfect profile... he just wouldn't turn his head all the way. The lady doing the ultrasound said she was sure he was asleep, so she tried to move the wand around him, nudge him to wake up...he would only kick her to say, "Leave me alone, lady! I'm trying to sleep!"

It was a really surreal experience. I can't believe I'm having a boy. I'm excited! More details later.

We're Having A Watermelon!

2008-05-25T11:19:00.007-04:00

I'm halfway through the pregnancy and already I'm sad that it could be over soon! I've really enjoyed almost every second of this, and I feel great. There are moments that haven't been the greatest, but I'm having so much fun. Each week I visit this page to see what size fruit/vegetable the baby is approximately, and so each week we've said it's our little "sweet potato" or "mango"... this week a cantelope! Aack! That's big! Of course at the end is a watermelon-- that scares me a little!
Thursday is our big ultrasound day!!!! Our little cantelope will hopefully cooperate enough to show us whether she's a she or he's a he. I'll share next weekend I'm sure. I'm dying to know so we can go on ahead and pick a name-- although we'll surely wait to meet the kid before we decide for sure! :)

The NestBaby has a few other fun pages, click here.

Hitched!

2008-05-24T09:44:00.006-04:00

Yesterday Leslie and Paul got married!
We're so happy for them-- they've been engaged for a few months now, and I'm glad they tied the knot! It was a beautiful day and they make the cutest couple! She let me take some photos of them beforehand in Hopkins Green, and I also wanted to make her a bouquet. This was fun!

Here's a few more of my favorites:

Ok, maybe it's more than just a few! You can see all of the photos together (view as a slideshow)- click here.
and, Send congrats here!

Photos: These Are a Few of My Favorite Things...

2008-04-14T17:54:00.011-04:00

(1981? Near Washington and Lee walking bridge, where the new parking garage is today.)Whenever I go to my parents' house, I love looking at all the framed photos on the walls. My mom has tons of photos up everywhere. I'm not so good at that. There's just too many to choose from.

(The first and last day we ever got tied to the moped. There may have been a crash in some gravel...!)

Anyway, she's got tons of photos up... but there's also a whole lotta sunshine coming in thier bright, sunny house. And so I worry that one day, photos like these won't be around. (My dad's Oma, mother and uncle Willy, his Godfather. A few years before WWII in Nuremberg.)

Now, if there was a fire, the first thing I'd want to take are family photos and albums.... and since these photos are precious to me, I kidnapped them today (while my parents are out of town) and I've scanned them so I at least have a "good copy" in case they fade much more. I wish I could scan them all, but these are a few of my favorites. (One of few photos of my dad and brother coaching together. Last season was thier last.)(My mom and her brother Pat during our last Christmas with our Grandfather.)

Since my mom put them up, there's lots of photos of my dad, but not many of her... hmmmmmm.
(1983? Just cute.)

(What a cute couple!)(This photo by Patrick Hinley is of my dad at Indian Pool in Goshen. They had these two sheepdogs when they were first married.Love this one.)

(A recent photo of my dad on one of his many bike trips out West with his favorite animal.)

Lately...

2008-04-12T12:42:00.003-04:00

Thank you to Kim for the blog love! You should really check out all the other blogs, too and Kim's photos. My friend's engagement photos are amazing!

I've discovered a few new blogs I love:
Bakerella
MollyCoddle
My Little Life

And, finally, Spring! I feel like a changed person when spring arrives. I am more inspired to step outside and DO something... rather than sit my tush on the couch. We even cut our cable... long story there. It's just beautiful outside and I finally have more energy most days to get out. I really like this second trimester already!

We finally have some flowers...

Took my neice out for a perfect kite flying day...

Oh, and just a while back we had a little fiesta of our own for someone's birthday. If only that someone would blog again!

Here's Moby hanging out with the bull earlier in the day. He seriously just sat next to it for a few hours.

I'm going to go enjoy today's beautiful weather, it may be totally different tommorow!

Asheville Photos

2008-04-06T16:01:00.001-04:00

Baby Quilt

2008-04-06T15:23:00.003-04:00

Just for the record-- I finally finished this quilt back in February for a cousin's baby. Lots of vintage style fabrics and simple squares-- that's really all I know how to do! :)

By the way, tying is such a sweet way to finish the quilt-- will def.do that again!

March Home Place Dinner

2008-04-06T11:42:00.005-04:00

Back in early March, all seven siblings got together to surprise their folks-- they hadn't all been together in a few years. We chose to eat at The Home Place --- soooo yummy. We had a great time, but I wish the weather would've been nicer so we could get more family photos. It was just too cold and windy!

The Original Crew:

Almost Everyone:

Others:

Inside the restaurant:

Octobaby (Octoberbaby!)

2008-04-05T11:47:00.005-04:00

Well, we're pregnant!

I'm excited because I can officially today say it. It's the first day of my second trimester today! We'll find out in 7 weeks if it's a boy or girl, but until then I guess we'll just call it Octobaby b/c he/she is due October 11. We feel extremely blessed and this was a great surprise. We found out a few days after Valentine's Day and the pregnancy hasn't been too bad. I'm anemic(=beat), hungry or sleeping most of the time, but (knock on wood) I haven't had anything too awful.

More updates later, but for now, will post some nursery ideas as someone requested it...

I'm pretty surprised at what I like for nursery ideas. Considering I'm a pretty pastel-kind of gal, I really didnt' like pastels or cutsie stuff for a nursery. Now don't get me wrong. I don't think I could change my style so drastically that I'd want chocolate walls or orange carpet, like the room below, but I do love the idea of bright primary colors rather than pastels for everything. The room we'll use will be our office, also, and the walls are a dark celery green. I like the idea of natural colored woods and the brightly colored toys and Miffy prints up on the walls. I have this Miffy calendar I ordered, and here's more Miffy stuff. I've always liked Miffy -- not quite so cutesy as Hello Kitty and still fun. Well, what do you think? Although from the start I've thought it's a girl, I'm wondering if I am drawn to this sort of stuff b/c it's a boy???

The Final Countdown

2008-03-16T12:36:00.005-04:00

In exactly 5 days, our Spring Break begins. I can't even begin to tell you how much I need it. I need some sunshine and a little adventure in an unknown place. To say I've been a little bored here in Lex Vegas....
but where to go? I'd be happy going up north. Visiting family and being in a big city like Philly or New York would be fantastic. I imagine eating all that wonderful food you can't get around here, going to museums and parks and did I metion eating?

But Jeremy's picturing something more like this when he imagines visiting a city. He wants to go somewhere warm.

So let's say we head south. Somewhere warm. We always enjoy going to Charleston... And Savannah....
but I sort of feel like we should go somewhere new. Maybe Nags Head? I went a lot in the summers when I was younger (my dad had a soccer camp there)-- but would it be too cold?

There would be a beach at all three places. Most affordable? Nags Head. Warmest? Savannah. Prettiest? Savannah.

A Special Valentine

2008-02-19T07:16:00.000-05:00

A bit of a surprise valentine for Jeremy's family....

More Valentines

2008-02-10T12:12:00.000-05:00

I spent some time a few days ago making paper-cut Valentines. Here are a few:

I love how the mood changes completely using different papers.

Today I'm going to make sweets for all my sweethearts! I'm thinking these...

Hope you had a nice weekend.

Paper cutting links and Other Fun Stuff

2008-02-03T11:00:00.001-05:00

It seems like almost every day I run into a new paper cutting link I want to share, so here are a few:

-How-to video from the very talented Cindy.
-City-scape shadowboxes
-Many "awesome" ideas (you should check out her whole blog- super fun!)

Also, a few other links worth mentioning:

-Heather Ross's new fabric line. You've probably seen her gnome fabric, but I randomly discovered a preview of her next line, due in May. Love, love, love the mermaids!

-Bayberry Cove. Truly adorable stuff from talented crafters.
-The Chic Life. A new fun blog I've been reading-- stop by and say hello!
-Cutest pillow-ever. Don't know how I found this, but it's got me thinking!
-Montessori By Hand patterns. I really love the apron!
-Denyse Schmidt's new quilt pattern. Jeremy got it for me for my birthday-- love it.
-Dream Products. Finally found tea towels for embroidery that don't cost an arm and leg.

Easy Dinner and Bread

2008-02-01T23:51:00.000-05:00

Found the chicken recipe on MSN yesterday. I've always wanted to try the 40 Cloves of Garlic and Chicken recipes, but have been frightened by the amount of garlic... this was less scary. I do have to admit that our house will probably smell of garlic until March, but it was worth it.

Great with the bread, too. Super easy.

Rosemary-Garlic Chicken
serves 6

Ingredients:
nonstick cooking spray
1 1/2 lbs. skinless, boneless chix breasts halves
1-9 oz. package frozen artichoke hearts
12 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup reduced sodium chix broth
2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
1 tsp finely shredded lemon peel
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 TBsp cornstarch
1 TBsp cold water
lemon wedges

Directions:
1. Coat an unheated large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat over medium heat. Brown chix, half at a time, in skillet. In 3 1/2 or 4 qt. slow cooker, combine artichokes, garlic, onion. In small bowl, combine broth, rosemary, lemon peel, and pepper. Pour over veggies in slow cooker. Add browned chicken; spoon some of the garlic mixture of chix.

2. Cover and cook either on low heat for 6-7 hrs. or on high heat for 3-3 1/2 hrs.

3. Transfer chix and artichokes to a serving platter, reserving cooking liquid. Cover chix and artichokes with foil.

4. (At this point I strained the remaining liquid because of all the minced garlic and artichoke bits...) Cooking liquid should be inside crock pot, turned to high heat. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water. Stir this mixture into cooking liquid. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes or until slightly thickened. Spoon sauce over chix and artichokes. If desired, serve with lemon wedges.

Easy Beer Bread

3 cups self-rishing flour
1/2 cup sugar
1- 12oz. bottle really cheap beer (the cheaper the sweeter!)

Just mix ingredients and bake for 45 minutes at 350. Excellent with honey butter.

I'll Take More of Days Like This...

2008-02-01T23:38:00.000-05:00

We had such a nice day today. We had the day off from work due to the icy rain-- no complaints here! We pretty much played this all morning:

One of my many awesome birthday gifts! This was from my parents and brother, and we've had such fun with it! I can't say I'm any good yet, but I plan on practicing more tommorow!

After that I enjoyed a very productive afternoon-- nothing like a clean house. I'm weird- I don't like to work on my projects unless the house is clean, so now I can comfortably work the rest of the weekend on all the little projects I'm trying to finish up.

We had a peaceful evening: dinner and a great movie (Roman Holiday). I have always loved Audrey Hepbern-- first being introduced to her in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Nothing too exciting-- just needed to write this all down for myself-- maybe I should remember snow days when I think about my future career plans! I don't know what I'd do without them!
Well, hope everyone has a nice weekend!

C'est fini!

2008-01-23T17:49:00.001-05:00

All About Papercuttings

2008-01-20T20:05:00.000-05:00

With Valentine's Day around the corner, I'm considering (or perhaps it's just a fantasy of mine) making lots of valentines out of papercuttings-- much like the one above I'm currently doing (pattern found at Ellen Brown's site). I've been interested in them since 2 summers ago when, at our community festival, I met a woman who did Scherenschnitte. I picked up a few more when I saw her again this past summer. I've attempted a few now, using just a Xacta knife, but I'm excited to recieve one of my birthday presents-- some of the special scissors! It doesn't take long to get hooked, especially once you see the great variety of designs-- from the Germans to the Mexicans to the Polish folks-- there's something for everyone.

I've noticed a few other bloggers interested in doing it as well, so I thought I'd share some of my favorite books and links.

Great Papercutting Sites:

Papercuttings by Alison- she's got so many fantastic designs for wonderful prices. My first 3 papercutting designs were purchased here: this, this, and that! Love these, too.
Ellen Brown- she has a huge number of patterns that she's generously posted; I'd like to do them all!
Cindy's Scherenschnitte- a blogger! Her designs are fresh and fun.
Wycinanki by Susan L. Throckmorton- go here for inspiration. I'm not sure mine will ever be this good!
Barbara Buckingham- Just by chance I recently found her work-- and look, it's all of Lexington! (Which reminds me--I've got 3 gate papercuttings like these from Charleston, SC!)
Pamela Dalton- Fantastic work; I believe she had an article a few years ago in Country Living.

My Favorite Papercutting books:

The Amazing Paper Cuttings of Hans Christian Andersen- really fun.
Scherenschnitte: Designs and Techniques for the Traditional Craft of Papercutting- beautiful designs, but not for the beginner!

Weekend Update and WIP's

2008-01-20T16:57:00.000-05:00

Well, I had another birthday and it was loads of fun. Not only did we get one snow day-- but two! Two whole days to play in the snow and do some much needed work around the house!

My family took us to eat on Wednesday to a nice Italian place in Staunton and then to Kline's Dairy Barn. We had a great time. My birthday itself was a quiet night since we were stuck inside. I made a nice pot of soup and a loaf of homemade beer bread-- it was a perfect meal for a cold night. Jeremy made me the funniest card and he's been a real sweetheart all weekend. I'm really not sure how I'll get out of bed tommorow morning and head back to work after getting to hang out at home so much!

Here's what it looked like outside:
Not a great day for picture taking, (as I've challenged myself to do-- I'm hoping to take more photos in the chance that if I take more, more will turn out well...) since after the snow, sleet began so we had only a small window of opportunity to play in the snow!

Friday and Saturday I was either baking or doing dishes or eating. I don't think I did anything else. Ashley took me to lunch Saturday at the Southern Inn (seems to be our tradition), but other than that I spent as much time as I could trying to prepare some sweet treats for our friends Lyndsey and Jonathan's wedding reception. Lyndsey loves cakes and so we set out to make some fabulously decorated- yummy cakes! It was success!

Here's the start of my 'petit fours'-- I even doubled the recipe but only ended up with a small amount. What a pain in the ***** that recipe was! Double sifted everything and then the icing was just all wrong.
This is the other cake I made an Orange Marmalade Cake from the Mitford series. I was hesitant to even try this (I'm always scared to try my baked goods) because the recipe called for a sort of whipped cream and sour cream frosting, but I'm pleased with how it turned out! I even tried to make some pretty candied orange and lemon slices!

Here's everything, including my petit fours that Lyndsey jazzed up:

She did such a nice job & even found the time to make a birthday cake for me! It's much like the pink one above. That was so sweet!

Today, we're just relaxing and eating lots of leftover cake. Hope you had great weekend!

Do these belong to you?

2008-01-16T16:31:00.000-05:00

I recieved an email with some classic Olan Mills photos-- you don't see many of those anymore. Wonder why?

Enjoy your day!

On a side note: We're 99.999999999999999999999% sure we'll have a snow day tommorow, so look for lots of teachers doing a snow dance!

Dorky Rant and Rave

2008-01-13T10:38:00.001-05:00

Ok. I'm a total dork I know, but I just need to take this opportunity to get this off my chest...

Rant:

I don't know that I've mentioned it, but I stopped watching Grey's Anatomy. I was so peeved that Meredith ended their relationship like that last spring, after 3 years of me faithfully watching the show, I couldn't stand it. I know I wasn't the only crazed fan who did-- I think it was a really awful way to keep people watching for yet another year or two before they finally get Meredith and McDreamy together. Well, on Thursday night there was a rerun of the office (thank you writers strike) and a *new* Grey's coming on... so I decided to give it another chance.

It was just awful. Meredith got mad at McDreamy for kissing another girl although she didn't want to be "with" him; so they break up again. I don't know about you, but when I hear about a couple that breaks up over and over, after one or two breakups I'm not real sure I see a real future there. So I was annoyed I watched the show in the first place, seeing them break up again and seeing McDreamy trying to move on with his life... while Meredith is all self-absorbed and thinks she's got issues... either you want to be with the guy or not!

Even if the writers of the show put them back together, I won't believe it will work out. So there. :)

Rave:

Last night we saw Enchanted and that made up for it all! So much fun. This is a total girl-who-grew-up-watching-Disney-movies movie-- really adorable movie in which McDreamy finally wins and keeps a girl's heart! It totally seemed liked McDreamy post Grey's-- his wife left him (Meredith) with their daughter and he's all broken inside. He finally gets the girl. Loved it.

Gosh I am such a dork.Hope you had a nice weekend.