Happy Day!

Cute Pics of Nathan

2012-02-09T21:26:00.002-06:00

Snug as a bug in a rug! He really likes to be bundled tight so that he can sleep comfortably (with his pluggy, of course!).

Look at this cute turtle that he got!

Everyone loved the little hat that my sister had crocheted. It fit just perfectly!

Guests

2012-02-08T14:43:00.001-06:00

Starting from Monday night, we had lots of people come and visit with us. Here are a few of friends and family who came for a visit:

Uncle Rick (Kristy's co-worker)

Aunt Mary (Kristy's co-worker)

Papa & Nathan

Mary & Nathan (Kristy's co-worker)

Katherine & Nathan (Kristy's sister)

Nana, Papa, Aaron & Nathan

Aunt Laurie (Kristy's co-worker)

Nathan & His Daddy

2012-02-07T13:36:00.000-06:00

One of the comments that I heard this week was how when they came Monday night to visit us in the hospital that they had never heard Barry talk so much!

Barry was so excited to have Nathan finally be here. He was so supportive and helpful as we recovered in the hospital. I am so blessed to have these two great men in my life!

Unexpected Arrival

2012-02-06T22:35:00.001-06:00

What was expected to be a visit to the doctor turned out into an emergency c-section and the arrival of our son!

I had a doctor's appointment at 10:20am on Monday, February 6 in advance of our induction on Tuesday evening. There was a problem in the office and we ended up waiting almost 2 hours before seeing the doctor. At this point my blood pressure was high (wouldn't anyone's be?!) and the doctor said that I needed to go over to triage at the hospital.

This made me very frustrated - we were going to have him tomorrow and of course my blood pressure was going to be high. But, we went over to the hospital and found that they were very full. We had to wait in the waiting room for a room to be ready for us and they found one in the acute area.

Within minutes my blood pressure was going down and things were within the normal range. But, I started having contractions and in the midst of the contraction the baby's heart rate would be erratic. They had me switch sides and it would be fine but then occasionally the heart rate would go erratic again. I switched again and the same thing happened. They thought that the baby's umbilical cord was being compressed during a contraction and by moving me around that it would shift around and be okay.

My doctor was on her way to the hospital to do a scheduled C-section so she came by and said that with this issue, she did not feel comfortable letting me leave. I could either have the induction started or have a C-section. Within the time it took for the nurse to get the bag of Pitocin and use the restroom, the baby had an episode where his heart rate dropped from the 140s to 88. She called the doctor and Dr. Maikis made the decision that we'd need to go in immediately for a C-section.

They began prepping me for the anesthesia and Barry began calling people. From the time of the decision to when they wheeled me to the operating room it was about 30 minutes. Another episode had occurred in the mean time and the heart rate had dropped to 95.

Nathan Kenneth made his entrance into the world at 4:49pm on Monday, February 6, 2012. He weighed 7 pounds 7 ounces and was 20 inches long. We are so blessed!

Work Baby Shower

2012-02-01T19:08:00.003-06:00

This shower actually occurred on Tuesday, January 10, but these are the first pictures that I got from it. They had decorated the employee kitchen with green and brown balloons. This is the gift table. It must have been an earlier picture because there were more gifts than this.

Ladies from both of the departments that I worked in helped plan this shower. My current boss Mary Kiethley is on the left side of the picture and led the time out with prayer and a really neat poem that one of my co-workers wrote.

Here's a view of the group -- there were more ladies as the time went on.
Here are the hostesses and me! (L to R) Jody, Mary, me, Beverly, Mary, Allison, & Stephanie
One other thing that they did during the party was share little bits of wisdom that they asked for in advance. They had them on a big poster with a cute stroller on it and called it the Stroller Lot. They gave me a copy of all the advice so that I could share it with Barry.

We are so blessed!

Our miracle

2012-01-31T10:44:00.002-06:00

Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim His greatness. Let the whole world know what He has done. Sing to Him; yes, sing His praises. Tell everyone about His miracles. Exult in His holy name; O worshippers of the Lord, rejoice! Psalm 105:1-3

The psalmist goes on to recount the many things that God did for the people of Israel - leading them in Canaan, providing Joseph as a leader & protector, taking them out of slavery in Egypt, providing for them in the wilderness, etc.

This reminded me of the greatest miracle that has happened for Barry & I -- little Scooter. The doctor said we'd never have a child. Then we had 3 miscarriages. Each time it was a miracle -- because it wasn't supposed to happen, but each time it also was a loss. This miracle of life is more than we deserve and yet God chose to bless us with him. Sure it's been tough the last week as we try and decide what should be done for his delivery, but no matter what - this is our miracle! God has blessed us with a miracle!

Happy Anniversary!

2012-01-30T10:36:00.000-06:00

It's my parents' 36th anniversary on Tuesday. I made this card for them. I used 5 papers, but tried to use the circle theme while making it. The R is a chipboard diecut that I painted white. I wrote Happy Anniversary! on the front.

We're excited to celebrate in person once Scooter makes his appearance!

Trip to OB Triage

2012-01-28T10:22:00.001-06:00

Well, Wednesday afternoon/night I had difficulties with getting my blood pressure down. I rested while waiting for Barry to come get me from work and my blood pressure just wasn't going down. We came home and I rested more, but it still was high. I called the doctor on call (who just happened to be my doctor!) and was told to come in to OB Triage at the hospital on Thursday.

They checked me all out and monitored Scooter and all was well. But, my doctor put me on bed rest. I have 1 week to go till my due date and I have to sit at home. :(

UPDATE: Monday when I went to the doctor, she sent me again to OB Triage. She's concerned that I may develop pre-eclampsia & lab work is the most accurate way to know. We're still hoping to make it to his due date so more relaxing on the couch for me :(. Thursday I'll go again.

Baby Love

2012-01-26T10:17:00.000-06:00

I've wanted to do a picture like this for a while because 1) you can see that Scooter has basically eaten my belly button and 2) it's just fun!

It's hard to believe that we're almost to the end... A little baby boy could be here any day!

Blood Pressure, Yikes!

2012-01-24T10:05:00.001-06:00

When I went to my regularly scheduled doctors appointment on Monday, I found out that my blood pressure is a bit high. The doctor wants me to check it 3-4 times a day at various times during this next week. Instead of having to buy a cuff, my co-worker is letting me borrow hers.

Come on, Scooter! Less than 2 weeks to go!

Diaper Cake

2012-01-23T19:34:00.003-06:00

Today I got this pretty cool gift! It's a diaper cake. Two girls from my office made it. As well I got a package of diapers from an anonymous gifter.

The doctor's appointment today was a little challenging. Although Scooter is doing good and staying in the right position, he is still pretty high in the birth canal which can mean that labor will be long. Today I had a higher blood pressure reading than normal so now she wants me to take it 3-4 times a day and report back to her next Monday. I really think that there had just been some stressful events that had occurred that morning, but the doctor wouldn't listen to me. So, we'll keep praying that God will work things out and Scooter will come when he's ready.

Card Making

2012-01-22T14:05:00.001-06:00

We had a quiet weekend so I spent some time Saturday morning making some cards so that I could get a little ahead in case Scooter makes an appearance. Each of these are about 3"x5".

This was for my former boss who has a birthday on Monday. He kept teasing me Friday that Monday would be a good day to have a baby! :) I used 4 papers and a diecut letter G. I wrote Happy Birthday in red.

This is for a co-worker who's birthday is February 1. He is good friends with my previous boss so I have a relationship with him too. I used 4 papers and some 3d tape with the diecut letter B. I wrote Happy Birthday! in blue.
This card is for a co-worker who has a birthday on Jan. 29. I used 4 papers and some red organdy ribbon. I added the red die-cut A to personalize it for her.
Last but not least is a birthday card for Barry's co-worker who has a birthday on Tuesday. I used 4 different papers and some cream organdy ribbon. I used the die-cut J and wrote Happy Birthday! in pink.

Birthday cards for family

2012-01-21T18:53:00.000-06:00

We had two birthdays over the weekend and I had to wait till after they got the gifts before I could show the cards!

This is for my niece who turned 4 on Saturday. It's just 2" x 3". I used 3 different papers and a die-cut letter C. There is also a piece of organdy ribbon and a pink sequin.

This is for her mom who's birthday is Sunday. I used 4 pieces of paper and some cream organdy ribbon. I painted a piece of chipboard white and wrote happy birthday in pink.

Happy birthday!

Getting Ready

2012-01-18T18:59:00.002-06:00

We spent some time over the weekend getting our bags ready for the hospital. The black back pack is Scooter's and we have it stocked with diapers, an extra set of clothes, a blanket and all kinds of little things we've gotten. We got a good bit of things packed in the bag for us, but have a couple lists of things that we still need to get or things to put in at the last minute.

With the concern over Scooter's position, it's possible that this won't be as spontaneous as we thought, but we'll just have to see whether he stays head down or moves again.

Can you identify this body part?

2012-01-16T17:48:00.002-06:00

Hmmmm! Can you tell what the body part is that we got a picture of? It's quite a mystery and this was the best picture she could get.

So, it's a foot. Which one, who knows, but it's a foot.

We found out that Scooter is breech. Therefore, they had a tough time getting anything to come out very clear. He is weighing in the 52nd percentile - 6 pounds 15 ounces so he's doing well.

Looks like a C-section is in our future and we're waiting for the date.

37 weeks!

2012-01-12T10:12:00.003-06:00

We took a quick picture this morning before heading out to work to show the progress that Scooter is making. I had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday and although the numbers are all checking out, the doctor is concerned that he's either turned sideways or a bit small for where he should be. I have an ultrasound scheduled for Monday to have him checked out!

The bassinet is ready in our room, the car seat is securly fastened in the Jeep, we're getting the gifts from the shower tucked away and items washed... I think that we're getting close!

Blessings from Shower

2012-01-11T10:09:00.002-06:00

We got everything home Tuesday night and of course had some inquisitive cats checking it all out. There were about 30 ladies who stayed and celebrated with me on the upcoming birth of our little one. We are so very blessed to have so many people in our lives that love us and want to help us prepare for him.

It's hard to believe that it's just about 3 weeks till he comes!

Thank Yous

2012-01-10T15:43:00.003-06:00

My lovely co-workers are hosting a baby shower for us today. Since I knew there were 6 hosting the party, I decided to make up these cards so that I'd be ahead of the game.

Basically, I used 4 papers, but based the colors off of the striped one in the bottom right corner. I had these cool blue foam stickers that had been given to me and never used so I decided to incorporate them in the plain blue block. The light blue paper is all kinds of sayings about having a baby boy.

Here's a close up of the card. I had some smaller envelopes that I had gotten in a pack with cards that I wouldn't use so I used them to make these. The size is approximately 3"x 5". I cut white cardstock for the card. Inside it simply says "thank you!"

The nursery is done!

2012-01-08T18:41:00.003-06:00

Here it is! The nursery is finally put all together and reality is setting in. A baby is really coming!

My good friend & co-worker, Mary and her husband Tony came by on Saturday to bring us the last big piece of the room -- the crib. They keep their grandson during the week and had a crib for him to sleep in. Now that he's 3 1/2, they are graduating him to a big boy's bed and gave us the crib. What a huge blessing!

Our good friends that moved to St. Louis gave us the beautiful picture that's over the crib. It ties the room together, don't you think? The curtains were purchased with a gift card. The quilt at the end of the crib was made by our sister-in-law in Michigan. She didn't even know the colors, but hit it right on!
Here are the two items that my co-worker, Stephanie gave us -- the rocker and the dresser. We found the bookshelf at a yard sale. The pack-n-play was given to us by friends from church.
This was the only piece that we ended up buying -- the changing table. We got it for a great deal at a discount store for $40. The diaper pail was a gift from a co-worker. My youngest sister Katie made the curtain as well as the bed skirt for the crib.
We left this wall khaki and I'm not sure if it'll stay this way, but we got the cork board/picture frame thing at a yard sale and painted green which helps pull things together on the wall. The wall decals are a fun accent that we've added around the room.

There it is... We moved our bedroom around and have the bassinet in there ready for the little one's arrival. We're hoping by having it in the room already that the cats will get used to it and not bother it. Just under 4 weeks now!

Sewing Projects

2012-01-06T19:22:00.003-06:00

Initially when we decided on turtles and frogs, we weren't finding anything that had either that weren't kind of kooky -- frogs with sunglasses, etc. So I decided that I'd embroider a frog and turtle to have in Scooter's room. My mom had a coloring book with these two pictures so I shrunk them and this is what I came up with:

I'm hoping to get these framed and put up in the nursery.
Tomorrow we get the crib! :)

Co-Worker Birthdays

2012-01-05T19:35:00.005-06:00

Barry has a co-worker and I have a co-worker with a birthday this week.

My co-worker with a birthday is my boss, Mary. We are doing a breakfast break for her so I made banana nut muffins. I also made a card. I used 5 papers, some pink organdy ribbon, and a burgundy letter m. I wrote inside "wishing you a fabulous birthday!"

This was for Barry's co-worker. It was his birthday earlier in the week, but he was out on vacation. I ran out of icing to write on the cookie, but was able to make some up with powdered sugar and milk that worked.

Creativity for Co-workers

2012-01-03T19:40:00.002-06:00

Nothing like waiting till the last second! I had all week to work on these, but waited till Monday night to do them. Shame on me! The problem is by the time I get done the things that I need to do, I'm exhausted and just want to hang out on the couch! Oh well....

This card is for a boy! This co-worker took me to work during the 3 weeks that Barry had to work 2nd shift. I used 3 papers and a piece of twine.
This card is for my good friend that I worked with for 3 years, but now are in different departments. I used 4 papers, a piece of pink organdy ribbon, and a chipboard letter m. I wrote happy birthday! in brown on the front.
This card is very overdue as it was for a wedding Dec. 17. I used 3 papers and then a chipboard R that I painted black. I used gold ribbon on it because that was their primary color. I wrote their names on it with a gold pen. The R is adhered with 3d tape.

It's a puzzle...

2012-01-02T18:57:00.002-06:00

Do you see something that doesn't belong? Ummm.... Look on the bottom shelf, in the middle. There is a cat. In fact, she's been there at least three times today sleeping on the super soft blanket Barry's sister sent for Scooter. We're going to have to figure out something else to put in there to keep her out!

We're getting close to having the nursery complete - maybe before the weekend!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T14:35:00.004-06:00

Just over 35 weeks and Scooter's been pushing around trying to find some more space. He's been fairly active the last couple days - squirming and pushing, but he's got a good 5 weeks of growing to go yet.

We are so excited to be starting this year with our bundle of joy. God has certainly blessed us with more than we could hope for with the doctor's prognosis that we'd not be able to have children. There's still a lot of unknowns and a bunch of things that we need help with, but we know that this baby is coming in God's timing for us. Can't wait to see what this little guy will be like and bring him into this world!

Finishing the Border

2011-12-31T14:18:00.000-06:00

We got up this morning and painted a second coat on the brown border. Hoping that it'll be dry later on today so that we can get some work done in the nursery!
Here's a shot of the new valence that my sister made (to match the bed skirt on the crib). We're getting close!

More Work on the Nursery

2011-12-30T12:16:00.003-06:00

The first coat went on pretty well, but there was some touch up work that had to be done. While Barry worked on that, I went around and taped the border.

Doesn't the color look great?

We did keep one wall khaki and think that the brown border will pull it together. If not, there's a ton of green paint that we can use to do this one wall.

Up next, will be the unveiling of the border and putting together the rest of the room.

Anniversary Card

2011-12-29T12:09:00.000-06:00

My brother and sister-in-law will be celebrating their anniversary on Saturday, so I made a card to send them.

I used 6 papers for this one. I made the embellishment by writing their initial with a silver pen I have on black and then adding a white circle around it. I used 3d tape to have it stand out some. I wrote their names on the front and then Happy Anniversary on the inside.

It was awesome to have them here this week!

Fixing up the Nursery

2011-12-28T16:21:00.000-06:00

While my family was here, they decided that they'd like to help with painting the nursery. So, we picked some paint and they got to it. Here's my sister Melissa & brother Jeremy starting on the far wall.

We picked a sage green-ish color for the main portion of the walls and then plan to add a chocolate brown border around the middle.

Keep posted and we'll show you the end results...

Birthday cards

2011-12-27T15:39:00.000-06:00

Despite being Christmas time, we had 3 birthdays coming up so I spent some time before the day started to make cards.

This is a regular sized card and I used 4 different papers. I added two embellishments with 3d tape and wrote Happy Birthday! This card is for our sister-in-law (who is turning 40!).
For these two cards I used some leftover cardstock that made the size about 3"x4". For this one, I used some train paper and matched papers to the colors in the paper. I diecut stars in matching colors and wrote Happy Birthday, Hunter! on the front.
For this one, I used butterflies as the theme. I matched 2 papers to the butterfly paper and some pink ribbon. I wrote Happy Birthday, Alex! on the front.

Nieces & Nephews

2011-12-26T14:55:00.000-06:00

Here are some fun pictures of the kids from the weekend together:

Luke as the friendly shark! (part of his gift)

Aaron got a Buzz!

Emma & Chelsea played with each other almost from the minute that they met!

Caleb and his chainsaw (but it doesn't cut the tree!)

Micah having fun with Oreo

Christmas Morning

2011-12-25T14:35:00.000-06:00

We decided to do family gifts this year and anyone who wanted to could contribute to stockings. Here are all the families opening up stockings:

Melissa & hers

Katherine and hers

Jeremy and his

Then all of the gifts went together into the middle of the floor so that we could share and enjoy seeing what everyone got. Although you can't see Aaron in this picture, he was most excited about opening gifts and hoped all of them were for him!

Family Time!

2011-12-24T14:09:00.001-06:00

The family all came in on Friday, and we had a few hours together before the bed was calling my name. Saturday was then a blur of activity as we got caught up on what was going on.

Each family was responsibility for a meal so everyone would come back to our house and then we would make what needed to be made. After lunch, the kids had naps and we hung out. We got dressed for church and went at 5:30. For dinner we did a bunch of hors d'oeuvres. It was great!

Here are the grandkids (minus Scooter) with Nana & Papa.

Cute Shirt

2011-12-23T08:44:00.003-06:00

With our Christmas gift from Barry's sister in Michigan, we got this onesie. Isn't it so cute?!

We're 34 weeks today and he's definitely growing! I expect to post some family pictures over the next couple days so that you can see how big he is.

More Cards for Work

2011-12-22T07:22:00.002-06:00

If you recall back to October, I made some cards for a project at work (see here). I was short two cards and needed to get them completed so this is what I came up with.

I decided to go with a purple theme instead of the red like I had done before. I used 3 papers, purple organdy ribbon, an Auxiliary emblem attached with 3d tape and then added the initial for the individual.

It works!

Remembering Grandma

2011-12-21T10:21:00.003-06:00

I wanted to wear a different pin today and recalled that I had a pin that I had gotten from Grandma in some jewelry that the girls got to pick through. Since it sort of looked like a snowflake, I thought it might fit just right!
Here it is in greater detail. Isn't it beautiful? I remember her wearing it on a dusty pink suit that she had.

First Christmas Party (of the season)

2011-12-20T14:36:00.003-06:00

For the first time (in 6 opportunities) I attended my work lady friends' Christmas party. Most Decembers Barry has been working overtime and I haven't had the gumption to attend the party. This year, since he was working 2nd shift, I knew I'd be alone and figured I'd make the most of it. The party was Friday, December 9. I'm next to my friend Kayleigh (who loves Rudolph - can you tell?!) that I usually work out with after work.
Here I am with Mary -- I worked with her for 3 years, but when our department was disbanded, we went to different departments.

It was a good night. We all were to bring a snack to share and an ornament that was $1 or less for a Dirty Santa exchange. It was pretty funny to see the ladies trying to get the ornament that they wanted. I was soooo hot that night that I ended up taking my Christmas sweater off. I think I'll go again!

Christmas Gifts for Co-workers

2011-12-19T10:01:00.000-06:00

It's fun to be able to open up the Christmas gift tote and see what marvelous things I found discounted after Christmas last year. I had gotten a bunch of these beautiful mugs at least 4 years ago and have been slowly giving them away. Since I moved departments this year, I finally used up the last of those. Below is what I gave away: For each of the four that I gave, I included 2 packs of hot chocolate (BOGO at Publix and I had a coupon!), 3 pieces of Ghirardelli chocolates (that we had gotten as a gift), some Hershey Kisses, and a little something else -- fun chapstick, an ornament or lotion. The card is 3"x3" and I used Christmas paper to dress it up. I added a piece of red organdy ribbon and the person's initial with 3d tape. I wrote Merry Christmas! at the top and then a personal note on the back.
This particular gift was for a friend who loves snowmen! I adapted the above card to include a snowman instead of her initial and used different Christmas papers with white organdy ribbon.
Finally, these little cards went to a few of my other friends around the office. I used the packages to remind us that we have the greatest gift of all to remember - Jesus! I also gave them each some Ghirardelli chocolates. I used Christmas papers and some ribbon. Nothing too exciting, but they turned out pretty cute.

The last snacks

2011-12-16T18:40:00.003-06:00

The last thing that we had to make was the Oreo Balls. We started these on Sunday, but they had to freeze before we could dip them in the chocolate. Well, then we ran out of time to do it Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday... So here it was Thursday night and we needed to get them done so that we could get the goody boxes ready for Barry's work. We almost got them all dipped before they were defrosted. We have 6 or so to go.
So, here are the treats we made: 1) Grandma's brownies, 2) Rice Krispy Squares - special recipe, 3) Oreo balls, 4) Peanut Butter Blossoms, 5) Chocolate covered pretzels, and 6) chocolate peanut clusters. I'll bring my portion of treats on Monday.

Card for Amy

2011-12-14T18:55:00.000-06:00

Barry's sister is having a birthday on Saturday so I needed to get the card ready and in the mail early in the week so she'll get it in time.

I used 6 different papers. I traced the A on pink paper and then used the black & white papers to make it stand out. I used some pink organdy ribbon and added a pink jewel to the happy birthday paper. Inside I wrote happy birthday.

Hope she has an awesome day!

Special Parking Privileges

2011-12-13T09:02:00.001-06:00

We had to head back to Babies-R-Us to return the bassinet mattress that was too big. So, this is where we parked! Hee hee! :)

We're getting slowly but surely to having things ready. We got an unexpected gift in the mail from a previous co-worker of mine on Monday -- a diaper pail. We have a few more things to go, but maybe we'll get it done after Christmas.

A Day of Food Preparation

2011-12-09T10:44:00.003-06:00

I was trying to make the most of my day and decided that I should just get a start on making the goodies that we'll give for Christmas this year. (Two of Barry's co-workers have been talking for over a month now about how they're looking forward to the goodies!)

I had hoped to get a bunch of it accomplished Thursday, but lack of preparation got in the way. I started making stuff and realized I was 1 egg short for one recipe. How frustrating! I also needed one other ingredient, but had forgotten the coupon at home so I didn't get that either.

Here's the ingredients... Can you figure out some of the things I'm going to make?

The first things I made were Rice Krispie bars, but I neglected to get a good picture of them... It's kind of hard to see what they are when they haven't been cut into bars yet. The ones I made were special bars -- peanut butter & peanuts in with the Rice Krispies and then a chocolate/butterscotch layer on top. Yum!

Secondly was the Hershey Kisses' Blossoms. You can make a really easy version with a Betty Crocker cookie mix, but these are home-made all the way! Last, but not least, I made chocolate covered pretzels. I think these are one of my all-time favorites because they are so easy to make and they just taste so good. I added some red sprinkles on top to be festive.
These are something new I tried and will be bringing to a party Friday night. They kind of look like pizza rolls, but they're called Parmesan Bites. I hope they warm up okay because I don't think they'll taste so good cold. It's a cream cheese mixture with the parmesan cheese in it. You roll out crescent rolls and spread the mixture on it with the pepperonis on top. Fold them up and cut into manageable pieces and ta-da! We'll see how the party-goers like them.

Two Cards

2011-12-08T10:38:00.001-06:00

My co-worker asked me to make this card for a vendor that we use. I used a very simple design for this card. I had a star die-cut that I used to trace and cut out the blue part of the star. Then I added the inside cream color so it looks like the star is framed. I added the star to the card with 3-d tape. I used a coordinating striped paper and added a brown piece behind it. I think this turned out pretty well for a masculine-looking card.

This card came together really easy too. I traced the L from a previously used die-cut and then adhered it with 3-d tape. I used some cream/gold ribbon to help make it a little more feminine. It was just a simple little card to say that I was thinking of you.

Guess it was good that Barry slept in... I got two cards done and started the day on a productive note.

Birthday Card for Skye

2011-12-07T08:54:00.003-06:00

My good friend from college, Skye, is getting ready to celebrate a birthday next week. I had some time last night so I decided to get a card made so that I can get it in the mail.

I was trying to think of what she would like and decided to do her favorite colors - lime green and black. I cut out her initial in lime green and then decided to add a birthday candle since it is for her birthday. I also added a piece of black grossgrain ribbon and white organdy ribbon across the middle of the card. Inside I wrote "Happy Birthday!"

Paper Quilling

2011-12-06T10:45:00.003-06:00

I was trying to come up with some creative ways to decorate some gift bags for a craft show I was participating in. My mom used to do this when I was growing up with specific paper and tools. Me, I cut 1/8" strips of cardstock about 11 inches long and wrapped it around a toothpick! I let the green pieces unfurl a bit to make them more full.

I did end up going back and tracing a tree design around the design so you could tell better what it was. I made a smaller tree (with just 6 green pieces and 1 brown) and added only one star at the top and some red circles as ornaments.

I made 10 Christmasy bags and sold every one of them!

Drumroll, please!

2011-12-05T11:20:00.002-06:00

We have been looking and looking and looking and looking for a changing table for Scooter. Our original idea was to get a dresser so that Oreo & Ginger wouldn't get into the items on the shelves. But, that wasn't working and since we got the lovely dresser from my co-worker, we decided that we could possibly do the standard changing table since we'll put the diapers in the dresser drawer.

We thought we'd found an awesome deal - $15 for a brand-new one, but we got it home and the leg was broken. We returned it to the store and got this one for $40. Since it retails for twice this amount on-line, we figured we got a good deal. Now, to get the baskets to organize items on the shelves!

This was it -- the last necessary item for the nursery. We'll get the crib from my friend after Christmas and hopefully do the last touches in January after my work baby shower.

31 weeks

2011-12-04T13:16:00.000-06:00

Since we missed getting a picture together for our anniversary last Tuesday (8 years, yea!), I thought I'd post this picture we took . It's a little hard to see how big Scooter is, but he's growing!

He rolls around and pushes and generally just makes himself known. I don't know if he's trying to make more room for himself or what!

We did some shopping this weekend to get those last minute things (just in case), but had a rough time of it. We'll have to make another trip out to Babies-R-Us to get things squared away and make an order on-line for the bassinet mattress.

Only 9 weeks to go!

A card for Travis

2011-11-29T07:10:00.000-06:00

Our oldest nephew, Travis, is in his first year of college at Ferris State University in Michigan. I've tried to send a card once a month, remembering how much I enjoyed receiving mail when I was in college. This time I decided to make a special card since I had the time and it's getting into exam time.

I used 4 papers and then a couple different stickers. I used the bear paw prints on the striped paper and then a picture of a fish since Travis likes to fish & hunt (maybe not bears, though!) so I think he'll appreciate it. I did some orange ink around the edges of the letter "T" and wrote in his name.

No phone

2011-11-28T08:35:00.005-06:00

ARG! We have been struggling almost a week now without a home phone. You may be thinking, "In this day and age, you're concerned about a home phone?!" Well, that's because our internet comes from the phone line.

The phone has no dial tone at all. Barry called for service -- they were supposed to come Friday -- but no luck. My goal today is to get this fixed. Either we have to drop the phone and get something else or they need to service the house.

We feel so out of the loop!

UPDATE: The repairman came by this morning and found that the box outside of the house had wires messed up. He fixed it and we're good to go!

All in a morning's work

2011-11-26T19:49:00.002-06:00

We spent a couple hours on Saturday trying to get the yard in shape before the weather gets too bad. I mowed the yard and used the mulching bag. Each of these black bags holds about 3 bags from the mower. So that's about 25 or so times we had to stop the mower to empty the bag.

But, the yard looks pretty great and we shouldn't have to worry about it for the rest of the winter.

'Course we were exhausted the rest of the day, but it was worth it!

3 more cards

2011-11-25T20:06:00.001-06:00

I used this basic design (from CPS) to make 3 cards for a few ladies in my life. I used 5 papers, a die-cut flower with die-cut heart, a piece of purple organdy ribbon, and the individual's initial. The colors are a bit strange in this picture, but it's a mixture of blues and purples.

Inside I wrote an appropriate sentiment for the person that it was for. I did two "praying for you" for two ladies who are recovering from surgery and one "thank you" for the last lady.

Believe it or not, I made all three cards while Barry was still sleeping this morning. I think that one hour had to be a record -- of course I did the same design so it was just a matter of cutting & gluing.

29 1/2 Weeks

2011-11-23T13:22:00.000-06:00

It's hard to believe that toward the end of November that it would be warm enough to wear short sleeves (the high was in the 70s!), but here it is. I had gotten some clothes from a co-worker who's daughter just had a baby, but most of them were too small or summer. In any case, I was excited that I could wear this today.

Scooter has been very active. Monday about wore me out with his jumping around and jabbing this way and that. My guess is he's headed for some growing, but who knows! He's definitely thrown off by the weekend and us trying to sleep in. So, in other words, I am woken up when he decides it's time to get up and for the most part I just get up.

We're planning to do some work on the nursery over the holidays. Since we're not going anywhere we'll have a good chunk of time to check out some places and get those needed items. We still need a changing table, but have come up with a back-up plan should we not find one.

Happy retirement

2011-11-22T10:14:00.002-06:00

A co-worker is retiring today! She's worked here 16 years and we had the dinner last Thursday. But, today is her birthday and her last day in the building.

Since she likes moose, I decided to use that as my theme. Granted it was not easy to find moose items, but I did my best. I used 3 papers, green organdy ribbon, and a moose sticker. Inside I wrote "happy retirement!"

Nursery Furniture

2011-11-21T20:05:00.001-06:00

My co-worker decided to give us some furniture that she had. Her husband brought it by our house. It is beautiful! Looks like Ginger is already staking a claim to the rocking chair! Isn't the woodwork at the top beautiful?!
We had thought this might work for the changing table, but as you can see the pad is much larger than the top of the dresser. Barry said it was solid wood, which is nice for a long term piece. We probably will look at different knobs, but for now we can just fill it with the clothes & other items that we have.

Baby girl Card

2011-11-17T07:37:00.002-06:00

I've been trying to get to know ladies at church who are pregnant since we have quite a few that are (10-15), and through that process, I met Brittany. She was actually at the end of her pregnancy when we met, so she's the first that I've made a card for.

I decided to use a variety of pink papers and since I had the paper with the "tiny toes" written on it, decided to use that sticker on the card as well. I used pink organdy ribbon and wrote at the bottom - Welcome Teagan Elizabeth! Inside I wrote congratulations.

Thankful cards

2011-11-15T07:33:00.000-06:00

You know that these little 2"x3" cards are some of my favorite little cards to make. They don't take much -- scrap paper and some creativity! I decided to make up a few for co-workers and as you can see used three different themes. There was a blue theme (since I still had the papers on my desk from the cards I made last week), a fall-ish theme with leaf stickers, and a dot paper theme. I did include each person's initial on the card to make it more personalized.

Yummy Pumpkin Rolls

2011-11-14T07:27:00.000-06:00

I was looking at recipes one day as I was filling in at the front desk and found this recipe that looked delicious - Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls. My family was coming for the weekend (for our first baby shower) and I thought it would be a great time to try the recipe. Of course things were very busy and we never got to make them.

So, I decided for our small group that I would make the rolls. It was quite an extensive process and I was glad for Barry's help! There was enough to make this big pan and a smaller pan that I took to work. They were yummy!

Leaves

2011-11-12T19:01:00.002-06:00

We have tried for weeks now to get outside to do yard work. Either it'll have rained later in the week or we'll have had plans on Saturday. It was the goal today to get at least the front yard done.

I got the blower out and blew the leaves up to the ditch. Our city comes around with a sucking machine and will pick up the leaves so that we don't have to bag them.

The funny thing is that our next door neighbor came over and told me that they came over and "stole" several bags of leaves to put in their flower beds. The thing that was even more interesting is that it hardly looked like they made a dent in what was already on the ground! The back yard will have to wait for another day when Barry is healthy and can help.

Bassinet

2011-11-11T18:43:00.000-06:00

Our next door neighbors are good friends and have been part of our journey to having a baby. They had several miscarriages and were never able to have a child naturally. She told me early in the pregnancy that they had this bassinet that she had found at a yard sale and wondered if we'd like to have it. It's one of those older wicker ones and I absolutely think it's adorable.

We decided to get it from them this week as we wanted to get the mattress and a couple sheets with an exchange of another gift from the shower. Since the next shower won't be till January, we decided we needed to make sure the basics were covered.

Trifle for Thanksgiving Lunch

2011-11-09T20:37:00.003-06:00

It's a little early for Thanksgiving, but we have a retirement dinner next week so I guess they decided they needed to have it early. I signed up for a dessert and decided to make this recipe from my friend, Judy. We had enough extra that Barry got to bring a bowl for his lunch.

It's a layer of brownie, a mixture of chocolate pudding/sweetened condensed milk and water, and a layer of cool whip. I got 3 layers in the bowl for work and 2 layers in Barry's bowl.

Yum!

Blue Birthday Card

2011-11-08T20:24:00.000-06:00

I actually made 3 cards with this same template/design. I pulled out some paper that I've had for quite a while to make this design. Then I paired it with some solid papers. I used a piece of ribbon across the middle. For each of the cards I added the person's initial with 3d tape. I wrote Happy Birthday on the bottom solid strip.

Flower Arrangement

2011-11-07T20:12:00.000-06:00

At the shower, they had this flower arrangement at the baby shower. Do you think that the sailor's hat will fit Scooter?

The rose opened up so nice and beautiful!

They had a corsage for me to wear with yellow carnations and a button for Barry.

Baby Shower - Part 2

2011-11-06T19:48:00.000-06:00

A few of the gifts that we received...

Changing table pad and cover

Receiving blankets and gowns

A swing (we already have one though...)

Some very dressy white outfits

A warm suit that works in a car carrier

First Installment - Baby Shower

2011-11-05T19:17:00.000-05:00

There's so much to share that this will have to come in segments. My former boss, Rick and a good friend at work, Laurie, decided to host a shower for us. Yes, it's a little early, but with the holidays coming up, they decided it would be better to go ahead and have it. (In fact, one of the guests said to me,"I can hardly tell you're pregnant." Yea.) We had a variety of different people come for the party -- some co-workers, some friends from church, our neighbors, Barry's co-workers, and some of Rick's family.

It was a tailgating themed party so we started off watching a variety football games and snacking. Then it was time for games.

Taste-testing baby foods to see if you could tell the flavors.

We did a couple of games where we had to write answers. One game was with the letters of the alphabet and the first person to get the whole list filled was a winner - boy names, of course.

The first game we did involved a variety of baby items that you had to pass to the right or left depending on what the story said. It was very complicated!

There were prizes for the person who traveled the farthest, who had the most children/grandchildren, etc. We actually got to keep all the prizes because they were baby items.

Here's the baby cake. Yum!

27 Weeks

2011-11-04T19:04:00.000-05:00

Here's a little update on the progress with Scooter... He's been having some hiccups as well as his normal kicks, rumblings around, etc.

Birthday card for co-worker

2011-10-31T20:31:00.003-05:00

I made a birthday card for my co-worker. I used 5 papers, pink organdy ribbon, and a plastic j. Inside I wrote "happy birthday!" My co-worker is actually moving to another department and has been working half days with us and half days there. We're going to have cake and ice cream on Tuesday. I hope it turned out okay.

Cleaning the Carpets

2011-10-30T19:50:00.000-05:00

Since we have company coming this weekend, we wanted to get the carpets cleaned before then. We could have the carpet cleaner for 24 hours so we picked it up Friday night thinking that we do some of the rooms Friday night and then the rest on Saturday.

The AFTER picture - the first room - the nursery!

The BEFORE picture of the office.

We did the living room and then had to barricade it from the cats. The vacuum cleaner is so threatening!

I was the expert cleaner (HA!).

We got our routine down and it didn't take too long... but we ran out of cleaner so we had to get more on Saturday.

The sad thing about it is that there are now two large stains -one in the living room and one in the office - that were not there before. It did clean the carpets pretty well which was good. I'm not sure what we're going to do about the stains.

Dreaded (but yummy) Donuts

2011-10-28T08:38:00.002-05:00

These are my downfall! There is this local bakery who makes Krispy Kreme style donuts. It's right down the street and the guys on my floor are constantly going there! Sometimes they get back to the office and the donuts are still W-A-R-M!

Yum, yum!

Cards for Co-workers

2011-10-27T20:10:00.000-05:00

I'm supposed to be working on cards to be sold at an Open House next week, but I just can't get into the groove! ARG! In any case, I've had a couple people that I needed to make cards for this week. This first card is for a co-worker who loves butterflies. I used a colorful background paper and then chose a matching solid color to use the die-cut and make butterflies. I added a blue circle underneath the butterfly and only glued the body so that the butterfly had some dimension. I added some pink organdy ribbon and another coordinating color on the strip on the left. I wrote her name on one of the butterflies.
This card has 4 papers, pink ribbon, a flower and a brad. I used a die cut to do the word friends and then just hand wrote "We miss you, Cindy!" Hopefully it will be a cheerful card during her recovery.

Best Guy Birthday Wishes

2011-10-26T08:45:00.001-05:00

It's our nephew's birthday over the weekend so we had to get the card ready to mail. I had this idea with a Best Buy gift card. Do you get it?!

Inside it reads, "we know who's turning 14!"

Hopefully it's not too cheesy!

I've got a sickie...

2011-10-25T20:17:00.001-05:00

Well.... We had to hit the pharmacy again after work because Barry is feeling so crummy. It's amazing how such a seemingly small thing can affect us! Look at all these drugs! He started off with DayQuil and that didn't work so well. So we moved on to the Alka Seltzer which was better but still wasn't doing the trick. We picked up the Walgreens brand of Sudafed to hopefully attack the sinus stuff and get it away. Also, my sister had recommended the Vicks rub to help with the cough.
And the KLEENEX! Boy, there are Kleenexes everywhere! He's taken packs to have in the car and at work and has gone through it all.

We're hoping he can hold out till Monday when he already has a scheduled appointment for the doctor. Since he was sick not that long ago, we're not certain if it just hung around or maybe that he's got allergy problems. YUCK!

Boss' Day

2011-10-20T12:38:00.001-05:00

Since during this week it was Boss' Day, my team decided to celebrate it over a couple days. The first day we gave her flowers, the second day this gift basket, and the third day donuts from a local bakery.

Despite the craziness of this week, I think we showed her that she is appreciated.

Card Work Project

2011-10-18T11:36:00.007-05:00

(Whew! It's taken almost a week to get this picture to come up straight instead of sideways!)

My boss asked me to make some cards to be sent to new leaders in the ministry. I found the red swirly paper and coordinating red solid paper at Hobby Lobby. I also found this plastic template thing to draw the swirly design. I added cream organdy ribbon and the emblem with 3d tape.

I plan to go through and add the individual's first initial to the bottom right corner in calligraphy to finish them off!

Working at My Parents'

2011-10-16T21:21:00.001-05:00

My parents have bought a home that needs a bunch of work before they can move into it. Although they've had different individuals come and work on it, it's still got a ways to go before they can live there. My brother-in-law is a handy guy and has been going down every once and a while and doing projects here and there.

An aunt and uncle came down from Nebraska to visit my parents and they got in on the action too! My uncle does a lot of fixing up work and was a great resource.

Here's Barry, my uncle Bill, and my dad working on a cabinet for the kitchen.
Here's my nephew working hard outside!
Break time! My sister, my mom, my nephew, and my aunt Audrey hanging out in the "man cave".

The Wedding

2011-10-15T14:15:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures from the wedding...
We didn't get to stay long enough to have cake, but heard that it was yummy! Aren't the fondant flowers beautiful?! Sorry for the poor quality, but this is their first dance as husband & wife! They were so cute!

Here's the table arrangements. They sprayed the branches gold and then added peacock feathers to the arrangement. On the table were little bowls with roses and a couple candles. It was very beautiful.
The party favor was some marshmallows as the couple had roasted marshmallows on their first date. The colors were navy blue and gold.

It was a great night even though we didn't get to stay for the whole time.

A wedding!

2011-10-14T07:03:00.001-05:00

We are headed to a wedding tonight! My boss's daughter is getting married.

I made this card -- with the same papers that I've done several wedding cards, the black swirly with some white organdy ribbon, and I did calligraphy of their names. Inside I also wrote in calligraphy - "Congratulations!" It's not too fancy, but it gets across the message.

We'll tuck a gift card inside and call it good! :)

It happened!

2011-10-13T19:01:00.000-05:00

Today, Thursday, October 13, we officially passed the 200,000 mile mark on the Jeep!

Crazy, huh?! God has taken such good care of us with this vehicle over the last 7 years. We hope there's more to come!

A family pic

2011-10-09T13:27:00.002-05:00

Here we are - all three of us!

We actually took this picture at church - doesn't it look like it?! We set the camera on the Jeep and there you go!

23 weeks

October Birthday Wishes

2011-10-08T13:07:00.000-05:00

Since the birthdays have passed, I can share these cards that I made for family who had birthdays this week.

This is for my mom's birthday. I liked this gray paper with the asterisks on it and since it had some blue in it, I used that as a complimentary color. This is of course a design template from CPS. This was the first time that I used the die cut that had the birthday things embossed into the circle. I used some white organdy ribbon and wrote "Happy Birthday!"

This card was for my niece who turned 6 on the 6th! (We also gave 6 gifts!) I just did a simple design with the three papers. I added pink organdy ribbon and a plastic e. I also wrote "Happy Birthday!"

Last, but not least, is a card for my dad. I liked the complementary colors that were matched with the cross paper and the blue, but wish I could find brown paper to match every shade of brown! I think it turned out okay and I wrote "Happy Birthday, Dad!" in my favorite font.

Barry-Free Evening

2011-10-07T08:18:00.003-05:00

Barry had an opportunity to go out with some guys from church Thursday night, so I had the night all to myself. So, guess what I did?! I made cards! I am so behind on getting things done (Scooter zaps my energy, can you imagine that?!) that I've had a couple people that I've intended to do cards for and I haven't. This was the prime opportunity to do it. Plus, I got 2 extra cards made to give in the future. This one I used pink and brown as my colors. I used the giraffe print as the background and then added three patterned papers in strips down the left side. I wrote a simple message and added a piece of pink organdy ribbon with the friend's initial.
This one has a multitude of papers - 8 total! I used a design template from CPS and based the colors off of the middle paper. I miscalculated the size of the four squares and had to add a piece of black in the middle to make it work. This is just a thinking of you card.
This card is for a friend that just moved into a new house - her first home! I used the blue flowerdy paper as the basis for the other colors. I added the white die-cut flower and a pink jewel in the middle. I wrote "Congratulations!" in the white stripe.
This last card is for a co-worker who just had surgery this week. I wanted to make it cheerful so I used bright colors. I used 4 papers and some purple organdy ribbon. I wrote simply, "Praying for you" and then on the inside, "hoping you feel better soon!"

Tailgating Party at Work

2011-10-06T20:15:00.000-05:00

We had a Tailgating party today at work -- sort of a celebration for October birthdays and then just something fun to do with the whole group. We had off from 11am-1pm to eat, play games, and socialize. The highlight of the time was the dunking booth.

This is my former boss, Gary.
Everyone cheered each time the participants fell in. It was hilarious!

Here I am with my Michigan t-shirt on (well, actually one of Barry's). I'm almost 23 weeks (1 day shy of it). The extra little bulge is my belt - these pants were so large that I needed it!Here I am with my co-worker, Mary. We used to work in the same department but now have gone separate ways. She's a great friend to me!

The first load of laundry

2011-10-05T19:09:00.000-05:00

Sure, I know, who would post a picture of the first load of baby clothes? Crazy people like me, I guess! We've been saving up the clothes to get to a point to do a load and this was the first one.
We found a bunch of deals over the weekend at a consignment sale and then at a garage sale. I think that we might have spent about $12 to get all these things and some of them were brand spanking new!
We don't have a dresser to put them in (yet!) so they'll hang out in this caddy until we do. The little newborn stuff is so small. I don't think that Scooter is going to wear it very long (or at all). If he follows the trend that me and my siblings were on, he'll be a chunk when he's born.

Baby Spaghetti Squash

2011-10-03T20:53:00.000-05:00

I got to my desk Monday morning and found this! According to Baby Center, at 22 weeks, the baby is the size of a spaghetti squash. I had no idea what that was and my co-worker decided to surprise me with one on Monday!

The squash wasn't quite as long as they said the baby should be (over 10 inches) and it weighed significantly more than what the baby weighs - 4 pounds, but it gives a good indication of the size of the baby.

Can you believe that Scooter is this big?!

Baby Card

2011-10-02T20:45:00.000-05:00

I made this card and another exactly the same for two families that just had baby boys. I used the "It's a Boy" paper for the background and then some train paper as an accent. I made a large capital letter in the orange print for each child and wrote their name on the letter.

This particular one is for Tate who was born to a friend who was a co-worker with me. During the pregnancy they found some problems with his heart, but wouldn't be able to know for sure the extent until he was born as it had to do with the connection between the lungs and heart. He is doing pretty well.
The other card was for our friends who just had an emergency c-section on Friday. The little one's heart rate was so low that they felt for the safety of the baby they needed to go ahead and take him. Little Justice had open-heart surgery on Saturday. We went to the hospital on Sunday to see the family. He needs lots of prayers - they have a long road ahead of them.

Feet

2011-09-30T07:04:00.002-05:00

These feet! Last night Scooter was giving some mighty big kicks. In fact, he was pretty crazy most of the day. It's getting to the point that sometimes it causes me to catch my breath because he's kicked so hard. I don't know how much he moves around in there, but I do know that he likes to make sure that I know he's there!

Isn't God an awesome to have created such a process of growth so that it can remind us what a great God He is?! You wonder how people can think that this just happens. We are fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps. 139:14).

Baby Booties

2011-09-28T07:02:00.003-05:00

Look what my co-worker brought back for Scooter!!! Aren't these just the cutest?!

Stephanie was able to go up to New York City for a Scripture Blitz -- a large group of individuals go to a metro area and target hotels, schools, colleges, hospitals, doctor's offices, etc. to get Bibles and New Testaments into the "traffic lanes" of life. She was there for almost a week. They passed out close to 200,000 Scriptures!

I'm guessing Scooter will wear socks a bunch when he's born since it'll be chilly in February. We'll definitely have to show these off! :)

Where's Scooter?

2011-09-27T06:59:00.001-05:00

We had a couple minutes before church on Sunday and since our shirts sort of matched, I thought we'd take a picture. But, what happened to Scooter? You can't even see him here!

He's 21 1/2 weeks already and is pretty active. It's hard to ignore all the jabs coming my way!

Hopefully I'll get a better family picture soon so that you can see Scooter too. Meanwhile, this one will have to do!

Thank you Card

2011-09-26T08:02:00.002-05:00

We got quite a few items from a family in our small group for the baby -- a high chair, a pack-n-play, a bath tub thing, a diaper pail, and some toys. So, I made this card so say thanks.

I used the paper with all the circles as my inspiration. I mimicked the circles on a grander scale and then used the smaller circles to spell out their last name. I used the 3d tape to add the little circles on.

We're getting ready for Scooter!

Big Deals

2011-09-25T19:10:00.000-05:00

Since finding out the news of our little one, we we excited to see what kind of things that we could find. The biggest item that we're searching for is a changing table, but who knows what'll happen with that. We stopped by a thrift store on Friday night and found the two items on the far left -- Barry picked the overalls, and I picked up the blue onesey.

Then, the other items were a big score from a yard sale. They all were brand-new! The bibs we got for 50 cents and the two sleepers were a dollar. The swimming trunks are so cute and they were $1 as well.

We started registering at Babies-R-Us this weekend and boy, what a process that was! We spent about 2 hours there and still have many items that we need to add. I'm hoping that we'll have time this coming weekend to work on registering at Target. There's so much that has to happen in the next couple months! We need to save every extra dollar so that we can get the necessary items.

Swollen Ankles

2011-09-23T18:56:00.000-05:00

So I was changing clothes after work Thursday and looked down only to notice that my ankles were huge! Actually later in the evening they looked even worse... At least it didn't hurt.

Welcome to fun times ahead, I guess.

So neat!

2011-09-22T18:49:00.003-05:00

We opened the egg carton this morning for breakfast and what did we find? Inside the carton was Psalm 118:24 - "This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it." How awesome, huh?!

We got these from Aldi's and don't know if it's just a local thing or what, but it was a great way to start the day.

It's A BOY!

2011-09-21T19:46:00.000-05:00

We had our appointment today to have the anatomy scan (ultrasound) done. The little guy was pretty fiesty and the tech had a hard time getting him to be still enough so that she could get the measurements that she was supposed to get.

Here's his face and then his hand is up sort of waving.Here's his profile. Since he was moving around, it's kind of fuzzy. Again, it looks like he's got his arms up.

Here's another of his profile.

The tech said that the baby was 14 oz. which is the 60% for his age. His heart rate was 141. We'll have to wait till we see the doctor to find out all the other details. The other thing that was cool was that we got to see the blood flow in and out of his heart in color - blue & red.

Now we'll start working on the registry and decorating the nursery.

Mini Cards

2011-09-20T09:37:00.002-05:00

I've been hit by the creative bug lately and took the time to make up a bunch of the mini cards. These are 2"x3" and the back side is white so that you can jot a little note.

From left to right, top to bottom: Thinking of you note for a friend who's name starts with a K. Used 4 papers, pink ribbon, and 3d tape.

Happy birthday card for Beth. I used 3 papers and red ribbon. I just wrote in black, happy birthday and used the special font to write out beth.

Happy birthday card for Adrienne. I used 4 papers and pink ribbon. I wrote her name in the special font.

Thinking of you card for Jamie. I used 4 papers and a pink flower border sticker. I wrote jamie out in the special font.

Home-made Crescent Rolls

2011-09-19T08:13:00.003-05:00

Before our friends left for St. Louis, they gave us a box of Bisquik. I haven't used it much before so I was trying to think of something that I could make with it. So, I found this recipe for crescent rolls and decided to try it out. It did take prep time, 10 minutes of kneading, and then 1 hour of rising before we could bake them in the oven. We took apart 6 of them to add ham & cheese to have for dinner (on the far left).

They turned out pretty nice, but we found that there wasn't very much flavor to them. Note to self for the next time!

A few birthday cards

2011-09-18T15:21:00.001-05:00

I spent some time this weekend trying to get some birthday cards done for a few people in our lives. We actually went to a birthday party for a 7 year old at an inflatable place on Saturday afternoon.
This is for a daughter in our small group who just turned 15. You'll see that I used a lot of the same papers in the next card as well. I used 5 papers, pink organdy ribbon, and a plastic letter "a" that I strung the ribbon through.
This card was for the 7 yr. old. I used 4 papers with this one, pink organdy ribbon, and a chipboard letter "e". This card has 4 papers and was a bit of a challenge since I was trying to get the papers to lay right so that they would cover the whole face of the card! I added the turquoise ribbon with the plastic "d" going through it and then wrote with silver "Happy Birthday".
This one is for a co-worker. I used 3 papers for this one, purple organdy ribbon, and a purple J. I wrote "Happy Birthday". Pretty awesome, huh?!

Breakfast for Dinner

2011-09-15T12:11:00.003-05:00

Breakfast has always been one of my most favorite meals. Whether it's cereal, Pop Tarts, toast, or my favorite - waffles, I enjoy eating it at any point in the day. Barry has rules for breakfast time -- it must be eaten before 10am and it's not a satisfactory dinner option. But, that's where I have to get him pumped up and excited for the opportunity of having a delicious breakfast for dinner! Here are the beginnings of the meal - bacon frying and pancakes on the griddle.

Doesn't it look yummy?! I LOVE IT! :)

19 1/2 Weeks

2011-09-13T12:07:00.001-05:00

We took a minute this morning to take a picture of the baby! He/she has been soooo active ever since Sunday night. We had gone to a celebration for our church moving into a new building. They had concessions for $1. At the end of the evening, there were still some bags of cotton candy and Barry bought me one. Boy, that got the baby's attention! Ever since, I've been feeling this little one all through the day.

I'm in the creative mood...

2011-09-12T19:59:00.000-05:00

I guess since I had been sooooo busy with addressing the envelopes, I was out of the creative loop for a while. So, since Barry had a bunch of dishes to wash and wouldn't need me for a while, I decided to get some cards done. These two cards are duplicate in color & design, but for two different purposes. The one on the left is for Barry's brother who has a birthday on Saturday. It says happy birthday on the orange strip. The one on the right is for a friend who just had emergency surgery on his eye. It says thinking of you. I used 6 different papers for these cards. I had punched the circle and added some orange ink to the edges to make it stand out a bit. Then I adhered the circle & letter with 3-d tape. Love that stuff!
There were a bunch of ladies with birthdays this week & next so I decide to make up my little 2"x3" cards to celebrate their birthdays. Each has their initial on the front.

Best Deals from Publix

2011-09-09T13:41:00.000-05:00

I haven't shared my savings in quite a while, but had a couple from my trip on Tuesday that I just had to share. We bought 14 items with a total price of $37.18, but we only paid $16.93 (a savings of 46%).

The two big deals were the Bugles for 30 cents and the pickles for 37 cents. Go us! :)

Water guns!

2011-09-08T08:15:00.002-05:00

Nana got the kids a little toy to play with and boy, did they enjoy it! The adults had to stay out of the way or they were sure to get wet.My niece was the best with her aim and could get the boys pretty good. The poor little guy could hardly get away from her path.
Um, Nana, I like to drink the water from mine! :)

Playing with the Gifts

2011-09-07T08:07:00.000-05:00

He barely got the gifts open and started playing (can't you see the pizza sauce on his face?)! He was super excited about the dump trucks and had them moving sand all over the place. Dad had to get in the action and help him out.
The other big hit was a set of plastic lawn tools that were given. They used the hoe as a golf club, but had the rake and shovel figured out pretty good!

The kids loved playing in the sand box. Looks like the party was a hit!