A Nursery On Rest

I've quit keeping count of how many weeks I've been sitting around resting, because when you're 26 weeks (!) pregnant, all you really want to do is get a nursery ready (especially when you didn't have one for your first little one).  So over the last four days, I have found several small preparations I can do while sitting.  They do, after all, need to be done anyway.

I knit a new cover for an old pillow.  Eventually it will wind up in the nursery, but for now I think I will enjoy it on the green sofa.  It is Autumn, you know.

A crib skirt to hide all of the junk we're hiding storing under the crib.  I used leftover fabric from when we had the sofa recovered.  Beautiful crib skirt for zero dollars.

Letters for the wall.  We're going to put this little one's name on the wall just like we did for Noah, but is it HAR from Harper...

or is it AHR from Kathrynne?  We'll let you know in January.

My dad put this mirror together several years ago, and although my parents have always had it in their home, they decided there really wasn't a place for it in their new house.  I happily snatched it up and painted it white.  I know you are all shocked at my color choice.

For now, I have to be satisfied with small projects here and there.  Eventually, the walls will get painted, a curtain rod will go up, curtains will get made, crib sheets will get stitched, and letters and photo frames will go up.  But for now, I have to be satisfied in the small, the still, and the resting.

Even After Seven Years

He still buys flowers for me, and I still love to bake for him.  While our anniversary was technically last Monday, any day of the year is a good day to tell you all how great he is.  Just look at those blooms!

Friday Photo

Conversations with Blair: Whatcha Thinkin' About?

Blair:  (from the other side of the couch)  Whatcha thinkin' about?

Me:  Well, I had to wash that towel that we used to clean up the water that Noah spilled in the dining room, but since it had dog hair all over it I had to rinse it by itself so the hair wouldn't get all over the diapers, which by the way I had to pull out of the wash and they're sitting on the shelf.  They're not clean, though, so don't put them away.  Not that I think you would, but just to be on the safe side.  So I had to wash that towel by itself, and I still really don't have anything else to throw in with it for the second wash because I'll have to wash it twice since it's covered in dog hair, and it's too late at night to hang it up outside, but I have sweaters drying on the rack in the back which technically I guess I could open up and have enough room but then I'd have to make space and move it to the nursery so you don't trip over it, and I don't know that I really want to do that.  I could just move the sweaters off, but since they're not really dry I would have to hang them up somewhere and they might get all stretched out, and really I don't know where I'd put them.  I can't really drape them anywhere else because I don't want to ruin the wood finish on anything or get wood finish on my sweaters.  Moving them over without opening the rack isn't really an option because there still won't be enough room for the towel and things need to be spread out right now since it's cool in the house and there isn't much air flow.  I don't want the towel to sit there and be damp for a couple of days because it might smell or Noah might throw it in the floor and mess up that finish.  I hope I remember to add soap for the next wash...

Blair:  Ok.

Radio silence for several minutes.

Blair:  What's for supper?

The Great Conductor

Now, I realize that many of you (my husband included) probably thought this was going to be a post about him.  You are mistaken.  While he is indeed a great conductor, we'll make that a post for another day.

...........

Saturday there was a rare occurrence in our home.  The dog let Noah play with him.  Not that Murray isn't a friendly dog, because he is.  He would just rather lay on the hearth and stare out the window all day than let a two-year-old beep his nose and giggle repeatedly.  

For whatever reason, Murray decided Saturday morning that he needed to drag his favorite toy out of the depths of the laundry room and be playful.  Perhaps it was the cooler weather.  He and Noah tossed and played catch for several minutes, until Murray found himself backed into a corner and staring into a very small face.  Noah immediately began imitating his daddy.  

"Sit, Murray."  "Lay down, Murray."  "Stay, Murray."  However, the dog's good humor does know it's limits, and this was not going well.  I could hear the pitch rising in Noah's voice, so I silently stepped in to intervene.  

Noah: "Sit, Murray."  Murray sits.  Fits of giggles.

Noah: "Lay down, Murray."  Murray lays down.  More fits of giggles.

Noah:  "Stay, Murray."  Murray stays.  Dancing ensues.  

What Noah didn't realize, is that I was standing a few feet behind him giving Murray the silent hand signals we used to train him.  He doesn't need to be verbally told to sit, lay down, or stay.  He just needs us to use our hands and show him what to do.

We silly humans often pride ourselves on being able to make things happen.  We plan, toil, and celebrate our achievements regularly.  We're pleased when life goes our way, and we're just sure that we made it happen.  Meanwhile, what we don't realize is that off to our peripheral (where quite often we have placed Him), the Maker of All Things is conducting the entire show.  

"Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.  The LORD hath made all things for himself."  Proverbs 16:3-4a

Friday Photo: Homemade Lacing Beads

Favorite Things

I've been enjoying:

my little boy's first violin.  And the joy it brings to his daddy's face.

homemade (decaf) pumpkin spice lattes.

watching my little one also enjoy pumpkin spice lattes from his very own special mug.

the lesson that went on this morning as he tried to teach the dog the alphabet.

reading the same book over and over because he loves it.

seeing him watch the world around him.

listening to him say, "I'm me!  N-O-A-H, Noah!  That's me!" several times with pride.


What are you enjoying today?

Resting

Resting.

This pregnancy has been so different from the one I had with Noah.  I know that they are all different, but this one has had so much mandatory rest.  I don't do that well.  Fortunately, autumn is here to the rescue, and with it has come cool rains and the need to stay in.  We're filling our days with crafts, pumpkin songs, reading, and knitting.  Knitting lace is the most restful of all knitting I do believe.    The rhythm of the pattern much like a song, the counting that busies the brain.  Unfortunately, I jumped into this scarf with the impression that I had all the yarn needed without actually putting much thought into it (rest may very well be my mental detriment).  Since I bought it five years ago, I'm sure I won't find any more of it.  

Resting. 

However, as we snuggle and drink hot chocolate (thinking of the much cooler days to come), I'm doing my best to enjoy this time alone with my sweet boy before our next little one gets here, because there's nothing else quite like a little boy looking up at you and saying, "I had a good day!".  And I do believe that that sweet new baby will need some mama-made hand knits (winter babies always do), so I'd better get busy on that as well.  

Busy resting. 

Some Progress Made

 Paint color picked (and sampled on the wall), a little art made (with a preview of what it will look like on top of the new paint color going up next month), and the motivation to keep going.  Now,  I just need to have my yard sale and clear out the far corner, and I'll feel like I'm making some real progress (and I might even find that I have room to put a little one in here after all).  Nineteen weeks left!

Nesting

At 20 weeks (and half-way!) into this pregnancy, I am beginning to feel my nesting instinct kick in. Hence the reason I spent 15 minutes Friday afternoon during nap time moving furniture around the house.  

I moved the rocking chair out of this setup and into the nursery.  The still-full-of-stuff-we-don't-know-where-to-put nursery.  It's rather crowded and cluttered in there.  I will not be showing you a picture of that.  It's more of a "before and after" kind of post.

So, picture with me.  In the place where that brown chair is, a chaise.  A nice one.  Move the brown chair back over where it came from, move the end table out, and put a round ottoman between the brown chair and the sofa.  I promise there really is room for all of that there.  I just moved everything closer together so it would feel more "intimate" and less empty.  It really just needs a rug.

Hopefully, we will have a yard sale this weekend, and I plan on painting the nursery at the beginning of next month.  Then, with the junk gone and the walls painted, I can give you a proper nursery tour (without revealing the baby's gender, of course).  Until then, think of this as my pre-nursery, filler post.

Favorite Things: Making Faces

Apparently, it's genetic.

Me, sometime around 1986.

A Day in the Kitchen

Yesterday was a very busy day, and today I'm:

Enjoying those graham crackers with Noah.

Munching on maple popcorn.

Having homemade blackberry gelatine for breakfast.

Loving the smell of cooking apple butter.

Looking forward to the cheese crackers and marshmallows I have planned and in the making.

I hope you all have a lovely day full of the things you love!

Baking Day

Now, I think most of you know I really like to bake.  And while I don't bake all of our bread, I do bake a good bit of it.  Before Noah was born and I was working, Saturday was designated as baking day.  Now, I just bake whenever I need to.  I try to do it all on one day so I only have to heat up the house once.

Yesterday saw the making of Peanut Butter Granola and French Bread.  Although I don't bake all of our bread, I do make all of our cereal.  We don't buy boxed cereal.  It's granola (or muffins) for us.  Every now and then when I'm feeling spiffy I'll make a coffee cake, but I've found that with only two of us eating it, the cake tends to linger on and on and on until it dries out.  So, I stick mostly with granola.  It's so much better for you (and tasting) than what you buy in the store, you know exactly what's in it, and it only takes about five minutes to throw together and stick in the oven.

The French bread is a relatively new recipe to us, and we love it!  It's very easy to make (Noah helps), and the end result is lovely.  I actually took it and divided it into two round loaves yesterday.  When I bake bread, immediately after removing it from the oven I take a wet cloth and wipe the top of the loaf with it (and it is cloth because we have a paper-free kitchen).  This keeps the crust nice and soft.  The one on the left was only brushed with water after baking.  The one on the right was brushed with butter.  Huge difference.  

Blair got me a copy of The Homemade Pantry:  101 Foods You Can Stop Buying and Start Making for my birthday, and even though most of what we eat is made at home already, I can't wait to start making many of those recipes.  Ricotta!  Graham crackers!  Lentil soup!  Be prepared to read about several of them over the coming weeks.  I'm actually headed to the grocery store in the morning to pick up some ingredients.  

A New Season

"This is the day that the LORD hath made; I will rejoice and be glad in it!"  Psalm 118:24

Butternut Squash

Kale

Apple trees

The start of my new raised beds!

While I don't believe it's here to stay just yet, the cooler weather is supposed to hang around for the next couple of weeks which is just long enough for me to begin to feel Autumn settling in.  I roasted a chicken last week and made 2 quarts of stock over the weekend from the leftover bones.  We've been eating apple pie and starchier foods.  There's football to watch and knitting in the house, and the autumn garden is coming along nicely outside.  The bees seem to know winter is coming, and Blair is doing a great job building my three new raised beds for next year's garden (that was all I wanted for my birthday this year).  If you happen to drive by the house, you'll see I've put my fall wreath on the front door (but don't look too closely, or you'll see that the landscaping fairy has skipped our house for the last couple of months).  The windows are open, the breeze is blowing, and hopefully the weeds in the front flower beds will begin to die soon.  Ah, Autumn, how I have missed you!