16 Weeks

This week has brought the most significant change so far! We felt the baby move this week! Very small, soft "kicks." S/he was going at it for awhile, so Grant got to get in on the action. Pretty cool. Mind you it was very faint and I really only feel it at certain times of the day, but I'm pretty sure it was the baby moving.

I think this week Grant definitely can tell a difference in my appearance. It's obvious if you know what I normally look like. Probably still not very obvious to the masses though.

Only strange thing this week is insomnia. I'm up at 3:00 in the morning and at 6:00 in the morning for a couple of hours total. It's making me mad, because I need sleep to function and I don't know why I'm waking up.

Otherwise, everything is going great!

15 Weeks

It's a rough picture of me, but a good shot of the growing Baby L.



This week was very similar to last. I have had no more nosebleeds this week which has been nice. But, I have been waking up at 3:30 in the morning, which I could do without! Other than that, everything is going well.

We have another ultrasound scheduled in January, to make sure that everything is progressing normally. We are excited about that.

I have also finally nailed down a birthing class. It took many e-mails, but we finally found one that will fit into our tight, one free day a week, schedule! Yay!

One More Down

Another Christmas present for another niece--

I changed it up by adding a ruffle bottom to the pillowcase dress.

I just love the colors- bright and fun!

Hmm. . .

Is it too late to send out Christmas cards?

What I Learned Today

We went to the doctor today and everything looks good! Here's what I learned today:

The heartbeat is strong, high heels are not good while pregnant, I'm measuring right where I am supposed to, I am eating plenty of beans and nuts, I should feel the baby move by my next appointment, I need to get moving on booking a birthing method class, I need to eat more colored varieties of fruits and vegetables, I get plenty of exercise, I'm on my last days of being able to squeeze into my slimming black, pre-pregnancy work pants, I need to take Vitamin C to help with the nose bleeds, my blood is, quite literally, sluggish in the morning, my vitamin D level is finally up and at an excellent level, twisting movements are okay while exercising, your doing well if you can do 100 kegal exercises a day, and last but not least- 10 oz. of orange, tangy glucose drink at 7:30 in the morning is not as bad as I had drudged it up to be in my mind!

That's a lot squeezed into a 40 min. appt.

Grant and I have decided not to find out the sex of the baby. Well, poor Grant is dying to know, but being the most considerate husband of all, he is acquiescing to my wishes!

I've had several predictions lately. I myself am in a quandary. I think it's a girl, but when I dream about it it's a boy. I've had two people look at me and say boy. My midwife thinks it's a girl. The Chinese gender prediction calendar says girl.

Well, the good news is it's one or the other.

14 Weeks

So, 14 weeks has come and gone.


I most definitely have a stomach now! It doesn't look like much in the photograph, but believe me the pre-pregnancy clothes do not fit anymore. I have a few maternity clothes right now and will be getting more for Christmas. It is very strange to only have 3 outfits to choose from. In fact, I can honestly say that getting ready to go anywhere is a pain in the rear.

Still feeling great this week. I have definitely gotten some energy back, which has been helpful in keeping me accountable to my old friend, the treadmill. Was even able to jog/run a mile straight (hadn't been able to do that for awhile).

The nose bleeds and stuffy nose has increased this week. At one point, I was getting nose bleeds 1 to 2 times a day. Nice. I'll take a nosebleed over morning sickness any day though!

I can't think of anything else going on. We are starting to get really excited and will be putting the nursery together during the Christmas holidays!

Winner!

The Random Number Generator selected commenter #3-- that is you, Susan H!





Thanks everyone for playing!

As promised-- Card Giveaway

Since I have so many leftover cards from the shows, I would love to share some with a lucky reader.

Just leave me a comment. I will randomly pick one commenter and send them a pack of 8 (different) handmade cards with envelopes (I can only send cards to people in the U.S., sorry).

By the way, you don't have to have a blogger account or do any "signing up" to leave comments. Just use the anonymous section (make sure you at least put your first name)!

I would love to hear from any new readers or silent readers!

Deadline for comments will be this Saturday at 10:00 EST. I'll announce the winner soon after that, so make sure you check back so you know if you've won!

Cards, Cards, Cards

I am finished with the last craft fair of the season! And I'm so glad that the pressure of "creating" is almost over! I have a few sewing things left to make for Christmas, but no more cards for awhile! The good news is I have lots of cards left over. The bad news is I have lots of cards left over! Actually, leftovers are fine, because they make great gifts for people and I can use them for years to come.

AND . . .

I can give away some cards to a lucky reader. Check my next post for a giveaway! Maybe I can get some of my silent readers to say HI in the comments section!

Our First Real Purchase

I preface this by saying that I'm a little weird and I know it.

I have looked on Craigslist for baby stuff for months and months and months (way before I was pregnant). Always hoping that I would find that perfect must have, can't beat the price item.

Well folks, I have a crib from my sister and baby/kids furniture from my mom. So what is left furniture wise-- a changing table of course.

I knew that I could find a perfectly used, perfectly colored, perfectly designed, perfectly priced changing table if I kept my eye out. And. I. Did. Here's the thing- I did not want to spend a lot of money on a piece of furniture that is limited in use, so Craigslist is where I had to shop.

And here it is.

I love it. It's unique, sturdy, white and hardly used.

And the best part was that it was only $40.

Clearly, Misty Grey has other ideas for this piece of furniture.

Oh, and the lady I bought it from threw in lots of little goodies, and lots of extra diapers! Nice.

13 Week Update

Part of the reason I wanted to "do" this blog was to journal my experiences with pregnancy and raising a baby. So, almost a year and some months later, I finally get to write my first pregnancy post. Yay!

This 13 week picture was taken on Thanksgiving, so really the pooch could be half baby and/or turkey and stuffing. I choose to believe it is baby.




13 week update

Overall, I have felt great so far. So, these symptoms I mention are not too bothersome or annoying, just things that are different for me.

This week and last week has left me a little baffled-- I am more tired now then at the beginning of this pregnancy. I mean drop dead tired. Grant and I both go to bed no later than 10:30 now (used to be 11:00), but I can take a two hour nap and still go to bed at 9:15 lately. Hmm, hoping this fatigue will pass soon. It sorta cramps my lifestyle. And you don't have to remind me how tired I'll be once the baby is here. I know. Well, not first hand, but I know.

Let's see- other symptoms. I've had too many nosebleeds to count. Thankfully, they are not horrendous, but still.


The acne is toning down a bit. Yeah, that's been fun. I'm just going productless right now (except for mineral makeup).


Not a lot of weight gain yet. I can still wear my old clothes, albeit they are tight around the waistband. Haven't worn a belt in weeks now- kind've cool- belts make my outfits lumpy.


Still getting short of breath walking up stairs and such. Hoping that will pass soon too. I'm in decent shape, so it's weird getting tired at the littlest efforts.

Grant and I made our first "real" purchase together (I admit that I have bought some onesies and sleepers already). Well, let me rephrase, I saw it on Craigslist, bought it and dragged Grant out to get it (he really had no say). I have been searching for months for it and I kept waiting for the right one. Silly, I know, but I didn't want to settle. Anyway, I'll devote a whole post to that purchase later.

That's all that I can think of this week. We go back to the doctor on December 15.

Much Better

I'm glad I tried a practice pillowcase dress first, because there were some things that I wanted to change. The ribbon shoulder straps needed to be wider. The main fabric needed to be longer and I needed to do something about the arm holes.

My next "try" turned out much better.

The armhole solution was to create bias tape out of the sashing fabric. Much cuter and much "cleaner."

I love this version of the dress with one long ribbon creating the shoulder straps.

Our little gummy bear

Here is the first picture of our baby. I love it. It cracks me up. Looks like a gummy bear to me.

I can't even tell you the relief we both felt when we saw the baby moving in this ultrasound. But there s/he was just a twitching away. So all is good.

Baby L. at 9 weeks.

To Kill a Mockingbird

Oh my gosh. I loved this book. I'm kind've embarrassed that I had not read it up to this point, but I never had to read it in school and what kid reads classics in their free time? Anyway, it was fabulous.

I loved the lessons to be learned throughout. So many applicable life lessons for kids, for parents, for people in general. I love the title (it's a sin to to kill a bird whose only reason for being on the earth is too sing). I just loved it.

If you have never read this book- you should. There's a reason it's ranked so high on the BBC's list and made it to the Time's list.

New Ticker

Did you notice my new ticker? Umm yeah. Good news!

What now? A Pillowcase Dress of course . . .

So, I'm conversing with a sewing friend one day asking her about her serger and all. I had been thinking about getting one, but I was unsure about spending the money. Well, another lady had overheard our conversation and a few weeks later, out of the blue, e-mailed me and asked if I wanted her old serger. I jumped at it (and offered to pay her some), but she insisted I take it for free. What a blessing! And it was all the inspiration I needed to create a pillowcase dress (or parachute dress) for some adorable nieces of mine.

I had promised my SIL I'd try to make some for her little girl, Addie. Then I was talking to my sister, who thought two matching dresses for her little girls would be fantastic. Well, I had a spare white pillowcase and decided to try to master this pillowcase dress before Christmas.

Well, I would say that my first attempt was pretty successful. I'd like to try to master the arm hole a bit more and, I think I will need to make it a little smaller for, well, smaller girls. But other than that, I was very happy with the finished product. Thought I would throw in a appliqued flower to finish it off. I'm thinking of adding ribbon to the section where the white meets the pattern material. Should have done it earlier, but chickened out (the ribbon was slippery).

Oh, serger, you are my new friend. You are complicated and tricky, but you create a lovely seam. One which my sewing machine will never be able to rival.

Craft Fair

Have I got any readers left???

If so, I have a great excuse for being absent for so long. I had been furiously stamping away creating greeting cards, notebooks, calendars and quilts for a craft fair. Oh my, the craft room was outta control these past few weeks. But I was able to pull together quite a stash of cards.

It was a ladies' retreat as well as a craft fair, so I got to hear some neat speakers and sell my stuff. It was at my sister's church, so added bonus is that we got to spend Friday and Saturday together (a rare event with my working schedule and her 4 kids)!

Can I give a shout out to my sister who is the best salesperson in the world! She's not pushy but she tells you what you need to buy! I sat like a lump most of the time nodding and smiling. I can create it, but I can't sell worth a darn. It's the way God made me- so there. Thanks Rhea, I never would have sold anything without you!

Here are some pics of our booth:

The quilts. I didn't sell any, but got lots of compliments. Several people took my card, so maybe they'll remember me in the future!

Oh, the cards. The many, many cards.

Silas Marner by George Eliot

Oh my. I loved this book. I mistakenly picked it up thinking it was on the BBC's list, but it was not. I decided to read it anyway (since I had it) and it was a short read.

It is the sweetest book. It's about a weaver losing everything he had only to be transformed by the power of a little golden-haired orphan girl. It's a story about redemptive love and the just/unjust getting what they deserved. It was written in 1861, so at first I didn't have high hopes that I would enjoy it. But, wow, I couldn't put it down.

I definitely would recommend this to anyone. It's short (183 pages) and is pretty easy to follow.

Interesting note: George Eliot is the pen name for Mary Anne Evans (It makes sense that a woman would have written this story)!

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Well, it wasn't my favorite book. Her writing style takes a little getting used to. It took me awhile to be able to differentiate between the characters and to be able to remember their histories. So admittedly, I was lost during parts of the books.

However, it was nice to read a book with a good ending. Finally.

I look forward to reading some more of her work. Maybe, by then I'll be used to the writing style.

Light in August by William Faulkner

I was drawn to this novel because of its title. I am an August baby, so naturally, I assumed this book would be a good one! Well, it was good, but I have yet to figure out how the title fits the novel and even Wikipedia didn't have a great answer (his wife suggested the title).

Well, it's a book about racial tension/isolation in the South. It also has many blatant Christian themes throughout (which I did not pick up on while reading), the most obvious being Joe Christmas (J.C.) I'm not in school anymore, so I'm not going to beat myself over the head for missing important themes. I'm just reading for pleasure and then checking out Wikipedia for any details that I missed.

I like the novel's characters and how they are intertwined in each other's stories. I wish Faulkner would have given some more pages to the female character, Lena. She was the most interesting to me.

Overall, it was a good book and pretty easy to read. It's a long one though at 500+ pages.

Pretty and Sweet Quilt

I think this is one of my favorite quilts. I love the colors.

I don't know what kind of pattern this is, but it's a nice twist to the traditional patchwork look.

I love the pink and green sashing and binding.

And here it is. This one is on sale at my Etsy shop.

Crazy Cat Woman

What can I say. I love my fur babies.

I Feel Yucky

What I ate for lunch today was neither simple nor natural. Perhaps a little creative though.

Just thought I would let my readers know how gross I feel right now. You see, I'm going to the fair tonight and I usually try to combat the "all that is fried" food with a healthy lunch. You know, to counterbalance everything. Unfortunately, I didn't really have anything healthy in the fridge, so I had to make due. (We are on our last days of the last food run).

First I started with a hamburger bun- was really looking forward to a veggie sandwich. Umm, no vegetables, so I slapped on some mayo, found a slice of cheese and pulled the last dill pickle slice out of the jar. Yum. Fearing that would not be enough, I grabbed the last bit of baked beans (from last night). Pickle/cheese sandwich and baked beans. Check. Fearing that would still not be enough, I grabbed the last 1/4 of my bean, cheese and salsa quesadilla. Lunch is now complete.

Of course, now I feel gross and am a little scared about the fair.

Creative. . . yes. Natural . . . no.

What have I been up to?

Nothing really! Which is why I haven't updated lately. Sigh.

Actually I did finish a quilt awhile ago that I need to post. It's pretty darn cute. I'm working on two more right now.

I'm looking forward to the State Fair this Friday. Yum. Fried food, here I come.

We had to tape our bedroom door so the cat wouldn't paw on it all night. So far it has worked well.

I got two free punches for hosting the Stampin! Up party. Woo-hoo.

My gardenias are still blooming (despite the cold weather). Yay! I love gardenias.

I made a chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting and between Grant and I ate the whole thing in three days (bad, very bad) (and, I don't even like chocolate cake).

Got an entire bucket of candy at work for an early Halloween gift. Thanks guys. Between that and the fresh baked cookies our copy service brings us every couple of weeks it should prove to be an interesting holiday season.

Went to yoga class and I now feel like my obliques are on fire- which is strange because we didn't do any poses that would challenge my abs?!

That's about all that has been happening lately. Hopefully, some interesting posts will be forthcoming.

Happy Fall.

Another Goodbye

Lately, death has become more tangible . . . unfortunately, more real to me.

I've been very lucky to have only attended three funerals in my lifetime. However, recently, it seems that death is lurking around.

My sweet Aunt Christine passed away on October 6. She fought an extremely hard battle against a rare brain disease, Pick's Disease. She held on for a long time. And for that I know her family is thankful. She is in a much better place now and her body is completely healed. And for that I am thankful.

So, goodbye Aunt Christine. Until we meet again.

(L-R: Aunt Christine, cousin Linde (Christine's daughter), me, my grandmother, Faymom and my sister, Rhea)

The Corrections

What a LONG book. I thought it had potential since it was one of Oprah's Book Club picks. Sadly, this novel was just awful (in my opinion). It was boring. It was depressing. It had a lot of bathroom talk (I'm talking literal bathroom talk). It did open my eyes to the struggles of living with someone with Parkinson's disease, but other than that there was not much I could appreciate.

I finished it because I wanted to cross it off my list. But I would not recommend this to anyone.

Really . . .

Umm, is it October already?

Can someone explain to me where the year went?!

Geez, next I'm going to blink and it will be Christmas.

Update

Just in case you were wondering-- I have NOT given up on my book challenge. In fact, I'm reading two books right now. One is incredibly huge and incredibly boring, but I'm almost finished with it, so I might as well persevere. And I just started a second book, Persuasion, by Jane Austen. So far it is a good read.

I'm also quilting. Trying to get a good stock up for the craft show in November. I also need to start focusing on my card and paper crafts (I'll be selling those at the craft fair too). So much to do!!

I'm dancing again. I've cut it back to two nights a week this year. So far, so good. I need some SYTYCD inspiration though (which will start getting good in the next couple of weeks). Woo-hoo!

That's all the major things going on right now. Okay, back to work now.

Pears and Polka Dots (and apples)

I just fell in love with this fabric a couple months ago and when I had a little extra money, I got me some. And I fell in love with it even more!

So here is my take on a log cabin pattern.

The back is actually my favorite. The colors look so nice against the white flannel.

Such a sweet quilt. This is actually a larger size quilt-- lap quilt size or toddler size blanket.

The quilt is on sale at my Etsy shop.

She's like her momma

This is my fat cat, Sadie.

She does not like people food EXCEPT for two things-- yogurt and Krispy Kreme.

That's right, Krispy Kreme makes her purr.

She's just like her momma.

Life

For the past couple of weeks I've felt that I've just hit a wall. I so long for something different and yet, I'm stuck doing the same thing that I've been doing the past 7 years. Work is just not fun at all and it is such a shame that I spend most of my waking hours there-- interacting with people that are not family and not friends (per se, I get along fine with my co-workers).

I'm praying so desperately for a "change." I need it. I don't know how much more of me I can give to a place. To anyone really (except Grant).

This is not to say that I don't enjoy my work-free time at home and with Grant. I LOVE those times and look forward to those times. It is just that those times are so small compared to the 40 hour work week.

Grant and I have talked and he's even given me a future date that I can quit my day job (if we don't have a child by then). I tell you, it was the best gift he could have given me. I need that deadline. I need to look forward to something.

Just a little rant for a gloomy Wednesday.

Please Lord give me the strength to continue this journey!!!

More Quilts

Well, as you can imagine, I've been spending my time quilting. Here are two recent quilts I've finished.

Sock Monkey Quilt. I just don't think there can be anything much cuter than a sock monkey quilt. I love the colors. I love how it can be for a boy or a girl. This special quilt will go to a special person, who I just happened to mention in my last post. If you haven't checked that last post out you should!

The fabric is just to die for (the knits actually look like knits-- amazing).

A little pizazz for the back. Also I needed a little extra length. Problem solved.

Here is my sophisticated baby girl blanket using the Panache line from Moda fabrics. The colors are scrumptious. This one is on sale in my Etsy shop.

I liked how the borders turned out. Something different.

Simply Divine Designs

I wanted to introduce you to a friend of mine, Melody. She, like me, loves to sew! She makes the neatest baby items (just to name a few): bibs, burp cloths, boppy covers, blankets, diaper clutches, nursing covers and slings (my personal favorite). She uses the trendiest fabrics and makes some pretty special pieces. Her business is Simply Divine Designs.

But what makes her business is even more special is that all funds raised will be going towards their adoption fund!

So, please go take a look at her business website and see what she has to offer. Not only would you get a special baby item, but you would get them one step closer to bringing home a baby!!!!

I don't know about you, but that seems like a pretty special investment to me!

He's Laughing with Jesus

This past weekend Grant and I lost an old friend from high school and church youth group, Chris Raynor. This has to be one of the most tragic stories I have ever heard. Chris was set to be married at 11:00 on Saturday. Sadly, someone ran a red light and hit the car he was in. He died a few hours before he was supposed to walk down the aisle. Here is the story from the newspaper.

I haven't seen Chris since high school, but I have never forgotten him. He was hilarious and liked to channel Chris Farley, who he actually kind've resembled!

If you are reading this post, please just take a minute and pray for his family, friends and fiancee. He was an only child and I know his parents are beyond devastated. Clearly, from the things I read, he and Karen were a wonderful, bring-out-the-best-in-each-other kind of couple. I cannot even imagine the pain in her heart and the days ahead for all them.

(Providence Baptist youth group ski trip- 1996)

I have no doubt, however, that he is laughing with Jesus right now.

Gyro Recipe

I've been asked for my gyro recipe after a post on the tzatziki sauce. For this recipe, I don't use measurements per se- it's one of my throw it all together and hope it works kind of recipe.

* Steak (i.e., flank steak-- anything that is sort of flat)
* Cavender's Greek Seasoning (I use this seasoning in almost everything)
* 1 or 2 cloves of Garlic, minced
* Worcestershire
* Whole Wheat Pitas
* Mild Banana Peppers
* Tomato slices
* Tzatziki Sauce (yogurt sauce)
* Paprika

I like to pound my steak to make it thinner (or buy some from the butcher already sliced thin). I marinade the steak with a little splash of Worcestershire , minced garlic and generous sprinkling of greek seasoning. Let the steak marinate for as little as 30 min. to overnight. Then I sear it/cook it in my cast iron skillet with a little olive oil over medium high heat. After steak has rested it for at least 10 min., I like to slice it.

Then I put the steak in a pita pocket with a generous serving of the yogurt sauce, some banana peppers and tomato slices (sometimes cucumber slices too or a little lettuce). I like to sprinkle a little paprika on the pita (specifically the yogurt sauce) for a little extra color!

That's it. Super easy and yummy. I have also done a loaf style gyro with hamburger meat and spinach. I don't like that as well, because it seems like meatloaf in a pocket (not as authentic to me).

A Cute mistake

Grant accidentally bought boys' large undershirts (instead of adults) the other day. Since he couldn't wear them, he suggested turning them into rags. I detoured the idea. I just knew there was something creative I could do with them.

So, I took some of my fabric scraps and sewed those suckers right on to the t-shirt.

This was my experiment t-shirt- it's unwearable, but at least it gave me some ideas.

The sock monkey is my favorite, but sadly I don't have any more scraps to play with.

My Business Cards

Oh, they turned out so cute. I couldn't choose which design I liked best, so I chose 8 styles. I wanted to choose some with "baby themes" and some that represented my idea of "greener beginnings" and then the rest were images that I just liked. Clearly, I have an obsession with birds.

(Baby stuff and "greener beginnings")

(my birds)

It's a little dorky, but I like it.

My name is Andrea . . .

and I have an addiction.

An addiction to pretty fabrics. I can't help it and I can't be stopped. I see something pretty and I must have it.

Actually, my addiction is slight (compared to some) because I exercise extreme self control when I am in the fabric store. Really, I could easily buy hundreds of dollars worth of fabric (I just spent $33 today). However, if something is irresistible and I see pretty quilts in the future, then I must have it.

Here is what I found today. I have great plans for all these "pretty" fabrics.

I have been in love with this apple & pear fabric for forever. I finally got it.

Okay, the line is named Eva. My niece is named Eva. Obviously, I needed to purchase this charm pack.

Not necessarily "pretty" but seriously fun!

Keep coming back to see how these fabrics turn into quilts.

Tzatziki or Yogurt Cucumber Sauce

So my breath smells like garlic right now because I just ate some homemade tzatziki. And it was good, just don't come too close to me. No, seriously.

Grant and I like to make gyros at home. It's an easy dinner to throw together and it is so good. Well, you can't have gyros without the yogurt sauce or tzatziki so here is my recipe for tzatziki (it's just a fun word to say).

*about 3 cups of greek yogurt (here's the thing- you need a thick yogurt it's just not as good with plain "watery" yogurt. So I would recommend buying greek yogurt or you can take plain 'ol yogurt and put it in cheesecloth to drain overnight or at least a couple of hours. Bonus, you get whey which you can use in other healthy type recipes)

*one cucumber peeled, deseeded and finely diced

*2 cloves of garlic peeled and minced

*handful of fresh or dried mint leaves crushed or finely chopped (this is completely optional, but it adds a nice flavor)

*salt to taste (pepper optional too)

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for an hour.

So easy. And it's not just for gyros-- this makes a great dip or just eat it as a snack.

Because my family is Lebanese, we've used this dip a lot with various Lebanese/greek type food. Yummy.

That's it. Go make some for yourself and then give your loved one a kiss.

Anne of Green Gables

I adored this book. I will definitely be reading the rest of this series when time permits. It's so sweet and inspiring. And a trip to Prince Edward Island seems like a great place to vacation!

The "Anne" series was one of my favorite movies as a child. I can't even imagine how many times we watched those movies. I think the movie did a great job depicting the book, so I've no complaints there.

This is most definitely a series I want my children (probably girls) to read and watch. Love it.

It was a crafty kind of day

Today, I went to the Scrap Exchange and found some pretty cool finds-- some fabric, a stamp set and paper. I also went to Michael's and found some great deals. I'm trying to get some ideas for the craft fair I'm doing in November, so I'm all about some experimentation.


These adorable little notebooks were $.60 at Michaels. What a steal. I decided to "dress them up" a bit to make them even more special. What do you think?







I also made some cards. Very simple, easy cards.





I've got more things to play around with, so I think this is how I will be spending my Labor Day weekend!