I'm Still Here

I haven't dropped off the face of the planet, promise :) But I am counting down the days... hours... minutes until Friday. What's Friday? Other than April Fools (always entertaining), it's my last day of employment for the forseeable future. I'm so excited... and exhausted. I've been working overtime to boost my last couple paychecks before I'm home full-time. I'm very ready.

My 32 week bump

Our house is slowly but surely coming along. All the tile has been removed from the bathroom, along with the sink, vanity, medicine cabinet, and light fixtures. Shaune made a new friend at church who is a retired electrician -- he's coming over bright and early Saturday to help us rewire to modern code. No more 1932 paper wrapped wire in this house! I detest living in a construction zone, but alas... it's necessary. I just keep reminding myself of the end goal: a lovely house before Baby Girl comes home. It is possible! She's still growing well. She's a mover... goodness! I never realized just how much exercise babies get while they're still inside! My poor organs... I finally saw my doctor yesterday for the first time since early January (I've been with nurses since I'm not high-risk) and had the labor talk. I'm so glad to hear that she's got similar opinions to me. I'm going to have to have a hep-lock available for IVs, but she won't hook anything into it unless totally necessary. She's willing to do intermitant monitoring and doesn't induce for over-term until after the 42 week mark (as long as everything's looking ok). She'll allow me to drink whatever I want in labor, and although she did say "no eating," she winked and smiled, which is code for "what I don't see won't hurt." Not bad, considering that the hospital where I'll be delivering is in one of the most sue-happy counties in the country! They are so overly cautious with liability here... that's part of why it was a challenge to find a doctor at all. There are no (advertised) midwives, no independent birth centers, no anything except one extremely large (40+ OB) medical group. I got a good one, out of those 40. 7 weeks left. I hit 33 weeks yesterday. However, my original due date was a week earlier, which would be 6 weeks. Either way, this is the last week they'll stop pre-term labor -- it's practice in this area to not stop it past 34 weeks. I'm starting to pull together a bag and praying she doesn't come before my showers -- one of which isn't until the 27th of April! Keep cooking, Little Girl!

Single Car Families?

Hi ladies! I wanted to ask your opinion on something that's coming up in our near future: Are any of you single-car families?

My dear, darling, 12 year old 210,000 mile car isn't going to make it much longer and we're looking at not replacing it. Have any of you made do with a little one and just one car? What do you have to do to make it work?

Thanks for sharing!

30 Weeks and Nesting

Why can't I nest like other pregnant women? You know -- sew up a few cute little things, spend way too much money buying cute little wall decor, clean everything so it shines like a hospital? That would be normal. I've never been normal. Instead, I decided to destroy the only bathroom in our house:

Yeah... that's smart.

The tile's coming down, and so is most of the paster behind it. 80 year old plaster in a bathroom with bad tile permanently adhered doesn't like to stay on the wall. It's a hot mess. Shaune called in reinforcements: I'm kicked out on Saturday and the boys are replastering the whole disaster; then we'll paint and retile (just the shower area this time). Don't watch HGTV ladies... it'll give you an inflated sense of ability.

And maybe THEN I'll the moving boxes out of what-will-be the nursery! This poor child... lol. At least we've got a carseat. Beyond that, her mom's insane.

Blueberry's Butterfly Quilt

As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to make my little one a quilt. One that was bright and cuddly, perfect for a little person to play on and sleep under. Then we found out we were having a girl :) I would have been completely thrilled with a boy -- seriously! -- but there's just something fun about sewing for a little girl. I spent far longer than I should have at Joanne's Fabrics searching for the *perfect* fabric to make the *perfect* baby quilt for my little girl. And alas! Here is is:

Double Irish Chain is one of my all-time favorite blocks (I like the triple even more, but that was too many seams to match this time). I've always wanted to make it. So I did! God bless the women who came up with the rotary cutter and the strip-piecing method of quilting... without you, this would never have happened. I don't have the patience to match that many little squares. Goodness! Every time I make a quilt (and I ONLY strip piece), I get more and more respect for those ladies who pieced each individual little piece of the horribly complex quilts I've seen from the past. They're amazing.

I couldn't resist this butterfly print. It's lovely. The back is daisies and I'm going to applique a butterfly out of scraps along with the quilt label. The binding will be the royal blue like the inner border (and the tiniest butterflies! Can you see them?). And I have *just enough* of the butterfly print left over to make a little dress to bring Blueberry home in.

Here's where I'm struggling: As much as I LOOOOOVE to piece quilt tops (strip piece!), I actually dread the quilting part. I don't know why. I've only actually finished quilting one quilt. I've started a couple others and lost interest. I'm hoping that this time I have enough motivation -- and a deadline! -- to keep me going. I've decided to hand quilt since I've been having to spend a lot of time with my feet up. I hate being idle. This'll keep my hands busy.

I need your ideas. How should I go about quilting this? I was just going to straight stitch down the center of the pink chain and "in the ditch" along the borders, but I need SOMETHING for in the big butterfly squares. I'm at a total loss. And, I should probably do SOMETHING inside the big green border, too. Any thoughts? I'd appreciate it -- I'm clueless!

Philosophy of Beauty

I just finished reading a fabulous book that I can't help but share with you. It was a random find: Shaune and I had gone to the local bookstore for a "date," where we get a special coffee and wander around for a few hours, enjoying the books and magazines. I hadn't planned on buying anything, but this book caught my eye:

What a weird title! And an eye catching cover! And it was only just recently (2006) translated from French. It's a novel, but even more than that, it's a discussion of philosophy. Each of the two narrators is looking for worth and beauty in their worlds, and they craft essays describing the good they've found (or the lack of it).

Each chapter is only 3, maybe 4 pages, but it draws you in so deeply. Here's a teaser from the section on grammar:

I don't like Achille Grand-Fernet but in this case I agreed with him when
he asked this question. I feel it was long overdue. Moreover, when a literature
teacher uses a split infinitive like that, I'm really schocked. It's like
someone sweeping the floor and forgetting the dust bunnies. "What's the point of
grammar?" asked Achille. "You ought to know by now," replied Madame
Never-mind-that-I-am-paid-to-teach-you. "Well, I don't," replied Achille,
sincerely for once, "no one ever bothered to explain it to us." Nadame Fine let
out a long sigh, of the "do I really have to put up with such stupid questions"
variety, and said, "The point is to make us speak and write well."

I thought I would have a heart attack there and then. I have never heard
anything so grossly inept...

Personally I think grammar is a way to attain beauty. When you speak, or
read, or write, you can tell if you've said or read or written a fine sentence.
Upi cam recpgmoze a well turned phrase or an elegant style. But when you are
applying the ruses of grammar skillfully, you ascend to another level of the
beauty of language....

And on the way home I thought: pity the poor in spirit who know neither the
enchantment nor the beauty of language.

Yum. Check it out the next time you need some brain food. I guarentee you won't be bored :)

And all will be well

I'm so grateful to you for praying for me during my testing on Monday. Although I brutally failed my first glucose screening, the second one came back "perfectly normal." I've dodged the diabetic bullet for now, but it has scared me into looking over my diet more carefully. Baby Girl doesn't really like food (lol), just snacks and junk. A hot meal just isn't appealing, so I've blended up a healthy trail mix with nuts and dried fruit. Anything's better than poptarts :)

Countdown has started! Only 11 weeks to go!

The Scope of the Project

My husband and I are hard-core do-it-yourselfers. We bought an 80 year old house with 80 year old house issues. We're too poor and/or too cheap to hire anyone to do work for us, so every project turns into quite the adventure. Our bathroom sink has been leaking, so since Shaune was off on Friday for Lincoln's Birthday, he decided to take care of it. Half an hour, hour tops, to turn off the water and put some plumber's tape in the valve.

On the other side of the weekend, the bathroom sink has been replumbed entirely. New valves, new pipes, even a new vanity and new sink -- and new power tools! What started so small turned into an epic project when the valve handle snapped off in Shaune's hand as he went to turn the water off. It spiraled from there.

It's just the way my brain works, but in this chaos I saw something so comforting I just had to share with you. Isn't it wonderful -- God already knows the scope of the project before he begins. He knows everything it will take to sanctify us before we're even born! He isn't surprised when he reaches the corroded valve in our hearts that won't let us turn off the flow of sin. He isn't shocked when our perfect-looking facade cracks down the middle, revealing our spiritual ugliness. He doesn't complain when the project that was supposed to be minutes turns into days -- he already had an accurate timeline. And nothing he finds in us will cause him to step back, gasp, and comment, "Maybe I got in over my head on this one!"

I'm glad to be God's project. I'm glad he's the master, who can evaluate my heart for what it REALLY is, and not just what I'd like it to be. I don't have to understand because I'm not in control. He is... and He is more than capable.

Happy Baby-Brain Land

I have gotten nothing accomplished for weeks. Literally, nothing... past daydreaming at least. But I FINALLY got my sewing machine out of the garage (doesn't mean it's set up yet). I also decided on the quilt for Baby Blueberry: I'm going to do a triple irish chain with animals appliqued/embroidered in the "blank" squares. Fulfills my needs for a complicated project, plus my recent bizzare cravings for hand-work. Should be lovely -- I ordered the pattern today and am dragging Shaune to the fabric store on Saturday to pick out cottons.

Oh, and if you don't mind, would you send some prayers my way? Although Baby Girl is doing just fine, I've had some bloodwork for myself come back abnormal. She's sapping my system. My iron's really low and my blood sugar is out of balance. I have to go in for further testing on the 21st. I'm making some changes to my diet now and praying that everything comes out ok after the tests. This "growing new life" thing takes a lot out of you!

Snowpocolapse Soup

When outside looks like this:


Leaving behind this:



And this:


What's a girl to do but make something warm and comforting like this?

Black bean soup in whole wheat bread bowls. yummm.... Perfect for a cold night of getting snowed in. The bread bowls are no-knead bread taken from this recipe here (with some alterations). I've been making up batches of this about every 2-3 days. We don't eat a whole lot of bread here, unless this is lying around. The recipe is kind of small so if you're feeding more than a handful of people, double it.

The black bean soup is a family favorite. My mom found it, my sister perfected it, and I make it all the time :) It's spicy -- really! -- so be careful! Add extra corn or cheese to cool it down. Cheddar or Mexican Blend is wonderful.

Spicy Black Bean Soup

Cooking spray
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
45 oz. canned black beans, undrained (=3 15 oz. cans) (I use a randomly approximate amount of beans cooked from dry, plus enough of the cooking liquid to just cover)
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp ground cumin
14 ½ oz fat-free chicken broth, or vegetable broth (or 2 cubes bullion with 14oz water)
10 oz canned tomatoes with green chilies (Rotel)
11 oz can yellow corn, drained

Coat bottom of a large stockpot with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are soft but not brown, about five minutes.

Place one can of beans in blender; add sautéed onion mixture, red pepper flakes, and cumin. Cover and blend on high until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour mixture back into stockpot.

Place second can of beans and broth in blender and puree until smooth; add to stockpot.

Stir third can of beans (do not puree first), tomatoes w/ green chilies, and corn into stockpot. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Yields about 6 servings.

OPTIONAL (and time saving): Instead of blending stuff before cooking, use an immersion / Stick Blender once you've added everything but the corn. It was the best $10 kitchen tool I ever bought for things like smooth soup and sauces. I use it enough that it's earned a place in my kitchen right next to the stove instead of in some obscure cabinet throughout the house (like the ice cream maker).

24 Weeks

Whoa! Where'd this come from!?



Can't deny that baby anymore! She's growing strong and kicking a ton. I think she's also falling into a schedule: I definately feel her have busy times (10:30pm, every single night) and calmer times (thankfully, while I'm at work). Every now and again there will be a little appendage-shaped bulge push out on my belly for just a few seconds. It's pretty cool :) I'm still feeling pretty great, but my energy is starting to drop off. By the time I get home from work, I have to take a nap before I can get started on the evening life (dinner, chores, etc).

We love you, Baby Girl! Keep on growing!