Wednesday, October 26, 2011

DIY Onsies...

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been crafting up a storm...trying to keep busy while I wait for the baby=)


So I thought I would share one of the many projects I worked on...a gift for a friend who is expecting her first baby as well...a little girl!!



These were so fun and so easy to make...here's what I did:

Step #1: Cut out fabric in the shapes and sizes that you want to make the embellishments.

Step #2: Stick all the fabric to the sticky side of "steam-a-seam" transfer paper.

Step #3: Cut out all the shapes from the transfer paper and follow directions to iron them onto your onesies where you want them.

Step #4: Add style and security to your embellishments by embroidering around the perimeter of your designs and adding buttons!

Step #5: Enjoy!


I was so happy with how they turned out...and I cannot wait to find out if our little one is a boy or a girl so I can start working on cute onesies for him or her next!!

Hope your all having a great night!

Linking up to party!!

Monday, October 24, 2011

Before daybreak...

After weeks of waking up 4, 5, 6 times a night (one of the less glamorous sides to being nine months pregnant and having a very small bladder), the last thing I remember thinking before going to bed last night was "Dear God, please let me sleep through the night"...


What felt like 10 minutes later, I heard Mike getting ready for work, which meant my prayers were answered. I did not wake up a single time since my head hit the pillow. I gave him a kiss goodbye and pushed the illumination button on my phone as the rumble of his truck faded from earshot.


5:10 am


"Great", I thought, "at least another hour or two to sleep"... 


ha.


With two hours to go until daylight, my night was over and my day had just begun.


After spending the next 30 minutes or so trying to fall back asleep...I grabbed my computer and and went to read the latest post on this blog here...written by Shannan, a sweet wife and mom of three who writes beautifully and has the keen ability to make you look at life in new ways...


today was no different...she was sharing about this book:


Written by a young woman, Katie Davis, who has dedicated her life to God and to the people of Uganda, Africa. 

After spending the next 45 minutes reading Katie's blog, my eyes we wet and weepy. This young woman is the real deal. She does what many of us only talk about. think about. read about.

She adopts children and raises them as her own.

She tends to the wounds of her impoverished neighbors.

She invites men, women, and children into her home to be fed and find rest.

She puts many of our best efforts to shame.

and quite honestly... it was all just a little too heavy for me at 6:13 in the morning...

so I scrolled down the sidebar of Shannan's blog, and picked out another blog to peruse...a seemingly lighthearted one, based on its name, "Enjoying the small things".

ha. once again I could hear the faint sounds of laughter coming from the lips of my Maker.

What I was hoping would be a light, frivolous homemaking/crafting blog, was actually the home to a story which, after my experience last week (found here) , hit me like a ton of bricks. 

This young mom recounts in detail the birth of their second daughter, born unexpectedly with down syndrome.

She writes so candidly about the fear, anger, excitement, and hope that was triggered by her daughter's birth...

Her blog is a collection of photos, memories, and musings about their lives and the blessing that their little girls are to them.

Another tear-jerker, heart-breaker, soul-searcher... and it was only 6:45 am.

and so it is official...I'm going to shut my computer for the day, and minimize the risk of God nudging my heart with yet another story of His children, living out their lives with more love and faith than I can imagine.

somehow I have the sneaking suspicion that He will find more ways to capture my attention and call my heart to action, even with my laptop closed...He's good at that.

So here's to another day of excited anticipation for the arrival of our baby, and saying another hundred prayers for whatever the future holds for our little family...I can't wait to see what He's got in mind.

=)



Saturday, October 22, 2011

Nursery Reveal...


Ok so here we go...after months of planning, and weeks of tweaking...
our little one's nursery is complete!!


























I love this room so much, I find myself walking into it a million times a day just to smile and sigh and walk back out=) 

And pretty soon the very best part of the whole nursery will arrive and make the pictures complete!

If I am feeling ambitious, I might write a few more tutorials on some of the projects that you see in the pictures above...but for now...hope you enjoyed the tour!!


Thursday, October 20, 2011

Redefining Perfection



Last night Mike and I got to experience something really special


As rain poured out of the sky in sheets, we huddled under a canopy of Hollywood style rounded bulbs on a crowded street in philadelphia, trying to stay dry...


and trying even harder to catch a glimpse of the performers as they made their way from their limos to the warmth of the theater...


Flashbulbs were going off, people hollered and cheered, voices boomed from the microphone...


These were not just any celebrities...


They were singers, dancers, pianists, drummers, and comedians...


They had tophats and canes and satin dresses and bouncy curls...


They were children from all over who had come to perform for us.


not just any children, but children with special needs.


And let me tell you, they put on quite a show.


And as we sat there, and watched a little girl with down syndrome in her pink satin dress, dance around the stage with her boa and sequined cheerleading poms, with a smile and a confidence that lit up the room, I thought to myself...


If I have a child with even half of that little girl's enthusiasm for life, even half of the brightness of her smile...


I would be honored and I would be blessed.


These children were there because it was a place to showcase their talents and abilities (which were outstanding)...but what they probably didn't even realize is that they were giving us in the audience a glimpse into another world far greater than our own...


A glimpse into God's economy (the one that isn't crashing and burning around us) where they are the distinguished citizens, and we are the general public, the commoners, the spectators... A place where He (the Creator) basks in the delight of his children of every race and every ability...


It's a beautiful world, one that so many of us never see or care to look for...


and for those of us who catch a glimpse...


our world looses its luster...


which is ok with me. 


(Luke 17:33, Mark 8:36)


How about you? Have you had any experiences lately that make you stop in your tracks and re-evaluate this place, this world we call our home?




P.S. What I was going to post about, before I got kicked out of the driver's seat, was our completed nursery!!! So come back tomorrow to see gobs and gobs of pictures of our little one's new digs=)

Friday, October 14, 2011

Welcome to the nest, little one!

As promised, I am back to show some pictures and details from my third shower, which was this past weekend...


Baby Shower #3: Welcome to the nest, little one!


Location: My Aunt Melissa's home...


Decor: Brightly colored flowers, birds, butterflies, and "robin's eggs"


Menu: Fresh salad and bread served with sausage and peppers, and pasta...and of course a cake with a sweet nest on it=)


Favors: Miniture nests made from chocolate and pretzels...filled with robin's egg blue jordan almonds and tied with butterfly labels...




To all my wonderful friends and family...thank you sooo much for hosting such beautiful showers for me and our little one...they blessed me immensly!





Thursday, October 13, 2011

What are you afraid of?

So Mike and I have been attending childbirth classes for the last few weeks, which is one of the most unique things we have ever done together...


and I must say that after watching 15+ video clips of women in Mongolia pushing out babies in the squatting position like it was all in a day's work...I feel oddly more prepared for this thing called labor...


if they can handle the pain like champs...how hard can it be...right?


...they say all third-trimester, first-time moms will experience some degree of anxiety...which I guess is true...


but I have to admit... I am not anxious about the pain of labor, or that my child will be born with a birth defect or imperfection, or that I won't know what to do with the colossal responsibility of caring for a newborn...


sure those things can be daunting...but for me... 


its not a fear in bringing a child into the world...its a fear of bringing a child into this world...


You know the one I'm talking about...


this world where the 5'oclock news showcases 16-year-old drunk drivers getting killed in late-night wrecks 


this world where 13-year-old girls dress like they're from the red-light district and then post their pictures on facebook for everyone to see...


this world where our local high schools have nicknames like "the pharmacy" because there are more students with drugs in their backpacks than there are stars in the sky...


this world where gluttony runs rampant, where we are taught from a young age to treat life like an all-you-can-eat buffet where our primary goal is to accumulate as much as possible before its over...


this world where the toys-r-us stores are two times the size of the local grocery stores, and are chocked full of brightly colored fisher-price plastic stuff,  all of which will someday reach their final destination in landfills or storage facilities (which by the way is one of the fastest growing industries in our nation)...


I could go on and on, but you get the idea...this world is not a safe place for children...


so how do we raise them?


how do we teach them about all that is lovely, pure, holy and good in this world? 
(phillipians 4:8)


how do we show them what it means to be in this world, but not of it?
(Romans 12:2)


how do we explain to our toddlers that the peas and carrots on their plate that they are refusing to eat contain nutrients that thousands of children around the world are dying from the lack of...


That is what keeps me up at night. now you know.


and yet I have very, very good news...


There is a God...


and He is personal, and He is present, and He is protective, and He is kind, and He LOVES us.


That is what allows me to sleep at night, and what allows me to smile at the thought of bringing a new life into this fallen world...


Because of Him, we have Hope.


Anyone else have thoughts like these from time to time?


P.S. This lovely blog has stimulated and challenged my thinking so much in this last month, as I think about our plans for the future and for our family...read a few posts when you have time!

Getting my ducks in a row...

So yesterday I shared with you all some pictures and details from...


Baby Shower #1: Woodland animals come out to party!


Today, I am sharing some things from my next shower...


Baby Shower #2: Getting my ducks in a row!


Location: Mike's parents house, where he grew up...


Decor: Yellow and brown linens, yellow/white gingham checked bows, chalkboard signs, fresh wild flowers and rubber ducks galore!


Menu: A variety of chicken salad, egg salad, and fresh greens, served with a big scoop of homemade chicken chili and fresh bread... and a big duckie cake of course!


Favors: Adorable jars of lemon scented hand soap, labeled with "hugs & kisses, Baby D, 2011", and tied with a yellow/white gingham checked bow!




Come back tomorrow for pictures and details from...
Baby Shower #3: Welcome to the nest little one!



Wednesday, October 12, 2011

When it rains it pours...

Hey hey!! 
I am back from my blogging vaca (although I sense another one coming when the baby arrives which could be anytime in the next few weeks=)))


The last couple of weeks have been such a busy time for me, getting things ready and trying to soak up the last few weeks of being pregnant:)


And although I have loved every minute of the last nine months...


I JUST WANT TO MEET OUR BABY!!! 


Time is going so fast and yet so ridiculously slow all at once!


Part of my busyness in the last few weeks was due to the 3 Baby Showers that I had 3 consecutive weekends in a row... it was like the party never stopped!


I thought I would share some pictures of the showers this week, since my friends and family are sooo very creative and each party had unique and adorable touches that made them so special...


So here we go:


Baby Shower Theme #1: Woodland animals come out to party! 


Baby Shower Theme #2: Getting my ducks in a row! 


Baby Shower Theme #3: Welcome to the nest little one! 


Today I have pictures and details from 


Baby Shower #1: Woodland animals come out to party!


Location: My mom's house where I grew up...


Decor: Fall foliage, rustic branches, oranges/reds/yellows, and lots of woodland animals...


Activity: Each guest was asked to write a piece of advice for the mom-to be (that would be me;) on an animal shape, and then hang it like an ornament on a "tree" made of branches and moss...


Menu: A wide array of tea sandwiches, fresh salads, and scones with lemon curd and jam... and of course little cupcakes with hatching eggs on top...


Favors: Jars of squash baby food with a sweet little recipe on how to make a harvest loaf (using the baby food=)... 






Come back tomorrow for... 


Baby Shower #2: Getting my ducks in a row!