Everyday Blessings

Maybe it's just pregnancy hormones, but I have been extra grouchy this week. I'll blame it on the return of fatigue...really, though, most of attitude comes down to choice. I haven't been choosing so wisely lately.
I think a little reorienting of perspective is definitely in order today, so here are just a few of the blessings from my week...

: : Tonight's yoga class. Getting out of the house to do something good for my body and soul is refreshing. Also, I came home to a happy, albeit rowdy, house and got hugs all around.

: : Stephan ripped out our old (very beaten up) counter tops and replaced them with new ones. There's still a lot of touch up work to be done on his next week off, but the kitchen looks so much brighter now.

: : Stephan has been busy. On top of home renovations, he sold my old car and his old motorcycle. I admit to getting extra grouchy about all of the phone calls and interruptions, but the motorcycle sold in two days and the car in one. Plus, our bank account looks much happier now.

: : A friend lent me some knitting needles and sent along a bag of clothes and some cute hand knit legwarmers for Fia. Generosity is always something to smile about.

: : I finished knitting the owlie sleep sack for the new baby, and I'm making lots of headway on Levi's sweater. And, I have a swift and ball winder being shipped to me as we speak. I cannot wait. I'm trying to hold off on my next knitting project so I can test drive them on the yarn. I'm glad I can knit again. The first trimester was made all the more difficult because knitting made me nauseated. I'm not sure if this is actually true or not, but in my head I'm a better person when I can knit.

: : That photo up there ought to be enough reason to feel blessed! Sophia loves to give kisses. When she wants to kiss you she makes the cutest fish lips and a little smacking noise to accompany them. The adorableness kills me.

What have your everyday blessings been lately?

Sunday

"Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help us in time of need."
~Hebrews 4:16

Weekend Loves

The daffodils have already started blooming, and I even saw irises on the side of the road. Oh. my. What a warm winter we have had!

Onto the links...

: : Lately, I've been loving the blog, Posie Gets Cozy. This little sweater was what got me hooked.  And, this cake sealed the deal.

: : Speaking of cakes...the star topper for this one is too cute!

: :  For Valentine's Day morning this easy, yummy breakfast is in order.

: : We have lots of mismatched chairs. I've toyed with the idea of painting them different colors, but I'm really liking this color scheme. 

: : I want to make this sweet, soft baby book. 

So, what have you been looking at this week?

Oh, The Cuteness

I've been diligently working on an owlie sleep sack for the new baby and on Levi's sweater that I started months and months ago. I have had plans to start up more baby projects when those are finished. Ahem. Then I saw this.

                                                    Source: lionbrand.com via Tanya on Pinterest

And, this.

                                      Source: images4.ravelrycache.com via Madeline on Pinterest

Now, all I can think about is how much fun it is to knit for girls. Both of those just scream Sophia. It probably doesn't hurt that they are in shades of purple. I am inexplicably drawn to purple and yellow when pregnant.

Maybe a little knitting detour is in order.

Food and Knitting

A good day = fulfilled pregnancy cravings and loads of knitting.

Today was a good day.
Stephan (my knight in shining armor) not only went out of his way to get me the best tacos around....

But, he also made me a bowl of my very favorite. Tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, and mint swimming in lemon juice...heaven.

And, he let me sit around knitting all afternoon while he entertained the kiddos.

I don't think I could have asked for a better husband. Or a better day.

Hope you had a happy Wednesday, too!

Everyday Blessings

Some of the joys and blessings from our week...

: : My kids melt my heart...today Levi said, "It would be fun if I put a crown in your hair. Then you could be my beautiful, beautiful mommy. Let me go get some pipe cleaners." Then, post crown-making, "There! Now you are a beautiful princess!" The resulting crowns (he needed one too) are above.

: : My dad has spent the past two Monday evenings watching the munchkins so that I could attend a prenatal yoga class. It's six weeks long, and he, my mom, and Stephan are splitting the evenings up, so I can go. It's been really great, and I already feel more prepared for carrying and delivering this baby.

: : Speaking of baby. Y'all, there is an itty bitty person inside of me, and it kicks a ton! Squeal! I love baby kicks...especially when they're too small to aim for my bladder or lungs. 

: : For awhile now we've been having some...hmmm...shall we call them challenges?...with Levi. It's been hard, and there have been times when we've been at a total loss. We've prayed and talked and prayed and talked, and finally we seem to have found some things that are working. We've made quite a few changes, and we're starting to see some really positive results. So, yay! Sigh of relief.

: : The pipe cleaners find their way onto more than just heads around here. It's fun to stumble upon Levi's pipe cleaner "installations" around the house. His favorite theme being the spider web...

: : And, of course, I have to mention the van again! We were extra blessed with that one because we didn't have to go into debt to buy it. We were a little nervous about being able to find something good in our price range, but, of course, God pulled through...despite our doubts. Also, we bought it from a preacher who was selling it so that he could afford to go on a mission trip. I love that our money not only got us exactly what we needed but also funded missions.

So, what blessings have come your way this week?

Sunday

"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
~Deuteronomy 31:6

Weekend Loves

Good stuff...

: : Downton Abbey is back! I'm a total sucker for Masterpiece Theater, and they haven't disappointed with this one.

: : This whole flickr stream of dolls is killin' me with its cuteness!

: : Two retro valentines here and here.

: : Love this article.

: : I decided on the Owlie Sleep Sack. It's knitting up nicely.

Happy Weekend!

So Far So Good

So far this week, we bought a van! It's so roomy, and a third car seat will be no problem. Plus, it's way easier to park than the truck. I am the world's worst at parking, so this is major for me. (Promise I was at a full and complete stop when I took that pic.)

The belly is a growing. I'm nearing 18 weeks, and I finally felt this baby move!!!!!!!!

Yay!!!!

That's actually Sophia signing "nurse", but it's super cute and looks appropriate for "Yay".

Happy Wednesday!!

Everyday Blessings

My sister and Sophia

A few blessings from the week...

: : Stephan was off work the last half of the week. He let me sleep in a lot. He's also cooked almost all of our meals. Best of all, he discovered my new favorite food to crave...a giant bowl of tomatoes, cucumbers, and parsley swimming in lemon juice. Yum.

: : My parents kept the kids at their house yesterday after church so that Stephan and I could go to the movies. A date! We never get to go on those, so it was quite a treat. 

: : We found a very affordable sit and stand stroller in excellent condition at a consignment shop! Levi is forever wanting to ride with Sophia on walks and at the zoo, so this is perfect.

: : We also bought shelves for a closet I cleared out a few weeks ago. It's well on it's way to becoming our toy library...an idea from Simplicity Parenting. I'm already so impressed by the changes we've made based on that book. Both of the kids have begun to play in a more engaged way, and they seem a lot calmer and happier at home.

: : We're looking forward to lunch with my sister and parents today. Annie is only in town briefly, but it's always fun to see her!

Hope y'all had a blessed week!

Sunday

"Above all else, guard your heart, 

for everything you do flows from it" 

~Proverbs 4:23

Zoo

We always manage to pick cold, dreary days to go to the zoo. This week was no exception. We were all a bit stir crazy, though, so out we went. At least it's not crowded on days like that.

Sophia has been in love with pink stuff since the day she crawled into my closet and spotted a pair of pink sparkly heels, so I suppose it should come as no surprise that the flamingos were her favorite animals in the whole zoo. She must have guessed that they matched her favorite coat.

I can't say that Levi has a definite favorite animal. It seems like he just loves all of them. When we got home he told me that he was going to be a zookeeper, and we were all going to live "on a zoo". I guess that's supposed to be like living on a farm but a tad wilder.

So where's your favorite place to spend a cold and dreary day? If you're sane (unlike us), it's likely indoors!

Weekend Loves

Some links...

: : Quinoa salad of some sort or other makes it onto the menu frequently around here. This one hit the table this week. It's yum...especially cold.

: : I love these ideas for a natural playground.

: : I have this insane notion that I want to make a rug for Sophia's room. Ha! Like I need to tackle such a large project right now. I keep pinning ideas anyway. This and this are my latest "inspirations".

: : I want these cups and bowls for Sophia. Eh, who am I kidding? I want them for me too!

: : Sweet and simple for Valentine's day.

Happy Weekend!

Some Knitting

During my first trimester just the thought of knitting made me feel queasy. I'm glad that's over with. Needles and yarn are quickly regaining their appeal. I knit these balls for Sophia, and, of course, now Levi wants some. They knit up quickly, so I should be able to manage.

I still haven't finished Levi's sweater. I'm a tad aggravated by knitting the sleeves on double points. They turn out fine, but I just don't enjoy extended dpn knitting. It's tiring on my hands....am I alone in that? The sleeves are knit from the bottom up, and I'm almost certain they get large enough (fairly quickly) for an itty bitty pair of circulars which means a trip to the knitting store is in order. Also, it's a little daunting to do cables with two children crawling all over me, so I need an easy project for when the kids are awake...one more reason to head to the store. :)

Now to decide what I want that easy project to be. Obviously, it needs to be something for the new baby. Stephan was traumatized by having to pull clothes over Sophia's head, so he has requested (more than once) that all of the new baby's clothes open in the front. That does narrow the choices down a bit. Here are a few of the list-toppers...

                                                    Source: ravelry.com via Madeline on Pinterest

                                                     Source: ravelry.com via Madeline on Pinterest

                                                Source: ravelry.com via Madeline on Pinterest

I'm leaning toward the top cardigan. Although, the other two are tugging hard. It'll likely be a last minute decision as I'm standing in front of all the lovely rows of yarn. Which one would you pick? Have you run across any adorable baby knitting (or crocheting or sewing) patterns lately?

Everyday Blessings

Guys, it's Monday already! I had to check the calendar just to be sure. Time for a little gratitude...

: : We had our second check up with our midwife last week. All is well. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat. Even though I still haven't felt any movement we now know that he/she does indeed move. Norma had to chase the heartbeat.

: : We're getting a new washing machine. Our old one died...kind of a bummer since I liked it. But, I've been without a washer for a few days now. I'm thrilled that I should be able to start washing clothes again in a couple of hours.

: : Thanks to Simplicity Parenting (my new favorite parenting book) it finally dawned on me to get a timer for tooth brushing. Why did I not think of this sooner?!! I bought a two minute sand timer, and Levi now thinks tooth brushing is the bomb. He also actually scrubs for two minutes instead of two seconds.

: : Just this past week Levi has developed a love for vacuuming...hard not to feel blessed about that. He's pretty good at it too. Sophia is also very into helping. She tries to vacuum, but her real strength is in putting things back into the baskets she pulls them out of.

: : I finally pulled out the knitting needles again. It's been awhile. I knitted a couple of these balls for Sophia. I had them on my Christmas to do list for stocking stuffers, but the first trimester put quite the kink in that. It felt good to be back to knitting.

Any blessings come your way this week?

Sunday

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
~John 16:33

Weekend Loves

The bump is a growin', y'all. That's about all that's happening over here. So, onto some lovely links...

: : Did you know you can order a view master and customized reels with your own photos?! Squeal.

: : I can't wait for Sophia's hair to be long enough to justify making these button hair ties.

: : Simplicity Parenting is now one of my top ten five favorite parenting books. Really, I wish I had read it pre-parenting. It opened my eyes to so much about myself, and it has me simplifying more than just my children's lives.

: : We're thinking about getting a small table and chairs for the little ones, and of course, I would want the set I can't have. At nearly $200 a chair these are way pricey, but they sure are lovely.

: : I haven't picked up my knitting needles since I got pregnant. I'm starting to feel the itch though. Maybe I should start with these.


What loveliness have you run across lately?

A New Year

Levi's very first thought upon waking in the new year was that he absolutely, without a doubt had to go to Nanno and BawBaw's house to do some mole hunting. He was quite resolved....

Unfortunately, the moles were not hanging out as close to the surface as he assumed they would be. He wasn't too bothered, though. At four I think the fun is still in the journey.

Everyday Blessings

I am grateful...

: : For a new year with a new baby on the way.

: : For a family full of adults that recognize how important it is to children to be allowed to help...even when maybe their help isn't entirely helpful. 

: : For energy and the end of morning sickness.

: : For the bags upon bags of stuff that I've been sending off to charity. I'm grateful that I have more than enough, but I'm also grateful for the feeling of peace and calm I get when my house is not overwhelmed with excess.

: : For Levi's willingness to give away his toys. When he found out what I was doing with my own stuff, he asked if he could give some of his toys to kids who needed them. He's done this twice in the past few months, and he has actually filled up a couple of garbage sacks each time!

: : For a fun visit with my sister over Christmas and New Year's.

: : For my husband who took me out shopping the other day for a new rug...totally his idea. Our living room finally looks like grownups might live here.

So, what have you been blessed by this week?

Sunday

                                                    Source: weheartit.com via Brooklyn on Pinterest

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."

~2 Corinthians 5:17 

May your year be blessed. Happy New Year!!