Projects

Dear Cousin Jill,

Here are my reasons for not posting these last couple of days:
1. The weather. It has been cold and gross and provides terrible lighting for Libby photo sessions.2. Bad hair days...when it does this there is nothing I can do

3. Projects lots of them! You already saw my sewing projects in the previous post. Plus I started to panic b/c I had not started a baby book for Libby so that has started, and I am doing some paintings for baby Christians room.

Okay, so I have not actually started painting yet, but here are the canvases staring at me everyday as a reminder that the paintings need to be done in less then 5 weeks!

This is what my dinning room table has looked like this week b/c of the panicked baby book making

4. This really isn't a reason, but b/c I can appreciate your honesty about blog stalking, I took this picture of her today just for you to stalk! Love you cousin!

Not Too Many Cooks In the Kitchen...

...Seriously

My bff, Laura, started a recipe blog a few weeks ago that ANYBODY can post recipes to, as long as you tell her you want to she can add you to the list of cooks.
It's called "Not To Many Cooks In The Kitchen" and there really isn't too many cooks in the kitchen b/c just three of us have added recipes and that is just not enough.
So send Lura a message or Laura a message, a comment, whatever and add to our culinary adventure!
While you're at it try the taco recipe that I added today, it's a Bennett/Jones family favorite!

Squirrelsville

Squirrel's run wild in our neighborhood. I don't know if this is a problem, but as I type I have seen three different ones(make that 5). They're cute, but aren't they related to mice and rats and considered vermin? Just a question.
Also, it's snowing and cold. Erin posted pictures of the beach and I am jealous!
Last night Kev made me remember that I am thankful for being here, but winter is long. I remember growing up how long it seemed we would wait for spring. How the gray, cold days, even though it lasts only about 2 months, drag on and on. Kev said yesterday that by the time March gets here we should being seeing signs of life and color again; and let's be honest dear sister, March is only 5 weeks away!. Until then here are some of my new favorite pics that fill these dark, cold days with color!

This is her Paddington hat, it is second hand and I had no idea it would be so cute on her. Aunt Sue, if you're reading, this is the dress you gave her for Christmas. Still a little big, but perfect for a cold day!

My sweetling despises binkies, in spite of me forcing them on her daily. She prefers her thumb!

This her new tub from Daddy that he got her for Christmas, she loved it, and Gus was puzzled by it. (Babs, look how I preserved her modesty and edited in a heart on her girly bits!)

All she can say is Ahhh! Which I say quite often, so I can't really blame her!

To all you Florida people who read this blog, go to the beach and pick up a shell for me. I've tried to pick up the snowflakes, which are equally as pretty, but don't have the staying power of a pretty sea shell, they melt!
Happy day to you!

The Strait and Narrow

Kevin decided that I was getting him a snow board for Christmas this year, so that he can have a winter hobby. He thought I also needed a winter hobby, and since my little keeps me lodge bound instead of on the slopes with Kev, he got me this lovely little contraption.
My mother is an avid stitcher, and tried to teach me several times growing up, but I never advanced past strait lines.
So now I have my own machine and although I was a bit intimidated at first, I am slowly getting acquainted with my new "hobby." I can't sew like her, her, or her, but ladies like this are my inspirations and maybe one day with a little practice I will sew some thing other than a strait line.
Here are some of my first projects. These are little burp cloths I made for baby Christian. A couple people gave me embellished burp cloths and they are my favorite baby things. They make baby spit-up a special occasion!


Here is my other project that I feel like will be ongoing for sometime. When I was a little girl around 8 or 9, I requested a patch work quilt made by my crafty mom. Mom and I started the project together and it never got finished. I had long forgotten about the quilt until this summer when I was looking through my moms scraps to make the "Liberty" letters and found the fabric cut into squares just waiting to be sewn together. Anyway, I thought that since is was just strait lines it would be a great place to start to learn how my machine works. Now, if I were to start from scratch and make a quilt I probably would not choose these fabrics or colors, but these little squares of hearts, dots, and flowers are serving the purpose of teaching me how to use my new toy. If I ever do finish, they will be a great reminder of how much I loved lavender and green when I was a little girl.

Upon My Soap Box

I have been watching Jane Austin movies a lot lately and I've been trying to find a reason to work this fact into an interesting post. I found a perfect reason today after almost witnessing a fight break out at Target. You see, in a Jane Austin movie, even when one is speaking their mind or expressing complete disgust in someone, they do it with politeness and decorum and when the scene is over you don't even know that something bad has happened.

Today while holding a pack of diapers, in the BABY section, the section where you buy cuddly blankets and binkies, my father and I stumbled upon two woman screaming at each other. A white woman and black woman (on a day like today none-the-less) yelling and getting upset with one another. There, with my diapers in hand I stared in awe as the white woman shouted something rude about us having a "black" president, then after dropping an "f" bomb stomp away to the black woman laughing and muttering something about her "about to be slapped,"all in front of my sweet little in her stroller, my father, and countless others shocked and horrified shoppers. So, I ask myself where is the self control, what has happened to ladies, and what on earth could have been said to create such a scene? Why do we think that it is okay to speak to others this way?

I will never know, b/c every day you can witness examples of rudeness and lack of self control (and not to create any drama, but while the swearing white lady wasn't wearing pj pants, she was sloppily dressed, which may have lead to her sloppy mouth!). It makes me long for a society more like a Jane Austen novel, where self control, and lady-likeness is still valued. I should have right then and there prayed for these woman instead of judging them, which I obviously have; but I sit her and wonder how these woman got to the point when shouting and screaming seemed like appropriate course of action instead of choosing to have discipline over their mouths.

I pray that I do not stand alone on top this soap box of propriety, but that you who read this blog will join me in being decidedly lady-like, and by teaching our children and those who we have influence over how to behave more appropriately.

The End...

*I will now return to posting strictly about baby milestones, baby daily activities, baby pictures and my exciting life with my dog!

She Loves Them

About a week ago, while changing Libby's diaper, I heard a strange sound and looked down to find my precious girl sucking on her toes. Since then, abdominal exercises have become a regular routine for her. Lifting her legs and reaching her for her feet is such a chore, yet something she has been determined to do. So as of this week, her feet have been found and appear to be far more interesting than any toy I could buy her!

I Have Found My Life's Purpose!

Not mine, my dog's that is, to run and play in frigid temperatures.

While Miss Libby and I have stayed bundled up indoors at my parents house, Sir Gustohpher has preferred to frolic in the yard despite the freezing temperatures. Even when I have bid him to come in from the cold, he's given me a "no thank you" look and stretched out on the screened porch for a brisk nap instead.

Yesterday as the first snowflakes covered the floor, Gus appeared the happiest ever! He ran and played and tried to catch the falling snow. Once again, I tried to persuade him to come into the warm,but he just ran as the snow and mud froze to his feet. Thus, our little? Gus got a warm bath last night after leaving a trail of muddy foot prints on my mother's almost always spotless carpet.

He's smilling, muddy chops and all

Check These Out

My bff Laura's mom has joined us in the blogosphere but her blog has a purpose, (unlike my own.) She is making beautiful, better that Anthropoligie aprons and not just b/c she is super talented and can profit from it. 100% of my friend Jan's profit will be going to Children's Hope Chest. Go here and read more about it, and get in your kitchen and bake something, but only if you're wearing one of her darling little aprons!

http://apronsforafrica.blogspot.com/.

Pondering?

Have you ever wondered who is in charge of the passwords on blogger...I do.? They are always almost words, like falugnut. I always wonder if they are words I just know.

When I see others art work, I want to copy it and call it my own. I never buy artwork because I say to myself "self you could make that"

I spend way too much time on the computer reading blogs.
*Edit, I waste to much time on the computer reading blogs....but the truth is I love peeking in on others and seeing what their life is like. It makes me feel more normal and in some cases closer and not so far away. (P.S. Laura that is why I like when you update)


I hate to stay at my house with out my mister, that is why I haven't been there lately, b/c he has not been there lately.

Being a mom is the best job I have ever had, but I'm not that good at it yet. You also don't get any time off, which I wouldn't have any other way, but some days makes me very tired.

The mister makes list of things for me to do b/c he says I'll enjoy checking them off when I'm done. when he is away there is no list and things get forgotten.

Libby doens't look like me, but she doesn't look exactly like Kev either. Tonight my Dad said "she just looks like Libby, she's just Libby," and I think he's right.

That is all, but here is Libby, just for good measure.
She is very funny...she gets that from me.

Why Be a Baby, When You Can Be A Super Hero

Occupation: Super Baby
Super Power: Apparently hugging, according to her cape
Wearing bids the normal way is just boring, so my little super hero spun it around and spent her day rescuing those around her in need of hugs! See she just got done hugging her toy.
I swear I didn't do this, she did it all by herself.

Photo Shoot Failure

Four months ago on this very day, Miss Liberty Rose was not but one hour old. I remember thinking to myself, "I wonder when I'll stop taking pictures of her everyday?" Well, pictures everyday doesn't always happen, but I surely do like to take them on momentous occasions like four month old birthdays and such! If you recall our 3 month photo extravaganza, you well know that I had plenty of perfect little baby shots, taken on our porch with ideal lighting. This January day did not afford such an amiable climate, so we were forced 2 days in row to attempt our photo shoot inside and the pictures turned out not so great. So, after about 350 shots I realized that today was not the day for perfect pictures and slightly blurred, out of focused shots would have to do!

This is how today started...I keep thinking that she can sit up on her own, I guess not yet!

This was the start of yesterday's shoot, both days face down.Fist or thumb, one or another is always in her mouth
She was happier today, yesterday she remained quite pensive,

I don't know what it is about this blue boppy here at my Mom's house, but every time I lay her on it I am amazed at how much she looks like the babies on Kev's side of the family Oops, her tag is out, but she does look peaceful here!
We've been watching Peter Pan a lot lately and I think that she is doing her impression of him here. Arms back, legs up, and strait off to Neverland

Winter's Chill

Every time I feel sad that I can't spend my Saturday's lying on the beach at Lover's Key, I remember to be thankful that I can kiss this little lady all bundled for a brisk walk at the park with my love and my dog in tow!

Brrrr.

Cofessions of a Lazy House Wife

If I was keeping up faithfully with this blog I would have taken pictures of the area around, behind, and underneath our TV cabinet to make this post more interesting. Since I did not, I will describe what I found...Dust! Enough dust to create a new Gus, enough dust to prove to me that I have not cleaned there since moving here 6 months ago. It was there that I realized that if my job of house-wife/stay-at-home had a boss, they would have fired me long ago.
Resolution: clean more...hmmm.
Since I have no pictures of my dust, here are some pics of my time with sweeties and sister!

Libby is sad here, but I thought it was a great shot of baby Christian! He is making my sister very round and ready for her little to get here.

Libby loved spending time with Aunt Maims(this is a nick-name I'm trying out on her since I have always been Dar-Dar to her girls) My sister is this pretty even when she is not great with child

Sidney loving Libby, she did this a lot, so much in fact that we had to remind her often that Libs might need just a little bit of space every now and then.

I actually walk downstairs to find Sidney picking Libby up all by herself... and why shouldn't she, she is 6 now, you know. As you can see Libby is perfectly content being held by one of her favorite cousins. I think Amy is going to have a lot of help with Christian when he comes!

My parent's house is about 1000 degrees in the winter and we all wear t-shirts while the rest of the world is wrapped up in there infomercial snuggies(a blanket with arms! ingenious). Anywho, Libby is happiest there with no clothes but a diaper and Miss Allison joined her in her scivies?(sci-vs) before dressing for bed Wednesday night! Look how happy they are.

There you have it, pictures that are far more interesting than dust. I love my sister and her girls and can't wait to see them again in March when little Christian Matthew joins this family of mostly girls.

Just One More

I laid her on her belly the other night for some neck strengthening exercises(known as tummy time in the world of babies) and she did this(please look at pic below). You might think that it is nothing, but she is holding her head up...
without dropping it...
and looking around..
neck control.
I don't know about you, but I'm amazed. She is mine, so even if it just for my own amazement I post these phenomenal pics.

My Christmas Tree is Still Up

I am posting these pictures to show you Libby being big, not to show you that my tree is still up and I have no motivation to take it down before I head out of town again on Monday.

Oops, this isn't Libby, but it is funny

I'll have you know that when I started this photo shoot there was no bow, but I added one, b/c it is what I do.

She's just bouncing away, like she's been doing it her whole life

And there it is...Christmas tree still standing tall in all its artificial glory. I hate taking down the decorations, everything looks empty with out them.

Despite my protesting she keeps growing, and learning, and changing with every passing day.

Allison Kate and Libby Rose

Alli loves baby dolls, and Libby is no exception. She is gentle and sweet to my little and in return my little loves her!