Pages

Monday, August 27, 2012

Blessed to Be Bumpin' It. 26/28 Weeks.

The first photo was taken at 26 weeks, although as of this week we have officially entered the third trimester. 
We are now 28 weeks along.
BamBam loves to grow, as it turns out. ;)

Hmm, what to say about life and pregnancy right now... 
Brian has become really anxious to meet this little person inside of me.
I, on the other hand, am enjoying this time knowing that in less than 3 months everything will change. No longer will caring for BamBam be hands-free and no longer will I have time to do whatever whenever I wish. Don't get me wrong, I am very excited to meet this kid, but I know that life is about to change so I'm soaking up the little things about life as we know it, as a couple. Plus, considering how many projects I plan on accomplishing prior to BamBam's arrival, it's a good thing I have some time left. It is very cute though, hearing Brian talk to BamBam and seeing how much he looks forward to meeting him/her. He is going to be a very loving daddy.

This past week I realized for the first time that this baby is coming and contrary to my belief, it isn't that far off. I've spent the entirety of my pregnancy telling everyone around me how much time I have. I was sure that this baby wasn't due for ages. I mean, seriously, Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the precursor to Christmas and well, if Thanksgiving was ages away Christmas must be forever away. 

False! 
I walked through a store's front entrance the other day and wham, autumn and halloween decor in my face!

 In the last several days I have responded to this realization by creating more lists than I think I have recorded in my entire life. (That may be a slight exaggeration. The point: I've gone list-crazy.) There are lists all over our house. An entire section of kitchen counter has been devoted to lists. And, might I add, it is a large section of counter. I have running lists in several different Word documents on my laptop and a minimum of one list can be found in almost every room of our house, with the obvious exception of the bathrooms.

Here's to taking one list at a time and hopefully not overlooking anything crucial...
~a frazzled and completely stable[slightly emotional] but happy mama-to-be :)

Pin It!

Friday, August 24, 2012

Our Day at the Northwest WA Fair


Cows. :)
I'm not sure why, but Sydni looks like she's taking a pledge...Funny.
Manhandling the Sponge Bob mascot.
Poffertjes!!!!!!!!!
To say they were a hit with the kids would be a massive understatement.


Millie, strapped in but still willing to smile for Auntie Meg's camera. :)
Kid's cow milking competition!

Cute girls. :)
Mr. Mose with his prize.
 Kiddie Rides!


It was hot and we were overheating. Lemonade to the rescue!
 Mr. with his huge 1 1/2 lb. turkey leg.
I found these cows comical until I remembered what it was like having an animal at the fair. (My horse, Beau, used to hate it!) Realizing that it was only Wednesday and the cow on the left still had to make it to Saturday night before getting to return home to normal life robbed some of the humor from the situation. The best part was that the cow on the right was not only resting on the cow on the left, but also chewing her cud. :)
Made me laugh out loud...
 Ice Cream from The Dairy Wives and Funnel Cakes, there is no better way to end a day at The Fair.

Brian and I had planned to leave Friday evening but the heat had us all in a funk so we decided to stay one more night and leave in the morning. It turned out to be a great decision considering that Tess offered us her fifth wheel to sleep in, complete with a bit of air conditioning. It was a wonderful cool down and a very cozy night. 

After breakfast and before leaving I couldn't help but snap a pic of Tessa's front porch because it's so gorgeous right now. Her green thumb has me beat big time. (There's a reason I haven't posted pics of my first meager attempt at growing flowers. I thought everything would just thrive! Not the case. Gma B, Mom, and Tess, your annual thriving flower beds and hanging baskets are deceiving.)
The kids and I needed a picture to document our sleepover. 
How cute are these little giggle farts?!
Pin It!

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Becca & Autumn Come to Visit!

My friend Becca and her little miss Autumn came to visit. They spent a night and the next day we went to Ballard for some thrifting and junking.
We discovered that the Ballard ReStore is chock full of funky lighting. It's not cheap, but it is unique. They have some really cool old stuff, rather than just stale old stuff. 
(For example, lighting dating back to the '50s as opposed to the '80s.)



Autumn among all the 'treasures.' I think she was overstimulated. :)

I scored several small fabric-lined shutters as well as a long, skinny table. I'm waiting for inspiration. When it strikes I'll refinish the table. 

Also, in true pregnant lady form, we went out for doughnuts. :)

Thanks for coming, Becca, and thank you for bringing Autumn! It was so much fun talking pregnancy with you and having a wee one in our home. We love having you and we hate when you leave because our house is boring without your little miss. 
Pin It!

Monday, August 20, 2012

Soul Friend Sam

Not everyone finds a soul friend. I lot of people find a soul mate and many soul mates get to enjoy the absolute pleasure of cultivating a soul friendship. But I'm not talking about soul mate friendships, I'm talking about my experience of a girl [me] stumbling upon another girl [Sam] and eventually realizing we had both been given rich ingredients which, when combined, could become a deep meaningful friendship. Soon after, we decided we were soul friends. [Back up a bit.] Just over two years ago when Brian and I moved to the greater Portland area it was clear that I was going to require something special in order to be able to remain there with any happiness. As always it was worthless to waste time wondering, 'Why, God, did you plop me here?' As always, God had a plan. He knew just what I needed. The answer was Soul Friend Sam. After more than a month of seeking a transfer I found Jantzen Beach: what would become my 3rd/4th (depending on how you look at it) Starbucks home. I began working there and met Sam, a fellow barista. Our shifts were quite opposite. Sam was working mid-closing shifts whereas I worked mostly opens. But when our co-worker Lisa had Baby Suther, Sam and I collaborated over our love for food and Lisa and brand new babies and decided to bring her a meal. And that's how it all began. :)
Anyway, now that I have moved to the greater Seattle area our soul friendship has had to go long distance. Despite the miles, our friendship remains and our visits are sweeter than ripe fruit eaten outside on a sunny, summer day.

Whew! Now that our history has been explained I can get to the point of the post. 
My Soul Friend came to visit!

Sam and I were beyond busy throughout her stay.

We spent a morning up north seeing friends and family. I used to belong to this hilarious little group of girls called The Bloomer Babes. It's a silly story for another day but it's what bonded my friend, Jen, and myself to one another. Jen and her husband spent the last year in New Zealand but they were back for a short time so we planned to meet for coffee. We decided to try Rustic Coffee & Wine Bar in Fairhaven. (Thank you, Jazz, for the suggestion.) We loved it! The environment was cozy, calm, and classy. The girls working were fun and made incredible drinks. Jen brought with her Nicole, Kristen, and Deborah. Nicole is Jen's sister, Kristen is a college friend, and Deborah lived with Jen's family for a year while attending high school as an International student from Mexico. I got to know Deborah through being in musicals together and writing for the high school newspaper. When our deadlines had been met (or when we were avoiding meeting our deadlines ;) Jen, Deborah and I used to go to Lynden's Cup of Tea and pick up scones and lemon curd. Oh my, they were delicious! It had been five years since I'd seen Deborah and I had forgotten how funny she is. It makes me laugh to think that Jen and I intending to catch up, turned into 6 girls, several who had never met, spending a couple of hours together talking about life, travel, diversity, God, and how confusing taking a pregnancy test can be!
(Who knew?! I'm not the only one that has been confused!)

Jen and I, happily reunited, bursting at the seams with stories. :)
Following our coffee date Sam and I went to Boulevard Park for a picnic with my mom, Tess, all four kids, and Tessa's sis-in-law and bro-in-law, Sharla and Thomas. Thomas and Sharla had just flown in from South Dakota for a visit. It was good to see Sharla again and great to finally meet Thomas. I recently hired Thomas, a web designer, to built a Mustard Tree website for my photography.
(I hope to launch the site soon, so stay tuned!)
We enjoyed playing in the park and on the beach.
From the park, Sam and I headed to downtown Bellingham. 
We popped into [sis-in-law]Amy's beautiful salon, Plum, to say hello.
I love their sign.
After dropping by Plum, Sam and I hit up Railroad Ave for a quick bit of shopping. Sticker shock chased us back to the car. :) We returned home to our pups. The rest of Sam's time here was a lovely blur of delicious, creative, and relaxing moments.

We tackled several sewing projects, some old and some new.
My laundry curtain from back in Vancouver was never quite right. Sam whipped it into shape for me.
It now hangs happily in my laundry closet.
We hemmed one curtain and sewed a couple of new ones too.
I plan to hang curtain panels in the closet opening instead of closet doors in BamBam's nursery. We used a cheap linen drop cloth from Lowe's. I'll post a pic once the ruffles are in tact and it is hung. 
(I can't wait for it to cover the current disorganization. :)

We also developed a definite plan for BamBam's mobile. It's going to have a Daddy Birdie, a Mama birdie, and a BamBam birdie. It's going to be so cute!

We also baked. This lemon berry yogurt loaf was discovered on Pinterest.
Here's the recipe. Go indulge, and don't feel bad.
 It is worth every last calorie.

On Sam's last day we went to the South Seattle ReStore. Sam's pup aka Finn's girlfriend, Chloe, came too. :) We didn't make out all too well, but it was fun and we did leave with a few simple treasures.


I'm always surprised when she leaves and I have so few pictures of the two of us together. The same thing happened last time she came to visit, but it's because we're just so ding dong busy when we're together. :) It's a fabulous problem to have.

Oh Soul Friend, thank you for coming to visit and brightening our little life.
You are a blessing and we miss you!
Pin It!