...you might be a Fredneck. The license plate just works.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Bumpers are for butts
If you have a pile of cigarette butts on your bumper...
...you might be a Fredneck. The license plate just works.
...you might be a Fredneck. The license plate just works.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Car Seat Canopy
I blinked and a month went by! It's been kinda busy around here and I have even less free time than when Bowen slept all the time. He's so sweet and smiley, though; I don't mind seeing him awake. When he was born my friend Trice made a car seat canopy for us, and it is super convenient. We already had a BundleMe for warmth, but the seat's accordion shade leaves a little to be desired in terms of cuteness. Plus, when the fabric canopy is closed it keeps germy stranger fingers out of the baby's face. Here is the tutorial Trice used, and I finally finished making this argyle/stripe one for my friend Jill who had a baby the same week as me. (We got a Hobby Lobby last year and I love it! Cutest fabric.) I traced the canopy from Trice and the Lazy Sewist in me substituted wide grosgrain ribbon + velcro for the straps instead of making fabric strips and tear-my-hair-out buttonholes. Sewing rickrack between the layers was probably the hardest part, and you could totally skip that. Trice and Jill and I are pretty partial to rickrack, though, so that was worth the effort.Saturday, January 14, 2012
Christmas
We had a really fun trip to New York to spend Christmas with Steve's whole family. There were his parents, their seven "kids," six significant others, an extra mom (we're happy to include her!), three children, a cat, and two dogs including a Great Dane who would have been a good size for Olivia to have riding lessons.
Steve's parents graciously offered to keep Olivia so we could get away, so we chose Longboat Key, Florida. We enjoyed our Bradenton Beach trip so much we thought we'd try that area again. We tried some new things like St. Armand's Circle and Sanibel Island, and revisited Tijuana Flats, and Mr. Bones Barbeque, and this lovely cafe...
The kids had good checkups last week; Bowen is 75th percentile for height and off the chart for weight so I guess he's getting enough to eat. (With nursing I never know.) Steve was traveling for work the past two weeks so we're happy to have him home. While he was home last weekend we had some beautiful weather so we took our first family walk together.
On the docket: de-Christmas-ing the house, decluttering, moving furniture around, organizing the kitchen cabinets, working on my 2011 photo book, pondering a smart phone. Hope you're staying warm!
I am always so impressed how laid-back my mother-in-law is while having so many people (especially kids and dogs) around.
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| Christmas Eve: that's all the snow we got |
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| Making pecan pie with Grandma |
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| Olivia is 3! |
Steve's parents graciously offered to keep Olivia so we could get away, so we chose Longboat Key, Florida. We enjoyed our Bradenton Beach trip so much we thought we'd try that area again. We tried some new things like St. Armand's Circle and Sanibel Island, and revisited Tijuana Flats, and Mr. Bones Barbeque, and this lovely cafe...
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| Paradise: All you can eat pancakes on the beach. Even in January. |
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| Day trip to Sanibel Island |
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| Happy new year! |
The kids had good checkups last week; Bowen is 75th percentile for height and off the chart for weight so I guess he's getting enough to eat. (With nursing I never know.) Steve was traveling for work the past two weeks so we're happy to have him home. While he was home last weekend we had some beautiful weather so we took our first family walk together.
On the docket: de-Christmas-ing the house, decluttering, moving furniture around, organizing the kitchen cabinets, working on my 2011 photo book, pondering a smart phone. Hope you're staying warm!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Looking back
Jill posted a challenge (okay maybe it was an invitation, but it was challenging for me) to ponder these questions and post answers. It was a lot more fun than making resolutions.
What was one goal you accomplished in 2011?
Having another baby. Last year I didn't get what I really wanted for Christmas, but this year I am so thankful to have a sweet little boy as part of our family now. It was neat going through Christmas with a newborn, thinking about Mary changing Jesus' diapers (and being thankful that we have Pampers now) and wondering what the Messiah's birth stats were.
What is your favorite memory of 2011?
Sitting in the shallow water of Grotto Bay, Bermuda, pregnant but surprisingly buoyant.
What is your least favorite memory of 2011?
The challenges of pregnancy - constant hip pain, restless legs when trying to sleep, and heartburn. It was worth it, though, as my symptoms went away after Bowen was born.
What was the best trip you took in 2011?
Cruising the southern Caribbean, just Steve and me.
What was your favorite purchase in 2011?
A ring with a bunch of different colored sapphires set in yellow gold. I bought it while walking around downtown Frederick with my friend Sarah, but then I gave it to Steve so I'd have to wait until Christmas to wear it.
What was the best book you read in 2011?
Millionaire Next Door
What was the best movie you saw in 2011?
The Heartbreaker. It's a French romantic comedy that made me giggle. And it's filmed in Monaco, which is on our travel bucket list.
What changed about you in 2011?
Being more judicious with my time and relationships. I try to spend more one-on-one time with each of my parents and hide the FaceBook friends who drive me crazy.
What made you cry in 2011?
A lot of things make me cry, and surprisingly I didn't get the baby blues after this pregnancy, but I remember two times this year when I was absolutely sobbing. One was in the Rochester airport in June when I was trying to figure out how to salvage my trip to England. The other was during a conversation with Steve about the possibility of us moving to Sweden.
What made you scream in 2011?
My daughter, for the first month of being a big sister. She was downright nasty. She was also two. It was awful. See "verse of 2011" below.
What made you proud in 2011?
How polite, sympathetic, and friendly this same little girl normally is. If there's a child crying at the grocery store she wants to go three aisles down to give him/her a hug. She greets all the moms of her classmates at preschool. She says please and thank you. When someone comes over she opens the door and says, "So nice to see you! Take off your coat?"
What new skills did you learn in 2011?
Changing a boy diaper without getting soaked. Usually.
Best meal of 2011?
Grilled lobster tail and rum punch on a beach in Antigua.
Best drink of 2011?
A blueberry martini from Outback.
Favorite photo of 2011?
What was your source of comfort in 2011?
The phrase, "It's just a phase."
What was your verse of 2011 and why?
"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:1
I'm naturally a screamer, and I have to constantly remind myself that Olivia's tone of voice tends to reflect my own and I need to be a good example.
What was one goal you accomplished in 2011?
Having another baby. Last year I didn't get what I really wanted for Christmas, but this year I am so thankful to have a sweet little boy as part of our family now. It was neat going through Christmas with a newborn, thinking about Mary changing Jesus' diapers (and being thankful that we have Pampers now) and wondering what the Messiah's birth stats were.
What is your favorite memory of 2011?
Sitting in the shallow water of Grotto Bay, Bermuda, pregnant but surprisingly buoyant.
What is your least favorite memory of 2011?
The challenges of pregnancy - constant hip pain, restless legs when trying to sleep, and heartburn. It was worth it, though, as my symptoms went away after Bowen was born.
What was the best trip you took in 2011?
Cruising the southern Caribbean, just Steve and me.
What was your favorite purchase in 2011?
A ring with a bunch of different colored sapphires set in yellow gold. I bought it while walking around downtown Frederick with my friend Sarah, but then I gave it to Steve so I'd have to wait until Christmas to wear it.
What was the best book you read in 2011?
Millionaire Next Door
What was the best movie you saw in 2011?
The Heartbreaker. It's a French romantic comedy that made me giggle. And it's filmed in Monaco, which is on our travel bucket list.
What changed about you in 2011?
Being more judicious with my time and relationships. I try to spend more one-on-one time with each of my parents and hide the FaceBook friends who drive me crazy.
What made you cry in 2011?
A lot of things make me cry, and surprisingly I didn't get the baby blues after this pregnancy, but I remember two times this year when I was absolutely sobbing. One was in the Rochester airport in June when I was trying to figure out how to salvage my trip to England. The other was during a conversation with Steve about the possibility of us moving to Sweden.
What made you scream in 2011?
My daughter, for the first month of being a big sister. She was downright nasty. She was also two. It was awful. See "verse of 2011" below.
What made you proud in 2011?
How polite, sympathetic, and friendly this same little girl normally is. If there's a child crying at the grocery store she wants to go three aisles down to give him/her a hug. She greets all the moms of her classmates at preschool. She says please and thank you. When someone comes over she opens the door and says, "So nice to see you! Take off your coat?"
What new skills did you learn in 2011?
Changing a boy diaper without getting soaked. Usually.
Best meal of 2011?
Grilled lobster tail and rum punch on a beach in Antigua.
Best drink of 2011?
A blueberry martini from Outback.
Favorite photo of 2011?
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| My family all together on Thanksgiving |
What was your source of comfort in 2011?
The phrase, "It's just a phase."
What was your verse of 2011 and why?
"A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Proverbs 15:1
I'm naturally a screamer, and I have to constantly remind myself that Olivia's tone of voice tends to reflect my own and I need to be a good example.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Williamsburg
Steve and I went to Colonial Williamsburg during our honeymoon (April 2000), and ever since then I've wanted to go back and see their Christmas decorations made from natural materials. Yesterday Steve took a vacation day and my parents watched Olivia, and it turned out to be quite warm for December. Our way of being tourists is to walk around and take pictures of things like architectural details.
There was plenty of interesting things to see without buying passes, and I couldn't get enough of the wreaths and garlands. My favorites were ones containing shells...
... and osage oranges
... and bittersweet.
Food highlight: Virginia ham sandwiches with tavern root beer for lunch from the Cheese Shop. As for Bowen, he slept through the whole thing but that was fine with us.
There was plenty of interesting things to see without buying passes, and I couldn't get enough of the wreaths and garlands. My favorites were ones containing shells...
... and osage oranges
... and bittersweet.
Food highlight: Virginia ham sandwiches with tavern root beer for lunch from the Cheese Shop. As for Bowen, he slept through the whole thing but that was fine with us.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Check, check, and check
My jewelry orders are shipped.
Steve is home from a week in London and Gothenburg.
We're getting over colds.
My niece and nephew's gifts are on their way.
I'm starting to wrap the other presents and put them under the tree.
I'm finally getting some Christmas cards in the mail. This is not going to be the year I start composing a Christmas letter to go inside, and I didn't manage to do photo cards this year either. I'm really enjoying everybody else's Christmas cards and letters, though!
Also?
I found peppermint icing for cookies. Helps the candy cane crumbles stick to the top.
Eggnog makes a great coffee creamer.
I love how the living room looks with just the light from our tree.
I put off designing the annual photo book until after Christmas, but I still have 16 extra things on my to-do list this week (and no school for Olivia). I may not be back to chat for a while.
Have a merry Christmas, friends!
Steve is home from a week in London and Gothenburg.
We're getting over colds.
My niece and nephew's gifts are on their way.
I'm starting to wrap the other presents and put them under the tree.
I'm finally getting some Christmas cards in the mail. This is not going to be the year I start composing a Christmas letter to go inside, and I didn't manage to do photo cards this year either. I'm really enjoying everybody else's Christmas cards and letters, though!
Also?
I found peppermint icing for cookies. Helps the candy cane crumbles stick to the top.
Eggnog makes a great coffee creamer.
I love how the living room looks with just the light from our tree.
I put off designing the annual photo book until after Christmas, but I still have 16 extra things on my to-do list this week (and no school for Olivia). I may not be back to chat for a while.
Have a merry Christmas, friends!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Dentist
Olivia (finally) had her first dental checkup. She tried out the tools...
...and sat still while Miss Janet cleaned her teeth.
And then we headed to Frosted Crumbs for a special treat. Sugar, of course.
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