Been nesting...

And crochet right now is far more comfortable than bending over a cutting mat or sewing machine to sew.  So, here's what I've been up to.  If you also knit or crochet feel free to add me over on Ravelry

Next up is the:
Best Cloche Baby Hat
Abigail Voss Picot Lace Sweater

I also made the matching booties but wish I had done the Picot edging on those.

I have a couple cute cloth diapers that I'd pair this with for photos- a white BG XS or perhaps a Grovia AIO NB in Cloud.

 The yarn color is a light gray and the buttons are a shell white.  I love how soft and snuggly this is.  It's made with a bamboo spa yarn I found at Michael's.  Soooo soft.

I also made some leg warmers for my daughter to wear to ballet class.

And this is in my queue to work on if this baby is a girl...  Baby Girl Dress

Thanks for looking! 

Would love to hear your comments:  Boy or Girl???

More Layouts for Sweet BBG

Still more layouts for sweet baby girl's 3rd year album.  Must get caught up in case I get surprised with an early arrival by baby 3 (go ahead, laugh... I am!).

Bounce!

She Said I'm Cute!

Day in the Sun

Storytime with Peter Rabbit

Trying to wrap up BBG's 3rd year album

And complete some of my Creative Team (CT) tasks at the same time.  Here's what I've gotten done so far on vacation :)  Please click the titles to leave feedback or to see credits.  And pray for me!  I am hoping to get a guest CT spot for ChrissyW Designs.  I adore her templates and think they make my scrapping go sooo much more smoothly when I use them!  Fingers crossed!

A is for Analiese

Family Fun

You are Loved



I mentioned we are on vacation...  And in the "Attitude of Gratitde" that started last November and continues this year, my post was about being thankful for my amazingly resilient children.  Their dad came home last week after being gone 6.5 months.  It's like he never left now in many ways.  Of course, not in othes...  I'm almost in my 9th month of pregnancy and the kids are still testing some boundaries, ask if he got to eat at the airport every day and are a bit nervous if he's not around when they wake up for some reason.

But tonight, it occured to our 5 year old, that we will not be home to eat at our favorite Wednesday night hang out.  This isn't just a hang out...  it's become our "Cheers" and in fact, last Saturday, they called to tell me that my customer survey (you know, those ones you get at every place when you check out now) won me a $100 gift card! :)  When I explained that we'd be there for next Wednesday, he said okay, but I know it will come back up for conversation tomorrow. 

And then our 3 year old chimes in "And Mommy, do we live here now?"

These are military kids.  They're so incredibly brave and strong. 

The littlest ones dealing with issues that make some adults cringe.

And yet, they're still kids.  Amazing in their innocense, their trust, that as long as our family is okay and all the grown ups around them seem to be doing okay, then life as they know it is floating along just great.

I love them to pieces and they remind me daily how blessed I am to understand that this role of motherhood, of being a military wife, is one that God hand-picked me for and has entrusted to me with great care.  And I pray I can fulfill the needs of these precious children in a way that is pleasing to Him.

Week 45

Can you believe it?  Week 45 of 52, down. 

Shouldn't surprise me though since I'm now 33.5 weeks pregnant and my due date is just almost the end of the year, so I have my own personal countdown this year.

Will the baby be a boy or a girl?  Yes, it will be one of those.
Will the baby be born in 2011 or 2012?  Yes, he or she will be born in one of those years...

Patience, while not a gift I was blessed with at birth, is something I'm learning.  Daily.  As a mother, as a military spouse and as a woman.  Patience that God moves in God's time and not ours.

So, on that note, here are the memories from this week!  It was a happy one indeed!  I love that the kit I'm using has "special event pages" that I can use for when I get the photos from my photographer who shot my husband's homecoming.  The one here is one she took for me with my camera.  You want to see a photographer shoot?  Hand them your DSLR and ask for a photo when it's not their brand ;)

Enjoy!  And have a very happy Veteran's day weekend.

White Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

I was invited to a Cookie Exchange by a dear friend and promised to make these cookies.  They always get rave reviews when I take them anywhere and tend to make them most as soon as the holiday season starts.  I can't wait to bake the first batch this year!

What kind of cookie is your favorite this time of year???

Oatmeal White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats (not instant)
3/4 cup dried cranberries
6 ounces white chocolate chips
Directions
1 Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a large bowl using an electric mixer combine the sugar, brown sugar and butter; mix well to cream together.
3. Add in egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
4. Add the cinnamon, baking soda, salt and flour and mix well.
5. Fold in the oatmeal, dried cranberries and white chocolate chips- making sure that all ingredients are uniformly distributed.
6. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place 3 inches apart onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes, just until the edges are lightly golden.
7. Remove from oven and let cool for 2-3 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer cookies to cooling rack.

Week 44

Another week scrapped! :)

And I finished my card basket today at class.  I also finished my snowman but you're going to have to wait until (s)he is all decorated to see the picture of that one!  Here it is with the stain drying.

A Challenge

and not of the scrappy kind.  Although this weekend is National Scrapbooking Day which means a LOT of time will be spend downloading and I may break out my new EHD.  But, I digress.

Over a year ago, I decided to become a "direct seller".  I really decided I wanted the products I was already going to buy at a cheaper price than advertised and then I realized there was free stuff to be won and then I realized it filled a gap in my life that I'd created in my most recent move + job resignation. 

It didn't really impact me much last year.  But this year, I've already found myself going towards the direction outlined by Jen Fong, an incredibly energizing speaker on the topic of Direct Selling I heard speak at our National Conference in July.  Make it a Direct Selling Christmas.

Already, my Christmas gift stash is filled out with products from Usbourne Books, Wild Tree foods, and of course, Thirty-One Gifts.  I anticipating calling my wonderful Gold Canyon Candle lady Gina to help me round up those last minute "I need to buy for them?!?" kind of gifts.  And Pampered Chef has tons of great stocking stuffers, right?  And feeling a little, well, romantic?  Guys are hard to buy for... but I'm sure they'd love anything from Pure Romance when given discreetly ;)

I guess the difference I really like is that I am a person to these sellers.  And I like knowing I'm impacting in a real way someone's life both with the gift I'm thoughtfully giving and the person I chose to give my business to.  But there's more.  I got almost all the kids bought for at 1 party.  That saves me significant time that I can invest in my family this December.  I love that! 

So, there's the challenge.  Will you think twice about where you're investing your time, funds and energy this holiday season?

If you're reading my blog and represent a company not mentioned above, comment & share your site :) I'm truly curious!

Menu Planning (sorry for the haitus)

It should be better here in about, oh, 3 weeks or so...

Here's the theory.  I'm working on a menu to last for the next 2-3 weeks because of some happy and family change events happening.  So, here we go:

Tues: Pizza Night
Wed: Family Night at Skyline
Thurs: Cranberry Chicken & Polenta Fries
Fri:  Crock Pot Lasagna
Sat:  Leftovers
Sun:    (arrival at vacation destination!)
Mon:  Spaghetti and Frozen Meatballs with Buttery Garlic Knots
Tues:  Rachel's Mexican Chili with cornbread from Wild Tree Foods
Wed:  Pork Pizza
Thur: Chicken & Spinach Enchiladas with Rice
Fri:  Pizza Night (returning from vacation)