Putting it in Perspective

A couple weeks ago, I asked the city inspector to come out & see if we could start insulating the second story of the addition (future master bedroom).  I was having my second productive day in a row, chugging along through laundry, dishes, phone calls & picking up the house - with EJ in the play pen - when the knock came and I realized the house was a disaster!

2 laundry baskets waiting to be folded; an arm chair piled with half my yarn stash & etsy items waiting to be photographed; baby toys all over... :/

...not to mention all the dishes covering my entire kitchen counter.

But then it was like a voice reminding me:

Be thankful that I have a washer & dryer (no laundromat trips) and clothes TO wash.
Thank God for a healthy baby who is meeting & exceeding her milestones that we need a play pen; that we were even BLESSED with a beautiful daughter (some are not so lucky) & the resources to provide for her.
Thank God for such a beautiful, sturdy house that we can afford to live in & even afford to build on to, for our need of more space.
Thank God almighty for my beautiful, loving family & the hard working, selfless husband He has provided me.

And how could I not be over the moon thankful for this beautiful face?

So on this day I felt the call to show my thanks through service in the home: cleaning & organizing as best as I could with a little 8mo between my feet.  And I have to say, at the end of the day, I felt quite accomplished.  :)

Decorating for Christmas

Slowly but surely it is starting to look like Christmas around here!

Hubby hung the Christmas lights on the house last week & I hung up the wreath on our door.

I had hopes to get three stockings knit up by now but it hasn't yet.  Maybe next week?  Last night I got around to making this crochet star garland, though, and that is a decoration crossed off the list!

We're planning to pick out a real Christmas tree this year so EJ has the full holiday experience.  It should be up by this weekend and I'll update with a photo when we do.

What decorations have you put up?

Naptime Check-in @ 7 Months

Currently Busy with:
-House Addition

     We tore off the little bump-out on the back of the house at the end of June to make way for the addition of a little back room (which we'll use as a sitting room/Etsy area, half bath & new back door) off the kitchen & master upstairs.

EJ sleeping just before the first sledge hammer swing.

However, we didn't anticipate it taking ALL of JULY to get our permits and then another month to get our foundation dug, poured and block laid before we could start the framing in September.

Putting up the I-beams to support the second floor.

Trusses go up for the roof.

Hubby attaching trusses.

He's having too much fun.  ;)

Hubby finally has the whole thing wrapped in house wrap and we are beginning to get the windows in.  We have already had a few snow flurries (Halloween night) and the forecast is calling for more unseasonably cool weather (30*s) this next week so we are hoping to get the rest of the windows in and the siding on very quickly.

-Catching EJ before she smacks her head on the ground now that she is pulling herself up on EVERYTHING.  She has been crawling like a pro for a month now (ever since we got a rug in the living room, she took off on Day 2) and her toys can't hold her interest longer than 2 seconds.  She will definitely be an explorer like her dad.  Did I mention she is nearly SEVEN MONTHS already??

I swear we have better fashion sense, this was Halloween (that is a Jack-o-lantern sweatshirt & the hat was knit by my Aunt who taught me).

gif of EJ crawling & getting into a yarn bag

Latest Obsessions:
Peaky Blinders - set in 1920s Britain about a gang of brothers and their exploits to claw their way to the top of the underworld? or at least illegal money-making.

Shutterfly - I'm trying to stay on top of backing up my pictures (and emptying them off my phone), especially of EJ.  So far I've downloaded the app on my phone to make it easier to upload pictures that way (no computer and cord-hook up necessary; though over wi-fi definitely keeps the data bill low ;) ), and then during nap times I organize those pictures into albums by month (including big events of the month in the title) and writing the picture's corresponding story in the "description" which is printed on the back of the picture any time I order prints.  Score one for record keeping!

Swagbucks - mostly because I can get Amazon giftcards and I've been using them to bulk up our cloth diaper stash.  Yay for FREE cloth diapers!  And FREE baby shower gifts :)

Couponing has dropped to the very back burner (unless we are low on something, then I try to watch Joni's blog for deals).

But knit & crochet classes have really picked up at Michael's!  And I have another consignment opportunity in the works.  I hope to be posting about it soon!

EJ Arrives & the First 2 Months in Pictures

4 hours old

Our new world began Thursday, April 10th with the arrival of Elvera Grace (rhymes with "Vera").  She was a perfectly average 7lb 6oz & 20-inch long baby girl whom I can't imagine NOT knowing.

24 hours old

I never knew how time-consuming and mesmerizing a brand new newborn could be until EJ arrived.  I can't stop starring at her beautiful face, kissing her sweet-smelling forehead and holding her tiny hands (she has a strong grip!)  

2 days old

5 days old

6 days old

First outting (to the Library) at 7 days old

2 Weeks old - introduced to her first garden starts

6 Weeks old & starting to show some personality!

9 Weeks old - dead-heading flowers with Dad

10 Weeks old w/ Dad - First Baseball game: Toledo Mud Hens

10 Weeks & really smiling now - though it's been camera shy

10 Weeks old - still sleeping on my chest (yay snuggles!) & Neko has decided EJ isn't going anywhere so she's going to make the best of it and try to still sit on my lap like before.  

And Saturday morning demolition began on the house to start the addition (3rd bedroom + family room/Etsy studio).  Here is EJ about 30 minutes before I swung the first sledge hammer hole in the wall.  Last bit of restful sleep she had that day:

11 Weeks

Hope you enjoyed the pictures; it was fun to look back already. :)  To see more, you can follow me on Instagram.

A Wedding & Cedar Point

Memorial weekend the three of us traveled to Sandusky to celebrate a lifelong friend's wedding.

My family: sister's b/f, sister, me w/ EJ, hubby, Dad, Mom, brother's g/f, brother

I couldn't believe EJ was one of 10+ babies attending the wedding under 2 years old.  I think she might have even been the youngest by 1 week at 6 weeks old (the baby at the table next to us was 7 weeks old).  It got to the point that people would walk around the reception and ask each other, "How old is yours?" :-)

After sleeping through the reception, EJ woke up much to the delight of my mom & sister.

EJ, me, Hubby

Sunday we got the whole family (minus my younger brother & his girlfriend) together for a day spent at the famous roller coaster park, Cedar Point.  Even though we only live about 45 minutes from this famous park, the last time I visited I was in 8th grade.  Sacra-religious?  I get motion sick and don't care for roller coasters.  :-\  So my husband was very excited for this weekend and a whole day dedicated to the rides.

We spent the majority of the day at the park.  My mom and I, Ellie, and my sister's boyfriend hung out on the ground, while my dad, sister & hubby rode their chosen rides.  I loved all the walking and even though the sun was hot, the shade was refreshingly cool with a nice breeze; a perfect park day.

After the park, Hubby and I said goodbye to my family and met up with a local college friend to meet his fiancée and their new (2 week old?) baby girl.  It's funny how quickly these babies grow - theirs looked so tiny compared to EJ!  I kept thinking EJ was never that little... was she?

For EJ's first "vacation" weekend with my family, it sure was a lot of fun.  And I'd say this was the weekend she learned to smile :-)

Review of Merchant's Landing Show

Well, our little adorable bundle of joy, little miss EJ, came into the world just days before the weekend show so I was not personally able to attend to my table, but my wonderful sister and amazing husband were willing to step in and represent Knitted Home.  My review stems from what they have told me and my interpretations of those observations.

Photo courtesy of my sister & her iPhone

According to sources, there were plenty of vendors (around 90 was the estimation) in attendance but the overall customer crowd was definitely lacking.  The show ran from 11-6pm (set up starting at 8am; my husband & sister were able to set up the table in 30-60 minutes) and the last hour or more was only vendors shopping other vendors.

The coordinators did a great job spreading like-crafters across the venue (this is something I've seen lacking at other shows) as well as spreading promotion across different media outlets (fb, radio stations, word of mouth, newspaper, etc).

Photo courtesy of my sister & her iPhone

Overall, it seems April is not a month for Knitted Home to do physical shows because the weather will always attract people outside and away from craft shows (though that didn't seem to be the case with the Maker's Mart I attended the weekend after - one of EJ's first outings).  Or maybe it is the nature of my products that is out of season by April (surely not baby accessories, though?)  At least we made our table fee so I wouldn't judge this show a "failure" but I can't say it will be one to do in the future.

Is there a favorite show you are in every year?  What makes it your favorite?

Banana Oat Cookie Sandwichs

Photo courtesy of Jessica Murnane

Lately I've been experimenting with my diet to omit milk and dairy as I believe they might be upsetting little EJ's stomach.  And I remembered these cookie sandwiches that my sister (a newly transitioned vegan from vegetarian) shared with me at her last visit.  Being vegan, they naturally don't contain any dairy and since I've been running out of foods to eat (or at least, ideas), I gave this recipe a try.  -- and doubled it straight off the bat.  Luckily it doubles easily which made 15 sandwiches.

At first I thought they would take so much time and effort to put together, but after reading the recipe, they are just like Vegan Muffins, with one extra step: assembling the sandwiches.  The frosting is thick, so I recommend using a knife to scoop and spread it (instead of a spoon, like I first tried).

I had a tablespoon or two of filling left over so I would say be generous when frosting the first cookie.  They taste so much better with lots of that cocoa flavor, too :)

Here's the recipe.  Let me know if you try it and how you like them!

Hello!

Just popping in quick to say hello!  This is what I look like most days now:

She is 3 weeks (+5 days) old & loves sleeping on my chest!

So you can see how I don't get as much done as I'm used to.  When these precious moments are had, they are savored and spent catching up on my magazine, book and blog reading.  I've only just started attempting blog writing like this and so far it seems to be working like a charm!  Until she wakes up suddenly ravishing!  :)

Bear with me; I have plenty of more meaty posts in the works but I have a feeling it is going to take much longer to get them fully composed and ready to publish.  I hope you are all doing well.  Keep up the lovely posts and I promise to stop in again soon :)