I Need to Find a Stud!

Well, I actually need to find a few studs. in my wall. I can't find our stud-finder to anchor in the counter top for my craft closet. I'm going to try to borrow one; I'm very impatient about getting it all set up - I want to create in my new space and I'm so close!

Jeff cut the counter top for me and we unattached it to the wall in the basement. Now I'm just waiting to find my studs (lol) to be able to anchor the counter top to the wall. Then I will reposition the shelves above. Then my space will be work in-able! YAY!! I also am going to purchase a couple of curtains to hang at the door to the closet so then I can close the curtain and it office will look relatively neat again! And perhaps that will keep Alexander out of my supplies! - probably not.

I've been busy creating more birthday cards for this week's mom2mom sale. Here is a snippet of a few of them:

I'm excited about this sale on Saturday! Wish me luck!

Focus on Family - Tulips, Meatballs and No More Spanking

Well, I officially can't say that Jeffery doesn't get me flowers. The other day he came home from work with these beauties. Tulips are my favourite flower. It's nice to have proof that you've been thought of, doesn't it? Now what can I do for Jeff that is just as thoughtful?

Isabel has been discovering her hands and how wonderful they taste in her mouth - they are in there quite often! I keep pulling her feet in front of her face for her to discover them too, but she just smiles at the position she is consequently in.


Also, Isabel is turning into the smiley, happy girl I hoped she would be... finally! Especially when she is watching Alexander or myself. I love seeing that smile of hers!

But she doesn't know how to pose for the camera yet.

Jeffery's work has continued to be busy; but this coming week we will be seeing a small decrease, as Omni has been trying to go back to two appointments a day. So, as long as the office schedules Jeff's appointments the way he asked them to, he will be working only Monday and Wednesday evenings. However, knowing my husband, he will be booking follow-up appointments and revisits on some of those evenings anyways.


Jeff has been looking forward to being able to participate at Ignite (the youth group), get together with his accountability group, and also go out for coffee/tea with some soul friends. He has been so busy, he hasn't been able to do any of that. I mean, working so many appointments hasn't really brought us any more income than it did in other months where he works less, so there's isn't really any point to Jeff working himself to exhaustion, is there? So we both will be glad when his work goes back to a normal pace.

Taking pictures of Alexander have become a big challenge, since he never wants to sit still long enough to get a decent picture - this is the only one this week of Alexander that wasn't blurry. I need to get that velcro wall and just toss him on for a while, then maybe he'll be still. As it is, he's only still when he's sleeping; and sometimes not even then! He moves around a lot.

Jeffery and I had been discussing the option of not spanking. We had been spanking Alexander only when we tell him to stay in bed and he got out of bed anyways - outright defiance. But we were spanking him three or four times a night! I didn't like doing it, and neither did Jeff. I had noticed that when it was Jeff's turn to discipline Alexander for getting out of bed, he would put Alexander back in bed and just tell him sternly to stay in bed, and nine times out of ten, he would!

At first I merely thought that Jeff was a "softy" and just didn't want to be the "bad guy". I started thinking more about it and wondering if there was another way. I had been brought up with spanking as discipline, and me nor any of my five siblings had any issues - meaning to say that we never thought that because we were spanked, that it was okay to spank or hit other people. I know that's not the only possible behavioural issue, but it's one of the most common that I have read about.

So we were talking about it, and we decided to try not spanking. After all, the only reason we were spanking was because we had set certain boundaries and rules, and Alexander was not obeying us in the rules we had given him. Thinking about it, it doesn't seem like a fair punishment for a toddler - sometimes it's hard to remember that Alexander still is not yet three years old. I was given this link from a facebook friend, Christina, and it was really helpful in giving me a different perspective on the issue. This is the link.

So last week was the last time we've spanked Alexander. He gets out of bed only once a night, about five to ten minutes after we put him to bed, then one of us goes into his room and speaks sternly to him to stay in bed, and he does. I'm very pleased that this is what works better for us!

These meatballs are Jeffery's recipe. Don't they look stupendous (yes, that's still my new favourite word)?? They certainly are tasty!

1 lb extra lean ground beef

1 lb ground sausage

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 tsp ground garlic

2 tbsp worchestershire sauce

1 cup bread crumbs

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp parsley flakes

salt & pepper to taste

3 tbsp barbecue sauce (we always use Baby Ray's - it's a PC product)

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Roll mixture into 1 inch balls.

Place meatballs on greased cookie sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through.

I almost always end up putting more bread crumbs in the mixture. What I like best about making these is that I can mix it up with a fork instead of my hands. I really don't like getting my hands all goopy and icky from mixing something up. I don't make meatloaf because of that (I get Jeffery to make it!), and I really don't like preparing the chicken rub either. But I do that because I like the chicken; I just suck it up! But this recipe is nice because I don't have to get my hands all gross! YAY!

You can use these meatballs for anything. The first few times we made these, we used them in spaghetti. But Jeff doesn't like to eat pasta all that often (I would eat it a lot more - I LOVE spaghetti!), so we also make it with mashed potatoes and garlic carrots - can't forget the gravy!

"And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8

-Shirley

GIVEAWAY!!!

I told everyone on my facebook page that once I got 100 likes, I would host a giveaway. And on Saturday night, I saw the big number: 100!!! I wasn't about to start a giveaway that minute, nor get one ready on Sunday, as it is my Sabbath. So I'm starting it today. Monday is a good day to start a giveaway, don't you think?


This is what I'm giving away to celebrate 100 likes:

These owls are one of the newer listings in my shop. These little guys are punched out of chocolate brown and olive green card stock, then lovingly glued together. You can use these as embellishments on your scrapbook pages, on your handmade cards, or as journaling spots. You could use them as part of dinner placement seating tags or even to decorate a handmade picture frame - those of you who are more creative than I am could think of countless other possibilities, I'm sure.


How to enter:


1. You must live in Canada or the U.S. - sorry, no international entries, please!
2. You must either become a follower of this blog or you can like my facebook page.
3. You must comment on this post - which will be your entry for the prize. Your comment should include that you have either followed my blog or liked my fb page, and your email address so I can contact you in case you are the winner. Don't worry, I will not use your email address for anything other than this contest, nor will I give it away to anyone.


This giveaway will go for two weeks, ending on May 9, 2011 at 12:00 p.m. At that time, I will pick a winner using a number generator from random.org. I will contact the winner and arrange shipping.


It's as simple as that! Please tell your friends, I would love this to be a successful giveaway.

Featured Artisan - leatherprince

The tag line for their shop is " Handcut, Hand stitched, Handmade Leather Products". I'm talking about leatherprince on etsy. I first saw their ladybug keychain; the pictures were so darn cute, and so well made with lots of details, I had to check out the rest of their shop, and I'm so glad I did!


Beon and Candy, who hail from Taiwan, are so amazingly talented! I love the clean lines, the fabulous, bright colours - and I love most that it's all handmade! Here are some of my favourites from their shop:

I would like to get the penguin keychain, he reminds me of Po from Kung-Fu Panda, and he's so cute! I had a keychain accessory with my name on it (which is really hard to find - think about it, my name is Shirley!) that my mom gave me years and years ago, but its totally broken, so I think I'm due for a new one, and I think that Yen the Panda is perfect! - although, I will rename him to Po. :) I also really like how they name each of their characters - very cute!


Leatherprince also has a blog, which you can look at here.


They create a wide variety of items with leather - keychains, iPhone cases, iPad cases, purses, and coin pouches, to name just a few! Take another look at their shop and let me know which is your favourite!

Where Have All The Workers Gone?

You may be able to tell by the title that I haven't gotten very far on my craft closet. :( I have taped and measured out where I am going to cut the counter top from the basement, but I am procrastinating actually cutting it - I've got to do it! boo-hiss on me.


Beyond that, I've been creating a little this week:

owl embellishments

penguin embellishments

sheep embellishments

sheep card - could be used for sympathy, encouragement, etc

I really like the sheep card - instead of selling the sheep embellishments as they were, I used them to make the card - and I like the card better than just the sheep! Of course, Alexander really liked the owls and the sheep, so I made an extra one of each for him. He's been carting them around with him all week. He's even gone to bed with the owl!


This coming week I'm going to be busy preparing for the mom2mom sale I'm vending at on Saturday, April 30. I'm going to focus on baby cards and kids birthday cards, and perhaps more invitations and cupcake toppers.


Here's hoping I cut the counter top this week AND install it in the closet!!!

Blog Award!

I've been given my first ever blog award! YAY! It was given to me by Angie from Angie's Craft Blog. Thanks so much! It's really awesome to know that people are reading and enjoying my blog!


Here are the rules for this award:
-thank the person who gave you the award with a link to their blog
-list seven things about yourself
-give this award to 15 other bloggers


Seven things about me:
1. My favourite fruit is a toss between strawberries or peaches.
2. I try to be handy, but I'm not - I break more things than I fix.
3. I am very clumsy - I fell down a hill trying to run away after splashing Jeff with water!
4. The only types of ice cream I like to eat are vanilla or butterscotch ripple.
5. I have a crush on Gerard Butler. He's the most handsome man in the world - after Jeffery, of course!
6. I used to love eating red meat, like steaks and hamburgers, but lately all I want is chicken or salmon.
7. I'm a pepsi girl - coke is gross.


I give this award to these 15 other blogs:
1. Clare from Crafty Cow Creations
2. Charlie from Domestic Icing
3. Devin from Expression By Devin
4. Marigold from Hideous! Dreadful! Stinky!
5. Tricia from How Sweeter It Is
6. Karina from Karina's Challenge
7. Dinara from Mir Dinara
8. Monique from Pixie Adventures
9. Brooke from PlayingGrownUp
10. Candace from Sparkle Power!
11. Linda from Stitches by Kryss
12. Cathy from Mateo & Tobias
13. Laurrrenn from The Intermission
14. Kathy and Karen from Two Stamping Sisters
15. Naomi from Without A Thing To Wear

Focus on Family - April 20

I love my kids to death. Let's just get that straight. There are times, however, I just wish I didn't have to be a mom for a few hours. That feeling crept upon me a couple times this past week. For some reason, Sundays always make me feel that way. Not sure why, but it does.

I finally remembered to post a note on facebook about the labour and delivery of Isabel. I've had a few people asking me to do one, since I did one for Alexander. I'm glad I finally remembered to do this, as I hadn't written it down before, and I'm glad I still remembered all the details.

I love seeing the adoration shining through Isabel's eyes while she watches Alexander. As long as she has a clear view of him, she is watching. There are a couple of times when Alexander goes up to her when she's on the couch or in the exersaucer, and immediately she comes out with this huge grin on her face. I love it!

nice drool

I'm also remembering to give her tummy time. Isabel sleeps on her stomach, she likes it better than her back, but she doesn't get a lot of tummy time to practice holding her head up and strengthen her arms. As long as she's on her stomach on the floor or the change table, she's okay, but as soon as I put her in her crib for tummy time, she wails. Probably because she thinks I'm trying to make her sleep. I learned that after a few times - I was trying to prevent Alexander from stepping on her. He is not the most graceful boy - he doesn't really like to watch where he's going. He actually stepped on her fingers yesterday afternoon. ouch!


Last night was the first night ever that Alexander fell out of his bed while sleeping. He fell on his enormous stuffed dog, so his landing was soft - I don't think he even woke up!

I made a few things this week, and one of them is a bunch of owl embellishments. When Alexander saw them, he wanted one, so I made him one. Then I made him another. He carts them around with him, and constantly shows them to me and says, "owl," as if I didn't know what they were, and he wanted me to know that he knew what they were.

My dear friend, Heather, came by on Monday morning with her kids, Emma and Evan. When Emma walked in the door, Alexander gave her a kiss! He used to cry when she got too near him! It was really cute. Anyway, Emma liked the owls too, so I let her take one home with her. Although the ones pictured in the listing is not quite what Emma took home with her - hers was made with googly eyes and an owl stamp, instead of the punch.

On Sunday, we went to my parents' house to celebrate the birthday of my youngest sibling, Andrew, who turned 21 on Monday, April 18. I love seeing Andrew grow into a strong and confident man of God, and I love the place he has in our family - it certainly wouldn't be the same without him. It is so weird, though, knowing that my parents' youngest child is 21. That makes them pretty old, I guess. Almost the entire family was there, and I love getting together with them all! Gramma and Grampa Eleveld also came, and they both got to see their great-grandchildren, something they don't get to do nearly as often as I would like. We got some good pictures, too, which is nice. The picture of my family on the right, near the top of this blog was taken on Sunday.

This is how I found Alexander on Sunday afternoon after I fed Isabel - I thought he was playing! He slept like that for about an hour and a half! He had some imprints from the movie case on his face - he wasn't too happy when he woke up, and I can imagine that sleeping on a hardwood floor cannot be too comfortable.


This recipe is for a creamy cauliflower bisque I made on Saturday:

1 lb cauliflower
1 lb potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups chicken broth
1/8 tsp red pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 cup evaporated milk
1/3 cup butter
1 cup cheddar cheese


Put the cauliflower (I used frozen), potatoes, chicken broth, red pepper (didn't have any, so I used chili powder instead) salt, and black pepper into the slow cooker. Cook it on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
Use a hand processor and puree the soup. Add the evaporated milk and butter and stir until completely blended. The evaporated milk thickens the soup.
The recipe said to garnish with the cheese, but I figured it would taste just as good if the cheese was melted into it! We had Havarti cheese in the fridge, not cheddar, so that's what I used. I stirred the soup until the cheese was completely melted.
Serve and enjoy!


You could taste the cauliflower, but it wasn't overwhelming. After tasting it, Jeffery said, "If I tell you that this is fantastic, will you NOT make it all the time?" I said, "Why, is it fantastic?" He said, "Yes. But don't make it all the time." You see, when I first made potato and ham soup, we loved it (and Alexander would eat it without complaining about the vegetables), so I made it about once a week - it was also winter, so soup is a great meal during winter. But Jeff got sick of eating it so often. So I'm not planning on making the soup again for at least two weeks. :)


I also made tea biscuits for the first time ever. I used Bisquick mix (1 cup of Bixquick, 1/2 cup milk) and followed the directions, but the biscuits didn't really rise at all. I think I kneaded the dough too many times. The box said to knead the dough 10 times. The next time I make them, I'll knead it only 5 times. Maybe then the biscuits will rise. They weren't rock hard or anything, they just were really skinny - they looked like cookies, which made Alexander want to eat them, but after the first bite, he didn't want any more. lol I guess they are an acquired taste!


Jeffery's work is steady, and he's back to working 12+ hour days. The one great thing about work being slow is that Jeff is home, and the kids LOVE it! Alexander loves playing with Jeff, reading books with Jeff, and just being with him; and I can see a difference when Jeff is not at home.


Yesterday was the first day all week that Isabel slept in her crib for her afternoon nap, FINALLY! I've been wondering when she was going to do that again. I know for sure she was going through a growth spurt, since there was some pajamas that she could fit into last Thursday, but she couldn't fit into it on Monday. It's weird how quickly they can grow, eh?


I will leave you with a verse from the Psalms:


"For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
the afflicted who have no one to help." - Psalm 72:12

Featured Artist - Ken Daley

I met Ken at the "One Stop Spring Shop" in Oakville on April 9, and I fell in love with his paintings and prints. They are so colourful and alive! A lot of the prints on display reminded me of New Orleans, with the jazz and the colourful, artistic culture you see there (not that I've ever been there before - I read.).


I emailed Ken (from Cambridge, Ontario) for a small blurb about him and his fabulous art, but he wasn't able to get back to me - according to his calendar, he had a show this past Saturday, and I can only imagine how busy he was preparing for it.


This is the largest size I could get these favourites from his portfolio on his website, which is understandable - I wouldn't want to let people have access to a really good printable size of my paintings either.

While at the One Stop Spring Shop, my husband Jeffery purchased a print of the top picture for me, and I love him for it (well, that among other things)! The gorgeous blue tones are so beautiful! There are two places in our home that I'm thinking about hanging it, and I just have to decide! But I want to do it justice, too.


Go to Ken's website, and let me know which is your favourite.

Broken Fingernails

One of the benefits of being pregnant (other than the baby at the end, obviously!), is that my nails get super strong. But since I'm not pregnant, my fingernails have gone back to being fragile and bendable. It sucks - it's annoying. It has nothing to do with my business, I just wanted to get that out there - put it in cyberspace for all to read and know. :)


This week I have taken as a bit of a hiatus - although I have been doing some work. I made this gift card holder: 

to match this card:

I showed the above card last week, I merely wanted to show that they are coordinated. Guys, this is a great gift to give your wife for your anniversary - put in a gift card to a spa or something - she's gonna love it!


I've also been working on the office closet. Jeffery got those hideous anchor covers off (it was actually just a little dorr thing that flipped open to show the screws behind - I knew it was going to be something really stupidly easy). Truth be told, Jeffery just pulled the anchors out of the wall by pulling the entire bookshelf out! HAHA! He is very strong.


So what I have to do still is cut the back of the counter top in the basement to fit into the closet, then I put up the brackets in the closet to hold it up, then put it in and screw it down, then *POOF* I have my craft space! I know, I know, it's WAY easier said than done. Let's hope I don't screw it up...


I hope to be able to get some of that done this weekend. Wish me luck!

Focus on Family - April 13

This past week is not a week I want to go through again. Except for Saturday - Saturday was a good day. But what with Isabel waking up two or three times a night and not going to bed until after 9:00 pm. when she is usually asleep by 8:00 p.m., and Alexander constantly testing the bedtime limits we have set for him, paired with a lack of quality sleep, makes for not so great a week.

Isabel is trying SO hard to sit up on her own

The end of last week had me using every spare minute I had making more designs for the craft show on Saturday; dinners were quick and easy (it's a good thing Jeffery was gone), the dishes didn't get done until the end of the week, the floor was swept only once a day; the only housework I did for sure was the laundry and fold it - I didn't put it away, though, until this morning. I don't like putting laundry away.

cutie--pie

Isabel is going through a growth spurt right now, wanting to eat every two hours during the day when she usually eats every 4 hours or so. At night, as I said earlier, she has been getting up two or three times. I know that's not too bad, but when she's been getting up only once (or not at all), two or three times is a lot. And this is the reason why I don't want to go through this past week again - feeding her so often takes a lot of time, and consequently, I have less time for Alexander, which sucks because he craves my attention during the day. I mean, he's okay to play on his own, but he really does prefer to play with someone; which makes the time that Jeff can play with him so great.

smiley

On Saturday, at the One Stop Spring Shop in Oakville, there was an Epicure table set up across the aisle from us, and Jeff purchased the Jambalaya seasoning. Jeffery made it for Sunday's dinner. The package makes eight servings, so we were good for two meals. Jeff put in rice, chicken, ground sausage, and shrimp. It was a baked meal, but the package didn't say if the rice was supposed to be cooked or uncooked. We only have basmati rice, so that took a while longer to cook in the oven; I think next time we will cook the rice first, so then it doesn't have to take so long to cook. I would also put in broccoli. I didn't take any pictures, but you could talk to your Epicure representative to order it - I would rate it 5 out of 5.

playing with blocks, making a tower

all done!

As I mentioned last week, Jeffery was gone in Connecticut last week for sales training. He got back late Friday night, just in time to help me with the craft show on Saturday morning. He wasn't feeling the best, but he came with me anyway. What a great husband, eh? Alexander was at my parents' house Friday night for a sleep over and Carly came over to babysit Isabel. It was nice to have the day without the kids, but I missed them a lot.

sporting an awesome faux-hawk

Jeffery and I have gone over our budget for the year, and we are working towards saving up for next winter so we're not so destitute. The problem is being able to stick to our budget. Let me clarify: sticking to a certain amount of money for everything is no problem - it's the things that come up, like needing extra work done on our car, or the drain in the basement is clogged and water is coming up everywhere, or the steps of our front porch are falling apart and need to be replaced (which they do). So we're hoping that issues like these do not come up often; I guess you can't exactly stop them all from occurring.


Sunday night Jeffery took me out for dessert. Niki came over to watch the kids, and we went to Jack Astor's. They have a great Macadamia nut cookie sundae. If you haven't had it, I would definitely suggest that you go there and order that dessert. VERY yummy.


Until next week, then!

Featured Artist - papercutsbyjoe

Joe was the featured artist on the etsy front page on Friday, and I saw this and was COMPLETELY blown away by the intricacies of his work. Here is the article. And here is his shop.


[go look]


I KNOW!!! CRAZY, eh? SO talented! The first picture I saw was the "Flour and Grain" picture, and I thought it was a photograph. But the second and third pictures of this listing show what it really is: beautiful masterpieces.


In the interview for the feature, Joe's words just oozed enthusiasm to me, and I love that about artists and artisans - they love what they do.


Here are my favourites from his shop:

great, eh? :)

His work is mind-blowing. I'm saying "crazy" and "amazing" out loud, and my husband is beginning to think I'm crazy. But he hasn't seen that beach picture. AMAZING!!!!


I would like to own the beach one, but, being a one-of-a-kind item, and such a time-consuming process, the cost is WAAAY over my budget. Great original works like this, unfortunately, are costly.


Joe's work is such a great example of what handmade really is. "Crafts" are no longer just glue and paper and cut-out felt shapes with your plastic kindergarten scissors, it's SO much more than that. Creating something original and beautiful out of raw materials, making it an extension of yourself is one of the most fulfilling things I have ever experienced. And, obviously, it is to Joe as well. He also has a LOT more patience than anyone else I have ever known - it would take me YEARS and many, many revisions to make something remotely close to that maple leaf, let alone the branches, or the boats, or the people riding bikes, or, well, anything!


I applaud you, papercutsbyjoe. Very inspiring.

Dust in my Nose

There actually is dust in my nose today. I've been working pretty hard this week to get some things organized before Jeffery comes home from Connecticut. In our master bedroom, there are two little alcoves that we had planned to use as our hanging closets. But we had never gotten the closet rods to hang anything. So our clothes had been wrinkling in bags and boxes since we moved here in July 2010. I know, we totally procrastinated! But we had purchased the rods recently, and I had put mine up right away, expecting Jeff to do the same with his rod. But he didn't. So I put it up on Wednesday. Our room is still just primered, we probably won't be painting for a while.. Anyways, that has nothing to do with my work, so I'll continue...


As I mentioned last week, I've been emptying out the office closet to use as my craft area. I've gotten the closet empty, but I can't get the darned anchors for the shelves out of the wall to take them out! grrr. So I have to wait for Jeffery to come home to be able to do it. Knowing me, it's something really easy that I'm totally just missing. Oh well. Story of my life.


I've been working as much as I can on new designs for the show coming up this Saturday. Here is a sample of the cards I've been working on:

this card opens in the middle to see "congratulations"

this fold is so fun to do - you may be seeing more of these in the future!

I've been having weddings on my mind, as you can see. I think I need to make more birthday cards, so I'll work on those later today.


I hope you like the designs, and if you are in the Hamilton area, I would love to see you at the One Stop Spring Shop tomorrow! The event details are on the "Calendar of Events" page here on my website.

Focus on Family - April 6

Well, Jeffery is gone this week until Friday evening. To be honest, it's really not that much different than what our regular days are like, since Jeff has been working so many hours, most days he leaves for work just after the kids are up, and he comes home after the kids are down for the night. I've been keeping Alexander up until 9:00 p.m. or so, so he can have a bit of time with Jeff. I'm trying to keep Isabel on her schedule, though, so she usually sees Jeff only in the mornings.


And it's not just home life that Jeff is missing out on - he hasn't been able to participate at IGNITE (youth group) for over a month now, and Thursday nights he usually gets together with his accountability group, but he hasn't been able to do that either. I'll be glad when work slows down a bit, so Jeff can finally breathe.

Sunday was a rough day for Alexander. It started out just fine, going to Sunday School at church without a fuss, and waiting patiently in the nursery after the service was over while I breastfed Isabel. After church, we went to my aunt and uncle's home in Ancaster to celebrate my grandmother's 80th birthday, which was April 2. This is where it all began. While playing with his uncle Andrew, he slammed his face in the carpet and now has a carpet burn on his forehead. Later in the evening, he got poked in the eyeball, he tripped on the carpet in his bedroom, and his toes got run over by an office chair (the ones with the wheels). Needless to say, he went to bed that night without a fuss. Either he was tired, or he was trying to escape from receiving any more pain.

It's been a great week for Isabel - well maybe more for me. She slept through the night twice since last Wednesday! Thursday night and Monday night. I was able to pump two almost-full bottles as a result. YAY! She usually doesn't leave me much to pump.


Isabel has become discontented being anywhere but my arms again (though I suppose that if there was someone else holding her, she would be fine there too). She's okay in the swing in the morning, as I posted last week, but after her ONE NAP - yes, my 3 month old baby takes only ONE nap a day - she is picky. I try to move her around from the swing to the couch to the bumbo to the vibrating chair (that doesn't vibrate), but she's not happy in any spot for too long a time.

When I put her on the couch sitting up, she tenses her legs and straightens them out, as if she's trying to stand up, but when she relaxes her legs, her head has fallen down the height of the couch enough for her to be laying down, and she gets frustrated with that. But she doesn't want to try to sit up anymore; it's as if she has given up on being able to sit up straight for any length of time.

Isabel always gives a small smile after Alexander kisses her - as long as it's not too slobbery.

Alexander has been much better with staying in bed after I put him down for the night. After we pray, I always tell him that I love him and to stay in bed, and he says, "uh-huh". And he stays in bed! The only exception this week was the evening that Jeffery came home after Alexander was in bed; he came out of bed to give Jeff a hug and kiss, then he went straight back to bed. That was really sweet - I couldn't spank him for wanting to see his dada (that's what he calls Jeff).

My favourite time of the day is very quickly becoming Isabel's bath time (other than bed and nap times). It lasts about five minutes or so, but it's wonderful to see her smile and splash around in the water. She likes the water warmer than I thought a baby would like it, but as soon as her feet touch the bottom of the bathtub and feels the water, she's gets this huge grin on her face, and after I wash her and rinse the soap off, she wiggles around and kicks and splashes, all the while with this impossibly adorable grin on her face - it's great!


I've been busy this week - making more cards for Saturday's craft fair and getting the closet ready to be my craft area. Unfortunately, I've hit a snag with the closet. The shelves that held our books is anchored to the wall, and there are plastic covers that cover the screws that anchor it, and I can't get the covers off the unscrew the screws! Which I am taking as a sign, by the way, that I shouldn't even try. If I try, the shelf will probably fall apart or fall on top of me or do something dreadful, knowing my luck.


I was really hoping to be able to get the closet empty (no shelving or anything) by the time Jeffery gets back. Maybe I'll wrangle help from some man who knows what they're doing... It is rather embarrassing, though, knowing that I can't even take off these annoying little plastic covers... it is making me feel as if I'll never be handy. Well, I am a bit too clumsy to pull that off anyway.


Until next week, then... I pray that you recognize the blessings God showers on you - and give thanks and glory to Him.