To DIY or not to DIY

The house that we are currently renting has a very odd lighting situation in the living/dining rooms. Odd in that there are no overhead lights. Thankfully, we brought a few lamps with us, but I'm not sure that is going to cut it as the days start to get shorter.

While my parents were here, they bought us a lamp that I absolutely adore.

 

I love him.

Despite our three lamps, I am still a bit concerned about lighting in the dining area.

I'd rather not eat in the dark, you see.

I'm weird that way.

Happy Weekend

I'm sorry for my absence here the last few days. My parents are in town and I'm treating it like a vacation. :)

What are your plans this weekend? Juniper's birthday party is tomorrow afternoon, so we will be busy preparing for that and then whooping it up to celebrate. Then all of our company leaves on Sunday morning and I'll probably dissolve into a puddle of lonely tears.

(Just kidding)

(Only sort of)

If you are in a clicking mood, here are a few fun links that have caught my eye!

I am attempting to make a banana cake for Juniper. This one. Pray for me.

I love hats for fall and winter, especially when I can make them easily.

I have been on a tart kick lately - I think I mentioned that in last weeks weekend post - and this one looks SO GOOD.

I love grilled cheese. Would you eat it like this? Or this? Um, yes & yes.

Mushrooms have never been my favorite, but this soup makes me want to give them a second chance.

Have you seen the video of Jimmy Fallon with The Roots and Sesame Street?

I hope you have a happy weekend!

Love,
Elizabeth

Juniper's Birth Story

Warning: this is long. I'm not sure why I feel the need to apologize for that, but I do, so I did. If you finish this, you are a champ. If not, my feelings will not be hurt. :) Enjoy. xoxo

It is funny how you can forget the small stuff after a year has gone by. For instance, I can't remember if my due date was September 25 or 26. I guess it does not really matter since the baby did not see fit to come either of those days.

The day after my due date I had a doctor's appointment with my midwife. The good news was that I was already 3 cm, the bad news was that my blood pressure was still high. I was sent out to a different hospital for a stress test, which showed that everything was fine. The baby had a strong heartbeat and my blood pressure went down after I had some time to relax and acclimate to the environment. (I have a certain kind of phobia of doctors and hospitals, and my bp is always higher at the beginning of an appointment than after.) Despite this, they wanted me to come back the next day, Saturday, to have another stress test. Also, if the baby did not come soon then I was going to be induced on Tuesday, October 2nd.

Happy Monday

                        

Hello! How was your weekend? We had swim class on Saturday morning (Forrest got to come with us and swim around too!) and then a lot of weekend chores and errands. Normally, that would be a kind of depressing weekend (excluding swim class, of course), but the chores and errands were in preparation for the very special visit of Grams and Poppy! Later on this week we also get to see Farmor and Farfar! What a special week for this almost one year old.

                        

We're very excited about it.

I'm sorry the pictures are so low quality. We are hoping that more and better pictures will be taken at actual swim class next week. Considering that both sets of grandparents will be there, I'd say chances are pretty good for a slew of new pictures.

How cute is her bathing suit? I bought it at a children's thrift store here in town, and I think the little tummy cut out is pretty adorable. Can you also see the annoying plastic pants sticking out? 

Today I keep thinking about what I was doing last year at this time. It is 2:33 as I write this, so last year at this time I was either laying in bed watching Parenthood on Netflix while my mom timed my contractions or taking one of many walks around the neighborhood. 

My goal is to post Juniper's birth story tomorrow, so keep an eye out! 

I hope your weekend was lovely and that your week is even more so!

Love,

Elizabeth 

Happy Weekend

Happy weekend!

What are your plans? We have swim class tomorrow morning (Forrest gets to come, yay!), and then I am getting everything ready for Juniper's birthday next week and the arrival of both sets of grandparents. We can't wait!

If you are in a reading or clicking mood, here are a few things that have caught my eye this week.

See you Monday!

I can totally relate with this mom about all the parenting advice. The video made me laugh out loud.

I read this article earlier in the week and I keep thinking about it. Especially #8. Oh, and don't let the title fool you.

Six words to say to your child. Brilliant.

I think most ingredients taste better when they are in a pie.

Scary. Makes sense why America is so unhealthy.

I just finished J. K. Rowling's latest and actually really loved it. Have you read it? Will you?

Love,
Elizabeth

Review: Healthy Cookie Bites

I love to make cookies. I always have.

I remember when one of my dear childhood friends would come over to play that we would, more often than not, choose to bake.

It was either that or instigate a mud war with my younger brother and his friends.

Despite our great love of baking, the results were not always...well...edible.

Review: Poison by Bridget Zinn

Poison
by: Bridget Zinn
Hyperion Books
2013
Ages: 12 & up

The best potions master in the kingdom is sixteen-year-old Kyra. Incidentally, she also happens to be the kingdom's most wanted criminal. It might sound crazy, but Kyra knows the kingdom is on the brink of destruction and the only way to save it is to...well...kill her best friend, the Princess Ariana. Kyra attempted to kill her with a poisonous dart, but she missed. She never misses! Now she is friendless, homeless and still desperate to save the kingdom.

Despite serious misgivings, Kyra pays a visit to the kingdom's worst criminal - well, other than herself of course - to get his help. He gives her an unlikely gift - a pig named Rosie who will help Kyra find the Princess. As Kyra follows the pig, she meets another unlikely traveling companion. Unfortunately, she meets him - a beautiful and funny him called Fred- in the most embarrassing way possible. So it is with Rosie the pig and Fred that Kyra sets out to complete her mission...but as you know, missions never go quite as planned.