Baby Shower

A few weeks ago, my great friend, Anita, threw me a baby shower. I hadn't thought (initially) that I needed one, having had children before. However, since I'm having a boy this time, and it will have been nearly six years since the last one, it did make sense to stock up on a few new items. (Not to mention the fact that Jim and I have still been unable to find any of the old baby clothes I had--y'know, that early newborn stuff that's often unisex.)

So family and friends joined together at Anita's beautiful house. We were treated to all kinds of delicious goodies (two different gourmet cakes, pumpkin bars, bite-size ham or turkey sandwiches, chips, nuts, blue popcorn, etc.), and the games we played were fantastic! My favorite was the poopy diaper game: Anita stuck different candy bars into individual diapers, nuked 'em for a few seconds so they'd melt, and then passed around each diaper for us all to determine which kind of candybar it was. What fun, to have a group of women sitting around, sniffing what looks like poop in a bunch of diapers. I know (or, at least, I hope) I wasn't the only one who was tempted to have a taste. We all managed to use our self restraint, though. Sniffing was as far as it went! We also played the game where you decide, just by look (not even scent) what kind of baby food is in each of several baby jars. That was a tough one--you'd never believe how many foods are orange or green! Another game was to guess how many calories were in a huge jar of Baby Ruth candy bars. That was tough--I don't think I was anywhere close. Bummer, too, 'cuz I really wanted to win that jar of candy bars!!! My second favorite game was the memory game. I won't give that one away, as it had a bit of a twist, but I do want to say I got a huge kick out of it!!!

Naturally, I got a ton of great stuff--thanks to all who were there, and to those of you who didn't make it but sent or brought gifts anyway. I'm so very blessed to have such great friends and family! One of the gifts I was most excited about--one I'd even joke was the reason I got pregnant--was my Diaper Cake. Don't get me wrong, I love and am grateful for every single thing I've received. I mean it when I say that I'm blessed--Jim and I were starting to get worried about whether or not we'd be prepared, and now we will be. But the Diaper Cake (which Anita made) is something I've seen given to other expectant moms. It's one of the most clever, yet functional gifts I've ever seen. I was just about beside myself to receive my very own, and it's going to be very hard for me to break down and dismantle the thing to use the diapers. Thank goodness I got a couple of pictures of it! (If you can't tell by the pictures, the 'cake' is accented with little bottles of baby shampoo, baby lotion, baby powder, etc., and at the top is a rubber ducky, a washcloth, and a little key-ring rattle.)

A couple weeks ago, Jim was in Texas taking a class... he was gone all week. I had been wanting to paint our kitchen for months, and I decided it'd be fun to see if I could get it done with Jim gone and surprise him! Was I ever in for a treat! The only walls I wanted to paint were the backsplash (behind the stove and between the counter-top and cupboards) and the part over the sink (which is mostly taken up by more cupboards and a window). So I wouldn't even say that space was enough to cover a regular wall. But it's a bit of a cramped space. Those two walls were that "country kitchen blue" that was fashionable about ten years ago. I've never liked it, but it worked in this kitchen... the floor has some of that same blue in about 1 out of every 5 tiles, plus the formica on our conter-top is flecked with that blue, as well. But, as I said, I've never liked that blue, and I've always wanted a sunny yellow kitchen. So I set about buying paint (something I've never done before... I got so lucky--and the lady at the hardware store was extremely helpful!), sanding the walls as I was instructed to do, taping up all the edges, and I was ready to go. Well, since that blue was on the darker side, I had to do primer first. No problem (except it stinks worse than regular paint)... except that I could still see the blue through the primer! Fine, I just put a second coat of primer on. Now I was ready to do the fun part--the color!!! It went on a little brighter than I'd really expected, but I figured it was going to be okay. However, it didn't seem that two coats of paint were enough. So I put on a third coat of paint (on top of the two coats of primer). This took me through the whole week, up to Thursday morning. By Thursday morning, I was ready to remove the tape, clean up the newspapers and debris, and hang my curtain up--get everything back to the way it was. What happened, though, was that I started taking down the tape... and ripping the paint off with it!!! It pulled away like rubber! In some spots, it went all the way down to the dry-wall! I called my friend, Anita (always my hero!), bawling and absolutely freaking OUT! She pointed out that none of those home-improvement shows ever let you see the "touch-up phase", and she said she'd be right over. And a bit later, here she came, with a specially made cookie from Eileen's to cheer me up (with a huge rainbow on it in, I swear, about two inches of frosting)! She picked up one of the craft paintbrushes I'd set out and started fixing up my little problem areas. (In the meantime, I'd decided that home-improvement tip #27 is: when the tape doesn't pull away easily, cut it with an exacto knife!) I only had a few areas that were bad, and in about 20 minutes, you couldn't even see them! Yay! Anita to the rescue! Later that evening, I went back over to put a second coat on the touch-ups, and you really can't notice them at all, unless you come close with a flashlight and magnifying glass, looking for them. So I finally got to put away all the mess from my painting. I spent Friday sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, and basically cleaning up any clutter around the rest of the house. I decided that it'd be cool for Jim to come home, not just to a newly painted kitchen, but to a freshly cleaned house with a newly painted kitchen! I'm pleased to say he reacted exactly the way the girls and I wanted him to, spending a good 10 minutes fawning over the whole project, exclaiming all kinds of kind things about what a great job we did, etc. I had let each of the girls do a bit of painting, on the first coat of color, with the roller. They each were excited to point out "their wall". I think I'm done nesting for a few weeks. Will write about any further work I feel it's necessary to do!

Netflix, Bunco, Elephant Feet--Oh My!

I received a month's worth of free Netflix from a FANTASTIC friend of mine, and I am LOVING it!!! It's really a great deal (especially when it's free). I can keep the movies as long as I want, and I don't have to pay shipping when I send them back. I actually don't like to hold onto the movies for very long, though, as I'm enjoying turning around and sending them back to see how fast I can get something else. Turnaround time is usually 2-3 days. I suppose it's easier, in a sense, to just go to Blockbuster or Hollywood Video to pick up a movie, rather than wait for it to come in the mail. But I don't mind waiting a day or two, and I really love creating a list and having Netflix pick from the list for me. I can change the order of the list, in case I decide I want to watch one thing before another--that came in handy this week, with Jim out of town. I've tried moving all of the "chick flicks" on my list up, so I can watch them while he's gone. Part of what's so cool about it is that Netflix has so many movies that aren't available at the regular video stores anymore. And since I can create a list of my own, I can go add to it anytime I think of another movie I want to see--it's so much better than standing there in the video store for 20 minutes going, "What was it that I was thinking of the other day? None of these movies sound good!" Okay, enough for my plug on Netflix... if you haven't tried it, you should give it a shot. You can get two weeks free when you go to www.netflix.com.
Bunco is a new passion of mine! I'd heard about it from my friend Beth about four years ago (give or take a year), but the concept was pretty fuzzy. This past year, my friend Anita got into a group and was constantly asking me to come with her, as a sub. For various reasons, it just never worked out, and I have to admit, I was a little intimidated by the game anyway. I didn't know how to play, so how could I possibly fill in for someone? And I was scared by the prospect of spending an evening with a roomfull of women I didn't know--I would only know Anita, right? And my time with her couldn't be very extensive, knowing there would be ten other women there! But finally, after about four months, I finally broke down and joined her as a sub one night. I couldn't believe how easy (and ADDICTIVE) the game is! The very next day, I told Anita I'd love to become a permanent member, if they ever had an opening on the team. She told me there actually was an opening (one of the 'regulars' decided it'd be better for her and her family if she stepped down to 'sub' status). Yippee! Well, this month was my first turn as a 'regular', and due to unforseen circumstances, someone was needed to host at their house (the originally slated host was unavailable). I decided to jump in with both feet--gave the house a MAJOR cleaning and had everyone over to my place. It was a BLAST! I've only played twice, now, and my pregnant brain trips me up every once in a while. But this group is SO much fun, and it's exciting getting to know them all. What's kind of neat about it, too, is that it seems like there's always someone who can't make it, so there's always a sub or two--which means meeting even more new people. And I can't believe I was afraid of doing just that! I'm glad I finally pulled my head out of the sand! All I can say is: BUNCO RULES!!!
One last thing, before I'm done. It's been kind of warm here, the past few days. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, it was in the low 90's each day. Yesterday was cooler and today should be cooler, too. But the damage is done: I've got Elephant Feet! I remember my feet swelling with both Lindsay and Josie--more so with Josie--but I don't recall it happening this early in the pregnancy. (However, my memory is so fuzzy, it could have started at exactly this point last time--I just can't remember.) I'm sure it didn't help that I took the girls on an excursion through the zoo on Sunday, during the peak of the heat. And all this week, I've been on my feet, doing one thing or another. I've only gotten 45 minutes to an hour and a half each day with my feet up. So I'm not really giving them much chance for the swelling to go down. I'm hoping this is not a constant state... kankles are not a look I fancy, even during pregnancy. Thank goodness it's cool again, so I can at least cover them with jeans. I do have to wear my AirWalks, though, as socks would bind too much and there's not much chance of me tying tennis shoes anymore. The funny thing is, I bought my AirWalks about 1/2 a size too big, knowing, at the time, that I was pregnant. Now they're very snug, and if I have them on for long, my feet start molding in shape around them. Neat. Ah, the joys of pregnancy. It could always be worse, and I'm STILL loving every minute of it. Back pain, frequent trips to the bathroom, going through a bottle of TUMS each week--they're all part of the fun for me! It truly is a blessing and a miracle, and if there are a few discomforts along the way, they only make me appreciate the gift I receive at the end of the journey!

Well, fall is definitely here now. It wasn't exactly cold or even brisk on the day I made the apple crisp... that was just a craving thing. But now it's pretty brisk, even chilly at times, and our warm days are tinged with a cool breeze. I really DO love this time of year.
My apple crisp turned out fantastic, by the way... it was all I could do to keep my face out of the pan! This past weekend, I tried another new recipe: Striped Delight. Mmm! That one was made for sharing, as it's so rich, even I found myself getting too much. I made it for when we had some of Jim's family over to watch the USC game. What a bummer... but the food was awesome! We had chips & dips, plus some breadsticks, fried mozzerella, onion rings, potato skins, etc. It was a regular pig-out!
Our Little Lump is growing steadily (of course, given my obsession with food), and he's a regular dancer! I swear, he's got the Boogie Fever! It's not just a few kicks here and there... when he decides to get moving, he's all over the place. It just cracks me up. I don't even mind when he starts in at night, as I'm lying down to sleep. It's a feeling I'll never grow tired of, and I know it's one I'll miss once he's born.
The girls are really getting excited for the birth of their little brother--Josie, in particular, is very excited and is even protective of him already. They're torn between being excited for Christmas because of presents and being excited for Christmas because it means their little brother will arrive shortly after! They helped Jim and me clean up the crib and get it set up in what used to be the Computer Room--said computer has been moved downstairs, across from the fireplace. (I'm learning to like this set-up, as it's cozy down here PLUS I'm more productive with my time upstairs, rather than running to the computer every five minutes to check for e-mail.) We need to get a rug in that room, move the spare bed out, move the rocking chair in from the girls' room, and maybe get a little dresser. Still, the crib is ready, so I'm not as worried about the rest. NOW I just need to go through our old baby clothes and pull out everything that's not too "girlie". There's always something for me to do! :)

I LOVE Fall!!!

I've got an apple crisp in the oven (I'm so excited--it's my first time making one, hope it turns out!). The Huskers won their first game. It's been so cool out the past few days, we've gone without Air Conditioning and haven't needed heat. School is in session and the girls are just loving it. We're starting to discuss ideas for Halloween costumes (and I'm already starting to think longingly about miniature candy bars). This is my absolute favorite time of year!!! When the leaves start changing and then falling, and you walk to school (okay, walk your kids to school), you can shuffle your feet through the leaves on the sidewalk. There's a smell in the air of grass and leaves drying up and dying, sometimes you can smell people burning leaves or other woody debris or maybe someone's got their fireplace lit already. Oooh! I LOVE having a fireplace! And I always think of the smell of pencil sharpener shavings and school supplies--brand new Crayons, fresh notebooks, crisp new #2 pencils with no teethmarks! Then there's the food! (Have I mentioned the apple crisp and the Halloween candy?) Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, because of all the good foods and the fact that we're all getting together simply to eat! I'm so happy! The girls are happy! Jim is happy! Hooray for Fall!!!