this moment

A few pictures from this afternoon when Emma was napping:

Also, there's a woman that writes a blog that I follow who wrote a good - and really long - post the other day about parenting. Here's a snippet:


"Fear based parenting ... is when parents motivate their children to do what is "right" out of fear. Just plain fear. ...
Fear is sin. I do not want to parent my children based on my fears.
I do not want to raise fearful children either. I believe if we parent this way we can hinder our children from understanding who God is.
...
There are a few different types of fear based parenting possibly?
-parenting according to what we FEAR others will think of us.
-parenting where we actually plant FEAR in the hearts of our children [ultimately not trusting the Lord].
-over protecting out of FEAR.
-motivating our children to behave the way we want them to out of FEAR of us, or fear of hell, or fear of punishment.
...
I think fear based parenting is something that can easily sneak into our relating to our children without even realizing it."

There's a lot more too, just her recent thoughts on being a godly mother.

just hangin' out

Today is Baby #2's due date. And we're just hangin' out, waiting.

Yesterday, to keep myself occupied (and my mind off of the fact that I wasn't in labor), I pulled out some of the fabric that I bought back in March, and finally turned the green and pink pieces into a summery dress/tunic top for Emma. She is wearing it today and loving it!

Today, as long as the sewing machine is out, I might finish up a few more of the sewing projects I've been meaning to get to. Emma might get some new clothes out of it, and it will help the time to pass! :)

preparing for Baby

As of today, I am 38 weeks pregnant. I have a 46" waist and am soooo ready for our Baby to arrive!

Yesterday I made a mobile for our little Ian/Kate. Since we're not completely sure our little baby is a he, I decided to use circles shapes and shades of blue and brown as they would work for a girl too. I posted instructions on how I made it over here.

I really love how it turned out!

new project

more photos and instructions over here

"nesting"

I suppose I am officially in the "nesting" stage of pregnancy. Projects that I have been meaning to get done for, well, for a long time are getting crossed of the list. It's so nice to see some of these things get done! On Friday evening I finally finished the bed skirt for our bed. (You can see how over on the market blog)

We had a bed skirt that came with our duvet cover, but it was the kind that has a flat sheet-like panel that is supposed to be laid in between your boxspring and your mattress.
The bed frame that John made for us has side rails and a solid piece under the mattress (no boxspring), and I really didn't want to hide the beautiful side rails by hanging the bed skirt over them. So I just folded it up and put it away for later. Maybe we'd have a guest bed that could use it?
John also made the bed nice and high so that we could store our suitcases and so on under it. Which has been just great (they're not in our closets!) but also a bit of an eyesore (at least to me. maybe no one else noticed?).
I pulled out the bed skirt and started to try to figure out how to make it work. I figured out something that would use Velcro on the inside of the rails, but then got sidetracked and put it away again.

So, on Friday I finally finished the project that I had started about two years ago as I was setting up our home after the wedding. Ta da! So much tidier looking!

something pretty

I just posted a pictorial tutorial for how to make the little fabric flowers that I wear over on the market blog. :) And you can buy them here, if you'd like.

spring is coming!

and there is a new post up over at the market blog.

new favorite knitting book

new favorite knitting book, originally uploaded by Lizi Beth.

and the beginnings of a sweater vest for Emma (using yarn from a cotton sweater that was just too short on me for my liking).

This knitting book - Essential Baby by Debbie Bliss - is just too sweet! It's projects are all classic and timeless, and range in time consumption from itty-bitty socks to a jumper or lacy blanket.
And the instructions are clearly written, too (a HUGE plus in my opinion!).

projects

Emma's birthday is just around the corner (where did the year go?!), and in anticipation of it there are a few projects that I am working on.
The napkins are for the party that we are planning to have with the Smillies, and the ribbons might be part of Emma's first year album that I am hoping to have finished by then.
At the rate that I am finishing pages, though, I will be doing well to have the album done by the time Baby #2 is here!

a bit about the aprons

I'm switching the web store host for the aprons from BigCartel to Etsy. Just to let you know. :) You can follow along on the "Market" blog (it's only updated sporadically) if you like.

Fell free to leave feedback on what you think!

Do you remember this post from last fall? A very kind friend from California read it and sent us the pattern. It was so sweet of her! I found an extremely good deal deal on the material the day after Thanksgiving ($1.49 a yard! so amazing!) and made up the jammies for Emma a week or two later.

The pattern arrived with a paper doll that I'm going to hold on to for Emma to play with in a few years. It is also made of thicker tissue than your usual pattern, sturdy enough to be used over and over as she grows from one size to the next. The instructions are incredibly clear, and I even learned a new technique for making narrow ties (no more turning to the "right" side. it saves so much time). I am now a huge fan of Oliver + S!

Emma loves her new jammies, and looks just adorable wearing them. It has taken me a while to get some good photos of her actually in them, though, since the lighting is pretty bad in our apartment in the morning when she is at her most photogenic. This morning, however, we have a ton of snow which brightens everything.

Thank you, Tammi, for the pattern. It really was so sweet of you!!!

Emma's first Christmas...

...and the ornament that I made for her.

My Gramma used to give each of us grandchildren all the same type of ornament each year: Daniel got soldiers, I got ballerinas, Anna got angels, Julia got nativities, etc.

I decided to make Emma's first ornament this year, and made her a bird. I hope that one day she'll have a whole collection of birds, one for each year.

a new heirloom

I finished knitting Emma's dress a few days before Thanksgiving, just perfect since I had been imagining it as her holiday dress for this year. It is a rather simple pattern, once you figure out how the yoke is laid out. :) I found it in The Expectant Knitter and knit it up in Pattons "Grace" cotton yarn instead of the silk that the pattern recommended and like it just as well. It is light enough to to be a Spring dress but heavy enough to keep her little belly warm this winter, too.

I want to make ...

... Emma some flannel jammies.




Soft, cuddly, flannel jammies. Like these (and I have a pattern to knit little bunny slippers - she would look so sweet!) ...




... with this material. I saw a bolt of it the other night at JoAnns, and it was soooooooo sweet. I kind of want to make myself a pair of p.j. pants out of the same material, it's so soft and snugly and sweet. And we'd match. :)

The only thing is, as adorable as it is, this pattern costs $16. And doesn't go on sale. Does anyone else have a toddler size jammy pattern?

images from Oliver + S and JoAnn Fabrics

the plan for today is:

p.s. i got the bathroom painted, and we walked to the library. Emma was holding on to her hat the whole way there and back - so cute! I have no idea why she did it (she never has before), but everyone who saw her thought that she was adorable.

1. clear my inbox,

2. paint the master bathroom,

and 3., take care of Emma.

We might go swimming (because Summer is ending and I want to try to get as much pool time in as we can before that happens) or to the library, too. We'll see how far we get. I have a feeling that mostly I'll be taking care of Emma, but maybe I can make use of her naps ......

a birthday gift

for a little boy at church who turned two.

it is made of wool and bamboo and has a little brim (just to make it a little cuter). the little boy has strawberry blonde curls and chubby cheeks ............... and now he has a hat to go with them.

the next 30 days of the Bible reading schedule!

Day 31: 2 Sam 16-18; Ps 26/40/58/61-62/64; 2 Sam 19-21; Ps 5/38/41-42
Day 32: 2 Sam 22-23; Ps 57/95/97-99; 2 Sam 24; 1 Chron 21-22; Ps 30/108-110; 1 Chron 23-25
Day 33: Ps 131/138-139/143-145; 1 Chron 26-29; Ps 127/111-118; 1Kings 1
Day 34: 1Kings 2; Ps 37/71/94; Ps 119:1-88; 1Kings 3-4; 2Chron 1; Ps72; Ps 119:89-176
Day 35: Solomon; Prov 1-9
Day 36: Prov 10-23
Day 37: Prov 24; 1Kings 5-6; 2Chron 2-3; 1Kings 7; 2Chron 4; 1Kings 8; 2Chron 5-6
Day 38: 2Chron 7; Ps 136/134/146-150; 1Kings 9; 2Chron 8; Prov 25-29; Ecc 1-4
Day 39: Ecc 5-12; 1Kings 10-11; 2Chron 9; Prov 30-31; 1Kings 12-13
Day 40: 1Kings 14; 2Chron 10-12; 1Kings 15:1-24; 2Chron 13-16; 1Kings 15:25-16:34; 2Chron 17; 1Kings 17-20
Day 41: 1Kings 21-22; 2Chron 18-23; Oba; Ps 82-83; 2Kings 1-2
Day 42: 2Kings 3-13
Day 43: 2Chron 24; 2Kings 14; 2Chron 25; Jonah; 2Kings 15; 2Chron 26; Is 1-5
Day 44: Is 6-8; Amos 1-9; 2Chron 27; Is 9-10
Day 45: Is 11-12; Micah; 2Chron 28; 2Kings 16-17; Is 13-14
Day 46: Is 15-27; 2Kings 18:1-8; 2Chron 29-30
Day 47: 2Chron 31; Ps 48; Hos 1-14; Is 28
Day 48: Is 29-39; Ps 76; Is 40
Day 49: Is 41-48; 2Kings 18:9-19:37; Ps 46/80
Day 50: Ps 135; Is 49-60
Day 51: Is 61-66; 2Kings 20-21; 2Chron 32-33; Nahum; 2Kings 22
Day 52: 2Kings 23; 2Chron 34-35; Zephaniah; Jer 1-4
Day 53: Jer 5-15
Day 54: Jer 16-28
Day 55: Jer 29-39
Day 56: Jer 40; Ps 74/79; 2Kings 24-25; 2Chron 36; Habakkuk; Jer 41-46
Day 57: Jer 47-52; Lam 1
Day 58: Lam 2-5; Ezek 1-11
Day 59: Ezek 12-23
Day 60: Ezek 24-35


Here's the next third of the reading schedule that I posted earlier!
If you aren't already reading though the Bible chronologically, you may wish to start - it is really fun to see all its pieces line up in order like this, not to mention just plain good to be motivated to really sink my teeth into the Old Testament and read, read, read!
Although I must say that I have gotten behind on the schedule. No excuses though, I'm still plugging away. Maybe I'll be caught up by July 1st to start the next third of the schedule. :)

do these look familiar?

Maybe sort of like this?

I admit that they have differences, such as that the one I made for Em has a bodice instead of being a "swing" dress and has snaps instead of buttons. But still, it was pretty fun to see something similar to what I made on Boden's site!

By the way, Boden is currently having a sale of 25% off everything on their site, plus free shipping. Just so you know.

header photo curtesy of http://www.bodenusa.com/en-US/Baby-Dresses.html

summer challenge + a few recent pictures

A friend of mine emailed me the other day asking if I would like to join her in reading through the Bible in 90 days.
It'll be fast paced, but so good! Wanna do it too?

We are reading through the Bible chronologically (which I have never done) and prepared to see God unfold His Word before us in a fresh way. It should be magnificent.

Here's the first part of the schedule that we're using:
Day 1: Gen 1-11; Job 1-6
Day 2: Job 7-23
Day 3: Job 24-39
Day 4: Job 40-42; Gen 12-24
Day 5: Gen 25-35
Day 6: Gen 36-48
Day 7: Gen 49-50; Ex 1-12
Day 8: Ex 13-26
Day 9: Ex 27-37
Day 10: Ex 38-40; Lev 1-11
Day 11: Lev 12-23
Day 12: Lev 24-27; Num 1-6
Day 13: Num 7-15; Ps 90; Num 16-17
Day 14: Num 18-29
Day 15: Num 30-36; Deut 1-4
Day 16: Deut 5-18
Day 17: Deut 19-31
Day 18: Deut 32-34; Ps 91; Josh 1-9
Day 19: Josh 10-22
Day 20: Josh 23-24; Jud 1-9
Day 21: Jud 10-21
Day 22: Ruth; 1 Sam 1-11
Day 23: 1 Sam 12-20; Ps 11/59
Day 24: 1 Sam 21-24; Ps 7/27/31/34/52/56/120/140-142; 1 Sam 25-27; Ps 17/35
Day 25: Ps 54/63; 1 Sam 28-31; Ps 18/Ps 121/123-125/128-130; 2 Sam 1-4; Ps 6/8-9
Day 26: Ps 10/14/16/19/21; 1Chron 1-2; Ps 43-45/49/84-85/87; 1Chron 3-5; Ps 73/77-78
Day 27: 1 Chron 6; Ps 81/88/92-93; 1Chron 7-10; Ps 102-104; 2 Sam 5:1-10; 1Chron 11-12
Day 28: Ps 133; Ps 106-107; 2 Sam 5:11-6:23; 1Chron 13-16; Ps 1-2/15/22-24/47/68; Ps 89
Day 29: Ps 96/100-101/105/132; 2 Sam 7; 1Chron 17; Ps 25/29/33/36/39; 2 Sam 8-9; 1Chron 18; Ps 50/53/60/75; 2Sam10; 1Chron 19; Ps 20/65
Day 30: Ps 67/69-70; 2 Sam 11-12; 1Chron 20; Ps 32/51/86/122; 2 Sam 13-15; Ps 3-4/12-13/28/55

And now a few pictures of Emma, just because she is sooooo adorably cute and precious:

a new venture

John and I have started a new bookshop online, hosted by Amazon.com. We decided that it might be a good way to supplement our income, and at the same time be a nice little home business for me.

It will work two ways: one, we are offering books that we either used or come across at thrift stores, and two, I am recommending books that I have read and enjoyed or profited from. If someone buys a book that we are selling we will obviously profit from it, but additionally, if someone buys a book that I recommend through the online shop, we will receive a commission.

If you are interested in buying one of the books we are offering, Amazon.com will usually offer to sell you a "new" copy. Ours though, are listed in the "used" category, and our seller name is PATHLESSTRAVELEDBOOKS. Other vendors may be offering the same book for a lower price, and if you would rather choose that one, please don't feel obligated to buy from us!

I love the fact that I get to put all my years of recreational reading to use, as well as being able to pass on my favorites to others! We'll still have to see how it turns out, but I am looking forward to it.






p.s. we may be doing a few other little "new ventures", and we will keep you posted. :)