Countdown to a Miracle

It's crazy to look at my pregnancy ticker and see that I only have 15 more days until our son will be here! Last week had our weekly Doctor appointment to check and see if I was dilated and to monitor the growth of our son. An ultra sound was ordered because he is still measuring very large. The ultra sound reported that he is 8 lbs 14 oz! The Doctor suggested that I walk more to induce labor so I've been trying to walk 2x a day.

Here is the latest picture of his face. I told Derek that he for sure has his cheeks. I really can't tell what his other features will look like.

I've been super uncomfortable so I've started having conversations with my belly "Son I know your uncomfortable in there don't you want to come out already?" "I can feel you elbows and your feet, there can't be much more room in there". Derek says it's not up to our son, it's up to my body...so I guess I'll keep walking, I even threatened to run but then I remembered the extra 35lbs on me and decided not to.


We went to a pool in a nearby town, I felt weightless for 2 hours. It felt sooo good!More updates to come. If there is a sudden lack of posts, you'll know that our son has come. Derek hasn't learned to blog, nor does he have the desire but I'll make him post a picture when our son finally gets here.

Nifty Thrifty: Doggy Bed

I decided on a dog bed so that Skofeild can avoid the couch when we have guests. I found the fabric at a yard sale for $1.00. I spent $20.00 on the stuffing and zipper. This is a very big bed and after completing it, I felt that It was a great deal for the amount of money I spent. I found the tutorial online and changed a few things to make it fit our needs.

I learned patience in making this project. I tend to want to do things too quickly and as a result something always goes wrong. After completing the project I couldn't figure out why the name wasn't centered...I forgot the "L". By the time I finished I had no desire to go back and fix the problem. I guess we can call Skofeild, Skofeid for short:)

The material is velvet, I know it's not the most machine washable friendly but I honestly don't think we'll be stuffing this big bed into our washer. The stuffing is lined with plastic so that it is waterproof.

Skofeild likes it because it's as big as the ottoman that he enjoys relaxing on so much and the stuffed walls mimic the sofa arm that he likes to use as a pillow. I used fabric paint on the bottom so that the bed has some traction on the wooden floors.

He loves his new bed. I'm glad he doesn't mind that I misspelled his name:) Happy 2ND Birthday Skoey!.

Book Review: The Good Earth

I haven't read a really great book in a long time so when I find one, I like to share it. I read this book in less than a week, I couldn't put it down. My friend recommended this book after I had mentioned that I enjoyed "clean" cultural books. This book is a classic written by Pearl S. Buck. The plot is about rags to riches and the experiences and personal growth that comes from it. At times it made my blood boil because the main character worked so hard but the culture was collective and he was forced to give up his hard earned silver to his idle uncle. It was interesting to read about what became of his sons and the influence of riches in their behavior. It's a great read and I know my little review doesn't do it justice so if you have a spare minute, this book is well worth your time.

Nifty Thrifty: Nursing Pillow aka Boppy

I was planning on purchasing a Boppy but when I went to Wal-mart I was disappointed that they were $20.00. In my mind thats a bit pricey for a pillow. I thought I'd stop by Kmart and the Boppy was priced higher for $30.00. I found the Boppy pattern online for free and the only thing I had to purchase was the stuffing. I used scrap fabric from a previous project and a blanket handed down to me from a good friend.



It took about an hour to make this and the total cost was only $4.47! I was happy with the results:)



Next Project: I haven't decided yet but either a bed for our dog Skofeild (his birthday is this month too or a protective cover for my husbands new toy the Nook.

Derek's 29th Birthday

Fun flashback

This was taken on Derek's fouth birtday. Here he is with his brother Damion. I wish I had pictures of my birthdays when I was younger. My mom said that they couldn't afford a camera.


He requested tres leches for a birthday cake, it was the first time I made it and it turned out great.


Derek has been wanting a "Nook" for his birthday/he made it through his first year of medical school gift. He is an avid reader and the Nook is a portable E Reader. I can't wait to read my spanish books on it because I can look up words the E Reader dictionary on the bottom screen. Derek loves it because he can increase the font size and download books for a lot cheaper than purchasing them.

We had a great day, happy birthday honeybun!

My 28th Birthday

Freaky Flashback!

Do you ever wonder what you were thinking when you look at past photos? I do all the time, this picture was taken during my 5Th grade year in 1992. At the time I loved,loved these shorts and I wore them every chance I could. It never mattered if my shirt matched. As you can see, it had random things painted with fabric paint on it. The back side had a huge stop sign painted on it, I remember getting sarcastic comments from other students but I've always had my own sense of style. Surely I found this pair of shorts at a Saturday morning garage sale. I don't ever remember shopping at a normal department store when I was younger unless it was for shoes. My shoes were Birkenstock knock offs from Payless. I remember begging my mother on her payday (I don't know how I knew when her payday was) to buy them for me. I had on my plastic digital watch that I probably got as my prize from a McDonald's happy meal or a Cereal box. Don't I look like a hot mess? It's fun to look back, I've changed so much.

On June 2nd, I woke up to fresh blueberry muffins, a cheese omelet and toast. I'm happy to say that it's not a rare occasion that my husband cooks for me (he's been cooking a lot during my pregnancy). I'm glad he isn't one of those guys who only know how to whip up pre-made frozen, canned or boxed meals. He is quiet creative in the kitchen.

I had told Derek that there was no need to fret about finding a special present I already had the birthday present that I had been requesting since we first got married; A baby. He remembered that I wanted to plant an herb garden, so he surprised me with this.


Does specifically requesting a herb garden make me seem old? It's funny to think of the birthday gifts I requested in the past.

I planted the seeds right away...

"Faith is like a little seed, if planted it will grow!" (I had to throw that phrase in because we've been singing it so much in Primary lately)


And it is growing! Check out our Basil, I'm so excited for all the Pesto we're going to make with this!

Later in the day we went out to Alderson and picnicked near the river, I would of taken pictures but the heat sapped out all desire. Derek made me Pesto (currently my favorite pasta dish) and stuffed mushrooms. Mmm...Mmm good, I did the foody dance it was so yummy!.

Nifty Thrifty: Baby Shoes

I wanted something durable for baby shoes so I stopped by a few thrift stores. I found some canvass fabric, about 3 yards for a dollar at the thrift store. These shoes were my first pair ever, they didn't turn out as nice as I would have liked but I'm sure improvement will come with time and experience. I gave this pair to my little friend Ossie Sorber, he's almost 1 year old and they were a little big. I need to make adjustments to the pattern so that I can make a pair that will fit out son.

Birds eye view
I used extra scrap fabric that I had purchased at Nancy's fabric store. My next pair I plan to use my serger so that the edges don't fray. I've been looking for other things that I can add such as buttons, various shapes would be nice but it's hit and miss when it comes to the thrift store.

Side view
If your interested in making these, the tutorial and pattern are on the Stardust shoes blog .

Next sewing project: Boppy (they typically cost $20 at Wal-mart but I can make it for about $7.