Rhinestone Armadillo

L'Herbier des Fées

L'Herbier des Fées

 

The version on the tablet eBook looks amazing.  However, I am just not a real 'gadget person'.  Also, I tend to prefer a book in my hands and on my shelf, not on a device.

For heaven's sake, I don't even text.  I have a plain Jane cell phone, not an iPhone.  Am I just a total Luddite?  How heavily invested are you guys in technology?  I fear that someday real soon I'm going to fall far so behind I'm not going to be able to catch up. 

Here's the rub, though---I don't want to keep up.  Maybe it's because I'm not tech savvy, but it seems like as soon as you learn how to use one device or program, it becomes obsolete or fantastically upgraded and you have to sink more time into learning the next new thing.  I loathe time spent learning these sorts of things.  They are uninteresting to me and I don't enjoy the process.  Hmmm.....maybe I'll be living in a cave soon and gnawing on bones and reading-gasp!-newspapers.

Mama and Baby Hippos

Violet drew a picture of me and the baby today.  She calls it "Mama and Baby Hippo".  I must be overly emotional from all the pregnancy hormones swirling through my body, but I thought it was very sweet.

Here are some details in case you wondered.

Violet has only recently started drawing things that are vaguely recognizable instead of just squiggles.  I think that's exciting!

At this point, I'm just sitting around with my bags packed waiting to drive to the hospital.

Here's a good girls t-shirt dress tutorial

I liked this t-shirt dress tutorial from Amanda over at I Sew, Do You?.  In fact, I like her sample (orange and black) so much that I may re-create it exactly for Halloween.  I think hers was in honor of her university's school colors, but it would be perfect for fall.

Amanda's tutorial is great---just follow the directions.  I made everything in a little over an hour.

I was able to make the dress and bow for less than $1.00 total.  Yay!  Our local thrift store had a quarter sale on t shirts, so I grabbed one in pink and one in grey.

 To give it a more modern look, I cut the dress longer on the sides and shorter in the front and back.  I plan on her wearing this over leggings.

Amanda gives advice on using tissue backing to help you sew with knits.  I didn't do that since my machine was handling the fabric OK.  However, I know knits can be tricky on some machines, so give the tissue trick a try if you're machine is finicky.

For her bow, I used a simple stretch elastic band, then made a rosette of the leftover ruffled fabric.  I sewed on a big pink enamel flower that was at the bottom of a garage sale bag of broken costume jewelry.  Do you guys go crazy over a big bag of broken jewelry?  I do--and I end up using the stuff for years.

So there---a quick, cheap, upcycled dress.  Good for your wallet and the environment.

Still Pregnant

Yes, I'm still pregnant.  This is starting to remind me of being pregnant with Violet.  After all the trouble trying to keep her in, now it's looking like it may take a while to get her out.  Nonetheless, I'm very glad to be considered full term and not have to worry about having a preemie.

 

We finally had our hay baled.  Due to the drought, we haven't had it harvested in over a year.

 
I like seeing those round bales sitting in the meadow.  They're so cheerful.

My mother gave two dresses she knitted and crocheted for me when I was a little girl.  Violet will be able to wear them soon.  I remember wearing the green dress with cowboy boots.

Ug.  My poor herb pots are so dead and neglected.  I look forward to being able to have pots of thriving herbs again some day.  Maybe I can manage some by autumn.  We'll see how things go with the new baby.

Auntie Grandma Marcia found Violet a car with appropriate people.

She loves that there are 2 car seats.  Violet seems to be working a lot of things out through playing with the little girl and the new baby.  Violet Doll spends a lot of time telling Baby Doll 'the way things are around here'. 

If you have kids, you know how careful you have to be around them.  They pick up everything you say and do.  It's sometimes a little disturbing to have a little person mimicking your every action.  It makes you pretty aware of your good and less-than-good habits.  Apparently, I say "O-Kay" a lot.

Someone watches Daddy like a hawk.  Note the yogurt shaving cream beard at breakfast this morning.  Goodness.

What blogs do you LOVE?

I have a question for you guys:

What blogs do you LOVE?

I have my tried-and-true favorites, (I never miss A Fanciful Twist,  Posie Gets Cozy, and No Big Dill) but I always like to check out new blogs.  Especially now that I am in 'hurry up and wait for the baby' mode.

I like blogs about families, crafts, art, photography, sewing, knitting, cooking, traditions, fashion, decorating, and Halloween. 

Any suggestions?

A Walk in the Spring Rain

I've been trying to finish redecorating Violet's room before the baby arrives.  I decided to paint her a family portrait including the new addition.

"A Walk in the Spring Rain"

Violet loves to walk in the rain under her frog umbrella and splash through puddles.

Yes, I painted myself not-pregnant.  Adam (at great danger to himself) pointed out that I am much bigger right now.  I wanted to have this in Violet's room for a while, and I will only be pregnant a little while longer, so----I painted me post-pregnant.

We're all kind of cartoony and not very realistic.  I wanted a loose, colorful, folk-arty-type painting. 

Oh!  I'm excited to get the baby carriage back out again.  We restored the pram Adam's parents used for him and his brother when they were babies.  I didn't get enough of it last time around.

Mother's Day Gifts

Violet made me Mother's Day gifts at her nursery school this year.  They are extra dear to me because she actually made them this year, instead of just helping 'present' them.  Also, it's probably our last Mother's Day with her being the only child.

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there!

Huge

I was at one of those dollarish type stores today and had an encounter with two ladies.  (Playing the role of the ladies today will be Gabrielle Sidibe. She rocks on The C Word, by the way.  Just imagine her as two people.  And imagine one of them not wearing a bra and the other one wearing house slippers.)

The ladies are on the far end of an aisle from me.  I'm buying glitter pens, in case you cared.  One of them smacks the other in the arm, then points at me.

Lady #1: (in a super loud voice)  Oh, gurl----look how BIG she be!

Lady #2:  Uh-HUH.

Me:  (shouting down the aisle) I can hear you!

Lady #1:  You HUGE!

Lady #2:  Uh-HUH.

Me:  Like I hadn't noticed.

Baby has dropped!

The baby has dropped, so it won't be too long now.

No, not dropped like that. (I Googled 'baby drop' and the first photo was Britney Spears demonstrating her stellar parenting skills.)

  This isn't me below, but you can see the big difference in the baby's position.  Now the baby isn't smushing my diaphragm and lungs as much as before.  It's such a relief to be able to take a nice, deep breath.

Now I just have to pee an extra ten times a day more than the thirty times a day I was already going.  And there's this very intense pressure in the pelvic region now that her head has descended.  AND I'm waddling like a penguin due to new gravity issues.  MAN---being pregnant can be UNCOMFORTABLE!

I may be wrong, but I think if men had to have the babies, there would be a lot of only children out there.

Soon

I saw my wonderful doctor again today.  She says SOON.  She wants me to 'try to stay pregnant one more week'.  So....back to bed I go.

I'll get back to blogging post-baby, never you fear.  For now, I need to veg.