tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7940431696614290712024-03-13T22:33:00.554-04:00Little White Schoolhouseamyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.comBlogger1037125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-794043169661429071.post-9150519236185419672015-06-12T22:53:00.000-04:002015-06-12T22:53:44.503-04:00finally!A month ago we recruited some friends to come help move the coop into place. I only had a few more things left to do, like building and hanging doors and painting the inside, but then we went away for two weeks, and when we got home it rained for a whole week!<br />
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This week I was finally able to get outside and finish up the coop...<br />
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I still need to build the run and put rungs on the ramp, but the coop is finally livable!<br />
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This is the best the inside of this coop is ever gonna look :)<br />
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All ready for the chicks!<br />
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Today was the day...<br />
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What is in those boxes?<br />
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Our chicks! We got three tiny chicks, less than a week old. One Golden Comet, one Barred Rock, and one Rhode Island Red...<br />
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And 3 bigger chicks. Two Americanas,
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and one Buff Orpington.
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The kids can not stay away! any excuse to go check on the chickens :)<br />
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<br />amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-794043169661429071.post-76464173974370014592015-05-14T21:53:00.000-04:002015-05-14T21:53:02.041-04:00old friendsSpent the day at the park catching up with some good friends. It was a beautiful day and the kids had a blast playing while us mom's chatted and soaked up the warm sun.<br />
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These two have been friends since they were babies and despite living 200 miles away from each other for the past 10 years, they still keep in touch. I try and remember to get a picture of them each time we come and visit... so fun to see how they have grown on the years :)<br />
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<br />amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-794043169661429071.post-81103901903570615182015-05-12T22:34:00.000-04:002015-05-12T22:34:44.538-04:00national zooMy mom and I took the kids to the zoo today. Did you know that the National Zoo is 125 years old? And did you know that the original Smokey Bear lived there in the 1950's? <br />
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I think this guy slept most of the day... can you believe how big he is getting?<br />
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Kai wasn't the only one sleeping away the hot afternoon. This is Mei Xiang (may-SHONG), the adult female Panda. Mei Xiang and Tian Tian (t-YEN t-YEN) had their second (surviving) baby last Summer. There was a crowd around the baby, Bao Bao, so no pictures of her.<br />
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Every animal statue is another photo op...<br />
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I totally love Tallulah's face in this one :)<br />
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We were bummed that the zoo no longer has giraffes and hippo's but everybody had a good time and we ended the outing with Italian ice from Rita's... it doesn't get much better than that!amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-794043169661429071.post-4595339731699883312015-05-11T22:12:00.001-04:002015-05-11T22:12:56.107-04:00road tripRegan finished Challenge A last Thursday so this morning the kids and I loaded up the van for a little road trip. We are spending a few days in Maryland visiting family.<br />
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while we were setting up the beds for the kids tonight Emmy said she wanted to sleep in the cradle...<br />
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and then Addie decided she wanted in too :)<br />
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These two crack me up!<br />
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<br />amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-794043169661429071.post-2135981057783516162015-05-04T21:03:00.000-04:002015-05-04T21:03:52.804-04:00almost thereMy in-laws came to visit over the weekend and we put them to work on the coop! The weather was beautiful and in between soccer games, gymnastics, and church events my father-in-law taught me how to install a roof.<br />
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While the adults worked on the coop the kids set up camp in the back yard...<br />
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Micah needed to make his own lean-to and sleep in it to earn his camping badge with Trail Life.<br />
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We've got so many caterpillars in our yard I was afraid Micah might wake up in a cocoon in the morning, but he made it through the night unscathed :)<br />
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Addie, Tallulah, Max, and Regan all slept in the tent.<br />
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I was a little intimidated by the nail gun at first but it really wasn't hard to use at all.<br />
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Looks done from this side :)<br />
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But I still need to make the doors and put the trim on.<br />
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And then it's on to the run!<br />
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Thank to my in-laws, who I am sure would have much rather just come and have a restful visit but instead willingly jumped in with the coop construction! Who know how long putting the roof on would have taken with our their expertise and tools!amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-794043169661429071.post-20097018585799083382015-04-23T16:37:00.000-04:002015-04-23T16:37:00.646-04:00more chicken coop picture<br />
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Still lots of work to do, but it's coming along :)</div>
amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-794043169661429071.post-73105534424581772362015-04-16T16:52:00.000-04:002015-04-16T16:52:39.964-04:00coop progressWe finished framing the coop and built the nesting boxes this week. Although a lot of the work I need to do myself the kids are all helping whenever they can. <br />
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The kids said they were going to put the coop in the front yard and sell hot dogs out of it if owning chickens didn't work out for us :)<br />
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I got pretty frustrated trying to cut the pieces for the nesting box with only a circular saw, but I finally figured it out and even though it is far from perfect I am feeling pretty good about what we've accomplished so far. <br />
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This is the first time I've ever built anything like this and sometimes
the task seems a bit overwhelming but it is so rewarding to push through
my doubts and insecurities. I am really enjoying the whole process!<br />
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Next up, roof trusses!amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-794043169661429071.post-35417564388486369992015-04-07T19:02:00.001-04:002015-04-07T19:02:41.212-04:00tutor giftsIt's that time of year again! This Thursday is our last day of Classical Conversations for the year. I can't believe how fast this year has gone by! As I have every other year, I made gifts for each of my children's tutors and the nursery workers. I used <a href="http://so-sew-easy.com/teeny-tiny-zipper-pouches-christmas/#_a5y_p=3047365">this</a> tutorial for the coin purses. These little bags are totally addicting to make, so be warned. They were not what I had planned to make for the tutors, but when I found myself making more and more of them it just made sense to give these instead of starting a totally new project.<br />
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I put some Burt's Bee's chap stick in the bags and filled the baskets with Easter grass and candy.<br />
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I ended up giving all but one of the bags I made away so I am totally going to have to make more! If you think you want to make some of these bags I recommend looking for the clasps on Ebay. I ended up getting 25 clasps for less than the cost of two at Michael's... and trust me, you are not gonna want to stop making them at two!<br />
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And just for fun, here are some of the tutor gifts I have made in the past.<br />
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<br />amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-794043169661429071.post-54979139958887332102015-04-06T12:46:00.000-04:002015-04-06T12:46:23.944-04:00it's official...We got our chicken permit last week and the kids and I took advantage of the nice weather and got started on our chicken coop! Between feeding the baby, trying to do at least some schoolwork, and driving kids to extra curricular activities our progress is slow, but we are having fun :)<br />
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I spent many hours scouring the internet looking for coop inspiration and finally decided I liked the size and style of <a href="http://onetreephotography.com/jpthome/trevorsprojects/?p=94">this</a> coop. So after studying the pictures and deciding what changes I wanted to make I drew up my plans and made my supply list.<br />
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After 3 hours in Home Depot we had our supplies. It took us another whole afternoon just to get everything unloaded and organized!<br />
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Everybody helped prime the wood after I measured and cut our framing pieces. I thought Tallulah was taking pictures of the whole process, but it turns out she only took a few, and they were random pictures of supplies and me cutting the wood - except the only thing in the picture is my hands holding the saw! Oh, well!<br />
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Max helped my put the base together Friday afternoon and we are trying to get outside this afternoon to work a little more before the rain comes tomorrow!<br />
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I'll share more pictures of our progress soon :)amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-794043169661429071.post-84113362925235767212015-03-31T07:46:00.000-04:002015-03-31T07:46:14.460-04:00quiltingFor my birthday last month my mom got me this beautiful bundle of Anna Maria Horner's Folk Song. After a quick Pinterest search I found a free <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/pin/4151824632713694/">pattern</a> I thought would be fun and cut right into the fabric. The top came together quickly and now it is just sitting waiting for me to quilt and bind it.... which for me usually gets put off for quite some time :)<br />
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I also got a bundle of Roots and Wings to make <a href="http://deenarutter.com/new-fabric-line-roots-and-wings-quilt-tutorial/">this</a> quilt. My triangles are all cut out and ready to be sewn but life has been full of other things recently and I have not had time to sew any more than this... just 2 more weeks of CC for most of us - then one BIG project (I will be sharing about this soon) before I can get back to my quilts :)<br />
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I also made this fun fabric map of the US. You can find the map pattern <a href="http://www.flamingotoes.com/2014/04/huge-fabric-us-map-hoop-art/">here</a> if your interested in making your own. I traced the map backward onto heat bond, cut out the pieces, ironed them on to the back of fabric scraps then trimmed the excess fabric. I lightly traced the map onto my background fabric with pencil to help with placement and then ironed on my fabric states. <br />
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Now I just need to frame my map and hang it on the wall with this piece that I finally framed last week! <br />
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<br />amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-794043169661429071.post-92010429170150649672015-03-16T14:20:00.002-04:002015-03-16T14:20:48.586-04:00what i've been readingI love to read and although I don't often have lots of time to sit down and read I usually have a number of books that I am working through, some more quickly than others. Anyway, I thought I would share some of the things I am reading now, or have recently finished reading...<br />
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I have been talking about wanting chickens for years and recently decided that it was time to do some serious research on chickens and see if chicken keeping was something doable for our family. So along with lots of internet research I purchased these two books:<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chicken-Every-Yard-Stores-Keeping/dp/1580085822/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426524290&sr=8-1&keywords=a+chicken+in+every+yard"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/Chicken-Every-Yard-Stores-Keeping/dp/1580085822/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426524290&sr=8-1&keywords=a+chicken+in+every+yard" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7gI5bzImgzYZCgxUsmR8qW083v77KaFgJBeVthbnoiXlc2d1TCGuGWsC2n3kAtCLcqZ5AWhPpfJQso5L_mwPky24IabUMl1Gxs1aXSnO9_m1Lbr2_Ut8qXDrzhn1Nd3sX95HKKQ-mcz9g/s320/a+chicken+in+every+yard.jpg" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Homemade-Living-Keeping-Chickens-English/dp/1600594905/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426524622&sr=8-1&keywords=keeping+chickens"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/Homemade-Living-Keeping-Chickens-English/dp/1600594905/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426524622&sr=8-1&keywords=keeping+chickens" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhguU0VsjvQG3rKqpTatpBh_gEv4DUWPIjjaDN31TJ4BF8LdMS1wmP73_e1t-n9_0pXuIODstuz7y2jIo6_tlEy856UZRB4LL57OuHxRgT0vWk66nU99GtSV83zZmAhm7ZyXwvNDV4AQlmH/s1600/index.jpg" /></a></div>
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I finished <i>A Chicken in Every Yard</i> pretty quickly and really enjoyed it, and if you can only get one book on keeping chickens, this is a good one. Lots of helpful information and easy to read. I am still working through <i>Keeping Chickens</i> and the further into the book I get the more I am getting out of it, although most of the information is very similar to what I already read in the first book.<br />
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I was picking up some books we had on reserve at the library and came across this book. I am always looking for good reading material for my kids and this looked interesting, so I grabbed it. I am only one chapter in, so I can't really give a real review of it, but I am looking forward to reading what happens next. And just to be clear - I do not always (actually rarely ever) pre-read books before I hand them off to my kids, but sometimes when I see something that looks interesting but has not been recommended my someone I trust then I will read at least part of the book before recommending it to one of my kids.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Incorrigible-Children-Ashton-Place-Mysterious/dp/0061791105/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426523733&sr=8-1&keywords=the+incorrigible+children+of+ashton+place"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/Incorrigible-Children-Ashton-Place-Mysterious/dp/0061791105/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426523733&sr=8-1&keywords=the+incorrigible+children+of+ashton+place" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOMnDILBRKoTuVA8hEqyDNvh8AoVCx094I0jMMl-SksRySKDFlvdXh5AdZ-inm1GdviYDzHXmzU72cpYLMc6yyRi2y_dPrLaU4KkRKvB_HWKxKRwq4meHk_Rob6cjBKZ9B9dZv5mCt4bCp/s1600/the+incorrigible+children.jpg" /></a></div>
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In the wee hours of the morning, while I am feeding Kai, I have been reading Edie's Lenten devotions. I look forward to those few moments of encouragement and reflection in the still darkness of the early morning. I will be sad when the series is over! You can read day 2 and find out how to subscribe to her Lenten devotional emails<a href="http://www.lifeingraceblog.com/2015/02/self-righteous-lent/"> here</a>.<br />
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This is another devotional I recently read and really enjoyed.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Not-Sight-Fresh-Stories-Walking/dp/1433535939/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426527099&sr=8-1&keywords=not+by+sight"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/Not-Sight-Fresh-Stories-Walking/dp/1433535939/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426527099&sr=8-1&keywords=not+by+sight" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnACYX0QCOViazOSz98Nzs4Zw2gZ0plRxsIGmpbxmboB6R4k7DMorHfAqvvqe8YnvrczilW4T3zE8lI1kwJLA4jpeCpJC8kfoF51pWDh3xaomxU8eBR3X9q7_zJThb4wc5vb3PGetzO-l7/s1600/not+by+sight.jpg" /></a></div>
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Tallulah and I started this book together last night and I am looking forward to finding a few moments each day to connect with my child who is feeling her place as the middle child right now.<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0736961755/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1"><img alt="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0736961755/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-PF7trd4aVCcVqDcv4IQ4IAR1hIcfGIFPNcgPys2YVgjgIIRnNhIEvr0MHlUq08IOkhLzhjjFfseFJgt5r9Km1sMYAmhkbl1G3236cZWGlZ3xLLYYOG9ZqDO6hyphenhyphen6mymWoH7yKTrChCFV/s1600/for+girls.jpg" /></a></div>
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We have not started it yet, but Heidi at Mt. Hope Chronicles inspired me to read A Tale of Two Cities aloud to the kids. I am hoping to start this week :) <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Tale-Two-Cities-Charles-Dickens-ebook/dp/B004EHZXVQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426528760&sr=8-1&keywords=a+tale+of+two+cities+kindle">You can get if on your kindle for free from Amazon.</a><br />
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What have you been reading lately?<br />
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<br />amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-794043169661429071.post-49980160739462003142015-02-26T17:29:00.000-05:002015-02-26T17:29:14.327-05:00let it snow, let it snow, let it snowLast night we had our third snow storm in the last 10 days. Addie was out early and made this snow man all by herself!<br />
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After lunch all the (non-napping) kids headed out to make an igloo.<br />
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They worked hard all afternoon and ended up with a pretty awesome igloo!amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-794043169661429071.post-2797975554433951012015-02-08T11:04:00.000-05:002015-02-08T11:04:45.722-05:00a birth story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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About a month ago I started looking at the calendar and thinking about when the best day to have this baby would be... you see, I have never gone into labor on my own, so I just figured the chances were not too high that with baby number seven my uterus would finally realize what it was supposed to have done all those other times and get itself in gear. We settled on the 6th, three days before my actual due date, for several reasons both practical and self-serving. Having the baby on a Friday meant that the hubby (who just started a new job) would not have to take as much time off work, also it meant the kids (mostly Regan, who's work load is the largest and from whom we would need the most help with the little kids) would not have to miss out on too much schoolwork, and of course the most self serving reason being that I did not want to be in the hospital on my birthday next week :) The midwife was on board with the time table, but neither of us wanted to push an induction just for convenience sake if my body wasn't ready, so we waiting until my 39 week appointment to see if my body was actually ready. When I went in on Tuesday I was starting to dilate and the baby had dropped so the tentative induction date became the actual induction date... unless I were to miraculously go into labor before then - and well, we all know that didn't happen so...<br />
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Friday, February 6 we got up early, said good bye to the kids, and headed to the hospital, me, the hubby and my mom. It is all a bit surreal, walking into a hospital, no signs of labor, yet knowing you'll be holding a baby in your arms before the day is over. We got registered and they had me strapped down to the bed (monitors) and drugged up (IV antibiotics for GBS+, and Pitocin) by 8:20am... of course because I was GBS+ they did not want me to deliver until I had the antibiotics going for 4 hrs, so the Pit level was so low I was barely having contractions. At one point the nurse said "If those contractions start to feel at all like labor contractions, let me know, and I'll turn the Pit down" Which of course made me think, why are you even giving it to me if you don't want me to have "labor contractions"? but whatever. So, I spent the morning reading a book (The Fault in our Stars) and waiting for the magic 4 hour mark before they would really get things moving.<br />
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The midwife came in at lunch time and broke my water around 12:40pm and the fun began. Within the hour the contractions picked up but the nurse wanted them stronger, so the upped my Pit. Sometime before 4pm I knew things were going to get serious soon so I told the nurse I wanted her to speed up my IV fluid and call the anesthesiologist, she didn't believe me and said they had to check me first to see how far I had progressed... because you can never trust a woman who is giving birth to her 7th child that she might just have some idea how her body works :) (The nurse was a newbie, so she had to stick to the rules), so I acquiesced and allowed the nurse to check my progress, which immediately sent me into transition. I begged them to turn down the Pit, at least until the epidural was done, but they would not... at this point I was really wishing my midwife was there. She delivered Addie and Emmy and knew first hand how my body would respond at this point, even if we turned down the Pit, but she was not there, she was still at the office seeing patients and waiting for word that I was ready to deliver to run to the hospital. <br />
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The anesthesiologist finally arrived and got straight to work. Up to this point I have had quick and mostly positive epidural experiences (one time they made me lie flat on my back and the medicine went up my spine and my arm went numb. seriously freaky!) That was not to be the case this time. For some reason this Dr. could not get it right. She stuck me numerous times (I lost count at 3) and I spent more than 30 minutes in the hunched over position trying not to move through scream worthy contractions. The nurse finally turned the Pit down and the intensity of the contractions lessened a bit but it was still quite a painful experience. By the time the Dr. finally got the epidural in I felt awful. My head was spinning and my blood pressure was dropping, all I wanted to do was go to sleep. But as soon as I laid down I felt the baby. As she walked out the door I heard one nurse say to the other, "put the catheter in and we'll take it out when she's ready to push." When she came over to me I said," I don't think I need that, I can feel the baby and I think I'm about ready, I think you need to call the midwife" she responded, "Oh no, we have to do this, and we will call the midwife soon" (once again, never trust a mama who's done this 6 times before). So, I got a catheter only to have the other nurse come in right after and say, "Oh, she's ready to push, you need to take that out."<br />
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Of course my midwife still wasn't there, so they didn't want me to push. Luckily she was in the parking lot, so I didn't have to wait too long for her arrival. Anyway, long story short the midwife came running in to the room, pulled on her robe and gloves and in just a few pushes Kai was born at 5:02pm, Friday, February 6, 2015. With the exception of the whole epidural experience it wasn't a bad labor and delivery and I am happy to hold Kai in my arms instead of in my belly, and I think he would agree :)<br />
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<br />amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-794043169661429071.post-65785615073617122282015-02-07T21:33:00.000-05:002015-02-07T21:33:35.050-05:00baby!<div style="text-align: center;">
Kai Shepherd, February 6, 2015, 7 lbs 7oz 20.5 inches</div>
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Everyone was excited to meet their new baby brother today.<br />
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But Emmaline was definitely the most excited. It was so cute to see her love on her baby brother :)<br />
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Addie wanted to hold him, but would not look at him, lol.<br />
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Kai is loving all the attention and many arms to hold him. This little guy is going to be spoiled rotten for sure :)amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-794043169661429071.post-84447996997601981882015-01-27T15:51:00.000-05:002015-01-27T15:51:05.119-05:00doodles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I do a lot of doodling in my journal with quotes or bible verses that inspire me but I decided to actually doodle this verse on a full size sheet of watercolor paper this time. It took me a few weeks to complete - working for a few minutes here and there - but I finally completed it the other day. I typically draw in pencil first, then go over it with a Paper Mate pen, (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Paper-Mate-8434452PP-Porous-Medium/dp/B002R5AEJ8/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1422391184&sr=8-6&keywords=paper+mate+pens+flair">these</a> are my favorite) and finally I use my Copic Sketch markers to color it in.amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-794043169661429071.post-34485067859607853682015-01-26T08:00:00.000-05:002015-01-26T08:00:05.866-05:00nestingWith only a couple weeks until my due date I have found myself starting (and finishing!) lots of projects around here. I needed a bumper pad for the baby's crib and just was not finding anything I really liked in the stores so I decided to make my own.<br />
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I did some searching on pinterest for patterns and decided I liked the look of <a href="http://www.elleapparelblog.com/2012/05/crib-bedding-101.html">this</a> bumper that use 2" foam instead of batting. <a href="http://andrewstarriewhittle.blogspot.com/2012/08/crib-bumper-tutorial.html">Here</a> is a great tutorial on how to put it all together as one piece and use a zipper at one end so you can take the foam out to wash the fabric... I will say, I spend well over an hour putting the foam into the fabric bumper case, so I don't know how frequently I will be taking it all out to wash it... I think we'll spot clean unless it really needs a thorough washing!<br />
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After I decided on the style of bumper I made some adjustments to the original measurements as some of them didn't seem quite right to me and I also did not want it quite as tall as the original measurements called for. (I will include my measurements and some notes at the bottom of this post for anyone who is interested.)<br />
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Then I headed to the fabric store for some inspiration! I already had the grey chevron sheet and was thinking I was going to do all grey with just a splash of color for the piping and ties but in the end decided on the turquoise feather/chevron pattern and charcoal with turquoise stars. One thing that factored into my fabric choice was the direction of the pattern on the fabric. I needed 55"w cuts of fabric for the long sides and did not want seems in those pieces, so I needed the pattern to run the length of fabric instead of the width, or not be directional at all, like the stars.<br />
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In the end, I am supper pleased with how it turned out. I think one of my favorite things is that I know it will hold its form and not mash down like the last bumper pad I made (13+ years ago when Regan was born!)<br />
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Here are my measurements and notes: <br />
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Foam: <br />
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- One sheet of foam 2"x 24" x 72"<br />
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Cut two pieces 50.5" x 10"</div>
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Cut two pieces 23" x 10" </div>
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*I ordered my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BWUBABA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1">foam</a> on Amazon because it was cheaper than going to Joann's. Also, it cut easily with a serrated kitchen knife. </div>
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Fabric:<br />
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- Two yards each of 2 contrasting fabrics for main body of the bumper (see note above about direction of the pattern. If you are using fabric where the pattern runs the width of the fabric you will need more than 2 yard or each fabric and 60"w fabric to have no seams in the long sides of the bumper)<br />
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Cut two in each fabric 55" x 12.75"</div>
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Cut two in each fabric 27.5" x 12.75"</div>
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*you should have a total of 8 pieces, 4 of each size. </div>
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- One yard for piping<br />
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*You can find lots of tutorials online for <a href="http://www.elleapparelblog.com/2012/08/piping-tutorial.html">piping</a> and cutting on the <a href="http://www.danamadeit.com/2008/07/technique-understanding-bias-and-making-bias-tape.html">bias</a> online, these are just ones I have referenced in the past. </div>
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- One yard 44"w fabric for ties (I used 40"w fabric so my ties are a little short, 44"w fabric would have been better)<br />
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Cut 16 pieces 22" x 4" </div>
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Misc:<br />
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- One 12" zipper<br />
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- 4.5 yards of cord for piping<br />
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*Everything was sewn with a 3/8" seam allowance except the ends of the ties which I used a 1/4" seam allowance on. <br />
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<br />amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-794043169661429071.post-36957705323287704622015-01-24T12:43:00.000-05:002015-01-24T12:43:08.500-05:00addie is 5!Addie turned 5 this week! This is the first year I think she's really gotten that it is her birthday and been excited about celebrating. <br />
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"I think it's what I wanted... a rainbow dress!"<br />
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And rainbow tic tacs...<br />
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and jacket, and bread, and straws, and fruit... Are you catching the rainbow theme of the day here?<br />
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The cake was even rainbow tie-dye under that orange frosting :)<br />
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Happy Birthday, Addie! You brighten our days!</div>
amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-794043169661429071.post-91945483765865326722015-01-13T09:00:00.000-05:002015-01-13T09:00:02.293-05:00sweetness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-794043169661429071.post-56613319255352336512015-01-11T19:04:00.000-05:002015-01-11T19:04:11.148-05:00a little something in the worksI've been working on turning one of my sketches into an actual pattern! I have lots of idea, but it is rare that I actually find the time to get them off paper and into reality. This picture has been floating around my sewing desk for a few weeks, and on my last night of our school break I decided to attempt sewing up my vision.<br />
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So far I've made a girl version and a boy version of my owl lovie and am working on a pattern complete with pictures.<br />
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I've scanned in my pattern pieces, written some notes, and taken lots of pictures to go along with the pattern. Hopefully it won't take me too long to complete it all!amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-794043169661429071.post-31134154229375721572014-12-28T17:15:00.000-05:002014-12-28T17:15:22.617-05:00christmas sacksFor the past few years I have tried to keep Christmas gifts as simple as possible around our house. The kids draw names among themselves and buy one $20ish gift for whomever they picked and the hubby and I usually buy each other one gift and then I do stocking stuffers... an ornaments, chapstick, mini flashlights, gum, lotion etc. I also like to throw in a few inexpensive, individualized gifts, maybe a book Micah has wanted or a new Redskins jacket to replace the one that has been worn virtually every day since Max received it last year. Since these gifts are too big to fit into the stockings, I was looking for an alternative when I came across <a href="http://www.notonthehighstreet.com/harrowandgreen/product/personalised-christmas-sack-letterpress">these</a> bags online. I loved the idea, and figured it shouldn't be too hard to make my own version of the Christmas sacks.<br />
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<img alt="Personalised Christmas Sack" class="shown_image" src="http://cdn1.notonthehighstreet.com/system/product_images/images/001/319/715/normal_personalised-christmas-sack-letterpress.jpg?1381225643" id="image_1" /></div>
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I just happened to have 4+ yards of white canvas in my fabric cabinet, exactly enough to make 6 large sacks. (fold the 60"w fabric so that salvage ends meet and cut 24" wide. Sew sides of bag together and box the corners (I cut 3" squares for my corners) I left the salvage edge exposed and sewed a casing with some red and white fabric about 3.5" down from the top then used ribbon for my tie)</div>
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I did a little more research and found <a href="http://www.brooklynlimestone.com/2013/12/diy-santa-sack-and-free-printable.html#.UqIZAvRDsWI">these</a> printable iron on decals - exactly what I was looking for!<br />
I love how they turned out and the kids loved them too. For those of you who don't sew an alternative to making your own bags is to buy white pillow cases to iron the decals on to and just tie the sacks closed with some ribbon.<br />
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amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-794043169661429071.post-42898806318167076582014-12-25T09:45:00.000-05:002014-12-25T09:45:00.143-05:00a thrill of hope...<div style="text-align: center;">
THE WEARY WORLD REJOICES!</div>
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Merry Christmas from our family to yours!</div>
amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-794043169661429071.post-34238182360619203002014-12-12T09:00:00.000-05:002014-12-12T09:00:06.019-05:00getting ready for babyLittle by little we are making room for the baby around here.<br />
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We bought a new crib when we went to IKEA last month (Emmy is still sleeping in our other crib and it is too big to fit in our room anyway) and rearranged the master bedroom to make room for it. We still don't have mattress yet (or a car seat!) but there is still time :)<br />
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My walls are looking pretty bare in these pictures... might be time to find some artwork to hang in here!amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-794043169661429071.post-67310603860225106802014-12-11T09:00:00.000-05:002014-12-11T09:00:04.470-05:00christmas tree huntingWe had really hoped to go cut a Christmas tree at my Mother-in-laws tree farm while we were in Maryland but after much discussion we decided that trying to tie a tree on the roof of our van (which does not have a rack on it) and driving 200 miles was going to be more trouble than it was worth.<br />
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This was the first year (but I am sure not the last) that the whole family was not there to pick the tree. Our schedule has been filling up quickly and I knew if we waited for the whole family to be available we might never get a tree, so Thursday night, while Regan was at Gymnastics, we we headed to Home Depot hunt down the perfect tree. <br />
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The tree went up and the light went on as soon as we got home...<br />
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but it took a little longer to actually get it decorated!<br />
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<br />amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-794043169661429071.post-89496027099667635862014-12-10T09:00:00.000-05:002014-12-10T09:00:01.762-05:00new beds for the little girlsWhile we were in Maryland for Thanksgiving we made a trip to IKEA to buy new beds for the little girls room. My neighbor is in the Navy and has to stay on the ship every 4 nights for duty. For the last year or so her little girl has been staying with us when her mom has duty. She was not yet 2 when we started watching her and was happy to sleep in the pack-n-play each night she was here, but she is about to turn 3 this month and the pac-n-play was getting a bit too cozy. <br />
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Plus, this tiny room was even smaller with a twin bed, a crib, and a
pac-n-play in it. I knew we were not ready for traditional bunk beds
yet, but the IKEA Kura bed seemed like the perfect solution.<br />
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We put them together last week and the the girls have been happily sleeping in their new beds and LOVING all the play room they have in the room now! We were even able to pull most of the play kitchen down from the attic - something Addie has been asking to do for awhile now.<br />
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And last night I finally finished the binding on Addie's Briar Rose rainbow quilt! I am so pleased with how this turned out! My quilting skills are definitely improving and the binding was not half the nightmare I remembered it being after watching a few tutorials online.<br />
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For those who are interested, I used <a href="http://www.windhamfabrics.com/cgi-bin/fabricshop/projects.cgi?patternID=427">this</a> pattern as my basis but altered it (changed the square size and added rows and other fabrics from the Briar Rose line) to make it fit a twin bed.amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-794043169661429071.post-58756347702707560342014-12-09T09:59:00.000-05:002014-12-09T09:59:00.803-05:00apron rackOnce again I am way behind on posting... I actually finished this project in October but just now loaded all the pictures onto the computer! Anyway - I needed a place to hang all our aprons in the kitchen and have been loving the old yard stick coat racks I've been seeing around the web. I didn't have any old yard sticks and I was not about to pay the $8 per yardstick I was seeing online. Instead I found wooden rules on clearance at Office Max (I think I payed about $0.50/ruler), some scrap wood in the shed, and hooks to match my knobs and drawer pulls at Walmart. After I cut everything to the right size I used wood glue to attach the rulers to the wood and then rubbed the whole thing with Americana Decor deep brown Creme Wax (from Michaels) to make it look vintage.<br />
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Don't look too closely, some of the hooks are a little crooked!<br />
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Such a happy little corner in the kitchen now!<br />
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And the keepin' it real, unedited photo :)<br />
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<br />amyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16038494611584982961noreply@blogger.com0