Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

We hope that everyone enjoyed the holiday in whatever way celebrated it this year. I know that we did enjoy ours. Christmas day was perfect for all of us. We slept in, never got out of our PJs, played all day in the living room as a family, eat the most perfect feast made by Michael and took a nice nap in the afternoon as a family. I think that we all needed that relaxing day.

Pre-Christmas Fun

On Friday Addie had her Christmas party at school. I had volunteered to be help with the party. My mom happened to have the day off of work so she decided to join us as well. The three of us had a great time. I brought a large gingerbread house that Michael made out of cardboard for the kids to decorate. The other two tables had cookie decorating and ornament craft project. After the activities I read the Gingerbread Baby book to the kids and then they placed a gingerbread "baby" cookie into the house they decorated. All the kids had a great time. Addie really enjoyed herself and liked having mom and I at the party.

After the party the three of us went downtown for lunch and enjoyed a nice walk ducking into shops every now and then. In downtown they always have "street art". This winter they had snowmen. This is a photo of one of them. Addie loved checking out all the different snowmen and their costumes.

After all that fun Addie's day was not done. Mom took her to see the new Alvin and the Chimpmunk's movie. Addie LOVED it. According to mom she laughed and giggled louder then she had ever heard her. People in front of them even turned around to see who was laughing so loud! Mom and Addie spent several hours out on the town having fun while I was able to get a few projects down around the house like wrap gifts and make some dog chamoises people had ordered. Here are the custom chamoises I made.


Once Michael got home from work the two of us where able to go out to a really nice dinner for our anniversary. We enjoyed a two hour meal that helped both of us unwind from a busy week. It has been a wonderful 5 years of marriage and I look forward to many more! Thank you to everyone who sent us anniversary cards. It's always nice to know people remember you on such a special day.

Saturday Addie sadly said good-bye to grammy. By about 2pm she was complaining about missing her grammy. However she quit complaining when she found out that she was going to get to go ice skating with her friend and her family. She had a wonderful evening of skating. The report was that she did a great job and was really fast. Addie of course loved every minute of it. When she got home I had hot chocolate and cookies ready for our drive. We went for a drive around town to look at Christmas lights. The park at the bluff had a light display and the downtown St. Joseph stores where all decorated and lit up. We also went through a few neighborhoods as well. It was fun and helped to remind us that it is the holiday season not just the baby Margaret season! Addie, not surprisingly, fell asleep before we got back home that evening. It was a wonderful two days for everyone.

Baby Update

I had my doctor's apt. this morning. During my check up the doctor said that I'm apx. 60% effaced and 2-3 centimeters dilated! So it appears that my body is gearing up for the upcoming delivery. The doctor said that we could expect the baby to be delivered anytime between now and my due date. She was pretty confident that I would not go over and thought that there was a good chance Margaret would come before my doctor apt. next Friday.

It's a good thing we got the car seats installed last night! I also double checked my hospital bag and Margaret's. I think that we are ready any time she is. It's hard to believe that I might have her 2 weeks early! BUT we are being realistic about the fact that I might just go another two weeks and be uncomfortable the whole time.

Emily's New Store

I've taken the plunge and have opened an online store. Since becoming a stay-at-home mom I've been busy in my sewing room making lots of creations to give as gifts and also to sell/trade online. I keep getting more and more requests for items and positive feedback about them. I love creating and feel like I finally have the time to actually make my hobby a little more then a hobby. So far I have just a few items on the site but there will be more to come over the next month or so. The inventory will change so check back often to see what's new. I will also carry some fun vintage items like linens and sewing supplies. If you have any special requests from some of my past projects please let me know and I can look into adding it to the store or doing a custom order.

Please feel free to share the web address of my shop with anyone you know who might be interested in my items. If you would like some business cards to hand out let me know and I will gladly mail them to you!

http://auntieemshouse.etsy.com

Thanks for your support and encouragement!
Emily

A Day at the Beach?

So, we wake up to a ton of snow this morning with more coming down. You might wonder how we where able to get to the beach today but I'll explain a little farther down. Michael spent his morning cleaning the driveway while Addie played in the snow. The snow was not up to her standards though because it was to dry for snow balls and snowmen. After all that fun and some hot chocolate they made more Christmas cookies. And yes, it is very bright in our kitchen. At least according to Addie...


After all that hard work I guess one does deserve to go the beach for the rest of the day. Addie has been having beach with drawl for a while now so she finally decided it was time to make our living room the beach. She had a blast. She played in the sand, splashed us constantly, and had fun running into the water to jump the waves. She even pretended that our dining room was a restaurant at the beach with a great view of the water because there was no grass just beach sand around us. She complimented the chief and said that she would be a return customer of his. Addie can be so polite sometimes :) It's good to know that no matter how deep the snow outside is, her imagination lets her go to a warm sunny place anytime she wants.

Winter Wonderland

There is no denying winter has arrived in Michigan. Yesterday morning we woke up to a dusting of snow. This morning we woke up to 10-12 inches with more still falling!

Of course Addie is loving this weather. Yesterday morning she could not wait to play outside in the little bit of snow we had. Once she got outside she decided she wanted to ride her bike. She had a lot of fun making tracks in all sorts of swiggly patterns. Then she found a stick and started writing in the snow on the driveway.


In the afternoon Michael and Addie started in on Christmas cookies. They were able to finish baking a double batch of sugar cookies. Their plan is to finish the rest of the cookies today. After dinner last night we went to the local ice staking ring. This was the first time Addie and Michael had ever been ice skating. I, obviously, just watched them skate. At first Addie was moving her feet as fast as she could but was just staying in one place. It was so cute! Then she started to slowly shuffle forward. The first time around the ring it took over 10 minutes. By the end of the evening they were both doing a lot better and it was not taking them near as long. Addie still was falling a lot but it was mainly from her getting distracted and not paying attention to what she was doing. She was okay with leaving but wants to go back again today. I have a feeling that we will be going back again soon.

Baby Update

I had my weekly baby appointment yesterday. All went well. Things are progressing like they should be so hopefully that means I will be having the baby in 3 weeks or sooner! She is head down and has dropped. I'll be seeing the doctor once a week from now until my delivery. I'll try to keep everyone posted on any changes.

I finally got the diaper pail in place and sewed the pail liners as well as a couple wetbags for the diaper bag. The car seats are ready also. The only thing left to do is to pack our hospital bag which I'm planning on doing this weekend! We should now be ready when ever Margaret decides she is ready...

Addie's school Christmas program

Addie's first school Christmas program was on Monday. And though her class only knew about 2 of the 22 songs they sang, she still had fun. Click on the video clip below to see "Jingle Bells", a song that, by Emily's estimation, Addie practiced about 20 times that day at home. This is our first attempt at video here so bare with us. You may need a Flash plug-in if you don't already have one.



Be sure to watch all the way though to see Addie's 'wink and point' at the end of the song. She did good, especially for being 4, sitting in the front of an hour-long program, and not knowing most of the songs. Addie informed me this evening that she was nervous and didn't know the words, but I told her that she did great.

Also, Addie's old Christmas dress fit her like a glove. Not that it looked bad before, but even Addie was ooo-ing and ahhh-ing over how she looked in it.

Tis the Season...

Tis the Season...
for loving our Lord
for being to busy
for holiday gatherings
for preparing for the birth of our own child

Maybe I can be a little bit to optimistic at times but I really thought that things would be slowing down this month. I could not have been more wrong! It seems like we are just as busy but just with different things going on. We have however made a very concious effort to keep Advent at the center of our lives. Every evening after dinner we sit down as a family and do an Advent learning activity. Addie loves it and has been really getting into it. She loves bring out the pieces of her nativity set one at a time and learning the full story of Advent.

Addie and I also had a lot of fun on Dec. 6th which is St. Nicholas's feast day. We read books about him and the great things he did. Then we made 4 dozen cookies together and gave them out to elderly neighbors, our priest, the nuns, and a lady from our Church who is a recently widowed shut-in. Addie had a great time handing out cookies and also understood why we gave to those people and not just our friends. She understood that St. Nicholas gave to those in need and that is what we should do also. She had a lot of questions about widow we visited but in the end she saw why it was important for us to visit with her and even go back again in the near future to give her some companionship.

It was actually a really busy week for Addie! She had her first dentist appointment on Tuesday. She really enjoyed learning about all the tools they used and what they do to clean your teeth. She asked lots of questions and hygienist thought that she was at least 5 or 6 years old because of her questions and the great job she has been doing cleaning her own teeth. Of course she had no cavities and her teeth looked great.

This past week they had two different Christmas programs at the library. Addie was able to go to them both. One was a dramatic reading of the Grinch by the local theater group. She really got into it. She could hardly sit still during the program. Then on Saturday morning she went back for a Frosty Winter activity. They read about Frosty then each child was able to create their own winter wonderland scene out of food. Michael took Addie to this one so that I could work on her Christmas presents. They both had a great time together.

I finished washing baby stuff this week. I also was busy finishing up my baby sewing projects. I had a few more diaper covers to finish. The only thing left to sew is some diaper pail bags and wetbags. I also have everything set up accept for the swing (goes where the Christmas tree is) and putting the car seats in the car. With only 4 weeks left I'm trying to get prepared!

Saturday afternoon Michael and I went to Shipshiwanna while Addie stayed with the babysitter. It was nice to have some alone time before the baby arrives. We where able to stock up on two months worth of meat and bulk foods. As well as eat a wonderful dinner out on the town. It was a great way to slow down and enjoy some time together.

Weekly Update

The week has flown by in record speed! We kept busy inside and out. On Sunday and Monday we put up our Christmas decorations inside. We did not drag everything out this year since I don't think that we will have much energy when it comes time to take it all down.



On Monday Addie was the line leader, show n' tell, snack bringer girl for the day. She decided that she wanted to bring her baby Margaret doll to school. She was so cute about it. Right before she left for school she started to have second thoughts because she was afraid that her baby might get hurt. I reassured her that Mrs. Grundy would not let anyone hurt her doll. When I picked her up after school the first thing Addie said was the Mrs. Grundy helped protect baby Margaret and told me all about it. She is so excited about being a big sister and she still loves to share the news in any way she can.

Tuesday and Wednesday Addie and I spent a lot of time in the yard racking leaves. They where very thick and hard to rack since they where wet but we had to get them up now if we wanted to have them racked this year. We managed to get them all racked by Wednesday evening. After Michael got home he and a neighbor moved all the piles to the ravine. It took them a good 2+ hours just to move them to the ravine on a large tarp. Wednesday night we also had an electrician come over to run wires for the new dryer cabinet in the basement.

Thursday Addie has her music class and then her neighbor friend spent the day playing at our house. Addie just loves her music class and does a great job with it. It is so neat to see her really get into something like that.

This weekend came up fast on us! Michael and Addie finished winterizing outside stuff and put the reflectors out along the driveway. After that they hung outside Christmas lights. That took up most of the day. After Church on Sunday Addie and Michael got busy building the cabinet shell for the dryer cabinet to set it. I spent most of my weekend washing baby clothes, bedding and diapers. Having the dryer cabinet functioning was a huge help. We also went to Lowes to get parts for the cabinet. I did my usual dream shopping of window coverings. Much to my surprise they had well over half of their drapery rods and hardware on clearance for 75% off! We where able to get beautiful rods for the huge windows in the living room and dining room along with a pair for our bedroom. Yes, I'm kissing those nasty old curtains goodbye! The best part was that while we where looking at the rods the lady working in that section asked us if we would be interested in this rod she had by her. It was one for a large (144" wide) window. One of the finials was damaged so she was trying to get rid of it for $2.00!!! It was originally $45 and was the perfect style for the living room. We could not believe our luck with that deal. So next weekend I'm hitting JoAnn's 50% off sale on home decor fabric and we will have some nice new window coverings.

First Snow of the Year

We had a wonderful time in Indiana for Thanksgiving and my cousin's wedding. When we arrived home late Saturday night we where greeted by the cold and about 3-4" of snow! Thank goodness Addie was fast asleep because there was no way she would have been able to go to sleep knowing that we had snow.



The next morning she woke up way to early for Michael and I. She came into our room and asked if she could sleep with us. We agreed, but she had to go get something from her room first. When she walked back into her room she looked out the window and saw the snow. Our sleep was over then. It was like Christmas morning. She came running into our room and threw open our curtains while yelling "It snowed! It snowed! Hurry look, I need my snow pants and coat!". Then she came to my side of the bed and proceeded to try to drag me out of bed. I went ahead and got out of bed so that Michael could sleep a little longer but it was to late he was wide awake from all the excitement also.



Unlike our dogs, Addie could not wait to go outside. We had to force her to eat her breakfast and get dressed. She just wanted to put her snow gear on over her PJs. Once her and Michael finally made it outside she had a blast. First they had a snowball fight. Then they moved on to making a snowman that was Addie's size.



After they finished the snowman Michael started to work on some outside stuff he needed to get done while Addie continued to play in the snow. Before we knew it she had four huge snowballs all rolled and ready for daddy to lift into place. She had decided that the first snowman was her and she needed to make a mommy, daddy and baby Margaret. So in no time she had made a snowman family by herself (except for the lifting part).


She had so much fun on Sunday. She only came in for lunch because we made her and then she went straight back outside and stayed out in the snow until 4pm. It did not bother her one bit to be soaking wet and cold.

Stay home on Black Friday

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Christmas Gifts for Sale

From Auntie Em’s Sewing Room

Below is the 2007 Christmas collection. Our camera is currently in the repair shop so we had to use our video camera to take still photos. The quality and coloring of the photos is not perfect but it is the best we can do at this time. We should have our camera back by the 28^th of November and we can send anyone who would like better quality photos the photos after that date. If you have questions or would like to place an order please contact me at thelahs@sbcglobal.net. Thanks for looking and have a Merry Christmas!

Custom Stocking w/ Embroidered Name: $25 (including shipping)

These beautiful stockings add the perfect finishing touch to your Christmas décor. The stockings are made from good quality home décor fabrics. Stockings can either be quilted (shown below) or one solid piece with a coordinating cuff. For details on the fabric combinations and more please see the “Stocking Details” page.

Broaches: $10 (including shipping)

These fabric broaches are a lot of fun! They look great on anything from suit jackets, jean jackets, purses, tote bags, purses, to hats. I have even worn them on dresses and other items. You are only limited by your imagination. All the broaches are one of a kind. They are made from a variety of fabrics to create unique combinations of colors and textures. They also have button on the middle of them. Some are antique wooden buttons, some are vintage buttons. It just depended on the style I was going for. To see an up close photo of a specific broach please email me. Limited quantity available (6).

Groomer’s Chamois: $15 (including shipping)

This chamois rapidly draws water away from your pet’s coat and minimizes chills after bath time. This specific chamois absorbs 15 times its weight in water. Can be machine washed for years of use. Measures 20”x27”. Limited quantity available (3).

5 Hand Puppets w/ Bag: $45 (including shipping)

These one of a kind puppets are made from fleece and come with a flannel storage bag. The details on the puppets are hand embroidered for your little one’s safety. No buttons or removable parts are include so even the youngest child may play. Each set is custom made. You may request puppets to be gender neutral, more girly or boyish. If the child has a favorite animal or color of animal let me know and I can include it in the set. The bag may be the maroon farm animal print in the photo or another coordinating animal print.

Fleece Blanket w/ Name: $20 (includes shipping)

What child would not love a blanket with their own name on it? Just let me know what colors and/or themes the child likes along with the name (first or first and last names) you would like on the blanket. Also, if you would like a specific size let me know at that time. Otherwise I’ll make it in my “toddler/preschooler” size. I’ll let you know what combination I’ve found before sewing it for you. Each blanket is unique, just like every child.

Fleece Blanket w/ Name & Ribbon Tabs: $30 (includes shipping)

I’ve received many raving reviews from this super soft fleece baby blanket with silky ribbon tabs. Just let me know the gender of the child along with the name (first or first and last names) you would like on the blanket. I’ll let you know what combination I’ve found before sewing it for you. The blanket will be made in my “Baby” size unless you request otherwise. Each blanket is unique, just like every child.

Baby Legs/ Arm Warmers: $8 each or $5 if you provide Knee-Hi Socks (shipping included)

All’s I can say about the baby legs is that I wish I would have discovered them 4 years ago! I have been busy making them not just for Addie and Margaret but also for my neighbor. Both of our 4 yr olds love to wear them on their arms so that they can wear their favorite t-shirts in the winter. And they keep her baby’s legs warm and clean as she crawls all around their house. The great thing about them is that when your baby’s pant legs or dress creeps up during the day the baby legs don’t move! They can be made for either boys or girls. Just let me know what colors and styles of clothes you are trying to match and I’ll send you a photo to check to see if they match your needs.

Rice Packs: $5 (extra $2 for shipping due to weight of rice)

If you have never used a rice pack you don’t know what you are missing! They are great either warmed in the microwave or kept in the freezer to use as an ice pack. Mine have been priceless when it comes to helping my back pains. The rice packs can be made either in rectangles or long sleeves. The long sleeves are great for rapping around the back of your neck or to run up your spine. The rectangles are great for the lower back and calves. Let me know what style/colors you like and I’ll made one to suit your taste.

Rice Packs w/ Embroidery pattern, Name or Saying: $9 (extra $2 for shipping due to weight of rice)

You can add your favorite phrase, name or design to the pack. If it’s a gift for Breast Cancer patient I can add some pink ribbons. If you love chickens I can add a chicken. The sky is the limit!

Other Custom Projects: Price subject to project

The Details:

Depending on the customization their might be an extra charge. I have lots of fabrics and embroidery designs to choose from currently. If I don’t have what you want in my stock pile I can always look for it

Most items will be sent Parcel or Priority. According to the USPS website items must be sent by Dec. 20^th to be received in time for Christmas. If you would like your item to arrive in time for Christmas Day please have your order to me by Dec. 14^th.

If you would like an item to be gift wrapped and sent to someone else I can also do that for a $1 fee. If you chose that option I will email you a photo of the completed item so that you can see what was sent.

Most items will have a 48 hour turn around time as long as I have the fabrics in stock. Fabrics that have to be purchased might take longer.

Latest Sewing Projects

Our camera is still in the shop but we broke out the video camera to try to take some still photos. It's not the best and the coloring is off but it's better then nothing! I've been a busy bee in my sewing room lately. Here are a few of my latest creations. There are a ton of photos so it might take a couple minutes to load them all!

The baby collection:

30 flannel wipes


20 diaper inserts

6 fitted diapers (2 prefitted diapers not in photo)



1 Reversible Mei Tai

Addie's Christmas Gifts (completed so far):
Bitty babys' PJs



Twirly Dress


Flaired Fleece Hoodie

Christmas Gifts for "Other" Kids:
Hand Puppet Set

Fleece Blanket

I'm currently working on fleece diaper covers, diaper pail liners, wet bag for diapers (diaper bag use), more Christmas presents for Addie, and Christmas stockings.

Week 32

We are at week 32 of the pregnancy now. It's hard to believe that we will be welcoming home our new baby girl in less then 2 months! The time has flown by so fast. I've been working hard to try to get more stuff ready before the baby gets here. Just today I sewed 10 diaper inserts for the cloth diapers. I've also ordered diaper covers and am looking into who has the best price for the newborn sized prefolds I was going to try. With Michael's help we hung a wall organizer thing on the wall by the changing table. I've started to fill it with diapers and wipes. Things are coming together and I'm sure by the time she gets here we will have everything ready. I just find it amazing how prepared I was with Addie and now I'm so busy with Addie that I've put off getting ready for the second child.

Addie had her Big Sister class at the hospital on Sunday. She was so excited about going to the class. Well, we got there and she asked if the baby was leaving mommy's tummy then. We had to break her heart. I'm still not sure where that thought came from but it was there. She enjoyed the class and hopefully will be a little bit more prepared to see us in the hospital and also life at home with a newborn. The most interesting part of the night was when we where walking through the lobby of the hospital to leave Addie asked Michael if we would have to pay the hospital for Margaret. Wow! Only Michael and I's child when be thinking about how much this will cost us :) Michael nicely said us we will have to pay the hospital and then asked her which chair she liked because we are helping to pay for those nice brand new chairs.

Monday I had a baby appointment. Everything went well. Heart beat was strong, right amount of weight gain, and belly not as big as "normal" but the doctor thinks that is because I'm tall so I have more space to spread it out vertically. Thank goodness for that! My poor back could not handle any more stress.

If only all things went this well.

I've gotten more than a few frustrated phone calls over the past couple weeks about a certain non-functioning internet connection. Its been just so-so since moving in, and earlier this year it was so unbearable that we called AT&T out to inspect. There were some issues on their end, but by the time they were done, we had a great connection at the Network Interface Device. But by the time the signal got in the house and to the modem it was depleted by more than half. The technician informed us that lots of people with our era of house had DSL problems. Ug.

Well, I'm pleased to report that as of 2pm today we have all new Cat 5e wiring from the NID to the new terminal block to the phone jack in the office. 80 ft of beautiful twisted pairs. It really wasn't hard, it just takes a few tools and a little know-how. I'm still a little surprised that it all worked the first time - no tweaking, no adjustments. And I did it all. I know, crazy.

And no, the camera isn't back yet, but our video camera will take still pictures. No flash, low res, but none the less, pictures.


The old terminal block - no, it wasn't this creepy in person, but with no flash, I had to use the night-sight mode.


Some tools of the trade - on the far right is the new terminal block.


Aren't they beautiful?


The updated NID


The new terminal block wired ...


... and bridged. Crazy what those two little wires can do.

Looking back, its a wonder we ever had a DSL connection. There was nothing wrong with the setup for voice usage. But nothing was up to spec as far as data standards go. I know, weird for the mid-1960's.