3,2,1 Blastoff! (Hopefully)

This weekend we are heading to the Space Coast to visit our friends from college, Dave and Sonya. (We are so glad they live close!)Tomorrow there is supposed to be a shuttle launch, and they are throwing a "launch party". It will be nice to visit them regardless, but I am so hoping that the launch will happen. I have always wanted to see one, but they are usually scheduled for weird times like Tuesday morning at 9:30 or something equally inconvenient. I've heard that watching one is spectacular, and Dave and Sonya have secured an awesome viewing spot atop a 9 story building!
I came in early to work today and am not taking a lunch break (eating at my desk while continuing to work)so I can get out of here early today! If all goes well, we will be on the east coast just after 5.
In other news, I finally finished the little pink baby dress I have been working on (on and off) since January. (I will try to take a couple pictures to post.)It has taken forever, but it looks awesome, if I do say so myself. I am my own worse critic, so it must be decent. I've decided that since I have invested hours upon hours making this, I have probably inevitably sealed the deal, and Peanut will be a boy. :)It seems strange to think that we will be finding out the sex in just a couple more weeks! I have my next Dr. appointment on Tuesday, and Dr. Langely said he would schedule my next sonogram at that time - within the following two weeks if everything goes as planned. I have about 98% convinced myself that Peanut is a boy (don't know why....just have a feeling), so it will take some getting used to if it's a girl. Don't get me wrong. I really would like to have one of each someday, so whatever God blesses us with, I will be thankful and excited either way! :)
Guess that's it for today. Hopefully the next post will have some great shuttle launch pictures!

Mini-Midlife Crisis

Well, it seems that I am making more posts than Candace right now. She shouldn't have given me the password to this blog! Well, according to Candace I am going through a Mini-Midlife Crisis. Just because I have been buying some baseball cards and went skydiving with my brother, she thinks I am freaking out about becoming a Dad. I am really excited about being a Dad. I bought baseball cards for an investment (laugh now, but just wait) and I went skydiving with Murray (my brother) because I have secretly been wanting to go and my brother was up for the adventure.
Skydiving was AWESOME! It was almost like a dream. Thankfully I have pictures and a DVD of my experience. We were hooked up to an experienced diver and jumped out of an airplane at 13,500 ft. We free-falled for about 60 seconds and then floated down to earth with our parachute taking us safely down. I get to check off another thing on my "do before I die" list. I have yet to write this list down in fear of scaring Candace!

DIY FLOORS

When we decided to tear out the carpet in the back 3 bedrooms and replace it, Candace went on a mission to find the best wood floors onine. She found some great prices and good quality stuff....one problem- I have to install it. Now if you don't know me very well, then you may not know that I have no skill when it comes to DIY projects. Let me give you an expample: Our wood fence gate needed replaced, so our neighbor and I went to Home Depot and bought 2 new panels. We got home, measured and cut the first piece, put on the hinges and hung the first door. We had to go take Murray to the airport, so we left the project half done. When we got back, Candace looked at the fence and said, "isn't the gate upside down?" Yep, that's right, I put it upside down! So, if the floors turn out, it might be a small miracle!
Here is our progress so far


The Old Carpet


Nice Linoleum


Taking out the nails


King of the Wood Floors


A slow process

Appreciated Associate

So this week at work is pretty much the best out of the whole year. It's "Associate Appreciation Week". It is a nice thing that our company does, and I think it fosters a lot of positivity around the old office. I mean, who couldn't help but have a fun time with all the activities that are planned:
Monday - Breakfast from Panera Bread....YUM!
Tuesday - Icecream social in the afternoon with a caricature artist (I had a meeting and didn't get in line early enough to have mine done....oh well. :()
Wednesday - Work 1/2 day, and then serve your community. My group is going to the nursery (plants and trees)for the city of Lakeland to help them prep plants and flowers. We have done this before, and I enjoy it. I like being outside and working with my hands, so I am looking forward to it.
Thursday - BBQ cookout for lunch.
Friday - "Teambuilding" activity for half the day, and the other half off since it's the day before a holiday weekend!!!
Plus throughout the week there is a ping pong tournament going on. I won my first round by default, and now I have to play one of the VP's! I know him, though, so it should be fun even if he ends up kicking my rear! It's tomorrow at 9, so wish me luck!

Gift for Peanut

Thanks to James and Jodi Tucker for thinking of "Peanut" as they were shopping in Target! We are planning to have a great weekend with lots of things to do which will include a wedding, a cookout, and I am sure lots of cleaning.

Like father like "son"

So for my birthday this year, Nick got me a super awesome memory foam pillow to sleep on hoping it would help my back and neck issues. Between that and the few trips to the chiropractor, I have been in much better shape!
Well, it's pretty funny how Nick "subconsciously" tries to steal it every chance he gets. For example, when I get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night (you know with Peanut and all) and come back about 30 seconds later, guess who has rolled over onto my pillow? He swears he doesn't do this on purpose, but it is pretty funny since it happens 99% of the time I leave the bed for more than 5 seconds.
Well last night, Charles (the cat) who NEVER comes on our bed EVER decided he wanted to join me and sleep but where else? You guessed it - on the other half of my pillow. Now I've got two to fight off! I guess this really must be some pillow!
I keep telling Nick we need to break down and get him a "wonder pillow" also, but so far we haven't done it. Oh well. I couldn't help but laugh about it all.
Hope everyone has a great weekend! We have a wedding and a "party" to attend tomorrow, plus clean the house (as best we can considering the circumstances)and get ready for Murray! It will be eventful, I am sure!

Back to School....Blah!

Tonight I begin the last class of my MBA program - Integrated Business Applications II (IBA 2).....sounds riveting, I know.
Full apathy has set in, and it is taking all that I have with in me to go, pay attention, and contribute to the group's effort.
This class is a continuation of IBA I that I just finished this spring semester. These two classes count in lieu of a thesis. This I am utterly happy about, but it is still lots of work and (dum dum dum!) a group project. Normally I loathe group projects, but this time I have a pretty good group of people to work with. I know them all, and they are all intelligent contributors to our project. (We made an A on the first half!)
The first part of the project that we just finished was lots of market analysis, company analysis, management strategy, action planning, etc. All in all it ended up being about 140 pages long. This new class, the continuation, is financial strategy, feasibility, planning, and forecasting based on what we have already done.
The up side, other than having a good team, is that the company we are assessing is really interesting. It's a company that provides video relay servicing for the deaf. Actually, I have learned lots about the deaf community, and it's funny...I never though I'd end up doing my final project on a company like this. It's been good so far. We came across this company because one of the girls in my group works for them. She is in management, but is also a professional American Sign Language interpreter. She signs when she talks and is fascinating to watch. :)
Anyway, now that you are as excited as I am, I better get ready for the first class. Wish me luck.
I just keep telling myself, "it's only 10 weeks, it's only 10 weeks." God grant me strength, patience, and sheer will power to push through!

Like Finding a Wedding Dress

I've found that some of the most joyous occasions can bring about some monster stress. All you brides: Remember trying on all those different wedding dresses? For some, this may have been more stressful than it was for others, but nonetheless, you wanted to find "the one". Again, most brides will say that they knew when they found it. You turned around, looked in the mirror and thought or said "this is it!"
Well, I have to say that looking for nursery bedding has been plaguing me much the same way. I have looked at hundreds of sets - boys, girls, neutrals - and none have caught my eye. Sure there have been lots of cute ones (just as brides will say there are many beautiful dresses), but none have really jumped out......until now!!!!
Well, I have been thinking lots about this, and decided that I wanted to be practical (surprise surprise). After assessing the price tags on all these different baby items, it seemed irrational to cater to one particular sex in terms of nursery decor. What if this one is a boy, but the next one is a girl, or visa verse? What a waste it would be to have to re-do everything all over again (for all those who don't know this is my frugal, practical side screaming out). This stuff is just too cute to use just once!
The added pressure came when the flooring came in. We would like to get this stuff installed and situated, and we can't install until we paint. But we can't paint until we have the bedding picked out!!! Aye yi yi!
Alas, after many hours of browsing, I finally found it! Cuteness abounds, and all is well. Once I found it I immediately had to start praying that Nick would like it, too. Some of you may not know, but he can be particularly opinionated and involved in many selections - everything from wedding color to tile for our house, to paint colors, to nursery bedding. I can't say that I would rather have it the other way, because it is fun learning to compromise and come up with things that we are both happy with. I think it makes it more "ours". :) Fortunately, Nick agreed to the bedding, so we are set! Now we can get all our paint at Lowe's tomorrow! I present to you our choice for Peanut (bedding only, Nick and I haven't selected the crib or anything yet):

Nick immediately decided that we needed to start a registry so we could save the bedding choice, so he opened us up an account. Now you must excuse me, I must remove the Play Station 3 from our BABY registry. (sigh) What will I do with him?

P.S. Yesterday I finally had a good day. It seems so far that all I have been able to do is think of all the bad things about pregnancy, delivery, and child rearing and worry worry worry (I hate to admit that, but it is true). However, yesterday was the first day in a long time where I felt joyous anticipation and happiness. Is it because my morning sickness has finally left for good (hopefully)? Was it the excitement of the flooring and new bedding and looking forward to preparing? I don't know, I just pray for many more of those days to come!

Pictures (a little late) as Promised

Well, I know that I have been a little slow with the pictures, but I am at the mercy of Nick. :)Without further ado, here are pics from Dad's visit, and Abby's bridal shower in Higginsville:

Unfortunately, this is an aweful shot of me. If you remember, I had a head cold on top of my morning sickness at it's peak. However, you can see the ever so slight appearance of Peanut if you look closely....this was about at 11 1/2 weeks.
Even though I wasn't feeling the greatest, I'm still so thankful that I was able to see my dad!

I don't have too many pictures of the shower. It went by so fast, and I guess I just wasn't on top of things! Oh well, photographer Nick will be with me at the wedding, so we will definitely have a better assortment then!

Here's the lovely Moss ladies. Nana to be on the left, and bride to be on the right! :)(and Aunt, too!)

Here's all three of us celebrating the special occasion.

So there you have a few pictures.....

In other thrilling news, Nick called me this morning at work to tell me that the flooring has been delivered, and everything looks great! Pictures to come on that process for sure!
This weekend, we are going to Lowes to pick out paint for the back two bedrooms - I guess we can't pick out paint for the nursery until we have our bedding picked out, and I guess we can't pick out the bedding until we know what Peanut will be! Alas! I'm sure we will have PLENTY to do by that time. If we can get the other two rooms completely done by then, I will be one happy camper. So, while Nick paints, I'll be going through closets and dressers sorting into throw away, donate, and keep piles and then moving a lot of "keep" into our storage unit out back. We have limited closet space, so I am thankful for the unit- I just need to use it more.
Anyway, enough about that business....we'll keep you posted on the progress.....

14 weeks and good news!

I went and had my second doctor's appointment this morning and got good news all around! All of my blood work that I had the first visit all came back great! My blood type is B+ (my doctor says that's his favorite type :o)), my hemoglobin levels are good, I'm not anemic, thyroid is good, I don't have hepatitis (:o)), and I've only gained 2 pounds since my last visit (which is just right, though I feel like I've gained about 10!).
Peanut seemed to be doing well, too! I got to hear the heartbeat again (so surreal) at a healthy and normal 152. The little one even moved around some - I couldn't feel anything, but you could hear it on the monitor.
Dr. Langely said he liked everything he saw and heard, and I'll see him again on June 5th - he said genetics testing will be done at that time to see if there are any big problems. He said a couple weeks after that he would schedule our next sonogram, and that's when we will find out if Peanut is a little girl or a little boy!
So thanks be to God for good news and a healthy momma and baby so far. I pray that both will continue....

Soon to be a Daddy

Hello all this is Nick.
Since Candace changed the blog to "our" blog, I thought I would make an entry. Well, yesterday we went to the Beach, we figured that we better get out and do stuff while we have a chance. People like to tell us that we won't have time once the baby is born. I get that, but just don't need every member of St. Paul to continue to remind me! The beach was great and I was able to find a lot of shells that I am going to use when I talk to the Kindergarten class this week about Baptism. Candace wanted to take a "walk" on the beach and got upset with me when I wanted to stop and look for shells. She said she wanted to exercise and I said I wanted to stop on occasion and pick up shells...she ended up going for a "walk" and I stayed and picked up shells.
A lot has been going on at St. Paul this year. I am working on our summer mission trips to Panama and the Dominican Republic. I am really excited to go on these mission trips!
Until next time America....

Squee!!! :)

At long last we have finally ordered our flooring for the back bedrooms! For those of you who have been keeping up with our "home improvements", you know that this is another step in the master plan. The carpet back there has GOT to be some kind of a health hazard, and I told Nick long ago that we will not be putting our child in a room with that atrocious carpet. Also, it has been a source of embarrassment every time we have company and someone has to sleep in one of those rooms. Sooooo, no more! The next time our parents visit (sorry Murray, it won't be finished by the time you get here!) we will have beautiful new floors. Behold:

Isn't it beautiful?!?! It's wood laminate in "Rustic Oak". Fabulous! You may or may not know that Nick and I are avid online shoppers. Neither of us shop in the traditional way very much, so we usually find all the goods online. Nick in particular has a special talent of finding the best deals - I really don't know how he does it! In addition, we are also "thrifty" and always comparison shop and look for the best deals and how to make our dollar go the farthest.
That said, several months ago we began looking and comparing flooring for the bedrooms. Started with the regulars..Home Depot, Lowes...and then we started looking online. I found this website "Build Direct" which is basically whole sale flooring shipped to your house. We saw some that we really liked and ordered samples a couple months ago. We really liked the color and pattern, so yesterday, we placed the order! We were able to get a much higer quality product for just as much, if not a little less, so we are happy!
Once it comes in, we will be doing the install ourselves....much like many of the other projects we have done. We've sure learned a lot, and in the end, it has always come out looking pretty good (if I do say so myself)! This project looks doable, just time consuming - making sure everything is lined up properly, ect.
Thus begins what people refer to as "nesting" I suppose....We've got some clean up to do (where will the furniture go, and what junk can we get rid of) and then painting of what will become the nursery. I'm thinking of light blue regardless....blue is both mine and Nick's favorite color. I guess we'll see. They may not make any "girl" nursery decor in shades of blue if peanut turns out to be a little lady....
That, though, is a post for another day and time.

Surprise!

This past weekend I got to be a part of a good old fashioned surprise! It's been a while since I've had an opportunity like that, and let me tell you how much fun it was! :) Friday, I took a half day from work and flew to Kansas City to surprise my sister-in-law, Abby. Her family threw her a bridal shower Saturday.
With the provision and generosity of a dear church member, I was able to afford a plane ticket and join in on the festivities! It was a lovely shower, and it was so great to be able to see everyone - Moss' and Zimmerschieds all in one whack. Living in Florida is hard when it comes to family time, so we always cherish every moment we get with them.
We feel like we will be spoiled this year with all the great opportunities we will have to see and spend time with our families. A couple weeks ago, my dad came for a quick visit. In May, Murray (Nick's brother) will come and visit us for a few days. June will take us back to Missouri for Abby and Michael's wedding. In August, Gary and Nadine (Moss) will be coming down for my graduation, and hopefully my mom, Janet, will also be able to come....we are still working on it. November is the ETA of little Moss, and our family will be down to visit, meet the new one, and celebrate the baptism! We are already feeling some pressure to travel to Missouri for Christmas - it is the Moss year - but I said we will just play it by ear
Needless to say, we will be getting lots of good quality time this year!! Nick and I truly are blessed to have and be a part of such wonderful, loving, and Christ-centered families. We really couldn't ask for more.
So anyway, hope you enjoyed the surprise visit from "Uncle Tom", Abby! We will see you in 5 1/2 weeks!
P.S. I will try to post a few pictures as soon as Nick uploads them....

I spoke too soon

Well, I had mentioned that I thought the worst was over....that was my big mistake. Peanut has been extra naughty the past couple of days, and now, to top it off, I have a head cold. Woohoo.
This is just not a convenient week to be sick. I have lots going on, and want to be able to enjoy it all. Oh well, I will just pray that I can kick it fast.
On a brighter note: So far, the visit with dad has been good. I picked him up on Saturday evening, and we went out to a nice Italian restaurant in Lakeland called Mario's. It was fabulous, and as a bonus there was a man playing beautiful guitar music the whole time we were there! It was fun. Yesterday, we went to church, had a nice lunch at a salad and sandwich shop - Crispers - ate outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Later in the afternoon after a catnap, dad and I went and walked around Lake Hollingsworth (about 3 miles around)while Nick worked and had HS youth night.
Today is the boys day together, at least for the first half. Sadly, I have to come to work, but I came in early so I could leave early. Nick and dad are going to run a couple errands, eat at Rib Crib (I don't know which one is more excited about that! :))Then, they are going to see the Ben Stein documentary "Expelled" at the movies. I went with some friends on Friday night, and it was great! Very interesting what is happening in the scientific community. It's shows how advocates of Intelligent Design are being ostracized and "expelled" from the scientific community. It is very interesting, and opens the gate way to lots of good discussion. I would highly recommend going to see it. You can read more about it on the website: http://www.expelledthemovie.com/.
Anyway, I better get to working so I can leave early and enjoy the last day with my dad!

It's the little things in life....

Well, my wonderful husband is off again....this time to Minnesota. He is going to a conference on how to handle "crises" during mission trips. He was really excited about going, so I am hoping that it will be a good one. It'll be great for him since he's taking a group of High School kids to the Dominican Republic this summer. He'll be back late Saturday night, though, so it's a quick trip.
In pregnancy news, I think (and pray) that the worst of the "morning sickness" is over! I laugh about it, though (you have to) and jokingly say "I don't know if I'm getting better or just used to the pain." (I'm pretty sure that's in a country song, but I can't think of which one it is.) The fatigue is still heavy, though.
I have been blessed with a friend at work who has a little 2 year old. She has been very sweet to me (we walk a mile to a mile and a half every day on our break), and today gave me a book on breastfeeding. It's from the American Academy of Pediatrics, and looks like a good one. Since this is totally foreign and something I already worry about, it'll be nice to read through it and at least try to convince myself that I'll be more prepared when the time comes!
As you may or may not have noticed, I finally figured out how to put the baby ticker on my blog. Isn't it CUTE!!!? I love it. :)I get excited over the smallest things, hence the title of the post. The website is really cool, and I can create a new one after the baby is born with their name and all. :)
A good friend from church was so sweet and is lending me LOTS of her maternity clothes. She just had a baby at the beginning of February, and is just getting back into her "normal" clothes. That is going to be SUCH a big help. Plus she has really good taste, so I will be looking good! :)She lent me several tops, two dresses, a pair of jeans, dress pants, cords, and a skirt. Don't worry, though. I'll have to do some of my own shopping, too. That way I can return the favor to someone else after my time is done. That's going to be my excuse anyway.
I'm not quite at the point to where I can wear any maternity clothes, but my regular clothes are becoming tight. It's the horrible in-between stage where you just look chubby, not pregnant. Poo.
In other news, my daddy is coming to visit!!! Yea! Since both mine and Nick's families live so far away, we always cherish the time we have together. Here's one of my favorite pictures of us (it's a little old - a year or two, but I still like it).

He will only be visiting from Saturday evening to Tuesday morning, so we'll have to squeeze in as much quality time as possible in a short amount of time. One exciting thing is that he will get to worship with me at St. Paul on Sunday morning. With him being a pastor and all, he doesn't get weekends off and has never worshiped at our church here before. That'll be fun!
Before I pick him up on Saturday, I have a baby shower to go to for one of my friends. She's a sweetie, and is having a little girl. It was fun picking out a couple things for her and knitting a little hat and slippers for her.
In other news NEXT weekend, I will be off on another adventure for which I am EXTREMELY excited about. However, it's still a surprise, so on the off chance of this person reading my blog between now and then, I will hold off on the details....don't worry, though. More to come later.
Excitement begins soon. I just have to get through one more day of work!!!

Things I've learned about pregnancy

Here are a few musings:

1. Suddenly, people think it's ok to ask you very private and personal questions.
2. When people find out you are expecting, they scream and get excited as if you were telling them THEY were pregnant! :)
3. Even though you look like death warmed over (peanut has not been nice lately) people still find the need to come and ask how you are feeling. Hello!!! How does it look like I'm feeling!
4. Saltine crackers are a girl's best friend weeks 8-???
5. Food is thought about almost as much as the baby...what, when, where, how much, etc.
6. Bonus: My nails, which always peel and break, have never looked better!
7. Boy or girl, boy or girl.....as long as it's healthy - honest!
8. People are suddenly a LOT nicer to you. I'm the same person I was last week before you knew I was pregnant. I'll take it though....
9. Since I'm not showing yet, its fun to interact with people who know, and who don't know....maybe that's just me...
10. Try as they may, boys just don't get it.

Hope Christ blesses your week!

At long last, the beans are spilled....

I have been waiting patiently to be able to finally share the good news with everyone. Nick and I are expecting our first child the first week of November! My due date is November 5th.
Yesterday we went in to have our first sonogram, and everything looks good so far! It was truly amazing to see the little one move around and hear the heartbeat.
And it has been confirmed that there is only ONE peanut in there. :)
A common question I have been getting is "how are you feeling". Well, I have see the good the bad and the ugly, so I can't really complain too much. I have been completely exhausted, and starting about two weeks ago along came morning (all day long) sickness. It's the strangest feeling ever. You feel nauses and woozy, but at the same time you feel like you need to eat something! Crazy....
Anyway, to answer another question, yes we plan on finding out the sex of the baby, or as my father-in-law puts it - find out if the peanut is smooth or crunchy! :) He's quite a character. That won't be for another 10 weeks, though.
Monday, we will meet with my doctor, and Nick will get to meet him for the first time, so that will be nice. In the meantime, I have pages of paperwork to fill out....let the fun begin! :)
Needless to say, both sets of parents are completely thrilled. It'll be the first grand baby on both sides, so I'm sure it won't lack for attention. :)
So with that, I leave you with the "first shots" of little Moss. Let the adventure begin!
(O.K. So blogger is being bad. I will attempt to load the pictures later.)

Absence

Well, that's the life of a DCE wife, I just gotta say. He's here today and gone tomorrow....and the next day, and the day after that.......
Tomorrow Nick will be leaving for Seward, NE (I'm so jealous)for the first stop on the Concordia tour. He is taking 4 of his high schoolers to visit 3 different Concordia Universities. First they fly to Nebraska to visit CUNE, then they fly to Chicago and drive to Mequon, WI to visit CUW, and finally they drive back to Chicago to visit CUC (formerly CU River Forrest). They fly back to Florida Monday, but does he come home then? Nope. He then will have a friend pick him up and take him to the LYF (Lutheran Youth and Families - or something like that) annual retreat that runs through Wednesday.
Really, I don't know why I'm complaining. He will be home for two whole weeks before he goes to his mission conference in Minnesota. :)
So I will be all alone for a week. Well, Charles will be there to keep me company when he's not running around in the back yard stalking lizards and squirrels! :)
Despite missing my husband, sometimes, I will admit that it is nice to have some all alone time. It gives a person time to think, un-wind, not have to worry about anyone but yourself. I suppose it will give me a chance to clean the house a little better. It's not looking so hot right now.....
I've been exhausted lately anyway, so maybe I can even squeeze in a couple of naps this weekend! Isn't it funny how as a kid you "hated" naps, but as a adult they are considered special treats? Ah perspective....

Alright, now to share some joy! I am currently in the middle of working on my final big project to complete my MBA (Part 1), and I have been blessed with an amazing group of people to work with! They are all pretty easy going, but great students. We are WAY ahead of where we need to be at this point, and we may get to finish two weeks early! That would give us all a nice break (about a month) before we have to get started on Part II.
I turn in my application for graduation tonight, and I registered for my FINAL class on Monday!!! I am just so excited and wanted to share. Lots of wonderful things are happening in my life right now, and I feel so blessed!
I pray the same for all of you. Hope everyone had a fantastic Easter celebration!
He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

Patience

Patience is one of those things that is so hard to practice. Whether waiting for a loved one to get well, anticipating graduation or a wedding, waiting for the birth of a child, or looking forward to retirement. No matter what stage of life you are in patientce is practiced. In a recent Bible study, I found out that one definition of patience is long suffering. Sometimes it feels like that, doesn't it? Thanks be to God that we can go to him for stregnth and endurance during these times.

Nick and I had both excitement and hard times this week. This past weekend we took some of our High School kiddos to the LCMS District Gathering in Orlando. It was a good time, and I think the kids really enjoyed it. There was an amazing guy named Ben Glenn that speaks and also draws with chalk. He is AMAZING! You can check him out at http://www.chalkguy.com/. If you ever have a chance to see him, jump all over it. The theme for this gathering was "MADE". We are fearfully and wonderfully made to do good things that he has prepared for us to do. How can we serve him? What are our gifts? It was great!

The down side is that Nick came down with a nasty viral infection that Saturday. He woke up with a fever and ran one off and on until Thursday. Around Wednesday, he developed a nasty cough. He is feeling somewhat better and I finally felt safe enough to share a bed with him last night - but only after everything had been thoroughly washed! I had him quaranteened and took up residency in the guest room on the other end of the house. I wanted no part of that. I think I washed my hands about a million times, too. It's hard to not be able to go near your spouse for such a long period of time and to watch them suffer. I'm glad he is getting back to normal.

He did have some company as Charles, our cat, was also VERY sick. We kept thinking it would get better, but on Tuesday morning we woke up and he looked like death warmed over. :( Poor kitty. I took him to the vet, they told me he was on the brink of pneumona, and he got the works! A kitty IV with shots for antibiotics, antihistimine, and B12. He looked like he had a camel hump for the rest of the day with all those fluids pumped in him. We got sent home with two different types of pills that Nick has been giving him for 10 days. We are just about half way through with those, and he seems to be feeling better, thank goodness. Hopefully he will be 100% recovered soon and back to his normal self!


Anyway, needless to say it has been quite an eventful week!

Well I guess that's about all I can say for now.....more to come later....

Knitting....Finally

So I never really have posted any of my knitted projects. I know that trying to describe something is futile compared to posting a picture. So, Julianna, this is for you. Candace's Knitting Expo:

Project #1 - Hat for my Sis - Free Pattern stolen from Jo's blog.

Doesn't she sport it well? She was made to wear hats! That's my dad looking super cool in the back ground! :)

Much to Julianna's disappointment, my sister loved the hat. I always freak out a little when making hats because I'm the model and I have an unusually small head.
**Note: This hat did come out way too big, but I was able to improvise, cut out the first ring from the very top and sew it up. A good knitter could tell, but the recipient couldn't so I guess that's o.k.

Project #2 - The Falling Leaf hat that was originally for mom, but Courtney stole it! :) Mom said she would wear it WAY more than she would. She's right. Pattern from Knitty.



I LOVED this hat and selfishly wanted to keep it for myself. The pattern was my first attempt at a "lace" pattern, and it just turned out so well. But, what am I going to do with a hat like that in FL. Also, it was an easy decision since the whole tiny head thing played a factor yet again! :)

Project #3 - Green Sweaterlette (I'm glad my sister likes knit-wear. She is an awesome recipient!) P.S. I also made one for myself in purple merino. The sleeves and body are both slightly shorter than this one, but essential the same. I love it!
It goes great with a white T and jeans. Pattern - Randomly found free online - lots of errors in the written pattern, though. Guess you can't complain much if it's free!

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Front

Project #4 - The Purse - I carry it almost every day. Pattern from Knitty

I love the diamond pattern - very fun and cleaver.

The second strap acts as a nifty closure

I even broke out the old sewing machine and lined it. It was pretty much a necessity because (as I have learned) knitting is much more "stretchy" than crochet, and the purse would have quickly lost its shape without the lining.

Project #5 - Mom's Head Warmer (see Jo, I made one too! :) Actually two-another went to my mother in law) - Pattern from Knitty

Mom doesn't really like to wear hats because she says they don't fit right due to her hair. She really liked this and said it did the trick.

Project #6 - The most beautiful hat ever (ok so I finally kept something for myself. I was lucky enough to have exactly (and I mean exactly) enough yarn to make two of these hats - the other went to my sister in law.)

I love how the top looks like a flower! Thank you super cool yarn!

I also really dig the cable stitches all around. I found this pattern free and randomly online. Free online patterns are hit and miss. This one was definitely a hit. I think this pattern would look equally as beautiful in a solid color - you would be able to really see the cables better that way.

Project #7 - Inspirational Booties for Emma Kate
So I got this fabulous pattern book - Simple Knits for Cherished Babys. It has some beautiful patterns in it. I've made these, along with a different bootie pattern (only one so far), as well as a knitted teady bear I just finished this weekend (he's cute, but he definitely looks hand made! Maybe I'll do better next time. I haven't quite mastered the art of seaming.)
Anywho, I have a couple other patterns lined up from that book. Babie stuff is just too much fun to knit. It's probably my favorite thing. So here are the booties:

As you can see, they are knit (garter stitch) all in one piece - very cleaver.

Here's a finished one before the trim work.

Finished! I went with something totally different I thought would fit the mommy and baby's personality better. They turned out really well if I do say so myself. I love these because they are so simple and even a slower than snot knitter like myself can whip these out rather quickly. I'll definitely be using this pattern again.

So there you have it. About a half a year's worth of projects. Better late than never, eh?