Domestic Desires

So, there are certain “wife/mom-type” things that I’ve pretty much stunk at, like  cooking, sewing, and most things remotely domestic.  It used to sort of bother me that I didn’t have domestic “skills” (does anybody else instantly think of bow-staff skills when they hear this word? Thanks, Napoleon.) most think are necessary, but I’ve slowly come to the following conclusions over the last year:

• I don’t have to be good or even know how to do everything in this vague category.  If it doesn’t come with time, it won’t come at all so I just shouldn’t worry about it.
• If I were good at cooking, I. would. be. HUGE…So, I should really count this one as a blessing.  Besides, with my major and everything, I would really like to focus instead on healthy whole foods for our family.  But J and I still have our sweet tooths, so we won’t be going too granola-y anytime soon.
• I want to learn how to sew.  I don’t need to be that talented in it, just know how to do it right so I can do a few cute things for babies, fix things that need fixing (like hems and other small tailoring fixes), whip up a simple window treatment on the cheap or make an occasional Halloween costume. Nothing too great, just the know-how to turn to when I need it most.
• I want to learn how to decorate a cake without it falling over or looking like I finger painted it.  Not like it’s a necessity, but it just looks like SO MUCH FUN (Cake Boss!). I can not wait to throw kiddie birthday parties.

So, to start on my first goal, my mom taught me how to sew on her new sewing machine with these Cloth Diaper Burp Cloths.  The irony of the Ice Cream ones make me laugh…they should make breastfeeding covers in that material…or maybe one with cows on it would be more appropriate = ).

My second sewing project was this rag quilt…it was supposed to be a “super-easy” quilt but ended up taking FOR-EVER.  It was fun though to feel like I made something substantial (don’t laugh!) and hopefully the bambina will get a lot of use out of it.

 This is the back side before I cut and washed it (I was stoked when my seams and X’s lined up…it’s the little things, ya know ;)…

And this is the front after I washed it…it fluffed way up!

(I’m slightly in love with the crazy, semi-not matching fabrics…they just make me feel bright inside)

My talented friend Kaity, had a great tutorial about felt rose buds, so I’ve been experimenting and having fun with them.  She has an awesome one on a felt activity book that would be fun to try later if I get really ambitious. Thanks Kaity!

Some of the experiments…I want to be able to mix and match them on different headbands (we’re making soft baby ones out of tights or knee-highs) or pins for outfits… so I got felt in every color and it’s my sit in front of the TV but still feel semi-productive project.

I’m also having fun with random ribbons/scraps and trying some pinwheels to make bows (not sure if that’s a real name for them or just making it up…haha) like these two I made for our niece, Ann.

Hopefully there will be more to come soon…but don’t hold your breath too much, I feel like preggo hormones give you ADD.

Noite Brasileira

I finally found an affordable pressure cooker so I could get my Brazilian food fix!!  So, we had a little family dinner and I made feijoada (Brazilian style beans) with fresh limes,rice,  cornbread and salad.  Rice and beans was a typical lunch for us most days (and a lot of nights too…haha) when J and I lived down there.  If you were to eat this dish at a restaurant, it would usually be accompanied by Pao de Queijo (aka: heavenly cheesy bread balls)…but I didn’t have the right kind of cheese, so I didn’t want to risk it and ruin the experience for the first timers in my family…it’s like I needed them to love it as much as I did.

Instead of Pao de Queijo, I made Brigadeiro for the first time.  These little balls of chocolaty goodness are a really popular sweet that is SOOOOO rich.  The girls in our department and I ate one after lunch almost everyday!  I like to think of it as a very Euro way of eating (they had a lot of European influences there) but it could just be called gluttony.  You decide. ;)

I only got pictures of the Brigadeiro…so if you want to experience  the rest of it, you’ll just have to stop by our house!

I had my best taste-tester there to help me out…

…don’t bother him, he’s thinking….

Yes, a success!  Thanks, Drewski.

Sweet Cheeks…

I got to see our sweet cheeks last week for our total fetal screening!  Everything went well and she’s a healthy baby girl…except the doctor scared me for a bit when he said he couldn’t confirm her gender since she was sitting like a lady!!  She moved after a bit and he confirmed it! (Not that there’s anything wrong with a boy…it’s just that the dresses I have wouldn’t look as cute on a him =) 

Here’s a few pictures of her at 25 1/2 weeks. I know that we’re entering the realm of parenthood where most posts become your kids stats…SORRY!  However, seeing that probably 3 out of the 4 whole people who read this are either her 3 Grandparents or Daddy, it won’t matter too much ;).  Besides, J is training in UT and hasn’t even been able to see these yet!!

He got a quick 3-D picture of her face for us…don’t worry, the streaks are just the ultrasound trying to look through fluid and tissue.

Get ahold of those cheekies!  I love her sweet little features.

This is her fist. She’s starting to pack some serious heat behind her kicks and punches.  I started to feel her kick and move pretty early at 16 weeks…back then it just felt like a puppy was pawing or licking me from the inside…and now I see parts of my belly suddenly jumping out when she moves!  At the appointment she was 1 lb. & 9 oz. and by now she’s probably about 2 lbs.  It’s hard to believe how fast she is growing now!

You can see her little foot caught in a kick here…The doctors always comment how active she is.  In China they couldn’t even get her to stay in one place long enough to get her heartbeat…which was scary at the time but kind of comical now…so I’m pretty sure she’s either going to be a dancer or an ultimate fighter…what do you think?

Relay for Life

Cancer is a scary word…it usually is accompanied by fear, anxiety, pain and the memories of loved ones lost…

However, this week it took on a more positive light…especially with the word SURVIVOR added to it.

So that’s why I chose to celebrate with two very important survivors in my life this last week.  This is my Mom and her best friend, Darlene.  They’re both survivors.

There was a special dinner for Survivors earlier in the week and a relay on Saturday, where people pledge and walk for the fight against it. You form teams and take turns walking for the 24 hour relay, and have a dang good time doing it with all of the company and entertainment! It’s a great fundraiser for ACS.My Mom was out of town for the relay, so I walked to represent, plus it’s been a while since I’ve been in town to go.

They had a beautiful luminary ceremony at night and we walked around the track with a luminary representing each person.  We put out one for my Mom who survived and one for my Grandpa who didn’t.

The bump (which has suddenly popped this week) got to sport this…I’m eternally grateful that my Mom fought it and was blessed to beat it…there were times when we both thought she wouldn’t be around to see her last two kids get married or enjoy her grandchildren. Miss Amelia-Jayne is a lucky little girl to have her Grandma…

and so am I. : )

Love these Kids…

I got to see my favorite kidlets (and their parents :) last month for a fun time in San Diego…

…miss them already and will post more about our little trip soon. :)

Have a fabulous Friday!

xoxo

Preggo Dreams

A little glimpse of what's been playing in my head the last couple of nights:

Dream 1-

Jordan and I were at our friends, Audrey and Andy's, new house having a fun triple date dinner (Ironically, Audrey is buying a new home and if it's anything like this one in my dream....it is NICE). The baby was with us and for some reason she was a few weeks old and I hadn't started nursing her yet. So, as if there couldn't be a better time to learn that "how-to," I excused myself and went into their master bedroom. It was sort of like a sunroom that was surrounded by redwood trees, and the master bath was like a marble and tile shrine.

Anyways, I took the blanket off the baby and what was supposed to be our baby girl was a MALE PUPPY....sort of....kind of part pug and part baby boy.... a Humo-pug (and you thought labrad00dles were scary). I was weirded out a little but tried to nurse anyways, only to find that it had one fierce barracuda latch (this pup already had incisors). Ouchies. I was clearly upset and all of the sudden Audrey's cute little Latina maid popped out of the shower (like I said...her house was swanky) and handed me a breast shield- as if to say "didn't you know? this is how you breastfeed a puppy."

Needless to say, I was glad the doctor confirmed that she was indeed, still a baby girl at my appointment the next day.

Dream 2-

My mom and I got up to watch the royal wedding waaay too early Friday morning. I fell asleep while watching the procession back to Buckingham Palace.

In my dream I dreamt that Jordan and I were dating again. J was British all of the sudden, and apparently Harry and William's middle brother. It was all about us waiting in Westminster Abby to leave for the big reception and trying to get Camilla to tell me about how long it would take to get to Oxfordshire, where I was born. She and Charles seemed pretty out of it and it was by far one of the harder conversations I've ever had. In the end, we were done waiting and tried to walk back to the palace (those minivan budget cuts, you know) only to get stuck in a freak snowstorm, where other ladies put pop up laundry hampers over their heads to protect their hats. Classy.

So, anybody have any ideas for what should be playing in my head tonight? These hormones are quite entertaining.