Simple Woman's Daybook

I am thinking...

I can't believe how fast babies grow.  Every morning I look at my baby, and I truly think he grows and changes during the night!  This morning he had a classic bumbo blowout...I guess he thought it would be a great place to have his morning poo.  I had just gotten him dressed and ready for the day, and slipped him in his bumbo to hang out while I cooked some oats for myself for breakfast.

I came back to get him out and he had spit up a little, right down the front of his clean shirt and just enough on his pants that they needed to be changed.  As I pulled him out of the seat, I noticed that his waist felt wet.  I just thought it might be from spitting up, but no, it was an entire diapers worth of poo, all the way up his back nearly to his neck.  Lovely.  

As I was cleaning him up and changing his clothes, I was sad again thinking about how all his newborn clothes are put away and he is fully into the 6-12 months sizes.  Where does the time go?

I think he was planning it in this picture...

And he looks so innocent...

In the kitchen...
There is a lovely box of dishwasher detergent on the counter, ready for the day we move into our new home.  I have not had the pleasure of having a dishwasher since I moved out of my parents house in 2005.  It will be such a treat to have one, I can't even imagine how much more efficient it will be.

The funny thing is, I actually don't mind washing dishes once I start them. What I'm really and truly excited about is having the dirty dishes in the dishwasher instead of piling up on the counter.  There's nothing like a pile of dirty dishes to get my blood pressure up...

I am wearing...
My hair is in a braid again.  I think braids are destined to be my main hairstyle for the next year or so.  I like to french braid it to the side and pin my bangs back - it keeps everything out of my face.  Plus it greatly reduces the amount of times Riggs gets a death grip on my hair and tries to eat it.

I am creating...
Unfortunately, I will not be doing much crafting for the next two weeks.  I need to spend any free time I have (that i'm not blogging lol) packing.  We are all ready to close on our loan so if the seller can get moved out soon we have a good chance of closing early (yay!).  This means I really need to get serious about packing which also means I can't procrastinate by working on sewing, knitting or crocheting.

I did, however, take advantage of the Costco coupon for $.09 prints this week.  I print 298 pictures (nearly all of them of Riggs - ha) and even managed to get them in order and into their respective albums. Tonight I plan on finishing the captions as soon as I am done with this post.

I am going...
I plan on taking a quick walk before bed tonight to get the last bit of puppy energy out of Tutka before he goes to bed.  I have been very diligent about walking him and have managed to take him on at least one hour long walk a day, usually with one or two more 30 minute walks thrown in for good measure.  He is doing very well walking on the leash and learning good manners.  What a smart big little boy!

I am looking forward to...
Despite taking an hour long nap this afternoon before Steve got home, I am really looking forward to getting in bed, unwinding from the day and cuddling my soft, warm and plump little baby.  I just cannot get enough of him, especially those little elbow dimples!

Sampler and a Tricksy Baby

Outside my window...

It was a beautiful day today, so sunny and so warm!  

I am thinking...

As I was making my bed today, I noticed how light and bright my bedroom was and it felt so good!  I thought about how I always forget how much I really miss the sunlight in the evenings during winter...probably because whenever winter comes, I'm always ready for the darkness.

I am thankful...

I went over to my sisters house pretty early in the morning and spent the day with her and the boys.  It works out so good because both my nephews and her two dogs keep Tutka very well entertained and completely wear him out...perfect!  Having a puppy is so much harder (to me) than having a baby - it is so much work.  I am so thankful to have the option to go over to her house and for her help with both Riggs and Tutka.

I am creating...

I've been making progress on my sampler quilt (without even sewing a stitch - ha) and am now done with the planning sheet for which blocks I'm going to do and what fabrics I will be using in each one.  This was Kelsey's idea, and I loved doing it.  It feels so organized, just like making a list (so exciting!).

Tonight I hope to write out the cutting instructions for each block on a single piece (or two) of paper so that I don't have to flip through the book when I get to cutting the fabric.  I don't have two of the fabrics that I am using in the quilt, they are in some postman's bag somewhere.  Or maybe at a post office, I'm not sure, they are just not hear yet.  I had to choose a new fabric for the border, I just didn't love the fabric I had picked out three years ago, and I want to love any quilt I put work into.  Here is the new fabric:

London Blue Manchester by Free Spirit Fabrics - so pretty!

I am reading...

501 Rotary-Cut Quilt Blocks by Judy Hopkins.  This is where all of the blocks and cutting instructions come from that I'm using for my sampler.  Great resource, plus the author is from Juneau, Alaska!


A {few} peek(s) into my day...
In other news, Riggs has found his feet!  It is so sweet how much he loves them...he'd better be careful because his hands might get jealous :)

Also he has been trying to escape the confines of his boppy, tonight I caught some pictures of him in the act.  He was not happy when he couldn't quite make it over - he got so mad!

But then his hands distracted him and he just focused on trying to eat them.

Here are some more pictures of him, this time displaying another one of his new skills: grasping.  He has been able to grab things before now (oh let's see, for example, my hair!) but he never did it with purpose.  Now he will see something he wants and will actually grab it...so exciting ha.

Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside my window...

The sun is out again {yay!} and the steps down to our door are hidden beneath a smooth path of ice that is nearly olympic ice-rink quality (every time I nearly fall and die I just remember one more month!).

I am thinking...

I am smiling guiltily as I think of how much packing I have to get done and how much more fun it is to be blogging.

I am thankful...

For such a sweet, patient husband.  He spent three hours last night rescuing an inebriated lady from wandering off and freezing to death.  Gold start for Steve!

In the kitchen...

Cleaned up and did the dishes.  No cooking for me tonight since my sister is having us over for dinner.  Yum.

I am wearing...

The Home Grown in Alaska hoodie I got at the fair last year - "grown here not flown here."

I am creating...

I have some knitting projects to do.  I have vowed to put away the crochet hooks until I get at least one knitting project done.  We shall see how long that takes with packing, a baby and a puppy...

I am going...

On a few walks a day with our new puppy, Tutka, and over to Kelsey's for dinner.  I think I'll go a little early to let my pup blow off some steam with her two fur-balls.  Beau isn't really into playing with the little guy, not at all.

I am wondering...

I have wondered over the last 10 hours what I was thinking getting a puppy...especially when he's whining every hour the entire night :) Ahhh puppyhood...good thing we love the little rascal.

I am reading...

Handmade Beginnings:  24 Sewing Projects to Welcome Baby.  I'm trying to brainstorm some ways to use up some of the random fabric I have.  I definitely want to make the quilt for Riggs, as well as a few pairs of the pants.  So cute!
I am hoping...

I am hoping everything goes smoothly with closing on our house and that moving goes well.  I just can't wait to be settling into our new home;  we are so ready to be out of this place!

I am looking forward to...

This puppy sleeping through the night.

I am learning...

I have been reading up on puppy training.  Labs are wonderful pets, but they're still labs.  They need a lot of training to not rampage like super-hyper maniacs and to not eat trash.  And we don't want another sock eater...

Around the house...

I'm trying to keep the place tidied up and livable while packing things up and having boxes everywhere.  It's not easy!  Plus I'm having a hard time deciding how to go about packing.  I need to make a packing "schedule" of sorts so that I get as much done as possible and don't leave too much to the last week.  Any advice or personal experiences would be very helpful (hint, hint).

A favorite quote for today...

"I grew up."

"Well grow back down then!!!"

One of my favorite things...

Sleepy smile from my baby as he's drifting off to sleep.

A few plans for the rest of the week...

There will packing and lots of time with a certain puppy.

A {few} peek(s) into my day...

Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside my window...

Steve is chipping the ice out on our patio and stairs so we don't fall and die on the ice.

I am thinking...

Despite the ice I am so thankful to live in Alaska where there aren't tornadoes! My thoughts and prayers are with all the people in Texas who are faced with cleaning up after the destruction caused by the tornadoes today.

I am thankful...

For such a close and loving family.

I love you guys!

In the kitchen...

Not much happened there today...too busy running errands and enjoying times with old and new friends.

I am wearing...

A hat, some clothes, no socks, a boppy pillow and a hungry baby.

I am creating...

Some cozy grey booties for Riggs.  They are really quick to crochet and turning out just how I pictured them.  I finished one yesterday and need to get the other one done.  I made them big so that I can felt them a little to make them warmer.

I am going...

To physical therapy on Thursday.  My sciatica flared up again on our Seattle trip and has gotten so bad it's unbearable.  I'm in pain in every position all day and night and finally decided I needed to take care of it.  So it's off to physical therapy I go to get a diagnosis for why I'm having sciatic pain and what we can do to fix it.

I am wondering...

I am wondering why babies decide to spit up or have a blow out the one time you aren't prepared for it.  They're such little tricksters!

I am reading...

I'm not reading anything this week.  I've just been distracted by other things.

I am hoping...

For another sunny day tomorrow.  So lovely and warm!  Plus we need as much snow to melt as possible and to see the beautiful green grass that is hopefully hiding beneath.  

I am looking forward to...

Moving - I love having to pack up our house, as weird as that may be.  It gives me a chance to go through everything and organize things bette than they were before.

I am learning...

....to many things to even list!

Around the house...

Enjoying our new room layout.  For some reason little changes can feel so much more homey and comfortable.  I've always loved lounging around in my room and now I enjoy it even more.

A favorite quote for today...

"So much room for activities!" 

One of my favorite things...

A big jug full of icy cold water.  I'm always so thirsty!

A few plans for the rest of the week...

Birthday celebrations, Easter festivities, and just fun time spent with family.

Crocheting, some sewing and hopefully some knitting I've been neglecting to start for a few weeks.

A peek into my day...

Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside my window...

The sun is still shining and melting the snow on the roof, which is dripping down and splashing, quite spectacularly, on our living room window.

I am thinking...

About how we will {hopefully} be moving soon and I how much I will have to do first. It's exciting!  I am looking forward to going through all of our stuff in that much detail, as I'll be able to purge even more things.  Right now I'm feeling pretty good about what we have "weeded out", but I know there will be more.  I just can't wait to know what's in store for us, what house we will {hopefully} be able to buy, when we will be able to move, etc.  Keep us in your thoughts and prayers in this regard, as we are anxious to move on with our lives!

I am thankful...

That I have been able to sell some of our things we weren't really using any more on eBay.  I'm so thankful that people bought them and that they payed so much for them!  It's become a sort of addiction to find things around the house that we don't need/use and to either trade them in on Amazon.com or list them on eBay.  Out of 15 things, I've only had one item not sell yet.  Yay for making money with things that were just laying around the house!

In the kitchen...

I made some amazing sandwiches (thanks to my sister Kelsey) for dinner tonight.  Hoagie rolls fretted bakes at L'Aroma Bakery, completely natural salami (nitrite and nitrate free - so glad to have finally found some!), and organic cheddar cheese.  What really makes them is the sauce/glaze that goes on top - organic butter, organic worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, organic dijon mustard, and poppy seeds.  I'm already looking forward to making them again.

I am wearing...

A skirt, nursing tank and soft grey v-neck tee.

I am creating...

I'm hoping to make a pattern for a smock/apron for myself.  I also want to sew up some pants for Riggs from the pattern in this book - so cute!

I am going...

To an important meeting tomorrow that will have (hopefully) exciting results...but for now it's a secret.

I am wondering...

Why I haven't started the knitting project I've been meaning to for weeks!  I just need to break out those needles and cast on.  Not that Riggs really needs another hat, but it will be so cute and it will get me back in the knitting groove.  I want to make him some more booties and a vest or sweater for his first birthday, and though it's far away I know I'll need that much time to choose the yarn, pattern and actually knit a sweater that I can be proud of.

I am reading...

Beyond the Rainbow Bridge:  Nurturing our Children From Birth to Seven, by Barbara J. Patterson and Pamela Bradley.

I am hoping...

for secret things that can't be shared in the blog world yet.

I am looking forward to...

Snuggling with my baby tonight and making those sandwiches again {they were really that good}.

I am learning...

More about cloth diapering everyday. For anyone who is planning on using cloth diapers, make sure to try a bunch of different brands and styles before you go ahead and buy a full set of anything.  What I thought I liked at first aren't really working out for us, but luckily we found some that do work {at least for now}.   I have also found that building a diaper stash can become an obsession, one that means I'm always on the look out to add different brands and styles to my stash to help hone what works best for us.

Around the house...

I have been continuing on with my spring cleaning, and feeling the itch to rearrange some furniture.  I have resisted that urge, however, since I hope to be moving soon, and I'll have plenty of rearranging to do then.

A favorite quote for today...

"If one feels the need of something grand, something infinite, something that makes one feel aware of God, one need not go far to find it.  I think that I see something deeper, more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the eyes of a little baby when it wakes in the morning and coos or laughs when it sees the sun shining on its cradle."

Vincent Van Gogh  

One of my favorite things...

Nursing my baby.

A few plans for the rest of the week...

Knitting, sewing, and a lot of snow removal.

A peek into my day...

Simple Woman's Daybook

{From now on, every Wednesday I will post a Simple Woman's Daybook entry.  Join in here.}

Outside my window...

The last traces of daylight are fading away and the darkness is almost complete.

I am thinking...

I am thinking of how differently my words can come across when written here on this blog than they sounded in my head as I was writing them.  Sometimes my thoughts can be so very hard to convey clearly.  I want my writing to be just so, and often I feel that I over-think my word choices and sentence structure.

I am thankful...

for my baby.

In the kitchen...

I am planning on making a new dish tomorrow that I found on another blog.  It involves cabbage, onion, bacon, dill and sour cream.  I need to stop by City Market to pick up some cabbage, then after I have cooked it up I'll try to remember to post at least a little something about how I like it.

I am wearing...

Soft, black cotton shorts. a white nursing cami, and a thin, black and white patterned cardigan from REI.

I am creating...

Nothing but this blog post at the moment.  I have a knitting project that I would like to start sometime soon, but spring cleaning has become an obsession and is what I have been spending most of my free time doing.  So I guess you could say that I am slowly creating a cleaner, less cluttered home.

I am going...

I am finally going to Titlewave tomorrow to drop off some old books and movies and maybe pick out some new ones.  I have been putting this off for a few weeks and so I am putting it at the top of my list of priorities for tomorrow.  I am sick of having a bag of old books take up space on my living room floor!

I am wondering...

I have been wondering why there is not a single clothing company that makes a good variety of nursing tops for women.  I would just love to find a soft, long-sleeve top that makes it easy and comfortable to nurse Riggs in public.  I really dislike having to lift up my shirt, even if I have a nursing tank on to cover my stomach.  It just isn't comfortable for me.

I am reading...

You Are Your Child's First Teacher, by Rahima Baldwin Dancy.  So far this is a very inspiring book.  I just finished The Vaccine Book, by Dr. Robert Sears and The Parents Concise Guide to Childhood Vaccinations, by Lauren Feder, both of which were eye-openers for me.  I highly recommend reading them, especially if you are pregnant or have a newborn.  They helped Steve and I feel that we are actually making an educated decision regarding vaccinations for Riggs.

I am hoping...

I am hoping that I can permanantly stick to my goals of eating less refined sugar, exercising more, and getting outside every single day, regardless of weather.

I am looking forward to...

Buying a house.  Having less stuff.  Summer.  The Hobbit Movie part I.

I am learning...

I am learning to listen to my heart {as corny as it sounds}.

Around the house...

I have been going through our belongings with a very critical eye, weeding out so many things that we do not use and therefore do not need.  I have a strict guideline in mind when trying to decide whether to purge or keep an item - if we have not touched it in a month, I should probably let it go {obviously this doesn't apply to certain items, like winter/summer clothes, keepsakes, etc}.  This might seem strict, and sometimes it is hard letting go of something we payed good money for, but it is helping me learn an important lesson:  only spend your hard-earned money on things you know you will use and use often!  Regardless of how much money you spent on an item, if you aren't using it, you aren't losing any money by letting it go!

It feels so good to be simplifying our lives.  Unfortunately, there are still many, many things that need to be purged from our home {at least in my opinion.  I have come to realize that the kind of home I dream of is one free of run-of-the-mill items, and instead furnished only with things that we really and truly love}.  It is hard to admit you were wrong, and I have had to admit it many times a day as I bag up item after item that I know I should never have brought into our home {and not because of the cost, but because I didn't need or even truly want that item!}, so this has been sort of a roller coaster ride of emotions.  Even though I know we don't have that much stuff compared to most Americans, I know that it's still too much for us.  At times I have been very hard on us, feeling down and thinking that if we had just controlled ourselves a little more, there would be a lot less stuff cluttering up our sacred home space and a lot more money in the bank for spending on things that are a lot more important, like a house and planning for the future.  Sigh.  As Steve keeps reminding me, at least we are figuring it out now.

A favorite quote for today...

1 Thessalonians 3:11-12 "...to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one." 

One of my favorite things...

The wool blanket that Steve got me for my birthday last year.

A few plans for the rest of the week...

Riggs' two month appointment and a Homer trip.

A peek into my day...

...and now I am off to bed, sweet dreams everyone!

Simple Women's Daybook

January 11

Outside my window.... everything has been blanketed in a thick layer of ice crystals and it is beautiful!  Steve is outside getting some projects done as well, and every so often I see him crunchy by the window in his insulated coveralls, black knit hat, and leather gloves.  

here is an example of the ice covering everything, from my walk with Beau earlier today

I am thinking...that there is still some ice cream in the fridge!  Also wishing to read the perfect fiction book, but cannot find it :(

I am thankful for... the beautiful earth God created for us to enjoy.  

From the learning rooms...and the reading begins again!  My classes are as follows:  ED230 - Introduction to Educational Technology, ED304 - Literature for Children and Young Adults, ED320A - Art in K-8 Curriculum, ED320B - Physical Education in the K-8 Curriculum, ED320C - Music in the K-8 Curriculum, ED333 The Learner and the Learning Process, INTL315 - Canada:  Nation and Identity, PSY111 - General Psychology.  Lots of reading for this semester, but I'm thrilled to be finally learning how to be a teacher :)

I am wearing...wool leggings, a Sporthill hoodie, and wool REI socks.  

I am remembering...how good all the books I read as a kid were!

I am going...to work on homework as soon as I'm done writing this blog post

I am creating...not much of anything today

I am reading... Holes, by Louis Sachar, which is required for my Children's Literature class, as well as all my other required reading.

I am hoping... for a smooth and enjoyable semester.  Also to someday learn French (silly, I know)

I am hearing... Loreena McKennitt

On my mind...I am very concerned about staying organized this semester.  Nearly all my classes are online, so I have a lot of different due dates, check in days/times, ect. and I would really like to stay on top of it.  Also getting my application in for the Masters of Teaching program at UAS, and making sure everything checks out for graduating on May 1.  

From the Kitchen... homemade Shepard's Pie

One of my favorite things... good music, a good book, and feeling the warmth of the sun when it is only 18 degrees out.

A few plans for the week... making it through my first week of class.  Ladies Bible study on Thursday.  Getting outside, whether it be through taking photos, skiing, anything to get some fresh air and exercise.

Photos of the day, from my afternoon walk on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail:

Mt. Susistna, or Sleeping Lady

Beau enjoying the bench at the Lagoon

getting my Vitamin D

Flight patterns...

Some tripod experimentation

Fog rolling in at the Lagoon

crescent moon