Baby Gifts

Over dinner tonight, Nathan mentioned that his co-worker (who has hosted us to dinner) is having a small baby shower on Saturday. He asked if I could make her a little something. I wasn't surprised by Nathan's last minute request, but I wanted to make something cute because I really like Amanda.

Nathan told me the nursery is an owl theme with hints of teal, so after I put Allison to bed (8pm), I found this idea, made a pattern, sewed it, and wrapped it, and was in bed at 10pm.

It measured about 18 inches tall and was so easy to make. The pattern idea that I took it from was selling for $10! I have no idea what you would be paying for because it was so simple.

I love making baby gifts- this is a (copy) of a doll I made for my friend's daughter for Christmas. I read somewhere (I think Canadian Living Magazine) that these dolls are the NEW WAY to use minky fabric. Minky fabric is a super soft, raised dot fabric. These dolls are also really simple- I made two- one for Lucy, and one for Allison. Allison sleeps with hers and uses it for a pillow, then carries it around like a doll during the day.

Call Night

Sometimes Nathan has to work split shifts. This means that he goes in for a short shift (9 hours), gets a few hours off, then has to return for the afternoon shift (7pm-2am).

Last night Nathan had to work this shift but forgot his pager at home. He called the switchboard to have his hospital pages switched to a pager at the hospital but if anyone paged him directly it came to his home pager.

He only got about 6 pages (but most were between 11pm-3am) so when the pager went off, I'd text him the number to return the call.

It made for a very long night for the both of us.

 Nathan made it up to me by bringing these beautiful tulips home. Tulips are my favorite flower and we've found a wonderful shop that always has the best, freshest, flowers. It was a wonderful treat to have in this (back to cold) weather.

Calendar

It was a year in the making but our portrait calendar finally arrived in the mail. I get coupons sent to my email through Joann's Fabrics and at the end of the year, Joann's partnered with Shutterfly to give free calendar's to it's subscribers.

The calendar only cost me $7 in shipping costs and it's really high quality. I love looking at it and remembering all the fun we had putting it together.

More Park Fun

Today was Nathan's last day of holidays. It's been wonderful having him home but I know he's anxious to get back to work. He starts to feel couped up after about 3 days off. On his third day off we were standing in the kitchen and as he left the room he carefully stepped over lego, forks, and a half dozen pointy toys. I said, "Nathan, don't just walk over them, move them out of the walk path so I don't step on them!"

"Amanda, if I picked up every toy on the floor that you could trip on, I'd spend the whole days picking up toys."

I wish I had taken a picture of my face.

After church today we decided to go to the park a few blocks from our house. It seemed like everyone in our neighborhood had the same idea and the grounds were packed. We stayed for an hour to wear Allison out and enjoy the 16 degree weather.

Allison still loves the swings and today she was introduced to the merry-go-round. Nathan didn't spin her very fast and she didn't seem too dizzy. She had a great time.

Warm Winter

After several weeks of freeze your knees temperatures, we've entered a warm spell here in KC. Yesterday is made it up to 17 degrees! That's how warm PEI was during our honeymoon (in August)!

We haven't done any park exploring lately so we checked out a map and found a small park not far from our house. It's in a small neighborhood and is right beside a small lake and it had a brand new set of playground equipment.

Allison played on the swings and went down the slide (all by herself) but she was most interested in the large number of Canada geese that were frolicking in the water. One goose kept following us and it made me nervous (geese are CRAZY) but thankfully it kept it's distance.

We stayed for just over an hour before Allison started to get sleepy. She had a 3 hour nap when we got home!

 

 

Alli Loves Elmo

Allison has loved having the attention of her Dad this week. She loved having our guests over the holidays because it meant more people to laugh with her, play with her, and encourage her. I think she was disappointed last week when she only had me.

Nathan says (each day) that he can't believe how tiring it is looking after a small person. Allison is draining and her added energy from having Dad home only makes her more wild.

Nathan has been spending a lot of time with Allison- giving her her nightly bath, reading with her, and playing with her toys- although judging from the castle he built, I'd say he enjoyed the Duplo more than Allison.

At the beginning of the week (when it was still really cold) we decided to take Allison to McDonald's to play out her energy. She was unsure of the tunnels at first (she played in the toddler area) but once she realized she could always see us, she had a great time.

One morning we were at the computer store so that Nathan could look at all the newest gadgets. I took Allison on a walk through the store to keep her hands off the merchandise and let Nathan have a minute to himself. As we were walking down one of the aisles, we passed a salesman who looked at Allison and said, "I can guess who your Dad is!" We were no where near Nathan and there were about 60 people in the store. It was cute - but I still wish Allison looked like me.

My friend April had her daughter at the end of 2014 and she looks just like her husband. April and I shared the disappointment of having gorgeous little girls who don't look like us. I was thankful that Nathan was home this week and I could go visit baby Greer without Allison. Greer is gorgeous with long, dark hair. She cuddled into my fuzzy sweater and slept for most of my visit.

I was also able to visit with my friend Eleanor and her daughter Camille. Camille turned two and we brought her a couple of birthday balloons. We also bought Allison a balloon since she loves them so much and for $1, it is absolutely worth it!

We got her an Elmo balloon because Allison loves all things Elmo.

Obviously.

Food

Nathan gets 3 weeks of holidays each year and he likes to take each week of holidays 4 months apart so he doesn't get too worn out. January is always our least active holiday because it's so cold that we don't end up doing much. We talked about going on a short trip but if we were going to travel, we wanted to go somewhere warm- which is expensive and a hassle with a young child. We decided to stay at home and binge on great food and takeout as our holiday treat.

On Tuesday night we visited the Henke family (as we do every vacation) and had a dessert night. The Henke's have 5 kids, yet Allison made more messes in their house than all of the others put together. It was a little embarrassing.

I made a triple chocolate bundt cake for dessert. It was really good, but the recipe called for a pudding mix to be added (for extra moisture) and it was really tasty but it was so moist and soft that it almost didn't taste baked through - it was! It was still really good and I would make it again (minus the pudding mix).

We've had BBQ and takeout (on more than one occasion) but we always have breakfast at home.
My new favorite recipe is to make quiche (eggs, milk, ham, and cheese) in tortilla shells. So delicious and easy! I made them twice since Nathan loved them too.

We've also been using the waffle iron on multiple occasions. We're on our last bottle of Palmer's Maple Syrup but that didn't slow us down!

Projects and Goals

At the beginning of each year I try to come up with a project and goal for the upcoming months.Since this is my 1000th post, and it's the beginning of a new year, I thought it was time to make some resolutions.

Last year, my goal was to floss everyday and my projects were to make a 12 month calendar of (hilarious) family photographs and to make an ornament a week for the Christmas tree.

They aren't big goals but I was able to achieve them so it felt a lot better than making a big plan and not being able to finish it.

I decided that I needed a project for this year and I started thinking about ways I can use my crafting for someone else. I love making things but I find it hard to find homes for all the things I want to make.

I checked into a few places that take blankets, bags, or dolls and decided that I'd work with a few places throughout the year.

My first place that I'm going to donate to is Children's Mercy Hospital. Nathan and I both have friends who work at this hospital and I love the idea of sewing for kids. I spoke with the head of volunteer services this week and she helped me pick a couple of different projects for things they need at the hospital. Nathan and I talked about a budget and I'm giving myself 8 weeks to complete the project.

Since Nathan had the week off, I was able to wander through Joann's without Allison and make some thoughtful decisions on fabric. For the first time (EVER), I'm working with fleece. I have some friends that make rag quilts and they always brag about how easy and fast they are so I decided to give them a try (since traditional quilting takes a long time and is very expensive).

I'll keep you posted on my progress!

Cinnamon Buns

Some times I get the craving for desserts. Not to eat desserts, but to bake. I love baking and trying new recipes. After church Nathan and Allison both had a nap. Nathan has been trying to switch his sleeping schedule back to normal and Allison had another rough morning in the church nursery.

Tonight our small group for church met for the first time since our December break. I decided to try a new cinnamon roll recipe. They turned out really well- not as sweet as I would have thought but still good- fluffy and light.

The trick to baking anything with yeast is a DIY proofer. A proofer is a warm moisture box used in a bakery to make things rise quickly and evenly. I worked with one when I worked at Foodland and one day when it broke, we had to improvise. I didn't have access to the tray racks that I had back then, so instead I improvised. I warmed the oven for a few minutes. Boiled a large pot of water, put the tray in the oven on the top shelf, then poured the boiling water into a 9X13 pan on the bottom shelf. The 1-2 hour rise time was cut down to 25 minutes. I just kept the door closed and waited for them to be ready. It was super simple but it makes a huge difference to the finished product.

I topped the rolls off with cheese cheese icing because it is so amazing and should be put on everything.

The rolls were a hit and I only came home with 2 of the 14. It was wonderful to see our friends, I feel like I haven't seen everyone in so long and it was a great way to catch up.

Baby Bather

My parents left at the beginning of the week and I was so sad to see them go. They were a huge help with Allison, I really felt like I got a break. My Dad did the dishes for the entire week and my Mom and I were able to get some girl-time.

Nathan was on the night shift for the rest of the week so it was just Allison and I from Tuesday-Saturday. Usually I try to have a few outings, like grocery shopping, mom group, and our weekly visit to the community center but it's been so cold that I didn't want to leave the house.

Allison got cabin fever by day 2 and to help I started letting her take really long baths. When the water would cool, I'd just drain it and put warm water back in. She played for about 45 a day and slept like a rock!

 

 

Moms

I read this quote a few months ago and knew I wanted to attach it to a photo of my mom, Allison, and I. Yesterday I managed to get a few pictures of us all together.

 Knuckles jutting rose as she clasped both around mine, the same ones that would run gently, tenderly through my hair in the childhood dark when nightmares would rise and sounds creak too loud; her hands are growing just a little more papery by the year. Cold, sharp tears crept up my throat and crawled unwelcome behind my eyes as I set my jaw and swallowed hard and admitted the haunting fear.

“What if I’m not the mother you were?” I whispered to her.

She smiled gently at me, understanding.

“Oh, honey, you won’t be me. You’ll never be.

You’ll be, you are already, the mother your child needs.”

I’m who they need?

I’ve said before, she's the one I need,

but to think I’m the one she needs? That is where I’m humbled.

Twenty Months

Stinson

The day after the Sanderse clan left, the Stinson's arrived. My parents flew in Monday afternoon for a one week stay.

 It's been great having my parents here- my Dad loves to be outside- just like Allison. They've been going on many adventure trips around the backyard. 

I took my mom to the Matt Ross Community Center so she could see how we spend our Tuesday mornings. There weren't many people there so it was easy to keep an eye on Allison while we chatted.

Nathan had to work nights this week so he left each night at 6pm. I had considered going out for New Year's but since I'm usually in bed by 9pm, I didn't think I could make it to the countdown. Instead, my mom and I played Scrabble, drank wine, and ate imported cheese.

On New Year's Day we hit the thrift stores. All the stores have 50% off sales on major holidays and since my parents come on holidays it always works out perfectly. I found about a dozen things that I loved, including duplo for Allison (and Nathan) and 4 brand new dresses.

We saw a really nice toddler bed for $12 and my parents bought it for Allison for Christmas. She's not ready for it yet but it will be a great transition bed.

I wanted to make something for my parents to take home for my brother's kids so at night (after Allison goes to bed) I've been working on these new winter hats. They probably have too many hats already but these are customized!

We've been making most of our meals at home, with the exception of takeout from our favorite Indian restaurant and takeout from Joe's Kansas City. You can't come to KC and not have BBQ.

Other a Costco trip, a trip to Joann's Fabrics (my mom wanted me to make her some table runners) and a trip to Walmart, we've just been hanging around the house visiting.