Then and Now

I've only taken a couple of pictures of me during my pregnancy, but I thought I'd post them for fun.

Five Months:

8 1/2 Months:

Last-MInute Sewing

I had a couple of projects that I still wanted to get done before the baby, and I was able to finish them last week.  

I had one nine-patch square left over from the quilt that I wanted to use for a pillow...

And I wanted to make a nursing cover...

Simple Comfort...

It's funny how much comfort small things can bring.

Several years ago I purchased a gray zip-up sweatshirt, and I loved it.  I wore it all the time.  It gradually got dirty and worn, and then I got something (I can't remember what) on it that I didn't want to put through the wash.  Since it was fairly worn out anyway, I threw it away.  I've missed that sweatshirt ever since, and I've been on the look out for one similar.  I haven't seen too many of them, and often they don't fit right.  Every once and a while I'll mention my search for a gray sweatshirt.

Well, the other day my sweet husband surprised me by giving me the sweatshirt I've been looking for.  Apparently he'd been searching for one, and he recently found one, so while I was out the other day he went and purchased one for me.  It makes me happy every time I put it on, partially because it's so nice to have one again, and partially, of course, because it reminds me of my wonderful husband and his thoughtfulness!  =)

Ready and Waiting

I finished the baby's bumper pads a couple of weeks ago, and just the other day we got the bed completely ready, finished off with a mobile from my grandma!

Now all it needs is the baby!  =)

Autumn Blessings

A few things I love about fall......



Flannel sheets.

Pumpkins, gourds, and new centerpieces.

Colorful leaves.

Homemade soup.

Cocoa and cider.

Cozy sweaters.

Getting Ready....

We're down to 4 1/2 weeks! We just have one childbirth class left; at our class this week we got to tour the maternity center, which was fun. Everything is starting to get more and more real! =)
So far I've been able to get a couple of meals in the freezer, as well as some bags of cooked chicken, which will be nice to have available. Tomorrow we're planning to get the hospital suitcase packed so that's ready. I also need to finish shopping for Seth's birthday, since it's the day before the due date - I don't want to leave that to the last minute!

Necklace Jar

For years I kept my jewelry in a jewelry box, and I constantly had to struggle with necklaces that got tangled up. As I grew older and got nicer jewelry, I decided I needed a better system for storing necklaces. A friend of mine had a necklace jar, and I really liked it, but wasn't able to find anything like it. I saw a few plastic necklace jars, but not a nice glass one like she had. I decided to try and make one myself. I tried finding a glass jar with a wooden lid, but ended up finding a jar that had a cork lid, and thought that would work well. I bought some small screw-in hooks, screwed them into the cork lid, and had a nice necklace jar. I've had this jar for several years, and I love it! Not only does it look nice on the bathroom counter, but I have never had to fight with tangled necklaces again.

This has been such a great solution to my problem. All that is needed to make one is a tall jar with a cork or wooden lid, and some small cup hooks. After making mine, I decided that cork was probably better than wood, since it requires almost no effort to get the hooks screwed in, but I'm sure wood would work just as well. I haven't had any trouble with the hooks becoming loose in the cork, but they could be glued after being screwed in, especially if the necklaces to be hung are fairly heavy. I have had a hard time finding tall jars with cork lids, but was able to find one recently that I made into a necklace jar for my sister.

Here are a couple of pictures of the finished product: