Sleep Eating

It's about time for a funny post!  

My youngest son went for his 15 month check up a few weeks ago.  We were at the doctor's office for hours, and everyone came home exhausted.  I knew my son was tired, but  I figured he must be hungry too.  I thought it'd probably be a good idea to feed him at least a little something before taking him up to his crib.  I put a blueberry-banana muffin on his tray.

He grabbed the muffin.

Squished it in his face, double-handed.

And then.....

fell asleep.

With hands, and muffin, still pressed against his face.


But the best part?  It's like he was dreaming of eating.... so he was still chomping down on his muffin while thoroughly asleep!  You could even see his eyes moving as if he's in REM sleep!





It was hilarious.  I stood there for a minute just laughing.  And then I did the only thing a parent can do in these types of situations... I got out the camera.

On Loss

If you are squeamish or generally uninterested in reading about the personal and medical matters of another's life, you best stop here.  I have plenty of other interesting, not-so-personal posts that will mostly likely suit you.  But today, I'm getting a little deep....

This was a hard week for me.  A week of confusion, uncertainty, disappointment, and ultimately loss.  My husband and I have three beautiful, young children, and at this time last week, I was pregnant with number four.  At least, I thought I was pregnant with number four.  I could hardly believe that I had kept the secret so long, since I have such a *huge* mouth.  Anyone who knows me well knows that I talk about anything with anyone.  So the fact that I was 10+ weeks along and hadn't told more than a handful of people was quite an accomplishment.  I couldn't wait to see my family in a few weeks and tell them the news--they'd be shocked that I was almost three months along and they hadn't even known!!

But then there was spotting.... and then a doctor's appointment without hearing any baby heartbeat... and then an ultrasound with only a six week sac... and then blood levels that showed my pregnancy hormones dropping... Days later the actual process of miscarrying begun, and the blood flow and pain was more than I ever anticipated.  As if knowing you lost your precious baby wasn't bad enough, then you had to actually get all of that nonviable pregnancy out of your body--not an easy thing to do, especially at 11 weeks along.  My heart breaks even more now to think of women who are even in their second and third trimester and lose their babies.  I think I'd probably become a hermit for a *long* while until I could deal with all that pain and loss.

"Blighted Ovum"--first time I heard the phrase and it's certainly taken over my week.  There was an afternoon and evening where there was still hope it wasn't a blighted ovum, just that I was much further behind in my pregnancy than expected.  But blood tests the next day confirmed it.  So many emotions.  So much confusion.  I thought I was going to be okay with it, but then the actual process started to happen.  Back at the hospital, I decided this wasn't so easy after all.

I will always remember this week.  And I am so thankful for my friends who have been there when I needed them--to listen to my heartache, to take my kids at a moments notice, and to bring me dinner when I could hardly stand up.  In this time, I am finding hope in a God who is good, who has planned good for me since the beginning of time, and in whom I can always put my trust.  May this Scripture give you encouragement in whatever trials you face, just as it has brought me encouragement in mine.

Isaiah 55

“Come, all you who are thirsty,
    come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
    come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without cost.
² Why spend money on what is not bread,
    and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
    and you will delight in the richest of fare.
³ Give ear and come to me;
    listen, that you may live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
    my faithful love promised to David.
⁴ See, I have made him a witness to the peoples,
    a ruler and commander of the peoples.
⁵ Surely you will summon nations you know not,
    and nations you do not know will come running to you,
because of the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel,
    for he has endowed you with splendor.”

⁶ Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call on him while he is near.
⁷ Let the wicked forsake their ways
    and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
    and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

⁸ “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts.
¹⁰ As the rain and the snow
    come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
    without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
    so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,
¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
    It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
    and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
¹² You will go out in joy
    and be led forth in peace;
the mountains and hills
    will burst into song before you,
and all the trees of the field
    will clap their hands.
¹³ Instead of the thornbush will grow the juniper,
    and instead of briers the myrtle will grow.
This will be for the Lord’s renown,
    for an everlasting sign,
    that will endure forever.”

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Metamorphosis

I know the word, metamorphosis.  And of course, I knew, in theory, that a butterfly becomes such after first being a caterpillar, and then forming a chrysalis.

But watching the process happen in my own home was something entirely different.  Watching our itsy bitsy caterpillar grow to two inches in the span of only two weeks was miraculous.  And after hanging upside-down in a J shape for half a day, suddenly our caterpillar started disappearing all together.  I was amazed.

(And here's an interesting video catching part of this process....)

I had jumped at the chance to "raise" a baby monarch because I thought my kids would enjoy it.  I didn't realize how much I would enjoy the process as well.  I think in the end, it was I who was mourning when the butterfly took flight, not my children.  I felt somehow connected to its life, and then I had to watch it fly away.  The only remedy to my disappointment that I can think of is to mark it on the calendar...next year, I'm going to find another egg.

Etsy 100 GIVEAWAY!! :)

Hello out there friends and fans!  I'm hijacking the blog for business-related items for the next week or so in order to celebrate getting up to 100 items on my Etsy page!  It took a whole lot more time and effort than I expected, but now I'm enjoying being in the triple digits!  To celebrate this achievement, I'm hosting my first giveaway.  :-D

There will be two items that you can try to win, and I'm going to let an awesome website called Rafflecopter do all the work for me!  There are a few ways to get "points", and each point will gain you added advantage in the winners pot.  At the end of the giveaway, Rafflecopter will choose two entries at random.  And the best part?  I'll even ship you the item for FREE! :)  A gen-u-ine  giveaway!  Can you tell I'm excited?

So, here are your options.  Do note that some of the options for getting points you can do multiple days in a row.  Might want to keep that in mind if you really want to win! :)   (Reversible bow ties are a $12 value and the Satin Flowers with Ostrich feathers are a $15 value.)

Good Luck! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Didn't know I had an Etsy page?  Go check it out!! :)  Crafts By Libby

Out on a Limb (Or stem, as it were)

In recent weeks our family acquired two baby monarch butterfly eggs.  At this moment, they are both in chrysalis form--it's been an exciting process to watch!!  One particular part of the process keeps hanging on my mind, as it seems it could be a metaphor for so many of life's adventures.

I suppose it wasn't a part of the process, exactly.  It was more a simple moment in the process.  Every couple of days I had to change the milkweed leaves out so that the caterpillars had enough food for their exponential growth.  On this day, one of the caterpillars had eaten itself onto just the stem of the leaf.  For a solid three inches of stem, it had consumed all of the leaf substance previously surrounding that area.  All that remained was stem and caterpillar.

I keep thinking about life on a limb....  pondering how my life might be compared to this caterpillars... bent on nothing but consumption?  Risking injury to get what I want?  Pushing until there's nothing left?  Needing new direction?  Thinking about the present, without too much thought to the future?  Focusing on one area without seeing the big picture?

I'm not sure that all of these would apply to me.  I am sure that one could probably derive many more "wonderings" about life based on this simple picture.  It's just such an interesting image....plentiful milkweed, and there hangs the caterpillar, alone, on the end of the stem....

Just pondering.  Guess it's been one of those weeks, just to wonder about life and what we're all really doing.  (And what are we supposed to be doing....?)

A Fun Project

My four year old begs almost daily to do a new craft--a new craft that's "different" and more "exciting" than we've ever done before.  This is not only a difficult request, but truthfully becoming an increasingly annoying one.  While my head is swimming with all the things I have to get done, the pressure from a four year old to come up with an amazingly creative craft, is simply irksome.  As much as I try to dissuade him from crafting, he will not have it.

Thankfully, we recently read this book: http://www.amazon.com/Welcome-Home-Mouse-Elisa-Kleven/dp/1582462771/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1344993482&sr=1-2&keywords=a+home+for+mouse

It's an adorable book--both in content and artistry.  My children had me read it again and again until finally it was due back to the library.  In the book, the clumsy elephant creates a beautiful replacement home (since he accidentally ruins the first) for his new friend mouse.  The house in the story was what we might think of as a diorama, made with a box and other small random objects.  Thankfully, this book gave me an easy idea for craft time....

I was so appreciative of the hour or more I got to spend doing the dishes in quiet...while my son tirelessly worked on making this house a home.  We had even made popsicle stick people the day before (another days craft that I had to come up with...), so the house even had inhabitants upon its completion.

So, there it is, a nice new house....  would you want to live there?

Chalk Mats to GO!

Chalk mats are a huge new trend--actually, chalk anything.  Chalk banners.  Chalk mirrors (or, used-to-be-mirrors).  Chalk placemats.  Chalk tablecloths.  I even saw a chalk dress!  In an effort to make our upcoming travel a bit more fun, I set about making some quick to-go chalkmats for my kids.  I wanted a pocket so they could keep the chalk with the mats, and also some type of closure.  Oh, and I wanted them small enough to fit in their laps!

And, while they might not be the nicest looking chalkmats around, I can happily say I completed my task in less than half an hour!  I just grabbed some random scrap material (an old pair of jeans and an old  armrest cover), and voila!  Fun activity to go.  Check it out! :)

The Chase

My 10 month old son recently realized he could reach the fruit bowl.  This has been a wonderful discovery, for both him and me.  He enjoys stealing apples.  I enjoy watching his mischievousness.  Sure, when he's a little older, I won't be as happy to watch him get into trouble.  But for now, while he's so doggone cute, and merely stealing apples, I will revel in this innocent test of ability.

In his theft, one apple never seems enough.  He gets one, but then after a few bites seem to want a greater challenge.  At that point, apple in hand, he tries to pull himself up to get another.  This is more difficult than one might realize, since getting to the fruit bowl a second time with one hand full of apple is a serious feat.  He can't yet stand on is own, so he needs those hands to help pull himself up.  Yesterday, he was successful in his attempt.  

However, procuring two apples is one challenge--keeping them both nearby is another.  

Just thought you might enjoy seeing a little of this game in action....and hearing big sister (2 years old)  trying to help in the event. :)

Bridesmaid dress *makeover*

Six years ago this summer I was toiling away in a sky-high apartment in Cambridge, MA, working on my bridesmaid's dresses.  I had decided to make the dresses, so that they could match my wedding gown in style.  I had also decided to make the dresses out of cotton, instead of satin, thinking that when the wedding was over, the girls might be able to wear the dresses to another event.

In the process, since I'm not an expert seamstress by far, I had decided to first make a dress for myself--that way I knew what I should keep the same about the pattern, and what I'd like to have changed for the girls' dresses.

Outside of trying the dress on right after I made it, I've never worn it since.  I noticed it this past Sunday in my closest and decided, "heck, why don't I do something about this dress to make it a little more wear-able...?"  Since I've been sewing more of late, I thought I'd take a stab at making some creative changes.  I figured, what's the worst thing that could happen?  I'd ruin it?  It's not like I was wearing it anyway, so what would that matter?

Since I didn't care too much if my project failed, I didn't put much effort into making my lines clean.  Now that it's turned out half-decent, I'm just hoping that the people in the pew behind me at church aren't staring at my poor sewing the next time I wear this on a Sunday morning.  From far away, I think it looks cute enough to wear.  Maybe if my bridesmaids have their dresses still collecting dust in their closets, they could do a dress revamp of their own. :)

Most of the important things I changed dealt with the bodice--it was way too bulky up top to feel comfortable, and it came too high on the back.  I cut on both sides of the "straps" to make them thinner, but still wasn't satisfied in the end.  I ultimately decided to add two little loops to draw in the straps to make them more comfortable.  In the back, I simply cut out a huge chunk of fabric, folded down the zipper and sewed.  I also trimmed the length so that it lays just below the knee instead of just below the calf.  I think it still could have used a little more off the bottom, but I was getting kind of tired of the project by that point....  (My moods are so easily shifting!)

Sorry the pictures aren't so great---I often have trouble taking pictures of myself!

Basil #2

Wondering what else you can do with your basil?  Here's a delicious (and colorful!) meal that's not only simple, but somewhat cool for these 100 degree days.  I am sure you can make lots of variations of this idea, so I will just give you the basics of what I did and you can use your own creativity from there.... :)

Pasta salad with basil, tomatoes, mozzarella and northern beans  (yes, really, northern beans!!)

Ingredients:

pasta

great northern beans, rinsed and drained

basil

fresh garlic cloves

olive oil

cherry tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

shredded mozzarella cheese

1)  Marinate your basil in a bag with 1/2 to 1 cup of olive oil (depending on how much pasta you're making).  Add to the bag your cherry tomatoes, garlic cloves, and salt/pepper.

2) Cook your pasta.  At about 5 minutes left, add your beans to your pasta.  Drain.  At this point, you can either rinse your pasta with cold water to get it cool faster, or just let it sit.  (In my case, I just let it sit for half an hour because I was busy getting other things done and my sink was already full of dirty dishes... :-/  )  **Personally, I don't like COLD pasta salad, so I didn't want to put it in the fridge.  I thought it was perfect slightly cooled, so that it wasn't steaming, but it was warm enough to heat up the tomatoes a bit when they were added.

3)  Once the pasta and bean mixture has cooled slightly, add your marinade.  You can either add your shredded mozzarella cheese here, or let everyone at the table do that part themselves.

That's it!  I'm sure many of you would think of this more as a side dish, so feel free to make it that.... but in my house, I make my family go without. :-P hahahaha!  I'm sure having a side salad would have been great, but meh, that's more work.  I figure, this had something green, a vegetable, carbs (which is necessary for my hypoglycemic son)  and even good protein from the beans and cheese.  That's good enough for me.  And maybe, when it's 104 degrees at your house, it will be good enough for you too..... ;-)

Basil #1

Finally, reaping the harvest!  Okay, in all honesty, we've been reaping a harvest of basil for weeks now, but only "finally" getting around to taking pictures....

I've had such a feeling of satisfaction this year as I planted about 60 basil plants from seed, all of which grew beautifully. I sold about half of them, but don't worry, what's left is plenty for us. :)

Of course the first thing that comes to mind when you think basil is probably basil pesto, right?  In our house it sure is.  My four year old loves pesto; consequently, that's where most of our basil goes.  Every couple of days I get to making pesto again.  He eats tablespoons of the stuff every day, after all.  (On bread, wraps, pasta, pretty much anything bread-y.)

Want some fresh pesto?  Come on over.  I'll only share if you stay a while and chat, though....  :)

Stay Safe, Little Birdie

I noticed something strangely unlike basil sitting in a pot on my porch yesterday....  That is, I noticed its dissimilarities to basil right off, seeing as how only basil was supposed to be in that pot.

Turns out, it was a small robin, still speckled on its breast showing it's young age.  The poor thing tried to fly out of the pot once my children neared its hideout.  We then watched it hop across the road--almost being run over by two separate cars as it clumsily moved to and fro.  Thankfully it made it to the porch of the neighbor, and we promptly followed it.  We watched it try desperately to gain higher ground, but its wings only sputtered.  What a precious sight.

We left it in a bush right off our neighbor's porch.  I only hope that it's still alive today, despite the many dangers that abound for a fledgling robin on our street.  If only the cats next door recognized the beauty of it as much as we did.