Decorating a Nursery?

For all you moms-to-be out there working on plans for the perfect nursery (or anyone else who's in the mood to decorate their child's room on someone else's dime), drop by An Island Life
for a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to KooKoo Bear Kids!

Now Hiring

Apparently, Norah decided to promote herself from "school lunch lady" to "lunch room manager" today, because I walked in to find her presenting her trusty "hair net" to Monkey. (Official presentation photo at left)









Next, she went on to sit Monkey down for a brief orientation of her new job description.









Who knew whistling was such a vital job skill in school lunch service? Or maybe she was just demonstrating what to do in the event that food they were serving was too hot...










Posing for a quick staff photo.

















I tried to explain to Norah that kissing on the job is ill-advised. Naturally, she blamed Monkey.














Monkey was sacked a short time later, but took the news rather well. I can't wait to see who Norah hires next!

Weekend Recap

Jason had a five day weekend that began last Thursday, and lasted through Monday. He seldom takes vacations (this one was due to the fact that Texas Truck Riggins was closed for a family vacation, so he had no choice). At first I was a little disappointed that we hadn't made plans to go anywhere...but in the end, we had a fantastic weekend, just spending quality time together.

Thursday was a boring, but necessary day--J had a doctor's check-up, then we met with a man about having new siding and windows put on the house. (We decided to wait a little longer, but definitely want to have it done in the not-too-distant future) Thursday night was more fun--we had dinner with some good friends from church, all with kids close to Norah's age. (That is always a double-blessing because Norah has fun playing with the kids, plus no one feels the need to make excuses for why they're leaving at 8pm to put kids to bed!)

Friday was a productive day. We went shopping (all three of us!) for a special birthday gift for Shelby, then came home and worked on invitations for a shower I'm helping with in a couple of weeks. Saturday, as you may have guessed by the photos I've already posted, was Shelby's birthday party at Bee Creek Park. We hadn't taken there Norah there before, and she loved it! It was a great park, with lots of playground equipment (most importantly, slides!) that were covered with shaded canopies--a rare, but well-appreciated luxury around here! Norah loved Katy's cupcakes. (You might notice her pointing in the second photo, mouth, agape with the word, "Pleeeease!")

Jenny and I had fun watching a "natural pecking order" being established among our girls. Patti (age 2) was trailing behind her cousin Chloe and Kaylie (both close to 4), trying so hard to imitate their every move. Meanwhile, unbeknowst to her, Norah was just a few steps behind Patti, trying to keep up. I guess everyone wants to play with the big girls!

Thankfully, Norah and Patti both found pastimes that they could enjoy on their own. For Norah, it was the slides. For a while, she was content to go up, and down the "little" slide. She preferred climbing back up the slide, rather than going around to the stairs. (This enabled her to monopolize the slide, because anyone knows that no one else can go down your slide if you're climbing up it....next life lesson: sharing the slide and being considerate of others)

After a while, Norah decided to explore the rest of the play ground...and it was then that she saw it--the Mother Slide. As soon as she spotted it, she began frantically climbing platforms in an effort to reach the top. When I realized where she was headed, I panicked for a moment and asked Jenny what I should do. It was so high--and Norah, despite what she may think, is still a novice slider. Jenny's reply was quick and decisive, "Go down with her!" So I hurried up and put Norah in my lap, and down we went. (After a little push from Cal, who you can see just behind me) Norah loved it. Definitely a fun morning for her. Thanks to Katy, James, & Shelby for showing us a good time.

After the party, we headed home to dive into the final volume of Harry Potter. Norah was a good sport, and entertained herself/napped while we read. The remainder of our vacation, for the most part, was spent reading...and I don't think Jason or I would have had it any other way. It was bittersweet when we closed the book for the last time, knowing it was the end of an era for us. We've read each of the Potter books together, as they have been released, and thoroughly enjoyed that time spent together, trying to guess the next plot twist and anxiously anticipating the next book release. (Waiting sometimes 2 years between books can really build excitement!) Like I said, it was a quiet, but great family weekend...and I don't regret "staying home" one bit.

Congratulations, James & Katy

Our good friends, James & Katy Garner, welcomed their second daughter, Zoe, into their family early this morning. Norah helped me pick out some fabric and I sewed up a shirt for little Zoe and new big sister, Shelby.

Jason, Norah and I went to see them this evening. Zoe is such a pretty baby, and we were thrilled to meet her.

Haat?!

Norah loves hats! Lately, she can't get enough of them, so she's been inventing her own. One of her favorites is pictured at left. Its a plastic case that Grandma gave her, which is normally filled with plastic animals. At first, when she brought it to me, I thought she wanted me to unzip it to "free" her animals...but she was much more interested in wearing the bag on her head. Jason and I haven't decided whether she's an aspiring school lunch lady, or maybe an astronaut?




Here is in one of her favorite places...on the footrest of daddy's rocking chair. Anytime Norah hears daddy open up his chair to recline, she races over to sit down with him. She loves to "Rockie, rockie!"




Another favorite "hat" of late is her shorts. We've been potty training a little here and there, and Norah refuses to do her business until she has her shorts completely off...probably just so she can wear them on her head, but it seems to help, so we humor her.

In baby news...just 8 more days until we will (hopefully) find out the gender of Norah's soon-to-be sibling!!

Soots

What do you get when you cross size 4t feet with double-digit adult-size ankle socks? Soots (Sock-Boots)...and Norah loved them! Now, I'm not going to disclose the owner of these roomy, green vessels, but I will mention that her right leg just might be visible in the first picture.








By the way she raced around the living room, you would have thought we'd given Norah a pair of PF Fliers.

On the sewing front, I have 2 new projects underway, neither of which I can properly blog about because they're top-secret gifts, and the recipients of both have a tendency to visit Robinson County...so alas, I will have to wait to brag, (Which accounts in at least some small part for the distance between my most recent posts) but rest assured, when the secret's out, I'll give a full report!

Anatomy Lesson ala Norah

Norah has found her "butt". No, I'm not referring to her derrière. The "butt" to which I refer would be her belly button. For about the past week she has been mildly obsessed with this simple discovery. She loves to pull up her shirt and point to her naval, proclaiming "butt!" Each time, I try to correct her, enunciating "butt-UHN", but she just keeps on grinning and saying it her way. The funny thing is, she calls buttons (like you would find on a dress shirt) "buh-tees", so I'm not really sure what the pronunciation hang up is when it comes to her belly button.

She can, at least somewhat correctly pronounce eyes, ears, mouth, nose, toes, feet, knees, hands, belly, and teeth. She'll point to her shoulders if asked where they're located, but she hasn't worked up to saying it just yet.

Twirly Skirt Alert

Today, I tried my hand at another House on Hill Road tutorial, resulting in the outfit at left. The skirt fabric is not something I would normally have chosen, but Norah really does love strawberries, so I thought she'd like it...and I was right. Norah loves her "berries" shirt and matching skirt.

The skirt is made from the "Twirly Skirt Tutorial" on House on Hill Road, and it is called a "twirly skirt" for good reason! Talk about full--it's perfect for spinning! The t-shirt was one I picked up on clearance at Walmart, then appliquéd the strawberries on to dress it up a little. It was a lot of fun, super cheap, and didn't take long at all. I definitely plan to make a few more.





I haven't decided yet what my next sewing project will be, but I have learned that Norah is way more fun to sew for than myself! She really seems to love wearing the things she's watched me work on--and that is such a good feeling. She was the same way about the quilt I made for her. Any time I take it out, she loves to dance, spin, lie down, and roll around on it.



One non-sewing related bit of news I want to chronicle is Norah's increasing ability to repeat and recall things she hears. In Bible Class, there is a song the teacher sings , during which she has a child figurine "run" toward a mommy figurine, while singing "I'm happy to obey, I'm happy to obey. I'll come quickly when Mommy calls. I'm happy to obey." Last night I was bathing Norah, and she found two of her tub toys--hippos that stand upright, and she started the smaller hippo out "running" toward the larger one, while singing, "Bay! Bay! Happy!" I had to laugh because I knew exactly what she was talking about. I've also noticed that if I call Norah and she isn't coming as fast as I'd like, I can sing "I'm Happy to Obey" and she comes running. Anyone who says toddlers are "don't really get anything from Bible Class" should visit our house. I beg to differ.

A Day of Sewing

Today was a fun day. Norah and I headed over to Grammy's house bright and early to tackle a new sewing project. Grammy and I had been looking forward to this project ever since we read about it on House on Hill Road.

As you may recall, a few weeks ago I made Norah a 4th of July dress from pre-shirred fabric. Well, that was easy enough, but I was limited to the 3-4 pre-shirred fabric selections offered in the store...and that just wasn't enough. Enter House on Hill Road. Erin offered a step-by-step tutorial (with awesome pictures) explaining how to make a shirred dress or top from regular fabric.

The scariest part was using elastic thread for the first time--which turned out to sew incredibly smooth, and gave us nothing to worry about!

The top went together in just a few hours (thanks to Mom's help, and Norah's cooperation) and I was tickled pink at how it turned out. We actually made this one for Norah's friend, Patti, who lovingly handed down tons of clothes to Norah, but their measurements are very close, so I was able to have Norah model it for me so I could be sure it would fit. (Don't worry, I would never leave Norah out--a shirt for her is next on my list!)









Here is the finished product. It's amazing how big it started out, vs. how tiny it finished up...but it stretches nicely and fits well. Norah really seemed to enjoy wearing it, too...let's hope Patti has similar taste in clothes!








Grammy and I were so proud of Norah for being so patient and entertaining herself while we sewed today. She was especially fascinated with Grammy's thread collection, attempting to name the colors of each spool she saw. (Of course right now, everything is initially "blue", but as soon as we would tell her the correct color, she would begin calling it the right thing).

Thanks so much to Erin, at House on Hill Road for being a source of inspiration. I've got 2 more projects lined up and I'm enjoying sewing more than I have in a while!

Uh-Oh, Spaghettio's

Inspired, perhaps by a recent post by Sheri D, in which she posed that sometimes you just have to deal with the mess, smile, and let your kids be kids, I decided to let Norah have her first taste of Spaghettio's yesterday.

I submit you to, for your entertainment, "The Evolution of the Spaghettio-Induced Coma".

Disclaimer: If photos of messy-faced children gross you out and are in no way humorous, cute, or reminiscent of your own children/grandchildren, this post may be of no interest to you.

Phase One: Pure Bliss (as pictured above) This is the stage in which our subject gets her first taste of tomato-ey goodness. So good, perhaps, that she makes the decision to forgo the use of a spoon for the much less efficient, albeit more "hands on" method of hand-scooping.

Phase Two: Eyelids Droopy-ous. This is the stage in which our subject begins to question the prudence of that last scoop of Spaghettio's. A futile attempt to cleanse the hands is made, but to no avail, as our subject already begins to show signs of crankiness and exhaustion brought on by the ingestion of far too much sodium-rich, tomato-paste product in far too short a period of time.


Phase Three: The Peaceful Slumber. Our subject succumbs to complete and total fatigue, giving way to a sleep so deep, it defies all necessity for cleanliness or comfort.






Phase Four: The Babe Rouses. In this phase, our subject either A) Hears a loud noise, B) Realizes the discomfort of sleeping in a sea of tomato paste, or C) Is awakened by her mother, who needs to leave the house and cannot do so whilst the child remains fettered to her sticky, orange chair. Regardless of how transition to phase four is attained, the subject will likely show signs of confusion.






Phase Five: Epilogue. By this point, the subject has regained consciousness and at least some semblance of where she is. She is somewhat more cooperative and willing to be cleaned, but may let out a series of fierce stretches, without warning. This is also the stage in which the subject's mother may determine that Spaghettio's, while fun for a season, are perhaps a treat best reserved for rare occasions, or at least until the subject can hold a spoon more steadily.