Lovin' Fall Weather

We have had absolutely gorgeous weather here for the past week. The temperatures have been in the low-mid 70's during the day (cooler at night) and best of all, no humidity!! This means two things--1) everyone's hair is looking better than it has in ages, and 2) being outside is very pleasant!

Norah and I met our friends Braden & Kambrie for a spontaneous picnic / play date at the park yesterday. It was a beautiful day, and we had a ball.




Up until yesterday, Norah's favorite has always been the slide, and this park had 2--I big one with lots of curves, and a smaller, straight slide. Norah had fun on both, but her new love, was most definitely the swings. I don't remember how long we actually spent on that swing, but I'm confident it stayed warm for quite a while after she vacated it, because she was parked there for a good, long time.

Leaving the park was harder than I anticipated. Norah just wasn't ready to go, but it was nap time, and there was no way were gonna skip it, beautiful day or not. (Norah + no nap= Super cranky, miserable evening in Robinson County) She cried almost the whole way home, asking for the swings and slides alternately, but we did eventually lie down for a nap. (and yes, I said "we")



Today, we tried story time at the public library again. I could kick myself for not bringing the camera (alas, it was at home charging, in preparation for more Halloween photo ops tonight). All the kids were dressed as their favorite book characters, and there were some costumes that made my little peacock look like the work of an unimaginative amateur. (Norah didn't wear peacock to the library...it is a little cumbersome, so we settled for a pair of kitty cat ears that she left on all of 5 seconds before seemingly deciding she was "too cool") My favorite costume was a child who dressed as one of the monsters from "Where the Wild Things Are". It was a homemade costume (my favorite kind) and it was covered in multi-colored strips of felt--every color imaginable. It didn't look too difficult to make, but the visual impact was awesome. She needed no explanation--her costume was so dead-on, you couldn't help but recognize it immediately. It definitely got me thinking about future years...children's books are a great place to go for costume inspiration! (I've already got a great one in mind for Norah & Baby Brother in a couple more years)

Norah and I also picked up some new library books, including one of my childhood favorites, "The Story of Ping", and one called "Noisy Nora" (I thought she'd get a kick out of a story with her name in it)...but I'm going to have to censure that one, I'm afraid, because it's written in poem form, with a chorus (which is repeated over and over) that always ends in, "Nora, why do you have to be so dumb?" and I'm pretty sure we don't need that kind of negative talk at 21 months. I am loving our library routine, especially having a fresh stack of books each time we go...but Norah has a little trouble understanding that once we take them back, the old books are gone...she keeps asking for the "Kittens" book we had last time. At least I guess I'll know of a few good books I could get her for Christmas!

Cause You Know I Love to Vacuum!

I stumbled upon a contest this morning with a prize anyone could appreciate--a pink Dyson vacuum cleaner (Pink, in honor of breast cancer awareness month)! Yes, I already have a Dyson (though it's not pink) and I LOVE it, but Christmas is coming, and I can think of several people I could share the love with if I win! Feel free to click the link on my side bar or just click here if you'd like to enter.

Presenting.... Madame Peacock!

With 2 of our 3 Halloween season events under our belts, and the word pretty well out around town what Norah's "top secret" costume concoction was, I've decided it's ok to give her costume it's blogger debut.

This year's costume of choice was a peacock. It was Norah-inspired, born from her love of her favorite animal on her Little People's Noah's ark. (She's been saying the word "peacock" since she was about 14 months old, and she still hasn't lost interest in them)

Naturally, I couldn't find any peacock patterns, but that didn't stop Gramps and I from putting our heads together for another "original" masterpiece. The pillbox hat was our greatest challenge, but I think it was worth the extra effort...Norah even kept it on for most of the party.




Front view

















Tail Feathers rear-view

















This little peacock can really move!

















Scoping out the playground

















The party was a joint birthday celebration for our friends, Braden & Kambrie. It was a Halloween themed party (hence the costumes), and their mom, Jamie, really outdid herself with great craft projects for the kids. Norah's favorite, hands-down was this little spider. She hand-selected each multi-colored leg, and stuck them into the potato. (I helped glue on the googly eyes) She even took him to bed with her! I don't know what we're going to do when he starts to sprout...Norah is very attached to him, even 3 days after the party. She shows him to anyone who visits the house. Maybe next year she'll go as "Spider Girl"...

One Movie We WONT Be Seeing This Holiday Season

I received an email from a good friend this morning, dismissing a new movie that, prior to this morning, I was eagerly anticipating. The movie is called "The Golden Compass" and has all the visual lures of "The Chronicles of Narnia", so I was waiting for it's release with baited breath. It stars Nicole Kidman, and looks to be extremely well made with excellent cinematography, special effects, and musical score, so naturally it will be receiving lots of press. I have seen the previews and they impacted me to the point of leaning over to whisper to the person at my right--"Oh, that looks great! I can't wait to see it!"

So, why are the Robinson's now boycotting this intriguing, new movie? It is based on a trilogy of books ("His Dark Materials") written by a self-proclaimed atheist, who calls his books an "attack on religion". The author also claims that it is his intent that children will see the movie and want to read the books, which will, he hopes kill their religious beliefs. In the final book of the trilogy, "The Amber Spyglass", a girl and boy child, depicting Adam and Eve work together to "kill a senile God so that everyone may do as they please".

As many of you know, Jason and I loved they Harry Potter series, which might be, to some Christians as offensive, as the trilogy I've mentioned above. However, I see several stark differences. For one, J.K. Rowling is not an atheist, and has never made any claims that she had any sinister agenda to squelch the religious beliefs of young children. And secondly, her books maintain several strong Christian themes and symbolisms which are consistant throughout the entire series.

At any rate, for those who, like myself, enjoy a good, epic movie taken from the rich landscape of a children's book series, you might want to do a little reading before you make your decision to pay to see (or especially to take your children to see) "The Golden Compass" this holiday season.

For the full story on the movie, book series, and author, click here.

Nursery Photos

During my weekend my of "nesting fever", I rearranged the nursery to change things up a little for baby brother, and I really like it.








Changing Table (hand made by Jason)








Closet Wall










Proof that my daughter is at least a little bit like her mother? When I was configuring the furniture arrangement, I got to thinking about how many hours I'll clock nursing in my glider, so I decided to put Norah's red rocker by its side, so she could be close-by and not feel left out. The instant she entered the newly arranged room, she walked up to two chairs. She pointed at the glider and said, "Mommy's chair", then to the red rocker, "No-wah's chair". My sentiments, exactly, sweet girl.

Fun, New Gift Idea

Yesterday was my cousin, Donna's birthday, and I was searching for a great gift idea. Inspiration struck when I visited the House on Hill Road blog and found a fun, new sewing project that would yield the perfect gift for my coffee-loving cousin!



Paper coffee sleeves might be good enough for Starbucks, but I thought Donna deserved something with a little more pizazz. Since she's a teacher and is referred to as "Mrs. Berny" all day long, I decided to personalize her first name on the front.





I added lavender buttons and loops for the closure as a finishing touch.











She loves purple, so I paired a vintage lavender paisley print lining with a chocolate brown exterior (in hopes of disguising any coffee dribbles). It also has a thin layer of batting sandwiched between the two fabrics for added insulation, and to give it a little more stability. I had so much fun with this project...I might have to make a few more!

Room Reveal...Part One

Whether it be Norah's steady determination to make the big girl room her new residence, or my previously blogged mention of needing to finish the project, I made some serious headway (with the help of sweet Jason) on the "Big Girl Room" this weekend. I've decided to go ahead and reveal the progress so far, since all this redecorating takes time (and money) and I don't know how long (if ever) it will be before I get the room "just so".

Bed Corner (Before):
white walls & trim
eggshell switches and plate covers
not much else




Bed Corner (After)
weathered glass walls
fresh coat of white trim
white switches & plate covers





Closet Corner (Before)
brown, wood-panel bi-fold doors







Closet Corner (After)
new, white, panel bi-fold doors
wall shelf with hooks for hanging
toy chest (at foot of bed...not very visible)
Norah's step stool (one of my favorite pieces in the entire room), hand-painted by our good friend, Jamie, of Jamie B-tique.

This is a close-up of one of my best-loved things that Jason has built for our home, Norah's bookcase. He even measured her largest books and custom-made the shelves to accommodate them all. The sides of the bookcase have bead board panels (you can get a little better look at that in the "Bed Corner: After" photo)

Over the bookcase is the bow board I made a couple of months ago. I love that her bow collection adds even more color to the wall!



I love the framed "word art" given to Norah by her Aunt Paige. It is Norah's name in a scripture acrostic (each letter of her name has a Bible verse with it).


My most recent "finishing touch" was to cover a plain lampshade with some leftover fabric I had from Norah's duvet cover. It was my first time to recover a lampshade, and I had a lot of fun with the project (thanks to my mom, who helped me through and donated nearly all of necessary supplies from her stash so I didn't have to buy anything except the lamp base!). The lamp puts out the perfect amount of "bedtime light". We read our bedtime stories by it's glow, then all I have to do is reach up and turn it out before we say our prayers.

Future Projects:
hang photo collage wall above bedside
hang art over headboard (most likely a custom canvas via Jamie B-tique)
possibly paint scripture over closet doors
sew monogrammed patchwork throw/accent pillows
sew coordinating basket liners
hanging trio of framed homemade appliqué silhouette art
install ceiling fan (thankfully, it's cooling off, here!)
desk & dresser (we have them nearly ready, they just need to be painted to match)

I'll be sure to post an update if/when I make anything new happen! The greatest part is, whether I do anything else to her room or not, Norah loves it. She spends lots of time playing in there, and is more than happy to sleep in her big bed. She's even begun referring to the nursery as "baby's room" on occasion. (Speaking of which, I rearranged the nursery over the weekend and am really liking the way it looks. I may post some pics of it, as well! I guess you could say I'm officially "nesting")

Blessings in Disguise

Disclaimer: The following post is my way of "considering it joy when [we] face trials...", it is in no way meant to imply that I would ever wish our daughter sick.

This week has, as tiring as it has been, was good for me. For one thing, it helped me not to take a few things for granted that I realize now I have been. Our health, which is generally excellent, for one, and our daughter's disposition, which is normally about as sweet as any mother could wish for.

I found myself getting very frustrated (read: impatient) with Norah this week as she would burst into crying fits. I began questioning my parenting skills when she would look me in the eyes and defy whatever instructions I had just given to her. Then my sweet husband reminded me, "She's sick." And he was so right. As she's starting to feel better, she's already reverting back to her sweet, obedient, happy self.

Another, unexpected blessing Norah's infirmary has helped facilitate? She has made the transition into the "big bed", all by herself...without any pushing. It was my goal to have her in it by the end of October, but with her being sick, I stopped worrying about that plan. However, after having cuddled in the big bed together while she's been sick, I guess Norah realized it was way more comfy than her rock-hard crib mattress. (Not to mention, it gives her the freedom to get out of bed unaided.

For the second night in a row last night, Norah requested to sleep in her "big bed", so I hesitantly complied. I explained to her that mommy and daddy were going night-night, and Maggie (the puppy we were sitting for in our backyard) was going night-night, and the kitty cats next door (who she frequently visits before her evening bath) were going night-night, and that it was time for her to go night-night too. I also told her that if she got out of bed, she would get a big spanking.

To my surprise, she stayed put all night long...until precisely 5:40am when I woke to hear her crying in the pitch-black hallway. I jumped up and rushed to her aid (half-afraid she'd broken her neck falling from her bed), and she ran and clung straight onto my leg, saying, "Scare-wee....scare-wee!" We made a quick trip to the potty (the only place I could figure she'd have gotten out of bed at 5:40am for since she'd already passed by her toys, and she can't open the fridge by herself yet), I returned her to her bed, and I went back to mine. I was almost giddy when I found her still there when I awoke. So, naturally, I had to photo-document (including her applauding herself when I told her how proud I was of her).

My favorite series of pictures were the ones above, of her "dismount" process. I know, she makes it look easy, but when she got to the third frame, she turned around and requested her stool (which Daddy had moved the night before, in fear that she might roll out of bed and knock herself out). At least she's being cautious!

Of course, now that she's officially sleeping in her "big room", it lights a bit of a fire under me to finish decorating. Room reveal pictures still to come...eventually!

Funny Sick Memories

First off, thanks to all of you who've been praying for our recoveries. Jason and I are definitely doing much better, and Norah is improving every day (the nights are still the worst...but that's just the way this cough is).

A couple funny memories from this affliction:
1) Day 1 of Norah being sick, I was completely exhausted from being up with her every hour of the previous night. When she woke up (again) at 5:40 am, and screamed at being put back to bed, we tried bringing her into our bed, in hopes of salvaging a couple hours of sleep. To no availl. After both Jason and I being kicked in the head several times each, and an hour and twenty minute display of ceaseless restlessness, I finally caved at 7 and asked Norah if she'd like to watch a little Elmo. I took her into the living room and turned on Sesame Street, then passed out on the couch. I woke nearly an hour later to my daughter, dancing stark naked in the living room. I guess when the cat's away, the mice will play..on occasion, without their clothes."

2) Night 2, Norah woke up around 11pm coughing and asking for the potty (her latest stall tactic). I obliged (and to my surprise, she wasn't crying wolf), but when we finished up, she kept saying what sounded like "vacuum", over and over again. I chalked it up to her newly assumed state of delirium. Not to be so easily dismissed, Norah kept insisting "Vac-uum! Mommy, vac-uuum!" So, I took her hand and said, "Show me." She walked straight into her big girl room and climbed up into the bed, pulling me in with her. Then it dawned on me...not "vacuum"...."BIG room". She wanted to sleep in her big room! So she did...at least for an hour, and then Jason and I heard her cough and got nervous about her falling out of that high bed, and transferred her to the crib.

3) Day 2 of "Cough-fest", Norah asks to nap in her big room. I agree and tell her it's time to go night-night. She climbs up into bed, eagerly...a little too cooperative, I thought. I waited outside her door for about 3 seconds and began to hear her talking to herself...getting closer, and closer. Next I hear a "bang!" Then a pause. Then another "bang!" Pause. "Bang!" At which point I bust in to find our "poor, sick daughter" has skillfully dismounted the mountainous bed and is standing in the middle of the room, throwing her night light (which I had unplugged and laid on the floor) at the only other object in her empty room--her bedside stool. Nap-attempt relocated to crib.

4) Day 2 of the "Great Cough of '07", Norah decided she didn't want to nap...anywhere. She kept insisting to go to the potty, but when I'd take her, she'd just fall asleep on it--she was so tired! When I'd try to move her, she'd begin wailing, "POTTY!!!" again, in hopes of stalling from being put back in her crib. Finally, I decided to try something new. I asked her if she wanted to sleep in mommy's big bed. She liked that idea, so I couched her between 2 pillows and laid down beside her and rubbed her back until she fell asleep. She slept for nearly 4 hours! I had a lot of chores to catch up on, so I went about my business, and when I finally thought I heard her stirring, I headed down the hall to check on her. I got 2 steps away from my room, when Norah jumped out with both hands up. I nearly hit the ceiling I was so startled! I knew she could probably get down from my bed (it's pretty massive) by herself, but I didn't think she could do it with such rapidity! When I jumped at seeing her, she was a little scared, herself, but then when she realized that she had scared me, she laughed. We laughed about mommy's scare a lot that day.

Poor Baby

It's been a rough past few weeks in Robinson County. Jason and I have been sharing a nasty cough for going on 3 weeks, and now Norah is going through the worst of it.

I've been up with her for most of the past three nights, dosing her with cough medicine and Tylenol, and of course just rocking her and cuddling together in her big girl bed. (She's still sleeping in the crib, but at 2am when we're both exhausted, the big bed comes in pretty handy!)
Poor thing, she's not used to being awake in the wee hours of the morning (she's normally out for 11-12 hours straight when she turns in for the night), so it's been pretty confusing to her.

The first night we were up together, she was a little "out-of-it", and kept begging me to let her get up and "pway" (play). I kept trying (to no avail) to get her to lie down...this went on for hours. Finally, at 4am, from sheer exhaustion, I resorted to reasoning with her (not really expecting any results). I carefully explained to her that when it was dark outside, we have to go night-night, and when the sun comes up and it gets light outside, we can get up and play. She paused for a second, then looked up and said, "Dark....night-night" then rolled over and didn't make a peep for the rest of the night. If only I would have thought of that technique sooner!

Her appetite has been pretty scarce since she's been feeling under the weather, so I did something this morning that I never do (I am not a fan of sticky messes)...I made her toast with butter and jam and let her go to town. You can tell from the pictures that she doesn't feel well, but shes' still trying to enjoy herself. Sweet girl. Please keep us in your prayers. Jason and I know first-hand how draining this cold is, and it's sad to think of our little angel going through it, too.

Redwork Apron

This weekend I found this red and white fabric while I was at JoAnn's, and thought it would make a pretty background for some red work embroidery. I bought a yard and made my first red work apron. I didn't have any templates for the embroidery design, so I flipped through a Gooseberry Patch Christmas cookbook for inspiration and voila!

Our church's pre-school is having a silent auction fundraiser this week, so I made the apron my contribution, and so far, it even has a few bids! (The apron has 2 large pockets below the ties--you can't see them, but they're there.) It was such a fun project, I might just have to make a few more for Christmas gifts!

The Beans are Always Greener...

The beans are always greener on someone else's plate. After my keen documentation of Norah's impressive intake last Friday, night, I submit to you "Exhibit A" (shown left), her pristine plate, left untouched for countless moments. Daddy's Solution: ask Norah if she would like to sit in his lap. (She was being a little clingy, just having roused from a late nap). Jason offered her some of his food, but she refused...















...at least until he looked up for a few seconds to check some scores on ESPN, and then the scarf-fest began.

















"Daddy, you wouldn't mind if I had a tiny bite of your bread, too, would you?"













"No, I'm not touching your bread."

(At this point, perhaps in an effort to savor some small morsel of what once was his dinner, Jason decided to try putting Norah's original plate in front of her.)
















Examining her noodles for authenticity, to be certain they are of the same variety of the tasty ones on Daddy's plate
















"You really expect me to eat this?"


















"I guess one small bite couldn't hurt..."

















"Mmmmmmmm! Two plates are better than one!"

Baking Cookies Together

What's wrong with this picture? And no, it's not the close proximity to the knife block---I always try to let Norah play with sharp objects.
Hint #1: Note the guilty grin








Hint #2 (pictured at right)

I can't really say I blame her. I mean, I'm old enough to know better, and I still love the cookie dough as much or more than the finished product.

By the way, Norah's apron (which she pronounces "A-per-in" with a true, Texas drawl) originally belonged to my Great-Grandmother...it's actually waist-apron, but is just the right length for Norah when I criss cross it in the back and tie it up around her neck. She loves to wear an apron any time I am cooking...and sometimes she even asks for one when she's just playing around the house.

Patiently Waiting...

Good Times

We've had a fun week so far. Monday, we did our usual early-morning grocery shopping, followed by some sewing time with Gramps. (We made a little pillbox hat, for Norah's Halloween costume, which is almost complete!) Tuesday, Norah and I stayed home most of the morning (we only left for a little while to run Daddy his lunch), then headed to the library to return our books that were due.

Norah was elated to get to carry her new book bag, or as she refers to it, "purse" (an early Christmas present from Gramps, who read my earlier post about wanting to make a library bookbag and decided to head me off at the pass). She recognizes the library. When we reach the block where it's located, she starts saying, "La-berry! La-berry! Upstairs?" (the children's section is upstairs and I think the climb is her favorite part of our visit)

We returned our old items and picked out 4 new books, all of which we read at nap time yesterday, last night after dinner, just before bed and again today before her nap. I like this week's books even better than our first batch, so I don't mind the repetition.

Today, Norah and I headed back to the library for story time. This week was all about trains. Norah wasn't especially impressed with the stories--she was much more excited about seeing her friends, Garrett & Nathan. After story time was over, we perused a few more books before heading to Buck's Pizza for their Wednesday lunch special (a jumbo slice of pizza and a fountain drink for $1.08!!).

Garrett, Nathan, and their mommy joined us for lunch, and all three kids had no trouble eating their share of pizza. Yeah, it was messy...but so fun! (And we couldn't resist taking at least one messy-face picture...note that we moms opted out of the picture so as not to disclose any evidence of our pizza-eating cleanliness, or lack thereof)

In other exciting (at least to me), Norah's gone nearly two weeks accident-free in her big girl panties. (even including naps) She tells me when she needs to go, and if it's an inopportune time, she's able to "wait and be patient" until we get someplace where she can go-- which is SO nice. (I've really had to test her limits a couple of times when we were out and there was NO place close...but so far she's done great) Granted, I'm still too much of a chicken to let her sleep in her panties overnight, but most mornings she's waking up dry, so that day may not be too far off! Now, I'm sure by publicly confessing all of this I'm setting myself up for either A) a huge accident today in a very public place, or B)an extremely hard time potty training baby brother in a couple of years...but for now, I'm going to rejoice in this small victory, and bask in the greatness of a slightly lower (diaper-free) grocery bill...at least for 2 months, and then we'll start again with baby #2!