A Moment of Heartbreak...

Well folks, it has finally happened.

My grandma didn't know who I was... at my baby shower.

Perhaps it's happened before and I just didn't know it... or this could be the first time.

Perhaps it's just a little blip in her brain and the next time I see her, she'll know who I am.

It's hard to say... but heartbreaking nonetheless.

I pray for 2 more months... enough time to have this baby come into the world and for my grandma to hold it. Even if she doesn't understand that it's her great grand baby... just for my own peace of mind.

It would mean the world to me.

A Shower for Baby!

This post is going to be short and sweet... with mostly pictures!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

(My cousin was able to come home from AZ for the shower!)

To see a more detailed description (and more pictures)
of my wonderful shower... please head over to my sister's blog!
I figured there was no sense in me repeating everything,
when she said it all beautifully!

A BIG thanks to everyone who helped pull the shower
together... and to all of my friends and family
who came to celebrate (and provide many
necessities for Baby!!)

I am truly BLESSED!

A Thanksgiving Feast!

This was the first year that Cory and I hosted a holiday get-together at our home. It was also the first time we attempted to cook a turkey! (Cory did all of the work on that!) I'd say it turned out pretty good!!

And it tasted delicious with all of the other food that my family brought along to share!

I think I ate a little too much! :)

*********

Today, it's just me and the cat!
Cory and some friends went to the Bills/Steelers
game today in Buffalo.
It's rare that those 2 teams play together,
so it was definitely an opportunity
they didn't want to miss!
(Since Cory is a Bills fan and his friends are Steeler fanatics!)

(...and the dog is having a sleepover at my in-laws)

I think I'll do quite a bit of relaxing today!

Come back tomorrow to check out the post about my baby shower!!

Christmas Cards!!

When we were growing up, my mom would always make our Christmas Cards every year. They usually consisted of line drawings of me and my sister. Sometimes they included our pets, other times our cars (can't resist putting a VW Bug in a picture!) or a wreath, present, etc. I guess it just depended on how creative she wanted to get! (Don't worry, she didn't draw EVERY card! She drew one and then had them printed at the print shop!! Didn't want to give anyone the wrong impression!)

It always made me feel good to have a special Christmas Card sent out from our family. Not that I have anything against store bought cards... there are a lot of nice ones out there. But just having a personalized card that was drawn by my (very artistic) mom... just meant a lot. (Even if us girls did groan and grumble when she wanted to take our pictures to use as her inspiration for the design).

We even knew people who saved the card each year... which was pretty cool.

So, last year I decided I wanted to try my hand at making our Christmas Cards. I am definitely not nearly as artistic as my mom... but it doesn't hurt to try, right? Instead of line drawings though, I decided to do some block printing. I'd never done it before, so it took me a bit to get into the swing of things... but I was happy with the result and decided that I'd like to try again this year.

Of course, I can't do anything EASY... so this year I started drawing up a pretty intricate design. Once I started carving the block, I thought, No way am I going to be able to do all of these little lines and curves without messing up! I ended up setting the block aside and forgetting about it for a couple of weeks.

Well, last night... something got into me and I started working on it again. I couldn't believe it, but I actually finished it! I figured it would take me hours and hours! (It did take awhile, just not as long as I'd expected.)

I couldn't wait, so I pulled out the ink and brayer and rolled out a few test prints...

WOO HOOOOO! Success!!!!

So this morning, I couldn't help myself... I had to start printing them on the cards. I still have plenty more to do... but I thought I'd give you a little sneak peak.

This is not the "intricate" part of the design... but I didn't want to give the whole design away because I know that some of you will be getting your very own Devon Original this Holiday Season and I don't want to spoil it!!

(This was after I'd wiped some of the ink off)

If I remember, I'll post a picture of the full design in a few weeks, after I know all of the cards have been mailed out and received!!

Are any of you working on making your own Christmas Cards??

In other news: My appointment with my doctor went very well. I was pleased. So now I feel like I can breathe a little easier for my next appointment!!

Recipe: Pecan Praline Cookies

This weekend is my baby shower. It may seem odd that we're having it on Thanksgiving weekend, however it worked out to have family in town and extra travel time for those that live out of the area. Of course there are folks that already had plans and won't be able to make it, but out of the RSVP's, we have about 45-50 coming. That's pretty darn good!
(Stay tuned for pics next week!)

My mom likes to go all out for these sorts of things. It's just her nature to go over and above! SO, she decided on having a light soup and sandwich luncheon (with other little things like fruits, veggies and crackers). Instead of a big cake, we are doing dessert trays. Assorted cookies and desserts and goodies.

As the weekend approaches, and with Thanksgiving preparations in the mix, my mom has been a little maxed out. Being the wonderful daughter that I am (ha!), I offered to make some goodies to help take the load off of her shoulders.

Well... I found this recipe for PECAN PRALINE COOKIES in my Great American Cookie Cookbook. I'd never made them before, so I was just kind of winging it... but come on... pecan praline? How could they not be good!?

After tasting one (OK, 2...), I just had to share the recipe with you! It's a really easy recipe to whip up and delightfully tasty! A simple cookie that has a little class... because the taste is amazing!

So... here ya go! If you try them, you'll have to let me know what you think!

Pecan Praline Cookies

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Butter Flavor Shortening
(I just used a generic brand w/out butter flavor because it's all I had!)
1 1/2 cups Firmly Packed Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 cups All-purpose Flour
1 cup Chopped Pecans

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees.
Grease baking sheet with shortening.
Place sheets of foil on counter top for cooling cookies.

Combine 3/4 c. shortening and brown sugar in large bowl.
Beat at Med. speed with an electric mixer until creamy.
Beat in egg and vanilla.
Beat until light and fluffy.
Add flour and pecans.
Stir until well blended.


Shape level measuring Tablespoons of dough into balls.
Flatten to 1/8" thickness.
Place 1" apart on prepared baking sheet.


Bake for 7-8 mins or until edges are golden brown.
Do not overbake!
Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes.
(Trust me, you want to do that part!)
Remove cookies to foil to cool completely.


ENJOY!!

PS: My husband cheated and voted for BOY in the poll on my sidebar, even though he truly thinks we'll be having a girl! haha!

Also, today is another appointment, this time with my actual doctor... dreading... but hoping all goes smoothly! This will be the first I've seen her since her rude comments back in September.
Wish me luck!

30 Weeks!!

I know I just posted a picture last week of my belly... but I figured that 30 weeks was kind of a major milestone. Only 10 more weeks to go... perhaps less!

From the beginning, it seemed like 30 weeks was SO FAR AWAY... and now, here I am!
Despite some heartburn issues and uncomfortable sleep, I can't really complain!
I have been blessed beyond measure!


Let's have a vote... Boy or Girl?
Check out the poll on my sidebar!!!

New Etsy Shop!

No, it's not MY Etsy shop... I've sorta given up on that for the time being!

However, I would like to direct you over to my good friend's new shop!

She has started listing her handmade jewelry!
(Just in time for Christmas!!)

Please take a minute to check it out!

Hither, Thither and Yon
Designs from Here, There, and Everywhere!

A Busy Week!

My apologies for the lack of posting this week...

In all honesty, I have actually been busy!

I was able to hang out with my aunt and 2nd cousin, doing some shopping (Ok, I mostly just looked... but it was nice to get out!) in a town that actually has stores (my little town does not!).

I went out to my parents on Wednesday... then came home and had to head to our last child birth class. So glad those are over!! However, they were informative and I'm glad we went! Plus, we got a tour of the maternity wing, which was nice.

Yesterday, I met my mom in a nearby town to look for a few last minute items for my baby shower (coming up on the 27th). Again, it was nice to get out... especially because we've been having such dreary, rainy weather!

Now, today, after getting a really bad night's sleep... I have lots to do around the house!

So this post is pretty short and sweet... cuz this mama's got things to do!! (And hopefully a nap is in my future as well!)

Happy Friday! Hope you're all getting ready for Thanksgiving!! :)

29 weeks!

Horrible angle... but that's what you get when you try to take a picture with the camera propped up on the bathroom shelf, using the timer!

Anyway... 29 weeks, folks! Only 11 more (or less) to go!

Looking forward to my shower in a couple of weeks...
We literally have nothing but the crib and a few
onesies, burp cloths and bibs that
our wonderful friends have sent along
as surprises over the past few months!

I'm antsy to get everything in it's place!!!

Hooray!

A Simple Blessing

I spent the weekend in my hometown and attended church at my "home church" with my dad to accompany him (while my mom's away visiting her aunt in Massachusetts) to their Harvest Luncheon.

My dad had invited my grandpa and grandma as well.

As we sat through the service, I couldn't help but notice the fact that my grandma couldn't follow along in the hymnal or the bulletin... (and I was trying not to let it frustrate me).

After the offering, however, we all stood and started to recite The Lord's Prayer.

It was as if God gently nudged me, and I tuned into my grandma's soft voice reciting The Lord's Prayer word-for-word without faltering.

It was a blessing that I needed at that moment.

Just a simple reminder that though our bodies and minds deteriorate in this world... He has so much promise for us in the next.

(source)

"Emphasis"

Some new tunes from my favorite band: "Sleeping at Last".... Just wanted to share!

The words... are amazing.

Finally... a GOOD Appointment!

Yesterday was my 28 week appointment. I'm sure some of you, by now, know how much I've been dreading each and every appointment. *groan*

This appointment though... AWESOME!

Of course, I didn't see either of my doctors... I saw the Nurse Practitioner. And unfortunately, she doesn't deliver babies (rats!). She was VERY encouraging though! She was happy with my weight gain... 13 lbs in 7 months... she called it TEXT BOOK!

I had to bite my tongue to not say anything about how the doctors reacted to my weight gain in my previous appointments. I didn't want to ruin the GOOD experience I was having!

She measured and felt the baby. She said that my size was perfect... and that my stomach was the perfect stomach for having students learn how to feel the uterus, etc. (Apparently some women's uterus's tend to tilt backward or in... and are hard to feel... but mine is at an ideal spot).

She also was actually LAUGHING as she was trying to get the heart rate (144, by the way)... because the baby was being such a "wiggle worm".

She talked to me about breast feeding and birth control and anything else I wanted to talk about or ask questions about.

It was just overall a very positive experience! Not trying to toot my own horn or anything, but with my last 2 appointments, I felt really crappy... this appointment and all of her compliments really helped to boost my confidence that I really AM doing OK!

It's too bad my doctors can't be more like her!

On a side note... isn't it an old wives tale that a heart rate over 140 is a girl??? A little less than 3 months and we shall find out!!

A Little Hate... is OK Sometimes...

I'm going to a baby shower on Saturday. Not my baby shower... but for my neighbors daughter in law, who is due a couple of weeks after me.

In my effort to find a box for the presents I got her... I realized that my smartest move was to empty out a box of WEDDING CARDS that have been stashed in the spare room since... Ohhhh.. June of 2009. Am I weird that I am keeping the cards from my bridal shower and wedding? I don't really have any purpose for them, but I just can't bring myself to throw them away.

Have any of you done anything interesting with your old wedding cards?

(Secretly, I was hoping that a gift card or $100 bill would slide out of one as I looked through them... hehe... no such luck!)

Anyway... the box was the perfect size... and I have now relocated the cards... but as I was going through them (yes, I looked at each of them one by one)... I found the card from my bridal shower that was signed by my grandma.


Some of you may recall that in previous posts, I have mentioned that her mind is being overtaken by alzheimers. (Even though my computer is screaming at me that I've misspelled it... I'm not even capitalizing it because I don't want to give it that much credit).

Seeing that card brought on a terrible rage in my heart.

Back then (which was March of 2009)... my grandma could barely write her own name. She signed the card (almost illegibly): "Love you dearly, Grand Ma Joy." Today... my grandma CAN'T write her own name. I doubt she could even SPELL it (Joy is just her nickname... her real name is kind of funky). She can't even remember the correct way to hold a pen.

My dad and aunts go in to "the home" pretty much every night to make sure she eats because she'll just sit and stare at her plate, not knowing that she needs to pick up her fork. They help her get ready for bed and say prayers with her before tucking her in. They even stay until she falls asleep.

She doesn't remember where the bathroom is, even though she has a private one in her room... and when you show her where it is, she doesn't remember what to do when she has to go. Trust me, it's not my first choice to have to help her... but we do the things we need to do out of love.

As I looked at that card with her signature on it... barely recognizable from all of the years of birthday cards and Christmas cards she'd sent to me... I wanted to scream!! I HATE alzheimers! I hate what it's doing to my grandma's mind! I hate that my dad has to show her how to eat! I hate that she randomly talks about things that make no sense, when you know that she so desperately wants to remember what she was trying to say in the first place. I hate that no matter how many times you can tell her something, she will never, ever remember again.... and you have to tell her each and every time.

Most days, I deal with it OK. If I'm with her, I do what I can to help her finish her sentences... to eat... to use the bathroom... to walk to the car or wherever it is she needs to go. But some days, I get so angry about it. It is heartbreaking to watch someone you love's eyes stare blankly at you.

I'm dreading the day when she doesn't remember who I am. But I think, more so, I'm dreading the day that she doesn't remember who my dad is... because that would break HIS heart and I couldn't bare to see him hurt any more than he already does about it.

My prayer has been that she would be with us long enough to greet my little one when he/she comes into this world. As selfish as that sounds, it would just mean a lot to me. But if she holds out that long... I pray that she wouldn't have to hold out much longer. I would rather her be in the arms of Jesus. No more suffering. No more pain. Only complete and utter JOY.

Cory had to go through it with his grandpa... and I am thankful that I have his understanding and support through my frustration. Ultimately, though, my only comfort is knowing that those of us who stand on the promise of Jesus will be fully restored in all of His glory!



My grandma deserves that and I know in my heart that one day she'll experience it!

(But in the mean time... I'll still hate alzheimers. It truly is a horrible, horrible disease.)

Just Wanted to Say...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

To one of my best friends....

My mom!

I Love You!!!

Crib Time!

After many hours of browsing and researching cribs...
we finally found one that we liked.

But unfortunately, the website and THREE CALLS to the
companies involved in the manufacturing, etc. couldn't tell us
if the paint had been tested for lead.

We decided to look for another crib with more information.

Many hours later... we decided upon a simple crib
with good ratings and good safety info.

It came on Friday!!

Cory double checked it for damage before we (ok, HE) hauled
it upstairs to the babies room. Everything looked good!

Boo wanted to help... you know, making sure things were
well lubricated with doggy slobber for a smoother assembly.

That didn't last long...

Cory pretty much did everything in under an
hour... I just held some pieces for him
(and was in charge of the camera).

It ended up being my job to wipe down the mattress
and put it in the crib (hey, I had to do something!)...

(Yeah, now my task is to get the rest of the room,
like that sewing stuff in the background,
in some semblance of order!)

Taa Daa!!!


Oh, wait...


That's better!!!

Just something simple and practical.
I'm hoping I can peel that warning sticker off.
There is one on every side of the crib, there's no
way to avoid it!

I'm excited to get the bedding set (maybe at my
shower?) and put it all together!!

How I Spent My Thursday Night...

It really wasn't as creepy as I thought it would be... because I was around the guys before they put their costumes on... and they are absolutely hilarious! They also give a great message while on stage! Appearances are deceiving!



If you're into old school punk.... check out GRAVE ROBBER.

Getting a Little Overwhelmed...

I have so much to do in the next month and a half... I am starting to feel frazzled.

Between appointments... child birth classes... volunteering... organizing (and pulling off) the Ladies Christmas Party for my former employer (they love me, what can I say?)... Christmas projects... Christmas cards... preparing for Thanksgiving (our first having everyone at our house)... attending a fundraiser dinner for friends who are adopting... attending a baby shower for another... and my OWN baby shower... and of course, daily cleaning and such... as well as preparing the nursery (we finally bought our crib!)...

I am just feeling a bit overwhelmed.

It doesn't help that every time I get up in the middle of the night (since my bladder is the size of a pea... with a baby the size of a head of cauliflower pressing on it).... my thoughts immediately turn to all of the things I have to do... and I can't fall right back to sleep.

So... instead of sitting here lingering on what needs done... I best get started on some of the projects that need tackled... hopefully I can keep my mind off the rest!

After Dec 16th... things should slow back down.... of course, then I'll be getting anxious in other ways!

Happy Wednesday!

Week 27

Here I am at 27 weeks!

Don't be fooled... there is belly under that hand too!
Next week starts my 3rd trimester!
Only 3 months to go!!