Doing it Simply

Yesterday was my good husband's birthday. I pretty much don't make him breakfast on weekdays. And, I don't get him bacon very often. But, yesterday, when he got up to give Gillian her morning bottle, I too, pulled myself out of bed. Bacon, eggs & toast is so simple. I shouldn't act like it was some big feat. But, I did it. And, he was glad & I was glad.

Since I haven't been feeling too well lately, I didn't plan any gourmet dinner. I went to the Pink Godzilla & ordered take-out Sushi. He is a sushi fan, loving Sashimi most of all. But, I kinda bombed that one. I don't know too much about the Japanese / sushi lingo. And, I bought him Maguro Natto. The Sashimi came in a weird soybean pile with a raw egg yolk on top. But, Scott is a trooper. I guessed he liked it anyway. My homemade contribution to dinner was a Spiced Orange cocktail & beer-batter Tempura. Those were both a success.

Dessert was Panna Cotta with Fig & Cranberry Compote. (I know, not paired well with the dinner menu... Japanese - Italian....) That was tasty. Gillian was crazy for it. It was really easy, too. I am glad Scott requested something simple.

I had dreamed of making a Mille Crepe Cake. Crepe layered with custard, piled up like a cake. But, Scott was sly & picked something easy, knowing that when I am overly ambitious, I am a none-too-pleasant stress mess. And, I don't think that would've been a very good birthday present...

Daddy's Girl

We had a really nice Thanksgiving vacation. Scott had 4 days off of work! Gillian got totally spoiled having daddy around all the time. When he was leaving for work this morning, she was gripping on to him so tight, with much hollering & many tears. She seems okay now - realizing that mom is not so bad.

One of the things we did this weekend was go to the playground at the school down the street from our house. It is a cool, old school one. Wooden & metal. A dangerous jungle gym, many monkey bars, a tall spiral slide...

Gillian loved sliding. That was the best. Grandma came with some of the uncles & aunt. So, that made it all the more fun.

A Good Scrap

This is kinda a weird picture... But, it is an absolutely gorgeous piece of wool I scored for 6 bucks at my local fabric store. Apparently is wholesales for $40 a yard. It is not enough for a throw blanket, so I think I will make pillows for my couch. It is a great pumpkin orange color. I am so excited about it....

Memorable Holidays

We are having a good weekend.
Thanksgiving was great, not lacking in excitement.
Leah made a great Tea-Brined Turkey. Beautiful & delicious. She cooked it on the grill. The thermometer read that is should be done. After letting it rest, my dad went to carve it. Raw. So, the turkey went into the oven for a quick finish. But then.... the whole oven door fell off! So, while we were just trying to finish the turkey quickly, my dad had to get the oven put back together.
Dinner was great, and not too much later than planned! A good, memorable celebration.

Supporting my Lumbar

I am feeling so pregnant these days. And I am only 26 weeks pregnant. One whole trimester to go. Today I picked up a "Lumbar Support" that my doc recommended. It claims that it will relieve my pain in my back, legs & abdomen. That covers a lot of the regions that are aching. So, let's hope it delivers on its promises. That would be nice.
I haven't posted anything on here in a while, 'cuz I have a hard time sitting in this desk chair for very long. So, instead I have been sitting on the couch, embroidering Gillian's Christmas stocking. (If you are wondering why she didn't have one her first Christmas, it's because I just didn't care enough. Yep. We opened our stockings while the little 2.5 month old was snoozing in her bassinet...)
I took my second Glucose tolerance test this morning, for this pregnancy. I hope it is the last. For Gillian, I kept coming up "borderline" & had to do the 3 hour test several times. Blech!
Speaking of pregnancy & bellies, I will post a pic of my tummy (Melissa...), I will. This weekend I will have someone take a picture, okay?

Carriage

We got Gillian this little wooden walker toy for an early Christmas gift, to help her become a strong walker. She loves it. She pushes it forward in a straight line, and can go backward. But, has not figured out how to turn. She tries, though. It's pretty funny.

It's a cool toy, made by Haba - a German toy company. It is a carriage, or something like a baby stroller. A small child, dog, or doll, or whatever can sit in the front. Gillian likes to push & ride.

I don't know if you can tell in the photo. But, she is wearing only one shoe. She usually wants her shoes on, in the morning. This morning, she only wanted one, for some reason.

She's been really adorable today. One reason - she started saying ma ma recently. It is pretty fun to have her run to me, saying ma ma. I love it.

Pom-Pom Toms

Decorating for Thanksgiving!

I made these little pom-pom turkeys a few years ago, with my younger siblings. They were tons of fun! I love when the time comes, from them to come out of the box, & onto to table.

Little Blue Riding Hood

Gillian's Grandma Lutz made her this adorable blue suede cape for Christmas last year. She loves it. It is the only "coat" that she will wear. Oh. And, did I mention she started walking last week?!!

Snail #2

This little guy will be available at the CFT Auction. I like him. He looks kinda smurfy to me.

Another Sock Reborn

Meet the newest sock creation - Lamb. I am going to put her up for sale at the auction, to raise money for Covenant Family Tutorial - November 30th. Come! It's dessert, too. Not just bidding.

Patch

Yesterday we spent some time with my family, who hadn't seen Gillian in 2 weeks. (Ouch!) We went to see the younger kids at their house-riding lessons. Gillian loved getting horse kisses. Here she is with Grandma, getting a kiss from Aunt Lizzie's favorite horse, Patch.