Happy Halloween!

I've always loved Halloween. Yes, it's probably because my birthday has fallen so close to all the festivities. Saturday, Charlotte and I went to a friend's house for a Halloween Toddler Bash. The kiddos looked so adorable in their outfits. Charlotte was dressed as a ballerina (impromptu) and it turned out really cute. She loved prancing around and showing us her spinning skills.

My birthday celebration was wonderful. It was a nice quiet night at my mom's house followed by cheesecake and a quiet weekend. Charlotte was well-behaved for me making the weekend even better. I also have left over carrot cupcakes for the week ahead. Mmmmm....I welcome 29 with a bang. I know this will be a fantastic year filled with even more change and chaos when we welcome baby #2 in February.

This is her cute little smile. She tends to squint her eyes.

26 weeks

This is the last week of my second trimester. I just can't believe it. Am I really ready to have a newborn, yet alone two kids? I know I am but it's sure going to be an adjustment. On the nights Charlotte wakes up three times looking for her nookie or the nights I can't seem to get comfortable and find myself on the couch at 3:04 am, I ask myself, "Am I really ready for three months of no sleep??"

Sorry the photos of me have been lacking...

Baby is approximately 13.38 inches long and weighs 2 pounds. The nerves in the ears are developing and allowing baby to respond more consistently to the sounds that baby hears. Maybe that's why I've been getting so many kicks in the car...my singing isn't exactly in tune. I've been told I'm tone deaf, poor kid...

Tomorrow I am turning 29, my golden birthday. So far, it's been a really nice week. I'm looking forward to a good weekend of friends and family, including lots of cake. I love cake. Love cupcakes. They are the perfect combination of cake and frosting. I've seriously thought about making a special trip to the Milwaukee Cupcake Company to try some delicious recipes out. What about a Lavender cupcake or a White Chocolate Raspberry one? My mouth is watering now...

healthy pumpkin bread

I found a recipe for healthy pumpkin bread, tried it, and loved it!! I did make some modifications, but you really need to try this one out.

1½ cups all-purpose flour (go ahead, use all whole-wheat in this, it's still moist)
½ teaspoon of salt
1 cup sugar (used Splenda combo)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup pumpkin purée (I used 1 can instead - 15 oz)
½ cup olive oil (or substitute applesauce, or half olive/half canola)
2 eggs, beaten
¼ cup water
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
Note: If you do use all whole-wheat, add an extra ½ teaspoon of baking soda to help the bread rise.


Preheat oven to 350°F and generously coat the inside of a 9"x5"x3" inch loaf pan with your preferred cooking spray. Use a non-stick pan, if you have one. Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda. Set aside your dry ingredients. Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, water, and spices thoroughly. Combine your wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, mixing lightly. Fold in the nuts and pour the batter into your prepared pan.

Bake the bread for 50-60 minutes until a toothpick or knife inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. If the loaf is browning too quickly on top, you can cover it with foil for the last ten to fifteen minutes of baking.

Turn your pumpkin bread out of the pan and let it cool on a wire rack.

sleep the night away

I know I keep making a big deal about this, but it is a big deal! Last night, Charlotte slept in her big girl bed, voluntarily, all night long. We put her down at 7 p.m. and by 7:30 p.m. she was still making noises (which isn't normal) so I went in there, fished out a nookie and asked if she wanted to go in the big girl bed. She said yes this time, so in she went, nestled in her flannel sheets (thanks Grandma L!!) and stayed there all night. I thought for sure she'd get up, but no. She did wake up at 1 a.m. asking for that nookie again. I fished it out of the crack between the bed and the wall and she went back to bed.

I'm just so excited that this is actually working to plan because I know toddlers don't work according to plan...

25 weeks, 15 to go

Time is flying by. Didn't I just make a post about being 24 weeks along? Today I busted out my pregnancy journal from Charlotte. Holy cow is my belly bigger, sooner this time around. At this point last pregnancy I was hiking though the Kettle Moraine State Forest with a backpack. Yeah, like I could do that now, don't think so!

I've realized that my back really is starting to ache and it's much sooner than before. (Probably because the belly is bigger, sooner than before.) Kevin was sweet to rub my lower back last night. That seemed to help a lot. I think I'm going to have to start carrying around my travel pillow for lower lumbar support. That or lay down everywhere I go.

I still have to count my blessings if this is all I really have to complain about. I know plenty of women who had horrible pregnancies filled with nausea and acid reflux. But, if you force me to complain a little more, Charlotte has been Miss Sassy Pants as of lately. She sure thinks she's 9 or something. Not sure what we are going to do when she's 9 and thinks she's 16 and when she's 16 and thinks she's 30. I'll have to start preparing myself now...

modern love

I love this quilt!! Most of the fabric is Blush by Basic Grey for Moda Fabrics. There are a few fillers in there to add more diversity. The pattern is Elizabeth Hartman's Crazy Nine-Patch Quilt. Such a fun, wonky block. I also finished the back last night. This means I have three quits that need basting and stippling. I think it's time to clean the floor, collapse my kitchen table and get busy!

P.S. I don't think I need to take my sewing machine in for work, thank goodness. I realized there is a place to manually tighten things up, so I played with that and I think I solved the problem. I only hope that was the problem, so far, so good...

the park poop-cident

mom's shirt
Originally uploaded by [griff] [griff] 'n [chuck]

This is quite the story. I was at the park with Charlotte on Tuesday afternoon when she had a poopy diaper. I usually have my diaper bag, but since we were just running to the park for an hour or so, I only had five wipes and a diaper with me. I laid her in the grass to change her quick and when I pulled off her pants, the poop was smeared ALL O-V-E-R her pants and then socks and shirt. It was so gross!

After laying her naked in the grass, I stripped off one of my shirts and that's what she came home in. Shoes, diaper and mom's too-big shirt. We left immediately with a good laugh. BIGGEST blow-out to-date.

in a jam

Rats. I think I need to take my sewing machine in. It keeps jamming when I use the manual hand-wheel. Is it possible I used it too much? I really need to take that class on "how to sew and care for your machine" before I run into more problems. Some of you know, I already got it cleaned and fixed like four months ago. This is too soon to have more problems!

Looks like I'll be taking a short detour to the Milwaukee Sewing Machine Company during work tomorrow. That means at least a week of NO SEWING! What will I do??? (Maybe finish The Red Queen by Philipia Gregory that's due to the library in about three weeks.) I really hate not having my machine....

baby in 3D

Today was our 24 week check-up and we got another ultrasound! Dr. Lipinski needed to make sure there were two arteries and one vein in the umbilical cord, which there were. She also gave me some stellar 3D photos of baby's face. You can clearly see eyes, eye lids, nose, fingers, hand, mouth, it's great! (Click on the photo for a larger version.)

As most of you know, I really have a feeling this is a girl, but after looking at this face, I think it looks rather masculine. So, perhaps I'll be changing my mind...at least to unsure about the gender.

Charlotte was really good for me at the appointment too. You can never ask for more than a kid that will tolerate her stroller for like 30+ minutes. What a champ! Just wanted to share these great photos and let you know that baby is growing big and strong and moves around a lot.

blushing

Are you blushing? Here's some fabric I recently picked up (minus the pink ones) to make another fabulous quilt. I'm going to try another fun pattern by Oh, Fransson! Her wonky (crazy) nine patch quilt. I can see all the wondrous aqua coloring now. I think this will really turn out great, can't wait to see it start coming together.

Many of you ask, "Where do you find time to do this?" My answer, I make time. I don't usually sit still during the day (bad, I know) -- this gives me ample time to work on projects. Especially when the ironing board takes up permanent residence in the kitchen.

could this autumn get any better?

Honestly, could this autumn get any better. October, the perfect month to start with (I'll be 29 in 12 days!!), has actually been the perfect month! The weather has completely cooperated; I couldn't be happier.  Yes the Packers haven't been playing very well, but Charlotte is still the cutest thing on our block (Earth).

We had a fun weekend. Friday, we stayed at my mom's house and Great-Grandma Burton also stayed over. (Daddy needed to hunt but didn't see any deer.) We played and ran around the woods. Saturday I went to lunch without Charlotte (yes!) and we enjoyed a nice family night at home. Sunday we played outside, raked leaves, carried around pumpkins and cleaned out the garden. She is so much fun to play with and she never hesitates to get herself VERY dirty.

Not to mention, I finished the TOP and BACK of the baby boy quilt for the Alzheimer's auction. It looks amazing and all my lines matched up. I don't have a photo, but I'll get one soon. Now I just have to baste  and quilt it. That really came together quickly; I love quick projects.

I don't give Griffin enough credit. He's the perfect (almost) dog. I can't believe how much he puts up from Charlotte. He's just awesome. Here she is laying on him, eating her apple and kicking him with her foot. That's buddy-love, right?!

P.S. My doctor appointment is tomorrow, stay tuned!

success in the big girl bed

Today, I was feeling good. We got a lot done this morning (park and grocery shopping) and I thought I would keep the momentum going. I put Charlotte down for her nap at noon and asked if she wanted to go in the big girl bed. She said yes, so I thought, let's do it! Wouldn't you know, she stayed there for her 2-hour nap and never got up once!! She's a bit clingy and crabby after the nap but I was so happy about the bed, I don't even care. Besides, this means we can snuggle together for awhile (she lets me kiss her endlessly during times like this).

Over her nap I caught up on one of my favorite shows, Project Runway, and spit most of this out:

I've been really nervous trying this new pattern. You can find it here by Oh! Fransson. I knew if I made an error, there wasn't much I could do with the cut fabric. Last night I cut my template and all the printed fabric and realized (when I was done) it was a tad off; that got me worried. However, with three columns together, this looks great. It's much larger than I thought it would be, but it will make a fantastic baby boy quilt for the silent auction. (See blog post below.)

24 weeks and counting

The development of baby is happening rapidly now, and we'll meet him/her in only 16 short weeks! I can't believe it! Baby should be about a foot long and weigh about 1.25-1.5 pounds. Hard to imagine my little sister was 1 pound 4 ounces when she was born. Something like that really gives you a perspective on life. Baby's brain is growing rapidly at this time. Taste buds are also developing, and the lungs are becoming more developed and complex.


I'll have to get another photo up soon. My belly is getting bigger by the week but it doesn't seem noticeably bigger. I'm still able to keep up with Charlotte at the park, thank goodness! And yeas, I can still bend over to tie shoes and put shoes on little feet.


Monday I have another doctor appointment to mark the 24 week check-up. Baby is moving around a lot which tends to keep me up at night, but I'm managing to do ok. I still feel rested during the day and crash around 9pm, but there's nothing new about that.

two baby quilts on the menu

In February, the Southeastern Area Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association has a Mardi Gras Fundraiser in which donations are given in a company's name for a silent auction. My mother's company (which is where I also work and donate my time), Senior Planning Group, always donates a great basket for the auction. The last two years, we've donated baskets with a baby theme (guess why). This year, I'm making quilts!!!

I am going to put a baby boy quilt and a baby girl quilt together using Elizabeth Hartman's (of Oh Fransson! - see side bar of blogs I follow) New Wave quilt pattern. It's modern and fun! Here's a sample of her design as sewn by Ruth Sloan.

The baby boy fabrics I picked out are SOO cute. Most of it is from Amy Schimler "On A Whim II" for Robert Kaufman and "Play" by SEI. Some fillers are from one of Michael Miller's lines.

The baby girl quilt fabric I picked up at Joanne's so it's nothing named. I loved the purples with the pinks. The birdy fabric is my favorite. You saw that on the back of the lavender quilt I just made for Columbia Center. The butterfly fabric will be the backing for this one.

Of course, now I am just adding to my list of projects to finish. February 4th (due date) sure sounds closer and closer each day...

oktoberfest fun

What a weekend! Saturday was the Senior Planning Group's (Mom's company) 5th Annual Oktoberfest at the Horstmeyer household. We cooked authentic german cuisine for 70 people! We started on Wednesday, so three days of prepping were totally needed. (Big thanks to everybody who helped us out...)

I have to say my little sugar bean stole the show in her Bavarian blue dirndl. Charlotte was the life of the party and really was a good girl for mama.

My sister and her boyfriend also had authentic German clothing, that made the party fun. Jeff had his Alp Horn here and I can't believe I forgot to take a photo of him playing it! It was a beautiful autumn day and we all had a blast at the party. Our guests loved the food and beer. I'm happy to say there were lots of leftovers for dinner this week at my house.

Baby is still moving around like crazy! Everybody got to feel my belly move around on Friday night. Hard to believe I have something like four months left. Time has flown by the second time around.

central park fabric line

I'm really not one to get into fabric lines and new releases, or am I?! Perhaps I'm jumping into a bad habit. Anyways, I caught wind on another blog about some new fabric lines coming out of Kate Spain for Moda Fabrics. http://katespaindesigns.blogspot.com/

(Photo courtesy of Fat Quarter Shop)

Her Central Park collection is amazing and I can't possibly wait until January to get some of it! I'm already plotting out what quilt pattern to use, who to make one for. I think I'll make one for myself and my sister too! That would just be fantastic.

please pray for my friend

Life isn't simple. Life isn't easy. Even when life is at a high, somehow, it manages to hit a low. I have a young mom friend who is going through a very difficult time. Truth be told, she's been going through a difficult time for the last six years or so. Her husband has had brain cancer and it has spread, yet again. This time, it's probably not treatable. She is currently exhausting all their options and I'm sure, it's not easy.

They have a six-year-old daughter and a 20-month-old daughter. I ask that right now, you please pray for this family. Pray for their strength in the decisions they have to make. I agree, it's so not fair that this young, wonderful couple should have to deal with life-altering decisions.

So, next time you are having a bad day, or frustrated with your husband or your kids, just remember the little things. Be thankful for what you have. It's the simplest idea and somehow we all seem to forget it from time to time.

Again, please pray for my friend, her husband and children in this difficult time they are facing.

kiddie bean bags

Bean bags are fun. Especially when your mom makes them.

Here's a great pattern from Cherry House Quilts. These bean bags are fun and easy to make! I've used a variety of scrap fabric from my stash. One bag of split yellow peas was $0.79 and it made two bean bags. That's a steal!

Are you looking for games to play with your bean bags? Try some of these links...

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/beanbag_games.htm

http://wayneofthewoods.com/beanbaggame.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_18434_make-beanbag-toss.html

http://www.ivillage.com/how-play-beanbag-games/6-a-128906

http://www.ehow.com/video_4468205_bean-bag-toss_-preschool-games.html

http://health.kaboose.com/active-kids/games.html

http://www.daniellesplace.com/html/outreachideas.html

beautiful october

I love October, for a variety of reasons. (1) It's my birthday month. I'll be 29...wow. (2) The weather is always perfect. A little cooler, sunny and perfect. (3) The leaves are changing color and makes the fresh air even better. (4) Apple Cider. (5) Oktoberfest. These are just to name a few!

This weekend we went up north to visit Grandma and Grandpa LaPean. We also visited the new hunting land to see the progress the boys have been making. I can't believe the color up there! It was the perfect week to see all the leaves in action. Not much as fallen and they were amazing shades of orange and red. It was a bit breezy, but that didn't seem to matter to Charlotte. She had her new hat and Packer sweatshirt on and had no problem running though the muddy leaves and throwing sticks for the dogs.

It was also a great trip because we got to have lunch with Great-Grandpa and Grandma LaPean and Great-Aunt Jane. What a fun surprise! Charlotte slept on the way up to the cabin and on the way home. She was even well-behaved at the restaurant for lunch (which is usually quite rare). I love my kid!

To end a wonderul weekend, Kevin and I were able to go to dinner and a movie, stress-free, without Charlotte. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa, it was nice of you to watch Charlotte so we could get out of the house. (Hopefully the Packers can turn out a win today, that would be the end to a perfect weekend!)

girls, girls and maybe more girls!

This week I found out that two more of my friends who are pregnant are having girls. One will be the mother of three girls and the other has one son. How exciting! One of the women had given me a bag of 18-24 mo. clothes for Charlotte so now I have to pack 'em up and give them back for her new arrival in February.

We are still waiting, so all of you are going to have to keep speculating about the gender of baby #2.

I'm 22 weeks today. Moving along pretty fast here. It's nice to be preoccupied so I don't have to think about my belly all the time. Can you believe that baby is about 10 inches long? That's about half of the length it will end up being, WOW! The main thing is I feel healthy and full of energy (most of the time). I've recovered from last weekend of feeling icky and back to the old self.

On a side note, I'm babysitting my friend's daughter Lexi today. I can't believe how all of a sudden, Charlotte is full-fledged toddler! She's a little maniac and full of energy. I think it's a little overwhelming for Lexi, poor thing. My kid is hitting and really being mean. Do I really have to start time-outs already? (P.S. Charlotte already had a time-out this morning and it's only 9:35AM!)

I suppose this is the next step in the parenting process that I have to become acclimated to. Teaching right from wrong and how to share. Oh, joy...