A face only a mother could love..

What is that fuzzy little thing I see?

Uhh.. wow. so ugly they are absolutely adorable!

The wee babies are just so tiny! How can an egg that is so pretty have these strange little critters in it? :) More pics to come soon.. these images were taken on Monday before we left on our trip. Now they have some fluff to soften their edges a bit.

xoxo~
Abbie

Digital Journal Page 12

It has been awhile since I created a journal page. This one is in regard to having another child. After every child I have had thus far, I have said, quite emphatically, 'this is my last!'. Again, my maternal clock is shifting into over drive. As my daughters get older and closer to going to school, I am struggling with what do with myself. Should I go back to school? Volunteer? Start a business? As I really have no clue and almost daily, it seems, my ideas and dreams change, there is one thing I know, I am a mother. A good mother. It is something I can't quit and will never regret doing. The one job I have always been on time for and the one I will never regret devoting my life to. So, perhaps, I'll have another. Someday. No, I am not pregnant. :)

Damn it. Spring better get here soon, cause I really think I'm starting to loose my mind.. another kid??? What am I thinking???

We are getting more snow today.. more!

These are a few of my favorite things...

When I browse around other people's blogs I just love the images. The pics grab me, if I like them, then I'll read what goes along with them.. but it is most definitely the images that get my interest peeked. No images, I probably won't stay to read unless the title line is really fetching.. I know, judging a book by it's cover, so to speak. But that is the way my mind works, I am an extremely visual person.. so I thought I'd share some of my favorite things from around my home with you.. first my daughters nursery. Most of the accessories I made myself. It was the first large sewing project I tackled and it took me the entire winter I was pregnant with her to finish all the sewing. First I put together the quilt that hangs over the edge of the crib. Then came the crib skirt, the hanging caddy on the end, the bolster pillow (and a few other pillows), a diaper caddy, and crib bumper.

Above is a mobile that my mother, son and I made one afternoon. I cut squares of pink and green felt and we decorated them with shiny bits and buttons. Put two back to back with embroidery floss running through the center and beaded heavy metal beads at the ends to give it some weight and swing. Balancing the piece was the hardest. I used a round piece of cardboard covered with fabric. Anchored the strings in the center and moved them around the circle until it balanced right. then I secured them in place. A very inexpensive project and so much fun to make!

The room was screaming for a bit of sparkle so I choose this petite 'chandelier' for the center lighting.

Above is a spattering of their blankets. The crocheted piece T's aunt had made for her. I just love the little roses in the corner. That wonderful water blue is the back color to the striped quilt and the corner pink squares are of the quilt I made..

Well, I took a slew of pics from around the house this morning so stop back by again soon to peek at more of my favorite things..

Oh, what a weekend..

We laughed, we cried, we had fun, we were sad. So many things happened I don't even know where to start. Fins, our Beta Fish, got sick and was swimming sideways. We were sure he was on his way out and talked expectantly to the kids. Since Thursday he had been looking horrid. Well, now on Tuesday, he has miraclulously recovered and I am very happy, to say the least. He keeps me company (he sits in his bowl on my kitchen island and watches the world go by) and I would miss him if he were to pass on.

As far as the rest of our weekend, we went to the Sandwich Fair (not about sandwiches, but held in the town of Sandwich, NH). The drive is truely lovely, especially this week, because of the folliage. We are about to hit peak color and the landscape is starting to vibrate with colors. The pic above is one I took on the way home of a most gorgeous horse farm. White fencing line all the fields and the drive is a straight shot to the farmhouse. Oh, it is most delightful! We saw the typical oxen, fowl, and food. Baby A got a bit restless after an hour so we packed up and drove home. Sounds foolish to travel so far to only stay a short time, but it gets so crazy and with 3 little ones to keep track of, the ride is the most pleasant part of the journey.

My inlaws had to put one of their dogs down. Happens often, I know, but they are dog people and Cocoa used to be my husbands dog before we met and were married. she is buried on our hillside and enjoys a beautiful view of our field now. Happiness and sadness went hand in hand this weekend, but in the end it was all good. In the words of Dori ' just keep swimming, just keep swimming..'

oh.. T got a vicious cold and I think everyone else in the house is about to catch it.. it never ends..

A quick look back..

I had posted this image of the entrance to our home about a year ago. This year all the wood is gone. Little did we know, when my hubby stacked it all so neatly under the blue sky of our porch, that the rain would beat in there and soak it. Because of the postition of the house, the sun doesn't get around enough to dry it out. So.. this year the wood is in the basement. Great for cold winter days when we light a fire in the fireplace, and its perfect for the spiders that ride in on the wood and set up house keeping. Yeeeecckkk. I HATE spiders. I know, a strong word, but the truth.

Z, A and I went to my friend's one year old son's birthday party yesterday. It was lovely to be included with her family for such a special day! He was born last year on September 11. I can remember her saying 'I just hope he's not born on the 11th", well mother nature has a way doing the exact opposite of what you desire. He came, quick as lightening and I think it was the perfect day. Now, I have happy thoughts when I think of Sept 11. His birth gave me a new definition of the day. Yes, I still take moments and remember where I was, and the trama that unfolded, but when my thoughts pass, I am left with the good feelings of birth and life. My posts from a year ago are actually quite humorous. I mention how happy I was NOT to be pregnant, and that my son really wanted another bro or sis, and how it was NOT gonna happen. A few weeks later, BOOM. Prego. :) Now, a year later, I have three kids and my son has another sister and again I am saying, MOST EMPHATICALLY, I am NOT having another child.

:) Abbie

Enjoying the last bit of summer...

Watching the Merganzers

Gathered the wee ones and we ventured to the beach yesterday for a picnic lunch. (about a mile away). Probably the last time of the year, although, now that all the tourists and much of the summer residents have gone home, things have quieted down. The Lakes Region of NH is a gorgeous place to live, especially in the summer. But it is also very nice to see summer pass and everyone go home again. Our little town just gets inundated with out-of-state-ahs.

School has started. Soccer practice starts this weekend, and Cub Scouts is just around the bend. I have been looking into a gymnastics class for T. (in pic) I truely think she would love it, I just am not sure if I can take her with Baby A in tow.

I laid on the beach staring up into an oak tree for a while. It was so nice to veg out and not think about all the things that have been plaguing my mind lately. My brother leaves for Afghanastan in December (Army) and that fills quite a bit of my thoughts and worries lately.

C has been on vaca this week. It has been the most gorgeous week weather wise. this weekend its suppose to get HOT again, but atleast the nights will be cool. Woke up this morning and the temp was 46 degrees out, but supposedly its gonna hit 90 today. What a jump!

Hope all is well.. here is the pic of my tree and the crystal blue sky that I gazed into for awhile. Now you can enjoy it too.. (the leaves in the bottom corner are starting to change color..)
:) Abbie

I'm sorry to have left that annoying plug for my shop as my last post for so long. Things have just been crazy here! The girls are definitely keeping my on my toes. Baby A is sleeping 8-10 at a night now. She is 10 weeks old. T is driving me absolutely crazy. I think the Terrible Two's have settled in. the dogs are also being quite a challenge. Perhaps they are distressed with the addition of another child in the house. I do know that T has been terrorizing them alittle more than usual lately.
On a brighter note, C and I were able to go out for dinner the other night. The appetizers were great, but the main course was NOT 'all that'. But it was nice to get away from the children and dogs for a few hours. I could have been getting a root canal and it still would have been a nice break. Thank you to those who have popped into my shop and said 'hi' and 'welcome back!' Etsy has definitely been very nice to me and I have missed it tremendously. (Oh... the key is the lastest addition!)
:) Abbie

In my spare time?

**SOLD** (Check Shop for new items.)

I have been working on some new collage packets for my Shop in my spare time. (a smidgen of one is shown) Ha! Spare time.. that's just too funny for words!! But seriously, I do some new wonderful tidbits in the making.

I went and saw the new Harry Potter movie the other afternoon with my mom, sister-in-law, and 8 year old son. Oh! It was FANTASTIC!!!! Geesh.. I have been watching those movies and reading the books since they first hit the stores. LOVE 'em! Yep, I'm a 'groupie' momma when it comes to the Harry Potter mania. I even had three hours away from my newborn. Although, now she is 5 weeks old!! (tomorrow) I can't believe its been that long, but it also seems like she has been around for forever. Children have a way of distorting time.

I hope you are all enjoying your summer! Its been a very lover-ly one here in the Lakes Region of NH.

A few precious moments..

I was able to get some time away this weekend with my momma. Well sortof. ( I took Baby A with me) We went to Merdith, NH and visited one of my most favorite secondhand shops, The Etcetera Shop. I have had marvelous luck with antique buttons, vintage linens and old books there. I heard one of the ladies yesterday say that they have over 12,000 (yep..THOUSAND) consigners from around the country. I found a pair of linen towels that are completely handstiched. Including all the hems. Micro, tiny stitching. Most delightful and made me smile immediately! I got both for $8.50. You can't buy brand new, 'made in China' handtowels from Walmart for that. Someone spent hours and hours bent over these and they will find a place of love in my home as soon as I wash and press them.

New Hamp-shaa Birthdays...

A New Hampshire holiday weekend filled with family, flowers and lob-shtah. My father-in-law's Birthday was this weekend and as tradition goes, we have family over and feed everyone Lob-ies. Ayuh. Big uns. 2 and half pound-ahs. My sister-in-law brought the blooms from her gardens. Ayuh. Garden's'. (Plural) She has the most gorgeous green thumb! I hop everyone else is enjoying the first of two holiday weekends. (With the 4th in the middle of the week we get two!)

PS.. A quick update to my previous post... my ultrasound went fine and everything is OK! Yeay!!

Nothing ever goes perfect!

(This entry is NOT for the squeemish..) Why does something always have to go wrong when so many things are going right? My new babe (2 weeks old today!) has slept 7 hours straight twice now, and the other nights sleeps very well. (allowing her ever grateful mother a full nights rest almost every night since she was born!) Miraculous, I know... gotta love formula! Sorry lactation supporters! My milk dried up with no problems, my 8 yr old has opted to continue daycamp for the summer, (I gave him the choice to stay home and play with his sisters instead) The weather is gorgeous! Hot, but fabulous! (I think the temp outside right now is 95 degrees) Up until the other day I felt great; rested, thinning at a good pace, starting to fit into pre-preg clothes, enjoying my husband home on vaca, and SLAM! I wake up, bleeding heavy (it had almost stopped) and with pain and discomfort. Almost 2 weeks after the birth. Not pretty. (if you don't like blood STOP reading...) The doctor removed some hefty blood clots. Not a pretty thing, or comfortable for that matter. I now have blood clotting meds and an ultrasound scheduled for fri. to see that everything is ok. WHY can not ONE of my pregnancies go SMOOTHLY????? From start to finish?? What the heck? Is this Mother Nature's way of telling me something? Don't worry Mo-Nature, I'm not having anymore! Promise! Got the message!
Anyway.. thanks for listening.. I needed to vent..

Many small wonders..

Over the past week many small and beautiful wonders have filled my life! To start, I gave birth to a gorgeous 7 lb 8 oz baby girl on the 13th. (Hence my previous post) I never thought I was carrying a girl. My 'older' little girl just turned 2 years old yesterday. Sisters. I never had a sister, although I desperately wanted one. 2 years apart with their birth dates only 4 days apart. I am hoping for them to be best of friends.

I also received some most delightful treasures from Melissa at The Garden of Pink Shadows. I had ordered some sheets of birds and butterflies and entered into a contest on her blog. Well, to my most pleasant surprise, I won a fabulous little bag of goodies! (shown in the pics) Her shop at Etsy is most delightful place to stop and smell the flowers.


I am typically not so florally. But I guess I should have noticed that my new love of vintage birds, florals and fabrics most likely sprung from the fact that I was secretly carrying a girl!

I think today is the day....

well.. I have been having contractions (started at 11 min apart) since 2:30 am. Now its 9:15 and they are about every 5 minutes apart. The doctor that I really like and have been working with, of course, is not on duty today. So, I am going into the office and we'll see what happens. I really want to have this baby FAST. But, So far I have having contraciotns for alomst 7 hours and this is my THIRD CHILD! What's up with that? Oh, well. Keep my eye on the prize. I'll post as soon as I get home.
:) Abbie

Wakeful and Dreamin'...

I could not sleep last night. I think my eyes finally closed around 1 am, and I was up with the sun (right now its lightout at 5:40 am). Thoughts kept streaming through my head. One was of a new idea I have for posting on my blog. I think from now on, when time allows, wether daily or weekly, I am going to post free 'clipart' type images from my 'stash' for people to utilize, download, enjoy or pass along. I had the most difficult time finding quality FREE images that I actually might want to apply to my art and my life. I hate to pay for anything if its avoidable, so I thought I'd pass along some love to my blog readers. So.. that will be my next post. The start to my free, LARGE format, Clipart Stash Share Campaign.
Also, I purchased the lastest edition of Somerset Life to read in the hospital after the baby comes. I couldn't wait that long!! It was calling for me from the bottom of my overnight bag.(which I packed the other day when I had the false labor) So, I think between the LARGE coffee frappe I had yesterday afternoon and the giddiness of all the new projects streaming through my head there was no sleep to be had by me last night.

If you are curious as to the image on the left, well.. that is a reminder to me of where I came from and where, my belly is going back too. Yep my girth went from that to this. Mind you, it took alot of coffee frappes.

;) Abbie

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False Labor

Well last night I thought it was the time. I got very excited, giddy actually. All smiles. Contractions had started! Every ten or 11 minutes. Uncomfortable, and semi regular. No go. It was FALSE LABOR. Geesh. How disappointing. But, it is a sign that perhaps FINALLY things are going to start moving. Downward, I hope, but at this point I'll take any direction this baby wants to go. My delivery is scheduled at the hospital for Friday the 15th. So, that is the LAST day that I'll have to wait. 6 days away. Its gonna kill me. Those 6 days are gonna go by slower than the past entire 9 months. tick. tick. tick. tick. tick.

A little bird told me...

My latest wee projects to keep the time passing. Oh these last few days before the baby comes are taking forever... These little birdies are helping. Perhaps I'll use them as thank you notes, or you may see them pop up in my shop in the fall.

20 days.

PHOTO BY CARON GONTHIER

My most excellent friend and photographer, Caron, came over today to take some portraits of me and my belly. The image above is my favorite.

Only 20 days to go. Or, if I would like, my doctor did say it would be OK to induce me early. As early as the 5th of June actually. I'm not sure yet. Depends on how I am feeling. I know the image looks as if I am comfortable in my skin (although if you peek at my face, you can see the discomfort and apprehension) and feeling quite zen, but truth be told, I can bake a good baby, but mother nature won't let me push them out on my own. My tally right now is two inductions and two vacuum extractions. Not good odds, considering I currently have two kids.

Perhaps history won't repeat. Ha.

Etsy Baby Shower

The above items are all handmade by Citefuzz.

The above onesie is handmade by Lemon Cadet.

So far I have received a fabulous little collection of items from some FANTASTIC shops at Etsy. I honestly have yet to buy anything for the new little one coming in just 86 days. But these gifts make me more excited and help me to look forward to a new baby. Time has gone by so quickly, it's hard to believe that in under 3 months there will be another little child in the house. Three. That is good number. I hope my children will grow to be best of friends. I am actually looking forward to Christmas when they have families of their own and everyone is together in a nice big gathering. For now, we have a pretty large gathering as it is.

Anyways... stop by the above shops and take a peeksie.. wonderful HANDMADE items await you!