warm hearts

I've been doing some small projects as I wait for our baby girl to be born! It's helpful to distract myself with something creative when I'm feeling so ready to greet this sweet little one.

For a long time now, I've wavered between giving away and keeping a certain pink wool zip-up hoodie I've had at least since my freshman year of college. It's cute, cozy, and the perfect fit...and I've worn the elbows to death. I darned them multiple times, and it just was not working anymore. I'm not really into elbow patches, so that option was out. So I kept the sweater. And tossed it between the "mend" and "give away" piles. Until a couple evenings ago.

Joshie and I came in from a very cold day in the snow last Monday, and I heated up my big rice pack for him to warm his hands and to keep him snuggled on the couch for a few minutes. It was hard for him to hold the large hot pack, but he was soon warm enough to be happy. That sparked my thoughts...maybe he needs his own hot pack!

I also recently saw that a friend (and relative) of mine made a small hot pack for her preemie's belly; it has helped his tummy troubles to subside and allowed him to sleep! Baby Center also recommends a warm pack like that for soothing colic in newborns, and I thought I should make one.

The final push to get this little project done came when I saw someone's adorable heart-shaped rice packs, and I had to give it a go! I honestly don't remember where I saw it, so if it was you, please know that you inspired me.

Would you like to make some, too? They're quick and easy, and you can make them in any shape you'd like!

You'll need:

Paper for creating a pattern
Dry rice (not quick rice)
Funnel
Spoon
Sewing machine
Scissors
Essential oil or dried lavender, if desired
A natural fiber fabric (cotton, wool, etc.)
Note: I used two fabrics, a wool sweater for the outside, and a 100% cotton tee shirt fabric (jersey) for the inside. You really only need one, but my wool sweater was worn very thin and needed some more structure.

Use your paper to create a simple shape for your pattern. I chose a heart shape, but it would be just as functional to cut a square, triangle, circle...or you could get fancy and do something else!

Cut two fabric pieces for each hot pack, and stack them with wrong sides (inside of fabric) together.

Using a zig-zag stitch, sew almost all the way around your fabric sandwich, leaving about 1" of the perimeter unsewn.

Using your funnel, spoon rice into your hot pack. My 4" hearts needed about 4T of rice each to feel full enough. You should have enough room to be able to shift the rice around a bit; don't stuff too firmly. At this point, you could also include dried lavender or a few drops of essential oil, if you'd like a scent other than warm rice.

Remove the funnel and sew up the opening of the hot pack. Be sure to start on top of the existing stitching so that there's less chance of the stitches unraveling.

Trim your edges close to the stitching so that they look neat. 

Microwave for about 30 seconds on high and enjoy!

I couldn't share with you all then, but I can now! My Valentine's Day was beautiful and full of reminders of how much I'm loved. But beyond the gift of having my husband home with me, he also brought me a little tangible gift.

I gave him his gift first - you can see that here. Then, he asked me to close my eyes and hold out my hands (just like when he proposed to me, slipping the ring on my finger). When I reached out, this is what he put in my hands:

"Are you sure?" I asked, with surprise and joy in my voice, almost in tears.

"Yes," he replied with quiet confidence. His strong arms reached out and pulled me in for a hug, as he whispered his love for me and a second affirmation, "I'm ready."

I'll cherish that moment for always! 

So grateful to God for the promise, the hope, and the big (little!) blessing we've been given. 

Love you for always, my dear husband! Excited for this new time of life with you.

Valentine's Day - just a peek!

Happy belated Valentine’s Day! I hope yours was full of beautiful blessings and reminders of how much you are loved.

heart shaped pizza - yes!

I made a couple of things for my dear husband to celebrate our love:

Ten romantic date night coupons – I cut 3”x3” squares of paperboard (thinner than cardboard, heavier than cardstock or cereal boxes) and covered them on both sides with one of four kinds of scrapbook paper. There had to be music notes, of course, since we’re both musicians. I then cut hearts out of a sheet of handmade art paper given to me by a friend, and glued those onto five of the squares. In my scrapbooking and card-making stash, I have quite a few scrap papers, and the copper metallic paper was just begging to be added in the form of hearts.

I added handwritten verses from Song of Songs to finish off the romantic front of the cards.

Something else was needed, though, so I got out my kraft paper and made envelopes for them, numbering them 1-10 with stickers.

 

Inspiration struck again, and I penned lines from our first dance song onto the front of the envelopes.

 

Finally, I tied them all up with ribbon.

 

He was thrilled, by the way!

Our weekend was filled with togetherness…

 

…snuggling…

 

…more snuggling…

 

…and pizza, of course!

Add caption

early spring, please?

'twas the week before Valentines'
and all through the apartment,
Linnea was cleaning -it's her job department.
The cobwebs which hung on the ceiling with(out) care
Were all brushed away - not a speck, none left there.

The Christmas decorations were all put away,
Even the pinecones that glittered so gay.
And all the red candles, each ornament bright,
Had been tucked away for next Advent's sight.

When all of a sudden, there rose such a clatter -
What had Norah done? What was the matter?
To the china cabinet I ran so very fast
And saw the door open... naughty little cat!

The sun on the opened cabinet beamed
Revealing pink things that shimmered and gleamed
Light floral candles, ribbons and white
Small candy hearts - green and purple, and tealights!

The newly cleaned house just begged to be given
A new color scheme and an abundance of ribbon.
So out with the red, the green, and the gold
In two short months, that scene has grown old.

In with pastels! With pinks! With blues!
In with the Valentine's candy hearts too.
In with the florals, the romance, the birds,
The cards, the chocolate, the cheesy sweet words.

I'll invite all my friends, at least just the girls;
We'll make V-day cards and wear pink and our pearls.
With a flourish of pens and paper and glue,
We'll wish a quite happy Valentine's Day to you.

Valentine's day

I found this idea in a Good Housekeeping Magazine, and I couldn't resist. Here's my take on it:

sweet talking. :o)

four part time jobs? and grad school apps.

even weeds look pretty when they're frosted with snowflakes!

a berry - bearing plant beside our deck

lacy goldenrod plants

snow-sugared pine cones

more of the berries

My parents came to visit this past weekend! It was so nice to see them - it has been a while! They only came for Friday night and Saturday, but we packed it full of fun, nonetheless. These pictures are from Saturday morning, when everything was frosted in white. It was a beautifully sunny day, and warm! Well, warm for January in central New York.

I was really thrilled to finally have work when I started nannying in December. I'm working for a family with twin boys, born on December 3rd, a 2-year-old boy, and a 4-year-old girl. It's busy, but I love it! It's nice to be taking care of the kids, and I like feeling needed.

I also just picked up some more piano students from a friend who needs some time off from teaching. This is excellent, as all the parents are pleased that I'm traveling to their homes to teach their kids, and they pay me more for that. Cool. It's okay with me.

While I was working out early this month, I got a call from the director of the local high school's musical, asking me to accompany. Wow! Okay. It's nice to play piano professionally.

I am still working at church as the Worship and Music Coordinator, and I love that job. Things are busy at the moment, though; we're having three distinctly different Sunday services in the next four weeks, and they all involve musicians and personnel that don't usually serve at our church. It has been complicated to coordinate, but I'm working on it. I keep reminding myself that I love being in music.

As if that wasn't enough to keep me busy, I'm also applying for grad school in the Fall. I have an audition on the 13th of February, as well as the 12th-13th of March. I am auditioning for Vocal Music Education and for Choral Conducting, so the preparation work will be extensive. I haven't sung in a while, and I feel a bit frustrated with how I sound right now. I hope to take lessons with a professor at the local college to brush up before my audition. So soon - yikes!

My husband started school again yesterday after a very long break. It will be good for us to both have a set routine again, after both losing our primary jobs and not having much to do! Tomorrow is his longest day - I will kiss him "goodbye" at 8:15am, and not see him until about 8:00pm. Crazy...

Tomorrow night is also our couples' bible study. This is such a nice break in our week, and it's great to focus on what really matters. I love being able to share that time with my husband, and to talk openly with other people about what we're learning from the scriptures.

I volunteered this morning at MOPS (that's Moms Of Pre Schoolers - a parenting support group) in the baby room (ages 0-1 year). I took care of the twins that I usually watch, as their mom usually comes to MOPS. They're adorable, and it was fun to share that with the other caretakers in the infant room. One of the twins, though, showered himself as I was changing his diaper...talk about dramatic. It was all better after a new outfit and extensive "washing" with baby wipes. lol. poor little guy!

My husband and I went out tonight for a quick trip to the mall and a stop at Dunkin' - I had forgotten, I guess, how greasy those doughnuts are. But they're yummy! I also picked up a couple of cute things at the mall. Valentine's Day, here we come :o) I can't wait.

Speaking of Valentine's Day, there's a card-making party coming up! All of us girls will pool our scrapbooking and card-making supplies for a girly night next Saturday. So excited! I could use a girls' night...

All this is to say that I'm very blessed. I have jobs that will pay our bills, a husband who loves me so much more than I deserve and more than I'll ever understand, and a God who provides for my every need. I have the opportunity to continue my studies, to work in the field I was trained for, and to care for children, as I've always dreamed. I do hope that, one day, God will see fit to give us our own children. But for now, I am grateful. And content.

my entertaining valentine

(another until-now-unpublished post. more happy reading to you!)

happy.

my husband and i celebrated Valentine's Day last weekend...meaning, a week early, by going out to a fabulous Italian restaurant. very yummy. and so this past weekend, we weren't going to go out. (and we didn't.) that saturday morning, the girls and i made valentine's day cards for each other and for our significant others... my husband's card is very sweet, if i do say so myself.

wednesday, i bought myself raspberries, because we agreed that we wouldn't do big presents...and raspberries are comparatively little. and so good.

on friday, my dear husband stopped by at my office with a hershey's chocolate bar, tied with ribbon and the note "to: wife. from: husband." so very sweet! and more than i expected.

then when he picked me up he gave me a container of feta cheese. it was supposed to be a joke, but i fell for it hook, line, and sinker. i thought it was another v-day gift. i had a headache, so i wasn't thinking straight. and there was no way i was going to offend him, especially not now! so i said "thanks! this is so thoughtful - you know i would never buy this for myself and how much i like it." lol. go figure, right?

when we arrived home, he went out to get the mail and came back with white tulips for me! whoa!

on the actual big day, my friends and i had a "single" girls' party...we made pizza, and then they all went out to a couple of chick flicks. my hubby said i could go if i wanted, but the movies weren't really my thing. so i came home...

and we watched a really hilarious movie together, enjoyed some sweets, and had a lovely evening together. being with the girls makes me so much more thankful for my husband. i feel like the luckiest woman alive.

and i am so blessed.

love!

here i am

at work. still. and wondering what my day really amounted to - did i do anything eternally worthwhile? really, was putting in one new house listing, printing and emailing statistics, and putting together the daily report really that interesting? or helpful?

i should have taken the day off.

on the other hand, it's a lovely day. i had a nice walk/jog at lunchtime, and it was beautiful! it's "warm" again - in the 20's (Farenheit). The sunshine was a nice change of pace.

tonight my husband and i may go out to celebrate an early Valentine's Day...next weekend will be inconvenient for us. and who's to say that Valentine's Day can't be early? i like it. Even if we just stay in and dedicate the time to each other, that will be enough.

still so in love.

and i know i will be for the rest of my life.