Seven Days to Go.....

My mom arrived Friday evening. My mom arrived! That means baby is coming soon. She came for the big event obviously, but mainly because Andy is in his second tax season and is working ridiculous hours and even Saturdays and it makes me nervous to be alone, especially since I don't know what to expect. Also the prospect of being alone on the subway and having my water break terrifies me. Some idiot would likely pull the emergency break (which as New Yorkers know, there is no situation in which you can/should pull a subway emergency break, why do they have them, I don't know, but it is reiterated all over the subway that you should never ever pull one) and I would be stuck in a tunnel under Manhattan having a baby with a bunch of gawking New Yorkers who are likey to shout profanities at me for making them late to lunch, or a movie, or work, or life.

So, you can see why I asked my mom to come well before my due date. I need an advocate when I am out and about in the city, I need someone to yell at that idiot who almost pulled the emergency break, I need someone to tell me that yes, this is indeed labor, call Andy and call a car, we need to go to the hospital, and I need someone who has done this before who can encourage both Andy and I, I need someone who has had 5 children, 2 with an epidural, 1 emergency cesarean (11 pounds and breech, ya, that was me), and 2 more post cesarean that were all natural. Lucky that someone is in my family and my own mother no less. So here is a shout out to my Mother, who left Texas for almost a month to be with her neurotic daughter during her first birthing experience. And here is a shout out to my Dad and cute little brother, Michael, who are probably eating nothing but man food (meat and beans and cabbage and chocolate milk), wearing flannel all day, smothering themselves in Old Spice, and polishing their shot guns. Its a veritable man month for them.

My Smart Husband (a repost from my family blog)

So I wanted to give a quick shout out to my smart husband Andy. He took his first section of the CPA test (all you accountants, you know how this goes) on July 1st and we have been waiting and waiting and waiting for the results. Well, he took the second section early August and received those results a couple of weeks ago, he passed with an 83 (by the way, you have to have a 75 to pass, anything less is not passing). Yet, we were still waiting on that blasted first test (by the way, he was sure he failed). However, this morning he received his results and he got an 85!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah!!!!! I am so proud of him. Truly the Lord has been watching out for him and helping him. Between work (which consists of ridiculously late hours and many Saturdays in the office), the Lord has blessed him to find the time to prepare the best he can and has helped him to do his best on these tests. Now, we still have two more to go before the NTS deadline of November 14. We can make it. I know we can. Thank you for those of you who kept Andy in your prayers. I know the Lord truly heard and answered my prayers concerning helping him being able to balance a heavy work load, studying, and a wife who requires more time from him than he ever seems to have. He'e a trooper and he relies on the Lord, and I think that has made all the difference. Thanks again all, and a hip-hip-hoorah for passing the first two sections!

One of the Greastest Speeches Ever Given....

BLOOD ALONE MOVES THE WHEELS OF HISTORY! [pause] Have you ever asked yourselves in an hour of meditation - which everyone finds during the day - how long we have been striving for greatness? [bangs fist] Not only the years we've been at war – the war of work – but from the moment as a child, when we realize the world could be conquered. It has been a lifetime struggle [bangs fists again] a never-ending fight, I say to you [bangs again] and you will understand that it is a privilege to fight. WE ARE WARRIORS! [applause] Salesmen of north-eastern Pennsylvania, I ask you once more rise and be worthy of this historical hour. [even bigger applause as Dwight gives a horrible sounding laugh] No revolution is worth anything unless it can defend itself. Some people will tell you salesman is a bad word. They’ll conjure up images of used car dealers, and door to door charlatans. This is our duty to change their perception. I say, salesman – and women – of the world... unite! We must never acquiesce, for it is together... TOGETHER THAT WE PREVAIL. WE MUST NEVER CEDE CONTROL OF THE MOTHERLAND...Audience: ...FOR IT IS TOGETHER THAT WE PREVAIL![thundrous applause]

DWIGHT SCHRUTE FOR PRESIDENT!!!!!!

Autumn is my favorite time of year. I love the change in weather, the crisp cool breezes, the smell of pumpkin, wearing cardigans and light scarves, the changing colors of the leaves. I also love the feeling that I should be buying pencils and notebook paper, though those days are behind me, at least for the now. Its like in my favorite movie, "You've Got Mail".

"Don't you just love New York in the fall, it makes me want to buy school supplies.
If I knew your name and address, I would buy you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils,
On the other hand, this not knowing has its charms."

This will be my first NYC fall, and I am very excited about it. I have always wanted to be in the east during fall, and now, here's my chance. I will be posting pictures as soon as the leaves start showing signs of fall, but in the meantime, I wanted to post a picture from a place that still holds the number one spot for my all time favorite places to be in the fall.These pictures are from a place that I know I and many of my friends hold dear. That's right, its the Idaho Endowment Lands, or as we came to know them, Conference Canyon. Remember how we would pack up tons of food (the hot dog quota Valerie) and camping gear and just go live out there for a number of days and listen to conference on the radio and explore as if no one else had ever been there. Remember Horace Aktar and the hewn log and James' purple tent. Remeber the huge pile of wood that we would never be able to us in the time we were there yet Andy kept hauling fallen trees out of the forest to chop up. Remember how the smell of campfire used to permeate every part of ourselves so much so that it would take at least a few days back in civilization to get the smell out (though, none of us really wanted it gone). Remember how Candice got cold and stuffed her sleeping bag with clothes and when that didn't work, somehow conned Valerie and I into leaving the tent in the freezing night to go find her a blanket. I don't know how she managed to do that. She was the one that was cold. Val and I were toasty in our sleeping bags. It was Candice who decided to sleep on a cot even though we told her she would get cold, and yet it was us who had to leave the warmth of our bags to get her more blankets. Remember the lean-to Andy built to sleep in rather than a tent. What did we call it, his Love Shanty???? Hahaha. Remember the random visitors that would stop in throughout the weekend bringing with them provisions: John and his pizza, jeff and his steak and eggs, which if I remember correctly, he did not share, and Woody and Nicole with the chunk 'O ham. Remember how we wanted to start a commune out there so that it would never have to end.

Oh sweet delight. I miss that place, but more importantly I miss the friends,the fun, the hot dogs, the spiritual enlightenment, and the beauty of those aspen trees against the clear blue sky.

Oddly enough, two main people who were there with Andy and I in Idaho are here in NYC. Maybe we could set up the purple tent in the living room and Valerie could bring over hotdogs and we could listen to conference over the internet. We could even get a pile of sticks and pretend like we are going to start a fire later. We could even explore the wild of NYC as if we were the first to ever stumble upon it.

Daydream Handmade

Ok, so I have been wanting to do this for awhile and I just haven't, but now, I finally have. I am expanding my etsy site from daydream books to Daydream Handmade. You access the site with the same original address ( http://www.daydreambooks.etsy.com/ ) but when you get on, you will see that my banner has changed and I have posted more than just journals.

Sometimes I just don't feel the creative book vibe and I really just want to make something else. That is why I decided to branch out. Now, what kind of things am I branching out to you might ask??? Well, whatever I want really, but most recently is something I like to call Daydream Baby . I am making my Kimono Booties and the Mary Jane Booties for Daydream Baby, as well as some onsies. I plan to expand on it to baby slings and baby clothes. And as always, I take special orders. Just email, etsy convo, or leave a comment request. I may also be adding a few different types of booties in the weeks to come.

At Christmas time, I plan on adding handmade ornaments for your Christmas tree, and guess what I will call it???? That's right, Daydream Christmas. You are catching on.

I think that by calling it Daydream Handmade, I am leaving it open to do whatever inspiration strikes. But I will always do books and journals. It was the original and I don't intend to turn my back on what got me started in etsy. In the mean time, check my blog and my site regularly to see new additions and updates to both sites: books, booties, ornaments, etc.

These are a few I made today.These little guys are Cowboy Kimono Booties. I made Petey-boy a pair, but there

will also be a pair for the etsy site.

This is a cute little pair for a little girl. The sole is mafe of fleece to keep little feet warm this winter.

This last pair is the same as the previous, just different girl fabric.

Pete Space

Slowly but surely we are finding a space for the little guy. After a great deal of innovative thinking, we have finally made an official Pete space. There is a nook in our apartment living room and with the help of a sheer white curtain, a perfectly fitting craigslist crib, the cedar chest (co-designed and co-built by my dad and myself), and Andy's knack for finding studs and hanging shelves, we have made little Petey-boy a place to call his own. The space measures about 3'X7'. Its tiny, I know, but considering where he is living now (my uterus), he can't really complain. We are currently storing emergency food storage water under his crib, but that will change when he gets bigger, since we will have to drop the crib height, but we will deal with that when the time comes. There is a little stuffed toy hammock hanging over one end of the crib (don't worry, I made sure it was super secure, there is no chance of it falling) and there are two shelves to store all things baby. We also put two little touch lights over the crib for late nights when I get up to feed him. The light produced from them is very low so it will be easy on my eyes and his. Currently the diapers will reside on the shelf, but if I decide to do the cloth diaper service, then I plan on making a diaper dispenser to hang on the wall over the cedar chest. We'll see how it all goes down. In the mean time, check out Pete's space and let me know what you think.

Saturday Craft-capades

I have been doing some freezer paper transfers today. I love freezer paper transfers. I just love them. Check out what I did.This is a series of 5 onsies I made for Petey-boy. They are all 0-3 months in size. Pete is due in my very favorite month, October. Halloween is my favorite holiday. So consequently, a few of these onsies have a spooky Halloween motif. A ghost....An owl.....A scaredy cat.... Moose are not so much spooky as they are scary, have you ever come across one in the wild? Well then you know what I mean. Moose aren't really part of the Halloween theme, but moose remind me of Idaho, and I love Idaho in the fall, hence the moose.
Elephants aren't scary, nor are they really Halloween-y, but I just like them. Especially this little design.

This is my church bag. Just a plain old canvas bag that I have had for years and I wanted to make it a bit more special, so I found this nature motif online and recreated it on my bag.

This is a little denim tote that I have been carrying around lately and I wanted to add a little interest to the front pocket. I just love the bird motif that is going around so I went with the sparrow in flight.

PwC Shout Out

This is a big shout out and thank you to Andy's co-workers at PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers) who threw me a baby shower last week. Thank you so much!!!!

To show my appreciation, I made a little thank you gift for them. These are my monster cookies, delicious if I do say so myself. I may share the recipe one day, when I am feeling generous. They have oats, chocolate, peanut butter, eggs, vanilla, brown sugar, baking soda and that's it! What, you say I forgot to mention flour? Well I didn't. These are flourless cookies, and I'll tell you something, you wouldn't know it.

Fall's First Sweet Treat

On Sunday, I made our first autumn dessert, apple crisp. It is such a classic fall season dessert, and though the weather is still too warm to truly be fall, I am anxious for colder weather and when I saw the new season crop apples at the Union Square Market, I couldn't fight the apple crisp feeling. So here's to apple crisp, dessert harbinger of autumn.

Redemption....

There are few things in this world that can make me as happy as a PB&J sandwich with a large cold glass of milk. Andy, of course, is one of these exceptions. I am very particular about my PB&J. There is a certain quantity ratio of peanut butter to jelly/jam that must be met. Its not something I can really describe to you, its more of a look and a feeling that the quantity and ratio have been met. And in my case, its got to be creamy peanut butter. I know some of you prefer chunky, my husband is one of you, and I don't hate chunky, just in this application, I prefer creamy. And the bread......yes, the bread. Well, it has to be wheat bread. I don't know why, maybe because it tastes like there is actually something there. But it can't be a thick, hearty wheat, it has to have "fluff" to it. My bread can't be fighting with the peanut butter and jelly for attention. The bread is there merely to support the peanut butter and jelly (almost like an edible plate) and to lend a subtle "something" to the sandwich. Other than that, I want nothing else from the bread.

Now, Andy and I prefer JIF peanut butter, but since we eat PB&J so much, we have to buy our peanut butter in bulk and our COSTCO only sells Skippy, but it works, its not ideal, but it works.

Now to the jelly/jam. Back in the day, in my early days of PB&J consumption, it was grape jelly all the way. I rarely varied from this formula except for a small stint of tomato sandwiches in the second grade. Since my grape jelly days, I have encountered many types and flavors of delicious jams and jellies. Some were good, and some were bad, but none, I repeat, NONE has surpassed the heaven that is HEB jam.

HEB is a grocery store in Texas that sells a bit of heaven for $1.99 a bottle. Its this HEB jam I speak of. Let me tell you why I think it is so superior to all other forms of jams and jellies. HEB jam is mostly fruit. What I mean by that is there is little added sugar (of course there is some, but only what is necessary). Now, don't misunderstand me though, this is not one of those health food crazed jams that are termed "low sugar" that have added splenda or some other fake sugar low carb blah blah blah to the jam. That stuff is gross and will never set foot in my house. I threw up in my mouth a little bit just thinking about it. HEB jam uses yummy good quality fruit and only adds the minimum amount of sugar needed. Consequently, the jam tastes like the fruit it is labled and not like candy. This is the measure of a really good jam.

For those that need numbers, I base the sugar to fruit ratio on the carb and sugar count. If there are more than 10g carbs per serving and 9 or 10 of those are sugar, then it is too much sugar, and it will taste like candy and I won't eat it. I like the sugar and carb count to be in the 6g-8g range. I am not a carb counter. Don't misunderstand me, this is just what I base my jam purchasing on since there are no HEB's to speak of within 2000 miles of here. The closest I have found to my beloved HEB jam is Trader Joes Organic Fruit Spread. We like the apricot and strawberry. And while its good, really good, its just doesn't come close to HEB jam.

HEB jam come is tons of flavors: strawberry, mixed berry, cherry blueberry, pineapple, black berry, raspberry, peach, apricot, grape, and my all time favorite, PEACH MANGO. It makes the best PB&J, it makes happiness, it makes me cry its soooo good. Should you ever find yourself in Texas, and I hope someday you do, keep an eye out for HEB and when you get there, go do yourself a favor and buy some jam. Allow yourself to become a jam snob, just know that you will crave it when its not around, so stock up if you can.

PB&J

There is nothing more depressing than buying a gallon of cold milk with the single thought in mind that said milk would accompany the most delicious sandwich known to man or beast (the peanut butter and jelly sandwich), then realize upon returning home that your bread is molding and there is no backup in the freezer. I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy, which currently is my neighbor who, for unknown reasons, yelled at me in broken English for 5 minutes at a time, taking 5 minute breaks in between tirades, for about an hour or two a few weeks ago. I guess the bean and cheese burrito will have to suffice.

Booties for Yaya

My good friend Annie asked that I make her a pair of kimono booties for her dainty little lady, Baby Lila, or as she has been so affectionately termed by her older brother, "baby yaya". (L's are tough for 3 year olds) Well Annie, I did more than that, I made two pairs. The second is a new style I am working on. It's the Mary Jane Bootie, and Lila will be my first guinea pig.





These kimono booties are made from a super cute plaid of black, yellow, pink and blue. The booties are lined with white satin, and the soles are a durable denim.

The second pair are the Mary Jane Booties. They are made from a cotton print with a green cotton lining. Once again, they have denim soles for durability. These little booties are fastened with velco (the button is just for looks, or kicks and giggles, whichever). These booties are just a little bigger than the kimono booties, that way Lila will have room to grow in them. These were a little more difficult to make than the kimono booties, but well worth the effort. They are so cute.

I hope Yaya likes them, but more importantly, I hope Annie likes them because she is the one who decides what her feet sport. Good luck next week with the surgery, and hang in there lady, both of you, things will work out. That Lila is one tough little girl.

Baby Reality

So, in theory, I am having a baby in roughly a month. I say in theory because even though day by day my belly gets bigger and bigger, it has never quite seemed all that real to Andy and me. It always just been this abstract thought of "oh ya, we are having a baby in October" and only just recently, that thought has become "WE are having a BABY in October". People have babies all the time only now WE belong to that group of people; we are people.



There are a few things that are bringing this "in theory" business to a reality. First of all is that our birthing class starts tomorrow. I am really excited and a bit nervous about the whole thing. We decided to do a class because we are both incredibly clueless where babies are concerned and about the whole birthing process, so all in all, I think the class will be beneficial. However, I am nervous because what if I find out something I wasn't prepared for and then freak out and send myself into early labor! Really though, I'm not worried about early labor or whatever, I just mean, there is no turning back at this point (not that I would if I could, I would never) and in a month, our lives will be completely different. Its a big change and labor is a big experience to go through and considering it in "theory" hasn't done us any favors. Now we have a month to change into reality mode to get ready for this bouncing little bundle of "Hungus" (as James would say). Needless to say, this class will help us transition out of theory into reality.


The second aspect of this whole "theory to reality" process is the preparations for the little guy. We haven't really made any purchases for him (until yesterday). Anything baby we have, we were given by friends and family (thank you all). BUT, we have made our first purchase! Drum roll please.......................................THE GRACO SUPER SAURUS SNUGRIDE CAR SEAT!!!!!!!!



We chose the dinosaur....wait, Andy chose the dinosaur print and I agreed with the choice. Andy said he loved dinosaurs as a child and got mildly excited at the prospect of carrying around a dino carseat so how could I disagree. Plus, I do like the print. Dinosaurs are "way cute" (does Jack still do that Annie??? too bad if not) and also manly. I believe its safe to say that dinosaurs can be an added ingredient with plaid and Old Spice in the makeup of a man. So with this carseat, my predisposition to like plaid (consequently, he will be wearing it a bit) and Andy's loyalty to Old Spice, I believe we have a little man coming our way.