lots of thoughtful baby gifts

I love this card that came from my sixth grade math teacher and her mom. Inside it read, "Just be yourself."

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When it came time to open presents at the baby shower, I knew I needed to be considerate and speedy. It's fun to watch someone else open presents...for a while. And then it just gets a little long. My goal was to open each card to see who it was from, open the gift, thank that person sincerely, hold the gift up and move on to the next present. I told the ladies, if you get bored, simply watch my magical inflating feet. They will double in size before your very eyes. (And they did. They do not disappoint...)

This meant that I wasn't able to read every card (because viewers get bored when watching other people silently reading) while at the shower. But now that I'm writing thank-you's I have been reading these thoughtful words, and I came across two gifts that I hope to duplicate myself for other mama friends. A breastfeeding kit. My cousins Sarah and Kathy gave me this and I think I love it so much because it is so mama-centered. These luna bars are for me. And this adorable water bottle?!! I love it! The cream and pads came highly recommended and altogether the thought and creativity that went into putting this kit together is adorable. The card explained each part of the kit and why it was chosen.

The Mom-Tool. My friend Anne gave this to me with this humorous little flip book, explaining how a mama would use each part of this swiss army knife. The flip book reads as follows:
- Tweezers: Use for removal of small objects lodged in child's nose or ear. ie: beads, beans or pebbles.
-Scissors: Use for cutting a drinking straw for child's drink which prevents multiple spills down the front of the child's shirt. (Hint: cut about 1/3 off)
-Nail File: Mom's new self-care tool-perfect for grooming her own nails while waiting for the doctor.
-Screwdriver: Use for removal of batteries in most children's toys.
-Key Ring: So Mom always knows where the Mom Tool is located.

grandma's caramel rolls

I have to begin this post on caramel rolls with a confession. I am a bit phobic of yeast. Not in a I'm-afraid-it-will-beat-me-up-in-a-dark-alley sort of way, and not even the fact that it is alive and living and tiny. My fear comes from what I might do to the yeast. What if I draw too hot of a bath for its survival? What if the water is too cold? What if the yeast hates me and then all of the work I went through to make the bread is all for nothing. I think about these things and usually opt for making things like monkey bread instead of homemade caramel rolls.

But Grandma was in town last week, and since she has been best friends with Yeast for 93 years now, it seemed like she might be able to introduce us with the most success. After all, I have made caramel rolls with my grandma a number of times throughout my childhood. (Although it should be noted I have never made them while 9 months pregnant. I was utterly exhausted by the end of our baking time together! I had to sit down a few times while my, again, 93 year old grandma stood and washed the dishes by hand!)

We were at my mom's which meant we didn't have a Kitchen Aid. And not having a Kitchen Aid meant that we had to stir in the flour by hand and knead it forever.

The stuff was so sticky. But not for Grandma. Everytime Grandma touched the dough it would become lovely and smooth. She kneaded with ease and made it look so, so easy.

And then she'd let me have a go. And within seconds, the dough would turn to sticky goo, stuck between my fingers, attached like cement to the counter. I was so awkward! This clearly is some sort of practiced and perfected skill and I am a novice. But I did improve over time, and I think Grandma saw some promise in me by the end...

Here she is, fixing my goo back into bread dough.

I kindly let Grandma finish kneading and I moved onto melting the caramel goodness over the stovetop so it would be ready for the rolls.

She rolled our dough and spread butter, cinnamon and sugar all over.

And then we rolled it up.

We cut them up and placed them over the melted caramel mixture.

Then I had to leave in order to make my baby appointment, so Grandma and my mom finished the rolls and brought them over later that night. And I ate more than one. And the baby jumped for joy all night long. Thankfully, I was wise enough to freeze most of them so we'll have some good treats for after the baby comes too.

Grandma's Caramel Roll Recipe:
1/2 cup very warm water
2 T. dry yeast
1 T. sugar
Mix together in a bowl, cover and wait for bubbles to appear.

In a different bowl combine:
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups flour
add yeast mixture to this bowl. Beat 2 minutes with a mixer

Add to this mix 2 eggs, and beat for 2 more minutes.
Then add 1/3 cup soft butter
Beat for another two minutes

Blend in 4 cups of flour gradually. If in a Kitchen Aid the mixer can handle this. Otherwise, stir in by hand. If you're 9 months pregnant, your breathing might become labored...

Put 1/2 cup flour on countertop and knead the dough for a VERY long time. If you mixed in the Kitchen Aid, you will not need to knead it for so long.

Place dough in a buttered bowl and cover with a towel under a warm light. Let rest for 20 minutes. If you're 93, you might do the dishes during this time. If you're pregnant, you might sit down during this time.

After 20 minutes, knead the dough again. Roll out into rectangle and spread butter, cinnamon and sugar on the dough. Roll into a long log.

In 2 buttered pans on the stovetop, melt the following together:
1/3 cup butter melted slowly
1/2 cup brown sugar
After melted and combine together add
1 T. Karo Syrup

With a scissors, cut the dough into 3/4 inch rounds.
This recipe will make 2 pans of rolls with 15 rolls in each pan.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or so.
ENJOY!

things I don't want to forget

This weekend we got the nursery put together. And I love it. I love getting to dream and vision and then to see all of those ideas and creative thoughts come together. The room is happy, bright and peaceful. Look for a full picture tour at some point on this blog...

I have spurts of energy, usually timed about every other day. I will push it one day and the next my body will kindly tell me that we're not going to do that again. Thursday, Saturday and today are busy days. Friday, Sunday and probably tomorrow will be reading-in-a-glider-rocker days. I told my brother today about this cycle and he explained that even on the lay low days I am still very productive as I am producing one product at all times, even while laying on the couch. I loved that perspective.

In the last week Rory has replaced the nursery windows, painted the sills, built a dresser, built a crib, put up shelves, installed the carseat, put together the stroller, replaced a light with a ceiling fan, assembled a glider rocker and hung all sorts of things on the walls. Next are the blinds and curtains. He is really making me happy...

You should know that all of those listed items above come in large boxes with lots of packaging. When you think about how tiny a newborn's footprint is and compare it to the baby's carbon footprint, I believe the later is quite a bit larger. Sorry earth. We do recycle.

On Saturday I washed everything for the baby in Dreft detergent. Which means that I got to fold my first loads of baby clothes. Melt my heart. I have never, ever had such joy in doing the laundry in my life. Tiny, tiny, tiny.

Last week we had our last night of baby classes. Our final task was to bathe, change and swaddle our cabbage patch kid dolls. Except the mama's couldn't talk and the daddy's had to do it all. Rory was so gentle with that baby doll and I couldn't get over how mushy my heart got watching him put a diaper on cloth-dimpled doll legs. I cannot wait to watch him use this same tenderness with dimpled wiggly legs.

I'll try this again...

I am excited to put up this slide show, but Photobucket thinks I want the pictures to show backwards of their chronological order. And if Photobucket knew me at all, Photobucket would know this would drive me insane. I tried posting and reposting five times this morning, and I'm not sure what the dealio is. Then I went and took a three hour nap.

Until I figure this out, here is a link to the slide show with the pictures in their proper order. (My North Shore pictures also displayed last picture to first...anyone use Photobucket and have any tips?)
Click here to watch the Slideshow. and enjoy!

one colorful baby shower

Alright. I've got a few pictures, and I think they sort of sum up the tone of this shower. Somehow the party planners took my quirks and oddities and turned them into a really good time. The room was decorated with paper chains, in honor of my love of a good looped countdown. They were gorgeous and made sort of a tent for the celebration.

I called this the mother of all baby showers, because it was all of my worlds come together. There was Cedar Valley Church family there, Shepherd of the Valley Church family there, Bredberg, Harrington and Groves family there, friends from Mount Carmel, friends from Flathead, and even my third grade teacher, sixth grade math teacher and 10th grade English and History teacher.

Mrs. Ice (3rd grade), Mrs. Groves (10th grade), me and Mrs. Johnston (6th grade)

To have this many women together to love on and support this little life growing inside of me was fantastically overwhelming. When God set us up in community, I believe this is exactly what he had in mind. I felt so affirmed and loved and supported as we prepare to step into this new season

I'm adding these next two pictures, because they basically sum up my mood the entire evening. I was quite excited, all night long.

Sara gave a very thoughtful devotional, focusing on the different roles each member of the family brings to the whole. She referenced The Art of Family and Real Love for Real Life and I have a feeling lots of ladies there will be ordering these books real soon.

The cake is worthy of a post all of its own, but I'm dying to share this one. First of all, this was my face when I saw the cake:

And my face looked like this, because this is what I was looking at:

Remember the Scandinavian wall hanging we are going to have in the baby's nursery?

Unbelievable. I still can't get over the colors and detail that was put into this cake! And this is how the whole night felt. The thoughtful details, all of the prep that went into every part of the shower, and the special touches were perfect. Lisa, Sara, Beth and Marlene pulled together one of the best parties of my life. I can't thank them enough. And I can't believe we didn't get a picture! But we did get this one, with all of the lovely ladies who helped pull the night off.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to Sara, Beth, Carleen, Lisa, Maddie, Melanie and Dawn! (And Mom Groves!) This baby has so much love awaiting its arrival!