The tradition continues...

When Steve and I first got married, we were thankful to inherit a car that had been passed down through his family from his Grandpa Luke. It was an older car, but with very low mileage and it served us well for a number of years. While we were getting acquainted with our new wheels, we found touches of Grandpa Luke had made their way over from Arizona. One day I found pieces of cardboard with clothespins attached to them to be used as extended sun visors. There were other signs of Grandpa Luke's handiwork like the paint touch ups on the body and duct tape on the seat belt covers. I never got to meet Steve's grandpa, but I admired his handiwork and appreciated his innovative fixes. I could see where Steve's dad got it from when I'd hear about how he attached a small motor to a manual wheat grinder so it would be electric or the random toggle switch he installed on an old truck that somehow made the air conditioning go on and off.

Slowly but surely I've started to see this trait in Steven manifest itself. The power button on my computer went out and for a while he fixed it so I would just rub two wires together to turn my computer on. I think that says something about how much I trust him to be putting random electric wires together. After a while the wires started to fall apart, so now I have an external power button and tape all over my computer. And it works!

Then there was the minor car accident that took out one of our headlights on yet another inherited car (I married into a very generous family with an excess of older working vehicles). The part to replace the cover of the headlight was next to impossible to find (we even had relatives scouring Canada for it) and when we did find it, it cost more than the car is probably worth. I'm exaggerating a little there, since we could rip out the other intact headlight on the car and sell it for that much, but you catch my drift. So Steven and his dad put their heads together and came up with a plan to use plexiglass and caulk it in. And it worked.

One of these things is not like the others...
One of these things just isn't the same...
Normal...
Not so normal.

To my surprise, it works great. We just went to Lowes and got some high grade plexiglass (they cut to size for free), high heat caulk and voila! New headlight for $15.

I have to say, I like having a guy around that I can ask to fix things, but the process and the end result keeps me on my toes. And when I see Rowan "fixing" something with scotch tape and rope, I know that he's just carrying on the Luke tradition.

Extender Slips for the Lazy Sewer

Have you seen that extender slip everyone seems to be pinning on Pinterest?

http://icandyhandmade.blogspot.com/2011/08/tutorial-extender-slip.html

Me too. I have a few maternity dresses that are just a tad too short and I haven't been getting much use out of them as a result. Not to mention what happens when you have a toddler climbing all over your lap when you sit down. The extender slip was just what I needed! So I picked up a cheap slip at Walmart for $4 and went from there to a fabric store to pick up the wide trim I would need to finish it off. It seems like it's nearly impossible to find trim that wide, at least in this town. What I could find either was too see through, too lacy (I didn't want it to look like an actual slip falling down), or too expensive. So I went to Marshall's hoping I could alter something there.

Bingo.

It's was the right color, not too lacy, not see through, and $9.99. Sold! I wasn't sure how I would fix it to work as a slip though. At first I thought I would just cut the trim off and attach to my Walmart slip I bought. But then I would have to reattach the lining underneath so it wouldn't be see through and that might actually start requiring real effort. Surprisingly, I could get the size 8 dress up over my pregnant self to work as a slip without feeling like my blood supply was being cut off. Thank you elasticized back panel.

So I got rid of this: (I have enough bumps on my body as it is thank you)

And got this:
I still need to hem the top, but my serger is in the shop so that will have to wait a little while. But this is how it essentially looks. I'm pretty pleased.

And should a certain little girl decide to let me flash the deacons as they are passing sacrament, I won't die of horror. (Not that that has ever happened of course...)

The only downfall of these slips is they look strange, to me at least, paired with most other patterns. So for the time being, I'll just be using it for solid skirts and dresses, but I plan to still utilize the slip I bought and make a solid extender slip like you see here for the skirts and dresses that clash with the lace: http://www.vintagehem.com/
They have some really cute ones with just a plain strip of fabric that would be really easy to whip up and I won't be out $30. Score!

We're Still Alive

I guess it's been a while since I last posted. People are probably sick of checking the blog only to have to keep looking at my gross stomach, so I should probably post something that encourages y'all to come back. (I'm so southern- really though, it does sound better than "you guys")

My birthday

I had a great birthday this year. Not that I got lavish presents or that I magically turned 25 again, but I really felt loved and supported by those around me. My visiting teachers had a little lunch party for me and a few other people came. Then another friend in the ward made me a beautiful chocolate cake. Steve took us out for dinner at a local Mexican place. All in all it was low key, but it was just what I needed.

I love my little goofballs.



Proof that something can be cute and decadent at the same time. It was delicious!!!

We came home and opened a gift from Grandma (and Grandpa) Luke. Steve paid my insane blood tests and ultrasound bills that month as a present to me. It was very romantic. :)


Grandma tapes a mean present. Luckily, I had plenty of help ripping it open.


Yes, I am a crazy person who does not own a single potholder. I cook plenty, I promise! Elaine must of noticed and took pity on me. I also got some cool Pampered Chef gadgets. Grandma Dorothy sent me cash to help fund a crazy expensive wheat grinder purchase along with the Christmas money I got from Steve's parents. Wheat grinders and potholders- I must be 30 to get excited over those.

Preschool

We're still doing preschool once a week, but we've added another member to our group. It's been such a nice diversion in the week and I'm grateful for it.

Painting some "T is for Transportation" toys.
Nadia has also started some Kindermusik lessons Steve's parents gave her for her birthday. She LOVES them. It's been another little happy activity in the week that gets us out of the house and gives Nadia something to do.

The first day, all the other kids were timid and wanted their parents to stay. Nadia pushed me out the door. I've never been more proud.



Valentine's Day

A friend in the ward put on a Valentine's Day party for the kiddos where we decorated our bags and sugar cookies. Afterwards we passed out Valentines. Nadia wasn't that interested in passing out the valentines, but she was all over receiving them and eating her massive sugar cookie. Rowan wasn't as lucky since you can't exchange candy at his school. Call me crazy, but pencils and stickers just aren't as fun. Nadia was kind enough to share with him.

Comparing hauls at the end of the day.
For Valentine's Day, Steve paid more of my insane medical bills. (Are you sensing a theme here?) It was still very romantic. I think I also got some "honey- do" chores done and a footrub out of it too. Woo Hoo!! I love that man.

Zoo

I think this was Memorial Day. A group of ladies from the ward went to the zoo and we got in free with someone's amazing pass. Not only did we get to see the animals, but we got to do all the extra things like feed the birds, ride the ponies, feed the giraffes, ride the train and go on the carousel. It was a blast!




Gardening

For FHE, we started our plants as an activity. I'm tempted to plant them outside now because they are getting so big already. The kids have loved watching the tomatoes and peppers progress and we hope to have a successful little garden this year.

Lowes
For the past several months, Steve (or occasionally I) have been taking the kiddos to Lowes for their "Build and Grow" workshops. They've acquired quite a few badges and love going for their Daddy time.


My mom also came at the end of February for another one of her 4 day visits. It was so nice to have her come and so crazy that I failed to take a single picture. I'm still in denial that the next time I see her, I'll have a 1 month old. I wish we lived closer. It was probably good that Grandma didn't stick around though because Rowan was horribly sick after she left. For 5 days he barely moved from the couch. Fever and vomiting do not make for a good visit. Not only that but the poor guy lost his two front teeth while it was all happening. The dentist says he's got 4 others that are loose and he's getting a back molar. Not a lot of apple eating for him I'm afraid.

Nadia was thrilled for the day or so that Rowan and she "matched." I'm still sad I didn't get a picture when they did. It would have made for a great "We live in the South" postcard.

The baby bump

I'm not ashamed to say I took this in the "skinny" mirror. As you can probably tell, I haven't been utilizing that treadmill in the background. I'm as big as I was when I delivered Rowan and I'm only 29 weeks. Take that Jessica Simpson.
And last but not least, I got an ultrasound of our little Elsa last week. They say she is measuring small now, which I don't believe for one second. She is also head up, something I never had with my other kids, but I suppose there is still plenty of time for her to flip over. I sold all of Nadia's baby clothes (for the best since they are going to be opposite seasons anyways) so I have been doing a little eBaying and clearance shopping along with the odd garage sale to build up a new wardrobe for her. We're slowly, but surely getting ready here.


We are so incredibly blessed.

What's big, purple, and doesn't sing annoying Barney songs?

The answer? My stomach.

I would have done a full frontal view, but no one needs to see something that gross. This is from just one injection site. My stomach and love handles are full of these little lovelies. It looks like I'm involved in competitive pregnant lady boxing. We started injections twice a day with heparin about a month and a half ago. I say "we" because Steve does the majority of them. I only do it if he forgot or didn't have time to, which can result in interesting experiences. I try not to watch when either of us do it. One time I didn't insert the needle far enough and had a nice heparin bubble under my skin for the rest of the day. Needless to say, even if I wanted cutesy naked belly maternity pictures (which I don't), I'd be out of luck.

Our doctor switched over our prescription, obviously, to this current drug so we could actually afford it. It's 7% the cost of Lovenox and hopefully effective enough to do the job. I am grateful for it, but still nervous all the same. But I'd probably be more nervous without it, so we're trucking forward. I'm glad I only have to do these puppies while I'm pregnant!

Chocolate Cravings

I was craving french silk pie the other day, but didn't want to eat raw eggs while pregnant so I made a recipe up. And it was good! Or so my minions tell me.

French Silk Pie

Crust

20 Oreo cookies, crushed

1/4 cup butter, softened

Mix and place in a greased 9 inch pie plate. Bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes. Cool.

Filling

1.5 cups heavy cream

1.5 (12 oz) package of milk chocolate chips (I used Ghirardelli's- quality counts)

1.5 teaspoon of vanilla

1/8 teaspoon of salt

Combine the above in a double boiler and melt.

When it's sufficiently smooth, add some of the hot chocolate filling to 3 beaten eggs gradually, then add to the rest of the chocolate sauce. Mix well and heat through enough to ensure eggs are cooked. Add to crust and put in refrigerator to cool.

When cool, mix 1 cup of heavy cream with 1/4 cup of sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Top off pie and enjoy! Keep refrigerated.

Bye Grandma

Before Grandma left, we had a little firework faux New Year's Eve action since New Year's was actually on Saturday and we had to head to church and the airport in the morning. I think this is the first year we set off our own fireworks. It was nice to do it all in the comfort of our own backyard.



The kids ended up watching most of them while swinging on the playset. It took a while to get through them all! Grandma bought a huge pack of them!

In the morning I was able to snap a few pictures of Grandma and the kids before we all went our separate ways. We loved having her with us this Christmas!

All Talk

I'm not political. Part of the reason for this is I can't even vote, but I may have also inherited my mother's apathy about the political process. Can one person really make a difference in Washington and the state of our country right now? I've yet to see a political leader that really inspires me and that I feel I can support. But I really want Obama out. That became very clear to me when he started with the idea that you can spend your way out of a recession. His more recent move of shutting down the Keystone oil pipeline solidified my dislike for him even more. It might be good for Canada to diversify their clientele when it comes to oil exportation so that they aren't at the mercy of what USA is willing to pay, but just the thought of all those potential jobs going to waste and China snapping up the opportunity of Canadian oil kind of makes me sick. The man just reeks of arrogance. Didn't like him before he was voted in and don't like him now.

It's been interesting to watch some Mormon frontrunners for the GOP nomination. Even more interesting when Romney embraced his faith and Huntsman kind of downplayed it and the aftermath of it all. My support of politicians is based by and large by a gut feeling I have about the person. Romney strikes me as awkward and stiff, but with a good heart. I don't feel like his life has been a facade of "what do I need to do to climb the ladder?" His commitment to his wife and faith, his ability to understand how to run businesses successfully, and the fact that he is not a career politician really make me like him. At least he has spent some time in the real world and has a grip on how our economy works.

So when he was campaigning through South Carolina and a bunch of people from our ward were getting together to support one of his stump speeches, we thought it would be fun to tag along. It was an interesting experience and I'm glad we went. We were pretty close to the front and stood out amongst the crowd in our group. I don't think people were very used to seeing so many kids at a political rally. Even Mitt commented on it when he first came out. Several of our friends got their pictures in multiple news stories, especially one child in particular that was holding a "Go Mitt! Mormons Rock!" sign. Our kids were happier to blend into the background.

The photographers going crazy for the kids.


When the speech was over and it was photo op time, Mitt was reaching down to all our kids to take pictures with them. He started to pick up Nadia and she totally dissed him. He put her down and muttered "she doesn't want me" and moved on to the next kid. It'll make for a good story if he does wind up being president.

I should have gone for the photo op instead of our kids. Oh well.
Nadia at least gave Mitt's music the thumb's up.


You can see our kidlets on our shoulders if you go right from the reporter's nose. Yes, we are famous now.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7394789n&tag=mncol%3Blst%3B2

Afterwards we went out for ice cream. Our reward to the kids for patiently getting through the whole experience. Sadly Mitt didn't win in SC, but we're hoping he'll eventually take the GOP nomination with or without the South's nod of approval.