Playing Photographer

One of my dear friends had a baby last month.  She asked me to try taking a few newborn photos for her, and these are some of my favorites from our very amateur photo-shoot.

 

Welcome to the world little August!

We love you!

The Back Splash Reveal

We decided to go with silver colored imitation ceiling tile.  They sell it in sheets at menards.

We are planning on using something similar for our ceiling in the dining room, and Bert noticed that they sold a type for back splashes.  We took a day of researching pros and cons, and then happily settled on this unique option.  (Extra-long white subway tile was our runner up in the decision making process.)

We are really happy with how it turned out.  And because it is so bold, I know I will love it even more once I am used to it.  Bert installed it himself on Saturday.  We were both thankful he was even able to finish before the family birthday party at 4 (not at our house, thankfully).

  In the next photo you can see that the wall to the dining room isn't quite uniform in paint and texture yet.  We will have to wait until the taper comes to tape our dining room (hopefully started within the next week or so) before those areas can be painted blue to match our other walls.

You can also see our new barstools.  Bert got a great deal for them at Sears because they were wrongly assembled and wobbly so no one wanted them.  He re-assembled them at home, and now they are perfect!

Here's an installation action shot for good measure. :)

It will be a while for any other kitchen progress to take place.  This weekend we will be at a seminar about the Holy Spirit, and next weekend is the annual guys winter camping trip!  Then the Saturday after that we have an all-day hospital class on birth stuff.  It has been so nice to have so much progress this month before Baby Eikum preparations fully take over our free time. :)

thanks baby.

I was no match for the Target end cap today selling these for $1.79.

I usually have a serious guard up against Target end caps.  I am aware of their power to sell me what I don't need, and I usually fight heartily against it.

However, today, I let the baby be my excuse and splurged.

So delicious.  Let's call this day of pregnancy a special occasion!

Did I mention Sheetrock?

Just trying to be current on last weekend's project before another weekend is upon us.

Bert labored (with help of Matt Kelly - thank you!) last Saturday.  The 26 segments of Sheetrock make a lovely gray room.  Yes I counted them, because I was so impressed.  He works hard.

By the way, I have no idea what color we are painting this room. Options on the table have been: mexican red, wilmington tan, mocha, or white, and I don't love any of them yet.

It's coming along!

If the plan works out, I might have something else to show you next week...

We have our first baby/birth related class tomorrow night!  It's on Comfort Measures during labor, and it's put on through a local non-profit called the Childbirth Collective.  We are excited to check it out, and especially excited that it's FREE!  We are interested in learning more about the natural way without being 100% committed to doing it naturally.  Lamaze classes cost money, which we were considering.  So this is a neat compromise for us.  We just want to be as prepared as possible and open with the outcome.

Not that anyone would, but please don't debate the birth option arguments over blog comments. If you ever want to share your thoughts with me, I am very happy to hear them in person. :)  

P.S.  I know that a pregnancy picture is long overdue.  The problem is that our fireplace is still covered in furniture and we have no other good picture-taking backdrop.  So hopefully soon we will get our living room back and I will update with another belly photo.  Believe me, there has been progress!  I am currently 28.5 weeks along and not getting any smaller.

Book Corner: A Wrinkle in Time

Book Corner: A Wrinkle in Time

By Madeleine L’Engle

What kind of read is it?

A children’s fantasy book.  Probably 5-6^th grade.  (RL: 5.8)

What insights did I gain from this book?

None. 

What did the author do well?

Well she’s won a Newberry medal for it, so there has to be something I’m missing.  I loved the beginning of the book before the characters are traveling through time.  Meg and Calvin are fun characters.  The description of the Meg’s family and rickety old house made me want to walk into their kitchen and hang out with her and Charles Wallace.

What is lacking in writing style or story?

For me, this was way too abstract and unstructured of a story. You never really get concrete understanding of why or what they are doing.  There is just too much wandering around in space, time, and random planets for me.  There are some Christian themes that are not fully explained or tied in.  Also the climax of the story was super disappointing to me.  I can’t say I will be reading the next books in the series after this one just didn’t make sense to me.  It left me wanting C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, Wilson, or anyone with a more thought-out story.

What will I remember most about this book?

The visuals of the old house on a stormy night, and an evil brain sitting on a chair.  (Yes, the bad guy is a very powerful evil brain. Weird.)  

Book Corner: Baby Catcher

Book Corner: Baby Catcher

By Peggy Vincent 

What kind of read is it?

Easy and fast!  A light-hearted and well-written memoir.  I was totally hooked by the third chapter.

What insights did I gain from this book?

That birth is normal, fascinating, and doesn’t have to be scary. 

What did the author do well?

She did a great job with metaphor and riveting story-telling.  It was so fun to read the many birth stories with all their twists and turns.  She also did a great job helping me understand midwives and home births in a new way.  (I don’t usually take the time to read author’s acknowledgements at the beginning, but hers were really fun to read, just because of her writing style!)

What is lacking in writing style or story?

You never really know where it’s going next.  The best parts are all the birth stories tucked in along the way.  But she is telling a larger arc of a story about her career – it’s just hard to know where that arc is going until suddenly it’s over.

What will I remember most about this book?

Oh so many stories!  Maybe the one about the woman who didn’t even make a sound so no one knew she was pushing out her baby.

Book Corner: The Hidden Art of Homemaking

Book Corner: The Hidden Art of Homemaking

By Edith Schaeffer

What kind of read is it?

Each chapter is on a different topic or creativity idea.  Edith Schaeffer writes in the first person about her creative experiences.  This is neat, especially considering her life of engaging the arts and Christianity at L’Abri.  She is a homemaking pro and notes compelling reasons why creative living is essential for all Christians (not just married ones with kids).

What insights did I gain from this book?

Lots of practical ideas and suggestions for making home a special place and for being creative in the mundane.  I also gained deeper conviction and understanding about how caring about little things can change the dynamic of a home for a family.  And that it doesn't have to be overwhelming to dabble and try new ways of being creative.

I should add that I read this book because I wanted to grow in my homemaking skills.  I came into marriage with very little skill and practice of making a home a special place.  I was more apt to watch TV after a long day than think about cooking.  I found this book most helpful in my quest to grow and enjoy being home.

What did the author do well?

The ideas presented were so varied including everything from writing, to cooking, to drama, to flower arranging, to planning adventurous outings for your kids.  There is a do-able idea in here that everyone can be inspired by.

What is lacking in writing style or story?

There are preachy parts about living in a “plastic” world that get redundant.  Also, this book hugely misuses quotation marks around normal words.  It got to the point where I would laugh audibly at how many quotes she uses.  I am left still scratching my head about how that got past an editor.

What will I remember most about this book?

Unexpectedly, I was totally inspired by the flower arranging chapter.  I think about it all the time.  And I am ashamed to say I scoffed at it when I first read the table of contents because it seemed too old fashioned.

Introducing... Book Corner

I love to read, and I love to hear about what other people are reading.  I also love to remember what I've read so it doesn't just fly out of my brain.

So I've decided to start writing mini book reviews on what books I've had my nose in lately.  When I finish a book, I will post on it and answer the following guideline questions:

What kind of read is it?

What insights did I gain from this book?

What did the author do well?

What is lacking in writing style or story?

What will I remember most about this book?

I have three books that I've finished in the past couple months and those posts will be going up this week, starting Monday.  If you read my blog purely for baby updates or house pictures - I won't be offended if you skip through these posts. :)

This type of post makes me acutely aware of how much I wish I was better at snappy and creative writing.  But I am doing it anyway, even though I know I will never be a Becca Patenaude or Amy Van Zee in witty word ordering on blogs.  This is me, getting over it, and being ok with my mediocre writing skill level.

Back Splash Considerations

 So far, we are still undecided.

Counter tops!

This was Sunday night after Bert removed the old laminate, old laminate back splash, and the old sink. 

We were eagerly awaiting the new counter tops to be installed on Monday.

 And they are here!  We love them!

This peninsula area is definitely a new favorite place to be.

 My daily haunt. 

(Can't wait to wash babies in this!)

Thank you Lord for this tangible grace, to undeserving sinners.

He is always treating us better than we deserve because Jesus took our punishment for us.

He is our hope, NOT a beautiful kitchen.  But in the meantime, we are thankful.

Demolition Day, 1/1/11

Three rooms of furniture, crammed into one. (And so it remains...)

 Ripping out three layers of wall: 

wood paneling (easy), plaster (heavy mess), and wood lath (messy and full of nails).

 Bert discovered that our external wall was insulated only with compressed newspaper from 1930.

Comic page from said "insulation."

 The mess abounds.

 Bird's nest?  Probably not, but you never know. 

 Some of our amazing volunteer labor.  Thank you Wes and Ben!!!

(And Ben Fink, who was also there!)

 Did this plastic seal contain the dust?  Not really.  But it helped.

 Beth and Oakley kept me company for a while. :)

 The industrial look is cool, right?  Maybe we should just put plexiglass up and call it done?

 External wall = no insulation.

 External wall = insulated.  Thanks Dad!!! 

Phew.  That was a full day.

An Oakley Post

For a girl who never thought she could have a cat due to allergies - Oakley has been a sweet and fun gift from God!  I often remind myself that all the things we love about her are a gift, for our joy, from a very kind Giver.

Ringing in 2011