day 2

follow the 20 minute rule.
i posted something similar to this a little while ago.

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instead of waiting for a long weekend to get your life organized, straighten your stuff in doable time frames. take 20 minutes to sort through the pile of mail, fold the clean pile of laundry, organize your linen closet, or put away baby clothes your baby has outgrown (in my case).
i like to keep a bag in my closet and if i notice i'm not wearing something for a while, it'll go into the bag to give away. i also keep a bag in my baby son's closet and once he's outgrown an item, it goes into the bag. once the bag is full, it is put into a bin and saved for future kiddos.
we had three boxes and one american eagle bag filled with stuff in a corner of our living room. i wanted to GET rid of the clutter, so i sorted the boxes and bag, threw out a BUNCH of stuff, donated some stuff and put the consolidated items in two crates to bring down to storage. i feel like we have a clean corner. that wasn't as bad as i expected!

day 1

lately i've been feeling discombobulated, unorganized and cluttered. it's probably due to moving and having a baby so close together. i have hospital bills, baby clothes, baby books, magazines, regular bills, work stuff (i work from home), wrapping paper, diapers, and other stuff in one room! it's overwhelming. i want to re-organize my life, so over the next 30 days, i'm going to post ONE tip per day to getting organized and if i did it! i'll try to include images - either google or from my apartment. these tips are taken from the November 2007 issue of Self magazine (yeah, yeah, i have OLD magazines too). here goes!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

30 days to getting organized - paraphrased from self magazine nov 2007

make your bed! it's a quick way to make your bedroom peaceful and presentable.

when you walk into a room with a bed made, it looks neat and tidy, even if there are cluttered pieces nearby.

i use a washable duvet cover and have for years. it's something i loved while vacationing and living in Sweden, so i have amassed a collection of duvet covers. it's a fun way to switch up the decor of your room without spending an arm and a leg. they also make it EASY to make your bed in the morning. no sheets to fumble with, just straighten your duvet covet, fluff the pillows and you're done. ikea and crate & barrel have some great options. ikea is obviously for the tighter wallet and c&b a little pricier. if you're not sure a duvet is for you, pick one up at ikea for less than $30 to test it out.

{google images - can't remember - woops}

yes, i did make my bed today... i make my bed everyday because i LOVE crawling into a made bed at the end of a long day!

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas...

and we have our tree...

sam joined us cutting down the tree...

i have yet to upload the pics, so the picture of the tree must suffice.

and i LOVE the instagram app on my iphone.

it's HOW i got this gorgeous picture!

sam has two "first" ornaments - a picture frame and a tomte (sitting at the top of the tree with a white beard)

Lussekatt

 December 13th

Santa Lucia & My Morfar's Birthday

Morfar, Mormor, Mom - Summer 2007

It's coming up...

In honor of Santa Lucia...

I baked these...

With this wonderful lady...

heather "pensling" the lussekatt

and they were tasty...

I'm always afraid my Lucia buns won't rise, that I'll mess up the yeast.

But they did, and they nice, tasty and fluffy...

delicious with hot chocolate, or for breakfast or dessert or a snack... :)

 for those of you wondering WHY they're special: they are made w/a saffron, an expensive, but delightful spice that makes the buns a golden color. maybe i'll tranlsate the recipe from swedish some day and post it on the blog, until then, the pictures will have to suffice

{note: heather, i'll get you the recipe even if it doesn't end up on the blog, thanks for baking w/me}

 miss you morfar... thanks for teaching me the art of baking... you would be proud

Lucia buns fresh out of the oven

procrastination - at work or home

there is something we all dread at work or home? you dread it, you avoid it like the plague, you procrastinate. you visit Google News, Google Reader, check Facebook, Twitter, update your blog... instead of attacking the problem at hand??? i know i'm a culprit whether it's cleaning out my email inbox, paying bills, filing, scanning, and other such mundane tasks...

 you too can change... this method stems from the 5-Minute Room Rescue: you hate cleaning the house, so you set a timer for five minutes. you start clearing the worst room, stopping with a clear conscience when the buzzer goes off. not so bad. the trick is that once you start, you probably won’t stop. by scaling down the goal to 5 minutes, you overcome your own inertia.

 Dread and inertia are the enemy.  So set a timer for just five minutes and get to work clearing a path.

 taken and slightly reworded from Fast Company

ps- i did this earlier and eliminated the box of miscellaneous papers i "packed" just before moving... and what do you know, i was done in an hour... more than 5 minutes, but now it's done and the box is not staring me down!

craving these...

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not really sure why... but i really want some cinnamon chip scones right now!

here's a recipe i posted last year: cinnamon chip scones

starbucks  makes delicious cinnamon scones and i kinda want one right now, fresh outa the oven...

how cute is this nursery?

found here and here

who said space dictates style and cuteness? the above nursery is in a corner of a bedroom and the closet now holds the crib

finding caleb...

thursday, september 16, 2010
3:40pm
...i'm crouched under my desk i feel a strange feeling... i stand up and it feels like i wet my pants!
i think fast... i grab my iPhone, change of clothes and run into the bathroom, but not before i poke my head into my office where the comcast guys are and say "i think my water just broke, carry on!" in the bathroom i called the midwife... oh the memories that were made that day!!
i didn't end up speaking to my midwife, it was a nurse who answered. i told her my water broke, i had been at the office earlier in the day and my due date is monday, october 4, 2010. she asked me "are you sure your water broke?" "ummm, my pants are soaked and it's not pee..." based on my answer she said i had to go to the hospital right away. right away? my mind was racing: comcast was setting up internet and phone for my home office; they said it would take 3 hours, caleb was in class, my apartment was still in chaos, i didn't have a THING ready for baby alpine - the crib mattress was on back order and we didn't have the moses basket yet, my hospital bag was not packed... we did have the car seat, it arrived in the mail a week earlier and i took it out of its box the night before. seriously was NOT expecting baby alpine to arrive so soon! especially after my appointment earlier in the day resulted in the midwife stating "it's your first child and they are usually late."
i asked the nurse if i could wait an hour and she said no, i need to come in right away. this went against what my birthing class instructor taught us in class. we learned we can labor at home, even if my water breaks. we should call but should still be able to labor at home. caleb was in class, he won't be back until at least 5:15pm.
still in the bathroom, i change my clothes, freak out that i'm having a baby and calmly go into my bedroom to start packing, call caleb and then talk to comcast.
3:50pm i text caleb "call me!!!!!!! my water just broke!!!!!!! callllllllll mmmmmeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!" (sense the urgency? lol) i didn't want to "disturb his class" if his cell phone wasn't on vibrate. i go into my office and casually say to comcast, "my water broke and i have to go to the hospital. how long will it take for you to finish?" they look at each other frantically and say it'll be a while. they ask if the girl who helped them in the basement (accessing certain internet stuff) could stay here while they finish. "i'll check."
i walk back into my bedroom checking my cell phone. caleb hasn't texted me back. ugh. i try calling him. no answer. i try calling my mom's cell phone. no answer. i try my parent's home phone. no answer. i try calling caleb again. no answer. i'm starting to get nervous, starting to tear up. will i have to do this alone? i call my dad's office and reach him. "dad, my water just broke, i have to go to the hospital. i just wanted to let you know." i was trying to be real casual. his response, "is caleb there? did you call mom?" at those questions, my voice starts to waver and i'm trying to hold back tears. "caleb is in class and hasn't answered his cell phone. mom didn't answer her cell phone or home phone. it's going to be ok though, i'm going to get someone to help me. i gotta go."
i go downstairs and knock on jen's door. she's there. hallelujah. chorus of angels start singing as she answers the door. {joking} "um, jen, my water just broke and comcast is upstairs. can you please stay with them so i can go to the hospital and they can finish the job?" saying this as i hold my legs together, trying to keep my water from leaking {all you moms who have had your water break, probably understand where i'm coming from, if you haven't experienced this, don't judge}. jen goes into survival mode. "do you need anything? are you ok? where's caleb?" we hurry back to my apartment where i continue packing for the hospital...
there is a need for parts 3 & 4 - they will be coming, patience...

my maternity leave is coming to an end and it's bittersweet.

i'm looking forward to the day-to-day of work, my co-workers and doing what i enjoy.

but i'm sad about leaving sam (although it'll be with his mormor). what will i miss?? first steps, first words??

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during my maternity leave i've spent time w/my precious baby boy,

but i've also spent it UNPACKING my apartment. ugh.

here's hoping the last few weeks i'm able to soak up and enjoy w/sam :)

i'm also wondering HOW to manage work and taking care of a baby...

should be interesting.

tips WELCOME!

respect

i have a new found respect for working moms, stay at home moms, homeschooling moms, alllllll moms... being a mom is HARD work.

this week's round-up...

• sam spit up down my shirt
• sam peed like a fountain... on the rug, on his changing pad, on his face, in the tub
• sam pooped while taking a bath
• sam had to wait for me to feed him... which resulted in many tears, mostly from sam
• waking up early to feed sam and not being able to go back to sleep which turned into: doing the dishes, eating breakfast (often happens LATE or never b/c i'm taking care of sam), reading my bible
• because sam woke up early, he had a nap and i had time to: shower, work, clean, unpack more boxes

but i can say, now that my life and schedule has changed, i love it even more.

i love...

• sam sleeping on my chest
• sam's heavy breathing when he sleeps
• when sam snuggles up to me
• dancing with sam
• singing with sam - he loves him some music
• bathtime with sam
• reading with sam
• his smiles and talking
• his interactions w/his dad
• and i could probably come up with a hundred more reasons... but i won't.

i am happy to say i have found more time and less sleep and can still function. i don't know how it happened.

an awesome link...
found via Apartment Therapy
type  in any name or word and find letters to go with it...
Spell with flickr

still working on telling the world about sam...

it's a four part story

i know, you all are dying of suspense

in the meantime

little photo collage of sam :)



Sam - 1 month



he was just hanging out with me today, totally cooperating while mom had the camera in his face!

and he has such cute dimples

didn't capture them on camera yet

he smiles for me

but not in time for me to reach for the camera...

one of these days ;)

the beginning...

so, our story of how sam came into this world is a little wild so i decided to share it... it's going to be a 2 or 3 part series because it'll take a little while... and to keep all my many readers (hah) in suspense.

as i posted previously, we moved on september 11.
wednesday, september 15 i came home from working on the cape. i came home to boxes upon boxes. our apartment was chaos. i remember thinking, ugh, i just want to be organized before this child arrives and causes MORE chaos...

From top left: living room; kitchen; kitchen; Bedroom 1; Bedroom 1; Bedroom 1; Bedroom 2; Bedroom 2; Living Room; Center: view from living room into kitchen w/a VERY preggo Sara

i pulled his carseat out of the box to make sure all the parts were there and everything looked good and showed it to caleb. i joked about how our apartment is going to have many baby things. caleb refers to this as my "nesting phase", pulling the carseat out of the box. i wanted to wring his neck when he makes comments like this. he laughs and does it on purpose because i get annoyed. lol. i strongly dislike HATE when people make comments to me about "nesting". i am not a bird... just because i moved into a new apartment and want things organized does not mean i'm nesting. that is just human sara to want things organized and a place for everything...

wednesday, september 15, 2010
anyway, i crawl into bed that night thinking about:

• all the tasks yet to complete for work BEFORE baby alpine is born
• comcast is incompetent because it has been almost a WEEK since i requested a transfer from ipswich to hamilton and they still haven't completed the transfer
• all the boxes to unpack and organize - preferably before alpine is born

thursday, september 16, 2010
i didn't sleep well and chalked it up to pregnancy insomnia. i couldn't sleep past 5am. i decided to make use of my bathtub and soak in it before work. i roll out of bed, a difficult task at this stage of pregnancy, pad down the hall to the bathroom and fill the tub with water and bath salts. i slide into the tub to relax. heaven. well, almost. for a moment i forget i'm pregnant. caleb knocks on the door and asks if everything's alright... of course it is, i'm just relaxing in the tub. he tells me it's almost 8 o'clock. shoot. i have to go to work.

i drag myself out of the tub and get ready for work. i set up my computer and organize my desk in my home office. i contact comcast to ensure they are coming today to set up my work phone and internet. they are set to arrive at 12 noon. a friend of mine lets me borrow her wireless internet connection until comcast arrives so i can work. my brother peter calls from sweden (on skype) so i skype with him for a few minutes so he can see my belly (he's been traveling since june and won't be home until the end of december). his comment "wow. you are for sure pregnant." i hang up with him; get caught up on emails and continue working through my "to do" list. around 11:30 comcast calls to say they'll be their shortly and it will take 3 hours to set up. i tell them i have an appointment at 1:20pm and will have to leave by 1pm. they say it's better to reschedule and they will come over at 3pm. i relent still upset over the whole comcast process.

37 weeks - picture taken 3 days earlier

i have lunch and head to my appointment with the midwife. i ask her if she wants to check me to see if i'm dilated or effaced. she says she won't put me through that and we will wait until next week's appointment. we listen to baby alpine's heartbeat and i proceed to ask her many questions about labor & delivery, the hospital, etc. she said since it's my first baby i'll probably go late... but she answers my questions.

37 weeks pregnant

i leave the ob/gyn office and run a quick errand to target and go home to meet the comcast guys. i get back to the apartment and comcast shows up shortly thereafter. i have to rearrange a few cords and computer stuff under the desk - quite the task for a pregnant woman... as i'm crouched under my desk i feel a strange feelling... i stand up and it feels like i wet my pants! now i'm 37 weeks 3 days pregnant and didn't think i would be going into labor anytime soon...

Happy 30th Anniversary

Mom & Dad

30 years

what a milestone



Dad & Sam w/the ducks; John Hancock Tower; Mormor, Mom, Sara & Sam; Dad & Sam in Boston Common; Mom, Dad & Sam; Mom & Sam; a view of Boston; Mom & Dad

 THIRTY years ago today my parents were newly-weds.

 they have been such an inspiration and role model to me - both as a child and now as an adult.

let me share a little bit about my parents and how they met. please note: this is the cliff notes version. :)

my dad spent his junior year of college in sweden as an exchange student. he met my mom in one of his classes. they became friends (my mom had recently returned from studying in the states and wanted to keep up her english, so she befriended the american lad). they spent a lot of time together at school, hanging out, playing sports, and enjoying sweden. my mom invited him home to her family and he was able to experience the swedish culture even more. they backpacked europe together and then worked for one summer in sweden. my dad came back to the states and realized he met the woman of his dreams. he decided to go to sweden over christmas break of his senior year and ask my mom to marry him. when over there, he did propose and my mom said yes. they decided to get married the following year. my dad came back to the states and graduated college, my mom came to the states in july and they were married in october. there's much more to the story, but we don't have time today...

it's hard work to get everyone happy and looking at the camera

sam's at least not crying here...

a few memories...

growing up my parents would exercise by running together in the mornings and then we would take family walks around the neighborhood in the evenings.

sunday was family day - we would go to church, come home, have a big family dinner and hang out together: go for a walk, go to the beach, go biking or swimming, watch football, play games, relax, watch movies, basically spend time together. growing up, i didn't think it was anything special, but as i got older, i began to appreciate our sunday family day.

my parents made sure we ate together every night at 6pm. of course sports, school activities, work and other events interferred occasionally, but we could always count on dinner at 6pm. we would let mom know in advance if we weren't going to be home for dinner. "mom, i won't be home for dinner, but can you save me some?" was a request in response to missing dinner. friends would joke about eating dinner at the macdonald's house - apparently it was something akin to a comedy act, maybe it still is...

these days, family dinner is farther and fewer between, i'm married living away from home, one brother is out and about doing his thing, the next brother is gallavanting around the world and the youngest is in college in florida... needless to say, looking forward to christmas when EVERYONE will be together (my world travelling brother comes in a few days before christmas)

i have digressed from the original topic...

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to my wonderful fabulous kind loving caring parents!!!!

you worked hard to take care of us kids AND keep your marriage in tact. there is something to be said about spending 30 years with the same person. thank you for being you, for being great role models, for supporting us, for loving jesus, for providing us with memories for many many years. i love you both and can only pray caleb and i will be able to have a similar partnership in marriage as you have.

sam hanging w/Grandpa and the baby duck

sam enjoying a sunday in boston

a crowd was gathering to see the little baby on the baby duck :)

yesterday we celebrated my parents anniversary at Toscano in Boston. it came highly recommended and we weren't disappointed. my mom and dad, mormor, grandmother, uncle tim, caleb, sam and i were all there. my dad had a great time showing sam around boston. (earlier in the week, sam spent time w/my mom and mormor - more on that later - so sam spent most of the day in my dad's arms)

mom and sam

she loves her grandson

dad and his grandson sam

"i can't wait" -sam giguere

so we moved AND had a baby in the same week!!

i have not had time to breath blog until now...

there's so much to catch up on...

we moved into a bigger apartment on september 11 - we had friends and family help us move which was incredible. i took monday off from work to start to unpack our apartment and then headed to the cape tuesday and wednesday for work. wednesday i came back to the north shore... and decided to open the box which had our carseat in it (it had arrived in the mail a few days earlier, but i didn't unpack it until AFTER we moved).

little precious sam was born the next day.

first family photo minutes after little sam was born

mommy and sam

proud daddy sharing the news that's he a dad

Samuel Henry Giguere was born two and a half weeks early on Thursday, September 16, 2010 at 8:03pm - so we have ourselves a summer baby instead of a fall baby...

He weighed 7 lbs 9 oz and was 18.5 inches long. We actually didn't name him until Monday, September 20, 2010.

moving...

so, i've been MIA this week...

we're in the process of moving - oh so exciting

can i tell you, it's hard to move while 36.5 weeks pregnant...

i'm due in 3.5 weeks. i feel mostly helpless because i can't lift anything heavy. it's a chore for me to pack.

luckily there is light at the end of the tunnel.

tomorrow we move into a bigger place.

our apartment is almost all boxed up, caleb's finishing up some boxes now, i'm too tired to box up stuff...

i'll tackle more in the morning, when i can't sleep, since i have pregnancy insomnia around 5am most mornings.

my parents, caleb's parents, his sister and friends will help us move.

hopefully it'll all go smoothly & we'll be done by dinnertime :)

good news is we're only moving 10 minutes down the road!

and nick's roast beef is on the menu for lunch.

so, we'll see when i get to posting again since i know i'll be busy UNPACKING all the boxes i packed this week...

with that i leave you with this image...

hopefully we don't look like this tomorrow

image compliments of Google images.

hope you got a good chuckle.

i know i did.

school is here...

i don't have kids yet... but i've been thinking about kids starting school again...

lunchboxes, back to school clothes shopping, school buses, homework, sports, hanging out w/friends after school...

so much excitement with going back to school.

i like this idea: Schultuete School Cones

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it's a German tradition and i would love to do this when my kids reach school age - even though i have no German in me... although my husband might be part German

note: i take NO credit for this... i stumbled across the above link

sara's kitchen faves - numero cinco

it's summer time...

and with summer comes...

ICE-CREAM!!

so, my one of my kitchen faves and staples is:

{image}

the ice-cream scoop

this is no ordinary scoop, it's a ZEROLL scoop, you know, the kind used by professional ice-cream scoopers.

go ahead, next time you order ice-cream at a little ice-cream shop, check to see what they're using.

i GUARANTEE you will see they have the same scoop.

it rocks. well, actually it scoops and it's easy to use.
i love it. i use it. a lot.
we don't have to go into detail how often i exercise my zeroll scoop.
especially now that it's summer i'm pregnant.
for those of you who know me, i LOVVVVVEEEEEE ice-cream.
for those of you who don't know me, now you know, i LOOOOVVVVVEEEEE ice-cream.
kinda like a fat kid loves cake.
but maybe a little more.

so a professional ice-cream scoop was is a necessity for me.

and maybe one of these days, i'll get invest one of these:

{image}

it's a gelato paddle, for those italian gelato lovers (i'm part of the club)...

and i'm sure it'll come in handy scooping ice-cream too...

but i already have an ice-cream scoop, so i can use this for gelato, when i'm in italy, or dreaming of italy.

one summer, i travelled to italy with some girlfriends

and we consumed gelato on a daily basis

and sometimes more than once

yum!

the end.

{Boston Sunset: Sara}

{Boston by Sunset: Sara}

 Posted the above images because I like them.

I came across the following as a recipe for a long life...

I take NO credit for it, but I can't recall where I found it.

 Health:
    1.       Drink plenty of water.
    2.       Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner
               like a beggar.
    3.       Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less
              food that is manufactured in plants.
    4.       Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.
    5.       Make time to pray.
    6.       Play more games.
    7.       Read more books than you did the year before.
    8.       Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
    9.       Sleep for 7 hours.
    10.    Take a 10-30 minute walk daily. And while you walk,
             smile.

 Personality:
    11.    Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what
              their journey is all about.
    12.    Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control.
             Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
    13.    Don't overdo. Keep your limits.
    14.    Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
    15.    Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
    16.    Dream more while you are awake.
    17.    Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
    18.    Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with
             His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
    19.    Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate
             others.
    20.    Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
    21.    No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
    22.    Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.
              Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away
              like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
    23.    Smile and laugh more.
    24.    You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:
    25.    Call your family often.
    26.    Each day give something good to others.
    27.    Forgive everyone for everything.
    28.    Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of  6
    29.    Try to make at least three people smile each day.
    30.    What other people think of you is none of your business.
    31.    Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your
              friends will. Stay in touch.

  Life:
    32.    Do the right thing!
    33.    Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
    34.    GOD heals everything.
    35.    However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
    36.    No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
    37.    The best is yet to come.
    38.    When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
    39.    Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Hope this post was some positive encouragement for you today :)

{image by me}

A Prayer for Peace, Growth, and Recovery

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred...let me sow love.
Where there is injury...pardon.
Where there is doubt...faith.
Where there is despair...hope.
Where there is darkness...light
Where there is sadness...joy.
Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled...as to console.
To be understood...as to understand.
To be loved...as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
It is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

(St. Francis of Assissi)

memory lane

i am trying to find a baby book for alpine - you know, something to keep track of baby's firsts, cute pictures, hospital bracelet, lock of hair, baby's favorites and so forth...

today i pulled out my baby book... i am the oldest of 4 siblings and many of you may know what that means... a FAT baby book :) sure enough... my book is the fattest and it goes in order, my youngest brother has the skinniest baby book. it doesn't mean he was any less loved... it just means my mom was busy taking care of 4 kids to record EVERYTHING.

well, i browsed through my baby book and there were a few things that caught my attention.

1) favorite food: yogurt & banana, toast w/cheese, ice-cream and french toast: now for those who know me... i LOVE ice-cream (more about that in an upcoming post). i also really like french toast (ask the hubster).
2) i loved collecting and playing with rocks - even today when i walk along the beach, i pick up rocks and collect them... it makes things tough when moving... rocks aren't particularly light ;)
3) i loved playing w/malcom, a cairn terrier - i loved watching him and laughed when he barked :) (still love dogs to this day... although it's been a work in progress due to a traumatic event at age 5 involving a german shepherd, but we won't talk about that)
4) i laughed at 2.5 mos old and i still keep the giggles going
5) i took my first steps on a golf course at 8 months (too bad i didn't become a professional golfer - that would have made a good story) and i was walking around at 10 months - man am i in trouble when alpine comes along...
6) ET the movie and Larry Bird the basketball player were quite a hit
7) my mom was in labor for 3 hours (hope i luck out like that)
8) i went swimming for the first time when i was 2 months old - i still LOVE the water
9) my first "sleep out" (outside on the deck in a sleeping bag) was when i was 5 and my brother david was 3, i was afraid of getting sprayed by a skunk and my 3 year old brother agreed to protect me :)
10) my favorite songs at age 2 were "happy birthday" and "jesus loves me" - i LOVE birthdays & getting presents and i still know that jesus loves me :)

hope that didn't bore you... but it had me thinking about caleb's firsts when he was a baby and coming up alpine's firsts and the kind of child alpine will grow up to be... will alpine be more like me or more like caleb?

one thing is for sure... alpine's been so active in my belly, if that continues, well, caleb & i are in for it. ;)

now i've gone down memory lane and i still don't know what to do about a baby book...

here's one i found on etsy.com that i like...
and another...
and another...
but i want to see them in person before committing to purchasing... if ANYONE finds something cute, PLEASE let me know :)

i have also checked out amazon, babys r us, target and barnes and noble...

bedside manner, birthing and BABIES

this is a partial vent...

but i'll end on a positive note, i promise...

today i went to my scheduled MIDWIFE appointment... i've been using essex county ob/gyn and so far my experience was PHENOMENAL!! well, today, the midwife i met w/was MISERABLE... terrible "bedside manner". typically i go to my appointment and the midwife comes in, introduces herself (if i haven't met her before - there are 7 so i have yet to meet ALL of them) asks how i'm feeling, how i'm doing, do i have any questions, etc... we talk for a little while, then she'll say, ok, let's check the heartbeat and will proceed to check the heartbeat...

nope, not today... the midwife comes in abruptly, says a brief hello, pushes me down on the table, lifts up my shirt and is about to listen to the heartbeat... i was in shock! no introduction, no asking how i'm doing, no asking what i have for questions...

i'm glad i can be assertive. i sat up and said, wait, can we discuss any questions i may have? the bummer was at that point i was flustered, i should have finished the appointment ASAP and left. alas, i didn't.
i started feeling emotional (i'm more prone to that these days w/all the hormones) and asked her a few questions. she was even rude in answering my questions, BUT the BEST news i heard all day was "i don't deliver."

i thought i misheard and asked her to repeat. "i don't deliver." fantastic, i thought, i'll NEVER have to have her at the hospital, where it really counts... relief!

i promised more promising news

and i USUALLY keep good on my promises...

see this picture

it's brooke, my sister-in-law, my nephew danny, little alpine and me

{Brooke, Danny, Alpine, Sara}

i'm so excited that they (danny & alpine) will be soooo close in age!!

{Danny & Alpine meet}

brooke's going in for a c-section tomorrow and i'll get to meet little danny in person. woohoo!!!

my due date is 10-4-10 - only 5 weeks after danny is born :)

caleb and i are headed out to western mass to meet danny, spend some time w/family and babysit for these adorable nieces - Julia and Hannah - who are going to be big sisters :)

{Julia cheesing it up}

{Julia & Aunt Sara ie me enjoying ICECREAM}

{Hannah cheesing it up OR being annoyed w/her aunt for taking a bajillion pics!}

{Hannah - the goofball}

{Hannah being well, Hannah}

yay for BABIES!!! and sisters who can experience this together. brooke is awesome!! she's been through pregnancy and  babies two times before, so she's a pro and has been giving me all kinds of good advice. and we have been able to commiserate about braxton hicks, hiccups and baby kicks!

{Brooke & Sara}

{Brooke & Sara}

can't believe our OWN due date is coming up... 5 weeks away...

{hubster, alpine and me}

hydrangeas

they are one of my FAVORITE flowers...

my mom has a lot of hydrangea bushes... below are a few snapshots from the summer

she has both purple and blue

oh how i love them :)

don't quit

check out this video...

it's based on the below poem.

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.
- Author unknown

 i love it! my dad used to have it in his office... i took a copy of it and it's stayed with me since...

today i'm posting it for my buddy Ben, he's been through quite a lot this summer.
Ben, keep up your positive attitude, don't quit :)

saft: a swedish adventure in the states

earlier in the week i posted about saft

now, i'll detail a little about making it...

first of all - saft is a DEEEEELICIOUS drink you can buy in sweden, and at ikea, but not online, only in the ikea store...

anyway, my mormor is awesome and she makes it from scratch - raspberry, strawberry, black currant, etc

one day i went to russell orchards and decided to pick strawberries... mmm... they were so yummy. i had so many strawberries on hand, i decided to eat some, freeze some and make saft out of some.

google translate says saft = juice - but it's so much more...

basically you use the juice from berries, boil it with sugar to make a concentrated liquid and store it. then when you're ready to drink, you pour a little saft into a glass and mix with water... voila, delicious, refreshing drink :)

here's a photo montage of my attempt. it turned out OK, but it's best to mix berries (strawberries and blueberries, or raspberries, etc) and i added TOO MUCH sugar (who would have thought?)

{first, pick berries and decide which ones you want to use}

 i separated mine into eat this week now, freeze and make into saft ;)

{weigh your strawberries}

this is necessary to ensure you have the right amount of other ingredients

{wash your strawberries}

{slice off the green part}

 

 

{weigh the strawberries again, just in case}

{add water}

{boil strawberries in the water, stirring occasionally - approx 10 min}

{use the spoon to crush the strawberries on the edge of the pot to get all the juiciness out}

{i put a strainer in a bowl for this next part}

{put a cheesecloth in the strainer - this is for straining the berries from the liquid}

{pour the boiled berries into the cheesecloth and let the liquid drain into the bowl}

{let it sit for a 30 minutes to ensure all liquid is in the bowl and not in the cheesecloth}

{pour into a measuring container - i used a glass pyrex one - woo hoo! 500ml}

{pour the liquid BACK into the pot on the stove}

{add the sugar - this is what makes it tasty, stir until the sugar has dissolved}

{cook until it comes to a boil}

{towards the end, this is what you should see}

{there's "skumm" - swedish for foam - you don't want it - so take it off with a spoon}

{it's yummy though - strawberry sugary - mmm}

{i set mine on a plate - and then ate it} :)

{pour non skumm liquid into a container so you can pour into bottles; it's easier w/a funnel which i did not have}

{clean the bottles you're using - i baked mine in the oven, but you can also boil them}

{pour liquid into WARM clean bottles, put on the cap and let cool}

 

 

 

 

saft should be stored at a cool temperature (fridge, basement, etc)

{image}

when you're ready to drink, pour some saft into a glass and add water to taste. i don't know how what the saft to water ratio is... i just go by what tastes good...

for those of you who want to try it, here's the recipe i used:

Strawberry Saft

(500 ml of saft or approx 2 cups):

500 grams strawberries

2 deciliters water (a little more than 3/4 cup or 200 ml)

3 deciliters sugar (1 1/4 cup or 300 ml)

note: it should be consumed within a few weeks, if not, some type of preservative should be added - i don't mess with that, i just drink it!