Currently Coveting Cashmere

Nothing like a nice alliterative title for a post!

I should be catching up on my "grateful" posts, but am so swamped with the impending arrival of my mother, lesson plans, and grad school applications, I can only manage this short post. But to keep the theme going, I promise I will be very thankful and grateful should someone get me the two cozies pictured here from LL Bean.

Frivolous, but oh well!

Today I am grateful to In the Life of 5-Year-Olds. I stopped by her cute blog to see how her sweet baby was growing, and I noticed a link at the top of her blog that said"shabbyblogs.com." Ooooh, I thought, it must be a catalog of blogs featuring shabby chic decor - my favorite eye candy. I hastily clicked, ready to read and be inspired, but what I found was even better.

Lovely blog templates. So pretty. So easy to install. So... FREE!

I have always wanted a prettier blog and now I have it! (Now if I could just find a similar quick and easy fix for everything else in my life that needs prettying up!)

Thankful for Divine Intervention...

By my calculations, I have given thanks for nine things, and as today is the 12th, I need to do 10-12. As in real life, I am running behind and trying to play catch up.

10. I am so excited and grateful for my new job (yes - I got it!). I will be making quite a bit less than before BUT I will be on the same campus with my daughters, in the same building with Miss E, we will get complete tuition remission for the girls (and someday, Baby H), and I will have far less grading and the fun of working with ten and eleven-year-olds. We were stressing about the girls' tuition and there was a real chance that they would have had to change schools next year. I prayed a lot, asking God to help us find a way to manage (and I almost never ask God for specific things) and within days this job appeared. Divine intervention? I am so grateful for this.

11. I recently spent some time browsing blogs and found some new favorites. I'm not sure why I had never been by Nesting Place or Just a Girl before, but I was overjoyed to find them and will obviously be back frequently. The pictures are so gorgeous and inspiring -- I want to redecorate my entire home now! If you haven't stopped by these blogs before, head on over and check them out. I guarantee you will be rearranging furniture and painting things before you can stop yourself!

12. Finally, I know global warming is a bad thing... but I am super thankful for the unseasonably warm temperatures here in Vermont.

Thankful Part III...

Thankful for the following (I'm a bit behind so here are 4)

1. Friday's job interview.

2. The fact that I have a job I like, making the results of this interview less stressful.

3. The fact that they are having me come for a second interview tomorrow.

4. The fact that my husband is so supportive that he is encouraging me as I pursue a job that pays a little more than half what I make at our current school.

Wish me luck!

Grateful It's Thursday

I love Thursdays. Not only are we within kissing distance of the weekend, but I can look forward to two of my favorite activities - a walk to the coffee shop while Little S is in ballet, and tonight's new episode of Project Runway. I don't watch a lot of television besides football and hockey -- but Project Runway has me hooked.

Grateful... the obvious answers...

Black Labs and Lilly has been doing a series of posts about things for which she is grateful. What a great way to lead up to Thanksgiving and Christmas! I'm joining right in and, as it is already the fourth, here are FOUR things I feel grateful for each and everyday:

1. Miss E - Wonderful, beautiful, so smart, and oh so dramatic. Exactly what I wished for when I was first pregnant and imagining my future daughter.

2. Little S - Spunky, brave, sweet and outgoing. You are the perfect complement to your big sister.

3. Baby H - Your conception after the miscarriages was an unlooked for miracle. Our time together at Dartmouth was scary, yes, but I am grateful for those eight days where I was able to focus entirely on you, my little boy. Being home with you is a blessing.

4. I am so grateful that the three of you love each other so much. Sibling relationships can be fraught with competition and jealousy (and my girls do have a dash of that), but the way in which the three of you care for one another, makes me happier than I can express.

Ubiquitous Costume Pics

My three little pink trick or treaters.

My "wee, sleekit, cowran, tim'rous beastie."

Hope everyone had a happy and safe Halloween. Our family had a good time at a friend's Halloween party, but the weather was so rainy that Little S, Baby H and I only went to about eight houses before heading back in. Miss E, DH, and the rest of the kids and their parents from the party were far more serious about their "candy acquisition mission" and persevered despite the weather.

Happy Halloween!

Time to trick or treat!

(image blatantly stolen from Martha Stewart)

Sweet Dreams

Preppy Sue Where Are You?

???

IP Update

Where have I been?

Busy!

I've really been enjoying being a stay-at-home mommy, and have been trying to take advantage of this time at home before I go back to teaching. So I've been chaperoning, volunteering, class mommying, and trying to adjust to chauffeuring Miss E and Little S to their activities. Both girls have dance classes, and E has started swim team and Daisy Scouts - Friday is our only activity-free day, and invariably we'll have dentist or doctors appointments that day.

Baby H is doing well, though his breathing is still noisy and we are still going to Dartmouth every couple of weeks.

Here are a few pictures of recent(ish) events.




Little S in what was supposed to be her birthday dress, but wasn't worn until weeks afterward due to the Baby H whooping cough drama.



Miss E on her class's field trip to an apple orchard in New Hampshire. They acted out a little play about apples - this was her costume.



Cute girls with apples... or two witches from Snow White... you decide.




Little S on her first day of Pre-K.

Pink and green, and on their way to the IP home!

Check out the uber-cute pink and green shoes headed to our house for Miss E! Aren't these cute? I wish the picture was larger, but just click on the link to see them up close and personal. On sale right now at Lands End for $24.99. I also have a free shipping code if anyone wants it. Perfect for fall and back to school - I'm not sure who's looking forward to these more - Miss E or her mama!

Hmmm... Miss E (home from school early with a fever) informed me that she prefers the purple shoes with horses. (Too late babe, mommy already ordered the other ones. Sorry!) Either it's the fever talking or mommy will need to work harder at indoctrinating Miss E to the love of pink and green.

Most Annoying Art Supplies?

First, thanks for the advice re:the girls' room. I am definitely planning on painting those built-ins when my mom is here to visit next month (someone to watch baby while I paint!). Unfortunately the logs look a bit odd when painted (the previous owners did it in the bathrooms when they renovated them) so that's out. I wish the beds could go on either side of the window, but then the last set of drawers in the built-in can't be opened (problem!) - perhaps I'll try pairing them elsewhere in the room. Hopefully I'll be posting an updated picture by Halloween.

Now, today's question for all moms and preschool teachers:

Which arts and craft material do you find most annoying and why?

The IP family LOVES art projects, but certain supplies (glitter glue anyone?) drive me crazy.

Can anyone guess which particular type of art supplies put Miss E in the hospital when she was two?

Blushing...

Apparently, the room is beyond help? (Raise your hand if your advice was going to be: move!)

Home Tour Monday - Girls' Room

The Mrs. over at One Fabulous Mom is hosting a home tour. She's posted some gorgeous pictures of her home (I covet her dining room) and invited us to do the same.

Today's theme? Children's rooms. My daughters' bedroom is a dilemma I have yet to solve - so I thought I would post it in its current state and solicit advice from all of you design-savvy bloggers.

As you can see, our new home is a cabin - a major change from our 1920's garrison colonial back in Wheeling (sigh...). This creates issue number one - two of the walls are log and two are similar to a wide bead board. We can't paint the logs, but I am tempted to paint the other two walls. Would that look odd? Should I paint them cream, off-white, pale pink or soft green?

The rugs in there look pretty sad right now. The big one is from our old playroom and doesn't match at all. The little one is from E's toddler room and has seen better days. The plan is to find a remnant in a color we like and have it bound to create a giant area rug. This needs to happen soon - before the weather gets any colder.

Problem two? The ceiling slopes on both sides of the room. This along with the wall of built-ins, two doors and window make placing furniture difficult.

Speaking of furniture - they need some! Right now they're using the bunk beds DH had when he was little and a random bookshelf from my college days. I really want to get them matching beds in white wood or iron, a new white wooden bookshelf with more shelves (they have so many books that there is a second shelf in the hall and more books in the basement), and a white table and chairs set for the middle of the room. However, that expenditure will have to wait until I go back to work. Can anyone propose a better way of arranging what they have? The only other item that needs significant room is the doll house.


The next issue stems from the fact that we went from six bedrooms in our previous house to just three in the cabin. The girls have no choice but to share this room. Size-wise this isn't a problem - it is a fairly large room and the built-in drawers mean that we don't need to fit a dresser in the room. However, it did mean dealing with their bedding. E's old room had pink walls and she had the Rachel Ashwell bedding pictured. Little S had lavender walls, PBK lavender gingham curtains, and the Isabella toile bedding in lavender with a non-PBK quilt and sham that coordinated. I posted her room ages ago... Anyway, I divided E's bedding between the two - S has the quilt and E has the duvet. Should I go ahead and pick up a second duvet cover and quilt? Or should I let S have her old bedding and keep the new rug we're going to get and curtains in green which is the one color the two sets have in common?



The built-ins... to paint or not to paint?



The chandelier from E's old room. This staying no matter what we do.




Current bedding. Hmmm... we might need a storage solution for those stuffed animals.

That's it. Any and all suggestions welcome!
Thanks for stopping by!

What's Almost as Much Fun as Colic?

Discovering that your four-year old had left raisins in her pocket that you didn't discover pre-washing and drying.

Yup - my dryer now looks like an oatmeal raisin cookie - sans oatmeal.

Labor Day Fun and (Lord Help Me) the Dreaded Colic

Yes - I am only now posting about last weekend. This is what happens when you throw a third child into the mix. Oh, and give that third child colic (advice please!!!!).

Labor day weekend was wonderful (especially since the colic episodes were strictly a 7-9pm happening at that point). Friday DH and I went on our first date in over a month. We took baby with us and headed out to our favorite restaurant. Naturally baby had an episode, but after DH took him on a stroll around the parking lot, all was well.

Saturday DH and the girls harvested our apple crop, and faced with an absurd number of apples, I made apple sauce. A lot of apple sauce. Luckily we went to a friend's party the next day and I needed to bring a side dish anyway, so we avoided the fridge full of apple sauce (Please mommy, not apple sauce again!) scenario. I really need to learn to can. Anyway the party was a great time (my first mojito in ten months!).

Monday we took baby on his first hike. We went to the Groton State Forest and climbed Big Deer Mountain. Baby H LOVED the hike - he kept looking up at me and smiling. I am seriously in love with my new carrier. We used a Bjorn with the girls when they were infants, and my back was always sore after hiking. My lovely mother-in-law bought Baby H an Ergo carrier and it is so SO much more comfortable - for me and for baby. I highly recommend it if you have or are going to have an infant. Would make a fabulous shower gift as well.

When we came home after hiking, DH made a delicious dinner (scallop appetizer, caprese salad, ahi tuna - yum!) and we let the girls watch The Game Plan. OK, we watched too. Such a cute movie and very grown-up friendly - even DH was entertained.

That's it. The week that followed has been fairly standard, save for Little S's first day of Pre-K, and the introduction of full blown colic for Baby H. (Seriously, any advice is welcome. Neither of the girls had colic, so I am at my wits' end here.)

Thoughts from the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Dartmouth

Please immunize your child.

Please encourage your friends and family to immunize their children.

Please get your pertussis booster! (Did you know that your dpt immunization loses its effectiveness after about 15 years? You need a booster and so do your teens.)

My little H and I spent eight days in the PICU at Dartmouth because someone somewhere gave me whooping cough (pertussis) and my own doctor misdiagnosed me (she said it was a URI) which meant I ended up infecting my vulnerable 1 month old (who is even more vulnerable because his swollen vocal cords already impact his airway).

We were finally discharged on Friday, but H is still having coughing fits and has to be watched closely. They say he should be finished coughing in 3-4 weeks. Poor little guy.

Because of the misdiagnosis, I went untreated for a month, meaning that the disease wreaked havoc on my lungs, and I am now dealing with asthma-like issues, including occasions where I cannot breathe and need an inhaler. I had no idea that the immunization wears off - if I had had a booster this whole ordeal could have been avoided. Hopefully this post will help some of you avoid similar situations. Please spread the word!

Baby H's First Three Weeks

3 Weeks Old - Highlights have included his first trip to the dentist (keeping Little S company) and his first cold (cue the massive spit-up episodes and a cough that breaks my heart). Poor little thing. Happy things - he's discovered that he loves his swing and he's started looking at people's faces instead of lamps and windows.



2 Weeks Old - Yes, he's crying, but he looked so cute in this outfit I had to include the picture. On the agenda for week 2 - accompanying his sisters to their swimming lessons and a trip to Dartmouth to see a pediatric ENT. He loves to be held and is a complete snuggle bug.



1 Week Old! Just the happiest, sweetest little baby. He is incredibly easy. To mark his one week birthday he left the house for the first time (with the exception of a trip to the pediatrician on day 5) to journey to Hanover, NH for lunch and a trip to the Montshire Museum with his family and grandparents. (My in-laws were here for a week and were amazing! They took care of everything and I was completely spoiled.)

Introducing Baby H

Well here he is - the reason I haven't posted in forever. Baby H arrived July 22 at 3:45 am. 19.5 inches and 7 pounds 15 ounces. (My biggest baby and my only completely natural delivery - figures!) Baby is doing beautifully despite being a bit "squeaky" due to swollen vocal cords. Mommy and Daddy are completely in love with him, and his big sisters are thrilled - especially Little S who kisses him about once every five minutes.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer and looking forward to returning to the blog world this fall.

Baby H's Nursery - or - Decorating for the Preppy Yet Impoverished

 

So after months of putting off the purchase of anything baby-related (too busy, too superstitious after the miscarriages, and frankly, too impoverished), I've finally started putting the pieces together for Baby H's nursery.  About time, no?  I was lucky enough to be given a baby shower by some new friends last week and sorting through all the precious baby boy outfits and other cute presents reminded me that I had better get serious about preparing for this new member of our family.

When we moved from West Virginia we sold or donated nearly everything from the girls' babyhood.  The only things we kept were the crib and crib mattress.  Much of this was solved by a quick (but expensive!) online trip to Babiesrus.  But while a new carseat, bouncy chair, etc. were mandatory, I wasn't sure about baby's bedding.  For both E and S I used the blue gingham bedding from Pottery Barn.  Each girl had a quilt - E's was handmade by my mom, and Little S had the white Amanda quilt from PBK.  When I picked out the blue gingham, I was trying to keep things neutral in case baby #2 was a boy.  How ironic is it that the blue gingham is long gone and we are now finally having a boy?  Hear that? - It's the fates laughing at me.  :-)

I looked at the current options at all the usual suspects (Target, Land of Nod, Pottery Barn) and was feeling pretty uninspired.  I loved so many of the girl choices, but the only boy options I liked just didn't seem right for our new house.  I remembered seeing two collections in the PBK catalog in years past that I had thought perfect for a boy at the time.  The Chamois Lambie and Cottontail Friends lines were so sweet and just right for the log cabin look of the new house.  Alas they were no longer being made.  A little Ebay searching and the Chamois Lambie line was mine for about 1/4 of what it would have cost new.  I was anxious about the condition, but it arrived looking like new.  Quilt, bumper and crib skirt - check!  I am still hoping to track down the rug for the set - wish me luck!

With the bedding safely stowed in the new room, and new green gingham sheets on order, the crib will be all set for Baby H.  The bassinet (the only other item to survive the pre-Vermont purge) will also be ready to go - I ordered new sheets for that last night.  

What's left to be done:

1. Choose some sort of window treatment.

2. Paint the changing table our friends are giving us.

3. Find a small table for beside the nursery chair.  Paint it.  Find a lamp to go on it.

4. Paint the non-log sections of the walls and the built-in drawers.

36 days left.  Give or take a few days.  And the above is just the nursery prep list!  I still have to finish getting together Baby's layette and diapers, wash everything in Dreft, and hover by the mail box waiting for the car seat and other items to arrive from Babiesrus.   Wish me luck!

Pictures of the new house are in my camera, I will try to post them in the next day or two.

3 Down, 1 to Go!

LET'S GO PENS!

The IP Family Finds a Home

Remember this post from a few weeks back?  

The answer to the question?  Our adorable new house.  Yes, the IP family, with mere weeks to spare on the lease/baby deadline fronts, has found our new home.  The vacation cabin of a certain ambassador is now ours (or will be Friday).  Small, yes, but charming and nicely situated in one of the cutest New England villages.  A three-minute bike ride from a beautiful lake, and baths and sunroom were recently renovated so there is almost nothing to be done.  Such a relief.  We close Friday.   Pictures to follow closing.  

Let the packing push commence!

PS - Those of you in the mood for a decorating challenge, please think of ways to decorate a log cabin when you prefer a cottage meets traditional decorating style.  Seriously, I am going to need help with this one.

The J Family: 3 Vermonters, 1 Southerner and 2 Water-Crazed Dogs

I guess all those summers swimming with their Papa in Lake Michigan have paid off - my three Vermonters (ages 3, 6 and 40) are all out swimming in the pond on a cloudy, breezy, 65 degree day.  Both Labs are swimming with them.

Yours truly (who never goes beyond my ankles in Lake Michigan!) is inside, wearing a sweater and capris, packing boxes because I think it is cold out.  (Once a southerner...)

Red Wings Beware!

What could be more fun than a series in which I get to watch not one, but two Staals?  Hmm... perhaps a series in which my Pens overwhelm the 'Canes and win the first three games in definitive fashion.  Red Wings Beware!

Anyone Else Feeling Overwhelmed?

Is it just me, or is every single day this month (and the first half of next month) scheduled with some event?  Add to the insane schedule, a stack of papers to grade that is daunting in its height, the joys of third trimester pregnancy, and an impending move (packing OMG!), and I am tempted to just throw my hands up in the air, book a ticket to somewhere warm and sunny, and not come back until June 15th.  

Mother's Day in Maine

So where did we end up going?

Well, it was difficult to tell at first.  We headed out from Vermont through New Hampshire, so I knew Boston was not the destination.  I held my breath as we drove on through Bretton Woods (no Mt Washington Hotel), and began to make a mental list of places we had talked about visiting in Maine.  

The winner?

Freeport!  Home to Mecca (LL Bean).

DH picked the perfect location.  We arrived precisely at check-in time and were able to freshen up before heading out to explore.  We stayed here which was ideal thanks to its prime location right near restaurants and shopping, with the bonus of a pool and cookies to keep the girls happy.

Our first outing took us to Wolfe's Neck Woods State Park, where we  took a hike that was just the right length for someone 31 weeks pregnant, and had the bonus of offering several sets of stairs down to little beaches where the girls were able to play while DH and I relaxed.  The views were gorgeous despite the overcast day.  

Our original dinner plans were to find something similar to Ray's in Rye Beach, but the first restaurant we tried was too crowded, and the next was almost empty (meaning, we assumed, that the food wasn't very good).  We ended up abandoning our plans for seafood and ate dinner at a third place, The Mediterranean Grill, which ended up being delicious.  The rain started to fall in thick sheets just as we were finishing dessert.  Naturally, our umbrellas were still in the car which was parked blocks away at restaurant number two.  DH grabbed little S and I took E by the hand and, holding newspapers over our heads, we ran up the street to Bean.  (This is actually probably my favorite memory of the trip as we were all laughing and the girls thought it was tremendous fun.)  

LL Bean was (as always) a pleasure and far too full of tempting things.  The girls each did well, DH bought 4 things, all of them either khaki or navy (love him, but the man does NOT like to go outside his comfort zone with clothes), and I managed to control myself and hold it to two items since I won't be able to wear anything until at least late August.  (I'll post the cuter items sometime in the next few days - I love LOVE my new skirt and you can bet I will be trying it on at least once a week from the end of July until I can squeeze into it.)

Back to the hotel for swimming and then the entire family fell asleep together by 9:30.  

Brunch the next morning was at the hotel and was followed by a second trip to Bean, a dash through North Face, and then J Crew.  Our last stop was to get E her new bike at the Bean boat and bike store.  She loves it.  I loved watching her ride it.  I did not love explaining to S why she wasn't getting a new bike yet.  (Many tears, etc.  Not pleasant.)

We headed back to restaurant number one for our lunch.  (It was even more crowded than the evening before, but we were NOT leaving without at least one fresh seafood meal.)  The food was incredibly good, and if you are ever in the area I highly recommend it.  (Harraseeket Lunch and Lobster).

The drive back, both girls fell asleep and DH and I were able to enjoy the drive and a quiet conversation.  Perfect Mother's Day.

FYI - Nautical By Nature Give Away

What could be a better summer give away than a pair of adorable Angela Moore bracelets?  Head over to the uber-fabulous Nautical By Nature and check out her give away and her terrific blog!

Mother's Day Away...

DH has informed me that we are going away for Mother's Day weekend with the girls.  He won't tell me where, just that we're leaving Saturday morning and will be back Sunday evening.  Given the time parameters and the fact that we're driving with the girls, my money is on one of the following:

Rye Beach, NH

Portland, ME

Mt Washingington Hotel, NH

Parker House Hotel, Boston

Three are places we've been and loved since moving to VT.  One is a place we've planned on going for months now.  Of course I could be entirely wrong, and we could be headed up to Canada for Montreal or Quebec.  Hmmm...  

What are your plans for Mother's Day?

What's Fun... and What's Not

Fun:

1. Family Breakfast with Lots of Blueberry Pancakes and Smiling Faces

2. Long Walk on the Farm with the Family

3. Attending a Baby Shower for a New Friend

4. Finding a New Fabulous Sitter for My Girls

5. Watching a DVRed Hockey Game with DH After His Track Meet

6. Taking My Dressed Up Girls (wearing ALL of their play jewelry, sporting a fancy chapeau each, and carrying their little purses - too funny and cute!) Out for Dinner 

Not So Fun:

Coming Home from the Above-Mentioned Shower to Find My Daughters Playing Outside in the Muddy Yard with Their Sitter... While Wearing Their NEW Never-Before Worn Lilly Dresses!  (I had left them in play clothes... apparently they felt the need to dress up...)

Update: Spots all came out (!!!!) now I just need to get them pressed in time for Mother's Day brunch.  You would think nearly a week would give me enough time to get to it, but the way things have been going, who knows.  (Exhausted!)

Let's Go Pens!

Here's to a successful comeback from one of the scariest first periods I've ever seen.  On we go to Round 2!  

PS - Thanks to the commentators for spending so much of Round 1 rhapsodizing about the contributions of Jordan Staal (and for providing lots of nice close ups!).

Quick - What do the US Ambassador to a Certain Asian Country and the IP Family Have in Common?

Let the guessing begin!

Do Princesses Watch Hockey?

  Yes.  Yes they do.

Round 1 - Game 1 - Here We Go!

Really?

Hmmm... so y'all find it more likely that my Easter would involve an ER trip than either Mass or Easter baskets?  Really?  I had no idea that I was giving off the atheist/accident prone vibe! :-)  I do get the appeal of the last choice (Easter baskets and eggs) and its inherent irony... but no.  The correct answer was the ER trip.  (Thank goodness!)

The girls woke up (way too early) to hunt eggs and find their baskets; we did make it to Mass (all be it the 11:00, NOT the 7 or 9), followed that with yet another house-hunting drive, ate spanakopita (along with a green salad and strawberry shortcake), and proudly wore pink damask and lavender linen while the snow flurries blew past (ah, Easter in Vermont).  I will have to post E's dress - it might be my all time favorite.  

 There we go.  Don't you love that fabric?  Makes me want to decorate a nursery.  Wonder if DH would let me do a pink damask nursery for Baby H?)

Yesterday was gorgeous.  Our entire family is on spring break, and with temperatures approaching 60 and a bright sun in the sky, we spent the entire day outside enjoying the farm.  This place is going to be so difficult to leave.  We've loved the privacy, the pond, the views, and being able to go hiking in our own backyard.  I can't blame the owners for wanting to return, but I wish they would change their minds.  On the bright side, it will be nice to finally find a place we can truly call our Vermont "home," and that I can decorate as I like. The house we're renting could be so gorgeous.  Given a modest budget for paint, fabric and light fixtures, I could absolutely transform this place.  (There's an idea for a post!)

Two more pictures... one of my massive belly swathed in pastel linen, and another of Little S in Miss E's Easter dress from age 3.  Gotta love hand-me downs.

Off today on yet another round of house-hunting.  Wish us luck!