Baby Fever.

What comes with being a parent?  What will change about our life now?  How great will the challenges be? Will we change as people, when we become parents?  I don't want to lose "us."  Will i be a good dad?  Can we afford a child?  How do we raise our child to be a good person?

These are all honest questions my husband has.  I feel that these questions relate to most men, when they are thinking of becoming a parent.  This is a huge, huge life changing moment.  A moment that i have been waiting for since i was about 3.  I'm not kidding.

For me, i have less questions and more excitement and hope when thinking of becoming a mama.  I look at my sister-in-law and her delicate, caring and beautiful relationship she has with each one of her kids.  I look at my own journey that i have had with my mom by my side.  It all seems so special and beautiful to me.  That is just me though, I tend to look at all the positives about a decision, rather than the challenges that will come.

We balance each other out when we have these discussions.  When we talk about being parents.  Yes, i do realize that our life will change, that we will never sleep in again, that we will always worry about if our child is in good hands.  I realize that and accept it.

When i look at hubs, as he cares for and plays with charlie, I know he will be a great dad.  He doesn't realize yet all the love he will have for that precious baby when he or she is put into his arms.  I've heard from many, that the woman has the connection instantly with the fetus, yet its harder for the husband to connect until the baby comes, which totally makes sense.  Knowing my husband, as soon as the baby is placed in his arms, his whole world will look different.  Nothing will matter but that baby.  I know this because that is how he is with me.  He honors every one of my wishes, and wants nothing more than for me to be happy & safe.

Yes, it will be life changing.  It will come with challenges.  But it will be the single best thing we have ever done. Nothing quite compares to being a parent.  I have heard it time and time again.

Hubs & i work well together.  We see most things on the same page.  We have great conversation.  We listen to each other's wants and needs, and respect them.  We love time alone together (we really could live in a cabin in the woods and not have outside human contact for awhile.  Crazy, i know.  But we would be happy).  We are best friends.  He is down to earth & enjoys simple pleasures, as do i.  No one could make me happier than to come home to him.  Every time we talk of parenting, we agree on everything.  Yes, i'm serious.

That is how i know we are going to be great parents.  We will do it together.  I will help lessen his fears, as we get ready to become parents, and he will help lessen my fears when our new baby is at home.  He is calm and thoughtful.  He will be a great balance when the baby comes and i worry about every little thing.  Because that's just how i am & that's just how he is.

Here are some books i am reading / are on my reading list:







Here are some blogs i love to follow about their parenting methods, techniques and tips:

www.prebabyblog.com
****If you go over to their blog over the next few days, there are some awesome giveaways going on: a 4mom's Clearwater tub & a Boba carrier!!!

www.lifeontheterrace.blogspot.com

www.soulemama.com

www.growningalemon.blogspot.com

www.enjoyingthesmallthings.com

Here are some baby-friendly items i am interested in:


Britax cowmooflage carseat & Chicco adventure infant seat.

Kelty backpack & Boba Carrier

Seventh generation diapers are quick to dispose and gentle on the babies skin.  Hubs loves these, he read all about them :)  and bonus... they are even cheaper than pampers at the grocery store.  Although, i hope to do cloth a majority of the time!  Pictured above are the bum-genus, which i've heard to be the best.


 Babies in overalls...my weakness......


Zutano has the best infant / baby clothes, a bit pricey though!


Love this snowsuit!

So to say i have baby fever would be a start.  I may be jumping the gun with this post, as we aren't even pregnant yet, but i don't care.  I have always known deep inside that being a mother would be the greatest joy of my life.  Knowing that i married a man that carries inside his heart the same morels and values, i know having children will enhance our lives that much more.

I am beyond ready to be a mama & have my cubs by my side.

Coming Soon!

Preparations are underway....

for our soon-to-be arrivals to settle in.

Welcome to our pig house :)

I just can't wait for my first animal-farming experience to begin.

Hubs has lots of experience, which will be key.

This summer we will begin our farming journey together.

Around Earth Day

Breathe in all that is spring

Around Earth day : :

we planted Christmas trees & re-located a few saplings
i found many, many Trillium's around our brook.
Along with fiddle-heads

Such beauty comes when the earth warms and rain falls.

February - March Crafts

I have recently found myself in love with stamping fabric. 

I first tried out this endeavor for my fathers birthday gift last August.  (seen here.)  This is not the type of craft that is quick to finish.  To do this, to stamp poems on muslin, takes time.  It requires a bright weekend morning in my studio, with coffee and Pandora.  I've found it to be a lovely way to slow down.  To make me really concentrate on the task at hand.  Everything else in my life falls away, as i focus on the letters and words that make up these poems.  The piece below i did just for me.  The words are from Amanda Blake Soule's Rhythm of Family.  I started with the stamping, then finished with a border in some of my favorite hues.  When thinking about how to frame it, i decided i would make that as well.  As the hubs was finishing off a closet with v-groove in the basement, i took some scrapes, cut them, glued and nailed the four sides together. 

I find that i am constantly making things as gifts (which is soooo wonderful), but i need to start making more for me, for us & for our family.

So my goal this summer is to finish the quilt i started last summer for our bedroom.  A log cabin quilt pattern, with some beautiful fabric from Keepsake Quilts.  This will complete our bedroom, as we are planning on buying our bed frame this summer.  Over the bed, i will to put four water colored paintings by Deborah Holmes, displaying the four seasons.

I did a little embroidery project for my mama's birthday.  Once again displaying my dislike for patterns.

Baby Beanie for baby Riendeau

Quick Change Trousers- 3 months

Quick Change Trousers - nine months - corduroy with flannel lining.

Here is the gift set (minus the quilt) that was for Jackie's baby shower last weekend.  x3 quick change trousers from Handmade Beginnings.  One baby hat.  Pattern found here.  And some seventh generation diapers & wipes.  All wrapped together in white paper, tied with a fabric bow.  Like i said before, i love making gifts for friends & family.

Jackie and i also spent a Sunday a few weeks ago making cloth diapers for her babe.  We used the pattern from Handmade Home by Amanda Soule.  We also made some veggie bags to bring to farmer's markets this summer.  Pattern found from Pinterest! 

A Quilt for a May Baby

This quilt began as the Six Times the Charm Quilt from Handmade Beginnings by Anna Maria Horner.  After sewing together the triangles for the quilt pattern, it just didn't look right.  Yes, it was all going according to plan, but, really.....i dislike following patterns when sewing quilts.  I like to make it up as i go.  So one evening i decided to take my triangles and cut them up into squares.  From there, some natural muslin was added to box each square out.  Then it was finished with a top-stitch, zig-zag border.  I loved the process in which this quilt took shape.  I used all scrap fabric from my bin, which was really fun!

At the end, i was pleased with the result.  Now it seemed like a quilt that baby Riendeau would like, a quilt that fit Jackie's style.  Her baby shower was yesterday, and she totally loved it.  Success! 

More to come in the next post about other baby homemade's for her shower!

Coming Home

After being away at a conference for a few days last week....

Coming home was a breath of fresh air.

Oh how i love being home with my loves.  I was greeted with the first edition of Taproot!, which i read from cover to cover, enjoying the warmth of the late afternoon sun on the porch.

Being 80 degrees out, i brought my seedlings up to the porch to catch some afternoon rays.  When i went to bring them back inside, i noticed that my basil had germinated!