Linky Love

This morning I thought I would share some of the interesting things I have discovered lately while cruising the web.

Just for fun: Obamicon.Me - Make your own "Obamicon"

With St. Patrick's Day coming up, Knowledge Quest has posted a free unit study.

Controlling my Chaos posted a chip-ilicious sounding recipe and technique for Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Make your own play tent (it looks like a teepee) with this great tutorial from Sew Mama Sew.

And while you are feeling crafty, you may want to whip up one of these cute bags made from a placemat of all things.

If you are into sign language like we are, you may enjoy this site that quizzes you on finger-spelling.

Can you name all of the U.S. Presidents or all of the states? You can test your knowledge at Sporcle.

And last but certainly not least is an article from Ann Voskamp at Holy Experience that struck a chord with me that discusses our fear of being alone and obscure. Definitely worth the read.

Have a great weekend!

Photo: My oldest contemplating the frozen creek on our nature walk this week.

Been Quiet

I know that I have been quiet here on the blog. I have been around, but every time I think I should create a blog post, my mind goes blank. I have no idea what to write about. I could blather on about my day to day life filled with baby stuff, housework, and the challenges of raising 6 children. But does anyone want to actually listen to all that? So often I feel that I have nothing truly significant to share here. Perhaps it is just that this little baby of mine is taking more than milk from me when he nurses; maybe he is sucking brain cells, as well. [teehee]

Speaking of nursing, I have been, however, using that sit down time to pour my creative energies into scrapbooking. So, I guess I will share that.

Here is a page I created yesterday. Doris Castle, whose creative team I am on and create layouts for, has made these wonderful backgrounds called Seasonal Enchantment. These are perfect for the fantasy-type pages that are prevalent in the online scrapbook galleries lately. I don't usually do stuff like this, but I thought I would give it a shot. Here's what I came up with:

This is a photo that Elizabeth took of Abi last October. I love her sweet expression. I removed her from the background of the photo and placed her in this land of fairies instead. Credits for this page can be found here.

Hoping you all have a fantastic day!

Discombobulated

dis·com·bob·u·late

(dĭs'kəm-bŏb'yə-lāt') Pronunciation Key tr.v. dis·com·bob·u·lat·ed, dis·com·bob·u·lat·ing, dis·com·bob·u·lates
1. To throw into a state of confusion. See Synonyms at confuse.
Perhaps alteration of discompose.
2. Trish on a Monday morning.

Yep, that's me - Miss Discombobulated. I overslept and only had a couple of minutes to be up before my 4 youngest munchkins were, too. I love 'em, but they just don't respect my need for quiet reflective time in the morning. I am sitting here with Samuel on my lap nursing, Rachel coloring with much animation and noise on her magnadoodle, Patrick badgering me about "what is 'nature' outside and what isn't", and Abi just being plain argumentative and nagging him that he didn't draw enough points and "sharpies" on his pinecone. [sigh] Just a typical morning.

But I need to gather my thoughts, make a futile attempt to plan my day, and pray to God that it will all work out. My little ones just don't get that. So, I will write out today's to do list which will look remarkably similar to my lists from last week because very little got crossed of of them. I will plan out the days chores and school assignments, plan out our meals, and more. AND I will try not to get too discouraged when it all falls apart because the baby is fussy, or the children melt down, or I get that call from an apartment tenant that causes me to drop everything and race out the door to deal with the unexpected.

Thankfulness

I am thankful for this sweet little baby boy nursing at my breast. Thankful that he is who he is, that he is healthy, and that he can be nourished so easily this way. Thankful that I don't need to purchase bottles and formula. Breastfeeding costs me nothing but... my time.


Time feels like a precious commodity right now. So much of mine is spent caring for this littlest child of mine who loves to eat very frequently. Of course what goes in must come out so there are multitudes of diapers each day. I feel like nearly ALL of my time day and night is spent with him in arms. And while he is in arms, I am still one-handedly caring for the needs of the rest of my family as best as I can, wiping noses, refereeing childish battles, helping with schoolwork, cooking, and to minimal extent cleaning. I spend so much time sitting and nursing my little guy that I still have some time left over to scrapbook, which I am thankful for, as well.

Here are some of the fruits of this nursing time:

Although you can't really see it on the computer, there is journaling over the left side of the photo.

It reads:

It was love at first sight when Elizabeth gets to hold her new baby brother, Samuel on the day he was born She was hesitant to give him up and let someone else have a turn with him. February fourth, two thousand and nine.

Credits for this page can be found here.

This one was taken the day before Samuel was born and I was 9 days past due. Credits for this page can be found here.

Samuel has fallen asleep in my arms and I am going to try to lay him down and fix breakfast for the rest of my family and maybe sneak in a shower (I hope).

Schedule? What schedule?

I am struggling a bit with keeping on our daily schedule with a newborn in the house. There is so much to do and it seems that my little guy just want to eat all day. I am having trouble getting him to even have 2 hours between feedings. Perhaps he is gearing up for a big growth spurt.

I did manage to get a couple more pages scrapped while I was nursing.


You can probably tell that I really like this photo of Samuel because I keep using it. This time I converted it to black and white, though.
Credits for this page can be found here.


Then I decided to put one more birth announcement together. This one was so fast and easy. I just needed to drop in my photo and add my text. Credits for this one can be found here.

My little guy has fallen asleep, so I am off to do some laundry. Have a great day!

Life with Baby Update

No news is good news, right? Sorry, I have been a bit quiet on the ol' blog. As you can imagine life has been a bit busy since we brought baby Samuel home. Even though he is a really good baby, he LOVES to eat frequently which takes quite a bit of my time. I still have not got my routine adjusted to accommodate this.

I did manage to create a couple of baby announcements. This was accomplished by creative multitasking while I nursed Samuel. I figure if I have to sit to feed him, I may as well also use that time to create, too.

I couldn't really decide what I wanted, so I made two versions. I think the top one is my favorite, though. Credits for each one can be found here and here.

I also have some other photos to share. These were all take on Samuel's 6th day.











This last photo I used to create this scrapbook page:



Credits fr this page can be found here.

Well, I am currently experiencing the joys of a 2am feeding. I decided to pop online as I fed Samuel so I didn't fall asleep. My daughter took our camera home and downloaded some of our photos and posted them on her blog. I snagged them so I could show them off as well.

First is the before photo. Her I am with some of the kids on Tuesday. I was getting ready to head out to my doctor's appointment and had realized that I had not made an effort to get any decent pregnancy photos. So, I had Elizabeth snap a few.



Fast forward about 24 hours and you are up to this next one. Elizabeth snapped this photo of me introducing Samuel to all of his siblings.



Here is Abi and I with him. Abi has determined that she is "going to be mom when I grow up."




Here is one I took of my oldest with my youngest. They are 15 years apart in age.



Anna, Abi and Baby Samuel.

Here I am helping Abi, "the little mama," hold Samuel herself.

Baby is finally here!

The waiting is finally over. We have been blessed with beautiful new baby BOY! Little Samuel came out to meet us early yesterday morning. He is healthy and well, weighing 8 lb. 12 oz. and 21" long. And, of course, he is the sweetest little thing ever (yeah, I may be biased). All of his siblings have held/poked/prodded him and decided that he is a keeper. His brother is absolutely thrilled to have another man in our family.



Unfortunately, I do not have a way to post pictures at this time as I am working on a borrowed laptop in the hospital. Photos will have to wait until I return home sometime tomorrow.



Little Samuel is currently snoozing comfortably on my lap at I type. He is such a little miracle. You forget how little and tiny and amazingly precious a newborn is. Their skin is the softest thing ever. As my friend pointed out, you can take all the photos you want, but nothing can capture the essense of that baby's soft cheek. And those tiny little features! A baby is truly "fearfully and wonderfully made." I don't know how anyone could look at a new little one and NOT believe that there is a Creator. Every feature is in perfect miniature!



I need to wrap this up because this nursing mama needs some breakfast. So, I won't post any of the details about his birth right now, but it was a special blessing, too.

Waiting

Waiting...waiting...waiting...
That is the story of life right now. Part of me feels like my life has been put on hold waiting for this overdue baby. I don't remember feeling this anxious waiting for my other babies. I don't remember my hormones taking me on this same roller coaster ride that I am on right now.

I have been trying to do things to prepare for this little one and for the short period of time that I will need to be away from my family at the time of delivery. I have tried to clean the house - it seems to get messier by the minute because there are 7 of us that live in it every day. I have stocked up on food and supplies last week so my family would have plenty. I feel like the bulk of it has been used up and eaten already. I am spent. I have no more energy and all my work seems to have been in vain. My nerves are frayed beyond measure and I am struggling to have the strength to deal with the day to day squabbles and heartaches of the children.

Everyday I think "maybe TODAY is the day." Then a bit of panic wells up inside me that I have last minute things to do to prepare. I have started to pack a bag for the hospital, but much of what need to go inside it is used every day. I need to have food made for the family. I have made lots of bread and snacks, but alas that have all been eaten already. I feel like I need to start all over again and my energy is waning.

I do not wish to feel so negative. I do not want to set that example for my children. This should be a happy time of excitement. Instead all I am feeling is stress right now. I have been seeking the Lord, but He doesn't feel close right now and I don't know why.

Then a thought hits me. This anxiousness I am feeling...is this how we should be feeling as we await the return of Christ? Perhaps, there is a lesson that I may learn through this waiting process.

5Jesus said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 6Many will come
in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many. 7When you hear of wars
and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is
still to come. 8Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the
beginning of birth pains. ...

32"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor
the Son, but only the Father. 33Be on guard! Be alert[f]!
You do not know when that time will come. 34It's like a man going away: He
leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task,
and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35"Therefore keep watch
because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in
the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36If he
comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37What I say to you, I say to
everyone: 'Watch!' " Mark 13:5-8 & 32-37

Our waiting is to be a constant watch. We are to be constantly prepared - never letting our guard down. That is the mode that I feel that I am in. It is a constant watch and there are not single, one-time steps to preparedness. We have to constantly be on watch and constantly be prepared and then re-prepare.

1"At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their
lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2Five of them were foolish and five
were wise. 3The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with
them. 4The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. 5The
bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell
asleep.
6"At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come
out to meet him!'
7"Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their
lamps. 8The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps
are going out.'
9" 'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for
both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'
10"But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom
arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And
the door was shut.
11"Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they
said. 'Open the door for us!'
12"But he replied, 'I tell you the
truth, I don't know you.'
13"Therefore keep watch, because you do not
know the day or the hour. Matthew 25:1-13

The wise virgins did not merely fill their lamps once. They were prepared to refill them until the time came for the bridegroom to come.

So. I sit here and am reminded that my pantry is stocked. I have prepared enough to have the ability to "refill my lamp". I pray for the strength to continue on and remain steadfast in this waiting for baby AND more importantly this waiting for Christ.

Scrappin' for Distraction

Well, my hormones are surging, but no labor as of yet. I feel tired and not like doing much of anything. To say that I am ready for labor to start is an understatement. I have been doing quite a bit of scrapbooking today. It is a nice distraction from my current discomfort.


This first page uses a few shots of my daughter playing basketball. Credits for the page can be found here.



These next couple of pages show off my daughters' new play kitchen that they got for Christmas from their Grammy and Gramps. The one shows when the got it and the other shows it sitting our kitchen at home. Credits for the pages can be found here and here.




Tomorrow I will officially be a whole week past due for this baby. I am finding it somewhat depressing which probably has a lot to do wit these crazy hormones. They are wreaking havoc with my emotions right now. I just have to keep telling myself that I WON'T be pregnant forever (it just feels like it right now).