in love with floral

My eyes gravitate toward all things floral.  It is so feminine and happy.  Here are some things that I adore ... from afar.

Knee-Hi Floral Sock from Lands' End Canvas
Lattice Headband by Garlands of Grace
Hipster bag by Vera Bradley in "Lime's Up"
Modal Lace Cami and Shorts by GAP
Floral Print Jeans by Mango at JCP

baby age photo prop

Last summer I posted about sewing fabric numbers and letters here.  I want to show you how they ended up in my photos!

This is my less-than-a-week-old baby last September!  I wish that I could go back to one day of holding him when he was this tiny, and still wanted to be cuddled for hours.

  

In June, he officially had been out in the world for as long as he had been inside me :)  This is also one of the best Nolan smiles ever captured on camera).

And these photos were no easy task after he learned how to roll over.  But I am so glad that I persisted every month on getting a good shot, because look how adorable they turned out:

dad

 This cute guy would have been 55 today.  Happy Birthday, Dad!

"Nothing can make up for the absence of someone whom we love, and it would be wrong to find a substitute; we must simply hold out and see it through. That sounds very hard at first, but at the same time it is a great consolation, for the gap, as long as it remains unfilled, preserves the bonds between us." 
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

  P.S. Dad, your namesake Nolan Bruce turned 13 months-old today!

starting up again

I go back and forth daily, wondering if I should start this blog up again.  I am leaning towards "yes", as I have many new ideas fluttering through my head.  Also, since a friend just told me that my sewing projects from last summer were encouraging her to sew, I decided to pull out my machine for a few new projects, which I just completed.

I am nervous though.  I am known to frequent Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, blogs galore, Youtube, Gmail, People.com.  I am not sure if my brain can handle one more site to visit, let alone be in control of.  We shall see!  Even though there were many things that I could have blogged about this past year with my new baby, I am glad that I took a break so that I could completely absorb him and not be distracted with one more thing.  I may have to updates some highlights of my year later on. :)

HAPPY OCTOBER!  Can you believe I almost have a 13-month-old?

sewing creations

These are some of the things that have kept me busy the last few weeks:

 

Caitlin encouraged me to make these letters & numbers!  They are for when I take photos of the baby: to mark how old he is at different points during the first year.  To be honest, I was about to give up after attempting the "S", but my mom walked in the room and encouraged me to keep going.  I am glad I did!  Here is the link.

 

I was about to get my hair cut at the salon a few months ago.  Wandering around the adjoining gift shop, I giggled to myself when I saw "Pee Pee Tee-Pees", for moms and dads to protect themselves while changing boy diapers.  I took a cell phone pic to show Steve.  Later, I stumbled upon this blog where she created her own: "Wee Wee Wigwams".  They have fun fabrics on the outside, with a soft fleece on the inside, and can be put in the washing machine :)

 

This was the real troublemaker.  I committed to making Steve a chef's hat for his skit during VBS week, later in July.  The VBS this year is called "Shake It Up Cafe"--all kitchen themed.  Steve will be Chef Basil, and that will transform him into some kind of celebrity to the kids, as he was at 2009 and 2010 VBS's, haha.  Anyways, after a few failed attempts, the chef's hat finally came together!

 

This is a nursing cover that I found on this site.  It was easy, but took me quite a while.  I spent a long time choosing the right fabric at Joann's, and this particular home decor fabric had a sale sticker that said "7.00" on it.  I had 1.5 yards cut, and got in line, where it rang up to $30!  Apparently it was $19.99 a yard, and the 7.00 sticker meant how many yards were on the roll.  Luckily, the cashier pulled a 40% coupon out of her pocket and saved me some money.  (This was before I learned how to be a Joann coupon connoisseur.  A couple weeks later, spending three mornings at Joann's, I was able to buy $74 worth of merchandise for only $13!)  I will never buy anything there without a coupon again!

 

and then I've used some extra fabric to make headbands :) 

-Rachel.

June thirteenth

 

Today is Steve and my 2nd anniversary!!  I am waiting for him to get home from a long day of painting ceilings so that we can celebrate. :)  What a wonderful day that was, 2 years ago!

 

We started our day off today (at 5:30) driving my mom and stepdad to their bus.  They went with their tour group to the airport in DC, and as of three minutes ago, their plane took off for PARIS, France!!  I am really thrilled that my mom is getting a chance to see Europe, finally.  It really is the trip of a lifetime for her.  But I am a little jealous since I am staying here, and I'm little fearful because she won't be able to call me internationally.  It's the farthest we've been apart!  Anyways, I'm praying for a safe flight and no complications throughout the entire two week trip!

I have done quite a bit of sewing the past couple weeks, and I need to take some pictures of my new creations to put on here!  I have come very far from buying-my-sewing-machine-and-not-knowing-how-to-use-it.  

The baby is very active inside.  I'm still not big (I was even the smallest in our prenatal education class on Saturday, though a couple other first-timers had same/later due dates than me).  He is nearing 3 pounds and 17 inches!  I feel like my organs have definitely shifted inside to make room.  He has 2-3 names picked out for him, but we won't be announcing anything until the big birthday.  I am a little nervous he could be born early, because Steve was a preemie at 32 weeks, and only 4 pounds.  Hopefully Steve's fetal stress was not a genetic thing.  We now have appointments with our new doctor every two weeks.  He may not be as friendly as my doctor in Erie, and the hospital may be a lot less nice than the one in Erie, but it feels good to finally see where we'll deliver! 

and it's time to get ready to go to eat!  

XOXO,

Rachel

bye erie

 

As of yesterday, we are officially moved out of our Erie apartment.  Steve and his brother Josh were amazing movers--bringing all of our furniture and boxes from the 3rd floor down to the U-Haul.  I teared up as we locked the door for the last time and relinquished our keys.  As much as I am ready for the next step, I do not like saying goodbye to four walls which I have called "home".  It was my first real adult residence, facing (and growing from) challenges of post-school life.  It was Steve's first place away from his parents and 4 years of dorm life.  It was where we grew so close as a married couple, where we brought Ivy puppy home to, and where I spent over half of my pregnancy.  I will keep those memories close.

We wait in anticipation of our new apartment.  We signed the lease today, but the landlord is unsure if we can even move in before August 15!  This has caused me quite a bit of frustration, but I'm trying to remain hopeful.  For now, I'll keep myself busy with the warm weather and summer projects. :)