Update on the Fall List 2011

I had a pretty successful fall and am gearing up for the New Year. I can't wait to tell you about a book I am reading as I think it will be the perfect inspiration for my obsessive "to do lists". There is nothing I like more than making a list and checking it off.

Here's what I got accomplished this fall:
1. Made a fall wreath for the door
2. Get a salted caramel frappuchino at Starbucks
3. Took a walk to collect leaves
4. Went on a dinner date with Ysmaille
5. Made a pumpkin roll
6. Carved a pumpkin for the front porch
7. Went trick-or-treating with Amirah
8. Ate breakfast downtown
9. Had a photo shoot with Selena

Unfortunately, there were a few things that were on my list that I didn't get to check off.
1. Go through a corn maze (I want to do this EVERY single year and I never do. Must do it next year!)
2. Make a ruffled tote (I almost got to this one, but after carefully reading the directions I thought I might be a little too much of an amateur sewer for this one, but I did make an adorable apron for Amirah's birthday)
3. Print photos for Amirah's baby book (ABSOLUTELY must do this before the new baby comes)
4. Go to Hagerstown City Park and swing. (It'll be more fun in the Spring anyway)
5. Make a fabric bookshelf (I still plan to do this, but since our two children will share a room I wanted to wait to see what gender this baby will be before attempting this project.)

In summary, out of 14 items I got 9 accomplished. Not bad considering I work full-time outside of the home, do 3 loads of laundry a week, cook at least 5 meals a week, and manage to make time for my family and friends. I'm pretty happy with all the accmomplishments I've made this Fall.

Right Now

Right now I am ...

Watching: Pirates of the Carribean (the 4th one). Really I'm sitting beside Ysmaille as he watches it and I waste time on the internet.

Feeling: a sense of peace over God's plan (I'm sure you'll hear more about this later).

Wearing: pajama pants and my 12 year old SU sweatshirt.

Drinking: ice water.

Hoping: that I get through the next 7 days of school.

Wishing: I had the perserverance to finishing Amirah's baby book.

Waiting for: our trip to Florida.

Loving: all my fun ideas from Pinterest.

So... that's my life in a nutshell.

Pregnancy Highlights

17 weeks pregnant today...

Total Weight Gain: 8 pounds (give or take)

Sleep: I pretty much fall asleep on the couch every night by 9:30. The pregnancy is not keeping me up. But my almost two-year-old is. She has decided that she doesn't require more than 6 hours of sleep at a time.

Movement: I felt some movement last week (little flutters), but haven't felt anything in a couple of days. Part of me thinks I imagined it. Part of me feels worried. Do you ever stop worrying when you are a parent?

Gender: I will be 20 weeks on Christmas Day. We only have a boy name, which makes me think we are having a boy. The Chinese Gender chart (which a friend swears is 100% true) says we are having a girl. Time will tell.

Symptoms: Backache.

Maternity Clothes: I don't remember this "nothing fits stage" being so long the last time. Seriously. Nothing fits. My regular clothes pinch and give me an odd form of pregnancy muffin top. I tried wearing maternity clothes last week and Ysmaille (who never notices what I wear- good or bad) said my pants looked saggy. Sigh.

Yummy Crockpot Sandwiches

I saw a recipe for sandwiches in the crockpot a couple of months ago on pinterst and just had to try them. It is so easy. You start with a loaf of round Italian bread (I actually used sourdough instead), cut it apart, and fold ham and cheese (and whatever condiments you want) inside the slices. Wrap the whole thing in tinfoil twice. Place additional tinfoil on the bottom of the crockpot with 1/4 cup of water and then put in on low for 3-4 hours.

This is what it looks like before.
The after product. All you have to do is cut the sandwich the rest of the way through and you have individual sandwiches!

It was a hit (even with the smaller crowd).

Fall List Continues

One of the things I was looking forward to the most this fall was carving pumpkins. I've never done it before. We bought these beauties three or four weeks ago, but haven't really had the time to carve them. Well, today the snow gave us no excuse. While Amirah napped Ysmaille and I got creative.

Our unsuspecting victims

The guts

Our creation (Ysmaille's on the left, and mine on the right)

They look much better lit up

Check out the stunned face and the fashionable gloves. In my defense I wasn't expecting snow before Halloween so Amirah wasn't prepared with gloves.

As a side note (for those of you who care) I've also accomplished making a pumpkin roll and going to Starbucks for a salted caramel hot chocolate (it actually ended up being a salted caramel mocha frapuccino). Here's too fall!

TGIS

Thank God it Snowed!

Ysmaille's been reffing soccer a lot this fall. Sometimes he would ref 2-3 nights a week and then be gone ALL day on Saturdays. It was the all day Saturday reffing that made me sad. Saturdays are supposed to be the day that working families get to spend together. Amirah and I missed Ysmaille so much. We went to Bender's to pick a pumpkin without him. We went to the Apple Fest without him.

Today he was supposed to ref for only a few hours, so I knew we would have the afternoon with him. Last night while we were grocery shopping they called to tell him that the soccer games were cancelled because of the upcoming snow. I was so happy I just hugged him right in the middle of the store. I have my baby back!

Plus, as an added bonus he let me sleep in today and go Amirah her breakfast. Now he is cleaning the house. What a man!

Crossing it off the list...

After making my wreath it took me a while to dive into the rest of my list, but I've had a pretty successful week. Amirah and I took an impromptu walk at Scotland Schools for Veteran's Children the other night and I was delighted to see lots of beautiful leaves. I picked out a few. I had originally intended to make a leaf garland, but when it comes down to it I was just too lazy.

Aren't they pretty? I really love the dark purple and red ones!

My original intention was to cover each one in contact paper and cut them out, but like I said... too much work.

I also had a photo shoot with Selena. If you haven't checked her out, you should. She is an awesome photographer, and cousin, and friend... You get the point. She's just awesome. Here is her website: www.posephotoco.com

Today Amirah and I went to Bender's Potato Farm right here in C-burg. It was great! We picked out two pumpkins that Ysmaille and I are going to carve. I'm so excited because I've never, ever carved a pumpkin! Amirah also got to take a "train" ride and play on the hay slide. It was a super fun day.

Ysmaille and Amirah are going out tonight for a little date (i.e. a trip to Walmart for a nightlight so maybe Amirah will actually stay in her "big girl" bed tonight). I think I'm going to stay home and putter. I also want to make a pumpkin roll (something that's on my fall list). We'll see what happens.

So, you can see things have been pretty productive around here. I'm certainly embracing fall and I am open to any suggestions to add to my winter list. As you know it's winter that I'm afraid of.