Thanks for helping me grow....

Between the time of our move, and my last day of work, I was still keeping with my schedule of being in the office every other day. This meant that Richard could continue to go to the daycare he has been at since he was 3 months old on those days. I was glad that he (or I should say we) was able to "ease" out of being there instead of it just come to an abrupt stop since there is so much other transition in his life. I knew that I wanted to come up with a special "thank you" gift for the staff on his last day. However, there are no words or material things that can express the feelings of gratitude we have for these wonderful people! I cannot say enough good things about this center, and it has been one of the hardest things about our move. Richard has been so happy there - he has learned so much and made so many friends - I am friends with the teachers on Facebook and several of them have babysat for us (and continue to want to do so even with our distance). There is no denying how much they truly care for each and every child there.

 

I saw a few ideas with the theme of "thanks for helping me grow". To put my beading skills to use, I decided to make charms that could be attached to most anything: a necklace chain, zipper, purse, etc..... The only thing I needed to purchase was the little ruler charms. I had Richard pick out all of the beads from my stash and he had so much fun. He put everything he wanted into a container and then I had him select groups of 3 beads for each piece. Depending on the beads he picked, I changed my technique of how to wire/hang them from the clasps. It was great that he could be involved in the project, and now we just have to color up some cards for each of them to go on!

Borrowed Time

Whew, a lot has been going on around here. We closed on selling our Battle Creek home, Halloween, a last date/weekend getaway before baby, and this week is my last week of work. I hope to post about all of that stuff, but the theme of this post relates to the doctor appointment I had on Tuesday.

My due date is November 21st. I couldn't have asked for better timing knowing that my last day of work would be November 7th. I day dreamed about those few weeks off in between....... before I would be responsible for a newborn and a 3 year old........ enjoying the first time I have been unemployed since I was 15....... and basically just flat out relaxing and doing whatever I felt like since our lives have been such a whirlwind this year. Without getting into too much detail, my doctor told me on Tuesday that I could go into labor at any time and that he didn't think I would make my due date. The "checkup" prompted some sporadic contractions later that day and I thought for sure things were going to go pretty quickly. I made sure I had any loose ends tied up at work just in case I didn't make it through to my last day. This included several calls into our HR department to find out how the birth would affect my severance package and if I'd be eligible for the typical maternity leave since I'd technically still be employed with the company. (The answer is yes).

My Dad came in from out of town on Wednesday so that he could be here for Richard and the dogs. Our bags are packed and ready. I have been working at home, but am scheduled to go into the office on Friday for my last day. Jon has been going to work but has been nervous about us making it to the hospital on time since I stayed with my doctor in our old area.

But alas, I am just sitting here. Waiting. Wondering.

Of course you can't predict these things, unless for some medical reason you have a scheduled birth. But when you get all excited that it is going to happen - especially with all I have to factor in with employment/insurance/etc.... - it is really hard.

The last minute nesting bug is a sure sign that it will be happening soon though..... I was determined to change out my Halloween mantle (see pics here) to get ready for Winter. I should preface this by saying that in no way am I one of those people that decorates way too early for a holiday. I wait until after Thanksgiving to put up my Christmas decor. But I don't feel this layout is Christmas specific, but rather a general "Winter" feel. Also, knowing that I will have a new baby and will be recovering, I have no idea how much decorating/shopping I will be able to do for this season. It's kind of a liberating feeling though and I hope I can keep the pressure off myself.

 I am keeping with my goal of using what I already have. My color scheme (neutrals: white, wood tones, silver, gold, and a touch of evergreen) centered around a few key pieces. First off, I knew I wanted my focal to be this iron medallion. We have 2 of these. They came from Jon's parents home in Florida and he asked for them last summer. He sprayed them white and they hung on each side of the gate at our old house. Some of the paint is already coming off from being weathered, but I love that. It reminds me of a big snowflake!

The other key piece was the rustic garland we found at Michael's the other day (the ONLY purchase for this project). It's pine cones, twigs, leaves, etc...... Sure, I could have made it. But the price was worth buying it.

While "shopping" around the basement for all of the other stuff I wanted to use, I came across this petrified piece of wood from our old property. Jon dragged it in several years ago because he thought it was cool (it is) and I am glad I am finally using it for something.

 I just started grabbing anything I had that fit into my theme. Of course I didn't use it all, but you want to have all of your options on hand. It takes a while to play around with the design and edit it. I used several frames that I "emptied". They either had no pictures in them or else it was images that no longer fit our decor. Have frames on hand but they aren't the right color for your idea? Spray paint them. Luckily, all of these were already good to go. The pedestal and 3 pillar candles you see came as a gift set (with a ring of red berries around it). By splitting the set up, I was able to make better use out of the pieces. I put one of the candles on a silver candle holder I had. The birdcage I've had since before I was married..... I had already spray painted it gold all those years ago for whatever I happen to be using it for then. It holds the other 2 candles and some little trees that I had leftover from yet another project I will mention as well: homemade snow globes. This post details how I made them 3 years ago and they were perfect to scatter in this plan.

 Various other candle holders were used. The little tree in the gold pot I've had for years. I am really pleased with how it all turned out. I'm glad I will be able to enjoy looking at it the next few months, as I snuggle the baby (whenever he decides to come out)!