Counting My Blessings

Things have been stressful lately. Between my return to work, pregnancy/getting ready for baby, and my grandma's health. I find myself waking up at night, unable to return to my blissful slumber, my mind racing with worrisome thoughts. During these times I force myself to celebrate all of the blessings in my life. So here I am, counting my blessings...

*my husband, daughter, our families and I are healthy

*the love and support of our family and friends

*our families have been very generous in helping us to prepare for baby

*not having fertility problems. I was overjoyed to conceive right away and my heart goes out to those who struggle conceiving

*madeleine's successful return to school. she is loving every moment, including the homework

*the happiness in my dogs' faces when I return home from a day at work. I can't help but smile when their whole body wags because they are so overjoyed to see me.

*the fact that we have air conditioning during this late season heat wave

*our home. I can't think of a better place to return to after a long, arduous day.

*our new car and the quick sale of my old car

*the fabulous Cannon Rebel SLR that Todd got me for Christmas last year

*my Betsey Johnson leopard and rhinestone heals (enough to make me feel hot even at five months pregnant)

*I still have a job despite cutbacks in public education

*my craft stash. lots of goodies in there!

*our medical insurance. pregnancy would be costly without it!! YIKES!

*despite inflation we can still put food on the table, have a roof over our heads, drive our cars to and from work, and still eat out once a week. not everyone is so lucky

When I count all of my blessings, it is a challenge to focus on the bad.

I have to share my diaper bag. We will be doing his and hers. Todd and I have completely opposite ideas of what constitutes a great diaper bag. I think after you see my bag you'll understand why:

Isn't she soooo pretty?!?! A great Target find! It is not a "diaper bag" per se. I found it in the purse department. But with Madeleine I found the best diaper bags were either large purses or satchels. Just because I'm a baby-toting mommy does not mean I have to sacrifice a fabulous bag!

We also bought a rug for the baby's room. The theme will be cowboy or cowgirl (after next Thursday we will know the official theme!) Maddie's is vintage cowgirl. Pottery Barn Kids has a great cowboy rug (which is harder to find than you might think!) Not too cheesy, but still sweet.

Can you tell I am having a lot of fun getting ready for baby?

In addition to shopping and planning I have been whipping up some oh-so-cute burp cloths. I have seen the same ones at boutiques for $15-20. I knew copying them would be a cinch. I found a great tutorial on http://www.chickpeastudio.typepad.com/ . Once they are complete I will post a photo. But these burp cloths are my new obsession! Thank goodness Sarah is having a baby too. Just another reason to make them.

I am still trucking along on my "Trick or Treat" flag banner. My mom and I found some great fabrics at a local shop that fueled our inspiration. The only downside is the lack of embellishments. ARGH! They are not as easy to come by as Christmas doo-dads. Plus the colors are not as popular. It was not until I began this endeavor did I realize the lack of orange and purple supplies out there! But here are a couple shots of the fabric and supplies I have found.

I have to say the sewing machine in the background is an oldy, but a lovely goodie! I have Mary to thank for it. It belonged to her mother and I inherited it. It is from the 60s I believe. That was when sewing machines were built to last. I love that sewing machine and am happy to report to Mary that it has been put to a lot of use since she so kindly gave it to me. The old machines are easy-squeezy to operate and that has huge appeal to me! I have enough techie gadgets, my sewing machine does not have to be one of them. I guess my machine is another item to add to my list of blessings! If it weren't for that machine our home would have no curtains and fewer pillows, and the baby's burp cloths would be quite boring!