5-25-75

I turn 35 today. I don't feel 35.



Where did the last five years go?

A few weeks after my 29th birthday, I met the man who would become my husband. Two days before I turned 30, my husband proposed to me. On my 30th birthday, we were in Disneyland. A few months after my 31st birthday, I got married. Three months after my 32nd birthday, I got pregnant. One week before my 33rd birthday, I had my baby. One week before my 34th birthday, my baby turned one. And now he is two, I am 35 and I have had six wonderful years with my husband.


Whew.


If I am lucky, I am about halfway through my life right now. I hope I will have many more years to come because there is so much I still want to do and experience. Every day is a blessing.


This August, I will have been blogging for seven years. Thank you for letting me share my life and interests with all of you.

(This is a picture of me wearing a chicken hat at this year's Petaluma Butter and Egg Day Parade. It is a reminder to myself to always keep a sense of humor and whimsy and to always be able to laugh at myself)

Project Roundup

I have vowed to cut back on my extracurricular activites and spend more time with my family, more time on exercising and losing weight and more time relaxing with crafts. 

Here are the projects I am anxious to tackle:

1) Shrinky-Dink Rings

2) Little Boy Shirt and Shorts

3) Picnic Blanket

4) Sis Boom Dress/Top

5) Felt Pincushion

6) Easy Hooded Towel

I have all the materials and hope to finish these projects over the next month. I plan to tackle Project #1 today. I feel fairly confident I can tackle numbers 1, 5 and 6.  The other ones....I'm a little nervous about!  I'll post photos of the results!!!

Hell on Wheels

My friend Charles has posted some new art figures in his Etsy shop and I just love this one:

His name is Speedy aka Hell on Wheels.  Isn't that wonderful?  Charles will be doing a series of these one-of-a-kind devils.  And Halloween is just around the corner!!!

Find this and other Chas Batte originals here.

(photo borrowed from and owned by Chas Batte Studio)

The Very Tired Mommy (by Eric Carle)

What a busy weekend! 

Grandma (aka "Tutu") took us all to see Peter Pan in the city.  I wasn't sure how Noodlebug would do with a 2.5 hour play but he was a perfect angel.  Then, Saturday was the big party.

The theme was A VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR.  Tutu made the balloon arch above.  Instead of a cake, I made cupcakes:

I used blueberries for the eyes and nose.

All of the food followed the things that the caterpillar ate in the book. We served apples, pears, oranges, strawberries, and watermelon.  Since the caterpillar ate through salami and swiss cheese, I put a spread of deli meats and cheeses out to make mini-sandwiches along with pickles. Because the caterpillar ate through a "green leaf," I made a spinach salad for the adults.

I set up a small crafts table for the kids. Since they are only two, I premade the butterflies and caterpillars and had them paint the items:

The rest of the time was free play. 

A good time was had by all. Noodlebug officially turns two tomorrow. I can hardly believe it. 

...And the Holy Toast

Although rain prevented the outdoor Mother's Day celebration I had envisioned, we still had a lovely time.  My mother, Noodlebug's godmother, Noodlebug and I went to church on Sunday morning. Normally, I put Noodlebug in the nursery but I thought I would keep him with me in church since it was Mother's Day. He did a really good job. When it came time to take Communion, I walked him up to the front of the church. I had never taken him up with me before and I assumed the pastor would simply bless him. Well....

To my surprise, the pastor handed Noodlebug a piece of the host.  Okay. We'll roll with it.  We walked over the Communion helper holding the chalices and I demonstrated to Noodlebug how to dip the bread in the juice.  He dutifully copied me.  But he dropped the bread into the chalice. There was no way I could put my hand in there and fish it out so I just laughed and told him it was okay. As we walked away, he suddenly said, "OH NO! I DROPPED MY TOAST!"

We all got the giggles and had to remove ourselve to the narthex until we could compose ourselves.  I told Noodlebug not to worry about his "toast" and gave him a cracker when we sat down again.

At home, my husband had prepared an elaborate Mother's Day brunch for all of us.  He really is the best.  He does just as much "mothering" as I do. Not just of Noodlebug but of me as well.  How did I get to be so lucky?

Now, I'm off to prepare for Noodlebug's birthday party on Sunday. Praying for sunshine!

Happy Mother's Day

Here I am with my mother at Halloween last year:

And here is the person who made me a mother:

And here we are on Mother's Day 2009:

Friends---I don't know what I did to be so blessed. But I don't take it for granted. Not one minute.

I wish all of you wonderful women a Happy Mother's Day. Some of you may not have children of your own but I know that all of you carry the spirit of a mother within you.

Much love to you all.

Perinatal Depression Awareness Month

Thanks to the efforts of the Junior Leagues of California, May has been designated Perinatal Depression Awareness Month.  Also known as Post-partum Depression, this disorder can have devastating effects on women and their families. I experienced perinatal depression after the birth of my child. I felt lost and scared and really really struggled. Assemblymember Pedro Nava sponsored this bill and spoke to a number of us on Monday.  I was moved by something that he said.  He said that when you improve the lives of women, you improve the lives of their families and when you improve the lives of families, you improve the community. 

No matter where you live, I encourage you to recognize Perinatal Depression Awareness Month and encourage the people in your lives learn the signs and symptoms of this disorder and how to get treatment.