In Mourning

Yesterday I discovered that my t-shirts no long fit. Now my tummy definitely shows when I wear them. I could probably still get away with it, but I'm used to things fitting, and it's not really comfortable either. It's most distressing, because those were the last bastion of my wardrobe--the one thing I could still depend on. So today I went through my wardrobe. It was depressing.

If you ever see a pregnant woman with her belly showing or wearing a really tight fitting shirt, consider the small chance that perhaps she just hasn't had time to update her wardrobe.

I don't know if I just have a very well fitted wardrobe, or if the bloating/showing is worse because of my first pregnancy/body type/every woman is different (pick your reason). Or maybe it's that I don't like to show off yet(I tried on a skirt and top for church last week and asked David if it was okay--his response was "well, if you WANT to show off your belly...). My sister (and fashion consultant) would say it's because my shirts aren't long enough to begin with.

Still, it was kind of fun to go through everything in my closet. The best part was discovering clothes that I'd set aside because they didn't really fit (score!). Now they do...I found a black velour jumper that will be perfect right now. Super comfortable, and I can dress it up with one of my scarves. I also found several vests--when are those going to come back into style?The casual clothes didn't fair so well. The stack on the right is clothes I can wear (2/3rds of them are maternity). The stack on the left is ones that I can't. Coming from five years in a chemistry lab, I had a lot of t-shirts. :(Of course, David wears a medium T-shirt...I wonder if I can find any that don't have looney tunes on them? Or maybe it's finally time to go shopping. :)

My First Craving?

I also thought about titling this post "How I Discover the Holes in My Pantry." When movers pack you up, there are certain things they won't take, like open bottles of liquid. That might be why I don't have any mint flavoring right now. You also tend to take a look at a box or something that's three-quarters empty and think, "Why should they pack this up? Baking soda is cheap--I'll just get a new box when we get there..." Of course, it helps if you remember to do that when you're shopping, rather than waiting until you're absolutely dying for some cookies. Chocolate chip was out, since I haven't replaced those yet. So I went with molasses crinkles (I seem to get new cravings every time I talk with my family), only to discover that there isn't an easy replacement for baking soda. In case you are wondering, baking soda is the common name for sodium bicarbonate. You may think, "Baking soda, baking powder...what's the difference?" Well, the difference is slight but important. Baking powder is made up of baking soda plus some other ingredients--typically an acid and something like cornstarch to keep it from clumping. You can replace baking powder with baking soda if you add acid to your recipe (like using buttermilk instead of milk). It's harder to take the acid out of recipe--in molasses crinkles, the acid comes from the molasses--so baking powder is not a good replacement for baking soda. Suffice to say, I made a quick trip to the store...but it was worth it.

Progress

Although we've lived in our house for a few months now, there are still some areas that need work. I've never been much of an art collector--a few prints here and there, but we've never had much of a house to decorate. A while back my brother gave me a beautiful Chinese wall hanging, but it's a little small to cover a whole wall. That is, until Partylite came out with some cherry blossom themed pieces. Suddenly, the music room in our house got a decorating scheme. The wall hanging is the focal point, with some of our Chinese pieces and the cherry blossom candle holders rounding out the pictures. We (meaning David) finally got them all up on the wall tonight. The bookcase top still needs a runner, but besides that, what do you think? Now I just have to figure out what to do with the other side of the room.

Change is in the Air

1. I have not blogged in several days. My sincerest apologies--I had guests for a few days, plus I've been hit with a double whammy of pregnancy fatigue. I slept all morning yesterday, and I took a two hour nap this morning and another hour nap this afternoon.

2. You may have noticed that I changed the blog layout. I'm experimenting with different templates. My sister thinks that I should find a background with a chemistry theme. I'm a fan of that, if there was an option in the blogger templates. Unfortunately, I think I'd have to make it myself.

3. I'm also planning to open the blog up. Feel free to pass along the web address to anyone you think might enjoy this. I've decided to do this for several reasons:

a. I'm not great at sending out invites...and there are complications that can ensue.
b. As you can tell from the title of my blog, I consider this a way to encourage people and share a little about what God is doing in my life. Making it a private blog kind of limits that aim.
c. How can I eventually make a million bucks on advertising if I don't increase my readership? :)

4. I like making lists. They bring order to my life, and they give me something to cross off when I have a million things to do. I confess to adding things that I've already done to my list, just so I can cross them off.

5. Future posts: Visitors from a far off land and Tucano's Brazilian Grill.

Peaches!

When we first looked at our house, the realtor thought that we had some kind of fruit tree in the back yard. It turned out to be a cherry tree, although we wouldn't know that by its fruit. Our neighbors also have one, and they identified it for us. Apparently there was a late frost that killed pretty much all the fruit blossoms. :( So we'll have to wait and see what kind of cherry tree we have.
We also have a little tree in our front yard that appeared to be a fruit tree. We weren't sure what it was, although we had an inkling after seeing these on the ground.After visiting a friend who has a peach tree, and hearing from the neighbors, we were sure. Our neighbors said it's usually loaded down with fruit, but we didn't see anything (frost...grrrr). One day I happened to look up and see this!Since then, David's found about six more. So we won't have bushels, but at least we can try them this year!

Childhood Friends

"Coolth," said Katharine. "Blessed, blessed coolth."
"That's no word," said Jane.
"It aught to be," said Katharine, pressing on.

This quote is from "Magic by the Lake", by Edward Eagar (I knew you'd recognize it, Susan!). It's one in a series of seven books about children who encounter magic and their adventures. I thoroughly enjoyed them growing up, although I always felt that the kids were a little slow in picking up on the nuances of the magic in each book (each one was a slightly different flavor). I'm going home in a few weeks to see my family, and while I'm very excited to see them, I'm also pretty excited about visiting our library of books. The last time I was home, our immense collection was packed up for the move, and although I got tantalizing glimpses of some old friends, I didn't really have time to get reaquainted. I was a voracious reader as a child, and although I loved playing with my siblings and friends, I received as much enjoyment from spending time with...literary friends as well.
This is one of my oldest friends, and possibly one of my favorite books as a child. As an adult, I've pondered why I connected with Nat Bowditch (who, by the way, is a real person). As I've found other books I really enjoy (The Thief, by Megan Whalen Turner, is one), I've discovered a pattern in them. The characters are not often especially strong, or heroic, or lucky, but they are always smart. Surprising, coming from me, right? They are clever, studious, and once they tackle a problem with all their talent and intellect, they succeed. I was never particularly talented in sports or in the physical arena, but I always knew (thanks to my parents and my childhood 'friends') that I could succeed in life by thoughtful application of my knowledge and ability.

Do you have childhood 'friends' that you miss? Maybe you have a little section of children's books in your room so you can visit with them occasionally? What was your favorite book as a child?

Halfway to Completion

I just finished this for a friend of mine to go in her kitchen. I'm also making one that says "Coffee". I've been cross-stitching since Mom and Dad started reading out loud to us, but I got myself in gear last year when I made this for my brother. It's a small tablecloth with matching napkins. I finished it the morning I gave it to him and Xiu--at least I had something to do on the flight over there! David helped too. :)