Backyard farm girl

Nature will bear the closest inspection.

She invites us to lay our eye level with her smallest leaf, and take an insect view of its plain.

-Henry David Thoreau

In our backyard we have a dwarf citrus that has five types of fruit on it. We are going to have some great lemons in just a few weeks but this week we had a ripe honey mandarin.

Maddie and I went out and picked it . . .

And ate it . . .

And had fun hanging out on the grass . . .

And playing backyard farm girl . . .

Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it.

They will be yours for food."

Genesis 1:29

Repurposed craft

For Maddie's first birthday we had a Minnie Mouse theme and I, of course, went a bit overboard (I am already trying to decide on birthday themes for next year so I can get a head start . . . I have to have my ideas percolate in ye ol' noggin for awhile). One of the projects I decided to do - at the extreme last minute, as in the night before the party - was a high chair cover and skirt. I am really pleased with how it turned out. I basically just traced the top the the high chair to get the basic curve pattern to use in cutting my fabric pieces, and then cut and hemmed slits up the side to fit over the legs. The felt Minnie Mouse head matched the one on Maddie's dress. I gathered the tulle into sections tied with ribbon then quickly hot glued the sections onto the high chair tray, et voila - a high chair fit for a Minnie Princess!

(please note it was a very blustery day outside)

The problem with projects like this is that they are really only used once! How many times am I going to need a Minnie Mouse high chair cover? It made me kind of sad, because the fabric I used was actually a really snuggly and sturdy type of fabric, and so fun with the polka dots. So I tucked it away in the sewing bin hoping I could use it in the future. A few months ago I noticed that Maddie liked putting the couch cushions on the floor and then sprawling on them, and realized she needed a floor pillow. I then further realized that the high chair cover was just about the right size! I have been meaning to repurpose the cover into a floor pillow for several months, and I finally got around to it! Minnie got removed - she came off in the wash actually, which was perfect because she was only hot glued on and I was concerned about pulling her off and ruining the fabric, but she came off like a dream after a quick spin in the washer. I just double hemmed the sides for sturdiness, following the "pattern" of the high chair cover. I ended up with a big, fluffy, if oddly-shaped, floor pillow.

Here is Maddie trying it out on the couch . . . we will see if she will snuggle up with it on the floor when she watches her t.v. show.

Wading into the red tape . . .

"If you are going to sin, sin against God, not the bureaucracy.

God will forgive you but the bureaucracy won't."

Hyman G. Rickover

I am beginning to finally wade into the sea of red tape that is registering an out of hospital birth in Los Angeles County. I find it kind of sad that having your baby outside of a medical institution is considered so taboo in my county. There is a very large part of me that just wants to never register him and keep him totally off the grid - but I know that would cause him major issues later in life, so I will be a good mummy and not screw up his chances of running for President someday . . .

Maybe what bothers me the most is government employees, little worker bees (really to call them this is an insult to worker bees who are actually efficient and productive, something the employees in the County Registrars Office never have been, nor will be) that act as if having my baby at home has somehow put them out. As if I chose a home birth just to put their collective noses out of joint. The condescension literally drips off them as they "explain" what paperwork I need, and even though what they are telling me is different than what is listed on their official paperwork, questions will immediately lead to the questioner being branded as a trouble maker.

Let's not even get started on getting a social security number for your out of hospital child . . . God forbid you do not have an "imunininization record" (no, I am not joking), to prove who your child is (because the birth certificate you have just paid for in blood, sweat, tears, and six forms of documentation is not good enough on its own), if you do not have said record, you are obviously a negligent parent and must therefore be treated like the lowest form of pond scum. It is enough to make you want to swear off "civilized" society forever and retreat to the woods somewhere.

"My symbol for Hell is something like the bureaucracy of a police state

or the office of a thoroughly nasty business concern."

C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters

And then there were two . . .

The last time I posted on this blog was just a few days before finding out I was pregnant for the second time in as many years.  God has blessed us with a miracle baby, bringing our kid count to two and our family size to four!  Being pregnant with a baby already in the house was definitely tiring, hence the abandonment of this blog . . . taking up sewing didn't help with the time management issues either (thanks Mom for the sewing machine as a Christmas present!).  

James Edward was born at home on June 27th, 2009 (just three days before my 30th birthday) and weighed 8 lbs, 12 ounces and was 20 inches long.

Introducing James:

I love this picture, even though we didn't quite get Maddie's hand in it correctly.  She loves her brother and is interested in everything he does, but she loves him just a little too much.  "Gentle" is a hard concept for an almost 15 month old who doesn't know her own strength!

Because James was born on 6/27, and Maddie on 4/26 they are exactly 14 months and one day apart, which makes Mommy a busy girl.  Here is how Maddie entertained herself while we took pictures of her baby brother:

 Unless the LORD builds the house,

         They labor in vain who build it;

         Unless the LORD guards the city,

         The watchman keeps awake in vain. 

    It is vain for you to rise up early,

         To retire late,

         To eat the bread of painful labors;

         For He gives to His beloved even in his sleep. 

    Behold, children are a gift of the LORD,

         The fruit of the womb is a reward. 

    Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

         So are the children of one's youth. 

    How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;

         They will not be ashamed

         When they speak with their enemies in the gate.

 - Psalm 127

The Adventures of Maddie - Los Angeles County Fair Edition

On September 5th, Maddie and I went with Liz and Daniel to the opening day of the Los Angeles County Fair. Because it was the opening day admission was only $1!

The day was packed full of activities, we saw all of the animals, we took the traditional hot dog on a stick picture (Maddie's got to be the hot dog), we had yummy chocolate milk and ice cream (Maddie even tasted Mommy's ice cream!), we went shopping, we played in the snow and much, much more!

The Adventures of Maddie - Summer Olympics Edition

In August we watched the Summer Olympics in Beijing. Maddie rooted on Michael Phelps and our AWESOME women's beach volleyball team of Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh! To the right, Maddie watches swimming, and above Maddie puts her hand over her heart for the first medal ceremony - Michael Phelps first swimming gold of 2008. Go USA!

Playing Catch Up!

I haven't posted in forever and a day! I will try to do a few update posts so I can get some cute Maddie pictures up.

A brief overview of the last two and a half months:

We went to the LA County Fair!
We went to Chicago for the JASNA AGM!
We moved!

Yay for us!