Sofa Series 4: Our new (old) sofa is here

The sofa we found at the thrift store and got professionally reupholstered is finally finished.  They delivered it to our apartment last week.  Hubby and I are amazed at how great it looks. 

Oodles and oodles of potential

Tada!  Green fabric!  Man-oh-man, I can't believe we own such lovely furniture.

It is big, beautiful, comfy, and quirky... and we adore it!  The people at Found did such a wonderful job.  Thank you!

(I would have uploaded these couch photos earlier, but every time I sat on it to work on this post... I fell asleep. Too comfy! )

This weekend

We celebrated St. Patrick's day by enjoying the sunshine, attending a craft fair, visiting a nearby town, and going to a museum.

Hope you got a chance to enjoy the sunshine too.

Thirsting for sunshine*

Sorry for the lack of posts.  The weather has been beautiful here.  Everyone is going a bit crazy and we're all trying our best to drink up the sunshine.  I'm especially hoping that the sun will give my pasty vampire skin a nice golden tan.

Hopefully you are enjoying good weather too!

I promise to reveal what happened to hubby's shoes and upload more posts next week.

Have a great weekend!

*Note:  This post's title was inspired by a four-year-old boy at church who said, "Mom, my body is thirsting for sunshine."

Sofa Series 2: Let the pros handle it

Armed with kitchen knives, scissors, latex gloves, and a screwdriver, hubby and I wanted to reveal our inner DIY ninjas and reupholster the new couch.  We were all set to rip up fabric and break...something... but then a preliminary peek around the internet convinced us to rethink that plan.  What?  Tufted buttons require more fabric know-how?  What? Re-upholstery requires specialized tools?  You mean our butter knife won't do?  

Oh well.  We tossed out the original plan and found a local vintage shop that specializes in fixing up older furniture.

Can you spot our U-Haul?

They're going to repaint and reupholster the couch.  All we need to do is choose some fabric...  

Oooh.  So many options.  Which one to choose?

Pretty nails, better mom?

Last Christmas hubby surprised me with a spa gift certificate.  Last weekend I finally redeemed it and got a manicure, facial, and pedicure.  Hubby, nanna, and grandpa volunteered to babysit Chuck for 3 hours.  I was so nervous because it was the longest time I'd ever been away from him.  What if he didn't stop crying?  What if I didn't leave enough milk?  What if Rumpelstiltskin visited the apartment and tricked everyone into giving the baby away?  (Hey, you never know.)

As you can probably guess, none of these scenarios happened.  They did a great job taking care of Chuck and I ended up with pretty nails and less facial acne.  (Yes!) Even though I missed Chuck terribly (and ended up talking to the esthetician about him for most of the time), I'd like to think that little breathers like this will help me to relax and be a better mom.    

Dear Santa

Our town published some children's letters to Santa in the local newspaper.  Here are two that I found particularly humorous:

Dear Santa,

Thank you for coming to my house last year and thank you for the presents.  I am glad that you did.  I hope you and the reindeer liked the cookies and the carrots.  This year I decided to make you a present.  I will leave a box on the top of the roof.  It will be waiting for you on the top of the roof.  It might look like something that you can eat, but it is not.  Travel safe!  

Your friend, Gavin S.  Age: 7

Dear Santa,

Can I have John Deere tractors?  And a John Deere Gator?  I love John Deere.  My daddy is a farmer.  He has tractors.  And spreads poop on fields.  Did you know I'm going to be a farmer?  I want a Happy Napper like my Sissy, Isabelle.  I love to eat her Chapstick. 

Bryce Mason S.  Age:  3

Your love keeps them warm

When Baby Chuck was born, the nurses put a blue and white knitted hat on him.  (Seen here.)  Every baby born at our hospital receives one of these hand knit lovelies.  They're all donated by a group of kind and talented elderly ladies. 

Last week we visited a craft fair and found ourselves drawn to a display of colorful knitted hats.  The elderly lady behind the display was particularly keen to talk to us when she saw Baby Chuck snoozing in his carrier.  After a couple minutes of chatting, we found out that she was one of the ladies who knitted the hats!  I was so pleased to meet her that I asked for her photograph. 

I love that blue and white hat.  I love that these women cared enough to make and donate hats.  And I'm so happy that we got a chance to meet her and say "thank you."

Lazy Sunday

What a lovely, lazy Sunday,

when breakfast is eaten for lunch,

and a long-awaited nap helps the afternoon to 

slip right by 

Day of the dead

This weekend our town held a Dia de los Muertos celebration as a way to remember deceased friends and family.  With the brightly colored paper decorations, twinkling lights, and dozens of costumed attendees (many with faces painted like skulls), the entire experience felt quite otherworldly.

It was a deliciously creepy and beautiful way to celebrate Halloween weekend.  

It doesn't feel like we're in Holland anymore!

Aren't these Fridas beautiful?

Baby baptism

This past Sunday, hubby and I officially became members of our local church and our pastor baptized Baby Norris. 

Pumpkin play (Part 1)

This past weekend hubby, Baby Chuck, and I were invited to a pumpkin carving party.  We had a lot of fun and I learned a few new carving tips and tricks. 

Here's my finished pumpkin:

My homage to pumpkin pi.  (Get it?  Get it?  Oy vey, I'm too corny. )

Five finished pumpkins sitting in a row.

Let the countdown to Halloween begin!

Ringing alarms

Tonight our apartment complex was buzzing with sirens and flashing lights.  There was a fire in the apartment building adjacent to ours.  I'm so thankful the Fire Department arrived on the scene and promptly put the fire out.

When you don't have a canvas...

We spotted this colorful bus during one of our walks.

"The marvels of daily life are exciting; no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street."  ~ Robert Doisneau

First major outing

This weekend we took Baby Norris out for his first major outing.  Our town was holding a fruit carving competition and we decided to check it out.

Although Baby Norris slept through the trip, I'd like to think that he enjoyed himself too.

Ladies' room

As a pregnant gal, I'm always on the hunt for the nearest bathroom.  I never know when Nature will call.  But I do know that when she does, I only have only a small window of time to answer.  When I saw this set of restrooms at Red Dock (a casual local eatery with great sandwiches and water views), I was definitely thrown for a loop :

Uh-oh.  Which door to choose?

Note:  Not to worry.  I successfully answered the call.

Glorious peaches

It's now peach time in Michigan.  Hubby and I purchased some of the yummiest peaches from the Farmers' Market.  Three cheers for peaches that don't taste like hard sponges!

(Left) Strawberry and peach pastries 
(Right)  Banana and peach yogurt pop

Salsa showdown

I love salsa, especially the not-too-spicy-fruity kind.  When we found out that our town was holding a Salsa competition and Jalapeno eating contest, we hopped into the car and drove right on over faster than you could say "cilantro."  Sadly, the crowd around the Jalapeno eating contest was so large, we couldn't see the contestants.  But, we were able to sample the spicy and mild salsas offered by the competitors.

Some of the salsas were so spicy, I joked that I would give birth later that night.
(I didn't.)  

  

The usual suspects

Last month marked our one year anniversary living in our new town.  Hubby and I really like living here, but sometimes we wonder whether we'll ever find our niche and develop deep roots.  Whenever I find myself on this train of thought, I try to remind myself that relationships take time and effort to build.

Fortunately, I was reminded during a recent visit to our favorite Vietnamese restaurant that we are making some connections.  Here's what transpired:

((Hubby and I walk in the restaurant.  Waitresses 1 and 2 look up.))

Waitress 1

Do you need to see a menu or do you know what you want?

Hubby

((Surprised)) We'd like to see a menu, please.

Waitress 1

((Hands us menus, walks away, and then returns))

What do you want to drink?

Me

Water

Hubby

I'll have a water too.  I think we also know what we want to get.  I'll have VR1 (porkchop with broken rice).

Me

I'd like VPH1 (pho noodle soup).

Waitress 2  

((Walks by with a smile on her face))

You always get the same thing.  The baby must like soup, huh?

I loved that they recognized us and baby.  It just made my day.

A guitar, a harmonica, a saw, and...a recorder?

This past Sunday hubby played the recorder during worship at our local church.  After hearing hubby play, one congregant commented, "It sounds like we're having church in Gondor."  Another church member (an older gentleman in his 70s) had this conversation with hubby:

Churchgoer:  

What instrument are you playing?  A sweet potato?

Hubby:  

Uh, sweet potato?  You mean an ocarina?  No, this is a recorder.

Churchgoer:  

I like the way it sounds.  Do you want to be in my band?  We go around and play for people in nursing homes. They don't have good memories.  Right now we have a guy that plays the harmonica, a guy that plays the saw, and I play the guitar.  

Hubby:  

Um, sure.

 

Perhaps Baby Chuck Norris and I will be the group's first set of groupies (below retirement age)? 

I be jammin'

It's blueberry season here and we are enjoying nature's bounty.  Tonight I attempted to save these summer berries by making blueberry freezer jam.    

Right now we have three jars resting on our kitchen counter.  They're supposed to sit out for 24 hours to set.  Hubby and I are crossing our fingers that they taste alright.