good news…

This past week has been a tough one mentally. You see we’ve been living with a huge amount of uncertainties for the past 6 months. The only details of our future we know foresure: we are moving back to the US, and we are having another baby. Aside from that it’s all been up in the air. Today I called the US Immigration office in London just to see if they could give me any idea of when my ‘interview’ will be. Well turns out it was just schedule a few days ago! Hurray! It’s not that I’m excited to move away, it’s more just such a relief to know that things are moving in the right direction. It also helped that the woman I spoke to on the phone was really kind (not always my experience with immigration calls), and a few hours after the phone call my official appointment letter arrived in the post. It’s still out of our hands, as the interview is scheduled for 1 week after my due date. I could e-mail and try to move the interview earlier, or later… I think I’m going to let it be for now, and keep trusting God to work out the details.

Well that’s all for today, I was so energized by my good news this morning that I hoovered and dusted (can’t explain it), and did all three school runs today, so I’m wiped out and off to bed!

 

I heart Costco.

Today I found this beauty at Costco, for only £3.50. What a deal!

giant pumpkin

I won’t revisit my obsession with all things pumpkin, like I highlighted in this post, but it did make my day to bring this giant home, along with a turkey for Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend. You see I’m Canadian and my husband is American, so we get two Thanksgivings! I cannot wait for turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, squash, pumpkin pie….need to stop drooling now.

For the past seven years of living overseas Costco has brought great comfort. It may seem silly but when I was in the throws of culture shock my first trip to Costco brought me to tears. In Costcos all over the world some things remain the same, like their amazing roast chicken, salmon, wine, fruit/veg and *peanut butter*! When I first walked in, 7 years ago, it felt like I could have been back in the USA, even if it was just for an hour. Today I was reminded of home by the giant pumpkins and these frozen berries.

frozen berries

All the way from Lynden, WA, my husband’s hometown, and the place we’re moving back to (eventually). Well they do have the best berries. So that’s part of why I heart Costco; it has helped me through culture shock/adjustment and supplied us with peanut butter for the past 7 years!

Can you say ‘funk’?

and I don’t mean any reference to dancing.

I mean I.am.in.a.funk.

I haven’t used that term for a long time, a good friend in college was the first to coin that for me. But ya, definitely in a funk here…. I just don’t feel like I can handle another week of not knowing. Not knowing when, where, what, pretty much ANYTHING about our future. Another week of carrying around disappointment and trying to control the anger that bubbles up from this. It doesn’t help that I was thoroughly annoyed at the hubs this morning (36+ weeks preggo, doesn’t take much unfortunately), and that my youngest screamed/cried all the way to school because she couldn’t find the plastic hair for her pony (not unusual for her), and it’s drizzly, get your face wet even if you have a hood and umbrella drizzly. I’m probably just majorly hormonal, a little sleep-deprived, physically uncomfortable and hungry (I’m like a hoover these days), but even knowing all of that I still can’t shake it.

One thing that does make me smile is this:

ready for baby boy

Not just because I got a great deal and it’s adorable, but because soon enough there will be a wee one in it. One thing I know foresure, there is a baby growing inside of me, and he is a gift and a blessing. Perspective (and a little sewing) will hopefully pull me out of the state I’m in…

Crafting ADD

story of my life...

I am the poster child for not finishing projects.

The thing is I’m SO good at starting them. I’m constantly looking at blogs and getting new ideas. I’m good at gathering the supplies and getting started, but if I can’t finish it in one sitting, chances are it will sit and sit, and I will move onto something else. Some of the things I’m hoping to make (in the next month mind you, before baby is born!) include, bunting for the baby, starring this fabric:

Cath Kidston airplane fabric

I’m hoping to make a few more fabric pumpkins, hem school trousers for Noah, make a maternity/nursing top out of some stripy jersey I found on offer, make a few more burp cloths based on this pattern, make some doll clothes for Olivia’s American Girl for her birthday (which is just a few days after baby’s due date, so trying to get it done as early as possible). Then there are the three knitting projects I have on the go, a baby blanket, for baby of course, a cowl made from some lovely mustard colored chenille I got on the Isle of Skye, and a scarf for Olivia.

See, totally ADD. That doesn’t even include the book page decorations I want to do for my mantel, inspired by this blog post. (I love the wreath made from book page leaves, and the leaves glued to twigs).

Here is the current state of my sewing table, which happens to sit in the corner of our living room, a bit of an eyesore to say the least.

total chaos

We’ll see how much i actually finish, but it’s helping me keep busy and my mind occupied before the birth. Maybe it’s my version of nesting, because I’m not exactly the scrub the house from top to bottom type… Will keep you updated on any progress made, and do my best to not add any more projects to the list!

sick day

Today I pulled the closest thing to a sick day I’ve had probably since before kids. I actually dozed on the sofa in the morning, I know right? Remember what it was like being sick before kids were involved? Staying in bed all day, or lying on the sofa, watching movies while drinking sprite and eating soda crackers. If I tried to do that now I’d have to watch Barbie and Stella would eat all my snacks! Being sick as a mother is a totally different animal. Even if I’m unwell kids still need to be picked up from school, the kitchen still needs to be cleaned, dinner still needs to be made (although ‘dinner’ was hardly worthy of any awards tonight – pancakes and eggs and fruit, the kids were thrilled, ha!).

With the feeling of being unwell physically today came a heavy spirit. I have a lot on my mind these days and sometimes it gets the better of me. I was reading this blog today, one of my favs, and I was so struck by it’s relevance to our current situation.

“So, what are we to do when the right choice interrupts the placid lives of our littles? How do we frame it for them? Should we take these things into consideration? Should their momentary sadness or anxiety change the plan? Are we destined to fall asleep at night with a brick of regret on our chests?”  (excerpt from above-mentioned blog post)

I’ve been carrying around this notion that sure this move is going to be difficult for our kids, of course it is, but they’re adaptable, they’ll be fine! But what if letting go of ‘things’, and friends, and their life here is harder for them than I’ve anticipated? Stella asks me weekly if we’re going to take her bed with us, and up until now the answer has always been yes, but some recent changes mean that I really don’t know if we’re going to be able to take her bed. It’s not a big deal really, a bed is a bed right? But I can’t help but feel that it’s only the tip of the iceberg, as far as things my children are going to have to let go of in the next few months. I only hope I will have the wisdom to explain, to comfort, to lead them in a way that is best for them.

I really want all the uncertainties and impending changes that surround us these days to ’cause us to fix our focus upon God and his provision. I often fool myself into thinking I am in charge of my own path. One thing I’ve learned over the past 6 months is that I.can’t.control.anything. Some days, like today, I worry and try and make a plan, other days I let go and rest. That’s what I want for my kids too. To rest, to be comforted knowing that God holds us all.

all things pumpkin

I don’t think I know anyone who doesn’t love autumn, and I’m no exception. I LOVE crisp days with clear skies, those days remind me of home. I LOVE crunchy leaves, dragging my feet through them with my kids. I LOVE the bright colors as the leaves change, although here they tend to rot more than change color, but I have my one favorite maple tree that always gives me lovely red leaves every fall. My greatest autumn love of all, though, is the fair pumpkin. I love it’s perfect shape and color, and I adore the goodies that can be created from its bright orange ‘fruit’. I haven’t yet tried to make my own pumpkin puree to use in those goodies, and it’s a rarity to find canned pumpkin on the shelves of the shops here in the UK. This past week a friend of ours made a quick trip to the States so I bribed asked him very nicely, (with the promise of some turkey from Canadian Thanksgiving), to bring me back some pumpkin.

Some of the pumpkin goodies I’ve been making…

Starbucks pumpkin scones… one of my all time fav treats. i used this recipe, and ate them all before I even thought to take a picture…here’s the one from the website.

impossible to resist - pumpkin scones

Today I tried to replicate the Pumpkin Spice latte, since Starbucks in the UK doesn’t offer these in the fall *sniff*. The recipe I used called for a LOT of cinnamon, even too much for this cinnamon-loving gal, I only realized this after I’d added it so I ended up having to double up the water/sugar/pumpkin puree to offset the intensity of the spice. I also added a tablespoon of vanilla. So now I have loads of the syrup, which I plan on sharing of course! My daughter loved the taste of the syrup and thought it’d be great on pancakes, genius I tell you. Here’s the recipe I used, but like I said it needed a lot of doctoring… I found this recipe later and think it might be a bit better, and the topping of whipped cream and caramel, amazing!

Okay, one more recipe. Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, need.i.say.more. Absolutely delicious, perfect in every way really. I halved the recipe to stop us from eating all 36 cookies in one night! You think I’m kidding. I’m actually having to take breaks in my typing so I can keep taking bites.

Last on my pumpkin rant are these sweet fabric pumpkins.  I made a couple for our mantel, part of my attempt to make it look a bit more fall-ish without actually spending any money! I prefer the bright fabric combinations from the tutorial, but I had the brown so I used it! Bonus, they were pretty easy to do. (only injury was me jabbing my thumb with a huge embroidery needle, no biggie!)

my kids thought they really should be orange...

Well there’s a glimpse into my pumpkin obsession! Hope you’re enjoying the treats that the fair pumpkin brings as much as I am!  x

31 days of randomness…

I am a faithful blog reader. I love reading about what my favorite bloggers and making and learning. One of my faves, The Nester, is doing a “31 days of _____” during the month of October. (I could link up with her sight but honesty I don’t know how!) Since I have exactly 31 days until my due date, and have been needing an excuse to start writing again, I thought I’d join in. In my state of mental disarray (that I’ll cover in future posts I’m sure) I can’t actually choose one topic, so I’ll choose them all! So here is me, committing to writing for 31 days straight (this counts as day 1 btw…).