Ponytail

Caroline got her first ponytail this week! She's never been patient enough for more than a quick brush and a bow or barrette. I was able to distract her with a toothbrush and running water. I've got to learn to be much quicker. I think she liked it. She kept checking herself out in the mirror and giggling.

Little Matisse

Happy Valentine's Day!

Flowers, 'fraidy holes, and flashlights

I did a flower arrangement for our Tuesday morning women's Bible study and it was a huge success. And now I get to enjoy it... I love the pink tulips!


Not too long after we were first married, a storm came through Memphis. I told Kevin we needed to decide on a 'fraidy hole. He had no idea what I was talking about. My parents grew up in Oklahoma and were very familiar with storm shelters. So that's what I grew up calling the place where you take cover during bad weather. I remember one visit to Oklahoma when I was little where we all went down to the 'fraidy hole in the middle of the night. My Boompa stood in the doorway of the garage watching the storm blow. Mom said not to worry - he only came down when it got really bad. He didn't come down that night. He was such a funny man.

So we used our 'fraidy hole last night for the first time since living here. I don't, as a general rule, go down to our basement. It's unfinished and kind of creepy and all I can imagine are the huge spiders lurking behind the water heater. Luck would have it that Kevin did a major clean out of some of the leftover junk in the basement a week ago. I have to say that it was quite nice down there (relatively speaking) and I've never been so thankful for our little 'fraidy hole. The whole basement adventure was great fun for Caroline and Tigger.

While in the 'fraidy hole, Kevin introduced me to the most fantastic of all flashlights (our electricity was out for about 5 hours). It's a Sears Craftsman 19.2 Volt fluorescent flashlight. If you don't have one, you need one. Just on the off-chance you need a really bright flashlight. This thing is awesome. It's as bright as the noon-day sun. I'm not kidding. I was knitting by the light of this thing. And not big, bulky yarn - little, tiny baby yarn. Apparently this super flashlight was part of a tool kit I got for Kevin for Christmas. (Yay, me!)

Jump

Yep. I let Caroline jump on the bed. The bed is good for more than jumping - tickling, rolling, snuggling, turning sommersaults, playing naptime. It provides about 30 solid minutes of entertainment - for both of us.

Tickle, tickle

Random facts

Lori "tagged" me to list 7 random things about me. It took me a while to come up with these...

1. I do Sudoku. Often. I love it. I hate when I have to ask Kevin to help me. I'll stare at a puzzle for hours before I do.
   
2. I have recurring nightmares about my teeth being loose or falling out. It's terrifying.
3. I still hold a grudge against our high school valedictorian. He cheated off my calculus final exam.
4. Heaven for me is nothing short of a hot, buttered slice of homemade bread. It's even better if it's French bread.
5. Socks at my house should never go into the washer wadded and inside out. The same goes for most shirts and pants. Ask Kevin what happens if I find them in the dryer that way.
6. If you want to know what I'm doing Tuesdays at 9pm, I'm watching Nip/Tuck. (OK - 9:30. DVR has changed my life!)
7. I have a horrible sense of direction. I am scared to drive anywhere I've never been. I have to have very explicit instructions for getting places.
   

The neverending month

Is it just me or does January drag on interminably? Maybe it just seems long because December flies by with all the festivities and Christmas busyness. Am I ever glad January is over!

Not much to report here, so I just thought I'd ramble a bit.

It is cold. I hate the cold. I'm a summer girl. But I've got a pretty awesome husband who gets a toasty fire going every night. He's got it down to an art. I asked if he wanted his fire-making skills to be featured here on the blog, but he humbly declined.

Our usual shows haven't been on TV, so we've re-watched every season 3 episode of Arrested Development. Funny stuff. If you like The Office, you'd probably like Arrested Development. Oh, and Comanche Moon. That was really good stuff. If you missed it, you can watch the entire mini-series online. Gus McRae is one of my all-time favorite literary characters.

Our church choir is working on the Easter portion of Handel's Messiah. It is beautiful music. The text is taken from Isaiah 53. I just think it's so incredible that Isaiah foretold Christ's life hundreds of years before Jesus was even born! God's plans are so amazing.

Speaking of God's plans... Kevin is waiting to hear from one more fellowship program before making a final decision. Pray for God's guiding hand to lead us in a direction of His choosing.

Caroline is great. She has made these cold and dreary days much warmer and brighter. Here she is, ready to go. She insists on carrying her "purse" (diaper bag) wherever we go now.

Dancing with Daddy

That nasty virus is on its way out and everyone is perky again!

Daddy is starting to show Caroline all of his great dancing moves. (You do know that Kevin and I are pretty decent ballroom dancers, don't you?)

Parenthood

Least favorite thing about being a parent: catching the church nursery virus du jour from Caroline.

On the plus side, being sick means that my strongly independent girl is extra snuggly and lovey. And that's one of my favorite things about being a parent! It pretty much makes me forget about my scratchy throat...

There's not too much else going on around here. Kevin just got back into town from his last interview. We girls are happy that he gets an extra day at home tomorrow for MLK, Jr. Day. He's been doing a great job of keeping a toasty fire going this weekend!

I hope this week I have some new photo ops. Here's a picture from a few weeks ago. Caroline is practicing for Swan Lake.

Come on in

I think my new front door display is rather welcoming. I love playing with flowers, especially when they are lilies!

Garrett travel guide: Beantown edition

We just got back from Boston, MA - kudos for another great interview, Kevin! We took Caroline with us this trip. She was such a trooper. She had her cranky moments, but who doesn't? The girl goes and goes and goes. And then she (sometimes) crashes. It's really quite amazing. The weather was wonderful for our weekend - upper 40s and lower 50s during the day, which is unheard of this time of year in Boston.

We started out Saturday morning by heading over to the Samuel Adams brewery. We love Sam Adams. We got to sample an Ale, the Winter Lager, and the Double Bock. We highly recommend the Winter Lager. We headed down to Fanueil Hall and found some delicious seafood at McCormick and Schmick's. Then we walked along the Freedom Trail.

Sunday we went back down to the Qunicy Market area and hopped on a bus tour (they called it a "trolley"). We got off in the North End and found a fantastic, kid-friendly Italian restaurant called Antico Forno. (The North End is Boston's "Little Italy".) The food was delicious, the setting was cozy, and the staff doted on Caroline. We spent some more time touring on the bus and then went to the Boston Children's Museum. Caroline had a great time in their play area and we had a great time watching her. She completely crashed in her stroller on the way to our dinner destination - Legal Seafood.

Monday was girls' day since Kevin had his interview. Caroline and I rode the subway (called the "T") and went to the New England Aquarium. That was tons of fun - they have 4 types of penguins, 2 types of seals, and a gigantic ocean tank in the middle with a huge sea turtle. Caroline and I watched a worker feed the turtle lettuce and she hasn't stopped talking about it since. And last night, we said goodbye to Beantown and headed back south.

The "T" is the main way to get around town in Boston. We sing a song at music class about the train - rolling down the track, clickety-clickety-clack - and Caroline gained a new appreciation of it. I don't think she cared for the noise of the trains too much. They are kind of scary, even for Mommy! She would hear the train from a long way off and cover her eyes while we waited for it. It was so sweet.

Most surprising thing about our trip: Bostonians are really, really friendly. We never expect to go somewhere and find mean or rude people. But everyone everywhere we went was so very kind - to us and to others. It's just not something we expected to see in such a large city. And it was a very clean city, too. We never saw any garbage or litter.

We wish Caroline had been about one or two years older - there were some very fun ice skating ponds. And I think a spring or summer trip would be fantastic - you can take harbor tours and go whale watching. I hope we get to visit Boston again someday.

The girls

I couldn't believe I got this great shot out of all the fooling around Caroline and I were doing with the camera yesterday. She loves to have her picture taken so she can "wook" at it on the camera. We look like two peas in a pod...

Happy 2008!

The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.
-Numbers 6:22-24

I picked out the Numbers passage to wish you a Happy New Year. And then I saw the verse of the day, which I thought was appropriate as well.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
-2 Corinthians 5:17

Praying that your 2008 will be filled with blessings, grace, peace, and the newness Christ!

Christmas sewing projects

I thought I'd feature some of my handmade Christmas gifts. I had so much fun planning and making these gifts. And it was even more fun to see my relatives' reactions when they received their gifts. I wish I had had time to do more! Next year, maybe...

First up were matching Christmas outfits for the cousins. I finished them around Thanksgiving. Ian had a white corduroy romper with piping matching the girls' dresses, but the little bugger grew too fast and it doesn't fit anymore! I'm already formulating some ideas for spring. Top of the list - larger size for growing Ian!


Autumn had a special request for some sleep masks. It's hard to find masks that aren't frilly or too "adult". I had some great fabrics in my scrap pile that were just perfect. I drew the pattern from an adult sleep mask that I own, lined it with dark fabric inside, and backed it with super-soft flannel. She loved them.


And this - a doo-rag for my Harley-ridin' Papa. This was the hardest project I had, partly because I had never made anything for a head and partly because I had no pattern. I wound up buying a doo-rag online (for $4 - shipping and all!). I ripped it apart and used those pieces for a pattern. I cut the fabric generously and it was a little big. The next one will be just right. (My Mimi Lee had no idea what a doo-rag was. I think she's saying, "It's for what?" I love you, Lee-Lee!)


Emily requested some of my favorite recipes. Because I always feel more successful when I look like I know what I'm doing, I thought an apron was the perfect addition to a recipe book. I had fun making this. I didn't have a pattern for this one, either, but I had no trouble finding tutorials online and in craft books. I love the ruffle trim at the bottom. I hope there are many, many yummy dishes that come out of her kitchen!

Our happy Christmas

Merry Christmas!

We hope you and your families had a wonderful Christmas! I'll upload pictures of our celebrations soon...

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
-John 1:14

Santa dropped by during nap time

Gearing up for Christmas and the end of 2007

We're busy, busy, busy here at chez Garrett. I thought I better take a moment before I go to bed to reflect and write down some of the things that have been going on.

Kevin's been quite the jet setter - two interviews in two different cities in one weekend. Oh, and the airlines lost his luggage once and misplaced it once. Whew. That's a lot even for Mr. Even-Steven to deal with! I know he'll be glad for some time off this week.

I've been busy in the kitchen doing my yearly baking - but not as much as I have in the past. I decided to stick with the things I like most - Mimi Lee's peanut brittle, Swedish Spritz, Pepparkakkor (Swedish ginger cookie), chex mix. When I was a girl, I cherished those special family goodies my mom made only at Christmas. I know her mom made them when she was a little girl. And now - joy, oh, joy - I get to share them with my own little family and make our own holiday baking traditions.

Caroline is the biggest blessing of our lives. She changes daily and I try so hard to savor every moment. Maybe not the bad ones as much as the good ones! Every day is an adventure.

Her favorite Christmas activity is driving around after dark looking for Christmas lights--blue ones specifically. I never get tired of hearing her say, "Oooo! Wow! Cool! Neat!" for miles all around the neighborhood. I've got to get it on video.

She loves singing and music, especially when someone else is doing the singing. But she adds words here and there when she knows them. She loves looking for where the music is coming from in the grocery store. She puts her hand to her ear, looks excitedly around, and says, "Mommy, whissen. Hear music?"

She can fill in the important words in all her favorite books (Good Night, Moon; The Going to Bed Book; Hug; Go, Dog, Go). She loves looking at books and reading them. Sometimes we spend 20 or 30 minutes just reading in her rocking chair. I attribute books (and Sesame Street) to the fact that she already knows how to count to 10 and her colors.

Caroline loves having everyone do something. If the Little Einsteins are shaking their whole bodies, be assured that Mommy, Daddy, Caroline, and Tigger are all shaking their whole bodies, too.

Caroline's favorite game is hide and seek. She hides an item or body part or person. Here's how a typical game goes...

Caroline: "Hand! Where are oo? Where is it?" (hand in coat pocket)
Mommy: "Where's your hand?"
Caroline: "Hand. Hiding in dere. (pulls hand out of pocket) Here is! Hand! I find it! Yay, Tine!" ("Tine" is how she says "Caroline".)
Mommy: "Silly Caroline!"
Caroline: "Silly Mommy!"

So silly!

One of our favorite things is seeing her pray with us. She bows her head and holds our hands, eyes peeking up at us to see exactly what it is we are doing. And there is always a small-voiced, but hearty "A-men!" at the end. We ask her who we pray to and she says, "God," in a very awed and reverent whisper. We pray that there will never be a single day when she doesn't know the love and grace of God.

Well, I didn't intend to ramble on. But I think I'll be glad someday I wrote all this out. Next post - a picture or two. I promise.

Happy hour