Long time no blog! I’ve been super busy adjusting to life with two kids while trying to keep my house clean, and have food on the table at dinner time! I’m still crafting it just seems like I don’t have time to take pictures and post the projects!
Taylin has basically stopped taking naps, but for my sanity I still make her do quiet time everyday. This allows me roughly an hour to myself while the kids are both in bed.
The other day I decided I wanted to make a “quiet box” that is filled with toys/activities that she can play with during quiet time. I started looking through Pinterest and found a few fun ideas. This was the first thing I made for her quiet box.
I found this great printable from Yellow Mums Blog and went straight to work. The instructions said to print these on card stock…I didn’t have any so I printed them on normal paper, glued them to construction paper then “laminated” then with clear contact paper. After they were done I punched the holes and cut some string. Taylin loves them!
They are a fun variation on paper dolls and will keep her occupied during quiet time! They would also be great for an airplane ride or long car ride!
Do you have any suggestions for quiet time activities?
So I’ve been working on this photo project but haven’t been posting them so I wanted to update you!
Newborn …(Photo by CYE Photography)
1 Month Old…
2 Months Old…3 Months…4 Months…Wow time is flying by!!I’m excited to put them all into a book when he turns one or maybe 18 months! Will see how long I can keep remembering to do it!
Bryson is finally become a pretty good sleeper! We are following the Baby Wise schedule for him which has completely changed his sleep habits. Before this schedule he was getting up 4 times a night within 4 days of switching to the Baby Wise schedule he was down to getting up once a night!! Seriously AMAZING!! Currently he sleeps from 8:00PM-4:30AM or 5:00AM eats, then goes back to sleep until 8:00AM. I totally recommend the book (I only read the chapter about sleep schedules because I hate to read!). Here is a link.
Today while he was napping I decided to take a couple pictures of him sleeping…I could watch him sleep for hour…creepy?? Maybe but I just love how peaceful he looks!
I don’t want to forget the memories of him peacefully sleeping…
And then I accidentally woke him up…oops…to many camera clicks!!
Poor baby…I kept taking pictures because I even want to remember this sad face!
I love him so much..he is really aware of the world around him right now. He ADORES his sister and loves to smile at anyone that will talk to him. He has a such a sweet personality I can’t wait to see what kind of little boy he turns into!
So let me start by saying I’m in a book club…not because I like to read but because I love the people in the book club and I love the food they bring. Most months I don’t read the book or if I do I don’t finish it. This month was different…we chose to read the book 7 : An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker…this book was life changing or at least it should be.
The book is about an experiment she and her family did in seven different area’s of life…trying to eliminate excess…excess food, clothes, spending, media, possessions, waste and stress. She spent a month on each topic and it’s really challenged me. It’s a really easy read…she writes with emotions and heart. I really appreciate that she included all the times she failed (and she did each month!!). It’s really challenged me to think about all the excess in our lives.
Here is the trailer about the book…watch it so you understand 🙂
Each chapter challenged me but a few stood out the most.
Spending– This chapter hit close to home. She talked about how her family spent at 60 some places each month. For one month she would spend at only 7 places. I don’t know how many places we spend at but I’m sure it would be pretty close to 60. We are at a time in our budget where we don’t have a lot of extra money…in our society it’s hard to not spend money. It’s hard to only spend on what we TRULY need. It’s not “normal” to only pay your bills and not buy a lot of extras…but it’s OK. We are blessed…we can pay our bills and we can provide what our kids and family needs…we don’t need Starbucks or that new sweatshirt…I have 8 sweatshirts!!
In this chapter she talked about how she didn’t got anywhere for the first week because if she didn’t leave her house she wouldn’t be tempted to spend. She was so used to grabbing coffee with girlfriends or meeting a friend for lunch. But after the first week she realized she could have people over or hang out at friends houses instead of constantly out to eat.
This part of the book really challenged me:
Let me be honest for a minute…often I don’t have people over not because I don’t want to hang out with them but because it’s too much work. I am a clean freak so my house needs to be clean before people come over…then after they leave it’s dirty so I need to clean it again. Come on really!! It’s totally lame and this called me out…this really challenged me…my house isn’t spotless all the time and people are probably ok with that…relationships are WAY more important then how clean my house is! God provided us with this amazing house…I need to use it for his glory not keep it all to myself!
Media – we live in a world that is so connected…it’s amazing in ways and it benefits us but in other ways it hinders us. In our house we have 2 TV’s, an iPad, laptop, Toshiba Thrive (tablet), two iPhones, a DVR, xBox, Wii, Super Nintendo (yup!!) and a TiVo. To say we are always connected to something is an understatement.
I love that we have all this technology at our fingertips but this chapter really challenged me to be in the moment. When I’m playing with my daughter I should really be playing with her…not checking my Facebook every 30 seconds or checking Pinterest. There is a time and place for those things but I think at times it gets out of control.
15 years ago we didn’t have Facebook, Pinterest or Words With Friends and we all survived…I love all those things and will continue to use them…I’m just really going to strive for moderation.
To sum this book up…all I can say is read the book. It’s an easy read and so worth it! She is raw, funny, and a great writer. I totally enjoyed the book (which says a lot coming form someone that hates to read!!!). It will challenge you and make you think twice about so many areas of your life!
Well it’s that time of year again…the berries are ripe so it’s time to make freezer jam! Normally I just buy some berries at Costco and make the jam but this year we did things a little different. The moms group from my church organized a trip to Raising Cain Ranch to pick organic raspberries with the kids. I’ve never picked berries before so I was really excited.
When we arrived the man explained that the you pick berries were $4 per pound and you were allowed to eat as many berries as you want while you picked! The kids were super excited about that!!
So away we went!! I strapped Bryson into the Baby Bjorn and Tay and got to picking!
We had an amazing time with all our friends. After we were done picking we found a spot on the grass and ate our picnic lunch.
When I got home I washed all our berries in a vinegar rinse, laid them out on a cookie sheet and flash froze them before I transferred them to a gallon sized freezer bag. If you want you can make the jam right away instead of freezing but I knew we had a jam making day planned a couple of weeks after the berry picking so I wanted to save the berries for that get together.
Today was that day and we had a fun time making jam together. I ended up with 6 containers of raspberry freezer jam.
Last week I also spent a morning with my husbands grandma and my sister in law making strawberry and raspberry jam. We had a wonderful time with her and I ended up with 15 containers of strawberry jam and an additional 4 containers of raspberry jam!
If you’ve never made freezer jam before it’s super easy! I always use the Sure Jell brand pectin so these are the recipes they include in the package of pectin.
Raspberry Freezer Jam:
3 cups prepared fruit (buy about 6 cups fully ripe red raspberries)
5-1/4 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl
3/4 cup water
1 box SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin
CRUSH raspberries thoroughly. (Press half of pulp through a sieve to remove seeds, if desired.) Measure exactly 3 cups crushed raspberries into large bowl. Stir in sugar. Let stand 10 min., stirring occasionally.
MIX water and pectin in small saucepan. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Continue boiling and stirring 1 min. Add to fruit mixture; stir 3 min.or until sugar is almost dissolved and no longer grainy. (A few sugar crystals may remain.)
FILL containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or freeze extra containers up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator before using.
CRUSH strawberries thoroughly. Measure exactly 2 cups prepared fruit into large bowl. Stir in sugar. Let stand 10 min., stirring occasionally.
MIX water and pectin in small saucepan. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Continue boiling and stirring 1 min. Add to fruit mixture; stir 3 min. or until most the sugar is dissolved. (A few sugar crystals may remain.)
FILL containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or in freezer up to 1 year. (If frozen, thaw in refrigerator before using.)
It’s crazy to think that Bry is already one month old! Time goes by so quick!!
This is an ongoing project I will be working on over the next year or two. I set a reminder on my phone so I remember to take monthly photos of Bryson. Then I will write down things he loves to do! After the year I will compile them into a baby book for him!
I’m excited!! I think it will turn out really cool…I just need to follow through on it!
Well it’s been a long time since I have posted anything and a lot has happened!! So I’ll just post some pictures to get you caught up!
First of all I had beautiful maternity photos taken by my wonderful friend Brea Bursch @ CYE Photography
She truly is talented because I looked at myself and though, “wow I look pretty good!” and I think that says a lot when your 9 months pregnant!!
Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the shoot.
Then my sweet boy made his arrival into the world (very quickly!) at 39 weeks! Again my wonderful friend Brea was there to capture the moment! Here are a few pictures from his birth!
Bryson Thomas Ross, 7lbs, 10 ounces and 20 1/4 inches long.
Brea also did newborn photos for us so here are a few pictures from that session
I didn’t take a ton of pictures at the hospital but this is one of my favorites of Tay meeting her baby brother!
Now that you are all caught up on the last couple months of my life we can get back to the crafty things!!
Bryson’s nursery is complete…well mostly!! I decided since I’m getting close to my due date I wanted to post some finished picts of the nursery. There are a couple of small details that still aren’t done but it’s close enough. We are still waiting for the log to dry out for the end table so in the mean time we are using an extra TV tray that I had. Also Tom still needs to put up the blinds in his room…other then that we are pretty much good to go!
Overall I love how it came together…I know I’ll tweak a few things here and there but for now it’s ready to go! I just need the little man to make an appearance so we can really enjoy the room!
Well It’s been awhile since I posted a pregnancy update! I’m 35 weeks pregnant…only 29 days until my due date! I can’t believe it! I feel like it’s gone by quickly…I’ve been blessed with a very healthy pregnancy and at this point it’s just a waiting game. We want him to stay in until at least 37 weeks then he is free to come out anytime!
I’ve already been having a ton of Braxton Hicks contractions and real contractions so I’m wondering if he might make an early appearance into this world! We will just have to wait and see!!
When I was 31 weeks I had the opportunity to go get another 3D ultrasound and it was so amazing! He opened his eyes a couple of times, smiled and she was even able to tell that he already has some hair!! Our technology is beyond amazing these days and it’s been such a blessing to be able to see him doing well in there!
A couple of my favorite picts…
The other fun thing we did recently was some maternity photos with my great friend Brea from CYE Photography.
Here are a few from the sneak peek!! I’m so excited I love them so much…she has such an eye for posing and knows how to make you feel and look beautiful during a time where I really just felt like a buffalo!! LOL
Yesterday my friends at work threw me a baby shower…we got some amazing things and have truly been blessed!
I’m not exactly sure how to express all that is going through my head right now. The last week has been super intense…lots of things changing that are out of our control and intense emotions around it.
Here is what I know – God is asking us to serve more at the church – specifically Tom, but I know my support at home is all part of what God is asking us to do as a couple. This is extremely nerve-wracking for me since we have a baby due in 6 weeks and in addition to serving at the church, Tom will also be working every other Saturday throughout the summer.
I know that God has us there for a reason and for this season. I know that we will look back on this and know we were doing what God had asked of us…but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. I’m just praying for peace and patience as we enter this time in our family.
A couple of verses that have been given me peace many times over the last few months
Don’t panic. I’m with you. There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you. Isaiah 41:10 (The Message)
“Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you.” – Deuteronomy 31:6 (The Message)
God’s word adds peace to my life during these times of change and uncertainty. I’m thinking I will print both of these verses to put on my fridge…I’m going to need the daily reminder!
I’m so grateful for all the wonderful friends God has placed in our lives that know how to encourage both of us and are a great support during this new season!
I’m excited to see how God uses us and see all that is coming in the next few months.
I found this great printable from Yellow Mums Blog and went straight to work. The instructions said to print these on card stock…I didn’t have any so I printed them on normal paper, glued them to construction paper then “laminated” then with clear contact paper. After they were done I punched the holes and cut some string. Taylin loves them!
sydneyrueross.com 