The newest "Peter Rabbit" projects. :-)

These are the Peter Rabbit bumper pads I've been working on. I still actually have the last long side to finish, but I ran out of ribbon for the ties. And the side of the crib isn't back on yet, anyway.

A lovely friend of mine who loves Beatrix Potter things as much as I do, gave me this cute frieze for the boys' room. :-) Nathanael loves it.

My friend, Melissa, gave me this Peter Rabbit print, which I put in a white, ornate frame I had on hand. I think it adds a nice touch to the entrance of the room. :-)

Things are going pretty well in these last days/weeks of my pregnancy. Although I found out at 29 weeks along that I have gestational diabetes, I've been able to control my blood sugar levels very well with diet. So, other than not being able to eat some things I crave, it shouldn't be a problem for me or the baby.

I am now 36 weeks along, and since Nathanael was born at 36 1/2 weeks, I am prepared for going into labour anytime from now on. Haha I am finishing up a lot of last minute projects and chores around the house that I want done before the new arrival. I guess it must be "nesting"! Haha

I'm so thankful that we live in a lovely, bright house for this baby's arrival. When Nathanael was born we were renting a house (while looking for one to buy) that was old, dark and dusty. Ben calls it "The Bat Cave". Haha The darkness made me feel depressed after the birth, and I think contributed to Nathanael having a bad case of jaundice.

Sorry, I don't have an updated side shot of pregnant me. Hopefully I will be able to post one before the baby is born. :-)

Goodbye to a Wonderful Mother, Grandmother and Mother-in-law.

We recently returned from a trip to South Australia to say goodbye to Ben's dear mother. We were there for a week, and were able to be with and talk to her before she passed away.
This photo was taken about a year ago.


I am so glad Nathanael got to see his Grandma again before it was too late. It was a special time for all of us, but very sad, too. We will miss her so much! But what a comfort to know that we will see Ben's mom again in Heaven some day. She truly loved the Lord, and trusted in Him as her Saviour.
I am so thankful for Ben's wonderful parents. Their love for each other is an inspiration, as was so evident in his Dad's care of Miriam in her last battle with cancer.

"Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord." 2 Corinthians 5:6-8

"Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel and afterward receive me to glory. " Psalm 73:24

Baby Shower! :-)

Ben and Nathanael leaving before all the ladies arrive. Haha

Some shots of the adorable decorations. :-)

My dear friend, Melissa's, profile. I hope she doesn't mind too much that I included this pic, but I wanted to have one of her, since she put so much hard work into making the shower lovely. :-)

Jesse, who also helped make the shower a success. :-)

Julia Korda, me and Tanya ( Julia's sister in law)

Jesse's cheesecake was SO good!

All the lovely guests, except Melissa, who was taking the photo.

Opening the thoughtful presents. :-)

My friends, Melissa and Jesse, gave me a beautiful baby shower last Saturday morning. It was held at a local cafe/gift shop. Melissa did a wonderful job on the decorating and invitations, and Jesse's cheesecake was simply divine. :-) We also played 3 cute shower games, which everyone enjoyed. Lots of laughs. Haha And, of course, opening the gifts was very fun. :-)

I am so thankful for all the time and work that went into making the shower such a special time.

Decorating the hallway with my latest "finds".

This table and mirror came from a discount home wares store ( Home Art). It is the perfect size for the wider area at the start of our hallway. And it camouflages the outlet for our ducted vacuum system. :-)

I just found this beautiful lace at a local coffee/cafe and gift shop. I love it because it has an antique look to it, and is so soft and drapey.

My friend, Melissa, spotted this pitcher and bowl set in a thrift shop window for only $5! Of course, I went in and bought it. :-) The doily was also a thrift shop find about a year ago.

A close up of the lace detailing.

Peter Rabbit baby quilt- finished!

The Peter Rabbit/ Beatrix Potter quilt I have been working on for our new baby boy is now finished. :-) I hand quilted all the blocks in the main part of the quilt and part of the borders, then machine quilted the corner blocks and the other parts of the borders that needed more quilting. I was planning to hand quilt all of it, but I wanted to save time since I still have the crib bumper pads to make. They will be made of the same fabric as the border on the quilt. :-)
I am now 31 weeks or 7 months along in this pregnancy. So, not that much time left! Especially considering that it's very likely that the baby will be born at least a couple weeks early. Nathanael was born 3 1/2 weeks before his due date, and he was already over 7 pounds and didn't seem like a "preemie" at all. It's exciting that the time is drawing near for the new baby to be born, but I do have quite a few things I want to get done first. Ben thinks it is taking forever, but I think the time goes by fairly fast. Haha

Christmas Day :-)

Just before Christmas dinner- you can see that the new baby is growing very big inside me. Haha :-)

Nathanael loves his new Benjamin Bunny. I was so pleased to have found this one for him. I couldn't find any on the internet, and this was the last one at The Teddy Bear Shoppe.

He loves Jelly Belly jelly beans- takes after his mother. :-)

Although it was a fairly warm day for Winter, at least it wasn't Summer weather. No snow, though. :-( Oh, well. I guess that would be expecting too much. Haha

We ended up with way too much food for just us. So lots of leftovers, as usual. It is hard to cook Christmas dinner for just 2 adults and a 2 almost 3 year old, I think.

Ben is very busy getting ready for a business trip, so it wasn't quite the Christmas Day I had hoped for, but still nice. I think Nathanael had a lot of fun.

Our Christmas In June :-)

I decided I wanted to have a cozy Christmas this year. The only way to achieve that, I think, is to have Christmas in Winter. So, we are having Christmas Day on June 27th, which is the closest I could get to December 25th, season-wise, in the Southern Hemisphere. (We have to have it on Saturday, since Christmas in June is not a public holiday. Haha)

Our formal living room is decorated with my traditional Christmas tree and decorations. We have a flatscreen TV playing a fireplace DVD in the fireplace mantle/surround. So that gives a very cozy effect. I just love this room all decked out for Christmas. :-)

When I was in Idaho last Christmas, I bought several Christmas candles and melts, so the house smells like pine trees, cinnamon, etc. Too bad I can't add the scents to my blog. :-)

Nathanael loves all the Christmas decor! :-)

In my more "shabby chic style" family room, I have my white tree, which includes some vintage pink balls among other very sweet, pink ornaments.

The pictures of our trees didn't turn out that well, because they don't show the lights. I can't figure out how to turn the flash off, though. :-/

If you read this blog, I would love to hear from you and have you wish us a Merry Christmas, via the "comments box". :-)