If you didn't see my twitter or facebook, yesterday Max took his first steps!
He's been cruising and standing on his own for so long, I just figured he'd wait forever, but yesterday we finally conned him into it! He took two steps three times for a total of six. :)
Luckily Adam was home for it as well, I'm not sure he would have believed me otherwise.
And then I think, "OH NO! What have we gotten ourselves into?"
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
A couple of things....
This is more of a bullet list kind of day.... I don't have much time, but a lot on my mind....
- This week has been a tough one for me emotionally. But it went by quickly and I'm excited for that
- I'm super happy to be planning our next "Disney Vacation" for next year. I get to make reservations today hopefully. I've lovingly started to think of it at Kipp Family Vacation 2.0 since there are officially two kiddos this time around (last time Max was still on the inside)
- Tonight is another Youth Group Lock In. I'm tired just thinking about it. Good thing I also forgot about it all week until this morning while I was in the shower. A good excuse to take a nap this afternoon.
- I <3 Knitting. It makes me so happy to understand something new.
- We have the happiest little kid in the world. He just loves to laugh lately, especially at himself.
- Crochet projects=this previously mentioned scarf/wrap out of Cascade Wool. Yum!
- Reading The Magician's Nephew by CS Lewis (it's the first of The Chronicles of Narnia) and this line struck me (Aslan speaking) "This is what happens to those who pluck and eat fruits at the wrong time and in the wrong way. The fruit is good, but they loathe it everafter." Ahhhh so true.
- Remember this Birdie? I made a couple of them last year. Glad I kept one, Max loves to play with him....
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Why I Became A Mother....
Ok it's not the only reason, but it ranks up there....
I love to dress my kid in goofy outfits!
I only did it because we woke up to this...
And this afternoon, it's 40 degrees so we went out to play.
I love to dress my kid in goofy outfits!
I only did it because we woke up to this...
And this afternoon, it's 40 degrees so we went out to play.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
A few little things...
Not in my Job Description
When I signed up to be a pastor's wife, there was nothing in my job description about costume designing.
Yesterday nap time was spent making a Bible Story Costume. This is the second one I've made, They sell for like $80 on the internet. I've made all of them out of old sheets or even new flat sheets from Walmart for $8 and two hours of time. I've decided I might try to do a tutorial for these, might be good for Easter programs or dress up clothes. The first one I did was for Adam while he was in seminary. It was basically a robe and I bought some trim cording for him to tie it with.
This time it is for AWANA Sunday this Sunday. We couldn't find the old one in the piles of boxes and Adam thinks we might have gotten rid of it in the move. He then requested a more elaborate one than last time. Two layers. How convenient that I just bought new sheets for our bed and so could use the old one (white under layer) and decided to not make my own shower curtain from a brown flat sheet (brown robe layer), so I had everything on hand except a tie, where I found "rope" at Joann's for 1.99 a yard.
Whole costume cost = $4. That's my kind of costume.
Too excited too quickly
Yesterday I spent the evening at the new house working while Adam took care of Max and put him to bed. When I finished I was thinking of all the things that we still have left to do and am questioning whether we'll be in the house in the timeframe I was hoping for. I suppose with our rounds of visitors we have in April and hopefully evenings like last night, we'll get more done than I think, but gosh, there's still a lot. We'll see. Luckily we've been so blessed, that we don't have an absolute date we need to be out of this house.
But I've been contemplating all the important things for the house. Window coverings, wall hangings, towels, shelves. You know those things where my brain starts to run wild. I found fabric yesterday that I'm really excited to make curtains out of. I just got a sample and I'm running it by the house today. It will either be livingroom curatins or kitchen curtains. It looks great with both paint samples. It will probably be livingroom curtains though because it also looks good with the color of the couch, which is not a neutral tan, it throws colors off. Hard to explain, but oh well.
I found some display boxes yesterday at Michael's for $2.99 for Max's room and they were already painted black! Yippee! Also got brown and aqua spray paint on sale at Menards for $2 a can. Can't wait to use that stuff on some picture frames that need a revamp for the living room.
Crafty Scene
I've been knitting away, I really love the class. I have some really fun women in there and one whose a mom with three little boys. I've tried from multiple books and videos to knit but as I suspected just needed someone to tell me what I was doing wrong. Once she showed me how it was different from crochet, I just went on and on. The instructor even showed me the purl stitch which she doesn't teach until the next class, so hopefully she'll show me some extra things next week while the other students are working on that.
I think it totally made a difference being a yarn addict anyway. Since I'm not afraid of yarn and have an idea of what it can do. It also helps that I have decent control of my hands. That is where most people struggle when starting these things, they are uncomfortable with their hands. A couple of the women where complaining that they couldn't make their hands move in that way.
We were encouraged to start a project over the week (we meet in a yarn shop, so of course they want us to buy yarn!) and I had no problem complying with that. I bought a rayon/silk blend that I would never crochet with, to knit a floaty open weave summer scarf. I love it so far and I haven't forgotten how to knit either, I do a little each day but I'm already getting faster at it. I even started another project with some cheap knitting needles I already had to make sure I could remember to cast on. So that's two projects on knitting needles.
I've tempered my growing knitting obsession with some crochet too. I got some beautiful Cascade Wool that I wanted to make a big scarf/shawl out of for a friend. Well it will be late for her birthday but it's coming along nicely because the pattern is beautifully simple, I'll definintely want to use the pattern again.
I have another birthday project I'm working up- but it's all still in my head- and it will probably be late too unless I can get it done tonight or tomorrow. But since it's still in my head, I'm guessing it will be late. But I'm leaving my sewing machine our on the kitchen table until I at least attempt it (I can't sew in my craft room because it's right next to Max's room and he always wakes up at the sound of it).
I've also been itching (and have the yarn sitting here) for another baby kimono sweater. I'm resisting, but my resolve is failing.
Recap
So let's take a count.... That's two projects on needles, one on the hook, and one completed on the sewing maching, but one potentially going onto the machine, and another I'm resisting getting hooked on. And I have a house to finish, carpet to pick out, three rooms to paint, curtains to make, a desk to find, boxes to sort through, and a birthday party to plan. This week's been more relaxing than the past few. :-)
And I just said to a friend the other day. It's a good thing I'm busy because otherwise I'd get nothing done.
Just for good measure, here's a picture of dinner the other night.... Avocado and pasta primavera. Max's new thing is to stick his hand in his mouth after every bite. I think the purpose might be to make sure it stays in, but I think it has the opposite effect.
When I signed up to be a pastor's wife, there was nothing in my job description about costume designing.
Yesterday nap time was spent making a Bible Story Costume. This is the second one I've made, They sell for like $80 on the internet. I've made all of them out of old sheets or even new flat sheets from Walmart for $8 and two hours of time. I've decided I might try to do a tutorial for these, might be good for Easter programs or dress up clothes. The first one I did was for Adam while he was in seminary. It was basically a robe and I bought some trim cording for him to tie it with.
This time it is for AWANA Sunday this Sunday. We couldn't find the old one in the piles of boxes and Adam thinks we might have gotten rid of it in the move. He then requested a more elaborate one than last time. Two layers. How convenient that I just bought new sheets for our bed and so could use the old one (white under layer) and decided to not make my own shower curtain from a brown flat sheet (brown robe layer), so I had everything on hand except a tie, where I found "rope" at Joann's for 1.99 a yard.
Whole costume cost = $4. That's my kind of costume.
Too excited too quickly
Yesterday I spent the evening at the new house working while Adam took care of Max and put him to bed. When I finished I was thinking of all the things that we still have left to do and am questioning whether we'll be in the house in the timeframe I was hoping for. I suppose with our rounds of visitors we have in April and hopefully evenings like last night, we'll get more done than I think, but gosh, there's still a lot. We'll see. Luckily we've been so blessed, that we don't have an absolute date we need to be out of this house.
But I've been contemplating all the important things for the house. Window coverings, wall hangings, towels, shelves. You know those things where my brain starts to run wild. I found fabric yesterday that I'm really excited to make curtains out of. I just got a sample and I'm running it by the house today. It will either be livingroom curatins or kitchen curtains. It looks great with both paint samples. It will probably be livingroom curtains though because it also looks good with the color of the couch, which is not a neutral tan, it throws colors off. Hard to explain, but oh well.
I found some display boxes yesterday at Michael's for $2.99 for Max's room and they were already painted black! Yippee! Also got brown and aqua spray paint on sale at Menards for $2 a can. Can't wait to use that stuff on some picture frames that need a revamp for the living room.
Crafty Scene
I've been knitting away, I really love the class. I have some really fun women in there and one whose a mom with three little boys. I've tried from multiple books and videos to knit but as I suspected just needed someone to tell me what I was doing wrong. Once she showed me how it was different from crochet, I just went on and on. The instructor even showed me the purl stitch which she doesn't teach until the next class, so hopefully she'll show me some extra things next week while the other students are working on that.
I think it totally made a difference being a yarn addict anyway. Since I'm not afraid of yarn and have an idea of what it can do. It also helps that I have decent control of my hands. That is where most people struggle when starting these things, they are uncomfortable with their hands. A couple of the women where complaining that they couldn't make their hands move in that way.
We were encouraged to start a project over the week (we meet in a yarn shop, so of course they want us to buy yarn!) and I had no problem complying with that. I bought a rayon/silk blend that I would never crochet with, to knit a floaty open weave summer scarf. I love it so far and I haven't forgotten how to knit either, I do a little each day but I'm already getting faster at it. I even started another project with some cheap knitting needles I already had to make sure I could remember to cast on. So that's two projects on knitting needles.
I've tempered my growing knitting obsession with some crochet too. I got some beautiful Cascade Wool that I wanted to make a big scarf/shawl out of for a friend. Well it will be late for her birthday but it's coming along nicely because the pattern is beautifully simple, I'll definintely want to use the pattern again.
I have another birthday project I'm working up- but it's all still in my head- and it will probably be late too unless I can get it done tonight or tomorrow. But since it's still in my head, I'm guessing it will be late. But I'm leaving my sewing machine our on the kitchen table until I at least attempt it (I can't sew in my craft room because it's right next to Max's room and he always wakes up at the sound of it).
I've also been itching (and have the yarn sitting here) for another baby kimono sweater. I'm resisting, but my resolve is failing.
Recap
So let's take a count.... That's two projects on needles, one on the hook, and one completed on the sewing maching, but one potentially going onto the machine, and another I'm resisting getting hooked on. And I have a house to finish, carpet to pick out, three rooms to paint, curtains to make, a desk to find, boxes to sort through, and a birthday party to plan. This week's been more relaxing than the past few. :-)
And I just said to a friend the other day. It's a good thing I'm busy because otherwise I'd get nothing done.
Just for good measure, here's a picture of dinner the other night.... Avocado and pasta primavera. Max's new thing is to stick his hand in his mouth after every bite. I think the purpose might be to make sure it stays in, but I think it has the opposite effect.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Wow!
I have so much to share... let's see if I can get it all in.
Max
Max is growing like a weed, I've gotten out his 18 month clothes this week. I can't believe suddenly how tall he is. He stands a head above the arm of the couch. He's been in love with making us laugh at him (hunh, a little like his dad?) and loves to "surprise" us by hiding and playing peek-a-boo or having us pretend to sleep. He doesn't even eat much baby food anymore and we've discovered he loves salsa and spicy things. He loves to just wander around the house playing in all the rooms he can get to, and thinks he just owns the church when we go over there. He'll let himself into the nursery to play if the doors aren't closed. He's also learned how to climb this week. He's still not walking on his own and doesn't seem to mind at all, if he can crawl and climb he's one happy fellow.
He loves carring around his Easter basket and playing with the plastic eggs
Crawling through, under, and over things is our new favorite game
He pulled himself over in his chair and crawled around like a turtle with a shell on his back
This picture is so funny I laugh out loud when I look at it. Sweetly, suggestive baby.
At our favorite Mexican restaurant Tequila's
House
We've ran into a time of it with the staircase ceiling and walls. It's been a bit of labor and is still being worked on. But things are moving still. I'll soon be back into the groove with painting and refinishing part of the handrail and also we're working on our bedroom in that spare time. The problem is Max can't be in the house very much right now because of all the dust from sanding the mud, so it' s a little difficult but Adam worked there all day yesterday and I'm going to probably work there Friday evening this week. It has to be ready in 9 weeks, with us moved in. So we'll see lots of changes really quick here.
Girls Only Conference
The conference was this past weekend, and I had a lot of fun. Four of our high school girls came with me. After teaching, I was left with a sour taste in my mouth for most teenagers, so this was fun for me.
We had a great time and I hope the girls all got something (anything!) out of it. I spoke on Guarding Your Heart and it was fun and exhausting to plan for the day, but I'm glad I did it and I learned a lot through the process. God is good and answered my prayers for the day.
Me with three of the girls
We stopped to look at the Mississippi River
Crafting
Just in case you follow along for crafts, yesterday I went on a bender to finish Max's spring sweater. I loved this pattern because it was simple and had all the characteristics I wanted, a few buttons, a hood and it worked in a way I could add length to the body easily. The pattern was free from Ravelry and if anyone wants, I can get it for them, I just don't have it in front of my to give the name right now. I had to redo parts of it though because I wanted to customize it for Max, I made the hood bigger because we have a big headed baby, I made the sleeves longer, and the body longer and thinner, and Max grew a lot while I was finishing it so now the hood is too small already, but I guess that's how it goes. He loved wearing it though so I can't complain. I love that my little guy loves yarn as much as I do.
The reason I "had" to finish it yesterday was that I didn't want any unfinished projects to hinder me today. Tonight I start a beginners knitting class at the yarn shop in the next town. I've tried on so many occasions to knit and I just get frustrated, but I've never found anyone to sit me down and show it to me, I always try from videos or books. So we'll see tonight. I'm excited to get out and meet some new women. When I was in the shop last week the lady who was working said there were four of us signed up and she thought by this week there would be six, which is a full class.
Max
Max is growing like a weed, I've gotten out his 18 month clothes this week. I can't believe suddenly how tall he is. He stands a head above the arm of the couch. He's been in love with making us laugh at him (hunh, a little like his dad?) and loves to "surprise" us by hiding and playing peek-a-boo or having us pretend to sleep. He doesn't even eat much baby food anymore and we've discovered he loves salsa and spicy things. He loves to just wander around the house playing in all the rooms he can get to, and thinks he just owns the church when we go over there. He'll let himself into the nursery to play if the doors aren't closed. He's also learned how to climb this week. He's still not walking on his own and doesn't seem to mind at all, if he can crawl and climb he's one happy fellow.
He loves carring around his Easter basket and playing with the plastic eggs
Crawling through, under, and over things is our new favorite game
He pulled himself over in his chair and crawled around like a turtle with a shell on his back
This picture is so funny I laugh out loud when I look at it. Sweetly, suggestive baby.
At our favorite Mexican restaurant Tequila's
House
We've ran into a time of it with the staircase ceiling and walls. It's been a bit of labor and is still being worked on. But things are moving still. I'll soon be back into the groove with painting and refinishing part of the handrail and also we're working on our bedroom in that spare time. The problem is Max can't be in the house very much right now because of all the dust from sanding the mud, so it' s a little difficult but Adam worked there all day yesterday and I'm going to probably work there Friday evening this week. It has to be ready in 9 weeks, with us moved in. So we'll see lots of changes really quick here.
Girls Only Conference
The conference was this past weekend, and I had a lot of fun. Four of our high school girls came with me. After teaching, I was left with a sour taste in my mouth for most teenagers, so this was fun for me.
We had a great time and I hope the girls all got something (anything!) out of it. I spoke on Guarding Your Heart and it was fun and exhausting to plan for the day, but I'm glad I did it and I learned a lot through the process. God is good and answered my prayers for the day.
Me with three of the girls
We stopped to look at the Mississippi River
Crafting
Just in case you follow along for crafts, yesterday I went on a bender to finish Max's spring sweater. I loved this pattern because it was simple and had all the characteristics I wanted, a few buttons, a hood and it worked in a way I could add length to the body easily. The pattern was free from Ravelry and if anyone wants, I can get it for them, I just don't have it in front of my to give the name right now. I had to redo parts of it though because I wanted to customize it for Max, I made the hood bigger because we have a big headed baby, I made the sleeves longer, and the body longer and thinner, and Max grew a lot while I was finishing it so now the hood is too small already, but I guess that's how it goes. He loved wearing it though so I can't complain. I love that my little guy loves yarn as much as I do.
The reason I "had" to finish it yesterday was that I didn't want any unfinished projects to hinder me today. Tonight I start a beginners knitting class at the yarn shop in the next town. I've tried on so many occasions to knit and I just get frustrated, but I've never found anyone to sit me down and show it to me, I always try from videos or books. So we'll see tonight. I'm excited to get out and meet some new women. When I was in the shop last week the lady who was working said there were four of us signed up and she thought by this week there would be six, which is a full class.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
If you think of it...
Pray for me today, I'll be taking four girls with me to the conference I'm speaking at in Iowa. Pray that God would use me in the lives of all the girls who attend today.
I'm sure I'll have an update about it and many other things soon.
I just read Romans 8:28 and I think it says it all for me today.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
I'm sure I'll have an update about it and many other things soon.
I just read Romans 8:28 and I think it says it all for me today.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Home Remodeling Part 18 and What a Beautiful Day!
The weather here is JUST GORGEOUS! It is mid 60s and sunny and not windy at all. Tomorrow the high is 73. I will be out walking in the afternoon, there is no doubt about that. Today I sat on our porch sunning my sad pale legs while finishing up some stuff for the Girls Conference this weekend with a cup of iced coffee in my hand. It was a great feeling.
This morning we worked at the house, whew man I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I know there's a LOT still I'd like to do, but really it's almost livable already and I love the thought of that. Adam and John (boy he's been such a wonderful help, I need suggestions on something really nice to do for him) started repairing the ceiling and walls going up the staircase. You see, while we were taking the wallpaper off the plaster all started to come down with it, in large chunks. It looked like a disaster. It's looking MUCH better now. They cleaned it all out and even dug some extra out to help it be more stable and now they are doing a major repair job taping and mudding all the corners and mudding some of the major holes before me , The Red Devil Queen, gets to fine tune it. Red Devil spackle has become my best friend. It's basically how our house is being held together. I'm also in the process of Red Deviling the wainscoting in the diningroom around the corners and holes our unplum walls have caused, but I ran out of Red Devil this morning so I switched to starting the demo in the master bedroom by taking down some wallpaper, yes more wallpaper, and I joyfully did it because it's the last that's left in the house.
Do you wonder what Max did today while we were working? He played in his BRAND NEW ROOM! That's right, I finally got it clean enough and safe enough to give him some room to play. He also found his container of rice puffs and proceeded to eat about 5 servings of them after he dumped them all out. It kept him quiet for two hours and he also ate all his lunch when we got home.
GUILTY!
Tonight we are going to take a look at carpet and try and decide. I think there are just too many decisions that I get overwhelmed (hunh, noticing a trend here in that, same thing happened with the kitchen, has happened with paint in almost every room, etc.). Wish me luck! :)
This morning we worked at the house, whew man I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. I know there's a LOT still I'd like to do, but really it's almost livable already and I love the thought of that. Adam and John (boy he's been such a wonderful help, I need suggestions on something really nice to do for him) started repairing the ceiling and walls going up the staircase. You see, while we were taking the wallpaper off the plaster all started to come down with it, in large chunks. It looked like a disaster. It's looking MUCH better now. They cleaned it all out and even dug some extra out to help it be more stable and now they are doing a major repair job taping and mudding all the corners and mudding some of the major holes before me , The Red Devil Queen, gets to fine tune it. Red Devil spackle has become my best friend. It's basically how our house is being held together. I'm also in the process of Red Deviling the wainscoting in the diningroom around the corners and holes our unplum walls have caused, but I ran out of Red Devil this morning so I switched to starting the demo in the master bedroom by taking down some wallpaper, yes more wallpaper, and I joyfully did it because it's the last that's left in the house.
Do you wonder what Max did today while we were working? He played in his BRAND NEW ROOM! That's right, I finally got it clean enough and safe enough to give him some room to play. He also found his container of rice puffs and proceeded to eat about 5 servings of them after he dumped them all out. It kept him quiet for two hours and he also ate all his lunch when we got home.
GUILTY!Tonight we are going to take a look at carpet and try and decide. I think there are just too many decisions that I get overwhelmed (hunh, noticing a trend here in that, same thing happened with the kitchen, has happened with paint in almost every room, etc.). Wish me luck! :)
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