New Big Sis and Thank You Auntie Sandra!

Helena is a new Big Sister! YEH!!!! So of course we all brought her gifts today in honor of her new role :) . This was a neat gift she got from her Auntie Sandra in Canada. It is a really neat pillow case in a special cloth case which I think she decided to use to carry her plastic kittens (kinda apt considering Sandra and her cat, Zoomer). Helena says "THANK YOU AUNTIE SANDRA!"

Checking out those little fingers. Today Miles was very alert, looking all around --particularly at his sister.

Everyone that came to the house today got a special greeting. Helena would take them by the hand, lead them to the baby and solemnly (with a dramatic wave of her hand) make her introduction: "This is Miles." It was a very important job.

SUCH A PROUD BIG SIS!!!!

The Sunday Report

Miles continues to be a sweet and contented baby. He sleeps most of the time and can lift his head (briefly) already! He is heavy though, I'm not used to holding such a big lad :)

He is coming home today and when I visited our camera shop, I noticed they do "welcome home baby" banners. Unfortunately, the banner wouldn't be done until next week so we improvised. I ordered a 12 x 24 inch photograph of Miles and just had "Welcome home" printed on the photo. Found a big ol' poster frame, used up some of my scrapbooking supplies and VOILA: one welcome home poster for new babette!

Influenza continues to be a huge problem in our valley. My son Peter has it now and fortunately, he wasn't around the baby or parents. I am staying away from him because I don't want to give it to the baby or DH--who leaves for Bolivia in two days (flu in South America--YIKES).

Yesterday hubby and I were driving around doing errands and noticed a large back up of cars---for miles. All day DH and I speculated what the problem might have been. Turned out the hospital was giving out flu vaccines at the local amusement park and cars were lined up for about 5 MILES and waited 3-4 HOURS to get it. After DH leaves, I will be hibernating a bit in hopes of not catching and getting Christmas presents completed. We are even thinking of not visiting with therapy dog Seamus until this flu thing is a bit resolved--I don't want to catch it and even worse would be to transmit it to elderly. In the meantime we are washing our hands like crazy and eating healthy. Tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment and will just ask for the flu shot. I wish my husband would get the H1N1 shot (he's eligible) but he is resistant to that yet. Hopefully he won't get sick while he is away (I swear he catches things in the airplanes!!!).

Today we will focus on the positive things and take food and presents to the new parents after they get home. I can't wait to see Helena's reaction to her new brother!

Miles' First Day.....

After we visited the hospital yesterday, we took this picture to our photography store. They are blowing it up to 12 x 24 inches with "Welcome Home Miles" printed on it. It should be ready later today and we will take it to the house (plus food) for when the kids bring Miles' home (hopefully tomorrow).

The hospital is actually enforcing a strict visitation policy due the swine flu. Only 2 visitors at a time and no children--so Helena hasn't met her brother yet. I know she will be a good sister to him when he gets home but it is hard not seeing him. Today (fortunately) she has a birthday party to go to so that will keep her busy!

Miles looks a lot like his sister Helena did when she was born and so far we think he has inherited his Daddy's collick, ears and the wide feet of his grandfather (poor kid)!

BOY OH BOY!!!!!!!!

A DAY EARLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Melanie went into labor and her water broke before dinner. We all rushed to the hospital and at 8:40 pm, Miles made his appearance. Thankfully, all are well. For those of you who don't know Melanie, she HAD to have this C-section--she is a tiny petite woman and the doctor said they got to Miles just in time--because he was
9 lb, 6 oz!!!!!!!!!!! and 20 1/2 inches long. We are so grateful that she is okay and that Miles is doing so well. He is already trying to lift his head and moving all around. I think he is going to be a calm baby too. He just has a sweet serenity to him (am I gushing like a grandma??). So here is his first pic (5 minutes old), before he even was weighed, measured, etc:

Attic Treasures

Yesterday I went to put something in the attic storage space and became.....well annoyed with the mess. I don't tackle the attic in the summer, it's too hot up there, and things have a tendency to pile up. This time, I opened one of the trunks I've been carrying with me since--well pre-marriage. I found some things I had been bugging my Aunt for--pictures and papers from my father's family. The treasures ended up consuming my day and I am still scanning and photocopying everything so I can make a scrapbook for my son.

Tomorrow Aunt Carole and I are getting together to go over everything and take a ride out to some of the old family houses. I can't wait to find out who this precious girl is! She has the sweetest face and look at her bracelet! The boy I know is Ralph, his name is on the back of the photo. I love that he has a cane and a gold pocket watch. Love the piano shawl he is leaning on; I think it is a tapestry....

Well off to do cleaning and some shopping. I need to buy cookie pans before the holiday baking commences.....

It was a fun Halloween!

Usually, I don't like Halloween; partly because I don't like the horror, partly because my least favorite color is orange and partly because I had orange and black birthday cakes my entire childhood. This year I had fun though "boo-ing" loved ones. The teddy bears were for our granddaughter, Helena and Kaylin, my niece's one year old. The dogs I made for my niece Nicole (away at college), our neighbors who own George the cat (included on the wallhanging) and a new friend, Cindy, who recently donated a lot of fabric to me. I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving projects now :) DH is going to be working a lot the next month and doing so more little gifts, as well as finishing some Christmas presents, should keep me busy.

Pumpkin Cookies

I like the "Bake at 350 Blog" and this month, her flavor of the month is PUMPKIN!!! My husband and his band of merry co-workers are real pumpkin lovers so I have collected a variety of pumpkin recipes. Last week I made pumpkin bread and had leftover pumpkin. So I tried this recipe which I think is an older recipe. This came in this cute little booklet I got at the "Pick Your Own" farm. The recipe called for faces made with raisins on the cookies but a lot of people in my family are adverse to raisins so I skipped that part.

The cookie alone reminds me more of a scone, it is not overly sweet and balances the orange glaze on it. It reminds me of the cookies and things that my parents ate for "tea" that they did in the evenings. With the glaze, it takes on a new flavor and is good as well. This is a very moist and soft cookie.

Pumpkin Cookies:

1 C sugar

1 C butter

1 egg, beaten

3 1/2 C flour

1 C cooked pumpkin

1/2 t salt

1 t baking soda

1 t nutmeg

1 t cinnamon

1/2 C buttermilk

Cream sugar and butter. Add egg and pumpkin. Stir together flour, soda, and seasonings. Add to wet mixture alternatively with buttermilk. If dough seems too moist, add several teaspoons of flour until no longer sticky. Chill dough several hours. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness and cut out circles with cookie cutter. Keep dough chilled and work quickly. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets in 350 F oven for 10-12 minutes. Frost with orange icing. Use raisins for eyes, nose and mouth.

Orange Icing:

2 C sifted confectioners' sugar

1 T melted butter

1 T grated orange rind

1/4 C orange juice

Stir ingredients together until smooth and spread on cookies.

Because of the amount of baking soda in this recipe, these cookies bake high, so be careful how thick you make yours!

There you are......

Paddie was our only dog for 10 years until we got the boys. I've been trying to take her to different parks--ALONE--like in the old days because she is getting on (12 now). She can be a bit sullen when the boys are around. So seeing her in the park is such a wonderful change and back to the girl I love...

I just love to see her with a swing in her step and a sparkle in her eye. Can you blame me? Look at how pretty she is!!!!!!!!!!!

Happiness

"The sky is taking on light,

though the moon still hangs pale over the water.

Such beauty that for a minute

death and ambition, even love,

doesn't enter into this.

Happiness. It comes on

unexpectedly. And goes beyond, really,

any early morning talk about it."

from Raymond Carver's poem, "Happiness"