'Sew' Spoiled!

Let me just start this post by saying: my husband rocks!  For my birthday, (which was actually about six weeks ago, but the summer has gotten away from me) he spoiled me rotten by making me a sewing/craft table.  Not just any ho-hum little table.  A real project table like I have been coveting from Pottery Barn  and some of other lovely DIY blogs and websites that I stalk.  I have been dreaming of using my fabric stash for sewing and quilting projects for some time now.  Unfortunately, the reality of having to set everything up each time I get a creative moment and spending hours with an aching back from bending over a folding table left me doing a whole lot of dreaming and not quite as much doing. 

I found several tutorials online using a hollow door and two cheap bookshelves.  That didn't seem too hard.  So my wonderful husband agreed to put one together for my birthday.  He figured it wouldn't take more than a weekend right?  :) 

Before:
We have a large guest room downstairs that never gets used, so it has become the craft room.  Have no fear friends and family, we still have plenty of room for you if you come to visit! 

During:
We already had one Closet Maid cubeical, so we decided to just get a second one to use for the base.  I picked out a lovely shade of cream called 'artist canvas' (Behr paint) and we were good to go.  I'm sure my husband would have preferred for me to opt for plain white paint and white shelves (or go for a two-tone table as our original cubeical was dark).  But, I could picture it in my mind already, and 'artist canvas' was going to go on all of it.  Sorry dear.  Needless to say it took more than a weekend.  ;)

Here is the table top in painting progress (and the original color of our cube storage).

And here is the finished product:

We added wainscoting to the back for more stability (and because it just looks better).  The original cubes came with impractical pieces of cardboard that don't even cover the whole back.  It took a lot (a LOT!) of sanding and priming time to get the paint to adhere to the cubeicals.  Not a huge surprise being that we were working with the fake stuff, but something to be aware of if you ever try something similar.

It is a counter height table, which saves my back from having to hunch over my cutting mat every time I need to cut out a new project.  I'm now on the lookout for some bar height chairs so the kids and I can do other projects together here.  I'm still working on filling all those cubes with my sewing and craft items.  I certainly have plenty to fill it with, but I'm trying to find creative ways to organize it all.

I really need to give a big THANK YOU to my husband for this amazing gift.  I would normally have done a lot of the painting on a project like this since my husband hates - and I mean HATES - to paint!  But I was on  'light duty' at the time due to doctor's orders so he graciously sacrificed several weekends to get this done for me.  I feel so blessed...and maybe a little spoiled too! 

I'll be posting about baby again soon, so follow my blog to stay tuned.  Just a couple more weeks until we know if we're having a boy or a girl!

Baby Update

I thought I'd post a quick baby update for friends & family who are interested.  I had my first appointment with the doctor and my second ultrasound on Tuesday.  What a relief it is to see a little heart beating and such amazing growth from just a few weeks ago.  Little arm and leg buds and a sweet little human form (no more tail).  A hemorrhage issue that they caught early on is beginning to resolve itself.  The CNP was reasonably helpful and willing to work with me so that I can get necessary care, but not have to pay for tests I felt were unnecessary.  Actually, we had a lot of compromising to do, and she is probably  hoping that I see another provider next time since I can be a bit 'doctor defiant'.  Still, it was an informative appointment.

This weekend I have reached the ten week mark in my pregnancy.  Technically it isn't too significant in any medical or developmental terms.  Yet it feels like a milestone of sorts to me.  I've made it a quarter of the way through my pregnancy.  I'm half-way to knowing whether we will be shopping for pink or blue.  I've gotten to see my baby twice so far, and while the second time was to check on a potential complication, I have such peace knowing I was able to see my precious little one healthy and growing in my womb.  I feel truly blessed. 

Great Expectations

It has been forever since I even looked at my blog.  We've had some new developments in our family though, so I thought it was a good time to clear out the cobwebs and give an update.

As some of you may know, Bill & I have had adoption on our mind for quite some time.  We have started and stopped and started again.  It has been a very bumpy journey to say the least.  We found a great agency here in Minnesota and applied to the South Korea program where we were excited to be approved and move fairly easily through the program.  I thought "Finally, this is where we are supposed to be and the timing is right."  Our homestudy was approved about a week and a half ago and it seemed that all we had to do was wait and enjoy the excitement of anticipating a referral.  Except that I was having trouble with the excitement part.  I couldn't shake the feeling that something felt a little 'off', or missing, or.....late.

So early the next morning I took a test and two little pink lines confirmed what my body had already been telling me.  A blood-test with off the chart numbers and an ultrasound with a quick, strong little heartbeat chased away any doubt that was remaining.  To say that we are overwhelmed and confused would be the understatement of the year.  And, yes, of course, we are excited too!

Our adoption at this time is on hold.  I don't know when and if we'll go back to it.  We have dreamed of adopting for as long as we've dreamed of having children.  It was never an 'either/or' decision, or something we decided on as a second choice.  It was and still is something very dear to our hearts.  But I must admit that we have had an insane number of roadblocks every time we move in that direction.  I have no idea if God will make adoption part of our family story in the future.  No matter what direction He leads, I know it will be right for our family.

In the meantime, we have a new little one to look forward to and lots of planning ahead.  Not to mention the first trimester to get through in one piece!  Homeschooling through all-day sickness and exhaustion have left me pining away for summer like never before.  I'm only about 7 1/2 weeks along and my due date is December 29.  We are praying we do not have a Christmas baby, in part because the logistics for that could get pretty difficult without any family around (and let's face it, who wouldn't rather be home at Christmas instead of a hospital!).  Again it's one of those things we have no control over in life, so we will wait and see.

We'd love your prayers for the baby and pregnancy to be very healthy.  I had some complications previously that could be an issue again, and I know that statistically being 35 this year only raises some of my risks.  We hesitated to spread the news too early, but ultimately decided that the love and support of family and friends is what we need, whether things are perfect or not.  Also: our kids know.  And if you talk to them for more than five minutes, you're bound to find out!  :)

I'll be keeping more frequent updates on our family adventures and pregnancy on my blog.  We have to have another ultrasound in a couple of weeks, so I'll be sure to share about that as well.  Thanks for checking in!