Jenn's Jazzy Gems

Miscellaneous Stuff

I know I haven't posted in FOREVER -- sorry.  :-)  Life is pretty good though.  We heard the perfect little heartbeat of our baby-to-be yesterday (for the 2nd time)!  All the little ones in our lives are growing and moving now, so I thought I'd share a few photos.  Also, we moved some furniture around in our living room, and it seems much more open now.  Enjoy!

The boys are both making cool noises with their hands and mouths!

They are both also pulling themselves up and moving like crazy!  Before we know it, they'll both be talking and walking!  Ethan even waved bye-bye to me!

Figs and photos

  My husband was so sweet today and brought me a fig (kinda made me cry).  This is the size of our baby-to-be.  Can you believe it??

I realize I haven't posted in awhile.  I've not been on the computer much at all in the last few weeks (which is not a bad thing methinks).  Children at school today were kind of needy somehow, so I thought I'd post cute photos of "our" children: grandson, nephew.

Here's my dad on my mom's birthday with Jack.  Isn't this a cute photo?

  Jack and Ethan were hanging out!

Jack and his grandpa having a good ol' time.

There's nothing better than being upside down.  Jack prepares for roller coasters!

Jack ponders the meaning of life.

Is this not the absolute goofiest expression on the boy's face?

A beautiful smile if we do say so!

Jack is sitting up a lot more now, and Bonnie watches over him.

Maternity Clothes

So, I let it be known to students today that I am pregnant.  Hooray!  So, it's official now that I saw a picture of the little bean with it's moving heart yesterday!  Too amazing, really!  It's official enough that I walked into the maternity clothing store in the mall today and saw a really cute swimsuit and dared to try it on and buy it.  I knew I'd need one for the cruise and the YMCA this summer, and it was more affordable than most swimsuits I've ever found that look decent.  Here's a photo if you want to see.  I had to order it, so it'll be here in the next week or so, and then I'll wait to wear it so I can still take it back if I need to.  Only $35.  I feel like I got a bargain, and if I had waited, they probably wouldn't still have swimsuits.  You know how that goes.

Happy Birthday Mom!

I just loved this handmade birthday card image I found online.  What fun!  Happy Birthday Mom!  I'm proud of the yoga class, too!

We went to Sew Expo on Thursday last week and had a lot of fun.  I bought some wool applique patterns (not sure if I'll ever do them but love the pattern collecting). 

Not much else new here.  I've been trying to keep doing a little bit of organization at a time in my house, and now I'm off to continue with the laundry. 

Lisa Ling

I found our field trip yesterday quite fascinating.  Lisa Ling shared some stories about things going on in the world, that even with news stations broadcasting 24 hours per day, I really have not heard about.  She has such a unique perspective on the world, and while I would not probably be willing to put myself in danger as she has done over the years, I truly appreciate people like her so that we might have information we wouldn't otherwise have.  I was particularly intrigued by a story about child labor trafficking in Ghana.  I wish more of our news stations also broadcast these stories.  I sit here with my Journalism kids at layout, eating dinner, and I wonder how I can get my students more interested in publishing some far-reaching stories without being able to travel to those places.  Hmmm . . . It was certainly a thought-provoking-appreciate-what-you-have kind of day. 

National Geographic Live and Happy Birthday Dad!

I seem to be down to posting about once a week right now, but that's all the time I am able to devote.  Hopefully, there will be more soon, but for now, you'll have to settle.  :-)  I'm taking some of my Journalism students on a field trip tomorrow, and I'm really looking forward to it.  We'll head over to Seattle to Benaroya Hall (which is absolutely beautiful) for a presentation with National Geographic Live by Correspondent Lisa Ling.  I think we'll have a load of fun, and then we'll come back to school for layout. 

My dad's birthday was yesterday -- Happy Birthday Dad!!!  Sorry I didn't post yesterday!

Happy Heart Day and First Haircut Day

Happy Valentine's Day!!!  Jack got his first haircut today and his six month photos done as well.  It was quite the adventure for the little man, and he did so well!  He was smiling and laughing for all the photos.  I can't wait to get them!  Here are some photos of the hair adventure to share. 

 

     

What a week

Can you believe that Jack will be six months old this week???  Ethan will be seven months old!  Time flies when you're having fun.  I'm finally trying to finish the binding on Jack's quilt but have gotten distracted yet again this week.  I will work on it today though.  It's time to buy a high chair for Jack!

We bought a Chevy Venture van yesterday, so now I'm excited we can seat 8 people!  We can take all the kiddos and some adults in one vehicle.  Hooray!  It's a 2005 with only 31,000 miles on it, so we got a good deal.  It drives really nice, and when I take a photo of it, I'll post it.  Jaiden and I drove it over to show grandma and grandpa yesterday; she loves the new van!

My parents are putting in new flooring in their house, and it's going to look fantastic!  So, I'm giving some thought to starting to put in hardwoods/Pergo/etc. in one of the bedrooms and seeing how it goes. 

I'm trying to cut back on caffeine so will go buy some decaffeinated coffee at Costco today to start mixing in with the regular.  Wish me luck!  :-)

Today will be spent cleaning out my other car to transfer belongings and music to the van.  Also, I want to spend some more time in the back room clearing out my sewing and crafting "stuff" to create a bedroom again.  The house also desperately needs cleaning, so perhaps we'll strap cleaning cloths on Jack and let him crawl around.  LOL

Words that start with "I"

I just think it is so cute that all three kiddos were playing together that I had to share this photo from last week.

I was thinking today about how in a different fram of mind, the same event/person/thing can be inspirational or make me feel inadequate.  I doubt the little ones ever feel inadequate, but you know what I mean?  Like, when I go to a fabulous quilt show or look at people's blogs, I so admire all that people accomplish and create.  On any given day, this inspires me to create and have fun.  However, on other days, I just feel like I don't accomplish much.  I know the feeling will pass, and I'm usually a pretty positive and optimistic person, but it sometimes just happens.

On a positive note, I ordered some decorator fabric to make drapes for my living room!  It makes me nervous, but my mom assures me I can make them.  Even 50% at JoAnn's, it sure is an expensive enterprise, but I love the fabric and am sure will love the finished product (you know, in about six months when I finally make them).  I tried to find a photo online of the fabric I ordered but couldn't find it.  So, I'll post a photo I took of all three samples.  I went with the red/espresso, but I'm not sure how clear it will show up in this photo.

Falling behind

It is amazing to me how quickly I fall behind sometimes.  However, at least when I have a focus (or two), I understand how I can go so long without finding time to be on the computer or post to my blog.  It is not necessarily a bad thing becaues I'm accomplishing other goals (like grading papers today).

My sister and I went to the Bremerton Community Theater Thursday night for a preview of The Rainmaker.  Her boss is one of the leads, and it was really nice to go to the theater.  I need to go more often, as I truly enjoy seeing plays.  The Rainmaker was funnier than I expected, so that was a nice bonus.

I have been steadily working on downsizing my sewing room, so look forward to being able to share my organization when it's finished.  Perhaps then I can focus on actually finishing some projects. 

I wish you much joy today!