Been a long week, now 35 weeks. 5 weeks to go to reach the official due date.
Looking forward to my baby shower on Saturday and seeing friends and family.
Got baby's afghan finished this week, too...will post pics sometime

Dancer Girl lost her first baby tooth this week, and she was soo soo soo excited. It was on the bottom, and she is so cute with a little gap there.

A couple of my irises did bloom, very pretty light and dark purples
Husband also got the front lawn mowed, and it looks good. I always like how the lawn looks right after we mow it the first time.

Other than that, just taking it easy, finishing up the school year, heading outside every nice day that we have

(the pic is of some irises that I gave my mom, Motherkitty)

Baby Belly & New Bed

Well, here is me last week, ha ha. I am currently 34 weeks, and baby boy certainly is growing. He may come earlier than his current due date, which is June 1. What do you guys think? On Friday, at my OB appointment, my midwife confirmed what we thought....that he has already dropped and is head down. Apparently he is getting ready and wants to come out and see us :). If you go by my first due date, I could be 36 weeks. I kind of think he will come sometime in between, closer to the end of May, but we will see.

Here is the fancy new loft bed/bunk bed with slide that all the grandparents helped us get for the girls. It is a big hit!!!!

The girls got sick with a terrible cold in the middle of the night before Easter Sunday, and were sick all that week. Kind of feels like I lost a week somewhere. That is one reason I have not blogged recently. Also, been busy catching up with end of the year school things. Add to that computer difficulties that prevent me from getting online consistently and the fact that I need more naps, ha ha, and, well, time flies.

Hope you are all well, and that all the plants and flowers in your yard are not as wilted from the freeze in recent weeks as mine are. As of right now, it doesn't look like my irises or hydrangea will bloom this year, unsure about the roses. Somehow the lily of the valley thrived with the cold, but my hostas look like droopy wilted lettuce in the bottom of your fridge. It will be hard to not do yard work from here on out and after baby is born.

Changing the Channel

I was skimming through a book* my husband got me last year, and I came across this:

"We all know how to use the remote control to change the channels on the TV. If we see something we don't like, no big deal-- we just flip channels. We need to learn how to mentally change channels when negative images of the past pop up in our minds unexpectedly. Unfortunately, when some people see those negative experiences on their minds' "screens," instead of quickly changing the channels, they pull up a chair and get some popcorn, as though they're going to watch a good movie. They willingly allow themselves to relive all those hurts and pains. Then they wonder why they are depressed, upset, or discouraged.

Learn to change the channel. Don't let your mind or your emotions drag you down into despair. Instead, dwell on the good things God has done in your life. "

I think that is really good. Let's save the popcorn for the really good movies and memories.

"A merry heart does good, like medicine,
But a broken spirit dries the bones."

Proverbs 17:22 NKJV

"Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing."

Proverbs 12:18 NIV

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–

think about such things."

Philippians 4:8 NIV

"No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven."

Philippians 3:13-14 NLT

*(the book my husband got me was Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen)

I Believe

(Inscription on the walls of a cellar in Cologne, Germany, where Jews hid from Nazis)

I believe in the sun even when it is not shining.

I believe in love even when feeling it not.

I believe in God even when He is silent.

I was skimming through a book about Passover that my husband got me and found this quote. The landscape pic is by Peter Sharpe, click the pic to go to his page.

For Catzilla

Here is a pic I took this week of Big Fat Kitty (aka Leah).
She was very happy napping next to the crocheted yarn blanket we were sitting on to read books near the redbud. As you can see, she was stretching her paws out as close as possible to the blanket. Whenever we go outside all the kitties follow us.

Here is a pic of Big Fat Kitty as a baby. As you can see, she is pitty-patting on her favorite afghan. I gave her the afghan when she was a baby (handed down from when someone gave it to me. I didn't make this one). Big Fat Kitty is the reason this blog is called KittenYarn. Every time I get yarn out or any afghan, here comes Big Fat Kitty to help or lay on my lap. These days she is not very happy with all the other kitties around, but has formed a peace alliance with them as long as they stay outside and she is the only one who gets to come in. ha ha

Spring is Here

Well, my crocuses, daffodils, and grape hyacinths have been blooming, and though they are fading now, they have been beautiful. I just peeked out the window and noticed my hostas poking through the soil. Hurray! I love baby plants.

The girls have enjoyed playing outside this week, too. One day, we took our books and things outside to sit outside next to my redbud (where the crocuses and daffodils are) and read. I brought their watercolors outside and let them paint a picture after we read books. It is spring break lots of places, and I think Dancer Girl wants one, too, because it has been difficult to get her to concentrate on finishing her schoolwork! ha ha. Isn't that true of all of us? Don't we all want to go out in the sunshine and enjoy the fresh air after feeling stuck inside all winter? Well, at least I do. I will have to make a point to include more picnic lunches and story hours outside next week. Things like that.



We went to the local Dairy Queen last night and they have picnic tables in an adjacent vacant grassy lot. After the ice cream was gone, the girls ran and ran, and then picked any little flowers they could find. As soon as we got back into the van, Little One said with a very serious look, "I miss Dairy Queen."

Little One's birthday celebrations went great, and lots of grandparents and her little friends arrived to eat and play with us. What a great time we had! She is very proud to be a big 3 year old.


Dancer Girl has been amusing everyone, even total strangers lately. When people ask her how old she is, she keeps saying, "I am 5 and 7 quarters." So funny. I tried to tell her that would make her almost 7, but I guess she is a little young for really understanding fractions that well. Math is still her favorite subject, though, & is becoming a really good reader, and loves to draw and paint. Gymnastics and ballet are still going strong, too.


Baby brother is growing and growing, and my belly is getting bigger and bigger. I am 30 weeks, and measured 31 weeks at my OB appointment yesterday. Doc said everything looks perfect. I have been consistently been measuring at least one week larger so I am wondering if baby boy will get here before my June 1 due date. My original due date was May 17, so the possibility is there.



My brother-in-law is supposed to be coming sometime today to help husband move furniture around, dressers and stuff. We had one in the play/school room we were using for storage, but now we need to move it out of there and we are rearranging both bedrooms to make room. I will be glad when all is settled, and everything has a place. Dancer Girl and Little One got sooo many books for Christmas that we have not had room for them on their bookcase. The ones that don't fit have been piled in the corner, sad to be left out, waiting for the day when we get a taller bookcase, ha ha.

Well, everyone else is still asleep, and my tummy is starting to rumble, so I guess I am going to go find breakfast for baby brother, ha ha. Maybe I will even watch a little TV (something that is not PBS, Nickelodeon, or the Disney Channel) before the Saturday cartoons start.

Hope everyone has a great Saturday!

Happy Birthday Sweetie

Today is Little One's 3rd Birthday. Here are some pictures of her from the time she was born. Enjoy.

Newborn Little One with Dancer Girl and Dada

Dancer Girl and Little One (2-3 months old)

Little One (about 6 mos) with Dada

Little One at Dancer Girl's 3rd birthday party with Aunt, Abandoned in Pasadena, Grandpa's sister (Tomas)


Little One, age 1


Little One, summer 2005


Little One, 2nd Birthday, 1 Year Ago


Me and My Girls Last Month

We Picked Daffodils

My beautiful girls!

Happy 11th Anniversary to Us!

We give God credit for helping us have a great and adventurous marriage so far!

O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

1 Chronicles 16:34 (King James Version)

Sleep Deprived Funny

Well, I thought this might amuse some of you. It was funny to me in a head slapping, You should have had a V8, kind of way. It has been a draining week. We have all had a stomach virus, though mostly mild and not long lasting effects for anyone except my husband.

Dancer Girl was sleeping with her head on my lap and Little One was sitting on the other side of my lap. I kept smelling something that made me wonder if one of my sweeties had an accident or had a relapse of the dreaded body emptying stomach virus. I sniffed the air. I peeked in pants. Nothing.

Only later when I walked into the kitchen did I realize my faux pas...

I haven't been to the store in a couple of days and have been running out of some basics....bread, eggs, flour, sugar, etc. So I decided to go ahead and make something in the crockpot, a ham and bean soup. (yes, you can start laughing already). I had ham in the freezer from the one I baked at Christmas. I got the beans soaked and ready and threw all in the crockpot and then forgot about it.

Unfortunately, beans and ham cooking smells surprisingly similar, in a weird sort of way, to the bathroom smells associated with stomach virus stuff. Granted, I haven't been sleeping much, and have spent way too much time on my hands and knees on the floor in the bathroom... wiping, scrubbing, cleaning, worshipping at the green altar called my toilet.

So, here is the big hint of the day.....

It is not a good idea to make a big pot of ham and bean soup after everyone in your house is recovering from a stomach virus.


Well, the soup will still be good, and everyone will recover....perhaps I just need to get out and get some fresh air.....it was kind of funny, though


(I keep picturing myself sitting on the couch covered with children, sniffing the air, trying to figure out what that terrible smell was....)

on a springtime note....my little yellow crocuses are blooming under the redbud tree, and I am very happy to see them

Heading to the OB for lots of lab work, normal stuff. Then after this, I will start going every two weeks....it sure is going fast now. Last weekend got my bedroom decluttered, and you can actually see carpet and tops of desks where things were stacked before. Also got the changing table completely cleaned off (told my clean laundry and coats they would have to actually reside somewhere else, ha ha). Gearing up for Little One's 3rd birthday party in a few weeks, will have to find her a new nickname cause baby boy will be the little one. Actually though, she has been acting more like a baby lately than she has in a very long time....don't think she is purposely doing it, but part of her must realize that new baby will spend lots of time on mommy's lap, nursing and snuggling....will be trying to squeeze in lots of extra snuggles to both my big girls before baby brother gets her at the end of May or beginning of June.

hope everyone has had a good week....

Update 3-3-07: OB appointment went well, measuring 28 weeks....Biggest surprise was seeing college friend Mama Lamba from Ewes Gnus in the waiting room at the OB office. We got to catch up a lot, and I got to see her beautiful new baby girl, Hannah. What a sweetie! It was so good to see her and her husband. Had some good laughs and hugs :)

Amazing Deal

I was just working on laundry and hanging up clothes. I was putting away several new shirts my husband's mom got him. She got an amazing deal at JC Penney on these shirts for my husband. These were $34 shirts and she got them for $3.97 each. Man, that is a good deal. I just stopped to do the math. I just counted 7 new shirts at about $4 each, which is $28. That is 7 new dress shirts for less than the price of one regularly priced shirt. At regular prices, she would have paid $238 for the same shirts. I am just amazed and thankful. Thank you, Mother in Law, for finding such a good deal for my husband, your son.

I want to thank God too because I know this is a good thing from Him. He told me not to worry about the food I eat, the clothes I wear, etc. (somewhere in Matthew, I think). I also know that every good and perfect gift comes from above, from the Father of Lights. Well, this gift is more than perfect. He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all we ask, think, or imagine. And just think, we didn't even ask for this gift....

Playing Outside

Yesterday it was in the 40's and very sunny and the girls and I went on a long walk around the neighborhood, ending up at Dancer Girl's friend's house, where they played and played and had such a good time. Dancer Girl's friend has a little sister too, so Little One had someone to play with too.

Today it was 50 degrees and we went out for recess and to feed the cats right before lunch. Though it was muddy in spots in my backyard, the girls had fun running and swinging. I picked up sticks, uncovered baby flowers, and generally just enjoyed being outside. We found a few daffodil plants with tiny buds on them already, and I was surprised to find one plant with 2 daffodils blooming already on it. The girls and I picked up toys, balls, hula hoops, etc. that we had all over the yard all winter (ha ha, better late than never). We brought the 2 daffodils in and put them in a vase.

Dreaming of Spring

Word Cloud

Build your own Word Cloud Hey, I also just noticed that yesterday was the 2 yr anniversary of the day I started this blog. woo hoo. Who knew I had so much to say? ha ha

almost 250 posts in 2 yrs....

Sewing Humor

This silly list is something I found by accident today. I have been up at 2 am sewing, but these are not my personal experiences...though some sound familiar and I thought they were very funny. I found this by googling something like "$1 yard fabric" just for fun. Just looking around to see if there was such a thing online, since my biggest stash of material is a plastic bin full of $1/yard fabric from the local Wal-Mart. ha ha . I found this picture of a kitty named Orson helping with sewing here on this blog, velma.org. He is sooo cute.


Things We've Learned Sewing at 2:00 am
1. I hate hemming.

2. My bobbin winder hates me.

3. The more you try to fix the hem, the more you will screw it up.

4. I need a serger.

5. Don't use red chalk to draw the pattern on white fabric when you need the garb the next day.

6. If the neck hole was too little the first time, only cut a little bit off at a time. There's no going back. I now have an off the shoulder under tunic.

7. If you're trying on the garb you're sewing over and over to get the right fit, it's easier just to sew nekkid. Someone please tell me I'm not alone.

8. The irst time you sew it together, use big stitches. They're easier to pull out.

9. Trying to convince yourself that no one will notice that the sleeves are two different lengths gets easier as the night goes on.

10. They play really crappy music on the radio at 2:00 AM

11. Ignore the "Buy 1 more yard then you think you'll need" rule. Replace it with the "Buy 7 more yards than you think you'll need" rule.

12. Get $1/yard fabric. Then you won't swear at yourself so much.

13. You can see a black bra through $1/yard white cotton.

14. You can see a white bra through $1/yard white cotton.

15. You can see you're not wearing a bra through $1/yard white cotton.

16. The warning on cold medicine that says you shouldn't operate heavy machinery while on this drug should state sewing machines specifically.

17. If you're going to be trying on something that's pinned, and have to pull it over your head, remember to wear protective eye gear.

18. The numbers on my tape measure move. They must. I've measured 3 times, and it's still not working.

19. You really do have to match plaids or your butt looks funny.

20. Remember Rule 6? Don't do that again on the over-tunic. Next time, try a key hole.

21. At 4:00 AM, leaving the garb too big sounds perfectly acceptable.

22. No matter how far in advance you start sewing your garb, you will be finishing it at 2:00 AM the night before the event.

23. No matter what you learned from your last 2:00 AM sewathon, you're gonna do it all again.

24. Don't get ambitious. This is not the time to start blackworking that chemise you want to wear this Saturday for court. Limit yourself to grunt work and easy stuff.

25. If, having limited yourself to easy stuff, you still screw up 3 times, it's time to put the piece down and back away slowly.

26. Contrary to what you have heard, most people would say that it is NOT fun to sew in a car. Especially if you're prone to carsickness. Vomit does not appreciably improve either your temper or the garb. So don't expect to finish anything on the way to the event.

27. I made the dress and it fits perfectly. Too bad I forgot to prewash the fabric first. Now it fits my 12-year-old daughter.

28. Cats are at their most "helpful" at 2am.

29. Husbands who sleep right through Godzilla movies complain about you dropping pins while they're trying to sleep.

February update

Just wanted to write a quick update for those of you who might check in...

been busy

Dancer Girl has an ear infection, and Little One just got over a runny nose from all last week. We really have missed a lot of story hours at the library, dance and gymnastics classes, and church this year so far. In a way, it has been nice to be home so much. Baby brother is growing and I am happy to say nesting has started in a slow and steady kind of way (I need all the time and help I can get, ha ha). Dancer Girl has to have some dental work done next week. Long Haired Daddy also had an unfortunate dental emergency this week. He was eating a sandwich from a fast food place and had sudden pain, and he said it felt like he bit into a bone. Ugh. Well to make a long story very short, a piece of his tooth chipped off, and the next day his whole tooth just fell apart and fell out. Leaving out the gory details, he had to go to the dentist right away, and now will have to have extensive dental work to fix the problem... in the meantime his gums are sore and he is having lots of trouble eating.

I will be glad when spring comes....new life, flowers, sunshine, going outside, hopefully the end of all the winter sicknesses. Thank God I have barely been sick, and also that the girls have recovered quickly each time they had an illness. For Dancer Girl, this is the worst one so far.

On a happy note, Tuesday was the anniversary of the day my husband and I met at the local college campus 12 years ago. I was so distracted dealing with sicky-poo children that I actually forgot this year, and sweet husband remembered. Unfortunately it was the day his tooth broke. He was planning on taking me to the Campus Coffee Shop where we met. How sweet. Now we will have to wait. That is okay, our wedding anniversary (11th) is in March. We can try then.

Also, Little One is getting ready for her 3rd birthday in March, and we are so excited and happy. She has settled on a Strawberry Shortcake birthday party this year, and I happened to find all the party accessories online 50% off. Hurray for good sales!

Well, the girls are begging me to get off here and read them bedtime books. They are pretty tired, busy day. Sweet dreams, all

Snow Girls

We had some snow yesterday morning, Feb. 1, so we went out to play. (don't know why my camera had the date wrong)









by the afternoon the snow melted, but this morning there was more snow than yesterday, though we haven't gone out yet....

Pictures for Psalm 145

Here are two pictures I tried to add to yesterday's post with Psalm 145....

I found them here, they are by a Chinese artist called Henry Yan. The first one is called Field of Flowers and the second one is called Mothers Love

Encouraging Words

from Psalm 145, was reading this today and for some reason, it seemed to hit home, was very encouraging...

2 Every day I will bless You,
And I will praise Your name forever and ever.

3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
And His greatness is unsearchable.

4 One generation shall praise Your works to another,
And shall declare Your mighty acts...

8 The Lord is gracious and full of compassion,
Slow to anger and great in mercy.

9 The Lord is good to all,
And His tender mercies are over all His works.
10 All Your works shall praise You, O Lord,...

14 The Lord upholds all who fall,
And raises up all who are bowed down.

15 The eyes of all look expectantly to You,
And You give them their food in due season.

16 You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing...

18 The Lord is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth.

19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He also will hear their cry and save them...

21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord,
And all flesh shall bless His holy name
Forever and ever.

Baby Boy Afghan, Etc.

It is the end of another week.

I am currently about 22 weeks pregnant, so that means there are about 18 weeks to go. We still have not settled on a baby boy name yet, but have been making lists. I finally decided on afghan colors for baby boy and have been working diligently to make progress. Blues, blacks, and ice blues are what I settled on, in a kind of ripple design. Of course I started with a pattern, but altered it quite a bit. It turns out the only similarity in the pattern now is the opening number of stitches and the number of stitches per ripple. Hopefully I will remember to take a picture so you can see the work in progress. (Edit-- somehow, though it took me all day, and who knows how many tries, obviously I was able to post a pic, ha ha. You can also see more on My Craft Page that my Dad made for me. Thanks, Dad.

I know Motherkitty is also making an afghan for baby, so I will take this opportunity to poke and prod her a bit.....Mom, have you worked on it since Christmas? Hmmm? I am in month 6 and I am over halfway there.

Some good news, too. My husband got out my huge bin of baby clothes (0-9 months sizes) from the shed. It turns out that I have more neutral and boy-looking clothes than I thought. I have a few sleepers and gowns for 0-3, a few sleepers/outfits each for 3-6 and 6-9 months. I also went through my receiving blankets and heavier blankets and found lots that would work for baby boy.

I also have a baby blue portable bassinet, and a white/blue regular size bassinet. The playard (current version of playpen) in navy blues and tans. From the first time I got pregnant I decided that all the big pieces of baby equipment would be neutral colors, and I am glad now that I did that. A friend whose baby just turned one said she would give me her infant car seat, so I don't have to worry about that either.

The only other thing I might replace are old strollers. All the ones I have were either borrowed, given to me or bought at a consignment store or yard sale for $2. I have plenty of time to figure that out.

My sweet husband surprised me yesterday, and said he would take the girls to gymnastics (Dancer Girl's 2 hr class) and also go to the grocery store while they were out. So yesterday afternoon I had 2 hrs all to myself. First I put on some music and then loaded the dishwasher and found all my counters, ha ha. I had quite a mess from Wednesday, long hair hubby's birthday. I made him lasagna and a chocolate pie.

Then I watched some episodes of Battlestar Galactica (again, thank you husband for downloading those for me) that I missed while I was working on baby's afghan.

And now a Message from our Sponsors

here is a post coming directly to you from Little One, who will be 3 in March and Dancer Girl who is 5

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X Marks the Spot

Busy week
Fun school
X is the letter of the week
cutting
pasting
coloring
writing
reading
watching Strawberry Shortcake
math with beans
sewing X's
cleaning house
folding towels
little girls folding washcloths
watching more Strawberry Shortcake
talking to baby Brother
dressing up
singing and dancing
going to the library
dollhouse
little girls making their beds

the girls don't know it, but I am planning a surprise this week, a scavenger hunt, complete with an "X marks the spot" map

Grandpa Teaches Art

The girls were SO excited because Grandpa was coming to do art with them today. (will try to post pictures later). They had so much fun. Grandma even surprised them with bags of gifts, and doing some sewing cards with them. We had a great lunch, did art, listened to great music, played games. It was a really nice day. The girls and I are already looking forward to the next time Grandma and Grandpa come :)

By the way, Grandma, make an appointment for those kittens. They will be 6 months old at the end of January....

Speedy Recovery

We are all much better, thanks for your sweet thoughts. Dancer Girl felt better the morning after we saw the doctor. I kind of wish we had waited a day to see how it would go, but we got an appointment so fast and I was so surprised, that we just went right away. When I called, they said, can you come in a half an hour? Well, now she has to finish the 10 day antibiotics, could be worse, although I tend to lean towards underprescribing. Well, this time, I just chose to trust the doctor, because she said Dancer Girl had 4 out of 5 symptoms for strep. Who knows? We may have gotten the meds just in time and that was what made her feel better faster. I will give all the credit to my God, though, because He is the ultimate healer. He can heal using doctors and medicines, and sometimes He heals in an instant, and sometimes He gives us wisdom to eat and drink things that will make and keep us strong and healthy.

Going to take down the Christmas tree today and make home-made pizza. Yesterday, I baked a ham that my husband was given from the company he is working with right now. It was really good! Yum.

And, I have all my dishes washed. Ok, mom, you can get up off the floor now. You can see both sides of my sink. It has been that way pretty much all week and last week. I am actually caught up on the girls' laundry and on the linens. I just have a couple of loads of mine and my husband's to wash and put away. About the only thing I can credit for being so caught up is not going anywhere. I kind of like staying home, and not rushing off everywhere.

Staying home has also made the first week back to school very productive, even with people not feeling well. Gotta go make my dough, have a good one!