+ We took E to the apple orchard last weekend, and she got to be "Annie the apple farmer" (it's a little board book she got as a gift and has been obsessed with off and on for a while now). The guy working the u-pick stand let her take a wagon--I'm not sure if they normally charge for that or not, but we were the ONLY people there so we got to just grab and go. E rode out in her wagon, then started pulling apples off the lowest branches of the trees. It only took her about five minutes to fill up her bag--turns out, apple-picking isn't quite the all-day adventure I had imagined. Dad lifted her up on his shoulders so she could snag a few from the higher branches, too, just for fun. Then we went back to the snack barn and nibbled on popcorn balls and apple donuts for a while before heading home. Fall bucket list win, right there. E hasn't stopped talking about it since, and she loooooves eating the apples she picked herself. I think she'd eat herself sick on apples if I let her.
+ We had another ultrasound this week, and we're finally in the clear! Baby is head down and the placenta is totally far enough away from the cervix (finally) to be safe. Praise God! High fives all around!
+ I'm done with my Christmas shopping. Well, as done as I can be--there's a sibling drawing still to be set up and I can't order my dad's gift yet because it's food-based. But other than that, I'm totally finished. The mail lady probably thinks I'm a crazy home shopping network addict because so many packages keep arriving. But I made it my goal to be done super early so I could focus on baby business and then not be stressed about it after the birth. Mission accomplished! We'll be able to just have the baby, enjoy the baby, and chill.
+ I recently added a completely frivolous but still fun "resource" to our book collection for homeschooling (I tell myself it's for homeschooling because then it allows me to pretend it's not just a ridiculous indulgence for my inner nerd). A Charm of Goldfinches, by Matt Sewell, is all about the collective nouns for groups of animals--a murder of crows, a quiver of cobras, a skulk of foxes, etc. The grammar geek in me is doing a giddy happy dance right now. Each spread is a different animal, and the illustrations are gorgeous. There's also a bit of information about the animal (see, educational!) and a bit about the noun and/or the illustration. There's a section in the back where you can check off animals you've seen, too. (Probably more fun for kids than anyone else.)
I won't lie, my favorite part of the book is the geeky part: the words! I love the entries that include the history of the term (see, more education!). The illustrations are also a feature to get excited about--they're simple (definitely not any sort of high art) but I think they're beautiful in their own way. I think they're watercolor, but truthfully it's probably mixed media. For nature journalers, it's nice to see images that are detailed without being unacheivable in your own observations.
Anyway, that's my latest book business. Because I'm silly and I dig gift-type books (this would TOTALLY be a good gift for someone who likes nature and/or words, by the way).
+ I've been kicking butt on the dollhouse I'm making for E's Christmas gift. We bought this thing used last Christmas, and I've been very slow about remodeling it. Painfully slow. But in the last month or two I've found a groove. For the first time, I can look at it and think "This could work. I might actually get this done." That's new. I like it.
Of course, now that I've written about it, I'll probably stall out and it'll never get done and poor E will have no Christmas gift. But then again, maybe it'll motivate me to git'er done so I can share before she gets her hands on it. *fingers crossed* Either way, I think we need to be done with the handmade gifts for a while. Last year's play kitchen and this year's dollhouse have both been projects that took an entire year of work to get done--it's time to take a year off and hit up the toy aisle instead! (We'll see if I can stick to that plan. I doubt it.)
Of course, now that I've written about it, I'll probably stall out and it'll never get done and poor E will have no Christmas gift. But then again, maybe it'll motivate me to git'er done so I can share before she gets her hands on it. *fingers crossed* Either way, I think we need to be done with the handmade gifts for a while. Last year's play kitchen and this year's dollhouse have both been projects that took an entire year of work to get done--it's time to take a year off and hit up the toy aisle instead! (We'll see if I can stick to that plan. I doubt it.)
Having had an almost-Christmas baby last year, I totally get the shopping done wayyy ahead of time thing. I was so happy I did!
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