If the question is "Are we ready"... then the answer is....

well.... how can one every really be READY to become a parent. But if the question is "do you have all the baby gear ready for the baby?" - then the answer is definitely YES! I quit working sometime around July I think it was. And up until about two weeks ago was kept very busy with a number of baby projects. These are the results. The only thing left to make is a baby book/photo album, but I'm waiting for stuff to come in the mail. In the mean time... well, yes... I'm waiting for the baby. May she come soon.


The baby will be sharing a room with us for the first several months. Weston has been very patient and even genuinely excited as he has watched our bedroom be transformed into a nursery.

Yes, at least for the first few months, she has plenty to wear!!! All pre-washed and neatly folded.

Weston and I refinished this changing table back in September. Two of those baskets are full of cloth diapers. Wish us luck!

I refinished this dresser a few months back. Weston wasn't so hot on the drawer pulls I picked. I think he is getting used to them. They were cheap and I like flowers..... I think the baby will too....

This is my second attempt at a homemade boppy cover. I'm bad at putting in zippers, thus the ribbon ties. But I think it makes it so cute. The other side is soft fleece, for the baby.

I found a mobile that played my favorite lullaby - Brahms lullaby - for only $10 - but it was all pink with sparkly pink hanging toys. So I switched them out and made new brightly colored stars and moons. I like it much better now. So does Weston. We agreed on this one.

I inherited by parents old mini-crib. It is bassinet sized - perfect for a newborn. I don't have any "before" picts, but this is the finished product. We repainted it and I had a lot of fun finding old 50's style nursery decals for it. I also made the mattress. I wanted one that was made from all natural products and couldn't find one for a good price, but did manage to make one I think will work very well. My Mom also taught me how to make quick crib sheets, so it comes ready with three, all very adorable I think.

This may have been my favorite project. The blessing dress. It is made from left over lace from my wedding dress and ribbon I got at an estate sale. What will really make it worth it will be seeing her in it. This pict is of the front.

This is the back.....
And these are the bloomers.....


Well, that is all..... unless she's too much longer in coming. Then I might have to make something else to fill the time... waiting for something this good can be rough!

Day at the Beach

At 40 weeks and 3 days pregnant, a beautiful day with nothing to do called us to a beach near by - our favorite, called Wall Beach. The sand is soft, there are usually few others there, many birds, and lots of critters. It is beautiful. ....just be lucky we didn't take any pictures of the game of frisbee. My frisbee skills aren't quite what they used to be. Please don't ask me to go long, at least not for another couple of weeks!




...children playing on the beach.... it must have been 80 degrees + that day.....

Weston was soaking in the rays too....


Weston took this one. Isn't it nice. They look so drab until they open and then they are fantastic!

Just me showing off my profile. I don't think this shot does it justice!




Poor lost little ladybird beetle.


This shot is the second of two. For the first one, I pushed the button on the camera, thinking I could make the distance to Weston before the picture took. Needless to say, Weston was the only one in that picture. For this one, Weston pushed the button and look, he doesn't even look out of breath!!!

Our 1950's Bungalow... hopefully!

Well, this is real adulthood, a new baby and our first house in the same month! Weston went to Great Falls Montana over the last weekend to investigate the long line up of houses we thought might suit our needs and our budget - not necessarily in that order. Of that long line up, he came home with three possibilities and one favorite. As soon as I looked through all the pictures he had taken and after talking about all he saw until 2 am, we both knew which house not only suited our needs best, but also which one just felt right. You guessed it, the "favorite" house was chosen. So we made an offer, got a counter offer, and have accepted that. Here are some pictures of what will be our new home, barring any bad news from the inspector and appraiser. Keep your fingers crossed!

We think it is comfortably livable as is, but there is some general updating and also some finish work in the basement that can be done, which we think sounds like fun. People tell me this baby, soon to make an entrance, will keep me plenty busy, but I still think I'll need projects to tackle. The backyard is plenty big for kids, a dog, and maybe even chickens... :) And the house is on a nice, quiet street, so the kitties will get free range, something they will be grateful for. The highlight of the house is the green upstairs bathroom. I think you will all especially love it! And yes, we'll get right on painting that garage... well, as soon as the spring thaw comes.

California Wanderings

We have traveled a bit around California since we got here and it has always been my intention to start a blog so I can show you all where we've been and.... now that I think of it... and to show you why you should have come to visit us. No, no. You don't need to make excuses. Weston and I understand. It's okay that you didn't come. But there is still time.... ;)

This first two pictures are from a camping trip up a near by mountain - Figueroa Mountain.
























We heard about an beach locally known as "Elephant Seal Beach" not too far from here. Though we were too late in the season to see the females or any of the really big males, the juvenile and young adult males still put on a show for us.





































































Every May in Santa Barbara the "Big Dog" company hosts a dog parade. It was quite the event. I think all you dog owners out there should consider what role your pup might best play in next years extravaganza. We also went to the Santa Barbara Zoo.











Every June in Lompoc, CA the flower growers host the Flower Festival. You've never seen so many sweat peas in all your life. Field after field of them. There were also marigolds, artichoke plants in bloom, and many many other I couldn't identify. Here are some picts we took on our drive.



In June, we spend a weekend camping on Santa Cruz Island, just off the cost. I found that getting in and out of a small tent when six months pregnant was actually quite difficult. If we went now, I think I would just have to sleep on the picnic table. This island has a neat recent history and a wonderful host of endemic fauna (and likely flora) . Pictured is the endemic fox. Cat sized cuties that make daily passes through camp to see if we've left any food out where they can get to it. Although it had been a very dry year, the island still had many flowers and after finding dense nests of Andrena and Diadasia, I couldn't help but day dream about the beelab hiring me to do some intense collecting out there.


Lastly, just a month ago we made a road trip to pick up the new subaru we purchased. (We traded in my cute little VW golf for a Forester. Icey Montana winters warranted just such a trade in... especially with the little one on the way. Safety first!) It was quite the trip. It ended with a drive down highway 1 from San Fransisco to Lompoc. We stopped to see some redwoods on the way.