baby.

this ultrasound was taken at 12 weeks - our first look at baby.

i was just going to post a simple picture on instagram and then a few words lead to a lengthy paragraph (or two). apparently i had more to say than what that platform had to offer! so here i am back at the blog. this poor space i left unattended for far too long. 

well here's what's going on. 

yes, we're expecting and completely overjoyed. (i don't think people always see it... but i'll get to that.) our little bundle should arrive december 7th if all goes according to plan. 

next week we get to see our little one again. it will have been a month and half since we last peeked in on baby... and this time we get to find out if we'll be meeting a boy or girl in december. we have no real preference but our family seems to be cheering for a little girl. :)

since going public with our pregnancy, i've found that people really like to know how i'm doing. usually i say, "oh, i'm doing good!" because who really wants to hear that half the time i'm trying not to dry heave and the other half i feel like my ribs are being smushed. then that question is followed up with, "are you excited?" which, yes i am but isn't that a strange question to ask? that one catches me off guard because between the nausea and smushed ribs, it's really hard to be visibly excited and sell it. 

i am though! we are! 

despite not feeling great, i've come to terms with the nausea because it reminds me that there is a little one in there growing. especially when appointments are spaced so. far. apart. i am beyond thankful that i get to experience this amazing thing of growing a human. 

we've been blessed that baby seems to be doing fine as of now. prayers for baby to continue to be healthy would be greatly appreciated. 

we'll see you next week little one! 

life with jake.

so jake thinks he's a prankster...

a wednesday project

dislaimer: i am by no means a skilled sewist. 

i don't sew on a regular basis... but boy do i wish i could! i had some free time yesterday (like i said, two weeks off) and whipped up these pillows. i make it sound so easy, don't i? "i just whipped them up!" really though, they're pretty simple and for that reason i love them all the more.

i followed this tutorial for the pillows. i took some pictures along the way and i'll share parts where i, an inexperienced seamstress, ran into difficulties or where i just didn't know what the heck i was doing.

obviously you're gonna need some fabric and a pillow form. a sewing machine helps too.

my pillows were 18x18 so i was able to get away with just a half yard for each pillow.  i picked this cloud9 fabric up from a new little local shop call crafthouse. if you live in lincoln, you need to go. like now. go! i love the modern/simplistic look plus, it's a little heavier weight so i didn't have to add an extra lining for my pillows.

as for the pillows, i was lucky enough to snag two pottery barn pillows from a little place called cargo largo in missouri for $5 a pop. it's a good thing that place is in missouri because... well... yeah.

i always find that cutting the fabric is the hardest part. it's supposed to help if you iron... whoops. i wish someone could just come do that for me. it is no fun. if i had a huge cutting table, that might make things easier. anyway, when you're done cutting, make sure the right sides (or the sides you would want everyone to see) are facing each other. so while you're working on your project you see the ugly sides. double check and make sure your patterns line up or aren't wonky. you don't want wonky looking pillows.

once you have that done... you pin the sides leaving about a half inch seam allowance and a gap big enough for your pillow to squeeze into. one thing that i could not figure out because my brain was not working was how to put the pins in the opposite direction so that they're easier to take out while you are sewing. if you look at the picture above, the heads of my pins would reach the foot making them hard to take out. it should have been simpler than it was. it probably is, this is definitely a user error. i'll figure it out next time.

The next step was trimming the corners. I guess this is necessary to make the corners sharp on your project. I think it worked.

after you stuff the pillow inside your little cover, you're left with a gaping hole. you've got to pin that shut by folding the edges down and then pinning those four layers of fabric. i made a little video below showing how to do the slip-stitch. the video i watched to look this up, i said i was inexperienced, didn't have a clear shot of what was happening. hopefully this helps you guys.

ta-da! finished product.

that was my project yesterday! next task is to finish the quilt i started months ago...

what are you working on? show me!

hannah

it's that time of year again!

what time of year, you ask? the time where i start blogging more! it's a proven thing. just look at my archives. i think it's because winter is FINALLY over and i come out of hibernation. i always thought i was a fan of the winter, and i am, but i think i've come to realize that i like my spring, summer, and fall more.

here's what's going on right now.

i have two weeks off from teaching in omaha and even though i love those kids, i really love just being able to hang out in my garden with my dog and my chickens. plus, jake hung up the hammock we received as a wedding gift and we plan on spending many more evenings out back.

since it's back to the blogging time of year, i already have a few things in store...

like updating my 23 by 24. my birthday was last week so it's time to set some new goals! i was a little late to the game last year, so i'm going to carry some of the things that i didn't quite get to over to the new list. i'm hoping to do a better job of updating it as each goal is accomplished. we shall see.

i do lots of little projects and need to do a better job of documenting them. i hope to share those more on this space.

if you don't already, follow me on instagram! i am there all the stinkin' time. no joke. it's the easiest place for me to share things, especially when i don't have the time to write a full blog post. :)

you'll be hearing more from me soon!
hannah

march.

i can't believe it's already march. this year has already brought trials and so many blessings. let's play catch up.

j a n u a r y
// traveled to seoul in a moment's notice for my aunt's funeral. it was a very trying time for my family. however, i'm so grateful for that time with family that i haven't seen in close to 20 years. jake is the best for letting me go.
// started driving back to omaha four days a week instead of the two. love seeing those cute little 3 and 4 year old faces again!

f e b r u a r y
// traveled to new york! i was beginning to think i wouldn't meet my 23 before 24 goal. so glad i was able to see my best friend.
// my sleep schedule is finally normal. i've never talked about how sleeping has been an issue for me. i always considered myself a night owl... but now i'm thinking that maybe i'm just an insomniac. there were so many nights where i just could not sleep until 4 am. i'm hoping those days are behind me.
// i auditioned for grad school. what?! yeah. never thought i was going back. and maybe i won't? still waiting to hear the results. if i get a GTA, i'll be going back and definitely giving it my all, i have a greater appreciation for my professors and colleagues now than i did in my undergrad. if not, i can look forward to spending more time with jake and even maybe attend some seminars. we'll see!
// baby chicks are in the house! but only temporarily before it gets warm enough for them to be outdoors in their coop. their names are Dolly, Dottie, and Patsy. if you can figure it out, you must be a country music fan. not that i am, i just thought it was fitting. we've had them for two and half weeks. they were complete fluff to begin with but their feathers are starting to pop out! just look at those cute little tail feathers.

m a r c h
// jake and i will be celebrating our one year anniversary. i can't even believe it's been a year. at six months it felt like we've been married for years. but at a year... it only feels like a few months. funny how that works.
// i've been battling a huge cold this entire week. it progressively got worse as the week went on and yesterday was the pinnacle of this darn cold/flu. this morning i woke up and felt 50% better, minus the stuffy nose and cough. i always forget not to take my health for granted. i'm guessing that's why we get sick, to remind us of how blessed we are.

i'm so looking forward to the warm weather coming up. i've been watching the extended forecast, hopeful that this winter is finally over. you could say that i have spring fever.

encouragement.

I managed to stumble across some lovely, literally lovely, posts of encouragement today. French Press Mornings offers these 4x6 prints for free! Below are a few of my favorites. Enjoy and be encouraged!

2013: The Highlights

Here's my obligatory New Year's post for 2013. I may have stopped blogging for a bit but life still goes on. I'm excited to ring in the New Year and at the same time sad to see 2013 go. It was a good one. Like one of the best years of my life. I don't know how much merit that has considering there have only been 23 years of my life...but that's kinda saying that 22 other years didn't measure up, which is something, right? (I'm writing this late at night...so the run-on sentences and ramblings are about to come out full force.)

>>  In February we purchased a home.

>> Then we got married in March and I finally moved in to that home. 

>> Three days later we added a family member.. Charlie. 

>> I graduated from college in May (and got my diploma via USPS.. I'm too cool to walk across a stage.)


>> Planted a garden. (This really is a big deal.)


>> Overhauled our living room. New walls and new floors. This is the before.


>> Played for Michael Bublé on the opening concert of our local arena. (Yep, that's Michael and that's me talking to him. My 5 minutes of fame. It was glorious and embarrassing all at once.)

>> I also took a job in Omaha teaching preschoolers violin. (No picture for that, really, but it's the main reason posts have been so infrequent! My apologies.)

So you see what I mean? 2014 has some big shoes to fill.

I hope you all have had as great of a 2013 as I!

From me to you, Happy New Year! 

hannah