Demolition

I am very grateful for our friends. I am so glad they like destroying things and don't mind getting dirty. Because the bedroom/bathroom renovation has begun, and it is messy, messy, work.

Goodbye, horrible grey fake wood panelling with "french crown molding."

Goodbye orange painted floor.

Goodbye weirdly shaped bedroom which we only use half of.

Goodbye sagging ceiling with the bare bulb light fixture and more "french crown molding" around the access to the attic.

Oh, Hello portrait of JFK hiding behind the paneling.

Hello, subfloor and bags upon bags of blown-in insulation.

Hello 5 bats (five! FIVE!) hibernating in the eaves. And goodbye. Please don't come back.

Thankyou Mike for bringing over rolled insulation to try to preserve some of the heat now the walls are down. And thank you Nate, Hip, Anthony, and Rick for destroying half of my second floor. If we had had the contractor do it, it would have cost us another $4000. I'm so glad you guys like demo.

Also, since I dropped my camera and broke my basic lens, we need to save every penny for a replacement. All these pictures were taken either with my cell phone or with the 55-200 zoom lens. Not ideal.

Rosemary

This rosemary plant sat on our front steps all summer long. And through the fall. In fact, it was pretty much December when I brought it inside and took several clippings to make the rosemary salt for our Christmas baskets this year. Every other plant had succombed to frostbite, and I had even stopped watering them at the end of October. Despite all this it survives.

Not just survives, but thrives, sending out all of these tiny delicate branches. Apparently it's warm enough inside that it thinks it's spring, and it's enthusiastically sending out new growth. I think I'll have to repot it soon, but for now I am just leaving it as it is, all swirly and ferny, looking like it has a serious case of bedhead. I want to give it a trim but not until the new branches have a little more firmness to them. In the meantime I took a plant stand from my parents's house and set it by the kitchen window for plenty of southern light.

Also. I accidentally bought mini biscuits the last time I bought frozen biscuits at the store. These babies are tiny, a little bigger than bite size, and so cute. This morning, since neither Matt and I were working, I made breakfast sliders with sausage and eggs.

Aren't they adorable???

New Year's Eve with the Bedards

Our friends, Art and Nicole Bedard, have a family tradition on New Year's Eve which has become our tradition as well. It was actually started by Nicole's mother, and Nicole and Art have taken over hosting it for the past several years. They invite all of their family and friends to come over on New Year's Eve. Everyone brings an appetizer or dessert.

It starts with praise and worship music.

Everyone sings along. Art and Nicole have collected a supply of music books so everyone has the words, and the kids will call for their favorite songs.

After about a half hour of music, they pass around the blessing cup (actually, the group has become so large that they have three cups. As the cup comes to each person, they say what they are thankful for and how God has blessed them in the past year.

I think my favorite part is how all the Bedards cry when it's their turn. And often when it's other people's turn. I know that's weird to say, but I love that they wear their hearts on their sleeves this way, and the deep love that they express for each other every year.

This year I was also very moved by Nicole's father, who talked about his experience this year in going to the adoration chapel and how God has blessed him just by letting him sit five feet away from his savior every week.

After everyone's had a turn, there's more music.

And some dancing

By now, it will be around 10, so we'll all break for food and spend time talking with each other. Matt and I usually spend the time chatting with Bill and Marie and Art and Nicole.

Until around 11:40, when it's time to put on funny hats.

At Midnight, everyone counts down, and then there's lots of hugging.

It's a great way to begin the new year! Thanks Art and Nicole for making us a part of it.

Me, 2011

Check out the belly!

I took this picture on New Year's Day. Being pregnant is weird, because I have had such body issues my whole life. I can't think of a time post-adolescence where I haven't been embarassed by my body and believed that I just needed more discipline and will power to actually be attractive. I find myself envying girls who had the strength of will to be bulimic and anorexic, and if that doesn't sum it up, I don't know how else to explain it. There have been times when I haven't felt as bad, but never a time when I've looked in the mirror and been pleased.

So to suddenly have this belly, and be pleased with it... it's strange. I'm still paranoid about gaining weight and terrified of my post baby body. But this belly showed up literally over a weekend right after Thanksgiving. On Friday it wasn't there and then Monday it was. And I was excited about it. Which I guess is a step in the right direction.

Also, those disney pajamas are some of the most comfortable things I've ever owned.