ClassiclyAmber

Need a Cute New Year Desktop?

classiclyamber — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:00:51 +0000

I love stuff like this. Who doesn’t?

Super cute penguins on a lovely winter day…and a handy calendar! =-)

Caroline Johansson, a freelance graphic designer/illustrator creates great art – and I am loving this cute little desktop background she made for all of us to enjoy. Go here to download it for free. It comes in several different sizes, so there’s sure to be one you can nab.

While you’re over there, might as well take a peek at some of her other work, too. She’s great~!

Happy Twenty-Twelve~!

classiclyamber — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 15:05:11 +0000

Some say…”two thousand twelve”…and some say…”twenty-twelve”…How do YOU pronounce the year? And is there really a conflict on the pronunciation?

I’m going with “Twenty-twelve”.

And now, my dears, a song: [clears throat]

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ?

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !
and surely I’ll buy mine !
And we’ll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine^† ;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

And there’s a hand my trusty friend !
And give us a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

Wasn’t that grande? No matter how you choose to say it, it’s here and I wish you the absolute best for this year~!

Christmas Greetings

classiclyamber — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 15:00:13 +0000

Everyone is saying it: “Christmas is HERE already! Can you beLIEVE it?!?” I’m joining that chorus because I’m on key. Where did 2011 fly off to? It’s nearly gone – but our family has had some wonderful memories this year. Hope yours did, too, and hope you took lots of photos to look back on in 10 or 20 years from now.

We have received lots of holiday cards this season [even though our family didn't send any out this year!] – and I have enjoyed them all. My favorite just came, though…it might be my most fav ever, and here it is:

Mm – pure, basic and lovely. Why do I love it so much? Because it is real. We know that Mary and Jesus were real, but why is it that they are always pictured together so formally? Mary must have really loved her son – so, so much! It’s just perfect to see the actual human emotion shining in this one. So glorious~!

Here’s hoping that you and your family have a most merry Christmas celebrating your traditions and feasting~!

Happy Thanksgiving

classiclyamber — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 20:27:01 +0000

Herb-Roasted Turkey: recipe here

“Thanksgiving is a holiday of peace, a celebration of the simple life…a true folk-festival that speaks the poetry of the turn of the seasons, the beauty of seedtime and harvest, the ripe product of the year – and the deep, deep connection of all things with God.”- David Grayson

May you have a wonderful time of thanksgiving, cherishing these moments with the people you love most in this life~!

Gourmet S’mores

classiclyamber — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 12:43:54 +0000

“Let’s have a bonfire!” was one of the first suggestions made when our family was making plans to visit our friends on their farm. I chimed in “Oooo, and can I make s’mores? I mean, GOURMET s’mores? I’ve been wanting to try out this marshmallow recipe anyway!” Yes, right then and there I was offering to make a batch of homemade marshmallows and graham crackers – enough to feed the whole crowd. Was I cuh-razy??

Always.

these are from smitten kitchen. not from me.

In the end, I didn’t make the graham crackers because – when hubs was at the store to get graham flour and noticed they were all out, he instead opted to buy several boxes of all natural graham crackers. I will say, though, smitten kitchen has a REALLY good recipe that I’ve made…and we always eat too many at a time. It’s hard to stop once you’ve started. But it IS a pleasant experience – if you don’t make yourself sick chowin’ down the whole batch all at once!

The marshmallow recipe I used was from the kitchn and it was easy ‘n good! I actually made my own organic sugar cane syrup, too. Mmm. These things turned out so wonderfully delish! You need to try your hand at these. STAT. They are so worth the extra effort. Then all you’ll need is some good quality chocolate and a big fire! It’s a formula for fun, peoples! Enjoy your weekend~!

Shadow Puppets and Bucket Lists

classiclyamber — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 18:41:54 +0000

This year, we created our first ever summer bucket list. It was huge…I mean giNORmous! I actually went on Pinterest and pinned on several of our ideas for our Summer Bucket List. [More on that below!] There was a less-than-awesome framed print upstairs, so I opened up the back, flipped over the print and started writing on our to-do items of fun for the summa time. Once complete, it was reassembled back into the frame, glass atop. As we completed each one, we simply checked them off with a dry erase marker on the glass above it. So we can reuse it for next year! One of the things on our list was to create and put on a puppet show.

I drew out characters and props on black construction paper, cut them out and attached a dowel rod to each one. For this evening, the boys were the ones being the puppeteers while Daddy sat up front and narrated the stories.

These are the oldest 4 kiddos, not in birth order: Gianna Belle, Ethan, Nolan and Sarie Beth. A tradition that Daddy has started with our kids is telling them a bedtime story – made up on the spot – almost every single night. The greatest thing about it is that our kids always star in them, each having their own striking character traits that pulls the team together – to help others and defeat evil. There are other characters in the stories that appear and reappear in the various stories. The kiddos love the familiarity of the stories…and also when we come up with a new character to add to the mix.

This is our youngest, Ruby Jane, climbing to the top of the tree [again]. Apparently, she loves doing this and uses the tree branches as steps. Over and over again.

The boys wanted to set up the ‘theater’ in the hallway. They took two chairs, threw a white sheet over it, put a shade-less table lamp on the floor in the middle…and then put the puppets up to the sheet. It’s nifty because the chairs also double as shelves for holding all the puppets. The audience sits on the opposite side, watching in awe and happiness as the story plays out. It’s a super easy, super effective setup!

So by now, surely you’ve heard of Pinterest, right? I’ve been on there all summer, pinning away. Like everyone else, I am much in love with the place. You can follow me by clicking here:

As I mentioned above, I have a Summer Bucket List board on there, and you can find it by clicking HERE.

Hope that everyone had a great summer. I, for one, can not believe that fall is finally here and that there is basically just 3 months left to 2011.

How Miss Ruby Arrived

classiclyamber — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 00:08:54 +0000

This will be a very quick post because…it’s a short story! And let me preface it by saying that I had a feeling all along it would turn out this way. All throughout my pregnancy, I kept having visions of me giving birth out in the middle of nowhere, alone. It turned out only slightly different…

Remember all the well-meaning phone calls I previously told you about? You know, where everyone and their mother was calling just to “see how we were doing”? Yeah, well, they were no where to be found when I actually went into labor. Hello, Mom?? Don’t you want to know if I’m in labor yet? How about the rest of you? Curious to know if I’ve had the baby yet? Well, guess what? I’m about to and you’re about to miss it! I didn’t even think I was really in labor because I’d been having these contractions – almost nightly – for ages! But…Corey had a feeling, so that made me wonder. And I was leaving voice mails and even emails – just in case – but got no one on the phone. Finally, my friend Amy called me back. She was in church and had left her cell phone in the car. She decided to come on over, just in case. [By the way, I STILL did not think this was real labor. I was already apologizing to Amy on the phone - in advance - for driving all the way out just for nothing!] Gianna and Sarie had been coming in and out of our bathroom to check on me and see if the baby was here yet. I love my little girls, but they sure were being a huge distraction to me considering I was in potential labor…and they kept asking me all these questions that I wasn’t able to think about – at that point. So I was so relieved to know that Amy was on her way to help with our other kids so I could concentrate on getting this one here safely and peacefully. Before long, we had to abandon all attempts at calling people because it was quickly getting intense!

During that time, my contractions advanced and I could feel them moving baby down and around. I should note that baby was definitely posterior [facing my front], even at the beginning of labor. In between contractions, I could feel her little hands and feet swiping across the front of my belly, so I knew she was facing the “wrong way”. I told Corey, “I’m still feeling baby’s movements here across the front, so I’ll have to stay moving during labor to help them turn towards my back! Oh help me!” I walked some, leaned over the bathroom hamper, walked some more, leaned over the bed, walked some more, and was mostly back and forth from the toilet. Do you find it as lovely a thought as I do that my body had no trouble what-so-ever getting totally cleaned out on its own before baby’s arrival? Yeah, that’s the way nature rolls. No enemas needed!

Before I knew it – before I ever expected it – baby’s head was in the birth canal and my eyes were as big as saucers. Seriously? Already?? Didn’t we JUST start this thing and now here baby is ready to shoot on out? Oh my…was I ready to do this now? I had to QUICKLY wrap my mind around the fact that it was happening – with or without my brain being on board. I only pushed a little, and out the baby came – into Daddy’s waiting arms – crying and crying – but wait, the cord is around her neck twice. I unloop it as fast as possible…and immediately baby was okay. Baby started looking around at everything with big, curious eyes…taking it all in. It all happened so, so fast…I sat in awe…looking over our new baby…look down and said, “OOOOH!!! It’s RUBY, Corey! She’s here! Just like you said all along! Another girl! Ruby Jane is finally here!! Oooooh!! She’s so cuuuuuuuuuuute!!” We both acted like we didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, so we did both.

We hugged and kissed our girl – so elated to finally be able to hold her in our arms…and shortly thereafter, everyone else arrived [including my mom - who was so late!]. Me and Ruby J were checked out and all was swell. She took to nursing immediately – and we have had the most perfect nursing relationship of any of my babies. That’s a HUGE deal – a big answered prayer in our lives! Those of you who know all the breastfeeding hurdles I have had to jump with each previous baby – KNOWS what I am talkin’ bout here!

We are so grateful to God for allowing us to walk this path once more. The whole family is in love with Ruby, and she seems so happy to be here and be a part of our lives~! Everyone wins! She has been a complete blessing in our lives – from the moment we found out that her tiny little self was growing in my tummy – to today with her big, bright smiles filling our home with joy.

Here are some quick pics I snapped earlier. Hard to believe that this lil’ cutie turned 11 weeks old just yesterday!

What Did YOU Wear to Give Birth In?

classiclyamber — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 13:45:27 +0000

Do you remember me tweeting out about a birthing gown I received in the mail – just before whole-heartily giving birth to Ruby Jane? I was so excited to be given this opportunity because I had been debating what to wear while having the baby and because this gown is really nice!

I have been in contact with Cindy, the genius behind BG&Co. and she is so sweet! She is a single mother of grown daughters and has worked in women’s healthcare for 26 years. And she loves her work. Why? Because she gets to assist the women in her community with having babies, and has seen well over 3,500 babies born! [I would LOVE to do that some day!] After being a part of that, she felt that mamas could really use clothing during their labor that would help them be as comfortable as possible…aiding their confidence levels and not impeding their mobility…AND…to transition straight into the nursing/bonding relationship once baby is out! I want you to notice that this is a caring mother – dedicated to helping other mothers at all stages of life. She is a terrific inspiration + wonderful entrepreneur who’s not afraid to branch out and create a product after she’s seen that there is a need. Love that!

Now…there are no pictures of moi modeling the gown because – frankly – there was no time! Ruby was born very fast, and me and Corey were so preoccupied that we didn’t have the chance to snap any of those pics. But I want to show you pics of other women modeling the gown:

It is really comfortable and lovely to wear! During my birth, I was back and forth from the toilet a lot – and it never got in my way. [Yuh, for those who don't know, it is perfectly acceptable to discuss TMI's when talking about birth experiences.] The gown was also useful in that it wraps around the body and makes bathroom visits easier indeed. Also, a lot of women like to get in different positions as they are laboring, and again – for me, this gown was so unobtrusive for laying on my side…bending over the bed…walking around…squatting.

I loved my BG so much that I asked hubby to wash it right after the birth and get it back to me fast so that I could rest and heal in it postpartum! Yep, that good, folks. It added an extra special touch to my babymoon with Ruby J. And here’s a lil’ secret for you: I am still wearing it as a nightgown every night because it is wonderful~!

PROS: incredibly soft fabric; easy on-easy off; pretty style + colors; complete coverage in the back; easy-access for nursing, great for all those postpartum pics~!

CONS: there is only ONE – and it’s that the shoulder straps fall behind you when you’re nursing if you’re not leaning against a pillow. To me, this is not a deal breaker with this gown, but at times, I was wishing that somehow the back strap still stayed connected on my shoulder through nursing sessions.

Ultimate thoughts: wonderful to birth/sleep/nurse in! I am a homebirther, even so – I enjoy being modest and would not like giving birth in a hospital-type gown where the back is open. I did it one time – for our first baby – and was not a fan [of our 5 children, he was the only one birthed at the hospital]. Those hospital gowns are just ridonkulous and not fair to mamas who come in there to labor and birth. Women!! Stand up for your rights! Refuse to wear anything ugly, uncomfortable and drafty while you bring your children into this world! This is the birthing gown for all moms – whether you choose to birth at home, the birthing center, the hospital or up in a tree [anyone else remember that mama in the news a couple of years ago?].

You no longer have to dread the hospital gown or ugly t-shirts!

BG would make an excellent gift for the mom-to-be at her baby shower. It’s a superb gift for yourself if you are expecting. And if you are a midwife or doula, then certainly consider passing this on to your clients because it’s too good a thing NOT to share! There’s a myriad of colors to pick from and can even coordinate with your birthing center’s color scheme!

To purchase a BG, go here to see them at Bella Blu Maternity – OR look here for more places to purchase from.

To connect with BG on Facebook, click here.

**Please note that the opinions expressed here are purely my own. Yep, I was given this gown to review, but received no compensation for sharing my thoughts and opinions with you today.**

Need Some Pep?

classiclyamber — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 22:58:59 +0000

Maybe I need more pep in my step? More veeta-vita-what? Maybe I need to not be so hard on myself! I am actually taking vitamins and iron every day still…however, with so much going on here, it’s taking me longer this time to get back to things.

Good news is: We are still here ‘n alive! Sorry for the silence on the blog…but this is a big transition phase for our family right now. Ruby Jane just hit 6 weeks last Wednesday and there are plenty of other things going on that I can’t share just yet. Anyway, if I owe you an email or a phone call or a cake or a pair of shoes, please go easy on me and expect it soon-ish, but don’t be unrealistically harsh with me. It will be a done deal within a reasonable amount of time. =-)

Hope you are having a great summer so far!

Good Mom

classiclyamber — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 14:57:51 +0000

iMom had/has a 30 day challenge for moms – to be the best they can be. I stumbled across this list and wanted to share. Gosh, #30 pretty much covers it, doesn’t it? It seems like it would be good if we could do a LOT of these things on a daily basis! However, focusing on one a day might be a good start into doing that, if you’re not already. Love this encouragement~!

What else would you add to the list here?