Fall updates

We've both been so excited to feel fall in the air lately. When I was growing up, everyone in my family had pools and summer was undoubtedly the best time of the year... but now that I work year-round and don't have those days to laze away on a raft, nothing makes me as happy as a crisp fall day. Even though Justin gets to enjoy the summer a bit more with all his youth ministry activities, he has the same appreciation for cooler temps, cider mills, and bonfires. It's certainly the most enjoyable time of year for us together, taking walks at night and reveling in the great state of Michigan as we drive through Rochester Hills and up to Higgins Lake watching the colors change almost before our eyes. Not to be outdone, our house looks the best in the fall, inside and out, and last weekend I was happy to finally pull out the fall decor and make some new pillows.

I hung the silk curtains up, but for a little change added drapery rings... 

And after my good luck with the spring pillows (side note, I can hardly believe it's been six months since then), I decided to make some more for fall/winter. It was MUCH easier this time around and I love the result! The solid fabric is so cozy and soft... it was in the return bin at JoAnn's (half off, bonus!), and even though I thought it would contrast a bit more with the couch color, I'm still so happy with them.

A couple years ago I bought this leaf garland for the table and then decided I didn't like it. After having luck hanging berry garland from the cornice last Christmas, I found a perfect use for it:

And finally, the fall table... haystack candle holders from Cracker Barrel and crackle tea light jars. They are SO pretty when lit.

I know a lot of people mourn the end of summer, but as I sit in my cozy living room with the front door still open, I don't feel anything but excitement thinking about making homemade chicken pot pie and applesauce and carving pumpkins and wearing jackets. This year comes with a bit of added bonus because I know when the fall ends and winter comes, instead of inevitable bleakness after the holidays... our baby boy will be here!

Here's hoping you are all well and enjoying the change of season as much as the Remsings!

Pretty cute, if I do say so myself...

I'm not normally the biggest fan of posting ultrasound images, because they all pretty much look the same and somehow seem kind of personal (I mean, that is MY body, right?)... but Justin and I both couldn't resist sharing what we got today when we went in to complete the screening from last week:

Thumb sucking! How cute is that? It was truly amazing to see not only his little hand up by his face, but the actual sucking motion as his mouth and cheeks moved around it. At one point he took it out and gave us a little wave, then popped it right back in. I think we were almost more excited than last week finding out he was a boy, because this provided actual moving evidence that baby-like action is going on in there! We also did get the clear view of his heart (which was the reason for going back), and saw all four chambers and the valves opening and closing. I'm sure any of you who've had kids in recent years have seen this, but even knowing what to expect, it really was remarkable... it made me very thankful for modern technology. :)

In other news, today we finally had our very first red cherry tomatoes. There are literally hundreds out on the vine, and they just will not turn red.  But today, sweet Monday, there were four. Truthfully they were a little orange and probably could have used a couple more days, but I just couldn't wait. I also meant to take a picture before I picked them... or ate them... but again, just couldn't wait. Now... hopefully the rest will cooperate before it gets too cold!

IT'S A BOY!

Our appointment today went well and there's no doubt he's a boy. :)  It's so exciting to have more of a concrete identity for this baby! The only hitch was that he was apparently pretty sleepy today, laying facedown straight across my midsection, and despite a walk and lots of poking and proding he wouldn't budge... so the sonographer couldn't access all the areas of his heart that need to be checked and measured. Not a big deal, I just have to go back later this week for part 2. Thankfully, everything she was able to see (spine, hands, feet, kidneys, etc) looked perfect. He is measuring about 9 oz, in the 50th percentile.

It's been a very long day--I'm exhausted--so that's it for now. Thank you for thinking of us and for all the sweet comments!

Garage Makeover

A few weeks ago, Justin whipped our garage into shape! He spent nearly an entire day power washing and stripping the floor, then painted the walls. I painted our old kitchen cabinets, which have been sitting in the shed playing Spider Hotel for two years, with a really cool sand texture (did you know you can add it to any can of paint for just $2?). After hanging the cabinets, everything got cleaned and super organized!  

Bikes got hung on the wall and you can see the "sports area" in the corner. The blinds also got a good scrubbing!

All the yard tools and ladder, nice and organized:

The counter is just pressed particle board. Some new hardware, a home for the tool cabinet and shop vac, and voila! Project complete.

A big thanks to Chuck and Dave Lock who helped Justin hang the cabinets... as all jobs usually go, this turned into a much bigger project than anyone anticipated and they were here for the heavy lifting (literally). On the bright side, we now know for sure that the walls going into our house are VERY secure!

For anyone who might be more interested in a baby update than garage progress, here is a picture of me taken about a week ago. Only five more days till we find out what this little one is! Then... the real fun begins when I start making decorating plans!

Expectant

This weekend was Justin's 10-year high school reunion... yikes! It's funny how people can move on, graduate from college, get married, buy a house, have kids, but nothing truly makes us feel old until that decade marker comes calling. Even though it can be kind of unappealing to think about revisiting those old days, there's something about the "going back" that's priceless. These are the people and places where we first became who we are today, and that seems to be especially true in a small, northern Michigan town where families are so intwined in one anothers' lives and summer days are whiled away on the shores of a sparkling lake. A little awkward, maybe... but a little magical, too. Either way, it was GREAT to spend time with friends of Justin's from high school who have truly become dear friends of mine over the last few years, as well as meet some of his old buddies for the first time. And despite the crazy weather (torrential downpours and freezing cold, tornado-force winds... while we were outside having the party in a pavillion on the lake) it was a fun time to reconnect and reminisce.

On the heels of this nostalgia, we finally feel the time has come to announce an addition to our family, coming on or about January 28, 2009... a few days before would be okay with me. :) Baby Remsing is 16 weeks and counting, and in just three weeks we'll find out whether it's a boy or a girl. I'm sure more will come later, but for now just know that baby--and I--are doing great, a little bump is growing, and we're super excited. Right now we can only wonder what the next 10 years will bring!

Garden growing

We're finally reaping some sort of a "harvest" in the garden! The plants are actually a little bit out of control... I think next year we may have to 1) bump out that box another foot, and 2) plant fewer things. :) First, a shot of just half the plants--from left to right, squash, pea pods, green beans, cherry tomatoes, and corn!

Our first squash... we ate it for dinner last night.

Green beans... we need to stop eating these off the vine or there won't ever be any to bring inside and cook. I think we both prefer them raw anyway. They are soooo good.

Corn... I didn't realize corn grew like this. The plants are only about 4' tall, so I'm anxious to see whether this actually becomes real corn on the cob.

And finally, the crown glory of the garden... our first little teeny tomatoes. I literally cannot wait for these to ripen. It makes me think of the summer I lived with Gayle Flanigan and Her Fabulous Garden--often she would go out of town and tell me to help myself to anything growing. You should know that Gayle is a wonderful, diligent gardener and had more vegetables than I can ever hope to grow... but anyway, I'm telling you, I would pack quart-sized ziploc baggies with cherry tomatoes, take them to work, and eat them until my mouth burned from the acid. Who does that? And why do I tell these stories online? I sound insane. Either way, I can't wait to do the same thing here... fingers are still crossed that we'll get more than just these four.

Anyway, that's about it for us... Justin's been in the middle of an Extreme Makeover: Garage Edition, so once that's finished I'll post some pictures. 

Looking back on a good weekend

No, I don't mean this one, although it was pretty good. Justin came home from a week at MCYC on Friday and it triggered a memory of this same weekend last summer. Since that was pre-blog, I thought I'd give a little recap of one of our best weekends of 2007. Brace yourselves... 

Justin and I love LOVE Harry Potter. We got into the books much later than the rest of the world, but quickly became crazy analytic fans... they are just that good and we couldn't help ourselves. Especially me--because, if you know me well, you know that I do not merely like my favorite things in life. When something touches my core, it becomes a near obsession and I want to learn every detail about it. I like to think I just love passionately, and it applies to everything in my life... other people probably think I'm a little overboard. Anyway, I could go on, but you get the idea. With the release of the final book in the Harry Potter series looming last summer, we were beside ourselves.

Justin spent the week prior at camp. I went out on Thursday and bought all our favorite snacks. We'd made a plan not to leave the house until we finished reading, to avoid potential spoilers, so I knew we'd need sustinence! Friday morning I went to Barnes and Noble to get wristbands, which marked our places in line... #77 and #78 (yes, we pre-ordered two books). Went to work for the day, then came home to meet Justin, who I think had just enough time for a shower before jumping in the car to go to the Tigers game (side note: in addition to it being the Summer of HP, it was also the Summer of the Tigers--Justin had season tickets for the first time and went to nearly all 27 games in the plan). I actually cannot believe I'm posting this, but I made a sign for the occasion:

Before you judge too harshly, I did NOT hold it up during the game... I was too embarrased. Truthfully, I only made it because I thought it might get us on TV. Anyway, I still insisted that we take a picture before we left, although Justin didn't want to be seen with it (or me, probably, at that point). We drove from Comerica to Barnes and Noble, where we found all kinds of cool things going on as everyone waited for midnight.

After that, things happened pretty fast... we were out of the store with our books by ten minutes past midnight, and managed to get home spoiler-free (I may or may not have been listening to my iPod as we walked to the car). Read a couple of chapters before going to sleep, then had a reading marathon on Saturday with Chubby Hubby, chips and salsa, etc. We both finished the book late that night and then were able to have a nice, relaxing Sunday going back over our favorite parts.

Anyway, that's about it... as I started by saying, all those memories just came back to me as I waited for Justin to get home from camp on Friday. Unlike last year, it didn't turn out to be a very exciting night... just some grilling, Tigers game on TV, and then a very tired husband passed out on the couch. Still, a relaxing Friday is not bad at all.

Oh, and as for the book itself? I loved it.