Joy, Relief, Terror, Awe

Over 2 months ago now I gave birth to a miracle - my sweet Bennett Joseph. His birth story is too much describe here and too tender - but it was absolutely the most incredible day of my life and a completely surreal experience.

Here is a photo of me and Bennett seconds after he was born. I feel like this captured the moment perfectly.

Joy. Relief. Terror. Awe. All in one moment.

I love being a mother. I am feel so grateful and privileged to be Bennett's mother. I feel overwhelmed that Heavenly Father trusts me to care for one of his sweet children.

A Day in the Life of Kristin - August 2014

A few years ago a friend challenged me to do a Day in the Life series where I spoke in all too great detail what an average day looked like for me. I thought I would tackle again with just one day - as we are in a unique phase right now being in our new home, commuting via train, waiting for this baby to arrive...

Life is busy but blissful. We have mostly settled into a new home and a new routine. August was definitely a "survival" mode for me as we had just moved in, had lots of company, and I was working an obscene number of hours trying to make a big due date at the end of the month. Things have slowed considerably now fortunately, and I am just in the waiting mode...

5:30 - Alarm goes off. Try to hit snooze.
6:00 - Drag yourself out of bed. Shower and get ready quickly. Throw together a packed lunch. Probably hummus, carrots, frozen dinner... maybe a piece of fruit, granola bar or some veggie straws.
6:40 - Out the door with John to head to the train. Train leaves at 6:56, and it waits for no one. Enjoy reading a chapter of scripture or two with John. We are in the New Testament right now and loving the time we get together on the train.
7:30 - Train arrives in Downtown Boston - walk 10 min to work through beautiful brown stone buildings in the South End neighborhood of Boston towards the Office.

7:45 - 6:15 pm: Work! Work right now consists of creating and reviewing training materials for a new system we are implementing. We have created the materials, and spend time working with our client to review them. We also have a few status meetings in there, some mock demos of the system, system testing, lots of email and following up on issues...

6:15 pm - Rush downstairs to hit the shuttle for the 6:30 train! Unfortunately in August I was taking even later trains far too often because I was a) working too late or b) not getting to the train fast enough...again it waits for no one! But the 6:30 was always my goal.

7:20 pm - If all goes well I arrive back in my town and walk back home. John and I try to take the train together home, if we don't he picks me up from the Train Station.

7:20 - 8:15 - Change into some comfy clothes and eat some dinner. John makes me dinner many many weeknights, especially lately. I am usually wiped from work and being pregnant. Dinners are simple during the week. Our favorites are quesadillas, pita pizzas, open face sandwiches, salads with the goods from our farm share, and occasionally something a little more involved...

8:15 - 9:30 - Hang with John, usually watch a tv show together or just talk.

9:30 - I usually head upstairs and read /go to bed. Sometimes it is even earlier! Being pregnant wears me out!!

And a few photos from life lately...

Us in front of our new home in August...

Farm Share is amazing... John picks it up at work every other week

A Trip to Texas and Gratitude for Family

In July I went down to Dallas for the weekend - it was fantastic. I helped host a bridal shower for my sister Heather and my mom and sister threw a baby shower for me.

I wish I would have gotten more photos with all of the wonderful friends and family who joined us - it was truly a fantastic weekend. A lot of the McElderry clan came in town as well... so it was this blissful weekend with family from all over and from both the Bates and McElderry side. I am so grateful for my parents and sisters, as well as the new family I have gained in becoming a McElderry. Baby Boy was spoiled rotten and I was overwhelmed with love and generosity. 

Family is really the greatest - I am learning this more and more over the years. They are the ones who stick by you through each part of your life. Some friends stick with you and stay in touch... but many pass by as the seasons and circumstances of life change. But your family is always with you.

I can't wait for what this fall has in store for us. Our little guy is going to arrive any day now, and in November my sister gets married and we add one more to our numbers. I have another nephew on the way in December... and we will get to see much extended family this fall at the wedding and over the holidays. 

We did a 3d ultrasound with my parents and sisters. It was so cool! I think baby boy has my nose...

In case you were wondering....

I am married to a certified stud muffin. Reminds me of the time he tried to use a cuddle kit on me...

An Eternal Family

Note: I drafted this many months ago - and never hit publish. Wanted to share anyway...

We are joyfully expecting a baby boy in early October.

I have so many thoughts I could share on this topic. John and I have been hoping and praying for this sweet babe for a long time, and we are so grateful the time is here. It never ceases to amaze me how God has such a perfect plan for our lives. We often felt frustrated or saddened during our wait. Why us? Why not now?

Now that the time is here, it feels like just the right time. I know there was a divine purpose in this timing and I am grateful for a God who loves us and knows what is best. 

As can be expected, we have a lot of anxiety and nerves coupled with all of our excitement. Will we be patient enough? Kind enough? Nurturing enough? 

I know that Heavenly Father will prepare us. We won't be perfect parents, but we will be prepared. I feel so grateful he trusts me with one of his children. 

I also know that as I fail, and I will fail at some things, that I can be renewed and start again through the power of the Savior's atonement. 

I know that families are eternal. I know  that our lives and our family relationships extend beyond this mortal existence. It brings me such peace. 

Hello There!

Well....Hello There! What a hiatus this has been. I haven't posted since April.  Life has been all kinds of wonderful the last 4 months. So many blessings and so many good experiences.

As some of you may know - John and I are expecting our first child in just a few weeks (due Oct 1). We are anxiously awaiting to meet our sweet son (it's a boy!), and just praying and hoping he comes to us safely.

This photo is from John's brother's wedding back in March. I really love this photo of us because we are just beaming with happiness.

The winter was long and hard for us this year. Lots of struggles in our family and personal lives that I don't need to delve into here.

But somehow out of the fog of winter the brightness of Spring emerges, and so does a new gift of hope and light and warmth.

I feel so very blessed and full of joy. I hope in my moments of weakness (even during the beautiful summer), I can remember the brightness that always can shine in our lives if we choose to see it. It is never really gone after all... even in the midst of wintery blues.

International Doll Quilt for Kathryn

My sweet mother in law, Kathryn, was diagnosed with Stage 3 Uterine cancer this Winter. She has begun her chemo, and the whole family is hopeful but distressed nonetheless.

Kathryn is one of the most inspiring women I am privileged to know. Since I worked in Little Rock the last two years, I was able to get to know her so much better and really build a strong relationship with her. I love her so much and cherish all that she has taught me. Even though I am glad to be back in Boston and no longer travelling, I have felt so far away as she has begun this very hard trial. Since she has been one of my greatest influences in learning how to be a faithful woman, I felt like I needed to make her something extra special to know that John and I care and are thinking of her.

So...thus began one of the most extensive and over-ambitious quilting projects I have ever completed! I wish I had better photos. Kathryn loves dolls, and she loves different cultures from around the world. So - we made her an International Sun Bonnet Sue quilt. 

I was not even remarkably alone in making this quilt. My mom did over 10 of the 25 blocks, and provided so much moral support. I had friends from Church helping by making blocks, lending sewing machines so we could run at "double capacity", and of course John doing the bulk of he finishing. John may not be the first to admit it - but he is so talented at anything crafty or detail oriented. I was feeling extremely ill the week before we needed it finished, so John did all of the border, quilting and binding. He also did all of the cutting (I don't exactly have the same precision to detail... say as an Analytical Scientist). I am so grateful for all the help we had in making this quilt.

We chose 25 different countries/regions in the World to represent, and cut out and ironed on the designs to attach them to the blocks. I also did blanket stitch applique on all of the pieces, which really helped them "pop" out. We ended up just tie quilting it due to time constraints, but hope to have it quilted one day with a long arm. 

My mother in law loved it. She sent me photos of her using it in Chemo and said it is actually the perfect size. We did a snuggly flannel on the back, so it is very soft and warm. 

Quilt Top before Finishing

Here are some of the blocks before we did the applique. 

Middle East

Boston, MA

Peru

Spain

Here John is pinning on the binding. Yes - those are my purple pajama pants. Yes - I love this man to the moon and back. He is so good to me and to his momma. 

It may be eons before I decide to tackle another applique quilt, but this was a really great project with lots of help. It was truly a labor of love.

Rays of Sunshine in a Tough Winter

This winter has been a challenge. I feel like winters frequently are and it is always in this February/March/April timeframe that it feels like it will never end. There have been a lot of factors to make this winter tough, but I am grateful to begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

It is amazing how much joy just seeing the sun can bring. I feel like I have such a renewed energy and livelihood from just having a little more light and warmth in my life.

On Monday this week it was 77! I just wore a light sweater on my commute and a dress... with no tights! And I didn't even wear boots! It was crazy, I hadn't gone without wearing wool socks, boots and a heavy coat, scarf and gloves since October. I take the train to work and do about 20 minutes of walking each way, so I have to be prepared for the elements. We even turned off our heat and even opened our bedroom windows!

2 mornings later I woke up at 4 am freezing (windows still open). It was back down to below freezing and we had gotten ice/rain overnight! Bring back the socks, boots, gloves, scarves.... We may not be through the winter yet -- but Spring is coming! And I can trek the cold a bit longer if it means more glorious sunshine is coming.

Thanksgiving in Florida

We spent the week of Thanksgiving visiting Florida. We spent 4 days in Orlando and 4 days in Miami. John's brother lives in Miami so we spent some quality time with him, his girlfriend, and John's parents who also joined us on the trip. 

It was such a treat. We spent 2 days at Disney and 1 at Universal - it was so much fun. Disney is really a magical place, no matter what age you are. Harry Potter World was also great - but a little too crowded for my taste. 

In Miami we visited gardens, ate good food, spent a day on the beach and visited some cool historic 

Disney was as magical as ever!

Harry Potter World

Orlando, FL Temple

Thanksgiving Day on the Beach! It was fun to BBQ, and we still had pumpkin pie!

I love this man. 

Visiting a way cool butterfly garden. The butterflies loved my Father in law!

Finished Quilts

I finished a bunch of quilts in late fall / early winter. I love designing and picking colors, and even piecing quilt tops. But finishing! Uck! I will wait around forever to finish a quilt. Proud to have these out of the "queue" and in the hands of their new owners!

Remember the very first quilt top I ever made? 6 years ago?   Well I finally got around to binding it.  I used muslin on the back mostly for thrift, but I have to say it is one of my warmest quilts. That is especially needed considering all of the snow we have had this crazy winter.

I made this beauty over the course of the last 2 years. I love love the bright colors and the contrast/negative space of the white. I saved a block for me to make a pillow because I loved it so much. It was finally finished and quilted for a dear friend who had her first baby girl a few months ago.

I chose super warm batting and backing because they also live in a cold area.

This was another of my super quick quilts for a friend's baby. I loved the fabric!  I love giving homemade gifts, I wish I had enough time to make them more often. I make these easy strip quilts often, and love using ric rac to give it a little bit of spunk. This was also my first project where I used free motion quilting and a walking foot. I still have a lot of practice to do, but it was a neat way to quilt on a normal machine.

Christmas Sewing Projects

I did a ton of sewing before and during the Christmas Season. It was fantastic, and a much needed break from my normal life of spreadsheets and powerpoint presentations.

While visiting my family in Texas, my sister and I made  few fun item. Including this lovely headband...

This maxi skirt. Looks really wrinkled here, but it really is a lovely skirt. 

I made 100s of infinity scarves for Christmas. Okay not 100, but probably 20+. I taught a workshop to my colleagues on how to make these and we churned them out!

Teaching my colleague to sew! She had never touched a sewing machine before and was surprised how much she loved it.

What projects have you been up to lately?

Christmas 2013

We had a lovely Christmas this year. We spent it with our families in little rock and Dallas, and then spent a few days at home in Boston before heading back to work.

At the mcelderry's in LR we did a special Christmas program that was very tender, where we had some music and a nice activity where everyone reflected on their past year. I felt so very close to everyone. 

In Dallas, we did another Christmas celebration with a beautiful dinner (see my moms lovely place settings). We spent most of our time sewing and relaxing together. What a treat. Also- a Christmas miracle. My dad had another pet scan and is still cancer free. Considering the scary events and treatments the last two years, this is such a relief and blessing to our family. 

When we came back to boston we got our house in order. We also went skiing, which was a blast. We hope to go again soon. 

Happy new year!