I just finished reading One Foot in Eden by Ron Rash. I actually bought it about a year ago, and then put it on my shelf and forgot about it, because it isn't my usual type of book. I finally picked it up again a few days ago, and then kicked myself for ignoring it for so long; it was incredible. According to the blurb on the back, it's just a murder mystery, but I think that a misleading description. It was about life, and where it can lead you. It isn't a happy book, certainly, but it is elegantly and poignantly written. I would recommend it to anyone, and will happily lend it out. Just ask me.

Picture downloaded from http://us.macmillan.com/onefootineden

Elora is 4 Months Old

As of last week, Elora is 4 months old. The doctor gave her the a-ok at her check up, and we survived the immunizations. She's up to about 13 pounds, and 23''. She can sit up in the Bumbo seat, and she can stand so long as she has something to lean against. I hardly ever put her on her tummy, though, so she hasn't had much chance to practice those baby-push-ups. She cries when I put her on her belly, so I haven't put much effort into remembering to do it. But I need to...how else is she going to learn to crawl, right? She laughs now, too. It's a wonderful little chuckle, and generally is the highlight of my days. We captured it on video, and have made our You Tube debut.

The giant dog in the picture is something that I snagged today at the thrift shop on base. It is a treasure, a perfect replica of a stuffed dog that I had--and loved--as a baby, a child, and even a teenager. (I slept with him right up until I lost him at dance camp when I was 15!) Of course, mine was about the size of this one's snout, but still. I noticed it only because I walked by a little girl holding it, and begging her parents to buy it for her. I was grateful to the girl for finding it, and even more grateful to the parents for telling her no. He may never mean to Elora what my Buddy meant to me, but that's ok. He'll be there if she needs him.

4 Years Ago Today

I married the love of my life. Here's to love!!

Elora Scrapbook Part 2

I went back and added this one to the beginning, then the rest pick up with pages 12 and 13. They're pretty much in order, though I skipped any pages that you saw in my last post. I'm so loving this!!

Elora's New Toy, and, Adrienne Takes 'Action'

Thanks to the "for sale" e-mail list that Jennifer brought to my attention, I was able to get this awesome bouncy saucer activity exercise seat for Elora. It's second hand, but in excellent condition, and Elora loves it! She's still not strong enough to do anything but lean against the front and bat at whatever is right there, but that's just fine for now. She'll grow, and it'll grow with her.

in other news, I've finally discovered actions for PSE. I downloaded several from this site, and I'm loving them. This one's called Attic Vintage (I didn't use a texture, haven't figured that part out yet):

And, this one is Lomo:

There are a bunch more, and I'm still learning how to really use some of them. If anyone knows of any other cool action sites, please pass them on to me!

Hen Party

Wednesday night, I met some of my friends at the Brauhaus Beirgarten to have a little bachelorette "hen party" for my friend Peguy. It was a great time! Bran kept Elora at home, and I got to go out with the girls. It was the first time that I have been tipsy since before I got pregnant, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. :)

European Country Living

Yesterday, I went with my friend Sarah (who is newly returned from Iraq) to this awesome furniture store in Landstuhl, called European Country Living. It's run by a German-American couple, and caters to Americans. It was awesome! The furniture and such comes from all over Europe, which I thought was pretty neat. Everyone there speaks English, and they happily take VAT forms. And, more importantly, everything there was gorgeous. It was all the large, sturdy type of furniture that you might expect to see in a rambling country home. And the home decor items that they had were wonderful too. I saw this dress form and thought immediately of Corinnea.
It absolutely just belongs in the shop!!! And then, I saw these and thought that they would be perfect for you, Jenny, to display your jewelry:

The shop is kinda pricey, though. (I think it was €16 each for the jewelry racks, which wasn't too bad, and €58 for the mannequin.) So I happily wandered around to look at what there was to see. I would totally recommend it to anyone with a day free, whether you are in the market for furniture or not. Sarah told me that their stock rotates, so what was there yesterday might not be available a month from now! She's planning to go back, now that she has some measurements, and has a better idea of what will work in her apartment (what they had was beautiful, but not really apartment-friendly) and I have every intention of going with her again. Fun times!