Book Reviews by Ehlen Administration

Made a combo Christmas/Birth Announcement card. I haven't had much time or energy to make one yet, late pregnancy takes a lot of you!

Am overjoyed to announce that I'm now moving on to the post-partum phase of pregnancy, which means there are additional annoyances (can anyone say nursing contractions?) but largely the discomforts of late pregnancy are gone, or at least gone unnoticed with the lack of sleep :) Rachelle Jane was born early Sun morning after only about 4 hrs of labor. That was unexpected but not unwelcome. She's doing great, and David gets some personal time with the grandparents, which I hear he's enjoying immensely. She is, of course, the prettiest baby ever, and we're really thrilled to finally be home. I know, you really only want to see the pics. Here you go!

Sigh. I know, my due date isn't for a couple of weeks, but as any woman who has been 9 mos pregnant will tell you, those couple of weeks (and the possibility of going past them) seem like ages to wait. So, below is my list of things that you take for granted when you're not pregnant, but seem like unattainable luxuries when you are. Shaving your legs - seriously, you try bending over the bump. I shudder to think what L&D look like from a nurses POV Bending over w/o spreading your legs to ballet's 2nd position sticking your butt up in the air like some sort of preposterous peacock Walking up stairs w/o getting winded (ok, so that sometimes happens when you're not pregnant too) Twisting at the waist to get something that is not exactly out to your side Getting off any sort of furniture, comfortable or not Sleeping through the night - that's right people, you actually get more sleep when you have a newborn than the last trimester of pregnancy Waiting longer than 5 ...

Well this time I'm batting 1000 for the Bloggy Giveaways. I won only one this time (unlike the 4 I won last time) but I actually got the prize in good time! Still don't have 3 of the 4 on the others...and really not expecting them now, honestly. But clearly my address I gave them was correct, since Mary Emma Allen managed to get my prize to me. I won some tea, which I must say I do enjoy. I got a box of 100 tea bags too, so I should be enjoying it for a while. The tea is Zsenso Orange Pekoe, and although straight black teas are not usually my fav, this one is really mild and super smooth. So thank you Mary Emma Allen , the tea you like is a hit with me too.

Of which I am happy to say I am not one. Well I am not depressed anyway, although still am probably Republican. Here's my thoughts on the election, if you care to read. First, let me say I am disappointed in the results. I am not an Obama supporter, and probably never will be unless he radically changes his viewpoint on, well, just about everything. Although McCain didn't get me all fired up either. However, as is typical, I considered McCain the lesser of two evils and was hoping he would pull it out. Of course, I knew that pretty much everything was looking like the R's were going to get their a$$es handed to them, and that was certainly the case, both nationally and locally here in MO. So, why am I not curled up into the fetal position sobbing quietly in a corner? I pondered that myself actually. Because really, I'm fine. And fine despite being pregnant and hormonal, I might add. My conclusion is this - God does not depend on the results of American political drama ...

The ultrasound tech was pretty sure she's a girl, but even if she was wrong it was nice to be able to do a pink page for once :) Here's another layout for my guest creative team duties this month. Gena has a little girl so there are plenty of pink and purple kits/elements to choose from. I picked some of her newer stuff in order to promote it. And, guess what? I did win a Bloggy Giveaway! And it's good for me too, because I love tea. I won a box (100 tea bags) of Zsenso Orange Pekoe & Cut Black Teas from Mary Emma Allen, check her blog here . She's a pretty prolific blogger apparently, I don't think this is her only blog. Now cross your fingers that it will get to me, although I will report I got the High School Flashback dvd's! Bring on the 80's hair!

So I'm officially a guest member of Sweet Genevieve's creative team for the month of Novemeber, which means I have access to lots of free product (whooo hooo!) and then the coordinating responsibility to create some layouts to show off her fabulous talent. So here's my first installment, and hopefully I'll have time to create lots more. So for those of you who remember savoring every last bit of Michigan fall before the horrendous winters, here's the journaling: I would be the first to tell you how much I hated Michigan weather. I especially despised Michigan winters, and the constant temperature changes (although really I was used to them.) But really, there is something about autumn in the state; it comes on suddenly with trees just sprouting color. Plus, there was the anticipation of returning to campus, because I loved my friends and my education at Hillsdale. So this time of year there is always a bit of nostalgia for me as I remember falling for Hillsdale des...