A working weekend...

I'm so thankful this weekend for a husband who was willing to forgo a crazy Chicago Halloween weekend out, and help me get the apartment ready for little Lady C!

More photos and updates to come, but here is a look at some of the projects ;) I promise the final result will have better pics!

The before: (a too bright teal that was NOT what we wanted.... we just needed a good reason to repaint!)

Another look at the teal... it was originally the wall behind the bed.

And the After!: (a soft grey that will hopefully be peaceful and blend nicely with the nursery "section" of our bedroom)

The other corner- I love how the sunlight changes this color as the day goes along.  The bed is now beneath the windows to leave more room for the crib and a rocker/ottoman.

An early look at a nursery project! I hope to have as much done by Wednesday as possible- Dad and Donna are coming to town to help us finalize projects for the little lady... and then the countdown begins! 

New look!

As we're nearing the start of a new chapter (parenthood, new job, new year!) I decided it was time for an updated look. Hair was the first step! Here's a sneak peak at the new hair, and an update on Little Lady C :)

Alyssa's New "Page"

As I'm getting back into the practice of writing regularly (after not writing for several months following graduation from my master's program in education), I continue to recognize interesting connections between my personal life as a wife and (future) mother, my professional life as an educator, and the world we live in.  I'll be posting these essays on a separate page, "Musings," linked on the right hand column of the blog. The "Home" page will focus on family updates, photos, and stories.

The first musing focuses on gender identity, stereotypes, and preparing to be parents of a little girl! See it here: Sugar and Spice? 

October already?

Mark and I just returned from a great weekend in Kalamazoo, MI with his side of the family. For his mom's birthday, we gifted her with an entire weekend of yard work- so everyone was very busy! The boys spent the day pulling out bushes around the porch (a 6 hour job!). Colleen and some family friends trimmed and replanted the gardens, and I made lunch, prepped dinner, delivered drinks, and provided moral support ;)

It was wonderful to spend time working with family, enjoying the perfect weather, and watching the leaves change over Sherman Lake. (Unfortunately, I forgot to get a camera out and document the hard work or the beautiful leaves all weekend.... I'll get better with pictures, I promise!)

We're not quite sure when it turned into October... At this point we are almost exactly 8 weeks away from meeting Baby C! The weekends in October are already filling up- next week we have a wedding on Saturday, the following weekend is Homecoming at MSU with our friends Eric and Cori, then one last free weekend before Barry and Donna (Alyssa's parents) come to deliver the crib, help finish setting up the apartment for Baby C- then I start working November 7th! Whew!

We love visitors, but at this point it is probably best to plan a visit in November or after our baby girl gets here. Hope all is well in your lives across the country (and the world!). Happy fall. =)

Wedding photos!

Our professional wedding photos are finished!!! What an amazing day it was... thank you again to all of you who helped make our day SO special. You can view the photo proofs here:

http://wulm.photobiz.com/cart/events.cfm?categoryID=10979

select the Turner/Cairns Wedding,

password: cairns

Please contact me if there are any photos that you would like to have.

Enjoy!

Bring on the fashion!

I had a precious glimpse of my husband's sentimentality this week. After learning that baby C was a little girl, he stopped by the mall on his way home. He wanted to be sure that the first "little girl present" she received was from her daddy! Love it. He brought home an adorable red holiday outfit and a snuggly terrycloth bedtime outfit for after bathtime.

That little shopping trip got me in the mood, so I set out for some baby fashion of my own :). I found a hoodie sweatsuit, the sweetest pink onesie in honor of Mark, and a classy black and white ensemble. Can't wait to meet the sweet owner of these tiny outfits!

           

Good things come...

...to those who wait!

Thanks for your patience. Many things have happened in our little city life in the last week, and I'm excited to finally share them with you now:

UPDATE #1- Friday I (Alyssa) was invited to join the team of College Advisors at Truman College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago!!! This is my dream position at an amazing institution. The senior administrators and other staff members I have met so far are completely student-centered, progressive, and motivated to be a premiere student services staff. I can't wait to start my professional journey at Truman!

I will be attending the Board of Trustees meeting Thursday, November 3rd, after which point, pending approval, I can start working full-time. Even though I'll only be there a few weeks before Baby C's big debut, I'm looking forward to learning more about the department and meeting Truman students =D!

Just before my first interview for this position, I was relishing in a great sense of peace. I had decided that this interview was simply going to be great practice for my future job search, and I entered the interview feeling very comfortable, confident, and calm- Mark and I agreed that I could back off from the job search and start looking again in earnest in March. If anything, this job offer has taught me that being genuine, relaxed, and confident in my "best self" really pays off.  Let's see where this adventure takes us!

UPDATE #2- Even though the job is VERY exciting, I'm sure this is the update you have all been waiting for.....

Baby C




is





a





little






GIRL!!!!!!!!!




Mark and I had an ultrasound yesterday morning and saw her sweet little face! She was busy sucking on her fist and moving her little legs around. It was hard to not be overwhelmed with emotion when the ultrasound tech told us that she looks completely healthy and normal. We can't wait to meet her!!!!!


For those of you who have asked: Our nursery colors are black, white, and dove gray- and now we can add a splash of PINK in for good measure! (not a lot, just a splash...) I have a pinterest board dedicated to nursery things, and I'm sure it will soon start to collect all things adorable and baby girl (as opposed to gender neutral as it is now...) We will be working on a registry this coming week/weekend, and I'll post that here for convenience as soon as it is up and running. 


*The rest of this post is a recipe, so if you don't like fall drinks, all things pumpkin, saving money on expensive lattes, or DIY success stories, you can stop reading here! ;)


Thanks for all of your support, encouragement, and well-wishes as Mark and I have navigated 2011 so far. We're so grateful for all of your in our lives, and we can't wait to keep sharing our adventures with you as we keep moving forward! 


***


UPDATE #3- This is nowhere near as important as the other updates, but I had several requests for the recipe for my homemade Pumpkin Chai Latte... so here it is!  This drink was inspired by my recent obsession with this drink: 

My version takes a few minutes to assemble, but doesn't cost $5 a cup! (which means less guilt when I make more than 1 a day!) 


You need: 
- a BIG mug! (milk expands when it is heated and frothed) 
- gadgets to brew loose leaf tea if you use the Argo brand. 
- milk frother (this is mine, and works great to mix and create foam!)


- Argo Red "Rooibos Chai"  loose leaf tea (You could use any other chai spiced tea, too. I plan to try black chai tea when I add caffeine back into my diet after Baby C arrives.)


- 6-8 oz. milk (I use skim)
- spoonful organic pumpkin (mine is Trader Joe's. I keep the rest of the can stored in the fridge) 
- squeeze of honey (to taste) 
- dash pumpkin pie spice

1) First, heat your water and start brewing the tea. I brew mine in a separate, small tea cup- it will be added to the milk later. This red tea is recommended to brew for 6-8 minutes, and it can be strong. There is no caffeine in red tea, and the milk tones the flavor down a lot.

2) Combine the milk, pumpkin, honey, and spice in the big mug (I fill mine about halfway). Heat (microwave is faster, stove works... but who needs extra dishes?!?!). This morning I heated for 1min on high.

3) Froth/Mix milk and pumpkin combo. Be sure to move frother from top to bottom of mug to completely combine pumpkin. Froth at an angle to pull air into the milk and create foam.

(Depending on temp- I often heat an additional 30-45 seconds. Just don't scorch the milk! ew.)

[ SAFETY NOTE: If you don't use all the heated milk in your latte, DO NOT save the extra to re-use or re-heat later. Throw it out and just make less next time! It isn't safe or sanitary to heat and cool and re-heat milk. Trust me. ]

4) Add brewed tea to pumpkin milk. Argo steams/froths their tea WITH the milk, so you could try to mix them before heating and frothing, but I like the foam I can get from milk when heated on its own. ) Top with dash of pumpkin pie spice if desired =)

Can we say YUMMMMMMY!?!?!?

Let me know if you try it, or if you have any improvements!

xoxo,

Alyssa