Nathan

New studies on caffeine and alcohol intake during pregnancy...

'U.K. policymakers are shifting recommendations on consumption of low levels of alcohol and caffeine during pregnancy in reaction to two recent studies on the effects of the drugs, the Los Angeles Times reports. The studies -- which were the "largest and most rigorous" to date on low-level alcohol and caffeine consumption during pregnancy -- challenge the notion that alcohol should be avoided entirely during pregnancy and that light caffeine consumption has no effect on outcomes, according to the Times. The Times reports that the two studies suggest that "limited alcohol consumption is not so bad, while regular caffeine intake is worse than we thought."'

Whole article here.

Fortnightly Purse is up!

And wow is it a fun one! :-) Take a peek and enter here!

Bellybutton?

Lord, give me a bigger container...

"It’s good to see our limits and remember we have them. At the same time, as long as it is possible for us, we should be asking God to increase those limits, to open our hearts more and more, to give us the stamina we need on order to keep up with all He has given us to do. As we age and become more frail, He lightens our load. But all along the way we need to be asking for bigger containers to receive more grace and goodness so that we will have a greater capacity to give. And the more we give, the more He blesses us, the more He gives back to us."
- Nancy Wilson, in her latest blog post, "Large Hearts"

(Go read the rest!)

Pregnancy Ticker

Car Seat Safety

Deep Questions that Demand Answers

Well, if I called the wrong number, why did you answer the phone?
- James Thurber

Somehow this doesn't make any sense...

"Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a car that you are still paying for - in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it."
- Ellen Goodman

Yum!

Nathan likes avocados, but even better is the joy of wielding a spoon!

Musings on Slipcovers...

I'm very tempted by this slipcover tutorial I ran across this morning, titled, "The Laziest Slipcover Tutorial EVER!" We have a great chair, ottoman, and couch that I love- they are really comfortable and roomy and the pillow covers come off for washing, and they were free. I mean, can you beat free? I submit that you cannot.

So I really like them, and want to keep them around for a while, but unfortunately whoever designed these amazing pieces lost their mind around the fabric selection part of the process (or had a showroom in mind instead of my living room, populated with real people), and chose a lovely cream with lavender stripes. MmmmHmmm.

So I've been thinking of slipcovering, but every time I look at the couch, especially, it just seems too big and overwhelming. Also, I get distracted by the piping and the way the stripes line up and wonder whether the slipcover should go under or over the cushions, etc. Also, I'm intimidated by fabric selection. It is one thing to buy fabric for a skirt, or a window treatment, or a mai tai- if you change your mind, it is a small amount of fabric. But a couch is pretty big, and I would want to get duck cloth or something similar, heavyweight, and that adds up quickly. So I don't want to make a mistake, but I'm not sure what is most practical.

I was thinking maybe white- then I could bleach it if it got stained, and line dry it to help brighten it up before it needed the heavy hand of bleach. On the other hand, everything will show up on white.

What do you think? Would white be best? If not, what would be better? A dark pattern? I kind of like the bright, airy look of the cream and lavender, so I think I'd like the white, but I don't want to bring down extra furniture maintenance or extra laundry on my head. Thoughts?

Amoretti giveaway!

Enter in the Fortnightly purse! This time, including tea, digestive biscuits, and a polka dotted tea tin!