Nesting.

Last weekend, my gorgeous friends and family threw two baby showers for little Reagan...and I think homegirl is going to be seriously impressed someday by the generosity and love of this community of far flung friends and close family that is welcoming her with open arms.  Not to mention, my nesting heart is filled to bursting when I open her closet doors (which I do on a more-than-once-daily basis) and see images like this:

Or, when I peek in her room on a bright spring-almost-summer morning and see all the pinks and greens that I love:

Both showers were filled with home-made touches, amazing food, and so much fun and friendship...you should definitely check these out if you plan to throw a baby shower anytime soon.  Pin-worthy, for sure.

Allison
Ginna
Carrie
Becca

And if Kayla and Ali had a blog I would post theirs too - the shower in Sparta was was equally as beautiful and lovely.  I (we) couldn't have felt more special.

So many thanks to all! 

You have to eat this.

The original recipe for this was on allrecipes.com, but I basically didn't follow it at all because I don't like canned salmon, capers or celery. 

Salmon Salad:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Salt, pepper and sprinkle garlic powder on one salmon filet.
Brush 1 tablespoon of olive oil on top of salmon.

Roast in the oven for 12-16 minutes depending on the size of your filet.

While still warm, shred filet (discarding skin) and mix in a bowl with one sliced green onion, 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley and 2-3 tablespoons of mayonnaise.

Serve on a bed of spinach and arugula with a side of sliced tomato splashed with balsamic vinegar.


Eat this today.  You will thank me.

In the house of Tompkins...

As I think most all who know me know already, I'm a generally handy person.  There isn't a moment since ARay and I got married that I don't thank the Lord for this fact.  My husband is good for a great many things, but, as he will readily admit, handiness around the home is not his forte.  As such, my nesting instinct kicked in pretty early during this pregnancy, and so,  I mastered the art of finagling large pieces of furniture by myself and had the crib put together by the time I was 6 months along.  Last week, I googled "how to install a light fixture" and found out where the central breaker switch was in our house.  I've become good friends with my level and learned that following the directions the first time is better than just figuring it out on one's own.  Oh, and if you need to mount a flat screen TV on a wall, I'm your go-to girl.  Handy things to know, yes? 

PS.  Having an extra person around while you're installing said light fixture and/or TV is a preferable option.  Or you could just grow a 3rd arm real quick.

Anyway, I'm nearing the home stretch when it comes to the nursery, all that's left is to complete a collage on the wall where I hope to hang 3 generations of needlepoint (as soon as I can sit down with Granny B so she can give me a needlepoint lesson), and to put our baby girl in the crib I so carefully constructed.  The rest of our house, however is a different story.  Spring is coming and I am dying to do yardwork, but 8 months of baby belly is not conducive to bending and hauling yard stuff.  I wish I could put harnesses on the dogs and get them to do something constructive for a change....

All that being said, I thought it might be nice to post some pictures of dear little Reagan's room!  I can't wait until she comes so I can post pictures of her...