Welcome, Malachi

Proud to announce the arrival of and welcome...

Malachi David Gingras

born November 19, 2010 10:08 am

8 lbs 13.5 oz. 21 5/8"

St Boniface Hospital, Winnipeg, MB

(story to follow as soon as possible)

Bethlehem LIVE!

We are at the beginning of our journey to Bethlehem. David and I have had the privilege of taking a pilgrimage to Bethlehem for the past two years and we've never had to board a plane. That's because our church, Gateway, brings all the sights, sounds and smells of Bethlehem here to Winnipeg. Bethlehem LIVE! is a free event is open to everyone. With over 450 volunteers, you will get the chance to experience the wonder and joy of the first Christmas. Journey with the wise men through Harrod's palace, through the town's temple and marketplace, stop by the busiest inn, travel through the surrounding fields and even to the very birth place of our Lord Jesus Christ and back to Winnipeg again - without the need of a passport.

Photo by Becca Jaek of The River Studio

Two years ago, I was pregnant with Abigail and thanks to a large sheet sang in the angel choir. David worked as a greeter in the front rooms for those waiting to take their own pilgrimage through Bethlehem. Last year, Abigail and I joined other babies and moms at the town well. We even sat in for Mary and baby Jesus for a few tours, while David was a roman centurion. This year, David, Malachi and I will be one of the three families who get to portray Joseph,  Mary and baby Jesus. We are looking forward to introducing our newest family member to serving in ministry.

Photo by Becca Jaek of The River Studio

Why do we do this? So many people take time at one of the busiest times of the year, because we believe that the world needs to know the truth about why we celebrate Christmas. It's an opportunity to bring hope to those who have none and renew the joy and wonder of what Christ did for us.

Photo by Becca Jaek of The River Studio

The Santa Clause parade can mark the beginning of your journey. There's a BL! float in the parade and shepherds will be inviting everyone to come to Bethlehem. If you are in Winnipeg and would like to take a live tour through Bethlehem this year, we'd love to see you there. BL! tour times here.

Nesting... a new concept to me!

Photo credit

Well, we are just over a week away from our baby's due date (Nov 21st) and I've been nesting like crazy. This concept was completely lost on me until recently. I had heard people talk about the phenomenon before and I always thought that it was just for people with lots of energy. Oh no! Apparently you can nest out of exhaustion, too. I am tired and I can't stop!

This week, David rearranged our bedroom to make room for the nursing chair and a bassinet. I finally sorted and put away the few boy clothes that we have (I haven't done any shopping for Malachi yet, as I want to make sure I don't buy too small etc). Last night with David's mathematical genius, we cut out all the size large diaper blanks (yes, I am still not finished, but Mom is coming to help me out - hooray!). I have a bit more diaper flannel to buy for soakers, but thanks to David's math genius, I even have leftovers from the batch I bought for mediums. Details here.

Today, David helped me to cut up recycled clothing into usable panels of cloth. I also whipped up a little hat for Malachi and a cloth bag for the baby shower gift I shared a few posts ago. Sorry no pics :( About the cloth bag... have you heard about the "Green Grocery Bag Challenge"? A simple and effective challenge that I'm very excited about.

The challenge is this:

Wrap your holiday gifts in reusable cloth grocery bags.

That’s it! By doing this simple thing this holiday season you will cut down on the amount of wrapping paper entering the waste stream, while also getting multi-use bags into circulation. Not to mention the fact that your gift recipients get a bonus gift that they can use all year long! It’s win/win for earthand your loved ones!

I love this idea. It's super fun to sew bags to give, but if you don't sew, skip the gift bag from the dollar store and go down their household aisle and purchase a cloth bag instead. Every store I know of sells some form of cloth bag at the checkouts and most of them are around $1. If you sew, but don't want to take the time to sew the whole bag, why not embellish a store bought one instead. I whipped up this little card to attach to each bag in explanation. (Feel free to use it if you want to).

More details and links to free tutorials here.

Tonight I made three Mexican Lasagna Casseroles (from this cookbook) to freeze and I hope to finish this post and get back to my sewing machine. I have a rare evening to myself (I stayed home from our bible study group - trying to avoid the cold bug before I go into labour). Abby's in bed and I have plans to make a pair of these.

Phew, I'm glad Malachi's almost due, because all this nesting is exhausting (even if it's a little fun!)

Baby Gender Announcement

David, Abigail and I are happy to announce that we are expecting a baby...

BOY!

We are expecting Malachi within the next 2-3 weeks

(Twila Mae Photography)

New Baby Gifts

Our house group has grown by one since 2 days ago. Friends of ours welcomed their first baby to their family, a baby boy! Daddy is a pilot, so I thought that this little toy would be an appropriate gift. I also whipped up a couple different sized hats for him. Love these... will need to make more!

Airplane pattern here. Hat tutorial/pattern here and here.