All Together Now

Parenthood

2011-11-15T13:49:00.001-05:00

The warm, refreshing water. The sumptuous lather of suds in my hair. The sense of washing the day away, feeling the tension drain out my back and neck.

Then:

A frigid breeze. An icy cold hand on my leg. The sense that someone's watching, confirmed by the crunch of an apple: his favorite snack.

I miss showering in private.

My Bad

2011-11-15T13:05:00.001-05:00

This post comes to you courtesy of me, in my bed, at 1 pm on a Tuesday.

Napping buddies

I can explain, and will begin by being so uncouth as to discuss my weight (which is fine, so I'm not complaining) but that doesn't stop me from really, really wanting to lose my last few (okay, 8) pounds of baby weight. I don't even have that much to complain about since most of it seems to have settled on my ass, which for me is a good thing. I needed that. In my opinion. However, along with that, my chest is still a bit too large to fit back into some favorite dresses, and well, I wanna wear my dresses.

It seems that no matter what I do, the weight won't budge. Dieting, nope. Hot yoga, pilates, jogging - nope. Eating everything in sight on the days I give up - still doesn't budge. I guess that's a good thing.

So I instituted this 48-hour leek soup fast yesterday. (They are really beautiful dresses, did I mention?)

Things seemed to be going fine. I sipped my leek broth all day (they are diuretics don't ya know), drank lots of water and green tea. I wanted to chew something but I kept telling myself it was only for 2 days, and I felt okay.

Then I woke up this morning and started to walk to the bathroom but I had to sit down and rest on the way there, on account of seeing spots. I know they recommended low activity levels during the fast, but I thought that not being able to walk to my bathroom was a little crazy - and I still had to take care of a 15-month-old all day! I was nauseous and super dizzy and to sum it all up, it was a bad idea for me and day 2 is a no-go. I ate some food and basically am waiting for it to take so I can drag myself out of bed.

Whoops.

I told my husband that this craziness was the final frontier for me. I'm taking the best care of myself I can (most days), so if I couldn't lose weight doing this, I was going to stop dieting, focus on being healthy, and quit worrying about it. Maybe this is just my new size, I guess.

So long, dresses. Just kidding, I will never part with you. Maybe someday we will meet again, and so will your zippers when I put you on.

The Verdict

2011-11-13T11:40:00.001-05:00

It was an adjustment at first. I missed my office friends and daily interaction with people.

But I like staying home with Henry.

What with all that time with my sweet boy, the hot yoga classes I'm taking, working on a major project with a great writing partner, and one of my best friends moving back into town recently and coming over lots...

The verdict? I'm feeling rather fulfilled.

On Crockpots

2011-09-27T08:32:00.001-04:00

My friend gave me a crock pot that she was going to get rid of.

The problem with the crockpot (and I'm not talking about its jiggly handle) is that it doesn't need me to fuss with it enough. I don't feel like I'm actually cooking. Then later, when I get compliments on how good the food is, I feel like the crockpot will give me a dirty look if it hears me just say "thank you," without giving it any credit.

Last night while I was eating my pork carnitas, and Dan was gone working the night shift, and Henry was in bed, and the 2-hour premiere of Terra Nova came on before I could turn off the TV, leaving me powerless against its pull...

I felt something watching me.

I looked to my left, into the kitchen, and the crockpot was all, Hey. I like dinosaurs. I like time travel. I've been working hard all day long on those carnitas. Let me watch TV with you.

But I was like, no, you're inanimate, leave me alone. Let me eat my dinner in peace.

Boom. Sanity intact.

_______________

I like:

Crock pot Carnitas

Baked slow-cooker chicken

BBQ pork for sandwiches (and don't forget the cole slaw!)

Not Looking Back

2011-09-08T08:03:00.000-04:00

Well, here I am, in my bed with a cup of coffee on a Thursday morning. (It's Thursday, right?)

My first week as a stay-at-home mom.

It's been awhile since I said I was planning on making this transition. We were short-staffed and slammed at work, and so I figured I would stay there through summer. As summer came to a close and the time to set a last day was upon me, it was harder than I expected. We were making decent money between the 2 of us, and we're going to miss it. That's the truth.

But. I've never felt so happy after making such a hard decision. I told myself I wouldn't look back, so I'm determined not to.

Letter to a one-year-old

2011-07-24T17:20:00.000-04:00

Dear Henry,

Today you slept on my chest for the first time in months. You woke up early from your nap and I went to get you, but you snuggled up to me on the couch and went right back to sleep. What a wonderful departure from our normal routine.

It struck me, though, how much bigger you were than last time we napped together. How much bigger than the very first time your little body was laid upon my chest, to this day the brightest shining moment in a lifetime of moments.

You have changed me. My edges have softened and blurred from months of melding together with you. Hours of staring into your eyes, or watching your chest rise and fall long after they have closed. We've been through a lot in this last year, but for all of it, I really must thank you, Henry, for creating out of your father and me a family. For changing me into a mother, and thereby, making me happier than I have ever had any right to expect.

Soon you will be walking and talking, and I look forward to every bit of it. But for now, I am glad for every day that you are still smaller than you ever will be again. That you can still fit against my chest, bury your head into my hair, and sleep soundly with me.

All my love, always.

Big. So big.

2011-06-27T16:31:00.000-04:00

Guys.

I never thought the day would come for me to say this.

I had so resigned myself to my current day-to-day that I haven't even stopped by here to chat.

But it looks like the future is about to hold some additional time for that.

Because I am about to become a stay-at-home mommy.

I am feeling so incredibly blessed, and that's not a word I throw around.

I don't have a ton of details yet. I haven't nailed down when my last day is going to be so I don't know yet exactly when this little adventure is going to commence. I'm still hashing out some details here on the work end. This is a busy time of year and we're short-staffed as it is, so I'm trying to be flexible. But I don't even want to miss one more day with my little man. Quitting work is a lot of work.

You can quote me on that.

I'll be back soon

Before

2011-05-19T15:08:00.000-04:00

I'm wrist-deep in a sphere of pizza dough that I've made myself. There's an eggplant roasting in the oven, and spinach sauteeing on the stove. I stretch the dough over our warped, hand-me-down pan, top with figs, goat cheese, and caramelized onions, and set it to bake.

Dan lights candles and sets the table. Opens the wine. We turn off the TV and eat.

A few nights later, I'm in the kitchen for 3 and a half hours making salmon crepes. They're simple enough but it takes ages making all those crepes. A batch of rainbow cookies follows. They take - literally - 8 hours.

Brioche from scratch. Banana bread, always. The perfect French toast. Salmon in phyllo dough. Artichokes with lemon dipping sauce. Tabouli with plenty of olive oil and and parsley. Fig cookies. Homemade whipped cream on everything, or by itself.

I miss cooking.

Oh Haaaiiii

2011-05-17T08:36:00.004-04:00

Just when I thought I was ready to come back and post on my blog, I'm having a computer issue.

The power cord to my netbook broke off inside of it. I've only had the poor thing since November. A replacement was supposed to come in the mail last week, but it didn't. So I guess I'm actually having 2 problems...

I would post on my lunch break like I used to sometimes, but actually I'm using that time to ~~torment~~ go to the gym now with my friend Valerie. Hey, Valerie! How ya feeling today? *Wink*

I'm looking forward to telling you, at some point, how I met up with the absolute loveliest lady this weekend and had a blast - and she took some photos of Henry with her awesome camera.

And how Henry is now crawling, sitting totally on his own, pulling up, and is just generally hilarious. Oh yeah and sleeping in his crib all through the night by himself, 'cause I mean that's, like, a miracle.

And about how I'm making good on my resolution to feel good about myself this year.

More to come, I suppose, when my new adapter arrives, and I therefore have internet at home again. (How did I ever go without?!)

All photos by the fabulous Becky.

He's a big boy.

2011-05-02T08:37:00.000-04:00

Open letter from Henry:

Dear Mommy and Daddy,

Perhaps you haven't noticed lately that I am now a big boy. Let me spell out for you what that means.

You know those things you sleep with your heads on? Pillows? Well, I need one too - so move over.

Next, let's discuss bottles and sippy cups. I will now laugh in your face when presented with either of these options for beverage consumption. Please bring me my drinks in your finest crystal, and hold it to my lips.

Also, I know that when you hold that little thing up to your mouth, it's time to talk on the phone. I may not know actual words yet, but that's okay. That's why, whenever you talk on the phone recently, I've been yelling at the top of my lungs along with you!

See? I'm a big boy. So, to review:

Please let me sleep with my head on your pillow, drink out of glasses, and join in on your phone conversations. Thanks.

Blogger in a better mood(ish)

2011-04-28T11:28:00.000-04:00

Counting Crows' first album is so awesome. Still. You can just...sink into it.
Why didn't I become a chef? I could be a chef.
Not that I'm implying that chef-ing is easy.
Love my new chair courtesy of friends moving away.
Miss my friends, though.
A Homemade Life finally came for me at the library.
You do have a library card, don't you? It's wonderful.
I certainly don't mind waiting for books, if they're free.
I miss my husband.
But I'm sort of enjoying time to myself and eating cereal for dinner while he's gone.
Don't tell him I said so.
Do you need a laugh on this stormy day? Go here.
Lastly, I ordered these. Can't wait to get them.
We'll be planting flowers in them for my Mother's Day gift.

What's on your mind today, friends?

Where I'm at

2011-04-25T12:51:00.001-04:00

So I haven't spent much time on my blog lately.

Don't worry. I'm not stopping by to apologize or anything - haha.

Lately I've been doing a lot of thinking. Thinking about goals and dreams. Thinking about myself and the kind of person I want to be, and working on that person - which means more private journaling than public. Spending time with my family, because that's what is important to me. Enjoying simple things like a few minutes on the couch with stupid TV shows with my husband at night - and the computer tucked away. Reading more books and fewer blogs. Working hard.

Everything is fine...but I guess lately I feel sort of deep in thought and serious and very little like sharing. It's odd! But it's where I'm at.

Goodness knows it will pass.

I hope you have all had a wonderful easter and are enjoying a beautiful spring. I hope you will forgive my leave of absence from stopping by with comments. I'm sure I'll be back full force sometime soon. It's just one of those things.

Enjoying Life

2011-04-19T20:44:00.001-04:00

My husband just tried to take the computer away so he could attempt to reclaim his title as "Tickle Champion."

What? It's a thing. But I'm the current reigning champ. Dan's kryptonite = ticklish feet.

Henry is sick for the first time. Today was challenging to say the least. I've missed a lot of work this week and I'm going to miss more. And sleep, I've missed a lot of that too. But Henry's fever is down and he's doing much better.

And? There's coffee. Not right this minute or anything. Just...out there in the world. That's always good news.

There are also wombats and bubble baths and beautiful spring days and, they tell me, Harry Potter on DVD. I'm going to have to look into that. I'm a little out of touch.

In case you hadn't noticed...

Kapow!

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Coffee, quick.

2011-04-14T10:59:00.000-04:00

I've mentioned before how much I love coffee. This is where you find out that it's genetic.

This morning I dragged myself out of bed. You know what gets me to do that? The fact that my husband gets up before me (good man,) and he always makes the coffee. So I wake up and stumble, bleary-eyed, into the kitchen for my cuppa first thing.

Ah, but not today, friends. Alas, we were out of coffee. I hate that.

Not to worry. I went and got a cup from the delicious cafe down the street, so I'm all set to share this genius coffee idea with you, courtesy of none other than my mom. This is a sure-fire way to guarantee that you can make your coffee in a split second in the morning, and you will always know when you're out.

First, my mom starts with ground beans. In fact, this method won't work if you grind your own beans daily (which we do) unless you're willing to give a little and grind some beans in advance. (I didn't say my mom was a coffee connoisseur, I just said it's a great way to make your coffee quickly!)

Next, she...well, let's just let the picture do the talking:

You get it, right? She pre-fills her coffee filters, then stacks them in this nifty, tall Tupperware so they're ready every morning.

How's that for efficient?

How about you, friends? How do you make and take your coffee? Do you set your coffee pot's timer? Pre-fill your French press? Starbucks Via, anyone? Do you sit and sip, or take it on the go?

My biggest parenting mistake yet

2011-04-12T12:06:00.000-04:00

Henry has two little bottom teeth.

Yesterday we practiced biting. I let him bite on my finger, and each time he did, I'd say "Ow" in a funny voice, and Henry laughed. What I won't do to get that kid laughing...

At one point I turned to my friend Harri and said, "It's probably not a good idea to teach him to bite, is it?"

No. No, it was not.

A few hours later it was time to nurse, and well, I'm sure you can guess what happened next. Henry's bitten me here and there before, but this time he would not. stop. biting me...there. And telling him "no" wasn't really working when just a few hours before, I had made a game and laughed over it.

Whoops. Off to find some ice...

Sweet Kisses

2011-04-07T12:33:00.000-04:00

Friends, gather round, gather round.

I have something important to tell you.

My baby boy has learned to give kisses.

::Squeeeeaaallllllll::

It's funny. 8 months ago, my kid's a certified bump on a log, sleeping his life away.

Today he's scooching around, yelling and babbling all the time, saying the words Mama and Dada, and now kissing.

I shall start at the beginning.

Saturday night we were at a friend's house, and Henry was showing off big-time, using his full range of vocals: growling (yes that's still happening), yelling, babbling, all of it. He was sitting in Dan's lap beside me, and suddenly he shouted "Mama!" while banging his fists on the table...

Then he grabbed my face, pulled it over to himself, and planted one on me. On the lips.

I teared up a little, but it was a one-time occurrence, and in the back of my mind I thought, oh he's only 8 months old...he didn't really give me a kiss on purpose.

But last night, I laid down with him for a few minutes at bed time. He was scooching around on his stomach since that's his new thing, and I puckered up and made a kissy noise at him...and sure enough, he placed his (wide open, tongue out) cute little mouth right on mine. Then he did it again. And again. Actually he did it about 7 times before ~~writing me off as some weirdo~~ tiring of the game.

Sigh...I love that boy. I sure am glad things are shaping up so that it looks like he loves me back!

But then you have times like this morning, when I thought I was getting a kiss only to have Henry open his mouth and burp in my face...

Thrifters - 2 types

2011-04-06T08:15:00.002-04:00

Lately I've noticed that there are 2 different kinds of "thrifters," if you will.

Take my friend Robyn, for instance, who, with the exception of being an English major (we graduated together,) is pretty much my polar opposite.

When I thrift with Robyn, she goes in looking for old things that look good. She and her husband are currently fixing up their guest bedroom with antiques and thrifted items, and it looks beautiful. They have an antique couch, a gorgeous antique typewriter, an awesome orange armchair, thrifted dressers and night tables, pretty vintage art...lovely, just lovely I tell you.

She's also got a sweet little old-sweater collection coming along, and tons of cool shoes that she's found while thrifting. (I would have a cool shoe collection too, except that I wear a size 10. No one back in the day had feet this big, and I am forever bitter.)

Then you have the other type of thrifter. They appreciate old and used things, but they don't necessarily want to decorate with/wear them. They want to update them. Slap on some paint, cut off the sleeves, re-upholster, re-purpose, re-this, re-that. They don't necessarily buy things to use as-is.

That's me.

If you're anything like me, I hope you have a refined friend like Robyn to go thrifting with you. She has the best eye and always points out things whose potential I might have overlooked. It helps me get out of my comfort zone, and makes me consider layering my more modern accessories with some throw-backs.

Stay tuned for more from Robyn soon - a fashion lover who manages a rather popular shopping destination (hint: starts with an "Urban" and ends with an "Outfitters,") she'll be back soon to share some tips on how to shop your closet when you're running low on outfit inspiration.

Which type of thrifter are you? Do you have a go-to thrifting buddy? Any great new finds you care to share?

Sometimes things surprise me.

2011-04-04T09:57:00.001-04:00

Oh, hey, Happy Monday - you get 2 posts from me today, if you go on over to Pickled and read about my adventures in baby-led weaning. Wheee!

On to your regularly scheduled programming.

I have 2 embarrassing confessions to make about my weekend, but you know what? I don't care. I was pleasantly surprised on both counts and am happy to announce my ardor for the following:

1. Sears

I haven't been in a Sears since like 5th grade when my parents dragged me in while they were appliance-shopping or something. Suffice it to say, it's never crossed my mind to go into Sears for clothing. But alas, my husband went in this weekend to pick up some work boots, and I realized: the joke's on me!

Did you know Sears sells a line of French Connection clothes? I mean, seriously - did you know?! French Connection. At Sears. My mind is blown but it doesn't matter, because - hello, cute!

I'm talking to you, cute vest.

Be mine, boat-neck stripe top for like $10.

Oh hello, body-skimming tunic top. Meet my closet!

Boyfriend jeans, prepare to replace my skin-tight skinnies this summer.

Sears also sells a line by apostrophe, but I was too distracted by my baby screaming in the dressing room (yes, I'm that shopper now) to really give them my full attention.

2. The book Petty Magic by Camille DeAngelis

Woah. I wasn't supposed to love this book. I can explain, seriously.

It all started when a co-worker loaned me Game of Thrones, and holy 800-page-book, which is only part 1 in a series of 5 so far, it took me like a month to read that thing. 30 baths later (where else can the mother of an 8-month-old read?!) and I finally finished it. I decided to hold off on borrowing book 2 of that series to just read a few light things for now.

I wasn't supposed to love any of them. I just wanted a few quick little fluffy books, you know? I picked up Petty Magic on the new arrivals shelf at the library, knowing nothing about it, and only a week later I finished it and I am so sorry that I did because I didn't want it to end.

Magic is cool and all, but there's some history thrown in, and a bit of a mystery element too. There are a few semi-ridiculous things that brought Harry Potter to mind for me, but that's okay because I love Harry Potter.

This book was just charming, and I really loved the main character. I want more. If you aren't sure what to read next, you might consider picking this one up.

So there you have it. I love Sears and a book that might be considered chick-lit to some. Judge me? Who cares, I have cute new clothes and a new book to love.

Want to confess anything today? A guilty pleasure of your own, say? Spill it!

Happy Friday

2011-04-01T15:52:00.000-04:00

"Those things you've been calling dreams? Start calling those your goals."

I can get with that, especially when spoken by a wife and mom of 2, who last month picked up and moved from the US to Italy - for fun. Rachel, you are my inspiration.

Check out her inspiring post, and have a lovely, dreamy weekend.

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Hey, kid.

2011-03-30T11:19:00.000-04:00

The good with the bad

2011-03-29T09:35:00.000-04:00

Did I ever tell you the story of the hot water incident?

No?

When Henry was born, we came home from the hospital with him, napped for an hour and a half, then immediately turned around and left for one week - for my parents' house. My parents had planned to spend the week getting to know their new grandson, allowing Dan and me to get some rest, and making nutritious meals for us. It was lovely.

At the time, though, their full bath was being repaired, so showering was an option, but luxuriating in a nice, hot bath wasn't.

Well, I love baths.

As soon as we got back to our apartment and got Henry down for the night, I wanted a bath. I had given birth and been awake for practically a week straight. If ever a nice, hot bubble bath was in order, it was then.

I went and started the water. I have it down to a science of how far to turn the knobs, so I really don't even have to feel the water anymore. I just turn it on.

The tub was filled, the bubbles were added, and I excitedly stuck my toes in.

It was cold.

Long story short, our landlords had done something with the power while we were out of town, and the hot water went away.

I could have cried.

But I didn't.

My husband spent the following hour using all 4 burners on our stove, plus the microwave, to get enough hot water for me to have my bath.

Not having hot water for a few days sucked, but it's nice to know that someone out there will boil water for a bath for me, then take care of the baby while I lounge in it.

Old school, new school

2011-03-28T11:50:00.000-04:00

Class is in session.

Okay, last school reference, I promise.

But please check out my school-chair makeover.

Dan and I have been needing some chairs for our dining table for ages. In fact, we have been eating dinner on our couch since we moved into this apartment last March. It recently hit me that that's 1 year.

For shame.

The issue is space. We have such a tiny apartment that at first I had in mind some little stools with back rests, that we could fold up after dinner. But they'd be table height, not bar-stool height.

I know I have seen these things before, but friends, they seem not to exist.

Then I began to think. We eat dinner every night, right? We don't necessarily need something that will fold up. I'm pretty sure we can sacrifice a little carpet real estate for 2 dining chairs that, in theory, we'll be using nightly.

And then, I stumbled across these beauties for $8 at Diversity Thrift. Okay, so maybe they didn't look like beauties at first. But I had a vision for them. Dan and I snagged 2 of them, and combined with the spray paint we bought, I'd estimate that this project came out to about $10 per chair.

I thought the perfect thing to spruce up our chairs with a little sophistication and bring them on over to the 21st century was a nice white spray paint. I figured that would also look pretty and crisp with our dark wooden dining table. Spoiler alert: I was right.

I wrapped the legs of our new-old chairs in newspaper to protect them from the spray paint, and 3 light coats later, got my modern take on these retro gems.

Et, voila!

There were a few really happy accidents with these chairs. Obviously we couldn't push them up to our table before we bought them, but when we got them home, we realized 3 things:

1. The legs of the chairs fit perfectly around the pedestal base of our table. Any smaller and the chairs wouldn't have worked, because we wouldn't have been able to push them in.
2. The backs of the chairs curve perfectly against the sides of our table, and
3. When pushed in to our table, the legs of the chairs almost perfectly meet each other in the middle, making this the perfect, compact arrangement for our little apartment.

Wow, did you notice how many times I was just compelled to use the word "perfect" there? It's like these chairs and our table were meant to be.

You want to hear something really crazy? Here's a similar chair Ikea just released for $139:

In defense of the equally-cute yet more expensive Ikea version, they do lay claim to "a restful springiness" and preventing static cling. Pretty sure our formerly-orange chairs cannot say that.

As a side note: Glossy spray paint does not make old plastic school chairs glossy, no matter how many coats you spray. Ah, well. I still like our white chairs with a matte finish, even if they aren't as Jetsons-looking as I had originally hoped they would be.

There are so many things you can do with chairs like this - it really gets my right-brain humming. What about stencils? Or a fun, bright lime-green paint? Or a fabric insert in the open back? Or heck, just leave 'em orange if that's your thing. I wouldn't judge!

What do you think? Have you had any fun with spray paint recently? Did your trigger finger cramp up as badly as mine? On a big project like this, it takes me 2 hands to hold down the nozzle by the end. You should have seen the neighbors laughing.

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Ikea Chair

Sewing (I was telling the truth)

2011-03-24T13:47:00.002-04:00

So I know I told you all recently that I had done some sewing and I'd be back with pictures and blah blah blah.

Have I mentioned before how much I hate taking pictures?

**We interrupt this blog post to inform you that this blog is seeking a part-time photographer willing to work for baked goods and time with a cute baby. Requirements: None. You don't even have to be talented. Just be willing to push the button and also follow me around occasionally, noting my observations on life.**

Oh my gosh, can you imagine how cool my blog would be if I actually took the time to photograph everything I wanted to write about? Marginally cooler.

**We interrupt this tangent to show you this picture taken by me at a stoplight the other day of a man who had a parrot walking around in his car (look closely).**

Where was I again? Oh, yes. Sewing.

My mom and I went to Ikea recently, and we were both searching specifically to buy some new pillow covers.

We didn't find the pillow covers we wanted. Instead, we found dish towels and a tablecloth that would have made perfect pillow covers. So we took a chance, and bought them.

When we got back to my mom's house, we started right in on ~~maiming~~ carefully shearing the navy-and-white striped table cloth. It's what I had chosen for my pillow covers, and we wanted to finish those first since I was leaving the next day. My mom showed me how to use the sewing machine, and I was off. A few hours later, we had 2 table runners - one for me and one for my mom - and 2 new pillow covers.

Here's the table runner. And you already know what pillows look like, so I'll spare you.

By this time, I was spent for the night in terms of measuring, cutting, and bending over the sewing machine.

My mom and I sat around talking after that, and she got to showing me the other unfinished sewing projects she had lying around. There were lots of them: a quilt, some toile pillows, etc. And it hit me then: my mom was not going to finish her dish towel pillows any time soon. They were going to be added to the pile of misfit projects. Nothing drives me crazy like unfinished projects. It was time to take matters into my own hands.

I got up early the next morning and got to work on my mom's pillows, using red and white Ikea dish towels, which I found reminiscent of old French flour sacks:

A vintage flour sack

The best part was that each towel was only 49 cents - I even bought several to actually use as towels in my own kitchen (imagine that!).

Ikea dish towel

The problem we ran into with these towels is that the red stripes, which we wanted to show up on the pillows (of course), were too far apart - or the pillows were too small, rather. So to fix it, I folded one towel inwards on itself, and sewed it into place. Then I sewed that piece onto a second towel, which formed the front piece of the pillow cover. Then I used an additional towel to form the back of the pillow.

The words pillow and towel are starting to look weird. I think I'm overusing them. To further confuse you, I will now begin replacing both words with the word "parrot."

So the project ended up using 3 parrots per parrot cover instead of 2. But it was no problem, as we had bought so many parrots. (Did I mention they cost 49 cents, and were adorable?) Anyway, all in all I made 3 of these.

Before:

A humble dish towel

After:

A falsely modest pillow cover

On the backs of the pillows, I even left the little towel hooks facing the outside, so you could really get a feel for the history of this flour-sack disguised as a dish towel disguised as a pillow.

See?

I was really pleased with how the pillows turned out (and my mom was over the moon - success!) But we had one small project left.

Oh, yes. The sewing continues.

I mentioned that we didn't find the pillow covers we were looking for at Ikea, but that wasn't entirely true. My mom found some she loved, and bought them and excitedly stuffed her pillows into them as soon as we walked in the door. But the covers were too big.

So we tag-teamed them.

My mom cut the pillow covers down in size, using her rotary cutter and the stripes on the covers as guides. Then she passed them to me, where I turned them wrong-side-out and dashed them through the sewing machine really quickly.

Couldn't have been easier.

Here are all her pillows now: one big happy, hand-made family, except for those little red ones, which can be a part of the family even though they are actually store-bought, on account of the fact that they match, and we like working with what we've got.

Best weekend ever with my mom. A huge thanks to her for teaching me how to sew. I love it.

The end.

Flour sack
Ikea dish towel

Elizabeth

2011-03-24T08:12:00.000-04:00

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Oh, the things I say...

2011-03-22T08:31:00.000-04:00

...when sugared up and encountering strangers.

Last night after work I had to make a quick Target run for diapers and wipes, and hey, what's a Target run without a stop at the Easter section for some Cadbury Mini Eggs?

(Side note: As a dark chocolate lover, I recently tried the dark chocolate version of these confectionery delights. Note to Cadbury: If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I'll stick with the milk chocolate version, thankyou.)

Upon reaching said gigantic display of Mini Eggs, a guy about my age was standing in front of them like he couldn't make up his mind whether he wanted any. What's the problem, guy? They're only available once a year, or at least they used to be so that's still my excuse. Just grab a bag and move along.

Cue my gigantic mouth: "You know you want some."

Yeah it came out totally wrong. He seemed amused though.

Anyway, yeah...I got nothing today. But hey, as long as you're here, can you please check out this girl? I really must thank her for helping me realize that I am not too young to tuck in my shirt or wear lipstick.

Adorable, right?

(See also: Looks like Mary Louise Parker)

(One last thing: I only eat Cadbury Mini Eggs at Easter time. They just don't seem like they would taste right near Halloween or Christmas. Anyone else? Anyone?)

The Best Weekend

2011-03-21T10:13:00.001-04:00

I haven't been avoiding you. I've been out of town since last week.

I understand that nowadays, you aren't supposed to tell people, in case they decide to rob you.

Please don't rob me. I'm back now.

Anyway, our weekend was so lovely. You know what I wish? I wish I were one of those people who thought ahead about stuff like, say, bringing a camera.

But I'm not. Therefore, I have very few pictures to show of what was a really, really wonderful time. My brother and sister-in-law were visiting DC from Oklahoma with my niece and nephew and the plan was to meet up with them for some fun.

Wednesday night I headed up to my parents' house. They live in Woodbridge, about a half an hour outside of DC.

Early Thursday morning, my brother-in-law Tim came down from DC to pick me up. I thought of taking the metro but I don't really know how to work it and I was a little nervous about trying to navigate everything by myself with Henry. Dan wasn't with us as he had to work on Thursday, meaning he missed...

White House - see the green fountain on the right for St Patrick's Day? Our current administration is just so festive.

Our White House tour. My in-laws are major history buffs, which made everything more interesting. They read a lot to prepare for their trip and shared tons of cool tidbits. Without them, I probably would have just walked around thinking about how pretty the furniture was.

(So pretty.)

Dan also missed our tour of The Capitol (where we saw John Kerry, John Boehner, and Joe Lieberman. Whom I wouldn't have even recognized if I hadn't been with my in-laws, except for Kerry.)

Thursday night, the nice lady who owns the condo where my in-laws stayed offered to let Dan and me stay upstairs in the other condo free of charge, which was so sweet of her. We were originally going to stay at my parents and drive back up for museum visiting on Friday. The condo was beautiful, in a gorgeous, quiet neighborhood in Capitol Hill.

Friday we walked through a few museums, which was such fun to experience with my niece and nephew, who are 6 and 8. About mid-day, Henry was getting pretty restless, so we said good-bye to my in-laws and headed back to my parents' house for the weekend.

Me and my boy on the Metro

An Ikea trip ensued. Followed by some sewing.

I'm as shocked as you are. I'll be back when I have pictures. I will prove to you that I sewed. And I don't suck at it, either.

*All photos stolen from my sister-in-law Jill's Facebook

The allure of fate

2011-03-16T08:13:00.000-04:00

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Kismet, destiny, whatever.

If we're all fated for something, it must be something great, right?

Destiny wouldn't choose something average for us, would it?

Would it?

I think that's why it's so tempting to believe in fate. Because whatever awaits us when we reach our pre-determined destination is sure to be amazing...and we don't even really have to do anything to get there, right? After all - it's fated!

I like the idea of fate. I like the idea that my husband and I were meant to be, that I'm right where I'm supposed to be in life, that when things go wrong, it doesn't feel so lonely because somewhere out there, a higher power pre-destined that things were meant to happen that way.

But, alas. The reality is, I don't believe in fate.

Lately, I'm struck by the fact that if any of the things I want in life are actually going to happen, I'm going to have to do something about them. Get up, take risks, and work really hard. Fail (oh, hold me now!) Get back up and try again.

Anyway. I have a little something up my sleeve. It's not earth-shattering, but it's big for me. Sneak peek to come soon. I don't mean to leave you hanging, really. I'm just *almost* ready to share...but not quite.

thisclose

2011-03-14T09:19:00.001-04:00

What does it feel like to reach a weight-loss goal?

I can't say. This is the first time I've really ever set one.

But I am half a pound away from finding out.

Hopefully a raging case of chocolate cravings doesn't knock me off track again like it did last month.

In case of cravings:

Oh, baby. Take it off.

I have yet to determine whose side he's on.

So yes, I am half a pound from the initial 20-pound weight loss goal I set after I had Henry. That leaves me with 12 pounds left to lose until wedding weight.

It's kind of a big deal.

I'm running my ass off training for the 10k, which helps. I really need to get back into some strength training or Pilates, though. I'm putting all my energy into running because working out 3 times a week is really all I feel like I have time for, but I don't want to hit wedding weight and be all flabby because I haven't done any strength training.

In summary:

-Square candy bars are particularly appetizing.
-My ass has fallen off but my hips remain.
-I could almost stop here because I feel pretty good and this is also a fine weight for me...
-Oh, but wedding weight. I'm so close I can taste it. Sadly it does not taste like chocolate.

Chocolatey-breath sigh.

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BA is taking it a day at a time and probably eating less chocolate than I'm about to attack. Check her out here.

Food.

2011-03-11T10:57:00.000-05:00

If anyone's interested in hearing how I got some vegetables down my family's gullets this week, read on.

Gullets? Is that a word? You know what I mean...down their throats...real vegetables...with almost no time to cook.

Anyway, lately I've been embracing the principal of doubling my recipes and freezing the second half. It sounds so simple and it is, and what I especially like about it is that it rarely leaves behind a bunch of leftover ingredients that I end up throwing away. So instead of using, say, half a can of evaporated milk for a recipe, or half a bunch of vegetables, I just use the whole can/entire bag of celery because I'm doubling my recipe.

This week I made 2 awesome casseroles. Each recipe made 6 servings - or, dinner for Dan and me for 3 nights each. If you're following along, 2 casseroles with 6 servings each = 6 nights of dinner! And on the 7th night - tonight - well, it's frozen pizza Friday!

And now I have 2 casseroles in the freezer for next week, which means I don't have to cook next week.

Are you listening, Charlie Sheen? That's what I call winning.

Here are the casseroles I made this week. I've never been a huge casserole person but lately it's so easy to throw a bunch of ingredients into my Corningwear, and it's all good, healthy stuff, not to mention filling and budget-friendly. Yum. Who needs a side dish?! I look forward to getting back to more "interesting" meals at some point, but this is just not that season for us, and that's fine with me - my belly is happy.

Casserole 1: Chicken Rice Bake

This recipe says it serves 4, but trust me, it served 6. The recipe is pretty big but it's also rich. The first night we ate it I thought it didn't have a ton of flavor (which is why I shy away from creamy, cheesy dishes) but I went heavy on the pepper, and the 2nd and 3rd days we ate it, I kept thinking it tasted better every time.

Casserole 2: Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

Again, a huge casserole and could probably serve more than 6 - but it was so good I didn't mind the large portions. It's going to feel like you're using a lot of enchilada sauce, but don't skimp (like I did) or your casserole will be a little on the dry side.

Enjoy, my friends! I hope this can help some other busy families out there - I can personally vouch for these 2 casseroles. Do you have any other great casseroles or easy-to-freeze meals you can share?

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. It is finally seasonally appropriate to dress our baby in St. Patrick's Day clothing, which we will commence tomorrow!

Coffee (In which you realize I'm a pusher)

2011-03-09T08:41:00.000-05:00

Doesn't seeing it in print just make you want it?

Coffee.

Coffee.

Mmmm.

How about a picture?

Double mmm.

How do you take yours? I like mine with just cream, no sugar. Definitely cream, though. Plenty of cream. In fact, running out of half and half is the only thing in our house that constitutes an emergency grocery store trip. With the exception of coffee itself. And toilet paper. (Although in a pinch, one can use coffee filters to...um, nevermind.)

I like coffee more than almost anything in the whole world. All coffee, all day long is what I'm looking forward to most about weaning Henry.

I once tried to quit caffeine. My coffee maker broke, and I figured it was as good a time as any to kick the habit. It was when I was in nursing school (yes that happened,) and I had to go to school every morning and sit at my desk for at least 3-4 hours.

It was hard at first.

It was hard after 2 weeks.

It was hard after a month. One month without coffee and I was still practically drooling and falling asleep at my desk every day. It literally never got better for me to go without coffee.

After a little over a month of nudging me awake several times a morning, one of my classmates bought me a new coffee pot, and that was the end of that. I've never gone a day without since.

Although one time, a few years ago, I accidentally missed my morning cuppa. My roommate made coffee that morning, and we were out of regular so he made decaf except he didn't tell me. (Yeah, I don't know.) I drank and went on with my day. I barely made it through work (ironically, an 8-hour shift in a coffee shop; if only I had known my symptoms were caffeine-related, I could have cured them almost instantly!). I honestly thought I was coming down with the flu. I felt deathly ill and kept checking to see if I had a fever.

I guess that's probably a terrible sign of addiction, but you know what? I don't care.

Coffee and I were meant to be. I can no longer remember why I ever tried to kick the habit. I love this habit. I have so few vices. (Pretzel M&Ms? I don't know what you're talking about.) Coffee is relatively inexpensive and widely available. I think there's no need for me to ever go a day without it again, as long as I live.

And once I'm done nursing, I don't think there will ever be a reason to go an afternoon or evening without it again, either.

Do non-coffee drinkers get this way about anything? What do you guys do? Give me one week, and I bet I can get you hooked on coffee. And not because of the caffeine; what I mean is, I bet I can find a way to make it for you that you'd enjoy. You'll love it. You'll be so glad you came to the other side.

***You probably thought I was going to tell you that I'm giving up coffee for lent. I'm not. I'm giving up using Facebook while at home. Which I realize implies that I'm only using Facebook at work. What? I get breaks! I thought of giving up the internet at home entirely, but then who would write this blog?! Are you giving up anything for lent? I want to hear! This is my first time ever doing it and I'm ~~nosy~~ curious what others do.***

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Since you asked!

2011-03-08T12:50:00.000-05:00

Why yes, I did dream that Dan and I both had gotten...ahem...*private* piercings last night.

Then I turned into a dinosaur and I was running away from a T-rex. Then I was the T-rex!

Wait, what? You didn't ask?

::teehee::

Pushing through

2011-03-07T09:04:00.000-05:00

I don't have a partner for training for this year's 10k. Dan just isn't up for it this time around. He will probably still participate in the race, but anytime we've set out for a run together, Dan is just wiped out. Recovering from a UC flare will do that to you.

It wasn't easy getting out the door for my weekly long run on Sunday. Four miles, by myself. I hadn't had coffee yet, and there it was, hot on the burner and waiting for me, tempting me to stay in. I turned to Dan as I was walking out the door, and told him, "4 miles...I don't know if I can do this. I hope I can."

I set out into the grey morning. The smell of rain hung in the air. The city was deserted. I love my city in the morning.

Row homes with windows thrown open, the smell of coffee and sizzling bacon meeting me as my feet hit the pavement.

Church bells ringing out over the city.

The scent of tin pots of rice and beans and stove-top espresso as I pass Kuba Kuba.

Old-timers in slippers and glasses, reading the paper on their porches.

Halfway done, and counting the stoplights until I hit home. Lombardy, Meadow, Robinson, Boulevard, Sheppard, Thompson.

Lost in thought, I realize I've been running up an incline for some time. My heart is beating uncomfortably quickly; I'm a little short of breath. I don't know if I can make it. I consider stopping to walk.

Keep pushing, I tell myself. You can do this. Think of something besides being tired.

So I did.

I thought of another kind of pushing, and the exquisite pain just before the rapture of having Henry handed to me for the first time.

I thought of my friend Shelly, and wished she were training with me again this year, and reminding me to treat myself to some yoga on my off-days.

I thought of my sweet, gentle friend Em, who gave birth to her first baby just a month ago, with no pain medication. What a woman...what tiger hid inside you all this while, my fierce friend?

And finally, after almost an hour with only my thoughts for company, I was home.

What pushes you through on the days you just don't feel like it?

I'm happy to say that after running several times last week and this weekend, I am wearing a dress today that I haven't gotten into since before I was pregnant. That's a great feeling.

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Read up on BA's progress here - she's awesome and she pushed through last week, too.

My favorite

2011-03-03T08:48:00.001-05:00

This is my favorite ever picture of Henry. I wish it hadn't been captured with a poor-quality camera phone, but ah well - at least the phone was there to capture it!

We had a crazy-warm February afternoon, and Henry is wearing the Oshkosh bibs that his Nana bought him before he was even born.

There is something I must tell you all:

Things here are good.

Do you ever get the sense that things are so rough that you start wondering if the universe has forgotten about you, and your mind is so centered on your problems that you feel like your life is just shrinking and shrinking and you fear you might eventually just disappear?

I know that's a little dramatic, but it's the only way I can think to describe how things were for me at the end of 2010. Dan was seriously ill and hospitalized, which I know I mentioned before, but we had stuff going on even on top of that if you can imagine, and the icing on the cake was that we were getting no sleep.

Of course there were a few silver linings: our brand-new baby, for one. Our families. The holidays.

And having this place to come and vent and to vocalize that I needed support.

Thank you all so much for your kind words, your advice, and for reminding me that it's just a season. I just wanted to stop in and tell you: things are good on this end. I hope they're good on your end too, but if not - whatever is going on where you are - there is a light at the end of that looong tunnel. I don't know when you will see it, because when you need it, it never feels soon enough.

But I know you will get there.

Have a great day, dear friends.

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He likes it.

2011-03-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

Hummus, that is.

A lot.

Even though our sitter looked at us like we were crazy the first time we brought it and announced that it was to be fed to him.

Breastfeeding: 7 months in and I still don't know if I'm doing this right

2011-03-01T10:36:00.001-05:00

I interviewed 3 babysitters this weekend. (I know I told you all that our last sitter was awesome, and she was. But she also lived close to 30 minutes from us, in the opposite direction of our respective offices. I mean, have you seen gas prices? Plus I already don't see my kid enough for my liking. An hour's commute every morning and evening is the last thing I need. But I digress.)

Over the course of 3 interviews, naturally, feeding was addressed. Each sitter asked what type of formula I use, which is not applicable, as, like I have mentioned here, here and here I'm still nursing. This means that, unfortunately, I don't have a ton of guidance to offer on the subject of feeding my child, as all we give him at home is boovies. (What? It's like a combination of beverage and boobie.)

Motherhood makes you weird.

So we finally found a sitter who we think is just wonderful. She seems sweet and patient, and has a nice family and tons of experience.

Also, she called me several times yesterday to let me know that Henry would not take a bottle. All day. At all.

Granted, the kid is eating like a pig. A whole jar of baby food or container of yogurt at once. Mounds and mounds of hummus. Piles of noodles.

But it's not like him to refuse a bottle, or any food, for that matter.

Lately at home, he's only nursing for about 5 minutes at a time, but I figured he's probably just become very efficient at doin' what he does.

Pumping at work is yielding less and less milk, though, which makes me wonder if he's drinking less of it, which makes me think my supply is dropping.

We always nurse or offer the bottle before feeding any solids, so...

Am I doing this right? Has anyone else noticed a big decrease in their child's interest in milk after introducing solids? Or noticed an off-day during the first day with a new child care setting?

*Update* The sitter just called to say Henry appears to be cutting 2 teeth. 2 teeth! I can't believe it! ::Sniffsniff:: Could this be the culprit of the bottle strike?

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Things no one tells you about parenting vol. 19876

2011-02-24T14:55:00.000-05:00

No one ever tells you that you will never think about anything as a non-parent again. Everything from your child's birth forward is viewed and judged through the parent lens.

The Katy Perry on Sesame Street in a low-cut top debacle? Which was ridiculous?

I get it.

Also? Watching the news will make you cry. No less than 3 stories about child abuse/neglect were on just last night.

Oh God, I'm tearing up again.

No one ever tells you just how much you will care. About every little thing. Covering up those tiny ears with a hat. Clipping the itty-bitty nails. Are his feet warm, is he hungry, is he getting enough attention, does he realize today that he's loved?

No one tells you you'll worry yourself crazy until you're having nightmares. Last night I dreamed I lost Henry, and in my dream, I ran faster than I ever have in my entire life. I found him safely curled up with my mom and dad, and burst into tears.

No one ever tells you that you can love someone with such abandon. That such a pure love exists. It's intoxicating.

Well...maybe they do tell you that last part. It just took having my own baby to understand.

Photo: Shelly Nester

Current Affair

2011-02-23T12:54:00.001-05:00

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These days, I'm fixated on reading my way through the Quit your Day Job series over on Etsy. Seriously, it's an inspiration to read interviews with such hard-working, genius creators, inventors, and artists. Get on over there and see if you don't feel like you can cross-stitch/crochet/wood-work your way out of working for the man.

I like this age

2011-02-22T09:22:00.000-05:00

Henry is 7 months old this week, and I'm loving it.

He's smiley and mischievous and filled with personality. He's nosy and wants to be in the middle of everything we do and every conversation we have. He's eating everything we put in front of him. He's taking longer naps. He's babbling and shouting and frowning at strangers. He cracks up when we nibble his tummy, and he loves playing "baby attack," the details of which I will spare you.

He is such a joy.

I haven't been feeling very well lately, and I stayed home from work yesterday and spent the day showering him with attention. We played games, read books, ate tons of hummus, took 3 solid naps, and made nachos for dinner. Just the 2 of us. It was the best.

I definitely can't say I love every moment of being a mom. It is hard work, and I suspect that the reason no one really tells you is because on top of not having time to spit out a coherent sentence, there just are no words.

But at the end of the day that hardly matters, because this little boy is my favorite. thing. ever.

Cute overload

2011-02-18T12:15:00.001-05:00

Dan and I have a little running joke. When Henry's gone to sleep for the night, and one of us has to go in the room for something, we come out and say, "Watch out if you go in there - there's an angel in the bed, and he's sleeping."

We usually don't bring Henry out of the room once he's gone to bed for the night, but recently I did, because he got hungry during the one show I watch during the week (Modern Family.) I nursed him while we watched, and after a few minutes he fell asleep.

He had such a cute expression on his sleeping face that I called Dan over to have a look. We both started laughing, and I guess the shaking woke Henry up. He opened his eyes and looked at us, and a huge smile spread over his face.

It was kind of like this. But bigger.

Then he fell back to sleep.

Sigh.

Etsy ♥: Ashley Percival

2011-02-18T08:37:00.000-05:00

Check out this amazing artist, Ashley Percival. Her gorgeous prints are super affordable, beautifully detailed, and well, there really are no other words. Especially if you have a thing for animals. And I do.

Hitting my stride

2011-02-17T08:58:00.002-05:00

No, literally.

Start line of 10K #1 - 2009

I am proud to say that 10k training is...well, going. When I first made the resolution, I had serious doubts about my ability to follow through, for a few reasons. I have very little time right now, and when I scrape up a few spare moments, I rarely want to spend them exercising.

Additionally, getting back into running after giving birth has felt...unnatural. When I first started, it was as if I had cinder blocks on my ankles. I could hardly run two blocks without feeling exhausted. Sometimes running is hard because you're out of breath; other times, it's hard because even though you can breathe, you're physically tired. Running after having Henry, it was both.

Then I got to this point. And you guys were so sweet and so supportive. And that weekend, I pulled myself out of bed early, kissed my sleeping boys, and ran. Visions of the post-run muffins that waited at home for me danced in my head. My chest hurt from breathing so heavily in the cold air.

I love that feeling.

I got home and ran a bath, and suddenly I was feeling like myself again. That feeling got me through a few more runs last week, and here I am now, ~~knee~~ ankle-deep in week 2 of my 10K training program. I find I have time to run on the weekends (so it's nice that the long run is on Sundays,) and if I really plan ahead, I can usually slap my shoes on as soon as I walk in the door after work, and run then as well. And it's even a tiny bit light outside still.

The best part? I'm beginning to feel like a functioning human being again.

Since I didn't keep up with running during my pregnancy, I had forgotten all about this benefit of running. How it used to make me feel great. How if I went too long without doing it, I felt off.

I no longer feel like I have cinder blocks for legs. It's nice to be reminded that hard work pays off. Running after having a baby is hard work, but lately, it's great.

Inspired: emmakisstina

2011-02-16T14:23:00.000-05:00

If you're like me and you can't get enough makeup and pretty things, how about expanding your vanity with some gorgeous illustrations of your favorites?

More here. Definitely check out the calendar. Be still, my heart...

Henry: never-before seen

2011-02-16T08:24:00.000-05:00

From the archives (aka the cell phone camera):

My boy is mighty handsome. Even if he is afraid of baths lately...???

Hi-yaa!

2011-02-14T12:55:00.003-05:00

That's what Monday just did to my weekend. Swift karate chop. Fin. The end.

Monday, you are such a bore. What, did your dad wake you up early on Saturdays to do chores or something? You never got to sleep in? What is it? Why are you so bitter?!

Won't you all join me in verbally abusing this abomination of a weekday?

In other news, Henry slept like a dream last night, which was nice of him, considering that the night before, he was quite, quite evil, waking frequently only to scream for several minutes. Once he ensured we were all awake comforting him, he drifted back off. Rather smugly.

He's also doing this thing recently...I'm trying to think of the best way to describe it. In fact, on Friday night I called Dan into the room and told him to call a priest. I guess you could say he's been...growling. But it's so low and guttural that, I kid you not, the child sounds exactly like Linda Blair in the exorcist. And it is a little creepy when it's dark out and you're in the room with him by yourself, and he's looking you straight in the eye while he makes the noise. The power of Christ compels you, kiddo...

Rarrrrrr...

Must get this on video...

I also have a diaper story that started my day off laughing, and I hope you can enjoy it as well. Henry's on solids now, and you know what that means. No more unscented diapers. (Was that a polite enough way to put it?)

I heard Dan dry-heaving from the other room this morning, and went in to see what was going on. He was changing Henry. It's that bad.

Sorry, dear. Love you.

It's here.

2011-02-14T09:08:00.000-05:00

In honor of our dear St. Valentine (who so kindly made sure I received an orchid this year - thanks Dan!), Urban Outfitters chose today to release their wedding line, BHLDN. Pronounced "beholden."

Now, I'm not going to do what you think I'm going to do, which is to point out that although I could forgive them for mis-spelling Anthropology with a cutesy "ie" at the end, I think it's a little harder to overlook the complete omission of vowels, combined with the all-caps, that make up BHLDN.

No, I'm not going to do that.

And this is why:

And now, my favorite. I would get married again just to wear this dress:

Sigh.

What do you think? Check out more at their site - there are also bridesmaid/party dresses, shoes, accessories, and even lingerie.

Get inspired: F Yeah, hippies!

2011-02-11T16:20:00.000-05:00

Check out this tumblr. Love it.

Things a new mom isn't saying

2011-02-11T10:54:00.000-05:00

I'm tired but I don't want to keep complaining about it.
There is pee on me somewhere. Yes, right now.
I would love for you to babysit! WHEN?
I wish I could poop.
No joke, I'm really tired.
I want to, I just don't have the time.
When I find the time, I will likely spend it sleeping/taking a bath/reading a book/staring at a wall. Alone.
I don't care if he is my own flesh and blood, all this drool is gross.
Please be on time. I have scheduled a feeding/nap around you.
But don't mind me, if I'm late!
Thanks for the baby powder - works great in my unwashed hair.

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{Browser} Window Shopping: Tassels

2011-02-10T08:34:00.000-05:00

Oh, tassels, how I love you.

Just look:

So sweet, right?

1. Lulu Frost - fancy, right?
2. pinapplemint - grr, these vintage shoes make me wish I had smaller feet!
3. Ann Taylor - these look dangerous, I'm pretty sure they'd have me swingin' my head around all day.
4. VeraidaGifts - simple and striking!

A simpler time

2011-02-09T15:08:00.000-05:00

We were driving down the road in the family car, and, for reasons I don't remember, my dad and brother were driving separately. At a stoplight, my dad suddenly started honking the car horn urgently.

My mom rolled down the window, and just as the light turned, he yelled to her to turn her radio to his station.

Their song was on.

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Dan's and my song is playing now, but it's on Pandora. I suppose I'll just sit here and think sweet thoughts about him.

Baby Led Weaning: A day in the life

2011-02-09T08:37:00.000-05:00

Is your baby starting solids? Are you busy as all get-out?

Then I highly recommend baby-led weaning to you.

The concept of baby-led weaning is basically that you skip purees. You don't have to feed your baby any mush or rice cereal. You don't have to clutter up your counter with a food processor.

Basically, your baby feeds himself, and he eats what you eat (with a few exceptions for safety, of course - no nuts or other choking hazards, and little to no salt or sugar - so you have to watch your processed foods.) When offering your baby food, it's advised to give him a little variety at each meal, and to cut his foods into finger-shaped slices or spears, so there's a "handle" for baby to hold.

Baby eating what you eat = little to no extra prep time for meals. Baby feeding himself = you get to eat dinner at the same time, rather than feeding baby and eating separately.

In Henry's case, I cook a bunch of veggies for him on Sunday, to have them in the fridge throughout the week. I can't always guarantee that Dan and I will be eating a square meal consisting of veggies, and I want to make sure Henry still gets some greens.

Here's a typical day of food for Henry:

Breakfast

Apple slices

An egg yolk, cooked thoroughly

Toast

Lunch

Sushi (one of Daddy's California rolls)

Avocado slices

Cucumber slices

Snack

Apple slices

Cheddar cheese slices

Roasted carrots

Dinner

Pita with hummus

Sweet potato

Zucchini

We started Henry on solids a few weeks ago, and he is loving life. He gets really excited at mealtimes.

When we first started him on solids, I gave Henry several opportunities to be spoon-fed with rice cereal, just to see which method of feeding he preferred. After several tries with Henry showing little to no interest in purees, we decided to just proceed with the baby-led weaning.

If you're interested in reading more, check out the book.

Gift idea: just in time for v-day

2011-02-07T09:21:00.001-05:00

I made my husband a Christmas gift this year.

It took like 30 seconds and cost 29 cents. I think this idea could be awesome if re-purposed for Valentine's Day - or anniversaries, birthdays, etc.

I was inspired for this project by the lyrics of one of our favorite songs, Shelter by Ray Lamontagne. As most people will tell you, marriage after baby isn't exactly a breeze. When I was thinking about a gift for Dan, I knew I wanted to give him something that would remind him that I am here for him, always.

You could use a personal saying, an inside joke, etc., as well. Whatever is meaningful to you!

I took one of our wedding pictures (photo by Shelly Nester) and used Picnik, a free online photo-editing site, to add the song lyrics.

Here's the photo before:

And the romantic result, after a little tweaking:

Then I had the photo printed at CVS. I framed it with an empty frame we'd had on hand forever (mat included).

Easy, right? You have an old frame laying around, don't you? No? Well make your way to the Dollar Tree, or you can also get great deals on frames at Michael's. Make sure to sign up for their e-mail list first, and they'll send you a 40% off coupon.

Before I had the idea to use a wedding photo, this project had a different incarnation (and please bear in mind that I have no design experience - don't judge! It's just an idea):

I first had in mind to create a larger framed print using the image above. I still like that idea, but I think the wedding picture made this project more personal for Dan and me.

I made the first image by adding text in Picnik using the fonts Geosans Light and Olho de Boi. The second image used fonts Geosans Light and Robot Teacher. I also added the "castle" by using the Medieval stickers.

What do you think? Lately I just love making personal gifts - how about you?

Oh, you.

2011-02-05T10:13:00.001-05:00

Thank you for your sweet words yesterday. I won't say I'm all better, but a Saturday morning and some kind-hearted words can fix a lot, don't you agree? I feel more like myself today.

You guys are the best.

Image

Work with me, here.

2011-02-04T13:32:00.000-05:00

I'm still learning.

Starting this new thing called "All Together Now," I thought it might be better for me to get away from so much personal blogging.

Now I am not so sure.

I need this outlet too much. I have had some things to say this week, and yet I've been trying to spare my poor readers.

Welp, no longer. The fact is, I don't have any fun DIY things to post right now.

Well I do, but I don't feel like it.

I don't have any tips on getting it together as alas, I do not have it together. Not this week, my friends.

Lately it just feels like...

Well, I'm just going to say it. Being a working mom bites the big one.

I shall elaborate.

You know those parts of the day that are, like, chores? Where you're just getting stuff done so you can get to the good part of the day, when you get to do what you want?

Well, all day, every day feels like chores this week. Like one long chore.

Let's say I'm at the office, and I'm working hard...and I finally get to a place where I can catch my breath. What do you know, it's time to pump. No one likes to pump. Chore.

Let's say the day is over and I finally walk in the door. I am so tired I don't even eat dinner, but that doesn't mean I can forgo cooking, because Henry is on solids now. I can't even zone out and stare at the wall while I nurse him. I've got to make him some food and buckle him into his booster and watch him like a hawk because I'm terrified he may choke.

And as much of a joy as it is to watch him learn how to chew solids, and to see what he enjoys eating, and to watch him work out this whole food business, it is still just one more thing when it's practically bedtime once we walk in the door, and we have a tiny window and a mad rush to get some food down Henry's gullet before he's too cranky to enjoy it.

Once feeding is over and he's in PJs and a clean dipe and down for bed, well, I'm basically spent for the day. The house is a disaster because I've run in and tossed my belongings down to start working on the kiddo's dinner, and the dishes are dirty and I haven't got an ounce of energy left to clean it up. Let alone take care of myself or sip a glass of wine or anything.

Do you see what I mean?

I've really struggled over whether to post this. I didn't start a blog to use it for venting or complaining purposes. But I really, really want someone to tell me that it's going to be okay. I hope someone out there can say it gets better than this. Or to warn me that it doesn't, so I know in advance.

Even though parenting is much more rewarding now than it was 5 months ago, I am still feeling the pain of a steep learning curve. I miss maternity leave, and the feeling that I didn't need to treat every moment like it was so precious that I was paralyzed with indecision because I was worried that I would waste even a second of my time. That's my evenings now...bathe, read a book, eat dinner, workout or clean...choose only one! Overwhelmed, I choose none and just go to sleep.

Anyway...maybe I shouldn't even be writing from this place. Inevitably, someone will remind me that it's all just a season and it will eventually be better, and I will think that they are right and that I'm being petty and ungrateful...especially as things are largely good with us. Things are fine. I just don't feel quite like myself. Anyone who knows me knows I need a fair amount of down time, and time to myself, in order to feel like I'm operating normally. Having a kid makes that a near impossibility...and I'm just trying to learn to deal.

I am grateful. For Henry - my perfect baby. In spite of all the crazy ups and downs of being a new mom, one thing I can consistently count on is that looking at his sweet face makes me forget almost all of this.

I'm grateful for the wonderful man I married, who stopped by my office during his lunch break the other day just to share his cookies with me. For our home (where we just got word we can live for another year - we were concerned, as our building is for sale, and we really love our apartment.) For a safe place for Henry to stay during the day.

And I will keep listing the things I'm grateful for until this seasons passes. It keeps me sane.

But don't worry. I won't share every piece of that very long list with you. I hope to come back next week as my normal self with some fresh material for you, and minimal angst.

If you've gotten this far, thanks for reading.

Caution

2011-02-02T09:22:00.000-05:00

Sleep deprivation may lead to accidentally purchasing waterproof mascara.

How do you get this stuff off?

Uncle.

2011-02-01T09:01:00.000-05:00

Okay, Henry. You win.

Please, somebody help. What should we do here?

Here's the deal.

At about 6 weeks old, Henry started sleeping through the night. In his crib. From 7pm to about 6am, not a peep out of him.

We were thrilled.

This went on for about 6 weeks. The bags under my eyes slowly shrank. I began to feel like a productive member of society again.

Then, I went back to work. At around the same time, the clocks turned back. And suddenly, we had a monster on our hands.

Since November, Henry wants to sleep in our bed. He wakes up every 2-3 hours at night, every night, to nurse.

Wheee.

Here's how that started: he's always had trouble falling asleep. Whenever we put him in his crib, even when he would sleep through the night, he would cry until he fell asleep - sometimes for a loooong time. So we started putting him down in our bed, and laying with him until he fell asleep. This would eliminate any crying, and Henry would fall asleep within about 10 minutes. Then we'd move him to his crib.

So he's snuggly, right?

But when all the sleeplessness began, he would wake up when we put him in the crib. If he didn't wake up right away, he'd wake up in the middle of the night and cry until we took him out of the crib. We would try (oh, how we'd try) to get him to go back to sleep in the crib. It sounds so easy.

Well at 3 in the morning, it's not. At 3 in the morning, you will do pretty much anything to be asleep and not hear crying. Including taking the little guy back to your own bed.

It is difficult to deny him. That's putting it mildly. His desire is so simple - he wants to be next to mommy and daddy. He wants to be near us so much that he cries when we won't let him. I mean, can I even win this battle? Am I screwing him up if I make him feel like we don't want him there? I already hardly see him during the day. I can respect his wanting to be close to us at night.

At first, I wanted to just go with it. I was willing to give up a little sleep to meet Henry's needs for closeness, comfort, whatever. He's a baby. They're like that. As long as it was helping him sleep better, I was okay with it.

And yet. Lately, his waking is getting worse and worse. Every hour or two, this last week.

It's one thing to let him sleep with us if he sleeps better that way, even if it robs us some. It's another thing if no one is getting enough sleep.

And Henry is 6 months old now. So it's time for him to start learning to fall asleep on his own. Right? No. Wrong. That's wrong. I'm just being lazy. No, it's right, he needs his sleep. I don't know anymore!

We've never been fans of "crying it out" and I have been determined that we wouldn't use that with Henry. But this weekend, I decided I needed to just grow a pair. Henry needs his sleep and so do we. We weren't going to let him cry it out per se. We were going to stay with him through the crying and not leave him alone, but were expecting crying, maybe even up to an hour of it. We cleared our schedules for the next few nights.

Oh, naive first-time parents. How little you know.

Sunday night, we gave him a bath, put on the jammies, sang a song. And put him in the crib. The crying began. 5 minutes. 10. 15. I pulled a chair up to the crib, and sat nearby shushing Henry and holding his hand. Why was he so sad?

Henry rolled from his back to his stomach. I returned him to his back. He rolled again. I decided to just let him be.

He pushed himself up onto his arms, and inched his way over to me, where I was sitting by the crib. I swear to you, this happened. He then stared me straight in the eyes while he cried, looking at me with this awful, accusing, helpless glare.

But I wasn't falling for it. I left the room and tagged Dan in, saying, "We're the parents here! We're the bosses. We're just going to have to make him do it. Consistency, that's the ticket!" But inside, I was cracking.

Dan stayed with Henry until he fell asleep. All in all, it took one hour. We did it.

30 minutes later, Henry woke up.

After 45 more minutes of crying, I gave up.

One hour? I could handle that. Verging on 2? No. No, sir. I all but burst into the nursery and scooped my baby up, hugging him and, well, crying. Yes, I'm that mom. I brought him into the living room where Dan and I were watching a movie, and snuggled him until he fell into a peaceful sleep in my arms.

The most frustrating thing about all of this is that I know Henry is capable of sleeping through the night. He did it for 6 whole weeks. I remember them! I'm not making this up!

So here's where I could really use your help, friends. What happened? Does anyone know? Has your baby cried for over an hour when you tried to put him down for bed? Is this normal? Since I'm nursing, should I just accept that maybe Henry's just hungry and needs to feed during the night? But then, how do I explain the six weeks of perfect sleep? Maybe he needs us to put him in his crib, so he can start learning to sleep well. Maybe he's miserable all the time because he's not getting enough rest.

Are we ruining our baby???

All Smiles

2011-01-31T10:08:00.000-05:00

Love this kid. How could ya not?

I dont have many new things to say on the subject of being a parent. Luckily, there's Anne Lamott (and my friend Shelly, to ask around until she found the perfect book to give a new mommy).

From the awesome Operating Instructions (warning: language ahead!):

I am definitely aware of the huge wound that having a baby makes - in addition to the fact that your ya-ya gets so torn up. Before I got pregnant with Sam, I felt there wasn't anything that could happen that would utterly destroy me. Terminal cancer would probably be a setback, but I actually thought I could get through it. And I always felt that if something happened to Steve or Pammy, if they died, it would be over for me for a long time but that I'd somehow bounce back. In a very real sense, I felt that life could pretty much just hit me with her best shot, and if I lived, great, and if I died, well, then I could be with Dad and Jesus and not have to endure my erratic skin or George Bush any longer. But now I am fucked unto the Lord. Now there is something that could happen that I could not survive: I could lose Sam. I look down into his staggeringly lovely little face, and I can hardly breathe sometimes. He is all I have ever wanted, and my heart is so huge with love that I feel like it is about to go off. At time same time I feel that he has completely ruined my life, because I just didn't used to care all that much.

There is also this:

I just can't get over how much babies cry. I really had no idea what I was getting into. To tell you the truth, I thought it would be more like getting a cat...I am not speaking to him. I'm annoyed with him. I don't think he's handling things very maturely.

Speaking of not handling things very maturely, I will be back later to solicit some advice from you veteran moms. Specifically, be here if your child sleeps a. through the night, and b. in his or her own crib. I give up.

It's my first time

2011-01-28T08:47:00.000-05:00

Posting a before and after, that is!

I have promised you all inspiration and some quick, easy DIYs...and that's just what this is. Um, I hope that it's inspiring, anyway.

I can't possibly be bothered to take on a project that will last longer than an afternoon at this juncture in my life. I can get all ambitious and try all I want...but I know that it will end up sitting under my porch stairs if it takes longer than a few hours and is too much work to figure out. And friends?. There's already too much stuff crammed under there.

If you have ever visited me in my home, you may have encountered a certain uncomfortable situation, in which you were required to share a couch with me, my husband, and our baby (who likes to sprawl out.)

Because we had no seating besides our couch.

Perhaps you even sat on the floor. (I know, I know. We are terrible hosts.) But not anymore!

Dan and I have had our eye out for awhile for some new seating arrangements, and last weekend, we finally found something.

Behold, our new chair!

Or, I should say, our old new chair. The above photo shows our chair in the state in which I discovered her, for $5 at the thrift store. Even without my help, I found her to be pretty cute. Just look at that lovely shape. The swooping cane back. Those slender legs. Yowza.

But I still wanted to update and personalize her a little bit, to make her our own. Here's how I did it.

Step 1: Gather your willing assistant. In my case, I'm not sure if my assistant was so much willing as he was incapable of escaping:

Step 2: Bundle your assistant in warm clothes, and pay him up front in his preferred currency. (My assistant requires kisses.)

Step 3: Head outside to do some unimportant things that aren't pictured, like spray-priming and painting, picking out fabric, getting busy with the staple gun, etc.

Step 4: Reveal. Voila:

And here's a shot to give you an idea of what our fabric looks like.

I originally bought a plain black fabric to cover the chair. Then I decided that I wanted something more bold and graphic, and went looking for a black and white patterned fabric. But while fabric-shopping (paralyzingly difficult, I found), I realized that I wanted to inject a little color into our living room instead. Just as I was about to give up on fabric shopping (too many choices, I tell you!) I came across this pattern in what is basically my favorite color right now. Not sure how your monitor is reading it, but it's sort of a bold blueish sea green.

One thing I wasn't sure of, having never purchased nor worked with any fabric in the past, was how much I would need. I settled on 3/4 of a yard, and it was just about perfect, with only a little bit left over.

What I love about this project, too, is how easy it will be to change whenever we feel like it. If I really decide that black and white is more our style, or Henry starts rubbing his grubby little hands all over this fabric, we can just pick out something else, and take 5 minutes to recover the chair. So simple!

Who wants to come over and sit in our chair?

Be better

2011-01-26T12:42:00.000-05:00

Don't worry, I'm admonishing myself, not you.

When the new year rolled around, I took some pretty honest stock of 2010. And I began to realize a pattern: I'm pretty critical.

But why?

Being a critical person doesn't make me any happier. It doesn't make me nicer, or friendlier. It is a waste of time.

I decided to make 2011 the year that I'm going to spend my time being nice, and stop being so critical. If a criticism crosses my mind, I'm doing my best these days not to voice it.

Anyway, I came across this article on Shine called: 10 easy ways to become a better person. (I love Shine. I could spend so much time just clicking around there.) Since I'm trying to become a better (less crotchety) person, I thought I'd see what they had to say about it.

My favorite part of the article, though somewhat unrelated to my quest to bitch less, was this:

Rethink, Reuse, Repair, and Recycle. As much as possible, rethink your use of products that are unnecessary, inhumane, produced through exploitive business practices, non-recyclable, over-packaged, toxic, and/or unsustainable. When you do make purchases, choose the most sustainable, efficient, humane, fairly traded, and healthy versions. Then reuse what you can, repair what is reparable, and recycle when you are through. And in the midst of these 4 Rs, consider what you could borrow instead of buy, and what you could share with friends and neighbors so that they can better rethink unnecessary products, too.

And I realized, I'm doing just that with a new little project I'm putting the finishing touches on. Dan and I have really needed to increase our apartment's seating, since all we have had this last year was our one couch. We searched high and low for some nice chairs, but ultimately, I ended up at the thrift store, re-using and up-cycling something to make it prettier.

I thought I would give a little sneak peek, since I don't have my after pictures ready for you just yet. They will be here by the end of the week! But here's the before of a chair I picked up for 5 bucks, which has undergone quite a transformation this week:

I thought the chair was actually pretty cute already, but I couldn't resist modernizing it some. Pics to come!

Have you up-cycled anything recently? Are you doing anything to feel like a better person this year? Does anyone else out there struggle with over-criticizing?

Etsy ♥: Stackables

2011-01-25T08:32:00.000-05:00

Have I ever mentioned how much I love stackable rings? No?

Oh, but I do. How could you not? Just throw them on, and instantly, several of your accessories coordinate!

Behold:

1. Forkwhisperer
2. Sophiapip
3. kateszabone
4. evrydiki

Anyone else out there stack ring-crazy? Do you have a favorite? I love all of these, but, oh, #3...can you imagine getting to wear those whenever you want? Sigh.

Spanx: Danger!

2011-01-24T10:09:00.001-05:00

I'm not thinking in the way of continually doing regular Friday Follow-ups with my new set-up here. But I thought I'd drop in to say: I lost only half a pound last week. I ate. And ate. I ate all my WW flex points and my activity points. I never do that! I'm nursing and they give me more than enough, and more than I can usually end up eating! But not last week.

Anyway, I'm glad I lost with all that going on, and I now only have 14 pounds until my goal weight. but I thought I'd share this. I was stepping (and groaning and wriggling) into my favorite little Spanx camisole on Friday, when...

I felt this awful pain shooting up through the middle of my shoulder blades, and settling into a dull ache.

That's right, my friends. I pulled a muscle pulling on my shapewear on Friday.

This would never have happened before I had a baby. SMH.

Oh yeah - say hi or join in with Blair here! She is so freaking awesome and funny, I never miss a post.

Hat Couture

2011-01-24T08:27:00.000-05:00

A little taste of Henry's head-wear:

Sock monkey hat from god-mommy, Sarah

Angry Santa

Winter fuzzies from Nana and Papa

A sneak peek at Mommy's latest project, using this fabric tied Rambo-style by Daddy

What's Henry up to? These days, he is:

- teething like crazy. Everything he touches goes into his mouth and is immediately soaked.

- refusing to lie on his back. He flips over every time we set him down. He's even starting to inch around a little *scary!*

- laughing all the time. He loves tugging at Daddy's beard and doing wheelies in his stroller.

- a perfect little cutie!

Style

2011-01-23T09:20:00.001-05:00

Major budget alert. Don't get me wrong...shopping with unlimited funds would be a blast. But I like the challenge of shopping with a budget, too. And since I recently had to admit that the clothes I owned that still fit me were falling apart at the seams, I gave in and went on a (not-so) little shopping spree. A few takeaways:

Of course, that means that quite a bit of my clothing is coming from Forever 21. Which, to me, means I will have to take extra-extra good care of it and wash it very gently. To put it nicely.

This Rimmel Steel Grey nail polish is the most perfect winter color. I am in love with it. Bonus: under $5! And it goes on like a really quality nail color.

I got these flats a year ago from Charlotte Russe for, I want to say, around $10. You can really tell that when you look at the beaten-up inside of the shoe, but the outside has held up quite well. Best of all, they look almost exactly like this $128 counterpart from J. Crew:

They will be mine. Oh yes...they will be mine.

Get in on this!

Boost your beauty routine in 30 seconds

2011-01-21T09:03:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you, but my eyebrows give me issues. They're kinda lopsided, they don't like to arch, and seeing as I've practically given up on them, they're usually on the scraggly side these days. Behold:

But then, I discovered a cure, (and I'll give you a hint: it's not the services of the amazing, and priced-to-match, eyebrow stylist at the Red Door Salon):

It's called eyebrow tint. I got mine at Sephora for $10 (it's their in-store brand). This shade is medium. It doesn't match my brows perfectly, (it's a touch lighter,) but once I put it on, I can't really tell.

And I cannot believe the difference it makes.

I usually try to use an eyebrow pencil, but this is even better, in my opinion.

All you do is brush it on! I try to get it into my more sparse areas, especially where my eyebrows begin - the tip is super thin and just right for the job, as you can see:

It also helps shape brows. My natural arch is a little too close to the middle of my eye, so this is really helpful for drawing the arch a little further toward the outside corner. (The experts say that when shaping your brows, you should aim to have your arch above the back third of your eye.)

If I have an extra 10 seconds after using the pen, I brush my brows with a brow brush - but they really don't need it! It's probably more just habit, since I've always done that to help blend my brow pencil.

I was totally skeptical about this brow tint, but I'm so glad I tried it. Clean, well-shaped brows go a long way toward making me appear put-together and alert, almost like I haven't been bed-sharing with a 5-month-old. Do you have any brow secrets? Give 'em up!

{Browser} Window Shopping - Winter Grey

2011-01-20T13:43:00.000-05:00

I don't know what it is about pink and grey lately, but the combo makes me feel so cozy.

I would totally throw on this outfit for work.

1. Pink dress
2. Grey cardigan
3. Tights
4. Autumn Kiss Necklace
5. Boots - from Forever 21 - (no, I will not shut up!)

I love the idea of a more structured cardigan with that gorgeous, gauzy dress. Tights and boots would make it extra-warm, and I would be drinking my tea and looking at that necklace, thinking about this:

. . . one autumn night, five years before, they had been walking down the street when the leaves were falling, and they came to a place where there were no trees and the sidewalk was white with moonlight. They stopped here and turned toward each other. Now it was a cool night with that mysterious excitement in it which comes at the two changes of the year. The quiet lights in the houses were humming out into the darkness and there was a stir and bustle among the stars. Out of the corner of his eye Gatsby saw that the blocks of the sidewalks really formed a ladder and mounted to a secret place above the trees—he could climb to it, if he climbed alone, and once there he could suck on the pap of life, gulp down the incomparable milk of wonder.

His heart beat faster and faster as Daisy’s white face came up to his own. He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God. So he waited, listening for a moment longer to the tuning-fork that had been struck upon a star. Then he kissed her. At his lips’ touch she blossomed for him like a flower and the incarnation was complete.

Pretty sure that quote requires no reference.

You guys. Seriously. One more day until Friday. Can I make it? Let's vote! I'll give you a hint: I just ate my very last sour patch kid.

Welcome!

2011-01-19T19:59:00.000-05:00

(totally not my house, but a girl can dream)

Image

Welcome to All Together Now!

I know things are probably a little different from what you're used to.

What happened, you ask?

Well, I've been blogging for 1 year today. In this last year, I have learned so much. I went from viewing blogging as a sort of personal, online journal, to seeing that a huge, awesome community of bloggers is out there. A whole world that, one year ago, I knew nothing about.

Over this last twelve months, I have learned so much. In particular, I have learned that I love blogging. But I have also learned a lot about blogging, and, especially, about the type of blogger I want to be.

I was hesitant to leave Hairy Babies behind. I loved my blog and I really, really love my readers! But I just kept getting the sense that I wanted to start something new, using my new blog knowledge. Something where posting a DIY tutorial or a little Etsy inspiration wouldn't be out of place. Something more than personal rambling (though there will certainly still be that!)

So, welcome to All Together Now. I'd love to share a little bit of my vision with you.

All Together Now is a place where busy women (and especially moms!) can find (and share - oh please share!) tips on, well, getting it together. We'll tackle organization, style, and DIY (because I'm still not cool with calling it "crafts" - though that's something I have learned I rather like in this last year, too!) We'll talk handmade love, and we'll talk about feeling good about ourselves and our lives.

Who am I to talk about having it together, you ask?

No one.

I'm just a new mom trying to find my way, and practically drowning most days in everything there is to do! But I know there have got to be answers and shortcuts, and I'm determined to find them and share them with you.

I know many of you originally started coming by because you love my baby and want updates on him. Don't worry - when you love something as much as I love Henry, there's no way to get around discussing it! There will still be plenty of Henry updates, stories, and photos to go around.

My new URL, if you want to update anything, is www.alltogetherblog.com. If you're not already being redirected there, you will start being redirected soon.

I may eventually delete my old posts from Hairy Babies, or transition them elsewhere, but I haven't yet made a firm decision on that. For now, I'm just going to go with the flow. I hope you like it here!

Hairy Babies...signing off???

2011-01-19T09:42:00.000-05:00

I'm only taking the following...

Image

(And before you ask...no, I never go anywhere without my packet of soy sauce.)

Yes, it's true. Hairy Babies is signing off.

Just another hint of things to come tomorrow...on my one-year blogiversary.

So don't worry. (Or if you weren't worried, I mean, you could have worried just a bit, for a second there...) I'll be back tomorrow. And, fingers crossed, everything will go smoothly.

If I'm not back tomorrow, send help. Tech help.

It's Friday! 1/14/11

2011-01-14T06:26:00.002-05:00

And it's a 3-day weekend for meeee!

2 pounds down this week.

And a moment to toot my own horn, because little did I know that I was about to greet an old friend.

Wait, why did I say friend? I meant, despised nemesis.

I guess I should have realized. It was all I could do to not eat chocolate for every single meal. Now, I like chocolate. I like it quite a bit. But I don't usually feel the need to eat it all day long.

Another sign: my appetite was just gigantic all the way around.

And, I cried a few times.

Anyway, if you catch my drift here, I feel justified in complaining some. I shouldn't have to be dealing with this yet. I'm still nursing!

But anyway, to have lost 2 pounds in a week when it turns out I was dealing with some raging PMS feels pretty victorious! This week I'm back where I was pre-Christmas (with the exception of a measly half-pound.)

I'm including a recipe for this week, and it is delicious! I got it by searching Weight Watchers for no-cook meals (yeah, we're pretty busy.) I made sure to eat some greens on the side, though.

Greek-style Pita Sandwiches
Makes 2 Servings
6 points

Ingredients:

1 large whole wheat pita
2 Tbsp hummus, plain, lemon or red pepper flavor
2 Tbsp plain non-fat yogurt, Greek-style recommended
6 oz deli-sliced turkey
1/2 cup chopped cucumber
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup reduced-fat crumbled feta cheese

Instructions:

Cut pita in half. Spread 1 tablespoon each of hummus and yogurt inside each pita half. Fill each half with 3 ounces of turkey, 1/4 cup each of cucumber and tomato, and 2 tablespoons of feta. Yields 1/2 stuffed pita per serving.

Try them, they're delicious!

How was your week, friends? Any fun weekend plans? 3 day weekend. 3 whole days! Man do I feel like I need it.

Check out Blair's blog for more McFatty!

Warm and Fuzzy

2011-01-11T20:11:00.000-05:00

Today should have been a snow day.

But it wasn't. Dan and I both had to go to work in spite of icy driving conditions.

Henry's sitter lives about 20 minutes away from us, in the opposite direction of our offices. We didn't want to risk taking him on the interstate, so he came to work with Mommy today.

I had the best day.

Henry hung out on a blanket on the floor and played contentedly. When he started to fuss, I popped him in his carrier (new - I got it for Christmas from my in-laws! A moment to say how amazing this Infantino carrier is! Carries baby facing forward, backward, and on the back, up to 35 pounds - and so comfy!) for a nap. I got to nurse Henry instead of facing the dreaded pump. Between making phone calls and returning emails, I sang goofy songs.

Bliss.

This is one of our busiest and most challenging times of year at work. Throughout the day, coworkers would stop by, poke their heads into my office for a glimpse of Henry or a snuggle and say, "okay - now I feel better!"

It's difficult, to say the least, to be so busy at work and come home to a baby. This is my first time. Returning to work from maternity leave has been pretty relaxed up until last week. Last Monday I came home mentally exhausted and needing a break. Henry was crying and didn't want to go to sleep, the house was a wreck, and we were hungry. For the first time ever since becoming a mom, I thought, today I hate being a parent.

Today, though...I felt warm and fuzzy all day. My day was just as long and just as busy, but I got to spend most of it with my little man snuggled up on my lap.

Today I love being a parent.

Don't mind if I do

2011-01-10T12:25:00.000-05:00

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Hope ya like change!

2011-01-10T11:51:00.001-05:00

Because I have some big plans in store around here.

Big. Huge. Major.

Okay, so they're major for me. Your lives will proceed the same as ususal, most likely.

Stay tuned...

*psssst - did you know my blogiversary is January 20? hint hint!*

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Friday Follow-up 1/7/11

2011-01-07T13:43:00.003-05:00

Just when you thought I'd stop barraging you with tales of my weight-loss woes! Hah! Shows how much you know.

So this was me over the lovely, lovely holidays:

(I know it's hard to see me. I am inside the cake, doing the backstroke with my mouth open.)

After all was said and done, I gained 4 pounds. It could have been way worse. Yeah, nursing!

Before the holidays, I was 2.5 pounds from my weight goal. After the holidays, 6.5 pounds.

Cue Weight Watchers. Like, as an official member. (I had used the program before without having joined.) I'm doing the online program now, and I really can't say enough good things about it. It's really easy to keep track of everything, I feel like I'm eating a ton, and I get a whole bunch of "cheat" points on top of it! (I don't think I'm actually supposed to call them "cheat" points.)

Whatever they are, they come with the program and they're really helpful when, say, you're having a rough, busy week, you don't have time to cook, and all you want for dinner is Wendy's. With a large order of fries, thankyouverymuch - don't you come out here with any of those puny mediums. Have I mentioned I love fries?

Anyway, I lost a pound and a half this week, so as of today I'm only 5 pounds from my goal weight.

Except...

The goal has changed.

With my initial 20-pound goal, I was actually not even trying to get quite to my pre-baby weight. I didn't want to focus too much on losing weight when I was nursing - I just wanted to be healthy. My goal loss was still about 4 pounds from the pre-baby weight.

But now that I've actually joined WW, I have changed my mind. Because:

1. I think I looked pretty cute at the weight I was when I got married, which was about 7 lbs lighter than pre-baby, and,

2. WW puts a ton of emphasis on getting plenty of fluids, fiber, fruits and veggies. Especially for nursing moms. Making me feel confident when I check my food log everyday and have checked off all the veggies and fruits I'm supposed to be eating, and hit my points target, ensuring I'm eating enough calories.

3. On WW new points program, all fruit is 0-points. I love the fact that they've changed the program to emphasize healthier choices. When I did WW in the past, I sometimes chose junk over fruit, just so I didn't "waste" my points. It was possible to lose weight while still eating junk, and many days, I did. It was basically my only complaint about WW. Well, no longer.

So I feel like as long as I'm on this program, paying my hard-earned dollars, (though admittedly not many of them - it's super affordable!), I might as well harness the power of the fact that I am a lactating, calorie-burning machine and just try my best to get back to the elusive wedding weight.

That was a lot of numbers and probably pretty confusing, especially since I still refuse to tell my weight on my blog. But to try to help break it down:

Initial goal: 20 pounds

Total weight lost before holidays: 17.5

Total weight lost after holidays: 13.5

Total weight lost after week 1 of WW: 15

New Goal: Instead of only losing 5 more pounds, I have set a goal to lose 16.5 pounds from what I weigh now, bringing my total goal to 31.5 pounds. Wish me luck!

Like I mentioned above in the Wendy's quip, it's been a tough week in terms of preparing meals. This is one of our busiest times of the year at work. When I get home, I feel like I've been hit by a truck. But that doesn't mean my teething 5-month old is going straight to bed to sleep through the night, oh, no. So, the husband and I are both exhausted. (Understatement.)

However, one thing I have found that's working well for us this week is getting out the ol' rice maker. My rice maker came with a steamer basket on top. So we put the rice (brown!) in the bottom part, broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, carrots, etc., whatever is on hand, in the steamer basket up top, and just let it do its thing.

Then, to the side, we bake some tilapia in the oven or saute some tempeh real quick, and I mix up a coconut-peanut sauce to top everything.

Delicious.

And it makes a huge meal, because there are so many veggies on our plates.

I know I'm not the only person who has made weight loss/healthier eating a part of her New Year plans! What are you all doing to get healthy this year?

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Now I will follow that up with something pretty

2011-01-06T10:10:00.000-05:00

You gotta check out Project Restyle.

It's Elsie's brainchild, and she is the coolest. She's also the author of the Blog Love e-course Dan gave me for Christmas.

You can check out her first re-style of the year here. So, so creative.

And you can follow Project Restyle throughout the year by clicking this little button, which will be in my sidebar...or just go get your own button...or you can even participate!

I'd love to participate but I'm still trying to decide if I'm feeling creative enough or if I have enough time. I mean, I can barely reply to texts or emails these days, I've been so busy. Phone calls? Forget it!

And yet...there's nothing I love like thrifting. I think I'll do a little this weekend and...who knows? You gotta make time for stuff you love, right?

In which I discuss farting on my blog

2011-01-06T08:52:00.000-05:00

I don't know what has gotten into my kid. But it smells disgusting.

It's been going on for about 2 weeks now.

And I know I swore I wouldn't be one of those moms who talked about the contents of her kid's diapers in public.

But, people. Ugh.

The real problem is when he does it when he's nursing, because then I can't get away. And I start groaning and telling him it's disgusting but kind of laughing at the same time, and then he starts laughing. I believe they call that positive reinforcement.

Our baby is grossing us out.

And I'm okay

2011-01-04T12:28:00.000-05:00

Dan went back to work yesterday. For eight regular hours.

And for the first time, we dropped Henry off at his new sitter's house. For a whole day.

And I'm doing alright.

Meeting this new sitter (S) makes me realize how uncomfortable I was with the sitter we originally took Henry to. She was only watching Henry for about 3 hours, and I really liked her. I really, really did. And I thought that meant she would be a good sitter. I was nervous to leave Henry with her, but I thought I would feel that way with anyone.

The first time I dropped Henry off with her, I was filled with nerves. I felt it necessary to say, as I walked out the door, "please be really sweet to him." Later when Dan went to pick Henry up, she had people over. A guy and a girl sitting on her couch at 10 am. On a weekday. Whom she didn't find it necessary to introduce.

That was a capital-P Problem. We never took Henry back there.

Last week, we met S, and now I know how it feels to find a sitter I'm comfortable with. S seems smart and competent and sadly, a little down on her luck - she's got a graphic design degree from JMU and nowhere to put it to work.

It probably helped that I knew better what questions to ask, too. I specified that we weren't comfortable with her having people over that we didn't know. As she is keeping Henry at her parent's home, she reassured us that's no problem. I called her references - glowing.

I also like the fact that right now, Henry is the only child she's keeping. She will probably be caring for another baby coming up here soon - 5 months old, just like Henry. But we know our babe needs, nay, demands lots of personal attention, and we're happy that we feel confident he's getting it. It's the main reason I want to keep Henry out of a large daycare.

See?

I'm sure there are great daycares out there, but I've worked in daycares before, and personal attention was not their forte. It's not such a huge deal when he's older and can interact with other kids, but right now, all Henry can really do is lie on his back and wait for someone to come along and talk to him and sing to him and snuggle him. If there's one thing I know about daycares, it's that they're often under-staffed. I'm not quite ready to leave my baby in one, although if things were to not work out with S, I would probably start looking there next, rather than continue to interview people.

Does anyone else have any daycare experiences? Any advice to first-timers?

Resolve

2011-01-03T09:14:00.000-05:00

I know I said I wouldn't call these resolutions, but the truth is...

I kind of love new year's resolutions. And since I'm not one to go crazy pressuring myself, I don't mind calling them that, even if I end up changing my mind about them later.

So here are mine:

1. Yes, sadly, weight-loss is at the tip of my list. But it's not like I haven't already been working on this. I want to finish losing my baby weight. I don't have far to go now, although I have a little further to go than I did before the holidays.

2. Okay, this is a big one. And I'm not making any promises, to myself or anyone else. But let's just say...Dan and I are sort of house-hunting. Just a tiny bit. Just to get an idea. But man, are my fingers crossed that we find something ~~we love~~ we can afford.

3. Play more music. That's Dan's resolution for us as a couple. We both play guitar but we haven't been doing it much lately. Oh yeah, Dan also says to tell you all he wants to run a half-marathon this year. You have fun with that, dear.

4. The Design Sponge 20-minutes-a-day cleaning schedule. I informed Dan that if we both clean for 20 minutes a day, then it's like we're cleaning our whole house in only half a month! He didn't get as excited as me, but he's being a good sport.

5. Complete training for and run the Monument Avenue 10K (again!) We did this together 2 years ago, and it was hard enough to make time to stick to the training schedule without having a baby. So we'll just see!

I think you can tell this by the points above, but basically, I just want to feel good about myself this year. I want to feel healthy, and take good care of myself, and feel good about my home, whether it's our little apartment (which we still love) or somewhere new. These aren't huge resolutions, but they're big tasks when time is short.

What are your resolutions (or goals, or whatever you want to call them?)

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Very Important

2010-12-31T10:11:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

2010, woah. What a crazy year. I can honestly say that the best moment of my life occurred this year.

And there were some difficult times, too.

But I can honestly say that things are looking up, as of now. With my husband once again weighing more than me, all is right in the world.

I had honestly resolved not to do any holiday blog posts. I don't have a problem with them, per se, I just notice that when I'm scrolling through my reader, all I see is Christmas this and Christmas that, and I really don't have a whole lot to add to the conversation.

But I love New Year's Eve. I love the anticipation of a new year, and all the possibility that comes with it. So even though Dan and I will probably just be sitting on the couch tonight, having a Breaking Bad marathon or something (since our baby goes to bed around 7,) we will still have a champagne toast and dream big for 2011. And I couldn't stop myself from coming by to tell you all: Happy New Year.

I'll be back soon with a run-down of what's on my list for '11. Let's not call them resolutions, mmkay? They're just things that would be nice to accomplish, and now seems as good a time as any to start working on them.

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Creative Gift Tags

2010-12-28T09:25:00.000-05:00

Today, I'm going to tell you a little story.

There once were two men. They were neighbors. One neighbor grew raspberries. The other neighbor came over uninvited one day and ate those raspberries.

The raspberry-grower flew into a rage and raced around town trying to find an axe, a noose, or a rabid animal to kill the first neighbor.

But in the end, his efforts went to waste, because the poor guy ate so many raspberries that he finally burst.

If you think this sounds like a terrible plot for a children's book, you're right! Not only is it a little on the violent side, but the book, Munachar and Manachar, is also really boring. I suppose this is why I found it on my library's "free book" rack, where I snatched it up because the pictures were hilarious and I figured I could use them for something. It turned out, they made perfect gift tags.

Above, left: Neighbor 1 envisions his raspberry-thieving neighbor hanging from a noose, while he stands behind popping raspberries. I know, right?!

Here are the neighbors before the raspberries came between them.

And the gift-tag round-up, below.

All I did was cut out some of the interesting pictures from the unwanted book. So I guess this is less of a tutorial and more of a fun concept.

This was especially fun because the same person received all of these gift tags (my office Secret Santa), making the daily gifts seem especially cohesive. I even took one of the pictures from the book, along with some cardboard and mod podge, and turned it into an ornament as a joke.

So there you have it: I have crafted and lived to tell. What do you think - is this something you would try? If so, take a look at your own library's free book rack, or the pages of some of your own kids' books that are maybe too scribbled on by crayons or what-have-you to be used or pass on. This is also a nice way to recycle - it keeps those books out of the landfill and brings the sad pages back to life.

One cool Christmas gift

2010-12-26T14:55:00.000-05:00

It's nice to know my husband believes in me.

Since I have many talented friends...

2010-12-23T10:47:00.000-05:00

Check out this working mommy diary by my friend Hollie, where she discusses the ups and downs of her first week back from maternity leave in a letter to her baby Cortland (one adorable little chunk!)

kyky world

2010-12-23T10:37:00.000-05:00

Oh my goodness! I promised you all a craft tutorial and I haven't posted it yet. Please stop back in soon as it was quite an amusing undertaking and I'm looking forward to sharing. My Christmas break starts at 5:00 today, which will give me the time to upload the (underwhelming) photos of my little project.

I just realized that I made it sound like I will post the tutorial tonight. That is not likely to happen. I just don't want to be making false promises around here.

Especially given that I'm in a food coma of the worse kind - stemming from a breakfast potluck. Carbs*infinity. And yes I am going back for more, since 'tis the season and all.

I think I just heard my chair groan a little.

Until then, please check out a fellow crafter - my friend Kylin's portfolio. Just keep clicking the little photos. She's a neat girl.

Need a lift?

2010-12-21T22:01:00.001-05:00

A wombat on a leash is always a pick-me-up, in my opinion.

If you saw my post on Ella's blog yesterday, you know I have been looking for a wombat-on-leash picture for quite some time.

Big thanks to my wonderful cousin Sarah for sending one my way! ::hughug::

When I quizzed her on how she found the picture, she said...

"I just Googled "wombat on leash."

::Headsmack::

PS - I am having terrible deja-vu as I write this. Weird.

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Steppin'

2010-12-20T17:01:00.000-05:00

Henry at the Christmas party. Oh, how I love this boy. Even when he's squawking.

Link on up!

New Beginnings

2010-12-20T09:10:00.000-05:00

Good morning, everyone! As promised, my blog is being taken over today by the fabulous Ella. Once you're done reading here, click on over to her blog! She will tell you all about the crazy things that happen to her (Dan and I call those "Seinfeld moments") and later today, she will be hosting a blog post by me. Points to the reader who finds the Seinfeld reference in my post.

Handing off to Ella now:

Hi, my name is Ella and I write over at Breath Of Ella: Adventures from Under the Magnifying Glass and I sincerely hate introductions.. or at least typing them out. Without the interaction, I get all clammy and start rambling on about nothing for as long as possible until someone cuts me off and I just...Wait...I'm rambling again? Alright...I'll get to the point.

BLOG SWAP!

DECEMBER 2010

Oh goodness, there are so many different answers for this, for 2011 especially.

You see, I have this cat, Zinfandel, who is a BIG chicken. He runs and hides from every noise you could imagine making, I mean, you could chew your mashed potatoes (I know, I know) too loudly and he'll take off running. He then will hide behind our curtains at the 1st landing on our stairs, his ass hanging out CLEARLY thinking we cannot see him. UMM ZINNY, we can totally see you.

Well, I've felt as though for the last year a mere click of the tongue has scared me behind my own curtain, ass hanging out, just waiting to be found and frankly, I'm tired of it.

I'm going to head out into the New Year and actually do the few things I've been just thinking/dreaming about like going back to school, getting crafty(er), and maybe, just maybe, open my own Etsy shop.

Let's talk about school, since that's all that occupies my thoughts at the moment...

I haven't been in school for a year almost exactly. It wasn't really a choice for me thanks to some screw up with financial aid, but I didn't go back winter 2010 semester and opted out of fall 2010 as well. I was back and forth on whether I wanted to go back, I have a full time job, I make ok money and live an easy going, come and go as I please kind of life. Then it dawned on me, I missed school something fierce. I was that weirdo that would ask people about their classes/homework over a ~~beer~~ glass of coke and would ask everything I could just to get a taste of school again. Then after months of putting it off and just avoiding it, I forked over the money and applied to go back to school. I was terrified.

But it must've been the right thing for me because last week, I got accepted and am officially a college student again :)

I couldn't be happier.

After waiting for an entire year with a LOT of frustration and stress, I'm finally taking the action I need to move forward with my life. Moving forward has been my theme the past few months and I refuse to back down.

I will succeed.
I will make 2011 the best year of my life. :)

Yeah, Go Ella! I told her she swapped with the right person - I'm a financial aid counselor who took 7 years to finish school due to being in and out, switching programs, and taking time off to work. You can totally do it, Ella! And when you are done, you will be so proud of all your hard work.

Essential things to know

2010-12-18T13:20:00.001-05:00

1. My baby is the cutest thing around. Also, his hair is not red. It's brown. It's just that his cradle cap is yellow, and the combined effect is reddish.

2. I have chik fil-a and you don't. Poor you.

3. I am doing a blog swap on Monday! This means someone else is coming to talk to you all (Ella - Hi Ella!) and I'm going to talk to her readers. Ella is super cool, so be here.

4. You are super cool, too!

5. I'm putting my Followers widget back up, since I thought people could follow by hitting "Follow" in the upper left corner, but apparently that doesn't work for everyone. Do you see where it says "Follow?" Am I going crazy?

6. North Korea, please don't blow me up. You can haz sum of mah chik fil-a?

7. I'm out of french fries, so I will venture off the couch now. Plus Dan is wrapping a present for me in the other room and I want to try to catch a peek.

That is all, goodbye!

Friday Follow-up 12/17

2010-12-17T13:55:00.001-05:00

Alternate title for this post: The perks of illness

Since having a cold this week made me lose my appetite, and nothing has any taste, I lost 2.5 lbs.

If anyone's counting (and I don't blame you if you've lost track, I mean, what I was hoping would take a few weeks is going on 4 months now!) I only have 2.5 lbs to go to get to my 20-pound goal.

There's a thought that makes me hungry.

I'm glad to be so close, but let me just tell you, I do not look like I looked at this weight pre-baby. Someone needs to send a message to my waist that it can go back in now, mmkay? There's no baby in there needing the extra padding, and at this point all it's doing is causing trouble for my future spring bathing suit shopping and my ability to look at myself in the mirror after I get out of the shower.

Also, can we move the mirror that's positioned right there when you get out of the shower? Thaaaanks.

Okay in all seriousness though, a little blubber on the ol' waistline is nothing compared to having a perfect, sweet baby. I mean, have you seen my baby? Have you smelled him?

Smell him. Go on. Do it.

Smell my baby.

See what I mean? Worth it.

How to tell your thrifting has gone too far

2010-12-16T18:27:00.000-05:00

You buy your baby polyester Christmas pajamas.

I mean, they're vintage so...it's cool, right?

Here's Henry now, showing off his duds.

Most of all, we just thought the PJs were funny. Especially that shiny little bear with its mouth all agape. What's that about?

Sigh...our little chunk. Weighing in at 15 pounds today.

Gifts are mighty fine and I love my friends

2010-12-15T10:57:00.000-05:00

SWAGG is a free mobile app (download here) that lets you shop smarter using your mobile phone. Buy, send or swap SWAGG GIFTS and organize your old school plastic gift cards.
For every download of the app between now and Dec. 31, 2010, SWAGG will donate $1 to Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) , up to $125,000.

Clever Girls Collective and SWAGG are sending a pair of movie fans to the Sundance Film Festival! Download the SWAGG app and then visit the Ultimate SWAGG Getaway Sweepstakes site to enter to win a trip for two to the Sundance Film Festival. Entry deadline is January 3, 2011, 11:59pm, PST.

I couldn't resist bringing you all some info on some things that are very important to me: taking down the suckage that is cancer, presents, and a film festival - Sundance, of all film festivals! (Have I ever mentioned that Dan and I first started hanging out by checking out film festivals together? Enough said.)

My assignment? To tell you about the best gift I ever gave. Read on, friends.

_______________

I cooked all day long.

Falafel, tabouli, pita bread. Delicious cheeses and crackers. Coffee, wine. A trifle for dessert.

Lights hung from every window and doorway, and the outside of my cape rental glowed. Fallen pine needles softened the walkway leading to my door.

10 close friends were due to arrive any minute.

Their gifts were under the fiber-optic tree, wrapped in kraft paper and twine. 10 tiny boxes.

I dimmed the lights. The tree glinted pink, green, and blue. A fire warmed the living room. The table was set.

I waited.

The first knock came, then others. My living room soon filled with happy talk, rustling skirts, laughter, perfume.

I served my friends the food I had made them with pride. We sat and talked, and I passed out gifts.

Each friend unwrapped her gift to reveal a small wooden box. Inside the box was a poem or short story I had written for her.

It might sound kind of silly, but I write a mean poem.

I took a moment to thank them for coming, and to explain that I had intended the evening and the party to be my Christmas gift to them.

But really, it was for me too.

Everyone showed up. No one cancelled. And now that my friends are scattered across the country and even overseas, I’m glad we had that night to bring us all together in the same room.

Learn more about the coolest new app that revolutionizes the whole shopping, gifting, and gift card-organizing experience and Download the SWAGG app to your iPhone or Droid. I was selected for this sponsorship by Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity.

Do as I say

2010-12-14T12:23:00.000-05:00

Go here to get warm

Here to laugh (Thanks Hollie for sharing!)

Here to cry

And prepare yourself. I have a craft tutorial coming your way. I know. Weird.

Well hello there

2010-12-13T19:19:00.000-05:00

It's been a little while, hasn't it? Okay not really, but I feel like it has. Consider this a little catch-all post.

You were maybe anticipating some Reverb10 posts over the weekend, and rightfully so. After all, I said I'd write them.

I think Reverb is a great idea, but looking at the recent prompts, I decided I'm going to stick to the ones that I feel most reflect my personality and my blog.

Some Reverb prompts, alternately, have been so awesome that I just can't crank them out on the day they post 'em. 11 things I don't need in my life in 2011? Yeah, I'm going to need to think on that.

Then there are the technical difficulties.

First, my computer at work got a virus. That negated any lunch-time posts. I depend upon lunch time to get a few minutes to write.

Now my netbook has a virus! (Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you guys - I got a netbook for my birthday!) I love my little netbook. I feel so lost without it! Hopefully I will be able to figure that out soon but I finally had to let it go so I didn't whittle away the remainder of my weekend troubleshooting it. No seriously - I told Dan to take it away from me and not let me near it, so I could enjoy my Saturday night.

So I have the viruses, Facebook is updating, Google Chrome is doing all kinds of craziness, my email account is not liking me to hit "reply," and I'm just having a full-on technology FAIL.

Hold me.

In other news, my baby was the cutest thing all weekend. We did some Christmas shopping and took Henry out in the front-facing chest carrier for the first time, and he loved it. Shout out to Franklin Goose in Carytown for being awesome - that is, having a lactation room and letting me pop in and make use of it so we could continue to shop uninterrupted.

My friend Shelly is in from Seattle - yaaaay! Dan and I have some not-easy stuff going on lately, and a hug from Shelly was definitely in order.

And, Henry rolled over last night! I put him on his stomach in the crib for tummy time, and ducked out of the nursery to grab his tummy time mirror. When I got back in, he was on his back! I put him on his tummy again and he rolled over once more.

That boy, I tell ya.

Who is the wisest? Hell if I know.

2010-12-10T16:21:00.001-05:00

December 10 – Wisdom Wisdom. What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out? (Author: Susannah Conway)

Let's just put this out there now:

I make horrible decisions.

(It's okay, I know you've been thinking it all these years. I do not take offense to your sigh of relief at my acknowledging this.)

Sometimes, before I make a decision, I will call a friend who is good at making thoughtful, wise decisions, and ask her opinion.

And ignore it.

I did, however, decide recently that from now on I am going to go with my gut. You see, my problem is that when I get a red flag or what-have-you about something, I ignore it. Why do I do this?

I don't know.

Some people just aren't good about thinking through consequences. I count myself among them.

So in answer to you, teasing Reverb10 writing prompt of the day, I cannot think of a wise decision I made this year.

I just cannot think of a single...one.

Image: ffffound

Party

2010-12-09T14:26:00.002-05:00

December 9 – Party Prompt: Party. What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans. (Author: Shauna Reid)

The last embers die on the cigarette I snuck out front with a friend. I haven't smoked in years and I remember why, but tonight it is cold and dark and quiet, and it feels right.

Inside, I dip my cup back into the gin and fruit. Moments later, A will wonder aloud if her boyfriend has hidden her engagement ring in the house anywhere, prompting a search that will end with us squirting an entire bottle of lotion down the sink. He will find the mess later and ask about it. A will just laugh mysteriously.

On the other side of the room, Dan speaks quietly at length with a girl we just met. No one really knows her.

R plays his upright bass, and asks A to sing with him. She won't so he sings alone. It is lovely, but no one says so.

Later, they tell me, we emptied out a change jar and took turns throwing it at the guys while they danced in the middle of the room. I won't remember.

On the way home, Dan tells me the girl he was talking with whispered dirty things to him all night. We crack up. Get home, turn down the covers. We still live downtown and turn on the box fan we use to block out the nightly street noise.

Before babies, before sickness, before we had carpet. It was a good night.

Image: ffffound

Nothing's coming out

2010-12-09T08:22:00.000-05:00

I've snuggled my baby.

Had a talk with my husband.

Taken a nice hot bath.

Eaten chocolate.

We have so much going on lately and I feel like I just need to have a good cry and get it out.

But nothing's coming out.

I've never been a crier but this is bordering on emotional constipation. Hey, look at that - I got through an entire pregnancy without using the word constipation on my blog, and I whip it out now!

...Something is just wrong with me, isn't it?

Image: ffffound

It's personal, okay?

2010-12-08T19:14:00.000-05:00

Today's Reverb10 prompt:

December 8 – Beautifully Different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful.

So this prompt makes me feel all squidgy. I'm trying to write, but I keep shifting in my chair and looking away and twirling my hair instead of really thinking about it.

Why did I get in on Reverb, again? I'm afraid of reflecting.

Sorry, Reverb. Not today.

Sleep Parenting

2010-12-08T14:10:00.000-05:00

Wanna hear a cool trick?

You can parent in your sleep.

That's right, my friends. My baby's 4 months old and I'm doing this thing with my eyes closed.

Consider this, you poor schmucks who have been trying to stay awake and parent:

Ever since I've gone back to work, Henry has decided he doesn't want to sleep through the night anymore. More on that another time, but I'm taking suggestions if you've got them. Since we're too tired to keep getting up and shushing Henry to sleep 3-4 times a night, we usually just bring him into the bed and I nurse him.

As I make my way through work each day with bleary eyes and dark circles, I pump for the feedings I miss when I'm not with Henry. He takes about 3 bottles a day while I'm at work, so I pump 3 times, and net just enough of the good stuff for him to eat again the next day.

This morning, I woke up and one of Henry's bottles for today was missing. I asked Dan if he gave Henry a bottle in the night. Dan looked at me like I was crazy and was all, um yeaaah...cause you told me to.

Um noooo...cause what the heck is he going to eat today now that he's already had one of his bottles?

Evidently I am now so tired that I don't even wake up when Henry's crying or when my husband is asking me if I plan to nurse him.

In summary, don't trust anything I say when I am sleeping, please.

PS - don't worry, we still fed Henry. Dan just brought him by to nurse, so it was sort of a special treat.

Community

2010-12-07T08:45:00.000-05:00

I feel a little too committed admitting to this, but:

I have found an amazing community among my co-workers.

I used to work with 2 of my best friends, K and A. Early this past summer, they both left for new jobs.

I thought I would be devastated.

Though it was great working with 2 people that I consider among my closest friends, I found I wasn't devastated. I'm still in close contact with K and A, but I have had the opportunity to discover that the people that are still here are awesome too. We have a great group right now. A lot of us are close to the same age and everyone looks out for one another. Our job is not easy, and a lot of times we need each other's support. And we have it. I'm really grateful for that.

Especially at a time when I'm not always available to hang out with friends outside of work. It's nice to feel like I have them at my 9 to 5.

So there you have it. If you work with me and you're reading this, I totally love you.

For next year? Next year it might be nice to have some more couple-friends. You know, couples Dan and I can hang out with together. He goes out with his friends, and I go out with my friends, and that's always worked great for us. But I'd love to have a few more couples that we could count on getting together with.

Image: ffffound

Reverb10 - Make

2010-12-06T19:59:00.001-05:00

Have you all heard of Reverb10?

It's pretty cool.

If you're a blogger, join in. Click the button to your right for details.

The gist of it is - writing prompts! For every day in December! To reflect on the past year and anticipate the new one.

I know I'm not alone in thinking that's super cool, because an awful lot of people are participating. I'm jumping in a few days late, but no matter.

On to the post.

The last thing I made? Well, here's where I reveal what I gifted a reader in my surprise giveaway last month! The friends I gave it out to have already received it, because...

It was an advent calendar.

I used white coin envelopes, a PDF for printing the numbers, clothespins, and butchers twine to create the calendars. In fact, you can see my inspiration here.

Then I filled them with candy, treats, and even a few tasks for my friends to perform upon certain days that they opened the calendar.

I loved making these calendars. I personalized each one for the person it went to. They were filled with love. I'm enjoying hearing my friends' reactions as they open each day.

How about you guys? Do you love advent calendars as much as I do? Do you ever make gifts instead of buying?

Steppin - babysitter edition

2010-12-06T12:48:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite friends got married this weekend. Here's A and me at her wedding:

Our friends Jon and Harri babysat Henry from 1-9. Thanks, guys. It freed us up for this:

Hope this doesn't make you regret it...

We dedicated a song: ::coughtotocough::

We had the best time.

Dress: Anthropologie

Necklace: Anthropologie, gifted

Wine: Red

'Nuff said.

Wanna play? Go here:

The truth is...

2010-12-06T08:49:00.000-05:00

Even though I sorta wanted to go natural, I highly recommend an epidural. Once I got mine I never looked back.

Even though I'm still nursing, I still suspect I'm drinking too much coffee. I can't stop and I don't wanna.

Even though I like to think I'm an old soul, I find myself getting sucked more and more into the technological world I love/hate. Hence my new Twitter account.

Even though I usually consider myself a health nut, lately I refuse to/don't have time to cook. Except for baking cookies. I still do that.

Even though I've always been super frugal, lately I just want to eat take-out/buy a cup of coffee/have a little something extra.

Even though I feel like certain things should be waaaay private, I still keep plugging away at this here blog.

I'm conflicted. There's the standard I've always held myself to - the person I want to be, and then there's the reality of what I can/actually want to/have time to do.

Anyone else out there feeling conflicted lately?

Holiday Gift Guide

2010-12-04T10:07:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my first ever, very special, super-cool first annual gift guide!

I recently learned something new about myself - evidently, I love gift guides. Especially this one, which I keep telling you all about. So I set out to make my own.

Especially in this crazy time in our economy, I believe gifts should be given with great care. Many of the gifts you see below are handmade, and others are just too beautiful and special not to share.

I've divided my gift guide into categories - 50, 40, 30, and 20 dollars and under. I tried to mix it up with gifts for ladies, gents, and kiddos. Without further adieu:

$50 and under

1. Baby mobile - Happy Children in Animal Costumes by Asial

2. Praying skeleton German military style messenger bag by meatbagz - they have tons of cool bags for men!

3. Vintage Swarovski orb necklace by Babette - a link to this was emailed to my husband last week ::wink::

4. Biwa's bounty cuff - Anthropologie

$40 and under

1. Grandmother birthstone necklace by Princessbydesign

2. Blog Love e-course by Elsie at Red Velvet - ahem. ahem. Sorry, I had something stuck in my throat. I think it was burning hot desire.

3. Black leather motorcycle wallet by leatherworks4u

4. Vintage Italian vinyl luggage tote by apocalypsevintage

$30 and under

1. Fly away necklace by PlumeandPetals

2. Ocean waves personalized stationary by lilepicprints

3. Father/son shirt combo by Royalkane - come on, how cute is that?!

4. Vintage orb locket by CreationsbyJuliann

$20 and under

1. Dreamy sewn print by tastesorangey - lots of prints and original art for art lovers!

2. Totem pole candles from Anthropologie

3. Chalkboard necklace by cocodelayinc

4. Sock monkey hat by brittanysbuttons - swoon!

So what do you guys think? Any gift-giving tips? Anything here tickle your fancy? Anyone else think my baby would be the cutest thing alive in that sock monkey hat?

Friday Follow-up 12/3

2010-12-03T14:01:00.000-05:00

A pound and a half down, my friends.

That feels good. It feels real good.

But, Houston? We have a problem.

I could probably sum it up by pointing it that I am stretching my arms over a plate of french fries in order to type this.

I got a little memo from my body (that sounds dirty but I can't think of a way to rephrase it) on Tuesday when I had to call out of work because I was sick. And it went something like this:

Memo to self: Please take care of me. Please stop eating cookies and french fries for lunch, and take-out and PBJ for dinner. Please cook something delicious to feed me. I'm not feeling well and I'm not sure how much longer I can go on!

I wrote back, oh yes I did. I said:

I don't care about you! I'm still losing weight which is all I really care about. My husband is on a special diet so we aren't eating the same foods anymore, and I'm busy working and taking care of a baby. You've always been fine before. You'll live.

Well Tuesday knocked me over and nearly killed me. I think it could have been a migraine, I'm not sure. I do know that I thought my head might explode and I would have welcomed it. I was nauseous and remember thinking repeatedly, I would rather be in labor again than in this agony! It was bad. I was actually a little scared and might have gone to the ER if I had even felt well enough to get in the car to get there.

...Thank God I didn't, because I'm fine now and I think it would have been embarrassing to get to the ER just to tell them how bad my head hurt.

I think it's safe to say that I need to spend a portion of this weekend implementing and executing (shut up, I'm writing this on my lunch break and have work on the brain) a plan to take better care of myself. This is unlike me and I am not feeling my best. I need to find some balance. Big time.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. I'm looking forward to the wedding of one of my dearest friends, combined with a baby-sitter for Henry and an open bar. Oh, yeah.