tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14464533133354341412024-03-12T23:50:04.270-04:00Keep It Simplesimple crafts, simple recipes, simple (but often rambling) thoughtslizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.comBlogger47125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446453313335434141.post-62280202372410225222012-02-02T13:56:00.003-05:002012-02-13T13:56:01.053-05:00where did the day/week/month/(you get it) go??People always say that time flies as you get older. They also love to tell say how quickly my kid will grow up. To that I smile and think "Yeah, yeah... what do you know? It won't be any different than it was." Umm, wow, were they right!! I cannot believe how quickly my days go now. I wake up and then the next thing I know I am crawling into my bed with piles of laundry around the bedroom and dishes piled up in the sink... where did the day go?! <br />
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I will admit it-- I thought this mom gig would be a little easier. I am not saying I don't love it, I really do love it. But in my naive, first time mom head I had visions of full nights of sleep and no bumped baby heads and time to read my kindle while I soaked in the tub. Yeah, not the case. Jack is super curious and quick and has bumped his head more times than I remember (not bad bumps, but still scary when it happens) and running a bath and risking waking up the baby when we have worked so hard to get him to sleep?? I think not. And forget late night laundry... the washing machine sounds like a jet engine taking off and is right outside Jack's bedroom door.<br />
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So my point... I have come across some articles recently that have made me feel a little better about not keeping up with everything and about not being able to find "me time" like I used to. <br />
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A fellow new mommy friend sent me <a href="http://www.ncregister.com/blog/to-the-mother-with-only-one-child" target="_blank"><strong>this article</strong></a> and it really hit home. It is about being a mom to one baby. <strong>Even if you have more than one baby I strongly urge you to read it. And if you aren't a mom maybe you know of a mom who you can share it with</strong>. <br />
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I also like article below... <br />
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Sure, I miss my old life sometimes. I miss actually being bored sometimes. I miss going out with friends whenever I want. And sometimes I miss taking a few minutes after work to just sit and relax. But I really love this new chapter. And let's be honest... I rarely have the time to think about missing my old life.. there are too many other things to worry about now!!lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446453313335434141.post-28530361548247557982012-01-25T11:54:00.000-05:002012-01-25T11:54:25.526-05:00dumb stuff people say....... about my son when he was a few weeks old: "don't pick him up every time he cries, you will spoil him."<br />
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... about my 8 1/2 month old son: "he really should be talking by now."<br />
<br />lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446453313335434141.post-82586026613863612182012-01-11T13:37:00.000-05:002012-01-11T13:38:39.921-05:00no kittens. no muffins.I wanted to post today but I couldn't think of anything I really wanted to talk about. I turned to my friend Meesh for inspiration... this was our conversation....<br />
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<strong>Me:</strong> what should i blog about?! i just dont know meesh. things i am grateful for? boring! but often overlooked around the new year... overshadowed by resolutions. things i want?? there are some cookbooks {bread ones-- thought you might like that} and a stand mixer... oh and a trip to disney. i want that bad<br />
no. those are all boring topics.<br />
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we went back and forth a bit... I told her that I just felt kinda "weird" today. Then she gave me this advice...<br />
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<strong>Michelle:</strong> Write about feeling weird...It doesnt have to be fluffy kittens and delicious muffins all the time<br />
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So...... I feel weird today, folks. It could be because I got my period for the first time since July of 2010. {sorry if that grosses out any male readers... oh yeah, good thing I don't have any besides my husband... so I guess that should read: sorry Josh!} Or maybe it is because it is kind of a gray day here. Whatever it is I just feel "off" today. <br />
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I feel guilty sometimes when I feel sad because, honestly, I have it pretty good. I have a supportive husband, a cute and happy baby, a nice place to live {for now-- our house is on the market}and good friends-- among other things. So boohoo to me right? I know I should focus on these good things but it is hard sometimes... do you ever get caught up in that "blah" feeling and can't snap out of it?? <br />
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I'm not going to continue this negative post because it isn't helping make me feel better. Instead I will share something that DOES make me feel better when I feel weird......... little things. I like small versions of normal things and just teeny things in general. Maybe it is because I loved my ornate doll house growing up or maybe it is because little things are just mind numbingly cute. So, here are two small versions of normal sized things that Jack got for Christmas.... looking at them is helping cheer me up. Enjoy. Oh, and thanks for listening to me whine about pretty much nothing!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZdutN9ysKR22h8KEJkcwr3o22ebnlZdV3qSchDPtaNzC643B02FegIwEGf6xtca3DXmWJ0LVvAp3VF2-Vwow86y91O4tYSnngNP2Jb2qVELiTM56f9cYZURWYsN4fadAwV7fKTvxsns/s1600/PC251930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxZdutN9ysKR22h8KEJkcwr3o22ebnlZdV3qSchDPtaNzC643B02FegIwEGf6xtca3DXmWJ0LVvAp3VF2-Vwow86y91O4tYSnngNP2Jb2qVELiTM56f9cYZURWYsN4fadAwV7fKTvxsns/s400/PC251930.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446453313335434141.post-79630704722411190622012-01-06T13:30:00.000-05:002014-05-23T10:13:15.198-04:00keep calm and carry onI wrote a draft of a post a while ago (back at the beginning of November) and never posted it..... I have decided that I want to post the previous material as well as some current stuff. The post is-- you guess it-- more mommy related stuff..... I am finding that this first time mom gig is incredibly consuming! <br />
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<i>previously written material</i>:<br />
I used to think that I could make everyone like me. It crushed me when I would realize that someone didn't like me. I also used to pretend like no one ever talked behind my back. I allowed myself to be blissfully ignorant and it was great. <br />
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I'm not sure what changed, but I have begun allowing myself to realize that not everyone is going to like me, that people will judge me, and that people are going to talk behind my back. <br />
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I'm sure that one person will judge me for nursing my son for too many months and the next person will feel I didn't do it long enough. One person will say I take being a mom too seriously and the next person will say I don't take it seriously enough. I <b>will not</b> please everyone. Friends, family and strangers will probably talk behind my back at some point. Maybe not in a hurtful way but I'm sure they will have their opinions and won't agree with all of my decisions as a mother. I'm working on getting more comfortable with that. <br />
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Some people tell me to let him cry more at night and he will learn to sleep better. Or that I should have started solids earlier. Sometimes I get upset because I feel like they are judging me and don't think I am doing a good job as a mother. But then, I get home from work and see my big {exclusively breastfed} healthy baby boy smile and he wiggles with excitement and throws his arms up to me and I know I am doing a good job.<br />
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<i>new material</i>:<br />
On Wednesday evening I experienced my first audible criticism from a stranger about my parenting. The story goes like this...... Josh, Jack and I went to Bonefish for dinner so I could get my bang bang shrimp fix. It was a very cold night (probably about 25 degrees out) and I had Jack in a long sleeved shirt, a sweatshirt and a little fleece jacket. He also had on socks, sweatpants and a blanket wrapped around his bottom half. We were walking to the front of the restaurant where the plan was for Josh to pull the car up while Jack and I waited inside where it was warm. On our walk to the door an older lady looked at me and Jack disapprovingly and said to her friend "they should have gloves on that child." <br />
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BOOM. Did you just fall out of your seats from that doozy? No? Ok, ok. So it wasn't the most horrific thing someone could have said about my parenting but it really got to me. I'm sure she promptly forgot about my son and his (assumingly frozen) little fingers but here I am writing about it and venting to anyone who will listen. I need to take the advice above.... <b>keep calm and carry on</b>. I knew that we didn't have far to walk in the cold. I knew that his fingers were not going to freeze and break off. I need to move on. I know that that won't be the last time I hear someone comment on my parenting. So the next time I hear someone comment on how I am raising/clothing/diapering/feeding my kid I need to take a deep breath and remind myself that I am doing the best job I possibly can... which I think is pretty good.lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446453313335434141.post-6010266843400517612011-12-20T12:04:00.002-05:002012-01-06T10:35:58.927-05:00The Obligatory New Mom Santa Picture Post<br />
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Jack: "Oh you know... just hanging out in this humongous chair, chatting with Santa.... no big deal."<br />
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Despite really rude people working with Santa (disappointingly not even dressed as elves!) and a slow moving line, Jack was very patient and did very well when he met Santa yesterday. He sat down on Santa's lap and looked over at me and smiled (not captured of course) and then stared at me and the lady taking pictures for a few minutes before turning to Santa and reaching up to touch his beard. I broke eye contact with the dude for a second to look at the picture screen and he got a quivery lip so I went over and scooped him up. Besides that, he was a champ up there and I was so proud of him!lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446453313335434141.post-8547559629805396032011-12-08T11:24:00.001-05:002011-12-08T13:48:25.335-05:00We like food...<br />
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I don't know if you can tell from all my ramblings about cornbread but I like food. Turns out, Jack likes food too. When people see him downing bowl after bowl of squash they say "he likes to eat... just like his mom!" So I guess my love of eating is no secret. <br />
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Right now, I am too tired to write any kind of real post {let me just say-- teething sucks!!}... so I will just put up some pictures of my little guy doing what he does best... being happy and cute and eating food!<br />
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The photo at the top is of Jack's very first experience with food... oatmeal at about five and a half months. Below are more recent photos of him covered in squash and lovin' life!<br />
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<br />lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446453313335434141.post-17808029477024215042011-12-02T12:24:00.001-05:002011-12-02T13:59:20.712-05:00Are you thankful??That I am finally finishing up this list?? Or are you so sad that you don't get to hear me ramble on about what I am thankful for? Fear not, dear readers... I will certainly find other things to ramble about!<br />
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<strong>thankful #27: a song</strong><br />
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See the <a href="http://keepitsimpleplease.blogspot.com/2011/12/bluetooth-gangsta.html">post from this morning</a> to see what song I am thankful for. I have been pretty stressed {listing our house, bills piling up, etc} and sleep deprived lately so I needed a good laugh and I got it this morning.<br />
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<strong>thankful #28: a gift</strong><br />
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Our wedding present from my friend Meesh. She isn't loaded or anything but she gave us a very, very generous cash gift. But that isn't the part I was most thankful for...... she also gave us a bunch of games to play on our honeymoon-- games like uno and travel yatzee. It was an incredibly thoughtful gift because it was useful gift and a fun way for me and Josh to connect while we waited for planes, instead of just sitting and doing our own thing. <br />
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Meesh is just an all around great gift giver. She has given Jack some pretty great gifts... for no reason other than she is just thoughtful. A cute book about a polar bear names Lars, a soft little washcloth mit thingee, and my favorite-- his Morrissey onesie!! I had him in that outfit so much that it was pretty worn out and pilly by the time he outgrew it and I {sadly} had to pack it away. Here he is sporting his hip little outfit while kickin' it in Meesh's arms...<br />
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<strong>thankful #29: something in your home</strong><br />
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I guess I could be a sappy mom and say "my son"... or I could be repetitive and say "my bed"... but I'm going to go with.... my tart warmer. I love that it makes the whole downstairs smell nice. I feel like it gives off a stronger scent than a regular candle. I also like that the tealights will go out on their own after a few hours. True, I should probably blow them out long before they extinguish on their own but I often forget {which can obviously be a problem with real candles} and I like that I don't have to stress too much about it. <br />
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<strong>thankful #30: the thing you're most thankful for</strong><br />
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My car. It is so smooth and nice and....... I'm kidding! I am 100%, hands down, no question most thankful for my family. I never, ever have to question whether or not they will come through for me when I need them... they ALWAYS will. <br />
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They have seen me when I am stressed and being a major bitch; when I am sad and curled up in the fetal position on my bed wailing about how hard life is; when I'm happy; when I'm scared. They just love me no matter what. <br />
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My parents have always been the most awesomely supportive people... telling me I could do anything when clearly I couldn't-- example: basketball.. I was terrible at basketball. And they supported my decisions even if they didn't agree completely-- example: quitting basketball after one practice. <br />
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My sister {even though we argue something, as I covered in a recent post} is a really, really great sister. She is a fantastic aunt to my son... really, I'm not sure who loves him more than she does? She rivals me and Josh for the love she feels for that little boy. Over the years, she has listened to me complain and cry and work through issues and is really helpful and positive. And there is NO ONE better at making me feel ok after a crazy night of drinking... she can make the severe hangover guilt almost go away.<br />
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Obviously my love for Josh and Jack is huge. It almost makes my heart explode on a daily basis. I love my boys, J sqaured, more than I thought I could love two people. <br />
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And then there is everyone else... Josh's family, my Gooky, my aunts and uncles and cousins and nieces and nephew and everyone in between. I am thankful for them all. <br />
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I am also very grateful for you. Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. It means so much to me!lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446453313335434141.post-36553708647415642762011-12-02T09:43:00.001-05:002011-12-02T10:26:10.424-05:00Bluetooth Gangsta<br />
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Remember that post from not so long ago where I proclaimed my love for my old Honda Accord? Well, we have since parted ways and I am now riding in style in a brand new Toyota Camry. It is a sport model so it has ground effects, nicer wheels and some weird paddle thingee on the steering wheel. Pretty gangsta right? Well honestly, those are all features that I don't care much about but Josh seems to think it is cool and I want to be cool so I'm going along with it. <br />
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One thing that I AM excited about it the bluetooth feature. I finally set it up this morning while I was waiting for my windshield to defrost. It took me a few tries to figure it out but I got it. <br />
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It gave me the message that it was connected and then for some reason it started to play one of the songs from my music library. It started to play--- and I promise I am not making this up-- "Damn it feels good to be a gangsta"... it was perfect. For a moment I felt like I was in a sitcom; like I had a bunch of writers carefully choosing the soundtrack to my morning. Then I realized I was about to sit in traffic on my way to a boring job and everything seemed a lot less sitcom-y. But it was pretty damn cool for a minute. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Above: Halloween 2008... one of the members of the bad ass gang "GangGreen"</span></div>lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446453313335434141.post-69326041037338041392011-11-30T12:21:00.001-05:002011-12-01T12:13:21.498-05:00Thankful That I Can Type Pretty Quickly....Less than twelve hours until the end of November... and still twelve more items on my thankful list to cover... eek! Sure, I can type relatively quickly... but I have a verrrry hard time being succinct. I'll try my best!<br />
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<strong>thankful #19: a favorite piece of clothing</strong><br />
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The big, comfy toggle button sweater I recently purchased from Old Navy. It was originally $50, which may not seem like much to some people but that is a lot for me to spend on an article of clothing. Fortunately, I was able to get a lovely tan one during a sale for 40% off. I love it so much that I decided I needed another one in brown and I was able to snag that one for less than $5!! I got it during a great sale where all the sweaters in the store were 75% off AND I had some super cash so I basically got an additional 50% off. <br />
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Here are some things I love about the sweaters: 1. extremenly cozy 2. has pockets 3. long enough to wear with leggings when I need to feel extra cozy while running errands 4. did I mention how cozy the sweaters are?? <br />
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Sure, I kind of feel like I look like an old man who likes to drink brandy and smoke cigars in a leather armchair in his study... but I don't care because- you guessed it-- I'm just too cozy to care!!<br />
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I know you can't get a good look at the sweater from the picture above... but that cute little halloween horse baby booty was too cute not to post! And look at those chubby little wrists... he is like the marshmallow man from Ghostbusters! Hmm.. that would have been a cute costume......... there I go rambling again- sorry!<br />
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<strong>thankful #20: a keepsake</strong><br />
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My engagement/wedding ring. I am thankful for these rings because they are beautiful and sparkly but also because of what they symbolize. I feel very, very blessed to be married to such a supportive, patient and kind man and my rings are a constant reminder of just how lucky I am.<br />
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<strong>thankful #21: a disappointment or fear</strong><br />
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Moving to Illinois when I was a sophmore in high school. Holy hell, that was a traumatic time for me. I was 16 years old and my dad was relocated to Illinois. We moved mid way through the school year so that I could finish the field hockey season and Jessi could finish the soccer season. I remember laying on the bed in my new bedroom in our new house and crying so hard that I could barely breath. I remember that first day in the new school and that I was so nervous I was actually sick. But somehow the move didn't kill me like I was sure it would. It didn't take long for me to make some friends and then I met a boy who ending up being my first love. <br />
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We ended up moving back to Maryland less than a year later and it was bittersweet... I had to leave my boyfriend and my new friends but I got to come back to my old school and my old friends. The whole experience of having to move there and then move back was incredibly stressful and painful..... BUT-- I wouldn't take any part of it back. I learned how important it is to be accepting of new people. I made some lasting friendships. And I avoided having to pay for driver's ed because they offered it in school there.<br />
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<strong>thankful #22: a book</strong><br />
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The Sleep Easy Solution: The Exhausted Parent's Guide to Getting Your Child to Sleep from Birth to Age 5. I have not put this book to use yet because Jack is acutely teething right now {something which I'm not sure will EVER end} and the book advises against starting sleep learning while your child is teething. But soon we will employ the techniques in this book and I am optimistic that I will get a good night of sleep soon. I really hope so. It is possible right?<br />
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<strong>thankful #23: a feeling</strong><br />
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When I get home from work and Jack sees me and his little face lights up and he starts shaking his arms around with excitement and reaches for me. It is the best. It makes me feel loved and content and happy and like my heart just might explode. The feeling of being so unconditionally loved is pretty neat.<br />
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<strong>thankful #24: a photograph</strong><br />
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This one is REALLY hard for me. I love, love, love so many of the pictures I have. I am incredibly grateful that so many of my experiences have been captured in pictures. But I'm actually not even going to choose a picture of myself for this... I am choosing one of Josh. I love this picture so much. He looks so happy and adorable. I love how thick his hair is and how big and bright his eyes are. I love his little mock turtleneck and his tan blazer... a real hip little dude. <br />
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Josh is the youngest of five and I have heard that there are often less pictures of the last of so many kids... so I am very happy that we have this picture!<br />
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<strong>thankful #25 a luxury</strong><br />
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Sleep. I miss it. I never really considered it a luxury before but now with a teething, needy baby I realize just how much of a luxury it is. The other night Jack only woke up once. It was amazing. A taste of the good life.<br />
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I don't need luxuries like fur, diamonds or filet mignon. I mean, don't get me wrong, I wouldn't pass up the aforementioned items but I think right now I would take eight hours of sleep over any of them! <br />
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The photo above is from 2008. I was taking a nap in Cambridge. A nap! Ha! I think I remember what those were like but I can't be sure.<br />
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<strong>thankful #26: a charity</strong><br />
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Baltimore Reads. My sister is a first grade teacher in Baltimore City. As a city teacher, resources are limited so she uses the organization "Baltimore Reads, Inc" to stock her classroom with books. It is a wonderful organization that provides books to teachers and families in need. They have an abundance of board books which apparently are not in as high of demand so I was able to get quite a few for Jack which is wonderful. Since Jack was just a few days old, we have read the book "Mommy loves me" every single night before bed... it is a cute, quick little board book which I got from Baltimore Reads. <br />
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They can always use all kinds of books- adult, children, anything! So if you are clearing off your bookshelves consider donating some books to them... they will even come to you to pick them up!<br />
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Well, it turns out I couldn't type fast enough to get the list done today... so I am going to finish up the list tomorrow or Friday. Yeah, I'm a little late but that has been my story lately... it wouldn't be fitting if I finished the list on time!lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446453313335434141.post-81547255046341099662011-11-28T13:03:00.001-05:002011-11-29T09:37:32.336-05:00Thankful: Sisters, Stores and Silly Movie QuotesI clearly got in over my head with "30 Days of Thanks" thing. Not because I can't be thankful for one thing each day... quite the contrary... I am thankful for many, many things every day. It is the keeping up with posting about everything that is proving to be difficult for me. I forget sometimes that I have other stuff on my plate-- work, laundry, dishes, a baby, cleaning and somewhere in there I try to sleep but that doesn't seem to be happening much lately either. <br />
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I'm going to work on catching up on posting about some more things I am thankful for..... besides you guys taking the time to read this... it is a given that I am always thankful for you!!<br />
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<strong>thankful #16: an experience</strong><br />
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Being an older sister. My sister, Jessi, and I fight. A lot. We always have. But we also laugh. A lot. We always have. We are very different. She has blonde hair, I have brown. She is very artistic, I can barely draw a circle. She doesn't really ever want to talk about fights or problems {she just wants to forget they happened}, I want to talk about them until I'm blue in the face to figure out why they happened. Despite our differences and countless fights, we still somehow end up being friends. <br />
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Sure, sometimes she makes me want to pull my hair out {or she just pulls it out for me during a fight}, but I can't imagine a day without my little sister. She is tough and, even though she is younger than me and I feel protective of her, she can usually handle her business and fight her own fights. But if there comes a day when she can't and she needs a hand, I hope she knows that I am always right here to pick her up and help her realize just how great she is. <br />
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<strong>thankful #17: a store</strong><br />
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Old Navy. I know I am a size 6 pants and a medium top... always... so I can shop from the comfort of my sofa. Somehow I was still the same size when I was 6 months pregnant and 30 pounds heavier. Granted, maybe I didn't look as great poured into size 6 pants when I was sportinga lot more belly chub.. but I still fit. I also love that they have great sales and are reasonably priced to begin with. I am pretty sure that about 93% of my closet is from Old Navy, 5% is from Target and the other 2% are hand me downs from my sister. I will revisit my love for Old Navy in #19 on this list.. I bet you can't wait!<br />
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<strong>thankful #18: a saying/quote/scripture</strong><br />
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I feel like this is a tricky one. I used to love quotes. I was so excited to pick out the quote to go with my senior picture in the yearbook-- I ending up choosing "love isn't what makes the world go 'round, it is what makes the ride worthwhile." I thought it was deep and meaningful and perfect. Yeah, dork. I mean the quote it fine, it is nice, but it is kinda cheesy. I wish I would have chosen something more fun... a quote from Dumb and Dumber {my favorite movie then and still a favorite now} or something from a song that meant something to me. So I'll correct my silly high school mistake and choose more wisely this time around. So here it is..... it was hard to choose... and I'm still not sure it is my favorite.....<br />
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"Hey, I guess they're right. Senior citizens, although slow and dangerous behind the wheel, can still serve a purpose. I'll be right back. Don't you go dying on me!"<br />
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I like changing the word "dying" in the quote above to other things and using it on a daily basis. For example, I often say to Jack: "Don't you go crying on me!" <br />
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I also love the following exhange........<br />
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Harry: Lloyd, I can't feel my fingers, they're numb! <br />
Lloyd: Oh well here, take this extra pair of gloves, my hands are starting to get a little sweaty. <br />
Harry: Extra gloves? You've had extra gloves this whole time?<br />
Lloyd: Um yeah, we are in the Rockies. Jeez!<br />
I know not everyone likes Jim Carrey but I love him. I also love that this movie makes Josh laugh out loud, and not many movies can do that.lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446453313335434141.post-11966463671820426412011-11-21T10:11:00.001-05:002011-11-22T12:53:09.198-05:00A Thankful Potpourri<strong>thankful #11: a tradition</strong><br />
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Thanksgiving. Pretty predictable but whatever, I love it and I am excited to share the wonderful tradition with my son. I have always loved Thanksgiving. I wish I could say it is because it prompts me to reflect on all the things that I am grateful for.... but really, I just love eating myself into a food coma. We travel up to Philadelphia to spend Thanksgiving with Josh's family. He has a huge family and they are all so nice and it is usually the only time of the year that we see them {unless there is a wedding} so it is fun to catch up with everyone. <br />
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The ladies at Thanksgiving have a fun {and usually hilarious} tradition. A lot of potatoes need to be peeled to make enough mashed potatoes to feed such a large crown, so the ladies have a potato peeling contest. They sit down around the table with aprons on, potato peelers in hand and each with three potatoes in front of them. Then, when the contest begins, everyone starts furiously peeling their potatoes. Josh's mom is a master potato peeler and usually wins. She seems relaxed and peels very smoothly. {I guess you peel a lot of potatoes when you have five kids... you become somewhat of an expert.} I competed one year and I was pretty terrible... I was very slow and nervous... but it was still a lot of fun!<br />
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<strong>thankful #12: a gadget</strong><br />
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Lorex Video Monitor. I would marry this magical, little white box if I could. I love it. I expressed my love in an earlier <a href="http://keepitsimpleplease.blogspot.com/2011/09/jumparoo-i-love-you.html">post</a> where I reviewed some of the bajillion baby items we have. The monitor makes life so much easier with three floors and lots of creaky stairs. It is smaller than a regular monitor and it fits perfectly into a plastic disposable wipe box so it is easy to bring with us when we go on trips. I could go on and on but I realize that video monitors don't excite everyone like they excited me so I'll end it here.<br />
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<strong>thankful #13: something old</strong><br />
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My 1998 Honda Accord. She has 195,000 miles and is still going {relatively} strong. We have been through a lot together in the ten years since I bought her from my Granddad. Trips to the Bay Bridge to meet Josh for week night dinners when I was in college. Flat tires on the way to meet Josh at the Bay Bridge which then led to creepy backroad driving in a tow truck with a tow truck driver who went on and on about his recent prison release. Ripped seats from trying to shove a giant grill into the backseat when it clearly wouldn't fit. A few slammed curbs in college... one big curb collision which led to the tire falling off and me driving home on the rim... oops. But somehow she survived all that. <br />
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Sometimes I dream about a getting a new car, but then I get behind the wheel of my Accord and it feels so familiar. I know I will eventually need something more reliable and family friendly but until then I will enjoy poppin' curbs in my beat up old honda.<br />
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<strong>thankful #14: something new</strong><br />
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Jack! I don't even know where to begin expressing my thanks for the happy little baby that we have been blessed with. Josh and I ask each other every single day if he could be any cuter? Josh sometimes asks if we should "stop while we are ahead" and not have anymore kids since Jack is so wonderful and cute. Sure, Jack cries and is fussy and doesn't sleep well {teething sucks!} and there are days when he needs to be held nonstop... but those usually he is a smiley, giggly, squirmey little guy who just wants to give kisses and eat his toes. He is the best and, besides his daddy, he is the best thing to come into my life. I love those two handsome boys so much! <br />
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This seems like a good time to post some pictures of my boys.....<br />
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just hanging out when Jack was about three days old...<br />
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watching football with daddy...<br />
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my boys and me on my birthday!<br />
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<strong><u>thankful #15: a recipe</u></strong><br />
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I bet you think I am going to say cornbread, huh?? Well, I'll admit that I was tempted. I mean, it is awesome... but I think I will go outside the box here and say that I am thankful for the baked ziti recipe that I made a couple weeks ago. It was so easy and it fed us for days. I think my pee smelled like ziti by the time the pan was finally gone. I am pretty sure that my body had a faint marinana scent after five days of eating ziti. <br />
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I didn't layer it like some recipes called for. I didn't use sour cream like some recipes called for... it is italian food people... sour cream instead of ricotta? Puulease! The recipe I found was easy and delicious. I will be making this regularly.<br />
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<strong><u>Baked Ziti (recipe adapted from Allrecipes)</u></strong><br />
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1 package ziti pasta<br />
24 ounces ricotta cheese (I used less than this... 24 ounces seemed like a LOT... not sure how much exactly I used- maybe 16 ounces?)<br />
2-3 cups shredded mozzerella cheese<br />
1 egg, beaten<br />
1 (32 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce (I used a meat sauce my mom had kindly made for us)<br />
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese<br />
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<span class="plaincharacterwrap break">Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse. </span><br />
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<span class="plaincharacterwrap break">In a medium bowl, mix ziti, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg and 1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce. </span></div>
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<span class="plaincharacterwrap break">Preheat oven to 375 degrees F</span></div>
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<span class="plaincharacterwrap break"></span><span class="plaincharacterwrap break">Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and spoon in ziti mixture. Top with remaining spaghetti sauce, followed by Parmesan cheese. </span></div>
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<span class="plaincharacterwrap break">Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes; let stand for 15 minutes before serving</span></div>
<br />lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446453313335434141.post-79055716210834868222011-11-15T12:47:00.001-05:002011-11-22T10:56:18.152-05:00A Quiet Thankful<strong>thankful #10: a time of day</strong><br />
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I can't decide between two times... so it's another bonus day for you guys! <br />
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<em><strong>1. Jack's first nap</strong></em> <br />
I love putting him down for this nap because it is by far the easiest he will go down for any nap. I love rocking him {I know, I know... it's a bad habit... but I love it so back off!} and smelling his hair {Johnson and Johnson shampoo smells like Disney World to me} and kissing his cheeks. It is also the longest nap that he takes so I can get stuff done... or take a nap myself. <br />
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When he wakes up he is such a happy boy. I usually spend a few minutes sitting on the floor next to his crib, just shooting the breeze with him and watching him work on crawling. I love how he reaches for my hands and when he gets a grip he will just hold my hand and smile at me. I'm a little worried that if he continues to be so cute that my heart might explode.<br />
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<strong><em>2. Jack's bedtime and the quiet time/sofa time following his bedtime</em></strong><br />
Watching Jack splash around in the bath tub is fun. Watching Josh play with Jack {and get him annoyingly riled up before bedtime} is adorable. Reading books, saying good night to his night light and rocking him is soothing and wonderful. That sweet, sweet moment after I lay him down in his crib, when I quietly creep down the creaky stairs and sucessfully make it to the bottom without waking him is great. Laying on the sofa with Josh, a plate of oreos and a dvr'd episode of 30 Rock is the icing on the cake!!lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446453313335434141.post-56430114363231099932011-11-14T13:33:00.001-05:002011-11-17T12:13:29.525-05:00Boarman's MarketFor months now, Josh has been talking about the sausage at Boarman's Market, a little family owned market in Highland, Maryland. He isn't a big fan of breakfast {the complete opposite of me!} but he has been raving about Boarman's breakfast sandwiches. The market is almost 30 minutes from our house which seemed like kind of a far drive just for a breakfast sandwich. Well, this past Sunday I didn't have the energy to shoot down his pleas anymore, so after church we headed out to the country for some sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches.<br />
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Oh.My.Gosh. I am so glad that Josh was so persistant! I really fell in love with the place and have since decided that we need to move nearby. The building doesn't look like anything special from the outside but don't let that fool you. The inside is filled with nice people, amazing {house made!} meats, regular groceries, good looking produce and a huge variety of beer and wine. <br />
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I went out front to buy some girl scout cookies while Josh paid for our sandwiches, meat and some fruit. Josh said that when he stepped up to the counter he noticed a $20 bill on the floor. He handed it to the cashier who then yelled out {by name} to the man who had just been rung up and was walking out the door. It was really neat to be in a place where the employees know the customers by name, and where all kinds of people {from hillbilly looking guys to rich folks} mingle and chat.<br />
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The meat.... mmmm...<br />
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Josh and I decided that we needed to incorporate the sausage into a meal on Sunday so we decided on a breakfast dinner... which happens about four times a week in our very grown up house. I didn't have energy to make a big production of dinner so I decided to keep it simple and put the sausage into-- you guessed it- cornbread!! I would say I used about 3/4 of a pound of cooked sausage. I didn't drain the fat because I figured the flavor would be good, plus there wasn't very much fat anyway. It was delicious. It would be a wonderful {not to mention quick and easy} addition to any brunch menu. I smothered my slice in syrup, Josh put some butter on his... both variations were very, very tasty. <br />
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* It was hard to get a picture of the packaging and the meat for you guys because I had a little koala attached to me in the ergo and he was grabbing at everything... I figured raw sausage might not be the best thing for him to put in his mouth. I know, I know-- I'm so overprotective.<br />
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<br />lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446453313335434141.post-3795344194094029662011-11-11T09:27:00.001-05:002011-11-22T10:56:41.435-05:00Thankful for time to catch up on expressing thankfulnessIs that a long enough title for you?? I anticipate a long post as well as I spend some time catching up on my list of thanks!<br />
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<strong>thankful #5: a place (this is a twofer)</strong><br />
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1. My parent's house. Well, right now they are between houses... my mom is living with a friend here in Baltimore while my dad is in an apartment in Chicago... they see each other on the weekends and whenever they can... so they don't officially have a house right now, but I digress. Back to business..... I love that I can lay on the sofa and be super lazy, watching TV or reading a book without feeling like I should be doing something else, like my laundry or dishes. I love that I can go raid the fridge whenever I want without feeling weird. I love that my mom always has the staples from my childhood-- orange juice, utz potato chips (which honestly, I don't even love but they taste like my childhood so I eat them just to go back to that time in my mind), Edy's ice cream. They have super comfy beds and the house is always clean... quite a change from the messy frat house that Josh and I call home. I just feel so safe and cozy when I am at my parent's house. I can't wait until they buy a house in Maryland so I can go park it on their sofa and watch movies with Josh, Jack and my dad and then go play bananagrams with my mom.<br />
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2. Cambridge. My best friend's family has a second house in Cambridge Maryland on Brookes Creek... it is one of my favorite places ever. It is fun and relaxing and quiet and just all around a wonderful place to spend time. And it doesn't hurt that Eliza is a fantastic cook so I know there will always be tasty food!! We play mancala, boggle and rummy tournaments. We go on boat rides and kayak... even though I am not a huge fan of kayaking.. I mean you paddle around for no reason at all... I don't really get it. We read magazines and books and take naps. At night, we sit in the arbor and drink wine and laugh. It is a perfect there. Perfect.<br />
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The pictures below were taken hours apart... I guess we are a predictable pair.<br />
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<strong>thankful #6: a pair of shoes</strong><br />
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My brown boots. Years ago, my sister picked up a pair of boots for $5 at her favorite thift store in Chicago. They were too big for her so she gave them to me. They are even a bit too big on me but I just double up my socks to make them fit a little better... and boy, are they are worth it... so soft and versatile and perfect. Sure, the soles are cracked in half so when it rains my socks get really wet but it is really expensive to get new soles so I will continue to deal with wet feet... no biggie. <br />
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<strong>thankful #7: a scent</strong><br />
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Winter candles and tarts. We have two extremely curious cats and one very teensy house so we set up a skinny, little artificial tree at Christmas and hang our ornaments from about waist up... yeah, our Christmas tree is kind of sad looking. I am thankful for the fact that we were able to find a fake tree to fit into our house, but I miss that 'Christmas tree' scent around the holidays. Yankee Candle Co to the rescue! I have a variety of seasonal candles and tarts that I recently broke out... right now 'autumn leaves' is in my tart warmer and I love it. Soon, I'll break out our Christmas tree and with it I'll also get out my 'christmas wreath' candle which was purchased on clearance at Target last year after the holidays...score! I love the artificial smell of fall!<br />
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<strong>thankful #8: a restaurant</strong><br />
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Bonefish. Chocolate creme brulee. Bang bang shrimp. Diablo shrimp fettuccine. Big glasses of delicious sangria for $5. I can't talk about it anymore because I am hungry and I am about to drool all over my desk.<br />
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<strong>thankful #9: a blog</strong><br />
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<a href="http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/">How About Orange</a>. I love this blog. The author, Jessica, posts a ton of really, really great free printables and has a lot of really cute, crafty tutorials. I have printed many a Christmas gift label thanks to her blog, as well as thank you cards, calendars and other odds and ends. I can't say enough how much I love her blog. Check it out... unless you are a robot who can't appreciate a good craft then you won't regret your visit to her blog!lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446453313335434141.post-41371603804061502662011-11-09T19:09:00.000-05:002011-11-09T19:10:18.607-05:00A Tasty Thankful<strong>thankful #4: a favorite snack</strong><br />
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Cornbread. It is so delicious. I am not anything special in the kitchen but I do make some mean cornbread (recipe seen <a href="http://keepitsimpleplease.blogspot.com/2011/02/cornbread.html">here</a> in my second blog post ever). It is sweet and moist, not dry and super gritty like some cornbread can be-- I'm talking to you Cracker Barrel! <br />
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Yesterday I made some and added cranberries... it was awesome- sweet and tart... highly recommended for the holidays. Tomorrow I plan on making some with jalapenos and cheese. Josh has requested that we be "the house that always has cornbread" and I'm down with that! It takes one bowl and about five minutes to throw it together... the hard part is not eating it all in one day!!lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446453313335434141.post-4636619343783945822011-11-08T12:18:00.000-05:002011-11-22T12:31:59.714-05:00A Cozy Thankful<strong>thankful #3: a cozy place in your home</strong><br />
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In college, my roommate Jessica had the most comfortable bed. Sometimes when she would go out of town or stay at her boyfriend's house, Ashley and I would watch movies in her bed. We called it "the marshmallow"... very creative, I know. I am proud to report that my bed is now a cozy, soft little marshmallow haven. And with all the fluffy feathery additions it is also a perfect place for a little dude to practice sitting up....<br />
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because it is soft when he falls back! (please excuse the silly giant diaper... he had just woken up and I have a heavy, heavy night time wetter!)<br />
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Once or twice Jack has taken a little supervised cat-nap (har har) but the bed is too soft and fluffy for any real bedsharing.<br />
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Well, Jack is waking up from a nap (in his crib) and I think we will go spend a few minutes snuggling in my marshmallow bed!lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446453313335434141.post-5780867990266211532011-11-05T20:04:00.001-04:002011-11-22T12:32:23.119-05:00Thankful<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
I have a lot to be thankful for but I wasn't hip enough to know that the daily thankful posts on facebook and other blogs were all about. Then I came across the blog 'Designer Wife' and was inspired by Lindsay's <a href="http://designerwife.com/2011/11/01/30-days-of-thanks/">30 Days of Thanks challenge</a>. <br />
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I love this challenge for a couple reasons: 1. with bills, sleep deprivation, a leaky basement, etc it is easy for me to get caught up with stress and overlook all the good things around me... this challenge will help me to focus on the good things that bring happiness into my life. 2. it will help me to meet a few of my <a href="http://keepitsimpleplease.blogspot.com/2011/10/twelve-by-2012.html">12 by 2012 goals</a> because it will encourage me to post more and also help me work on my photography skills as I take pictures of things on my thankful list! </div>
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So let's get started!! I am working from the list that Lindsay provided (<a href="http://designerwife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/30DOT.pdf">pdf here</a>) and, while I can't promise that I will post every day or necessarily post in order, I will cover each item on the list by the end of the month. Here are the first few items on the list.............<br />
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<strong>thankful #1: a person</strong><br />
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My mom. Of course I am thankful for my husband and my son and my sister and my best friend, Eliza, but my mom is top dog. Sorry guys. <br />
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My mom was not the "cool mom" when I was growing up. She didn't buy me and my friends beer or let me go to co-ed sleepovers. She worked from home so I couldn't watch MTV or have boys over after school without her knowing about it. It sucked when I was younger but I realize now that I didn't need another friend when I was sixteen, I needed a mom to teach me right and wrong and that is what I got. Sure, I couldn't watch the Real World while my mom was sitting in traffic on her way home from work, but I also never had to wonder if she was going to make it on time to pick me up from soccer practice. A friend told me that if she had to choose a mom to have besides her own that she would choose my mom... she really is the best. <br />
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My mom watches Jack while I work and she sends me pictures while I'm away from him. She is supportive of our decisions as parents and never criticizes, judges or tries to tell us what to do. I know that she loves Jack as much as we do and while I'm sad to leave him each morning, I never worry about his well being. She helps me do laundry and dishes and comes over early some mornings so I can shower without having to make small talk with a squirmy baby in a bouncey seat who doesn't yet know how to patiently wait for me to finish showering.<br />
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She is the bee's knees.<br />
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<strong>thankful #2: an animal</strong><br />
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Before Jack, our babies were Bagheera and Phoenix. They always drove me a bit crazy because they are clumsy and loud but mostly I loved them like crazy. Now Jack is here and I'll admit that the cats don't get as much attention as they used to, but I still love them and they still bring me joy each day, especially Bagheera. He is a clumsy little guy who lets Jack grab handfuls of fur without making a peep. He lets Jack put him into headlocks and flop down on top of him. He sleeps on my legs every night. Sure, he put holes in my new sheets because he can't jump onto the bed without bumbling around. And, sure, he wakes the baby up from naps by sliding across the table and knocking everything off. But he is my little bb and I love him.<br />
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So are you in?? What/who are you thankful for? Tell me here, or blog about it, or tweet it (not sure how to tweet but I'm working on getting hip to that too!)... just be thankful!<br />
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Coming in the next few days I will share the cozy place I am thankful for (my bed... who doesn't love a fluffy, cozy bed?!)... for now though, I'm off to curl up on another cozy place- the sofa- with my man, a glass of birthday wine and last week's Criminal Minds! <br />
<br />lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446453313335434141.post-36451131113918569812011-11-01T19:49:00.000-04:002011-11-02T14:46:03.502-04:00The Obligatory New Mom Halloween PostI had big plans for Halloween this year... my little prince was going to be... Prince. Or is it "the artist formerly known as Prince"? I'm not sure... it is whatever he was when he made the cinematic gem that is Purple Rain. But then October flew by and somehow it was three days before Halloween and I was wondering where to get purple sweatpants or how to sweet talk my mom into making a purple, velour blazer and matching pants and billowy top. Maybe next year.<br />
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So this year my little prince was a little brown horse (costume courtesy of Meesh and her wonderful, little vintage clothing store <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/myrtledovelove?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=App_Seller&utm_content=shops&utm_campaign=fb_seller_shop">Myrtle Dove</a>) and a skeleton (a onesie I picked up on clearance from Old Navy)... and he was a good sport while I took about a hundred pictures of him... first trying (unsuccessfully) to get photos of him with our black cat and then making him sit outside of my grandmother's house in the cold while I tried to get at least one picture of him where he isn't looking down at leaves.<br />
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So here are some pictures from our first Halloween together!<br />
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Jack was really interested in touching and trying to eat the pumpkins so he wasn't the most cooperative little skeleton... I tried to get a picture of Bagheera (our black cat) but he wasn't too cooperative either. I learned a lesson during this photo session...... don't expect much from a 6 month old skeleton and a clumsy black cat.<br />
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Then we headed over to my grandmother's house for a visit and photo session number two (aka mild baby torture). He was much more interested in the grass and the leaves than worrying about posing and bringing the Blue Steel for me.<br />
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My dad was able to get his attention for a few minutes....<br />
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Overall, I think our first Halloween was a success! Plus, we only had four trick or treaters so we <strike>now have</strike> had a big bowl of snickers at home... so, yeah, it was a good Halloween in my book. <br />
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I hope you all had a safe and happy Halloween!!<br />
<br />lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446453313335434141.post-748062730865432242011-10-28T10:13:00.000-04:002011-10-28T10:13:26.966-04:00House Rules<br />
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Jen, over at IHeart Organizing, is hosting a <a href="http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2011/10/iheart-family-rules-poster-giveaway.html">giveaway for a customizable Family Rules poster</a> and it got me thinking about the house rules that Josh and I came up with after Jack entered our lives. These are some of our "Family Rules"... maybe putting them out there for people to read will help us stick to them!<br />
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<li><strong>We eat dinner together, at the dinner table, every night.</strong> This one is a work in progress, because keeping my kitchen table decluttered is a work in progress as we reorganize the family and dining room.</li>
<li><strong>We do NOT say "I can't" in our house.</strong> If I am having a hard time opening the pickle jar, I am not allowed to say to Josh, "I can't get this open." I have to say "I am having trouble getting this open." Josh came up with this one and I really like it.</li>
<li><strong>No television while Jack is awake.</strong> I read once that parents pay 20% less attention to their kids when the television is on in the home. Also, the AAP recommends limiting television viewing for children under two years old. They point out that any positive effects from television shows targeting children is still open to question, but the benefits of parent-child interaction are proven. Studies have also suggested that early television viewing may be associated with decreased attention spans in children. You can read that study <a href="http://www.aap.org/advocacy/releases/tvapril.pdf">here</a> if you are interested. I do realize that there is probably a lot of research out there to support the benefits of early television viewing, but, as a general rule, we choose not to have the television on when Jack is awake. (I have a small confession... I turn on the TV when I am clipping Jack's nails... he never sits still, so I put on Sports Center and he turns into a little statue.)</li>
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We are working on coming up with more rules and I will update this as we come up with more! Do you have any house rules?<br />lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446453313335434141.post-46812834578829139362011-10-26T20:13:00.000-04:002011-10-26T20:13:19.489-04:00Free printable: inspirational posters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVd_VSs_kIkpi5Woq3X4KDYTAy5dU07cS0sybD9mEl-1zj9G5nXAQNFigk531jKlwoAqM9E2_Kxd0irhWJIwlClhF82nIBMYB7TCPG3excrY9FAx5ia8f_1UZArQGsUWWsyD08EPA-kIk/s1600/free-printable-posters.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVd_VSs_kIkpi5Woq3X4KDYTAy5dU07cS0sybD9mEl-1zj9G5nXAQNFigk531jKlwoAqM9E2_Kxd0irhWJIwlClhF82nIBMYB7TCPG3excrY9FAx5ia8f_1UZArQGsUWWsyD08EPA-kIk/s1600/free-printable-posters.gif" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/">How About Orange</a> is one of my all time favorite blogs. She always has awesome free printables and great ideas for crafts- like the bows made from magazine pages that I blogged about! Last week she posted links to two free printable inspirational posters.<br />
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You can download and print Gandhi's Top 10 Fundamentals for Changing the World <a href="http://idea-obscura.tumblr.com/post/2409119224/ive-been-thinking-of-doing-this-for-a-while-now">here</a> from Francesca Ramos. Or you can choose from a list of Jack Layton quotes <a href="http://cargocollective.com/sthursby#1895481/Jack-Layton-s-Words">here</a>, provided by Stuart Thursby. Both posters are sized to be printed at 11x17" but I printed the Fundamentals for Changing the World on regular size paper on a regular old color printer and it looks great!<br />
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Enjoy!lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446453313335434141.post-77580150068970055212011-10-25T16:29:00.000-04:002011-10-25T16:30:06.920-04:00Something for nothing...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQGxPaYGGZu_ygPjzJ6arEIsIsPQIchjd43DPdnzlGhZCUiO5OKZZpjfqvXC_IFm1rI4gRkBqQ8s_9qvHGSZTqJQGYA0UNsSatnmOVL62pSED86cvm4ttOH24pqsm7zEouZPZrh-_BdI/s1600/bowls.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQGxPaYGGZu_ygPjzJ6arEIsIsPQIchjd43DPdnzlGhZCUiO5OKZZpjfqvXC_IFm1rI4gRkBqQ8s_9qvHGSZTqJQGYA0UNsSatnmOVL62pSED86cvm4ttOH24pqsm7zEouZPZrh-_BdI/s320/bowls.bmp" width="320" /></a></div>
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I enter the reward points on my lean cuisine boxes. I tear apart the kitty litter boxes to get to the "paw points" reward codes It may seem like a waste of time but I have gotten some pretty great stuff over the years and it has all been for free! I haven't gotten to that weird, extreme couponing state where I am digging through neighbors' trashcans for their lean cuisine boxes to get the codes so I can get to 2000 points and finally get that cute serving bowl set (pictured above)... at least I haven't dug around in daylight yet. I kid, I kid. Or do I?? <br />
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Seriously though, over the last few years I have gotten two one-year magazine subscriptions to Martha Stewart Living, a kitty litter catcher pad thingee to catch the litter my cats kick out of their box and some cat toys. These were all (free!) rewards for taking about 2 minutes, a few times a month, to enter some codes on a box of kitty litter... not too bad! I am kicking myself for not starting to enter lean cuisine codes sooner because I have been eating them for years at work... but better late than never. Only a couple more months until I get my serving bowls... or only a couple more weeks if my neighbors can keep their trashcans stocked for me.<br />
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Some other tips for getting something for nothing....<br />
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Call or email a company if you want to try their product! Now, I don't have much experience here and I'm sure extreme couponers and other super thrifty people would have much better advice but I will still share my experiences. <br />
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When Josh and I got married we had a lot of family coming from out of town and we wanted to put together some welcome bags to leave at the hotel... but we were on a really tight budget. So I emailed McCormick Spices (the company that makes Old Bay Seasoning) and told them that we were putting together "Baltimore themed" welcome bags for our wedding guests and asked if they had any samples of Old Bay to send us. A week later, we received about a hundred sample sized packets of Old Bay Seasoning in the mail! We attached my mom's recipe for crab cakes and, voila, a cute and free addition to our welcome bags!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSL51HNPYPX2pfOSdLEB5I7s0GPe8DC7a32F3cm8cD5gNb3z1xIEPaKLEvZL-me8iljlpDuhH-PIWFQHj_XF0DnPAGtdIhUGLJnjEoWENVnfIKzIXU-PY-_kIAmvrI9JW2pNpcSQSo9E/s1600/crabs2-pola.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ida="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSL51HNPYPX2pfOSdLEB5I7s0GPe8DC7a32F3cm8cD5gNb3z1xIEPaKLEvZL-me8iljlpDuhH-PIWFQHj_XF0DnPAGtdIhUGLJnjEoWENVnfIKzIXU-PY-_kIAmvrI9JW2pNpcSQSo9E/s320/crabs2-pola.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
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I also called the National Bohemian store to see if they would be willing to give me anything. Natty Boh is a pretty popular beer around these parts because it was previously brewed here in Baltimore and there is a store in Fells Point which sells all kinds of Natty Boh goods. They were really nice and ended up giving me about 40 temporary tattoos of the Natty Boh guy (on the beer in the picture above) and about 100 postcards, some with pictures of crabs and some of a Baltimore skyline which read "Welcome to Boh-timore." <br />
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I know the stuff I get from entering reward codes isn't too exciting. And who cares that I got some free postcards and sample spice packs? Well.... I do! I love when I can save money and still have something to show for it! So if you are putting together an event and can think of a company that might be able to contribute something, why not call? You might be pleasantly surprised with the results!<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">* I was seriously kidding about picking through my neighborhood trashcans... but I promise to update you if it gets to that point.</span>lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446453313335434141.post-81794415914953301392011-10-23T17:08:00.000-04:002011-12-08T10:40:57.622-05:00Twelve by 2012...<br />
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I was doing my daily slacking at work and came across <a href="http://www.ohhellofriendblog.com/2011/10/twelve-by-2012.html">this post on oh, hello friend: you are loved</a> about a project to list twelve goals to accomplish before 2012. Much like Danni, I am a master procrastinator. Why finish today what I can put off until tommorrow? Isn't that the saying? No? Hmm, well, I am pretty sure it is something like that. <br />
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I was inspired to create my own list. I find it easy to get carried away with lofty goals (my current house-project-list includes a lot of big projects like fences to be built and windows to be replaced... ha) which only leads to disappointment so I tried to keep this list simple.<br />
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Without further ado, here is my list of 12 before 2012:<br />
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<strong> <em><span style="color: #bf9000;">DONE!</span></em> 1.</strong> <strong>Plant herbs</strong> </div>
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Because winter is approaching I suppose they will have to be planted inside, which means up high away from my pesky, plant destroying cats... I hope I can find somewhere with enough light. If anyone knows of a herb that can thrive in low light please let me know!<br />
<span style="color: #bf9000;">Well, I got the herbs at the farmer's market- dill, oregeno and parsley. I remembered to water them a few times but I am sad to report that they are not doing too well. I guess they make dried herbs for a reason.</span></div>
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<em><strong><span style="color: #bf9000;">DONE!</span> 2.</strong> <strong>Try cloth wipes </strong></em></div>
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I love cloth diapering but I am tired of picking through the dirty, poopy wet bag to get out the disposible wipes. I guess my mom already made me some cloth wipes but I didn't realize and I have been using them as washcloths.. oops.<br />
<span style="color: #bf9000;">Update: I was nervous about using cloth wipes but they are actually just as easy as disposable. Plus, they are better for the environment and better for my hands (less risk of poop on my hands now when I'm putting diapers in the washing machine!)</span></div>
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<strong>3.</strong> <strong>Start Etsy shop with my Mom</strong></div>
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My mom is a very talented seamstress and just a creative person in general. Just a few of the baby items she has made me include cute burp rags, wet bags for diapers, fitted sheets for the arms reach cosleeper bassinet and pee pad things for the changing table. We were shocked at how expensive additional sheets for our bassinet were and how pricey other baby items are so I would love to provide a less expensive option for some products for other moms who are on a budget.<br />
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<strong>4.</strong> <strong>Work on Jack's baby book</strong><br />
No explanation needed. At this rate he will be starting college before it is complete.<br />
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<strong>5.</strong> <strong>Wedding and Honeymoon Albums</strong><br />
Josh and I got married on May 16, 2009 and I have yet to make a wedding album. I also have a really cute Hallmark scrapbook that my aunt gave us that has yet to be filled in... I have all the pictures printed out and ready to go... I'll admit that part of the problem is committing to actually glueing picture in... what if I don't like how it turns out?! The world would end, wouldn't it? (I'm rolling my eyes and now realizing how silly I am being about it.)<br />
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<em><strong><span style="color: #bf9000;">DONE!</span> 6.</strong> <strong>Eat at Woodberry Kitchen</strong></em><br />
I have heard it is great. I can't seem to get there to eat.<br />
<span style="color: #bf9000;">Josh and I ate here on my birthday!! </span><br />
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<em><strong><span style="color: #bf9000;">DONE! (kinda)</span></strong></em> 7. <strong>Get computer worked on</strong><br />
My "laptop" has quite a few problems... it has to be plugged into an outlet because the battery doesn't work.. hence the quotes around laptop... it is a desktop posing as a laptop... poser. The sound doesn't work so I can't listen to music or watch silly youtube videos to waste time when I should be doing other, more important stuff. And it is just all around very, verrrrrry slow.<br />
<span style="color: #bf9000;">I got a new one! I haven't set it up yet because soooomeone (a clingy little koala) doesn't want to nap/sleep long enough for me to spend any time playing with it.</span><br />
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<strong>8. Improve photography skills</strong><br />
I bought two books to help improve my (nonexistant) skills- one book on my camera and one book on taking better pictures. I have yet to open either book. <br />
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<strong><em><span style="color: #bf9000;">DONE!</span> 9. Get Jack's changing area organized</em></strong><br />
In addition to our house being small, it is quite akward. Jack's room is perfect for a kid because it is the whole third floor and has weird slanty ceilings... it is not so perfect for normal furniture. So we have his changing station in a weird little nook at the top of the second floor staircase... I am still working on figuring out the best way to organize everything... it is a small space and has to house his diapers, clothes, blankets, and some of my overflow stuff.<br />
<span style="color: #bf9000;">Update: With my mom's help rearranging, a dresser purchase off Craigslist and some baskets from Ikea I am proud to report that we have a functioning changing station!</span><br />
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<strong> <span style="color: #bf9000;">Eh, I'm trying.</span> 10. Blog at least three times a week</strong><br />
I want to make sure that my posts have substance but I definitely want to try to post with more frequency.<br />
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<strong><em><span style="color: #bf9000;">In progress and going well!</span></em> 11. Bake more</strong><br />
I know I should make this more concrete... like "bake once a week" but I honestly don't know if I can even commit to that... so I will just try to "bake more." I want to bake chocolate cupcakes with cookie dough inside and variations of my cornbread and maybe even try to succeed at peanut butter cookies, which I have yet to do.<br />
<span style="color: #bf9000;">So far I have baked lots of variations of cornbread (duh) like cranberry, sausage, jalapeno; I have baked banana bread and muffins; I have also made </span><a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough--cupcake--the-best-cupcake-ever/detail.aspx"><span style="color: #bf9000;">these</span></a><span style="color: #bf9000;">- um, YUM! I made the cupcakes for a friend's birthday and they were a hit... make them.. you won't regret it!</span><br />
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<strong>12. Learn the purl stitch</strong><br />
I took a knitting class at Joann Fabrics a few years ago and got the knit stitch down but I cannot seem to figure out the purl stitch. I try and try but the purl stitch seems so backwards and confusing to me. I always end up getting frustrated and giving up. With winter approaching, and a little dude to knit teeny tiny fun things for, I want to conquer the purl stitch!<br />
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I have kept my list pretty simple and I am optimistic that I will complete everything. But don't be surprised if you see me sitting Woodberry Kitchen on December 28th, covered in soil and baking flour, working on knitting and reading a photography book.</div>
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<br /></div>lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446453313335434141.post-82629260980224650812011-10-19T15:40:00.000-04:002011-11-11T19:22:37.808-05:00The Birth of Jack Gerard...<br />
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Jack is almost six months old (wow- when did that happen?!) and I am finally starting to work on his baby book. I figured it would also be fun to share the story of his birth....<br />
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The week before Jack arrived was a busy one.....<br />
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<strong>Tuesday April 26th</strong>: I left work a little early to get a pregnancy massage and told the masseuse to feel free to focus on the pressure points which might induce labor. The massage was wonderful (I highly recommend About Faces Day Spa)... I left feeling calm and relaxed. Then my car broke down. During rush hour. In busy Towson. On a one lane road. Talk about stress! I got it started again and quickly pulled into Towson University's campus where it died again. Josh was working late and I wasn't able to reach him so I called my official muffin taster friend, Meesh, and she came to rescue me. We decided to meet across campus from where my car was parked because it was a place we both knew. So there I was.... nine months pregnant, covered in massage oils, hustling my sweaty, cankled self across campus as fast as possible on an unseasonably hot April day. <br />
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<strong>Friday April 29th</strong>: I went for weekly doctor's appointment. She checked me out and told me that I was about 2 cms dilated 75% effaced and my cervix is very "ripe"... a description I found quite gross, but I was still happy to hear because it meant that I might be reunited with my ankles soon. We went into her office to chat and she told me that I could be induced on Wednesday, May 4th... I went back and forth with the decision because I would like to let labor happen naturally but I also really missed my ankles. I decided to schedule the induction.<br />
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<strong>Saturday April 30th</strong>: Josh and I decided to hang around the house that evening and go to bed pretty early. I took the only documented photo of my "bare belly bump" using my crummy camera phone and sent the pic to my sister and my mom....<br />
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<strong>Sunday May 1st</strong>: I woke up at exactly 5:00am with some cramps. It kinda felt like I have to poo... so I, well, went poo. I got back into bed and was still feeling a little weird and crampy. I decided that maybe a shower would help. <br />
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I got out of the shower and crawled back into bed. At that point it was about 5:45am and I decided that it was time to wake up Josh. I told him that I was feeling really crampy and weird and he suggested that maybe we start timing the cramps....... they are four to five minutes apart and one minute long. I'm still not convinced that it is labor but Josh thinks we should head to the hospital. I stand up to get dressed and double over in pain. As I am standing there, gripping the comforter on the edge of the bed, Josh says "ok well I'm gonna take a quick shower"..... umm, really?! I'm not sure what happened next because I was in a haze of pain.... maybe I shot him a look, maybe I hit him over the head with a boot or maybe he decided on his own that it wasn't the best time for a shower... either way, the next thing I remember is getting into the Pathfinder and high tailing it to the hospital. <br />
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The city is so calm at 6:30am on a Sunday morning. The scene in the car was not. I had both hands gripping that bar on the ceiling/inside of the door and while it wasn't the cliche-tv-screaming situation, it was an eye-squinting, teeth gritting, heavy breathing situation. Josh was clearly starting to get really nervous. We seemed to be getting a lot of red lights even though we were the only car on the road. He starts talking about running the lights and all I can think about is how many more contractions I would have to endure if we got pulled over so I convince him to just wait until it turns green. <br />
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Me: "Can you just wait for the light to turn green??" ........ and then five minutes later as we are going 90mph in a 50 mph zone.... "Can you slow down so we don't get pulled over??"<br />
Josh: "I can do anything."<br />
Me: " You can do anything??"<br />
Josh: "Yes, I can do anything. I can deliver this baby right now."<br />
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I called my mom. It is 5:45am in Chicago. I told her that I thought I was having contractions and that we are on our way to the hospital. I told her just to wait to hear from us before she heads to the airport. She didn't listen. She headed right to the airport. Good thing she did.<br />
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We arrived at the hospital around 7am. We went to the emergency room to check in because neither of us could remember where we are actually supposed to go. Josh dropped me off at the door and I waddled in while he parked in a "police only" spot. The nice front desk guy seemed to be talking in slow motion. I politely asked him to hold on while I cried (literally) through a contraction. He offered to get me a wheelchair but I was too focused on getting to the Labor and Delivery wing quickly... no time to wait for a wheelchair. Josh and I hurried to the elevators, the whole time I'm babbling on about the car being parked illegally and how Josh should go move it... he wouldn't leave my side... thank goodness, because looking back now I realize I wouldn't have been able to handle it alone.<br />
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After walking through about four million hallways (or maybe only three) we arrived at L&D. They have a little check in area where they check to see if you really need to be there. I changed into a gown and lie down and squirm around on the bed because squirming is the only thing that makes the contractions manageable. Oh and death gripping Josh's hand.. that seemed to help too.. he later told me that he was shocked at how strong my hands are. The nurse hooked me up to a monitor and a doctor came in to check me out. I was 3cm dilated and 100% effaced so they officially check me in and walk me down the hall to my own room. It was about 8am by that point and I let them know that I want an epidural AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! <br />
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My room was cozy and the nurse, Linda, was so nice. Honestly though, I don't remember much from the next couple hours... pain haze and all. People say that you forget details of your wedding but you never forget details about the birth of your first child... those people probably got their epidural early. It took a while for me to get mine so much of that morning is blurry. I remember my doctor coming in to check me (she was on call at the hospital that weekend so it worked out well for me!) and I think I was about 4cm dilated when she checked me. <br />
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It was almost 9:00am by the time the anesthesiologist came to the room to give me the epidural. Apparently I was lucky enough to catch them at a change of shift so it took a lot longer than it should have to figure out who would be administering my miracle drug. The anesthesiologist finally came in and got right to work... bless his heart. Josh was not allowed to be near me while I got the epidural. I sat on the edge of the bed, leaned over and put my arms around the Linda the Nurse's neck and she told me to sit as still as possible. She told me to stop wiggling my toes and legs. I told her I wasn't. She told me that I was. I focused all of my energy on staying still... I needed this epidural to work. The anesthesiologist tried to put it as low as possible but it didn't work so he redid it higher... even though it took two tries, it was still very quick from what I remember. He finished up and I thanked him about 56 times. I laid back down and breathed through some more contractions. A little while later, from across the room, Josh said "so I guess the epidural is working?" I said I wasn't sure and asked how he could tell... he said "you're smiling." <br />
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Shortly after the anesthesiologist left, my doctor came in to check me again. It had been about an hour since her last prodding... in that time I had gone from 4cms to 9 cms! We were told that most women progress at about one centimeter per hour. I had gone five centimeters in an hour. Apparently, my contractions were stronger than what most women experience because I had progressed so quickly. It made me feel a little less wimpy for not being able to handle the pain and for wanting the epidural so bad.<br />
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Josh and I sat and talked for the next hour. Sometime in that hour my sister, Jessi, my best friend, Eliza, and Josh's mom arrived at the hospital. I remember feeling an occasional dull cramp and asking if I was having a contraction. Josh would look at the monitor and let me know if I was in fact having one. Suuuch an exciting game to play. Sometime in there I was checked again and was 10 cm but no one really said anything about when the action would begin and I guess I was too epiduraled up to ask.<br />
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At about 10:15am, the nurse told my sister to leave the room. Linda, Josh and I started talking about how the process of pushing would work. Linda told us we should practice. I put my feet up into that wonderfully humiliating position and Josh took hold of my right knee. Linda took my left knee and then instructed me to put my arms out "like chicken wings" and grab under my thighs. She told me we would wait for a big contraction and then I would push four times through the contraction.... it would go like this: hold my breath and push HARD for ten seconds, breath and rest for ten seconds, repeat, repeat, repeat. Then she explained that I should bear down like I am "having a bowel movement"... I asked if I would have one... she said "maybe," I said "eek," and she politely asked me to focus. We practiced pushing through one of my big contractions and I did pretty good with it. I relaxed thinking that we had some more down time. <br />
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The next thing I know my doctor is coming through the door putting on latex gloves and saying something like "ok, Liz, here we go... shit is about to get real." (I'm paraphrasing.) So I pushed like we had practiced. I pushed through one contraction. My doctor and the nurse were both cheering me on (not in an annoying way like the nurse did to Miranda in Sex and the City) and telling me how great I was doing. Josh seemed genuinely impressed with my pushing skills and kept telling me how proud he was of me and how he couldn't believe how good I was doing. I felt so much love in that room. <br />
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After the third round of pushing the doctor told us that she could see the baby's head and told Josh to lean over to see it. He leaned over and then looked back at me with some serious fear in his eyes and said "his head is tiny!" My doctor laughed and said "oh it gets bigger" and told him that it was just the top of the baby's head. We waited for my next big contraction and I got to pushing again. <br />
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And then..... at 10:40am..... he was here....... Jack Gerard Piette.<br />
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For some reason, I expected more of a maternal instinct to kick in... like I would cradle my baby in my arms and instantly feel the urge to nurse him and stroke his itty, bitty head. Instead, the loop playing in my head was more like "ohmyGod ohmyGod- he is so tiny- ohmyGod ohmyGod- shit did just get real- ohmyGod this is real I can't believe this is real- I'm scared." I guess I froze because the nurse had to take my hand and place it on Jack. He was so tiny and so much cleaner than I had expected.. and so perfect.<br />
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I held him for a minute and then Linda took him to get weighed and cleaned up. Before she even put him on the scale she started saying over and over "LOOK! He is a mini version of his Daddy! I can't believe how much he looks like Josh!" and was holding Jack up next to Josh's face. I kept thinking "oh my gosh... really? I like you and all but I'm hurting over here and I want my baby back.. please move it along. Also, I think he kinda looks like Patrick Swayze." <br />
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He weighed in at 6 pounds 15 ounces, which was a lot less than we had expected considering the fact that Josh and I were both nine pound babies and I ate about 479 tons of Chick-fil-a while pregnant. <br />
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Jack was handed to Josh and THAT was hands down the best moment of my life so far... watching how proud and happy and excited and filled with love Josh was standing there holding his little boy.<br />
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Jessi and Eliza and Josh's mom came in to meet him. They all agreed that he was perfect.<br />
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Around 2:00 that afternoon my mom arrived at the hospital. I had hoped she would have been there when Jack was born (and we kinda figured she would) but he wanted out! Josh kept bragging that I was in the top 1% of women with how fast I delivered Jack... it really wasn't something I had much control over but for some reason he still seemed very proud of me and I liked it.<br />
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The next two days in the hospital were wonderful and stressful and scary and happy. It was awesome to have family and nurses there to help us. We had learned about meconium (the sticky, messy greenish-black baby poo) in our childbirth class but nothing could have prepared us for what it was truly like. It was terrifying and disgusting... thank goodness that people were there to help us change diapers. <br />
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Josh rocked the baby while I tried to sleep and I held the baby and stared at him while Josh slept. We learned ways to burp him. I learned ways to nurse him. We gingerly handled him because he was so tiny and fragile and watched in horror as the nurses manhandled him. We buzzed the nurses when he had a freakout crying session because we didn't know what to do. We asked a million questions and wrote down <em>everything</em>- recording every answer to every ridiculous question we asked the nurses and noting each dirty diaper and each nursing session. And we stared at Jack constantly, like I imagine most new parents do.<br />
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Tuesday rolled around and the nice people at the hospital told us we had to get our nervous little butts out of there and go to our own house to change dirty diapers and raise our son. So we packed everything up. I was wheeled down in a wheelchair to the pick up area to meet Josh and was told by the guy wheeling me down that I "looked good for just having a baby" and that I "could get right back out there"... mmhmmm, I still got it. <br />
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I sat in the backseat with Jack and freaked out everytime we went over a bump. Josh drove about 40 mph the whole way home on the highway. I got nervous when my mom wanted to take a picture of us out front of the house when we first got home because it seemed way too sunny for the baby. I melted down during the first bath. I checked the rise and fall of his chest seven million times a night to make sure that he was breathing. I cried at weird, silly things because I was sleep deprived. I had a hard time napping when he napped (like eeeeeveryone told me to do) because I was too busy checking to make sure he was breathing. Typical new parent stuff. <br />
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The level of new parent neuroses decreases each day and I'm figuring that by the time Jack is about 14 years old I'll probably be down to only checking his chest twelve times a night to make sure that he is breathing.<br />
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<br />lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446453313335434141.post-12621318178719377322011-10-10T13:09:00.000-04:002011-11-01T19:50:20.034-04:00spidey senses...<br />
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I haven't discussed this issue with other parents, so I can't be totally sure, but I imagine a lot of new parents share the fear that they will not wake up to their baby crying at night. I was a pretty heavy sleeper before Jack came along. We live downtown and our house is next to a baseball stadium, a football stadium, shock trauma and a main road so I got used to noise. I was worried that when Jack came along I would sleep right through his crying and feel like a horrible, neglectful mom. Um, yeah, I was wrong. I can hear an ant fart in his bedroom. I wake up when he wiggles his toes. <br />
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Just the other evening I was washing pump parts and bottles in the kitchen. Josh was across the house with the monitor and Jack stirred (<em>very</em> quietly I might add) and I heard it! I did that loud whisper thing across the house (the whisper where you might as well not be whispering at all) and asked if he was awake. He had only wiggled, and I'm not even sure Josh noticed even though the monitor was in his hand. It was pretty cool how my mothering spidey senses picked up his itty bitty baby whimpers from across the house with the sink running and the tv on. <br />
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Additional improvements/modifications/aquired spidey senses since becoming a mother:<br />
<ul>
<li>Improved reflexes. I am able to catch spit up in my hand. Gross? Yes. But it beats cleaning it off the sofa. I am also able to simultaneously fold clothes and catch Jack when he topples over while working on sitting up.</li>
<li>Ability to function on about 49 minutes of sleep a night. I might only be functioning at about 30% but I'm still functioning. No one knows I forgot to put on underwear as long as I remember to put on pants. </li>
<li>Ability to differentiate Jack's cries. Before becoming a mother, all baby cries sounded the same to me. Now I can tell the difference between a hunger cry, a gas pain cry and a "help my legs are stuck in my crib rails" cry.</li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">* Spidey Sense definition/image from Urban Dictionary.</span>lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1446453313335434141.post-19843322731523372012011-09-30T12:47:00.000-04:002011-09-30T12:47:41.133-04:00Making gift bows from magazine pages...<br />
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I love this craft. It is simple, does not require any funky craft supplies and is a wonderful way to repurpose old magazines. I love putting personal touches on gift packaging and this is a great way to do that! My sister has allergies so I made a bow out of a page of pills from an allergy advertisement to pop onto her birthday present. I kind of don't want to share the instructions because then the family and friends who seem so impressed with my bow making skills will know just how easy it really is to make these!!<br />
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Maybe one day I'll post my own pictures and my own instructions but until then you can pop over to How About Orange and check out <a href="http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2009/10/make-gift-bow-from-magazine-page.html">her instructions</a>. <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image from How About Orange (as you can see when you go to her blog!)</span>lizhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13346955471857419175noreply@blogger.com2