I have gone through two or three pairs of slippers every winter since we moved to eastern Washington two years ago. This year, Erik suggested buying one higher quality pair in the hopes that they will make it through an entire season. And if they don't, LLBean always takes returns! I think I am in love. Too bad they are only slippers and not real shoes!
Cute slippers found here.
Geesh. Its been forever since I've done a Small Joys Friday. I'm not sure why because they are probably the easiest and funnest posts to write! Here are a few small things that have been bringing me joy for the last week or so...
A happy happy week for some dear blogging friends of mine! My friend Leslie finally had her baby boy, sweet Cade Nicholas, on Tuesday! I cannot tell you how happy I am for her or how very relieved I am that her pregnancy is over- it has been so rough on her.
Mr. Cade gets to share a birthday with my lovely friend Chelle, who also announced some very special news on her blog this week. You should go check it out- super cute.
Embracing Red 40. So I am pretty much anti-artificial colorings, but I can't say no to Peppermint Icecream, fake red dye and all. I love it so, and it is only in stores this time of year. I usually go through a ridiculous number of cartons and always try to stock up for after the holidays, but end up finishing it off in early January. I should probably be more embarassed about that...
Our fun little preschool co-op. I was not planning on doing preschool with Audrey this year (aside from what I do with her at home), but we were invited to attend a really great preschool co-o and I am so glad! Audrey loves going to "Jenny's School" (as she calls it) and I love getting out of the house, hanging out with other moms, and doing something fun with the kids. All of us parents participate- I did the craft for our leaf theme a couple of weeks ago- and even the little little ones are allowed to stay and wander around. It is only once a week on Fridays and has been a great way to ease into the whole preschool experience.
Date night with my love tomorrow night! I am so excited! Not sure what we're going to do yet, but we're thinking Thai food- we are still on our search for the best Thai restaurant in Eastern Washington. I would also really like to see this (one of my favorite books ever), but I have a feeling that Erik won't go for it...
The super cute Miss Rachel Denbow's beautiful home tour. I am so in love with her house. You can check out the entire set of photos here, but here are a couple of my favorites:
Secret craft projects in the works. More to come later, but I am having fun!
New cozy fleece footed jammies for the kids. They look pretty stinkin' cute in them.
Rediscovering old favorites. Was anyone else a fan back in the day? I heard this song today and immediately went back to the years right after high school (I know. That totally dates me...).
Here's another good oldie:
Two amazing, challenging, encouraging, beautiful posts that I've read recently on perfectionism and guilt. The first one by Andrea is called "Perfection or Nothing" and I have actually had it linked on my sidebar under "currently inspiring" for awhile. The second one is called "Mothering Without Guilt" by Joy, and I completely randomly stumbled onto her blog and that post just last night and have been thinking about her words quite a bit today.
Audrey's self-portraits. Oh, my goodness. I really need to post pictures of some of these. They are the cutest thing ever. And she totally melted my heart tonight when she told me that she was drawing a picture of her and Elliot together. Sigh. Yes, they are at each other's necks all day long but when it comes down to it they really are madly in love with one another.
Visits with family. In the past month or so we have been so blessed to be able to spend some quality time with our whole immediate family. Erik's sister Kelsey has been home a few times from school for the weekend (with her boyfriend a couple of the times, who we adore), both sets of my parents and step-parents have visited, and of course, lots of time with the family we live near as well. We have celebrated birthdays (I know, I know. I need to post those pictures...), gone to the farm numerous times to get peaches, apples, pumpkins, and Audrey's favorite- honeysticks, and we even took a lovely autumn train ride last Sunday! I seriously have a crazy amount of pictures to post and I need to get caught up before the holidays...
New green pillowcases on my bed. They make me happy.
Watching re-runs of My So-Called Life via Netflix. I was in love with that show my sophmore year of high school and have many fond memories of watching it with my sister, drooling over Jordan Catalano. While I wouldn't say that it is my favorite show anymore, it sure is fun to watch again and relive the '90s a little. Here's a clip I found on YouTube, for those of you who have never heard of the love saga of Angela and Jordan (In case you hadn't noticed, I'm kind of into the video clips tonight. Guess that's what happens on a Friday night when the whole house is asleep by 9pm but me...):
Domino magazine's new Deco File. I haven't created one yet, but I think it is such a great idea. It will definitely free up some space on my computer's hardrive from all of those little "rooms i love" files where I save all of my ideas for our future dream home.
Elliot's facial expressions. That boy is such a goof. I can't wait to hear what he has to say when he can really talk!
My cutie patootie little nephew Indie. This picture has been cracking me up all week and I hope my sister doesn't mind me sharing it!
Happy Weekend everyone!
Hello friends!
As far as my sewing endeavors go, I think I am going to start with the bibs- super cute and beginning to become a bit of a necessity for Mr. Drooly Elliot. However, I am going to have to wait until after the big move to start them, as I have way too much packing and hanging out with friends to do right now; we're moving two weeks from tomorrow! I think it will be a nice little project to start once I am all settled in our new home and have my little craft area set up.
Now on to this week's Small Joys...
A super fun but not long enough visit from my mom and step-dad last weekend. We kept busy doing all sorts of our favorite things: visiting the Farmer's Market; hanging out with the kiddos; having slow, lazy mornings; eating at our favorite restaurants; and just enjoying each other's company.
Watching Audrey eat an ice-cream cone at the Farmer's Market (see above photo). It was only the second cone she has ever had all to herself and she enjoyed it immensely!
Carrying my sweet Elliot in my Moby Wrap. I never had one with Audrey and I love it! I still use the Baby Bjorn occasionally, but for now the wrap is my baby carrier of choice. It is so comforable (I wore it for 2 1/2 hours straight a couple of weekends ago and my back and shoulders never got sore) and Elliot loves being all snuggled in there close to mama.
Roasted Vegetable Quesadillas made with potatoes, onion, red pepper, and zuchinni. I think I ate them at least four times this last week! I promise to share the super yummy recipe with you soon.
The case of the missing sunhat. While walking to the Farmer's Market on Saturday, Audrey somehow lost her sunhat, my favorite sunhat, I might add. Granted it was only $2.99 at Old Navy, but still. Isn't it so cute? I was so irritated about the whole thing, and after walking down the sidewalk at least three times looking for it, I was throughly convinced that someone had snatched it up and claimed it for themselves immediately after she had dropped it. Then on the way back to the car we saw it perched up on that parking meter (see above photo). Rather than stealing it, some nice, sweet person had stuck it up there so that we would find it! I was so happy. And because of all the attention the hat got that morning, Audrey has fallen in love with it and pretty much refuses to take it off, even while sleeping. The sunhat and her crocs: this summer's fashion loves for my sweet toddler.
Continued purging of junk in the garage. Yesterday one of my friends watched Audrey for four hours and we got so much done! We really need to start packing, but I am just having so much fun getting rid of stuff...I promise to share a picture of our pile before we cart it off to Value Village this weekend. I think you'll be impressed!
Watching Audrey steal everyone's straws at dinner on Saturday night. We willingly gave them to her- anything to keep a toddler entertained while dining out!
Finishing up Gilmore Girls Season Two. On to Season Three! I told Erik that he better tell me what movies he wants to watch or I will just continue on through Season Seven, as I am certainly not getting tired of watching Lorelai and Rory and their cute little life in Stars Hollow.
My children have been sleeping in! No joke. The other day Audrey actually slept in until almost 9:00am! I think that is a record. For the most part though, the last week or so she has been sleeping in until at least 8:00. And Elliot will stay asleep a long time, as long as he is curled up in bed next to me. The thing is, as much as I love sleeping in, I have kind of noticed that getting up later kind of throws the whole morning off. I feel more rushed and less relaxed. Now I will never admit to becoming a true morning person, because my preference is definitely sleeping in. However, I think that during the week, it might work a little better to get up earlier. I can't believe I just wrote that...
Happy Friday everyone!
Edited: I totally forgot to give my mama credit for taking the all the lovely photos in this post! Sorry, Mom!
It has been a really long time since I have done a "Small Joys Friday"; I have missed reflecting on the little things in my life that bring me joy. So I'm bringing them back- hopefully every week!
Here are just a few small things that have been bringing me joy this last week...
Watching Audrey's excitement about getting her very first "kid's meal" from our favorite local burger place. You could tell by her face that she felt very special and super cool.
An evening in the park with my little family. I loved watching Audrey run back and forth between the playground toys and the water area- she loves climbing and water pretty much equally so it is very hard for her to make up her mind on where to spend her time! (Side note: All of the rest of this post's pictures are from that night, taken mainly by my sweet husband- hence the lack of pictures of him!)
Elliot's very first real smiles on Friday! Totally made my entire day, of course! It is downright silly now the things that Erik and I will do to make him smile again and again- baby talk, funny faces, super exaggerated smiles...P.S. Have I mentioned how crazy in love I am with our little boy?
Yes, concerned grandparents, Audrey did climb all the way up this climbing wall by herself. But don't worry. I was there to "spot" our little monkey!
Lots of book love. In the month since I've had Elliot, I have been dying to find a good book to read. I've been plugging away at Anna Karenina for a few months now and it is good...but so, so long! I am a little over half way through and have needed a bit of a break from it. But last week some good books came into my life:
A fun Sunday afternoon at our friends' house. Lots of yummy food, kids running around, and laughing- all in honor of their sweet daughter's baptism that morning at church. Days like this make the thought of moving away very hard...
Lots of organizing going on around here. When one of my friends was horrified a couple of weeks ago by the number of emails I had in my inbox (over 1000!), I decided it was time to clean up a little bit. I have the number down below 300 now. Almost done...
And...last night I went through seven boxes of stuff that need to be gone through before we move. One enormous, heavy bag of papers to be recycled later, I was left with two half-full Rubbemaids- one of stuff to keep and one of stuff to give to the Goodwill. It felt really, really good to purge. And the great thing is, it inspired me to get rid of more! (Sidenote: In those random boxes I did find some really cool things, including some really sweet and funny letters that I wrote to Erik back in high school.)
A few blogs that I have been loving:
Don't laugh...A new Gilmore Girls episode in the mail from Netflix. Just a little something cheesy and girly and light to watch in the evening after a long day of being mama to two.
So far, all of the poop has washed out of my clothes. Whew.
Happy Happy Monday everyone!
Can I just say that I am in total agreement with Kelly that Sunday afternoons are one of my happiest, most content times of the week? I love having my whole little family cozy at home after church. We eat lunch together, then Audrey and I take long naps while Erik reads on the bed next to me. Happy, happy.
Here are a few small things that have been bringing me joy this last week or so...
My girl looking so very grown-up at the park this week. She is getting so brave with the slide and the stairs, I just can't believe that a little over six months ago she was crawling all over the playground, not running and climbing.
This lovely, encouraging post by Sara. I find pretty much everything she writes to be beautiful and inspiring, but this post especially spoke to me this week. You should also check out her new apartment- talk about inspiring. All 382 square feet of it!
A really great book club on Saturday morning. We met at one of my most favorite bakeries for breakfast- I actually had a grilled ham and swiss sandwich at 8:00 in the morning instead of a pastry, crazy pregnant lady. And we had the best conversation about the book that we read this month, Peace Like a River. It was really interesting to see how the book spoke to each of us (out of a group of six) in a completely different way; that is one of the beautiful things about reading. Everyone can take something unique and all their own from a book.
Speaking of books...I just started this next month's book club book, Eat Pray Love, and it is amazing. I am having a hard time putting it down, I am loving reading it so much. Yet I am trying to slow down because I want to savor it, it is so good.
I really, really want to make one of these television covers. Although we have like the tiniest tv ever, I still hate having it just out in the living room. I love the idea of just being able to hide it with a cute little cover when it is not in use.
Speaking of tv...I. Love. LOST. We don't have cable, nor do we want it, so thankfully we are able to feed our addiction to this tv show through the internet. Thank you abc.com.
Being pregnant. I am so much busier with this pregnancy than I was with Audrey, so I don't find my thoughts consumed by it in the same way. In fact, the other day much to my surprise, I realized that I am six and a half months pregnant, not four and a half like I had thought...whoops. I knew how many weeks pregnant I was, I had just lost track of what it all converted to in months. But I am still loving being pregnant. I can feel our little guy moving a ton now and that is the best feeling ever. The thought of being a mama to two children is still super overwhelming to me, but I am also very excited about becoming a family of four.
The movie A Good Year. We just saw it last weekend and couldn't stop watching the ending, it was so sweet.
My latest design team kit. I just picked it up this afternoon and it makes me so happy! I got a bunch of Foofala stuff by Autumn Leaves, which just happens to be one of my most favorite collections ever! I am a little sad because this is the last month that I will be on the design team and it has been such a great experience, but with the baby coming in just a little over two months, it really is for the best.
Ice-cream waiting for me in my freezer and warm brownies on my stovetop, um...
Goodnight!
Lately Audrey has been taking almost an hour to fall asleep for her nap in the afternoon. I lay her down around 12:30pm or so and then she plays contently for awhile before finally falling asleep. I usually peak in on her a few times- partly because its fun to watch her play when she does not know that I am watching, and partly because I want to know when she is asleep! However, today when I peaked in, I caught my snotty-nosed daughter (she's had a cold this week) rubbing snot in her hands like lotion and then wiping it in her hair and all over her face! YUCK! Needless to say, I interrupted her little "beauty treatment".
As gross as that little incident was, believe it or not I still found joy in it. I've been learning that when you're a parent (especially a parent of a toddler!) you have to learn to laugh at things or you will seriously go crazy!
Here are a few more things that have brought me joy this last week...
Homemade chocolate-chip cookies. I made these for the first time in forever a couple of days ago. I don't think that I should make them very often though because they are seriously addicting. I used my mom's top secret recipe...at least I think its a secret. Is it mom? If not, then I will definitely be sharing it with you because its the best recipe ever!
Erik's new work schedule. I was not too happy when his schedule changed last week and he had to work Saturdays again with Thursdays off. I really loved us having the whole weekend together. But after having him home all day yesterday in the middle of the week I think that I could get used to it! It was so nice to have a whole week day as a family- we were really productive around the house, I got to sleep in, and Audrey of course was thrilled to have her daddy home all day.
Herbal fruit teas. I have been drinking them almost every day this week. There is something about tea, even simply the process of making tea, that is so soothing and relaxing to me.
Being on a design team for scrapbooking. I don't know why I never wrote about this before! I think at the beginning I was a little embarassed and then I kind of forgot. This last October I applied to be on the design team at my local scrapbook store. I had to submit two layouts, three cards, and a special project or two. I was so nervous; I had never submitted my work to anything before, so it was a really big deal for me. And I was one of three ladies that they chose!
This is my third month working with them and I love it. On the first of every month I go into the store to pick up my kit- I am given about $40 worth of product and a few assignments. My assignments are due back at the store on the 15th of the month and there they are put on display for the next couple of months. Then I get them back to keep, along with any of the product from the kit that I did not use! So cool.
I need to go into the store and take pictures of the work I have already done, but here are a few of the things that I submitted to them in my application:
The invitation to Audrey's first birthday party
A layout about being a mama
And my very favorite piece of all...
A canvas I made for Audrey's room. (If you click on the picture, you can read what it says better). The amazing photo of Audrey on the canvas was taken by a good friend of mine when Audrey was three months old. The verse is one that I felt like God gave me as a prayer for Audrey when I was pregnant with her.
Staying caught up on housework all week! A very big deal for me. There is nothing like going into the weekend with a clean house.
Hosting small group at our house last night. We have not had it at our house in a couple months and it was really fun to have everyone over. We had yummy food, good conversation, and the kids all played fairly happily; a pretty perfect night!
Erik and I have a date on Saturday night! Our first one since the end of November because our baby-sitting co-op took a break last month. I am so excited!
Happy Friday and weekend everyone!
Just a few small things that have been bringing me joy this last week...
In the midst of organizing photos, coming across this sweet picture of Audrey from Christmas last year. She was three months old.
Speaking of organizing photos...organizing photos is making me happy! I am seriously so far behind on editing and storing my photos- definitely one of the downsides to taking mostly digital these days. I am not joking when I say that I am over a year behind. My goal is to be all caught up within the next couple of months. We'll see how that goes...
Finding out that one of my favorite scrapbookers is blogging again.
Discovering this awesome CD at the library this week. I am in love with it! I also really like how it reminds me so much of my dear college roommate, Marie. It is totally something I'm sure that she loves as well.
Spending last weekend in eastern Washington with Erik's side of the family (I've mentioned here before how awesome they all are). Minus the not so fun eight hour road trip each way, we had a super relaxing time eating lots of yummy food, celebrating New Year's with family and close friends, and learning how to play Sequence.
Staying home this week and getting Audrey and I back into a routine.
Discovering fun, new blogs. Two of my favorites this week have been 3191 (a photo blog) and Tree Fall Design (a craft blog).
This awesome lotion. I bought it for Audrey last winter when her skin was really dry, but just tried it on myself a couple of weeks ago. I am in love.
A new issue of Simple Scrapbooks in my mailbox this afternoon. Thanks again for the subscription, Mom!
This movie. After a friend recommended it to me, I put it in my Netflix queue and there it sat for over a year until we got it last week by accident. I haven't actually even finished it yet- movies seem to take me forever to get through these days because I'm too tired to stay up late!- but it is really good so far.
I am loving both of the books my book clubs are reading this month. One of the groups I am in is reading Teacher Man by Frank McCourt; the author taught highschool English for thirty years and ages ago I used to want to be a highschool English teacher, so I have found it really interesting so far. My other group is reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, which I am ashamed to admit that I have never read before, but is now one of my favorite books ever. Really. How could I never have read it before now? That and Little Women (which you recall I just read last month!). Shame, shame, shame.
The evolution of how Audrey says "baby"; it has gone from "ba" to now what sounds like a French "bebe"! Super cute.
Happy Friday!
I told my friend Kari today that sometimes I forget that I am pregnant. I do a ton of errands (i.e. last minute Christmas shopping) and running around and then wonder why I feel so tired and worn out! Today was one of those days: making trips to the post office, two different bookstores, Target, and (yipes!) the mall, all the while trying to keep Audrey happy and content in her stroller and carseat by supplying her with a constant stream of snacks. But I made it. I'm exhausted for sure, but I made it.
Despite my crazy hectic day, I do have some small joys I wanted to share with you. Its been ages since I posted any- I'm going to try to get back into the weekly habit after the New Year. Here's this week's list...
Experiencing fun Christmasey things with Audrey for the first time. Last Christmas she was only three months old, so needless to say, she was really not that into the whole holiday thing. So it is so fun to be able to introduce her things this year and start our own little traditions. I took the picture above at our play-group Christmas party where the kids decorated cookies.
(On a side note, notice the color of frosting Audrey is using- purple- definitely her favorite color. I didn't know that a 15 month old could have a favorite color, but she always chooses purple over other colors- with her toys, her crayons, and now her frosting!)
Other fun holiday things we have been doing...reading Christmas stories, dancing to Christmas music, eating chocolate, opening Christmas cards (we've yet to send ours out- I'm always late...), and last night, opening our family gifts to each other because we will be celebrating with extended family over the weekend.
Getting one of the coolest baby books ever from a dear friend as a late birthday gift.
I have been reading some really great books lately. My step-mom sent me the book Cane River for my birthday last month and I read it in four days. I had never heard of it before, but really enjoyed its story about four generations of African-American women coming out of slavery (I don't want to give too much of the plot away in case any of you decide to read it).
I just finished Little Women today. I am embarassed to admit that this was the first time I had ever read it. Anyone who has read my blog for any length of time probably knows that I am a sentimental romantic, so of course, I loved Little Women. I have been a fan of the 1994 film version of the book for a long time, but for some reason had never gotten around to reading the book before now.
I have also been reading a biography on Oswald Chambers (I usually read several books at one time). Chambers is the author of one of my all-time favorite devotionals, My Utmost For His Highest, so it has been really interesting to read about his life and experiences with Christ.
Feeling what I think might be wee little baby kicks when I am sitting or lying still at night. I have been feeling those familiar little "flutterings" for about a month now, but I have been hesitant to call them full-on baby kicks until I feel a GOOD STRONG ONE! But if the flutterings are any indication as to how active this baby is, he/she is much more active than my little Audrey was in utero! But we'll see...
Getting to see my family this weekend!
Swedish fish from my sweet husband in my stocking.
Reading this sweet thing today. It made me smile (because I love everything on the list!) and think of my mom who was a Campfire girl while growing up.
This amazing fundraiser for the Kim family. It was organized by two of my favorite craft bloggers, who also happen to be sisters: Stephanie from Little Birds and Lisa from Bird in the Hand. Unfortunately, I don't think that I will be able to afford anything in the auction- I have a feeling bids are going to be really high- but I think that it is such a cool way to support the family.
Taking Audrey to the local Children's Museum for the first time. I had heard that the museum was really well done, but had not gotten around to visiting before yesterday. It was so awesome! The theme right now (which changes every year or two) is "Marine Life" (or something along those lines!) and they did such a great job putting it together! Audrey's favorite area (see above picture) by far was the galley (that's what its called, right?) of the fishing boat where they had a play kitchen set up. She seriously visited that area at least four times, and the last time she stayed down there for over half an hour, which in toddler time is like 2 hours! I'm thinking that the play kitchen stuff that several of us got for her for Christmas will be a good thing!
Last, but certainly not least...
Taking time to slow down, spend time with my sweet little family, and focus on what Christmas is truly all about: the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
I have a little secret to share...
1. being this sweet girl's mama
3. ice-cream. anytime of the day.
4. being married to my best friend
5. knowing Jesus
6. the word "lovely"
7. magazine subscriptions
8. polka-dots
9. Method brand cleaning products
10. black and white photographs
11. old maps
12. the word "grace"
13. scrapbooking idea books
14. reading and discussing books
15. hearing my baby laugh
16. soy chai
17. wearing flip-flops
18. long walks
19. kissing my husband
20. sleeping in
21. vintage photographs
22. rootbeer milkshakes
23. grilled cheese sandwiches
24. being warm
25. daisies
26. antique blue mason jars
27. the colors of leaves in the fall
28. reading blogs
29. seeing people smile
30. happy crying
31. alphabet stickers
32. chocolate-covered gummi bears
33. Thai food
34. a full night of uninterrupted sleep
35. traveling
36. the smell of new books
37. scrapbook stores
38. the feel of putting my hand in bins of buttons at the fabric store
39. learning the meaning of names
40. road trips
41. patchwork quilts
42. stamps in my passport (so far I have five countries!)
43. the smell of dirt after rain
44. lazy mornings
45. learning how to sew
46. hanging out in book stores
47. happy mail. oh, how I love happy mail.
48. the book of Romans in the Bible
49. random quotes
50. musicals-especially The Sound of Music
51. knitting with super soft yarn
52. ice-water with fresh cut lemon in it
53. cool fonts
54. laughing really hard with Erik
55. a clean house
56. shopping at Target and Trader Joes
57. date night
58. peanut butter toast
59. red Swedish Fish
60. Pottery Barn and Anthropologie catalogs
61. old copies of Martha Stewart KIDS and Baby magazines
62. feeling organized
63. sweet smelling laundry right out of the dryer
64. spending time with my family
65. seeing the word "colour" spelled with a "u"
66. Nickel Creek concerts
67. Fiesta Ware dishes
68. being goofy with my sister and my husband
69. phone calls from my parents (all six of them!)
70. watching Audrey get excited about anything
71. fresh baked cookies
72. reading cookbooks
73. the color mint green
74. our home group
75. reading books to Audrey, even when she asks for the same ones over and over
76. cuddling with Erik and Audrey
77. Netflix in the mail
78. pancakes for breakfast with real maple syrup
79. doing art projects with kids
80. long showers
81. studying the Bible
82. reconnecting with old friends
83. clean sheets on the bed
84. coming home after being on a trip
85. giving and getting gifts
86. going to the farmer's market
87. carrying Audrey in the BabyBjorn (she's way too big now!)
88. Italy. I want to go back so bad.
89. going out to dinner
90. the word "serendipity"
91. sourdough bread
92. a good salad with lots of yummy toppings
93. children's books
94. ledger paper
95. frozen grapes
96. wearing an apron while baking
97. rick-rack
98. trying a new recipe
99. plants that do not need to be watered very often
100. my sweet little family
And oh, so many more things...
