tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3049255251032623922024-03-15T01:27:13.343-05:00One Sassy Housewife...putting my creative brain to the task of making everyday extraordinary!Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.comBlogger230125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304925525103262392.post-84091993361578666652016-05-08T22:25:00.000-05:002016-05-08T22:25:21.506-05:00On Mother's Day<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">There is a
wide range of emotions that go along with today. I know you feel it. I feel it
too.<br />
Maybe you know the ache of longing and waiting for a child that has not yet
come. Maybe you feel the gut punch of the grief of pregnancy, infant, or child
loss. Maybe your heart feels heavy longing for a mother that has passed. Maybe
you grieve a relationship that is broken, or critical, or cold and distant. Maybe
the task of motherhood has just made your heart weary and tired and… defeated.<br />
There are also reasons you are celebrating today, aren’t there? The promise of
a little one growing inside of you. A sweet warm little one in your arms.
Chubby dimpled hands that pat your bum (because how else is your toddler going
to get your attention?!). Seeing your sisters CRUSH IT as moms. Sharing moments
of understanding, respect, and gratitude with your mom, or your ‘like a mom’.
Celebrating amazing women who poured into your life and pour into your children’s
life. <br />
It’s all so complicated though, isn’t it? How do we even process it all? How do
we approach this day, at all?<br />
I’ve walked some of these roads in my journey—the lovely ones and the hard
ones. Some of them so recently, I found myself approaching today with mixed
emotions and… dread. I mean, love and joy and all that, but also DREAD. Because
this day of celebrating mothers and women has so many things tied into it,
doesn’t it? <br />
Over the past year I have experienced some significant losses. How difficult it
is to celebrate the children in your arms when you long for the ones in heaven!
How humbling it is accepting the shower of love and ‘best mom ever’ cards from
my sweet boys when I know what an imperfect, fumbling mom I truly am. How heavy
my heart feels when I want more for strained and difficult relationships. How
grieved I feel to want to revel in the good and lovely and joyous things today…
but tears flow from hurt and loss and longing and weariness instead.<br />
It’s so very, very complicated. It’s a paradox; that joy and grief can and exist
simultaneously. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they do so often in
this beautiful and complicated task of motherhood. <br />
I was thinking about this in the wee hours this morning dreading the fast
approaching Mother’s Day… and I suddenly had a picture of a gentle shepherd. And
I thought of the verse in Isaiah (40:11) where Christ is described as a
shepherd. <br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">He will feed his flock like a shepherd.
He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will
gently lead the mother sheep with their young.</i><br />
I love that the mother is specifically mentioned here. And that she is treated
with care and gentleness. Gentleness seems like such a novelty to me—it doesn’t
seem like a quality that is valued in our culture, does it? But it is so
striking and so appealing to me in this context, on this day. On Mother’s Day
that is so many things I am only feeling dread over how I will get through it,
this Shepherd is offering gentleness.<br />
He gently leads us through weariness and longing to grace and peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He gently leads us through grief and loss to
joy and fulfilment. He gently leads mothers through the days we just close our
eyes and try to get through, to the days where we live in the confidence and
radiance of his love. He gently leads us from hurt and loneliness into his arms,
into perfect relationship with Him. Our Father who created us with the capacity
to experience all of these emotions that make Mother’s Day—and every day—so complicated,
understands each of them (yes even the ugly ones) and cares for them—cares for
US with gentleness and love. <br />
I urge you today, dear friends, lean into that. How do we approach this day
that is multi-faceted with complex emotions and experiences good and bad? We
give ourselves over to the Gentle Shepherd and let him lead us through it. On
Mother’s Day I wish you joy and love and blessings and sparkly things and chubby
dimpled hands patting your bum and laughter and rest for your weary souls and
hope. And I pray you experience the love, care, and gentle leading of your
Heavenly Father to navigate all emotions and all parts of the day. <3 br=""><br /><br />(Also here's a song that is filling my heart with truth today.)<br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/q39S-w8LSjw" width="560"></iframe></3></span></div>
Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304925525103262392.post-79270162965142151342015-02-04T16:13:00.000-06:002015-02-04T16:13:04.478-06:00This is an InterventionHello, my name is Valerie and I am a messy.<br />
It's something I don't like to talk about publicly. Especially not on this blog. This blog is my creative space. My happy place. My place where I can forget about ugly, real parts of my life, and pretend like I didn't shove a huge pile of trash out of the way when I take a picture for the blog. But I need to talk about it now, and here's why: <b><br /><span style="font-size: large;">It's ruining my life.</span></b><br />
<br />
Well, THAT was dramatic. Let's get a little background and perspective before we continue on with this story.<br />
I have been a creative, sentimental, messy person my entire life. As a child I drove my parents nuts with my messy room and unfinished projects and short attention span. My parents are and always have been very tidy, organized people. And I grew up in a mostly tidy organized home. So my chronic messiness and disorganization was always baffling and frustrating to them. <br />
As I got older, it became baffling and frustrating to me. In college my dorm was a train wreck. When I moved to my own place I took mountains and mountains of stuff with me... and then again when I moved into a duplex with my bestie. The amount of stuff I had acquired and held onto is really kind of incredible. But even more incredible was I didn't know how to MANAGE all this stuff I had acquired.<br />
And then I met my husband. A fellow messy. He would probably balk if I said he was 'sentimental' but he sure does have a TON of stuff that he wanted to hold on to-- even if it was serving us no purpose. So TWO sentimental messies married and moved in together, and the mess didn't double, it quadrupled. I still didn't know how to manage it. But we were both working full time and so that seemed a good excuse, and we could fake it pretty well. <br />
Then we started adding kids in the mix... and with each new kid the amount of stuff multiplies exponentially. And we moved to a new (bigger) house and it was going to be awesome and more space and easier to clean and manage our stuff-- but that didn't happen. Our stuff quickly filled the space and took over. It just got out of hand. <br />
Does this story sound familiar to anyone? Please tell me I am not the only person out there who stood in their living room one day in tears because the gravity of their mess was all of a sudden suffocating them!! Tell me I am not alone!<br />
Here's the deal though. I am a reasonably intelligent, able bodied person. And it is not that I don't know HOW to clean. I know how to wash a dish, do a load of laundry, fold a bed sheet, pick up trash, scrub a toilet... I know HOW to do those things. But I didn't DO them. I didn't do them until the mess became so overwhelming that my brain would crash. And then I would attempt to do it all at once and fail miserably to even make a dent. I felt crushed by my failure, frustrated with myself for letting things get so far... I felt ineffective. I felt like a failure. I felt like, I hated being in my own house. <br />
I couldn't have people over without a two day warning, I panicked if the doorbell rang. I apologized and cried every night when my husband came over. My tidy parents would come over and try to help clean my house, or they would make little jokes about what a slob I am-- I guess because it made them feel less uncomfortable??-- and I would cry when the left because people couldn't stand to be in my house. I didn't want to be this way. I wished every day I could change this about myself because I felt so inferior, so abnormal, so small. I felt RUINED. <br />
<br />
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Going through an intervention, trying to change yourself, get yourself healthy, you often here-- Admitting you have a problem is the first step.<br />
Guess what. I have known my whole life I that I am a messy. I have never NOT known that. I've been admitting that forever. This admittance was getting me no where. It was not until recently, however, that I realized being a creative, sentimental, messy person is not the problem. The problem is not that I should be someone different. The problem is not that I don't know how to do the things I wish I would do.<span style="font-size: large;"><b><br />The problem is I have never developed the right habits.</b><span style="font-size: small;">I don't need to change who I am, I need to change how I act.</span><b><br /></b></span><br />
It was literally just a few days ago I reached a big dramatic breaking point. <br />
I had an intervention for myself. I cried for a little while. I told myself how my actions were affecting me; and how they were affecting my loved ones. I told myself it was time for change. I admitted my problem. I reached out for help. I bought a book and looked up some resources. <br />
I wrote this blog post.<br />
...because that's helpful, right? <br />
Well, actually, it is helpful. This blog, you readers (all three of you), are going to be a part of this journey with me. You get to be the processing and accountability part of this journey with me. I know I am going to need space for both of those things if I am to be successful in this endeavor to control my mess... <br />
So this is the story of my intervention, the story of my mess, the beginning of my journey, and the start of better habits and better life. Because I am done living in the bondage of my mess and fear that someone might find out about it. <br />In the months to come I'll be sharing about what I am doing, how things are going, maybe some failed attempts, definitly a lot of honesty. Ah, yes, brutally terrifying honesty about my life... about my mess. I'm calling this new phase in my life... <br />(because every blogger on a mission needs an official title for that mission, or blog series, or whathaveyou...)<br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Undoing the Messy.</b></span><br /><br />Undoing the Messy, Step One: Big fat emotional self imposed intervention with accompanying blog post. <b>CHECK!</b><br />
<br /><br />We'll talk more about this soon... I promise. <br />
<br />Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304925525103262392.post-22258998074695692632015-01-15T14:36:00.000-06:002015-01-15T14:36:46.276-06:00Chicken Bacon Pinwheels for Dinner<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qbcdql2WWo0/VLgfxBwyZpI/AAAAAAAAB6I/2jlb4Ncyfns/s1600/10885123_949179330547_6919832528846798333_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Um, am I the only one who gets stuck in a rut at dinner? Please say no.<br />
I have limited ingredient options to work with to begin with (Due to my picky-like-a-toddler husband) but I feel like we eat the same 3 meals over and over again. The other night I was staring at my ingredients for one of those same three meals. and went-- we gotta do something here to make this more interesting. <br />
So I did.<br />
And It was a hit with the family! Sam gobbled his up and said, "Thank you for making this delicious meal for me, Mama!" (High praise from the child who has eaten little more than a few graham crackers to keep himself alive this week.) Wesley blew through three. Yes, THREE chicken pinwheels. And even Z commented that the chicken had really good flavor and this was a great meal. And Suddenly, there was a multitude of Angels! Praising God, and saying, Glory to God, and Peace on your dinner table!!!<br />
<br />
...sorry. That retelling got a little dramatic. <br />
<br />
So I took a picture of the well enjoyed meal and shared it's success on instagram. And then you guys were all, <i>What is this delicious looking meat? Is that bacon? Can you make it for me? Can you tell me where you got the recipe?</i><br />
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I always cringe just a little when someone asks for a recipe that I made up on the fly. Because... What if I don't remember it perfectly? But due to high demand... I dusted off my brain and recorded the details for ya'll. Because I love you, so here you go:<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><b>Chicken Bacon Pinwheels with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette</b></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i> 2 good size Boneless skinless <span class="highlightNode">chicken</span> breast<br /> 1 lb thick sliced bacon<br /> 1/2 tblsp whole grain mustard<span class="text_exposed_show"><br /> 1/2 tblsp dijon mustard<br /> 1/2 Tblsp honey<br /> 1 tblsp white wine vinegar<br /> 1 tblsp olive oil <br /> Salt and pepper to taste<br /> toothpicks</span></i><br />
<div class="text_exposed_show">
<i> Preheat over to 400 degrees.<br />
Whisk together mustards, honey, vinegar, and oil, taste and
season/adjust ingredients to your liking. (My husband doesn't like his
very sweet)<br /> Pound out your <span class="highlightNode">chicken</span> breast until approx 1/2 inch uniform thickness. Cut <span class="highlightNode">chicken</span> into long strips the same width of the bacon, (approx 2 inches) <br /> Lay down a strip of bacon place a strip of <span class="highlightNode">chicken</span>
on top (your bacon will be longer, and you want that), and smear a
small portion of the vinaigrette, then starting on one end roll up the
bacon and <span class="highlightNode">chicken</span> snugly and secure the end of the bacon with a toothpick all the way through. repeat with remaining <span class="highlightNode">chicken</span>.<br />
Place rolls in glass baking dish, at least 1 inch apart. Brush (or
spoon on...) tops of each roll with more vinaigrette. Bake for approx 30
mins, or until <span class="highlightNode">chicken</span> is cooked
through and rolls are firm. You may finish with broiler to get the bacon
nice and crispy, if desired. (remove toothpicks before serving)<br /> This made 8 <span class="highlightNode">pinwheels</span>.<br /> I served them here with butter and parsley whipped potatoes and roasted broccoli.</i><br />
<br />
Much simpler than it looks, but kinda looks fancy, doesn't it??? Hope you and your family enjoy it as much as we did! Let me know how it goes :)</div>
Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304925525103262392.post-11776232181413705742015-01-07T08:00:00.000-06:002015-01-07T08:00:05.995-06:00Life Changing CoffeeI've been meaning to tell you all something really awesome I learned about earlier this year. <br />Something that is... life changing! Maybe I throw that phrase around a little too much. Hang out with me for a while, you are sure to hear it. So I was delighted to discover a company who also liked to throw it around... but for good reason. <br />...for good Coffee. <br />Life Changing Coffee.<br />If... you are not a coffee lover, don't tune out just yet. Because there is a lot to love about this coffee even if you don't love it in your mug. <br />
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<br />Mission Arabica is a company launched just a year ago by a couple of guys who were looking to change lives... specifically the lives of impoverished third-world villages. They do this by helping establish coffee plantations, then purchasing their crop for a fair price, then selling that coffee and... Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Funds are reinvested in more villages... and more lives are changed. <br />Awesome, right? I mean, that's a reeeaaally simple, broad over view of what they are doing, but read up on the<a href="http://www.missionarabica.com/"> Mission Arabica Website</a> it's really interesting and informative!<br />If you ARE a coffee lover... there is even MORE good news. Life Changing news. <a href="http://www.missionarabica.com/product-category/coffee/">You can purchase some of the specialty grade Mission Arabica coffee</a> and be a part of the process. And... it is GOOOOD coffee friends. Z and I have been enjoying it for a couple months now, and we are going through it like water! (Z is particularly fond of their Christmas blend? But I believe it is being discontinued soon because... well, Christmas is over. This is heartbreaking news.) Anyway. Clicky-click on that link above and stock up before continuing on. <br />I'll wait. <br /><br />...<br />
<br />
...<br />
<br />...Okay. Got your coffee? Here's some more good news for coffee lovers.<br /><a href="http://www.missionarabica.com/recipes/">Coffee Recipes</a>.<br />I mean, you knew that you could brew yourself a nice cup of coffee... you might know how to make a latte or even a frappaccino, if you are quite fancy. But did you know coffee could transform your Turkey? Your chilli? MARSHMALLOWS?!?! For real, Guys. <br />The <a href="http://www.missionarabica.com/recipes/">Mission Arabica Recipe blog</a> just launched a few months ago, and I have actually contributed a few recipes! If you are interested in checking out the recipes I contributed... hop on over to their site. The recipes are there in their entirety with pictures and everything for you. Because we love you.<br />
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Look, I know that I just admitted a loose affiliation with the company, but I hope you don't think that I am raving about them for some kind of personal gain, or compensation. Because I am not. And I wouldn't say such things if I didn't believe them. I just... believe in this company. I am impressed with the work they are doing. I'm impressed with their product. I am excited to be a even a small part of what they've got going on. I'm excited that lives are being changed... and I am even excited to have a good source for really quality gourmet coffee. <br />Anyway. If you find any part of this intriguing or exciting... I encourage you to check out their website, their blog, their recipes, subscribe to their emails. There's good stuff happening. <br />Life changing stuff.<br />(Forgive me, I just love throwing that phrase around.)<br /><br />Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304925525103262392.post-64795483166338884302015-01-06T10:02:00.005-06:002015-01-06T10:04:50.472-06:00A story (Or, the blogger's annual promise to be a better blogger)<br />
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Let me tell you a story.<br />
One that you are likely familiar with if you have spent any time in the blogging world. <br />
A long time ago... I started a blog because I wanted to share some pictures and some ideas with friends and family. Then I started getting realy into it-- posting regularly. My blog got some traffic, some attention. And while I was never someone who made money off my blog (NONE, I promise) people began to assume I did? and also, I started to act like I did. I put a lot of my time and energy into this.<br />
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So now's the part of the story about losing my spark, or realigning my priorities, or blogging for the 'wrong reasons' (are there right reasons to blog for?), or also, I had kids and this became less important. Also, did you know I have two blogs? One mostly dedicated to my thoughts and rants and whatnot and one mostly dedicated to my craftiness and projects and whatnot... and while it seemed a good idea to keep those separate, two blogs? Who am I? What kind of time do I think I have?<br />
Anyway... I dropped off the face of the earth for most of the last year. Did you notice? But I miss blogging. I miss writing. I miss having an outlet for my thoughts no matter how erratic they may be. I also miss getting to share stuff I make. Because creative people... sharing and exchange of ideas is what fuels us, am I right?<br />
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So this story ends with me trying to get back to it. Back to it with a little moderation. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. You don't have to make money from your blog to sucessfully share ideas and participate in real conversations. In fact... maybe that's a little truer way TO share ideas and participate in real conversation. (Angry money-making bloggers don't shun me) <br />
At the very least... I have DARN cute kids, I tell you! And you won't want to miss their antics and pictures. (Yay, mom-blogger!) <br />
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And dang it I need an eloquent way to wrap up this post, but I can't really think of one today. (Real life, friends)... so... I won't.Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304925525103262392.post-63309679660274888182014-05-16T10:59:00.001-05:002014-05-16T11:00:55.311-05:00A Mother's Day Tea PartyI'm an adult. <br />
So giving my mom a construction paper card or something with my handprint on it is not appreciated as much anymore. Not even on Mother's Day. And I was trying to figure out what in the world to get my mom. She gets lots of flowers from her husband. And she doesn't need anymore 'stuff'. In fact she is currently in a season of life where she is trying to down-size the amount of 'stuff' in her house and life. So I decided it would be much better to give my mom an 'experience' instead of another 'stuff'. I decided to throw a tea party. <br />
It was the right choice. A tea party with some of our best girlfriends was exactly what we all needed in our life and yet had previously been unaware of. <br />
Here are the details:<br />
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I tried to keep things simple and elegant... this was a tea party, not a luncheon. So I reigned myself in and tried not to go overboard on the food. I am finding simplicity is valuable in many areas of my life... including entertaining. Less definitely can mean more... but that's a topic for another day. I found these lovely <a href="http://blog.thecelebrationshoppe.com/2013/04/26/easy-meringue-recipe/">Strawberry Meringue Roses</a> and they were not only pretty on my pink table, but a sweet crispy complement along side our tea. Perfect. <br />
Also used <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/129830401732504936/">this photo</a> as inspiration to make tea cookies using this <a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2010/08/make-this-cinderella-cookies.html">cream cheese sugar cookie recipe</a>, then dipped them in dark chocolate. They were pretty heavenly. :) The tags on the 'teabags' served as place cards, with each guest's initials. There were also dark chocolate dipped strawberries... because... yum.<br />
I served two kinds of tea, a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001L09CZ2/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001L09CZ2&linkCode=as2&tag=onesashou-20&linkId=ZIEORA5IK2ZTFZ6T">White Ayurvedic Chai </a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=onesashou-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001L09CZ2" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />blend and an Herbal <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005WINLTW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005WINLTW&linkCode=as2&tag=onesashou-20&linkId=4RDQASXW747MEPNW">Citrus Lavender Sage</a><img alt="" border="0" src="http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=onesashou-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B005WINLTW" height="1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, both from <a href="http://teavana.com/">Teavana</a>. Both lovely and delicious! Tea was served from a teapot that belonged to my grandma, and another that I found at a thrift store. I spent a few weeks collecting tea cups from thrift stores, yard sales, and HomeGoods. As well as borrowing from mine and my mother's (which was my grandmother's) china set. I had seven unique and beautiful teacups to set a beautifully eclectic table for tea.<br />
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As for the guest list, I invited 6 ladies, all of them mothers and good friends of both my Mom and I. I sent out formal invites about a week in advance. They were very simple, white with a pink rose (the rose was a picture I took two years ago on Memorial day touring a rose garden with my mom! So I had fond 'Mama Memories' even in the detail of designing a simple invite. I don't know if my Mama even knew that... I should tell her.) And the invite set the tone for the rest of the 'decor' which I kept very simple... white linens, white china, pink flowers. Oh... and some pearls and a cow. <br />
I don't have a sugar bowl and creamer in my china set, but I do have a white sugar bowl, and this little white cow. My mom told me I couldn't put a cow on the table for formal tea, but I thought he was quirky and fun... I dressed him up with a little ribbon, and thought he looked quite dashing for formal tea. :) Everyone else agreed... or kept their opinions to themselves. One of the two!<br />
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The day before the party I ran by walmart and grabbed $30 worth of lousy bouquets. You know the kind they have smashed in mass into bins that are stupid cheap and not very appealing? But all you have to work with if you are on a small budget like me... 2 dozen roses and a dozen tulips. I came home and snipped boxwood, hosta leaves, and purple salvia from my landscaping... and put together tiny little bouquets for teacups for a centerpiece, and a corsage for each lady at the party.<br />
The corsages were an extra fun touch-- and a special surprise that especially the older ladies enjoyed-- it was very nostalgic. (Why are corsages for mothers a thing of nostalgia? We need to bring that back! Lets all make a pact to dress up for our moms for mother's day, and get her a corsage, yes?) Most of the ladies held onto the corsage and wore it to church the next day as well... which is kind of what I was hoping would happen!<br />
It turned out to be a simple, beautiful, relaxed morning of chatting with ladies, sipping tea, and feeling fancy! (And, you know, taking a million pictures of ourselves doing so!) Which is just what a mom needs, am I right? It was a great "experience" gift for my mama, and judging from the response... one that will hopefully become an annual event!<br />
Happy Mother's Day, Mama. I hope you enjoyed your tea party and felt relaxed, loved, and celebrated! I love you so very much!<br />
And Happy (late) Mother's day to each of you reading this! It is a day to celebrate <span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">Mamas,
Moms to be, step moms, mother figures, want to be moms, foster moms,
God-mothers, grandmas, aunts, daughters, new mamas, empty nest mamas,
fill-in moms, dog moms, and anyone who has ever had a mom. Love to each of you on this special day of counting your blessings!</span><br />
<br />Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304925525103262392.post-22467832810442606702014-02-25T11:46:00.000-06:002014-02-25T11:54:57.547-06:00Wesley's Birth Story Part 3: Happy Labor Day(Continued from <a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-new-guy-wesleys-birth-story-pt-1.html">Part 1</a>, and <a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2014/02/wesleys-birth-story-part-2-get-me-to.html">Part 2</a>. Disclaimer: this is the labor and delivery part of the story, and while I have attempted to edit out the most gruesome details-- it's still a birth story. And childbirth is not pretty. So while I don't feel like this includes explicit details inappropriate for the public or even those with weak stomachs.. read at your own risk. Thanks!)<br />
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So here I was sitting in the hospital bed. They had hooked me up to the monitors. Baby was great, heart rate great, nice strong contractions coming about 3 minutes apart. They were not at all pleasant, but I was dealing. Concentration. Deep breaths. Focus on the end, Valerie. This is what you wanted.<br />
This IS what I wanted. My husband looked at me like I was growing a third hand out of my forehead when I tried to explain it to him-- but even though I wasn't looking forward to the pain, and no one enjoys the pain, I wanted to experience the pain of labor. I wanted to experience my body doing labor on it's own-- because I didn't get to last time. And it was! It was doing labor splendidly on it's own!<br />
As soon as the nurse saw contractions were that close together, she went ahead and checked my cervix. She told me an 8 or a 9 and 100% effaced. We were close. <br />
An 8? or a 9? Last night I was crying because I was a three and not budging. Everything was going so quickly! She told me I was doing splendidly. She even complimented my calm as I slowly talked through contractions giving her all the info she needed to officially check me into the hospital. She went to put my IV in, and I asked her to wait until the contraction had passed, and she just kind of chuckled because she wouldn't have known I was having a contraction if I hadn't stopped her. <br />
Don't get me wrong-- I wasn't breezing through those suckers. They hurt. They hurt like crap. They hurt like bad words I was screaming in my head that wouldn't be prudent to share on this family friendly blog. But I was in the zone. I was focused and feeling every second of this labor and feeling very in control of the situation-- which is funny because labor is pretty explicitly involuntary-- nonetheless. I was doing it. I was there. <br />
Shortly after we got settled in Z asked do you want them to get your epidural? And I said-- no. I want to do this for a while. And the nurse kind of made a face-- "I don't think you have a while to do this. You are pretty much at your decision time, hun. Epidural now or not at all."<br />
"I-- I want to do this for a while. I don't want the epidural right now, I'll tell you later when I am ready for it." And then I was in the zone for another contraction, and Zachary reluctantly repeated to the nurse who was shaking her head, "I guess she'll let you know when she is ready for it." <br />
Now here's where things started getting fun. <br />
If you read Sam's Birth Story you remember that I got all pukey when the pain got too intense at the end. I thought that was just a fluke and a reaction to the pitocin, but nope. Apparently, I'm a puker. You know what I hate? Puking. You know whats even worse? Puking with an audience.<br />
All of a sudden the pain got intense and I yelled at Z, "I'm gonna puke! I need a thing!"<br />
And he looked around for a 'thing' but came up with nothing, and grabbed a trashcan off the floor at the last possible moment before I started puking up that oatmeal. Mmmmm... oatmeal. <br />
And then there were contractions, and puking, and more contractions and more puking and I was no longer in control of anything and I was crying and apologizing for crying and puking on everyone and the nurse came back in the room... oh boy. <br />
She got me a clean gown and some clean sheets. Checked me again, 9 and 100% but my water had not broken, so I could still have an epidural, but once that water broke it was go-time. <br />
"I'll let you know."<br />
I got up to go to the bathroom, and a contraction hit and I couldn't stand or sit and I remember wanting to cry and wanting to scream and knowing that I was in so much pain neither was possible. I walked out of the bathroom and leaned on the bed, and said, "Okay, get me the epidural. I have felt all that I need to." And she said, okay, and hooked up my IV.<br />
It was about 11:30. They finally got the epidural and I was trying to find a comfortable position when the back labor hit and I started puking again and contractions right on top of one another and why wasn't the epidural working for goodness sake??? Then a little alarm went off on the IV drip... and I was all, "Oh my gosh I'm dying! That's the heart rate saying I'm flatlining, my heart has stopped I'm dead I'm dead I'm dead." I was perhaps a little foggy and dramatic from the pain at this point, and the nurse came in and assured me I was in fact not dead at all, and my heart was fine, and that the epidural line was pinched in the case. She freed it and...<br />
AHHHHHHHH! It was like choirs of baby angels singing to me as the instant, warm, tingling relief rushed down my legs. Then she got me some anti-puking meds, and more angels. Then I sat back in my bed and smiled. "Look how great this is going!" I giggled to my husband, who just rocked in his chair and shook his head at me. <br />
About noon the Doctor came in and checked me. She said I was like a 9.5... there was just a little ledge up under the bulging bag that wasn't quite ready. She decided to break my water, then would come back in about a half hour and we would start pushing. Yay! Then she left.<br />
"Wait-- wasn't she going to break my water?" I asked <br />
"SHE DID" Z said. And the nurse laughed at me because I was completely unaware I was sitting on a soaked bed. Oh, HAY Epidural! Thanks for your services. My water breaking was the single most disturbing part of Sam's delivery. Didn't even know it had happened this go around.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://n31dug.dm2302.livefilestore.com/y2pLjGkIt2RQziwb3NejYNymWQ-n5TAeCr6HJI1ENvb_PjYxdQe68v0yGo-QifE2nDrKP-VLKK6zc50ZcZgl6X25n6EZS4uWe1vbkCai8AsC0s/DSC04340.JPG?psid=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://n31dug.dm2302.livefilestore.com/y2pLjGkIt2RQziwb3NejYNymWQ-n5TAeCr6HJI1ENvb_PjYxdQe68v0yGo-QifE2nDrKP-VLKK6zc50ZcZgl6X25n6EZS4uWe1vbkCai8AsC0s/DSC04340.JPG?psid=1" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big brother Sam and Grandpa killing time in the waiting room.</td></tr>
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We waited the half hour and the doctor did not come back. After 45 mins the nurse checked me. Still not there. I needed to labor down for a while. Okay. I listened to some christmas music. I chatted with my husband. (I think he answered about 15 texts from my mom-- is he here yet? is he here yet? is he here yet?) I looked around facebook for a while. I was getting bored and anxious. I knew we were close, I was ready for my baby! <br /><br />
A little after 2:00 the nurse came in and checked me one last time. It's a 10!!! Time to push! <br />
We did a few 'practice pushes', and she was all, oh yeah, this kid is going to get here soon. Rest a few contractions. Don't mind if I do, thanks.<br />
And then the room started filling up, the L&D nurse, the doctor's assistant, the intern that popped in for the show, the nursery nurses.<br />
"Hey it's a party!" I said. And they all looked at me like I was a loon. "A birthday party? Because my son is about to be born?" (crickets...) Tough crowd. Anyway...<br />
The nurses from the nursery did take that moment to come over and view how ginormous my belly was, and make bets about the size of the kid inside. Oh, I see, you are comfortable gambling in my delivery room, but not laughing at the laboring woman's jokes. <br />
And then we were pushing and pushing and everything is going great, and there's the head, it's halfway here, "Oh, crap, stop pushing, the Doctor is not here yet." <br />
Cruelest thing ever. Do they do that to every woman or just me? Because it's happened twice now. And we were waiting waiting waiting for the doctor. She's on her way...<br />
TELL. HER. TO. RUN.<br />
I think it was about 3 minutes but it felt like at least an hour laying there wanting to push waiting for the doctor. I'm not really a screamer in delivery, not even a crier. But sitting there waiting for the doctor at the very most intense part of the delivery process was everything I could do to keep it together. I looked at my husband and said-- "<i>This is not fun anymore.</i>" But my voice broke--betraying my attempt at light heartedness, and he just squeezed my hand, tried to be encouraging. I don't remember if he said anything in response, but I remember being overwhelmingly grateful he was there. My amazing husband. My strong, calm, patient, ROCK. <br />
When the doctor slipped into the room, she barely got her gloves on and I was back in business one good push and BAM. There was his head. And push for the body and...<br />
Baby cries!<br />
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Beautiful beautiful baby sounds. And my sweet, rolly, baby boy was laying on my chest and everyone gathered around us oohing and ahhing. Someone grabbed my camera and snapped this picture of Z cutting the cord.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://n31dug.dm2302.livefilestore.com/y2ppEaZHlIdjkj_SJHN-ItcFUFZMHotwB5q10quTtJyVB5wcgJXN78Kf2BkG63YBkT578qTg_TyVYgV1Jyv27jRRvVRNOHGmSqRSSxYM50AX2k/IMG_0061.jpg?psid=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://n31dug.dm2302.livefilestore.com/y2ppEaZHlIdjkj_SJHN-ItcFUFZMHotwB5q10quTtJyVB5wcgJXN78Kf2BkG63YBkT578qTg_TyVYgV1Jyv27jRRvVRNOHGmSqRSSxYM50AX2k/IMG_0061.jpg?psid=1" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Z cuts the cord<br />
(See he's still in his work uniform? Classy!)</td></tr>
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Then they wiped him off, and he snuggled down into my chest. His little cries ceased, and he snuggled into his mama whimpering like a little puppy dog. It was a beautiful and joyous moment. Pure perfection. A rush of adrenaline, joy, satisfaction, <i>completeness</i>.<br />
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<a href="https://n31dug.dm2302.livefilestore.com/y2pyDXdXK9mvme053musA7TRYWF1VBMrqI5C82t9xzyxKX_Xuul6T9TBxCcsBUFdgMs6gDwPFrBu4DcCqVf78veM_OJKSATgkCZHPIA56mMnXY/IMG_0063.jpg?psid=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://n31dug.dm2302.livefilestore.com/y2pyDXdXK9mvme053musA7TRYWF1VBMrqI5C82t9xzyxKX_Xuul6T9TBxCcsBUFdgMs6gDwPFrBu4DcCqVf78veM_OJKSATgkCZHPIA56mMnXY/IMG_0063.jpg?psid=1" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
It was 2:35. Just 7 hours after I woke with the first contraction that morning.<br />
<br />
(Stay tuned for more details and pictures from Wesley's Birthday in part 4!)Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304925525103262392.post-21197305651048887382014-02-12T18:07:00.000-06:002014-02-12T18:07:30.573-06:00Wesley's Birth Story, Part 2: Get me to the Church-- er, Hospital on time!(continued from <a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-new-guy-wesleys-birth-story-pt-1.html">Part 1</a>, This is a little text heavy, and maybe not all that exciting recount of the day's events... Just so you know. I warned you in advance, you are not going into this blind.)<br />
<br />
I woke up Wednesday morning with a sharp pain in my abdomen. I shifted position, and glanced at the clock 7:20. Sam wasn't awake yet, I could probably sleep a little longer. I wasn't too excited yet, because I'd been having contractions for weeks, but these were kinda intense. I couldn't find a comfortable position to lay in anymore so I got up to take a shower. Might as well. But before I did I grabbed my stopwatch. A little under 10 mins apart. I felt like this could be it, so I went ahead and sent my husband a text, just as a heads up, I figured it'd be a few hours before we knew anything for sure.<br />
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<a href="https://u2t9rw.dm2302.livefilestore.com/y2pkUmkpTo0MFMjjr2bSglyY9-rqEfmZpoI9kJnIrBUHI48XpUlo0QCr5nGXENcK7gGhyRYwacRX53p3-UgQzW6YT3BGkpXnlUqU7vOJy_407I/Screenshot_2014-02-12-13-25.jpg?psid=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://u2t9rw.dm2302.livefilestore.com/y2pkUmkpTo0MFMjjr2bSglyY9-rqEfmZpoI9kJnIrBUHI48XpUlo0QCr5nGXENcK7gGhyRYwacRX53p3-UgQzW6YT3BGkpXnlUqU7vOJy_407I/Screenshot_2014-02-12-13-25.jpg?psid=1" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_1934249421"></span><span id="goog_1934249422"></span>I went and hopped in the shower. The contractions were really uncomfortable, but the hot shower felt good. I just stood there in the shower, letting it run over me. It relaxed me. I don't know how long I was in the shower, but when I got out, I grabbed my stopwatch again, because I was certain they were coming regularly now. 7 mins apart. This was moving too fast, so I must be wrong. I kept my watch with me and shook my head because each contraction came faster than the last. This can't be right. I've got hours to labor still.<br />
I went and got Sam up. Usually we eat breakfast in our jammies but I went ahead and got him dressed. Contractions were making me really grumpy, but I knew I still had hours to labor before I should call anyone. I decided when I could no longer take care of Sam I would call my mom to come watch him while I labored at home. I was not going to call my husband and have everyone rush to the hospital just to spend all day waiting, or worse-- be sent home. I took him downstairs and started to make us oatmeal. Felt like I should carb up, and oatmeal was that perfect combination of bland and filling that made me think I wouldn't puke it up when things got serious. (spoiler alert: I was wrong.)<br />
Two bowls of oatmeal in the microwave and me trying to push the kitchen counter through the wall with every contraction. 5 mins apart. Sam was patting my leg and saying, "It's okay mama." "Mama you hurt?" He was so sweet and concerned and I was gritting my teeth and clenching my fists trying not to smack his little hands away as he patted my leg. "Honey, go wait for your oatmeal on the couch." <br />
It was 9:00. I couldn't deal with Sam anymore. I picked up the phone, and dialed my mom's school.<br />
"Middle school office!" The chipper secretary answered.<br />
"Hello, This is Valerie Pogemiller, I need to talk to my mother Judy S immediately." <br />
"Okay... Oh! Okay! Oh my goodness, I'll patch you right through!" You could hear the excitement in her voice as she realized what this call was about. My mom had everyone in the school on high alert for weeks, just for this very call.<br />
The phone rang in my mom's classroom, but the other teacher in the room answered, "Hello?" and I was thrown off. <br />
"Um-- uh, hello."<br />
<awkward silence="">(awkward silence)<br />"Is this Valerie?"<br />"Uh huh" <br />"OH MY GOSH! Is IT time?"<br /><another contraction="" hits="">(And... another contraction hits)<br /><i>"I think so..."</i><br />"Ohmygosh I'm so excited!"<br /><i>"...I'm glad one of us is."</i><br />"Oh I'll go get your mom! Yay!" And I hear her all sing-songy in the background, "Juuuuudy! It's your daauuuughter!" and a few seconds later my mother's voice, "Hellloo?" (With that inflection you use when you answer the phone anticipating good news)<br /><i>"Mama, I think I need you now!"</i><br />"I'm leaving now!"<br />And she was gone. She told me later that I had called during an all girls class, and she bounded out of the room to many cheers and squeals at a pitch only middle school girls can achieve.</another></awkward><br />
Contraction having passed, I put down my phone, and decided I was going to go up and curl my hair. If I was going to feel terrible today I certainly wasnt going to look terrible. I left Sam watching a movie and munching some dry cereal (I forgot about the oatmeal I had made.) <br />
I pulled some clean yoga pants out of the dryer and turned on my curling iron. Breathed through another contraction (Has it already been 5 mins???) And started curling my hair. <br />
My mom must have sped all the way to my house, she burst through the door, "I'm here! Are you ready to go?"<br />
Go? No, we've got plenty of time. I haven't even put on earrings yet. I can't find socks. I havn't eaten my oatmeal. My oatmeal! I forgot to eat breakfast. I need to sit down and eat some breakfast, then I'll get my bag packed and we'll head out in a little while--<br />
<i>CRAP another contraction. </i><br />
My mom is watching me concerned as I lean my head against the wall and aggressively tap my foot untill it passes. "How far apart are they?"<br />
"like... 7? or, um, 5 mins?" (lies. They were 4.5 mins apart) "I don't know, I am trying to keep my mind off of it." I think I was trying to fold some laundry or something at this point. <br />"Is Z on his way to the hospital?"<br />"No, I haven't called him yet."<br />"I think it's time to call him." She said firmly. And she was right, I was just putting it off because I wanted to make sure this was the real deal. <br />I remember standing at the top of the stairs dialing my husband when another contraction hit and I was crying because I was in pain, and excited that this was it, and scared that I had waited too long, and trying to remain calm because I didn't want anyone to panic or know I was panicking because then I would just NOT. Be Able. To Deal. <br />I don't remember much of the conversation with Z, surprisingly. Probably because it was all through the cloud of another contraction. I think he asked if he should come home and I told him to meet us at the hospital, and he told me it was perfect timing because he was just leaving the station... a few minutes later and it would have been a mess to get to him. I hung up the phone, resolved that it was time to leave for the hospital. My mom was a little frantic and had crammed Sam in his coat and they were waiting by the front door and bless her heart I think she probably wanted to smack me but we were finally loading into the car, a little after 10:00. And heading to the hospital.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://u2t9rw.dm2304.livefilestore.com/y2pqNeF_o5tJxMEEcXKr5Yb8jgHRjyhimygGArRi03HEWY_9ezzxoFSAAM7Yba9XFEA2SQXsZHeDARmhNJ_jBT4Xia9PknqUNW19_nyUKGOiqU/20131211_093145.jpg?psid=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://u2t9rw.dm2304.livefilestore.com/y2pqNeF_o5tJxMEEcXKr5Yb8jgHRjyhimygGArRi03HEWY_9ezzxoFSAAM7Yba9XFEA2SQXsZHeDARmhNJ_jBT4Xia9PknqUNW19_nyUKGOiqU/20131211_093145.jpg?psid=1" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is when I went... maybe I should take pictures today? This is the only one I have.<br />Precious memories.</td></tr>
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I had grabbed my oatmeal off the counter and was sitting cross legged in the passenger seat of her car timing contractions (4 mins or less), eating oatmeal, and chugging bottles of water. I was kind of manic nervous-laughing. She was shockingly calm, and alternately concerned mother and elated anxious grandma. <br />Z beat us to the hospital. He was waiting at the emergency room entrance when we got there. They took me to registration, and the lady asked if I was in labor. I nodded through a contraction. She asked how far apart, and I told her 5. (Lies, 3.5 mins) She told me to have a seat, and I told her I was more comfortable standing as contractions were easier to deal with that way. She started typing some things in her computer and watched me skeptically as another contraction hit, then called up to L&D, and sent Z to get a wheel chair to get me up there. <br />When we got up to the 6th floor and into a room, they had me change and hooked me up to a monitor. it was about 10:30.<br />"Oh, yes! You are definitely in labor." The nurse said. (3 mins apart)<br />YOU DON'T SAY?!<br />
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Part 3 coming soon!Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304925525103262392.post-34328404239675088872014-02-11T22:27:00.000-06:002014-02-11T22:29:15.086-06:00Wesley's Birth Story Part 1: Now We WaitOn Tuesday night I was sitting on the couch crying and exhausted. <br />
I was 40.5 weeks pregnant, but the doctor had led me to believe that my child would have arrived weeks ago. Though I am generally on the petite side, and I had gained only a reasonable and healthy amount of weight this pregnancy all I had heard for the past month from strangers and friends was how monstrously huge I was... how far past due I must be... and was I sure I wasn't having twins? I'd been 'ready to pop' for months, and miserable my entire third trimester. As soon as we reached 36 weeks, I started walking.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://u2t9rw.dm2301.livefilestore.com/y2pzb2K8bzsVSTAk6IM79XviLn8fZEwoZIP8I-njYTfTdN0T1E-NxchqM2peEutdf-S1isXtkJYuZh2Ybc5_RhByEbhVlym_SkQnDg9bJKHaOY/33-weeksw.jpg?psid=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://u2t9rw.dm2301.livefilestore.com/y2pzb2K8bzsVSTAk6IM79XviLn8fZEwoZIP8I-njYTfTdN0T1E-NxchqM2peEutdf-S1isXtkJYuZh2Ybc5_RhByEbhVlym_SkQnDg9bJKHaOY/33-weeksw.jpg?psid=1" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">33 weeks pregnant</td></tr>
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<br />
Literally, walking MILES every day trying to get that kid out. I bounced on an excercise ball for hours. I ate two whole pineapples, but only succeeded at burning my tongue from the acid. I started involved projects that needed to be finished in a timely manner hoping to tempt fate into not letting me finish. Nothing, nothing, and nothing. I would have BH contractions every night. They'd start around 7:00 and taper off around midnight, and I would punch my pillow in frustration. I was dilated to a 2 and 70% effaced. At 38 weeks, it was 3 and 70%. At 39 weeks, 3+ and 80. So I was making progress... but baby could still be weeks away. And despite my Doctor's prediction that this kid was large and ready to go at any time (at 36 weeks!) my due date came and went without any indication that he was planning to budge.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://u2t9rw.dm2302.livefilestore.com/y2pieXbr3FFW8qiFypzRHCGwVJZil4m32AUc9OWH3WJvCUTRHGS8e4BKVKxM_8-MGdMJw_o-xWgRrXOT18ePzhzJ8I9z3YAi1DaMUNN2o_S_ic/37-weeksw.jpg?psid=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://u2t9rw.dm2302.livefilestore.com/y2pieXbr3FFW8qiFypzRHCGwVJZil4m32AUc9OWH3WJvCUTRHGS8e4BKVKxM_8-MGdMJw_o-xWgRrXOT18ePzhzJ8I9z3YAi1DaMUNN2o_S_ic/37-weeksw.jpg?psid=1" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">37 weeks pregnant</td></tr>
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At the doctor past my due date the doctor asked if I wanted to set an induction or if I just wanted to wait it out. I told him, well, I wanted to let this kid do it on his own-- but I DO NOT want to be 49 weeks pregnant. He laughed at me and assured me he would not let that happen, but I was discouraged and exhausted from all the running around like a crazy lady and miles I'd been logging trying to make a kid move. He went ahead scheduled an induction for the following thursday-- I'd be 41 weeks pregnant. And I went home to continue my labor-inducing olympics.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://u2t9rw.dm1.livefilestore.com/y2p5Wvoehv1KBdRRX2KJc8S3_wqJQ-sROzHqptvNvKUNUmEYgXJBMTcH8H29mjDOJi8ahzfjCt7fFV7IBTBAtL9r2nEYATR0TKtyKvrtYDzRgs/hospital-bag.jpg?psid=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://u2t9rw.dm1.livefilestore.com/y2p5Wvoehv1KBdRRX2KJc8S3_wqJQ-sROzHqptvNvKUNUmEYgXJBMTcH8H29mjDOJi8ahzfjCt7fFV7IBTBAtL9r2nEYATR0TKtyKvrtYDzRgs/hospital-bag.jpg?psid=1" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sam and his 'hosta-pital' bag.</td></tr>
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So Tuesday night found me sitting on my couch crying to my husband. I had just gotten back from the doctor-- oh don't be excited for me, it wasn't because I was experiencing any signs of labor. I had UTI. Could the world be any more cruel to this over-sized over-due pregnant woman? While I was there the doctor checked me and still 3 and 80. No progress for almost 2 weeks now. I was angry and exhausted. I had given up hope. I told my husband that I was just done. I didn't want to be induced, but that seemed to be the way this was going down. I told him the following day-- wednesday-- I was going to do nothing. Just relax to prepare for labor on Thursday. I was so disappointed. Z tried to console me, but I just wanted to wallow. I went to bed early. I slept through the night. This was pretty monumental because at this point I was so huge and uncomfortable I was barely sleeping at all... in between the 5 or 24 times a night I got up to pee. I woke up briefly when Z left for work. I rolled over and kept sleeping. <br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://u2t9rw.dm2304.livefilestore.com/y2pZpHBrWSBlV1qqpLOBfNDvZ4VtwpvWUov1mA5EYCrOmnQcOBJ3n2w2uLr2RwPpwmo7M8k5H2YP6mukIqom5iogcxgtpC_Wt9OG3MUcJSHsvY/IMG_0049.JPG?psid=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://u2t9rw.dm2304.livefilestore.com/y2pZpHBrWSBlV1qqpLOBfNDvZ4VtwpvWUov1mA5EYCrOmnQcOBJ3n2w2uLr2RwPpwmo7M8k5H2YP6mukIqom5iogcxgtpC_Wt9OG3MUcJSHsvY/IMG_0049.JPG?psid=1" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">39 weeks, and way too pregnant to be photographed.</td></tr>
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I got nervous every day that my husband went to work. We'd been running through everything for weeks... every possible scenario how it might go down. Z works for FedEx as a courier so he is out on the road all day. He told me that when 'it was time' I needed to give him plenty of advance warning because he would have to come in off the road and he could reasonably be an hour or more away. This stressed me out, because who knows if I would have an hour? Who knows if i called him to the hospital and had hours and hours that everyone had to wait. I didn't know. I was worried. <br />
I also had my mother on call. She works at a school just accross town and would be the caretaker for Sam when this baby thing went down. She had alerted all the secretaries and various people at her school to patch my call through no matter what... but I was just nervous about that. What if it happened in the middle of the day when my mom was at work and zachary was at work and I couldn't get ahold of everyone? Or what if I called everyone for a false alarm? Or what if... I didn't know when to call? Every day when Z left for work I felt a little stressed, and I breathed a sigh of relief every day when he got home. Immediate access to my husband-- my cool, calm, and collected ROCK-- was comforting. I couldn't imagine being in labor and going through some or all of it without him. Could. Not. Do it. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">40 weeks pregnant</td></tr>
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So even though for several weeks I woke up to worry for a bit when my husband left early in the morning for work... this Wednesday I kept right on sleeping.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://u2t9rw.dm2303.livefilestore.com/y2pejyUnWoYhFrK17_08jjx-InVs1pnTP90SVOYqIdUl-tjQYSZ94B8vESqt72U1SO4thBUDhgDRiqQ5NS4ki79mZkyFeXVrNElqbCtL08r25s/nursery.jpg?psid=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://u2t9rw.dm2303.livefilestore.com/y2pejyUnWoYhFrK17_08jjx-InVs1pnTP90SVOYqIdUl-tjQYSZ94B8vESqt72U1SO4thBUDhgDRiqQ5NS4ki79mZkyFeXVrNElqbCtL08r25s/nursery.jpg?psid=1" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the 'nursery'.<br />
Everything all ready, now all there is to do is wait.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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(Part II coming soon!)Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304925525103262392.post-57003283126709401542013-11-07T11:22:00.000-06:002013-11-07T11:22:05.827-06:00Folding<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Took a little break from blogging to... survive real life for a bit?<br />And taking a little break from our outdoor transformation to bring you this indoor tidbit. <br /><br />I folded my clothes the way my mom taught me until I was in college. It was that standard way they fold t-shirts in the store... you know so they stack nicely, or fit nicely in a shirt box? Shirt box folding, that's how I folded my clothes. And it has worked for millions of people for centuries, and if that's your method and it thrills your soul or fits your style, please, carry on. But I got to college and suddenly had less drawer space, as well as less time for folding my laundry. <br />The beautiful shirt box folding I had been taught was no longer working for me. I didn't have enough room in my drawers for all my clothes, not to mention, pulling out the shirt that you want (inevitably the one at the bottom of the stack) messed up the entire stack, and then you either had to re-fold/re-stack, or take the more traditional college method, and just shove the wadded shirts back in the drawer and slam it closed.<br />I needed a better method. <br />So here's how I started folding my shirts:<br />
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<a href="https://lcgyrq.dm2302.livefilestore.com/y2pzpIh5--7n-gB_T7RrhbPKq2vDSGRi4IY7aTUNnAVo1rLxDMhvugGMabcwdoRdtC3PS4KpKD2e615pE_R3JilCZRPh74OuFrYAieJCSPM0vI/FOLDING.jpg?psid=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://lcgyrq.dm2302.livefilestore.com/y2pzpIh5--7n-gB_T7RrhbPKq2vDSGRi4IY7aTUNnAVo1rLxDMhvugGMabcwdoRdtC3PS4KpKD2e615pE_R3JilCZRPh74OuFrYAieJCSPM0vI/FOLDING.jpg?psid=1" width="433" /></a></div>
1. Lay your t-shirt out flat, face up. Smooth wrinkles.<br />2. fold t-shirt in half lengthwise.<br />3. Fold sleeves back over to create a long skinny rectangle.<br />4. Fold in half, the collar down to the hem.<br />5. Fold in half again, top fold down to collar/hem<br />
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And that's it! You have a nice, compact little rectangle t-shirt. Continue with your pile of t-shirts, and stack them all with the fold on the same side.<br />
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Now, when you go to put them in your drawer, stack them with that fold side up... (almost like a file cabinet?) like so:<br />
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See how nicely they fit in there? And how many shirts you can fit in a drawer? There are twice as many t-shirts as would fit shirt-box fold style. Plus, having the t-shirts in the drawer 'file-drawer style' means you can easily access the ones at the front or back without messing up the rest of the folded shirts. And this is just my husband's white undershirt drawer (yes, he has an unnatural amount of white t-shirts) but when you have other shirts, colors, and designs it's easy to view which shirts are in your drawer with little digging/messing up already folded clothes!<br />
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<br />And see how nice this looks? Simple and organized and plenty of room to hold all of them.<br />But this doesn't just work for t-shirts. I use the same folding and 'file-drawer style' for my shirts, camisoles, night gowns, baby clothes and onesies, and...<br />
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Yep, those are my husband's underpants. (A slight variation, rolling instead of folding, but same basic premise... and look how many you can fit in one drawer!) (Yes, my husband also has a CRAZY amount of underpants.) (No my husband doesn't read my blog, so will likely never know I put pictures of his underpants on here-- it's our little secret... shhhhhh...)<br />You can even fold shorts and pants to fit upright in your drawer in the same file drawer manner. You will be amazed at the amount of space you save, or the amount of clothes you can fit into one drawer now!<br />
<br />Some other thoughts on this method:<br />
*It's very similar to how you may be instructed to pack, rolling clothes to get more things in a suitcase or small space. So if you do start folding your clothes in this manner on a regular basis, hey, you just cut out a step when you pack for a trip! Yay.<br />*If you smooth your wrinkles as you fold, I find that this method is just as effective as any for eliminating wrinkles in clothing as any other folding method<br />*This is not a great method for dress dress shirts, those still do best pressed and hung in the closet.<br />
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So there you have it! Maybe this is not anything life changing or new for you, but it changed my wardrobe, and eventually my mama caught onto my method as well... and it revolutionized her laundry, folding, and clothing storage methods. And... <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lovethespaceyouarein?ref=br_tf">my mama is an organizational guru</a>, so with her stamp of approval I plow onward. :)<br />
<br />What about you, what kind of laundry, folding, or clothes storage hacks have you adopted that changed your life???<br /><br />Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304925525103262392.post-6571739268235670212013-10-08T10:12:00.000-05:002013-10-08T10:13:01.572-05:00Tan on Tan on Tan (And Baby Ferns)Guys. I have a tan house. With tan trim. And a tan door. That's a lot of tan.<br />
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<a href="https://nagfow.dm1.livefilestore.com/y2pnWbhzRjXpREodcZlU1dNBAzMlJxmm-YWHKhQ7IsU5uON-u-RlCmQ4iHz5dOjryFs_iZj3-_jmTJmbZxQdJN9awNlwdF4Z3MYqK-6dsQEzTs/doors-3.jpg?psid=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://nagfow.dm1.livefilestore.com/y2pnWbhzRjXpREodcZlU1dNBAzMlJxmm-YWHKhQ7IsU5uON-u-RlCmQ4iHz5dOjryFs_iZj3-_jmTJmbZxQdJN9awNlwdF4Z3MYqK-6dsQEzTs/doors-3.jpg?psid=1" /></a></div>
Especially when you consider that we were working with a dirt lot with little vegetation to be found? Sad, colorless, monochromatic house. I mean, it's really a lovely house, and I still pinch myself as I drive up to it... I live here! This is my home! But all the tan hurt my brain a little bit. I wanted something that looked welcoming and cheerful...<br />
Obviously a bright color door was just the wink that our house needed, don't you think?<br />
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<a href="https://nagfow.dm1.livefilestore.com/y2pqWradSTvJCEwmIxy5aNKFhYlkDoR8PI4G1OSFkU8qyTxrkOKhv0YbHgYvqFb_95dMCBH3kTQS7P-2D5Dlh5tF-rCI2U9D8LyKEdnVSBXgwM/doors-2.jpg?psid=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://nagfow.dm1.livefilestore.com/y2pqWradSTvJCEwmIxy5aNKFhYlkDoR8PI4G1OSFkU8qyTxrkOKhv0YbHgYvqFb_95dMCBH3kTQS7P-2D5Dlh5tF-rCI2U9D8LyKEdnVSBXgwM/doors-2.jpg?psid=1" /></a></div>
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So I told my husband I was going to paint our front door something cheerful, and his response was, of course, what? Why? Whats wrong with the color it is?<br />
But I plowed ahead, undeterred. I polled my friends, I gathered swatches, I taped stuff to the door and stared at it for days... And I decided on a really nice plum color that I was quite excited about, then I made the mistake of asking my husband what he thought of my color choice and he just sighed and said, Please don't paint my door purple.<br />
Okay, first of all, it's plum, not purple. And it's a LOVELY color! ...but I decided to go with something a little less bold, because in the grand scheme of things a door color is not a HUGE life commitment. So I thought I'll ease the hubs into it, and then we'll punch the color up a notch next year if I need more...<br />
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<a href="https://nagfow.dm1.livefilestore.com/y2p1zyUrzRoOsGQjG1gtcqSBTxGnw78vTp6xfsVJMZjLLvWcYexVNYBRL38diwC98K0v1Uqfs25CK3LGoVOqKUAeN7s0iGMbfPs52jWHtd8ZW4/doors-5.jpg?psid=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://nagfow.dm1.livefilestore.com/y2p1zyUrzRoOsGQjG1gtcqSBTxGnw78vTp6xfsVJMZjLLvWcYexVNYBRL38diwC98K0v1Uqfs25CK3LGoVOqKUAeN7s0iGMbfPs52jWHtd8ZW4/doors-5.jpg?psid=1" /></a></div>
So I selected a lovely green called "Baby Fern" that was somewhere between an apple green and a muted ferny color. I put on the first coat... oh man, it looked tinkerbell city. But I remembered advice of some of my fav DIY bloggers, <a href="http://www.younghouselove.com/">Young House Love</a>, when they say the middle always looks crazy. This was not the end of the vision... this was the start with only one coat of paint. So I didn't panic yet.<br />
It took three even coats for full coverage. I painted slowly and carefully and made sure to allow adequate drying time between each coat because I wanted the door to look smooth and streak/brush stroke free. Once it was done...<br />
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(Oh, Hai Charlie!) I was pleased with the result! Much happier.<br />
But remember the crazy in the middle part? This is still the middle. Yes the green door is happy and brighter, but just the green door on the tan house with the dirt yard was honestly not a HUGE improvement. This still the middle... it's coming, it's coming, it's coming! And the more finished the yard became, the more the door makeover made sense-- Even to the husband and my father who weren't believers in the Baby Fern magic.<br />
Oh, but also, while I was in the business of painting doors and distributing magic, I decided the back of the house needed love too...<br />
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Because this guy didn't even have any trim to boast! Saaaaaaad. But not to fear, a few hours and a few coats of paint later....<br />
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...and he was boasting a brighter outlook on life as well. Actually, ignore the bottom right corner of that pic where there's a sneak peak of beauty to come. (this pic was actually taken a few weeks later, oops.) But I was happy all the way around with what a quart of Baby Fern exterior paint did to perk up my house.<br />
A few weeks later I was chatting with one of our neighbors, and she commented on what a transformation the exterior of our house had been through. She specifically mentioned how much she loved the happy green door, it made her smile! <br />
It makes me smile too!<br />
But this isn't the last you will see of that front door... more magic to come! What about you? Anyone else painting their door this fall???Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304925525103262392.post-6071633626960573342013-09-05T09:26:00.000-05:002013-09-05T09:26:26.941-05:00Fencey McFencersonLet me put a disclaimer, these next couple posts are going to feel a little incomplete... we were working on quite a few projects that I want to talk about separately, but they were all going on at the same time. So I am going to delay some finished product photos til the end... and also being very involved in all of this stuff myself, I don't have a whole lot of process pictures or tutorials for you (I was busy workin' kid!) so the next few posts might leave you hangin' just a bit. But you'll see it all come together in the end, and it will be worth it. Yay. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There is a lot going on outside our window these days!</td></tr>
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So we are putting in a fence. <br />
I know fences aren't for everyone, but we wanted/needed one for a couple of reasons:<br />
While we have a nice size lot, we are still in a residential area/neighborhood. Our lot backs up to someone else's back yard, we have a neighbor's yard on one side and empty lots on the other, which will eventually have construction. We wanted a little bit of privacy from all that closeness. We like having neighbors, we like our neighbors... we just... needed a bit of back yard privacy.<br />
We have a dog and kiddos* (*will have plural kiddos in december, and don't know if we will be done with two... who knows???) and wanted a safe contained area for them to play unrestricted. Also we have utility boxes in the back corner of our lot, and didn't really want kiddos playing in that area.<br />So us, a fence `was the right choice. However, it's not only functional, but we just happen to think a nice cedar fence looks really pretty and raises your property value... and we needed to put in a yard, and so first, we needed to put in the fence.<br />
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Before you build a fence there are plenty of paperwork things you have to deal with-- drawing out plans, taking them to the city, getting a building permit, getting utilities marked, etc. Those are important code and safety issues, if you are DIYing your fence, make sure you do all your city requires first. You don't want any surprises or accidents later. <br />
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<br />The project started by ripping out the neighbors fence. It was a 4 ft fence that was a little rickety and gross looking. We talked to our neighbor before starting, and actually ended up replacing not just the shared portion of the fence, but his entire fence as well. (He paid the boys for it... so it was a profit that we set aside for another project). They knocked out the panels and pulled the posts, and then we freecycled the fence parts... and it actually was claimed by some friends of our about a block away. Reuse, recycle, and giggle everytime you drive by and see that old fence on someone else's property, guys!<br />
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After getting that knocked over they rented a hole digger and started carefully digging around the perimeter. I say carefully because there were quite a few utility lines they were working around. <br /><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, there are the utility boxes we were boxing out... heh</td></tr>
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Once they had the holes dug, they started putting posts and the frame in place. Carefully, slowly pieceing it together, leveling, digging, leveling again... until it was all setting just so... and then they concreted the posts in and nailed the 2x4 frame to it. For the frame they used pressure treated posts and 2x4s.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everyone say Hi to my dad!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Brother in law and our friend James working hard!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Once the frame was solid, the boys got to work putting up the slats. These are cedar slats. They look pretty and smell awesome while you work-- just a nice bonus there. We decided to use a nail gun instead of screws for two reasons, cost and time! Even the the best way would probably be to screw every last slat on, the fencing screws do not come cheap. For the amount we needed, it was going to run us about $400. For screws. Crazy. The nails in the air pressure gun, however were about $50, and we were able to borrow the gun from a friend, and... boy is it fast! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! in each post and you are done, as opposed to four screws, even with a power drill we'd have been there for days.<br />
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So the boys threw up the slats... okay not so much threw as carefully placed and leveled, while my dad started assembling gates. <br />
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They worked from early early that morning, until late that night. You can see that it's getting dark in these pics... but my boys are hardcore, they were going to get it done!<br />
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Hey look, they are still smiling! Actually I think they are smiling because this is the last board in my husbands hands... and look what they let me do!<br />
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The golden spike! I got to nail in the very last board in the back corner that hooked the two sides of the fence together! Woot!<br />And... here's that part that I warned you about at the beginning. I'm going to leave you hanging. There were several projects going on at the same time here, and so I don't have a finished project pic of anything without giving away everything, and thats no fun. But we finished the fence that weekend... and it is really beautiful and there are more beautiful things to come! Are you excited? I'm excited. <br />Okay. <br /><br />
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<br />Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304925525103262392.post-37972879320550253762013-08-22T08:00:00.000-05:002013-08-22T08:00:04.839-05:00Vegan Carrot Walnut MuffinsIf you follow me on pinterest (<a href="http://pinterest.com/sassyhousewife/pins/">what? You don't follow me on pinterest? What the heck is your problem? I pin cool stuff.</a>) you may have noticed recently that I have been pinning a lot of vegan recipes. I invited over some friends for dinner the other night, one of whom had noticed this trend, and was concerned she may be served some kind of crazy hippie vegan meal! I assure you this is not the case. <br />However, one of my loved ones has recently adopted a low fat vegan diet for health reasons, which has piqued my interest and challenged my cooking chops. I've started experimenting with various vegan recipes, more specifically baked goods, and a lot of muffins!<br />Because who doesn't love a muffin? Muffins are great. They are like a dessert people don't judge you for eating at breakfast. I've been tinkering with a couple different muffin recipes, banana, blueberry, pumpkin... and today, it happened. This guy here. He's the winner.<br />
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This is by far the most delicious muffin I have made. A little bit sweet, a little spicy, good texture (a lot of them tend to be very dense), and plenty of carrot-y goodness. This Carrot Walnut muffin is completely vegan and also low in fat. But it doesn't have any strange ingredients in it. So many times I find a vegan recipe that looks like a winner, and I have to google half the ingredient list just to know what it is and where to get it. No fun. Likely, you already have every ingredient here in your pantry. Or you at least won't be scratching your head reading the list. You're welcome.<br />And bonus... your kitchen is going to smell awesome while they are baking! You're welcome again.<br /><br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><b>Vegan Carrot Walnut Muffins</b></i></div>
<i>
</i><ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1 cup white flour*</span></i></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1 cup whole wheat flour* </span></i></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1/4 cup packed light brown sugar </span></i></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1 tsp baking soda </span></i></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1/2 tsp baking powder </span></i></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1/2 tsp salt </span></i></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1/2 tsp ground cinnamon </span></i></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1/2 tsp ground ginger </span></i></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1/2 tsp ground nutmeg</span></i></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1 cup shredded carrots</span></i></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1/4 cup carrot puree**</span></i></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce</span></i></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1/2 cup pure maple syrup </span></i></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1 tsp vanilla extract</span></i></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1/4 cup chopped walnuts</span></i></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1/4 cup raisins </span></i></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1/8 cup finely chopped walnuts (for topping)</span></i></li>
</ul>
<i>
</i><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Preheat oven to 375.<br />
Whisk together dry ingredients.<br />
Mix wet ingredients (+walnuts and raisins)<br />
Add dry to wet, and stir until combined. Batter will be quite thick.<br />
Scoop 1/3 cup into 12 lined muffin pans. Sprinkle tops with walnuts.<br />
Bake 18-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.</span></i></div>
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<i>*I like to go half and half on my flour... whole wheat flour makes them hearty, white flour makes them a lighter pastry.<br />**I shred my carrots in a food processor. I cooked down about 1/3 cup of shredded carrots then threw them back in the food processor with the blade and a little water to make the puree... it seems like a lot more work, but it's not really, and it makes them very carrot-y and delicious. </i><br />
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<br />
Try and wait until they have cooled a smidgeon before digging in... because you can't fully appreciate the yumminess if your mouth is blistered. <i>AHEM</i> I've heard... I wouldn't do something so compulsive as putting a lava hot muffin on my tongue because I'm impatient.<br />
I really hope you enjoy these. My family definitely did, they were a huge hit! Tasty enough you might not even guess they were low-fat and vegan... if you didn't know! <br />
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But you do know... and don't you feel good about it. :)<br />
<br />Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304925525103262392.post-27543822148586186032013-08-21T10:37:00.001-05:002013-08-21T10:37:45.979-05:00The Yard to Be and the Foxen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So we bought a house. And we moved. And since then we've been busy busy busy trying to make the house look presentable. I mean, the house is lovely, and we moved in and unpacked quickly and actually the inside is nothing to complain about. But the outside could use some... curb appeal?<br />
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<br />This is what she looked like the day we bought her... not... awful. But not much of a yard to speak of. A crazy, lumpy, uneven, gravel-y lot full of weeds and chiggers! Oh the chiggers are bad. <br />
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See that gorgeous lush lawn? Try not to be jealous. <br />
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Even though it was 90% weeds and chiggers, we knew it would be a few weeks (or months) before we could get some real grass in this place, and in the mean time, we couldn't be overrun. Plus we also have a puppy we had to let out to go potty, who is terrified of anything teller than a cricket. (Scratch that-- he's scared of crickets too...) but the tall scary weeds were not doing it for him, and we were not really fans of him pottying in the house, duh. So Z diligently mowed down the weeds twice a week. <br />We knew we had plenty of work ahead of us, but on top of our weed infestation and our chigger infestation, we also had these guys that liked to hang out in our yard...<br />
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Those are one, two, three little foxes that liked to play in our backyard every morning. Which would maybe be acceptable or expected if our house backed up to some woods, or acreage, but our lot backs up to someone else's fence? And there is an empty lot next door. However our house has been empty for 5 years, and these guys made it clear that this lot was THEIRS.<br />
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We actually found them quite entertaining and delightful at first. Every morning about 7:00 am they would be out frolicking, jumping, running, and playing in our yard. Right outside out windows, just a few feet from our back door! Sam especially enjoyed watching them in the mornings. But then I started to get a little nervous, becuase they didn't seem to be willing to give up their space. And when we saw this:<br />
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The little dudes jumping over a full size fence! I started to get nervous. I didn't know if they would ever act maliciously or territorially if we or our kiddo or our dog was outside, likely they would probably run and hide, but I wasn't sure. I didn't want to risk it. Especially knowing they could hop fences, I was a little concerned.<br />So I started researching wildlife rescue organizations around us to see if they could be relocated to a safer location for everyone. I didn't want to call animal control, because I didn't want the little guys to be captured and euthanized. It was unfortunate that our homes overlapped and we couldn't live comfortably together, but even still that wasn't their fault. <br />I was getting ready to make some phone calls, but we started seeing less and less of them. They didn't play in our yard in the mornings anymore, and we didn't even see them darting through the empty lots next to us anymore. <br />About a week later we brought in the machinery and graded and tilled our lot to prepare it for grass and landscaping and fencing. Now our house looks more like this:<br />
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And it stayed like that for a couple weeks, and without a speck of vegetation around, I think the foxen (as I lovingly called them) decided to relocate themselves to a nicer neighborhood. We have seen no evidence of them around for more than a month now, so I feel confident they have vacated the premises and I like to believe they found a much nicer home, away from cars, people and other weird stuff that would disrupt their way of life. But they were our little buddies for a couple of weeks and that still makes me smile.<br />
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So here's the house in the naked lot just waiting and ready for some love. And if you are perceptive or know anything about fence building, you've noted the load in our driveway and can take a guess at what the first order of business will be...<br /><br /><span id="goog_258458956"></span><span id="goog_258458957"></span>Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304925525103262392.post-53255196729903409462013-08-15T16:15:00.000-05:002013-08-15T16:15:18.736-05:00Maybe a Haircut will Help...Here's a dramatic before and after that gets me every time:<br />
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Dirty, shaggy, shapeless mutt...<br />
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...into handsomely groomed, bright-eyed puppy.<br />
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This is our dog Charlie. Charlie is about a 4 year old mutt, 'rescued' from an overwhelmed family. We got him when he was about a year old-- we think-- and he was kind of a mess. He was a shaggy, crazy, matted, but loveable guy... and we gave him his first haircut before he even belonged to us. Yup. We groom our dogs ourselves. Or I groom our dogs I guess.<br />
I grew up with cocker spaniels, and my parents always cut their hair on the back deck. Before I got my westie, Winston, I had never thought much about dog grroming, or the fact that my parents had always done their own dogs, but I took him to the groomer once or twice and I was all... uhn-uh. That is highway robbery folks.<br />Simple bath and grooming for a small dog was costing me $40-$50 bucks a pop. And half the time my westie came back to me looking like a Schnauzer, and I was all, really professional groomers? REALLY? So I started doing my dog's grooming myself, and never looked back at those crazy over priced groomers. <br />I've been doing my own dogs, my parents dogs, and my friend's dogs on occasion for several years now, and while I am FAR from a professional, I have picked up some skills and a few tips a long the way that I thought I'd like to share with you, if you think maybe you'd like to save yourself the cash and try your own hand at it...<br />
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1. <b>Invest a little...</b> You will need to make an initial investment in a pair of good quality clippers and grooming supplies. Most pet pet supply stores should have everything you need. Expect to pay $100+ for a good quality pair. But when you start to divide that cost between hair cuts... they will easily pay for themselves within a year. Even faster if you have more than one dog you are regularly grooming. I have <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Switchblade-Professional-Variable-Clipper-Wahl/dp/B001CD1NFU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376597886&sr=8-1&keywords=wahl+switchblade">these clippers by Wahl </a>and have been very pleased with the quality/durability... and also they have an extra long cord which is a lot more important than you might think. If your clippers do not come with a set of gaurds, you will want to get those as well. You will also need a good pair of scissors/shears and a comb/brush/matt rake.<br />
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2. <b>Do a little research...</b> Before I cut my Westie's hair for the first time I hit the internet and watched several videos on youtube about how to groom a westie. Look up your dog breed, or several dog breeds and get a general idea of what you want it to look like, and how to accomplish that! Sometimes your clippers might come with a book/manual/dvd with instructions on basic cuts, so read through that! You can go to PetsMart and watch them cut dogs through the windows at their grooming salon, witness a few haircuts before you make your maiden voyage. <br />Have a plan, and even print off some pictures to refer to as you cut.<br />
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3. <b>Work Smarter...</b> not harder. Make it easier on yourself. Start with your pooch brushed out and free of matts and tangles. This will make your clippers and/scissors glide right through, and make the whole process easier for both of you.<br />Any undesirable task is easier in small chunks. If your dog's fur becomes especially matted over time... give him a quick brush out daily, or every couple of days. He will be more comfortable, and it can eliminate hours of painful picking through matts before you every get to the haircut.<br />
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4. <b>Chill out...</b> grooming can be strange and stressful for your dog... try to reduce the stressors in the environment for both of you. Play some music that you like. Have some water on hand for both of you. Try to do it in an environment free of distracting or stressful kiddos. Have a spouse or family member the dog likes and trusts on hand to help hold, pet, or comfort and encourage your dog if he starts to get too upset. Try to remain positive in tone, even if the dog is not entirely compliant. You want to make this a positive experience if at all possible-- scolding and frustration will just make them fearful of it. <br />And treats for everyone when it's done! Some good play time and a rub down, or snacks and a snuggle... whatever you do to enjoy each other, enjoy each other once you are all cut and clean!<br />
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5. <b>Suck it up..</b>. We cut our dog's hair on the back porch or in the garage in inclement weather, and we keep the shop vac close at hand to suck up the hair as we go. The larger the dog, and the more you are cutting, the crazier and messier that pile of hair gets. take a break every couple of minutes to clean your work space of fallen hair. This will make the process and the cleanup much more manageable and enjoyable!<br />
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6. <b>The difference between a good haircut and a bad haircut...</b> is about 2 weeks. Or that's what my dad used to always tell us when we were teenagers. (and who didn't have a devastating haircut in their teen years?) You probably won't perfect the craft the very first time, and if you make a few mistakes, or the pup's ears are lopsided, or you forgot to put the guard on and the pooch is looking a little bald on one side... hair grows back. Give your pooch a little extra love, and yourself a little extra grace for the bad haircut, and give it a few weeks to grow out. Odds are your dog won't even notice, and you will find it amusing/endearing over time. :)<br />
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I hope that gives you a place to start, or maybe some encouragement to try something new. Pets are a part of your home and a part of your family, so of course you want to keep them looking great just like everything else! Let me know if you have any questions, or if you do decide to try your hand at some grooming, take before and afters and share them! I'd love to see your handiwork and your furbabies! :)<br />
<br />Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304925525103262392.post-87241229994738215802013-08-14T13:10:00.002-05:002013-08-14T13:14:07.998-05:00Sam's 1st room-- TOUR!We moved, and I know you all are anxious to see pics of the new house and all that... but there was something important I needed to do before we left the town home behind. Something I promised you years ago and never followed through on. <br />
Sam's room was my favorite room in that house. I put a ton of effort and thought into making that room special, and before we left it for good, I really want to document it and share it with you-- in it's complete form.<br />
Before I packed a single thing in that room, we gave it a good clean and pick-up and then took pictures so we would always have documentation and something to remember Sam's first room. The room we brought him home from the hospital to. The room where we spent countless hours rocking, feeding, playing, reading, and growing up. It was the only thing about the old house that I had a bittersweet pang leaving. But here it is, for you-- but mostly for me-- to enjoy and for posterity.<br />
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This is the view looking in the door. The chair is a rocking overstuffed chair we purchased at Babies 'R' Us. (Talked about our purchase <a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2011/08/baby-space-design-part-ii.html">here</a>). The <a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2011/11/curtain-y-goodness.html">curtains </a>were made by me. <a href="http://castle-creations.blogspot.com/2012/02/sht-balls-blanket.html">Bobble throw</a> on the chair was made and given to us by my good friend Amy Lee. The P pillow a gift from another friend. <a href="http://www.target.com/p/xhilaration-shag-accent-rug-2-6-x4/-/A-14409346#prodSlot=medium_1_5&term=shag+rug">White shag rug</a> from target. Trunk has been mine for years. And the bureau is part of the <a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2011/08/finally-baby-ps-furniture.html">furniture I refinished for the room</a>. The awesome bear painting on top of the bureau was a gift painted by my Aunt. (It is SO COOL.) The letters spelling his name came from HomeGoods.<br />
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<a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2011/10/crib.html">The crib</a> was purchase at Nebraska Furniture Mart. <a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2011/10/crib.html">Bed sheet</a> (white with green polka dots) and the <a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2011/11/simple-cribskirt-and-baby-gadgets.html">crib skirt</a> were made by me. The <a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2011/09/pinterest-challenge-project-3.html">chevron quilt</a> I made for him is over the side of the crib. The three small canvases above the bed were taken by<a href="http://kimjoycephotography.com/index2.php#/home/"> Kim Joyce Photography</a>, and the canvases purchased from ArtsCow.com. The corner shelves are from Target. We have an <a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2011/11/simple-cribskirt-and-baby-gadgets.html">AngelCare monitor</a> (on the right) that we LOVE. Blocks that spell Samuel (corner shelf on the left) are from <a href="http://www.littlesaplingtoys.com/">Little Sapling Toys</a>. The leaf mobile above the crib was made by myself and my friend, <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/129830401727293232/">of etsy inspiration</a>. To the right of the crib is <a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2011/09/dirty-laundry.html">Sam's hamper</a>, and in the top middle of the photo you can see a little 'sweet pea' ornament that my mom gave us, we hung it from the <a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2011/09/ambiance.html">fan</a> pull, and it became part of Sam's goodnight ritual, touching the sweetpea before bed every night.<br />
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This dresser was another piece that <a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2011/08/finally-baby-ps-furniture.html">I refinished for the room</a>. The changing pad was purchased from Babies 'R' Us, and the<a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2011/11/changing-pad-cover.html"> changing pad cover</a> I made. The <a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2011/10/black-hole.html">elephant lamp</a> on the right was purchased at HomeGoods, and Amy Lee and I recovered the lampshade. Peeking around the corner (on the floor on the left) you can see the<a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2012/05/keep-your-bags-handy.html"> bag holder</a> I made, and also the <a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2011/11/changing-pad-cover.html">wet bags</a> for Sam's <a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2011/10/covered.html">cloth diapers </a>hang there. Above the dresser is the tiled round miror I purchase at HomeGoods, as well as pictures of Z and I, the puppies, sam's sonogram and framed hospital bracelet. Above the changing pad as pinwheels from the<a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2011/11/little-man-shower.html"> Baby P shower</a> my friend Erin threw. Sam loved those hanging pinwheels!<br />
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The view from the other side of the room... My favorite part! Sam had a regular old boring closet that was dingy and had broken sliding doors on it. We removed the doors and painted it this happy bright green color. My dad built the shelf going up the middle, and I painted that and all the other shelving (going up the sides of the closet you can't see) a bright shiny white. We installed the wooden clothing rods. The green tubs along the top shelf and the green kids hangers came from Target. We added a ton of storage, and made the room feel more open bright with out closet remodel. I was so happy. The large ruler to the left of the closet I made as a growth chart for Sam's first birthday. (Meant to put that project on the blog, but... oops.)<br />
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And I think that's about it. If you saw anything in there I didn't mention that you are curious about, please ask, I will answer to the best of my ability! I was so proud of this room, and felt so happy in this space.<br />
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Goodbye, Happy Room! We will miss you, but we gotta move on to bigger and better things!<br />
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It's a little weird to go back through all those older posts as we were preparing this room for Little Sam... especially since we now have a Baby P II we are preparing for. Oh, we have <i>Big</i> plans for his first<i> little</i> room! I can't wait to get started and share with you along the way. :)Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304925525103262392.post-67041739940828300662013-08-13T18:02:00.001-05:002013-08-13T18:08:41.848-05:00Popcorn Trail TreatsIt's not like there are a million things going on at my house right now. A million things that I am dying to show you, but haven't had the energy to blog about. In the mean time, you can have this recipe. This recipe and a promise that good things are coming!<br />
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Sam has recently discovered popcorn. And he is delighted. Who wouldn't be, really? I mean, you show me a person who says they are <i>meh</i> about popcorn, and I will show you a person who is dead on the inside. Popcorn is awesome. <br />
It's awesome because it's tasty. It's awesome because it can go sweet or savory. It's awesome because it's not innately bad for you... but you can definitely take it there if you are feeling sinful. We love popcorn.<br />
We also love granola, dried fruit, trail mix, and rice krispie treats... I was thinking about all those things that we love and all of a sudden went, DUH. This has to come together. And it did. And it was awesome.<br />
Behold:<br />
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Salty and sweet, crunchy and chewy, yummy and not too sinful. All the things we love in a treat, no? <br />
Okay, enough talk... Go make some!<br />
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<b>Popcorn Trail Treats</b><br />
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4 cups popped white popcorn (1/4 cup unpopped should do it) <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Dude, do this <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t-JpxQ0cJ8">oil free method </a>too. Bet you didn't know you could do that, eh?)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">1/3 cup of dried mixed berries chopped (mine had cherries, blueberries and strawberries)<br />1 cup oats</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts (or any nuts you prefer!)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">1/2 cup roasted coconut </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">1/2 tablespoon coconut oil</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">1 tablespoon honey</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="font-size: small;">Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">In a large saucepan over med-low heat, stir the marshmallows, coconut oil, and honey until melted. Dump the dry stuff into the melted mixture and gently stir until thoroughly coated. Press into a greased 9x9 pan, and pop into the fridge to firm up. Cut into bars, store in an airtight container. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">*This is not an exact science... use whatever dried fruit you like, raisins? Apricots? Craisins? I don't care. I also feel like some dark chocolate chunks could be delicious. Or throw some flax seed or wheat germ in there to beef up some healthiness. I use these big gorgeous roasted coconut flakes that I get at Trader Joes, but you toast up some regular shredded coconut.<br />*You could likely swap out butter or margarine (gah, but why would you want to?) for the coconut oil. But I had some and coconut oil is good stuff... go with what cha got.<br />*Add a pinch or two of some good sea salt if you enjoy things on the saltier side. We try to omit salt where we can for health reasons... but I know that sweet/salty contrast is very appealing.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I hope you enjoy! But warning... with little toddler hands around they may not even last long enough to take a few pics for your blog... </span></span><br />
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Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304925525103262392.post-76382646602007377762013-06-11T08:56:00.000-05:002013-06-11T08:56:34.178-05:00Baby P II(Warning, oversharing about to happen.) <br />
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Hiya!<br />
So yesterday I made the big announcement about our bun in the oven, but glossed over the details to share with you about the house. You didn't actually think I wasn't going to come back and over share about baby stuff, though, right?<br />Right after the first of the year I started talking to Z about Babies! I was getting the baby fever. We said we'd talk about it when Sam was a year old, so I brought it up-- even though I knew what the answer was for both of us. Not now. We had barely started the serious search for a house but it felt hopeless. Z was still working long long hours and his schedule was all over the place-- we both knew this was not great timing. We knew we both wanted more kiddos, but decided we would talk about it again this summer-- hopefully we would have a house or be closer to having a house by then and could make a smart and informed decision about whether the timing was 'right' then.<br />Plus also... we wanted to avoid getting pregnant in the spring again, if at all possible so as not to have another 'holiday baby'. Not that we don't love Sam and everything about him, but babies and birthdays close to the holidays can be chaotic, especially in my husband's line of work. <br />
(Yes, read this, and laugh at us 'planning' because if you know anything about life and children, which we obviously don't, you know they don't like to conform to our preconceived schedules) (Ew, unintentional bad pun there with the preconceived thing.)<br />
Fast forward a month or two to Easter Sunday. I was just sitting around that evening, and similar to two years earlier, I suddenly just had this feeling-- this knowledge I can't explain why-- I was pregnant and I knew it. But this was practically impossible, because... well it just was. The timing and the logistics didn't make any sense. I said nothing to anyone, but the next morning after Z left for work I took a test.<br />
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Oh man-- surely that is a false positive.<br />
So I said nothing to anyone and took three more tests on three consecutive days. Positive, positive, positive. So there you have it. <br />I kept my mouth shut for an entire week. On Wednesday, I asked my husband out on a date. Dates are kinda a rare occurrence for us, so he excitedly agreed. I got a baby sitter and reservations, and nearly died trying to keep my mouth shut for three more days. If you know me, and how much I love secrets and surprises but how horrible I am at keeping them, you can be impressed!<br />
Date night finally came, and I got dressed up and we went out and I kept my mouth shut all the way until we got to the restaurant. We ordered drinks and I finally said... Well... I actually had a specific reason I asked you on a date tonight, I have a little surprise for you, do you want it now or later?<br />Of course Z is used to me offering up 'surprises' but he stil doesn't like it. haha<br />
He laughed nervously, and siad I guess now? So I handed him an envelope. Inside was a card with the following picture and caption:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://pkybxg.dm1.livefilestore.com/y2pylJ3RVHyYSn6TVUlwQGQdXQkjdVQYjB_FnNM5-WK7GtZVs9KNMZHp0YF_8sdqGPhQD6b1lxpjWJImcAhrTmMNTlP9dt9E1WVCKktzUrLrGE/DSC03340w.jpg?psid=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://pkybxg.dm1.livefilestore.com/y2pylJ3RVHyYSn6TVUlwQGQdXQkjdVQYjB_FnNM5-WK7GtZVs9KNMZHp0YF_8sdqGPhQD6b1lxpjWJImcAhrTmMNTlP9dt9E1WVCKktzUrLrGE/DSC03340w.jpg?psid=1" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first picture of the FOUR of us</td></tr>
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He knew immediately what it meant-- and got really excited. He even kissed me in public (BIG DEAL!). He was completely surprised, though, just as I had been... and we smiled, and talked baby, and mused at how exciting this was and how silly we are for trying to 'plan' when to have a baby. Those little buggers have a mind of their own, now don't they?<br />
When Sam was born we waited til 9 or 10 weeks to tell our parents... made a big deal of it on mother's day. This time we opted to spill the beans right away, just because we were so darn excited. We were going to see my parents the next day for our weekly family date night, so we decided that was the time. But we were also trying to be creative, and wanted to get Sam in on the fun.<br />
So the next day I ran to the store and grabbed a plain white shirt, then used my silhouette to make a freezer paper stencil out of the 'big brother' logo I designed...<br />
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And the next night he wore his new shirt over to Poppy and Meema's house. He ran around for about a half hour before my mom finally noticed, <i>hey what do you have on your shirt, Sam?</i> Then with big eyes at us <i>WHAT DOES HE HAVE ON HIS SHIRT!?!?!</i> And we smiled and she squealed with excitement, and my dad was all, what's going on, and my mom showed him the shirt and he was all-- <i>um, okay?</i> But once we explained it to him-- he was pretty excited too. :)<br />We also told Z's parents and my sister that night... The shirt was a big hit!<br />
We were just guessing at a due date until we got to the doctor a few weeks later. He confirmed that, yes, there was a baby coming... and this one is due Dec 6.<br />
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Here is the very first picture of Baby P (the second!). This was taken at 9 weeks. Baby P is laying on it's back with head on the left here. Already so cute and loveable, don't you think? :)<br />So we were super surprised but are super excited. Yes, We will find out if it's a boy or a girl (but not for a month or two still) and yes we will tell you when we know. Yes, I will be taking weekly 'bump' pictures again... but not yet, there's not much to see yet. No, we are not going to tell you Baby P's name until he/she is born. Just like last time. <br />
I've been pretty nasty sick the past couple months, but we are entering the second trimester now, and it seems to be letting up some. Thank goodness! We've got a lot to get done this month with a move, and a show-- no time for laying and bed and hugging the toilet, I tell you what!<br />I can't wait to meet this little peanut. I am so very very excited to be a mama x2! Thanks for all your love and support and interest in our lives...<br />And if you made it through that long, wordy, oversharing post... well a bonus 10 points for you. You're awesome! <3 br=""></3><br />
<br />Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304925525103262392.post-38877293416666906352013-06-10T15:58:00.000-05:002013-06-10T15:58:21.926-05:00Family of Four in a New House<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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That would be my family of four. <br />In front of our new house.<br />Yes, this is an annoucement.<br />
Two, actually.<br /><br />I am sure you guessed from my absence on the blog that I was either dead, lazy, or pregnant. If you guessed the last, you were right!<br />
10 points.<br />
If you guessed the second... well... you are mostly right too.<br />Oh who am I kidding, all those who voted lazy get 10 points too.<br />
If you follow me on pinterest (which you totally should because I pin awesome stuff) you may have even guessed that we bought a house... or at least that we were in the market for it. And you would be right too.<br />
So 10 points for you.<br />
And you know what? Just... 10 points to anyone who cared enough to spend their time wondering why I blog so infrequently. Because sometimes there is a reason, but usually that reason is I am a little neurotic and spastic. But nevertheless I appreciate that you wasted your time pondering my whereabouts.<br />
<br />
Anyway.<br />
I AM pregnant!<br />We DID buy a house!<br />
I've been sick like whoa and overwhelmed with this whirlwind real estate thing and preparing to move. <br />But the house is incredible and the timing, though chaotic, is pretty great as well. There are so many moving parts that just seem to be falling into place and we feel blessed and elated and so RIGHT about this whole thing.<br />
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The house is like 6 years old, but never been lived in. It's really bright and spacious and in a nice, young neighborhood in the town I grew up in. (Which just makes the whole thing so much cozier!) We've got friends around the block, and family just a mile away. A great yard, and lots of space to grow into as our kiddos (and family!) get bigger!<br />
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<br />The kitchen is great and look at that dining room... all the windows and pretty warm wood tones make me happy.<br />
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We are most pleased that this little guy loves the new house too. Here he is looking out his second story window. There are 'doggies' and other 'babies' in the neighborhood that he is so excited about. The first time we saw the house, Sam laid down on the carpet right in the middle of the living room, put his hands behind his head and sighed contentedly. I am not even kidding. It was hilarious and awesome, and just confirmed that, yes, we all felt right in this house.<br />
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<br />The rooms are all spacious and lovely, the closets generous. The <i>laundry on the same floor as the bedrooms</i>, and check this out:<br />
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That's a jacuzzi tub in my master bath. (it's okay if you want to sigh, I do whenever I look at it.)<br />
I am SO EXCITED about this awesome new dream house we will be moving into very very soon. (Can ya tell???) Of course I'll share updates as we move and get settled, and I have great plans for some exciting new decor on the cheap and some DIY stuff thats going to make our dream home even more awesome. I can't wait to show you.<br />But patience. <br />(That was for me, not you. But you can be patient too.)<br />I should go work on a little packing. Goodbye for now, pretty house. We'll be moving in soon!<br />
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Goodbye for now, sweet friends and readers. Be back to update you soon! </div>
Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304925525103262392.post-46491127053119427142013-05-23T10:00:00.001-05:002013-05-23T10:00:19.711-05:00Don't Overthink ItThere's a lot going on in our lives right now, and I am admittedly poor at balancing life and time and work and blog and baby. It feels like the harder I 'work' at it, the more difficult it all becomes. I just feel a lot of pressure to get everything right, you know? <br />I mean, I am a perfectionist in a loose sense of the word. I am far from clean and organized and Type A personality, but I need a solid plan in place. Time and day structure and life plan-- I need to know and have a clear sense of whats going on in my life... and I just don't have that right now. Everything is just kind of hanging out with no clear timeframe or beginning or end and it feels terrifying and difficult to carry on. And yet, if you don't carry on as normal, everything falls apart. <br />And even if I am falling apart, it is important to keep up an appearance of 'normal' or even-- better than normal-- fantastic! And perfect! I don't want ya'll to see my messy. <br />This is unrealistic.<br />
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So I think God has been working on me lately, to teach me patience and 'letting go' even though I am desperately trying to hold on to my time frame and make plans to the letter and figure everything out and appear fantastic. This is a hard one for me.<br />Even with-- okay especially with-- Sam. I just want his childhood to be so much fun. So nurturing and educational, and awesome. I have been dreaming up these amazing schemes and plans and activities that are tactile and intuitive and brain developing and healthy... and I get these amazing plans and activites all prepared, I sit my baby boy down to them-- and he cries in frustration. <br />
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And I cry in frustration, <i>because what the heck kid? This stuff is awesome!</i> And I plunk down a bucket of water and he squeals with delight and plays quietly for an hour, while I sigh in frustration.<br />
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What am I doing wrong here? What in the world is wrong with my plans? My activities? <br />Why do my ideas and plans and schedules make everyone frustrated and screamy? Because, on paper, they look great, they look perfect! And when someone asks you what you did to be a fantastic mom today, who wants to say, <i>oh, my kid played with a bucket of water</i>. <br />But he was happy. Without my grandiose plans. And everything worked out, and nothing fell apart. And I guess I just need to learn to let go of some of those plans and just let the good happen without me having to control it and overthink it. <br />Which goes for all areas of my life. I need to learn not to overthink every detail. Not to stress because things aren't going as planned-- or because there is no plan. There are good things in the unplanned spaces. Sacred things in letting go. Perfect things in spontaneous moments-- perfect things like this pure joy giggle from my baby boy, happily playing with a bucket of water.<br />
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<br />Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304925525103262392.post-28549770312963461642013-05-07T11:14:00.000-05:002013-05-07T11:14:19.100-05:00DIY Mother's Day Mugs(I know, 3 posts in a weeks time, I'm a crazy woman!)<br />
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Soooo... are you all ready for Mother's Day? Or are you (like me) still running around getting things together? Well, here is ONE MORE gift that doesn't suck that you can definitely throw together at the last minute. Get to it. You've got 4.5 days. <br />(Side note: Sam's Grandmas, would you kindly avert your eyes until after the 12th? Thanksamillion)<br />
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I needed a gift for Sam to give to his Grandmas. This one includes baby finger prints... but really could be anything you want it to. Take this idea, personalize it, spin it however you want. <br />Both of the Grandmas are tea fanatics. Hot or cold-- but mostly hot. They always are toting around their mugs or hot tea sipping away. So I thought a personalized mug to sip their tea out of would be fantastic. I did a little searching on pinterest for some help. I found<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/129830401730359996/"> this handprint mug</a>, and I said YES! and I found <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/129830401730363293/">this wine glass</a> which made me laugh, and I thought well, you can sip wine, you can sip tea-- whatever your vice is, I think it works.<br /><br />I happened to have a couple white ceramic mugs laying around because we recently got some new dishes, and each place setting came with a mug. Even though we wanted place settings for 12 I didn't feel like I would ever need mugs for 12... so we kept about half of them, and put the other half in storage. But when I thought of this project, I went ooh free!!!<br />If you don't have plain ceramic mugs laying around... you can get these at the dollar store very inexpensively.<br />The only other thing you need is enamel paint. I used FolkArt Enamel in Burnt Umber and Foliage, purchased at craft supply store for about $2 each.<br />
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I started trying to free-hand my lettering with a tiny paintbrush... and I just don't have a steady enough hand. So I wiped that attempt off and went for plan B: a stencil. I got out my silhouette machine and quickly make a vinyl stencil for my letters. the stencil is a leeeeeetle finicky to get it to lay correctly on a curved surface, but I fiddled with it a little and got it good enough.</div>
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Then I just dabbed my paint over the stencil-- waited about a minute for it to dray a smidge, then dabbed on a second coat. I peeled the stencil off while it was still wet... there were a few places where it had bled a bit, but that cleaned up fairly easily with a cotton swab, or if it has already dried too much, you can use an exacto knife to carefully scrape away the unwanted paint.</div>
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You can see my lettering is not perfect, but I felt like it looked good enough. Again, if you have a steady hand and good penmenship, you could free hand the lettering and it would likely be much much faster. I waited for the lettering to completely dry before adding the baby handprints on the side. It took my husband and I wrangling the toddler to make the handprint happen, and even still it was chaos, and somehow the dog ended up covered in paint-- so i don't have pics of that part. But... grab a small hand, paint on a thin coat of paint, press straight down and pull straight up, and wait for your hand print to dry. Try to block out the screams of childhood trauma from your *willing assistant. (*and by 'willing', I mean a toddler horrified that his hand is dirty and he is being held down, and hates craft time with mommy even more than he hates naptime.) Oh, I also freehanded the little heart on the 'tea bag'.</div>
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To cure the enamel paint (make it permanant) the bottle says you can let it air dry for 21 days (um, right, because you planned ahead and have 21 days to sit on this project) OR you can let it air dry for 1 hour, bake it for 30 minutes and let it cool. Um, I'll take door number 2 please. So here are my mugs sitting in the oven (please don't judge my dirty gross oven). As per the instructions, I placed them in a cold oven, turned it on to 350 degrees, once it had heated I set my timer for 30 mins, and when it went off, I turned the oven off to let them cool. I came back a couple hours later and everything was cooled and looked great!</div>
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And there you have it! These will be stuffed with some tea, tied with a ribbon, and should be in the mail today on the way to Sam's Grandmas for Mother's day. I hope they love them, I think they turned out cute.<br />This was another pretty inexpensive gift-- you know me, gifting on the cheap! I only paid about $5 for the paint. If you didn't have mugs, you might be in the project more like $8-10, but still that's only $4 or $5 dollars for a nice personal mug, with leftover supplies (paint) for more projects. </div>
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So that's it! I hope you have been inspired to make something handmade for your mama or grandmother, or any special women in your life this mother's day! If you didn't see my other gift ideas (with tutorials!) check them out <a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2013/05/diy-garden-stepping-stone.html">here</a> and <a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2013/05/recipe-keepsakes.html">here</a>.</div>
Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304925525103262392.post-58659866698199691392013-05-06T11:37:00.000-05:002013-05-06T11:37:42.879-05:00DIY Garden stepping stone<span id="goog_1543141533"></span><span id="goog_1543141534"></span>Today I have what I think is another great Mother's day gift idea, especially for those of you who have little ones. I am desperate to preserve the tiny little feet and hands-- already he is getting so big and those little pink baby toes are walking big-boy dirty toes and I can hardly bear it!<br />I made these for the grandmas last year (so excuse the date...) but I think they really loved them, and they are a sweet sentimental gift for the gardener or outdoorsy ladies in your life. (Because outdoorsy to me means sipping lemonade on patios, or my parent's golf course quality green lawn in the backyard.)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">(See? Golf course beautiful)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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Anyway, this was pretty simple to create, but here's a step by step because I love you:<br />
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You are going to need:<br /> some concrete (I bought a bucket of QuickCrete at Homedepot for $7), <br />Plastic plant water drip trays (98 cents at home depot) (or you could probably use old pie tins)<br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00114OU28/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00114OU28&linkCode=as2&tag=onesashou-20">Concrete Letter Stamps</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=onesashou-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00114OU28" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (I got these from amazon, but you could also look at craft stores or home depot, especially this time of year, for around $10 or less)<br />Mosaic tiles (or this sheet of bathroom mosaic, purchased at home depot for about $5)<br />Spoon or stir stick, bucket to mix stuff in, plastic sheeting and towels to protect your surface and clean up.<br />
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This is one of those projects where you will want to have everything ready to go before you start... because once that concrete gets wet, it goes fast!<br />
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Start by mixing your concrete per the instructions on the package. It may mix it a little thick, I actually added a little more water so it way smooth and spreadable... like creamy peanut butter. (Adding more water will increase your drying time, just FYI)<br />
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Next, scoop your concrete into your mold. I used 2 sizes of trays, an 8" and a 10". The 8" was perfect for a baby size foot... but any bigger you will want a bigger size (they sell 10" and 12" trays as well if you are doing an older child). Smooth the concrete out as best you can, and tap it a few times so it is nice and flat accross the top. <br />(See how there is kinda some water pooling around the edges there? Thats what happens if you add tooooooo much water. But never fear, it's fixable. After you have scooped, smoothed and tapped, take a paper towel and gently lay it accross the top of the concrete. It should suck the excess right up. Don't press or pat or wipe... just let it do it's thing and carefully peel it off the top)<br />
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Next press in your tiles. Work quickly-- give em' a good shove down into the concrete though so it will really grab on, if you just gently place them, they won't stick well. If the concrete is smeary on the tiles, it's okay, it will wipe off with water later. These little square tiles were easiest for me to work with... but if you have actual mosiac tile, or broken pottery, or those little flat marble things, or left over tile pieces from another project... all those would be great. Get creative, rock what ya got. <br />
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Now it's footprint time... grab your willing and cooperative 1 year old (riiiiiiiiiight) and squish those tootsies straight down in the middle of the wet concrete mold. (full disclosure: the print pictured above was attempt #32-- or something close to that number. If the first one--or first 31-- doesn't look like you want it, scrape, spread, smooth over the area and try again. Easy peasy.) If the concrete is getting too solid, try dribbling a little water over the top and carefully scraping, spreading and smoothing unitl it's a workable consitancy. Even still, try to work fast, it's only forgiving for the first 10 minutes or so.<br />
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Have your<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00114OU28/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00114OU28&linkCode=as2&tag=onesashou-20">stamps</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=onesashou-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00114OU28" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> ready. I chose to put my son's name and the year. But you could certainly put an I love you, or an inspirational quote, or whatever you like. <br />
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I started at the middle of my word to make sure it was centered, and pretty straight forward here with the stamps-- press them in, pull straight up and out. If there are lines from the edges of the stamps, smooth them out with your finger.<br />
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And there you have it! Now you just need to set it somewhere it can sit undisturbed for 48 hours. It will feel/look dry after about an hour, but you need to leave it alone for 48 so it completely dries and cures.<br />
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Still drying here, this is after like, 12 hours. The finish of the concrete looks a little wonky at this point, but it evened out. After everything is all dry, they should pop easily out of the plastic molds, and it's really for your garden:<br />
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Or your Golf course lawn:<br />
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These turned out to be great gifts for the grandmas, they loved them! I made one for myself as well... and someday if I have a backyard, or a garden, or a small spattering of grassiness to call my own (fingers crossed!!!) it's so going down there! Cute little baby Sam foot. It just makes me smile.<br />This project is a simdge more expensive than the last I showed you, because you will likely have to purchase most of the supplies. It's not hard to come by-- just not stuff you might have on hand. You could be in it $25 for supplies, but that was enough to make 4 stepping stones, which brings the price per stone to $6.25 which ain't to shabby for a personal and handmade gift that grandmas and mama alike will love... and it's better than a macaroni necklace. Right?<br />
I hope some of you whip some of these stones up for Mother's Day this year, you still have time! And of course if you do... let me know about it, and/or share photos in the flickr pool. Thanks!<br />
<br /><span id="goog_1543141551"></span><span id="goog_1543141552"></span><br /><span id="goog_1543141531"></span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1543141532"></span>Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304925525103262392.post-78464083448533740602013-05-01T11:03:00.000-05:002013-05-01T11:03:09.707-05:00Recipe KeepsakesHere's a project a created a few months ago for my dad... but I think it's a lovely and totally charming keepsake that would make a great Mother's Day gift (you have 12 days, by the way...) so I am sharing it with you now.<br />
I actually started this back in December, because it was meant to be a Christmas present, but didn't quite happen.<br />
I think every family has a few recipes that are unique to them... or unique to a certian person in their family. My Dad makes famous cinnamon rolls and a killer apple pie. No one can do it quite like him-- his recipe is unique and delicious and just... his. Same thing with my Grandma's cream puffs. No one made cream puffs like grandma. It was one of her specials. I got thinking about these special recipes and how I would love to make some recipe art for my kitchen, and how much my parents would love having some keepsake recipe art in their kitchen.<br />
I did a little searching and drew some inspiration from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/85684536/8x10-pumpkin-pie-kitchen-art-print-with">HERE</a> (which if you weren't set on creating your own, I would totally recommend, because the work in this shop is adorable), and <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/129830401729409620/">HERE</a> and set out to create my own. <br />
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I created this using Adobe Photoshop Elements, and using the help of the following tutorials from <a href="http://howtonestforless.com/2013/01/04/how-to-make-chalkboard-printables/">How to Nest for Less</a>, <a href="http://sweetcsdesigns.com/my-favorite-chalk-effect-fonts/">Sweet C's Designs</a>, and <a href="http://www.nestofposies-blog.com/2012/11/free-chalkboard-fonts-dingbats/">Nest of Posies</a>. If you don't have photoshop, here is a great tutorial about how to create printables using a free site like Picmonkey, it's from <a href="http://www.iammommahearmeroar.net/2012/07/creating-printables-your-questions.html">I am Momma, Hear me Roar</a>.<br />
After creating my recipe printable (which took a lot of time, trial and error, and tweaking. Self-taught/blog taught graphic artist here!) I looked into buying some nice frames to gift them... but frames are stupid expensive, and still didn't create exactly the look I wanted. So I decided I wanted to mount mine on wood for a little different style. <br />Here's how that went down:<br />
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I took my files to FedEx Office and had them make some nice color prints for me. This cost less than a dollar. (you might also notice that I changed my chalkboard to green... it matched the decor in my parent's kitchen a little better that way)<br />
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I went to Home Depot and had two boards cut to 8x10". Then I brought them home and sanded all the edges really well, and stained them with some stain I already had on hand. I also picked up some picture hangers while I was there. Cost for the boards, cuts, and picture hanging hardware was around $5. These were stained several days before... and had completely dried and cured by the time I was working with them. (You notice I didn't entirely stain that top side? It's going to be covered, doesn't matter.)<br />
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Next I trimmed the paper prints down to size, I wanted just a very small border of the wood showing around the edges. I laid it on top to make sure it fit and I was happy... I'm happy! Lets move on...<br />
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I used a paint brush to put a very very thin layer of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001IKES5O/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001IKES5O&linkCode=as2&tag=onesashou-20">Mod Podge</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=onesashou-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B001IKES5O" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> (which I already had on hand) on the board, then centered the best I could, starting at the top, applied my paper as smoothly as possible.<br />
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I worked in small sections, but very quickly and carefully, as the stuff dries pretty fast and you really only get one shot to get it right. That makes it sound super complicated-- it's not. Just be careful.<br />
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Once it is carefully centered and in place with all the mod podge underneath... use a credit card (or your HyVee fuel saver card!) to carefully carefully smooth out bumps, bubbles, and wrinkles.<br />
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Once everything is all smoothed out and adheared, get out your modpodge and brush once more and put a thin coat accross the entire top of the board. Mod podge will dry clear, so don't stress if it obscures your artwork while it's still wet. Also, it will give a bit of texture to the art, so make sure your brush strokes all go the same way, and that you don't have finger prints or something in the mod podge... unless thats the look you are going for, I guess.<br />I will appear to be dry within like 15 minutes... but resist the urge to touch it for a few hours. Let it sit overnight undisturbed to fully cure and harden up.<br />
The next day, install the picture frame hanger hardware stuff to the back (didn't take a pic of this part... sorry!) And you are all done! Yay!<br />
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<br />You have lovely keepsake recipe plaques to display in your kitchen or give to someone you love-- or even to remember someone you love. I thought they were really lovely, unique, sentimental kind of art. This project cost me around $6 to create-- which is a pretty cheap gift, I think, but still packs a sentimental punch. If you didn't have things like the stain and mod podge on hand, you might be invested more like $15, but even still-- not bad for nice artwork gift.<br />
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I loved them on my kitchen shelf next to Grandma's teapot, and I love them hanging as a pair in my parent's kitchen. My parents were delighted with the gift and proudly hung them immediately.<br />
Maybe you have some family recipes you'd love to create a keepsake out of? Maybe thie would be the perfect gift for your Mother or Grandma this mother's day? Or maybe you just came here to steal the prominately displayed secret apple pie recipe of my father's? Well, I cannot blame you if you did, it's icredible. I can only caution you now that you have this powerful secret to use your powers for good, my friend, not evil.<br /><span id="goog_2094063763"></span>Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304925525103262392.post-17665639237776928362013-04-09T09:48:00.001-05:002013-04-09T09:48:50.899-05:00DIY Baby Swing gets all famousOh my gosh, you guys! I can't believe how much you all love this baby swing. Well, I mean, I love it too... but the online response (WHOA Pinterest) has been overwhelming!<br />
Also, I was recently contacted but Amanda at <a href="http://www.smartblondeandcrafty.com/">Smart, Blonde, and Crafty</a>, who wanted to build one for the spring issue of her online crafty magazine, how cool is that? If you want to see her version, you can check it out here: http://www.smartblondeandcrafty.com/diy-baby-swing/<br />
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The whole site is really interesting with a ton of ideas, and the online magazine is definitely worth a 'flip through' as well. So check it out!<br />
I'll try to get back in the swing of things (heh heh, see what I did there?) soon with some DIY gifts... and maybe some Mother's day ideas. Recently my time has been a little consumed by a different sort of rather large project that I hope to be able to share some good news on soon. We'll see. Cross your fingers for us! <br />
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To see my original baby swing post,<a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2012/07/swingin.html"> go here</a>.<br />
To see the updated post, <a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/2013/03/osh-revisited-swingin.html">go here</a>.<br />
To share pictures of your swing that you made, <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/1sassyhousewife">go here</a>.<br />
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<br />Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-304925525103262392.post-89599886912147608092013-03-14T13:22:00.001-05:002013-03-14T13:23:36.877-05:00Ain't easy being green.<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hpiIWMWWVco" width="560"></iframe> <br />
Poor Kermie. What a rough plight.<br />
Fortunately... you don't have to suffer the same. With that upcoming green holiday and the interwebs at your disposal, you've got about every idea imaginable at at your fingertips making it (wait for it...) easy for you to be green. <br />
Okay. Done being corny.<br />
We don't get crazy into every little holiday, but with St. Patrick's day coming up I thought it was a great time to share one of our favorite breakfast treats around here.<br />
Green Smoothies!<br />
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What's that? You don't struggle to get enough healthy, leafy greens in yourself and your family? Well then, I guess you can stop reading. This post is not for you. (And I am rolling my eyes in your general direction-- healthy over achiever. No one likes people like that, you know?)<br />
I do struggle... also it's hard to convince my toddler to chow down on some spinach, no matter how I try to convince him of it's health and Pop-eye benefits. But he enjoys sluuuuurrrping down a smoothie in the morning.<br />
I know the green smoothie thing is not a new craze by any means, and I probably don't make mine healthy-to-the-max like some people do... but I feel like even a little green is a big win where it would otherwise not be consumed. So here are my fav recipes.<br />
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<b>Pineapple Mango Greenie</b><br />
1 cup fresh baby spinach<br />
1/2 cup cucumber pieces<br />
1/2 cup pineapple pieces (fresh or frozen)<br />
1/2 cup mango pieces (fresh or frozen)<br />
1/2 cup greek yogurt<br />
1 cup orange (or mango, or pineapple if you have it!) juice<br />
Stick it all in your blender and blend. Make sure you have enough liquid to cover all your fruit/veggies... you can add water if you need to. <br />
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Yummy and adding green to our diets. Win win. Sam took a sip and said "Mmmmmmm!" which is his new trick-- he also said that about a cheerio he found in the couch cushion-- but don't let that taint your opinion. It really was delicious.<br />
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I also use <a href="http://mindofthemother.blogspot.com/2011/02/green-smoothies-my-way.html">THIS GREEN SMOOTHIE RECIPE</a> I got from my friend Danielle, over a year ago. It's very similar... just with berries. Plus she adds flax seed because she is so smart and always thinking a step ahead to fill her family with healthy stuff. Over achiever.<br />
And I'm like a half achiever.<br />
But I consumed a cup of leafy greens for breakfast today... sooo... beat that, toaster waffles!<br />
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And... one other little green thing we did to 'celebrate' St.P's day. <br />
I am assuming you have gathered from <a href="http://onesassyhousewife.blogspot.com/search/label/Mani%28c%29%20Monday">these posts</a> that I am a little into nail art these days. So when I saw <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/129830401730018788/">this</a> on pinterest, I knew I needed to put together a cute little gift for my Mani-Buddy, Amy Lee! (Ooh! Shameless plug: Amy started <a href="http://fancyside.blogspot.com/">a nail blog</a>. You should check it out. <a href="http://fancyside.blogspot.com/">fancyside.blogspot.com</a>)<br />
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<a href="https://azr5aa.dm1.livefilestore.com/y1pb32AZAitau47duv8Te1JNezpPyFzcnTtlwyKdRpNeX1K9earTO9eO7jNSdry-c0B_WinWCMCJjkb_mAGd7aDLrRz1Skvhd3t/IMG_8754w.jpg?psid=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://azr5aa.dm1.livefilestore.com/y1pb32AZAitau47duv8Te1JNezpPyFzcnTtlwyKdRpNeX1K9earTO9eO7jNSdry-c0B_WinWCMCJjkb_mAGd7aDLrRz1Skvhd3t/IMG_8754w.jpg?psid=1" /></a></div>
I definitely had to get myself some of this awesome sparkly green-ness. I was wearing it earlier this week and I love the deep emerald shimmer.<br />
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<a href="https://azr5aa.dm1.livefilestore.com/y1pBqGi5e9GMQLvdI9202b0_zfLZiTOrXf1r3EoNp8vjmBR2_Bvgt43zG-K07waFJRImmRVetplnqaVtvzEEVCggOKbNStYAaJb/IMG_8745w.jpg?psid=1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://azr5aa.dm1.livefilestore.com/y1pBqGi5e9GMQLvdI9202b0_zfLZiTOrXf1r3EoNp8vjmBR2_Bvgt43zG-K07waFJRImmRVetplnqaVtvzEEVCggOKbNStYAaJb/IMG_8745w.jpg?psid=1" /></a></div>
...but we also went to go see the new OZ movie this weekend (it was cute, but probably a little intense for kiddos...?) and this polish made me feel very 'wicked witch'. Which I kind of loved. Dark and green and magical. (The color is Revlon:Rain Forest)<br />
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So there you have it. Not much of a celebration for St.P's around here, but enjoying the day's favored color. What kind of green things have you been doing? Been eating (drinking?) your veggies? Painting your nails? Indulging in fantasies of witches and wonder and the emerald city?Valeriehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16963195476257539588noreply@blogger.com2