The Random Trifecta of Stuff I Like

Three random things have made my life more complete recently.  I will share them with you in no particular order. 

1) www.SkinnyTaste.com:  Um...have you visited this website yet? You must go there now and start planning your meals for next week.  I love it.  Aaron loves it...and he is much more picky than I am!  Gina of Skinny Taste takes favorite recipes, comfort foods, ethnic flavors, etc and "slims them down", in her words.  Basically, she has worked out recipes that make these favorites more healthy while not sacrificing taste.  (It seems to be a Weight Watcher's favorite as all recipes include points and many of the commenters are WW people.)  Anyway, every recipe I have tried from this website has been delicious. Aaron thought the Crock Pot Sante Fe Chicken was the best crock pot meal he has had.  It is just that good.  And, to top it all off, who among us doesn't need to eat a little healthier?  So, visit now and try the Chicken and White Bean Enchiladas with Creamy Salsa Verde - oooohhhh, or maybe the Chicken Pot Pie Soup.  Trust me on this one.  I wouldn't steer you wrong when it comes to food.

2) Amazon Mom:  If you have a little one in diapers - or perhaps two little ones in diapers such as myself - you must visit Amazon and join this program (right after you plan your meals on Skinny Taste).  Basically, Amazon has completely changed the way tons of moms out there are buying diapers.  This free program gives you 30% right off the top of a box of diapers just for signing up.  It also comes with an Amazon Prime membership giving you free 2 day shipping.  Then you can sign up for their Subscribe and Save Program which takes another 15% of the price of the box of diapers.  (The S&S program just sets up a recurring order for this item.  I just cancel the subscription after I place the order.)  My Parents magazine has a 20% off diapers coupon in it every month.  Amazon lets you stack all these discounts.  I am getting a $40 box of around 200 diapers for $20 and it is delivered for free to my doorstep.  It is fabulous. I order Pampers for less than the price of a box of generic store brand diapers that aren't half as good!  Maybe only someone who diapers two little bottoms every.single.day can appreciate what a phenomenal deal this is.  But, I think any mom who has ever cringed at the price as she threw diapers in her cart at Wal-Mart can come to appreciate it!

3)  Amy Butler Birdie Sling:  I have always had a mild obsession with bags.  I love bags of all types - purses, totes, backpacks.  I just love them.  Many women have a "thing" for shoes.  I have decided that my "thing" is bags.  Insert into my passion my transformation into a mom.  I have grown tired of carrying a purse and a diaper bag everywhere I go.  Though my girls are at an age where I don't have to tote the entire house around, it is a necessity for me to have on-hand a couple of diapers, some wipes, maybe a sippy cup or two.  What is a girl to do?  More accurately, what is a girl obsessed with bags to do?  I became determined to find "the perfect bag" as my carry-all.  It would house my wallet and Burt's Bees as well as my Pampers and pacifiers.  After extensive research (read: spending hours on Etsy), I found my perfect bag.  You can purchase this bag already made all over the Internet.  However, being the master seamstress that I am (this is sarcasm), I decided that I should just buy the pattern and attempt to make my own with my own fabric choices.

I am pretty pleased with how it turned out!  Please excuse my photography skills. I am really, really lacking in this area.  But, you get the idea.  It is the perfect bag with big pockets on either side to house my kid necessities and roomy enough in the bottom to hold my supplies.  I love this bag so much I made 2 more as gifts.  I have my eye on some fabric for another version for myself as well!  I have received a ton of compliments on it as I am out and about. I have simply said "Thank you!" and refrained from telling everyone that I actually made it.  It's the little things that keep me humble.

The Emma Dress

So, one day last summer my friend TJ came over with her little girl, Eva, who is 3 months younger than the girls.  She had on the cutest little dress with a cross-back.  I fell in love with the simplicity of it and I just knew I could make it.  A few months ago, after scouring the Internet, I finally found a similar pattern here on Etsy.  Eva's first birthday was coming up, so I decided to make her one large enough to wear this summer.  It turned out so cute and I picked up a new sewing skill...using bias tape.  This particular little dress is reversible and required bias tape to "hide" the seams.  I LOVE how it turned out.

Reversible

Front View

Back View

So fun!  I am already dreaming of warmer weather and planning how to make coordinating dresses for my girls this summer!

In other news...here is a sneak peak at my next two projects coming up.  I found these two "beauties" at the Habitat for Humanity Restore.  Forgive the quality of the pictures...these were snapped on my iPhone and texted to Aaron with the message "I want these!"

Scraped together a whole $25 for this treasure

Paid $1...yes, $1 for this piece.

Lest you think I am crazy (much like my husband does), I will be back soon with a little update on these two pieces.  With a little paint and creativity, I am hoping they won't even look like themselves.  So is Aaron.  I think he was a little shocked when I showed him the $25 dresser in person.  I told him he doesn't have the "vision" that I have!  He replied, "I hope so!"  Time will tell.

New Discoveries

Well, we discovered ketchup in our family tonight...it was really only a matter of time.

I think it is safe to say that we are fans of this condiment...big fans.

The Heart of the Matter

My niece, Addison, is a really, really cute little girl.  I don't just say that because I am her aunt. Objectively, she is an attractive child.  So attractive, in fact, that when she is out and about with my sister she is often stopped and told what a pretty little girl she is.  This very thing happened, yet again, the other day at church.  A man stopped and told her, "You are the prettiest little girl I have ever seen."  My sister later relayed to me that she decided to "use" this incident as a teachable moment for Addison.

"You know, Addison, it is nice to be pretty on the outside, but it is more important to be pretty on the inside.  Jesus cares more about our inside and how nice and kind we are to others."

Addison responded, "Well, I will do all those things but I like being the prettiest too!"  At this point, my nephew, Eli, chimed in, "Well, I'm going to be the richest and Addison won't be!"

Obviously, these two have some things to learn or they are going to grow up with aspirations of being reality TV stars!  Fortunately, they are only 3 and 4 years old.  A lot of people still have being pretty or rich as their main objective when they are 50 or 60.

I was out of commission over the weekend with some type of stomach bug.  It was rough.  But, I did have a lot of time to lay in bed and think in between my medically-induced bouts of sleep.    I started thinking about that story my sister told me and I was thinking about Valentine's Day and hearts and love...my mind was all over the place.  Let's see if I can string together some of my streams of consciousness into meaningful thought.

I began to think about that statement my sister made to Addison and how profound it really was in the grand scheme of life.  It really is about our heart and not so much the outward things on which we place so much value.

I was immediately reminded of 1 Samuel 16:7 where it says "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

It really is about the heart of the matter.  I was reminded of what Jesus says in Matthew 12:34, "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks."

Again, Proverbs 4:23 tells us, "Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life."

I began to think how much I wished these truths to be impressed upon Addison's heart as she grew into a young woman.  How do you do that?  Then, there was a shift in my thinking.  Not in a prideful way at all, but I became amazed at how these scriptures came so easily to my mind (not the references, mind you, just the "words" themselves).  No doubt, these reminders were a function of the Holy Spirit bringing them to mind.  But, they were also a result of these truths being hidden deep in my heart somewhere along the way.

I was reminded of my MamaTed having me stand on the hearth of her fireplace and recite the 66 books of the Bible aloud.  I would watch myself in the mirror across the family room and begin with Genesis and go faster and faster from there. It was laying the foundation.

Then my mind went to each spring.  My youth group began planning for the summer ahead at church camp.  Our church offered the opportunity to earn a "camp scholarship" by getting the signatures of all the Elders, bringing our Bibles to church, scripture memorization, etc.  It was an "honor system" between us and our parents when it came to the memory verses.  We were to recite the verses to them and they would sign off that we had, indeed, learned the verse.  All  these points accumulated toward earning a full paid registration to camp that summer.

You would have to know my mother to appreciate this fact.  But, a lot of parents probably half-heartedly signed off if their kid got even remotely close to the basic intent of a scripture. Not my mom.  She didn't give hints, she wouldn't give you the first letter of the next word...nothing.  You better come to her with your "A" game and have that scripture memorized front ways and back or you weren't getting her initials on that camp scholarship form.  She'd send you back to your room to work on it some more and come back when you had it perfect!

Little did I know at the time - I thought I was earning my way to a week of sleeping in a dorm full of bunk beds with my friends and sitting with boys around a campfire - but, the Word was being hidden in my heart.  It was hidden deep within my heart and these Words come to mind at the most amazing times...sometimes during stomach bugs and funny stories about my niece.

So, as I pondered all these things with my fever-induced rambling thoughts, I became really challenged.  How long has it been since I consciously worked at hiding the Word in my heart.  Yes, I can bring a lot of scripture to mind already...but, what if I could retain even more?  What if I made a commitment right now, as my girls can't even string two words together yet, to make sure that the Word is hidden deep in their heart?  What are some really practical ways to do that with them as they get older?

Just some of the things on my "heart" this Valentine's Day.

P.S.  Some "lighter" posts coming up with some fun projects I've been working on...I promise!

My Life These Days

It's moments like these that I glance up and see something.  Something seemingly simple and mundane.  And yet it hits me and reminds me...Oh.My.Goodness.  I have TWO kids.

Pride Cometh Before the Fall

Lest I become too proud of myself and how domesticated I have become (see my previous post regarding my resourcefulness in using my worn out pillowcases)...I feel that I must come clean on how far I have to go before I reach "Domestic Goddess" status.

I am getting ready to do a little reorg on my disorganized laundry room.  I'm all giddy about the possibilities!  I decided to use this giddiness as a little motivation.  I had this huge pile of clothes in my laundry room that needed to be ironed.  I have been operating on kind of an "as needed" basis with ironing.  You know...I "need' this shirt to wear, so I pull it out of the pile, bring out the ironing board, hit it with a lick and a promise and go.

Well, I decided now was the time to work my way through the entire pile of clothes and really take my time...I used steam, starch and everything! Here's the thing, I am ironing my little heart out and I finally get to the bottom of the pile.  What is this?  This shirt doesn't look familiar to me.  I look at the tag.

Ummmm...that's right....a maternity shirt.  I haven't been pregnant in what...16 months now?    I could try and pretend that maybe I had worn the shirt post-pregnancy in that awkward period of time when nothing else fits, but nope.  #1 It was huge - like "woman-pregnant-with-two-babies" huge.  #2 It was a summer shirt and my girls were born in October.

Is that bad?  I have had a pile of ironing to do for at least 16 months.  Don't other people do their ironing every year and a half or so?  Hey, I have an excuse.  I've been busy, busy, busy...taking care of TWO babies, running to McDonald's for a Coke and taking naps.

Confessions

So, I have a few confessions about myself. Since staying home, I have changed. I have discovered all these hidden passions, obsessions and talents in myself. Whether I really have changed or these aspects of my personality were always laying under the surface waiting to be discovered, I do not know. A few years ago, I would have scoffed at the mere mention of some of these things. I don't know who I am anymore.  I have decided to come clean and outline a few of these changes for you:

1. I shop at Aldi. Let's be honest, I am not a completely different person.  I am never going to buy generic toilet paper or those cleverly-named store brand soft drinks like Mountain Mist (A discerning Coca-Cola drinker such as myself could always tell the difference.) But, when it comes to things like milk, eggs and bananas, I'm all about saving a buck. Hey, we're a one income family and I can't be too proud to pay a quarter to use a shopping cart and bag my own groceries. I actually kind of like Aldi.

2. I like Kathie Lee Gifford. I've always had this "thing" about the Today Show. It's a necessity to start my day. Since staying home, I have discovered all the extended hours of the show that go on long after Matt Lauer has left the studio. The last hour features Hoda and Kathie Lee. Kathie Lee is kind of one of those people you love or you hate. For some reason that I do not quite understand, I fall into the "love" category. Who knew?

3. I am obsessed with 19 Kids & Counting. I think I want to grow up to be Michelle Duggar (minus the hair style - I could never pull off the long hair look). I know, I know. Most people think they are over-the-top, religious and cheesy...But, if you watch the show, you may find that, much like me, you AGREE with them on much more than you DISAGREE with them. I can overlook the different hairstyles and fashion for a family that is all about teaching their kids to serve others. They have taught me a ton about relevance versus making an impact with people. They "get it" when it comes to loving people right where they are while just being who they are. (If you don't believe me, watch the episode where the Duggars wander into a "head shop" while site-seeing in San Francisco. They don't act shocked or give a disapproving head shake. They make pleasant conversation with the owner about their mutual love of tie-dye! You can tell their friendliness really made an impact on the hippie store owner!). As a side note, I might or might not have a copy of the Duggars' book in iBooks. Man, I could write a whole post on the Duggars! Perhaps I will someday.

4. I secretly think I would do a really good job being the female singing voice on all those Fisher Price Laugh and Learn toys. Seriously, I know all the songs by heart and Lil & Harp think I am really good.

5. I consider it an official "outing" to ride through the drive-thru at McDonald's and get a Coke. I have serious fears that my girls' first multi-word phrase will be "Large Coke in a styrofoam cup, please." I am, however, always careful to say "please" so they learn politeness.

6. I sometimes dance with Ellen. Hey, it gets a laugh from Lil & Harp. If you don't get this one, then you obviously have never watched afternoon TV during nap time.

7. I get a little too excited about the mailman - and forget it if the UPS man comes. That's a really big day. (I will probably celebrate with a Coke from McDonald's)

8. I have a great love of naps - both mine and those of little children for whom I am responsible. And, yes, I sometimes take naps. Then, I feel guilty and try to not sound groggy when Aaron calls and wakes me up. "Sleeping, what? No, I wasn't asleep! These girls are just climbing the walls and keeping me busy!". Then I feel even more guilty about lying and confess to him when he gets home from work that I was, in fact, sleeping. "I know, babe," he says.

Pillow Happy (or cooped up in the house on a cold, winter day)

So, I was bored the other day and it was just too cold and I was too lazy to bundle myself and two wild children up to take them anywhere.  I desperately wanted a project to work on.  But, what in the world could I do that did not entail a trip to Hobby Lobby?

I recently had replaced the pillowcases on our bed.  We received them as a wedding gift off our registry 5 years ago.  While they were expensive sheets, they had seen better days. After I replaced the pillowcases, I wadded them up and threw them in the kitchen garbage can.  Fast forward a few hours and I am laying in bed trying to go to sleep.  True story:  my mind began wandering and I thought of those pillow cases laying in the garbage can.  "I could use those for something", I thought.  For what, well, I didn't know...but, something!  So, I jumped out of bed, went out into the garage and dug through the trash bag that had already been taken out.  There, about halfway down in the bag, were my pillowcases covered in black bean "juice" from the Mexican meal we enjoyed earlier that night! I pulled them out, tossed them in the washer and went back to bed!

Back to my bored, stuck-in-the-house with two wild children day.  I remembered the pillowcases that were still in washing machine.  That could be my "project"!  I threw them in the dryer and the gears began to turn.

First, I cut the frayed and tattered edges off the case leaving the big, rectangular "body" of the case.  (Note: I set these aside.  I still may think of something to use these for.  I have learned my lesson and did not throw them in the kitchen garbage with the remnants of our evening meal!)  I folded the pillow case over, using the double layer of fabric to give some reinforcement to the lightweight sheet fabric.  I stitched all around, leaving a open section for filling the pillow.  I turned it right side out and did a top stitch for a more finished look.  Nothing fancy, just a basic pillow.

Now, this was a cute little pillow, but it needed a little whimsy added.  What could I do?  I remembered this fabric from a bag project I recently made (more on that in a later post).

The pillow cases obviously already match my bedding and the fabric is a perfect match to the wall color in my bedroom.  Score with the "free" fabric scraps!!  I began scouring the internet for some type of embellishment where I could use my scraps.  I found two that I loved.  Lucky me, I had two pillows.  I did two different embellishments...the first were these frayed fabric rosettes I found on this tutorial.

Aren't they cute?  And they are so simple!  So simple, in fact, that I was able to complete these while intervening as my girls were literally lapping up water out of the dog bowl.  Fun times.  Later, my "crafting" was interrupted as the aforementioned dog bowl was shattered on our ceramic tile and I had to drag out my trusty Steam & Sweep for glass cleanup. Have I told you how much I love my mop?

Anyway, for my second pillow, I made a single, large fabric flower which I found here. (Have I mentioned that Google is my best friend?)  I love how it turned out!

Doesn't this spruce up our plain jane bed?

Still thinking on another type of pillow to go in the middle - who knows what I may dig out of my trash can!  You may also notice that this picture kind of shows another lonely little corner of my house - above my bed.  Still thinking on something fun to go up there.  Maybe a vinyl decal? Hmmm....

The Players (Final Installment)

Scroll down for The Players posts 1-3

Well, no run-down of the players in my domestic drama would be complete without reference to my little Calli.  My husband named her Callaway after a set of golf clubs.  Isn't he sentimental?  Really, he is quite sentimental.  Anyway, she is known by all in our home as our Cal-Cal.  Aaron and I were discussing the other day that we believe both girls' first official word was, indeed, "Cal-Cal".

Calli is our little 5 pound Maltese and she brings an immense amount of joy to our life.  She is, quite simply, the perfect dog (well, almost!).  She is the perfect mix of playfulness and cuddliness.  She never, ever strays far from where we are in the house.  As I write this, she is asleep on Aaron's lap.  If you look through our iPhoto library of photos of our kids, you will see Calli in about 90% of the pictures.

We were very worried about how she would interact with the girls when they were born, but she has been fantastic.

The girls love her and she, well, tolerates them! I really do think she is beginning to love them even though they often smother her with affection.  She has always been patient and gentle with them.

Aaron has never been an animal lover and was really hesitant about the idea of a dog.  But, Calli won him over immediately.  He is now an official dog person!

This video shows Lily's favorite game these days.  She cries when she can't get Calli to participate!  Enjoy a little glimpse into our life with Calli:

The Players (Part 3)

Photo Credit: JA Laub Photography

Scroll down for The Players posts 1-2

Now to my youngest, Harper...my little Harpie.  Harper is my sweet-natured, sensitive child.  She reminds me a great deal of her Daddy.  Laid-back, sweet...but, don't push her too far or she can have quite the temper.  While Lily runs around like a wild child, Harper is much more content to focus on a toy or book.  She is incredibly smart and I love to watch the little gears in her brain turning as she tries to figure something out!

I would have 50 more kids...well, maybe a couple of more kids...if they could all be like Harper.  Primarily because this child loves her sleep (just like her mama!).  She lunges for her crib as I go to lay her down at night.  She never cries when she goes to sleep and I can count on one hand the number of times I have had to get up and go to her in the middle of the night.  She is a dream when it comes to sleeping!!!

Harper is my snuggle buddy.  When I pick her up and she curls into me and gives me little pats on the back, I could just die right there!  And those eyes...I don't know how in the world two brown-eyed parents had a child with such beautiful blue eyes. (Well, technically, yes I DO know how it happened.  I was, after all, a Biology major in college and took my share of Genetics.  I digress...)

Harper is so verbal.  I swear to you, that she was saying Cal-Cal in reference to our dog, Calli, by the time she was 8 or 9 months old.  She cracks me up daily with all the things she says in her own little vernacular!  The child LOVES music.  Currently, I sing "The B-I-B-L-E" to her about 6,082 times a day.  At the end, she throws her hands in the air and shouts out "Bible!", except it sounds something like "Bibee!".  So, so, so, so cute!!  My hearts bursts with pride!

Harper's sensitivity is in such contrast to my personality that my prayer for her is that I don't injure her little spirit with my callousness.  I pray for sensitivity with her and that I can gently  guide her without hurting her.  I want her to learn to use her mind and her curiosity as her strengths in life. She will be such a good friend to people!  I can't wait to see who my little one comes to be!