Emmie is One!!

Our itty bity baby is one year old! We threw a teeny tiny party for her last weekend.  She loved being around all the people and it was hilarious to watch her interact with everyone.



The fabulously detailed and intricate tablescape  *cough*




My sweet dreamer.





This little lady has some serious personality!  She saw the
camera and immediately posed for me :)






Emmie and Great-Grandmamma Kerr



 I wanted a cute picture of them together and Bri was completely uninterested!  She kinda has an odd phobia of being close to Emmie...one I'm hoping she outgrows soon.

 Posed pictures were obviously not on Bri's agenda for the afternoon.  Her nose was a little out of joint after being forced to sit next to Emmie and she kept picking it while we were attempting to get a family pic.



Happy Bithday!





Bri had a blast playing outside with Aunt Jen.



Bri and Emmie with Nana and Papa

 Emmie's first year has been long and challenging in many ways, but here are a few of my favorite parts:

• Breastfeeding - While there were times it was hugely inconvenient to me personally, I would n-e-v-e-r trade the bonding experience with my sweet babe for all the convenience in the world. It was remarkable to know that I was exclusively supporting this tiny, flourishing life. (The weight loss was a nice added bonus, too *wink*). My goal was to breastfeed for a year and I did!! Yay!! Now, I’m kinda over it and definitely ready to move on. However, it will remain one of my sweetest memories as we leave her infancy behind.
• Personality – It’s been a blast to watch Emmie’s personality grow. She is a social butterfly, loves smiling faces and has an infectious enthusiasm for life (maybe all babies have that and I’m biased). She loves to laugh. Sounds like an angel, huh? Lest I leave you with an unrealistic impression, let me assure you our child has a temper and a will…strong ones. Not quite sure how strong yet, but I’m sure I’ll find out in the next year.
• Nickname – Nick has dubbed our little one “Emmie G,” enunciated with a distinct ghetto flare. I have no idea why, but I love it. It just kinda fits her…the nickname, not the ghetto flare.

So there you have it.  Now, bring on year #2!!

Inspiring

If
 Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

Things Kids Say

Conversation I had with my two-year-old while changing her diaper this morning:

Me:  Ewwww, wet yucky diaper!  (Trying to get her intersted in potty training).

Bri: Diaper hurts...Booty hurts!

Me: You're booty hurts?  What happened?

Bri: Tiss it!! (Kiss it!)

Me: Uh, no.

Daffodils and Darlings

Spring is on it's way!  We took advantage of the pretty weather and headed into the country for some family photos.




My little darlings

 


Aunt Jen and Emmie

 

My Anthropologie Pretty

Anthropologie is F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!! I recently discovered it and am hooked. I now fully understand why  women work so hard to recreate Anthropologie products.  The items are incredibly unique, fun and quirky, in addition to being  incredibly expensive.  I was browsing the other day dreaming and getting ideas.  I fully expected to walk out empty handed, since my month’s worth of blow money wouldn’t even cover a sale item.  I was determined not to be depressed by this annoying fact and started rummaging through the sale bins just for fun.  As I did, a lovely pile of fabric caught my eye. The pile turn out to be a stack of aprons!!  Aaahhh!! AND, they were on sale! Double aaahhhh!!  I rifled through every single apron in the pile and found my favorite.



Isn’t she pretty?  The yellow trim and button are so cheery.

 So my little apron is pretty, functional and an Anthro original, but those aren’t her best qualities. Want to know the best part about her?? You do? Good!! It was her price tag…originally $28.00, marked down to $7.50!!! I walked out of Anthropolgie having parted with a whopping $8.55. It made my day :)

Fabric Bulletin Board Tutorial

I have wanted a fabric bulletin board for years...literally.  Well, I finally made one and I LOVE the way it turned out!  Not only was it a fun project, but it was a fairly inexpensive way to create a unique piece for my kitchen.

Here are the supplies you will need to create your own fabric bulletin board:

• Frame
• Batting
• Fabric
• Ribbon
• Hot glue gun
• Fabric covered buttons with kit
• Thumb tacks (or carpet tacks)
• Pliers
• Hardware to attach board to frame
• Lots of patience :)

First, I really wanted to frame my board so my mother-in-law graciously provided one.



It was the perfect size but the gold finish didn't fit with the look I was going for. So I spray painted it black and completely fell in love!

I purchased a 24"x36" corkboard from Hobby Lobby (using their 40% off coupon), batting and one yard of fabric.  I placed the corkboard on top of the batting and fabric, then cut both pieces of material approximately two inches larger than the board.

Next, I pulled the fabric taught and stapled it to the board  in the middle of each side. I checked the front of my board to make sure the fabric was in the correct position.  (If not, simply pull the staples out, adjust fabric and restaple).

Then, I stapled the edges of the fabric all the way around the board, pulling the fabric tight each time I stapled.

Once I was done stapling, my board looked like this:

Now, time for the finishing touches!  I arranged my ribbon in a lattice design. (I got carried away and forgot to take pictures while doing the ribbon portion of my board.) I adhered the ribbon to the back of the board with thumb tacks and hot glue.



Once I was satisfied with the ribbon placement, I stuck decorative tacks at each point where the ribbon intersected. (I actually used fabric coverd buttons as my tacks.  Again, I neglected to take pictures, so here is an excellent tutorial on how to make fabric covered buttons.) Once I made my butons, I hot glued carpet tacks to the backs.  The regular thumb tacks were too short and didn't stay stuck in the cork board. I attached the board to my frame and Nick hung it in the kitchen.

Now go make your own fabric bulletin board!

Linking to Sew Chatty :)

Mission Accomplished!!!

So, this may not be a big deal to anyone else but I am thrilled to announce that last Friday, February 25, we paid off our van!!  Nick and I set a goal at the beginning of 2010 to pay our loan off early…three and a half years early.  We realistically knew we were unable to do so in one year, but did our best and ended up paying it off in 14 months instead of 12!!! WooHoo!!!

I am so thankful the Lord allowed us to achieve such a huge financial goal. A few months ago, a friend pointed out that God’s grace and provision are what truly allow us to be free from the burden of debt.  Yes, we have to work hard and make sacrifices, but so many things could have occurred in the past 14 months to divert our finances.  God allowed our circumstances to remain stable, enabling us to pursue the goal of being debt free.  That concept impacted my heart and changed how I viewed the whole process of getting out of debt.  Now, when an unexpected circumstance creates a kink in our budget, I remember God is allowing it and will faithfully provide for our needs (Matthew 6). 

Another goal I set in 2010 was to read 12 books.   I flopped…BIG TIME!! I think I only read two books all year.  I’m still trying to decide if I want to give it a go again this year or wait until my girls are a little older.  So, if you are a mother with toddlers/infants and you have time to read, please share how you fit that into your life. I’d love to know! :)

Soothing Red Lentil Soup

I found this recipe on The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen, a blog overflowing with gluten free recipes. I highly recommend visiting this blog if you struggle with a wheat intolerance/allergy or Celiac disease. The authors are extremely knowledgeable and have packed it with oodles of information and resources. I also discovered a number of wonderful recipes that fit in with the Candida diet. Others need to be modified somewhat, but the site has definitely inspired me to think outside the box.  Anyway, here is the recipe (please note: my comments are italicized).

Soothing Red Lentil Soup

• 2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, crushed (or more)
• 1 to 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons mild curry powder
• 2 cups red lentils
• 8 cups water or veggie stock (or a mixture of both)
• 3 to 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
• 4 cups thinly sliced chard (or kale, spinach, collards)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Herbamare or sea salt

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot (8-quart). Add the onions and saute for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and curry powder and saute a minute or so more.

Add the red lentils and water or stock. I like to prep the carrots at this point. It's just nice to get the lentils cooking first to save time. Then add the carrots, cover the pot, and simmer for about an hour total (start time after adding liquid and lentils).

I recommend using all veggie stock instead of water.  The first time I made this soup I mixed stock and water and it was very bland.  I also used the minimum amount of the spices.  The second time around, I used all veggie stock and the maximum amount of spices.  I also doubled the amount of carrots and found it was much more flavorful.

Turn off heat, add greens, lemon, and salt. Stir it all together and let it rest for about five minutes for the greens to soften.



Be sure to strip the leafy part of the kale off the stalk.
I didn't know to do this the first time and our soup was rather crunchy :)





Dinner is served!

 

Breakthrough Buckwheat Breakfast!!

Ok, maybe breakthrough is a bit of an exaggeration, but I have discovered a new breakfast option I’m excited to share.  I found this Creamy Buckwheat Cereal at Whole Foods and thought it would be a great alternative to oatmeal.

 I fixed it with butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, Stevia and coconut milk.  Sounds delicious, doesn’t it? Well, it really wasn’t and I was disappointed.  I let the cereal sit in the cupboard for a week and thought about what else I could do with it.  I had my breakthrough this afternoon as I was making Bri’s peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  The peanut butter smelled sooo good and I did a bad thing…I cheated on my diet.  I ate a whole, heaping spoonful of peanut butter (peanuts are not allowed because they usually have mold on them.  Not helpful when on an antifungal diet).  So then I did another bad thing…I fixed a bowl of creamy buckwheat cereal and mixed in another heaping spoonful of peanut butter and some Stevia. WOW and YUM!!! It tasted like I was eating a peanut butter cookie. So, I figure if I use cashew or almond butter instead of peanut butter, it will still be super yummy and kosher for the diet. Here's what you need:

• ¼ cup of Creamy Buckwheat Cereal


• ¾ cup of coconut milk (unsweetened)


• 1 large spoonful of cashew/almond butter


• Sprinkle of Stevia

Mix well and enjoy!

Big Girls!

I have missed my blog. We've been busy lately and when you're running around after a 2-year-old and 10-month-old, updating the blog usually takes a backseat to cooking dinner. But, so much is happening that I just have to write it down here. (This blog has turned into a makeshift scrapbook until I can find a time to actually sit and scrapbook).  Also, please note the photo quality in this entry is not stellar...most of the cute things the girls do are done and over by the time I run to get my good camera. :)

Our little Emmie is turning into a big girl overnight, it seems. The biggest change has come in the area of food.  A couple of weeks ago, meal time turned into a battle.  The child refused to eat the baby food I wanted to lovingly spoon into her mouth.  She would cry and scream the minute I set her in her high chair.  As I approached her mouth with the spoon, she would clamp her lips shut, squeeze her eyes closed and arch her back. I was baffled.  Bri never did anything like this!! So after a few days of these shenanigans, I did a little reading and discovered she was ready to feed herself.  After her first meal of being able to feed herself with finger foods, meal time has become incredibly pleasant.  However, she is still extremely particular about what she allows me to feed her.  When I offer a piece of food, she draws her head back, narrows her eyes and carefully inspects the morsel to determine whether or not she wants it.  If said food particle passes inspection, she opens her mouth just enough to touch it with her tongue. Then, if it tastes okay, the food is allowed into her mouth.  It’s quite a lengthy process, but at least she’s eating. So far she likes bananas, buckwheat pancakes, scrambled eggs and baked ziti (made with rice pasta). That last menu selection threw us for a loop last night.  I put it on her tray just to see what she would do with it and the stinker gobbled it up.  She was literally shoving it into her mouth after the initial “inspection.”

Bri has turned into Momma’s helper.  My sister was over for a visit and in the midst of talking, we lost track of Bri.  There was also no noise to help us locate her…never good.  I opened the door to the bathroom and found her with the toilet scrubber in one hand and the bottle of Ajax tipped over on the floor.  Sweet thing was cleaning the toilet all by herself with the proper cleaning instrument.  I was genuinely impressed, praised her up one side and down the other, and then helped her clean the toilet. Jen got a cute pic of the moment.

Drawing has also begun to fascinate Bri. She likes to spell out her name as she’s trying to draw. It’s the cutest thing to hear her saying, “B-R-I…Beenanna!”  We still haven’t mastered the concept that we only draw on paper but we’re working on it.  This ink took two days and two baths to come off.

 

Say What?

Bri's vocabulary has been rapidly expanding in the past month or so.  The only time she is ever quiet is when she sleeps or when she's watching a movie.  Her favorite movie right now is Beauty and the Beast, or Booty Beese as she calls it. Here are some other cute pronunciations she has developed lately. 

• Brianna - Beenanna


• Cracker - tata


• Yellow - yeyow


• Blue - bu


• Bummer - bumma


• Huckle - huttle


• Diaper - diapo


• Yucky - yuty


• Outside - outsize


• PJs - padas

 

January Snow!

As usual, we got our first snow after Christmas this year.  Bumma (bummer), as my daughter would say! It made our yard and deck look gorgeous, which is saying something, considering how much work our deck needs :)

I snapped a few pics to share.