Blog

  • link roundup / 8

    Today I’m sharing some stuff I found around the internet. Enjoy!

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    >Using a password to change your life.

    >Super cute t-shirts! I want them all.

    >DIY woven necklace. Love this.

    >I’ve never read anything by author Ann Patchett (I really should) but I love reading her literary musings & book reports on the blog for her Nashville bookstore, Parnassus Books.

    >AWESOME real food on a budget resource! I am so excited to discover this!

    >I signed up for 30 Days of Lists. Mine’s going to be super simple, of course.

    >This really made me miss our dogs, and start thinking about when we will get another.

    >Modern calligraphy seems like a fun thing to try out. This book seems to be a great resource.

  • this week

    Alright folks, link roundup posts are getting pushed to Saturdays because we could use some more real life shenanigans around here, couldn’t we? I say yes.

    SO. Just two weeks ago Liam and I were home sick for a week, then we had a week of recovery and getting back to normal, then this week I felt like we were hitting our stride again. Half marathon training began on the same day as the gym opened at work, and I made it through a weeny 1.5 miles on the treadmill.

    training begins

    It was pretty boring and I’ll have to get used to it, but still better than dying from heat exhaustion. Anyway, the same day Meredith started swim lessons. The last time I took her to the pool she was scared out of her little mind so this was a birthday gift. It’s a class where she goes every day for two weeks, and I was expecting tears or whining or crying or something of the sort because parents aren’t allowed in the pool area, but she did SO GREAT.

    swim lessons

    And that night I even threw together a salad for dinner! I was pretty pleased with myself for a Monday.

    So then Tuesday came around and threw my week off entirely when Meredith got a fever at daycare. I thought that winter was the season of sickness, but apparently we like to be different in our household. I spent that evening on the couch watching Frozen with her and my dinner plans went out the window in favor of David picking up Chick-fil-a because it just wasn’t happening.

    Wednesday I stayed home and we got a doctor’s appointment for 10:40 so I kept Liam home all morning too. Anyone else’s kids love to just watch you play with their toys or is mine just a weirdo? Anyway, there was a lot of stickers, coloring, and Play-Doh going on.

    play-doh

    And another viewing of Frozen, of course.

    So on the way to the doctor we dropped Liam at daycare because why go through that with two kids when it’s not necessary? Meredith was really well behaved even though we had to wait 40 minutes. There was no obvious source of infection so…virus it is!

    Afterwards we stopped at Starbucks for a treat because we deserved it. I had one bite of her cake pop but I wanted the whole thing.

    treat

    Then why not go to the craft store? I picked up some sewing stuff and I was verrrry tempted to buy multiple quilting books despite the fact that I can’t even really call myself a quilter when I have not completed a single one yet.

    quilt books

    We got home and then things started to go downhill. I don’t know how she did it considering she was running fever and obviously exhausted, but she managed to not nap until 4pm. So for about two hours I could do nothing but hold her and try to stop her from crying. For example, she wanted to go into the room where her play kitchen is, but she didn’t want to play with it. She wanted ME to play with it. I told her I didn’t want to play with it. Freak out. Then she just wanted to stand in the room so she could LOOK at it. I did that for about ten seconds before I was bored.

    sick day

    Eventually she passed out, right after David got home feeling sick himself and was unable to help me because of how bad he was feeling.

    asleep at last

    I probably should have used the time to make dinner, but instead I started actually quilting, and it made me happy.

    quilting begins

    Before long I had to go pick up Liam, and then Meredith woke up screaming and demanding to be held again, so for dinner we had fruit and nuts and we were in bed at 7:30.

    Thursday I was determined to go back to work but David was still sick and incapable of watching M. My mom to the rescue! They had an awesome day and Meredith didn’t have a fever all day so after work I totally mommed up and picked her up, brought her home to change into swim clothes, picked up Liam, went to swim lessons with both of them, then came home and made dinner (also it was totally yum – egg salad with bacon lettuce wraps).

    egg salad with bacon lettuce wraps

    This morning everyone is pretty much back to normal. (“Say cheese Liam! Why isn’t he saying cheese?”)

    meredith and liam

    Thankfully Butterball Thumbsucker Forbes (who is busting out of this 9-month romper) stayed healthy throughout the week and is content if you just put a boob in his mouth every once in awhile.

    liam

    And that was our week! Over the weekend I’m planning to get a longer run in and do some more quilting, or maybe finish the top part of Liam’s stocking. I’d also love to get some art journaling in and pick out my next Bible study. (I’m sure multiple viewings of Frozen will happen as well. I’m getting my money’s worth out of that one.)

    Now tell me, how was your week and what do you have planned for the weekend?

  • instax home life / 1

    I started a new little project for myself a couple of weeks ago. I wanted to play around with my Instax mini camera some more, so I started taking a photo with it once a day(ish). The only parameter I set was that it has to capture our home life. So far these have all been taken inside our house, but I will probably expand to outside or our neighborhood at some point.

    I am still really terrible at using this camera, but I hope by using it every day I will get better! And I can’t wait to eventually do some sort of project with them.

    instax 1

    >my side of the bed
    >a mirror in our bedroom
    >making pancakes

    instax 2

    >opening a birthday gift from us
    >sick baby
    >first art journal pages

    instax 3

    >phone
    >Bible study
    >hanging out in the kids’ room

    instax 4

    >father and son have a chat
    >bath time
    >on my dresser

  • project life 2014 : weeks 29 – 30

    Today’s Project Life update is from July 14 – 27. As you can tell, I take a lot of pictures of my kiddos. I keep telling myself to branch out and capture other things, but then I rarely do. New goal!

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    During these two weeks I finished whole30, we celebrated Meredith’s birthday (I used an insert to document it, pictured at the end), Liam turned 6 months old, and I was sick for a week.

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    The first ice cream after whole30 deserved to be documented.

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    At first I was going to print all of the pictures in black and white, but it was just too much. I needed a little bit of color.

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    I really love cropping photos to add white space. The photo below wasn’t the best shot, but I thought it was so cute how the cousins were lined up on a bench to eat. In memory keeping sometimes it’s better to include the photos that tell the best story rather than the ones that look the nicest.

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    I actually included two inserts for Meredith’s third birthday party.

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    Simple, simple! I just love this project!

  • meredith lately

    meredith lately

    meredith lately

    While driving we pass by a house under construction…
    David: Look Meredith, a house is being built.
    Meredith: When I get bigger I buy dat house.
    David: Yeah because you’ll want to live near mommy and daddy right? And you’ll have a lot of money so you can buy it.
    Meredith: I want all YOUR money.
    David: Don’t worry, you’ll have it.

    Reading books before bed…
    Meredith: I came out of your tummy and then it was baby brudder’s turn.
    Me: that’s right and I’m so glad you came out and are growing into my big girl.
    Meredith: I want to do it again!
    Me: what?
    Meredith: go in your tummy!

    After accidentally knocking Liam on the head with a book and he is crying…
    Me: Meredith, you just hit Liam on the head, you have to be careful around him.
    Meredith: no I didn’t!
    Me: then why is he crying?
    Meredith: probly he just needs to take a nap.
    Me: well how did he get this bump on his head?
    Meredith: he just fell down. he needsa learn how to walk.

    meredith lately

    meredith lately

    While Liam was babbling nearby…
    Me: what’s Liam talking about?
    Meredith: he saying I love you sister.

    At daycare dropoff saying goodbye to Liam and another preschooler was touching him and kissing him too…
    Meredith: that’s my baby brother!
    Me: it’s okay, she’s just saying hi.
    Meredith: we share?
    Me: yes you can both kiss him.
    Meredith: but I wanna touch that leg!!!

    While looking through an old photobook and coming across a picture of her and her cousins with Santa…
    Meredith: who is this?
    Me: that’s Santa.
    Meredith: I don’t like him.
    Me: oh there’s no reason to be scared of him, he’s a nice man that brings presents at Christmas.
    Meredith: he’s from Christmas?
    Me: yup!
    Meredith: he is Jesus?

    meredith lately

    meredith lately

    While David and I were discussing dinner options, she pipes up…
    Meredith: I don’t like meat.
    Me: oh you don’t?
    Meredith: no, I just like strawbeedas, chicken nuggets, fruit salad, and carrots.
    Me: that’s all you like?
    Meredith: oh and bacon too!

    In the morning getting ready…
    Me: I’ve gotta change Liam, he peed out of his diaper and it got on me.
    Meredith: I wanna see it.
    Me: see right here this wet spot?
    Meredith: ewwww, that’s isgusting.
    Me: yeah.
    Meredith: Liam you are isgusting. You can’t come to my birthday party.

    A few days before her birthday…
    Me: so do you want to go somewhere fun on your birthday?
    Meredith: yeah I wanna go to zoo and doctor!

    meredith lately

    meredith lately

    After I wiped her face clean after breakfast…
    Meredith: my face is soooo pretty.
    Me: yes it is!
    Meredith: God made my face.

    Getting the kids and all the stuff loaded in the car in the morning, and she got in her car seat herself and I was about to turn the car on…
    Meredith: hey! You forgot to put my seat belt on!
    Me: oh yeah, you’re right!
    Meredith: silly goose.

    After a rough morning…
    Me: you’re gonna go play with Daddy for awhile now.
    Meredith: why?
    Me: because you’re driving me crazy.
    Meredith: you ARE crazy.