tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88329784651893213002012-01-17T10:51:05.249-08:00SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.comBlogger1091100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-4577460990286454862012-01-17T10:50:00.000-08:002012-01-17T10:50:07.649-08:00

Everything was going on just dandy with phase one until Friday. Then with one little cheater meal (pizza) it was a downward spiral and before I knew it, I was eating sandwiches on the most delicious crusty white bread and eating the best soup ever full of potatoes. Sigh. I feel a little guilty that I didn't last all the way to day 14 but it was so worth it for the soup alone! Now it's all

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-82477754564699743152012-01-07T15:49:00.000-08:002012-01-07T15:49:36.890-08:00

So it's day 5 of our south beach diet and my body is definitely still adjusting. The good news is that my willpower has been strong and I've fought the intense sugar cravings over the past few days. High five to me! I'm hoping it gets easier, but I'm still missing my caramel frappes! Phase one of the SBD meant to re-program your body so it's very strict and luckily short. By eliminating as much

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-77833469779961010572012-01-03T12:31:00.000-08:002012-01-04T15:39:38.841-08:00

One of the big goals that both the husband and I have for this year is to reclaim our health. That sounds like a lofty goal, but in essence, we just want to make health a priority, and with it eating right and exercising. It's hard. Obviously, it's hard or it wouldn't be the top resolution on so many lists this January. With a busy job, two little ones and lots of different things demanding our

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-82699279621786687412012-01-01T22:53:00.000-08:002012-01-01T22:53:32.760-08:00

2011 was a big year for our family. BIG. We started the year off with a brand new baby boy, added in preschool for our little girl, and threw in some major (but good) changes in the husband's business right in time for the holidays. I feel like we've been going at break-neck pace for the past couple months and I'm ready for the new year to bring a little restoration to our home and our routine.

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-28597878415900418712011-12-09T10:12:00.001-08:002011-12-09T10:29:56.948-08:00

We got an early jump on decorating for Christmas this year. At 3 1/2 my daughter is finally old enough to really "get" the concept of Christmas, so we wanted to make it special for her this year. Plus since last year I was put on bedrest right before Christmas, this year feels like kind of a re-do anyway. We picked up our tree a little earlier than usual so I'm trying hard to remember to water it

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-87240616467551923082011-06-02T22:07:00.000-07:002011-06-02T22:07:15.699-07:00

for a new post I think. I've had a lot going on lately. As I type, I'm waiting out some serious bed-protesting and hoping the crying stops soon. Sigh. As the first summer month just started, what better time than now to begin really working towards that post-baby bikini body?! I'm pretty sure you're supposed to do this before bikini season actually starts, but I like a little pressure to

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-35237453942448103412010-12-31T01:06:00.000-08:002011-01-03T14:40:46.024-08:00

To say I haven't posted much this year is a huge understatement. The last six months have been pretty spare in particular but I thought it was only appropriate to write one last post for the year and to put it up on the very last day of 2010 (except that Blogger didn't post as scheduled so let's just pretend this went up on 12/31/10). This year was big for our family. Both my husband and I

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-31593469993843879792010-09-01T14:18:00.000-07:002010-09-01T14:18:40.830-07:00

Just in case you thought I had dropped off the face of the planet, here's a sneak peek into what I've been doing the past couple months. I know it's a little blurry but you get the idea! Big news in our house but the morning sickness has been rough so I haven't been in a very bloggy mood. I do have a lot of projects coming up that I will hopefully get around to posting about. Now that I'm

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-4086401081222703192010-06-28T15:13:00.000-07:002010-06-28T15:13:46.565-07:00

I haven't disappeared. I'm actually still here. Just haven't been doing any blogging. Obviously. Today I decided to play around with the new Blogger design feature and it completely screwed up my old design. I couldn't figure out how to get it back to normal despite a lot of messing with it. I decided in the meantime I couldn't live with it looking crappy so my blog got a completely unintentional

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-23543194851997454222010-06-04T16:14:00.001-07:002010-06-04T16:14:49.916-07:00

Recently our friends’ twins turned 3 years old and we needed some birthday presents. Obviously there are two of them so in my mind, the presents need to be somewhat equal in cost and as far as the “coolness factor” goes. In other words, you don’t get one twin a fabulous toy and the other socks and undies. You don’t want to cause unnecessary drama for someone who is already dealing with the

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-9690092908493767602010-05-24T08:46:00.001-07:002010-05-24T08:46:18.058-07:00

In my last post on May 5 (cringe) I was just beginning my spring cleaning. Believe it or not, I actually did it. Well, most of it. Over the past few weeks we had family in town, we celebrated Baby’s 2nd birthday, we all got the flu, I cleaned and re-cleaned to get the gnarly flu germs out of the house, I planted my garden with tomatoes and corn, the Husband and I went to an awesome concert and

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-36791462929646816492010-05-05T14:23:00.001-07:002010-05-05T14:23:23.405-07:00

The second and third days of Simple Mom’s Spring Cleaning Party are focused on the living room or central area of your home. After the quick sweep on day one, my living room wasn’t in very bad shape. It mostly drew my attention to the fact that our sofa really needs to be cleaned professionally. Otherwise the process entailed some dusting, vacuuming and cleaning the wood floors, none of which

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-91315123401520606482010-05-03T16:37:00.001-07:002010-05-03T16:37:21.943-07:00

Last year Simple Mom had an awesome series on spring cleaning. It was a very practical approach, taking the house room by room over a span of ten days. I had every intention of following along and even started a post string but after a couple days, life intervened and the plan was derailed. Let me clearly state that I have done at least one deep clean in our house since then. Nevertheless,

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-28372925557187745642010-04-30T11:00:00.000-07:002010-04-30T11:00:00.777-07:00

Today I’m headed to a shower and I wanted to come up with a handmade gift for the bride that fit her interests and coordinated with the wedding gifts we chose from their registry. Remember this from yesterday… Well this is just part of a whole so here’s the full picture… In my opinion that’s a Cockadoodledon’t! I especially love the matching mini-roosters on each of the pockets.

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-25650566943512588742010-04-29T13:20:00.000-07:002010-04-29T13:24:42.768-07:00

I’m so excited to post a new before and after project because it was such a transformation. The end result came out great and it’s a good thing because it’s a gift. I bet you’ll never guess what this is going to be…  The finished project will be posted tomorrow!!

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-22912734996845576252010-04-15T13:13:00.001-07:002010-04-15T13:58:51.949-07:00

I never posted our Christmas setup (at least I don’t think so and I’m too lazy to check for sure) but it was pretty simple. I  had some garland on the mantel, with some Christmasy knick-knacks and added red votives to the Pottery Barn candle thingy that hangs above the fireplace. When I took all that down, it was very stark all of a sudden. See what I mean! I obviously had other stuff up there

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-81665684084203802372010-04-12T13:38:00.001-07:002010-04-15T13:59:16.975-07:00

Recently I’ve been itching to make a few small changes around the house. In my opinion, when you can’t do a major overhaul, a few minor details can make a room much more appealing. This past weekend we hosted a surprise party for my friend CK’s 30th birthday. It was great- she didn’t suspect a thing and we had a wonderful time! Needless to say when you are hosting a get-together, you want your

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-61365318199258151152010-04-06T17:19:00.001-07:002010-04-15T13:59:39.276-07:00

photo from marthastewart.comOur Easter celebration with the grandparents this year was a fun one but not the relaxing, restorative weekend that we had imagined when we set out for the Pink Palace. Baby seemed to be recovering from a cold so we decided to make the trip even though she had been stuffy and sniffly. Wrong. Her cold escalated to a cough and made for a very difficult time getting her

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-75420853103203509532010-03-30T12:48:00.001-07:002010-03-30T12:48:36.478-07:00

I was logging into blogger not too long ago and something strange caught my eye. My blogger homepage showed that my blog had a follower! And now I have two. Compared to the major blogs who have followers in the thousands, this may seem like small potatoes, but to me it is pretty cool. Considering the haphazard frequency of my posting and the random assortment of topics, it is somewhat hard to

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-15938977837826550482010-03-29T14:02:00.001-07:002010-03-29T14:02:30.784-07:00

Lately I’ve been feeling a little dissatisfied with how my blog looks. So I’m trying another new background and with it a new header. I’m liking the coordination. We’ll see how it sits after some time. It would be so fun and motivating to have a custom design but that won’t be happening unless I start using this blog to make money. I’m not sure the Husband would see personalizing my blog design

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-41890320270877385132010-03-23T13:39:00.001-07:002010-03-23T13:39:45.898-07:00

Aka a virus. A nasty one. One so bad that even my dad the software engineer couldn’t fix it. I had to physically take my laptop to a repair shop and let some guy remove the virus. And for the record, I wasn’t surfing “inappropriate sites” on the internet. I was actually looking for a picture to add to my blog post; a post which no longer exists because of course it wasn’t saved prior to my

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-46323188722645952732010-03-08T12:09:00.000-08:002010-03-08T13:12:48.101-08:00

We all have them. We all try to avoid them sometimes/most of the time/none of the time or all of the time if you have the willpower of an Olympian. I'm talking about our diet enemies.I don't mean "diet" in the typical sense of the word, but more in the traditional sense of a balanced diet. Everyone has those certain foods that sabotage even the best intentions. Some of us are better at avoiding

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-23993820484997746972010-03-04T13:53:00.000-08:002010-03-04T14:27:29.002-08:00

photo by calloohcallayI will start with a disclaimer. I am NOT a morning person. I could gladly sleep until 9:00 every morning without any guilt whatsoever. But those days are over (except for the lucky weekend mornings when my wonderful husband takes the early shift.) Baby usually gets up somewhere around 6:30 or 7:00, and the Husband tries to go for a run before leaving for work by 8 or 8:30.

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-90868245296041406302010-03-02T12:52:00.000-08:002010-03-02T13:33:59.743-08:00

About two Christmases ago, I found the cookbook Deceptively Delicious on sale while I was waiting in line at Borders. This is the book that Jerry Seinfeld's wife developed based on the idea of sneaking vegetable and fruit purees into standard kid foods to up the health factor. At the time, Baby was barely eating solids but for $7 it seemed like a worthwhile purchase for the future. Now that she

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-40336372610240624042010-02-25T15:02:00.000-08:002010-02-25T15:10:55.820-08:00

I got a nice slap on the wrist for neglecting to mention my commenters, Mrs. J and Mrs. R, in my last post. Call me crazy, but I was having a hard time figuring out how to naturally work them into a post about curtains :)Instead I'll say thank you to both of them for helping to stock the nursery with an all-star of a baby shower way back when I was just waddling around like a duck. Now instead of

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-21467653075419303252010-02-22T15:05:00.000-08:002010-02-22T15:38:02.067-08:00

As I mentioned recently, I've been working on a few projects to spruce up the nursery. A long while back, I posted very early pictures of the nursery when all we had done was paint the walls a cream color and put together the furniture. Obviously we've done far more than that over the almost two years that we've had Baby, but getting it to look like the picture in my head has taken much

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-45719826569706130112010-02-16T15:55:00.000-08:002010-02-16T15:59:57.692-08:00

In honor of the fabulous weather we've been having here in southern California, I decided a brighter, more springy background was in order. I'm not completely sold on this one but it's called "Paradise" from Shabby Blogs and that sounded nice. It might feel more fitting if someone... ahem... with graphic design experience... ahem... would design me a new header. Just saying.What do you think?

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-89056312189871954442010-02-15T09:09:00.000-08:002010-02-15T09:22:12.549-08:00

One of the projects I've been working on recently is a Valentine's dress for Baby. I found this tutorial at Made and I had a couple extra shirts lying around that would work well. In particular I had this red shirt that never quite fit right but had been hanging in the closet for a couple years with the tags still on. The big question is why did I even buy this shirt in the first place? Sigh.I

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-8742843146746241742010-02-09T14:11:00.000-08:002010-02-09T14:19:30.219-08:00

So far being 30 has been busy! I had a lot of fun celebrating and was completely spoiled by the Husband and my girlfriends. I ushered in this next decade of my life with some pampering, some great food and a lot of toasting.The past week was spent mostly in the desert at the Pink Palace. Baby and I spent time with Grandma and Grandpa while the Husband had a well-earned weekend with the guys in LA

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-37273902942171615372010-01-27T08:00:00.000-08:002010-01-27T08:00:08.571-08:00

I've written a lot about the most significant event of 2009, but since a picture is worth a thousand words...Photographs courtesy of Chris Johnson Photography.

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-13036011650606656152010-01-26T08:00:00.000-08:002010-01-26T08:00:08.028-08:00

Baby was born on the Monday after Mother's Day in May, 2008. It was eventful and exciting but in a very calm sense. This was not a birth in the back of the car on the way to the hospital sort of situation.The story starts on the previous Thursday when I was at a routine OB appointment having an ultrasound. During the course of the ultrasound, the tech noticed some early labor signs and notified

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-83126890594045481382010-01-25T08:00:00.000-08:002010-01-25T08:00:00.098-08:00

2007 and life was good. I was working at a tolerable job with a lot of fun people close to my age. I was dating a great guy and having a blast. I was happy.In April, my then-boyfriend surprised me with an invitation to Cabo for a friend's 40th birthay celebration. I was so excited for a trip to Mexico with my boyfriend, but also for somewhat of a milestone in our relationship. We spent five days

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-58974907553371743452010-01-24T09:46:00.000-08:002010-01-24T10:38:43.442-08:00

In August 2005, I packed my car with some clothes and drove to California to stay with Mrs. J and see if San Diego was the place for me. After deciding to stay, I found myself driving across Death Valley yet again with my friend CK in a hot moving van filled to the brim with my stuff. My first several months in SD were surprisingly harder than I expected. Finding a job seemed nearly impossible

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-1362462799764827092010-01-22T14:43:00.000-08:002010-01-22T15:11:59.389-08:00

When my internship in Texas ended, I moved back to Colorado and moved into a house with Mrs. S, her sister AG and another girl they knew. The house on Monroe Street was a hilarious roommate experience. We were all so different but had so much fun. The fourth roomie was an interesting bird, sweet as can be, but prone to messiness. There were many mornings when I would walk into our kitchen and

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-4663357630193878872010-01-21T09:31:00.000-08:002010-01-21T13:33:36.367-08:00

I was 23 and living in Austin, TX during my internship with the middle school program at a church. If you've never been to Texas, it's really hard to explain their enthusiasm for their own state. Texans, native or transplant, LOVE Texas. The pride is incomparable with any other state where I've lived.Adjusting to Texas after living in the Pacific NW and Colorado was an experience all on its own.

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-42485400745671499832010-01-20T09:53:00.000-08:002010-01-20T10:26:52.066-08:00

In the spring of 2002, I graduated from college. Gone were the simple days of class, homework, hang out, repeat. I was off to the real world. I had found an internship working with the middle school program at a church in Austin, TX. My plan was to drive back to Colorado and spend a few weeks at home before heading south to the Greatest State Ever. But first I had to make it home which meant I

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-36852084832431412792010-01-19T10:54:00.000-08:002010-01-19T12:55:44.843-08:00

The obvious major event of 2001 was my 21st birthday. Such a momentous occasion. Such a milestone. Such a lovely trip to the hospital.I was one of the first of my close girlfriends to hit #21 so the traditional 21-run bar crawl was out. Instead we decided to throw a party at my house. I was living with three gals in a two-story duplex at the time and we figured a smallish party was doable. I'll

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-40060515170947654342010-01-18T12:45:00.000-08:002010-01-19T12:56:01.028-08:00

In ten days... I will no longer be a twenty-something.That's right. In 10 days I will be 30 years old. 3-0. In honor of my thirtieth I thought a little countdown was in order. Each day for the next ten days I'll be posting about one year from my twenties. It will be an interesting trip down memory lane I'm sure, but also a fun way to celebrate my entrance into a new decade.So here we go... the

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-32686732239411084352010-01-06T14:41:00.000-08:002010-01-19T12:56:15.910-08:00

After two large family dinners at our house during Christmas, we were left with an abundance of leftovers. In the past, I have cringed guiltily as I've thrown away container after container of uneaten food during a refrigerator purge. This time I took a page from my aunt's book and was able to use almost all of our leftovers. So easy. So effective. So delicious.Chicken pot pie is the ultimate

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-23819530381405731272010-01-05T13:13:00.001-08:002010-01-05T13:24:44.445-08:00

Today marks the official start of this blog one year ago. It's hard to believe that a year ago I was just starting out, prompted by a resolution to write more often. Strangely, I haven't put as much time or effort into this blog as I had initially hoped. Still I like that I stuck with it for the past year, even in months when I posted only once a week or a few times in a month.My goal for the

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-17997652273758630162009-12-30T13:07:00.000-08:002009-12-30T13:50:13.881-08:00

The subtitle to this post should be "Why We Decided the Week Before Christmas was a Good Time to Renovate Our Bathroom." The answer would be pure insanity. Well, not completely. The bathroom was finished before family started arriving and in the grand scheme of renovation, this one was fairly minor. Did I mention this was our guest bathroom? Or that it's the only bathroom aside from the master

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-29075693000425658352009-12-28T13:12:00.000-08:002009-12-29T15:16:38.214-08:00

The last month has flown by and now it's hard to believe that Christmas is over. We had a wonderful holiday full of celebration. This was our first year combining families for Christmas and it went very smoothly. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and get along, and Baby gladly took on the role of "official center of the universe." I was a little concerned that we hadn't gotten her enough

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-51914902580296725242009-12-07T14:34:00.000-08:002009-12-07T14:54:17.739-08:00

So far this season, I'm making very slow progress on our holiday decorating. I think the biggest challenge is having to keep our decorations child-proof for the first time. Last Christmas, Baby wasn't mobile yet so valuable heirlooms didn't have to be protected from curious little hands. This year those little hands are more than capable of reaching all those breakables and the fact that they are

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-22061455142123938032009-12-01T13:49:00.000-08:002009-12-01T14:03:27.972-08:00

If you've never been to The Pleated Poppy, you really need to check it out. Lindsey is incredibly talented and has some really fun things in her shop. Her blog is full of her creative talents and is very inspiring. One of her creations is called the Petal Pusher and it's a simple but pretty fabric flower pin. She sells them in multiple colors and they could be used in a variety of places to add

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-51168581836315753212009-11-17T14:23:00.000-08:002009-11-17T14:40:39.715-08:00

The first year that the Husband and I were dating, we had only been seeing each other for a couple months when Thanksgiving came around. Because I wasn't sure whether we would spend the holidays together, I completely avoided the potentially awkward conversation by making plans to spend Thanksgiving weekend with a girlfriend in San Francisco. The weekend before I was headed to SF, the Husband

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-29346523194867001072009-11-09T17:10:00.000-08:002009-11-09T17:12:38.425-08:00

We've got the flu in our house. No tests have been done but the doc says we have that flu. You know the one. Just me and Baby so far but energy is lacking. Must go now to coat the house in lysol and burn all the linens. Will post again soon.

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-39634924463470472982009-11-02T12:55:00.000-08:002009-11-02T13:16:06.435-08:00

Last weekend the Husband busted out his inner handyman and got well... handy. Our master bath shower was in desperate need of some TLC. So desperate in fact that I didn't even take before pictures because it was too embarrassing. I think the shower doors were the originals from when the house was built in the 80s and they were so full of gunk and grossness that no amount of cleaning with toxic

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-79646665439094413512009-11-01T19:58:00.001-08:002009-11-01T20:15:26.972-08:00

We've started an annual tradition of going to the local pumpkin patch as a family just a couple days before Halloween to select our "carving" pumpkins. There is a great local place that does an awesome job decorating (great for family photo ops) and have reasonable deals for the most part. They really go all out making it creative so I snapped a few photos.I love the tractor! Last year it was

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-21294465593134634332009-10-29T13:31:00.000-07:002009-10-29T13:46:17.393-07:00

The past week has been a little draining. Baby has been having trouble sleeping at night and I'm not sure what's to blame but it's either a schedule issue or a teething situation. Either way we've been getting lots of wake-up calls at unreasonable hours. I did manage to get a few autumn decorations up around the house.Our front door needed a little love. The wreath was a $3 find at Walmart with

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-9333724636648333392009-10-20T13:44:00.000-07:002009-10-20T14:13:16.645-07:00

While our colors were navy, white and khaki, we ended up using polka dots as a fun accent throughout the wedding. I wanted it to be a cute detail but not overwhelming so I used them in small doses. The bridesmaids and I wore navy shoes with white polka dots and the groomsmen wore navy ties with pin-point white dots. The cake tiers were encircled by the same ribbon that we used to accent the shoes

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-88439619295190096252009-10-14T11:23:00.001-07:002009-10-14T11:53:39.386-07:00

One of the main reasons we chose our venue in the first place was because we anticipated a decent number of guests coming from out of town. The club that hosted our ceremony, reception and rehearsal dinner boasts an on-site hotel with reasonable rates and we loved that guests would be within walking distance of all the main events. We put together goodie bags for all the out-of-towners which

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-74517736750873962072009-10-13T11:12:00.000-07:002009-10-13T11:33:07.777-07:00

When I first started thinking about the gifts for my bridal party, I knew I wanted something unique and personal. I looked at many options but eventually decided on something handmade. I purchased the Market Bag pattern from Sandi Henderson of Portabellopixie and loved how it turned out. You can purchase the pattern from Sandi's online shop here.The pattern is easy to follow even if you have only

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-62341195909398034792009-10-12T10:56:00.000-07:002009-10-12T11:04:10.774-07:00

It's official - I am now a wife!Our wedding was beautiful and wonderful and everything I hoped it would be, with the exception that it went by way too fast (as everyone told me it would). We are joking that our wedding was the last day of summer because we had perfect weather and the next night was downright chilly to the point that I had to wear a real sweater. We spent a fabulously luxurious

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-72460739844833523402009-09-28T10:15:00.000-07:002009-09-28T10:17:00.459-07:00

Consider me MIA for the next week or so. The wedding is Saturday... as in this Saturday and I have a boatload to do still. Luckily my mom gets here on Wednesday and I have bridesmaids ready and willing to lend a hand. But as for blogging, it's definitely on the back burner until after the fact when I can post fun pictures! Wish me luck!

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-26736177602610124952009-09-21T09:40:00.000-07:002009-09-21T10:07:13.238-07:00

image from www.blog.pinkcakebox.comGiven the touch economic circumstances, like many families, we are trying to make an effort to curb our spending. This hasn't been a very aggressive effort so far but particularly with the holidays coming up, we want to be more careful about how our one income is utilized. Granted we are hosting a wedding in two weeks and that has not been a careful study in

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-14245382512027148182009-09-15T10:05:00.000-07:002009-09-15T10:14:40.612-07:00

I am loving this costume idea from Martha Stewart for Baby!!I'm thinking I might use different colored felt to turn it from an owl to maybe a robin. I love the owl, but I can't resist the idea of making it a little more girly. I'm thinking that a red cap and wings with a pink front would be adorable. Not that I have the time to make a costume right now but I figure there's a whole month between

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-30563159653353642032009-09-14T15:14:00.000-07:002009-09-14T15:28:14.267-07:00

photo from orelfineartphotography.comThis morning I managed to snag a shower before the Fiance left for work and when I stepped out, a breeze from the open window made me hug my towel tighter. It was the first indication that even in sunny southern California, fall is approaching. While we won't lose our warm weather quite yet, there was a crispness in the air this morning that served as a

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-27015451200163316372009-09-11T10:52:00.000-07:002009-09-11T11:06:54.370-07:00

As we get closer day by day to our wedding, I can't help but be a little introspective. Along with the chaos and craziness of making sure all the details come together, my overarching feeling is that in 22 days I get to marry the love of my life. I have found someone who I not only like to spend time with, but who also cares for me in a way that I never imagined. If I made a list of all the

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-9299093353163393002009-09-07T11:42:00.001-07:002009-09-08T15:56:21.827-07:00

Happy Labor Day! We have enjoyed a very nice weekend with some beach time, some lazy relaxing around the house and hopefully today will mean crossing a few jobs off the to-do list.With only 26 days until the wedding, the list is still pretty lengthy but day by day we are crossing things off. One of the most recent tasks in front of me was doctoring the shoes that both my bridesmaids and I will

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-6408844003669981542009-09-03T08:52:00.000-07:002009-09-08T15:57:12.439-07:00

We're doing our best to babyproof the house in order to keep up with Baby's ever-increasing mobility and interest in things other than her own toys. One of our biggest problem areas was the shelf in the living room which held all the tv components (dvd, cable, etc.) Baby viewed this area as a juicy steak just ready to be devoured. It was a constant process of pulling her away from the shelf and

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-15647217290984628422009-08-27T16:22:00.000-07:002009-09-08T15:57:24.026-07:00

from www.toothpastefordinner.comI love this cartoon because it completely captures how I feel some days, especially now that I'm running around after Baby who has decided that she can go wherever she feels and do whatever she wants. Forget the fact that she can't even walk on her own yet. She'll get where she needs to go whether I'm involved or not. There are times when I can barely keep up with

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-57840379745228980832009-08-20T15:31:00.000-07:002009-09-08T15:58:05.727-07:00

The weekend has finally arrived. Tomorrow three of my girlfriends and I will head to the Pink Palace for my bachelorette celebration and Saturday about ten other gals will join us. I am almost completely in the dark on this one so I'm pretty much ready for anything. My maid of honor/sister and two of my bridesmaids have put a lot of time and energy into planning a fun weekend for me and my

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-50310787382840636832009-08-13T09:00:00.000-07:002009-08-17T16:24:44.029-07:00

I really try not to focus too much on life's little annoying moments because overall I'm very blessed. But this morning I obviously woke up on the wrong side of the bed and then had a very obnoxious experience at Starbucks. Because I've worked in many jobs where customer service was the primary focus, I know what it feels like on the employee side but that makes me more annoyed not less. I know

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-22950788501983462932009-08-07T11:36:00.000-07:002009-08-07T12:06:52.979-07:00

Yes I have been completely MIA lately because I have a crazy to-do list that keeps getting longer. We are now under 60 days in the wedding countdown and that means that we have a lot of details to manage so that our big day is not a big disaster. I also want things done in advance and in a very organized fashion so that I can enjoy our wedding day. I saw some version of this on a wedding website

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-18137349726686789162009-07-27T15:37:00.000-07:002010-04-15T13:58:26.919-07:00

In case I didn't say it clearly enough in my previous post on the Fiance's surprise project, I love that he painted our kitchen cabinets while I was out of town! I appreciate him so much for taking care of this monster job on his own and working so hard to do something nice for me. I will also say I was very happy to be able to reorganize and put everything back after living without a kitchen for

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-12604445903099638292009-07-22T09:40:00.000-07:002009-09-08T15:58:46.568-07:00

We are finally home from our long, relaxing trip to Colorado. Visiting with my folks was great and they had a wonderful time playing with Baby. The weekend was a little chaotic but the wedding itself went smoothly and the bride and groom looked happy and in love. I still can't believe they are married but much more shocking was the realization that the next time I walk down the aisle, it will be

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-72240644626488175652009-07-10T10:57:00.000-07:002009-09-08T15:58:19.758-07:00

We made it. For the past two days I have been relaxing. Really and truly relaxing. And it feels so nice. Playing with Baby and spending time with my folks is pretty much the extent of my responsibility. Hopefully this will continue for the next week before my friend's wedding events start rolling. Then things will be a little more chaotic but I'm really looking forward to watching one of my

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-2876642399648022072009-07-06T11:31:00.000-07:002009-07-06T11:45:13.968-07:00

Boulder, Colorado. My hometown. Jealous? We leave Wednesday and I'm very excited! I haven't been back since I was about 3 months pregnant and it should be a great trip. One of my bridesmaids is getting hitched in Boulder in two weeks and I decided that Baby and I would make it an extended vacation to spend time with Nana and Grampy. We don't see them that often because of the distance so this is

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-78282321016192633312009-07-03T11:56:00.000-07:002009-07-06T11:28:15.539-07:00

I cannot believe the 4th of July has passed. Where is the summer going?I found a new site that I am in love with. It's called Crafty Nest and it is all about DIY projects. It's really wonderful and inspiring. Here's a bookcase made from old kitchen drawers.This idea is pretty cute too. I could see doing it with sweet, girly patterns for over Baby's bed someday.Finally here's a treat that I was

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-83562121298398238442009-07-01T09:11:00.000-07:002009-07-06T11:28:39.766-07:00

I was born a procrastinator. Really. I came a week after the due date. I have a genuine and sincere ability to put things off until the last minute possible. I'd like to say that I've gotten better about this over the years but that would be a lie. When I moved out of my apartment and into the Fiance's house, I was literally throwing clothes into garbage bags as he was carting other boxes out of

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-2873757233953099402009-06-30T21:56:00.001-07:002009-07-06T11:31:18.458-07:00

I almost didn't make it but here are some great fixer-uppers from Centsational Girl who is absolutely brilliant at DIY makeovers. For example...The shelf on the left is hideous. The re-created shelf on the right is adorable as an outdoor storage unit for all those wonderful summery nights when you can eat outside.Awful. No further explanation needed. But then...So charming. If I had a guest

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-1948995272677451092009-06-27T10:00:00.000-07:002009-07-06T11:29:39.484-07:00

Baby's nursery has unfortunately remained fairly incomplete. It's pretty barren compared to many of the beautiful nurseries I've seen in magazines and online. There are odds and ends of the useful variety and toys filling space on the rug and a few framed pictures on the wall but I still haven't gotten much else done. Honestly we don't spend much time in there so I guess it hasn't bothered me a

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-61329343229893257082009-06-26T15:29:00.000-07:002009-07-06T11:29:24.167-07:00

I have been a little scattered about blogging lately. I'll have a good week where I post 4 or 5 days and then I'll have a week like this past one where I posted twice, including today. I like the idea of providing some links to good articles, blog posts, etc. on Friday because it makes me feel better if I don't get to post over the weekend. Another little trick I've starting using is the post

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-27766791110603789962009-06-23T10:02:00.000-07:002009-07-06T11:29:05.670-07:00

This is a card table. Cheap, easy to store, great for impromptu parties where you need an extra spot for food or drinks. We have a square one and a round one. Really not that special when you get right down to it.This is a card table disguised as hundreds of hours of playtime and fun.If you feel like kicking yourself because you will never be creative enough to come up with something like this on

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-13853832161390820832009-06-19T12:00:00.000-07:002009-06-19T12:00:15.842-07:00

I've added some new names to my list of addictions. Some I've been following for a while and some I discovered fairly recently. That's what happens when it's late at night and I have insomnia.Centsational Girl is the queen of DIY and her creations are amazing. I'm always impressed by people who can see the potential in something that just looks like crap to most people. Check out this footboard

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-13793084129729450462009-06-18T20:02:00.000-07:002009-06-18T21:42:09.208-07:00

For over a year I've been planning my wedding. Truly the action part of the planning began around September but before that was the part that all girls who dream about weddings wait for with eager anticipation... buying bridal magazines and basically fantasizing about just how fantastic your wedding will actually be. Some girls buy bridal magazines before they are actually engaged because the

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-41555260124253653582009-06-16T14:28:00.000-07:002009-07-06T11:29:51.147-07:00

Photo from marthastewart.comI admit I am a sucker for the casual, fresh air style of summer decorating. I love having the doors and windows open, flowers from our garden throughout the house, and I really really like the whole patriotic look of summer holidays. I like that just seeing red, white and blue evokes the feeling of long summer days

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-66223654025813975692009-06-05T11:09:00.000-07:002009-06-05T11:20:55.806-07:00

I officially ordered my first cloth diapers yesterday and I'm so excited to get them. I found them on a great resource called Diaperswappers.com where you can buy and sell cloth diapers of all shapes and sizes, plus all the parts and pieces. At first I was a little wary of buying second-hand diapers. I mean I would never never in a million years buy second-hand undies for myself so it seems sort

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-44124939583805555462009-06-02T10:29:00.001-07:002009-07-06T11:30:09.599-07:00

For a while now, I've been toying with the idea of switching over from disposables. For one, diapers are not cheap and while disposables are very convenient, it sucks to be spending so much money on something that will just end up in the trash. Just a rough estimate, but we've probably spent around $800 on diapers alone in the past year. That's not counting the money for wipes either. (That may

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-73394711464090691272009-05-31T14:39:00.000-07:002009-07-06T11:30:26.093-07:00

Not much to say today but here is my latest creation which will hang above Baby's bed. We didn't want anything heavy or framed in glass in case of earthquakes, so I used cheap canvases that I bought at Michael's and scrapbook paper. The animal cutouts were also from Michael's and came pre-painted and cost $0.59. Am I a big spender or what?

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-77219291507991612262009-05-27T09:13:00.000-07:002009-05-27T09:22:02.513-07:00

I've been doing my best to post more often. I realize that posting on Saturday and then next on Wednesday is not "often" but this weekend included a giant birthday party for Baby on Sunday and Memorial day on Monday so the only day that really counts is Tuesday. Since Sunday, we've been dealing with the chaos of clutter that comes with any party and trying to find space in the garage for the 27

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-83086529568377128902009-05-23T09:41:00.000-07:002009-05-24T17:58:19.143-07:00

photo by Bakerella at lovelylittlecakes.blogspot.comInspired by this post by Lindsey from the Pleated Poppy, I had a wonderful idea for Baby's 1st birthday party this weekend. (As a side note, this might be one of the most creative women on the planet and the parties she throws are jaw-droppingly cute.) Anyway, my plan was to make cupcakes and do the

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-55321881419912670362009-05-21T19:11:00.000-07:002009-05-21T20:19:21.058-07:00

Today I happened to read this old post from Simple Mom and it got me thinking about the quality of my own reading. I love to read and always have, and I very much hope to instill the love of books in my child(ren). I appreciate the challenge of high quality literature that pushes your mind with both language and content, but I also like to include the occasional fluff just because it's fun and

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-54636845763754702752009-05-20T09:51:00.000-07:002009-07-06T11:30:42.680-07:00

Lately Baby has been going through a swell phase called Separation Anxiety. This basically means that anytime Mama leaves the room, she reacts with instant whining or an all-out breakdown or anything in between. She has also been having a harder time going to sleep and it sometimes takes up to an hour before she falls asleep. I think this also has to do with the fact that she can sit up on her

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-66731708443765326182009-05-19T21:52:00.000-07:002009-07-06T11:30:56.467-07:00

With all the technology and gadgets available to us these days, you would think that we would have an abundance of free time where we do nothing but sit outside and enjoy the fresh air. But this is certainly not the case in my life. Some days I feel like if I'm not doing three things at once, then I'm not accomplishing enough. My day seems to go by so quickly that before I know it, it's time to

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-77071583436220906892009-05-13T09:58:00.000-07:002009-05-16T15:02:58.489-07:00

Last weekend was full of celebration. My sister graduated from college, I welcomed my first official Mother's Day (Baby was born the day after Mother's Day last year), and we celebrated Baby's first birthday! My parents, uncle and cousin were all in town for the graduation so we had a fun weekend together and we were able to have a nice birthday party for Baby with Nana and Grampy. It's still

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-22609660067742338922009-05-06T08:33:00.000-07:002009-05-16T15:04:53.386-07:00

I have found the blog of my wedding planning dreams. It's called Joyful Weddings & Events and is the blog of a southern CA wedding planner named Courtney Toney. She is the owner of an event planning firm by the same name and her ideas are fabulous! She has designs for baby and bridal showers, parties, and best of all tons of beautiful weddings. I have been devouring this website for the past two

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-6889141369709174132009-05-04T11:54:00.000-07:002009-05-16T15:05:38.387-07:00

The Simple Mom has started an online spring cleaning party and I'm going to try to take advantage of the added motivation to get things spiffed up a little around the house. Today's task is decluttering or a "clean sweep," the idea being that if you clean off the surfaces first it will make cleaning easier later. Plus just sweeping the accumulated stuff from the counters, tables, etc makes the

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-26299549663848865422009-04-28T16:13:00.000-07:002009-05-16T15:11:35.624-07:00

Almost one year ago I gave birth to a tiny baby who arrived six weeks early. This combined with wretched morning sickness and weight loss early in pregnancy, pumping like a maniac and probably a good deal of anxiety about having a preemie in the NICU led to the miracle that was my complete loss of baby weight. Not only did I lose the weight that I gained during pregnancy, I somehow managed to not

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-82860629486501091632009-04-27T10:38:00.000-07:002009-05-16T15:06:00.359-07:00

Yesterday I went to a wonderful flea market or swap meet or whatever the correct technical name sounds like to you. It was held at a high school nearby and was a parking lot full of kids stuff. Toys, books, clothes, strollers, furniture - you name it, they had it and at dirt cheap prices. The sale is held twice a year and this was my first time. The best part is that it's all for kids so you

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-71678230745452253962009-04-18T09:24:00.000-07:002009-05-16T15:06:26.918-07:00

I finally got the camera working so that I can transfer pictures onto the computer. Yay! I wanted to post images of some of the projects that I've been working on over the past couple months. I posted here about the wall above our couch, which I referred to as "my nemesis" because it is huge and high and nothing seemed to fit right. After the Fiance put up shelves two months ago (sigh) I finally

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-47970638405372713002009-04-09T09:47:00.000-07:002009-05-16T15:06:46.957-07:00

In honor of Easter, the three of us are making the long (two hour) journey to Palm Desert to spend with Grandpa, Grandma and Aunt E, the Fiance's family. I've explained the desert situation before and it's truly a mini-oasis from normal life. This time of year it will be about 85 degrees and just perfect for sitting by the pool trying to tan my sadly pasty legs. Incidentally I'm very happy that

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-340186480408409702009-04-06T10:19:00.000-07:002009-05-16T15:07:10.917-07:00

I love spring! This past weekend was in the 70s and perfectly sunny. On Saturday we took advantage of the nice weather and took a trip to the local garden store where we chose a selection of veggies for a small plot on the end of our rose garden. We decided to be a little adventurous and we'll see what comes of it in a few months. Tomatoes, lettuce, strawberries and pumpkins came home with us,

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-13590817357105252082009-03-26T13:14:00.001-07:002009-03-26T13:49:24.147-07:00

Last year around the time that Baby was born, a pair of doves took residence in a nest in the arbor behind our kitchen. We watched the two birds with casual interest for a few weeks until one day two babies appeared. After that we checked in on them regularly and observed with amazement how quickly the babies grew. I was able to see the babies being fed by their mother, and we even saw the first

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-60762540579183163602009-03-21T11:05:00.000-07:002009-03-21T11:14:13.336-07:00

I love the weekend. I love that it's 11:00 and I haven't even showered yet. I find it strange and wonderful that even though I no longer work outside the home on the weekdays, the weekends still hold significance. I worried that all the days would blend together once I was at home full time, but I still look forward to the weekends when life seems to slow down just a bit. Today we don't have any

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-55532353672597884732009-03-14T09:37:00.000-07:002009-05-16T15:07:38.739-07:00

Lately I've been pretty lazy about writing on my own page but have done a lot of searching through other blogs. There are some that I really like and have added to my sidebar. I've been feeling pretty crafty in the past month and this was partly inspired by sites like Portobello Pixie and U-Handblog. I busted out my sewing machine for the first time in months and made a brand new bag for spring.

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-77783274272025372032009-03-04T09:17:00.000-08:002009-05-16T15:07:57.794-07:00

My very first post was about resolutions and I mentioned that one of mine for 2009 is to make our home more environmentally sound. I admit that I have yet to make any really big strides- the composting machine is on its way... really... But we have made some baby steps and for those I feel like giving myself a small pat on the back.One of the biggest changes we've made actually happened last year

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-20257886767251943462009-02-27T10:42:00.000-08:002009-05-16T15:08:23.698-07:00

#1- If I didn't qualify as a mom before, even after 8+ months of pregnancy AND a c-section AND caring for an infant for the past 9 months, as of yesterday I officially fit the bill. Yesterday afternoon I licked my finger and used it to clean something off my daughter's face. And not being satisfied, I then licked the corner of a burpcloth and finished the job. There you have it.#2- I am

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-11653506435003345492009-02-24T10:09:00.000-08:002009-05-16T15:10:09.864-07:00

I've been MIA for over a week now, partly because Fiance was out of town and my sister was visiting, partly because I've been feeling a little lazy and unmotivated. I have several projects that need to be addressed and yet I can't seem to get any of them moving.For example... recently Fiance put some shelves up on the wall above the couch (a wide wall w/ a high ceiling- aka my nemesis) for framed

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8832978465189321300.post-42257644989514748352009-02-13T10:49:00.001-08:002009-05-16T15:08:44.509-07:00

Today we are leaving for a mini-vacation in Indian Wells (adjacent to Palm Desert) at the Fiance's parents' vacation home with some friends. I am so happy to be leaving town for even a few days to relax and recharge. There's something about a change in location that helps me move past the feeling of monotony that I get during winter. Hopefully this weekend will include some time laying by the

SJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16390867918361042010noreply@blogger.com0