*explanation required

Quote to Remember #67

2012-01-27T08:10:00.002-05:00

"Do small things with great love." - Mother Theresa

Photo Credit: svit_lo's flickr

Craigslist Find

2012-01-26T08:26:00.003-05:00

Two weeks ago I shared my rough plan for Charlotte's room, detailing my ideas for the bedding, artwork and color scheme of her space. Part of that plan was locating an iron bed similar to the ones that Edie used in her daughters' space.

Well Craig and his list came through for me. Big time. I scored not one, but two iron twin beds. For a whopping 60 bucks. Not too shabby right?! While I only need one, I figured it'd be best to get both in case we ever need another down the line. I haven't snagged photos yet, but I'm pretty sure they're exactly the same as the ones in that inspiration image, just in a slightly beat up white finish.

Now I've got to decide what color to paint them. Do I go white or will that be lost in the shuffle of all the other white in the room (bedding, curtains, dresser)? Do I pick a bright, bold shade of pink or green or blue? Or do I prove that brass is back and go with something like Edie's? Hmmm... decisions, decisions.

Luckily I've got a while to decide. Even with random 50 degree days it's far too cold to paint them right now. Instead I'm focusing on the linens for the room. I think I've finally located some fabric (well, vintage sheets technically) to use for the drapes and I've got to get cracking on her duvet cover. Charlotte did tell me the other day that she hates her current bed and can't wait for a new, big one. Guess I better get moving!

Eating, Reading and Kissing

2012-01-25T08:37:00.002-05:00

I bet you thought I'd let the month get away from me before I posted any anecdotes about Charlotte. Well, I nearly did. Thank goodness I happened across a photo that was too cute not to show off and it prompted me to share these gems:

* We've been lucky that Charlotte has always been a pretty good eater. She tends to prefer items separated as opposed to mixed in a casserole type dish, but otherwise has no real food aversions. Her newest favorites are a little odd for a three year old though: celery and canned tuna fish. She regularly requests chicken and celery sandwiches (aka tuna salad) and will help herself to stalks of celery from the fridge. What a weirdo!

* Generally speaking Charlotte is pretty well-behaved. Put her and Penelope together though and those girls are crazy. Frenemies to the core. I'm pretty sure Charlotte has stood in the corner for fighting, not sharing, yelling, etc more in the past month than she has her whole life.

* She and Penelope agree on one thing though. They looooove pink. Charlotte's favorite color had been blue, but she'll tell you matter of factly, "I changed my mind. I like pink now."

* Charlotte wasn't really interested in books as an infant, but loves reading stories now, especially if they involve characters she knows (ie. Disney princesses). At bedtime I read a few to her before leaving her to "read" them to her stuffed animals. Usually as she gets tired she puts the book away and settles in, but on this particular night, she fell off to sleep mid-story.

* Month after month I share about how much Charlotte loves her cousin Elijah and her friend Oliver. On any given day she can describe her plans to marry one or both of them. The other day though, she said she and Oliver would be getting married and after the wedding they would kiss. On the lips. Lord help me...

Arlington

2012-01-24T08:21:00.001-05:00

We got our first real snow on the same day that we headed to Arlington to visit my grandparents. After close to two decades apart they're finally back together. Their urns are in the Columbarium, a long wall that, at least in their section, runs near the main entrance to the cemetary. Their names haven't been engraved just yet, so there's just a slip of paper marking their spot.

I grabbed those last couple pictures of the more traditional gravestones as we drove out, hence the driveby look to the shots. It was way too cold to stop! We were there for less than an hour, but definitely made time for a group shot. Followed by the obligatory goofy group shot, required in this family, even at what would normally be a somber event.

I look forward to going back again when the weather is nicer and we can really have a good look around.

This Week's Menu {Jan 22}

2012-01-23T08:38:00.001-05:00

We just finished up a busy weekend with my cousins and, as predicted, there was a lot of laughter. We're already planning our next get together. Until then, here's the meal plan for the week.

Monday - Pancakes
Tuesday - Pork Chop Skillet
Wednesday - Pizza
Thursday - Unstuffed Cabbage
Friday - Easy Chicken Soup
Saturday - Leftovers

See you again tomorrow for some photos of our trip to Arlington.

Quote to Remember #66

2012-01-20T08:42:00.002-05:00

"Don't cry because it's over; smile because it happened." - Dr Seuss

My grandfather's 94th birthday would have been yesterday. We're headed to Arlington National Cemetary tomorrow as part of our celebration of the time he was here. I fully expect that when the weekend is over, they'll have been more smiles than tears. Exactly how he'd have liked it.

Photo Credit: sshvelasco's flickr

Valentine's Day Pins

2012-01-18T08:22:00.002-05:00

If you follow me on Pinterest, you've no doubt noticed that I've been pinning Valentine's ideas like crazy. Maybe it was the roses I got for my anniversary yesterday, or finally packing up the last remnants of Christmas, or the holiday section of Target -- I'm not sure, but I'm definitely gearing up for Valentine's Day. I think my favorite pin thus far has to be the Golden Girls valentines I found. I mean, can you get much better than Rue McClanahan's smiling mug with the words "I Blanche at the thought of losing you"?! The answer is no. No, you can't. But if the Golden Girls don't get you going, there are tons of more traditional Valentine's pins to check out:

And I'm always looking for more ideas, so please share some of the Valentine's Day ideas you've been spying!

Girly Girl

2012-01-17T08:29:00.002-05:00

Charlotte has become quite the girly girl lately. She cares about how her hair is done, what clothes she wears, and what accessories she has to choose from. More than ever before she wants to wear dresses. She even picked one out the last time we stopped by Target. I won't mention how much it saddens me that it was from the little girls' section. Sure, it was an extra small, and it's a little big, but it still wasn't toddler size. I'm devastated, I tell you.

And I can't get over how grown she looks in these photo, taken at her request so that she could show off her new dress, stick-on earrings and sparkly nails:

Thank goodness she's not too grown up yet, as evidenced by the finger in the nose shot. :)

Day Off

2012-01-16T08:44:00.001-05:00

I don't know about you, but I'm excited to have a day off. Even though it doesn't really equate to a break -- I'm an insurance claims adjuster and accidents keep on happening, so it just means more work on Tuesday -- it's nice to be able to spend a little time with family today. We'll be boxing up the rest of our Christmas decorations and just hanging out. And we're taking Charlotte for a haircut, which she's truly excited about, unlike every other time we've gone, as evidenced by these photos from her first trim:

I hope you enjoy the day!

Quote to Remember #65

2012-01-13T08:41:00.002-05:00

"Beautiful things don't just happen. If you want something marvelous you've got to make something marvelous." - Unknown

Photo Credit: harrietbarber's flickr

Holiday Rewind

2012-01-12T08:29:00.002-05:00

I realize Christmas has come and gone, but we're still celebrating around our house. Stockings are still hung, the tree is still decorated, lights are still on the house and get lit in the evening. Don't judge me, I just can't get enough of the holidays!! But don't worry, we plan to put everything away this weekend. I figured while I'm still in the spirit (and whether you are or not), I'd share some photos Mark asked me to take of the Lego creations he and Charlotte have been working on.

First up, a Christmas village, complete with bandshell, tree in the center of town and horsedrawn carriage rides. Santa even paid a visit to the townfolk.

And not to be discriminatory, Mark made sure to make a small setup for Halloween too. Love that little dinosaur!

They've done a fantastic job I think!

The Small Things

2012-01-11T08:42:00.001-05:00

One of the goals on my 30 Before Thirty list - one that, quite frankly, I'm shocked I accomplished - was to learn to style my hair different ways. I happened to go in for a long overdue cut yesterday, which got me thinking that I should share these styles with you. Not via photos of me (you don't need that in your life), but rather by linking you up to the blog that inspired me.

Kate is a professional hairstylist who writes over at The Small Things blog. She's been lovely enough to share video after video of how to recreate different hairstyles yourself. I'm a pretty basic girl, so here are my three favorites:

Maybe most of you have a handle on these hairdos already, but I'm styling-challenged and figured I'd share in case anyone else out there was too. And, on top of those general styles, she had loads of tutorials for updos and half updos. Maybe one day I'll try those too. Happy hairstyling!

The Rough Plan

2012-01-10T08:30:00.002-05:00

I mentioned yesterday that for now my house focus is on decorating Charlotte's room. She's lived with basic pink walls, which thankfully is now her favorite color, for a year now. That's really been it in terms of decor for her space. She has no curtains, no artwork, no nothing. Poor neglected baby! I've had a board for her room for a while now, and added a boatload of pins to it yesterday. I'm starting to see how it can all come together and think I may actually accomplish something in her space relatively soon. Yahoo for small miracles! Here's a glimpse of the plan:

And now for some explanation... I just got the floral sheets for Christmas. For my own queen-sized bed. We never use a flat sheet though, so rather than have it sit unused in the linen closet I plan to pair it with a more subtle pattern to make a duvet cover for C's bed. Speaking of which, I'm on the hunt for an old iron bed to paint. I'm kinda digging the brass look of these, but may opt for white instead. Only time (and Craigslist) will tell. No matter what finish I go with, I'll definitely be making some egg carton twinkle lights and bringing in a bit of Mr. Pan, since Charlottes loves him so much!

And then I'll begin spray painting. I plan to peruse the thrift stores in my area to find some hideously ugly knicks knacks that I can liven up with a little paint. I'll also snag some frames to paint, and add them to the gallery wall I'll create above her dresser, which will likely include this super cute cuckoo clock that Gramma got her a while back. And once all that painting is done we'll have to see how much energy I have left in me, cause I'm thinking about painting some bold, crazy stripes (inspired by these) on her ceiling. Yeah, I know. I'm nuts.

The plan is rounded out with some awesome scripture art, some homemade curtains topped with soft, vintage chenille, the dollhouse that I hoped to have done by Christmas, but now hope to DIY in time for her birthday, and a Craigslist vanity that I'll be painting turquoise after falling in love with this cheerful piece. As I write it all out here, it sure seems like a lot. But like I said, I'm excited to pull together a space for my little munchkin. I'll be sure to share my progress along the way!

This Week's Menu {Jan 9} + Decorating Focus

2012-01-09T08:17:00.002-05:00

I need to get back into the swing of making meals regularly. The holidays put me in a bit of a tailspin when it came to planning ahead, but hopefully the new year will change all that. Here's the plan for the week:

Monday - Easy Chicken Soup
Tuesday - Tuna Casserole
Wednesday - Beef Taquitos
Thursday - Pork Chop Skillet
Friday - Leftovers
Saturday - Pancakes & Broiled Grapefruit

Now, to the decorating. I've always thought that I had fairly good focus. I could concentrate on a task, work towards getting it done, and even display a bit of multi-tasking while doing it. When it comes to decorating my home, the opposite is true. I jump from room to room to room and haven't checked much of my list during the past few months. I just can't get focused. I think about the artwork I need above the living room couch and search for something right. But then I get sidetracked wondering what curtains I should get for my bedroom. Somehow that morphs into thinking about doing something with Charlotte's room (anything really since it's been totally neglected). And then I think I should get the family room done first. Or the kitchen. Or the sunroom. Ugh.

So I've decided to focus on just a few things for now and stop working on other areas. I want to finish up the living room, which really just needs art over the couch. And I want to get cracking on Charlotte's room, which is essentially a blank canvas. I've got some artwork picked out, but need to make curtains, paint her vanity, think about a new bed, and more. Here's hoping I'll be able to limit my internet searching and pinning to just these two spaces!

Quote to Remember #64

2012-01-06T08:21:00.001-05:00

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life. It goes on." - Robert Frost

Photo Credits: bethechange21's flickr

Resolutions?!

2012-01-05T08:38:00.001-05:00

So, yeah, if you've been reading my posts for any length of time you know that I'm not exactly the resolution type. I'm pretty competitive by nature, and like to be successful at anything I do. One would think this would make me a real go-getter. Someone with plans and goals and a constant to do list. It doesn't. Rather it means that I don't aim to do something if I'm not certain (or almost certain at the very least) that I'll accomplish it. Makes being successful simple, right?!

Don't get me wrong, I totally understand the point of making resolutions. Even if they only last for a month or two it's great to try to make a point at bettering youself. But I don't want to be tied to any one or two things during the coming year for a couple reasons. First, like I already mentioned, I don't like to fail. Resolutions are almost always big, fat fails. Second, I know how much my priorities changed over the course of last year and can't imagine finding a goal that I'd want to stick with the entire year long. Although perhaps doing the One Little Word challenge that my mom and sister-in-law are taking part in would solve that problem. It gives a little more flexibility than resolutions do. But I dunno. I just don't have it in me to make any long-term goals. I do much better at planning just a few weeks at a time.

I can tell you though that you'll see some changes around here soon. For one thing, I intend to revamp the look of the blog. I've been thinking about it for a while now and puttered with a few things here and there, but have yet to really do anything to liven up the space. Now that I'd shared that plan, I'll have to get it done. The need to be successful, you know. You'll also see (read, hear, whatever) a little less of me. While I love the accountability I get from blogging (it forces me to take more photos and plan more activities), I don't love the days that I post just because I feel like I have to. The days when I feel like I'm just writing fluff, with nothing important being shared. So those days I just won't post. You may still here from me 5 days a week. And you may not. Who knows.

So how about you? Are you making resolutions for the year, or picking One Little Word? Or are you like me, just letting the new year roll in with nary a thought to what you'll accomplish during it? I can't be the only one, right?!

Over 200

2012-01-04T08:36:00.002-05:00

This post is a testament to just how awesome a digital camera is. Only with digital can one take 200+ pictures of one little girl opening up presents for about an hour. Seems a bit ridiculous looking back, but I just couldn't help myself. Have a look:

Not long after we finished Charlotte ran upstairs, changed clothes and came back down ready to play. Her present of choice -- her LaLaLoopsy set. It, along with the LaLaLoopsy treehouse that Gramma and Grandpa got her, continues to be her favorite new toy. She also seems to love the LaLaLoopsy outfit I got her. Must snag a photo of that to share!

You should count yourself lucky that I didn't continue snapping photos at her cousins' house and my parents' house. Needless to say, she got more than her fair share of goodies. And for that we are very grateful!

2011 In Review

2012-01-03T08:37:00.003-05:00

I trust everyone had a relaxing and joy-filled Christmas and New Year! We enjoyed a quiet week with our happy little munchkin (photos to come). For now, let's just take a look back at my favorite photos of the year, by month:

January was busy around our house. We moved into our new place so most days were filled with unloading and unpacking. Charlotte fought off a wicked cold and we saw the first of several snowstorms.

During February we really got busy with snowstorms, enjoyed our light-filled bathroom and started in on a massive to do list for our place.

March is when we made our first attempt at potty training, did a whole lot of painting and even more playing. Neighbors, cousins , everyone was fun to run around with!

We did more than just dye Easter eggs in April. We had lightsaber battles, did some watercolor painting and just generally enjoyed Spring.

It should come as no surprise that May was a big deal around our house. The main event was Charlotte's Peter Pan birthday party, but we also enjoyed a trip to the zoo, celebrated royally and added some much needed coat storage to our entryway.

June was another busy month for us. Charlotte let her diva looks be known at her cousin's soccer game and I showed off our dining room. We also visited with Mark's mum, did a lot of playing outdoors and spent some time on Sesame Street.

July was filled with fireworks, mini golf, a trip to the beach and the creation of my favorite Pinterest-inspired project to date, my cross-stitch wall art. Oh, and we welcomed a new member to the family, my nephew Caleb. So stinkin cute!!

August was a month for creating. I made a sign for the entryway and a crate bookcase and Charlotte and her cousin whipped up some marshmallow sculptures. And we squeezed in a trip to Michigan too!

Mark celebrated his birthday in September, which was squeezed in between recovering from Hurricane Irene, Charlotte putting on 'Fireworks' shows, and me working what felt like a million hours of overtime (it was actually about 100 or so extra hours, in three weeks time). I'm tired just thinking about it!

October was a return to normal. We went to a few Halloween-related events, decorated for the spooky day, did some apple print painting, pumpkin picking and generally goofed around, resulting in probably my favorite photo of the year. :)

In November we ate, and ate, and ate some more. And we created a Thanksgiving tree, raked and played in leaves, and spent a lot of time tinkering with Lego.

And we capped the year off in December with a whole month full of Christmas activities. We planned our countdown to the big day and actually stuck to our plan (shocking!!), which included decorating the tree, writing a letter to Santa, having a sleepover (a new tradition for us) and loads more.

Our first year in our new place was better than any year I can remember! I can only hope that 2012 will be half as good!!

Happy Christmas!

2011-12-23T08:18:00.004-05:00

I just had to share the Christmas card that I finally picked out,
after much deliberating. Isn't Miss Chuckles just the cutest?!

We hope your Christmas is truly fantastic! See you in 2012!!

Let's Watch a Movie

2011-12-22T08:29:00.002-05:00

Is it just me, or is Christmas one of the best times for movies? There are so many great Christmas-related movies out there. Here's a rundown of my top five:

In fifth place is How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Contrary to what a couple of my friends think, the cartoon is far superior to the live action version. Far, far superior. This never was a favorite of mine as a kid, but Charlotte loves it, so it definitely makes the list this year. Besides, that Cindy Lou Who is so darn cute!

In fourth place for me is Will Ferrell in Elf. I might not be a fan of the four elf food groups (candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup), but the scene with the syrup on the spaghetti is hilarious! And seriously... "Son of a Nutcracker"!?! Just try not to laugh when Buddy says that.

My number three spot goes to Miracle on 34th Street. I like both the 1947 and 1994 versions, but have to give the nod to the remake with Richard Attenborough and his awesome potrayal of Santa. Mara Wilson does a great job as Susan too. And let's be honest here folks, a little Dylan McDermott is never a bad thing.

Next up, in second place, is my favorite holiday classic - White Christmas. This story is such a sweet one, with so many good song and dance routines. Not only a great movie, but probably my favorite ever for this era of films. If you haven't ever seen it before, make a little time this season to watch it (and add a little extra time to watch Holiday Inn too).

And my number one, no questions asked, favorite Christmas movie is Love Actually. I love the mix of storylines, all the top-name actors, the cleverness of it and just the warm, fuzzy, rom-com feeling it has. I guess it's not technically a movie centered on Christmas, but it does take place around Christmastime and that's good enough for me.

My friends and I will be watching Love Actually when we get together tonight, so I know that it's a top pick for them too, but I wonder what your favorites are. Please share in the comments.

O Christmas Tree

2011-12-21T08:32:00.002-05:00

Just like it was at Halloween, the majority of our Christmas decorations are in the living room. We do have nutcrackers on the mantle in the family room, along with a small tree, but most of the action is upstairs. To start with, here's our tree and closeups of a couple ornaments (and yes, that is a ruffled, red lamé tree skirt - I know the magpie in you is jealous):

My personal preference is to stuff the tree full of lights and ornaments. That's how my mom's tree always was, so it's how my tree is now too. Several ornaments were from my childhood (including the trio of Santas climbing up the rope) but most I've picked up since I've gotten married and, more specifically, since Charlotte was born. Isn't that photo of her chubby face the cutest? That was her first ornament. In the same photo is her ornament for this year - a Lego Darth Vader. We always try to pick a new ornament that is indicative of the year, and this year was nothing if not filled with Legos and Star Wars.

Opposite the tree, over the couch, is a wall of snowflakes. Charlotte, Mark and I all spent time cutting up coffee filters to see what different patterns we could make. There are a couple repeats (the beauty of coffee filters is that they're thin enough that you can cut two at once), but most are different. I'm a little bit of a perfectionist (understatement of the year) so only my patterns made it on to the wall. Mark's and Charlottes are for playing with. :)

The hutch has a few different Christmas knick-knacks and is home to our glittery Christmas village. Charlotte is really into the bottlebrush trees and loves to rearrange them! They were a great find at just $6 for all of them (except the big one in the center). Gotta love Big Lots! And below is a shot of the whole room. Overall the space is full of color and cheer, just how I like it!

Dolly, No Sir and Hooing

2011-12-20T08:18:00.000-05:00

* Charlotte has several baby dolls. Besides her "Daughter Katie" (no idea why it has my name, or why it's her daughter), her favorite is "Dolly". Dolly is a boy. Don't make the mistake of thinking otherwise.

* Charlotte got her first pair of scissors this past month and we broke them in by cutting loads and loads of paper snowflakes (we use coffee filters). She'd cut some new ones every day if we let her! Check back tomorrow to see the results of our work.

* The terrible twos were pretty uneventful around here, but it seems Miss Chuckles is making up for it this month. My sister and my dad both witnessed some pretty epic meltdowns. There was much screaming, crying and thrashing about. It's hard to take her seriously though, when in the midst of her anger she's saying things like, "No sir!" and "I don't like you. I don't like the shushing. I don't like Aunt Mandy talking. I don't like stuff..."

* Charlotte is pretty amped up for Santa. She's been pointing out things she'd like to get for Christmas, singing Christmas carols and watching Christmas movies. My favorite is when we drive past a house with lights that is particularly lovely and she gasps and says, "Oh, it's nearly Christmas day!"

* Speaking of Santa, Charlotte is very aware of the naughty and nice lists. She seems a bit confused about what warrants being on the naughty list though. Not long after one of her epic meltdowns she told us that Oliver was on the naughty list because he sometimes is grumpy and cries. She assured us that she was on the nice list though. Not quite sure how that works.

* I might be a little partial, but I think Charlotte is super cute in her owl hat and matching mittens. I love that she feels the need to hoo every time she wears them.

...

2011-12-19T08:29:00.001-05:00

The time now is 11:39pm. Charlotte is sitting on the couch next to me. She's been there for the past two hours. She promised if I let her come downstairs from bed that she wouldn't do any playing. She hasn't played, but she's wiggled, turned over, hung upside down, grunted, groaned, cried and done just about everything else one can do on a couch. She's so hit or miss with bedtime lately - sometimes laying down and going to sleep with no fight at all, other times saying she's scared of everything. And she doesn't just say "everything", she names things individually. She'll literally look around the room to find something she's scared off - the wire mannequin that holds her hair clips (moved it into the linen closet), a wooden giraffe (put it in a drawer), a lamp (didn't move that). If I hide away everything she's "afraid of" her room will be empty in a matter of days. She's a weird one, that's for sure. So I'm at my last resort and we're off to bed together. Fingers crossed that that'll work and I'll be back with a regular post on Tuesday.

Quote to Remember #63

2011-12-16T08:25:00.000-05:00

"The No. 1 reason why people quit is because they look how far they've got to go, not how far they've come." - Unknown

Photo Credit: Harri Palin's flickr

Sunshine

2011-12-15T08:30:00.001-05:00

Months ago I won a giveaway over at Under the Sycamore. I was super excited to have won, especially since the particular giveaway I scored was from mixedmediamama, who specializes in handmade personalized items. I thought one of her pillows was the perfect spot to showcase a new favorite quote of mine:

"Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot help but bring it to themselves". An awesome quote, right?! And it seems there's no better time than Christmas to live this sentiment. Our family made a few boxes for Operation Christmas Child and my work group gathered toys for kids in a hospital nearby. But I'm looking for more ideas for next year, when Charlotte is old enough to really get the "giving is better than receiving" concept. What ways do you bring sunshine to others?

For the Love of Blogs: December 2011

2011-12-14T08:33:00.002-05:00

Wow! Have I really just skipped over my For the Love of Blogs posts for October and November?! Oops. I do love sharing some of my favorite reads so here's the last three for this year:

Make It and Love It is where Ashley writes about all her crafty endeavors. From sewing to painting, she's got tutorials for just about everything you could want! If you're ever feeling crafty and need a little inspiration her site is the place to go. At the very least, check out her kids' Halloween costumes - the cutest things ever!

Up next, IHeart Organizing. Jen's site is full of tips and tricks for organizing all aspects of your life. She shares printables, both freebies on her blog and others for sale in her shop, as well as product recommendations and the occasional giveaway. I can use all the organizational tips I can get, so her blog is a daily read for me. She'll definitely inspire you too, so take a look!

And finally, a blog that is new to me - Visual Vocabulary. This is where artist and designer Jesyka shares all the wonderful things that are in her *ahem* visual vocabulary. I love everything she posts about from her daughter's first birthday party to her birdcage chandelier. But my absolute favorite has to be the vintage library baby shower that she just shared. So great!

Hope there are some new finds for you! Enjoy!!

Ring Around the Rosie

2011-12-13T08:50:00.001-05:00

The weekend before last I headed up to Jarrettsville Nurseries to snag some photos of my brother Joe, his wife Jo, and their two boys. Charlotte and Mark tagged along and when I wasn't snapping away, Charlotte was putting her arm around Elijah, holding his hand, dancing with him, etc. She really, truly loves this boy! Here's a series of photos that I captured of their cuteness, followed by some photos of the family:

Quite a good-looking bunch, right?!

This Week's Menu {Dec 12} + $10

2011-12-12T08:49:00.001-05:00

So... last week's menu didn't exactly go as planned. I'm finding that sticking with a meal plan in December is ridiculously difficult. Not only do I have a lot planned to make Charlotte's Christmas fun, but there's loads of unplanned activities that we (happily) end up involved in. Including dinner at my sister-in-law's -- thanks Jacqi! So we'll see how things go this week:

Monday - ??? (Mark & Charlotte are on their own tonight)
Tuesday - Ham & Eggs
Wednesday - Grecian Spaghetti
Thursday - Vegetable Beef Soup
Friday - ??? (Mark's mum arrives and we usually go out to eat)
Saturday - Tuna Casserole

I mentioned that Mark & Charlotte are on their own for dinner tonight. That's because I'm spending the entire day doing some shopping - hopefully filling in the last empty spots on my Christmas list. Like my mom, I try to do my best to make sure everything is fair in my gift-giving: same budget, same number of gifts, etc. That often means you're left needing a couple more gifts and only have a small budget left. I happened upon Kayla Aimee's post featuring 25 gifts under $10 and got some great ideas. Check it out here if you're searching for some ideas too!

Quote to Remember #62

2011-12-09T08:14:00.001-05:00

"I've never been a millionaire, but I just know I'd be darling at it." - Dorothy Parker

Photo Credit: BGDL's flickr

Dear Santa

2011-12-08T08:20:00.001-05:00

One of our countdown to Christmas actitivies was to write letters to Santa. I had grand plans that we'd sit together as a family, look over toy ads and Charlotte would point out all the things she'd been eyeing. Realistically, this was out of her grasp, since her attention span, at least for things other than Disney tv shows, is short to say the least.

She really wasn't interested in writing to Santa. Especially when she saw the camera. She's either totally cooperative with picture-taking, or totally not cooperative, depending on her mood. Today she wasn't in the mood. She did become a bit more compliant when she learned presents were on the line.

We ultimately decided (and by we I mean I) that it'd be best for me to write her letter and she could draw some pictures so Santa really understood. It's probably a little difficult to make out in the photo below, but Charlotte's letter reads, "Dear Santa, I have been a very good girl this year. I like your reindeer very much! Rudolph with the red nose is my favorite. I hope you will bring me some fun new toys. I want a La La Loopsy, princess dolls, a cash register with money and coins and a treehouse. I would like a little reindeer too! Love, Charlotte"

She even "signed" her name herself. Now I just have to make sure it gets to Santa. :)

A Christmas Poll

2011-12-07T08:19:00.003-05:00

As Charlotte gets older, Mark and I have to talk more and more about how we'll celebrate Christmas. Like everyone, we each have our own traditions and ideas of how to do things, and deciding what is best for our little family takes some actual contemplation. Luckily, Mark is pretty easy-going, so I mainly get my way. :) But the whole idea of choosing your traditions got me thinking about whether or not my way of doing things is the popular way of doing things. So here's a little poll so I can see how I match up to my readers.

When does your tree go up?

What kind of tree do you use?

How is your tree decorated?
What kind of lights are on your tree?What kind of lights are on your house?
Who do you get presents for?
When do you open presents from family?
Does Santa wrap his presents?
I could have gone on and on from here, but figured that'd be overkill. Please chime in with answers and feel free to comment with any other traditions you have!

O-L-I-V-E-R

2011-12-06T08:19:00.003-05:00

Charlotte's little buddy, Oliver, just celebrated his 1st birthday on Sunday. We partied as a group on Thursday and then Mark, Charlotte and I got to have some extra time with the little guy when we babysat him Saturday morning. I see him regularly, but not for long periods of time. Especially during daytime hours. So I couldn't resist snapping some (unedited) photos:

He's such a doll, right?! Mark and I talk regularly about how lucky we are to have him in our life and what great friends he and Charlotte will be. We love him so much!!

P.S. I forgot how awesome it is to have a kid that stays relatively still. So much easier to take photos!

P.P.S. Oliver's parents, friends, random admirers, etc can certainly let me know if they'd like an edited version of any or all of the photos.

This Week's Menu {Dec 5} + Hot Chocolate

2011-12-05T08:28:00.001-05:00

We followed last week's meal plan to the letter, save for opting for leftovers a second time. I hope this week goes just as well! Here's the plan:

Monday - Orange Pork Chop Skillet
Tuesday - Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
Wednesday - Black Bean & Corn-Topped Potatoes & Grilled Chicken
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Veggie Pizza
Saturday - Grecian Spaghetti

This past Saturday we spent several hours outside, playing in the yard and hanging Christmas lights on the house. By the time we got done the sun was beginning to set and it was getting pretty cold. Charlotte's little hands were freezing! So we made hot chocolate to warm ourselves up. I'm pretty sure it was Charlotte's first ever.

She really loved it! Especially since Mark gave her a huge dollop of whipped topping, which she'll gladly eat from a bowl like it's ice cream if we let her.

P.S. I'm not sure why her shivering little self decided that taking her shirt off was necessary, but you choose your battles.

P.P.S. I love loads of Christmas lights on a tree (see the bokeh in the background). How about you?

Quote to Remember #61

2011-12-02T08:32:00.002-05:00

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." - Henry David Thoreau

Photo Credit: thewhitestdogalive's flickr

Christmas Countdown

2011-12-01T08:42:00.003-05:00

Happy first of December! Hard to believe the year has gone by so quickly. But here we are, just weeks away from Christmas. Last year after Christmas, Mark picked up a clearanced wreath from Target that was made up of 24 small boxes. It's not the most beautiful wreath ever, and I hope to replace it with something homemade for future Christmases, but it will work well for this year's countdown.

So I snagged some candy, looked at my calendar and started planning our Christmas festivities. In the past we haven't done much in the way of month-long celebrating. Our festivities were mostly limited to riding around to look at Christmas lights, making cookies for gifts and reading the Christmas story from the Bible. Now that Charlotte is older I want to make sure she gets to feel the joy of the season for the entire season, not just a few days.

Our wreath hangs on her bedroom door so we can open up a new box every morning. Each day has a piece of candy in it, but several of the days also have an activity for us to complete together. Hopefully seeing it as soon as I get up in the morning (her door is opposite mine) will keep me accountable! Here's what we have planned:

Yup, we've got a lot on our plate. Not mention that I have my own mini to do list: mail out Christmas cards, prep the spare bedroom for my mother-in-law's arrival, finish Christmas shopping and decorating, revamp this blog's design and more. Even though we've got more activities planned, having an actual plan as opposed to just winging it should help me to appreciate this Christmas season instead of rushing through it. Hopefully your holiday is relaxed too!

So Much For That Plan

2011-11-30T08:45:00.001-05:00

November didn't exactly go as planned. Heading into the month I had two to do lists that I was managing: my monthly to do list and a fall fun list. Here's how I did, or didn't do as the case may be, with the monthly plan:

* Paint the dresser in the spare bedroom -- done and moved back into the bedroom, photos to come
* Hang artwork in Charlotte's bedroom -- um, does one poster count?
* Create a Thanksgiving tree -- yup, and I loved it!
* Make a (possibly Christmas) dress for Charlotte -- nope, I decided she's going to wear last year's instead
* Finish making cloth napkins -- finally checked this off the list (see them here)
* Make a Christmas garland -- decided I didn't need this, but am still thinking about doing one anyway after seeing Ashley Ann's cupcake liner garland
* Plan out a Christmas countdown and related activities -- done and will share more tomorrow

Three things missed and some of the others just barely got done (as in I was finishing up the dresser last night). Here's how things went on the fall fun list:

* Collect leaves -- um nope, and would have been so simple to do
* Harvest Party -- glad we went!
* Pumpkin Picking -- got some good ones
* Hayride -- luckily they offered them at the Harvest Party
* Apple Print Painting -- Elijah and Charlotte had a blast!
* Rake and Jump in Leaves -- my girl couldn't have been more excited about this
* Road Trip to Georgia -- a whirlwind weekend, for sure
* Halloween Party -- my friends came, we rocked
* Make a Fall Dessert -- we made several (nutella cookies, plum tart, pumpkin spice cupcakes)
* Carve Pumpkins -- I did with work, but we didn't as a family
* Paint Acorns -- started but didn't finish
* Pinecone Birdfeeder -- bought the supplies - that counts for something, right?!
* Trick-or-Treat -- Charlotte made for a very cute gnome!

Eesh, we totally missed out on some of the quintessential autumn projects. And for no good reason, just procrastinated. I did find that November went much smoother than October for us, even with a host of unexpected events thrown in the mix, because I had a plan set early on. It was much easier to shuffle a few days around when things came up, as opposed to putting everything off until the end and not having enough time to get it all done. That's why I already have a plan for December. Check back tomorrow for the details!

Barbie Sauce, Here Snipe and Superfast Buttons

2011-11-29T08:31:00.001-05:00

The month almost got away from me before I got Charlotte anecdotes posted. That would have been a shame! So, for your reading pleasure...

* It's no secret that Charlotte looooves her cousin Elijah. A few weeks ago she wanted to talk to him on the phone and proceeded to blabber on and on for about 5 minutes straight. I'm not kidding when I say there was hand motioning and hair twirling involved. It's almost like she's a teenager.

* Like every kid in America, Chuckles loves chicken nuggets and french fries. Her preference is to eat them with grape jelly and barbie (BBQ) sauce respectively. The girl is known to use two grape jelly packets for a four piece nugget. Ick.

* Charlotte is getting more and more into her hair. She likes to wear it curly (down), in Abby Cadabby pigtails, or like "Picture Katie" (ponytail and headband).

* Mark and I took Charlotte to visit my Grandpa while he was in the hospital. At one point she very discretely said, "It smells different in here. Like a doctor's office." Quite the opposite of when my sister and I were kids and visited our great grandmother in a nursing home. Mandy very loudly proclaimed, "It stinks in here!"

* Charlotte has taken to repeating movie lines every now and then. On Saturday we watched Up, and while walking around in the backyard later I could hear her saying, "Here Snipe. Here, Snipey, Snipey, Snipey."

* Speaking of movies, our family plans to head to Walt Disney World in February and my parents and sister will be taking a side trip to the Harry Potter park over at Universal. Charlotte said she didn't want to go there because of the weird, white-faced guy (Voldemort). Note to self: don't allow your three year old to see snippets of movies that aren't age appropriate, because they remember everything.

* Mark and I get regular requests while driving to hit the superfast button. Charlotte loves to hear the roar of the engine. Not sure why. Luckily you don't actually have to be going superfast to get that noise every now and then.

This Week's Menu {Nov 28} + Color

2011-11-28T08:34:00.003-05:00

Sticking to a meal plan hasn't been a priority these last few weeks and I've got the fast food bags to prove it. Needless to say, I'm committed to getting back into the swing of things. The plan this week is pretty simple, but here goes:

Monday - London Broil
Tuesday - Turkey Noodle Dinner (I'm not the only one still enjoying turkey, right?!)
Wednesday - Leftovers
Thursday - Brats
Friday - Easy Chicken Soup
Saturday - Orange Pork Chop Skillet

Even though I haven't been making dinners like I should, we have accomplished some things around the house - painting, organizing, buying(!!), etc. As I decorate more and more, my aim is to have some cohesiveness throughout the house. At least in terms of color. Here's a couple of images (found here and here on Pinterest) that sum up the palette I love:

Add in the occasional dark brown or black and that happy, colorful feeling is what I'm going for. Only time will tell how well I do.

P.S. My sister-in-law is having a giveaway - a $30 gift card for Barnes & Noble. Who can't use that?! Head on over to Hybrid Simplicity to check it out.

We Will Never be the Same

2011-11-25T08:48:00.002-05:00

A friend just shared this with me and I thought it too awesome to not share with you too. Most definitely something to be thankful for!

David Garibaldi: Jesus Painting from Thriving Churches on Vimeo.

You can see that painting process from start to finish here.

Quote to Remember #60

2011-11-18T08:24:00.001-05:00

"The pain we feel when someone leaves our life is in direct proportion to the joy they bring while a part of our life." - Javan

We lost my Grandpa yesterday. Words cannot express the joy that he brought to the people around him. He was quite possibly one of the funniest people I've ever known, right until the very end. Needless to say, things may be a little quiet around here for a few days.

Photo Credit: John-Morgan's flickr

Playing in the Leaves

2011-11-17T08:28:00.002-05:00

My sister-in-law, Johanna, shared some photos of the kiddos playing in leaves the other day. It was really fun to watch the three older kids goof and play in the same way that I remember playing as a child. And in the same yard I played in as a child. Here's a few more photos of Miss Chuckles enjoying the fun!

Love that girl!

From My Mind

2011-11-16T08:40:00.002-05:00

Just some random things that aren't deserving of their own post, but I figured I'd lump together and share. Ah heck, they're not that great together either, but here you go anyway:

* Sometimes it sounds like it's raining in my office when really it's just a bunch of people typing away on their keyboards all at once. That's the reality of working in a cube farm.

* I told my sister the other day that I'm extremely lazy when it comes to snacking. I don't like to have to work at all to get a snack, so if it requires slicing, heating, etc, I'm likely to just grab something that's ready to go, but not as yummy, or not eat at all. She was dumbstruck.

* I'm exceedingly proud of the fact that I have an awesome child, who is cooler and funnier than any kid I know. I know other parents say that about their kids too, but they're wrong.

* I think that Toyota Prius Family commercial that has been running nonstop is beyond creepy. What about a person made of a bunch of other people twisted together made those advertising execs think this spot was a good idea?

* Charlotte's bathtime if one of my favorite times of the day. I love sitting in the hallway reading or surfing the web while listening to her play with her Disney princess toys in the tub. She makes up some of the craziest stories for them, usually involving one being trapped inside a plastic cup!

* I have a new obsession - Frosted Mini Wheats Little Bites. Have you tried them? No? You're missing out.

* This little video makes me super happy. So glad they came out with a second one!

Paper Towels vs Napkins

2011-11-15T08:23:00.002-05:00

I never shared my thoughts on it, but one of the items on my 30 Before Thirty list was to reduce my reliance on paper towels. Here's why:

* According to 1800recycling.com
** According to my shopping trip to Costco

Now I'm far from a crunchy granola treehugger, but I do try to be mindful of how my decisions impact the environment and my pocketbook and this one was a no brainer. The amount of paper towel my family consumes is ridiculous! So Mark and I made the conscious decision a while back to use dishtowels instead of paper towels to sop up messes, and to reach for rags instead of paper towels when doing household cleaning.

I took things one step further a few weeks back and used a vintage sheet to sew up some napkins for us to use with meals. They're nothing earth-shattering, just a square with the edges hemmed (I contemplated mitering the corners, but gave up on that pretty quickly). It cost me just $3 and I got 12 napkins from it, plus some scraps. Mark was a little leary at first - he said he didn't want to use an old bedsheet to wipe his face, to which I quickly pointed out that he sleeps with his face on a bedsheet every night - but the switch has been really easy. And bonus, they're much cuter than paper towels!

Have you made any changes lately in an effort to be more environmentally-conscious?

This Week's Menu {Nov 14} + A Feature

2011-11-14T08:13:00.002-05:00

I cannot express how apathetic I feel toward making this week's meal plan. I don't know why, but I am grumbling beyond belief at the thought of making dinners these next few days. Maybe it has something to go with the lack of food in the house and my strong desire not to go to the grocery store. Could be that. Nevertheless, here's the plan:

Monday - Leftover Chicken Corn Chowder
Tuesday - Tuna Casserole (skipped this last week)
Wednesday - Pancakes
Thursday - Beef Quesadillas (skipped these again last week)
Friday - Quick & Easy Chicken Soup
Saturday - Steak & Potatoes

I am excited about this though:

Yup, that Charlotte's 3rd birthday party featured on Ohdeedoh. I really was pretty proud about how the party turned out (you can see more here) and submitted a few photos to the site back in June. I'd given up hope that it'd be noticed since it had been so long and was pleasantly surprised when I got the email telling me it had been posted. Although nothing compares to having Charlotte's messy masterpiece featured there about a year ago since I didn't submit that tutorial or have any advance notice that I'd be posted. I just happened upon it in my reader.

Quote to Remember #59

2011-11-11T08:49:00.001-05:00

"The mystic cords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart... should swell into a mighty chorus of remembrance, gratitude and rededication on this solemn occasion." - Abraham Lincoln

Photo Credit: frayochino's flickr

Family Room Plan

2011-11-10T08:48:00.003-05:00

If you've been to my house, or you remember from my floor plan post, we've got a good-sized family room just a half flight of stairs down from the main floor of our home. I don't think I've ever shared a decent photo of the room itself, although it has been the location of a few different photos and videos that have been posted. It's a hard room to get a good photo of it, what with the yellow lighting, cream paneling and sea foam green carpet. Basically it's the ugliest room in the house. But the piles of toys, mismatched (and not in a good way) furniture and lack of personality has finally motivated me to make some changes. Here's what I'm thinking:

A colorful sofa. A while back we picked up an inexpensive IKEA sofa with a (now discontinued) white slipcover. While I still love the idea of a white slipcover for a room meant for kids - white can be bleached - it's not the best idea right now, since Charlotte is messy with her snacks and sippy cups and it'd have to be washed every week or so. So on our last IKEA run we picked up a new slipcover, in a cheery green color.

New carpet. I don't know about you, but I don't think a bright green sofa will pair very well with sea foam green carpet. So even though it's not in particularly bad shape, it's got to go. We'll be devoting some of the money we got from our insurance claim for our flooded basement to new carpet for the space and we'll hopefully get a new stair banister too - it's a little rickety. I'm thinking something from the Martha Stewart line would work well.

Paint and art. The panelled walls are currently a creamy color and look really dingy. They'll get a fresh coat of a brighter white color. And they'll finally get some art. I think different types of frames filled with a mixture of photographs, prints and Charlotte's artwork will be perfect. I plan to fill the entire tv wall with them and position the tv in such a way that it looks liked one of the frames on the wall.

Toy organization. Lately I feel like my family room looks like it's used by about 20 kids rather than 2 (Charlotte and Oliver). There are so many toys! We've currently got one IKEA Expedit piece and plan to get two or three more to fill up the entire tv wall. Between this new storage and the major purge that I have planned, we should have no reason to have a room overtaken by toys anymore.

Those four big changes, plus some new light fixtures, blinds and fireplace decor should transform the space from its current state of eye pollution to awesome. I'm super excited!

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

Thankful Tree

2011-11-09T08:27:00.002-05:00

I've seen lots of variations of it all over blogland and decided a Thankful Tree was needed in our house. In case you haven't seen them before, the idea is to make a tree (out of sticks, paper, drawn on a chalkboard - anything, really) and use the leaves to write down things you're thankful for.

To start ours, I gathered together some of the artwork Charlotte made back when we did our apple print painting and cut out leaf shapes. That combined with some branch clippings from the yard and a ceramic pitcher was all we needed for our tree to take shape.

Charlotte came up with most of the items on our leaves. I just wrote them out, strung them up with a little string and helped her place them on the branches. And I made sure to put some extra leaves on a plate near our tree so we can add more as we see fit.

Yup, that one on the top left there does in fact say underwear. And I didn't even have to prompt her to include it. :) The Thankful Tree and that little Lego turkey that Mark and Charlotte made are really it for Thanksgiving decorations around here, but they're sweet enough that I think they're plenty!

Build Something Together

2011-11-08T08:14:00.002-05:00

If you're a momma to a daughter and a fan of Pinterest, you've probably seen pin after pin of tips for dads of daughters. They almost all link back to this blog, where Michael waxes poetic about his thoughts on fathering a little girl. If you have some time, give it a quick read. So sweet!

#145 reminded me of one of Mark and Charlotte's favorite past times:

They build with Legos just about every day. There's something so awesome about watching your husband help create something with your little girl!

P.S. Check back tomorrow to see where that Lego turkey is being displayed in our house.

This Week's Menu {Nov 7} + Exciting News

2011-11-07T08:16:00.003-05:00

In boring news, here's our plan for dinner this week:

Monday - Chicken Caesar Salad
Tuesday - Leftovers (we had soup over the weekend and have lots extra)
Wednesday - Tuna casserole
Thursday - Beef quesadillas (skipped this last week)
Friday - Ham, eggs & dill potatoes
Saturday - Chicken corn chowder

And, the exciting news for the week... Charlotte is basically potty-trained. Two weekends ago, on a whim, we opted to put her in underwear whether she liked it or not. She's been in them, or pull-ups for days when we're going out somewhere, ever since. She's gone at home, at church, at stores. She's a real expert now. She even woke me up at about 2:30am the night before last to go on the potty. Yay Charlotte!

Quote to Remember #58

2011-11-04T08:51:00.001-04:00

"In a houseful of toddlers and pets, you can start out having a bad day, but you keep getting detoured." - Robert Brault

Photo Credit: My sister-in-law, Jacqi

30 Before Thirty: The Final Result

2011-11-03T08:14:00.003-04:00

I still have no plans to make hugely dramatic life goals for myself (see this post), but I do think having a small list of attainable projects in your back pocket is a good way to get things done, hence why I'll be making a to do list each month, just like the one I shared yesterday. And in light of that plan, I thought it important that I recount how I did with my goals for last year.

Here's what I accomplished on my 30 Before Thirty list:

1. Decorate for holidays other than just Christmas.
2. Make a quilt.
3. Enroll Charlotte in gymnastics/dance.
5. Watch all the year's Oscar Best Picture nominees.
7. Sew a costume for Charlotte.
9. Have family photos taken.
10. Teach Charlotte to swim.
11. Get a shared room (i.e. not a bedroom) decorated the way I like.
13. Make dessert more often.
14. Vacation somewhere other than Disney World.
15. Learn to style my hair in different ways.
16. Complete a craft with Charlotte at least monthly.
18. Improve my photography.
21. Take Charlotte to Sesame Place.
22. Reduce my reliance on paper towels.
23. Build something from scratch.
24. Host a party at our new house.
26. Read every book club book. (close enough anyway)
28. Organize my photos.
29. Prepare dinners regularly.
30. Use produce from my own garden.

Here's what I missed:

4. Learn more about Photoshop Elements. ... I definitely want to do this, but haven't even managed to install it on my new laptop yet. Hmmm, maybe that should get added to the to do list.
6. Learn to crochet. ... I've got high hopes to get this checked off the list sometime in the future too. Mostly because I've seen so many cute things that I want and would rather make than buy.
8. Learn to cook a good steak. ... Never happened, and to be quite honest I don't even care. We don't need to eat steak often so it's just as easy to go out to eat it when we do.
12. Organize all our bills and important documents. ... Ugh, utter fail here. Should add organization to the to do list too.
17. Attend church regularly. ... I feel we'll get better at this now that Charlotte has no qualms about going to her class.
19. Lose at least 30 pounds. ... Nope.
20. Have a date night with Mark at least once a month. ... Big time fail. It only happened once and we just ran errands.
25. Take walks as a family. ... Hasn't happened yet, but it is on the calendar for this month.
27. Revamp a piece of furniture with paint. ... Missed this one too, but again, it's on the calendar.

I'd hoped to have fared better than 70%, but I think that this 30 Before Thirty plan has put me in a rhythm of setting small goals for myself, which is most definitely a good thing. I've always had a list going in my mind of different projects I've wanted to accomplish, but have never put them out there for the world to see and set a deadline to them. So even though I barely got a passing grade, I consider this project to be a success because of the habits it has created in me. The true test will be over the next few months, as we see how diligent I am about coming up with a monthly list of tasks and actually crossing those tasks off the list. Fingers crossed!

November To Do List

2011-11-02T08:40:00.003-04:00

Some big name bloggers (Sherry, Katie, Ana and Erin) are doing another Pinterest Challenge this month. I had grand plans to get some fun stuff accomplished to share with the masses, but a little something I like to call "a self-diagnosed sinus infection" thwarted my plan. Instead here's a recap of some Pinterest-inspired projects I've completed in the past.

(Clockwise from top left: crate bookcase, Dad Rocks paperweight, apple print painting, marshmallow sculptures, cross stitch wall art)

And because I know I get a lot more accomplished when I have a plan, here's what I want to get done this month:

* Paint the dresser in the spare bedroom (pin inspiration)
* Hang artwork in Charlotte's bedroom (pin inspiration)
* Create a Thanksgiving tree (pin inspiration)
* Make a (possibly Christmas) dress for Charlotte (pin inspiration)
* Finish making cloth napkins (pin inspiration)
* Make a Christmas garland (pin inspiration)
* Plan out a Christmas countdown and related activities (pin inspiration)

What are you hoping to cross off your to do list this month?

The Obligatory Costume Photos

2011-11-01T08:40:00.004-04:00

I snagged some photos on Halloween, but none are particularly blog-worthy since everything was so dark by the time the festivities began. Instead, my three favorite ~~trick-or-treating~~ Harvest Party photos are below:

First, her excited/surprised face. I don't think she truly grasped that she could just walk around and get candy for dressing up until that moment.

Next, the photo that will become this year's official photo. Such a cute little gnome!

And last, the photo I get just about anytime I ask for a smile. Ugh.

Hope your day was super fun!

This Week's Menu {Oct 31} + Halloween

2011-10-31T08:19:00.002-04:00

Let's get the menu out of the way:

Monday - Pizza
Tuesday - Orange pork chop skillet (skipped last week)
Wednesday - Minestrone soup
Thursday - Beef quesadillas
Friday - Leftovers
Saturday - Muffin tin omelettes

And now onto the good stuff... today's festivities! What are your plans for Halloween? We attended our church's Harvest Party this past Wednesday and had plans to head to the Trunk or Treat at my brother's church, but it got postponed due to weather to tonight and we won't be able to make it. Tonight we'll be partying at my house with friends - passing out candy, playing rock band, partaking in a dessert buffet. You know, the usual. What about you? If nothing else, at least enjoy this video that's been making the rounds. Love it so much!!

Quote to Remember #57

2011-10-28T08:17:00.001-04:00

"We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love." - Dr Seuss

Photo Credit: judibird's flickr

Thoughts on Thirty

2011-10-27T08:46:00.002-04:00

Mark asked me earlier this week what 30 means to me. To be honest, I was a little confused about his question and had to ask for clarification. He wondered if I had any milestones I'd hoped to have reached, goals to have achieved, etc by the time I was 30.

Strange as it may seem, I've never been one to look all that far ahead. Even though I'm a planner when it comes to Disney trip taking and new car buying (yup, finally got one of those yesterday), I don't think much at all about what my life will look like 5, 10, 20 years down the line. And I certainly don't make a list of major accomplishments that I am to have ticked off by a particular age. Maybe that shows a lack of drive and ambition, because I'd quite possibly have a better job, bigger house, heftier savings account and more if I'd come up with some sort of course of action for my life. But that's just not me.

Truth be told, I feel like 30 is a strange age to attach such import too when loads of people live to be a century or so old. I'm still extremely young when you look at it that way. In fact, high school feels like it just ended yesterday, rather than over a decade (!!) ago. Which I suppose is odd to say since I've been married for approaching eight years now, and a mother for nearly four. It's just that I'm only now beginning to feel like I've gotten a grip on everything around me and settled into a comfortable routine. Not to say that things were out of control before, just that life runs more smoothly now. And I'm completely happy with the way it runs.

So to answer Mark's question... no, I never made a list of objectives for age 30. But given my current contentment with life, I'd say that whatever list I should have made I checked off in its entirety. We'll see if I can say the same when I turn 40. You know, when Charlotte's in high school. Scary thought.

Lions, Lying & Attitude

2011-10-26T08:27:00.001-04:00

We're nearing the end of the month and you know what that means. Time to share a few of the things Charlotte's done the past few weeks that are noteworthy. Here we go:

* I mentioned yesterday that Charlotte is infatuated with her cousin Elijah. She even told us the other day that she and Elijah are Oliver's parents and Mark and I are his grandparents.

* Charlotte generally sleeps in her room from 9pm until about 6am, at which points she wakes briefly and ends up sleeping in our bed until about 8am when she gets up for good. One morning, as I was waiting for my turn in the bathroom, Charlotte started roaring. I glanced her way and discovered she was asleep. And obviously dreaming about lions. Weird.

* We've had to have some lessons on lying lately. Mostly in relation to the contents of Charlotte's diaper. Fortunately, we've mostly switched to underwear during the day so the lessons have been fewer and fewer. Go Charlotte!

* Like some of the other kids on Mark's side of the family, Charlotte loves mirrors. She calls her reflection "Other Charlotte" (really creative, I know) and carries on entire conversations with her little friend. They compare hairstyles, clothes and silly faces.

* Charlotte was rolling up a piece of paper the other day and I asked her to stop. She responded by saying "Sometimes you can roll it even when your mother says not to." And so the attitude begins.

* Miss Thing has become quite the ham and often directs my picture taking. Here's my most recent favorite:

Apple Print Painting

2011-10-25T08:13:00.004-04:00

This past weekend I babysat for my brother and sister-in-law. Charlotte was thrilled to have a pair of playmates in Elijah and Caleb! I always try to plan an activity for when we have little ones over - partly because it'll take up time and keep them occupied and partly because I think Charlotte enjoys these activities more when she has someone to share the fun with. Last time we made marshmallow sculptures with Penelope. This time we did some apple print painting with Elijah.

I put a tablecloth on the dining table, gathered my supplies, and stripped the kids down to their underclothes.

As the guest, Elijah got to do the first couple prints. I just dipped the apple in paint each time, wiped a bit of paint off so it wasn't too drippy, and handed it over. The kids did the rest.

The apples were quickly set to the side in favor of fingers. No surprise there. Each of them began by just using their pointer fingers, but that quickly changed to whole hands. Charlotte was the first to really get messy. No surprise there either.

You can see my method, since I couldn't find paper plates, was to put the paint on paper towels, all situated on a baking sheet. This actually kept things pretty well corralled and made for easy cleanup. Note to self for future painting endeavors.

It was bedtime before we got around to taking after pictures, hence the change in lighting. We decided to make the orange pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns using construction paper based on this pin. Charlotte told me she's giving her masterpieces to Elijah (she's infatuated with him lately) and Gramma. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to keep some for myself though!

Have you taken on any fun fall projects lately?

This Week's Menu {10/24} + Giveaway Winners

2011-10-24T08:11:00.002-04:00

We have a couple events planned for this week, so I don't know how likely we are to keep to this plan, but we'll definitely give it a good try!

Monday - Meatball subs & parmesan roasted potatoes
Tuesday - Chicken tortellini with pesto sauce
Wednesday - Stuffed bread loaf
Thursday - Spaghetti with meat sauce
Friday - Orange pork chop skillet
Saturday - Leftovers

I hope everyone had a fun and productive weekend! I did a little sewing and painting, which I'll definitely share more about soon. Until then, congrats to...

The three of you each won a code for 25 free cards from Shutterfly. Consider it an early Christmas present! Just check your email for info from me. If you don't get anything, it's because I don't have your email address. Send me a note at explanationrequired@gmail.com and I'll get the info your way.

Quote to Remember #56

2011-10-21T08:23:00.001-04:00

"While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about." - Angela Schwindt

Photo Credit: sourbrew's flickr

Fall Fun List

2011-10-20T08:42:00.002-04:00

Our summer fun list was fairly successful, so I decided to make a fall version too.

Everything is pretty self-explanatory and we've already crossed two items off the list -- pumpkin picking and road trip to Georgia. Yay for stacking the deck!! And shhh... I've got plans to cross another off when my nephews visit with us this Saturday. So check back next week to see the fruits of our labor. That was a hint by the way. :)

P.S. Check out yesterday's post for details on how to get 25 free photo cards from Shutterfly.

GIVEAWAY: Shutterfly

2011-10-19T08:47:00.004-04:00

I realize I just posted our Halloween decorations, but it's never too early to start talking about Christmas. Right?! Right. I've been diligent about sending out Christmas cards since Charlotte was born. It's the perfect excuse to show off the cuteness! This year will be no different. Part of the reason our family road-triped to Georgia the weekend before last was to get photos taken, so be on the lookout for those in the next month or two.

Last year we used Shutterfly for our cards and based on that experience we'll without a doubt be using them again this year. The quality of their photo cards was really fantastic, they shipped quickly and they've got oodles of options. Here are some of my favorites this time around:

I typically opt for a folded card (I like being able to handwrite our names), but these flat cards were too fun not to highlight. Check them out here, here, here, and here. I'm thrilled that I've again been able to take part in Shutterfly's holiday promotion and snagged some cards for free. The cheapskate in me loves a good deal, but rest assured, I wouldn't be ordering from Shutterfly if I wasn't pleased with the result.

Are you a blogger? Want a chance at 25 free cards this holiday season? Register here to apply to get some freebies yourself. And no worries if you're not a blogger. Shutterfly has graciously offered up 25 free cards to three of my readers. So whether you're in the market for cards for the holidays or just photo greeting cards, they've got you covered. Here's how to enter for a chance to win:

Reply to this post with the words "GIVE ME TWENTY-FIVE" --- *Giveaway Closed*

Yup, simple as that. Next Monday I'll draw three names from the hat and three of you lucky ladies (or men, I don't want to be presumptious) will be sent codes to collect your free cards. Just make sure your email is accessible so I can get the code to you.

Merry Almost Christmas!

Happy Almost Halloween!

2011-10-18T08:35:00.005-04:00

I love some of the spooky Halloween decor I've seen around the web lately, but with a toddler at home and my affinity for bright, cheerful colors, it should come as no surprise that my Halloween decor leans to the whimsical side of things. Only the living room made the cut for decorations, mostly because it's the only room that is complete enough in its own decor to warrant any holiday-specific decorating.

If you remember waaaay back, the above is what the room looked like after we painted the walls a pale blue (Behr's Valley Mist) and added a new sofa, a new rug, our old armchair, a thrifted coffee table and just a handful of other accessories. But in the 10 or so months that we've been living here, I've taken on quite a few projects in the space. I've added new curtains, made by moi in a happy yellow suzani fabric, as well as a crate bookcase, a coat rack ledge and some fun wall words. And like most ladies, I've spent my fair share of moolah at Home Goods, Target and the like and have added a host of other accessories into the mix. And then I perused Pinterest for some great Halloween ideas and managed to turn the space into this:

The crayola box, bright colors everywhere might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I love them! Let's take a closer look:

Over the couch is a wall full of bats. I simply folded black cardstock in half, cut out a bat shape and used some painter's tape to hang a boatload of them on the wall. I love that they're opposite the bay window and trick-or-treaters will be able to see them as they come up to the house. And there's the Halloween-ready bookcase that I shared the other day, complete with a little sparkly black light-up pumpkin that was gifted to Charlotte recently (thanks Mom!).

Speaking of, my mom requested a closeup shot of that cute little owl that sits atop the bookcase. He was a Home Goods find and the glitter tree came from the Target dollar spot. I've got a few more owls in the space, including this little trio found on Etsy. I paired them with a sunny, yellow pitcher and a plate I found at Home Goods. Love the branch silhouette and that it's not overtly Halloween, but fits right in.

Also on the hutch is a jar of candy corn, a purple mercury glass owl I found at Marshall's recently, a jar full of lollipops (that always lives there), a bird tray from Ikea and a small glass bird that use to reside in Charlotte's nursery. Turning towards the door you'll see the trio of pumpkins (Momma, Daddy and baby according to Charlotte) that we snagged at the local produce stand and a black cat from Michaels.

Turning even further you can check out the decor on the coat rack ledge. I spruced up Charlotte's portrait by adding construction paper devil horns, mustache and tail. She calls herself a "funny monster". Throw in a few wobbly-eyed ancestors and a spider web made by Charlotte and Gramma and the room is complete. Here's a list of some of the pins I used for ideas around the space:

* Dress up family portraits
* Cheese cloth ghosts
* Google eye ancestors
* Free printable
* Poison/potion labels

And definitely check out my Halloween board for a slew of other fantastic ideas that I hope to put into place next year. Happy Almost Halloween!

P.S. Wanna see what other bloggers are doing based on ideas from Pinterest? Head on over to the Modern Marigold and her Pin-Did Challenge.

This Week's Menu {Oct 17} + A Sneak Peek

2011-10-17T08:47:00.002-04:00

Here's the meal plan for the week:

Monday - Grecian Spaghetti
Tuesday - Honey Apricot Pork Loin
Wednesday - Bunless Cheeseburgers
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Baked Potatoes & Salad
Saturday - McDonald's (we're babysitting and this will be liked by all)

Anyone who has been to my house in the past couple weeks can tell you that I've actually decorated for Halloween. I'm pretty sure it's the first time that's ever happened. But with my 30th birthday fast approaching, and my deadline to cross 30 Before Thirty items off the list coming soon, it was a priority.

That's tiny sneak peek of what's going on on my coat rack ledge. Check back tomorrow because I'll be sharing more photos of the space!

Quote to Remember #55

2011-10-14T08:25:00.005-04:00

"Glory's waiting outside your windows. Wake on up from your slumber, baby open up your eyes." - Slumber by Needtobreathe

Ten on TenThirteen: October 2011

2011-10-13T08:45:00.012-04:00

I took 10 photos as planned on Monday, but since we spent 16 or so hours in the car, I had no way to post them until now. Given that we were road tripping it during the entire 10 hours that this montage encompasses, this could very well go down as the most boring Ten on Ten in history. Nevertheless:

8:00am hour - We stopped at an outlet mall not far into the ride home and Mark and Charlotte
made a game plan for what stores we needed to stop at.
9:00am hour - Just before leaving the outlet we let Charlotte do a mechanical ride.
This was a running theme for the weekend - she loves them!

10:00am hour - The awesomeness that is Sonic prompted us to stop for an early lunch. Love the quote on my tots container!
11:00am hour - Charlotte continued playing with her Barbies after our lunch break. Almost 3 hours occupied by these dolls.

12:00pm hour - After Barbies Charlotte switched to coloring. I love these post-it note type
coloring pads with sticky on the top of the page.
1:00pm hour - Watching DVDs didn't last long, but Charlotte loved the new earbuds we snagged
for her at the Pottery Barn outlet. She's been jealous of Aunt Mandy's for a while!

2:00pm hour - No trip to the South would be complete without a stop at a roadside stand for some peaches and other produce.
3:00pm hour - And no road trip would be complete without a traffic jam. We moved about 4 miles during this hour. Ugh.

4:00pm hour - Generally speaking, Charlotte was a very good traveler but did have a breakdown here because
she couldn't have french fries. She was asleep 7 minutes later.
5:00pm hour - Eesh. 1200 miles logged for the weekend at this point and still a couple hundred more to go.
It was more than five hours after this photo was taken that we finally arrived home.

The Tale of the Twiga

2011-10-12T08:38:00.001-04:00

My friend Kate just forwarded me the photo below and it got me thinking about how I've never documented the tale of the twiga (pronounced twee-guh). I mean, I know the story and those in the herd know the story, but it's never been written out for the world to see. My sister tells it much better, but here goes...

Source
Once upon a time, a group of fourteen (!!) went on trip to Walt Disney World. One day, while in Animal Kingdom, we made a game plan for our visit to the Festival of the Lion King. You see, they split you into various sections in the theater, and each section is assigned an animal. Everyone knows the lion is the best animal and we wanted to be sure we made it to the lion section. We didn't. Instead our group got shuffled over to the giraffe section. Totally lame, right?! We certainly thought so.

We pouted a bit, but nothing could keep this group down, so when the cast member asked for a volunteer from our section, Joe's hand shot up very enthusiastically. He was chosen and was asked to tell the crowd how to make a giraffe noise. It's hard to describe the strange noise that he made (something like a crazed wild turkey, but weirder). We all got a good laugh, learned that a giraffe in fact makes a low bleating noise, like a sheep, and that you can mimic a giraffe by holding your arm straight up with your fingers pressed against your thumb to make its head. And we moved on with our day.

As I mentioned, our group was 14 (!!) people strong, and was composed of my immediate family, some extended family and a few friends. As you can imagine with a group that large, especially with a mix of ages, we split up and later met up quite often. Some would go do Space Mountain a million times in a row (sadly, not me - pregnant with Chuckles), while others waited in line for forever to ride Peter Pan (worth it). One evening, while waiting for Wishes (the fireworks show) to start, a handful of us went on a food run. On the way back Mark got lost in the shuffle. The shuffle of a couple thousand people.

Have you ever stood amongst a couple thousand people, trays of food in hand, and tried to find the rest of your group? Yeah. No fun. We could see Mark and were waving to get his attention, but half the crowd was doing the same thing, trying to get the attention of their lost group member, so no luck. Then one of us, I'm not sure who, decided to mimic the giraffe, with an arm straight up, hand fixed to look like a head. The rest of the group joined in. And in the distance, you could see Mark's hand raise up in the air, in giraffe pose, in response.

We quickly discovered that this giraffe move was a stroke of genius. No more waving to try to get someone to see you, or trying to remember what shirt someone was wearing to try to find them. We simply agreed on a meeting place and made the giraffe symbol until the whole group was together. We later learned that twiga is Swahili for giraffe and have referred to ourselves as twigas ever since. We even captured ourselves a bona fide twiga named Machupa (Swahili for he who likes to drink) and he's become our roaming gnome of sorts.

It's cheesy to be sure, but the ~~giraffe~~ twiga has become our thing. Charlotte and Oliver both had baby showers with a subtle giraffe theme. Our trivia team was named "Twigas" for a while (until we got tired of the emcee butchering the pronunciation). We made matching twiga shirts for a future Disney World trip. The list goes on and on. Definitely cheesy, but the best kind of cheesy.

Do you have similar inside jokes within your family? Or your group of friends?

Etsy Love: Halloween Party

2011-10-11T08:49:00.002-04:00

My friends and I will be having a Halloween party this year. It'll be pretty low key and won't involve much in the way of favors, decorations, etc. Sure, I'll have a couple special touches for the evening, but I won't be devoting much time or money to the gathering. That said, I can't help but ogle the fun party supplies available on Etsy. Here's a collection that I'd use if I was going for a cute, kid-friendly party:

I lurve bright colors, so I searched for cheery, happy hues for this treasury. My favorite pieces are the magnets and the bewitching garland. Despite my plan not to purchase much for this party, those may make their way into my shopping cart anyway! :)

Are you having a Halloween party? Do you typically decorate in a cutesy way like this, or go for a ghoulish gala?

This Week's Menu + Road Trip

2011-10-10T08:14:00.001-04:00

Alright, first things first, let's get the menu out of the way:

Monday - On the road
Tuesday - Omelets
Wednesday - Spaghetti with meat sauce
Thursday - Chicken fried rice
Friday - Baked potatoes
Saturday - Steak and salad

Did you catch that we're on the road today? Yup, we drove down to Georgia on Saturday, spent Sunday there enjoying Stone Mountain and getting some family photos done, and are on our way back today. Crazy, but true.

Since today is the 10th I'll be taking (at least) 10 photos along the way, with plans to share them later this week. Until then, go check out the link party at Rebekah's blog and show those bloggers some love. I know I love getting comments, so I'm sure they will too. Enjoy your day!

Quote to Remember #54

2011-10-07T08:41:00.001-04:00

"Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring." - Marilyn Monroe

Photo Credit: Karamello's flickr

Summer Fun List: The Result

2011-10-06T08:23:00.005-04:00

At the start of June I posted our summer fun list - a list of activities that we wanted to complete by the end of the summer. Autumn officially started back on September 23rd, so time is up and I'm ready to share what we accomplished:

* Vacation to Sesame Place --- Done. We had a really fantastic time!
* Road trip to Michigan --- Went swimmingly. The road trip was easier than expected actually.
* Take Charlotte to a movie --- We skipped this, mostly because there weren't any movies in the theaters that I thought she'd enjoy.
* Celebrate family birthdays --- My family's birthdays never really got celebrated (shameful), but we did celebrate with her cousins on Mark's side.
* Visit Bruster's for a treat --- Very yummy!!
* Play a round of mini golf --- She definitely looked the part, even if we didn't play a full 18 holes.
* Hike along the B&A trail --- Ha! Nope. Didn't happen.
* Play in the sprinkler. A LOT! --- With lots of yard work comes lots of sprinkler action!
* Do bubble painting artwork --- Fail. And this was one I really wanted to do!
* Make chalk drawings --- We did a lot of this. Here's an example.
* Bake a treat together --- Charlotte is a great kitchen helper, especially with chocolate chip cookies!
* Have a bubble party --- Nope.
* SWIM! As much as possible! --- That girl is a swimming machine!!
* Dunkin Donuts for breakfast --- Enjoyed by all.
* Make marshmallow sculptures --- Charlotte's cousin Penelope even joined in the fun!
* Visit the library often --- Not even once. But we did a lot of reading at home.
* Family day at the airplane park --- Nope.
* Go on a family picnic --- Not this either.
* Fourth of July fireworks --- Enjoyed these for sure and Charlotte even likes to sing about them!

I guess 12 out of 19 isn't too awful bad. Let's see if we'll be more successful our our fall/winter fun list - coming soon.

Pumpkin Picking

2011-10-05T08:24:00.009-04:00

Charlotte has been getting really excited about Halloween. It's so neat to see because she really couldn't have cared less for her previous three Halloweens. But she's now at an age where she really understands how it works and can wait in anxious anticipation for something without thinking it'll happen tomorrow. It's been really fun to involve her in decorating our living room and to look at a costume book (even though we already picked up a costume after last Halloween). And it was especially delightful to take her shopping for pumpkins this past weekend.

We went to a local produce stand - one that we only discovered after moving, even though I haven't lived more than 10 minutes from it for the past 20+ years. The prices were great and Charlotte picked out six pumpkins. We got a big one for Mark, a medium one for me, a small one for Charlotte and three tiny ones for her nanny (my friend Christine), her husband and her little boy Oliver. Charlotte asks to get Oliver something almost everywhere we go. So sweet!

My dad was able to spare about an hour to join us on our trip. Charlotte loved riding in the car next to "Ampa" and showing him her picks. Even if she did try to ram him with the cart. Considering she could only move it a few inches (there was probably about 30 pounds of pumpkin in that cart) he didn't have much to worry about. Besides, I think he quite enjoyed their outing!

Crate Bookcase: Halloween-Ready

2011-10-04T08:23:00.008-04:00

Amanda over at The Modern Marigold got me motivated last week when she put up a pin-did challenge. The goal is to get one task, inspired by Pinterest, accomplished and ready to be shared each week. The project can be big or small, but the goal is to stopping pinning and start doing!

I made this crate bookshelf a while back (it was inspired by Pinterest too) and decided after pinning tons and tons of Halloween decor ideas that it was high time I started decorating myself. Here's the start:

Sorry that the color is all kinds of off! With it getting darker earlier, I'm rarely home during daylight, so getting natural light photos is impossible. But you get the idea, right?

All I did was add a couple Halloween items to our regular mix. The glitter tree came from the Target dollar spot. The owl in a top hat (fabulous, right?!) was a Home Goods find and the spooky Mickey was from a previous Disney World trip. Oh, and the metal jack-o-lantern bucket was from Home Goods too. We'll be using it to pass out candy, but of course, couldn't fill it just yet. Not with a 3 year old around.

We've got some other Halloween decor going on too, from specifics pins I made. I'll be sure to snag some decent photos of those and share them in the weeks to come. Until then, what have you done to get geared up for Halloween?

This Week's Menu {Oct 3} + Freezer Meals

2011-10-03T08:33:00.003-04:00

About four months ago I mentioned that I wanted to get into freezer cooking. Well, given that I absolutely detest cooking, it should come as no surprise that I absolutely detest doing any research that involves cooking. As a result freezer meals have not become a part of our life. I have found a way to save 10-20 minutes each week though - I precook ground meat.

Many of our regular dinners (spaghetti, quesadillas, tacos, unstuffed cabbage) call for ground meat. And since I add chopped onion to my ground meat, the chopping, browning and draining takes about 10-15 minutes for each dish. So I've started browning my ground beef ahead of time - usually about five or six pounds at a time that I section into ziploc bags and freeze. Then all I have to do for dinner is reheat the already cooked beef (takes about a minute in the skillet) and add it to whatever recipe I'm making that day. The time saved is pretty tiny, but for someone who loathes every minute spent in the kitchen, it's enough!

That said, here's this week's plan:

Monday - Unstuffed Cabbage (we still have leftovers from last week)
Tuesday - Almond Crusted Pork Chops
Wednesday - Chicken Caesar Salad
Thursday - Beef Quesadillas
Friday - Leftovers
Saturday - ???

Do you have any tricks for making meal prep go faster?

Quote to Remember #53

2011-09-30T08:38:00.001-04:00

"Never stop because you are afraid - you are never more likely to be wrong." - Fridtjof Nansen

Photo Credit: CubaGallery's flickr

Par-Tay

2011-09-29T08:44:00.002-04:00

Amanda (my sister) and I were just taking about how we need to have more get-togethers and parties with our friends. We've brainstormed a bit and will definitely be having a Halloween bash, a Secret Santa party and some other fun events into next year. I was craving some more ideas though, so I did a little Pinterest searching for inspiration and found this:

Is it just me, or does it make you beyond happy just to look at that moodboard? It's got to be on the sweetest things I've ever seen. You can check out the sources here, the actual party here, and an Etsy treasury I happened to make using the same color scheme here.

Do you have any parties in the works? Or maybe some great inspiration images to share? Do tell.

Luke, Irene and a Hero

2011-09-28T08:12:00.001-04:00

* Hopefully this little Charlotte-ism will be gone soon given yesterday's post, but it's something I wanted to remember --- Charlotte really doesn't like her diaper to touch her belly button. She's got an in-betweenie (I don't think it's really an innie, but it's definitely not an outie) and it's obviously sensitive. But only to her diaper. Pants and shirts don't bother it at all.

* Mark really enjoys that Charlotte has a love for Star Wars. We recently got a few Star Wars figures for her and Oliver to play with and Aunt Mandy taught Charlotte how to do the "Luke, I am your father", "Noooooo!" bit of dialogue. She does it with real gusto!

* Bedtime is getting more and more interesting around here, what with all the toys that Charlotte insists must come to bed her. The other day she needed her baby pony, a doll cradle, a blanket for the pony, a bottle for the pony and a banana for the pony. I put my foot down at the banana.

* While we were without power after Hurricane Irene we slept with our windows open. I never realized our yard was quite so busy, with bugs and frogs making all sorts of noises. I tried to tell Charlotte that the chirping she heard was the bugs snoring, but she wasn't having it. She explained that bugs don't chirp, birds do.

* While I was making dinner on Monday Charlotte proclaimed that she wanted to be a saver. Mark and I didn't really know what she meant, so we had to dig a little deeper --- Do you want to be a doctor? A firefighter? She said no. She wants to be a hero. More power to her.

* Charlotte is finally starting to cooperate when I try to take photos of her. The other day she ran from spot to spot saying tada and posing for a split second. I don't like that I chopped her arm off in this one, but her smile is so darn cute:

Advice Needed

2011-09-27T08:19:00.001-04:00

I've been mentioning here and there for past 6 months that we're working on potty training Charlotte. We've still not been successful. I like to make excuses that it's because she doesn't have any older potty trained kids around her to lead the way, but in reality it's just that I'm finding it hard to focus on potty training when I'm only home on the weekends.

I was trying to avoid using pullups because it just seems to me that it'd be confusing for her - in a 3 year old's mind why would it be ok to go in a pullup, but not in a diaper - but I think we're going to go that route anyway. Our family room is carpeted, so it's not easy to just let her run around in underwear and hope for the best. I might do this if it were me at home with her, but I feel badly leaving Chrissy (my friend and Charlotte's nanny) in charge of dealing with the mess involved and figure that leaves pullups as the only option.

We did give underwear only a go for portions of this past weekend (we switched back to diapers while we were out shopping), and Charlotte did have some success on the potty. But we're nowhere near done and I could use all the tips and tricks I can get from experienced mommas (and dads, grandmas, daycare providers, etc) as we move forward, so feel free to let loose in the comments. And so we all know what the payoff is for a potty-trained Chuckles, check out photos from last weekend's efforts below. Adorable, right?!

This Week's Menu {Sep 26} + Deconstructed

2011-09-26T08:22:00.001-04:00

After finishing up 17 days of catastrophe duty at work, which thankfully ended earlier than expected, I'm grateful to be back into the regular swing of things. I managed to put together meals for this family several days in a row, something that hasn't happened in a few weeks. So here's the plan for this week:

Monday - Easy Chicken Soup
Tuesday - Unstuffed Cabbage
Wednesday - Brats
Thursday - Pancakes
Friday - Leftovers
Saturday - Tortellini with Pesto Sauce

As I was putting together dinner on Sunday I realized how grateful I am that Charlotte is getting more adventurous with food. While I've never considered her picky, there was a time when I'd make dinner for Mark and I and then make something separate for her - usually eggs or chicken nuggets. But now she's happy to "help" make dinner and will eat just about anything put on her plate, even if it's just a deconstructed version of our meal. Last night Mark and I had meatball subs and edamame, so Charlotte had meatballs, bread, cheese rolls and edamame.

The real test will be the unstuffed cabbage that we have planned for later this week. She's never eaten it before, so my fingers are crossed!

Quote to Remember #52

2011-09-23T08:33:00.000-04:00

"Laugh when you can, apologize when you should and let go of what you can't change." - Unknown

Photo Credit: harold.lloyd's flickr

Giant Plans

2011-09-22T08:47:00.001-04:00

Have you seen this? Emily Henderson, of Secrets from a Stylist fame, has put up a challenge. A big, huge, giant challenge.

The challenge is to decorate a dollhouse. Any variety - big or small. Any style - contemporary, eclectic, traditional, whatever suits you. Bloggers can share their progress and their final results online (or in person if you're in the LA area) and we can all enjoy having created something fun together. Here's what Emily had to say about it:

I, for one, am in. The challenge deadline is December 15, which will be perfect timing for me to decorate a dollhouse for Charlotte for Christmas. It won't be anywhere near as stylish as what the ladies involved in this challenge will put out (seriously, go check out the list), but it'll be just right for me. And for Charlotte.

Are you going to take part?

For the Love of Blogs: September 2011

2011-09-21T08:39:00.011-04:00

I'm not quite sure how the middle of the month has arrived so quickly. But I feel like I say that every month. Work has been beyond busy the past few weeks and I haven't had a ton of time to read many posts, but here are a few blogs you should check out:

First up, My Paper Crane. Heidi is a crafter extraordinaire and she's got post after post (not to mention published books) to prove it. She's got a cute, whimsical style that I really love. Lately I've been totally enamored with all her Halloween crafting. Go give her blog a look - there's lots of great stuff going on over there!

Next up, Melissa from 320 Sycamore. She's a stay at home mom of 5 (my head hurts just thinking about that many kids!) and blogs about her home. I love that she shares tips and tricks of what worked for her along with hints on where to find some fantastic savings. I am cheap to the core, so her heads up are much appreciated. Go see them for yourself!

Last up, Kayla Aimee and her only slightly neurotic life. Her little Scarlette is to cutest Yoda-lookalike I've ever seen and I really enjoy hearing her ridiculous stories of ants in irons, accidental stripping and the like. Seriously, she's hilarious, so don't have any beverages around when you go take a look cause I can't be held accountable if your computer screen ends up covered in said beverage.

By Request

2011-09-20T08:17:00.003-04:00

So much for thinking overtime was done. Amanda (my sister) and I are back to working 12 hour days. Today will be our 9th in a row. We have 5 more to go, followed by 5 regular days after that. Yup, that'll be 19 days of work in row, 14 of them being 12 hours each. That's over 200 hours of work before we'll get our first day off. Ahh, the glamorous life of an insurance claims adjuster. Needless to say our entire office is getting a little stir crazy, and we're majorly craving anything to do that isn't an insurance claim. Enter cute videos of Charlotte. After last week's post, I got multiple requests from coworkers for more. Not that we'd ever watch them at work - that'd be against the rules. ;)

First up, Chuckles shows off the costume that Mark just bought for her at Target. It won't make the cut for Halloween, but will go in her dress-up bag. She picked it out because she loved the necklace.

And here's a quick clip showing her feet talking to each other. They usually have calmer conversations (one is usually scolding the other, actually, saying "no, that's my sock"), but she was excited about the camera and so they got a little louder than normal.

Yeah. She's a weird kid. I love her to pieces.

36

2011-09-19T08:25:00.001-04:00

Mark's birthday was yesterday. He spent it scouring the basement to rid it of mold while I worked and Charlotte hung out with her cousin. A delightful way to spend the day, I'm sure. Please show him some (belated) birthday love!

Quote to Remember #51

2011-09-16T08:14:00.001-04:00

"If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves." - Thomas Edison

Photo Credit: DilipBhoye's flickr

Feeling Mood(Board)y

2011-09-15T08:37:00.002-04:00

So I got to thinking the other day about how I would decorate my living space if I were just starting out in home ownership and had free reign to do whatever I wanted. You know, no husband, kid, or roommate to consider. Here's what I came up with:

I love me some bold, cheery color and this place is no different. I've matched up a bright turquoise on the walls (Behr's Cloudless) with a black and white chevron rug, figuring the rug will ground what could be an over the top color. The grey sofa and round coffee table also bring a little bit of calmness to the space. Aside from the white bookcase and industrial end table, that's about where the calmness ends.

I'd create a fantastic gallery wall, including the prints pictured - Giraffes, Be Awesome Today (super-sized of course), Funky Russian Architecture - and a handful of others, mostly homemade or clipped from magazines. On my bookcase I'd display some of my most favorite reads, those awesome Penguin Classics, alongside some cute owls, baskets and other knick knacks.

And then I'd go on the hunt. I'd search out some colorful, but cheap lamps (why hello Home Goods), some pillows full of quirk and pattern (thank you Etsy), and, perhaps most importantly, an impractical chair for reading in. Velvet in a crimson red would be ideal, but a host of other colors would work too. And I'd need a poof like this one to put my feet up on. Not to mention an entertainment stand (something in the same color family as the end table, perhaps this piece) and curtains (these in the charcoal color would be perfect, or maybe panels from this fabric if I'm craving more color).

Ahh, to be getting my first place again. :)

Caught on Tape

2011-09-14T08:17:00.002-04:00

I've mentioned more than once that Charlotte has a love for a wide range of music - everything from 70s rock to classic kids songs. A real favorite of late is Katy Perry's "Firework", which I finally caught on tape. Enjoy!

Want to check out some more videos of this cutie? Here she is earlier this year, and again at just 16 months old.

30 Before Thirty: Revisited

2011-09-13T08:35:00.002-04:00

Just six weeks until I hit the big Three-Oh. My life as of late has been consumed by 12 hour days at work (I'm back to that schedule for this week), not to mention a hurricane-related claim of my own for my basement, and flooding in my sunroom. Needless to say, not much has been crossed off my 30 Before Thirty list in the past few weeks. But, I figured now is as good a time as any to revisit my goals and hopefully kick my butt into gear. Here's where I stand:

1. Decorate for holidays other than just Christmas. ... Not accomplished yet, but I have plans for Halloween.
~~2. Make a quilt.~~ ... I'm counting my laptop bag since it has some quilting.
~~3. Enroll Charlotte in gymnastics/dance.~~ ... We did gymnastics through Parks & Rec and she hated every minute. We're thinking about dance for next fall (one year from now).
4. Learn more about Photoshop Elements.
~~5. Watch all the year's Oscar Best Picture nominees.~~ ... Done and briefly reviewed.
6. Learn to crochet.
~~7. Sew a costume for Charlotte.~~ ... Check out that adorable Peter Pan!
8. Learn to cook a good steak.
9. Have family photos taken. ... Scheduled to happen just before my birthday.
~~10. Teach Charlotte to swim.~~ ... She's been a swimming fool this summer.
~~11. Get a shared room (i.e. not a bedroom) decorated the way I like.~~ ... The dining room is done and the living room is getting close.
12. Organize all our bills and important documents.
~~13. Make dessert more often.~~
~~14. Vacation somewhere other than Disney World.~~ ... Sesame Place isn't far off, but works for me.
15. Learn to style my hair in different ways.
~~16. Complete a craft with Charlotte at least monthly.~~ ... We missed some months, but have done a several fun, crafty things.
17. Attend church regularly. ... We seem to go in spurts. I need to get better about this!
~~18. Improve my photography.~~ ... This is subjective, but I'm happier overall with what photos I'm capturing.
19. Lose at least 30 pounds.
20. Have a date night with Mark at least once a month.
~~21. Take Charlotte to Sesame Place.~~ ... Had a fabulous time!
~~22. Reduce my reliance on paper towels.~~ ... We've been using dishtowels more and more.
~~23. Build something from scratch.~~ ... My most favorite DIY to date.
~~24. Host a party at our new house.~~ ... Charlotte's birthday was a success, we toasted Will & Kate and I've got plans for a Halloween bash.
25. Take walks as a family.
26. Read every book club book. ... Can't cross this one off for two more months, but I'm current!
27. Revamp a piece of furniture with paint. ... Coming soon. Hopefully. If it'll stop raining for more than 20 minutes at a time.
~~28. Organize my photos.~~ ... I've finally got a system for storage - a folder for each day, with another folder for the month, and then another folder for the year. Nothing earth-shattering, but it works.
~~29. Prepare dinners regularly.~~ ... Go weekly planning!
~~30. Use produce from my own garden.~~ ... We only had tomato plants, but they were yummy.

I've got 13 items left, far more than what I'd hoped to have remaining with less than 2 months to go. Some items I've just written off (coughcoughlosethirtypoundscough) but others are totally doable. There's actually at least four things on that list that I can virtually guarantee will get crossed off. So altogether not too bad.

How are your to do lists coming along?

Goosebumps

2011-09-12T08:12:00.001-04:00

I still get goosebumps when I see images from September 11th. Heck, I don't even have to see anything, just thinking about it hurts my heart.

Like most Americans I know exactly where I was when I heard about what happened. I can still vividly remember watching the footage on tv, going to the Capitol for a candlelight vigil, praying for families whose loved ones weren't accounted for. Everything just felt so numb, as I'm sure it still does for those who lost family and friends.

It occurred to me yesterday that Charlotte will never have a memory of September 11th. I mean sure, she'll learn about it in school and see coverage of it as every anniversary rolls around, but she'll never know what it was like to live through it. I'm grateful that she doesn't have first-hand experience with that kind of loss, but at the same time just find it confounding because it was such a life-changing event for so many. It almost feels like she's out of the loop in a way.

I was just shy of 20 years old when our nation was attacked. It was the first major event in history that I really remember with great clarity. I was only four when the Challenger shuttle exploded, just eight when the Berlin Wall came down, and wasn't around for the Miracle on Ice, John Lennon's death, JFK's assassination or most of those other where were you when moments. Just as I'm sure the baby boomers find it unfathomable that I have no real tie to those events, I find it amazing that Charlotte will never really have a tie to the events of a decade ago.

Not sure what the point of this post was, other than just getting the jumbled up thoughts in my mind out.

Quote to Remember #50

2011-09-09T08:27:00.000-04:00

"God is good, but never dance in a small boat." - Irish Saying

Photo Credit: fleetingglances' flickr

Getting Artsy

2011-09-08T08:36:00.002-04:00

I'm officially done with overtime at work. At least for the time-being since there are more storms headed our way. I've got a little extra money in my pocket and decided it was high time I outfitted this house with some artwork. I went on a bit of a spending spree. At least for cheap ol me anyway. Here's what I picked up:

Please ignore the pathetic collage. I was racing to get it done and go to bed. It's pouring buckets as I type and our power already flickered off for a moment. I'm praying hard that it stays on tonight because we haven't got a backup sump pump yet (yes Lowe's, I hate you bigtime right now) and I don't want to be bailing out my basement overnight.

But back to the art... I bought four prints for our living room, three for Charlotte's room and one for a certain birthday girl, should we ever get around to celebrating her 28th year. Any guesses as to what goes where?

Sources: Let the Sun Shine In print, Peter Pan movie poster, All the Single Ladies (flamingo) print, La La Love You print, Animals of High Moral Standing print, Animals of Low Moral Standing print, I Can't Keep It In card, Funky Russian Architecture print

A Girl Can Dream

2011-09-07T08:09:00.005-04:00

Slowly but surely I've been buying or making things to help our house really feel like ours, and get it to reflect the style(s) I love. It's a long process. Probably one that will never really be complete. There are tons of photos to be found online of beautiful, inspiring rooms, and I thought it'd be fun to put them all together to create my dream house. Here goes:

You can't go wrong in the entry with a beautiful gallery wall of a mixture of frames and canvases. And who doesn't love a pair of hot pink chairs?!

Onto the formal living room. Which is most decidedly not formal. What can I say? I'm just not a formal kind of girl. But I do love some exposed brick, a comfy couch and bright, happy art!

Even the formal dining room is on the informal side. While the fireplace and chandelier could look rigid in other spaces, the chalkboard wall and mismatched table and chairs keep it from being stuffy.

Turn another corner and you can check out the kitschy kitchen. I love the mix of patterns and colors. There's something about aqua, yellow and white that just makes me happy!

Head upstairs and you'll see a fantastic nursery that carries on that color scheme. (Please note: I am NOT pregnant. I just like the room.)

Across the hall is what I'm sure is meant to be another nursery, but I'd take it for the master bedroom. I love, love, love that light fixture, not to mention the chevron curtains and the velvet chair.

That bed can go in the master. I even like the bedspread. The artwork wouldn't make the cut though.

And here's the master bath. I can't decide what my favorite part is - the checkered floor, the sweet roman shade, the subway tile behind the sink or the raspberry-colored clawfoot tub that I imagine is just out of frame.

And in the spare room, we can pull double duty, with a guest bed on one side and an office space on the other. Aw heck, let's just make them two separate rooms. This is my dream house after all.

The last stop upstairs would be the spare bath. I know, I know. That sink is epic. Don't be jealous! Instead, take a look at my family room.

I'm not quite sure who those people are, but they seem to be enjoying the space. My favorite parts? The shell chair, the couch (and throw) and that awesome staircase.

Last up is the sunroom, which Charlotte and I use for arts and crafts. We also throw some pretty spectacular parties in this room, hence all the serving pieces you spy in the background.

So what do you think? Which room is your favorite?

Catching Up

2011-09-06T08:25:00.009-04:00

We're 10 days post-hurricane and I'm finally getting around to posting about how we battled the storm. We knew Irene was on her way and did what we could to prepare. We stocked up on food and water, bought extra batteries and had a few flashlights at the ready. We also got some new coloring books and Lego guys for Charlotte and charged the portable DVD player, just in case.

The rain started on Saturday, with just a drizzle for most of the afternoon. Charlotte and Mark put a rain gauge out a few hours after the rain began and then spent some time running around our front yard enjoying the shower!

Because there are several trees in our yard and our neighbor's yard, we decided that a sleepover in the family room (partially below ground) would be the safest place for us. So we lugged our mattress and Charlotte's mattress down the stairs and were all in bed by 9:30 or so. I, of course, stayed up until about 2:30am watching the weather coverage. Even after I went to bed I woke up several times, including when our power went out at 6:15am. I got up, assessed the damage (nothing other than a bunch of leaves ripped from the trees) and went back to bed.

We checked the basement and the sump pump only had a few inches of water in it, with nothing coming in. So we snacked, played for a bit, checked in with the neighbors (they had a bit of water in their basement) and headed for my parents.

We spent the entire afternoon there, returning home just after dinner. Thankfully, Charlotte fell asleep on the ride home because when we arrived we found our sump pump had flooded and we had about two inches of water in the basement. The pictures are a little misleading, because there was nearly four inches down there by the time the fire department pumped it out and we'd already removed all the important stuff before I stopped to take the pictures.

I shared a week ago that we were still without power, but I was wrong. Just a few hours after I scheduled that post we returned home and I set myself up with the portable DVD player (to watch Night at the Museum 2 - not sure why that was my choice of movie) and an alarm clock set for 10:15pm so that I could go downstairs, empty the sump pump, and set the alarm for 11:15pm to do it all over again. But at 9:45pm the power came back on!!! I can not explain to you the thrill of running downstairs, knowing the sump pump should be inches from full, to find it was only inches from empty!

So now I'm one of thousands who have a claim filed. We didn't lose much though. At least not much that was of any real importance. We are battling some mold now and just ordered a sump pump battery backup since there are more hurricanes on the way. Hopefully we'll fare better the next time around!

Happy Labor Day!

2011-09-05T08:25:00.000-04:00

Labor Day has taken on new meaning for me this year, as I'll be putting in 12 hours of work today. Just like I have for the past five days and will for another day to come. By the time I get a day off (Wednesday) I'll have worked 100+ hours over the course of nine days. To say I'm beat is an understatement. But I'm not complaining one bit. The overtime is something I volunteered for, in part because it earns me some extra money, but mainly because I feel an obligation toward my customers. I work insurance claims and with the earthquake and the hurricane things have been beyond busy around here. People's lives have been turned upside down as a result (ours semi-included -- I'll share more tomorrow), so I'm glad to be able to help in any way I can.

Mark will be enjoying a day to himself. After picking up all sorts of extra responsibilities at home since I haven't been around it's much deserved! And Charlotte will be headed to a friend's birthday party. Dressed up as a princess. So cute, I'm sure!! I hope you're able to enjoy this long weekend!

My Archnemesis

2011-08-30T08:24:00.002-04:00

My sister will tell you that drizzle is her archnemesis. Something to do with hair that reacts to humidity. My archnemesis? Electric sump pumps.

When I wrote yesterday's post I was sitting in the comfort of my parents' home, talking up how grateful we were to get through the hurricane unscathed. Then we went home and discovered that a lot of water was sinking into the ground, flowing into and right up out of our sump pump, flooding our basement. Luckily it was only about two inches deep when we found it, and had only gotten to about three inches deep before the volunteer fire department came by to siphon it out - they were at the neighbor's house so we dragged them right over when they finished up. The problem? We're still without power and likely will be until Friday. So our sump pump continues to fill.

Mark and I spent Sunday night waking every hour to empty it out (our method - pitcher of water from the sump pump goes into a plastic tub, when half full the plastic tub goes to the utility tub, lather, rinse, repeat). Then we'd rush back to bed to try to get about 45 minutes shut-eye before doing it again. Mark likened it to having a newborn. My dad brought over his pool pump (which we're running using the A/C adapter in our car) and that at least helps get the water from the sump pump in a hurry, but it's not strong enough to make it to our utility tub (up half a flight of stairs), so we're still stuck lugging tubs of water up from the basement.

We're currently on the hunt for a generator, but they're basically impossible to come by in our area. And since I was back at work today, and Mark has to go back sometime this week, we spent last evening (or at least I hope we did, since I'm writing this in advance) emptying the basement of what's left down there (mainly rubbermaid tubs and shelving), so that we can just let it fill during the day and empty it out when we get home. Ahh the joys of home ownership.

While this whole thing stinks (quite literally) I'm so grateful that we got by as easily as we did. Some of our stuff got damaged and will have to be tossed, but nothing of real importance. And lugging tubs of water everywhere is not my idea of a good time, but I suppose it is good exercise. And Charlotte will spend at least one night away from us (sharing a bed with Aunt Mandy), but I'm sure she'll get a mani/pedi out of it.

All this to say, it'll be a little quiet around here.

Irene

2011-08-29T08:29:00.002-04:00

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Hurricane Irene. It was a doozy to say the least. I have a few photos to share of how we spent our weekend. Maybe tomorrow - it depends on how busy we are at work. I'm an insurance claims adjuster, and while I typically handle auto claims, I have volunteered to help with property claims if necessary. When you're on the CAT (catastrophe) team you work 12 hour days. Doing that for any length of time, plus tending to my family would leave very little time for blogging, so we'll see.

For now I'll leave you with a little music video. Everyone around here has been saying "Come on Irene", just hoping to sort of power through the storm. Naturally, that leads to "Come on Eileen" by British pop group Dexys Midnight Runners. Yup, had to look that band name up. But anyway... I've always liked Save Ferris' version of the song, so here you go:

Quote to Remember #49

2011-08-26T08:22:00.003-04:00

"Nothing is permanent in this wicked world. Not even our troubles." - Charlie Chaplin

Photo Credit: geneoh's flickr

Shoes Off Please

2011-08-25T08:50:00.004-04:00

A few months back I shared how I turned a blank wall into an entry space that works for us, complete with coat hooks and a ledge.

I love the new set up, but have long felt that I needed to add something to the area below the ledge. I contemplated wallpaper or tone-on-tone paint treatments, but still haven't decided what to do to jazz up this space. I figure it's best to just let it be and allow myself to be inspired sometime. But, I did move forward with a project I saw a while back (on a blog I'm sure, don't remember which). I grabbed some wooden letters (mentioned that on Monday) and got out the same latex paint I used on the walls (Behr's Valley Mist) and started painting.

Each letter got two coats, which I allowed to dry fully before flipping them over and applying some modge podge to the back. Then I pressed them into the wall for about 30 seconds each before moving on to the next letter.

It's silly I know, but this little phrase makes me smile every time I see it. And, even though she can't read, Charlotte knows what it says and has done a better job of putting her shoes where they belong when she gets in the door. That'll be short-lived for sure, but I figure it's still a good reminder.

P.S. I'll probably go back and caulk around the edges of the letters, where they meet the wall. At the very least I'll slap another coat of paint on to try to cover the small gaps. But for now I'm content to leave it as is.

Medicine, Monsters & Marriage

2011-08-24T08:49:00.004-04:00

It hasn't been long since I last checked in as I was late in sharing Charlotte anecdotes for last month, but I'm back to tell you some more:

* Charlotte is generally a pretty good eater, but sometimes it takes some convincing (coughcoughbribingcough) to get her to try everything on her plate. Lately all you have to do is remind her that food will help her grow, because she's very keen on "growing big like daddy". She even holds her hands near her waist and motions upward to make sure everyone around her understands that she'll be growing taller.

* Charlotte and I both had strep throat this month and had to take antibiotics as a result. Apparantly watermelon is not Charlotte's favorite flavor, and we had to fight to get her to take it. Twice a day. For 10 days. Ugh. The pain reliever was a different story altogether. She loved the blue raspberry flavor and long after she needed it she was asking for more medicine, adding in a fake cough to let you know she was serious about her request.

* When Mark gets home from work each day he gets Charlotte a mini freezer pop. No real reason why, other than that it's their thing. She also begs for ice cream, lollipops, or cookies almost every day. That girl has such a sweet tooth!

* The monster stage has officially started. Charlotte mentions monsters every night as we go to bed. For now, we just tell her that the monster mommy told the monster babies to go to bed too, so they won't be bothering her. I'm not sure what we'll do when that little trick stops working.

* Charlotte has been really clingy (to me) as of late. She wants to be carried everywhere and while I'm happy to oblige much of the time, I feel the need to force her to act her age every now and then. I tell her she's a big girl and she can walk. I get one of two responses. A whining, "I caaaaaaaan't walk." Or a whining, "I'm not a big girl. I'm a tiny, little girl."

* Since my cousin's wedding Charlotte regularly asks to go to another princess and prince (aka bride and groom) party. She wants to dance. And just the other day she said she wanted to marry Elijah (her cousin). Amongst other things, I asked what she'd wear at their wedding. She pulled out her dress up clothes and said she'd be wearing her blue dress (third photo down in this post) and Elijah would wear this. Hmmm...

Michigan Trip

2011-08-23T08:19:00.003-04:00

I mentioned before that we took a brief road trip to Michigan the weekend before last. We drove up Friday, did a little shopping and went to a wedding reception on Saturday, did a little more shopping and visited with family on Sunday, then drove home Monday. About 24 hours of driving crammed into a four day weekend. Eeek! Most of the time my camera stayed packed away (it was more important to enjoy the weekend than photograph it), but I did capture a few pics of our trip to Frontier Town, a shopping center styled to look like an old western town. It's a bit lackluster, but Charlotte really enjoyed feeding the goats. She didn't particularly love letting them eat from her hand, but was happy to put a little feed on the ground and let them eat it from there.

She also loved the ice cream shop. No surprise there!