A very happy Mother's Day

November 23, 2010

Yesterday was such a special day...my first Mother's Day with Addie.  We celebrated last year because I truly believe that you become a mom the minute you get pregnant - its funny how life changes with 2 pink lines.  All of the sudden your concerned with everything you put in your body, the air you breathe, and how much exercise your getting because your concerned with "what it might do the baby."  But...this year was different because Addie was here and I feel so lucky to be her momma.  She's such an amazing little girl and the past seven months have been pure bliss.

We celebrated with brunch with my mom and dad and then spent the rest of the day as a family - going to Trader Joes, Lowes, and Starbucks (the usual weekend routine).  The morning started off dreary but by the afternoon the sun was out - the day was beautiful.  Thank you so much to everyone that helped make it special (and yes, that includes all of my blog friends:))  I hope everyone else had a wonderful day too!!!

J

the girls at brunch - please excuse my 1950s housewife look

my parents with Addie

Happy Mother's Day

To all of the momma's out there - I sincerely hope that you have a wonderful Mother's Day that is both relaxing and enjoyable yet also gives you the opportunity to be thankful for being given one of life's greatest gifts.

I am planning on spending the morning enjoying a Mother's Day brunch and then relaxing for the remainder of the day and spending some quality time with the fam.  My brother is coming home from college today and I'm really looking forward to seeing him!!!

And in honor of Mother's Day, I thought I would dedicate this post to telling everyone a little bit about my mother, whose also my best friend and biggest supporter.  Its so true that without her direction and guidance in life I would not be where I am.  She's an amazing woman with a huge heart and a great sense of humor.  She taught school for 30 years before retiring but still does some substituting and when she's not doing that she's relieving my dad from his Addie day care job (yes, my parents watch Addie while the hubs and I are at work - we are SO lucky!!!).  Growing up, she ran the household like her school classroom - everything had its place and expectations were clear.  My brother and I always knew what to expect and my mom NEVER let us down.

My mom is patient and kind...she's also assertive and very matter-of-fact about things.  She's never been one to hold her tongue and often makes people laugh without even trying.  She's always been one of those people that says what everyone else is thinking but afraid to say (sometimes I just close my eyes when she gets on a roll because I have no idea what she might say next).  My mom is one of the most loyal and caring people I know - she protects her family and will defend those she loves like no other.  My mom is thoughtful and giving - she's also thrifty and reasonable.  There aren't enough adjectives in this world to describe just how wonderful she is - I love her and wish her the best Mother's Day ever.  It will be her first Mother's Day as grandmother and I can't wait to watch her special relationship with Addie grow.  Addie just adores her gramma - its evident in the way she looks at her and smiles and the excitement she shows whenever my mom is in the room - its the most wonderful thing to see.  I am so thankful to have such an amazing mom and I can only hope that I'll grow to be as great of a mother to Addie as she is to me.

J

Saturday Morning Scene

This morning started off a little rough - I missed the alarm clock for my BodyPUMP class :( so I'll be spending some time this afternoon walking the neighborhood to try and make up for my miss.  The hubs and I decided to spend the time I would have been at the gym - at the strawberry fields picking some DELICIOUS strawberries.  There is a little farm not more than 10 minutes from our house and so we picked up my mom, who also LOVES to strawberry pick, and headed for the fields.  In 10 minutes we had both picked 6+ pounds of fresh strawberries.  It was such a beautiful morning with the sun shining and the weather in the 60s and we enjoyed our time, albeit pretty short, picking strawberries.  Addie even seemed to appreciate the change in scenery.  Now I have to figure out what to do with all of those berries - besides eat fresh and share with our neighbors.  Last year I attempted to make some jam but it came out a little thin.  Anyone have any good strawberry recipes?? 

how crazy looking is this one?!

our family pic :)

We are also hoping to start some pretty major projects around the house here shortly so we'll be spending the rest of the day perusing home improvement stores and getting ready to take Addie to her first baseball game tonight with the fam (Go Tides:)).  Hope everyone else is having a wonderful Saturday and in case I don't make it back here tomorrow - for all you mommas - HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

I linked up this morning with Katie over at Loves of Life to share my Saturday Morning Scene.  Head on over to see what everyone else is up to or share your morning.

J

Herb Gardening - starting small

basil and thyme in my herb garden

Gardening can be really intimidating, not to mention a labor of love at times.  BUT, even if you're no green thumb or don't have a yard, you can still grow your own herb garden.  Fortunately, herbs do very well in containers and pots - I actually still grow most of mine in containers despite my vegetable garden - and are perfect for small spaces.  If you've bought any from the grocery store lately you also know they can be a bit pricey and often times the "bunch" you buy is more than enough for the meal you're making and it's gone bad before you can use it in something else.  By growing your own, you know its organic (which can sometimes be hard to find in the stores) and you can pull off only what you need.  Herbs are also a great way to dress up a plate - a sprig of rosemary on top of your steak or pork chop is a nice touch - especially at Christmas time!  And getting started is super easy, here's what you'll need:

* flower pot or any container with some holes drilled in the bottom for the water to drain
* potting soil
* fertilizer
* small rocks for the bottom of the container to help the water drain
* herb plants (these can easily be found at any home improvement store or garden center)

And, once you've gotten those things - heres all you have to do:

I love this look from dotcomwomen

* Fill the bottom of your container with rocks (just so that you can't see the bottom of the pot) and then add the potting soil.
* Make a divot for where you are going to place the herb plant.
* Place a dime sized amount of fertilizer in the divot.
* Pull the herb plant out of the pot (or in the case of a peat pot - tear the bottom off) and place in the divot.
* Cover the base of the plant with soil (just make sure none of the roots are exposed).
* Add some water and watch her grow!!

Some of my favorites that I love to grow are:
* Basil - Great in bruschetta or pesto and lots of other things.  This can take alot of abuse and still seems to live on.  It does great during even the heat of summer but does need some shade during the day.
* Parsley - I love this as an accent or in pasta dishes - its even great on red skin potatoes with a little butter.  This also seems to do wonderful all summer long.
* Rosemary - The hubs loves to chop this up and use it in rubs on pork, chicken, or steak.  It has a very distinct flavor but I love it.  This is great in a container but will live all year long if planted in the ground. This will actually grow into a bush and has a wonderful smell in the garden.
* Thyme - This is also great on pork or chicken and we also use it here in homemade salad dressings.  This little herb demands a little more attention and care as far as watering is concerned.  The hot sun can also stress this guy out a bit.
* Dill - This is great on top a greek salad or thrown in with some sour cream for a veggie dip.  The hot summer sun can do a number on this so you may want to find somewhere out of the direct sunlight for this to grow.
* Cilantro - This is a staple for any Mexican dish but I seem to only be able to keep it alive outdoors in the spring in fall.  The summer in VB is just too hot.



here's an example of the cute chalkboard signs

 I picked up my herb plants last weekend for about $3.50 a pop at Lowes, which compared to the $1.99 I pay in the grocery store each time I buy a "bunch" is a great deal!!  I only have to use these twice and I've made my money back.  Adding cute little chalkboard signs to identify your herbs and placing them in a cute container can dress up any deck, sun porch, or patio.  As far as maintenance is concerned, there really isn't much too it - check them over a few times a week while you give them a little water and they should last you several months - or even all year if you want to bring them inside (rosemary will actually survive most winters outside).  So, there you have it, a great way to grow a little of your own food and get started in the wonderful world of gardening.

Oh, and by the way, this also make a great last minute Mother's Day gift.  We did this several years back from my MIL - we put it all together and took it along with a card and she loved it!!!  It looked adorable on her back deck and was the gift that kept on giving - not to mention it was different from the standard flowers and brunch on Mother's Day!

I'm linking up today with Amanda over at Serenity Now for the weekend bloggy party - its super fun - I try to link up to this one each week because there are SO many great ideas, cool projects, and funny stories that get shared.  Head on over for some inspiration and share your favorite post of the week!!


J

May goals

I think I might be just a tad TOO excited about this!

So, I may be a few days late but this post is for me.  Feel free to skip as this is just my personal goals for the month of May with a little bit of commentary thrown in.  I know myself and I know that by letting these little goals that previously only existed in my head out, I have a far better shot at accomplishing them.

1.  Get our flower beds mulched - The hubs and I have been talking about and planning to do this for several weeks now and my flower beds still have faded mulch in them. This HAS to be done this month.

2.  Clean out and organize our guest room - What a disaster this room has been since before Addie was born.  While cleaning out what was to be the nursery (it was previously our home office) this room somehow became the catch-all room for everything we didn't have a place for.  I can't live with this room like this any longer - I practically break my neck everytime I venture in there.

3.  Enjoy EVERY.DAY of the Starbucks happy hour promo - Yep - I'm making it a goal to treat myself to a delicious half price frappuccino everyday between May 6th and the 15th.  And just to spice it up a little bit, I'm going to step out of my comfort zone and try a different flavor each day (yeah, all those ones on the menu I always wondered about - its time to sip and see:))

4.  Go to the gym 3 times a week - As I've said before, I'm easing into this whole "getting back to where I was before" business and I'm really trying not to do a complete 180 right away.  My past experience with myself is that I'm super gung-ho at first and than just like a firework I fizzle out to nothing.  Thats no good - considering I want this to be a permanent change.  So, I joined the gym, I've got the pedometer (with cash incentives for doing well) and now I'm going to make sure I use the gym!

5.  Transition Addie's closet to summer - As much as it breaks my heart to pack away anything knowing that she will never wear it again, those fleece sleep n' plays have no business in her closet!  They are way too hot for our house as the weather warms up and I need the hangers for all of her summer stuff:)

So, there it is...I put it out there...there's no turning back.

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Just two random pics for this week's "Almost Wordless Wednesday"

The new Trenta from Starbucks - umm yeah, i'm on it and i may or may not develop a bit of a shake after finishing (kidding, of course - about the shake)

Apparently we now need to hold on for dear life in the crib!!

J 

PS - BIG NEWS - Happy Hour at Starbucks is back starting May 6-15.  Half price frappuccinos from 3-5pm - no lie - read it here! 

Happy 7 month birthday Addie!

Wow - another month has flown by - I can't believe my baby girl is already 7 months old!!!  I knew time would fly by - I just didn't know it would happen this fast.  The hubs and I constantly comment to each other how quickly she is growing up and how she is really starting to look like her own little person (and depending on which side of the family you ask - a different response as to whether its me or the hubs - personally, I think she's a solid blend:))  I fall more and more in love with this little girl with each passing minute and I just can't believe how lucky I am to be her momma!!

What she's wearing - Addie has pretty much outgrown all of her 3-6 month clothing, with the exception of some Carter's stuff (has anyone else noticed how much larger their stuff is??) and is wearing a lot of 6-12 or 9 month outfits.  I am so excited that we are slowly transitioning to a permanent pattern of warmer weather - I have so many adorable little warm weather outfits that I can't wait for her to wear.  Not to mention the six (yes, I said six) bathing suits (I know its excessive...even for a beach town) she also has to wear.  Her cloth diapers are still on the second set of snaps and she is still doing well without extra liners at night.

Eats - Addie is still eating about 4 - 6 oz. bottles a day and still nursing for her first feed in the morning.  I pump during the day but am finding that my supply is not completely keeping up with her demand so some days we are supplementing with a bottle of formula.  She is now eating two - three meals of solids a day and she also enjoys the puffs now (which are good to keep her occupied in the morning while I'm trying to pump).  We just introduced some mixed fruits and veggies (pumpkin - bannana and sweet potato-corn-apple) this weekend with a little thicker texture and she didn't seem phased by it at all.  Other than the puffs, this girl is NOT a picky eater:)   This month I also introduced her to prunes (these made my stomach turn so we only did them once), peaches, and zucchinni (we had already done peas, apples, pears, bananas, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, winter squash, carrots, and rice cereal).  At her 6 month check-up the dr encouraged us to start letting her get little tastes from our plate so she has had "tastes" of a few things like sweet potato pie and collard greens - she really thought she was big time!

Moves - Still no crawling yet, but I really feel like she is on the verge and I'll be very surprised if she doesn't get it figured out by the end of the month.  She rolls all over the place which has made for lots of fun when it comes time to change diapers and outfits and trying to keep her contained to a blanket on the floor for tummy time(I guess thats what we are supposed to be calling it until they start crawling).  Addie also adores spending time in her johnny jump-up and her exersauser.

Gummy grins and more to say - Addie absolutely adores her daddy and it is so cute to seem them play together.  She loves playing with her toys (she really loves her play laptop and the Einstein bendy ball) and stuffed animals (including the must have dog, Violet) and still adores our 2 pups.  We also have BIG news in the speech department - Addie said "ma -ma" for the first time this month and has been saying it quite a bit since.  I just fall to pieces every time I hear it and she gets so excited when you repeat it back to her.  Almost as if she's thinking "yes, finally - we are speaking the same language!"  Still no da-da...but hopefully it will come soon! 

Out and about - We celebrated Addie's first Easter this month and it was so special.  I just love being a family of three and Addie is the first grand baby on both sides she is just made over ALL.THE.TIME:) 

Counting sheep - Addie sleeps great at night!  We usually put her down around 8pm and she usually gets up around 6:30ish.  We are so incredibly thankful for her sleeping through the night - it certainly makes everyone alot happier!  We did have one rough week this month when Addie came down with her first cold:(  She woke up a bit more often at night because she couldn't suck on her paci and breath through her nose which upset her terribly.  There is nothing more upsettling than having a sick baby at home!  But, she has fully recovered and seems no worse for the wear:)

I suppose it is time to start planning her 1st birthday party to avoid as much stress as possible but perhaps I'm being a bit overzealous here too!!  I just really hate hearing the words, "we'll if you had asked a month ago, I might have been able to..."  Seriously ya'll does this make me crazy...am I starting too early??

J

I'm sorry honey, but were you raised in a barn?

I LOVE my hubs...dearly, I really do!!!  He's my soul mate for sure...we finish each others sentences, he often says whats on my mind even when we haven't even been talking about whats on my mind (that still weirds me out:))..and most importantly he's the best da da ever (even though Addie's not saying that yet - i know she's thinking it)  BUT, and I know that alot of men are like this so I'm hoping a lot of ya'll can relate, I seriously want to ask him if he was raised in a barn.  To my point - here are a few things I often find in the morning that puzzle me:

Jeans (and the boxers I kindly removed) on the floor like he just stepped out of them the night before:

Toilet seat up as if he's the only one that lives here:

Toothpaste left in the sink as if he squirted the tube in there:

Empty splenda packets on the counter because the two feet to the trash is just too far:

I'm sure there's more I'm forgetting - it's been better since we had a dog house shed built for him last year where he can store all of his stuff instead of hogging the garage but the everyday stuff just kills me some days.  Fortunately, he goes into work almost before I get up in the morning so he doesn't have to bear my immediate reaction to this stuff...which generally isn't pleasant:)

J

Saturday Morning Scene

I'm linking up with Katie this Saturday morning to share my Saturday Morning Scene.  Head over and check out what everyone else is up to and share yours!!!

Started this Saturday morning off with an 8:15am BodyPUMP sess to work it out with some weights - this was my first time ever going to this class and whoa, talk about some muscle burn:)   

We're now enjoying some down time at the usual morning spot - Starbucks:) for some iced coffee and chill time with the hubs and my little girl and the faves.

The hubs and I are also hoping to get some gardening done when we get home...and maybe even re-do our screen porch (that of course will be an ALL weekend project)!!

i seriously despise clover in my flower bed!

I hope everyone else is having a wonderful Saturday!!

Zumba for the first time

As I posted about here, I am trying to shed the pounds I put on not only when I was pregnant but really even before that.  I came across some pics of myself the other day from before my wedding and almost lost it - what has happened to me??  I was always so conscious before of my physical well-being and somehow I've managed to lose all sight of that in the past few years.  So..I'm desperate to find the right work-out and diet regimen to not only shed the pounds but to keep them gone.  Counting my steps with the pedometer is definitely a step in the right direction but I need more!

Last week my dear friend Lis invited me to join her for a class at her gym so we poured over the class schedule and picked out a Zumba class that we had both heard great things about.  For those of you that have never attended one of these classes, Zumba is designed to be a latin-inspired dance fitness party.  And for the most part it was...the music was fun and fast-paced and definitely latin-inspired.  The work-out ranged from step aerobics to salsa dancing to club grinding to skipping in a circle (not kidding).  One minute I felt like I was auditioning for a strip club and the next I thought I was a kid on the play ground.  To top it all off, the cool down was very yoga-esque.  But, I'll be honest - I really enjoyed myself and it definitely got my heart rate up so I know I burned some serious calories!!  I'm very sore but the work-out didn't drop me to my knees and I was able to finish the class so I felt great about my first trip back to the gym.  The dance steps are fast paced and so I'm sure that the more you go and learn the steps and the rhythm of the class the more you enjoy it and the better your results.  I'm definitely interested in going back as there is nothing better than having some fun and burning some calories too!   I really do recommend taking a Zumba class if you can and I think it helps if you have a friend that will go with you.  I can't even count the number of times Lis and I looked at each other with a shot of relief that both of us were totally out of step!