slightly neurotic.

yesterday:

not sure where to start here, but i've made some decisions today. or at least had a revelation. i've been super stressing about how much and when this little boy eats and sleeps. i'm one of those people who pumps and nurses because i have to know exactly how much food he's getting. i did the same with my daughter. except now i'm worried he's getting too much (instead of not enough). i can remember rocking my daughter (now almost 4 years) to sleep in her rocking chair and instead of gazing lovingly into her angelic eyes.. counting the number of rocks it took to get her to fall asleep.  and i'v e recently realized that now i have been spending every waking hour trying to get him to go back to sleep.

he's cranky cause he's hungry (and i'm hungry) and i'm driving myself nuts trying to make my two month old, eat at 7,10, and 1. and take 3 2 1/2 hour naps (like the book says), and writing it all down to to confirm what a failure i am. staring at myself in the mirror with bags under my eyes (and his) after wasting a whole day.  i remember tales of one mom, who actually took all naps with the child laying on top of her (for however long she would sleep) because thats the only way the child would stay asleep. 


i cant do it.

so moving forward ive decided instead try to figure out how to keep him (and me) happy while he is awake. i'm not throwing my schedule out of the window completely. just maybe not being so super obsessive (possessed) about it. I will feed him when he's hungry. let him sleep when he is sleepy (and falls alseep).

and the moment i let go. he slept for 5 hours straight.  no, last night. really he did!!

now after hour three, i was standing there with a mirror under his nose until he woke up. but thats another story for another day:-) 

 look at those cheeks! yes, he is eating me out of house and home...

i scream.. you scream:)

So the other morning we (munchkin and I) decided to invite some of the munchkins pals (and mine) over for an impromptu ice cream social. the goal was to break in my new Cuisinart Yogurt/Sorbet maker given to us as a gift by our dear friend Miss Lydia.. I probably should have opened the box and read the directions before heading out that morning for errands and such because as it turns out, I needed to freeze the bowl for 6 - 24 hours before making ice cream.  i only realized this about an hour before my guests were to arrive... thankfully i had a carton of Bryers in the freezer...

we even got a visit for little miss catherine (the lovely lady in the adorable tea collection romper:-)

gum drops, gummy bears, oreo's, m&m's, oh and fresh strawberries and blue berries.. you can guess which toppings got left for the mommies..

i love a good excuse to break out my table cloths:) this is the last of the gardenias from the bushes outside my house..

can you say YUM!

balloon fight!! they had a blast, and the mommies were able to catch up for a bit.. this is such a fun age for the kiddies. they are having conversations with each other and actually playing together instead of just next to each other or in the same vicinity.  we met these folks at Mommy and Me when they were barely 6 months old and have been pals ever since.

i cant believe i made this little person. and how SMART and FUNNY she is..

i'm not just saying that.. no she really is a genius:-)

I LOVE IT!

Green Thumb Thursday

So back in April My folks came to visit for a bit, and since my dad has such a lush and delicious garden in his back yard, I thought it would be a good time for him to aide me in my efforts to culminate my own little green thumb.


it is my goal in life to be a chocolatey martha stewart (yep i said it!)and grow something that i can eat. right now, i'm just bootleg martha stewart. dont judge me. i'm working on it.

at any rate, i thought a good test would be to start with work on a container garden full of all of the things i would need to make a batch of bunnie's yummy home made salsa! tomates, onions, jalapeno's, bell pepper, some herbs and such... easy breezy right? umm... no.

so i took this pic was taken about a week after planting.

and a month and a half later. they have not grown one inch.. i mean they are still very much green and alive... thats about it.

this is my little munchkin helping to make markers for the different plants. she is such a good little helper:)
But I digress...

So I decided to take matters into my own hands and do what any driven and determined confident woman would do. I cheated (so to speak). I went out and bought some saplings and decided to try again. I know its a little late for planting season. But I'm on a mission.

I even threw in some fruits this time (since I was on a roll, with my bad self:-).  

 I'm also, i'm using a little plant booster of sorts (still cheating)..

i'd like to have a little nook like this with a little table, and chair and a pitcher of sangria:)

so I'll keep you posted on my progress....

slackin on my pimpin

bunnie and h. enough said:-)

the old college try!

So the folks (my parents) were in town and one the of projects I had on the docket was to get my dad to help me with some planting.. He has a great garden back home on thier acre of land chock full of all kinds of fruits and veggies.. I've mean pretending to start a garden for some time now and for the last few years have even gone out and bought some seeds.. But this year.. we took it a step further and actually put them in some dirt.. I'm starting with all of the ingredients to make my own home made salsa (tomatoes, peppers, onions, cilantro)plus a few other greens for salads..

the yard belongs to hubby so i'm forced onto our back deck, and my intention is to create a lush container garden.. so I'm looking for some inspiration.. we picked up some really cute pots from IKEA, but are starting here with these biodegradeable containers and some seeds.. my dad insisted on doing things the old fashion way. i would have been happy to pick up some saplings, but patience is a virtue (thats what It says..).

i'm keeping them indoors for now and already see some sprouts.. however, i've run into a little snafu. i have no idea what is what? no one told me that my Sharpie would fade.. so now the pots say absolutely nothing..

i suppose i'll just keep moving along and hopefully the contents will become apparent sooner rather than later.

as always my little munchkin is the best helper ever. she insisted on taking part of every stage of the process.

at any rate.. keeping my fingers crossed that I wont get discouraged and that i will be posting pix of Bunnie's home made salsa in no time at all:-)

egg hunt!!

i wont keep you long. just wanted to share some pix from last weekend. the munchkin invited some of her pals over for a big egg hunt. i'm sure my neighbors thought we were having some kind of photo shoot as we were all chasing the munchkin's around the yard with cameras!!

it was BIG fun!

the munchkins boo brought her a bouquet of tulips (my favorite) in honor of the big day! she's a little greasy in this pic. i get a little carried away with vaseline sometimes... that flower in her hair is almost as big as her head? sorry munchkin... mommy gets a little carried away with MANY things...

annies organic cheddar bunnie's are all the rage on the toddler scene:-)

we even had an appearance by the easter bunny:-)

 class of 2026! man we're old!

mommy and me...

mommy stuff

so i sent out the invitation to the 2010 sewing circus (book club). YAY!! and the first book on the list is

COMMITTED, by Elizabeth Gilbert.

synopsis: A SKEPTIC MAKES PEACE WITH MARRIAGE - which tells the story of the author's efforts to work through all her fears and hesitations about matrimony, after she and her Brazilian sweetheart were unexpectedly "sentenced to wed" by the United States Department of Homeland Security.

i hope the single ladies dont get too bored or jaded by this one.. i thought we'd start out with something that would make us laugh...

currently trying to dig up and read her best known book 2006 memoir (Eat, Pray, Love) before we meet...

i caught a little of the barefoot contessa yesterday in passing and she was putting together a lovely
asian grilled salmon. the marinade was super easy (chopped garlic, olive oil, dijon mustard and soy sauce) so i gave it a whirl tonight and the hubby CLEANED HIS PLATE!!  i love when that happens!!

it was SO flavorful! i served it up with rice and fresh sauteed green beans and matchstick carrots:-)

baby stuff

the munchkin has outgrown these adorable little "olivia" shoes by smaller. we got them at our favorite store Sprout/Seed Factory on Howell Mill. the ladies there are incredible, and smart, and lovely..

while surfing for shoes i ran into this adorable little number.. i wish it came in extra, extra, extra large:-) it's from velvet and tweed (I LOVE THAT NAME) a classic and fun online shop for stylish tots.

i am really feeling the rubber soles on the shoes by "livie and luca"!! these tooties brown and fuschia would go with just about anything... i want these shoes (for the munchkin i mean:-)!

super cute combo from imoga kids