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Saturday, April 16, 2011

Raw Milk

Tonight some friends brought over some raw milk.  Though I know some about the benefits of it, I'd not ever tasted it.  Talk about a beautiful moment for my taste buds.  Its everything good about milk, only better.  It was nothing short of bliss in a cup.  Seriously.  If you have any appreciation for milk, go find some (from a reputable source of course) and revel in the delight that is raw milk.  You'll thank me later.



Now on to what I'm thankful for:
  1. A clean house
  2. Fruit water
  3. Porch swings
  4. Vintage luggage
  5. Dusk
  6. Grace
  7. The promise of things to come
  8. Transparency 
  9. Cloth wipes
  10. Pizza bread
  11. Porch lights
  12. Stemless wine glasses
  13. Being on the same page as my husband
  14. Wooden toys
  15. 3/4 shirts
  16. Pedicures
  17. Generosity
  18. That all things work together for good
  19. Gmail
  20. Raw milk
  21. Friends that buy raw milk
  22. Long drives
  23. Comfort
  24. Truth in love
  25. A restful evening

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Leaving the house

Some days leaving the house are easier than others.  And some days, its not so much leaving the house as it is staying away from the house. 

I go to a mom group on Monday nights and I always look forward to it.  I've finally learned that I need to start getting ready to leave at 6:05 since the group starts at 6:30.  Mind you, it only takes about 5 minutes to get there.  Anyway, last night I arrived 5 minutes early (which I love!) and I was certain this would be an easy outing.  I'd fed Grace not long before we left and she seemed in good spirits. 

We got out of the car and I stuck her in the sling.  She often will crash out if I'm patting her butt rhythmically.  Instead, she got a little fussy so I took her out and stuck her on my lap.  We did peekaboo as I stayed engaged in the conversation.  I changed her diaper.  I bounced and patted.  I drank my coffee.  Then, she got grumpy... loud and grumpy. 

Now I understand that the moms are used to crying babies and I wholeheartedly appreciate that.  But I just feel more comfy heading to another room if Grace gets downright mad.  And mad she was.  I tried to nurse - no go.  I tried to swaddle & shush - not a chance.  I swirled around in circles - I think it distracted her but it eventually made me uber dizzy.  She started at it again.  I bee-lined for the restroom thinking I might have some luck with the exhaust fan.  The fan, however, was about as loud as a vibrating cell phone.  Sheesh.  We relocated to little spare bedroom across the hall from the restroom.  I tried all of the above tactics yet again in desperation.  Then, I faked a diaper change.  Grace began smiling and put her little happy face on.  Unfortunately, it vanished once play diaper change was over and red faced crying ensued.  I tried the trick again.  No luck this time. 

Eventually and after about 45 minutes of drama, I just cut my losses.  I propped screaming baby up on my shoulder, put on my "I know my baby is crying, see if you can calm her down yourself" face and packed up the diaper bag mid-conversation.  I briefly told a friend that I was done for the night and that I'd see her later.  I made my exit and, lo and behold, she took a few pauses to breathe once we got outside.  She screamed the whole way home then, miraculously and as if on cue, stopped as we pulled into the driveway. 

I learned two things from last night.  First and foremost, I learned that sometimes all you can do is cut your losses and move on.  I would have loved to get over the fuss hump and to have had a happy evening out.  But that plan wasn't working for me last night.  And like so many other things in life, my wanting it to work didn't make the experience go any more smoothly.  I can honestly say that I am living more and more with Romans 8:28 in mind - that God works all things together for good for those that love Him.  It's a good thing too... because I'd be pretty frazzled if progress solely rested on my efforts.  Whether it be to calm my baby or to pay a huge bill, I have the promise of redemption looming ahead of me always. 

The second thing I learned was that there are some things only Papas can make better...  Sometimes the only solution I can come up with is to snuggle in close to my protective and consoling Papa in heaven.  It would make sense then that Grace probably feels the same way about her Papa too.  He's bigger than her, he makes her smile with his silly songs, and he can lead her into good rest like nobody else. What's not to love about that?

And now on to the things I'm thankful for:
  1. The graphic design expertise of www.gracehesterdesigns.etsy.com (photo)
  2.  People that read my blog
  3. Cloth wipes made of soft flannel
  4. Muscle cars that sound mean
  5. When the trees start to bud in the spring
  6. The quaint neighborhood we reside in
  7. People that don't judge
  8. Prayer room webstream
  9. The furniture that someone let us borrow
  10. Heirlooms
  11. Sparkley pens
  12. Revelation brought by reflection
  13. That we get to co-labor with God
  14. Hope
  15. For each new day
  16. My personal testimonies of God's goodness
  17. Adan & Anais swaddlers
  18. Baby slings
  19. Dried fruit in oatmeal
  20. Brown sugar
  21. A diaper bag with loads of pockets custom designed for me
  22. The learning curve
  23. Giggling
  24. Singing made up songs that make Grace smile
  25. Grace

Monday, April 11, 2011

A day late & a dollar short....

Ok, maybe just a day late.  So the goal here is to list 25 things every single day for 40 days which inevitably leads me to establish a whopping 1000 things that I am thankful for.  I skipped yesterday.  I'll consider it because yesterday was my sabbath.  Yes, that will be the reason.  Ultimately, the reasons I skip days may be even more interesting than why I am thankful.  We'll see.

  1.  Trumpette socks for Grace - because they stay on her feet!
  2. My super duper pink Breakfast at Tiffany's mug
  3. French press coffee
  4. That my baby is healthy
  5. Fruit water
  6. That Grace got Danny's long eyelashes instead of my modest ones
  7. Snail mail
  8. Reusable shopping bags
  9. Freshly mowed lawns
  10. Monday night Breastfeeding Support Group
  11. Polka dots
  12. Green cleaners
  13. Gold glaze paint
  14. Sunshine
  15. Romans 8:28
  16. Naptime
  17. Vintage mod prints on a pillow - www.atomiclivinhome.etsy.com
  18. Keychains
  19. Coffee table books - they make a home look lived in
  20. Homeopathic treatments
  21. Tweetdeck for Twitter
  22. Debit cards
  23. Sonic ice
  24. Etsy.com
  25. A new friend
  26.  
     
     
     

Saturday, April 09, 2011

Twice in a row!

We had a garage sale the last 2 days.  I was unpleasantly surprised how little traffic we had at our sale.  It was sort of lame, actually.  I guess I should be thankful that someone gave me money in exchange for the things that they did take away from our house.  There's one off the list!

This is day 2 of 1000 things to be thankful for.  The goal is 25 per day for 40 days.  Here goes:
  1. Chocolate sundaes
  2. Peekaboo game - Grace loves it!
  3. Tacos
  4. That I've never seen Love Story until today (and I could have done without it today)
  5. Sustainable farms
  6. A red velvet couch
  7. Baby giggles
  8. Ceiling fans
  9. My husband
  10. Coasters from www.redbirdink.etsy.com
  11. Monster Quest
  12. Porches
  13. Sunday paper
  14. Good coffee
  15. Wooden donut holes
  16. Selling things
  17. Breezes
  18. A sharp knife set
  19. A husband that likes to clean
  20. Gmail
  21. For the money we made today at our garage sale
  22. Other people's garage sales
  23. Greensprouts teether
  24. A cozy bed
  25. Spring

Friday, April 08, 2011

Back in the saddle again...

You heard that right.  I'm back in the saddle again... the blog saddle, that is.  I've been thinking for weeks about revisiting the joy of blogging.  I'm taking my first step with my personal blog.  I've chosen to not think about the jewelry blog that is just lounging around cyberspace untouched and unamused. 

And rather than fill in the last 6 months of life as to catch up for everything that I've not posted since last fall, I will just act like I've been blogging all along.  I'm taking this stance primarily in the attempt to not completely overwhelm myself.  After all, I now have an absolutely gorgeous 14 week old baby girl that is more than a handful for me. 


I cannot begin to express how utterly in love I am with this girl.  She, along with my perpetually amusing husband (thank God I married a man with a sense of humor!), is the sunshine in my day.  And thus begins the first 25 things that I am thankful for (as this begins a series of a grand total of 1000 things to be appreciative of).  So, here we go...
  1. Grace Olivia, my sweet daughter
  2. Chocolate chip cookies made by my husband
  3. A wooden tray with handles purchased for $7
  4. Large picture windows
  5. Brita water filter 
  6. Friends & family that sew
  7. Whole Foods
  8. The fact that I can (though I haven't had time to) cut my own hair
  9. My breastfeeding support group 
  10. Girls nights
  11. Jeans that still fit
  12. Mega green smoothies
  13. Magazine subscriptions
  14. IHOP special edition CDs
  15. Swaddling - baby calming secret weapon
  16. Carters pink elephant rattle blankie 
  17. Postal service carrier pickup
  18. Facebook
  19. Rainboots
  20. Holy Spirit
  21. Ipod dock remote control
  22. White noise website www.simplynoise.com
  23. Craigslist
  24. My black & white dishes
  25. Skype