5 months ago...

I looked like this...

This and that

Life has a tendency to come at you randomly, here are a few of our random bits from the past couple of days.

~Olivia got her 1st marriage proposal Monday. One of our neighbor's boys poped the question.
Our latter conversation went something like this:
her~ Ashton asked me to marry him.
me~ Really?
her~yeah
me~ And what did you say?
her~I told him no.
me~{sigh of relief}
her~But, I was just joking.
This was the same day that she told me that she wanted me to fix a blueberry and strawberry cake for her wedding (I wondered where that request came from.) And then at the grocery store that night she began inspecting the mixed flower bouquets really closely before pulling one out triumphantly and announcing for the whole produce section to hear; "This is the one I want for my wedding flowers Mommy!"
It starts so early doesn't it?
{sigh}



~I'm so excited to be part of this swap! So totally cool! I can't wait to get my sheets. I actually can't wait to find my sheets! Hurray for cool breezy new summer skirts!
The plan is that once you get your sheets you can follow this tutorial (I adore tutorials!) to make your skirts. Maybe we should do a similar swap on Domestic Bliss? Yes? No?

~Sadie-Rose rolled from her back to her tummy for the 1st time last night. She's been working on this new skill for several weeks now and finally accomplished it.
She also sits up on her own now. I try to keep a boppy around her or some pillows because she dumps over every now and then, but she enjoys sitting up so much and being able to see the world going on around her and also grabbing anything within possible reach. She is such a joy.

~I made this bread yesterday. It's incredible. You should try it. Really. It's very simple and easy. I plan on trying this version soon. But Mike insists that I make the Rosemary and Sun-dried tomato version again right away. I suppose that means I'll have to mix up a bowl of it tonight. :)
~I am working on a post about my passion, I promise. It's just taken a lot of thought and working it all out in my own mind. Still not sure that I've got it all ironed out, but maybe enough to get it written down in a blog. We'll see. I'm a slow starter, but once I get going...

~I'm in the middle of planning a baby shower with a friend for a friend. I'm excited. It's going to be lots of fun. I'll post more details when I have pictures to back it up.

~We planted our morning glory seed yesterday. I can't wait for them to come up and start winding themselves around the crape myrtles. What lovely pictures they will make later this summer. The sunflowers and zinnias are going in the ground tomorrow. We're also contemplating putting this idea into works. I'm excited about {maybe} trying it. Anything to add some extra organic and natural home grown food into our diet.

~If I don't get back to post before the weekend, have a lovely weekend with your dears ones.
I'll be enjoying the sun in my own backyard.

Happy Earth Day

No, we're not "tree-huggers," (maybe we are) but I think we kind of fall into the "crunchy" group of people. Yeah, we're a little on the weird side,(and I have been hiding it from, you guys!) but I'm ok with it. :) We had planed a day to be outside, planting morning glory's, sunflowers, zinnias, and petunias and doing a little weeding in the beds, but it's cloudy, overcast, and chilly outdoors so we will be postponing those activities until a warmer day. Maybe tomorrow.
But, I thought I would share my recipe for home made laundry soap (which I had to make today), in honor of this very "green" day. :)

1 bar of grated soap (Fels Naptha is recommended, I get mine at Publix in the laundry section. Also, just so you know, I have used Dove brand and handmade natural soaps too, but to be really green you should probably use a natural soap that doesn't have a lot of chemicals in it. )
1 cup borax
1 cup WASHING soda (Arm and Hammer makes it and it's usually in the detergent aisle, again I get mine at Publix. Our Walmart doesn't carry it.)
**optional*** 1/4 cup of Oxyclean (I don't use Oxyclean, I use OxySun because it doesn't have all the harsh chemicals in it that would hurt the baby's skin as well as being not so great for the environment)

Mix it all up in a reused covered tub. Add 1 TABLESPOON (2 if it's really nasty) per load of laundry. This recipe is great to double or triple and it's wonderfully cost effective.

I got the recipe from Beth with this post who got it from this website. (And not, I didn't go hunting for the post. Sorry!)

Here's what they had to say about the penny pinching aspect of it: "Cost to make your own: Around $2 per batch. This is about 5.7 cents per load (using 2 tablespoons for each load, you get about 35 loads). Arm & Hammer laundry detergent is about 12.4 cents per load. Tide detergent is 30 cents and more per load."

That's pretty darn good if you ask me!

I'll be back soon with Birthday party updates and hopefully some "Passion." :)

So thankful for...

...a little one who woke up fever free and ready for the new day.
...the sun shining.
...important meetings going well for Mike.
...a darling baby who held out her arms for me to pick her up yesterday,
who learned to blow raspberries today,
and who practices sitting up on her own every chance she can.
...stacks and stacks of clean folded laundry.
...black bean chili ready to be heated up for dinner.
...warm Ghirardelli turtle brownies for dessert.
...new opportunities, job promotions, and plans for the future.
...an evening at home.
...maybe watching a Sherlock Holmes movie, maybe playing a little Nancy Drew,
or maybe just sitting together on the couch catching up on some reading.
...making preparations for Olivia's 5th birthday this Sunday.

xoxo

I'm back

Well, that was a blogging break I hadn't intended on taking! Tuesday morning, as my parents were leaving, our computer crashed. For unknown reason. And because we had plans out of the house every night until Friday, our 'puter sat forlornly on the dresser, waiting for us to come back to it. But, by the time Mike fixed it, it was late Friday night and weekends are always busy for us as they are for everyone out there in blog land.
So, here I am. Back. But with one very sick little girl and another with terrible yeast rash on her diaper area. I just wanted to pop in and say "thank you" to all who wished us success at the Festival. It wasn't what we had hopped or expected for our third year at the Flowertown. But, given the economic change, I totally understand. So, be looking for an Etsy shop update so as we list our wares. I let everyone know when it's all up.
Even though the festival was dissapointing, it was good to see my family again. They haven't been here since Christmas. I took lots of pictures (close to 400 in 72 hours), but very few of actual people. Actually very few of anything but purses. :) Here are the 7 best.

Olivia got a little bored of my taking pictures of purses
and crawled under the picnic table.

Violet, after a full day of being my assistant.
She handed me each and every single bag.
All day.
See that stack of stuff behind her?
All purses.

This is my FROG.
All the boxes and tubs were full of purses.
(Teenagers do such strange things when their tired or bored.)

Miss Sadie~Rose having fun at the Festival.

Sadie~Rose and her Pa-pa
people watching.

Our booth.

Now I must get back to piles of laundry, my throwing up kid, and raw bottomed lovely-ness.
Isn't being a mommy grand? :)

I'm still alive

just incredibly busy.
We're getting ready for the annual Flowertown Festival that we do every year.
My parents and siblings have arrived
and I spent most of the day yesterday taking pictures of the purses
and then stayed up until 2pm sewing some "other" thing.
This afternoon is set-up and Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are the Festival.
I'll be back Tuesday, after all the family leaves.
Enjoy the weekend!