New niece!

This weekend we took a very quick trip up to Asheville. It's only a 3-hour drive, so I have NO idea why we don't go more often. The mountains to me are home. I didn't grow up there. But I did go to college there, met Kevin there, and spent 4 very important years of my life there. And now it's home. When I go back I breathe in deep and it makes me feel at ease. When I graduated from college, my first interview was here near Charlotte, and I got offered the job and took it without researching the area. I wish, wish, wish I had searched harder to find a job back "home". I only hope that someday (sooner rather than later) the stars will align so that my little family can relocate. For now, though, quick trips are what holds me over.

BUT! The reason for this weekend's trip was my sister-in-law's new baby girl! Alice Grace was born February 2nd, and we waited a few weeks to give them time to settle in to life with a new baby. It's their first, and Adelaide's 3rd cousin, but the only other girl. They are only 13 months apart, so I can't wait to see what life brings them.








It already seems Adelaide and Alice have a deep connection. Obviously Adelaide barely paid mind to the little baby during our visit, but they both seem to share the same temperament and gas problems (sorry Meaghann and Paul!). And Alice, apparently, is a derivitive of the name Adelaide... something they did not know until after they came home from the hospital.





I got to hold Alice for a few minutes, and oh! I forgot how tiny newborns are (and she wasn't a tiny newborn at all! 9 1/2 pounds!) She smelled like milk and her hair was so silky smooth and she was just a lump in my arms. I loved it (and missed it).

Even though they were the ones with a newborn, Meag and Paul played perfect hosts: serving us delicious kale/quinoa soup that even Adelaide loved, delicious oven-warmed bread, and not allowing me to clean anything other than sweeping their floors. How amazing are they? I love those people. Family. They fill my soul with warmth. I feel so connected to them, and wish we lived closer... I want many playdates in our futures!





Anyhow, we were back home at an amazing 9:45 Sunday morning. I felt so accomplished yesterday! A 3-hour drive under our belt, grocery shopping before we even got home, all the laundry got done, kitchen stayed clean (!), playing out on the deck, and I even got to snuggle with Kevin during a movie after Adelaide went to bed (Contagion - not really a snuggle movie, but worked fine for us!).

Here's hoping for more amazing weekends to come. Full of family, love, babies, warm weather, and good food.

Watching the world.

Sometimes I watch Adelaide watching the world and I wonder what it's like to see everything for the first time. I know everyone has this experience growing up, but somewhere along the way we forget to look with fresh eyes at the world around us. Things become so mundane and normal and we don't notice the small wonders among the hustle and bustle of daily life.



Until you have a kid. Then geese are so cool. These quacking floating things in the water. And then all of a sudden they open their wings and can you imagine the amazement Adelaide must feel when she's been studying these creatures and suddenly they're so different looking?



She watched them so intently. And I had to get down on her level to see with her eyes the world around her. The park was so full of people due to the wonderful 65-degree weather. Lots of people with their kids and babies and dogs. "Dah! Dah!" Lots of pointing and staring at the dogs. There was even a HUGE great dane that towered over her as he passed. Kids throwing crackers at the geese and she just stared at them snapping up the treats.



We ran into friends, Kevin drummed a little (a lot), she danced, and we played in the cool/warm weather. It was such an invigorating stretch of time. I was reluctant to go at first because this park is a good half-hour from home and it was nearing naptime. But Adelaide slept in the car the way there and then another half-hour while I caught up on some reading. So it ended up being a refreshing day out with my little family.

I should grab those opportunities when I can!

Our Valentine's Day (cute lunches, and baby valentine art!)

Last year: this and this.

Happy belated Valentine's Day. What a difference a year makes. Last year I was home with a sweet little babe and got to do something super crafty and call it a day. This year, I had to fit in the craftiness (which I did, of course!) and cute Valentine's stuff among the usual day-to-day work, work prep, cleaning, and crazy-baby.

Firstly, here's what I whipped up for Adelaide for her big Valentine's day lunch. I'm so super inspired by this blog, but I have to wait until little miss is older for her to be able to appreciate the time and effort and inspiration it would take to make lunches like that for her. But cutting a slice of whole wheat bread (she's never had white) into hearts? Sure! Quartering some on-hand red grapes? Yep! And throwing in mashed potatoes even though they in no way tie into Valentine's Day because I knew that's the one thing of the whole lunch she'd probably eat? Definitely!



And last week, her teacher asked if I wanted to take part in a Valentine's exchange. I said sure! An excuse to help Adelaide create her first batch of sweet love notes? Yes, please! Again, this is something I can't wait until she's older for, because I have SO many ideas of adorable handmade valentines to do with her (thank you, Pinterest!).

Since Adelaide loves finger painting, it was a natural decision to use that skill to paint some V-day hearts. I cut some little hearts from white paper, and gave her a lid of red paint and a lid of blue paint. It was AMAZING to watch her. Before, and even just her last session which was about 6 weeks ago, she'd just smear her hands around and think it was pretty cool to make a smudgy mess. NOW, she actually PICKED UP the paint and PLACED IT ON THE PAPER. It was so cool. Of course, my art teacher side swelled with pride!









After they dried, I glued them to corresponding sheets of construction paper, used funky scissors to cut a border, and wrote a special note on the back. I made sure to give her two teachers the cutest hearts (well, after I claimed a couple (a few?) for myself and her scrapbook!).








Tada! I thought they were super cute. I was able to make 10 of them (after they dried) while watching the Bachelor this week. Well, those, and 14 little hearts in which I wrote 14 things I loved about the hubs. On Valentine's morning, while he was in the bathroom, Adelaide and I ran around the house and hid them in various places. He loved finding them all around the house! And I got some special-made hair sticks that he turned on his lathe, and a foot rub!

It was a pretty awesome Valentine's Day. I could have done without the full day of work, but it was great nonetheless!

Three Things.

Life is crazy. Crrraazzzyyy. I have so many things to catch up on, but I'm choosing only 5 to gab on about. In no particular order:

1. Despite my "resolution" to stop eating so much junk food, my addiction to M&Ms, Sprite, and chips got a bit out of control the first month or so of the year. SO. Kevin and I have decided to challenge ourselves, TOGETHER (which is a big deal, makes it so much easier to be held accountable, you know?) to be junk food FREE for at least the next 2 weeks to detox our bodies of all the sugar and hopefully begin to retrain our tastebuds to turn towards the healthy stuff more than the junk.

Yesterday was our first day, and we did good! I made some homemade ranch for our baby carrots (never buying the bottled stuff again!), a nice healthy dinner, and lots of water! Felt good to be on track again for the first time in a long time. The trick now is keeping junk-free during work. That's my weakness - the vending machine candy and Sprites. Being sleepy means craving the sweets.

2. Adelaide has been SICK! It sucks, too. She's had a cough for the better part of a week. Wednesday and Thursday nights were the worst of it. She'll wake up coughing in the middle of the night and often start crying because it upsets her so. :( It makes this mama sad. And sleepy. We debated taking her to the doctor, but decided against it because there's nothing they could really do anyway unless she had a fever. Which she didn't/doesn't. That would indicate an infection, and they'd then give antibiotics. But no fever means no doctor for us for this issue. So lots of homeopathic "Vapor-Rub" on the chest and feet, lots of fluids, and lots of steam treatments. Turn the shower on as hot as it can get, plop the girl on the bathroom counter (heat/steam rises) and play with mama's jewelry box. :) She's getting better, thank goodness! More steam treatments tonight.

3. My sister in law had a precious baby girl! Alice Grace came on February 2nd, and she's just over 13 months younger than Adelaide. I can't wait to have them grow up together. I can see them playing in the woods, digging in the dirt, searching for fairies and sharing secrets. Or maybe I'm totally wrong. Maybe they'll be in tutus with play makeup, creating cheers and listening to their version of Selena Gomez. I'm really hoping for the first setup, though I know they are who they are, already. I'll love them however they turn out!



So that's it for now. More later, I hope, as long as little miss can get to feeling better and quit throwing tantrums and wearing this mama out. Oh, I didn't mention the tantrums? Yeah, that's a whole boatload of FUN.

Supermom.

I have a hard time staying positive. I think I was born a pessimist. In fact, even in middle school, I recognized this quality of mine. My friend and I had an ongoing joke that I was the pessimist and she was the optimist in our friendship.

I get way too stressed out with the daily to-dos. I often put spending time with Adelaide on hold so that I can get my chores done (you know... I-have-to-get-this-done-or-my-brain-will-explode-and-then-we-can-hang out). I mean, I sit her on the counter while I prep her milk and food for the next day so yes, we're together, but I'm focused on something else. (Speaking of, this awesome hang out on the counter while mommy preps your stuff is coming to an end. She's a little too mobile and exploratory now... getting unsafe.) Diapers, laundry, tidying up, dusting, vacuuming, dishes (oh, the never-ending dishes). I just have this list that I need to tick off before I can breathe a sigh of relief. But I don't really feel the relief, because there's always SO MUCH TO DO and I can never get it all done.

And I always feel really bummed on Sunday nights, usually having a big cry about the injustice of my having to work and not being able to stay home with Adelaide. It's depressing. Sundays suck.

But yesterday, Monday, I decided that there's nothing I can do about it. This is my life, at least for now. I have no real choice in the matter. Bills need to be paid, food needs to be bought, debt needs to be slowly chipped at. So I work. And I spend my nights prepping for the next day of work and missing Adelaide.

I decided to be Supermom yesterday. I decided that I would get everything done and still (still!) have a lot of time to focus on Adelaide instead of thinking about that next thing that was on my to-do list. I decided to use my minutes wisely. I put my phone away. I kept the TV off. I turned on music, plopped Adelaide on the counter and very busily fixed her stuff for tomorrow. I started the diapers in the wash.



And then we went on a walk. Where we weren't "getting anything done" but spending time together. Giggling in the breeze, pointing to mailboxes, starely oh-so-intently as we passed the barking dogs, babbling and hair whipping around. It was nice. And we played. We read so many books, laughed and tickled, chased each other, tried to pull the cat's tail off (that was Adelaide, not me).

And then I did a little bit of diaper washing and laundry tending, and then we played some more.



And then we did dinner and she ate like a champ and we played some more.



And then we took a bath and read a book and ate half a banana and screamed through teeth-brushing and then I got to lay down and nurse her to sleep.

When she was down, I folded laundry while eating a quickly made egg and avocado sandwich while watching The Bachelor (guilty pleasure) while spending time with my husband (yep, he watches too!).

I was Supermom. I didn't get everything done on my list, but I changed my attitude about my life. At least for yesterday, I didn't feel bogged down. My moments with Adelaide were clear and pure. I enjoyed her, and I didn't mind my chores. I got everything done that needed to be, but I showed Adelaide that she was important (honestly, I don't feel like I neglect her, but I always have a nagging list in the back of my mind that keeps me from being 100% there). And we had a great night. Pretty much fuss-free, which is rare these days, what with the independence growing and all.

So today? I'm Supermom again. I can't control my circumstances exactly, but I can control my attitude about them. I'm glad I recognized what made yesterday better, because now I can try to make that choice everyday. I know I won't always feel like Supermom, able to squeeze in most of the housework and focus on Adelaide and do it all with a smile.

But today... today I will try.

Last week/weekend.

We should really spend more time outside!

Boy, last week was tough. I touched on it when I posted Tuesday about how I was having a hard time and feeling guilty and sad to be working instead of spending my days with Adelaide. As if I have a choice, you know? But I don't, and I have to work to make enough money for us to pay the bills. With just a smidge left over. Hardly.

Well, all last week I felt that way. Each day I dragged myself to work and hated being there, and then I'd rush home and get a couple hours with Adelaide. Who, by the way, has been really exerting her independence/frustrations/etc lately, so it's been a test of patience and consistency for me.

Wednesday, Kevin's Jeep broke down on his way home from work, so after my fullest day of the week, picking up Adelaide, getting home to check my phone (which I'd left at home) and seeing many missed calls and messages from Kevin, got to load the little one back into the car to drive up into Charlotte to pick him up. $350 and 2 days later, his Jeep is halfway fixed, though it's still driving funny. It's 16-year-old car that's gone through a LOT, and it's on it's way out. And we don't have the extra cash for a new car, so we're crossing our fingers that it doesn't break anytime soon.

AND, as if my week weren't bad and depressing enough on it's own, Friday I came down with something. I had to leave work early to pick up Adelaide in the first place, because I'd gotten a call that she was having a terrible day and wasn't herself. Not running a fever, but something was wrong, so I took a half-day, and went to pick her up. Of course she seemed fine once I was there, but turned out that I caught some weird 12-hour bug and couldn't keep anything down all night. I was dehydrated, emptied, and weak weak weak. Poor Adelaide was in fits because she didn't understand why I kept running from her to the bathroom, and why I was spending my night in bed not holding her. Kevin did great taking care of her, but it sucked nonetheless. Thankfully it was a quick bug, and I just spend Saturday uninspired to eat or do anything, still recovering from being so weak. Sunday I woke up and felt like a million bucks and packed a whole weekend into one day!

So there. Last week/weekend, you will not be missed. You sucked. Big time. This week is already better. Nothing special, just better. Hopefully I'll figure this working mom thing out someday. Come to terms with it and figure out how to enjoy every role I'm in. For now I feel like I'm just taking one day at a time.

Chair Refashion and Vegan Cake Recipe

First off, here's the recipe that a couple of you were interested in. These vegan chocolate cupcakes/cake were soooo yummy, moist, and delicious. They don't last long, if you know what I mean. :)

And the frosting: I pretty much looked a recipe, took out a bunch of ingredients and came up with something super simple and basic, but delicious. I added 3.5 cups of powdered sugar (basically a whole box) to 1 cup of softend Earth Balance margarine (vegan). I used my hand mixer, because I don't have a stand mixer (boo!) to slowly mix for 3 minutes. Then I added 1.5 tablespoons vanilla extract and kept mixing it for another 7. Well, I mixed for another minute, and then hubby took over for the last 6! It started off weird and stiff but then as the minutes went on it softened up and tasted great! I used a spatula and put some of the frosting into a ziploc baggie, snipped the corner, and used that to pipe on the frosting! So easy and tasty!

*****

Now, having all kinds of people over for our party, I started looking at my house like, what looks bad? What could they notice? What could I fix? You know the drill.

And my kitchen chairs looked BAD. I mean, they are these cheap-o chairs from Walmart from years ago to begin with, covered in this beige microfiber and STAINED like crazy from years of eating and having cats.


This is the good chair.

So I used some fun fabric I had and did a quick, not-professional-but-definitely-good-enough job of reupholstering my chairs. Kevin was iffy about my choice of print, but I loved it from the beginning (the art teacher in me loved all the different lines!) and now Kevin has fallen in love with the look as well. So fun and will match any future kitchen paint colors!



What do you think? Took me maybe 2 hours, but only because I had to keep giving my hand a break from that dang staple-gun. Oh, and a very curious toddler. TODDLER!



P.S. And thank you to my kind commenters for making me feel not so bad about Tuesday. Wednesday sucked equally, but hopefully things are on the up-and-up.