those crazy carlsons

Craft Room Storage

2011-07-13T13:25:00.001-04:00

Since I am tired of going to the store three times a day (when I said that out loud at dinner, B responded with, "Victory is MINE!" Apparently he hates me going to the store three times a day, too...), I spend yesterday morning while Jamie was in school working on the office/craft room and the contents of it's closet. Last night B was very helpful in weeding things out, and this morning I took a lot of old computer/stereo parts and cords to the electronic waste dump. It was pretty funny going through "the history of technology" last night! Once I got it done and as much as I could neatly placed back in the closet, I realized that for the most part, my craft stuff is just in boxes and not really all that accessible.

I also realized I haven't raved out Pinterest on this blog - I feel like everyone else has on their blog, so now it's my turn! If you haven't checked it out, Pinterest is basically an electronic bulletin board where you can "pin" fun things you see on the internet. Much like ripping a page out of a magazine and tacking it to ye olde cork board (remember doing that?)

So today I went to Pinterest and typed in "craft storage" - here's the most personally inspiring of what I found (and a little critique):

from: ideasandinspiration.tumblr.com

If I had the space, I'd be all over it, but I don't so this is firmly in the "dream" category! It has a place for *everything* and some clear storage to boot. The iMac pictured would probably get in the way of sewing, but fortunately for me, I don't have that problem - I'm on a Macbook, so it can go safely into a drawer or off to the side if I were to pull out my sewing machine (which in this room woiuld go great in that last tall white drawer on the right!)

from: Better Homes & Gardens

Now this would call for a combination of two of my passions - crafting and making furniture! This is just a computer armoire, complete with the pull out shelf, locked and loaded for crafting! The downside is that I don't have that kind of room in here. But that doesn't stop me from eyeballing every computer armoire I see at the thrift store!

from: unplggd.com

This room definitely meets my criteria for "double duty" - it has the sewing machine and the computer, and all of the craft supplies are out of the way but not necessarily out of reach.

from: houzz.com's finder

Throwing this suggestion out there for my mother-in-law and anyone else who has to craft out of their guest room closet - the downside is there is no real table space (that bottom shelf is too high, but that's not to say that it couldn't be done!), but there is some great storage ideas, plus the curtains keep the messy stuff hidden (want to bet that's where she hides her husband's stuff?)

from: Country Living

This looks like something I would do, but not necessarily how I would do it. I'm the anal-retentive type, so I'd most likely have everything in here in identical labeled boxes. But this does look like a good solution for my space!

Speaking of my space, might as well let you see it as-is right now:

Sorry about the camera phone photos, but I am too busy to hunt down the actual camera!

P-A-R-T-Y Oh My! ~ Lindsey's Baby Shower

2011-07-11T07:30:00.000-04:00

I love friends and I love parties - and I love throwing parties for my friends! (Or, really, any reason at all!) Last July I threw three parties so only doing two this year is slacking (or relaxing...) Anyway, Cynthia and I threw a baby shower for my friend Lindsey's as-yet-un-named new arrival due in August.

As Lindsey doesn't know if she is having a boy or girl, I wanted to keep with a gender-neutral color palette. I found some cute cloth napkins at Target in green, yellow, aqua, and orange for $1.48! I stitched them together and then to duck cloth for stability and made a super cute table runner - it's somewhere under all that delicious food! Cynthia got the fruit for a fruit salad from Costco and it was seriously delicious!

Plenty of "As Seen On The Internet"'s in here - this is a cake stand I made similar to one I saw on Pinterest - the cake pans were $2 each at the Community Hospice Thrift Store and the candlestick was from Michael's. I put it on with hot glue and it came off... then the last of my Krazy Glue for Crafts (which came out kind of filmy...odd...)... then spray adhesive... I know I keep threatening to buy Liquid Nails but I may have to in order to get this to stick! But on the plus side it was easy cleanup and storage being in three seperate pieces.

Another Pinterest item, these are cupcakes in an ice cream cone. I tried baking them in the upturned disposable lasagna pan with holes cut out (poorly, as in sliced with a knife then stuck my finger through... which I also cut...) but they were too long - I think that would work better with cake cones instead of sugar cones. However, Fiestaware, amazing stuff that it is, is oven-proof, so I simply stood three cones up in a coffee mug, poured them 2/3 full with cake batter (SLOWLY so you know they really fill up!), and baked on 350 for 18 minutes. Once they were completely cool I piped frosting in with a freezer bag with a cut corner, then Funfetti'd, then refridgerated until party time. They turned out pretty well for a first time/half goof!

I will take any excuse to use Chinese food boxes - these were filled with Starburst and tied up with ribbons in the colors of the party. We also played the shower game where everyone wears a ribbon pinned to their shirt and nobody is allowed to say "baby" - if they slip up they have to give up their ribbon!

I always volunteer to bring punch to a party - SO EASY! I get a gallon of water, pour a little out, add two packets of Crystal Light Lemonade, and some frozen berries! Also had a gallon of Milo's Sweet Tea (best invention ever!) and some water bottles. I wrapped them with cardstock and spray adhesive in the colors of the party - looks a little more polished than Sam's Choice labels.

Also did the shower game where you try to guess the size of the guest of honor's belly using crepe paper - we ended up tying it all into a bow and making Lindsey look like a present!

I am so blessed to have Lindsey as my friend! She is so fun and wonderful, and has been an amazing mom friend when I need to vent about the stresses of being a stay-at-home-mama, ask questions about "Is this normal?" or just make fun of someone else's parenting skills (we all do it... just not publicly!)

Cynthia, this party was a great idea - I am so glad you had it! Thank you for all your hard work and planning! Everything was amazing - now we can look forward to this new little guy (or girl!) making an entrance!

All The Dude Ever Wanted Was His Rug Back

2011-07-08T13:59:00.005-04:00

image: screenjunkies.com

Ever see The Big Lebowski? I am a huge fan. I love (most) Cohen brothers movies, and I had a lot of time on my hands in college. Actually tried to go as Maude Lebowski one year for Halloween but it didn't quite work out. Maybe if I ever make it to a Lebowski Fest.

Somewhere between the Montessori idea of play areas being defined by a play mat and not wanting to get paint/marker/water/half-eaten Cheerios on the carpet in the new play area (COMING SOON!), I decided I needed to make Jamie a rug, much like one I found on Pinterest. Or maybe I found it on Ohdeedoh and pinned it - can't remember, but I do remember someone saying to use outdoor cloth, which I took a step further and got oil cloth. And duck cloth instead of a drop cloth, which was more cost effective and came in a size big enough to do both this rug and a table runner I needed to make.

First of all, duck cloth is a pain to work with, especially for a novice sew gal like me. It doesn't want to starch for anything and it's really thick. When I got my sewing machine repaired yesterday, the guys said not to try to do anything big or bulky - oh, if only they could see me now! But after playing with it and a few frantic text messages to my sister-in-law, I managed to get the tension correct to accommodate the duck cloth, heavy duty thread, and a super tough needle. I attempted (somewhat in vain) to iron down the seam before I stitched it.

There. No more raw edges. I feel good about that. I made sure my oil cloth fit perfectly and I used spray adhesive to tack it down. About 99% sure you can't iron oil cloth but I'm not about to find out (especially since I'm done, but feel free to Google that one on your own.)

Genius Engineer that I married had a great idea - use a rolling pin to smooth it down. It worked pretty well considering it was as close to ironing as I was going to get. He also pointed out that the rolling pin is a multi-tasker, maybe because we've gone too long in this blog without an Alton Brown reference.

Once I got the oil cloth where I wanted it, I folded over the seam from the duck cloth and tried to stitch the new seam right down the old seam. If I was any good, this would have been awesome, but fortnuately I have no plans to show you any scrutinized up-close shots of this project. If you are an excellent seamstress, you're probably saying to yourself one of two things: 1. "Oh, no problem. I can so do that." or 2. "Pssh, I have a better idea. Rookie."

Don't forget to thank your help. Thank you, Billy!

Aaaand, voila! A spill-proof, mess-proof, darn near baby-proof rug that really ties the room together (you'll see - work in progress!)

Link parties I'm adding this little guy to:

Pictogram Fun

2011-07-08T11:21:00.001-04:00

While playing with foam letters with Jamie, I found a little pictogram. Anyone wanna guess?

The Specialty of the House

2011-07-08T09:02:00.000-04:00

Billy practically begs for Chicken Peach Fajitas - I told him I think they are great, but they're nothing special, and he said that they are special because we only make them during peach season (June-July). So since they are special after all, here's the recipe:

About a pound of chicken sliced into strips, a sliced onion, a sliced bell pepper, about three peaches in syrup (cut them up and toss with a tablespoon of sugar the night before), and fajita seasoning.

Brown the chicken in a large skillet with 1 T of olive oil. I don't remember how long I cooked the chicken but the lovely McCormick Fajita Season Mix packet will tell you.

Transfer to a clean plate.

Suck your stomach in and smile for the camera!

Put the onions and bell peppers in with another tablespoon of olive oil and saute for 3 minutes.

Add the peaches and the chicken back to the onions and bell peppers - the directions are going to tell you to also add 1/4 c water - I drain as much liquid as I can from my peaches (this time it was about half that) and filled the rest up with water.

The all-important seasoning.

Saute until warm then serve!

I typically don't put much on these - I only put salsa on one of them, but I did put hot sauce on both. I recommend a hot sauce that is somewhat fruity - above we have Island Grove Jamaican Hot Sauce (warning - not hot at all!), Pele's Hawaiian Volcano Sauce (I think this came from San Diego), Pace salsa (pepperheads, don't hate me - it was on sale), Galito's Garlic Peri Peri Sauce (also known around these parts as the only sauce that can make tofu taste awesome), and Prissy's of Vidalia's Vidalia Onion & Peach Sauce (also not hot).

______________________________
Chicken Peach Fajitas

Peaches:
Slice 3 ripe peaches, stir with 1T sugar and refridgerate overnight.

1 lb chicken, cut into strips
1 green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 medium onion, cut into strips
1 packet McCormick Fajita Seasoning
2 T olive oil (divided)
1/4 c. water (or as much peach nectar as you can get from the peaches above + water)

Tortillas, hot sauce, salsa, etc.

*Follow directions on McCormick Seasoning packet, substituting as much peach nectar as possible for water and adding peaches when returning chicken to cooked veggies.

Top and enjoy and tell people you came up with this yourself. :)

Free Shampoo, Blowout, and Style at ULTA (July 6-7, 2011)

2011-07-06T09:22:00.000-04:00

I saw on Money Saving Mom that ULTA was having another free shampoo, blowout, and style event today and tomorrow. I figured this was a good time to show you the pictures from when Amanda and I went to their last one:

Very bad hair day for me, hence the ponytail. Although in hindsight, it probably would have made better "Before" pics had we gone in there with our hair down. Whoops!

Amanda's "Before", although personally the girl can make a garbage bag look cute.

Amanda opted for the "volume" and I opted for the "straight". I wouldn't say her hair looks all that volumized here, but it does look super cute!

Aaaaand mine... well, it does look straight. And like I need a new haircut that actually works for me. Oh well, I'll get around to that eventually.

We really should have gone out after this instead of going back to sitting on the couch with Jason and Billy. But whatever, we looked good doing nothing!!!

Fear and Loathing in My Office Closet

2011-07-05T22:22:00.001-04:00

I am not an easily intimidated woman. If I seem intimidated it's probably because it looks too difficult and I am just lazy. But this closet kind of goes beyond that... Every time I have walked into this room over the last six months, I've maybe moved one item, then left. In fear.

My husband totally deserves a Man Cave. I'm all over that notion - the guy works hard and has lots of toys that I really don't care to interact with. (Plus - I love you, honey, I REALLY LOVE YOU - but this man saves everything *and the box it came in*, separately. Like even things that he hasn't touched in 5 years.) However, we aren't in Georgia/Alabama/Virginia any more, and houses in this part of the world don't have basements. (If they did... oh boy... it would be awesome!)

And I need some crafting space - half the reason I was so bent on getting the TV stand made and put in was so I can get the table the TV was on back as my craft table.

To make it all worse, when you have a toddler, everything you leave laying around is fair game (including your sewing machine), so before we knew it, his stuff, my stuff, and any stuff we didn't want messed with all ended up in one room.

...until today. My in-laws were kind enough to turn the guest bed over on it's side when they left, giving me plenty of floor space to empty (and vaccum!) the office closet.

B's work project is almost finished, so hopefully he will soon have some time away from that cushy black IKEA chair above to help me sort out what's below... before my mother and sister show up next Thursday.

Stereo components... board games... two DVD players... two TiVOs... manuals to a car he sold three years ago... timeshare books that haven't been touched since we moved in... toys Jamie has yet to grow into... every computer cord ever invented... VHS of my family's Christmases from 1981-1997ish... It's amazing what I found in there.

Including what I am almost certain is a dead frog. It was maybe 3/4" long and made a totally different crunchy sound when I vaccumed it up as opposed to dead bugs. Scary.

Caught in the Act!

2011-07-05T14:03:00.000-04:00

Remember this little guy?

Well, thanks to my DIY dresser-to-tv stand, I am officially (quasi-) famous! I was caught on "Catch as Catch Can"http://www.myrepurposedlife.net/2011/07/catch-as-catch-can-34.html at My Repurposed Life!

If you missed the whole process of sawdust, sweat, and tears of joy, you can check it out right here.

In the meantime, I have managed to empty and vaccum the office closet. Wonder what else I can get into today?

Carrying the Weight of the World

2011-07-03T22:38:00.000-04:00

I loved the Gospel reading for this week, Matthew 11:25-30:

At that time Jesus exclaimed:
“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to little ones...

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

Being around kids all week and then hearing this really spoke to me - it's rough being an adult, and sometimes we bring more problems on ourselves than we need to. I thought about how innocent the kids I saw all week really were, about how they don't have very many grown up problems, and that joy just radiated from them. And it's not just laundry- and bills-type grown up problems, either - it's the way they approach life, people, their relationships with each other, and their relationships with God. Thinking back to Adam, Eve, and the apple - they wanted to know all that God knew, so they ate from the tree of knowledge in Genesis 3:4-5:

The serpent said to the woman: "You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is bad."

Do we really want all that in our lives? I think knowing all that is out there, all the dangers of this world, all the eye-openers, really just drags us down, in a way that these innocent kids have no idea about. If they only knew what we know, especially those who have seen a lot more than they should have, if they lost that innocence... would they lose that joy, too? I think they would. I think that once Adam and Eve feasted on the forbidden fruit and realized they were "naked" and "ashamed", I don't think it's so much that they weren't wearing any clothes, but more that they realized that now they had something to hide, something to keep to themselves instead of sharing themselves, personally and spiritually, with the world. This was probably the official beginning of "emotional baggage".

There is a lot of heavy weight that goes along with being an adult, and it's not just keeping the roof over our heads and our 401(k)s nice and fluffy. Some of us carry drama, negativity, ego (however inflated or inferior), regrets, past hurts, and fear around with us, and I believe the more someone has been through - self-inflicted or otherwise - the harder it is to let go of some of those things. But Jesus tells us we don't have to hold onto that and let it weigh us down. Taking a more humble, Christ-like attitude, letting go of that excess baggage, is a whole lot easier than bringing anger and pessimism and a bad attitude into every situation - almost like some people's issues show up before they do. Little children, whether they realize it or not, know what we don't - keep things simple, keep your mind clear, laugh, have fun, enjoy life, and it's really not that hard to have joy.

Very Important Panda

2011-07-02T14:31:00.000-04:00

My apologies for being AWOL all last week - I have been pretty busy. It was VBS at my church, and the theme was Pandamania.

Pictures just don't do it justice - it was a BLAST! I was in charge of the kitchen, and each day we served about 400 meals. So, in five days, we made 2,000 meals, PLUS a pizza party for 150 volunteers! It was a crazy mess, but my three adult volunteers and my five youth volunteers (plus two more I referred to as "the muscle" because they did all my "heavy lifting and enforcing") helped make it fun and go smoothly.

I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked to - we were SO BUSY! and once we got into a rhythm we just kept on it - but above we are making our pretzel crosses with candy and sprinkles.

I promise there will be more posts next week - I have so much to show you! And, of course, a few pieces of furniture in the garage that need work (and pictures)

Good for a Laugh

2011-06-22T22:51:00.002-04:00

I know I am going to be crazy busy tomorrow buying food for VBS and doing more fun things I can blog about later, but I figured now was a good time to let you in on my secret laugh factory:

Craigslist Missed Connections.

Whenever you're having a bad day and need a laugh, Missed Connections always comes through with a real winner. Check this one out:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tracy - English Teacher - m4w - 41 (Jax)

Date: 2011-06-22, 6:07PM EDT

A very long shot - but here it is goes....If you happen to see this - I want to dance with you again, you were alot of fun and you smelled like an angle.

Location: Jax
it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests

PostingID: 2456625223
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is just a classic reminder to proofread. If she's an English teacher, she's going to definitely notice that this guy put "smelled like an angle" instead of "smelled like an angel", probably more than your average person would notice! (If the "alot" didn't get to her first!) Poor guy blew it while trying.

Have a great Thursday!

The Circle Unbroken

2011-06-22T09:25:00.003-04:00

There are some tacky looking wreaths out there, people. Every time I walk into a craft store, especially at Christmas, I'm kind of bowled over by how over-the-top they make these things. I think it's much easier to make your own, especially if you have a good craft stash, because you can make it pretty simply and economically, and you can dismantle it easily and make a new one in a flash.

This was my previous wreath:

Can't really dismantle this one - actually, it kind of tries to dismantle itself. I hot glued the corks on, which wasn't a good idea for a hot Florida summer and a constantly slamming door. Maybe Liquid Nails would have been better?

I think the one I made for Kristen turned out better. Hopefully it survived the trip to Charleston without losing too many corks in route!

For my new one, I started with a $0.25 grapevine wreath I got from the church rummage sale.

Then I got a few supplies: Liquid Stitch, two sheets of cream colored felt, starfish, and scissors:

The tutorial I used for felt roses said to cut them out of the square shape, but I would suggest making a circle first. Then cut around...

...and around...

Until I got to the end. Then I folded the middle and started wrapping...

...and wrapping...

..and wrapping...

...until I got the rose the size I wanted it. Then I squirted it with a little Liquid Stitch and pinned it so it would stay.

I also took a small square of felt and put some Liquid Stitch and glued it to the back to give the flower some stability (and a good base for putting it on the wreath).

Two sheets of felt got me six flowers - five for the wreath and one for me for later. Not sure what I'll do with it yet but at least I have one ready for felt flower emergencies (they happen).

I took out the pins (well, most of them!) and then I glued them onto the wreath with good ol' hot glue and added a starfish - odd numbers are good, folks. Which kills my sense of order, but whatever. All for the sake of style!

And then some coordinating ribbon - it's hard to find things that go with an eggplant purple front door. This one is kind of a light teal satin.

Voila! A new wreath, which can easily be taken apart and turned into a new new wreath - or something totally different!

Adding this to....

Hazy Shade of Summer

2011-06-21T11:01:00.000-04:00

Happy Official First Day of Summer to everyone out there NOT in Florida. We started seeing 70+ days (aka, Beach Days) in February, so summer technically started for us sometime after St Patrick's Day. Then came Spring Break (yes, we do have it here!); then the last full weekend of April, the official Opening of the Beaches (as if they hadn't already been crowded for a month!); and June 1, the official start to Hurricane Season.

Hurricane Season tends to mark the end of Wildfire Season and the beginning of Monsoon Season, when every day at precisely 3:30 pm we get 15-30 minutes of straight downpour. Unfortunately, we were warned by our friendly neighborhood meteorologist that this June will be unusually dry, which is terribly unfortunate as just over the state line, we have this little guy:

Photo credit and mini-shoutout to Terry, who I am pretty sure reads this blog and is hoping for a dry season for good shrimp (as soon as this mess is out!)

Basically, on a day like today, you should see sunny skies over a long road leading to the beach, and a little glimmer of shiny water in the middle of this picture. Instead...

This isn't fog. It looks like fog, but it smells like a campfire. And you can't even see the stoplight at the bottom of the bridge, much less the beach. According to Jacksonville.com, there are 157 fires burning in a 50 mile radius, and it looks like it's going to get worse. Everyone please pray for our firefighters, and if you're local, try not to burn anything.

And by the way, Jacksonville is still awesome. Just kinda gross right now. Seasons change pretty quickly in Florida if you look around enough to notice, and before long it'll be monsoon, beach, or football season.

As Seen on the Internet: Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-06-20T14:43:00.000-04:00

Sorry this took me all day, but literally it took from 830 am to 2 pm for the new Blogger editor to load my 20 pictures. *whew* Okay...

WELCOME! to this week's edition of As Seen on the Internet, where I find something I like somewhere else on line and try to replicate it, often to some half-disastrous consequences. Today I am making "Chocolate Chip Cookies, Any Day of the Week" by Dana from MADE.

I am relatively certain that Dana can do just about anything, and probably spends her spare time (how does she have any of that?) leaping tall buildings in a single bound. Just because she can.

Anyway, as Mrs. Haigler, my middle school home ec teacher, would tell you, assemble all your ingredients and tools before beginning ANYTHING. (She'd also tell you clean up as you go along, but she didn't have a dishwasher.)

Notice that the recipe calls for brown sugar and I am using white sugar and molasses.

I am cheap like that.

Not gonna lie - in this house, Crisco serves one purpose: to season the cast iron skillet once I am done cooking with it (oooh, "Care and feeding of your cast iron" would be a good post. Note to self...). Anyhow, I think I am going to keep more Crisco on hand just for this recipe...

Shortening + butter = love

Shortening + butter + sugar = true love

Look at that baby go! Can't think of many things in the kitchen I love more than my Kitchen Aid mixer.

Aaaaand, that's what "creamed" looks like (if you have little chunks of yellow, your butter started out too cold. That used to happened to me all the time before I wised up. You will, too, I promise.)

I should probably tell you now that I made 1/3 of what Dana's recipe calls for. One, because I can't be trusted with that much cookie dough, and two, because I was low on ingredients. But according to the Almighty Alton, 1 cup of flour is 4 ounces.

Alton would tell you to sift your dry ingredients by putting them in the food processor, but he has people to clean his food processor. I don't, so out comes the sifter. Plus, it's a good workout for your hands and forearms.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix it up!

Mmmm...

Then add chocolate chips or nuts or whatever you're into - I used mini chips because it was all I had on hand, but in hindsight they were the perfect size!

Don't forget to pay the help. He keeps his prices low - just a few chocolate chips and a good scrub afterwards.

Nom. Nom. Nom.

Into the chill chest (see the Kitchen Aid bowl? Conveniently located next to the milk...) for about 15 minutes or however long you can stand it. I recommend a time because you probably will need something to remind you that no, it hasn't been long enough.

I just realized by looking at that picture that we have a lot of different kinds of cheese...

While you are waiting, might as well prep the cookie sheet - I love these Silpat non-stick mats. Way better than ~~wasting~~ using tin foil. Also, love this new Wilton jumbo cookie sheet. Thank you, Target.

My husband has the scoop for making Swedish Meatballs, but I use it for just about everything (remember the cake pops?) The cookie dough doesn't scoop as well warm, which is why the fridge step is *mandatory*.

Onto the pan and into the oven!

After scooping out that dozen to bake, this is what I had left over. I scooped them onto a wax paper-lined cookie sheet and put them into the freezer - this way I have single-serving cookies whenever I want them! All I have to do is let them thaw to room temperature and bake at 350. I can even make one or two in the toaster oven!

Oh. My. Goodness.

This is not an accurate representation of how many I actually ate when I made them - they were honestly the best cookies I have ever made! Dana, THANK YOU!!!!!

Friday, Friday, Friday

2011-06-17T21:29:00.003-04:00

I didn't exactly know what I was doing at the time, but I added my Dresser to Comp Stand project to Tatertots & Jello's Weekend Wrapup Party - so go check it out! So many great ideas on one page!

Here, Fishy Fishy

2011-06-17T09:22:00.008-04:00

Jamie had his first swim lesson at UNF yesterday. Over all I think it went really well - even if I did find myself singing the Gilligan's Island theme song to a pink plastic boat.

"Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip, that started from this tropic port, aboard this tiny ship..."

I so love Gilligan's Island. My little sister probably doesn't even know what that is. *sigh*

They say that these lessons are about teaching parents to be comfortable in the water with their children. Since I'm married to a former lifeguard (and I'm lazy), I am more comfortable in a chair while he takes the baby into any body of water, but I can handle 32 pounds of flailing wet baby on my own if I have to. I can also blow bubbles.

This was probably the first time I could get him to float on his stomach without putting up a tremendous fight...

All in all, pretty successful!

Playspaces: Brianna and Madaline

2011-06-15T20:34:00.000-04:00

This Thursday I am featuring Roxanne's playspace for her daughters, Brianna and Madaline, which also doubles as her craft space. It's never easy to have a space do double duty, especially when it is shared with kids of different ages!

From Roxanne:
I have a teenage boy (my hubbys cousin) staying with us for the summer so it is a disaster in there now. I had a plan for that room but it's not exactly working like I thought! Kids keep going in there and messing everything up!! LOL

I plan to get rid of the desk and get some kind of cabinet/storage there. My hubby built the shelving and I decorated the walls somewhat. So for now the room is..... to be continued!

I can't wait to see what you do with it, Roxanne - this room has so much potential! And fortunately, girls tend to like to craft more than boys, so it will hopefully become a creative space you can share with your girls!

I love the flower - I wish I could paint like that! Thank you for sharing your space!

If you would like to share your children's playspace - good, bad, ugly, whatever! - please send pictures and a description to me at lana dot carlson at gmail dot com!

Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Watch New Yankee Workshop

2011-06-15T08:03:00.021-04:00

When I was growing up, there was no HGTV or DIY network. I watched PBS on Saturday afternoons (if it didn't interfere with football season), and that meant Hometime, Bob Vila, This Old House, and, my personal favorite, New Yankee Workshop. I loved how Norm would take a piece of wood and transform it into an amazing piece of furniture.

Remember this thing?

Well, it looks a little different on the outside now... and very different on the inside. But before I get to that, let me show you what all it went through:

I took off the back, removed the shelves the drawers were on, and popped off the drawer fronts.

I sanded the daylights out of it with a power hand sander and Paul and I picked out some pretty complicated yet cool hinges, which required pulling out the router (Paul didn't seem to mind that too much):

Here it is with the drawer fronts attached to the hinges:

When I was sanding it, I noticed that the layer of paint underneath the gloppy white paint job was gold. Makes me wonder about this dresser's previous lives.

Paul, my amazing assistant, hard at work. Without his knowledge and his tools, none of my crazy ideas would be possible. THANKS, PAUL!!!!

I helped. Really, I did. See?

Reinforced the bottom - it's going to hold a bit of weight on that bottom shelf.

We mounted the top drawer because we didn't need it for the dresser's intended purpose.

Prime, paint, reattach the drawer fronts...

The hinges in action - had to add washers to account for the sliding.

And voila! New TV stand!

Sure beats the old one, right? It was over my sewing table, mostly to keep Jamie away from the computer (we don't have cable; everything comes through the computer or the Wii.)

And the reason we separated the drawer fronts and used the cool hinges was so that we could have pull-down access to the power button and the DVD drive on the front of the computer, like so:

*Whew*! Glad that's done. Of course, now there are five other projects in line behind this one! Here's a little mosaic of all the work that went into this one:

Also, I added this post to the DIY Showoff Blog's Project Parade - wanna see more creativity in action? Click the button below!

As Seen on the Internet: Button Monogram

2011-06-13T11:25:00.004-04:00

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! I would have liked to have relaxed more but I have no one to blame but myself for that one! Plus we had a poor sick baby. :( I think he's all better now, thankfully!

So thanks to my new addiction, Pinterest, I found an awesome craft I just had to make: the Button Monogram! And remember the thrift store frame I found for $0.74?

I already had black paint, so I gave it a coat and got rid of all the country stuff inside. I already had frame mat board, so there was another expense I didn't have. Add in about half a $2.30 pack of black and white buttons...

And two yards of black and white flower ribbon ($1.98/yd) tied into a bow with a black twist tie (Totally save those. They always come in handy!)

And voila! A birthday present for my friend Amanda!

New Furniture!

2011-06-10T09:01:00.002-04:00

This is not a post - this is junk to fill in a post because I have too many things going on (and I can't post Amanda's birthday present before I give it to her because I know she'll see it!)

I am going to buy this today:

Tomorrow Paul and I are going to make it into a TV stand - and there will definitely be pictures of that!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Playspaces: Peyton

2011-06-08T21:17:00.012-04:00

Hey everyone - happy Thursday! I'm continuing my series on Playspaces I started last week, and this one is a HUGE upgrade from mine! Kristen is an excellent decorator with a true eye for style, and she has done an amazing job with Peyton's playroom at their new house in Charleston!

...and she's a budding photographer as well!

From Kristen:

We just moved in about 4 months ago so it's still a work in progress. I need to get some kind of window treatment up and I might get a toy bench to put in between the two white shelves and possibly even mount our little TV/DVD player if it's not too much trouble. I don't like her watching too much TV, but I wouldn't mind her watching educational shows in her playroom while I'm cooking dinner. I also might put up some artwork on the wall with the shelves. But right now it's cute and functional so I can live with it until we have more money, but in the meantime I'm going to focus on the rest of my house which needs major attention.

The shelves are loosely organized. The baskets are organized as so: Dress Up (shoes, purses, bracelets, keys etc), Music (anything musical), "Dishes", Balls and Random Blocks, Blocks (that all match...they look like big legos), Planes-Trains-Cars. All of the pretend food is kept in the fridge and then the rest of the shelves are for toys and books. She has a chalkboard and a CD player that she knows how to work that plays kids' songs. I let her have a few crayons in there at a time and try to monitor her to make sure she only colors on paper but yeah right, Thank God for Magic Erasers ;). I keep her stuffed animals in the 3 dark brown baskets on the floor...there is no order to this other than stuffed animals and a few other toys w/o a home are kept in them. I might eventually put floating shelves up to keep these on...but for now they are fine on the floor.

Thanks, Kristen & Peyton, for sharing your awesome space!

Thrift Store Finds

2011-06-08T14:14:00.004-04:00

Got some good finds at the Salvation Army today:

Frame for Amanda's birthday present (which will resemble this ) $0.74
Glass ornaments for Christmas $0.99
Crepe paper streamers (for Jamie's birthday, part of this) $0.34

Grand total $2:07

Wednesday WHAT?!?

2011-06-08T08:11:00.004-04:00

Uh oh. I think they're serious this time.

Surely they aren't talking to me.

Well, maybe they are...

The Beat Goes On

2011-06-08T08:07:00.002-04:00

Thank you all for your responses to Toddler Tuesday - I must not be the only person out there wondering what to do this summer, because I found a few cool websites:

* Counting On Me: 101 Things To Do With Your Toddler

* Mamapedia's 101 Fun Things to do with a Toddler at Home

* Parents as Teachers: 101 Things to do with Your Toddler

I'll try to do some (and remember to take pictures!) and post them for my Toddler Tuesdays!

Thanks, everyone!

Adventures in Toodlerhood

2011-06-07T07:46:00.001-04:00

Today is the first day of summer school, and I am thrilled. I love having Jamie around during the day, and I am fortunate that I can stay home with him, but I do love having him in school a couple days a week. I'm not exactly a qualified early childhood educator. Ever since he was big enough to sit up to watch, my idea of entertaining Jamie involved cooking. Other than that, I'm not the most creative, imaginative, or patient person out there.

He doesn't play by himself much, which is a skill I don't think 22-month olds have yet, anyway, and usually wants to be knee deep in whatever I am doing or be carted around on my hip, which is pretty difficult for a wiggly 32 pound kiddo who wants to grab anything within arms reach.

This is what happens without close supervision...

I feel like most of the time I am just hauling him from one place to another - Publix, library (where he likes to grab and throw books so it's a quick trip), beach (probably a two person job), pool, Target, Hobby Lobby, Michaels (okay, those last three are for me), certain playgrounds that I deem "size and skill appropriate", etc. And I am not sure that's entirely educational - what if I am raising him to think that the answer to boredom is to spend money and eat? Yikes!

So... we read a lot. Sometimes we color, walk around the block, play with water, build with blocks, and yes - we watch some Sesame Street. And sometimes I find myself thinking "Please play with something long enough for me to unload the dishwasher."

I love this kid and I am trying my hardest not to bore him to death or stifle his creativity while still keeping the house clean enough to stay sane and making sure everyone is fed and wearing clean clothes. We are always on the hunt for things to do that are on his level so I put it to you, my two faithful readers (haha!) -

What do you and your toddler like to do?

As Seen On The Internet: Mini Maple Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins

2011-06-05T15:52:00.007-04:00

For the record, I make all this stuff knowing full well that nothing I make is going to look like Bakerella. I think I need my BFF Darcey to come down and teach me how to make food look pretty. However, fortunately, I am satisfied with edible. Just sorry you don't get the good pics!

So, here are Bakerella's Mini Maple Chocolate Chip Pancake Muffins. Don't they look delicious? And professional! And nothing like mine...

Yes, I overfilled them (and then tried to compensate by taking a little from the most overfilled ones so I could get a full 24, thereby probably making it worse). And yes, on a few of them you can see some flour puffs - but doesn't Alton Brown say not to over mix? And while I did use three egg whites instead of one egg, I don't think that had much effect because, according to the husband, the purpose of the egg in a pancake is to give it structure, which is the job of the proteins in the whites, not the fat in the yolks. (Speaking of people who watch a lot of Alton Brown...)

I did add one thing Bakerella didn't:

Bacon. Delicious, awesome bacon. And if I had it to do all over again - besides not overfilling and doing whatever anyone suggests to make them prettier - I'd add more bacon. Definitely.

But the baby liked them:

"I'm Jamie Carlson, and I approve these muffins."

I'll be adding this to The Southern Institute's Creative Me Monday, but don't count me in for "Best In Show". If this were Iron Chef, I'd definitely lose on presentation.

But they are delicious!

Finally Friday

2011-06-03T17:06:00.004-04:00

Can you believe that even after a short week I'm saying FINALLY FRIDAY? In the midst of baking banana bread (gross - the things we do for love), trying to replicate Purple Onion peppermint tea, grocery shopping, and Googling "how to get a toddler to stop hitting", I was too brain dead to write a post.

But trust me, I thought of you all. And how you are probably glad it's finally Friday, too.

What are you all doing this weekend?

A Place for Everything and Everyone

2011-06-02T13:03:00.009-04:00

When your little bundle of joy first starts to crawl... then walk... you vow that your house will never become littered with toys. I think that vow lasts a whopping ten minutes. I have always wanted an area where Jamie (and any Jamie's on down the line) could play, have a place for his toys, create without leaving a trail of art supplies and ruined furniture, and generally call his own. However, I didn't want it to be my living room, and I didn't want it to be his room - I wanted it to be somewhere I could be close to and check in on while doing dishes/laundry/cooking/etc. without sacrificing some style of my own in the common areas.

Unfortunately, my "formal" living room ended up being the go-to spot for toys. With the hearth covered, it's a wide open space with minimal furniture for little heads to bang into, and I honestly have no idea what to do with this space when there isn't a Christmas tree in the middle of it. We have a TV room, so there's no point in using this room for that, and when it's summer the big picture window makes it mighty hot in here.

The living room is L-shaped, so this is what is on the other side of the door to the Master Suite. An old fold-out couch I don't really want to part with (especially if we end up putting a second child into the room that currently houses our guests), and a giant bookshelf we loved when we first got, but now I am not at all fond of. We apparently weren't thinking about childproofing when we chose this, as Jamie decided to make it his cave:

This makes me extremely nervous. The picture is from last summer when he went back there all the time. (Trust me, the CD player went away pretty quickly.) He still does it, just not as often because he's almost too tall. When he was much more unstable than he is now, it was kind of disastrous. I really would not be upset if this bookshelf were to disappear... Unfortunately the husband has yet to buy into the idea. (Seriously, this just doesn't look safe at all. And we're not even to the climbing phase yet.)

What I want to do is to turn that L-shaped space into an area that Jamie (and Jamie Part II) could really use and enjoy. Modern Parents, Messy Kids had an amazing Creativity Center today that is both toddler-friendly and baby-proof - and AFFORDABLE! God Bless IKEA...

You'll have to head on over to the MPMK site for more, including pricing and a few more pictures, but this is incredible. And for $70!! (Well, plus the drive to IKEA, which is about 2 hours from here... plus the meatballs I know I'd have to get... and some Morkroast coffee... Hmm, maybe I do need an IKEA excursion...)

Here is another thing I would LOVE to make for that area - a REAL play kitchen! Jamie's isn't much because I wasn't sure if he would like/destroy it (being that he got it at the tender age of 17 months) and because I was working on a serious budget - like $25 from Big Lots. How cool is this one? Want to see the hideous Goodwill-find this used to be?

If you have ever walked around Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc, you have seen one of these, thought to yourself "That thing is so hideously out of style!" and walked right on by it. But it doesn't look hard at all to refashion it into something amazing for your child that would cost less than a Step 2 or a Little Tykes kitchen, last longer, have much more to it, and be more durable! (This came from Design*Sponge, which will seriously make you want to redo every room in your house!)

Tell me I'm not alone here! Send me a picture of your kid's play area (or, your disaster area, if your house resembles mine!)

lana dot carlson at gmail dot com

...and let me know if I need to change your name to protect your (house's) innocence!

As Seen On The Internet: Cupcake Pop Bites

2011-05-31T17:44:00.000-04:00

Well, I did it. Kind of. I got all the fun stuff to make cake pops. Now, granted, I knew from the get go they wouldn't look like this. Or even this. But I was bound and determined to try.

So I made the cake. I would LOVE to make them from my super awesome Chocolate Coconut Buttercream Cake, but I figure for the first time, I should take it easy and make it from a box.

Didn't even bother getting out the Kitchen Aid. I knew from the get go this wasn't a professional job.

My cakes never look this good. It actually looked moist and delicious, just as the box promised.

I felt almost bad crumbling it up into the bowl (and therefore forgot to take a picture of that step). This is with most of the can of frosting mixed in, which brings me to LESSON 1: Crumble the cake in the food processor and LESSON 2: Use less frosting. (Don't worry, I didn't use it all in the cake pops/bites.)

Fun fact: when my sister-in-law and I were teenagers, we would occasionally have "Frosting Day" at work where we'd eat a can of frosting. I miss those days before I had to worry about fat and calories. Actually, I was fat and just didn't care.

See? A little too much. Next time, shoot for cakey and not fudgy.

Next I rolled them all into balls. You can tell I got a little sloppy towards the end and made them bigger, but that was actually a good thing for the next step.

NO WAY did I roll these by hand - I'd go bonkers. I did it "Lunch Lady Style" with the scoop my husband uses to make Swedish meatballs. He got the idea from Alton Brown. Into the freezer for 15 minutes or so (or the time it takes to read a few books to Jamie.)

Next was to make the balls into ovals and squish them into this 1.25" flower cutter to make the cupcake shapes. This is where a larger ball is a good thing - I did 42 total but probably could have done a few less in the interest of making them larger.

I was going to show you what the oval looked like before I squished it in the cutter, but it looked like a lump of poo. Nobody needs a picture of that. (That giant yellow spot could have been avoided if I'd put the cake in the food processor to crumble).

Voila! I think a bigger ball would have yielded a cake that was much more cupcake-looking. Also, these are quite moldable without being fragile.

This brings me to LESSON 3: After shaping the cakes into cupcakes, put them back into the freezer so they harden a bit before you have to pick them up again. And also LESSON 4: If your toddler is quietly playing, leading you to believe you can successfully melt chocolate and dip 42 cupcakes into it, THINK AGAIN. So this part was done with me being kind of distracted...

So amid the kid fussing and trying to get me to pick him up and my dad calling, I dipped all 42, set them chocolate-side down on the wax paper, and put them back in the freezer to harden. OH WAIT! If they are dipped and hardened on the bottom, HOW AM I GOING TO GET THE STICK IN? *sigh* LESSON 5.

Whatever, the show must go on. I am perfectly fine with cupcake bites instead of pops. Just someone remind me next time to think this whole operation through before I actually start doing it.

The tops were messier as I was trying to get them to have full pink candy coverage without having them on a stick I could twirl.

Then to give them that cupcake look, I sprinkled non pariels on top and put on an M&M. (LESSON 6: Do this over a bowl, not a plate, or they'll bounce all over the kitchen, and LESSON 7: Put the M&M with the M side down).

I had one. Deeelish!

Not perfect, but who cares? Not bad for a first try. And oh so cute and yummy! I am definitely going to do the same with my Christmas Bourbon Balls, just dipped in chocolate with pecans sprinkled on - and oh, in actual pop form!

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-31T07:48:00.000-04:00

I have SO MANY pictures to post from the beach and our trip to St Simons, but you'll probably have to wait for that. But in the interest of keeping my blog from being boring and untouched, I will post my all time favorite from this weekend:

My beautiful niece Julia - Doesn't that look just say it all?

Work In Progress

2011-05-29T16:27:00.000-04:00

Image borrowed from Mama PhD

My apologies that the blog keeps changing today - I am working really hard to make this look like a cute blog, not like the typical cookie-cutter Blogger Template blogs. And just when I thought I was on to something with a new layout, I had to start over again. Twice.

If you are looking for any Blogger redux inspiration (or something to waste your Sunday afternoon on while your child naps and your husband watches Rick Steves' Europe), you can visit Momma Go Round's Beautify Your Blog section or Tip Junkie's Blog 101.

Okay, that's it. I'm going out for ice cream.

RAMbunctious

2011-05-28T15:01:00.000-04:00

...is a word, right? Right? Bueller?

One of my favorite parts of Jacksonville is the Riverside Arts Market, known affectionately as "the RAM". It's a basic staple of our Saturday morning routine.

So, below, are a few shots from today's RAM. And some pictures from Kickbacks Gastropub for lunch.

Oh, Sheet - It's Raining!

2011-05-27T22:10:00.000-04:00

So we waited all day for it to rain - despite my best intentions to get to the pool (which were despite the fact that I am coughing like I have black lung or something. Where are those mesothelioma lawyer numbers when I need them?) In an effort to keep from becoming total couch potatoes, we got an early start on our Father's Day gifts.

The artist at work.

Discussing his creative vision for this piece.

I love this sheet. It has already served it's life as an actual sheet, then moved to hiding the computer on the TV desk when we first had to switch to our current setup, covering the toy chest in Jamie's room briefly, as a drop cloth when I painted his closet (pictures to follow - it's a work in progress, not unlike this Father's Day gift), as a peanut butter and jelly picnic blanket, and finally as a paint sheet once we were done with the actual crafting portion of our show. Sorry to say, the Crayola paint did not all come out. But I think that gives it some character.

It's beautiful. Although Turtle doesn't seem to think so.

Oh, and it did (finally) rain.

Current Library Book: "Queen: Is This The Real Life?"

2011-05-27T13:17:00.000-04:00

Teacher Appreciation Gifts

2011-05-27T13:10:00.000-04:00

In case you missed the last post, I am not a photographer, and I am only partially crafty. But I am working on it. (The crafty, not the photography). But I am the kind of person who makes Teacher Gifts. I have a ton of foam sheets, so I cut a flower shape, glued on a brown circle, and put them (and a $5 Panera gift card) on a $1 photo clip from Michaels. Into a gift basket bag with some green M&Ms, cut the bag shorter to fit around the flower base, and tied with a yellow ribbon. I figure this is my first ever Teacher Gift, so I have about 16 more years to improve (or, whenever giving teacher gifts is uncool - like 5th grade, maybe?)

Great Big Blogging Disaster Rant

2011-05-27T12:53:00.001-04:00

I really need to blog more. For all the time I spend reading blogs and hitting refresh on Facebook, you would think I would take the time to actually get on here and post some of the things we're up to when I'm not reading blogs (or sick and watching Elizabethtown, which is what I am doing right now). Something I can't figure out though are all those mommy bloggers out there (here's one, here's another, to give you some examples) who have time to blog, do giveaways, run a ranch, homeschool, do photography, bake (and stay skinny!), sew, decorate, and - oh by the way! - raise somewhere between one and ten children. I am honesly tired just thinking about it! How do these women get the eight hours of beauty sleep they must obviously get to be that involved and look that good doing it? Is there a 16 Hour Energy drink out there that I don't know about (IMPOSSIBLE!)

Okay, < /rant > *cough, cough* Just got to the part of the movie where Drew and Claire kiss. Love this part. And, I have some blog posts I need to get up, cough medicine to take, and 30 minutes left of naptime.

Let Me Save You The Co-Pay

2011-04-05T22:02:00.000-04:00

Jamie's first few colds, I took him to our hippie pediatrician, only to be told the same advice every time. So when he gets sick, I just start the routine they gave us. Whenever I do this, and I tell my dad he's sick, he wonders why I don't take him to the doctor so he can get antibiotics. Please do not get me started on my thoughts of the over-antibiotic-ing of America and how they are not right for everything and they cause MRSA (and how I'm paranoid). I'll be honest, I asked for a Z-Pack when my allergies went postal for the first time in recorded memory, but Momma can't slow down and at the time I had a sick baby, an ingrown toenail, and a 15k that weekend. And I'm not a toddler - I'm a consenting adult. I really do believe in the body's ability to heal itself, and in God creating so many amazing and pure things in nature to assist with that. And while it takes slightly longer than popping a miracle pill, it's worth it. Most of this is to the tune of Dr. Sears' website, and B and I do the same things ourselves when we have a cold.

Okay, from the left...

Nature's Baby Organics Ah-Choo' Chest Rub - Think "Baby Vaporub" - under the nose and on the chest, before bed and naps, and sometimes after a particularly vicious nose "de-snarfling". (This house comes with it's own vocabulary).

Xlear Nasal Spray with Xylitol - I think this came from our local natural foods store. They gave out samples once and I was hooked. You're probably thinking "Where have I heard of Xylitol?" It's the sweetener they put in some sugarfree gums. Yes, it does have side effects, but only in super high doses. I put this in Jamie's nose whenever I bulb syringe him (aka, "de-snarfle"), which is every few hours after sitting in our guest bathroom with the hot shower running so the steam will loosen stuff up.

Hylands Vitamin C Tablets - This came from the local natural foods store, or our pediatrician's shop (where they sell all the hippie cold remedies). It's intended to be a daily supplement, but we give Jamie one every few hours when he's sick (provided he's well-hydrated and pooping okay - if you've ever taken too much vitamin C you know what I mean.)

Hylands C + Cold Tablets - Oddly enough, no vitamin C in these puppies, which also came from the doc's shop. Two every fifteen minutes for an hour, then two an hour when he's awake.

Nature's Way Sambucus - Whole Foods purchase right here - we go through it so much that I have to buy the jumbo bottle. It comes out at the first suspicion of a cold on anyone around here, and doesn't go away until we are pronounced officially cured. Two teaspoons of the kid's version at night and in the morning.

Garlic Mullien Ear Drops - This definitely came from Native Sun because I remember B calling to ask what Mullien was (it's a flower). These drops are intended to restore the pH balance in the middle ear during an infection, as well as acting as an antibacterial agent. Garlic is such an amazing herb! These drops go into Jamie's ears three times a day during an ear infection. I'll do just about anything to avoid tubes in his ears or anything remotely resembling the ear pain I dealt with as a child, and I would never complain about a baby smelling like a nice Italian dinner. Mmm... Oh, and the label looks like it's been through the wash because you have to set this stuff in a mug of warm water before putting in baby's ears (so, ya know, don't go pouring the EVOO in there from the bottle or anything...)

Buckwheat Honey - One website I read called this the "tall, dark stranger of honey" - I completely agree. If you love honey as a condiment (as I definitely do), you may not take a liking to this one - it's more bitter than sweet, in my opinion. Trust me, I don't do it for the taste (I'm more of a fresh local tupelo honey girl). However, this honey has the consistency of thick paste, making it ideal for cough syrup (especially as children under 4 should not have OTC cough medicine). I give it to Jamie whenever he's coughing a lot, normally before he goes down for naps or bed (laying down always seems to make a cold worse, and toddlers just don't do the "propped up on pillows" thing that adults can do).

Eucalyptus Oil & Peppermint Oil - Google these if you need to, but you can find these at the natural foods store, also. (I'm the idiot who overpaid at the doctor's office, but viva la HSA I guess). They go in Jamie's cold mist humidifier, which runs in his room while he sleeps. One whiff of either of these and their sinus-opening ability is obvious.

Last but not least, the hot shower - I'm very thankful that we have a small guest bathroom with a fantastic shower that steams up the room in no time. Dr. Sears' recommends spending 20 minutes in there with the steam, however I am not convinced our hot water heater or our patience can last that long. We do what we can, then de-snarfle, Xlear, and Ah-'Choo rub.

*This is not intended to replace actual medical advice nor offend anyone who thinks it's a-ok to give your kid antibiotics or OTC cold medicine* To each their own.

Key Lime Cookie Dough Ice Cream

2011-04-04T19:26:00.000-04:00

Yes, you read that right.

I started out by making the One Dough, Three Different Cookies recipe from Serious Eats. I made the Citrus cookies but used the zest of one whole lime, and the other 2/3 of the dough I mixed with mini chocolate chips and froze in a log for Chocolate Chip Cookie Emergencies (they happen more often than you think - especially since I gave up my Weekday Wine for Lent. And I really needed Weekday Wine today.)

Now for the ice cream. I used the Key Lime Ice Cream recipe from About.com, using good ol' Nellie & Joe's Key West Lime Juice. This is the same stuff I use for Key Lime Pie (using the recipe on the bottle) and it is by far the best key lime pie ever (If you don't believe me, feel free to come over to our house any night this summer. I'll probably have one on hand.) I had to make the sweetened condensed milk since I never have any - that'll probably be another thing like brown sugar that I make instead of buy. I know it's 49 cents a can but it's just easier to make it yourself!

I made the ice cream according to the recipe's directions, dumped the soft serve over cut up pieces of the cookie dough, mixed and froze. However as B reminded me, in order to get that ice cream consistency, it needs to sit over night. I'll try to take a picture tomorrow provided my pregnant friend Lindsey doesn't come over and eat it (never tell a pregnant woman you have ice cream.)

So Here We Are...

2011-03-29T15:37:00.000-04:00

I've been doing a bunch of fun things lately... and so has Jamie. Billy's pretty much just trying to keep up. I figured I might as well post them online in case anyone else wants to keep up.

I've been doing this:

Even made one for Kristen:

So for now I'll keep it at that. Can't overwhelm you in the first post (whoever you are). More tomorrow... maybe. Hopefully. :)

A Beat Up Glove, A Homemade Bat, & A Brand New Pair of Shoes

2010-03-07T21:25:00.000-05:00

I love summer. One of the main reasons I live in Florida is because it has more summer (and less winter!) than most of the country. For me, every summer kicks off the same way:
Braves Spring Training at Disney and ESPN's Wide World of Sports.
Jamie's getting a pretty good education in sports - he's only 7 months old and he's already been to a college basketball game and a professional baseball game! B and I were both much older when we started going to sporting events, but seeing as we are both huge sports fans, Jamie will probably end up going to a lot of things. I'm definitely looking forward to a long summer of Jacksonville Suns games. Hopefully as he gets older he'll start to get more out of it - today he was a little cranky, but it was the first really warm day he's been out in and his nap schedule was a little off.
Jamie had a great time with Aunt Darcey.
I did, too. :)
I think Bob is pretty brave for putting up with us. And it helps that he's a huge baseball fan - he and Darcey went to three games this weekend. He said he couldn't believe he'd never been to Spring Training - I'm just glad three years of trying to get them down for a game finally panned out.
Billy is not a baseball fan - I blame it on growing up in the general vicinity of the Orioles - but he is a fan of drinking beer and hanging out in the sun. Thankfully, he was also willing to take the baby when he was getting fussy and needed to head for some shade.
I wish I had the time and energy to devote to being a super huge Braves fan, but I've always focused more energy on football. Plus it's harder to follow the Braves now that I live about 300 miles from Atlanta. But going to games, listening on the radio, and watching on TV figured pretty prominently in my childhood memories of summer, and I really hope I can pass that on to Jamie.

The Best Day Ever (So Far)

2010-02-28T20:04:00.000-05:00

430 am - I wouldn't say that my idea of the best day ever (so far) would start with waking up at 430 am, on 4 hours sleep, wondering if I was still a little bit drunk from the Buffett show the night before. But it did.
730 am - Also, wouldn't imagine that the best day ever (so far) would start by being corralled onto the middle of San Pablo Road in 40-something degree weather with 10,000 of my closest friends and strangers.
But I did get to hang out with Terry, and he's cool. :)

800 am - The best day ever (so far) would totally include a sunrise. But I doubt the best day ever (so far) would involve being chased towards it... uphill...
900 am - Yep, the best day ever (so far) would definitely involve a walk on the beach.
905 am - ...and going by Fionn MacCools, my favorite Irish bar at the beach.
1030 am - Not too sure if the best day ever (so far) would involve going uphill... again... still being chased...
1045 am - The best day ever (so far) would for sure involve seeing a girl like this:
11 am - The best day ever (so far) would for sure involve getting new jewelry. That always makes a day awesome.
1115 am - The best day ever (so far) would for sure involve a VIP tent with an open bar.
...and I am for sure that I would get a bloody Mary with extra horseradish on the best day ever (so far). It would pair nicely with a filet Oscar, sweet potato casserole, and bread pudding from Ruth's Chris.
1130 am - I would no doubt spend the best day ever (so far) with my friends.

530 pm - You know what would be a crucial part of the best day ever (so far)? Sharing a well-deserved chocolate milkshake with my man.
So no, I didn't end up running the marathon - I did the 13.1 with Donna. And I had the best day ever (so far).

Iron Chef Mamma

2010-02-11T09:25:00.000-05:00

I make all my own baby food. We tried once to get Jamie to eat some organic Tyler Florence baby food, but he didn't like it. Besides, in the end, whether it's organic or not, it's really all processed, and it can't beat doing it yourself. It's not hard - even a kitchen disaster like me can do it. And I figure I'd embrace my inner Pioneer Woman and try to take pictures of this. (If you have never heard of the Pioneer Woman, you're missing out! /seriousmomcrush )

So a good baby food-making undertaking for me starts with two stores: Target (supplies) and Whole Foods (organic produce). As Jamie is 6 months old, we're starting with fruits and veggies and not quite to dairy or meat yet.

On the top we have spaghetti squash (which I got lazy and ended up not making), pears and apples, and on the bottom we have pitted prunes, sweet potatoes, and dried apricots. Prunes and apricots get the exact same treatment, so we'll start there.

Really simple: Basically, just put them into a pot with enough water to cover (I use purified water but it's up to you), bring it to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

This is me being artsy. Ya like that?

Strain them and let them cool - it is suggested that you reserve some of the cooking liquid as apricots (or prunes) become very gluey once you mix them up. I, however, always forget this, so when I actually make the apricots to serve to the baby, I mix in some breastmilk and oatmeal.

I reckon you could put them into a blender, a food processor, or one of those Beaba cookers like Lauren has (which, if you are using, you probably wouldn't have to do as much work as I do because from what I understand, it does it all for you). I, however, am a fan of the immersion blender. Here it is going to town on some butternut squash I had made the night before. Same story with the apricots - put them in the blending bowl, crank it up to about halfway, and pulse it until it's gluey and pasty - or at least until all of the apricot has been pureed.

Apricots and prunes also don't freeze solid, so unlike everything else I make, they don't go into the freezer. They go into a Rubbermaid into the fridge. For this reason, I don't make really huge batches of them. So the rest of the apricots and the prunes are going into Foodsaver containers until I run out in the fridge, probably in about 5 days or so.

I promise that is apricot.

Okay, moving on!

Next up we have sweet potatoes. Wash them, leave the skin on, poke some holes in them with a fork, and wrap them in foil.

Then they go into a 400 degree oven for an hour. Straight onto the rack. I'd recommend putting a baking sheet or something on a lower rack just in case they decide to ooze. Mine did. It happens.

While those are cooking, we have pears and apples. We go through a lot of them in this house, as they are kind of "diluters" for everthing else, especially if we're trying something new we're not sure if Jamie will like (like mango). They start with a rinse and a good peeling.

Then I halve them, and to get out the seeds and the tough parts in the center (and the vein going to the stem that pears have), I like to use a double ended melon baller. It's one of those things you never think you'll use, but it does end up coming in handy.

They get the same treatment the apricots did, one fruit at a time. Into the water goes the pears, crank up to boiling, then down to simmer for 15 minutes. Then do it all over again for the apples.

Then it comes time to puree/mash them to the baby's preference and eating ability. I didn't want to puree these as Jamie's getting better able to handle texture and density, however, these d'anjou pears were a little tough, so they got the immersion blender.

"Mom, if this is awful, I don't mind getting takeout."

"You're sweet kid. And a little mean. But I love you."

The apples were fortunately not as crunchy as the pears, so I used a potato masher on them to get the right consistency.

You know what else a potato masher is good for?

Yep.
Anyway, sweet potatoes make *a ton* and we don't really go through them as fast as the pears or apples. Once I get things all mashed up, they go into ice cube trays. With the sweet potatoes, I ended up having to make a second tray later.

Each cube holds about two tablespoons, or roughly once ounce. Once they're all filled, they go into the freezer overnight.

Morning! Okay, let's pop those cubes out.

Had to show you this one since it's my favorite color combination.

Each quart size bag holds one tray of food.

Into the freezer they go for whenever I need them. Ignore the vodka bottle; that's for mommy.

And when I get them out to serve, this is a typical serving - Jamie's a big eater, so he gets about 3 ounces, 4 times a day, immediately following a nursing or a bottle. I joke that he's bulking up for football.

So, there ya have it. I know it looks like a lot of work, but when you consider I do this about once every two weeks or so (and that I work part time so really, I have the amount of time to devote to this during the week), it's really not a big deal. And it did give me an excuse to wear my cute apron I got in a thrift store on Melrose when I was in Hollywood.

For The Last Time

2010-02-08T10:37:00.000-05:00

I am so proud of the New Orleans Saints! They've come a long way from the Ain'ts with paper bags on their heads, even a long way from Ditka coaching Ricky Williams on the road to nowhere. However, the downfall is that I can no longer tell my favorite joke. This is a big deal to me because I can never remember jokes, except this one, so I have to go learn another "fall back joke" for when I need to try to be funny. So here it is, for the last time:

Boudreaux died and was on his way down to Hell. In anticipation, the Devil turned up the thermostat to make it extra warm for Boudreaux. When Boudreaux arrived, the Devil asked, "Hey Boudreaux, how do you like the heat down here?" Boudreaux says, "Mais, it's just fine. It reminds me of Bayou PonPon in July."

That made the Devil mad. That night, he turned the thermostat up all the way it could go. Man it was hot! When Boudreaux woke up, the Devil asked him, "NOW how do you like it down here?"

Boudreaux says, "Mais, it's fine. It reminds me of August on Bayou Lafourche."

As you might expect, that made the Devil all the more mad. Well, that night, he turned the thermostat down all the way it could go! The whole place frosted over. Icicles started forming from the rafters. When Boudreaux woke up, the Devil asked him, "How you like it NOW, Boudreaux?"

Boudreaux, shivering, through blue lips, says, "Mais cher, I'm one happy Cajun!"

The Devil was infuriated! He yelled, "What do you mean you're one happy Cajun?!!"

Boudreaux, still shivering says, "The Saints done won the Superbowl!"

Okay, seriously... am I the only one who thinks Sean Payton looks like Ed Helms?

SuperBad

2010-02-01T11:19:00.000-05:00

I love those moms in Runner's World who say they have five kids and get up at 4 am to get their long runs in. They remind me of one of my favorite mantras - if you want something bad enough that you're willing to do just about anything to get it, you can do it.

The operative part of that is "if you want something bad enough". I'm having a problem figuring out how bad I really want something:

Two more of these bad boys. Actually, an upgrade from these two - they're my 2008 26.2 with Donna and ING Georgia Half Marathon medals. This year, I'm signed up to run both... full marathons.

I was so proud of myself for getting back into training only 4 weeks after having Jamie. I was going to wait 6 weeks, but he decided to be 2 weeks late, and I didn't want to get behind. And because I wasn't quite ready, I put up with a lot of pain and ran right through it. I ran through September, October, November, and right up until the week before Christmas at my parent's house, where it was way too cold to run 18 miles with the thin layers of running clothes I brought with me. Then the holidays came. And cold weather, which I realize isn't a big deal to runners, say, in Canada, but is a very big deal to a girl in Florida who has a baby jogger. Then I had a teething baby. Then a sick baby. And then a sick mommy. Then more cold weather. And frankly, I am just freaking tired. Maybe because I haven't been running? Or because I'm working part time, trying to keep this place out of chaos, and taking care of a 6 month old who may or may not be coming down with RSV... again. Or because my usual 10 hours of sleep hasn't happened in... a year?

I consider myself a very capable person. Otherwise, all that stuff about nothing being impossible if you're willing to work for it wouldn't cross my mind - I doubt my will far more than I doubt my abilities, which is totally arrogant and I don't care. I'd rather be over-confident than scared of going after what I want. I treat everything in life like that, and while I've gone headfirst into more brick walls than I want to count, I have never once regretted it. However, in this case, it might land me in the orthopedist's office. And I really don't like my orthopedist. And I really really don't want to have any reason go to looking for a new one. I don't want to run under the Barney Stinson Method of Marathoning ("You don't train for a marathon; you just do it.") but at the same time, I don't want to give up and I don't want to admit defeat and run the half... again... because that's not what I set out to do. And there's probably no shame in dropping down to the half, I have a few good excuses, yeah yeah, but I'm stubborn, I go after what I want even if it's a bad idea, and I really want this. I do.

But first I want the time and energy to go for a run. Otherwise, I should just hang this one up and give in.

I'm so glad he's not old enough to tell me I'm nuts. But it won't be long. :D

We Now Return You To Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

2010-01-14T12:48:00.000-05:00

...almost already in progress.

The baby got sick on Wednesday. By Sunday I was full-blown in the throes of RSV myself. ((Mayoclinic.com says it's mild in adults - HAH!)) So this means for over a week now, I've been out of the loop. I had to miss a nail date with my #1 mom-crush, a JAPA meeting, a bunch of sorority adviser stuff, and work. This did, however, give me plenty of quality time to keep up with Jack del Rio, Lane Kiffin, Conan O'Brien, and a blog from a mom currently in Haiti, migrate my email over to Gmail, contribute to Wikipedia, start a library book reading list, and catch up on all the stuff from the press tour for the upcoming season of Lost (pohhh!) However, I wouldn't consider any of that "productive". I've just done easy things or clicked refresh repeatedly. So, since I like to make lists (of everything... I've considered making it a regular blog thing), here's my current "to do" list - bearing in mind that I have no intention of completing all of them. Some are on here for the heck of it.

Mop the floor (see? Won't happen.)
Make these cookies
Cook dinner (we've existed on soup, pizza, and "pantry raids")
Read, respond to, and file all the article's B has emailed me this week.
Create a space for Jamie to play in the living room
Research, make, and blog about baby food
Read my new library books (I should be finished with the first one already)
Catch up on my magazines
Organize under my bathroom sink
Clean my messy desk
GO TO BED EARLY (non-negotiable)
Watch Grey's/Private Practice tonight
Review my goals for this year and see where I'm at
Get things ready to run errands on Saturday
Call Dentist and figure out EOBs (our dental insurance is being a pain)
Catch up on my daily devotional books
Clean out closet
Watch a movie
Write emails to some friends I've been meaning to get up with
Clean the fridge/freezer
Walk
Deal with my plants
Plan the rest of my running schedule

That ought to keep me busy today and tomorrow.

Poor Baby

2010-01-07T12:21:00.000-05:00

The baby is sick with an upper respiratory virus, on top of teething. He didn't want to sleep in his crib last night, or in his rocker so he could at least be sitting up. Nope, there's only one place he wanted to sleep last night or for his naps today:

On momma.

Also, I may potentially have killed the microwave.

Love & Pain

2010-01-06T20:53:00.000-05:00

The source of all my joy.

The source of all my frustration.

He also has a bad cold, but I figured you didn't want to see his snot trails. Icky.

Wordless Wednesday: Epiphany Edition

2010-01-06T12:59:00.001-05:00

Christmas 2009

Deconstructed.

Now, what to do with this useless living room? I'm open to suggestion.

Seriously. Please.

Feeding the Addiction(s)

2010-01-06T12:34:00.000-05:00

Well, here's one we can scratch off the New Years Resolution list:

Baking a cake.

I have quite a collection of Junior League cookbooks - I think the obsession came from my very first one, which taught me an awful lot about cooking in college. If you're in the market for a good cookbook that isn't pretentious but will still have you making some tasty and elegant meals, Food for Thought is highly recommended. Also, when I was in college, I was convinced I'd end up in the Birmingham Junior League - my college boyfriend was from Mountain Brook and, well, I think your Junior League membership comes with the cute little cottage on Montevallo Road and the golf clubs up there. Anyway, 11 Junior League cookbooks later, I decided this is the year to start cooking out of them on a regular basis.

I need more. And more shelves!

This recipe came out of Toast of the Coast, the Jacksonville Junior League cookbook, and it's called "Family Secret Chocolate Cake". I'm not listing the recipe because duh, get the book and support the charities! I guarantee it'll foster an addiction.

Anyway, when we were in our later teen years, my now-sister-in-law and I would get a can of Duncan Hines frosting and call it a snack. And girl, this one's for you - I went to town on the leftover icing.

Okay, so I could have let the butter soften more... maybe let the cake cook for longer (we had a little crumbling and sticking issue), beat the eggs less (moister cake), and put some more icing between the layers (and less in my mouth!) - and eventually learn to take some decent pictures! - but it's a start.

A very delicious start worth about 10 lbs a slice. Rock on.

Not-So-Solid Foods

2010-01-03T21:35:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'll admit I'm really starting to give in now. I was going to wait until 6 months to introduce solid foods, but instead I introduced at 4 months. Kinda. We had been giving Jamie about an ounce of sweet potatoes or banana + breastmilk mixture once a day around lunch time for not quite a week, but when we took Jamie to the doctor for his 4 month check up, the nurse practitioner advised that since he didn't gain any weight in 2 months, we should discontinue solid foods. Okay, sure. To be fair though, I was giving him a full breastfeeding before his little "lunch plus" and he had gotten exponentially more active in that span of time. So, on her advice, I quit feeding him solids.

Fast forward a month. He's gained at least a pound (in my highly scientific "weigh Billy, then weigh Billy while holding the baby" measurement system), he's cutting two teeth, and dammit, Braden, Tak, Gracie, and Brendan are all eating solid foods so why not? It's a new year, let's get down to it.

So today I got on Amazon and ordered a baby food cookbook. I used a Babies'R'Us giftcard online to stock up on feeding containers and utensils, and at Publix I picked up some pears (since Diane said they were Braden's favorite and I just can't bring myself to do the rice cereal - but I did get oatmeal cereal, it feels healthier than rice). I steamed the pears just like wholesomebabyfood.com told me to do, let them cool off, and pureed them with my lovely Kitchen Aid immersion blender (how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...). They turned into soupy mush, which I read was the preferred consistency.

At 630 pm I gave him a full, 20-minute feeding (one of the biggest he had all day since he didn't spazz out on me like he's been doing lately), got a bib the size of Texas on him, and put him in his high chair. Armed with a baby spoon and an ounce of pear sludge, Billy attempted to feed him "dinner plus". Basically, he just drooled it right on out. Jamie was more interested in the chewing the spoon than he was the spoon's contents, and when Billy said he was basically just getting him to hold his head up by raising the spoon and letting the pear ooze down his throat, that's when I knew we were done for today.

Since it was incredibly liquidy, I am wondering if adding some oatmeal and getting it to a thicker (edible instead of drinkable) consistency might be better? Jamie liked the sweet potatoes for the most part, and they were thicker. I'll try that tomorrow. I don't know why I'm so nervous/paranoid about introducing solids and getting them right... I guess I just want to make sure he ends up with healthy eating habits and puts on an appropriate amount of weight. But this isn't rocket science, and I probably let the nurse freak me out.

2009 Holidays

2010-01-02T16:12:00.000-05:00

See? Already getting on my resolutions... err, "plans"... for 2010. This is a brief slideshow of our Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. I added the Blackberry software for Mac only to realize it didn't upload your pictures. I Googled for the solution and found someone suggesting Bluetooth-ing the pictures one at a time. There had to be an easier way - and there was. With my Blackberry connected I went to iPhoto and clicked Blackberry under devices, then uploaded them all. Voila!

And these are only a small portion of the pictures we took for the holidays - B had uploaded most of them off the camera onto his side of the Mac Book, and I have yet to figure out how to import those into my iPhoto. ((Part of my 2010 resolution to take more pictures... then upload them!))

Anyway, enjoy!

2,010 Resolutions

2010-01-01T23:08:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted because I have a good (lame) excuse - we did have very eventful holidays, from Jamie's first plane ride to meeting Jaguar players (accidentally and on purpose) to frying turkeys (plural). However, most of the pics are on my Blackberry, and it's kind of a bear to post them to the blog. I haven't set up my Bb software because someone told me it was kind of temperamental on a Mac. This is on my "to do" list.

New Years is my favorite holiday. It's the granddaddy of "I'll start my diet on Monday" or "I will budget my next paycheck". Come January 1, you can truly put the past behind you and start anew - heck even the government does it (well, sometimes...) So instead of feeling bad about not posting (and I do), I will renew my commitment to post more. Along with a few other commitments.

I've thought up a new resolution every five minutes. I'm not ordinarily good with my resolutions - one time I did hold out until October, but that was literally one time - and I'm usually doing pretty well if I make it through my Lenten sacrifice, which is only 40 days omitting Sundays. So I'm not going to beat myself up if I don't follow through on every single one of these, every day. I'll be happy if I hit a few of them regularly, but I'm aiming to hit them all at least once:

Blog more
Watch less TV
Read more books
Take some classes at the gym
Remember to change my contacts out
Take music classes with Jamie
Keep up with my girlfriends better
Write more letters
Sod the lawn
Wash my car more often
See how long I can go without Starbucks
NOT commit to running any more marathons (after March)
Go to more Suns games (minor league baseball)
Bake a better cake
Eat more veggies
Use my sewing machine
Go to bed earlier
Solidify our household routine
Update our landscaping
Not neglect my garden
Hit the driving range more often
Reduce my debt
Plan things out better
Stick to my household chore chart
Be more involved
Take more pictures (and upload them!)
Learn to use things instead of having Billy do things for me
Put up a picture collage in our living room
Declutter the house (especially the kitchen)
Redo the guest room closet
Watch more basketball
Be more proactive
Reeeelax!

So it's more a list of "plans" than a list of "resolutions", and I don't think it's overly ambitious. In the end, I think it comes down to making better choices: an apple over some chocolate. Going to bed or calling one of my friends instead of watching an episode of Grey's for the third time. Blogging instead of putting it off. Writing things down and meaning to accomplish them instead of constantly putting things on the back burner. I can totally do this.

2010. Bring it on.

Let's Get This Halloween Crap Overwith

2009-10-31T21:29:00.000-04:00

Sorry - not a Halloween person. First of all, it requires creativity, which I am mostly devoid of. I always have the hardest time scraping together a costume, usually going with either something store-bought or one of the classics like "Catholic school girl" or "myself". Second, candy is probably the last thing I need between trying to eat healthy and having lots of dental work. I can't buy candy and expect it to go uneaten before the 31st. And third, I get scared enough coming around corners - the last thing I need is someone to scare me *on purpose*. No haunted houses or slasher films for this girl, sorry. For most of the above reasons, I have traditionally gone out to dinner on Halloween night (or kept the house dark and ate all the candy myself). However, I am a mom now and part of my duty is to one day embrace and encourage this holiday, so it's probably wise to start now and work my way up to at least not making a frowny-face at the mere mention of All Hallows Eve.
There is one part of Halloween I do enjoy - Pumpkin and Chili Night! This is my annual tradition of basically drinking beer, carving pumpkins, and eating chili. Jenna and Paul came over, and I think we did pretty well with our carvings this year:
Also, since it's Florida and it's still 86* on Halloween, I use that as my official excuse to start making chili and anything I can think of involving pumpkin - I can't wait on the weather to start cooking fall comfort food or I'd be waiting until spring!
Friday evening we started the official holiday celebration by taking Jamie to Whole Foods for their "Fall Family Festival." We dressed him up in his pumpkin costume (again, lack of creativity on mommy's part) and took him trick-or-treating around the store.
Billy managed enjoy himself, too.
For Saturday morning's Galloway group run, B dressed up as Tom Cruise from Risky Business. Sorry, I didn't get any pictures - nobody really "got" his costume! Come on, people - know your classic 1980's movies!
Does nobody remember this? How about the Guitar Hero commercial?
I finally got into costume as Meredith Grey - bad hair, unshowered, scrubs and my trusty (Fisher-Price) stethoscope. Classy.
Billy's original costume was a disgruntled UVA fan whose team lost to Duke and was attempting to console himself with bourbon...
...but he later changed into a Cruise Ship Pirate.
Okay, now that this one's over, time to move on to another holiday...

Christmas Is Coming... Sooner Than You Think

2009-10-26T13:20:00.000-04:00

I know I am going backwards through the calendar, but at this point, I don't care. Jennifer posted her Christmas list and I thought it would be a great time to post mine... while I am waiting to have some good stuff to post for Halloween! (Right now, I can see my husband cringing - the Christmas season does not start for him until Black Friday. As he said last night, "One holiday at a time.") Anyway, I think I am going to do a list of tangible and intangible things I want for Christmas:

1. The Donna Foundation Oakleys. I've had a crush on these since they came out, and while I am not sure if the pink or the new black ones would look better on me (or either of them, really; I've never been able to wear Oakleys!), I still want them. And hey, for a good cause, right?

2. A good volunteer opportunity for the holidays. I am looking into helping serve Christmas dinner at the City Rescue Mission, but I don't know how that's going to work with possible Christmas plans or the baby. Maybe just help out with an Angel Tree or something. I'd like to start a tradition of doing some sort of volunteering for the holidays, to give back to the people who aren't as fortunate as we are, and also to find some sort of year-round volunteer opportunity.

3. Holy Grail Jeans, size 8. This might be a stretch (literally...), but I tried on the size 10 today and they were only a little tight in the waist. I think I could maybe be at the point that I could almost wear an 8 by Christmas. Granted, this will take some serious restraint at holiday dinners, but since I'm running a half marathon on Thanksgiving Day, that will help tremendously.

4. An office of my own, where I can set up my laptop and sewing machine. How am I ever going to get better with the sewing machine if I don't have anywhere to use it? As luck would have it, the IKEA desk I want is one of their "new lower prices", so that's a good start. Then I just need shelves and some sort of drawers/cabinet/organizer thingie to go underneath one side of the desk. Preferably on wheels so I can roll it out when I need it and back under the desk when I don't.

5. Not to get sick this winter. I am going all out for my immune system - probiotics, Vitamins C and D, Zinc and Echinacea. Water and exercise, too, and trying to use the Neti Pot. Probably the two things I need to work on most are avoiding alcohol and sugar (groan! My two favorite dietary vices!) Between training for my marathons, keeping up with the baby and the husband, and accomplishing all the things I am trying to accomplish - on top of the mass pandemonium surrounding the flu - I need to pull out all the stops on staying healthy this winter!

6. Steady income. It's a tough economy, folks, and as badly as I want to stay home with the baby, I think Chase, Bank of America, and my husband would much prefer that I work. I have something lined up but it's just a matter of working out the kinks.

7. New makeup brushes. They don't have to be these swank ones from Sephora, but they do have to match, have all the necessary brushes (eye shadow, eye liner, blush, concealer, brow comb, etc) and they have to have a travel case.

8. Family pictures! I have three very big families and it's rough work getting folks together. Thanks to having two friends who are amazing photographers - Karen and Jennifer - we are at least going to get two parts of the family's pictures done. Now I need to work on the third...

9. The weather to stop being 85*. I really don't think that's too much to ask. By Christmas it should be roughly 74*, but at the rate this fall has gone so far, I'm thinking I might need to see if Santa can do something about the weather.

10. A good devotional book, with daily scripture readings, and preferably Catholic (so as to incorporate saints and sacraments, but it doesn't have to be Catholic). I haven't been able to find one I really, really want - but I am taking suggestions (Jacquelyn, Jennifer, Tess, I'm talking to you here!)

Jamie Did What?

2009-10-26T13:15:00.000-04:00

This just in! Exciting news from the Carlson clan - this morning at 5 am, Jamie woke us up. Now that's not the exciting part, but it was why he woke us up: He had rolled onto his tummy! And subsequently scared himself awake. :) I realize this is not huge news to anyone but us, but I just felt like sharing!

Great Swine Flu Article from Proud to be a Fit Mom:

2009-10-25T14:42:00.000-04:00

Swine Flu Information: "My friend sent me this article about Swine Flu and Natural Remedies. I found it VERY informative.....

Swine Flu and You

This season, we find ourselves flooded with public health messages about flu prevention, which includes injecting ourselves with both the seasonal and swine flu vaccines. While no one wants to catch the flu, many of us question the safety of these vaccines and wonder whether a responsible choice for ourselves and our families includes receiving the vaccines, or refusing them.

The mainstream medical paradigm encourages prevention by focusing on controlling the virus, rather than by supporting the person who might contract the virus. Medical systems such as Naturopathic Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Homeopathy, encourage prevention by ensuring a balanced immune system that won’t under- or over-react to a virus. This provides you with broad protection against viruses and the bacteria responsible for many complications from the flu.
The swine flu is very virulent, meaning that it is can be transmitted easily from person to person. However, it is considered to be less deadly than most flu viruses. This may be partly because of the other unusual quality of H1N1, which is that it tends to affect healthy people age 5 to 24 who presumably are less likely to develop complications from the flu. Two main theories may explain this strange age-related phenomenon and provide essential clues for best prevention practices. The principle theory suggests that younger people are more likely to develop symptoms of the H1N1 flu because their immune system overreacts to the virus and creates a “cytokine storm”, which causes more damage than the virus itself. In this case, flu prevention requires that a person balances the immune system, rather than stimulates it, so that complications are less likely to occur.

If you use herbs to combat the flu virus, please choose your herbs carefully. The second theory is that the virus isn’t attacking young people per se, but that older people are responding less to the virus because they already carry some natural immunity. The 2009 H1N1 virus may be related to the original 1918 Spanish Flu H1N1 virus, which affected the human population most strongly before 1956. People who were exposed to H1N1 before 1956 may carry some natural immunity against the 2009 version.

To control the spread of H1N1, Canada entered into a $400 million dollar contract with the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline to provide Canadians with an H1N1 flu vaccine. This vaccine also contains an adjuvant (known as AS03 in the Canadian vaccines), that increases your body’s immune response to the inactivated virus. Preliminary results by GSK suggest 100% immunity to the virus within 3 weeks of receiving the flu shot.

Though the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that there are no significant safety concerns regarding these adjuvants, Health Canada and the US Food and Drug Administration have not yet approved them. Governments are fast-tracking these approvals to beat the flu wave and many research bodies caution against their approval under these strict timelines. The vaccine is a cause for concern for the following reasons: Ongoing unpublished research in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec, suggests that people who received the seasonal flu vaccine last year may have an increased chance of catching the swine flu this season.

The oil component of the adjuvant called squalene is linked to a rare but serious autoimmune disease called Guillain Barre Syndrome, and a condition known as Gulf War Syndrome that developed in soldiers who received experimental anthrax vaccines. Some authors go so far as to link slow, progressive neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s with chronic, squalene-induced brain inflammation. Furthermore, the potential interaction between squalene and thimerosol, a mercury preservative in these vaccines, has not been adequately studied. Thimerosol is also linked to the development of some neurological disorders, (though much current research suggests otherwise).

Finally, the strict vaccination schedule intended to minimize the impact of a flu pandemic might in-fact worsen the situation by encouraging development of vaccine-resistant viruses. Anti-viral drug-resistant strains of H1N1 have already been identified. Regardless of whether you decide to receive the vaccine, the benefits of a more balanced, capable immune system are incontrovertible.

Here are some ways you can help to protect yourself and your family during this flu season:

Good hygiene practices: H1N1 can infect a person for 2 to 8 hours after being deposited on hard surfaces such as stainless steel and plastic, and for a few minutes after being deposited on soft surfaces. Be sure to wash your hands frequently, cough and sneeze into your elbow or a handkerchief, clean surfaces with your usual disinfectant, and stay home if you feel ill and have a fever.

Make healthier dietary choices: Avoid sugar and refined grains, such as bread and baked goods, which can inhibit the immune system. Replace pro-inflammatory red meats and dairy with anti-inflammatory “good” omega-3 fats, available in fish or in a high-quality fish oil supplement. Eat 6 servings of colourful vegetables daily, and eat plenty of fresh garlic, which has potent anti-viral properties.

Keep mucous membranes moist by using a humidifier and keeping up water intake, (generally 35mL of water for each kg of body weight). This will help prevent the virus from latching on, and keep the immune cells in that part of your body healthy.

Also, avoid alcohol and coffee which can be dehydrating.

Don’t underestimate the impact of stress and lack of sleep! Much evidence demonstrates how these situations inhibit optimal immune function.

Finally, prevent infection by keeping your immune system balanced with supplements, including 2000 to 4000 IU vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol), vitamin C with flavonoids, and a high-quality probiotic (such as Genestra’s HMF forte).

Most people with hectic lifestyles in our northern climate will benefit from these nutrients. A qualified health practitioner may further prescribe an individualized botanical combination or homeopathic medicine that helps to balance rather than stimulate your immune system.

The above suggestions may work in lieu of, or in conjunction with the vaccines, should you choose to receive them. However, please consider that the complex healing mechanisms of your body are possibly more capable of managing a novel virus than a novel man-made pharmaceutical.

Here He Grows Again!

2009-10-22T23:09:00.001-04:00

Okay, just venting. I'm glad my kid is growing and all, but man - these growth spurts sneak up into your regularly scheduled happiness and blow it all to smithereens. Jamie's just not into the notion of going to bed now. I can maybe blame a lack of true routine here, but I'm going with the growth spurt, because it's really only been a problem since about Monday. I try to feed him around 730ish, then when I try to put him down - even if I read to him, or try to rock him (my glider popped a spring so it's more trying than actual rocking) - he screams bloody murder. So B or I will try to burp him or walk around bouncing him a little, and he'll doze off, and the moment we put him down there he goes again with the screaming!

So tonight I decided that standing around in his room with a screaming child just wasn't cutting the mustard, so I brought him back into the real world of the living room, plopped down to watch The Office, and bounced him until he fell asleep in my arms. Then, once he was all limp and no longer flinching whenever I'd laugh, we brought him back to his crib (which he's slept in once in the last 3 weeks because his sinuses sounded bad - we figure he needs to drain so he's been sleeping in his rocker), laid him down, and he stayed asleep. *whew*

This seems like a good time to reevaluate our ideas on routine, sleeping, bedtime, et cetera. However, since some good things must come to an end, I'm hopefully, prayerfully trying to get back to working (groan!). Trying to figure out what my hours will be and find child care or if I'll be bringing Jamie with me is making me not want to try to get into a routine I might have to totally upend by the time it's really established. So I'm still thinking it over. I don't think we're totally routine-less, however, we could use a little more predictibility. And by that point, it'll be Week 17; time for another growth spurt!

Also, can someone please explain to me why *I'm* still awake? Everyone tells you to "sleep when the baby sleeps", but when you hit the 3 month mark it's like you've totally forgotten that. Trust me, it's no less true than it was right after he was born!

The Boy and the Mouse

2009-10-21T10:37:00.001-04:00

...I am going to update my blog more often... I am going to update my blog more often...

A week and a half ago (whew!) we took Jamie to The (other) Happiest Place on Earth. Yes, I am sure to some people we look crazy taking a 2 month old to Disney World, but keep in mind that A, it's only a 2.5 hour drive for us (well, once you subtract 1 hour of sitting still in traffic on I-4, which Jamie slept. right. through. thank. God.), B, we're old pros at navigating Disney (I went 7 times while I was pregnant; trust me, I know Disney), and C, it's not like I expect him to remember anything for the first 4 years worth of trips. He'll be bored of Disney by the time he's 10. No, this whole excursion was for the adults - Epcot International Food and Wine Festival (Yum. That's right, capital Y Yum.) and the last Race for the Taste 10K.

Friday night we met up with my in-laws and decided to stay in and go down to the pool bar to see Jim and Holly. Yes, the only bar we're regulars at is in Orlando! And this was the first time Billy got to use the line from Sweet Home Alabama - "You have a baby! In a bar..."

Saturday morning I finally got to do something I'd been waiting on since I did it as a kid - character breakfast at Chef Mickey's at Disney's Contemporary Resort! Poor Jamie; one day he's going to ask if we could NOT do a character breakfast so he didn't have to stop eating and have his picture taken with Goofy. Again.

At this point though, he doesn't seem to mind too much.

After that, it was on to the Magic Kingdom, where we only rode one ride - Pirates of the Caribbean. B and I rode it by ourselves while his parents watched Jamie. Oh, by the way, should you find yourself at Disney World with a small child, the baby care facilities are awesome! Nice quiet nursing room with rockers and dim lighting, huge changing room with ENORMOUS changing tables and everything you could possibly need, a room for the older children to watch cartoons (Disney cartoons, of course) and play, and a little kitchen with a microwave, stove, and a shop where you can buy diapers, baby Tylenol, rash cream, whatever.

We took a little photo op. :) And in case anyone was wondering, yes, I wore my Auburn shirt and Auburn earrings all day, and the baby wore a UVA onesie with an Auburn bib. I blame the lack of an Auburn onesie... or the numerous penalties... for Auburn's loss to Arkansas that day. Whatever, moving on.

Sunday morning, B and I got up bright and early (um, dark and early) to run the last Race for the Taste 10k. This is B's favorite Disney race because the course is fantastic: from Wide World of Sports to Disney's Hollywood Studios, through Lights, Motors, Action where they broadcast the runners on the big screen, past the little lake up to Disney's Boardwalk, around the Yacht and Beach Clubs, and into Epcot for a run around the World Showcase, past the geodesic sphere, and out into the Imagine parking lot. Oh, and... they give you food. Not just a banana or a muffin, GOOD food! Beef empanadas, strawberry shortcake, maple-glazed salmon, and... something else I forgot! We also ran pretty well - B's posted time was 1:07:09 and mine was 1:24:23. This is only 2 minutes off my 2008 Peachtree Road Race time, so I figure I'm back where I was before I had the baby.

After a quick shower and getting the grandparents and the baby, we went to Epcot for the fun part - the International Food and Wine Festival.

As you can see, I am not the only one with a very small child at Disney. In fact, the day before, there was another mom in the nursing room at the Magic Kingdom who also had a 2 month old. He was probably small enough that Jamie could eat him. Seriously.

Speaking of eating, the IF&WF is my favorite festival at Epcot - the only other one I ever make it to is the International Flower & Garden Festival, and seeing as I don't garden but I do like to eat, I don't look forward to it quite as much. But I'll take any excuse to go to Epcot. :)

Baby, the other, other white meat, was not on the menu.

We tried to hit as many countries as we could, stopping in America to feed the baby (read: enjoy the a/c because it was 95 degrees out). I think we did better on not eating EVERYTHING IN SIGHT than we have in previous years - it was hard to get into the hot food and heavy beer due to the weather.

Next year, Race for the Taste will be replaced with the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon. The half is my favorite distance, so as long as it doesn't conflict with anything else that weekend we will probably make that coincide with the annual pilgrimage to the IF&WF. And Jamie will be old enough for the diaper dashes, so I am looking forward to a third runner in the family, too!

Overpackers Anonymous

2009-10-08T09:59:00.001-04:00

Hi, my name is Lana, and I am an overpacker.

(Hi, Lana.)

For years, I have overpacked for even a simple overnight stay. This is most likely due to paranoia that I will "need it and not have it", so I would rather "have it and not need it." As far back as I can remember, I have made lists of things to bring in order to prevent myself from overpacking, but I have always listed far more than my baggage can hold. My husband is an overpacker, too, and this has caused me to feel enabled to overpack. Like it's not that big a deal.

I knew I had a problem when my suitcase weighed in well over 50 lbs in the Honolulu airport, and after transferring as many things as I could think of into a separate bag I had packed for souvenirs (that I hadn't mailed back - I sent 5 Flat Rate Boxes back to Florida on that trip), my very large blue suitcase still weighed over 50 lbs. (I was fortunate that I distracted the ticket agent into not charging me since it was my honeymoon, and the bag and I both arrived safely in San Diego that evening).

After that I decided it was time to come clean. I purchased an LL Bean Turbo Transit Pack in Orange Pekoe, and it truly saved my life. Together with my LL Bean Personal Organizer Medium, I could tackle a quick trip to Boston, a long weekend in Orlando, or five days in Vegas to run the marathon in the middle of winter without checking any luggage. It is truly a traveler's dream. If it didn't fit, it didn't travel. I had to think long and hard about how many shoes are truly necessary, and whether or not I could get by on the hotel hairdryer or if I should bring my own. It was incredibly freeing to be able to move about the country with one bag over my shoulders, unencumbered by rolling suitcases or waiting at baggage claim.

And then, I had a baby. This has caused me to relapse tremendously.

Lo, I present to you a three night, four day stay at Disney including church and running a 10k:

And this does not include 16 cloth diapers with 32 regular inserts, nighttime inserts, bag for dirty diapers, detergent, stroller, car seat, footie pajamas for Jamie to sleep in, the rocker he sleeps in (we have him in that until his sinuses clear), saline drops, nasal bulb sucker thing, sunscreen, extra Publix bags (you never know when you need those), iPod, a dress and shoes for church (for me), personal organizer (for me), coolers, breast pump, milk storage bottles, freezer packs, bottled water, dishwasher basket (for bottle accessories), camera (duh!), peanut butter, jelly, bread, changing table protector thingie, Itzbeen timer, Blackberry charger, purse, and - oh - ANYTHING for Billy. *whew*

"Um, I'm not sure all that's gonna fit in the car, Mommy."

My Heroes Have Always Been Newscasters

2009-10-04T21:55:00.000-04:00

When I was 8 years old or so, I used to write fan letters to Pam Martin, one of the Atlanta nightly news anchors. I also used to tell my friend Helen's mom, the anchor of our local small-town newscast, that when I grew up I wanted her job. So my affection for Donna Deegan was probably predestined.

Donna is without a doubt the most famous woman in Jacksonville, not just for being one of the few born-and-raised Jacksonvillians, but for holding down the newsdesk since 1992, and generally being one of the kindest, perkiest people God could fit into a five-foot-nothing person. But even above all of that are the two highest compliments you could use to describe just about anybody - runner of multiple marathons, and three time breast cancer survivor. Now, roll all of that up into one person!

The "perk" of living such a public life is that your struggles become the struggles of anyone paying attention, so Donna's fight with breast cancer was basically nightly news - was she on air that day, did she have on a new wig, et cetera. The whole city fought along with her. And once the cancer was in remission, Donna helped fight the fight for women who didn't have the resources to fight - women struggling with putting food on the table and taking care of their families. Thus, the Donna Foundation was born, and along with it, the 26.2 with Donna; The National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer. This race is incredible - not only is it huge, beautiful, challenging, and - of course - pink!, but every. single. dime. goes to FINISHING BREAST CANCER! How cool is that?

I've met Donna more than once, at Galloway group training runs and at church, but I had to jump at the chance to go out to Atlantic Beach on Saturday to get an autographed copy (okay, three autographed copies...) of her newest book, "Through Rose Colored Glasses". And since I had asked her once at church which was harder, marathoning or being pregnant (we both agreed: pregnant), I had to bring the baby. :)

pictures courtesy of jacksonville.com & the Jacksonville Times-Union (aka, my personal papparazzi)

Mary Poppins, I Am Not

2009-09-18T22:08:00.001-04:00

So in trying to put the little one to sleep, I try to sing to him - like my singing would actually have a soothing effect on anyone! However, I realized I only know one true lullaby - "Rock A-bye, Baby". To me, this song is cruel - babies only have one fear: falling! So in order to lull a baby to sleep, why would you try to sing about their only fear? Anyway, the songs below are in my usual set list, since they are about the only slow, dream-like songs I know. Granted, as I can never remember all the words, I only sing about half of them:

Auburn alma mater
Good Ol' Song (UVA - tune of Auld Lang Syne)
Son of a Son of a Sailor (Buffett)
Pirate Looks at Forty (Buffett)
Tryin' to Reason with Hurricane Season (again, Buffett)
Carolina In My Mind (James Taylor)
Fire and Rain (James Taylor)

and tonight, out of desperation, I tried a new one:

Every Rose Has Its Thorn (Poison)

Hmm, must have done something right - he's asleep.

Great Birthday Gift

2009-09-17T22:22:00.000-04:00

What better than a goddaughter?

My brand new goddaughter Delia was born yesterday in Birmingham - 8 lb, 15 oz, 20 inches long and very cheery to only be 30 minutes old in this picture! Mom and baby, dad and big sis Sophia are doing great!

Clijsters is tougher than anyone playing on Sunday

2009-09-15T15:50:00.001-04:00

Clijsters is tougher than anyone playing on Sunday

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Warm, Fuzzi, and... Wet?, Part II

2009-09-14T16:07:00.000-04:00

Okay, over the past week I've tried all three combinations of inserts from the first post. I was going to post some groovy pictures of the inserts and the diapers and my b-e-a-utiful child, however, I am too lazy (and, also, nursing some nasty cuts and scrapes and hits to my pride from going out for my birthday Saturday night and forgetting I'm turning 27, not 20, and I'm old now. Boo.)

Anyway, onto the results:

Doubled Up Regular Inserts: These are the ones that come with the diapers, so it didn't require me buying anything extra (score!). Also, the website even recommends doubling them up at night - of course I didn't do that until it was brought to my attention (thanks, Sarah!) At night, they still proved to be no match for Jamie about half the time - it was kind of hit or miss on whether he'd leak through them in a given night. However, for daytime they have proven to be perfect! I thought doubling up on the inserts would make the diaper truly ginormous, and they have given him a substantially large booty (my MIL claims he looks like a pear with them on!) but if I don't have to change his outfit every time I change his diaper (as well as wash whatever he'd been sitting/laying on at the time), I have no problem with a little extra junk in the trunk on this kid.

Add-Ins: I had a feeling that these wouldn't be enough at night when added to the one regular FB insert, but that maybe they'd hold for daytime. WRONG! These turned out to be pretty much useless for Jamie day or night, as he wets more than this combination can hold. Oh well.

Hemp Prefolds: Wow. These things are enormous (12"x14" for the small!) and unbelieveably thick - three layers of hemp (which if you've ever really felt something made of hemp, one layer is already pretty sturdy on it's own). At night, however, they do the trick - we have a winner! This discovery couldn't come at a better time, as Jamie is now sleeping for 5-7 hours at a time during the night. I have used them the last few nights and when I've gone to change him, I thought for sure he'd be soaked. Nope! So I am incredibly thrilled at this finding. There is a downside, however - they cost a whopping $6.95 a pop. Ouch. However, as we have found that the double insert works for day, we would only need these at night so I could get by with having maybe 4-6 around the house (instead of 18, which is the amount of Fuzzi Bunz we have around here, and I do a load of diapers every day and a half or so).

Hopefully some of what I've said has inspired someone to cloth diaper. It's really not the pain in the butt everyone tells you it is, I promise. And if you're interested, fuzzibunzstore.com has a deal going:

Click here for more details.

Jax Race For The Cure

2009-09-14T15:26:00.001-04:00

I reckon I better get cracking if I'm doing another race, huh?

Warm, Fuzzi, and... Wet?, Part I

2009-09-09T18:19:00.000-04:00

Let me preface this post by saying that despite what I'm about to post, and despite what *everyone on Facebook* had to say, cloth diapering DOES NOT SUCK. Even with a heavy wetter like Jamie - this kid is made of pee, I tell ya. I completely dig the idea of one size fits all, groovy colors, uber-soft fleece, no diaper rash (you really should have seen it in the disposables, it was bad), and NEVER HAVING TO BUY DISPOSABLES AGAIN. That part is key. And I don't mind doing laundry all the time because as I have come to realize, with a baby and two runners in the house, I am always doing laundry, anyway. One more load won't kill me, and I'd be doing it with the cloth wipes since we use those, too (again, uber-soft, no diaper rash, and not having to buy wipes outside of travel packs. Love 'em.) And these ain't your momma's cloth diapers -

See what I mean? Billy and I hope that by the time we're old fogeys in the nursing home these will come in adult sizes, too!

There is a slight problem, however - what to do with a heavy wetter like Jamie? I don't blame the diapers - I blame the inserts.

These are the regular inserts - they recommend doublers or using two inserts at night (which, in all honesty, we have not tried yet), but Jamie can even wet through a regular insert during the day. So, we need to call in reinforcements...

Add-Ins: Basically, these can be folded in half and placed in the front, adding to the "spot absorbency" of the diaper. I think these will be helpful during the day, but I am not holding out much hope for them at night.

Hemp Prefolds: These suckers are HUGE. Enormous and thick, they are made to be folded in thirds and inserted into the diaper in place of the "factory" inserts. Kind of remind me of a beach towel, but I'm open to anything that works and works well.

I bought two of each of the above, plus I have plenty of inserts, so we're going to try this in 3 experiments and post the results:

Two regular Fuzzi Bunz inserts
Add-Ins
Hemp prefolds

'Tis The (Marathon Training) Season

2009-09-08T18:34:00.000-04:00

165 days and change until our next marathon - 26.2 with Donna, The National Marathon to Finish Breast Cancer. 194 days until my big marathon, ING Georgia. After the terrible experience of last year's Las Vegas Marathon, you'd think we were nuts to put ourselves through it again, but for very different reasons, we're starting this mess over again - Billy refuses to "let Vegas beat him", and I am just masochistic enough to enjoy distance running. I am not a fast runner by any stretch of imagination, but I think what makes me like distance running comes from my not knowing when to quit. I live by a philosophy of "if you want it bad enough, you can find a way to make it happen." If I want to finish a marathon, I just have to dig deep within myself and find a way to keep on dragging.

Anyway, follow my marathon adventures on this blog (Watch as I try to reconcile marathon training with mommyhood! Exciting!) and follow Billy's on his blog.

I think this season will be better - crosstraining, healthier eating, and a new coach. :)

"Those splits are too slow! Pick up the pace!"

A Bedtime Story

2009-09-04T21:29:00.000-04:00

Once upon a time, there was a little girl who knew she'd grow up to be a Mommy. And then one day when she was a big girl, after she met a nice Catholic boy and got married, she found out she would be a Mommy! So she ate a lot of ice cream, took some childbirth classes, and bought some onesies. After being pregnant for ten and a half months, in the hospital for three days, and in labor for 24 hours, she had a 10 pound, 9 ounce baby boy named Jamie. All the rest is just details.

Goodnight, little man.

More Fun With Flickr

2009-05-15T08:58:00.000-04:00

Today I discovered how to make a slideshow in Flickr and embed it in a blog. I really need a life, don't I? :) Anyway, for instructions on how to do it yourself, head here. Or just sit back and watch the baby bump grow!

Where In The World Are The Carlsons?

2009-05-15T08:56:00.000-04:00

Man, I was on my sister-in-law's blog last night and saw that I hadn't updated mine in 4 weeks! What a slacker!

What have we done in the last four weeks, you ask?

* Jimmy Buffett concert
* Went to Disney - twice.
* Put together all the furniture in Jamie's room
* Tomato plants started growing
* Met some new hippy mom friends (See? I'm not the only one!)
* And today, going to Gulf Shores for one of my best friend's weddings.

I would expand on that, but I have about 5 things to do and roughly 2 hours to do them. So, instead, you get... More fun with Flickr!

When Swedish Guys Put Together Swedish Furniture

2009-05-15T08:37:00.001-04:00

Tah dah, this is Billy and his dad putting together Jamie's crib and dresser...