barks blog: the story of jason and jaime

Where do we pee? In the POTTY.

2012-01-27T08:38:00.000-05:00

Potty training is a bitch. Yeah, I said it. I just can't think of any other way to describe it. No one tells you that it is infinitely harder on the parent than the child. This is even the case when you take the child led approach. Henry is all geared up for potty training. But there are accident and over sprays. Umm, teaching a little boys to pee in the toilet is a sure fire way to make sure that every inch of your home is covered in urine. I've spent the two years of his life being keenly aware of Henry's bathroom habits. Now, we are taking that one step further. We are celebrating them. Only a parent can truly understand the awkward feeling that comes with dancing around a toilet full of poop. It is creepy. And, Henry has no interest in privacy. I've gently tried explaining that grownups like privacy when they go potty. He just looks at me and says "no, you watch Henry." And so, I watch Henry. We make such a fuss of his toilet usage that I slightly worry that he is going to be disappointed when he grows up and realizes no will celebrates his poop. Add to the mix that I also have a 8 month old, which makes potty training even more intense. Have you ever tried to balance of toddler on a toilet with one hand and a baby in the other? If not, you are missing out on an adrenal rush. You have focus because the prospect of dropping either on a public bathroom floor is utterly disgusting and terrifying.

Of course, teaching a toddler to use the potty makes going anywhere difficult. Right before Christmas we got stuck in the middle of nowhere with a friend and had a bathroom emergency. My friend (Hi Valerie) and I deiced to take her 2 year old daughter (Miss Stella) and my two kids to look at Christmas lights. This alone is almost a suicide mission, but it became full blown crazy because we had two potty training toddlers. And of course we get out in the middle of nowhere and Henry announces that he needs to potty. We spend a few awkward moments debating our next move. Valerie, who is braver than me, announces that we will just pull over and let him go on the side of the road. Which sounds good, expect Henry has never peed outside or standing up. We pull off into a creepy abandoned lot in the cold, drizzling rain. The whole time Valerie is assuring me that Henry can do it. Of course when I got out to get Henry he had kicked off his shoes and we can only find one. Since time is of the essence, Valerie tosses me one of Stella's rain boots and tells me to just stick it on his other foot. Henry, who loves pink, freaked out over the pink polka-dot rain boot. I have to literally drag him out of the car while he is begging for the other pink boot. About the time I get him out and into the grass Alex starts crying. At the point I realize I have no idea how to teach Henry to pee standing up. I know nothing about little boys. As Alex approaches full blows hysteria Valerie offers to come and help Henry. She has nephews, she is feeling good. I point out that I don't even think he will go. Then Valerie preforms her magic. She has that mom voice down to an art. Kids just respond to her. I even want to do what she says. It is funny because she super tiny but I think she could get anyone to do whatever she wanted. She looks Henry in the eye and says "Henry, it is time to pee." And just like that, he starts. But, he has never peed standing up and . . . you guessed it . . . pee goes everywhere. All over him. All over Valerie. All over Stella's boot. About this time Stella decides she needs to go. Since I have Alex calmed down I get Stella out to go potty too. This is when I realize that I have no idea how to get her to pee on the side of the road without making a mess. This happens a lot when we go out. I am the helpless parent. Valerie is pouring gobs of hand sanitizer all over her urine soaked hands only to realize that she has to come help Stella because I am just not kid friendly. I am getting better. We get Henry stripped down to his pull up and toss him in the car. Stella successfully does what she needs to without making a mess. We get everyone in the car, thinking it is almost over. Then we realize that we lost a paci. This results is a chorus of whining. Stella for her paci, Alex because he is hungry and Henry because he wants pink rain boots. Of course this is one of the rare times that Valerie, who is a nurse, didn't have a pen light in the her car. Eventually she finds a little key chain with a light, locates the paci and we load up and head off. When we all get in the car, we just cracked up. I mean, how could we not? The whole scene was so utterly ridiculous. As we were pulling away Valerie mentions that this is one of those times she wish she carried a small hand gun* since we were out in the middle of nowhere. I quickly pointed out that any criminal would have take one look at our car full of kids and ran away. Who needs gun when you have potty training toddlers.

In the mean time we are just going to keep plugging along. Ever grateful in the knowledge that one day I won't have to wipe my kids butts anymore. People tell me I will look back on this age and be wistfully. I mean they both are obscenely adorable right now. But, I just don't know if I will ever live long enough to want to relive these days. The poop aside (and there is a lot of poop), I haven't slept thought the night in months. Then this morning Henry woke me up at 6am telling me he wanted a bagel. In my sleep deprived state I said "Can't you get it yourself?" His response "No mommy, you do it. Get up right now, pea pea please." Even with that cuteness it was inordinately hard to drag myself out of bed. Then, it was time to poop . . . again. I have no idea how you people with 3, 4 and 5 kids do it. Seriously, you should be sainted or maybe put in a mental institution.

*I am not a gun fan. I hate them. I don't like the NRA. I like gun control laws. I even wrote a little about it a few years back. That being said, EVERYTHING you've heard about southern folks and gun is obsoletely true. They love them. It is just part of the culture in this area. For most the people in this area having a loaded gun on your person is like second nature. This is one part of living in tennessee that I will never embrace.

Alex has a tooth!

2012-01-25T08:23:00.002-05:00

My baby got his first tooth. This is always a huge milestone but it seems particularly meaningful because Alex is my last baby. We shut down the baby factory. And by we, I mean Jason. We were always in agreement that if I had bake our babies for 9 months and then push them out my lady parts the very least Jason could do is get a little snip, snip. Needless to say, I have been running around the house all morning attacking Alex's little face and smothering it in kisses. I keep saying "my baby got a tooth" over and over. Henry keeps looking at me like I am crazy, which is par for the course. Alex was kind of a turd the first few month of life. Is that bad to admit? He was so fussy. Then, like magic, sometime after 6 months he just stopped being so needy. He has became a total joy. He laughs and giggles all the time. Now he is only fusses when there is a reason, instead of all the time. My sweet, perfect baby. My last tiny baby is growing up. If I am this reflective over a stinking tooth I might be a train wreck when he starts kindergarten.

I wanted to get a photo but he won't stop rubbing it with his tongue. Not that cam blame him, I bet it does feel kind of weird.

Of course Henry was all like what are you doing? When I told him I wanted a picture of Alex's new tooth he promptly sat down and informed me he had a whole mouth full of teeth for me photograph. I think his exact words were "momma I got lots of teeth."

PS. Henry is abesseed with Matt and Kim right now. They came on the ipod the other day and henry came into the room and yelling "it's matt and kim." Which totally freaked us out, that kid is so stinking observant. I guess he heard us talking about them. The recognition went to request. And that is where we are now, listening to a lot of Matt and Kim. Like all the time. Before his little butt is even in his car seat he is begging for Matt and Kim. Actually he tells me to put the ipod on matt and kim in his sweetest little toddler lisp. I am not going to complain to much, he could be begging to listen to crappy kid music. This is from an older album but is my favorite song, hands down. It makes me so happy.

PPS. Henry is running around the house with his underwear on his head, and I am not even making him stop. I guess that is how he needs to express himself today. Honestly, wednesdays are so crazy I feel like running around the house with my underwear on my head too.

Thoughts on Marriage, and Divorce

2012-01-22T17:13:00.000-05:00

I've been thinking a lot about divorce. Not like I am looking get one, but just in theory. I mean truthfully this is has been a rough year for my marriage. There were moments when I thought for sure Jason and Jaime were going to go belly up. We came to that point where we had to decide if we were going to make it work or call it quits. We took the "make it work" approach. And, so far it has been working. Pretty well actually. Apparently spending hundreds of dollars on counseling can actually be helpful. The thing that I have been thinking about is my response. Whenever I hear someone is separating, I always say "how sad." But the thing is, it really isn't. I mean, if they were unhappy, then it is good it ended. I think Louis CK nailed it. His quote is below. You can hear the audio here (good article btw).

Let me tell you something. And this is important because some day one of your friends is gonna get divorced. It’s gonna happen. And they’re gonna tell you, don’t go “Oh I’m sorry!” that’s a stupid thing to say. It really is. First of all, you’re making them feel bad for being really happy, which isn’t fair. And second, let me explain something to you. Divorce is always good news. I know that sounds weird, but it’s true because no good marriage has ever ended in divorce. It’s really that simple. That’s never happened – THAT would be sad. If two people were married and they were really happy and they just had a great thing, and then they got divorced, that would be really sad. But that has happened zero times. Literally zero. Ray Charles has killed more jews than happy marriages have ended in divorce. So if your friend got divorced, it means things were bad and now they’re – I mean, they’re better. They’re not good. Life is shit wall to wall. But they’re better, so you should be happy.

Jason and I were talking about this last night and he informed me that he would be with me forever. But truthfully, can anyone really promise that? I don't think anyone starts their marriage thinking it will end but lots of them do. Five years ago I would have never imagined that we would be having the problems we've had, but here we are. People change and grow, things change. Right now, we are happy again. We plan on being happy together for a long time. I guess it is just age but I now know enough to realize that 5 or 10 years from now things might be different. We might be different people. That is just life. I realize this all sounds negative but feel like it is a much more realistic view of a relationship than I held when I was in my 20s. In my 20s I really believed that we were immune from marriage difficulties. The thing is, no one really is. Marriages take work, and even then sometimes they just end. Having this view has helped me to appreciate the good parts of my relationship. Marriages are fragile. Don't take your spouse for granted. Talk to each other, a lot. Even about problems and things that might be a little difficult. When you come to an impasse, get help. And, in the end, do what is best for you and your spouse. For us it has been best to stay together but every couple is different. We really shouldn't judge or be sad for other couples who decided to spilt. I agree with Louis, no happy marriages end in divorce.

PS. Some of this was triggered by the queen of blogging separating from her husband. And, some other relationships that have gone belly up.

PPS. Louis CK is amazing. Funny and reflective but at times really vulgar. Google with caution if you can be easily offended. You've been warned.

PPPS. This post was a bit heavy, here is a video of Alex playing before bed time for you end on. I mean, how can this not make you smile?

PPPPS. We really aren't separating. I know some people are probably reading way to much into this post. We really are in a good place, on a positive trajectory.

Yeah, what day is it?

2012-01-18T22:23:00.002-05:00

The last few days have been a whirlwind. We just got back from a long weekend away. It was lovely. We went to Jason's parents house to sleep. Yes, sleep. It was our sleep-cation. It was needed. Although, returning from it has been hard. After getting sleep it has almost been worse to go without. And, as with all trips with small kids, there is the aftermath of trying to get everone back home and settled into their routin. But, all in all we are starting to get into the swing of things. Maybe. For you enjoyment, a some photos. None of these really have to do with our weekend. I took a pitaful amout of photos while I was out of town. I guess I really was tired if I was to tired for photos. Anyway . . .

Guess who rolled over? ALEX. Oh the joy of finally seeing your almost 9 month old baby roll over for the first time. Funny story, the first time he rolled over was in the bathroom. He was trying to lick the toilet. True story. He kind of takes it in spells, today not so much rolling but he proved he can do it. I am going to try to get a video because it is really funny and adorable. I mean look at that face, of course it is adorable.

I am attempting to participate in the 2012 Creative Color Challenge. I have done a couple in the past but this time it is a year long project. One color each month. I am hoping this will help push me to create a bit more. I also find working in a limited color pallet to be a good exercise. Anyway, January's color - Orange. This is an oil pastel sketch. It is the first time I have ever used oil pastels and I feel I have a bit to learn. This is based of a pencil drawing I found in an old sketch book. It was years ago and I have no idea where the inspiration came from. I just liked it so much I thought I would draw it again. I feel like I should try it again with paints or study up some more on pastels.

While we were visiting Jason's mom mentioned wanting a good recent photo of the boys. Of course this is much harder than it sounds. No one wanted to play along and this is what we ended up with.

Honestly, I love these more than a posed "good" picture. I think it totally captures my guys right now. They both have such fun little personalities. I love that they are at an age where they are starting to really play and laugh with each other. Gosh, I just want to squeeze them. You know, when they aren't making me crazy. Just keeping it real. Being a parent will make you feel like you have bipolar disorder. One minute you can't get enough of your kids and the next breath you feel like if you don't get a break you are going to loose it. Nonstop action.

Off to sleep, until Alex wakes up. I am still planning out my revenge. When they are teenagers I am going to spend a whole night crying then wake them up at 6 am demanding breakfast. When they complain I am going to point out that at least they don't have to clean up my poop. Of course I realize that when they are teenagers I will probably get all misty eyed and nostalgic when I look at these photos. Heck, right now just thinking about them growing up makes me feel all kinds of emotional. Being a parent really does make you a little nutty.

To Thine own self

2012-01-09T07:57:00.001-05:00

This is a little painting I did on a block of wood that I salvaged from Jason's shop. I think this line from Hamlet going to be my quote of the year. "To thine own self be true." I am going to take care of myself, so I can better take care of the ones I love. I am going to true to who I am. I am going to be confident in my choices because I am going to follow my heart. I'm going to try to care less what people think. It is so easy to loose yourself in motherhood, this year I am going to try to find myself again. And thus concluded my new-age sounding rambling. I am really not as touch-feely as this post sounds. Just been a bit reflective of late . . . I think it comes with age, stress and sleep deprivation.

2012, It's gonna be good

2012-01-02T13:34:00.001-05:00

I won't lie, I am not even a little sad to see 2011 go. It was just kind of an awful year. Lots of anxiety and stress. Just lame. The only really good thing to come from this year was Alex. And, he is pretty great. My goal this year is to be more positive, across the board. For me, it is a little easy to get bogged down in crap. I've been doing a little art journenling and I thought in honor of the new year I would dedicate a page to good stuff in my life right now.

In to trying to do some positive thinking, I also decided to actually make some resolutions. I love resolutions! I do. I like writing down goals. I like to revisit them through out the year and see if I am meeting them. Last year, because of pregnancy I didn't really tackle this endeavor (starting the year with an injury is always a bad sign). Since last year was the crappiest year ever I decided I was going to revisit my practice of resolution making. I think I am just the kind of person that likes intentionality and resolutions help me be intentional. Here is my list . . .

My list is pretty straight forward. Most of the stuff I wrote down isn't really measurable. Which, for me takes the pressure off. The only one that might need explaining is the one about getting Alex moving. We finally got him with a pediatric physical therapist and he has some muscle tone deficiency. He should be fine with therapy but he will be a really late walker. And, he might not be overly athletic. The good news is he will walk. We have a great therapist and a good plan in place. I just can't help but feel hopeful. The year started with some good changes and I have to think it will be better. I will say that I grew up a lot in 2011. I learned a lot about myself. I am stronger than I thought I am. I'm going to take all that strength and channel it into making 2012 amazing. I hope it can be!

PS. We had a lovely New Year's Day dinner with some good friends (hi Cassie and Sherry). It was so yummy. They even made Alex his first place card. I couldn't think of a better way to start the year or better people to start it with.

So that was Christmas

2011-12-28T15:22:00.000-05:00

At this moment I would kill for a sick day. Like the ones I could take before kids. I remember when I would take a whole day and just sleep when I was sick. These days I would be happy if I could just get a couple of hours of sleep. My currant fantasy is being home alone for 24 hours with a bottle of Nyquil. If you hadn't figured it out, I have a nasty cold that was given to me by my adorable little germ carriers. Fortunatly the brunt of my cold came after Christmas. We managed to have a nice holiday. In fact, it was kind of great. Henry was beyond awesome. He was so excited about everything. And Alex was just as adorable as ever. I am just going to let photos do the talking. I don't have the brain power for anything else.

Pretend Alex's eyes are open.

I promise Henry was just tired from playing in the park. He looks so miserable. Don't let that face deceive you, he had a good Christmas. We all did.

Mason Jar Snow Globes

2011-12-23T11:24:00.001-05:00

I made some Mason Jar Snow Globes, one of the few things on my todo list I've gotten done. I pinned this site a few days ago, I liked her knock off Anthro globes but I wanted to add water to mine (I already had the glycerin). I didn't glue the jars shut so I can toss the lids and clean the jars. As a good caner, I am all about reusing some jars. I haven't had any problems with my jars leaking. I had everything but the little trees, which only cost me $2. Nice and cheap. When Jason saw them he said "oh those are cute, who are they for?" Umm, me? It is bad to make stuff for yourself on Christmas? Okay, maybe a little. Oh well, they make me happy and this year I am all about happy.

I even made a simple little table runner for my dining room table. I just used fabric I had in my stash. I am happy with it, especially for free. It gives the table a very homespun cozy Christmas feel, which is what we are going for.

These photos are rotten because I took them at 10:00 pm when I finished the runner. I will say the gold glitter trees can make the water in the jars look yellowish in low light. I wanted the little snowy tree but they were all sold out. I could take another photo but right now my table is cover in wrapping paper and gifts. I am way behind the ball this year. I am about to brave the crowds and make a quick target trip. I just need a few things. I think some tea lights would jazz this table up a bit. If you are a procrastinator like me, good luck! I think we can get everything done before Sunday. I hope.

PS. This cuteness is hindering my productivity. Who would want to put up laundry (or pick up the toys all over your living room) when they could play with this sweet baby?

Foam Wreaths and Weapons

2011-12-17T14:43:00.001-05:00

Am I the only person who feels like Christmas has snuck up on me (and plowed me over)? I mean it is a week away. We still haven't finished picking up and making stuff the boys Christmas. Let alone the rest of our family. We love you, even if we neglect you. Oh and friends, sorry guys this year I got nothing. Usually I do a bunch of handmade goodies for friends, co-workers and teachers. This year, none of that happened. It has just been to insane. Yes, INSANE. Alex sleep has slight improved (thank god) but he has a stomach bug. It is so weird. He seems fine. He will be playing along just as happy as a lark and then BAM! Projectile vomit! You don't want to even know how gross it is to be covered in baby vomit. Also, Alex has been in physical therapy for his slight delay in movement. He is sitting up better, but he still isn't rolling over. Because of the therapy we have been doing lots of tummy time exercises. Which means I have been spending a lot of time of the floor with the boys. It is fun, but is greatly hindering my productivity. As for Henry, well he is a wild toddler. As I write this, he is using the pile of laundry on my bed like a pile of leaves. He also might have underwear on his head. Oh and he decided that he is suddenly interested in potty training, this week. Basically, I live in a zoo. Despite all this, I have actually tried to have a little holiday fun. I decided to make a foam wreath, which I have never done. I did this last week, before the bottom fell out. Of course in the process the boys (and by boys I mean Jason and Henry) did this . . .

So, yeah, this is my life. And I know that once Alex get moving that things are only going to be more rowdy. Sigh. At least my wreath turned out okay.

I kinda want a different ribbon but the theme for the tiny bit of Christmas creating that has been going on has been ~~cheap~~ using what is on hand. I had all the materials used on hand. And to make it even more cost effective I made the foam wreath out of pipe insulation, thank you Pinterest. My first attempt at making the wreath made an awful looking oval. Apparently, that is pretty common problem. I used this little tip, and I got a nice round wreath for cheap.

Okay, this wasn't just about cheap it was also about connivence. My husband works for a hardware store. Getting the pipe insulation was a lot easier than having to drag my wild children to an arts and craft store. I will say I wished used stronger tape. It has started to separate a little bit, next time duck tape!

(sorry for the blurry photo, did I mention I live with wild animals?)

As for the wreath decorations, it wrapped in fabric (no sewing, I didn't even iron) and the felt flowers were made using this tutorial. Once again, no sewing. I actually saw an entire wreath (after I made this one) that was totally covered in flowers like the ones I made. I think I might try that for another holiday, maybe Easter?

While we are on the subject, here are some photos of random holiday craftiness . . . .

Henry's handiwork. Each letter was going to be completely coated in one color glitter. But Henry had a different vision and who am I to stifle his artistic creativity?

My sister Janine made us cute embroidered stockings.

This was from Henry's preschool, the photo is amazing. Such an angry little reindeer.

And lastly, Henry Picasso inspired reindeer. He insisted that this was the way it was meant to be.

Maybe if I am lucky ordered will be established to me home before Christmas. It's my grown up Christmas wish.

PS. Before all the vomiting we took the kids to Rock City to see the Christmas lights. Henry freaked out (in a good way) and Alex yelled at the nutcrackers. So fun. Henry did call baby Jesus a Halloween pumpkin, causing us to leave the nativity show early. He has some holiday confusion. I have feeling he will be talking about Christmas for months after the fact.

Christmas Cookies and Family Cookbook

2011-12-14T14:09:00.000-05:00

This year will be the 4th Christmas without my mom. It is so hard to believe that she never got to see my babies or share in the joy of the holidays with them. It hurts so much to think about it that I found myself not wanting to talk about her. I realized this when I was hunting down a cookie recipe to make with Henry. I helped my mom make meltaway cookies every single Christmas that I can remember. And, I almost didn't want to make them with Henry this year because it was so painful to think about her being gone. I suppose we all have our coping mechanisms and apparently mine is avoidance. I quickly decided isn't wasn't fair to her memory not to share our cookie making tradition with my boys. I even went one step better than just making the cookies. I used the recipe printed in the photo family cook book we put together last year for my siblings.

There aren't words to describe how emotional this project was (especially considering I was pregnant). But, I am beyond thrilled with how it turned out. We flipped through the pages and looked all the pictures. And, of course I cried when Henry pointed to a photo of my mom and said "my memaw." Even though it hurt, it was so special for me to share with Henry a little bit of my mom (if you want, I have a link below where you can view the full book).

Here is the cookie recipe for meltaways. It is really simple and perfect for kids because there are no eggs. I don't know if we copied it wrong or I did something wrong but I got no were near 4 1/2 dozen cookies.

Please note, if you get cookies from the Barks this year Henry didn't help make them. No matter how many times I wash his hands they always seem dirty. He also breathed all over these cookies. I could barely eat them and he is my kid. Toddlers are just plain gross.

But we had a alot of fun. Below he is feeding me cookie dough. Don't worry he ate some too. Maybe that is why my cookie count was so low. Oh yeah, that spoon went right back into the batter.

The finished product.

It sure was yummy. Next up, we are going to attempt to decorate cookies. Please say a prayer that I don't end up with frosting all over my entire house.

PS. Below is a link to the entire book, if your curious or if you are related and want to order one.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Family Photos

2011-12-05T10:57:00.001-05:00

Okay, let me tell you having kids it one unpredictable crapshoot. This is especially true with small children. I had this grand idea of getting a single, really good photo of just Alex for our family Christmas card. I even borrowed a friends really awesome camera. Well, apparently I was the only person who was on board for this. NO ONE cooperated. Jason isn't a very good photo assistant, Alex just wanted to be held and Henry begged to be in the photo (only to cry once I started taking his photo). Finally I just got fed up and order our family christmas card with pictures of screaming kids. It is funny but not exactly what I was going for. I'l post the photos after my family gets the card. After I ordered our cards I found out that I was going to be able to borrow my friends camera for another night. So I drug my three boys into the field next door. I got some amazing adorable photos. Sweet photos that would have been lovely on my family Christmas card. I got these photos AFTER aforementioned cards had been ordered. And, that is my friends is life with kids. They don't do what you want when you want them too. Sigh. Oh well, at least I got some cute photos for my own benefit. I thinking there might be some photo gifts in our families future. I pretty sure these are photo mug worthy.

Don't fret, the grandparents bought this baby a new guitar for Christmas. One that has all it's strings.

Okay, did you really think we got through a whole photo shoot with out Henry acting his age? Not a chance. He is very good at being two.

You can view all our photos o n facebook.

Cup brownie and little blessings

2011-12-02T11:19:00.001-05:00

I've mentioned that things have been a little crazy but this week there seems to be a hint that things are starting to look up. Now, I am still not getting any sleep. Oh sleep, I miss you. If you are able to, please sleep in a couple of extra hours for me this weekend. Despite being so exhausted that I almost fell asleep standing in line and the grocery store (I kid you not) there has been this hint of joy in the air. Maybe it is just the holiday but it just seems like some good things are coming my way. There was an excellent craigslist find, a fabulous Christmas gift and neat opportunity that just kind of fell in my lap. On top of all that goodness, thanks to a dear friend (hi derece) and pinterest I have found a magical cup brownie recipe. Behold . . .

Okay, so it doesn't photograph well. But, trust me it is yummy. I mean, it isn't as good as my sister Sherry's made from scratch brownies but it does rival boxed brownie mix. Which honestly is what I know and love. The only reason I made it was because of a parenting short coming. Yesterday morning I told Henry that we would make cookies that afternoon. We are going to meet Santa soon and he informed me that he needed cookies. After running errands and grocery shopping I was exhausted and had totally forgot about my cookie making promise. Oh but Henry hadn't. Nope, the moment he walked in the house we immediately started jumping up and down saying "come on mommy, let go make cookies." As I stand in the doorway of my house balancing a crying baby and grocery bags I wanted to cry but then I remember Derece raving about this recipe. I settled down the baby put away the food and told Henry we were going to make a cookie in a cup! I fooled him into letting this pass as cookie making! I've seen lots of cake in mug recipe floating around but I hadn't tried any. I really wish I would have tried them earlier.

Why we are on the topic of good things. Here are some photos for you . . .

Henry and Stella made the Tennessee Farm and Home Magazine, thanks to everyone who voted!

On Cyber Monday (I am the only one who hates using the phrases like "black friday" and "cyber monday"?) I picked up the Lion King from Walmart for $13. Which is cheap for a Disney DVD. It was supposed to be for Christmas but someone (Jason) opened it in front of a certain toddler (henry) who decided that he need to watch it "right now." So, we skipped cooking dinner and opted for a pizza picnic on the living room floor while watching the Lion King. It was kind of an awesome night. Can you see all the Christmas ornaments on the floor? Thanks Henry.

This is a random doodle which was inspired by Panera's holiday cup. I did the sketch at Starbucks, which proves I spend to much time at coffee houses.

And last, some Christmas card out takes. I was trying to recreate Henry's "Naked Baby Under a Christmas Tree" with Alex. But, my camera isn't as good as my nephews which I was using at the time and Alex is much more wiggly. We are going to try again this weekend.

Okay, off to make cookies with Henry . . . . for real this time (maybe).

Art and Alex

2011-11-27T21:09:00.000-05:00

All my moodiness of late has been good for my art.

Apparently, I've been to happy with my painting. This is one of those peices that was just born out of the moment. I just attacked a peice of wood without any idea of where I was going. I ened up with something that I love. It is actually painted on a piece of MDF board. I'm going to have to get Jason to build a frame for it to hide the unfinished edges.

Here is a sketch that I did, I think I would like take the concept and elaborate on it. It would make a great painting. You know, in my free time.

Even with my own melancholily, I am just thrilled to have this sweet little face in my life. He is almost 7 months old. 7 stinking months!?!?! I can't believe. I just keeping looking at him in shock. Where the crap did the last seven months go? He is such a big personality. He also has a desire to NOT sleep through the night. This has intensified all my moodiness. He has been getting up at least two times a night (most night 3 times) for the last month and a half. I completely understand why sleep deprivation is used as an interrogation method.

At least he is adorable. He and Henry have started to interact more. Henry loves to play with baby Alex. He will dance or sing songs for him. Henry can make Alex laugh harder than anyone. Of course I do have to be mindful of this playfulness because on more than one occasion Henry has tried to pounce on Alex. You know total little boy roughhousing. Which is endearing expect for the fact that Alex is still a baby. The worst part is Alex finds it extra funny when Henry tries to "get him" as Henry calls it. I feel like a broken record. "Too much Henry." "Be gentle, don't jump on your brother." "Yes, I know he is laughing but you might hurt him." I guess I should just be gratefully they seem to love each other. I can't wait to watch these little guys grow up.

And a little video . . .

Alex still hasn't master sitting up and rolling over yet. I think if he had a motto is would be "I do what I want" said just like Cartman. And, apparently he doesn't want to move. No worries, we've talk to his doctor and are going to have a consult with a physical therapist. In the mean time, I just can't stop laughing at him. I know, great parenting. Speaking of great parenting, he totally has his breakfast all over his sleeper in this video.

I am off to race time, I am trying to finish an advent calendar before December 1st and right now it isn't looking to promising.

PS. I live with this crazy two year old two year old. He is totally talking about passing gas at the end.

Giving Thanks

2011-11-23T16:58:00.001-05:00

Just taking a quiet moment to pause and be thankful. Thankful for my home, my family, my friends.

I just finished this little embroidery and table runner just in time for Thanksgiving dinner. I mean, just in time. Barely. It was a nice little therapeutic exercise. The adorbale embrodery pattern came from Creative Kistment. Isn't it sweet? She has it as a free download. I think she is going to start selling her patterns along with her lovely art. While I was working on it I tried to focus on all the good things in my life. It is a cheery little addition to our fall dining room. I would have loved to make a long runner but I decided having it hang off the edge of the table was just inviting a toddler to pull on it.

I realize the photo would have looked sweeter if I had taken down the high chairs. But, I like to keep it real and we really have two kids. I like the way the space is coming together. It has a very folksy, cozy feel. It is slowly looking more like us. Here is what it looked like 7 months ago when we knocked the wall down. I should add, knocking the wall down to my gratitude list. I can't even begin to explain how much more open it made my little house feel. The leaves hanging from the doorway are from a Pinterest pin that didn't really work. I pressed them and mod-podged them. As you can tell, they didn't keep their color at all. But, Henry loved collecting them and loves having them hanging up so I guess it wasn't a total flop. The felt leaf garland is from Pinterest too. What can I say, I am addicted!

Doesn't every one have a turkey tree? Jason brought home the tree from Ace and Henry decided we needed to decorate it. I am a purest in that I don't like to put up Christmas stuff until after Thanksgiving. So, I decided we would make a thankful tree. I'll admit, this could have came out a lot classier but this was an impromptu project with stuff I had on hand. We wrote on the paper circles what we were thankful for. Henry said he was thankful for his family. Well, not exactly. I asked if he was thankful for his family and he said yes. So close enough, right?

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving.

PS. I am thankful that I ~~am smarter than~~ can beat Jason at Scabble. We picked the game a couple of weeks ago when Target had it on sale. I've never really played it because I am not really a great speller (if you read my blog you've probably figured that out by now). Surprisingly, I really like it. This snap shot is of our best game to date. We played almost every tile (just two little letters left). And, I won. I won. I won. If you can read the paper my score was 418 which I considered pretty good for a newbie. I realize because I am gloating, I will probably lose tonight. We have a rematch scheduled. Although I shouldn't brag about our scrabble playing because you can see from our board we aren't above slumming with four letter words.

Snowman family

2011-11-21T13:42:00.001-05:00

Henry is obsessed with snowmen right now. Like, he talks about them all the time. Needless to say when he saw a foam snowman craft kit on an end cap at wal-mart he boldly proclaimed "I neeeeeeeeed it." A phrase that is uttered quiet frequently at the Barks house. It was two bucks so I piked in up for him. He had entirely to much fun making the snow man. So when I was at Target a few days later and saw little snowmen kits a picked up two for Henry so he could make some snowmen ornaments. Apparently we are both impulse shoppers and product placement works well on both of us. When I got home he found the kit for the little snowman and started running around the house saying "I make a snowman family. Mommy snowman, Daddy snowman, Baby Alex snowman and Henry snowman!!!" It was so stinking cute that I ran to walmart to get one more big snowman kit so I could fulfill his snowman family dreams. Behold the Barks as snowmen . . . .

Incase you are wondering. I am the one frowning. I've mentioned I have been a bit blue and I guess Henry has been picking up the vibe. In addition to my frown he informed a friend that the mommy snowman had boobies. Seriously. I guess Henry is paying more attention that I realized when I am nursing Alex. I love our snowman portraits so much. I think I love them because it was his idea. I plan on leaving them up through the holidays. Henry is actually staying with his grandparents right now. I miss him so much but I do have to say it is nice to have some one on one time with Baby Alex. Henry insist on calling him Baby Alex. Because of this, Jason and I almost exclusively call him Baby Alex too. I wonder how old he will be when we stop? While I am rambling about my kids, I thought I would show you this . . .

Oh yes, that is two cribs. We are officially trying to house the boys in the same room. Wish us luck! Aren't their quilts super cute? My sister totally made them. While we are talking about things people made for the kids. Here are some adorable name prints a friend (hi Marissa) made for them.

I love them. You can't tell in the photo but they birthday dates are hidden in the collages. It only took me 6 month to hang them up. At the rate I am going I might have their room finished by the time Henry starts kindergarten.

Now I am off to finish up some seasonally appropriate crafts (i.e. Thanksgiving). One my favorite things about the holiday seasons is all the craftiness. 'Tis the season to make stuff.

The in between

2011-11-12T22:14:00.001-05:00

Life. Life is such a funny thing at times. There are moments of absolute certainty and others where you find yourself so perplexed that you can barely tell up from down. The last few months have been the latter for me. This year has been insane. There has been so much change in my life. As a result, I've been doing a lot of self evaluation lately. I have been looking at every aspect of my life. I am trying to steam line and organize everything. Naturally, I've been doing a lot of thinking about this space . . why do I blog and is it beneficial? Is it helping me be a better person, a better mother, a better friend or a wife? Truthfully, I can't answers these questions. I do know, for whatever reason, I enjoy blogging. It is sort of a weird hobby. I mean lots of people don't feel the need to share about their life in a public forum. I am not sure why, but I really enjoy documenting my life and sharing projects and such. The truth is, this site is just sliver of my life. I can't and don't share everything. After lots of thought, for the time being, I am going to keep this site up. I feel like I need to. I realize this is odd but in some small way this site helps me stay grounded or at least helps me remember why I do what I do. It is a way for me to celebrate the parts of my life that are good and that I want to remember. A life isn't built through all the stress, worry, heartbreaks and let downs of living. No, it is made up of all the little moments in between. Life is the joy of a good conversation, hearing your children's laughter, the beauty of nature and the wonder of creating something with your own two hands. For me, that is what this blog is. A place to document and remember the perfect little pieces of my life. A place to save and share beauty, joy and accomplishment.

In honor of the little things, here are some photos of lovely in between this weekend . . .

And, just for fun . . .

Yes, being chased by a wild toddler really is terrifying.

I need more Halloween

2011-11-01T09:22:00.002-04:00

Halloween is over. I love the excitement of waiting for a holiday. All the fun festivities leading up to the big day is half the fun. So needless to say, I kind of crash the day after. There is this let down of sorts. This deflated feeling of now what. Normally, this feeling is accompanied with a small level of relief. A peace of knowing all the busyness is behind you. Side note: I do realize that the busiest of all holiday seasons is right around the corner. However, on November 1st I am longing for the distraction. There has been so much going on in my life that Halloween was a welcomed distraction. And, this morning I am missing it. I loved having all the silliness and fun filling my mind. Halloween took me a million miles away from all the pressing stress and to-do list that are crowding my personal life. Hopefully Christmas, with all it's distractions will be here before we know it. But, for now here are some (okay alot) of halloween photos).

Sunday - Halloween Pre-gaming.

Special Halloween Apple Muffins for Breakfast. This recipe is one of my favorites. The only change I made is to use one cup of wheat flour and two cups of white. Yum.

Henry has learned important life skills from Yo Gabba Gabba like how to make a funny faces.

Roasting a hot dog with daddy.

He wanted to take the pumpkin with him to bed. Didn't quite grasp the concept that you can't really play with Jack-o-lanterns.

Halloween day - In addition to Trick or Treating, Henry had a party at preschool. Basically, he was on a sugar high all day.

Look what I found just laying in the yard. I tried so hard to get a photo of both the boys, it just wasn't meant to be.

By the end of the night someone was more than a little tired. This was the last house we hit up. Because no one likes a whiny pumpkin. We totally hit up downtown Cleveland again. I love living somewhere were we can just walk out our front door and trick or treat. Not just trick or treat but do so in an area that looks like a scene from a movie. I am always impressed with how much the homeowners get into to Halloween. The houses are all crazy over the top. And yes, it is crowded and you don't get a lot of candy but it is such a fun festive environment. I love seeing all the costumes and meeting up with our friends. It is one of my favorite things about living in Cleveland. It is kind of funny because on the surface Cleveland looks like a pretty conservative town. I saw a couple of churches with anti-halloween signs. But despite these few uptight folks the town seems to really get into the fun. Don't get me wrong Cleveland is still pretty tightly wound but occasionally the city let's it hair down and goes a little wild.

On the way home Henry informed us that he needed more Halloween. Don't we all need a little more fun? I know right now I do. So glad the holidays are almost here.

Holy Freakin' Candy

2011-10-28T08:40:00.001-04:00

It all about who you know, and we know someone who work at the M&M Mars factory in town. Stella's daddy works there and he got us on the list to come trick or treat at their boo bash. Holy freaking crap. The candy, oh the candy.

Yeah, that wagon is full of candy. Not just candy, good candy. Alex is literally being supported by candy.

For the first few minutes Henry just stared at the candy in shock. I am a bit strict with his candy consumption. Every time someone gave him candy he looked me like are you sure this is okay? I would smile at him and then he would gleefully say "henry's candy!"

Even Alex tried to get in on the candy eating fun.

This is Henry freaking out over a costume. He is not a fan of mask. It was so funny because Stella would reach out and touch his cheek and say "it's okay henry." Good thing he has Stella to take care of him. And good thing he has her parents to give him the candy hook up. Now lets just hope we don't all need new pants in a couple weeks. Trick or treating on Halloween is going to be a total let down after this.

October, I love you

2011-10-10T12:52:00.001-04:00

No matter what insanity if going on, I am hell bent on enjoying October. It is my favorite month of the year. It is season that I would miss the most if we ever moved. The weather is fabulous and there is something fun going on every weekend. Last weekend, as always, we enjoyed the Three Sisters Blue Grass festival. I don't have any photos, because my camera died but we were there and it was awesome. Henry can't stop talking about Boograsses. I wonder if I can find him a baby bango? Anyway, this weekend was also full of fall fun. And, this weekend I charged my batteries! Here comes picture over load!!! I'm sorry, I can't help myself.

First up, the tractor show. You can read all about the tractor show and how we get to hang out with the cool kids here. But I wanted to show you two photos side by side. Henry and Stella as babies and toddlers. More accurately, stubborn toddlers.

2009 - Squish little babies we could stick anywhere.

2011 - Opinionated toddlers who didn't want their photo taken

What a difference two years can make. Speaking of that difference, we now have this little fella in the mix. Yes, he is wearing the same little John Deere outfit as Henry.

This year why we were hanging out at the show Stella's mom (Hi Valerie) asked Jason if he would have ever imagine me at a tractor show when we were dating. No, no he would not. Not only at a tractor show but with my kids decked out in John Deere green. What can I say, I am embracing the fact that we have two little Tennessee boys. Look we even took a family picture in the Lamon's totally awesome John Deere model T replica golf cart. You read that right, this is golf cart.

While we were dating I also couldn't imagine the insanity of two little boys. But, here we are.

We spent the Sunday around the house. In between taking care of some stuff around the house we tired to enjoy the cool weather as much as possible. We had breakfast outside and then a fire in our fire pit with some friends. We didn't burn our friends, they were just there.

Henry was crying because he didn't want daddy to cook the marshmallow. He just wanted to eat it.

All in all, it was a good weekend. Here is to another week of Tennessee loveliness. Ahh, October you are wonderful.

Oh me, Oh my!

2011-10-06T12:26:00.003-04:00

I was going to write this long post about how weird and long the last week and a half has been but I am to exhausted to think. There was a prefect storm of crappie things all happening at once. It is when you are at your wits end that you often realize that you are blessed. My friends and family have been a great support over the last few days. Some problems are better and other are worse. I think right now I am working on getting my head in the right place. I know this post is so vague, I hate vague post. Somethings just can't be summed up in blog post form. Hopefully we will get back to the regular Barks senangins. But, for now some photo fun.

No matter what is going on (even when they are the source of the stress) these two little faces bring me so much joy.

I know they aren't looking at the camera but their little grins were so sweet.

I've been keeping Henry's friend Stella some during the week. Here they are decorating paper pumpkins. I love how Alex is just hanging out in the corner. Stella has been pretty easy but I think tossing another toddler in the mix has thrown me off balance a little bit.

This is a painting I am working on (it isn't finished yet, everything is taking longer these days) for an art class I am teaching at Michael's on Sunday. My class are just starting to pick up a little, this to might have added to the crazy week. You can find out more about my classes here, if you are local there are still a few spots open for Sunday's class.

Here is hoping that things stabilize next week! This mama wants no more drama.

The best little surprise

2011-09-21T11:13:00.001-04:00

I get to see this face every day all day . . .

This baby is the happiest little baby. And wiggliest, hence the blurry photo. He has personality coming out his ears. He is always talking and laughing. He wakes up giggling. Now don't get me wrong, when he is grumpy he channels this same energy into screaming. Fortunately, if we keep him fed and his diaper changed he doesn't really get grumpy to often. When I look at him I can't help but think that sometimes it is the little surprises that make life amazing. We thought we'd have another baby, but he came much sooner than we planned. He has turned our life upside down. The jump from one kid to two kids has been a HUGE adjustment for us. Maybe it just us but I can't even begin to describe how much of a shock to our system the addition of new little baby was for us. Every time I look at his sweet face I think about how we hadn't planned on him coming and yet I am so thrilled that he is with us. All the insanity is totally worth the perfection of having him join our family. I won't lie there are moments I look at him and think "oh I could have more babies." Then I remember pregnancy and the lack of sleep and the hormones and the money and I feel a-okay with my little family of 4.

Often I get the most rush of gooey love feeling when I watch the boys together. Alex thinks Henry hung the moon. He is constantly laughing at him. Henry is obsessed with "baby Alex." He is always wanting to touch him and play with him. So much so that at times it makes me a bit bananas. But then, you get sweet little moments and suddenly all the frustration melts away. I actually think that is a lot of what being a parent is. Choosing to focus on all the good parts instead of all the ways your kids can make you crazy. Anyone who says their kids never make them a little crazy is lying or has patience like a saint.

Henry wasn't loving the camera, hence the funny face.

The last one is my favorite. Alex looks so sneaky. It is like he is laughing at the fact Henry is grumpy. Heck, he might have been. There are times Henry flat our harasses that poor baby. It is because he loves him. I hope, in between all the harassing that over the years they will always love each other like they do now.

PS. Here is a little video of Alex being his funny little self. Yes, we were rocking out to Yo Gabba Gabba. It is required in order to keep Henry occupied long enough to feed Alex. Jason has been working a lot so most dinners are just me and the boys. Yeah, I am tired.

My New Gig

2011-09-19T11:55:00.002-04:00

I am technically no longer a full time stay at home mom. I had a good 4 month run. I am teaching Grumbacher painting classes at our local Michael's (learn more about the classes here). Now, that being said it is very much a part time gig. Actually, to quote a friend (hi Jenn) it isn't really a job it is more an extension of my hobby. I wasn't really looking for a job. It isn't really about the money, although that can't hurt. It is more a chance to get out of the house and connect with people. I love my boys but being home with them all the time can be a bit overwhelming (and turn your brain to mush). I am super excited! I just had my first class and I think it went well. Here are my first two students with their finished paintings. I think they did awesome.

Everyone can learn to paint. This was these gals very first painting! I might be more proud then they are. These classes are great because they establish the foundations. Once you get the basics down, there is no limit to what you can do. I love creating. I feel like having a creative outlet is so important. I am tickled that I get a chance to share with others the joy of painting and creating.

I happen to be the world's messiest painter. I can't help myself. I seem to get paint everywhere. After class a wandered over to Target for cup of coffee (putting starbucks in targets was the best idea ever) and a little shopping. They are in the same shopping area. The temptation was too strong. Jason gladly let me shop alone while he managed the boys. I hadn't had a chance to look at the Missoni line yet, which was crazy picked over. While I was in line for my coffee I noticed the lady beside me looking at me weird. As soon as I got a chance I discretely gave my self a once over. I had paint all over my arm and I little on my face. Classy.

Gosh, I can't believe I found a job where I get paint and meet new people. It is pretty great! If you are local, you can find out about the classes by clicking here. They are $25 for two hour classes and you leave with a finished painting. My next class is Thursday, September 29th at 6:30 pm and I will be teaching the painting below.

Sketchy

2011-09-15T15:29:00.000-04:00

I have been trying to be much more intentional about sketching. Truthfully I have been a bit lazy about sketching for a last several years. I used to do it a lot when I was in college but you know how life is, you get busy. I had been kicking around the idea of incorporating more drawing and doodling into my life when I stumbled on to Alisa Burke's blog. Her sketchbooks are amazing and so inspiring. She has a great post (which you can read here) about what she uses to sketch. So, I set about getting me a little "sketch kit" all ready to go. If I wasn't inspired enough, I was lucky enough to win a free spot in her "Beneath the Surface" class. The class deals with surface design which is greatly improved by . . you guessed it . . sketching (aka exploring the world around you). Quick note about the class, her classes are unlimited access and it is awesome. It has allowed me to take it slow and really soak in all her info. Alot of online classes have a firm start and end date. I like her teaching style too. I am hoping to take her watercolor class soon. Okay, back to the sketching . . .

Here is what is in my little bag (that I made):

I have a Koi Travel Watercolor set, it is amazing and worth ever penny. It comes with a really cool paint brush that has water in it so you don't have to have a water vessel with you to paint. This also makes it easy to paint with grabby little toddler hands around. I have my favorite green H2 drawing pencil and gray gummy easier. I have a several markers and pens. And, in my pencil case I have some little rags that I use for blotting up excess water when painting. Speaking of my pencil bag, my friend (hi Jenn) picked it up for me in Cambodia. It is made from a recycled cement bag, very cool. And, last but not least, I have the most glorious sketchbook. I splurged and got a moleskin watercolor book. Oh my word, I love it. I have never had something so nice. Something about it just makes you want to be creative. The main reason I "justified" purchasing it was the durable cover and elastic closer. I wanted something that wasn't going to be ruined banging around in my purse. But really, I just wanted something fussy and I got it at good price on amazon.

And now, a few pages . . .

I am hoping my new set up will help me keep sketching! I am also hopping that I am able to keep it away from toddler hands, they have away of finding things . . .

PS. Speaking of art fun, I am teach paint classes at our local Michael's! Click here to find out more!

Twenty Years from Now

2011-09-12T12:57:00.000-04:00

There were a lot of things that we should have done yesterday. We, like most grown ups have a never ending list of projects, repairs and maintenance items that need to be done in and around our house. Maybe because it was the anniversary of 911, you couldn't listen to the news without hearing stories of love ones people had lost. Or maybe it was just because I am aware of how fast the boys are growing up (and how busy we have been). Regardless for why, I just felt like we needed to get out and make some memories. Jason kept prattling off list of things that had to be done. He had a point but I just looked at him and said "twenty years from now we aren't going to remember or care that the grass was mowed, what we will remember is the picnic we took with the boys." And yes, he was quick to point out that it was a very romantic notion but not entirely practical. However, sometimes you just have to let some stuff go and enjoy life a little. Jason did tackle the pressing household issue, our leaking dishwasher. He fixed, because he is amazing. Once that was done and few other small mundane things we packed up the kiddies and took off for our picnic. Was it amazing? Yes! Will we remember it years from now? Yes! And if we forget, I have a crap ton of photos. Because I am Jaime and that is what I do. Behold, our picnic . . .

Boats momma, BOATS!

"Let me get this straight, I can throw this rock?" This trip might have sent some mixed messages about rock throwing. Let's hope he doesn't nail a kid in the head on the playground today at preschool.

See the big bird? He wanted to eat us up, for real. He would come up to Jason, stick out his chest and hiss. He wasn't playing.

A friends who gives you cupcakes in a friend in deed (thank you Jenn). This one is a bourbon cupcake, it changed my life.

The prettiest weed I ever did see.

Henry trying to carry the big rock in his basket. This resulted in him yelling "help daddy, help." Then once Jason picked up the basket there were shouts of "come on daddy, come on" as he gleefully toddled to the shore.

Our meal . . black bean burgers (on toast because we didn't have any buns) and baked sweet potatoes. Jason noted that we were probably the only people in the park grilling black bean burgers. What? Me weird? Never. I used this recipe. Mine always seem to come out on the soupy side. I spoon them on to wax paper (in a patty shape) then freeze them. Once they are solid I put then a bag, I like to make a bunch at one time. Then I can just pull a couple out for dinner. Yummy, healthy and quick. I did serve these with spicy garlic mayo, which I am currently obsessed with. Not a really a healthy obsessions but I feel like the black bean burger helps balance it out. To make it I grate a small clove of garlic into a half cup of mayo. I then add a table spoon and a half of spicy brown mustard, a few diced fresh basil leaves and some black pepper. I adore it.

Alex had his first taste of sweet potatoes. Messy. They potatoes are from our CSA and they have the best flavor and the brightest color, as seen on Alex's face.

"I blow it out. One more time daddy, more time peas." This went on until the match was gone.

"Henry, I don't care that you don't want your photo taken. I will get a picture with you, I will."

And last, the boys all washed up and in adorable striped PJs. Durning bath time all Henry talked about was going back to see the boats and ducks. I think there will be another picnic soon. Maybe even camping, I think we might be up for some camping. Maybe.

PS. Little chubs . . . fat, happy and clean.

My boys

2011-09-08T15:04:00.000-04:00

Life is in this strange and wonderful state of pure insanity right now. Life with the boys is wonderful and intense. When things are good, they are really good. The other day when it was raining Henry and I turned the dinning room table into a massive fort while Alex was napping. We crawled inside and made shadow puppets with a flash light. It was a perfect, fun moment. But, when things are bad they are really bad. Toddlers have two gears, adorable and abominable. For example, yesterday morning Henry had an epic meltdown. He didn't want to wear a jacket. I stood my ground because winter will be here soon and it is time for him to get used to coats. He proceeded to lay down in the doorway and scream "I don't want it, no thanks" over and over at the top of his lungs. This resulted in Alex crying. Which resulted in me wanting to cry. The obvious problem with the currant age of my guys is that it is so easy to focus on the stress and frustration. Right now I just feel like I live a life of contradictions. Being at home with the boys is the best thing I have ever done, but it is also the hardest. In order to help me through the bad parts I am trying to make a consious effort to focus on all the wonderful things.

So today, I am celebrating this sweet video I got of the boys playing. Henry loves to play with Alex. It is sweet although I do constantly make sure Henry isn't hurting Alex (you can see in the video). I am constantly saying things like "don't drive cars on Alex's face." Alex, loves the attention. He thinks Henry hung the moon. His giggles only fuel Henry's desire to be in his face. I hope they always like each other this much.

What am not celebrating today? Henry's marshmallow induced rage (he saw them and wanted to eat them all). Alex's poop and spit up of enormous size. Just keeping it real, you know they aren't always this sweet.

PS. Just for fun, here is Henry singing me a song. Which makes my heart melt. At the end he starts singing about something yucky because he is a little boy after all.

Teeny, Tiny Paintings

2011-09-06T14:28:00.003-04:00

I've been having so much fun making ATCs (Artist Trading Cards). I am going to participate in my first swap this month, which got me thinking . . . anyone want to swap with me? I would love to start a little collection of cards. A quick image search on google or pinterest will show you that approaches to ATCs are all over the place. Some are more like scrapbook pages while others are more in the fine art vein. Basically, anyone can make them! If you would like to swap email me at jaime@barksblog.com (or message me on facebook). We can exchange addresses and share the joy of getting lovely creative stuff in the mail (so much better than bills). Making little works of art is good for your soul. I also think it would be fun to have a whole stash of these to give to friends and family as little thank yous. I mean, I know I would love to get a little tiny painting. Maybe it is just me but I think everything in the world is more adorable when it is tiny. Here is what I have so far . . .

Below are some close ups of each one. The top two have a totally different feel than the bottom two. I am really in the process of trying to get a feel for what my style of painting is. Almost all painters have a certain feel or style about their work. I am all over the place. The ATC are fun way to explore different approaches and techniques. I am working on watercolor ones today. They are also quick, which is awesome. I love big pieces but these days I just don't have the time to spend on big paintings. These are great because I can knock out one or two during nap time. Oh nap time. I love it so when the boys nap at the same time. Which doesn't seem to be happening today. Boo.

P.S. We've got 10.28 inches of rain in two days. Our whole town is water logged. As some one who hasn't left the house in two days (baby + toddler + rain = soaking wet momma) it has been crazy to see all the photos and videos that people are posting on facebook of the flooding. I just felt like I couldn't post today without mentioning the nutso weather. I did get a little video of Henry looking at the rain. He felt the need to inform me of the fact that it was raining every half hour or so. I felt like it poured rain like this all day yesterday (and off and on today).

There is an upside . . . . it is only 65 degrees out! I think there might be a bowl of soup in my future! Rejoice!

An Ode to Poop

2011-09-03T10:43:00.002-04:00

I've been trying to craft a several post about a wide assortment of things - my new sketching habits, attempts at order, some ATC I've done, recipes - but I just can't seem to organize my thoughts. So, instead I give you an iphone video of Henry sining about "Yucky Poo Poo." This went on for a while before my friend (hi Jenn) decided to try to capture it on film. We didn't think to record earlier because we were to busy cracking up. He is either going to be a prolific song writer like Ryan Adams or make poop jokes like Sarah Silverman (am I the only person who just doesn't think she is funny?). Anyway, I will blame the fact that my brian is fried because I live with this . . .

Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!

5 Things

2011-08-31T06:53:00.005-04:00

The last few days I've lost my rhythm. Well, I don't know if I ever really had a rhythm. But, it seemed like the boys and I were getting into the swing of things a bit. Anyone with small kids knows it is all kind of a crap shoot. Most days I just put my head between my legs and hope I don't throw up (or get thrown up on). It seems like you have good days and bad days. The last few days haven't been bad, they just haven't been great. They have been the kind of days were I am climbing the walls by the time Jason comes home. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that Henry is two and he is really good at it. He is testing his boundaries and learning how to control his emotions. Which means mommy is learning to control her emotions. Toddlers have to be cute to keep you from throwing them out the window. One moment he is the most adorable, lovable thing in the whole world. The next moment he is the most frustrating little person ever. Needless to say, my productivity has been low. But, I am just trying to roll with the punches and enjoy the sweet little moments. Like today when Henry woke up from his nap still a little sleepy. He curled up beside me on the couch and drifted off to sleep while laying on my chest. While he snoozed I feed Alex who also fell asleep on my chest. There I set, literally covered in sleepy little boys. It was sweet. And, after Henry had a full on screaming fit when it was time to leave the playground today I deserved some snuggles. And now, five things from this week that make me happy . . .

1. Perfect imperfection.

Every since my friend (hi cassie) made this unbelievable cool rainbow cake at her daughter's birthday I have been obsessed with layer cakes. The thing is, I don't really know what I am doing. Some how I screwed up my gradient teal cake that I made from a little get together this weekend. I think I broke one of the layers. I not even really sure what I did. Fortunately the social function this cake was for was with our closest friends, who wouldn't judge me for cake failure. The thing is, even through it was falling apart when I sliced the other side I still got a decent piece of cake. Not only did it look nice it tasted yummy. I used the Real Simple Cake guide, which I now swear by. I have made, umm, more than a few cakes using it. This cake was a vanilla cake with peach butter cream icing. Oh, it was good. Thank god it is gone, cake for dessert every night is good for NO ONE.

2. Soup

I love me some soup when it isn't 90 degrees outside. Unfortunately all the ingredients to make yummy fresh soup are available when it is hot and humid out. While I was whining about this "problem" I had a breakthrough. Yes, it was a rather obvious one. Make the soup now, eat it later. So I did. I made tomato and butternut squash soup and I put them in my freezer. I now have 5 quarts of soup for the cold days ahead. Oh I can't wait for a cool fall night!

3. Eating NOT from mommy.

Someone doesn't like to take a bottle. It doesn't matter that mommy has taken time pump him yummy breast milk (side note: pumping makes you feel like a jersey cow). Since he is 4 months this week we decided to introduce food. I know it is early but this kid was ready and so am I. Don't worry, that food is homemade. Oh yes, I am back on the baby food making bandwagon. He is mainly eating baby cereal right now but I did let him take a little taste of some pears I made. I put some pears, peaches and butternut squash in the freezer this week for when he is ready. I didn't want to but I had the food on hand, and it was going to go bad. The summer harvest has a way of forcing you to drag your lazy butt into the kitchen.

4. Like father, like son.

The cutest part is this wasn't posed. Henry saw Jason practicing and he immediately went and got his chair and guitar. You can tell by his face, Henry was singing. Henry's sings all the time. All. the. time.

5. Yucky Bubbles/

Bubbles are fun, until you accidental get them in your mouth. We are awesome parents. What do we do when our toddler ingest bubble solution? Laugh, of course. I mean look at his face? And he said "yucky bubbles." Don't worry after laughing and taking a picture I did give him a drink. We aren't totally awful.

P.S. Look at this little man rag doll!! He was inspired by my little man. Although, I must say I think Jenny's is way cuter. She has totally inspirited me to get busy making a few more dolls. Her blog is lovely, if only I could read it : )

P.P.S Today is the last day to vote from Henry and Stella! They are in second place so vote, vote, vote!

A date and a skirt

2011-08-26T07:23:00.000-04:00

Jason and I had a chance to have a little mid-day date the other day. Henry goes a parents day out program two days a week for five hours a day. They have an infant room and on Wednesday we dropped off both the kiddos and headed to chattanooga for a little grown up outing. I wish I could say that I was hesistant to drop off Alex and Henry, but I wasn't. After Jason's trip we need a little time to hang out. Also, Henry's PDO is great. He was been there since he was 6 months old, we are really comfortable with the techers there. I am not someone who thinks parents need lots a time away from their kids. Which is good, because we rarely do get time away. But, I do think that having a little "date" time now and then is a good thing. Anyway once we got rid of our little ankle bitters we hit up chattanooga. I took embrassingly few photos. I was so caught up in enjoying the day. I did snap this photos of Jason's pancakes of unusal size.

These are, hands down, the biggest panckaes I have ever seen. Jason made the mistake of odering the tall stack. Our firend (Hi Cassie) had told me about the gigantic pancakes (and told me about the place) but I forgot. Of course I remembered when Jason's plate arrived. Needless to say, he wasn't able to finish them. They were amazingly delicious.

As you can tell from the mug, we ate breakfast at Aretha Frankenstien's. It is a quirky hole in the wall, off the beaten path and super tiny breakfast place. It was even visited by Racheal Ray, but don't hold that against the place. It lives up the hype. I will say it isn't the place to go if you are in a hurry, or if you have kids with you. But, if you are in the mood for a leisurly paced delicious meal this is a good place to stop by. Well, if you can find parking.

In honor of our little outing I got the hair brained idea to make myself a new skirt. Jason went over to friend's house on Tuesday night for poker so I decided to sew a little. The main reason I decided to even try to make is skirt is I remembered this super simple retro pattern I had picked up at a thrift store (for a quarter).

Oh yeah, check out those sweet "sun tanned" pantyhose with open toe sandals. Why, oh why did anyone think this was a good look? I think, this is one of the easiest patterns I have ever used. It is a simple wrap skirt. It has no gathers, pleats or zippers. I've seen several tutorials online that are pretty similar to this pattern if you are interested in a wrap skirt of your own.

Here is my new skirt from the pattern.

You are probably wondering why I took a photo of myself in a dirty bathroom in Coolidage park. While I love my husband dearly, I have banned him from taking photos of me. He is just bad at taking pictures. Really bad. Although, in this photo I didn't do so hot. I look like eating my camera.

Case in point, a photo he snapped of me in the first skirt I made from this pattern (this is last spring).

Do you see giant coffee stain? Somehow, Jason missed that when he was taking the photo. His inattention to detail isn't the only reason he has been kicked off photography duty. He also has a general bad attitude about taking photos and he manages to make me look awful in 80% of the photos he takes. Anyway, back to the skirt. I've made two and love them. Making clothes is hard. I have attempted several pattern and/or tutorials only to find that I hate the way the finished project looks on me. You can't try on a pattern to see if it fits. It is kind of a crap shoot. And, mostly I loose. Although, this one little skirt has been lucky for me. Maybe, I will sew more clothes. I probably won't. I do plan on having more dates with Jason. Even if he can't take photos.

5 Things

2011-08-22T21:45:00.001-04:00

Five things that make me happy right now.

1. A father and his son. A father that I am so happy to have home.

2. The mess of the creative process and fresh flowers.

3. A boy literally trying to fill his daddy's shoes.

4. Jars of spiced pear preserves, I used this recipe. The jam taste like fall.

5. City and Colour. They provided the perfect mellow background music for our weekend.

Late Night Sewing

2011-08-21T14:44:00.000-04:00

Friday night I was up crazy late sewing up a storm. Okay, not really that late. But, it was late for me. I am not a night owl. I was staying up because Jason was finally coming home after a week away. I really wanted to wait up for him. Once the boys were asleep I set about knocking out two sewing projects that had been floating around in the empty space between my ears. You know, the place were my brain was before I became a mom. I wanted to make a new purse/tote bag for me and smaller bag for my art supplies. I used to think bag making was really hard but once you understand the basic concept it is really simple. Most lined bags follow the same basic format. Now, to get the point of understanding I had to make a few crappie bags and read an insane amount of tutorials. That being said I was able to make both of these without a pattern.

First, the gigantic mommy bag with intentionally long handles . . . .

The fun part of making your own bag is that you can make it the way you want. I knew I wanted it big and with long straps. I like bags with long handles but you usually only find them in a hobo style bag. These straps are long enough that I can put it over my head, you know where the strap fall across your chest like a beauty queen banner. I'm the first to admit this isn't the best look but handy when you are chasing a toddler. I used a mash up of this tutorial and this one. The first one has great info about the magnet snap (I will never use anything else again), the straps and the piping.

Check out that sweet piping . . .

Why don't I use it more often? So easy. I don't even have a pipping foot. Well, that I know of. I am borrowing my sister fancy machine and it has all kinds of attachments. I didn't see anything that I thought was a pipping foot. That is how little I know about sewing people.

Note about the fabric, it used to be my curtains. See here we are standing in front of them, before we knocked the wall down. Awe, Henry was SO LITTLE.

I picked them up at thrift store for a couple bucks. It used to be one big heavy pleated panel. When we remolded I held on them because I loved the material. I finally came up with something to do with it, a bag. I still have a ton of fabric left, but I will come up with something.

Last thing about my bag . . .

See the bird on the pocket? Doesn't it make you happy? It makes me happy. I know the lining isn't exciting but it was the curtain lining. The green fabric is an old fat quarter I got from Jason's mom. Which means I only had to buy the pipping, interfacing and snap. I have under $10 in this bag. Cheap is nice.

The second little sewing project is a mini-tote bag for my art stuff.

This bag is made from a vintage apron. An apron that I don't have a photo of before I cut it up. It came from my great aunt's estate. It is handmade but I have no idea if she made it. Before anyone gets their panties in a wad about me hacking up an old family heirloom. The strap was broken. I thought about fixing it but it would have been tricky and I never wear dainty little aprons. I wear aprons but I like full ones. I make to much of a mess for cute little half aprons. I cut farbic so I have sweet little tulip pockets on both sides

This holds my new sketch book and travel watercolor set along with my favorite pens and pencils. I've been sketching a lot more, but more on that later. This bag is small enough to fit nicely in my purse but big enough that I could carry it by itself. It also looks a nice setting on my china hutch which is were these guys tend to hang out when not in use.

The lining is a vintage pillow case that I picked up for a $1 at Goodwill. I love the pattern. I feel like pretty things help foster creativity. The only thing I had to buy for this little guy was the lining fabric. Everything else I had on hand (batting, interfacing, thread), I even had a snap left over from the purse.

My plan worked and I was wide awake when Jason came home. Granted I was covered in thread and fabric trimming. I might have looked a little crazy but I was awake and wired. Every time I finish a project I get this little mini-euphoric high. Poor Jason had to come home to his crafty wife who was hopped up on caffeine and project completion buzz. Good thing he is used to my craziness by now. He didn't even seem to notice the copious amounts of fabric and thread scatted all over our bedroom (where my sewing machine is). Let me tell you people, sewing is much messier than you might think.

And yes, having Jason home is awesome. It has been so nice to have my best friend back. I do love chatting and hanging out with him. Okay, it is also nice to have someone to help with all those dirty diapers, and laundry, and temper tantrums and well with everything. Single parents, you have my respect.

Blessing Banner

2011-08-18T13:50:00.001-04:00

Jason . . okay . . .Jason and most of our friends give me crap about having a little hippie streak. I am far removed from a real hippie. But, I have been known to make my clothes and bread. Alright, I have also made my own deodorant (more on that later). I promise I will NEVER stop shaving my arm pits. While I have some crunchy tendency, I am still not quiet hippie material. All that to say, as I was hanging my hand made blessing banner that I made for the Art of Giving Class that I am taking all I kept thinking is "this is sure gonna bring on some hippie jokes." And, they would be deserved. I mean nothing says free loving hippie like a hand made blessing banner. But you know what, I don't care because I love it.

I do love it. It makes me happy to look at it. I don't think it is something I would permanently incorporate into my kitchen decor but for the time being it is delightful. Practically speaking, the wall with my kitchen sink is a bit of a bland. So, this colorful banner cheers the space up. I have visions of redoing the cabinets and tiling the back splash but let's be honest that isn't gonna happen anytime soon. Beyond brightening up the space, I really love the idea of filling my home with words of blessing. Yes, I just wrote that sentence. I feel like I should go light some incense and start adding patchouli to my handmade lotion. Regardless of how silly it seems, I enjoyed the process of picking my words and creating the banner. Looking at it makes me think of all the blessings and gifts that are in our lives. I initially tackled the class project because I wanted to experiment with painting on unstretched canvas, which I thought was a little tricky. The project actually turned out to be relaxing and mediative. The teacher mentioned the idea of making this as a gifts. I think a mini one (like to hang on a bulletin board) would be such a nice gift for someone. And, it would further push me into hippiness.

For fun . .

See the little bottle? It is a syrup bottle from Cracker Barrel. I got the idea from my mother-in-law. She eats breakfast there with some friends and one of the ladies came up with the idea. I think it makes the sweetest little bud vase.

PS. I blame this softness on the boys. I still shop at Target, frequent Starbucks, use paper towels and live with a healthy does of cynicism and sarcasm. I still have a far way to go to full fledge free loving hippie status. Now I am off to wash clothes with homemade detergent and make some pear preserves . . . .

The last few days . .

2011-08-17T12:04:00.000-04:00

Having kids is a lesson in patience and self sacrifice. Don't get me wrong, I love my kiddos and they bring more to my life than they take from it. But, make no mistake having a little one makes every thing a bit more difficult. I constantly find myself thinking, what did I do with all my free time before I had children? We seriously took for granted the freedom we had when it was just the two of us. I think we are still adjusting to our new normal. Which is pure insanity with our two boys. I think I am dwelling on the chaos because last weekend we took our first trip with two kids and this week Jason is traveling for work so I am home alone with our little guys. These two events would make any parent wax poetic about the leisurely pace of life pre-parenthood. It hasn't been bad, just a little silly.

I do have a little collage of photos from our trip this weekend. We headed to South Carolina to visit Jason's parents. It was a lovey trip and we all enjoyed our time in the country. See that first photo? That is what our dining room table looked like we when got home and started unpacking. Oh my word the junk we have to haul around now that we have kids. I am happy to report that it only took us 4 hours to get all the crap put up. When you have two kids 4 hours is a reasonable time frame for getting things done.

Wanna know were Jason is? He is in Vegas. Yeah, it isn't fair. When I was dropping him off at the airport he tried to tell me not to be jealous because it was, after all, for work. Nice try buddy. He is staying in a nice hotel (that he doesn't have the clean) and having adult conversations. I was going to say no one will be popping and spitting up on him, but he is in Vegas so those things could happen. The upside is, he is going to owe me some baby sitting when he gets home. I am already thinking of all the ways I want to spent my alone time : ).

Just Alex

2011-08-10T12:21:00.003-04:00

You can't deny it, things are just different for the second child. Alex's infancy is no where near as peaceful as Henry's (nothing is peaceful with a toddler). Also, he doesn't get our undivided attention like Henry did as a baby. Then again, there are some upsides. I think we are much more comfortable in our parenting skin. We are a lot less prone to freak outs. I also think we are more aware of all the little nuances of his growth and development. We (obviously) noticed them with Henry but I think this time we are a touch more observant because we really do understand how fast they change. I can't imagine what it is like when you have more kids. I have no intentions of finding out. Two is our magic number.

Last week Alex turned 3 months old. In honor of this little milestone I thought I would write a little post that was just about him. A chance to show off his chubby cute babieness. He has gotten so chunky I have taken to calling him chubs. I realize that it probably isn't the most endearing nic-name but it is so fitting. It is funny to look at him and think of how tiny he was when he was born. Just a little 6.1 pound cutie. He made up for his low birth weight by binge drinking for the first month of his life. He still nurses a lot just not quiet as much. To quote Jason "are you boobs always hanging out?" Yes, yes they are. This is the part of the post that will horrify Alex when he reads this as adult. I look at humiliation as a little pay back for the stress the boys are certain to cause as teenagers. Boobs! I had to get that in there one last time, for good measure. Now on the photos, of Alex not my boobs : )

All packed and ready to go.

Oh mother, I am hungry. Again.

That man with the beard is funny.

Next to feeding, Alex's second favorite past time is chewing on his fist. I have a sneaky suspicion that he is going to cut his teeth early.

This baby is saucy. He does everything with intensity. When he is happy he laughs so hard he snorts. The same goes for when he is upset, he doesn't just cry. His whole face turns red, he kicks and screams. I am so curious to see if these larger than life personality traits carry over into his childhood. Henry was a mellow and laid back baby. Alex is sweet but he has a little more spunk than his brother did as this age.

And, in closing I leave you this this photo Cassie took during his newborn shoot. Isn't it amazing the difference 3 months make?

Alex, we are so happy to have in our family.

PS. Here are photos of Alex hot out of the oven. So little.

Art Journaling and Gratitude

2011-08-08T15:12:00.001-04:00

I week or so go I mention an e-class that Regina Lord from Creative Kismet was hosting. I have been fortunate to get the chance to take the glass. It has been beyond wonderful. It is funny because I was really more interested in learning more about painting techniques and collage ideas than I was about the gratitude component of the class. However, I am really enjoying all the writing prompts and reflection about living a life of gratitude. It has brought up all kinds of questions and thoughts. I've had some great conversations because of this class (and I just finished the first week). Now, don't get me wrong, the class has also been full of great art instruction too. I have learned all kinds of new things. We've been doing some art journalling. Something I have never done before. I tend to have a very utilitarian view of art these days. I usually only tackle a painting for a specific purpose. I don't think making a painting because you want something to hang over your bed is bad, I just think that sometimes you just need to paint for fun not for purpose. This is were art journalling has been perfect. Just making something for the joy of creating and reflecting. I think I am going to focus this journal on things that make me happy and bring my joy. That way I can flip through it when I need little reminders. Now, I am moving at a pretty slow pace because my life is kind of a zoo these days but here are a my two favorite finished pages . . .

This one is for my mom. One day the class focused on healing hurts and focusig on beauty. I spent a long of time thinking about mom while working on this. She has been gone for 4 years. I miss her so much that sometimes that I try not to think about her. When I do think of her I find myself dwelling more on the pain of missing her than reflecting on her life. This little doodle was a great way to reflect on her beauty and strength. The little bird is a song bird, at least it is in my mind. My mom was always singing and more than anything I remember her sining hymns. She also loved blue. I know this sounds kind of corny (Or at least it does to me, the cynic that I am) but painting this and thinking about mom was very therapeutic. I think I want to expand on this idea and making a larger painting with a similar feel. I have a spot in my dinning room that I need something to hang : ).

This doodle is all about my little boys. It is hard to read but their hands have words that describe each of them and the sky is words that come to mind when I think about our life together.

In addition to the doodles Jason and I have started keeping gratitude journals. I have seen this idea pop up lots of places and when it came up in the class I decided this would be a great time for us to start journaling. It isn't that we are unhappy with our life and need an attitude adjustment. It is because our life is moving so fast and we both feel like we don't always have time to process all the wonderfulness of life with two small kids. It is easy to think about the messes and the poop (I changed clothes 3 times the other day because of Alex). These little journals force us to think about the good things.

After purposing the idea of the gratitude journal Jason asked me if I was a life coach now. I guess the art journaling and gratitude journaling does kind of have that whole cheese ball self improvement feel to it. Don't worry, I totally responded to Jason with a sarcastic reply. A little journaling doesn't been I am going to start having family communication sessions. But, taking steps to be more engaged and happy in your life is a good thing. Yes, yes a very good thing indeed.

Running Towards MILF-iness

2011-08-05T08:47:00.006-04:00

I'm lucky. I know I am. For the most part, shedding my baby weight wasn't all that hard. Okay, it was kind of easy. There are lots of women who struggle to loose those extra baby pounds. After Henry was I found myself 15 pounds lighter than when I got pregnant. Now, don't get me wrong I am not (nor will ever be) a skinny minnie. What did I do you ask? Breast feeding exclusively for 10 months. Breast feeding is the easiest/laziest work out you will every do. Secondly, I practiced portion control. Oh, I did eat cookies and ice cream. Pregnancy (both times) left me with an insatiable sweet tooth. But, I only ate one cookie a night or a really small bowl of ice cream. I applied this to all my food intake. Eat when you are hungry and don't eat a lot. And, the last thing that I did . . . I did a half marathon. Well, to honest the marathon kind of did me (did me in that is). You can read all about my first half marathon experience here.

After slimming down after Henry, the pressure was on to do the same after Alex. Fortunately my good luck has prevailed and the pounds are coming off pretty easy. I am surprised as anyone. My mom put the fear of god about getting fat after having a baby. I envisioned months of extreme dieting and massive work outs. I always joke my mom would be as proud to see me as a mother as she would be to see me thin. She spent her entire life struggling with her weight. I have been fortunate enough to find a strategy that has kept me the same size I was when I graduated high school. Which is a 10/12 by the way, like I said I am no twig. While I can fit unto my pre-pregnancy clothes I am in awful shape and I've got a few extra pounds still hanging around. Everything shakes like a bowl full of jelly, and only Santa can make that look cute. So, it looked like it might be time to sign up for another half marathon. Yes, I am subjecting myself to voluntary torture and possible public humiliation. Again. But this time it is going to be extra special. First, I am doing the Disney Princess Half Marathon. It is the most fabulously, girly event event. Most the women dress up in tutus and you get to run through Cinderella's castle. Oh yeah, I totally going to run in the freaking tutu. But, the best part of this run is that I am getting to do with my sisters and niece! I can't wait! Well, I can wait a little bit. The run isn't until February which is good since I have a lot of work to do.

In preparation we are all training for a 5K first. My sisters and niece (along with a bunch of family and friends) are training together since they all live in Florida. The lone Tennessean that I am, I am left to train alone. I am, however, actually running a 5k. My family is just training but not actually running one. Jason and I both are doing the Susan G. Komen 5K in Chattanooga at the end of September. His work is putting in a team and the timing is perfect. We are using this amazing app to train. It is the Get Running (Couch to 5K) app. I can't say enough about how great it is. It has caused me to push myself much more than I would have on my own. Which brings me to the point of this entire, rambling post . . . I made an ipod holder arm band thing (what do you actually call these things?).

This project was crazy quick. Start to finish it took me less than 45 minutes and I got to use left over fabric. I didn't have a pattern or tutorial, I just kind of made it up. I based it off one my sister had made. I used it last night and it worked great. It is just a simple lined pouch with a elastic button closer and an elastic casing attached to the back.

I sewed my elastic to the wrong side. Ooops! It still works. After searching the internet I found a tutorial for a quilted case (assembled the same as mine) that uses printed flat elastic instead of elastic in a casing. I am going to make another one using this idea. I think it would be a bit more comfortable. In the mean time my free ipod case will work just fine.

PS. When I finished this Henry look at it and said "ohhh cute." Apparently I say that more than I realize. He then begged to have it put on his arm. As soon as I did he said "I running." Only he didn't really run. He took off in this slow wobbly jogging. I am pretty sure he was mocking me.

Shameless Promotion

2011-08-02T12:15:00.003-04:00

Please vote for Stella and Henry in the Tennessee Farm and Home magazine photos contest. Click on the photo below or on the side bar on the left to vote. You can vote once a day so please vote often.

I already think these are two of the cutest kids in Tennessee but winning a little contest would solidify their title. And seriously, they are adorable. Just look at Stella feeding Henry a fresh picked strawberry from her Pawpaw's garden?

Thanks for playing along!

Happy Little Chair

2011-08-01T20:04:00.002-04:00

I picked this chair up back in 2007. My life has drastically changed since we brought this little fella. At the time I had just started working for Habitat for Humanity (this chair is from the ReStore) and we had just bought our house. Now, a four years later I am a full time stay at home mom with two kiddos. It is amazing how different your life can look in a matter of a couple of years. We finally got around the fixing this little guy up. We are happy to get it out of the shop and into our home.

After some paint and fabric it is a totally different chair. I was going to snap a photo of just the chair but a certain toddler saw the camera and decided that it was time to say cheese.

Here is looking at you kid.

He was really working it for the camera.

Since Henry got to take a photo on the chair. We thought Alex should have a chance to pose as well.

He also felt the need to give a little over the shoulder poses as well.

The best part is, the whole project was $7. The chair was $5. The fabric was $2, I found it at Goodwill. I still have several yards left. The cushion batting, the paint, the ploycoat and the staples we already had on hand. It was just a matter of getting it done, which we finally did. It only took us 4 years.

PS. Just for fun, here is a pictured I snapped this morning. Henry is asking "are you sure I can't color on the walls? Not even just a little?"

Homemade ketchup and a baby to eat it on

2011-07-29T20:32:00.002-04:00

I made homemade ketchup! Seriously, it is pretty cool. I had been kicking around the idea because Henry, like all toddlers, loves ketchup. I think he would drink it straight from the bottle if I let him. You can get ketchup without bad stuff but they still have a lot of sugar. Of course, I think up all kinds of crazy things to try that I don't always get around to actually doing. The ketchup probably would have fallen into this category. However, I was lucky enough to get a bunch of cracked and ugly tomatoes from our CSA. The kind of tomatoes that demand immediate attention. The crap part is I got these little loves on the same night we were having some friends over for dinner.

This is what my sink looked like . .

These were on the verge of going bad so I had to do something with them the day I got them. I found myself blanching, peeling and chopping tomatoes while cleaning the house, working on dinner and taking care of my kids. At one point I called my sister the tell her that I was insane. INSANE. No one in their sane mind would set about making ketchup. See, even I think I am weird. I did manage to get all the tomatoes peeled chopped and in the crockpot in time to straighten up the house, cook lasagna, make bread and get myself and the boys presentable. No. Small. Feat. I let my ketchup cook on low all night. You have to cook the excess liquid out. In the morning I took to canning them up and I ended up 8 pints worth of ketchup.

It turned out a little twangy. Almost a little more like BBQ sauce. Henry loves it, which is really all the matters. I mashed together two recipes (this one and this one). I followed the cooking directions of the later. I mixed them up because I was working with the spices I had on hand. I had to estimate anyway because I had no idea how many pounds of tomatoes my sink holds. I used brown sugar, vinegar, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cumin, garlic and onion. Overall it turned out pretty good for my first attempt at ketchup.

Now as to what to do with all the ketchup? I might just use it to gobble all of Alex's baby cuteness. He is in that delicious perfect baby window. It is before teething and crawling but after the newborn 'need to eat every two hours' phase. Babies are so perfect in this window that you fool yourself into thinking that you want to have a 100. I remember going through this with Henry. When those first giggles and grins start coming it is like this high that can't be explained. It has got to be one of the best feelings in the entire world. Then, Mother's natures way of population control, they start teething. That ends the desire for tons of babies. And, if that doesn't do the trick there is always a two year old tantrum to make you want to schedule your husband for a vasectomy.

Here is Alex licking his own lips because he knows how cute he is.

For further proof, I have a video. I will warn you, this is so explosively cute it may make you want to run out and get yourself pregnant (or if you are dude impregnate someone). Don't worry though, Henry shows the beginning of a two year old melt down at the end of the video. This should help curb baby fever.

This is crap ipod video, but don't worry you can still witness the cute.

PS. When he isn't cooing and smiling he likes to catch up on current events by reading the paper over a cup of coffee at Starbucks. He is very well rounded.

Cheese Baby Alex

2011-07-26T13:48:00.002-04:00

I think all parents are worried that when the second child comes along that the first born will resent the baby. I am happy to say that Henry has nothing but love for "baby Alex." At times, maybe a little too much love but love all the same. In fact he is fascinated with him. He ask for him in the morning and he tells him goodnight before bed. Yesterday he even drew a picture of him. It just looked like a giant scribble but according to Henry is was baby Alex. Don't get me wrong there has been a time or two that Henry has been flustered by having to wait for something because I am dealing with Alex. However, he channels his resentment towards me instead of the baby. Getting one's juice in a timely manner is apparently a high priority for a two year old. I am sure one day the boys will have their fair amount of angst with each other but right now it is nothing but love.

The current and most adorable way that Henry is showing his love for his brother is by wanting to have his picture taken with him. It started when Jason was snapping photos of Henry painting. All the sudden he boldly proclaimed "cheese baby Alex." We thought he just wanted us to take a photo of Alex. In toddler "cheese" means "to take ones photo" (incase you weren't down with two year old vernacular). However, as a paint covered Henry rushed towards Alex it became evident that he wanted his picture with Alex. It was kind of adorable. With a little help from mommy, we got this . . .

Okay, momma isn't looking so hot in this photo (it was a bum day) but Henry couldn't be happier. This started a chain reaction. Henry now wants his photo with Alex all the time. Whenever he gets close to Alex he starts asking to have his picture taken. He will even do cute things like give Alex his "BearBear."

Then, I had a mommy epiphany. I can use Henry's picture taking desire to get a good photo of the boys. Yes, yes. My plotting got me this . . .

There aren't words to describe how happy this makes me. When Jason looked at this photo his first questions was "how did you get them to do that?" I then explained my evil genius of exploting Henry's love of photos to get the boys together. It took a little coaxing but I got Henry to sit still and not try to pick Alex up. Here he is thinking "holy crap I can't belive mom is letting me sit this close to Alex. I could totally pick him up."

This is when I swopped in and started telling Henry to say cheese. And, just like that he is focused on the camera and not of the baby he wants to lug around the house. This is the "cheesy" face. And, this is Alex's "what are you doing to me" face.

While we are on the subject of the boys I wanted to share this photos with you. It is blurry because I didn't exactly want to encourage shoving things in the baby's mouth. I was putting up laundry while Alex chilled and Henry sang a song. Henry is constantly making up songs. All the sudden I hear say "sing baby Alex." And I turn around to see this . .

Yes, that is a microphone shoved into Alex's mouth. While he wasn't singing, Alex was drooling and sucking all over the mic. I quickly told Henry he was sweet to play with his brother but that he was a little too young for singing. They keep me on my toes.

PS. Just for fun, here is another shot of Henry painting. The more messy, the more fun!

Gnome is where the heart is

2011-07-25T21:44:00.004-04:00

The sentence I am about to type garnered me a decent amount of teasing from my husband and friend. I follow an embroidery blog that has monthly stitch alongs. Yes, I am a crafty nerd. Laugh if you must. But, the stitch along at feeling stitchy proves that I am not alone in geeking out about embroidery. In the few months that I've followed feeling stitchy I haven't been able to play along but I decided this month I was up getting my stitch on.

Originally, I was just wippin' up a little gnome for fun. But, while I was working on it a cute little toddler took interest in it. Every time he saw the project he started yelling "gnome!" Hearing a two old say gnome was so adorable that I couldn't resist making him something with the gnome on it. I decided on a little backpack for preschool .

It is a simple quilted and lined draw string backpack. When I showed Jason the bag his first response was that he needed to teach Henry to fight because he is gonna get his butt kicked. Of course I informed him that in preschool I am pretty sure gnomes are bad ass.

When I wrapped up the bag up last night I decided it would be sweet to take a photo of Henry wearing the bag. However, Henry is very much two these days. In addition to emotional out burst he is also teething. This is what I ended up with (he had been helping me rearrange the totes on the changing table, hence the mess behind him) . . .

He was pretty miserable. When I tucked him in last night he grabbed my face so sweet and pulled me close. I thought he was going to give me a kiss. When our faces were almost touching he said "Jaime Mommy* night, night. Bye." Needless to say, he must have been very tired. He made up for his gnome hating in the morning. I hung the bag on the back of a chair in the dinning room last night. He grabbed it first thing. When he came into the room to wake us up (we don't miss the crib at all) the first thing out of his mouth was "gnome mommy, gnome!" as he proudly showed off the bag. On our way to preschool he even let me snap this photos of him.

He is holding his little man doll, which he has taken to calling baby doll (said with the cutesiest toddler slur). I love that he is all decked out in handmade goodness. I know he would look a bit more grownup sans pacifier. With the teething, I just don't have the heart to take away his comfort. I wanted to ween him off the paci but I didn't think is was such a good idea with all change little brother has brought. Even with the paci, he rocks the gnome bag. Because nothing says rock and roll like a hand embroidered gnome.

* Isn't Jaime Mommy the hilarious? A couple weeks ago he has an epiphany. One afternoon he looked up at me, turned his head to the side and after a few moments of deep thought he pronounced "your Jaime." Since then, from time to time, he calls me Jaime Mommy. I love it.

PS. You have got to check out this gnome, he puts my little guy to shame. Amazing stitching!

Chicks dig musicians

2011-07-23T13:25:00.001-04:00

A video of Henry serenading his friend Tessa Jane. I didn't choreograph this, I just happen to turn around at the right time and had my camera handy. Here is a video of these two last year around this time. It is crazy the difference a year makes,

A coat rack of sorts

2011-07-21T20:52:00.003-04:00

Oh to have an entry area. I have envy of people who have entry ways to their homes. You know lovely little nooks for coat, keys and shoes. Unfortunately our tiny house doesn't exactly provide us with that luxury. So, I am always looking for ways to maximize our space. We have a major issue with our "bags" in this house. We don't really have a place for them. I am terrible about hanging my bag and Henry's on a door knob. Any door knob. Often in the most inconvient of places, making Jason slightly nuts. One night I was laying in bed pondering this dilemma (am I the only person who ponders such things?) when inspritation hit. I remember and old window we had and some old door knobs. A week later, we had this . . .

Yes, it took a good week to get this painted, knobs added, shelf on and hung on the wall. I consider a week excellent time considering the fact that our life is constant chaos right now. I had actually started painting this window a year ago. I painted the glass cream, the frame gray and then I lost inspiration (motivation). A year later, I got the window out of storage and on the wall. The project is pretty straight forward. I painted the design and then waited patiently (nagged) until Jason could add the shelf and the door knobs/hangers. In theory I could saw and drill but Jason tends to get all antsy when I touch his tools (that's what she said). He hoovers and offers more advice than I need (or want). It is kind of what I do to him when he cooks. I papered the shelf and touched up some paint. Then Jason mounted the window with some heavy duty mounting brackets. This allows it to be flush with the wall and withstand a bit of weight.

Okay, I know it is a 100 degrees out and the last thing I would need is a scarf and blue jean jacket. But, a girl can dream can't she? I am so over summer! Also, do you see the level Henry put on the door? Do you know how hard it is so take a photo with a toddler? That is is why these aren't the best quality. I was moving too fast to worry about lighting. I had to snap the photo quickly before a two year old invaded with toys and cracker crumbs.

Here is a detail shot of one of the window pains. I "scratched" doodles into the glass. It was so much fun, I've never painted on glass before.

Here is a shot of the living room. Henry left all of his "babies" on the couch. We are finally starting to get around to finishing our living room/ dining room remodel. We finished construction but up until last week we didn't have anything on the walls. I am currently on the hunt for some fabric. We are going to build from cornices for the windows, which I am super excited about. Also, I think I need to do something to the floor lamp. I am just not feeling it. Maybe different shade? Anyway, lot of plans but we are taking it slow and easy.

This is a little bonus project. I made a mail holder. This is to solve another Barks family clutter problem. We tend to drop mail every wear. I made it from some thick card board, a lot of mod podge, left over fabric from our throw pillows and this glorious little tool:

This little tool is the new love of my life . Jason got it on sale from Ace. They are heavy duty electric scissors. I mocked him when he brought home. I think my exact words were "like we need another tool." But oh, we needed this. Everyone needs this. It is magical. If you are even just a little crafty you MUST own this. It cut crazy thick (like matte board) cardboard like butter. It gave me such lovely, clean, smooth cuts. I can't express how amazing it really is. So, in closing I owe Jason and apology. Jason, I am sorry. Thank you for getting yet another tool. I am also sorry in advance for all the crazy crap I am going to attempt to make using this little guy.

PS. I almost forgot the best part . . . I finished it up while Henry was at preschool. When he walked in he looked and the window and said "ohhh, wowwwwww, nice." Toddler approved.

Cabbage and Cookie

2011-07-20T13:55:00.003-04:00

Do you know what makes a momma happy? Well, there are lots of things but high on my list hearing my toddler beg for a veggie. Henry has fallen for cabbage. And, if veggie love wasn't enough we are talking about locally grown organic produce from the Greenway Table (I followed through on my resolution and joined a CSA)! Why yes, I do have a video to prove that my two year old eats cabbage.

Of course, as anyone with any experience with a toddler knows, they take things in whims. One day he loves something and the next day he doesn't. But, for this moment I am considering this a victory. Also, it is adorable. He actually asked for cabbage for breakfast the other day. If I had anymore, I probably would have gave it to him.

If you want to eat something less healthy . . . .

I made this skillet cookie recipe that I found on Pinterest. Holy crap, it may change your life. It is kind of like a cookie brownie. The best (or worst) part is that it is so easy and you mix everything in the skillet. Hooray for less dishes. I also made some flat bread from Smitten Kitchen, also very yummy and very easy.

P.S. My level of productivity today is embarrassing low. Seriously there doesn't seem to be enough coffee in the world to wake me up. It is just one of those days. Since I am so unproductive, I thought I would share someone else's productivity with you. This little video below is a promotional video from an ecourse that Regina Lord (the lovely lady behind Creative Kismet) is putting on. Usually, I find things like this kind of cheesy but I think this class looks lovely. I love her art. She always inspires me. Anyway, if you are looking for something to spark your creativy and appreciation of life this class might be a fun place to start. You can get all the details on her blog.

the Art of Giving e-course from Regina Lord on Vimeo.

Barks Dance Party

2011-07-16T14:03:00.001-04:00

Despite the fact that we can't dance, there is a lot of dancing in the Barks household. Besides the fact that dancing is just plain fun, I happen to live with a music aficionado. Jason takes music very seriously. He is always turning up with new music. Basically, he works to keep me hip. Well, as hip as a mom with two can be. Anyway, I have a little glimpse of the dancing fun in our home. You can also get a really good look at our floors that need to be refinished from our little remodel, arg. You might also note the dinning room clutter, I had been working on a little art project when we spontaneously broken into dance. I look at clutter as a sign that we are enjoying life.

Incase you are wondering, Henry is wearing one of Jason's Ace shirts. He insisted on wearing it and since it was WAY to big we just tied the back up with a rubber band. Toddlers are crazy. Henry is really starting to have very strong opinions about just about everything. For example, he has developed a love (addiction) for Yo Gabba Gabba. He roams around the house singing the songs from it all day long. When I do turn it on, we have a two a day limit ( I really try to stick, for my sanity), he goes bananas. He acts like a tween age girl at a Justin Bieber concert. Below is an unedited video of him watching the opening credits. This is a little mellow for his normal Yo Gabba Gabba freak out. The cutest is at the very beginning, as soon as he sees the camera he says "cheese." You will hear me ask for help (and notice the really wobble camera), I was silly enough to think I could record and hold Alex at the same time.

If you want to have your own dance party, the music in the video is from AWOLNATION Megalithic Symphony. It is amazing! Jason found it and told me it was cool and he was right. I love it. It has a fun summer feel to it (or at least it does to me).

You might notice I am not in the video . . . as editor I reserve the right not to post embrassing videos of me dancing on the internet. Jason and the boys I have no problem exploting. I did ask Jason to snap a photo of Alex and I. You know a proof mommy was here photo. Here is what I ended up with. Have an awesome weekend.

Because we Can-can-can

2011-07-15T13:23:00.007-04:00

This summer we are getting our canning on. Oh yeah. Why would we embark on on this insanity the summer we have two little ones? Because we became obsessed with pepper jelly. I mention this addiction here. Since Jason had fallen in love with pepper jelly he planted a plethora of peppers. Now, all those little spicy gems are ready to pick which means it is time to can. I have done a little canning in the past, but this summer I was determined stick to canning things I liked. I am just not a fan of canned veggies. So it is jams, jellies, pickles and maybe some homemade ketchup and salsa. Basically stuff we eat and buy. Here is what we have done so far , mistakes and recipes included (keep in it real). . . .

Peach pepper jam

Hands down, this is the best tasting jam or jelly I have ever made. I know, terrible to brag. But, it is the truth people. I made up the recipes and I am quite pleased with myself. That being said, me and pectin are still getting to know each other and it didn't jelly as much as it should have. I do think I know two things that I did that could have caused this. One, I should have boiled the fruit, pepper and pectin and then added the sugar. I did the reverse of this. Two, I didn't cook the jam long enough. I think that the later is the main culprit. If anyone has any jelly/jam tips. Please share. When I get the technique mastered I will share the recipe.

Basil Banana Pepper Jelly

Okay, one look at this and you can tell this didn't set up AT ALL. The recipe called for liquid pectin and after going to three stores looking for some I just used powdered pectin. But, as I mentioned above pectin and are still getting to know each other. I didn't make any changes to the cooking of the jam. And I should have. However, the taste of this jelly is amazing. I am going to try another batch this weekend. I have banana peppers coming out my ears. This runny jelly is great mixed up with cream cheese and served with crackers. It also has red onions in it with gives it a great sweet flavor (and the pink color). You can find the recipe for this here. This site has some yummy looking canning recipes that I can't wait to try.

Refrigerator pickles

Okay, technically this isn't considered canning because I didn't process them in a hot water bath (which means they aren't shelf stable). But, they could have easily been processed I just didn't feel like. They will keep for a long time in the fridge. Why bother with standing over boiling water? When dill starts turning up at the market (when is that, anyone know?) I am going to make a couple more jars and actually can them. I have made refrigerator pickles every year and this is the first year that I finally got the brine right. I couldn't find a recipe that I liked so I just winged it. This continually resulted in super salty pickles. Now that I have got it right, I am ready to share. This has been 3 years in the making.

Refrigerator pickles (Barks Style)

Makes two quarts

1 pound (or enough to fill two quart jars) of cucumbers cut to your preference
1 small onion
2 cups of white vinegar
2 cups of water
3 tablespoons of kosher salt
2 teaspoons of dried dill or several springs of fresh dill
1 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of dried red pepper flakes (or a small fresh chili if you want them spicy)
3-4 garlic cloves

Put cut cucumbers and onion in jars (if you using fresh dill you can put whole sprigs in the jars, it looks pretty). Put vinegar, water, salt, dried dill, pepper and garlic cloves in a sauce pan. You can add more or less spice and/or garlic depending on your taste. Heat until almost boiling and salt is dissolved. Pour over cucumbers and onion. Let the them cool with lids off, once they are cool put on lids and stick in ridge. Ready to eat in 24 hours but they are better the longer they sit.

Funny side note . . . I am not a fan of sweet pickles. Hence the omission of sugar. However, these pickles seem to taste sweet to me and I couldn't figure out why. After committing more time than I would like to admit to pondering my pickles I realized why. I used a vidalia onion. So, if you want a hint of sweetness use a vidalia. If not, stick with a white onion.

As for the title. . . it comes from Moulin Rouge. It is one of our favorite movies and every time I can I get this song in my head. I think the first cd (old school) we bought together was this sound track. I wonder if I am the only person in the world who thinks of Moulin Rouge while canning?

Fire and Ice

2011-07-12T15:26:00.002-04:00

The last few days, we've spent a good bit of time in the kitchen. I know, it has been blisteringly hot and typlically the last place you would want to be is in the kitchen. But, you got to get to work while the veggies are fresh. I think fact that you have to can in the worst heat is proof that god has a sense of humor. But, before we get to canning I thought I would share some other culinary fun with you.

First, behold iced coffee.
(I know this picture stinks . .. but can you see Jason is the background with his guitar? He taking lessons and I am thrilled. I don't think there is anything sexier than a man playing guitar. Even if all he can play right now is "Joyful, Joyful.")

I have seen a bunch of recipes floating around on Pinterest (oh how I love you pinterest - you can find me here) and decided it was high time I tried cold brewing coffee. Oh, yummy yum yum! It is fabulous and so simple. I used the Smitten Kitchen recipe, because I love her. The only thing I did different is I let my coffee cold brew in my french press. After it letting it sit over night I pushed down my press and poured it into a mason jar. My sieve wasn't fine enough and the french press was the only way I could keep from getting coffee grounds in my coffee. It worked like a charm. I have been doubling her recipe and storing it in the fridge. The possibilities are endless. Chocolate, vanilla, Irish cream . . . an so on.

Now, on to the fire . . .

Why yes, that is me holding my two month old and propane torch. Oh, and that is a bottle of Irish Cream on the table. This is responsible parenting at it is finest. You see, I had to melt my own sugar on top of my creme brulee because Jason wasn't doing it right.

Have you even made creme brulee? Because it is stupid simple. Seriously. Here is the recipe that I use. I think the reason most people don't make it is because they don't have a torch. And, for the average cook it isn't really an essential kitchen utensil. Fortunately, I happen to have a tool obsessed husband who has a propane torch for his shop. I actually didn't even know we owned one until a few Halloweens ago when this happened . . .

Yes, that is my husband and his friend (hi Adam) using a torch to clean out the inside of the pumpkin. I should have been horrified but my first thought was "What? We have a torch! We are so making creme brulee." And we did and still do a couple times a year. Don't worry I was a little horrified when this happened.

Apparently you must have power tools to crave a pumpkin. I think this might be why I skipped pumpkin craving this year. Toddlers + power tool = nervous mommy.

Thus concludes my posting halloween photos is July. I think I might just be jonesing for fall.

Please go and endure the heat with iced coffee and creme brulee.

Little Man Doll

2011-07-08T21:05:00.005-04:00

Since Alex came along Henry has been obessed with babies. He started pretending that his teddy bear was "his baby." I love that he has a nurturing side. I thought it would be sweet to get him a boy baby doll for his birthday. Then I started looking at boy dolls. Yuck. There really isn't anything out there. The only doll I saw that wasn't creepy was a cabbage patch doll. But, those things are kind of expensive and I think I am still traumatized by my visit to the cabbage patch hospital. Seriously, the whole cabbage patch being born bit is creepy (you can watch it here). Even at 7 I knew it was a little off. Actually, watching it as an adult it is even weirder than I remembered. Since I ruled out the cabbage patch doll, I decided to set about making a little doll for Henry. I actually came up with my own design and ended up with this little man doll. I was inspired by Black Apple Dolls. This is actually the second incarnation, I had never made a doll before and I attached the arms wrong the first time. Henry was deeply confused by all the stuffing coming out. I made him an identical one and told him mommy fixed it. Henry loves his "baby." He drags it around the house during the day and sleeps with it at night. He even mimics the way I take care of Alex. He will put it in the swing, burp it, diaper it and dress him Alex's oneies. Once he even got my nursing cover and I think he was planning on trying to feed the baby . . which is kind of weird but very smart. I explained to him that only mommies nurse babies and he hasn't tried again. I didn't want to him to grow up to be like these dudes (men breast feeding is just weird). Crisis averted. Jason and came up with a whole series of little dolls . . . there is the hipster (he has black glasses), the mustached man and the douche (he has a goatee). Maybe I will get around to making them all one day. But for now, Henry has his little man.

PS. He is a little fellow, the book he is sitting on is a pocket edition. The pipe is there for size reference and because it help the little man reflect on the meaning of life at the end of a long day.

A boy and his bow tie

2011-07-05T17:54:00.000-04:00

I made Henry a bow tie! I used the second method shown in this tutorial from Prudent Baby. I did make one big change, I made it a clip on tie. I love the neck strap she used in the tuorial but I though a clip on would be more toddler friendly. Even with a more comfortably tie. He was still trying to get out of it.

Aren't he and his friend Stella adorable in their little red, white and blue outfits? Here they are in a tree. Yes, we put them in a tree. Don't worry, we were close by and they loves it. What kid doesn't love hanging out in trees?

I am now resisting the urge to make 400 bow ties. They are easy, fun and cute!

Hope everyone had a fabulous 4th of July!

Two Cute

2011-07-02T15:27:00.001-04:00

Can you believe that we have been parents for two years? Nutso. Not only two years, but now we have two kids. I still can't believe how fast the last two years have gone by. There aren't words to describe how much we love our little Henry. He is infectiously adorable and hilarious. Last year, I wrote a quick list of 12 things that I loved about Henry at age one. I thought it would be nice to do it again. Maybe I will make it a little birthday tradition. First, here are a few photos from Henry's breakfast party we had this morning. Thank you to our nephew in-law Johnny for snapping these photos.

The look of joy as Henry opens one of his many gifts.

This face cracks me up, he is looking at his candle. He was literately in shock and awe.

Now 12 things that I love about Henry right now . . . .

1. I love that he thinks we are saying "note" instead of "nope." I hear "note" all the time. Do you want a nap? Note. Do you want to brush your teeth? Note. He has also started to say "no way." This is funny, but not as cute when you are try to put clothes on a naked baby.

2. Bugs. He loves them and hates them. Today at his party he got a preying mantis finger puppet that he immediately start saying "shoo, no bugs." One minute he will be telling them to go away and then next second he will be looking for them.

3. I love his sweet cuddles. When he gets sleepily he will beg for me to cuddle on the couch and watch TV (or as he says it "I T.B.") with him. Those sweet sleepy cuddles are the favorite part of my day.

4. How he has learned everyones name. He knows all our friends and family. It is so sweet because when you say they are coming to visit he will start calling their name and telling them they can come in. He also asks for people by name. A few people he has even given special names to. His uncle mike is Mikey and a friend (whose name is Ben) he insists on calling "guy." And of course we both love the way his face lights up when he sees us.

5. Story time before bedtime. He has really embraced this tradition and it is such a special time.

6. Dance time. He has started busting a move all the time. There is nothing more fun than having a dance party with your toddler.

7. The songs he sings. Henry is always making up little songs. I can't tell what he is talking about but it is the sweetest thing ever.

8. How he repeats everything. EVERYTHING.

9. The way he loves his brother and how he says his name. I love hearing him say "Hi Alex" first thing in the morning.

10. The way he has started to form his own little opinions about the world. He has gotten to the age where he can tell you what he does and doesn't like. While it can be frustrating, I love getting a glance into the kind of kid he is gong to be.

11. How polite he is. How he always says thank you. Sometimes, he even uses it in advance. For example he will ask for a cookie and tell you thank you before you give it to him.

12. Huh? I hear "huh" 150 times a day. It is his go-to response about everything. I love it.

Henry, thanks for letting us love on you. You have added so much to our life. We love getting to watch you grow.

Oh, Happy Day!

2011-06-28T12:49:00.000-04:00

I have decided that I adore embroidery. It is the perfect plop down in front of the tv at the end of a long day kind of craft. I find it peaceful and relaxing. I enjoy having something to do with my hands while vegging out. These days at the end of the day the only thing I have energy for is sitting on my butt. I think it might be getting a little easier with the boys. Alex is sleeping a bit better at night but he tends to be a little more needy during the day. I've just been chilling out and going with the flow. If no one in the house gets dressed it really isn't a big deal. In addition to basic household stuff I've been trying to tie up all my loose ends before Henry's birthday this weekend. We have a bunch of family coming in town (hooray!). While I was writing out my to do list I decided to have everything done by Wednesday that way I would have Thursday and Friday to clean house. I had to laugh at the insanity of my life. I felt the need to block off two days for cleaning. Two days. That is a great indicator of the unpredictable chaos of my life. Hopefully, my planning will be off and it won't take me two days to mop. Hopefully.

Back to my title and intro (these days I am always scattered). I finished this little project this yesterday. This was just for fun. I have no plans for it, hence the unfinished edges. I thought it might be nice to sew into a project, someday. For now, it just makes me happy. And happiness is important.

PS. I drew this little pattern, it was inspired by this little cutie I found on pinterest.

Homemade Nutri-grain Bar Recipe

2011-06-23T12:21:00.002-04:00

These days, I am just thrilled to have a moment to set down and eat a meal. Between a new born, toddler and laundry time for momma is few a far between. Because of the ever present choas that is my daily life I have been living off snacks. The obvious problem with this is that food you can eat with one hand isn't always healthy. So, I've been looking for some more healthy options. Most store bought snack food are crazy over processed. According to marketing, Nutri-grain bars are supposed to be healthy but it reality they are loaded down with all kinds of artificial crap that I can't pronounce. There are a few all natural snacks on the market but they get expensive, fast. This left me with the task of finding my own perfect recipe. After trying a several different bars I came up with my own recipe. I took this recipe for vegan nurti-grain bars and tweaked it to make a non-vegan version. Okay, I kind of took a healthy recipe and made it a little less good for you. What can I say, I like to bake using eggs. Anyway, here is my recipe. The bar isn't very sweet, which I think is a nice complement to the filling. If you have a sweet tooth or aren't using a very sweet filling you might want to add a little more sugar. These are super easy. I have been knocking out batches left and right. If I can make these in my currant sleep deprived state they have to be simple. Without further ado . . .

Nutrigrain Bars (adapted from Peas and Thank you).

1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 1/2 cup rolled oats (not instant)
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup oil or melted butter
2 eggs
2 tablespoons of milk
10 oz. jar of fruit preserves of your choice (I like Polaner All Fruit)

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl combine eggs, oil and milk. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until entire mixture is moist. It will be a little bit crumbly. Press half the mixture into the bottom of a 8 x 8 inch pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray or lined with parchment paper. I have an odd 8 x 11 inch pan that I use to get a thinner bar. Spread the preserves evenly over the mixture. Then top with remaining mixture and press. Bake in a 375 degrees over 20-24 minutes. Allow bars to cool before cutting.

Feel free to get creative! Sometimes I add nuts or spices to the crust mixture. Once I even used Nutella for the filling. Amazing. Okay, not super healthy but it has to be better for you than a chocolate pop tart. Please try this recipe. It will bring your tummy great joy.* Not to mention the savings for your pocket book and the lack of wasteful packaging. Win, win, win!

* Crap, now I have "Party in my tummy" in my head. I can't decided if I love Yo Gabba Gabba or hate it. Either way, I feel like I should take drugs when I am watching it. So psychedelic. Henry loves it and it isn't as bad a Barney (he is fan of shows with lots of music) so I guess it is here to stay. At least it makes me laugh.

Happy baking!

birthday + father's day = good times

2011-06-20T08:43:00.006-04:00

Well, thirty came and went. Honestly, my mellow birthday was amazing. I couldn't have asked for a better weekend. We spent Saturday (my actual birthday) just laying around the house. The boys woke me up with a birthday bagel from Panara. It was sweet they had candles in it. And then the rest of the day Jason took charge of the boys and just let me mill around the house. I finished a skirt I had been working on. I have decided not to sew any more clothes, the last two things I have made have turned out awful. The skirt was sewed well it just wasn't a good shape for me. That is crap part of making something, you can't try it on before you make. Fortunately both the dud skirts were quick projects. I also started a new embroidery pattern and began working on a "little man doll" for Henry. Craftiness makes me feel like I am contributing to the world. I also got to take a nap and a long shower. Which, for a any mom with a newborn is a gift. The rest of the day we just laid around watching crappie t.v. It was bliss. Then on Sunday, for father's day we headed to the Chattanooga market for Brewfest. We met up with some friends and had a great time hanging out and enduring the sweaty heat. As a kid I hated that father's was so close to my birthday. My dad died when I was really young making father's day a bit of a bummer. Now, I love father's day because we get to celebrate Jason. Not only do my kid have a dad, they have one that is totally awesome. Yes my friends, the weekend was awesome.

I don't have a any photos from the market but I do have a few photos from the weekend.

Here is Henry, enjoying my birthday bagel.

My birthday cake. I made this on Friday. Real simple has the best cake guide. It has rocked my world. Jason offered to buy me a cake but I wanted to make this chocolate cake again. Oh my it is so amazing. The photo doesn't do it justice. We put Oreos on the outside and in between the layers.

My sister surprised me by having these fabulous flowers delivered on my bday. I love fresh flowers. It is one of those little luxuries that make life beautiful. They came with a giant balloon, which Henry immediately claimed as his own.

These are some vintage Dr. Seuss books I nabbed for the boys at a used book store. I am in love. We are having a "Cat in the Hat" party for Henry and I've been wanting to add to his Seuss collection. I am actually hoping to find him a whole library of the vintage books. They have so much charm and character.

Then there is a smiling baby. The last two days Alex has been a grinning fool. It is so heart warming. I would also like to note his new hand tie dyed oneies. We picked it up at the market. I walked past the booth and comment on how cute it was but that he didn't need any more oneies. They a few moments later, he had a blow out poop and I hadn't packed him a change of clothes. It gave me a reason to by this little oneies for him after all. I know, not having a change of clothes is a rookie mistake. I know better, really I do .

And lastly, Jason's news obsession pepper jelly. This is from a lady in town who handmade makes he own jams and preserves. It is pretty awesome. Later in the summer we are hoping to try our hands at a little pepper jelly of our own. For now, we are content to enjoy this.

Basically this weekend was great. Lots of rest and hanging out with friends. I would like to THANK everyone for the birthday wishes. You all made me feel quite loved. Getting old isn't all bad.

Of Landmarks and Milestones . . .

2011-06-17T22:38:00.000-04:00

I feel like I apologize a million times a day. I have to tell Henry that I am sorry but he is going to have to wait for his snack because I am nursing or he is going to have to wait to play outside until daddy gets home. I have to apologize to Alex because he has to cry why I change Henry's diaper or while I get Henry that snack he has been begging for. I have to tell Jason that I am sorry I am so emotional and grumpy. I have to apologize to my friends for forgetting to call them back or do whatever I told them I would do. And then there is the general public. I can't leave the house without doing something silly. I am sorry I left my wallet in the car or I am sorry I don't even remember what I am doing here. You might think I am exaggerating but I am not. I am constantly walking around in a sleep deprived fog. I don't know if I am coming or going. One kid was an adjustment, but two is totally rocking my world.

I know it will get better. I think I am overly emotional because I am turning 30 tomorrow and last week was the 4 year anniversary of my mother's death. I know 30 is just a number but I always had this vision of a blow out party. There was going to be a fancy dress, a nice dinner and martinis. The reality is, I am so exhausted I can't even think about going out. Even if I wanted to go out (and had a sitter) I have the world's most needy nurser. At times I think that kid would be content to eat all day, every day. Remind me again how great breast feeding is again? Then, there is my mom. I never imagined that she wouldn't be here on my 30th birthday. That she would not know my babies. I guess I am just in a weird place right now. I don't feel thirty, flirty and fabulous. I feel thirty, stinky and dingy. The stink is from the spit up and breast milk. The dingy is from the lack of sleep. I am trying to get my head in a better place. I want to have a good mindset, really I do. I keep telling myself in a few months this oppressive haze will lift. As for what to do about tomorrow, Jason has agreed to just let it be a Jaime day. I get to do whatever I want, which right now is probably going to involve napping, a bubble bath and staying at home. And, even though it makes me a old unhip mom, I am really excited about a pajama day at home with my boys.

My birthday present to myself . . . to stop apologizing all the time. Henry won't die if he doesn't get his gold fish (although to witness his meltdown you might think he was). Alex won't really be traumatized for life if has to cry for few moments. Friends will and family can forgive my flakiness. Jason can learn to love the crazy (and he knows it won't be there forever, right?). And as for the general public, who cares. I just I need to chill. I am not the first person, and I won't be the last person, who's child opens a jar of hair gel and pours it all over the cart. Basically, I am giving myself a pass. I've got to lighten up and relax (or I will really go crazy).

And now, some photos to highlight some of my major milestones over the last 30 years or . . . I am vain enough to post a bunch of photos of myself.

One year or . . . . I can't complain when Henry puts food in his hair.

First Grade or . . . making awkward adorable (I really liked Laura Ingles)

5th Grade or . . mom and I rocking our giant glasses that hipsters now wear to be "ironic."

Senior Photo or . . . why in the world did my mom think I looked good blond?

Jason and I on our first date or . . . I knew I was going to marry him, that is why I took a picture.

The day I graduated college or . . . when I went to Lee to get my Mrs. because at this point my only plan was to get married. Yep, I was that girl.

My wedding day . . . no commentary, this day was perfect.

Jason and I right after we closed on our house or . . . I have no idea why we posed with pickles in our mouth.

My favorite photo of Henry and I or . . . isn't that kid stinking cute.

And last, me holding Alex or . . . motherhood may make you old and ragged but it is the most amazing thing ever. I wish my mom could see me.

I've already decided, blow out party next year. Watch out 30s, here I come!

Sewing for Sanity

2011-06-14T09:38:00.005-04:00

On Sunday afternoon Jason took Henry for a bike ride and then to the park to play. While this did provide me with a little down time (Alex was napping), Jason really just did it to have some time with Henry. Yes, he is that awesome of a daddy. I should have taken this time and done something useful like mop or put up laundry but instead I sewed. It was therapeutic.

I made a cozy for my french press. I had been seeing these pop up at different sites and thought it was a clever little craft. I love my press and now my coffee stays nice and toasty. I used this tutorial. It goes without saying that coffee is very important in the Barks house right now. Newborn = coffee dependency.

Then I made this wallet. It is based off this tutorial but I made several modifications. The biggest is the addition of a zipper to one of the pockets. I don't carry cash often, but I like to have so place to keep loose change. In hindsight, I think that all the pockets need interfacing. It feels a little flimsy. But, overall I am happy with it and it will work until I can make another one.

I have been obsessed with purses and wallets. I have made several in the last few weeks. I think this might be the direction I am going to go for my little small business. Of course, I need a lot of practice and I need to learn a lot. It will probably be a year before I am in a place to make things to sell. I kind of have my hands full right now. I think things might be starting to get easier, a little. Every day Alex gives us a little peak at who he is. It is so fun to watch him change and grow. I won't lie, I am not the biggest fan or the new born stage. I am ready for him to grow up and sleep through the night! Does it make me a bad mommy to admit that?

Coming Up for Air

2011-06-02T21:33:00.001-04:00

So . . umm . . . two kids is kind of kicking my rear. I am not sure what happened, the last two weeks have been much more stressful than the first two. It is possible I did to much in the beginning and my exhaustion is catching up with me. All I know is . . . . I am keeping it real and the last two weeks have been really hard. There have been meltdowns (by everyone), trips to the doctor, a messy house, the leaning tower of laundry and cereal for dinner. But, there are also sweet moments like the photos below. I try to focus on good stuff. Because they will never be this small again. This means I won't have to deal with all the nutso stuff like toddler fits and projectile spit up forever. But, it also means that I won't get to laugh along with Henry's silliness or enjoy Alex's tiny baby cuddles. Time is a two edged sword.

Henry going in for a hug.

Henry going in for a kiss.

I think in this photo Alex is begging me to get Henry to leave him alone. Doesn't he look so serious?

While taking these photos Henry informed me that he and his baby were going to go night, night and that I was to leave the room. I didn't, of course, but it was so cute that he asked.

I love this because it is one of those rare moments where Henry still looks like a baby.

I also finally got a photo of Henry with his "Bear Bear." Yes, my son sleeps with a pink teddie bear. It was attached to a vase of flowers that Jason gave me when we were dating. I managed to keep up with it all these years and it ended up in Henry's stuffed animal pile. Several months ago he started taking it to bed and now he sleeps with it all the time. He has been known, on occasion, to take it places and he often drags it around the house. Now, I have a photo of my son boy and his fuzzy pink bear. This might come in handy as blackmail when he is a teenager.

In closing, based on my limited experience, I have some tips for new parents of two kids. I learned these the hard way . .

Don't be a nerd, ask for help. Don't wait until your delirious from sleep deprivation to admit your exhausted.

Watch and read junk. This is not the time for serious books or movies. Nothing heavy. This is time for chick lit, bad sitcoms and comedy central. Laugh, not cry.

Tackle no projects. Yes, it seems like a good idea to have an outlet but in reality, it will just stress you out.

And lastly, enjoy this time you won't ever get it back. Don't get so focused on doing stuff that you miss out on the sweetness of your newborn and the hilarity of your toddler.

7 and 4

2011-05-24T12:35:00.002-04:00

This weekend was our 7 year anniversary. I know 7 years isn't one of the "big" anniversaries but it seemed like a big milestone. I think it is was because we are now a family of four. The addition of Alex makes our family feel complete. We are also entering a whole new phase of our relationship. The next several years are going to be the "kid years." This had us both feeling a little nostalgic. We love the boys and are thrilled about this next phase but that doesn't mean we didn't take a few moments to remember life before they came. We used to get to sleep in and go to concerts. The difference was quite obvious when we woke up to a chorus of crying at 6 am on our anniversary. We just laughed, this is our life now. In addition to looking back, we took sometime to look forward. The next several years are going to be such fun. I love watching the boys grow and change. I can't wait to get to share the world with them. Kids bring such excitement to even the smallest activities. Anyway, enough yacking . . . . here are a few photos.

This is something I made for the family. It is our family tree. I made it using a pattern from cozy blue. I was going to design something myself but when I saw stump I knew this was what I wanted. This was my first big embroidery project and I loved it.

This is a little print that I made for Jason. We are going to do a photo/art wall a la Young House Love at some point and this will be in one of the frames. It is seven things about the last sever years.

Jason got me these tulips. He had them delievered the day before our anniversary, they were such a lovely surprise. I love fresh flowers. He also included the sweetest card. Can you find the toddler in the photo? He is busy scuffing the walls, which I am glad to say cleaned up nicely.

To celebrate we drug the whole family to the Chattanooga Market. It was wonderful. We had so much fun and our outing went surprisingly well. With a toddler and a newborn going out is kind of risky.

All in all, it was perfect. A perfect way to celebrate our past, present and future together.

PS. I tried to post this yesterday but it was a triple threat kind of day. I was peed, pooped and spit up on. I was actually peed and pooped on by both kids. We are introducing Henry to the potty, it is harder for mommy than Henry.

PPS. Pinterest? Do you pin? If so, please find me so I can find you. Pinterest has been a great way for me to dream while I can't really do. I have a 101 ideas for projects, once I find the time . . .

At home with my boys

2011-05-19T12:08:00.001-04:00

If you would have asked me before having children if I would ever be a stay at home mom, I would have said no. Yes, I was certain that I was going to be a working mom. It was never really a question. Then, I had Henry. And, much to my surprise, going back to work was much harder than I anticipated. I only broke down in tears the first day, but every day was a struggle. I can't explain it and I don't know why but I no longer wanted to work. I just wanted to be at home with my baby. I know for lots of moms working outside the home is good for them. It is healthy, they feel like the time away makes them better moms. I really thought I would fall into this category. I was shocked that I didn't. Over the next year, I cut back my work hours. This allowed me to have more time with Henry. Even with the extra time, I still wanted to be home. Despite this desire, I kept working because I loved my job and the money that came with it. Then, I got pregnant again. Paying for childcare with one kid is pricey. With two kids it would cost so much it made working pointless (I did nonprofit work which is awesome but not lucrative). So, it was decided early in my pregnancy that I would not be returning to work. That brings us to the last two weeks. I don't really think the reality of situation has fully set in. There has been so much excitement that I am just now starting think about how different my life is going to look. Even though I know it will be hard at times, I am really excited. Right now, I feel like this is the right choice for us. The right choice for me. I tend to come from the school of thought that true feminism means giving a woman the freedom to make the choice that is right for her. That can be having children, not having children, working or not working.

To be honest, I am kind of loving putting around the house. I have enough hobbies to keep me busy and I love being with my kids and homemaking. I like baking bread and keeping my laundry caught up. I know I am still in the honeymoon stage of this transition but I think it is going to suit me just fine. I do want to focus more on having some sort of creative business. I launched a little store but I still haven't been able to find an area of focus. I am hoping in the fall to regroup and get serious. For now, my goal is to make it through the summer. I just going to kick back and have fun with my guys.

There will be lots of swimming.

And, hopefully, napping.

Maybe some baking.

A little crafting.

Certainly some gardening.

More snuggles than we can handle (this picture is a iPod photo, not the best quality but still darn sweet).

Of course, a little sibling harassment.

I am building up a body of proof against Henry. This way in a few years when his little brother is getting on his nerves I can explain to him that he has it coming. Alex hardly gets a moment of peace, but it is super cute.

So, for now, this is my life and I couldn't be happier. I know there will be days when I will want to pull my hair out. But, right now being a little homemaker feels right.

PS. I am lucky to get to have this time. I know being at stay at home mom isn't for everyone. I also know there are people who would like to be stay at home moms but can't afford it. We had to make a lot of sacrifices to be able to live on one income. But, we were able to make it work. We drive crap cars, have a small house, share a cell phone and pinch every penny. I just thought I'd toss that out there in case you were wondering. The Barks family is most certainly not rolling deep cash.

Homemade Lotion

2011-05-15T09:58:00.007-04:00

Over the last year, I have been on a big natural bath and beauty kick. I haven't shared much about it because I am the kind gal who likes to try stuff out and do some research before I start running my mouth about things. I realize this may seem funny to some of you because, I run my mouth a lot. But, I do promise there is a method to my madness. Anyway, my internet searching and book reading has finally got me a couple of good recipes that I would like to share.

Now it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why someone would want to make their own health and beauty products. The biggest reason is ingredients. For the last few years I have been working to cut back preservatives in our diet. It is only natural to start applying the same scrutiny to our bath and body products. I love having control over what I am putting on my body. I actually started looking into making soaps and such because Jason gets crazy dry skin in the winter. Nothing was working for him. In attempt to ~~get Jason to stop whining~~ give Jason some relief, I started researching and experimenting. The thing is, once you start messing around with making your own bath products you get kind of addicted. There is a certain "damn the man" quality in making something that most people have to buy. Perhaps I am odd, but I love the feeling independence that comes from making basic staples (like soap). When you make your own bath products you end up with a high quality product made for pennies. Well, pennies once you build up your ingredient arsenal. The initially investment in things like essential oils, cocoa butter and such can be a little pricey. Once you have them, you get a lot of mileage out of them. I have been slowly filling a cabinet up with hippie stash of natural ingredients. I try to get as much as possible from my local natural food stores. What I can't get locally, I order from Mountain Rose Herbs. This place has crazy good reviews, and for good reason. They have great products (and containers). Most their stuff is organic and/or fair trade. Anyway, once you get a stash you can make all kinds of fun stuff.

Now on to the lotion . . .

Disclaimer #1: I made these before the baby came. I just didn't want anyone to think that I am spending my first week with a toddler and a new born making lotion. This last week I considered the day a success if I got dressed and washed a load of laundry.

Disclaimer #2: These were gifts. I don't decorate the jar I use at home, I am far too lazy.

I found this recipe on A Sonoma Garden, which is great blog with some lovely natural living information on it. I only made one small change. I added a little tea tree oil for it's anti-fungal properties (more on that below). This recipe is a great jumping off place for whipping up your own creations. You could easily add different scents and/or oils to create all kinds of unique and awesome lotion. I just happen to really love the lavender and tee tree oil scent. I am getting ready to make up a 1/2 batch with no sent for Alex, he has some crazy dry skin. But for now, the basic recipe adapted from A Sonoma Garden:

How to Make Homemade Hand Lotion

1 1/4 cup hot water
1/4 cup emulsifying wax* (NOT beeswax)
1/4 cup olive oil
24-36 drops lavender essential oil
1/8 teaspoon of tea tree oil (vitamin E oil could also be used)

*I had to order this online, I couldn't find it anywhere locally. It has to be emulsifying wax for the lotion to . . . well . . emulsify : ).

In a glass bowl (I used my trusty pyrex measuring glass) combine the olive oil and emulsifying wax and microwave for 1 minute until it is all melted. The temperature on this reads about 155 degrees.

Heat 1 1/4 cup of water in the microwave for 1 minute or until about 120 degrees. While that is heating up, add the essential oil and tea tree oil into melted wax/olive oil mixture and whisk together.

Pour the hot water into the wax/olive oil mixture and watch it turn milky white. Then pour the hot lotion into wide mouth pint size jars and let cool overnight. I like to put the lid on it while they cool to keep it free of germs. I always have to stir mine once it is cool, the top tends to be thicker than the bottom. A few good stirs (I use a chop stick) and the lotion is good to go (it won't have to be stirred again).

Disclaimer #3: This is lotion doesn't contain preservatives. That means, if not used in a timely fashion, it will get moldy. If you use sterile jars, very clean measuring cups and utensils it should last around 3-4 months. I use mine pretty quick, so I haven't had it spoil. It is important to put it in a clear container, that way you will know if it is going bad. I've read that storing it in a place that get light will help it last as well. While tea tree oil isn't a preservative, it has anti-fungal qualities which I why I added it. I keep mine on my night stand and try to remember to use it each night before bed. I find it a very relaxing scent.

Happy lotion making!

PS. If you make this recipe or have any other homemade bath product recipes I would love to hear from you!

Only a moment . . .

2011-05-13T14:18:00.002-04:00

On this rainy Friday afternoon I had planed on posting a few project from the last couple of weeks or write a review of my first full week as a stay at home mom of two little boys. While both would make absoulty lovely post, all I think about today how children are only babies for a moment. Just like that they are walking, talking and gaining their independance. I am not one of those mom's that bemoans the fact that children grow up. I have no desire to freeze time. I have throughly enjoyed watching Henry grow and learn. But, that doesn't mean from time to time I can't just take a moment to think about how fast life moves. I just want to take a second to marvel at Alex's tiny perfection.

So sweet and completely dependent on us.

So fragile and cuddly.

So kissable.

When I look at Henry I see so much potential in Alex. It has been amazing watching Henry's personality form. I can't wait to see what Alex will be like. I feel so lucky to have the chance to watching my little guys grow.

Thus concludes my mussy musings about life with a newborn. I promise to be back soon with our usually silliness and crazy projects.

PS. Special thanks to our sweet friend Cassie who took all of these awesome photos for us. As always, she rocks!

Collecting Myself

2011-05-08T21:59:00.005-04:00

This week has been wild. My baby is finally here and our family is complete. I am excited, overwhelmed, tired, elated and nervous all at the same time. Basically, I am a ball of emotions. Mostly though, I think I am in love. In love with Henry. In love with Alex. In love with Jason. I know the next few weeks are going to be an adjustment. I also know that my life is going to look so different now that I am going to be a stay at home mom. And while there is a part of me that is trying to process what all this means, for the most part I am just excited. I am glad that I get this chance to be with my guys. I know I will find the rhythm of what our new normal is in time. And, as Jason reminded me this morning, it hasn't even been a full week. I think I still have plenty of time to get into the swing of things.

Thank you for all the kind comments, messages, phone calls, visits and emails that I received. We are truly blessed to have such a great support system. Labor and delivery was amazing. In a few weeks (we I can think a little straighter) I plan on writing all about it. My recovery has been great and Alex seems to be adjusting well to life in our silly home. Here is Henry talking to his little brother, please note the adorable "I don't know" line at the beginning of the video.

I couldn't even begin to count the number of times I hear this during the day. It is always with this level of excitement. We got Henry to say Alex once but he insist on calling him baby. He likes to kiss the baby, count his toes, point out his facial features (nose, eyes, etc.) and sing to him. Henry makes up songs all the time. The last few days he has been making them up and singing them for baby. Seriously, it is so sweet it almost breaks a momma's heart.

Speaking of heart breakers, here is Mr. Alex. It is amazing that you can love someone you just met so much. Today, I feel like one lucky lady. Even if I have been peed, pooped and spit up on.

PS. Just for fun, here is a video my sister took of Henry on her iPhone. On Saturday we decided to go out for lunch. You read that right, we took a 5 day old and a toddler to a sit down restaurant. And you know what? It wasn't bad at all. In fact, we had fun. Henry was hilarious because he kept asking for sushi. We couldn't stop laughing. I love this age, he is a constant source of entertainment.

Collecting Myself

2011-05-08T21:58:00.000-04:00

This week has been wild. My baby is finally here and our family is complete. I am excited, overwhelmed, tired, elated and nervous all at the same time. Basically, I am a ball of emotions. Mostly though, I think I am in love. In love with Henry. In love with Alex. In love with Jason. I know the next few weeks are going to be an adjustment. I also know that my life is going to look so different now that I am going to be a stay at home mom. And while there is a part of me that is trying to process what all this means, for the most part I am just excited. I am glad that I get this chance to be with my guys. I know I will find the rhythm of what our new normal is in time. And, as Jason reminded me this morning, it hasn't even been a full week. I think I still have plenty of time to get into the swing of things.

Thank you for all the kind comments, messages, phone calls, visits and emails that I received. We are truly blessed to have such a great support system. Labor and delivery was amazing. In a few weeks (we I can think a little straighter) I plan on writing all about it. My recovery has been great and Alex seems to be adjusting well to life in our silly home. Here is Henry talking to his little brother, please note the adorable "I don't know" line at the beginning of the video. I think that is one of my favorite expressions he says.

I couldn't even begin to count the number of times I hear this during the day. It is always with this level of excitement. We got Henry to say Alex once but he insist on calling him baby. He likes to kiss the baby, count his toes, point out his facial features (nose, eyes, etc.) and sing to him. Henry makes up songs all the time and they last few days he has been making them up and singing them for baby. Seriously, it is so sweet it almost breaks a momma's heart.

Speaking of heart breakers, here is Mr. Alex. It is amazing that you can love someone you just met so much. Today, I feel like one lucky lady. Even if I have been peed, pooped and spit up on today.

PS. Just for fun, here is a video my sister took of Henry on her iPhone. On Saturday we decided to go out for lunch. You read that right, we took a 5 day old and a toddler to a sit down restaurant. And you know what? It wasn't bad at all. In fact we had fun. Henry was hilarious because he kept asking for sushi. We couldn't stop laughing. I love this age, he is a constant source of entertainment.

There's a new guy in town.

2011-05-03T13:09:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! Cassie here. Just like last time, I have taken over Barks Blog to present the newest member of the family. But would anyone really be surprised if Jaime was blogging from the hospital bed? I didn't think so.

Onto the real reason you're here: meet Alex James Barks.

He arrived on May 2, 2011 weighing in at 6 lbs 1 oz and 20 3/4" long.

You guys, Jaime did awesome. We met her and Jason at the hospital and check-in to birth was maybe 40 minutes. 40 MINUTES!!!! She arrived at the hospital dilated to a 5/6 and sweet Alex was here in no time. And Jason was an amazing coach. Jaime went totally med-free for this birth and she did just what we knew she could. They made/make a great team. I will let her tell the birth story in her own time if she chooses, but it was perfect and incredible. I was completely honored to photograph this birth. It was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had. Thank you guys and congrats!

Unruly

2011-04-26T14:21:00.005-04:00

If I had to come up with one word to describe our family right now it would be unruly. Between a grumpy pregnant person, an opinionated toddler and a poor husband stuck in the middle none of us are in the mood to behave. Needless to say, when it came time to snap a few maternity pictures our friend and photographer Cassie had her work cut out for her. I don't know if I ever laughed so hard looking at family pictures. Cassie perfectly captured the restlessness and generally insanity of our life right now.

It is no big secret that I am a terrible pregnant person. This pregnancy has been so miserable. So, during the day I spend all my nice on strangers, co-workers, Henry and friends. This usually results in me being the most short fused with the person I love the most in the world, Jason. I think this is one of the biggest pitfalls of marriage. It is easy to snap at the person you know loves you the most. I have been doing better. Or at least I acknowledge my meanness and apologize. My outburst sound like this "Why didn't you take the trash out like I asked? I'm sorry, didn't mean to snap. The trash is really bothering me. I love you." Basically I reaffirm that I am a nutso pregnancy lady several times through out the day.

Cassie wanted us to be sweet. She even pointed out that we had done it before (as seen here). I told her is was my fault because I usually act like the photo above. I wonder if other pregnant women are as mean as me?

I am not always mean. See . . .

This was supposed to just be a mommy picture but some one decided that my belly would make an excellent step stool.

This one is just for fun. You would think being hurled in the air would be terrifying. Nope. Henry loves it.

In closing . . . this has NOTHING to do with the photos but everything to do with my belly. I have become obsessed with reading birth stories. Obsessed! I couldn't even give you an idea of how many I have read. I had read a few this time around. Then a Cassie sent a link to this story on Marvelous Kiddo and the flood gates were open. I am planning for a natural birth, again. These stories are so encouraging. Here is my mini-birth story of Henry's birth. Things didn't go according to plan, Henry's cord was being pinched. I don't regret for a moment being induced. I trust my midwife and I really believe it was the best choice. I was also a week and half past due, so it wasn't exactly an elective induction. I only mention this because I think that education is the most important part of the birth process. Even with interventions, I was still very much an active participant. I knew what was happening and what the risk were. I am just hoping this time around I get a birth story that doesn't involve induction (and I get to labor naturally). I am off to read more sappy stories. If only I could wish myself into labor.

Keeping my mind OFF pregnancy

2011-04-20T07:37:00.001-04:00

I think it is impossible to find a woman who is two weeks from her due date and not miserable. I am convinced that at this stage everyone has to be exhausted. I think the sum totally of the 38 weeks leading up to the last two isn't as long as those last two weeks. And, in my case, I feel like there is a really good chance I will go past due. Again. I just saw my midwife and there is no sign this guy is going to make an appearance anytime soon. The combination of the waiting and sleepless nights has me listless. I have no motivation or drive to get anything done. I just want to nap and be lazy. But, being lazy doesn't exactly help the time pass so I've been trying to do things that make me happy. Or at least think about things that make me happy. So, this post is dedicated to some happy thoughts as seen through happy pictures.

We were luck enough to get to visit the family farm of some friends to pick strawberries with Henry's little friend Stella (Hi Matt and Valerie). Stella's mom even had the cutest Carhatt overalls for the kids to wear. I took a ton of photos, including some of miss Stella in her Easter dress. I haven't sorted/edited most the photos but here are my favorites from the day.

I think Stella's plan was to just give Henry a strawberry. He took it a step farther and ate it out of her hand. I can't believe how much these kids have grown.

Yes, even with my pregnant belly I managed to bend over and pick a few berries. Or course, the ones I picked went straight in my mouth. I deserved a treat after bending over.

Locals, the Lamon's Farm is on Michigan Avenue (close to 20th street). They have these yummy strawberries for sale. You need to stop by and get some.

These were a gift given to me at a baby celebration brunch that my amazing friends gave us. They smell like heaven. The best part is they are bulbs and I can plant them in the yard so I can enjoy them year after year (thank you Jenn).

A rose bloom from my yard. Swoon.

Homemade vanilla yogurt. Until I made it, I had never had whole milk yogurt. If you've never had it you have no idea what you are missing. It is so rich and creamy. It isn't hard to make, I use a tutorial from The Frugal Girl. I've looked at several different methods and I think her method is the easiest and most fool proof. I've made it a few times and never had any issues. Since you have to baby sit the milk a little when heating it, I like to do while I am cooking dinner or cleaning the kitchen. You should try it. It is healthy and crazy cost effective. But, the real reason you should do it is that it is sooooo yummy. Oh, and I prefer it with the sugar and vanilla but it is pretty tasty plain too.

I keep telling myself that I won't be pregnant forever. Right? He will come out, he has too. Right? The upside is today is a new day which means I am one day close to meeting my baby, whenever that might be.

Family Fun Day

2011-04-15T20:47:00.000-04:00

Due to the overwhelming amount of projects that have been underway at the Barks household and because of the fact that our entire world is about to be rocked, we decided that a fun day was in order. Sometimes you just need an off day. Especially when you are about to welcome a new baby into the world. We thought it would be fun for us and fun for Henry. And it was! It really was amazing! We spent the day kicking around downtown Chattanooga. Something we just don't do enough. I probably wouldn't have posted photos from the day (I mean who wants to look at bunch of boring family outing photos) if I hadn't snapped this photo.

This is my new favorite photo. I crack up every time I look at it. I am going to frame it. Something about the combination of Henry's desperation and Jason's oblivion makes this heart warningly hilarious (well, at least to me).

Don't worry, Jason did finally share. After I pointed out that someone was begging.

And, when my cone got low enough. I gave it to him. I think in this photo Henry looks tastier than the ice cream. We were at Clumpies, if you were curious.

And since I have started sharing photos (and it is a very contagious sickness) here are a few more from our outing.

Henry and Jason strolling across Cooliage Park. For people not from the area, see that blue bridge on the left? That is a pedestrian bridge and I walked all the way across it and back. Locals, we walked from Bluff View to the park and back. For someone who is crazy pregnant, this is crazy long walk. I was so tried. On the way back we totally had to stop half way for a breather. I can't wait to not feel winded and chubby all the time. I was sitting on a bench watching the boys run while I caught my breath in this photo.

Once I was breathing again, Jason took Henry to ride the carrousel at the park. It was so cute. The first few times they went by Henry pointed and called "Hey, Mommy!" Yes, my heart melted into a million pieces each time. Being a parent kind of makes you corny. It can't be helped.

We also did something crazy. We took Henry to a somewhat nice restaurant. Doing something like this with a toddler is like playing russian roulette. You might be fine and you might have it blow up in your face. Fortunately, we were fine. We did an early dinner, we wanted to make sure the restaurant wasn't crowded, in case he had a meltdown. We took him to Tony's Pasta. This is extra special because this is where Jason and I went on our very first date. If we hadn't had that date, we wouldn't have a Henry (and the one in my belly).

Here is Henry reading the menu. He was actually acting like we was reading it including lots of loud baby babble. We were glad the restaurant was empty at this point. It was cute, but it might not have been cute for everyone. See we aren't totally blind parents, we realize not everyone thinks our child is ridiculously cute.

Now, he is upset because Daddy took the menu before he decided what he wanted.

Then he saw Mommy's menu and was happy again.

You can't tell in the photo but those windows behind us provided the most lovely view of the Tennessee River.

We decided on a classic for Henry, spaghetti. Complete with a napkin bib. Because he is classy like that.

I would like to note that normally Jason would have died if I had taken this many photos during a dinner at a sit down restaurant. He likes to blend in if possible but since the restaurant was empty he gave me pass. Thank you Jason.

And lastly, here I am in all pregnant glory. 37 weeks and 5 days, yes I am counting every single day.

I don't know if you can tell but there is a hole in my shirt. I have no idea how it got there. Then today, while I was out running errands I realized that the shirt I had on also had a hole in it. Weird, right? Anyways, good thing I am at the end of pregnancy because at the rate I am going I won't have any clothes left. Also, my feet are huge!!! Oh and I decided that I am going to be pregnant for the rest of my life.

And thus concludes my family photos, thank you for being patient with all my rambling and photo sharing.

Third and FINAL Kindle Cover

2011-04-13T18:48:00.000-04:00

I made ANOTHER kindle cover. Why? Because I am a crazy pregnant woman! I decided that I couldn't live with the tightness of my last cover. I also decided it was a bit boring looking. I used the same pattern I used last time (you can see my last one and a link to the pattern here). This time I appliqued a tree and some leafs to the front to give it a little more visual interest. And, to make it take longer for me to finish. Insane people do things like this. Instead of working on all the things they need to do they do nutty things like sew trees on Kindle covers. Here is my new cover . . .

And the inside . . .

It is still snug but not as tight. I can now easily navigate my Kindle, even using the buttons that are covered by fabric. You might notice the slight wrinkling of the fabric, I did my interfacing wrong. You should read directions, I didn't (obviously). I considered starting over but decided that was silly. I am happy with the cover. It is cute and will see me through the next few months. I am now a pro at this pattern, I think I could do it in my sleep.

I have a photo to prove how important a good cover is for me . . . .

It is blurry, but I am sure you can see the cute little toddler hand sneaking into the photos. Henry creeped up behind me and grabbed it. He then started to run away with it while giggling like a fool. Such a sneaky little joker. My cover kept my Kindle nice and safe until I could catch up with him and steal it back. I am not as fast as normal this days, my belly has been slowing me down.

Because people ask . . . . . I LOVE MY KINDLE. It is the best gift ever (thank you Jason). It is wonderful. I love how light and thin it is. I never have to worry about loosing my place. I can read a couple books at a time. For instance, right now I am reading a fiction and a non-fiction book. I can have them both in my purse and not have the bulk of carrying around two books. I adore the battery life, it last forever. And, my favorite part is the display. It is just like a book page. I can set in the yard and read while I watch Henry play. Amazing. I do, from time to time, miss the feel of a bound book in my hand. However, as a busy mom (who is about to be busier) this is perfect. I don't have time to spend wandering through book stores flipping through books. I can shop the Amazon store in my PJs at 10pm, they even let you download samples of books. It you get a good cup of coffee it is almost as fun as a brick and mortar store. Almost. If you enjoy reading, you need one. And, with my handy little device I read more than I used to.

I guess I could have also said . . . I have made three covers for my kindle (my precious). Of course I like it! Happy reading!

Sometimes you just need to be bad

2011-04-12T11:51:00.011-04:00

I have been working on a giant post filled with all these yummy meat free recipes. We've been trying to kick up our veggie and fish intake and limit our meat consumption. In addition to healthy meat free dinners, I have also been looking for some food I can make ahead and stash in the freezer for after the baby comes. If I don't do some preplanning we will end up relying a pizza delivery like we did with Henry. This my friends will not help me get into all the clothes I long wear again. Oh skinny jeans! My quest lead to me to Smitten Kitchen, which I have deiced is my all time favorite food blog. I have never, never had any of her recipes not turn out amazing. I can say this of no other food site/blog. I can't wait to get my grubby hands on her cookbook, which doesn't come out until next year. Skimming the archives I found a recipe for Beef Empanadas. They would be like homemade hot pockets. Or Hot pockets that aren't gross. I followed her dough recipe to the letter and it was perfect. I did the filling differently. I used ground turkey, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, a hint of coriander, two tablespoons of tomato paste and frozen spinach. Once the turkey was cooked I just seasoned to taste, and it tasted good (I did precook the spinach in the microwave and I added the onions with raw meat to make sure they were nice and tender).

My master plan was to bake them, not fry them. Besides the mess, fried foods are just terrible for you. But, as I made my little meat pies I just couldn't stop thinking about how good they would taste fried. Jason wasn't home to stop me and the gluttonous side of pregnancy took over. I fried them up, and oh they were good.

This photo doesn't do them justice . . . trust me those golden fried little empanadas are HEAVEN.

I cooked only two at first. I then proceeded to the living room and ate them sitting on the sofa with my feet propped up. I used my belly as a table. It was glorious (Henry had already eaten dinner). Mine are no where near as pretty as Deb's from Smitten Kitchen but they were tasty. The dough was great and easy to work with. I made mine a little big and ended up with 9 or 10 empanadas. We got a couple meals out of them. I did freeze some of the cooked/fried pies. The reheated great in the oven. These would definitely be a great homemade alternative to frozen convenience foods. I will say, these did make a little bit of the a mess. Not terrible but your typical flour all over the kitchen mess you get when working with any kind of dough. Still, even with the mess, this giant pregnant woman says they are totally worth it!! My only problem now is that I will never be able to bake them in the oven because I know the glory of frying them.

Since we are on the topic of manly, meaty meals (and my love of Smitten Kitchen) you should make these Sausage Stuffed Potatoes . . .

You can't make them ahead of time but they are yummy and cheap to make. It is also a nice way to mix things up when you've been eating lots of vegetarian diners. I only made a couple changes. I omitted the anchovy paste in the dressing. I didn't have any or I would have used it. Even without it, the dressing was yummy. I made a little extra dressing because I stuffed 3 large potatoes (the recipe only calls for two). I made the sausage stuffing go a bit further by adding around half the potatoes insides to the sausage mixture. The rest was mixed up with cheese for Henry. Oh, I also added some carrots and cheese to the salad. This was a great, CHEAP, yummy dinner. I love when you can find budget meals that don't make you feel like you are eating on a budget. I used the left over sausage to make gravy and biscuits. One of my favorite guilty pleasures. I lie to myself by thinking that they aren't as bad for you when they are made from scratch. But it is, I know it is.

PS. Giant post full of yummy meat free meals is still coming, I promise.

P.P.S I am a huge fan of eating local. That being said, I am so happy that we live in a world were a pregnant woman can have access to tropical fruit anytime of year. I just need to toss that out there.

Not on my to do list

2011-04-04T12:43:00.001-04:00

We have a list a mile long of things that we would like to get done before the baby comes. Honestly, most of it doesn't really need to be done but they are things that would make me feel better. I don't think new baby is going to be offended if we don't have curtains in the nursery when he comes home. He might be a little upset if I don't have new born diapers, which I don't. I have been making peace with the fact that it just isn't all going to get done. I have been focusing on the baby and tackling little projects that are fun and relaxing (and I can do with stuff on hand - which makes them free). These little fun projects are helping me get settled down after all the home improvement mess and helping me to get my mind focused on the big change that is coming. Don't worry, this week I am going to get some diapers. Here are my totally unnecessary projects . . .

An Elephant Baby Onies

I found a pack of those ubiquitous white gerber onies when I was sorting through Henry's baby stuff. I would like to try some freezer paper stenciling but I didn't have any fabric paint so I decided to do a little felt elephant. I was looking for something I could work on while I had my feet propped up. This was perfect. Every time I look at it I can't help but say "awe, tiny baby."

The photos aren't that great, I took them at 9 pm. I can't believe I was up that late, for pregnant Jaime 9 pm is almost the same things as midnight.

If you want to put something cute on a onies, it is easy as pie. I drew the elephant shape (or you could get something from the internet) cut it out of felt and glued it to the onies with no-heat fabric glue. Once the glue is dry (which takes a little while) you can start stitching. It is important to stitch to make sure your felt doesn't come off. I used this method with Henry's quiet book (he was such a baby!!), which has found it's way to the washing machine several times. It has held up really well with the exception of one of the letters in his name that I glued and didn't stitch. You live you learn. I did a simple back stitch about the elephant body and then a blanket stitch around the little ear piece. I did a simple knot for the eye and a split stitch for the tale. Embroidery is easy and relaxing. I like the slow pace. The internet has a wealth for info if you want to try for yourself. I would really like to learn more about embroidery, I am not very good.

Speaking of onies, I DID NOT make this but isn't is amazing!?!?

Image from SmokinChix Esty Store

I friend (Hi Cynthia) sent a link to Jason for the SmokinChix Etsy store. They have all kinds of fun handmade screen prints. We will forever and always be die hard Ryan Adams fans. Even if he married Mandy Moore and insist on making crappie screaming rock records. Jason just could resist getting this onies for our new little addition. If we could sing, I would put the boys to sleep each night singing "Goodnight Rose." Don't worry, I love them to much to punish them with my attempts at singing.

My other unnecessary project was a new Kindle cover.

This wasn't totally impractical. My old one didn't have enough padding. Between my clumsiness and Henry's grabbing I was always worried it was going to get broken. I thought about buying a cover but this little fella didn't cost me a thing to make. I borrow this pattern from my niece. I used fabric and batting that I had on hand. I added an extra layer of batting and I should have given myself a bigger seam allowance. As you can see in the photo, it is a little tight on my Kindle. I plan on getting some fabric and making another one in the future but for now this one works fine. If you are looking for quick sewing project for you or for a gift this pattern would be a great place to start. It was easy. I did omit the side pockets, I couldn't think of anything I would need to carry with my Kindle. From start to finish (cutting, sewing and ironing) it only took me 45 minutes. Nice and manageable. For the record, I am not a quick sewer.

Sometimes just doing something for fun can do a world of good for your state of mind. I am really going to try to kick back and enjoy the next 4 weeks or so that I have left. This baby will be here before we know it. I can't wait!

PS. This weekend we had nice weather! Jason and I got to spend some time outside working on the yard. I wish I wasn't pregnant, I kind of like playing in the dirt. I did get to start on my herb garden. This is my 4th year growing my own cooking herbs. This year I am branching out and adding a few new plants to the mix. I get giddy with excitement when I think about it. Super nerd? YES!

Homemade Play dough and Thoughts of Spring

2011-03-29T11:07:00.001-04:00

The weather this week hasn't exactly been spring like. It has been cool and rainy. Well, I guess that is kind of spring weather but not the kind I like. I love sunshine and warm breezes. Even with the dreary weather, I have just been in a spring time mood. I can't stop thinking about flowers, plants, herbs and a new baby. Spring just has to be the best time ever to have a baby. Everything is so new and fresh, it just feels fitting to bring a new little one into the world. In addition to trying to imgine what my new little baby is going to look like, I have also been trying to set aside some time for my first born. We have been so busy and I am so pregnant that I feel like I just haven't had a lot of intentional time with Henry. So, I started thinking about an activity we could do inside that would be fun and not to hard on Mommy. I remembered seeing a post a while back about homemade play dough. Perfect. I used this recipe and it worked like a charm. It was so glumpy towards the end I thought I'd messed up. I let it cool and then kneaded it a little bit with some flour and voilia play dough. If I had looked closer at the tutorial I would have know I was on the right path. Henry loved it.

This is a great thing to make. It is easy and crazy cheap. Not to mention it is totally natural. I love that I know exactly what is in it, you know because kids like to eat play dough. I am storing it in a air tight contrater and it seems to be holding up well. I was out of vegetable oil so I used olive oil which makes it have a funky smell. Not bad, just not like play dough. Actually, it reminds me of anointing oil. I grew up Pentecostal and the church I went to believed in smearing you down with olive oil. It is so funny the things you remember.

A couple of spring photos to share with you .. . .

I made spilt pea soup this week. It is a staple of my spring deit. I think it is because we used left over easter ham to make as a kid. Also, it has such a great green spring color. I have started storing all of my grains and beans in glass jars. I am in love. My pantry looks so much neater. I don't really have a recipe for the soup, I cook mine the way my sister does and I don't think she has recipe either. I saute an onion, some cooked ham and some garlic in olive oil. Pour in my beans in and add enough liquid (usually chicken broth) to cover the beans by about an inch and half then throw in the leaves from a couple sprigs of thyme. I let that simmer for about an hour and half and then you have soup! Yummy, green, hearty spring soup.

These cutting are from a shrub that grows on the side of my house. It looks kind of wild. I have a tangle of bushes and shrubs that need some attention but I am to lazy to deal with them. I love this one and it's bright pink spring flowers. Anyone know what it is? Even without a name, it sure is lovely to look at. Hope everyone has a little spring loveliness in their life right now.

PS. I peeked out side yesterday, in between the rain, and noticed my dog woods are about to open. Oh, I just can't wait for some sunny weather.

A play nook

2011-03-25T12:03:00.009-04:00

After 3 weeks of pure insanity, our life (I hope) is starting to settle back into a somewhat normal routine. Even as I type this sentence I can't help but giggle because the bottom is about to fall out again when our new baby arrives. Oh my, I can't even process what life is going to be like with two little boys. We wrapped up the remodel and then Jason (with the help of his dad) spent the last week working on more home improvement projects. This is more in the maintenance department. The last three weeks we have been on project over load. Now, we still have a mile long to do list but all the big awful projects that make huge messes and involve disrupting our lives are finished. Hooray!! While Jason has been working on these massive undertakings I have been slowly making progress on smaller projects like getting the boys room in order. I am 1/4 of the way done and I wanted to share a little corner of the room with you.

The Play Nook

Our little guys will be sharing a bedroom. Our cozy little home only has two bedrooms. The are good size rooms, but still only two. When we were thinking about what we wanted and needed in the combined room the biggest thing on my list was a play area. Henry didn't really have a space of his own to play and I thought it was important to give him (and little brother) a place that was all his own. I put a lot of thought into the layout of the room. Because of the two doors in and out of the room and the placement of the closest it is an awkward room to work with. We never found an arrangement that worked. You can see the room right after Henry was born here. I think we have finally got a good plan, it will probably take a while to get the room all put together. Jason is building some furniture (this changing table is done, it just needs some accessories) and my sister is bringing the bedding up with her. She made the most adorable matching quilts for the boys. Anyway, for now we are enjoying the part that is done. Henry is loving his play area. Okay, more pictures and details.

The table is Henry's Christmas present. He loves it, a little too much at times. We have to watch him because he likes to stand on it.

This is my favorite part of this space.

It used to look like this.

I took off the leaves that were wall stickers and repainted the tree black and made it a bit more twirly (which isn't really a word, but I like it anyway). After I got it painted I glued mini-clothes pins to the tree so it could show case pictures and art work. Jason and I went around and around about what would be the best way to hang the clothes pins. I ending up with clear craft glue. They should pop off easy, I just hope they are still there in a year. I guess we will find out.

Henry is still a little to young but I think in a couple of months he will be really enjoy picking out what goes on the tree. Even though he can't tell me what he wants up there, he is interested in the tree. See the adorable black and white photo of him on his first birthday covered with cake? Thank you Cassie! The moment I hung it up he started pointing at it saying "baby, baby." I told him, that was him when he was a baby. Then I had to keep myself from melting down into a heap of blubbering pregnancy hormones. He is growing up so fast. Fortunately, I was able to control myself (this time).

Here is all of Henry's toys.

Okay, maybe 90%. He does have some outside toys that aren't seen here. But, for the most part, this is all she wrote. I look at it and almost feel bad because I know of lot of kids have way more toys than this. The truth is Henry had more but he didn't play with him. After watching him for a few weeks I purged them down to this. We have a small house and I just can't handle lots of toy clutter. I have totally subscribed the idea of simple living. Less is more. Also, less means less to clean which is very important to me right now. Even with these toys there are days when I think he would be happy with a pot, a spoon and paper towel roll. We are adopting a toy in a toy out policy. I have set up a storage bin in the closet to place toys to be rotated in and out, I am not a total mean old mommy. I am sure you are looking at this photo thinking, I wonder how long it looks like this. On average, 15 minutes (not counting the time he is asleep). He is starting to help me pick up but it is still a chore. Since we are on the topic of toys, see that little red scooter in the left corner? That is his Radio Flyer Scoot 'N Zoom and to date it is the best toy he has been given. He loves it. I love it because it is so simple and easy to clean. I love simple toys, I feel like they help foster creativity. He literally zooms around the house on it all the time. I need to get a video of him, it is adorable. We got this from one of his honorary grandmothers, Stella's YaYa. If you have hardwood floors you need to get one for if you have a toddler in your life.

So there you have it 25% of the boys room. Slowly but surely we are getting there. If you were wondering where Henry was during this photofest, he was sitting on the couch watching PBS Kids. I tried to take a pictures with him in the room but for obvious reasons, this wasn't working out. I also need to clean his floors. Curious George is the only way I can get this done. I was pretty anti-television when Henry was a baby. But, I'll be honest, sometimes it is a life saver. I guess it is just like everything else in life, moderation is key.

PS. I am upping the room to 30% done. I have been washing and organizing baby/toddler clothes like a crazy person. I should give myself from credit for that. Only 70% left!!

Close Enough

2011-03-21T08:39:00.001-04:00

The bulk of the big stuff in regards to our little renovation is over. Yes, that sound you hear is me whooping and hollering at the top of my lungs because I am so stinking happy. Jason is a amazing. I helped when and where I could but he did the bulk of the work. We are beyond thrilled but we haven't forgotten how miserable the project was while it was underway. We are hoping to be sitting in our new living room soon smugly telling people that it wasn't that bad. That, in fact, it was easy. However, until our memory fades, we are telling people the truth. It was a kind of crap sandwich. Pregnant women don't do well in chaos and neither do toddlers. Jason would say that spending almost every ounce of free time he has had in the last two weeks working has been exhausting. And, only people on the verge of insanity would think tackling something of this caliber 7 weeks from the arrival of your child is a good idea. All the negativeness aside, we are glad we did it. It completely and utterly changes the feel of our house. We don't regret it for a moment. Since we have decided to stay in our tiny house for a few more years we were looking for a way to help open up the living space and give us the feeling of more room. This project fit the bill perfectly.

Now before I get into the photos, keep in mind the room itself isn't really done. In the sense that we've not hung anything on the walls, the dining room furniture needs refinished, no curtains have been hung and we have to refinish the floors (and probably a 100 other little details that are too depressing to list). But, it is definitely livable and will be fine even if it takes us months to nail down all the fine tuning. Now pictures (lots of pictures).

From the front door (AFTER):

We are changing and moving the light fixture at some point. It is off center and it makes me a little batty. I think we need something a little more funky (and less traditional) for the space. I am adding it our forever long lost. Sigh. Even with an off center light, I love me new living space. Thank you Jason.

This used to look like this (BEFORE):

From the kitchen door looking toward the front door (BEFORE):

From the kitchen door looking toward the front door (AFTER):

China Hutch will be repainted soon, it kinda of clashes with the new wall color.

Here is the living room with our old furniture, which I hated.

I bought it when I was pregnant with Henry because our vintage sofa was killing my back (but it was cute). I picked this up from the Habitat ReStore for cheap. While it was comfy, I never felt it fit in our house. Actually, I have never really liked our living room because it was such a small room. Until now, I love it now. How could I not? Here is the same shot with our new furniture.

This is a cheap Big Lots sectional. I found a few more expensive options but I didn't want to spend that much money. If I am dropping over a $1000 on anything it will be a new washing machine and dryer. I dream about a new washer and dryer. Anyway, back to the sectional . . . Beyond not wanting to spend the cash on something nicer I also just didn't think that it was a good idea with two little boys. We didn't want to have to constantly worry about the sofa getting destroyed. After lots of the looking, Big Lots gave us the most bang for our buck. The stuff is decent quality and comes with a year warranty. This little beauty and giant storage ottoman (in a small house storage is very sexy) come in around $875 pretax. I note this because our sales tax is insanely high, 9.75 %. I feel violated by the government every time we make a big ticket purchase. We happened to scored a 20% off our entire purchase coupon, which they have from time to time, that combined with the money we got from selling our old furniture (thank you Craig's List) meant WITH tax we only had to pay $510 out of pocket for the set. For $510 I couldn't be happier. It has already sustained two sippy cup leaks and has cleaned up much better than our old set. It is also super comfy. Anyway, enough sofa talk here are a few more shots of our new living space.

Can you see where the wall was? While we have to refinish the floor a least there was hardwood under it. We are temporally sealing it until we can address refinishing the floors (and decided what we want to do). Seeing that we have about 6 weeks until my due date, I am sure that it will be several months after baby before tackle the project.

Project details, in case your a curious or nosey like me.

Paint:

The biggest expense was the paint. It doesn't really show in the photos but we painted everything from the ceiling to the trim. We used good paint. I am a cheap skate and never saw the value in buying high end paint. I have been converted, there is a huge difference. It is worth the money. Every penny. The biggest paint splurge was the paint we bought for the trim. It cost $61.99 a gallon, Benjamin Moore Aura. I almost wept. But, the paint is stinking awesome. Dries quick, has a hard finish, low VOC and cleans well. We used various kinds (all low or no VOC) of paint but they were all Benjamin Moore. With the exception of the ceiling paint, we used Ace Simply Magic Ceiling paint. Having painted a couple ceilings all ready Jason said this was the best ceiling paint he has used yet. All our ceilings in the house were a dingy cream color, Jason has slowly been repainting then bright white. The difference is amazing.

Paint Colors . . . .
Living room (main color): Benjamin Moore Cloudy Sky*
Living room (accent wall): Benjamin Moore Caribbean Blue Water
Dining room: Benjamin Moore Blue Flower

Budget:

As for the budget for the project, I don't really think we could give anyone a realistic idea of what something like this would cost. We are resourceful and Jason works at a hardware store. We got discounts on paint, we had all the big tools (saws, paint rollers, extenders, etc) we needed and we were able to use some free lumber for the new trim. I haven't got an exact number yet but including the new blinds we are somewhere in the $400 - $500 range. Which I think is amazing and right in line with what we wanted to spend. I feel like that is low for something like this, but seeing that I have no experience with a project of this nature I'm not sure. I do know that it would have cost us much, much more than that to have a contractor to do it. My handy husband is awesome!!

*As you may remember, I was distraught last week because I picked out the worst paint color in the history of the world. I was going for a light gray brown color and what I got was pink vomit. The color I selected (Benjamin Moore Sea Froth) had way more pink in it than I realized and it looked awful with the other colors we had chosen. I swear when we were looking at the chips we really thought it would work. In an attempt to fix the problem, I brought home a bunch of chip cards (I knew I wanted gray) but I couldn't nail down a color. My confidence was shaken. In desperation I ask my always stylish friend Cassie to come over and help me. Not only does she have great taste but she knows us and our decorating style. She selected Cloudy Sky, I was leaning toward a charcoal gray instead of blue gray. After thinking for a few moments I went with her choice and I couldn't be happier. Bravo Cassie! I love, love, love, love the color! I just thought I should give credit were credit is due. Cassie thanks again for bailing me out my indecisive color funk.

And, because I keep my word . . . . here is my color disaster. I don't want to post this, because it makes me so sad. But, I hate reading blogs were people only share good stuff and lets be honesty I am sure we've all made poor design choices. Right?

The upside is, it now looks like this. Problem fixed!!

PS. Henry has gotten so used to construction mess that I think he might actually miss it. Paint cans make great stools for toddlers. Good thing it is all no VOC paint. And, yes, we are paints free again.

Like Civilized People

2011-03-18T16:29:00.001-04:00

We are in the final stage of wrapping up the working part of this renovation. We have gone through all the stages of home improvement emotion. The excitement, nervousness, fear, questioning, frustration, regret and now we can almost taste VICTORY and JOY! Yesterday marked the two week point in the job and in just a day or so we will be done. There a few little things left. This means my house actually looks like a home. I was able to clean and organize today. We have furniture to sit on. To celebrate tonight we are going to eat like real people. At a table. Off real plates and with real napkins. Not on the floor or at Henry's kiddie table. I wish I was serving something fabulous but cooking hasn't been at the top of my list. We are having some baked spaghetti with a salad of bib lettuce (my favorite) with fresh strawberries. At least it is homemade and it is isn't a sandwich. In celebration of the fact that my living room and dining room floors are mopped and we no longer have to walk around tools and paint cans, I thought I would share a little peak.

I know you can't really see the remodel but you can see our new dining room color and freshly painted trim. Side Note: Painting trim SUCKS. Actually you can also see into the boys room too. We've been busy mixing that room up as well. More on that in a few weeks. In the mean time, if you are lucky enough to have fabulous spring weather like us, I hope you are enjoying it. Here is to a job so that is so close to being done that I can almost taste it!!!!!

Disorganized Chaos

2011-03-14T21:05:00.001-04:00

To be a true DIYer it takes a special kind of person. One must be creative, resourceful, frugal, overly self confident and crazy. Normal people just don't sit around thinking, "I could make my own bread, fix my own car, make my own electronics or knock down a wall. This is the rambling of crazy people, like us. Knocking down a wall with a 32 week pregnant wife and a rambunctious toddler is on the verge of insanity but thinking it would only take a few days IS insanity. This is where the over confidence comes in. It is the mixer of thinking you can not only tackle something but that you can tackle it in record time. We always under estimate the time it is going to take us to do a home improvement project. Home renovation ALWAYS takes longer than you think it will. Case in point, our current project. I am sure you have figured out that we aren't finished yet. We still have to tackle the trim, windows, hang the new blinds (something I am crazy excited about), put second coats of paint on the walls, clean (and then clean some more) and re paint the living room. Yes, repaint. We've always had somewhat funky colors in the house . . . it fits us. If you haven't figured out by now, we are little eccentric. I have always had great success in selecting paint colors, that is, until now. This time I majorly messed up. The living room color looks like vomit. No really, it reminds me of vomit. Every time I look in the room I want to cry. I have apologized to Jason 150 times since we put the paint on the walls. Now we have to buy another gallon of paint which costs money and we have to repaint which will take time. We are short in both departments. Well, I can't complain to much about the money. We are just barely over our shoestring budget. The real butt is the time. I need my house together. Jason needs an evening to chill out. In the mean time, here is the mess while it is getting primed.

Jason did a great job trimming about the door. It was a hard project because our house is all wonky. After a 100 years things settle. Also, none of our trim boards could be bought. Jason has to cut and plane each one to size. Did you know that no board is its true size that it says in the store (Jason did of course)? For example a 2 x 4 is really more like 1 1/2 X 3 1/2. You probably did know this, but for me this was a big surprise when we went to pick up lumber for our first building project, our table. All this to say that a 100 years ago when people did everything by hand measurements were true. Our 1 x 4 trim is actually 1 x 4. Add to this that we have no true right corners and you will see why trimming out made Jason batty. He persevered and did an amazing job.

You may note there is no paint in the photo, only primer. I promise to share a photo of my paint choice disaster. But, until I have found a solution, it is too painful. Every time I see the living room, I have to fight the urge not to break down in tears. The only upside is that we have been using no VOC paint and I have been able to help Jason. I mean, I can't get on the ladder but I can cut in everything I can reach. If you were wondering, this is what Henry was doing while we were painting.

He spent the day gated in the nursery playing with his puppy. He was astonishingly good yesterday and was content all day in his room. I know his room looks like a war zone in this photo. We just let him have at it. You can alway pick up the toys later. Oh, and it might have been a PJ day for Henry. He just chilled and we popped in and out of the room playing with him. He also participated in the required Barks family painting dance party. Painting becomes much more fun when you dance. We decided to spare the internet and not post any footage of this. We like to dance, but we probably shouldn't do it.

Hopefully soon I will have some better photos for you. And then, maybe by the end of the week I can have some time for all the other things I want to be doing right now. Painting (the artsy kind), sewing, getting baby stuff ready and cleaning. Maybe.

My husband's handiwork

2011-03-05T09:06:00.005-05:00

I take no credit for this project. Between my big belly and chasing Henry, I have been no real help for Jason. All I did was ask Jason to do it and to pick out the paint colors (we haven't gotten that far yet). Oh, I am also looking for new furniture for our living room. Basically, I am just shopping. Anyway, on to the project at hand . . . .

We have been kicking around the idea of opening up the door way from our living room into the dining room. Our house is small, 1150 square feet to be exact, and since it is a 100 years old, it doesn't have an open floor plan. We thought widening the door way would help the living area seem bigger and allow us to better utilize our dining room. When we have people over each room is a little too small to hold them and things tend to get crowded quickly. Here is what the space looked like before.

This is from the front of the house, looking toward the dining room.

See those book shelves? They are a disaster. They have always looked like this. Henry's love of pulling things down and my hatred of dusting made them a constant eye sore. This was the first thing someone saw when they walked in our home. YUCK! If you are wondering, we sold 60-70% of the books on the shelf. I got a Kindle, so we went digital. Henry's books went to his room, cookbooks into the kitchen and old photo albums into storage. Goodbye books and dust. Don't get me wrong, I am forever and always a bookworm. I just apparently lack the skills to keep them clean and organized. Enough rambling.

This is the wall from the dinning room side. Sorry the photo is a little blurry.

Now, I really wanted this wall down before the baby came but I have been terrified of the project. I was so worried that it was going to be a huge mess. Even more than the mess, I have had nightmares about what we might find when the wall came down. Our house is in it's 101st year, it is no spring chick. I just knew we were going to uncover some horrible expensive problem like water damage, mold, termites, trolls - you name it, I have worried about it. This baffled my husband. He thought I would want to know if an army trolls were living in my walls. Nope. Ignorance is bliss. All my anxiety combined with the fact that I am pregnant crazy right now meant I was totally freaking about about doing this. I might have been crying yesterday trying to talk Jason out of doing it. I am not a crier normally but pregnancy hormones make me weep over anything. Poor Jason had to talk me down (again), which took longer than I care to admit. He got me back on board and we decided to move forward. Since we were was off and the weather was great, we decided there is no time like the present. Henry and I headed to the back yard and Jason got to work.

Here is photo of the work in progress.

See all the wood? Our walls are solid. The old saying, they don't build them like they used to is beyond true. Our house may be old, but is solid as a rock. Crap, now I can't stop thinking about Arrested Development. Jason just plugged away, while Henry and I played in the yard with some friends (Hi Derece and Ryker). By Henry's bed time, it looked like this . . . .

All gone. No trolls, mold or termites. Obviously, there is still a bit of work for Jason. He has to trim our the door way and repaint the walls, ceiling (not necessary, but they really need it) and the trim. As for the funky discoloration on the floor where the wall was, we are going to patch it the best we can and tackle refinishing the floors sometime after the baby comes. What you see is the original 100 year old heart of pine floors. This is our sub flooring, nothing below it. To make it look congruent we need to sand and refinish both rooms. For now, I think taking down the wall is enough.

Before I get emails, comments and phone calls, let me tell you that the outlets sticking up from the floor have NO power running to them. Even though they are dead, little Henry hasn't walked in these two rooms at all. We did watch some Curious George this morning, but that is it. Until it is trimmed out he is confined to his bedroom and the kitchen. Obviously, we haven't been spending much time inside. We also took extra special caution in dealing with the dust (which wasn't that bad). Safety first.

Well I am off to pick up our paint and hopefully find some new furniture. My budget is embarrassingly low, so I am not too hopeful. Cross your fingers. We will be living like this until Saturday evening, when Jason will be off and have some more time to work on this. I can live like this, it is no where near as bad as I thought it would be. A lot of this has to do with the fact that my husband is AMAZING. Seriously, he is a one man work crew of awesome. He takes down walls, he builds, he paints, he rewires electrical outlets . . . there isn't much he can't do. While I am bragging about my husband, the best part is he is rugged but can still enjoy fancy food, an indie film, quirky music and a good book. I shall sum him up by stealing his recent status update. Jason is "a rare hybrid of metro sophistication and farm-bred redneck." I couldn't have found a better man to impregnate me. Twice.

A flower for you!

2011-03-04T10:04:00.001-05:00

So far, it seems as through we are having an early spring here in my little corner of Tennessee. Which is nice because this winter was insane for us. We had two substantial snows (see here and here). Please note, normally a substantial snow for my town is 2 inches. Thank you for all the kind word regarding our sickness. I am happy to report that Henry is perfectly well, Jason is better but not great and I am somewhere in between. I have been lysoling (can you use lysol as a verb?) the crap out of my house but nothing makes a house feel fresh and clean like a spring breeze. Which, thanks to our early spring weather we have been able to toss open the windows. In honor of spring cheer I thought I would share with you my little painting for the February Creative Color Challenge.

Instead of taking a whole month and turning out a painting a week (like I did in August) this was just one painting. I had to use contrasting colors on the color wheel and it had to have a flower in it. I guess everyone has spring fever right now. The fun little twist on this challenge is that is was an exchange (that is number two, if you are counting). My little painting is on it's way to my swap partner in Canada. In honor of spring, and all this giving I have been doing, I thought I would give away this print. Click on the link below to download a high resolution print of these little flowers. I've never done this before, so if you have any issues let me know. I thought maybe this little guy could brighten up your fridge, bullitin board or maybe a little frame.

Click here to download a PDF of this painting.

I am off to tackle a crazy list that I have for the day. Errands, cleaning and organizing. All this on top of the fact that my amazing husband has untaken a big home improvement project! I am hoping to be able to give you a little sneak peak this afternoon. We are also revamping the Henry's room, which he will be sharing with his brother. It is slow going but it is coming along. Right now, it feels like my whole house is turned upside down. I hope we get it all put together before the baby comes in 2 months!

PS. Just for fun I decided I would look at my projects from the creative color challenge in August.

Week 1 - Yellow
Week 2 - Red
Week 3 - Turquoise
Week 4 - Sea Green
Week 5 - Purple

The Cold that Almost Did Me In

2011-02-28T18:24:00.002-05:00

My optimism last Monday was totally misplaced. It is Monday again, right? I got the worst cold I've ever had IN MY LIFE (courtesy of my cute little son). It was like a sneaky ninja that round house kicked me in the face over and over again. Usually I bounce back quickly from colds but this one just wouldn't give up. Wednesday through Sunday were a blur of tissues, coughing, voice loss and restlessness. The only thing I attempted to do all week was make it to my midwife appointment. I was scheduled to have my gestational diabetes test. I've had to reschedule it a few times and since I had a baby sitter lined up I decided to go ahead and do it. This resulted in me violently vomiting up the sugar drink (all over myself) you have to drink for the test. Thus adding insult to injury. I could also tell how hard it was not to pee in my pants every time I coughed, but you don't really want that much personal information do you? Young girls need to know the truth about what really happens to women during and after pregnancy. It would be the best form of birth control ever. Needless to say, last week was long. I am happy to report that I am finally starting to feel better. Not great, but better. I shall enter this week with no exceptions. I just want to survive and disinfect my entire house.

Oh the reason for this post . . . . . the winner of my little birdie! Drumroll please. The winner is Derece! Thank you so everyone who played along. It was so much fun, we will have to do it again sometime soon.

I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to talk about how wonderful my husband was (is) during my sickness. He took very good care of me. And, I am not an easy person to deal with when I am sick. It is worse when I am pregnant. I tend to be whiney. And needy. And grumpy. It isn't a cake walk and he did great. Now that he is sick, he has acknowledged that this is a pretty nasty cold. It is the gift that keeps on giving.

Just for fun, here is a picture of my handy men. Before Jason got sick the guys took advantage of the nice weather and did some wood working. Aren't they cute?