Perfectly Imperfect

Have you seen this book? It is beautiful. I have only read the intro and I am in love. My mama sent this to me for my birthday (which is Tuesday). I first discovered it when Molly mentioned it on her blog.

This week has been a doozy. I have not even read any blogs! Because I have been reading a Neonatal Resuscitation Provider textbook for my biannual neonatal resuscitation certification. Can anyone say no fun?

I'm looking forward to a cozy weekend with my new (fun) book, my fam, some blog reading, and maybe a chocolate chip cookie or two.

And to think decorating is often considered frivolous. Making a charmed and happy home is a noble endeavor. -Deborah Needleman

Easter Eggs

What would one's childhood be like without dyeing Easter eggs?

Terrible. It would be a terrible childhood.



We dyed eggs on Monday. This activity was a bright spot in an otherwise ugly week.
This young man is fast and furiously approaching the terrible threes. His b-day is next month.

Yep, we are hanging in there. But it's not pretty.

Egg dying was therapeutic for us both.

They are SO happy sitting in a bowl by the window.

We made extra and took a carton over to Aunt Lu's.

#IloveEastereggs

Happy Birthday

My husband is pretty special to me. And today is his 31st birthday.

Stephen is the type that gets better with age. Every year he grows wiser and more thoughtful, yet he maintains his fun loving spirit.

On this launch of his 31st year, these are the admirable qualities I'm especially grateful for.

*He faithfully takes his family to church. Not to prove he is "good." But because he knows his need for Jesus, our family's need to hear the gospel, and the rich blessings that come from relationships with other Christians. Not once in our married life do I recall him saying "let's skip this Sunday." It's assumed, we're going. He even takes the kids by himself on my work weekends. I think this is a rare trait and I'm grateful for his leadership in this department.

*He is self made. Stephen is an entrepreneur.  He started a business from scratch. And I mean from scratch. He works hard. He provides well and does it with a good attitude.

*He disciplines our children. For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines Hebrews 12:6. I see Stephen not just having affection for our children, but I see him doing the hard work of teaching, training, and disciplining.

*He is fun to live with and he is my friend.

Stephen, you are so precious to me. And I love you this year more than ever.

Happy Birthday! I love your life.

Project Simplify: The Kitchen

Late Friday afternoon, I finished sorting through and organizing my kitchen. Yeah!!!! I tackled several cabinets, the pantry, and the fridge. Wow am I excited about starting off this Spring/Summer season with a somewhat orderly kitchen. I'm mentally switching menu plans as we will be moving away from hearty winter soups and will be making warm-weather friendly meals.

Here are a couple before and afters.

 

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Linking up with Simple Mom for Project Simplify.

Spring Memories

Nearly 3 years ago I was 9 months pregnant with Stephen Small. I had just cut back to part time, working 8 hour shifts instead of 12's. I would come home on those gorgeous spring afternoons, pour a glass of sweet tea, and sit outside with my shoes off, snacking on unsalted peanuts. Then I'd mosey inside and fall asleep on the couch watching Oprah. Stephen Grande would usually get home around 7, and we would more than likely pick up Moe's for dinner. 

Y'all, those are some seriously fond and peaceful memories.

Fast forward 3 years. Life has changed. But in a hilarious and good way.

Happy Spring! Get outside and make you some memories.

Project Simplify: Kids' Stuff

I mentioned here that I was going to do another deep clean of my house and worldly belongings. This year is different from last year because instead of having an intense week of going through all our stuff, I'm chipping away at it slowly.

One of my favorite blogs is hosting a Project Simplify challenge for the month of March. The idea is to tackle one area of the home each week. I thought this would be a nice pace for me.

The area of this week's challenge on Simple Mom was kid's stuff. 

So with both my children visiting grandparents this week, it was perfect timing to get in their rooms and do a big organization/simplification.

I actually got rid of a lot of toys this past November. With Christmas and Laurie's birthday being in January, I knew we would get a surge of new stuff. The kinds of toys I got rid of were broken, worn out, dirty, or things that were not really toys that my kids played with (like a broken flashlight).

In general, I don't buy our kids toys. Seriously. Stephen Grande bought Stephen Small a ball one day. And for his second birthday we got him a John Deere tractor. Oh and I think I put some matchbox cars in his Easter basket last year. Besides that we have never bought our kids one single toy. All of them have been generously given to us by grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. What I'm trying to say is not buying toys ourselves has been a great way to manage the influx of stuff coming to our home. We are American. My kids have an abundance of stuff to play with. We save money by not buying toys. And it makes gifts that much more special and appreciated. Also there is not one thing my kids love playing with more than the big tub of dirt in our back yard.

I believe kids do not need a ton of toys. Quality over quantity.

Sure, as they get older we will buy them toys and gifts for Christmas and birthdays that are from us. We are not total Grinches, just partial ones.

November 11

So here is my before picture of kids stuff:

And the afters:

- The first thing I did was take down the curtains in Stephen's room (which also doubles as our playroom). They were tired and served no purpose. I made this bunting to hang on the curtain rod and it looks so much better! It's cleaner and happier.

-I sorted through all the toys and put them in their rightful place. I placed all the food, pots, pans, and spoons in the kitchen where they belong.

-This is one of my favorite toys, the rainbow wooden circles that go on the peg. When this toy is together it means all is right with the world. Sometimes, on the most chaotic days I will find each piece and put this toy together. It is like a symbol of order in a messy and disorderly world.

-Below is the train table. We are currently taking a brake from the tracks. I've talked before about toy rotation. I'm a big believer in it. I keep about a third of our toys boxed away and I bring them out periodically and rotate different toys. This keeps things interesting and helps with clutter control.

-Here is Stephen's closet where I store toys. Months ago I took down the dangerous, sliding closet doors and made this curtain out of a sheet and shower curtain rod.

-Here is the big bucket of miscellaneous toys. I love this thing.

-I even went through the tub toys. I threw out old shampoo bottles and moved the razor. Yikes. Back in January when my dad cleaned my tub he threw out several toys that were starting to mildew. Not many folks have a dad that will scrub their tub when they visit. Fortunately, I do and it needed it badly.

-I keep other toys in boxes on the built in shelves in our TV room. They are labeled cars, colors, legos. Once again, this is all part of the toy rotation system. I cannot say enough good things about rotating toys. It has been so helpful to me. The other day it was raining. I pulled out our puzzles for the first time in WEEKS. Both kids were all over them for hours. Then we woke up the next day and put them all together for clean up, which lasted for a good portion of a Saturday morning. It ended up being some real quality time together.

-I did not make through the kid's clothes yet. They are in between sizes and seasons, so I may wait a little closer to summer before I tackle this area.

Hope this inspires! What is your greatest trick for managing kids' stuff?

Herb Gardening All by Myself

Today I had the rare experience of being alone in my own home. Stephen Small was at my mom's. Laurie was with Stephen Grande's mom. And I was foot loose and fancy free.

I missed my babies, but oh man did I enjoy a little solitude.

Coffee. Pilates. Car wash. Library. The bank. Bill paying. Herb shopping - all by my lonesome. It was good for my soul.

hot tea with milk and honey

I made a list of all the things I wanted to do today, knowing full well I could not get it all done. But I was determined to dabble in a little gardening.

I bought some impatiens, creeping jenny, rosemary, parsley, mint, thyme, and chives, and I planted it all in pots by my front door.

This was therapy planting this little "herb garden".

It looks cheery. It smells amazing.

Bring on spring!

Tonight I made these rosemary pork chops. LOVED em. So did Stephen Grande.

Gardening is funny. It requires patience. It is frustrating yet satisfying. Each year I take on a few new plants and try to "master" them.

Thankfully gardening can be done on a small scale. A plant, a pot, dirt, sun, water. That's all you need.

Happy planting season!

Our Weekend

Over the weekend we traveled to my hometown for a good friend's wedding. It was a blast from the past to see so many old friends.

As we drove in on Thursday night we beheld the most gorgeous sunset and even pulled over to watch a crop duster fly for a few minutes. You know it must have been well worth it as it was the 5th hour of trip.

We busted out some old toys for the kids. My sister and I spent countless hours playing with this toy kitchen when we were little. Our favorite feature was to fill the coffee pot with Coca Cola. It made for a sticky mess, but it a lovely memory.

My good friend, L, came also for the wedding and brought her little fam. It was a real treat to see them and have them stay at my parents' house with us. Our (combined) 4 kids all slept through the night - which is nothing short of a miracle.

We had a ball at the wedding. We danced all night and then we danced some more. Capt' Steve found a $10 bill. I thought that a good sign for us since we were staying out way past our bedtime.

We also had a quick visit with my brother, who by the way recently got a job. Congrats, George!

Sunday was a day of major relaxation. We sat on the front porch and drank coffee like we were in an episode of Andy Griffith. We laughed and carried on.

We are home again and minus one bambino....my parents are keeping Stephen Small for a few days. I have dreams of extreme productivity while he's away. But the fact that I kick started this "time off" with a 5 hour session of catching up on Downton Abby makes me wonder how much I will really accomplish. My head wants to scrub the floors and organize the Tupperware cabinet, but my heart wants to watch TV and pick up Chinese food.

Here's to hoping I will find a happy medium of work and rest.

Happy Tuesday!

The Library

These days we are loving the library. I mean we are L-O-V-I-N ' the library!

It's an outing.
They have free books.
It makes me feel intellectual, frugal, and old fashioned.

We (me and the kids) have only been twice, but I'm certain that we will be long time regulars. Besides the books, we are big fans of the small aquarium of gold fish and the elevator.

I checked out this mod art picture/ word book to look pretty in my book stack for a few weeks.

How cool would some of these pages be if you framed them put and them in a wall gallery?
Very cool, I think.

This is the book I'm enjoying the most right now, French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano. I read almost all of it in one day.

It combines two of my passions : food and thinness (in the well being sense, a healthy thin).

So who wants to start a book club with me?