"shrinking women"

lily myers - "shrinking women"  source

christmas wish list

our family has been very blessed this year.  i am sure if i walked through the mall i could point out a lot of things i want, but at the end of the day, there isnt much i need.  we tend to be practical wanters.  so here are a few items that have made there way onto my holiday wish list. 


cloth napkins / tea towels:  because we cut down on the amount of paper towels we buy and use, i really want some pretty cloth napkins and tea towels.  here are a few from etsy that i am in love with. 

feather screen printed dishtowels from michelle brusegaard

grey owl linen tea towel from sweet nature designs

screen printed organic cloth napkins from oh little rabbit

eco-friendly large cloth napkins from jaqs studio

eco-friendly large cloth napkins from jaqs studio

gdiaper supplies:  because we have been cloth diapering part time, a practical gift for our family would be the following gdiaper items.  

1 or 2 pairs of gpants - size large

m/l disposable inserts

2 swishsticks to help dissolve the disposable inserts

home depot gift cards:  because want/need a bathroom remodel in the basement, i am saving up for a new shower and installation.  

corner shower kit from home depot

what practical items are on your wish list this year? 

high 5 for insta-friday

linking up with lauren and jeannett again today to share with you some of my very favorite things from this week.

ONE: i heart trader joes!  i was able to stop in for 10 minutes and pick up this "last minute hostess" basket full of items for only $40.  it includes red and white wine, beer, snacks and beautiful flowers that still look great 7 days later. 

TWO:  had my besties over for a game night while jen was in town.  have you ever played quelf?  it is the most ridiculous game ever but i love how much it puts people out of their comfort zone.  

THREE:  sunday was beautiful, 70 degrees and sunny.  we were able to take henry out in his new wagon.

FOUR:  impromptu date night at sushi blues!  

FIVE: tuesday night we gathered for a Forge Raleigh cohort.  we had some really great discussion and i was inspired to be a little more studious with my reading.  

happy friday and have a great weekend!!!

dear henry,

the other day you were having some great independent play time.  as much as i wanted to climb inside your play area to role the ball and stack blocks with you, i decided to hang back.  watching you explore  is one of my favorite pastimes. you were so funny talking and seeing what toys fit where. sometimes you make up a little song when you talk to or about your hands, food or toys. 

i dream and worry a little about how you will turn out.  this is that time when almost every parent looks at their baby and sees the potential of what things could be.  they stress about if their child is learning well and how to encourage their children to explore while keeping them out of the emergency room. i am trying not to be one of those stressed out moms.  its hard because you have no fear.  you climb the stairs as fast as you can, only looking back to see if i am following you.  you climb up and down grunting the whole time as if you are exerting all the energy you have … yet you still have plenty.  you, my dear, are a bottomless pit of energy. 

henry, “they” were right.  you are growing right before my very eyes.  my mom used to say that she wanted to tie a brick to our heads so we wouldn't grow anymore and now i understand what she meant.  it seems like yesterday that you started crawling and now you walk almost everywhere you go.  when you do crawl, you do this thing with your arms and shoulders that make me laugh out loud. 

you have been throwing a few tantrums lately trying to deal with all the big emotions in such a little body.  you don't quite understand why we tell you "no."  you have been doing the "gimme" hands which looks a lot like when you wave "bye bye."  most of the time it means "pick me up please" or "more cheerios" but sometimes we cannot figure it out and you get a little mad.  after a few tries of giving you the wrong thing, i can see it in your eyes ... you are wondering why the devil we cant understand you and get it right.  sometimes you refuse to eat off a spoon because you are dying to be independent and feed yourself.  usually your meltdowns last less than a minute and then you’re off again with the walking and singing.    

i would love to say that you are a momma’s boy but i don’t thinks that’s the case.  you love your daddy so much and it shows when you look at him.  you smacked him in the face a few times this week because he wasn’t looking when you discovered something neat.   his approval and attention means a lot to you.  you giggle when he puts silly things on his head and then you try and do the same. your favorite is when he flies you around the house like superman.  

henry, your daddy and i love you very much.  i am looking forward to our life with you.  we are so blessed!

love, 
momma

pet peeves:

1)  when i am second in line at a stop light and the person behind me honks their horn.  i always get so embarrassed that the person in front might think i did it.  so i usually look like an idiot trying to sign language an apology and pointing behind me to the real culprit.

2) while shopping, you ask the store employee if there are any more of said item in the back and they just simply say “no.”   i mean, i have worked in the customer service industry before.  i know how this works.  can’t you at least pretend to look in the back?  go take a sip of your icee for gracious sake and come back with a concerned look on your face and lie … say you couldn’t find it anywhere.

source

3) when an ambulance is coming up behind you and you are the ONLY person that pulls off the road out of their way … and then no one will let you back onto the road even though you are the only driver that did what they were supposed to.

4) weak coffee … like really weak.  you add the tiniest amount of cream and it suddenly looks like a cup of skim milk …. and don’t get me started on skim milk. 

5) leaves!  you finally muster up some energy to blow the leaves in your front yard and at some point in the night a small tornado comes through and blows them all over the place … and more down from the tree.  bagging the leaves in the pile is not an option because it would literally take ten million years ... ain't nobody got time for that!  speaking of time, if it didn’t get dark at 3pm, maybe i would have more time to blow and bag leaves :)

what is your biggest pet peeve? 

high five for insta-friday

happy friday to you!

im excited to be linking up with lauren and jeanette to share five awesome things from this past week.

ONE:  headed to trophy brewing company friday night to pick up a pizza and growler full of beer to take home.  

TWO:  updagraded henry into a bigger car seat.  its crazy how grown up he seems now

THREE:  i was able to reclaim some of our living room on monday.  we have had a lot of gift bags and cardboard sitting around since henry's birthday.  

FOUR:  trying out a hybrid diaper on henry for the next few weeks.  stay tuned for my thoughts on gdiapers. 

FIVE:  the blog is officially back up and running.  

currently ...

missing ... long, warm days

loving ... seeing henry become this little person with his own personality 

thinking about ... planning a mini vaca/ road trip

listening to ... mumford and sons concert on youtube.  i have just recently found that you can watch entire concerts on youtube so i looked up some of my favorites.  

drinking ... water

thankful for ... husband, coffee and henry's new play yard thing we set up in the basement.  its a great place for him to play while im in the shower, cooking, blogging :)

addicted to ... dark chocolate covered almonds from trader joes

dreading ... the wintry weather, it being dark out when i get home from work and static shocks from my hair, coat, car door, etc.   

reading ... Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting - chapter 6 is so interesting (along with the rest of the book so far).  its about the difference between child care options in paris vs. the US.  

dreaming of ... summer time and beach trips

excited about ... jen coming home for a visit this weekend, the sweet sibling tat my bro and i are planning and getting my blog back up and running.