Miss Tesla, it's been 5 weeks and I can't believe how much you've changed!

You are doing such a great job of keeping your head up. Not only that, but you like to "crawl" up and down Mommy when we hold you. Every day, I give you tummy time and you don't hardly fuss. I think you actually like it. Your latest trick is to push up on your arms and hold your pose for a couple of seconds before you release.

Also, you've been cooing and squeaking up a storm. You also do this thing that your Daddy calls gronking, which is a combination of growling/grunting and honking. That's your favorite way to communicate to us actually. Every so often, you actually treat us with a smile, which totally melts our heart.

You are so very inquisitive, really trying to stay awake for an hour or a couple of hours at a time just taking it all in. Those BEAUTIFUL eyes of yours are always searching and exploring.

By the way, your sister, the Sugarbean, has been amazing! She loves you so, even proclaiming you to be her best friend. She's still as precocious and spirited as ever, but when it comes to you, you are the center of her world and she seems to captivate your attention just as much. While you and I were napping last week, your sister took her brown crayon and colored her walls with all sorts of circles. She also poured most of the guest shampoo down the drain, but not before spilling some on the carpet to emulate the steam cleaning we'd done on the carpets to prepare for your arrival. And with every escapade she says she's sorry and I just know she's exploring and being a 3 year old...preparing us for when you will walk her path and come up with your very own set of antics. And all will be forgiven with the burst of a belly laugh or a megawatt smile.

Oh, and slow down! You are starting to roll over already! You've managed to go from back to front, very nearly figuring out how to pull your arm out from under you. It's incredible how much strength you have! And how you've grown too! You are just over 22 inches and now weigh 11 pounds! Grow baby grow!

We love you so very much and you've brought such joy to our lives!

Mother's Day 2011

Day before Daddy's Birthday 2011

Thank you letter to my mom

When I was really young, I clung fiercely to you. My siblings never had any fear to go out and conquer the world in their earlier days, but me, I was never more than an arms length away from you. As I grew, you actively encouraged me to go and explore more on my own. It was with great reluctance that I came out of my shell.

Then the teen years hit, and just as you had warned me, our relationship was strained. While I didn't have the adequate words, then, I was grateful that you were there for nearly every sporting or academic event. Victories and defeats, you loved me just the same. You taught me to fail with grace. You planted that seed of faith for me long before I could define it. One of the very special moments you gave me was that rainy day when after cheerleading tryouts when I was 12. I cried and cried because I wasn't immediately selected on the squad. The night before, you surprised me with a pair of brand name sneakers. A definite luxury considering you had insisted that you would never spend such money on a "label." You changed my shoes and I was certain that I was going to change my life. When I was dealt that defeat, you picked me up, and quietly drove in the rain to brunch. That was one of the few times where it was just the two of us and all of your attention was on me. You offered me few words of encouragement, but enveloped my body with an embrace that healed the hurt. In that moment, I discovered grace in defeat, acceptance despite shortcomings. In that single moment, I gained a greater level of respect and I began to see you more as a friend.

Of course, the remaining teen years were a struggle, but again, you were there to celebrate with me the happy moments...ALWAYS there for the lesser moments. I will never forget the pride beaming on your face during those happy times. Above the roar of the crowd, I could distinguish your whistle.

The other day I had a dream that my girls were grown and I was witnessing their victories. I caught a glimpse of myself in the reflection on window and could see your face. It wasn't until I became a mother that I truly appreciated all you did for our family. It wasn't until I became a mother the second time that I appreciated the emphasis you placed on yourself to be better FOR the family...gracefully balancing faith, family, work, friends, and philanthropy. You're right: You told me" no" so many times you could easily say yes, but  because you loved me, you had to say no. You told me I would be given a truly amazing gift in giving. You instilled in me that family will be there no matter what. My faith would lead me to where I needed to be, not where I wanted to be.

You are such an inspirational woman, a wonderful human being, and a incredible friend. I'm so very blessed that you are my mother. Thank you for everything.

Happy Mother's Day!

What a crock!

I love the slow cooker.

Growing up, I remember my mom using it every now and again, but it wasn't one of those go-to kitchen gadgets. When I graduated from college, I packed up my things and my mom gave me the ol' crockpot. She told me she never really used it, but that I might like it. I happily took it and piled it in the box with my brand new hand mixer (bought with the generous gift card my former co-workers at the ice company gave me), can opener, and all-purpose pan.

It went mostly unused until that first year of marriage. It was at this point that I was looking for easier meals that were semi-healthy, but good. Not to mention, meals that wouldn't require that I clean several pots and pans and scrub the kitchen...which, let's face it, is what any kitchen that I cook in usually looks like. Then, my sister introduced me to a simple easy chicken recipe* that not only satisfied, but was EXCELLENT on the pocket book. Woo-hoo!

At this point, I'd also acquired Don's slow cooker through our marriage. When my brother graduated from college, I bought him a cookbook solely for crockpot recipes and insisted it be one of his first purchases for his place. I think he might have used it once or twice and shoved it in the back of his cabinet. It wasn't long after that he asked if I wanted it and I said sure. So that is how I found myself with three slow cookers. On cool days like today, or weeks where I know I'll be much too busy, like this week, I will take out my little family of crockpots and put them to work. (what is going on with Texas that it was in the 40s today! Not complaining because soon enough we will have those triple digit temps, but whoa! Cheers to procrastination and not putting away the kiddos winter wear.)

Far left (and the crockpot that became mine after marriage):
Braised short ribs with button mushrooms and egg noodles in a marsala sauce 

Middle (newest crockpot from my brother)
Whole chicken, with garlic and pepper, a bit of onion and celery...this will make a great base for a meal 

Far right (the oldest crockpot, and quite possibly my favorite)
Pot roast with potatoes, celery, carrot, onion, and garlic

Usually when I cook with the crockpots, I like to use a Reynolds Slow Cooker Liner. Don is concerned about cooking the food in a plastic liner, but I'm living in ignorant bliss. Maybe they are bad. Maybe I should care, especially because I'm obsessive about so many other things. Maybe I hate scrubbing the slow cookers after wards. Yeah, that's it and it totally trumps everything else...for now.

*Easy Chicken Dinner, aka Salsa Chicken
Whole Chicken
1 jar of your favorite salsa...get crazy with it and try something with pin eapple or mango

Add chicken and entire contents of the jar to the slow cooker. Cook on low overnight. Your chicken will be tender and will fall right off the bone! I usually take off all of the chicken meat from the bone and will add a bit of water to the "juice/sauce" and it can be a pretty delicious and spicy chicken soup. Enjoy!

Do you cook with a slow cooker? If so, what is your favorite recipe?

Pink Glitter Baths - A Lush Review

One Candy Fluff Egg and half of of a Dragon's Egg and you get one very excited and grateful toddler.

The other day, I indulged in half of a Dragon's Egg Lush bath. Half because the Sugarbean was supposed to join me in the bath, but because I like my baths hot, she normally joins me mid-way through. Unfortunately, while she was waiting for the water to cool, she turned on the I'm-three-and-I-don't-always-listen switch, so she wasn't able to join me. This was prior to my visit to Lush, so I saved half of the remaining bath bomb for her to have later. Truth be told, I knew she would go nuts over the surprise golden glitter that is housed in the middle of that bath bomb.

Fast forward a few days and to show my gratitude for how amazingly helpful she's been with the Sugarbaby, I bestowed upon her a limited edition Candy Fluff Egg. She was ecstatic! (So much so that she woke up early the next day demanding a bath. Well, we take our baths in the evening, so that was delayed.) She took great care walking it to the bathroom and gently placed it in a prominent position above the bath to remind her of the goodness to come.

Initially, I'd broken it in half and let it melt in the tub. I introduced the golden glitter and BAM! The light pink met the golden glitter and erupted into this orange sherbet delight. She was giddy and politely asked for more pink. I let her know that once we used it, it was over, but she wanted it. Since it was hers, I handed it to her and she held on to the pink fizzy goodness in her small hand. She was in heaven! It was so neat to see the sparkles in the water and it took me back to when I was a small girl and how much I enjoyed bath time.

I'm glad it brought an insane happiness over her body and it also made me happy with how soft and moisturized her skin was. We both suffer from eczema, and Lush products allow us to enjoy baths without the harsh effects from most other bath products. Additionally, her hair, while not immediately conditioned, began to shine and soften after I added a bit of their Retread. Lush products definitely play nice with other Lush products.

Do you all make your own bath bombs or do anything special for bathtime routines?

**I was not compensated for this review. I did get a tiny foot lotion sample during my purchase, but receiving that sample didn't not skew my opinion on their other products. This review is my own opinion. I am, however, open to reviewing products. Contact me if you have something you would like me to review.**

6th Anniversary...a low-key affair

I welcomed the day from the very beginning because Tesla needed to feed. She does this up and down feeding thing from 11PM - 1AM. In her "down" time, I reached for our journal (the same journal we exchanged on our wedding day and have been filling with our words for each anniversary, summarizing the year). I wrote my thoughts, not necessarily lucid, but aware of them, and grateful for having shared another year with my man. He's such an incredible blessing to me and I'm eternally grateful for all he does.

And when I crawled into bed just after 1, I glanced over at him and our newest daughter and I gave thanks to God. At 6AM, my sister walked in to the house for me to take her to the Sam's Club MS Bike 150 ride. She was going to ride over 150+  miles to raise awareness for MS, the least I could do was get up a bit early to give her a ride to the start.

I got home by 7:30, and took an hour plus power nap. I washed up to head over to my Singer orientation. Originally, I told Don that it was from 10-2. I honestly thought it was a 4 hour orientation. Turns out, it was just an hour. I headed home and contemplated staying out a tiny bit longer to indulge in a pedicure, but went home since my body was telling me it was time to feed the baby.

After she fed, I suggested we go out. We hit the road, and found ourselves in the Bishop Arts District at Oddfellows. I've been wanting to write a review on them for over a month since I first tried them with my girlfriend. I won't do that now, but I will share some photos that we took. Mmmm...beignets! Not as great as Cafe du Monde in New Orleans, but it would do!

They were PACKED! We very nearly didn't get a seat, but lucky for us, we were seated in the corner next to two very amazing and friendly women. One of them was kind enough to snap a family photo of us.

Then, we took a short walk over to Dude, Sweet Chocolate. You can read about my write-up on them from this post. I was happy that Don was with me this time around. Mari enjoyed the samples. We really enjoyed the Popeye & Olive popcorn. We also purchased a bottle of their Break-up Potion because we both agreed the bourbon was smooth and delicious. I'm not really sure how we'll enjoy it, but 'eh, I'm sure we'll come up with something.

We slowly walked back to the car and headed further south to visit with friends and our Great Aunt. Then, just as the storms rolled in, we headed back home. On our way, we received a call from my sister. They were evacuating them from their camp site of the race because of the poor storms. We made a quick pit stop at home to feed the baby and gather some supplies like fresh diapers. We then headed to my sister's place to drop off her car. When we got there, we were greeted by some delicious spaghetti that she'd made for us! She'd biked 79 miles that day and managed to make us a very special dinner. We sat around her television watching Big Bang Theory that she had recorded and eating our dinner. It was fabulous!

As we drove home, I held Don's hand and was ever so grateful for all of the blessings I've been given. Thank you, Lord!

Singer Sew Easy - Training

Remember when I mentioned the Singer House Party I was having? Well, part of the duty as a hostess was to go to an orientation/training on the machine they'd be loaning us for the next couple of weeks. Not only did I get to open a brand new  machine, but I was able to make the project that we can make too!  Anyway, I was joined by three other fabulous ladies! (Truth be told, I was a little too excited to be out of the house for a short time. Long enough to do something else, but short enough to not miss my girls.) He we are in the store with our new machines.

 There were some new tips that I hadn't known. At first, I was apprehensive because well, it was a new machine. But once I oriented myself, I was good to go. Here I am with the finished project: a roll to be used for make-up brushes, pens, crochet hooks, test tubes...just checking to make sure you were still paying attention.

Anyway, I'm eager to play with it some more and get fancy with the decorative stitches of this machine. So much fun, I'm so excited!

For those of you who can't make my party, I'll be happy to Skype with you and send you some swag, including, a 15% off coupon for your very own Singer Confidence Stylist. (Regular price $499, on sale at JoAnn's for $299, plus take 15% off of that!)! For the rest of you who would like some sewing time, but can't come on Sunday, I'm available throughout this week to one-on-one parties. :) Just shoot me an email or leave a comment here.

**I was selected by House Party to be a hostess for the Singer Sew Easy House Party. For being a hostess, I was given promotional items to be distributed to anyone who attends the party for marketing materials. Additionally, I was given the opportunity to use a brand new machine and given a discount to purchase my own. Here is additional information on the details of the House Party.**

Singer Sew Easy - Sewing is Fun House Party

I was selected by House Party to host a party sponsored by Singer featuring goodies and giveaways from Jo-Ann's, Burdastyle, Simplicity, and Martha Stewart Crafts. I felt very honored to be chosen to host this party, especially because there were many applicants for it!

I was really eager to be an advocate for at home sewing. I come from a long line of seamstresses and/or tailors. Not only that, but many creative and crafty sort of people. I can't remember a time in my life where someone in my life didn't have the sewing kit, sewing machine, or just the plain aguja y hilo (needle and thread). Grandma had quite the set up with her own desk for the sewing machine, special board for all of her threads and multiple, lavish sewing kits. Mom had a basic machine with a case and kept the sewing kit in an orange rectangular Tupperware container. When I was in 7th grade, I enrolled in Home Economics class. We spent half the year cooking and the other half sewing (or at least that's the way I remember it). At that time, I remember going to K-mart to purchase the needed supplies. I selected a blue sewing kit, thinking I'd never have enough items to actually fill it. I bought the notions and I was so very proud to apply my name with the label maker instead of permanent marker. I felt fancy indeed. Fast forward 21 years and I still have that plastic kit.

Now you understand why I was over the moon happy to learn that I was a finalist, and then later when I learned I had been selected (which happened to be when I was in the hospital after having had Tesla). I was contacted by a Singer rep in my local Jo-Ann's store the day I was discharged from the hospital. She was quite surprised to learn that I was eager to participate and host a party despite having just had a child. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? This was great! I could finally get my girlfriends together and we could sew! Many of my friends own a machine, but not many really know the basics that I've learned along the way. Heck, there's still so much for me to know! Part of the process of being selected as a host is the opportunity to try out the Singer Confidence Stylist 7467s machine. I just purchased a machine last year at Christmas, which happens to be a Kenmore machine made by Janome.

Anyway, I received the package in the mail, and my word, the goodies that they included are unbelievable!!

I'm excited about the party, but here's where you readers come in! I won't be at max capacity for my party. If you can't attend the event (held Mother's day, but I'll probably have a smaller party a couple of days before for my friends who can't make the Sunday party), that's ok, I'm still happy to share the goodies that I received with all of you! Just let me know you would like a package of swag and I'll be happy to share it! Or, if you can't make the party, but would like to Skype in for a few minutes, we can do that too! You will receive coupons, patterns, thread, and information/promotion products.

Who knows, if I'm feeling sassy, I might even do a basic video tutorial on my machine, as far as threading and such. Would you want to see that?

Happy crafting!

Earth Day: Charlie Banana Diapers Product Review

So I talked about winning the Charlie Banana grand prize and the haul came in! Do you see all of the awesomeness I received? Immediately, I went and sorted everything and washed it to be put to use.

First off, in honor of Earth day, let me start by saying how great using cloth diapers has been as opposed to using disposables. Tesla's skin has been as great and wonderful as the day she was born. There hasn't been any irritation what so ever. Also, we have had considerable less trash than we would have on disposables. Before, we were throwing out her diaper trash every day or every other day. Now, her trash bin is removed once a week, maybe and that's for the wipes and Kleenex I use when I'm sneezing (ha ha). As far as the water we use to clean them? Well, thanks to the stain soak, we don't use a whole lot. I clean out the diaper in the sink, then clean it. We were out an about and had to change her diaper. I rinsed out her diaper in the sink and because it was a public sink, I pulled out the travel Clorox bleach I have and cleaned the sink afterwards.  That sink was definitely cleaner than when I found it. (and when she's older with the more solid waste, I will use the toilet, but for now, the sink is easier to handle with an infant)

Now for the Charlie Banana review. I'm specifically talking about the Charlie Banana one size cloth diapers.
Tesla goes through 10-12 cloth diapers a day. When we came home from the hospital, she went through 12-15 disposables a day. Those diapers were roughly 19 - 22 cents each or about $3 a day. After less than a week of use, we will have paid off each cloth diaper (they cost $17.88 each). After four and a half months of use, we will have broken even on our investment of the cloths (actually, because of the giveaway, we will break even in two months). Anything beyond that is bonus!

Because I purchased them as one size, they will grow with her and we won't have to buy additional sizes. We own Bum Genius 3.0 one size diapers, but even now, they are still a bit too large for her to use. The velcro on them doesn't work as great as when we originally purchased them. The Bum Genius 4.0 diapers are ok, but the snap closure to change the sizes make it a bit bulkier. Same goes with their liners. For the Charlie Banana diapers, I love the different snaps to close the diapers and I love the internal elastic labeled for the different sizes. It's just easy to pull the elastic to the size over the button, then tuck it back until you have to adjust it again. Tesla has worn the diapers from when she was a little more than a week old with no issue. They are easy to clean and the material is really soft!

I also have a Thirsties duo wrap. I wouldn't use these for just a diaper, but when I know that Tesla has had a heavy feeding, I will always wrap her with the Thirsties in addition to the Charlie Banana for extra protection and it is great. (even if she looks like she has junk in her trunk)

Additionally, I have one Fuzzibunz diaper that is in extra small. It is also a pocket fold, but the pocket opening is at the back and even with the diaper. She did have a blowout while wearing this particular diaper, so I'm not sure if it was user error in wearing the diaper or not. Regardless, it is really soft and I might recommend Fuzzibunz to others. However, I prefer the Charlie Banana pockets that are internal and it flaps over concealing the opening. It just makes me feel like there's an added bit of protection to the diaper.

Finally, I'm in love with the colors. They are so bright and beautiful! I often find myself not wanting to put those matching diaper cover bottoms that come with dresses because her diapers are so stinking adorable!

In conclusion, I would HIGHLY recommend the one size Charlie Banana cloth diapers. They are easy to custom fit to your child (regardless of their length and size...my Sugarbaby is long and skinny), they are affordable, high quality, and the customer service can not be beaten! If you are curious about trying them out and are local, I would be happy to let you borrow one to check it out before you commit!

If you have any cloth diaper questions, feel free to post it here and I'll be happy to share what I've learned.

**I was not compensated for this review. I was the recipient of the Grand Prize as a result of making a purchase on the Charlie Banana site during their promotion. Winning the prize in no way influenced my opinions. They are my own opinion.**

HDMR: Win Win

Win Win
Mike Flaherty is a lawyer in a small town, who suffers from high anxiety, surrounding his financial situation. He moonlights as a wrestling coach for the high school. He is surrounded by colorful characters, who are broken in their own way. When a less than ethical opportunity arises for him to get a bit of extra income, he jumps on the opportunity. Because of that, he ends up befriending a young, talented athlete (Kyle) who is a free spirit and determined. Unfortunately, he comes with a whole load of baggage because of his upbringing by a young single mother who has a history of addiction and poor choices in men.

This movie is definitely a dramedy. There are parts that are flat out hilarious and other parts where Giamatti is so vulnerable and broken, you can't help but identify with the very real human experience. More of us than not can relate to financial hardship and difficulty, some of us even taking on additional roles to keep our family afloat. However, his friend Terry is so broken and in many ways stereotypical, you can't help but laugh. I love how the family rallies around Kyle and accepts him as one of their own. The performances were great and endearing. It is definitely worth watching, but don't expect this to be an uplifting film. At the end of the film, I felt happy, but didn't leave with the feel-goods. Regardless, I would recommend watching the film, maybe not run out to the theater, unless of course you are a Paul Giamatti fan, but if that's the case, you've already gone out to see it. I rate it a 15 minute hand massage...still great, but not an hour long full body massage. ;)

Caterpillars & Ladybugs

Have you ever seen caterpillars race? We did! The one on the right actually caught up with the one on the left. We weren't really sure where they were racing, but they were both in a hurry!

When we went outside to load our mailbox, we save all of these caterpillars crawling around on the sidewalk and the exterior walls in the doorway. There were actually 8 total. I've never seen so many caterpillars at once, it was quite remarkable, actually. Mari was ecstatic, but was initially freaked out by them. I gathered a couple to put in a jar so she wouldn't be afraid. (We released them 5 minutes later.)

The one on the left remained asleep and Mari proclaimed it dead. Upon release, it continued to be still. She was sad and then it wiggled slightly and went off on its merry way. She was beyond happy. I took that opportunity to talk about Easter and Christ's resurrection. Not really sure if she "got it." But just because she may not completely understand things doesn't mean I shouldn't talk about them and try to plant that seed early.

And speaking of nature, isn't this quilt beautiful?

My MIL made it for Tesla. She's so talented!! I sent her a quilt that I liked online and it cost quite a bit. Well, when we opened the box and saw this, my breath was taken away. This is gorgeous and she will love it for years to come. We have incorporated ladybugs into the nursery. We haven't finished her room yet, but I hope to get a better handle on it this summer. She will also get the Cloud B Twilight ladybug to use as a nightlight. Mari loves her turtle so much, so we were sold on the ladybug!

How are you all enjoying nature?