Life In Color

Did I ever tell you we bought half a cow?

 

 I'm lucky enough to know lots of cool people and farmers on are that list. My friend Kathy isn't primarily a rancher, but raises a few cattle for herself and a few to sell. I've visited these cute little things many a spring as they are born on her property. Last fall she sent out an email to her friends asking if anyone wanted part of a cow. Bj and I decided that we couldn't pass up 100% grass fed hormone free happy beef from Kathy's yard so we went for it. I was in Vermont when Kathy texted me to say our cow was being killed (it is what it is) and Bj had to walk through a small family owned slaughterhouse to pay for the butchering and pick up our meat. I am trying to eat more vegetarian meals, but I live with a meat eater and I think this is probably as close to the right way to get meat as possible, if there is one. 

 

Also it is delicious and we are completely spoiled for life. This is just ground beef but when you get half a cow you get all the parts. Bj is having fun experimenting with different cuts.

 

Tuesday is finally up for tackling a bit of meat and handled this really well. If you ever get the opportunity I say go for it. It's not only money saving but it feels good to support a local farmer and butcher. She says next year she might raise a few pigs. Mmmm bacon...

Mail in Mail out

After re-connecting right after I started this blog with Kay, a friend I met being a counselor at camp in Maine almost ten (gasp) years ago we became good proper pen pal buddies. As in REAL mail in the REAL post. Of course life happened and we fell off on being good letter writers. She's always been better than me though and has decided to start back up. 

 

Needless to say I was thrilled. Kay this is me clapping my hands! I so long to write more snail mail. It's so fun, I don't know why I always put it off. I'm still working on getting something back to you Kay. Meanwhile I've finally put together a package for a friend of Tuesday's:

 

Have all my stuff accessible again (and weeding out what I don't absolutely need) made me remember how much I love this vintage mime book. 

 

(sneak peek at something that is coming in the box of Amber Suzanne! It is coming, I finally picked up the flat rate box I needed, and by pick up I mean had my mom get me).

 

Did you know that 1/2 smile x head tilt = irony? I didn't, but I do now! My favorite parts are the edges of each page that have three running flip books (ohhh that reminds me of another post I need to write), so there are lots of these tiny photos. This is an idea I'm recycling from myself (go me):

 

I'll show you the actual cards when I am done. Note that I also got to get out one of my typewriters. I promise not to go on and on about this, but gosh darn it I love this room. So does Tuesday:

 

Creative possibilities abound!

Spool lady

Something tells me she won't put them back in so easily...

Changing Routines

Tuesday and I have a new routine as of late. She is changing so much I don't know how long it will stay like this, but for now: It's slow in the morning. She wakes up, I can hear her playing (around 7:30 so early for me!!!). I bring her into our bed and cuddle up with her while I nurse. We clean upstairs, put away laundry, play and slowly make our way downstairs. Breakfast time is new for Tuesday, she loves it!

 

Looking out the window.

 

While I get a tiny bit of computer work in and eat also.

 

Cashew butter, toast and papaya, thanks mama!

Then we clean up, get dressed, I shower while Tuesday bounces (what to do when she outgrows her little seat? I have no idea!). Since things take much longer with a baby (toddler?) by now it is around eleven. I take her into her room, lights off, fan on and nurse her. Then this magical thing called a nap happens (three days in a row I might add). I run around like crazy and clean up after the breakfast mess, etc. She wakes around 1-1:30. I take her back into our room and nurse her on the bed while she wakes up. This is a new thing I'm trying and I think it might be my favorite part of the day. She always wants to bring her dolly in with us. Then you know, she takes a couple of conference calls:

 

"What's the code for this call?"

 

"What did you just say about that calibration window matrix thing?"

 

"Ugh, listen to me people! I'm your team leader damn it!"

After that stressful work is done we have lunch. Then we clean up from lunch. Probably have to go potty by now.... Run down to Ribbon Jar land and do as much work as we can cram in before baby girl starts getting CRAZY (mama hold me!!!). I have her do a little circuit down there: push a cart around, stack empty boxes, pull all my envelopes out of the basket, open and close the lid of the dehumidifier, get all the blocks out of the cart, try to eat the recycling, bounce in the Merry Muscles, eat plastic dolly's head, eat play silks, eat giant bouncy ball (never ends well), eat microscopic things if I haven't vacuumed in the last 2 minutes, pull on my pant leg. REPEAT.

Usually my mom comes to visit by now and I say, "pretty please can you take my packages to the post office?" She always says yes. Love you mom!

 

Oh no distracted! 

Upstairs, more milky, try to nap, but it doesn't take. More play time, dinner making, baby chasing:

 

After dinner clean up/bath time. Lotion, stories, quiet play with mama and papa, milky, bouncing, rocking, bed (anywhere from 8:30-9:45)...

In the night little whimpers sometimes means more bouncing (by papa) then one feeding at least, maybe two. 

I figured I should write the day down as it is now. Since it is only as it is for a while before it is something completely different. I am enjoying these days, with that nap time they just seem like I have so much time to do things! Writing it all out we are still very busy, and this doesn't include an outing (most days we just stay here honestly). I have to figure out how to work in a daily walk. We are down to only a few a week. She is changing so much though, I love this time!

Creating and Celebrating

Last night we celebrated my dad's birthday. Since I have a fabulous new space I decided I should use it to finish a languishing project. I had wanted to do a photo album for my dad's fiftieth (I won't tell you how old he is now, but over fifty!), and finally got it together. 

 

I had a really random assortment of old photos and I wanted to include some new ones so I just made this title page and then used a Scrapworks Scrap Smart album to super speed scrap and put all the photos together. I love those big leather box albums for gifts (And I have four I'm selling on Craig's List...). One of the cool things is that with the sleeves that hold 4x6 photos the recipient can pull them out to frame them if they want. I know my dad liked it because he called me today to thank me again! Super scrap score!!!

 

Since Tuesday is doing this new thing called TAKING A NAP (have you heard of it, it's awesome!) I got to scrap a little for me today.

 

I have a tutorial for these flowers on my site. They are really easy, and you can make them from almost any ribbon, but I really like using the satin. I need to sit down and make a bunch so if you want step by step photos let me know I'd be happy to take some.

 

We finally swapped out some of our wedding pictures for framed pictures of Tuesday (we still have lots of our pictures up, just thought we should acknowledge the child :) so I scrapped this one we pulled out. 

 

When I was very clever and had lots of free time I used to make these type of embellishments with goodies left over from what ever I was working on to have on hand for future layouts. Smart right? I need to start doing it again. It's a fun scrapbooking thing for when you only have a few minutes, or if you don't want to clean up but you don't want to start a whole new big project. This layout is hanging on Bj's cork wall. I hung up the other one on my board:

 

I like being able to hang up my most recent. I think I'm officially back in the grove (I will not show you the crazybox layout I made about Bj's first job, I actually cut around his body and made him into a sort of paper doll. What can I say, I was rusty!).

The Craft Room Reveal

I think of this as a den type of space since it is a walk through room with no closet. In case you forgot first it was our "master" bedroom. Then it spent half a year as a construction holding/giant mess place. And right before I had Tuesday I "organized" it to look like this:

 

Ok so it wasn't always that bad, but it wasn't so great. I was hardly using it at all as of late because all the storage was open and Tuesday went nuts pulling things apart in here. Welcome to craft room version 2.0:

 

Oh I'm such a tease!

 

Note that all these photos were shot with a wide angle lens... the room didn't suddenly grow over night, though it sure feels like it did to me! 

 

Because I have so many pictures (you did say you wanted details!) I'm going to continue this after the jump.

It's a girl!

You do not know how many times people have said to me, "How old is he?" or "He's so cute!" Even when I have Tuesday dressed in dresses. To this I say, whatever. It doesn't really bother me at all, and depending on my mood I just go with it. Mainly because I am so not into the pink or the hair bow for hairless children. That last one is a big one for me. I do not get the frilly hairbow on the naked baby girl head. In fact I've made my position on this so well known that not one person has given us one.. until now. 

 

My friend Tracy told me about a member of her church who made these, "cute headband hairbow things out of vintage hankies." It sounded intriguing but wasn't about to go find out more, because I don't like hairbows, right? 

 

WRONG! Tracy got me Tuesday this adorable headband for her birthday and I am so gaga over it that I actually pack it in my diaper bag so that when I take off her hat it goes on. Pathetic, I know. :)

 

Want to know the best part? You can get one too! She sells on etsy and the price is a whole FIVE DOLLARS, and shipping a whole ONE DOLLAR. I am tempted to tell her she needs to raise the price... after I go stock up of course. 

Play

I wanted to share some things we have really been loving over here in the play department. We spent a night last weekend going through all her play things and editing. We moved where all the toys were (if they were in the basement, they got moved upstairs, etc) and pulled out things she's too big for. It was sort of a shock to go through and realize that she was too old for some really simple things. Our plan is to re-evluate mid month every month and move things around; bring some things out/put other things into hiding. She does much better with this new system. And we'll have fun things to re-discover every month.

 

This cute guy was made by Tuesday's aunti Kat (my brother's girlfriend). Yes, it says tutu. 

 

She's made from felt, so awesome! Tuesday is just starting to grasp that people can make her little toys "come alive" and gets a kick out of me making horsey noises and galloping it around the living room. 

 

Bj's mom made her this bowl of fruit (note the inclusion of an ice cream cone = fabulousness!). I sent her this book and told her to go to town. Haha I think I need to mix up Tuesday's outfits, these photos were taken on different days. I just love her in red right now though...

 

Santa not only filled her stocking but got her this fabulous shopping cart. Technically it's for three and up I think, but she makes it work (and we have it on the lowest setting):

 

Note: she can not steer...

 

Tuesday you're going to get me!!! Watch out! 

 

This is perhaps the favorite thing right now, and I don't just mean with the little person:

 

Brent sorts the "coaster game" into a rainbow, what a good uncle. 

 

I don't really know what it's called. I got it here. It took all my surfing skills, and I'm sorry I can't link you to another site that has it in stock. It's just wooden pieces all dyed natural colors in pairs.

 

I kept trying to get it at Little Urbanites, but they were always sold out (they have one on display for kids to play with and once you play with it you want it).

 

Tuesday has just learned that things can go ON other things and IN other things. This is new. I thought she was going to be pulling everything out of every bin and every book off every shelf forever.

 

More pictures of her playing because I love her expressions... and her crazy hair.

 

Hey did you just call my hair crazy?!?!

Oh I have something to help with that, just wait until tomorrow's post!

Carry Me

I just got an email from Baby Hawkthat they are running a special for the next two days (order today or tomorrow, Jan. 22nd) and they will donate 50% to Haiti relief. I still want to do a big bad baby post, but I wanted to mention this because we love our Baby Hawk and if you want one now would be a great time to get one guilt free :)!

 

Bj with brand new week old Tuesday.

 

Loosened up for snuggle time on the train in August.

 

In October I wore Tutu while taking pictures of my quilt.

 

Borrowing a friend's Baby Hawk and hiking in Hawaii in December. 

I don't have any pictures of Tuesday on my back because she is still so small and I just prefer having her on the front, but check out Baby Hawk's site to see the different ways to wear baby. Their partner Sakura Bloom (they sell slings) are also donating. They are beautiful too, but I've never tired one, has anyone out there? Let me know I'm thinking of getting one of these linen beauties. 

In which I get over my head...

I would not recommend waiting a whole year to get photos printed...