New blog look!

I changed my blog background up this week...or as my friend Prachee says...I pimped it.  I wanted to tone it down a bit from the circus of spring colors I'd used prior.  Now I think I might have toned it just a bit too much.  The good news is that I can change it again.

So, welcome to new friends from


Hope you can stay long enough to read a bit, follow if you like, and definitely let me know what you think of the layout.  Is it fabulously serene or do you suddenly feel the urge to nap?

Patrick's Butt!

Okay, now maybe some of you are wondering what in the heck I'm doing writing bout my baby's rear end.  Turns out this is a hot topic amongst parents of young ones...  Anyway, lately we've had trouble w/ Patrick's hind end.  He's had a rash of ear infections, resulting in antibiotic use, resulting in a rash on his hiner.  Not to mention we just finished transitioning him to milk AND to frost his cake he got a few molars this week.  So, it's been the worst of times for Paddy's smooth, baby soft butt.  Except...that I have this stuff. 

For those of you who know me personally you'll know that I have had a long love affair w/ this product and the associated baby wash, etc.  It smells divine,  and it has 40% zinc oxide to cure any skin issue under the sun.  Let me repeat that... 40 PERCENT ZINC OXIDE.  Take that little figure and compare it to any other brand of butt 'cure all' out there.

Oh, and for the record, I've only had one friend try this and not go insane with their own love for it.  I considered not being friends w/ her anymore but she's got other qualities that make her pretty darn special...so despite her disagreeing with me on this important issue I've decided to keep her :)

Ps...for those who's older cherubs have a little trouble cleaning up properly after using toilet....this will fix them too :)

Pss...I've had 3 friends ask recently about baby items that I can't live without.  This is one of them.  I buy it from drugstore.com...cheapest I've found when you can't buy it locally.

Opening Day Excitement! and BRRRRR....

To all my VT friends & family - skip ahead to the next paragraph of this post.  You will not want to read my first section after your late April snowstorm for which I am absolutely feeling grouchy on your behalf.

Okay, now that my VT followers have skipped ahead I'd like to say to the rest of my readers...  WHAT THE HECK?  It was 35* out this morning.  I was freezing on my walk to work. 

Welcome back VT readers :)  Today is the opening day of the 17th Street Farmer's Market here in Richmond.  My favorite thing about this is that it is a 10 minute walk from my office.  So, I get some sun, some 'fresh' air, and some excercise in addition to supporting local farmers and picking up some goodies for my family.  I am really looking forward to my first visit today.

On the list:
Good, fresh baked, bread!
Goat cheese!
Unusual variety tomato plant for the garden!
Fresh, organic spinach!

YAY!

Happy FIRST Birthday, Patrick!!!

One year ago today, right about now, I was being admitted to L&D.  It was the day before my due date and I was thrilled with how things were turning out.  For a solid 3 weeks I'd been explaining to everyone who'd listen that I wanted Patrick to come on TUESDAY, April 28th. That way I could finish my work week, have one last weekend with Natalie and then one day (Monday) all to myself.  So, when my labor started (right on MY schedule) I thought - BRILLIANT - he's obviously a sweet and compliant child right from the start. 

Go ahead, laugh it up :)

Paddy's first year has been quite an adventure.  The reflux challenged us all and also made us realize how lucky we were that our child was perfectly healthy; nothing that a small, daily dose of prevacid couldn't fix.  After I returned to work I had the priviledge of going daily, at lunch, to nurse him and had so much extra bonding time then I would have otherwise.  We've also discovered that he is not cautious in any way and that he's "All Boy". 

I love to witness the joy that lights up his face when he see's his sister.  They have been a team since day 1 and it's the most amazing experience to see them together.

Patrick, oh how I love you!  I love you thru your barf, and your croup and your constant ear infections.  I love your dimple, I love your incredible blue eyes.  I love how you smile at me as I scold you over and over for touching the stove.  I love to watch the satisfaction on your face when you finally figure out how to climb on a new, ever higher, piece of furniture.  I love your little feet and the little pink toes.  I love that you are the tickliest child I've ever met and that you chortle when you laugh with your husky little voice.  I love your 7 tiny teeth and the way you pucker up to smooch!  I love the way you call Nahhleee when you're happy and yell Maammma when you're mad.  I love that you stand at the window and 'talk' to all the passersby.  I love your soft belly and your chubby thighs and your sweet smile.  I love being your Mom!

New!! Tuesday Tag-Along!

I'm trying something new this week and here's how it works.



Create a new Tuesday Tag-Along blog post. Include the Tuesday Tag-Along button by copying and pasting the code above.

Add your blog name and the URL of your TTA post to the MckLinky below.

Follow Twee Poppets, the hostess blog listed in the first slot. Leave a comment saying you've followed, and Twee Poppets will follow you back!

If you can, please follow the blogs in the three slots before you (e.g., if you're number 20, follow numbers 19, 18, and 17). This is not mandatory, but it will help ensure that everyone who signs up gets a few new followers!

Follow as many other blogs as you want. The more you follow, the more that will follow you back! Be sure to tell them that you're following from Tuesday Tag-Along! You may also want to leave a link to your blog so they can return your follow more easily.

When you get a new follower through Tuesday Tag-Along, be sure to follow them back! It's just common courtesy. :)

The weekly Tuesday Tag-Along post and MckLinky will be posted every Monday night at 8:59pm Pacific Standard Time (that's 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time), and the MckLinky will be open to add your blog until 11:59pm Tuesday night. You then have all week long to visit blogs and return follows!



Have fun!

Project Finished!

I've been working on this one for awhile.  This weekend all that was left was one sleeve and I was not going to let it beat me :)  It's done and I'm pleased.  the only downside is that I had to make it big enough for my arms (aforementioned issue) and to go around my boobs which said needed to be a size L sweater.  Well, it should've been a M.  Anyway, after I did that I also managed to lose some weight (Yay!) and so its now fully too big.  I will live thru it.  On to the next project.  A baby blanket for Nat's preschool teacher who is due in July.  I haven't made a blanket for awhile and I'm looking forward to it.

Okay, so here's how I did it...  Started w/ the actual instructions

Here's how I changed it to try and fit me a little better than the pattern was calling form.  As I was working the pattern I noticed that the arm openings were too small. 

-So, I worked the pattern for a size L and added an extra 10 stitches when I created the arm openings. 

-Cont. working a size L until the sweater length was just past my bust.

-decrease on each side under the armpits on alternating rows until stitch count was the same as for a size M.

-Finish pattern for size M.

** I made mine a little longer than what is pictured in the pattern because my belly (post N & P) is not quite crop sweater worthy anymore!

** In case you want to make the pattern you can find it here (username/logon required for this site).

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In other news from the Garden...

The ants are driving me CRAZY!  And I do mean crazy.  Seriously...I'm starting to behave like a lunatic.  They are in my compost in the most creepy crawly disgusting way you can imagine.  And I do hope that ant eggs make good compost because there are a lot of those in there too.  Feel like you've got bugs on your skin just reading this?  Imagine what it's like to be in my backyard.

Then I found the aphids.  damn things are sucking the life out of my gorgeous spring growth.  Well, to hell they are! 

Then (oh, how I love the internet) I found that these two little crappers are actually having a nice little symbiotic (did I spell that right?) relationship.  The aphids suck the water out of my plants and make aphid crap...oops, I mean sap, and then the ants eat the aphid sap which causes the aphids to make more.  Well, I have determined that I will be the end of this little love story between the aphids and the ants.  I've got 3000 ladybugs on their way to my home from a lovely little garden store (also found on the internet).  I've purchased about half my weight in Dr. Bronner's peppermint soap and then found some stuff called Natria (at the Big Box Store nearby).  So, I bought one container for the non-edibles...and a different kind specifically marketed for organic gardening.

I'm very sad to report that the ants are doing just fine after repeated attacks by the Natria and Dr. Bronner's.  Do you wonder sometimes if insects are really set to inheirit the earth?

In happier news...my peony has stopped mocking me.  She's lovely!

This weekend, and updates from the garden

I told James this morning that I long for a weekend when my body doesn't ache like crazy by Sunday afternoon.  It's been another wild ride of a couple of days.  Paddy came down w/ another high fever on Thurs night w/ him.  It appears he's also got another molar w/ 1 tip poking up and his bottom left incisor just thru the gum.  So, between his not feeling well and his teeth he's been the King of Complaint for the last few days.  I did need some time off to get set for next weekend but w/ him along for the ride that never happens.

Anyway, I did get some stuff accomplished and have a few pictures :)

Saturday I ran all my errands, got a first coat of paint on 2 of the adirondack chairs, and began a full on panic over Birthday-palooza (to borrow a phrase from a friend).  Today I've been cooking, got the first 2 chairs finished, a coat on the other 2 chairs, tomatoes are suckered and staked, peas are set to climb and all other veggies have been thinned.  Oh yeah, I wrapped all the birthday presents.  Miss Nosy has been snooping around so it really couldn't wait any longer.

All of this has been done on 5 or so broken hours of sleep (since Thursday) since King Crankipants has not been sleeping well AT ALL!  So, please, feel free to add a little extra awe and appreciation to these accomplishments.

Enjoy the pictures :)

2 Chairs done!

2 almost done!

Look at everything grow!

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New Friend Friday!

It's that time again...because I think it's one of the best ideas ever :)  And in the spirit of the Girl Creative I'm curious what my visitors are up to as well.  So...what is the big plan for the weekend?  Mine is to paint my final 4 Adirondack chairs and get things set for the joint birthday party I'm hosting for the kids next weekend.  Should be doable if I stay focused (and all the stars align).

Happy Friday everyone!

It's Earth Day!

I read a post a few days ago at The Vermont Gardener about Earth Day and the idea of making every day earth day.  Since then I've been stewing a bit on maybe making 1 or 2 days a week EARTH DAYS in our home.  I don't think I can do 7...yet.  But maybe if I start with 1 or 2 and focus on that goal it will get easier to just integrate all the other days of the week.  For the record, The Hubs and I already do an awful lot in order to save money, and reduce our footprint but there is so much more that we could try.  If I'm being honest a lot of the pushback is simply the level of inconvenience.  We do not live relaxed lives with 2 full time jobs on opposite schedules, 2 kids, classwork, etc.  That said, this is important to me and has been for awhile so here is a perfect opportunity to step it up to a new level of good stewardship.

I've chosen a day and it's Tuesday!  I'm still semi-fresh from the *insert sarcasm* relaxing weekend and think it's a good day to integrate.

Here's the plan...
-Skip the shower (overuse of water, chemical shampoo, etc) and simply wash up at the sink.  It will be a pony tail day.  And a sleep a little later day.  Benefits to me AND the environment.
-Park in the parking garage and carry the kids down to school.  This will avoid my dealing with stop/go traffic to the parking area at the daycare.  It's not going to be lighter, but there is less stuff than on a Mon or Fri and I think the kids would actually enjoy the change of pace.
-Things purchased will need to be of local origin.
-Foods eaten will be vegetarian, and organic...and hopefully grown locally (my own garden).
-No AC (as weather permits).  We'll minimize our electric usage by turning on the ceiling fans and opening windows.  I can't promise that this one will hold far into the heat of summer but its absolutely doable right now.

My friend Amy posted recently in a similar theme some decisions she & her Husband have made and about how they're going about implementing their ideas.  I'm hoping a few more of my friends might do the same.  Please feel free to leave a comment or suggestion of ways to improve my plan!  Stretch my mind blogger friends!

I would also like to draw attention to a blog I've found that posts regularly on ways to take "life" back a few notches and lots of the topics Earth friendly.  Go check it out!

Babies, Back problems & Bicycles...

As mentioned in a post last week I took a spill off a bike while on vacation.  I blame it 100% on the crappy rear riding child seat.  Surely it could not have been user error!  Anyway, today I paid a follow up visit to Dr. Luke to work out the last of the kinks and probably a few new ones and this week he explained that he'd taken the exact same spill off his bike, with his daughter.  I have no idea why I haven't done this before but I'm going to go ahead and tell the world how much I LOVE my iBert bicycle seat.  Here's a stock photo with a tiny little bit of my editing (note the love I feel for this seat!?)...

and here is Patrick modeling the iBert.

We got it on Amazon 2 years ago and have had nothing but glowing praise and happy experiences.  This is going on my unpublished parental list of must haves to keep your babies safe, back unharmed and bicycling experiences fun!

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Backyard Revamp - Phase II - COMPLETE! and other stuff...

Waaaaaaaay back in the day I decided that our backyard looked terrible and that I was going to redo it in 3 parts.  Phase I has been complete for 2 weeks and Phase II was finished yesterday :)  Here's the evidence.

BEFORE:

Ack!

Double Ack!

Adirondack Ack!

AFTER:

Ohhhh hammock how I love thee! (lefto of hammock you see a teensy flowering crabapple that is too small to flower, a heat tolerant lilac that was transplanted and my fingers are still x'd that it will be okay, and a peony).  Yes, I realize the new mulch does not match the old mulch but the new mulch was on sale and that is going to be the determining factor.

Love.Love.Love the chairs in all their fresh painted glory.  Used English Ivy paint from Lowes.

Vinca & Hosta!

The view...so much better!

Another view...seriously...so much better!

I think the peony is sticking its tongue out at me.  I'm so impatient for it's lovely flowers and it's mocking me.  You can see it, can't you?

Miss Nat is an excellent waterer (new word!)

Look at her focus (and that gorgeous, enviable hair).  Those new plants will not go thirsty!

And (can you see her?) we've got a new resident in the backyard.  I'm not sure what type of bird this is but we were rocking in the hammock and noticed that we had company.  Welcome bird and eggs!

And from Phase I and the front yard...

Coming right along.  Everything is planted and growing well.

The $2.00 azalea did not disappoint.  I desperately wish I'd bought 4 or 5 of these!

Some future snacking!

And my shrub rose mentioned in a prior post.  Isn't she pretty?!

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