Stephanie and the Pie Maker

Stephanie was 31 years, five moths and twenty-one days old at the time of the summer solstice. It was summer solstice that set off a chain of events known as The Summer of Pie. The Summer of Pie meant Stephanie would bake no less than a pie a month for the entirety of the summer, thus mastering the art of pie baking. Stephanie was pleased at the thought of such an endeavor and went to work straight away seeking out recipes. Using the knowledge and wisdom of the pie maker himself, Ned, she set out rolling pin in hand.

I have made a pie or two in my day, but I have never felt as though I have mastered a recipe. I grew up in a house where pie filling came in cans and a crust could be rolled out from a box, no cookbook or recipe required. I never feel shame from tearing the plastic off a pastry prepared by Marie Calendar, however I do feel so much joy when I prepare something from scratch. I love giving the gift of food made by my own hands and there is something about the classic pie that appeals to me. No fuss, no frills, just butter and fruit.

I can still remember our family being presented a pie by a neighbor when we moved into our first house. It was such a kind gesture, a little nostalgic of days gone by. It stuck with me, if you ever want to make someone feel welcome bake them a pie.

Of course I can't talk pie without thinking of the show I loved so dearly that was taken off the air before its time. Was I the only one who LOVED Pushing Daisies? Oh the tragic romance of Ned and Chuck... And who doesn't want a little happiness baked into a pie when you're feeling like the aunts? And Olive, oh, Olive, I too break into song from time to time. I just don't have the pipes you do! Mostly though it's The Pie Hole that has stolen my heart. It's a dreamy little dive that I want to close my eyes and pretend I'm at, rolling out pies and serving up coffee.

I decided I needed a Pushing Daisies fix and ordered the DVDs which of course led to my determination to make summer of 2015 The Summer of Pie. I plan on whipping up pie after delicious, flaky pie. Eating piece after piece for the sake of research until the prefect pie is achieved!  Of course this for the well being (and pie eating) of my dear friends and family who are subjected to my baking. I'm doing this for you!

Okay, maybe it's for myself.

And Ned.

Let the pie making begin!

Fishin' & Weedin'

After a long rainy spell the weather finally turned in my favor and it's drying out! I have spent the past week fretting over my garden, its infestation with grass and weeds, my inability to weed or plant and the fact my plants are drowning and yellowing. My children have spent the past week cooped up inside or limited to the driveway to play. It hasn't been pretty. But today, oh today..... There was sun, there was (relatively) dry ground and there was sun!

We decided to embrace the nice weather and packed a picnic lunch and went out to find a lake to take our girls fishing. I'm pretty sure I haven't fished since I was about 12. Whoever I went fishing with said I couldn't fish if I couldn't bait my own hook so I set out to do it, no big deal. Except it was a big deal and 12 year old me was a bit of a priss. I stabbed a hook through a minnow and it bled. I gagged, pranced around, made a scene and then gave up fishing. My husband knows this story so I sort of expected he would spare me the trauma and just bait my hooks all day. Nope. Luckily it was just worms and my children were around or this whole fishing bit may not have happened. I have a rule where I can't react to new situations with any bias so that I don't scare the girls off from trying new things. This rule led to worm poop and blood on my hands and only under my breath ewwing. I survived and caught the first fish of my adult life, which I was pretty proud of. My kid caught a fish and wouldn't hold it by the mouth, but decided to pet it and snuggle against it. My other kid reminded me why we hadn't previously tried the whole fishing bit. Next time I'm making the husband rig her reel with a fake fish so she can pretend all day because that girl has no patience and probably said a minimum for 50 times that she was ready to go. Regardless, I think we had enough fun that we will forget the torture that is fishing with toddlers and go again!

When we got home we decided to take advantage of the dry-ish ground and I FINALLY got to pull some weeds out of the garden. It will take hours to clear it and I may never finish, but boy did it feel good to get out there! Some of the yellowing of my plants seems to be going away so the garden may not be a flop after all. (Like how dramatic I can be? I blame 12 year old me, such a drama queen.)

The girls worked and played so hard that they are sleeping away in their beds, slightly sun-kissed because I never remember to put sunscreen on them...

It was a good day. 

P.S. Feel free to come help me pull weeds!

All About April

April showers bring May flowers!

I thought that was how the saying went, but it seems April showers have brought... May showers?

Enough of the rain already!

The rain this afternoon has brought a few things to my attention: 1) I desperately need a covered porch, 2) Chicks are not smart and they will not get out of the rain and will instead attempt to suffocate one another in the fury of trying to hide in a massive pile, 3) I will never finish my planting because the ground will never be dry enough and 4) I so wish to have a lap top so I can sit out on my covered porch (my hypothetical porch that is) and sip my coffee and enjoy the warm rains that are keeping me from getting my work done.

Instead of spending my afternoon daydreaming I'm going to spend it enjoying a cup of coffee in the office and sharing a bit about my April. April always seems to be our busiest (and most expensive) month. I don't know if it is from shaking the hibernation of winter and wanting to do more or if we really just have that much going on, but whatever it is, we stay busy.

The warm weather means outdoor projects so we started April off with a bang (literally) when we removed the lower portion of our back deck. It was built around the above ground pool that met its fate last year and is now residing in the local dump. I knew I wanted to remove the deck since the pool collapsed, but getting Andy on board was another story. I think his hesitation was in part due to the amount of work it would take and in part because he kind of liked the second tier to the deck. In my attempt to persuade him I insisted we at least take off the one set of stairs that were rotting to the point of being a hazard. With one half-hearted push the hand rail gave way and with just as little effort the stairs were torn off. Once we realized the whole deck was in that poor of condition, it was game on. Many, many hours later we had removed the lower deck as well as the stairs from the upper deck. The screws and nails we removed filled a mens shoe box to the top! It was so much work and means we now have the bigger task of replacing the stairs and filling/leveling/seeding the ground where the deck and pool once resided, but it was so worth it! It means we are one step closer to having the back yard we want.

Other yard work we did was plotting and planting in the garden, clearing the fence lines of weeds, burning the brush pile and pruning the fruit trees. Can I just tell you that it is SO NERVE WRECKING to prune trees? Our orchard is young so when I say pruning I mean taking the tree back to its three-four main branches. I snipped away, holding my breath all the while, hoping they would bud and I would know that I hadn't just killed them all! Sure enough, one by one each tree budded and I finally could let out a sigh of relief.

We celebrated Easter by spending the afternoon with family, hunting eggs and eating too much food. Amelia discovered the wonders of the deviled egg and all the eggs we colored were turned into them. She topped each with another discovery on her part: paprika. We have continued to consume these treats regularly, per request!

We made a big purchase this April when we became a two vehicle family. Andy finally got the truck he has been wanting and I'm one step closer to looking like a legit farmer-ha!

We celebrated the 30th birthdays of  my sister Tracey and Andy, which means cake! And sometimes the cake is too hot to frost so you cut it up and make a sundae. Amelia wanted so badly to use her chocolate bunny for Tracey's cake so we melted it down and used it to decorate. It ended up being one seriously chocolaty cake!

We picked up our new family members from the post office when our mail order chicks arrived! The girls were so excited to have chickens again and they have kept us busy with their shenanigans. They seem to like spilling their water and more than one has been found stuck in the feeder. I guess you can only expect so much from chickens.

We spent some time with my brother-in-law who was home on leave and went to a Royals game and ate at various dining establishments. We save the hibachi grill for such occasions, which is good because if we didn't I fear I would spend a small fortune eating too much rice and sushi. I thought for sure there would be pictorial evidence of these things, but it turns out the only picture I could find was an awkward selfie that is too ridiculous to share.

Speaking of pictures, April was also picture day for dance! I put the exclamation point only because I survived. There is nothing fun about dressing small children up in costumes that don't fit into car seats, with eye make up they cry off on the way, to stand in a small room that I'm sure has exceeded max capacity per fire code. Now that it is over I can actually say there is something fun about it: excited children smiling awkwardly in their pictures! It was too much for Marinn, who passed out on me while waiting on sisters group to finish. I must say though, they were VERY excited to finally get to see and wear their costumes!

I feel like I passed some sort of test this April when I didn't cry when I took my kid to Kindergarten Roundup and I didn't ask any crazy questions in the parent portion. No small feat for the woman who continuously teared up and/or cried when discussing school starting. I'm still not sold on this whole day kindergarten bit, but it seems as though I'm going to have to get on board. You know who is wholeheartedly on board? The kindergartner. She perched herself next to the mascot on the way in for a picture, ditched me at the first chance to go color and explore, and was sitting next to the teacher when I came to get her. Instead of rushing to me when she saw me like other children were there parents, she sat in place and only raised her hand when she heard her name called. She reluctantly said goodbye as she was told it was time to go. She made me so proud! Now I just need to slow down time so August doesn't get here too quickly!

Also in April we had an impromptu lunch with my sister Caley, whom we do not see often enough! We met up with them at a pizza place along the highway while they were making the drive home from visiting her in-laws. We put five kids who hadn't seen each other in a while together in a restaurant. We're crazy. Tracey, being the great aunt that she is, got them all bouncy balls and entertained them. She's pretty awesome like that.

At the end of April my cousin finally went into labor and I got to be present for the birth of her baby girl. She's the only one who has taken me up on the offer to watch them have a baby! (I probably scare people with such comments) I wasn't just hanging out to watch the show, it was more along the lines of a birthing coach and point and shoot photographer. There is something so fascinating about child birth to me and to be able to help someone have the labor/delivery they want is a pretty cool feeling. It's a story I hope to share in more detail, but as for now it's not my story to tell!

Now onto the month of May, which seems to want to prove me wrong about April being the busiest....

I've Got a Crush On You

So I have a serious crush on this boy... only he turned 30 this week so should probably no longer use the term "boy" and instead say "man." When we met we were at the age where it seemed funny and maybe even somewhat romantic that he would throw coasters at me. We were also at the age where I felt no shame in pretending to like cats so that when he was holding a kitten I had a legitimate excuse to sit beside him. We were also very mature in telling our family about our relationship. I think the conversation with my sister went a little something like this: "Do you want to go hang out at my friend Andy's house? Oh and don't freak out if he tries to kiss me, we may be dating."

The photograph I came across (in print, taken from an actual camera-because we're that old) perfectly shows the maturity. I mean like amazingly well. We look 12. Okay maybe 16... 18 tops. We sure felt like we knew everything and were ready to take on the world though. Little did we know then that we would be looking back at that picture nearly 11 years later and laughing at how naive we were.

Here we are, all this time later, and I still have the biggest crush on the man who is my husband and the father of my children. The world keeps changing around us and we continue to grow together, which is the best part of having a partner to spend your life with. I feel pretty lucky to spend my days with him and I look forward to the day we sit down and look back at the picture of our 30 year old selves and laugh at all the things we thought we knew and reminisce about all the great things we were a part of that we never could have foreseen. Happiest of birthdays, my love. I hope to spend many, many more with you!

P.S. This picture makes me wish we took more pictures with actual cameras. Selfies are awkward (and in this case blurry.) I'm sure 40 year old me will totally make fun of us. 

We Are Officially a Two Vehicle Family

There are times when the things we do in our day to day lives come up in conversation and elicit questions about how and why. Take for instance the time the guy from Dish came out to set up our TV and after getting it up and going he asked where the others were. I told him we just had the one and he laughed and said he had never seen that before and asked if I was sure I didn't want to put a couple in the bedrooms. I didn't realize until after the conversation that people thought it strange to have only one TV. After telling other people about the encounter they asked what we did when we wanted to watch different things or for the kids to watch their own shows. It seemed it wasn't just the Dish guy who found it strange that we watched it together or not at all, although to us it meant spending more time together and practicing compromise as well as limiting the amount of time we spent in front of the TV.

Similar conversations ensued after disclosing the fact that we had one vehicle. How do you get anything done? What if there were an emergency? Don't you ever just want to get up and go somewhere? Followed by many comments like, "I could never do that." I'm sure that at one time I felt the same way about it, but it happened as a turn of events and quickly just because our normal. When I had one child we would get up and go for the sake of getting out of the house. We would visit friends and family and go to lunch or to the store for something I had forgotten or suddenly wanted. It was our normal and probably very similar to what others were doing. After our second girl was born the outings slowed because it was more work taking two kids around and it wasn't very friendly to the budget to go out to eat and make extra runs to the store. (As a single income family of four I became more concerned with the budget because if the budget didn't balance I would have to return to work.) Once Andy's car was gone the luxury of those things were stripped away. We said it would be temporary and that we would just have to find another car but then weeks turned to months and the desire for the car gave way to a stronger desire for a house. We were diligent about savings and soon after giving up the second car we realized just how cost effective one vehicle was. 

I went through a somewhat tough transition, losing the freedom of having a car, but it gave way to a nice routine that our girls seemed to thrive in. There was consistency in the day to day that made life easier. There were few distractions taking away from my time with them, there was more time to maintain the house and cook meals at home and I became very focused on what I wanted our family structure to look like. It was our new normal. We did miss out on time with our friends and family at those lunch dates and a couple birthday parties as a result, but the money we were able to stash away for a house made the inconvenience of it worth it. We were saving money every month by choosing not to take on a car payment (averaging between $300-500), increase in car insurance ($50-100) and increase in gas consumption ($200+). 

Flash forward three years and we were still a one vehicle family, but we knew we were going to transition out of this stage of our lives. With a child starting school in the fall and work changes that could result in my needing to return to work we decided it was time for us to purchase a second vehicle. We waited until our other vehicle was paid for so we would not be taking on more than our budget would allow and my husband was diligent about his research before we purchased and as a result he has his long awaited pick up truck. 

The idea of transitioning back to a two vehicle family is harder for me than I thought it would be, partially because of the other big changes that are coinciding with it and partially out of fear that the new found freedom will come at a cost to our structure and budget. I'm ready to embrace the new season of life we are in but mostly I am very thankful for the time we spent as a one vehicle family. It was that time that afforded me so much more time with my family as a stay at home mother in a home of our very own. 

Snip! Snip! Snip!

Yesterday I found myself childless, with nothing to do and with a car. This NEVER happens! So after breakfast with my dad and step mom I was determined to make a hair appointment, hoping someone had an opening for the same day, you know, before I could change my mind. There was an opening with just enough time to drive there so I headed out. I sat in the chair and announced I didn't know what I wanted because it depended on how brave I was feeling and I pulled up my pintrest board filled with hairstyles of varying lengths. After a brief moment of telling me my hair would look fuller if I went a little shorter I said, "Well I guess I'm going to be brave then." As the words left my lips I heard the snip of scissors and saw my ponytail get carried to the trash can behind me. I let out a huge gasp which elicited a wide-eyed expression and giggle from the receptionist. In that moment I thought I might be sick and I heard the lady beside me getting highlights in her long locks say, "I guess it is just hair. It will grow back right?"

"Aren't you going to show her?" the receptionist inquired.

"Nope, we are just going to keep going. Come on over and lets get your hair washed," the stylist was so nonchalant.  And with that my hair was gone, no looking back.

The entire drive all I could think of was the silly line in Little Women where Amy is appalled at Jo for cutting of all her hair, her "one true beauty."  On days when I feel frumpy and don't like the way clothes are fitting or how my eyeliner never seems to match I say to myself, "at least you've got your long hair" as though that some how compensates. I don't feel at though my hair is my "one true beauty" but I do like that I can fix my hair and feel better about the rest of it. When did I become so emotionally attached to my hair anyway? I think it may be less emotion about my hair and more of my uncertainty of navigating being 31. I mean, if I cut my hair short will I look old? Too young? Were some cuts too trendy? Trendy has never been my thing. Oh God, will I look like a.... soccer mom?? I'm really good at the over analyzing thing.

As I sat in the chair on the verge of tears or perhaps even vomiting, I reminded myself how long I had been wanting to do this. It will be good. Change is good, embrace it! Short hair is sassy and your hair just lives in a ponytail anyway. I pushed aside the memories of the questionable decision to get that pixie in high school and the lovely post-wedding haircut from my sister-in-law while she was in cosmetology (that she stopped short of finishing so she could go fight with her boyfriend.) "It's not that short and this is a paid professional." I told myself. "Plus, it's on your all important list so you cannot bail."

The combination of my pep talk and the 12 inches of hair that was already residing in the trash can kept me in the chair. When they stylist was finished and spun the chair around so I could see my new hair I was in shock over how different I looked. It had been at least six years of long hair. My hands were literally shaking when my hair was carried to the trash. I talked myself into and out of hair cuts for over a year. And you know what? I LOVE my new hair. I don't know why I was so afraid of changing it up for so long!

Here is a peak at the before and after. (The lighting in the before is particularly crummy, but it was almost an after thought and  I ran back in to the house and snapped a quick pick before heading out!)

P.S. My sister-in-law does hair professionally now and quite well! If she weren't on maternity leave she would have been the one doing the chopping. I chalk the fore mentioned haircut and the waxing incident as a learning experience!

31 Things To Do While I'm 31

Tomorrow is my birthday!! I love birthdays! I usually stretch birthdays out from one day to a minimum of one week. You're celebrating someone existence, isn't that worth one week?? My birthday falling on a Monday threw me a bit so instead of birthday week ending on my birthday this year I'm going to say it kicks off birthday week. It's my  birthday so I get to make the rules, right? My husband is nice and plays along and allows me to do things like announce 'I can't bathe the babies' or 'I can't do the dishes because it's my birthday week' and he will do whatever chore I'm trying to get out of. I return the favor come April when it's his birthday so he can't complain too much! This year I told him it was going to be the whole year of 31 and he looked at me quite concerned, like maybe I was going to spend the whole year saying, "I can't because it's my birthday...year." That isn't quite the case. After opting not to set New Years resolutions I decided instead to compile a list of things that I would like to do while I am 31. (That may have just been the procrastinator in me wanting 25 extra days to decide what my goals will be, but I'm embracing it!) The over all theme is trying new things, taking time for myself, and a little self improvement (which never hurt anyone!) So, without further ado, here is the list:

31 Things To Do While I'm 31

1. Blog more frequently. I really enjoy taking time to read blogs and write a few of my own, but a lot of the time I will put it off to tend to other matters. The goal is to give my self permission to take time for me and sit down and write about the things we are doing since it is something I enjoy doing. 

2. Plant my first herb garden. Last year was the year of our first garden and this year will be the first for our herb garden. Hopefully I will even get some nice cutting flowers in there with them! 

3. Stick with a work out regiment for a whole year. My husband has impressed me with his one year anniversary of going to the gym 4-5 days a week. His body has changed and gotten stronger and it has done wonders for his mood too. I feel good when I complete workouts and getting stronger makes my tasks around the home and yard easier. My goal is to stick with it for the whole year which is four times longer than I have ever stuck to a work out. Wish me luck!

4. Spend more time with family. After having my parents live far away for so long I feel like I am not taking enough advantage of having them so close. Also it has been hard to get all of the family together at once so I plan to make up some good excuses for us to spend time together.

5. Read one book a month. I love reading, but it seems a luxury I never have time for! As part of the taking time for myself bit I want to make up for lost time and read at least one book a month. Any good reads I should add to the list?

6. Take up bike riding. My babies are finally big enough to pedal around with us! The only problem is that it has been too many years to count since I last rode a bike! Lord have mercy on my thighs.

7. Be a better budget-er. One of the tasks I took on when I became the stay at home mom was the budget. (Who am I kidding? The OCD in me probably never relinquished this task to the husband, even pre-baby.) Either way, it became an important role when we were living off a single income as a family of four. Over the past year I became more lax on this task and a lot of money was wasted as a result. The goal this year is to be purposed with our money and particular about what we are spending it on.

8. Write more letters. Who doesn't love getting mail?? I plan to single-handedly keep the USPS in business. Well it may not be to that extreme, but thank yous? Card in the mail. Thinking about you and how great you are? Mail. Birthday? Mail. Why did we stop doing this? A quick message on facebook is fine, but not nearly as thoughtful as taking time to put your words down on paper and send them to someone.

9. Fold and put away laundry as it is cleaned and dry. I never said this list was going to be filled with profound thoughts! I despise laundry, specifically folding and putting it away. I will let clothes sit on the loveseat until there are multiple loads and one of two things happens: it becomes too full and it starts to spill to the floor, or people are coming over and I don't want them to see my slacking (that and they need somewhere to sit.) If I can stick to this my house will always be company ready which leads to my next goal:

10. Make time to spend with and expand my circle of friends. Being a stay at home mom with one vehicle means our days are spent in the house doing our own thing, This consistency I think has done wonders for the routine and sleeping pattern of toddlers, however it comes at the cost of making connections with people. As the girls are getting older it is easier to be flexible in our schedule and I crave connection with people. I'm hoping that our monthly play dates will become something more along the lines of weekly. I also want to take some time to spend with my friends without children in tow so I can remember what adult conversation is like!

11. Get bee ready. I want bees! I really, really want bees. I want to learn as much as I can about keeping bees and get myself bee-ready for next spring. If I can get them before then I would be beside myself with excitement, but realistically it will be next year. 

12. Fill the empty picture frames in my house. I don't know what is wrong with me that I feel the need to hang a picture frame that I don't have a picture in. I started doing it after we moved in and the walls were empty and it seemed to make sense. Now it's just weird and I need to get these people from the store out of my house. Either that or name them.

13. Make gifts. In part to give more thoughtful gifts and in part to be a better budgeter, I want to make gifts rather than buy them. I love being creative and using my hands to make things so hopefully this will be a good motivator for me. 

14. Take a vacation. I don't care how sort it is, I don't care how close to/far away from home it is, I just want to take time with just my little family to get away from the day to day and the responsibility to enjoy each others company. This is something we have NEVER done. It's crazy to think but it shows my husbands devotion to taking care of us so I can be home and not living beyond our means. The reward has been great, but this year I want my hard-working husband to have real break.

15. Re-enter the work force. After staying home with my babes for the past 5 years it has become necessary for me to go back to work. I'm not sure what that is going to look like just yet, but it is a little intimidating after being home so long! It is going to be a big adjustment with the girls, as it is about two years sooner than we had planned. 

16. Not cry every day that I take my kid to school. Speaking of adjustments....my kid starts school in the fall. I don't know how it happened that she is already five and eager to start school, but this mama is not ready for that. I have melted down on more than one occasion and I still cannot believe that kindergarten is full day. My girls have had the luxury of being home and outside playing all day everyday with very little obligations to take them way from that. This is going to be a big adjustment for her. As big as it will be for her, times that by two and that will be the adjustment little sister makes to being by herself for the first time ever. I think both will adjust, I'm just not sure I will! Giving my baby to someone else for 8 hours of her 12 hour day is going to be very hard to do. 

17. Finish home projects. If I look at one more unpainted spot on the wall, one more piece of missing trim or a pile of scraps in the garage for another minute I think I will lose my mind. We are past the one year mark of being in our house and it is just time to have this all done. If we can be diligent with our money we should be able to finish up all the projects this year and hopefully in the next couple months!

18. Organize the garage. Once projects are complete we will have our garage back and it's time to get it organized. One of the trade offs of buying a split level house was there is no basement storage. We have paired down everything we don't need and not it's time to make a home for everything we do need. 

19. Make a drastic change to my hair. I have been wanting to do something different with my hair for a long time, but when it comes down to it I chicken out! I have been letting my hair grow out for so long it seems sad to chop it off but it lives in a ponytail so its out of my way so I'm over it. If I can muster up the courage I'm going to chop it all off and I think it may be long enough to donate. 

20. Reuse waste. We have cut down the amount of trash we have each month by recycling, composting, and being aware of the packaging we buy (skipping single serve things, etc) and our waste has become very little. My goal for this year is to try to reuse more of the things that we usually take to recycling. We save the clear plastics for plant starting and reuse some other plastic containers for food storage, but this year I want to save our paper waste and make my own firebricks.

21. Finally visit local wineries. We live so close to a handful of wineries that I somehow never visited. I blame it on my time pregnant and breastfeeding. Some adult time, maybe even with some friends I don't see often enough, seems like a good idea made better with a glass of wine in hand.

22. Learn to play piano. This one seems like a bit of a lofty idea seeing as how we do not own a piano. We want to get Amelia in lessons this year and if we decide to do that we will be getting a piano and it would be a shame if I didn't learn to play too! I have always wished for musical abilities I do not have. 

23. Acquire every Ray Lamontagne album on vinyl. Because I have no musical talent I choose to listen to those who do. My love for Ray is deep, thus I need more than just God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise. The need is real.

24. Have more date nights with my husband. Though my love for Ray is real, my love for my husband is more so. I want more time away from the distractions that come from running a household to appreciate our relationship that started long before our house and children were part of the mix. We joke that our social lives are separate because it's much easier for the other to play 'babysitter' while one goes out, but this year the focus is our time together, easy or not! 

25. Make more of an effort to shop local. Nothing rivals the customer service and quality of product you get when you chose to buy from a small local business. Sometimes it's easier to make a one-stop-shop place your destination, getting a few dollars back in your pocket, but when you walk into a store with great staff or store owner who are knowledgeable about their products and you know that your money is going directly to them and the community it makes it worth the slight increase in cost. 

26. Take up yoga. This is another thing that has been on my to do list for some time. There is something about yoga that has always appealed to me so I figure there is no time like the present to start learning. I'm hoping that this coupled with my workout regiment will help me feel fit and healthy.

27. Work on more sewing projects. I have a stash of fabric and a goal to make more gifts and spend less money. Seems like an easy win to do some extra sewing this year, which happens to be something I really enjoy doing. I may even get brave and try to re-purpose some old clothes into something I may wear again!

28. Make more foods myself. Last year we drastically changed our diets and worked hard to cut out processed foods and eat more whole foods. This year I want to go a little further and make more of the breads, pastas, and crackers that we eat. I want to have my children participate in this as part of understanding where food comes from and hopefully encouraging a healthy relationship with food.

29. Butcher my first chicken. Along the some lines of making more food myself this will be another step in becoming more self sufficient in feeding myself and my family. When we got our first flock we did so knowing that we would be butchering a few, however we never got the chance. Between the neighbor's dog and the chicken massacre that happened last week there are none left to butcher. This years flock will have birds that we will be raising solely for the purpose of meat so I will get my chance to butcher in the fall.

30. Let go go the past. If it means writing it out, crying it out, yelling it out, whatever the means, some things I need to just let go of. I found that this past year I let things that happened in the past affect what I was doing and how I felt so this year I am determined to work through these things so I can be at peace with the past and present in the day to day and with relationships. 

31. Make a five year plan. I have always been good at making plans for a year, maybe even two, but I have never made a plan that went so far into the future. I'm not really sure why that is, it's almost a little intimidating so maybe that is why. In the next five years our lives will be much different than they are now, as both girls will be in school and I will be back at work. I feel like this is a good time to sit down and work on a plan so we can make sure that the things we are doing now are leading us to where we want to be later. It is easier to accomplish goals and stick to budgets when you can see the long term that you are working towards. I'm excited to spend time with the husband to determine what our future holds!

So that is my list. My 31 one things I intend to do while I am 31. I hope that I can back at this next year proud of the accomplishments I made and ready to take on more things!

First Snow of the Season!

We had the first snow of the season which elated the little people in my life. To them snow is such a magical occurrence and I love hearing their excitement in their squeals of joy as each flake falls or the announcement "it's my lucky day, it's snowing!" This year my excitement has grown because both of them are enjoying playing in it! (In previous years I had one crying to go in and the other crying because they had to go in and it was miserable, cold and wet.) In honor of the first snow we ventured out to make the long awaited first snowman. For Marinn this was the first year she actually participated and she was giddy as she rolled the ball across the yard and watched it grow. We threw snowballs, built a snowman (and a snow chicken) and giggled and laughed as we rolled in the snow. It was wet, it was cold and it was glorious. I love spending days like these with my girls!

Family Traditions: Christmas Cookies

Few things say Christmas like cookies. Whether your style is gooey cookies, filled with chocolate morsels or a crisp,  frosted sugar cookie there is sure to be a cookie to please your palate. Almost more importantly, you need one to please the Big Guy's palate,  it would be drearisome to have your house passed over on Christmas due to lack of cookies!

Cookies are an easy option for a potluck, a friendly gift for a neighbor or a great treat to enjoy around the table with your family. The best part is you can enjoy them fresh from the oven or tuck them into the freezer and pull them out as needed and they will taste as fresh as the day you baked them. (Off the record: they thaw very quickly and leave little trace evidence when you sneak one out for a late night snack!)

The only thing that could make a cookie better is to spend an entire day baking them with some of your favorite people! That is exactly what we did at Kathy's Christmas Cookies 2014. That's a fancy title for baking cookies with my lovely aunt and sisters for our third year. It is quickly becoming a tradition I cherish. It is hard to find an opportunity for all of my sisters and myself to get together as we get older and have our own families and careers to juggle. I'm very grateful for my aunt, who has quite the knack in the kitchen, for facilitating and sharing her recipes and knowledge with us. We may have only participated in this tradition for a few years, however cookie baking with her goes back to when we were much younger. She was actually the one who baked the reindeer cookies with us which have become the Christmas eve tradition I have carried on with my children. I feel lucky to have such a great family and I am excited to see my children making memories much like my own!

That's Not Funny

As we sat at the table after dinner I announced that I was going to venture out to the store for a few necessities. This isn't a habit I have, usually shopping is done during the day and with my helpers. My statement was met with tears and protests from both girls.  Luckily Daddy came to the rescue... kind of.
He announced with great excitement, "Alright! Mama's leaving, we get to do whatever we want!" Amelia, used to his shenanigans played right into it and clapped and cheered with delight. Marinn hasn't quite learned that sometimes Daddy is being more sarcastic than literal. "We can do anything you want!" he continued. Marinn settled a bit and looked at him questioningly then looked at me.
"Poop!" she said.
"You need to poop?" he asked.
"No." She turned a sideways glance to me and said, "Poop! Toot!"
Amelia started laughing and Andy looked puzzled ask asked again, "You want to go poop?"
"No!" she couldn't hold back the giggles at this point.
I stood up and excused myself from the table, letting Daddy know as I parted that she was saying 'poop' and 'toot' because I don't find it appropriate to say such things. The entire room erupted in laughter as I walked out the door.
I will never understand the humor some find from bodily functions. I think my children may have inherited this 'humor' from their grandma. Maybe that is why I don't find it funny, maybe I was traumatized in my childhood. Regardless of the why's, these will continue to be inappropriate words in our house... as long as I'm home anyway!
I must admit, it is a little reassuring that when given the opportunity to do "anything you want" my kid chose to say (only slightly) inappropriate words!

Happy 5th Birthday, Amelia Ann!

It's hard to believe that my baby is 5 today! Time is just going to fast, I'm not ready for 5. I'm so proud of this little person who brings so much joy to our lives. She has always had a strong sense of independence and is a very social being. The older she gets the more her personality shines through. I stand in awe as I watch her walk into a room of strangers, a smile beaming across her face, and walk right up to someone and strike up a conversation.  She will try anything at least once, she knows no fear. She has a grand imagination and demands attention for her performances, be it story telling, singing or dancing. She is an emotional girl who has a contagious laugh that can turn to tears a drop of a hat, then right back to laughter. She has a patience about her as she takes her sister by the hand and shows her the ropes. She is never as silly as when she is dancing around the house, making up words to songs with her daddy. She is such a hard worker whether it be doing chores, practicing writing or dancing. I am so proud that I get to be her mom and watch her grow and discover the world. Happy birthday, Amelia. May all your wishes come true!

Because I think my kid is super cute, I love photo/video documentation of the happenings in our world and I found a free app courtesy of a blog I follow I made a couple of videos to mark the occasion. Enjoy!

Cheering on Our Boys in Blue!

We are very hometown proud when it comes to sports teams. We would never think of cheering on anyone other than our Kansas City Royals and Kansas City Chiefs. We rock our shirts on game days and chant along with the best of them. This year it has gotten a little more serious. Our Royals were the winners of the Wild Card game, went on to win the ALCS and are playing in the World Series. THE WORLD SERIES!!!! So needless to say we have had to bump up our game to show support. In addition to much sleep loss due to late games we have made sure to wear the same shirts that obviously led to previous wins, rocked some blue nail polish (and added some gold for bling as we furthered), toasted the Boys in Blue, yelled 'MOOOOSSSSEEEE' a lot (mostly because it's fun) and we've even eaten our share of blue food. Needless to say, we are having a lot of fun cheering on our team!

Party Planning for Birthdays 2014

Party planning for birthday party 2014 is under way! I Love party planning with a capital 'L.' It's kind of my thing. List making, creating, cooking, entertaining, I swoon! This year we are trying something different and having a joint party for the girls and we are doing it before either of their birthdays. In previous years we have celebrated with individual parties close to their birthdays, which has always been fun but also a lot of work.  With their birthdays falling in/close to the holiday season it seemed less stressful this way and easier for our guests to attend. We will see how it goes this year, maybe it will the first of many celebrated this way! An added perk to celebrating early is the weather (fingers crossed) will allow for an outdoor party which will mean we won't have our house bursting at the seams or have to spend too much money renting a space. 

Fall is my favorite season so I'm excited to embrace it for the party theme. Cool weather, warm clothes, hearty foods, does it get better than that?  Now if you will excuse me I'm going to plead with my children to take a nap so I can immerse myself in all things fall and fill up a new notebook with list after glorious list!  

Making Cheese and New Friends

I have a wonderful aunt who has wonderful ideas like taking a cheese making class. It had been on her list of things to do and I was lucky enough to get to tag along earlier this week to join her in the adventure. I'm always interested in learning to make things at home, but cheese seemed a little intimidating to me. My worries were put to ease after meeting our lovely teacher, Christy Harris of Providence Hill Farm. She has been making cheese for a long while now and after hearing how she learned from working in her kitchen with farm fresh milk (traded to her on a barter no less), using a couple books and trial and error, I knew she was the perfect person to show me how it's done. It was a much easier process than I imagined it would be and we took home delicious fresh cheese at the end that could convince most that we were pros!

Changing With the Season

So many things have been in the works now that winter has passed and spring is finally here!

We have been busy working away on our chicken coop.

We have been planning our garden.

And starting our lovely heirloom seeds

And while everything else was changing it seemed fitting to do a little changing here on my blog. When I started my blog I wasn't sure what to call it and I wasn't sure what it would consist of or how long it would last. I just knew I wanted a way to share the happenings in my world and be a part of the community of bloggers whom I followed. My main goal was to take a moment to write things down, good bad and other, as a way to hold onto memories. Thus the name came to be.

Now it is two years later and we have purchased a home and are starting our adventure into establishing our homestead. In honor of this great adventure the blog name is changing to Lynch Homestead. Not much will change as far as content goes. My children always make for entertaining stories, I still find myself most relaxed when creating and sharing new things, and when I feel as though I have mastered a recipe I always feel inclined to share. The only thing different will probably be the addition of news from the garden/orchard and our chickens. (We broke up with a realtor because of differing opinions on importance of finding a place where we could have chickens!) I hope you enjoy following us on this adventure!

Welcome to Lynch Homestead!

Birth Story: Marinn Lee

Much like Amelia's birth story, Marinn's too is coming long after the fact. I don't know why I have such delay in putting it on paper, I've shared the story with people who probably didn't care to know as much as I told (merely because I'm so impressed by what the human body is capable of!) That being said, I need to preface this post as I did Amelia's birth story:

Be warned: this is not an 'envision the flower opening, take a deep breath, and push out new life' kind of story. I guess I'm an over sharer.

On December 19, 2011 I woke earlier than I would have liked. Sleeping at the end of pregnancy has its challenges. To say the heartburn was severe would be an understatement. Couple that with an extremely stretched stomach due to a baby insisting on staying curled tightly instead of stretching out and giving my skin a break and getting comfortable was a challenge.  Add frequent waking to use the bathroom and a two year old boycotting sleep in any form, but especially in her own room, and sleep was nearly non-existent. My body craved sleep but the toddler craved sustenance so I rolled out of bed and started breakfast. After a trip to the bathroom I notice a slight tinge of pink when I wiped. - Hell yeah! This baby may come before Christmas after all!

I had all but given up on ever having this baby. You see, I was quite certain I would be delivering early as I did with Amelia so there would be no worry of a birth interfering with Christmas celebrations. When days went by with no signs of progressing my hope dwindled. At the last midwife appointment I went to they did a physical exam and there was talk of deciding to induce before Christmas or waiting it out and maybe having a new year baby. I cried after leaving that appointment. This pregnancy was draining both physically and emotionally and I was ready to have this baby, but this baby seemed quite content to stay put.

After breakfast I took a shower and got ready for my weekly appointment with the midwife. Amelia and I played for a while before we took the short drive over to my in-laws house where Amelia would be staying while I went to my appointment. I was relieved not to be taking her, coaxing a two year old to sit still while laying on a table for a physical examination was challenging the last go round. It was an hour drive to my appointment and on the way I wished I would have remembered to pack a snack or quit scheduling my appointments during lunch time. Hungry and tired I arrived at my appointment.

There wasn't much of a wait in the office. Once you move to weekly visits you have the routine down pat. When the midwife came in she asked the usual questions, how are you feeling, any changes, etc. I was excited to share the news that I thought I may actually have a baby before Christmas due to the fact I had a pinkish tinge when wiping. (You feel so comfortable over-sharing with a midwife.) We checked blood pressure and discussed a few more things before the physical exam. I climbed up on the table and put my feet in the stir-ups, so lovingly adorn with ovenmits, and received the best news ever! I was dilated to a three (something I was afraid wouldn't happen without the use of pitocin after last times experience) and my cervix had thinned. She looked at me and said, "You'll be having a baby before Christmas. Would you like to help it along? I can stretch your membranes if you'd like and we can see if that helps you move along."

My answer was,  "Of course yes! I cannot not wait to be done with this pregnancy. I'll try not to get too excited, I mean I haven't had a single contraction."

She looked at me as though I was crazy and said, "You're having a contraction right now. Can't you feel that?" She guided my hand to the hard lump that was my belly.

Feeling a little silly I confessed I thought it was just the baby moving. I had been so uncomfortable in the third trimester and she insisted on staying so low in the uterus that it was uncomfortable when she would move and I just assumed that was what I was feeling.

I left the appointment with my instructions to stay hydrated, get some rest and unless they hear from me before, they will see me at next weeks appointment. I sent a quick text to Andy who was working that said: Dilated to a 3 and they stretched my membranes! But they also said they will see me at next weeks appointment so we will see...

After hearing good news there was only one thing I wanted and that was food. I put the car into drive and headed towards home. I felt my stomach tighten and giggled a bit thinking to myself, "That's not just a baby moving!"

I pulled up to the Burger King drive-thru and ordered a burger. As I pulled around to the window to pick it up I had a contraction only this time I didn't giggle because it hurt! So much for eating. Taking my food, I drove to pick up Amelia from my in-laws. I was relieved to hear no nap was taken at Nanny's house because I was tired and hoping for a nap myself. I tucked Amelia into bed and climbed into my own and drifted off to sleep.

Bye Bye Binky

We have said goodbye to a very good friend. The green pacifier that made its way into our lives in the early days of Marinn's life and stayed with us through good times and bad, holidays and milestones finally is no more.

If you asked me my thoughts on pacifiers during my first pregnancy I would have boldly sworn them off. No child of mine would have one of those! The mindset maintained through the first child and into the second pregnancy would never be changed. Or so I thought.

When Marinn was born I knew right away she was not going to be anything like her older sister. She was not one to self soothe, she was not one to want to be left alone, she was not one that would allow sleep that I so desperately needed. We quickly found relief from the tears and discontent in a tiny green pacifier. I never even flinched as I stuffed that little thing in her mouth as I knew it was only for a season and would be gone before she would even have a memory of what it was.

Boy would I eat my words. When one year approached we were determined to rid our lives of the green monster that controlled the happiness, not just of Marinn, but of everyone. There was no sleep if it could not be found, there was no quiet moments if it were not in hand. You could forget getting groceries or walking through the store if it were not at the ready. This little green jewel that brought us so much peace was running the show. 

"We can do this! We can be strong! It will only take a few days of tears and we will be done," we encouraged ourselves. 

Then it was ready, set, remove pacifier. 

Watching My Kids Watch Movies

We surprised the girls with a trip the the movie theatre (or movie gator, as Amelia would say) tonight to watch Planes. It isn't often we take them, they're still a little young to expect them to sit quietly and behave for an entire show. Days like today are the best though, it's pretty much guaranteed you will have the theatre to yourselves at 5 p.m. on a Tuesday when you're watching a movie that has been in theatres for a while.

Settled in to the perfect seats we were ready for one of my favorite things:

watching my girls watch a movie

The music heightens, action begins and tiny girls are moved to their feet. There are shrieks of excitement, generous 'ohs' in defeats, chair gripping in the serious parts, and of course, great cheers as the protagonist claims victory over the 'mean guy.' There may have even been some dancing and high-fiving thrown into the mix. 

 

I know how fleeting these moments of genuine, unfiltered reactions are so I plan to savor as many moments like these as I can!

Saints and Sailors

I'm not a hot-head.

I don't feel the need to yell and scream and throw things when I'm upset.

Neither does my husband - football games excluded.

I think we have done a spectacular job keeping our cool during this renovation process, even when things aren't working as planned, tools go missing, fingers smashed, etc. After all, little eyes and ears are constantly around, soaking in all we do and say.

And then it happened.

The girls visited their grandparents twice in as many weeks. Each time when we have gone to pick them up we were greeted by a story in which our sweet, lovely three year old announced that someone or thing, "pissed her out."

I must admit, I found it hard not to laugh at the miswording. but this little face saying those things??

For days now when I look at her I hear Chris Carrabba singing the soundtrack to our day.

Oh, Amelia....

you smile like a saint, but you curse like a sailor... 

Good Distractions

So much has happened since I last posted that I can't wait to share. It has been such an adventure moving into and renovating our first home!

We FINALLY got internet (and cable, but that's a rant for another day) and the first thing my sister sad to me was, "what's your first post going to be about?"
 

I love that she reads, and I think genuinely likes reading my blog, and she's fully aware that we have completed many projects I could share but the reality is I've been too distracted to post.
 

Distracted by endless projects needing finished, distracted by the hole in my bedroom floor that small children would love to throw everything they own down, distracted by keeping up on the day-to-day through this process, by infinite blog posts I'm catching up on, by beautiful projects others are creating, but mostly...distracted by life.
 

Distracted by these two sweet little faces, who seem to particularly love their mama as of late.