ten on ten - December 2012

The morning didn't start out so well. Bébé and I both had a meltdown before 10AM. We sat in the nursing chair for quite a while before I decided I would just do what I had to do with a fussy babe.

We attempted laundry . . . After 3 separate attempts, it was all folded and put away.

We have an abundance of greens from our CSA share, so lunch was a beautiful kale salad for me, grilled cheese for the kiddos. I adapted a recipe in Kris Carr's newest book Crazy Se*y Kitchen. It was so delicious! We also had some yummy green juice with our lunch.

Snack time. I finally made a batch of homemade cranberry bliss bars the other day. They turned out to be really good! I froze some today for later snacking. :)

A little computer work while Bébé napped in my lap. (She is currently doing just that as I type this!)

Today was a good mail day! This sticker I ordered for our van, was tucked in the mailbox, along with two Christmas cards! :)

Dinner was a delicious Curried Lentil Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Bacon. (with collards added from our CSA share) The recipe is from the book - Keep It Seasonal by Annie Wayte . . .

The view from my bed as I laid down to nurse little Bébé . . .

So glad the day turned around for the better!

ten on ten 

is a fun monthly photo project to document

"life and beauty among the ordinary things of our day" 

and can be found at 

A Bit of Sunshine

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38 Weeks

Little did we know that exactly one week later our sweet little girl would arrive!
My niece came up to photograph Week 38 for me.
She is an up and coming photographer. I have a particular amount of pride in her, and her work because her parents bought my first film SLR to give to her as she became interested in photography. I remember attending one of her homeschool co-op photography shows, where her photographs, shot with my old camera, were on display! SO proud! :)

...The weather on this particular day was less than desirable for outdoor photos, cloudy and very windy!
I told her not to come, and we would just try for the following weekend!
I am so glad she persisted, because had we postponed, there would never have been these last photos of my belly! :)

Above is probably my favorite image!

I wanted to steal this scarf/sarong from my niece. Yellow+grey=amazingness!
Alas, it went home with her, and now I am on the hunt for something equally awesome to add to my scarf collection!

We found a little patch of "field" in suburbia, and the clouds even parted a bit to reveal the blue sky. (obviously by my crazy hair, the wind did not dissipate. ;)

This photo makes me laugh! I was SO addicted to raw cow's milk throughout my pregnancy. It was actually my go-to snack when insomnia kicked in and I would get so hungry at 2 or 4 AM! That and a banana. ;)

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happy list // 11.26.12

1. Happy Mail from Alaska! I hope to blog all the goodness soon! I have been blessed with some pretty amazing friends!
2. 1 of 3 cowls I have knit recently using this pattern: Drop Stitch Cowl
3. little BéBé is chunking up nicely, just like her big sister and brother did!
4. FaceTime with Nana! So fun!
5. seasonal colds have struck our house. A sweet friend brought by comfort in the form of elderberry syrup and hyssop tea.
6. a new colorful scarf. Now if it would just stay cool enough to wear it!
7. lovely CSA goodness. I am LOVING sweet potatoes lately!
8. writing a blog post on paper in my nursing chair, whilst holding little BéBé. Many hours of my day are spent in this chair.
9.the view from said chair is one of my favorites. Fun art and photos and the new addition of a beautiful marble incense burner! I've admired it many times, and the last time we were in the store I told My Girl how I longed for one. She excitedly informed me that she saw one in the back of the store on clearance because it was damaged! She happily retrieved it for me and I went home a very happy girl!

You can see all my past Happy Lists HERE

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Meet Our Newest Member

SAMANTHA LOUISE

SAMANTHA
sam(a)-ntha\
A feminine form of Samuel meaning: name of God, listener, and contains the
Greek -antha which means "flower".

LOUISE
\lo(ui)-se\
meaning: Famous warrior :: Renowned fighter

We will most likely call her any variant of Sam such as: Sam, Sammy, Sami, Sammi, Sammie
Big Brother has already taken to calling her Sammy. :)

7 lbs. 11 oz.
19 1/2 inches long
Born at home in water
10:46 PM
5 hours labor (1 hour active)

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36 Weeks

Supposedly a month left of carrying this wee babe within.
We're all excited to welcome it into our arms!
This month was filled with crazy nesting energy!
I was afraid it might put me on bed rest at times. It truly is insane! Our home has gotten a total overhaul. We've purged and organized, hung lighting fixtures, shelving, pictures etc. Whew!
I need to get it all done so I can stop and rest a bit before labor! ;)
Also this month was pretty uncomfortable.
Back pain, insomnia, carpal tunnel pain, numb arms and hands in my sleep . . .
But all-in-all this pregnancy has gone by so much faster than the other two.

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thursday's books

My dear, long-time friend Bonnie and I share a love for many of the same things.
We are both passionate about cooking (well food in general ;) organizing, planning, reading, gardening.
It's too bad she lives all the way in Australia!
Wait, bad for whom? Oh, just ME!She lives in PARADISE! ha! :)
Anyways, we also share a love of books.
Library books to be specific.
There's just something magical about going into a space with shelves weighted down with books of all kinds.
And getting to take as many as my little heart desires home with me for 3 weeks! Glorious!
I admit I have not been as frequent a patron as I wish.
It is not a place I enjoy taking my very energetic almost-three-year-old . . . yet.
(I will get him hooked someday, like My Girl)
The best days are when my little guy gets a little Daddy time, and My Girl and I can whisk away to this wonderful home of written words.
My Girl usually beats me in total take-home. But sometimes I pass her with all the cookbooks! :)
I tend to check out the same books over and over. I vow one day to buy them, but why when I can have them for free?!

Back to my friend Bonnie . . .
She started a series on her blog called "Thursday's Books."
Every week, on Thursday, she shares her "library loot" on her blog.
 Sometimes she even reviews the books!
She encourages her readers to join in the fun . . .
So here is my first week.
This run was a fairly quick one with "the boys" waiting in the van while "the girls" ran into the library "real quick" to pick up My Girl's reserved books. (The Warriors series, if you're curious. ;)
I quickly skimmed the New Book section and then headed straight for the cookbooks.
I have borrowed both The Vegetable Dishes I Can't Live Without and Supermarket Vegan before, but the Nikki McClure book was a gem of a discovery! I LOVE her artwork! The recipes seem kind of fun too, but I won't kid and tell you I got it for the recipes, I wanted to gaze at the lovely images!

What are you reading lately?

Do you love the library as much as us?

Share, and join in the fun!

Post to your blog, facebook, instagram (hashtag  #thursdaysbooks), flickr, photobucket, anywhere you please ... and then come leave a comment so I can come see.

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these two

melt me . . .

our little guy had a grand time playing in the garden beds. So cute!

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ten on ten - September 2012

♥ I cheated a little and took this last picture this morning. Anniversary flowers from My Love. 14 carnations. One for each year of marriage. ♥

This was a particularly rough day preceeded by a night of insomnia, followed with a toddler waking before 7AM, said-toddler choking, and cutting up good coupons,and general life upsets. But you wouldn't know it from the pictures.

Life is good . . . All the time . . .

All the time . . . God is good . . .

ten on ten 

is a fun monthly photo project to document

"life and beauty among the ordinary things of our day" 

and can be found at 

A Bit of Sunshine

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happy list // 08.27.2012

1.her creativity, and ability to play with her little brother. 2.My Love has taken Saturdays as his day to cook! He plans the meal and prepares it! I'm a lucky girl! 3.LEGO mania here! Happy they can play something together without fighting. That is until he wrecks her airport! ;) 4.I had a chance this weekend to play with a bit of yarn! 5.and organize a little "knitting nook" of sorts. Love it! 6.playing outside. . . in the MUD! Nothing better! 7.her sweet smile. 8.a fresh organic peach, inspiring book, and my hammock. 9.they have taken to playing chess while Baby Boy bathes. :)

What's been making you HAPPY lately?

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32 Weeks

This month included:

• numerous charlie horses (bleh!)
• weekly chiropractic care for my funky back
• twice a month visits to our awesome midwives
• copious amounts of coffee. (oops)
• amazingly strong kicks and pokes by what I expect to be a very long babe
• mild insomnia
• weird inner ear issues (?)
• night sweats (am I pregnant or menopausal?!)
• the realization that in mere weeks we will meet this small one!
• also, the realization that I'M PREGNANT! As in, I went to pick out an outfit one day and realized I have this big BELLY! Getting interesting dressing the bump.
• nesting. . . as in purge/organize/paint/re-arrange EVERYTHING! etc. 
• first purchases of tiny baby clothing! awww . . .

I have had a few people ask if there is anything we need, and the answer would be an emphatic "YES!"
We set up a baby registry, mostly to track just exactly what we need, and to be able to purchase it easily.
E-mail me if you would like the link.
We have absolutely nothing for a newborn besides a co-sleeper, a Moby wrap, and a few onesies and towels that we recently purchased.
We are totally open to gently used items! If you have any tiny baby things just waiting to be packed up and passed on, send them our way! :) 

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happy list // 08.20.2012

1. THE best chocolate chip cookies. Baked in this tiny cast iron pan, there is nothing better! 2. New cash envelopes for my wallet. One day I would love a gorgeous system like THIS, THIS, or THIS, but in the meantime, this was simple and FREE! 3. Banana Bread baked in my "new" pan I scored on Craigslist for $10! New-In-Box! I am in the process of replacing a few of my kitchen items that are made of aluminum with cast iron, stone,and stainless. It's a process that will happen as I find deals and have money in the "budget." 4. a lovely visit to the midwife. Baby is healthy and growing! Mama feels it! ;) 5. Bedtime snuggles and books. 6. My Girl has taken a great interest lately in baking and cooking. Makes this Mama heart (and closet foodie) happy! 7. I tried my hand at a Dutch Baby Pancake. Oh.My.Goodness. Complete delicious-ness. Try it! It's so simple! 8. the first little baby clothes purchased. My Girl and her Daddy picked them out. SO TINY! 9.Coffee & incense. Mmm . . .

What's been making you HAPPY lately?

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happy list // 08.13.2012

1.morning talks with my Mama. She always calms, and re-assures me. Sometimes without saying a word, as I just babble on and on to her most of the time! ;)  2."Come here Mom! Play game!" 3. devilish indulgence. Boston cream on the patio. 4.My Love working away at a project for me. 5.Fall garden planning. 6.My favorite coffee beans, arriving in just the nick of time. I always cut it so close! whew! 7.perfectly ripe organic plums. A nice treat after a week of slim pickins in the fruit department! 8.THIS makes me ridiculously happy! A BUDGET! Worked on together with My Love. Definitely fills my "love bank." (excuse the pun!)  9.quiet time, even if it was in the middle of the afternoon. Have to grab it when I can.

You can see all my past Happy Lists HERE

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happy list // 08.07.2012

1.our mornings together // search #kmorningtable on instagram :) 2.my little toast loving guy. A boy after my own heart! (homemade strawberry jam on that there toast! ;) 3.My Girl woke before us Sunday morning and made muffins! All by herself! She had to find the recipe (she knows where to look, I guess I am semi-organized!) gather ingredients and she preheated the oven too! So proud! 4.Mama had a hankerin' for lemon bars. I halved THIS recipe and made them in my Pampered Chef mini bar pan, in the toaster oven. (It's HOT here! I try to run my oven as little as possible! ;) 5.quiet time in the mornings to read and journal. 6.Google Calendar. I would be lost without it. Syncs with my iPhone calendar and my menu planner! I always know what's for dinner on any particular day. I also set alerts to remind me to defrost meat, soak beans, put dinner in Crockpot etc. Lifesaver! I hope to be able to do an additional post on my menu planning soon. 7.a little bit of knitting (even if it was half a row!) and those yummy lemon bars again! 8.watching My Girl create a plethora of pony bead keychains! Her new passion! 9.maternity denim cut-offs, sent to me by Sara just in the nick of time. (They were originally jeans, but it's so stinkin' hot here and they were super long anyway, I made them into cut-offs - Hope you don't mind Sara!!!) All my clothes are getting a bit snug and I've sworn I won't buy any more clothes the whole month of August!

What's been making you HAPPY lately?

You can see all my past Happy Lists HERE

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happy list // 07.30.2012

1.incense & coffee 2.a favorite pizza eaten on the patio, in the warm, fading, Summer sun 3.this perfectly adorable, chocolate smeared face! 4.strawberry galette with homemade whipped cream. Mmm . . . so simple and delicious! 5.this simple act of playing independently. It is so rare with this one. Surely something to be happy about! 6.20 pounds of tomatoes, from the farm to do with as I please. Salsa, ketchup, & pizza sauce, oh, my! 7.a round of VERY hot mini golf with the kiddos! We've decided it's better as a winter activity! ;) 8.my guys, being "safe" with their safety goggles, sanding wood pieces for the bunk bed in-progress 9.my big helpers!

You can see all my past Happy Lists HERE

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28 Weeks

My blog is turning into a pregnancy diary. There is always so much more I could post about, the problem is finding the time to sit down at the computer.
I miss it, but know this is just a season.
One that will quite possibly be even busier in approximately 11 weeks with the arrival of the new baby!
This past weekend we traveled to visit My Love's family.
His siblings and their families were in town visiting his Dad.
It was a good visit.
I was able to pull My Love away at a less busy time and have him capture my 28 week belly.




My thoughts couldn't help but wander, as I stood in her yard, to times when Grahamcracker (my Mother-In-Love) tended with her loving hands, the plants and all the beautiful flowers she always had about.

When thinking of names for this little one, so happily anticipated, we have most certainly settled on a middle name if it is a girl. . .

LOUISE

\lo(ui)-se\

meaning: Famous warrior. Renowned fighter.

Grahamcracker was most certainly a warrior and fighter in my eyes. Even in the most awful days of illness, in the end, she still was such a light, and an awesome example of grace.

Whilst researching the meaning of the name Louise, I came across some info that supposedly applies to people with this name:

"People with this name have a deep inner desire for travel and adventure, and want to set their own pace in life without being governed by tradition."

Grahamcracker was a world traveler, and loved adventure! And she most certainly set her own pace in life!

"People with this name tend to be passionate, compassionate, intuitive, romantic, and to have magnetic personalities. They are usually humanitarian, broadminded and generous, and tend to follow professions where they can serve humanity. Because they are so affectionate and giving, they may be imposed on. They are romantic and easily fall in love, but may be easily hurt and are sometimes quick-tempered."

Much of the above describes Grahamcracker exactly. The traits that were the most predominant were her generosity, and magnetic personality.

I so wish she could meet her grandson and be here for this baby's arrival. She was such a great Grahamcracker!

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Sprout Salad

While I'm procrastinating on my grocery list I just had to sit and share this fabulous recipe!
I've had it printed, and in my "to try" folder for quite some time and just today decided to pull together what I had in the crisper, refrigerator, and garden, and finally make it!

Sprout Salad Recipe

Source: www.101cookbooks.com

Prep Time: 15 min

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup / 6 oz / 170 g plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
• 1 handful arugula chopped
• 1 small bunch chives minced
• 8 oz mung bean sprouts (or equiv. cooked mung beans) about 2 cups
• a big handful of well-toasted sliced almonds
• 1 ripe avocado chopped
• good extra virgin olive oil
• to finish: chive flowers (optional)

Directions

1. In a small bowl combine the yogurt, salt, arugula, and chives.
2. In a larger bowl toss the mung beans and almonds with a splash of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Add the avocado, and gently toss once or twice more.
3. Serve the mung beans next to the yogurt mixture and drizzle with a bit more olive oil. If you had a few chive flowers in your bunch, sprinkle them across the top.

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Notes: I did not have all the ingredients called for above, or had them in smaller quantities. 

Here are my adaptations...

• 1/4 cup Greek Gods Plain Greek Yogurt
• 1 handful of Romaine lettuce; chopped
• only about 4 ounces of Mung Bean Sprouts (I sprouted them at home and had to snip the brownish root like ends off each one, hence only 4 oz. ;) 
• I chopped raw almonds and toasted them in the toaster oven
• I wish I had the avocado! That would have made this salad phenomenal! 
• since I had no chive flowers, but still wanted a little color pop, I added a very small amount of minced purple onion. 

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