Reflections of a Butterfly

I Have Moved.

2011-05-12T12:20:00.000-07:00

Hi friends. It's not that I haven't posted lately...it's just that I haven't posted here. You can find me at my new hizzy on the world wide web:

http:veryeasilyinspired.blogspot.com

Half Birthday.

2011-03-05T04:35:00.000-08:00

Today is Selah's half birthday. That means that 2 1/2 years ago at 2:30pm, my life changed forever for the good. After a very unexpected emergency C-section, I left Winnie Palmer with a little baby girl in my arms 5 days later. I have learned more about myself, this world, being a mother, and grace and sacrifice from this little piece of heaven than anywhere else.

So after 30 months of life, who is she?

Rock collector extraordinaire.

Tiny dancer.

Asker of many, many questions.

Trinket gatherer.

Lover of people.

Maker of friends.

Watcher of Dora and Diego.

Princess wannabe.

Fruit snack fiend.

Wordsmith.

Potty skeptic.

Cell-phone chatter.

Light of my life.

Double Duty.

2011-02-24T06:11:00.000-08:00

This week, I am gonna do 2 little participatory deals at once:

and

Thankful Thursday

Now that feels productive. And happy. And a little happiness and productivity goes along way in my world...

Recently, I had the privilege of shooting one of my bestie's family portraits. That was fun enough itself. And let's be honest, I am in love with my camera and all things photography. So, embracing it is as easy as breathing. Usually I am in the embrace pic, but this week I was behind the lens watching Selah with Amy and company.

She thinks that she is part of their family. :)

If she knew what bff's were, I am pretty sure these 2

would be at the top of her list.

Oh the sweetness.

Which brings me to my thankful Thursday sentiments:

1.) Oh, how grateful I am to have such WONDERFUL friends who treat my daughter like their own and take such good care of her. Seriously, I would be lost without them.

2.) On a much less sentimental note, I am thankful for anything chocolate that is stuffed with Reese's peanut butter. My mom sent me a six pack for Valentine's Day. And it's better than any beer. Ever.

3.) I went dancing the other day. What? Yeah. Dancing. Like at a club. And oh, was it ever an experience. $12 drinks and strangers with no boundaries. But, it was FUN. Much needed FUN. And I even wore jeggings for the special occasion. Though I have to say that they seemed like a chastity belt compared to the way that some of these women were dressed. You know those stores that you drive past sometimes with all kinds of skanky, skin tight, scantily draped clothing and you think to yourself, who wears this stuff?! Well, the people at Blue Martini do.

But, not us. We were just some normal girls with clothes on out to have some good old fashioned fun. And when you team up for that, you can beat off any random men that try to work their way in to your safe circle. Promise.

The Dancing Queens

4.) Bargains. This past week, I purchased these babies from Target.

For $7.48. I've had my eye on them for quite a while now, but $29.99 was a little too steep for my money/gift-card hoarding self to bare. But, $8!?! Score.

5.) And lastly, I wanna send a shout out to my sweet little lady. Her spunk rocks my world.

It's That Time of the Month.

2011-02-24T05:40:00.000-08:00

No, not that time, silly. It's Cewing Time! And we are planning on making aprons! Don't be intimidated, okay? (That's what I keep telling myself...). Our fearless leader will be there to guide us.

This is a woman who knows how to sew people.

There are basically 3 ways to accomplish this whole apron deal.

1.) go to walmart and get a kit that comes with the necessary fabric and the pattern. (turns out joann's does NOT carry the kit in their stores.)

2.) choose the hard way or

3.) obtain a pattern of the internet or buy one at your sewing store of choice and then find the kind of fabric you want and wa-la.

a word about the hard way: i am going to try to make my own pattern using hannah's anthropologie apron...this is not the easy way, but let's be honest, that's just how i roll.

also, if you wanted to pick out a pattern at joann's or the sewing place in maitland, the store peeps should be able to help you to then get enough fabric/thread/etc. to make whatever it was that you had in mind. the pattern envelope will tell you exactly what you need in order to make it...and then mary will graciously help us from there...

so, let's review:

1.) tuesday, march 1st is the next cewing circle. 7:30pm

2.) we are working on aprons, so choose your method above.

3.) get your hiney to the store to get the necessary supplies

4.) be there or square on tuesday.

Capiche? (Get it (in Italian)?) Good. :)

Boutique for a Week is back!

2011-02-22T10:31:00.000-08:00

It's time to remind you about my favorite place to shop for my little lady: Boutique for a Week! The fabulous week long consignment sale is back for spring, so mark your calendars for NEXT WEEK if you'd like to check it out. Visit boutiqueforaweek.net to learn more about the sale and to see their schedule of events. The sale opens to the public on Thursday, March 3rd. The schedule is a little different this time, so check first before you head down. And AS ALWAYS, the sooner you can get there, the better. All the good stuff gets gone real fast. :)

They have TONS of stuff....clothes, baby gear, bedding, furniture, etc. And, if you are feeling froggy, there is still time to register as a consignor to sell some things too (you have until Saturday night to enter items).

I really love attending this sale and have gotten so many fabulous things for Selah there. Most of her really cute clothes (and shoes) come from this sale.

This time, BFAW will be held just a few miles off of I-4 on West Colonial Drive. I just googled it and it will take me about 15 minutes to get there from College Park. Yippee!

Petting Farm Part Deux

2011-02-17T11:02:00.000-08:00

Do you think that the Pioneer Woman would be willing to take us in? She looks like a natural cowgirl and I'd be up for being mentored...

Random pictures of chickens.

This made me want some even more.

I am seriously considering putting a few in the back yard. Fresh eggs.

Animals for Selah to be around. It's a win, win.

A zorse. Not joking. It's the love child of a horse and a zebra. Sorry about

the view, but it was important to see the stripes...

Cow-milking fail. Just a little too close to an 800 pound beast for her liking...

Momma could not resist though. :)

This quote basically says it's mean not to expose your kids to nature

and animals. And I concur. Hence, the soon to be chickens in my back yard.

(I wouldn't want to fail Selah in that way...)

And lastly, but most importantly, the llama.

I GET this animal.

Sometimes, all that you can do in life is just sit there and look stupid. :)

Embracing little tiny chicks and ducks. And the now. Before it's gone.

2011-02-17T10:22:00.001-08:00

It's official. My child plays hard to get with the camera.

Case in point: our recent trip to the Petting Farm.

"Oh. Me? What?...I can't hear you. You want me to look away from the camera?"

"This amazing giant tractor? Emmm. It's alright. I guess."

"Wait, did you want me to frown when the camera is pointed my direction Mom? Cause this chick is just really depressing me."

"And this pony is kinda overrated."

But really, who can get frustrated with this precious little creature for more than a second?

It's not all about the pre-empted smiles and attentiveness to what mom wants after all.

Even if she wants to be a rockin' photographer.

And...if Momma is patient, sometimes I can be caught at just the right moment...

and my joy is captured.

It's worth hanging in there, cause those moments are the bomb.

"I'm already 2 and a half Mom. Soak it all in because soon,

it won't be cool for me to act like you are my favorite."

OK. Now it's your turn to get all mushy smoosh.

Embracing the Move.

2011-02-03T05:29:00.000-08:00

Moving is much easier with help. Even if it's pint size.

Are you as excited as I am?

Blurry, but super cute. The kid. Not the pile of stuff. :)

Side bar~today is a momentous occasion that must be documented:

today was the first time ever that when I said "I love you baby,"

the Bug stopped for a moment, tilted her little head and said sheepishly back:

"I love you, too."

omg. one of the most moving things i have ever experienced.

Now, here's your chance to embrace your day with someone you

like to snuggle with...

Learn all about why we embrace the camera at Emily's blog.

RUFFLES!

2011-02-02T15:05:00.001-08:00

It is with the utmost excitement that I present to you...

a ruffle.

That I made.

This tickles my crafty little soul. Not sure why it feels like such a big accomplishment, but really. I am so excited about it. This fabric will soon become a pillow.

Look out world. It's about to get a lot more ruffly around here....

Wait. What?

2011-01-31T09:26:00.000-08:00

Recently, I was in Winter Park shooting a typical senior portrait session. We heard something weird and noticed off in the distance a car swimming in a lake. WTF? (that means what the frick, for those of you that think I would be so worldly as to use code for the f bomb. :) )

Back to my story. The car in the lake.

Looked a little something like this.

What the crap? I did a double, and a triple take. And still, it did not register. What the heck is a car doing in a lake? The guy wasn't panicking or flailing his arms like I would be if it weren't on purpose. And then he drove the thing right up out of the water. And parked it like a normal car.

Meet "Amphicar."

We approached the man, surely like every other non-social phobic person that has ever seen this occur. He was such a peach that he offered to take my graduating client on an adventure. Since I was being paid to capture his image, I opted out of the boat trip. (Dang it!) But, I was able to photograph the whole experience.

Hey normal car! Careful by that there water!

Looks like we are at a theme park.

I will never be able to offer a cooler portrait session

to a senior boy ever. Look at him in the passenger seat!

The owner of the amphicar might like the attention. Maybe.

Almost done.

This goes down in the history of me as one of the most interesting things I have ever witnessed. So glad I had my camera! All hail the Amphicar. Oh wait. It's German. Shouldn't say it like that. Um....thanks for the experience Amph. :)

Sneakity Peakity.

2011-01-31T09:04:00.000-08:00

It's moving week. Again. Nothing like moving your entire existence twice in 7 months. It's so rest producing and all...

And so what would be more appropriate at this time than to take on a project? :) Makes total sense. Focus on what's important right? Here enters my new craft locker. As a reminder, this is what it came like:

And here is a post makeover sneak peak:

The bells and whistles have yet to be added. And it's sitting on a cluttered back porch. Which is just not pretty. Once I get in to the new pad, I will get it all together and post another pic.

And this is a glimpse in to why someone like me would need something such as this.

I am an organized person's worst nightmare. And I am the last person that should attempt to live in a 1200 square foot house with little storage space. Good thing the new place is a little bigger, eh? And good thing I have my new super fun craft locker!

On a side note, I just realized that I forgot to snap a shot of the Packing Party that I had on Saturday. PLEASE, IF EVER YOU MOVE, KEEP THIS IN MIND! I had several friends over to assist in the process of boxing stuff. It was a great time with the ladies and we got a ton accomplished and I was completely compliant with my chiropractor's orders for NO LIFTING. Yay us.

Happy Monday ya'll!

Amendment.

2011-01-30T15:08:00.000-08:00

Okay girlies, the cewing circle plan has changed. Show up to Hannah's on Tuesday evening with anything you'd like....even if it's a bottle of wine. And we will enjoy a time of fellowship and sewing random things if you'd like. And then we'll firm up plans for next month to begin the apron adventure.

Apron Party~What to Bring!

2011-01-28T03:44:00.000-08:00

Cewing Peeps-

After looking through a ton of these apron patterns, it seems like the best thing to do is for each of us to come to the Circle with our own pattern printed out and desired fabric purchased. It felt a little intimidating to me at first to get this stuff off of the web, but after a little more homework, I think it will be fairly easy.

Here are a few more choices:

Inspiration #4

Inspiration #5

So, now here's what you need to do:

1.) pick the apron that you want to do.

2.) download the pattern FOR FREE! found on each tutorial and print out

3.) purchase required amount of fabric per tutorial instructions (looks like around 1.5-2 yards)

*I just went to the sewing superstore place in maitland (on 17/92) to have my machine repaired and to my surprise they had amy butler fabrics for $10/yard. Her designs are BEAUTIFUL and it fits the whole anthropologie style. They had a sign advertising a facebook page and coupons, so maybe it is affordable after all. Has anyone signed up for the coupons?

4.) email me if you are stuck since I have not yet downloaded my patterns and it looks a little persnickety.

Got it? OK great! Comment or email with questions or concerns. Hope to see you Tuesday!

Cewing Circle Prep!

2011-01-25T18:42:00.000-08:00

Okay Sewey Sewersons....we have reached the point in our Circle journey that we have all been waiting for. Or at least some of us. We are taking on the apron projects my homies! Here are some links below that I am seeking for inspiration....Stay tuned for the deets on what to bring to Hannah's house next week. Feb. 1st. 7:30pm. You. Your sewing machine. Or someone else's. (We heart sharing). Some fabric. Some ruffles. Oh. Yeah. It's. On. :)

Inspiration #1

Inspiration #2

Inspiration#3

Which one do YOU like? C'mon now. Don't be shy. :) Do any of you ladies have an inspiration pattern? Or plan to get one? Please do share a link. Just wondering how many I should come with... :)

Touched.

2011-01-22T11:47:00.000-08:00

My dear mentor just posted this on her facebook page. This song is beautiful. And the words couldn't speak more to my heart. Sometimes death must come before life can happen. This metaphor is all over the place, but I can't say that I've understood it until it actually began to happen to me.

A Little Bit Crazy.

2011-01-20T12:05:00.001-08:00

Here is today's Embrace the Cam shot. We were headed out for a Home Depot run. I hid behind my child secretly because I hadn't changed my clothes in a few days. And it looks like a bomb went off because we are about to move. Again. {sigh.}

Coincidentally, the goose managed to wear a backpack and carry a map in this pic. She began watching Dora a few weeks ago and I am afraid that we are never turning back. Up until this point, I managed to only put on the occasional DVD or a few choice PBS shows for her. But no more. Dora is the deal. I didn't realize until I was about to take the picture that she had her Dora gear on. Not sure if it was intentional or not, but it gave me a chuckle.

In other news, I confirmed for myself today that I am, in fact, a little bit crazy. In the midst of the chaos of my life, not limited to getting ready for a move, trying to manage a serious back issue, being a mother to a 2 year old, and starting a business, I have taken on a few projects. I already posted on one today. And then I went and started another. What am I thinking? No. What in the Sam hell am I thinking? Ei yei yei me. Here's a little sneakity peak at project #2 minus the 2 cans of spray paint that are already coating it. Gotta head back to the Depot for some more. Spray paint makes me feel powerful.

I love you Craigslist.

Back to my crazy...Yeah. So, I tend to thrive and be more productive when I have craploads of things to do. I've got problems. Big ones. Which is why it's so good that crafts and projects are cheaper than therapy. Stay tuned for the end result of project #2. :)

I'm a Garbage Picker.

2011-01-20T08:01:00.000-08:00

Last night, I was driving home from time with friends when to my excitement I drove past someone's trash pile. I saw a little gem there that quickly made it's way in to the passenger seat. It took me a total of about 10 minutes this morning to fix this little thing up to make it one of The Bug's entourage for imaginary play.

BEFORE

It was just a little beat up.

And in need of a little camo effect for these holes.

And of course needed a good wipe down cause who knows

what kind of nastiness could have been crawling around here.

AFTER:

I used my exacto knife, a little scrapbook paper that I hadn't yet

found a use for, and some modge podge and

Vwa-la!

The funnest part is that it matches her $30 wooden kitchen that she got last year.

Coordination is always important, even if it's play toys. :)

I have so much fun with this stuff that my fear is one day, I will be one of those folks that you see driving around the night before the garbage man comes. You know, the ones with with garbage piled up strategically in a tower so that they can fit an obscene amount of things in to the truck bed?

There is something metaphorical about this I think. Taking something ugly or dirty or broken and making it beautiful. Kind of reminds me of what Jesus is doing with me. And I like being reminded of that.

Embrace the Cam.

2011-01-13T18:59:00.000-08:00

Oh geez. It's Thursday again. That means Embrace the Camera peeps. You know, where you make it a point to post a picture of yourself with your kids, or your furry babies, your mom, your boss, etc. so that your photo albums and scrapbooks include a shot of you every so often?

{click below if you wanna join the club!}

Whoopsy. I ain't got no ETC game as of late. Not to panic though...I was feeling a tad nostalgic and dug back in my files to find this:

and this.

I don't know if I will ever have another baby. But good Lord in heaven do I love the one I have. These pictures were taken back in September 2008 (shout out to Ollie Wren photo and Emily for sharing her early a-Mazing talent with us). Back then, I had no idea that my daughter would enjoy imaginary cooking as much as I enjoy the real thing. Or that she would wear heels while doing so.

I could, however, have guessed if my DNA were at all involved that karaoke would likely be in her future. No lie people~this little munchkin fashioned this "microphone" up out of her wooden food items. I walked in the room to find her humming along to her toddler tunes while making a pizza. Just pretend that it doesn't look like a wenis. It's much cuter that way.

I had some clue that if I were to have a daughter that she would likely have crazy hair. But who knew it would be this cute.

My little who.

Oh the cuteness.

Your Very Own Blog. In a Book.

2011-01-09T16:51:00.001-08:00

So, my "friend" Jami is doing a giveaway on her blog...it's here. Jami and I go way back to never. Yeah, other than following her blog about life as a wife and mom who does great crafts and takes fun pictures, I don't know jack about Jami. Except for that she makes me almost pee in my pants often, she's the bff of another super cool gal that I know, and that she is a brave soul.

Imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon her blog and began reading about the affair that her husband had. What? Who shares something like that? With the world wide web? I love it. It puts a dent in the facade that most of us often try to keep up that we are doing okay and that life turned out just like we had hoped. Truth is, that's not true. So, thanks Jami for your courage to share the messiness of your life. And the hope of how it can turn around. Major props to you, my friend. (that I don't really know).

And now for the giveaway...she is doing a $40 voucher for a book made from your blog. OMG. I so need one of these. About 6 months ago I was trying to change my template and my blog totally disappeared. I couldn't function at the thought of losing everything that I had recorded on here....especially the milestones for my sweet girl that I hadn't written anywhere else! Aahh!

Thank goodness, that was all resolved within 24 hours. But, I still didn't print out a book. And I still really need to. Now. And if lady luck is in my corner, maybe it will be for free!

So, I shared one of my favorite blogs to keep up with. Now, it's your turn. What is your favorite blog or two that inspire you? Beuller?

Cewing Circle~January Edition.

2011-01-06T18:33:00.000-08:00

Howdy to the people interested in meeting up with us to get our sew on! I have been a serious slacker in getting this post up, but not to fear...this month, we will be meeting on the 2nd Tuesday (instead of the 1st) for Cewing Circle. Hopefully this will give us all time to recover from our Christmas hangovers. This of course is figurative not literal. For some of us, at least.

What, you might ask, will we be doing at the Circle in the next few months? Good question! Does anyone have any suggestions? I made some super cute kitchen towels over the holidays to give as gifts. I was inspired by an old towel that Mary showed us and she happened to have the pattern for them. I am on a serious mission to bring this fad back of buttoning our towels to our stoves and refrigerators. I don't why it's a mission. Or why I am so serious about it. I just think they are fun. And I need more fun in my life, okay?

I like to call them Dishy Towels. :)

You may recognize the fabric...it's leftover from the pillow I

made last month.

Which is finally complete!

This project (the dishy towel) teaches you a few different skills that are valuable. So, let's do it! You will need to bring:

1.) just a small amount of scrap fabric (at least 12 inches x 12 inches).

2.) matching thread (or purposely not matching, which is what I did)

3.) a button

4.) a dish towel of some sort. (I got 2 packs of microfiber ones (one at Ross and one at Old Time Pottery for a total of $6. This made at least 10 towels. )

How does that sound for a plan? So, gather up your goodies and head on over to Hannah's place at 7:30pm on Jan. 11th. It's located right by Lake Eola at 335 Cathcart Ave. Orlando. Later gators!

Embrace the Camera & A Picture Globey Thing

2011-01-06T18:23:00.001-08:00

As I finish up my Christmas gift making...I've never been one for deadlines....I came across this fun idea on photojojo. You can go here to learn more about the idea, the necessary supplies and download the template or just read on while I do a picture page of my craft time for today. I changed a few things up....Did I mention that crafts are really therapeutic? And while they can become expensive, crafting supplies are way cheaper than $110 per session to see a therapist. And, so I craft on.

The template gives you 2 sizes to choose from. I chose the smaller one...

I cut out the circles that I traced from some scrapbooking paper that I already had.

I then channeled my inner ninja to fold this triangle. The directions

say use a "scoring tool." I used my pampered chef scraper instead.

Scored that baby up. Thank you, inner ninja.

In the background you will see my little circle punch.

Really Martha? $17.99? I mean it's sturdy, but really?

You are so lucky I had a coupon girl. After I got over the price of the

hole punch (not really), I taped the pictures on the back of the oragami

and trimmed as needed so as to not interrupt the flow of

the globe.

I paired up the 10 little whichamathingers to make sure that

they at least coordinated.

And then punched out the rest of my $18 holes. Oh, btw, I

got the photos printed out at Walgreen's by using the 4 x 6 collage tool.

They were only 39 cents a piece. Shh. Don't tell Walgreen's I told you cause

I think this is an oversight. They are usually much pricier than that.

Back to the story, line up the pieces with one triangle facing up, then down,

and so forth. Glue 10 of them together as pictured below and then

join the little chain. I used tacky glue rather than hot glue. Because tacky

is just how I roll. I have Ugly Christmas sweater party pictures to prove it. :)

Yes, those are lights in my head. My daughter thought it was awesome.

Oh yeah, I was doing a craft.

It will look like the middle below. Then join the 5 together twice...

make sure the photos are

facing the way you want them too...take a minute to enjoy the cute

little flowery nuggets that you have made...I did.

I used some hemp that I had laying around for the little

hanging part. This is the only kind of hemp product that

I have in the house. Honest. Drugs are never as good of therapy

as they seem. Although if I wanted some to smoke, I

am pretty sure that my neighbors would share. I braided it as shown.

Used my trusty $18 hole punch to secure it....it is a good paper weight.

Props on that one, Martha.

I knotted both ends of the hemp and stuck it up through the little

hole in the top part. I put some glue on it to secure it a little more.

And wallah, a little picture globey thing, for your viewing pleasure.

And for your funny bone, the rest of my outfit.

This was the best I could do considering that the

rest of America is now apparently searching for ugly sweaters

and Good Will was officially out of stock.

Thanks photojojo for the inspiration for my therapy today. :) Robyn,

your gifts will be on their way soon! Good night all!

Behold: The Sweet Potato Casserole.

2010-12-26T10:13:00.001-08:00

I did not grow up in the south. There is, however, a thick streak of southern girl inside of me. Maybe it's because the Mason-Dixon line isn't to terribly far away from my home town. Maybe it's because my name is Melonie and the famed character from Gone With The Wind and I have more than just a name in common. Or maybe, it's because of my obsession with food. Who could do without fried okra? Pulled pork? Bread pudding? All of the above were things that I was never exposed to as a kid, but am eternally grateful for their addition to my food intake repertoire. And who could talk about the goodness of southern food without including the blessed sweet potato casserole? It masquerades as a vegetable, but let's be honest people. This is a dessert.

What makes me chuckle about this recipe is that I got it from a dear friend who just happens to be Indian. Like, not a Native American, but from India Indian. It couldn't be any more American of a dish. But, it adds to it's character. :) And thank goodness, there is no curry involved....

Sweet Potato Casserole

Bottom layer:

3 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup softened butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

Topping:

1/2 stick butter

1/2 cup SELF-RISING flour

1 cup brown sugar

1.) Cut the ends off of both side of sweet taters. Bake them at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until a fork goes through them easily when pierced.

2.) Empty out tater guts into mixing bowl and all of the bottom layer ingredients. Mix them until blended well but still somewhat lumpy.

3.) In another bowl mix all of the topping ingredients. Please use self-rising flour, otherwise it will look like something threw up on your casserole. Promise. Been there, done that.

4.) Bake is greased pan at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and bam! One of the best tastes to ever grace your palate. Bon appetit!

*I usually make a ton of this dish...I triple the bottom layer and double the top. It makes a very full 9 x 12(ish) baking pan's worth. And then people will love you because they will get to take some for leftovers. It's always good to feel the love. :)

Merry Merry Christmas to you! In the form of Gingerbread Waffles.

2010-12-25T05:25:00.001-08:00

It's Christmas morn at my house. I have donned my new zebra print snuggie and am super cozy. Not a creature is stirring and it's 8:31am! So, in order to contain my excitement of seeing The Bug experience this oh so special of days and in celebration of all things Christmas, I wanted to share a new fun recipe that I got out of a Family Circle magazine. Shout out to the ladies at the Dr. Tucker's office for copying it for me! :)

Gingerbread Muffles (as a certain little 2 year old calls them.)

1 cup all purpose flour

1 cup whole-wheat flour

3 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. ground ginger

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

3 eggs

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1 3/4 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalter butter, melted

1/2 cup molasses

1.) In large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

2.) Beat eggs and sugar together until combined. Pour buttermilk and butter in to egg mixture; beat until well-blended.

3.) Heat waffle iron according to directions. Make a well in flour mixture and stir in egg mixture and molasses until well blended.

4.) Pour about 1/2 cup waffle batter in to each waffle mold, then close lid and cook for 2 minutes. Remove carefully and place on baking sheet in warm oven. Serve with maple syrup and fruit. I used strawberries. Yummy!

Merry Christmas to my tummy:

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Isaiah 9:6

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS. THANKS FOR COMING TO SAVE US ALL. AMEN.

~Embrace the Cam~ 12.23

2010-12-23T09:40:00.000-08:00

It's not every week that I get to share official portraits for Embrace the Camera! A few months ago, I stumbled across a {new} photographer who was {new} in the area who happened to know a friend of mine from Charlotte. (Thank you facebook ads...) Anywho, Katy and I have been chatting it up and we thought, how fun! We can take shots of each other for our websites! Yippee! And of course, The Bug was tagging along. She had her own little photo shoot too, so that we could deck our Christmas cards with her cute mug... (I'm saving those as a surprise!) Katy was sweet enough to get some great ones of my sweet little girl and I together. Merry Christmass Eve Eve everyone! :

She loves to jump on my stomach like this. I wish I loved how it felt.

Muah!!!!!!

Embrace the Camera-Dec. 16th

2010-12-16T18:17:00.000-08:00

Gonna keep it short and sweet today. Here are The Bug and I reading a story before bedtime. For all of you paci haters out there, I know. I know. She's getting a little to old for it. But she only has it during sleepy time and I just don't have the heart yet. Anywho, here we sit in her room. With her super cute tree as the star of the show. Except for that you can't really see the star. But there I go getting wordy on what I promised to be short...

Except to say that I did finally take the kiddo for a haircut. Occasionally, I may be known to make a slightly bigger deal out of something than it really might end up being. Maybe. And I am thinking that maybe this was one of those super rare occasions.

BEFORE

DURING (she sat there like a champ)

AFTER

Doesn't really look much different. Just a little less scraggly. But she's so cute to me that she makes "little less scraggly" look good. And there will still be plenty of pigtails and clips to go around. Peace out and sweet dreams friends! :)

~Embrace the Camera~Tis the Season...

2010-12-09T10:08:00.000-08:00

It's been a week full of Christmas preparations. Here we are picking out our tree. There's something very nostalgic about going to a tree farm and cutting down your own tree. In my mind, I will pretend that is what happened. Instead, we drove a few miles down the road and stopped at my 2nd favorite place for produce and loaded up a tree along with some tasty tomatoes. It's okay really, because it still smells like a Christmas tree and that's what is most important. :)

Somebody to had to take a break from decorating to change her baby's dipe.

But she loved to hang the ornaments.

She thought that the shiny bulbs were the cat's meow.

Here is the finished product:

I also made my most favorite cookies for an exchange that we did earlier this week. Here is the recipe for those of you who asked:

Chewy Molasses Cookie

To preserve the appearance of the sugary tops, layer cookies between parchment or wax paper when packing them for school lunches or as gifts. Freezing the dough for twenty minutes makes it easier to work with. Cookies can be baked up to two days ahead; store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Prep: 30 minutes
Total: 50 minutes

Ingredients

Makes 12 very large cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/3 cup for coating
6 tablespoons molasses
1 large egg

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, allspice, and pepper.
With an electric mixer, cream butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg. With mixer on low, gradually beat in flour mixture until just combined. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic, and freeze for 20 minutes.
Divide dough into twelve 2-inch balls. Place remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a bowl. Roll balls in sugar to coat; place at least 4 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Flatten into 3-inch rounds. Sprinkle with sugar remaining in bowl.

Bake until brown, rotating sheets from bottom shelf to top halfway through, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack. Yummy!

One other thing. The pepper ingredient is not a typo. However, I recommend using just a tad less than instructed. I tasted pepper in them a bit this year and didn't want to. But don't delete it. It's supposed to be a key ingredient! :)

Haircut.

2010-12-09T08:06:00.000-08:00

I mentioned before that I am mentally preparing myself for Selah's (first) haircut. Let me shed some light on why this is such a traumatic occurrence and why my daughter is 27 months old and has yet to have even a shred of hair removed from her head:

I did not have hair really until at least 2 years old. And then when I did it was U-G-L-Y. Promise. It had no alibi. In order to try to tame my hair and hope that it would be better, my mom decided that it would be wise when I was 5 to chop it all off. All of it. This is the result:

Oh look, it's me when I was a little boy.

"Cool shoes Mom. How could you do this to me?"

My kindergarten class picture. Business in the front. Party in the back.

So, the fact that I can create some sort of cuteness out of The Bug's hair now with pigtails and barettes, etc. makes it so that THE LAST thing that I want to do is risk that someone would jack it all up. Because, then, she would look like I did. And that, my friends, is inhumane. Pray for me. She really needs a haircut...

Cewing Circle Pillow Fun.

2010-12-09T07:51:00.000-08:00

Our first official project was the agenda for this past Tuesday's get-together. With decaf mochas to warm us up, we munched on cookies and Christmasy snacks. Mary was a fabulous guide. All of the ladies were able to complete their pillows. (Except for maybe one person who maybe may have set her sights a little too high...and maybe that was me.) And even though my sewing machine BROKE in the middle of it all, it was a super fun time.

The "Students"

Our fearless leader

Theresa considers options for the remnants while channeling Axel Rose.

Hannah pins!

And the group again with the teach.

~Embrace the Camera~

2010-12-02T18:28:00.000-08:00

Is it Thursday again?! Geesh! Where do these weeks go? The theme of today's pics are the date that the bug and I went on together this evening. College Park was having their Holiday on the Drive shin dig so we headed over there with our COATS and HATS and FUZZY BOOTS on because we could. (It was cold enough here for the first time this year~yippee!) We ate free samples of kettle corn, drank hot chocolate, watched belly dancers freeze their bellies off, and saw another group of dancers that someone said were on the finals of America's Got Talent. The finale of the evening was to take a horse and carriage ride (FOR FREE!).

That's what we are doing here. What, you can't tell?

And here.

Okay, there are the horses!

It was a total accident that we were both wearing hats with giant yarn balls, but that's what makes this pic so fun!

I had an epiphany this evening while enjoying this time with my precious daughter. I have always dreamed of having a large family...many kids. But, if I never have another baby, I would be FOREVER GRATEFUL for the wonderful blessing of just this one. She's perfect for me. :)

Lastly, I snapped this shot of her crazy hair this evening. I didn't mean to capture such cuteness (or blueness for that matter), but she can't help it. Her daddy is insisting that something be done to tame this do down, but I am having a really hard time scheduling to have her hair did.

I fear that they will "mess it up." Ironic, yes.

But, when I fix it, it curls up so cute. Maybe if I take a little while to pay homage to the scrawny little fro that it is, I will be able to get her a big girl hair cut. Maybe.

One week 'til Cewing Circle!

2010-11-30T10:25:00.000-08:00

Cewing Circle Pillow Extravaganza in T-minus one week and counting! Have you purchased your fabric yet?! Check here if you need a list of things to bring with you or here to learn more about the Circle including the location.

And what would a meeting time in December be if there wasn't something festive involved?! So, how about a Cookie Exchange to get this season started off with lots of yummy goodness! Bake 3-4 dozen of your most favorite holiday cookie and bring it to share with our group. (As a general rule, if the morsels are small, bake more. If they are huge, then 3 dozen should be plenty to go around.) I cannot WAIT to share my Chewy Molasses Cookies with ya'll! :) Participating in the Exchange is completely optional, so if you don't feel like getting your bake on, feel free to still come and make your pillow. Or watch people make pillows if that's what floats your boat. :)

Again, you do not need to have a sewing machine in order to join in on the pillow making fun. We will have several there to share. If you have any questions, post a comment and I'll try to help you out.

Have a lovely post-Thanksgiving, Christmas planning kind of week! :)

Butterflies & A White Dove

2010-11-29T09:17:00.000-08:00

At the risk of sounding like a bit of a looney tune, bare with me as I share a part of myself that I don't talk out loud about often. I am completely convinced that God speaks to me through animals. There. I said it. I sort of understand if you will have a hard time taking me seriously moving forward. And so, if our friendship (be it real-world or cyber) ceases here, it's been nice knowing you. But really. I have believed this now for quite a while. As a matter of fact, that is why the name of my blog is Reflections of a Butterfly.

I will tell a quick version of why I would be so silly and audacious to call myself a butterfly. I was challenged by a seminary professor several years ago to consider how it is that I thought that God saw me. This was a very scary task because in my shame I feared that the Lord, the Knower of all and Seer of things would have had plenty of reason to chalk me up as too much to handle, stained, unworthy to be loved, or worse. (if there is worse.)

This assignment messed with me. Bad. I was seriously so scared that I almost didn't ask God. But with the hope of a small child coming out of a deep place inside of me, I begged Him to reveal to me how it was that He saw me. There are lots of dramatic details to this story, but let's just say that God made it incredibly, undeniably apparent that day that he saw me as a butterfly. Isn't that sweet? It was so much goodness, that it was hard to take in. But take it in I did. And ran with it.

My life became about living out of that place in me that was as beautiful and delightful and joyous as a little winged creature flitting about in the air. There are metaphors a-plenty that go along with this identity, and so my mind goes wild with thoughts about how and why God gave this image to me. I even still considered myself to be in a process of metamorphosis, moving along each stage of development as a caterpillar changes disappears in to a cocoon and will one day emerge as a breathtaking sight to behold. (Thanks to the blood of Christ, of course.)

Okay now, back to my original point. God speaks to me through animals. Settling in to that idea yet? And now, my story from the other day. I was driving to work the other morning. The sun had already risen, so there was a blue sky all around. Up ahead I see this bird flying over the highway. {This is the strange part}. It is hovering over the cars just ahead. Then is darting to and fro. Mind you, we are all going about 70 mph. It suspends itself in the air. It stays right to the side of my car for several seconds. It is a HUGE white dove. What?

Yes, as a matter of fact he (or she) looked just like this.

This was weird in so many ways. A white dove? When is the last time that you saw a white dove just hanging out? Short of a zoo or a wedding on TV, I don't know if I have ever seen a white dove. Especially in the wild. And it was ginormous. For a dove, I mean. Instead of dove, think crow as far as size goes. And it was doing everything it could to get my attention. Acting all crazy-like to make sure that it wasn't mistaken for a typical, non-message sending bird.

I haven't deciphered the message entirely yet, btw. Still working on that part. Biblically speaking as far as I know, the dove is the messenger of peace. Noah sent a dove to check to see if the waters from the great flood were receding. He soon delivered a message of good news. And a dove descended from heaven when JTB baptized Jesus. So maybe it's as simple as that. Maybe God went out of His way to make a fruitcake of a bird deliver a loud message of peace to me. And if that's it, I'll take it. I could use a whole lot of peace right now.

There is always a chance that this bird was fleeing from a life of captivity, going rogue and leaving the wedding business for good. But this, you see, would completely veer from my outrageous view and therefore squash my ongoing communication with God through nature. And so, I choose to believe what's behind door #1 instead of a more realistic and practical #2. And that my friends is my story. And yes, I'm sticking to it. Good day.

Unitard.

2010-11-27T19:12:00.000-08:00

Today, Selah closed herself off in the laundry room while Josh and I were occupied doing something else around the house. She came out with my bathing suit bottoms on, as if they were a unitard. Like, she really pulled them up all by herself and put it on her shoulders just as shown. Kinda reminds me a bit of Nacho Libre. Ha! And this picture does not do justice to what a riot she was. She wouldn't stand still for 2 seconds in order for me to get a better one. Can I now say that she can "dress herself?"

Pity Party. Thanks.

2010-11-24T18:27:00.001-08:00

Hello there world. I am writing after a doozy of a day. Many a hitch in my steps and cannot wait until I crawl in to my cozy bed and forget that this world full of crashing Photoshops and fruitless attempts to be a productive human being even exists. This is a confession really. Today I sucked at being a gracious momma. I really sucked at being content despite my circumstances. I sucked even worse at capturing a family's beauty through my lens. I feel defeated. But am gently reminded that tomorrow is a day of Thanksgiving.

I pray that I will land on the right side of the bed in the morning. That when I pour my coffee, my glass will be half full. Or flowing over even. I have pies, bread pudding, cranberry sauce and a sweet potato casserole to prepare, so I must draw my much needed juice from a well that is reliable. And so, I want to give a cranky, weary shout out to Jesus. And be grateful that on my snarkiest of days, that He loves me and sees me as sweet and kind and good. Self-serving, impatient wretch should=badness. But instead, I get to be a treasure. What a concept.

How about you? What are you grateful for this Thanksgiving holiday?

Cewing Circle Ladies Unite-We are making a pillow. :)

2010-11-16T10:30:00.000-08:00

Hello friends! I have been captain of the slacker department lately as it pertains to blogging, cooking, making pumpkin-related things, and overall self care. The good news is that what that means is that baptism by fire is happening in the whole photography department. But, what that also means is that balls are being dropped all over the place in the life of yours truly. Alas, I wanted to share some exciting info as passed along by our lovely Cewing Circle Ceamstress Extraordinaire, Mary Beates. (I know, the C thing is getting ridiculous....bare with.) This is what you should bring with you next time if you plan to come to our December meeting:

sewing machine (if you have one)

1 yard fabric (washed and dried-very important! prevents shrinkage of final product...)

thread to match

scissors

pillow form or pillow stuffing

Speaking of NEXT TIME, I am referring to our monthly pre-determined first Tuesday. So, according to my trusty calendar, that means that December 7th at 7:30pm will be go time. At Hannah's again. Which, BTW, if you haven't been to this bachelorette pad, is just an amazing place to gather. :)

If you missed out on the inaugural get-together (which many of you had last minute stuff come up), we had a lovely time snacking on Hannah's fall baked goodies (sister has a little bit of Martha running through her blood, I tell you). And then, we learned all about patterns. It's genius really. The folks out there in the big blue sky of making clothes and things have really thought it out and have a systematic way of helping special people like me figure out how to produce a real garment. Mary also showed us several pieces that she has made over the years and explained the procedures a bit. Please don't let missing the first meeting stop you from coming to the 2nd. It is a very casual environment and we will not beat you with our Fiskars if you need extra help....or at least I won't. Mary?

So now, it's getting real folks. We are really going to make something. And that something is a PILLOW. The possibilities are endless here ladies. Just google "DIY pillow tutorial" and see how many super cute pillows could be in our futures. So head on out to your fabric mecca of choice (this will be likely be Joann's for me because of the 40% weekly coupons...) and get yourself a yard of the stuff and join us. Go to joann.com and michaels.com to sign up for these lovely weekly coupons. Side note if you haven't tickled your craft fancy lately, they both honor each other's coupons, so you can get 2 items for 40% off per visit. Score.

FYI-Michael's doesn't carry fabric.

If you plan to come, please leave a comment or shoot me an email just so we have an idea of how many to expect, okey doke? Hope to see you there! :)

The Autumn of Pumpkin: Let Me See Your Pumpkin Roll!

2010-11-04T05:46:00.000-07:00

Please forgive. I could not resist that title. I hope that you get it...you know, the Tootsie Roll song, the inappropriate rap from several years back? Yeah, I'm gangsta. :) Don't be afraid to shake your bootie just a tad in remembrance...

So, here are the deets for The Pumpkin Roll. I took it to work and everyone seemed to love it:

Cake:

1/4 cup powdered sugar

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup canned pumpkin

Filling:

1 pkg. cream cheese (8 oz.), at room temp.

1 cup powdered sugar

6 tablespoons butter

1 tsp. vanilla

a little more powdered sugar for sprinkling

These directions are a little weird, so please stick with...anything involving putting a towel in your recipe is slightly sketch to me.. :)

1.) Preheat over to 375. Grease 10 x 15 jelly roll panl. Line with wax paper. Sprinkle a thin, (clean) cotton kitchen towel generously with powdered sugar.

2.) Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a small bowl. Beat eggs and granulated sugar in large mixer bowl until thick. Beat in pumpkin. Stir in flour mixture. Spread everthing evenly into prepared pan.

3.) Bake for 11 to 15 minutes or until top of cake springs when touched. Immediately loosen and turn cake onto prepared towel. Carefully peel off paper. Roll up cake and towel together, starting with narrow end. Cool on wire rack. Cut in to slices and eat. Just kidding. Don't eat the towel, silly.

4.) Now on to the filling. Beat cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla extract in small mixer bowl until smooth. Carefully unroll cake.

5.) Spread cream cheese mixture over cake. Reroll cake. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving, if desired.

6.) Enjoy! :)

It should turn out a little somethin' like this:

Except for hopefully better. Because this picture is awful. :)

Embrace the Camera.

2010-11-04T05:18:00.000-07:00

Good morning everyone! Little Miss Selah and I are up to something this morning. And, she is still sleeping. Yes, I know. Its 8:17am as I type. I am a VERY fortunate momma for these occasional sleep in mornings. So, because I am getting us ready for our special mission, I am gonna reach back in to my files and find some fun pics to share instead of taking one this morning. You wouldn't want to see my sleepy self right now anyways... :) Is that breaking the rules Emily? Eh, I'm feeling a little rebellious anyways...

Here we are at the Pumpkin Patch last week.

And in honor of our secret mission, I will give you

a pic displaying our mysteriousness:

Mysterious, all except for the paci of course. :)

The Autumn of Pumpkin: Pumpkin Dip Revisited...

2010-11-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

Ah, Pumpkin Dip. If you missed this recipe, click here. I made this the other night for our first Cewing Circle meeting (which was a lovely time!) And I was not overexaggerating when I remembered it as one of my personal fave recipes of all time. :) Hannah made some fabulous treats too and so lucky us, we have some left over to munch on...

Oh, and to make the pita chips (for MUCH cheaper than you can buy a bag of em...) just buy a regular bag of pitas. I used the honey wheat ones. Then, cut them into eighths, which ends of looking like a triangle (or a pizza). Spray a baking sheet with Pam. Separate them and spread on the sheet. Squirt em with a little more Pam. Then sprinkle some sugar and cinnamon over them. Bake at 325 for 8-10 minutes, checking on them towards the end to make sure they don't get too crunchy. Enjoy! :)

Yay. Just yay!

2010-10-31T17:36:00.000-07:00

I love tradition. And one of my favorite traditions passed down from my side of the family is that my mom always made my costumes for Halloween. And so, I carry it on...To catch up, let's do a flash back:

The bug's first Halloween.

And her second.

And drumroll for her third...

I cannot believe that she actually allowed me to put this wig on her. Turns out that giving your child free reign to an entire bucket full of candy makes them more willing to oblige to an otherwise unthinkable action. Good to know. I got the directions to make this delightful piece from a Disney Family magazine. It only took me three tries to get it functional.

She's all hyped up here on the aforementioned sugar.

She stayed loopy for a few hours. Really. Like a little crazy person. But, it is only one day per year. And so worth it to see her having so much fun. :) It only took me 2 tries to sew this little smock for Pocahontas. I only needed to grease her up a little bit to get her out of the first attempt... :) I guess that's what happens when you really don't know how to sew and you "make" a pattern out of parchment paper.

She spent most of the time sans wig,

which I don't fault her for at all.

After all, it's Florida, so that means that even though it's almost November, the sun stays confused for a few months more before it decides to stop scorching down on you so much. I am not very subtle about my loathing of continual summer, am I? Ugh. I digress. This is a good view of her little moccasins. Once I found a leather punch, I was in business with these babies.

Sooo, Halloween 2010 was a raging success. We enjoyed trunk or treat at Orangewood. Selah got to really experience the whole people giving you candy thing for the first time and she just loved it. Once she was done with that part, she was even kind enough to help some friends give out their candy to the other kids. Awww. Little cutie pie.

And now, I will leave you with my other

favorite image of the evening:

I mean seriously. How cute could she be? She was stumbling all over the place in these things. Don't know her or her parents. Just saw the cuteness and had to share. Happy Halloween ya'll!

A Message about Followers...

2010-10-30T16:56:00.001-07:00

Recently, a kind lady happened upon my blog and after reading my story about Melvin below decided that she would follow me. And she felt sorry for me because I currently only have 4 blog followers (including her). That made me feel sorry for me.

And so, I ain't too proud to beg. At least a little. :) If you are a regular reader of my musings and have yet to do so, please use that little finger of yours to click the "follow" button over there on the right side of the page so that my new friend and I no longer need to be ashamed. I know you are out there! I see the stats. Really, I do. So, please, pretty please? Thankyouverymuch! :)

Embrace the Camera.

2010-10-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

It has been way too long since I have done this. Thursdays come and go so quickly around here. It's the initiative of one of my favorite places for inspiration, andersonfamilycrew.blogspot.com. After all, Emily is the soon-to-be mother of 5 who is super hip and crafty. She encourages us mommies to jump in to have pics WITH our kids instead of just OF our kids. For their sake. And I like that. Presenting, our pic for the day.

We are baking a pumpkin roll. I will post a recipe for that here in a little while.

Baking was the only thing that the little munchkin was willing to do,

as she was SUPER CRANKY. Probably because she has this gigantour rash

all over her body. Pitiful. :( And, it's much worse on her legs.

Boo for rashes of a mysterious nature. Just boo.

Meet Melvin.

2010-10-28T10:30:00.000-07:00

I posted on my facebook status this morning that I was headed out for a very inspiring photo shoot at Lake Eola.

I had something up my sleeve that I was very much looking forward to. Turns out, that my little plan did not yet come to fruition. My subjects were unable to make it to the park due to an injury, so that will hopefully happen some other time soon.

It's just like God to surprise me, though, with still allowing my inspiring shoot to happen. :)

Meet Melvin.

Melvin was walking, pushing a bike and a plastic grocery bag around Lake Eola. He saw me reading my Bible and muttered, "Let your journey be a peaceful one my dear." It struck me, kind of like something that Morgan Freeman would say to a character in a movie when they'd better be listening. It helps that he sort of favors Morgan Freeman, yes. I also thought, you know, maybe God just had that man walk by me and give me His encouraging words. And so I got out my phone and recorded it in my notepad as he walked away, always one to want to remember things like that.

I then walked around, looking for the folks that I was supposed to meet there. And here comes Melvin. For a split second, I thought, oh crap. What does he want from me. I fought with myself, thinking, oh maybe I could make a beeline for the bathroom. And then, come on Melonie. Have a little compassion. Before I had the chance to make a decision, there was Melvin standing right in front of me.

Melvin is 56 years old. He lives in a shelter nearby to Lake Eola. For over 20 years, Melvin was a crackhead. He has been in jail in the past on numerous occasions. But, Melvin did not ask me for money. He did not make one inappropriate gesture of any kind toward me. Instead, he just wanted to talk. And so we did. For about an hour. He shared with me his gospel and was gracious enough to let me share mine with him. He gave my seminary education a good run for it's money as I attempted to answer questions about the Trinity, the divinity of Jesus, and when Jesus came to be. We flipped through our (very different) versions of the Bible together.

He said that he loved to talk to people about spirituality because he loves to learn, and I believe him. As a matter of fact, I believe everything that Melvin said to me this morning. He had several verses of the Bible memorized, especially the ones that advanced the message of Jehovah's Witnesses. But, he also listened to me, and respected my rebuttals, and even seemed to consider them at times. As we finished up our discussion, I asked him if he would let me take his picture. Melvin was slightly sheepish, but said yes. When I showed him the images, he said insecurely, "I am getting so old." He then flipped through pictures to show me his newborn grandchild and even one of him when he was "much younger."

When I first got to Lake Eola this morning, I was shocked to see so many homeless people. I was tempted to try and document this, but the better part of judgement led me to seek the counsel of a park attendant, who confirmed that it may be a little dangerous for me to do, being there alone and all. Apparently, God had in order for me to do a documentary anyways. :)

It now hits me that often, I am in such a hurry to get somewhere or have an experience that I have this tendency to lost sight of the reality around me. Yes, at times, my own reality is overwhelming and dramatic enough. But still. There is a whole world out there that I can forget about. Thank you Melvin for seeking me out and wanting to engage with me. Thank you God for the gentle reminder that there is so much more out there in this world than me and my own problems and list of things to do. And, of course, thank you Melvin for letting me take your picture....

The Autumn of Pumpkin: Week Uno (Catching up...)

2010-10-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

I am all out of order here, but when I first decided to do this, the first thing that I made was Pumpkin Banana bread. This was born out of my obsession for bananas merging with my yearly craving for pumpkin. I did not make the recipe up, but my dear friend Google helped me to locate it on allrecipes.com. Weighing in at 4.5/5 stars as determined by over 200 folks, it seems like pretty good odds. And they didn't let me down. Here's the scoop for that one:

Pumpkin Banana Bread

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas, mashed
2 eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup raisins (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 9x5 inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, stir together the mashed banana, eggs, oil, pumpkin, honey and sugar. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, pie spice and cinnamon, stir into the banana mixture until just combined. Fold in the raisins and walnuts if desired. Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. It should turn out a lil somethin' like this:

And yes, there is a strategically placed cornucopia in the blurry background. :)

What's Selah been up to?

2010-10-23T11:26:00.001-07:00

So, since the bug turned 2 years old I continue to be amazed daily by her new abilities. Her vocabulary amazes me. She is quite the chatty little one...sometimes it wears me out, as I am her regular conversation partner and there is only so many ways that I can answer the same question over and over again... :) I have a little scab on my hand and every time she sees it, she asks if she can kiss the ouwee for me. Yesterday she asked if that same ouwee was "spicy?" Lol. She has lots of word and uses them appropriately most of the time, but that one was a hoot.

She likes to watch the "skwers" right outside of her bedroom window. She does not have the "L" sound downpat just yet, so that's code for squirrel. "What's the skwer doing mommy?" "You see the skwer mommy?" is on repeat for 15 minutes at a time. Super cute.

Here are some of the other things she enjoys most right now:

She feeds the dog every morning. Sometimes without a reminder.

She is meticulous. When she drops some food, she will sit there

until every little piece is picked up.

She helps with the laundry. Really, she does.

And she gets a huge kick out of it too. She emptied out

the whole bin below...

She likes to "run fast"

She sports the "bead head" quite often. That hair is unruly!

Sad to say that she has my hair from when I was a kid, I think. :(

She LOVES to paint.

And occasionally even paints herself.....whoops!

She loves to go to the playground!

And to go and hang out with the ducks and...

ginormous swans at Lake Eola. This picture clearly does not

do this bird justice. He probably weighs 60 pounds. I would not

want to get on his bad side.

And she spends all of her time just being super cute.

My first giveaway!!

2010-10-21T17:48:00.000-07:00

Hi friends. Forgive me for any repetition, like for example if you got an email from me, or my facebook status post told you so, etc. etc., but please check out my photog blog/website for information about my first official giveaway! It's a session package worth 125 buckaroos and it's pretty easy to sign up to get an entry or two or three. Interested? Go here: http://myimagophotography.blogspot.com

Thanks and have a lovely day!

Isn't this little bug adorable?

Week # Dos: Pumpkin Bread Pudding.

2010-10-16T17:59:00.000-07:00

Oh, this was such a fantastic idea. My life is more complete with a regular dose of pumpkin in it. Fo reals, you'll want to make this and eat the whole thing. I may or may not have had several servings myself since I made it this afternoon. Maybe this pumpkin plan ought to involve some sort of a workout regimen....Anywho, here ya go!

PUMPKIN BREAD PUDDING

1 lb. day-old Italian bread (I used Publix Chicago style)

1/2 cup golden raisins

3 large eggs

3/4 cup canned pumpkin

1/2 cup whole milk

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 cup whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

2 teaspoons sugar

1.) Preheat over to 350 degrees.

2.) Coat 8x8 baking pan generously with butter.

3.) Remove crust from bread and cut into 1 inch square cubes.

4.) Place cubes in dish and sprinkle raisins on top.

5.) In separate bowl, whisk eggs. Add remaining ingredients and stir.

6.) Pour egg mixture over bread and let it soak for 15 minutes.

7.) Sprinkle sugar over the top of bread.

8.) This is weird...some french process. So, work with me. Put a bigger baking pan with a rim under the 8x8 dish. Fill it with hot water til it reaches halfway up the side of the 8x8 dish. Put the combined pans in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.

9.) Remove pudding from it's "water bath" and let it sit for 15 minutes before serving.

10.) Prepare your tastebuds for yumminess and enjoy! :)

Hello pumpkiny gooey goodness. It's nice to meet you....

Doing Something Eternal...

2010-10-13T07:51:00.000-07:00

So, let's face it. Even though God commands us to care for the widow and the orphan, it may not be practical or doable for us all to adopt a little person and raise them up in our families. BUT, it is practical AND doable to donate to someone who can. Which brings me to imploring you to consider this: donating to the adoption fund for little Elsa from Ethiopia and helping to get her to her new family by the end of the year. Click on the button below to visit Elsa's mommy's blog (the ever so crafty and photographtastic Emily Anderson). Prepare to be inspired in more ways than one:

http://andersonfamilycrew.blogspot.com/

Oh, and did I mention that your donation makes you eligible to win one of 5 AMAZING etsy gift bundles worth hundreds of dollars? Ok, now, go ahead... :) I just did! I used some money that I made from a recent ebay sale...they accept paypal! :) Isn't cool how technology blesses us so?

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." -James 1:27

Calling all Sewing Enthusiasts! (or wannabees...)

2010-10-12T07:26:00.000-07:00

Hannah and I have been in cahoots and this Cewing Circle thing is gonna happen ladies! We are excited to introduce our guide for this journey:

This is Mary Beates. And her husband Mike. They are fabulous

people. I am not sure if Mike sews, but Mary does!

And she wants to help us learn. Yay Mary!

Sooooo, here's the plan. We will get together for our first official Cewing Circle meeting on Election day, which is November 2nd. Man, I need to register to vote in Orange County. But, I digress...The current plan is to meet together once monthly, sewing machines and patterns, etc. in tow. Right now, it's looking like we will meet on the first Tuesday of every month, so hopefully that works for you. Hannah has been kind enough to share her lovely home with us. How many sewing machines does it take to blow a breaker? Hmmm...

Right now, Hannah dear is in South Africa, so I am responsible to spread the word. Tell your friends....

Here is your official invite:

Who: You. If you want to learn how to sew....

When: Tues. Nov 2nd at 7:30pm

Where: Hannah's house: 335 Cathcart Ave ORL 32803

What to Bring: Yourself. Ideas. Fabric. And a project if you

have one in mind. :) A sewing machine would be good.

But there should be plenty there too if you need to share.

I am thinking that a little wine or tasty drink would not

be a bad idea either.

The first meeting will be a time where we chat about what kinds of projects we'd like to do, and get to know one another on a more intimate, sewing machine kind of level. It will hopefully be a chill place where we can come to relax and do something crafty. Who knows, maybe we will actually be able to produce something cute! :) I'm shooting for an Anthropologie style apron so that I can get my bake and cook on without getting oil stains on my clothes...Hope to see you there! :)

*My name is Melonie Grover and I approved (and typed) this message. :) Don't forget to vote!

**If this is the first time you are reading about the cewing circle, fear not. I know how to spell pretty well. It's just a fun little way to name our group, seeing as how it was born out of a City Church discussion about a cewing circle...witty, right? All c's?...work with me, okey doke? :)

The Autumn of Pumpkin

2010-10-11T10:17:00.000-07:00

So, fall has arrived here in Florida. Sure, most days are still reaching the mid 80's and are humid and the sun scorches down on you even if you are outside for a brief moment, but I am thinking glass half full here...

In celebration of the early morning crispiness and of being able to actually turn off the a/c on occasion, I would like to declare this The Autumn of the Pumpkin. I have decided to make something pumpkiny at least once per week until Thanksgiving. Yum! And I will try to snap a photo and share a recipe in case you'd like to join in on all of the Autumn fun.

I haven't made this yet this year, but please do let me share this recipe with you. It's one of those guaranteed to have you licking the bowl til it's all gone kind of recipes...

Pumpkin Dip

3/4 cup cream cheese (use this and not the narthesdufel kind that is less-fat...it just tastes better)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 canned pumpkin

2 teaspoons maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1.) Place first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended.

2.) Add syrup and cinnamon and beat until smooth.

3.) Cover and chill for 30 minutes before serving.

I usually make cinnamon pita chips to go along with this, but it is also fabulous with ginger snaps or sliced apples. Enjoy! And let me know if you tried it and how you stopped yourself from eating the whole bowl if you make it. :)

Boutique for a Week!

2010-10-11T09:31:00.000-07:00

What momma does not love a good deal?!?!?! If you are in the market for some new (used) clothes, furniture, toys, books, or other kiddie supplies, then have I got some news for you! Boutique for a Week is my favorite place to shop for Selah's stuff. I have gotten some of the cutest shoes, jeans and clothes for her there. They have tons of gently used stuff from Gap, Old Navy, Target, Children's Place, etc. If you can find a way to volunteer or barter services, shopping early is the best way to have a lovely selection! Please visit:

http://www.boutiqueforaweek.net/ for more details if you are interested.

My Photography Blog!!!!!!

2010-10-09T18:38:00.001-07:00

I am a tad bit excited. :) For several days now I have been designing my photography blog. It's taken a while but has come along and I am super duper thrilled to share this with you:

myimagophotography.blogspot.com

This blog will serve as my website until I earn the funds to pay for the real deal. :) For those of you who do facebook, you can find my page and "like" me there by searching Imago Photography.

A friend is helping me design my logo and I am getting my self in order to be official. Slowly but surely my portfolio is growing and I am learning the ins and outs. Yay. :)

Random utterances

2010-09-30T10:11:00.000-07:00

The little buggy continues to develop her vocabulary...she is now on to lengthy sentences. Here are a few unsolicited statements as of late:

"I like your boobies Mommy." (Well, gee. Thanks?)

"I have a itchy widdle cheek."

"I missed you today, _______." (insert name of whomever she is talking to...)

For those of you who don't get to experience her in person often, it really is a treat to listen to her. She has the softest little voice. And because she is so tiny (though she did cruise back ON to the growth chart for weight this time...yay for 10th percentile!), it just doesn't look like she should be able to so clearly communicate. But after just a few minutes with this little peanut, you will have to hold on to your leg or she'll talk it off. :)

Hello Charlotte!

2010-09-21T06:31:00.000-07:00

Roadtrippin' with a just-turned-2-year-old...who knew that it could be so glorious? Of course, if this is how the journey begins, it will likely turn out great! And as a sidebar, for those of you that know me well, for a while along the drive, there were butterflies all over the place in the median. Thanks God. That was really sweet of you...

I am usually content to make coffee at home, but our coffee maker has been on the fritz for months now, picking and choosing the mornings that it wants to bless us or torture us with a caffeine-free morning. Obvs, this morning the Cuisinart went with a curse...So, for almost $3, this cup of coffee with a shot of dark cherry syrup ensured a wide awake journey north for the bug and I. Don't worry, I was not looking through the viewfinder to take this picture.... :)

While in Charlotte, Selah and I bounced around alot. We are used to a lack of structure in our daily lives, so why change it up when we go on vacay? A little time with the Thobes....Melissa is one of my favorite people ever. It was so fun to see her as a Mommy of 2!

Look at the eyes on this little man:

And the cheeks on this little lady:

Next stop, Lake Norman with Aunt Bobby and The Knapps on a pontoon boat!

Selah is driving it up:

Aunt Bobby being her perty self:

The life jacket and/or water were not humungous hits with Selah, but she sure did look cute while giving them a try. Maybe you'll like it better next time buttercup....

We spent a little time on the rocky shore:

Some of us searched for "wishing rocks:"

Never underestimate the usefulness of a noodle for a grown-up:

Then, we ventured to South Park to visit with the ever darling and fashionable Kari and her sweet girls:

I mean, seriously. How cute can one kid be?

After a little lesson (or seventeen) in sharing, these little lovely ladies became good friends! We are sorry for hurting your feelings Syd! Thanks for sharing your stuff with us! :)

We even had some time to fit in a soccer game and practice or two. There is something about the cuteness of a kid in a sports uniform....

Got in a fun shot of Piper and Aunt Bobby at the park:

Again, cuteness. What's even cuter is that Selah calls her "Hyper" on accident every time.

Look at this sweet guy:

Ryan has recently found this fun little spot in Cornelius that is a newly-opened Buckeyes bar. Because of state law (they don't serve food, only booze...) you have to be a "member" to enter. We even signed a guest book....Thank you Ryan for sharing your elite, $4/year status with us all. :) Of course, the bar was named Woody's.

And look who came to join us! It's Jed...one of my favorite co-workers of all time. Jed Peterson everybody...Just look at that grin....Jed wins the award for the second most hammered person at our wedding 5 years ago. (His beautiful wife Mary is pictured above. She wore pink. She is not from Ohio, but we love her anyways... :) ).

Adorable alert: Griffin kept telling everyone who would listen that Selah was his cousin and was using it as collateral to become even cooler than he already is. This is what I saw one time when I went to check on them in the playroom. He is holding her like a daddy would! Awww.

Love me some Knapp party of 5:

Six, if you count the four-legged baby. (I believe this is just before Sawyer literally scared the crap out of himself by getting stuck in the dishwasher and dragging the full drawer out crashing on to the floor...oh my. I roll on the floor laughing still. Sorry, Amy.....

Water tables are fun!

And wet!

Carter and Daddy chillin' like villians...

Bathtime!

So.......What could be better than a "Member's Only" Buckeyes club, a 5 day getaway to one of the best cities I know, seeing beloved friends and walking down memory lane one might ask?

Brace yourself.

It's Mr. Knapp in a pimp costume ladies and gentleman...

In a word.

As clarification, I do not support pimps. Actually, I believe that pimps are disgraceful. But that's another convo. A conservative, corporate American man in a pimp suit, however, is just funny to me. Faux velour, plastic gold and all...

Thanks for such a good visit! We love you Charlotte! And the peeps and places of Charlotte! Muah! Muah!

Ode to Charlotte...

2010-09-21T06:22:00.000-07:00

Reflections from my trip a few weeks back:

It had been a long hard while since the sweetness of Charlotte had graced my soul. After living there for 3 years, the Queen City has left a special mark on me. Not sure if it was because it was the time of my life when I was coming in to my own. After all, that's where my quarter-life crisis came to a head. It's where I decided that the driven part of me was accomplished and useful, but destructive nonetheless if self-sufficient is all that I would ever be.... Of course, there I met my would-be husband and many amazing friends. And, when it comes down to it, I just really enjoyed living there. Besides the wonderful people that I love, here are a few things that I miss most about CLT:

Red dirt.

Eternal nemesis of white shoes, yes. But there is something

about that brassy tint that makes the place feel so dang homey. Ask

me when I try to plant a tomato garden up in that mess of clay, and you will

surely get a different response, but really, red dirt: I miss you!

Lake Norman.

Oh, lakes without alligators, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

I have a wild imagination...and yes, there are fish with teeth, snakes,

and maybe even an occasional U.S.O (unidentified swimming object) in lakes

north of Florida. But, the comfort of knowing that I do not have to work

around one of these while swimming just makes me rest a little easier:

I don't imagine that most of you need convincing that swimming with alligators

may be a little risky. But, just in case, above you see our friend Jim.

With the 500 pound alligator that he killed here this past summer. OMG,

I still can't believe that this is real.

OK. Back to Charlotte: Caribou!

I love this coffee place. Much more earthy and boho than Starbuck's.

Recently, I suffered from a minor heart attack when I went to treat myself one

morning to a pumpkin spice latte at Starbuck's. It was $4.74 for a grande. That's not even a

large, people. I was too embarrassed to not pay for it. But then I did not have

money for lunch. Just kidding. But seriously, I paid less for my lunch

yesterday at Moe's. Anyways, Caribou, thank you for my Mint Condition AND for

the cute little travel mug on clearance! :)

Pine trees.

Of course, we have pine trees here in the sunshine state. But, I like them better

in North Carolina. There are just lines and lines and lines of them. With no palm trees

in between. And that is what I prefer. Palm trees are for vacation.

Pine needle mulch.

Because of the plethora of said pine trees, there are lots of pine needles.

And so, why not use them as mulch! What a green idea...I love repurposing... :)

2935 Butterchurn Lane.

Oh, just punch me in the gut. This is the street sign in my former neighborhood.

I probably shouldn't have punished myself so, but after visiting with the lovely Emma

Joersz and her sweet son Beckett at the park right behind where I used to live,

I drove by the sweet little house with the sweet little wrap-around porch.

The sun killed my picture, but there she is. My dream house. :(

At least externally. The inside needed some work, but man, do I miss this place.

There has been tons of development in the area and the giant park

behind the property. I know everything happens for a reason,

but it doesn't mean that I don't get to wonder why.

Sniff, sniff. Well, there you have it. I need to go get a tissue...

Warning: Terrible twos ahead?

2010-09-05T17:13:00.000-07:00

So, as of late, Little Miss Sunshine has been learning her way around things that she dislikes and asserting her independence more and more. She says things like "not today" when I inform her that we need to do a diaper change or when I ask her to try to sit on the potty. "I don't yike it" when I give her a food that she has eaten 400 times before.

The other day, I put her in time out for disobeying. She was inpatient, and angry, calling out Mom! Mommy! Mom! Mom! Having watched enough Supernanny to know, I chose not to reward her with my attention, so I stayed quiet. Again, Mom! Mommy! And then (authoratatively) "YOU HEAR ME????????!!!!!" I learned very quickly how to laugh discretely that day. Oh, this is gonna be fun....

Festivities for Her Majesty

2010-09-05T12:46:00.000-07:00

In celebration of the birthday girl, we gathered with a few friends at the splash pad to party in royal style. The birthday princess spent most of her time drawing with sidewalk chalk...

and splashing around in the water...

(That was when she was not duking it out with Jackson, trying to get ahold of his sword.)

She also enjoying getting on and off and on and off and on and off of her new "motorcycle." :)

The boys were ready to defend all honor with sword and shield and the girls were all looking pretty as a picture in their tiaras and wands. Here Jayden models his new fight gear:

We enjoyed homemade chocolate surprise cupcakes (seen here in the most fun cupcake holder...props to Jenn's mom-in-law for letting us borrow!)

The birthday girl could not wait to have one...so we sang happy birthday...

and she scarfed one down right away!

This little cupcake is all tired out from partying hard.

This is what happened when she got word that the party was ending and all of her friends were going home. One sad princess...

One shot with mom and dad before we go home for a much needed nap!

Many thanks to Selah's special friends who joined us for the fun. :)

2 years old!

2010-09-05T12:03:00.000-07:00

This post is dedicated to the sweetest, most beautiful little creature that I know. She has a spunky side

and a silly side

and she's just plain special.

It seems like it was yesterday that I met her for the very first time.

My heart overflows with love and care for this greatest of all blessings that has been given to me through my baby girl. Happy 2nd birthday Selah Daisy.

XOXO, Muah, muah, muah-

Momma

pro-to-the-jects

2010-08-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

So, lately I have completed many projects. Yay! Sometimes I start things and don't finish, so pardon my enthusiasm for finished things... Mostly, I've spent time doing stuff related to the new place or some problem solvers for common annoyances or both and a few just for fun things....Here are some snapshots of what's been keeping me busy:

Problemo #1: A hall pantry with glass displaying toiletries. :(

Solution: A little fabric @ 40% off with my trusty JoAnn's coupons and a staplegun

Finished product: A Pottery barn catalog inspired hall pantry. :)

Problem #2: A bunch of dangly earrings that had overrun my old creative idea for storage (which was an ice cube tray). It got to the point that I couldn't find the matches, or they all would get stuck together. I don't have a before picture because I was so excited to have a solution that I didn't take a shot of the rat's nest before I organized it.

Solution: An etsy-inspired hanging earring display. Folks are selling these babies, but mounted in picture frames instead. My spin off makes it so that you can have a design behind the netting instead of a bare wall or whatever. Again, shout out to JoAnn's for infinite coupons. I used a quilter's circle thingy, some netting, ribbon, a little piece of fabric and ole' faithful...Mr. HotGlueGun himself. I would love it if just once when I was using a hot glue gun, I would not burn the crap out of myself...but I digress...

I have had these empty planters on the front stoop since we moved in, but just now picked up some pretties to dress it up. I am not very good at arranging plants for display in pots or vases, so hopefully as it grows it will fill in and look beautious.

Well, hello front door:

Lastly, here are a few shots that I took while practicing my other ongoing project, which is learning how to really use my camera like the manual instructs. Here's the little bug engaging in one of her favorite pasttimes:

And, here is our mailbox. Life changing, I know...you would be happy to know that this shot did not work well in a low aperture. It did much better at an f-stop of 8. :)

And, lastly, here are some big, pretty, blue eyes....my parting gift for the day. :)

Voila! Bistro Shrimp Pasta...

2010-08-21T17:59:00.000-07:00

It's What's For Dinner!

2010-08-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

Last year when we went to Yakima, Washington, we were treated to a dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. I don't think that I have ever eaten anything there that wasn't absolutely fabulous. The dish that I got was called Bistro Shrimp Pasta and I am not shy to say that it was the best pasta that I have ever eaten! After a little searching online, I found a copycat recipe. (You'd be surprised what you can find and duplicate if you are a good enough detective...) It's what I am making for din din tonight. Here's the recipe if you'd like to try. I'll try to remember to post a pic later before we scarf it down...

Veggie Portion
1 cup quartered button mushroom
1 cup grape tomatoes (halved)
2 tablespoons olive oil

Pasta Portion
1 lb thin spaghetti
1/2 teaspoon salt

Lemon Basil Cream Sauce
4 tablespoons butter
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup lemon juice
4 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup chopped fresh basil

Shrimp Portion
1 lb raw shrimp, deveined and with shells removed
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour
1 cup panko
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:Prep Time: 30 minsTotal Time: 1 hr

1.) Saute mushrooms in oil. Add tomatoes until warm. Set aside.
2.) Add salt to water and boil for pasta until al dente. Set aside covered with a little oil so it doesn't stick together.
3.) Melt butter in large skillet. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add cream and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and cook about 8 minutes or until reduced by about half.
4.) Whisk together fresh squeezed lemon juice and corn starch until smooth. Add pepper.
5.) Add lemon mixture to cream mixture and whisk constantly for 2 minutes. Turn down to lowest heat just to keep warm.
6.) Dip raw shrimp in eggs and then transfer to coat with panko breadcrumb and flour mixture. Fry in butter and oil for a few minutes until golden brown. Allow them to drip on paper towel covered plate and cook the remainder of shrimp this way.
7.) Add basil to sauce.
8.) Put cooked pasta on plate. Add desired amount of sauce. Top with tomatoes and mushrooms and shrimp.
9.) Enjoy! Yummy! :).

Just a minor heart attack...

2010-08-19T10:26:00.001-07:00

Hello friends and happy day to you. I am recovering from a minor heart attack after experiencing a near loss of the bloggy blog yesterday. Phew! Glad that's over. I was attempting to "fix" an old template that I used and the next thing I know BAM! The blog was no longer accessible. If you went to the blog address, it was just a white screen. Every last written detail of Selah's milestones was gone. OMG. It was horrible. But some nice man from blogger "AiresOFwar" to be exact, helped navigate me back to sanity. Thank you stranger out there who took time out of your day to help me!!!!! I will be forever grateful. :) And now, I need to get to printing out a book, so that something like this NEVER happens again. EVER. Peace out! :)

Another big idea...

2010-08-16T09:02:00.000-07:00

So, the other day, when peering upon several super cute aprons from Anthropologie, the idea was born for a sewing circle. For "THE" City Church Cewing Circle, as a matter of fact. (I am very aware that sew is spelled with an S, but work with us....)

So, Hannah and I have been plotting and are proud to preemptively announce the birth of CCCC. :) Some of us ladies will be taking it to the sewing machines that we don't know how to use and whipping them in to shape. (or at least we hope...)

It will involve a few of these:

and surely some of this:

What will we make??????? Will we conquer "the ruffle?" How many coupons can we possibly find for JoAnn's? Stay tuned my friends... :)

The Depot...

2010-08-04T05:53:00.000-07:00

It's morning now and after beating up the coffee maker so that it will work, we are just getting our day started. And the little bug is already starting with the comedy relief for the day...

Selah to Josh: I want purse. (which was hanging too high for her to reach)
Josh hands purse to Selah
Selah: Thanks! See ya later (heads towards the door) I go Depot. (Home Depot)

I have also forgotten to mention her recent obsession with medicine. She may be turning in to a bit of a hypochondriac...again, she gets it honest. She had a few weeks with bouts of very itchy bug bites and diaper rash, so now, she usually finds a reason to need some sort of medicine on a few times a day basis.

My last cute story of the day is that I was dressing her the other day. I put her dress over her head and she looks up at me and says, "I so pretty Mommy." Oh my goodness, yes, sweet baby, you are simply beautiful...

Blue Springs with Granny (in June...)

2010-08-03T11:50:00.001-07:00

I don't like to chance it and take my good camera anywhere near the water. Well, this event was a time where trusting my intuition was just what I needed to do. Below are some pics that I took while Granny was here with her entourage back in June. It took me a while to get them uploaded, but finally, here they are.

We went kayaking/canoeing up at Blue Springs State Park, which is a fabulous place to spend a day by the way. Selah was a trooper, as usual. Even when the sky began to fall out, and thunder and lightning were crashing all around us, she held up okay. Did I mention that we were 10 minutes paddling time from shore when this happened? (What is it that they say about be no where near water during a thunderstorm?...) Oh, and did I say that it was raining so hard, that it rendered me virtually blind? And did I mention that we had just seen 2 ginormous alligators that made finding shelter on the nearby island a little risky? Phew.

Well, we didn't die. And, she doesn't seem to exhibit any symptoms of PTSD at this point. Thank God. And she even still goes swimming and boating with no problems...I will add this to my list of things I need to apologize for when she is old enough to forgive me... :)

Close up

Granny, Gary, Uncle Ryan and Kyle

Being responsible about UV rays AND being super cute while she's at it...

This is what a little (alot of) water will do to a picture apparently...It kinda looks like I got all creative on the edit with a vintage photo, but no. It's water damage...

Cheese Granny & Selah!

My Newest Venture

2010-07-31T18:31:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in my last post that I got a new camera lens for my birthday. Woot! Woot! I have long aspired to develop my skills and it really is a pretty accessible hobby. For a while now, I have been taking pics manually (ie. having to remember to adjust for light and speed and such) so that the quality of my shots will improve. Geez, this is a huge learning process. But, this past week, I had my first official shoot! My dear friend Amy is prego and soon to have baby #3. Below are a few of my faves:

I was taking part in a 12 weeks to better pictures self-guided course, but that was derailed by the unexpected move. So, see me a few months from now, and hopefully, most of the pictures will be in focus, not blurry, well-lighted and crisp! And, I am always in need of models...even Selah is getting super tired of me snapping her pictures. So, if you'd like some shots done of you or the fam or whatever, let me know and I'll give it a go.

Summertime with my little honey

2010-07-31T08:52:00.000-07:00

Momma has gotten a bit behind on sharing some of Selah's latest and greatest moments and pics. She is growing like a weed right now! I would not be surprised if at her 2 year doctor's appointment, she has not made her way right back into the growth chart at above 0%. :) Her 2nd birthday is right around the corner. A-mazing.

At 23 months, she especially enjoys building with bristle blocks, reading books, eating cheese, helping me with chores (especially sweeping up and laundry).

She is talking up a storm and really developing that sweet little personality of hers. Some recent conversations of ours:

if I leave the room (for 2 seconds):

Selah: Mom, are ya here?

Me: Yes honey, I am in other room.

Selah: Oh, ok. I here.

Me: Oh good. Thanks for letting me know.

when I go in to get her out of the crib:

Selah: Well, hi!!!!

(this is something that I have said a few times and she has taken it on as her own...so cute!)

after leaving play time with her friends:

Me: It'll be okay honey.

Selah: Mom. I sad.

Not sure if it's just that she's my kid and I stand in awe of her growth and development every day, but she really seems to excel in the areas of self-expression and intuition. I am so thankful that she is strong and healthy.

Below is a recap of her past few months:

Celebrating the birthday of one of her favorite peeps:

Hangin' with Momma:

Fun at the splash pad for Journey's birthday:

What pure fun looks like:

Sporting her $3 (real) uggs that I got at the consignment sale:

Selah did my hair. Don't I look fabulous?:

We had a little photo shoot with my birthday present (new lens) at a nearby park. I loved this tree and how grand it was in comparison to my little peach:

Cutie pie:

She's a contemplator already...

Bath time! Check out how curly her hair gets when there's humidity.

The saddest face ever. I believe I had just said no to watching Elmo. She is getting super good at rockin the sad face. Josh says that she gets this face from me. I refuse to believe this...

She likes to play the piano.

And she LOVES to eat pancakes. This morning, I had 3 pancakes with berries (and I was full). She had 5 and started a 6th!

This was supposed to be for Embrace the Camera, but I've been horrible with remembering to upload...

Off topic: Lookie who found mommies bird feeder?!

A big day! Her first attempt at big girl panties. :) She peed in the floor twice within 15 minutes. So, we put a diaper back on....no hurry, right? Incidentally, she HAD gone poopy on the potty just a few minutes beforehand.

The big girl in her big girl panties cuddling on our new (old) couches with Dad.

So, there's this frog....

2010-07-19T05:32:00.000-07:00

it's early morning and i just went outside to grab something out of the car and i saw the prettiest bird. i think it was a cardinal, but it was huge and had lots more black on it than i am used to. being the avid birder that i am, i will later consult my bird book to confirm. (not kidding, cause that's just how i roll :). ) anywho, when i saw the bird, it reminded me about the list that i wanted to prepare....paying homage to all of the things that i find lovable about our new place.

1.) IT'S LOPSIDED-a neighbor told me that the main part of the place was built in the 1920's, which gives it a good excuse to not always be square. I can relate, so maybe this is why it's number one on my list. :)

2.) tons of kitchen storage-i love small appliances. and gadgets. and for this reason, i am in love with the new kitchen. i feel like i spend the majority of my time in this room, whether it's refilling watered down apple juice, or planning a meal, or making (8) cups of coffee every day. i can honestly say that this is the first place that i have lived where i still have a few empty shelves. what? i didn't know that was possible in a kitchen...

3.) birdies-so far, i have seen several blue jays and the aforementioned cardinal(?). it was to my unpleasant surprise that i learned yesterday that blue jays are omnivores and that THEY WILL OCCASIONALLY EAT BABY BIRDS OR EGGS!!!!! what? no, say it ain't so. only because they are extraordinarily beautiful, will i continue to peer upon them and even try to get special bird seed to draw them in. (Hi, Mr. Home Depot man, do you sell bird seed with eggs in it?)

4.) hardwood floors-no, not the fake stuff. i mean, hard core, old school cut up trees that laid down there lives to make this floor fabulous. it just looks so pretty. and strong. and incidentally, it hides white dog hair SO MUCH better than laminate. (praise be!)

5.) a risen plant bed-this will be a serious on-taking, BUT, in the back yard, there is this little plot of land than currently houses a lot of weeds and GIANT GRASSHOPPERS. any attempt that i have made to grow food outside in Florida in the sand that these people call dirt has failed miserably. so, my plan is to rip out all of the weeds, roots, etc. and fill this sucka with real dirt, and see where i get. i can just taste the fresh lettuce and maters now as we speak...

6.) IT INSPIRES ME-i heart projects. and there are lots to do around here. i have already completed a few (which is huge, because i am notorious for starting and not finishing things). pics to come!

7.) the frog-when we toured the place for the first time, i had to pee. i went in to the bathroom, lifted up the toilet seat cover, and up jumped this frog. i screamed (like a girl) and went to get the realtor. turns out, the house has a septic system, and this little froggy has likely never seen the light of the (outside) day. i wanted to catch him and set him free (and then wash my hands in bleach), but josh and the realtor ran in there and flushed him in an attempt to rid of him forever. well, that did not work (thankfully) because he came back up soon after. i am aware that this would have deterred some from renting the house. but, i love animals, and looked forward to the opportunity to wrangle the little guy out of the bathroom and release him in to the wild blue yonder.

i hadn't heard from or seen the frog since that time. UNTIL THIS PAST WEEKEND. i put Selah in the bathtub and she was playing away. then, i went to wash her hair. we have this little bucket to rinse her head and i noticed a big blob in there when i went to fill it up. IT WAS KERMIT! ha! no wonder there was something funky on the toilet seat when i went to sit down on it earlier that day. (ewwww.) and so, this story has a happy ending. it warmed my heart to cart Kermit Thee Frog outside and set him free. this might seem a little strange, but it made me think of the gospel. and i got to be his Jesus. cool dat.

New House! and Happy July 4th!

2010-07-04T12:39:00.000-07:00

So, I took a little break from blogging. We'll call it a "holy crap, the short sale deal went through and we have to move in 2 weeks" hiatus. Mike Boland, who preached this morning at City Church, said that storms have the power to make some people go crazy....like when something chaotic happens in your life, we just really can have a hard time resting/trusting/breathing, etc. Well, that folks, is yours truly. With the exception of the past 2 days, I feel like I have either been packing a box, unpacking a box or thinking about one or the other for the past month. Needless to say, I am muy consado and in need of a little r&r. So, howzabout a little blogging to catch everyone up on all of the chaos! (Yes, this does feel like rest to me....)

Selah has been a little trooper through this whole process. We began telling her about the "new house" a few weeks ago and she would bring it up randomly in conversation. She has been somewhat cranky at times, but I am not sure that we can blame that on the transition. It could also be the teething process, or the fact that she will soon be turning *2* and she is testing out what it might feel like to be a little terrible every now and again.

Another very favorite thing that she has done lately is adding "honey" on to the end of her sentences. She adds a little pause to the term of endearment to make it all the more presh. For example, "I see you... hu-ney." "There you are ...hu-ney." "Thank you...hu-ney." OMG. She is so stinkin sweet.

As far as the new house goes, we are getting unpacked and organized. It's a really fun older house with lots of character and not so much extra space. Josh is thrilled at the idea of paring our belongings down to be able to better fit....since I am a bit of a hoarder of things...and to be honest, so am I. Seems like the right time to deal with all of the clutter and purge of things that I no longer need or to which I shouldn't have an emotional attachment. Easier said than done, I know, but I am hopeful...

I plan to dive back in to developing my photography skills, as soon as I locate my tutorials that the sweet Emily Anderson lended to me. (Good motivation to continue unpacking when I would rather just burn the remaining boxes...) I will leave you with a few recent shots of the munchkin and OF COURSE, a pic of the new crib:

Here she is with one of her future boyfriends Jackson on moving day. They went for a drive together the Barbie Jeep that was originally donated by friends for our yard sale. Selah permanently glued herself to it and so now it sits out in the back yard...A special shout out to Sarah Baker (woot, woot!) for taking Selah that day so that Momma and Daddy could focus on the joy that is moving. It was a lifesaver!

Selah and Daddy at Red White and Boom in Altamonte Springs. It was an amazing fireworks display! She was indecisive about them...at times smiling and enjoying them, then crying overwhelmed by the noise, and then turning away from them altogether to lay down on my shoulder because it was way past her bedtime.

And then there was the day that I walked outside for a minute to put something in the recycle bin. I returned to find that she had put her pearls and tutu on (inside out) and she was wearing her Melmo birthday hat. I added the wings later since she hasn't figured out yet how to do that by herself. She loves to play dress up! Awww.

And drum roll.....................................

There it is...our new home. I'd take some pics of the inside to share, but you wouldn't be able to see anything over all of the boxes. :) More pics to come after we've done some more organizing...

Happy Independence Day Everyone! Isn't it such a blessing that we are free?

"It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery." -Galatians 5:1

It's that time again!

2010-06-08T07:12:00.001-07:00

Hi friends-

See below to find out more info about Boutique for the Week coming up at the end of June. This time the sale will be in Casselberry! Boutique for a Week has been a huge blessing for me...I have found really great stuff for Selah at a great price. So, if you know anyone who needs to purge baby items or that is in need of great baby stuff, please feel free to pass it on! :)

Premier Children’s

Consignment Sale

June 30 - July 2, 2010

Metro Life Church, Casselberry

www.BoutiqueForAWeek. net

Visit our website today so you can:

* Register to CONSIGN & earn up to 70% profit

* VOLUNTEER - then you get to shop early

* SHOP for great deals on all your children’s needs

* Get the latest INFO on the upcoming sale

You are our BEST form of

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Day 4

2010-05-28T16:05:00.000-07:00

Here are momma and the little Selah bug hanging with the ducks at the lake behind our house. This is her "cheese" face. Love it.

As usual, I am running behind and am only on day 4. But, I will consider today a success because I feel like garbage and I still managed to 1.) go to work and 2.) remember to take and upload this pic even though I am under the weather. So walla, there you go day 4. I'll be back. For now, after I go blow my nose, take some Mucinex, and stock up on vitamin C tablets that keep me from choking to death while I sleep, I am going to bed. And yes, it is 7:14pm. Don't judge.

A few funnies as of late:

2010-05-27T10:14:00.002-07:00

Conversation Selah is having while talking (on the calculator) to Daddy:

"Hewwo. (Outpouring of courtesy laughter) Dinosaur. (Again, laughing). Dinosaur. Bye bye Daddy."

She improvises alot and uses shoes, and lots of other toys to serve as a phone when their isn't one conveniently located....I get it. Sometimes a girl just needs to chat.

While walking in the toy aisle in Michael's: (Giant gasp like you've seen something amazing)

Oh boy! (emphasis on oyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy). Repeat. Repeat. Repeat, etc.....

While turning her baby over on her backside, she examines her butt crack and says: "Poo poo" and looks at me smiling.

Third Day (Hey! I like that band...)

2010-05-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

She might look alot like her Daddy, but I think she has my eyes. :)

Day 2

2010-05-26T14:15:00.000-07:00

The Take Pics with Momma Challenge-Day 1

2010-05-26T14:10:00.000-07:00

My friend Emily (who happens to be a fabulous photog here in O-town) had a grand idea to encourage mommies to capture moments with their kiddos....since we are usually the ones behind the camera. How great of an idea is this? So, being the ham that I am, I will gladly concur....

Mmmmmm... AND healthy......

2010-05-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to some banana zucchini bread that I made yesterday. It's not obsessively healthy by eliminating all bad things, but does have mostly healthy ingredients and also very nutrient-rich. Selah and I scarfed it down. Josh, well, he saw green stuff in it. Enjoy!

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Healthy-Low-Fat-Banana-Zucchini-Bread-239027

So long Aunt Say-see :(

2010-05-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

During my time at RTS, I was fortunate enough to stumble upon the sister that I have always wanted. Stacey and I have had our share of highs and lows together and will forever be bonded as a result. I was honored to be a bridesmaid in her wedding last June. She and her hubby Josh have decided to head back home where her family is to Alexandria, Virginia. Selah calls her Aunt Say-see. So, no more frequent visits (and tons of help) from Aunt Say-see. She's only been gone for a few weeks and we miss her tons already. Of course there will still be lots of phone calls and the occasional skype session, but, we will miss her sweet face muchly! We are hopeful for a smooth new start for the Diacks in D.C.! Here are a few shots from the going away soiret:

We are sad. :(

Spring Update

2010-05-20T08:04:00.000-07:00

Hello friends! It has been a while since I have posted anything for Selah, or for our family. This is partly because I spent April grieving the loss of my Pappy, and preparing for my dear friend Stacey to leave Orlando, and any left over creative energy that I had was used up thinking about how I really need to expand my blogging horizons.....so then I would get overwhelmed, and, well, do nothing.

So, let's play catch up! Selah is weighing in at 20.75 pounds. Don't let her little stature fool you. Sister can put down some serious "oat-eel," which she loves to eat for breakfast every morning. She is talking up a storm, and able to repeat almost ANY word that we say. Which means that we must be very careful what we say! :) She started calling Lullah "Buppah" a few weeks ago. This was spontaneous, because she had called her "Wuwwah" up until that time, which seems developmentally appropriate. So, she has renamed the dog and they enjoy one another more now. She is obsessed with shoes (hers, mine, Josh's, yours....she doesn't discriminate). She is usually good-mannered, but has a very sassy side too. (Clearly, she got this from her father. :) ) This is especially true when she is tired and as of late, not getting what she wants. Welcome, terrible twos.....

In mid-March, she went pee pee on the potty for the very first time!!!!!!!!!! Which was SO exciting for Momma that she screamed like a crazy person and scared the crap out of the baby. And so, let's just say that it put a minor damper on the potty training stuff for a time....Here's a shot of Little Miss Sunshine in her moment of glory:

Here she demos her excellent modeling of how to wipe:

The reason that we got the potty and started so early with trying it out is because she became very interested in the potty process. Josh and I would have a shadow anytime we visited the throne, so we thought, well, let's try it out. And so I guess you could say that she learned those rockin' wiping skills from us. She followed up the pee with her first poopy on the potty a month later. For your benefit, and mine, I did not photograph that. :) We continue to try it out, but she has only gone a few times. A little post-traumatic stress disorder (from your mother turning in to a looney tune after you've done something exciting) will do that to you, I guess.

In the middle of April, Josh took a trip up to Tybee Island, Georgia with his boss. This would otherwise be not too terribly exciting, except for that he went in this:

And his boss was the one flying the plane.

Selah ended up having a terrible fever (and subsequently a week of misery because of her first ear infection) that morning, so I stayed home from work to care for her, which meant that we took Daddy to the "airport" which was really more like a parking lot with a little road beside it and got to witness the event firsthand. Lub, dub, lub, dub went my heart very forcefully as they headed off. I was a bit nervous for him! But, he enjoyed the flight and the conference and came back in one piece, so all is well.

One thing that we have enjoyed this spring is the lake behind our house. Selah loves to go out a feed the ducks.

And maybe occasionally, she thinks that the (stale) bread is really her snack....

At any rate, I am pretty sure that she will inherit her Momma's awe for animals. At this point, she feeds the bread straight to the duck's beak. Here she is again just being her cute self:

Josh has began taking the kayak out on the lake to fish. He caught a 5 lb. fish on one of his first attempts! Selah and I hopped in our other kayak one day to join him on the lake.

Speaking of her cute self, here are a few more fun pics of the sweet pea from the past few months:

Crinkle nose grin:

She LOVES to use keys and anything that resembles a screwdriver right now. This is some random person's bug. But, at least she has a cool taste in cars!

She is cooking in her new kitchen from Aunt Sherri. She enjoys preparing food for us and bringing it to us to sample.

Here we are in Ohio. She did not want to get off of this bike.

A new daily ritual is playdoh time. We spend lots of time preparing meatballs and eggs...

Her first Easter egg hunt:

Posing with Granny and Aunt Sher:

Hockey!

First Annual day in the swimming pool!

She loves to draw! Future artist?

Bad hair day fo sho. She sometimes sweats in her sleep. This day she fell asleep with her pearls on. And woke up like this!

She has recently begin saying "cheese" and taking our picture. I have no idea where she got that....I don't know anyone that uses a camera every day to snap her in her moments.....

She likes to help "tea cup." Which means clean up.

The other day, this turtle just came to hang out on our back porch during a terrential downpour

Auntie Samia was in town for a conference, so we got to visit for a few hours.

We went with Chip, Courtney and Eden to Fort Wilderness:

Conversations with an eighteen month old...

2010-03-16T08:26:00.000-07:00

It's almost bedtime and Selah and Mommy are hanging out together on the couch.

Mommy says to Selah: okay baby, in a few minutes we are gonna go in and change your diaper and put your pj's on....it's almost bedtime.

Selah says: no. (shaking head). hm mmm. sa-ee. (sorry).

Hee hee hee. :)

Happy Half Birthday Selah!

2010-03-10T08:39:00.000-08:00

On March 5, Selah was 1 1/2 years old! I love the idea of celebrating half birthday and am thankful to my dear friend Melissa for introducing that idea to me. It's hard to believe that Selah is already 18 months old and growing so fast. But seeing is believing! We just had her doctor's appointment this morning, and Selah is weighing in now at exactly 20 pounds. She has officially gone off of the percentile chart for weight at less than 0%. But, the doc isn't worried at all, since she is intelligent and great with motor skills. She is simple just a widdle peanut.

If I were to name this chapter of our little munchkins journey, I think I would call it :

MELMO! And this would be the cover:

This is because she is obsessed with the fuzzy red monster Elmo on Sesame Street. She requests to watch him many times per day, saying Melmo Mease! (while motioning "more in sign language). Mease is her way of saying more please! Cute, eh? I get good practice on not allowing her to have her way everytime, and so we agree that typically we watch Elmo for about an hour every day or so. I found this t-shirt at Target the other day and could not resist the temptation to get it for her. She LOVES it!

Here are some snapshots of the last few months:

Wearing daddies shoes!

Wearing Momma's boots!

Jumping on Momma's belly is fun!!!!!!! This is also a glimpse of some of her new teeth. For the longest time, she had only 3 teeth and then in the course of a few months she has probably 13 now. Poor girl has been in lots of pain. :( Thank you Jesus for Tylenol and teething tablets!

Miss Thang loves to use utensils!

Pretty girl...

Cutie pie...

This gives a glimpse into her spunk. :) Not sure where she gets that.....

She's been digging having something to carry around her toys. This is an elephant backpack from Africa! (Thanks Sue!) She loves to talk about elephants too, so it's perfect!

One fun day we went to downtown Sanford with Aunt Stacey. And Momma had a lovely time taking pictures of both of them!

There's one of Aunt Stace that we love!

And a super sweet one of the beeb!

This was Selah's way of holding a popsicle.

But preferred that someone else hold it cause it was so cold!!!

Can you tell that I just woke up?

My bouncy cow!

Trying out Daddy's hat. But, it's yet to be determined who her NFL team will be. Just sayin'....

Backyard fun!

She says "flower" alot. And this day had lots of fun touching (and plucking) some of the succulents on the back porch.

She said "side" often to request venturing outdoors.

I predict that Selah will be a shutterbug just like Momma. She loves checking out the camera and looking at the pic after it has been snapped.

I mean seriously....what a cutie petutie!!!!!!!

Consignment sale is coming up!

2010-02-03T07:08:00.000-08:00

Hi friends! For those of you here in the central Florida area, there is a great consignment sale that happens a few times per year. It's coming up in early March and I am super stoked because I was able to find so many nice things for Selah....clothes, shoes, etc. at such a great price. It was totally worth my hour drive out to Winter Garden. Momma loves her a good bargain and is need of them right now! :) Here is the website if you'd like more info:

http://www.boutiqueforaweek.net/

Happy day!

-Melonie:)

Bess ewe!

2010-01-19T06:58:00.000-08:00

Momma: Haaachhhoooooooo!

Selah: Bess ewe!

Momma: Did you just say bless you?!

(30 mins. later).....

Momma: Haaaacchhhhooooooo!

Selah: Bess ewe!

Now I'm convinced. :)

Happy New Year!

2010-01-17T13:46:00.001-08:00

2010 is off and running....

Selah has been talking up a storm lately...she will repeat most words that we say and occasionally will be able to say words on her own for common things like Elmo ("Melmo"), up, juice, drink, bottle, shoe, butt (with special emphasis on the "tt," etc. She has said up to three words at once so far and it was "more peez momma." Sigh-melt my heart little one.

Her latest interests include small toiletries (with a special affinity for spray bottles), writing utensils, and wearing her tutu that some friends got for her. She grabbed it out of her closet and brought it to me and tried to put it on herself. OMG! So stinkin' cute! How does she know already how to be such a girl?!

Check out our pics from the holiday season:

Our City Group Christmas party sans Josh and Hannah.

Selah loves to climb up in the rocker and pile books on herself to read.

We spent Christmas Eve with the Johnsons...our dear friends. Clarissa has been such a saint to watch Selah for us each week while Josh and I spend time investing in our marriage. Thanks so much Claire!!!!!

This is our sweet pea getting comfy in her new chair and reading again. Thanks Granny!

She was and is very thrilled with her laugh and learn house. Well, wall really. But she doesn't know the difference.

We spent Christmas day with the Kranzes. Sue made very yummy food and we had fun playing with the baby and watching Christmas vacation. We are so thankful for our Orlando family of people that we've met through church and RTS. Living far away from our families is really a bummer during the holidays. It wouldn't have even seemed like Christmas for me if we weren't able to spend it with loved ones.

Selah loved the pumpkin pie so much she mooched it off of everyone! Thanks Tova for sharing! I think she might like it more than I do, which seems impossible!

Here is our best attempt at a family pic in front of our tree at home. Lullah must have been so thankful to be included...

The next few shots are from our trip to Tampa. What a fabulous zoo they have there!!!! I give it major props and would recommend that anyone that has a chance visits it. The animals are beautiful and the space is plentiful. It is so interactive as you will soon see....Anywho, the above shot is one of my faves. Josh and Selah are in a building looking at a manatee. I just loved the shadows and the pretty blue.

Meet Angie the Llama.

These penguins were just adorable. Selah wanted to get in the pen with them!

For $2 and about 10 minutes waiting in a small line, we got to feed the giraffe a cracker!!! I couldn't believe it!

And, let there be no secrets. I had more fun than Selah riding this camel. And it was only $4!

Selah was very brave with the animals-reaching out to touch many of them.

She was initially afraid of this lorakeet, but conquered her fear. (And almost got bitten!)

This was Daddy's favorite part of the trip-a Greek restaurant called Acropolis. They danced around like crazy people shouting "Opa!" and throwing napkins and breaking plates! Who wants to go to Greece with me and hang with these people?!?!?! They really know how to have some serious fun! This is where we went for Daddy's birthday dinner. He's 33 now!

We made a pitstop at DeSoto National Park-which was voted America's Most Beautiful Beach in 2005. Really. It was pretty. But, I think I am spoiled....I have been to the beach so much now that it doesn't have that same oooooooohhhhh, aaaaaahhhhhhhh feeling much anymore. Yeah, I'm spoiled. Dang it!

Here is a pic of our budding artist. She chews on the crayons as much as she draws with them, but I am being very intentional to help her develop her creative side.

Here is the aforementioned tutu. Along with her outfit for the day and teddy bear slippers. What a cutie!

Okay, I think I made it through!

Other fun fall times!

2009-12-15T10:36:00.000-08:00

Wow, we sure have been a busy crew! Well, we had a doctor's appointment last week and Selah is growing! She is now 30 inches tall but still only 19.3 pounds! She is a little peanut and we love it! In the past few weeks, we have had lots of fun and there has been a word explosion for little miss Selah! Here are some of the words that she is saying:

these have been consistent for a while: dadda, momma, dog, bottle, bye bye,

woo woo (dark barking sound), whassssssssat (reminscent of the wassup commercial several years back...and meaning "what's that?")

these words are new in the past 2 weeks: shoe, eyes, teeth, more (both the sign and the word), Mommy's personal fave is when she responded "tank you" when I handed her a blankie (unprompted!), and drumroll...........the one that we would rather have waited on..............................no. no. no. no. no. no. no. (picture her shaking her head as she repeats......) no. no. no. no. What a cutie pie!

Here are some shots to capture recent memories:

Go Bucks!

What, you mean I am not supposed to hang out here?!

Oh this? It's just a container full of birdseed....no biggie.

Momma and I went to the beach with our friends! Thanks for including us in the fun Amy, Jayden and Journey! :)

And then we had to take a bath to wash off all of the sand. It was fun!

I liked to play with sandtoys, but wasn't sure what to think about the sand.

I FINALLY got a big girl car seat! No more facing backwards and not seeing anything for me! P.S. Notice Mr. Potato Head sitting with me. I am OBSESSED with Mr. Potato Head! I love to put his pieces in and take them out and put them in and take them out and put them in and take them out.....all day long! :)

One of my new favorite things after church on Sundays is to explore the surroundings outside.

This is a shot of me on Dad's shoulder watching the Sanford Christmas parade. It got cold enough for me to wear my winter hat! Woohoo!

Daddy put my pants on my head and I thought it was pretty funny!

Me and Mom at the park!

This slide was super cool!

Our friends Chip and Courtney let us borrow their bike and take a ride. Tyler and Cammie came with us!

Don't Cammie and I look so cute with our pigtails?

This was our unsuccessful attempt at a family picture for our Christmas cards. Daddy is making a silly face, but we still think it's cute!

Trip to Ohio!

2009-12-15T10:01:00.000-08:00

It's been way too long since I've seen Mom's side of the fam, so we ventured north to visit! The trip was great, other than the fact that WE LEFT OUR SUITCASE AT THE AIRPORT and went without our stuff for the weekend. :( Granny was gracious enough to take us shopping to help get us through. Thanks Granny! Here are some shots from our visit:

I liked to hang with Granny.

But I wasn't sure about her goats!

This is one of Momma's favorite shots-me be boppin' around in the yard

with the colors of fall in the background.

This is the road that Momma grew up on!

And this is my great grand Pappy! He's cuddling with Skipper....

This is me hanging out with my Uncle Ryan. Who says you can't have

an uncle that is only 8 years older than you are....

This is me with Chad, Jess, Michael, Uncle Greg and Aunt Sherri.

Me and Great Grand Nana!

And who says you can't have a 3rd First Birthday party over 2 months

after your real birthday! I enjoyed my fun presents and one more chance to eat cake!

late October and early November moments

2009-12-15T07:30:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! Guess what I started doing around Halloween time?!

Here I go!!!!!!!!!!!

I started taking several steps a week before Halloween, but didn't perfect it until about a week or so after. Since then, I have been running around like crazy! :)

Here I am playing at the park.

This is my boyfriend Jackson. I like to go for a drive with him!

Here we are at the City Group Costume Party. Can you find me?

My momma dressed up as Lady Gaga. Here we are with Aunt Stacey and one of my friends Jocelyn.

Check me out in my hula dancer outfit! It was a perfect costume since it was in the 80's during the week of Halloween.

Daddy helped Mommy saw off a real cocunut to make my coconut bra! Cute, huh?!