Weekend strolls--a series of pictures!

Super cool canopy of leaves in our 'top secret' walking location

It's ok, you can check out his butt :)

Ready for bed!!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend!

DIY Wednesday is coming up :)

Dinner for Two

I've had this goal of becoming a better stay at home mom.  I'm getting the mom part down (at least I like to think I am), its just the stay at home part of it that I could be a little better at.  I clean and do all the laundry (almost obsessively), but hubby lets me know he doesn't care about that--he wants him some food after a long day of work!

I am a horrible cook.  I cook about once every couple of weeks and it usually ain't anything special.  To me it just seems like so much work and then a few bites and it's over with!  Why bother.

Well, all of that is going to change (at least for a week).  We are trying something out, which I'm sure many normal families do, but to me this is all new!  I am going to start grocery shopping online and order what I need for one weeks worth of meals and then plan out the weeks meals on a "menu" :)  I get excited to write it down and Curt gets excited to anticipate the meal of the day--its a win win!

I created our very own dinner menu display.  It was pretty easy.  All you need is a frame, some cool paper or fabric (I used fabric since I have an abundance) and a white board marker.  And you get something like this:

Sorry about the glares!

So that is our next weeks menu!  Unfortunately, all of the blank days you see are ones that i will be eating on my own since Curtis will be working late.  The rest, however, will be dinner for two!

DIY Wednesday--Wire Wrapped Ring

So I'm going to try a new thing here.  It's no secret that I like being crafty and have whole sloo of things that I have done 'DIY' style.  So I figure I could share these things with you all so you may too enjoy the thrill of DIY!  I'll try to set aside Wednesdays for this, so stay tuned for more DIY projects.

This one is something I saw online and thought, "I could totally do that myself!" And so it is.  Its so very easy and anyone can do it.  It takes about 10-15 minutes and you can make it as unique as you want to.

Wire Wrapped Ring

Things you will need:

-Wire (you can pick some up at a bead/craft store for about $4.  There are many colors to choose from, I chose antique brass since I had  it on hand.)

-Wire cutters (or a hefty pair of scissors will do)

-Rounded or flat nosed plyers (to bend the wire)

-A bead to your liking (bead stores, Wal-mart, Michaels, Joannes, etc.)

 Place your bead in the middle of the wire (I cut a piece about 3 feet long, which is usually more than enough).

 Start to wrap one of the arms of wire in a circle.  I started with the right side.  Sometimes its easier to do it around something like a finger, marker, tube of mascara, etc.  ***Keep in mind you will want your circle to be about a size bigger than you will actually want it in the end.

 Do the same thing with the other arm of wire.  I did it around my finger this time.  It will look messy and you may think you are doing it wrong, but stick with it!!  Wind each arm of wire around about three times.

 It should now look something like this.  Both arms of wire have been wrapped around about three times each.

 Stretch out the wire arms straight so it looks like the one pictured below.

 Start to wind one of the arms around, but under the bead.  Do this about two or three times.

 Repeat with the other arm.  When they are both wound around a couple times it should look like the one pictured below.

 Take one of the arms and beging to wind it around the circle part of the ring.  You will do this essentially as many times as you want.  I just did it about three times on each side.

 FYI--this is what makes the ring smaller.  The more you wrap around the circle, the smaller it will get.  You may want to keep trying it on as you do this to make sure it ends up the size you want.

 After you have done this on both sides, snip the excess wire with your cutters or scissors so just a bit is poking out of each side.

 Use your plyers to bend the excess around the rest of the circle/ring for a smooth laying wire.  You want to make sure it is smooth otherwise you'll have one sorry finger!

And that's it!  You have your very own wire wrapped ring!

I hope my instructions were easy to read, understand and follow.

Let me know how it goes for you if you do this and feel free to comment with any questions or clarifications you need!

Have fun with DIY today :)

Highlights--not the magazine.

My OCD induced insomnia got the best of me last night.  Ok, so it's self diagnosed, but either way--issues.

Mama's tired.

After catching the 'de-clutter/sorting' bug, I stayed up until 3 a.m. to go through all of the boxes and bins in our basement to de-clutter as well as to sort things out for an upcoming garage sale.

I don't know why I do this to myself.  The bug strikes every now and then and let me tell you, once I start, there is no stopping me.  Even if I have to be up early.  Even if I'm tired. Even if it's 3 a.m.

So, I don't have as much umph for today's post.  I will just give you some of my highlights from yesterday.

Yesterday started off slow, but once that sun started shining things got a movin!

Everett and I took a trip to Joanne Fabrics to get a few things.  One of which was some fabric. I had been wanting to recover some of our pillows and was feeling crafty yesterday so batta bing batta boom and poof! New pillows!

We also picked up some little trinket boxes that I re-purposed for a new consignment shop that my items will be at. 

That brings me to the next highlight.  Yesterday I met up with a woman opening up a new boutique in NE Minneapolis and she took a whole bunch of my ETSY stuff to sell in her shop! Yea!  Its such a cool feeling to know that things I create are selling.  For money.  To real people.  Crazy!

Speaking of consignment shop--the other little boutique in Becker I have my items at sent out checks from sales and I got mine yesterday.  I made $72.00 last month! Another Highlight!

And last, but certainly not least was perhaps a super highlight. 

When Curtis got home from work we took advantage of the beautiful weather outside and went on a family walk to the park a couple blocks away.  We wanted to give Everett his first experience on a swing!  It was fun and super cute.  Though after a few minutes he looked like he was a little woozy--that would be thanks to my genes--sorry Everett.  I'll leave you with some pictures from this adventure.

Today I'm feelin' the 4 hours of sleep I got, but the weather is nice, my nephew is over playing with Everett and Curtis is going to be home early tonight.  Another good day!

Will Educate for Food

Being a stay at home mom/dad should pay the big bucks.  Can I get an Amen?

It is unfortunate this role often gets overlooked as one receiving the title of ‘job’.  Why is that I wonder?  Stay at home parents stay home by choice to help raise their child in the best environment possible—home, and do all the work that it entails, yet with no paycheck to show for it, it is marked as inadequate.

Perhaps not all of society feels this way, and for that I would be happy.  

I have just been bombarded with feelings of inadequacy surrounding my role as a stay at home mom.  It’s not enough to be a parent, I need a paycheck to show for it—to actually be helping.  

It was not my intent to be a stay at home mom this long.  I had anticipated doing it for a few months and then find a counseling/education job that I may be able to apply my expensive hard earned education to.  

While I have not found the above job, I have found a liking to this stay at home mom gig and really enjoy the time I get to spend with my son—day in and day out—no paycheck needed.  Yet, my lack of a paying job to go along with my husband’s has left us financial tight and just scraping by.  It puts me in the uncomfortable position of leaving my role as a stay at home mom to find a less than desireable job to help pay the bills.  My insides scream, “But I don’t wanna!!!”  

I just want to be able to live a happy life, staying at home with Everett until my dream job finds me.  

Selfish.

My role of parents not only comes from the love, nurturing and attention I give him at home, but also In how I provide for him.  

Mama needs to start providing.

Maybe I should just wear a sign.  “Will educate/counsel for food : has experience as counselor, teacher, nanny, math tutor , pca, etc.—Please hire me!”

Maybe I can teach Everett how to play the tambourine and we can be a mother son musical duo that gets famous off of You Tube, and then the Ellen show, and then….

Aw Heck, I better just keep at it the good ‘ol  fashioned way. Maybe one of the twenty-some schools I have applied for will call me for an interview soon?  God willing.

How ironic that I stare down at my arm now which reads, “It is well with my soul” to remind me that God provides everything needed to sustain his precious children.  

How am I providing for mine?

New Giveaway!

There is a new giveaway going on which I am particularly fond of!

My fellow blogger over at The Bird's Papaya is featuring me and my Etsy shop in her blog!

She has many opportunities for how to enter in the giveaway and has all the 'rules' over at her blog, so if you want something of mine for FREE, check out her blog....uh, and MY SHOP :)  The giveaway ends 5/16.

The prize will be any ONE item from my shop--winner's pick, cuz hey, everyone is different!

So, after that little shameless plug---check it out HERE! 

A birthday, a tattoo and a little dose of trauma

Well, Sunday was my birthday.  The big 2-6.

It was a fabulous weekend with friends and family, pretty low-key--just how I like it.  On Friday I got this:

It was my birthday present from the hubby.  I have one other tattoo, so I had an idea of what to expect.  It was pretty much as I remembered the pain. It hurt of course, but was totally bearable and only lasted about 10 minutes.  After giving birth without drugs, anything is bearable!

Then in the evening we went out to the Wild Onion and had a little dinner date before some of our friends joined us for drinks and people watching the groups on the dance floor. 

Saturday we had planned to walk our dog in the annual walk for animals for our local humane society that I had also participated in last year.  We planned this prior to knowing the weather and gosh darn it I was determined!  It sucked.  It was wet. cold. windy.  But we went and showed our support for a whole 20 minutes and then went home.  Not the most ideal way to spend the morning with the fam, but it was an experience. 

Saturday evening we had planned to use a gift certificate to a favorite local diner for another dinner date--because Hey, it's my birthday weekend!

We never made it out.

I debated back and forth in writing about this, as it was by far the scariest thing that I have ever experienced and I was unsure how I would even put it into words, but now that some time has passed I will try.

Here is what happend:

I had just showered (after being all wet and muddy from the walk earlier) and was getting ready to go out to dinner.  For the past few months, I get ready while Everett is either sleeping, playing in his excer-saucer, watching me while sitting in his bumbo or put on my bed with our dog and some toys.  All of them seemed safe to me obviously.

Now in the past weeks Everett has become much more mobile and has developed a lot in his ability to roll over and kinda sorta crawl.  Thinking back to it now, I realize how dumb my choice was.  How incredibly dumb.

I chose the bed.

I put him in the middle of our queen size bed, like I often do, and he entertains himself with his toys or just staring at and petting our dog axle.  Our bathroom is less than three feet away so I talk to him from the bathroom while I get ready and hear him giggle and coo and talk to his toys.

(Ugh, I feel sick just writing this...)

So I plug in the blow dryer to get ready blow dry my hair.  Typically I don't dry it for more than thirty seconds or so-- just because it takes forever, and really, who has time for that?

Before I start to dry it I peek in to see how he is doing--same place I left him. Middle of the bed cooing away.  So, seeing that he is fine, I walk back the three steps to the bathroom and begin to blow dry my hair.

So stupid.

About 10 seconds into my 30 second hair drying ritual, I hear it. Thud.

I knew instantly.  In no time, I dropped the hair dryer while it was still running and ran into the bedroom and scooped him up.

My mouth and mind were going a mile a minute thinking and shouting, "Oh my gosh! No! No! No! Oh my gosh! I am an idiot! I am so stupid! Is he ok!? What did I do?! I am so stupid!.....you get the idea.

Baby boy is crying, whimpering, screaming and yes bleeding.  I think he landed face first so not only did he catch his forehead, but also his nose.  His face was running tears and blood.

I was in a hysterical panic (and did I mention Curtis was at work).  Only clothed in my robe, I had an instant impulse of the flight response and wanted to run out the front door and start shouting and get help from anyone who could hear me.

A second later, my senses kicked in and after I monitored that he was breathing, crying, made eye contact and had no open wounds, I made a more rational decision and called the emergency nurses line.

That was the longest wait of my life.

He clung to me and just layed his head on my shoulder, his tears and blood running down my hair and robe. I started to sob while waiting on the line as I peeked at what he looked like in a nearby mirror.  So pitiful. So sad. So banged up.

I started to fear the worst, concussion, broken nose, brain bleed, TBI....

The guilt overwhelmed me and as i wait on the line for the nurse to answer, I doubted my role as a mother and told myself what awful one I was to let such a thing happen.  That is an evil and dark place to be.

Finally, as if forever wasn't long enough, the Nurse came on the line and after talking to her i was eased a little bit.  She gave me directions what to do and assured me all would be fine and just to monitor him closely the next 48 hours.

done.

I monitored that boy so close that I could have been one of his eyelashes.

I put ice on his wounds.  made him drink fluids.  woke him every four hours. slept in the same room as him. watched for the smallest change of behavior that I could call the doctor about, and so on.

After he rested briefly, he seemed almost back to himself.  though I am sure he had quite a headache.  His nose was not swollen at all, which was a good sign.  He probably just hit it hard enough to give the little gush of blood he had.  Which really, is not a good thing at all, but compared to being broken, I'll take it.

My poor boy. Poor Poor baby.

"What an idiot I am to leave him", I kept thinking.

Curtis finally came home after work and then I lost it.  I crumbled in Curt's arms as Everett was crumbled in mine.  He assured me it was just an accident and that I was in no way a bad mother.   yeah, like I'd believe that.  It was a valiant effort on his part though.

it was a rough, rough night.  it terrified me to the core of my being and I can still feel a pang in my heart when I think about it or God forbid--picture it. 

A few hours later, Everett went down for the night and I did as the nurse said and woke him every four hours to monitor his behavior.

I didn't want to leave him though.  I wanted to hold him all night, in my arms where I could see him, feel his breath and be right there when he woke.  Curtis, my more sensible half, told me I needed to let him rest in his bed and that I needed rest myself as well.  I didn't want to, but I listened.

I finally put some clothes on while Curtis got us Chinese food to eat--though my appetite was minimal. 

I must have checked on him twenty times in the first four hour interval.

Sigh....

He is fine.  He is back to himself, his bruises are almost gone and he is just as happy and smiley as ever.

I hold him a little tighter now and if I wasn't already OCD and cautious before, I certainly am now.

I am still living with the guilt of the incident and while I know it was an accident, I feel I am to blame.  The horrible mama syndrome has not completely passed, but will hopefully be gone soon.

I am so glad he is ok and that no long term damage has come from it.  I was so afraid.  I am not really a dramatic person, but feel dramatic for my reaction to it.  but really, It was the single most horrible experience I have had.  To see your child in that state is beyond words.

My mother and sister assure me things like this happen often and its just 'part of having kids'.  This comforts me to some degree to know that I am not the only one who went through it or will go through it, but really, this 'part of having kids' I am totally not down with. God help me.

So, Saturday was not a great birthday eve. I could've cared less about my dumb birthday at that point.

Sunday, my actual birthday, was a little crabby on my part due to the evening before, but turned out to be a great day surrounded by good food, family, a smiley baby and nice movie.

So, 26.  It made sure it was known this year and wouldn't be forgotten.

Oh and remember how I said we ate Chinese food for dinner Saturday night. Well, I opened my fortune and this is what I got:

Fortune cookie Sarcasm.  Perfect.

Did you win?!

Just popping in quick to announce the giveaway winners of the T-shirts from First Chair Clothing!

Congrats to: 

 and......

Eclairre, you will recieve a women's shirt and JC you will receive a men's.  Please send me your contact information for me to pass on to Carmen from First Chair Clothing so you guys can communcate to her your size and color preferences.

Thanks to everyone who participated and like always, stay tuned for more giveaways!

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I had a wonderful birthday weekend, in which a lot happened, so once I gather my thoughts about it all I will be posting pictures and ramblings.

Hope your weeks are off to a wonderful start!