Saturday, April 30, 2011

northside food hub.

This morning, before heading to Iowa for a day trip, I stopped by the Northpoint Health & Wellness parking lot to pick up my seeds & seedlings from the northside Food Hub.  Check out Gardening Matters for more information.  Here are a few photos snapped hurriedly while dodging rain drops at the event:

[slideshow]

Friday, April 29, 2011

friday fancies.

Welcome to the second ever Friday Fancies. These are things that I have had my eye on during the previous week. Last Friday I featured things that I would love to receive for Mother's Day. And did you hear? I got one of those things!



This Friday I'm going to be a little lame and build upon my very first Mother's Day gift ever. These are attachments and accessories that I would love to have for my brand new Kitchen Aid mixer.

Today's fancies include:



Grinder attachment which can be used for meat, cheese, bread, veg, nuts, and more.



Pasta attachment makes six types of pasta - large or small macaroni, fusili, rigatoni, bucatini, fusili or spaghetti.



Lids for the mixing bowls. These would work really well for storing something like mashed potatoes or cake icing.



A grain mill!


There are probably more things I would like but this seems like a good place to start. I suppose an extra 6 qt bowl and maybe a smaller bowl would be useful, too. These things may find their way onto my Christmas 2011 list!


I'm excited to soon receive the ice cream attachment. Kitchen Aid currently has a promotion in which you receive a FREE ice cream attachment with purchase of a new stand mixer - an $80 value! :) Yummy!

What have you fancied this week?

Thursday, April 28, 2011

a dream come true!

Guess what?


?
?
?
?
?


Guess....


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.


Remember my friday fancies post from a few days ago?


?????


I actually received something on that list. I'm still somewhat in shock. Are you ready?


?
?
?
?


Here it is....


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.
.
.


Drum roll............


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.



As a first Mother's Day gift my dad bought me a red Professional 600 Kitchen Aid mixer!!!!!!!!!!!!


Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!


I've wanted one of these for so long and he had no idea. Wow! Yay! Hooray!

Monday, April 25, 2011

playmates.

Today Olive played with two other babies.




She usually doesn't spend too much time in her crib but I kept having to use the bathroom nearly every time I changed her (sympathy bathrooming?!) so it was an obviously easy place to set her for a minute. A minute was just about all she could tolerate each time. I think the crib mattress is a little too squishy for tummy time - she has to lift her head up extra high because her body sinks in slightly. It's not super squishy but it's much more so than the floor which is where we usually do some tummy play. Though the crib is better for putting mirrors in. I have a bigger square mirror in the living room but when I lean it up against stuff I'm pretty sure Olive sees more of the ceiling than she sees of herself.

Do you like her bald spot? :)

Easter recap.

Easter 2011 will surely go into the history books. Yes it was Olive's first Easter but that's not necessarily the interesting part.

We decided not to travel home for Easter this year mostly because we didn't want to travel far with tiny Olive. To keep with the style of Thanksgiving 2010 (affectionately known as "Friendsgiving") we celebrated with our friends Brooke & Scott who also did not go home. The week prior to Easter our plans seemed somewhat up in the air.

Easter morning Tyler & I picked Brooke & Scott up at their house, a few blocks away. We drove downtown to Bethlehem Baptist for the 11:00 service. Tyler & I used go to Bethlehem pretty regularly but stopped sometime last year. Since then we haven't been able to find a church that we really want to go to but I suppose we haven't been trying too hard. When thinking of where to go I thought Bethlehem would be a nice choice since I'm familiar with it and it would be our first service with a baby. I like that you can sit outside the sanctuary in case of fussy babe - so that's where we sat. Olive had to go to the bathroom mid service and used the big person potty in the basement. Yay Olive! There were so many tiny babies around Olive's age. I had the thought to hang out there regularly so Olive could get some friends. Including this adorable kiddo sitting in front of us named Oliver. Unfortunately for most of the time Oliver sat near us Olive was outside with Tyler. I was hoping they'd become friends. :(

After church we stood outside while Scott networked. Scott likes to network. We debated where to go for food. Easter at IKEA? Would there be enough time? Is there somewhere closer? We drove the slow way looking for other spots to eat but, of course, everything was closed. We did stumble upon Fat Lorenzo's but we're all too slow at decision making and were soon on the highway headed to IKEA.

When we arrived we checked out the menu - it sounded wonderful so we stayed to eat! Easter at IKEA! An employee told us that if we bought or meals together and then spent at least $100 in the store our meals would be free! We accepted the challenge and proceeded to eat an amazing Easter meal. We, of course, had Swedish meatballs, gravy, and potatoes. We had a few deserts, we had cheese, we had crackers, we had salmon, shrimp, and more. It was wonderful! There wasn't much time for shopping before the store closed so we quickly browsed, grabbed what we needed, and were on our way. Olive got a tad fussy as she was hungry so we went to the car for a snack while the others checked out. I may have caused a scuffle between an older couple parked near us.. but I'm not sure. All I heard was "Jim! She's breastfeeding her baby... I don't know... I don't know.." I don't know.

We dropped off our friends and went home for a bit - Olive needed her diapers washed and we wanted to get a few chores done. After that we headed to Brooke & Scott's for Easter sushi. That's right - after a nice Easter late lunch at IKEA we had Easter sushi. :) This was my first experience making sushi and I had a great time. Olive seemed to enjoy herself as well.. and she used a big potty again. We headed home with a sleepy Olive and went to bed. It was indeed a wonderful Easter.

Here are some photos from the day... Scott had borrowed my camera Friday night so I wasn't quite prepared for photos until IKEA. Unfortunately I didn't get a nice shot of Olive in her Easter dress (which was actually an Easter gift from her NiNi opened the previous afternoon!). Scott, of course, took photos of the day as well so I'm eager to see if there is a nice one of Oliboo in there!

[slideshow]

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

This Easter joins the ranks of:
- Our first Thanksgiving, in 2006, when we were friends - hoping for a turkey dinner at Denny's we had to settle for chicken. We barely knew each other and both stayed in Chicago for Thanksgiving rather than traveling home.
- Our next Thanksgiving, in 2007, our first as a married couple, was spent in Uganda. Obviously they do not celebrate Thanksgiving there but we found ourselves at someone's home having a big chicken meal and joked about it being Thanksgiving. :)
- Thanksgiving 2010 - Friendsgiving. My first attempt at making almost everything that a holiday dinner entails and it all turned out and wasn't the least bit stressful.

Friday, April 22, 2011

friday fancies!

Welcome to my first Friday Fancies post! Starting today I will (hopefully) be telling you each Friday about a few things that have tickled my fancy as of late.

Today I'm sharing with you a few things that have recently caught my eye that would be perfect for Mother's Day. As I am a new momma this is my very first Mother's Day and I would be so pleased to receive any one of these things from my little baby (or.. husband..).


One of these little hand stamped rings with my darling Olive's name printed on it would be wonderful. I think I would enjoy a tiny size and would wear it on my pinky finger. The ring is 1/8 inch wide and has a matte finish - which I love. It comes from Amy Peter's Studio.


Speaking of stamped silver - a save the date with Olive's birthday would be nice! This save the date is from The Silver Diva on etsy.


There are many nest necklaces around on etsy but this one in particular caught my eye because the pearls are Olive. Ideally a nest necklace with a single Olive pearl in the middle would be perfect, don't you think? This necklace is from Sunshine Jewls.


Obviously with a new baby around the focus has been on her rather than my husband & me. The focus is on her clothing, her hygiene, her bedroom - much more than our own. Using this stencil on the wall behind our bed would be a wonderful improvement to the room and freshen it up a bit. I think we would both like it. You can see many more stencils at Royal Design Stencils' etsy shop.


This has nothing to do with being a mommy - I just love these vintage shoes from Lisa Zain.


This nursing top from Replicca is gorgeous. I would love one and I'm sure Olive would, too. :)


A wet bag for dirty cloth diapers and dirty clothes when out and about would be very useful. This one from Monkey Foot Designs is super cute and a great size!


Speaking of bags I've had my eye on these organic snack bags from Bebeloosh Mini for quite a while. I think they would be useful for the entire family - and the environment! :) Happy Earth Day by the way!


And lastly, ohmygoodness, I NEED a red Kitchen Aid mixer. Seriously.

So what do you fancy on this fine Friday?

(Next week I'll have a fine little Friday Fancies image to share so you can share what you fancy, too!)

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

guess who is two months old?

Today Olive turned 2 months old. She also had her two month pediatrician appointment today which meant we had to get up a little early and take Tyler to work. To fill the time between dropping Tyler off and going to the appointment we went to Kohls to use a gift card and to Target in hopes of using up a gift card.



We started the day by waking up to snow! Starting a few days ago we were expecting a significant amount of snow. Absurd, right?! The forecast changed a few times and last I heard we were barely going to get any snow. I snapped this shot as I let honey out. I would have preferred to take more photos of the snow as it was heavy and clinging to the branches so beautifully! But we had to pile in the car to get Tyler to work..

I also snapped a few photos while driving...





Olive slept through Kohls. I bought her a couple of summer dresses and managed to get myself a new pair of jeans. I have never purchased such a large pair of pants for myself. But I'm not fat... I just had a baby. But really.. I was a little freaked out when the 5 didn't fit and I had to get a 7. That's a new one for me. Eh.



Olive did not sleep through Target. She got fussy as I was waiting at Starbucks for a mocha. We went to the family bathroom to find a wet diaper. She then peed on the big person toilet. I fed her and she decided to have a dirty diaper. So I changed her and she used the big person toilet again. :) I tried to shop a little bit but Olive protested so we slowly drove to the doctor's office as I drank my quickly cooling mocha.

At the dr...






Olive was great at the doctor! She wasn't fussy despite being naked, getting weighed, and prodded a bit. She has been such a wonderful baby that I had to scrounge for questions to ask the pediatrician. The only question I could come up with was this - can I clean her nose too often? Apparently yes I can... if it bleeds I'm cleaning it too often. Oh!

I described Elimination Communication to the pediatrician as she had never heard of it. She wasn't against it but she was definitely surprised by it and somewhat skeptical (based on her facial expressions). I'm almost certain she thinks I'm weird. Especially since I followed that interaction with a somewhat awkward chat about immunizations. I have had an incredibly rough time deciding what to do about vaccines for Olive. Tyler is trusting my research and we're talking about what I find and how I feel. Today Olive did not receive any vaccinations though she was supposed to have quite a few. For various reasons she is not getting vaccinated for hepatitis b, chicken pox, or rotavirus. At this point we're planning to delay the others but we're not yet sure how long. What a complicated topic.. it's frustrating.. but also makes for some interesting research.

Olive's two month stats:
10 lbs
22 1/4 inches


When Olive finally woke up after getting home we had a little two month photo shoot. And I had a lot of fun editing. :) Enjoy!




































And some nap time in her new wrap!


Tuesday, April 19, 2011

all eyes on her... butt.


Unfortunately Olive seems to have sat on someone's ice cream cone.


Okay okay I'm kidding. Baby butts are cute. I have to admit that. But putting pictures on them? I think that's incredibly silly. I (hopefully, unless something weird happens), will never buy Olive clothing that has pictures or words on the bottom - at any age. I remember when that started getting popular sometime mid-high school. I personally thought it was kind of gross and it bothered me. I don't want to imagine anyone looking at my butt.. ever.. and I don't want to encourage them to do it.

I just wanted to put that out there. I think words and pictures on the butt of a person, at any age, is very odd.

You may be asking yourself why Olive seems to be wearing pants with an ice cream cone on the butt. Well, she is not, as I said previously she sat on an ice cream cone. Clearly. Oops, I guess I already gave away that that's not true. So... while I dislike things on a butt I will not refuse to accept clothing with things on the bottom when they're a gift for Olive. I might just say she sat in something and laugh awkwardly in order to deal with my discomfort.

In conclusion, the above pants were a gift for Olive.  And that's perfectly okay.  Gifts are wonderful and Olive and I appreciate them.  :)

What are your thoughts on things on the butt?

Sunday, April 17, 2011

avenue eatery grand opening photos!

Click here to see some of the many many photos that I took at the grand opening of the Avenue Eatery on West Broadway in north Minneapolis. It took the place of the Bean Scene Too. The place was packed, there were wonderful treats, talented entertainment, and tons of friendly faces! :)



Unfortunately I can't include a slideshow from flickr because wordpress doesn't allow flash. Isn't that silly? I need to host this blog myself - I need flash & java!

Saturday, April 16, 2011

i love birth!

Oh my goodness... let me tell you...

Going into the whole having a baby thing I had a bit of background knowledge about the process and had some expectations. Much of this was taken from seeing The Business of Being Born a couple of years earlier and negative stories I had heard about other people's experiences. In general I like to think I'm a healthy person and try to make natural, logical, and somewhat educated choices. After becoming pregnant I did more "research" on the whole birth process thing which solidified much of what I had previously thought and gave me a lot more information on topics that I had previously known nothing about.

I'm a big natural birth fan, if you didn't know. I totally understand that it's not for everyone and doesn't work in every situation but when it's possible I think it should be done! I think that women really really really... really need to be encouraged that their bodies are capable of so so so so much!

I think that most women should be more educated and informed about the birthing process. So many women seem to both feel and act like they have so little to do with it. That's not right! Regardless of wanting a natural birth, scheduled c-section, or whatever - I at least think women owe it to themselves to be more educated.

I think there are quite a few changes that need to take place in the US in the maternity world. I see it going in the right direction right now and hopefully it continues. Can I help?

While pregnant I ate up any story I could find about other women's birth experiences. I loved reading all about it and watching it on television or in movies. I was able to squeeze in a few episodes of One Born Every Minute before Olive was born and loved it! Tyler... not so much. He thought we shouldn't be watching it but I couldn't help myself!

I expected that eagerness to hear birth stories to subside after having Olive but I recently realized that it has not! I am less often seeking out those stories as I'm seeking out stories that are more relevant to us right now (when babies sit up, how babies play, elimination communication, baby led weaning, and more!). BUT! When I stumble upon a birth story I get sucked right in. Good stories, bad stories, happy stories, sad stories... I want them all!

Today that has led me to wonder... should I invest in this interest further? Blog about it? Teach birthing classes? Become a doula? Or even further.. a midwife? Those are four very different things, I know. Would it be too much to say I'm passionate about the subject? Hmm.

So what do you think? Any tips? Ideas? Are you as oddly interested in birth as I am?


And here's an elimination communication update: We caught 6 pees & 2 poos today (so far)! woah! Lots of dry diapers but lots of wet/dirty ones, too! Aaannnd.. that's okay!

Friday, April 15, 2011

elimination communication update.

We had our best day so far doing elimination communication today. I wrote about it at the end of March when we first started and when I had just started learning about it. Check it out if you want a little more background.

We're doing EC part time. Some days I nearly forget about it all together. Other days I'm really on the ball. Today was one of those "on the ball" days and I have a feeling that Olive prefers those days.

I don't think that Olive has many, if any, signs telling me that she is going to go potty. Typically it helps to learn the signs so you can be ready to take the baby to use the bathroom when they need to. Instead I take Olive as soon as she wakes up as well as when she fusses for a reason other than being hungry or wanting to be held. I haven't yet let Olive go diaper free to look for the signs though, so there could be something I'm missing.

Last I checked in about this I was only taking Olive when she woke up but today I realized that she cries when she has to go! She can't yet talk, obviously, and she is still too young to start using signs so what does she do? She cries! Brilliant! Although crying also tells me that she's hungry, that she's tired, that she wants to be picked up, that she wants to move around, that her diaper is dirty, that she's bored.. and probably a lot more.

So far today she has peed in her toilet seven times! And she went poo once with Tyler. That's the first time she's done that! We're still using a little orange bowl until we get a potty.

After first reading about EC I thought that it made complete sense and was excited to try. Now, after gaining some experience, I am even more convinced that this is the right thing to do. :)

Can you believe it's snowing right now? Here are some photos from today...

[slideshow]

Olive tried out her Bumbo for the first time today. She can hold her head up really well and enjoys sitting up because she loves to look around at everything. I thought maybe, just maybe, I could get something done that's tough to do when she's in the sling if she were in her Bumbo. It worked! I was able to cut fabric on the living room floor while she sat and watched. I snapped some good photos that I'll add here later but for now here's a little peek with photo booth.

I have also recently discovered that Olive loves to bounce with me on my yoga ball. Big shout out to that yoga ball while I'm on the topic - I'm pretty sure that ball had a big hand in getting Olive into position and made her birth go so well and so quickly! I owe Tyler a giant thank you for giving that to me as a random gift a while ago.

Hey - it's the weekend! :)

Thursday, April 14, 2011

slideshow.

I bought some new clothes for Olive at the Salvation Army with Brooke yesterday. It wasn't quite warm enough today for her new summer dress but I wanted to dress her up a bit before heading to the grand opening of the Avenue Eatery so I put a long sleeved shirt and long underwear on her, too. :) I snapped a few photos after I got her dressed. I was trying to be quick and didn't pay attention to the format of the photos or the settings for that matter. So these are unedited and will probably stay that way. Whoops! Also.. there are a ton of photos... but they're all so cute/entertaining. Sorry!

[slideshow]

Monday, April 11, 2011

olive's big day part two.

When I wrote the previous post earlier today I had no idea that it would be an even bigger day for Olive!

Olive had her most alert and playful day yet and with minimal fuss.. and more!



- We had a lengthy playtime on the floor where Olive showed me her new toy holding skills! :)
- She also tried to mouth numerous items (all baby friendly!) today while on the floor, her changing table, and in her crib. :)
- While on the floor during playtime I had to run to the bathroom - she was completely content looking at the fan the entire time I was gone. :)
- She noticed herself in the mirror for the first time! :)
- We played back and forth with sounds a tiny bit. :)
- She let herself calm down enough to fall asleep while sitting in her swing when I wanted to work on the living room curtains. :)
- I figured out how to adjust her in the sling so she can eat and I can be mobile. :)

So add all of that to sleeping from 11:30- 4 this morning... wow!

Here are some photos of our playtime. We're using my old baby blanket. :) (Sorry about the horridness of the red in some of the photos.. didn't notice my white balance was incorrect and I wasn't shooting in raw so I'm stuck. whoops!)

[slideshow]

a big day for olive!

This is probably not a big deal to anyone other than me, not even Olive. But I need to share! Last night we all officially went to bed at 11:30 and Olive didn't wake up to be changed/eat until 4:30 in her bassinet! I'm pretty sure that's the farthest she's made it at the start of the night. She typically sleeps only 2-3 hours at a time in her bassinet but will sleep a lot longer with me in bed. I was pleasantly shocked when I woke up to her squeals and looked at the clock. :)

I need to apologize for my unintentional lie in my last post. I said that I would post later in the day. And I clearly didn't. Whoops. So I'm here to write a substantial and hopefully interesting post because my last two were a little lame. I'll go backwards starting with.. now!

It's another Monday morning - Olive and I are starting our week of trying to figure out if we have a schedule and getting things done at home. We've made phone calls, vacuumed, and snuggled.

She's getting bigger! But still squeezing into a few newborn sleepers. Olive has her 2 month appointment next week on Wednesday. I'm excited for a weight and length update - it's been a while since the last one!

Yesterday Tyler cleared out Olive's closet. We were super slackers when it came to that closet. We've lived in this house for nearly two years and had piled so many things into that closet (when it was just a guest/junk room). We even piled it on top of a huge tarp and pile of plaster debris that the previous owners left. Olive and I looked on as Tyler dug through the layers starting with clothes that are too big for Olive, some things that Olive can't use yet, empty suitcases, and old space heater, an air conditioner, and on down to the tarp and pile of yuck.

The closet doesn't have have dowel rods or shelves so it's not quite done but it's significantly better than before! I put in a few big tubs of clothes that are too big for Olive, a laundry basket full of stuffed animals, a bunch of hangers, and her car seat carrier. Maybe I'll do a little home improvement post when I get to the closet. It's pretty deep so there will be two rows of dowels and maybe some shelves in back. I'm debating if it's necessary for us to paint in there... What do you think?

I had intended to go on the north Minneapolis home tour but we got to work on the closet when our friends Brooke & Scott were heading to the tour so I skipped. :( I was hoping to share some of the gems of our neighborhood with you!

Later in the day we ended up at Brooke & Scott's where we enjoyed a family fish feast for El Amin's Fish House, a few cookies, and an unprofessional game of table tennis.

And.. it was in the 70s! woah!

Saturday was a rather lazy day. We watched a lot of golf. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't take photographs of the dinner that I made - Tofu Stir-Fry with Snow Peas and Red Onions. It was soooooo very yummy - one of my favorite dishes I've made recently, I think, and I've been loving the left overs, too! I suppose that was the highlight of Saturday..

And Olive took a little nap on the living room chair.


Last week Olive and I took a long, indirect, walk to the post office and to North End Hardware.


While we could have walked straight north on our street to get to the post office we headed west and walked through the parkway. We turned onLowry where we found the post office and hardware store before making our way to our street and heading back south that way. It was a wonderful day for walk. I saw quite a few postmen who were all very kind. Everyone at the hardware store was very helping with holding the door for me and finding what I needed since I had Olive in her stroller. I also ran into a DJ from KMOJ who was in need of some help but I was unable. Unfortunately I encountered some yucky and unhelpful people on my walk while I was on Lowry. Just as I thought they were being nice and friendly I realized they were being too friendly.. and after some uncomfortable comments about my legs I made my way a little more quickly to the post office. ick. Save for that 30 second interaction the walk was wonderful and, as usual, Olive slept the entire time. She woke briefly in the post office and in the hardware store since we had stopped moving and she's not a fan of that.

So there's a little update since I really owed you one! Today is another beautiful day! I need to continue cleaning up the yard after a winter's worth of honey's yuck.. maybe I'll do that today. I also want to hem our living room curtains. And possibly finish Olive's. Kinda dropped the ball on that one. What are your Monday plans?

Happy Monday!!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

more great deals!

I'm totally way behind the curve here... I've seen ads for zulily all over the place, especially since becoming pregnant and having Olive, but I never checked it out. Actually I may have clicked once and left once I noticed that I had to sign up. BUT.. things have changed.. I clicked.. I signed up.. and am so pleased with all of the cute things they have to offer and for such great deals! Check it out! :)

I'll post something better later today... I've been busy, sorry! :)

Friday, April 8, 2011

what a deal!

Hey - Click here to visit Plum District where you can pay $15 to get $30 for Creative Kidstuff! What a great deal! There's about a day left.. so hurry!

Thursday, April 7, 2011

pasta with asparagus.

Tonight for dinner we had... Pasta with Asparagus! Creative name, no?

Olive and I went on a grocery store adventure where we bought groceries for the next week or so. We're planning exciting meals such as this one, Spicy Thai Beef, Tofu Stir-Fry with Snow Peas, Chicken and Shrimp Fried Rice, Huevos Rancheros, Spaghetti (okay not so exciting), and more!

Tonight I went with one of the easiest meals because the day was long with our somewhat stressful shopping trips and a super dirty kitchen left over from yesterday.

Here is our dinner in photographs and a few notes on how to make it:

[slideshow]

bananas anyone?

This video comes in at a close second to "manatee squish" in the make me giggle uncontrollably category of the single category award show that I'm not hosting on my blog tonight...

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMLdAZRghXg&w=480&h=390]

In case you haven't had the pleasure of viewing it, here is my favorite video clip of all time:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwNi8dzj0S8&w=480&h=390]

Now you know me a little better.

i need to share!

I won my first blog giveaway ever! :)
I won a medium bloom from Bloomin' Boutique thanks to Sandy a la Mode. Check out their blogs!



Sandy a la Mode



This was a nice surprise to return home to after a stressful trip to the fabric store and the grocery store with Olive.