Ouch!

I went to a weight/cardio class the other day in hopes that it would be boost my spirits and my buns.  To say that it kicked my ass would be a massive understatement.  I knew that I was not in the same shape that I was before I became pregnant.  But holy smack, I did not think that I was this far gone.  I am so sore that getting up from the couch with Little B in my arms is proving to be a bit wobbly.  Hold on tight, kids.  Because this whole getting-back-into-shape thing is going to be a rough ride.

Little Moments

 

One thing that I have noticed about motherhood is that it has actually calmed me.  Before Little B, I was always on the go, always ready for the next adventure, and would rarely just take it easy.  For me this burst into mommy-life has forced me to slow down and in doing so I am realizing there are all these little moments that I love.  I love that Little B smiles right before she falls asleep.  I love the evenings watching David get Little B ready for bed.  Sure, it is easy to remember the big moments... birthdays, holidays, etc.  But the little moments are the ones that I am treasuring more.  I think it is because I know that they are fleeting.  Someday my Little B won't be so little anymore.

So I am getting a head start on my 2010 New Years resolutions.  One of them is to capture the little moments and savor them as much as possible.

Feeling blue

I have been feeling a bit blue these past few days.  Lots going on... fussy baby, misbehaving dogs, dentist emergency, family tragedy, missing my friends, tight finances, things not going according to plan, blah, blah, blah.  And now David has to be gone for a few days and we will not be able to celebrate New Years Eve as we had planned.  So what do you do on those days when your usual suspects (chocolate, pie, a good book) do not have what it takes to cheer you up? 

Take Me Here

Happiness is... care packages

Who does not love receiving a care package?  In my family, we have an odd tradition when it comes to care packages.  My father's twisted sense of humor is what started this madness.  It was so odd that we love it and the tradition stuck.  Read more...

Simple pleasures: clawfoot tubs

I have always wanted a clawfoot bathtub.  Something about relaxing in an oldschool tub at the end of a long day seems so indulgently lovely.  Check out some of these little gems of inspiration.

 

 

 

Photo credits: Country Living, Pottery Barn,  Restoration Hardware, Living etc.

Daydreaming of...

Tim Walker

Have you ever seen a photo that is so breathtaking that you can not get that image out of your head? Tim Walker's work is simply stunning.

 

 

 

Favorite Quotes

“Well-behaved women rarely make history."

 Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

Happy weekend

We had a wonderful Christmas surrounded by family.  But this weekend we are recovering from our festivities.  I am craving calmness, clean food, yoga, hiking, and maybe a nice afternoon nap.  What are your plans?

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!  No matter what holiday you celebrate, I hope this weekend you're taking it easy, staying well-fed and all snuggly warm surrounded by good friends and family.

Love this...

I love this homemade ornament project over on Living the Swell Life.  They have the steps all listed out and it does not seem like it would be that difficult.  Sounds like a perfect idea to attempt it for next Christmas.

Baby's 1st Christmas

So this will be our 1st Christmas as a family of three and we could not be happier about it.  David and I have been discussing what we want our holiday traditions to be.

Sure, we already have a few that David and I have been doing for years.... Christmas eve dinner of crab cakes on the fancy china (thanks mom!) followed by looking at Christmas lights with a travel mug of peppermint hot chocolate.  Then once we get back home, we settle in on the couch to watch a Christmas movie next to the lit Christmas tree.  But now that Little B is here, we are brainstorming what we want to incorporate into the traditions for her.  Of course she is way too little understand any of it just yet.  But it is still fun for us to think of ideas that she will grow into and someday love too.

What traditions do you and your family share to celebrate the holiday season?

Take Me Here

Almond extract & coffee

My new favorite thing is to put almond extract into coffee.  I am sure that many people do this already... but it is new to me.   It is delicious.  So if you are looking for something to jazz up your cup of joe, try it out.  But it has me thinking, what other great ingredients would be fun to add to my daily brew?  What do you put in your coffee each morning?  I am looking for recommendations.

Cedar fever

Ugh... Cedar fever has officially hit Austin.  Let the suffering begin.  Itchy eyes, stuffy nose, swollen face.  Hopefully you are very lucky and have not inherited the allergy gene.  But if you are like me, you are probably cursing and drumming up an evil plan to chop down every cedar tree in Texas.  Let's form a coup and go in together on this master plan of cedar destruction.  Right after I find my kleenex box.

Take Me Here

Sears houses

So as many of yall know, my husband, David, is a home builder/general contractor.  This week, he is wrapping up the final touches of a Sears house remodel just outside of Austin.  The renovations have been in the works for months, so it is so cool to see it come to completion.

I find the whole Sears house concept very interesting.  Ordering a house from a catalog seems crazy these days.  But I kind of like it.  If only JCrew or Restoration Hardware could make a house that I could order from a catalog.  I bet I would love it.  Anyways to read a bit more about history of Sears houses, check out this blog entry at Duarte Construct Notes.

Little B: 3 months

Dear Little B,
You have hit the 3 month mark!  For some reason, I am surprised that we have all made it this far.  I guess I just had this image of you staying itty-bitty forever.  Every day your daddy and I love you more and more.

Here are some of the things that we have learned in your first 3 months...

• You love to be outside.
• On your first day of life, the goal was 1 dirty diaper.  You had 8.  The doctor was very impressed.  You have not stopped impressing us in that arena.
  
• Your whole fist can indeed fit inside your mouth.

Read more... 

Pecan Puffs

Pecan puffs scream Christmas to me.  It is the only time of year that I make them because if I made them more, I would be 300 lbs.  They are delicious!  Sometimes, I change it up a bit and make this recipe using almonds instead of pecans.  Also delicious.  Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

See the recipe after the jump...

Ugly sweater party

I have always wanted to throw an Ugly Sweater Party.  What?!  You have never heard of an Ugly Sweater Party.  It is where you pull out those ridiculous sweaters that you have received as gifts but would not be caught dead wearing.  Of course, you have a few categories of sweaters to choose from.  You have your....

Holiday Sweater

Early 80s Sweater

And best of all, the Cosby sweater!

So start digging through your closets now.  No use denying it, you know you have one in there.

Take Me Here

Favorite Quotes

 
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Mark Twain

I'm back, baby!

Guess who fits back into her pre-pregnancy jeans?  This girl!

Sure, they are snug on the buns, have a muffin-top rising up on the top, and are so tight that I can't breathe.  But the point is that they are on, all zipped up and buttoned.  If I have to wear these jeans for the rest of my life because I can't defy physics and peel them off me, I am okay with that because in my mind, I look like this...

Simple Pleasures: Smores

Little visitor

We had a little visitor this weekend.  Little B's cousin, Gavin, came over to spend the night.  It gave us a glimpse of what it would be like with 2 kids... Yowsa!  Gavin watched Christmas cartoons, rearranged our furniture, tested every doorknob in the house, and inspected every fragile ornament on the tree. I am exhausted after our trial run, but we did have a good time.

 

 

Take Me Here

Homemade baby blankets

We are very lucky to have such great friends and family.  They have been so generous to us and all that they have given to Little B.  Check out these amazing homemade baby blankets that we have received.  Don't they just make you want to go out and learn how to sew?!

Thank you Salinas family!

Thank you Abuela!

Thank you Rick and Carol!

Tummy time

There are two words that Little B has come to dread... Tummy Time!  This girl has no desire to see the world from a higher vantage point.  She is perfectly content to be laying down for  the rest of her life.  I have even tried to appeal to her vanity telling her that no one will want to be friends with a flat-headed little girl... she does not care.  So the fact that she held her head up for 5 whole minutes before she face-planted in frustration is quite an achievement.

 

Favorite Quote

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Take Me Here

Simple Pleasures: sleeping in

Slept in until 9 today.  Isn't that the best?  Thank you hubby!

Take me here

Happy weekend

This weekend is all about baking... so expect some yummy blog posts!  Other than that we are hoping to just take it easy, enjoy the sunny weather, and hang out with some friends.

What are your plans?  Whatever you end up doing, I hope you have a great one!

Favorite Quotes

“Miracles are like meatballs, because nobody can exactly agree on what they are made of, where they come from, or how often they should appear."

 

Lemony Snicket (The Carnivorous Carnival)

On my wish list: BabyLegs

BabyLegs

I want some of these for Little B.  Who can resist fat baby legs wrapped in knit?!

Magic sleeper

I think that my friend, Jess, bought Little B a magic sleeper!  Every time Little B wears this sleeper, she sleeps through the night.  The other night she slept from 10pm until 7am.  It was awesome.

I don't care if we are washing this sleeper every day, Little B is going to wear it as much as possible. Thanks Jess!

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

To say that I do not have much time on my hands these days seems like the biggest understatement ever.  But one thing that I promised myself before Little B was born was that David and I would not succumb to the takeout rut.  I wanted to continue to have home cooked meals as much as possible.  So with that said, one of my main priorities for my free time includes coming up with daily dinner plans. Slow cooker beef stew is one of my tried and true dishes.  We always have the ingredients in the house and it is relatively easy to whip together and throw into the slow cooker.  Plus it makes the house smell delicious and inviting on those brisk winter days.

Slow Cooker Beef Stew

3-5 lbs of chuck roast

1 envelope of dry onion soup mix

2 cans of soup (cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, or golden mushroom work well)

1-2 tbsp olive oil

2-3 potatoes

1-2 onions

1/4 lb mushrooms

4-5 carrots

3-4 cloves of garlic

First I chop all of the vegetables and meat so that they are similar in size.  Then I add the olive oil, soups, and dry onion soup and mix together.  Finally I just throw it all into the slow cooker.  I usually have it cook for about 6 hours.  I check it about once during the cooking process just to be sure that it does not need additional liquid.