Daily Dose of Cute

What can I write here?

I'm in love!!

Week in Review

It's been a really fun week...and here are just a few shots from it. I feel like I've kind of hit my stride when it comes to being at home and enjoying the new normal. It's such a blessing that I have the opportunity to raise our little girl, we have more than enough, and friends and family to share it with (sorry about the preposition)!

MONDAY, I made some interesting sugar cookies. By the way, I'm really liking The Joy of Cooking cookbook these days! I've always been a Better Homes and Gardens girl, but I feel the winds of change or least the winds of variety. Anyway, I didn't capture the interesting part of these cookies in the picture, but come to find out (after the dough had been chilling for several hours) that the only cookie cutters I have are a dinosaur, a horse, an angel, and the state of Texas! In the end I went with the dino, angel, and state (the horse has too many little parts).

TUESDAY, I went back to the Y for the first time in weeks due to sickness. They are having a promo where if you work out 15 times between 11/10 and 12/22 you get a free t-shirt. I'm sad to say that this is motivation but it seems to be doing the trick. Um, no pictures of this!

WEDNESDAY, we stayed home in the morning (instead of working out) and I justified it by mopping the wood floors of our home for the second time ever in 3 years. I also began the tedious process of raking our front yard in a record breaking wind storm...needless to say, I gave up, quickly. I had lunch at a new friend's house which was delicious and just plain refreshing. I love those friendships where it just feels comfortable and like you've known each other a whole lot longer than you have.

Oh yeah, I also took a funny video of our girl and Homer. My 2 favorite things about this video are Homer's eyes and Charlotte's mouth.

THURSDAY, Kate and Cara came over with their little ones Ella (right) and Mia (left). Don't know if you remember the last picture we posted of them but Ella has really caught up to the other girls--she's huge! It's funny how much pink there is around these days!

Like how everyone is leaningto the left? I like to think that Charlotte and Mia are holding hands :) As you can see, we have no idea what to do the Charlotte's hair lately! It's super long in the front and I don't necessarrily want her to have bangs (but that's all I know). And she's starting to figure out when there's a clip or rubberband in her hair and pulls on it immediately. Grrr...

It's FRIDAY and I'm busy getting a box together to send ahead of us to Colorado since it costs so much to check bags now! That means I've got to have my Christmas presents in a row and things nailed down a little bit. I got to skype with my folks for awhile this morning. My mom is having to undergo pretty heavy duty chemo after Christmas and no one is looking forward to this, esp. her. Please pray if you think about it. Hopefully we'll get to travel to Austin in the spring for a mid-chemo visit or two. These circumstances give new meaning to "consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds..."

Much love to you in these busy weeks.

It's been a long year as far as the growth of our small group, but look at us now...

we're no longer small! (This picture was snapped without another family of six who also are apart of the group.) We're talking 13 kids and 14 adults! A year ago there were 3-4 committed couples and we've been praying for more folks to join us for some time. It's been so encouraging to meet more young families who are growing in their faith and raising their kids to do the same. It seems like this demographic is just exploding at our church right now and we're meeting new people all the time.

Here are pictures of a dress that I made for Charlotte. I actually took off the bodice and made it bigger...as you can see it was a little on the small side.
I think this dress made her feel really good about herself. At least that's what

I'm telling myself :)

Silly Girl

I hope this makes you laugh a little bit...

Hello Wednesday

I saw these on a friend of a friend's facebook page (don't pretend like you don't get lost in facebook land too!) and fell in love. These pictures take me away to another place completely. I so remember my year in Colorado and how utterly saturated I felt in the word and in the people around me...even though I was in a brand new place with people I'd never met before. Where I worked and lived, it seemed like everything was working together (granted that is my selective memory at work--it was by no means perfect, but it was um, simple). These days my life (and my many past lives in various places) feels pretty compartmentalized with different groups of friends and family and friends that continue to be spread out but who are still so much a part of who I am. Anyway, know that I am thinking of you today on this blustery Wednesday in Weaverville, NC and praising the Lord for putting you in my life!

In a season where we celebrate bounty and abundance, I am praising Him for always providing more than we need and all that we could want. His love, his provision, and his power to sustain us is unending.

I sold some stuff!

Here are a few pictures from yesterday's show. I actually had the chance to have my stuff at another one on Sat. afternoon. Both days, I sold 14 rings, which turned out to be the big hit, and 7 pins, a few cards and a couple of headbands. It was really cool to hear what people thought of my stuff (or my "babies" as Robin likes to call her stuff, which is true because you grow attached to the things you make in a weird way and then when they sell you have a quick goodbye moment when you wish it well and hope you taught it everything it needed to know to be a good headband, pin, ring, etc.). Anyway, it was a lot of fun and I have lots more ideas swirling around in my head. Robin (my craft/social media coach :) is also telling me to get an Etsy shop. I'm considering the idea or maybe another blog devoted exclusively to my "babies".

Here's my little setup...

And here's the backside of Robin's display. (Anyone looking for some great, handpainted Christmas ornaments? They can be personalized!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/lemonswithapea)

If your in the Asheville area...COME!

Clean Window

Today I'm enjoying a beautifully clean bay window that my mother-in-law so nicely cleaned for us. She saw a job that needed doing and she did it :) Thanks Terry! How come I didn't notice it had gotten so bad? I sure noticed a difference when it was clean though...and I'm still noticing it actually, each time I sit down by it or walk in front of it I see the trees clearer and the sun brighter and the leaves more golden. I could draw so many parallels to my life here. I won't, but I could, and this sentiment is definitely stirring around inside of me these days.

Jack and Terry did so much work on our house--mostly the bathrooms, but I mean we have an entirely new, updated 1/2 bath!! There is still work to be done, we of course we are being lazy and putting off now, but it is getting closer and closer to the finished product. We'll get pictures up as soon as we're done. Hopefully we'll make some major headway this weekend.

Charlotte is standing and pulling up these days...it's like I'm watching her go from being a baby to being a toddler already! We are enjoying playdates with our friends and the opportunity to watch some of our friend's kids. She's doing great with solid food and figured out how to wave. Waving is like the first real, visible, interactive connection we are seeing her make and it's so fun! We were Charlotte's Web characters for Halloween. Here are some pictures and a video from the last few weeks...

Mia and Ella

Wilbur

Wilbur and the Swine Flu (aka, Paula Pounds ladies and gentlemen)

Mr. Zuckerman, Wilbur, & Charlotte

Cutie Pie

Big-eyed, Curious Cutie Pie

Grandma Terry, Charlotte, & Papa Jack

Slinky. Fun for a boy or a girl.

I wish I had an image, a video, anything of the way a slinky made my little girl giggle last night. Well, not just giggle but all-out laugh until she couldn't breathe type of laugh...so ridiculously cute. I'm afraid she's already got more personality in her left pinky toe than I do in my entire being! She's alot of fun lately--talking (well making noises) and crawling and standing. She's just starting to imitate, which I've been waiting for because well Chris and I do some really silly things sometimes. Anyway, she's a riot and we're having tons of fun!

Visit from Texas

This last week my parents were here from Austin. They drove 2 days to stay for 7 (babysit for 2 of those so Chris and I could get away) and drove 2 days home. They are troopers! It was no month, but it was great to see them and be with them. My sister came down Sat. through Tues. too! We had fun doing some of the fall things one does in western North Carolina. We ooohhhed and ahhhhed at the leaves changing, went to the farmer's market, cooked seasonal vegetables like squash and sweet potatoes, drove on the parkway, took walks in downtown Weaverville, and...made apple butter (twice) from apples in our own backyard. My mom found a good crock pot recipe. Not only did it taste good, but it keeps the house smelling delicious for 12+ hours!! If we're here next year, I'll definitely do it again. We played hours and hours of Boggle and Bananagrams. Charlotte showed off all her tricks and even some new ones: going from kneeling to standing and pooping in the early morning :) All in all, great trip. I was sad to see them go...I even shed a tear as they drove down the hill and turned onto Reems Creek.

Bows

So I've been busy making fabric flowers--exciting I know!? But I've had fun with them and fun coming up with new ways to do it. I just love pretty fabric. There is something sentimental and romantic and personal about fabric...to me anyway!

My folks are driving to our house as we speak. I'm really looking forward to being with them. Usually I'm working and hosting and tired, but hopefully I'll get to spend some more time with them than usual. My sister is visiting this weekend too. Chris and I are taking a little trip this weekend to the urban metropolis of Hot Springs, NC for a little R&R while the grandparents watch the girl and the dog (who is driving me absolutely nuts these days!). Anyway, lots of upcoming adventures. I'll be sure and take pictures and make some posts of their visit.

To all the ladies out there, I think we could all use a huge flower on our head :)

Oct. 1!

Can't believe it's Oct. already! When did that happen? This week the weather turned to fall and the mood is changing from white wine and salad to red vino and soup. Speaking of, I'd love some good recipes if you've got them!

I've started crafting again and have made rings(!) and cards. Here are some sample pics:

What do you think? Any ideas or suggestions?

By the way, I am LOVING the breadmaker!

3 Weeks In.

So, we're 3 weeks in to me being a stay-at-home mom. I look back at the entry from the end of August-- such naivety! On a daily basis, I fluctuate between a wide range of emotions: boredom, bursts of energy, exhaustion, the desire to create something, the joy from seeing Charlotte's eyes light up, savoring precious time while giving her a bottle (or feeding her peaches and rice all mixed together with a splash of formula), wishing I wasn't addicted to the computer (including spider solitaire), waiting for Chris to get home because I love seeing Charlotte's face when she sees her daddy, realizing that all I created that day was a song about the dog to make her laugh.

2 things we got recently that are a lot of fun--johnny jump-up thing (thanks Robin!) that hangs in the door frame and lets her be a little more mobile. I think her favorite part about it is that she can get close to Homer. She is fasinated with him and I love that. And the second thing, that I'm anticipating will be fun-- a breadmaker. I just need to get some bread flour and then, watch out!

A new hobby that I find regular time for is making up fake errands just to kill time and get out the house. Although her schedule is changing all the time, esp. now thanks to teething (there is one poking through on the bottom), we've got a gap from about 11:30-1:30 that I try to fill with something each day. Thank goodness for the Y that puts up with us most days between 4-6 that allows me to avoid that fussy time before bed. (I did walk out of a pretty terrible class yesterday though, that's another story.) Anyway, I try to make lunch plans, or walking plans, or anything really that will absorb those 2 hours. Ironically, I've got nothing planned today, so what fake errand will it be today? Oh wait, I need to go get that bread flour!

Simple.

We are a simple family who likes to find joy in simple things. Here are a few of our latest finds!

Waterbottle

Old Magazines

This is actually a video that should have gone with the post from 8.28...

On a side note, I've been frustrated with Blogger lately because I haven't been able to upload videos directly. So now I have to upload them to You Tube then paste them into the post. I am so not a tech-y, but I did feel somewhat cool for being able to do this :)

Lottie, 6 months

Here's a link to some pictures I put on facebook last week:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=307651&id=698570062&l=869f695d6f
Happy looking!

Sleepy girl

The following post is old and I kept trying to load the video that goes with it and couldn't! :( So here's the post anyway...stay tuned...more often...

Here's our girl, trying to fall asleep. ...Whatever happened to me saying that I wasn't going to be one of those moms and always blog about my kid?!? Well, when I'm done at Windy Gap (next Fri. 9/4 is my last day) I think I'll have a lot more time to devote to this with more creativity and depth. Anyway, here's little Charlotte trying to fall asleep for her afternoon nap. I put her in the swing sometimes to try and extend that precious naptime. She had a busy day with her first haircut today--that's right, 6 months old people!

Anyway, we are about to embark on a whole new experience--that of a stay-at-home-mom. My head is filled with thoughts of playdates, a regular naptime, mommy hang-out time, and more sewing and cooking! All of these things I'm excited about about. I have a long list of things that I don't want to be and DO want to be doing. Jeez...The bottomline is --who knows?!? We'll just have to see how we settle in and figure this all out. In the meantime, we're grateful for the chance to do this and the opportunity to trust the Lord for the outcome.

We had some friends over the other night who reminded us about the kind of parents we want to be. His parents told him he only needed to date one girl and that he should be dating with the intent of marriage. I thought "it's one thing to hold those beliefs, it's another to have your kids believe what you tell them"! Chris and I both relish the idea and wish we'd never dated anyone before each other--so much wasted time and energy! Anyway, we hope to instill this in Charlotte's mind when she starts thinking about boys...hmmm parenting :)

New Favorite Picture

She looks so different to me every day, well at least every week...and this one did me in. She looks like such a little girl!

Delicious.

Rice cereal, here we come! We're having a great time with "solid" food. She likes it and it's nice to change up the routine a bit. We have loved being together this summer. Chris and I think this is the most time we've spent together since we got married really. 8 out of 11 weeks of summer camp, we've been able to spend 3 whole days together!

Cute baby pose...she found her toes.

Outdoor photo shoot.

Finally met uncle Sam...big noggin's unite :)

Summer, summer, summerti-ime. Just sit back and unwind.

Can't believe it's getting to be the middle of July already! I thought I'd post a few pictures of our life these days. Charlotte had her 4 mo. appointment yesterday and she's now in the 90th percentile for weight and height (from humble 10th percentile beginnings, that was a big surprise for us!). She is growing like a weed and we're probably going to be starting some solid food in the next 2 weeks. We're having a great time watching her grow, roll over, smiling and laughing a lot. Here's a shot of her in her newest toy...

Bathtime---she LOVES it!

Round little baby face.


Sweet cheek profile shot.

Big blue eyes--looks like they're staying blue!

She loves her daddy. He's always making her smile.

Happy late 4th of July! We thought about just putting a red onesies on her and letting her skin color and eye color complete the color scheme...but then we found a cute outfit in the bunches of clothes loaned to us.

Hope you're having a great summer. We love and miss you all!