little hands

my little boy is stringing beads on a piece of jute.  these beads were mine from when i was a crafty child -- i saved them from broken jewelry, projects, and even from summers at kanakuk.  i've just never been able to throw them away because i thought they would be good for something.  and now my taste has evolved... and cheapo beads aren't so appealing for my own projects, but how much fun it was for me to see ethan using them.  and when faustino gave me a raised eyebrow about why our son was stringing beads, saying he was making a necklace, i replied - "fine motor skills, honey."  and his little hands are doing much better on the fine motor skill front because of it...



and for record keeping purposes, last night, ethan was having a hard time going to sleep.  and was still crying after i left his room.  I went to change sister, and realized that i should have put her cloth diaper in the pail in ethan's room, so i went back in there, and took savannah with me.  i told ethan, "sister wants to say goodnight to you" to which he moved over, and made room for her under the covers and then looked at me and said, "go away"  how stinking funny is that?  i thought it was so sweet that he wanted to be with savannah but wanted to be alone... like he didn't need me to supervise him with her.  this week he has started really taking his own interest in her -- in a very sweet way.

and also for record keeping purposes, little miss has discovered her little hands last week and has picked up a paci that made it to her mouth all on her own on a handful of occasions.  she is so sweet - always up for tagging along with whatever we are doing... we went to the pool on Sunday and she was just as happy as could be.  I am so lucky.  I could not have handled a high needs child for baby #2.  I know i was right when i was pregnant and woke up one day with the overwhelming peace that Savannah would be a very sweet girl.  She is indeed a very sweet girl.

back in the groove

so, in attempt to get back into the groove of things, i decided to try my first sewing project since having savannah.  a newborn baby has a way of stealing time from hobbies, and that is what has indeed happened.

the other thing that happened was that my nursing pillow {not a boppy} bit the dust.  majorly.  as in, ripped in half and found a new home in a trashcan.  so i have been nursing without a pillow, and it is do-able, but so much more comfortable with a pillow... {do you see where this is going??} and I just so happened to have a pattern for a boppy cover.  My sweet friend Sabrina is a master seamstress and makes the most adorable things for her toddler daughter and son on the way, and she is creative as can be and now designs and sells patterns in her Noodles and Milk etsy shop.  {to all my pregnant friends out there, this would be a really easy project to do to coordinate your pillow to your nursery... or to get it monogrammed} 

anyway, I carved out a little time to prep one night {all my cutting and pressing} and then to sew the next night.  I was so happy with the results!  I can't wait to make a second one that will match her bedding that will eventually arrive...i just used fabric that I had on hand for this one. 

what do you think?  I even put in a zipper!!!  it was easy!  and next time i will be faster and more precise.  my next project -- a dress for little miss.  cross your fingers.

the kiddos

so this morning we went to run errands... i parked, turned around to look at the kids, and ethan was sleeping.  so we went home.  errands would have been nice, because currently I am fresh out of size D batteries... and for those of you familiar with the fisher price swing, D batteries are what makes the magic happen.

anyway, back in the spring, i was supposed to sign Ethan up for Summer Fun at his school.  I didn't feel like we really needed to be spending the money, because, hello, we were having a baby {and about a thousand other more pressing expenditures were on my list}...so he didn't get signed up.  and I felt really bad about it because he loves going to school.  major mom guilt.

well, Summer Fun would have started up for Ethan this week... thank GOD i didn't sign him up because he has been sick for the last 2 days {yesterday and today -- not Sunday for those of you we saw at the birthday party}



even sick he is a little stinker.  all he will eat is applesauce.  Last night I said, "ethan, do you want to go get some frozen yogurt, will that make you feel better?"  and he said, "no, applesauce."  I said, "are you sure?  frozen yogurt is really yummy"  I got the same reply.  Then my husband pointed out, "he is telling you what will make him feel better... i think mommy wants frozen yogurt."  so, I was totally busted.  perhaps frozen yogurt tonight...

Let's hope Little Miss doesn't pick up any of his germs... right now she seems pretty happy.  I could just eat her up.

that smile


those chunky thighs


and the lashes!

she is delicious.  little girls are so fun.  {ironing their clothes on the other hand, is not}

happy tuesday to you!

the truth is...

I started working on a post about my last jar of salsa... a post that i had in my drafts that was originally about my first jars of salsa.  but let's be honest here, i feel like this past week has EATEN ME ALIVE so, if I just posted about salsa, i would be putting on a bit of a front.

but just to be clear, this past week wasn't bad, i was just a few steps behind all week. and I took no photos.

we did some fun stuff... we had 2 playdates, we went to the farmers market, i made more pickles, we went to a birthday party, i went grocery shopping solo, i went to happy hour with girlfriends, faustino and i went to the lake with his colleagues,  i did so much laundry.  and dishes!! {since i had hot running water in the kitchen}.  I also made quite possibly the best pasta sauce of my life {not to sound boastful, but mine is always pretty good.  this was just especially wonderful} and faustino and I discovered just how wonderful netflix online is...{movies! movies! everything you ever thought about seeing at your fingertips!!}

yet, i never felt like i was really in control of the week.  it felt more like a runaway train I was chasing after.


but back to the salsa.  this is my last jar.  I am so, so sad.



and let me just say, the salsa was a labor of love.  remember this week?  where everything ripened at the same time?  i didn't really complain in that post, but it beat me down... researching the recipe, prepping, canning, etc.

anyway, the salsa was excellent.  so much so, that we ate all 9 jars - wait, 8 jars, because I gave one away... {as a token of thanks for borrowing this dress}

anyway, salsa is a tricky beast.  I had to really research it, because it is a mixture of low acid and high acid ingredients, and needs to be in a certain ratio to keep it from spoiling on the shelf.  sheesh!  what did our great grandmothers do without pages of posts on a forum to sift through to learn about this??

so i finally found the recipe, and made changes {that didn't affect the ratio of acid} but still don't think I have it exactly like I want it.  I think there are a few things that I could tweak in the heat department.  but really, i must say, this was shockingly good for my first attempt.  I mean, it was like what you would buy at central market.  and that is why i am so sad about it being the last jar.

so here is to hoping that the fall crop of tomatoes affords me the opportunity to try again.

this is the work in progress salsa recipe:


Stephanie's Salsa {mild}:
8 cups tomatoes, peeled, chopped and drained {folks, this is a lot of tomatoes - 8 cups sans tomato goo}
2 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 1/2 cups chopped green pepper
3 – 5 chopped jalapenos (not to exceed 1/4 c.)
6 cloves minced garlic
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp pepper
1/8 cup canning salt
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup lime juice (bottled)
3/4 cup vinegar
16 oz. tomato sauce
16 oz tomato paste

Mix all ingredients, bring to a boil, boil 10 minutes.
Pour into hot pint jars, process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes.

Makes 6 pints

just so you know its not all doom and gloom

I was scrolling down through the blog posts, and felt like I was being slightly negative.  {aside from posting about Savannah}  The car and the hot water are not exactly positive things... and there have been quite a few really nice things going on. 

For example, we decided at the last minute to go to the Botanic Gardens for the Fourth, and we managed to pull together a delicious assortment of appetizers for our picnic... and then we got there before it started, but not early like the other million people there, yet we got amazing seats right next to the handicap section  {only problem was the big tree in front of us blocked the fireworks, so you had to move to see them}



Ethan loved the fireworks, and Savannah was totally laid back {no tears}... we had a really nice time.  Ethan even made friends with the kids next to us that had a lighted bubble gun.  He was so excited, and when he gets like that, his thoughts get way ahead of his speech, and it sounds like he is speaking Chinese.  Seriously.  Those kids were older, and I wondered what they thought of the strange giberish sounds coming from my little boy. 



We all had a very nice time drinking Faustino's mojitos that he made for us there, and snacking on our spread...{though Ethan only wanted sweets} I did manage to somehow sit in some of the food, so I was happy that it got dark and I didn't run into anyone I knew because i had an oily spot on the tush of my khaki shorts.  nice.




and then this weekend i took the kids down to longview {faustino was on call} and we had the loveliest little visit.

first lovely thing - the kids slept most of the trip there {now, there was the issue with the torrential downpour that I drove through for about 30 minutes that I was praying we lived through...} and Savannah never screamed for her paci or anything.  And when we got there, their behavior remained top notch.  Savannah hardly fussed and was passed around all evening.  I got to see all my extended family and eat my grandmother's chicken and dumplings {which are the noodle like dumplings, not the gross puffy things} and that is one of my very favorite meals.  ever.




and Ethan got to play with his cousins {well, my cousins' kids... his second cousins? first cousins once removed?? help me, people} and he had so much fun doing that... rough housing with the big boys.



also, Ethan ate four rice krispy treats because he was able to con people into giving him one after another. and another.  and another.  {needless to say, they were all gone when I came back downstairs after nursing snickerdoodle}


and that night, with all three of us in my old bedroom, Savannah slept beautifully in the crib {waking up at 5:15 to eat and then 7:00 to start the day,} and Ethan slept from bedtime until morning in bed with me, no problems.  I. was. shocked.  I fretted a little about how we would do, but shouldn't have.  It was so easy.


and then, I got a morning nap because my family wanted to play with the kids... ahhh....


and the trip home?  easy as well.


delightful.

oh, and I forgot to mention, my weekend even started off nicely with my husband surprising me by taking me to a movie and dinner and arranging childcare all on his own... nice, huh??

the plumber comes in the morning... so i will cross my fingers for the start of a good week! 

{p.s.  my husband let me know tonight -- no more smocking on Ethan.  I'm so stinkin' sad...}

our not-so-patriotic surprise on july 5th

seriously?  this was not cool.  I know that we don't really like this car so much... and I know it is 13 years old... but this is what we have until after residency and my husband can buy a truck. {bless his soul for driving the tiny old honda everyday, while i drive the nicer car}

anyway, we were home when they did this... and everything is fixed now.  i can't shake the feeling that they will come back for the other 2 soon...

100%

Savannah turned 2 months last week.  It is amazing how quickly the time passes.  We took her to the pediatrician on Friday, and folks, my baby is big.  And my baby can eat.



In the waiting room, we nursed while Ethan played... she was halfway finished when we were called back.  So she was weighed mid-meal by the nurse.

These were her stats:
13 pounds, 14.5 ounces
24.5 inches
39cm head circumference

Then, I had to wait for the doctor, so I finished nursing her.  I thought, just for kicks, let's weigh you again, miss priss.  and we did... she had taken another 4 ounces!!!  She was 14 lbs, 2.5 ounces.

The curious thing about nursing, is that you never know exactly how much milk they take in... you can guess, but you never really know.  When I leave a bottle, I leave 5 ounces and she takes all of it.  I know that is more than Ethan took, because I think he was just starting to take 5 ounces when I did my short stint back to work, but mostly took 4 ounces.  and that was at 3 months!

So, needless to say, she is off the charts.  She's in the 100th percentile for length and weight {50th for head circumference}

She's a big baby... i just thought Ethan was a big baby.  and really, it isn't in her arms... just her belly and thighs! 

She is also a really sweet baby.  I could just snuggle her squishy-ness all day long...








oh, and another thing, after her shots, she was fine.  she slept.  perhaps she was a little fussy, but nothing crazy.  with Ethan, his 2 month shots went horribly, and he was the maddest I have ever seen him.  2 month shots with him might have been the worst day ever.

not so for my little love bug...

old-fashioned

sometimes it seems that people are into doing things the old-fashioned way -- getting back to a more simple time.  and I can appreciate that.  I even feel like I participate in that movement sometimes.



however, i am a fan of modern conveniences.  one of which is the machine that washes your dishes for you.   

you see, at the beginning of last week, i noticed that the dishes in my dishwasher weren't coming clean with one cycle.  then it was two cycles.  then not at all...

meanwhile, all along in our little home, the kitchen sink has never had a very strong stream of hot water {and yes, we cleaned the screen in the faucet}  in fact, i would often mutter to myself in annoyance, that one day, there just wouldn't be any hot water coming out of the ding dong faucet in the kitchen.  and that day came.

so my aha moment was that we didn't need a new dishwasher {that I had gotten approval from my landlords to purchase - but had not pulled the trigger on yet} but that we needed hot water for the stinkin' dishwasher to clean the dishes.  Actually, you need hot water to do dishes by hand as well.  In fact, this was rather inconvenient.  So Faustino undid the faucet from the wall and then unscrewed the pipe thingy... and saw that it was totally clogged.  the next day when the plumber came, he told me that unless my husband turned off the water to the house, there was no way that he undid the pipe -- that my kitchen would have been flooded.  I told him that i thought the pipe was just really clogged.  he still didn't believe me.  until he realized the pipe was totally clogged.  As in - he has to come back and cut holes in my wall.  nice huh??  and that was supposed to happen today.  but apparently, it will happen next week.  because we got bumped by someone who probably was having a real plumbing crisis.  I can be thankful that we aren't.  {in fact, i know that people have real problems.  this is in no way a real problem.  we are healthy and safe and have food to eat --- i just wanted to clear that up}

so, if you are the old-fashioned type, come on over.  I'll show you how to do dishes around here {you fill up a dishpan with hot water from the bathtub!!}  sounds fun, right??  and no, we don't do paper plates around here... ecofriendly, blah, blah, blah. :)

hi there -- i've had some posts in my head

posts that just haven't made it to blogger.  posts that will make it to blogger this week... because really, so much has been going on.  and like i said to a friend today, it really is neat to be able to go back and see the little things that we do... it really does help me remember what is really going on in our family.   {because my brain is like a black hole... where do some of my memories go??}

anyway...

would you like to know the two highlights of my day??
1.  I found out a friend moved back to town
2.  I bought this, installed it, and threw away this.  Streamlining!!  And less pee on the floor from moving the seat around without cleaning it first.  {I didn't buy either of these from the links... you can buy the family seat at home depot and I always worried about cleaning the seat before moving it - and for the record, it was other people who would move it -- my son was the worst offender}


And until I can muster up a real post -- here is Ethan excited about celebrating the Fourth!