A Day in the Life: 8 Months Later

Back in March I did a “day in the life” post – at that point Luke was 3 and  potty training, and Livi was just a few weeks old.  Life was crazy chaotic but I’m glad I documented it.  I thought I’d do anther one to compare life then and now.  It’s a little easier, thank God, but, well…definitely not chaos-free. lol!

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Wednesday, November 13, 2013

3:45 am: Livi’s crying.  Change her diaper in her crib, in the dark, aka trying to wrestle a wet pig while half asleep myself.  Sister likes to be on her belly AT ALL TIMES when sleeping so she is perpetually trying to flip over while I simultaneously attempt to change her.  So desperate to finish I only get one of the onesie snaps matched before I zip up her fleece pjs.  Hoping she won’t notice.  Calm her down but I notice she is deep breathing and simultaneously has the hiccups.  This is not going to end well….but I go back to bed. 

 

4:05: Crying again.  Ahhh, the snaps!  Maybe one of them is cold and hitting her leg?!  Go back in, fasten all three, calm her down again by rubbing her back.  She goes to sleep {I’m praying for real this time.}

 

4:22: Back in bed and hopefully for good…

 

7:30: I wake up and it’s bright light outside and I can smell coffee {bless my husband, I knew that man was worth marrying!} My kids never ever ever sleep this late anymore so for a moment I think it must be the weekend and Chris has let me sleep in.  I quickly realize it’s not the weekend, I hear Livi moaning and stumble to get her.  Luke wakes up about 2 seconds later.  Secure milk for my boy and bottle for my baby.  Eyes half asleep.  2 sips of coffee before I feed Livi on the couch.

 

She finishes and I drink coffee to try to wake up. 

 

Meanwhile, Livi is playing at her toy, aka THE MACHINE OF DEATH.  Sound is broken so it only plays on LOUD and the most obnoxious computer-generated songs.  But it’s good for her to practice standing on her own, and she loves it, so we keep it. 

    

 

 

8:30: Breakfast for Luke…toast with butter, peanut butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.  Smells soooo good…

 

 

8:45: Breakfast for me…toast with butter, peanut butter, raw honey and cinnamon.   I don’t even like honey all that much but this local stuff is to die for.  Kids play while I continue to wake up. Yes, I noticed I already wrote that once.  lol

    

 

 

9:45: Livi is down for 1st nap, I secure Sesame Street on Netflix for Luke, and I hurry to the bathroom for a super fast and not-at-all relaxing shower.

 

 

10:10: Livi’s awake and crying.  Did she even sleep?!  I swear this girl is an insomniac.  I go in and see if I can calm her back down to actually nap.  She is holding her dolls, sitting up, and when I go in she stops crying and laughs at me when she sees me.  Nice. 

 

10:50: Feed Livi puffs, chicken chutney (lol), egg yolks, pureed fruits, then bottle after her food.  She is on day 4 of egg yolks and loving them.  So grateful every time we can add a food to the “approved” list!  I clean the kitchen while she eats the yolks and puffs.

    

 

11:20: Kitchen and Livi are cleaned up.  I do my hair and make-up to actually look human and not scare the daylights out of the bus driver when she comes later. 

11:45: Luke out of jammies and dressed.

11:50: Livi out of jammies and dressed.  Both kids out of jammies before noon = success.  I’m basically top contender for mom of the year, in case anyone was wondering yet. 

 

 

12:00 pm: Livi starts acting super cranky.  I feel like she needs to take a nap, but technically we are on “bus alert” now – the bus comes at 12:15 but we are supposed to be ready early just in case.  I don’t want to chance missing the bus while I’m back in the room calming her down. I decide to stay by the door and try to console her so I don’t miss the bus.  A lovely 15 minutes ensues. 

 

 

12:30: Blissssss.  Luke is on the bus, Livi has actually fallen asleep (!!) and Chris is, for the first time ever, home for lunch!  He started a new job last week that requires a lot of driving and traveling and he’s right near our house for lunch today.  Hooray! 

 

 

Lunch is leftover hamburger vegetable soup, pulled from the freezer last night.  Crystal Paine’s recipe and we love it!  I inform Chris that if he’s home it has to be documented today and make him take a blurry photo of us. :)

 

 

1:00: Chris stays home to work and make calls but “he’s not here.”  Time to bake!  I’ve mentioned Luke has a lot of food issues but breakfast foods (aka carbs) are safe for him.  I bake frequently so that he has something to eat.  Today I have a little bit of pumpkin left in the fridge so I am making pumpkin scones. 

 

 

I love baking and I light my candle and turn on my Little Women soundtrack, pull out my Pyrex and get to work. 

    

 

Scones are baking and I load and run the dishwasher {aka THE STORY OF MY LIFE}.  I pull out salmon to thaw for dinner.  Aldi’s salmon is wild-caught and amazingly priced.  I buy it all the time!

 

 

 

1:55: Livi’s up and crying.  That nap definitely wasn’t as long as I was hoping for, after this morning.  Bummer.

 

2:15: Livi eats her puffs while I whip up a broccoli-pumpkin-applesauce combination, with some cinnamon oatmeal on the side.  It’s amazing to me that she likes it {babies are crazy!} but she scarfs it down. Another small bottle, too.

 

    

 

 

2:45:  Livi’s finished and clean and I keep her in the seat, give her some plastic measuring cups and spoons, and put Baby Einstein on the computer for her so I can sit down for a few minutes.  I take out my Bible, Jesus Calling, my gratitude journal, and some more coffee.  I read and write in-between jumping up and down to get the spoons that she drops. 

 

It occurs to me that I really don’t sit down much in a given day.  Like…less than 30 minutes total so far today.  Crazy.

 

3:15: Luke’s off the bus and wants milk {he gets it at wake-up, bedtime, and after school.  I think he likes looking forward to it.}  We talk about his day and I try to prevent him from squeezing his sister too hard in a hug or trying to ride her like a horse as she crawls.  The things I find myself saying aloud...

 

4:00: Livi’s super cranky and I want to put her in the car to take another cat-nap before bedtime.  Chris can finish up the rest of his work later, so he decides to come with us.  Another unexpected surprise!  Normally he wouldn’t be home until 5:00.  Having him there to help makes a world of difference in how much fun grocery shopping is.  :) We head to Wal-Mart {out of sheer necessity – I’m not a big fan of that store!} and Stop & Shop.

I am so grateful that scarves are in style now!  They make SAHMs look sooo much more put together than they really are.  Or at least me…I shouldn’t speak for other moms.  haha ;)

 

5:30: We’re home and I’m prepping dinner {pan-fried salmon, Alexia fries, and salad}. 

We play with the kids and give them both baths before putting them to bed.  Livi goes down about 7:00 and Luke about 7:45 tonight.  I realllllly don’t want to work out, but I’m doing a Thanksgiving Fitness Challenge with some Facebook friends and so I force myself to move on the elliptical.  I am slower tonight but I stay on for 30 minutes.  I lay on the couch afterward, watching a Netflix show, while Chris finishes up work from the day and gets ready for his business trip tomorrow. 

We’re both in bed by 10.  I’M EXHAUSTED!

P.S….that night, Livi was awake at 11:30, 12:30, 1:30, and 3:30.  Deeeeelightful.  

So, that’s a day in my life! I can’t see anyone buying the rights to my life for a screenplay soon, but someday I know I’ll be glad I wrote this.  ;)

 

Happy weekend, y’all! We made it!!!! :)

My Facebook Page Launch – And a Giveaway!

Hey you guys!  I *finally* got around to launching my new Facebook page for the blog – and I’m celebrating with a fall giveaway! :)

True story: I have had my Facebook Page “reserved” since March 2010.  I totally know that sounds a little crazy. ;)   I just remember thinking that blogging was becoming more and more popular,  and so I figured I’d better snatch the name just in case!  Also: I did the same with Twitter but can’t see myself using that anytime soon.  #aintnobodygottimeforthat

SO.  :) I’d LOVE it if you’d join me over there!  The reason I launched the page is so that when I link up blog posts they can easily be displayed right on the new Facebook page and not on my personal page.  Plus this way I can share Pinterest finds, favorite posts from other bloggers, awesome deals I see on the internet, etc.  I think it will be lots of fun. :)

So let’s move on to what you can win, right?! 

You probably all know by know that fall is my FAVORITE and Thanksgiving is my SUPER FAVORITE, so I decided to put together a little collection of things that would make your holiday a little more fun!  {The fact that stores go right from Halloween to Christmas music makes me want to break out in hives a little.   Thanksgiving is the poor neglected holiday – how did that happen?!}

So, I put together a little collection that will hopefully make your Thanksgiving holiday a little bit brighter:

 

 

Details:

Salted Caramel Yankee Candle {smells soooo delish} and fun little mini notecards {these would make cute thank-yous for holiday hostess gifts or for your kids’ teachers at school.}

 

Orange napkins {not gonna lie, I totally got these on clearance so there is a sticker on the back! haha} and fun orange ribbon from JoAnn fabrics

 

Fun little sticky tabs from Target {for marking holiday recipes or gift catalogs!} and a “Give Thanks” banner from Michael’s

 

 

This adorable free 5x7 printable that you saw printed out from Johnson Ferry Women’s Ministry in my fall house tour.  I DO NOT own this print – it was provided for free and I am just a grateful recipient! If you win this giveaway and would prefer not to receive this Scripture print, I will certainly do my best to find a non-religious print to substitute for you. :)

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So, how do you win?! 

Basically, the more you do, the more chances you have!

First and mandatory requirement is to “Like” my new Facebook page for This Blessed Life.  If you already did that, GREAT!  You still get to enter!

If you share this post or my FB page, you get extra points (see below). 

If you answer some questions for me, you get extra points as well. 

 

It’s my little way of saying thanks for getting my Facebook page launched!  Giveaway starts today {Thursday} and will end on Sunday the 10th at midnight.  I’ll be back Monday morning to announce the winner!

Good luck and thank you!! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fall Around Our House {2013}

I post pictures of seasonal decorating on my blog each year so that when I pull the boxes down for each holiday, I can look back and see how I decorated the year before and remember what worked and what I want to tweak. 

Every year I *think* I like it the way it is…but then I inevitably change it a little every subsequent year. :) Part of that is my tastes changing over time, and part of that is due to new things I find on clearance or at thrift stores or yard sales that I buy throughout the year and place in the attic until it’s time to bring them down again. 

 

So here’s how our house looks right now…
{p.s. I have NO clue why the formatting is so messed up – I’ve tried to fix it 3 times and it still won’t save my changes.  Sorry it’s a little mushed!}

 

    

…pumpkin: thrifted…orange bowl: gift from friend…

 

 

    

…foliage and bowl: thrifted; candle: gift…corn: yard sale; bucket and filler: target dollar spot…

    

…acorn frame: CTS clearance; bowl and candle, gift; pods: Michael’s…
…kids’ q-tip art inspiration: Jones Design Company… 

 

 

…faux leaves: thrifted; grapevine wreath: JoAnn’s…

 

 

Loving this fun and functional chalkboard in our dining room!  Hopefully one of these days I’ll finally get the DIY details up!

 

 

…faux berries: Michael’s…

…fall garland: thrifted…

    

…free printable in thrifted frame…

…garland and banners: DIY…

…tray: Goodwill; plate: Target clearance; berries: A.C.Moore (old); candle: free with coupon at Hallmark (old)…

…garland: DIY…

 

 

…free printable in thrifted frame; bird, lantern, faux fruit: thrifted; pods: Michael’s, runner: Wal-Mart (old)

 

I just love the colors and words of this free printable!  Great for the month of November.

 

 

The wreath is a DIY Ballard knock-off…another tutorial I should have posted ages ago but just don’t have the time right now with these two crazy kids of mine!

 

Well, that’s our house right now!  Hope you enjoyed the little tour! I love fall and get so, so excited for it every year!  And only a few more weeks til Thanksgiving…my very favorite holiday!  Hooray! :)

Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

So…I made a fall bucket list this year and we have so far completed all but one of the items.  We have been doing fun family activities every weekend {well except for two weekends we were sick} and it has just been a blast.  We have been having the best fall EVER – there was a period of about 18 months of Luke’s life where he struggled pretty bad with anxiety and social situations and events were so stressful for us they weren’t even worth it.  But we’ve come out on the other side and now doing stuff with our boy is so, so fun.  And having a baby girl to share it all with now, too?  Amazing. :)

I don’t have the energy right now to post our fall photos for you yet, but I did want to stop and share one of my new favorite breakfast recipes with you.  Chocolate + pumpkin = HELLO in my world. 

I’ve adapted this recipe from a recipe I found online.  My version is the way I personally make it {a little bit cleaner}.  If you’re more of an I’d-rather-die-than-eat-whole-wheat-flour kind of person, you’ll probably be more interested in the original recipe found here from Tastes Better from Scratch. 

But my version has chocolate. 

I’m just sayin’.  ;)

 

 

 

 

Chocolate Chunk Pumpkin Spice Pancakes

Wet Ingredients:

1 1/2 C milk
1 C pumpkin puree
2 flax eggs {2 T flax and 6 T warm water}
2 T oil
2 T white vinegar

Dry Ingredients:

2 C white whole wheat flour
3 T brown sugar {unpacked is fine}
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt

Extra:

Chocolate chunks {I chopped pieces off of a dark chocolate bar I had in the house – but honestly semi-sweet chocolate chips works fine, too.}

 

Combine wet ingredients and allow to sit {the vinegar is basically making the milk into buttermilk so you want it to sit and “sour” for a few minutes.}

Combine dry ingredients and stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine – lumps are good in pancake recipes! You can either add your chocolate chunks now so that the entire batter has the chips in it OR drop the chunks of chocolate onto the pancakes after you pour the batter on the griddle.  This is what I typically do, since Chris doesn’t like chocolate in pancakes {I KNOW} and that way we can do half-and-half.  

Heat an oiled griddle/skillet over medium high heat.  Pour about 1/4 C of the batter for each pancake {these babies are thick so you won’t want to make them huge or they’ll never cook in the middle}.  Brown on both sides and serve with butter or syrup or whatever makes you happy. :)

Makes approximately 12 pancakes {but they’re thick!}

Enjoy!  I just know you will love them!

 

 

Okay and here’s one photo for you – this is Livi last weekend at the pumpkin patch.  My girl was soooooooooooooo happy to be there.  :)

 

Croup and Thrifting {aka Miscellany Monday}

Our week started out like this: last Sunday at church I noticed Luke coughing a bit.  He got progressively worse over the day and night {Sunday night being the worst}, and stayed home from school Monday and Tuesday.  By Wednesday he was well enough to go to school, though {this child has a super immune system, I swear}.  But by that time, I had a slight cold from being coughed at in my face over the previous 3 days.  {oh, motherhood!}  Whatever I had, Chris also got and came down with.  Simultaneously, Olivia, who had been teething already and had a runny nose, got a legit cold that turned into croup quickly. 

 

 

 

Friday saw us at the doctor’s office with a diagnosis of croup and a prescription for two steroids.  As of right now {Sunday afternoon when I type this}, she is napping and almost 100% – not quite there yet, but close.  The steroids worked super fast to open up her airways and stop that scary barking cough.  She still has the residues of a cold, and she’s not quite as happy as normal, but we’re getting there.  The steroid she’s on is intense and gives her a lot of trouble sleeping {I was on it when I had shingles and it gave me crazy nightmares} so I’ll be SO happy when she can take her last dose tomorrow!

I posted on Facebook that when my kids get sick like this I truly thank God for the day and age we live where childhood illnesses like this – even big time ones like congenital heart conditions – are not death sentences for my kids.  They are treatable and fixable.  I am sooooo grateful for that!

 

 

Anyway, HOW does this tie in with thrifting?!  lol  By Friday night Luke was going bananas because with both parents sick most of the week {I was better by then – moms don’t really get to get sick, right?!} and Olivia needing waaaay more than her normal care, he was really needing some alone time.  So we went out Friday and then again Saturday, just the two of us, to do some errands and also hit up a church sale, a yard sale, and a local consignment store that I’d never visited before.

I don’t know how to say this without sounding weird, but sometimes when it’s just the two of us, my heart aches a little.  I miss giving all my time and attention to Luke.  I love Olivia so much she makes my heart hurt but I simultaneously sometimes long for the days when it was just me and my little buddy.  I don’t know how to word this without sounding like I wish she wasn’t here, because I love that girl more than life itself and she is totally the sunshine of my life.  So hopefully this makes sense.  Basically, it did us both good to be alone together. :)

 

 

And we had a GREAT time!  Thankfully my little buddy loves going to yard sales with me {he always gets a 25 or 50-cent toy or book, so of course he loves it.  lol}. 

On Friday night we hit up a church sale with some 25 cent books {I am a total book nerd and I LOVE seasonal children’s books!  Allllllmost as much as I love decorating for the season. ;) }

 

I also scored a gingham Children’s Place shirt for Luke for next year {pumpkin patch photo!} and a set of jammies for this year {$2 for all 3 pieces.}  The white plate was 50 cents to add to my white plate collection {you never know when you’ll accidentally drop one!} and Luke’s treat was a Mater car that he is obsessed with. 

 

On Saturday after Luke’s haircut we stopped at a {new to me} kids’ and women’s consignment store.  I found a few things for myself, including a $6 Vera ID case that I am in love with.  I have wanted one for years and I seriously *never* splurge on myself.  This was a great price I couldn’t pass up and it will be perfect for yard sales so I can just clip it to my keys!  Yay!

  

 

This store was also having a 25 cent book sale so we stocked up on some more!  Seriously.  I am such a sucker for kids’ books!

 

Lastly, we went to a yard sale.  Do you ever go to a yard sale and think, “Darn it, I should have been here when they opened!”  These people had adorable stuff and SO CHEAP.  By the time I got there it was about 1:30 pm and the husband told me they’d had literally hundreds of people stop by.  They live on a very busy main road so I totally believe it!  I can just tell by what they had left that I would have reallllly spent a lot of money at 9 am.  lol

I love when I find organizational things at yard sales!  You can always find a place for them around the house. 

Kitchenaid drawer organizers – 25 cents for the 3 piece set!

 

Necklace was 50 cents, cosmetic bags were 50 cents for both, and scarf was 50 cents too. 

 

Small basket 25 cents,  large was $1 and Tupperware for the bath {to rinse the kids’ hair} was also 25.   Hooks and belt hanger were 25 cents each too. 

 

 

We stayed home from church this morning, obviously, so we’ve just had a nice relaxing day as a family.  My husband let me sleep in, which was SO needed, and then he took a nap, and then I made one of our favorites, Dirty Rice {via Southern Plate}, and my parents stopped by for lunch after their church got out. 

It’s a cloudy fall afternoon here and I’m just sipping my pumpkin spice coffee as I sit and type.  I have homemade bread crumbs in the oven and I have some frozen bananas thawing on the counter to make banana chocolate chip muffins with a bit later.  It’s been so nice to finally have a day where we’re not all feeling like we got beat up and to just be here and relax. 

Here’s to a great, healthy week!

Joining in with Carissa today!

Favorite Links and Recipes {What I’m Loving Lately}

I thought that today I’d share some of my favorite recipes and web links that I’ve either a} found to be delicious,  b} found to be encouraging,  or c} found to be delicious AND encouraging.  haha ;)

Enjoy!

 

{1} Chicken and Dumplings via Take Them a Meal

{photo via Take Them a Meal}

Last night I made chicken and dumplings for the first time EVER in my life.  I know, can you believe it?  I have no idea why I waited so long.  Oh my gosh, pure comfort food!  I followed this easy recipe from Janelle who blogs at Comfy in the Kitchen.  The only thing I did differently was to use my own homemade broth {because I already had it in my freezer} and cook my own chicken {basically I just boiled some chicken breasts until cooked, then shredded it.}  Highly recommend!  Mmmmm!

 

{2} Pumpkin Pie Syrup via Annie’s Eats

         {photo via Annie’s Eats}

 

THIS. SYRUP. IS. AMAZING.  You guys, seriously?  SERIOUSLY.  I’ve made several versions of pumpkin-pie “lattes” before and they always came out gritty and kinda gross, to be honest.  This one has you cook the ingredients together and then strain then (I did it twice and used my hand-held fine-mesh strainer.)  It is FAAAAAAAAAAAAAABULOUS {imagine Oprah saying that when she announces her Favorite Things show.  lol}  I’ve just been using it in my coffee with some milk…you could make it into a latte if you wanted to but you can also just add it to regular coffee!  So, so, sooooo good. 

You’re welcome in advance.  :)

 

{3} Cast-Iron Skillet Pizza via Kathy’s Kitchen

 

I had never thought to do this before, but it is so clever.  It made a delicious deep-dish pizza and it was a nice change {a nice change? what am I, 65?! lol} from regular pizza on a pizza pan.  Plus I love finding any and all excuses to use my cast-iron. :) We hardly ever buy pepperoni anymore (like maybe once a year?) but when we do I like to buy the Applegate farms version. 

 

 

{4} Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins via Beneath My Heart

 

{photo via Beneath My Heart}

I don’t know about you guys, but every pumpkin recipe I’ve ever tried comes out super oily and soggy the next day.  This one DOESN’T.  Winner!  I think it might be the fact that there’s butter instead of oil in it.  Regardless, it’s delish.  {FYI, the recipe makes 2 dozen so half it if you only need 12.}

 

 

{5} Being Faithful in the Little Things by Kelly’s Korner

I don’t know why, but I literally had tears streaming down my face as I read this today.  Maybe it’s the fact that Luke was sick this week and now Livi is, and there has been a LOT of sleepless nights, but it just really spoke to my heart today.  Being faithful in the little things does matter to God.  I hope you can read it and be encouraged!

 

 

{6} Women Living Well Conference – Live Webcasts on Women Living Well

Several bloggers I read came together in August to hold a “Women Living Well” conference in Ohio.  They’re now putting up an hour’s worth of the conference every Thursday night at 9:00 for the next several weeks.  I watched last week and was really encouraged and I’m really looking forward to tonight’s!  It’s all about encouraging women to be great wives, mothers, and Christians.  If you can’t watch tonight, they’ll have it up until 9:00 Friday night if you need to maybe watch during your kiddos’ naptimes tomorrow afternoon. :)

Okay, I think that’s it!  Have you ever tried any of these recipes, by any chance?  Also, am I the only person to never make chicken and dumplings before?! :)

 

I think you should know that I originally titled this post “What I’m Loving Wednesday” intending to link up with a blog party…and I only just realized 2 seconds ago that today is THURDSAY!  hahahaha!  Oh well, one day closer to the weekend, right?!  I told you I didn’t get a lot of sleep this week! :)