the day in which i cleaned out my cupboard.

you know what makes me happy? purging.  i love seeing empty spaces in my house and my closets and my cupboards.  it helps me breathe easier.  also, getting rid of stuff is plain good for the soul.  letting go of more that i could be storing up is kind of freeing.  we have had one junk/nick nack/whatever cupboard in our kitchen that has laid to waste.  as soon as our kids were born our house became curios free and i am not sure that i'll ever go back.  there's less to dust this way.  yes and amen. well finally, i could not stand the hidden clutter cupboard any longer. 

no, those aren't bugs down there... just some twigs and grass. gross and weird.

also weird?  evidence that i used to have some crazy mad love for candles.

these were only taken four years ago, people.  which makes me really scared for 2016. 

 

the fact that this one is in a frame is quite frightening with the fake ocean backdrop.  this was actually on a wall in my house? i suppose we paid a good $20 for it, so i wanted to get my money's worth. 

this is Kelly's trophy he received when we left youth ministry.  the best part? he actually made me put it up in our house for a few years.  

thankfully, it gets better.  these are some things from my grandmother.  she died when i was eight so i count them as treasures.  i'm guessing she used these for something like ambrosia.  don't know what i will use them for.  one thing i will not use them for is ambrosia.

more grandma stuff.  i wouldn't exactly call these birds(?) my style, but i'm trying to get in touch with my sentimental side.

here we go. cha ching. if there's one thing my grandmother did well it was tea and coffee.  i remember being five, at her house, asking for cream and sugar in my decaf.  yet, i don't like coffee now.  what happened? i really want to know. but i do see plenty of tea parties in the future with my Sage.

the moral of the story: clean out your cupboards and hope to God you're not as weird as you used to be. you may even find yourself a few treasures as you let go of more.

linking with rach because who does't count a cleaned out cupboard as a favorite?

the verdict is...

...i've gone all nutty like Betty White.

i kissed my brain cells goodbye, just as you suspected.  yesterday morning i gallantly announced to my husband and to facebook that it was day one of potty training BOTH of my children, Hunter: age 2 (almost 3) and Sage: 19 months.  in theory it was a grand idea, similar to Machu Picchu, and almost declared a wonder.  the three day method is miraculous, is it not?  my hopes were as high as the moon.

it started out as smooth as a gravel road.  Hunter cried over not wearing any pants, who can really blame him? he refused to stand up for awhile and insisted on tucking his shirt below his knees.  i was losing some hope right about then. somehow with the distraction of Little Einsteins he got over it quickly.  the appeal of flushing his stuff down was all it took to lure him in.  we made it through the whole long day with only one tiny accident, which he practically recovered and made it to the potty in the nick of time, minus some dribbles.  no biggie. i told him i was super proud of him and he replied, "i'm proud of you, too mom."  why thank you.

Sage.  it's likely to be a traumatic memory. in two hours i soaked up pee from our carpets seven times and wished for hardwood. with a floor to potty ratio of 7:1, i put her back in a diaper.  let's just say that bluebeary sat on the potty much more than Sage ever did.

also, a salesman rang our doorbell during naptime.  how dare he do that in the middle of the three day potty training method.  what the heck.  in the land of online shopping, door-to-door sales are like five steps backwards.  will they ever learn already?

all in all, it was easier than i psyched myself up for; what a gift! Kelly has his longest days, like 14 hours, on Tuesdays (lucky for him, i didn't think about that when i planned it) and it was 70 degrees outside.  if i could've planned it all over again, i'd go for a soggy, 50 degree Wednesday.  Sage agrees as she looked out at the kids playing under the warm sunny sky. but there's no complaining here.  our diaper budget is well on its way to being cut in half. this is wondrous.

ps. i did watch Ellen yesterday.  it's kind of an old favorite pastime.  it's been months upon months since i'd seen a show.  well, Seal was on.  yeah, the guy that is separating from Heidi Klum.  that Seal.  he said he and Heidi were surprised about separating.  as if they didn't have any control over it?!

pps. he then sang his rendition of "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green.  the one that says "lovin you forever..."  was it supposed to be a crazy joke?  it was tragic.

ppps. what about the kids? so sad. so very very sad.

((via))

miscellany monday

write random and link below.

<a href="http://www.carissagraham.com/search/label/miscellany%20monday"><img vspace="none" hspace="none" alt="Miscellany Monday @ lowercase letters" src="http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt255/ElvishAuthoress/MMbutton3.png" /></a>

1. granola. granola. i am obsessed.  especially when it takes all of five ingredients.  the kids call granola bars cookies which makes my life pretty easy.  Sage was caught licking the batter and the oat crumbs produced the perfect evidence.  unfortunately for her, there was no getting out of this. except look at her sweet eyes... they rope me in and melt me every. time. forgive this pic for its grain, it was in honor of the recipe. ; )

i used this recipe and adapted it for the ingredients i already had.  

five ingredient granola bars adapted from here

4 cups rolled oats

3/4 cup natural peanut butter

2 tbsp flaxseed

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup agave nectar

(some great mix ins would include chocolate chips, chia seeds, dried fruit, nuts, seeds, coconuts, and wheat germ. trust me, use a mix in or two or five!)

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine oats and flaxseed. Add  honey and agave nectar; mix to combine. Add melted peanut butter and mix until moistened.  If you're adding mix-ins now is your chance. You may need to get in there with your hands and work it. If dough is too dry (this can depend on your ingredients) add more peanut butter or syrup (or honey) 1 tablespoon at a time until moistened. Press dough in a greased (non-stick spray) 9 x 13 baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes.

2. no shame, no gain.  for the sake of turning a tragedy into a triumph, i choose to laugh. and what else can you do, really, when you come home to find a ginormous chocolate spot from who knows where on your hiney for all the world to see?  i'm guessing the world didn't think it was chocolate. whatchya think? ((sorry for the awkward behind shot.))

3. it's official.  i give up being invested in politics and sports... this weekend was full of heartache. i'm sad for the 49ers, my hometeam, and politically speaking, bummed with the results here in SC.  that pretty much sums it up.

4. during the football games yesterday, Sage asked 5,900 times "where'd go ball?"  it was slightly annoying but mostly entirely cute.

5. my mom and step-dad got our kids a play kitchen for christmas.  i'm continually amazed by how much time this gives me to do my thang.  if you need a free babysitter, get a play kitchen. you may even get "micowabed" eggplants everyday.

6. our super rad friends, travis and ashley write amazing music and are the makings of wright family music. ashley wrote their new single in the midst of their infertility that highlights the tenderness of our loving God.  her voice will charm you ~ ((you can listen below, then download for free or donate))

tales from mommyhood :: edition 3,429.

last night was a real hoot and holler.  i watched nbc's comedy night and on commercials (i'm glad liz lemon is baaaack!) watched the debate streaming live from cnn that was held 20 minutes down the road; i felt obligated in a way.  and now i am even less enthusiastic about voting on saturday.  one thing i am enthusiastic about?

these painfully addicting things: carmelitas.  they sound all sweet and pretty. carmelitas are sweet and pretty in a calorie-full type of way.  not in the i'll be your best friend kind of way.  cause really they're the devil in disguise; your worst enemy.

Carmelitas from Lulu the Baker

32 caramel squares, unwrapped
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Combine caramels and cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until completely smooth; set aside. In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda. Pat half of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of an 8x8" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips. Crumble remaining oatmeal mixture over caramel. Return to oven and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting. Trust me, COOL COMPLETELY.  otherwise you will be eating carmelita soup.

the good news? i don't run for nothing; i've put 21 miles on my nikes this week. which is a plus considering i most likely ate 2,100 calories worth of carmelitas.  i think crossing the finish line is almost as good as these chocolate and caramel packed magnificent obsessions, but it's still up for debate.

yesterday Hunter had his first official aiming lesson during potty training.  ::enter the need for mommy to eat more carmelitas; sanity::  hey, at least it means he's going.  right? thought you needed an update.  

also?  my kids are officially in the nose picking/eat your boogers/announcing every tootie (ie: gas passing) stage.  which makes a trip with the two of them a real hoot.  i mean toot.  no one ever told me being a mom would be so embarrassing. even if they did i'd still be in.  the red face is at least half worth the awesome laughs.

beyond carmelitas, there's another thing that keeps me slightly sane.  going to my backyard bff's (julie's) house and watching our kids play together while we try to muster up the brain power for a meaningful conversation in between breaking up fights and changing poopies and teaching a 19 month old what self-control means.

yesterday, after julie let their dog, clara, back inside from a potty break, clara left about five paw prints on their wood floor. 

hunter was not having the paw prints and asked julie right then to cween them up.  i mean.  the gall.  he is two and refused to walk across a paw printed floor.  and i thought he'd outgrow the dirty floor phobia.  

the thing that makes it all worth it?  before leaving our friends, and giving hugs, hunter announced a big hearty "i love you" to all.  that will do it.  carmelitas, friends, and i love yous? sign me up.

hope your weekend is full of carmelitas, friends and i love yous. or something kinda sorta like that.

///

ps.  congrats to: Jenn!!!  she's the winner of the lovely $50 shop credit to Art by Erin Leigh!

linking up with my girl, Rach.

family fashion?

because sometimes i like to talk about style.

i'm not really cool anymore. of course that would first imply that i used to be cool.  which is up for negotiation.  so i'll just go with i'm not trendy cool in a fashion kind of way.  this first occurred to me after skinny jeans came out.  and i hated them.  but now, several years later, i'm finally giving in to their painfully tight, circulation cutting ankle lengths and going with it.  my sister said i should and i half believed her. 

interjection :: i do remember the days when i enjoyed the current styles but that was back in high school.  and those days brought more zits than one human should have to handle along with mean girls and ugly school uniforms. i'll take sanity over coolness any day of the week.  

who needs pinterest when i can take fashion tips from my twelve year old sister?!?  someone please tell me if i start to look like the disney channel. and in that case i demand you call for an intervention. until then, i want to borrow her clothes and by some odd miracle, i can fit into them.  

ladies, the cowl neck scarf has finally hit the south, so my sister says. of course, she has it before i do.

there is something so pretty about her plaid shirt, too. i used to resent plaid and thought it was only for farmers. my Hunter seems to think plaid is reserved for pajamas because i went to wear plaid and he wondered why i was getting dressed for the day in my pj's.  good thing i don't take style tips from a two year old.

she must let me borrow her plaid.  her scarf just doesn't quite have the same effect with my target thermal.

and stripes.  oh stripes.  in the recent past, i was scared of stripes.  someone once said they make you look wider and who really wants to look wider? no.one. i see them everywhere and think, i've got to get over my fears.  i did take a few risks and with an old navy gift card i am now the proud owner of some striped camisoles that i prefer to wear under everything (remember FPFG's #1 style rule: always layer and layer some more).  i also plan on borrowing my sister's shirt straight from old navy's spring line. striped coral and navy?  bring it.

oh mustard.  i'm loving it. i've confessed this before in my rantings of an aqua plus mustard affair.

sister girl is also teaching me about not matching.  i'm trying to let go of the matchyness, afterall, i am a self-proclaimed bohemian and i don't really think boho's care about that all too much.  i would not normally pair a mustard purse with these colors.  but i'm kind of digging in a big way.

for so long i have neglected my wardrobe for the sake of paying our bills.  good decision, huh?!  no worries anymore, though.  sister friend is here.  : )

what kind of fashions are you loving these days?  fill me in before i go selena gomez on ya.

ps. speaking of style... if you haven't yet, be sure to enter the Art by Erin Leigh giveaway for a chance to win a $50 etsy shop credit for some gorgeous, stylish mixed media prints. giveaway ends tomorrow night (thursday, 1/19 at 9:00 pm EST) and winner will be announced this friday.