calling all mama's.

not to exclude anyone, but i am in need of some babywearing mama advice.  since baby #2 will be here in 9 weeks or less (gasp!) i must make a decision on a baby wearer carrier.  it's time to start hunting ebay and craig's list to get the best possible deal.  so, i want your opinions.  yeah, you pretty much just won the jackpot.... i am asking for any and all opinions... who doesn't like sharing theirs? 

with hunter, we received this carrier off of our registry:

the only problem?  i only used it once because it was so uncomfortable for me and him.  it didn't give hunter much support and it pulled at my back in all the wrong places.

since my new task will be juggling a baby in my arms while reigning in a toddler (who will hopefully be able to walk soon), i need a carrier that is comfy, easy to use, and suitable to be worn often all the time.

here are my top choices:

{1}  the ergo baby carrier.  i like it because it holds a newborn or a toddler up to 40 lbs.  it can be worn in the front or back.  and, it's cool enough for daddy to use.

{2} the baby bjorn.  i feel like it's tried and true.  

 

{3} the moby wrap.  i adore this.  it seems so comfy.  i like the pricepoint... it's much cheaper than the other two.  my hesitations?  seems difficult to put on and i know the hubby wouldn't wear it.

help me out!  if you have other suggestions, feel free to let me know.  thanks a bunch.

memory moments.

memory moments... moments like these... you know, the kind that you want to multipy by a million and make last forever? here are mine ~

{1} my 9th birthday.  i remember it like yesterday.  it was the last birthday i had with my dad before he died of cancer. 

{2} the day i became mrs. graham.

{3} staring into the eyes of a newborn.  my newborn.

{4} treading through deep waters but never being so desperate for the Lord's presence.

{5} the first night home from the hospital with hunter.  we were clueless... felt helpless.  he cried all night long. but yet, we were parents and adored our child to pieces.

{6} finding out that my grandpa was cancer free after he was given {maybe} 6 months to live.

{7} when hunter first slept through the night at 8 weeks.  sleep never felt good.  and long. 

{8} finding out that i am going to have a daughter.

what is one of your memory moments?

every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. - james 1:17

miscellany monday.

{1}  today i found my beloved febreeze fabric spray that i couldn't find for forever.  have you ever been guilty of spraying your dirty clothes with it, just so you could wear them one more time before washing?  i have.  don't judge me and think i'm gross.  i'm just resourceful.

{2}  meet uncle jay.  he keeps it real every monday morning by sarcastically reviewing the weekly news headlines.  he banters both sides of the aisle and will have you rolling in expressive amusement.  here's my favorite:

{3} i lose every. single. ounce. of my brain when pregnant.  last night i made myself attempted to make myself a grilled cheese for dinner.  after the 3rd attempt that resulted in a burned up mess, i said forget it.  instead i settled for strawberries.  no cooking involved. 

{4} speaking of losing my brain, yesterday i discovered i had forgotten to flush the toilet on two occassions.  kelly was working so i couldn't blame it on him.  forgetting to flush is just nasty.  this baby has devoured my brain.  okay, no more self divulging, embarrassment at my expense.

{5} in my recent etsy voyage, i discovered some striking goodness that goes by pomlove.  wouldn't these be perfect for a wedding, a bridal shower, a baby shower, or a baby girl's nursery? 

{via}

solo cups. and toilet paper.

attention anyone who ever has a party:

you better buy these. they are fantastic. genius. i only wish they were my idea. each cup comes equipped with a surface to scratch your name into. no more lost cups! no more lost sharpies! no more drinking someone else's water (which you thought was yours and then realized it wan't when you tasted sprite)!

and, on a slightly different note... (these two items are related because they are both paper products... yes, one is for your mouth and the other for your behind... let's not get confused.)

our good friends over at cottonelle, conducted a very important research study, dubbed, the great roll-over debate. 72% of american's polled roll the t.p. over. 28% roll the t.p. under. what are the over advantages? you have much more perforation control, a better viewing advantage and it allows for wall avoidance. huh. i'm so glad we all can be more efficient with our rolling, thanks to this study. glad to know i've been rolling right all these years.  how do you roll?

baffled by billions.

in light of our government's over zealous passion to spend massive amounts of money, i thought it time to familiarize myself with just how massive the money is.  trillions? billions? millions? billions of trillions?  or is it trillions of billions? ... all of which will never wind up in my bank account and therefore i haven't the slightest understanding of just how humongous it all is.  these calculations are approximate, but i hope this puts things into perspective: (thanks to kelly's aunt judy for sending this!)

a billion seconds ago it was 1959. 

a billion minutes ago Jesus was alive. 

a billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the stone age. 

a billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet. 

a billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it. 

this doesn't even begin to touch on how much a trillion is.  phew.

image found here.

may we all be reminded that these don't really exist.

the gifts or the Giver.

yes, i want things.  all sorts of things.  i like gifts.  i like shoes.  i like chocolate.  clothes.  a comfy house.  an easy life.  do i want to suffer?  do i want to be poor?  do i want hardship?  no, not really.  i look at people that have more than me and i get envious.  i look at people that have less than me and i feel guilty.

and then the Truth reminds me of many things... that it's an honor to share in Christ's sufferings because believers share in His comfort too (2 cor. 1:5).  that the desires of my eyes are full of fleshly filth and are not from the Father (1 john 2:16).  there is great gain in godliness with contentment (2 cor. 9:8), when i am weak, He is strong (2 cor 12:10), and i must learn to be content no matter what (phil. 4:11). keeping my life free from the love of money and being content with this amazing but simple Truth: He will never leave us or forsake us (heb. 13:5).  so, in light of my actions verses the enlightenment i am given in the Word of God, who is it that trumps the "wisdom" of this adult?  my 13 month old son...

hunter was fussy, crying in his playpen, dying to get out, and i needed to finish drying my hair (which, if you've read past posts, you know takes me at least 30 min.  yuck.)  so i reached in and handed him his favorite toy.  he pushed it aside and grabbed my arms.  he wanted me.  just me.  no toys.  no gifts.  no simple pleasure.  he wanted to be in his mommy's arms.  nothing less, nothing more.  it was a great glimpse of how i should be towards my God.  how often do i ask for His blessing (toys, gifts, etc) rather than simply asking for His presence?

vintage, toy story, chubby & spring.

there's no better cuter way to welcome spring, than by dressing up your 13 month old, who is just learning to walk, in his vintage, short-sleeved toy story shirt.  and then getting to see his chubby, roll laden arms all day long.  

i can tell it was a long winter, because the first glimpses hunter caught of his arms were really intriguing to him.  like he'd never seen them before.  

cheers to fat baby arms in t-shirts.  especially vintage ones.  

since every little boy should have a toy story shirt, go visit target. i found this one for $3. 

miscellany monday.

1. dark purple nail polish that looks black... hmmm.  i don't know if it's for me or spring.  thoughts? is me asking this question a fashion faux paux?  if so, i'm a mom... that's my excuse and i'm stickin to it.

2. is it just me, or has the whole entire blogosphere gone giveaway crazy?!  i'm bound to win at some point.  speaking of giveaways (a.k.a - bribes... let's just be real.  we all know what they're for.), i'm not making any promises (wink, wink), but, isn't lisa leonard's line of jewelry (a.k.a- metal worn as gorgeous decorations) simply ravishing?!

3.  can you tell the difference between a rhino and a hippo?  or am i the only one that has trouble?  good thing kelly didn't know that about me before we said "i do."  i seriously think he would've had 2nd thoughts.  after all, he would die to be a zoo keeper.

4. noisemakers are like solid gold in a tiny little machine that sounds like a forest.  definitely a lifesaver.  we had been using hunter's humidifier as white noise for him (we're preparing for a crying newborn in the room right next to his) but we finally bought a real noisemaker.  tonight i was in there rocking him for a few minutes at bedtime and i fell asleep within 2 minutes flat.  so did he.  sage's nursery will most definitely be stocked with one.

5. i'm about to introduce you to a real humdinger of a tune.  the writer?  yours trully.  oh, and i must not forget to give credit to my brother.  he also helped to pen it.  in 7th grade i was determined to be famous by writing songs that hopefully 'nsync would want to sing, so i could meet justin and be his mrs. i somehow convinced my 3rd grade brother to help me.  this was our one hit wonder:

back back baby

we are going back...

back to the beginning

we used to be friends,

but i'm afraid to say it's come to an end

i'm all alone, not talking on the phone,

come on, come on,

back back baby.

okay, so it's only a chorus.  but, trust me, it sounded really good.  especially with my brother pounding on a tree stump to keep the beat.  remember bye, bye, bye?  i am pretty sure that's where we got our inspiration. 

6. thank you for your super kind comments on my new blog design.  can i carry you all around in my back pocket?  oh, and i'm fully aware that my blog is wide.  extra wide.  which means that if you don't have a wide screen, you have to scroll over to view the sidebars.  but, i'm convinced that soon, most of the world's computer owners will have wide screens.  i want to be on the cutting edge.... ha ha.

7.  spring has sprung and it makes me happy.  happy spring to you.  hope it's showing it's face where you live.

unveiling...

awesome, best, best ever, cat's meow, delicious, fabulously fantastic, far out, first-class, first-rate, great, like wow, marvelous, out of sight, out of this world, primo, sensational, superb, unreal...  ta - da!   here it is.  after countless hours, thousands millions of redesigns, i'm finally unveiling lowercase letters' new look.  hopefully you think it's the cat's meow and all that other goodness like i do. there's still some a ton of tweaking to be done but someday soon i will have it just the way i want it (and then two weeks later i'll want to change it again).

can i let you in on a secret?  i can't take credit for designing the header.  only my hubs can.  that's right folks.  yes, i have the world's best husband.  any man that spends hours upon end coming up with a header design for his wife's blog (because she has lost her mind and suffers a serious case of design block) deserves a man of the year award and a great big kiss on the cheek!  i mean, lips.  come on.  he did design the most major portion of my blog.  he's a champ and i cherish his creativity.

please notice the polaroids on the "snapshots" page. i heart them.

so, to celebrate, grab my button!  does anyone else laugh when they read that?!  i want to bolden the 1st four letters for extra kicks... but i'll keep the corny to a minimum.

<center><a border="0" href="http://www.carissagraham.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i629.photobucket.com/albums/uu20/folly_surf_fisher/button-6.png" /></a></center>

"i will come to you..."

"i will not leave you as orphans; i will come to you." - john 14:18

this beautifully precious girl is in haiti.  she has practically nothing... sadness fills her frame, hope seems distant.  but in the sea of sorrow, the Lord has not forgotten about her, He has not left her side... unbeknownst to her, He is working, moving mountains, and piercing hearts to bring her home. 

her home... it makes me smile.  her home is with our family; my sister-in-law {cindy - sidenote: don't hate her cause she's gorgeous}, her hubby {billy} and their girls {libby and gracie} are eagerly waiting for the Lord to bring her home to them; her new family.  click here to read cindy's post for the full story.

i can't wait to see the little girl above be a part of this picture: 

how can you help bring her home?  read about the hope act (below), pray, pray, pray, and follow my sister-in-law's blog so you can share in our joy when we welcome this haitian princess into our family!

About the Hope Act....
If it passes it would require the Secretary of Homeland Security to expand the humanitarian parole policy announced on January 18, 2010, to children legally confirmed as orphans eligible for intercountry adoption by the Government of Haiti prior to the earthquake on January 12, 2010. Basically - right now, an orphan with documents proving his/her orphan status before the quake is NOT elligible for humanitarian parole - BUT if the Hope Act (H.R. 4603) passes, those orphans can get humanitarian parole and be allowed in the States to live with approved families where they can be adopted. (they will actually first come over as unaccompanied minor refugees). This is important for many reasons. These orphans have been reliquished by their parents/guardians/extended family in Haiti. So, they have no one speaking up for them. That means right now they are lost in the system because Haiti cannot process paperwork necessary for adoptions. AND the orphanages are now overcrowded because of the earthquake and the many new orphans that tragedy created. So, if we can make way for pre-quake orphans to get out of orphanages and be put in families here in the States, then we will also be making room in the orphanages for the new orphans who need special care. 

Anyone interested in supporting this piece of legislation can email their local Senators and Congressmen and express such! That would be extremely helpful!

to read about their adoption of libby from china, click here.
to read about their adoption of gracie from ethiopia, click here.

"...no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him..." - 1 corinthians 2:9

butternut squash belly.

sage is 15(ish) inches long, 2.5 lbs and is equivalent to the size of a butternut squash.  but wait a minute...  i've never seen a 15 in long butternut squash.  babycenter might be off a bit.

here she is in all her (almost) glory:

28 weeks and 6 days.

my brain is saying slow down.  we haven't started the nursery.

my back is saying, we still have 11 weeks to go?!  i'm tired.

oh, and happy st. patrick's day.  no.  i'm not wearing green.  but you can't pinch me.  i have a good excuse... my wardrobe is limited.  

learning to launder.

disclaimer:  i'm not mrs. cleaver.  nope.  my name is not carissa cleaver.  not that i could ever fool you anyways.

image from: imagineannie.wordpress.com

whites, lights, darks.  this is something i just learned.  for the longest time, cold water has been my best friend.  especially thanks to the help of tide coldwater.  coldwater at my house has meant that everything (whites, lights, darks) goes in one load.  hey, it saves time and money.

now before my friends start freaking out (they are letting me borrow their maternity clothes), i promise, i haven't ruined your clothes (yet, at least... ha ha... just kidding).

the other day, the hubs discovered my cold, one load laundry method and about freaked.  he couldn't believe that i'd never been sorting.

i guess it explains why our whites turn, um... well, green.

i blame it on my ocd mom... who did everything her self out of fear that anyone else would mess it up.  she never allowed us to set one foot in the laundry room.  it was her domain.  her throne.  i can't complain.  what kid wants to do laundry?!  (my kids will not be blessed with the same fate.)  so, needless to say, i have just never known how to do it.  

until now.  now i'm going to have to start sorting.  my secret has been let out.  the hubs has enlightened me.  there's no turning back... i must progress.

i must begin to sort my laundry.

how do you do laundry?

miscellany monday.

1. i'm almost 25.  why does my face still break out?  in an attempt to see the light at the end of the tunnel, i asked my grandma {she is 74} when she stopped getting pimples.  her response:  "just a few years ago."  my response: "what?!"  her response: "think of it as a blessing.  you get pimples because you have oily skin.  oily skin means fewer wrinkles. zit cream is cheaper than wrinkle cream."  thanks for looking on the bright side, granny.

2. my mom bought hunter a valentine's book for valentine's day {obviously}.  i've never understood holiday books, but that is beside the point.  when she gave it to him she prefaced it by saying, "it's kind of weird."  this is what the first page says:  "the flamingo love lake is a charming place, where passionate flamingos fill every bit of space."  notice:  the words with the strikethroughs are eliminated by me while i read it to hunter.  {yes, the book really does say all that.}  i have no desire for hunter to learn about passion, love and charm at this point.   

3. note to everyone: if you buy jello's mousse temptations, you will not be tempted. they taste nothing like mousse.  more like a weird version of pudding.  um, attention jello makers: you better stick to jello. 

4.  if you live in charleston or columbia, sc you have a terrific chance to win a free photo session with an amazing photographer.  click here to get the scoop.

5.  in 4th grade at awana club i sang “a whole new world” with my friend. i sang aladdin’s part.  which happens to be when i had a boy haircut.  {coincidence?  i don't know.} and i'm not exaggerating.  on picture day, the photographer called me "son."  i've never {and will never} forget this.

6.  ok.  this is a bit off-color... but for the sake of funny i have to share.  while visiting the zoo, my hubby and his best friend got flicked off by a gorilla.  seriously.  here's proof:

in chains.

meet lydia from india.

she looks something like this:

her husband is gone. he was killed by hindu extremists. he was a pastor of a church that he founded 10 years ago.  80 families attended their village church and it was growing steadily.  now lydia is left alone with their 5 year old son, oved.  how does she feel about her husband's murderers?  she gives them pardon and prays that they one day come to Christ.  that is all she hopes for... to see her enemies know Christ.  wow. now that is forgiveness and grace.  lydia is in chains for Christ.  and she counts it as pure joy.  it's an honor for her to suffer for her Savior.

voice of the martyrs is helping take care of lydia and oved.  haven't ever heard of voice of the martyrs?  you better go read about them.  they are a phenomenol ministry that is caring for the persecuted church. 

sign up to get their free newsletter, so you can pray for our brothers and sisters in chains for the Gospel, like lydia.

"blessed are the persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  matthew 5:10

changing table confessionals.

twenty bucks.  if you're lucky you can eat out for twenty bucks.  if you're really lucky, you get this changing table for twenty bucks (thanks to an incredibly awesome consignment sale).  i know it's bland and boring, but for twenty bucks, i really didn't care what it looked like.  

hello 2nd child syndrome... you know where everything is cheaper, used and not always the cutest.  because by the time you're on your 2nd child, cuteness just doesn't matter that much anymore (i can't begin to imagine what happens when you have #3, #4, and #5... goodness gracious).  for now, the budget is king.  when you have a house with two cribs, and a soon-to-be double diaper budget, you make things work.  

if you're a momma of multiple kiddies, how did you go cheap with your 2nd (or 3rd, 4th, 5th) child?  help this momma out.  i need to save however i possibly can.  

primo photoshoot.

primo = most excellent.

yes, we had a most excellent photoshoot this past weekend.  the best part?  it was all free fun.  thanks to our fantastic photographer friends.  okay, so get this... they rented out a restaurant, fed us all food, gave us spiffy tshirts and took our pictures.  can it get any better than that?  nope.  they are superb.  primo.  take a peek...

graham fam under a window.

my boys.

up close and personal.  when i compare hunter's size to mine i'm reminded of how big he is.  he is only 13 months people... but 27 lbs.  no need for me to lift weights.

they are betrothed.  vivian and hunter.  hunter and vivian.  just 10 days apart in age.  it's a match made in heaven.  vivian already knows it's destiny.  hunter doesn't know it yet... typical male. 

me and my future in-law momma...

hey gals, can this count as my belly pic? : )

our besties.

oh no he didn't!

introducing the bbm.

are you busy?

do you live on a budget?  (if not, you probably should.  especially in this economy.  just saying.)

are you a mama?

if your answer was yes to any of these q's, then you must meet natalie....  
the busy budgeting mama.

her blog offers a wealth of wonderfulness on everything.  and i got the privilege of interviewing her.  we did a blog swap for the day.  so fun.  to read my interview, click here.  natalie is my "we'd so be friend's in real life" friend.  she rocks.  you must visit.

enjoy the interview!  i know i did.

1. how do you organize/plan your meals for the week?My goal is to pick out recipes that catch my eye so that I buy ingredients that I will actually use and not let go to waste. being pregnant I have to see something before I want to make it..so all these wonderful food blogs help me out so much! I scavenge them for great recipes. I go to the grocery stores twice a month to get the supplies for the recipes that I don’t already have on hand. I am soo wanting to tackle the whole coupon world…my friends have pink coupon binders that are so cute haha. That’s on my to-do-list.

2. when it comes to design - i.e. web/blog design, what are some do's and don'ts?  Hmm I don’t know if I’m pro enough to give any do’s or don’ts! I think the main ‘do’ that I can think of is jump on in and you’ll be surprised how much you can learn from just looking up tutorials online! That’s what I did for a lot of my post production work. I learned more Photoshop tips on you tube than from my graphic design class in college! I’ll be posting soon the sites I go to on a regular basis to learn more about blog tricks/photo-editing/web design.

3. why do you blog? When I first got married and then had my daughter, Sophia, I found myself nursing with one hand and reading blogs with the other trying to find ideas to make my house a home, cook something yummy for dinner..and look good while doing it..all on a budget. I found myself wanting to share all the great stuff I had come across and I just fell into blogging from there! The community part is also really fun and I enjoy interacting and learning from my fellow bloggers! I have met so many amazing women through blogging!

4.  do you have a money saving tip when it comes to decorating your home? My husband and I both do ministry…hence we are on a budget. So I’m all about the look for less.  So my strategy is..1.) know or have an idea of what you are wanting..and go on the hunt for it! Marshall’s..target..ikea..garage sales.. 2.) DIY ideas…there are so many fun ideas out there, I try and showcase as many as possible on my blog 3.) Paint. That is the best bang for your buck when it comes to decorating a space.

5.  what is your favorite dessert recipe? oooo…how can I choose!! carissa you know me too well..i have a sweet tooth. My all time favorite dessert (as of now..because I’m finicky like that. hehe.) is my mom’s Apple Crisp recipe from her betty crocker cookbook that I grew up eating. I suppose the fact that there is fruit in it makes me feel like it’s healthier than it really is. And I’m all about tricking myself like that. Haha. If you want to try it out.. go for it.

thanks natalie!  you are super.  

if you have fancy ideas to help us busy budgeting mama's, do tell!

miscellany monday.

1.  during the weekend i let my pumas come out and play. which means i put up the danskos.  guess what happened then?  i immediately became 10 degrees cooler - just getting prepared for my new mod and trendy blog design -which, by the way, is taking forever. 

2.  favorite response when telling someone about our $6,000 health insurance deductible:  "that's not a deductible, that's a crime.  we'd deliver that baby at home with soap and warm water." 

3.  this is a conversation i had a while back with a complete stranger:

complete stranger: "how old is he?" (referring to my hunter boy)

carissa: "he just turned one."

complete stranger: "oh, so are you potty training him now?"

carissa: "umm, he can't even walk yet." 

complete stranger: "that doesn't matter.  that's what he has you for."

carissa:  "are you insane?  i think so."

okay, i didn't really say the last line.  but boy did i want to.

4. so not only are my thighs showing, but now my butt is too.  i'd like to tell my uterus to keep its hands to itself.

5. if you want to win some mod and trendy baby stuff from dwell studio, you better go check out my "we'd so be friend's in real life," friend's blog.  hurry.  the goodness only lasts so long.  the giveaway will close tonight at midnight. 

6.  thank goodness men aren't really allowed to be lactation consultants.  if you watched the office last week you know why.

cute, cheap & crafty.

i would love to be crafty every. single. day.  but let's face it, michael's doesn't take monopoly money.  maybe by the time i'm 70 i'll have a plethora of craft items to choose from in my (nonexistant, only in my dreams) craft room.  until then, i will settle for making crafts when i actually need them and have the excuse of a nursery to decorate.

i'm preparing to make the cutest thing ever for sage's nursery.  a mobile like thing... like this:  

(picture from jagged ideal)

only mine will (hopefully) be much much cuter.  i'll keep you posted... literally... and post a sort a, kind a type of tutorial.

in the meantime, i wanted to let you in on a cute and cheap craft that i made for hunter's nursery.  it literally cost me $8.  here's what you need:

1.

(image from design*sponge)

alphabet flash cards.  i bought the martha stewart kind.

2.

(image from a stranded yarn)

twine.  it's cheap.  you probably have some lying around.

3.

also needed:

scissors

hole punch

a few nails and hammer

here's what you do:

-hole punch each alphabet flash card in the center on top.  

-thread the twine through the holes.

-cut the extra twine off the ends (be sure to leave enough to hang it with).

-hang it on the wall with a nails and a hammer (obviously).

so cheap and it's easy peasy.

here's what it will look like:

yes, that is a rhino head on the wall.  it's fake.  hunter adores it.  yes, he has a safari room and his name is hunter. this was not planned purposefully.

happy cute and cheap crafting to you!  

if you have an absolutely amazing cheap craft that's easy, tell us about it!  if you wrote a post on it... post your posts address.  thanks much.  i want to hear about your craftiness.