miscellany monday

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1. just call me june.  

as in cleaver.  i have some helpful household tips to pass along, all thanks to redbook magazine, which i get every month with my mom's name on it, sent to my address.  she nor i have ever signed up for it, it just all of a sudden began appearing...  either it's because we're identity theft victims, redbook is really nice, or they're going to send us a bill in a few years saying we owe $5,000.  i am just hoping they're nice.  on to the tips...

• milk will keep in your fridge one week past the sell by date.
• eggs stay fresh for three to five weeks after purchase.  keep the carton in the body of the fridge rather than the door to preserve them.
• bananas can be stored in the fridge for up to five days.  their skins will brown, but the fruit will remain fresh.
• bread should be stored on the counter (or the pantry - who wants bread cluttering their counters?!) for up to a week.  storing bread in the fridge causes it to become stale faster.
• steaks and ground beef that have turned brown but have been refrigerated for less than five days are safe to eat and just as tasty.

2. pure sweetness.

hunter is learning how to be a sweet brother.  we're not to total sweetness quite yet... sage's eyeballs are mighty appealing to poke and her pacifier is so tempting to taste.  but every now and then hunter goes a mile for his sister.  the other day she was screaming bloody murder as i was bathing her (this has become commonplace), hunter came in to check on us and then quickly left.  i didn't blame him.  he then came back to the bathroom with two of sage's stuffed animals and handed them to her for comfort.  awww.  my heart melted.

3. i wouldn't even buy them for a penny.

penny loafers.  do you like them?  i know they're all the rage, but really?  why?  as i continue to pass on all the latest trends i am reminded that i am not cool anymore.  i ain't no spring chicken.  although i do remember saying that i'd never wear cowboy boots with dresses.  and now i love that ensemble.  the same thing will happen with these loafers, i'm sure.  i'll like them in a few years just as they're on their way out. 

4.  a good laugh.

i found myself in the single section a few weeks ago during the sunday morning church service.  yikes.  never again.  since i sit by myself during worship (hubby is the worship leader) i can come across as single.  yet, i'm obviously married. but, i guess it's not so obvious to everyone.  so, a young single guy came over, introduced himself and said, "you shouldn't be sitting here all alone."  (note: if you're male and you're reading this, that is so not a good pick-up line.  just saying.)  my response to him: "my husband is coming." i am sure he immediately felt stupid... i got so excited for kelly to come and sit down next to me... i knew the guy would then not only feel stupid but want to crawl into a hole right then and there after realizing he had just hit on the worship leader's wife.  besides, if that guy knew i had a baby two months ago i think he would've thrown up in his mouth.

5. yeah, we'll keep her.

this is why...

... i have trouble getting things done.  

good thing he's cute.  : )

and apparently making bird like chirps while doing laundry makes it all the more enjoyable.

miscellany monday

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1. milking mama.

and baby.  say what?! last week at sage's 2 month doctor visit, we discovered that she is producing milk.  the hormones in my milk are causing her to produce milk... if my hormones are strong enough to cause this, its no wonder why i'm a hormonal cyclone on most days.

2. note to self.

dear carissa,

even though hummus beckons you by name at every single grocery store visit, don't let it fool you.  i know you love its garbanzo bean goodness,  but really, you'll regret it.  inevitably, a few hours after eating it, your stomach will turn into a bull riding rodeo.  and it's painful.  to recap: hummus = gas = painful.  don't fall for it's innocent stares.

love, carissa

3. the aliens have landed.

i never realized the outlandish stares our double stroller would afford us... i know what it would feel like to be a mars martian landing on earth and going to target on a saturday.  yes we have two babies.  yes, we put them both in a double jogging stroller.  believe me, there are crazier things in the world.

4. meet your new match.

congratulations to anna at "small things with great love!"  you are the winner of the gorgeous necklace from stephanie at bella regali.  i'm certain you and the necklace are going to go perfectly together. (the winner was chosen at random... just take my word for it... at the moment i forget how to take isolated screen shots.)  anyways, even if you didn't win, you can still have a taste of the pretty... all purchases made from stephanie's shops - bella regali, pearls and petals,  it's a 10 - will receive 10% off through next monday, plus have a chance to receive a gift card.  go find yourself a new match!

east meets west.

when this california girl moved to the east coast, the south to be exact, she quickly learned that barbecue was more than just a grill.  when this girl became a mrs. to her southern mister she knew she had to start eating barbecue.  when this mrs. wanted to impress her southern boy, she learned how to cook barbecue.  there was only one problem.  she wasn't interested in cooking a pork butt.  so, she came up with a different plan.  she sang to the tune of chicken thighs... organic boneless and skinless to be specific... with some celery and onion notes along with a medley of sauces.  so now, southern or not, here's a way to bring barbecue to your home without the grill. 

ingredients:

chicken thighs

celery bundle

onion

1 cup barbecue sauce 

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 cup water

salt and pepper

buns

get to it:

1.  get your crock pot fired up.

2. make a bed of celery and onions.

3. put the chicken to bed.

4. add your favorite barbecue sauce (i make mine with a combination of ketchup, mustard, and hot sauce in eyeballed amounts), brown sugar, salt and pepper.  pour the water over everything. let it cook on high for four hours.  after four hours, pull the chicken apart with a fork to shred it, add some more barbecue sauce, pair it with a toasted bun...

the result:

tender chicken goodness, southern style.

p.s. - click to enter the "win some jewels" giveaway!

miscellany monday + giveaway

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(1) bursting bubbles.

it's quite fascinating what more than one child will do to you.  every single day i manage to burst every single square foot of the germ bubble i worked hard to build around hunter for the last year and a half.  sage didn't even get the privilege of having a bubble.  shhh... don't tell her.  she'll never know.  a little dirt won't hurt.

(2) i'm a fan of fans.  

oscillating ones are even better.  and believe you me, when your ac breaks for the second time in the past four months and you live in the hot and humid south they become your dear friend.  (rachel, can you believe it?!  it must be contagious.)  so, after three days of living in a hot house, i'm trying not to be too cranky.  keyword: trying.  i'm one hot mama.

(3) sage's dedication.

yesterday morning at church we dedicated sage to the Lord.  it was a sweet reminder, statement, and declaration that she belongs to the Lord. we are here to nurture, train, protect, love and cherish her, but ultimately she is the Lord's and He can do all those things better than we can. the cool thing is that our bff's dedicated their little handsome, jude, on the very same day.  yes, jude and sage's marriage will be arranged.  (notice my awesome ability to hold my baby awkwardly in every picture.)

(4) shopping cart stumble.

after waiting almost three weeks for sage's baby announcements to arrive from the kodak gallery i realized i needed to do some investigating to find out what was taking so long.  my investigation led to the ever pressing reality that i've lost a gigantic amount of brain cells...  it's always funny and mostly annoying when i get tangible reminders of that reality.  it turns out that i never even ordered them.  they were still in my online shopping cart.  maybe i'll get them mailed by the time her 1st birthday rolls around and then they can double as a party invite.  and then i'll brag about my superb multi-tasking skills.

(5) win some jewels... a giveaway.

stephanie at bella regali, is the creator of these pretty pieces.  and because she's awesome, she wants you to win one.  i gave my mom a gorgeous necklace like this for mother's day from bella regali:

 mom loves it, it looks perfect on her, the quality is fantastic.  major score!  go visit stephanie's shop and give her a great big hug by hearting her.  leave a comment telling us whether you want to win the earrings or necklace below.  the giveaway will close next sunday at 11 pm (est).  the winner will be announced next monday.  if you make a purchase between now and august 30th from bella regali or any of stephanie's other shops (pearls and petals and it's a 10) you will receive 10% off and have a chance to get a gift card.  just mention this giveaway for the discount!  take your pick (and best wishes for winning!):

deeper than dirty diapers.

oftentimes, in the middle of tantrums, tears, and testy days its easy to feel overwhelmed, underthankful and just flat out crabby.  when it's only 9 am and you just changed your fourth poopie diaper, it's easy to lose sight of the end goal.  i'll be the first to admit my guilt.

i love getting sweet reminders that cue me in on my ungratefulness/bad attitude and change my perspective.  because it's way more than dirty diapers.  it's about shaping little hearts and minds.  teaching them, training them, showing them Jesus.  

this song by andrew peterson has served as my reminder lately.  my hubby wrote the lyrics down in a card to me.  it served as a major encouragment.  being a parent is about giving your children roots; "planting trees" so that one day they will "spread their branches out..."

andrew peterson's planting trees

verses 6 and 7

"She rises up as morning breaks
She moves among these rooms alone

Before we wake

And her heart is so full; it overflows

She waters us with love and the children grow

So many years from now

Long after we are gone

These trees will spread their branches out

And bless the dawn

These trees will spread their branches out

And bless someone"

it's deeper than dirty diapers.  it's about planting trees.

miscellany on monday.

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1. fighting back the chuckles.

my children are 16 months apart.  hunter is at least 16 lbs heavier than sage.  hunter is more than twice her size.  so, you can imagine that when a grown woman asked if they were twins it was all i could do not to laugh as i replied, "no.  she is 2 months and he is 18 months."  her response: "oh, i have twins so that's why i wondered."  what in the whole wide world was she thinking?!  i mean, if a five year old asked that question i could understand why... but a grown woman who has twins herself?  

2. cutting off the curls.

this weekend we said goodbye to hunter's curls and hello to a little boy... it's been a long time coming.  i managed to not shed a single tear while we were at "sports clips."  i boo hooed on the way home.  i am not too excited about the haircut... hunter moved around a lot so i didn't expect it to be perfect.  but, the end result is monkish.  he looks like a monk.  poor thing.  at least it will grow.  i want to go back and get it fixed, however, i think at this point it's beyond repair.  only time will heal.  

3. death to dye.

why do drug companies insist on making children's medication with red dye?  or any color for that matter?   the dye can't be good for the littles or their clothes.  i'm grateful for the dye-free varieties, but usually the stores run out of those first.  and with the plethora of recalls lately, you can't be choosey.  so, i was left to buy bright red cherry triaminic.  and this is how it went down:

4. to end on a cute note.

~ sage at 7 weeks ~

this adorable headband is made by the lovely anna from "in honor of design."

woman food.

if your husband is like mine, a meal is not a meal without meat.  

but, i'm on a diet and think meals are acceptable without meat... in fact, they're highly desirable.  

this is what i've been eating as of late.  kelly calls it rabbit food.  i call it delicious.

blueberries + slivered almonds = 

a perfect snack.  the smooth buttery taste of the almonds pairs nicely with the blueberries.

whole wheat tortilla + pesto + cream havarti cheese + grape tomatoes + spinach = 

the best lunch.  the pesto adds amazing depth to each bite.  and spinach?  it's a superfood.  need i say more?

whole wheat tortilla + spinach + scrambled eggs = 

a protein powerpacked superfood breakfast.

basically, i'm all about eating as much spinach as possible (thanks to my friend la!).  it's cheap and jam packed with goodness.

what's your favorite diet food?

my miscellany monday. you can have one too.

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1.  i like president reagan, but...
i'm not sure i like this:

courtesy of target.

yes, that's a zipper on that bathing suit.  and can be found at your local target.  hello 80's.  i was born in the 80's.  maybe i'm too old to appreciate them coming back?!  i remember wearing bell bottoms several years ago and my mom telling me that she used to wear them and she couldn't believe that they were actually coming back.  well i had a neon, zippered, minnie mouse one-piece when i was five.  i can't believe it's actually coming back (minus the minnie part).  i must be turning into my mom.  (don't worry mom, it's not half bad.)

2. green goodness.
and i'm not talking about being eco-friendly.  although that's good too.

it looks like sewer but it tastes like super.  yes, my friends, i'm living proof that peach, strawberry, wheat and barley grass, sprouts, and artichoke can taste pretty darn good when mixed together.

3. target should thank me.
in case you aren't sold on the 80's suit, here's another reason to visit target... like i said on friday, i need to lose weight and unless i'm going to get a whole new wardrobe, i need to lose it fast.  but, until then, i needed one "go to" item (i.e. bottoms that can be buttoned) to wear.  i finally found my "go to" - a $19.99 skirt from target... a.k.a. God's gift to a postpartum mom.  it's stretchy everywhere which is comforting because instead of being tight and uncomfortable (like everything else i own) it's completely comfy.  it's not too long but not too short.  it sits probably 2 inches above the knee.  it comes in different colors too.  here it is:

excuse it for looking so short.  it really isn't.  and target doesn't have it online; this is the best shot i have for you.

4. obama, a candy buffet and superbowl sunday...
were the most recent subjects of my dreams.  not my choice.  i blame it on the following: i recently read farmgirl paints post about famous people (hence obama) and many of those famous people happened to be football players (hence superbowl sunday), i watch fox news relentlessly (hence obama again), and i also recently read the busy budgeting mama's post about candy buffets, plus i'm on a diet (which means i think about everything i shouldn't be eating).  the dream = me at a superbowl party with lots of desserts and the president.  i woke up this morning thinking i had leftover desserts from the candy buffet.  what a dirty little trick.

5. colds + staycation = major bummer.
we all ended up sick last week during our staycation.  but, i figure if we're going to be sick, i might as well have daddy home to help me take care of sick kids.  we still managed to go the beach.  no faucet like noses were going to hold us back...

sage in the shade.

me and my lil' stud.  he's wearing daddy's hat.

hunter chasing birds.