Rejuvenated

This year started off really muddled for me and I have really been dragging. I've blogged about this here and there over the past year, so bear with me if I am repeating myself. It has just seemed that every single day I feel two steps behind and am drowning in a mountain of paperwork and just really mundane tasks.

Well guess what: It's summer. And that means my workload just got a whole lot lighter. I feel like there is a whole world of possibility in front of me. I am still amazingly busy, but somehow I have much more energy to deal with it. Let 2011 begin. It is 2011 right?

As my mind winds down for a leisurely summer, my creative side is kicking up its heels. [Is that the key?? Think less, create more? I feel like my mentor, Julie, would be screaming "Yes!" right now.] I'm mentally redecorating the cottage (since that's where I'm sitting right now). I'm also planning decorations for a family reunion. And I'm itching to craft a few 4th of July items since I'm hosting tomorrow's festivity. (More on that later!)

I've even start pinning on Pinterest which I was a little hesitant to do. I'm not overly designy or crafty so Pinterest seemed over my head, but now I'm kind of hooked. It's like a moleskin for my mind.

Besides I think I'll make it my summer goal to get a bit more crafty. And techy.

Plus, Maddie and I already did some crafting today...




This was the end product.

Oh and this too:



Maddie haggles with a prospective collector:



Then she takes a nap.

Activity Hour

Today is my home day (though today I have to work all afternoon, boo!) Usually I try to get Maddie interested in a project so I can clean the house. Here's what we did this morning (kind of like a day in the life... But this was literally an hour):

1. Money Laundering:









For any of you mommies or future mommies out there, this is an awesome toddler activity. I started out with a coke bottle mostly filled with water and had Maddie drop pennies in to make the water overflow (in the confines of that big blue bucket you see.) she then chose to pour everything out into the bucket. So next I filled the bottle half full and added a drop of dish soap (we use hypoallergenic soap, so no worries). Put the top on and you've got a instant bubblemaker. Take the top off and you've got a bubble volcano.

Maddie also loved fishing for coins in the bubbly water!

2. Storytime!









Maddie likes to sit in her rocker and look at every book in her book basket before throwing it on the floor.

3. Stickers in a Box

Ok this one I don't get:







We have a box of stickers and today Maddie had to empty it out and stand in it while playing with stickers. And after placing each sticker, she would run in place.

Guess it's time to start the day and get out of our jammies!


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And that's why I married you

I told my husband today that somebody had said something that had made me pause. His response:

"You're a great mom!"

"You're really pretty!"

"I love you so much!"

Yup, he's trained.

Things

Things I love:

1. When I wake up to see Maddie peaking over the bed squealing "Mom-Mom".
2. Maddie's crazy run down the hall, almost missing the door, breathlessly exclaiming "Dada...Dada".
3. The Tourist is actually a pretty good movie. Just sayin'.
4. Waking up to a clean house that has not been struck by lightning.
5. Work during the summer (Woot-Woot!)
6. When Maddie sits like this:




Things I do not love:
1. Every Wednesday, Rob "let's me sleep in until 7." every Wednesday, Rob starts the coffee maker at 6:15 am and blows a fuse because he didn't turn off out AC first, thereby waking me up before I usually wake up anyway.
2. Trying to sew a simple beanbag on my sewing machine and finding out that my bobbin is jacked.

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BLT Pasta Salad

I stopped my recipe blog a while back because I don't take great food pictures (and who wants to cook anything that looks grayish?) But every once in a while I make up something that makes me say, "hey! Wait a minute..."

This is one of those dishes:




BLT Pasta Salad
(warning!: this is one of my really casual, no measuring kind of recipes!)

1. Cook half a box of rotini (or similar pasta). Let cool.
2. Fry 8 slices of bacon and drain. Reserve a Tbsp of bacon fat.
3. Add one finely diced tomato, 1/4 of a red onion (diced), crumbled bacon, diced fresh mozzarella.
4. drizzle with leftover bacon fat, a bit of olive oil, a splash of lemon juice, salt and fresh pepper.
5. Add in a few handfuls of arugula and toss.




I served this as a side to Mozzarella-Basil stuffed Turkey Kebabs (see Martha Stewart Everyday Food June 2011for the recipe-- they were surprisingly good!)



Maddie got a little confused by the cob holder. And then ate none of this delicious meal. But I enjoyed it!

I may be trying this one for July Fourth. What's more American than a BLT?

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Catching Up

This June has been pretty darn hectic! We ended May with some birthday celebrations. Then we started June with more birthday celebrations. Plus lots of work for me (graduation festivities!) and lots of work for Rob (warm weather = cold brew!)

Then last week was the culmination of one year of work for me -- a special event that I organized, planned and sweated over. And I was honored to be able to bring La Madeleine with me. While I never got any pictures of her there, I did grab this one after in her adorable dress:





She loves being in pictures-- and taking them:





Then surprise! My new nephew made an early appearance:





Rob and I had some crazy hours this week and then lo and behold, we all had this one day to our selves. We went to a yard sale this am and stopped at Sweetness (very cute newish coffeehouse near the zoo). Then after nap time, we all went shopping. Mommy plumped up her summer wardrobe and is so happy right now!

Then Maddie decided I looked like this gypsy accordion player on Rob's cellphone app -- so we listened to that song about 50 times.

With that I would now like to announce that it is officially summer. And though I work during the summer, I am blissfully happy doing so. Productivity makes me very, very happy...

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For Rob

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To Dada

To a man who helps Mads accomplish big things...



And helps her to dream big...



We love you!


You deserve a nap.



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Quiet Time

Yesterday I took Maddie to the playground at 3pm. The playground is pretty deserted at that time, because most kids take naps then (Maddie!)

She climbed up to the top, peered out through the sides and yelled, "Kids!"



But alas, no one came.




So we picked some flowers instead.



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Princess is 2!

Maddie is now officially two years old!





And here's how she spent her official birthday:



We got Maddie a whole ton of stickers... And she began putting them on the couch.



Had the day ended there, I think it still would have been the best day of life.




We had cake at GG's. Maddie expertly blew out the candles on the second line of Happy Birthday.





She ate lots of frosting.





She dipped the Tinkerbell cake topper in the cake repeatedly and then licked frosting off her legs.





Maddie's gift from Mommy and Daddy: a play kitchen.



And as a side note, Maddie discovered "preencise" (aka Cinderella).


She likes to dance now. And she really likes to dip!

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