Glory to God

Merry Christmas!!!

Luke Chapter 2:  The Birth of Jesus

14-20: "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.


This has been one of my favorite bible quotes this year. I, like Mary, have been treasuring and pondering in my heart all the wonderful moments with our sweet little Michael. We feel so blessed and so thankful to have him in our lives.

We wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and many moments of peace and joy with your families!!!!

OB-sessed

I am so totally in love with this fun game room / living area. I need that ping pong table!!! It's painted in Pratt & Lambert's Seed Pearl & April Mist and the base is Golden Green. The colors are amazing and I am defiantly saving this picture for my dream home. 

You can check out the entire project feature on Urban Grace Interiors blog. 

Quiet Time

Not the Card

 I took hundreds of pictures this weekend with Michael trying to get a cute Christmas Card and his 11 month picture done. I put 2 different cards together and let my husband decided on the winner.

This one was the reject but I thought it was just way to cute to go unseen, the winner of the "2012 Our Very First Christmas Card" will be posted later!!!

I also realized that I have ZERO pictures of my kid and I together. I am always the one behind the camera and really enjoy that spot. I let my sister take a few pics of us and she capture some really cute moments. I didn't want Michael to look back on pictures of his childhood and think "Mom was never there".......

Chicken Perfection

Well I am still here and still alive. With a busy life and a busy little boy I find little time or inspiration left for my blog. I am not giving up just taking a break for a while.

The buzz around our house is food. We are trying to cut out all the processed food, and cooking whole natural (organic when we can) food. It's been amazing, we feel better, started losing a little weight, and I love that our 11 month old sits down and eats dinner with us as a family. The major problem is having enough time when I get off work to cook a delicious homemade meal each night. So I am learning short cuts and having fun with it!!!

I had to share my all time favorite recipe thus far, its quick easy and delicious......

Crock Pot Chicken Recipe

• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 chicken
• 1/2 lemon

1. Put all the dried spices in a bowl and mix. Loosely chop the onion and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker.
2. Remove any giblets from the chicken and then rub the spice mixture all over, inside the cavity and under the skin covering the breasts. Put 1/2 lemon in the cavity of the chicken.
3. Put prepared chicken on top of the onions in the slow cooker, cover it, and turn it on to high. 
4. Cook for 4 – 5 hours or until the chicken is falling off the bone. 

What started this real food kick?? I stumbled upon this fantastic blog "100 days of real food", fell in love with the food at our local farmers market, signed up for clean eating meal plan called Emeals, and read this amazing book "French Kids Eat Everything". 

Happy Halloween

Bits & Pieces

Our living room rug has finally arrived after a 2 month wait. It's wonderful, perfect, and exactly what I was hoping it would be!!!!

And we got started on this project - getting our new fence stained...............

And finally I bought some drop cloth fabric at Home Depot for $18 and almost complete the table cloth for the desk. It's looking good but more work than I had anticipated. I have all the pieces measured and hemmed now I just have to put it all together and figure out the buttons. 

Lots of stuff going on around our house this week!!!

8 Months

I now have my 2 bottom teeth

Weight is 16 lbs 3 oz

Height 27 1/4 inches

Love eating my fruits and veggies

Crawling around everywhere

Peek-a-boo is the coolest game ever

Bath Time......

My Next Project

Before I had a child I could finish off projects in a matter of days. Now my days are filled with playing and learning and growing!!! It takes weeks for me to get the courage to start a project and months for me actually finish it. With that said I have a new idea and a new project that I want to get started on this weekend.

The problem: the cat liter.

The solution: sewing a table cloth to hide it under the desk.

I saw this beautiful table cloth on Wisteria.com with a beveled glass top and I fell in love. So I am going to attempt to sew my own table cloth to look exactly like this one to hide the yucky cat liter.

I am off to the discount fabric store and get a few samples!!! Or maybe off to Home Depot to check out the drop cloth material.....ummm that might really work well for the budget. And I am hoping that the glass shop can cut a table top for me on the cheap.

Finger crossed I can get this done before my son realizes that cat liter would be a fun mess to play in!!!

Quote

No truer words were ever written.....

7 Months

I can CRAWL!!!

We went to Dallas to visit my Pops and Gram this month

Peek a boo is my favorite game

Got sick for the first time with a cold

Enjoy playing all by myself with my toys

Still full of smiles and laughter 

I try to use extra fabric or blankets around the house for all our monthly pictures. The cowboy background in this picture was my husband's baby blanket from years ago. Awe - how cute!!!! 

On the move....

My favorite photo this month.......

What's Cooking?

I am slightly obsessed with these kids pajamas called Kicky Pants. My kid sleeps in them every single night, mostly because they are soooo soft and I love to snuggle with him!! It's made from bamboo material which has all kinds of benefits to kids and the environment!!! It's anti-fungal, antibacterial, absorbs drool, stays cooler, grown without pesticides, blaa blaa blaa - honestly I just think they are adorably cute!!!

They put out new designs each season so you can always catch a great sale. Just make sure you don't throw them in the dryer, I always hang them to dry because of the soft material.

Kicky Pants Website

My little man is eating food!!! We are having loads of fun trying out new stuff every few days. He loves Tyler Florence's baby food line called Sprout. I also really enjoy mixing up fresh food and watching his eyes light up when he taste it for the first time. I was looking for a way to incorporate or introduce him to avocados and put this pudding together.

1/4 of an organic avocado
1/4 of an organic banana
A few pieces of pinapple
1/2 of the little container of banana Yo-Baby yogurt

Mix all the ingredients together in a little food processor or I like to use my hand blender most of the time. Serve immediately!!!

Michael smacks his lips the entire time he is eating this little creation!!! Last week we had steamed broccoli mixed with a little parmesan cheese. Next on the menu is fresh raw organic spinach, banana, and Yo-Baby yogurt.

Our old oven caught on fire a few days ago so no roasting or baking is going on in our house until we can get it replaced. Only fresh or steamed ingredients for the little dude this week!!!

I did it!!!

Finally pulled the trigger and bought a rug for the living room. It only took me a year to make this simple little decision and don't you know the darn thing is on backorder. ETA is in 2 months!! It's not my most cost effective purchase but I decided to go with quality over price for once. The 8x10 was on sale for $450 - not to bad.

So I really really wanted a jute rug. I love them, love the look, and love that they go with anything. What I did not love was how scratchy and uncomfortable they were. Till I found out that Pottery Barn makes a jute rug and mixes in a Chenille fabric that makes it really soft. We went to Dallas last weekend and I got to put my grimy little toes on the rug and instantly knew it was the one.

Here are the stock photos from Pottery Barn.....

6 Months

On July 4th I turned 1/2 year old!!!! Happy Independence day!!!

Rolling is my new favorite thing to do

I love people and love it when I get attention

Learning how to say DaDa and I almost got it down pat.

I am up on all fours but haven't quite figured out how to crawl yet. It will be soon so watch out mommy!!

Bath time is my favorite time of the day

MIA

Sorry for the lack of post. I got my wisdom teeth taken out last week and have been on the mend, still not feeling up to par yet.

Lots going on around our house. We got a new fence for the patio and soon to be debating some stain colors!!! Our little man turned 6 months old on the 4th (Happy 4th of July y'all). I took his pictures and hope to get them up soon. Our nanny went on vacation this week so Michael got some quality time with his cousins, Aunt, Maw Maw, Grammy, and his Godfather!!! And last but not least we have a trip to Ikea planned in 2 weeks, I did some rearranging in the living room and need a few things to finish the look!!!!

I leave you with this lovely thought, and promise to be back soon!!!!

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

It's high time to pick out a area rug for our living room. The kid is rolling around and will be crawling before we know it. I have put off this decision for way to long because its a very hard to comment to a rug. Most of the ones that I fall in love with are thousands of dollars and that is just not going to happen in our life anytime soon. I think I might have narrowed down my decision after months of looking everywhere in town and just about everywhere online.

1- What I really want but it's so not practical with a baby and a cat that likes to spit up her hair balls on my rugs......

This rug is a beauty for a great price!! Ivory Classic Carved wool rug at World Market $599 for a 8x10, it's great material, beautiful color and the perfect design. I would love to put it in a bedroom or somewhere without high traffic. I will own this rug one day.  

2- What I also would love but the material it to harsh for a cute little boy and his precious knees to learn how to crawl on.......

Braided Jute rug from Ballard Designs at $399 for a 9x12. The description claims that it "feels surprisingly soft" but one of the reviews is from a mother with her kid having scrapes on his knees from crawling on the rug - UGH. 

3- What I will probably end up purchasing because it's beautiful, inexpensive, and I am so tired of looking for the perfect rug.......
Also from Ballard Design - the Catherine rug $599 for an 8x10. I wish the colors were a little more subdue but its a great price, soft and thick, and perfect colors for my room. I ordered a few other samples from Ballard and can't wait for them to arrive.

I guess this begins my compromise of fashion for a family. And I would not have it any other way!!!!

Daddy's Day

Happy First Father's Day to Michael's Dad!!!!! It gives me so much comfort and joy that our son will learn how to be a man from you. You truly are a hero to us and we love you more than you can imagine. 

Pooh Corner

Because Winnie the Pooh is one smart little fellow. He knows what he is talking about, and my heart needed him today......

4 & 5 Months

I took 4 month pictures but never got around to editing and posting them and now Michael is well into 5 months of his wonderful little life so we are doing the past 2 months today!! My man is growing so fast, they make so many milestones the first year of their life I feel like everyday is something new. 

4 Months

Started grabbing (everything!!!)

Love to play with my toes

First swim in the pool

I am a giggling fool

Still sleeping all night

5 Months

I can roll over now!!

Started eating carrots and sweet peas - yummy.

Went to the doctor for my checkup and Dr. Bailey said I am doing great, 

and that my parents are doing a good job.

Weighed in at 13#10oz in the 25%

Height 25.5 in the 60%

Head 16.5 in the 30%

Now we are starting to get a little collection of pictures.........

Here are a few more of my favorites

Awe