One Fish. . .

So, the other month Brendon and I had a really neat conversation with Miss C. I asked her what she wanted for her birthday and she actually answered! She thought about it for a bit and she told me that she wanted fish. This was the first time that she has ever expressed a real opinion and a real desire for something- something non food or need  related. It's neat to watch your kid grow up and have her own opinions- and be able to verbalize those opinions! 

We asked her several times over the past couple of weeks and she is sticking to the fish thing- and when asked about a theme for her birthday party she again requested fish, yellow and blue fish to be precise. So began my search for yellow and blue fish fabric for her birthday dress! In the end I fell in love with two different fabrics and my very understanding, loving, husband let me get both. With the first fabric I made this maxi dress for her to wear to the Baltimore Aquarium on her birthday, and the other fabric I got for her party dress- I'll share that later on. 

This underwater fabric came from Harts Fabric and if I remember correctly it's made by Timeless Treasures. I had never looked at or ordered from their website before but I was impressed by how fast they shipped my fabric and by the large variety of fabric that they have! I loved the fabric because of the realistic print and because it included sea turtles! I figured that because she is also obsessed with turtles that this fabric covered the best of both worlds. I was excited by how small scale the print is, I think it fits the tiny size of the dress well. Since is such a busy print I decided to keep the design simple, but with a cute button back and side pockets to give it a little bit of interest.

 

My Favorite Skirt. . . Maybe

Sweater: Forever 21- forever ago

T-shirt: PacSun

Jewelry: Madewell

Skirt: Robutton

Belt: Target

Shoes: Madewell

If I had a favorite skirt this would be it. My mother hates the color, but I adore how "happy" it is. I mix it with  reds, teals, and on this occasion royal blue. It's made out of a light weight quilting cotton and it features a back zipper and size pockets. At some point I hope to post a tutorial on how to make it because I think everyone might need one like it. 

One of Those Moments

Have you seen this commercial? I'm sure you have- it's not a new one really.  It makes me cry. The first time I watched it I might have balled, now my eyes just get a little wet. Cordelia is about to turn two- where did the time go? She was a newborn last time I checked. I can still remember holding her tiny little hand, and how in awe I was about the fact that I couldn't see any pores in her tiny little nose (I know, kinda a weird first thought, I think I was thinking that because it looked like a mini version of my nose). I still remember how sweet she smelled even if I had been confused and slightly weirded out every time someone had mentioned how great babies smelled. 

 I always ask other mothers if it is like this for them too- the mothers with kids in college tell me they still wonder where their newborn baby went. Knowing this, I am trying my best to cherish my moments with her- I am trying to rush her less when she wants to look at something, listen to her more when she chatters at me, sit and play with her more. Time just moves too fast. 

It's crazy, when I look at this picture I can almost see her as a teenager. Rolling her eyes and telling me to close the door so she can go hang out with her friends. I hope time slows down, her father is going to loose all of his hair once she drives. 

5 Things I am Grateful For

There are times when the world seems like a very sad place, times when the good seems to be slowly leaching out of humanity. These are times we have to sit and be thankful for the good in the world. We have to be thankful for the little things. The world is a scary place, sometimes you just have to turn off the news, go outside and look at the flowers and be thankful. 

1. I am grateful for spring- for flowers, and flowering trees. For soft weather and for the clear sky.  

2. Oddly enough, I am grateful for George Takei's facebook page. Everything he posts makes me laugh and helps me remember that the world isn't that bad after all. (as a side note, I'm not even a star track fan and I only really know who George Takei is because of the Big Bang Theory and facebook). 

3. I am grateful for the Dove Real Beauty Campaign. I know there are people out there who think this is silly, just read some of the hateful bs posted as comments under this video on youtube, but I have always loved this campaign and I especially like this video. As a mother I worry about the world I am raising my daughter in- will she too agonize about the spacing of her eyes, or her weight, or the color of her hair. Even the most beautiful women I know can find something wrong with the way they look. I appreciate the efforts Dove is making to help women on the path to self acceptance. 

4. I am grateful to Fred Rogers for sharing this. I borrowed the image from a Huffington Post article that I recommend if you have children older than mine. I am lucky that to be saved from explaining the events at the Boston Marathon to my daughter. It is amazing to me that when you do remember to look, you always see helpers, you always see the good people. It's important to remember that there are good people in this world. 

5. Mostly, I am grateful for my family. My husband and partner who makes the best raptor (top photo), our little girl who is the toughest smartest kid I know (I guess I am biased, but hey), our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, sisters- our whole family because without them we wouldn't be us, and life wouldn't be as sweet. 

Our Trip to the Monastery

My nephew is part of a homeschool field trip group. The other week they took a trip to the Franciscan Monastery in D.C and asked Miss C and I to go with them. We weren't able to go on the tour because Cordelia wasn't interested so we spent the time walking around the stunning gardens. It was a very interesting place to be and I can't wait to go back after the roses bloom. 

Her "Shhh" that she does when she hears birds. 

Over the Weekend

I hope you had a great weekend. The weather was beautiful here and I am happy to say that we spent most of our time outside enjoying it! I just want to share some photos of our weekend with you all- please excuse the grainy photos these were all taken on cell phones. 

I am back working at the small business that I grew up working for on- right now only on Saturdays. This makes Saturdays (between 10 and 4) daddy daughter time. Brendon was very excited to wear his brand new overalls for their first "date" and decided Miss C should match. I rolled my eyes at him, but inside I died with how cute they were together. 

One of the best things about where I work now is that Miss C and Brendon can bring me breakfast. 

After breakfast, Brendon took Cordelia to visit his brother, sister, and mom. We havn't been able to see them as often as we would like so it was good for them to get together. 

Brendon spent time on Saturday and Sunday getting this bike trailer fixed up. It was gifted to us around the time Cordelia was born but we didn't manage to get it up and running last year (she was too small the year before). It needed new tubes, and needed a bolt/ screw replaced, and needed some scrubbing. 

They took their first ride Sunday night and I could hear Cordelia saying "YAY" the whole time. 

I really wanted to start a garden this year- and I researched the subject to death. I read so much about gardening that it all became overwhelming and I couldn't just start. However, after a kick in the but, we finally went to buy some dirt and plants. 

I'm really proud of our little garden. We planted zucchini, broccoli, spinach, cabbage, cucumbers, and tomatoes. We are also growing strawberries in a container on the porch. My neighbor gave me some advice that I am taking to heart. He told me to reevaluate my idea of success, to think of this as a learning experience, as a multi year project. Do you have any advice on growing a garden? Any words of wisdom? 

This was a really big project for us too because first we had to actually find a place in the backyard for the garden! We had more bags of yard waste to put out today than the county will pick up. We asked our neighbor nicely if we could put some in front of their house so we could get it gone. 

P.S we drove past this car the other day, had to share. 

Seeing Black and White

I must admit Miss C is made of stronger stuff than I was when I was a kid- or even than I am now. When I was a kid I hated dirt, smelly things, and bugs- I was super girly. I only wore dresses, my favorite color was pink (until I learned that my brother's favorite color was purple and I decided mine would be too so that I could be just like him) I loved Barbies, and Disney Princesses. I am so happy that Cordelia loves to play in the dirt and she is fascinated by bugs, but she still loves Barbies, pink, and Disney Princesses. She is such a great mix of both worlds, such a good strong mix of her father and I too. 

On Wednesday we took a trip to visit my grandmother- while we were there we decided to swing by my Aunt and Uncle's dairy farm. I didn't appreciate the farm when I was a kid- because cows are kinda smelly and dirty and the flies LOVE them but Cordelia really enjoyed it. She thought the cows were super neat and my Uncle took us for a ride in his tractor which was awesome (it was my first time in a tractor too!). Now that I have grown up I am really impressed with, and in awe of, the farm. This trip also made me realize just how little I know about what is really involved with farming and how we get our milk. 

See that yellow brush thing- the cows can rub against it so they can scratch themselves. 

In the tractor, after our ride.

Lately. . .

Being a wife, and a mother means I wear many hats. I'm a master  cook, tailor, nurse, a counselor, educator, navigator, human waste removel officer, the list goes on and on. I am also a barber. 

The hubby is trying growing his beard out. He has been growing it for months, working on it being mammoth- like the guy from Lord of the Rings. Actually, I'm not totally sure how long he is trying to get  it. I do know that it's been close to an obsession around here. He conditions it, and made super nice oil for it, he primps it in the mirror. . .Now don't get me wrong, I'm not hating on his beard and I appreciate that he takes care of it, last time he grew it out he just did it mountain man style,  I'm just sharing with you how life has been- I like a man with a beard. 

So anyway, Brendon has been growing his beard and he is really happy with how the length is coming along (the beard oil really really helps) but the other day he came to a conclusion. The way we trimmed it in the beginning was causing it to be thinner than it should be, and that we should trim it down so he can start again. This was a sad moment for my husband, he debated for days (well a day because if you know him you know that he never debates anything for days) and then Tuesday we gave it a trim.