Lellow Bird

VOTE for my Kaylin-Bug!!

2011-09-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

So it's been waaaaaay too long since I've blogged but the 2 shortest people in my house keep me busier than ever. I know, no excuse. And those of you with 3+ kids are totally rolling your eyes at me right now. Okay, so don't write me off yet. The part of my brain that files potential blog posts has been over-crowded by sippy decisions, teething issues, PlayDoh creations, ballet dancing, and potty-training (the one year old.)

Another little thing that has been taking up brain capacity is this little contest on Facebook.

We entered Kaylin's picture in Talenti's Cutest Gelato Moment photo contest and she is one of the 6 semi-finalists!!

So this is my shameless plug to GO VOTE FOR KAYLIN here so we can win some of the best gelato on the planet!!

The contest runs all week (thru September 11th) and you can vote once a day (per Facebook account.)

We are currently in second place, but the one in first place is a professionally taken/tweaked photo (which is against the rules!) so it's a little unfair. All the more reason to cast votes for Kaylin!! She's under my name, Jill Putty (week 4) and all you have to do is click "VOTE."

Then if you click "SHARE" you can ask all your Facebook friends to "please vote for #4!"

Thanks to all my thousands of faithful readers out there who love me and support our gelato habit. ;)

"Thanks everybody! I promise to share my winnings with Harley again!" - Kaylin

the native tongue of a 2-year-old

2011-01-26T12:01:00.000-08:00

Today Cami said batteries. Not "babbies", BATTERIES! I was quick to correct her.

"Um, honey... you mean 'babbies'?"
"No Mommy... ba-ter-eeees. BATTERIES."
"NOOOOO!! Not that one too! Can't we please just keep that one?! I'm not ready for it to go! Please can we keep babbies!?"
[staring at me]
"Hee hee... batteries Mommy."

It's a sad day.

One by one they're fading away and being replaced. Her words. Her sweet little words. She doesn't understand how we love them. She is such a little perfectionist (not sure where that trait came from...ahem) and every time she perfects yet another one of her cute little words it means she's getting older.

"Diddy" is now Kitty.

"Nonny" is banana.

"ahTAHoh" is avocado.

"appauce" has become applesauce (thanks to Cousin Felicity for correcting her)

and speaking of...

"Wissy" has been Felicity for a while now :(

We lost "lellow" around Thanksgiving.

And her "bobberm" is now her bottom.

As with "babbies", I have tried my best to save each of these words in hopes of preserving the original 2-year-old Cami verbiage. She is not much help since she finds a rare joy in correcting her mommy.

There do, in fact, remain a few words still in transition:

"thlank you" still includes the mystery "L" and gets sweeter every day.

"stoomie" has evolved into the more commonly used 'scuse me.

Though she does know how to say it right, she still prefers to wear "meanies" rather than panties.

And our old friend the "Snut" (Noah's skunk) has acquired the new and improved title of "Snuk." Getting closer but not there yet!

One word I'm pretty confident we'll be hanging on to for a while is "dere" (girl). Sometimes she attempts it but isn't completely satisfied with the outcome and honestly neither am I.

She's growing up and it's bittersweet but I'm dealing with it and it helps to be able to blog about it.

In the meantime we praise her for her improvements but still give her lellow nonnies for breakfast and tell her to kiss Diddy goodnight. She corrects us of course, but we just smile and playfully argue about it.

It's only a matter of time before she masters the English language and disappoints us all!

Today she was watching me from her Learning Tower as I prepared a chicken to bake in the oven.

"What's that Mommy? Can I touch it?"
"Yeah Sweetie. This is called aluminum foil. Can you say ah-lu-mi-num?"
"Ah...lumum-mim... hee hee."

That's right. I just bought us some more time.

This is why I live in Florida:

2010-12-05T16:48:00.000-08:00

10-Day Forecast for
Ocala, FL (34471)

Printable Forecast

Daily Details | Text Forecast | Averages & Records

Video Forecast

Forecast Conditions

High °F
Low °F

Precip.
Chance

Tonight
Dec 5

Clear

N/A
34°

High not valid after 2pm

Mon
Dec 6

Sunny

59°
27°

59°F

Tue
Dec 7

Sunny

57°
26°

57°F

Wed
Dec 8

Partly Cloudy

60°
27°

60°F

Thu
Dec 9

Sunny

65°
32°

65°F

Fri
Dec 10

Sunny

71°
40°

71°F

Cookie Monday

2010-11-15T10:52:00.000-08:00

It's Monday but that's okay because we just made a ton of cookies.

We're outside again and it's easy breezy beautiful. But not like Maybeline 'cause I have zero make-up on and would probably break a camera were it aimed at me right now.

This might be a good reason I don't have a lot of friends in town 'cause unannounced visits would be embarrassing. In more ways than one.

Cami's playing with sand again and trying not to spill it everywhere.

She was just pushing Baby Sister in the walker and Harley was in the way...

"Harley, SCOOTCH!"

...but it was more like "Harley STOOTS!" because she's still selective of when she uses the "ck" sound.

I had to wake The Perfect Baby up a little bit ago from her 3 1/2 hour nap. It worked out great for me and Cami to bake cookies. We made the "kitchen sink" ones that Grandma Kay makes. They have chocolate chips, raisins, oatmeal, nuts and coconut. But I misplaced my coconut so we did without it. They are yummy and I'm trying not to think about them.

I have my Michael Buble Pandora station playing. It's such "feel good" music.

This is THE best weather ever created. I remember thinking that every year at this time. Where can I live where it's like this year round??

Cami is throwing all the balls out of the bouncy house ball pit. They are everywhere. I'm gonna make her clean them up. She's been bringing them to me one at a time asking, "Where is the ball's home, Mommy?"

It is now that precious time of the day called "nap time."

I want to nap too but I don't want to waste a minute of this amazing weather!

Maybe I'll clean house. ugh.

Those cookies are haunting my thoughts!!

Bittersweet Ordinary

2010-11-12T09:53:00.000-08:00

(Since no one reads my blog anymore - and for good reason since I don't update it - this one's just for me ;)

Today is one of those normal kind of days.

The ones that happen over and over all in a row. They all begin to run together unless something out of the ordinary happens. And by "out of the ordinary" I mean like a birthday party or going to Gram's or something.

Yeah, these are the days that I stay in my PJ's half the day 'til nap time when I take a shower and throw on whatever T-shirt and shorts I most likely wore yesterday. Cami wears play clothes that usually don't match and Kaylin sports a baby sleeper. We sometimes have a Blue's Clues marathon or watch a few Mister Rogers 'sodes while building a play ground with blocks for Noah's animals.

Today the weather is unarguably perfect and we are out back on the porch enjoying every bit of it. Kaylin just finished nursing (which took all of 10 minutes) and she's chillin' in her walker, kicking her chubby feet.

Cami is wearing a stained shirt and "mom jeans", playing very well by herself. She goes back and forth between her water/sand table and her bowl of bird seed (the new favorite toy around here.) There are also water guns, shells, sidewalk chalk, and from what I just heard, a bug participating in her activities. Her little $3.00 yard sale tricycle is parked on the patio waiting for her to remember it. The bouncy house is resting deflated in the grass. Harley is lapping up stale bird seed as he finds it scattered about. It's 73 degrees in the shade (THIS is why I live in Florida!)

I don't want to forget this day. There's nothing special about it except that it's part of my life right now that will one day soon be gone and I will miss it and wish I could have just 5 minutes of it so I could feel this feeling again. I take the feeling for such granted! The feeling I feel every single ordinary day in this season of my life. It's not even a conscious or noticeable feeling. Maybe that's what is so bittersweet about it. I could've sat down and recorded details of yesterday and have had an almost identical post.

But today is the one.

Nothing special about it, yet special now.

I just chose one of those ordinary days, in the middle of so many. I captured it before it escaped into history and became a blurry link in the chain of days spent this way for a season.

November 12, 2010... you lucky Friday, you!

**********************************************************

Cami is now experimenting with water and bird seed. She has various sized containers and keeps dumping her watery seed mixture back and forth, each time spilling some on the concrete. Soon she will wonder why there isn't anymore to dump and she will ask me where it went and beg me for more ingredients.

She is making a huge mess.

She is learning.

She is being two.

The past me would be getting my panties in a wad over something like this. I wonder what the future me would do. . .probably be finding her more ingredients. I'm somewhere in between right now.

Today's funny phrase for Cami is "monkey poopy." She occasionally and randomly blurts it out and laughs hysterically as though proud of herself for discovering the hilarious combination of words.

Okay, my panties almost wadded just now when she attempted to pour a bucket of her mixture on her head.

The baby is letting me know it's nap time. Cami's play clothes are soaked. I'm sure her Crocs are filled with mushy bird seed.

I just announced that it's almost nap time and she countered with, "Know what!? Now we can do different stuff! We can go play inside!" Nice try.

One day, sooner than I want it to, my ordinary will change and never be this again.

In 36 hours from now...

2010-06-08T19:05:00.000-07:00

...Cami will no longer be an only child. Her life will change and she has no idea what's coming. All our lives will change because of this one other little life entering the world.

In 36 hours from now...

I won't be sleeping through the night. Not that I am now with having to get up and pee 5 times a night! But it will be for different reasons. I will be feeding my new baby. And rocking her and changing her and snuggling her and praying over her. All perfectly good reasons to lose sleep.

Maybe I won't drool on my pillow as much as I have when I'm pregnant.
Though I'm sure her drool will make up for mine.

Hopefully I won't wake up the whole house with my pregnant snoring anymore (embarrassing.)
But I'm guessing her cries will replace my frequent snores.

My dress size will go down (slightly.)
And my bra size will go up (ridiculously.)

In 36 hours from now...

I won't be carrying around this huge belly!!
I'll be carrying around my huggable baby!!

I will be allowed to eat lunch meat! and feta cheese! and sushi!
But not chocolate (sigh)... and salsa ... and ice cream...

Naptime will take on a new definition. Instead of it being my one chance to get some stuff done around the house it will simply mean: "Aaaahhhh... NAPTIME!! Yesssssss!!!"

In 36 hours from now...

Laundry will somehow double in quantity.
My clothes will all smell like breast milk.
Tiny diapers will pile high.
Hand sanitizer will be in constant use.
And I will once again become addicted to watching Wheel of Fortune.
(it's the one show I can watch with the volume muted)

In 36 hours from now...

Our little family of 3 will become a family of 4.
I will be the mommy of 2 beautiful daughters.
And I will most likely still cry over every little thing since my hormones will still be on strike.

My life is so wonderful and I am blessed in too many ways to count. I couldn't imagine it being better but somehow I know it will be...
in only 36 hours from now.

Vote for #3 !!

2010-02-18T18:00:00.000-08:00

Here is my Sweetie Pie on a warm sunny day in the back yard enjoying hammock time.

This delightful picture is currently one of the top 5 finalists in a Cloth Diapered Baby picture contest on one of my favorite blogs I follow. The other 4 photos in the contest are extremely adorable too. But I would like to strongly encourage ALL of my MANY readers to please vote for my little Sweetie Pie. Even if her picture doesn't win this contest, we're excited for so many people to witness her super cuteness. But your vote is still very much appreciated.

So go here and vote now!!

And "thank you" from Cami ;-)

a small price to pay

2010-02-17T07:23:00.000-08:00

One pediatrician appointment: $15

Prescription eye drops for goopy eyes: $15

Anti-biotic (in case an infection develops): $11

Homeopathic sniffles tablets for kids: $6

Doctor appointment for me: $15

Anti-biotic for sinus/ear infection: $13.50

Pro-biotic: $38

Robitussin: $6.50

Neti Pot: $15

Saline nasal spray: $3

All natural cough drops: $3

Having peace in knowing we're all in the healing hands of my God: priceless

The Name

2010-02-14T18:31:00.000-08:00

We don't have a name picked out yet.
It was so much easier with Cami because the name "Camille" is THE most perfect name for our little girl. We both knew right away.
This time it's different.
It's not like we disagree on names. We like the same ones. But that's the problem. We LIKE a few names but don't LOVE any.
Yet.

There are a few we really like but they are a bit too popular and I'm having a hard time with that. I don't want her to have to share her name with other kids. I know that sounds silly, but I just want her to always feel like she has a special and unique name. This is something she will live with for her entire life!

But you know, my brother's name is Josh, and growing up there were always at least 3 other Josh's in our circle of friends. In fact, I married one! So I guess it wasn't so bad for them.

I have an "M" name in mind which I like a LOT, but it's up there on the "most popular baby names" list. Josh has another "M" name that he really likes but it's even higher on the list.

We have a "K" name that we're actually leaning toward but haven't fallen in deep love with it enough to decide for sure.

Then you have to think about what it will be shortened to. Names are always shortened whether you want them to be or not. Like when my sister decided on the beautifully elegant name "Felicity" for her daughter, she was determined for no one to shorten it. And now my neice is definitely called "Fliss." My sis is cool with it now though. It's cute and fits her.

I don't want my daughter to have a common last name for her first name, which has been a recent trend in baby naming.
I don't want her to have a boy name or even a gender neutral name.
I don't want her name to be a common word you might see on signs or book titles.
I don't want her name to sound like something I made up because I was trying to be that different.
I don't want it to rhyme with something gross or weird.
I don't want it to be shortened to something with a different initial.
I want it to be elegant and feminine, cute but not cutesy, and fitting for a baby and also a grown woman.

See, this is why the name "Camille" is so perfect.

At least we have the middle name picked out. It's a special one dear to my heart especially and we're keeping it a surprise.

So she will just be called "little one" for the time being and have to wait on Mom and Dad to finalize this very important decision.

Florida SNOW!!

2010-01-31T17:34:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, we the people of Florida experienced snow...IN Florida!

Cami loved it!
We had to keep putting her mittens back on because she would take them off so she could touch the snow. She didn't care that it was cold.

This is my car COVERED in snow!

We scooped as much snow as we could off of our cars for her to play with in the yard. (Notice the grass is still green!)

She called it "No."

It was a fun day. I hope snow visits us again someday.

Baby food basics: almond bites

2010-01-30T18:52:00.000-08:00

This is for my friend Jamie.

I started making these little "almond bites" for Cami once she began eating finger food around 12 or 13 months. I tried giving her cooked garbanzo beans (chick peas) at first but she turned her nose up at them so I had to get creative and disguise them.
These are full of protein, super healthy, and great for on-the-go.

**What you will need:

~ garbanzo beans - dried or canned (if you get them dried you must soak and cook them first: soak overnight in frig, rinse in cold water, cover with fresh water and cook covered on low for an hour to hour and a half)

~ almond butter

~ coconut oil (optional)

~ blender or food processor

~ bowl, plate, knife, large fork, nail clippers

* I started out using about half beans and half almond butter but have progressed to about 1 part almond butter, 2 parts beans. I don't measure, just kind of eye it.

* First, puree the garbanzo beans in the blender or food processor. You may need to add a bit of water if they are too chunky and not blending well. Not too much water tho...you don't want them too mushy.

This is a jar of beans being thawed from the freezer. I made a huge batch of beans and ran out of almond butter so I froze a bunch.

* Dump the bean mush into a bowl and add in the almond butter. The bowl needs to be large enough to accomodate a lot of mixing and mushing.

* I drizzle some coconut oil over the mixture to help it blend. Just start out with a little, then add more if needed. You don't want it to be too oily.
(I haven't tried this yet but you could probably use honey instead of coconut oil. It would definitely make them sweeter!)

* Mash and mash and mash with a large fork until it's all well blended. If you don't mind getting dirty just dive in with your hands and pretend it's Playdoh! I'm sure that will blend it quite well.

***The next 3 steps take quite a while if you're making a large batch so get comfy.

*Once it's all blended, take a good chunk of it and squish it in a nice straight line across a plate. (You can see in this picture why you need nail clippers before doing this.)

*Use a knife (butter knife works fine) to slice along in bite size pieces.

*Then take each piece, form into a ball, and toss in a jar or storage container (glass is best.)

*Store them in the frig. I usually make a big batch and freeze extra portions in jars.

Let me know if you have any questions!

catching up...

2010-01-26T17:22:00.001-08:00

I said I wanted to catch up a bit from the past few months of blog-boycotting. So maybe I'll just post some pictures of what we've been doing.

We took Cami to Islands of Adventure and Universal back in November and she had a blast! Josh's parents came too and we all had a blast just watching Cami discover her first theme park!
Here is a sampling of some of her favorite moments.

She loved any of the water activities for kids. And she was fearless! She was soaked by the end of the day. I was proud of myself for thinking to bring a change of clothes...something you learn early on as a new mom.

She took time out to lay an egg.

She got a little frustrated in the Curious George land when she couldn't turn the pages in the giant books. She would go from one side to the other trying to turn them.

Good family pic that only took about half a dozen takes.

This is how we ended the day. We were all exhausted and ready to leave but had to make time for this final fun little kids water area.

something to blog about

2010-01-25T17:49:00.000-08:00

I know I've been the worst blogger ever for the past few months. Okay, I haven't even blogged at ALL since our big announcement in November. I have reasons but I won't bore you with those. Most of them are stupid things like "I've been mad at the internet" which makes no sense I know, but first trimester is a crazy animal and you don't wanna mess with it. You just give it what it wants and back away slowly.

Second trimester has been great so far. I'm now 20 weeks along and today was the long-awaited event of our first ultrasound where we see the important baby parts.
I've been so excited for this day but kinda different than before (exactly 2 years ago.) I was nervous last time 'cause I wanted a girl so bad that it pained me to think of seeing a tiny you-know-what boy part on that screen.
This time I was fine either way which is so weird for me 'cause I always know what I want. Seriously though, I was 50/50 with this one. I knew Josh wanted another girl...or at least he really acted like it. He swore up and down, as did my mom, that it's a girl since the beginning! They based a lot of it on that Chinese gender chart which makes no sense at all but is somehow mostly accurate. I had no "feeling" either way...just wanted a healthy baby.

So first I should do some catching up since November...

just kidding!! I'll get on with the big news!
(But I will be better at blogging and will do some "catch-up" posts with Christmas pictures, etc.)

Do you see anything between those little legs???
NOPE!

Here she is! All 13 ounces of her!

Complete with little toes!

Everything is healthy and normal so our prayers are already being answered. Official due date is June 12th... 4 days before Cami's birthday.

So that's it for now.
I'll post some Cami pics and other stories soon.

"Bye bye!"

Cami's new shirt

2009-11-02T17:22:00.000-08:00

Having two older female cousins, Cami has been supplied with an abundance of hand-me-down clothes. And we've realized this will continue throughout her childhood. It's such a blessing to us but sometimes I find myself wanting to buy my little girl an outfit once in a while. End of summer sales! HellO!!

Then the next time I'm organizing her baby boutique of a closet, I wonder why in the world would I ever buy this kid another outfit!? It stresses me out that she doesn't even wear all of her clothes.

So when I do find something irresistible and on a ridiculous sale, I simply buy it a few sizes larger to fit Felicity or Addie, knowing we'll get it back in a couple of years. It's a win-win!

Recently I came across an actual reason to buy Cami a new T-shirt. It wasn't on sale, but it was a must-have. She wears it proudly.

So if you figured out why we had to have this particular special T-shirt, then you should also know that Cami will be getting an extra special birthday present next year!

Exciting times for our little family. We are thanking the Lord for His blessings!

last fall

2009-11-01T17:45:00.000-08:00

This time last year we were experiencing the beautiful fall colors at my brother's house in Alabama. This year we are still waiting on the cooler fall weather. Here it is November and I can't even wear my jeans yet! Why do I live in Florida again?? Oh yeah, because of December thru May.

I've been a little distracted with something lately but I'll get to that at a later time.

In the meantime, enjoy this picture my sis-in-law, Mandy, took of Cami last year in Alabama.

I get to kiss those cheeks every day!!

my lil punkin

2009-10-26T07:25:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun at the pumpkin patch! Cami stumbled around in her "boops" (as she calls boots) and inspected all the pumpkins until she found the ones she wanted to bring home. I think she kissed almost every pumpkin!
Aunt Jodie and Felicity came too and took lots of great pics!

One of Cami's pumpkin patch pics is entered in a contest and she'd love it if you would vote for her! Go HERE and leave a comment if you want to vote! Cami is #29. Thanks!!

Also special thanks to my sis Jodie for her creative photography skills!! Once again, great job, Jode!! See more of her beautiful work at http://www.jodielynnstudio.com/

soccer practice

2009-10-20T17:35:00.001-07:00

We decided it was time Cami expanded her soccer skills beyond the living room. Sunday afternoon promised perfect weather so we took advantage of it and headed to the nearest soccer field. At first she just wanted to toddle around and ignored the ball. Then when Josh started kicking it around she regained interest and decided to show him some moves.

She was pretty proud of herself. And for good reason. The kid's a natural.

It was quite windy that day and Mommy's job was to keep Cami's hat on.

At one point chasing her shadow became more interesting than kicking the ball. She started walking away from us so fast and was saying "Diddy! Diddy!" Her kitty hat made a kitty shadow and she was determined to catch it.

Here diddy diddy...

Mommy allowed a few hat-less moments so she could feel the wind in her hair.

"What hair?" you might say. It's there. It's thin and blonde and scarce, but it's there.

The shoes stayed on.

So much for the diddy hat...

finally FALL!

2009-10-18T18:08:00.000-07:00

We've waited and waited and waited for fall weather and just when we'd almost lost hope... fall decided to show its beautiful face. Just in time for the weekend too!

I can't believe that 2 days ago it was so hot that we couldn't even spend 5 minutes outside without sweating. Then we woke up yesterday morning to fall, beautiful FALL!!

We decided to take Cami to our local nature attraction, Silver Springs. I grew up a few miles down the road from the beautiful park, but never thought much of it. I have since realized how awesome it actually is, in so many ways.

Silver Springs is where they filmed the movie "The Creature from the Black Lagoon", as well as many other movies and TV shows. So it's famous.
And it's more importantly famous because a few years ago on a beautiful spring day, Josh and I stood in a blooming garden in the middle of the park and vowed to love eachother forever as husband and wife. So it will always be a special place to us and we wanted Cami to experience its magnificent beauty. And also the petting zoo.

Here she meets her first llama.

She loved the giraffes.

This is near our wedding site.

Cami and Daddy looking out the glass bottom boat.

BIG pumpkin!!

Kissing the BIG pumpkin.

Oooh, I need a perfect caption for this one...any ideas??

It was a super fun day and we didn't sweat a drop!

Happy Fall, Y'all!!

baby steps

2009-10-15T08:59:00.000-07:00

...and she's off!!

It only took her 15 months but now that she's (almost) mastered the skill of walking, it's a full time job keeping up with her. And needless to say, Cami's mommy is worn out!

Her "brother" Harley is worn out as well. We're not sure if he's more concerned with having to share his territory or having to babysit.

She's getting pretty good at soccer practice with Daddy.
Even with tube socks.
(sorry this one is so dark...it was from my camera phone and the room was kinda dark...I hope you can see the socks!)

under the weather

2009-10-07T06:39:00.000-07:00

...what does that even mean??

Anyway, Cami has had a runny nose and hasn't felt her normal happy self for the past couple of days so we've stayed home. It's hard to come up with fun things to do when we're confined to only a few rooms with toys. Baby Einstein stays on "repeat play" and I feel like she's being brain-washed by it! We normally limit her DVD watching but you know how it is when you're sick and all you want to do is lie around. She's had at least an hour of it daily this week! In fact, I need to go turn it off.

She's been so good considering her stuffy-ness. We ventured outside yesterday, despite the 90 degree weather... in October!

It was so hot but I think it cheered her up a bit.

And hopefully soon she'll be over the weather. I know I'm over this summer weather!

Camio

2009-10-05T19:31:00.000-07:00

I could watch video clips of her all day. My phone is full of them so I can take her with me wherever I go. And my computer is accumulating quite a collection as well.

A year ago when I went to Verizon to have them transfer all the data from my old phone to my new phone, the guy said he'd never seen anyone with that many video clips on their phone. There were only a hundred. Naturally almost all of them were of Cami. He was actually surprised my phone could handle that many. The truth is it couldn't. That's why I got a new phone, and eventually one of those little microSD cards that holds 4 Gigs.

Can you blame me? It's the only way to bottle her cuteness!!

This one's from a few months ago when she experienced her first ice cube.

yard sale happenings

2009-10-04T20:14:00.000-07:00

I said I would never have a yard sale again. That was several years and many yard sales ago. Yet somehow I always end up being sucked into having some sort of involvement in the family yard sales. I never plan one myself, but I'm pretty good at collecting and storing prime yard sale merchandise in my house. So I give myself no choice but to participate in some way.

October brings with it the inevitability of at least one of our moms getting the yard sale itch. Well, what do you know...both of them got it. My mom's was today. If there's one thing about my mom, she knows how to do a yard sale right. She plans at least a month ahead, sets aside certain days for gutting closets and cabinets, has her little box of organized price stickers and pens, and sorts and prices stuff the week prior. A few weeks ago I told her I wanted to sell some of my junk but I didn't want to have to be there for the sale. She understood. We both know I worked retail way too long to be of any constructive assistance at a yard sale. My brain naturally wants to artfully display items, use prices ending in .99, and offer shopping baskets to customers. And there is absolutely no brain cell whatsoever existing in my little head which will allow me to take part in haggling. You know, like bargaining with someone on a price. I can't even do it when I'm on the buying end! I've actually paid more than the stickered price at yard sales before because I knew it was worth more and thought it had been mispriced. I know, I'm an idiot. I think they were charity sales though. But still.

I know it's just an unwritten rule with yard sales about bargaining, but people get ridiculous with it and it irks me to an upsetting tizzy. While most will feel satisfaction after talking someone down on a price, I on the other hand enjoy stumbling on what I call an "already-bargain."

So over the past few weeks as I priced my quality junk, I had to keep in mind the typical yard sale shopper with their change purse full of quarters, snooty comments and insulting offers. I don't like these people. When yard saling, I myself happen to be nothing like those unfriendly old scrooges. I follow the rules and I'm respectful. I love finding treasure in other's trash. That thrill of discovering the perfect little one-of-a-kind pre-loved item costing me pennies on the dollar is a sensation like none other. And knowing I paid the asking price and still got it for a bargain is in some way so rewarding. Like finding a stray nose hair before someone points it out.

So this time I priced stuff to sell. Cheap. I didn't want mom having to deal with annoying hagglers and I wanted shoppers to find themselves an already-bargain in my valuable rubbish. Plus, the goal is to get rid of it and not have any left over to save and store for the next yard sale, right? I mean, who does that anyway? Probably never me. Ever.

I surprised my mom and sister this morning by showing up at 8am. Josh was looking forward to some one-on-one Cami time so I took advantage of the free mommy time and decided to get over myself and help out with the sale. I told them I was there to help but didn't want to deal with people and their attitudes. Mom is much better at that. If she doesn't want to go down on a price she'll just shake her head and say, “Eh, not this early” or “I really think it's worth the price.” I, on the other hand, grit my teeth and give in to their low-ball offers out of fear of being mean. Imagine that, me afraid of being mean. But I then carry with me a severely negative attitude towards future yard sale customers.

I don't know how it happened but today I wasn't able to hide on Mom's porch swing for the entire sale and I became involved beyond my retail abilities. I almost lost it on a few people.
And it's not just the stingy haggling part of it that I'm incapable of managing properly. It's the...(how do I say this delicately?) pure stupidity and genuine ignorance I have a difficult time tolerating.

Actual yard sale happening #1:

item: large bag of sea shells personally found by me - $1.00
shopper: old crabby lady in white hat - “Will you take fifty cents for that?” pointing in a general direction toward a table full of 20 different items
me: “For what? ... (Oh, the beautiful shells I spent hours on the beach collecting?) Sure.” - gritting teeth
crabby lady: handing me three one-dollar bills - “Alright I'll get both bags, one was a quarter and you said you'd give me the other for fifty cents so you owe me $1.25, unless you want to give them both to me for a dollar...”
me: confused but doing some quick second grade math in my head - “Umm, oookay...so are you buying anything else?” - giving her an out and trying not to embarrass her
lady: taking back one of the dollar bills - “Here, just give me seventy-five cents then.”
me: holding two dollars for a seventy-five cent sale, still confused, but really wanting to punish her stupidity at this point
lady: taking back one more dollar and finally recalling math class from 72 years ago - “You owe me a quarter now.”
me: “Thank you, now get out of my store.”

And since that last comment only happened in my head, it wasn't over...

She proceeded to ask my mom if she'd “take four dollars or maybe three dollars” for a nice set of framed pictures priced at $5.00. Mom simply reminded her they were priced at five. So she put the pictures back and two minutes later, walked up to Mom and, looking in the opposite direction and not saying a word, handed her five dollars. Then she offered my sister a quarter for her unused wedding planner she'd priced for fifty cents. REALLY?!?! You found something worth a quarter to you but you wouldn't dare pay two quarters for it?! REALLY?!?! And you have the audacity to ask for 50% off a $20 item priced at fifty cents?! I wanted so bad to walk up to her and hand her fifty cents and tell her I was paying her to take the book because she obviously needed it and the money. She left before I had a chance.
This my friends was an ignorant/snotty combo mixed with a bit of unashamed stupidity. And might I add, most likely highly medicated.

Happening #2:

item: compact size microwave that warms things slowly - $3.00
shopper: large tapestry cat purse carrying woman asking if it works
me: explaining that it heats things slower than most microwaves
cat purse woman: looking confused
me: explaining in another way using simple examples
cat purse woman: obviously debating on whether to risk $3.00 on something that may not work properly - “Will you take two for it?” - because that's the going price for items at high-risk
me: getting the okay from Mom - “Of course!" Why wouldn't we?! I think that's what we meant to price it anyway!

Then she struck again.

cat purse woman: “I want to know if you'll take fifty cents for that over there, but I don't know what it is.”
me: did she just say that?
cat purse woman: pointing to a long handled spoon shoe horn (to aid in putting one's shoes on without having to bend down) priced at $1.00
me: overcoming the strong temptation to really have some fun with this one - “Do you know what it is?”
cat purse woman: “Well, no.”
me: brief explanation which did not include a demonstration being that I was wearing flip-flops
cat purse woman: “Oh, so will you take fifty cents for it?”
Mom: with priceless look on her face - “It's well worth a dollar.”
No sale.
This one I categorize as a ridiculous waste of time for everyone involved.

Happening #3:

item: brand new Coke brand checkers set, still in box - $4.00 – one of my already-bargains
shoppers: 2 very frugal old ladies - “Will you take a dollar for this?”
me: hiding on porch swing shooting an are-you-kidding-me look at Mom - “NO!”- do you see a 75% off sign anywhere?!
shoppers: walked away
assessment: ignorant of the value of the Coca-Cola name. Shameful.

Happening #4:

item: various things equaling $7.00
shopper: thrifty middle-aged woman with good taste handing me a five and a one - “All I have is six dollars... is that okay?” - smiling
me: admiring her strategy - “Sure.”
This is a respectful way to bargain and though most likely not entirely honest, it didn't bother me. She used her brain and the smile was a plus.

Happening #5:

Some old hippie (gender debatable) driving junky van, pulls up in the driveway right in front of our tables, turns off engine, sits for about 5 minutes in van never getting out, turns engine back on, backs out and drives away.
Waiting for valet service...??
Writer has no further comment on this happening.

Happening #6:

item: things equalling more cash than customer has on their person
shopper: to my mom, and said with all seriousness - “Do you take Visa?”
Mom: sporting her best fanny pack, holding arms out - “Does it look like I take Visa?!”
shopper: still dead serious - “Well I wasn't sure if you had one of those machines.”
Mom: just holding it in - “Nope, no machine. Sorry.”
me: "I'm clocking out now."

Cami lately...

2009-09-29T19:04:00.000-07:00

The following pics are of moments that happened when I didn't have my camera handy so my camera phone had to suffice. Though I am very thankful to my phone for having a camera feature, it does not in fact produce the highest quality pictures. So for this I apologize.

Nevertheless, please enjoy 2.0 megapixels at its best.

First time sportin' pigtails (thanks to Aunt Jodie!)

helping Mommy fold laundry (particularly underwear...nice)

learning to sit on her bench all by herself

being attacked by the letter "U" (of course it's lellow)

learning "D" is for "Daddy"

learning to alphabetize

learning to stand for something

watching for the icecream truck

playing in her tutu

admiring her tutu

learning a song from a horse

learning what all the fuss about watermelon is

still loving broccoli (yessss)

reflecting

sporting her best bed-head

learning what a reading chair is for

adopting a new kitty!

brownie points

2009-09-28T18:26:00.000-07:00

I realize most of my recent blog posts have been about food, but I'm okay with it if you are. So here's another one.

My sweet niece Felicity recently visited for the afternoon and I told her when Cami took her nap we would do something special in the kitchen.

“WHAT are we gonna DO?!?!”

“Um, we're gonna make something!”

“WHAT are we gonna MAKE!?!”

“Um...you'll see!”

“But Aunt Jill, what ARE we gonna make?!?”

“Well, it's something good...but you'll hafta wait and see!”

“Okay! But what IS it?!?!”

giving in to her cuteness - “Brownies!”

“BROWNIES?!?! YAY!!”

Organic ones.

Needless to say, she was excited and ready to go to work.

"Painting" the dish with oil...

carefully stirring the ingredients...

pouring the yummy chocolate...

rewarding herself for all her hard work!

lots of rewarding...

ahh, sweet sweet reward...

for all that hard work...

that was so worth it.

Taking a lunch break while the brownies baked.

(notice her chocolate covered sandwich...she believes I'm a genius aunt for inventing it)

Decorating brownies with powdered sugar...ahem...I mean flour stars.

Fresh from her nap, Cami watches and learns.

Reward time again.

No, we can't share with Cami.

But we can share with everyone else!

Want one??

Confessions of a (don't) wanna-be cook

2009-09-27T19:20:00.000-07:00

This will come as no surprise to those who know me well, but I'm no Rachael Ray in the kitchen. In fact I may be the extreme opposite. It's not that I lack the skill alone, but the desire to cook up scrumptious concoctions somehow escapes me. I also fall short of the enthusiasm required to earn the title as "chef." Though I'm a little too enthusiastic when it comes to consuming yummy edibles others have willingly put forth effort to make for me.

The word "cook" to me is a negative verb meaning a dreaded chore I must do when we can't go out or order out. And it usually involves sweating so that adds to the negativity. I inherited this attitude and dislike from my mother and we both know it and admit it. I would say it's just not in our DNA, but my Mamaw was famous for countless delectable dishes and her dinner parties were not something to miss. She found much joy in preparing many a meal in her country Tennessee kitchen and I'm thankful for those food-filled memories.

For whatever reason, I do enjoy baking. Perhaps my sweet tooth has something to do with it, but I'm always game for mixing up a batch of chocolate chip cookies from scratch. I think baking brings with it a much more enjoyable reward. Plus it's usually easier and involves ingredients with which I'm more familiar.
When my best friend and I were teenagers we officially changed the name "cookies" to "bakies" (in case you hadn't heard), reason being obviously that the popular dessert is in fact baked, not cooked. And I being no expert, had no idea of the difference but took her word for it and did my best to promote the new title.

Another obstacle I face...spices intimidate me. We didn't even register for a spice rack when we got married because I wouldn't know what to do with them. There are way too many kinds and they come with so many rules (which are not included on the jar) and I never know how much to use (I'm usually safe with a pinch, right?) I'm sure there's a "Spices for Dummies" available, but again, I lack the desire to learn. Sometimes I stand in the spice aisle at the grocery and just stare at the neatly alphabetized array of little jars. On occasion I might pick one up out of curiosity, only to get frustrated at the absence of information on the label. No list of ingredients or nutrition facts or instructions for use like I'm in the habit of finding. I just want to know what paprika can do for me!

No, honestly I don't care.

Herbs are another thing that confuse the heck out of me. I know they are so beneficial but I wish I would learn more about them. There are so many that have peculiar and helpful uses. I know fresh lavender repels flees from Harley's bed. And at one time I used Wild Yam as a contraceptive. Heck there may even be an herb to help increase my desire to cook. Yet I remain clueless to that answer seeing as I don't care enough to pursue it. Sad. Herbs are supposed to be somewhat simple to grow but I've made two unsuccessful attempts at it in my kitchen window. The cilantro grew tall enough to laugh at me, then keeled over and died. As for the rosemary I purchased at the farmer's market... I think I breathed on it wrong or something. And the mint must've heard about my reputation before it even dared to surface. I'm okay with this herbal rejection because my aloe plant is presently thriving on the back porch.

There are a few things I do enjoy doing in the kitchen.
I like chopping vegetables. I don't know why but I get a kick out of chopping up everything in my veggie drawer and tossing it in a pot with water to cook for a couple hours. There. That's dinner at our house. I didn't have to measure, read a recipe, saute something, marinate, or tenderize. And sometimes I even get brave and sprinkle in some marjoram (thanks to my sis-in-law for introducing it to me.) My thing with chopping is I don't always know how much to chop off. Like how far down the broccoli stalk? Harley gets it anyway so it doesn't go to waste. Also with celery and asparagus...there should be some kind of cut line on those stems.

I also like being in the kitchen. I like to clean it (I'm weird), organize the counter tops, consolidate the cabinets, unload the dishwasher, and rid the frig of old condiments. It's odd but my favorite part about having the families over for dinner is the clean-up afterwards. I mean, not favorite over spending time with them, but favorite thing to be done in the kitchen.

I like creating things. Not casseroles and souffle's, but more along the lines of salads and wraps. Those are things I can make pretty. Making baby food has been my most recent creative outlet in the kitchen. I'm thinking about posting some of my scrumptious baby recipes to share with the world. (One of them uses mini-muffin pans so it's kinda like baking.)

I have been known to find and follow a new recipe from time to time. Those internet sites categorize them according to the level of difficulty so I only look at the ones labeled as "easy" and then choose the shortest one.

**Tip: "Easy" in recipe world doesn't always mean the same easy as we're used to.

I get pretty proud of myself if I actually follow through with an entire recipe and it ends up being our dinner. Josh is usually very impressed because he too is familiar with my lack of cooking interest. Though sometimes he walks in from work only to find his disheartened wife scooping or scraping something onto dinner plates. The following conversations may or may not have taken place in our kitchen in the recent past:

“What's the matter?”

“I cooked it wrong.”

“What do you mean by wrong? It's salmon. What did you do?”

“I don't know! I just cooked it! But I did it wrong!”

“Well, how hard can it be? It looks fine to me. Let's just eat.”

crunch, crunch, crunch

“Maybe it's just a little overdone...”

“FINE! Harley's getting an expensive meal tonight and we're having cereal...again!!” (sob)

Or that one time I tried to copy the ingredients from a Kashi microwave dinner because it was so good. I had almost all the ingredients listed on the box... ginger and sesame seeds couldn't be too important.

“Just try it.”

“What's in it?”

“You'll see... it's all good stuff!”

“Like what?” - sniffing bowl of unfamiliar goodness

“Oh just rice and black beans and peppers...and some other stuff.”

taste, taste, taste

“Is that mango?!”

“Oh yeah, that too. Isn't it good?”

“Um, have you tasted it yet?”

“Of course I have.” - defensively

“Okay, well you know I don't like mango...um, where did you say you got this recipe?”

“Well I didn't have all the ingredients but I made some substitutes and it's really healthy!”

“Okaaay...so what else do we have to eat.”

sob, sob, sob

I blame it on the ginger shortage.

My husband is far from being a picky eater and I have to give him props for being such a good sport and sincere supporter of my efforts, though usually disastrous.
Our dinners usually include something like: grilled chicken breast (over-cooked because I'm paranoid about salmonella poisoning) seasoned with the seasoning mix I got from the farmer's market, rice or sweet potato, and steamed broccoli or cauliflower drizzled with coconut oil. Simple and yummy! Then we have popcorn and apples later while we watch TV.

Now wouldn't you love to join us for dinner one of these days?
Don't worry, we'll order wings.

Baby Food Basics - Part 2: Easy Freezing

2009-09-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

Where were we?

Ah yes, greens and sweet potato diaper rash. Moving right along...

So I realized how time consuming the whole wash/peel/cube/steam/puree process could be, especially when preparing such small portions at a time. I'd heard about freezing the purees and so set out to find the most efficient and safe way to go about this process. Ice cube trays seemed to be the choice method, but I was concerned about plastic. I've converted almost entirely to glass food containers and wasn't about to store my baby's first food in toxin-leeching trays. After a bit of research I came upon some PVC/Phthalate-free trays with lids to prevent freezer burn.

They are just like ice cube trays, only with tight fitting lids. I have since found other varieties I may have chosen instead, but these worked just fine for me for what I needed.

**It's best to go ahead and freeze your purees as soon as they cool from cooking. In other words, don't leave it sitting in the fridge for a week and then freeze whatever is left of it.

I've found it's good to set aside a certain time of the week for some big time bulk baby food making and just dive into it so you're well prepared. Sunday evenings became my designated time. Honestly sometimes I would be in the kitchen for 3 hours straight. Peeling, chopping, steaming, pureeing, freezing. I know, I'm hard core. But it's so worth it to have it on hand for the rest of the week. Cami even has her own shelf in the freezer as well as in the fridge.

**Speaking of having on hand... I have not even mentioned this yet, but I was not opposed to feeding her organic jar food once in a while. There are times when convenience is necessary for a busy mommy and popping open an Earth's Best jar of winter squash at Grandma's can be a nice little break from all the prep and clean-up of the home-made stuff. Or when Daddy is baby sitting. Or when Mommy has the flu. Or when Mommy forgot to thaw some cubes the night before (see below) and Baby is screaming. I'll admit, at times I was tempted to totally switch over to jar food. I mean the organic stuff can't be that bad right? Okay, probably not, but fresh is always best and as long as I'm able, I'm going to provide the best for my baby. So when Publix ran a sale, I'd stock up on the jars and it was comforting knowing I had them to fall back on if need be. She preferred the homemade stuff over jar food anyway.

So once the food was frozen in the trays I popped out the cubes into freezer bags, labeled with food and date, then tossed them back into the freezer.

**Tip: run warm water over bottom of tray first for easy-to-pop cubes.

Each night before bed I would decide which food we needed for the next day, pick out enough cubes for however many meals, and seal them in a glass container in the fridge. This gives them just enough time to thaw for lunchtime. As far as warming them from the fridge, I used a bottle warmer and placed the mushy, thawed cubes in a glass baby food jar. It's not fun to try and thaw them immediately from frozen so do your best to remember. I usually kept a small amount of fresh food in a container in the fridge for times when I forgot to thaw some the night before (which happened often.) You kinda learn to work with your forgetfulness and come up with a functioning rotation.

**If baby doesn't finish her meal, you need to discard the remaining portion from the jar or dish. Bacteria passed from mouth to spoon can grow on the leftovers and contaminate the food. To eliminate waste, make a point to learn how much baby is eating per meal so you won't have to throw any away. Okay, that won't happen. Baby is unpredictable and you just have to deal with throwing out some of your hard work once in a while. Our dog, Harley, has had his fair portion of organic baby mush and he never complained so it wasn't an entire waste.

Some of our favorite freezables: carrots, cauliflower, butternut squash, broccoli, peas.
(Oh, and don't freeze avocado. Yuck.)

Once they've had their first tastes of all the basics, you can get creative with mixing them up.
Some combinations we like are:

-avocado and banana (neither frozen) – this makes a good and easy breakfast. Simply mash them together!

-carrot and tomato – tomato should be peeled, seeded and sauteed. You can eventually mix in cheese making this a tasty trio!

-spinach and butternut squash or sweet potato

-broccoli with almost anything - especially if they are still working towards an acquired taste for it. Mix it in with something they already love, like sweet potato.

I often referred to the book Top 100 Baby Purees. It includes pictures, tips and plenty of fun recipes to try. Some of which are actually tasty for the rest of the family... pre-pureed of course!

I realize all of this sounds like a lot of work compared to buying jar food, but it really isn't. If you take a few hours every other week or so, and develop a system that works, it can actually be fun. And it's so rewarding when you watch your baby react to new tastes, knowing that it's healthy and fresh and made by mommy and God.

Today's Lellow

2009-09-25T13:33:00.000-07:00

In my messy closet, playing with plastic beads, on her potty, excited about a particular color...

Game-Day

2009-09-22T19:56:00.000-07:00

It's not even called “Saturday” anymore during football season. Game Day is sacred and Game Time is not to be interfered with. (It hurts that I just ended that sentence in a preposition but i'm trying to learn to be okay with it because my blog is all about being personable and writing how I talk and I talk grammatically incorrect all the time so just know that I know that I did that and let's be okay with it together and move on.) Whew! I feel better.

Gator games are an event not to be missed between both sides of our family and we are training Cami young. Speaking of young... Josh has said he would be thrilled if Tim Tebow waited about 20 years and married Cami. My mom agrees wholeheartedly. I personally prefer her not to marry so young as 21 and honestly don't even want to hear her name in the same sentence as the word “marry” anytime soon!! But as far as older men go, he'd be my choice for her.

Cami has learned to say “Go Gators” whenever the blue/orange color combination and/or the Gator logo is in sight. The words “go” and “Gators” are not the actual words that come out of her mouth but the “words” she does say are said with the passion and spiritedness of a true fan. And (unlike her mother) she actually does enjoy watching football on TV. We don't normally allow her to watch TV but given that her possible-future-husband is making NCAA history and unashamedly proclaiming his faith, we decided to make an exception.

So each weekend as families gather and wings and fries are devoured, we don our young in the appropriate apparel and cheer on the boys from The Swamp.

Of course the grown-ups have to set a good example for the next generation of Gator Nation.

So to all our fellow Gator fans out there, we wish you sweet dreams of enormously ferocious, scaly green reptiles mercilessly devouring mangy old wildcats. Ahh, night night.

Baby food basics: In the beginning...

2009-09-18T22:01:00.000-07:00

My fellow blogger mom, Samantha at Mamanotes, has a baby boy who is just starting solid foods, and she is so good about keeping her readers up to date with his progress. She recently posted about her methods in feeding him (which happen to be pretty similar to mine) and it has inspired me to write about Cami's experience with food so far.

I know the 6 month mark is usually when babies begin solids but we waited 'til 7 months, only because she turned 6 months right around Christmas and it was too hectic a time for a perfectionist control freak like me to begin such a detailed, tedious venture.

So in January of this year my baby who had only ever tasted breast milk and water, experienced real people food for the first time. It was a big day. I had a spoon of soupy avocado in one hand, the camera in my other hand, while Josh handled the video camera.

**We skipped rice cereal only because it has so little nutritional need or value and is primarily used to familiarize baby with a new texture and taste other than milk. I am not opposed to rice cereal and eventually ended up mixing it in with other foods for her. I was just anxious to allow her taste buds to dive into more fabulous flavors! Three days shy of her 7 month birthday those little taste buds didn't know what hit them.

I mashed a couple spoonfuls of avocado and slowly mixed in my breast milk (so it'd taste somewhat familiar) until it was as soupy as possible yet stayed on the baby spoon. Of course most of it ended up on her chin and bib as she gave us looks like, “You people are crazy if you think I'm going to swallow this.”

We did this at lunchtime, and continued our avocado lunch after her midday breast feeding for one week.

**I chose to start with avocado because it really is a perfect food. The nutritional value surpasses pretty much anything else condensed in such a neat, convenient little package, easy to slice, spoon or mash.

Once she got the hang of actually swallowing this strange substance, and seemed to accept the new taste, we moved on to the next taste.

**We began with citrus colored veggies, packed with nutritional value, and bland enough to ease into. Fruit came later, as I was pretty certain she'd love it because it's so sweet. I wanted to tempt her taste buds with bland flavors before she became addicted to sweets (like her mommy is!)

Carrots were up next and since raw veggies are out of the question for a tender little digestive system, we did a lot of steaming. I used organic regular size carrots (never the baby ones), washed, chopped, steamed, then pureed, adding a bit of purified water. A friend (and fellow baby food maker) recommended the Cuisineart Mini-Prep Plus to puree baby food and boy did it come in handy! I will say this... a blender will do just fine as well, especially when making larger batches to freeze, but this little mini-prep gizmo fit right in on my counter top (and it came in PINK!) Easy to use, easy to clean. My only complaint is the loud, shrill noise that scared poor Cami at first. She's totally used to it now, but I would have to take the darn thing in the laundry room and shut the door to use it!

Anyway, back to carrots. Mixed in breast milk, and eventually transitioned to mixing in only water.

**Each new food should have at least 3 days by itself once introduced to be sure of no allergies, and also allow baby to get used to it. I would sometimes go a whole week before introducing the next taste.

After carrots we were on to squash. Winter, acorn, and butternut (her fave.) You can sometimes find these frozen but I always opt for fresh if they're available. Butternut has become our favorite. It's a bit time consuming to prepare but much easier to peel than acorn squash (of which I don't even waste my time anymore.) And a large one will make a pretty good size batch to freeze.

I've made her squash two different ways:

1) cut in half (longways), remove seeds and seed mush, place in dish w/half inch of water and bake, then scrape cooked squash flesh (I promise that's what it's called) and mash or puree to desired consistency

or the way I prefer -

2) peel entire squash with veggie peeler, cut into approximately 1-square-inch cubes, remove “seed innards”, steam in steamer, puree adding water as needed. Voila.

Almost a month after the avocado event, we introduced cauliflower. This was a tough one at first, but ended up becoming a favorite. I confided almost daily in my sis-in-law (who could seriously write a book on this stuff...and should...hint, hint), and one thing she told me was to keep trying the new taste even if they hate it at first. She said to try it for up to 26 feedings! (I know... WHAT?!?! But she knows her stuff so I trust her and so should you.) Unless of course they develop an allergy of some sort. I've learned this is good for both mommy and baby. Baby learns how to acquire a taste for new foods. Mommy learns to be consistent and to not give in just because baby resists something at first. This will help in the long run for baby to not be a picky eater.

At this time we were doing a lunch and a dinner solid feeding and I think I might've marked on the calendar 13 days from then when I could give up on cauliflower. Much to my relief it only took four. I eventually started mixing in a bit of organic extra-virgin coconut oil with her veggies. We use it all the time in our food. Another excellent source of good fats! And Cami loves the taste!

By her 8 month birthday we started her on greens. Green beans first, then peas. Steamed or cooked, then pureed. All I will say is this made for some interesting diaper changes. But that is a whole 'nother post... which you will not find on this blog. Though in person I can get into some serious baby poop talks. Those who know me well know it to be true.

ahem

Anyway...
Broccoli was a biggie for me 'cause I'm a big fan. It went over better than I thought and to this day she will choose it over mac 'n cheese. No lie. I'm telling you...perseverence is key here.
Zucchini went well although a little frustrating to prepare being that it's slimy and watery by itself. It's a good one to mix in with other things or make into zucchini bread.
We introduced sweet potato right before fruit (not counting avocado) since it's so sweet. I was pretty excited about sweet potato day. She of course loved it, but alas, like with her cousin Eli, it caused diaper rash. So we held off on it for the time being and now she has it in very small portions only once in a while.

I hate to do this but....
I will continue my “baby food basics” talk sometime in the near future and tell about our experience with fruit, combining different foods, freezing methods, the question of meat and dairy, what spinach looks like on the way out...wait, no...I said I wouldn't go there, and just how many French Fries are too many??

It's such a fun thing to experiment with and learn about and I just love hearing what methods others have tried. But it is late at night (actually early morning) and the Florida/Tennessee game is on tomorrow (Go Gators!!!) and I will be a sorry excuse for a hostess if I don't skedaddle to bed this instant! (See, my weird late night talk is emerging!)

Stay tuned for more... (whatever that means.)

Cami lately

2009-09-16T19:39:00.000-07:00

has been...

snacking

bird watching

smiling

cooking

learning to use a spoon

sporting Mommy's baby clothes from the 70's

balancing

squatting

building towers

crashing towers

cheering the Gators

watching Baby Einstein

watching more Baby Einstein

learning to hide green beans

being silly

drinking goat milk

pottying

reading books with Daddy

reading more books with Daddy

extra cute

to be continued...

Nein Danke, Aldi!

2009-09-14T19:56:00.000-07:00

I know I was picking on Publix a while back for their second string staff one night, but can I just say, I would take a Saturday night at Publix any day before I'd go back to Aldi. What a joke!!
I've never visited the one across town and I'd heard that it was kinda junky with no-name products. But today was the opening day for the new one right by my parents' house so I went with Mom just to check it out.
We brought our Publix Greenbags to represent, and because Mom heard Aldi doesn't have bags. Oookay.
So with Greenbags, baby, purses and baby cart-cover in hand, we approached the shopping carts out front, only to find them chained to one another. What the...??
Two Aldi guys were standing nearby to familiarize newbies like us with their system. We listened as one of them explained how to put a quarter in the slot on the cart and release the chain.
Me, already irritated, arms full, voiced my main concern, “And what if I don't have a quarter?”

“Oh, they can make change for you inside.”

How convenient.

Mom, fishing in her purse for Washington's silver face, voiced her main concern, “How do I get my quarter back when I'm finished?”

“You simply lock the cart back in place and it spits your quarter back out.”

How convenient.
(Remembering those times I've run in the store with only my check card in my pocket.)

Meanwhile the other guy stood by smiling and trying to convince us in his best fake German accent that these carts are the best carts in the world because they are German made. And that's why they are larger. Hmm.
A small line to get a cart was forming behind us so we hurried along to the entrance, leaving the fake German to greet other confused customers.

“Aah, velcome to Aaldi, ya?”
(Whatever. I'm convinced they hired an actor.)

We strolled up and down the aisles (all five of them) finding an abundance of cheap groceries stacked high, all brands I've never heard of, none of which were organic, and all containing wretched ingredients. (Wow, I'm such a grocery snob!)

The place was full of people, but I didn't notice very many full carts. I think people are hesitant of buying unfamiliar brands. Mom found a few things, including a German-made sunflower loaf with a surprisingly short list of all good ingredients. I got a bag of non-organic apples, an eighty-nine cent avocado, and some cheap toilet paper. Placing our items on the conveyer belt I noticed the shelf beneath which held bags. Paper and plastic. Ten cents each for plastic and six cents for paper. Thankful for my Greenbags, I greeted the cashier who didn't care. She was tossing our items in another cart at the end of the counter. Our Greenbags had been tossed in with everything else.

“Oh, these are our bags we brought,” I informed her.
I guess she didn't hear me. I pulled my cart forward next to the new cart with our items and began bagging my groceries. It was way too crowded an area to be doing this right there and as I glanced around I noticed others were bagging their own groceries at the designated “bag-your-own-groceries” counter behind me. Where was fake accent informant guy when I needed him?
I notified Mom of the unfamiliar system, so after paying, she made her way around to grab our new cart with our bags and groceries. It was then that the friendly cashier informed me that she needed my cart for the next customer. The cart with my baby, baby cart-cover and quarter in it. How convenient.

So picture a crowded little area, 2 large German-made carts, Mom getting groceries out of one, me getting baby, etc. out of the other, a cashier who doesn't seem to understand why we look so confused, and a line of customers waiting for my cart. The cart with Mom's quarter in it.
Mom pushed our new cart while I carried baby and gear. On our way out all I could do was frown under the EXIT camera. And “Heinrich the greeter” was the last person I needed in my face. Unless he was conducting an "exit poll", in which I would've eagerly participated. But he wasn't.

“Aah, sankyou for shopping at Aaaldi! See you next time!”
Nope.

It helped that we parked close by and it's a good thing we didn't buy very much. We unloaded the groceries and Mom went to return the cart. As she approached the small crowd listening to instructions, I watched a man hand her a quarter and relieve her of her cart. I know she wasn't looking forward to figuring out how to re-lock her cart and retrieve her quarter.

I was trying to imagine me shopping there alone with Cami. Taking her and her cart-cover out of one cart while pushing the other to the counter to single-handedly bag my own items, getting everything to the car, unlocking car, unloading items in car, locking car, pushing cart back to “rent-a-cart” station hoping to find person in parking lot in need of cart, locking cart, retrieving quarter, back to car, fastening most-likely fussy baby in seat, thanking God for creating Publix.

Like Mom said, Aldi is not the place to shop for people with small children.

Or for people with no quarters handy.
Or for people who are spoiled by Publix.
Or for people who cannot tolerate overly happy fake accents.
Or for people who like to eat healthy.
Or for people who like convenience.
Or for people who like familiar brands.
Or for people who like to pay with AmEx.
Or for people who like to shop after 8pm.
Or for people who might forget their Greenbags once in a while and don't feel like spending money on paper bags.
Or for people who like friendly, patient cashiers.
Or for people who like friendly, patient baggers...or any baggers for that matter.
Or for people who like to curb their cart when a cart corral isn't nearby.
Or for people who are accustomed to doing things the American way. You know, the right way.

I know they aren't trying to be a regular full-service grocery store. But I guess they found their niche in the small percentage of people who fit the above criteria. In the meantime, I'll be taking advantage of Publix BOGO sales.

my PG-13 salon

2009-09-09T20:26:00.000-07:00

I don't afford myself the pleasure of getting my hair done as often as I'd like (or should) because it's hard for me to justify paying that much money for something usually categorized as vanity.
Though I have come to realize vanity is not the only factor involved; my sanity holds some weight in the reasoning as well.
Funny how they rhyme.

My sanity is based on numerous factors but feeling confident about my outward appearance plays its rightful role. (If you're a guy reading this then don't feel like you have to understand that part.) When I have good hair and face days (another thing guys have no clue about) I find myself more outgoing, more social, nicer to my husband, and more positive about life itself. And right after a good hair cut I'm usually loving the whole world and wanting to buy it a Coke.

I like to say, behind every good hair cut is a good hair cutter, and about 4 years ago I found myself sitting in the retro green vintage swivel chair of exactly one of those. I learned of the famed Clara through a friend and after a few conversations realized her client base was mostly my friends of friends of more friends and then some. So I had not uncovered a secret but only discovered I was the last to know and wondered why no one had told me sooner. Like before my wedding day would have been helpful.

It's not an easy task to find someone who “knows your hair.” I've been to many a hair stylist, celebrity photo in hand, describing every detail of what I want, only to walk out thinking they should be paying me to look like this! Not the case with Clara. She knows what I want better than I do and there have been appointments where we barely talk about my hair, she just reads my mind as she combs through my stringy tresses. Amazing.

I love going to my hair appointments. I pay more than I would somewhere else, it usually takes all of 3 hours for cut and color, and I can never expect to book an appointment any sooner than a month and a half out. But it's all worth it for the entertainment.
An appointment with Clara is always an event to be experienced. And it never happens on purpose. I used to think it was a funny coincidence how interesting things and people always happened on the day of my appointments, but that's just how days are at Clara's salon.
Clara is that person whose opinion you always want to hear on something 'cause you know it will be honest, twisted or outright blunt. She says things everyone else is thinking but not gutsy enough to say. She also says those things no one else is thinking, which contributes to the unique experience.

It's a salon so everyone and their mother is talked about, and for some reason you kinda wish you could hear what she'd say about you 'cause you know it's probably true and hilarious. You hear more gory details about her life than you probably need to, but she listens to (and actually remembers!) your crazy life so it makes for good conversation. Her sporadic crass humor can be alarming at first but if you can get past an occasional F-bomb she really grows on you and you forget you're not in the audience of a stand-up comedienne.

A lot of the conversations and stories shared at Clara's cannot be repeated on this blog – partly because I don't want Blogger to flag me, but mainly because there's no way to tell a story like Clara tells it. She is one of a kind and has me LOLing sometimes to tears.

She often threatens to move away but I think she is aware of the great responsibility she has in helping to keep our city beautiful. And I don't think her talent could be used to its extent and appreciated as much elsewhere. I know I alone would suffer with an untamed, mis-colored afro and possible mullet which we simply cannot have lurking around, scaring innocent children. So I do what I can to support her and remind her of what a wonderful city this is.

I love watching Clara be herself and do what she loves, even on bad days (which could possibly be rated R for strong language.) She makes hair-cut days fun and interesting as well as educational at times. She genuinely cares about her hair people and the way we look and that's why we keep going back to her.
That and all her original stories.

a Cami digital short

2009-09-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

Still in recovery from that last rediculously long post. So here's something short and sweet.

just be nice

2009-08-30T18:08:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been grocery shopping on a Saturday night? Don't do it.

I had no choice last night because I had put it off all week since I was busy with more important things... (ahem) things that involve stickers and colorful paper and too many pictures...

ANYway...

We had absolutely no fresh produce in the house and our options for meals included boxed mac 'n cheese or cereal. This is a family who eats apples, tomatoes and avocados on a daily basis so we were desperate.

So after we put Cami to bed I psyched myself up and dragged my feet and Greenbags to the car, coupons in hand.

We live 10 minutes from 3 different Pulix's (Publixes?) and I hate driving that far because the new one being built will be about a mile from us. But it beats going to Winn Dixie (gross) which is right around the corner from us.

Thankfully it wasn't very busy on a Saturday night. I guess most people have lives and do something fun. Like go to Walmart.

I scoped out the deli and snatched a number. Twenty-seven. The number thing was currently on 19. Hmm, about 4 people in line... 3 people behind the counter slicing meat... if I timed it right I could grab my produce and come back while those other suckers wasted time in line.

I remember mom telling me a long time ago, "Don't go shopping on a weekend night 'cause all the shelves are bare and picked over." Eh, surely I'll find the few things I need. Okay, so no organic apples left. I can deal with that.

Heading back to the deli, they were calling number 25. Perfect.

Then one meat-slicer person walks away, apron in hand muttering something about "...see you Monday."

Meat-slicer #2: "I have a customer who needs a sub..." walking away.

"Number 26?"

Excited customer #26: "Oh good, that's me! How have you been, (meat-slicer #3's name)? It's so good to see you! You're gonna love me... I have a looong list!"

Meat-slicer #3: "Oh that's okay, I've got time...it's Saturday night...what else am I gonna do?!"

(friendly laughter)

Okay, I really wanted to get home, but I was being given an opportunity to learn and exhibit patience at the moment. So I stood with my cart, fiddled with my number ticket, watched meat- slicer #2 go for a world record on taking the longest amount of time to make a sub sandwich, listened to meat-slicer #3 and customer #26/old friend talk about kids, church, jobs, other people's kids, other churches, new jobs, shifted my feet 32 times, fiddled with my number ticket...

Oh! The sub sandwich/work of art was being handed to a customer! Yay, I was next!

"Um, yoo-hoo... meat-slicer #2?? Yeah, you don't need to empty and clean all those containers right now. And you're thoroughly washing your hands after you removed your latex gloves? Okay that's fine. Oh and now you're walking right in front of me and #28 pretending we're not here?! My my my!! I am NOT accustomed to this type of poor service at Publix."

But I was exemplifying patience and it was good for me.

About 3 minutes later as customer #26 continued with her list, I whirled around and, with a smile, presented my crumpled number ticket to #28, who didn't look like she was in the mood for a lesson in patience either. I obviously didn't need to give her my ticket but it kept me from throwing it, and the little foot-whirl pointed me in the opposite direction of any target for casting a dirty look.

I didn't need my Boar's Head sliced smoked turkey for this week and that was freeing. Still smiling, I whizzed my almost empty cart toward the real meat department. I liked how I kept such a great attitude.

The next 10 minutes were spent speed-shopping and cart-weaving. It's like I had to prove to Publix that they couldn't slow me down. I ran across several empty shelves displaying the "temporarily out of stock" signs I wasn't used to seeing during the week so it didn't take very long to get to the bottom of my list. (I know, Mom.) Eh, a bit irritating but no biggie. I'll come back in a few days when they've stocked up.

I was still making good time considering my delay, though I did have to pause briefly in the cheese aisle and inquire of the Publix dairy worker about organic cheese. He knew nothing, but still felt the need to fill my precious pause with irrelevant words. Didn't he realize it was Saturday night and I wanted to be home?! He wasn't even the regular Publix dairy man I was used to seeing. I'm thinking this bag boy was available to work on a Saturday night so they gave him a white coat and some cheese to stock and told him to wing it.

No prob. I was finished and could go home now.

I picked a short line. Behind one family. One family who needed things rung up on 4 separate checks. And they paid by check. Not a debit/check card, but a check. The paper kind that you write on. Who still does that?! (Besides my great Aunt Esther.)

Meanwhile the elderly gentleman behind me was effortfully unloading his items from his wheelchair cart so, naturally, I helped him. He didn't thank me. That was okay. He just chuckled and smiled awkwardly. I think he was foreign.

I'd never seen this cashier before. I thought I was familiar with all the cashiers at my neighborhood Publix. She didn't greet me or smile. This was a first. (Where was I??... Winn Dixie!?)

She glared at my coupons, asked for my signature without saying please, and most certainly did not wish me a pleasant evening. I counteracted her lack of courtesy with a thank you and a cordial smile which soon disappeared when I received nothing in return.

At this point I didn't even care if the EXIT camera caught my disapproving scowl. Nobody cared. They just wanted me to leave as bad as I wanted to leave and they were only displaying their honesty.

As I unloaded my halfway full (notice I didn't say halfway empty) Greenbags in the back seat of the car I glanced up and my eyes fell right on a black bumper sticker on a nearby car.

In a bold white font it read: "Just be nice."

Ha! I'd never seen that one before. Cute. Kinda timely I thought. I felt like tearing it off and marching right back into Publix, retracing my steps and shoving it into some certain faces! (aHEM, oblivious-to-the-world meat-slicers, organic apple stocker slackers, dairy worker wanna-be's, old-school check writers, ungrateful foreign wheelchair riders, and frowny-faced cashiers!!)

That's when it hit me.

The bumper sticker was for me.

Now I don't know about y'all but my God speaks to me in creative ways and I usually know when it's Him talking. And I usually don't have to look very far for it. And you can roll your eyes all you want at me thinking a little bumper sticker had a divine revelation for me that night but it's not crazy and it's not blasphemous. God knows us well and He knows what it takes to get our attention. It's up to us to be open and sensitive to His voice. In whatever form it may present itself.

And there it was in black and white, right in my face.

I had a 10 minute drive home to digest those profound 3 little words that were meant for me at that moment. I'd already been digesting other profoundness from the Beth Moore conference Jodie and I just attended. She read the verse in Psalm 37 that says, "Trust in the Lord and do good." Her point on this verse was that it doesn't say to "do right."

"That's a given," she explained, "Of course we are to do right, but on top of that we are to do good."

It's so simple but it's not always easy. Kinda like being nice.

And what hit me tonight, like a pound of sliced turkey, was that I'm only responsible for my goodness and niceness. It doesn't even matter what others around me are doing or not doing.

And what else hit me, like a ton of organic cheese, was my prideful right-ness. It was practically oozing. Yeah, so I know how to be patient, tolerant, helpful, courteous. I mean shouldn't I by now? Do I deserve a medal for acting out what should be "a given" in day to day life? What good did it bring?

I re-retraced my steps.

Maybe waiting patiently at the deli is a given. It's the right thing to do. And all it takes to add in a little goodness is reading a page in one of the devotional books on the nearby display or striking up a friendly convo with #28 to pass the time.

Perhaps the next time I encounter a talkative misplaced worker I could compliment them on the fine job they're doing. Who knows, maybe it will shock 'em and shut 'em up!

I'm pretty sure common courtesy is a given so maybe when cashiers don't share the love, I could make a point to remember their name and lift them up in prayer during my next devotions.

I think it was good of me to help the elderly man in the wheelchair cart, but the fact that I was very conscious of the good I was doing the entire time made it not so good. And I should've said "God bless you" to him. It's not just for sneezes you know.

My drive home took more than 10 minutes because of the horrendously slow drivers out on a Saturday night. And the goodness resulting from that? Ah, a few extra minutes to contemplate my bumper sticker epiphany.

Doing the right thing takes some thought, but doing good takes genuine effort.

I'm thinking a good policy to have is something like this:
When you find yourself in a situation that presents an opportunity for goodness, pretend you are with your grandmother and her friends at a tea party and act accordingly. Or just pretend you were born and raised in Georgia.

(except on Saturday nights)

Oh scrappy day

2009-08-26T19:14:00.000-07:00

Jodie and Felicity have been coming over almost every day for the past week because Jodie and I have decided to (finally) catch up on our scrapbooking. Catch up meaning - actually start on it.
We've been collecting pages and stickers for like EVER and have more pictures of our sweet babies than anyone would believe (except those of you who have seen Jodie in action with her camera probably would believe.)
It's been so fun having them live with us during the day. The girls go upstairs for their regularly scheduled naps and are so good playing together. We take lunch breaks and then go back to scrapping.

Now let me emphasize something here. Jode and I are not at all like those hardcore scrap-happy moms who devote crazy amounts of time, energy and budget to create those extravagant and insanely obnoxious picture books containing everything but scraps. Nooo. We have decided to get these albums done, as simply as possible, and move on with our lives. It's not even something we love to do. It's not even a hobby of ours. We just had the stuff and figured why not!

Mm hm. You know how sometimes you have intentions to do something a certain way and then when you get started on it you realize maybe your intentions underestimated your (we'll just call it) "talent" and so maybe you make adjustments to previous intentions and the next thing you know you've become obsessed and spend 3 hours in a craft store with a three-year-old and a one-year-old who haven't napped and you get home with more clearance stickers than you will ever use but they were too cute and too good of a deal to pass up and so you feed your obsession, I mean talent, and decide that it takes priority over cleaning a messy house and cooking dinner for your husband because it is way too important of a thing to be taken lightly.

What, that's never happened to you?

(This is what my living room currently looks like. It's rediculous.)

I'm ready to admit I need a support group.

So at the end of a long day of hard work we were playing with our sweet girls and I thought I'd share some of the moment...
Camille is just learning to walk. And Felicity loves helping her, but sometimes is a little too aggressive with her hugs or gets a little jealous of all the attention on her little cousin.
Watch for yourself: (notice the friendly cousin kick in the second one :)

she's a potty girl

2009-08-17T18:51:00.000-07:00

We've been doing "potty time" since Cami was about 10 months old. Ikea has these cute little plastic potties that come in scrumptious colors (yes, I just used the word "scrumptious" when referring to a potty) and it was all I could do to keep myself from buying one in every color! You know, for every room in the house. I limited myself to two and decided on pink (for upstairs) and green (for downstairs.)

I was so anxious at first to just let her "play" with her new potty. I've heard it's good for them to be friends first. So she would put balls and blocks in it and dump them out. I figured I'd let them get to know eachother and then try her on it once it became part of the regular living room furniture. You know, in a few weeks or so.

Okay that lasted like a day. I HAD to see how cute she looked sitting on it! So off came the dipe and on went 2 little buns plopped right on the scrumptious lime green potty. And can I just say...

CUTE is not even the WORD!!!
And she was such a natural too. Just sat there and played with her ball, didn't even try and get down. Not that she could've...she wasn't even crawling at the time.

Truthfully, it probably felt pretty good airing out that poor little bottom that's wrapped up in her cloth dipes all day!

We try to have "naked time" once a day ("we" meaning just Cami :) where she just gets to be free on a blanket. If she goes pee pee then we communicate that to her by saying "Pee pee!" or "Psssssss." So she's learned to recognize when it's happening. We've done that since she was really little when she would "go" while we changed her dipe.

Well I think all that Elimination Communication (it's a real thing) paid off 'cause the next day when we sat her on her scrumptious pink potty upstairs in her room, we got a pleasant (yes, I just used that word when referring to...well, you can probably guess...) surprise.

I was sitting there with her saying "Go Pee Pee! Pssssss!!"

So she obeyed!!

...and then some!!

We had a scrumptious pink potty full of all kinds of pleasantries and you better believe we were CELEBRATING!! There was so much clapping and shouting and dancing going on in that room for the next 10 minutes! She knew she did something special so she joined in.

Well, she clapped, and stared at her poopy, and watched mommy and daddy go a bit crazy over some stinky smelly stuff.

No, we did not save any for the scrapbook.

Since then we've worked up to doing Potty Time 3 times a day. She's pretty regular with going after each meal. We usually read her books or build with blocks so it's a fun time.

We still celebrate after each successful event, but it's become pretty "business-as-usual" to her so she doesn't get as excited.

I don't know what all this means as far as a timeline for potty training out of dipes, etc. I'm not setting my expectations too high and I don't know when we'll take the next step with it. She isn't walking yet so it's not like I can tell her to "go to her potty." But she also can't jump right off the pottty bare-bottomed, so that's good. I'm just happy that she isn't afraid of the potty like I've heard how some kids can be. If at the least we eliminated that step then all this work is worth it.

And the best part about the whole EC (Elimination Communication) thing for us is that she is telling us when she needs to go (or IS going) by saying "Pee pee!" or "Poo poo!" Like in the grocery cart yesterday when she announced it to me. Fun.

So at least she knows it's something that needs to be communicated.

And as a bonus I think it somehow helps with her balancing skills!

...and it was all lellow.

2009-08-14T20:39:00.000-07:00

I guess I should explain.

It was Mother's Day of this year and we had just eaten breakfast and were enjoying morning playtime with Cami. I was still smiling about the sweet card and fresh roses given to me by my loving husband as my thoughts took me back to this day last year.

Last year was technically my first Mother's Day, though I was only able to cradle my (very big) belly, I was still mothering her in there. But now having her here to actually look at, rock, and hold in my arms was a more amazing gift than I'd ever imagined.

So my next Mother's Day gift that morning came unexpectedly from Cami. She was playing so sweetly with her toys and without our prompting or question, simply looked up at me and said for the first time, in her cutest baby girl voice ever...

“Lellow.”

She said the word YELLOW!!

...but started it with an “L” of course and honestly if you ask me I think the letter Y is overrated so I didn't correct her! I was just so proud of her!!

We were so excited and she caught on to our excitement so we were all saying “Lellooowww!!” and laughing and doing the Lellow Dance and...
okay, it wasn't really that weird of a scene. But I think I remember some dancing... I mean c'mon, this was a milestone to be celebrated!!

Anyway, thus the word “Lellow” was born.
(Which I believe should be a real dictionary word because it is now used daily in our household and happens to be one of the cutest things you'll ever hear when said by a one-year-old.)

So now when asked, “What color is that?” about ANYthing, she responds with “Lellooowww!”, knowing she'll get a rewarding reaction from us (and maybe even a dance) and we just let her believe the only real color that exists or matters is lellow.

She really does recognize which things are lellow though. She will pick out all the lellow blocks from her basket and put them on the floor. In the grocery store she is quick to excitedly point out to me anything lellow in sight. (The kid freaks out in the banana section.) This morning we walked into the kitchen and she immediately spotted a piece of lellow paper on the table, pointed to it and announced “Lellow!!” So I guess it's just that she doesn't care much for the other colors.

Oh, and I had such high hopes for you, dear Green.

Lellow Bird

VOTE for my Kaylin-Bug!!

the native tongue of a 2-year-old

This is why I live in Florida:

10-Day Forecast forOcala, FL (34471)

Cookie Monday

Bittersweet Ordinary

In 36 hours from now...

Vote for #3 !!

a small price to pay

The Name

Florida SNOW!!

Baby food basics: almond bites

catching up...

something to blog about

Cami's new shirt

last fall

my lil punkin

soccer practice

finally FALL!

baby steps

under the weather

Camio

yard sale happenings

Cami lately...

brownie points

Confessions of a (don't) wanna-be cook

Baby Food Basics - Part 2: Easy Freezing

Today's Lellow

Game-Day

Baby food basics: In the beginning...

Cami lately

Nein Danke, Aldi!

my PG-13 salon

a Cami digital short

just be nice

Oh scrappy day

she's a potty girl

...and it was all lellow.

10-Day Forecast for
Ocala, FL (34471)