Recommended Reading

I just finished A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini over the weekend.

I. LOVED. IT.

This will definitely be added to my list of favorites ... right up there with The Red Tent. It was a beautiful story about the lives of two women living in Afghanistan from before the Soviet Invasion all the way through 9/11. I wasn't really a fan of The Kite Runner, which is also by Hosseini, but this book stole my heart! Read it if you get a chance!

Cloth Diapering ... So Far So Good

We've been using only cloth diapers for about 2 weeks now and all I can say is "WHY DIDN'T I START THIS SOONER??!!!" I really love it so far and I'm so glad I made the switch. It really wasn't as big of a deal as I thought it would be. We bought 13 diapers and I don't have to rinse them or soak them. I just dump anything solid out of the poopy ones before throwing them in the diaper pail. Then I wash them all every other day. It really is so easy! There are a few downsides (see below) but when I think of all the money I'm saving it's totally worth it!

• I read someone's website that said you could just store the soiled diapers in an open basket with a liner. DO NOT try this at home! Stinky Stinky Stinky! I decided to just use my old Diaper Genie and that contains all of the yucky smells.
• I'm going to be honest -- dumping the poopies is pretty gross.
• You can't use diaper creme or vaseline with them since it clogs the layer closest to baby's skin and doesn't allow the moisture to soak through to the absorbent layers. I just use a little Gerber washcloth as a barrier between any vaseline/cream that I use and the diaper. Annoying, yes, but I'm used to it now.
• They do make Tanner look like he has a badonkadonk butt. But I think it's good to have a little extra padding when you're learning to walk ... don't you?? :)

The Snack Stealer

I'm ashamed to admit this, but yesterday was the first time I've babysat another baby and Tanner at the same time (while both were awake). I was a little bit nervous, but it actually went great! I had a lot of fun watching them together and playing with them. We babysat another little boy from our playgroup -- Sam. I was so impressed with how well they played together. Usually at playgroup we are constantly prying the kids off of each other since they have no sense of boundaries. But I didn't have to do that at all yesterday. Tanner really impressed me with how well he shared. He would pick up a toy and play with it for a second, then hand it to Sam like "here, Sam, check this out!" That was until I brought out Sam's snack cup that his mom left for him. Tanner immediately grabbed it and there was no taking it back. I even tried to tempt him with this own little bowl of Cheerios. Luckily, Sam wasn't very interested in his snack, so while he continued to play, Tanner planted his little booty in the middle of the room and ate every little piece of Sam's snacks. I've witnessed him do this in the church nursery and at playgroup, too. He's become the Snack Stealer. Jon says he gets that from me. :)

Look at how much fun this toy is, Sam.

These blocks taste good, huh?!

Uh, Tanner, I don't think you're supposed to eat that.

A Little More Like Home

Our house is starting to feel a little more like a home, thanks to a few window treatments and some pictures on the wall. I FINALLY finished sewing the valances for our family room. My project was put on hold for a while as JoAnn Fabrics was temporarily out of the buttons I was using. I'm so glad to cross this project off my list. Next on the list is painting our kitchen and sewing a window treatment for that window (probably similar to the ones in the family room since the two rooms are connected). Here is the final product of all my hard work. The pictures are kind of dark, but hopefully you can make everything out!

I'm not really much of an expert at sewing. I've done 2 or 3 projects before this, and I'm really learning a lot as I go along. If you're thinking of tackling you're own window treatments, let me encourage you that, YES, it can be done! If you know how to follow directions and you don't mind taking the time to work on the tedious details, you can do it! The advantage of making your own versus buying pre-made in the store is that you can achieve more of a custom look. You don't really save too much on cost, as decorator fabric is pretty pricey. Luckily, I found a discount warehouse for decorator fabric in my area and I was able to buy fabric for $5 - $9 a yard (quite a price cut from other stores, which usually charge somewhere in the vicinity of $25+/yard). You can also save money at places like JoAnn Fabrics by using their weekly 40% off coupon, which makes their decorator fabric much more affordable.

Here are some tips from one beginning sewer to another:

1. If you want some great ideas, go check out Calico Corners, where they have quite an array of finished valances and panels to look at.
2. Don't be afraid to make a valance that involves a mounting board. I actually think these are much easier to use than a curtain rod.
3. You don't need to buy a pattern for every type of curtain. These can be hard to use and I find the directions to be somewhat confusing, especially if your windows aren't a standard size. I bought a book with pictures of several different types of window treatments, and the general directions for each type. I thought this was MUCH easier!
4. If you are a first-timer, plain fabrics or those with stripes or SMALL repeating patterns are much easier to work with! Just like wallpaper, you have to make sure to match patterns when you connect two pieces of fabric together, which can be very tricky with a larger pattern (I found this out the hard way with the treatments I just finished!)
5. Invest in a good pair of sewing scissors.
6. Iron Iron Iron. Press your seams and your fabric between every step.

Speaking of ironing ... I have a stack of clothes that are calling my name in the other room. I better go and get some done while Tanner is napping! Happy sewing ...

Happy Belated Mother's Day!

So it's Thursday already and I'm just getting around to posting about Mother's Day. I hope all of you moms were spoiled heavily!

Jon and I spent the weekend at home with our parents. On Saturday night, my parents were nice enough to babysit so that Jon and I could enjoy dinner and a movie -- what a treat! We saw "21" and I really liked it! I had no trouble staying awake through the whole thing, which is always the sign of a great movie for me nowadays! Jon had read the book that it was loosely based on, but said it was much better than the movie -- isn't that always the case! After the movie, we went to dinner at a local winery. Good food + great wine + flourless chocolate torte for dessert = HEAVEN! (and the dashing man sitting with me wasn't bad either!)


On Sunday morning, we went to church with my parents, and then had a Mother's Day celebration with both of our families. It was SOOO nice to spend time with everyone around the dinner table! I had been giving Jon a hard time about "forgetting" Mother's Day. He had to "run and errand" after church and I was certain he was out buying a last minute gift for me. I have to say, I was quite surprised to open my card and see that we have reservations to see "WICKED" in a few weeks. Jon announced that he will be taking me to the city for an overnight stay in celebration of Mother's Day and 5 years of marraige. I'm so excited! We'll be leaving Tanner with his Grandmas and it will be his first night without us -- I'm sure he won't even know we're gone with both of them here to spoil him!

Grandpa Hall gave Tanner and Daddy some tips on how to get their lawn looking like a golf course.

Oh man, this is the life! Got my Grandpa, got my dogs, ready for a nap.

Me and my Mothers. i'm learning from the best!

Cloth Frenzy

After anxiously checking my mailbox each afternoon, I finally received what I'd been waiting for. Remember in the movie "A Christmas Story," when Ralph checked every day for his Little Orphan Annie decoder? That's how I felt about this. It's crazy that I would be so excited about getting a DIAPER in the mail!!!

So far, we've used it twice. Both times were at night and we had no leaks. In fact, when I went to change him, his little bottom was completely dry, even though the inserts were sopping wet. The diaper really seems to keep the moisture away from his soft skin, which I love! Best of all, he doesn't smell like urine in the morning when I first pick him up out of his crib. The diapers seem to contain the smell really well. I ordered a whole set this morning, so I'm excited to receive them and really get started on this cloth adventure! It seems that I'm running into more and more moms who use cloth and love it -- who knew?!! If you're interested in more information on cloth diapering, you can visit Cotton Babies, or Building Cathedrals, where they've been having discussions on the topic.

Summer Promises

Mother nature teased us with some more FANTASTIC weather earlier in the week. It's amazing how the nice weather can immediately lift my spirits and make me feel so at peace with the world and life in general. I am SO anxious for summer to finally come to stay! Here's a few reasons why:

1. I LOVE LOVE LOVE seeing my little boy in shorts and short-sleeves. I can't get enough of his soft skin and chubby arms and legs! I had forgotten over the winter how dang cute they were!
2. Is there anything better than opening your windows during the day to let the breeze in and hear the sounds of kids playing, birds, lawnmowers, etc?
3. My husband happens to be an excellent griller. That means yummy food and less cooking for me!
4. Tanner will be so much more fun this summer than last! I can't wait to take him swimming, go to the zoo, play outside, have picnics (see below), ...

I could go on, but I won't. I've been wondering lately if I would feel this way all the time if I lived in a warmer climate. I don't think I would. There's something about the changing of the seasons that makes you appreciate the beginning of each one all the more. The excitement of those first snowflakes, the first signs of new life in the spring, the relief from cool weather in the summer, and then the promise of beautiful foliage and lots of football in the fall. What are you looking forward to most this summer?

Eating off a plate like a big boy. SO delighted to be outside.

Waving to the landscapers next door.

Oh no -- my hat! I don't want this bald head to get sunburned!

Going Green

I've never kept a plant alive before. Truly.

However, we gained some extensive landscaping when we moved into our house and I have been challenged to develop a green thumb. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I love it! When the weather is good, I relish in my time spent outside while Tanner is napping. Mostly, I've just been weeding. (I still have a WAYS to go in this department, as you'll see in the coming pics!) I am pretty sure that I've pulled a few things that aren't really weeds, but oh well. I am having so much fun watching things start to grow and I'm anxious to see what comes up throughout the summer. Hopefully in a few years I will know what I'm doing. I really wish that each plant had a set of directions stuck in the ground beside it so that I knew how to take care of it!

I am also trying to be "greener" in other ways. I just ordered my first cloth diaper yesterday (BumGenius 3.0) and I'm anxious to try it out to see if we'd like to order a whole set. Jon and I are convinced that we'd like to switch from disposable to cloth, not only for the environment (it's kind of a toss-up between using more water to wash them and sending the disposables to a land-fill), but hopefully to make our bank-account a little greener, too! Any suggestions as we make the switch?

Dinner Table Fun

This week at our MOPS meeting we did a neat craft that I thought I would share. We decorated a jar and then filled it with tons of questions to help facilitate conversation with your kids around the dinner table. Here are a few examples:

• What part of your day do you enjoy the most?


• Is it always good to help someone who asks for help?


• Why is it good that people are different?


• What is your favorite family activity?


• What things would you do if the house caught on fire and in what order?


• Should you laugh when others are made fun of? Have you?


• What is the "President of the United States?"


• Who has more power and influence, God or the President?


• What do you think is the hardest part about being a parent?


• Name someone you dislike. Share something good about that person.


• Do you like to snuggle? Who is the best snuggler in your family?

There are over 200 questions in my jar. I think it will be very amusing someday to listen while my children answer them. If you are interested in making a jar for your family, I have the word file with all of the questions and would be happy to send it to you!

More Dedication Pics

These are some cute pics from our little celebration after Tanner's Dedication.

I'm RICH!!! Can I get dedicated again next week?

Really, ladies, there's enough of me to go around.

Boy, do we love him!