May Bits

• I have a new addiction: Baby Tobin in cute cloth diapers.

Tobin loves them too, as you can see.

Here: Econobum one size cover, Indian unbleached cotton prefold inside.

It took me a while to figure out my cloth diapering style.

I figured out I'm a cover and prefold kinda gal.

I love Flip diaper covers.  I just got this Econobum cover in the mail today

and so far, so good.  They are super economical too.  (Thus, the name)

I think my favorite combo is going to be the Econobum prefold 

with a Flip cover.
I know you're all dying to know so I'll keep you posted.

Thirsties covers are a thumbs down for me.

Leakage.

(FYI: Cottonbabies is having an awesome sale on Flip covers right now!)

• These girls have great fun with each other lately.  When they're not hitting each other.  

Sibling relationships both delight and boggle me.  I was an only child most of my life and I love to see friendship developing between my kids - different from any other relationship in life.  It also boggles me as I figure out how to manage their disputes, concerns, etc.   I am completely inexperienced.

• My garden is growing so nicely.  I love the spring and the green that it brings.  A mix of sunny days and rainy days.  Just right for me.  

   

 

• I chuckled last week as I realized the things we congratulate each other for around here. 

For example:

Xochi from the bathtub: Mamaaaaa!!!  I have to go potty!
Me: Poo poos?
Xochi: Uh huh.
Me: Good job not going poo poos in the bathtub!
Xochi: Thanks Mama!

or

Xochi with the blocks: What color is this, Papa?
Justin: Red
Xochi: What color is this one, Papa?
Justin: Blue
Xochi: Good job, Papa!  You know your colors!

or

Me after seeing Steele pick his nose: Good job, Steele.  I saw you pick your nose and not eat it.
Steele: Thanks.  I was actually just scratching it.
Me in my brain: Yah right.

Paint, Plants and Plastic Plates

Before going on to the afore-mentioned subjects - I have to mention that I'm listening to Voddie Bauchum while perusing the internet and writing blog posts tonight. I think every Christian couple would benefit from listening to this and considering what he says.

Child Training - Voddie Baucham

I'll let him do the preaching

Moving on...

As promised, I got my craft on today.

I spray painted a thrift store frame and put one of my grandma's old tea towels in it. She used to use it to cover her dough with. I love that it still has oil stains on it.




I also put together a wall arrangement that I'm still not quite sure about. I painted the round frame and will get a mirror made for it. The Home Sweet Home plate is from the new John Derian for Target. Our local Target didn't put everything out on the release date and I called every day after until it had been put out for fear I wouldn't be able to get one.




Finally, to my delight, I tore out my summer annuals and planted some fall foliage. I finished two planter boxes and can't wait to do some more.




I love being able to have the time to do this! It was the perfect end to our successful first official week of home schooling.

Bringing Me Joy Today

1. A bountiful harvest of lettuce from my garden - cleaned, spun and packaged up to deliver to my neighbors.

(I did finally get around to cleaning the smudge off the lower left hand corner of my camera lens)

2. A salad made of lettuce, quinoa, feta, fresh herbs, avocado and sunflower seeds - topped off with a dash of lemon and evoo.



3. My new handmade-by-Justin arbor and my dahlias coming along nicely.




4. My just-turned-one-year old Xochi and the fact that she loves her mama best of all. She is my first baby to favor me. Steele and Adia went to both Justin and I equally. Xochi does too, but when given the choice, she chooses me. Ahhh.... I love it.

Here - blowing me kisses...

5. Homemade yogurt using the JCasa method and a fresh batch of Eat-It-Every-Day granola to go on top.


6. Bringing Up Boys on cd - checked out from the library - to listen to in the car.


7. Preschool Theme Kits from the library. LOVE these! More on them in another post.



8. And finally, this may seem out of place after the things I mentioned above but I have been very thoughtful about this topic today. I am exceedingly thankful for a pastor who does not irresponsibly waste the precious hour or so of time he has with his flock on Sunday mornings. It is a great calling to teach God's word with all seriousness and devotion and I am blessed beyond measure to receive God's true and holy word every Sunday. It is the only thing that can truly change peoples' hearts, bring them to repentance and offer the life giving person and sacrifice of Jesus. I am greatly concerned for numerous bodies of believers today whose pastors haphazardly bring meager topics and fads before their congregations instead of the feast of God's truth. In my own Pastor Bert's words:

God has enough topics of His own, I don't need to think up any myself.

Satisfied

I'm really happy with how our yard is coming along this year. I finally feel like things are getting to where I want them. I'm going to try and get out tomorrow to buy two blueberry bushes and some coreopsis for our front planter. Thanks Lisa!

Herbs, artichokes, chard, kale, brussel sprouts, garlic, leeks, green beans, tomatoes and basil.

Strawberries, apples, corn, squash, sweet peas and soon: blueberries and potatoes.

Eggs!
We're planning on painting the hen house this summer.

These girls have been puttin' out one each almost every day.

Some cute help is a nice addition.

Something You Might Not Know

I have a nose ring. I was on my way to the grocery store tonight and thought to myself (after having worn my nose ring today), "I'll bet a lot of my bloggy friends don't know I have a nose ring." After all, it is really tiny and I don't wear it all the time. It might not even show in a picture unless it was really close up. I left it on Amy's table the other day. She was grossed out. I was just amazed that she found it. Sometimes I wear it just to shock people. Ok - maybe not to shock them, but just give them a little surprise. You know - throw a little curve ball. It's good to keep people on their toes. Like on the first day of leading a Bible study or something.

Also, something else you probably don't know. I'm back on Weight Watchers. Blech, blech, blech and double blech. I'm not even joking you - this is like the 5th time. The first time I lost 20 lbs. Then I went back up 10 and have stayed there forever. But I don't want to be back up there so I joined with my new next door neighbor who is tiny but has gained 10 lbs in the last year since she got married - freaked her out a little bit. Here's the problem - I'm just so hungry all the time!! And I refuse to eat fake food. In fact, I felt so angry when I went to the first meeting and I looked around at all the sincerely overweight people and thought about the fact that they probably got where they are by eating fake food and here they were learning how to replace their old fake food with new, low point fake food. I wanted to invite them all to Jazzercise. In all honesty, I'm pretty much paying them to weigh me every week. It keeps me accountable and balances all the yummy *real* treats I like to eat. It also keeps me from eating too much of all the *real* food I like to eat. I'm all about keepin' it real. But, I lost 6 lbs the first week so I felt good even though part of me sometimes wonders if it's worth it. I told myself I would be happy with 2 - and I would have been - but I was stoked with 6. Here's to another 2 this week. I can't believe how much will power I've had. It's totally unlike me but I get a little compulsive about it sometimes. Like now, it's like 9:45 and I'm going to go work out 'cause I need a few extra points. But really, that's not a bad way to live necessarily. Ok.... I'm rambling..

I feel like I should add some pictures. Here are some. They really have nothing to do with anything I just wrote about.

Us.

Us with Great Grandma and Grandpa Steelhammer.

A house on the side of the freeway about 45 minutes south of my house.
I want it. I covet it every time we drive by.
You do not even know how much skill it took for me to get this picture as we were driving by at 70 mph.

1,2,3,4 We Declare a Mole War....

It's on. We've been watching this little guy wreak havoc across the street in the neighbor's yard.


He hadn't met his match though until he came to the 'other side.' So far he hasn't come up in our yard... we've only found little trails like this one in our beds:


But don't mess with the mama's lavender. I'm not even joking - less than 5 minutes before I took this picture that lavender was planted nicely in it's cozy little spot.


Apparently our dog Finney knows he's there too since he dug a hole to China in the newly barked beds along our front walkway trying to catch the little thing. I told Justin that it almost would have been worth it if he'd caught the mole. But he didn't....