Technically Tuesday?

i am a major morning person but ugh, 2:30 am doesn't even feel like a new day. Scarlett has been up.all.night. coughing her little head off.  I just don't get it, I feel like I take every precaution to keep her healthy but her tiny ears are my nemesis...she has had 4 ear infections in the last few months and I'm 99.9 % sure she has another one right now.  A friend of mine recommended garlic oil in her ears...she really knows her stuff and is always right on target with home remedies, ideas to avoid "over doctoring", etc. So, I took her up on this suggestion last night and purchased garlic gel caps and filled Scarletts ears up with the goo...Holy Freaking Moley, it smells SOOOOOO bad, seriously Char, I may never forgive you!  :)  I mean, we are talking to the point of scalding my hands to remove the smell, sleeping with Vicks up my nose, (well, i actually do that anyway cause I love Vicks so much) and not sleeping all night because the combo gave me a migraine .  I should say though, I have the nose of a hound, I always know the instant a baby is wet or dirty and popcorn days at the branch are nauseating.  But, its the bigger picture, right?  If this avoids S having to be on a 4th antibiotic then it will all be worth it, I always appreciate suggestions and home remedies even if they do come at a disgusting "price", love you char! 

Since it is actually Tuesday and no longer Monday as my brain is so convinced, I will post a short favorite recipe that I make just about once a week, the added bonus is there is always enough for David and I to take lunch the next day!

MEAT POT PIE
2 great value boxed pie crust
1.5 lbs ground deer (yes, beef is fine too)
1 can cream of mushroom
1-2 Tablespoons of sour cream (milk if you're trying to watch calories)
1 Can whole kernel corn drained
1 Can whole new potatoes, drained and sliced to bite size
handful of shredded cheese (I typically use mozerella)

preheat oven to 425

in a cast iron, round dutch oven (or compareable dish) spray pam and lightly press 1 raw dough into bottom and curve up the sides
brown meat and season to taste (do this at the very beginning, or morning of to save time), toss all ingredients together and pour into pie crust
top with a little more cheese (obviously) and then cover with 2nd crust and pinch together sides forming a "pot pie"
bake 25-30 minutes, until crust is light golden  (if you are using meat that is cooked but refrigerated, warm it up before mixing with other ingredients)

***after baking let sit for at least 10 minutes before cutting

other tips; this dish can be a "catch all" for left overs too, I have often substituted the canned potatoes with left over fried potatos and onions from the night before, or even baked a couple potatoes in the microwave and sliced them up instead of the canned...I actually prefer it that way but if you are in a super rush the canned potatoes are still yummy.  I have also subbed the shredded cheese for ricotta and that makes for a creamier consistency.  Last version I have also tried is to sub the meat for pulled chicken and the corn for mexicorn, this is a different take on the same idea...not really my favorite but I am a deer kind of girl.


Hope you have a great, garlic free day!!

From my living room to yours...

 

 

Just a girl and her Daddy

To blog or not to blog?

So, I think its pretty evident that I'm not the best blogger in the world, I think about it...often in fact, its just a matter of putting the finger to the keys.  Kinda like that gym membership I'm paying for every month...   Todays prompt came from my morning of house work...I recently purchased a new baby carrier/sling for Scarlett, I HATE my baby bjorn (sorry bjorn) so I've been reading countless reviews and scouring the web for a user friendly, sitting position baby carrier that doesnt take me 30 minutes to get on, and require additional adult supervision.  SO, happily toting S on my back this morning while vaccuuming and mopping for over an hour (yes, my floors were BAD), I got to thinking that I love my purchase so much that I should blog about it.  That spilled over into why I dont blog more...its really a matter of structure; I want to have a purpose in blogging, not just a recap of daily goings on.

So, here's the plan, I'm going to try this for maybe 4-5 months and if Im not any more consistent than I am now, i'll probably just cancel my blog.   Others have done daily blogs with themes or focus points and I love reading them...there is no way I can commit to posting every day, but here are a  few topics I'm going to try, it will be a work in progess, these are all subject to change, and I wont do them all, I'll just pick whatever i'm in the mood for that week.

All about me Monday...something about me people may not know

Tasty Tuesday-this is a total copy off several blogs but I like it, and it would hopefully prompt some recipie swapping, I love easy and yummy!

Thankful Thursday-so many things...

Family Friday-Spotlight of the week for someone in my family

***Other random ideas


Around the room-
blog about whereever you are at the time of the post-this could be outside spotlighting a DIY project, inside regarding a fav piece of furniture, recent book read, at work about what you do for a living....oh wait, scratch that last one since I need to keep said job.

Things I cant live without-
***Disclaimer***This will probably regard all things baby and or domestic, I'll try to throw in some fashion pieces every now and then!

Show me the money-
Something thrifty I'm proud of from a flea market, antique shop, homeade, hand me down, etc.  This could also be something i've "splurged" on in the past but consider it to be totally worth it.

OK-Lets start this thing off, as I said the whole reason for the blog rebirth was my new baby sling...without further adieu...it's the ERGObaby sport performance sling, I.LOVE.IT.  My major issue with the BB mentioned above, was the "crotch" holster position of the baby, and no waist support belt for the adult, it literally just killed my back after 15 minutes.

The EG is extremely comfortable for both parties, has three carring positions (side, front, back) and seems to be very well constructed, very light, and machine washable (hello-this is a must in my house). I can wear scarlett in all 3 positions with no assistance getting her on properly, and so far (we've used it about 10 times), she loves, loves it.  She does not however fall asleep in it like other reviewers said, but she has never been a big public sleeper; she needs dark, quiet, and cold like her Momma.  Anywho...the carrier is more pricey than others ($120, insert that thing I said about spurge but worth it); but honestly, I use it every time I leave the house, i'm just not a big fan of strollers for trips that will be less than an hour or two, I'm the kind of Mom who needs to be able to get out of the car, grab sweet baby, and GO.  Its also great for me because S (I'm ok to admit it), is dramatic when left alone or "left out" around the house; this allows us to be together and still keep the home in a manageable state (subject to interpretation of "manageable").

That's it for today...here are a few pics of the sling in action, our first lake hike of the year, and just goofing around the house.


Coming Soon:

DIY 2011:   trees, swingset, gardens, composting

Miss Priss while mommy cooks

dirt does a body good.

Stay tuned for before and afters of the DIY swing set

MUAH!

 

AND...Someone's turning ONE.

always one more thing to do!

It seems these days I never really have time to get everything done that I want.  Alas, no blogging for the last two weeks.  We have definitely been busy at the Cherry house, Scarlett was 17 weeks old on Friday, and that means that we had her 4 month appointment.  As of 09/01, she weighed 14.6 lbs and was 25.5 inches long.  Thats all good and well until the doc came and in and said "huh, weight and height are good...what's going on with her head?"  Um, excuse me?  Evidently Miss S is even smarter than we originally thought..her head is officially large by my doctors standards and is in the 90th percentile.  What do those graphs really mean anyway?  I think she is just perfect! 
Saturday night was the kick off to the highly anticipated Razorback football season, we all went out to the farm and watched the game on pay per view, they did not disappoint, GO HOGS! 

Today Scarlett and I had lunch with my dear friend Sara and her sweet pea Emily Brooke, we miss those girls so much and it was great to spend some time with them.  After lunch we headed over to David's Uncle Jerry's for more Family time.  David's cousins Brian and Steven were there with their families so it was really great to catch up and just hang out for a while, we don't see them near enough.   After all that, Scarlett is absolutely worn out...I think she literally got so tired it made her sick...when we got home tonight she was so fussy, which is NOT like her, and her nose and eyes are runny with a touch of fever.  We did an early bath and dinner so she is tucked in for the night, hopefully she will feel good tomorrow because we are supossed to get up and do it all over again at the farm with my side of the family.  I am thankful for the 3 day weekend, I covet any extra time I get to spend with my Honey and Sweet Baby Girl!

I feel like I should tack on a follow up note to my last blog...I'm still working full time, as planned.  Its really not any easier today than it was then but, as I've said before, it's all about perspective.  I have several second Mom's at my church and one that I love dearly is Rita, this whole work/stay home delima I've had over the last couple months reminds me of something she jokingly said in a bible class a while back.  One week she asked us for prayers to help her find a job...about a week later she came back to class and said, "yall did too good of a job praying for me...I already got a new job but I was really hoping for that to happen a few weeks down the road so I could take a break!"   Of course she was absolutely kidding, but isn't that sooo true for many of us?  We ask God for something but then we want it on our time, to fit into our schedules.  I'm just thankful to HAVE my job...so, I'm not changing anything anytime soon, God is good and he has answered our prayers, we are so blessed!

Happy Labor Day, much love to all!

And...I'm back

So, as  I have previously blogged, I started back to work 2 weeks ago...full time, slammed busy, jump in head first kind of back.  I'm not gonna lie...the first week back I cried every night.  It had nothing to do with not wanting to work, I have a really great job that I love, but ohmygoodness it absolutely kills me to leave Scarlett all day.  I had such an overwhelming feeling of guilt that I was shipping her off to the baby sitter all day and that I would only have her for 4-5 hrs at night before I was putting her to bed. Throw in there the necessary items of day to day life (dinner, bath time, laundry, bills, preparing for the next day, etc) and I just couldn't handle it.  There was a point where I nearly broke down and my Mom called me out and said that I was acting depressed and needed to snap out of it (just one of the things Mom's are good for, right?).  She reminded me that all things in life are a choice and I am the one making choices in my life.  As usual, she is right...but, here's the thing...the right choice for one new Mom is not the right choice for all new Mom's.  I am a Mother AND I'm a professional.  The reality of my life is that we depend on the financial support of my income...that is our own doing...we could have been more conservative over the last 6 years and I might be typing a completely different post, but we weren't, so...I'm not.  To those stay at home Mom's out there...I commend you, you did the right things in your life to allow you to spend all those precious moments with your children, and I can imagine that you will absolutely NEVER regret making sacrifices to stay home.  To the rest of us working Mom's out there...we did, and are doing, the right things too...the right things for us and our families.  What David keeps telling me (I need to hear it daily), is that we are on plan, a plan that will hopefully allow me to stay at home down the road when my children really need me and will remember it.  What I know in my heart is that we both just have to step back and let God take over, he has blessed us tremendously with every single thing we could ever want in life, and he will always take care of our family.  Leaving Scarlett last week (week 2), was easier...not because I cared any less or was getting used to it (I doubt you ever get used to turning your back and walking out on your baby), but my perspective has changed...I'm doing this for her and her future.

Enough of that...I feel like I have so much I could say but it would probably come out as a bunch of nonesense so I'll pick a few highlights that come to mind for the last couple of weeks...

• My BFF Haley got a teaching job at the New School in Fayetteville!  She is uubbbber talented when it comes to anything, but especially with children and her gift for creativity and teaching.  I know she will touch many lives in her career and I am so proud of her!
• I'm LOVING Scarletts full time baby sitter, Abuela (Grandma in Spanish), she is wonderful with Scarlett, lives near our house, super affordable, and just a great person.  (bonus-maybe S will be bilingual!) 
• We are having family pic's taken (finally) in two weekends out at the farm, Scarlett has a BUNCH of new adorable leg warmers that she will be sporting (remember what I said about needing to work?) 
• I got my car back
• Lastly-I've lost 7lbs since starting back to work...this should have been my #1, hooray!!!! 

No pics being uploaded tonight...I will add some later, have a great week and remember to count your blessings, name them one-by-one! 

I didn't see you because I have 50 wicker baskets blocking my view...

This is the lovely excuse "Mr. Old man I forgot to button up my shirt", gave me after plowing into me at the inner section of 264 and Old Missouri yesterday.  Somehow that tid bit of info didn't exactly make me feel sympathetic and the police didn't care for it either, enter the breath-a-lizer test at 9am in the morning.  All chiding aside, I'm so thankful no one was hurt especially Miss Sweet Pea who was in the back seat, Dude has insurance so in the whole scheme of things it's not a big deal.  Onto more fun things, last week we spent the week with my Family at Buffalo River, we stayed in a wonderful lodge (highly recommend for large groups, www.cedarcrestlodge.net) right on the water and everyone had a blast, especially all the boys (big and little).  We were so thankful that Grandma Norma and Granny Carolyn got to come too, they are so loved by all and made the trip that much better.  They were also so generous with their time and babysat Scarlett A LOT so that Dave and I could hike. The Buffalo has always been one of our favorite places and it was great to get out and enjoy God's glory. However, I do have to say that either the trails got much harder since last year or I must be lugging around about 25 extra lbs...unfortunately I fear it's the latter.  SO, I'm doing something about it, the baby weight afforded me a beautiful, healthy, little girl but now it has worn out its welcome, hopefully by blogging this ugly truth, I will be able to stick to it and be back in all my cute Seven and Citizen jeans before my bday on 09/24. Oh how I long for those jeans to fit, I am a jean FREAK.  Here are some pics from the week, I still don't know how to post a pic and write about it, then post another, it never comes out right.  Help would be appreciated...

One more thing, I'm back to work next week, technically my start date is a week from today (Friday) but I'm thinking I may just go back Monday to get in a full week, either way it's going to kill me leaving Scarlett, please pray for me as I am truly struggling with finding the trust and inner peace to leave her.

A little this and a little that

I hope everyone had a great 4th! We went to the farm for burgers and then headed to the Naturals game to watch big Dave throw out the first pitch!  Since I haven't blogged it previously I will use this time to say how proud I am of my wonderful husband.  When I was barely pregnant David had the opportunity to apply for a job a Great Southern Bank, opening in Rogers.  The interview process went really well but disappointingly, the bank opening was going to be delayed so they decided not to hire anyone.  We had basically put the job out of our minds when, out of the blue, my last month of pregnancy, they called Dave again and asked him to reapply for the management position as they were ready to move forward. After several interviews and stressful weeks, DAVE GOT THE JOB!  It could not have come at a better time for us, as this enabled me to take my full twelve weeks of maternity leave and stay home with Scarlett.  Thus the reason for the throwing of the first pitch, quite an honor and I must say he was pretty awesome, I was only disappointed they didn't offer him any baseball pants to wear...those are pretty hot. 
On to baby news...we had our dreaded 8 week appointment today where Scarlett got her shots, we definitely know what the "hurt" cry sounds like now and I hope not to hear it again for some time.  It was a little traumatic for her at the time but today she has just slept and slept so hopefully she will feel lots better tomorrow.  Her weight was 11.3 and she is 23.25 inches long.  That is the 61% for weight and the 83% for height...long and lean...where the heck did she get that?
This Sunday we leave for the annual family trip to Ponca, we upgraded to the Cedar Crest lodge this year and I'm pretty excited about it.  Heath, Andrea, and Luke have been gone for a month so we are so looking forward to spending the week with them and everyone else. Even Granny and Grandma are coming this year, I have a feeling that has to do more with the Grandbabies than the scenery but we'll take them however we can get them! Here are some pics of the last few days, somehow I didn't get one good picture of Scarlett's 4th of July outfit, the bow lasted all of an hour but I do love the red checked shirt and denim bloomers, she was so cute.

All in a days work

This week has been one of great fun!  As Scarlett is a little bigger, all of 7 weeks, I feel more comfortable getting her out a little more often. Feedings and naps are now consistent and predictable so for the most part she is easy to tote around and I find myself settling in quite nicely as an on-the-go Mom.  I am SO thankful for my other Mom friends who offer great advice, comedic relief and reassurance. Monday I walked 6 miles with Lauren, Caitlin, Janice, and Vicki...(let's not get into it, it wasn't pretty) while my Grandma had Scarlett.  It was nice to get out and break a sweat!  Tuesday I met Kari Beth and the Girls and the pool for some fun in the sun, Scarlett is not quite ready to take on the pool but she got in a nice cat nap in Sarah's lap. Sweet Elle took a little nap too, it will be so fun when these girls can play and entertain each other.

That night we met David's Dad at the Naturals Game for Fathers Day, it was surprisingly breezy and cool, S slept right through most of it, but when she woke up, she was all CHEESE, here she is hamming it up for Dad.  Yesterday Mom was off so we went out to the farm, ate lunch and laid by the pool, last night was church and we were happy to get home and rest.  We are staying in today to rest and get ready for the family garage sale Saturday morning at Vicki's. I updated my earlier post with some pics since Scarlett's arrival, enjoy!