Tricky Cookies on a "Snow Day"...

We woke up to snow covering Austin! And by covering, I mean a light dusting that is very pretty, but not a big deal to us who lived 2 hard winters in the mid west. Oh well - the kids got out of school and Tyler, who was supposed to fly out to FLORIDA mid morning, got a little delayed to spend more time with us. So, after some play in the snow before it melted, we luckily had all the ingredients for cookies - we love to bake together. And we even had Payson in the mix sitting in the sling on me. Little did the kids know that we baked "Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies":) I found the recipe when I was preggo and have been saving it. Not sure what in them causes the extra lactating, but there is 2 cups of whole wheat flour, 3 cups of oatmeal, Brewer's yeast, and flaxmeal...all not your traditional chocolate chip cookie ingredients, but they turned out super delicious!

Sometimes he naps...

I swear I have the most alert and awake newborn ever created. He naps like a toddler and that's on good days. He's happy when he's awake for the most part, so that's nice, BUT...he's still awake and just 2 months old, so it's not like I feel ok just leaving him for long anywhere to go clean the house or shower. But, today he's taking a SOLID nap and he did the same one day last week. So, I thought I should take advantage of the time in a creative way that feels more productive than dusting:)

I've had these large canvases for a long time and have envisioned painting a masterpiece on them to hang on our too tall walls in the living room. Well, it's not much of a masterpiece and I only painted one, but it is now hanging. I used wall paint we had left over from painting walls in our house and random brushes I found around the garage and drawers. And, ta-da...

Today...not so much of a masterpiece, but pretty good for the tummy. I adpated a Giada De Laurentiis recipe I've been wanting to try. Not too shabby! Marscapone Chocolate Toffee Bars. And if you've never had marscapone cheese...it tastes like the perfect cross between whipped cream and cream cheese and you could eat it with a spoon - YUM.

Mystery Milk

At breakfast before school I poured milk for the kids, then set it down, heard a noise, and looked down to see the milk lid opening and closing on it's own. Creepy! However, if you look on YouTube, it's not that uncommon. That's even creepier. Our video is below, tho...

Piper singing to Payson until...

Room Make Over (or Under) Part 1

A few months ago I mentioned that I wanted new bedroom furniture. We've had ours since we've been married which normally wouldn't be a big deal, but before us, it belonged to Tyler's grandmother, then to him in his first post-college apartment. At least before it became "ours" he stripped it and painted the hardware to modernize a wee bit. But, in the 4 moves we've made, it's gotten pretty banged up; and in KS, a certain someone spilled paint all over the dresser top (disregard this if you are now viewing it on craig's list).

So, if it were up to Tyler, we'd go to the nearest furniture store and get whatever I wanted. I say - "That is too expensive, just let me complain every day about what we have!".

We just got an armoire back that we loaned my mom, but is now too big for her new place. I LOVE this armoire and didn't want to get rid of it (super discounted from Pottery Barn 5 years ago), but we had no place for it...except in our bedroom if we got rid of our poo poo dresser. So, we did. Then, we just had the bed, nightstand, and chest of drawers (aka chester drawers) to replace. At World Market while shopping for my mom a new rug, we saw some pieces that matched our armoire perfectly and for CHEAP! The kicker was we/Tyler had to put it together which had it's problems, but it worked out in the end and was worth it! So, with the new furniture, some hand me down curtains, accessories and art pulled from other places in the house....we have a whole new room for $400! We are, however, lacking a headboard. I say we don't need one, but Moneybags thinks we do. And I'm not so sure about the "original" art work above the bed, so I may experiment there. Therefore, this is Part 1. More to come. Exciting, isn't it?

I forgot a "before" pic, but this is the old furniture. Anyone??

The inspiration (armoire)...

36 Days Post Pardum

All of you mommies out there know what my days have been filled with...nursing; rocking; scrambling for pacifiers; giving attention to big bro and sis; showering mid day (maybe); drinking one cup of coffee with many trips to the microwave to reheat it; nursing; laundry; falling asleep while nursing; trying to eat a sandwich while nursing; trying to squeeze into your old jeans, but wearing pajama pants instead...

But - these days will fly by, so I'm cherishing them because they won't happen again. And this smiley, one-dimpled baby makes all the hard work much easier. Porter and Piper didn't start smiling until they were 2 months old, but Payson started around Christmas Eve (not even a month old) and has only gotten smilier since. He has even started to "coo" at us lately and will stay awake and alert for hours! My theory is being proven true...he was born older than the calendar says he is.

Porter and Piper started back to school yesterday. It was a little lonely and quiet, but the day passed quickly and they were home again. Payson loves to watch them and listen to them and they usually are interested in him and helping me with things. Hoping that lasts!

Anyway...

Happy New Year. We have much to be thankful for! I'm not one for resolutions, but thinking I'm going to attempt to "simplify" this year. Someone said recently, "I hope God ruins all of your plans in 2011!" Scary, but a blessing - He is for our good and His plans are better than ours!

All Smiles

They say babies can't really smile this soon. I say he was born smiling:)