Spring Time and Wagon Rides

I am LOVING this spring weather. We've found all sorts of excuses to be outside. In light of summer approaching, I thought it would be appropriate for Adelyn to have her first piece of watermelon. We learned quickly that clothes needed to be removed for this endeavor. She LOVED it. Especially when she figured out to eat the pink part, not the green.



We embarked on a little outing with our friends Kyle and Noelle to the Rocheport winery. We sipped wine, munched on fruit, cheese, and crackers, and just enjoyed the day. Adelyn was happy as a clam in her wagon.



Like everything else she encounters, she of course need to get a taste of it.



Good friends, Kyle and Noelle.



A family picture. We haven't had one of these in a while!



Adelyn just chillin in her wagon. Why is it she always finds the non-toys to play with!?



And here's what happens when a baby tries to roll around in the wagon.



For those of you wondering, she still isn't quite crawling yet. However, don't under estimate this girl's mobility. Through a series of rolls, scoots, and army crawls, she can get from one side of the room to the other pretty stinking fast! She is loving her new found independence!

Got Skills?

Blogging takes skill. Lots of skills in fact. Too many in my opinion.

I think A LOT of moms in my generation dream about the idea of blogging about their family or hobby and getting paid for it. It's a dream job for a stay at home mom! The unfortunate problem is, a blog with great content will rarely get discovered unless they have other skills. Since starting Thriving Home, I have learned so much about what it takes to create and maintain a blog.

Here is my running list of skills that are pretty handy to have if you want to ever start your own blog for revenue:

Web Design/HTML Coding: If you want your blog to stand out among mommy bloggers, it needs to look different than the standard templates. You'll eventually need to know some basic coding (or pay someone to do it for you).

Graphic Design Skills: Want to get your stuff pinned? It's pretty handy to know how to add titles or words to your photos. There is also a ton of stuff on your homepage that you'll need graphics for. A large amount of my time was spent on this in the beginning days of our blog.

Photography: Pictures are so important! It's unfortunate that so many good bloggers get missed because they can't afford to invest time and money into photography.

Business Skills: You have to research and know how to advertise, how to market your blog, where to spend money, etc. It really takes a business mindset to get things going.

Discipline: Sometimes you just don't feel like writing a blog post or messing with the funky design problem you are having.

Creativity: It seems like we are always scheming up new ideas for posts, titles, graphics, advertising, and more. It really takes out of the box thinking.

Good Writing Skills: If you're spellling and grammar is darn bad, its dog-gone destracting to the readers, ya know?

Networking: It helps to know the right people and to be willing to ask for help.

Patient Husbands: Yep- a blogging mom needs a husband who is willing to encourage the hobby and be willing to pick up some slack when mommy is stuck on the computer dealing with a website crisis.

Whew! Seems like a lot, doesn't it?? As we continue to grow our blog, I'm sure this list will continue to grow. This is one of the many reasons I am glad to have a partner in my blogging adventure at Thriving Home. We have found that our skills differ in certain areas so it's helpful to not carry all of the weight.

As I learn more and more of what it takes to be a blogger, I am AMAZED at how many moms out there who can do it all. Well done, mom-bloggers, well done.

Ups and Downs and Round and Round

Lots of random things are happening around our house as of late...

Some things I am excited about...

First, the thing I am most excited about is that Rachel and I have stumbled into a contest in which we can win $1,000 towards Bed, Bath and Beyond. Right now it is up to a vote so we are begging and pleading our friends, family, and readers to vote for us.

What will I do with my half? Our house is in desperate need of some new pots and pans. So if the idea of Adelyn eating the  flaking teflon off of our skillet makes you uneasy, cast a vote for us. Stop by Thriving Home to find out more details and how to cast your vote.

Buying this: A Canon EOS Rebel T3.

Well, I haven't really bought it yet and it is contingent on how much money I make at our upcoming garage sale. Our guest room is currently full of priced items just waiting to be sold. If anything, it's been nice to have an excuse to clean out the closets, drawers, and garage in hopes of making a little money off of our unwanted stuff.

Easter weekend! First, because my garage sale will be that Saturday. Secondly, because my whole family is coming to Columbia. It's going to be a full house but I love a little controlled chaos.

Adelyn is army crawling. See for yourself.

httpv://youtu.be/kBNETgAboFI

We updated the medicine cabinet in our bathroom! The fact that I was laying my toothbrush on rusty spots only to be visited by ants that were crawling through the holes in the cabinet motivated us to upgrade. It's nice to know I won't get tetanus from brushing my teeth.

Things I am NOT excited about:

Ants, ants, ants. We finally caved and called an exterminator. Even after spraying the dude told us it would take up to 2 weeks to see them go away. The next day I discovered that they were not only infesting our bathroom but our tool closet as well. I attacked them with 409 and white vinegar but I'm beginning to believe that my efforts to kill them only make them stronger so I am going to let the poison do it's job.

House work. We have a lot of maintenance we've fallen behind on. When you have a 50+ year old house, you have to stay on top of repairs or the list grows fast. I made a list last night of things we need to do. It's a bit daunting- particularly for Austin since he is the one who will be crawling on the roof, digging up stumps and other manly jobs.

The cost of windows. We have been looking into replacing our 55 year old windows only to be punched in the gut by the prices quoted. One company told us it would be close to $350 bucks PER window. We have 19 windows. You do the math. Needless to say, we probably won't be getting new windows anytime soon.

I think that about sums things up. I think I hear my little lady waking up from a nap. I probably should get our of my pajamas and ready for the day, huh?

A Wide Base

"Giving Love"

Adelyn has a sweet way of "giving love" as we like to call it.

It involves a slobbery-open mouth "kiss" on the cheek. However, she sometimes attempts to sneak a bite in there so we have to be careful.

See for yourself.

http://youtu.be/ZlergTNQQLg

Life in Bullet Points

• I want the ants in our bathroom gone. The exterminator that was supposed to come today didn't. Turns out he thought he did. He sprayed the outside of someone else's house instead of ours. Bet the boss wasn't happy about that.


• Today is Austin's birthday. Hope he felt special. He's getting an ipad 3 with his birthday money. I know he's pretty pumped about that. I'm still not sure I get the point of ipads.


• I'm having a garage sale in a few weeks. I'm trying to earn enough cash to buy a fancy-shmancy camera I've been drooling over for a while. I'm wishing I hadn't made all those trips to Goodwill over the past few months. Those donations could have earned some serious cash!


• I can hear the ants in my bathroom throwing a party. They're mocking me.


• My newest breakfast obsession: Chocolate Banana Muffins.


• My latest read: The Night Circus.


• My new show: The Voice


• My frustration: The ants in my bathroom


• Best new toy for Adelyn: Fold Up Wagon

Now for your viewing pleasure.

An Abundance of Skirts

Since my little lady is in cloth diapers, some of her pants won't fit so well. The ghetto booty has led us to use a lot more skirts and dresses (I know, twist my arm right?) Once I mastered this baby skirt tutorial, I cranked out multiple skirts. I can't wait until summer when we won't have to worry about tights or leggings underneath. Until then, we are circulating stretchy pants and darling little girl skirts. Here are a few my little fashionista will be wearing soon.









I promise, it really isn't hard to make one of these baby skirts. Once I got the hang of it, I could crank one out in 15 minutes or so. I have many more I want to make!

Chauncey and Adelyn: Buddies Already

It's funny to me how many people ask how our dogs are doing with Adelyn. At first they were indifferent and would give her a sniff or two and move on.

Now that she has become more interactive, they are taking more of an interest. Chauncey, is making attempts to play with Adelyn and just lets her poke, grab, and pull at him as she pleases. We are constantly reminding Adelyn to "be gentle" with the doggies. Check out this video to see what I mean.

httpv://youtu.be/JVy8Rrvzl3Q

My Little Rascal is Nine Months Old

Adelyn's first year is flying by. My little rascal is nine months old! As one stage morphs into another, it's so easy to forget little things and remember it all as one big blur. I'm thankful to have a blog to use a scrapbook to document memories and milestones. Here are a few things I hope never slip into the blur of babyhood.

• The big smiles and kicks she gives when I walk in the room in the morning or after a nap.


• I am continually cracking up that she rolls everywhere instead of crawling.


• The way she "gives love" by a big open mouth kiss on the cheek.


• How she lights up when praised or laughed at.


• Looking at the video monitor and cracking up at the various positions she gets herself in.
  


• The intense look she gets when using a sippy cup.


• Her attempts to feed herself and learning to open the fist full of food in order to eat it.


• Her intense love for graham crackers.


• When her socks are off, how she loves to pull her feet up and chew on her toes.


• She is FINALLY taking long naps during the day. Typically 1.5 hours in the morning and 1.5 hours in the afternoon. She's still holding on to that third nap of the day but I don't mind because usually I want one around 3 or 4 too.


• Her fascination with anything handed to her. Especially paper products or cell phones.


• How she giggles at Chauncey for no reason sometimes.


• How good of an eater she is! This gal will eat almost anything we put in front of her.


• Her first night away from mommy went great!


• Thanks to this gal, I still cannot chew green Trident Gum. I even get grossed out when Austin chews it.

httpv://youtu.be/ZXolBxF6QGQ

httpv://youtu.be/bepaKl9353c

Reason #351 & #352 Why Grandparents Rock

Because when I mention that Adelyn needed some pajamas, she ends up with enough to cover her tush until she is 18 months old.



I also love being sent home with a jars of homegrown, organic veggies. Our pantry is currently stocked with my dad's green beans, tomatoes, pickles, potatoes, salsa, spaghetti sauce, and sun-dried tomatoes.

Reflections of Motherhood

This video made me giggle and tear up all in three minutes.

It's worth the watch.

httpv://youtu.be/taDqKWWPDAY

True/False Weekend

This weekend has been crazy fun.

Documentaries. Hipsters. Crowds. Costumes. Food. Theaters. Parades.

The annual True/False Film Festival is in town and I've found myself shuffling around downtown among a very diverse crowd and sitting through amazing documentaries that have brought out a variety of emotions: tears, laughter, greif, and joy. I love how a well done film can move you in ways that nothing else can.

Here is a short clip of what I ran into when I was going to a film last night:

httpv://youtu.be/BLGKWpyePoU

I still have a few movies to go but the two that stand out to me are Undefeated (which actually won an Academy Award) and Going Up the Stairs. I can't stop thinking about them!

We've been able to make it to a lot of films so far because my parents were in town-which means we had a full time babysitter! They actually took Adelyn home with them tonight so I'm having my first night away from my gal in 9 months. I thought I'd be excited about the freedom but I was surprisingly a little emotional about sending her off to a different town for a night. I  have no doubt she is in good hands but I have been caught off guard by my reaction.

Anyway, it's been a great weekend so far. I still have four more films to see so hopefully my brain won't be too fried by Sunday night. On to my next movie!