Squirming Baby, Hot Showers, and Messy Hair

*I guess I better get used to pictures like this!

This week's Three Beautiful Things:

1. During meetings at work, I look down at my belly and watch my new little man squirm around. It's a great distraction. He especially loves it when I drink juice or eat chocolate. Right now, I think he's enjoying the cream cheese frosting from the piece of carrot cake I just ate.

2. I've been standing in the shower a little longer these days. The hot water and pressure on my neck just feels so good.

3. Aaron has two swirls on the back of his head, so his hair is never going to lie down flat. I'm sure there will be times when this may annoy me - school picture day perhaps - but so far, I adore it. I love the crazy bit of hair that always sticks up in the back.

This Year's Organizing Projects - due 10/31

I'm not sure if it's a nesting instinct or just a general urge to do spring cleaning, but I have such a strong desire to spend time cleaning and organizing the house. Unfortunately, I don't have the time right now to focus on this, and due to our latest round of home renovations, our house is particularly messy. I'm sure that's contributing to my frustration.

So I thought I'd channel that frustration in a more productive manner by making a list of the organizing projects I want to tackle. It will make it easier for me to work through the list and feel good about getting things done. I will also be easier for me to do some of these things after the house work is complete, and who knows when that will be. I hope I'll be able to do some of this when I have time off of work and while my new little babe is sleeping, but perhaps I'm not keeping the exhaustion of the early days in proper perspective. We'll see. I'm still giving myself a Halloween deadline, because I absolutely know I need to be as organized as possible when I return to work. Some of these things have to be done earlier due to other factors, as noted below. I'm also not including the biggies such as setting up A's new bedroom or cleaning the nursery in preparation for the new baby.

Here's what I have so far:

1. Clean out sock drawers. Match up or throw away singles. Get rid of holies.

2. Break down and get wood hangers for our closet.

3. Clean out/organize medicine cabinets. Throw away everything that's expired.

4. Spend a couple weeks organizing meals around pantry items that have been there a while and need to be used up. Donate any other old and unused items.

5. Rotate winter/summer clothes. Donate any unwanteds. (Okay, this one obviously has an earlier deadline.)

6. Rotate summer/winter clothes. Donated any unwanteds.

7. Donate all my maternity clothes. (This one can't be done until my regular jeans fit me, so fingers crossed that I can make October.)

8. Organize bathroom drawers.

9. Clean out kitchen junk drawer.

10. Get rid of excess/old tupperware/containers. Return a few to Mom-in-law.

11. Clean out recipe binder - eliminate recipes I haven't tried yet or didn't like.

12. Donate my wedding dress. (Seriously, family - if someone wants this, speak now or forever hold your peace. It's a beautiful dress, but I really don't want to see the huge box any more.)

13. Organize all our books on bookshelves. Prioritize and donate anything that doesn't fit on a shelf. (This can't be done until bookshelves are in and painted.)

14. Clean out the car. Load a CD case with driving music. (The cleaning-out part has to be done before we install car seat #2.)

15. Organize kitchen cabinet containing all my baking supplies.

16. Freecycle our old grill.

Beth Waters - Sweaters

I have no idea what this video is all about, but I do like Beth Waters and this song in particular. Enjoy!

Carrot Tea Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

*Image from Martha Stewart.com

This weekend gave us one beautiful day to play outside, and one wet and cold day to stay inside. I was okay with the balance. The wet and cold day made me feel less guilty for watching basketball during the day, and it also inspired me to bake. I made this super yummy carrot cake. I've been wanting to find a simple carrot cake recipe, and this one is perfect. It makes a small loaf, and it's just as easy as making a banana bread. The cream cheese frosting is of course what makes it so delicious, but you could just as easily enjoy this for breakfast as you could for dessert.

His Royal Cuteness

You know how you tend to take a bazillion pictures of your baby in the first year? Well, that does start to slow down after a while, especially when they're old enough to scream about wanting the camera or make goofy faces any time a camera is pointed at them. This is the phase A has been in for the last few months, so I feel like I haven't been able to get many good pictures of him. This bugs me, because he is really growing up now, and I want to be able to share pictures with his faraway family. I am confident it will be easier once it warms up, because it's always easier to take pictures outside.

Anyway.....he was looking particularly handsome (and clean! that's the other big challenge) yesterday, so I asked him if I could take a few pictures of him. He actually obliged, somewhat, for a few shots. Here's my gorgeous boy:

Go Tar Heels!

*Image from www.espn.com

I love March Madness. Especially when my Heels win. They are winning this year, and I'm having a lot of fun watching them do it. Looking forward to next weekend's Final Four! Go Heels!

The Lost Generation

Love this.

Happy Birthday to me!

*Image from Pink Cake Box - I know it's for a 25th, but whatever.

They didn't have a picture with a big 35 on it! And it's a fun cake, no?

Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me, happy birthday dear Mary, happy birthday to me...!

I am 35 today. I think if I keep saying it out loud, I'll get used to that fact. Or maybe I should just ignore it all together. What do you think? Nah, I say embrace it! I am 35!

Aretha

I had my iPod on shuffle the other day as I was cleaning the kitchen, and this song came on. I had to listen to it a couple times, because I was having too much fun singing and dancing. Play this, turn it up real loud, and tell me you don't dance around the room too.

The Plumber of Rock Stars

The fact that Eddie Vedder is 44 makes me feel a little old, but he's still out there making great music, and that makes me feel better. Check out this interview. He just seems so normal. I love how he says he wants to be the "plumber of rock stars". Love it. Love him.

Chocolate Pudding

*Image from www.marthastewart.com

Yum. Check one last item off the list - I put my new ramekins to good use this weekend by making this very simple and yummy chocolate pudding. Chocolate pudding is one of my husband's favorites, so he was excited to say the least. The first night, I topped with the homemade whipped cream. We ran out of cream the following nights, so we topped with mini chocolate chips for some extra yum.

If I won the lottery...

Oh my goodness, how many ways there are to complete that sentence. For today, though, I'll just say this: If I won the lottery, I would spend $368 on this pair of ridiculously impractical but so fun they make me giggle shoes.

Reason #8 Why I Love Boston: Seasons

Boston is one of those places that actually gets four full seasons every year. I grew up in North Carolina, where Winter lasts two weeks, there is no Fall, and Summer lasts 8 months. And I don't know how you define the "season" when it's actually too hot to go outside. I'll admit that Spring is gorgeous down there, but I'll take all four.

Winter - Snow. Yes, alright, I know I do sometimes complain about the snow. It can be difficult when you have (or want) to be somewhere, and I've also learned this year that having a toddler makes winters more challenging than they used to be. But I do actually love snow. I love a good snowstorm when you can stay cozy warm inside by a fireplace, watching movies and drinking hot chocolate. I love sledding, making snowmen, skiing, ice skating... I adore the white frosting on the trees - it's so beautiful. And holidays are not the same without snow. Having wet or warm weather during the holidays just seems wrong.

Spring - Flowers. Okay, I'll admit it - I hate Spring in New England. It's cold and rainy and seems to last forever. Whew - now that I got that off my chest, I'll go back to focusing on the positives. I'm sure southerners do not quite appreciate those first daffodils in the same way that I do.

*This picture is from last year - I'm anxiously awaiting this year's arrivals. They are poking out a couple inches so far.

Summer - Sun. Summer in Boston is magical. Warm and sunny but not hot and muggy. I love seeing tourists crawling all over downtown. Lots of restaurants with outdoor seating. Little leaguers every day in my back yard. Fresh peaches and tomatoes and blueberries and corn.

Fall - Leaves. There is so much to love about Fall in New England that it's hard to summarize. Apple-picking, pumpkin festivals, crisp air and clear blue skies, the end of baseball and the beginning of football, perfect temperatures, starry nights.... It's hard to have a bad day in the Fall.

Blog Love: Pretty Good

*Images from Pretty Good

This blog has been listed among my Favorite Sites for a while now, but I thought it was worth a shout-out in its own post. If you haven't checked it out yet, please do so. Each day, Mary includes a beautiful picture, and she includes a simple message. Her photographs are often of the simplest things - a door knob, a string of lights, blueberries up close... - and they remind me to focus on the beauty that surrounds us.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

*Picture from a Guinness Storehouse - image found on Wikipedia and source can be seen here

As a little side note, I actually do have a little Irish in me. 25%. My paternal grandmother was Irish, and I must admit that I am very proud to be able to claim some Irish heritage. One day I will visit Ireland the way my father did - rent a car and drive around the entire country, visiting pubs and castles along the way.

Picture of the Day

Aaron does a pretty decent job of getting his food inside his mouth these days, even using a spoon and fork. But he's decided that he doesn't want to deprive me of seeing the food anyway. Here he is enjoying a plum.

Happy Spot

This little spot in my kitchen made me happy yesterday. Even with the ugly green walls in the background, the happy colors of the fruit (in the fruit basket I got for Christmas) and those two little orange tulips in a milk jar made me smile every time I walked in the kitchen. My ugly and not so clean kitchen. It really doesn't take much sometimes.

Reasons to Love March

*Tulips are starting to peek out of the ground all around our yard. I can't wait to see their colors!

I'm sure there are more than eight, but off the top of my head and in no particular order...

1. Flower buds start to pop up on the trees and out of the ground. It starts out Winter but ends in Spring.
2. Winter (snow season) comes to an end.
3. March Madness (Go Heels!)
4. Spring Training (Go Sox!)
5. St. Patrick's Day (doesn't mean as much to me as it used to - before kids - but Boston is such a fun place to be on this holiday)
6. Runners are everywhere, completing their training to prepare for April's marathon
7. Daylight Savings Time begins and the days really start getting longer - means getting home before the sun goes down and having more time to play
8. My birthday (the 26th, but I'll remind you then too)

Blog Love: makemesmile and Emily's Random Thoughts

My sisters have finally decided to join me in the blogosphere. Dawn, will you be able to keep it up? I hope so! If you want to check out my older sister, currently living in Barcelona, you can visit her at http://damakemesmile.blogspot.com/.




If you're interested in reading the seriously random musings of a 30-something (and yet still younger than me) woman living in North Carolina, check out Emily at http://ncbiscuit.blogspot.com/.

Five Senses Friday

See
- A robin in the tree outside my kitchen window. Ah, Spring, you really are just around the corner, aren't you?
- My Tar Heels escape with a narrow victory against Virginia Tech in the ACC tourney. Whew!

Hear
- A said, "Can I have more dinner please?" When you have a skinny toddler, that is music to the ears. (This Creamy Fettuccine with Peas and Ham, plus some sliced tomato, is the super simple meal that he devoured.)
- The peaceful silence that fills the house after A goes to sleep. With K out of town, I didn't even put on music or watch very much TV - I enjoyed the silence.

Touch
- A's hand on my belly, feeling the baby kick for the first time. His amazed expression was priceless. Before he could feel him, he'd put his hand on the belly and say, "Come on, little baby, where are you?"

Smell
- I used up the last of my spa gift card on a facial, which was heavenly, and I then splurged on some facial cream. The smell alone is worth every penny.

Taste
- I've been craving grapefruit juice lately - OJ is too sweet. A tells me it's too sour, but I love it.
- Two mugs of Breyer's Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream. Yum. (When you eat ice cream at home, do you use a mug or a bowl? I'm a mug person. A bowl just doesn't feel right - I like packing it in.)
- Sushi day at the office cafeteria. Avocado, cream cheese, cucumber roll and a seaweed salad. Lots of wasabi. Perfection.

*Image from I.M.Bitter's Flickr page