Slow Down

 

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The title of this post is a little ironic. We've been doing everything but slowing down lately. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind. I took my first work trip since Crosbi was born, which was also my first time away from her. Ever. Nothing like jumping in the deep end. I went from not spending a single night away from her to three nights. It was brutal. It was good for me professionally, but did a number on me emotionally. I felt like someone would be waiting for me at the airport to revoke my mommy card. Not sure I'm ready to add traveling to my job description just yet. But I did have a good time and had wonderful moments of feeling like the "old" me, so no regrets.

Then we had a bit of a freak accident. The day I got home from my trip, I had my eye poked out. Okay, it wasn't that dramatic, but it was terribly painful. I was reading books with Crosbi and as she reached up to play with my hair, her fingernail actually scratched my right eye. I fell to the floor in pain. A trip to the ER and some good meds later (plus some amazing help from my in-laws), I was better. The hardest part was that even though I was home, I couldn't see. Literally. It hurt to open my eyes. So three nights away from Crosbi felt more like six when it was all said and done. One of the toughest moments as a mom so far.

Praise God I'm fine and life is returning to normal. Sort of. Just as I was getting my eyes back, we made a quick trip to Missouri to see my brother graduate high school. I honestly don't know where the time has gone. When Todd and I moved to Nashville, my brother Drew was ten. As silly as it sounds, in my mind time stopped. When I return to Missouri he should still be ten. Not a grown man preparing for college. Time, please slow down. Please?

Although life has been busy and full, I find my internal pace slowing down and I'm really embracing the warm months to come. We joined a local CSA and I can already tell it is going to change how we share meals in our home. I love that I drive out to a farm each week to gather our fresh fruits and vegetables. I'm ready to pull out the blow-up pool and sprinklers to watch Crosbi play in the water while I drink iced tea on the patio. And today, I caught myself going 5 miles below the speed limit to run errands. For the person who got a speeding ticket earlier this year, that's a big deal. No need to rush. No need to speed up time. We have a super busy summer planned. Full of lots of good things, but as we come and go, I'm hoping to really slow down and enjoy the time I'm given. Before long I'll be watching my own baby girl accept her high school diploma. Heaven help me when that happens.

Until then, we're slowing down. We're enjoying the little things.

Year Of The Park

Blogging has a been a struggle lately. I just haven't had much to say. Being a stay at home mom can feel a bit like Groundhog Day - everyday can feel just like the one before. It's easy to get bored. Although my husband would say only boring people get bored, so I should say it's easy to feel the need to mix it up, to add variety.

Crosbi and I have been doing that by hitting our local parks. Nashville has dozens of great parks, and it has become a bit of a mission to hit them all. It gets us both out of the house, on an exploration of sorts. She discovers new playgrounds, and I discover parts of the city I haven't spent much time in. It's a win. Sometimes our park visits include lunch dates with Todd or play dates with friends. Mostly it's just me and my girl. The joy on her face when she's swinging or going down a slide can easily be the best part of my day.

This age is so fun. Crosbi is talking like crazy, saying some of the sweetest things like "love you." But lately she is quick to say "outside" as soon as she wakes and when our backyard just doesn't cut it, off to the park we go.

Happy weekend!

Easter 2013

I finally got around to uploading our photos from Easter. We really had a wonderful weekend. One of the best trips home I can remember in a long time. Now that Crosbi is a bit older, our trips back are so much more enjoyable. I think she's finally understanding who everyone is and these days we don't have to be so rigid with our routine. We just need some snacks and a sippy cup and we're good to go.

The only tricky part about visiting Missouri is balancing old traditions with new. We make the trip back for nearly every major holiday. I assume that won't change anytime soon. However, that means that Todd and I have to share all of our experiences with our family members. From Christmas morning to Easter services, we are with extended family. I have no problem with that. It's our choice to do that, but it also means we have to get a bit creative. Initially I felt sad thinking Crosbi would have to divide holidays (early celebrations as a family of three, then big celebrations on the actual holiday), but instead I've chosen to look at it as extending our celebrations. And really, this gives us the chance to focus on the true meaning of each holiday. During the Easter season, I plan to observe Lent in some way as Crosbi grows. I want us to really spend time as a family discussing what Resurrection Sunday means for us. I want to have communion and times of prayer as we enter the Holy Week. Then, when we leave to visit family, it won't be rush rush rush, hurry and pack, get in the car, dinner here, coffee there, go go go, a couple of Easter egg hunts, back in the car, and all of a sudden the holiday is over and we've barely blinked and the holy moments have passed us by. If we're intentional, we can really immerse ourselves in the holiday seasons.

Easter weekend was beautiful. Amazing weather, lots of quality time with the people we love, and Crosbi's first Easter egg hunts. She loved every minute of it.

The pictures below haven't been edited much and some are blurry (the downside of using my iPhone), but they capture the moment so well and that's all I need.

Bubble fun with Grandpa.

She would not sit still for a proper picture to save her life. It used to be so easy! You can see the headband did not last long.

On the hunt.

Stop to take a picture? You serious? There is candy in this basket!

What?! More candy?!

Hope you had a wonderful Easter! He is Risen!

xoxo

Bread & Wine: A Review

I had the wonderful privilege of receiving an advanced copy of Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist in return for a blog review. Such a wonderful way to get the blog community excited about her new book. I couldn't turn the opportunity down.

I have been a fan of Shauna's for years. My friend Allison introduced me to Cold Tangerines several years ago, and it continues to be a book that I read and re-read almost annually. Bittersweet is also one of my all time favorites. I've never connected with an author the way I have with Shauna. Maybe it's because my closest girlfriends all identify with her writing and we have read her books and celebrated her book releases together. I was even lucky enough to help with a Bittersweet event when Shauna was in town and squealed a bit when I saw that she mentioned it in Bread & Wine. The event she describes, in the rolling hills, under a ceiling of twinkly lights, I was there.

I knew I would like this book. I've known that Shauna treasures food and community since I first became a fan of hers. It was obvious this was the path she would take in her writing. I just didn't realize how much it would challenge me.

I'm a perfectionist by nature. I like things to look a certain way and feel a certain way, and while I love having people in my home, I almost never open my door to a dirty house. I learned the hard way that I had to change. When I was pregnant with Crosbi and consumed in pain and sickness, I wouldn't let those closest to me love me or take care of me. I didn't want them to see my mess. Food was left at our doorstep because I made excuses for why I couldn't come to the door. Either I hadn't showered or I was sleeping, or anything else I could think of because I just felt gross and embarrassed about what was happening to me. I think about that time, and I'm so sad that I put up such a wall. Thankfully friends called me out on it and opened my eyes to the fact that I wasn't hiding my mess, I was shutting them out.

But it isn't perfection, and it isn't about performance. You'll miss the richest moments in life - the sacred moments when we feel God's presence through the actual faces and hands of the people we love - if you're too scared or too ashamed to open the door. - Shauna Niequist

Not only did Bread & Wine inspire me to open my door, not just to friends and family, but to anyone I come in contact with, it also rekindled my love for cooking. Nearly each chapter contains a recipe close to Shauna's heart and she writes in such a way that you can almost taste each dish as you turn the pages. She combines my favorite things - great autobiographical writing and cookbooks. I thought she brilliantly intertwined the two.

To celebrate this book, I invited my closest girlfriends over for a Bread & Wine themed brunch. I used my best serving ware, lit candles and shared an incredible morning with my best friends. I served Shauna's Blueberry Crisp, Goat Cheese Scrambled Eggs (both in the book), and her Pumpkin Banana Anything Muffins, which can be found on her blog. We drank coffee and mimosas and celebrated our friendship.

I so highly recommend this book. If you are looking for a great read, full of encouragement, this book is for you. If you want to be reminded of how to love the people around you well, this book is for you. If you just need to be fed emotionally, spiritually, and/or literally, this book is for you. Trust me.

He's here! God is here, and he's good. Every time we eat, every time we gather, every time the table is filled: He's here. He's here, and he is good.

A Playroom Update

Last July I wrote about giving our playroom a makeover. That was back when Crosbi was barely crawling and I had a little more time to do things like daydream about home decor. The actual decorating part has been a slow process. For one, we are on a super tight, almost non-existent budget, and two, my daughter thinks naps are for the birds most days. All that to say, we're actually making progress. We have quite a ways to go, but I'm happy with the direction we're going in. I'd say we're 60% done. We need a few more things on the walls and one side of the room (not photographed) needs some major work, but we're getting there and most importantly, Crosbi loves to play in this room which is all I could really ask for.

I've stayed pretty true to the mood board I created last summer.

I tried to avoid too much pink in this room. Crosbi's room has enough pink for the entire house, and I wanted the room to feel youthful, but not girlie necessarily. Todd and I hang out in this room too, so I didn't want it to feel like a nursery either. That's not as easy to pull off as I imagined. This room does feel very childlike, though, so we've committed to making the downstairs living room more adult friendly. Basically all that means is that the toys stay upstairs. Most days. Except for her food and kitchen toys. Those are in the "real" kitchen so that we can cook together.

I love giant letters. They're cheap and easy to customize. They are now displayed in three rooms of our home. I got the ABCs at JoAnn.

The striped curtains were a Pinterest project that could have gone very wrong. Todd and I stayed up late one night painting the stripes. I might have stepped in the paint more than once. Thankfully they turned out exactly as I had hoped.

The framed children's records was an idea I stole from an ex-American Idol contestant that I follow on Instagram. You can literally find inspiration anywhere!

While the bookcase is filled mostly with Crosbi's toys and books, it contains a few of my things too. Like this adorable wooden sign from my sweet friend Renee. She gave it to me for my 30th birthday.

Just a few more accessories to help fill the room. I already have my eye on a print from Etsy to put by the door and some other ideas for the yet-to-be-finished side of the room. It may be the end of the year before we finish, but I'm in no hurry. It's fun to add things slowly, as we get to know Crosbi's personality and interests more each day.

The best part of this room - it has gotten me out of my boring, all neutral tones mode. I am loving bright colors these days!

xoxo