Friday Highs.v30

I've been finding an extreme amount of joy lately in raising this little girl. Words can't even describe it. It's the little things, that I'm sure would bore most of you. But they make me beam.

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Ok, ok, I'll share one thing. *grin* Molly girl has this bear puzzle (like Goldilocks and the three bears, only minus Goldilocks.) Of all the puzzle pieces--there have to be, like, fifty--her favorite are the little bear heads. She carries them around everywhere, is constantly putting them in her mouth, and sometimes even goes down for a nap with them. Weird, huh? :)

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My new camera strap. Made using this tutorial. Too bad it took me longer to put on than it did to actually make it. Not kidding.

(Just keepin' it real with the imperfect stitching. *grin* Was that one of those moments where no one would have noticed if I didn't point it out?)

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Remember how last Friday Highs I had the supplies bought to paint my table. Check. Table is painted. Of course I will keep you waiting in suspense to see the finished product. (This means I've been too lazy to take pictures of it.)

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THE most delicious lunch. Green smoothie (packed with spinach) and almonds and sunflower seeds. Eating healthy can taste so good!

Cloth Diaper update

I have people ask me from time to time if I am still liking cloth diapers, so I thought I would let the internet world know all about it. Aren'tcha glad you read??! :)

We use the Flip system exclusively. (Plus that one Bummis wrap you see in the picture that I got for free.)

It's really SO easy, folks. SO easy. An insert and a wrap. Lay the insert in the wrap and snap it on. When you're finished (ok, ok, when she pees or poops in said diaper) put the insert in the diaper pail and reuse the wrap. 

Just a few knitty gritty details:

What do you do with the poop???

Plop it in the toilet where the rest of our poop goes, and flush!

What do you mean by reuse the wrap??

Let it air dry. So basically, I use two throughout the day. One is drying while she's wearing the another one. But honestly, it doesn't get all that wet. There have times where I've had to reuse it right away, and it's no big deal. 

How many do you have?
I ordered 3 daypacks. So that's 6 covers and 18 inserts. I have also tried to sew a few inserts and they came out pretty well. Not quite as absorbent, but they work!

How do you wash them?
Cold rinse first. Then add detergent, a hot cycle with a second rinse. Line dry the covers and pail liner and throw everything else in the dryer. Every month or so, I've started stripping the diapers, which is just an added routine to get them extra extra clean.

Want to get some of your own? Cottonbabies has free shipping. Always. You are welcome. :) Here are the accessories that I use:

Hemp inserts (added absorbency for overnight)

Pail Liner (for the trash can)

Wet Bags (for on the go)

Let me know if you have any other questions. I'd love to answer!

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See my first review here on the system we used when Molly was newborn. 

Molly's (My) Wish List

I'm working on coming to grips with the fact that my baby is turning a year old next month. Working on it, people. Working on it. 

Anyway, while we're not overloading her with presents by any means, it's still been fun to browse the web for fun things for her.

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here.

here.

here.

here.

here.

here.

here.

Baby Reed, take TWO

No, not twins. :)

It's the second gift I've made for Baby Reed.

See the first here.

See baby's mom's blog here.

I had a stack of Kevin's (Baby Reed's dad) tshirts from our garage sale last summer. This particular one is from the college that they went to.  Also, I didn't get a good picture of the pants, but they were made using a pair of Molly's newborn pants as a pattern. Then I kind of winged it (wung it? how do you say that?) and added a big butt. Kind of like these pants. 

The flower headband (insert giddiness) was made using this tutorial, only I added some tulle and a little bit more fabric to make it fluffier. 

It's somewhat hard to see, but I added some ruffled tulle around the design. (Thank you, Lauren, for the idea!)

Baby Reed, I already love you SO much, and I can't wait to meet you!!

What should be Friday Highs

I know the general tone of my blog is joyful, happy, fun. Showing a positive outlook on life. Finding life's little joys in the routine and mundane. 

But I also don't want to leave out all realities of life. Because it's not all sunshine and roses. And I don't want anyone to look at my life and only see that. 

Some days, I feel like doing just what those pots say--fly away. To pick up my little family and just fly away. And lately, I've been feeling that way a lot. 

Specifically this week, I think it has in part been because I've been arguing with God. Straight up arguing. You see, I seek to do His will for my life. Really, I do. I desire to be nowhere else but in His will. And in the end, I know that is what I'll choose because I just know better than to be outside of where He wants me.

Yet still, somehow, I think I know what is better for my life. I want it to go this way. You see God, clearly, this direction is better. *grin* 

So this week I have been faced with these questions, "Yes, but just what if I call you to continue just where you are? Will you still listen? Will you obey? Will you stay put and serve with a joyful heart?"

And my answer this week has been leaning towards no. (Hence, the arguing. Kicking my feet. Dragging my heels.)

Such is the journey of walking with the Lord.

I'll get there, friends. Please don't consider this as "Oh no! Amy's turning her back on the Lord!" Consider it a fresh dose of reality. A moment of honesty on what my journey of seeking Him looks like. And as tough as it may be sometimes, I pray it never ends.

Happy weekend. Hopefully regular Friday Highs will resume next week. :)

Whole Wheat-ish Zucchini Muffins

"ish" because I accidentally mixed the regular flour into the container with the whole wheat flour. Whoops.

This recipe is from Nie. She has a blog here, and an old food blog here. The only thing I added to the recipe were chocolate chips. :)

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WHOLE WHEAT ZUCCHINI BREAD 

(or muffins. whatever you fancy.)

• 1 large zucchini
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan with cooking spray, and set aside. Grate zucchini on the large holes of a box grater (to yield 1 3/4 cups); set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together sugars, oil, vanilla, and eggs.
2. Into a small bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Add flour mixture to egg mixture, and stir to combine well. Stir in grated zucchini.
3. Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes; invert onto a wire rack, then reinvert, top side up. Cool completely before slicing.

My Cup is Half Full.

Because sometimes life gets a little draining. 

And we need to shift our perspectives just a little.

I am smiling at:

This picture of my sweet girl. (Who says a blurry picture can't be saved by a filter? Thank you, Picasa.)

My second pot of coffee for the day.

The sun shining outside.

Another giveaway prize that I won. For reals. 

My freshly painted kitchen table. 

I am thankful for:

My incredible-beyond-words husband who lifts me up when I'm down, makes me smile and laugh, and is the bestest friend I could ever ask for.

My said husband, who works to provide for our family, and allows me to fulfill my deepest dream of being a stay-at-home wife and mother. 

My precious daughter and the joy of watching her grow and learn.

A roof over my head, food in the pantry, and a God who provides. 

Linking up with Heather here.

Friday Highs.v29

Running into some good friends and catching up in Anthropologie for upwards of, oh I dunno, an hour? Thank you, Anthropologie employees for not kicking us out. :)

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Buying the supplies needed to do this to our kitchen table (only a different color). The paint guy ran out of quarts so he gave me a whole gallon for the price of a quart. How awesome! Now, what to do with the rest of the paint.... :)

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First ice cream in TWO weeks. This is huge, folks.

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This. If you didn't watch it, please do. Made my week. :)

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Coffee. Always coffee. How would I live without you?

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Been singing this song the last couple of days. Makes me think of what it will be like in heaven. Just singing His praises forever and ever.

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This little girl trying to learn how to brush her teeth. 

Current tooth count: 4

Teeth making their way through the gums: 2

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Kinda sorta sobbed my way (happily) through a few blog posts this morning. Nie had me at the first picture. Read about Nie's little girl here, and Melissa's little boy here.

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One last thing. Today marks NINE years of being with my hubby (dating, not married). Good thing we're not still this awkward.

She figured it out.

And Zoe has a new best friend. :)

Apologies for the poor lighting. 

See some of Molly's first laughs here.

Flashback to 1987

Me and Grampa.

Me and my mama.

My first birthday.

Family photo.

Apparently I wasn't a fan of the sprinkler.

Me and my papa.

Edo and mom.

See 1986 here.

Spring Baby

Remember how Molly hates grass? It's the perfect solution to keeping her in one place for a mini photo shoot. *grin*

Good for my Type A

This is where my tupperware are stored. :) 

When we first moved here, my good friend Chelsea was helping me unpack. Actually, she did a whole lot more than unpack. Goodness gracious, girl. Have I said thank you lately? Moving with a three month old wasn't the easiest task. You made it SO much better.

I digress. Chelsea unpacked my tupperware and neatly stacked it in the cabinet. I had every intention of keeping it that way, but you know, life happens. 

The thing is, it has crossed my mind to organize and arrange it all pretty like Chelsea did. But each time I do, I realize how good this cabinet is for my Type A personality.

It is a Type A tendency to want everything in it's place. Have everything perfect. Everything clean. Perfect. Perfect. Perfect. 

But what I've learned over the last couple of years is that it's ok if it's not. I've been working on letting some things go. 

And this cabinet is one of those things. :) 

Flashback to 1986

My dear Saint-of-a-brother has taken on the ginormous task of scanning in all of our old pictures from childhood (at least 20 albums before we bought a digital camera, right bro?).

He is maybe half way finished, and has given me the digital copies of what he has done so far. 

I realize this won't be everyone's cup of tea, but for those that will, enjoy. :)

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Bro meeting me (I'm guessing for the first time).

Family Photo.

and Family photo number two.

Back then, you were supposed to put babies on their bellies to sleep. Haha.

Just chillin with Dad.

Bro sneaks a kiss.

"Here sis, watch the TV....12 inches from the screen." HAHAHAHA.

Dynamic Duo. That is what we are.

Love this picture of you, Eric.

This one too. :)

to come: 1987, 1988, 1989, and 1990.