friday five

i don't keep up with my livejournal pretty much ever, anymore, but i am gonna revive the friday five here. however i see fit.

sometimes it may be a list of five random facts about me, perhaps with a theme. or maybe it will be five cool things i want to share from around the interwebs. or five observations i've made during the week. it could even be a list of complaints. because i still do that.

mostly it'll be a list of happy things and i'm going to start with five things i'm grateful for.

(it also denotes about as much time as i have to spend on such an endeavor before the boys lose it. five mem-mets, as the three year old would say) :)

this week i'm grateful for:

1. waking up as sprout climbs in my bed and tells me that i'm the best. "mom, you best," he says. it's his latest thing. started about a week ago but it melts my heart just the same, everytime he says it. it also gives me permission to tell him that he's the best without any favoritism (even if there is some).

2. my grocery budget. it occurred to me last night that while it's small, i can do wonderful things on less than $400 a month. it's not our entire budget as my husband also does some of the shopping but with my portion i am making the purchase of organic produce and eggs, gluten free baking staples, and healthy, whole foods a reality. i was starting to lose sight of how awesome it is to know what i have to spend and what i have to buy - it completely eliminates buying too many sweets and it eliminates food waste. it's putting my creativity to use in a different way and it feels good to be frugal. the other day i bought a tub of vanilla yogurt (sprout's fave) for half price on it's sell-by date. i came home and poured most of it into popsicle molds - the kids love them and i'm stoked that i paid about 75 cents for eight yogurt pops.

3. working from home. i feel truly blessed to be helping the family business by doing account's receivables and admin work for my husband. i've even listed stuff on etsy for the first time in months!

4. commission work! one of my WIPs is officially sold and another commission piece has been requested. i hate hate hate knitting on demand but painting is a whole 'nother animal and I LOVE IT!

5. selling my first painting. it's been sold for a while but i was a slacker and took my time finishing it and the buyer (a new local friend) and i just didn't hammer down plans sooner. it was her birthday yesterday, and also a very sad day for her, but i was happy to spend time with her and her adorable little boy for just a little while <3

how does your garden grow?

now i'm off to pick up my last check from the counseling service - then off to two of my favorite places, target and trader joe's.

one this fabulous friday, what are some things you're grateful for?

three of my favorite things all put together

what three things?



why, threadless + thermos + target, of course!

i have no idea what rock i've been living under but i missed the announcement of this odd-ball grouping and was pleasantly surprised while browsing my nearest target, last night.

i don't know what made these particular entities decide to partner together but it's like one of my dork-fantasies come true!

i mean, if you're not familiar with threadless, get familiar - they've got something for everyone. really.

and who doesn't love target? and thermos?

okay, maybe you're scratching your heads at the last one but let me tell you - one of my favorite things about school was (obviously) shopping for supplies, because i love new pencils and new paper and new crayons but also, i loved getting a new lunchbox with that fun little thermos drink container inside. i was pissed when the red flip-up spout was deemed a potential choking hazard and they were all made like soup containers. but anyway, thermos redeemed themselves a few years ago with the introduction of foogos and all the pretty stainless food containers. so they're like one of my top ten favorite things again.

in case you didn't know, i have a bit of a drinking vessel addiction so every now and then i browse the sippy cups and grown up to-go/resuables aisles in any store that sells them.

last night was one of those times i wander on through the camping and thermos and lunchbox section at target. i noticed some newly designed bottles that were not only shaped like nothing i'd seen before but from afar the designs looked hip. like even more hip than usual. were they new siggs? i had to take a closer look and whoa. i saw a threadless logo - to be more exact, a thermos + threadless logo!

and it got better. there were also insulated lunch bags and i have, like, been stalking target for cool insulated lunch bags that i can carry cross-body style. and sometimes they have some. and sometimes they go on clearance, but there has never been a style i'd pay full price for and by the time they are clearanced, only the fug ones are left. so i splurged. there was a single one that called my name and probably wasn't going to remain on the shelf for much longer.

it doesn't look like it's made of the most highest quality, never to wear out, type of material, but i baby my bags and expect it will suit my needs just fine and dandy-like!

and it's pretty.

squeeee!

the bottles are cool - and one of my favorite designs is on one, but i don't know that i'll be getting one any time soon. they seem as thin as siggs and i'd just be all unhappy if the paint chipped as easily as it does on siggs. plus, the spout is like a wide open sipper thing and i can't imagine there's anything "thermos"-like about it meaning there's no insulated feature, won't keep anything hot or cold and i'm sort of over stainless drinking vessels. because they chip.

stripes!

merry christmas eve!


blessed mama is short on time, as per usual so i leave you with one happy picture for the day.

the two youngest boys and i put on our striped socks the other day. their's were matching pairs from the gap. mine were knee-high length, from target.


pea made a cute comment which i thought would make a great blog title but didn't write down and i inevitably forgot exactly what he said. it was something so full of that child-like wonder and wisdom like "stripes make my feet happy" or "stripes are fun on your feet" but it was neither of those. that's just what my adult-brain has imposed on his words. he doesn't remember what he said, either. but rather than continuing to dwell on it, i'll just share the pure happiness that our socks are!

hedgehog love on etsy

what do i do while nursing sprout to nap, before getting in shower?

why, i search for hedgehogs on etsy, of course!

loving:

• these adorable booties
• this amazing felted plush
• note cards!
• sweet mama and baby (i actually have one of these sweet pillows that i spent way too much on before i realized the seller offered them on etsy!)
• such a precious shirt (a dear friend named her baby niamh and now i see the name everywhere.)
• mama and babies tile (i've always loved these and wonder if they make customs with three babies?)
• pendant tiles (also own several of these. love them!)

okay. sprout is solidly sleeping. mama can get cleaned up now.

enjoy!

morning hustle

sprout has sprouted teeth!

so our petite wooden baby spoon from nova natural is no longer safe and will soon have little teeth marks on it, i'm sure.
and speaking of wooden baby spoons, this one on etsy is delightful!

but back to sprout. he is my latest teether - at eight and a half months, his bottom two teeth have just emerged. i felt the obvious white teething bumps last week, even though there have been times in the past four months that i thought they were noticeable. two days ago, i saw the tell-tale "teething blisters" on his bottom gums and last night felt the ridges of newly sprouted teeth!

he did so well, too. i learned with pea that humphrey's and amber teething necklaces (not for actual teething on but worn for their anti-inflamation properties) are everything they're cracked up to be. so it must have been intuitive that i put the amber necklace on sprout about four days ago. two nights ago i gave him some humphrey's as he was really restless and wouldn't settle to sleep but i was expecting a few more restless nights before his teeth actually made their way through the gums.

looks like it was also intuition that i got him another natursutten teether at whole foods the other day. i bought one when i was pregnant but it has mysteriously disappeared and i've never found it in the eight months since his birth. of course, a quick google of the product produces links to the canadian recall of natursutten teethers.

it doesn't look like the US has issued a recall, but the paranoid in me is hoping i didn't throw away the package so that i can compare the UPC number to the canadian products involved. the rational in me is saying it hardly matters if the water has a little bacteria in it because i wouldn't let my child chew on something his teeth could puncture. but then i get paranoid all over again and wonder how i would even know when his teeth would be sharp enough to do such a thing.

oh.

how quickly a blog entry can get diverted. here's an interesting read about a similar recall for nuby liquid-filled teethers - canada lead the way, FDA guidelines aren't as stringent but the US quickly followed suit.

maybe we should just stick to our wooden spoons and wooden teethers. even though, no matter how often i rinse them, i'm sure bacteria breeds in the wood, too. but if my base knowledge of bacteria is accurate, the normal bacterias we're exposed to daily wouldn't pose as much of a concern as some other, unknown bacteria potentially dwelling in a toy.

so instead of posting more pictures, my entry has come to an end with an unknown "what to do?" about our natursutten apple teether because i have to take a shower and go run some last minute errands with the boys.

nap before breakfast

yes, today.

sprout is nursing his way to his first nap, as i type.

when he awoke early this morning, or earlier than usual, i was so sleepy that i hardly had time to appreciate the fact that he'd take his nap earlier than usual, as well.

since i rarely soak our oatmeal overnight, i set it to soak about an hour ago and as soon as he's off the boob, pea is going to help me make our breakfast by stirring in honey, coconut oil, and a "little bit of cinnamon and vaniwwa" for our own blend of healthy, oatmeal goodness.

if pea and i had already eaten (i have to get better about this and eat, or at least feed him, upon rising) i might guide him into a game of let's all lay down but there's always hope that we can all get a nap this afternoon.

for now, i will put sprout on the bed, eat a nourishing breakfast, then play a counting game that pea is eager to play until sprout wakes.

what a glorious day. and now i will share with you:


pea's favorite creamy& sweet oatmeal recipe:

1 cup old fashioned oats, pre-soaked in 1 1/2 cups water
(overnight is preferred, especially if using steel-cut oats, and reduces cooking time, but soaked for at least an hour is fine)

add more water, if desired. rice milk is good, too.

cook on medium-low for a few minutes and stir in the following:

• as much flaxseed as you feel like grinding
• a heaping spoonful of coconut oil
• a heaping spoonful of raw honey (more or less, to suit your taste)
• as much cinammon (ours is mixed with turbinado sugar) as your child can sprinkle before you worry about sweetness overload
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

kid-approved and dairy free!