The Dolly Mama

In which I attempt to clear the fog that has encirlced my brain

2009-07-11T13:47:00.002-05:00

Oh hum. Where to begin?

We've been going through a whole lot of grandparent detox over here. And I'm not just talking about the kids either. I got spoiled rotten for three weeks. I slept in every morning! As soon as Olivia had nursed my mom would whisk her away and send me back to dreamland. I didn't do a lick of cleaning. Even when I cooked (which I love to do) my mom cleaned up after me. Ethan and I went on more dates in the one week he was there than we have in the past six months. Yes, it was bliss despite the 104 degree Texas heat. I even lost 6 lbs while I was there. You see, my mother is an artist, designer and decorator extraordinaire. She has so many splendid ideas swimming around in her head she rarely gets concerned about mundane things like grocery shopping for goodies or cooking. Bad for my Dad, but GREAT for me! I told her that she should start accepting reservations.

Susie's Fat Camp. Make art not food.

It has a ring to it don't you think?

I've been home almost a week. And let me just say, I really cannot accept that time passes that quickly. I mean, I still have a newborn right? A 9 month old newborn that likes to eat cat food and walk along the furniture. Even though I can't wrap my head around SATURDAY(I'm still thinking Tuesday people) the house is almost back to normal. I inherited a few new rugs and paintings so I've been rearranging as I've been cleaning.

You can't help but be inspired by my mom's house, so I've got quite a few projects and ideas brewing. Maybe I'll blog about them, maybe not. I tend to be more of a starter than a finisher so we'll see how many I actually make happen. Mostly I intend to soak up the rest of the summer, hanging out at the pool (maybe a beach trip), trying NOT to regain those 6 lbs, getting back into entertaining and actually accepting the fact that I did not JUST have a baby.

Every story whispers His name

2009-06-28T19:08:00.006-05:00

I know many of my friends already have this book but I have to share it anyway, just in case there is someone out there that doesn't. This is seriously THE BEST children's Bible.
I sit down and read it to myself on occasion and often end up with goosebumps and/or tears because the message is so beautiful and so clear.

There is a new audio version coming out in October.
Listen to the first chapter here. Its stunning.

Snapshots from Texas

2009-06-28T17:46:00.001-05:00

Because I'm lazy you have to go here

Reporting for Duty

2009-06-16T11:12:00.001-05:00

Aw shucks! Who am I kidding? I’m not anywhere near ready jump back into the bloggy world.

I’m taking a short siesta. But, don’t worry I’ll be back.

I just need a little more lazy back yard swinging, fire fly catching, marshmallow roasting, sprinkling jumping, and ice tea sipping.

I’m taking lots of pictures. Savoring it all up.

Left Behind

2009-06-08T10:18:00.001-05:00

Guess who...

2009-05-30T14:42:00.001-05:00

is 8 months old today!

I caught her sitting up in her crib all by herself!

Farmers Market Lunch

2009-05-30T12:05:00.001-05:00

Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Salad

(tomatoes and basil from our yard)

Local artisan whole wheat sourdough (real sourdough, the kind that makes you almost pucker) and Alabama honey

Summer squash gratin

(not pictured)

Hot sun overhead, cool green grass underfoot and sweaty kids that need a nap.

(also not pictured)

The gift of potato salad

2009-05-29T12:42:00.002-05:00

My friend Jenny once told me I have the gift of potato salad. What? You’ve never heard of it? Its up there, right alongside prophecy and tongues.

Okay, maybe not.

But there must be something to it, because I always get requested to bring potato salad. I’m making it today for a friend that hired me (I am actually NOT going to take her money) to make it for a surprise party she is giving her mom.

Its a nice boost to my cooking ego.

I used to cater once a week to a group that would rave over everything I made. Not that Ethan doesn’t compliment my cooking. He loves it. But, he’s just not overly given to gushing. If you know what I mean.

To be honest, I’m a little over the traditional way to make it.

Meet my new love:

Cilantro Potato Salad (from southern living)

3 pounds red potatoes

2 teaspoons salt, divided

1 cup mayonnaise

1 (4.5-oz.) can chopped green chiles

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

(I like to put this in my mini food processor along with the green onions. It just gets a nice uniform chop and disperses the flavors a bit more)

3 green onions, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 garlic clove, crushed

1/2 teaspoon pepper

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled (really not needed)

Garnish: chopped fresh cilantro

1. Cook potatoes and 1 tsp. salt in boiling water to cover in a large Dutch oven 15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and cool. Cut potatoes into quarters.

2. Stir together mayonnaise, next 6 ingredients, and remaining 1 tsp. salt in a large bowl; add potatoes, and toss to coat. Cover and chill at least 4 hours. Stir in bacon just before serving; garnish, if desired.

Its delish.

Seriously.

I dare you not to eat it while its still warm.

Hidey-Ho Good Neighbors!

2009-05-29T09:09:00.001-05:00

Anyone else out there happy its Friday? I sure am. We’ve been busy here. Busy with not a whole lot and everything all at once. Funny how life works like that.

We did manage to get 12 recessed lights put in this past week. 6 in the living room and 6 (soon to be 8) in our bed room. I knew that they would look good, but I had no idea just how good. They make our rooms look awesome. No wonder they had a whole lighting show on HGTV! Lighting is HUGE! Ethan and I are a great team when it comes to home improvement. I am the stylist, designer, and one woman clean up crew while he is the ‘Handy Manny’ that knows how to do it all. We did have one minor mishap when a foot went through the ceiling in our living room. I was forbidden to take a picture of it at the time, but all parties can laugh about about it now. Thank goodness.

I also managed to find a head board for Chandler’s bed. It was in someone’s trash. And boy you bet I took it! Cause I’m classy like that. Classy and cheap.

All it needed was a little sanding and some paint love.

I don’t have a before shot, but here it is after four or five coats of blue spray paint.

Pretty awesome for $10 worth of paint if you ask me.

I have more projects in the works for his room and the kitchen (eek!! I am so excited about the kitchen!) so hopefully I’ll be better about taking the before pictures this time and give you all the grand tour!

She makes baby wearing look good

2009-05-20T08:05:00.001-05:00

My mom bought this statue for me five years ago before I knew diddly-squat about slings or baby wearing. Not that I could be called an expert in any sense of the term, but I do know that this Chinese woman is wearing her baby in a Mei Tai and they really are quite comfy. Mei Tai, by the way, is pronounced may- tie NOT my-tie. A my-tie is a fruity cocktail drink. I was very firmly admonished at a baby wearing meeting when I said it the wrong way. Lets just say it made an impression.

Now, if only I could look this glamorous when I have Olivia on my back.

Morning at home

2009-05-19T07:48:00.002-05:00

Benjamin Moore blue and porch light yellow

Sticky handprints smear the window

Coffee in the pot smooth and mellow

Children giggling

Kitten curling, snoozing

Shower steaming

Baby drooling

Monday at the Garden

2009-05-18T13:41:00.001-05:00

I am reading Last Child in the Woods: Saving our children from nature-deficit disorder by Richard Louv. Its a fascinating book that has made me take a hard look at how my children interact with nature. Really, I don’t feel like I do that bad of a job. I love the outdoors. I love dirt. So I know that my kids pick up on it naturally from me. We catch garden toads, snakes, and worms; Grow seeds and eat our own tomatoes. However, our yard is very limited and we don’t have a single tree. I wish I had known how much I would miss trees when we bought a brand new house.

We have a fabulous botanical garden close to our house and the weather today was glorious! After all the rain we’ve been having, the cool sunshine smelled faintly of the Pacific Northwest (home). After Olivia’s morning nap, we piled in the car and drove to the gardens. The kidlets needed to run and jump and I needed to be outside almost as much as they did.

I am really trying to make myself take pictures of things other than my children. Really, I am.

But, they are just so stinkin cute I can’t help myself.

I love how her arm mimics the tree trunk.

Hello handsome. I can see your senior photos already.

We’re following the leader wherever she may go.

I managed to briefly point my lens elsewhere and marvel at pattern

and texture.

Ruthie was my designated camera carrier for a bit. I heart my Nikon D70 but I was already toting the babe, and it doesn’t exactly fit into my pocket. She got to snap a few shots in exchange.

I love seeing what she takes pictures of.

She’s really got a great eye already.

Going

2009-05-06T13:58:00.002-05:00

One of our favorite musicians is coming to town, May 16 @8 pm and we are going.

Seriously, he is awesome and so much fun to watch!

Give him a listen.

Tickets for Ethan and I only cost $24. Next to being free, that’s a pretty great price for a concert.

They are performing at Workplay and seating is limited. We’ll try to get there early and nab a table.

Let me know if you are planning on coming and we’ll save you a seat.

Really, you need to come!

I'm a poser

2009-05-06T08:29:00.002-05:00

A blogging poser that is.

I know two hip, cool bloggers who actually blog.

Unlike me.

I just pretend.

Picture Dump

2009-05-06T08:28:00.001-05:00

Like father like son

Yes, that would be War Craft for those of you that care to know.

Before summer shave ‘09

He did NOT want to have his picture taken, let alone get his hair cut. I have to bribe him with lollipops. Hair cuts are still somewhat traumatic for him (he hates to be itchy) so they are few and far between.

After

Last tap class of the year

Milo whispers the answers to her when they think I’m not looking

Boston Red Sox hats courtesy of Daddy’s trip to Boston.

The boy will not take it off. He even wants to sleep with it on.

Do you feel sorry for my neighbors? I do. They can’t even start their B-B-Q without my kids playing twenty questions with them:

“How old are you? Why don’t you have any kids? You should get a dog. We have a cat. Hey, can you throw our soccer ball, Frisbee, and the ten other random objects in your yard back over here to us?”

A boy and his truck: a love story.

And I thought I was the only one nursing

2009-05-01T14:45:00.004-05:00

There is no charge for awesomeness

2009-04-30T12:46:00.002-05:00

Ten bonus points if you can name that movie.

(It happens to be our family’s reigning favorite, for the moment.)

Okay, ten more bonus points if you can guess how much money I saved last night at Publix.

Anyone?

$75!

I SAVED $75!

Not only does that make me happy, it makes my husband happy too. Ethan loves it so much when I save money. He told me that I was never sexier. But…um….this is a family friendly blog… so…. ahem...moving on.

Now, I am no coupon nazi. I have friends that carry their scissors and coupon organizer binders with them (you know who you are even though you never leave a comment!) and I have definitely not jumped on that bandwagon. Not that I don’t love to save money, I just have a fear of commitment. Mostly because it would just be one more thing for me to fail at.

Pretty soon my scissors would start to taunt and mock me the same way my unused running shoes do. I just can’t handle that right now.

I did however, happen across some great and easy websites that help you match the current coupons to the sales with minimal effort.

The first is Couponmom.com and the other is Southern Savers

The only two stores I really grocery shop at are Costco and Publix.

I double- big- fat- puffy- red- heart both of these stores. I even put little hearts over the ‘i’ in Publix. (Clearly, I have issues.)

Costco only accepts their own coupons, so the only store I check is Publix. And when I say I check, I mean that occasionally, when I think about it, maybe, if I don’t have three children in my lap crying all at the same time, I just might bust out my scissors and do a little saving.

So that’s about all I have to say about that.

The other piece of news that is high relevant to your life today, is that Moriah and Co. are coming down to keep us company this weekend. Ethan is living it up in Boston at an Orthodontic conference. So we’ll be here, living it up with six kids, not wearing any makeup, watching lots of movies, hanging at the pool and eating pizza and Chinese food. (Which we will most definitely not be cooking ourselves)

Happy weekend ya’ll!

Tuesday Top Ten

2009-04-28T14:03:00.001-05:00

I don’t like kids music. The few ‘kids’ CDs that we do have, really aren’t typical kids CDs. Jamie Soles anyone?

I usually just let the kids listen to whatever I’m listening to. (With discernment, obviously)

Thanks to Sesame Street we can get the (sometimes hilarious) kid friendly lyrics sung by popular musicians.

Here is my top ten list of Sesame Street re-makes:

1. 1 2 3 4 by Fiest

2. Time to say Goodnight by Andrea Bocelli

3. Hold my Hand by Hootie and the Blowfish

4. My Triangle by James Blunt

5. Don't know why 'Y' didn't come by Norah Jones

6. Superstition by Stevie Wonder (don’t think this one is a re-make)

7. Two Princes by Spin Doctors

8. No Letter Better than B by The Dixie Chicks

9. Furry Happy Monsters by REM

10. Sing a Song by John Legend

For more top ten head on over to ohamanda.com

If only it were this easy

2009-04-23T14:41:00.001-05:00

HT to Design Mom

Wall Climbing Wednesday

2009-04-22T14:27:00.001-05:00

Tuesdays unwrapped

2009-04-21T08:29:00.001-05:00

My new favorite blog, Chatting at the Sky is hosting Tuesdays Unwrapped where we are encouraged to notice, and be thankful for the small and sacred things in life.

My morning has already been tainted with tears, harsh words, and quick tempers. So, I am thankful for the moment I took to sit and see dimpled baby hands grasping for toys.

As I sit here and type I’m also reminded of another pair of hands. My grandmother’s hands made this quilt about 5 years ago for my first baby. Her hands are now crippled with stroke , no longer able to craft, but her sweet, gentle and faithful spirit remains.

In which babywearing and pets collide

2009-04-20T16:35:00.003-05:00

Seriously? SERIOUSLY? There are people out there that do this?!

Thanks Amanda for suggesting I wear my cat in a sling. :-) I never would have come across this astonishing and yet deeply disturbing photo.

Playing Catch Up

2009-04-20T08:23:00.005-05:00

Its been a full week and blogging has taken a back seat to life. Here are a few highlights.

On Tuesday my Dad had his second open heart surgery in a month. My crazy, wonderful, and hilarious aunt is there with my parents and blogging. Catch up on his progress here.

I have a fourth baby. What you didn't know?

Well, here let me show you.

Seriously, the cat thinks it is my baby. Now this would be kind of cute if the cat didn't see Olivia as competition. He tries to gnaw on her when he thinks we aren't looking. Thankfully I have great helpers that keep an eye on him and his teeth.

In light of his naughty kitten stage I think his sleeping place of choice is a little funny.

Yeah, that's right Milo, you'd better shape up soon or I'll turn you into a chair cover too.

Or an earmuff.

Only kidding folks, only kidding!

I don't think he'd be big enough for an earmuff.

In addition to a kitten, we also have a little koala:

She would be happy to spend ALL DAY in a sling. I didn't have slings for my first baby and my second really didn't like them very much. I joke that Olivia is an attachment parenting baby even though I am most certainly not an attachment parenting mom.

This sling was made by my BFF Moriah.

Hubs caught a nasty cold last week and took off a couple of days to recover. Even though he was sick, I loved having him home and lovingly nursed him back to health. Then I promptly came down with his cold the day he went back to work. I spent most of the day on the floor watching my children scatter animal cracker crumbs all over the house and turn the living room into and obstacle course. I felt so awful even my fingernails and hair follicles hurt. But, I started taking ZICAM

WHY HAVE I NEVER USED THIS BEFORE?

It works. Truly. I only had one really bad day whereas Ethan (who did not take it) had 2-3 bad days. We have since stocked up on it at Costco.

On the docket for this week: Staying healthy, a hair cut for one shaggy boy, and looking into tile back splashes and granite countertops!!! Here is my inspiration.

Easter Photos

2009-04-12T17:19:00.004-05:00

Some Clever Hiding

The Three Stooges

Why does it always look like I'm torturing my children in photos?

We had a whole lot of hyper kids!

Hope your Easter was as joyful and blessed as ours!

Chillaxin'

2009-04-09T08:07:00.004-05:00

Life has been busy, crazy, tiring, stressful and emotionally draining.

So, we decided to get a kitten.

A very little kitty that still needs to be litter trained.

Makes perfect sense doesn't it?

Yeah. I thought you'd understand.

So, like I said, life has been hectic. I've been doing a minimum of four errands a day this week.

I tired.

So tired.

So, I declared that this is our official chillaxing, stay in our jammies and catch up on laundry day. The part about staying in our jammies may or may not be directly related to the fact that I need to do laundry.

Here is how we started the morning.

Now this is a girl that knows a thing or two about taking it easy

The whole gang watching Mr. Rogers. Personally, I hate Mr. Rogers. He gives me the heeby-jeebies. Always has. But my kids? They LOVE him. I just can't figure it out.

Meet Milo