A Picture Is Worth...

Olive and me, April 29, 2010, after a 60 hour labor.

This is one of my most treasured photographs.  It is a true look into one of my most intimate moments.  The expression on my face is difficult to put into words

I am positive that I have never had this look on my face before or after this moment.  I was full of so many emotions and feelings, LOVE, exhaustion, relief, pride, joy, and others that I don't have words to even describe.  When I first saw this photo I almost didn't recognize myself, it was like looking at an experience instead of picture.  So much is being said by both of us in this moment.  There are not a thousand words to write about this photograph, it is emotive, it cannot be described, it can only be experienced.

I wonder how many photos I have that actually capture a TRUE experience.  I guess I will have to do some digging and find out. 

Exhaustion and Perspective

Meltdowns come so much easier when you're exhausted.  Just ask any two year old.  I've spent the last five or six nights up every couple of hours soothing an infant in real pain.  Olive is trying to cut teeth through gums that are so swollen, two purple blood blisters have developed.  Needless to say, I'm exhausted.  I told myself that I'm still going to get stuff done, just like any other week, but have found it difficult.  Olive wants to be right on top of me, making things like dishes or cooking pretty hard.  I decided she and I would get out yesterday, in the middle of a very heavy rain storm (very heavy for California, that is).  We went to music class.  There were less people in class than usual because they weren't up for dealing with the downpour (I assume).  We were both in great spirits by the end of class.  We left class and headed out into the pouring rain.  Olive thought it was great fun to help me hold the umbrella.  We crossed the street, walked a little ways and I thought to myself, "I rock, we didn't let no stinkin' rain hold us back".  We got into the backseat of the car so I could get Olive buckled into her car seat.  I closed the umbrella then closed the door quickly because I was getting soaked.  Only, the door bounced back open and I heard a crunch.  I pulled the bottom of my jacket into the car, closed the door and squeezed my eyes closed saying to Olive, "I hope that wasn't mommy's phone".  I reached into my pocket and my newish iPhone was shattered, really shattered.  My stomach turned.  A lump formed in my throat.  I called Danny to tell him what I just did.  Not sure why I called him, maybe just to confess or for reassurance, I don't know.  I took a deep breath and kissed Olive's forehead, got out of the backseat and into the driver seat.  I took another deep breath and told myself, "everyone is alright".  I started the car and headed home.  I told myself a few more times that it's OK and that everyone is safe but I was really just trying to convince myself not to cry over a broken phone.  It worked.  I was upset that we'd have to spend money on something so stupid.  But in the end, everyone was fine, we are all healthy, all of our limbs are intact.  The lump in my throat disappeared.  I then felt proud of myself.  I didn't cry over the phone, even though I was so exhausted, I held it together.  I put things in perspective - I did.

Olive's purple gums.  This was a week ago so they look much more swollen now.

I'm hoping those little teeth pop out soon so we can go back to restful nights and happy days.

Etsy Enthusiast

I often get lost in the endless pages of lovely things on Etsy.com.  Handmade goods are so different from those manufactured by machines. They have a bit of heart and soul in them.

I thought it would be fun to search two words that are on my mind. Today those two words are "baby olive" (big surprise, huh?). My little one has been in a world of hurt trying to get the two top front teeth to come out. Poor girl had to see the doc because she has two big purple blood blisters on her gums.  But I digress... Here are some of my favorite finds on my "baby olive" search:

 This baby and mama print is SO Olive and me!

I lovelovelovelove this onesie.

These eco-friendly blocks are right up my alley.

I can see these on me!  When is mother's day again?

Bet you said "aaaawwwww" when you saw this little fox family print.

I have a feeling my husband is going to get this onesie for our little one.

This hot/cold pack would make any boo-boo better.

Try my Etsy game. Plug in two words that are on your mind and see if you don't get lost in the fabulous world of handmade!

Save the planet. Pay the bills.

I used to tell people that I am 60% green and 40% cheap. Currently we are still adjusting to having one income provider (that would be my amazing, hard working husband) and with each passing week we tighten the belt on our budget.  Now I'm breaking even on the green to cheap ratio.

Here are a few of the little things we do to save the planet AND keep more money in the bank:

1. Cloth diapers
The environmental impact on diapers is severe.  Disposable diapers are responsible for 3.5 billion tons of waste each year.  They are also plenty expensive.  I went through an $11 pack of disposable diapers in 3 days while visiting my sister.  Now I just tote my cloth with me when we visit.  Our stash of cloth diapers and covers cost us about $200 - and that was nine months ago!  Thankfully we have an HE washer which reduces our carbon footprint and saves us money by using less water and electricity.  Win-win.

Laundering cloth diapers is so easy, a baby can do it!

2. Shop the bulk bins
I recently started shopping the bulk bins for staples like oatmeal, nuts, dried fruit, rice, and beans.  It's amazing how much you save!  And think of all of the materials that go into pre-packaged foods that just end up in the trash.  Even if you recycle the packaging it still took energy and resources to produce it, as will  recycling it.

3. Reuse containers
Ok, so my grandma used to save every container.  You would open the cabinet and be hit in the head with an empty cool whip tub.  I'm not recommending that at all.  But, jars make great containers for bulk bin items.  They also work perfectly for annoying bags that are hard to find in the pantry and end up spilling out half the time.  After you open a bag of raisins or almonds toss the rest in a repurposed jar!  And one last bonus, you can stick leftovers, like soup, in it and heat it up safely (I never microwave plastic, but that's a whole different topic).

I've found that the labels on Trader Joe's jars are very easy to remove after filling the jar with hot water.  There isn't a whole lot of sticky stuff left on the glass.

4. Buy secondhand
Especially with baby and kid stuff! The majority of Olive's room is furnished with secondhand items. Her nursery is so precious (I'll post photos soon). Don't think I don't drool over the beautiful interior photos on Apartment Therapy but we've got bills to pay!  Plus there is unmatched charm in these twice loved furnishings.

Everything here cost a total of $200 plus a couple bottles of spray paint!  Just the Dutailier glider set (right) retails for over $300 brand new.

 Some of  these tips may not work for you, but savvy shopping paired with reducing your carbon footprint feels pretty darn good!

My Secret Garden

My yard is large and unkempt. We have very little time and yard work rarely makes it to the top of the priority list  We bought our house just over two years ago and one of the big selling points was the large yard. We live on a corner and our lot is larger than the other lots in our neighborhood. Somebody once loved these grounds. There are little hidden treasures sprinkled throughout, some of which I haven't even discovered.

Today the rain let up and the sun even graced us with its presence for a while. Olive and I took the opportunity to explore. We found beautiful weeds and stopped to visit little boy blue. Lola and Olive tasted the grass and I snapped these photos with my iPhone.

I'm hoping that over time I will uncover more of the hidden treasures in my secret garden as make time to get out there and start doing more yard work.  It was pretty great a few weeks ago when I had the HedgeHog out on the side yard annihilating a dozen of the overgrown rose bushes while Olive watched from her jumperoo.  It's good for little girls to see mommy working a power tool!

I have to say, I am very impressed with the quality of photos my phone takes!  None of these photos are touched up in any way.

He came with the house.  I couldn't decide if he was creepy or cool.

Olive LOVES him so he's staying.

One of my 50+ rose bushes.

I took this pot out to plant something in but the weeds took over.  Boy, did they take over.

Under my redwood.

I used to eat the stems when I was little.

Mishmash of plants under the redwood.

A weed under my peach tree.

Dreamboat Danny

What is heartwarming, adorable, and sexy all at the same time?  My dreamboat of a husband, that's what. In the last week and a half I've seen how other people look at him when he's spending time being a wonderful daddy.  We went for a walk, I walked the dog and he wore the baby in our Ergo.  Passerbys looked at him with ear to ear grins.  There's just nothing cuter than a big, bearded, tattooed man adoringly carrying his baby in a carrier.  I know I don't get that many smiling faces when I wear the babe.  Maybe because it's less common to see a daddy wearing a baby...?

My beloved husband also attended music class with us last week.  He was the only dad in class that day.  He didn't want to sing along for fear of standing out too much, but he and Olive had a great time.

Friday, finding my way

It's offficial, I'm a blogger.  I thought I would start with something short and sweet while learning the ropes of blogging and finding my voice on the world wide web.  What can be sweeter than my happy Olive enjoying her Friday morning bath?!

Today is going to be a beautifully busy day, as usual.  Working on taxes, dishes, laundry, errands, etc. But so far, so good.  Baby fed, bathed, napping and I was out of the shower all before 10:30am!  I guess that's what happens when you're up by 5.