First Progressive Date Night Part 1

Once a week the hubs and I try to go on a date.

We look forward to this night each week. It typically is on a Thursday, which means that we try to be back home by 9 so we can watch The Office and Up All Night. Those are really the only sitcoms that we are serious about not missing. We are such suckers NBC Must See TV.

We live in a small town. We are talking two traffic lights small. There are slightly bigger towns around us but our restaurant selection is quite limited. We were finding ourselves getting in a little bit of a Date Night Rut. And while I was browsing around the internet one day I read about having a Progressive Date.

The guidelines for this endeavour was pretty simple: 1) Find an area that has a lot of different restaurants within walking distance of each other. 2) Eat each course of the meal at a different restaurant that is agreed upon by both people. 3) The joy is in the journey. While strolling between restaurants hold hands and make the most of the moment.

We live in Florida and the closet place that we could think of that had a lot of restaurants within walking distance of each other was St. George's Street in St. Augustine. As we were on our way we saw a few Billboards advertising San Sebastian Winery which was literally on the way to our destination. Neither of us are big drinkers, but we have never been to a wine tasting and we like new experiences so we thought we would give it a go.

When we arrived we were pleasantly surprised to learn that the tours and tastings were completely free. And there are tours every 20 minutes all day long. Both of those pieces of information sold us.

While we were waiting for the next tour to start we wondered around the gift shop and drooled all over the yummy goodies that they had.

I am obsessed with Horseradish so this looks like something that I will have to try.

And I pretty much don't cook anything that doesn't have Garlic and Olive Oil in it so this is going on my wish list as well.

Once the tour got started we watched a short video in which we learned a little about the Winery and how it works. San Sebatian Winery makes their wines with grapes that are native to Florida which is cool and they bottle about 100,000 bottles of wine a year. In order to give a little perspective our tour guide told us that Gallo which is one of the busiest wineries in the country and they bottle 100,000 about every two hours! Quite a different, huh?

After the movie was over we walked through the bottling part of the building (which wasn't in production that day) and into the tasting room.

The tasting room is where they age some of the wines and it had lots of cool barrels everywhere.

We scoped (the color), sniffed, swirled, and sipped.

And what would an outing be without a little learning. So, for all those that are interested here are some helpful hints from the tasting.

• Wine doesn't really get better with age indefinitely, once bottled wine begins to deteriorate. It should be enjoyed within two years.
• During those two years it should be stored in a cool, dark place.
• Red wine will get lighter with age, but white wine will get darker.
• Don't swirl sparkling wine.
• The easiest way to remove the cork is by setting the bottle on the counter and turn the bottle instead of the corkscrew.
• Serve red wine around 65 degrees, not sure about white wine.

All in all it was a new fun experience, but we aren't that into drinking so we didn't make any purchases. We just followed guideline number three and moved onto the next destination.

I'll be back later with Part 2 of the date!

~Me

Lost Photos!

A few days ago I found my little red point and shoot camera.

I got it years ago but, right before our Little Man was born we bought a fancier camera that I have never figured out how to use.

The hubs can take great pictures with it. I mean some of these are amazing and I am sooo proud of his talent.

I won't subject you to my lack of photography skills to prove my point. But, when I found old faithful I was stoked! I am finally able to take pictures again without looking through the little peep-hole thing. I don't ever have to learn what aperture means or figure out how to focus the camera! Yippee! Please pause while I eat a cookie to celebrate.

Ok, I'm back. So I have fully embraced old faithful again. I love taking it everywhere with me and capturing the random moments that I know I will never be able to remember. I thought that I would share a few.

Here we go, (and if you want to enjoy a celebratory cookie while viewing please feel free).

My Buddy hates it when I buckle him into his car seat. However, he usually likes the ride. His inquisitive nature leads itself well to long car rides. He is to cute while he takes it the world going by.

My Buddy has always been the kid of a thousand faces. But, with the old camera the flash was so bright that it was hard for me to capture him just smiling. I was so excited when I captured these pics of him grinning from ear to ear.

The other night we were enjoying a little VeggieTales (in this scene Archibald is playing George Muller and is talking about trusting God to meet our needs).

The best part about our cinematic experience was when the littlest love of my life crawled in my lap to enjoy the flick. It was a precious moment that thanks to old faithful I was able to capture for all-time. This might call for another cookie.

And apparently this isn't a new obsession. When I was scrolling through things that were already on the memory stick I found more random moments that I previously captured for future generations to enjoy. And now you can too, your welcome :)

This is Buddy catching some Z's all wrapped up in the Moby. We both loved that piece of fabric so much!

My Little Man's first day wearing real clothes. I can't get over how adorable he was! Time flies when your having fun (and sleep deprived).

Leaving my parents house after my birthday 26th birthday dinner. The cake is a fun tradition that gets put out for every one's birthday. I know, my family rocks!

Sweet father/son moment

My precious one snoozing in his moses basket. Can't believe he was so little.

Last but not least, Buddy's first time in the Bumbo.

Well, I am off to work on some house projects that I hope to share soon. Hope you have a great rest of the day!

Till late,

Me

This weekend we are...

Planning, prepping, and playing.

I thought that I would share a few of my favorites articles from around the web for you to enjoy and be inspired by in your spare moments.

• This is a really informative video with Sarah Richardson explaining some guidelines to use when trying to figure out how to decorate a room or even a whole house. I love her work so much I think this video is priceless.
• These chicken coops are really pretty and portable which I think is awesome! I want one of these so bad.
• I found this article about Godly characteristics when I was searching for character traits and ways to teach them to my little Buddy and I stumbled upon this article. it has inspired me to pray for my Bo in new ways and has helped me to see some of the men in the Bible with fresh eyes. Definitely worth reading.

I hope that you are yours are getting things marked off your honey-do list and finding some time to relax this weekend.

Talk to you soon,
Me

The hardest job I've ever had

I try to keep up with current events. However, I have a total aversion to local news so I mainly stick with the national news channels and talk radio. It seems like every where I look (or listen as the case may be) one of the new topics right now is whether or not being "only" a stay-at-home mom is "work" or not.

I don't plan to get all political on you. (Although that takes a LOT of self-control for me because I can get pretty passionate about this stuff. But, that isn't the point right now.) I just wanted to share some thoughts in hopes that I can encourage someone else out there that might me struggling with the same things.

Making the decision to stay home with our son was a difficult one for me to make. First of all, it meant less money for our family. My husband is a VERY hard worker with a good job, but we aren't exactly swimming in our gold coins like that guys from Ducktales (did I just age myself?). And though we are not particularly materialistic, we did realize that this would mean smaller house, older cars, not as many vacation, etc. This were all things that we gladly gave up in order to do what we felt like was best for our family.

But, the second big concern for me was one that was a lot harder to put my finger on. I just knew that I am a very social, achievement driven person. I was nervous about the transition. I knew from my maternity leave that it wasn't like I would sit around all day and eat bon-bons. But, at the same time I was just a little nervous about this part of the transition.

God is very merciful and the first six months of this adventure were quite busy with moves, house projects, holidays, birthdays, hospital visits, and such. However, now that life has settles into more of a routine and it seems as though my concerns have finally caught up with me.

One of my biggest hurdles is feeling productive. You see when you go to work you are focused on a specific task or tasks. There is a list that needs to be done and once something is done you are able to mark it off and move on. Then at the end of the day you pack all your things away and go home to a house that looks the way it did when you left because no one has been there all day.

In contrast, I now spend my days doing the same thing over and over and over again and some how when my husband gets home the house is still a wreck and dinner isn't ready.

I also didn't realize how much I enjoyed the social interaction at my precious job. I worked with wonderful ladies and it was so nice to constantly encourage and be encouraged, catch up on each others families, laugh and tell jokes and even engage in small talk with the customers that we were serving.

Now, as much as I love my son and enjoy hearing every single one of his babbles it can be pretty lonely not seeing another adult all day. It compound this situation my husband is by nature quiet and has to do a lot of talking at his job. I try not to overwhelm him when he gets home but sometimes I just can't help it.

Recently I have spent much of my time crying out to God and asking Him to reveal my purpose. Show me my value. Let me know that doing the dishes 17 times a day, the laundry, picking up toys over and over, and chasing around a baby matter to Him. God was faithful to answer me in so many ways. The first was through the song Do Everything by Steven Curtis Chapman. If you have a minute I would definitely suggest giving it a listen. It is a great reminder that untimely our purpose is to glorify our Creator. The old saying "Bloom where you are planted" always seems to come to mind when I hear this song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=d3YLJCOKOzM

The second revelation of truth that was revealed was a more practical encouragement. As I moved through my days I have felt God revealing to me just how much jobs and job titles I actually do have and it was staggering to me. I thought no wonder I am so tired at the end of the day! So, here it goes:

• Day-care worker
• Maid
• Nutritionist
• Chef
• Laundress
• Interior Designer
• Financial Advisor
• Companion for my Little Man
• Researcher
• Planner
• Shopper
• Educator
• Archivist

And those were the ones that I came up with right off the top of my head and don't include any of the duties that are specifically related to being a wife, daughter,sister, friend, and church volunteer. And notice that there is nothing on the list that is for me alone.

I know that staying home isn't for everyone for a lot of different reasons and that is fine. However, just because I don't drop my baby off somewhere and clock into a job, or even work from home doesn't mean that I don't work and that I don't have value. If have are in the same boat with me then I hope that this has lightened your load a bit by knowing that you are absolutely not alone. Not alone am I here cheering you on and encouraging you to continue to do the difficult things for the benefit of your family. But, your Heavenly Father is also walking beside you each and every day basking in worship that you are lavishing upon Him by doing all things for His glory.

Sincerly,

Me

PS: I saw this on Pinterest and I think that it pretty much sums up this whole shabang. Enjoy :)

Words of Wisdom

Note to self:
Always make sure you clean the floor because you never know when you might be sleeping on it.

That's one that I learned the hard way.

My little Buddy was having a rough time last night.

He went to sleep around 7ish (I know, not such a bad thing. Hold on, it gets worse.)

Then, around 10ish as I was getting ready to go to bed I noticed that he really needed a breathing treatment (He has asthma that is triggered by random things and we are currently overcoming a rough spell as a trip to the Atl.)

Normally, I can just set everything up while he is sleeping and he doesn't wake up. However, that was not the case. The three hours of sleep turned out to be a nice cat nap. The Albuterol (the asthma medicine) hypes him up. However, he was still crazy tired. So, the poor little guy had a very hard time falling back asleep and to compound matters every time he woke up he realized that he was alone in his room. Typically this wouldn't be that big of a deal, but since he was already having a rough go of it being alone was too much for him to take.

After about an hour of the back and forth to his room I decided to just lay on the floor for a while in order to be able to quickly comfort him while simultaneously not feeling like I was loosing my mind getting out of my nice comfy bed every twenty minutes and breaking my back when leaning over the crib.

So, since I live and breathe for this little boy I bit the bullet. I made myself "comfortable" on the floor in his room. (Which as a side note he doesn't play in so he isn't subject to my lack of housekeeping in his room. I do change his sheets VERY often and that is really the only surface in his room that he comes in contact with.)

This is the moment that I decided to extend the "always wear clean underwear" rule to basic cleaning of the house. Regardless of how little the space is used, because you just never know when you might be the victim of your own lack of faithfulness to flylady's plan to always keep your house in order.

But, lets be honest, old habits die hard so we will see how this goes!

I am I big fan of learning lessons the easy way so if you have an words of wisdom that you have come across lately I would for you to share!

Best Oatmeal Ever!

Now that the little man is on all people food I am constantly in search of food that he and I can both eat so that I am not making two meals every time we eat. I know, I'm selfish like that. He really, really likes oatmeal and I have been hearing a lot of the benefits of oats and decided this was probably an easy meal to share.

We started out just eating plain oats cooked according to the directions on the box, minus the salt. That tasted a little like cardboard and I decided I needed to jazz it up a bit. We tried different combinations of additives like cinnamon, bananas, apples, raisins. Then one day I had a stroke of genius and made the best Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal that I have ever had. Now it is a staple in our home and we eat it pretty much every morning. It is ridiculously easy to make.

The amounts that I will use in my recipe make enough for me to share with my very hungry baby and both of us are satisfied. But it can easily by increased or decreased depending on your appetite.

 Start by gathering your ingredients first. The beginning goes really fast and I find that it is easiest if everything is close by. You will need Apple Juice (any kind is fine, our family just happens to prefer Simply Apple), Old fashioned Oats, Vanilla, and Apple, and Cinnamon.

First step, wash your apple and chop it into farily small pieces. I like the added fiber from the skins so I leave them on, but I won't judge if you can't handle in :) In case you are sure what chopped apples look like, it is something like this.....

But, the apples in the pot. Turn the heat up to high and pour in the apple juice. For us this is one cup of juice. But, just follow the guidelines on the box for the liquid amount suggested for the serving size you are going for. Next I add in about 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Cinnamon has lots of great benefits and we really like the taste so I am pretty heavy handed with the stuff, but you might want to start off a little lighter if you are such a huge fan.

Then the really fun step, wait for it to come to a boil. Yep, you read me right. Walk away for a minute and sweep the floor, put on your make-up, make the bed, or take a sip of coffee (this one is most highly recommended) and let the mix come to a full rolling boil. Which looks something like this...

Now, add in the oats. Turn the heat down to around medium-low. On a scale of 1 - 10 with 1 being a warm breezy on a cool day and 10 being the middle of summer in the pits of hell itself we are going for about 3. Now, set your timer for 10 mins. Give the oats a quick little stir and find something to do with yourself for the next 10 mins. If you need more suggestions I would go with Pinterest. Do not pass go or collect $100. Just go straight to Pinterest and get your creative juices following for the day while you breathe in the amazing aroma of your healthy breakfast.

Next you will be rudely shakin' from your pinning by your timer going off. Don't ignore the timer. Go turn it off, put the oatmeal in the your bowl of choice and find a comfy chair to settle into and dig in!

As an additional note, if you happen to be making this meal for your baby who refuses to eat anything that has chuncks in it, an immersion blender works nicely to break it all up and it still tastes wonderful!

Happy Eating!
Me

Then there was one

Apparently, I am the only night owl in my family. It is 9:41pm and I am writing to the hum of the dishwasher and the dialogue of first time home buyers on House Hunters and the view is a nice stack of clean laundry that is folded or hung up and ready to be dispersed in the morning.

Note: I really, really, really want to insert a cute picture of Buddy and Bo snoozing away but I have NO idea how to take pictures in the dark without the flash going off and making it look like the middle of the day. Which would completely defeat the purpose. Just saying.

It seems like lately this is my most productive time of day. The hubs wakes up around 3:30am to go to work and as hard as I try to get up with him to be a supportive wife, it just isn't happening lately. I always go to bed with dreams of how much I would get done in the 5 hours between the time he leaves and the time the baby gets up.

But, the reality is that 3:30am is ridiculously early and I can never quite seem to pry my eyes open.

But, 9:00pm. That is another story. Once the baby goes to bed and the hubs has turned in for the night I have the house all to myself. I get to do all kinds of fun things like clean the kitchen, finish up laundry, pick-up toys, and write. It feels so nice to go to bed know that I will wake up to a semi-picked up house.

I think doing those things squeezes the last little bit of energy out of me.

Yep, that is definitely what happens.

I feel like I am nodding off just sitting here trying to finish this thought.

Ok, I guess that's it. My brain is shutting down now.

Sweet dreams to everyone,
Me

P.S.: It looks like they are going to pick house number 2. Just in case you couldn't sleep without know. I got your back!