the collector

Have I ever told you my dad is a collector? He likes old stuff. Some stuff that's a little rusty and some stuff that's more polished, but it all tells a story. He loves the background of where something came from. Just point your finger in any direction in our house and he can tell you exactly where he got it and the history behind it. Photographs of the South, equestrian paintings, old quilts, antique furniture, antique books, architectural remnants, mint julep cups, moonshine jugs, mechanical banks, old trophies, vintage marbles, tin coffee cans, old feed sacks…the list goes on. And did I mention old metal signs from farms and gas stations? The barn is full of them. The guy from American Pickers would freak if he ever came by the farm. Yes, the man is a collector. Has been for a long time and I don't see him stopping any time soon. He certainly has a great eye and he knows what he likes. Loves the chase and loves the chance to bid. Must be the stock broker in him! Anyway, I'm sharing this because all this "collecting" lead to a feature in the magazine Antiques. My parents were incredibly honored to be included in a publication they have long admired. So, I just wanted to give my dad a little nod and say how proud I am to have a daddy with such an appreciation for beautiful things. It's definitely rubbed off on both his children!

catching up

My, where does the time go? We had "spring break" from nursery school, my momma visited, and the Moosh got sick - twice. Stinks having a sick baby. I swear she's been sick since we moved. I'm starting to wonder if it's allergies, because even when she kicks the sick part she still seems a bit stuffy and crabby. Poor nugget. Having Momma in town though was huge. We made a trip to Ikea to finally get a kids table and chairs. Miriam is obsessed and loves having her own space to color.

OK, so to the biggest news I have to share… we put an offer on a house… and they accepted! That's right my friends, we are moving AGAIN, but this time to a real house we can call our own. It's finally all happening and happening fast. We close in 1 week which is crazy, but so exiting I can't even tell you. It's not without a bit of angst on my part. I'm a total worrier when it comes to big decisions and this is a biggie. I've been driving myself crazy, waking up in the middle of the night stressing about paint colors. Anyone else ever wake up trying to decide between "revere pewter" and "owl grey"? Hmm, I didn't think so. Whatevs, it's totally it, because I can't wait to get the keys in my hand and get to work on our home sweet home.

skinnytaste

I don't know about you, but I'm completely addicted to Pinterest. It's ridiculous really, but I could scroll through for hours. My best find thus far is this healthy cooking site called Skinnytase. We get in a cooking rut around here so I love seeing what other people are fixing. And the fact that these are healthy makes it even better. Here's what I've been cooking…

Arugula Salad with Penne (I substituted the chickpeas w/ white beans and loved it)

Skinny No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie (insane! I found the healthy pb + real whip topping at Sprouts grocery here in town)

Cajun Chicken Pasta (you can make it as mild or spicy as you like)

Chicken & Mushrooms in Garlic White Wine Sauce (my favorite fix so far - just try and make extra sauce, b/c it's so yummy and serve with rice)

Sicilian Rice Ball Casserole (good Moosh food, but it needed extra tomato sauce overall)

and this is happening later in the week… Turkey Burgers w/ Zucchini

photos from skinnytaste

brining up bebe

I got a small package from home the other week (my momma is sweet like that) and inside was an article from the WSJ about a new French parenting book called Bringing Up Bebe. I hadn't heard anything about it, but after a quick read I signed on to good ole amazon and ordered myself a copy. Once I picked it up I couldn't put it down. I found myself completely obsessed, reading lines out loud to hubs (which he loves of course) and even marking pages to come back to. Maybe it's the new parent in me, looking for all the help I can get! Or maybe it just really hit home with how I want to be. Anyway, I dug it. I loved hearing the author describe a different cultures views on parenting. I think it's fascinating. I went online to see if other people were talking about it and boy howdy, were they ever - kinda negative stuff. Hot topic for sure. So, I'm jumping on the bandwagon and sharing my thoughts.

I didn't take the whole French thing soooo seriously. It's one persons observations and most of the tips are common sense and good, plain parenting. Still, I thought it was a great read and I think we can always learn from other people. My favorite chapter was "the perfect mother doesn't exist" which is all about how the deal with mommy guilt (going back to work, daycare) and balancing work, parenting, being a wife, etc. Totally different over there! "The French also talk about the equilibrium. But they mean it differently. For them, it's about not letting any one part of life - including parenting - overwhelm the rest."

Anyway, here's some more stuff that I underlined, but what I really want to know is… have you read it & what do you think? To all my momma friends out there, please read and then call and let's discuss. And then we could plan a trip to Paris while we're at it. Macaroons, champagne, galleries - we could call it research for a future post. I'd love to know what you're thinking for real.

"genuinely listening to your child, but not feeling that you must bend to their wills".

"excessive praise distorts children's motivations; they begin doing things merely to hear the praise, losing sight of the intrinsic enjoyment"

"I think you need to leave kids a bit of liberty, let their personalities show"

"French parents treat their vegetables with a whole different level of intention and commitment. They describe the taste of each vegetable and talk about their child's first encounter with celery or leeks as the start of a lifelong friendship."

"She doesn't worry too much about how much Lucie eats. But she insists that Lucie has at least one bite of every dish on her plate." "… in France, everyone eats the same dinner. There are no choices or substitutions."

you is kind, you is smart, you is important

I finally watched The Help over the weekend and this one line has stuck in my head. The opening scene shows sweet baby hands stroking Aibileen's face as she repeats these words and I knew I was hooked right then for the next two hours. Baby's love to touch your face. I trace a line around Miriam's cheeks,  then across her eyebrows, and down her nose. Then she does the same thing saying… "mommy's eyes, mommy's mouth, mommy's nose". I think this one line in the movie is so simple, but so powerful and I hope to come up with my own little prayer to affirm to baby girl every day. So, I designed a print… you can buy here.