back to business

I've been putting it off a bit. Dragging it out and yet missing it at the same time, but it's back to business. Momma's gotta get to work. Currier has been holding down the fort, but I think she misses me… and darlin', I miss you too! We're two peas in a pod and Tenn Hens is gonna get back in groove. Hubs now has a job on his days off from school so my first step is finding some help. As with everything, it's a little harder than I imagined finding a nanny. Thankfully, I found a company that does the work for you. They're bringing 3 candidates by tomorrow and I'm crossing my fingers one of them will have a really good vibe. I left there feeling excited and headed to the grocery. I know like four people in this town and yet I always seem to run into someone there. And so I did. My friend Winsy and I were chatting over produce (about nannies & childcare, etc.) when this cute girl introduced herself. She'd overheard our conversation and couldn't help but chime in. Turns out she's had a hard time finding a job out of college so she's looking for nanny work. This sounds bizarre, but I'm pretty intuitive about people and she seemed very, very normal. Who knows, but wouldn't that be just fate if it worked out?! Being in the right place, at the right time. Timing is everything.

I got home and Miriam was in such a happy little mood. Giggling, bubbling and all of a sudden I couldn't imagine leaving her with someone else. But I know good and well I've got it good. Working from home and being able to spend more time than most being with my baby. So I'm forging ahead and going to figure it out as I go. As long as at the end of the day… she still loves me best. 

fourteen weeks

She must have quite a view of the world up there. Perched on my shoulder, little feet dangling, fingers gripping my shirt as we head into the kitchen to start my morning coffee. We grind the beans which makes this loud buzzing sound. She pears out the window over the sink, watching the squirrels nibble and scurry away. And we wait. "Ding" and it's time to start the day. I love that she fits in the crook of my arm with one hand supporting her.  I kiss the top of her ear and rub my face on her soft head. She always smells so good.


The Mimers is really quite amazing. Yesterday she laid on the changing table for a good half hour, just talking to herself. She has her own little language of vowel sounds and hoots. Then she would crack up at whatever she'd just said. Kicking her legs and swirling her arms. I listened outside the door, thinking how cool it was. The changing table is one of her favorite spots in the house. There and our room. Above our bed hangs her bestie… the ceiling fan. She smiles and giggles as soon as we turn it on. These are all little things I'm doing my best to record. This blog is sort of that place to recollect, but I couldn't resist buying this baby book over the weekend at Nest. Just as I was about to walk out (empty handed only by sheer willpower) I spotted this book. Sweet and simple just like I like. Hopefully its illustrations will inspire me to keep jotting down all these memories.

aunt harriet's cornbread

I don't actually have an aunt Harriet, but no matter. This is the best cornbread I've ever put in my mouth. Buttery and moist like you will not believe. Make it for friends and they will keep on coming back. I fixed a leftover piece for breakfast - toasted with honey. Get back! Enough already… I hereby share with you pure & utter goodness.

Aunt Harriet's Cornbread (from Julia Reed)
1/2 cup  vegetable oil
1 - 8oz can of cream corn
1 cup corn meal
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs (whisked)

Mix it all up and bake at 350 for about 45 min (careful not to overcook)
{put a dab o' oil in your skillet so there's no stickin'}

john derian

The checkout clerk didn't get "it" at all, but by gosh I about cleared out the Greenville Target. John Derian, who I adore, took his signature decoupage work and created a line of home goods for Target. Storage bins, notebooks, trays, and dishes. To steal a line from Rachel Zoe… "I die". I can't begin to share everything I bought (because it's ridiculous), but I can tell you it's ALL somethin' special. Now the hard part is I have to decide what to keep and what to gift. I'm thinking excellent Christmas presents!

baby gifts

I am currently surrounded by baby blankets, a play mat, a giant swing contraption, a car seat, and pacis strown across my living room floor. Oh, and how could I forget… there's a real baby too. One that does not want to nap. So seeing how this is my life, currently, I thought I'd blog about baby things today. I'm still a total novice, but these are a few items I really dig.

The Puj : I love this tub. It fits nicely in my kitchen sink so there's no bending over and Miriam has fit snuggly inside since she was born. She's starting to grow out of it actually, but I'm resisting the switch for now because this one is so fun.


Soothies : Obsessed. We have ten of them floating around somewhere and I am convinced you can not have enough pacifiers. They always disappear or fall on the dirtiest spot on the ground. Though my pediatrician quickly picked the one that fell on her exam room floor, dusted it off on her shirt, and stuck it right back in the babys mouth. Umm… scuma? Well, I now know my pacifier wipes are a waste of money.

Itzbeen : When I was getting zero sleep, and found it impossible to remember when I'd last fed or changed the baby, this was such a useful little gizmo. I still use it!

Grass Rack : If you have to have a drying rack sitting on the counter, why not make it look cool? I think this is an awesome gift (thank you Fiona!) and just fyi… it works great for wine glasses too.

crafty weekend

There's nothing a visit from momma can't cure. After a small detour, she rolled into town with lots of love to share with the babe… plus some bubbly for our glasses. We visited the farmers market to pick out our supper, then hit the Indie Craft Parade. The line was long, but it was totally worth the wait because inside was the most adorable craft fair you've ever seen. Little multicolored bunting was draped from the rafters and every booth had so much thought put into it by the artists.


I even met some local "blog friends" in person. The first was Hawleywood - such a cute girl that makes fun jewelry and she knew Miriam's name! I was too busy chatting to take any pics, but I love this necklace.

Next, was Yellow Elm. She creates these felt headbands that are truly unique. I think the nugget needs this one for sure. We spent quite a bit of time wheeling around the stroller, noshing, and checking out all the budding creativity. Greenville is quite the town I tell ya. I wanted to buy so much more, but we managed to come home with plenty of loot!

Purse from Sew Few… these girls were super nice and one of them has a baby close in age so we were fast friends discussing baby sleep! Their purses are made from discontinued fabrics and are really great in person. I will definitely be borrowing this from momma.

Now that I've bought these booties, cooler weather can't come quick enough around here. I can't wait for the babe to wear them all winter long. And to top off all of this fun… oh snap! was there. I am pretty much obsessed with photobooths so my eyes got really big when I saw their set up. The first shot was horrible, but we got into our groove by no. 3 and this puppy's going in the baby book. Thanks for such a fun weekend momma and please come back soon!

magic number twelve

I have lots to share from my wonderful weekend, but first things first. Baby Miriam is 12 weeks old and did something completely, unbelievably miraculous to celebrate this milestone. No screaming, no stirring… not even a peep from the little bean until 7am Monday morning. She slept for 12 hours straight. Hallelujah… hallelujah, hallelujah! I awoke to hear the news from momma who was going to give the midnight bottle, but hadn't needed it. I could not believe my ears. It's probably a fluke and I am knocking on wood as we speak, but it's still freakin' amazing!

peach coobler

One of the things I quickly noticed after moving to Greenville, is peaches reign in S. Carolina. They're fuzzy and sweet and I can't get enough. They're good in yogurt and smoothies or just plain, but let's be honest. They're better in cobbler. I mean, who doesn't like cobbler? So we made one with peaches. Lots of butter, sugar, and peaches… mmmmm.



Peach Cobbler by Pammy

melt 1/4 stick of butter in bottom of your dish

mix :
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup self-rising flour (not plain flour like I tried the first time and failed)

pour mixture over butter

Add 2 cups fresh sliced peaches (we've also used blackberries which were amazing)
note: if your peaches aren't tasty enough - peel them into a bowl and add some sugar, a little water, and some lemon juice. It will sweeten them right on up.

top with 1 tbsp melted butter + a sprinkle of sugar.

bake at 375 for 40 min - edges should be brown and crusty.
And you must serve with vanilla ice cream.

indie craft parade

Greenville folks are in for a treat this weekend. The Indie Craft Parade is taking place downtown. It's a festival of handmade art, paper goods, furniture, and local food, from folks in the Southeast. I'm definitely excited to take miss baby in the bjorn and hopefully meet some cool artists. Who knows… maybe I'll see you there!

labor day weekend

I've got my feet propped up on the coffee table and there's a baby snoozing. There's laundry on the drying rack, clean bottles, food in the fridge, and work that's been done. Pinch me. Grandmama Marilyn swooped in with the magic touch and all is better in mi casa. She came early, she stayed late, and we are so much the better for it. We didn't want her to leave! The baby got all sorts of extra lovin' over the weekend and we even got to sneak off to the lake. I was a little nervous leaving all afternoon, but the ladies had a big time without us.



Hubs and I hopped in the car and turned up the tunes with the windows rolled down. The weather was insane yesterday. And Lake Keowee was gorgeous darling, just gorgeous. My new buddy, Kathryn, let me dip into some of her champagne fun too. Thank you dear. We didn't actually make it onto the lake (the boaters wanted to stay out longer than we could so I made us be party poopers), BUT we still had a ball by the pool with a view.





And then it was time to wrap up all the fun. Back to school for hubs and back home for Marilyn. There is power in the number three. One extra set of hands made the last few days a dream. Sigh. But… not for long! Now it's my mommas turn. She comes on Thursday and I can't wait to give her a big squeeze. Though I think she'll be squeezin miss Miriam even harder than moi!

around the block

Miriam and I took a long walk the other day. Our neighborhood is mixed with cute cottages, eclectic yards, old homes, and loads of dogs. I love being able to just walk on out the door and into it all. Lawns were being mowed and the hum of the morning put the baby and I in a much calmer state. And last morning I had a bit of work to do so I went in and handed over the bambino. Hubs was still in bed, so she nuzzled in beside him on a pillow. They had a morning chat and stared at the ceiling fan. Round and round, coos and smiles until they were both sound asleep.

As you know, sleep has eluded Miss Miriam lately and I've felt like we were going backwards. So we are trying some new tactics with the little lady in the evenings and though the beginning of the week was incredibly rough, we are making progress. And it's all the result of some support. An email from Brooke, a call to Molly, my momma's reassuring voice, words of encouragement from cousin Lauren and multiple calls to Amy. Thank you sweets. Just having folks to chat with or laugh with sincerely helps and just puts things in perspective. And just to be sure, we called in reinforcements… hubbins momma. Marilyn arrived last night with arms stretched out, ready for some serious baby holding time. Makes for a very happy Friday.