To My Party Animal...

Happy 14 Months! Maybe I'll get you a haircut for your present.

But enough about me...

Let's talk about you. What do you think of me?


Oh, I'm kidding. Back to pics of the kids. Let's see if I can beat my record of most unrelated pictures in one post accompanied by least interesting captions. Readysetgo.

This was right after I told them to make sure they leave all of the toys in the playroom alone and come into the bathroom with me while I try to get ready.



We all know Judah Barracuda could benefit from a little trim, but pictures like this make it seem quite urgent.



Asher hit his head on the tile floor a few days ago. A rather impressive goose egg appeared within seconds. I was answering the door when the incident occurred and he was less than forthcoming with the details. Memory loss or up to no good?



We love Yummy Earth lollipops over here--no fake dyes or sweeteners. But some of us still struggle with our technique. In this picture it looks like Jude finished his off, but he is actually just holding it by the candy part. And it appears that he has rubbed his stickiness all over his face and hair. I just like making more work for myself.



We have not "officially" started potty-training yet but occasionally Asher likes to act out what it would theoretically look like if he were to use the potty. And Jude occasionally likes to join him.



I think I'm going to wait to begin potty-training until the dead of winter when I can't leave the house anyway since I completely shut down in cold weather. Seriously, I hate it. So we'll be inside either way--why not do a little potty-training then?

And, finally, here are Kris and Asher chatting with Randall Goodgame after his show Wednesday night. Asher thanked him for writing, what I'm sure Mr. Goodgame considers his finest work to date,Bears.

One Year Ago

Jude was much, much smaller and I was much, much bigger.



I miss the sweet little onesies but not the maternity pants.

Top Chef

Asher is cooking in style now thanks to the "new" kitchen I found on a local online- classifieds site. Oh, how I love a bargain.




Why yes...it is Pottery Barn Kids...thanks for noticing. And yes...it is blue. It may be a play kitchen, but it's a manly one.

So Merry Christmas, Asher, from us and Mamaw and Poppy. You're in charge of the turkey.

For All Those Wondering...

what have those Rives boys been up to?

Other then crossing the last few classics off of their summer reading lists, you mean, right?

Well, they've been eating, of course.



Every. Last. Crumb.



Asher has been learning how to spell his name.


He did this all by himself. So far, we have the "A" down for sure.




Jude has become somewhat confident in his walking skills but gets most upset when he can't walk and play guitar at the same time. Shortly after this picture was taken there was a great fit. It's so frustraing when you can envision yourself a traveling musician but just can't quite make it happen yet. All in good time, my boy.



And I learned that shorts or pants are a necessity now.



The end.

Hilarity Ensued

I can't figure out why the sound isn't working. I took the video on my phone and there is audio when I watch it there, but it isn't working on You Tube. Anyone know why this might be?

In hindsight, the eating of waffle fries while encouraging Jude to laugh more was probably a mistake. But it is rare to catch Jude in a full on laughing fit so I didn't want to ruin the moment. Thankfully, he didn't choke so this video is still funny.

If your wondering what was so comical, it was Asher and I swatting mosquitoes. I know--hysterical, right! And I love the ending--Asher wrapping it up with a big "cheese!" and a swig of milk. Classic.

my blog is on my nerves

I just spent the better part of the last hour trying to change to a 3 column layout and when that went horribly wrong, I decided to change my background, which proceeded to go horribly wrong.

I have to many "textures" happening and the words are hard to read but I'm tired and I'm done for the night.

Why do I undertake major blog changes at 10 in the evening?

Going My Way, Sailor?

I sure hope so!



Kind of reminds me of my other favorite sailor.

The Headboard

Let's just say I finished it. It's not perfect. It's not how I would do it were I to do it again. But it's a headboard.

Safety First

Favorite Pastimes

"Art"

Another stellar photograph taken by yours truly.



If you can get past the blurriness and the off-centeredness, you will see our newest piece of fine art. This is a floor puzzle I got on clearance at Pottery Barn Kids for around $5! It was so cute that I decided to bust out my good friend, Mod Podge! I used it to glue the puzzle to a piece of plywood and then covered the top of the puzzle with it as well. If you have not discovered the wonder of Mod Podge, get yourself to Hobby Lobby today and buy some. You will thank me later.



I like the way it turned out! And I like that it was cheap. That makes it even cuter to me.

Special thanks to Mr. Rives who willingly does the grunt work for my projects. In this case, it was cutting wood and then figuring out the best way to attach hangers and hang it. I come up with half-baked ideas and he makes them happen--we are a perfect match!

What's One More?

So I decided to start a new blog. There are a million of these out there but I wanted one to record my journey as well as compile a list of sites and blogs that I find useful. Keep in mind--it's still very much under construction!

I am making you aware of it, not because I have it all figured out and would now like to impart my wisdom to you, but because I'm really enjoying this process of becoming...shall we say "unprocessed"-- and would like to keep track of it and share it as well. And sharing is fun (at least that's what I tell Asher.) I'm not an expert and I'm not really offering anything that you couldn't find somewhere else (and done better!) Nevertheless, such as I have, give I thee.

My plan is to make note of all of the information, recipes, tips, and major life-changing epiphanies that I run across. Ok, probably not a whole lot of that last one, but still...it may be worth your time to occassionally drop by.

And, as always, I heartily welcome your comments, questions, and even vile criticisms. But let's keep that last one to a minimum, shall we?

Did I Mention Jude is Walking?

He is. Just a few steps at a time. He takes two or three and then Asher dashes passed him and he resorts to crawling to catch up. And he requires lots of clapping. Lots. We oblige.

Lewis Nails It (as usual)

During my afternoon "meditations,"—which I at least attempt quite regularly now—I have found out ludicrous and terrible things about my own character. Sitting by, watching the rising thoughts to break their necks as they pop up, one learns to know the sort of thoughts that do come.

And, will you believe it, one out of every three is the thought of self-admiration: when everything else fails, having had its neck broken, up comes the thought "what an admirable fellow I am to have broken their necks!" I catch myself posturing before the mirror, so to speak, all day long. I pretend I am carefully thinking out what to say to the next pupil (for his good, of course) and then suddenly realize I am really thinking how frightfully clever I'm going to be and how he will admire me...

And then when you force yourself to stop it, you admire yourself for doing that. It is like fighting the hydra... There seems to be no end to it. Depth under depths of self-love and self-admiration. (quoted in The Narnian by Alan Jacobs, 133)

And then Piper nails it some more (as usual)

Humility senses that humility is a gift beyond our reach. If humility is the product of reaching, then we will instinctively feel proud about our successful reach. Humility is the gift that receives all things as gift. It is the fruit not of our achievement but of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). It is the fruit of the gospel—knowing and feeling that we are desperate sinners and that Christ is a great and undeserved Savior.

Humility is the one grace in all our graces that, if we gaze on it, becomes something else. It flourishes when the gaze is elsewhere—on the greatness of the grace of God in Christ.

(HT: Desiring God blog)

In Which Asher Crosses off "play in the rain" from his "Childhood Memories to Acquire" List

In the Interest of Full Disclosure:

I ate 2 bean burritos from Taco Bell last night. And Asher ate a taco. Just keeping it real.

New Phase or New Me?

By now, most of you are probably ready for me to move on dot org with my whole "I finally figured out that eating crap is a bad idea" series and find something new to write about.

Soon, but not yet. I found this interesting post today and wanted to get your thoughts.

I find myself in the same place as this blogger. I have eliminated all packaged and heavily processed foods from our diet. I buy mostly organic produce (with emphasis on avoiding the "dirty dozen.") With just a few exceptions, I am making all of our food. And to be honest, it costs a lot more. We have reworked our budget to accommodate these new changes. We moved money from the "entertainment/eating out" category to "grocery" and I still find myself having to put things back when I am shopping.

I'm in the process of figuring out the best ways to spend our money. For example, my current rule of thumb is that I buy organic produce that isn't in season but that we aren't quite ready to give up yet in the interest of eating "in season only" foods, like lettuce or carrots or apples, at the grocery store. There is a local organic co-op where I could buy these things, but they are shipping them in too and the overhead at HEB is much lower so they cost less there.

But for seasonal items, I have found it more cost-effective to order a "share" of produce. You don't get to choose what you get but I like having some choices made for me. I would like to, one day, eat entirely seasonally, but I'll climb that hill another day. Or year.

That's just one area I'm attempting to order. I'd love to hear any tips you have for what you buy or how you buy it.

It isn't cheap to eat real food. But I do see it as an investment. And an obligation. And a pleasure actually.

Say What?

Yep--I baked! On my quest to take more responsibility for what goes in the food that goes in my family, I made oatmeal raisin cookies and graham crackers and they both turned out pretty good.

My little taste-testers approved. I would say neither one has what you might call a discriminating palette, but I was still happy to see them gobble them up.





Want one?



The graham crackers are a little more labor-intensive than what I normally care for, but comparing the ingredients in these to a box at the store makes me willing to invest a little more time. And, it must be said, moderation is key. Just because they aren't processed doesn't mean I let my kids fill up on them. Kris Rives, however, did fill up on them. And now I need to make more.


ps--I did make a few changes to the cookie recipe: I subbed 1/2 of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour and I used turbinado instead of granulated sugar. On the crackers, I followed directions EXACTLY and even measured by weight, not volume. Alton Brown would be proud.

You Know What They Say About Desperate Times...

Or Tip #41 in Jamie's Guide to Surviving and Thriving with 2 Little Boys

Sometimes you do you what you gotta do to have a quiet ride home. $.54 bought me two ice cream cones and a reprieve from tears and whining--priceless for a mama who just wrangled two wired-up and worn-out little boys solo at a wedding reception.





Yes, I let my kids eat an ice cream cone in the car. Yes, it was a bribe. Yes, I had trespassed upon their good graces by cutting nap time too short and then requiring a modicum of good behavior at a wedding we attended. Bad call.

Lesson learned. Got some ice cream in the process. No permanent damage done (I hope.)