A Trip and A Tantrum of Epic Proportions

Over the weekend, we trekked down to Mt. Shasta, CA for Justin's band to play at this little place called The Coffee Connection. It's actually a non-profit sponsored by 8 different churches in Mt. Shasta--all employees are volunteers from those churches. On Saturday nights, they have free coffee, free wi-fi, and often have bands that come down and play. It's a pretty cool outreach ministry.



{The Coffee Connection has this catwalk on the second story
where you can see the band that's playing below. It's pretty cool!}





{The only bad thing about shooting the band indoors without a flash is that I have to shoot with my ISO at 1600, which means grain out the wazoo. Oh well--I tell myself that the "gritty" look is appropriate for a band!}




{One funny thing: I am 99% sure that I know which song Renee is
singing just by looking at this photo! Renee, if you're reading, it's He Cries, right?}




{Hey look--it's my (biological) sister who looks absolutely nothing like me.
In fact, people usually think she's Renee's sister instead of mine!}


Since we thought we'd get done around 10:30-11pm and then still have to drive back home, Lizzy stayed with my parents. The plan was for us to come back to their house and stay the night there since they live closer to CA than we do. Only, when we got back sometime around midnight, she was still awake. My parents had been trying to get her to sleep since 8pm, but Lizzy is one of the most stubborn kids you'll ever meet, and was still wide awake. At the time that we arrive, she was in fairly good spirits, but that quickly deteriorated. I tried turning on a movie to lay down with her, and she got HYSTERICAL. Kicking. Screaming. Trying to scratch and bite. I tried rocking. I tried singing. I tried every discipline tactic that I know--I could not get her to stop screaming hysterically at the top of her lungs. Justin came in the room, and I told him that I thought we might have to go home, at which point Lizzy started screaming, "NO MAMA! MAMA GO AWAY! LIZZY NO MAMA!"

Talk about making your heart break. I cried. At that point, it was almost 1am. We packed everything up, and decided that we just needed to go. She screamed at the top of her lungs for the next 20 minutes in the car before finally falling asleep.This morning, when she woke up, she came into bed with us and said, "Mama. Lizzy naughty. I sorry." Sweet precious girl. But, we had another hysterical sleep battle tonight as well. Please tell me there's a sleep regression or something around 2 years (she already has her 2 year molars I believe), because this is getting out of control.

To end on a good note though, here's a mash-up of the band's set if you're interested!

Betcha Didn't Know....

I totally stole this from Katie @ Loves of Life. But, today, I needed and wanted something fun and mindless!

Guilty Pleasure? 

"Reality" TV. Think Sister Wives, Top Chef, Project Runway, etc. It's just mindless TV that I can usually watch while knitting, cleaning, or folding laundry, and just veg out. Also, this: 

Pinnacle Whipped Vodka. It tastes like whipped cream and is AMAZING in apple cider, root beer, orange juice, cranberry juice...pretty much anything!

Recent Splurge? 

Does buying blackberries even though they're out of season and expensive count? Seriously though, I don't really buy things for myself very much because it just isn't in the budget. In fact, I was just telling Justin the other day that I think every single one of my sweaters is either a maternity sweater, or I wore while I was pregnant with Lizzy so they're stretched out all funny. In the next month, I do plan on splurging to buy a new dress to wear Christmas Eve/ to Justin's company party.

In bulk, I buy? 

I try to avoid Costco because it's impossible to get out of there spending less than $100. But when we do go, we usually buy diapers, wipes, Black Butte Porter for Justin, cheese, pepperoni, and milk. 

My go-to flower?

I really like purple dutch irises. I prefer the non-bearded irises that look like this: 

Comfort Food? 

This one is hard, because the truth is that I just love food. But, I think it's probably a big bowl of rice, beans, shredded beef, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and Cafe Yumm sauce.

For breakfast?

Today, I had coffee, a piece of toast with almond butter, and a little bit of homemade raspberry jam.

For dinner? 

Last night, I tried that boil-in-milk macaroni recipe that's been floating around Pinterest lately. It wasn't my favorite. Tonight, I'll probably just do enchiladas.

Love/hate relationship with? 

I can't think of anything off the top of my head.

Can't stop watching? 

Any guesses? Ha! 

Bones, of course!

Dreaming about? 

Babies. Seriously. I feel like every time I close my eyes, I'm pregnant with triplets. Baby fever might be kicking in a little bit, but we just can't go there yet for a couple different reasons. 

Every girl should have?

A pair of jeans that fit perfectly. I miss the old Gap Long and Lean jeans like crazy. They were in my dream last night too--I bought a pair of the old style ones even they cost $100! 

My style in five words? 

I don't really have a style. I'd be fine living in yoga pants 24/7. I've been trying to follow along with the challenge on Like A Warm Cup of Coffee to get dressed every day. Sweet Sarah Mae said at the beginning of the challenge something like, "Your kids will love it, your husband will love it, and you'll feel better about yourself." I had to laugh to myself, because I'm not sure Justin really ever notices what I'm wearing. In fact, I think he'd be fine if I were in yoga pants and tennis shoes all the time, because it would mean that we could spontaneously play a game of football/softball/whatever at any given time.

I love wearing? 

Yoga pants. Duh. But also, I love the several shirts I have that are actually "tall" shirts. I'm not pulling them down to cover my wrists or pulling the hem down.

Dream Job? 

Being paid to read books and take photos. So, pretty much, what I'm doing now. And it's awesome.

Evolution of a Nursery

A few weeks ago, my brother was given a king sized bed, so he and my parents were getting rid of his twin mattress. Justin and I quickly nabbed it, and it's been sitting in our garage ever since. We'd been talking about when to transition Lizzy out of her crib, and onto a twin mattress on the floor (for now) but thought that maybe we'd wait until she actually climbed out. Also, we didn't really know where we'd store the crib in the meantime since we're working on cleaning out our garage and spare bedroom.

And then a week or so ago, Kaitlin called to ask if I knew anyone that they could borrow a crib from while they are staying here. And it was a no-brainer--we'd been trying to figure out when to transition Lizzy, and decided that it just made sense for us to move Lizzy and let them use her old crib.

So, over the weekend, we broke down her crib and hauled in the twin sized bed.

(For now, we just got her a set of sheets that she picked out, and she uses a spare comforter. 

Eventually, she'll get her own, I'm just waiting for a sale!)

The dresser went into the closet to allow for a little more play room, since it's a pretty small room to begin with.

So far, Lizzy has done remarkably well. It's also nice for me to be able to lay down in bed with her if she's having a rough day or night! I have to admit though--I don't usually get all sad and weepy about Lizzy growing up, but I *was* a little sad when we were taking down her crib! It was the first time I honestly found myself missing the newborn stage just a little bit.

Decorating for Seasons

In the time that Justin and I have been married, I've never really decorated for seasons. Except Christmas, but even then, it's pretty much just been a Christmas tree and a miniature nativity set. For one, we just haven't ever had a mantel or any place that made sense to decorate seasonally. Second, seasonal decor was just an extra expense that we didn't need.

That said, over the weekend, we moved the buffet that matches our hutch inside from the garage. We've never had it inside before because the three different colorings of wood between the buffet, our table, and the cabinets drove me crazy. Plus, we had "inherited" the table from when Justin and his siblings were growing up, and it was already pretty big for the space. I've always hated that table even more than I hated the buffet/hutch, but Justin loves/loved it. He did agree to let me paint it, but it still didn't solve the problem of not being the right size or shape for the space. Also, the table is just starting to fall apart--the chairs are losing their support spindles, and the finish is totally worn down.

After the cabinets were painted, we talked a lot about the kitchen/dining area, and I suggested to Justin that if we had a long rectangular table, I thought the buffet would fit inside and free up some garage space for him. And then, I suggested building a farmhouse table. And after a few months, I think Justin is down for that plan, so we brought the buffet inside over the weekend.

And now, I also have the perfect spot for seasonal decor. The only problem was that we're on a tight budget (as always), and I didn't really have much in terms of a base to start from. But yesterday, I made it my mission to decorate the buffet for fall for less than $30. Here's what I came up with:

I'd still like to add something that says "Give Thanks", but haven't found quite what I'm looking for yet. It's kind of funny though--in real life, I almost feel like there's too much going on already, but it doesn't look that way in the photo at all! Anyway, I spent $5 on two yards of muslin for the runner, $5 for the blue and turquoise "bouquet", $10 for the candle holder, and $4 for spray paint to paint the wine bottles. I also made a fabric flower bouquet out of fabric that I already had.

They are so easy to make--you just cut out large circles of fabric, and then use a needle and thread to stitch all the way around the perimeter of the circle. Pull the two ends of the string together, knot, and cut the ends. And, TA-DA, you have a flat flower disc. Then, I just put some hot glue on the back of each flower disc and attached a stick to each. If you want a cleaner look, you can also hot glue buttons/pearls to the center of each flower. I think I may make it my goal to do a new fabric flower bouquet for each season.

And for the table, here's what I'm thinking, but with white benches that could be pushed underneath for more room:

Source: remodelaholic.com via Meredith on Pinterest

BQOTD- Family Time

Our co-ed softball season is over now (we finished 4th this year in B minor league, which is much better than we did last year, or even Spring season in C league!). I'm a little bit sad, but also a little bit relieved--we've basically had a game every Sunday night since May. It will be nice to actually have those nights at home for awhile...because we're way too busy during the week. As it is, we usually only average one night at home during the week. The rest of the week, we're running all over the place to Bible Study, band practice, building the recording studio, photo shoots, J's men's softball league, and all kinds of other things that we find ourselves committed to. And weekends? Weekends are just busy, always, no matter what. This past Saturday was the first time we spent more than half the day at home in I-don't-know-how-long. And it was glorious.

Sometimes, I crave a slower pace. Less running. But, it's hard, because we truly feel passionate about all the activities we're involved in, and I'm not sure what could possibly be cut out. We've been talking about scheduling a designated "family night" where for the most part, we just don't do anything other than spend some time at home together. I hope we do follow through and do that--I think we all need it!

Today's BQOTD- How many nights per week, on average, do you spend at home with your family? Do you have a designated "family night" or anything like that?

Who Is She? Pt. 2

Yet another 5 minute free write, jumping right into where yesterday's post left off. Oddly enough, I have never, ever gotten so many spam comments as I did on yesterday's post!

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"Here's your steak sir. Again, I'm so sorry about the mix-up in the kitchen," She said. 

"This is just unacceptable. My family's out for a nice dinner, and you can't even manage to cook a simple steak correctly!" 

"I apologize. I'm happy to get my manager for you if you'd like." 

"What I'd like, is for you to do your job," the customer snapped. 

She paused for a minute, thinking. Was this it? She could walk out the door, get into her car, and just drive. Isn't that her dream? To start over where no one knows her? She'd need money eventually, but surely she could find a job wherever she ended up. Most appealing of all, she'd never have to look into anyone's eyes and see pity. Or worse yet, pain at the memory of Todd.

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Because It's NaBloPoMo

Free-write for five minutes using this prompt as the beginning:

Behind her, the noise escalated. 

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Behind her, the noise escalated. The restaurant was less crowded than usual, but somehow, much more noisy. The noise felt cumbersome--it would have been a minor annoyance all by itself, but coupled with the rest of her day, it was just too much. She wanted nothing more than to put on a pair of fuzzy socks, her favorite sweatshirt, and to crawl into bed. But, she had another three hours left of her shift. Another three hours where her income depended on a happy, upbeat mood. She bit the inside of her cheek, and walked back to the table, hoping that it wasn't too easy for them to see how she really felt.

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It's been a long time since I've done any sort of free-write, or even used a creative writing prompt. I had kind of forgotten how fun it can be to see where the words take you. 

This NaBloPoMo thing is new to me. Blogging every day, including weekends, is new to me. Already (a meager five days into things), I'm sometimes finding myself feeling like I don't have anything left to say. So maybe, this is it. Maybe, when I don't feel like I have anything left to say, maybe I free-write for five minutes about this person above--I don't know who she is yet, but it might be kind of fun to find out.

This post brought to you by the letters NaBloPoMo.

Paging Doctor Google...or Not.

I had a doctor's appointment this morning--I've had this little bitty bruise on my back for a couple of months now. It's the type of thing that I won't notice for a couple of months, and then I'll lean back in a chair and feel pain and think, "That's STILL there?!" I wasn't sure if it was from softball--maybe where the bat hits my back when I swing? But the bruise is so small (less than a half an inch), and the placement isn't quite right. Anyway, I told Justin that I'd just feel better if someone laid eyes on it, so I saw the nurse practitioner this morning.

She looked at it, and said, "Hmmmm. I've never seen anything like that before." Then, she called in my doctor. He said, "I've never even seen anything quite like that, even in textbooks," (I laughed, because that's just so me--I'm the girl whose appendicitis went undiagnosed because my appendix was in the wrong place. I'm the girl who had a breast tumor removed at age 19. I'm just kind of a medical anomaly.) The nurse said, "Yeah, and it doesn't blanch. It's sort of like a hematoma under the skin." They referred me to a dermatologist--they warned me that it would probably take 3 months to get in, but happily, the derm had an opening on the 18th. And largely, I didn't worry too much about it for the rest of the day...

And then. THEN. When I got home tonight, I consulted Dr. Google. Why do I do this? I *know* it's never a good idea, but I do it anyway. I Googled something about a hematoma that doesn't blanch, and what was starting me back in the face was enough to scare anybody's socks off--Leukemia. Meningitis. Lupus. All sorts of other things that I just don't want to deal with. And the worry and fear just came pouring in. Even though nothing really looked like my unique little bruise, it seems that anything that doesn't blanch is bad, bad, bad....according to Dr. Google anyway.

Why in the world do I think that Google will be able to diagnose me more effectively than the doctor who has literally known me my entire life? Better than a doctor who knows all my weird history, and was literally the only medical professional in my corner back during the tumor debacle?

More importantly, why don't I pray if I'm worried? I've seen firsthand in my life over the past year what a difference God has made in terms of my worries and fears, so why don't I turn to Him first, rather than Google? 

Dr. Google, I think it's time we break up. Hopefully this time it's for good.

Snippets/Confessions

-I couldn't get Lizzy down for a nap until almost 4pm today. It was a battle royale, but I won. And because she went down for such a late nap, I'm seriously thinking about taking her to Justin's softball game tonight, which doesn't start until 8:30pm. I feel like it's going to be another battle royale to get her to bed tonight, and I just don't want to do it alone. On the other hand, I just feel badly keeping her out that late.

-Once J's game is done, we are staying up to watch the season premiere of Bones. I don't care if we have to stay up until MIDNIGHT to do so.

-I took this recipe to Mom's Group today, and it was glorious. And so easy.

Source: stamps4fun.blogspot.com via Meredith on Pinterest

And the perfect comfort food for a Mom's Group that I cried all the way through--we had an amazing woman named JoLayne come and talk about her faith. And, about her daughter Faith who died in September from cancer. JoLayne is now trying to raise awareness about childhood cancer as well as funds for research. I told JoLayne that while this is a small thing, if she ever wanted to write about what she's doing here on the blog, she's always welcome. And I hope she does--there were so many things I didn't know, and I'm sure most people don't.

-I've got two prayer requests for you guys. First, my-brother-in-law Justin's grandpa died today. I know his whole family would appreciate your prayers for comfort. Second, one of my best friends Kaitlin just recently found out that her husband Jesse is deploying for the third time. Very soon. I think they could use prayers all the way around too.

Your Last Meal

If you knew that whatever you ate next would be your last meal, what would you want it to be?

It's funny--there's a fancy restaurant here locally that my family always goes to on Christmas Eve, and what I order there is pretty close to what I think my ideal "last meal" would be--with just a few tweaks to sauces, dressings, and sides, I think it would be the perfect last meal. 

First, a blue cheese creme brulee appetizer, spread over warm sourdough bread. I'd eat a whole order by myself. Then, a garden salad with more blue cheese, caramelized pecans, and raspberry vinaigrette dressing. Fresh squeezed strawberry lemonade to drink. Next, a medium rare steak with a sweet potato, and fresh fruit salad on the side. And heck, more bread and butter. And then, raspberry cobbler with homemade vanilla bean ice cream. 

I think this meal would also be my own "if you had to eat one thing for the rest of your life" answer. It's just good stuff. I find myself re-creating a simpler, less frilly version of this dinner often! If Justin wanted to cook a meal that would make me swoon, this would be it. 

That said, I also think that your "last meal" depends on who you're sharing it with--because let's face it, food tastes a whole lot better when you're eating it with people you love. 

 What about you guys? 

This post brought to you by the letters NaBloPoMo.

BQOTD: Favorite Thanksgiving Dish

I have this "thing" about holidays--I don't want to talk about Thanksgiving until Halloween is over. Likewise, I don't do the Christmas thing until we've gotten through Thanksgiving. My ONE exception to this rule is all things peppermint (i.e. peppermint lattes, peppermint ice cream, and *hopefully* Dairy Queen will resurrect peppermint Blizzards from their early grave this year), which are acceptable all through Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Anyway...we're now through Halloween, so for today's Burning Question of the Day, I'm wondering:

What's your favorite Thanksgiving dish? Are you all about the turkey? The cranberry sauce? Do you love that good old green bean casserole? Pumpkin pie? Tell me about it (and if you're feeling compelled to share the recipe, I won't complain!).

Justin and I live close to both sets of our parents, and so we do our best to alternate spending dinner with one set and dessert with the other. Sometimes we end up at one person's house for dinner/dessert two years in a row (either accidentally, or to try and see whoever has to work on that day), but so far, everyone has been really nice and not fussed about it at all. Anyway, I tell ya all this because Justin and I joke that we both prefer when we eat dinner at OUR parents' house, because it's Thanksgiving like we remember it as a kid. Don't get me wrong--both my mom and Justin's mom are great cooks, but they just each have their own recipes, and we remember the ones we grew up with!

Anyway, I still love the classic green bean casserole--my mom uses golden mushroom soup instead of cream of mushroom, but to me, that dish just SCREAMS Thanksgiving!