Soulful Sunday

We all have what if thoughts and as a mom those what if's seem to multiply at a rapid pace. What if my sweet baby falls and bumps her head on the table, what if her fever spikes in the middle of the night, what if the cold is more than just a cold, what if she grows up and joins a traveling freak show and I never see her again (OK, that last one is a little out there, but still)...the list goes on and on. Anxiety can quickly take over common sense, and trust can fly out the window. This is one area that I struggle with. As my auntie Carol says, worrying (among other comical things, that will remain nameless, for now) is in our lineage! We were born to worry! But seriously, why all the worry. At the end of the day, when all the prep work is complete, we need to let go of the things we can't control and trust God that he is big enough to smooth it all out. The song in the above link is Safe and Sound, by Mercy Me. It is a good reminder to find comfort and peace in God's perfect love. We may not understand the peaks and valleys of our life, but God does.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6.

Rest your eyes on this

This photo by levansphotography is peaceful to me. The colors and composition are so dreamy!

The "Sick Toy"

Mom's feel better list was always Sprite with crushed ice and a straw, sick toast ( toast lightly buttered, cut into fours), and the famous sick toy. A "Sick Toy" is a toy my mom would buy us when we were home sick. Most often the toy was from the pharmacy, and was a small trinket or coloring book, etc.

Today I was treated with a "sick toy", in the form of a wonderful bath cube for cold and sinus and Burt's Bees hand cream.

As you know I have been sick with a crazy sinus infection for the past week. This is the fourth sinus infection in one year! I finally got into see the good doc. today we are taking steps to solve this crazy year of sinus trouble. Hopefully we can get to the bottom of it all very soon.

It is always nice to receive a gift, but I think it is even better to give one. So, to continue the tradition of the "sick toy", I bought this cute little book set for Elise.

 She has had a bit of a cold lately too, and I will take any excuse to buy her a present! She's not spoiled, not at all! Wink, wink!

Some things never change, and I have to admit, I am glad the sick toy is still going strong! Thanks to my wonderful mom for taking care of both me and Elise the past few days!

Fun Fabric Finds (no sewing required)

 

Pretty patterns and Spring time colors caught my eye at Etsy today.

Butterfly Baby Place

WhoKnew

Cut Sew Repeat 

Babycakes & Decor 

Toy Safety

Stay in the know on toy recalls with this tool from Parents.com

The Yucks

 Well, I was wrong, it seems the germs have struck again! Mommy down, I repeat, mommy down! As I wrote last night, I spent my entire Friday night deep cleaning, but even with all this, we just keep recycling the stuff. The weather is fantastic here in Houston today. We are about to go out for lunch on our patio, and enjoy the change in weather. It has been so cold and rainy for so long.
In honor of the yucks that have plagued our house, here are a few of my must haves for on-the-go germ fighting!

I keep a purse size container of Kleenhanz in every bag I carry.

 

The wonderful cart cover. Don't leave home without it! Keeps little hands and mouths off of the cart handle, and it's a comfortable ride too.

Tinder Designs Shopping Cart Cover (Chocolate Brown Owl and Polka Dot Print) 

 

On-the-go placemat perfectly packable and easy clean up.

Good Housekeeping

Sigh! It's 12:00am and feels good to finally sit and have a little me time. We have been battling illness of various degree this past week at our house, and sleep/me time has come at a premium. It seems that I am over whatever I had, but Elise and Hubby are still uncomfortable with colds. So, after a long work week, I spent the evening deep cleaning everything I could get my hot pink cleaning gloves on! Maybe this means I can sleep in a little in the morning, lets say 7:00am? One can only dream!

Well, it's off to bed I go. Catch you in the morning. Elise and I are making eggs in a basket for breakfast. She saw the recipe on Sprout, and I promised we would try it out tomorrow...

Sweet Dreams!

The Yolk Folk

 

Meet The Yolk Folk, and others at Mibo 

These paper animals are a fun make-at-home project for Easter!

Best Bathtime Gear

Best Bathtime Gear

Fun in the sun!

 

Elise and I enjoyed some time outside after a long work/school day. This photo cracks me up! The outfit reminded me of Rosario, the maid on the TV show Will and Grace. From the look on Elise's face, I think she is ready for the cold weather to move on out!

 

Happy in her new heart print dress from Target. The spring clothing has me craving warmer weather!

I hope your week finds you well.

Rodeo Round Up

Houston is gearing up for rodeo time, and although it's not exactly my cup of tea, it does have a unique charm about it.

Here are some cute finds I rounded up for your little cowgirl or cowboy!

Vintage Lucys 

&

abby's attic

 

 

Lucy & Michael play tent 

 

Yee Haw!

Soulful Sunday

"a friend loves at all times" Proverbs 17:17

 

Meet my Valentine!

 

 

 

 

To a wonderful, loving, hardworking, hilarious husband and daddy.
Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's weekend!

I am afraid that I quickly turned into a pumpkin this week, as my vacation is over. It has been a crazy juggling act with getting back to work, and back into the swing of things.
So, here we are, Valentine's weekend! We started our celebration on Thursday night by decorating the whole house with streamers, hearts and balloons. My mom gave me bouquets of beautiful pink tulips, and a cute book written by couples that have been married for 50 years and more. Yesterday after work I was greeted by a large bouquet of sweet tea roses. Hubby had them sent to the house! Last night we gave Elise her Valentine's present and her "We love you because..." hearts. It was a fun relaxing evening. Sunday is the official day! What fun plans do you have to celebrate? Here are a few photos of our Valentine's so far...

 

  

Enjoy your day!

  

Soulful Sunday

"There are some things you can learn in the desert, that you can't learn in the palace".

This quote has really stuck with me today. It is only natural to long for the "palace" and say, it will be better when..., but maybe the journey to the "palace" has some good to offer now. Sometimes when we are put to the test, under pressure, or against seemingly insurmountable odds, good can come of it. Maybe we are a little stronger for it, or it leads us to people we would not have met otherwise, or maybe it allows us to hold even tighter to our faith and learn more about our relationship with God. Whatever the outcome, we should try and live in the moment. After all we are only promised now.

Here is a little acrostic I heard in church today: (The preacher was on a Superbowl kick, hence the word BOWL, but hey it works!)

Be a participant in God's redemption story
Obey what you know
Walk in the light God gives you
Leave room for mystery (trust God with the unknown)

Psalms 119:105
"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."

Fun Finds at PBK

 

  

 

Check out the fun Valentine's stuff at Pottery Barn Kids!

My go-to baby care product list

Being a first time parent, finding the right baby care products is trial and error. It seems that the list is ever changing. Below is what I have found that works for us. This has become my go-to list for the baby basics.

Burt's Bees

Baby Bee Shampoo and Wash

&

Baby Bee Diaper Ointment 

Little Twig Diaper Cream: extra mild unscented 

Seventh Generation Diapers

California Baby Calendula Everyday Lotion 

 

Little Twig: spf mineral sunscreen 

Pampers Sensitive Baby Wipes 

Little Noses Saline Spray/Drops

Neo To Go! 

 

 

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy birthday to a classy, funny, giving, loving lady! You are the greatest mom! I love you.

 

  

  

Happy Happy Birthday to You!

Elise's First Salon Visit

Thanks to our wonderful hairstylist Danielle, at Alan Murphy, Elise has a cute new bob haircut! She cried at first and would not sit in the chair alone, so hubby sat in with her on his lap. This was her very first "real" haircut! My camera battery ran out right at the start of it all, but I managed to get a few shots in. The after shots are after she woke up from her nap...

before

after

A big thanks to Danielle!

Children's Museum Trip

We made a trip to the Children's Museum Today! Elise was such a big girl exploring all the museum had to offer. The museum is pretty much one giant kid town called Kidtropolis. She went shopping at the HEB Market, worked in the Vet Clinic, enjoyed cooking at the Diner, showed off her artistic talent in the Art Studio, "drove" an Ambulance and raced boats, just to name a few. We had a great time being big kids too!

 

  

  

  

  

 

Drive-thru duck visit!

Hubby and I are taking vacation time off away from work this week, and enjoying time with our sweet baby girl. My mom watches Elise while I am at work, and when she and dad take a vacation, hubby and I split our vacation time up to be with Elise. For two years, we have had tag team vacation time off. This time hubby took off a whole week, so we could  be together! We are of course staycationing, but having fun just relaxing and not having to be anywhere! Today we decided to pick up the rest of our paint needed to complete our bedroom, and then stopped by the lake in our neighborhood to feed the ducks. The weather is yucky and Elise is still sick, so we decided to stay in the warm car, and throw bread out of the window! It was hilarious, and Elise had a great time. Here are a few photos of our adventure.