Enjoying the Little Things

Our long drive this week had me thinking about what a blessing it is that our girls are easily comforted. I've heard of babies who aren't easy to soothe, and I feel for their mammas. Fortunately for us, our little chickadees are easy to please. 

For Riley, as long as she has her "dankies" she's set. She has three - pink one, other one, and soft one - and they usually stay in her bed but, when we go on trips or she takes a nap at my parents' house, she only takes pink one and other one. Those two are extra special because they were handmade for her by David's mom (Grandmommy). She also sucks her left thumb. We're not quite sure what we're going to do when it comes time to wean her from the habit, but we're happy that she only does it when she's going to sleep. The dentist told me it wouldn't cause problems since she doesn't suck it all the time. 

Caroline is a paci girl at the moment. For about 45 minutes after she's fed, she's content without it. When she's ready to take a nap, though, she wants the paci. So far, we haven't had any issues with her waking up in the middle of the night because she's lost it - she stays asleep. If she starts waking up because the pacifier slips out of her mouth, that's when we're going to have to start thinking about taking it away. She also loves having a blanket along the side of her face; I never would have put a blanket that close to Riley's nose and mouth when she was this age, but I suppose I'm less worried than I was as a first time mom. Before anyone has a cow, I definitely check on her periodically and move the blanket after she's asleep. 

As I thought about the items that bring my little girls comfort, I had to stop and consider what helps me calm down when I'm having a lousy day. The first thought that came to my mind was being wrapped in my husband's arms. Even when the "world" (my house, my sanity, my schedule, etc.) seems to be crumbling, a hug from David seems to settle me down and help me have a clearer head. I was convicted as I considered some other things that I should immediately turn to for comfort: God's word, prayer, hymns. Unfortunately, my first inclination is often to "google" it or ask a friend. I definitely need to learn to use those as last, or at least later, resorts. I need to seek my Savior's counsel before I turn to anything else. 

God is our refuge and strength, 

a very present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1

Home Again

David and I learned this week that traveling with two kids isn't as difficult as we would have thought.. Thankfully, our drives to and from Alabama went smoothly in the kid department. Caroline literally didn't cry on the way up until we pulled into our hotel at 3:30 a.m. She generally sleeps one eight or nine hour stretch a night so we figured traveling at night would allow us to get some driving in between feedings. We're glad it worked out that way. Riley was a little bit fussy during the night, but I think that's because she had a tough time getting comfortable in her car seat. 

Our few days in Alabama were wonderful. I don't know if it's because we surprised David's parents or because I now have a little girl that joins in the fun, but I think this was my favorite visit yet (and they're always fun!). I loved playing with my cousins when I was little and have been eager for Riley to be able to enjoy hers (my girls have seven in AL). It's so nice that David's sisters and parents do such a good job of talking about and Skyping with us so we don't seem like strangers the few times a year we get to be together.

Between talking, watching the kids play, and eating great food, we fit in three church services and a trip to a museum. Unfortunately, I didn't get to hear much of the messages because I was out with Caroline; I'm definitely going to have to listen to them online this week. 

I did get to enjoy Early Works Children's Museum, though. It's a historical museum that's filled with wonderful hands-on learning opportunities including period dress up clothes and a life-sized ship. Riley was too young to understand the exhibits, but she definitely enjoyed being able to touch everything. We plan on going back on future visits when she's able to "get" more of the history of it all. 

It's always fun to go, but it's definitely nice to be back home safely. We had an accident on the way home involving a broken window. Glass went everywhere including both girls' car seats, but God was merciful and neither of our little girls had a scratch. I'm so thankful that God is better to me than I deserve.

Side note: Our nieces and nephews are beautiful and sweet and I would love to share them with you, but some of our family is uncomfortable having their kids faces on the internet. Because most of the photos from this week are of Riley playing with her cousins or Caroline being held by one or another, there aren't too many photos I can share. 

My Memories Giveaway Winner

We're on our way home from Alabama and I'm currently sitting in a Chick-fil-a (gotta love free wi-fi). Just wanted to let you know that the winner of the My Memories Suite is Karla Curington. Congratulations! Please shoot me an email at lauren.daisycottage@gmail.com so I can get you the code for your software!

Remember, if you didn't win, you can get $10 off by using this code: STMMMS10542

Weekend Update

This past weekend, my brother graduated from college. The fact that he majored in molecular biology and managed a 3.98 GPA is something that makes all of us proud. In order for my husband and me to both attend his graduation ceremony, we left the girls with some good friends. It was the first time I'd left Caroline with anyone other than David and the first time she'd had a bottle. It was a monumental weekend.

After graduation, we picked up our girls and finished packing for a surprise trip to Alabama. David's mom has been going through some health issues lately. As a result, his parents have been unable to make it to Florida to meet little Caroline (I would say newest grandchild, but my sister-in-law just had a beautiful baby boy on Friday). You should have seen their faces when we pulled into church yesterday morning. It was fantastic. The fact that this weekend was Mother's Day just made the surprise that much more special. I don't have any pictures to post of the surprise, but hopefully I'll have some pictures to share of our trip later in the week. 

Fingerprint Bridie Cards

Let's just be honest here: my mom is terribly hard to shop for. If she needs something, she gets it. If it's a nick knack, she doesn't want it. Add that to the fact that I wait a little bit too late to start thinking about Mother's Day and it can become a sticky situation with me running around trying to find something appropriate the Saturday before. I have the same problem with Father's Day; last year I actually ran into my dad while buying a card for him the night before. Nothing like getting caught. 

This year, I must admit I'm proud of myself! I already know what I'm giving my mom and my mother-in-law and I have one set finished. Early. When I saw a canvas sporting thumbprint birds at Meet the Dubiens, I thought it was adorable. Riley and I did a variation of it last week when we were "studying" birds and it hit me: something similar would look adorable on a smaller scale. What grandmother wouldn't love to write a note to one of her pals on a card made for her by her precious grandchild? I'm hoping Riley's grandmothers will love their handmade cards.

While these make fantastic gifts, they're also wonderful to keep on hand for when you or your children need to write a thank you a note. I know the art of handwritten gratitude is falling by the wayside since technology is so much easier, but we can't let that happen. Riley is too little right now, but we plan on encouraging her to write thank you notes for many different occasions. These would be perfect to send out to family and friends after a birthday party.

Here's how Riley and I made them. 

First we took a trip to Michael's and purchased the items shown above (well, some of them we already had):

• Blank notecards with envelopes. We found ours in the dollar section. They had a scalloped edge which added a nice touch.
• Ink pads (we used Studio G) in lime green and other cute colors. These were also in the dollar section. 
• Brown and orange felt tipped markers (I had Crayola Super Tips on hand)
• Fine point black pen (My favorite is the Pilot Precise V5)

After we had all our supplies, I drew branches on the cards like this. I tried to make them almost exactly the same, but I didn't worry if there was a little variation from card to card. 

Next, I helped Riley add fingerprint leaves and birds to the card. I didn't do any two alike. At this point they look a little funny, but keep going. I promise the end result will be cute even if some of the prints are smudged. 

The final step is adding the beak, eyes, and feet. I have fun doing this. Some of our birds have very long and uneven legs, but I feel that adds to the character. I also try to add a little "tail" (I know birds don't have tails, but I don't know what else to call it). I added Riley's name and the year very lightly in pencil to the cards (you can see it in the last picture). 

That's it. All you need to do now is tie a ribbon around your cards and present them to one very special grandmother. I absolutely love the way these turned out and definitely plan on making myself a set. I love to write notes and being able to send some with my baby's artwork on the front will just make it that much better. 

So, if you're a last minute type of girl like I am, you should be able to gather all the supplies and make these before Mother's Day. Even if you can't, I think they'd make great birthday or teacher appreciation gifts, too. 

Linking up with

Get Your Brag on with Gluesticks

Frugal Friday at the Shabby Nest

Simple Baked Spaghetti

Those of us who have experienced the first few weeks of a baby's life know that sometimes getting through normal, everyday tasks can be tough at first - especially with baby # 1. You're not quite sure what you're doing, your baby is just adjusting to life on the outside, and your husband definitely isn't sure what's going on or if things will ever return to normal again. The good news is, life does become sane again and you will be able to get back into a routine and truly enjoy your new little one. 

When I had Riley, one of the biggest blessings was not having to cook those first couple of weeks we were at home. I could have done it, I guess (it was a painful recovery); but I was thankful that I didn't have to try. Now, when my friends have babies, within the first couple of weeks I like to take them a meal (preferably one that will last a couple of days) so they don't have to worry about food. 

Since it's pretty busy around the Brown house these days, the meal we take has to be simple (are you noticing a trend with how I cook?). My "go-to" recipe is baked spaghetti. I hesitated posting it because I know I have some honest-to-goodness Italian friends who might just read this post. They will probably crack up when they read the recipe and think that I've made a ridiculous choice, but it works for me. Not to mention, my non-Italian family loves it. In fact, Riley loves it so much, one of her nicknames is Spaghetti Betty.

If you have a friend who's just had a baby or is going through a tough time, I encourage you to look for ways to make her life easier. If cooking isn't your forte, take her older kids for the day so she can get some rest. Even if cooking isn't your thing, this recipe is super easy, so you could still give it a try.

You'll need:

• 1 box of angel hair pasta (Ronzoni is my favorite since it's the thinnest angel hair I can find)
• 1 jar of spaghetti sauce (I use the 45 oz. jar of Prego Traditional) or 40-45 ounces of homemade sauce
• 1/2 lb. of Italian sausage (I use Jimmy Dean)
• 1/2 lb. of ground beef
• Italian cheese blend (I use Sergento's 6 cheese Italian blend)

Brown your meats (I do it together). Mix with sauce and set aside. Prepare your pasta according to the directions on the box. Combine sauce mixture with noodles. Spread into a greased 9 x 13 pan, sprinkle with cheese and bake for 35-45 minutes in a 350˚ oven. 

If you're taking this to friends, don't bake it before hand. They'll be able to pop it in the oven whenever they're ready to eat. 

We like to eat this with garlic bread, salad, and chocolate covered strawberries for dessert. 

Not So Wordless Wednesday

I'm a little late to the party, but I just found a photo challenge on this blog that I wanted to join. I'm not going in order, but I want to do all 12 of the challenges. The two pictures below are #5 (just can't get enough) and #12 (thankful/blessed).

Ever since Christopher's commissioning ceremony, I can't stop looking at this picture. Really, it's not about the photo but the sweet little girl that it captured so well. This is why I take hundreds of pictures - in hopes of catching just a few like this one that I will treasure forever. 

And speaking of not getting enough, take a look at this sweet face! How blessed are we to have two adorable little girls to love and enjoy? I'm so unbelievably thankful that God has given them to us and pray that he will help guide and direct us as we strive to raise them to honor Jesus Christ!

#12 thankful/blessed