What I'm Loving Wednesday

• I am loving that this Saturday, we are leaving for the beach!  Baby Stella will meet her first waves, sandy beaches, salty air, and fun in the sun--complete with SPF 100 from my mom.  Totally pumped.
• I am loving that my Cats are in the Final Four this weekend!  I so need them to win so my hubbs will be in a good mood for vacation.  C-A-T-S Cats, CATS, CATS!
• I am not so much loving that my baby girl is still sick (it's been a month of stuffy nose, wheezing, and the cursed NASAL ASPIRATOR)...but I finally took her to the doctor (she wasn't acting sick, I promise) and got her some meds, which I thought she was too young for but actually wasn't.  SO, in light of that, I am loving that the top shelf of my refrigerator now houses a blast from my past--amoxicillian--a.k.a. BUBBLE GUM MEDICINE!  I opened the lid and sniffed my way down memory lane.  LOVE me some bubble gum medicine.  Loved Stella's face even more when I gave her some--her eyes got HUGE and she smiled really big.  Treat!
• I am loving that my sweet 4th graders are so fantastic.  Not only did our class have the highest percentage of kids with all their Accelerated Reader points, but they also raised over $1300 for Jump Rope for Heart!!!!!  WOW!  Love their sweet little hearts.

What are YOU loving this wet, not-so-warm Wednesday?

SJP

Project 31 Update

In case you've just tuned in, Project 31 is 31 days of blogging with various topics.  Feel free to link up and join in the fun--please leave me a comment if you do so I can follow your blog!

Happy Reading! :)
SJP

THE TOPICS:

Day 1. What are your favorite beauty products?

Day 2. What makes you uniquely you?
Day 3. A photo that makes you happy
Day 4. Who are your favorite bloggers?
Day 5. Write a blog thanking someone who has made your heart come alive.
Day 6. Your most embarrassing moment
Day 7. Do you believe in the "cry until she sleeps" method?
Day 8. Have a beauty secret (e.g. hair tip, make up tip)? Share, please!
Day 9. What virtues do you value in yourself?
Day 10. What are some of your favorite MAC products, and what foundation/powder do you wear?
Day 11. Post a recipe. Or if you don't cook, try a new recipe and write about how it turned out (pictures please!).
Day 12. Write about what wears you out as a woman.
Day 13. A YouTube video
Day 14. Style 31. Post an outfit pic!
Day 15. What do you wish for?
Day 16. What questions do you have as a mother?

Day 17. Write about 3 things that make you happy.
Day 18. If you could, what would you tell yourself before you had your baby?
Day 19. Write about your significant other
Day 20. Write about your job and why you love it or hate it.
Day 21. Write about your most vivid childhood memory. Post a picture of you taken over ten years ago.
Day 22. What did you do today?
Day 23. Who's your celebrity look alike?
Day 24. What is God teaching you presently?
Day 25. Style 31. Post a pic of your favorite comfy clothes.
Day 26. What do you hope your grandchildren will say about you someday when you are gone?
Day 27. Style 31. Post a pic of you in your favorite oufit.

Day 28. Write about your insecurities as a woman.
Day 29. Your day, in great detail
Day 30. What do you think is going to happen to you after you die?
Day 31. Your favorite quote

Project 31, Day 7. Cry It Out.

I am definitely not an expert on being BabyWise, and letting baby Stella cry it out.  I SO want to believe in the "cry until she sleeps" method...but It's so ridiculously hard.  Luckily, Stella only cried for two nights!!!  The first night we tried it (at about 3 weeks old), she cried for about 40 minutes.  The longest.forty.minutes.of.our.lives.  Pat and I just stared at each other and listened to her cry in the monitor.  It was awful...but we stayed strong and didn't go pick her up!  The next night, she only cried for about 15 minutes.  SO much better.  After that, she may have put up a little fuss, but never as bad as the first night. 

So I guess I do believe in the methods.  I certainly think babies need to learn to pacify and soothe themselves, and this is a good way to do it.  Or can I just say that because it was so easy for us?  It hurt my heart to let her lay by herself in the dark and cry.  It was terrible.  But hopefully it only traumatized us--and she was too young to remember it, and will be a better sleeper in the long run!

Here's to good zzzzzzzz's! 



Project 31: Day 6?. Most Embarrassing Moment

The Tale of the Disastrous First Date.

Characters:

Sarah (sassy and fabulous main character)

Amy (Sarah's skinnier BFF)

David (Amy's bf and James' BFF)

James (Sarah's love target)

    

     Once upon a time in high school, there was a chipper, boy-crazy blond named Sarah.  Among many admirable qualities, Sarah didn't have the greatest self-confidence, and to put it politely, was never considered to be "the skinny one" among her friends.  But she still had a blasty blast, and was up to the usual no-goodedness of high school.

     This particular month, Sarah had a gigantic teeny little crush on a boy named *James. (names have been changed to protect the innocent.)  James was a couple of years older, had a great personality, had his license and his own car (swoon!), and a smile that would melt your heart. 

   One fateful, blazing July afternoon, James invited Sarah, Amy, and David over to his house...with the instruction to 'bring a swimsuit.'  Sarah secretly dreaded hearing those words, but couldn't resist an afternoon with her handsome love.  Sarah and Amy primped and prepped for their hot double date, and off they went. 

     Turns out James' parents had a hot tub on their back porch, and James wanted to hang out there.  In the middle of July.  Sarah was not about to argue with that sweet face, so she hid behind her towel until the last possible second, waited for James to get distracted and turn his head, and dove into the hot tub like she was an alumni member of the US Olympic Diving Team.  Anything to be hidden away and under the water.     
     They chatted.  They flirted.  They laughed and tossed their hair.  Everyone else got out to get something to drink or use the restroom; Sarah was too shy and embarrassed in her swimsuit to get out.
     So she stayed in the hot tub.
     In the middle of July.
     FOR FOUR AND A HALF HOURS.
((A small side note.  For those of you who haven't quite thought this through yet, a person doesn't know that they're sweating if they're in a hot tub.  But they are.  And if you stay in too long, don't drink anything because you don't want to get out to potty, and sweat for four hours in the middle of summer?  Dehydration is uncool.  You see where my story is going.))
   When they were all pruny, the foursome hopped out of the hot tub onto the pebble patio.  Sarah furiously wrapped herself like a burrito in her beach towel, and they headed inside to change. 
     Sarah realized something wasn't quite right.  She looked at Amy, casually declared "I'm about to pass out," and hit the pavement.  She fell backwards into what should have been James' arms, but James was so caught off guard he didn't catch her and let her head hit the lovely pebble patio. (It hit so hard that I Sarah remembers it even though she was unconscious.) When she came to, Amy was screaming, "she needs food!" and shoving a banana into Sarah's mouth.  Sarah did not enjoy bananas at the time, and the mushy consistency made her gag repeatedly and nearly throw up.  And then she looked down and realized her towel was gone.  Bathing suit exposed. 
Embarrassing moment doesn't even begin to describe it all.
Needless to say, that was our last date.

Project 31: Day 5. A Heartfelt Thank You.

Day 5. Write a blog thanking someone who has made your heart come alive.

My Sweet Stella,

Who else would I write this letter to? 

You have changed me completely as a person.  I am not just a wife, a teacher, a daughter, a sister, or a friend anymore.  I have added one more title-- mother -- and it has completely transformed everything about me.  It even affected the way I look at all the titles I had before you.  I'm not the same wife, teacher, daughter, sister, or friend that I was before I met you.  I'm better, stronger, at all those things...all because of you.  I've known lots of people...but never known one little person who could change my life so drastically.  And in such a wonderfully amazing therearenowordstodescribeit way.

Thank you, Stella.  Your sweet little hands and toes are the most precious hands and toes I've ever seen.  Your big blue eyes make me feel so proud inside, and so in love.  Your smile is just like your daddy's, and it makes my heart feel like it might swell out of my chest, just like his does.  You mean the world to me, and I'll do everything I can to protect you and be sure you know that you are cherished.  We both love you so much, Stella Elizabeth.  Thank you for making our hearts come alive.

Love,

Your Mama

Just Go To Bed.

Did you read these books when you were little?

I bought this book today for Stella.  I loved these books when I was little--I have no idea how many of them we had. Or how many million times I read them to myself, or to my little brother when we played school.

But mostly I bought this book because this guy's footie pj's made me jealous. And all I want to do is

go.

to.

bed.



Project 31: Day 4. My Blogstalk List.

Fact: I've always been nosy.  Within ten minutes of sitting down at a restaurant, I can tell you what's going on with the people at every table around me, because I completely eavesdrop on their convo.  I only feel a little guilty about it--but I'm not gonna tell anyone.  I just like to know what's going on.  I don't want to miss anything, and people watching is just plain fun. 

So when maternity leave came along, my nosiness (and the fact that I was trapped in the house with noone to people watch) mixed a little with my Ihavenoideawhattodowiththisnewbaby syndrome and my isanyoneelseastiredasIam-itis, and thus began my obsession with blogs.  I googled "baby blogs," then clicked around on other people's favorites, and discovered a world of internet people-watching!  So here are a few of my faves (most of which you can find right over there --> in a handy list). 

• My new bff in internet space (whether she knows it or not!) is Melissa at Dear Baby.  I am IN LOVE with everything about her!  She takes amazing pictures of her precious baby Everly; she is an ahhhhmazing writer; and she gave me a great idea for my own StellaBabe.  She writes letters to Everly, and now to her baby-on-the-way Arlo.  They are beautiful.  They are honest. They make me cry.  This blog is a MUST READ, and I literally check in on her daily. Just love her!! (Melissa, if you're reading this, I'm not really as stalkerish as this might sound.  But you're SUPER CUTE!)
• I also adore cute Julie at The Daily Julie. She writes about lots of different things--fashion, music, fun ebay finds...very cool and very interesting.
• My real life friend Abby keeps a blog about her family at Snyder Stories.  Her son is positively PRESH, as is her blog. Check it out.
• I am newly loving Thirty Handmade Days because it makes me want to be a craftier person.  So many cool ideas for crafties, recipes, and other things that I want and/or need in my life.

Check out my big list on the right...I am loving getting to "know" other people..but mostly love nosing through their business.  :)

Project 31: Day 3. Photographs.

Nothing makes me happier than a cute pic.  Except LOTS of cute pics.  I love nothing more than a good photo shoot...and I'm trainin' Baby Stella nice and early to like them, too.  So here you are--the latest pics that make me happy from our latest photo shoot.

(the ice cream sundae hat is from my favorite new spot: Melondipity)

Priceless.
Love,
Sarah

Project 31: Day 2. Uniquely Me.

UNIQUE.

(yoo-NEEK)

adjective. existing as the only one or as the sole example; single; solitary in type or characteristics

I dreaded this blog post as soon as I saw the list of topics.  I am NOT good at talking about myself.  I have been thinking about what to write here since I started this little project.  What exactly does make me unique?  I hate to be like everyone else...I always try to do what everyone else doesn't do...so I obviously think the aspect of uniqueness is important.  But as I tried to pinpoint things that make me unique, I thought, "Nope, other people do that."  or "Nope, other people have that quality." 

So I guess what it came down to is, I'm ME. Take me or leave me...but I'm gonna be me, unique or not. 

But one thing that I have, that I created, that I grew and nourished, and that I am in love with more than anything else in this entire universe, is Stella Elizabeth.   She's a one and only.  And so I guess THAT makes me unique.

Love,
Sarah



Project 31: Day 1. Fave Beauty Products.

I am obsessed with buying beauty products, because let's face it: they look good, they smell good, they feel good, and they will always fit.  (That last reason explains why I'm also obsessed with shopping for shoes and jewelry.  But I digress.)  The employees at Sephora get all excited when they see me comin'.  And in fact, Stella's first shopping experience in life involved a trip to my mecca--aka Sephora.  (If you're keeping score, she j'adored it.) 
My first job was at a store called The Body Shop (before I was 16!) in the mall, and I was hired because I had spent so much time in there as a customer, they knew that I knew the products and would be a good advocate for them.  I worked there off and on until I was 24 (!), so don't be surprised when you see some of their delicacies listed below. 
So in no particular order, ta daaaa! My Fave Beauty Products...

BODY: The Body Shop (see? I told ya!) Almond Body Butter

I actually love all their body butters.  My skin is only super dry in the wintertime, but I wear these products year-round.  Some of them are super heavy, so I can't wear those specific butters in the dead of summer because I sweat them off and look like a freakshow, but some flavor of BB can for sure always be found on my elbows, knees, and feet.

FACE: Duh. Anything Clinique.  I have super sensitive skin, and am allergic to most face care stuff.  Plus, I get peeved when my skin feels even the slightest bit dry or tight.  The result?  I literally use their entire face care line, but this is all I could fit in the pic.  Faves out of the pic are the 7-Day Scrub Cream, which is scrumptious (and the thought of DEAD skin touching me makes me all barfy--yay for ANY scrub)...and the intensive night cream, which is a rich, velvet-y delight.

HAIR: Aveda Self Control Hair Styling Stick and Smooth Infusion

 I would use all Aveda if I could afford it.  I think it all smells marvelous, but it must have like chunks of money in it or something because it all costs ... WELL BEYOND what my budget allows.  These two are must-haves, although I'm pretty sure my bestie (a hairdresser at an Aveda salon) told me that they don't make Self Control anymore, which is basically a knife straight in the heart.  Not cool, Aveda.  It's a good thing your stuff is like magic potions...

BODY (again): Victoria's Secret Very Sexy for Her

I mean, it just smells Ahh-Mazing.   That's really all their is to it.  I usually wear this on special nights out, or on my fat days where I at least want to smell good.

 BRONZER: Sephora (holla!) Sun Disk

This bad boy is GIGANITC and awesome.  It even smells good.  It's good for winter when you wish you were bronze because it doesn't look orange (and on me, lots of things do), but it's also good for summer because it's so natural-looking.  Unless I slather it on like paint when I'm feeling extra pale and ghostly...then not so much.

 EYES: Avon Twist Glimmerstick Diamond Liners

I originally bought them because Reese Witherspoon (their spokesman) told me they were awesome, and I'm a sucker for advertising gimmicks (and anything Reese Witherspoon--how cute is she?).  I love this navy color, but also have this in black and gray...and LOVE the shot of glittery fun they add.  "Aren't you a little old for glitter makeup, SJP?" you may be asking.  The answer is NO, and SHUT UP. Next!

HANDS: B&BW Antibacterial Hand Wash in Sunburst Tangerine

I'm not really sure that this counts as a beauty product, but it smells like summer and makes my hands all soft and non-germy.  So I included it in this list.

(back to) FACE: Sephora Face Brush

So we've established that I lumme some Sephora.  And we've established that I love anything that scrubs for that deep-clean feeling.  And we've established that my budget is tiny as a pea.  Ergo, the face brush! It's like those fancy Clairsonic ones that are like $200, but this one you have to move your own hand around(oh, the humanity!), and it only costs like $3. #winning!

HAIR: Chi Hair Straightener

This picture just made my bff/hairdresser cringe.  I use this sucker every.single.day, but my hair is paying the price.  It is so broken and dead, that I style it sometimes and, in her words, look like Rod Stewart...

Yikes. Still my favorite hair styling product, though.

NAIL POLISH: OPI in Dutch Tulips

I swear, ya'll, this stuff has, like, color-changing abilities.  With some outfits, it looks pink...with others, it looks red.  I'm not kidding.  It drives me crazy to mix pink and red (hello, I'm not a Valentine), so this polish is good for me because I don't have to change it when I change my outfits.  Major plus.  I don't have time for all that anymore. 

 Well, there you have it.  Some of my verrrrrrry favorites.  Now tell me...what are YOURS?

Project 31: Celebrating You

I have linked up with cute Meghann at Bringing Up Bumble and decided to take a 31-day blog challenge about myself.  With a brand new baby, back to working, and attempting to continue a social life, this might prove to be trickier than I think...but I'm going to give it a shot!  If you have topics you want me to discuss, feel free to add them in the comments section of this entry.

Cheers!  Here goes nuthin'!

   THE TOPICS:

Day 1. What are your favorite beauty products?

Day 2. What makes you uniquely you?
Day 3. A photo that makes you happy
Day 4. Who are your favorite bloggers?
Day 5. Write a blog thanking someone who has made your heart come alive.
Day 6. Your most embarrassing moment
Day 7. Do you believe in the "cry until she sleeps" method?
Day 8. Have a beauty secret (e.g. hair tip, make up tip)? Share, please!
Day 9. What virtues do you value in yourself?
Day 10. What are some of your favorite MAC products, and what foundation/powder do you wear?
Day 11. Post a recipe. Or if you don't cook, try a new recipe and write about how it turned out (pictures please!).
Day 12. Write about what wears you out as a woman.
Day 13. A YouTube video
Day 14. Style 31. Post an outfit pic!
Day 15. What do you wish for?
Day 16. What questions do you have as a mother?

Day 17. Write about 3 things that make you happy.
Day 18. If you could, what would you tell yourself before you had your baby?
Day 19. Write about your significant other
Day 20. Write about your job and why you love it or hate it.
Day 21. Write about your most vivid childhood memory. Post a picture of you taken over ten years ago.
Day 22. What did you do today?
Day 23. Who's your celebrity look alike?
Day 24. What is God teaching you presently?
Day 25. Style 31. Post a pic of your favorite comfy clothes.
Day 26. What do you hope your grandchildren will say about you someday when you are gone?
Day 27. Style 31. Post a pic of you in your favorite oufit.

Day 28. Write about your insecurities as a woman.
Day 29. Your day, in great detail
Day 30. What do you think is going to happen to you after you die?
Day 31. Your favorite quote

What I'm Loving Wednesday

I am loving lots of things these days.  Lots of new things.  Here are some of them, in no particular order:

• Today, I'm loving myself a few doses of this:

Every time I go back to school (at the beginning of the year, after a break, and now after maternity leave), I get sick.  No matter how much I GermX, take vitamins, try not to touch kids' pencils, etc...I always manage to catch some funk.  NO FUN. 

• I am re-LOVING a whole bunch of this:

Now that I'm not acting as the milkmaiden around here, I have re-caffeinated myself...and maybe made up for some of the 10+ months I went without.  Yum.  Also helps the sore throat!! WINNING!!

I am LOVING signs of springtime!!!

• I am LOVING that my daughter is a good sleeper.  Like for real good.  She naps, naps, naps...AND sleeps through the night!  (I'm probably jinxing us, and she'll pull an up-all-nighter tonight...here's hoping I didn't.) Pat and I are both big sleepers, so this bodes well for us.

• I am LOVING that we have Spring Break plans!  We are taking Stella to her first beach vacay...just Myrtle Beach, nbd, because we didn't want to spend our ENTIRE vacay in the car driving...but any beach works for me! 



We're staying at a hotel we're familiar with...and I am also loving that the pool is on top of the parking garage, so it's really breezy and up high and you can still see and hear the beach, but don't have to be sandy! SCORE!  I am, however, slightly concerned about the scary amount of junk important stuff we'll have to take with us now that we are Price: Party of 3...but she's worth it.

And finally...of course...I am LOVING this fun Interwebz find:



Hope you had a great Wednesday!

quote.



so far, soooooooo good.

What I've Learned: Stella's First Three Months.

• Having a baby is literally THE most life-changing thing I can imagine.  So much has changed in our lives, in my head, in my priorities, in what I dream of at night.  I'd always heard it, but never really understood it...now I do.
• Nothing smells better than a clean baby after bath time.
• I've never kept up with laundry as well as I do now.  Also, I am appalled at how many burp cloths and clean clothes a baby can barf on in one day.
• I'm amazed at how a 12-pound little thing can create something so nasty, it triggers my gag reflex in dangerous ways. 
• I actually can tell the difference between her hungry, bored, and sleepy cries.  For so long at the beginning, they all sounded the same, and I was terrified that I would never be able to tell the difference and was therefore a horrible mother.
• I never dreamed (no pun intended) that I could function on so. little. sleeeeeeep. But I can.
• Nothing makes me happier than when she smiles at me.
• I have to get out of the mindset that noone can take care of her like I can.  Don't I?  How firmly do people stick with the concept of "maternal instinct?"  I'm still torn on that one.
• It's terrifying that one little person can instill such extreme joy, fear, control-freakness, anxiety, pride, craziness, and the need to snuggle--all at the same time.
• It's ahhhhhhhh-mazing...and I'm really trying to soak in and savor every minute.

Happy 3 months to Baby Stella!



Mouse in the House.

Our neighborhood was created from what used to be a giant farm.  It's also still right next to a giant farm, and we can hear cows mooing and roosters crowing while we stand on the front porch.  Lots of times on my way to work in the mornings, I have to be on the lookout for teensy rabbits crossing the road in front of me. (Why did the rabbit cross the road? To narrowly escape the half-asleep lady behind the wheel.)  Yes this scene from Charlotte's Web sounds lovely, but for us, it means that not only do we have animals living around our house,

we have animals living IN our house.

And I'm not just talkin' 'bout Sophie.

Once, a bird flew in through the back door, and my dog lost her mind.  It pooped on our fridge, it clung in fear to our mini-blinds, and it finally made it out the front door.  This guy was the least of our problems because of his lovely friends in nature...MICE.

Since we've lived in this house (about 4 years now), we've killed at LEAST 15 mice who try to take up residence in our KITCHEN CABINET.  We've thrown away countless groceries that they mistakenly think we purchased for their gourmet dining purposes, Sophie has come dangerously close to insanity on numerous occasions as she stands staring at the cabinet doors, and I'm pretty sure the other night they were having a disco party in there.  There was squealing, there was rustling, there was snacking (on my peanut butter patties, thank you very much), and I'm positive I heard the faint sounds of a tiny mouse boombox. 

I am a clean. freak.  I can't stand clutter, and I really can't handle a messy or germy kitchen.  So please try to imagine how a pantry full of mouse poo makes me feel.  We've rearranged so that only canned goods are down there, we've taken everything out of the cabinets to try to find a tiny hole where they can come and go as they please, but they are STILL. HERE. 

I want to move.

So how do we get rid of them?  Eeeewww. When my baby starts playing with pots and pans, I really do NOT want her playing with mice...



Fancy Saturday Night.

Well, here I am, in all my fanciness.  It's Saturday night.  PP is gone on his annual "Man Trip" to Gatlinburg, and baby Stella and I have the weekend to ourselves.  Did we hit the town in matching sequined tops (onesie for her) and sip delcious pixie stick martinis? Negative.  Did I round up a babysitter, grab my bestie, and head to the Blue Moon like we did years ago?  Negative again.  We changed into comfy pj's around 7:00 tonight, and she's been asleep in her swing for hours.  While I sat here waiting for her to wake up and entertain me, I was doing my usual blogstalking...and finally decided to start my own.  I realized how much I j'adore reading other people's bitness and nosing through their lives, so I figured, "Hey! Maybe someone would enjoy a peek into mine!" So here is the key to my magical world, folks.  Just a twenty-something-too-close-to-thirty-something enjoying the married life, the new baby, the pains of adulthood, the joys of teaching tiny minds, and finding the funny in life.
Welcome to my blog!