Birth

One Month

Two Month

I can’t believe that Charlotte will be 3 months old next week!  She is simply the best thing  that has ever happened to Pete and me.  She arrived on July 13, 2011 at 6:33pm.  I am amazed that a year ago, we had just put a contract on our house and Pete had started his new job. I remember feeling so sad about our fertility treatment not working  but I was determined to create a happy life for us in Virginia.  We didn’t realize that we were already pregnant.   This year we face new struggles with our family but we find that we get through each day because we have each other and our Charlotte. She is a happy and engaging baby!

I was looking around on Etsy today and I fell in love with this Giclee print by Christine Lindstrom. The print can by found in her Etsy shop Mai Autumn.

The last few months have just been crazy. In August, Pete accepted a job offer in Northern Virginia. We have enjoyed living in New Jersey but we missed living in the land of sweet tea, country music, and 50 million places to buy Pho.  He had to start the job in September, so he relocated to Virginia without me.  Once again, our friend Scott adopted Pete during our separation and very nicely let Pete stay with him and his wife. I was alone in NJ with two crazy cats. They didn’t want to let me sleep and decided 3am was the perfect time to run a derby around the house. We took advantage of the housing market and bought a cute Cape Cod in Falls Church. I completed the move a week before Thanksgiving.  Things are slowly coming together and I am getting some sleep.

I saw this platter at Mod Cottage in Rehoboth Beach, DE. The platter is made of melamine and features a scrimshaw whale graphic. I fell in love and I am blessed that my Aunt Linda bought me the platter for my birthday!  I also found the platter on the Red Barn Mercantile for $32.95

I was reading O Magazine and there was an article about books that you should steal from your teenagers. I decided to try this book from the list and I was not disappointed! I quickly bought the second book in the trilogy and the final book is coming out next month. I have it on order. The Hunger Game series will suck you in!

During the Christmas holiday I received a bag of Dale and Thomas French Onion popcorn. I fell in love with the popcorn but not the price. I followed a link on their site to Popcorn Indiana and I found my new love…Aged White Cheddar Kettlecorn!  It is savory and cheesy.  There is nothing better than throwing in a movie and grabbing a bowl of this popcorn! I have found the popcorn at Whole Foods, KMart, and WalMart.

LOVE THIS!

I am so excited about the coming snow! I love having snow during the holidays. I am going to stay in and bake cookies and enjoy my Williams-Sonoma hot chocolate!

Bourbon Slush
6 ounce can of frozen orange juice
6 ounce can of frozen lemonade
1 cup sugar
6 cups cold water
2 cups water with 2 to 4 tea bags steeped
1 1/3 cups bourbon

Mix well together orange juice, lemonade, sugar and 6 cups cold water. Then add 2 cups of tea and bourbon. Pour into a bowl and place in freezer until slushy. Serve by itself or half slush with ginger ale or lemon/lime soda.

photo by: Jhawk

Dear Hubby,

I am sitting here, bracing my head against my palm, while trying to type and not fall asleep. Every night for the last four nights, you have managed to wake me up multiple times during the night.  It was adorable that you subconsciously needed to cuddle at 4 a.m., but I had just gotten to sleep from when you woke me up at 2 coming to bed.  I really need my sleep or my alter ego is going to erupt from my psyche and I just can’t be held accountable for the things I say at 3:30 a.m. or the look I give you at 7:45 a.m. when the alarm goes off when you don’t plan on getting up until 8:30 a.m. I strongly urge you to to enjoy all the comforts of our guest room.

Dear Darling Kitties,

I have dreamed of duck taping you to the wall.  I know the hubby comes to bed later than me, but this is not an invitation to jump on me, lay on my face, or to attack my feet because they are moving around under the sheets.  What is up with the hairballs at 3 a.m.?   Do you have to do it right next to my side of the bed?  I would run and hide if you wake me up tonight.

I am getting my sleep tonight come hell or high water!

Wait in the Van

Starting My Life at 35

Katherine Unabridged

Life in Trexlertown

It Is What It Is

A Little Pink in the Cornfields

The Bygone Bureau

This image caught my eye as I was reading through the New York Times. This is one of five images by artist In Sook Kim.

I really like this house plan. I found it in Southern Living. It would need to be tweaked a bit but I could see this working for Pete and me.

To my best friend,

Thank you for 9 amazing years of marriage. I look forward to another year of  creating happy memories and facing life’s challenges together. I love you!

~Becky

Have you ever thought about how much money you have put into a relationship? It has been 9 years since I was in a dating relationship, but I don’t recall ever keeping track of how much it cost.  Apparently the guy that Elizabeth dated kept a running tab. Check out The Relationship Bill.

Take a look at this site called This is why you’re fat. The site highlights food that is not so good for you. Most of it looks disgusting, such as the above photo of a Sloppy Joe on a Crispy Creme donut.  Apparently all the items listed are real foods. The Oreo cookie got my attention cause I love the center of Oreos but I think I would hurl if I tried to eat their oreo.

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”

~Abraham Lincoln

“Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.”

~quote from an Irish grave marker