Out of Office Reply...

Just when I think I cannot possibly love him more, he gets sick and I spend 3 days locked in the house with him.

When he's sick he snuggles and wants momma. 

When he's better he is back to all of his usual jokes and making me laugh. 

And when he's sleeping, I cannot imagine a more peaceful sight.  :-)

Special, Secret Gifts

Isaiah clearly wins the title of "Best Gift Giver" in our relationship.  You know, if it were a competition.  I'm sure none of you compete over anything so silly.  But (sigh) he is a natural.  He's thoughtful and creative, and can even expertly wrap his own gifts.  I know, no one believes that last part, but it's true.

I try to be thoughtful and creative, but a lot of times I stew over trying to be SO thoughtful and SO creative that I worry at some point I might give up altogether and just start getting everyone a gift card to Target.  Just thinking about that makes me relax a little... 

But this year for Mother's day, having a better appreciation for what they went through and all, I wanted to do something extra special for Anderson's Grammy and Grandma.  An idea came to me after swooning over his little curl in the back of his hair and realizing that it wouldn't stay like that forever.  It startled me a bit.  I suddenly wanted to cement this little, perfect curl in time. 

Then I remembered those sweet, old-fashioned silhouette paintings and thought it would be the perfect way to have a keepsake of how he looked, at that very stage of his development.  I know I could've done it in Photoshop, but I happened to know an incredibly talented artist, Angelina Briggs of Studio A, and asked her if she'd ever done something like that.  She hadn't, but I trusted her anyway and asked her if she could make three - one for each grandma, and one for me.  We both did some googling for inspiration and I took about 3,457,985 almost-profile shots of Anderson (he does NOT sit still, that kid!).  Somehow I managed to get at least one she could work with. 

So this:

Became this:

Became this:

 

Anderson's little curl has already changed, his hair growing out and seemingly different every day.  But now I have something permanent to look at and remind me of that one little moment when I was admiring his curl. 

When she opened hers, Kris (AKA Grammy)  kept saying, "oh, this is priceless!" and I agree.  (Definitely contact Angelina if you are interested in having her create something priceless for you.  She is amazing.)  Thank you so much Angelina!! 

But that's not all! 


I got to be part of another secret gift recently.  And did I mention that I am not the best when it comes to keeping secrets?  I mean, I can do it, but it is really, really hard.  I just get so excited!

My college friend Darci is about to have her first baby this August.  We talk just about every day online, so I know every detail of her daily life, but we haven't actually seen each other in person since her wedding three years ago.  So...when her wonderful, awesome, and somewhat mischievous Aunt Judi, Cousin Ali, and mom Becky contacted me and asked if I'd be willing to be a surprise guest for a surprise baby shower in May, I thought I would explode keeping it from her!  Seeing the look on her face when I walked through the door was so worth all of the pretending over the last several weeks:

Here she is, looking happy and relaxed on our boat ride around Keowee Key in South Carolina:

And here we are at the surprise baby shower:

Having the chance to feel her baby kick was overwhelming, since I usually only get to see these momentous occasions over webcam or YouTube.  Of course, when I felt her baby girl kick I cried and then made everyone else cry.  That's what Girls Weekend is all about, right?  It was a weekend I will never forget.

Now, if she'll only tell us that baby girl's name...darn her for being good at keeping secrets!  :-)

My Second Mother's Day

As I think about my first year and a half as a mother, I think about how my life has changed in those ways that I couldn't imagine before I had a baby.  You know how people always say, "You just can't know until you've been there."?  Well, I think that's because it's different for everyone.  So here are some of the way my life has changed in ways I just never could've imagined.  Some of them might sound silly, but I thought it would be fun to record them.

• Discipline.  Not that I wasn't necessarily disciplined before (alright...who am I kidding? I still struggle with this), but it's the little things.  Like washing his high-chair tray right after he's done eating instead of leaving it for later.  Like giving him a bath no matter how tired I am.  Like anticipating what he'll need and doing whatever needs to be done...before it needs to be done.
• Strength.  The strength to tell him no.  The strength to let him cry.  The strength to put him back in his crib at night because a good night's sleep is what is best for both of us, no matter how much I want to snuggle. The strength to let him get up on his own when he falls.  
• Understanding.  My perspective on the whole world has changed.  It's not so much about my own identity, although I did change a lot about my life once I had a baby.  It's more about understanding what other people might be going through.  How you never know what could happen tomorrow and learning to be comfortable with that.  How important it is to appreciate each day and the people in your life that are there helping you along the way.
• Gratitude.  I feel like I've always tried to have an attitude of gratitude, but it's magnified by 1000 times. Gratitude for grandparents, babysitters, mom blogs, understanding people, friends who had a baby before me that I couldn't support in the way they've now supported me.  And waves, hugs, kisses, smiles, new words, growth, and his emerging independence. 
• Patience.  Walking slowly along side him because he's learning.  Waiting for him to say "momma" six months after he learned how to say "daddy."  Being okay with him not wanting to finish a book and instead deciding to play peek-a-boo.  Telling him not to hit again...and again...and again...  Finally figuring out that "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" is so popular because it actually has magical powers!
• And most of all, Love like I never knew before.  For my husband.  For our parents.  For our siblings.  For my friends.  And for this tiny little boy for whom I am responsible.

Being someone's mom is an incredible experience, one that I am grateful to have each and every day...even when I'm exhausted, annoyed, impatient, weak, selfish and crabby.  Because then he smiles and all of those other emotions come flooding over me like a tidal wave.  And I'm reminded that I'm a mom now.  The hardest, most terrifying, rewarding, and wonderful job in the whole world.

Mother's Day 2011

Family Traditions

The weeks are flying by now that Spring is here and each day brings warmer temperatures and busier schedules.  I've still been cooking, but haven't had as much time to document lately.  But I am excited to share with you some of the things I've been up to, starting with two stories about family traditions.  One is from me, the other from my friend Brett along with the recipe for her Granny's fruit slaw that I promised weeks ago.

Recently, my Mother-In-Law, Kris, celebrated her birthday.  I wanted to make it special somehow, because she has a knack for always making us kids feel special.  It was right before Easter, so I happened to have some plastic eggs.  I picked up a basket on my way over and secretly asked everyone to write a little note with a memory of how she made them feel special, or went out of her way for them over the past year.  We put the notes in the eggs, put the eggs in the basket, and before she opened her gifts she read them all aloud.  It was very cool to be reminded of how thoughtful she is year-round and honor her in this way on her birthday.  Here are some pictures:

 

The birthday girl!

You can see the basket with the eggs.  She's reading one of her notes!

One of my favorites...from her hubby.

Everyone digging into yummy birthday cake.

I thought with Mother's Day coming up, this idea might come in handy for anyone else looking for a way tell their mom that they are appreciated year-round!

For dinner that night, I introduced Brett's Granny's Fruit Slaw that I made during my Spring Break themed week.  It was a hit!  I promised the recipe when I originally showed off the slaw, but it just didn't seem right for me to put it out in the world when it clearly is not my recipe.  So, here is Brett to share with you the history of this delicious salad that should become a standard part of your summer BBQs!  :-)

When Jenny asked if I would introduce my Granny’s Fruit Slaw, I wondered what would best honor the recipe.  I decided to go right to the source to get the historical information of how it came to be.  I called my Granny.  As the matriarch of our family, she has not only passed along her recipes, but has also instilled a love of gardening, cooking, and eating in all of the three younger generations.  She was tickled to be featured on a foodie blog, even though she admitted that this particular recipe does not have the most glamorous roots.  The story is simple, but also remarkable, as it shows how good food evolves with a little creativity and confidence in the kitchen. 

And so, as my Granny shared both the history and the recipe with me, I will share them with you.  It started out as a basic recipe with green cabbage, onions, and bell pepper.  The original professed that the most important aspect was that you were supposed to let it sit overnight in the fridge without stirring and toss it the following day.  My Granny explained that, in her opinion, that technique did not matter at all and the best part of the dish was the dressing; however, even it needed a little improvement, so she added rice vinegar, our secret family ingredient, and she just kept “working with it,” making it a little more interesting each time.  The debut of the red grapes happened when we were both together preparing for a family reunion and they have become a fast tradition.

Many of the ingredients and techniques of the original recipe have disappeared, but what remains is a delicious combination of flavors in a salad that has evolved to be passed down through the generations.  In my Granny’s words, “I just started with the basics and dropped what I did not like,” added some new colors and flavors, and created a family favorite.  We hope that you enjoy it!

granny's fruit slaw:

salad:

1 large head green cabbage
1 large can pineapple chunks quartered
1 bunch grapes halved
1 bit finely chopped parsley (aprox 3 T)
1 bit finely chopped mint (aprox 1 T)
1 medium finely chopped sweet onion

mix together in large bowl.

dressing:
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup white sugar

heat until sugar dissolves and pour over salad mixture.

*add rice vinegar (1/4-1/8 cup) to taste.
**marinate for several hours before serving.
***if desired, add apples, apricots or other fruit.

--brett