march :: a recap

Honestly, I'm glad March is behind us. I've just never been a fan of that "in-between" month. And even though I know April can be just as flippant with it's spring-like weather, just being able to say that it's April makes me feel better. Looking at the forecast for this week is a prime example: rain and thunderstorms yesterday, snow last night, sun tomorrow, snow on Friday, then sunny and 50s for the weekend. Talk about bi-polar.

In March…

• had a house full of family
• dedicated our baby to the Lord, which apparently really tired him out
• started cloth diapering, and so far I love it
• took Jack outside for the first time without having to bundle him up
• finally captured Jack's smile when he sees himself in a mirror
• had to dig the snow boots back out for a few days
• after weeks of a happy baby who slept through the night and take regularly scheduled naps, Jack seemed to regress to his 3-week-old self. Thought it was teeth = nope. Growth spurt = maybe. Payback for having too much pride that my baby was sleeping so well = probably.
• went home for a weekend so I could catch my breath/take some naps
• gave Jack a bath in the kitchen sink
• celebrated cousin Evie's 2nd birthday which meant bug tattoos for everyone, even the babe

Not pictured…

• Tim working/writing/studying like crazy for his grad school classes
• three stroller rides around the neighborhood for Jack on the nice days
• design projects for church and various weddings
• cleaning out my room at home and finding old high school art projects, diaries, key chains, and a jewelry box full of 2-dollar bills
• taking a nap in the sunroom for the first time this year
• watching classic Sesame Street episodes on Netflix with Jack
• chopped 10 inches off my hair
• our new evening routine after Jack is asleep: being in bed by 8:30 with mugs of hot tea, books, and Scrabble on the iPad

lately...

loving that my boy has busy kicking, smiling, chewing on his tongue, and sleeping through the night.

not loving that it has been crazy cold, as in almost any temp above zero sounds good.

wanting to chop my hair.

remembering that I like the summer Olympics so much better than the winter Olympics.

craving oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

finally getting around to using my Norwex cloths to clean the windows and mirrors. amazing!

eating lots of things like roast and potatoes and chicken soup.

learning to do things one-handed.

reading through Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening" on the iPad.

talking about when to finally make the switch from bassinet to crib.

having the words to this song running through my head.

planning to celebrate my little brother's 18th birthday.

keeping my heart and mind set on my many blessings instead of always wanting, comparing, and wishing. not easy.

lending maternity clothes to a good friend. so excited to meet baby z in June!

watching through all the seasons of Dirty Jobs on Netflix.

listening to jazz on iTunes Radio during Jack's last nursing session before bed.

lately...

the snow has been piling up - we got about 10 inches through the course of last week

when it's not warm enough to snow, it's been cold cold cold, as in highs that are below zero

mom and dad came for a visit

Tim and I went on our first date

I finally joined the world of Instagram

bought post-baby jeans at the Gap factory store in town for $12

made sweet and sour pork chops recipe twice from The Family Flavor cookbook

can't get enough of Jack's many smiles and coos 

Jack has been taking 2 hour naps during the day and sleeping 5-6 hours straight at night

listening to the hymns station on Pandora

dreaming about and planning a 2015 road trip to the Southwest (AZ and NM, not MN)

dreaming about warm days and stroller walks around our neighborhood

public service announcement for Netflix owners

Yep, still pregnant. But that's not really what this post is about... 

So maybe this is old news, and probably is since I'm usually waaaayyy behind pop culture (example: I'm just now seeing a movie that came out a year ago), but newsflash: Skyfall is on Netflix! Maybe this is only exciting to Tim and I because a). I've never seen a single Bond movie and b). we've seriously been talking about renting this movie for the past week. It took us about 2 seconds to add it to our list and about 5 minutes to warm up some leftovers, settle onto the couch, and hit play. And it did not disappoint. I loved it for all the classy, suit-wearing action scenes, and Tim loved it for all the throw backs to old Bond movies.

Anything else great on Netflix that we should know about?

lately...

feeling very pregnant but very good
cooking spaghetti pie, pot pie, and corn potato chowder to put in the freezer
researching homemade tub cleaner
going on daily walks
waking up everyday wondering if this will be the day we meet our baby
shopping for Christmas gifts
solidifying names for the bambino
making lists of fun things to do before the baby comes
watching the leaves fall
loving Amazon Prime
listening to "Open Water" by The Saint Johns
taking daily afternoon naps
blazing through "What Not to Wear" episodes on Netflix
walking down the baby aisles every time I go to Target
consciously eating a good amount of protein every day
praying about labor and delivery
filling out Baby Miller's baby book
wondering what it will be like to all of a sudden be a parent
enjoying back rubs from Tim each night during episodes of 30 Rock/Parks & Rec/The Office
laying out baby clothes for the hospital
spending most days in leggings/yoga pants
designing our Christmas card
stocking up on things like sports drinks, protein bars, crackers, and honey sticks
pulling out my sweaters and scarves and warm socks
baking zucchini cinnamon bread and butternut squash
checking out cooking magazines from the library
savoring the last few precious days of this pregnancy as much as possible

what we're watching

With the shorter evenings and the fact that by the time 6:00pm rolls around, all I feel like doing is sitting on the couch surrounded by about 6 pillows, our Netflix watching has been on the uptick lately. What I love most about Netflix is the amount of documentaries available. I think I'd take a documentary over a movie any day, unless that movie is Miracle or You've Got Mail, of course. If you have Netflix, here are some of our favorites we've been watching recently.

Long Way Round/Long Way Down: These documentaries have been by far our most favorite find lately! So interesting, adventurous, and hilarious. Since there's only about 10 episodes per series, we would literally have to walk away from the TV so we wouldn't blow through 4 episodes per night...although we did that, too.

Word Wars: a glimpse inside the not-so-glamorous lives of Scrabble experts.

Helvetica: this got a little long and technical at times, but it was still interesting to see just how much people love (an hate) this oh-so-popular font.

A Matter of Taste: we're always up for a good foodie documentary. This follows a young and brilliant chef trying to make it in New York City. It made me want to eat small portions of fancy food on white plates.

Derek: Tim and I both have very specific tastes about the kinds of shows we like - Parks and Rec, The Office, 30 Rock. And when we started this mini-series, we had no idea what to expect. I would say Tim liked it and I loved it. It's hilarious and heartwarming at the same time. Definitely worth a watch.

my (non) green thumb

Back at the beginning of summer, I went to the greenhouse with big dreams and the confidence that since my mom and Grandma both have killer gardens, I probably inherited their plant-nurturing genes and could have a killer garden of my own. Ha! There is a man-made planter box that runs the length of the back of the sunroom and I thought that'd be the perfect place for a little garden. So I bought some herb plants, three kinds of heirloom tomato plants, three kinds of peppers, and some begonias to line the edges. I had visions of BLTs with brightly colored tomatoes and stuffed peppers with peppers and cilantro that I grew with my own two hands. I watered and weeded it faithfully all summer, but by August, my cilantro had completely died, the flowers were hardly any bigger than when I bought them, and there wasn't a hint of produce on any of the plants. And then finally! A tiny pepper appeared and a green tomato seemed to spring up out of nowhere. But I'm afraid it's all a little too late since it's already the middle of September and our temperatures are already starting to dip into the 30s at night. So I guess gardening genes aren't something that you can really inherit.

details of August

+ Evie reading books with Uncle Tim
+ early morning fishing excursion/sunrise cruise on Booth Lake in Wisconsin
+ wakesurfing!
+ sistahs fo ev-ah
+ at home for my birthday and a homemade birthday peach pie
+ chowing down on my birthday meal - sweet corn, grilled burgers, baked beans, and homemade pickles
+ a major grating session with all the zucchini I got from mom. so pumped to pull it out in the dead of winter and make something delicious.

other things from august:
+ I hit the third trimester of my pregnancy. yeah, baby!
+ bought this album
+ discovered this awesome product, immediately added it to the birthday list, and unwrapped it just a few days ago. thanks Tim!
+ started reading this book and am loving it.
+ cleared out the room that will become the nursery in preparation for a fresh coat of light gray paint
+ currently in the midst of one of the hottest streaks in Minnesota's history. the thermometer on my computer at work today read 103. woah.
+ Tim started a new semester and year of grad school.
+ bought tickets to see these guys at the end of September.
+ made this and didn't regret it. seriously, so good.

my favorite kind of weekend

This past weekend was spent doing some of my most favorite things. It was one of those rare weekends where we had absolutely nothing planned and we were free to make spur-of-the-moment plans.
+ Saturday started with running errands and picking up some patio furniture, and ended with a spontaneous visit by my favorite 16-month-old niece and her dad. I swear that girl just gets better every time I see her.
+ Sunday started with church, followed by an afternoon trip to Buffalo to explore it's many antique/occasional shops. (Mom, I have GOT to take you there!) The weather was beautiful and Tim and I just meandered the streets looking for treasures and deals. The day ended with naps in the sunroom, church, a trip to the grocery store, and Miller home videos from 1987.

lately // staining a deck + washing a dog

Sweet summertime is here in the form of extra warm days, house projects, peaches, and long evenings outside...until we get chased in by mosquitos. Our ceiling fans are constantly spinning and the cool leather furniture has become a welcomed sight after activities like mowing and standing over a pot of boiling corn on the cob.

Thanks to the warm and (mostly) dry conditions, Tim was able to stain and seal the deck, making that project nearly complete. The only things left are to router the edges and maybe add a step along the whole front perimeter of the deck. Oh, and patio furniture of course. I'm just waiting for a sweet Craig's List deal or an end-of-summer sale at Home Depot.

Summertime also means that Callie's bath is an outdoor activity. She loves the water when it's in the form of a lake, river, or pond, but when it involves a bath tub or a garden hose, she gets a little sour.

step 1: get Callie wet

step 2: have some fun at Callie's expense

step 3: shake what your mama gave ya

step 4: soap/massage time = Callie's favorite part

step 5: dry off as you watch Tim remove stain from the house siding

Summertime, I hope you stick around for awhile this year. That'd be great. Thanks.

lately...

April 2012

April 2013

I'm not one to complain about the weather, especially when I live in a state like Minnesota - cold, long winters are just a fact of life. However, don't you think it's just a bit crazy that it's April 15th and we still have a foot of snow on ground and more on the way? Mom reminded me the other day that exactly a year ago, her, Tara, and Grandma were here to see our new house. And you know what I wore on that Saturday during showing off our house and shopping downtown? Shorts. For real.

And I think all this crazy cold anti-spring weather has contributed to my lack of creativity and writing; I literally haven't done anything noteworthy in the way of design work or blog writing in weeks. Gross. Someone get me some vitamin D stat!

However, while doing nothing creative, we have been...

• watching a lot of 30 Rock - new fave show. I know, a few years behind the trend as usual.
• spending the past few weekends with family and friends
• celebrating Evie's first birthday
• compiling gear lists and play lists for our trip out west (in just a few weeks!)
• listening to A Prairie Home Companion during road trips
• knee deep in grad school homework (Tim)
• wanting to put up a gallery wall in the house (me)

lately...

I spent the Labor Day weekend (which also happens to be our anniversary weekend) at home while Tim was fishing/camping up north. Romantic, I know. And you probably shouldn't even ask about our anniversary supper. Let's just say it involved a messy house, an empty fridge, a local burger joint, and the curb. Yep, keeping the love alive.

Being home, though, was really nice. I always love going home, where everything and everyone is familiar; driving past endless fields of corn and beans; the smell of the country. My long weekend consisted of:

• morning coffee dates with mom on the deck every morning
• a high school football game
• reuniting with my second family (Ericksons - that's you!)
• celebrating Mandy's birthday
• buying new shoes
• sleeping in
• watching a Twins game
• canning garden produce (more on that later)
• evening walks down the gravel road
• family hike around Camden State Park
• reading this excellent article about marriage and friendship