Here we are, 75% of the way through 2011. The year is just flying by, and as quarter three drew to an end, I began to look back and take notice of all the things that made life a bit sweeter over the past few months.

My Favorite Things of 2011, Q3,

1. The Container Store...  well, this one isn't exactly a thing, but rather a whole bunch of things found in the same store. I went on several organizational crazes this summer, and each time The Container Store provided the inspiration. In addition to the items that I picked up for my big projects, like this and this, I found several random items that have really come in handy. These car hooks that easily slip onto the headrest are inexpensive and helpful to hold backpacks, purses, grocery bags, etc...  These plastic bottle holders save space in my small refrigerator and are perfect for holding large class containers of water as well as soda or wine bottles. The CableBox- a genius invention- holds the larger power strip as well as all of the cords to our computer and its components. I bought several of these clear plastic baskets with handles to make items in my pantry more easily accessible as well as more space effective. The Container Store
2. Whole Foods Angel Food Cake... to call this pre-made cake delicious is an understatement. I actually don't think I have a word to adequately describe how scrumptious this cake is. I began buying it a couple summers ago to use with fresh strawberries for strawberry shortcake. This summer, however, I picked up one about every two weeks just to have on hand for random munching. It is perfect with a cup of coffee in the mornings or as a semi-sweet dessert after dinner. Even my husband, who's not at all a 'sweets' person, couldn't resist this cake. Hands down, it is the best angel food cake I've ever tasted. Whole Foods Store Locations
3. Immaculate Baking Company Refrigerated Baking Products... crescent rolls, biscuits, and cinnamon rolls are just a few of the products made by this North Carolina-based (shout out to my home state!) company. I had been looking for an alternative to the Little Dough Boy's (I'm not mentioning any names) version of these types of products as, while they were favorites in our home, they are filled with preservatives and artificial ingredients that I try to avoid being a part of my girls' primary diet. I gave the Immaculate variety a try, and we were instantly hooked-especially on the delicious, gooey cinnamon rolls. They are available at our local SuperTarget and are pretty comparable in price to that other brand. The Immaculate Baking Company
4. Golden Oreos... so, forget everything I just said above regarding artificial ingredients and preservatives, and know that these are my guilty pleasure and that I actually hide them from my kids! I first sampled the light-skinned friend of the classic cookie on a Southwest flight from Denver to North Carolina. I was in love at first bite, but at that moment, I wasn't sure if the airplane chardonnay I was drinking via sippy cup was altering my taste buds. Well, when I gave them a try with more a typical beverage companion, ice cold milk, I was just as impressed. I actually like these a bit too much and have now had to put myself on a purchasing restriction from them as I have devoured a good five suggested servings during a single episode of The Soup. Golden Oreos
5. Dyson Air Multiplier Bladeless Fan... I had my eye on this bad boy all summer, but the ridiculous price-tag kept me admiring at a distance. In early August, I was browsing Bed, Bath, and Beyond in search of some photo albums when I noticed it on sale for over 50% off, AND I just happened to be carrying an additional 20% coupon in my purse. I can't say for sure that this So-Much-More-Than-a-Fan-Fan would have been worth its original nearly $300 price tag, but I am pretty crazy about it. The circulated air has a more crisp feel than our other fans, and its breeze can actually be felt all the way across the room. Additionally, it is very quiet and has no blades to to potentially hurt tiny fingers.  Dyson Fan
6. Scentsy Wickless Candles...  I originally started using Scentsy products about a year and a half ago after I attended a home party at a friend's house. I loved them initially, but when I ran out of my scent cubes, I just kind of forgot about them. In early September, I realized how much I missed my Scentsy's when I started using regular ol' candles again. Lucky for me, my cousin Brittany had become a Scentsy rep; so I was able to go online, order directly from her, and have a UPS box on my porch within days. I love the amazing scents that fill my home without adding any of the 'negatives' that come with candles... no dripping wax, no smoke, no burning danger to the kiddos. I'm currently in love with the Thunderstorm scent and am already mentally placing my next order. Scentsy Wickless Candles
7. Missoni for Target... I admit, I got swept up into all the hoopla and went bananas at Target on the morning of September 13. To be totally honest, while I did know about the Missoni launch, I was actually just stopping by Target for light-bulbs that morning after dropping Carter off at school. When I walked into the Missoni madness, I unconsciously joined the chaos and began feverishly searching through the scarcely remaining Missoni items for fun products me, my girls, friends, and family. I scored a skirt, a dress, and a cardigan for me; a coat for Pookie; and a one-piece romper for Murphy. I also snagged a pair of rain boots and a pair of ballet flats for myself, and a couple other things to give as gifts. The prices were great for this high-end designer's knock-offs, and I get compliments literally every single time I wear one of my pieces. Missoni for Target

Looking back over my Favorite Things, Q3, it certainly appears that my sweet tooth was raging with a vengeance this summer; I even unintentionally used the word sweeter in my intro to this post! Cool, crisp evenings are now upon us, and the fall is sure to usher in some phenomenal things (hopefully of the non-edible variety as I'd like to still fit into my fabulous Missoni finds!)

The Long Way Home

Time. I've always been one to think of various things in relation to time whether it be in terms of seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, or years. I'm not sure why my mind works this way, but I often think of blocks of time as being repetitive. For example: 'I have been on the treadmill for twenty minutes. I plan to run (who am I kidding?) walk for an hour, so I have to repeat what I've already done two more times.'  I can remember as early as first grade caring very much about how much time it took me to complete a task, particularly compared to others. My fourth grade teacher wrote a poem about our class at the end of the school year, and the line about me read, 'Melissa always finishes first.'  As many folks do, I often look back at previous years and recollect what I was doing at a certain time: 'On this day last year, I was nine months pregnant and anxiously awaiting the birth of my Murphy Girl!'
It's funny how portions of time can seem longer or shorter depending on the activities that are consuming the time. An hour, for example, can fly by during a great movie or a fabulous evening with friends. That exact same amount of time can creep along when lying on a hospital bed waiting to be wheeled into the operating room for a c-section. An hour sitting in bumper to bumper traffic on a Friday afternoon after a long work week felt like an eternity and left me feeling frustrated and impatient. Nowadays, I've found myself taking the long way just to get us home a few minutes closer to bedtime.
Take last Wednesday, for example. Carter finished ballet at 5:15 PM, and since her class is just a couple blocks from Hubby's office, I decided to pop by with the girls for a late afternoon visit. After what felt like four hours, I looked at the clock to see that it was 5:32. I killed a few more minutes and then loaded the girls up in the car. I knew that I was flying solo for dinner/bedtime, so I was in no hurry to get home. As we sat in traffic at a dead stand-still, Carter said, 'Mommy, are you going to take a short-cut?' I slightly smiled and silently laughed to myself.  I knew that I could easily turn off the main road, take a few side streets, and likely get us home in half the time, but a short cut was the LAST thing Mommy would be taking. We made it home at around 6:20 (for a point of reference, Murphy goes to bed at 7:00, sharp), and when I looked at the clock what felt like hours later, it read 6:24.
I blink my baby girl is turing one and my big girl is such a person. I wonder where the days went and beg the hands of time to stand still, yet it can feel like I've lived an entire week by 9:23 AM on a Monday.  I read a quote on my friend Corinda's blog that so accurately explains this phenomenon. Slightly paraphrased, it read, 'For Mothers of young children the years do indeed fly, but you can gag on a day!' As darkness is coming earlier and winter is drawing near which is sure to bring lots of snow days, I may need to remember to savour hot cocoa, cozy blankets, and snuggles... and hide all the clocks!

What We Gonna Do Today?

Each morning for Carter begins quite similarly: she wakes up around 8 and eagerly calls my name; for some reason she has never thought of getting out of her bed or leaving her room herself. Murphy and I burst into her room and greet her with a cheerful made-up song, 'Good morning to you, my sweet little Pooks!' Immediately, she asks, 'What we gonna do today? Pymnastics? Aspen Academy? Chick-fil-a with Pierce?'
As her little schedule has gotten a bit busier, I've been trying to think of a fun way to show her what each day will entail. I did a bit of online searching for ideas and couldn't find much beyond typical calendars. Since Carter's only three and a half, I wanted something that would be fun, interactive, and not require reading.
Since Hubby is traveling for work, tonight was the perfect time to get busy on my project. Several folks responded with interest and positive comments on my Little Things Project, so I thought I'd share details of how this one came together, too.
Once I had a fairly clear mental idea of what I wanted to do, I made the only logical first stop: The Container Store. Here I picked up several necessary pieces to begin my project: a white magnetic tabletop dry erase board, a magnetic bin to hold the activity cards, dry erase pens, adhesive magnetic squares, and a magnetic dry eraser.

Then I ran by Target for some photo paper to use on my home printer and some self-sealing laminating paper. The last item I needed was some card-stock, and at home I had some nifty, glittery pad left over from a project I did last fall. 

Once I had compiled all the necessary supplies, I tucked my girls in bed and got busy. I went through my digital photos to find ones that best depicted various activities. (I had to do a little bit of Google Image searching for a couple pictures.) I then printed them out, glued them to the card stock (which I had cut to exactly 4"x6" so that the laminating process would be simple), and wrote the name of the activity on the card. 

Rather than making 'playdate' cards for each

of her friends, I used a group shot from her birthday.

It's funny that flying is such a 

pertinent part of her young life.

Here's a look at all of the completed activity cards; each has a two magnetic squares attached to the back.

I love the way I turned what's essentially just a daily calendar into something much more fun, and I can't wait to show it to Carter in the morning! 

(Of course, I've already thought of lots activities I missed when making the cards... holidays, special treat days, snow days, throwing pennies in the fountain days, splashing in puddles days... But, since it's nearly midnight, and  I have not even begun to think about packing or writing sitter instructions for a weekend trip Hubby and I are taking tomorrow, I suppose the completion of this project will have to wait till another day.)

When the World Stopped Turning

On September 10, 2001, I had never heard the word Taliban, never heard of Al-Qaeda, had no idea who Osama Bin Laden was, and likely couldn't have formulated a clear definition of a terrorist. I had just turned twenty three and was copping a squat of sorts at a friend's house while trying to decide whether I was going to pursue a full time job in Charlotte, move to another city, or prepare to apply for graduate school. I was single for the first time in a few years and really had no one to consider in my decisions but myself. I was working full time as a nanny and part time as a waitress. Overall, life was pretty simple.
Having fallen asleep while watching a movie on the sofa, I woke up in the living room on the morning of September 11, 2001. My roommate walked in the house at around 9:30 in the morning, an odd time for her to be at home since she worked a regular 9-5 job. She came in and asked if I'd had the television on. I hadn't; but immediately we turned it on and watched, together, the devastation that was imminently occurring in New York City, Washington, DC, and later in a Pennsylvania field.
For me, and for most folks of my generation, this was the first we had ever seen of war; certainly of war on our home soil. I have memories of Operation Desert Storm which took place in the early 90's, but that was different. It happened 'over there.' In fact, prior to that morning the only real pieces of history that I'd felt a part of were the Challenger space shuttle exploding (I was in second grade), the O.J. Simpson chase and trial (I was a junior in high school), and perhaps the collapse of the Berlin Wall. The only history I knew was what I'd read in books and been taught in school. But, on that Tuesday morning, I knew that I was watching history unfold right before my eyes, in real time, on live television.
What I remember most about that day and the days that followed, was the unified feeling of all humanity. I have such a clear image of driving down interstate 85 heading towards downtown Charlotte on the afternoon of the attack. It felt as if every car I passed, every set of eyes I met, could feel my feelings and, I, theirs. We were one. We were all Americans, and for those of us who'd never taken a moment to think about what that meant, this was our time. Despite our political leanings, we all looked to our President for reassurance and comfort, and he provided the image of a strong and steadfast leader. On the Friday after the attacks, I stood on the sidewalk with a precious little four year old friend holding a candle in memory and honor of those who were killed or for those who lost those they loved. I tried to explain to her why we were participating in this vigil without imparting any fear into her innocent little mind.
As time passed, life did return to normal, but normal was never the same again. We, as a country, had to learn the difference between Muslims and Extremists and strive to treat people of all religions with dignity and respect. At the same time, we had to  become vigilant. As we all hailed the passengers of United Flight 93 as heros, we became sure that we, too, would risk our own lives for the sake of our county. We began to take notice of things that looked just a bit off, particularly in airports and on planes. Nearly, ten years after that life changing day, we felt a slight sense of relief as President Barack Obama informed the nation that Osama Bin Laden was captured and killed.
Ten years ago today, I could have never imagined how amazing my life would be. In late 2001, I made the decision to pursue my graduate degree and in 2004 earned a Master's in Counseling. I worked as a counselor for several years, and, along the way, I met the man who would become my husband. We spent a year living in Dallas before setting up a home and a life in Denver. Today we are happy and healthy and raising two beautiful little girls.
As I woke up this morning, like all Americans, my mind went back to that morning that changed our nation. I said a prayer for all those families who lost loved ones and, especially, for all the children who have lived their lives without knowing a parent. I squeezed my own girls a little tighter with a feeling of gratefulness: grateful both for the wonderful life that we have and for the country in which we abide which is a safer place than it was ten years ago. I've written this blog for my girls: for when they are old enough to understand and seek to hear my perspective on a little piece of history.

God Bless America. 

Color Me Organized!

Generally when Hubby calls me at 5:30 pm to inform me that he will not be home for many hours, I go into a mini-panic/slight depression. I so appreciate having a second set of hands for dinner and bedtime for the girls, and I love our alone time in the evenings. Yesterday, however, when I got the call, I got an ever so small twinge of excitement. I had had a project on my mind all day that I knew I would never get done unless I was alone. So, I whipped up a frozen chicken pot pie for myself, tucked the girls in bed relatively early, and got busy.
I tend to be a pretty organized girl (at least in theory, anyway), and I like things put in their place. After a year of tweaking and the purchase of my label maker, I have finally gotten the playroom just so. However, Carter has a new genre of favorite toys that had me thrown for a loop: The Little Things; that's what we call them. Over the past year she has increasingly collected more and more small things that just haven't had a good storage spot. We'd tried different boxes and bags, but nothing seemed to be just right for containing the growing number mini-animals, dolls, and figures. As of yesterday morning, this darling mouse backpack contained The Little Things.

As you can see, this was definitely not an organized system. Buzz Lightyear laid beneath beetles and lizards which were being trampled by ponies whose families were being separated. It was not pretty and it made me a little shaky to see. When a recent vacation yielded a 12 mini dinosaurs to add to The Little Things, I knew an organizational intervention was necessary.
Yesterday morning, I set out for a trip to the Container Store. I wasn't exactly sure what I was looking for, but I knew that I would know it when I saw it. I spent awhile debating between plastic and fabric containers with lids or without. As it turned out, I ended up with these these containers:

 As I left the store, I still wasn't positive that they were what I was looking for, but (as always) I knew I would just return them if they didn't work out. So once the girls Murphy was soundly sleeping, and Carter was using her 'wings' to practice 'flying' off of her bed, I got to work on my project. First I separated all The Little Things into categories and threw away all the unnecessary little accessories (how many Halloween hats do Little Ponies really need?) I knew that I wanted to create a simple system that Carter would be able to maintain. My initial thought was to use my handy-dandy label maker for each section, but I quickly realized that my darling 3 year old does not yet know how to read. So then I got this idea...
First, I took pictures of a couple items for each category:

Next, I printed each picture on my home printer and used a post-it note as a template to cut the pictures to just the right size to fit into the compartments:

Then I used my label maker to make labels for each section. Despite that fact that Carter can't read YET, I do want to help her to begin associating words with pictures:

Next, I stuck a label to each picture and covered it with clear contact paper:

Finally, I used my hot glue gun to attach the labeled pictures to the containers:

And, lastly I put all The Little Things in their appropriate compartments ... VOILA!

I am SO PLEASED with the way this organizational project turned out. The linen colored boxes make them perfect for storing on the bookshelf in Carter's pink and chocolate-colored room just above Murphy's reach (as The Little Things can be chocking hazards!) I showed Carter the boxes as soon as she woke up this morning, and she was almost as excited as I was about them!

Q2: The Non-Things

If seasons are like candy, then winter is an Everlasting Gobstopper and summer is a brightly colored gum-ball from the 25 cent machine. By the time you gnaw on it long enough to actually begin chewing, the initial burst of sugary flavor is gone and all that remains is a hard, squiggly mass that is heading straight for the closest trash can. In light of the brevity of this fair season, I have been trying my hardest to savor each second, and blogging has not made it onto my to-do list. So, though we are nearly 1/3 of the way into Q3, please allow me to reflect...

My Favorite Non-Thing, Things, of 2011, Q2,

1. House Guests... being the 'ones who moved away' makes our times with visitors extra special, and the spring of the year brought many of our favorite folks to town. We enjoyed a long weekend with my hubby's cousin, Kyndal, from Pittsburgh, her hubby, Brett, and their two pint-sized cuties.. Though Kyndal and I realized we'd only actually met in person a couple of times, we have really bonded via Facebook, Skype, emails, texts, etc... over the past couple years as we've each begun the journey into Mommydom. My precious sis-in-law, affectionally known as Aunt Kiki, paid us a visit for a weekend in early April and liked Denver so much that she moved here and became our neighbor! My sweet Charlotte girls, Byers and Lilly, spent a week with us in June, and Pookie reveled in all extra attention from the big girls. We truly had a ball, and the week went by far too quickly. My cousin, Roxie, paid us an impromptu Friday evening visit as she was road-trippin' from Oregon to Pennsylvania. Loved seeing her for a quick catch up, but the visit was far too short! 
2. Vacations... I have an expression that I often use, "If your kids are going, it's a trip; if they're not, it's a vacation!" Well, thankful to my wonderful mom (AKA Nanny AKA Babs), hubby and I were able to take two vacations-yes, that means sans kiddos. In April, we spent a long weekend in Montego Bay, Jamaica, for the wedding of a dear friend of mine. That trip marked the first morning in over six months, that I had woken up on my time rather than that of an infant's. We had a wonderful time seeing a new place and meeting new people, all the while realizing that Jamaica was jut the appetizer to the main course that would be arriving in late May. The day before Memorial Day, we embarked for a week long vacation to HAWAII! It was an amazing time to get away together and celebrate our five year wedding anniversary. We spent a whole lot of time doing a whole lot of nothing, and it was divine.
3. Memoirs... I love a good book, particularly a good memoir. Unfortunately since the birth of my second child, I have rarely been able to read an entire issue of US Weekly without falling asleep, let alone an entire book. Well, thanks to the vacations we took, I was able to read three books cover to cover (well, technically, two were IPAD versions)! I read: Lies Chelsea Handler Told Me (Chelsea Handler and friends), Bossy Pants (Tina Fey), and Stories I Only Tell My Friends (Rob Lowe.) Each was great in its own right: I've read and enjoyed all of Chelsea's books; Tina's book had me, literally, laughing out loud; and I was especially impressed with Rob Lowe's talent as a writer. He not only had interesting stories to tell, but he told them well and without the help of a co-writer. 
4. The Start of Summer... as I stated at the beginning of this post, summer just goes by way too quickly, but those first tastes of it were just amazing. When May began to bring days in the 70's that allowed Saturday morning breakfast picnics and evening strolls, I felt my spirit begin to lift. I don't think I realized how long winter had lasted until our first tastes of summer (we really didn't have a spring this year) appeared. There's something both invigorating and rejuvenating about sunshine, longer days, and green grass!
5. Watching My Girls' Relationship... I could be a bit partial, but I have to say that I think Carter may be the most loving, kind, caring big sister. Ever. She is eager to be the first one to Murphy's room when she hears that she's awakened from a nap. She bounces up the stairs, throws open the door, and climbs right into the crib to give Murphy kisses and hugs. If Murphy is sad, Carter tries her hardest to make her happy even if it means giving up one of her own toys. And, Murphy, well, she can't say it yet, but I can tell she's pretty crazy about Carter, too. She does lots of staring and smiling and cooing in her direction. And I am completely envious of their sisterly bond and am loving watching every second of its evolution. 

As Non-thing, Things, go Q2 was pretty amazing.

Favorite Things, Q2

It's that time again! As June came to an end, I began to think about what things had made my life better or more fun in the previous three months. Though life has been crazy thus leaving little time for blogging, I'm finally sitting down to share my list.

Here they are, my Favorite Things of 2011, Q2...

1. L. Erickson Double Loop Bow Headband... armed with a giftcard I'd received from my in-laws for Mother's Day, I hit the accessories department of Nordstrom looking for nothing in particular when this adorable, black headband caught my eye. Now, I don't know about you, but I rarely find a headband that fits just right. I'm not sure if my head is uneven or if the headbands are just lopsided, but I have seldom found a headband that I wore more than a couple of times. This one has gotten lots of wear, and I just discovered that it comes in a ton of cool colors! Yes, please! Double-Loop Bow Headband
2. Lysol Dual-Action Disinfecting Wipes... I bought these because I thought they would come in handy for all the little messes that I encounter throughout the day. What I discovered, though, is that they are completely multi-functional. I use them in both the kitchen and bathroom and keep a pack in my car as the abrasive side is perfect for wiping sticky things off leather.  My favorite, randomly discovered use for them though, is as an upholstery and carpet cleaner. These wipes have completely removed stains that have been on my sofa for months and a large spot on the carpet that even a professional cleaning left behind! Lysol Wipes
3. Airbrush Tanning... being a fair-skinned gal, I've tried a wide range of tanning products over the years. (Remember those first generation tan-in-a-bottles that left your skin looking like that of an Oompa Loompa?) I used my share of tanning beds before realizing that the dangers of them far outweighs that 'healthy' glow they produce. I've been fairly pleased with the Mystic Tan type booths but found that they tended to be uneven and to fade quickly. So, in April before attending a wedding in Jamaica (where, I should add I was the only non-African American bridesmaid making my fairness all the more obvious), I stepped into a tanning tent to get airbrushed Toddlers and Tiaras style. I'll admit, standing in the buff just inches from the face of a complete stranger who was armed with an oozie full of beet juice was at first a bit, um, uncomfortable. I was SO happy with the finished product, however, that I returned two more times over the next couple months. I may be the only person to ever begin my Hawaiian vacation more 'tan' than when I ended it! Natural Beetjuice Airbrush Tanning
4. Mrs. Meyer's Honeysuckle Countertop Spray... I've been a big fan of Mrs. Meyer's cleaning products for the past couple of years. Until recently, I had been seriously devoted to the geranium scent, only branching out to basil and lavender when the geranium wasn't available. On a recent Whole Foods adventure (isn't every trip to Whole Foods an adventure?), I found the entire Mrs. Meyer's line to be drastically on sale with additional coupons attached to the bottles.  I decided that at under $2 a bottle, this was the time for me to stock up. I picked up a range of several products including dish soap, hand soap, and countertop spray. The honeysuckle countertop spray has me, literally, looking for reasons to use it. I love the fresh, springy scent it creates in the house, and it may have taken over geranium's spot as my #1. Mrs. Meyer's Honeysuckle Countertop Spray
5. DIRECTV Whole-Home DVR... early in the spring, I decided it was time to get serious (well, as serious as one can get while continuing to eat Oreos for breakfast) about getting in shape. Fortunately, we had invested in an at home elliptical machine late last year, so I didn't have to make too much effort to start a workout regimen. Even with the ease of working out in my own bedroom, without the shows on my DVR list, I never would have made it! I prepped for swimsuit season by elliptical-ing to all the daytime tv I never get to see (The View) and silly reality shows (Pregnant in Heels) I would never take the time to watch otherwise. DIRECTV Whole Home DVR

This list is a tad shorter than Q1's list, but I didn't want to add things that I don't truly love just to have congruent lists. I can only single out one more thing, 5 Hour Energy Shots,  (yes, I know slipping that in is kind-of cheating), and I could not possibly have a list of six items (I'll save that explanation for another day...)