lee + tuz's 40th

Today is my parents' 40th anniversary. They have beaten the odds by not only still being married for 40 years, but happily so. I appreciate what a blessing it is to have them as an example - to have grown up watching them work through going through life together and choosing to love each other well in the process.

consistency challenge: day 31

Last day!!!
Marie: day off
Mark: check!!

quilt

Mark's parents came down from South Carolina for a surprise visit. It was brief but so good to see them. Meg got a good dose of Grandma Nancy love and Mike brought us a beautiful quilt he made himself. Here's the most amazing part: he has never touched a sewing machine and didn't know a thing about sewing or quilting until June! He has since designed and made a quilt for each of his 3 kids as well as a few others. Unbelievable!

consistency challenge: day 30

Marie: check!
Mark: day off

shrimp fried rice

This recipe for shrimp fried rice is becoming a staple in our house. I actually only use the recipe for the basic directions, but add totally different vegetables and protein (or no protein at all) and rice varieties - it's great because you can throw in whatever vegetables in your fridge you need to use up. If you don't worry about sodium, it's pretty healthy.

consistency challenge: day 29

Marie: check!
Mark: check!!

kids and housework

Click on this link for a great article on kids and housework. You may agree or disagree, but it is still interesting. (Note: I actually know someone who irons her sheets!)

consistency challenge: day 28

We are almost there!!
Marie & Mark: check

meg 12 month slideshow

Every month I take a picture of Meg on the same spot on the couch. It's fun to see how much she's changed.

consistency challenge: day 27

Marie & Mark: check!

consistency challenge: day 26

Marie & Mark: check!

bomba utilitaria

We are the proud owners of a new "utility pump", thanks to Tropical Storm Faye and the unforseen consequences that only 20 inches of rain can bring. It actually isn't that bad...just a waterlogged spot outside that is just too close to the house. The pump is awesome and is working like a charm. [I prefer the spanish name that is on the other side of the box...the bomba utilitaria.]

consistency challenge: day 25

Marie & Mark: to be determined....(this crazy rain!)

consistency challenge: day 24

Marie: day off
Mark: check!

the hat

Meg is in love with this hat. If it is not on her head, she is carrying it around like a purse (it has a chin strap) over her arm - putting things in it, hanging it on the kitchen cabinet knobs and over our toes when we are lying on the couch. It makes me smile every time I see her in it. (It also completely reminds me of her older cousin Elise...I will try to find a photo of Elise wearing it.)

consistency challenge: day 23

Looking for a cheap thrill? Go running in Tropical Storm Fay! I didn't get to go to the trails today as planned, but I had fun doing my weekday 30 minute route (altered a little for a fallen tree across a road). It was actually really nice and refreshing after so many gross and sweaty runs.
Marie: check!
Mark: to be determined...

tennis lessons

I had my first tennis lesson last night (well, not the first one ever in my life, but it's been a while). There are only four people in my class and it is so fun. My goal is to be able some day to play normal tennis with Mark.

consistency challenge: day 22

Marie: check (with tropical storm substitute)
Mark: check (running in rain!)

graham

I got to visit Mark's cousin, his wife, and their sweet new baby in the hospital a few days ago. It was especially cool because I hadn't been there since Meg's birth exactly a year before. We also got to have dinner and spend a great time with Mark's aunt and uncle from California.

consistency challenge: day 21

Marie: check
Mark: day off

bell peppers

We went out to dinner last night and had a wonderful surprise when we got back home...beautiful green peppers from our friend Brian's garden! Vegetables always taste better from someone's garden. I can't wait to use them.

consistency challenge: day 20

Marie: check!
Mark: check!
Mireille?? (Yes, I am singling you out!)

eleanor roosevelt

I got this book for my birthday and have just started it. I am so excited because I read volume I years ago (now I want to read it again) but never read volume II. If I had to name a famous person as my "hero", she would be it.

consistency challenge: day 19

Marie: check!
Mark: check!

owls

My mom brought me the perfect little reminder of my grandmother, who passed away last month. These tiny little stone owls came from my grandmother's house, where she had many many owls of all sizes everywhere. It makes me happy to see them perched in my kitchen.

consistency challenge: day 18

I can't believe we are 18 days into this already...isn't it getting easier?
Marie: check!
Mark: check!
Katheryne, Mireille, Bonnie???

birthday bag

For her birthday Meg received a special bag made just for her by her Aunt Katheryne. She loves it...putting things in, taking things out, opening it, closing it, carrying it around, and repeat the cycle, over and over again. What a great gift for a one-year-old!!

consistency challenge: day 17

Marie & Mark: day off

cake face: before & after

Meg loved her first birthday cake! The candle was a little dicey but once Grandma Tuzie blew it out and she got a taste of the goodness she was all smiles. Then it was straight to the bath (kitchen sink).

consistency challenge: day 16

Marie: check!
Mark: check!

first birthday

Sweet Meg turns one today. I am one emotional mama! She seems more like a toddler to me now than a baby. I will post pictures of her birthday in a day or so.

consistency challenge: day 15

We are halfway there!!
Marie: check!
Mark: check!

big belly

One year ago today, this is what I looked like. I was in early labor and went to the hospital that next morning. It still amazes me that Meg was in there. Also amazing is that I have really, really good memories of labor, her birth, and our hospital stay. It's really a little crazy because (as Mark can attest) labor and delivery isn't too fun. I think I read somewhere that your body releases a hormone (oxytocin?) during or after birth that actually makes you forget the pain and replaces the memory with good feelings. I think I must have had a big bunch of that floating around because it's very hard to remember anything bad about giving birth.

consistency challenge: day 14

Marie: check!
Mark: check!

free money

I got a fun surprise in the mail today...a $10 gift card to Kohl's, a place I don't normally go. I think the point of sending those out is to get people into the store, get them in the mindset to find something they wouldn't normally buy, and then spend way more than $10. I immediately packed Meg in the car as soon as she woke up from her nap and headed over there...I found a few great books for Meg and spent just a few cents! I think the Kohl's execs would be disappointed with me.

consistency challenge: day 13

Marie: check! (with a rainy weather substitute)
Mark: day off

peace lily

Peace lilies are fun because they are almost impossible to kill, they purify the air, and once in a blue moon they surprise you with a fantastic white flower! I have one that blooms about once a year. I have had it for over 5 years through thick and thin....many many times I have come home from a week-long-plus trip to find it looking completely dead, only to bouce back with a couple of waterings. My kind of houseplant!

consistency challenge: day 12

Marie: check!
Mark: check!
[Bonnie, you should join us!]

real soccer moms

I think it is so cool that these moms have babies and then pop right back on the field to play olympic-level sports. What an example to their kids! I can't get enough of reading/watching stories about the olympic athletes.

consistency challenge: day 11

Marie: check!
Mark: check!
Katheryne and Mireille are both doing great!!!

mulch

Sometimes I catch myself saying something that makes me feel as old as I really am, in a good way. Here is a perfect example something a young person would never say: I mulched the yard before church this morning. And I liked it. I've never really understood what mulch was all about before I started paying attention to the yard, but now I appreciate what it can do for me (less weeding in the future) and I look forward to doing it again.

consistency challenge: day 10

Marie: day off
Mark: check!

beard

Here are the top 10 reasons I like my street/neighborhood:
1. The neighbors are neighborly...they are friendly, they actually turn out for block parties, and they do nice things like collect our paper when we're gone (and vice versa).
2. There are lots of big old trees and plants.
3. Each house is eclectic and different.
4. Many of the neighbors are eclectic and different.
5. Kids actually play outside. And there are a lot of them.
6. The park is a block away.
7. The sidewalks are perfect for taking walks, especially with a stroller.
8. It is flat (runners will understand).
9. It is close to downtown...most errands are a just a few minutes' drive or within walking distance. Mark's office is 1 mile away so he can come home for lunch.
10. It has an awesome name. How can you beat a street named after facial hair?

consistency challenge: day 9

Marie: check!
Mark: day off

nectarines

When I think of "late summer in Tallahassee," very few good things come to mind. My grandfather, who lives in equally hot Texas, spends every August in the Colorado mountains with his wife. I would do that in a heartbeat! But what I will actually miss once the weather gets cooler is the amazing fruit. I love all of it, but it's hard to think of anything better than a perfectly ripe nectarine.

consistency challenge: day 8

Marie: check!
Mark: check!

frosted banana bars

When I have random food in the fridge or freezer that I need to use but don't know what to do with, I go to allrecipes.com and do an "ingredients search". Earlier this week I entered in "sour cream" and "bananas" and got this recipe for frosted banana bars. They were good on the first day, but now (4 days later) they are great. They have become super-moist. [notes: I didn't have cream cheese so I used this recipe for the glaze, and I used a 9x13 pan and baked 35 mins.]

consistency challenge: day 7

Marie: check!
Mark: check!

hair bows

I went to a friend's house a few nights ago to learn to make hair bows - everyone shared their ribbon, clips, glue guns, etc. It was a great idea. I was not churning them out like some others at the table-I only made three (and not the one in the photo above), but I definitely feel like I could make them on my own now. Now I need Meg to grow a little more hair.

consistency challenge: day 6

How did everybody do today?
Marie: check
Mark: day off

treasure hunting

Saturday morning I finally did what I often think about but never get around to doing: garage sale hopping. I actually was going for a purpose....I wanted to find some good-condition baby books and toys. The first house I went to had beautiful smocked vintage baby dresses which were too small for Meg but were so beautiful I almost bought them anyway. Instead I got the little dress/shirt above. I think it will be cute with bloomers. The people sitting at the sale were old so I would love to know how old this dress is. The second house (and final) I went to, I hit the jackpot. I came home with over 10 barely-touched baby books - most of them "classics" that I would have bought at a bookstore anyway.

consistency challenge: day 5

Keep it up, fellow challengers!
Marie: check
Mark: check

the lives of others

Mark and I saw The Lives of Others this weekend. I had never heard of it but it was recommended to us by my brother Mark and SIL Katheryne, with Mark saying it was one of the best movies he'd ever seen. After a statement like that I had to see it! And they were right - it really is a great one. Great plot, great actors, and I had never seen a movie portraying 1980's East Germany before- fascinating. [Disclaimers: it has subtitles and deserves its R rating.]

consistency challenge: day 4

It is still not too late to join us. How did you do, Katheryne and Mireille?
Marie: check
Mark: check

mozaik vocab. lesson

Last night Mark and I got a sitter and went to Mozaik for dinner for our 5th anniversary (which was actually last week but we are still celebrating!) - it has been and is still one of my favorite places to eat in Tallahassee. I had to have our server define these 3 words for me: confit, coulis, and ceviche. I thought I knew, but when it comes down to eating something I want to know exactly what I'm ordering! Click on the words if you want to know what they mean.

consistency challenge: day 3

How did everybody do? Today was Mark's and my day off and we're getting ready for tomorrow. This week, for me at least, is where the rubber meets the road. Six straight days of early-morning sauna hotness.

baby catcher

I started counting this morning and I have ten buddies who are pregnant right now (although Jessica, you could be having Baby Riley this very minute for all I know). And then there are some who I bet will be in the "family way" soon if not already (you know who you are!!). It is so exciting to me. I can't help but recommend this book to people who are pregnant - it is so entertaining and interesting. Caveat: I don't think it would be interesting at all to people who are not pregnant. It actually might be a little gross.

consistency challenge: day 2

It is not too late to join us! I think only good things can happen to you if you do. But I am a little biased.
Marie: check!
Mark: check!

new teefers

Meg's finally sporting some new teeth after months and months of predicting that they were just about to come in. She has also learned to "kiss", which really amounts to making a smacking noise a few seconds after she presses her forehead against mine. The timing is way off but I still love it.

consistency challenge: day 1

You are still welcome to join us in the Consistency Challenge 8.08! How did everybody do?? If you are participating, leave a comment with your results.
Marie: check!
Mark: check!