Over The Deep End

Our Valentines Day

February 17, 2016 No Comments

Our Valentine’s Day was a nice, sweet relaxing Sunday. Hubby went off to blacksmith for the morning while Emerson and I had a little “galentines day” celebration. We decked ourselves out in matching pink t-shirts, gave each other pedicures and baked cupcakes together. We read our Valentine’s books, drank milk from our pink cups, and had lots of snuggle time!

I think it’s safe to say baking was Emmie’s favorite part of the day. She woke up this morning and immediately asked to bake something. She was not happy when I told her we were not going to be baking something today. She settled for pretend cooking.

I hope everyone’s valentines day was filled with snuggles, love and loads of pink frosting!

Family, Love

Donuts and Flowers

February 12, 2016 No Comments

Once upon a time I stumbled upon this huge local group of Moms on Facebook. I joined it. I liked it. A lot. There’s ton of advice, tons of support, and it’s a great time waster on lonely days. Anyway, there’s a big section within this group of “my husband is the worst” vents. You know like, “My husband took 2 naps today, watched a football game, and then “watched” the baby when she took her nap… I got to do a mountain of laundry, dishes and housework in between nursing and calming a fussy baby…. and he complains I’m so grumpy all the time. Ugh! Husbands. ” ….and things like that.

When I read these I feel smug. I get this smug little smirk and I get to think, “well, that sounds like it sucks.” And then my heart feels so full of gratitude and I feel unworthy. This is because my husband rocks. I’ve known him for quite some time (almost half of our lives at this point) and he just continues to amaze me.

I mean, for instance, last night I mentioned I could really use a donut. I’m not pregnant or anything, I just really wanted a donut. So, my guy puts on his shoes, drove to the store and brought me home some donuts… and then hands me a bouquet of flowers. Say what? A gooey sweet pastry treat and a bouquet of flowers? Where did I find him?! He’s the best.

It’s doing little things like that for each other that really help keep our relationship alive. You need small reminders how important you are to your significant other, and they need reminders from you too. It’s all too easy to feel unappreciated and taken for granted. You can say “thanks for doing the laundry,” till you’re blue in the face but giving me an appreciation donut for no reason totally takes the cake.

If you have someone in your life who would drive to get you a donut on a random Tuesday night, make sure you tell them how much they mean to you. It’s nice to hear and it’s nice to say.

Fashion, Holidays

Would you be my Valentine?

February 10, 2016 No Comments

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and for the first time, in a long time, the hubster and I are headed out on a Date Night! Granted, it’s the weekend after Valentine’s Day, but it includes free babysitting so we are not complaining.

One of the best things about going out, for me at least, is getting ready! Spending all day with a toddler, “looking nice,” consists of putting on a bra and maybe washing my face. You know, in case I have to answer the door. With a date night in an adult atmosphere with adult conversation & adult drinks, I can trade in my sneakers for heels, my lunch smeared tee’s for pretty tanks…and I can wear a necklace without worrying about grabby toddler hands! Ah yes, date night is really just an excuse to look nice for a change.

One.Two.Three.Four .Five.Six.Seven

For our Valentine’s Date I’m going for the “I don’t have a toddler with me but I still want to be comfortable,” look. What’s that you ask? It’s my go to “look put together,” outfit. A simple textured blouse, a snazzy jacket, skinny jeans and booties. Slap on a pendant necklace, some subtle studs and a complimenting watch and I am ready to roll.

Are you doing anything special to celebrate Valentine’s Day?

Uncategorized

Happy New Year!

February 8, 2016 No Comments

Hey. Remember me? I know, I know. I haven’t written in almost two months?! Whaaaat? Well, see we went on vacation and then I never got back into the swing of things. But, as payment for being so patient with me, here’s a photo dump of said vacation.

Uncategorized

Holly & Jolly

December 14, 2015 No Comments

We’ve been decking the halls over here at the Overdeep abode. Our Christmas tree went up, and I crammed holiday cheer into every nook and cranny I could find. This is my first time using real greenery in my decor and I have been loving it.

When Kyle and I had our first apartment I was thrilled to finally have my own space to decorate as I saw fit. Our first Christmas in the apartment I went with a winter wonderland theme and did icy blue with sparkly white. Kyle walked in and asked why our apartment was decorated for Hanukkah… It’s something to this day he still brings up, every single Christmas. Since then I’ve stuck to traditional colors, like red, white, green, silvers, golds, etc. Every year my tastes gets a little more defined. I like a very muted holiday palette for my decor. Especially on my tree. We love our long icicles and I adore my pops of glittery gold baubles. I do own my grandmothers Christmas ornaments, but with a toddler on the loose there was no way they were creeping their way into the tree this year.

Perhaps one of my favorite things about the holiday decor is our staircase. I strung up some pine garland and plopped a few big red bows on it, but every time Emmie walks up the stairs she stops and pokes her little face into the rails to smell the pine. Less is definitely more here. And let’s face it smelling the pine certainly beats her trying to eat the raw cranberries that serve as decoration on our table. Yes, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Uncategorized

Leaf it to me!

December 10, 2015 No Comments

Over the weekend, Kyle and I bundled up and raked all the leaves in our yard. Since that’s a rather tiny area, it didn’t take too long. The vacant house across from us, however, has a huge yard with, you guessed it, lots and lots of leaves.

On a whim, we decided to rake them all into a massive pile for all the neighborhood kids to play in. Nothing beats playing in the leaves on a chilly fall day. Kids and adults alike all had a blast running, jumping and crunching through our massive pile of leaves. Personally I think one of the very best things about playing outside in the chilly air is finally going inside where the house feels warm & snug. Fuzzy socks and a hot cup of cocoa is the perfect way to end a picturesque fall day.

Fall, Family, Holidays

The Best Time of The Year

December 8, 2015 No Comments

These short days are driving me crazy already! They just keep getting shorter and shorter. By the time Emmie wakes up from her nap, the sun is setting. It’s getting too cold to comfortably play outside longer than 20 minutes or so, and the dog is starting to hog the most powerful heating vent.

We’re getting stir crazy over here! The best way to combat house claustrophobia is by having ALL THE HOLIDAYS throw up in your house. No, seriously, I want my olfactory senses drowning in cinnamon, pine, and all of the candles. I want to damage my eyes by covering every square inch of free space in twinkly lights and I want Alexa to never stop singing me beautiful Christmas songs about a guy I don’t really believe in….

But before all that happens I needed to survive cooking an almost 20 lb turkey and mashing close to 10lbs of potatoes. And you know what? I survived! And quite gracefully, I might add.

My house was filled with wine, family and giggles. I wouldn’t have traded it for the world. Emerson was spoiled rotten with early Christmas presents, hugs & snuggles and lots of playing with Aunts, Uncles and Grandparents. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with love.

Capsule Wardrobe, Fall, Fashion

Fall Capsule Wardrobe Update

November 23, 2015 No Comments

Fall Capsule Wardrobe of a Stay at Home Mom.

I haven’t learned much from this capsule wardrobe except these few things:

I can’t tell the difference between a regular wardrobe and a capsule because I didn’t have a lot of clothes to begin with, so sometimes, getting dressed is still hard.
My clothes suck. Pairing down what I own to “the best” it became apparent that I need a higher standard of quality in my life. I have items with holes, stains, stretched out collars, and almost every sweater I own is pilling like a junkie.
I really like neutrals. My capsule mainly consists of shades of taupe, cream, grey and black. I have the odd burgundy and emerald green. The pieces with more color get the least wear. Lesson learned? I love neutrals.
I am cheap. And so are my clothes. Continually wearing the same things on repeat and I’ve started to get holes in some of my tops, my knees on my $7 jeans are threatening to tear and the clearance flats I purchased are almost worn through. See second point.
I have no idea what’s in style anymore. It’s happened. I fell off the trendy bandwagon. I don’t know when or where, but somehow I’ve went from stylish & trendy to cheap & sometimes frumpy. Whhhaaaaat?
I thought if I held out long enough my feet would be back to pre-pregnancy size… well, after a year of squeezing into shoes a size too small, I said enough! My capsule contains all shoes that fit me, and it’s been glorious.
Accessories can be fun! I don’t have many pieces of jewelry, or other accessories but what I have I have been utilizing more and I’ve been enjoying it thoroughly.
Your hair matters. When all you have are a lot of similar outfits your hairstyle can really transform the whole look. Same goes for lip color.

And now, for your viewing pleasure, I’ve compiled shots of some of my outfits from my fall capsule. To get you in the holiday spirit all of these outfits feature my green pants and red jeans. Fa-la-la-laaa.

In summary, I’ve learned that my wardrobe reveals a lot about my life. At this point I’m continuing to wear things from my capsule but have started a mental list of what I would like to upgrade or replace. First on my list? Jeans that fit! Make sure you keep following along. Only about 3 more weeks or so of this capsule and then I’ll give you the final run-down along with more outfits created from this fall capsule.

Fall 2016 Capsule Wardrobe

CF, Sick, Things we do

What It All Comes Down To

November 20, 2015 No Comments

There are some days where I just feel plain ‘ole lousy. Okay, you caught me, there are a lot of days where I feel lousy. Typically those days are always one after the next and slowly make a larger chunk of time until I decide that I’ve had enough and it’s time for antibiotics again.

Every once in a while, I’ll be feeling good, and I’ll have an out-of-the-blue lousy day. That’s today. This past week, while I have been coughing a lot, I’ve been feeling pretty good! Emmie and I took a morning zoo trip because the weather was too beautiful not to. Our original plans were to go run some errands like picking up milk and dog food– to which I promptly said,”screw it,” and put the stroller in the car and we went to the zoo instead. I have zero regrets.

The day was perfect for the zoo. Clear skies, sunshine and an amiable 70 degrees. Animals were out and about, grazing & roaming, while my little lady ran to her hearts content stopping to point out any animal she deemed worthy.

After a few hours we headed home for a late lunch and even later nap. But as we trudge up the path away from the animals closer to the gate I could feel it. I could feel my body using up the last bit of energy I had stored up. And just like that all my spoons were gone.

Some days it can be frustrating, especially days where you have a plan. Mais, c’est la vie, non? I’m getting better about just going with it. Today I’m being gentle with myself. The dishes can stay where they are, the laundry can wait, and I’ll push this night’s meal plan to tomorrow. No biggie. For now, while my tuckered out adventurer is sleeping, I’m resting hoping to restore a few spoons. When the toddler tornado wakes up I’ll take it from there and hope that the next few hours pass quickly.

Emerson, Fall, Little Things

Little Things

November 18, 2015 No Comments

Hi Emerson,
It’s been a while since I’ve written down all the little things you’ve been doing lately. Time has been flying by now that you’re a toddler tornado. Here are some little things we’re enjoying these chilly fall days:

1. Your first word! It’s official, you finally have a first word at 16 months you decided you’d learn how to say “Up.” It’s fitting since you love to be lugged everywhere. Especially when you are feeling clingy to your Mommy. “Up. Up… UP!” It’s been a great teaching experience as we remind you of your manners and now you say, “Up!” followed by signing please. You are also now saying “Dada.”

During one nap time I told you that Mommy was not coming back in to give you Lovie if you chucked her out of your crib again. I left, and of course, being the defiant toddler that you are, threw Lovie right over the side. Knowing I wasn’t coming back in, you paused and looked at the door and started to yell, “DADA?!” “Dadaaaaa??” Asking if Daddy could come in and give you Lovie again. You sure are a sassy little girl.

2. Paci Obsessed! I’m not sure when this happened, but for some reason you have become obsessed with your pacifiers. We plan on weaning you off them in the upcoming new year after we’re done with traveling, but man oh man, is it going to be a battle. You’ve even made up your own sign for paci. You cry, throw fits, and beg for a paci anytime we’re upstairs.

3. Helping. You want to help with everything. I mean, everything. Cooking, cleaning, folding laundry, entertaining the baby when he’s over, throwing away trash, unloading the dishes… it doesn’t matter. If I’m doing something you want to be doing it too. We’ve started cooking together, and you love it! I let you “chop” avocados with a butter knife, and the sheer concentration on your face is priceless! You like when we bake the best, since there’s usually a lot of scooping flour involved, which just so happens to be one of your favorite activities.

4.Oliver. You continue to love on Oliver, even more so these days. You give him great big, wrap-your-arms-around-his-neck style hugs, throw-yourself-on-his-back style hugs and hold-onto-dear-life-while-he-runs-away hugs. You pat his back, scratch his hiney, and love to throw his ball for him. You pick out his bones and deliver them to him. You help scoop his food and put it in his bowl. You really love Oliver, so much so, that we’ve now have a problem with you sneaking him your snacks! You’ll go over and slyly hand him a goldfish when you think we’re not looking. You break out in a big grin when he eats it.

5. Swim Class. Ever since we returned from Florida you have been loving swim class! This past time you were kicking with all your might, jumping off the side, and going under water like a champ. You didn’t cry once, and you were nothing but smiles and laughter the whole time. You even started putting your ears in the water, and blowing bubbles. You continue your love of water at home by being obsessive about the bathtub. You could spend all day in there if I let you.