Henry: Master of Slides

Henry is quite the master of the slides these days. Monday morning we went to Winterville Park with some other moms and kids and Henry again had a wonderful time sliding and climbing and running around. We go early, like 9:00 am before it gets too hot, otherwise it is miserable. We sit in the shade to stay cool. This week, we got there a little early and I took advantage of the empty playground to capture Henry's latest trick on video. He also likes to go down the slide on his tummy but is often slowed down because of his drooly wet t-shirt. Cool park mornings make me very excited for fall.

Tutorial: Magnet Shapes and Animals

During the week I really worked on the scrap challenge, I had the idea to make little people and animal magnets for Henry. I wanted to make them out of fabric and then I wised up. That would be WAY TOO MUCH work. So I brainstormed some other options. I could find some cute pictures online and print them out? I could cut up a book? Or a coloring book? I headed to the Dollar Tree and found the solution.
I found these super cute books about shapes made by Playskool. They had medium sized animals and shapes to trace and color. Perfect. I bought two of them. That way if I liked something on both sides of the page I could have them. $2. They also had one about colors which we might add to the collection later. So first, cut out all the shapes and animals. I colored all the tracing shapes and also cut out the words for the shapes. Then mount on construction paper or card stock and cut out again. Seriously this project is super simple but requires lots of cutting, so put something on the tv and sit back and relax. I mounted the shapes on brown construction paper I have had since the beginning of time.
Then I mounted all the pieces on contact paper, back and front. Once again, cut them all out. I hot glued a magnet to the back of each one and done. I used a substantial sized piece of magnet for each one so they would be easier for Henry to stick to the door. Our front door is metal and the perfect canvas for these.
For shapes we have: squares, stars, rectangles, hearts, triangles, circles, rhombus and ovals.
Here is Henry with his animals.

"Yes, this is my Panda Bear. Would you like to see?"
"Its okay if I lick this dog because my mom covered it in plastic."
And this is how Henry put them all on the door himself. So proud. And they go from the front door to the fridge to the shopping cart often.

Henry: 20 months

Henry and I walked down to the office today to fill out a work order: the wasps are back! So we stopped and took some pictures by this great weathered fence and greenery. Too bad he wouldn't smile until we were walking back. I managed to get a couple of good ones but they have our apartment building in the background and I don't want all you stalkers to have a too easy time trying to find us.

Henry is 20 months! In just four months he will be two. I will have a two year old. Crazy. Henry right now is an eager little sponge. He picks up things so quickly these days. I have to admit, it is a lot of fun.

New things from the last month:
-Henry can and loves to dip his food in ketchup and ranch. This is a trick we picked up from another little boy and now Henry enjoys having his own little cup of ketchup when we go to Five Guys. It is also a convenient way to get him to eat veggies. Tomatoes dipped in ketchup? Yes, please.
-Teeth numbers 7 and 8 are coming through. His toothy grin sure is cute.
-New words: Girl (gurl) and blankey (key)
-Slides! We have started going to the park again in the morning and he can climb up the steps, position himself and go down the slide without holding on all by himself. It sure makes going to the park a breeze for me. All I do is sit on a blanket and administer snacks and drinks.

And here is a video to show how brilliant he is with body parts. He knows where the following are located: head, nose, ears (sometimes), tummy, belly button, knees, toes/feet and hands. The video doesn't show them all but Henry is often very selective on what he will perform for you.

And Henry can also hug things now. Not people but toys. Not mom or dad but toys. Priorities.
Have a great weekend everyone!

The Best Peach Muffins

Last Saturday I bought a 26lb box of peaches. I know. That is a lot of peaches. A lady in our ward drove all the way out to South Carolina, promised they'd be the best peaches and took orders for everyone. They are some of the best peaches I have ever had. The best peach I ever ate was purchased in the Pike's Place Market the day after we got married in Seattle. Steve and I walked down to the market and bought fresh fruit and a bag of hot mini doughnuts. Yum.

I digress. So naturally with a big box of fruit on your table, action would be required. We already made and devoured a peach pie with homemade whipped cream and we have had peaches with almost every meal. Henry is a happy little boy. I have also peeled, cored and sliced bags and bags for the freezer.

So today in a fit of brilliance I remembered this muffin recipe that I love but I usually make with blueberries. Why not add diced peaches instead? Heaven in a muffin tin. I have already eaten two, in less than an hour. What really makes this recipe is the crumb topping. I doubled the recipe -26lbs of peaches, people- and I would suggest it because the single batch only makes 9 muffins and that is just not enough.

To Die For Peach Muffins
(recipe adapted from here)

Ingredients

* 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 3/4 cup white sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 2 teaspoons baking powder
* 1/3 cup vegetable oil
* 1 egg
* 1/3 cup milk
* 1 cup fresh blueberries (I used diced peaches and I would do 1 1/2 cups next time)
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/4 cup butter, cubed
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.
2. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.
3. To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

New School Year, New Goals

I don't know about you all but for me the beginning of the year (January?) is the beginning of the school year. September! For the past 25 years, my life has revolved around September being the start, the beginning, school time. So naturally, this is when my brain thinks about setting new goals. I know that New Years is traditionally the time to do this but who cares? The heck with tradition. I am my own woman.

Goal #1. Read more. I love reading but there just seem to be so many other things to do. Not anymore. I searched through my goodreads "to read" list and put them all on hold at the library. Bam! I had lots to read and a deadline. Making this a priority has been pretty easy. I just watch less tv. So far I have read The Book Thief and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I would recommend both.

Goal #2. Exercise. I would say "exercise more" but when you are not exercising at all, saying "more" feels like a given. Jillian Michaels is back in my life. From her I find wonderful life lessons such as "Don't quit when you get to the finish line," and "When it starts to hurt, those are the ones that matter." Whatever. I feel a lot better.

Goal #3. Be better about spending quality time with Henry. I find as a mother it is really easy to get super lazy, super fast. How hard can playing really be? Right? Plus, he loves Diego and Dora. Well, I am determined to be prepared with activities and outing that are both worthwhile and fun.

Goal #4. Entertain more. So easy and often the only non-alcoholic entertainment Athens has to offer.

Does anyone else feel like September is the time to make a new start?

Always busy

No refashion today, my latest two are in the laundry bin-unphotographed. So instead I bring you pictures of Henry "helping" me unload the dishwasher. I bet Noah was always good about chores on the ark.

Scrap Challenge: Floor Cushions

I have wanted cute floor cushions for awhile. I love the way they look in magazines, I think they are perfect for kids and for playing with kids on the floor. So the scrap challenge was my perfect motivator. And this project is great because it actually uses large amounts of your scraps, not like some of my projects which barely made a dent. And this is perfect for home decor weight fabric which I happen to have a lot of. So this is the perfect project. I started by coming up with a pattern. I modified the fabric ball pattern I made here. I tried to scan it for you but it was too big to fit in my scanner. I just made it bigger. And then I constructed following the ball pattern.
For the pink one I used larger pieces of scrap fabric and a pair of Steve's old jeans which are really worn out and soft. The crazy one is just lots of different bright fabrics and black and white prints.

Once stuffed full-I used about 1 1/2 bags of stuffing per ball, I wanted them to be tufted so they would be cushions and not just huge round balls. So I bought a couple of kits to cover buttons, I love covering buttons! And then found my largest needle, thankfully I found an upholstery needle my mom gave me because using a smaller needle involved me trying to squash the pillow down and poke it at the same time while trying not to stab myself or Steve in the finger. Do the tufting first and make sure it is secure and then sew the button on. The great thing about the button is that it covers all your messy tufting stitches.
And you are done. Pretty simple once you find that big needle. And guess who loves them? Any child who has come over so far. And I love them too. They are the perfect seat for at home story time. Henry likes to lay on them and totally relax. He also likes to plop from cushion to cushion and drool as evidenced in the pictures. And if you decide that you want to lay your head on one, Henry will decide that he would like to lay his head down too and will make you move.

Weaver D's

We finally made it to Weaver D's Delicious Fine Foods, an Athens staple. Its motto "Automatic for the People" inspired the REM album title. They have early hours so we could never get there but this last Saturday we did and thanks to a free groupon coupon from Chelsea, we dined for free.
It was super crowded but was worth the wait. We both got white chicken plates, mine with a delicious broccoli casserole and mac n cheese. Henry loved the mac n cheese but I thought it was only okay. The fried chicken was everything you would expect from a hole in the wall in Georgia which means it was light and crispy and divine! The atmosphere was very down south homey with two long tables for all customers to eat at together. It is always fun to experience the culture here and have it be a success.

Braves Game: Bobby Cox Day

On Friday Steve and I were invited to go to an Atlanta Braves game and we jumped on the opportunity. Babysitters acquired, we headed out for a night of major league baseball fun. It had been years since Steve or myself had been to a MLB game. We drove out with our friends the Johnson's and met up with some other people from our ward. Bobby Cox, the general manager was retiring but we missed the ceremony. Our seats weren't great, top tier behind right field but what can you expect for $7 tickets? The stadium was really nice, full of Atlanta home pride like a huge Coke bottle that emitted fireworks for every home run and a huge Chick-Fil-A cow. The Braves won by a landslide which always makes watching more fun. I forgot how infectious the atmosphere of a ballgame can be. I quickly found myself cheering along with the crowd and jumping up for each home run. We ended the night with a spectacular Friday night fireworks show.

Refashion: White Dress Shirt

This shirt has been in my closet for years. Since the days when I worked in offices and tried to actually be business casual. Something about this shirt kept me from getting rid of it for years. I think I have worn it three times? I bought it at a thrift store too so it wasn't a huge investment. I figured out what I didn't like about it. The sleeves felt too tight. So they had to go. I also thought about maybe dyeing it?
Well I trimmed off the sleeves (Don't forget to save buttons from refashions. I clip them off sleeve cuffs and put them in my stash for future use.) and I loved the way it looked. So I left it. Eventually I might dye it but for now it is good and going back into rotation. And the pink skirt is another refashion from years ago but I don't have any pictures, just imagine bigger and longer. It had this awesome tag inside, very 80's with the brand "Hunter's Glen." Belt is from Downeast tent sale.

What We've Been Up To

Lining up Noah's Ark animals on the chair arms.
Emptying cabinets while I make dinner
Just chilling
Doing laundry
And spending time with Steven before he goes back to school today!

Henry's Words

Henry is finally picking up a few words which makes life a little more exciting. I can tell that he understands and he knows what things are but he just can't say much yet. This is a really exciting time to see him learning and developing. We already can't shut him up but soon it will be sentences instead of squawking.

So here is a little of what Henry is saying these days.

Word Henry Can Say What it actually sounds like

Dada Dada

Diego D-go

Dora Do

Boots Boo

Ghost Go

Car Car

More Mo

Mommy Mee

E-i-E-i-O EiEi

Obviously from the video, you can see that Henry's favorite and most prolific word is car. He says it everywhere we go, pointing and sometimes shouting. Anything with wheels is a car and it never gets old for him. His second favorite word is More which is annoying/funny because he will point into the kitchen and shout "Mo!" He already knows that if he says it enough and loudly too he will get whatever he wants. He also knows to point at the tv and yell "Go" which is code for I want to watch Diego instead of So You Think You Can Dance.

Refashion: White Cardigan

I bought this white cardigan at Walmart. 3 or so years ago. Occasionally they will surprise me with a basic that is pretty great and cheap. I also bought it in green and black. Well the white one has seen better days, as in it is no longer white but that sad greyish color with little bits of yellow in there too. So it went into my "to-do" pile and got quite the makeover.I started off by dyeing it. I wanted orange and ended up with this lovely coral color by mixing part red dye and part yellow. I used Tulip Permanent Dye which I loved. Usually I use RIT because that is what Joann's carries but this dye totally trumps RIT any day. I have used it on several projects since and have continually been happy with the results.

Once dyed I looked for some type of embellishment. I scrounged through my notions bin and found this perfect lace I bought on etsy eons ago. I stitched it in place with clear thread and done.
Steve thinks it is a little granny but we don't always have to agree.

Mommy/Son Movie Date

The local theater here does children's early matinees during the summer. Henry and I went on a little date this week to see Shrek 2. We invited some friends and had a great time. This isn't the first time we have tried the theater. Henry's first movie was Toy Story 3 last summer but he just sat in his carseat the majority of the time marveling at the huge screen until he pooped and I had to go change him. And a couple of weeks ago we tried to go see Monsters Vs. Aliens and he wouldn't sit very long because I wasn't prepared with any snacks. Rookie mistake. This time we came armed with Dum Dum suckers, gold fish, water bottles-which he spilled all over himself, fruit snacks and a huge mess of wipes to clean us up. When he saw the sucker he got so excited that he chucked his binky and I never could find it. Overall he was able to stay put for about an hour and then he ran around in the front area of the theater below the stadium part chasing an unknown kid.

We had a great time.

Georgia: The One Year Mark

One year ago today we were waking up in a hotel in Birmingham. We drove the last 5 hours of our cross country battle and Henry was ornery the whole way. We landed in Athens, found our realtor, drove to our apartment, walked inside and then praised high heaven for air conditioning. Even though the first week was really hard here: our apartment was a cell phone dead zone, no internet which meant hanging out in McDonald's, sweltering humidity and unpacking, I was overall pleased. Our apartment seemed palatial after our sad little basement place in Orem and Georgia was beautiful.

This year has flown by so quickly. And you know what? I love it here. So there really isn't a ton to do in Athens unless you drink but I found I have been happy here and we have kept ourselves relatively busy and entertained. Part of it was my determination to like it no matter what. There is no point in hating where you live when you are going to live there for 4-5 years. Right?

So I asked Steve what I should write about for this post and he suggested listing a few things I love about Georgia and then a few things I miss about Utah. So here we go:

I love that Georgia has so many trees. When we lived in Utah the mountains were forever looming above us. And they were comforting in a way. Always present and an easy way to keep track of your direction. Here, the trees are a dense wall that keeps you surrounded. Its almost impossible to see any other identifying markers. It reminds me of Washington.

I miss the mountains. In a few weeks, the first glimpses of orange and yellow fall would be appearing.

I love going to the beach. Its only a park and a man made water source from a dam but I still love it.

I miss Crest drive thrus and their diet coke blend.

I love the people I have met. Mostly all the girls who are stay at home mothers and wives of graduate students. I love that we all just kind of landed here and have found each other.

I miss my girls. Whitney, Lauryn, Celia and Lori.

I love being at home and having a creative job which also allows me to spend hours with Henry. I guess I could have had this in Utah but I didn't and I have it here which has been wonderful and a great blessing. Plus, I seriously am so happy having all this time to be creative and do fun projects or just watch Grey's Anatomy all afternoon.

I miss Cafe Rio, Tepanyaki, Panda Express, In N Out, Forever 21, DI, Savers, Burger Supreme, FYE, Home Fabrics

Anyway, that's it. One Year. One Year.

Refashion: Side Tables

Not really a refashion since it doesn't have to do with clothing but it is definitely a redo. I bought these two side tables about a year ago when we needed some new furniture for the apartment. I think I paid about $10 for the pair at Goodwill. I painted one white and then got lazy and never painted the second one.
So I decided I needed to jazz them up a little. You know, add some pizazz. And what is a better way to add pizazz than with pattern? I finally painted the second one white and bought some fabulous fabric. I wanted something fun and different. We don't have a lot of green in the living room but I think it works. I cut the fabric into two circles. To adhere to the table I used spray glue and then let it dry for a little bit. I coated over the fabric with a couple of coats of polyurethane. And done.
The fabric was about $5 with a coupon and I already had the paint and other supplies. Just an easy and inexpensive way to add some pattern to your space in an unexpected way.
Now if only it didn't take me a year to complete!