Birthday #35

How does it feel to be 35 years old??  The short answer is GREAT! The long answer is that I feel like I don't really know where the last 20 years of my life went, but a lot of really crazy shit happened and now I'm here!

I truly feel that I am more centered and able to appreciate the day-to-day goings on of my life.  It's unfortunate that it took me so long to get here, but there is a saying that goes something like, "youth is wasted on the young."  I would say that my 34th year of life brought lots of changes (new job for the hubs, house fire, adjustments to hotel life and then readjustment to home life), but the one I've noticed the most is that I've become ridiculously laid-back.

I would say that I was never really the most high strung person, but I definitely liked things a certain way at a certain time in a certain order.  I made list after list after list.  I felt like I had too much "stuff" to manage and never had time to slow down.  When I went grocery shopping I looked through every store's weekly ad, wrote down what I needed from each store, and then mapped out in which order I would make each stop.  I had a binder dedicated to coupons and lists and shopping plans.  I felt organized, but really I was micromanaging my life and causing myself unnecessary stress. 

No more of that nonsense. 

Now that we eat more whole foods and less processed stuff coupons don't really matter.  There aren't a lot of coupons out there for organic produce.  I make a menu plan (well, sometimes), and I buy what I need for my plan.  Sure, my grocery bill has gone up, but I feel a million times better about what we eat.  I don't stress out about grocery shopping anymore, and that feels really good.

I've stopped worrying about if Soren's clothes match in the morning.  If she thinks it looks good, then who am I to judge?  I don't make the kids clean their rooms everyday.  I make time to have lunch with my friends and lead free yoga classes and deliver diapers to people who can't afford them.  I send lots of texts to loved ones.  

I've stopped glorifying busy.  Heck, I rarely even put makeup on anymore.  There was a time when I would go to the gym with makeup on.  Seriously.

If only I could get Colby on board.  That's my goal for year #35.  He needs to take some advice from Disney's Frozen and "Let It Go."

For my annual birthday get together this year we kept it pretty low key.  I invited some people over to invade my friend Brynn's house since she has more room than I do.  We ate, played games, had a few drinks, and stayed up later than 11pm.  Her husband grilled meat while the rest of us polished off a few bottles of wine.  

Brynn and me with games and what looks to be one of the wine coolers Brynn thought, "must be good because Nicki Minaj was on the commercial."  Oh, Brynnie.

Mask from New Year's Eve that I didn't get to wear because Brynn's kids got the stomach flu, so we couldn't go out.  She got them out for this special occasion instead.

Me with some of the party guests.

Lighting the candles on my birthday dessert

Opening my present from Brynn with a little help from a photobomber

Brynn gave me a horse mask to cover up my "ugly face."  It's an inside joke. 

 So, here's to year #35.  May it continue to bring obstacles to conquer, intentions to meet, and people to love.

Ready to Garden

Although we know it's a little early to plant flowers outside, the girls and I are so anxious to get into the garden!!  I was discussing this with one of my yoga regulars, and he showed up to class one day with hundreds of little marigolds he got from a local greenhouse.  He gave them to me and said, "Don't put them outside until after May 15!"

Obviously, we have also discussed my green thumb...or lack thereof.

The girls excitedly and gently pulled each small stem to replant them into the cartons I was also given.  It took them the better part of three hours to replant all the baby plants, and when they were done I brought them all inside.  I promise not to plant them outside until after May 15.  If they survive that long. (see previous comment about green thumb)

Making New Friends

As I mentioned in an earlier post, we became the proud "parents" of two sick kittens a few weeks ago.  When we first got them I thought they hated us; they ran away and hid from us at any and all opportunities.  As it turns out, they were actually just deathly ill.  As soon as they came home from the hospital they were like totally different kittens.  Now, they are little furry bundles of purrs and kisses and snuggles.  

You can probably see where I belong in this picture...

Even old man Jefferson is warming up to the kittens.  Who can resist?

While we're on the subject of making new friends, I have to tell an interesting little story about the baby shower I threw for my friend Iryna.   I put together a sweet little get together for my Belarusian friend who s having her third baby...but her first baby born in the good old US of A.  She's never had an American baby shower, and she's actually sort of shy, so I wanted to throw her an intimate shower.  Turns out, baby had other plans.  Still only 36 weeks along, Iryna started having contractions about an hour before our scheduled shower and was put on bed rest until she's 37 weeks.  So, I threw the shower without her and met some very nice ladies over coffee and dessert.  I met five of these ladies (and the two kids) through yoga, which is where I also met Iryna.  One of these women is from Ukraine, and another is from Tajikistan.  Two are from Spain.  How amazing is it that I know women from all over the world here in little old Lincoln, NE?!  And it's all thanks to yoga.  Healthy body, healthy mind, healthy friendships.

Best.Bread.Ever.

It wouldn't be fair for me not to share this sandwich bread recipe.  There is so much amazing packed into these loaves.  I can't even explain it.  If you've never made bread before then this is your opportunity to make the most amazing bread ever on the face of the earth.  

Julia Child knows her stuff.

House Update

We are finally getting stuff up on the walls in the house.

The girls helped make some wreaths for their wall, and I paired them some cute prints off of Etsy (which I got for free because of a loooooong shipment delay) and some owl wall decals.

Thought I'd throw in a photo of the girlies in their natural habitat.

I also ordered some amazingly cute prints for the dining room from Etsy.  I added some fabric to embroidery hoops, and now we've got a pretty nice little wall.  The prints say: "I like to mix it up," "Rollin' with my homies," and "Let the beet drop."  I hope by the end of the weekend I'll have the remainder of the upstairs wall art hung, and next week I'll be on the hunt for some more frames for our master bedroom wall art.

Pretty Packages

My fellow blogger and friend, Sassafras Mama, always posts the sweetly wrapped gifts she so lovingly prepares for her loved ones.  Hoping to one day be as cool as her, I decided I should start by trying to wrap my own pretty package.

Okay, truth be told: my friend was bringing her new baby boy over for a visit, and I had a baby yoga book to give her.  I haven't gotten around to buying wrapping paper, so I had to use what was on hand, namely a Trader Joe's sack and some fabric scraps.

I was pretty proud of the results, and Sara was very happy with the book.  Her baby, by the way, is the cutest thing I've ever seen.  He smelled just like a little newborn baby should, made those cute little baby grunts and gurgles, and slept like a champ through all of Auntie Nichole's shenanigans.  He made my ovaries ache!  Lucky for me his mama had lots of stories about hours-long crying binges, acid reflux, and pulling all-nighters.  Ovary ache all gone.

Kittens!!

All I wanted for my birthday (which isn't until April) was two kittens to fill the void left by the loss of Penny and Sheldon.  My sneaky husband actually kept a secret for once and surprised me with these guys:

We named them Watson and Bogart.  We fell in love with them right away.  And then only a few days after they joined us they got gravely ill.  They had distemper, a nasty virus that almost killed them.  They were hospitalized for four days on the verge of death.  I really needed them to pull through after losing two cats in a fire and two other cats due to health problems.  Cats number five and six seemed not long for this world, but despite all the odds against them, they survived.

Oh my, are they sweet.  They are little purring machines.

Deathly ill kitten (which we didn't know at the time) trying to find a warm place to sleep.  Bogart continues to be our little climber and face snuggler.  He also loves coffee.

This photo was taken after the kittens got home from their hospitalization.  Watson (in the front) is much more curious than his brother.

The dogs quickly got used to having new cats around after checking out our new house mates.

Here's to enjoying the last of your nine lives, boys!  We are so happy you decided to fight to come home to us!