Today I Went Out In The Rain.

We all know that the Seattle area gets its fair share of rain.  If you live around here then, much of the time, you have to expect that you're gonna get wet when you go outside.  As a child I loved a good rain to play in.  It just seemed to feel more adventuresome to play imagination games with a nice drizzle on my head.  I don't ever remember getting a cold because of running around in the dripping forest. 

Photo by ozmafan

Ok, fast forward to now.  I'm a mom.  Our Summer started sometime in July and now it's the end of August and it rained all day.  It was 56 degrees. It feels like Autumn is moving in on us now.  Kind of early.  I have always adored Fall: the crispy feel on sunny days, the change from green to yellow to orange to brown, the fresh apple everything, the Indian Summers, etc. 

Photo by Nina Matthews Photography - I modified it a little.

But I've really been enjoying throwing the girls into my double stroller and going for walks all around town the past couple months.  And it would appear that those sunny walks are numbered for the rest of this year.  What am I gonna do?

Photo by woodleywonderworks - I modified it a bit.

Being lightly rained on does not bother me.  But what about my babies?  I've heard that rain isn't good for their health.  I've heard that getting sick from being in the rain is a myth.  What's the truth?  Can I continue our walks?  And waiting until it stops raining isn't really an option since some weeks it never lets up.  Should we just stay inside for 9 months?  Oy.  THAT almost makes me feel depressed.  I can almost taste the cabin fever.

Photo by anitakhart

Any words of advice?  Suggestions?  Thanks.  :)

Whatever I end up doing, I promise, it won't be this!

Photo by Risager

Today I Went To The Zoo.

Hubby and I took the girls to the Point Defiance Zoo and met our friends Jared & Crystal, and some of their family.  And I had a VERY difficult time narrowing down the photos to share with you all.  It was just so enjoyable and my babies are so cute and our friends are so much fun and it was so awesome that Tony was able to get most of the day off work! 

Jaya and one of her new cubs.  It's either Bima or Mali.  Soooooo cute!

Crystal holding a grateful and appreciative Britt-Britt (I've never met a baby that loves being packed around more).

Britt being worn by Jared.  She didn't like this as much, but it did put her to sleep.  **thumbs up**

Ash was mesmerized by the seals.  We spent a lot of time there.

Blubbery.

Look at those eyes full of wonder.

Some polar bear appetizers. 

Heehee!  The polar bears were fighting while we were there and it was hard to get a good picture of them.

Jared's sweet, little nephew who insisted on pushing the stroller (which weighs as much as he does!) the whole trip.

Resting muskox.

Jared & Crystal.  Why can't you guys live closer???

They had a petting zoo where you could buy 8 pellets of goat food for 50 cents.  It was a big hit with the Princess.

She's showing the goat how to open its mouth.  Hahaha!

Too much fun.

There's a play area at this zoo.  Ash found the slides and was in hog heaven.  Here she is running into some other kid, and obviously found it funny.

I'll never get tired of this smile. 

Needless to say, we spent a LOT of time at the slides.  :)

That's it!  If you haven't been to the nearest zoo yet this summer, hurry! 

Summer's almost over. 

**sad**

OH!  And we've got a winner of the Ginger Vanilla Fragrance Oil. Thanks to all who entered. The chances of winning were very good for everyone. 1 of 5 isn't bad odd. Random.org pulled up #4, which is Ash who said, "I have a stinky baby. And stinky dogs. I should win."  Haha!  I'll be e-mailing you shortly. 

Today I Have Bad Seasonal Allergies.

So my sniffer's not at it's best and I'm sneezing a lot.  And my whole face feels itchy.  Basically, I'm being driven nuts by something that is floating in the air right now.  I very strongly suspect the poofy white pom pom things that Ash keeps chasing around outside and calling "baby."   

And it's just too bad that I can't smell very well because:

Ginger

+

Vanilla

=

Ginger Vanilla Fragrance Oil

Ok.  I might not be smelling things as strongly right now (which has it's upsides, given the two little poopers I live with  **chuckle**), but I can tell you that this stuff smells gooooooood.  Slatkin & Co. makes really nice scents. 

And since I'm doing a happy dance about having 40+ followers/friends, I decided I really should do another giveaway for my sweet followers! 

So, to have a chance at winning this sweet smelliness, leave a comment.  One entry per person.  I'll close the giveaway on Monday with a new post.  And try random.org, for the first time, to find the winner. 

P.S.  You'll want to have an oil warmer if you win this brand new bottle of enjoyment for your olfactory senses.  Or know how to make potpurri.  OR, you could add it to homemade body scrub.  Mmmmm!

*This giveaway is over.  Thanks for playing!!!  :)

Today I Realized Something.

I completely forgot to blog yesterday! 

Maybe it happened because it was a very uneventful day,  I don't know.  But let's just call this yesterday's post and I'll do today's later today.  Sorry 'bout that!

Forgetful Jamie.  :)

Today I Fed My Baby.

This is not a post all about how breast is best and no one should ever bottle feed. 

I know that for some people it's a  sensitive and controversial subject. 

My personal feeling is that everyone can make their own decisions and that everyone is living their own life.  Let's leave it that way.  Mommas (and daddies!!) need to be supportive.  No judging.  No snide remarks.  Just give input when asked and helping hands where needed.

Nope. Not me nor my baby. Just a stock photo. Cuz we all like pictures.

I was formula fed because my mother wasn't physically able to nurse, and I don't think I'm any less intelligent because of that.  I'm grateful that she was emotionally ok with it and focused on being a loving mom in all the many other ways that kids need their mothers. 

Again, not mine.  But cute anyways.  :)

My main reason for choosing to nurse my babies was because it's CHEEEEEEP!  And because I'm sharing my anti-bodies with the babe.  I've got good anti-bodies.  **flexing**  Yeah.  Oh, and I think my hormones are happier too.  :)  I just feel so snuggly and happy when I'm feeding my baby.  Though, to be honest - when Ash got switched to bottles at 7.5 months (because it was time to invite Britt into our family), I still felt that to a certain degree.

My biggest concern about nursing with both of my daughters was, "Are they getting enough?"  I stressed about it for the first 4 months of Ash's life and again for Britt's. 

You can imagine how much I love the sound of liquid swooshing around in Britt's belly when I bounce her up and down. 

Yep. 

On my list of top 10 things to hear!

An obviously well-fed and happy baby.  And this one IS mine!  And so is the studly daddy holding her.  ;)

So, since this is a nursing post, I figured I might as well add a little plug for the giveaway that Life In A Shoe is having!  So, those of you who are currently nursing, or know someone who is, head on over and check it out!  They are giving away Milk Diapers!  Hahaha.  Funny name for nursing pads.  Anyways, I get a free entry if I mention it in my post.  :)

One more thing.  I've been reading on a lot of mamas' blog posts about how they can't drink milk while nursing.  That really stinks since it's hot right now and I love me some ice cream almost every night!

Last night I picked up a pint of some hemp-milk ice cream called Tempt.  It's dairy-free and soy-free and I bought it for Ash (due to her lovely allergies). 

Long story short, I helped her eat it.  Their Vanilla Bean is goooooooooooooooooood!!! 

So there you have it.  Go get some.  You can thank me later.  :)

Yummylisciousness.

Well, that's it for tonight!  It was a good day.  Hope yours was pleasant too.

Today I Cried.

I have friends who have served in the military, but I've never had family make that type of sacrifice.  I've always been grateful for the men and women who serve us and our country.  Now I just want to offer up a daily prayer for all the children who miss their military daddies and mommies sooooo much!  I am very thankful for their sacrifices as well.  These people are amazing.



I held it together until that sweet little girl, on Santa's lap mouthed, "Daddy."

Oh my breaking heart!!

I need another tissue.

Today I Laughed.

Because I get to see this Munchkin Face on a regular basis! 

What made you laugh today?

Today I'm Eating Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread.

**nom, nom, nom**  Oh hi!  I'm sitting here, savoring pure deliciousness.  And I was thinking that I should share.  :)  Cuz sharing is caring, right?  Okay!  Well, run go get your aprons because this is something you do NOT want to miss out on! 

Ingredients (and the amounts) needed:

3 eggs
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1&1/3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups grated zucchini
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1.5 cups of whole wheat flour
1.5 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

Gather your ingredients if you like.  Individually they aren't much, but together they are a force to be reckoned with!  Set your oven to 350 degrees.

Grab your helper, if have one.  Britt was mine.  Well, ok.  She wasn't much of a help, but she's going through a lovely little stage where she has to have me in her sights constantly and I have to make eye-contact and acknowledge her presence regularly.  If those things don't happen, then she makes very unhappy, headache-inducing noises.  Not pleasant.   

Step 1.  Mix the wet ingredients together until they are completely blended. 

Step 2. If you haven't done so already, now would be a good time to shred the zucchini.  I'm a vigorous grater.  Anyone who enters my kitchen right now will get lovely bits of vegetable stuck to the bottoms of their feet. 

Step 3.  Add in zucchini and chocolate chips.

Step 4.  Stir.

Step 5.  In a different bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. 

Step 6.  With a spoon stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture.

Step 7.  If you've got a hand mixer this would be a good time to use it.  If not, that is fine but just make sure you mix everything together really well.

Step 8.  Grease you pans or tins or whatever you're using and then pour the batter in to them.  I doubled the recipe this time and ended up with two loaves of bread and eighteen muffins.  Last time (when I didn't double it) I got one smaller loaf and twelve muffins.  It's your call as to what shape you want your snack to be. 

 Step 9.  Set timer and go do something else for a bit.  The muffins take about 20 minutes.  The bread cooks for about 40 minutes. 

Step 10.  After the timer rings, take out the yumminess and try not to burn yourself because you just can't wait for it to cool!

FYI.  Zucchini is very slimy and that slime sticks to your hands. It's weird. I'd never cooked with zucchini before this recipe. Actually, I originally tried this recipe for Ash. Because it's almost dairy-free and soy-free.  But I've discovered that the small amount of milk and soy lecithin in choco chips doesn't bother her when she ingests just a little.  Yay!  Anyways,  I thought I hated zucchini bread. I sure didn't like the slice I had when I was eight years old! Of course that particular loaf didn't have chocolate chips. And **smug look** mine does!  Though it would still taste pretty great without if you need/want to omit them.  But, I still hate banana bread. Even the smell makes me gag.  That will never change.

Now if you'll excuse me.  I'm going to the kitchen for another piece.  And to sweep the floor.  **sigh**

Today I Entered A Photo Challenge.

The Paper Mama hosts a weekly photo challenge over at her domain.  I have decided to join in this time around.  :)  The subject is "orange."  I found the perfect pic too! 

This is Ash last October at the local pumpkin patch.  We had so much fun and I really hope this same patch is open again this year.

A little taste of things to come...

Today I Made Shelves.

Out of cardboard.  And wrapping paper I got out of a freepile.  Cool, huh?  I saw someone else do these on a blog somewhere, but I have no idea who it was.  Message me if you think you're the one who deserves the credit! 

Anyways, I was breaking down boxes to put in the recycle when I realized that I could use them!

I started thinking that they could help to make more room at the top of Ash's closet.  See all that wasted space?

So I got out all the supplies I needed.  Which include wrapping paper (I'm going to use the adhesive kind next time).

Also, duct tape to retape the boxes I broke down, two different kinds of tape, box cutter, scissors for the wrapping paper, and glue (not pictured and not necessary).

It's pretty simple.  I wrapped it like a present.  This tutorial (of sorts) is assuming you have basic gift wrapping skills.  :)

Lookin' pretty already!  The outside was the most simple.

Ash wanted to help.  Of course.  And she's going through a hat phase.  It makes me giggle. 

I used glue on the inside, which makes the whole process faster, BUT it makes the paper a little wrinkly.  I don't mind because you can't see it when it's doing its job (meaning, full of folded clothes).  Just use the outer dimensions of the box to measure the paper for the inside and then stick it on with glue or tape or both.

I cut four of these out of another box.

Then I covered them in gift wrap.  They are brackets (along the help of packing tape) to help give the shelf more balance and hold.

Here's the bottom of the shelf (I made out of the second box) with one set of brackets attached. 

Yay! All done.

Here it is.  It's awesome and I'm going to make another to go next to it, but I'm going to have to go through my other wrapping paper since I don't have enough of the freepile kind to completely cover another shelf.

Now THAT is provident living!