A Lovely Surprise!

I love mail.

I absolutely love opening the mailbox to find a card or letter... or even better... a package!!

Yesterday was one of those special days where my mailbox was graced with a surprise package... and boy, was I excited!!

The lovely Lara from over at Sam Harvey was assigned to me for a blog swap last year. We were to send each other stationery type items in that particular swap. Little did I know that I was in for a much greater swap than I ever imagined!! Go HERE to see what I got!

Well, yesterday... out of the blue... I got another package from Lara. Not only is she beautiful and talented... she is very generous! Look what she sent me!!! (For no other reason than she is AWESOME!)


I am totally thrilled! She has her own handbag company (Sam Harvey)... and they are total quality and style! I just could not believe that she graced me with another wonderful bag! Amazing!

(Yes, I am not really "styling" with my plaid shirt... but oh well!
The bag looks good, at least!! And... I apologize that the
picture was taken in the bathroom... I gotta go where the mirror is!)

THANK YOU (once again!) LARA!!!
You are so kind!

**Please check out Lara's bags... they are total amazingness!**
SAM HARVEY BAGS

SCORE!!

On Friday, my mom and I buzzed over to a store closing across town from my house.

I got 2 shirts for spring/summer... and 2 bras... (total value over $100) for...



...wait for it...



Eight bucks!!

No joke.... not $8 EACH.. but TWO DOLLARS EACH!!

Gotta love finding a great bargain!!

Yeehaw!

Really? Already?

It's been 2 months since our little munchkin
came into the world.
I can't believe it.
(And I've actually shed some tears over it this AM!)


I don't like how fast this time thing goes. It's a little depressing! What's worse though... is that we didn't get ONE family photo until last night! I guess I didn't really think about it until my aunt and uncle came over to visit last evening. They wanted a picture of the 3 of us... and I thought OH MY GOSH! We don't have any pictures of us! So... this is as good as it got on the spur of the moment!

I obviously didn't do my hair or makeup... oh dear.

Anyway... yesterday, I was able to take Eloise to see my grandma in the home. I was so thrilled that my grandma actually opened her eyes to see the baby! She even said her name... and "held" her for some pictures. I think it really wore her out though.. because soon she was off in sleepy land, snoring away! (Well, both my grandma and the baby were!)

It really meant a lot to me that my grandma was awake long enough to meet Eloise. Last time, she wouldn't open her eyes and it just made me really sad. Now Eloise will have pictures to remember my grandma by. It's amazing how fast my grandma's alzheimers has allowed her to decline physically (as well as mentally). It truly is a horrible disease.

On a lighter note... we spent time at my dad's auto body shop yesterday as well. My nephew, Xavier, was there and just absolutely adored Eloise. He was constantly wanting to hold her and fuss over her. It was very sweet. After lunch, my dad was showing X how to "paint like a body man"... and I snapped a couple of pictures.


Xavier masked off the parts he didn't wanted painted (as you can see the yellow tape on the wheels, etc)... and then sanded the parts he did want painted. Of course, he couldn't use Pop pop's paint gun... so a can of spray paint had to do... but it was still exciting to him!!

I'm not quite sure what that thing is called. It's some kind of digging/tractor contraption... but I know that X and his brother and sister are going to have a blast with it!!

Hope you're having a great Wednesday!

Keepin' On...

Eloise is 7 weeks old.
I have been nursing her for 7 weeks.
Through bouts of thrush...
and pain due to Raynaud's Syndrome.

It has not been easy.

It's actually been 7 weeks of pain and stress.
I can't believe I've stuck with it!

But I'm keeping on...
because I know that she will benefit.

My lactation consultant has been awesome...
and has been working with me on El's latch.
It leaves MUCH to be desired.

So, as selfish as it may sound,
please say a prayer for me that she will catch on.
We need to get over this hurdle as soon as possible!

And if anyone has any advice or tips...
I'd really appreciate it!!


I love this face...
and I want to do what's best to keep her
happy, healthy and growing!

Perfection

My New Favorite Toy

I'm still trying to adjust to having a newborn.
Is that pathetic since it's already been almost 7 weeks?

I find myself trying to utilize her nap time for cooking, cleaning (ha!), napping and when I can, computer time.

I won't lie, I miss doing some "me" things... like sewing and crafting.
I have a bunch of ideas in my head, but I can't justify spending my "free" time on those things when there are more important things that need done.
(Like, I should be feeding the chickens right now instead of on the computer!)

Anyway!
I ventured out to the store the other day and just couldn't resist getting this fun little gadget!

A Xyron sticker maker!

I've had my eye on it for awhile... but never picked one up.
Truth be told... I'd rather have the BIG model, but this one will do for now!

I absolutely LOVE snail mail and writing letters... and I love to decorate my envelopes.

I did a couple of trial runs just to see how it worked...

FUN!

So, yes... I am totally excited about a little sticker maker...
and I'm not ashamed to admit it! :)

HEAD OVER TO
MAMMATOWN's BLOG
FOR A WEEK OF GIVEAWAYS!

I've got nothin'...

Life here has been pretty uneventful.
We eat, sleep, change diapers and entertain a baby!
That's about it in a nutshell!

Bath time!

Maybe I'll have more to post later!
Eloise is 6 weeks old today!!

Pouty Pooch

Before Eloise was brought into the world... our dog, Boo, was our baby.

She has a basket of toys in the living room that we'd romp around with (mostly Cory, as I don't particularly care to be on the floor), we'd go outside to play ball or take walks. She had the life any dog would want (Ok, except she isn't allowed on the furniture). She was the center of attention and she knew it....

But now...

Not so much.

This is how I found her yesterday afternoon.

She is pretty good with the baby... but she has noticeably become more depressed. Despite our efforts to include her and play with her and let her know she is loved... she just isn't quite the same. She knows that life has changed and she's pretty pouty about it.

I feel bad... but most of our attention has to go to Eloise now.

I am hoping that once the weather warms up,
we can get back outside with her to play and walk.

I miss the happy Boo we once had. :(

Recipe: Flatlander Chili

This is the chili recipe I was telling you about in this post. It's soooo yummy! I highly recommend it... add a little cornbread and you've got yourself a scrumptious meal!
(Recipe was found on Allrecipes.com)

Flatlander Chili

2 lbs. Ground Beef
1 (46 oz) can Tomato Juice
1 (29 oz) can Tomato Sauce
1 1/2 c. Chopped Onion
1/2 c. Chopped Celery
1/4 c. Chopped Green Bell Pepper
1/4 c. Chili Powder
2 tsp. Ground Cumin
1 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
1/2 tsp. Dried Oregano
1/2 tsp. White Sugar
1/8 tsp. Ground Cayenne Pepper
2 c. Canned Red Beans

-Place ground beef in a large skillet.
-Cook over med/high heat until evenly brown.
-Drain, crumble, set aside.
-Add all ingredients to a large kettle.
-Bring to a boil.
-Reduce heat and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
(Stir occasionally)

ENJOY!