What a great weekend! We got a lot done and did a whole lot of nothing, just our speed. I don't know about you but I think I may be one of the last people on earth without a smart phone. No IPHONE, Droid, Crackberry or whatever else kinds there are- I'm talking no access to the internet no nothing. I text that's about it and it's just the way I like it. When I worked my last fulltime job before having our first baby I had a Blackberry. It was linked to all my emails both personal and business. I couldn't stand being so connected.

On the weekends especially I'm grateful for being "unconnected." With the exception of doing a post for Elizabeth Gray I'm rarely on the laptop on the weekends. My friends will tell you I'm sometimes even notorious for not turning my phone on let alone taking it with me anywhere. They know not to be offended if I don't answer a text. We still have a landline so I know if it's important someone with either call me at home or call Nick.

Does anyone remember this quote from Before Sunset? It resonates with me even still....

"... [A]fter a while, my brain seemed clearer. I was writing a lot more... ideas I had never thought of before....it took me a while to figure out why it felt, you know, so different. And then, one day, …, I realized that I had spent the last two weeks away from most of my habits. TV was in a language I didn't understand... So, all I've been doing was... walk around, think, and write. My brain felt like it was at rest, free from the consuming frenzy. And I have to say, it was almost like a natural high. I felt so peaceful inside, no... strange urge to be somewhere else, to shop... Maybe it could have seemed like boredom at first, but it quickly became very, very soulful. It's interesting, you know?"

That was Céline, telling Jesse about a visit to Warsaw when she was a teenager. 

The third installment recently premiered at Sundance. Can someone please alert me when a trailer for it finally appears? I can't wait! 

When she talked about her brain being clearer and at rest it reminded me of the summer I spent {here.} No phone reception, no internet, no tv. You had all the time in the world to just create and be with your thoughts. It was amazing.

Anyhow each to there own right? Lord knows I still love to read my blog feed and Pinterest has inspired me so much. 

Hope you have an amazing week!

4/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Lucy: Always takes her time getting in the car and wanders around outside. She's fascinated by the snow falling then melting and then falling again. 

Gray: Has finally outgrown his infant carseat and was switched to a cow seat just like his big sisters. 

around the kitchen

Things have been so crazy around here that I haven't really had a chance to tell you about our kitchen "issues." It all started right after Thanksgiving when our dishwasher died- Nick likes to say I wore it out over the holiday. Anyway fast forward to what I thought would be a pretty quick trip to Lowes to get a new one when we learned that our current broken d/w is not a standard size, it's smaller. When we went to measure for a standard size we realized it wouldn't fit.

My first thought was to somehow just cut into the counter top underneath because we were only about a 1/4'' short height wise. We had our contractor friend come by to take a look when he very casually mentioned the fact that our giant cast iron sink wasn't properly reinforced when it was installed and as a result it's basically pulling down our whole counter top and causing it to sag- which explains why we're not able to fit the standard d/w. It also explained why water would constantly roll down the counter and all over my legs and feet while I did the dishes- it was't anywhere near level.

BEFORE

If you look closely you can see where everything starts to dip the closer to the sink you get.

From there it was basically a domino effect as far as having to replace things, the counter top has to be raised, it's attached to the back splash, the sink has to go because it's tiled right to the counter top etc.. you get the idea. So here we are almost 2 months later and last Thursday we finally got rolling on fixing everything up. We had always planned on remodeling the kitchen just not quite yet. Our hand was pretty much forced though so to help offset the unexpected cost a little we have broken it down into phases starting with the "sink side" of the kitchen. When we feel financially ready we'll tackle the cook top/ wall oven side and lastly the flooring {did I mention we also found out that our tile floor was laid incorrectly too and it's basically "floating" with only the grout holding it together. For love of DIY, these people were out of control!

AFTER DEMO

So here we are today we've been without running water in the kitchen since last Thursday but the guys are here today finally installing the counter this morning and now the sink and new d/w this afternoon. The back splash tile will start tomorrow. It's been a stressful and unexpected road but the results are really coming along! I'll be back later in the week to hopefully show you the completed new look.

GETTING CLOSER... hey is that running water and a working dishwasher?! woo hoo!

Have a wonderful day!

3/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Lucy: She loves her rice box. On this day she asked that I braid her hair and her doll Chloe's hair too.

Gray: Is really getting into table food. Spaghetti is a favorite.

Duvet DIY

I have been searching for a duvet cover for Lucy for quite a while. I couldn't find one that I really loved for less than the price of about 2 weeks worth of groceries. Crazy town! So I got to thinking how hard could it be to make one? After all isn't it really just a giant pillowcase?

I looked up some tutorials on Pinterest and I learned that all I really needed were 2 flat sheets (twin). I hopped on Ebay and found a perfect flat sheet for the front. For the back I used a light blue sheet the we already owned- it paired perfectly with the print on the Ebay sheet. I simply ironed the heck out of the sheets (easily the longest part of the whole process), then pinned them together on 3 sides and sewed around. For the bottom closures I decided to go with 4 squares of fabric Velcro. It was easier at the time than trying to figure out the buttonhole attachment on my sewing machine.

I love the result, it was exactly what I couldn't find but wanted from the stores and best yet the whole project only cost me $9 for the sheet including shipping. Lucy just loves it too- she looks so cozy burrowed underneath all of the new mooshy, soft goodness. I will definitely be making more of these babies in the future!

I hope you have a beautiful weekend!

2/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Lucy: Coloring is a daily activity for her. She's learning how fun stencils can be!

Gray: Started out his week so bright eyed before falling prey to a nasty cold. Hopefully he'll be on the mend soon...

52 in 2013

1/52

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Lucy: Beats the winter cabin fever by regular morning jumps.

Gray: Had his crib lowered once again right after this photo was taken. 

52 in 2013

her own terms

I can't tell you how many times I stop during the day and try to remind myself to 'remember something Lucy has just said or done. Nick and I were sitting and reflecting last night on just how much our little girl has really blossomed since this time last year. Last January her pediatrician recommended we have her hearing tested and that she be evaluated by a wonderful state program we have here in Indiana called First Steps. Her doctor was concerned her speech wasn't coming along and the words she did try and say sounded as though they were stuck in the back of her throat. I began to panic a little and compare her to other littles her age. She did seem behind verbally.

Long story short her hearing was fine and the kind and thorough people from Head Start advised us to just give her some more time. Her baby brother Gray was born about a month and a half later in March and it seemed to trigger something in her. Maybe it was her way of making sure she was going to be heard because right around that time the words, phrases and sentences began to just pour out of her. The whole experience taught me a valuable lesson about patience in parenting.

We live in a time where parents seem to continuously measure their kids up and push them ahead at lightning speed. All I remember worrying about when I was a little was... nothing. It was a blast. I ate, slept and played my heart out. I want the same for my babies.

I saw a yoga quote a few months ago that read "Don't push the river; it flows by itself." This   rocked me to my core in so many ways but most of all it made me think of Lucy, and I know one day soon Gray.

*source

I hope you have a beautiful weekend!