Housewife (with Original Recipe!)

Well, as of yesterday, I officially became a stay-at-home Mama!  We looked into daycare for Rue, but were wait-listed, quoted insane rates, or given ultimatums about diapering & even told to have a bottle packed per feeding.  Going over our budget, adding in the cost of care, extra bottles, extra pumping supplies, disposable diapers, & things like gas to daycare, work, & home... I would have been making approximately $50 a week, tops.  And that was if we continued to eat all our meals at home.

Then we looked at how our time would be divided up & our overall quality of life.

Rue still wakes up in the middle of the night at least once, usually between 2-4 AM.  Then I would have to prep a slowcooker meal before work in the morning, so I would have to be up by 5 AM.  Then I would have to leave almost an hour earlier than I used to so I could drive in the opposite direction to drop off Rue all day.  Then I would go to work, where I would require 3 pumping breaks in the day to maintain supply & keep my freezer stocked with enough milk to keep Rue on breast milk exclusively at daycare.  At night, Rue can fight sleep until midnight, & often does, leaving next to NO sleep for Mama.  Basically, it was a big, expensive, exhaustive hassle.  And we wouldn't necessarily know who Rue was with all day, or what she was learning, or how much time was really spent with her.

Rue's face here says everything that needs to be said about how we felt about the situation:



So we decided to have me stay home.  But I am not giving up on bringing some income home!  I am working really hard on the photo business, & you can expect to see more client work popping up on here, as well as special offers & tutorials!  I am also taking my homemaker status very seriously.  While Ted is off bringing home the bacon (quite literally, we love bacon here), I am home cooking it.  And running endless loads of laundry.  And vacuuming.  And taking copious amounts of photos of my baby.




I have always had serious anxiety about cooking.  In my mind, I light a burner (& I mean light; we have a gas range) & my brain instantly begins to babble about fire hazards, singed eyebrows, & fume inhalation.  Electric stoves were not much better, with the ever-present possibility of a rodent gnawing through the wires JUST enough to expose the metal bits... & POOF!  There goes the insulation in the wall, & there goes the kitchen.  Microwaves leak radiation & refrigerators leak freon.  Common sense tells me I am being ridiculous.  Anxiety tells me these threats are not only very real, but are guaranteed to happen to me, specifically.  It's a real problem.  It was paralyzing sometimes.

Then I had your more average fears: I will burn dinner/ it will taste terrible/  I will start a meal & forget it.  I am happy to report that that has not happened.

I started by using Pinterest as a recipe generator.  It is incredible how useful that site is.  And sometimes not so much.  But mostly, pretty helpful!  But I almost always read recipes incorrectly & have to improvise... which has actually turned out pretty okay!

We had balsamic BBQ chicken breasts with green beans & salt & vinegar potatoes one night.  I never thought I would meet a potato I didn't like, but I learned that there is definitely such a thing as too much vinegar.  Ick.  We also had a steak dinner in a slow-cooker one night.  I substituted frozen baby carrots for the corn on the cob & used a roast cut of beef & as much A1 as we had in the house (which was 1/4 a tiny bottle brushed over the meat to create an even coat).  We also had a couple slices of Sunny Sourdough bread c/o Amber of SuperNaturale & Manna Organics!  It was delicious & I was incredibly proud!  We have breakfast for dinner at least once a week, & often have some sprouted breads with those!  We loved the Banana Walnut Hemp bread.  So delicious.



Ted suggested meatballs for dinner some night, & I knew I wanted some of those sweet & tangy meatballs that people make with jelly.  Notice the jelly jar in the above photo?  Yeah, I wanted to use that!

So I looked around online for recipes, & they all call for two ingredients: grape jelly & chili sauce.  Or ketchup as a base, jelly, & various spices.  Here's the thing: I cannot eat tomatoes.  I can have trace amount of tomato in things, like A1, or dipping sauces, when you use a small amount of that thing in proportion to a large amount of meat or whatever.  I haven't had a tomato in years (I really miss cherry & grape tomatoes... a lot).  When I eat one, my tongue gets itchy, which is a warning.  I have no idea what would happen beyond that; frankly, I am too chicken to play with fire.  Or at least food allergies.  Yikes.

Long story short, I would not be marinating my meal in tomatoes all day (or, as some friends like to call it, "Mary death-fruits".  I have the best, most serious friends!).  I found a recipe in our crock pot recipe book (the kind that is really more brochure than book & comes with the crock pot when you buy it. Ours is the "WalMart edition" crock pot.  Fancy!).  It was the kind that calls for a ketchup base.  I looked it over, said "that's what you think!" & set to work.  Making my own recipe.  I know, I know, pretty heavy stuff for a gal who is still getting over fear of common kitchen appliances.  But making dinner is now my job, & I always put 150% into my work.  Cooking not excluded.

Some of these ingredients are hard to come by, so I am including alternatives in parentheses.  Especially the jam I used, which we made ourselves using the fruit from the fig tree in our back yard.  I will post about canning some other time.  :)

SRIRACHA TERIYAKI MAPLE FIG MEATBALLS

(or Teriyaki Maple Jam Meatballs)

serves 4 

(or 2 really hungry people, or 1 person who really likes leftovers)

Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup brown spicy mustard

* 1/3 cup Sriracha Teriyaki Sauce (or plain Teriyaki sauce)

* 1 cup soy sauce

* 3 TBSP fig jelly (or jelly of choice)

* 1 cup maple syrup

* 1 1/2 TSP ground allspice

* 1 TBSP minced garlic (optional or to taste)

* 1 pack frozen pre-cooked meatballs (22 oz)

* Combine ingredients sans meatballs in slow cooker.  Stir until well mixed.

* Turn on HIGH until obviously warm (the lid should fog up).

* Add in meatballs, stirring into sauce mixture.  Make sure each meatball is coated in sauce, & keep meatballs in a single layer in the mixture.

* Keep cooker on HIGH for 30 minutes.

* Stir & cook on LOW for 5-6 hours, covered.

* Stir before serving!

These come out of the cooker really soft & marinated through.  We enjoyed our over a bed of fluffy white rice with green beans & carrots on the side.  I also modified the recipe a bit; I originally used 1/2 cup of Sriracha Teriyaki sauce & 1/2 cup soy sauce, but found the mix a bit too intense for my taste.

Let me know if you try it!  I hope you like it!

Our Cloth Diaper Journey

When we found out we were pregnant, we began looking into parenting options.  I knew I wanted to be present in our baby's life, as well as sustainable & thrifty.  We decided early on that one thing we really wanted to emphasize was that we would spend time, more than money, on our children.



Diapering is a necessity of the early years of childhood.  Infants obviously aren't walking themselves to the bathroom.  We did a little research & I was disgusted by conventional disposables pretty quickly.  They use A LOT of energy to make them, they take years & years to biodegrade after being tossed (diapers I wore are still breaking down & have a long way to go!), & the chemicals used to make them so absorbent can wreak havoc on tiny tushies.  More sustainable disposable options (like Honest diapers) were a real long-term investment... they cost more & yet you still throw them out.  For me, there was only one logical answer: cloth.



We began our cloth journey when Rue was about 1.5 weeks old.  At this point, I was recovered enough to put in the effort (childbirth is no picnic!), & Ted was still in need of a little convincing that this option was hygienic & not completely disgusting for us- especially poo diapers.  We started with a pre-loved stash of small gDiapers I had bought online from a friend of my SILs. It was important to me to purchase pre-loved diapers- after all, we were trying to reduce the amount of waste in the world!  These were close enough to the design & function of disposables, & the inserts were the only part that required special CD detergent.  It made it easier for my husband to acclimate as we made the change from disposable to cloth.  We really adored these for the first month, but then our little chub outgrew them.  These would actually be the best option for someone who wants to save some cash but not go 100% cloth, as they have disposable, biodegradable FLUSHABLE inserts one can use in lieu of the cloth inserts.  And again, the rest of the diaper parts can go in with your regular laundry- no special detergent required!  They are also sold at Babies-R-Us, so no specialty baby boutique trip is needed, either.

In the beginning, most of our pocket diapers were a bit too baggy on Rue, so we also frequently used prefolds with Snappis to secure them, under a Thirsties or Swaddlebees cover (the kinds we have are no longer made).  We still have these prefolds & covers on hand, in case we have a situation in which we run out of pocket diapers!



Here is where we learned the #1 cloth diaper lesson: not all diaper brands & styles will work for your baby.  Furthermore, some diapers that DO work for your baby now may not ALWAYS work for your baby!  My cousin had gifted us her stash so we had a few off-brand options to work with.  We were also gifted several other types of diapers so we could find what worked best for us.

We graduated from the gDiapers to Monkey Snuggles in size small fitted diapers & one-size with rise snaps (again, no longer available).  These worked for a while longer, but some of the snaps were faulty on ours & we decided to try some no-name diapers that are similar to FuzziBunz in the cut, but also have (more secure) rise snaps, sans hip snaps.  We had a couple Bummis diapers that were gifts.  We loved the patterns & super light-weight, silky exterior fabric (not the PUL our other diapers all use).  However, our little one always managed to pee through that fabric!  We used extra doublers for the pocket & AIO (all in one) versions, & still she would literally soak through the outer layer.  Our travel wet bag is the same fabric, though, & it is completely durable, with nary a leak.  Maybe it's a force thing.  I am really not sure & still quite baffled.



What works best for us are FuzziBunz one-size Elite diapers (the wider style without the minky inserts, although we have a few with the minky insert that we also love for daytime use).  The wider ones can be used at night for Rue as long as we use the OS insert PLUS the newborn insert as a doubler, & I usually pop in a super-thin bamboo rayon soaker behind those to add just a bit more absorbency, since our little is a heavy wetter.  I totally let her fall asleep in a daytime-stuffed diaper last night & woke up in a tiny lake of urine.  Ick.  Even the best fitting diaper is no match to a night's worth of pee without proper stuffing.

We are also partial to Charlie Banana OS diapers (which- bonus- are found at our local Target stores!).  We love the disposable inserts for on-the-go use, as it allows us to carry less bulky diapers & keeps our smaller wet bag a bit more empty after a long day out.  The CB diapers are our favorite nighttime option!  They have a generous cut & wide pocket that accommodates the OS, newborn, & bamboo inserts beautifully, while still staying fairly trim on her bum.  The CBs have an envelope opening which is also nice.



I really would like to get a few BumGenius OS diapers as well.  We love the FBs & CBs because they feature adjustable elastic in the legs to adjust the rise rather than snaps, so our little waterworks doesn't leak nearly as much in those, even when she wears one for a long nap in daytime mode (one insert).  However, she is chubbing up really nicely, & I hear great things about the BGs for chubby legged babes!  Additionally, once you get into cloth diapering- CDing- the colors & patterns can suck you in.  And I am a sucker for the hues of the BGs!  haha  Must.  Collect.  All.  The.  Diapers.



Other accessories we cannot live without: our diaper sprayer, PlanetWise wet bags in our Target pail (works just as well as a CD specific pail- but cost $30 at our store!), Ruby Moon laundry detergent & pail sprinkles, Baby Bits wipe solution in a dollar store spray bottle, cheap baby washcloths with serged edges as wipes (I recently received handmade wipes from a friend that I will start using & will write about soon!), & a clothes rack, line, & clothespins.  We also use Diaper Lotion Potion Spray & Burt's Bees talc-free powder.  In fact, all the Burt's Bees baby products have been wonderful for Rue!



There are a million blogs dedicated to CDing, & a million tutorials online.  I just wanted to share a bit we have learned along the way.  Cloth diaper laundry day is every other day in our house, & I usually tackle it while Rue takes her morning nap.  I think it is one of my favorite chores to accomplish!  I feel so calm with the routine: rinse, wash with detergent, rinse, take outside to line dry.  I love the last bit.  The cats & their stray friends usually come around to help me & be fed (okay, really, to be fed), I enjoy a bit of fresh air & a nice breeze, & I get to notice new things about our backyard.  For example, the fig tree is heavy with ripe fruit waiting to be picked, & is surrounded by sticky over-ripened fruit rotting on the ground, feeding the ants & other insects, but also adding nutrients to the soil, making way for wildflowers & lush grasses.  Something about laundry drying on a line takes me back to my childhood summers in Michigan with my grandparents on their farm, or in New York with my other grandparents on the lake.  It's timeless & easy & simple, & I hope one day, Rue will see line-drying linens & remember the comfortable fluffy bottom of her early years.




Do you CD?  What are your must-haves?

May Showers

So I know the expression is that "April showers bring May flowers", but we actually have had the opposite here.  April was full of blooming trees & beautiful flowers sprouting all over our property.  Since May began, we've been having nearly daily thunderstorms!  But some showers are better than others.  Like baby showers.



Look!  Squiggle dropped last week!  Getting close!!!

We had our baby shower the first weekend of May, & combined it with a housewarming (because it makes more sense to ask only one day of people's busy schedules).  It was a success!  So many people came by to wish us well, see the house, design a onesie, & eat some food.  It was a bit of a whirlwind.  We ran the event over a six hour timespan so people could drop in whenever they had time to (again, it is a crazy busy time of year).  It was a very fun day, but incredibly exhausting, too.  Check out the sugar baby on the cake... a friend of our made it!  She stands by the "it's a mold, not terribly impressive" point of view, while I stand by the "holy cow that sugar baby looks like an actual tiny baby & it's blowing my mind" perspective. 




Yesterday, I celebrated my first Mother's Day!  I got lots of cuddles & breakfast from Bear.  We had lunch with my parents & dinner with his & got to spend some time with both the moms in our lives, which was nice.  In between those meals, we had a maternity shoot at our house with Heather... I cannot wait to see how the photos all turned out!  I am really excited about a few of them!  When I have them, I will post some of my favorites.  Until then, I asked Bear to snap a sneak peek from a different angle, so I had something to post in the interim.  I think these are the images I have always wanted to immortalize my pregnancy.



We are waiting on our delivery of Ruby Moon diaper detergent to wash all our lovely pre-loved cloth diapers!  My cousin brought down her entire stash from New York, so we added a significant amount of fluff to our growing collection!  I am very excited to get the nursery completely organized & efficient.  Bear & I have already brought in some of our childhood favorites to add some nostalgia & personality to the room.  I will have to get pictures of the space to share here when we are done.  I cannot believe that in ONE MONTH our "Squiggle" will finally be here!  I can't wait to introduce him or her to the world.



What new beginnings are sprouting in your Spring season this year?

Earth Day!

Today is the day when we all look at our lifestyle & think, "how can I minimize my carbon footprint?"


Being Earth-conscious is something that is very important to me, & I am forever wearing Bear down with assertions of how we can better live in harmony with the planet.  Hilariously, I am very much a homebody who prefers the indoors, dislikes bugs, easily burns, & has a horrible bottled water habit.  But I am all about making changes to help the planet where I can.

Here are some changes we have already made in our own home:

* plant-based cleaners, rather than chemical ones

* saving, reusing &/or re-purposing glass containers (soda bottles, condiment jars, etc)

* recycling!  This can be traditional blue-bin recycling to crafty re-purposing.

* making plans to grow food, instead of a lawn!

* creating our cloth diaper stash for Squiggle (Bear's brother & sister-in-law cloth diaper our niece L, too!)

* choosing to make holistic remedies rather than purchasing mass-produced chemical options

* opting for more traditional, reusable cleaning instruments, over one-time use products (like Swiffer, which I was a huge fan of for a long time, before realizing how much waste I was creating in the name of dust removal!)

* saving energy by line-drying clothing & blankets when possible

* thrifting new-to-us items, & donating our unwanted items so that they may find a new purpose in another life

* using site such as Freecycle!

(Pictured diapers are pre-loved gDiapers; origami book flowers from our wedding by The Crane Factory)

We can still make further changes to live a greener lifestyle, but we are making small changes every year, working more towards recuperating Mother Earth!

Some other ideas around the internet are:

* these children's companies that are Earth-friendly as well

* botanical jewelry & art with an Earth Day Birthday sale

* a great round-up of garden markers for budding babies

* a whole list of alternatives to plastic wrap (I also really love this idea!)

And Free People are running an Instagram contest to win an amazing, one-of-a-kind Earth quilt!  I would LOVE to get my paws on it for Squiggle's room, which is in a World Travel theme!  Perhaps I will put my recycling sensibilities to good use & make something of our pile of "dead jeans"...




HAPPY EARTH DAY!  What are you doing to celebrate?

xo


Edit: I forgot to mention that another great thing to do for this planet is to sign this petition against Monsanto.  Yes, Monsanto is all science-y & I like science, but I also think it's wrong to genetically mutate seeds so that they are unable to reproduce new plants next season, to completely change the genetic structure of food, to force farmers to forfeit the seeds they have used for generations in favor of Monsanto seeds... there is a long list.  Essentially ceasing the circle of life in the name of insecticide immune plants?  That can't be healthy for Mother Earth...

Homeowners!

Things have been pretty hectic in our lives... Squiggle's debut is fast approaching (two months... that's it!) & Bear & I have just bought our first home!



We spent the past weekend at the new place scrubbing & priming the Pepto-Bismal colored walls (the seller was kind enough to paint most of the rose hues white for us, & even took down the ancient rose print wallpaper from the master room that had begun to shed off the walls like so many dead snake skins).  We bought some subtle shades for the rooms to keep the house mostly bright & white with just hints of color to keep things from being too sterile. 



The house is on the small side, but I think it is perfect.  It's a tad bit larger than our current apartment, but it has a totally different layout, so it's hard to compare.  The rooms are generally smaller, but there are more of them.  Our dryer vents out of the house, which is a big perk for me, since our current laundry room (which we made out of two closets) does not have a proper vent.  I was thrilled when I ran a load of curtains (conveyed with the house) & the house didn't steam up with the dry cycle!  I also made sure I could run laundry while baby slept in the nursery, & I definitely can.  Which is good to know... with how big this baby is getting to be... who knows how long we actually have before I pop!



This weekend, we have enlisted the help of our families & friends to help us make the Great Migration.  This means we have been working all day & packing/cleaning/painting/organizing all evening, passing out for a few hours, waking with the sun & doing it all over again.  I am EXHAUSTED.  But it is totally worth it, & I cannot wait to nest & make our house into our home!  I promise to post some non-phone photos as soon as I get a minute to breathe...


Has anyone else moved so close to having a baby?  What helped you manage the stress, sleeplessness, excitement, & anxiety that comes with so many big changes?

xo

This Past Weekend...

was a blast!  It was really quite busy, but good!

Friday I had a haunted work experience which has mostly explained itself by now, except for the creepy unknown caller... needless to say, I was definitely relieved to lock up and leave early, arriving home safe and sound!  That evening, Bear and I headed to the local Events Hall for the Derby we've been working on arranging for months!  I had never been before, and had a ton of fun!  Bear bought a "horse" and was a jockey for two races, and I was happy as can be, snapping away!  More on this to come!



On Saturday I had a noon meeting at the Local Theatre about the upcoming production of Cabaret, in which I am set decoration crew head and Bear is involved in lighting.  I wasn't able to attend until my photo shoot cancelled on me, so I packed up some paper and headed in to discuss the vision of the the Powers that Be.  We didn't really touch on my aspect of the production, but I have a better understanding of what's going on and know the rest of the staff, which is always a plus!  Not to mention I should be getting a script first... ever notice how the film versions NEVER match the stage ones?!?!?!

After the meeting I came home and vacuumed the whole apartment and gave the bathrooms a much needed scrub.  Gross?  Yes.  Dusty?  Very.  But afterwards, I felt so accomplished!

Then I remembered my sister-in-law was hosting a Tastefully Simple party that I agreed to attend.  I checked Facebook to verify the event time, and saw I had a last minute booking inquiry!  I managed to book a sitting for some very snazzy high school seniors off to their Homecoming later that night.  So, I attended the first half of the dinner party, tag-teamed in Bear when he got off work, and headed off to shoot the dance-ready group!



The client was the mother of one of my best friends from elementary school.  I really can't believe her other daughter, H, is a senior already!  It kinda blew my mind how grown up she was!  The kids in attendance were all really great, fun, happy teens who kept shocking me with their politeness.  Seriously, they all piled in SUVs to head off to dinner and rolled down their windows to thank me for a fun photo shoot!  I was a bit floored and I'm ashamed to admit I could barely stammer out my thanks.  Sometimes I underestimate people, I suppose.

But seriously, I can't get over how grown up H is!  I kept seeing the girl I knew when she was insistent that we play Barbie with her; and here she was, in a black strapless mini-dress with sky high heels and a boyfriend!  So crazy.

Sunday we went shopping a bit for groceries, a microwave, and a Blu-Ray player, since we've been DVD Player-less for over a year now.  I think it may be love.  I also picked up some new spray scents for the house and a couple dishtowels.  Gosh, I am so exciting.  Or I am really just getting old and boring.

Sunday night was family dinner night, and everyone made something.  It was weird having a dinner that consisted entirely of fried food, though!  We had oysters and hushpuppies, sweet potato and regular fries, onion rings, and chicken nuggets.  And by "we" I mean everyone had some of everything except me, I had chicken nuggets and regular fries and apple juice, like a big kid.  Dinner was really awesome, and pretty fun.  The night kinda ended on a downer with a sad phone call from a family friend, though.

It seems a lot of sad things have been happening to people around us lately.  It would be overwhelming, but I am beginning to keep a "happy list", of all my grateful's for just such occasions.  Now, when things take a turn for the tissues, I fortify my emotions with some small pleasantries.  I am seriously considering retrying my 365 Grateful project, and uploading my images to Flickr.  Every day brings a simple joy and I am determined to remember that, especially in the midst of so much sorrow.  Does anyone else keep a list of small happinesses?  Or has anyone else participated in the 365 Grateful project?

How was your weekend?  Anything new and exciting?  Can you tell me one thing that happened this weekend that YOU'RE grateful for?  Mine's having such supportive family and friends in life AND business!

Happy Monday!

xo

The Weird New Me

Since Bear and I have transformed our apartment into a functional living space, banishing the old bachelor pad/dorm room decor and our attitude of "well, it isn't clean but it doesn't smell bad, to that's okay", I have morphed into some sort of Martha Stewart superwoman.  My whole day starts with laundry and dishes, and ends the same way.  My lunch is actually cooked in the kitchen (okay, heated up dino chicken nuggets from the freezer) instead of picked up en route to work at a fast food chain.  When the cats knock over glasses of water, I clean it up right away, instead of figuring it will eventually evaporate.  When I get home, I hang up my purse and hoodie by the door instead of dumping them on the nearest couch.

I am turning into a responsible adult!  God help me, I don't know when it happened or why it's sticking, but my home is so much more user-friendly and I am not scrambling to clean when someone calls and says they're on their way over!  In a way, it's liberating.  In a way, it's scary.

I owe my success to many sources, including Do It Yourself Magazine, Real Simple Magazine, and various decor oriented blogs I follow and/or have found online.  I start to worry a little though, when I get to work and check in the periodicals, holding onto Better Homes & Gardens and Good Housekeeping until I read through them before I put them on the magazine rack.

Today I even had lunch and left the TV off!  WHO AM I?!?!?!  Instead, I picked up Do It Yourself and read up on crafts to do with photographs.  And I am feeling ridiculously inspired.  The kind of inspiration that only hits me when the house is clean and I know where everything is.  Is this how normal people feel all the time?!?!  It's wonderful!

So I figured today I'd give you a taste of some fun crafts and things I have seen online and in magazines that I have been DYING to do (and now may actually get around to doing)!

I get email newsletters from Photojojo.com all the time.  I love them.  I have a million things from them, including the Nikon Zoom Lens Coffee Mug and Nikon Camera USB.  I am such a geek.  Anyway, the newsletter includes cool projects for photo geeks, and I am so excited to try my hand at a few!!!  (All images are from Photojojo Newsletters!)

I have also found some fun DIY projects from Do It Yourself Magazine that I am excited to experiment with!  And Real Simple always has easy recipes and things to try out.  I am kinda stoked to get a move on all that!  If you are interested in what you see on the websites, I would subscribe to the magazines.  I usually don't do that sort of thing, but these are cheap (and you get a year's worth of Real Simple free if you buy Real Simple Weddings off your local bookstore's rack!  At least, that's how my addiction began!) AND you will get a lot of use from them!

What changes are you making to your lifestyle this summer?  What changes do you want to make?  And if you have any neat crafts or projects you want to share, leave me a link!  I would love to check it out!

Happy Thursday (evening)!  Tomorrow is a weddingtastic Photobomb!

xo

Stop and Appreciate

Today I am taking a moment to stop and think back on all the wonderful nature images (and pet pictures!) I got this past week.  I took a ton of photos for the wedding that I have been editing like a crazy lady, and with all the weddingness going on around me, it's beginning to feel overwhelming!  So I decided today would be about the little things that have made me smile.

Sometimes, the best things are the littlest.

xo

Virtual Tour: High Traffic Areas

Today I bring you some of the rooms in our apartment that see the most traffic (ie rooms fit for entertaining)!  They include the porch/outdoor living area, living room/bar corner, the kitchen/dining room, and the guest bathroom.  Because no matter who you are, chances are you will visit the bathroom at some point during your visit.

Since I can't invite you all over in person, I thought I would give you a virtual experience!  We are still working on improving and renovating, but most of the big projects are done.

We are currently entertaining Bear's brother and sister-in-law and loving it!  Tomorrow is Bear's sister's wedding, so I will be crazy busy shooting with Patchie and then editing all weekend!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend as well!!!

 Thanks for popping by!  See you on Monday!

xo

Virtual Tour: Collections Part 2

So, there were so many elephants, I decided it had to have it's own post.  Here are my other two major collections!

My second largest collection is salt & pepper shakers.  I fell in love with these as a child, due mostly to the rainbow on the cloud set.  After moving out of my parent's house, I searched all over for the company that made that set, only to find out my Aunt made them in ceramics class years ago!  Again, every year I tend to receive at least one or two sets, and I love them!

My third largest (or tied with second largest?) collection are my vintage cameras.  This collection is tricky to get into... after taking a few classes with my Canon AE-1 and getting my Nikon D80, I began to obsess over all things photography.  I loved the character of various cameras, and realized that most modern cameras are less distinctive.  I got onto Etsy one day and bought the Wittnauer Scout.  Then I found the Arrow mini camera.  I began searching for cameras whenever I could find one at a decent price.  Some I bought, like the Polaroid iZone, because I found packages of film in boxes of my old possessions.  Most of my collection was a gift from Bear's parents, and belonged to his grandparents.  I was entrusted with them because they knew I would love and cherish the cameras and take care of them.  I was and still am so honored about that!

 So, there you have my three largest collections!  Elephants, Salt & Pepper Shakers, and Cameras!

I would love to see your collections!  If you have a post about your own collections, please leave a link in the comments!

xo

Virtual Tour: Collections Part 1

I am finally finding little nooks and crannies for all my beloved collections!  I collect a ton of things: vintage cameras, anything elephant related, salt & pepper shakers, state quarters, pretty paper, ribbon, twine, buttons... a lot of things.  Not everything is out and pretty yet (the quarters are patiently waiting for a nice shadowbox or something, the buttons still live in an old tin, paper and ribbon are hidden away in the craft bureau...) but hopefully one day they will all see the light of day!

The elephants are by far the largest collection.  It all began with the fragile white set of big to small elephants I've had since childhood, and cannot for the life of me remember who gave them to me (or if I just laid claim to them) or why.  I do recall dropping the largest and his back leg popped off.  Dad glued him back together for me and now he has one opaque hip from his surgery.  Poor little guy.

I mentioned to Bear's parents that I like elephants once, and every year I get lots of elephant things, from statues to tables to stuffed elephants that hold heating pads and vibrate to relax muscle tension.  Yes, I am serious.  Other friends have also gifted me elephant things, too, so I get a huge variety of collectables!  I love my elephants, and am determined to find them all homes!  Here is most of that collection:

 I also have a pretty sweet elephant tattoo, I love them so much!  One can never have too much pachyderm paraphernalia!  <3


Keep tuned for more!  Hope you enjoyed this peek at my biggest collection!  Tomorrow, I will show you my two second-largest collections in their homes!

Do any of you collect elephants or a different animal?  I notice owls, deer and cats are pretty popular animals to collect... I have a few of those in miscellaneous collections, but elephants hold my heart!

xo