little miss 'tude

today was a first.  greta has been-dare we say it-an easy toddler/pre-schooler.  she likes to play independently, play with others, loves to just sit and "read" her books, is curious about life, and in general has been very easy to raise.  i knew the day would come when she would start throwing out some phrases, but i couldn't believe what i heard this morning-and i don't understand how parents don't just laugh at their kids.  

greta wanted to wear a skirt today, but since we still have 50 degree weather (ugh!) i told her she had to wear leggings underneath, she had no choice. she wanted to wear cropped leggings, not an option, or no leggings at all, again, not an option.  after a bit of this: "i don't want to wear leggings," i got this: "it's not my choice, it's your choice."  okay-then wear your leggings. what do you say to a 3 year old when she says this: "it's not my fault, it's your fault."  this one had me laughing out-loud, but i had to turn around in hopes that greta wouldn't see.  and then there was something about being fair.  and maybe something about needing to do it right now.  other than the fault comment (maybe she picked this up from a friend or school?), she was just throwing back at me all the things we say to her.  i held firm that she must wear her leggings and made sure she understood that is not the way she talks to her mom and dad, or anybody for that matter.  but i couldn't help but get a good laugh, and every time i think about it i just smile & laugh some more.  kids-they make life entertaining!

this face

how could you not love this face? even when she is throwing a tantrum and flailing herself all over, i still love this face. when she is fake crying b/c she hears someone else crying, i still love this face. when she is hitting & pushing b/c she is the second child and needs to fight for her rights, i still love this face. when she decides to dig up dirt everywhere she goes, even in the house, i still love this face. and when she goes to sleep at night and looks like the most peaceful, perfect thing ever...i love this face.

and don't forget this face. the fiercely independent girl who makes me smile every morning when she comes down the stairs with her blankie in hand-i love this face. when she is "helping" me cook in the kitchen and makes a big huge mess, i still love this face. when she is hoarding all her toys b/c she doesn't want to share them or doesn't like the way her friends are playing with them, i still love this face. when she is whining b/c she wants to watch more tv or eat another treat and is mad i say no, i still love this face. and when she hugs me and says, "i love you mommy. i'm a sweet girl," i melt and just love this face.

congrats to mags

so my dear friend maggie morris got engaged a few weeks ago and we couldn't be more excited for her! we have had the privilege of spending some time with brian since moving out here and he is wonderful...such a great guy. so...here is my picture for today- maggie with her ring. i also was lucky enough to see her right after they got engaged-it's so exciting and we can't wait to celebrate with them in december...or whenever they set the date! :)

two days later...

...another picture of the "day." so a day to me means every two days, what's the difference?


greta does not really love having her picture taken. she was SO filthy one day i mentioned to mike that we needed to take a picture of her to document her dirty shirt. when mike pulled out the camera, greta was on the floor like this, blocking her face and wanted nothing to do with it...which made us want to take the picture even more. we tried. really hard. it didn't happen.

this is the closest we got to a picture (we probably took 15)...and you can't even tell how dirty her shirt was. it was filthy!!! good thing for stain remover and bleach (have i never mentioned how anal i am about getting out stains on kid's clothes? oh, that is another blog story for another day. i'll post some before & after pictures of how i work my magic...i also have the messiest eaters ever so the problem starts there).

a picture a day...

...i'm realizing i'm not so good at keeping up with a blog, so i'm going to try to post a picture a day to just give a glimpse of life. i have a feeling i won't make it every day, but at least it's easier than trying to "catch up". so...today's picture is of the shirt i made for maja. i have been in some children's boutiques this year and every time i see a cute shirt i can't help but think, "i could make that," so i did! greta has one too (her shirt is the reverse fabrics of majas)...maybe someday i will take orders, but for now this is it!

now picture a cute little 3 1/2 year old wearing it! can't wait to give it to maja in person when we're at her house in a few weeks!

recipe

i have said i would post this recipe forever, so here it is...now that i'm back to the land of blogging. although i do think i jinxed myself when i wrote that i am the only one who hasn't been sick b/c of course the next day- i'm sick!

Pulled Pork Tacos (adapted from Real Simple)- they are delicious and super easy!

3ish (plus or minus) boneless pork shoulder
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp pepper
1 c apricot preserves
1/2 c bbq sauce
1 red onion (decent size) chopped

1- rub the pork with the mix of cumin, salt & pepper
2- put the rubbed pork in a crock pot on low (or dutch oven at 250)
3- pour the apricot preserves, bbq sauce & onion over the pork and coat, turning the pork
4- let sit in crock pot for about 4 hours, pull pork and then let soak in juices for another hour or so (i left it for 3 hrs b/c that was how long it took us to eat!)
5- serve with tortillas, black beans, cheese, avocado, sour cream- whatever your poison. i added tortilla chips & mike's mom cole slaw (a bag of slaw with some miracle whip, sugar, dash of white vinegar, chopped apple, raisins & a little pineapple- it was a great touch to the meal!)

there you go- super simple & everyone has asked for the recipe...enjoy!

read at your own risk

there is the cutest children's store in portland. i adore it. it's called posh & it's just that- posh. the thing i love about the store is that they started selling products made by local moms. it's since expanded and they have a variety of high end things...many of which are now out of my-husband-is-a-grad-student budget (aka- i shouldn't spend loan money buying anything that can be called "cute"). they do have a great sale though. so i was online looking on their website, trying to figure out when they have their sale...only to stumble upon something called "girlfriends pick-me-up breast lift tape". they describe it like this: We all know sometimes it's about the perks in life. So, if gravity's got you down, don't fret. Say goodbye to breast lift surgery and hello to two inches of gravity defying pick-up. what they also have on their website is a picture of two boobs...one with the tape and one with out...but did you read that right- they have the BOOBS for the world to see!!! i was so shocked when i was on their website & then i started laughing b/c i couldn't believe that they actually had the picture, but then i thought- should a website with children's products also have nudity? it does demonstrate how the product works very well, but don't you think they could have done that with a t-shirt over the model? am i just that big of a prude that i care? I found myself thinking- what if a teenage boy was on the website or looking over his mom's shoulder while she was on the website-is that okay? i'm curious if anyone else cares about the nudity...if you want to see it, you can go to their website here & find it for yourself (since mike told me i'm not allowed to post anything that would link someone to nudity- and like i said earlier ***at your own risk***):

http://www.poshbabyllc.com/posh/

ps...i still think the store is adorable and would tell anyone in the portland area to check it out!