Best Baby Blanket Ever

Now that the weather is warming up Maggie does not require a blanket--at least not one for warmth. When she was smaller it was a big deal to make sure she didn't freeze during the night (she's too restless to keep a blanket in place and her room got pretty cold).

We found and fell in love with the Halo Sleep Sac. The perfect solution.

We would give her a bath, put in her pajamas, and then zip her into a blanket. Voila.

Lunch on Pearl Street

We had a Mommy n Me event on Pearl St in Boulder.
Maggie tries to keep up with the "walking" crowd.

She made a new friend.

And then we all went for ice cream (yes, that's a daddy in the mix--he talked teething and everything!)

Maggie Stuck in Coffee Table

I knew Maggie would eventually figure out the lower level of our coffee table. She did. And then got stuck.

And this picture has no story but I did think it was adorable.

Why Buy Toys?

Why buy toys when kids seem just as happy with random non-toy choices. Maggie loves cups. She has one in her bath toys as well. That one she fills up with bath water, tries to drink from it, and ends up coughing and sputtering after the whole thing gets dumped on her face. Then...she does it again.

I prefer the empty cup.

New Knitting Project

I went to the library the other day and stocked up on Debbie Bliss knitting books in hopes of finding a relatively easy pattern for my next project. I picked one from her Easy Knits book so I'm taking her word for it. There's no picture of my project online but its similar to this.

Friday afternoon I drove over to the lone knitting store in Longmont only to find it closed and an empty storefront. I was so upset! I did a bunch of research online to find alternatives and the closest one I found that carries good stuff is 45 minutes away. UGH!

Weekend Review: Memorial Day

I'll try to be brief...

Saturday our neighbors had a BBQ. Maggie wanted so desperately to play with the older kids she crawled all the way down that hill to join in.

She also loves our next door neighbor Jenny.

That afternoon I made the Martha Stewart cookie of the month. I don't have a pic so just picture what was basically a Nutella oreo. Pretty good but more effort than they're worth in my opinion. That night we melted into the couch with a movie and popcorn.

On Sunday I left Maggie with her dad and headed to church alone. I sat and listened and enjoyed the peace of it all. We had an early dinner with our friend who is moving back to California. I spent the night knitting washcloths while Patrick watched both the Cleveland Indians and the Cleveland Cavaliers win their games.


Maggie refused to take her morning nap on Monday so I thought taking a long walk would put her to sleep in the stroller. Instead she partied through the first hour--getting her first experience with a train--then fell asleep for the last 20 minutes.

Dinner on the grill: Martha Stewart Sour-Orange Grilled Chicken Paillards.

Maggie Can Stand Alone

Yesterday Maggie figured out she can stand...alone. No help. Not holding on to anything. SO cute! I couldn't' get a pic because when I tried to she'd get scared and drop to the floor. I'll work on it though.

We also went to the library yesterday. Maggie was not terribly interested and just crawled around and played. She only looked at books for all of 5 minutes.

And since she's started to climb the stairs she's also figured out how to climb the ledge INTO our fridge.

Love My New Gap Jeans

I have found a pair of jeans I actually LIKE! Very exciting. Trouser jeans from the GAP so they were even a fair price.

And, since Karla says I never post pics of me, here's a shot of me in the jeans (although you really can't see them well).

Stairs

Maggie has not just figured out stairs but mastered going up them. She can do it in record time. She's made it almost all the way to the top of the second flight before her dad noticed. I'd like to think she was just SO excited for me to wake up she was coming to get me.

Now we have to teach her to come DOWN them safely. I worked on it with her yesterday and will try to do so every day. I want her to know how to handle stairs, but for the most part (since she seems to sneak a way from us so quickly) we'll get a gate.

Starbucks Obsession

My latest Starbucks obsession (I've been through a few, just a few): Tazo Passion Tea. Its so freaking good and the perfect iced tea for a hot day full of errands. I love that our local Starbucks is a drive-thru...

Most grocery stores carry Tazo Teas also. I've purchased some for when I can't get out (babies do that to ya). If you like fruity herbal teas you'll love this one.

This is also much healthier than my previous obsession (Strawberries and Cream) which is almost pure fat with a shocking amount of sugar as well).

She Looks SO Sweet...

Looks can be deceiving. Maggie spent the whole day being a complete angel. Then she got nasty. For some reason she cried almost all night long.

Here she is playing with her measuring tape/toy. She also gets in the way of her dad while he's cooking dinner--notice she drags the measuring tape with her in the mouth.

Then she lets me take a few pictures before getting irritated with it all.

Dr Suess

I attempted pig tails on Maggie. She came out looking like a Dr Suess character or something. Maybe Cindy Lou Who??

We had a playdate at our neighbor's house. Owen and his mom let Maggie join the ride around the lawn.

I did not put my sunglasses on her. She figured that out herself!

Summer Tan

Oh, how I'd love to be one of those sun kissed goddesses I see walking around....already. I'm terrified of damaging my skin and looking old (and a little tiny bit terrified of skin cancer). My perfectly tanned mother in law suggested tanning lotions as she uses. For the hundredth time I'm trying tanning lotion. And, for the hundredth time, I'm splotchy.

I've been using Olay overnight. Maybe I'll try something else...or just learn to love pale skin.

Tagged: Favorite Places to Eat in....Longmont.

**Ok, so Longmont doesn't have much so we'll expand the perimeter a bit.**

Step 1: Add a direct link to your post below the name of the person who tagged you. Include the city/state and country you’re in.

Nicole (Sydney, Australia)
velverse (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
LB (San Giovanni in Marignano, Italy)
Selba (Jakarta, Indonesia)
Olivia (London, England)
ML (Utah, USA)
Lotus (Toronto, Canada)
tanabata (Saitama, Japan)
Andi (Dallas [ish], Texas, United States)
Todd (Louisville, Kentucky, United States)
miss kendra (los angeles, california, u.s.a)
Jiggs Casey (Berkeley, CA, USA! USA! USA!)
Tits McGee (New England, USA)
Kat (Ontario, Canada)
Cheezy (London, England)
tafka PP (Jerusalem, Israel)
Liza ("Northern" Israel)
Beth (Dublin, Ireland)
Emily (San Francisco, CA, USA)
Diana (Longmont, CO, USA)

Step 2: List out your top 5 favorite places to eat at your location.

Ugh. So few choices out here.
One, Angkor South East Asian Cuisine. Our realtor took us here our first week in Longmont. We've been addicted since. They're also one of the few places that delivers--a BLESSING to new parents!!
Two, Stanley Hotel, Estes Park. This is the hotel where Stephen King stayed while he wrote The Shining. Lots of character and fun local cuisine--try the sampler tray of sausage (Buffalo, Wild Boar, Venison, Elk).
Three, Brown Palace in Denver. Fancy pants and lovely all around.
Four, Martini's Bistro. Voted best outdoor eating patio. Known for their desserts (try the Passionate:white chocolate mousse & passion fruit mousse with pistachio genoise) and cocktails. Not so great with the service....
Five, Dushanbe Tea House in Boulder. I posted about it here.

There are some fantastic places (so I hear) but I must admit we've not explored the culinary options here in CO.

Step 3: Tag 5 more people. Um, ok...Julie, Micaela (maybe Seattle since you just moved to CO??), Ashby, Brandi, and Karla.

Weekend Review: As Usual--Busy

I completed my first week of the WOMAN Challenge and... it was actually a challenge. hmmm. Imagine that. I walked an average of 9,200 steps a day. Hopefully I can get that to at least 10,000+ per day this week.
Woke up early on Saturday and headed to Lowes. Did some more container planting. Patrick installed more cabinets in the garage while I took Maggie to the park. We had a yummy dinner: grilled tri-tip, corn, and some garlic rosemary red potatoes. So good!

Here's Maggie before I planted the whiskey barrel behind her. The girl LOVES to eat rocks.

Once Maggie was down, we curled up with a video and some homemade ice cream (vanilla with blackberries).

Sunday church was eventful. Maggie complained the whole time so I was either waving a toy in front of her, feeding her snacks, or taking her out in the hall. Didn't hear a darn thing.

We spent the afternoon cleaning out the basement so we can make a big play area to hold Maggie and her ever growing mountain of toys.

We had a sick little girl so we let her eat anything she wanted--just eat something! This is what she wanted. And she wanted to manage it herself! She rules our house and we are suckers...

Etsy

As I was mindlessly roaming through Etsy (be careful folks, this site is a BLACK HOLE of eye candy) I found the best knitting case!

I really want this one from Lena Brown Designs. Such a great price as well.

Gardening Novice

Maggie and I went shopping for flowers today. While she napped I planted them. My very first attempt at plants of any kind in our yard. Ok, so it's small and not too fabulous but you have to start somewhere, right?

I hope to get a few more things done this weekend (that's if I can convince my darling husband to spare some time to help--he packs his weekend to-do lists pretty heavy).

Maggie has learned about cupboards. She doesn't really seem interested that there's anything inside--just that she can open and then SLAM them shut. Awesome.

Martha, Martha, Martha

I, of course, impulse-bought the June Martha Stewart Living mag. I thought this idea was so cute and, since Maggie's room has a butterfly theme, I'm tempted to make a lantern (or a grouping of them) for her room.

Mommy & Me: Sandstone Ranch

It's been a while since I've had time for a Mommy n Me activity. Yesterday was a park day. It was nice to see the other mommies again.
Maggie starts out alone, having a good time in the sand.

She's quickly overrun by little boys.

And, the little social butterfly she is, attempts to join in (or maybe she's trying to point out the little boy's plumbers crack...).

Actually she spent the majority of the time with the kids her age and was left with a huge goose-egg after a headbutt. Good times.

Then she came home and spent a good portion of the day pushing her high chair around the kitchen.

More New Toys

We are slowly being taken over by toys. We got another shipment of hand-me-downs from Patrick's sister Melissa....we need a bigger house. Here is Maggie checking out the new fun. She LOVES it.

Organization Mania

I've always leaned toward an organized life and, relatively speaking, I'm pretty good at it. But I'm FAR from where I want to be. Having a baby has made my need for organization kick into high gear. Its time to dig back in.

I took an organization class from Brandi last year and she suggested this amazing book that is, hands down, the best book on organization ever!

Design Mom also posted today on a new organization magazine coming out. Oh, I have to have it! I'm itching to use my label maker...it's a problem.

Crafty Room

I so desperately want my own craft room/office. I want one even more so after seeing this one. Soule Mama--that room rocks!
Here's just one of the pics from her blog. Doesn't it just MAKE you wanna be creative?

I currently share an office with my husband but since he works from home I'm often left out in the cold (the rest of the house). 90% of his day is spent on conference calls which requires quiet and privacy. Plus our office looks EXACTLY like a college student's dorm room minus a bed. Its my least favorite room ever. If I won the Pottery Barn Sweepstakes I would pick this room for a makeover.

My friend Brandi has a very enviable craft room. Check out her blog here.