Juniorbeads!

Okay, while we're talking products I love.  Chewbeads.  Yeah, yeah.  You know I love them.  But, UMM, now they have "juniorbeads" - necklaces and bracelets for kiddos.  They are stinking adorable and they have glow in the dark options.  Thinking my nieces (and Eloise when she's a little older) need these asap.

(p.s. Breakaway clasp - really works. Tested by Eloise just last week. :)

{All photos from Chewbeads.com}

A Minted kind of Mother's Day!

 So, I guess wanting to post more and actually posting are two different things, huh? :)

So, I'll post now on a deal and something fun...PAPER.  Yup.  My favorite.  

I was super excited about pairing up with Minted to offer you all some really fun ideas for Mother's Day gifts.  And gifts they have o'plenty.  They've allowed me to try out some of their personalized stationery, which I've been dying to get for a long while now.  It seriously took me forever to decide which design to pick.   They offer an incredible selection and a whole lot of options for Mother's Day, including personalized stationery, prints, and journals.  Plus, they're offering 10% off their stationery and journals right now (code: MOTHERS10).  

Above was my pick.  I chose the "Pink Blossoms Stationery" with the curved frame shape (love the shapes).  I thought, let's go monogram this time.  :)  It is loverly.  Minted can do no wrong. I know write about them often, but they're paper is wonderful quality and the printing is exceptional.  And they're easy to work with.  You can also tell actual designers do the work, because things that look uneven or odd in your proof will be beautiful in the finished product.  

And a few ideas for each style of your mom, mom-figure, mom friends, moms-to-bes, amazing friends (click on photos for links!)....

CLASSIC:

PEPPY:

NATURAL:

Happy shopping, friends!!  And thanks to Minted!!

Hi, hello.

Well, almost 2.5 months without blogging.  Things I have learned about not blogging for a long while.  A.  I miss it.  B.  You get a lot of spam when you're away.  Anyway, for some reason I feel like we're on that downhill part of a roller coaster, and it's going just a little fast.  We kind of are, I guess.  Two rotations have come and gone (almost) since my last post - family medicine and psychiatry, to be exact.  I have completed and presented my Master's Project (such a relief).  And as of this coming Friday, only ONE rotation left and then a two-month preceptorship through the summer. (With a two-week break in the middle!!!)  Graduation date: August 3rd.  Then, boards.  Then, off to work.  And, for those of you wondering, we will now officially be staying in Carbondale at least another year.  Zach will continue to apply to PA schools and I will begin working.  I'm planning to work in family medicine (my favorite - ER takes a very close second).  I know I will be working, and that will bring its own challenges - I don't want to just work, I want to do a good job - but  I look forward to being out of school.  I don't know how I'll react when I'm done.  Maybe I'll just cry for days out of relief.  

So, what to post about here.  I was thinking my favorite random things recently?  I know I should be studying.  Or sleeping before clinic, but I want to post and I'm very much awake.  And I've been avoiding studying anyways.   Proudly, though, I have in fact been getting 7- 8 hours a night consistently for weeks (ruining that tonight).  This is a BIG feat for me.  I've been getting sick way too often, so I decided it was time.  So, without further ado...

1) This Laura Mercier foundation - love Bobbi Brown, but it wasn't available where I was.  Decided on this.  A little drier than I'm used to, but I think maybe it lasts a long time because of this, and maybe it will be good just for summer.  We'll see how it stacks up to Bobbi long-term.

2) These pants from Gap.  Hallelujah!  Someone asked me if I lost weight when I wore these - no, in fact I have gained a few, but thank you very much and I will promptly order more.   The ankle (I'm 5'2"  ish) is long enough that I have to wear a wedge or my clogs (yes, I've resorted to clogs), which I prefer.  Part of the whole illusion of length business.

3)  This ipad mini cover.  It is sturdy and pretty and has a clasp close.  I tried the smart cover.  I am not that delicate with tech-y things.  It will not work.  This one also matches my planner.  The end.

4)  The Mindy Project.  I laugh until I almost cry every episode.  So hilarious.

5) Eloise and Lucy.  This is Lucy (excep not "twins" as below).  My parents got "Wucy" for her birthday, and at first she screamed when she saw her.   And now they're the best little friends, and Wucy goes to bed with Eloise and she's the first thing E grabs when she wakes up.  She also attends school at times.   She eats breakfast with the other kids.  E has been quite kind to Wucy, allowing her to wear clothes for days now.  This was a no-no according to Eloise just weeks ago.  Also, this doll has hair.  Eloise is VERY into hair.  And, for those of you who may know, my American Girl dolls were really special to me.  It makes me happy to see her love her doll so much.  And watching a two-year old rock a baby is so, so sweet.

5) My watch.  I wear a watch now.  I've become a full-fledged adult.  It is necessary now.  I need to check pulses and such.  And it seems unprofessional to not have one?  And my watch also has the date on it.  I'm surprised that I now feel bare without it. {I also like this pink one}.  Sadly, KS product I'm not so happy with is my "perfect" bag...it has begun peeling, so I'm in process of returning.  Sad face.  Looking to other bags for replacement.  Suggestions?

I'm going to try to post more soon.  But I make no promises.

Birday partee!!

Had a small family birthday party for Ellie on Saturday.  She woke up that day and knew from the decorations that we were celebrating.  And she had a lot of fun.  Two sets of grandparents in one place...yes, please.  She got that table and chair set below from Zach's parents and refused to get up, hence the reason she is in it in almost all of the pics.  My brother literally carried her in it to the dining room. And the girl likes cake.  The next morning, the first thing she asked for was more cake.  Naturally.

{p.s. Used this link to make tablecloth.  Most products from Shop Sweet Lulu or Target.  My mom made the lovely cake and toppers.  And the invite is from Paper by Paperless post (you can pay a few dollars to receive a paper copy of your evite, which is fun)}.

Pretty, pretty.

You know how I've fallen in love with my new bag?  Well, I'm still pretty obsessed with it.  It's been the perfect bag for clinic, motherhood, and in general.  But, if you happen to be looking for something a little smaller and still incredibly adorable, you should take a peek at the first two bags.  I LOVE that iPad bag...and I'm still totally amazed by how gorgeous these colors are.  That last bag...I just threw that in because it's gorgeous. :)

{Kate Spade - Clarke, Jordan, and Tamera}

How we celebrated.

How we celebrated her day.

It was fun to get everything ready for a little birthday breakfast the night before.  We put balloons in her room to wake up to.  

My expectations: wake up to daughter in monitor squealing in delight when she sees balloons.  Reality:  She kind of noticed they were there.

The number balloons are HUGE.  Holy cow.  It barely fits in the doorway. 

{Party City, btw...thanks, Mayumi!}

Birthday pancakes. No need to blow out the candles before eating.

Absolute delight when singing Happy Birthday to her.  That was fun.  I love her smile in that picture.  She also really liked these milk bottles {Shop Sweet Lulu} to drink from.  So did her shirt.

Spent some time with my dad and the chickens.  "I wike chickens," she told him.

Then, opening gifts.  She was a little confused whether it was Christmas or her birthday.  She also requested to watch "Elmo Saves Christmas."  And we did.  Because it was her birthday, and because you will never have to convince me to watch a Christmas movie.  Her favorite gift:  A really loud pull-along plastic phone (not the one below) she picked out at Target.  I just stepped on it...it's really loud.  But she loves it.

Then we got ready and went to dinner and ate one of her favorite foods...spaghetti.  She ate a lot of it.  To the point where we had to take it away.

And then, the celebration continued into today.  Cupcakes at daycare.  And my favorite...her carrying her balloons absolutely everywhere she goes.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Eloise Anne!

Today.  Your 2nd Birthday.

Wow.  Just two years ago right now we were in the hospital, after what seemed like years of waiting for you.  I was in labor, and just about three hours away from your arrival.  And then the world changed, in the best of ways.  Miss Eloise, you have continually been the greatest joy and the most amazing blessing to us.  Our love for you is as deep as the ocean, as wide as the world is round.  Vast beyond measure, and only growing.  It's a visceral, gut-wrenching love.  No matter what you do, this will never, ever change.  You have given me the tiniest glimpse into the intensity of God's love for us, and for that I'm so thankful. 

I've seen this quote around...I have no idea where it came from (I should look that up), but it says, "You are our greatest adventure."  That's so true.  Nothing compares.  You are so fun and such a delight.    And currently, such a pistol.  Even in your crabbiest moments, you're still entertaining.  So, I will tell you a few things about yourself at this age to look back on.    

You continue to talk a lot.  It's very entertaining.  You narrate most details of your day.  Your verbal skills have definitely developed quickly (apparently gross motor wasn't your thing :), and you make sure to use new words as often as possible.  You've been speaking more in sentences, expressing your wants and needs.  This is wonderful, now knowing what you want.  Also a little hard, because sometimes just because you say you want it and please does not mean you will get it (a lesson that fundamentally takes years to understand).  Favorite phrases include, "I want a nana," "I need that," "I wike it," "I no wike it."  You get the jist.

There's also a lot of singing involved in life these days, especially action songs, as your daycare calls them.  Top of the list includes Monkeys on the bed, Old MacDonald, Wheels on the bus, Farmer in the Dell, ABCs and so many more.  I must get more on video.  Some of these songs can distract you from even your worst tantrums.  And you love the motions to go along with them.  Notably Monkeys on the bed and Wheels on the bus).

Other things you like include baking in your kitchen, taking care of your baby dolls, reading massive amounts of books (you love the Nutcracker right now for some reason), dressing up (princess dresses mostly and your fireman hat), and still dancing.  That has never stopped.  Have music, will dance.  And play the triangle.  Yeah, you rock that triangle.  You wake up each morning happy, usually jumping up and down in your crib, yelling "boing, boing."  Then you typically ask for breakfast, which you still call "dinder."  Favorite dinder - cereal and milk.  Then, when you get out of your crib and say, "walking, walking, walking...c'mon, c'mon," while you walk us to the living room to play.

I'm amazed at how much your personality has developed.  Your sense of humor is already apparent.  Goofy is probably one of the best words to describe you.  Silly all around.  Which is pretty darn fun.  You're also pretty stubborn and strong-headed.   We're learning how to discipline you and that's our biggest challenge right now.  How to help you develop without squashing you, but without letting you run wild.

It's pure joy to be called your mama.  Love you, little one.  I can't wait to see what this next year holds for you.  :)

Love, Your Mom