Lazy Georgia snow days

SO, I have been SUPER DUPER busy. SO much to update!

 First of all, I am delaying finishing up some family calendars right now. I think I deserve some laziness.  Something about collecting acceptable pictures from everyone, transferring them to the computer, downloading, then uploading, and creating… it isn't always a cup of creative fun for me.  But I do enjoy putting things together for my family, so that goes for something, right?

Second, I don't think I have updated in a while, not that it really matters because I haven't done a "blog blast" yet for this. I have a lot to update. I have been a part of a wedding, seen the holidays come and go, finally have a full blown walking toddler, gone on a 5 day (no baby) Mexico trip, and feel like I have been working on a project for someone at some point every chance I get to sit down. PLUS, my husband and I went to the most fabulous music "festival" in Mexico, headlining our very favorite band. I will make a post about that later on….hopefully. We haven't really stopped in the last couple months.

Third, I really want to make some changes here. This is exactly why I didn't send out a link and Facebook blast everyone I know about this blog. I knew myself well enough. I haven't always been the best about putting things on paper(or, um, keyboard) that are well phrased and express exactly how I feel. I mean, lets be real, I am not here to create a blog of my profound thoughts to accept a literary excellence award! (wink, wink) I think that is all pretty obvious! (HA!)  I don't think a couple of these posts express and show exactly how I feel, and in fact, may sound… too opinionated, one sided, and harsh. That is the exact opposite of what I want. If anything, motherhood has made me, over time, a more humble, but less judgmental person.  It is quite embarrassing for me to think about how judgmental I was and ignorant about raising a child I was when I wasn't even a mother myself. But hey, at least I realize that, right? So, if I can make myself take a chill pill here more and just sit down on the couch and relax and update during nap time, I will. :)

Fourth, we are officially done nursing. I decided it was probably best to stop when going out of town. He did fine while I was gone and we got him down to once a day, at bedtime. I am sad about it. I never thought I would ever say that! It is a sign that your baby is growing up. :(  It was a long and tough road in the beginning but I am so very thankful that I was strong enough to keep going because it was worth every second.

Our weather, as of late, has been quite bipolar.  They thought it would freeze, and it didn't… then they thought it would freeze, and it didn't….today there was snow on the ground! I would call it a "dusting". It was not much, but it sure is pretty to look at temporarily. No one wants a repeat of last years "Snowpocalypse". I don't care what anyone says, north or south, we are not prepared for that( and I lived in CT for 2 years). We didn't even get that much snow during snowpacalypse. The problem is ice and our un-treated roads and living in a major metropolitan city, you just can't assume it isn't going to be that bad and then realize too late that EVERYONE in or around the city of Atlanta needs to get home ASAP.  Schools buses and cars were stuck and broken down. People were stuck in "snow traffic" for over 24 hours! That is insane. The city of Atlanta has terrible traffic on a warm sunny day already, with people coming and going at all different hours. That was a bad call last year. Whew. I think we all know, and hope, that isn't happening again.

The last couple of days I have fallen down the cloth diaper rabbit hole again. I currently have 9 medium GDiapers, 12  G inserts, 3 Charcoal Bamboo inserts, and 4 thin bamboo inserts. I ordered 12 new pouch "liners" yesterday. and I am going to return my accidental bum genius microfiber stay dry inserts purchase in exchange for a 3 pack of Flip stay dry inserts. I purchased a clearance Flip cover(hook and loop) to try out and I may purchase one more flip(snap version) when I run to exchange my inserts. I do love GDiapers and their concept but sometimes they just let me down. I feel like the fit, the separate pieces, and washing properly leaves too much room for error or ruining. I want to be able to use these again, IF there is a number two! The laundry doesn't bother me, it may sound really weird, but I actually like it. I bought them, they are quality, so I want to take care of them. Is that weird? Like having a car you love and want to keep it nice and clean(or not really?). You get it. So I am now curious to dive in a little more and improve our cloth diapering as a whole. I want some variety. Something to compare to. I want more. So I will update more on that.

In the meantime, here are a few pictures from the three of us on our North Georgia day drive right after we got back from Mexico. :) Amicalola Falls. Pictures also feature my Obimama wrap conversion Mei Tei!  I am saving Mexico Pictures for my post about that trip.

I won't go missing for so long, next time.

Catch up!

Hello!

It has been a minute since I have even logged on and I do apologize to my few followers. :)  I have just been so busy bouncing all over the place.  I have been making banner orders, working, going out of town for my cousins bachelorette party, all while taking care of a little munchkin.  Life can be hectic even if you aren't working full time. 

So….I don't really have a blog planned in my overloaded noggin currently; but wanted to just jump on the blog and do a little update. 

Since my last post I haven't gathered all my best references and tips for breastfeeding.  I promise I will! Plus, I would like to find the updated American Academy of Pediatrics and American Medical Association links.  I seem to have misplaced the one I used to keep in my phone notes.  I also like following the Mothering Magazine, which is more of a site with blog posts, popular topics, funny articles, and things of natural family living rather than the real text and facts on the topic. 

My last grocery post lasted me longer than a week, too!  And since then I have been buying more freezer meat.  I actually bought some less expensive, (well, wayyyy less expensive), when I was at Kroger last week.  I am not sure I will do that again.  The quality and taste was just not what we are used to.  I really hate to sound snobby, but I am very happy that healthy eating is a priority in our home.  I just think of in years past what my money was spent on and how my body is thanking me now.  After eating this way for a while, my body has adjusted(I have never been this way) and I can really tell when I throw it off.  So with all of this being said, I am still trying to improve my grocery trips and in the future I will occasionally make a post on it.  This way we can all see my progress. :) 

I need to post some more recipes!  I think I may do two posts today to do a "catch-up" and post another easy, yet delicious, recipe. 

I am also going to talk more about my "banner-making".  Like these:

This all started with Silas' birthday.  I wanted banners for his high chair cake smash and his pictures.  And as we all know, I have jumped back into DIY and crafting so I was determined to make them myself and they really are not very hard.  It just takes time.  Going to the store, browsing, picking out fabric, having it cut, and all was the most difficult part for me.  Silas does not just chill out for long periods of time, as I have said several times(sorry for always being so repetitive), so this was hard.  I had to leave Joann's Fabrics empty handed a couple times due to this.  These times I did not have him in the ring sling.  One day I will realize that it really is the only way to go for us.  The last time I actually had a good friend of mine go with me to help me distract Silas and occupy him while we both chose fabrics.  After making my own and having these beautiful and hilarious pictures taken, our photographer asked if I was interested in making a large order of banners of various colors and selections for her studio!  I was so honored that she actually liked them.  You know when you make something and think it looks good not knowing if other people actually think the same, then you look back at it a couple years later and ask yourself, "what was I thinking??".  It really made me feel good.  Especially since you can only really get them on Etsy and you never really know how they will turn out until you have ordered from them once.  I have thought about starting up an Etsy shop but I don't think I am ready for that.  So I will stick with custom orders from the photographer and local friends and such.  I have had other people ask since then too!  So I need to get to work!  I will go over a tutorial in a later post with step by step photos.  Here are a few more:

I have some other great ideas of things I want to work on.  I am dying to get a new sewing machine!  I would like one that can do some embroidery too.  

Here are some other things I will later post about that are in the crafty category:

Silas' DIY woodland themed and decorated nursery including 

-DIY hand stitched woodland mobile

-Burlap/twine "S" wood panel wall decor

-Furniture additions 

-Overall "pull together" of the nursery

I have also started trying to really implement learning of colors, shapes, objects,  and actions with Silas. His brain is really "exploding" with development.  It is so mind-blowing how one day they just all-of-a-sudden realize how a cause and effect toy works and just figuring things out.  So I made some "shape cards" with bright colors on black card stock for a big contrast.  I go over them every day.  

It is the simple things that you can do every day that they will pick up on.  I would like to get the cards laminated and do similar cards later on with sight words.

I will also go over our partial cloth diapering experience including tips, organization, care, and benefits.

Silas is not walking still.  He is almost 14 months.  I think he is just not ready, and does not want to.  I feel like I know that he can, but he just cries when he is left standing up.  It is actually quite entertaining.  

This is everything I have been up to lately and hopefully I can catch up on all my other "Monday duties". I LOVE Mondays but boy do I always have a lot to do and catch up on after working over the weekend. Next weekend is my last weekend working.  It is bittersweet and I am very nervous.  I have never been unemployed.  It is a very scary thought but at the same time I am SO excited to actually have weekends with my family.  We can actually DO THINGS! and GO PLACES! and BE TOGETHER! 

Stay tuned for an update on life with my family after not having to work and more posts!

It is now fall, and feels wonderful outside! Get out and enjoy it! The Holiday season is approaching and I am SO excited! 

I hope you all have a great week!

Welcome!

Hello Friends!  This is my first official blog post!  I have been debating starting up a blog for quite some time now.  The last couple of years of my life have been drastically different than before, and IT'S A GREAT THING! First off, I would like to fill you in on a little bit of family info and our life, then I will tell you what, exactly, I will be sharing in the future. :)

I was born and raised in the metro Atlanta area. My husband was born in Colorado(::sigh::) and later moved to the metro Atlanta area as well.  Even though we are both from Atlanta, we met in Savannah in 2006. I was 21 and he was 25.  We worked at the same Restaurant, Locos Grill and Pub(good memories).  He moved away and we later reconnected in 2009.

This Picture was taken in 2009, on Tybee Island, GA(not far from where we lived).

We decided to move back towards the Atlanta area in 2010, closer to our families, and where there would later be more opportunities.
Thomas proposed to me on December 19, 2010, in our living room, after I shot down every opportunity that day(I had NO idea)!
We got married on the Chattahoochee River, on my birthday, July 24, 2011. It was a small, simple, and hot wedding.  All of our close family and friends were there. :)

We're married!

About a year and a half later we found out we were pregnant.  We were not planning to try and have any babies yet and wanted to travel a little more...BUT life happens, and God chooses, and I LOVE our little boy!  I would not have it any other way!  He has brought the best out of both of us in the most magical way!

Silas Bradford DeLaHunt graced us with his presence 3 weeks and 1 day early on August 7, 2013.

He just turned one! (Please excuse me while I cry my eyes out! Where does the time go?)

The following is what I am interested in blogging about.  After reading it, I realized, I suppose I am just covering everything.  It is a slow process, but over time I will just post little things here and there. 

RECIPES
 I have not ever really enjoyed cooking, because, well... I am hungry, and it is a task.  This makes no sense to me, seeing as I would consider myself a "foodie".  I LOVE food.  Unique food.  Quality food.  Delicious food.  Healthy food.  You get the point!  So, with that being said, I want to cook well balanced meals(most of the time ;) ) that are easy, simple, and yummy!  I live off of prepping dinner during nap time, cooking "in a jiffy", and baking.  There is always the crockpot, who has been my best friend for the last year(and saved my life).  

CRAFTS
As a youngster I LOVED crafting, coloring/drawing, designing, building, and anything artsy.  During my teen and college years I lost interest in much of these hobbies and "focused" on other things such as school, friends, hanging out, and having fun.  They were some of the best years of my life, but guess what? I'M BACK!  Now these days in the present moment are the best times of my life!  Now that I have a one year old, I am very busy.  When I was pregnant I designed Silas' nursery. I could not stay off of Pinterest to save my life and I was crafting away like all of my grandmothers!  I always have a vision or an idea and can never seem to find it anywhere, so I just have to find a way to make it myself.  I will share how I put together his "vintage woodland" themed nursery through several posts.  If people are interested in something in particular, then I will be happy to post on it.

PREGNANCY AND BABY
I know this is very broad!  I wish I would have started a blog earlier as I traveled through the harsh 9 month journey of pregnancy.  But then again, I don't.  If I would have been a blogger during that stage I probably would have come off as the most negative person alive!  Some women love pregnancy.  I, on the other hand, did not enjoy it so much.  But I look back now in the most positive way, and I am very thankful for that!  I truly believe that attitude and perspective are everything.  It can really make or break you.  
On baby, I will cover anything from my super tough struggle early on with breastfeeding(what I know now and have learned), to cloth diapers, to my own "theory" :), to what we chose to use/not use, baby wearing(which I am new to) and so on.  We officially made it to one whole year of breastfeeding and I am honestly feeling a little lost on where to go from here.  You can follow me and support me through it and give me tips.  I am always open to hearing what has helped other mothers. 
I simply say my "theory" because I was so adamant about reading and trying so hard to get things perfect and "just right".  Sleeping, eating, time this, time that.  Don't get me wrong, I think reading is great and super informative.  In fact, I think everyone should read a few different books and concepts just for the information.
Here are a couple things I have learned in the last year:
1. Some people are "know-it-alls".  I think we all are at some point or another, it is all ego.  It is hard to get past sometimes.  You learn to let it go.  I love listening to people who are open minded and helpful rather than people who insist you must do things a certain way and you are wrong.  Everyone has different methods to parenting, while every human is totally different.  Mothers will do what they think is best(with the exception of some people- I prefer not to get into news topics), and what works best for them, their babies, and family as a whole.  There are so many topics- Do you CIO(cry it out), attachment theories, do you vaccinate/not vaccinate/delayed vaccination, time schedule, co-sleep, on demand, breastfed(how long), formula, the list goes on and on.  Exception: I mean, of course, there are the obvious safety precautions everyone should follow
2. Never say never.  If there is one thing I have learned it is to be less judgmental(going back to #1).  I honestly feel like if things went perfectly, just the way I planned, and my choice of theory worked out(and stuck), I would probably be more judgmental.  And that is because through my eyes, it works.  Make sense?  Just because one thing works for some babies, does NOT mean it works for all. I recently read a blog post that brought me to a complete realization.  It wasn't anything crazy, and the woman was actually talking about two kids... and I only have one!  It just made so much sense and I understand, now, why women choose to do many different things. 
3. Go with your instinct. Simple, natural, and comforting. 

OTHER MISCELLANEOUS THINGS
Here I may cover anything from cleaning tips, deals, ideas of any kind, to home made products.  

I am going to stop and say one more thing. I am here to share our ways of living and the things we do and enjoy.  I am not here to start debates, have arguments, tell anyone they are wrong or vice versa. So please, keep an open mind, give feedback, advice, tips, encouragement, etc. We don't need any "trolls", and I love meeting like minded, positive, kind people.  :) 

So friends, tell me what you are interested in hearing or discussing. :)

Thanks for reading and hopefully following! :)
-Ashli