{this moment}

Inspired by Soule Mama
{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Tia and Aili enjoying the rose tree.

Aili had a good time with the organic strawberries.

Sorry I couldn't help but add a few words.  This is some of my wonderful family here in Oregon.  My daughter enjoying an outing with Tia.  We were all very happy to discover this farm and their berries!

Good and Tasty Tuesday: Markdown Meals

I am joining Stay at Home Babe on Tuesdays for her Good and Tasty link up!  I love it and her.  So just forget that I am a day late.  That is the procrastinator in me you will get used to it.
So my meal today is inspired by a very good purchase, turkey burger for just $1.20 a pound.  I couldn't resist and then I got home and wasn't sure what I was going to do with it. I had been wanting to try making my own chicken nuggets with broccoli a recipe I had received in my email from one of the parent websites (sorry I can not remember which one).
Since I had no chicken or the recipe I decided to make up my own! Check it out after the break!

Cupcakes Everywhere!

Things I learned while making almost 200 cupcakes in a week:

Milk shake cupcakes for a soda
 shoppe wedding.  My first paying gig!

1. you can never have too many mixing bowls.
2. it is a workout mixing colors into fondant (was even sore the next day).
3. you can get sick of the smell of sugar.
4. seventy-two cupcakes doesn't look like 72 cupcakes.
5. I hate my cupcake pans.
6. I love cupcake wrappers that fit all the way inside the cupcake pan.
7. And no matter what where you put them a 2 year old can find way to put her finger in at least one cupcake.

Growing Up

All kids do, grow up I mean.  My daughter will be two at the end of May.  I know it is cliche to say but where did the time go.  I barely remember the baby who was lifting her head up on day two and never stopped talking.  I was looking through the pictures a few days ago and was so surprised to see this child I barely remember.  She is definitely becoming her own little person.  And the learning curve right now is amazing.  Today she demonstrated the concepts of "me" and wait".  We ask her to wait all the time, so it is not that surprising to hear her yelling it at me as she runs after me.  But it was a bit shocking to have her look at me and ask for something by pointing at herself and saying ME!  It is pure joy and fear when you realize how smart your child already is before the age of two.

This is not who I want to be.

The problem is I don't know who I want to be.  I love reading blogs but it becomes overwhelming when reading all these things that sound so cool.  I want to do it all and be all.  Then I get up in the morning and can't even clean out the sink.  Life can be overwhelming if you let it.  There are so many excuses; too tired, the kid is sick, the husband is sick, the kid wants held.
Now is the time for no more excuses.  So I will start of list of things I am going to do every day.  Even if it is only for 5 minutes.

• Exercise
• Knitting
• Writing (blog or journal)
• Read
• Get outside (walk or yard work or play with Aili or get the mail)
• Sewing
• Practice cake decorating
• Take pictures!  I am going to join other bloggers in a photo day project.
• and last but no least remove unwanted/needed items from my home.

If I take myself literally doing all these things will take 45 minutes of my day.  I can take 45 minutes of my day to make myself feel productive.  So here is the start!  Today I begin to become the person I want to be.

Seperation Anixety or Just Plain Bad Luck

The first time I went to a movie after Aili was born she cried the entire time I was gone.  She was with her daddy and had bad gas at that time in her life.

The first time we left her at home with auntie and uncle she cried the entire 15 minutes we were gone.

The first night I went away and left her with daddy she threw up all night long (bad stomach bug which we all ended participating in).

My thoughts are to a future wedding in Hawaii where I will be going for a week by myself while she stays at home with dad.  What is going to happen then?

New Routines

New year new routines.  The last few years I have refused to make resolutions.  To me resolutions are grand ideas/plans that always fail, are often negative and don't make you happy in the end.  So this year with inspiration from others I have started a new routine.  First I took The Inspired Room's five minute morning routine and made it my own. 

1. Make Bed

2. Get dressed, making sure I do it right with a bra and shoes.  Thanks to  Fly Lady and mother in law I can do this comfortably.  Jean bought me my first pair of Sketchers Shape Ups!

3. Have something warm to drink.  Not a coffee drinker but tea lately has been working for me or hot chocolate yum!

4. Empty dishwasher.

5. Empty other dishwasher.

So far these have been working for me especially since my hubby has been loading the dishwashers at night.  We have been doing this for almost a week and we have caught up on our dishes.  There were not enough dishes to even run one drawer of the dishwasher last night!!

Now I am starting the Fly Lady program with my sisters.  She is all about the baby steps.  Today I shined my sink and I will be doing the 27 Fling Boogie later.  But my favorite thing about her is her mantras "You are never behind you are just starting out" and "Your house didn't get dirty in a day so don't expect it to be clean in one".  With my sisters and a little help from Fly Lady I am hoping that my house will become my home and I will never again have to frantically clean when company is coming over. 

Now this is all for inside the house check out the new blog for outside Sister Seedlings.