There's an Interesting Visual.

Luke loves space. He loves planets, stars, comets, moons, and especially space shuttles. A few days ago we were watching several liftoffs and saw a youtube clip of the Challenger disaster. He's been talking about it ever since.

"Hey mama?"

"Yes?"

"Some people died on the space shuttle. We have to help them. They need to go to the hopsital. [Long Pause] Can I help them?"

"Well...."

"Can we help them? Mama and Papa and Beboy and Aidan? Can we help them get better please?"

"Sure, that's a good idea." It's a nice thought. Why wouldn't we want to help, even if...we could certainly find someone in a hospital to help.

"We need to help them. We need to help Grandma Rhea, too, because she broke her hip. She is in the hopsital."

"Yes, she needs help, too. But she's getting lots of help. Guka is taking good care of her. We'll go see her soon. "

"Oh, and the nurses too. The nurses help. Right?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, they help her like you help Baby Aidan when you nurse him. They are nursers. For Rhea."

"Hmm..."


It really didn't help that I had just watched "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" only hours before this conversation. It certainly gave me a good chuckle.

The Gas We Pass

I hear someone passing gas in the hallway.

I look, it's Luke.

"Oh, do you need to make poo-poo, Sweetie?"

"No. I'm just fart."

Jelly Beans!

For the past few years I have gone through many different changes. I have gained (and LOST!) 35 lbs. I have been stretch-marked, kicked multiple times on the inside, and suffered from incontinence. I had my boobs balloon...and deflate...and balloon...and deflate. My feet are now half a size bigger. Hmph. One of the most annoying changes, even more irritating than those horrible events listed above, is the fact that my hair has changed color! This effects my makeup and my entire wardrobe. Not that I'm fancy or anything, but it's still a pain! Now that my hair is now, well, brown, I've had to figure out what I can and can't wear. For instance, now I can wear orange, but I really shouldn't wear black. It's all so annoying especially since my skin really is whiter than vanilla ice cream (I have melasma and so I stay out of the sun to prevent the ever-dreaded mustache tan). Thank goodness for blues and greens. There are certain colors that always look great with blue eyes. Phew.

I've been cleaning out my closet for weeks. A shirt that makes my eyes especially raccoon-like was donated here, shoes that no longer fit into my fat feet were given away as well, ALL maternity clothes to a friend (good riddance!), etc. I finally got motivated about making my closet a little more complimentary to the not-so-new hair color after my recent trip to the Banana Republic Outlet (that place is evil!) with Montessa. I only buy it if I absolutely love it!

That's a new policy.

My closet has been filling up with aquas, greens, and more shades of blue than I can describe at the moment. It's been fun, especially since the sales that are out there are insanely decent! My closet is getting there. But I still was missing something.

Ah, yes. Accessories! I know my wedding set is the ultimate accessory, but sometimes that's not enough. I've been wearing a lot of teether necklaces, but I'm craving more than that. Finally, I broke out of my shell. I've always been accessory-challenged, but I just couldn't resist this:


Look! It's basically all the colors I look good in these days! Isn't it great?


I got it from MySelvegedLife over on Etsy, which is an online marketplace that features all things homemade and glorious. Believe me, it is far more trouble than the BR Outlets, at least in my world! The real stinker with Etsy is that most everything is one of a kind and so you feel a little more pressure to buy if you see something you absolutely love. Sure, the seller could probably make another for you, but come on...you know it won't be exactly, exactly the same! The necklace that I bought is called "Jelly Beans" and I just knew I had to have it after (1) seeing all the pretty colors and (2) looking at Luke's reaction to seeing it. "What is that? Jelly Beans? I like that!"

So now it's mine! At least until the baby breaks it. It's fun to wear some real jewelry. I love my teething necklaces, but it's fun to wear something that's not made out of rubber and also something that goes with my hair!

It's okay that I'm not blonde anymore. These colors are way more fun, anyhow!

My Spring Cleaning Theme Song!

I'm Addicted.

To these.

Carrot Oatmeal Cookies


Ginger. Coconut oil. Walnuts. Carrots. Oats.



Good.

It's yet another one of Heidi Swanson's recipes, can you blame me? The woman is so inspiring! This recipe is free of sugar and eggs and is one I'm sure I'll make for years to come.

I made two necessary variations. First off, I didn't have the fragrant coconut oil, just the refined stuff. So I added a splash of coconut extract and this was so freaking delicious! The smell was intoxicating. I guess I'm just a coconut freak, can you tell? I also only had organic pastry flour, not the whole wheat stuff, so substituted that and I'm sure that made these cookies only more enjoyable!

I prefer them on the soft side. 9 minutes is perfect for my oven, at least. When we cooked these for the full 12 minutes they were way too dry.

I made these two days in a row and as soon as I get more maple syrup, I'm making more, baby! The dough is great, too.



They freeze great (cooked) and the best part of making them on the small side is that you can eat about 9 and it's the equivalent of one "regular-sized" store-bought cookie.