All Things G&D

My 28 Day Challenge

2012-01-27T05:00:00.001-06:00

Last April I did something that changed my life.

In the course of 28 days I went from a Hamburger Helper loving, fruits and vegetables hater, to trying my very first orange…and grape…and banana…and red cabbage...and…

Let me back it up a bit.

I started giving serious thought to the food I was putting into my body when I was pregnant with Kate. Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution also premiered on TV a few months after Kate was born and began lifting the wool from my eyes. It was then that I decided that Kate’s baby food would be homemade. Shortly after that I started watching the documentary Food, Inc., and although I couldn’t bring myself to finish it, I could no longer ignore this glaring fact:

Nearly everything I eat is disgusting.

I knew I needed to change my eating habits, but it seemed like an incredibly overwhelming task and I wasn’t sure where or how to begin, so instead, I focused my energy on Kate and making sure she ate only healthy, unprocessed, homemade foods.

I turned into a total Nutrition Nazi when it came to her meals…while I sat next to her eating pepperoni pizza and chips. There was a huge discrepancy between my expectations for myself and my expectations for her, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to get away with this forever. As I’ve said before, the idea that Kate will learn more from how I act versus what I say is not lost on me.

But again, where to start? I’m a ridiculously picky eater who survived the last 30 years on bread, pasta, oatmeal, wine and lettuce. I didn’t eat any fruit, only a few vegetables, and nearly everything on my weekly grocery list came in a box.

At the end of 2010 I started receiving Whole Living magazine, which was a total surprise because I hadn’t subscribed to it; it just started showing up at our house. Occasionally I’d flip through its pages--skimming--not wanting to give it my full attention for fear that it’d drag me kicking and screaming from my place of ignorance to this place where I had to dig my head out the sand, really pay attention to my body, and make some hard choices.

In March of 2011, my ignorance gave up the fight and I read my first issue (from January) cover to cover. The main feature of their January issue is what they called their “28 Day Challenge.” The 28 Day Challenge was all about detoxifying your life, and while I was primarily attracted to it for the food-related part, it also focused heavily on additional aspects like getting to sleep sooner, switching to non-toxic cleaners, swapping frustration for gratitude, ending grudges, eliminating toxic relationships, etc.

I knew as I read it that this was it for me. This was my answer to my ‘where to start?’ question. Now my new question was, “Are you going to do it?”

I really didn’t want to.

I spent the next few weeks trying to talk myself out of it. I threw up all the barriers I could think of in my mind. This was going to be way too hard. There’s no way someone like me could make such a dramatic change in her eating like this. I’ll be miserable, and hungry, and bitchy. It’ll turn me into a bad wife and mother. We’ll all be miserable! Nope, there’s no way I’m doing this. Forget it.

But I couldn’t forget it.

As much as I wanted to fight it and remain in my processed food and chemical-flavored coma…I knew this was right for me. I had to at least give it a try.

I decided to start my 28 Day Challenge on April 1, 2011. The reconciliation I had made in my mind was that this was a great way to detoxify my body, see if I have any food allergies that have been previously masked, introduce myself to new foods and recipes that can be added into my current diet, and maybe cut back on processed foods. More than anything I wanted to set a good example for Kate. I had to try.

Here’s how the food-related part of the plan worked:

Week 1: No processed foods, no sugar, no caffeine, no alcohol, no dairy, no wheat/gluten.

Week 2: Gradually begin to add gluten and dairy back in, taking note of how your body reacts to these foods.

Add caffeine back in (optional) at the end of Week 2, and continue the rest of the month with no processed foods, no sugar, and no alcohol.

The first two days of what I called “my detox” were by far the hardest. I kept getting awful, awful headaches, which I don’t think were caffeine-related because I wasn’t a daily caffeine drinker and had actually skipped having caffeine the day before I started the detox. I searched out my symptoms on Whole Living’s website and discovered that my problem was I wasn’t eating often enough to keep my blood sugar stable. Once I made that slight adjustment the headaches disappeared, and I found the rest of the month to be surprisingly easy!

After my first week of being off caffeine, I noticed that I had more energy than I think I’d ever had in my life when I was on caffeine. And it was even energy too—not bursts of energy followed by fatigue, like I used to have. I felt great and apparently looked great too, because I was suddenly getting a lot of unexpected compliments:

“You look so well-rested!”
“Something’s different about you…did you get your hair colored?”
“Your skin looks amazing!”

The biggest surprise for me was that (other than wine) I wasn’t battling any cravings! It was like my body knew that it was getting everything it needed. This really blew my mind.

I also recognized early on how quickly I jump to food as my reward. This revelation came after a challenging morning with Kate. I remember thinking, "Ugh, what a tough morning. I should stop and get a Starbucks. I totally deserve it." Any other time I would’ve done just that, but doing this challenge made me actually stop and think about what I was going to put into my body and why. What a light bulb moment! I also noticed how often I turn to a glass of wine at the end of my day as a stress-reliever or to unwind. With wine being off-limits during this 28 Day Challenge, I was surprised to find that chopping vegetables and preparing foods for the next day or upcoming week—a must in order to be successful with this challenge—became my replacement stress reliever.

One of my biggest goals with the 28 Day Challenge was to introduce new foods into my diet, and I was really proud of myself for how many new foods I attempted. The following is a list of what I tried as a result of this detox that I had never tried before:

Oranges (love them!)
Grapes (meh)
Blueberries (not a fan)
Millet (love!)
Almond Butter (not bad)
Kale (great in a smoothie)
Banana (also preferred in a smoothie)
Strawberries, blackberries, raspberries (no thank you)
Grapefruit (hit or miss)
Red cabbage (I like!)
Fresh Ginger (I had to YouTube how to peel and cut it)
Tea (I like)
Sweet Potato (yum)
Beets (no thank you)
Brussels Sprouts (I like!)
Lentils (no thank you)
Quinoa (love!)

The food aspect of the 28 Day Challenge was such a drastic change for me that I focused almost exclusively on it, and incorporated only a handful of the mindfulness tasks here and there. I have to admit I did cheat on Easter Sunday (the end of week 3) by having some wine and Easter candy, but other than that I stuck with it!

At the end of the 28 days I felt incredible.

It had changed my life.

It's been nearly a year, and my diet still consists primarily of whole, unprocessed foods (for me “processed food” means any food with an unnatural ingredient). My brain seems to be programmed so that if it’s told it can’t have something, it wants it even more, so I have to tell it that nothing is “off-limits”—even if it’s processed. If I really want it, I’ll go ahead and eat it—just not much of it, and not very often. I call it my 80/20 plan. Eighty percent of the time I eat whole foods and 20% of the time it’s okay if I don’t. If I want a plate of French fries, I’ll eat a plate of French fries. If I want a Dorito, I’ll eat a Dorito. I think it's this balance that has helped me remain successful.

And now I think it's time for a booster! After the holidays, Kate's birthday party, and a particular rowdy weekend in New Orleans's with some girlfriends (more on that to come!) I think it's time to give my body a break and help get my year started off on the right foot. Whole Living has recently rolled out its 2012 Mind & Body Challenge, and I'm eager to give it another try. This year's plan is slightly different, but I'm up for the challenge and am again looking forward to trying new foods and recipes.

That said, I am still feeling all of those same fears and anxieties I felt before starting the 28 Day Challenge last year. I'm sure this is totally normal, but to give myself that added accountability I think I'll need, I've decided to live out this year's 28 Day Challenge on my All Things G&D Facebook page, posting my meals and other mind/body challenge activities I'll be doing throughout the month. Feel free to "like" my Facebook page if you haven't already done so, and follow along!

Better yet...do the 28 Day Challenge with me! I plan to start on Monday, February 6th (the plan recommends a Monday start). Who's in?!

The Making of Kate's Sesame Street Birthday Party

2012-01-26T12:30:00.001-06:00

Interested in all the behind the scenes details about Kate's Sesame Street-themed 2nd birthday party? Then this post is for you!

The party planning began with searching Pinterest for Elmo birthday party ideas (I'm resourceful like that) and then jotting my ideas down on good old pen and paper (I'm old school like that).

As I've said before, when it comes to party planning, one idea sparks the next, and then the next...and before I knew it, Kate's Elmo-themed party had turned into a Sesame Street-themed party!

Balloons
I got the idea to hang balloons from the ceiling from Pinterest, and took it to the next level by blanketing our ceiling with them. Although it was time consuming (it took about 5 hours for me to hang just the entryway balloons--not counting all the time G and his buddies spent blowing them up), it was a great way to have a big and colorful impact. Balloons also hung from the ceiling over the kitchen island and in our living room windows. The grand total came to over 130 hanging balloons--so fun!

130 balloons!

I hung each balloon from the ceiling individually using fishing line and miniature 3M Command hooks:

A ceiling-level view (click to enlarge).

Sesame Street Lamp Post
The 7' tall Sesame Street lamp post wall decal is an idea that came as a result of me doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and breathing Kate's birthday party once I get into party planning mode. I like to call it "My Crazy" and will often joke with G that "I'm in a manic stage" during this time. Others may label it "BSC." Whatever. I own it. Here's just a sampling of my manic thought process that led to the lamp post idea:

We can't have a Sesame Street themed party without a lamp post.
How does one find a Sesame Street lamp post?
Is there an actual "Sesame Street" I can just steal one from?
Oh, these little 3' ones on Etsy are cute...
Wait! We should get a life-sized one! HELL YES!!
But where to put it? There's no room inside.
Where? Where...where...where?
How about a flat one on that wall?! Oh snap!
With directional signs to the food and games!
AND THE POTTY!!
Yes. This must happen. Surely someone makes this.
F*#&. No one makes this.
My brilliant artist friend Allison could paint one right on the wall!
...But she lives 5 hours away.
...And I'd have to paint over it afterwards.
Hmm...that's not unreasonable at all.
Let's call that Plan B. I'll put Allison on standby.

It is due to the plain and simple fact that my friend Allison is one of the busiest people I know, that My Crazy didn't immediately jump to this solution and call it a day. Instead, I started emailing wall decal companies with my idea in hopes that someone could create what I was looking for. Wall Slicks (the company that also made the tree in Kate's room) was my winner. They were so great to work with and I am thrilled with how the lamp post turned out!

Water Bottle Labels
I made these water bottle labels by printing polka dot designs out on 8.5x11" paper, cutting them to size, securing them in the back with double-stick tape, and adding a Sesame Street character sticker to the front. Easy peasy!

Personalized Cups
My idea for the kids' lemonade cups originated from me being a bit of a germaphobe. I printed out "This cup belongs to: ______________" labels on name tag stickers and added Sesame Street character stickers to the upper corner for an additional way to help kids to recognize their cups.

Elmo loves his crayons, and they were the perfect kid-friendly tool for writing on the labels.

Favor Bags
I made these favor bag toppers inspired by the Sesame Street sign in Microsoft Publisher (a rounded green rectangle with a yellow outline centered over a green oval with a yellow outline; add text), and printed them off on cardstock. I cut around the sides and bottom of the rounded rectangle with scissors, and then used an exacto knife to trim around just the oval line on top. Then I folded the rest of the paper at the top of the rectangle, so that the label is like a little tent that goes over the bag, with the oval top standing up. I closed the favor bags with one staple in the center and secured the tent on top of the bag using double-stick tape, one piece on each side.

Cupcake Tower
I made this cupcake tower out of cardboard cake circles, soup cans, ribbon, wrapping paper and hot glue, thanks to a tutorial from Annie's Eats:

Additional Party Touches
Ribbon around the chandelier shades were secured with double-stick tape:

I cut this large "K" and "2" (and the smaller "K" and "2" that I used for the front door sign) out of thick styrofoam that was part of the packaging from when Kate's activity table arrived, and wrapped them in colorful dot wrapping paper. You don't see them in many of the pictures from Kate's party, but they hung from the patio doors in the kitchen and looked great!

I used Sesame Street toys Kate already had as additional party decorations, like her chattering Cookie Monster toy for the cookie tower:

It was by sheer luck that Kate's favorite Sesame Street character, Elmo, was the character associated with the number 2 on these coloring sheets (found at SesameStreet.org) that we used at the kids' activity table.

I planned, decorated, baked, and cooked for Kate's party all in the span of two weeks...which is an improvement from the one week I gave myself last year! Maybe next year I'll start a little earlier in hopes that it'll keep My Crazy in check. We'll see!

Party Supplies & Shopping List
Invitation: Made by my talented friend Allison
Bunting, hung from the front porch, favor table, kitchen sink: Target
Dot wrapping paper: Target
Dot favor bags: Target
Balloons: Party City
Sesame Street lamp post wall decal: WallSlicks.com
Sesame Street wall decals: Target (also sold on Amazon)
Polka dot ribbon: JoAnn Fabrics
Polka dot tablecloth: Target
Dot placemats: Target
G's Cookie Monster shirt: Wal-Mart
My Sesame Street shirt: 80stees.com
Kate's personalized Elmo shirt: Made by my talented friend Kent
Oscar's trash can: Menards
Crayon caddys on the activity table: Target (Dollar Spot)
Stickers: Target, Wal-Mart, Hobby Lobby
Mini fishbowl for Goldfish crackers: Party City

Food
Mini Pigs in a Blanket
Ham & Cheese Spirals (a variation of this recipe)
Pizza Bites with Marinara Sauce
Pasta Salad
Fruit & Yogurt Platter
Veggie Cups
Homemade Granola Bars
Goldfish Crackers
Sun Chips
Pretzels

Desserts
Cupcakes
Cake Pops
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Peanut Butter Cookies
Kate's Oatmeal Banana Drops

Drinks
Lemonade
Bottled Water
Beer & Wine

I think that covers it all, but if there are any lingering questions feel free to let me know!

Check out this post to see Kate's Sesame Street 2nd birthday party in its entirety!

104 Weeks Overdue...

2012-01-18T09:55:00.000-06:00

But who's counting, right?

It's been two years and some change since I was pregnant with Kate, but I still receive reader emails on a near daily basis asking me about how I felt, what I ate, how I stayed active, my advice on maternity clothes, stretchmarks...you name it, I've probably been asked it.

Everything anyone could ever want to know about my life as a knocked-up 30 year old already lives inside my blog, but I can certainly understand that the need to pee every five minutes takes precendent over digging through my archives. ('Digging through my archives'...that's a gyno joke waiting to happen.)

In an effort to save you time for more important things like sleeping and finding your ankles, I've compiled a one-stop page for all things pregnancy, linked in the header of my blog. On this page you will find links to my weekly pregnancy updates, maternity fashion, labor and delivery stories, that damn 4th trimester, and my pregnancy rules to live by.

I hope all my currently (and soon-to-be) pregnant readers find this page to be as helpful as elastic waistbands!

Photo Credit: The Bond Between Us

Kate's Sesame Street Birthday Party!

2012-01-16T05:00:00.043-06:00

Kate's 2nd birthday party started out being Elmo themed (her favorite Sesame Street character) but as I began brainstorming ideas for party decorations I realized I couldn't stop at just Elmo. The G&D household is all about equal opportunity, so the rest of the Sesame Street gang was soon invited to join in on the fun!

Welcome to Kate's World!

This party brought to you by the letter K and the number 2.

Come on in and play!

I really wanted the children to feel a sense of excitement as they walked in the door so I focused heavily on our entryway--starting with 50 billion balloons, each individually hung from the entry hallway ceiling. Sesame Street characters (wall decals) lined each side of the hallway, right at toddler eye-level.

A view of the entry hallway from the kitchen, looking back toward the front door. (See Abby Cadabby peeking out from the powder room?)

Potty Time with Abby!

The birthday girl was the star of the party, but a close second was this 7' tall Sesame Street lamp post wall decal custom ordered from Modern Wall Graphics, complete with directional signs to those very important things you want to find when it comes to a toddler's birthday party!

More balloons in the kitchen!

Kate's party invitation, made by my friend Allison, was too cute not to display on the big day!

Of course you can't have a Sesame Street themed birthday party without an Oscar the Grouch trash can--complete with Oscar himself hiding inside!

I made this colorful cupcake stand out of cardboard, soup cans, ribbon, wrapping paper, and some hot glue. (Thanks to Annie's Eats for the tutorial!)

Our console table made the perfect spot for party favor bags and gifts stashed away in the family room.

I purchased these favor bags at Target and made the "Thank You!" toppers to mimic the Sesame Street sign.

In honor of Kate's favorite segment of Sesame Street--Elmo's World--the favor bags were filled with Goldfish crackers, crayons, and a Sesame Street sticker book.

A frame, borrowed from our main guest room, gave this thank you sign over the favor table a little more oomph.

This activity table (from Land of Nod) was Kate's Christmas/Birthday/We're Never Buying Her Another Toy Again present, and it made a great spot for a coloring center on party day!

After:

Food and drinks!

I made name tags for the lemonade cups (each with a different Sesame Street character sticker) so kids were easily able to keep track of which one was theirs.

Goldfish crackers in a fishbowl--of course! (Little cups filled with dip and veggie sticks in the background.)

Cookie Monster's cookie tower, featuring chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, and Kate's oatmeal banana drops.

Cupcakes for guests with a sweet tooth...

...and a little something for those of us who prefer to drink our dessert.

Elmo's goldfish "Dorothy" surprised Kate by coming over for the party! Kate was thrilled to have her at the house for a little visit...and handled it surprisingly well when Aunt Amanda took her home to her fish tank afterwards.

At this point we can't have a party without homemade cake pops--there'd be a riot!

The whole family was into the Sesame Street theme! I wore a t-shirt featuring the whole gang, Kate wore a personalized Elmo birthday shirt made by my friend Kent of Peachy Keen Designs, and G wore a (perfect for him) Cookie Monster t-shirt!

The birthday girl, doing one of her favorite things--JUMPING!

Taste-testing a cupcake...

...and deciding she prefers cake pops!

Love my birthday girl!

It turned out to be a great day with a house full of kids, friends, family and fun! Thank you to everyone who was a part of Kate's World on this special day!

Check out The Making of Kate's Sesame Street Party for some how-to tuturials, a shopping list, and our party menu!
Want to see more party fun? Check out Kate's 1st birthday party celebration!

My Love Language

2012-01-06T10:54:00.003-06:00

Kate's 2nd birthday party is this weekend and if there was a font called "bursting with excitement" I'd be using it right now. I am DEEP into party planning, decorating, and all-around GOING OVERBOARD mode--and the best part is G didn't even attempt to reign me in (like he did last year) with the party plans! He knows his breath is better spent blowing up the 2,368 balloons I politely tossed his way when he reluctantly asked, "Is there anything you need me to do?"

What's the point of throwing a big party that she'll never remember?
Why am I spending all this time and energy for a few hours of fun?
Aren't you supposed to be saving up for a new car right now?

Like any sane person, these thoughts do cross my mind. I consider them skeptically, try them on to see how they fit...and then I quickly discard them onto my "no thank you, not for me" pile along with:

You should really stop swearing.
That report only said a glass of wine a day was good for you--not the whole bottle.
Watching The Bachelor makes you lame.
and
It's called "a budget." Stick to it.

When it comes to planning Kate's birthday party, one idea sparks the next one, and then that idea sparks another one, and (whoa!) if we did this to it it'd be even better, and oh my goodness ALL OF THESE THINGS MUST HAPPEN or I'll never sleep again!!

I can't help it.

G hasn't exactly come right out and asked me why the hell I'm taking my crazy and blowing up the house with it, but I know he's been thinking it, and until recently the only response I had was, "Because I love her SO MUCH!"

I'm not exactly sure why I have this tendency to take it to a whole 'nother level when it comes to things like this, but during my many hours of assembling favor bags and picking out the perfect ribbon, I've had some time to ponder it.

I heard of this concept called "love language" through conversations with friends. The basic concept, from what I've gathered, is that people have their own way of expressing love; not everyone does it in the same fashion. Some people show their love verbally, showering "I love you"s daily. Others seldom say it, but show it through their actions. Some people say it with gifts..., etc.

While I've never read the book/taken the quiz/done whatever it is I'd need to do to know what the hell I'm actually talking about, I've recently come to the conclusion that my love language is "the grand gesture."

I often joke that I'm not a very good friend. The people I love most in life will probably tell you they hardly ever hear from me--and it's true. Unless you live with me or work with me, chances are you're only hearing from me maybe once a month. Often even less. (And it's a pretty safe bet you're the one who had to initiate the contact.) I hate this about myself, and I've tried to change it, but the fact is I suck at keeping in touch with people.

This doesn't mean I love or think about them any less.

I may not be the girl you call for a daily check-in, but I'm the girl you can turn to for anything, anytime, anywhere. When I do something I put all my energy into it. When it matters, I'm there. When I show up, you're going to remember it. And when the most beloved girl in my universe has a birthday, I'm going to throw her the biggest, best-est celebration I know how.

That is me.

That is how I show my love.

I can't change the fact that I hate talking on the phone and suck at email, or that I drink too much wine while watching lame reality TV, but I do know one thing: If I love you, I'm going to show it--and probably in a big way.

So when G turned to me the other night, after a particularly overboard day of party planning, and said, "I don't know how you're going to top this one next year." I just laughed and responded, "That's what you said last year!"

Throwing yet another bigger, better, best-est party next year for the most beloved girl in my universe?

Please. I'm not worried.

I speak the language.

Things Loved In December

2011-12-31T05:00:00.000-06:00

Ah, December. How can one month be so amazingly fun and magical, yet so ridiculously hectic and overwhelming? She's a tricky one, that December.

Of course when it comes to Things Loved in December there are all my usual favorites: busting our my Mariah Carey Christmas CD, putting up the tree and decking the halls, receiving holiday cards, celebrating with friends and family, and Starbucks' Peppermint Mocha Latte. These are givens. Here are a few other things that had me feeling the love this month:

1. For starters, let's put Starbucks' Skinny Peppermint Mocha Latte on the list!

I was thrilled to see that a lower calorie version of my favorite winter drink is now being offered by my crack dealer.

My weekly Starbucks order in December 2011: Grande, nonfat, no whip Peppermint Mocha Latte (290 calories).
My weekly Starbucks order this December: Grande Skinny Peppermint Mocha Latte (130 calories).

You see that? Starbucks gave me the gift of -160 calories and -2 words for Christmas this year. Thank you, thank you.

2. Speaking of Starbucks, I was there one morning in early December, waiting for my overpriced latte that I absolutely consider an unnecessary indulgence, when I saw it. Taped to the front of the counter was a smattering of little paper candy cane shaped cutouts, each with a gift request written on it for a person in need this holiday season. One in particular caught my eye:

"Girl, age 4. Dora anything."

I couldn't take my eyes off of it.

My chest tightened and I had to remember to breathe. All I could think of was this four-year-old little girl, bursting at the seams with all the wonder and excitement that is Christmas, and all she wants in the whole wide world is anything that has anything to do with her favorite cartoon character, Dora the Explorer.

Dora anything.

That weekend Kate and I went shopping and she helped me pick out Dora gifts that would go to our little four-year-old friend whom we would never meet. As we stood in the checkout line, I felt for the little red construction paper candy cane in my pocket--the one I couldn't possibly leave Starbucks without--and wished with all my heart that this little girl asking for "Dora anything" would feel nothing but overwhelming love and joy on Christmas morning.

3. Another joyful moment this December was seeing Kate perform in her very first Christmas pageant! Her daycare organized a fun little show for all the kids and Kate's class (along with the infants, and 2 and 3-year-olds) all got up on stage and sang Jingle Bells, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, and Happy Birthday to Jesus. It was the cutest thing! After their performances the younger children cleared the stage to sit with their parents while the older kids performed--but Kate didn't want to leave the stage! At one point, while waiting for another group of kids to come on stage, Kate was the only child up there--all alone, just running around and enjoying herself in front of a huge room full of total strangers. We'd never seen this side of her before! Usually when she's around people she doesn't recognize--heck, even people she does!--she clings to me or G for quite awhile until she "warms up" and feels comfortable enough to navigate the space without us. But not this time! After the awful, miserable, heart-ripping struggles we endured a year ago when we decided to switch daycares for Kate, it was absolutely incredible for us to see such a powerful display of how comfortable Kate truly feels at her new daycare. We were so proud of her!

Kate (23 months), owning that empty stage.

4. Another very proud moment for me this month was seeing my youngest sister, Amanda, graduate from college. There are ten years between us and we've always had more of a mother-daughter bond than a sister-sister bond. I remember getting her ready for her first day of kindergarten, helping her with reading homework in elementary school, and bawling my eyes out during her high school graduation ceremony. I know eventually I'll need to see and treat her as a peer, but to me she will always be my first baby girl. I am so proud to see her achieve something she worked so hard for!

Me and my baby sister--the college grad!

5. Words with Friends.

A friend introduced me to this game about a week ago and I think it's safe to say I'm slightly addicted. Not Starbucks addicted, mind you...but close. For anyone who doesn't know, Words with Friends is basically a Scrabble app for your iPhone or other compatible device (I think you can play it online through Facebook, too), and you can play with any of your friends who also have the app. What I like most about the game is that you play your turn whenever it's most convenient for you--at the check-out line, while you're making dinner, waiting at the dentist, etc. Your opponent isn't sitting impatiently across from you, urging you to hurry up and go. What I like least about this game is that I'm a total rookie and up until a week ago I had no clue that XU, NU, HIST, SH, OY, QAT and AY were words. However, now that I am getting my ass handed to me by G's cousin, John, I am well aware that they are--and that I have a lot to learn.

Honorable Mention: G and I saw the movie We Bought a Zoo on Christmas afternoon and we both really liked it! It's a great feel-good movie, and I especially love that it's based on a true story. Plus the two little girls in the movie (Maggie Elizabeth Jones and Elle Fanning) are so darn adorable they're worth the price of admission right there!

My Christmas Wish

2011-12-25T05:00:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas everyone!

One of my favorite holiday sentiments, from one of my favorite designers of unique cards and gifts, Curly Girl Designs.

Season's Greetings...

2011-12-24T05:00:00.003-06:00

...from our playground to yours!

Our 2011 holiday card (from Tiny Prints).

Gift Card Snow Globe

2011-12-23T05:00:00.009-06:00

I asked for advice on my Facebook page last week about what to get Kate's daycare teachers for Christmas, and got all sorts of fabulous ideas! My favorite suggestion came from my friend Allison who posted an idea (compliments of The Creative Mama) for giving a gift card inside a DIY snow globe.

I know that gift cards are a favorite thing to receive, but simply handing one over has always seemed so impersonal (and boring) to me. This idea was the perfect solution! I took a Ball canning jar, filled it with red glitter, miniature ornaments, and some red beads. Next, I glued a Target gift card that says "Merry Christmas" to the lid so it would stand up straight in the jar. Lastly, I filled the jar with water, screwed the lid on, flipped it over...and it became a festive holiday snow globe filled with a gift card!

Kate was in awe of our little creation--and her daycare teachers loved them, too!

Bringing Some Color to Christmas

2011-12-22T13:13:00.002-06:00

For years my Christmas decorations have been strictly limited to golds and bronzes (with maybe a smidge of red) because I liked the monochromatic look and it best matched the rest of our house--case in point: Christmas 2006, Christmas 2007, Christmas 2008...

Well now we have a toddler, so our formerly neutral decor is currently splashed with all the colors of Fisher-Price and Playskool...and I don't see that changing any time soon. Oh well. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Time to add some color to our Christmas!

When it comes to ~~Christmas,~~ ~~holiday decorations,~~ ~~shopping~~ everything, I have a tendency to take it to a whole 'nother level faster than Ricky Gervais at the Golden Globes.* At the risk of blowing funds already set aside to ensure Kate's "Sweet 16" rivals that of a Kardashian, I knew I had to keep my budget for colorful Christmas decor in check. A couple packs of colorful ornaments and some gift-wrapping supplies later, and color had successfully (and inexpensively) infiltrated our holiday!

I twisted some colorful curling ribbon around these gold and bronze Christmas trees to give them a little splash of color:

Kate picked out this red stocking with colorful jingle bells to hang alongside mine and G's plain cream colored ones. To make them all a little more cohesive I pinned colorful Christmas bows on ours and stuffed them all with colorful confetti picks.

One of my favorite things to do for Christmas decor is to wrap some of the frames on our photo gallery wall to look like presents. Instead of our typical gold and bronze, I chose something a little more playful this year:

I purchased two $5 packages of miniature jewel-toned ornaments. Most of them went on the tree to start dotting all of that gold and bronze with a bit of color, and I hung the rest of them on this lampshade using coordinated curling ribbon.

I made these sequined elasticized bands a few years ago to be napkin rings, but they didn't quite work. They look great, however, stretched over the glass shades of the chandelier!

I made the colorful garland hanging from the windows out of felt Christmas tree ornaments (3 for $1!) from Target, strung on gold curling ribbon. It's hard to capture their impact in pictures, but they give the whole space a fun and playful punch of color!

Close-up of the felt Christmas trees (and my first attempt at using faux snow):

I'm sure we'll add even more fun and colorful things to our holiday decor each year, but this gets us off to a good start!

(Check out this post to see some neat pictures of this year's Christmas tree.)

*You know what holiday comes after Christmas, right?! Awards season! Woot!!

Gift-Wrapped Christmas Care Package

2011-12-19T05:00:00.001-06:00

G's sister Lesley lives in Seattle, and isn't able to make it home to Wisconsin this year for Christmas, so we're sending a little holiday care package her way--gift wrapped from the inside!

First, line the inside of the box with holiday wrapping paper.

Fill it with goodies!

A few finishing touches.

All sealed up and ready to mail!

Gift-wrapping the inside of the box is my favorite way to add an extra personal touch to a care package--and it's so easy to do! You can check out other gift-wrapped care packages I've sent (and see more detailed instructions on how to do it) here and here.

Only 6 more shopping days until Christmas! Who's ready?

The Magic of Christmas

2011-12-16T17:21:00.004-06:00

Christmas is magical.

I don't know any better word to describe it.

This time of year always gives me this feeling that I can never quite articulate--a feeling like my insides are filled with glitter and twinkle lights, and I'm never more than 2 seconds away from bursting into laughter or tears over the sheer beauty and joy of it all.

Magical.

I begin decorating for Christmas as soon as we get home from dinner on Thanksgiving Day. While most people are succumbing to their turkey comas, I'm manic with excitement over unwrapping treasured ornaments, pulling out stockings, and filling the house with bursts of Christmas cheer--the tree, of course, being the focal point.

If Christmas is magic, the tree is the wand. Nothing takes my breath away quite like a Christmas tree decorated with lights, love, and memories. Our tree has been up for three weeks now and it still makes my eyes well with tears when I look at it. I don't know why! There's nothing particularly remarkable about it...other than it's ours.

I was so ridiculously excited to show Kate our Christmas tree the morning after I put it up. I couldn't wait to see her reaction at the sight of such a beautifully unexpected thing in our living room! I checked it before she woke up to make sure the lights were on, and as I carried her down the stairs I prepped her, saying, "Mommy put the Christmas tree up last night!"

We reached the bottom of the stairs and I watched as her face lit up at her first sight of it. She stared in wonder for a moment, then turned to me and whispered, "I found it."

I laughed and replied, "Yes you did!"

"Go say hi?" she then asked tentatively.

"Sure!" I replied as I transferred her from my hip to the floor. "Let's go say hi."

Kate grabbed my hand as we walked across the living room, stopped in front of the tree, and then she cheerfully greeted, "Hi Christmas tree!"

We spent the rest of that morning gathered around the Christmas tree while Kate ooh'd and ahh'd over the ornaments. "Look at that one!" she said as she pointed to one of them.

"Yes, Mommy sees it." I replied.

"That's pretty," Kate gushed.

"Yes, that's a pretty one," I agreed.

"Ooh, ooh, look at that one, Mommy!" she said excitedly as she moved on to the next ornament that caught her eye...and the two of us sat there, pointing out our favorite ornaments and ooh'ing and ahh'ing over the magic that is Christmas and the wand that is our tree.

Kate admires our tree every single day, and her ritual rarely changes. She takes me (or Greg, or Grandma Pam) by the hand, leads us to the tree, and points out all her favorites, saying, "Ooh, look at the one!" We discuss the ornament's shape, color, and pattern, and if one falls off the tree Kate knows exactly where it fell from and insists that it's returned to its proper spot.

I watch as her eyes sparkle with wonder while she examines the red glittery one for the 1,634th time that day and exclaims, "Look at this one, Mommy!" as if she's seeing it for the first time all over again. My 2 seconds are up, and the tears and laughter spill as I hug her tight and burst with all the joy and glitter that's inside of me, because I know without a shadow of a doubt...

The magic of Christmas lives inside of Kate, too.

Kate: 23 Months

Kate & Mommy, trimming our tree.

The pictures in this post were taken using my friend Beth's camera tips for getting a glowing effect from your tree--check it out over at Unskinny Boppy and join her "Show Your Glow" link party!

Living Room Revisited

2011-12-14T05:00:00.003-06:00

You may recall about a year ago when I revealed that I sold my beloved dining room table (because God told me to). That decision took our great room from its former living room/formal dining room combination to one large family room with tons of wide open space for Kate to play--a decision I've never once regretted!

Before my little Eat Pray Love epiphany, our living room was confined to the space in front of the arch, and our formal dining room lived in the space behind it. While I was happy to sell my dining room table...I wasn't quite as eager to say goodbye to the linear chandelier that hung above it. I love that thing and was convinced I could make it work in the space. To do so--and to reach my overall goal of having a lot of wide open space for Kate to play--I pushed the loveseat all the way back to the chandelier and added a console table behind it. This well-lit seating area now makes the perfect little spot for storytime!

Our family room today (click to enlarge).

Baskets under the console table hold blankets for the whole family...and yes, that includes baby blankets for Elmo, too.

So long formal dining room, hello reading spot and wide open spaces! (click to enlarge)

This orange table runner is not only my favorite color, it's also a $6 steal from Pottery Barn! Folded in half and draped over the ottoman, it adds a fun pop of color to the space--and hides stains! (Which are inevitable, I'm telling you.) A tray full of Kate's favorite books sits on top of the ottoman at the perfect height for her to grab.

A new chair filled the space to the left and added extra seating. Hanging above the chair is one of my favorite photographs of me and Kate, transformed into a beloved piece of artwork by Modern Bird. That 12x24" slab of wood is easily the most talked about and admired piece by guests in our home!

I kept the floor-to-ceiling photo gallery wall from our former dining room intact, mainly because I put a lot of work into it and didn't want to take it down and patch the holes, but also because it's really our only spot to display family photos. While the rest of our house is very kid-friendly, I decided it wasn't necessarily a bad idea to teach Kate that occasionally some things are off limits. We used the photo wall to teach her "no touch"--something she needs to understand when we're at other people's homes and there are things she shouldn't touch. She quickly understood that she can look at the photos on the wall...but "no touch."

A mix of frame finishes, and black & white and color photos. See, you really can mix it up!

The couch (facing the TV, of course) finishes out seating for the space:

The hardest working wall in the house! Kate's toybox (far right), G's ginormous TV, and the only other piece of new furniture we bought for the space--storage cubes from Target to hold even more of Kate's toys and keep them easily accessible for her. And of course, lots of wide-open space in front for playing!

Some of Kate's most beloved things: books, puzzles, a ModTots birdie plaque (okay, that one might be mine), her Laugh & Learn Puppy, blocks and cubes, Baby Tickle Elmo, her favorite Alpha-books, B. drum & music set, and fabric bins filled with balls, Little People animals to go along with her Noah's Ark, and her B. Zany Zoo activity cube.

And there you have it--our ~~randomly stained~~, ~~rarely picked-up~~ updated, kid-friendly family room!

Kate: 20 Months

2011-12-09T05:00:00.001-06:00

Kate: 20 Months

Okay, so the bad news is I’m really behind with Kate’s monthly updates.

The good news is she’s not old enough to read, so she doesn’t care.

Kate turns 23 months today* which means I’ve got three more monthly updates to finish before I’m caught up, and only 3-ish more years in which to do it before that second sentence becomes null and void.

(Oh who are we kidding? I probably really only have like 6-ish more months.**)

My most favorite moment of this month happened one afternoon while playing in the living room and listening to internet radio. Elton John’s song “Tiny Dancer” came on and Kate paused what she was doing, turned to me and stated, “I like this song.”

I was stunned.

If I had been drinking or not sitting, I surely would’ve fallen over.

I gawked at her in amazement. Saying the sentence was one thing, but what really blew my mind was that this tiny little person had just—completely unprompted—EXPRESSED HER PREFERENCE IN MUSIC! This is bigger than green beans versus applesauce, people. Music is such an abstract and individualized thing! We listen to a wide variety of it nearly every day in our house—everything from Sesame Street to Lady Gaga to Taylor Swift to Creedence Clearwater Revival to Regina Spektor to Veggie Tales—and this Little Miss, after months of careful consideration, has just informed me that she likes Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer.”

“You do?” I finally replied.
“I like this song, Mama,” she stated matter-of-factly. “I do.”
“Um...okay. I like this song, too!” I agreed.

Kate continued with her playing while I sat there staring at her. I later realized that “I like this song” will eventually turn into “I want to wear this shirt, not that shirt” and “don’t give me kisses in front of my friends” and “I’m dating the high school science teacher and there’s nothing you can do about it,” but in that moment the only thing on my mind was:

I just had a conversation with my daughter.

…and she has excellent taste in music.

Kate’s newly acquired ability to express her unique preferences didn’t end with music. Later that month while swinging at the playground she turned to the little girl in the toddler swing next to her and casually remarked, “Cute shoes.”

While I’m guessing that the mother of that little girl hadn’t been drinking, she was standing…and therefore nearly fell over.

“Did she just compliment my daughter’s shoes?!” she asked me in astonishment.
“Yep,” I replied laughing.

What else could I say? They were cute shoes.

Kate loves getting up on her stool and washing her hands at the bathroom sink. I swear she’d do this all day if we let her. Mostly she just likes putting her fingers under the running water and splashing around. I’ve been working on teaching her how to properly wash her hands—putting soap on them, rubbing them together, rinse, dry—and like every overzealous parent, I shower her with praise every time she shows the slightest signs of coordination.

A few days after I’d begun working with Kate on how to properly wash her hands she insisted on joining me in the bathroom while I went potty.*** Afterwards, she watched as I washed my hands and as I grabbed the towel to dry them off (the final step!) she enthusiastically cheered, “Great job, Mama! YOU DID IT!”

We're still working on her hand washing technique, but she's got that overzealous praise part nailed.

Speaking of learning, Kate can now sing her entire alphabet without help, and counts from 1-20. She also recognizes many of her letters and numbers when she sees them. You know how Target has all those 5% off signs advertising their credit card? They’re Kate’s favorite things. She points to them and shouts, “FIVE!” no less than a dozen times during any given trip to Target. She’s turned into quite the little number hunter as we stroll the aisles.

Other favorites of Kate’s:
Playing outside, either in her playhouse or at the new neighborhood playground.
Putting caps on water bottles.
Loading her arms with as many bracelets and round-shaped things as she can.
Wearing my necklaces.
Wearing my thong undies around her neck as a necklace.****
Standing on her stool at the kitchen counter to “see what Mommy’s doing.”
Anything to do with Elmo.

20 Month Videos
Kate wants to say hi to everyone:

…and now she wants to wipe your nose (and not button her clothes):

A girl can never wear too much jewelry:

*EEK! This means her 2nd birthday is only a month away! I’ve got to start party-planning!
**Because my daughter is a genius. All her stuffed animals say so.
***You can tell yourself you won’t use words like “potty” when you become a parent, and then one evening you’re at a cocktail party and you hear yourself say to a group of adults, “Excuse me. I have to go potty.” And THAT, my friends, is what being a parent of a toddler is all about.
****REMINDER TO SELF: Delete this one when she starts school.

Additional Kate: 20 Months Posts:
Kate’s First Fingerpainting
That’s What She Said

Apparently I Like Ponchos

2011-12-07T06:00:00.011-06:00

Last winter my friend Kent discovered this ridiculously soft and comfortable take on a poncho at Nordstroms and raved to all her friends that we all needed one. All I heard was "ridiculously soft" and knew I had to check this sucker out.

I've never been a fan of ponchos--hell, the word alone makes me twitch--but this is a slightly different twist on a traditional poncho. It has sleeves, a single button at the neck to give it some interesting draping in front, and dammitall if this isn't the softest piece of clothing to ever touch my body!

Now, my poncho and I will never part.

Poncho: Nordstrom
T-shirt: Old Navy
Jeans: Gap
Boots: Target

Things Loved in November

2011-12-05T06:00:00.005-06:00

1. That it's OVER!

November was filled with tantrums, tears, and vomiting.

And that was just me.

Kate didn't have it any better. She got a stomach bug after Thanksgiving and closed out the month battling a week-long fever that hovered around 104 degrees and peaked at 106. It was some really scary shit, and brought me back to the horrendous days following her cleft palate repair. Our whole house has barely slept in a week!

So yeah. November sucked. I'm so happy that it's over!

2. Speaking of sucking...let's talk Breaking Dawn.

The sucking reference, of course, being in regards to the fact that vampires suck blood.

Wait. What'd you think I was going to say?

It's no secret that I hated the first Twilight movie. I thought the second one was a little better, although it helped that my expectations were lower. And the third one is my favorite. I put Breaking Dawn: Part 1 somewhere between New Moon and Eclipse. I liked it. Okay, maybe slightly loved it considering it's making the Things Loved List. But then again, this was November.

Here's probably the biggest thing I loved about Breaking Dawn: Part 1: The fact that they did not show Edward chewing through Bella's belly to get Reneseme out. Excellent decision, directors and producers. I give you +5 points for that one.

Oh wait. The Cullens' face makeup. -1 point
...and Edward's ridiculously bushy eyebrows. -2 points
Alice looked gorgeous. +1
...but Jasper still looked like he's smelling farts. -1
Bella's wedding gown. -2
The rest of the wedding. +3
Glossing over the Edward/Bella sex scene. -4
The cool doors of their honeymoon house. +1
Shirtless Jacob. +2

Total score: +2

So you see, more likes than dislikes in the end.
But still room for improvement!

3. Something that added to my Breaking Dawn enjoyment: sneaking in mini plastic bottles of red wine in my handbag.

Red, of course, because you don't have to worry about it getting warm...and it matched Bella's red-blooded Big Gulp. Every time she drank, I drank.

4. Hitting my running goal for the year!

I ran my 400th mile of the year on November 14th! Woot!

(And then didn't run a single mile for the rest of the month. Not so woot-worthy.)

5. Last but not least, this amazingly awesome marriage proposal, which will make you smile no matter how sucky your November was:

Individual Fruit Crisps

2011-11-22T09:59:00.001-06:00

These single-serving fruit crisps are super easy to make and one of Kate's favorites! They make a great snack for anyone in the family--or serve with a scoop of ice cream and impress your guests with their own individual little dessert!

I picked up these glass custard cups at Target (you can also find them here) and they're perfect for this recipe. They're oven and freezer friendly, and come with lids. We have a couple sets of these custard cups and use them daily as glass storage for storing and reheating Kate's leftovers. They really come in handy!

Topping
2 T. butter, melted
3 T. whole wheat flour
3 T. oats
1 1/2 T. brown sugar
1/4 t. cinnamon

1. Chop your fruit into bite-sized pieces appropriate for your child's age/eating ability. I made this batch using apples and peaches, but you can use any kind of fruit you'd like--or try a combination of fruits for a fun twist!

Spoon fruit into ungreased oven-safe custard cups or dessert dishes. I made 6 fruit crisps for this recipe, but the number of cups you fill will depend on how much fruit you chop. (Adjust the topping recipe accordingly, using more or less as needed.)

2. Mix topping ingredients in a small bowl; blend with fork until crumbly, and sprinkle evenly over fruit cups.

3. Place custard cups on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until fruit is tender and topping is golden brown.

Enjoy while warm, or cool completely and seal with lids for freezer storage. Thaw overnight in the fridge before rewarming (in oven or microwave) and serving.

Enjoy!

Adapted from this recipe.

Birthday Party in a Box

2011-11-14T05:00:00.008-06:00

After seeing pictures of Kate's first birthday party, my friend Allison proclaimed, "That is like my dream come true party."

Since her birthday is just a few weeks after Kate's I jokingly replied, "Want me to pack it all up and bring it to your house for your birthday?"

And with that, an idea was born.

My friend Allison lives about five hours from me, and since I couldn't pack up Kate's party and bring it to her, I decided to do the next best thing: deliver her a birthday party in a box, using Kate's birthday decorations and colors for the inspiration!

Birthday party in a box!

This is a super simple DIY project and a great way to jazz up care packages for loved ones! First, disassemble your box and lay it out flat with the inside of the box facing up:

Next, take your favorite wrapping paper and glue it to the inside of the box. I used a good old-fashioned glue stick for this. Any adhesive will do.

Smooth your wrapping paper over the box, and trim it where there are spaces between the flaps of the box:

Reassemble your box, using packaging tape to securely close the bottom flaps.

If you'd like to include a little birthday banner that pops up when the box is opened (like I did for Allison's) take a hole-puncher and punch a hole in opposite flaps of the box. Be sure you are punching your holes into the two flaps that will be folded down first when your box is closed.

For Allison's birthday box banner I made miniature tissue paper poms like the poms I made for Kate's party. Paper cut-outs re-used from Kate's party, and some festive birthday stickers complete the decorations.

I filled the box with some of Allison's favorite things, tied it with a bow, and the package was complete:

Allison's very own birthday party in a box all set to be closed up and shipped out!

Things Loved in October

2011-11-10T17:16:00.009-06:00

1. Busy Barns Adventure Farm

Kate: 21 Months

We took Kate to Busy Barns Adventure Farm in Ft. Atkinson, WI in early October and we all had a wonderful time! The farm features a variety of animals (goats, llamas, bunnies, pigs, horses, etc.) that kids can feed and pet, a corn maze, tire tunnels, hayrides, a pumpkin patch--even an afternoon puppet show! One of Kate's favorite things was playing in this large corn-filled bin. So much fun!

2. This $3 plate:

My friend Beth and I attended the Madison Food & Wine Show, and we sprung a little extra to get these plastic plates at admission that not only held all the delicious cheeses, desserts, and spreads we enjoyed--but also a wine glass! Granted, it was rare that we ever had a need to set our wine glasses down, but there were a few times when it was critical...for example: when we were doing shots. Another time? Drunk-hugging friends and neighbors. Yet another advantage of the $3 plate? I discovered that it held my glass of wine steady enough that I could take a drink from it just by tipping my plate--a ~~bet~~ discovery that earned me $1 from ~~some guy I'd never met before in my life~~ a friend.

3. My first hot stone massage.

G and I celebrated our 8-year wedding anniversary in October and he surprised me by booking my very first hot stone massage! I typically find massages hugely functional (to get the knots and kinks worked out), but not very relaxing; however, I really enjoyed the hot stone variety! I found the lightly weighted pressure of the stones (as well as their heat) to be relaxing. I also really liked that the massage is done almost exclusively using the stones so I was being rubbed with a flat, smooth surface, versus thumbs being dug into my skin. My masseuse was still able to provide plenty of pressure to get the knots worked out, but it had a different feeling from traditional massages. I really enjoyed it and hope to do it again someday!

4. The Madison Mud Run.

My final adventure in the month of October was participating in the Madison Mud Run--a five-mile trail run with 16 obstacles along the way just to keep things interesting. The race was Halloween weekend and our team (comprised of my friend Beth and her neighbors) dressed up as zombies for the event. This was my first mud run and I knew I was in for one hell of a morning when our first obstacle was to jump into A SWAMP that came up to my fricking chest, wade through it, climb out the other side...and then keep running. Other obstacles along the way included army crawling through dark tunnels, climbing rope nets, a giant slip-and-slide loaded with soap suds, a balance beam, and a 52' long inflatable obstacle course with barriers, walls, and a giant slide. The most challenging (and my personal favorite) was scaling a 6' wall using nothing but your own strength to get up and over it. I was the only girl I saw who could do it! The race ended with an army crawl through a pit of (disgusting!) mud that was maybe 20-30 yards long, and then finally--soaking wet and covered in mud--we crossed the finish line. It was a crazy fun experience and something I'd definitely do again!

Our team of zombies before the Madison Mud Run
(L to R: Jess, Todd, Kara, Shannon, Beth and me).

After!

Beth & Me. Is our makeup running?

5. This stop sign on my way to work that was recently decorated with a little pumpkin and the question, "Do you dream?"

I know it's vandalism, but dammit it makes me smile.

Honorable October mentions: candy corn/peanuts/m&m snack mix, pumpkin beer, and my much anticipated, highly coveted, weekly Starbucks pumpkin spice latte.

Giveaway Winner!

2011-11-07T07:57:00.001-06:00

Thank you to everyone who entered last week's Shabby Apple dress giveaway! The winner (whose favorite dress was the "Bookworm") is Jen N!

Congratulations Jen--please check your email for information on how to claim your prize!

Didn't win, but still drooling over your favorite Shabby Apple designs? You're in luck! Shabby Apple is offering a 10% discount for All Things G&D readers for the month of November! Just enter the discount code allthingsgd10off at checkout to redeem.

Now go get your shop on!

Shabby Apple Giveaway!

2011-11-01T14:55:00.004-05:00

*** This giveaway is now closed. Thank you to all who entered. ***

If I could only shop one source for women's dresses for the rest of my life, Shabby Apple would be my pick.

ShabbyApple.com is an online boutique that sells vintage-inspired women’s apparel including dresses, skirts, accessories, and swimwear. They even offer maternity dresses and children's dresses! A quick look at their "About Us" page and it's easy to see what makes Shabby Apple so appealing:

"We started Shabby Apple because we saw a need in women’s fashion that was not being met. A need to make women feel feminine and beautiful for what they wear, not what they bare. We offer flirty, stylish dresses a woman can wear just as comfortably in the office, at a family dinner, or on a date."

I'm in crazy love with one of their newest lines called Academia. Allow me to outline why in 10 words or less:

Gray. Wool. Herringbone.
Yes, please.

Shabby Apple - Academia

Fabulous fall yellow.
Must. Have.

Shabby Apple - Study Break

Get your handkerchiefs ready because the drool doesn't end there. Shabby Apple features over 20 other collections including Roamin' Holiday, Sidesaddle, and All That Jazz. You can shop their site by collection, categories (shirt dresses, flirty, essential, etc.), or use their Style Tool which suggests dresses for you based on your body type!

Enough love gushing, let's get down to business. This week one lucky All Things G&D reader will be strutting her stuff in this fabulous black and white Shabby Apple dress for free!

Shabby Apple - Frida K.

ENTRY RULES:
To enter this giveaway, check out ShabbyApple.com and comment on this post telling me your favorite item by Saturday, November 5th at 11:59pm CDT. You may enter up to 5 additional times by doing any of the following:

*Like Shabby Apple on Facebook
*Like All Things G&D on Facebook
*Post a link to this giveaway on your Facebook page
*Post a link to this giveaway on your blog
*Post a link to this giveaway on Twitter

Leave separate comments letting me know which of the above you have done for each additional entry. Your comment(s) must include an email address to be eligible to win (either through your blogging ID or typed into your comment entry).

Due to Shabby Apple shipping requirements, this giveaway is open to readers with a US mailing address only.

The winner will be chosen by random.org and announced on Sunday, November 6th.

Can't wait to get your Shabby Apple pick? Shop now and enter the code allthingsgd10off for 10% off your total purchase during the month of November!

Good luck everyone!

My Half Marathon

2011-10-25T06:18:00.076-05:00

I recently finished my first half marathon and am now sufficiently recovered (and back to being lazy with time on my hands) so now’s a good time to tell you all about it! For starters, my goal was to finish in two hours, and I did it in 1 hour and 56 minutes—woot!

Race day morning was a little rough. I was up and out the door on time, but it took me FOREVER to find a place to park! I thought I had given myself plenty of time to get my gear checked and get to the starting line, but that was definitely not the case. By the time I made it there I was fighting against thousands of people swarming toward the starting line while I was heading the opposite direction to get my gear checked! The National Anthem started playing before I even located Gear Check and I was stressed, stressed, STRESSED! Finally, I got my gear checked and started weaving my way through the crowd toward my starting corral. I thought I could finally breathe a sigh of relief, but then I turned on my GPS runner’s watch that I use to keep track of my pace (super important!) and it was so overcast that it couldn’t locate a signal. DAMMITALLTOHELL!!

Right about the time I’m taking a deep breath and resetting my expectations for my finishing time, a voice comes over the loudspeaker and announces that the start of the race is going to be delayed due to inclement weather headed our way. All runners should seek shelter immediately.

WHATTHEMOTHER?!

I decide to high-tail it back to Gear Check (which was in the Memorial Union on UW’s campus, for all my locals) so I can at least get my phone and call G and Jill (my spectators) to let them know about the delay. I then spend the next hour and a half sitting on the floor of The Union next to a trashcan while me and thousands of other runners crammed into my personal space wait for word on if there’s even going to be a race or not.

I’d spent months worrying about whether or not I was going to make it across that finish line—and now my biggest concern was just making it across the starting line!

An added concern was that I’d also spent the past three months training for a race that started at 7:00am. I planned all my long runs on Saturday mornings to start at 7:00am so I could test out different times, things, and amounts to eat prior to running to be properly fueled for the longer distances.

And now here I was—7:00am long gone—sitting next to a garbage can, glaring at the lightening outside, and starving my ass off. I finally decided to take my chances and inhaled a granola bar that I’d had the foresight to toss in my bag before leaving the house that morning.

Finally, an hour and a half later, they announced that the race was back on. I quick called G and Jill, re-checked my gear, headed to my starting corral, got a signal on my runner’s watch (yay!), did a few jumps and stretches to wake up my legs…and then we were off! I ran the first 3 miles in the pouring rain, but then it cleared up and we had pretty good weather for the rest of the race.

Mile 2. Soaking wet. Still raining.

Mile 4

Mile 7

My friend Jill--almost 8 months pregnant!--jogged with me at the 7 mile mark (and later at the 9 mile mark) to give me a little pep talk. How awesome is that?!

Rounding the corner at Mile 8, and my first sighting of G and Kate! G and Kate (in her stroller) ran along side me for a little bit, too. It was so much fun seeing them!

I kicked all these guys' asses.

Checking my pace at Mile 9.

Still more than 3 miles to go? Damn!

Crossing the finish line!

Once I saw that finish line I said to myself, "Okay, time to kick it up a notch!" and I tried to get my legs to go faster, but it was physically impossible. I didn't have any notches left! I once heard that if you could sprint at the end of your race it meant you didn't give it your all because you still had some gas left in the tank. It was pretty clear I was running on fumes at the end, and that's how I KNOW I honestly gave it my all. Such an incredible feeling!

Me and my beloved finisher's medal...which doubles as a beer bottle opener.

My fans! G and Kate were at the finish line to cheer me on!

My friend Jill, her husband Shane, and their son Brady also braved the weather!

Jill and Shane are THE BEST spectators anyone could ask for! They popped up at four different points during the race (it was like "Where's Waldo?") to cheer me on, and even joined me afterwards for a celebratory beer!

Even though the morning got off to a rough start, it ended up being an amazing day! After one failed attempt, I had finally completed my first half marathon and the accomplishment felt amazing. My running felt so strong the entire race and I could tell my training had really paid off. Knowing that all that hard work paid off and that I gave that race my all...it was such an incredible feeling. I can't even describe it.

Which leads me to my training. Many of you have asked what kind of training program I used, and the answer is I created my own schedule based heavily on Hal Higdon's half marathon training programs. I did a mix between his novice and intermediate training programs, and tailored it to incorporate two BodyPump classes at the gym per week (my favorite strength-training class). You can see my actual training schedule below (click to enlarge) as well as adjustments that I made as I went. I think it worked really well for me and I'll probably follow it again for my next half marathon.

My half marathon training schedule (click to enlarge).

Another popular question is when I found the time to train. This was definitely a challenge as training was a HUGE time commitment. Before I even started I had to make sure I had G's support, because I knew he'd have to pick up a lot of the slack I'd leave behind. On weekdays I stuck with my normal routine for most of the day, and then did my training after Kate went to bed at 7pm. Then I'd shower and have a handful of minutes to do something else (usually prepare our food for the next day) before my bedtime. I did my long runs (the most time consuming training day of the week) on Saturday mornings. From May to August there was pretty much no room left in my life for anything other than G and Kate, work, training, Jerseylicious, and cooking the occasional meal. G did nearly all of the cleaning and laundry during this time because I just didn't have the time to help out. I certainly couldn't have done it without his support, and I was so grateful to have it!

I'll end with a breakdown of my splits for those who are interested:

Mile 1:   9:02
Mile 2:   8:47
Mile 3:   8:51
Mile 4:   8:49
Mile 5:   8:50
Mile 6:    8:52
Mile 7: 9:02
Mile 8:   8:36
Mile 9:   8:58
Mile 10: 9:10
Mile 11: 8:37
Mile 12: 8:40
Mile 13: 8:24

By my watch I finished 13.1 miles at 1 hour 55 minutes and the course was an extra 1/10th of a mile long (other runners with GPS watches reported the same), however my official chip finish time was 1 hour 56 minutes.

I'd love to hear how your training/experience compares! And, as always, feel free to let me know if you have any other questions!

Kate: 19 Months

2011-10-21T05:00:00.006-05:00

Kate (19 months) reading a book with Daddy.

We’ve been working on manners with Kate, and I think she’s got them down! She says “please” when asking for something, “thank you” when she receives it, “help” when she needs assistance with something, and “sorry” if she thinks she’s harmed someone (usually one of her stuffed animals) in some way. Since she was an infant we’ve been trying to teach manners by saying the words for her. For example, I’d serve her meal and say, “Thank you, Mama.” Or she’d point for her milk (and later request “milk”) and we’d clarify, "milk, please" as the proper way to ask.

“Please” was the first one she started saying, followed by “thank you” and “help” (such a helpful word to know!) Kate saying “sorry” has been the most surprising to us as that’s not something we’ve taught her to say! It’s not that we don’t think the word is important; it’s more that Kate has yet to display the kind of behaviors that we think require an apology. So imagine my surprise when she was running around the living room one day, took a little tumble that landed her on her stuffed puppy, and she got up and said “sorry” to Puppy before going on her merry way.

What?!

I find this fascinating. Not only did she pick up on the word “sorry” somewhere along the line, but she also understood the concept that you say it (unprompted!) when you think you may have wronged someone.

This blows my mind.

I know adults who haven’t even mastered this one yet.

In additional Bragging About My Kid news, Kate can now count from 1-12! She's been toying with the idea of counting for a while now and we’ll often hear her counting a string of numbers like “1, 2, 3, 4” or “9, 10, 11, 12” but this month is the first time I’ve heard her put them all together from 1-12.

She can also name a word for each letter of the alphabet! We often sing this phonics song from a video my friend Saz made for us (only I often forget the words and make up my own, so instead of singing, “C is for cat” and “S is for sun” I sing, “C is for caterpillar” and “S is for sassafras.” Hey, whatever works). Anyway, we sing this song so often—during diaper changes, on walks, etc.—that Kate can now name a word for every letter of the alphabet. I give her the letter and she responds with the word.

Me: A is for…

Kate: Apple.

Me: A-a-apple. That’s right!

Me: B is for…

Kate: Ball.

Me: B-b-ball. That’s right!

Me: C is for…

Kate: Caterpillar. (Which is my little victory, knowing she learns more from me than the video.)

We go through the entire alphabet…and then usually start all over again when Kate squeals, “Again! Again!” because she loves this little game so much.

On the talking front, Kate is putting simple sentences together, such as “Mom, sit please.” And “Hi Bunny, how are you?” One Saturday morning we were looking out the window at the rain and she said, “Rain, rain, go away, come again on Saturday.” This was something she heard Grandma Pam say on Tuesday (only Pam had said the actual saying which is, “Rain, rain, go away, come again another day.”). When Kate noticed—4 days later!—that it was raining again, she remembered the saying and tried repeating it. I cannot get over that memory of hers!

We introduced play dough this month (what took me so long?!) and she loves it! Another current favorite is plastic bottles with their caps. I have discovered that an empty water bottle and its cap will keep Kate entertained through an entire morning of running errands. She loves holding the bottle, crinkling it, pretending she’s drinking from it, and trying to put the cap on and take it back off. I love that she can find enjoyment in such simple things.

Remember when Kate realized I answer to the name “Dusty” in addition to “Mama”? Well she finally realized that “Daddy” also answers to “Greg” and boy is she putting it to use! Please excuse the horrible quality of this video (totally out of focus, grr!) but I just had to share it. This is Kate calling for “Greg” and I find it absolutely hysterical!

Something else I find hilarious, is that Kate loves to run around and announce that she's a "naked baby!" after her bath. I finally caught her saying it (with a little prompting--she's camera shy!) on video before we put her pajamas on one night.

Another super fun month!

Kate's Room Revisited

2011-10-19T06:00:00.032-05:00

It's been a while since I first posted pictures of Kate's bedroom (Kate's Nursery: Part 1 and Kate's Nursery: Part 2), so I thought it was time to share some updates! One of the biggest additions to the room has been incorporating some of my favorite decorations from Kate's first birthday party. We had so much fun celebrating her turning one and now we get to enjoy a little part of her party every day!

My friend Allison made this "Kate is One!" banner that I just loved, and the good news is Kate is one all year long, so it works for longer than just one day! I couldn't bear to pack it away once the party ended, so on her bedroom wall it went! I also couldn't bear to take apart the dozens of mini tissue poms I spent several hours (and several glasses of wine) putting together. They now hang from her bedroom ceiling for even more fun pops of color!

The bookshelf at the end of Kate's crib is another new addition that came about simply because I needed a good spot to put her video monitor. Luckily having extra storage in a room as tiny as hers is never a bad idea, so the bookshelf is loaded with books, her piggy bank, a picture of the two of us before we left the hospital, her glow star animal thing, and canvas bins that are currently empty and waiting for us to grow into.

The changing table area has proven to be incredibly functional. You can read more about it here and here, and after nearly two years of use I don't think I'd change a thing.

The hanging organizers (made by my friend Steph) have been great. They hold all sorts of things that are nice to have close by such as Kate's overnight diapers (kept separate from her basket of regular diapers below), diaper cream, lotion, barrettes, ointments, temporal thermometer, comb, etc.

The baskets above hold blankets, crib sheets, changing pad covers, towels, etc. I originally labeled one basket for "swaddlers" which proved to be rather short-sighted since Kate was only swaddled for the first few months of her life. That basket now holds linens for the Pack N Play instead.

We always have a collection of random toys and items nearby to keep Kate busy and distracted during diaper changes.

Another thing that helps distract her during diaper changes are these pictures of baby faces (and Elmo, of course) that I taped to the bottom of the shelf above her changing pad a few months ago. This is now her view when she lays down:

Kate's big teddy bear and my childhood high chair got relocated to the left side of Kate's room. They're pretty much the only things that take up space without serving any function in her tiny room, but I couldn't bear (pardon the pun, haha) to part with them!

Bedtime books close at hand:

The "K" I decoupaged for Kate's birthday party found a new home, too:

Where the sleep happens!

A typical view of the inside of Kate's crib. Her giraffe pillow, her beloved Bunny, Teddy Bear, Baby Bear, and on the other side of the pillow: Puppy, and Kangaroo (we get crazy creative with the stuffed animal names up in our house). She also likes to take a board book to bed with her so she can read Bunny and Teddy Bear a story.

Kate's view from her crib:

Kate's room has proven to be incredibly functional, and the bright fun colors always make me smile. The best part about it? Kate loves it, too!

Kate: 21 Months

LoveStoned

2011-10-17T06:00:00.002-05:00

You can blame my love of Justin Timberlake songs for this post's title, and my hairdresser Jaclyn for its inspiration. Over the past year and a half I've enjoyed reliving my wedding planning days through Jaclyn as she planned her wedding to her fiance Larry. I'd spend my time in the hair chair excitedly asking her about her dress, flowers, invitations, bridesmaids, wedding music--everything!

Well...almost everything.

It wasn't until just before her wedding that I realized I'd yet to ask what her new married last name would be!

"Stone," she replied.

I'd been trying to think of a little something I could give her for a wedding gift, and with that reply I knew exactly what my gift would be. I went home, found the perfect little stone in our landscape bed and used rub-on transfer letters to add a "J" and an "L" with a little heart in between.

A love stone for the new Mr. and Mrs. Stone: