I'm gonna keep you on your toes here...
I have big, grand visions and lofty goals for this here blog....
But, I'm having commitment issues. And I am homesick for Broughton Bliss....
So... Join E n Me back over there for awhile... I'll let you know if/when we decide to conquer the world over here.
K, Thanks.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
our couch is accessorizing...
Stumbled upon the perfect pillows for our couch after being on the hunt for awhile. Loving the colors, loving the price... yippeeeeeee. Adam says they are very "dr seuss-ish." I'll take it!
Deliveries
Monday morning I received a phone call from Ellery's Grandma that there had been a tragedy. "Kitty" had been run over and was lying in their driveway. She informed me that Papa Bob was devastated to see "kitty" in that condition and had taken him in for emergency care. "Kitty" was resuscitated and is on the mend. He was returned to "e" on Thursday looking like this...
Friday I received a sweet package in the mail for e from a girl I used to work with at Huntington. She moved to her hometown in North Dakota a couple years ago and just had her second baby (a girl) yesterday! She saw that e had surgery and would need some cute hats! So thoughtful.
Lastly, I had been expecting a package of goodies for e that I ordered when I realized she had a great reason to wear frivolous cute headbands and hats! Just look at this cuteness....
boo. this picture doesn't show how blue her eyes are getting. I'll have to work on that. Goodness, she is a cutie.
Monday, January 31, 2011
He's kind of a big deal...
Ellery's VP shunt surgery was performed by Dr Gary Mathern at UCLA. It was a miracle that we were able to get in to see him and that the surgery was performed so quickly. This guy is a big deal. Like, really.
Today I saw him on The Today Show. He specializes in Hemispherectomys (taking out 1/2 of the brain!!) to treat severe seizures. Obviously, this frequently gets him some media attention. Knowing that, I placed my daughter in his hands with great confidence. Her procedure was "cake" to a guy that routinely takes out half of the entire brain... craziness. When we met with him in his office you just get the picture that you are talking to an insanely brilliant person. The brain is such a fascinating organ and it has to be amazing to be of an elite group of people who understand it to such depths.
Here is just ONE of the many interviews/stories done about a patient with a hemispherectomy.
In case you can't get enough...here is another story. This is the same family featured on the Today Show but it is a local story done around Christmas.
It's perfect. Because E is kind of a big deal too...
Sleeping Beauty
The "beauty" thing was with E ever since she was born. The "sleeping" thing (particularly, falling asleep IN her crib rather than being placed in her crib already asleep) has taken awhile.
After 2 weeks of poor sleeping after her surgery, she has officially made up for any sleepless nights. She now officially puts herself to sleep (with just a little soothing "pet" to her forehead). It's wonderful. It's cute. We are so proud.
Here she is today just seconds after putting herself to sleep. She is listening to a sophisticated soundtrack of James Taylor, Jesse Cook, smooth Jazz, baby/lullaby Bob Marley and other awesome tunes.
Jealous, much?
After 2 weeks of poor sleeping after her surgery, she has officially made up for any sleepless nights. She now officially puts herself to sleep (with just a little soothing "pet" to her forehead). It's wonderful. It's cute. We are so proud.
Here she is today just seconds after putting herself to sleep. She is listening to a sophisticated soundtrack of James Taylor, Jesse Cook, smooth Jazz, baby/lullaby Bob Marley and other awesome tunes.
Jealous, much?
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Wish you were here... I mean, Wish I was THERE!!
Surgery is never convenient...but it HAS to happen. Ellery's also had to happen ASAP... so basically we had no choice, and we were thankful that everything was miraculously worked out so that she could have her surgery within a week of her diagnosis.
The only problem with that is that WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GO ON VACATION! I had been looking forward to taking Ellery to Park City, Utah ever since I found out we were pregnant. I had visions of cuddling my sweet E by the fire, enjoying a relaxing time in the warm living area overlooking snow falling down on the mountain. She even got a cute pink snow outfit for Christmas.
In case you are saying "oh just take her to Mammoth or Big Bear"... well, we can (and probably will) but it is just not the same. Park City as a resort town is amazing...so beautiful, so NOT California, and having gone every year since I was born, it's super sentimental. It just doesn't feel like winter unless I go.... I look forward to my "real winter" experience every year. Anyhow, the fam is there now. They come back tomorrow. At least it's an annual trip so its not like a once in a lifetime experience... but nevermind, I was really looking forward to it.
And as a nice slap in the face... its been sunny and between 70-80 degrees all week.
Enjoy some photos from last year...
part of the main street (used to be an old old mining town)
Oh will I ever get my figure back? (Maybe it's a good thing we missed.... I'm not sure I'd fit in those pants yet). GRR
It was Sundance Film Festival so the stars flocked to the town... here is the only one I saw...
Oh and one of my favorite parts.... we saw the US snowboard team compete.... Mr. White himself up close and personal- and saw him debut a new trick he would later use in the Olympics, and Ellery Hollingsworth whose name we stole because we loved it when we heard it announced :-)
and finally... these are arguably the best hot tub experiences you will ever have. Imagine yourself: exhausted, sore, and cold after a long day on the slopes. You grab a diet pepsi (with lime) on ice, bundle up in a towel and uggs, and you scurry on down to the collection of hot tubs (6 of them) all nestled in the rocks, underneath snow flurries, with a huge open view of the lifts and slopes. It's pretty much amazing.
**hard to get my own pics, so thought I'd ad some other cheesy ones for your pleasure :-)
and this is us....you can imagine the freezing cold snow on an almost naked body scurry....
Dearest Utah,
I miss you. Ellery wants to meet you. We will be back next year. It's not you, its me.
xoxo
Amy
The only problem with that is that WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GO ON VACATION! I had been looking forward to taking Ellery to Park City, Utah ever since I found out we were pregnant. I had visions of cuddling my sweet E by the fire, enjoying a relaxing time in the warm living area overlooking snow falling down on the mountain. She even got a cute pink snow outfit for Christmas.
In case you are saying "oh just take her to Mammoth or Big Bear"... well, we can (and probably will) but it is just not the same. Park City as a resort town is amazing...so beautiful, so NOT California, and having gone every year since I was born, it's super sentimental. It just doesn't feel like winter unless I go.... I look forward to my "real winter" experience every year. Anyhow, the fam is there now. They come back tomorrow. At least it's an annual trip so its not like a once in a lifetime experience... but nevermind, I was really looking forward to it.
And as a nice slap in the face... its been sunny and between 70-80 degrees all week.
Enjoy some photos from last year...
part of the main street (used to be an old old mining town)
Oh will I ever get my figure back? (Maybe it's a good thing we missed.... I'm not sure I'd fit in those pants yet). GRR
Oh and one of my favorite parts.... we saw the US snowboard team compete.... Mr. White himself up close and personal- and saw him debut a new trick he would later use in the Olympics, and Ellery Hollingsworth whose name we stole because we loved it when we heard it announced :-)
and finally... these are arguably the best hot tub experiences you will ever have. Imagine yourself: exhausted, sore, and cold after a long day on the slopes. You grab a diet pepsi (with lime) on ice, bundle up in a towel and uggs, and you scurry on down to the collection of hot tubs (6 of them) all nestled in the rocks, underneath snow flurries, with a huge open view of the lifts and slopes. It's pretty much amazing.
**hard to get my own pics, so thought I'd ad some other cheesy ones for your pleasure :-)
and this is us....you can imagine the freezing cold snow on an almost naked body scurry....
Dearest Utah,
I miss you. Ellery wants to meet you. We will be back next year. It's not you, its me.
xoxo
Amy
Bathroom Re-Organization
I started the process of re-organizing the house this week. As I stated in a previous post, I actually DO have some good systems in place, they just need some sprucing up (putting things BACK where they belong ;-0) and some improvements. Each home we move to requires different systems.
I started on Tuesday with the MASTER BATHROOM.
Here are some "before" pictures. Disclaimer: I took these pictures BEFORE tidying up after the whole "get ready" process in the morning. SO it looks worse than it actually was because things weren't put back in their spot. BUT, that only makes for better "After" pictures, right??
Here we go:
top counter
a small drawer- I used for all my hair supplies. It was "messy" but actually a great and easy way to just throw all my stuff in there.
left cupboard is mine. It actually does have some sort of system but it got messy and messed up. It looks worse than it was but it's even better now.
right cupboard is his. The green/white basket held "extra supplies" but there were too many and we ended up forgetting about what was in there. The clear plastic container holds all of his daily used products. It is one of the BEST systems I've ever created. He uses it and it contains his stuff but doesn't require being ultra organized...because we all know that wouldn't last too long. He can just throw his stuff back in after using it in the morning. Every so often I go in and clean/scrub it out.
AFTER
I went to Big Lots (hate stores like that, they scare me and I feel majorly germ-y after leaving... but the fact is, they do REALLY have some cheap stuff). When I move into a more "permanent" home I will probably invest in some more expensive (read: Target haha) items.
Kept Adam's supply bin... it was from Container Store ($$) and it works great.
On the left I added a stacking shelf that wasn't being used in our current kitchen. On the top I placed a container for extra supplies like toothpaste, contact solution, toothbrushes etc. (I separated out all the hotel/travel sized items and placed those in their own bin on my side). On the bottom of the shelf I put a small container with sunscreens. Occasionally Adam uses those for golf and so I kept them on his size, very accessible. To the left of Adam's container is a small container that holds JUST the facewash stuff- he uses those at night so I thought they didn't need to come out of the whole bin.
On my side, I added a variety of similar green bins.
In the back, is a container FULL of hotel and travel sized shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap... ahh, I think I have a problem. I just LOVE to take home those items with me. Confession: I will usually remove them all from the counter each day so that the maid will give more each time. :-)
In the front basket, I placed some of my daily (or frequently) used bottles such as facewash, deodorant, face lotion, spritzers, and some different varieties of body lotion.
to the right I placed all of my hair things in this new container. Top level are hairties (attached to a ring to keep them organized), middle level has bobby pins and clips, and bottom level has hairties! To the right of this container, I took a little "pen cup" from our desk that wasn't being used and placed my combs and hairbrush. Behind this section is another bin with a collection of feminine products.
I reorganized the middle drawers a bit...
(this is actually the same, and it's one of the best systems we've ever had).
The middle drawer now holds my makeup and nail polish. I had this makeup container and its awesome. I bought it at container store awhile back... (have I mentioned I used to live a few blocks away from one?)
bottom drawer: used to hold the cleaning products I used for this bathroom so I could use on a daily basis. Now it holds my blow dryer, straightener, and curling irons! Their pink travel case went in our closet until it's needed on a trip.
I put our cleaning products in the corner by the toilet in this little container. Easy access= frequent usage!!
and lastly, our perfumes & cologne are on the top counter, alongside a small glass jar of cotton swabs. This is pretty much the same... see? It wasn't TOOO bad, just needed some sprucing up :-)
AND... there you have it, folks! My low budget, use what you have and add just a few things... BATHROOM RE-O :-)
I started on Tuesday with the MASTER BATHROOM.
Here are some "before" pictures. Disclaimer: I took these pictures BEFORE tidying up after the whole "get ready" process in the morning. SO it looks worse than it actually was because things weren't put back in their spot. BUT, that only makes for better "After" pictures, right??
Here we go:
top counter
right cupboard is his. The green/white basket held "extra supplies" but there were too many and we ended up forgetting about what was in there. The clear plastic container holds all of his daily used products. It is one of the BEST systems I've ever created. He uses it and it contains his stuff but doesn't require being ultra organized...because we all know that wouldn't last too long. He can just throw his stuff back in after using it in the morning. Every so often I go in and clean/scrub it out.
I went to Big Lots (hate stores like that, they scare me and I feel majorly germ-y after leaving... but the fact is, they do REALLY have some cheap stuff). When I move into a more "permanent" home I will probably invest in some more expensive (read: Target haha) items.
Kept Adam's supply bin... it was from Container Store ($$) and it works great.
On the left I added a stacking shelf that wasn't being used in our current kitchen. On the top I placed a container for extra supplies like toothpaste, contact solution, toothbrushes etc. (I separated out all the hotel/travel sized items and placed those in their own bin on my side). On the bottom of the shelf I put a small container with sunscreens. Occasionally Adam uses those for golf and so I kept them on his size, very accessible. To the left of Adam's container is a small container that holds JUST the facewash stuff- he uses those at night so I thought they didn't need to come out of the whole bin.
On my side, I added a variety of similar green bins.
In the back, is a container FULL of hotel and travel sized shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap... ahh, I think I have a problem. I just LOVE to take home those items with me. Confession: I will usually remove them all from the counter each day so that the maid will give more each time. :-)
In the front basket, I placed some of my daily (or frequently) used bottles such as facewash, deodorant, face lotion, spritzers, and some different varieties of body lotion.
(this is actually the same, and it's one of the best systems we've ever had).
The middle drawer now holds my makeup and nail polish. I had this makeup container and its awesome. I bought it at container store awhile back... (have I mentioned I used to live a few blocks away from one?)
bottom drawer: used to hold the cleaning products I used for this bathroom so I could use on a daily basis. Now it holds my blow dryer, straightener, and curling irons! Their pink travel case went in our closet until it's needed on a trip.
I put our cleaning products in the corner by the toilet in this little container. Easy access= frequent usage!!
and lastly, our perfumes & cologne are on the top counter, alongside a small glass jar of cotton swabs. This is pretty much the same... see? It wasn't TOOO bad, just needed some sprucing up :-)
AND... there you have it, folks! My low budget, use what you have and add just a few things... BATHROOM RE-O :-)
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