Going green. (A new reason to potty train.)

Everybody's doing it, right? A few months ago, we started seriously recycling. We switched waste companies and started getting curbside recycling. In Wichita, you can now get a huge container that you can throw ALL your recyclables into. EVERYTHING. Paper. All plastics. Aluminum. Cardboard. Chipboard. Glass, etc. No sorting. No hauling it to your nearest recycle bin. It feels great and is super-easy. It has really cut down on our amount of waste. If there were no diapers in it, we'd hardly have any trash each week. (But we're working very dilligently to reduce the amount diapers that go into it!!! See photo below!)

I also even started collecting plastic bags to recycle (Not throught the same service.) - Dillon's takes all kinds of plastic bags, plastic packing, etc. Not just your grocery bags (cause now everybody uses those canvas bags anyways, right?), but all plastic. I've been really amazed at how much this has added up in just the few weeks I've been collecting. Seems like everything comes in a plastic bag.

If you're interested, Waste Connnections is who offers the recycling service. As a bonus, you get rewards for how much you throw away - they weigh your bin each week and then you get "points" for how much you've collected overtime that can be redeemed online. (We have over 1600 points already! Pretty sure those are going to a target gift card soon...)

Anyways, the whole point of this post came from this letter I got in the mail today. It was one of those fabulous credit offers where they say you have some crazy amount of credit line available to you and they'll give it to you at some insane pseudo-low rate. I get a ton of these, don't you? What a waste of paper and postage and stuff! I was about to toss it into the recycling bin when I read this at the bottom of it:

You can choose to stop receiving "prescreened" offers of credit from this and other companies by calling toll-free 1.866.567.8688.

Sweet! Five minutes later, Brady and I were both opted-out for the next five years! Even better than recycling! Let's call it pre-cycling! (The process online was super-simple. It recongnized our home phone number and had all our info already. All I need was SS#'s.) Okay, no excuse, go do it now, if you haven't already!

Uneventful and lovely.

Just a few photos from a quiet weekend at home. I can't get over how much I love to just stay home! We spend last week on vacation with my family, so it was greatly appreciated to just hang out in our house and be anti-social.

Right after bath time, which is a favorite for him. And, if I'm being honest, doesn't happen as often as it should, unfortunately. (All you mom's out there with more than one kid understand, right?? RIGHT?)

That's my man. Suckin' his thumb. See, he gets rid of his own germs :)

This evening we took the kids and our nephew Jak to Buffalo Park, which has been recently updated. A great place for the kids to let out some energy.

Say cheese.

I am officially signed up for an online photography class today! And not just any photography class. One that I am super excited about. It's taught by my dear friend, Karen Russell. Okay, not my dear friend, but a blogger that I've actually never met before. But because I keep up with her day-to-day life on her blog, I feel like we are buds. 

Each 8-week class she teaches has 100 openings - and when she opened registration today at 11AM, it filled up in FOUR MINUTES! But thanks to my lightning-fast typing skills, I got enrolled during those minutes. Kinda dorky, but my heart was pounding so hard while I typed! I guess that's what it feels like to be competitive??? (I don't have a competitive bone in my entire body.)

The class doesn't start until January, unfortunately. But that's okay, cause I don't even own an appropriate camera right now. (But I'm working on it!) I'm really looking forward to learning how to take some better shots of the fam. 

Thought I'd share some of her photos. She has the cutest little girl that always reminds me of my daughter. (Wonder if there's a lesson in the class on how to get your toddler to look at the camera and smile?) I think one of the reasons I find her so intriguing is that she is a self-taught photographer. Before that she was a self-taught designer. And before that she was a dental hygenist for 10 years! And this chick isn't even that old. Pretty inspiring to come so far and find what it is that really makes you happy.

and one of my absolute favorites:

Sidenote: I've had many friends discuss with me which camera is the right camera for them. Well, I have no idea, but this blog post that Karen wrote is going to help me decide. Lots of money, so you better choose wisely! 

So, until January, I apologize for the lack of skill in my photos. Know that they will get better!!!

Happy birthday to me.

Tomorrow is my 27th birthday. I think the older you get, the faster time flies by. Especially when you start watching your own kids grow. 

Anyways, I always try to stay positive when my birthday comes around. I've got a lot to be thankful for, so why should another year make me sad? I decided to compile a list of 27 things that make me happy:

1. Catching a great smile from my kids on camera. Sadly, this doesn't happen often enough.

2. The song Sideways, by Dierks Bentley + the fact that Lilah calls it by name within the first few beats.

3. The BBQ grill. It can make anything taste good. And how fun is it to hang out on the deck while your man is cooking you dinner?

4. Diet coke.

5. My big, gigantic king-size bed. I love being a grown-up and having such a great place to rest.

6. The three days in July each year when I get to be three years younger than my husband.

7. Etsy.com

8. Jumping in my car and being just minutes away from the home I grew up in. Feels so right.

9. Lynchberg Lemonade. 

10. The notes my husband leaves me on the counter in the morning before I even wake up. Simple and sweet.

11. Lakes. Swimming, boating, skiing, floating, etc. Such a great way to spend some downtime. Water is so soothing.

12. The fact that my husband and I share a dream of living on a lake someday.

13. Stationary. Love the tradition of handwriting notes on beautiful paper. Makes me sad that it is a lost art.

14. Medium-sized styrofoam Sonic cups. Perfect for a wide range of drinks (see #4 and #9). They don't sweat all over the table + they keep my drink super cold.

15. Sunflower seeds - a lifelong weakness. When we were kids, my brother used to tell me that I'd never find a husband because of all the sunflower seed chewing/spitting I used to do. Good thing he was wrong! 

16. Dropping my kiddos off to daycare at their Aunt Jenny's. They love it and I know she loves them. What a blessing. (Hope she feels the same way!)

17. My Mac. When it's behaving.

18. A good sunburn. I know that one's kinda weird, but I just love the way you feel after a day in the sun. Isn't there a vitamin you get from the sun? Vitamin K or something? Maybe they named that after me :)

19. Fabric stores. I love all the colors and textures in rows and piles. I could shop all day. Usually buy some just for the hell of it. Leaving me with stacks of fabric at home and no time to do anything with it.

20. The feeling after a good workout. Or even a not-so-good workout. When have you ever left the gym and thought "man, I wish I hadn't done that"?

21. The blue eyes that my husband has, and my children have inherited. (It's why I married him.)

22. The hot dog dance. If you know what this is, you would get along with my daughter. And when Lilah's happy, I'm happy.

23. A Lot Like Love. Or any good romantic film. But this one in particular always leaves me with a smile.

24. The way that Graham's smile gradually appears on his face. I love the transition. Seems so honest.

25. Bud Lime

26. Traditions. For instance, my family's annual trip to Beaver Lake. Bunco on the second Tuesday of every month. Grey's Anatomy every Thursday night with my friend, Linds. Burger Binge at work every Wednesday at lunch. There is something about that predictability and commitment that feels so reassuring. 

27. And of course, this blog! A great place for me to air my thoughts and feel like somebody's listening. Thanks!

Hope something on that list left you with a smile! 

Here's to 27 more years.

What has chocolate done for you today?

Every girl needs a little chocolate in their life. But I am not every girl. I need more than just a little chocolate in my life. Like, truckloads more. But since truckloads aren't feasible (where would I park a semi?), I'll have to deal with a couple of doses each day.

And when trying to lose weight, chocolate is (contrary to previous beliefs) NOT a girl's best friend. Darn it.

In my opinion, there are very few truly yummy, slightly lite chocolate foods. One of which is the Reduced Fat Oreo (thank you, Nabisco!) and the Skinny Cow (if you haven't tried these, now is the time). And yesterday, I added one more to my chocolate-you-can-have-while-losing-weight list.

I was doing some weekly grocery shopping at Aldi, my cheap-store-of-choice, when I happened upon these little gems:

Pretty freakin fabulous. Three dollars worth of pure, chocolaty, creamy heaven. I've had these before by other brands, but had forgotten them (probably because they were overpriced?) In the dorms at K-State, they used to serve these and would would hoard them in our mini-fridge.

My advice? Fill your freezers now, gals. These things won't last long with me in town!

Babies and paper.

Had some free time this weekend. Free time? What? What is that? I can't seem to remember. Anyways, I wanted to do something crafty and just for fun of it. But after the 10 or 15 minutes I spent trying to decide what to do, I decided I was wasting my precious "freetime" and had better just get to it. So, in an effort to be productive AND creative, I started working on some invitations for an upcoming baby shower I am helping host.

Turned out pretty fun, huh? Hard to tell from the photos, but these are stitched together on my sewing machine.

This is just the prototype. Now, the fun part is finding the right papers, etc and getting to work on production! I'll keep you updated on the finished product.

While I was brainstorming ideas for the invite, I started thinking of all the others I had made in the past. And all the other cute ones we had recieved over the years. (Yes, I do keep them. I'm somewhat of a pack-rat when it comes to unique paper things.) Went digging and decided to share some of them with ya. [P.S. Some of these are baby announcements]

Maybe someday I'll have some more free time and I can share the collection of wedding invitations I have stored away...

And a shot of Lilah and me, before we went on a hot and sweaty walk on Saturday morning.

Best part of the walk was about 10 feet away from the house when Lilah said "Mom, I love walks! Thanks, Mom!"

Man Life Vol 1

In order for all of the female readers out there to better understand the life from a man’s perspective I am going to be a guest writer on the blog. I have made a pact with Kylie that if I write once a week she will try to “learn” how to fish and give it a try. Feels like a win/win for both of us.

So out of this pact I have created Man Life. A look into my life as a man. The name came to me last week as a vision when I was mowing in glorious Kansas sun. The vision had corporate sponsors and a cult following and then eventually having Kylie become the guest writer. The vision may have been something like a mirage since I was dying for water or freshly squeezed lemonade that day (which Kylie never brings).

So this takes us to one of my last projects. Building my daughter, Lilah, a playground set for her birthday. Sounds pretty easy, right? I could have done the easy thing and purchased a kit and built it in a day, but in the theme of doing things the tough way, I decided to build one from scratch. I felt like I had looked at enough of them to know what to do.

Just deciding where to place the playground took me 3 hours and 4 beers. About 3 weeks later and lots more beer, the playground was finished for Lilah’s birthday party. It did require some finishing help from my bro-in-law, father-in-law and dad. The playground is equipped with 3 swings, double-swing, rocket-fast slide, and a military-style rock climbing wall. I almost forgot to include the lookout tower that sounded real easy in my head, but was a pain to build. It seemed like every time I went to work on the playground it started raining 10 minutes into getting all of my tools out. All and all it went pretty well. If I had to do it over again I might have just bought a kit, but what fun would that be.

The fruit of my labor:







Stay tuned next week to the Man Life view of “Gardening” or as I like to call it Landscaping.

-Brady