faves

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I love generic brands. Seriously. If you look in our pantry, you will see loads of Great Value and Aldi brands. I am all about substituting for the name brands... let's be honest- do you really know that you're having Philadelphia cream cheese or Domino sugar?!

That being said, there are certain things that the generics cannot touch. Let me introduce you:


1.  Jif Peanut Butter
I am that choosy mom. It just can't be beat. I did recently start buying Jif Natural because it seems a little more, well, natural... no hydrogenated oils. I don't exactly know what that means, but I know they aren't good. :) Taste wise, I would still go with the original any day.



2.  Honey Bunches of Oats
I have tried the generics and they just don't hold a candle. It's the best cereal ever. Enough said.


3.  Oreos
They just never get old. I'm pretty sure I could eat them every day of my life. Deliciousness in my mouth.


Those are my Top 3 for which there can be no substitute. What are yours?
(C'mon people... I know you're out there. Comments are our friends!)
 

bonus baby pic

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Just because.

transformations: attic

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Just a quick update on the attic. After two HOT days in the attic (they could only work from 6:30am to noon because of the extreme heat up there), our framer and his guys had accomplished a lot:

They removed one window, which will allow a pass-through for trash and all the materials that they will need (no mess going in and out of the downstairs... yay!).


They removed the plywood floors to expose the beams. It makes the whole space feel bigger somehow. 


Next, they took out and bagged all of the loose insulation that had been in the floors. It looked like miserable and  disgusting work. I felt guilty about making them do it... until I realized how much we are paying them. :)


Because our electrician, who was supposed to come in this weekend, had a death in the family, the next task fell to Curtis. See that wire and blue box? There were LOTS of them, nailed into the beams, and the ALL had to be removed so that the framers could continue. So, Curtis just did it.  Like Nike.


I don't know everything that he did, but here's what I know: he's spent a lot of hours up there, it's always really loud, and there are now these cute little bundles of wire along the edge. My husband's a rockstar. Albeit, a sweaty rockstar.

Who plans an attic renovation in the middle of the summer?!

Stay tuned. The framers come back tomorrow to start beefing up the floor beams! We are moving right  along... slowly but surely.

blueprints

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Tomorrow is a big day. Well, tomorrow is the precursor to a big day.

 Tomorrow, this truck will show up at our house.... (via)


...and leave a "roll off container", aka dumpster, in our driveway. (via)
 Won't the neighbors love us then?! It's all for the greater good, though. It is mere prep work for what is to come. Thursday, the attic renovation will actually BEGIN!
Want to see what the "renovation" is going to be?
We got real, live architectural plans drawn for us! Aren't they beautiful?! It really helps to be able to visualize what is about to happen, and obviously is also quite valuable in directing the subcontractors.

Let's take a tour!

When you reach the top of the stairs, you will be in the bonus room. You could also call it a living room, playroom, den, and main room. We do.


To the left of the staircase, as you begin down the hallway, you would see the "nook". We are super excited about this space. It will only be about 5 feet at it's peak (sloped ceiling), so it will be the perfect cozy space for kids. Can't you just picture a train table in there?! Or lots of pillows and bean bags and books?
 At the end of that hallway, there will be a bedroom. A closet on either side of the window, and a door into the bathroom...


Check it out! We'll have a full bath upstairs, complete with a tub/shower (among other bathroom staples), a linen closet, and doors to both the bedroom and the bonus room. I'm so excited!


Now, back to the big picture. Can you visualize it now?!


 This is the downstairs hallway. The stairwell will be redone (too steep as it is) and opened up at the bottom to have more of a normal staircase feel. The current door will be removed.

Now, let's look at where we are today...

This is the downstairs hallway, and the current door (open on the right) that opens to the attic stairs.  (looking from top of blueprint picture to the bottom)


Looking up the stairs.


Looking back down the stairs. 


The big picture... pre-renovation. 


Oh, and just for fun: the nook, as it looks today. Can you believe the transformation that is about to take place?! 

I feel so blessed to be able to just sit back and watch it all unfold. The only attic work I plan on doing is documenting it and sharing it with y'all!
Get ready!!

faceplant

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A month or two ago, Curtis and I were watching Cooper run around like a maniac and making bets on how long it would be before we were taking him to the emergency room. My guess was "in the next few months".
I was right.

Fast forward to two weeks ago. First thing in the morning, Curtis went down into our basement to grab something.
 
Unbeknownst to his daddy, Cooper decided to follow and check out what was going on. 


The next thing Curtis knew, he heard a noise and turned around to see Cooper somersault down a few steps and fall- headfirst- off of the side of the staircase onto the concrete basement floor. Thankfully, I suppose, he actually fell face-first and may have caught a little of his weight with his hands.

Regardless, it was awful. Blood flowing from nose and mouth and a huge blue knot forming on his forehead. For the next 30 minutes we did everything we could to soothe our little boy... hold him, kiss him, try to distract him, talk to him, walk him around, take him outside (what were the neighbors thinking?!), offer him treats. Nothing we did could make him stop screaming and crying. Not only that, but he was doing strange things like holding the sides of his head and shaking it from side to side. We were especially freaked out when he kept trying to crawl out of our arms onto beds/sofas and yelling "lay down, wanna lay down!". When we let him lay down, his eyes would start to close as if he was going to sleep. It was 7:30 in the morning! Does this mean he has a concussion?!

At that point, we decided that we definitely needed to call the doctor. After at least 5 minutes (which seemed like an eternity) of listening to recorded messages, pushing the right numbers, and waiting for the on-call nurse to pick up, I finally spoke with someone. She asked way too many questions, clearly going down her checklist, while I strained to hear her and answer through the screaming. Finally, she nonchalantly said, "Yeah, I think you should take him to the E.R."

By then, that was all the motivation I needed, let me just tell you.

I'll spare you all the details, but suffice it to say that it was a pretty pointless $125-copay trip to the hospital. Cooper finally stopped crying over an hour post-fall... coincidentally right before the doctor came in. Isn't that always the way?? The doctor asked basically the same questions that the nurse had asked on the phone, checked his vitals, and said he was fine. Sure, he might lose a tooth or two- they are a little loose- but no other major damage done.

Lovely. But, I ask you this.... does he look fine to you??

I think not.


His poor little lips were so swollen that he couldn't drink out of sippy cup. 
The bridge of his nose seemed about twice as big as normal. And crooked.
The blood I tried to wipe away on his face ended up being burns/scratches from the concrete.


The bruise on his head was ugly and dotted with bright red speckles. 
This picture doesn't do it justice.

You know what's amazing, though?

As soon as we got home, he was ready to play. He couldn't really eat anything or speak easily, but he picked up that basketball like it was any other day, albeit a little more slowly. 

Who is this kid?! Don't you know that I would be milking that injury for all it was worth?!


He did so well the rest of the morning that I decided to take him by his cousin's birthday pool party that afternoon. He was quite the attraction.


At least the kids just came up and stared.
You know those parents were wondering to each other what I had done to the poor kid.


The next day, if it hadn't been for the colorful face and oddly-shaped nose,  you wouldn't have know that anything had happened.


We tried to do our best sad faces for the camera...


(mine was a lot better than his)


...but really, he was "just fine".

P.S.  I realize now that we may have been those over-reactive parents, but hey- we hadn't been through this before! Let's just say that, next time, I will exercise a few more options before declaring it an E.R.-worthy event, despite what the doctor's office says. "Shake it off", right Dad?

have your cake

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A few weeks ago, I was working hard in the kitchen and trying to take advantage of my precious few minutes of dual-naptime. When Cooper woke up, my thoughts immediately went to how I could distract him long enough for me to finish the birthday cake I was working on. Then, I remembered something that my friend, Melissa, had said on her blog not too long ago. Her kids asked her, out of the blue, if they could make cookies... and she just said "yes"! The sentiment that stuck with me was this: "I love being their hero every once in a while."

I so often say "no". Sadly, sometimes even when I don't need to. Wouldn't you want a mom who would do the unexpected? the gracious? the just-for-fun?

Humming "Wind Beneath My Wings" to myself, I scooped Cooper out of bed and asked him if he wanted to help mommy bake a cake. He dumped in a few ingredients, watched with fascination as I cracked the eggs, and then (the part I had been waiting for)... I gave him the batter-covered beaters.

My ever-cautious firstborn.  
Is this a trick?


Whoa! Not a trick.


Hmmm. This would make a pretty awesome paintbrush.


Nah. Tastes too good for that.


Must. get. more. in. mouth.


Can we do this every day?!


Happy mommy + happy Cooper = Dino-Cake!

beachin it

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Playing catch-up... of course. Last month, the kids and I spent a week at the beach with some of my family. Curtis joined us for a long weekend. Here are some fun shots from the week:

Aunt Whit is so fun.




So is Grandpa.


And maybe even Annabelle... he's still figuring that one out.





Mammy's fun too. Just ask Annabelle.
She couldn't have been happier... diaper-less on the beach.


(wearing Cooper's sunglasses... their heads are almost the same size! Ha!)


Cooper couldn't have been happier... he gave "wet and wild" a whole new meaning. :)




Sitting around with the ladies of the family (plus baby Myer)


Uncle Matt playing with the kiddos


This one stayed under the tent mostly- Cousin Myer (2 months old at the time)


So did this one. Isn't she chuuuuuuuby?!


Sometimes you need to get out and cruise though. And cuddle.


Cousin Rosey, all smiles.


Cousin Bess, gorgeous as ever.


And now, for your viewing pleasure:  

Cooper Meets Barbie

Huh... what's this? what do you do with a toy like this?


Oh, I know...


You throw it just like you do every other toy.


Obviously.


Sorry, Barbie. He means well.


There you have it! A glimpse into our week at the beach. Don't be confused by the lack of pictures of us, Curtis and I were indeed there.

Hoping for another post or two tomorrow night to bring us up to date. If you are squeamish at all, you might want to skip out on the next one!

"Good times. Noodle Salad."

(Name that movie in the comments- without looking it up- and I'll send you a prize.)