musings of the misfit

I have decided that once a week I am going to let the redheaded misfit take over my blog.  Ok, she really isn't capable of using the computer (or forming a complete sentence for that matter)  but she does say/do some of the funniest things.  For the first entry by my guest blogger I give you "butt-kiss peas".  What are butt-kiss peas you ask?  Misfits way of asking for "breakfast please"

gimme some suga'

The misfit has a pretty decent sugar tooth.  She loves fruit.  For awhile that was all she would eat.  Fruit and yogurt.  I was really struggling with this.  Even though she was having what most people would consider "good" sugars I did not want this to be the mainstay of her diet.  So I have been trying to get inventive.  If you haven't looked at the label of your yogurt (or anything processed you eat) you should.  Its amazing the stuff that's in there!  Anyway, the organic baby yogurt I was feeding Margaret had a lot of sugar.  Even the "good, healthy" stuff can pack in the sugar, sodium etc.  Organic does not equal healthy.  I have for the last year been attempting to greatly limit the amount of processed food we eat.  Baby steps here... I do take shortcuts more than I would probably like to admit-but hey I never said I was perfect!  This little shortcut has been a good one for my sugar, yogurt lovin' babe.  I take a high quality, organic plain Greek yogurt(I like Greek yogurt because it is double the amount of protein as regular).  I mash up a quarter of a banana and add strawberry or blueberry puree plus carrot puree(I make the purees ahead of time and keep it in my freezer).  Lastly I stir in some milled flax seed for Omega-3s.  Delicious!  Margaret gobbles it up.

from the big easy to the bay

 some very interesting street performers.  You can barely see the man in the purple unitard crawling on the street with a kazoo in his mouth.

 I had to text my friend who has fabulous fashion sense to make sure I looked not so stay-at-home-momish.  I wanted to add leggings and a sweater-she said no.

the gorgeous view from the point of The Grand Hotel

The beautiful sunset

Our trip to the Big Easy was a great one full of spontaneity, amazing food and a little retail therapy.  I have not been to New Orleans post Katrina so this visit was way over due.  This city is the picture of resilience-there were few signs of the catastrophic events of the storm.  NOLA was its usual mix of beauty with a good dose of quirkiness.  We spent more time on Magazine Street than we did on Bourbon.  I fell in love with this quaint little street with trendy boutiques and bed and breakfasts tucked behind the camellia bushes.  We ate at one of the best restaurants I have ever been to called Lilette's.  From the blood orange margarita to the poached pear with goat cheese creme freche- I kid you not this place alone is worth the trip.  Saturday morning as we were crossing over the bridge leaving New Orleans we decided that we just were not ready to go home.  So we decided an evening at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear, AL was in order.  We got there just in time to watch the sunset over the water with a cocktail in hand-and shared maybe a kiss or two.  It was a great trip and a wonderful chance for Jackson and I to reconnect.  On Sunday morning we were very ready to get back to our baby girl.  When we pulled in to Nana and Daddy Bill's house to pick Margaret up we both yelled "I get her first!" and leapt from the car.

jetsetting

Ok, we never do this.  never ever.  Jackson and I decided last night (Wednesday) that we are going to New Orleans this Friday.   Let me preface by saying that Jackson is going for work to check out a new restaurant concept that his company is bringing to Birmingham.  He and a co-worker are driving down and then the wives are flying in to meet them for the weekend.  Jackson called me from work Wednesday morning (as I was getting Margaret ready for school and myself ready for work-picture oatmeal, mascara and shoes everywhere)  to ask if I would want to fly to New Orleans for the weekend.  Wha?!?  you don't have to ask. book the flight.  Now I just need to figure out what to pack for the beautiful 70 degree weather.  Did I mention we are staying at the Ritz (this must be on the company's dime or we got one heck of deal-I didn't ask questions). One happy momma here.  I can smell the beignets...

ps don't worry about the misfit she will be with her nanna and daddy "boo".  I'm pretty sure she loves them a little more than us ;)

stylish co-sleeper

I just saw this co-sleeper on one of my favorite interior blogs.  Who would have thought that style and earthy-birthy parenting would collide in such a beautiful creation?

beautiful

My sweet friend Brooke took this picture of her son Luke and Margaret at the zoo yesterday.  Margaret loves her two boys "Uke" and "Coopa" ie Luke and Cooper.  Brooke is the best mom-she is so creative and is always doing such fun things to entertain her boys.  She is the reason Margaret and I have such a wonderful playgroup and she always invites us to her house to play and feeds us yummy snacks.  She is a beautiful friend inside and out!

p.s. I don't know how they look so calm in this picture.  literally 2 seconds prior to this they were both running in different directions screaming at the roosters.

L-O-V-E

Happy

Valentine's

Day!

ps this bow is yet another wonderful creation from giddyupandgrow.

signed. sealed. delivered.

I decided that for Valentines this year I would hand my 16 month old a few bottles of finger paint, a couple of crayons, some old cut up stationery and let her go hog-wild. Can you blame me with all of the snow, ice and downright chilly to the bone weather we have had here?!? After we had an insightful conversation(in which I asked Margaret "You know who makes the rules around here?" she didn't miss a beat in shaking her head up and down and saying "Dada". I kid you not this truly happened) on why eating paint and sticking paint brushes up our nostrils is not exactly the best thing to do-I think we got the hang of it. When the valentines were finished I realized that toddlers using red finger paint ends up looking a little more Valentine's Day Massacre than Valentine's Day cute craft. So I stepped in and added a little glitter and bows to the final product. They turned out pretty cute.

are you silently praying for my silk drapes? thank you-they survived.

Can you spot the streak of red paint near her mouth and her right nostril?

These precious kitty crayons are from etsy seller kittybabylove.

Margaret's adorable bow is from etsy seller giddyupandgrow. I am sad to say that it died a slow and painful death by the mouth of Butter. Anyone looking for a lab puppy?

finished result. not too shabby.

i'll have what she's having

Lately I have been feeling spiritually stagnant. For longer than I would like to admit. I have just felt unconnected to God. I've been going through the motions (although sometimes just barely). I can't get excited about anything related to my spiritual life at the moment. Let me preface this by saying I love God. I love Jesus. I have always considered myself a follower of Christ. But I have always had a difficult time calling myself a "Christian". I just feel that there is so much that we do within the church (and most of the time I believe that we have good intentions) that turns so many people off. I have been one of these turned off people. I personally want to walk the walk. I never want anyone to look at me and say she is faking it. I pray (literally) to live my life here on earth in such a way that people will look at me and say "I'll have what she's having"-I want what she's got. Not so people glorify me or what it is I am doing but that people will glorify Christ. I want people to say look at the joy and love that radiates from her entire being. I want it too! I'm not there. Not even close. And lately it is feeling like an unattainable thing while here on Earth.

crafty things

I have to share a few crafty things with you all. For the Holidays Margaret and I made gifts for her Grandparents. We got the idea for this little Angel from the class above her at Sonshine Valley. I think they turned out really cute and the grandparents loved them. Try one with your little ones on a rainy afternoon. They could possibly be done in Valentine's day colors and used with a verse on Love.

Also, this Christmas we did not have a tree. Have you collected yourself off the floor yet? We were in Atlanta for Christmas and it just seemed too much of a hassle. So, instead I decorated with different non-perishable items. Like this burlap banner from Etsy seller funkyshique. Check out her shop for adorable stuff for Valentine's Day too.

okay-2 posts in one day. Have I redeemed myself yet?

clean slate

Can i have a do-over? I haven't been great about blogging lately. hmmm, this sounds familiar. I think I have said this before. But I am coming here with a renewed sense of discipline. Kind of...I have a lot of new "things" up my sleeve for 2011. I am hoping I can bring these ideas I have to fruition. More to come on that though. For now I will say this-I have missed putting my thoughts down here. I'm pretty sure only a few people read them but thats ok. Its just the getting them out of my head part that matters. Also, I know that the majority of readers are family and you really just want to see pictures of the little redheaded misfit and her cohort. Ok, here ya go...

yeah, these are from Christmas and it's February. get over it!