Amber Waves of Grain

I received some money for Christmas (Thanks, Mom, Dad, & Grandma!) .   The way I spent it was so grown up. First, a photography book specific to my camera.   Next, something fun.  A necklace from Etsy which I'm very excited about receiving.  I picked the colors and they are custom embroidering it with my initial. This particular one is from merriweathercouncil ( LINK ).     And, last.... a nice, new blender ( *very grown up moment here*) .     Merry Christmas to me.  Thanks, Mom, Dad, and Grandma!!!

Keegan had his 7 year check up last week. For those of you new to reading my blog, Keegan is unofficially diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD).   SPD has to do with the way your nervous system receives messages about your senses and then processes them.  For Keegan, his messages aren't being processed correctly when he eats.  It's sensory overload for him.  ( LINK to more info on SPD) Honestly, the check up was disheartening for me.   We worked so hard over the past year to get Keegan to eat more and we've seen results.  We've definitely added new foods to his repertoire (I tried at least 7 times to spell this word before looking it up, btw) .  We've worked hard. At his check up, he weighed in at 36 pounds.. .... completely dressed in heavy winter clothes .  The average weight for a 7 year old boy is 50 pounds.   It's OK that he's small.  It's OK that he's below the charts when we look at his percentile....

Awhile back I blogged about my bedding ( LINK ).   I narrowed it down to this quilt from Pottery Barn.  Love it.   The only problem was that it was $240....plus shipping.  That's probably not a bad price for a quality quilt.  However, I knew that my cat would lay on it .  And, my kids would jump on it and spill chocolate milk.  Then Nathan would wake up with a bloody nose.  I might just cry.    I waited for a sale that did not come. Then, today at Marshalls, I saw a generic wannabe quilt .   It's not my dream quilt.    It was, however, my dream price.  For $49.99, it will do.  The colors were right. The pattern was right. Most importantly, the price was right. Some day I'll have a dream quilt.  But, for now I'll settle.  And, I won't cry when when it gets stained or ripped.  My kids and I will make memories watching movies or cuddling on this cheap, wannabe quilt.  F...

I really neglected my blog over Christmas break.   I'll at least share some photos! Here's Savannah in her adorable hand-me-down dress from Kennedy.  ( thrift store find, of course ).  I was a little sad that this is the last time anyone in our house can wear it. Keegan played a lot of chess over break.  It's his new favorite.  On Christmas Eve, we hosted my side of the family...  Here I am with my grandma & Savannah.  Christmas morning.   Notice the tree with no decorations on the bottom half.. ..   We simplified gifts this year.  Each kid received only ONE gift under the tree.   That's right, just one gift.  Well, two really... but one was just a rinky dink stocking stuffer that didn't fit in their stocking.    But, just one real gift.  No one complained.  They were all so happy about their gift.  Nathan got me a pretty outfit from Ann Taylor, an owl pitcher from Ant...

Things I want to do in 2013 .   Only half of these will really happen . 1.  Experience breakfast in bed 2.  Go to the Rhythm Discovery Center with the kids ( LINK ). 3.  Learn to spell the word rhythm without spellcheck 4.  Go to the Children's Museum LOTS ( thanks to Michele for our family membership! ) 5.  Have a tea party with the kids 6.  Blog more.  Or, blog less.  I haven't decided . 7.  Sew 2 buttons back on Nathan's shirts  ( please don't make me sew buttons ) 8.  Spend a night without kids . My husband is optional. 9.  Learn to make an omelette . (this is on my list every year) 10.  Eat less junk .  11.  Eat more fruits and veggies .   Carrot cake does not count. 12.  Teach the kids to ride bikes.    13.  Take a photography class . 14.  Clean my junk drawers. 15.  Get my shower tile white again . 16.  Finish watching all 135 episodes of Ta...