Time to baby proof?

Not just yet... but we're getting there!

Here's where Max was on Monday with "crawling"

And here is yesterday... Thursday. Just 3 mere days later:

I'm thinking we don't have too much longer before we'll have to bust out the outlet plugs, baby gates, and cupboard locking mechanisms... *sigh*

(But obviously we're excited about this milestone or we wouldn't be encouraging it - so YAY!)

Chocolate Chip Cookies!!

I'm not putting this on my culinary blog that I can't figure out how to delete (I mean, seriously, what was I thinking?) BUT I want to give everyone this chocolate chip cookie recipe because it is seriously delicious. Seriously. Like, we make them twice a week sometimes. So, if you're up for gaining 5 pounds instantly then you'll enjoy these immensely!

1 cup + 2 Tbl all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt (yes, it has to be kosher - it makes a difference)

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temp

1/2 cup light brown sugar (yes, it has to be light - don't mess with the ingredients, folks)

1/2 cup white sugar

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I usually put 1 1/4 cup because who doesn't like more chocolate??)

3/4 cup walnuts chopped (optional)*

1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut (optional)*

* tonight was the first night I've ever put in the optional ingredients and it was seriously worth it!! (Kim - I know you hate coconut, so you have permission to leave that ingredient out :)

1. stir together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Stir together the egg and vanilla in small bowl and set aside.
3. in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar on med. speed until just mixed. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. (you can also use a hand mixer)
4. And the egg mixture to the butter mixture and beat well.
5. Put mixer on low and add the flour mixture to the egg and butter mixture.
6. Stir in chips, walnuts, and coconut.
7. Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees.
8. Drop rounded spoonfuls (I usually roll into 1- 1 1/2 inch balls) and place onto cookie sheets sprayed with Pam.
9. Bake 10-12 min. Mine take exactly 11 minutes. You want them to be slightly underdone so they are gooey and soft, with brown, buttery edges.
10. Let them cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes (very important) and then transfer to a wire cooling rack (also very important) to let them cool completely.
11. Use will power not to eat them all in one sitting like someone I know.

YUMMMMM.... I know it's hot, but wait for evening (I started mine tonight at 9 o'clock) and bake away. You won't regret it!

Just Cause I Was Called A Tease...

..and because this project is shaping up to take longer than I thought it would so I'd like to document the process a bit.

So if you look at my previous post you'll notice where the furniture is arranged, etc... We kept the paint colors the same (the room is massive and difficult to paint. Plus, we like the colors!) but rearranged the furniture so that it now looks like this:

We mounted the TV and put the canvas over the dresser. The dresser needs more dressing up and that whole wall in general needs more color to it. I do like the beige, but I've always searched for a way to add some color to it. So that's part of the redo plan is to spruce up that area some.

The bed is now in-between the sliding door and the window. We'll keep the same bedding but we are in need of some throw pillows.

Ugh. The purple lamp shades. I got those lamps at a garage sale for $10 for the pair and we've had them (purple shades and all) for 7 years. The shades are either going or getting a facelift somehow. Also, we have some decor for the nightstands that need to be brought up fro the garage since the room was cleared out for carpet installation.

Okay now come to the part of the room that REALLY needs some attention. Again, most of the decor is actually in the garage, but I wanted to give you the bare bones view of the room and show off the new carpet and baseboard! Ooohh!! Ahhhh!! Okay, so here we have a bookshelf. We have some baskets and books and such but the top has nothing. I have some ideas for bringing in some of the bed colors over there. Above the bookshelf is where the project involving some actual artwork that is NOT photos of us (gasp!) is going to go. Ritchie broke me down, but I do LOVE what's going there and I'm hoping the mounting technique will work and look the way I've been picturing. There's also a project for above the desk that I'm wanting to do, but I need to do some garage sale-ing to try and find the materials for it. That one may take awhile. Ignore the toys on the floor. Little man plays there and we usually pick the toys up and put them in baskets on the bookshelf. I love that area for him to play while I clean (or lounge on my bed - let's be real). Also, this picture gives you a great view of the carpet and baseboard! The carpet photographs a bit darker than it actually is. It's a nice shade of gray. and goes with everything! We are loving it!

There's the enormous sliding glass door that we've never quite known what to do with. Right now it has some bamboo shades, but if you notice they are not wide enough to cover the window. Special, right? haha! They actually go too high up to put our old curtains up on the outside of the bamboo so I have another project in mind to make them work. All of these projects!! See why I was saying it's going to be awhile?? I'll show you each as they progress.

So that's it! Stay tuned as we bring in the decor, complete the (what? 4?) projects and make it the cozy space that I'm hoping it can be!

Master Bedroom Project

We've done and redone the master bedroom already. We started out doing a light, limey green all over and had zero artwork or character. It was blah with a capital B.

Then we repainted using two shades, a dreamy blue and a warm taupe. We got a canvas from our wedding from my mom for Christmas. We also hung red curtains and brought up a chair. It was an improvement for sure, but still not quite where we wanted it.

We've rearranged the furniture already and have a large art project in mind. We have new bamboo shades for the big window and different shades for the smaller one (I know, I know. I hate the shades being different, but it will have to remain that way because of finances). We also got rid of the chair and brought up a bookshelf. Perhaps the biggest recent change was putting in new carpet and baseboard. It makes the room look 100% better. We just need to do this art project, hang curtains, and add some finishing touches. I want the final look to feel cozy and romantic. A retreat where we can unwind from the daily chaos that we've welcomed into our lives. I'll show you more when I accomplish my goals. HOPEFULLY this will be very, very soon.

Hallway of Heaven

For two long years we've been living in this house with an unfinished hallway!! Oh, the horror of it. Okay, I know that's a tad dramatic but it has been driving me batty having the hallway unfinished. Here is a peek at the horrific scene prior to the redoing:

Please pay extra close attention to the disgusting carpet, baseboard, and casing.

Trying to decide on a color. In the end we went with none of those :)

I had always envisioned frames of pictures. If you know me, you know I just don't appreciate art (although Ritchie broke me down and you will be seeing some art in the bedroom soon). Photography is art to me and especially photography of the people you love. So I wanted the hallway covered with pictures of our family. At first I struggled with having tons of pictures of just us there, but in the end I decided that I wanted it family centered and right now our family consists of us three and therefore that's who the photos will be of! Now, the best part of this project was how CHEAP it was! We already had some frames that just didn't work with our decor anymore and the rest I bought from Goodwill for $40. There are tons of them so that it a steal! This is just some of the loot:

Then we bought 4 cans of black spray paint at $4 each - so $16 more spent there.
I decided to spray the glass of these two lovelies with chalkboard paint to create chalkboards for family quotes in the hallway. I've been seeing this done all over the place and I just LOVED the idea! What I don't understand is who would GIVE these beauties to Goodwill. I mean, come on!
After much spraying and respraying we chose photos and determined the orientation and designs for the spaces. For the matting we purchased textured wallpaper and just cut it to fit the glass sizes. We then used spray adhesive to adhere the photos to the wallpaper and threw them in the frames! Voila! The wallpaper was $17 but we have well over half the role left for other projects and the spray adhesive was a whopping $10. But, again, we have another project in mind for that. So the total for our hallway was $83. Not bad when you consider how much frames and matting typically is. Here is the end result:

As you walk up the stairs:

A little further up...

Ta-da! In the hallway! There are still some empty

frames where we have to get pictures printed.

The chalkboards with quotes are my very favorite part of the hallway.

I wish I could have gotten rid of that glare! Can you see how lovely the photos are?

We still have one thing left to hang - Ritchie's marathon frame from last summer.

More photos!

We finally got that newborn canvas hung!

The best part of the hallway is the two cuties that

I found waiting at the top for me with smiles.

It just doesn't get any better than that!

The Unknowns and Today

I've never, ever been good at the unknown. I just don't like it. I like to plan things and then no matter how often the plans may change it doesn't matter because in my mind I knew what was coming, even if it didn't happen that way. A sneak attack change of plans is okay with me. Having no plans. That's a nightmare. This is the first time I can recall in my life that I have no idea what's comin'. I know what I want to happen, but I just can't see it happening or plan accordingly how to end up there.

So many unknowns. Oh, the unknowns. They keep me up at night. How do I let go of the unknown? How do I maintain faith that our family will end up where we're supposed to be and that we will be okay - no, more than okay, happy and at peace - with where we end up? There is no true life insurance for those things.

Right now we have no idea which direction our life is headed. We don't know when we should try for another baby. We don't know if we should stay in our house. I have no clue how long I'll be home with Max or what my next career move should/will be. We're uncertain as to whether or not we should stay in the Bay Area and when a big move like that would take place.

So. I'm choosing to focus on today. Today I cuddled with my precious son, had lunch with Ritchie and another mommy friend, her husband and their sweet baby girl, and tried to stay on top of housework and television programs (both equally important). Today, I was happy. I KNOW that tomorrow we have our home, food, and hopefully our health and happiness as well. I suppose that's all I can do. Because I want to enjoy this time home with Max and not spend it pent up with stress about what the future may or may not bring. Because nothing is a guarantee. We could have millions in the bank, live in a mansion, and have a freaking chauffeur and there would still be unknowns and things to worry about. Today, I will remember that. For now I leave with a quote that is what I'm continuing to focus on:

With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

8 months

I cannot BELIEVE another month has flown by and our sweet boy is already 8 months old. I keep thinking about how far away his birthday is but in actuality it will be here before we know it. Max has continued to enrich our lives this month in so many ways! This month he really slowed in growth and therefore we didn't move him up in clothes or diapers (a welcome relief to his pound a week days). He weighed 21 pounds and 8 ounces exactly on his 8 month birthday. All of that extra weight has made moving a little slow for him but towards the end of the month he began to scoot more and tolerate tummy time a bit more. In the beginning of the month he rolled from back to tummy for the first time! After that it just continued to happen more and more frequently and with more ease. However, tummy time has continued to be a battle and now that he rolls ONTO his tummy he just ends up upset that he's there. HAHA! One thing at a time I suppose!

One thing that changed this month was how he sleeps. Not duration or location, but HOW. He now sleeps on his tummy with his legs tucked and his little butt up in the air. It's the cutest thing! He's also ALL over the crib with his legs and arms dangling out, on his side, tummy, and back. I'm thankful that it's taken this many months to get to this phase because even two months ago it would have made me terribly nervous, but now I feel confident that he can move enough to avoid getting stuck in any one position in his sleep. His increasing strength amazes me!

Max's love of Gracie has really surfaced this month along with his vocal capabilities. He squeals with delight when Gracie comes in the room and he looks for her when he enters the living room. He loves being near her and "petting" her (aka - grabbing and pulling her hair). Grace has astonished us with her patience and love for Max. Max has honed in on the "B" sound, and we hear "ba-ba-ba" a lot around here! He's also starting the "P" sound very softly and I think "puppy" may be among his first words.

Keep on smiling, Maxton! It makes the world a happier place! We love you and couldn't ask for a brighter, more loving baby boy.