Getting Ready for a Birthday

Coleman's first birthday is coming up and we are throwing him an Eric Carle themed party. Coleman loves his Eric Carle books, especially Brown Bear, Brown Bear. I have a lot of ideas, but I'm not sure if all of them will get accomplished. I did make the invites to send out on Tuesday. They are inspired by The Very Hungry Caterpillar.



I found a link here to some invites I really liked. I didn't have time to paint a whole bunch of paper, so I used different patterns and textures of scrapbook paper.

Here is the how-to:

Supplies:
assorted patterns, textures and colors of scrapbook paper
yellow scrapbook paper
4.5 in x 6.5 in cardstock folded in half
16mm round craft punch
scissors
coffee mug
pen
glue stick

1. punch circles out of the scrapbook paper
2. glue two lines of circles on the bottom of the front of the card
3. trace coffee mug circles on the yellow scrapbook paper
4. cut the circles out
5. cut the circles in half
6. glue half a circle onto the top of the card
7. cut rays for the sun and glue on the card
8. put message on the inside

I may decorate the inside in some way, but I'm not sure yet. I have to get the invite information printed and I'm not sure how much space that is going to take up. I found some cheap cards and envelopes in the dollar bins at Michael's, so I bought those and I will use the envelopes to mail the invites.

I have a whole bunch more projects that I will be completing in the next few weeks to get ready for this party, so I will probably be posting some more soon!

Two Recipes, One for the Parents, One for the Baby

I have found a fun site called pinterest and because of it I have found all sorts of things I want to try, both recipes and projects. I thought I would share a recipe I found there and one I found on a baby food site that both Coleman and I really liked.

For the parents:

Nutter Butter Banana Pudding Trifle


This is a tasty recipe that includes home made vanilla pudding and whipped cream.

For the Baby

Banana Oat Bars


These were super easy to make and extremely tasty. It was almost like a cookie for a baby. It doesn't include any sugar. I added dried cranberries and golden raisins to our bars. Coleman and I shared one this evening and I think it was a hit.

To Cloth or Not to Cloth

The other day a friend of ours asked us about our cloth diapers and since the email I sent him had so much information, Jason thought it would be good to post here.

Why do we use cloth?

I don't have any huge environmental reason to use cloth diapers, but my main reason is that I hate buying things to just throw away. That idea is kind of what started me down the path of cloth diapers.

What kind do we use?

Most of our diaper stash is one size FuzziBunz. We really like these because you can adjust the size at the leg and they have many snap options at the waist. They should also last us until Coleman is potty trained. We do have some sized FuzziBunz that we were given that he should be able to use a long time as well. They aren't as bulky as the one size, but they aren't as adjustable as the one size.

Where did we get our diapers?

I bought our most recent diapers here: http://www.cottonbabies.com/. You can usually find a coupon code of some sort for that site. Another good site to go to just to learn more about cloth diapering is here: http://www.jilliansdrawers.com/. Their new to cloth section has a lot of information. You can also do a diaper trial there if you want to take a little time and figure out what kind of diapers you like before totally committing.

A good portion of our stash came from craigslist. You kind of have to stalk craigslist for a while to find what you are looking for, but they are there. I just did a search for FuzziBunz and found some for $10 each. That is about half off the price of new.

Here are some terms I come across during my research:
pocket diapers: these are what we have. They have the diaper part and an insert that soaks up
the liquid. You need that insert to use a pocket diaper
AIO: all in ones. These are probably most like a disposable. They come all in one piece, but
because they are all in one piece they take longer to dry.
Pre-folds: These are like the old fashioned diapers that require a cover. We didn't use any of
these, because I wanted to go with something that was super easy for Jason to
do. They are probably the cheapest route to go though.

Some things I didn't think of until we were cloth diapering:
cloth wipes: for a while we just used regular wipes and that is what the sitter uses, but at home we have a bunch of baby washcloths that we use. We just keep a squirt bottle by the diapers and wet the washcloth and throw it in our diaper pail with the dirty diapers.

detergent: You can't just use any detergent. We use regular powder Tide. There are some all natural soaps out there, but I didn't really want to have to hunt for soap or spend a fortune on it.

What do you do with a used diaper?

When we are home, we have a trash can with a lid that has a cloth laundry bag in it. I probably should have bought a large wet bag that fits into the trash can, but this works for us. If the diaper has any solids in it we scrape them off into the toilet and then put the diaper in the trash can.

If we are out of the house or when Coleman is at the sitter's, we put soiled diapers in a wet bag. It is basically a plastic lined bag with a zipper. I have been known to use grocery bags, but that probably isn't the most environmentally friendly solution. I bought our wet bag at Target for $10 or so. It gets washed with the dirty diapers.

How do we wash our diapers?

We do diaper laundry about twice a week. Once I went back to work it wasn't feasible to do diaper laundry every other day, so we bought some more to add to our stash. I run a rinse cycle on the diapers first. Then I wash them with detergent in a hot/cold cycle. If my washer did it, I would probably do a hot/hot cycle, but it doesn't. I then rinse the diapers again to make sure all of the soap is out in either a cold cycle or a warm cycle. It just depends on whether or not I remember to turn the dial. Once the diapers have finished washing, I hang them up to dry. If it is sunny and warm, I put them outside. That is the best method for removing stains. Otherwise, they hang out in out guest room/office with the fan on.


I think I am going to stop here for now. I just wanted to share a little bit of what I have learned in the short time we have been using cloth. I like that we never run out of diapers or have to make a late night run to Kroger. Coleman rarely gets diaper rash and they are just so cute!

Long Time, No Blog

Wow, I was just looking back and it has been nearly a year since our blog was last updated. In some ways, that is hard to believe and in others, I can totally believe it because so much has happened. I could go into a long post about everything, but I don't think I really want to. I will give a brief synopsis of what has been going down since the last post.

On June 3rd, 2010, we welcomed our son into the world. Life has never been more hectic or more exciting. I am still teaching, but this will probably be my last year for awhile so that I can stay home with Mr. C. Some days I miss him so much it hurts. I hate that I only get to see him for a few hours a day during the week. Jason is still doing sales, but as of the beginning of this year, he is working from home. He seems to really be enjoying it and it gives him a lot more freedom.

Anyway, that is a short update. I am planning another post on some baby related stuff soon.

Mission Haiti update.

Crazy Love Chapter Seven: Your best life ... later.

Chapter 6 focused on your love of Jesus. Chapter 7 asks some tough questions about your FAITH in Jesus.


A major theme throughout Crazy Love is this concept of a comfort zone. We all live within self-made walls that dictate what we are willing to do on any given day at any given moment. In the video Francis Chan asks the question again, "What are you doing that requires faith?" Let's put this in more visual terms, something that helps me grasp concepts.



I think we live our lives in our comfort zone almost 100% of the time. Imagine yourself in a wide open plain. (Are you imagining?)Here's a plain for visual reference:


In the middle of this plain, we are pretty much guaranteed to not have to make any "leaps of faith". Things are just fine here. I'm OK, you're OK. Go to work. Come home. Comfort zone. Out there on the edge of our comfort zone is a cliff. If you go far enough from the center of your plain you'll hit a spot where you can't go any further without faith that God will catch you. It's not comfortable there. It's scary. Just look at Harrison Ford. He's freakin out, man. Human nature leads away from discomfort. Like it or not, God is all about you living life on the edge, letting it all hang out, and taking some crazy leaps of faith. Is this opinion? Did I just cook this up? Francis Chan confronts this concept head on in Chapter 7 by asking some tough questions that lead to an interesting place: the edge of your comfort zone.

Questions (rephrased from page 113)
Can you find fulfillment outside of God? What do non-Christians do to find fulfillment in life?

Can you please God without wholehearted surrender? Read Hebrews 11:5-7.

Will God catch you if you leap? Is it better out there on the edge?

Are you willing to trade some comfort to please God? Are you willing trade all of your comfort to please God? Are you willing to live without a plan or idea of what will happen tomorrow or next year?

Actions
What are some simple actions that require faith? (last paragraph on page 117)? Read Matthew Chapter 25, verses 31 through 46.

1. _______ the ___________.

2. Give __________ to ______________.

3. Look after the ________ and ______________.

Why do these things require faith? Why do they please God? Are they directly tied to our salvation?

Buffalo Wild Wings in Hiram

Hello blog! I was thinking I needed an outlet and remembered our happy little blog. Tracie has posted so many pleasant little things that I now feel odd posting about any random thing, so I decided we could keep a food focus for today. The following is a lightning review (well, ok, it's more like a novella) of where I ate lunch.

Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar
5000 Jimmy Lee Smith Parkway
Hiram, GA 30141-2769
(770) 439-3744

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I had every intention of eating somewhere healthy today. In fact, that's how I justified not going home to reheat some pizza while I watched something mind numbing on Netflix. We discovered the new Blimpie that opened inside the ColdStone Creamery last night, so I headed there, with happy thoughts of $1.00 off a tasty sandwich (or so i had been told by the lady there last night). So, I turn into the parking lot (correctly, this time, not repeating my mistake of pulling through the Starbucks drivethrough lane and having to squeeze past some caffeine fiend jonesing for a fix) and there it was: Buffalo Wild Wings. Had I been there before? I can't remember. Seems like I tried to sell them some advertising once. Or was that the Buffalo's? Buffalo's has good corn. Does Buffalo Wild Wings have good corn? As these thoughts dance through my head my highly efficient auto pilot kicks in (NASA should study this mechanism and program it into their Mars rovers so they will go places and do things with almost no processing power required) and I find myself parked. And if I'm parked, then the car is off, the keys are out and I'm heading in (all autopilot, NASA. Can you see the potential?).

Here are my impressions:
A short cattle chute finds me in a large dark room with TVs everywhere and at least two projectors. I am instantly greeted by two young ladies. The staff are all wearing the typical black pants/black logo t-shirt uniforms that allow them to completely disappear in the darkness if they want to. It's a sort of culinary camo. I'm taken to a table. I do a quick turn, deciding which chair to sit in. There are a few people at the bar across the room. To my slight annoyance, every TV is tuned to an esoteric sports network (The Ocho?) and not a single one has closed captioning turned on. Am I doomed to silent sports? Which is worse? Silent sports tv or sports broadcasting on talk radio? I pick the tv closest and arrange myself accordingly. Country music plays unobtrusively. They have a lunch menu, so I order a Coke (let's make the best of this whole 'sports bar' thing, right?) and give it a look over. Tiny burgers or wings. Wings it is! Can I replace the celery? Nope. What sauce? Ummmm, medium? The Coke arrives, and it is good and strong. Now, I wait.

Fiddling with my phone, I am suddenly startled by blaring commentary from one of the TVs. Where is it coming from? Why doesn't it make sense? It must be coming from that one with the icy dart board on the screen. What is that? Curling? Hmmm, I'm down for curling. My mind shifts into overdrive, trying to make sense of the really loud gibberish. I soon decide there are two commentators speaking English and a gaggle of lady curlers speaking French/German/Curlish. It turns out curling is pretty cool. I watch the ladies do these crazy graceful Superman-esque gliding lunges, sending their "stone" down what should be called a curling lane (which would be located in a curling alley) while their lackeys try to make them look good by vigorously manipulating time and space with tiny brooms to 'curl' the stone into their opponent's stone. It's slow. There is no violence. But it's cool. I'm not sure it's a sport, but the Olympic Games are really just a series of TV shows, so if I'm entertained, then more power to the curlers. I change seats to face the appropriate curling screen, wishing someone would turn it down.

After what seemed like a pretty long wait (how long does it take to deep fry some wings and french fries?) my food arrived. Holy cow, that's a ton of wings! The fries are thin cut and seem to be cut fresh in the kitchen, giving them a happy home made texture/taste. The wings were good. It seems like wings are wings, but I did appreciate that the sauce didn't melt my face or stain my fingers permanently. They came with two ramekins of ranch (or bleu cheese) dressing which was very good. Over the course of my stay at Buffalo Wild Wings my eating experience has gradually gotten better. The food is good and hot. My drink is refilled THREE times (in my opinion, this is what I tip for). Someone finds the remote and turns down the curling to something softer than deafening and I get to eat in peace, enjoying my fried food tour de force. Heck, I even tried the celery. To my shock and dismay, it tasted fine, proving that my taste buds have been dying off since my childhood when sharp cheddar made my eyes water and anything green tasted like grass (celery) or horse poop (green beans). In the end, my food costs $10.37 and I tip $2.00 plus the change, so $13.00 out the door. Not a cheap lunch, but hey, I have five wings left over in the fridge at work, I drank some darn good Coke, and there was curling. I give the place 2 out of 5 Cupcakes and 3 out of 5 Hand Grenades.