Overload

I'm feeling overwhelmed. There are so many things I need to do but it is difficult to know where to start. You see it is a fact that about 3o% of our stuff is still packed away in boxes or sitting homeless on the living room floor. Basically there are boxes and boxes and boxes of books waiting to be put away. I started and got through three big boxes before I fled for the comfort of the computer. Add to that all the projects I have in the works; refinishing two book cases, planting flowers, figuring out how to care for a fig tree and a peach tree (I was delighted to discover them in our yard:), hanging up Grace's mobile (this involves a drill, ut oh), and I am scared to hang up pictures in our nice new house with no holes in the walls, plus two baby gift crafts I want to get started on, and Grace's birthday bash is this Saturday between conference sessions! OK, making a list has just resulted in me becoming more panic-y! And poor Grace is still one unhappy camper with her ear ache :( Alright I am just going to have a zen moment...... OK I am ready to go tackle the boxes again.

Wowza

This past week and a half has been crazy. Neil was sick. I was sick, And finally Baby Grace got sick. And we moved. And we had two birthdays in the family. First was my dad's on the 18th. My sister posted a great blog about our dad on her site- Jill in NYC. You will notice she stole my story about the girl scout cookies from a few weeks ago :) When I was a very little girl my dad was working on his masters degree. We lived in Kentucky and Jill and I were the only children in the family. My dad worked multiple jobs and went to school full time. He would come home to sleep and if Jill or I stumbled across him we would scream, "Oh no a mummy!" I guess at the time Jill and I thought mummies looked alot like very tired men. Anyway, my dad worked so hard so that my mom could stay home to take care of us. It was the right decision for our family. My dad finished his degree and things slowed down and we got to have a lot more time with our dad. I'm so grateful for the sacrifices both my parents made and make for our family. Thanks to them I have very happy memories of my childhood.
Well, next up was Grace's birthday on the 20. Here is an updated picture of Grace, doesn't she look like a toddler! I think she is getting so slim from constantly climbing up and down our stairs. She thinks it is the biggest joke to quietly slip away from me, climb up to the top and start laughing down at me, while her little arms reach through the banister.
Can you believe a year ago she looked like this???
Grace is such a sweet girl these days... well, in all honesty she did bite me twice yesterday. But even doing dastardly deeds she is a cute little elf and I wonder if all mothers have the constant impulse to kiss their baby's cute chubby cheeks.
And today I cut my hair. I mean really cut my hair. When I got up to go I couldn't believe the amount of hair I was leaving behind on the floor. Sorry about my strange expression- I'm not very good at taking pictures of myself.
And here is the side view.
Dear Mom,
Don't be too sad I cut my hair, it was time.
XOXO
Mer
Wow that was a long blog. If you made it too the end congratulations! Later I will post some pics of the inside of the house- I'm pretty sure everyone is dying to see it :p

PS

Grace took her first steps yesterday!! Apparently it was due to the luck of the Irish.

busy busy busy

Alas, I am woefully behind in blogging but I have a great excuse. I have been busy doing this...

because we are moving here tomorrow! Yay!
Also, here are some pictures of my sister in law coming home from her mission.
Grace watching for the airplane,
Julie coming out of security and being greeted by Holly and Grace.
And here is a picture of Grace just looking cute in her new dress and shoes

Dancing with the Stars

OK- why oh why was that David guy wearing a pink boa? I have finally found a show equally as embarrassing as The Bachelor. Another issue- Shawn Johnson is so tiny, young and cute, why couldn't they get her a more flattering outfit? And I just wish Denise Richards would wear more shiny eyeshadow. My favorite was Melissa. Probably because her outfit was reminiscent of Jasmine from Aladdin.

"Spray some windex on it"

Sunday morning Neil woke up with a problem. He went to the doctor and found out he had a sinus infection which had overflowed into his eye. I will not get too graphic here but it was something to behold and since the doctor told him he was extremely contagious I have spent my time cloroxing everything he touches, breathes on, or looks at. So in addition to the antibiotic the doctor gave him he is also consuming large amounts of garlic. Neil believes garlic is the answer to any ailment. According to him it is what the Russians gave their soldiers to nip sickness in the bud. When we were first married we both caught some horrible bug and Neil convinced me to drink a concoction of lemon juice and garlic. It was horrible- my throat still burns at the memory. So while Neil resorts to taking garlic pills I simply add fresh garlic to everything. Omelets with garlic, tacos with lots of garlic the list goes on and on. (Hmmmm I hope you can't OD on garlic.) Suffice it to say we are currently a very stinky household :)

Play Date

Grace and I met up with some friends for a playdate at the outdoor mall. I tried to document the event but Grace kept making crazy faces. Is this an atempt at a wink? And then this is my mom's classic look... And finally the video is only interesting because after I said "Go back to the fountain" Grace says "fountain, go, fountain." Listen for it, hopefully other people hear it and I'm not having a crazy mommy moment :)

These boots were made for walking

Baby Grace in Action

As you can see Grace is very passionate about literature. Goodnight Moon is so powerful it can elicit a growl while Berenstain Bears brings forth a light hearted chuckle. Sorry about the horrible camera shake, I'll work on that.>

My Weekend

Hurray! My camera is charged. As you can see I had a rather enjoyable weekend. My genius cooking friend Jessica gave me her recipe for scones and I couldn't wait to make them. They were easy to make and sooooo delicious. Here is the fabulous recipe, you HAVE to try them. They are little bites of heaven. PS: I used raspberries in my scones :)
Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut in chunks (I always use salted butter, I don’t think it matters)
1 cup heavy cream, plus more for brushing the scones (or milk; they won’t be as rich, but still yummy)
1 cup fresh blueberries (or another berry, like raspberries)



Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Sift together the dry ingredients; the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Using 2 forks or a pastry blender, cut in the butter to coat the pieces with the flour. The mixture should look like coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and pour in the heavy cream. Fold everything together just to incorporate; do not overwork the dough. Fold the blueberries into the batter. Take care not to mash or bruise the blueberries because their strong color will bleed into the dough.

Press the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a rectangle about 12 by 3 by 1 1/4 inches. Cut the rectangle in 1/2 then cut the pieces in 1/2 again, giving you 4 (3-inch) squares. Cut the squares in 1/2 on a diagonal to give you the classic triangle shape. Place the scones on an ungreased cookie sheet and brush the tops with a little heavy cream ( I often skip this step). Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until beautiful and brown. Let the scones cool a bit before you apply the glaze (recipe below).
Lemon Glaze:
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 lemon, zest finely grated
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (again, I use salted)

Mix the lemon juice and confectioners' sugar together in a microwave-safe bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon zest and butter. Nuke it for 30 seconds on high. Whisk the glaze to smooth out any lumps, then drizzle the glaze over the top of the scones. Let it set a minute before serving.

Enjoy!