She Rolled Over!

Jane rolled over today!
Here's my happy girl after I found her on her back:

I am sure she would have rolled over earlier if her mama ever put her on her tummy, but I've been terrible about tummy time with this kid. However, once I started to see that she was developing so well but had not rolled over, I started making an effort to put her on her tummy more, and voila! A couple of days later, she figured it out. I walked past her one way, and she was on her tummy; I walked past again, and she was on her back! And she's already trying to go back-to-tummy now. Go Jane!

Little Miss Janey Beth

Here's my precious girl, looking all cute and coy.
Sweet smiler.
Love that pacifier face.
Loving on the lamb she got in her Easter basket.

Some of Jane's nicknames:
~Janey
~Janey Beth
~My Precious
~Dearest (I always loved that the sisters in Sense and Sensibility call each other "Dearest")

She's still the sweetest girl I know.

The Anglo and Anglophiles' Trip to the British Isles

Nathan's sister and brother, Deborah and Andrew, are staying with us this weekend for a visit! Yesterday, the six of us all went down to Rice Village to visit one of our favorite stores in Houston, The British Isles.

Now, our decision to go there may need some explanation. The reason we all love this store is that we've all spent a little (or a lot) of time in England. Nathan's dad did his postdoc at Cambridge, so their family lived there off and on until Nathan was about eight, and he and all his siblings have very fond memories of England. In fact, Nathan was born there, so technically, he's kind of a Brit (although, if you know him, you know he is a Texan more than anything else). And I am not completely outside of this circle of love for East Anglia, either, because I spent a summer abroad studying at Cambridge. I loved it so much that I came back saying I'd be happy to live there (which means I harbor a little jealousy towards Matthew and Emily, who do live there). I've told Nathan that if we ever have the opportunity to move there for a year or two, I'd be happy to jump at it.

So back to the British Isles--the store, not the world power--Nathan's parents also love to go there and make it a point to visit any time they're in Houston. I think the store owners may know them by name at this point. I would have thought about picking up some tea for my mother-in-law, but since they are returning from the real British Isles tomorrow after a three-week visit, I figure she'll probably be set.

Anyway, we totally enjoyed shopping there yesterday, too. As soon as I started looking around, I thought to myself, "This place is so bloggable!" Thus, this post.

At first, I noticed a couple of cheesy British things:

The obligatory framed photo of Diana, though I have to say that this frame is not a hundredth as sophisticated as she was.

A TEAPOT LAMP.
Please, no, Brits. Don't do this to yourselves.
Way to make yourselves look as cheesy as possible.
I know you are better than this.

Oh, but then. Then I looked up and saw the glory of what is the British Isles.
The china.

Okay, so I have a little thing for china. Not that I want to collect a ton of it, but I do love looking at it and considering which patterns I would like at my house. Tangent: maybe I'll start collecting teacups. Anyway, one of the glories of this store is its collection of china. I always spend several minutes browsing in this section.

Here's a pretty blue teacup. I like it better than the blue tea set I have at home.

I like the color combination in this pattern.

And the latticework in this pattern is unique and pretty.

This pattern is always there. It's eye catching because of the depth of color, but I'm not sure it's one I'd choose.

Then, once I finish coveting several china patterns, I move on to the china mugs.
That is just one side the four-sided pillar they have in the store. Do you need a mug? What size? What shape? What color? What subject? Modern or traditional? You can probably find it there. And most of them are quality mugs made of real china, so they are nice to have.

This one made me smile.

I liked these two; both the pattern and the shape are attractive. I could see myself using them.

This caught my eye, too. They have them in several colors.

Ooooh, and these. I think they are William Morris patterns, but I'm no expert, and I'm not sure. They sure are handsome, though, aren't they?

Speaking of William Morris, if you need a box of cards, you can get them with his pretty artwork on them.

The store did have a fair amount of owl stuff, and I'm fairly sure that it has to do with the fact that it's right next to Rice. Generally, since I went to school there, I get excited about owls (we do have a few around the house), but I'm kind of picky about the owls that I pick up, and though this tea towel caught my eye, I just didn't think it was all that pretty. But even though I didn't buy it, it did make me feel that kind of glowy nostalgia for something well-loved.

Speaking of nostalgia, let's move on to the food section of the store, which is where Deborah and Andrew went to town. Having grown up in England, they love to pick up a few items that you can't get Stateside. Like Andrew's prawn flavored chips (gross!) or Smarties (the Brits' version of M&M's). Here's Deb on the glorious Cadbury aisle.

And the tea. Oh, the tea. They have so much tea. It is a beautiful thing to behold. They have two aisles of it, and it just warms my heart. I usually want to buy every other tin I see.

I love tea tins.

I have a few, and I save them. I display them.

And the British Isles has a nice selection.
But I didn't buy a tin this trip. I bought some Assam tea, a black tea I've been meaning to try, and some PG Tips, which Amanda has mentioned a few times. We had some PG Tips last night, and I thought it was a really good black tea.

I know it's only July, but if anyone is looking for a good stocking stuffer for me, a tea infuser would be good. I need a new one.

And these caught my eye, too. They're shortbread molds. It's one of those extraneous things you don't really need in your kitchen but would be fun to have. Who doesn't like shortbread, after all? I mean, it's butter and sugar and little else. And these pans are so pretty. My shortbread would turn out so nice! Isn't this the Scottish thistle?

This one is cute, too, though I like the thistles better.

Right before we checked out, I made Deb and Andrew pose with all our loot. Then I promised them I wouldn't embarrass them anymore with my wayward camera.

This is So Nathan

This is what greeted me when Nathan suggested I go check on something in the closet.

This is so Nathan.

Our Swagger Wagon

So guess what we bought last week:


Yep, a minivan. How cool are we?!

Actually, Nathan was pretty set against a minivan. We both thought we'd end up with an SUV. But after borrowing my parents' minivan for several weeks (we needed a second car after we moved) and test driving some SUV's, I was pretty darn convinced that remote automatic doors might just make life worth living. That, and the fact that Noah can climb into a minivan without help since it's lower to the ground, the gas mileage is better, they are a bit cheaper than an equivalent SUV, the way they're laid out is very roomy, etc.

Apparently, we are not the only ones thinking this way. After we bought our car, we ran across this article on Forbes.com, which pretty much describes our decision-making process in the last paragraph. It went something like this:

Minivans are not cool enough for me-->Man, those sliding doors sure are convenient-->I don't think I can live without this thing.

We bought a used Toyota Sienna, and it really drives sooo nicely. I really, really like my Swagger Wagon. I bet you didn't know it was so cool:

That video gets funnier every time I watch it. It's really the reason I wrote this post.

Blueberry-Strawberry Crisp

Every summer, I try to go blueberry picking. It's just one of the things I love to do. Well, to be truthful, I just love to eat blueberries, which is the main reason I like to go pick them. Blueberries fresh off the bush just taste much better than store bought ones. This all started when I was a kid, eating blueberries straight off the bush on my distant family's property in Mississippi. Then, years later, my blueberry enthusiasm re-emerged the summer after Nathan and I got married. We went to a blueberry farm just outside of Houston, and because blueberries were $1 a pound there, we picked a bucket and a half of the little blue gems. We went home with major sunburns and--get this--TWELVE POUNDS of blueberries. Everyone thought I was crazy for being so happy about having twelve pounds of blueberries in my fridge, but I was beyond thrilled. I gave some away, froze some, ate them by the handful and in my cereal, and spent the rest of the summer making blueberry crisps. I was nuts for blueberry crisps that summer, and it was a good thing, considering how many I made. Nathan thought I had lost my ever loving mind. It was a fun and delicious summer, and ever since then, I look forward to picking some blueberries every summer, though nowadays we usually just go home with a pound or so.

So you can imagine my disappointment when I realized earlier this month that in Texas, the blueberry season is over by July, as opposed to New England, when it's just beginning in July. Duh. Move two thousand miles away into a completely different climate, and you might want to think about the different growing season, Lauren. So no fresh-picked blueberries for me this year. Boo.

However, much to my surprise and delight, my parents came back from a road trip with a gallon-sized ziploc bag full of blueberries for me. They had stopped in Mississippi on their way to and from Atlanta (they went to go visit my brother and sis-in-law, Ken & Meredith), and someone gave them a ridiculous amount of fresh-picked blueberries. Not twelve pounds, but plenty. So I have been back to making my blueberry crisps. They've been great for me as an alternative dessert to chocolate, since I can't eat that right now. There is a little butter in the topping, but evidently it's not enough to bother Jane.

Anyway, I got to the bottom of my bag o' blueberries and realized I didn't have enough to make another crisp, so I decided to add some strawberries, and it came out so yummy. I thought you guys might want the recipe, too, since berries are in season right now and are so delicious. And I hope that if you love blueberries as much as I do, someone will surprise you with a gallon of them!

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Blueberry-Strawberry Crisp

3 cups blueberries
3 cups strawberries, quartered
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (optional)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
4.5 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375. In a 1.5 or 2 quart baking dish, combine the first five ingredients, through the brown sugar. In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Top the berry mixture with the oatmeal mixture. Bake for 20 minutes or until the topping is golden and the berries are bubbling.

Anthropologie

While browsing the web last night, I discovered something. I discovered that, given the chance, I could drop some serious cash at Anthropologie.

It all started when I ran across a blog with a picture of this sweater. Oh my goodness. I love it. It's so feminine. I love the ruffle, the shape, and the pointelle design at the bottom. I also like the color a lot.

While we're on the topic of sweaters, check this one out.
It's a sweater coat. I love the idea of a sweater coat. I wished I had one while we were living in Boston; it would have been perfect for fall, because it's not a full-on heavy winter coat, but it still covers you up and can be quite warm. Plus, I just have a thing for sweaters. I love them. I love how cozy they are and everything they represent and make me think of: hot cocoa, hot tea, crisp days and evenings, beginning to smell fires when you walk through your neighborhood in the evenings, fall foliage, etc. I loved fall before we lived in New England, but after having lived there for six years, it will probably forever be my favorite season of the year.

Anyway, back to this sweater. This particular one is more like a coat than a sweater because it's boiled wool, which in my book, is pretty much a coat. However, I can't get over the design of it. I love the neckline, the length, the detail at the waist. I generally pass over purple when shopping for myself (dark purple and dark burgundy wash me out), but in this case, it's so rich and autumnal and pretty that I would have to try it on and see, because I love everything else about it. Why they are selling this in mid-July, I have no idea, but that's not hindering me from some major sweater love.

After checking out the sweater section online, I started browsing Anthropologie's blouses. Now, I do have to say that Anthropologie has always been a bit over the top for me style-wise before now. I've always wanted to love their stuff, but I just have not been able to quite go there with them. But not now. I don't know if they started styling their clothes so they'd be a little more wearable and mainstream, or if I'm just a few years older now and have the confidence and wherewithal to carry a particular style better.

One of the first blouses that caught my eye was this one. It is very Lauren. Very feminine and ruffly, but it also gathers at the waist in a very flattering way.

The next blouse that I saw and liked was this one. I don't know if it'd actually look good on me, but I love how old fashioned it is. The name of it is actually "Cedar Chest Blouse," as if it's some treasure you'd pull out of your grandma's attic. I just think it's sweet.
I like the color and the pattern on this blouse. I think it'd be pretty in spring or as a transition-to-fall piece because of the longer sleeves.

So here's the thing. After hanging up all my clothes in our huge closet, I realized something about my wardrobe. I have waaaaaay too many fitted t-shirts. Like, my entire wardrobe is short- and long-sleeved fitted t-shirts of just about every variety. After throwing away all my moth-eaten and old clothes, I ended up with some pretty slim pickings. I might have three summer shirts that are not t-shirts, which is ridiculous.

I think it happened because after I stopped working to stay home with Noah, I just started buying mommy clothes and phased out all of my old professional clothes. Plus, our last place was an old Victorian house, and I will now forever think "small closets" when I think of old houses. Anyway, because of the lack of closet space, our clothes were spread all over the place--in a small closet, in the chest of drawers, in the dresser, and stored under the bed--so I didn't really know what I had. After hanging everything up, it became apparent that I need to buy some things. Not to say that I'm going to go nuts and drop a ton of cash at Anthropologie or something, but I might pick up one or two items, since I'm kind of scraping the bottom of the barrel here clothes-wise. I love them!

My New Weight Loss Plan

When Jane was six weeks old, it became apparent that she has a dairy sensitivity. Since she was getting those painful dairy proteins from me (because I'm nursing), I cut out the main sources of my dairy intake, such as drinking milk, eating yogurt, putting cheese on my sandwich, etc. But I kept having the occasional dairy in the food I cooked, in my cereal, etc. A lot of Jane's symptoms went away, but I noticed she still had a few things going on that I thought were probably related to my dairy intake, including fussiness when I ate casserole with cheese in it or something.

So I brought all this up at her recent pediatrician appointment, and the doctor suggested that she might actually have a milk allergy, and that would mean that I'd need to go off dairy completely, switching to soy milk and reading labels and stuff. So I did that for about four days and saw an immediate improvement in Jane's fussiness. About that time, the doctor's office called and said that based on the tests they ran, it looked like Jane did not, after all, have a milk allergy, and the pediatrician said to go back to my restricted dairy diet but that I didn't need to cut milk out completely. Well, after about a day and a half of having a little cheese here and there, Jane was fussy again. Obviously, it was causing her pain, regardless of whether or not she had an actual allergy. So it looks like I'm going to be on a dairy-free diet for the next several months.

Do you know what foods this means I can't eat? Well, we've got milk. That's the obvious one. And I also mentioned yogurt and cheese, which are also obvious. But this also means I can't have ice cream or frozen yogurt, buttermilk or dried milk in my bread, sour cream or cream cheese in my recipes, etc. But you know what else this means? No butter! Not that I eat tons of butter, but I do cook with it sometimes, and I do love to slather some butter on some fresh, hot bread (one of life's true little pleasures). And it gets worse: do you know what else a dairy-free diet means? NO CHOCOLATE. Oh my goodness. You know that 1.) I love that Janey and 2.) I'm really committed to nursing if Lauren is willing to give up chocolate for several months!

On the up side, though, this can't do anything but help my diet. I mean, no butter and no chocolate?!

Funny What You Miss

It's funny what you miss when you move away from a place you've lived for a while.

I probably think of something or someone in Boston that I miss every other day or so. Not the heart-wrenching kind of miss, but the sweet memory kind of miss.

Like our veterinarian. I only took our cats to see him three times, but he was such a sweet man that Nathan and I talk about him from time to time. He was Egyptian (Coptic, actually), and his name was so long and complicated that he just had everyone call him T.A. I never even learned his last name. He was just Dr. T.A. at Belmont Animal Clinic.

And let me tell you something. The man loves animals. Whenever he'd coax one of our cats out of her carrier, he'd say, in his charming accent, "Oh hello, baby. Sweeeet baby." And then he'd take the cat's head in his hands and kiss her forehead. Yes he would. It so surprised me when I took them in for their first visit, and, honestly, it maybe had a one-second weird-out effect on me, but after that second passed, it completely charmed me.

So Nathan and I will sometimes take a cat's head in our hands and say, with affection and our best attempt at an Egyptian accent, "Hello, baby. Sweeeet baby," and kiss Livvy or Vi on the head.

A Fine Little Face

There have been way too few pictures of my Noah on the blog lately. Since he's too cute to go too long without seeing his fine little face, I'm posting some random but adorable pictures I've taken that haven't really had a home in another post.

Besides that, he is two and a half today! Hooray! So to celebrate that, here are some pictures of my cutie.

Moving is way more fun when you're two. You really can't beat the thrill of hiding in packing materials and popping out to surprise Mommy.

A few weekends ago, we went to the Mayborn Museum during a trip to Waco to visit Nathan's parents. They were having a Lego exhibit with a huge Lego castle, and they had little costumes for the kids to wear. Noah was a dragon.
I mean, come on. Is that not the cutest dragon you've ever seen?

Here he is after I told him I'd take a picture of him if he'd please just let go of the camera.

The other day, my yoga workout got a little difficult when Noah started trying to do the poses underneath me. So I pulled out another mat for him to use. The rest of the day, he went into downward facing dog at completely random times.

I love that Noah Thomas.

A Hard Day

*Update: Noah and I ended the day by sitting on the couch in the dark watching the rain and waiting for Daddy to get home while stuffing our faces with marshmallows. I think it made us both feel better. And to prove that he'll fall asleep if he can just be still: Noah fell asleep in his high chair during dinner, so we just transferred him to his bed. It was good for everyone last night. ;)

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Let me just preface what I'm about to write by saying two things:
1. The only reason I'm putting this up on the blog is for the sake of transparency and because maybe someone else is feeling like I am feeling today. And, okay, to get it off my chest.
2. Please don't judge my whole life by this post. I am usually a much more content person.

Today has been a hard day at our house. Noah and I both ended up in tears, which has never happened before. Really, the main issue is that for the past week, Noah has not taken a nap. The no nap thing really has the potential to break me, y'all. I really need that respite. And, just like any other mother of two small children, it's not like I sit around and put my feet up or spend two hours surfing the web or something; I'm running around doing the things that I cannot do with Noah around. Case in point: Bible study. Forget it when Noah is awake. He cannot stand that I am sitting at the table not engaged with whatever he's doing for 20 minutes. Another example: Today I got my yoga mat out and laid down to do a recorded 10-minute ab workout. I did not even get three minutes in before Jane was crying and Noah was crawling all over me. I can't sit down and make a grocery list, clean a room, cook a meal, vacuum the house, make a phone call, unpack a box, or do anything without interruption. Basically, anything I want to do uninterrupted has to happen either during naptime or while Noah is occupied by the TV (which I have allowed all too often over the last couple of months because I've been so busy with a new baby, the move, etc.). So to lose that precious two or three hours when he is sleeping really drives me to some serious frustration and exhaustion.

Also, I really am tired. Most of the time, I am too busy to let myself feel how tired I am, but really, it's always there. Part of that is because Jane still wakes up two or three times during the night, but a lot of it just has to do with daily life with two kids. Yesterday, when I was lying down with Noah on the couch and trying to help him get sleepy, I was the one dozing off.

If I were to tell you all the things that went wrong today, I would not only make myself frustrated again, but I'd also lose your sympathy because it'd look like I'm throwing myself a major pity party. So I'll spare both you and me and leave you with just a couple of other things that I need to get off my chest: 1.) Really, roofers? Did you have to come today and beat on my roof? I mean, it's pouring outside--aren't you afraid you're going to slide off? 2.) If I see another episode of Curious George or Berenstain Bears, I might lose it.

This is exactly the reason I must pray every day. Because I cannot get through this parenting thing successfully without some serious help from the Holy Spirit and some major grace. Thankfully, I have both.

But sometimes you just have to acknowledge that you need some help with skin on, too. My mom called today and I told her that Noah and I both ended up in tears, and she said I should have called her to come over, that raising two kids is hard, and that I have to schedule in some relief for myself now and then. It was good for me to hear that, because I am realizing that I have the tendency to be too independent. (Looking back, I also really needed help the month after Jane was born but didn't ask for it.) Part of the reason for my independence is that I feel like if I just dig deep, I am capable of doing the thing in question; that other people do much harder things, and who am I to complain about what's going on in my life for which I need help? And part of my independence is also that I don't want to bother people for help when, really, I can suck it up and make it work, even if everyone is in tears at the end of the day. I'm not trying to imply that independence is a bad thing, because overall, it's not. But having the sense to know when you need help and the humility to ask for it is important, too.

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There. I got it out. I do have to say I feel a little calmer and more composed about everything. I hope that it was not too much of a downer for you all to read this today, because life really is happy at our house most days, and usually I am very content to be at home with my two little ones, doing this motherhood job. Today was just a doozy.

No Room for Percolation

Hey peeps,

So last night I browsed through the last several posts and realized something: there has been a remarkable lack of posts with a brain behind them lately.

I'm sorry if I've been less interesting over the last month or so. Partly, it's because I've been really busy, and there just isn't time to sit down and write a well-thought-out post. But the busyness has taken another toll, which is that my brain is so focused on the 741 things I have to do to set up my home, etc., that there is no room for a blog post to percolate in the background while I do other things.

Honestly, some days I dream about that "summer feeling"--just to have no cares and nothing to do for a little while. I guess maybe we should make it a point to take a vacation or something, but I'd settle for a lunch out with friends. :) Actually, we will probably take a weekend and go on a road trip somewhere; we just haven't planned it yet. Any suggestions on a destination? Probably no more than four hours away would be good, since after about an hour and a half, we start hearing "Down!" "Run!" and "Out!" from the back seat.

Independence Day

For the Fourth of July, we had Nathan's brother, Andrew, over, and we grilled on our new grill. It was yummy and pretty fun, but I will say that the day was dominated by children--there was a lot of cartoon watching and no nap from Noah. Overall, though, it was fun, and today Noah kept saying he missed Andrew, which is sweet.

This is a fuzzy picture, but it shows Jane in her Independence Day duds.

And speaking of independence, Mr. Noah used the potty by himself on Independence Day, which I thought very appropriate. I noticed that I hadn't heard him in a few minutes and followed a trail of clothes to the bathroom, where he had taken it upon himself to get onto the potty. Hooray for Noah! He did it later that day, too. We reminded him to ask us for help next time, but I was actually pretty happy about the whole thing.

What did you do for the 4th?

Four Months Old! / Jane's New Stats

Janey is four months old today!

I love this face.

Sweet Jane is starting to laugh (her favorite subject is her brother), trying to grab her feet, and putting her hands in her mouth. She loves the baby in the mirror and grins so big when she sees her; it's so cute! Also, she's started sticking her tongue out and using it to suck on her upper lip, a maneuver I can't quite figure out.

Yesterday she had her four month checkup. Here are her new stats:
Weight: 15 lbs. (approx. 80th percentile)
Length: 26.5 inches
She is literally off the charts long. The doctor pulled out the chart and showed me that Jane is as long as an average seven month old!

Sweetheart.

Baked Chicken Dijon

One of my friends in Boston, Jill, brought us what I thought was an awesome dinner after Jane was born. The main dish was a baked dijon chicken that was super tasty, and I asked her for the recipe afterward. Happily, she obliged, and when she did so, I discovered one of the reasons this chicken dish tastes so good: BUTTER. Lots and lots of butter. Like, I literally laughed out loud when I read the recipe, thinking, "Of course I liked it! It has two sticks of butter in it!"

Since it's so delicious, I thought I'd share my slightly altered version with you. I reduce the amount of butter to a slim one stick (can a recipe with one stick of butter count as the low-fat version?), which makes the butter mixture a bit thicker, but that doesn't seem to negatively affect the breading process or the flavor of the dish. Jill said that she sometimes cuts back on the butter and replaces it with milk, if you want an alternative.

Anyway, I've made this dish at least twice, and it has come out fantastic both times. I mean, you really can't go wrong with dijon mustard, Parmesan cheese, and garlic--add those to a dish, and it's going to come out with lots of flavor. The one thing I will say is that it is definitely worth your while to make your own bread crumbs by pulverizing a couple pieces of bread in the food processor rather than using the store bought kind. They are so much more moist, and it really affects the texture of the finished product. You can even throw the parsley in the food processor for a round before you toss in the bread crumbs to save yourself some chopping. Also, you can play with the kind of mustard you use; all I had on hand this last time was Stonewall Kitchen's Bourbon Molasses Mustard, which made the dish kind of sweet. It was delicious.

For a complete meal, I like to serve this with a spinach salad, some fresh bread, and a starchy veggie like a baked potato or a baked sweet potato. Yum.

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Baked Chicken Dijon

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half; or 8 boneless, skinless thighs
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 stick butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat (don't let it brown). Add the garlic and mustard. Remove from heat and let it sit until it's cool enough to touch.

Mix parsley, Parmesan, and bread crumbs in a separate bowl. Dip the chicken pieces in the butter mixture, coating all sides, then in the bread mixture. Be sure to press the bread crumbs into the chicken a bit. Place the chicken pieces in a 9x13" baking dish and pour any of the remaining butter mixture over the top of the chicken. Bake for about 45 minutes.

Enjoy!