Currently

Reading: House of Cards. I picked it up at the Teen Challenge thrift store during their 50% off sale. Political thrillers are usually annoying because things don't actually happen in smokey back rooms anymore but this one is set in the UK so I won't know if it's far-fetched. Plus, I think there is a movie coming out about it and I don't believe in seeing movies until I've read the book.

Watching: Um, Chopped All-Stars. I'm a big Michael Symon fan.

Thinking about: Raising money. How to juggle multiple bosses. Balancing work and family.

Loving: Ari, naturally. Embroidery.

Anticipating: Setting up my booth at The Fussy Duck! The Salem Etsy Spring Show on Saturday!

Listening to: Marchin On by One Republic.

Eating: Leftovers from the wedding yesterday. But that will be gone soon and I'll be back to my green smoothies. It's a great great way to get enough fruits and veggies to avoid lack-of-fiber problems :/

Feeling thankful for: friends/co-workers who are my biggest advocates. A positive well-baby appointment (she's still tall - today she measured in the 95% percentile!).

Photo: DAY 113
I can't remember the name of the business, but there's a cool new seller down at the Saturday Market who sells bread dough that you take home and bake yourself. Hot-out-of-the-oven-bread for $4? Yes please!

Nothing interesting about today....

There's a new booth at Saturday Market that sells bread dough for you to take home and bake. If there's anything better than hot from the oven bread, please tell me. 

Blurry but so cute and happy. That's her new monkey from Aunt Sarah and Uncle Daniel. 

Love. 

Wedding Day

Too tired to go into alot of details except to say it was a beautiful wedding. Setting up was ridiculous but of course it turned out perfect. Simple but very pretty. Ari was a little princess in her wedding dress. Mom, Dad, Jess and Kate came over for the weekend so it was nice to hang out with them at the reception.

Weddings are a lot of work....

....even when it's not my wedding.

We spent today grocery shopping for everything we needed for smoked mozzarella pasta salad and then making it, picking up the wedding present - the one that was worth $60 but I got for $21 because Macy's practically gives things away - getting my nose re-pierced because the stud fell out last night, decorating the chapel, picking up decorations....there's more but I'll stop.

The rehearsal dinner was amazing, thanks to Mr and Mrs Chapin with a little help from Jonathan's Oyster Bar. Caesar salad, halibut, prime rib, mashed potatoes, rice pilaf, grilled asparagus, cheesecake....super amazing. Isaac thought the salad was perfect and I thought it was over-dressed - but that's pretty typical for us :)

FRIDAY!

Fill in the Blank Friday

1. When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I do is: play with Ari and check Facebook and emails on my phone.

2. I can hardly wait for: Sarah's wedding to be over. And the craftshow next weekend - mostly because I want to make some things for Ari's room.

3. The quickest way to my heart is: sarcasm, I think.

4. A little known fact about me is that: Hm, I can't think of anything. I think I'm a pretty open book.

5. The best part about my job is: the flexibility. The high that comes when someone hands me a donation that's more than I make in a month. My super awesome boss(es). Knowing that we are actually making a difference, even though most people don't realize it. The best part about my job as a mom is how I'm the one she wants most. I love how much she needs me. And her smiles melt my heart every time...even when it's 3 in the morning and I want to be mad at her.

6. Something I just couldn't live without is: my family. But on a very superficial note, my car. My iPhone. Diet Coke. 

7. Something useful that I wish I knew how to do is: cook and sew. I'm getting better at cooking but I still get really nervous and have to follow a recipe.

Used this recipe to make lemon poppyseed muffins for tomorrow morning. YUM. I substituted Greek yogurt for the sour cream - partly because that's what I had but mostly because sour cream is unhealthy and Greek yogurt is healthy. The muffins are dense but pretty moist too....definitely putting it in my recipe binder.

DAY 110

Apparently she thinks she needs some muscle definition in her legs.

DAY 109

Ostensibly, we went to Whole Foods at Bridgeport for smoked mozzarella for the pasta salad we're making for Sarah's wedding. The $11 for cheese ended up being the least expensive part of the whole trip. Isaac spent quality time in the drink section and I browsed the baby section. I found some organic sugar free puffs for Ari and came home and threw away the Gerber ones that had sugar as the third ingredient. $70 dollars later....

DAY108

Pulled herself up!

DAY 107

Wedding prep!

DAY 103

Today by the numbers: 1 tank of gas, 2 coffees, 3 food/bathroom stops, 7 episodes of Think Out Loud, 400 miles round trip...and a stack of contributions in my pocket. Plus a gorgeous sunny day at my office-for-the-day at Bandon Dunes.

DAY 108

We finally moved Ari's crib back into her room. It was so disappointing not to be able to use it when she was born due to the single pane windows that made it impossible to keep the room warm. Well, technically it could have been warm but we figured our $300 electricity bill was already high enough. Between moving the crib back in and having her brand new toy box that Uncle Luke made, it's beginning to look like a little girl's room. Next project is to put up pictures and then make some pillows and a rug to create a little reading corner.

DAY 103

Only in Portland.

DAY 102

Good thing I didn't have anything important that needed to be done today. 3 dozen cupcakes take a long time to make. These were for Sarah's lingerie shower. I was not looking forward to it at all but it turned out to be not as awkward as I thought it would be.

I made 15 chocolate cupcakes using Mary's mayo cake recipe and 15 champagne cupcakes. That was a new recipe and it was a pain. It called for beating the egg whites and then folding them into the batter....alot of work and they didn't even seem that light and fluffy.

DAY 98

Homemade street tacos for dinner.

Day 92

Leaving for Palm Springs!