Earliest Memory

I hear people talk about their earliest memories and always feel a bit guilty because I don't really feel like I remember much from my early childhood. It's not actually true, that I don't remember things, but my idea of remembering means not just remembering based off of pictures and videos. I'm so grateful that we have those documented images, but at the same time, I can't distinguish what I remember and what I am told.

The other day, I remembered two things that I know we have no documentation of. 

The earliest thing, which I know happened first because of the location, is probably stuck in my head because of the strong sense of fear. Before my mom married my dad (stepfather but dad to me), we lived in a little one and a half story house with a few big trees in the front and back yards. My room faced the back yard, and there was a huge (in the mind of a 2 or 3 year old) tree that had branches right outside of my window. I remember laying in bed watching the shadows and being absolutely terrified because I didn't realize what I was seeing. The mind of a child can be extremely imaginative! I also remember that I was half asleep and that it was a one-time thing. I wasn't always scared of my room or that tree. 

Isn't it funny how that sticks with me? I never associated my actual age with that memory so I never realized that it was one of my first true memories.

The second memory I really remember is from my parent's wedding. I was 3 1/2 years old and was the flower girl. My cousin must have also been a flower girl because she was also standing near the alter during the wedding. I remember her fidgeting and causing trouble, and I really remember being interested in what she was doing while also knowing it was wrong to do it. 

I've always been very aware of right and wrong, and the fact that I remember that feeling so strongly from so long ago just amazes me. I truly must have been born with that to a certain degree because 3 1/2 is pretty young...

Why am I certain that this is not from a video? Because a little girl who shall not be named happened to tape over her parent's wedding video with cartoons. There is no video anymore. They blame this little girl (surely not I!) but she was just wanting to watch a cartoon.

This was in our old house. That house had a big willow tree in the front that I loved and my mother didn't love (ask her about it, she really doesn't love them like I do!). I only remember the good things so to me this house is just the cutest quaintest place. 

I found my baby book and have a poor quality scanner on my tablet so expect to see more pictures soon. Mike's baby book is also around. It's going to be a historical weekend if I get my way!

Every Morning is a good morning

I love getting up in the morning to this sweet picture. Now that she can stand up on her own, she is always beaming when we come in. She loves to stand and look around her room at all the exciting things going on (usually consisting of Buckley, a pile of laundry, and a few toys left over from the last night's clean up).

Not only are morning fun because the well rested beauty in the house is happy and laughing in her crib (containment=getting ready in peace), but she gets even happier when she gets to eat her banana and bread in the morning. 

Can life truly get any better?

Organize that kitchen!

Just like everyone else, I've got the urge to organize. And it is bad. So I will show you how hard I've been working on my kitchen. I don't have good before pictures but I am so excited about the after pictures that I will proudly show them off.

Here's my one before picture. Well, really it isn't "before" because I took them all out of the cabinet and put them on the table. This is all of my tupperware that is getting the boot. I plan on replacing all of it with glass containers to avoid all the junk that plastic gives off like BPA and other chemicals. I'm finally jumping on this bandwagon...

I like being environmentally friendly and recycling and all of that, but I get so sick of the hype of it all that sometimes I just throw in the towel. If you remember, I was a vegetarian for about two months before I got pregnant with Josie. I did this because of everything I was hearing about the meat industry and what was happening to the animals and even more so because I found that my body did just fine without meat. I was no longer ignorant (sometimes that's not a good thing). But pregnancy won in the end, and my cravings and general appetite required it. 

I am all about trying new things and finding what works best. I try so hard to balance what is good for this beautfiul earth that God gave us and what works for us because if I tried to be the "greenest girl in the world" I'd be completely overwhelmed living in a hole in the ground; I'm sure of it.

Baby steps.

So here is my cabinet that had been packed full with tupperware that was worn out and obviously in need of replacement. I purchased some Pyrex bowls (a set of nine bowls with lids) and another set of three that were smaller but still matched). These glass containers take up about the same amount of space, but I don't have (or probably need) as many of them. I'm sure I'll add to my collection eventually but they are expensive (and way longer lasting of course) so it will be a work in progress.

Aren't they pretty?

 The next thing I'd been wanting to do was use the space on the inside of the cabinets. I keep seeing this brilliant idea of putting hooks up and using that space for more than just a door. Who'd have thought? So I found some cheap hooks at Target and put them up in two different cabinets. Voila!

This added a lot of room to one of our very few drawers that was poring out and getting jammed shut all the time. Pictures of that exciting update will come soon.

Then I moved on to the canned foods cabinet. If I had a before picture, you would have seen cans filling the bottom two shelves and pasta along with other random things that don't have homes filling the top shelf. I went through my canned foods and set aside everything that was expired (much to the dismay of my husband who insists that canned food cannot go bad). It left me with half of the cans left. That is so gross. But it also shows me that we don't use canned foods all that much. Why are we storing all of it then? So out it went, and it will not be replaced (until we use some more of the current-not-expired cans). 

I also added this little shelf that matches a shelf we have to separate our plates and bowls (completely made my week when I got it the first time and of course didn't fail me this time). These things work miracles. So lovely to go up vertically instead of just wasting all of that space!

I rearranged our lazy susan (Susan? Since it's a name, should it be capitalized?) which also had a lot of wasted vertical space and filled in the bottom shelf. I haven't perfected good ole Susan yet so that will have to have follow up pictures later. 

I mentioned before that hubby had added roll out shelves to the pots and pans disaster corner. Here they are:

It makes my heart go pitter patter. No joke. I actually grin like a fool when I get to take something out or put something away. I'm sure it will wear off, but I'm determined to enjoy it while it lasts.

More updates later (because you know there is more. I don't ever do something just a little bit!).

I give up.

Sometimes it's just not worth it to even try to fix that hair.

Note to self: Don't put her to bed with super wet hair (which just so happens to happen every bath night).

And another view, just you can understand how ridiculous it is:

But just to show you how I'm not always a failure, I made this meal. Doesn't it look delicious? Black Bean Burgers and oven fries. Yes. Good.