moving…

again.

I know, but just one more time.  I’ve come to love this space so much that I want more control over what it looks like, who can find it,  and where it’s really located in this big wide internet world.  I’m still learning the ins and outs of the new place, but come on over and don’t forget to change your bookmark!

Family, friends and random kind visitors, thank you so much for the love and support that you have shared with us.  We are blessed by you.

Come on over to the new blog…

xoxo,

Brittany

 

bye bye bea

Today we had to say goodbye to one of our gals, Miss Bea.  We gently packed her into a box and drove her to meet her new Mama, who would take her to a new home on a 10 acre farm with 50 something other chickens.  It was sad to say goodbye to one of our (my) girls, but the truth about Bea is that she just didn’t fit the back yard chicken bill.  Always bok bok boking loudly about everything and bullying the chicks, I was constantly anxious that she was too loud (we don’t want the neighbors to hate us) or that one of the chicks, who are really Asher’s girls would get hurt.

So she is starting a new chapter of life as a farm gal.  I’m sure she will love it.

Goodbye Miss Bea!  We will miss your pretty feathers and your nice big eggs.

 

crossfit kids

CrossFit.  Anyone heard of it?

Dash has been doing CrossFit workouts for quite some time and just recently saw that they have classes at a new gym on post for soldiers, spouses and kids.  Perfect, since I’ve been wanting to start regular workouts again (at a gym that has a kids area that I can leave the kiddos in for an hour while I workout).  Except that my workouts are usually a nice long run or some light weights- challenging yet also somehow relaxing.

So yesterday Asher and I started our new CrossFit classes.  CrossFit Kids was perfect for him!  He is so excited to “eckersize”.  He insisted on wearing his robot socks.

I did the CrossFit Foundations class, which really just covered the basics of CrossFit movements, workout goals and ethics.  So like, lots of listening, squatting with no weights to learn movements and then a quick interval workout that is called a Tabata (ours was doing squats).  Aside from learning the movements (which did have me breaking a mild sweat), the four minute Tabata had me praying (seriously) that I could walk out of the gym and to my car without my legs giving out.

I am in worlds of muscle soreness pain today, shuffling around like some sort of cripple who can’t bend her knees.

This new adventure should be fun.

 

sunday morning pancakes

A simple yet delicious recipe from my Uncle Jim.  I just had to share…

We each ate it our own way.  Mine was classic maple syrup and fresh strawberries, Dad’s was with cream cheese and blackberry jam, Asher’s was vanilla yogurt and blackberry jam and Amelia (who ate TWO pancakes!) had hers with some vanilla yogurt and apple blueberry sauce.  And for even more fun with the kids (everyone was just too hungry for extra cooking fun this morning), split your batter up into separate bowls and add food coloring.  Then get creative!  Create shapes, faces, spell names or drizzle a marbled swirl of color to form your cakes- Uncle Jim gets so creative with his grandkids!

Next time when we aren’t so hungry we will definitely get more creative with ours.

It’s been a long time since we’ve had pancakes this good.  Thanks for the recipe Uncle Jim, I hope you don’t mind if I share!

 

morning magic

A view from my morning…

Watching my baby sleep is spiritual.  Pure magic.

And the happy “I’m awake!” smiles she offers each morning are pure joy.

 

a few reasons why…

I love my man.

photos from a recent family session I did in Georgetown

1.  When we take a family trip to Hobby Lobby and I am on the hunt for some new gallery frames or a bit of yarn for new knits, he is hunting down plain unscented pillar candles to add to our in case the power goes out or some other emergency stash.  And he’s not the least interested in strolling down the fall isles just to smell the smells or view the warm colors.  You know, just for fun? (I know I’m not the only one who does this on hot August days…)

2.  He makes random proclamations of love, often while I, He, or both of us is in the middle of some menial task like washing dishes or folding laundry.  And these proclamations are usually silly, animated and involve some sort of far fetched analogy.

3.  He helps with dishes and laundry. (And lots of other household chores actually…)

4.  And then he still mows the yard without complaint.

5.  He cooks.  Actually, he is a gourmet chef.

6.  He works hard for his family.

7.  He is a GREAT daddy.

I could go on, but I’ll spare you (once again) my over-sappiness and keep it simple.

I am a blessed woman.  And I’m quite looking forward for the years to come with my Mr. B.

 

bathtub love

tiny, wet, wavy locks.

i die.

 

the tale of a brave knight

Before I tell this sweet little tale, I have to admit something.  I haven’t been digging the weekly “lovebites” post lately.  It has changed my spontaneity in posting, and I feel like many of the small moments that I want to write about and remember are lost in the effort to sum up an entire busy weeks activity in one long post that I can rarely find the time to write in one sitting.  It’s much easier and personally more satisfying for me to pull up a new post whenever I’m inspired and just write.  I think I have a personality that can’t decide if it’s type A or type B.  But anywhoo, there may or may not be lovebites from here on out, but there will definitely be funny stories, moments I want to remember, and the same bits of inspiration that move this mama heart as they come.

So now, back to the story.

I have this brave little knight…

And he told me the best story yesterday evening about his adventures.  This was after he had escorted his fair princess around the house (as she is a new walker and sometimes a bit wobbly) and I complimented him on his gallant manners.  He proceeded to inform me that he was a good, brave knight and that he had  just returned from fighting some bad knights at the castle.  I asked him if he won the battle but he said no, they just ran away into the woods.  But then a dragon came and he was blue and breathed fire.  He even stopped to demonstrate many of the brave fighting moves he used in battle.  He had to fight the dragon to save the princess and I asked him if he defeated the dragon but he said no, the dragon just ran away (and then the same happened for an orange dragon, then a red dragon, and then a brown dragon).  They all ran away into the woods.

He really told me all that.  In his own words of course, “n den awoder dragon tame…a wed one!”

I love his little imagination.  How dang cute is he?

(knight gear is all from target and so far has held up well for this roughest of young knights)

 

weekly lovebites :: still too hot

Weekly lovebites: little bits of love from our week.  Moments I felt inspired to click my shutter.

So technically I skipped lovebites last week.  But sometimes living life trumps writing about it.

I’m always full of excuses aren’t I?

As usual these past weeks have been filled to the brim with all sorts of good things…

There were times that I started to sit down and write about them; about the fact that my baby is another month closer to her first birthday, or about the celebration we had to mark a new year in Daddy’s life, or the little ways that I have been feathering our nest and how it all makes me so happy- making our house a little more a home and filling it with all these happy moments and memories; but alas the heat and the kids had drained my energy and after a few lines poured out I was spent and I’d end up choosing to crawl in between the cool sheets of our bed next to my honey (and my squishy baby when she joins the party) and inhale the sweetness of my family and rest.

But as always, the clouds of activity have finally parted, my heart is ready to pour all out and I find myself in the midst of a quiet, restful, day.

So here we go…

:: The many birthdays and holidays we have spent apart just make the ones we get together that much sweeter.  Dash’s birthday celebration was small, quiet and filled with homemade love.  Including ice cream cake.  It wasn’t exactly like I had imagined it looking and we used all of our resources on the inside and were left with nothing to sprinkle on top.  So it was plain looking, but still yummy.  Happy birthday Daddy, we love you so much.

::  There was leftover cake of course.  And in three-year-old world, that means you must have it at every meal until it is gone.  Thank goodness its finally gone.  Asher’s favorite breakfast lately has been an old favorite of mine as well.  The English call it “toad in a hole” (which happens to be his favorite name for it) but my mom used to make it for us and she called it “egg in a basket”.  I love passing small sentiments from my childhood along to my own babies, including twenty-something year old flatware…

:: My budding photographer.  When he gets in “photographic” moods he is relentless, hunting down flowers, chickens, sisters and toys to be his willing subjects.  Makes my mama/photog heart proud.

:: The heat has forced us inside to quieter (and cooler) days of crafting, reading and cooking.  We made this summer berry tart from a recipe in one of our favorite cookbooks, The River Cottage Family Cookbook (remember this one?).  It was a great way to use up a bunch of berries that had been given to us and were going to go bad soon.  And it was quite yummy.

:: Our happy sunflowers bloomed and showed us their cheerful faces at long last.  And survived the caterpillar attack thanks to a homemade peppermint soap spray.  Bugs 1: Mama 1. (Remember the vine borers got almost all my squashes…)

:: We do pop outside for short stints of play.  Bubble mowing works up quite a sweat though…

::Lovin Daddy’s gourmet meals.

panko crusted tuna steaks on a bed of black rice noodles

:: Speaking of meals, hers have been moved to the ground due to acrobatic performances in the high chair.  Whatever works right?

:: Stumbled upon some sweet little canvas paintings for our guest/craft room.  They look a little like illustrations from a field guide (Birds of North America field guide is seriously one of Asher’s fav books).  They make me happy.

daybed from my own childhood, can’t wait till baby girl is big enough to inherit it…

:: We did attempt an early morning family trip to the big park on post.  We brought lots of water and it was still too hot.

:: My baby bits has officially been out as long as she was in.  Nine months.  Wow.  It’s so hard to believe. Watching her grow and talk and clap and walk and dance and wave goodbye- it’s like watching a miracle unfold before my eyes. She is on the fast track, leaving babytown and racing towards toddlerville.

She is our little sunflower, bringing her bright joy into every corner of our home and hearts.

———————-

I’ve been a bit distracted as of late, a mixture between heat exhaustion and dreaming big dreams, but all is ultimately in His hands.  I’m praying a lot lately about my personal future and business plans, mind joining me?

I also booked the kids and I tickets to fly up to Washington next month.  Dash will be out training for a few weeks and we are headed north to visit Aunt Kristen, Uncle Brian, Wesley and Riley.  Can’t wait!

Blessings until next time,

~b

 

enjoying the small things

Yes, it’s about that time again.

Time to proclaim my love for all the little things that make my life so beautiful.

In no particular order…

:: Outtakes.  Sometimes I love these just as much as the ones that are “frame-worthy”.

:: My sewing machine.  It was a Christmas gift (thanks mom and dad!) that will bless me for years to come.  I also love the fact that when my hubby has to get some new sort of clothing item on post and doesn’t feel like waiting in a forever long line for the ladies at clothing and sales to sew on his name tape, he thinks, “Brit can do it” and heads on home.  Yes honey, I am honored to do it.

:: The hipstamatic app on my iphone.  So fun!

:: After dinner treats.

:: Baby tip toes.  They are just as yummy as chocolate.

:: I know it’s so cliche, but I don’t care.  I love the way freshly picked wildflowers brighten the kitchen.

:: Hot creamy coffee in the mornings and ice cold beer in the evenings.

:: Delicious salads and freshly baked bread.

(thanks again for my lovely serving spoon Cindy!)

There are so many more, but these are especially topping my charts at the moment.

What little blessings are your life right now?

enjoying the small things,

~b