the bed has arrived

UPS descended upon our house on Thursday, delivering the bed guardrails, the bedding, and the bed! Britton was very excited about the bedding, and insisted on opening the packages so she could spread it all out. I even kept the labels from the bedding to put in her memory book. Here she is showing it all of to Sadie...

And then Saturday morning the hub and I took Britton to the mattress store to get a mattress. We laid on three different mattresses, comparing support and cushiness and durability. None of which you can really be sure of after only five minutes of laying on a mattress! The salesman, Mr. I Know Everything About Everything, suggested the pillow top and we had already been leaning that way. But I worried that the pillow top would make the mattress so tall that the guardrails wouldn't keep Britton in the bed!

We decided to just put in the mattress and box spring, and hold off on the bed until she gets used to the whole thing. Luckily we had time for her to try it out during nap (when she spent thirty minutes on and off and on and off and on and off the bed) and she never slept. But come bedtime that night, she snuggled in ready for her new bed. She did ask me what happened to her old bed, and I told her we still had it, but we were trying out the new bed for at least one night. I wanted to give her an "out" if she wasn't ready. And we only referred to the bed as her "new bed," not "big girl bed" so if she didn't want it anymore she wouldn't feel badly about it. A few extra hugs, an extra book, a turned-down request for me to sleep with her (not going down that road!) and she was asleep.

And she never got up until Sunday morning, perched at the end of our bed!

creepy crawly yucky

Have I mentioned my many many many issues with living in Texas? Sure, it's always hot, and no one can drive well or at least legally. But have I mentioned the........ SPIDERS the size of your hand? Or the SNAKES that like our driveway? Let me explain.

 A couple of weeks ago the hub found a snake sneaking up our driveway, so he promptly killed it with a shovel. We figured it was a one-time thing, you know? Well, later we went walking to the park, and our neighbor showed us a glue board he had stashed in his garage. There was a snake trapped on it. Our neighbor said that snakes like to get in on the sides of the garage door so he uses rat glue traps to get the sneaky snakes that make it in. The hub and I decided that we should put a couple out too. Just in case. 

Two days ago Britton and I were leaving the house through the garage to go to the park. I got her into her wagon, and we were pulling out of the garage when I noticed a snake curled up next to the garage door edge. It wasn't in a glue trap, it was just sunning itself next to the door.  Not wanting to freak out Britton, I told her we had a quick pit stop before our walk, and went to my next-door neighbor's house. He wasn't home, and neither was the next neighbor. On our third stop we finally found someone at home! I explained that the hub was out of town and I don't deal with snakes well and I just needed someone to make it go away. They came over but the snake was already gone and we couldn't find it. We searched and searched but there was no sign of it. So I thanked them for their help, and Britton and I went on our walk. She asked where the snake was and I told her he left. She then said, "He went home to his family. To eat dinner." Already emotional from the snake fiasco, her explanation made me almost cry!

 Well, I tried to forget about the whole thing, but I couldn't so I spent the night researching how to get rid of snakes. I went to Lowe's the next morning (out the front door, not the garage) and bought new glue traps and mothballs (snakes hate the smell apparently), and when I got home I went to put them all out. Except, I saw this...

And these....

I freaked out. Just lost it. I could in no way deal with a snake and two huge spiders. Even writing this makes my skin crawl. Eventually I went out to see if the snake was still alive. I didn't want to kill it, I really didn't, because snakes are fine if they just leave me alone. And you can release them from the traps by pouring vegetable oil on the snake to dissolve the glue (of course, taking the trap and snake far far far away from your house first).  But really, that snake was kind of flat and if not dead it was close to it. So in the trash it went. The spiders too. Then the trash cans went to the curb. Now I have 100 glue traps all over the garage and it stinks like an old attic in there from the mothballs!

 Sadie got a crown for not attempting to "play" with the used glue boards.

becoming mortal

My college roommate Carrie taught me the art of the scrapbook. We would go out, us and half the floor of our dorm, go out to parties and bars and places I never perfectly described to my mother so she wouldn't worry. Then, the day after, or the day after that if we couldn't lift our hung-over heads from our pillows, we dropped off film for one-hour development and waited. Pictures spread all over our tiny room's floor, and magazines and scissors at the ready, we filled magnetic-page albums with proof of our lives. I remembered the introduction page to my album documenting the year after I graduated college, and I would like to share it:

  "On July 16, 2001, I set out for Richmond, Virginia hoping to see the big city, tall skyscrapers, millions of lights, and even more people. In other words, to find everything Blacksburg could not be because even after being there only four years, small is small. 


 I thought how incredible it would be, diploma in hand, to get a "real job," room with Jennifer Clark, go out every weekend in a town of more than 10 bars. But I never thought that I wouldn't be able to find a job and without a job, it doesn't matter how many bars a city has to offer. Besides, I was a college graduate - doesn't that count for anything? Not really, unless you have the golden word of employment: experience. 


 Bartending in college may have given me extra cash and free drinks in Blacksburg, but here in Richmond it became what I used to do. And Virginia Tech became the school I used to attend. And Blacksburg became the place I used to live. 


 Suddenly, rushing towards the real world, towards forty-hour work weeks, bedtime at 10:00 p.m. and still being tired when the alarm rings at 7:00 a.m., towards medical insurance, dental insurance, car maintenance, paying rent, researching long-distance calling plans, and dropping off dry cleaning seemed second rate, the way you view Busch Gardens when your parents promised Disneyland. Spending eight hours a day at a job fit for a high school dropout so I can pay rent on the apartment that I never spend time in because I have to go to work. 


 And then I remember back when college was new, and sleeping in meant that you didn't see the sun that day. When going downtown on a Tuesday night wasn't frowned upon, but encouraged because class wasn't until noon, so why not? When the only thing that made life worth living was the fact that your 21st birthday was only 3 months, 2 weeks, and 27 days away. When responsibility was considered something that people with 4.0s and children had, definitely not people like us. 


 But you know what? Life isn't lived looking behind you, wanting to change certain things, hide little details, or wishing you could go back. Have you ever walked looking behind you? Eventually, and sooner than later, you either run into someone or something. So, my eyes are looking out and around, memorizing my nephew's hands that will never be that little again, studying the tree in front of my apartment that rivals any tree on Skyline Drive, looking in a mirror at the face that uses wrinkle cream and zit cream every night, and neither is doing its job. But that's life. So, why write an introduction to this scrapbook and not the others? Well, this is one from the first year of my life as an (almost) adult." 


 I remember when I wrote this, because at the time life felt very long to me. Everything up until that point seemed to last forever - getting to middle school, first dance, first kiss, driving, drinking, graduation, college. It felt like I had been in those places forever. It was a time when life was easy to remember.

 I told the hub the other day that I know why some people choose not to have children. Simply, it makes them immortal. We all have friends, family, siblings, parents, co-workers even, that continue to live and change along with us. New job, marriages, divorces, moves to this state or that - we all change but the thing is, we're all changing at the same time. There is an inherent selfishness to a childless life, indulgent of what we want, when we want it, whether we need it or not. But having children is different. I don't care how hard your job is, or how difficult your new college is, or law school, or how long your commute in a new city is. Nothing will alter your world so profoundly, and so permanently, as having a child. Because unlike most things in our lives, children are forever.

And it's with that realization that we parents become mortal. Because with that realization we also become aware of our own responsibility in not just producing a child, but producing a child that is a benefit to society, a society of which we won't be a part of in the future. A child that contributes without destruction, a child that seeks to learn and educate, a child that desires to make things more beautiful, more clean, more more. 

A legacy. And cruelly, while we are coming up to an age where dreams are scrapped for reality. I can no longer move to New York City. Or become a new artist rep for a record company. Or compose music. Or travel the world. Regardless of if I ever actually wanted to do those things, I am now at a place in my life where I have to shake those ideas off the "to-do" list. Not bitterly, please understand. And certainly not all dreams. The real dreams, the ones you hold to your core, the ones that make you get up in the morning - they persist. It's the fanciful, what-if dreams that get replaced. 

 I am becoming increasingly aware of how fast time is moving now. I see it in Britton's monthly pictures (time for that again?? We just took it!) and in how the hubs and I discuss when Britton will start preschool and in ordering big girl beds and Britton using the big potty all on her own without a peep about needing help. I hear it when strangers remind me to "enjoy every minute! They grow up so fast!" and I nod and say, "They sure do!" because it is actively happening in front of me.   And I know that there will come a time that I am no longer in her world - when I will pass the baton and hope I did it all right.

 

say hello to the big girl bed

It all started two nights ago, when Britton told me she wanted a bigger bed. She's still in her crib, mostly because my sister said that if you don't move a kid into a bed too early, they don't have as many issues (getting up 500 times a night, screaming, refusing to actually get in said bed, you get the gist). And she likes the crib and hasn't had any problems with it, so why mess with a good thing? Well, we were brewing about her desire for a bigger bed, then during nap time yesterday she actually climbed out of her crib by herself. I looked at the monitor, saw her wandering around her room, and ran outside to show the hub, who was cutting the grass. He said, "Guess it's time to get a bed."

 So we spent last night checking out the internet to see what was out there. We decided to just go ahead and get an actual bed instead of a mattress on the floor, so it would feel more like a crib. But that of course means we needed side rails. And since we don't know how a bed will fit in Britton's room (we may have to move furniture around depending on how far it sticks out into the room), we didn't know if the bed would be against a wall, so we went ahead and just got the double rail. Here's the bed we decided on - the "Catalina Bed" from Pottery Barn Kids. We got it in "Simply White," and I didn't even notice that there were options of "White" and "Simply White" until after I ordered it. Turns out that "Simply White" is white and "White" is cream. Ridiculous, I know. But I got the right color because Britton's dresser is white. We got a twin size so it wouldn't take up her entire room. Here is the bed...

And a bed needs a bedspread, but dang it all I couldn't find a set I just LOVED. So I checked out Pottery Barn Kids quilts and decided on the "Sasha Quilt," after checking Target, JC Penney, The Company Store Kids, One Step Ahead, and Overstock and not being blown away. I guess I could have made a quilt, but not in a week! And Memaw made Britton a quilt for her bed, but it fits a toddler bed and not a twin, so it will sit at the end of Britton's bed.

I asked Britton what color sheets she wants, and she said purple. It seemed odd, since she gravitates towards pink, but I figured she knew what she wanted. The quilt is also the only one I found that incorporates purple, pink, and green. Her curtains are pink gingham and her walls are green, and I was not going to redo her entire room to accommodate purple! Truthfully, the hub and I have a weak spot for Pottery Barn sheets, as they are the softest ever, and hold up after hundreds of washings (and get softer after each wash). I checked the prices, and the sheet set we got was the same price as a comparable set at Target! So we went with what we know, and I hope Britton loves them too. They are "Garden Party," and include a lovely shade of lavender.

Last, but not least, the bed rails! I didn't want to spend $100 on the Pottery Barn Kids rails, because I don't really care if they match her bed finish or not. However, I didn't think that the best-reviewed rails would mean I'd be choosing between pink or blue! We went with pink, and I really hope they hold up as well as the reviews said. We ordered them from Wal-Mart.

Everything is set to arrive by the end of the week (yes, the UPS guy is going to hate us!) so we're taking Britton mattress shopping next Saturday. We're also crossing our fingers that by involving her in the mattress shopping and the assembly of the bed and linens that she'll get excited about her new bed. Because ya'll know I'm not going to be a happy camper if Britton gets up 500 times during the night! Next thing to buy...

For all the outside doors, because Britton knows how unlock our doors!

our week

I made the cake from Better Homes and Gardens! It turned out really good, though the icing called for six sticks of butter.  I only used four because I just couldn't get passed the idea that the cake would taste like it was dipped in butter.

Britton liked it, and I sent the rest of it to work with the hub on Monday morning so I wouldn't want to eat the entire thing myself!

Here's Britton last Sunday afternoon after the car ride home from Memaw and PawPaw's house. She naps all week at daycare but come Saturday and Sunday she refuses. I still try to put her down for a nap, but no longer get all bent out of shape if she won't comply. But the reason I had to take this picture was because I never really get to see Britton sleeping. She goes to bed at night and falls asleep within minutes of me leaving the room, but I don't dare ever go back in since Britton is a light sleeper.  Isn't she just so sweet here?

And Britton started ballet classes at daycare this week! There is a traveling dance teacher that goes to the different daycares in the area and teaches for a thirty minute class once a week. Surprisingly, I got an email from the teacher that the recital is on May 21st. Huh? Turns out while they hold classes all year, I managed to sign up Britton one month before the recital! Here are her ballet shoes, and I added the apple for size comparison.

This is Britton pretending to be PawPaw by wearing his glasses and hat. The whole thing cracked her up! And Memaw and PawPaw too, that is until Britton went to throw the glasses!

We were watching Dora the Explorer together this week and during this episode I happened to look up when Dora and the gang were water-skiing in a river, being pulled by a pink dolphin, and then when she and Cousin Diego rode condors. Seriously, this is my WTF? moment of the week!

to ohio memaw and pawpaw go

Yes, it's true - Memaw and PawPaw are moving to Ohio on Friday. PawPaw got a job offer/promotion to move to Ohio and he accepted and now come Friday they will no longer live ten minutes away from us. I haven't told Britton much, mainly because her long-term memory can't be counted on for details, and I don't want to keep explaining it to her and making her upset. She's older now, and understands when the hub goes on a trip. But the problem? She also knows that when the hub is on a trip he's coming back home. And they aren't.

It's not the first time we haven't lived near family. In fact, since the hub and I went to law school, we've never lived near family, save the three months we lived in Virginia Beach. When we had Britton, we were at best a four hour plane ride from anyone related to either of us. And it was hard. Because it doesn't matter how often family calls, or how many friends you have (we had so few in Oklahoma it was embarrassing), having family around is just different.

In true Carrie fashion (yes, I did just pull out a third person!), I made Memaw a quilt. She had shown up at my house months ago with some tan fat quarters and no plan on what to make with them. So she handed them to me to make something. I was contemplating an Ohio Stars quilt pattern (oh, the serendipity), but instead went with the Swoon quilt. The pattern looks like this (linked up here):



But I don't buy patterns so I pulled out my graph paper and figured out the pattern of just one block. And made it big.



Sadie helped out too....



Love the two sets of legs behind the quilt...



Who's Mommy's quilt holder helper? Britton!



I used all the tans as mosaic blocks within the pattern. It just worked.



Come Friday I will have lost my quilting buddy! Memaw taught me to quilt and has been my sounding board ever since. We are going to miss them but I also know that Ohio will be a new fun adventure. The hub goes there often for business and has always told me how beautiful the region is, even before we knew they were moving. And Sadie was born in Ohio, so we've got the family connection, you know? We will still visit each other, but we all know it won't be the same. But such is life - it goes on, whether you want it to or not.

what i know (and it ain't much)

This has been a sort of odd neutral week for me. Other than Britton being one big raw nerve yesterday (and crumbling into a crying heap if we even so much as looked at her), this week has been neither fast nor slow, neither boring nor exciting, neither trying nor easy. So here's what we've been up to...

We decided to take the whole "make Britton into a tattoo artist" thing a little further and actually put Tinkerbell tattoos on her (she calls them stickers, though). But darn it all if those things don't come off with soap and water! The hub mentioned, after the fact I might add, that you need rubbing alcohol to remove them. I say we get the steel wool out and teach Britton a lesson about the permanence of tattoos, kidding of course! Okay, only a little.




I don't know what Sadie's secret is, but just by looking at her expression you know it's a good one. And please don't mention that she's getting more white on her face, because I know she looks older than the puppy she used to be and I can't deal with her getting older. Kids are one thing, but dogs really should never get old.



Hummingbirds are visiting the feeder hanging off my office window. I was completely distracted by them yesterday, trying to get a good picture, and conveniently forgot to work for an hour at a time.



Memaw and I went to our favorite quilt shop this week and I got a bundle of goodies. The solids are for an isosceles triangle quilt (my first!) and the bunting fabric was just because I liked it. Until I got to the cutting counter and noticed that all the solids are in the bunting fabric. Visions of little boy quilts danced in my head. So I know I'll make them into a quilt, but I don't know for sure what quilt. The Strawberry Fields fat quarters were all that the store had left of that line, and I couldn't just not get it, you know?



I know that this is what happens when Britton is tall enough to reach her dresser top, and drags the hub into her room and shuts the door.



The best thing I've read about parenting on a blog in a long time (original post here).


You know how you end up buying just one more book from Amazon than you intended, so you get the free shipping? It goes like this, in my head, "Well, one book is $6 and this one is $15 and that's only $21 total so if I buy one more book for $12 then it's $33 total, but I get free shipping so it's like the third book is 80% off and I could never get this deal at Barnes and Noble." Yeah, it's like that - but then throw in Pioneer Woman's new cookbook.



The hub had a near-coniption fit over the cover of this magazine. I know I'm making this cake this weekend. I also know that all leftovers of this cake are going with the hub to his office Monday morning, because the cake plus the icing calls for over two pounds of butter!

a girly quilt

I had some leftover fabric from Britton's "Children on Parade" shirt, and the flowered fabric and pinwheel fabric are part of the same line. That stack of beautiful fabric was just waiting to be made into something, and dang it all I didn't know anyone having a baby girl. But I figured, why not just make a baby girl quilt anyways?

When I mention quilting to my sister, she asks me how the planning is going on my 82nd birthday party. Seriously. I know it's an uncommon hobby for someone who is 33 years old, but it's my stress-relief, my therapy. There is something absolutely calming about taking little pieces of fabric and making something out of them.

Anywho, long story short, I really wanted to try out a new pattern (check it out here) and I had the perfect fabric, so now a beautiful baby girl quilt is sitting in my office closet waiting for a home.



I've never used ric rac before in a quilt, and it was the one part of the quilt pattern I was really excited about. And the green stripe was an addition by the hub, who thought the pink and green looked good together, even though it doesn't appear anywhere in the parade colors. He was right - the green works perfectly.

happy easter!

We started off our Easter weekend on Friday morning with a family breakfast out. Britton wore her Easter dress and we ordered a stack of pancakes, eggs, and bacon galore.



Then Saturday morning it was off to the neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt with Memaw and PawPaw. We raced home from our monthly Home Depot Kid's Workshop (made a bird feeder!) to throw Britton into the wagon and get down to the neighborhood park. Britton was excited for her egg hunt, and probably the most excited about the candy!







The name of this candy cracks me up. "Jesus Promise Seeds." Huh?



Britton learned a lesson about the black jelly beans - black licorice is gross!



Then that afternoon PawPaw, the hub, and I went to the shooting range.



My first shot was that bullseye in the middle of the target. Of course, it took me ten minutes to line it up!



And Easter without coconut cake? Egads! I made Bobby Flay's Toasted Coconut Cake with Coconut Buttercream (make it yourself here) and Memaw made her patented bunny cake.




Then this morning Britton woke up to her Easter basket that the Easter Bunny dropped off. She insisted on some candy immediately, but we convinced her to eat a real breakfast before gorging on chocolate and jelly beans!




Then we dyed hard-boiled eggs, and I later made them into deviled eggs with dinner.



Britton loved her markers from Memaw and PawPaw.



And the hub taught her to write a "t." You can see two t's below right next to each other.




And Britton's "n."



The hub predicts Britton will be a tattoo artist based on her excitement at drawing all over PawPaw! She was right due for a bath after all the marker drawing.



Hoppy Easter!