On my mind...

You would think that I would have a million things on my mind right now because I have had a bit of a crazy day, but really all I can think of is this:

So to all of my Ithaca friends (and Molly in Fredericksburg and maybe even Ashley in Maryland), please go and enjoy a slice (or two or three . . .) of Wegmans Ultimate Chocolate Cake in my behalf!

I tried to ingrain its delicious decadence in my mind before we left and I swear I dream of it. I wonder if Wegmans will ever share this sweet secret, if so, I deeply hope it happens during my lifetime.

some thoughts on parenthood...

This week I have been thinking a great deal about how to raise Savannah and thought I would throw this out there and see what everyone had to say. It all started Sunday when Skyler came back into the chapel after a crazy time of trying to get Savannah to sleep. This particular time was a bit frustrating because church is three hours long, at 9 am, right during her first nap, which sets the tone for the entire day, and she just wanted to look at all of the exciting things around her. As soon as Skyler took her outside to the fresh, cool, quiet air, she went to sleep. When Sky came back in he said something to me that struck me because I have considered it many times before. He said something to the effect of "I worry about getting frustrated with her (Savannah) and making her do things she doesn't want to do. She is such a happy person and I don't want to ruin that."

Have we all had this moment? I think of this over and over some days when it is all I can do to sing to Savannah instead of scream at her for not sleeping when she needs to or not eating when she is clearly starving. This little girl doesn't want to miss a beat. I love this about her. I want to see the world like she sees it. I also had this moment as a teacher with students that just did things a little differently than I asked.

Now that you know the feeling...how do you do it? How do you train a child to be everything that they can be and to do everything that they "should" do and not ruin who they are?

Having only had Savannah for 7 months I already know that she has a joy to her that can change things. Her smile makes my everyday the best day ever. I am so sad when I think of the things in the world that are going to hurt her and the terrible things she has to learn. How can I help her to always be who she naturally is and never lose her positive outlook on life? I want to always see her beautiful smile, the smile that brightens the day of the random people we meet and that has definitely changed our lives forever.

the beach...

I love the beach. It very well may be my favorite place on earth. I am partial to the Oregon Coast and feel most at home with the salty fresh air, cold water, and constant wind. I just can't think of a better place to be though Skyler does tell me that warm beaches win by far. I will know someday, but there is just something about walking barefoot in the sand on the Oregon Coast that makes me feel like there isn't a care in the world.

Last Saturday we took advantage of the shining sun and made our way to the beach. I was simply giddy at the idea of taking Savannah to the beach for the first time. She loved seeing all of the new things and seemed to be the happiest baby on earth (as she does most days). Savannah loved watching all of the dogs play and the other little kids hanging out on the sand. Best of all, Savannah loved touching the sand and she even let me put her feet in the ocean water.

Savannah's first time in the sand . . .

We all enjoyed fantastic food throughout the day and had the best crab I could imagine for lunch. We spent the afternoon walking up and down the coast and relaxed on the sand letting the unexpected February sun thaw us out a bit. Skyler and I were even able to enjoy a few romantic moments throughout the day. Skyler was especially happy to be taking a break and was thrilled to see his two girls so happy. Maybe we will end up living on the coast someday . . .

shopping obsessions update...

This post is for my friends that I love to shop with and were so sweetly interested in my new shoes! I thought I would let you know that my shoes came and I absolutely LOVE them. Both pairs fit perfectly and are of fantastic leather. There is no way I could have bought leather boots anywhere else for that price and been so happy! Skyler gave me the boots for one of my Valentine's gifts and I was so happy about them that I found a way to wear them to church. Skyler said I looked like I came out of a magazine (don't worry, he is incredibly biased, luckily). I will continue to do my part to keep Piperlime in business now and will always recommend them...I even took the time to write a review on their site.

Now we are waiting for another shoe delivery. Savannah has used the remainder of her Christmas money on some new fancy shoes. She has really narrow feet (like me) so I am hoping that these will work well for her. There are two twin girls (Karlee's beautiful nieces) at church that wear this brand of shoes and they look like they might work for Savannah. Let's hope that our shoe luck continues!

shopping obsessions...

I love boots...in fact I just love shoes. Boots and wedges are the current "must-have" in my head right now. I took a risk and bought some online at Piperlime. I just couldn't find what I wanted at a reasonable price in the stores. So now I am sitting here waiting anxiously for them to arrive. I sure hope they are what I am dreaming of! They do have free return shipping so that is comforting.

What do you think?
(other than that I am ridiculous, I know that already!)

crazy hair girl...

Some mornings I just have to laugh at Savannah's hair. It is cute that she has so much hair, but it gets really out of control and makes her slightly resemble a punk-teenager. This morning before her nap I gave her a bath and dried & combed her hair before putting her to sleep, but this is still what she woke up with.

the piano...

the project
I purchased a piano for Skyler for Christmas for a whopping $50! The trick was that it was BLUE. It sounds great, plays smoothly, but it needed a makeover. With my dad's supervision--he knows how to fix everything and makes it all look easy--I got to work!

The project was researched, cleaned, & assessed.

The paint was stripped.


The wood was sanded.


The keys were replaced.


The commercial lacquer was applied.


The hardware was polished & the pedal re-adjusted.


Now it is BEAUTIFUL.

This has been a great project. This piano was my focus when Savannah was down for naps or in bed for the night. It took a lot of time, about 4 weeks of focused efforts, but I couldn't be happier with the outcome. I am glad to say that Skyler has now been able to practice each day after work and I am working my way through the "level A" books that I borrowed from Sky's little siblings. We are so happy to have a piano in our home. It has been far too long.

history
The piano is a "Wegman"--yes as in the same name as the store in Ithaca that I still miss. The piano was made by the Wegman Piano Company in 1924 in Auburn, NY. I was quite thrilled to learn this and was even more devoted to making it look like it did originally. I love having a piece of Upstate New York in our home again.

Not only was the piano baby blue, but under the blue it was avocado green. And under the green it was hooker red. And under the red was the original deep chocolate brown/black lacquer.

We have all sorts of ideas on the history of this piece of furniture. We like to joke that it was in a saloon as we found a jack of hearts player card inside and a gambling ticket (1966). We also found a Mercury dime from 1944. We like to think it was red while it was in an early 1930's saloon.