find your zen place...(long and boring post)

Work has been rough lately...I think the years there are catching with for me. For every reason the place drives me crazy I have at least 3 reasons to love it. The best parts of the job are...

1. the co-workers that have become friends.

2. competitive pay and great perks (like free coffee)

3. Evan, my favorite customer (he's 3) his dad has been bringing
him in on Saturday mornings since he was a
baby in his little footsie pj's. He asks for me by name and
blows me kisses when he leaves. I love him.
And I enjoy some other customers too :)

4. Flexible schedule. I pretty much tell my
boss when I'm I'm willing to work and
she accommodates me.

I won't mention the bad parts of the job, that would be tacky :( And I'm not sure I can even explain exactly why the place is draining the life force out of me.

on a lighter note...

Today somebody at work burned their hand with boiling water...I swear these people are so spazzy even when dealing with hot liquids. I'm like "slow it down y'all" anyway, the burn was looking pretty bad. I was scanning my brain to remember the homeopathic I used for first aid and I remembered "calendula ointment" So I swung by the health food store on my way home to get some and it made me soo happy to be in there! I used to keep a kit with all natural remedies and I've slowly ran out of things and never replenished. Just seeing all that stuff that I love and remembering the process I went through to get Alexandria out of the vicious cycle of antibiotics/stomach issues/compromised immune system. I LOVE NATURAL MEDICINE!!! Not herbs per say but homeopathic remedies. Not to brag but I kinda know a little about them so it's cool to pass things along that really help people and maybe help them heal with out yucky medicine with a ton of dangerous side effects.

So just for fun I'm going to list my top 5 homeopathic picks.

1. Hylands Teething Tablets. in a word=LIFESAVER
2. Boiron Calendula Ointment. a must have first aid for burns or scratches
3. Boiron Chestal Honey Cough Syrup. AMAZING they have adult and children's formula
4. Boiron Arnica Gell. Bruises and sore muscles
5. Similasan Ear Drops. Will clear an ear infection with out antibiotics and ease pain too.

Theres so much more but I'll stop at 5. The coolest thing is to see some of these products going mainstream and we're able to find them at the grocery store or pharmacy. This was not the norm even 5 years ago so maybe, just maybe, it's catching on?

I heart my kitchen.

Notice the emptiness that is my china cabinet? Well...not anymore. I called the locksmith! I did it! My mother will be so proud.
How therapeutic it is to display my China.

Why Pink?

"betuz I am pink"
a quote from alexandria
at 4 years old.

dream job?

I love, love, love pastry art. I've been daydreaming lately about opening a gourmet cupcake shop like this one. The founder was on TV the other day and I found her to be inspiring. She had a degree in finance but guess what...it was boring. She was making cakes on the side, using the left over batter to make cupcakes for her husband when she realized that cupcakes could be artistic and fabulous. Now she's rolling in the dough (bad pun) and seemingly very happy.

The topic of "loving what you do" has come up in several conversations this week...I just want to LOVE going to work, is that too much to ask?

Happy Valentine's Day & Happy 38th Anniversary to Mom and Dad...

*lovely pictures found on marthastewart.com*

get some tissues and watch this movie...

my future? it is what it is...

sometimes life is surprising.
sometimes it's surprising in good ways,
sometimes it's surprising in bad ways.
I am constantly at war with the pro's to my con's
and the con's to my pro's.
indecisive, very imperfect perfectionist I am.
But ultimately I am peace
knowing that I don't call the shots
the turmoil is in vain
because it's all already been figured by someone
who knows far better than me what I need.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jer 29:11

a little bit rock and roll...

go ty, go.

my adorable nephew.

I DID IT...

I threw a birthday party for Abraham David!

It was his first party since he turned 4. And for the first time in 4 years I escaped the black hole that is mommy guilt. It was low key at the Grid (our churches super cool hang-out place.) We had music, XBOX, soda, chips, pizza (thanks Toya,) cake, ice cream, and break dancing (Abraham does a mean robot.) So Grandpa Carlos wanted to go in with us to get him a NINTENDO DS...Carlos traveled across out great city and found that there were only 4 DS' in the area and they were all PINK. We offered his this choice along with a TMNJ skin that covered most of the pink and he said..."I'm ok with waiting" so we ordered one on-line on Friday only to find Target had about 20 black ones come in over the weekend...bummer. But I'm kinda glad Hammy isn't instant gratification like his dad (ok...and me)

You probably would love to see pictures, me too...we had the camera but no batteries so Toya (my Huntsville Hannah) took pictures now I just need to get them from her.

So here's a few word about my second-born child.

I could tell from the first first day that Abraham was mellow, he cared more about sleeping than eating...he's always been the best sleeper. He lays down, closes his eyes, and sleeps until morning. No "I need a sip of water" or "I'm scared of the dark" And for eating...he's picky and only eats when he's starving, it's not a comfort thing or pass time for him. He has an absolute heart of GOLD, he has more conviction than most adults, and is ridiculously intelligent. He could be a model for gap or Russell Moore Salon...haha. Sorry if it's impolite to brag about how cool my kid is but I can't help it...he's wonderful.

melancholy tendencies...

I tend to sit around a lot
theres stuff I should be doing
but theres lots of reasons not to
I need to go to the grocery store
but it's such a production
the kitchen floor needs mopping
but that's boring
I worked last night
not for a long time
but I got to bed late
and woke up with a headache
the lunches wouldn't have packed themselves
so I got up
I work tonight
so I must give myself some downtime
or it will all just be too much
but I hate sitting around
it makes me feel so blah
and so the cycle continues.
Why couldn't I have been type A?

the unforgettable fire..

After a very traumatic first 2 years of living here, I had a breakthrough. I no longer had a gaping hole in my heart! I got so much better about not missing home, family and friends every minute of the day....but still some days are hard.

Today, I talked to Hannah about birth...something I haven't talked about in so long.
I never get to doula anymore...another thing I gave up when I left Jacksonville. I'm now in the land of the conventional where midwifes are outlaws and homebirthers are an underground society.
I miss the birth community back home...I miss doula meetings and bradley method classes, making belly casts, ranting with my BFF"S about c-section rates, circumcision, the audacity of infant formula companies. I miss going to births in the middle of the night, witnessing little miracles come into the world, seeing a mom instantly connect with her baby. I miss being a crusader for something that matters.
Birth is my passion and I've had to let it go.
sad.
It's ok to be sad sometimes, just not all the time.