tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23248003273150254262024-03-13T12:03:56.949-07:00Beth Allison's Wonderlanda twin mom's world of family + craftsbeth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324800327315025426.post-35937230425567209642014-10-24T18:26:00.000-07:002014-10-24T18:42:38.261-07:00Liv's Story - Part 3 of 3<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Although we were heartbroken by the fact that Texas
Children’s Hospital could not do the surgeries and save Liv, we were at the
same time relieved by the fact that Liv would not have to go through the open
heart surgeries and months / years of life in the hospital and struggles. One
of the blessings that came out of all of our research and struggle in choosing
to do surgeries or not, is that we understand (as much as possible as people
who have not actually gone through the struggles) what the surgeries would mean
for Liv’s life. If she were to survive, her road would have been extremely
difficult & painful (for Liv, us as her parents, and the many life changes
for the twins). While we were fully committed to helping Liv through that road,
no matter what came, we were also dreading having to put her through all of the
surgeries and medical procedures only for her not to be able to survive any
length of time outside of the hospital.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The trip back home to Zachary on Sunday morning was
definitely one of mixed emotions. We were joyful to be able to bring Liv back
home. We never thought that we would be able to do that if she were to pass
away. We thought that she would almost certainly be in the hospital if that
time came. We were also sad because of what the trip meant, and what we knew was
to come. We were transported home by the Kangaroo Crew, who once again were the
most loving and comforting people we could have asked for. When we arrived
home, it was a little bit unreal to actually be there, as we had already come
to terms just the week before that we wouldn’t be coming back for many months. The
house was so still and peaceful and tidy (the twins had not made it home yet). After
the Kangaroo Crew left, there was the 10 minutes of “what do we do now”?</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8kzo1QdRb6k/VEr6BFE7LKI/AAAAAAAABUU/whm2UzXw-HA/s1600/IMG_5660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8kzo1QdRb6k/VEr6BFE7LKI/AAAAAAAABUU/whm2UzXw-HA/s1600/IMG_5660.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">(Loading Liv into the airplane for the ride home)</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We had a nurse and social worker visit us from the Hospice
of Baton Rouge and they helped to explain what would happen and make sure we
were set up with everything we needed for Liv. Callie, our very kind and compassionate
photographer who had taken our family / maternity pictures come to our house to
take pictures of Liv and the boys that we will cherish forever – photos of her
with no wires and no tubes. Her husband also came and made a wonderful video of
Liv that is truly priceless.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The first night with Liv at home was amazing. It was such a
simple time, really: our family of 5 all at home together, safe and warm in our
beds. Something we would have certainly taken for granted outside of the circumstances
we were currently facing with Liv. It was wonderful for us to be able to hold
her without all the beeping and interruptions of the CVICU, without wires
keeping her tethered within a foot or so of her CIVCU crib. We didn’t put her
down at all except for a couple hours at night to get some rest, where she
slept right between us. </span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eQK3qPduQNM/VEr6DNmWs7I/AAAAAAAABUs/3X7KfDS7h3g/s1600/IMG_5792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-eQK3qPduQNM/VEr6DNmWs7I/AAAAAAAABUs/3X7KfDS7h3g/s1600/IMG_5792.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the great things about being home was getting to see
our church group, and them being able to see Liv; we will always be thankful
for the time together on Monday afternoon. While we definitely wanted to have
this time, we struggled for a long time before deciding that this was the right
thing to do. With Liv not on her medications any longer, we were not sure
exactly how long she was to have left with us. The doctors had told us anywhere
from a couple hours to a couple days. Fortunately, Liv was doing well enough
that afternoon for us to have our church group come over to meet her in person!</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RTYD-DX-T6E/VEr6Cyz3qeI/AAAAAAAABUo/HIx8K2G5LZw/s1600/IMG_5784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RTYD-DX-T6E/VEr6Cyz3qeI/AAAAAAAABUo/HIx8K2G5LZw/s1600/IMG_5784.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">(Our church group visiting Liv)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our church group has been so instrumental in helping us
though this tough season of life. They have been there to pray with us, watch
our house and children, and support us in ways that we never knew we needed.
They left us notes of scripture and encouragement all over our home, stickers
and a balloon for the boys, and made sure we had more than enough food to eat.
Whitney watched the boys whenever we needed so we could give undivided attention
to Liv and have them around Liv without things being too chaotic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We were also able to have a quick, private baby dedication
with our pastor that afternoon. Baby dedications are very unique and special
events. This was an awesome time for us to pray over Liv and her story and for
Beth and I to dedicate her life to our Lord, Jesus Christ. God has used Liv to
greatly bless our family and others, and we will continue to share Liv’s story throughout
our lives and allow God to use her to touch people’s lives and change them for
His glory.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f5YryrzesHI/VEr6ByUXEzI/AAAAAAAABUg/o8g8ga185K4/s1600/DSC_0220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f5YryrzesHI/VEr6ByUXEzI/AAAAAAAABUg/o8g8ga185K4/s1600/DSC_0220.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">That night after our church group went home, we ate dinner,
and Asher and Eli came home and were able to see Liv one last time and give her
a kiss goodnight. For the next hour or so, we just held each other while
holding Liv, all sitting on one cushion of the couch, as Liv’s physical life
faded. We always imagined that the moment of Liv’s passing away would be
extremely difficult, but the peace that we had in that moment showed us God’s
hand and His compassion for our family. As Liv left us, it become more and more
evident that she was no longer in her physical body. We had already had our good
times with Liv over the previous 9 days: her opening her deep eyes, her sweet
newborn movements, how she would nestle up comfortably and make a little double
chin in the process, the time spent finger painting with Asher and Eli in the
CVICU, her newborn pictures, all the visits from her loving family and friends.
We felt no need to hold on to her physical life, knowing that she is leaving
for a place in heaven, where she’ll have no pain or fear. All the days in the
world would not have felt like enough with Liv. We are proud of the life that
Liv lived, and honored that God chose to use her in such a powerful way in our
lives and in the lives of people that we’ve never met.</span></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qA1a9OHzZJY/VEr6AYNvOJI/AAAAAAAABUQ/x_D5fhUrC2c/s1600/IMG_5632.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qA1a9OHzZJY/VEr6AYNvOJI/AAAAAAAABUQ/x_D5fhUrC2c/s1600/IMG_5632.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">(All the kids' handprints)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our physical separation from Liv is difficult, and we’ll
never cease to long to hold her and to see her again. Our grief is amplified
when we see Asher and Eli saddened over missing Liv (which they have begun to
express in the recent weeks – especially Asher). Our joy is in the fact that
Liv’s life was and continues to be a beautiful display of God’s love for us and
how He works through events in our lives to teach us things that we could never
have asked for. We love Liv with all of our hearts and have been blessed by God
through her life. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
beth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324800327315025426.post-41792106466536445902014-09-15T19:12:00.003-07:002014-09-15T20:33:56.315-07:00Liv's Story - Part 2 of 3<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After the flurry of doctors and the good communication that
we had received for the first couple days with Liv in the CVICU at Texas
Children’s Hospital, things settled down on Wednesday and Thursday. Since we
told the doctors on Wednesday that we wanted to proceed with the surgeries, we
were expecting to have a more in depth discussion with them about the first
surgery on Wednesday afternoon or Thursday. However, we went all day Wednesday
and Thursday without hearing anything new and we were not able to meet with
either doctors or surgeons (about the surgery; doctors were still available to
discuss her current care). While we enjoyed the (relatively) slower pace for
those two days, by Friday morning, we (along with our nurse) were quite
frustrated by the lack of communication and our nurse was frantically trying to
track down the cardiologists and surgeon to talk with us.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Finally, on Friday evening, as soon as our surgeon wheeled
his patient out of the operating room, we got to sit down to talk with him and
the cardiologist. At that point, they gave us a different plan of action than we
had heard previously. The cardiologist explained that for the last two days,
they had been discussing Liv’s case in depth with other doctors / surgeons at
Texas Children’s Hospital and at other institutions to try to determine if
there was any way that they could conduct the surgeries and what chance Liv
would have to survive. All of the doctors and even an ethicist were in
agreement – there was no way that Liv would survive the series of surgeries
(less than a 1% chance), and given that, they would not perform the surgeries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We were completely taken off guard by the change in
direction, which made the bad news even harder to hear. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through our tears, we spent the next hours
poring over the facts of Liv’s case with the doctors and comparing them to the
research, trying to make sure that nothing was overlooked and everything was
being appropriately considered. When we initially made the choice to bring Liv
to TCH, we knew her cleft and chromosomal deletion increased her risks for the
HLHS surgeries, and estimated that her chance of surviving the first of the 3
surgeries was around 50%.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The doctors explained
that these chances had changed dramatically since she was born early and small,
and that those factors were even more concerning than her
previous risk factors. Her main risk factors were now: 1) cleft lip and palate (extra
cardiac anomalies are known the increase risk, and cleft lip and palate specifically
can cause issues with secretions that can damage the lungs over time, as well
as cause troubles with intubation, and increase risks of infection, all of
which are very bad news when you need to be in pristine condition for a series
of 3 open heart surgeries), 2) a chromosomal deletion (any chromosomal
involvement increases risks for these surgeries, and while we will never be
sure of all of what Liv’s deletion caused since she was so young, we do know
that it at least manifested itself in her small size, and there were some
indicators of problems with her kidneys and cerebellum, which are in the
midline defect family, as<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>were her cleft
and heart), 3) low birth weight (she was 4.1 pounds at birth and the risks for
the first surgery increases greatly when babies are less than 5.5 pounds), 4) prematurity
(she was born at 36.1 weeks, and risks for the first surgery increase when
babies are born before 37 weeks gestation, and there are even differences in
outcomes for babies born at 38 versus 39 weeks), and 5) she was small for
gestational age (this is a separate risk from weight and prematurity that means that even for being born in the 36<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> week,
they would expect a baby to be larger than 4 pounds; the average for 36 weeks is about 6 pounds). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When Beth finally asked, “Are you saying there is no way we
can do the surgeries?” it was the longest and most deafening silence of our
lives, and it was heartbreaking to hear that they would not. But ultimately, we
agreed with the doctors that these risks were insurmountable for little Liv,
and decided that it was the right thing to do to not proceed with the
surgeries. Our immense frustration with the doctors for leading us to believe
that the choice on whether or not to proceed with surgeries was ours (and ours
alone), and then not communicating to us for 2 ½ days that it was no longer our
choice, was only partially eased by the fact that it was very evident that the
doctors had done much more than their due diligence in researching Liv’s case
and giving her every chance. The other fact that helped ease our frustration,
is that they did not compromise Liv’s care whatsoever while we waited those for
those two days. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We were overwhelmed that night with a mix of emotions. From frustration
at the doctors and circumstances, to appreciation for the time and effort they
took to conduct their research; from realizing our grief over the possibility
of losing Liv was real, to relief that we wouldn’t have to put her through the
surgeries; from confusion about what to do next, to thankfulness for the
clarity of the decision that we worried about most.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">One of the blessings of our time in the CVICU was the
wonderful nurses, especially nurse Whitney. She was with us for our first night
there (the night that Beth broke her toe), and with us again on Friday night.
She did such a wonderful job in taking care of us as much as she took care of
Liv. She gave us space and created privacy for us when we needed it (we shared
our corner of the CVICU with 4 other families), was there when we had questions
or needed her, and somehow managed to make us smile when we were sad.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On Saturday morning, we asked the doctors if we could bring
Liv home to Louisiana. By the afternoon, they told us that they would be able
to fly Liv and us together back to Zachary, and by early Sunday morning, we
were headed home – something that we never thought we would be able to do if
the time came for Liv to pass away.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Through it all, it felt like there was one blind turn after
another, but the thing that we are most amazed by is that in each turn, God was
there, providing us peace and comfort. Not once were left wanting; not once did
we feel regret; not once did we feel we were alone. Every turn in Liv’s life made
it more unique and showed God’s grace and compassion for us, and showed Him
working all things together for good.</span><br />
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beth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324800327315025426.post-35910716681667333742014-09-09T09:46:00.000-07:002014-09-15T19:06:53.243-07:00Liv's Story - Part 1 of 3<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So many things have happened over the past two weeks that it’ll
take a long time for us to fully process what all has happened. Liv’s physical
life was short but full, and God has used (and is using) her life to bless us
and other more than we could have ever hoped for. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In an effort to document some of what has happened over the
last few weeks (it’ll take us a long time to fully document everything), we
will write a couple more blogs on the events in Liv’s life, and break it into
several blog posts, as even the simplified story is quite lengthy.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">No matter how many book or websites we read or how much
preparation we thought we may have had, nothing could prepare us for the joy,
excitement, and rush of life when Liv was born. The same was true for when we
had the twins – it doesn’t really hit us until we can see and touch our babies
– we are their protectors, solely responsible for their life and wellbeing.
That being said, the chaos that ensues when having a baby that needs immediate
intensive care was even more impossible to prepare for before birth and 1
million times more chaotic afterwards.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It was such a relief to be able to see Liv again on Sunday after
spending our first night apart; however, when we first arrived at TCH, we were
immediately faced by the seriousness of her medical issues. We spent the next
couple days watching various doctors come by to do many series of tests and
talking to them to make sure we fully understand what they are testing for and
what the test results mean. Every time we would think that we could take a
breather - more doctors, more tests. Like we’ve said before, all of the medical
staff has been wonderful in caring for Liv and for us and making sure that we
know what’s going on and ensuring us that they are taking good care of her –
however, it’s still very overwhelming. Through all of the tests, nothing
surprising really came of them…her kidney levels were a little high (but that’s
relatively normal for newborns), and there were some comments on her brain MRI
(again, relatively normal for babies born at 36 weeks, and relatively normal
for babies with heart defects), but nothing serious, which was a relief that we
didn’t have to deal with an entire new set of problems.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">(Liv and all of her CVICU equipment)</span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our first 3 nights in the hospital, we averaged about 3hrs of sleep. Between trying to delay Beth’s labor & delivery and being up all night talking to Kangaroo Crew & Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) when Liv was being transported, we were exhausted by the time we got to TCH on Sunday. To add to the list, Beth broke her big toe around midnight on a chair in the waiting room for the cardiovascular ICU (CVICU) our first night there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OkMsHTHZ8Jw/VBD2By0yESI/AAAAAAAABPY/83m3zGesRDo/s1600/Beth%2BBroken%2BToe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OkMsHTHZ8Jw/VBD2By0yESI/AAAAAAAABPY/83m3zGesRDo/s1600/Beth%2BBroken%2BToe.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(at 3:00am in the ER, all you can do is laugh’ about it, especially when the xray tech asks if there’s any chance you could be pregnant. I guess “I had a baby yesterday” is a sufficient “NO.”)</div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
There were a couple days though the past two weeks that we
will always remember and that Monday was one of them. After being exhausted and
while still getting used to the CVICU and all of the chaos, we had back to back
meetings with the cardiologist and heart surgeons on Monday afternoon. They
told us all of the risks for the HLHS surgeries and all of the additional risks
that Liv has due to her cleft lip & palate and chromosome deletion. Even
though we knew all of this beforehand, there is nothing that could prepare us
for hearing that the risks are “astronomically high” to have our new born
daughter undergo life-saving open heart surgery. At that point, it didn’t
matter what we’d prepared for, there were no questions we could ask to make it
better, and nothing we could do to ease the road that Liv had ahead of her. Our
hearts were broken (again) for Liv’s. Even so, we asked if there was a choice
to be made (surgeries or no surgeries) and were told yes – we had a tough
choice to make.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We spent that night and the next day thinking through our original
decision to bring Liv to Houston to have the surgeries, and after much debate decided
that if the doctors had no “new” information or risk factors from what we knew
before Liv was born, that we should proceed with the surgeries (we had already
spent many weeks wrestling with this decision before Liv was born). Therefore,
we told the doctors on Wednesday morning that we wanted to proceed with the
surgeries for Liv.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Wednesday and Thursday were calmer days than Liv’s first
couple days in the CVICU. The initial chaos of new doctors and tests had
settled down, and Liv was doing well. This gave us a peaceful period to spend
time holding Liv and allow Asher and Eli to visit.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We’ll always remember this time with Liv, and believe that
this calm before the storm was one of the blessings that came out of our very
unusual road with her.<o:p></o:p></span>beth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324800327315025426.post-23063410442769149672014-08-28T07:33:00.001-07:002014-08-28T07:33:13.865-07:00Liv is Here!
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So just when we think we’ve got our lives planned out,
things change, plans are broken, and life gets crazy. The last couple days have
definitely not gone the way we planned, but though God’s grace, everything has
been as smooth as we could ask for.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We were planning to pack up our family and drive to Houston
this past weekend so that Beth could finish her pregnancy & deliver Liv
full term under the care of Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH). As we were packing
on Friday evening, Beth’s water unexpectedly broke, and we drove to Woman’s
Hospital in Baton Rouge to see what to do. Little did we know that Liv would be
born the next day.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When we first arrived at Woman’s Hospital, we immediately
asked if we could have Beth or Liv transported to TCH. After initially being
told that Woman’s Hospital wouldn’t transport Beth or Liv (and after many, many
phone calls), we finally were told that they could transport Beth by ambulance
before she went into labor, or transport Liv by air after she was born. The
catch was that TCH did not have any available room to accept Beth before she
delivered Liv. Woman’s Hospital called TCH every hour through Friday night and
Saturday morning to see if a bed would open up for Beth. Finally, on Saturday
morning, we were told that a room had opened up at TCH! Just at that time, Beth
started to go into labor and along with the doctors, we decided that no matter
how badly we wanted to be at TCH for Liv’s birth, it was too risky to take the
4 ½ hr ambulance ride to Houston. This turned out to be an excellent decision,
as Liv was born only 2 hrs later (quick labors at 36 weeks seem to be Beth’s
“thing” – the twins were born at 36 weeks 4 days and her labor only lasted
4hrs).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wzPJAxSppIo/U_83kBSMJGI/AAAAAAAABLQ/BcHYFc9rTEk/s1600/Lake%2BCharles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wzPJAxSppIo/U_83kBSMJGI/AAAAAAAABLQ/BcHYFc9rTEk/s1600/Lake%2BCharles.jpg" height="150" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">(where Liv would have been born had we taken the ambulance
ride)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Lively Mae Hembree; August 23, 2014 at 1:09pm; 4lb 1oz; 36
weeks 1 day<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N3ssubNm244/U_832Q9FkdI/AAAAAAAABLY/9UHBDmli718/s1600/Lively%2BMae%2BHembree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-N3ssubNm244/U_832Q9FkdI/AAAAAAAABLY/9UHBDmli718/s1600/Lively%2BMae%2BHembree.jpg" height="196" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Liv is beautiful and is our pride and joy. There’s nothing
that quite compares to the joy of seeing and holding our daughter for the first
time. We are constantly reminded of how blessed we are to have Liv in our
lives, and are overwhelmed by the joy of having a daughter and being able to
see and touch her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The TCH air-lift team is called the Kangaroo Crew. They came
to the NICU at Woman’s Hospital to pick up Liv and transport her to TCH on
Saturday night. They were the nicest, most caring group of people we have ever
met. Every one of them were super understanding of what we were going through
and went way out of their way to let us know everything that was happening and
assure us that they were taking good care of Liv. They even called us at every
step to let us know where Liv was and how she was doing.</span></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2K1HzREJzQ/U_86pYbBkOI/AAAAAAAABL8/hunqUjRBNRo/s1600/Kangaroo%2BCrew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y2K1HzREJzQ/U_86pYbBkOI/AAAAAAAABL8/hunqUjRBNRo/s1600/Kangaroo%2BCrew.jpg" height="272" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">(Kangaroo Crew transport to Texas Children’s Hospital)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We spent that Saturday night in the hospital in Baton Rouge,
as Liv safely made her way to the cardiovascular ICU (CVICU) at TCH. Thanks to
Beth’s quick and easy labor and delivery, she was able to be discharged from
Woman’s Hospital on Sunday morning 19 hrs after having Liv. The only part of
our original plan was that we drove to Houston on Sunday; everything else was
completely out of our hands. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Because our plans didn’t work as we thought, we have had
even more of a chance to appreciate how God takes care of us and provides for
us at every step. It was awesome to have Liv in Baton Rouge because of the
chance we had for family and friends to be close and to be able to see us after
Liv’s birth. We are so very grateful for all of the help, encouragement &
prayers that we received from everyone (especially so for those people who took
care of Asher & Eli when we couldn’t). The boys even got to go to a
birthday party on Liv’s birthday, haha.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s7ffAlXEkmU/U_86-075TTI/AAAAAAAABME/bEB2ywl2Fn8/s1600/Boys%2Bat%2BBirthday%2BParty1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s7ffAlXEkmU/U_86-075TTI/AAAAAAAABME/bEB2ywl2Fn8/s1600/Boys%2Bat%2BBirthday%2BParty1.jpg" height="200" width="133" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">(Our boys having fun in the water)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Also, the medical community at Woman’s and TCH have been
wonderful in taking care of us and Liv. There have been so many people already
involved in her care, and each of them have been exceedingly kind and
understanding of our situation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YkWfKPo1V1M/U_89TWralSI/AAAAAAAABNo/Uc4oNhjc-Os/s1600/Liv%2BCare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YkWfKPo1V1M/U_89TWralSI/AAAAAAAABNo/Uc4oNhjc-Os/s1600/Liv%2BCare.jpg" height="285" width="400" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">(Just a few of the wonderful people that are taking care of
Liv)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The road ahead is long and difficult. The road ahead is
scary and uncertain. However, we have great joy in our daughter, and joy in the
expectations of the plans God has for her. We know that God has a plan for her
life and that this physical life is only transient. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s4R9n3QWJRQ/U_86_TY_MFI/AAAAAAAABMY/9mHSQJbI2Jo/s1600/Beth%2Bholding%2BLiv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s4R9n3QWJRQ/U_86_TY_MFI/AAAAAAAABMY/9mHSQJbI2Jo/s1600/Beth%2Bholding%2BLiv.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">(Beth holding Liv for the 1<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup> time at 2 days old)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
beth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324800327315025426.post-63966467024472345872014-08-17T19:43:00.003-07:002014-08-17T19:54:15.747-07:00Baby LivWhat a crazy couple months it’s been! We found out on January 10, 2014 that we are expecting our 3rd child! The next several months whizzed by as our anticipation grew into finding out if Asher and Eli (our twin 3yrs olds) would have a baby sister or brother. At our 20 week ultrasound, we were thrilled to find out we were having a daughter, and decided to name her Lively Mae Hembree!<br />
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The ultrasound tech at our 20 week apt said that she couldn’t see Liv’s heart as clearly as she would like to, and called in the doctor, who also couldn’t get a good view (despite many tries to get Liv to reposition). They referred us to the high risk doctors (Maternal Fetal) “just to be safe”. Because we saw many Maternal Fetal doctors during Beth’s pregnancy with the twins (who were perfectly healthy), this didn’t seem like a big deal to us. Three weeks later, on our 4th wedding anniversary, a follow-up appointment with the Maternal Fetal doctor revealed that “just in case” quickly turned into the worst news we’ve ever been given.<br />
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It took several more appointments and tests to figure out the full story, but we eventually came to understand that Liv has Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), a Cleft Lip and Palate, and a partial deletion of chromosome 22. In addition, she seems to be small, but it’s unclear whether that is related to any of her other conditions. HLHS means that the left side of her heart is too small and isn’t pumping as much blood (none in our case) as it should. It also turns out that of the various congenital heart defect that exist, HLHS is one of the worst. As we researched more about HLHS, we found that the “treatment” is very extreme and more of a patch than a repair. Liv will need to undergo 3 open heart surgeries (the 1st within her first week of life) within about 3 years to essentially re-pipe her heart so that the right side can do all of the work that was meant for the left side. She will spend significant time in the hospital / ICU and the list of potential complications and additional procedures longer than we ever thought possible. After all of the surgeries are complete, there is the chance for a reasonably “normal” life, but always looming is the high chance of heart failure (because the right side of your heart is not designed to carry the full load) and the need for a heart transplant somewhere down the road.<br />
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Having a cleft lip & palate and chromosome deletion only add to the complications and complexity. We continually see that adding any additional issues to HLHS causes the survival rate to plunge and the risk for potential complications to increase. The cleft lip & palate repair requires a couple surgeries, which would normally be pretty low key in comparison, except for the fact that any additional surgery on a child with HLHS is a pretty scary ordeal. Also, we’ll have to work with the surgeons to fit the cleft lip & palate surgeries in around the heart surgeries, which will be delayed to some extent.<br />
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It’s hard to determine how the partial Chromosome 22 deletion fits into the whole picture. Liv’s deletion actually overlaps two other “known” syndromes (DiGeorge syndrome and Distal 22 deletion). Deletions in this region are known to cause heart defects and cleft lip / palate issues; however, neither of these syndromes are linked to HLHS – it’s actually extremely rare to have HLHS and a Chromosome 22 deletion. So while the chromosome abnormality can bring a lot of other symptoms (immune deficiencies, developmental delays, etc.), it’s difficult to determine how many or how severe these will be. The only way to know is to check at birth and as she develops, and even then, it may be difficult to determine the full impact. The good news in all of this is that with so many ultrasounds, the doctors have very thoroughly checked for all sorts of other issues, and thus far have not been able to find much. She is small, which could be related to her chromosome abnormality, and could also create issues for the HLHS surgeries. So far her growth seems to be continuing and not slowing down much further, which is good news.<br />
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Because the medical treatment options are so severe (and the probabilities of survival are low), we considered for a long time the option of comfort care: choosing not to perform any surgeries and allow Liv to live out her short life without ever having to know the pain of surgery or other extreme medical treatment. After several weeks of prayer, discussion, and research, we’ve started to turn away from this option, in part due to the finality of this decision (without surgeries, there is a 100% chance that Liv will not live longer than about 10 days). We’re currently getting ready to go to Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) in Houston (the closest hospital that performs all 3 surgeries for HLHS, and also happens to be #2 in the country for this type of treatment) so that Liv can be born and evaluated there. TCH is where we plan to have all 3 of Liv's heart surgeries, any other heart procedures, and her cleft surgeries. Deciding to do the HLHS surgeries is a huge decision, but it is only one of many that will present themselves over the next several months and even years, beginning the day she is born in September. We pray for strength and guidance for every single step of this journey.<br />
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The challenges with Liv’s physical body has given us more reason lately to dig into to our relationship with God and has challenged how we view life and our role and purpose as parents. We so easily focus on the fleeting physical attributes and milestones, that we sometimes miss the fact that our children are an incredible blessing from God. What truly matters for Liv (and Asher & Eli) is that their lives bring glory and joy to God, and our role as parents is to teach, nurture, and shepherd them in this manner. Our Liv is truly a blessing and we will praise Him for bring her into our lives. <br />
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“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” <br />
Psalm 139:14<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Liv-Strong/603652999751940">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Liv-Strong/603652999751940</a>beth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324800327315025426.post-75402614472146723742013-09-08T10:58:00.003-07:002013-09-08T10:58:54.409-07:00Toddler SuncatchersIn an attempt to scratch a few items off of our summer to do list before fall officially gets rolling (:D!), the boys and I tried our hand at making a sun catcher craft. <br />
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After seeing <a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/273664114830253798/" target="_blank">this</a> one on Pinterest, it looked easy enough for my two year olds to try. We gathered 2 embroidery hoops, vellum paper cut into triangles, clear page protectors, and a glue stick.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K0xH0Fh9B-A/Uiy5CfRsr_I/AAAAAAAABCI/UHX8JXtZnBI/s1600/DSC_0773.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-K0xH0Fh9B-A/Uiy5CfRsr_I/AAAAAAAABCI/UHX8JXtZnBI/s640/DSC_0773.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p-Fe8UZ84Sk/Uiy5NAv7BlI/AAAAAAAABCc/bNmyw98nrTY/s1600/DSC_0775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-p-Fe8UZ84Sk/Uiy5NAv7BlI/AAAAAAAABCc/bNmyw98nrTY/s400/DSC_0775.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Word from the wise: don't let your toddler put the wooden hoops around his neck. Very difficult to get off. Not that this happened to us....</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-x4z__mVifPY/Uiy5NPiz8qI/AAAAAAAABCY/L2N8eybTk0Y/s1600/DSC_0783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h__pEFzMPxg/Uiy5LiKNm6I/AAAAAAAABCQ/WoxUW-_ZoME/s1600/DSC_0791.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-h__pEFzMPxg/Uiy5LiKNm6I/AAAAAAAABCQ/WoxUW-_ZoME/s640/DSC_0791.JPG" width="394" /></a></div>
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Finished product!</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6XKZMjjPHuA/Uiy5PV0e3hI/AAAAAAAABCo/bHIPCYAURCU/s1600/DSC_0797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6XKZMjjPHuA/Uiy5PV0e3hI/AAAAAAAABCo/bHIPCYAURCU/s640/DSC_0797.JPG" width="338" /></a></div>
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Ohhh pretty</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vFT45sQMY34/Uiy5fOm55fI/AAAAAAAABC4/lv4X9IkK5eY/s1600/DSC_0804.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vFT45sQMY34/Uiy5fOm55fI/AAAAAAAABC4/lv4X9IkK5eY/s640/DSC_0804.JPG" width="426" /></a></div>
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Also works as toddler chew toy. Obv.</div>
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As per usual, ignore fingerprints on window.</div>
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happy end of summer and ALMOST FALL to y'all!</div>
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<em><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;">-beth</span></em></div>
beth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324800327315025426.post-79688836032814725832013-06-21T13:57:00.001-07:002013-07-08T10:51:27.566-07:00Summer Learn & Play ActivitiesIt only took us until mid-June, but I think we're finally starting to fall into a summer routine at home with the boys. It's not much different than the rest of the year with them since I stay home with the twins year-round, but I guess between the boys turning two (and therefore able to do more activities that I see on Pinterest, etc), and it being sooo hot outside (and therefore I'm trying to keep them entertained indoors as much as possible during the mid-day hours), this season has granted us more opportunity for more structured and more creative playtimes. <br />
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And since little two year olds are just so cute when they're playing happily, I thought I'd share their recent experiences:<br />
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No Mess Finger Painting:</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eFPsjgbAsFg/UcS7m6YrrGI/AAAAAAAAA_4/Q8zyVvNphZI/s1600/DSC_0134.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eFPsjgbAsFg/UcS7m6YrrGI/AAAAAAAAA_4/Q8zyVvNphZI/s400/DSC_0134.JPG" width="265" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HOnZ1jzb1WE/UcS7ny-XWXI/AAAAAAAABAA/Isqzr3KO_nI/s1600/DSC_0133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HOnZ1jzb1WE/UcS7ny-XWXI/AAAAAAAABAA/Isqzr3KO_nI/s400/DSC_0133.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sL35Y5Ymt1Y/UcS70j3D-FI/AAAAAAAABAY/yrAFrgNx7bY/s1600/DSC_0141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sL35Y5Ymt1Y/UcS70j3D-FI/AAAAAAAABAY/yrAFrgNx7bY/s640/DSC_0141.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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(great for learning colors, mixing colors, and "writing")</div>
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Cookie Cutter Playdoh:</div>
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(great for learning the letter/shape they are cutting)</div>
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Apple Paint Stamps:</div>
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I guess we're all about shirtless play during this hot weather, huh?<br />
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Thanks, Pinterest! (Sorry I don't have links for specifically where I saw these ideas- they're just things I saw in passing which didn't require any directions besides a quick look at the picture.)<br />
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Happy Summer!<br />
-bethbeth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324800327315025426.post-31309747056886335312013-05-19T19:56:00.000-07:002013-05-19T19:56:10.040-07:00"Cookies and Milk Mustaches" 2nd Birthday Party!Eli and Asher are turing TWO this week! Dan and I love calling the boys our "little men," especially as they keep growing up so fast and keep surprising us daily with all the new things they can do and say! So a "little man" (mustaches, bow ties, etc) birthday party theme seemed to fit them quite well. However, I really wanted a book to tie into the theme so that we could continue the tradition of using an actual children's book as a guest book at their parties each year (last year was Very Hungry Caterpillar). For some reason, "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" kept coming to mind, so I decided to expand the little man theme to include cookies and milk. Hence, the "Cookies and Milk Mustache" theme was born!<br />
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The set up!</div>
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Cupcakes</div>
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Cookie Platter</div>
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Cokes - in the bottle!</div>
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Mustache Straws</div>
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"Cake!" Made from Oreos and donuts</div>
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Fun!</div>
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Sweets!</div>
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Candy Cigarettes - ha!</div>
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Cookies in a Jar Party Favors</div>
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Cupcakes!</div>
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Cupcake toppers - glitter 2's and polka dot mustaches!</div>
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Mustache water bottles</div>
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"If You Give a Mouse a Cookie" guest book</div>
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Photo booth props!</div>
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Attempt at a family photo ;)</div>
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDS! WE LOVE YOU!</div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><em>-beth</em></span></div>
beth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324800327315025426.post-73027376667042859482013-04-01T19:11:00.002-07:002013-04-01T19:11:22.582-07:00Easter 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Not everything gets easier as the twins get older, but most things definitely do. Holidays would be at the tip top of that list! Easter was so much fun this year with brother friends who could dye eggs, Easter egg hunt, explore Easter baskets, and visit family together. Here's a quick photo recap of how our family spent Easter this year:</div>
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Dying eggs:</div>
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Easter baskets:</div>
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(of course the wooden cars were the biggest hit)</div>
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Early morning egg hunt:</div>
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Visiting family:</div>
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(close up of the outfits I made for the boys)</div>
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Our family:</div>
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<em><strong>Happy Easter from the Hembree's!</strong></em></div>
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<em><span style="color: cyan;">Oh death! Where is your sting?<br />Oh hell! Where is your victory?<br />Oh church! Come stand in the light:<br />Our God is not dead, He's alive! He's alive!</span></em>beth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324800327315025426.post-18204078336362050172013-02-21T12:38:00.003-08:002013-02-21T17:06:39.899-08:00Valentine's Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I was sick the week of Valentine's Day and wanted to do nothing but lay on the couch, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a few shots of the boys showing some brotherly love :) Sweeties.</div>
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What's mom making us do now?</div>
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Hugs.</div>
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What is this pose they have going on? Ha!</div>
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Eli offering a hug. Asher says no thanks.</div>
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Lolly pops!</div>
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Eli James <3</div>
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Asher Luke <3</div>
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Kisses.</div>
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Hope you had a happy Valentine's!<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;">We love because He first loved us.</span><br />
<span style="color: #e06666;">1 John 4:19</span><br />
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-bethbeth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324800327315025426.post-6578243597618863332013-01-19T20:24:00.003-08:002013-01-19T20:29:07.103-08:00A Toy Story: Part 1This "Toy Story" isn't animated, doesn't star Woody & Buzz, and can't be viewed in a movie theater. <br />
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Nope.<br />
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This Toy Story is real life, stars my 19 months olds Asher and Eli, and takes place in our living room.<br />
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It all started before the boys were born. I decided our house would not be cluttered with toys once we had children. Of course, this was before we had children, so I had no idea what I was talking about, right?<br />
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Once they arrived, we realized how much *stuff* kids came with. *X 2* since they were twins. Two cribs, two bouncy chairs, two carseats....even without too much "extra" baby bells and whistles, it's still a ton.<br />
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We tried to eliminate what we didn't need. We went without baby swings even though everyone swears they are the best. We try to have just enough clothes for the boys and never an overflowing closet of stuff they wear once (or never). And then there were the toys...<br />
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Once the boys became mobile, the toys really started coming into the picture. That was around the same time we moved into our first house, so I had the opportunity to start fresh and decide how the toys would fit into our new living space. Like most parents, I didn't want toys taking over the entirety of the family living space, but I did want their toys to be included, just like everyone else in the family's possessions. <br />
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So at the time, the solution was that the bottom two shelves on each side of our entertainment center would be for the babies. That left two open shelves for larger toys, and 4 baskets of loose toys. But in addition to their designated toy area, they also had a basket of books, 2 walkers, 2 large balls, and an activity table in the living room. (And that was after putting half their toys in storage and taking great effort to keep toys minimal! The stuff really does take over before you know it!)<br />
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This solution was fine with me for about a year. Yes, during the day the toys were scattered ALL. OVER. the house. But it was really fine with me because the boys are home playing all day, of course toys will be involved and get scattered like everything toddlers touch does. At night, the toys were scooped into baskets and hidden on the shelves, so it was fine. <br />
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But yesterday, something happened to interrupt this system that I only thought had been working for us. Earlier in the day, I had taken all the toys out of the tub to make room for the boys to finger paint (didn't go so well but that's another story). Then in the evening when it was bath time, I still hadn't put the toys back. <br />
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It was the best bath time ever. The boys splashed together, giggled at each other, babbled to me, and didn't have a rubber ducky to squabble over. I thought wow- a bath without all that clutter is so different, in a nice way. I was always able to close the shower curtain to hide all the toys: that way they were out of sight and I didn't give much thought to them...<br />
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Then my mind wandered to the living room. All those toys I was able to scoop in baskets and not think about in the evenings. But during the day they cluttered not only our floors- but maybe even our lives and our minds? <br />
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It suddenly occurred to me that it's not how the toys *look* or *fit* or how well they can be stored in the physical space of our living room, but it's about how they actually function as a part of our daily family life. <br />
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A lot of our day is just spent with all the toys out, all the time. The boys jump from toy to toy, but rarely sit and explore one for any extended amount of time (normal for a toddler, but that's not my overall point...). But most (frightening) of all, the toys function as the boys' main source of entertainment and activity throughout the day. Things like reading with mommy, exploring the outdoors, or taking part in *real* home life ("helping" me with dishes, watching me fold laundry, etc) are the rare treats.<br />
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In an instant, I decided I wanted that pattern to change right then and there. I want time in the kitchen together, sitting and "talking" with each other, and playing/learning *together* (instead of just with toys in the same room) to be the new norm. So out went the toys. After a few hours of purging and storing, this is our new living room toy stash: <br />
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(And it's not letting me upload a picture, but imagine two woven baskets, one with about 2 dozen books, and the other with a half dozen small, non-electronic toys).<br />
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This Toy Story doesn't have an ending in which I've found the perfect toy solution for our home, but I felt the desire to share the beginning of this story with you (if anyone reads this) as a way to document this change in our lives and to see where it takes us and how this unfolds!<br />
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As for all the toys I removed: they are not banned by any means! But they will be taken out purposefully when it is time to play, I will intentionally sit and play and learn alongside them, and those toys will be put away before moving on to something new. <br />
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I could go on and on about the deeper meanings of different facets of this toy story and what they mean to me as far as my children's development, our home/family life, possessions, how it relates to the boys' discipline and sense of self, how our time is spent, etc etc etc, but this is just Chapter One and I hope to share more later on as I learn more and see it for myself!<br />
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Thanks for reading.<br />
<br />
Beth<br />
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<em><span style="color: blue;">Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. <br /><strong>-Proverbs 22:6</strong></span></em>beth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324800327315025426.post-35880263704704300042012-10-22T07:31:00.000-07:002012-10-22T07:46:17.579-07:00MmmMonday: Recent Pinterest RecipesLately I've been making it a goal to *actually* make some of the probably hundreds of recipes I've pinned/liked on Pinterest. This week I made about 6 of them? Maybe? I lost count. Just see below! <br />
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I have the name of the recipe, a picture of how mine turned out (all from iPhone, didn't make it fancy, sorry ;), and the link where I got the recipe from Pinterest. Also maybe a few notes about if I changed the recipe at all and how I liked it.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><em>Penne Rosa</em></span></strong></div>
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/236157574180935160/">http://pinterest.com/pin/236157574180935160/</a></div>
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This turned out very well! I think the Southerner in me likes more spice to my pasta sauces, so next time I make it I might experiment with more spices. </div>
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<strong><em><span style="color: #bf9000;"> <span style="font-size: large;">Saucy Vegetarian Succotash</span></span></em></strong></div>
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<strong><em><span style="color: #bf9000;">with <span style="font-size: large;">Pesto and Mozzarella Grilled Cheese</span></span></em></strong></div>
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/243616661063632094/">http://pinterest.com/pin/243616661063632094/</a></div>
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and</div>
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/230598443390240003/">http://pinterest.com/pin/230598443390240003/</a></div>
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The succotash recipe is meant for crock pot, but I don't have one (yet) so I just heated the ingredients on the stove. Turned out great! I knew it would because my cousin Jaret recently made it for us before I attempted to make it myself. As for the grilled cheese, I didn't follow the link I gave above; just put sliced mozzarella and a spoonful of pesto on bread and made it like regular grilled cheese. Too easy, very tasty. </div>
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<strong><em><span style="color: #351c75; font-size: large;">Greek Salad Sandwich</span></em></strong></div>
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/pin/175358979210907706/">http://pinterest.com/pin/175358979210907706/</a></div>
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This one was a little more complicated than I like sandwich making to be, but it turned out very nice! I think I'll make this one for dinner in the future because I don't like lunches to be this complicated, with a food processor and all, especially with two toddlers at my feet. Also I didn't have "rustic bread" so I put the ingredients in a pita pocket. I think I like it better that way!</div>
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<strong><em><span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: large;">Fall Snack Mix</span></em></strong></div>
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I love an easy festive recipe, and this one really screams fall! You can add and leave out ingredients easily. I left out chocolate puff cereal and honey nut cheerios, and next time I might add raisins! Also wanted to add that I don't like chocolate all that much and it seems like trail mix type snacks are always half M&M's or chocolate chips, so this was perfect for non-chocolate lovers! Great fall snack treat, especially for a crowd. Don't worry, you can add chocolate if that's your thing.</div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><strong><em>Mediterranean Dip (for pita bread) </em></strong></span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><strong><em>and Baked Tomatoes with Feta</em></strong></span></div>
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The sundried tomato, feta, and artichoke dip was definitely a win- great combination of flavors. The baked tomatoes were more of an experiment because I had planned to do baked eggplant but it went bad :( So I put tomatoes on a baking sheet with olive oil, basil, lemon juice, and feta and baked it. Turned out nice! Dan really liked it, and he doesn't even like tomatoes! </div>
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For more foodie posts, check out the creator of MmmMondays: Emily at <a href="http://www.joyfulabode.com/" target="_blank">Joyful Abode Blog</a> !</div>
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beth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324800327315025426.post-68493062921620373132012-10-21T08:15:00.002-07:002012-10-21T19:35:49.097-07:00New PajamasLast night my sister, Mary, and I decided to make a Wal-Mart run for a crock pot, because somehow I've made it 24 years of life without one (and her 22 years). I have a feeling once I figure out how easy it is to cook using one, I'm going to be quite upset I didn't have one the first year of the twins' lives, when cooking was sooo hard. It's still hard at 16 months old, so maybe we'll get take out a little less now that we're proud new crock pot owners.<br />
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But of course you can never just run into Wal-Mart and leave with only what you went in for. So I left with a few new pairs of PJ's for the babies. They were very needed though: it's been months since the babies had true pajamas that fit them! Oops!<br />
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So I tried the PJ's on them this morning, and of course they looked SO big in their new big boy PJ's that I had to snap a few pics right away before they grew up any more right before my eyes!<br />
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I know, I know: they need a haircut. Maybe soon I'll trim their bangs a tad.</div>
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Tired Asher man</div>
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Are they getting too big to take pics of their baby feet?</div>
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A boy and his cat</div>
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Eli making his "woof woof" give Asher a kiss! Hehe!</div>
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Must escape from mom's camera</div>
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TOO big, right?!<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-size: large;"><em><strong>-beth</strong></em></span>beth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324800327315025426.post-10574019433131994692012-10-16T08:41:00.004-07:002012-10-16T09:05:47.041-07:00Pumpkin Patch 2012The Hembree twins had their first visit to a pumpkin patch yesterday! It was a far drive to Hammond, La to Miss Heather's Pumpkin Patch by myself, but I got some priceless photos that made the trip well worth it. Even the double poop diaper changes in a Wal-Mart 1.5 hours away from my house. But I digress. <br />
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I just wanted to share some of my fave photos from yesterday in my corner of blog land! I'm extremely new to using a DSLR, but I'm proud that I was brave and took ALL of these in manual mode! Practice makes perfect right?<br />
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If you're my Facebook friend I have about 40 more photos from yesterday's trip posted there. <br />
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If you're like me and have a DSLR but have only used Auto Mode because you have no idea how to really use your camera, and are in the Baton Rouge area, I highly recommend Tara Marie Photography's Beginner's Workshop! I took it back in July and I'm already looking forward to sitting in on her next one this coming February. I have a ton more to learn, but I can't imagine starting anywhere but that workshop, it was perfect for true beginners! Read more here:<br />
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<a href="http://taramariephoto.blogspot.com/2012/05/beginners-photography-workshop-july-22.html">http://taramariephoto.blogspot.com/2012/05/beginners-photography-workshop-july-22.html</a><br />
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Thanks for stopping by!<br />
-Beth<br />
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P.S. I want a new lens for Christmas, wink wink ;)beth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324800327315025426.post-13161813091725953232012-09-24T14:08:00.002-07:002012-09-24T14:17:25.324-07:00Spice Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream RecipeIt's fall, y'all! And living in Louisiana with my thermometer reading 91 degrees as I type this, it doesn't exactly feel like fall to me. So as I made my usual Monday grocery trip, I decided I'd get the ingredients for a new fall treat. My husband's favorite cake flavor is "spice" (what even is that? I guess it means like a pumpkin spice flavor?), but it is actually a really nice fall flavor, so I decided to make that. I've also been spying several salted caramel buttercream recipes on Pinterest, but they all have like 10 ingredients and involve making your own caramel, which I've never tried to make myself before and was scared to burn it. So I made a little cheat recipe, and combined with spice cupcakes, it is SO delicious and tastes like fall in a cupcake! And super easy, too!!<br />
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Spice Cupcakes:<br />
1 box of Duncan Hines spice cake mix<br />
1 1/3 cup whole milk<br />
1/2 cup vegetable oil <br />
4 large eggs<br />
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-Mix and bake like you would normal box mix cupcakes. 15 mins at 350 degrees.<br />
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Salted Caramel Buttercream<br />
2 sticks salted butter, softened<br />
2 cups powdered sugar<br />
1/2 cup caramel topping (I used Hershey's, I found it by the chocolate syrup)<br />
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-Beat the sticks of softened butter on medium, turn mixer to low and slowly add in the sugar. Scrape sides of bowl and mix on medium until combined. Stir in the caramel topping and beat for 2 mins until fluffy.<br />
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ENJOY!<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W9IzuLxFGO0/UGDNHMOpSwI/AAAAAAAAAzA/8MnrkzrG9nI/s1600/MmmMonday2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W9IzuLxFGO0/UGDNHMOpSwI/AAAAAAAAAzA/8MnrkzrG9nI/s400/MmmMonday2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Go check out <a href="http://www.joyfulabode.com/" target="_blank">Joyful Abode's</a> MmmMonday link up for more great recipes!</div>
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-Bethbeth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324800327315025426.post-24439243918175149792012-08-21T13:11:00.002-07:002012-08-21T13:13:09.248-07:0020 Chore Tuesday!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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(picture by Emily at <a href="http://www.joyfulabode.com/" target="_blank">Joyful Abode</a> blog)</div>
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For almost a year now, I've been using my Instagram account to post pictures of my cleaning progress around my then apartment, and now house. I'd do like side by side before and after pictures when I tidied up, or post a picture of my to-do list for the day and whatnot. As I got into a better routine of cleaning up with 2 babies in the house, I realized I really prefered using one day a week to knock out a bunch of chores! It feels so good to have that huge cleaning day, and I wasn't getting that by doing just a handful of chores everyday. I started using the hashtag #20choreTuesday, almost as a joke at first, but it has REALLY taken off! It has more than 300 photos, and many of the people posting their own 20 chore Tuesday progress I don't even follow; so that shows that it's grown beyond just my humble IG page.</div>
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(example of some IG before and after photos of mine)</div>
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("#20choretuesday" hashtag!)</div>
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One of my favorite IG-ers, Emily at <a href="http://www.joyfulabode.com/" target="_blank">Joyful Abode</a> , has been one of the more faithful 20 chore Tues participants, and asked if she could bring it over to blog world. Of course I said yes, because her blog is awesome and I knew she'd do a great job keeping up with it. Well now she hosts 20 chore Tues on her blog every week! And you can go "link up" your blog/list to it, even though I don't really know what that means yet. Sounds awesome!</div>
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Here's my list for today:</div>
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Get Cleaning!! ;)</div>
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-beth</div>
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beth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324800327315025426.post-63556555912598226662012-08-06T11:28:00.002-07:002012-08-06T11:28:42.675-07:00Recipe!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This is hands down my family's favorite dinner! I got the idea when I saw a recipe for a taco casserole. Being a pescetarian (vegetarian who eats seafood), I needed to take out the beef. I added chili beans and moved around the other ingredients until I got it just right! It is seriosuly SO yum and the easiest ever. Even if you're not vegetarian, you'll love it!<br />
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1. Here's what you'll need: taco shells (I used 10 "super stuffer" kind), 8oz salsa, a few stalks of green onion, 2 cans of chili beans (I used Bush's medium), 8 oz sour cream, 1/2 packet taco seasoning, and 1-2 cups of shredded cheese. You're thinking "I have most of these ingredients in my fridge right now!" right?!<br />
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2. First, heat both cans of beans and the salsa on the stove til it boils. Pour into a glass casserole dish.<br />
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3. Top with a handful or two of chopped green onions, and the shredded cheese on top of that. Just eye ball these two things, adding more or less to your preference. I like a lot of both! Pop in the over at 350.<br />
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4. In the meantime, mix your 8oz sour cream with 1/2 packet taco seasoning.<br />
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5. After about 20 mins in the oven, your casserole will come out like this! When the cheese is bubbly, it's ready.<br />
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6. Serve in taco shells (I usually heat those in the oven alongside the casserole dish when there's 5-6 mins left). Top with the sour cream mixture. ENJOY!<br />
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Dada came home as I was making this dish; the boys were so excited!!</div>
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They sure do love Dada :)</div>
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Make this for dinner TONIGHT! I know I am!</div>
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-Beth</div>beth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324800327315025426.post-65995645318152415182012-07-16T15:12:00.005-07:002012-07-16T15:40:43.507-07:00Feeding Babies "Human Food".As many of you know, my babies had really bad reflux as infants. When you're a mom to a true reflux baby, (not just a "happy spitter" who pukes on your clothes sometimes,) you know how helpless you feel and how you'd do anything to stop their constant screaming. You also are terrified to make a move that will make their problem worse. <br />
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So when their pediatrician recommended starting solids very early (I'm talking 2-3 months old here), I saw it as a way to help end their reflux early (by thinking the solids would help what's in their stomachs, stay in their stomachs!) From the moment I began mixing "rice cereal" (y'all, what even is that junk?!) for them while they couldn't even hold their little heads up in their infant seats, I felt uncomfortable. For several reasons:<br />
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-What IS this stuff I'm about to feed my babies?!<br />
-What is the effect of this food on their tiny tummies?<br />
-Will this help their reflux? Make it worse?<br />
In a nutshell, it just didn't feel right to me as a mom! But I attempted anyway. And guess what?<br />
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IT. WAS. HORRIBLE.<br />
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Food was just running down their faces. The little bit that did go down seemed to make them uncomfortable. The longer the meal went on, the more they'd arch their backs. I've heard time and time again about pediatricians recommending rice cereal for reflux. For my 3 month old babies, it was making the problem worse. <br />
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It didn't take long for us to swear off "baby food" until they were proper age, more like 6 months. (By the way, our pedi seemed to recommend solids for ALL babies around 3 months, not just ours. However, the APA recommends 6 months and personally I found out I wasn't comfortable with it until then anyway. While it's fun to let your baby try new foods, chances are they just aren't ready and don't need it before 6 months).<br />
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While we waited until their 6 month birthday to arrive, I was feeling more and more anxious. I didn't want to feed my babies a mixture of rice flakes. I didn't want to go through trying to spoon feed two squirmy babies at once. As a twin mom, I was already so home bound. I selfishly worried how I'd get to leave the house with jars of food, spoons that needed cleaning, and needing chairs to help them sit while I spoon fed them. <br />
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One fateful day, nearing the 6 month mark, I heard the term "BLW": baby led weaning. Aka, skipping pureed "baby food." Letting your baby explore "human food," as I like to call it, and feed themselves. I didn't know much about BLW, but I immediately saw a way out of the drudgery of spoon feeding flakes and mush to my babies! I knew right away, this was for us!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F5Da3sEfQAM/UASGmxtM9hI/AAAAAAAAAqw/WVHvzylI9fo/s1600/2011-12-21+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-F5Da3sEfQAM/UASGmxtM9hI/AAAAAAAAAqw/WVHvzylI9fo/s320/2011-12-21+003.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: cyan;">(One of Eli's first BLW experiences: bananas! 6.5 months old)</span></div>
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I purchased the book called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Led-Weaning-Essential-Introducing-Confident/dp/161519021X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342467536&sr=8-1&keywords=baby+led+weaning" target="_blank">Baby Led Weaning</a> by Gill Rapley and Tracey Murkett, and inside is chapters and chapters of the who, what, when, where, and whys of BLW. While I recommend getting the book yourself as a handbook if BLW is something you're interested in, I want to share a few of my favorite things I personally took away from this book and the concept of BLW:<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">(Eli and Asher have the chance to explore "human food" with the help of BLW, 8 months)</span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: red;">1) It's been around forever</span></strong><br />
-I feel like BLW is something our ancestors did before the term BLW was coined. For example, my grandmother was one of 10 girls. I'm quite sure my great grandmother was not pureeing bananas with a Baby Bullet and buying mush turkey in a Gerber jar! I imagine she stuck some food in front of her babies and let them learn to feed themselves, and that's what I wanted to do as well.<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">(Self feeding, baby-food-less 9.5 month olds)</span></div>
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<strong><span style="color: red;">2) It's healthy</span></strong><br />
-While I'm not saying all baby food is UN-healthy, or that all BLW is healthy, I personally was more comfortable with handing my babies a fresh banana from the store (or farmer's market if that's your style) than banana mush in a jar that spent time on a factory conveyor belt with added acid as a preservative. I've been "guilty" of giving the occassional unhealthy food too, but BLW presents more opportunity for fresh, real food!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xwmZTtZ4G_k/UASHH8j99HI/AAAAAAAAAro/9edgNoG8sjo/s1600/IMG_1756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xwmZTtZ4G_k/UASHH8j99HI/AAAAAAAAAro/9edgNoG8sjo/s400/IMG_1756.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="color: cyan;">(Family dinners and trips to restaurants are easy: no packing extra baby food! Here, 10.5 month old Eli and Asher are enjoying the same Easter family meal as everyone else, including: BBQ chicken, salmon, crawfish fettuccine, green bean casserole, cucumbers, deviled eggs, baked beans, and more!)</span><br />
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<span style="color: red;"><strong>3) It's easy</strong></span><br />
-This is one of the best things about BLW. There's no struggle! I'm not forcing a spoon into both of my babies' faces until they complete one jar of baby food, because the size of the jar determines their serving size. No. I set food on their plate. If they eat it, hurray! If they don't, maybe they weren't hungry or ready. But they got familiar with the food on THEIR terms. No fight. So awesome.<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">(Happily enjoying the meal at Aunt Cathy and Uncle Gavin's wedding shower, 10 months old)</span></div>
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<span style="color: red;"><strong>4) It's family oriented</strong></span><br />
-Getting to let my babies eat what was already in our house from a young age was a great experience. As their pediatric GI put it, this lets them get familiar with the "family's palette." There's not a transition to baby food, then a separate transition to solids, then a separate transition to family meals. They become aquainted with family meals from the beginning. I make spaghetti for dinner, the twins are eating my spaghetti at the family dinner table right along with us. Dan and I can enjoy our meal with them rather than spoon feeding and eating something different later on in the evening.<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">(BLW creates great eaters! Making a healthy breakfast for the boys is a joy.)</span></div>
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<span style="color: cyan;">(BLW creates social eaters! Feeding baby isn't another task a mom has to do, but babies are incorporated into the social experience of eating. Here, Eli eats at Jason's deli with his BLW friend, James! James's mom, Mary, and I ate our meal alongside them.)</span></div>
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Those are just a few reasons I love BLW, but I really could go on and on. Please ask me more if you'd like to know! You can email me at <a href="mailto:bhiggi5@tigers.lsu.edu">bhiggi5@tigers.lsu.edu</a>!<br />
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Some concerns people may have with BLW might be:<br />
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<span style="color: purple;"><strong>1) Allergies</strong></span><br />
-If allergies run in your family, then yes, it makes sense to use caution! No serious food allergies run in our family that we know of, so we were very comfortable feeding scrambled eggs at 7-8 months, and they loved it. We still tried to keep nuts away until 1 year, etc, but overall we had no problems. Your baby could end up being allergic to banana baby food, you never know. Use caution with any food the first time it's fed to them.<br />
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<strong><span style="color: purple;">2) Choking</span></strong><br />
-I can see where people are concerned with this, but I really don't think they need to be. BLW suggests cutting food into sticks for babies, for example give them a stick-shaped slice of cucumber so a 6 month old can easily hold the stick and "gum" it with their gums/teeth. A big stick they can grasp isn't going to choke them. In fact, they'll learn to take bite size pieces on their own this way that they can handle. Another thing: GAGGING is not CHOKING. I'm pretty sure all babies gag on their food a bit as they learn about needing to chew and swallow their food. Gagging isn't something to be concerned about.<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">(Asher (10 mo) explores a whole strawberry, learning how to take bites from a larger piece of food, and this momma isn't fearful of him choking.)</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><strong>3) Messiness</strong></span><br />
-Ok, you win on this one. BLW IS messy. But all babies are! My babies get bath after dinner each night anyway, so letting them get messy for dinner is fun and doesn't add to my work. And if you spoon feed them for a while to avoid mess, they're still going to have to learn to eat "real food" one day and that'll be messy then. Just embrace it :)<br />
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<span style="color: cyan;">(7 month olds E & A getting messy with whole avocado!)</span></div>
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...I've told you a bit here about what I've learned through BLW, but please get the book if you want more info and even more pros and explanations than I've listed here! There's so many more reasons to love BLW! You won't regret it!<br />
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<span style="color: magenta; font-size: large;"><strong><em>-beth</em></strong></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">P.S. I'm not a doctor, nutritionist, or health care professional of any kind. This is simply my story of a successful BLW experience with my own kids. </span>beth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324800327315025426.post-12619180054137292502012-05-21T11:05:00.001-07:002012-05-21T11:17:32.331-07:00The twins turn ONE!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Actually, they turn one tomorrow, Tuesday the 22nd, but their birthday celebration was yesterday! The little men had a Very Hungry Caterpillar themed birthday party, based on the book by Eric Carle of course! It was also very homemade, haha. I'll share the details with you here:</div>
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Giant caterpillar made from paper lanterns. Thanks Pinterest ;)</div>
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Another Pinterst find: photos of the twins together over the past year, formed into the shape of a "1"</div>
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We had a small "game": Guess the number of gummy "caterpillars" in the jar! My sister, Cathy, won, with her guess of 42! (The answer was 41).</div>
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Centerpieces/decorations were made from Mason jars filled with M&M's (that look like the dots from the book), with big lollies (from OrientalTrading.com), and labels I made on Word, with a Dollar Tree pinwheel (they came in packs of 3!)</div>
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The guest book was The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which everyone signed on the inside front cover.</div>
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I made the hats from Diego party hats, haha! Here's the before and after:</div>
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High chairs:</div>
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Gift table (it's our old coffee table I drug outside):</div>
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The birthday boys!! They were just playing around in the kitchen before the party:</div>
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in their Very Hungry Caterpillat outfits I made them! I found fabric on both Amazon.com and Fabric.com</div>
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The set up:<br />
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The photos are monthly photos of each of my boys (Asher on top, Eli on bottom) from newborn to 11 months. Their 1 yr photos were in frames around the party.</div>
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One of favorite parts of the party!! The drink cups! Mason jars with paper red stripey straws, and a paper leaf tied with twine. The leaves had holes punched in them (the caterpillar in the book ate through the big green leaf...) and people could write their names on the tag to identify which was theirs :)</div>
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The cake:</div>
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This obviously took the most time to make out of all the party crafts/DIY's, but I love how it turned out!</div>
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My birthday boys!!!</div>
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HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY ASHER LUKE AND ELI JAMES!!!!</div>
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Mish-mash of the whole party. It's my first time trying to make a collage like this so don't make fun! Anyone have suggestions of a easy non-iPhone app way to make a collage like this on my computer?</div>
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Thanks for viewing!</div>
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<span style="color: #cc0000; font-size: large;"><em>-Beth</em></span></div>
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</div>beth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324800327315025426.post-40882457911675861532012-04-23T21:13:00.000-07:002012-04-23T21:13:55.222-07:00tutorial: pinwheel cupcake toppers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I was recently asked by a friend to make a cake for her cousin's baby shower that she was hosting. After going back and forth with ideas, she decided to have cupcakes for the shower, and we had the idea to decorate them with tiny pinwheels! It was a fun process trying to make tiny pinwheels, and I wanted to share how I did it with y'all! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1. First, pick out some sheets of pretty, coordinating paper. Scrapbook "paper packs" are GREAT for this. You won't need a lot of paper, so you can pick just a few prints, but I say the more the merrier! My friend Eryn picked this paper pack from Joann's to match the purple and green color scheme of the shower.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-teDviEQCug0/T5YgAaP4HiI/AAAAAAAAAkg/A0-jNE4TQ8M/s1600/IMG_1466+(776).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-teDviEQCug0/T5YgAaP4HiI/AAAAAAAAAkg/A0-jNE4TQ8M/s320/IMG_1466+(776).JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">2. Cut the paper into even squares. For these tiny cupcake toppers I did 2" squares. Play around with the size for whatever project you have in mind. I also made a few giant 12" pinwheels for shower decor (but sadly don't have a picture).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BcuqNZhTQFw/T5YgGDbvlzI/AAAAAAAAAko/9AxWH5S_i2Q/s1600/IMG_1467+(777).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BcuqNZhTQFw/T5YgGDbvlzI/AAAAAAAAAko/9AxWH5S_i2Q/s320/IMG_1467+(777).JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">3. Cut slits at each corner, going 2/3 of the way in towards the center of your square.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vJbApu2KFoI/T5YgMKbivHI/AAAAAAAAAkw/YS6p6-CxW1A/s1600/IMG_1468+(778).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vJbApu2KFoI/T5YgMKbivHI/AAAAAAAAAkw/YS6p6-CxW1A/s320/IMG_1468+(778).JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">4. Put a dab of hot glue in the center of the square.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lxIQcgWTwu8/T5YgUS0UtkI/AAAAAAAAAk4/CkiGMR2AAeQ/s1600/IMG_1469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lxIQcgWTwu8/T5YgUS0UtkI/AAAAAAAAAk4/CkiGMR2AAeQ/s320/IMG_1469.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">5. Carefully fold every other point into the middle of the square at glue it in place.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wWcVOBsJkG8/T5YgZp5M1UI/AAAAAAAAAlA/Av2Eo3XTZ5c/s1600/IMG_1470.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wWcVOBsJkG8/T5YgZp5M1UI/AAAAAAAAAlA/Av2Eo3XTZ5c/s320/IMG_1470.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">6. Like this...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H-vU9TAVr1k/T5YgfEIpt6I/AAAAAAAAAlI/Ov2nbAVJ3u8/s1600/IMG_1472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-H-vU9TAVr1k/T5YgfEIpt6I/AAAAAAAAAlI/Ov2nbAVJ3u8/s320/IMG_1472.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">7. I stuck a straight pin through the center of each pinwheel to help make a path for the brads I was using as centers, but if you have very pointy brads or just use a rhinestone or something as your pinwheel's centers, you don't need this step.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lF7oEDHWfmY/T5YgkO-BciI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/-cF7XQhPhV4/s1600/IMG_1473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lF7oEDHWfmY/T5YgkO-BciI/AAAAAAAAAlQ/-cF7XQhPhV4/s320/IMG_1473.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<div align="center">8. Insert a cute brad, rhinstone, button, etc to make your pinwheel's center.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bnBByU1iUY8/T5YgpYHCr3I/AAAAAAAAAlY/rJwxtiOr_dc/s1600/IMG_1474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bnBByU1iUY8/T5YgpYHCr3I/AAAAAAAAAlY/rJwxtiOr_dc/s320/IMG_1474.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> 9. For cupcake toppers, make a bunch!</div><div align="center"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iUAV4wbMZ0E/T5YgvfIDc8I/AAAAAAAAAlg/s3-sCsceWAw/s1600/IMG_1475.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iUAV4wbMZ0E/T5YgvfIDc8I/AAAAAAAAAlg/s3-sCsceWAw/s320/IMG_1475.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">10. Glue lolly pop sticks to the back of each pinwheel. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fHY8_IcUhLQ/T5Yg09ZdgmI/AAAAAAAAAlo/v7wJNoH6mBk/s1600/IMG_1476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fHY8_IcUhLQ/T5Yg09ZdgmI/AAAAAAAAAlo/v7wJNoH6mBk/s320/IMG_1476.JPG" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> 11. Get some plain jane cupcakes ready. This would be a great way to spruce up store bought cupcakes if you're not the baking type.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QRZmHBhYciA/T5Ym7oiHudI/AAAAAAAAAmo/nbq7m1rzCOU/s1600/IMG_1484+(786).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QRZmHBhYciA/T5Ym7oiHudI/AAAAAAAAAmo/nbq7m1rzCOU/s320/IMG_1484+(786).JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
12. Another shot of the sea of pinwheels before being sunk into cupcakes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xRZDQjLuIrU/T5Yg99XL-yI/AAAAAAAAAl4/z1_gqiLdinE/s1600/IMG_1479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="283" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xRZDQjLuIrU/T5Yg99XL-yI/AAAAAAAAAl4/z1_gqiLdinE/s320/IMG_1479.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
13. LOVE IT!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8VNcdqPOspQ/T5YhDPoYOHI/AAAAAAAAAmA/tJ-ke7ooDoE/s1600/IMG_1489.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8VNcdqPOspQ/T5YhDPoYOHI/AAAAAAAAAmA/tJ-ke7ooDoE/s640/IMG_1489.JPG" width="478" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These would be too sweet for a kid's birthday party as well! Have fun making your own!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">P.S. I also made 12" pinwheels for decor at my wedding! Possibilities are endless!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: magenta; font-size: large;"><em>-Beth</em></span></div>beth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324800327315025426.post-17400392020983082682012-04-23T13:00:00.000-07:002012-04-23T13:45:42.300-07:00Easter 2012Another successful holiday with the twins in tow. High five to Dan and me. Their last major holiday of their first year of life...wow. I'll save the sap for their first birthday post (which is too close for comfort! 30 more days!)<br />
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Back to Easter : we celebrated as we always do - at my grandparents' house. Pocking Easter eggs, eating amazing food, with family to love at every turn. When we arrived we made time for a group family photo with my grandparents. So, so sweet: check out my grandma pocking eggs with my cousin Jaret while my nephew Mason looks on. Love it.<br />
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Then I whisked the babies to the backyard for a few photos in their *white* outfits which I knew would get destroyed pretty soon!<br />
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They just look like little spring chickens here haha!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E1_IcCntC_4/T4Y_5_pyQNI/AAAAAAAAAgo/xtHQhznJHsY/s1600/DSC_0266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" qda="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E1_IcCntC_4/T4Y_5_pyQNI/AAAAAAAAAgo/xtHQhznJHsY/s400/DSC_0266.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Darlin's</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C4KctMg_APs/T5TllvWzr4I/AAAAAAAAAjQ/z3nsctDDe-U/s1600/DSC_0256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="381" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C4KctMg_APs/T5TllvWzr4I/AAAAAAAAAjQ/z3nsctDDe-U/s400/DSC_0256.JPG" width="400" /></a><br />
What a HAM!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wl17dZRdBQE/T4Y_hF6uIhI/AAAAAAAAAgg/EMfYXhK8Iro/s1600/DSC_0258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wl17dZRdBQE/T4Y_hF6uIhI/AAAAAAAAAgg/EMfYXhK8Iro/s400/DSC_0258.JPG" width="250" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Aunt Mary with her "nephie-poos"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cQI6zLV_PNU/T5W6W2K08MI/AAAAAAAAAjg/mhPkGjXPwsI/s1600/DSC_0280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cQI6zLV_PNU/T5W6W2K08MI/AAAAAAAAAjg/mhPkGjXPwsI/s400/DSC_0280.JPG" width="285" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sweet Grandma pocking eggs with Eli </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fQX6oX8Qsyk/T5W6c8GAVGI/AAAAAAAAAjo/6Bwb2XoZj7M/s1600/DSC_0296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fQX6oX8Qsyk/T5W6c8GAVGI/AAAAAAAAAjo/6Bwb2XoZj7M/s400/DSC_0296.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">"Papa-corn" being silly with Asher! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--ilZeta6xi4/T5W6m0US0pI/AAAAAAAAAjw/Kvn6gRY_H5g/s1600/DSC_0305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--ilZeta6xi4/T5W6m0US0pI/AAAAAAAAAjw/Kvn6gRY_H5g/s400/DSC_0305.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Mawmaw Ellen with a squirmy Asher</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HW0vtmsSdw0/T5W6st-pmGI/AAAAAAAAAj4/mQM_p-hPTtE/s1600/DSC_0327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HW0vtmsSdw0/T5W6st-pmGI/AAAAAAAAAj4/mQM_p-hPTtE/s400/DSC_0327.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Sweet boys playing in the backyard at home after all the Easter visiting</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_cSU4MPlic0/T5W667oMtZI/AAAAAAAAAkA/jzccez_EGao/s1600/DSC_0388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_cSU4MPlic0/T5W667oMtZI/AAAAAAAAAkA/jzccez_EGao/s400/DSC_0388.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CgKDf0Rr3BQ/T5W7SZW1C2I/AAAAAAAAAkQ/smS6WALZp9I/s1600/DSC_0438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CgKDf0Rr3BQ/T5W7SZW1C2I/AAAAAAAAAkQ/smS6WALZp9I/s400/DSC_0438.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Asher</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UdkBkSY-cj8/T5W6_ohnGvI/AAAAAAAAAkI/4MgVgUjppIg/s1600/DSC_0407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UdkBkSY-cj8/T5W6_ohnGvI/AAAAAAAAAkI/4MgVgUjppIg/s400/DSC_0407.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Eli </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AcJ2DSIG_sE/T5W7ktW2rOI/AAAAAAAAAkY/D22Y84zxORE/s1600/DSC_0404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AcJ2DSIG_sE/T5W7ktW2rOI/AAAAAAAAAkY/D22Y84zxORE/s400/DSC_0404.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our family's first Easter with the boys!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e8d6fPk3NEM/T5TpBbmvTHI/AAAAAAAAAjY/LbS42L2VV_Q/s1600/DSC_0289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e8d6fPk3NEM/T5TpBbmvTHI/AAAAAAAAAjY/LbS42L2VV_Q/s640/DSC_0289.JPG" width="456" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hope you and your family had a great Easter 2012!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">-The Hembree's</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #a64d79;">"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay."<br />
<strong><em>-Matthew 28:6</em></strong></span></div>beth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324800327315025426.post-65845259366878032202012-04-17T20:45:00.001-07:002012-04-17T20:47:54.336-07:00New Craft! Magnetic Dry-erase Memo Boards!I'm very excited to share this new craft with you today! Well, it's not exactly a "new" craft. I made one of these dry erase boards a few months ago, but it's always overflowing with memos, so I decided to add more to my "collection" so that I have a way to better organize the info and keep it neat!<br />
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I started with old frames that I was no longer using. Since we moved a few months ago I have frames that just don't "fit" anywhere in the new house, so they were perfect for this job! I removed the glass, backing, and also any hardware on the back that would keep the frames from lying flat (I am adding magnets to these for use on a fridge but if you want them just hanging on your wall, leave the hardware intact!)<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">The frames:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EFOy522ALyY/T44yITAIMfI/AAAAAAAAAhY/W64T0vXcoEo/s1600/DSC_0116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EFOy522ALyY/T44yITAIMfI/AAAAAAAAAhY/W64T0vXcoEo/s400/DSC_0116.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center">Spray paint them a funky color! You can coordinate them all or mix it up! (Note to self: don't leave the frames out to dry when there's a 40% chance of rain.... Yes, I did that and had to sand down the little water drop spots and re-spray them. And you can still kind of see spots. Boo!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NFpeCHmw2p4/T44ya_4qu0I/AAAAAAAAAhg/E40aPQkbqhw/s1600/DSC_0117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NFpeCHmw2p4/T44ya_4qu0I/AAAAAAAAAhg/E40aPQkbqhw/s640/DSC_0117.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
Here are the spray colors I chose if you'd like to copy ;) I also used an apple green for the third frame but that was a few months back, like I explained earlier!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9gJC9x5rpzQ/T44ygxFLJNI/AAAAAAAAAho/KhOTiWJ8ZQs/s1600/DSC_0118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9gJC9x5rpzQ/T44ygxFLJNI/AAAAAAAAAho/KhOTiWJ8ZQs/s640/DSC_0118.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
Get some heavy duty magnets from Home Depot or somewhere like that, and hot glue them to the back. I used 6 magnets for my smaller frame and 10 for this multi-frame piece.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PAxKHKhjrLk/T44yvhTf2ZI/AAAAAAAAAhw/gZpBNsntjZs/s1600/DSC_0191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PAxKHKhjrLk/T44yvhTf2ZI/AAAAAAAAAhw/gZpBNsntjZs/s400/DSC_0191.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
Insert pretty scrapbook paper into the frames and replace the glass and backing. I used paper left over from previous projects, including our engagement party invitations! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SVfmf4YFcB0/T44yyiIRA5I/AAAAAAAAAh4/t-a4YcBC5M8/s1600/DSC_0186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SVfmf4YFcB0/T44yyiIRA5I/AAAAAAAAAh4/t-a4YcBC5M8/s640/DSC_0186.JPG" width="618" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
Snap your new memo boards onto your fridge and add reminders, calendars, chore lists, menus, grocery lists, phone numbers, inspiring quotes....anything!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RcHwJIb6G1A/T440F7BG-fI/AAAAAAAAAiY/_SJycR7g51M/s1600/DSC_0193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="516" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RcHwJIb6G1A/T440F7BG-fI/AAAAAAAAAiY/_SJycR7g51M/s640/DSC_0193.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cute, right?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bq38sfaFdZ4/T440J6xbxtI/AAAAAAAAAig/u1gpL20bPck/s1600/DSC_0195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Bq38sfaFdZ4/T440J6xbxtI/AAAAAAAAAig/u1gpL20bPck/s400/DSC_0195.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">You can store your dry erase markers by resting them on the tops of the frames.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ARknOfts-mM/T441GyHFUhI/AAAAAAAAAio/sfKqP5hdWQU/s1600/DSC_0208.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ARknOfts-mM/T441GyHFUhI/AAAAAAAAAio/sfKqP5hdWQU/s640/DSC_0208.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Have fun creating this project yourself and making it all your own! It can be funky, modern, traditional. Match it to your decor...or not! As always, if you like what you see but don't want to create this project yourself, email me at <a href="mailto:bhiggi5@tigers.lsu.edu">bhiggi5@tigers.lsu.edu</a> and I'll glady create a custom piece for you!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thanks for reading!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-Beth</div>beth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324800327315025426.post-4268858790905740672012-03-06T21:06:00.006-08:002012-03-06T21:36:33.741-08:00Cleaning Out My Closet<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And by “my,” I mean the boys’. Because I’d rather sort their tiny little clothes into sweet little baskets than risk my life in my own clothes mountain—I mean closet. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br />
The before picture is pretty bad. It involves an explosion of baby clothes entering our house in a few short months while we didn’t have the storage space to accommodate them, and I was pregnant with twins. Then, it involves having infant twins from months 1-6 who require clothes faster than I could wash them so they rarely got put away. Then, it involves a move from apartment to house so the closet mess was then duck taped into cardboard boxes, which were opened only on a desperate as-needed basis (There has to be a clean shirt in here SOMEWHERE that isn’t too small, right?!) </span> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GEVozmWr3jw/T1WBXBWb2UI/AAAAAAAAAeA/9yyUufVGMrM/s1600/IMG_7460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GEVozmWr3jw/T1WBXBWb2UI/AAAAAAAAAeA/9yyUufVGMrM/s640/IMG_7460.JPG" uda="true" width="478" /></a></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Which brings us to now – and this picture – 8 months into the twins’ lives, with mountains of clothes that no longer fit them, another mountain of clothes they wear now, and another mountain of clothes they can grow into. You might think I have these clothes actually in the 3 small piles of which I speak, but it was more like they are all twisted together in the closet but my mommy brain has kind of separated them out in my head. But alas, the time has come to get this closet together in our new home and make it functional for years to come! <br />
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Here are my (probably lame) tips for Closet Cleaning 101. It is probably only useful for amateurs like me who have not had much experience with actually gutting an entire closet and expecting everything to go back in perfectly neat. But as I’ve stated previously, I blog what I want. Let’s go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">BASKETS/BINS.</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Just get em. Lots of them. Even if you don’t have a plan for what will go in each one. There are several reasons to go overboard on baskets. For one, they're space </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">savers! Baskets make space out of what would otherwise by empty or wasted space. And a simple closet shelf lets you keep stacking baskets where space would otherwise be wasted under your hanging clothes. Make sure to get basket with straight or straight-ish sides. Slanted sides will waste space because you won’t be able to fit as many baskets in a side-to-side row. Baskets can also be some cute and come in a variety of styles; have fun with it!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OFbflqymcAA/T1bqm1COi_I/AAAAAAAAAfg/dSkTVWoiA2s/s1600/IMG_7515.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OFbflqymcAA/T1bqm1COi_I/AAAAAAAAAfg/dSkTVWoiA2s/s640/IMG_7515.JPG" uda="true" width="478" /></a></div></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">(See all the WASTED space here before I added valuable storage with baskets? Here, the closet is fairly clean but can't hold much!)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3A2x2utQs2M/T1WBp5Z3lyI/AAAAAAAAAeI/RajJO3jRE84/s1600/IMG_7514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3A2x2utQs2M/T1WBp5Z3lyI/AAAAAAAAAeI/RajJO3jRE84/s320/IMG_7514.JPG" uda="true" width="239" /></a></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The problem with this closet from the beginning was the amount of wasted space. I had three </span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">choices of places to put things: 1) a shelf that is too high to be practical for daily use 2) a single clothes bar that will essentially only be used for hanging clothes and 3) the floor. Guess where most stuff ended up? Huge, unorganized floor piles that spilled out when you opened the door! But it’s actually a decent sized closet, and there actually is enough space </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">for everything. You just have to put that space to work! </span></div><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2. CREATE A HOME FOR <em>EVERYTHING</em></span></span>. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> It makes clean up a snap when you</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> know where everything goes. Isn’t there a saying like “a place for everything and everything in it’s place?” There ya go. I started by pulling EVERYTHING out of the closet, and only putting it back in when I found a permanent home (aka the assigned basket).</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In the end, my baskets were used for:<br />
-clothes to save for future babies</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-special keepsake clothes/items</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-socks</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-shoes</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-hats</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-pants/shorts</span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TGlpSV5b2r0/T1WCE83AxZI/AAAAAAAAAeY/l4iTOczLnJE/s1600/IMG_7517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TGlpSV5b2r0/T1WCE83AxZI/AAAAAAAAAeY/l4iTOczLnJE/s640/IMG_7517.JPG" uda="true" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-and two at the bottom for toys the boys can play with while they’re hanging out around my feet when I’m cleaning their closet </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span></div><div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cmPkzlHuk8I/T1WCc-2X3EI/AAAAAAAAAeg/OVirz4WAnsg/s640/IMG_8548.JPG" uda="true" width="478" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Maybe try setting aside those baskets in the beginning to help you get started, as well as baskets from other needs you <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">know</i> will pop up, like a place for hair accessories if you’re the parent of a little girl.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3. Have fun!!!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This is last but not least! In fact, it’s first in order of importance! </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">While I was picking out bins for the boys’ closet Dan said something like, “Just pick some, no one will see it anyway; it’s just a closet.” I agreed at the time. But then I did a double-think. Nope, while the boys are still too young to dress themselves, I’LL be seeing a lot of that closet! Each morning to dress the boys, each afternoon to put away clean laundry, each evening to get jammies…. I want this closet to be worth seeing and using 3+ times a day! Then when the boys use it more, I want it to be worth it to them to use well and keep nice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I went with bright chevron baskets as my “element of fun”. But the possibilities are endless! Paint the inside of your closet a fun color, even add stripes or polka dots (I know, you’re thinking, “This woman is crazy!” No, it’s ‘just a closet,’ remember? HAVE FUN.) Add a funky chandelier if you have the space! I'm sure Pinterest could offer loads more ideas than me ;)</span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--d1lQZh4Psk/T1bqgIyGbpI/AAAAAAAAAfY/hEGI_laU-2s/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--d1lQZh4Psk/T1bqgIyGbpI/AAAAAAAAAfY/hEGI_laU-2s/s640/photo.JPG" uda="true" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Even use space on the back of the door! Plenty of options for hooks and back-of-the-door organizers are out there, just decide your needs and get an organizer to match. I got 2 Command hooks for each door to hang next-day outfits, and added each of my boys' initials both for fun and to assign sides of the closet for when they're older to avoid fights ;)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">And here's the end results!!!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b0t3GNy0S08/T1brAugoOvI/AAAAAAAAAgA/hUSjcCs6KlE/s1600/IMG_8654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b0t3GNy0S08/T1brAugoOvI/AAAAAAAAAgA/hUSjcCs6KlE/s640/IMG_8654.JPG" uda="true" width="478" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-44R2g6SHJrA/T1bqzjF7A7I/AAAAAAAAAfw/njj995-06Eg/s1600/IMG_8695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-44R2g6SHJrA/T1bqzjF7A7I/AAAAAAAAAfw/njj995-06Eg/s640/IMG_8695.JPG" uda="true" width="478" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rRjBwcHUC7Q/T1bq5_PbmzI/AAAAAAAAAf4/mtnFrpdJAc0/s1600/IMG_8694.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rRjBwcHUC7Q/T1bq5_PbmzI/AAAAAAAAAf4/mtnFrpdJAc0/s640/IMG_8694.JPG" uda="true" width="478" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CraR1b7T7zQ/T1bqtsQm31I/AAAAAAAAAfo/bQ3vgHPlIOY/s1600/IMG_8696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CraR1b7T7zQ/T1bqtsQm31I/AAAAAAAAAfo/bQ3vgHPlIOY/s640/IMG_8696.JPG" uda="true" width="478" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Here's a run down of what each box is used for, top to bottom: <br />
-Top clear zig zag boxes are keepsake/special clothes (like coming home outfits)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-Long clear box is too small clothes I want to keep for future babies. The rest I have set aside for charity. <br />
-Two solid boxes are bags and spare hangers. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-Then, there's hanging clothes and laundry basket for dirty clothes.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-Middle zig zag boxes are for hats, pants/shorts, socks, and shoes.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">-Bottom baskets are for spare blankets/linens.<br />
-Bottom zig zag boxes are toys.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now go tackle your closets! Have fun!</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-Beth</div>beth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324800327315025426.post-71356246875884531022012-02-28T18:33:00.001-08:002013-07-08T10:54:11.905-07:00Paper Covered Letters TutorialIt's not even been a week since my last craft tutorial, but I feel it's been too long! So here's another recent craft I did, as well as how I did it!<br />
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We've all seen the paper or fabric covered letters before, especially in kid's rooms, and I wanted to get some for Eli and Asher. I wanted to take the easy way out and grab them off of Etsy, but I wasn't seeing what I wanted so I took a trip to Hobby Lobby, picked my own supplies, and in the end I got just what I wanted! <br />
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1. To start, you'll need these supplies: kraft letters from Hobby Lobby, scrapbook paper of choice, mod podge, brush, ribbon (sides are 1" but i used 7/8" ribbon and it's fine), and hot glue. (For my letters, I found a weird product in the paper section at hobby lobby that's like a soft paper, so it's almost like thick fabric. That's how I got the stitch detail in mine; the "paper" came like that).<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C4UgScPbBE4/T02IqTzPpeI/AAAAAAAAAcw/WhO-lzZmBVg/s1600/DSC_0447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-C4UgScPbBE4/T02IqTzPpeI/AAAAAAAAAcw/WhO-lzZmBVg/s400/DSC_0447.JPG" uda="true" width="400" /></a></div>
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2. Use your brush to put a nice coat of mod podge on the top and sides of your letter. Press your entire sheet of paper flat on top of your letter.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7D7kbb_ODJE/T02I8wh5-dI/AAAAAAAAAc4/gEwMEW1Qg_g/s1600/DSC_0453.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7D7kbb_ODJE/T02I8wh5-dI/AAAAAAAAAc4/gEwMEW1Qg_g/s400/DSC_0453.JPG" uda="true" width="400" /></a></div>
3. Turn your letter over, trim excess paper, and cut slits and notches where the paper will need to fold over the edges of your letter.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hh8ULQ1DWh8/T02JQsRilgI/AAAAAAAAAdA/u_G5sOAmYhw/s1600/DSC_0459.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hh8ULQ1DWh8/T02JQsRilgI/AAAAAAAAAdA/u_G5sOAmYhw/s400/DSC_0459.JPG" uda="true" width="400" /></a></div>
4. Fold edges up, press, and hold for a few seconds to help them stay in place.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MOOP4W0H-ys/T02Jdh6mUXI/AAAAAAAAAdI/yFim7Os0lQo/s1600/DSC_0460.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MOOP4W0H-ys/T02Jdh6mUXI/AAAAAAAAAdI/yFim7Os0lQo/s400/DSC_0460.JPG" uda="true" width="400" /></a></div>
5. Pretty soon your letter will look like this!<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Phdqx5GiiT8/T02JsjgmOCI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/6CGfdpRV6TU/s1600/DSC_0455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Phdqx5GiiT8/T02JsjgmOCI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/6CGfdpRV6TU/s400/DSC_0455.JPG" uda="true" width="400" /></a></div>
6. For a more finished edge and a little more fun, add ribbon to the sides of your letter using hot glue. 1 inch ribbon may work best for these particular letters, but I couldn't find any and used 7/8." You can see a bit of the brown near the back of the letter where it doesn't completely cover, but you have to be really looking hard, and it's not a big deal :)<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9DZ9_uUyr78/T02J7vYbJkI/AAAAAAAAAdY/3iwPwntYQPY/s1600/DSC_0461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9DZ9_uUyr78/T02J7vYbJkI/AAAAAAAAAdY/3iwPwntYQPY/s400/DSC_0461.JPG" uda="true" width="400" /></a></div>
7. Done!! Check em out!!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gYVXe31Th88/T02KNaU_GWI/AAAAAAAAAdg/wHfzlyIRw2c/s1600/DSC_0468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gYVXe31Th88/T02KNaU_GWI/AAAAAAAAAdg/wHfzlyIRw2c/s640/DSC_0468.JPG" uda="true" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GYfAm3YKuF4/T02KdxV-PfI/AAAAAAAAAdo/lLXBs84Y_OM/s1600/DSC_0471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GYfAm3YKuF4/T02KdxV-PfI/AAAAAAAAAdo/lLXBs84Y_OM/s640/DSC_0471.JPG" uda="true" width="640" /></a></div>
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Like what you see? I'll gladly take custom orders for cute letter(s) for your kids' rooms or any room in your house! (I have letters that spell "love" in my kitchen!) Just e-mail me at <a href="mailto:bhiggi5@tigers.lsu.edu">bhiggi5@tigers.lsu.edu</a>. $10/letter.<br />
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<span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: large;"><em><strong>-BETH</strong></em></span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Ps. These letters are for the boys' closet, which is a whole 'nother project in itself! Watch for that blog post soon :)</span>beth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2324800327315025426.post-88301776051948758792012-02-27T21:00:00.019-08:002013-07-08T10:53:52.234-07:00Crib to 10kMost of us have heard of the "Couch to 5k" workout plan by now, right? It "coaches" you over a 9 week period from being a non-runner to being able to run a 5k. Dan and I started this plan with the new year. We did about 2 weeks solid before life set in. You wouldn't believe how hectic our evenings get from the time Dan walks in the door: cooking dinner, sitting down to eat, baths, bedtime routine--all while keeping mobile twins happy and out of trouble! It's a real zoo. A lot of times our way to deal is Dan takes the babies running while I cook. That way the babies are happy and out of the kitchen! But this doesn't work out too well since I don't get that running time, and Dan wants me to be able to come along too. <br />
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At the start of the year, we signed ourselves up for the Mardi Gras Mambo, a 10k event in Baton Rouge. This was to help motivate us to keep up with the C25K, but we never did finish the training. The 10k was this past Saturday, and we basically winged it! Ha! It was quite interesting. Dan set us a really easy goal of finishing the 6.2 miles in only 1.5 hours. That goal shouldn't be difficult even with us skipping training, except Dan had to push twins in a jogging stroller the whole way! (Along with a stash of toys, jackets, bottles, etc loaded in the bottom of the stroller.) But he did great! I was actually the one holding us up. I was getting lots of pain in my hips, which I thought was from not stretching or something. But I visited one of the physical therapists that were available on site after the run, and it turns out it's related to my<span style="color: purple;"><u> </u></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iliotibial_band_syndrome" target="_blank"><span style="color: purple;">iliotibial band syndrome</span></a> (basically, my bowleggedness from a tight IT band in my leg which causes my hip to crack when I walk/run. If you know me, you know what I'm talking about because I've probably made you feel the cracking before haha. Or you've seen me turn my feet nearly completely backwards; that's also related to this). Anyways, not important, except I'm the one that made us come in at 1:29 (hey! it's a minute under Dan's goal!) But fortunately the therapist told me some good exercises and stretches to help my IT band and the muscles in the area so it won't be as problematic next time. My sister Mary also came; she finished around 1:12 I believe! Yay! The twins had a great time; they usually enjoy the outdoors and stroller rides, so this was a great combo for them. It was also during their nap time, as you can tell from some of the pics below!<br />
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Babies bundled up before the race</div>
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About to start! Look so legit with that number on my tummy ;)</div>
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And we're off!</div>
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Dan during the race</div>
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Babies during the race</div>
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Post-race snack</div>
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It was a great day. We met Toni and her "math friends" for lunch at Izzo's aftwards. Then that night we met my mom for sushi at Tsunami and saw Cirque du Soliel - Quidam! We can't wait to sign up for more races this year, and of course do the Mardi Gras Mambo again next year! </div>
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love,</div>
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<strong><span style="color: #f1c232; font-size: large;">beth</span></strong></div>
beth allisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02173979598475625745noreply@blogger.com0