Life of Late

We are having the loveliest Spring I can remember in our little corner of Florida. Perhaps that's because I'm determined to enjoy it this year, or perhaps it really is just as extra-specially wonderful as it seems. The temperatures are glorious, and the days are mostly mild (with a few hot and chilly days sprinkled in for variety). 

Little Man is always taking me by surprise with what he's able to do. He's also
incredibly social, and will talk the ear off the nearest stranger he can nab.

I have been treating myself to little luxuries this Spring. It's (hopefully) less self-indulgent than it sounds! Rather, I make a treat of simple things -- a cup of tea, reading a book, a little outing to the park, things like that. It's remarkable how much better the days seems when I take a few moments to thoroughly enjoy something, rather than just charging ahead.

The "dregs" of my Adagio Earl Grey Moonlight. It's creamy, golden deliciousness.

I've also been taking this time to love on my children (hence, more outings to the park). I know this is partly because our recent loss has made me want to cherish the blessings I have. I must admit, I feel sort of lost without a baby in my belly or my arms. Rosa, in true girly style, is still quite a "baby" in the sense that she is extremely sensitive and will cry at the drop of a hat (or the word "no"). But there's no denying that she's more of a toddler than a baby now -- and the little pair of pigtails she's been sporting recently are ample proof of that.

Rosa saw her daddy blowing up the beach ball, and though she'd give it a try, too. Love that girl.

At any rate, I've been trying to fill my time, rather than twiddling my thumbs during this "odd," perplexing, and hopefully brief phase of life. That means more sewing, more playing, more stories, and more "living." I've even decided to take up knitting. *gasp* I worked my way through almost two years of Alicia Paulson's blog, Posie Gets Cozy, and am now officially inspired. If there were some sort of best-dressed baby award, I'd vote for her (just look at this yellow tunic, this Liberty print blouse, this darling cardigan, this little tunic, and especially this hooded coat. Drooling yet? And yes, she made all of them!). Alicia's blog was the last straw. I'm fed up with being too "poor" to afford the kind of knitted garments I love, and too skill-less to make them. The latter seems an easier problem to remedy, so I'm going to give it a go. Fortunately, my basic continental-style knitting skills seem to be in good working order, so most of my education will consist of learning to read patterns and execute more complicated stitches/techniques. Great. Like I needed one more -money-sucking, space-consuming craft to pursue. *wink* I'm now following Alicia's blog so I don't miss a single post; her writing is lovely, and her photographs are so peaceful.

A new favorite dinner in the works -- a layer of refried beans in a 9x13, topped
with sauteed ground beef, onions, black beans, and rotel (with cumin, chili
powder, garlic, and honey for seasoning). Add some shredded cheese and
pop the whole shebang into the oven for a yummy "chip dip" dinner.

We've been escalating our home improvement efforts of late with the realization that once the hubster finishes up his current training, we'll be moving. Our plan is to rent our home out, but there are some much needed upgrades before that can happen. So there are little signs of progress all over the place -- light fixtures, paint, floors. We just put down some laminate flooring in the nursery, and it looks so much better than the horrible, dingy carpet that it replaced! There are two more bedrooms to floor, two more rooms to paint, and new countertops for the kitchen to install. But there is finally an end in sight. I love seeing all of the improvements (which are happening on a faster timetable than we would have undertaken sans moving), even if we won't be able to enjoy them ourselves for very long.

Well, that's the scoop. I'm praying for contentment and patience, and enjoying my husband's relatively empty schedule (grocery shopping alone can be such a luxury!). And now I think it's time to go sew something...