Happy Friday!

This was from a couple weeks ago when we went to a nearby farm.  Toby was too busy looking at the ducks in the pond to smile for the camera.  Quack Quack!

Love my guys :)

Recipe Review: Pumpkin Banana Bread

I’ve been searching for bread recipes that don’t use a lot of sugar, butter, oil…you know, all the good stuff ;)  But I wanted Toby to try some other finger foods for breakfast besides just cereal puffs, so I figured a soft baked bread would work.  I visited Skinnytaste first and found a great recipe for Pumpkin Banana Bread that I made last week.  We always have bananas on hand and luckily I had one can of pumpkin puree left from last fall that was still good. 

Toby and I would share a piece in the mornings before moving onto yogurt and fruits, and we both loved it.  It’s not overly sweet, so you may not be a fan if you’re used to eating sugary pumpkin bread.  It was a very easy recipe to put together during nap-time and the house smelled a-maz-ing as it was baking.  I didn’t make any changes to the original recipe (left out the nuts since we still haven’t let Toby try any yet).  Definitely a recipe to keep making in the future!

Curls & Overalls

I have a damn cute kid.  That is all :)

DIY Mod Podge Clip-Boards

One of the first projects I worked on for my Scentsy business was decorating some clip boards I had picked up at the Dollar Tree.  I think it’s really useful to have a hard surface to write on when you’re at a home party, and I liked the clipboards so you can clip down a piece of paper or a catalog underneath while browsing and testing things out.

The boards I bought were brown and basic, so I decided to layer them with pretty scrapbook paper and used Mod Podge to seal underneath and on top.  They came out okay – some have a few bubbles even after I used an old credit card to try and smooth them out.  But considering I used the paper I had on hand and didn’t spend a lot of money on them, I’m happy with the outcome!

This is the tutorial I found on Pinterest if you are looking to make your own!

Visit my Scentsy site at http://OurScentedCasita.scentsy.us or contact me at emily (at) ourlittlecasita (dot) com

Sharing this project at Six Sister’s Stuff, Be Different…Act Normal, and I Heart Naptime.

 

Toby: 11 Months!

Eeekkk the countdown until a year is on!  Toby turned 11 months earlier this week on Thursday, and like usual, I needed to wait until the weekend to attempt a photoshoot.  He is even more of a squirmy worm now and he’s gotten to the point where he will fuss like crazy until you put him on the floor so he can explore.  Thank goodness it hasn’t happened too often in public yet…

Biggest news this past month is someone has been practicing steps!  On May 13th, we were hanging out in the living room and I was sitting in our chair finishing my coffee.  Toby was cruising around the coffee table and then suddenly decided to walk right over to the chair, taking about three or four steps without holding onto anything.  I was like “WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?!” and then we immediately called Daddy.  Of course I tried to get him to repeat the walking but he refused and would keep crawling to me.  Now he will walk with you if you are holding one of his hands, and he’s pretty steady but can’t do it longer than thirty seconds.  He will take a couple steps randomly unassisted but definitely isn’t walking across the room on his own at this point.  Not sure if he’ll be actually walking before his birthday?

I also think his verbal skills have really blossomed in the last few weeks.  He is saying a lot of “g” sounds and recently he says “ate, ate, ate” all the time but I’m not sure what he’s referring to when he does that.  Doing a lot of “da’s” but no “ma ma” yet.  He can also roll his r’s – not even kidding.  Not sure where he picked that up from since me and Hubby cannot do it.  He seems to understand when I call the kitties and instantly looks for Maggie or Ellie when I say their names.  Hubby also thinks he knows what his toy green car is.  Curious to know what the first official word will be!

Weight: No idea and I keep forgetting to weigh him with me.  I’m assuming at least 20 pounds, maybe close to 21 pounds?  He has gotten leaner, though, as he was wearing a pair of 12 months jeans a couple months ago with no problem but the same pair of pants is now loose in the waist.  Sure feels heavy, though!

Height: Again, no idea!  1 year check-up is 6/17.

Medical Issues: Still hasn’t been sick (knock on wood!).  Eczema has been kept under control, has had much less flare-ups as the weather has gotten warmer.  Only issue has been the teeth…all four front tops one are in, and the side ones next to the bottom front teeth are also coming in.  He’s handled them really well, though, considering.

Sleep: Nighttime sleep has been great, still sleeping from 7:45pm until 6:30am, and rarely needs us to go in at night if he wakes up suddenly.  There were a few mornings where he slept in til 7:30am and I woke up at 7am completely shocked.  I was hoping his schedule was shifting until he went back to waking up at 6:30am…grr.  Sometimes I can sneak in a quick shower before I get him as he enjoys playing quietly in his crib.  Naps have been an issue…I thought he was getting ready to combine the two naps but we tried doing that a couple days and it failed miserably.  I try to get him down in the morning by 10am, he sleeps for 90 minutes, and then try to get him down again around 3ish, when he sleeps anywhere from 45-90 minutes. 

Clothes/Diapers: Moved up to size 4’s and we have switched over to Cruiser’s which have worked really well.  Also in 4’s for overnights.  For clothes, he’s wearing all 12 month or 6-12 month clothes with the exception of a few 9 month size pants that still fit.  And he managed to squeeze into a 9 month white onesie for the photoshoot.

Diet: Drinking four 6oz bottles a day, usually at 7:30am, 11:30am, 4pm, and 7:30pm.  Eats breakfast at 8:45am, lunch at 1:30pm, and dinner anytime between 5-6pm.  Doing great with finger foods and eats basically anything that we’re eating, as long as I can tear it into little pieces.  Not a fan of eating fruit, though, unless it’s in puree form, so I’ve been making smoothies for him.  He still eats some purees, but definitely not as much as he was last month.  Favorite foods would probably be yogurt, chicken (he loved the one I marinated in sun-dried tomato dressing last week), ground turkey we use for tacos, and sweet potatoes.  But he will really eat anything, though, he’s not picky (thank goodness).

Baby Gear Love: Nothing new? 

Milestones/Firsts: Started clapping on 5/1.  Took first steps on 5/13. 

Likes: When I say the ABC’s to him when changing his diaper (NOT singing).  When I sing and clap to B-I-N-G-O.  Chasing the kitties and looking through the cat door in the basement door to find Ellie on the other side.  Climbing up the stairs…he will go all the way up to the loft now.  Climbing over our backs when we lay on the floor.  Being thrown up in the air and also being “Super Toby” when we fly him.  Going into the bathroom and taking the toilet paper off the roll.  Being chased around the living room. 

Dislikes: Being put down for an afternoon nap.  Having the living room gate closed (the gate has now been moved to just block off the stairs).  Being kept out of the bathroom.  Being told “no” after opening the garbage. 

Things I don’t want to forget: How he will pull books out of his toy bin and quietly go through them very fast by himself.  He will come over to me if he wants me to read one to him, but sometimes he likes reading on his own.  How he can be a little “fresh” and will pull your hand off of something if it’s covering whatever he wants to see or get into.  How he squawks like a bird when he gets excited.  How proud he is when he uses his walker to go a far distance.

Still hard to believe almost an entire year has gone by.  So true with how the days seem long but the months go by so quickly.  Last year around this time we were in Maine celebrating our second anniversary and took time to do maternity photos.  Some days I miss the bump and feeling all the kicks, but I do have to say the outside kicks and squirms are a lot more fun!

Three

“Today I give myself to you in marriage.
I promise to laugh with you in times of joy and comfort you in times of sorrow.

I promise to love you on your best day and on your worst day.
I promise to trust and respect you, even when it is hardest.

I promise to care for you, no matter what may happen.
I promise to help you when you need it, and step aside when you don't.
I promise to comfort you and encourage you, and to help you reach your goals.

I promise to remain faithful to you for better or worse, in times of sickness and in health.

I promise to be your best friend, your companion, your soul mate.
Today I promise to love you forever with all my heart.”

***

Three years ago today, on a beautiful and breezy day in York Harbor, we repeated those vows to each other.  We’ve been through a lot this year with all sorts of major life changes, and I’ve have to keep reminding myself of the promises I made to my partner in life.  Three years isn’t a very long time in the scheme of things, but what I do know is that the good days will always, always, always outweigh the not so good days. 

Love you, hubby! 

New Adventure

Things have been quiet lately because of a lot of changes I have made in regards to work.  I don’t like to talk about my job on here (mostly because I know some past c0-workers read, hi guys!), but we decided about six weeks ago that it was time for me to quit.  Lot of reasons went into this decision, but bottom line is we both thought it was best for our family moving forward.  Not really much else to say (can you tell I’m sick of having to defend myself?).  My last day was a couple weeks ago and instead of taking a break, I decided to jump right into a different opportunity that will be more flexible and be based on what I want it to be.  I was looking for something that can be done around our schedule rather than us trying to always do things according to my work schedule.

I am now an Independent Scentsy Consultant and I’m BEYOND excited to join this company.  I officially signed up last Thursday and the amount of training and resources I have access to already is unbelievable.  I also have an amazing sponsor/director and have been introduced to a team who has welcomed me with open arms.  So one week in and I’m already super impressed with what they have to offer! 

If you’ve never heard of Scentsy before, here’s the short story…it started with the idea of a wickless, flameless alternative to candles.  You start with a warmer that works with the heat of a light blub to slowly melt scented wax bars.  Over the past several years, the company has grown tremendously and they have now added a Layers line (home and body products that use the same scents), plus they have come out with other companies that sell fondue products (Velata) and purses, jewelry, and accessories (Grade Adele).  I’ll be focusing on just Scentsy Fragrance for now.

I went to a party a few years ago and bought two plug-ins for our bathrooms and several wax bars.  I also received another plug-in and more bars last year as a gift.  I love Scentsy because:

• I switch out scents all the time!  With 80+ scents, there’s plenty to choose from.
• I choose how strong I’d like the scent to be – I always start off with just one block.
• I select warmers to match each room’s décor instead of having a ton of barely used candle jars all over my house.
• Wickless, flameless, sootless!  Great, safe alternative to candles.
• It’s the perfect gift for the someone who has “everything”.
• The wax bars are affordable at just $5 each!

If you’re interested in learning more or browsing my online catalog, here’s the link to my site: http://ourscentedcasita.scentsy.us 

You can also follow me on Facebook!  http://www.facebook.com/OurScentedCasita

I’ve been busy planning for my launch party, which is this weekend, so I’ll be sharing lots of DIY projects in the next few weeks.  I love that I’ve been able to incorporate some crafty skills into this venture! 

Here’s to  new beginnings!

Favorite Milestone!

So Toby has achieved my favorite milestone yet…clapping!  He would always love to help me clap (he grabs onto my hands while I do the motions) but this past week he became coordinated enough to try on his own.  Then on May 1st he went nuts while he was eating dinner.  Here’s a video I managed to take:

Between waving and clapping, he’s been more adorable than ever lately.  But then of course on the other end of the spectrum, we’ve had more temper tantrums when we hide “technology” away aka the remote, our laptops, phones, etc.  He’s pretty smart realizing that we try to shove things under a blanket on the couch quickly before he notices.  Yeah, there’s no hiding anything from him anymore.  Let’s just say I am the queen of distraction and have had to be very creative with having him focus on something else.  He’s a fan of when I sing “Bingo” lately :)