thrifty.

if you ask me, i will tell you that i am a deal hunter. if you ask my husband, he will tell you, simply, that i am a money spender. i suppose i cannot disagree with him, but shopping is therapeutic & so to my husband i say 'bring on the therapy'. {lets not mention that fact that i may actually need therapy nor that it might actually be cheaper to see someone weekly than the damage that i do sometimes}

in an effort to be easier on the pocketbook & make the husband rest easier i told him that i was determined to shop exclusively second-hand. i committed that for the remainder of september i would restrict myself shop at second-hand or consignment stores. theeeeeeeeeeen i received my free people catalog. i quite literally dog-earred every. last. page & found myself coveting a few too many items for my moral & spiritual wellness.

i love their easy, boho, rocker edge for fall {for all the time, really} & it brought me back to my hippie upbringing in portland, oregon. hence, i am determined to have each piece. but haaaaaaaaaaaaaail no! am i willing to fork out four-hundred bones for one single item, ever. that is  where my september challenge comes in.

enter: mediocre thrifted boots for $7.99

enter: studs $8

enter: a few episodes of dateline & elbow grease

result: knock off rocker boots $15.99

tunes for tuesday

if you know me well, you know that in a past life i was a singer. not like 'mariah carey' style, but a trained, state champion, opera & vocal performance singer. i may have ditched voice lessons & competitions may be in my distant past, but my passion for good music has never left me.

with that said i open up 'tunes for tuesday' to the blogger world & ask you readers for your current favorite bands, songs, records & i will post the links of those 'fan favorites' on the side bar under "hear ye". i have been updating my playlist & have even revived an oldie (black eyed peas - request line) back into my jogging rotation.

i am certain that i am not the only one who, upon hearing a song with a great beat, wants to dance like there is no tomorrow. or when hearing a slow rhythmic & lyrical song feel like the words & tune speak to you directly & you feel as though that song is the soundtrack to your life. or after dragging your feet to the gym you know you can motivate yourself with some heavy metal or hardcore rap. am i the only one?

check out my favorites right now, under the sidebar "hear ye", drop me a line with a few of your favorite tunes & lets share our playlists!

signing out - DJ kayti

responsibilty

today, my dearest monroe, i am overwhelmed. i am so immensely overwhelmed by my love for you & for the ever-growing testimony that your heavenly father knows you, knows me & put you & i together for so many beautiful reasons. today, out of the blue, you got very, very ill. i panicked - per usual. and for a split second i questioned my capacity; my tolerance for vomit, my patience for crying, my ability to care for you in the way you need. however, in my moment of weakness, you, my little 17-month old, looked at me with the confidence that i was lacking. you trust me to know what is right, to do what is best for you & to be strong when you cannot be. there is no way for me to communicate to you how heavy yet how enlightening that responsibility is. i feel so honored to be your mother; to be the person who you trust here on earth, while you are away from your heavenly father. rest assured that i will always care for you & do my darnedest to always do what is right by you.

one & a half

today marks the nugget's eighteen month milestone.

sweet monroe,

what character you have become. just the other day you strolled into the living room with just a diaper on & your winter fur hat on your head. upon realization that you had our full attention you proceeded to run around & around the ottoman while punching the air with your fist & saying "shhh, shhhh, shhhhhh". thats right, you're running now. you're jumping now, you're sword fighting now, you're throwing balls now - you, my friend, are a full blown boy now. you are obsessed with motorcycles, trucks & trains, but when asked you call everything "truuuuh" - 'A' for effort kiddo. as we drive, you stare intently out the window & at the mere sound of a motorcycle revv you squeal & yell "truuuuuh!". on our walk to the library you point out every, single truck that pops into view & yell until i acknowledge your seemingly rare & shocking discovery. while mimi was visiting she turned a costco produce box into a train for you & that has become one of you favorite toys. you will simply sit down inside it & sweetly demand a ride around the house by saying "chooo?". and when we are outside & you hear the far distant train you point and yell "chooo-chooo!!". each word you say, makes me beam with pride. i feel as though i have turned into one of those really annoying mother's who pushes their kid to perform in front of friends, family & even strangers so everyone can witness what a smart kid you have become. 

we work on your animal sounds daily because currently the two animals you favor are dogs & ducks, both of which you can pronounce. you know what sound a horse, elephant, snake, monkey, chicken, dog & duck make & upon the sight of them you exclaim that sound with joy. dad is working on your car/truck/motorcycle sounds because we all know you will never learn those from me. the other day he was sitting with you on the couch teaching you the difference between a road bike, street bike, dirt bike, sport bike etc & i've gotta say you've got the dirk bike sound down pat - "rrrring-ng-ning-ning" - it is probably one of the more adorable things you have done as of late. i take no credit for your genius, but it sure makes me proud.

i love your recent independence probably more than you do. you can feed yourself during each meal, you can tell me if your thirsty by saying "juice", you can bring me a book if you want to read it or (on the heart melting occasion) i will find you reading to yourself in your bedroom, you can throw your diaper away after you are changed & pick up tissues off the floor saying "trash?" & promptly take them to the garbage bin, when asked, you will go get your shoes from your room for us to put on you & while marching back, shoes in hand, you will say "shoo? shoo!", you are able to tell me if you want to go outside("side") or if you would like to take a bath("bapf!"), if you are hungry you can grab your own snack or simply ask me for a "nack?", you can even feel when your nose is runny, then find a tissue, dishrag or whatever cloth is in sight & blow your own nose, you amuse yourself by putting on my hats & running around the house saying "hat! hat!", you check with us first to make sure that what we are giving you to eat is not too hot by saying "hah? hah?" & have the notion to blow on your food if we tell you to wait, you are able to communicate if you want  help to sit in a chair & when asked "do you want help?" you will promptly say "ya". i love this age. more importantly i love you.

with everything that i am, i love you. - your proud mama

day of labor

this labor day we spent our day outside & hosted a few close friends for home made pizza. roe played with his pal archie & we laughed with our pals while enjoying great pizza topped with fresh ingredients brought by our gracious guests. the dough recipe we use is beyond - check it out here & thank me later. 

our nuggets' first birthday has come & gone & we have nothing to show for it {here in the blog world that is}. our little manchild, on the other hand, has more than a little to show for it. we went from crawling to walking, we went from a few words to a constant babble & we went from clingy dependence to glorious independence; he has truly gone from a baby to a toddler &a has won my heart over each & every step of the way.

ketchup.

our nugget will be a whole year old in less than a week & i have yet to document . . . . a lot. after reading this beautiful post, i recognize that the little milestones are trivial in the grand scope of little monroe's life. however, as a first time mother i cannot help but glorify is those tiny, yet ever so monumental & victorious, achievements.

to my baby roe,

month 10 was a rough month for you. i cant say i blame you since you were fighting with all your tiny might to beat the awful ear infection that has plagued you for two whole months thus far. but in true fashion to your cheerful demeanor, you, were quite the champion.

on top of being a champion of sorts, you are the most tender & loving babe. now when i gather you in my arms, either to carry you to bed or to force you into snuggling, you lay your head on my shoulder & gently pat my back with your tiny palm. you & i then take turns patting each other on the back, until you get bored with that game & move onto the next. however, amidst the game playing, booking reading & regular non-sense that consumes our day you find those brief moments to drop what you are doing, climb into my lap & either lay your sweet head on me or plant a big-wide-mouthed kiss on me. you just came out with a sweet disposition & for that i thank my heavenly father each day.

as all mothers do, i wonder if i am doing a good enough job; teaching you the right things, feeding you the best ingredients & raising you in the proper way. & you do a perfect job of confirming that my efforts are not in vain. you have learned how to sort & stack toys. you hand me toys when i ask for them & are willing to share with others. you throw a ball out in front of you & scoot after it. you know what a dog says & what noise a car makes. you flip through books feverishly & then insist that we read them again saying 'boh! boh!'. you shake the maracas & bang on the drum, just like the musician son your papa & i always hoped for.

among other news, you learned how to sip through a straw, prefer to feed yourself, love watching cats, adore baths in the kitchen sink, your first & second teeth poked through, you squeal at the sight of dogs, finally figured out how to crawl, perfected your fake cry.

your ear-to-ear smile is the bright sonshine in my life.

i'll love you forever, i'll like you for always. as long as im living, my baby you'll be, mama