A Trip To The Bookstore

Since Allen has been busy at work the last couple of weeks, including a work trip to Biloxi last week, we are making up for lost time. The sun also decided to break through, clearing up all those dreary dark clouds, so we decided to make a trip to the book store today.  It's been exciting these past few weeks watching Nylah become more interested in books. She loves to bring one to us to read, then right after we read it to her, she will sit down and pretend to read it herself.


Barnes and Noble is one of our favorite book stores, especially since there's a little bit of everything for everyone. And since we had our stroller with us, I decided to bring my camera along. One thing I will never regret, are the many opportunities to snap pictures of Nylah as she grows up, even at the seemingly simple outings, such as the book store. Real life is documented in the simple things, and they are the things we look back on and appreciate the most. So yes, if you were at the Barnes and Noble store in the Augusta mall, I was the mom sitting in the isle taking pictures of my baby while she peeked through the books, exploring her imagination. I was the mom that got a few curious looks, and even a smile, from passerbyers.  Then there is Allen. He was the dad that had to try out each book before we bought them, as if trying on a new pair of shoes. "How else will we know she will like them, unless we read them to her first?!"    Haha! I suppose he has a good point.

Some of Allen's favorite children's books are Dr Seuss, while some of my favorite children's books are The Berenstain Bears series. Needless to say, she got one of each, plus two others.

I hope Nylah grows to love books like we do. So far we've held off on TV for the most part, other than a couple Nursery rhyme videos from Youtube. No Saturday morning cartoons here yet, though I'm not completely apposed to some later on.

We also started her on Flashcards early on, familiarizing her with objects. She was a little late crawling and walking, but vocabulary is the one area she has always been advanced in.  She is beginning to lose interest in her first set of flashcards, so we got a new set to plaster around the house.

And of course, no trip to Barnes and Noble is complete without playing with the trains! I don't know who had more fun, Nylah or Allen.

Blast From the Past

I was leafing through a box of books in the garage that
I have kept over the years from my childhood, and I can't
wait to read them to Nylah (once I know she won't eat and
devour the pages).  The Berenstain Bears were my most
collected series. The first book I ever got was, "Bad Habit",
and I loved it because just like Sister Bear, I always had a
bad habit of biting my nails. From there, I pretty much
collected the entire series.









Here's a blast from the past! One of my favorite books in the 3rd grade was 'A Kitten for Rosie" And better yet, my favorite teacher, Mrs Simkins signed it and gave it to me for outstanding reading, which was my favorite subject. :)
It's hard to believe I still have it.

I also found a book called, "Monsters Don't Scare Me!"  Apparently I signed it and gave it to myself because I thought I 'deserved' it! Haha!

And last but not least, I LOVED LOVED LOVED Amelia Bedelia!! Her innocent, and literal interpretation of life was roll-on-the-floor hilarious! I could never get enough of her books, and I remember getting so excited whenever I saw a new one come out in the school library!

Oil Pulling 101

Oil Pulling 

I've determined that 2015 is going to be a year of health and wholeness for me, as well as for my little family. Back when I was living in Italy, a friend introduced me to a holistic lifestyle that I absolutely fell in love with. I began researching new and alternative foods, skin care products, home remedies and even music, and I started making little changes to improve my lifestyle. It seemed like whatever culture I was in at the time, there was always something new to learn. So my goal for 2015 is to get back to that....to cultivate this holistic lifestyle that I've grown to love so much, and to keep improving myself. The holistic lifestyle is about the person as a whole; the body, mind and spirit. It's not a weight loss goal, or a diet. It's not a treatment plan or temporary solution, but rather a path to wholeness in every aspect of my life, body mind and spirit. It ranges from food and skin care alternatives to emotional wholeness and stability. It also includes being balanced in the things I plug myself into, such as TV, texting, etc. It includes my faith and being sound and strong in what I believe in. And it means keeping everything balanced, so that everything can run smoothly and evenly. If one aspect of my life is off, chances are it will effect other aspects of my life. My goal is to bring balance and health in every aspect of my life. And it's a path of continual learning and growing, so I am bound to make mistakes from time to time, and that's ok.  I believe that the holistic life, when applied to every aspect of our lives, is the healthiest lifestyle, and it can make us happier and healthier in the long run. So that is my goal for 2015. Health. Healing. Balance.

One thing that is new to me this year, is Oil Pulling. I've heard of people doing it and seeing many health benefits, so I decided to try it. My hubby even hopped on board and is doing it with me.
You can use several oils, such as sesame oil, but we use a cold pressed extra virgin coconut oil from Viva Labs, and the idea is to simply swish the oil around in your mouth for 10-15 minutes each day, ridding yourself of toxins and bacteria. I like how one website describes it,

"First, the oils mix with the saliva, turning it into a thin, white liquid. Lipids in the oils begin to pull out toxins from the saliva. As the oil is swished around the mouth, teeth, gums and tongue, the oil continues to absorb toxins, and usually ends up turning thick and viscous and white. Once the oil has reached this consistency, it is spit out before the toxins are reabsorbed."  (globalhealingcenter.com)

 Most people focus on the oral benefits such as whiter teeth and healthier gums. But there are many health benefits such as detoxification of the body, relief from eczema, sickness avoidance, bad breath and keeping the heart, blood, lungs and kidneys healthy....among countless other benefits. Perhaps the biggest two motivators for me in doing this is allergies. I've been oil pulling for a couple of weeks now and I can definitely tell a difference in my allergies. My allergies got so bad that none of the medications that the doctor gave me would work, and he recommended weekly shots. Needless to say it has been miserable, and I don't want to rely on medication or shots. There have been many times that my allergies have got so bad that I've had migrane-like headaches that last days, and my nose becomes so stuffy and congested that it feels like a constant cold. Since I've been oil pulling, I've noticed that my nose completely clears up right after an oil pull, and I feel relief for at least half of the day. I'm hoping the continued practice of oil pulling will only make it better.

Oil Chews

I ran across a few people who were making 'oil chews', so I decided to try it in an attempt to make it quicker and easier in the morning (oil pulling is best in the morning before breakfast). You can use a small round ice cube tray or any kind of mold. As silly as it is, I happened to have a lego mold so I just used that. I heated my oil in a pan and let it melt, then I transferred 1-1/2 tablespoon to the molds. For added benefit and some flavor, I also stirred in two drops of peppermint essential oil in each slot of the mold and stirred it. And that's it. You stick it in the fridge (or freezer for faster set up) and let it solidify. Once it solidifies, you transfer it to a container and store it in the fridge.  

When I pop one in my mouth in the morning, I love that its cold. I also love the fresh peppermint taste in my mouth. It's much better tasting than plain coconut oil. Some people can't tollerate the taste of coconut oil very well, so this is a good alternative. You can also use other essential oils such as cinnamon, orange or lemon.

Demijohn's and more Demijohn's!!

 

Oh how I love fall time! There's just something so great about fall. The leaves falling off the trees, the festivals all around town, the cooler weather and all the upcoming holiday's. Fall time is by far my favorite time of year. 

And one of my favorite traditions since we left Italy is to dig out all my demijohns and fill them with bright colored leaves, then display them all around the house! We have green demijohns, blue demijohns and even some rare brown demijohns. And all of them are filled with bright colored leaves from the back yard.  In fact, my fall decorated demijohns are the most re-posted thing I have on pinterest. I get notifications all year round of people re-pinning my demijohns pictures.
 

This year was special because I had a little helper, helping me fill them with a little water. She had a blast pounding on the demijohns, hiding behind them, and playing peek-a-boo! I can't wait to one day teach her about the rich Italian culture and maybe even take her there.

When we lived in Italy, it was the law to recycle, especially glass. Get caught throwing anything recyclable away, and you get a nice little sticker on your garbage bin notifying you that you've been fined. In every neighborhood, there are large recycling bins on every street where people can dump all their glass wine bottles. We happened to have one on the corner, right in front of our house. Every once in a while, you'd see people drive up in a 3 wheeled Vespa farm truck (pictured below), and they would dump a full load of wine bottles and carboys (demijohns). Every once in a while I would sneak out and leaf through the bin, finding some unique and old glass bottles. Some small, some large.

The Italians think American's are crazy. They don't understand the big hype over these silly wine jars. In the States, the large demijohns sell upward to $100. In Italy, many Americans will  just pick them up from the recycling centers or the locals, clean them and send them back to the States to sell. 

I just love the bright colors, and the ability to display them anywhere in my home! And I love knowing these are the real things, not factory made bottles from Pottery Barn (which are a ridiculous amount of money as well, by the way!). 

Demijohns make the best vases! Once you add a little bit of water, the leaves usually last a few weeks. The leaves I picked this year weren't quite as red and colorful as last year, but one of the trees that I normally pick from in my yard hasn't changed colors yet. Once it does, there will be lots of bright, brilliant red leaves for me to pick.

Once while visiting a flea market in Italy, I bought two small wine vats that had wicker covers over them. I paid just 3 euros for them because they looked pretty beat up and dirty. The wicker wrapped around the entire bottle and you couldn't see the glass underneath. I brought them back to the States with me, fully intending to look them up and sell them. Instead they ended up sitting in my garage, packed away for two years. This year, I decided to peel off the wicker and see what the glass looked like underneath. They turned out to be beautifully aged demijohns that I'm estimating are at least 50 years old. There's a distinct writing around the neck of the bottles, which they don't do anymore, from my understanding. Anyway, I ended up cleaning them up well and displaying them on my mantel with leaves. I just love these darn little bottles, and the way the colored glasses filter the light.

Growing up!

 I've come to the conclusion, as I'm sure all moms have, that it is completely and utterly pointless trying to keep things clean and tidy when there's a baby in the house. On the other hand, as a photographer, I live for the moments (and sometime even encourage) when she makes those messes! I love snapping pictures of her when she's smearing potatoes all over her face all while trying her darnedest to get that one little bite in her mouth. I love when she kicks and splashes her bath water all over the floor, soaking everything and everyone in the room. And I love that when I turn my back for a minute, she has completely emptied two boxes of baby diapers that I unknowingly left right there in the path of temptation. 

 

Some of the most memorable pictures come from those messes; from those curious and exploitative moments. I'll admit that some of those messes are a bit less desirable, however. Like a diaper blow-out in the middle of the night, or puke all over your clean white shirt. 

 

All in all, I feel so blessed and humbled when I watch this baby play. I love watching the wheels in her mind spin round and round as she explores every path laid out in front of her. She is curious. She is creative. She is learning!