Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's off to work I go. . .

Tomorrow is the big day. Goodbye maternity leave, hello Goodyear. I can almost smell the rubber now. I know I will make it through the work day fine. I look forward to seeing everyone in my department and trying to remember all of my passwords. (That could be the most difficult part. I think I have about 6.) I already warned Mom that she would be seeing my office number on the caller id quite often tomorrow. Nene is more than capable but I will want to hear what little Stella is up to just the same.

I am most concerned with how tomorrow morning will work. After having her, it did not take long to figure out that Stephen and I needed at least an extra hour in order to get the three of us out the door. She is a great baby but feedings, diaper changes, packing a bag, and such take time. Add in showers for the both of us, breakfast, packing my lunch, and finding clothes that semi match and the morning flies! I have to be at work by 7 so it could get a little tricky. We shall see!

We will have our little routine in place soon enough. One thing is for sure, Layla will get some rest tomorrow! Bless her heart! She hasn't had a good nap in weeks. She stays too busy hovering over Stella. After the three of us leave, I am sure she will crash in one of her favorite spots. I was so irritated when I was pregnant when folks would say, "she'll just be a dog after Stella arrives." No, Layla will always be part of the family and special to Stephen and I. I can't wait to see Stella play with her in a few months. She noticed her and smiled for the first time this weekend and they had a stare down. It was so cute. Stella will have a best friend and extra parent in Layla one day. I think Layla loves her as much as we do.

Etsy!

Today, I met with a lady that is going to make a pair of collages for Stella's room. FINALLY! I had the idea when we first started on her nursery to use collages on each side of her crib and have had the hardest time finding anyone to create them. Little did I know someone locally had a business. I was in Higher Ground last week paying for my usual, an iced mocha, and noticed her art on the walls. I wanted something a little larger so I contacted her and she agreed to do some custom work. I gathered some items I wanted to incorporate and took her swatches from the colors we used in Stella's room. Also, a few months ago I purchased a set of neat vintage flash cards from Etsy. She was excited about them and thought using some in the artwork would work well. I can't wait to see what she comes up with! I will post pictures of the finished products.



I can't say enough about Etsy. You can find some of the coolest things on that site. I absolutely love the little hat with the pink bow I bought for Stella that she is wearing in a post below. I see many purchases for her in my future! Sorry Stephen. . .

Check out a couple of my friends who currently sell on Etsy:

Letters by Lauren

Laura Mia - Handcrafted Jewelry

And here's a random shot of Stella sporting her Daddy's hat.

The time has come.

The time that I have anticipated and dreaded is finally here. This is my last week of maternity leave. Big sigh. Now don't get me wrong, I really love my job. Actually, I have really missed all of the people I work with and the steady schedule that I was used to each day. I will be glad to get back to my desk and most of all my radio! Everyone in my department uses a radio - mostly for business, but sometimes entertainment as well. I will be ready for my first bit of trivia challenge via the airwaves when I return. Even though my job is great and I do really miss my old schedule, I will hate to leave little Stella everyday. The GOOD news is that she will be staying with my mom at her house. I can't wait to hear about the adventures of Stella and her Nene. Aside from Stephen and I, there is no one in the world who could shower her with more love. We are very fortunate to live near our wonderful families who are all willing to help. Thanks Nene. You really lessen the sting of being a working mom.

The time has gone by SO quickly. This Thursday I will have been home 8 weeks! Good grief. Stella will do great and may even enjoy the change of scenery. I am pretty sure that she is tired of our couch, too. We have spent many hours on it together. I plan on getting TONS of cuddles in this week. My sweet little girl is growing up much too fast.

And now I will share another recipe. I tried another dish from the Taste of Home Casseroles magazine I mentioned in a previous post. So far, none of them disappoint! Forgive the lattice design on top. I was in a hurry to get it baked before my Junior Auxiliary meeting.

Lattice-Top Chicken Stew
. . . but I will just refer to it as easy chicken pot pie because it is not what I consider a stew.

1 package (12 oz.) California blend frozen vegetables, thawed and drained
2 cups cooked, cubed chicken
1 can (10 3/4 oz) cream of potato soup
1 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup french-fried onions
salt and pepper to taste
1 tube (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent rolls

Combine vegetables, chicken, soup, milk, cheese, and onions in a large bowl. Transfer to a 9x13 baking dish. Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, separate crescent dough into two rectangles. Seal perforations: cut each rectangle lengthwise into four strips. Working quickly, weave strips over warm filling forming a lattice crust. Bake an additional 15 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

** Like many recipes, I added about 1/4 cup of Pictsweet seasoned blend. It's a great recipe helper for added flavor and taste. Just saute' what you need for about 5 minutes and add to any dish.

Welcome to Missouri.

Just another day to add to the list of firsts for little Stella. . . a trip out of state. Last weekend my Papaw had an accident and suffered several broken bones. He is in the hospital in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Mom, Sis, Stella and I went for a visit today. He was very surprised and so happy to see his great granddaughter for the second time even if it had to be in a hospital. I was so glad to see that he seemed to be doing well considering his injuries. We hope that Papaw has a speedy recovery!



It always makes me nervous to try something new with Stella. I don't want her to be uncomfortable or have a melt down in a different setting from the comforts of home. I was a nervous wreck on our first trip to the doctor, church, and any other public place for that matter. I don't know why? She does so well everywhere we go. Stella is such a good baby! She enjoyed the car ride very much and barely made a peep except when a hunger pain struck. I need to just realize that everything is going to be ok! Whew, that is tough for a first time mommy.

Yesterday we got to view the proofs from Stella's first photo session. I was so happy with them. I was a little worried that we would have good ones to choose from because Stella was upset when we tried the naked baby shots. She still doesn't enjoy being without clothes - my modest little girl! But Tammy always seems to get great shots. Here is a sampling. . .




Now the hard part - How will I ever choose or have enough wall space?

I'd like a Nutty Bar please.

I am so excited that spring has started to show itself! I love 50 degree weather. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my winters as well. This year was just particularly hard since I was stuck in the house for long periods of time. That is something that I am not used to at all. After Stella was born, it seemed to snow every other day. I am not one of those who feel like you should keep your baby indoors for months, but 10 degrees is pushing it a little. Now that it is warming up I have lots of fun taking Stella out and about. The Nissan Rogue has been lovingly nicknamed Baby Whisperer. She absolutely loves to ride.

For the first month it was hard to ever catch Stella awake aside from feedings. I was convinced that there was catnip in the air! The past two weeks have been really fun with her. She has much longer periods of time awake and alert. It is so amazing to see how strong she is becoming and how she changes. Stephen and I were reading through a magazine that they sent home from the hospital with us that tells you what to expect every month during baby's first year. Stella is hitting milestones early it seems but I guess every parent is ready to enroll their child in gifted classes from day one. Haha! No, truly it is wonderful to watch her grow and learn. It is a daily reminder of how great God is and the amazing blessing of a new life. I never want to forget that. Even when she tries to sass me in the middle of Wal-Mart in years to come, I hope I don't go all Madea on my child in public!

For now Stella is loving hanging out with Mommy at Wal-Mart. I love this picture. She really seems to be eyeing the Nutty Bars!

And I'm all like, this is hard!

You know what is tough about being a new mom? Not jumping the gun! It's so hard to make myself realize that my baby is only a month old. Such is my current dilemma - does she really need an Easter basket this year? Of course I want to give her the world right now but what would I put in it? A pack of Pampers and some Enfamil? But of course I had to receive the new Pottery Barn Kids catalog in the mail today that only made things worse. Look at these sweet baskets! *sigh* The Lord needs to give me strength so I can just say no.






I did purchase her Easter dress this week though. She has to have one of those. Here is a sneak peek but it will look so much cuter with Stella in it!



Stephen and I went to Wal-Mart today and had a great time in the toy section. Stella wasn't impressed. She snoozed away. In honor of Dr. Seuss Day we bought her three new books to add to her growing collection. We also purchased a cd player for her room. I can't believe that I didn't have one! Times have changed so much. For the past several years I have just listened to my XM radio, used our surround sound for cd playing, and mostly played my tunes on my iPod. I toyed with the notion of just getting an iPod dock for Stella but again told myself, she is one month old!! And plus, I have often wished for a portable cd player to use outside when working in the yard or washing the vehicles. (it does have a line in option for the iPod though!) Ahh technology. It makes me wonder what Stella will be using someday? She will look on my iPod as a useless gadget much like I thought of my parent's 8 track collection. Oddly enough I got all retro with age and have an 8 track collection myself. You never realize how cool your parents are until you hit your 20s. : ) So now I am the proud owner of my favorite album "Rumours" by Fleetwood Mac on 8 track, vinyl, cd, and of course iTunes. (No one needs to remember the casette tape!)



Side note: We are pretty sure in doing the math that Stella was a tadpole when Stephen and I saw Fleetwood Mac back in May. So technically that was her first concert - and that makes Mommy very happy!

Thank you HGTV!

Stella and I have logged many quality hours watching HGTV during my maternity leave. House Hunters has always been a favorite of mine but now I can hardly change the channel when it's on. I especially love House Hunters International. I always get a wild hair to travel somewhere far away like Malta. Who knew real estate in Malta was so pricey? I don't think that I could even afford an outhouse in that country. I will thank HGTV for keeping me so entertained but it can also do some harm. Now I think my house needs a complete makeover/remodel! I really love our home because it's the perfect size for our family but I know that we could utilize the square footage in a much better way. I am happy with our decor but would love to knock out a wall or two. I would also LOVE an open floor plan and be able to remodel my galley style kitchen. When you love to cook and bake as much as me, it just doesn't provide the space I need! Way too narrow, not enough counter space. . . Oh well. That's why we are young and dreamers. Maybe Stephen and I can build or remodel a home one day to our specifications. Wouldn't that be fun!? Has anyone noticed on some of the shows that a standard kitchen remodel is normally around 80,000 dollars? Ummm, that's an entire home in Obion County.

I also love that everyone on House Hunters refers to their cabinets as cupboards and their yards as gardens. I am going to start using this terminology to make myself sound cool as well.

Speaking of design ideas. .. I was at Sugar and Spice today (DANGEROUS!) scoping out all of the new spring clothes for Stella and noticed a neat picture frame. It's actually closer to hot pink in real life so it would not match her room at all - but I just loved the quote! It has special meaning to me also because Sis and I watched Cinderella together every Sunday afternoon for YEARS! We would throw in another Disney movie here and there but Cinderella was our absolute favorite. " Uhhh, Gus Gus take-a Lucifee and . . ." : )



Anyways, since I don't want to use a huge pink frame in her room I was thinking of having a vinyl wall piece made to go on the opposite wall of her crib. I could have it made to match this one of her name I had done a few months ago. Cute!