Photo Journal

It just took me waaayyyy too long to catch up on over 300 blogs I haven't read since I went on vacation. I didn't even really read them. And it took me a week and a half to recover from a week long vacation. Phew! Glad I'm back on track!

I found out when I came back that my girls and their parents are moving...to Rhode Island! It's all very strange the way things are transitioning and working out for me and for their family. It just makes me believe that all of it was truly meant to be. Do you ever retrace the steps of your life in your head? I've been doing that a lot lately. I didn't know how much Zoe would change my life. When I moved here she was "just another job," but she has, and continues to lead my life in directions I had no intention of going. Above all she has taught me patience which is something I have never felt very good at. I love her for it. Without her I wouldn't be continuing on to the job that I will start in August, where I'll be working with children with autism in a therapeutic preschool. I have so much to thank that little four-year-old for.

I think that the hardest part in leaving them is knowing that one day they won't even remember who I am. Is that conceited? That she won't remember that when I ask her what her favorite part of the day is she says, "When we snuggle." Or that I taught her the words to an Adele song that we would sing really loudly in the car together. Or when I put her down for naps and she sings me "I love you, a bushel and a peck..." Or the way that we kiss our pointer fingers and put them together and say "kiss!" And so many more...

I know that I am only their nanny, and that important people will come and go in their lives forever and ever and I won't be but a two year blip on the maps of their lives, but if there was something that I could give to Zoe and Stella it would be to remember. To remember that our everyday was so insanely ordinary (and sometimes completely boring), but it was special. I can't really handle the thought of letting them drive away from me without giving them the opportunity to remember that once upon a time, our worlds revolved around each other.

I've raved about Pinhole Press before, and once again I'm going back! I can't wait for this photo journal to arrive so I can begin to write out all of the simple, boring, lovely things that my girls and I have shared.

Thank you for bearing with me and this very hard goodbye...I'm sure this won't be my last chicken wing post...

Sweet Stella

This girl is a firecracker, for sure. Her mom and I have been talking about what a sweet and easy newborn she was, and that once she figured out she could move there was no turning back. As soon as those little hands hit the floor her personality completely changed.

She HATES being strapped into anything! Stroller, carseat, Einstein, highchair. She screams through it all. Stella loves to chuck things out of her stroller when I'm not looking. So far I've lost a gagillion pacifiers, a couple toys, shoes, and a sunhat.

The loveliest things about Stella are her laugh and smile. If she isn't screaming, then she's laughing hysterically. She is also enamoured by Zoe. She can't get enough of her and she'll stop what she's doing to watch Zoe act something out and then show her approval with a big smile and a giggle. She loves to eat! If you don't feed her fast enough she'll scream at you. Her favorite food is Stoneyfield YoBaby Yogurt, and goldfish crackers.

It's hard to be away from my nephew, Nate, and at times I feel guilty for moving away from my family. But being around babies who love me and make me smile on a contiual basis make it a little easier. Like maybe I get a little piece of my Nater Patater through all these babies I care for.

Just a few tid-bits about my sweet Stella!

Hopefully

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I have a project in the making. It's a book. For a long time I've dreamt of illustrating children's books. Let me start at the beginning...

In college I took a couple of illustration classes and for one class the only project was to go through every step of writing and illustrating a children's book. From the very beginning stages to a final product you would be willing to submit to a publisher. I worked full time in college, and needless to say, I was always giving much less than my best. So I wrote a story inspired by my mom. I wrote if for her, actually. And it was...okay. It was written hastily and the illustrations were less than acceptable. It was B work, and that is exactly what I got. I turned it in late, actually, and had to go to my teacher's house to turn it in and recieve my final grade. I threw it in an old backpack full of half completed schoolwork and projects from all my art classes. Things I wasn't proud of because I hardly put any of me into them at all.

Fastforward 4 years. I went home last December to visit my family in Oregon. My parents had recently gone through storage and gotten rid of everything I threw in there when I left Oregon 3 years ago. My mom found that old backpack and started to dig through. And she found her story that I guess I never even gave to her. And she read it and started to cry. And she brought it home and her and my dad kept it safe and she showed it to all her friends. "It needs work," they told me when they sat me down and brought it out. "We want to try and publish it...if you want to."

So I'm in the middle of working on it. I'm re-writing it and making it sound a little less "half-assed" and I'm throwing out the old illustrations and starting over.

About a month ago I found out that I am losing my job. I'm leaving my chicken wing and my little babycakes at the end of July, if not sooner. It is overwhelming and heartbreaking, and also relieving. In my head I keep saying, "such is life" and I'm not completely sure why, but I googled it and I found the rest of the saying to be:

"Such is life, that whatever is proposed, it is much easier to find reasons for rejecting than embracing."

I'm trying HARD to see this as an opportunity to move on to passion, and joy, and happiness in my everyday. Not that I don't love those little girls to death, because that's the hardest part. But I have a feeling that good things are just around the corner. Or let's hope...

P.S. People keep suggesting future careers to me (i.e. event planner, photographer, etc.) If you have any ideas on what you think I should "be" then I'd love to hear it! Just because it's fun!

What's For Lunch | My Favorite Smoothie

Almost every day, for either breakfast or lunch, I make my favorite smoothie. I love it because I know I'm getting a serving or two of veggies without tasting it. I have never been a veggie-lover. Ever. I do like most of them now. You know..now that I'm a grown up. :)

This smoothie is pretty plain and simple and I don't add any sweetener because I don't think it's needed, but if my banana isn't ripe yet it sometimes tastes a little tangy. Once I tried to get Zoe to drink this because she LOVES fruit, but she spit it out all over my chair because it tasted "too sour."

I've read other smoothie recipes in magazines and such and none of them ever sound as good as mine and they all call for agave or honey or greek yogurt, things I don't think are necessary.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of soy milk (or whatever milk you prefer)

1 banana

3/4 cup-1 cup of spinach

1/2 cup blueberries

1/4 strawberries

Often I'll add a tablespoon or two of warm water if my blender is having trouble mixing, and that seems to really help stir things up.

Enjoy right away because it will turn green after a few minutes!

Hooray for Giveaways!

Apparently I'm so unused to blogging that I can't really remember to write a post every other day. I just remembered I started blogging again and found a comment yesterday that I won a giveaway! Yay! It's a James and the Giant Peach poster from Logophilia. Isn't it adorable? I have no idea where I'll hang it in our tiny apartment, but I loved Roald Dahl as a kid. The BFG was my favorite and I think I read it about a zillion times, but I loved James and the Giant Peach just as well as. I almost picked Mary Poppins...but then I didn't. :) Anyway, special thanks to Molly from A Few of My Favorite Things. This is the second giveaway I've won from her so I must be lucky on her blog!


I'm working on a couple posts for ya'll while I'm in Oregon (so excited), so that I won't forget and suddenly remember again that I'm trying to keep a blog going here!

Happy Summer!

Finally, Summer is here! I don't really know if that makes a difference weather-wise, but I have been waiting for this day for what seems like an eternity! Mother Nature officially has zero excuses to provide crappy weather. Happy Summer lovin'!!

When It Rains...

...it pours. Well folks, life's a doozy right now, but instead of going through all the details I'll just let you know I may or may not (I'm not quite sure) have developed strep throat in the last week...here I lie, sick in bed. On the upside it's the perfect opportunity to blog!

Lauren and I are anticipating our trip to Oregon, and because we're flying in and out of Portland it seems that we'll have a little bit of time to explore that neck of the woods. Any suggestions my Portland (Oregon) friends? I don't know Portland particularly well having never lived there, but I'd love to show her the prettiest parts of the city and duck in and out of some cute shops. Our bellies will also need filling so if you know of the best {insert food here}, then by all means, let me know!

I'm off to watch X-Men Origins: Wolverine because I'm a total nerd. On standby is my Martha Stewart Living magazine, July issue. My day is packed!

P.S. One joke I would be happy to never hear again: "You're from Ory-gone? Oh Portland to Portland, huh? Ha ha ha ha...hmmm."