Five Favorites (vol. 11)

Just like many women, I use a plethora of products to beautify myself...but rarely do I talk about them. Today I'm coming out of the dark and sharing my five favorite, tried-and-true beauty products:

1) BareMinerals Mineral Veil

Would you like to witness a miracle? Use this mineral veil after applying the rest of your makeup. It makes your face look flawless and keeps your makeup in place all day. I learned about this stuff when I was 17 and have since received it every year for Christmas from my mom. In high school and college I was never a foundation wearer--sometimes I would wear tinted moisturizer, but that was it! For my wedding day I bought the BareMinerals Foundation (in Fairly Light for this very pale girl!) and liked it so much that I've used it almost every day since. The mineral veil is $20, and that may seem like a lot, but I promise it always lasts me right around a year (and then Christmas comes around and what do I receive!?...)

2) Maybelline Full 'N Soft Mascara

Let's just say I've been around the block with many a mascara, always searching for the right one. I tried out Full 'N Soft per Grace's suggestion and oh my sweet goodness gracious I really like it. This stuff stays on but doesn't get flaky and makes my lashes look longer and fuller without feeling heavy and clumpy. Cha-ching!

3) Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes

For the nights when you know you really should wash off your makeup, but you really don't feel like it (otherwise known as 23/24 nights over here.) These are the best. Pre-moistened but not drippy, they make my face feel tingly clean but not dried out and can even take off waterproof mascara in a cinch! I once bought some generic brand because I'm frugal and a sucker for a good sale...for the following 50 days my face wasn't quite so happy and I was wishing I had spent the extra $.30. SO worth it.

4) CoverGirl Perfect Point Plus Eyeliner

I have used this eyeliner literally since I began wearing eyeliner because it's what my mom uses too (thanks Mom!) I've always worn it in Espresso because black eyeliner just seemed like I really wanted to be goth or something. What I love about this is what you don't have to do: you don't have to use a sharpener, you don't have to press hard, and you don't have to find a sponge because there's one attached! It goes on nice and smooth and doesn't smudge. Winning!

5) OPI Lincoln Park After Dark

So I'm sure this must be cheating or something because I've already talked about LPAD in a previous Five Favs but I just wouldn't be able to face the mirror if I left this off of my favorite beauty products post...I love it for every season and there's no convincing me that another color will ever take it's spot in my heart.

Do you have any beauty fav's I should know about? I'm pretty susceptible to trying new products and would love to add something to my ever-present Target list!

Today's post is killing birds with stone: Number 3 for 7 posts, 7 days hosted by Jen and an addition to my favorite link-up hosted by Hallie. 

Five Favorites (vol. 10)

Winter is upon us here in Iowa which means I'm cold. Let's be real, though, I'm cold in July. Below are my five favorite ways to warm up!

1.

We put a Keurig on our wedding registry--and received it from my generous aunt and uncle. I am so glad we have this thing because I have to be honest and tell you that I hardly ever brew coffee in our normal coffee maker. I drink the coffee when the hubs makes it on the weekends and otherwise go the lazy quick route and brew up a cup o'joe this way. yum-O.

2.

This isn't the exact one I have, but heating blankets are super swell. Especially when my husband is walking around in shorts and a tee and doesn't think it's freakin' freezing in the house like I know it is!

3.

Have you heard of arm knitting? My SIL turned me onto it--get thee to youtube to learn how! It's seriously the fastest project and you get a beautiful, chunky scarf to keep you warm (or just accessorize your outfit!) If you have knit scarves before, here are two warnings: 1) You will be amazed at how fast this goes and 2) you will feel like you cheated because it's so instant gratification.

4.

Love me some glittens. I love that you're wearing nice, warm mittens but have the capability to quickly utilize those digits for things like texting, strapping in your small child in the carseat, or finding something at the bottom of your bag. Bought a pair two years ago, lost one. Bought a pair last year, lost one. You see a trend? I'd love a pair like the ones above in black and white! 

5. Cuddling. You knew it was coming. Having a husband who puts off heat like a radiator is pretty economical. Sometimes I have to ask him if he needs more space before I fall asleep because I pretty much claim the middle of the bed. A few inches over is just too cold!

Catch more quick takes and their lovely authors over at Hallie's!

~Danielle

Five Favorites (vol. 9)

Well it's almost Wednesday which means it's time to share my five favorite things o' the moment along with sweet Hallie and the other Favoriters. The prologue portion of this post should include something about having a sweet tooth currently...read on and you'll see why!

-1-
I love ice cream. Always have, always will. And I equate frozen yogurt to ice cream because it's just as good! We don't always have it in the house...but usually we do. Meet the most delicious frozen yogurt known to man:

Blue Bunny Caramel Praline Crunch frozen yogurt. Your mouth will dance. Oh, and you're welcome.

-2-
I'm a grazer and snack much of the day. Last week I found myself standing in the trail mix aisle at Target. I must've (can you do that...should + have = should've so must + have = must've??) Anyways, I must. have. blacked out because suddenly I'm home unpacking groceries and this large tub of trail mix somehow found it's way!


A Handful of Everything from Target.

I couldn't pass up a 5% discount on Cartwheel...that 21 cents really would've broke us. Okay, let me just explain to you how good this stuff is: it's pretty much a handful of a warm, sunny, clear day with big, fluffy white clouds except you get to ingest it kind of joy. Amazing, right? The "everything" is really just dried apricot, pineapple, coconut, and banana chips, with almonds and yogurt covered peanuts and chocolate chips. Why the italics? I may or may not eat chocolate chips straight from their bag sometimes often when I don't have any other good snacks in the house. So eating them with fruit and almonds is wayyy better (or something.) Let's just say my container now contains a handful of nothing.

-3-
My other favorite middle of the day pick-me-up is wine. Kidding. I totally reserve that for after baby boy's bedtime. It's taking a nap! I take my naps very seriously and am a serious nap-taker. I have trained myself to fall asleep very quickly--enough of this sleep training for babies, you gotta know how to sleep train yourself so that you can get sleep when the baby does! Thankfully he slept for almost an hour and a half yesterday which means I got to as well=happy momma.

Quick power-napping is a skill I've been perfecting ever since college, when I would have approximately 20 minutes between a class and a meeting, 10 of which would be taken up walking to and from my reshall room. (It's a Residence Hall, peeps, not the dreaded "d" word. You can tell I work in Higher Ed.) I'd get to my room, throw down my stuff, and roll right under those covers, setting my alarm for 10 minutes later. Fairly certain I was asleep within 30 seconds. After college when I was teaching with Teach For America, sleep became somewhat of a luxury with the long hours and tons to do...the first year of teaching is really is as hard as everyone says. So I made sure that I worked right up until I had to go to sleep to get 8 hours (which I soo need unless I want to fall apart the next day) and then I would literally go. to. sleep. Maybe someday I'll post about what I do to get to sleep so fast. All of this to say, napping is my fav.

-4-
During the fall and winter months I love dark nail polish on my fingers. I put the dark stuff on my toes all year round! My favorite color since I started memorizing OPI colors is Lincoln Park After Dark:

with a close second by Eiffel for this Color:

Yes, I know it's weird that I have nail polish color names memorized. But it's only like 10, I swear. And it's only because OPI is so clever. Although it seems really glamorous (or something) I promise there's a million things better for your brain to know and I kinda wish I had more room for less trivial knowledge.

-5-
So I mentioned wine earlier and now I'm coming back to it. My favorite is Cabernet, so here's a three for the price of one deal...my three current favorite cheap-o delicious cabs. (woman, that's a lot of adjectives):
Two Vines Cabernet Sauvignon--Typically $6.99 at our nearest grocery store
Cellar No. 8 Cabernet Sauvignon--Usually priced between $7-8
 Robert Mondavi Private Selection Cabernet Sauvignon--This is priced a bit higher, between $10-15 I believe. But we drank it one night on our honeymoon so we like to "indulge"--if it could even be called that--for sentimentality sake.

Hope everyone has a fabulous hump day! Thanks for such a fun link-up, Hallie!

~Danielle

Five Favorites (vol. 8)

It's a lovely Wednesday yet again, and this time I actually have a moment to participate in five favorites! Find more over at Hallie's.

As a new momma, I have found that the teensiest bit of pampering goes a very long way. The smallest treat can really turn around my entire attitude/day. Below, find my five favorite ways to retreat from the monotony of life with a babe!

-1-
A cup of the good stuff. And by this I mean coffee in any of it's many beloved forms. Cup o' Joe, flavored latte, cappuccino, chai latte (okay, I know this isn't actually coffee, but it's close enough...or something), iced coffee... I've pretty much tried it all and love it all, especially when it contains quite a bit of sugar.
I used to drink coffee everyday but stopped when I was pregnant--not because I was "supposed to," but because for the first 18 weeks or so it was practically repulsive! Good thing that didn't last all of pregnancy and good thing pregnancy doesn't last for life.

On our honeymoon we were always on the hunt for two things: coffee and churches. Oh, and see those cannoli? We were in Sicily and I am sure I will never, ever have cannoli as good as those anywhere else.

A coffee drink of some sort always feels like a treat to me, whether it's from the Keurig in our kitchen or the coffee shop down the street. Not something I need, but something that can help to start out my morning (or, heck, afternoon!) the right way.

-2-
Pedicures. I really love the process of getting a pedicure--there are few things better than having your feet rubbed. I also really love looking down at my toes weeks months later and seeing them all cute and painted. When I was living in Kansas City, I'm pretty sure my roomies and I went once every few weeks to get a manicure and/or pedicure. You can guess that I wasn't on any sort of budget at all. Now I'm married and have a husband who's super good at keeping us on track. So good that we have a "Prettifying Danielle" budget and I get to save up our pennies until I have enough for a mani/pedi/massage/haircut. Last Saturday morning I decided it was pedicure day and got to sneak out of the house for an hour to indulge in that little treat--such a great way to start a weekend!

-3-
Adoration. Now, I'm sure this isn't on most people's top 10 list for getting "pampered." But the purpose of taking a little retreat from life is always to feel less stressed, right? For me, 30 minutes spent in prayer adoring the Blessed Sacrament is exponentially relaxing and stress-relieving and can absolutely turn my day right-side-up again. PTL (Praise the Lord) that there is a 24-hour Adoration Chapel just 3 blocks from our house! Truly, this is a treat I should indulge in more...so far it's the only one that's free, enhances my life for the long run (although the argument could be made that coffee has this ability), and allows me to accept the grace God is always gifting us with.

-4-
Red wine. So mom of the year award goes to me because Silas has definitely visited the winery at least 4 times in his short little life. What can I say? We like wine around here. Especially the red stuff.

Silas is more into the glass itself than the delicious drink it holds.

On the weekends the hubs and I will have a glass after baby is in bed and it's always such a delicious way to end the day! It's funny how just one glass of wine also helps me remember that there's life outside of babyland. Not that I dislike being steeped in all-things-baby all day and spending lots of time with him, it's just so easy to get lost in that world! My glass of wine whispers to me, "Hey, you're an adult and you can think about adult things sometimes."

-5-
Chatting with a friend. What a God-send the telephone is! While I have a handful of fabulous friends where we live, I've only been here for a bit over 2 years and so most of the besties aren't in town! Being able to talk to my momma everyday and several of my friends regularly really is a kind of pampering for me, a break from the day. Talking to those who I don't have to explain anything to is comforting and it doesn't matter how long it's been between phone calls, we can just pick back up where we left off!

Taking a little moment to pamper yourself today--you'll be better for it! I find that I can be a better mom and wife and friend when I take care of myself.

~Danielle

Five Favorites (vol. 7): Photos!

So it's been quite the while since I've written a post, which has been pretty accidental.  It's like my computer knows it's been awhile and is rusty because my "q" key just got stuck. Anyways, there's been lots o' fun things happening around here and we've had the perfect balance of busy and free time. Lately I've been busy writing about 12 posts in my head and then not quite remembering what I wanted to say, and so these thoughts never make it to the keys. But there's a lot to reflect on when you watch a little one take in the world for the first time. He's figuring out how to interact with his surroundings and it's incredible to guess what he's learning by reading his little expressions.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the last few weeks, to give a glimpse at what's going on in our world:

-1-

My sister is engaged! SO excited for them as they look towards their lives together. They got engaged about two weeks ago and already have a date and the church and reception hall booked. woah. Let wedding planning commence!

-2-

My first niece arrived on Saturday! SO excited for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law on their little bundle of joy--Isabella (Ella) Therese! She is adorable, has the cutest head of black hair, and the sweetest little ears.  Ella made me an aunt and I'd have to say that so far it's pretty wonderful.

-3-

This wreath also arrived on Saturday. Okay, so I bought the materials and made it and put it there...but that still counts, right? I was feeling pretty crafty and saw a link to this wreath on Pinterest, claiming it was the "easiest wreath you will ever make." I'm all for easy...so I gave it a whirl! And, yes, I do agree that it probably could not have gotten much easier.

-4-

You'll never guess what else happened on Saturday (it was such a crazy day!)...we visited Brandon's Alma mater for Homecoming and his five year reunion. It was really a lot of fun to see so many friends and Silas was very well behaved and smiley for the most part. 

-5-

On Sunday we headed to my parents house for a wedding. The fam hadn't seen Silas in almost two months, so he was showing off his sitting skills and chuckling quite a bite. He took a lot of interest in Hobo the dog, and boy was Hobo interested in him! Although it was such a quick trip, it was soo nice to see my parents, sister, and grandparents again (although we really missed you Tori!)

Head over to Hallie's for more five favorites!

Five Favorites (vol. 6)

Back for more five favorites because it's just such a good excuse for a random blog post. Guest hosted by the lovely and hilarious Grace over at Camp Patton.  If I choose this week's theme to be "no theme," have I actually chosen a theme?

-1-
These pretzels.

Um, excuse me Snyder's of Hanover but pretzels aren't supposed to be this delicious or addicting.  I meant to bake bread yesterday to bring as my snack to pass for Park Mama's, but Silas was preeettyy clingy, and so that just didn't happen. What did happen was me stopping at the nearest drugstore and picking up some of these puppies, and I believe I may have passed on my addiction to a few others (so sorry I'm not sorry!) Fortunately Unfortunately there was a bit leftover that I brought home with me and now I'm just like "eat all the pretzels!"

-2-
In less overly-processed food news, I was totally "pinspired" today. Recently I've realized that I need to back off from Facebook, ie: going on like 30 times a day for no good reason and against my better intentions. So I've been checking out pinterest when feeling the need to do something with my brain while nursing. I pinned a link to crockpot meals and decided the lasagna one sounded uh-may-zing, and so it is currently cooking on my counter! Usually I'd give myself pretty low marks when it comes to thinking of what to make for dinner prior to 5pm, so I'm just a little bit impressed with myself.

-3-
I'm currently in a Facebook Women's Bible Study. (I'm aware this doesn't help the whole "don't go on FB as much, but at least it's using it in a much more intentional way!) We're studying the last chapters of Luke currently and I have to say that I'm really enjoying this structured and accountability-driven way of diving into Scripture. It has led me to really think about my vocation, loving others, humility, and my prayer life. It's really interesting to be able to share our reflections with one another and be inspired by these women without ever setting foot in the same room with them. Technology has it's downfalls, but it's inspiring to see it's fruits as well!

-4-
This post by Ashley at Narrative Heiress really struck a chord with me.  She talks about being at home with babies and the aspects of life that come with it...I find hope in reading other mom blogs because it reminds me that there are others out there doing what I'm doing. They're doing the silence and sometimes-isolating and the hard and the exhaustion...and they're doing the fulfilling and wonderful.

-5-
My little man and I get to spend a lot of time together. There really is nothing like being a parent. and we were told this over and over when we were pregnant. "You'll never feel so much love as you do looking at your child, and we can't explain it...but you'll know when you feel it." It's like trying to describe what it's like to see a shooting star, but you really can't imagine it until you watch one cross the sky.

Silas wasn't quite sure what to think of his first swing ride.

Happy hump day! (in the Geico camel's voice, of course!)

~Danielle

Five Favorites (vol. 5)

Linking up with the fabulous Hallie for five favs.

This here blog has been a little bit lacking with picture updates of the small child in my life.  So here are my favorite photos and happenings of Mr. Silas as-of-late.

-1-

A little less than two weeks ago we celebrated Brandon's birthday on the very same day as a surprise birthday party for my grandma.  Don't worry, the birthday boy woke up to freshly baked rhubarb pie, had an ice cream cake later, and his very own party hat to wear all day (all thanks to my wonderful mom!) In his words, the best birthday gift he had was sharing the day with his son.  (awww!)

-2-

Silas is always sweet, but aren't babies just the sweetest when they're sleeping? Whenever he wakes up he has a great big smile for his momma--pretty much a day-maker. 

-3-

He's getting to be quite the handful at a whopping 17.8 lbs!  He likes to grab onto our arms and neck and face whenever possible and has a mighty strong grip! Paired with those fingernails which seem to grow faster than dandelions, I have quite a few places where he's left a mark. Battle scars... Also, his hair is falling out a little bit and is seemingly being replaced with very light-colored hair. Hence appearing as though he has a mohawk in the above photo.

-4-

Great-gramps has been in the hospital since last week after quadruple bypass heart surgery.  We sure have been thinking about and praying for him a lot!  We did a little photo shoot of Si-guy with this sign so that gramps could have a photo of him in the room.  It took a lot of effort to keep Silas from eating the sign (as evidenced by the crinkles in it), because obviously paper is the new milk.  We had him propped up in the corner of this chair, but he pulled himself forward and held himself up with that front hand--sitting on his own for the first time.  

Another first is that later this same day he laughed more than a chuckle for the first time when Aunt Allison was holding him.  Melted my heart into a puddle of love.  I sat there reveling at all that cuteness!

-5-

Actually everything is the new milk because we can officially say that little man is teething.  After helping dad win this card game by about a bajillion, Silas grabbed the box of cards and chomped on that a little bit. We're experiencing lottsss of drool, like enough to raise the Mississippi, and a runny nose and him trying to use momma's finger as a teething ring.  Poor guy. I'm pretty sure this is just the beginning of a very long road of teething. But I suppose we want the boy to have teeth.

Well that's all for now, hope you enjoyed catching up with the cutest member of our household.

~Danielle 

Five Favorites (vol. 4)

Lately I've been trying to appreciate the little things in life that bring me joy.  Here are five of these favorite little things.

1. Having my toes painted.  Last Friday before the wedding the bride and her bridesmaids went to get manis/pedis. I really love both the process of having them painted (aka: a pedicure) as well as just looking down when I put on my shoes or cross my legs, and seeing my little piggies all cute and painted.  Although there is hardly ever a time when they're not done, it reminds me of summer.  Even if every other part of me is a mess, at least my toes are good to go.

2. Ice cream.  I can't think of a time where ice cream isn't a suitable treat.  I also can't think of a kind of ice cream I dislike, or even a variation. (Hello, gelato and fro-yo!)  Typically my pick is cookie dough, something with caramel in it, or vanilla with fruit on top.  But really, if you want to make my day, suggest that we go out for a scoop!

3. My husband's hand on the small of my back.  Ladies, you know what I'm talking about.  You're with a large group of people and that man you love walks up next to you and just places his hand on your back to let you know he's there.  Insta-butterflies in the stomach.

4. When someone you've been thinking about texts you. or calls or facebooks...I seriously love this "connection" and it brings a smile to my face when it's almost as though you were connected telepathically to that person.  I have quite a few friends who this has happened with.  My mom and I do it on a weekly basis.  We have literally called each other once at the same moment and we each got a busy signal!

5. Getting snail mail.  There really is something about a handwritten card with a stamp on it that comes in your mailbox...the one you actually have to walk outside to access.  I really love getting mail and often keep many of the cards I receive (and always try to return the favor and send out handwritten cards so that others get the rush of snail mail)

Check out Hallie's page for more five favorites.

~Danielle

Five Favs (vol. 3)

In honor of spending the week at home, this five fav's is dedicated to my favorite memories from my parents house!

1.

The Trampoline

Wow, did my sisters and I spend a lot of time in the backyard on our trampoline.  We'd have friends over and be out there all afternoon.  When I think of childhood summers, I think of black feet and "butt jumps." We would put the sprinkler under it on really hot days and lay on it to watch the stars at night.  It was kicked to the curb at the beginning of this summer (RIP) because of how old and potentially life-threatening it became but I will always fondly remember the fun it brought us!

2.

Our Bedrooms

I am the oldest of three girls and there were two bedrooms for us to share.  We switched off who had their own room and who was sharing every year or so.  I have to say that looking back I am so glad that I was made to share a room for much of my life.  There are so many memories I have, like chatting with Lauren after it was "lights out" (and my mom having to come in multiple times to tell us to go to sleep already!) making forts out of the bunkbeds, and having to take an entire day to clean the pig-sty of a mess we had created in our room.  Now this arrangement definitely didn't come without it's fair share of sisterly-love bickering, regarding mostly space and clothing as we got older (if someone else was wearing it, then it was most definitely not hers and they needed to remove said article of clothing immediately because she did not ask!!)

Maybe we get along so well now because of all those arguments over whose shirt/shoes/skirt it really was?

3.

The Bread

Okay, so this is weird.  I am revealing a big secret here that my family is, in fact, crazy. We were really trying to keep that under-wraps, but the time has come.  Sooo...there was this one time after the Easter Vigil.  It's a tradition around here that we attend the Easter Vigil and then come home and throw a little party/celebration, with any foods someone in the family may have given up for Lent and also all foods that will clog your arteries immediately and all drinks that are delicious. (One year we had pomegranate martinis.  They are as glorious as they sound and yes, we know we're really great at celebrating Jesus' ressurection!) SO one year, we came home, put mozzarella sticks and other deep-fried things in the oven and were hanging out gorging on ice cream or something when we noticed this beautiful loaf of bakery bread my mom had bought sitting on the counter.  Turns out it had been sitting there for too long, though, and was as hard as a rock.  What's a family to do?  Well, play hot potato with it, of course.  I kid you not, someone turned around so they couldn't see the circle and sang while we passed chucked this exceptionally stale bread around.  Then we got bored with it so we decided to play football with it. I "hiked!" it to Lauren and she threw it to Tori who threw it back to Lauren who punted it and this loaf of rock bread flew across the room and hit my mom in the mouth.  (wo)Man down! Penalty on the field!  

Oh, and did I mention Brandon was there watching all of this unfold? And we had only been dating about 3 months? What a brave soul to not walk out the door right then and there, never returning to this cray-cray family who plays sports in the kitchen with old bread.

Oh how I wish I had a picture of the bread.

4.

High School Dances

Almost every High School Dance pre-party was held at my parents house.  In the afternoon a few girls would show up and I would do their hair (I sorta have a knack/love for doing up-do's!) and then about an hour before the dance other friends and their parents as well as my grandparents would show up.  My mom always had hors d'oeurves and "kid wine" aka Welch's Sparkling Grape Juice for us and we'd take tons of pictures.  There were definitely around 50 people here for some dances and it was super chaotic and just as fun!  I have always treasured that my mom made sure that our house always felt open to everyone, and not just on dance nights.  It was known among my friends--and my sister's friends--that they could always drop on by and hang out on the red, comfy couch in our living room. I can only hope that our home feels so welcoming to our children and their friends some day!

Oh, high school.  Here's a pre-dance picture on the infamous red couch!

5.

Getting Ready for Our Wedding

On my wedding day I got ready entirely at my parent's house.  It was so special to have my hair and makeup done in their bathroom, put my dress and jewelry on in my parent's room, and take pictures in our living room.  It was truly a little bit like all of those HS dances, and that was just the way I wanted it.  I was so at peace and comfortable on the morning of our wedding, in part because of who I married, but also because I was in a place where I spent so much time: my home!

Despite the look on my face, I was actually having a great day.

And there you have it--my five favorite memories of mi casa.  Head on over to Hallie's for more Five Favorites!

~Danielle

Five Favorites (vol. 2)

Welcome to this week's five favorite featuring my most beloved baby items!

1.

Aden + Anais Swaddle Blanket 

We loveloveLOVE these cute swaddle blankets, although I think I've only used them for swaddling 1-2 times.  The material is thin-yet-strong, lightweight-yet-warm, and oh-so-soft.  I always have one stashed in my diaper bag to use as a light little wrap, nursing cover, or to lay on the ground for Silas to use for tummy time.  We rarely leave the house without one draped over his little legs, because I want to keep the sun off of him, but don't want a big hot blanket on top of him.  I've also used these for very random uses, such as a stroller cover for shading him and perhaps even a burp rag when I forgot one (a girl's gotta improvise!)

2. 

Summer SwaddleMe

Speaking of swaddling, we use ours every night!  Silas loves having his hands up by his face when he sleeps, but we very quickly realized (aka: in the hospital) that if we don't swaddle him at night, he wakes himself up by smacking himself across the face.  Not a very pleasant wake-up call.  Because it's summertime, we've used the lightweight versions and love how breathable they are.  Also, I'm awful at using blankets to swaddle, so the velcro is helpful in making sure he stays tight in his little baby straightjacket/potato sack all night!  

3.

Fisher-Price Cradle Swing

It is so hard for me to believe he was this little!

We found this at the garage sale and in full disclosure, I wasn't so convinced at first.  The lady running the garage sale was a little bit too interested in our lives and a lot too pushy about how much we had to have this swing and how good of a deal it was and how she knows it will sell fast and how it's hardly been used.  I was overwhelmed and told Brandon we could buy it if he wanted.  He did. and now I feel grateful for pushy lady because Silas sleeps soundly in his almost every afternoon.  He definitely sleeps longer and seemingly more soundly than if I put him in his crib for the afternoon snooze.  

Some perks to this swing are that it can go side to side or back and forth, is has a cute little mobile (Silas will just stare and stare at the stars spinning around), lighted stars that dance on the fabric sides, and 7 different music settings.  Also, it plugs into the wall so no batteries (we'd go through a pack a week, I'm sure!)

4. 

Boppy Pillow

Every nursing mother needs one. seriously.  This pillow was brought to the hospital with us and there has not been a day that has gone by that I haven't used it in some way.  I don't use it for every feeding like I used to, but during late night and early morning feedings when I'm feeling like my eyelids won't stay open, I feel a lot safer using a boppy than trying to hold him up.  We even bring this thing when we travel, and I've used it everywhere from sitting on the ground to feeding him in the car.  We have two different slipcovers so that when he gets his baby juice all over one, we don't have to worry about washing it that very minute.  Praise the woman who invented the Boppy! (because only a woman would invent something so perfect for breastfeeding, right?!)

5. 

Cloth Diapers

So I'm most definitely not a pro yet, and we're still trying to get down some of the "logistics of cloth diapering," but for 95.5% of his life he's been in CD (cloth diapers.)  I really prefer them over disposable and now when we have to use them (ie: when away from home for more than one night) I really miss them.  We use Fuzzibunz mostly (pictured above) but were gifted some bumgenius and I like those too.  Besides saving us moolah, producing less trash, and helping us avoid major blow-outs, I just think these little things are so cute on his little bum!

Check out more Five Favs from Hallie and others over at Moxie Wife!

My First Link-Up!

For months now I have been yearning to write more often and for months now I have followed many gals blogs who frequent the weekly Five Favorites link-up.  I recently had a revelation: I should participate in link-ups.  *light bulb* followed by *face palm*  Why had I not considered participating in this easy way to get me writing before? the world may never know.

Top 5 Favorite Events Since Silas Joined the Fam

1. 

Silas' Baptism

Our little family with Silas' godparents

What a wonderful day this was!  We were surrounded by many family members and friends as Silas James was welcomed into the Catholic Church!  He was all smiles when we first got to church--just couldn't wait to get rid of all that original sin--and did brilliantly the entire time.  He was asleep when Fr. Alan poured the water over his head, but didn't make a peep upon waking up, just calmly looked around.  phew--what a good baby he is!  Afterwards we had a nice little lunch celebration where Silas was passed around from table to table so everyone could see his smiling face.

His little frock was worn by Brandon's mom, all of her brothers and sisters, all of their children, and all of their  grandchildren!  The blanket was used by my sisters and I when we were baptized.  And the booties were a gift from our NFP practitioner.  Such a special outfit!

2.

The first week home 

Brandon took off a week of work to stay home with Silas and I.  What a dream this was.  I never knew having a baby could be so romantic!  Brandon did so much around the house, made sure I had water anytime I was nursing, cooked me three meals/day and loved on Silas all the while.

3.

The second week home

When Brandon had to go back to work, my mom came to take over!  This was SO appreciated and such a blessing to have her here to help.  She also made sure I had 3 meals/day and even made quite a few freezer meals so that I wouldn't have to cook in the weeks following.  What was even more special was spending so much time with her.  Although we chat on the phone everyday, I can't remember when we go to spend so much face-to-face time together!  She's such a fabulous mom and grandma G.G.!

4.

Tori's Graduation Party

My youngest sister graduated from High School this year--craziness.  My mom threw her a party the last week of June, and it was so fun to see family and friends and introduce many of them to our little man for the first time.  I swear that the only time I held him all day was when I was nursing him, because no one else has that capability.  Otherwise, he was not put down and received so much love all day long!

5.

Other various happenings as a family of 3

Okay, so if I tried to include all of my favorites, there'd be more than 5...but it has been super fun to tote Silas around all the places we go (and also a little bit stressful, I'll admit it!)  Going home to the farm, 4th of July weekend, going for walks, heading to the winery, going out to eat--everything feels special because it's always Silas' first time!  Even bath time, although a bit of a chore, is so fun because of how much he likes it and how super cute he is when squeaky clean!

Happy Hump Day!

~Danielle