hair today....gone tomorrow

(so, i've been wanting to write this post for the past 8 weeks now, but there are never any pictures of me. we took some family shots with my in-laws and i just got a hold of them.) here's the story, for the better part of my life, i have had long hair...really long hair. whenever i wanted to change it, i opted for color feeling that my length hid a myriad of flaws. i was scared to cut it. recently, craving a change and hating the 100+ degree weather, i finally took the plunge! the result - i love it. i decided being afraid to cut your hair is one of the silliest things to dread. some may still feel i look better with the long locks, and that's cool. at 31 i am finally okay with only caring about how i feel about my looks. (okay, that is a little lie. i still care what Jason thinks. he was skeptical about the cut, until he saw it. as it turns out, he loves me for more than my hair! who would have guessed!) anyway, i post this because i think a lot of women worry unnecessarily about changing their looks. and i am happy to say i am not one of them anymore. finally, i am free of feeling like i'm defined by my hair. next challenge - loving my body! yikes, this will take another 31 years! anyway, here are some before and after pics of my hair: this picture was taken just days before i was scheduled for the cut. i actually backed out and waited another 3 weeks because of this picture. everyone looked at this pic and said, "how can you cut that hair?" it scared me.

we took family pictures with the Earls 1 week after the cut. i cut 9 inches, and i don't think you'd notice if i didn't point it out. here's one of the reasons i finally took the plunge - note that Madeline does not have a handful of hair! also, on this beautiful Arizona morning at 9am, it is over 100 degrees. now it doesn't feel like i'm wearing a sweater and a scarf! talk about liberating!!!!

night, night honey bear

i just had to throw this picture up. Anna loves the honey bear. she loves him so much that she asks to bring him everywhere we go. i told her that after breakfast honey bear has to take his nap. so, everyday after breakfast we put him on the shelf in the pantry and say, "night, night honey bear, see you tomorrow." but now Anna insists on tucking him into bed. he has an oatmeal packet for a pillow, and a burp rag for a blanket. he is very cozy!!!

what's yours is mine....

so, generally speaking Anna is a good share-er. but lately, she's found a new interest in all the infant toys that have been handed down to sissy. here she is in the bouncer. she did say that Madeline could sit in her chair though. how generous!

the butcher, me, and the candlestick maker

that's right...i am a baker. now, if you know me this may not be surprising as i am commonly baking up a frenzy during the holidays, but now i am a full fledged baker. i made bread. five loaves of whole wheat bread. wheat that i ground all by myself. (with the help of my lovely next door neighbor Julie and her handy wheat grinder.) now, i haven't decided if homemade bread will replace store bought in our daily lives (as it has in Julie's home), but i was relieved to discover that baking bread is not as hard as it seems, even the wheat grinding part, and it tastes loads better even after being frozen. i will now store wheat rather than flour, and who knows, maybe my family will be treated to homemade goodness once in a while. the possibilities are endless....right? i mean i made bread, just look at it....
(of course we had to have slices right out of the oven. Anna ate almost the entire half of this loaf.)

it's your birthday present....one month late

so, Anna's two, and i didn't feel the need to go out and add to her enormous toy collection when she doesn't even know the difference. but i knew she'd get a kick out of playing tea. and who doesn't like to open presents.


and the tea party was a success. i love watching Anna play with "tea" because she pours "cheerios", you know because you say, "pip, pip, cheerio," when drinking tea. so, in the video you can hear her ask, "more cheerios teddy bear?" hilarious, (at least for me.)


she couldn't wait until daddy came home to play tea party. priceless.