Babies, Blush, A Blur

Blurry phone pics of the second long weekend to kick off 2015. Yippee! We:

Snuggled a bit. Clem likes to push Josie's head into the mattress and pat her back (with increasing vigor) NIGHT-NIGHT!

Collected the diaper bag, Josie's daycare bag, and the backpack and ransacked them. (My gym bag and purse were rifled through later).

BYE-BYE!

I'm going to have to start using a camera with Tasmanian devil shutter speeds to catch up with her.

Played the drums.

Dispersed the blue cups Daddy brought home from NYE.

Baby Frida Part Dos.

Bounced.

Took a nap after our six month well baby appointment today, which should be called the CUTEST BABY IN THE WORLD APPOINTMENT. Josie weighs 17 lb 8 oz (almost 2 year old sis is 25 lbs -- closing the gap swiftly there, Jo) and is in the 96th percentile for height. She's wearing outfits at 6 months Clem was wearing at 12. Genes are funny.

Mentioned because I think I might share this with some of you -- the joy, the delight, the mesmerizing pleasure of buying new office products at Target. In line with my new year goals (more paper/less phone but paperless books and magazines), I'm using a large wall calendar and little notebooks (for thoughts? for lists? for doodles? not sure yet) to organize, reflect, plan. With new pens of many colors!
 
Media/cooking*: started listening to Life After Life (totally engrossed, gotta get back in the car now); finished Transparent (the season finale episode -- wowza! Jeffrey Tambor is the best ever); starting reading Cheryl Strayed's Torch; made vanilla ice cream** and Meyer lemon*** pound cake and Meyer lemon curd (remember, treats I make myself are ok); roasted chicken thighs and pork and broccolini for the week.

*why do you include these things, Julie? Because it's my LIFE. Wordsworth's nameless unremembered acts and all that.
**you really should buy Jeni's book if I haven't bought it for you already. I'm making coffee ice cream tonight. Over a brownie? Yes please.
***thanks Doris and Carolyn for the fruit! I can taste the love!

I completed one of two house projects with the girls at daycare - cleaning out the linen closet/bathroom cabinet - which wasn't too difficult. No sentimental attachments there. EXCEPT - I did keep a Rock & Republic blush compact that I bought in San Diego because... It was Amy's 30's birthday. I flew to San Diego to meet up with Jenny then we drove across the desert to meet up with the girls in Las Vegas. Before we did that, we went to the mall. Browsing through the cosmetics, I found this blush (sold out) but starting talking to the saleswoman about her fabulous bright pink lipstick. The lipstick I bought from the YSL counter on the spot and bought the blush in Las Vegas later. --- FAST FORWARD --- It's the Halloween Stache Bash in St. Louis and one of the guys in the opening band (!!!!) comes over to me and says, "I like your lipstick. On other people it would look slutty but on you it looks good." --- FAST FORWARD --- we have two kids.

So of course I'm not going to get rid of the blush that lead to the lipstick that lead to the love of my life!

 (more on how blush can change your life or at least your self-esteem here)