The call came today.
We are the GRAND PRIZE WINNERS in Taylor Morrison’s “Homemade Memories” video contest, soon to receive the equivalent of a year’s worth of mortgage payments. I can barely take it in!
Another HUGE THANK YOU to all of you for voting! We could not have won without your support!
Don’t forget about the drawing on September 10—I’m hoping the winner is a Week 2 Voter!
Now… does this mean I get out of cooking tonight? 
Today I am guest posting on Nephron News, spreading the word about the contest (we are currently in FIRST PLACE—voting ends Tuesday at 11:59 p.m.!). If you would be willing to mention us on your blog or allow me to write a guest post between now and Tuesday, please let me know in the comments section!
Don’t forget to vote for our Week 2 Video: “Memories Made from Scratch” (second from the left) and be entered to win your mortgage or rent paid for one year! Thanks, friends! You’re the ones who have gotten us this far!
After two and a half months of a self-imposed media diet, THE BLOG IS BACK.
In celebration of summer, and in recognition of the outstanding contributions to society represented in the Polaroids below, I hereby give you “The Best of the Best of Summer 2010.”
Drum roll, please.
All winners will be available for comment at a poolside press conference (time and date to be determined). Large helpings of pico de gallo and dinosaur cake will be served.
Or you can find us on Facebook.
Because we’re savvy like that.
It’s good to be back.
We celebrated a major milestone last week in the life of young Jude.
Observe.
This is how I left him (for his morning nap):
This is how I found him:
He rolls! He rolls!
New blog address. New design. New baby on the way.
Welcome to Writing from Scratch.
Project 365. One picture a day for 365 days. Ordinary life. Extraordinary life. Blue skies. Breakfast plates. Travels. Muddy shoes. The perfect project for a Reluctant Blogger who wants to document her days in pictorial shorthand.
And keep the grandparents happy, of course.
Without further adieu, I give you Week One.
January 1: Daddy’s home!
January 2: Noah kicks off Friday Family Day with a
January 3: Goodies to take to Nathan and Jen’s house,
January 4: Watching William Hurt in Broadcast News and
January 5: Noah and his trains.
January 6: Lauren’s ridiculous backlog of work which will keep her
January 7: Noah reading his new favorite book in the
Look how techno-savvy I am. Blogging in real time. Pausing in my four-hour writing stint at Panera to say hello to the outside world. Hello. My brain hurts (could it be those four cups of Diet Pepsi?) but I am quite content. I am out in public wearing grown-up clothes and I haven’t uttered the words “Mama,” “potty,” or “juice cup” in over 180 minutes.
Not that I don’t love my day job. But you know, everyone needs a little change now and then.
If you are wondering why this space has been more of a photo blog than a writing blog lately, or why I haven’t returned your calls and e-mails, it is because I have been up to my earballs (combination of “ears” and “eyeballs”) in work. I am blessed to have the option of doing part-time work from home, mostly during Noah’s naptimes, so I can help buy the diapers and change the diapers. Which is awesome. But now and then, I get a little backlogged. So today — this week, in fact — is catch-up week. At the moment, I am writing middle school Bible study curriculum for our church. And Noah is out with his daddy eating chicken nuggets at the mall food court. It’s a win-win.
That is, assuming I get my work done. So I gotta go.
Byeeee!
Just a hodge-podge of happenings over the last week or so, to catch you up:
1. A Sandy Sabbath: Last Friday we went to New Smyrna Beach for our weekly day of rest. Since Pete works on the weekends, Friday has become our family day. We were giddy in the sunshine — the sand and surf were working their magic on us. Even Noah appeared braver than usual, charging into the water to splash and hunt for “treasure” (shells). We are planning to head back on Tuesday, weather-permitting, since Pete will have just finished up a particularly busy work-week. This is when I absolutely adore Florida.
2. A Good Read: I love when I am in the homestretch of a good book — that bittersweet recognition that a story, and the experience of reading it, is drawing to a close. Growing up I devoured books like chocolate cake — in massive, crumbly mouthfuls — but since college, my pace has slowed to about one a month. So the closing chapter is gratifying on multiple levels; a major one being the feeling that I have actually finished something. I just scoured the last page of So Brave, Young, and Handsome, a cowboy story set in the Old West by my new favorite writer, Leif Enger. If you have yet to read his Peace Like a River, run — don’t walk — to your nearest bookstore or library. It is remarkable. So Brave is good — entertaining, lyrical, and coated with the gritty, captivating allure of the Wild West — but it is no match for Peace. We will give Leif a break, though… Peace is probably one of those once in a lifetime achievements.
3. Noah’s Department of Motor Vehicles: It has become almost comical how Noah cannot leave the house without fewer than four cars, trucks, or trains tucked in his chubby little arms. The other day, when I took him for a walk in his stroller, he actually propped his Thomas train under his chin so he could snack on Goldfish without surrendering his prize. Since his Thomas collection is limited to two engines, he has taken to creating his own makeshift trains (note the lineup on the windowsill):
He has also taken to parking his cars beside his chair before climbing up to eat breakfast:
Which makes me laugh out loud.
4. Rainy Days: This week has been a gray, drizzly one, pocketed with sunshine. It’s actually a welcome change. Our yard was beginning to look like a sandbox sporting a bad comb-over of hearty weeds. When it rains, I don’t feel guilty for keeping Noah inside, and I used the time to organize my linen closet and turn over Noah’s wardrobe (he is now in 2T and 3T clothing… Where did my baby go?).
5. Mall-Walking: So what else do you do on a rainy day? Walk the mall, of course. This morning we went to the Mall at Millenia for some window shopping and lunch at the food court. The mall features a large, open atrium with elevated screens projecting images of wildlife, natural wonders, and ads for the Cheesecake Factory. Noah was captivated by the fish footage, shouting “Nemo! Nemo!” (or “E-mo!” to be more precise). The natural light was so nice filtering down through the glass ceiling that I couldn’t resist snapping a few pictures, which I post here for the grandparents:
(I am telling you, it is rare to find Noah without train in hand. Dad, like his shirt?)
And so there you have it — nothing too noteworthy, just a smattering of scenes from our daily life. The kind of miscellany I want to remember. And now, when you come over, you can ask to see my linen closet.
This blog entry was brought to you by the letter “P” and the number 8 (for the number of hours I slept last night).
1. Pizza: This week we celebrated Beki’s birthday in high style, with a make-your-own pizza party and a rowdy game of Catch Phrase. Beki wisely suggested we get a sitter for the occasion, and it was good to step out of mommy-mode for an evening. I laughed so hard I was able to skip my Abs of Steel workout (cough cough).
And no, that is not a picture of the cast of America’s Next Top Model—though I can see how you might get us confused. Beki is the lovely brunette sitting next to me.
2. Pedicure: If life always had a happy ending, I would tell you that we came home from the party and slept soundly until dawn’s early light. Alas, no. I had gotten a work deadline wrong in my head, probably since I cram so much stuff in there; my mind is like a mental junk drawer sometimes, filled with odd receipts and scrawled phone messages and expired coupons. Anyway, I had realized my mistake earlier in the day and knew I would be typing well into the night and early morning. And I was right. Once my head finally hit the pillow around 4:30 a.m., I realized (1) I can’t do this to myself anymore and (2) I deserve a break.
So when my friend Janelle called to inquire whether I’d want to get a pedicure with her on Thursday night, I leapt at the opportunity. The promise of a pedicure will get your toenails dancing, let me tell you. We rounded out the evening with dinner and a stroll around the mall, coffees in hand, and I am now the proud owner of shiny mauve toenails and a slightly scandalous new bikini. (The tent-kini has been banished to the far corners of the earth, and none too soon.)
3. Perspective: As for perspective (and I am not just including that because it starts with “P”—I could easily have chosen “pimples” or “Paula Abdul,” which are also relevant to my life), I am slowly learning to show myself a little grace, to rest when I’m weary, to say “no” to additional projects, to pray more, and to eat more vegetables—all of which sometimes accounts for a dearth of blog entries (my apologies) and yet sometimes leads to something like peace, and joy, and love.
