Happy New Year!

I honestly don't know what to say. That's exactly when you shouldn't update your blog, isn't it? ;)

Obviously, this has been the longest hiatus I have taken from the blog since I began it back in the late summer of 2009. In between blog posts on the subjects I usually address here, I posted several updates in 2011 of a more personal nature, which is exactly the kind of thing I shy away from. However, because of that unofficial "rule" that I have about not posting the personal stuff, this blog ended up being pretty sparse on posts in 2011. That's because 2011 was a pretty emotional year for me & my family.

Most of you know that our newborn son got really sick in September. Those of you that know me well know exactly how sick, & know about the battles&setbacks we've faced in the last few months. Many of those hurdles have been related to our son's health.

That being said, please know that my absence from the blog does not mean that I have been depressed, or even that life hasn't been going on.

(Though perhaps going on a bit less organized. My Type A rep has taken a hit!)

There have been so many wonderful memories made in between these low points we've hit!

Our faith has been tested, but I believe I have come through the last year with my faith possibly stronger than it ever has been before. I have certainly experienced a very real connection with God during some of these highs&lows I've faced.

I can certainly understand why so many marriages suffer when a family adds the special management of a child's health to all of the other everyday stresses we all face. I am so, so blessed to say that throughout every single bump in the road we've faced, My Prince & I have strengthened our bond & acknowledged how very grateful we are to have one another

in good times & in bad,

for richer or poorer,

in sickness & in health,

'til death do us part.

Also, a couple of cliches proved true for me in 2011:

You find out who your friends are.

(& sometimes you find you've taken some for granted...& sometimes you find you've perhaps been putting a bit too much effort into others. It's another one of those "growing up" things, I think, that it becomes easier to let go of the ties that aren't strong enough to hold through the hard times.)

Also...

...when it rains, it pours.

But personally, I found that the harder it rained, the more easily I adapted to finding ways to make the cold & the wet seem sunny&warm!

In fact, a lot of people have asked me, "How on earth do you stay so positive?" Well, I just do. You can't change these kinds of things, & there is certainly more power in positive thinking than in wallowing in self-pity. & even when My Little Man was very sick, I also had to be a good mama to a beautiful little girl who adores her baby brother, & I would never want to allow my own worries to affect her.

My Little Man is doing well today.

He will always see specialists,

& he will always have some things that need to be monitored,

& God knows I will always be worried to death about him.

But he is a chubby, smiley little cherub; & he is developmentally perfect on all of the cognitive&physical charts. Were it not for the miracles of advanced modern medicine, nobody would even know anything had ever been wrong!

(Although I am not comfortable disclosing any more details, since this is still very much a public blog, & My Little Man has an incredibly rare condition; please feel free to email me if you want to know more. I certainly consider many of you friends & am not intentionally shrouding myself in mystery from those of you!)

Please forgive me...

...if I have not replied to your email at all;

...or if I have taken weeks to respond to your Twitter request.

Please forgive me...

...if I haven't kept up with your blog, which I probably love & miss reading!

...or if you generously offered me some fantastic gift or blog giveaway, & I never even got around to replying to you.

Truthfully, there have been many times in the last few months when I have begun composing in my head some kind of "signing off" or "taking a break" blog post. But each time something prevented me from doing it, even when I felt like I was too emotionally detached from this blog to continue to try to put any kind of heart into it.

Now, after making one of those silly New Year's resolutions to blog more, I've been trying to figure out how to go about it.

Do I just jump right back in, pretending as though nothing personal ever happened to the author of this blog?

Do I delete this blog & start over someplace else?

Do I just go to the email account associated with this blog & "mark all unread?"

Well, I just couldn't bear to do any of those, & so I've spent the last couple days scrolling through emails&messages...& my heart has just been bursting at the outpouring of love from my beautiful blogfriends. THANK YOU.

(I've also been humbled to have some of the most awesome bloggers, & folks from some of the most awesome companies, share words of encouragement&praise! Thank you!)

& so with all of that love, I am beginning 2012 with a big smile & a heartfelt appreciation for all that this "impersonal" blog has personally done for me.

I have no idea where this year will take this blog...

(or me!)

...but I am overjoyed to have you along for the ride.

Our Little Squirrel-Lovin' Girl

I'm not sure exactly how or when it started, but Pretty Little Bare Feet has become quite interested in squirrels in the last couple months.

She had been noticing squirrels outside her bedroom window, & pointing them out when we took walks in our neighborhood.

Then she was ohsodelighted when I bought her this little orange smocked squirrel bishop dress.

& her current favorite pair of "big girl" unmentionables are from Gymboree: bright orange&yellow with a little squirrel on them.

Most recently, Pretty Little Bare Feet has spent the last two afternoons narrating her own little documentary

(which I've been overhearing on the downstairs monitor),

about the little "Squirrel Mommy" that has been posted on a branch just outside her bedroom window.

Now I must admit that the Squirrel Mommy was adorable, with all her little squirrel babies nestled up on the branch with her. But good grief, the mind of a two-year-old

(aaa, she's almost three!)

never ceases to amaze me. Only the blissful freedom of youth could provide one with the awe&patience to stare at a barely-moving critter

(okay, & its barely-moving young, too)

for that amount of time. Absolutely precious...but I do hope that maybe Pretty Little Bare Feet will nap this afternoon, since our little squirrel family has apparently relocated to another branch, out of our sight.

Anyway, inspired by Pretty Little Bare Feet's latest fixation, I just thought I'd share...squirrels are cute! ;)

Squirrel Pull Toy by Woodours at Geared for Imagination

(via: eBay)

Apparently once upon a time, there was a Lilly Pulitzer squirrel pattern for Minnies!

Squirrel Candleholders in Midnight by Jonathan Adler

Love Acorn Raglan Girls Tee by Juicy Couture

Squirrel Tee in Mustard Yellow at Crazy 8

Limited Edition 2011 Fall Charm Bracelet by Juicy Couture

Pretty Little Bare Feet's Palate: I LOVE Lunch-Packing!

Recently, I posted on Facebook about how much I enjoy lunch-packing. I was delighted to find that several of my friends - & not all of them mamas! - are just as invested in trying to create more exciting, healthy lunches, whether for their children or for themselves.

I am (& pretty much always have been) admittedly a bit on the OCD side when it comes to

alphabetizing,

editing,

list-making,

organizing,

etc.

(See? I just alphabetized that list...I almost ALWAYS do that!)

So it should come as no surprise that one of my most recent projects came about from adding "lunch-packing" for Pretty Little Bare Feet to my already somewhat "over-detailed" meal-planning. I began packing lunches for Pretty Little Bare Feet last summer, when she attended camp sessions that lasted through lunch. Now I get to pack her lunch for nursery school four days a week! =)

I would be embarrassed to actually let anybody besides My Prince see my .docx for lunch-planning!

(That would really give away how neurotic I am, & I do try to limit my *many, many, many* crazy lists to my own crazy eyes. ;))

But since I was so excited to learn that so many others are at least interested in lunch-packing...

(if not also a bit off-the-deep-end detailed about it!)

...I would *LOVE* to share with y'all some of my favorite resources for creative, healthy lunchbox ideas - that are almost always well-eaten!

Pretty Little Bare Feet tends to always eat

a small breakfast,

an average-sized(?) morning snack,

a really big lunch,

a small afternoon snack,

& then a puny supper.

So I take advantage of that by putting as much "good stuff" as I can into her lunch every day (even at home!). I also realize how much she enjoys the "dining environment" of unpacking her own lunch & sharing a table with a friend in her classroom - things that motivate her to dig into whatever I pack for her.

Great Blogs, Facebook Pages, Websites, etc. for Lunchbox Ideas:

$5 Dinners

Another Lunch

Family Fresh Cooking

Food @ Babble

(including their blog, the Family Kitchen)

Food for My Family

Food with Kid Appeal

It's Not Just Lunch

Jamie Oliver

One Hungry Mama

Parent Hacks

Parents for Health

Recipes @ Parenting

Super Healthy Kids

Weelicious

Wendolonia

(Pretty much all of those also have Facebook pages linked from their blogs/websites.)

Cookbooks

Brown Bag Success by Sandra K. Nissenberg

Lunch Boxes & Snacks by Annabel Karmel

Lunch Lessons by Ann Cooper

My Lunch Box by Hilary Karmilowicz

the Top 100 Recipes for a Healthy Lunchbox by Nicole Graimes

I've never really given Pretty Little Bare Feet a lot of choices when it comes to eating.

For the most part,

she eats what she's served,

or she doesn't eat again until the next meal

(or snack).

But I even enjoyed making her baby food homemade, so she's been trying different foods since she was a baby & has a pretty adventurous palate most of the time.

Pretty Little Bare Feet's Montessori nursery school also encourages "good" lunch-packing. They ask that parents pack nutritious lunches, even if there is doubt that the child is going to eat all of it. They also advise that letting children help plan their own lunches provides a good opportunity to talk with them about nutrition. We follow their guidelines of

no chocolate;

no nuts;

(we love SunButter!);

no sweets;

only 100% fruit juice;

etc.

The teachers rewrap any leftover food & put it back in the lunchbox, so I always know what Pretty Little Bare Feet does or does not eat! & her teachers are always happy to microwave lunch items for a few seconds, if requested.

(So helpful!)

I use Easy Lunchboxes bentos inside Pretty Little Bare Feet's lunchbox:

They are awesome, & they fit PERFECTLY in Pretty Little Bare Feet's adorable Stephen Joseph lunchbox:

Here are some of Pretty Little Bare Feet's recent lunches:

banana, quesadilla, tomato salsa

(To make that quesadilla, I folded a single whole wheat flour tortilla in half; added a bit of grated cheddar cheese on the bottom to act as glue against the tortilla, canned black beans [rinsed&drained], finely chopped red peppers, finely chopped purple onion, cilantro, & a bit more grated cheddar cheese on top; cooked in a dry skillet over medium-high heat until the cheese melted; & cut into wedges. I use this recipe for fresh tomato salsa.)

hummus wrap, macaroni salad, strawberries, tangerine

(To make a hummus wrap, I fill a wrap with avocado, hummus, shredded lettuce, & tomato. I use Paula Deen's recipe for macaroni salad. The strawberries are kind of hidden under the tangerine in the photo, but they were there!)

apple, quesadilla, sour cream

(To make this quesadilla, I used two whole wheat flour tortillas, filled sandwich-style with a bit of grated monterey Jack cheese on the bottom, finely chopped tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, cooked chicken, & a bit of monterey Jack cheese on top; added a slick of olive oil to the skillet for a crispy exterior; cooked over medium-high heat until the cheese melted; & cut into wedges.)

carrots, pinto bean dip, potato salad, Stacy's simply naked pita chips

(To make healthy pinto bean dip, I puree 1/2 cup chopped kale & two tablespoons olive oil in a food processor; add a well rinsed can of pinto beans, two tablespoons tahini, zest of one lemon, & a small clove of garlic; pulse a few more times; & add salt, pepper, & two tablespoons lemon juice. I use the Barefoot Contessa's recipe for potato salad.)

broccoli & cheese sauce, fried rice, honey-glazed carrots, smoked salmon

(To make these easy honey-glazed carrots, I brought 1 1/2 quarts of water to a boil in a medium saucepan; added five cups Bolthouse Farms carrot chips; cooked for twenty minutes; drained well; placed carrots in a large bowl with three tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, two tablespoons honey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind, & 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; & tossed gently. I use Taste of Home recipes for broccoli with cheese sauce, & instant fried rice.)

corn & butter sauce, hummus, kiwi, Stacy's simply naked pita chips

broccoli & cheese sauce, honey-glazed carrots, SunButter & strawberry jam sandwich on Food for Life sprouted bread

corn niblets, hummus with lemon juice, pineapple, Stacy's simply naked pita chips

ham, lettuce, & tomato sandwich on Food for Life sprouted bread; Parmesan Goldfish crackers; raspberry Buddy Fruits

Campbell's double noodle soup, Parmesan Goldfish crackers, V8 V-Fusion Concord grape raspberry juice

Amy's organic minestrone soup; fruit salad with honeydew melon, pineapple, & watermelon; mayonnaise & red pepper sandwich on Food for Life sprouted bread

Baked Naturals cheese crisps, cheese cubes, inside-out caramel apple, spinach leaves, tuna

(You can find the recipe for the inside-out caramel apple here. Because I am pretty consistent about packing healthy, nutritious lunches, the teachers don't mind if I slip some caramel in with the fruit once every couple months or so. ;) I mean, they have parents sending in icky Gogurt!)

(& by the way, that is what the inside-out caramel apple looked like before I had to cut it up to fit into the bento!)

ham; oranges, pineapple, & strawberries; vegetable&oatmeal bread

(To make the *divine* vegetable&oatmeal bread, I used this Mark Bittman recipe. For this particular batch, I used raw, grated zucchini. Since Pretty Little Bare Feet's classroom is nut-free, I substitute oatmeal browned in a little bit of butter.)

& some other lunchbox "staples" we love:

barley with mushrooms&spinach

(Heat two teaspoons olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add one cup chopped onion, 1/2 teaspoon chopped dried rosemary, & three minced garlic cloves; sauté three minutes; add eight cups sliced mushrooms; cook eight minutes, stirring occasionally; stir in 3/4 cup uncooked quick-cooking barley & a can of fat-free less-sodium beef broth; bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, & simmer fifteen minutes; add eight cups bagged baby spinach leaves, three tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese, & 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; cover & cook two minutes, stirring frequently.)

ice cream cone sandwiches

(recipe here)

mountains&forest sandwiches

(recipe here)

rocketship sandwiches

(recipe here)

(& yes, I do realize that I am a bit more fanatical about lunch-packing/meal-planning than is probably considered normal. ;))

What I Want This Weekend, October 21st, 2011

I know. I intended to participate in Pink&Green Thursday yesterday.

But it's been a long time since I've been a daily or near-daily blogger;

& even though I thought about it several times throughout the day,

I ultimately forgot.

I also had a mini panic attack yesterday when two random strangers commented on photos on my Facebook - since I have always had all of my photos set to "friends only."

(Guess what? In case you are not aware, Facebook's newest set of anti-privacy privacy settings automatically negates whatever YOUR settings are as soon as you "check in" to a location - which I've never done! - or tag a person. Once that has been done, your post goes on the public page for that location &/or allows ALL "friends of friends" of anybody you tag - which could be strangers OR people you know but AREN'T friends with for some reason! - to view & comment on YOUR photos. Also, anybody you are friends with has the ability to "share" your photos on THEIR walls with THEIR friends at any time. So, in short, it does not matter how tight your privacy settings are set - they will be overridden as soon as you check in or tag a friend...or a friend that does not honor the same privacy desires you have can share your photos if they choose. Lovely, huh? I swear if it weren't for all the shopping I do for my children on Facebook, I'd just get everybody's contact info & deactivate the thing. Grrr. End rant.)

Here are some pretty things I've come across this week,

from some blog

or catalog

or friend

or magazine

or another;

or just from my own browsing&shopping&surfing,

that I need to convince My Prince to dole out the cash for...

Skansen Sweater by Roxy

What, you haven't worn Roxy since the tenth grade either? ;) Well, somebody told my mama the other day that I didn't look a day over twenty.

(I used to always get "teenager" comments, I think maybe because I'm only 5'1; but hey, I'm only three months out from having a second child, so I will gladly take twenty! I'm twenty-eight, for the record!)

Besides, I think Roxy looks decidedly less juvenile than I had thought that they did. & I'm pretty sure true fashionistas don't care what the tag on the inside says, or so the fashion editors would have you believe.

(Though I am admittedly very brand-conscious - not for "status" reasons, just out of sheer loyalty to the lines that are excellent quality, consistently match my style, & fit me best.)

Anyway, if it all of a sudden got quite brrr! this week where you live, I'm sure you've been moving your sweaters to the front of your wardrobe, as well. ;)

Women's Goa Watch with Pink&White Silicone Strap by Lacoste at Macy's

I need a new "everyday" watch.

I want that one! ;)

Pumpkin Treat Tote at Pottery Barn Kids

For Pretty Little Bare Feet's first Halloween, I bought her a tutu witch Halloween trick-or-treat bag from an Etsy shop.

(As you may know, I do gifts & go all out for pretty much every holiday!)

But I had a harder time finding something boy-oriented for My Little Man's first Halloween...until I found this adorable tote at Pottery Barn Kids - & it's super on sale! & with free shipping, the total was still less than the original price - even after adding personalization!

Gommini Driving Moccasin in Testa Moro by Tod's at Nordstrom

Another thing I need...it's time to replace my old trusty Ugg loafers/moccasins.

&...I want these ones!

(LOL...I feel like Pretty Little Bare Feet when she says, "Ummm, I want...that one!")

...& what's #1 on my Lilly Pulitzer lust list?

Eryn Dress in Chorus Girl by Lilly Pulitzer

This gorgeous dress, that could take me from

the ballet,

to church,

to a football game!

(We SEC girls do like to dress up nicely for those...)

Pretty sure it might be the perfect cut for a petite mama-of-a-three-month-old who still has something between about two&eight pounds left to lose.

(Seriously, depending on the day & the time of day...)

T.G.I.F.! What do YOU want this weekend?

A Letter to My Followers

I have not been a good blogger for the past eight months or so. This is by no means the "end" of my blog - in fact, it may end up being a new beginning of sorts.

(& I fully intend to participate in Pink&Green Thursday tomorrow!)

But before I get back to the fun stuff, I just wanted to say...

Dear Friends (My Readers!),

This blog has been a little bit of everything in the last two years. Yes, it's been two years! I absolutely forgot that the two-year anniversary of my blog came&went at the end of August.

I've blogged about lots of shopping, recipes, submissions for link-ups, & everything in between - with only the occasional philosophical rambling or serious post. I've gone for a week or two where I've blogged every single day, & I've gone for as long as five weeks in between posts.

Those of you that have been with me since the beginning know that I waited to begin blogging until my older child, Pretty Little Bare Feet, began a consistent nap schedule. I had been reading blogs for months, but could not find the time to do what I wanted with a blog of my own.

Once Pretty Little Bare Feet began nursery school last fall, I was able to really begin blogging on a more regular basis, even contributing to a Southern Mommas blog something like weekly. But as my pregnancy with My Little Man progressed, pretty much everything became more difficult, including finding the time (or energy) to blog.

Because most of you know that this blog is not about my personal life, I have never disclosed anything about My Little Man's health, until my recent post with an update explaining my complete disappearance. Some of you are friends from "real life" who know all the details; & some of you I have been blessed to become friends with *because* of this blog, & of course y'all know all the details, as well. For those of you that do not know me personally, I certainly still appreciate you & your prayers every bit as much.

(& he is doing GREAT, by the way!)

Even though I am not comfortable sharing details about my personal life on this blog, I have often felt a sense of true friendship amongst our community of bloggers, & my last year of ups&downs has been no exception.

Mostly, though...

...before embarking on another fun series of blog posts about cookies, great Etsy finds, preppy fashion, & all the others things we enjoy discussing around here...

...I just wanted to say, "Thank you." & "I'm still here."

Love,

Sara

I'd Like to Interrupt this Hiatus with an Update...

...long story short is that My Little Man got very, very sick in September & spent some time in the hospital. He is home & recovering well, & things are slowly returning to some kind of normal around here. I look forward to picking the blog back up after Pretty Little Bare Feet's fall break ends next week. Enjoy the pleasant weekend weather, wherever you may be! =)

Must-Haves for Transitions

Well, I swore I was going to begin posting as close to daily as I could once September rolled around, barring any special kinds of days, or if our routine gets thrown a loop. & then, I am not kidding you, my first four days of September brought a whirlwind each day.

Long stories short,

I got into a (very, very minor) fender bender (thank God for bumpers!) on Thursday;

found out some bad news about a friend's teenaged son on Friday;

locked myself & Pretty Little Bare Feet out of our vehicle for most of Saturday afternoon;

& then had to take over My Prince's fantasy football draft last night because he was sick (& I must add that he got awarded the "best draft" from Yahoo! sports, thanks to his awesome wife! ;)).

So here it is, Labor Day, a day off for most people, & I'm tackling some of those annoying to-do lists. One of the more fun items, though, is "to blog," so here I am!

I've been thinking about what to add to my wardrobe in the next few days. There are two major transitions going on that have impacted my ability to wear much of my favorite clothing.

1. I am still in between all that awful maternity clothing & my normal clothing size.

I have no doubt that I will get back into all of my beloved clothing, but realistically, it is probably going to be a couple months or so before things fit the way they should, even as the scale drops. But I don't want to buy a lot of things that are a couple sizes up, because I don't want to waste money. I also don't want to get too comfortable in a larger size, thus losing any motivation to return to my size. So the best investments would be those that will still look nice when I return to my normal size, such as things that are a bit flowy&loose in fit.

2. The weather.

Summer outfits & the traditional pre-Labor Day rules are out; & the fall season of clothing is in. But the weather isn't quite there yet, since it's still pretty warm&muggy most days in Dixie.

So here are some things I've been eyeing for my daily back&forths during these transitions:

the Watch Hill Tunic by Port Winsor

Tunics certainly fit all of the above-mentioned requirements, & the ones offered by this preppy new company are beautiful!

Pintuck Cascade Shirt in Makeup at Talbots

Loose enough to be comfortable now, but fitted enough that it won't be frumpy when I'm ten pounds lighter.

Cashmere Isabel Sweatshirt in Navy at J. Crew

Perfect for cooler evenings now & later...& loose enough to layer over most anything. This could be the perfect thing to have on hand for things like evening book clubs at home, rainy-weather tailgates, etc. When it's appropriate to be comfortable, but still presentable.

Pia Skirt in Oatmeal by Velvet by Graham&Spencer at Piperlime

This foldover waistband is exactly the kind that I'm leaning on in most of my lounging pants right now, as there are really only two pairs of my jeans that are fitting comfortably just yet. How lovely to see this kind of comfort on such a cute skirt that can be dressed up or down. & its style is perfect for this in-between season!

Vivi Top in Cameo White Thrill of the Chaise by Lilly Pulitzer

The most perfect Lilly option for me for right now! & I have been dying to get some new Lilly clothing pretty much since last fall when I found out I was pregnant again. Here's to hoping my Lilly Via shop still has some of these!