{pretty, happy, funny, real}

 Every Thursday at Like Mother, Like Daughter!

{pretty}

The public life of Christ. It is very beautiful stained glass, I don't know if the loveliness comes through completely in this photo.

This alcove is opposite the photo above. I love the statue!

Oh, the ceiling!

The side altar on the left. It was so beautiful; sadly they have the middle covered by fall decor. Ugh.

The other half.

Today we made our usual trip to Ithaca for the Farmer's Market. When we finished there, we went stopped by Immaculate Conception church. It's a lovely church. Stained glass windows of the saints flank the pews on either side. The other side altar has the prayers of the Traditional Mass on marble slabs. I took a copy of last week's bulletin to try to get a feel for the level of orthodoxy... last Sunday a neighboring parish hosted a lecture on "Why Catholics Should Know the Christian Pacifist Tradition," because "The early Christians refused to participate in war and the military. Today many Catholics know about the just war theory but seldom learn about Christian non-violence." Zach's comment to that was, "Don't they remember the Crusades???" (In happy news, the infamous Bishop Clark of the Diocese of Rochester has retired! Now we wait for the appointment of our new bishop...hopefully someone good!)

This weekend is the annual Apple Festival in Downtown Ithaca. What a blast! There were so many neat vendors, and yummy things for sale! We've never walked around the downtown mall before, and I found a fabric shop called "Sew Green" - they take fabric donations and use the money to pay the overhead, and provide sewing lessons to young people! There is also an awesome baby store - breastfeeding supplies, cloth diapers (!!), and natural baby toys. It was such a grand afternoon.

downtown to walk around the annual Apple Festival

{happy}

Tony and I. We don't have many pictures of the two of us.

{funny}

Heaven help me. He's so proud of himself. It makes cooking difficult, so I end up holding him most of the time. (He loves to see what I'm doing.)

{real}

My family. Mom made the number shirts before Cora was born. Taking this picture was lots of fun.

WIFD: Day Five

Gap denim skirt again, hand-me-up sweater from Gabi. 

Love,

Jess

WIFD: Day Four

Today was a bad hair day. Ignore the funny face.

I found this dress in the Outer Banks and fell in love with it. Gap, again, and 100% cotton - hurray. Leggings are Wal-Mart, sweater is Target.

Today was one of those really tired days. I did not want to wake up. Tony woke me up, smiling at me as he slid off the bed. We met Zach for lunch at school, which was fun. 

Off to bed...lots of work to do tomorrow!

Love,

Jess

WIFD: Day Three

I almost didn't buy this skirt. It said size 8, and even though the waist looked a little small (it actually sits really high on my waist; sometimes I tuck my shirt in), I didn't know if it would fit. But I bought it thinking that maybe someone else would like it. It fit perfectly, though, and I've worn it a lot. It's a grey background with pink, yellow, and white flowers. There's a pretty little trim on the bottom, and it's fully lined! Thank you, Gap. Top is Target from close to 5 years ago. Boots are Soft Surroundings, an eBay find and gift from my Mom. They have really pointy toes, which isn't my thing, but I've been loving them with skirts lately.

Today was our appointment at the student clinic. I found out that my new intern was chosen for an externship in Miami, and next week is our last visit with her! I'm kind of bummed because she's really good (she even makes her own beeswax based creams for soft tissue massage!). I hope she picks someone as good to replace her...

Much love,

Jess

WIFD: Day Two (and hair update)

Looks like Picasa gave me crazy eyes when I dd the red eye removal.

This wrap skirt was made by a small label in India. I wish the detail by the tie was more visible. It's really comfy, and Zach loves it. Sweater is Ann Taylor Loft, t-shirt is Target, both thrifted.

Today was a great day. I finally called my hairdresser and got an appointment for this afternoon. Wonderful! I've been putting it off for a while, because it needed to grow to a certain point to make it worth a trip to the salon. Since I've been home I've trimmed the back 3 times trying to buy myself time. Kelli thinned it (thank goodness; it gets so thick), and tried to shape it better without taking much off.

I want it to look like this:

It still has a ways to go, but it's only been growing out since July. 

So things were great, and then I heard Jack puking. I could see the puddle of vomit and...worms. Oh. My. Word. I grabbed him, put him in the kennel, and tried calling Zach. I felt like I was going to vomit. Or cry. Maybe both. No luck getting Zach, so I dumped bleach on a couple of paper towels, put it on the puddle, and went to Wal-Mart. It took almost 30 minutes for my stomach to settle. Parasites are so not my thing.

So yes. To leave on a happy note, here is my vintage chair:

Just waiting for some paint and a new seat cover!

Love,

Jess

A Boy and His Dog

Tony has finally learned how to handle Jack. It's hilarious to hear him say, "Noo, noo, Jack." Last night Tony was laying on the floor letting Jack crawl on him. He was giggling. Cutest thing ever.

I told him to hold Jack. He actually understands that concept, and even smiled!

Future dog vet. Pulling Jack's mouth open is a new game. Jack is, thankfully, a good sport about it.

Posing again. He's such a goober.

Jackson, in honor of the great General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.

A couple of days ago Jack was being really naughty - he was messing in the house all of the time, and when we kenneled him at night he was freaking out and barking half the night. Zach told me that he was on the chopping block if he continued to be such a problem because he was having difficulty studying with the noise. Yesterday he was great. I had him in the crate in the afternoon and he just took a nap. For more reasons than one, I am relieved. I kennel him if he's being too wild, or I can't have he and Tony both underfoot. The howling was rather annoying, though.

Enjoy this lovely autumn day...it looks beautiful!!

Love,

Jess

WIFD: Day One

Thank goodness for camera timers, haha.

Silly Mom face. I was making a face at Tony and forgot about the camera.

Today was the Gap denim skirt, and Ann Taylor Loft sweater (both thrifted). The sweater has really lovely crocheted designs on the front, making it very feminine. I almost didn't buy it because it was brown, but I'm glad I did. 

Love,

Jess

A Peek Inside My Laundry Room

Last week I finally made laundry soap. It's been a long time. I don't know why I put it off for so long - it takes hardly any time to grate the soap, and then you just put all three ingredients in a pot with some water and let it go. I decided to use Dr. Bronner's bar soap this time, instead of Fels-Naptha or Zote. Zote is more natural than Fels-Naptha, but Dr B's is better than both. Some people say it fades clothes, but I don't know. (Just a warning in case anyone follows in my footsteps.) I used the peppermint soap and it smells delicious.

Having a 5 gallon bucket of laundry soap forced me to get a dispenser for it...

A short jar on the top shelf for things found in the wash (like a button). Vinegar cleaning spray. My little tomato paste jar needs something pretty wrapped around it, but it will serve very well as a laundry soap cup.

Some might say I splurged, but as cheap as it is to make laundry soap, it will pay for itself soon. I looked at thrift shops everywhere for something like it to no avail. It was $10 at Wal-Mart, so not too bad. It's glass, and should last forever if I'm careful.

The other side. In the pot are my laundry soap components - Borax and Super Washing Soda.

The laundry room is in the half-bath, which can make for a tight squeeze sometimes, but overall it's okay. My dream is to move the laundry out of there and put a shower in. We shall see. 

Love,

Jess

A Week in Feminine Dress

While visiting my family over the summer, I found some great skirts. My greatest finds were in North Carolina, actually. I came back with almost double the amount of clothes that I took down there.

I love wearing skirts. Especially the 2 below-the-knee denim ones (they were such a lucky find! Just what I have been looking for!). However, I get into a rut - I will wear those 2 denim skirts all week (or the beautiful green one from Anthropologie - $3!). While many other beautiful skirts languish untouched in my closet. (Over the summer I pretty much lived in denim capris, that I made from jeans that were a little too short, and khaki bermudas. Pathetic, yes, but it was comfortable, and I felt "together.")

As I was hanging some of them up tonight, I remembered the week in feminine dress from the Sense & Sensibility forum. 

I think I will start tomorrow, provided things don't get crazy and I forget or something. I'm going to be social and go to a breakfast at the library with the local moms group. It's their annual "our children are back in school so let's celebrate breakfast." (Yes, I will try to keep my obnoxious thoughts to myself while I'm there.) 

If anyone would like to join me (hint, hint) that would be lovely...even if you can't do it every day, it would be nice to see other people. 

I will leave you with a kind of lame photo of our dinner...Curry Chicken with Peppers and Cabbage. It was delicious (and super easy). I haven't made curry anything in years. (Literally.) Definitely on my make-again list. All ingredients (save the coconut milk, haha) came from the Farmer's Market! Oh, except the onion. But that's okay.

One of Zach's classmates came over to practice technique with him, and we had Upside Down Apple Cakes. I found the recipe on Pinterest (my favorite thing ever), and this is the second time I've made them. It's a very simple recipe, and the cake base is almond flour. I love using almond flour, and I'm dying to try Honeyville Grains blanched almond flour. People say it's ground very fine, and makes things light and fluffy. 

Apple Cakes. I only have a stoneware muffin pan so I couldn't grease them. They still came out fine.

Almond flour pancakes today. They were a winner.

Buttery eggs and leeks with bacon.

I have decided that I love having bacon on Sunday mornings. I save the fat and can cook eggs in it all week, which is the best way to cook eggs. On that happy thought, I'm off to bed.

Happy Sunday!

Love,

Jess

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~ 

Every Thursday, at Like Mother, Like Daughter!

{pretty}

Zach loves to do nice things for me, and he got these at the Farmer's Market on Saturday. They are so lovely, and brighten up the dining room. The dark purple one in the back on the right is different from the others - it looks like velvet!

{happy}

An unused shower curtain rod to help keep shoes organized (and away from Jack's mouth!). Thank you, Pinterest.

 I have been in a cleaning and organizing frenzy lately. I still have a lot to do, but getting this closet cleared out was great. Now I need to bring the winter coats downstairs.

A tension rod is keeping my boots up, and there is a place for the broom, and my many aprons!

On the left side, Zach's golf clubs and the umbrella stroller. It feels so neat and tidy in there!

{funny}

This was staged. I do not kennel my child.

 My mother-in-law kindly sent us this nice crate for Jack. Tony loves playing in it. He's such a little nut.

{real}

This sailboat was out on Seneca Lake when I was on my way home from Virginia. It looked so romantic. I love the three sails.

Highchair Makeover!

Remember that ugly, vintage highchair I found at the Salvation Army?

Faux-wood vinyl just isn't in anymore. If it ever really was.

Less than a yard of cotton and clear vinyl, and a bit of velcro later...

The fabric keeps that vintage feel, but updated and super cute.

Recovering this took me less than an hour. It would have been even faster had I not had Tony's "help" for the first part (I had the fabric on the floor, trying to measure what I needed, and he kept planting his little bottom where I was working). I just need to replace the straps with something red.

 

The back. The off-set squares are where my velcro opening is.

 The opening didn't turn out as well as I would have liked - it's really hard to get the flap over the corners. Next time I will probably put it on the bottom. It works, though, and since it's vinyl-covered I won't need to take it off to wash it.

 

Even updating the fabric, I spent less than $10 on this highchair. When this cover wears out I can make another one, or change it when we have a girl. But for now, I'm really happy with it. Part of me wants to spray paint the body red...maybe when I refinish the .99cent chair I found for my sewing table or computer desk. It's vintage, too, with hog hair and horse hair stuffing in the seat!

Love,

Jess

The Magnificent Clothesline

The view from the back corner. It's massive.

12 lines! With a reasonable space between each line to assist in complete airflow.

Ignore the junk. We don't know where you get rid of broken stuff (the trash guys seem kind of picky).

View from the back door. Please don't judge me on the stains on my diapers.

Not clothesline. We pulled out everything that was along the back fence on Saturday. Garden coming Spring 2013.

I think that Zach did a great job on the construction of it. It's very solid, with the posts set in concrete. It should stand proud for many years to come. We finished it just in time, too- our dryer isn't drying heavy things like towels or jeans. I found that out on Thursday, and we finished the clothesline on Sunday. My laundry is still a little backed up due to the rain today, but I'm praying for sunshine and breeze tomorrow! We're trying to get away from using the dryer at all - it does so much damage to your clothes, and you pay for it, haha. We'll see how the winter goes.

Love,

Jess

My Boys

...or, a happy wife sharing a ridiculous amount of pictures.

Zach has been hard at work on my new clothesline. We just need to get more line for it, and then I can take some pictures. It's beautiful, and big. Six feet across each end, with twelve lines. It's long, too - sixteen feet maybe?

Zach working on my new clothesline.

If you look beyond Daddy and his boy, there is one end of the new line! It's huge - six feet across!

This became my new header. The feet were too cute not to share.

Walking! His confidence level has gone way up, and he's trotting all over the house and yard now.

Smiles for the camera are a rare thing these days.

Why do children love dangerous things? Tony's favorite place to be outside is on that step. His face is all scratched up from tripping on it. He sits on it and bounces. I'm just praying we avoid a broken nose or tooth.

I hope that you all have a wonderful day with your families. We started our day off with early Mass, and came home to enjoy an amazing breakfast of buttery eggs and leeks with BACON and coconut pancakes. The weather has been very Autumny, which is my absolute favorite.

Love,
Jess

PS: I love bacon, hence the caps. Our new meat supplier at the FM was selling pastured pork bacon "ends" (really, just poorly cut slices) for $3.00 a pound yesterday! (Regular price isn't bad, either - $8, I think, for a pound. Wegmans is $7 for 12 ounces, and it's not pastured.) I don't know about anyone else, but I don't need perfectly sliced bacon. It is the best bacon I have ever had in my life. Perfect on top of the eggs and leeks.