big do'ins

Congratulations to Kathy, Chuck & Cindy, and Chuck & Jean Anne! All three families have arrived home with their kidlets and are trying to catch up on some much needed sleep. Hop on over to their blogs and check things out. Several Dillon families announced referrals this week, and my blog buddy Heather finally received hers. CONGRATS TO YOU ALL!

I apologise for my lack of posts lately. In addition to the craziness of adding a wee one to the household, I've had a bunch of things happening of late and it's fair to say I've been busy. Last week I made a big change and decided to switch professional homes. I ended my affiliation with one real estate firm and began a relationship with another. One of the nice things about being an independent contractor is that I have the ability to choose where I work, even if I'm not working as much as I did before the wee one's arrival.

This week marks the beginning of what I expect to be a major shift for me. After witnessing the amazing transformation of a close friend, I have decided to join the weight control program at a local hospital. It's the same program that Huckabee used to drop almost 100lbs. My goal is a little less than that. The official meal plan begins on Thursday. Here's hoping I can stick to my guns, so to speak.

contentment.

I think this photo says it all. It has been three months since the little man officially joined our family and I think we are all settling in. Sure there are days that the dog spends hiding under the bed. There are afternoons where I count the minutes until the husband comes home, and mornings where I pray that Bex will settle into a nap, but the difficult days are few and far between. We are beginning to have some degree of communication, which is huge step in my book. The little guy clearly recognises a number of words and is slowly working on saying some of his own. He is walking with additional confidence day by day and his personality is coming to the forefront. He is so different from three months ago, and it is truly a gift to have the privilege of watching him learn and grow. I treasure the accomplishments that each day brings and I can hardly wait until he is really walking!

local produce rules, or the one where i wonder if i'm part hippy farmer

We recently joined a local CSA* program and it rocks! Basically, we pay a fee and once a month we pick up a basket of nature's bounty, all of which hails from less than 100 miles away. Though I am far from going whole hog and deciding to commit to a 100 mile diet or anything, I am happy about supporting local farmers, and the baskets have been super tasty thus far. In some kind of ploy to convince all of you that this might be worthy of your consideration, I will be posting a monthly photo of our basket of goodness. If you live in Central Arkansas you can join up with the Hardin Farms Basket of the Month club, otherwise you can visit this website to learn what might be available in your area.

The photo doesn't quite do this one justice. We received a pie pumpkin, two yellow peppers, three yellow fall squash, six sweet potatoes, 1lb shiitake mushrooms, 1lb okra, a dozen free range eggs, 1lb brown rice, 1lb whole grain pasta, salad greens, a loaf of 9 grain bread, 1lb fresh cheddar, milk, muscadine grapes, roasted chipotle peppers, and 1lb of ground lamb. Mmmmmmm mmmmm good!!

*CSA: Community Supported Agriculture