Routine

I've been at home with Charlotte for almost 4 months now. For the most part time has gone by quickly. Charlotte is a lot of fun to be around and she continually surprises me with things she is catching on to.

Her schedule for the day is pretty well established now. Nap times are becoming more regular (although I have been warned by well meaning mothers that this will change when she starts to teeth).

So for now I am working on trying to figure out a healthy routine for me during the day. During her naps I try to stay active...doing things around the house. As most of you know, our house is only so big...it really is a blessing that it only takes Nate and I an average of 3 hours to make it sparkle. I usually occupy my time with cleaning and cooking and catch up on reading or friends online and plan activities to do with Charlotte.

Ebay has been my recent hobby. So far I have sold about 10 items on there. I would consider it a fun game that has an instant reward! And it gives Charlotte and I something to do on our walks...drop off packages at the post office.

I am considering taking this hobby to the next level and make it more of a routine gig. It suits my schedule well and I like being my own boss. =) When I want a vacation....no problem, just don't list anything that week! Although, it does have it's flip side...when I get flack, well...no one to turn to but me.

I can deal with that.

So yesterday I posted 8 new items. They will all end Sunday. I'll let you know if I sell anything.

Goodmorning!

Good morning fall day!

This morning I woke up before my alarm and before Charlotte woke me up. I'm enjoying a bagel and hot tea...all is still and quiet here. It's still dark outside and I can hear a few cars driving by. School buses are in route and commuters are just beginning.

Here are my top favorite things I enjoy about fall:

The colors! Besides just the beautiful trees changing colors, I also love to match the fall colors in my own wardrobe. Out comes the orange, red, green and brown clothes!

Crunchy leaves. Char and I have been trying to take more walks outside. I try to walk over the crunchy leaves to let her hear them.

Hot beverages. I enjoy chai lattes and the holiday drinks. It warms up my insides! Most of all, I just love to hunker down in a cozy coffee shop with a good book or some good friends, especially on those rainy days.

Fire. I'm instantly mesmerized by the sight of a fire going in a fireplace. We have a fireplace at home, but we aren't able to use it. I always enjoy visiting other people who do have a fire going. I just love the smells!!

Books. I'm starting to enjoy reading again. Now that I have some time at home I've been reading a lot more than usual. Right now I'm learning about growing your own food and making cheese.

Nate has just left for work now and Charlotte is still asleep. Time to get going with the day.

Enjoy your fall day!

Laundry with Charlotte

She was helping me find the missing sock pairs...where did they go??? The dryer must have had them for breakfast!
Llama hat!
CHEESE!

Our stroller

Alright, I've been asked about our stroller by a few different people, so I thought I would post the 411 about it for those who are in the market for one.

We have a "Phil and Ted e3 jogging stroller." It's made by a company in New Zealand...they are all about compact, multi-purpose systems (which I LOVE).

We are huge fans of this stroller. First, it's one of the only double strollers we have found that is narrow...can go through doorways, down grocery aisles with ease and is still light weight enough that I can collapse it and put it in the trunk by myself (ahh....good because I'm not a body builder). Also, it has so many different attachments that meet various needs. We have the car seat adaptor bar that allows our car seat to rest on the top while Charlotte is still too young to sit in a stroller. We also have the second seat attachment for the back for a second child or just extra storage for groceries...boxes....puppies...large statues..whatever you like to haul around town. =)

This stroller also came with a rain cover that literally covers the entire stroller for those ever so common drizzly days in Oregon.

The front wheel can either be fixed or swivel depending on how you want to use it. For jogging purposes you will want to move it to the fixed position.

There is also a "fanny pack" clipped to the handle bar that has 2 compartments for water bottles, or in our case....coffee tumblers. And it has a large compartment for keys, wallet, phone etc...

Anyway, all that to say, this is my car....I just love it! I would recommend it to anyone.

It literally goes everywhere we go!

VACATION AT LAST!!!

We just got back from our vacation in Lincoln City...what a great time!!! The weather was just perfect, sunny and warm. We stayed at my Aunt Sharon's beach house that's just a few short blocks from a public beach access. We love staying there because it's just so cute and in a great neighborhood...lots of fun memories.

Here are a few pictures from our trip. We mostly took pictures of C, but tried to capture some of the things we saw too. ...oh and these pictures are posted in a backwards order...so you will see the start of our trip at the bottom of this post.

This is the view of the beach from the public beach access close to the house.
Our all time favorite restaurant in Lincoln City is the Blackfish Cafe. We treated ourselves to dinner on the last night of our trip. Nate had their clam chowder and I had the blackened salmon...we shared a Ding dong. =)
This meal was SOOO good! I wish I had the recipe.
Little C on the beach...she was much more excited than she looks in this picture. =)
We found a new coffee shop in Newport that overlooks the harbor. She liked looking out at the bay from there.
The ever popular sea lions...although, this is the first time I've seen a cage set up for them to hang out in. They were SOOO loud..flopping all over each other and barking. too funny!
We took a day in Newport to check out the sites.
The harbor in Newport. Gorgeous day!
I think this hat was mine when I was little.
Just kickin' back with dad...discussing life issues.
Nap time!
Ha ha!! I love this hat!
Sunset in Lincoln City. It was FANTASTIC weather all week long. This is from the public access just down from the beach house.
Nate and I were reading on the back porch of the beach house and we saw these deer across the fence. They didn't seem bothered by us at all.

C really liked being out on the dock.
Don't you want to sit on this bench all afternoon with a good book and cold beverage?

We walked about 3 miles a day. This is a pathway from the Devils Lake State park that goes out to the docks...beautiful!
C in her backpack with her clown hat. We had to stop at my favorite shop for sour salt water taffy. (pink building across from Mo's)
Turban baby! Look at all those cute rolls!

yay! we finally got a smiling picture!
We love our stroller...it goes everywhere we go.

Well now we're back home and still not quite out of vacation mode yet. It was nice to have Nate around all week long. I think both C and I will miss him when he starts back up at work tomorrow.

Speaking of work...I did finally make the decision to quit my job and stay at home full time with Charlotte. I'm excited to watch her grow and be a part of that in her life. It will be an adjustment for us, but it's an exciting adventure!