A day of play....

....that was spent pretty much in our pjs. Yeah, i know, bad mommy, but it was fun laying in bed with Emma, watching her jump, reading with her in bed and eating toast in bed. I kept going over the long list of things that i "had" to do today...but decided that those things i "had" to do, could wait. Playing in bed with Emma while she insisted on "weading to Mommy n Pachi" just couldn't wait.

Emma had her 3 year old Wellness visit on Tuesday and all is well. She's on her curve, she weighs 27 lbs and of course, i forgot her height stats. (note: i just found out that she's 36 inches tall!) Emma was not happy about being held down for her shots, however....but then i'm sure that i would not have been happy, either. Thankfully, Robert came along and he helped with that as i stood in the corner like a coward waiting for the shots to be done. Dr. Rothman is an amazing woman, with lots of common sense solutions to some of the things i asked about. And it did mean a lot to me when she told me that if i needed/wanted to speak to her directly, to please, just call and she would make sure that she call me back as soon as she was able to.

And of course, she told me "not to stress about potty training" and to "make it a positive thing".

Sure.

Right.

Too late with that advice.

I'm not sure who i've scarred more in potty training, me or Emma. But i have high hopes that she won't go into high school not being potty trained, so i'm trying to relax. Robert tells me that i should do the 'sticker' thing....but i think that i deserve more than a 'sticker'. I then realized that he meant i should give Emma the sticker, not me.

Dang it...cuz i just love me some stickers. :)

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How this child of mine loves flowers....

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These are flowers that Emma collected.

Notice the dandelion.

I love how Emma "woves dees fwowers da bests".

Because secretly, i do, too!

A Sunny Day.....

...with Ms. Melinda and her too-cute son, Cooper.

Melinda took me and Emma to the Tennessee Agriculture spot and WOW! It was amazingly beautiful there. While Melinda took photos with her beautiful, new camera with the amazing, cool lens that i was lusting over camera, i managed to get some photos of Emma. The Tennessee Agriculture area is full of photo spots; from water, to tons of flowers, to rolly-polly bugs, to fun houses....it seemed to have it all.

And Emma and Cooper had a fun time, running, 'smwelling' flowers, and running some more.

It was a really fun day in the sun....of course, today is full of rain and thunderstorms, but if not for the rain and thunderstorms, yesterday wouldn't have been so beautiful, right?

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I love Strawberries.

Maybe not as much as my little daughter does, but i do love them.

I can't wait till we go Strawberry pickin'....

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I snapped this earlier in the week while playing around with my camera.

I love tomatoes.

And i love the little girl in the black and white photo.

In fact, that black and white photo is one of my "most" favorite photos of Emma.

I'm thinking about making a tomato and cucumber salad tomorrow....i need to search for a recipe fitting of such a beautiful tomato. Tomato and cucumber salad is an amazing combination of tastes...

Yes, tomorrow is a tomato and cucumber salad day.

mmmm.....Lentil Soup

 

 

 

I love Lentil Soup.

My Mom use to make the absolutely best Lentil Soup.

I miss my Mom.

So, today, i made a pot of Lentil Soup.

The house smelled amazing.

As i chopped celery, onions, smashed garlic, diced carrots and potatoes, i felt closer to my Mom.

Here's my recipe for Lentil Soup:

It is a must to have Santana music in the background as you prepare this soup, btw.

It's also necessary to have a little child under foot asking, "What doin, Mama? Are you cookin'?"

Ingredients:
1/2 lb dry Lentils
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/4 lb smoked ham or sausage (i used ham today....)
1 small onion chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 potato, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Chicken or Beef Bouillon
4 cups of water (i use beef stock or chicken stock)
salt and pepper to taste
dash (or two or three) of hot sauce

Directions: Sort and rinse lentils. In a medium saucepan, heat oil. Stir in onion, celery, carrot, potato, garlic and ham until tender. Add lentils and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are tender and soup gets thick. Add more stock/water if necessary.

I will probably be the only one to eat this soup...Emma turned her nose up at my amazing soup, and my sweet husband has declared that he 'doesn't really care for lentils'.

But that's okay....because today, if only for a while, making this soup made me feel my Mom all around me.

It's odd how smells can do that, isn't it?

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Or 19, 20, 21, and 22? ;)

Before becoming a "Mamarazzi", i would search high and low for flowers and anything outdoors to photograph. I loved taking photos in whatever season the world was in. I fell in love with flowers; i had always loved gardening. I also found that i loved taking photos of animals....well, for the most part. Patience isn't something that i'm blessed with naturally, and waiting for 'just' the right moment can drive me batty. But when i waited, i was able to get a photo that i loved.

Butterflies were a challenge. A freakin' huge challenge. But the beauty of a butterfly? Amazing. It was in these moments with a camera in my hand that i realized just how awesome God truly is....the beauty, grace and complexity that He put into His creations are amazing.

I rarely get time to take off for a day to just photograph whatever catches my eye. I miss days like that. Looking at the world through a camera lens is different than just 'looking' at the world. I appreciate the beauty of the things around me more....thanks to my camera.

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I love Spring...

Spring is here!

 

 

 

 

ahhh....Spring.

Except for the sneezing, sniffing and occasional eye itching thing, i'm so glad that it's here.

Yesterday, we went to a spot in Smyrna with Melinda and Cooper and i have fallen in love with this new spot. I wish that i could have snapped more photos, but when you have a daughter who is ready for lunch, well then, it's time for lunch. I have to make a note to go back there...

It was a good day. And i was in need of a good day.

Today, however, is the dreaded "Catch-Up-On-Housework-Day". But it's so pretty outside...maybe that can wait till tomorrow? :)