7 Quick Takes Friday

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You may have noticed that the landscape is a little different in these parts. Mark and I decided to mix things up a bit. What do you think of the improved, or at least new, look?

Let me know if you find it challenging to navigate or hard to read. Those are my main concerns. Is it too complex? Do you prefer the other version? Honest but polite opinions are welcome.

--- 2 ---

One mylar balloon plus one baby. Pure happiness. In this video, Lucy's a little distracted, but I tell ya, this thing keeps her happy for quite a while. Closely observed, of course. Call me momma hawk-eyes.

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Do you ever put things away in bizarre places? Me either. Except for that one time, oh, and that other time, and the time I tossed the car keys on a kiddo's bed, walked out the door for our big road trip...and couldn't find the keys for the life of me. Mark found them by retracing my steps. Good thing I'm married to such a smart guy.

Well, it seems my little loves have inherited this talent. I may have inherited it from my mother, but of course, I would never tell you stories about finding leftover mac & cheese in the tupperware cupboard. No, that might embarrass her.

Exhibit A: The First Aid Kit. Bread emergency, you say? I know just where to look. 

Exhibit B: The Linen Closet. No crib? No problem. Place baby [doll] on shelf, close door. Problem solved.

Sadly, I have no photographic evidence of my favorite incident from this week. Where do we does Annie keep the box of Chex? The bottom shelf of the fridge. I was thinking of recreating it for a photo, but one peek in the fridge and I came to my senses. To be honest, Annie's the only kiddo that picks up after herself. Misplaced non-perishables are a worthy casualty of this trait. I hope it sticks.

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On the other hand, I definitely need to crack down on unauthorized fridge entry. In my blog post the other day, I included a recipe and picture of "The Good Stuff". That picture shows 13 cubes. After breakfast on Thursday, the count was down to eight. After my shower a couple hours later, Annie had a suspicious oily substance all over her mouth and chin. Further inspection revealed the count was now at two. She ate six cubes! ...and later had the tummy ache to prove it.

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Annnnnnd, speaking of tummy aches... I know this goes against the grain of this blog, but when Halloween candy is 75% off, and it's not just the gross stuff no one wants, you have to make some exceptions! Huge bags of fun-size (or are they called snack size now?) Twix, Milky Way, Reece's Peanut Butter Cups, 3 Musketeer, Snickers for $1.60 each. Peanut M&Ms and Skittles for $1. There. was. so. much. It was mental anguish to walk away from all that. But I did. Well, except for the four bags I brought home with me. I hope chocolate freezes well. And if it doesn't, that's just as well.

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I'm getting closer to opening my rosary etsy shop! It's so nerve-wracking making things to sell. I had no idea! I love my rosaries, and I'm eager to share them, but there's a difference between sharing and charging money for something. I want to make sure they are durable as well as beautiful, and I keep backtracking and redoing them to ensure that's the case. I'm glad I'm taking the time to do that, but at the same time, fears and concerns nag at me, "What if I'm missing something? What if someone isn't satisfied? ...or what if no one ever buys them at all and I'm just wasting time, money and mental energy?" Any etsy sellers out there with words of wisdom for me?

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Lastly, if this blog is inspiring anyone to try eliminating wheat/gluten from their diet, please read this article: The Great Gluten-Free Scam. To summarize, it says, if you need to be gluten-free for health reasons, more power to you. However, it's not the panacea that it's sometimes made out to be.

I say, "Here, here!"  I feel a zillion times better without regular doses of gluten in my diet, but I also don't substitute much for the missing products. For example, I don't eat gluten-free baked goods except as rare treats. I eat a lot more fruits and veggies than I used to. I have definitely inched my way toward a lower-carb diet. Well, at least I had, but now that frozen chocolate beckons.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!