My Sweet Savannah Rose

Two years ago today, my life was changed forever........I became a mother and my sweet Savananh Rose was born into this world!  I love this poem (not sure the author), but it sums up just about everything I am feeling today as I look back over the last two years.

Before I was a Mom
I made and ate hot meals.
I had unstained clothing.
I had quiet conversations on the phone.

Before I was a Mom
I slept as late as I wanted
And never worried about how late I got into bed.
I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom

I cleaned my house each day.
I never tripped over toys or forgot the words to lullabies.

Before I was a Mom
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom
I had never been puked on
Pooped on
Spit on
Chewed on
Peed on
Or pinched by tiny fingers.

Before I was a Mom
I had complete control of my mind
My thoughts
My body
And I slept all night and got plenty of rest.

Before I was a Mom
I never held down a screaming child
So that doctors could do tests or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
When I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew what love at first sight really meant.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important.

Before I was a Mom
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
Every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth
The joy
The love
The heartache
The wonderment.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much
Before I was a Mom

Happy Birthday, my sweet Savannah Rose - I love you from here to the moon and back again!! (ILYFHTTMABA)

OCTOPUS IN DISGUISE

(Thanks, Emma D, for the link!)

Just when you think there's not possibly another thing to love about octopuses, they come up with this. From The Hanlon Lab at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts:

"In the February 2010 issue of The Biological Bulletin, MBL Senior Scientist and cephalopod expert Roger Hanlon and his colleagues report the exceptional camouflage capabilities of the Atlantic longarm octopus, Macrotritopus defilippi, whose strategy for avoiding predators includes expertly disguising itself as a flounder"

And here's the video of a little octopus doing its total flounder thing.

More on the octopus findings:

"Comparing still photographs and video footage from five Caribbean locations collected over the last decade, Hanlon and co-authors, MBL graduate students Anya Watson and Alexandra Barbosa, observed uncanny similarities between the small and delicate octopus and the peacock flounder, Bothus lunatus, one of the most common sand dwellers in the Caribbean. They compared not only coloration, which in each animal resembled the sandy seafloor, but swimming speed and form.

"Just like flounder, the octopuses contoured their bodies to hug the wavy seafloor, tapering their arms behind them. They also swam with the same fits and starts as flounder at the same speeds. Interestingly, the octopuses mimicked flounder only when swimming, when movement would compromise their camouflage. How well the animals blended in with their background differed. The octopus showed more highly controlled and rapid skin patterning than the flounder, whose camouflage was slower and less precise."

Here's Bothus lunatus, the peacock flounder. Photo courtesy Kasey Canton.

Finally, as to why the octopus mimic flounder:

"More study of cephalopod mimicry is needed, but a possible explanation, according to Hanlon and his team, could be that predators who could easily take a bite out of the small, soft octopus might find a rigid flatfish like the flounder too much of a mouthful and avoid them."

I know peacock flounders well from years of diving in the Bahamas, and am now wondering how many I saw might have actually been octopus in disguise!

Hubby and Lucy

Photo #1

I told Hubby and Lucy to put their best sweaters on and meet me on the porch.


Photo #2

As long as Hubby kept scratching Lucy's back, she agreed to play along.



The moment he stopped, she'd give him this look.

Photo #3

Hubby was very patient with me. I told him I wanted to take his and Lucy's picture for my blog. He said he didn't think that was such a good idea but I insisted since I talk about them so much. Always in the nicest way of course.

Photo #4

Look, they're both smiling at the same time!

Now which photo should I use in my blog margin to represent them best? Photo 1,2,3 or 4?

Hubby thought I should be in a photo, so here's our first attempt.

And our second. I like his facial expression in this one.

loving…

there is much to love around the blog world this week.  here are just a few things that i’m loving…

1.  the new summer collection from pottery barn.  head on over to belle maison to see a sneak peek before the catalog comes out.

images- pottery barn via belle maison

2.  the home of lee kleinhelter, owner of the store pieces, featured in atlanta homes & lifestyles.  it’s so clean and fresh.  i saw it about a week ago on the the atlanta h&l website but somehow forgot about it until full house posted it on wednesday.  i’m not quite sure how i forgot about this home because it’s beautiful.

 

images – atlanta homes & lifestyles; photography - erica george dines

3.  designer jill johnson.  love her style.  i hadn’t heard of her until today when erin from eos did a post on her home.  jill is madly talented.  click over and check out her portfolio if you get a chance.

images – waterleaf interiors

4.  this AMAZING giveaway going on over at this photographer’s life(in search of style).  blayne beacham, the author of this blog, is giving one lucky winner an ad space in the publication “the beacham series.”  how cool is that!!!  if that’s not an awesome giveaway, then i don’t know what is.  this isn’t a typical “post a comment” giveaway so make sure you go through all of the steps she has listed to enter the giveaway.  oh, and the best part is the actual magazine is absolutely beautiful.  complete eye candy.  blayne, one of the principal photographers of “the beacham series,” is an extremely talented photographer.  the magazine features multi-million dollar homes that are for sale around the atlanta area. 

gorgeous photography + multi-million $$$ atlanta homes + beautiful interiors = one HOT online publication.

head over to blayne’s blog to check out “the beacham series” and to get the details on the giveaway.

image – courtesy the beacham series

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oh, and if you haven’t signed up for one kings lane and received your $10 credit make sure you do so before march 10th.  anyone who signs up for okl through my sign-up site receives an automatic $10 credit just for signing up.  check it out here.

have a warm weekend.  i think atlanta might hit the 60’s this weekend.  i’m super excited about that possibility. 

LiveJournal Tags: loving...,belle maison,pottery barn,lee kleinhelter,pieces,atlanta homes & lifestyles magazine,jill johnson,elements of style blog,this photographer's life,blayne beacham,the beacham series

Cajun Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

I honestly think I could eat pasta everyday for the rest of my life - that is how much I love it!  There are so many different ways to prepare it and it can take on so many different flavors and styles of cooking.

My friend Megan was my inspiration for this dish.  She mentioned a similar dish that she had made for her family that had her husband coming back for more.  So I took the recipe she told me about and added my own spin on it!

Cajun Roasted Red Pepper Pasta

Ingredients:

1 lb. pasta (shells or penne rigate)

1.5 cups heavy cream

1 cup roasted red peppers (I used ones from a jar)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon cajun seasoning (or a lot more if you like it spicy)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese + a little for garnish

Green onions (for garnish)

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Ok, it doesn't get a whole lot easier than this......place all ingredients (except pasta) in a blender and puree until smooth.  Then pour the red pepper/cream mixture into a saucepan and cook for 10 minutes on medium-high heat until thickened.

Meanwhile, slice green onions.  Once pasta is cooked, drain and combine with sauce and parmesan cheese.

Sprinkle green onions and a little more parmesan on top and serve.  Enjoy!!

Cottage Mama's Note:  I would normally add sliced andouille sausage to this dish, but the day I made this version, I didn't have any on-hand.  It tasted great without it, but for my "meat-loving" hubby, the sausage is always a winner!  There are some wonderful chicken andouille sausages available in-store these days ("Amy's" makes a great one!).

Slipper make over~ Shall I Dance?~

I blame it on Disney... She posted a tutorial on how to transform granny slippers into an out-of-this-world cutest room-shoes. She made me realize that I needed room shoes...

Well, I have been looking for the best deal for a while and I found it the other day. They were 2 for $6 at Big Lot. $3 a pair! You can't beat that.



I went through my trimming drawer and found some candidates for this project. I came up with two diffrent designs, so I will show you what I did.

{Black Slipers}

1. I cut off the ribbon on the slippers to give me a clean slate. Then I started from the middle and hand sewed already gathered lace. I Kept going until I arrived at the desired size.



2. I sewed on some beads.


3. Done!



{White Slippers}


1. Treat the end of the lace with fray check. Fold the end, then place it in the middle of the slipper. Start sewing from the bottom and go up, then fold the lace slightly angled upward to the side, sew.


2. Repeat the process. Remember to widen each row.


3. Sew the beads. I sew the beads separately. I mean, each time when I sew a bead, I tie a knot and start a new one. That way, I don't have to worry about breaking the thread between each bead when I wear it and the fabric stretches.


4. Ta-da!



They are both very simple and easy to do, and I love the results! Wearing my new slippers, I might dance while I clean the house tomorrow.

Whoooohooo - I'm a Finalist!!

Yippee!!  I just found out I am a finalist in the Lil Blue Boo / Dharma Trading Design Challenge.  The judges narrowed the field down from 154 entries down to 15 and I feel so honored to be part of this group.

The dress that was chosen was my first entry, "The Gracyn" (Finalist #12).  Head over to Lil Blue Boo and check out the other finalists and cast your vote for your favorite dress.  There are some other incredibly talented women in this group!

For more information about this dress, click here.

"The Gracyn"

I'm so excited!!  Eeeeeeek!!