Many times in my life I have said to myself “Two more weeks.” Two more weeks until graduation. Two more weeks until moving to a new state, starting college, starting a new job, going on an exciting trip. Two more weeks until getting married, leaving on a honeymoon. Two more weeks until moving in with my husband. Two more weeks…
But thinking “two more weeks until I get to see my baby face to face…”
There’s nothing quite like that feeling.
I am sitting on that feeling now.
I hope our baby knows how much Davey and I love each other.
I keep thinking that — I guess it’s because I feel like this life — this human — was created because of that love. I want the baby to know that s/he is living because of love.
Enough mushy-gushy I suppose.
Here come a A GAZILLION pictures of our life lately. I haven’t updated in a while so pictures have just been piling up! The pictures are all iPhone photos because I dare not unpack the nice cameras from the hospital bag and use the charges on various things happening in our life, thus missing the precious first moments of baby’s life. So here is a iPhone dump for you if you ever saw one.
Davey has been doing important things in life like hooking in the car seat and vacuuming. I have been doing even more important things like getting pedicures and taking naps.
I have also been LOVING on our little town (Hopkins, MN). There is so much to do here! Any my evening walks are absolutely gorgeous! It’s such a different town than it is in wintertime!
We even have free concerts every Thursday in a small park:
And coming up in a couple weeks is a two weeks Raspberry Festival. When we moved here, we had no idea we chose to live in the cutest little American town that ever existed.
We have also ventured to nearby towns for art walks and festivals. Here are some pictures from the Wayzata Art Experience:
We took a break and enjoyed the view of Lake Minnetonka that day:
Over the fourth of July, we went to Lake Calhoun and sat on the beach reading books all day. No pictures of that time though because we were so busy with our noses in our books and people watching.
Yesterday, we went to Lake Harriet for a free concert. On our way, we spotted $2 trolley rides. If you know my husband, then you know anything that appeals to a 10 year old child will appeal to him, so we signed up for the trolley. Since no one was in line with us, I kept thinking, “well, this will be kinda romantic. A trolley ride around the lakes with my husband…” but then I quickly realized Davey would spend most of the time with his arm out the window waving to passersby. This is a perfect example of our life in public: Davey does something that I think people may think is very strange for a 28 year old man….and then they don’t think it’s strange at all. Adults were waving back to Davey with almost more joy and excitement than if they were waving back to amuse a small child.
Once the trolley ride was over, we continued on our way to the Lake Harriet Band Shell to listen to some live music.
So that’s our life lately. Keeping busy exploring our new city while waiting anxiously to meet our baby face to face. Life is pretty good.
Fun fact about Kaylee: I was a barista in college. I barely made any money, but I got free coffee and had a blast hanging out with my friends when they came to visit me at work. Kids, this was before the Keurig was invented.
Here are some old photos of the place where I spent most my time:
And here’s from the last night at Yellow Kitchen Cafe:
We were cool. Promise.
It was working at Yellow Kitchen Cafe (formerly a Jittery Joe’s in Athens, GA) that I discovered the greatest thing about summertime: iced coffee. I have successfully gotten Davey hooked on it as well, so when we go out running errands on the weekends we stop and get an iced coffee to “make running errands better” (because it does).
I figured I should probably just start making my own so I don’t end up spending more money on iced coffee than on fruits or vegetables or healthy things. Also, it’s really easy.
Here’s what I do:
Brew a full pot of coffee
Stir in sugar and your favorite flavor to your liking while the coffee is hot so it dissolves easily (Torani flavors can be purchased at World Market).
Let sit for 30 minutes to cool down.
Place in refigerator overnight. Enjoy in the morning with your favorite coffee creamer or milk!
This post is really no biggie. I can hardly call it DIY. Like I mentioned previously, I am not a DIYer so I have to give myself credit when I make some look like something else. So this is me congratulating myself for re-doing something. However…you may notice in the photos, Davey is the one actually doing the work. I just had the vision.
We found this ottoman by a trashcan:
Ew, I know, right? I strongly encouraged Davey to throw it in the trunk emphasizing that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. I thought we could just change out the fabric and use it in the baby’s room or our living room.
So off to work we went. I took out all the tacks, removed the fabric that reminded me of John Wayne for some strange reason, and removed the padding. I bought new silver tacks, new padding, and a neutral grey piece of fabric.
I ruined about half the new tacks by hammering them in wrong, which is when Davey stepped in:
And here is the finished product:
It’ll eventually go in the baby’s room so I can use it while nursing, but for now it is a life-saver to use for putting up my sore feet after work.
Congratulations, me…er… and Davey, for making something.
Davey and I find ourselves wandering around Minneapolis on the weekends. We recently went to University of Minnesota and walked around, telling stories about our college days and momentarily wishing we could be 20 years old again.
View of the city
Dinky Town
I always thought one reason I loved college was because I loved feeling that the future was uncertain, so let’s live it up. The future was uncertain. But 6 years after graduating, I find that the future is still uncertain. I love not know what the next year will bring.
I have found the one thing Minnesotans like more than hockey…farmers’ markets.
No, that’s a lie.
They love hockey the most. Then Chipotle (which they also pronounce CHIP-OLE-TEE or CHIP-O-TELL).
THEN they love farmers’ markets.
Chipotle and farmers’ markets are two Minnesotan loves I will gladly partake in. Not so keen on the hockey.
On our way to St. Paul’s Farmer’s Market
We’ve been hitting up the farmers’ markets on the weekends which has stirred up my deep hidden desire to get really good at baking rhubarb pies. I remembered I have a rhubarb pie recipe in the family cookbook Davey and I were gifted for our wedding.
{side note: for our wedding, my dad’s cousin collected recipes from my great-grandma, grandma (on both sides), great-aunt and mom and craftily (is that a word?) made a cookbook with the stories behind each recipe. AWESOME, right?! Most thoughtful wedding gift in the world? That’s what I think, too. We have already made close to half the recipes in the cookbook and have loved them all so far! Knowing that someone like my great-grandma has memories tied to the recipes makes them even more special. Which leads me to share with you my love of food and that fact that I think eating should be an experience rather than just a time to stop for nourishment. That’s another blog post for another time. End side note that turned into small novel}
So I bought two stalks of rhubarb, then realized that I didn’t even know how to go about preparing it. I turned to my trusted friend, Google, and these are the fun facts I found out about rhubarb:
It’s a vegetable. (Yeah, this was shocking to me) However, a New York court decided it can be counted as a fruit in 1947 so that there was a reduction on imported rhubarb tariffs since tariffs were higher for vegetables than fruits. I would have loved to be in on that court case.
It’s best harvested in mid-late spring.
Rhubarb leaves contain toxic levels of oxalic acid. Gotta cut those bad boys off before cooking/baking!
It is one of the least calorie vegetables. (This make rhubarb pie healthy, right?)
Rhubarb contains dietary fiber, poly-phenolic anti-oxidants, minerals, and vitamins. (Again, this makes rhubarb pie healthy, right?)
So onward I went, cutting off the toxic leaves, washing the stalks, and dicing the rhubarb into 1/4-1/2 inch pieces per Google recommendations.
I combined the 6 cups of rhubarb with 3 cups sugar, 6 tablespoons of flour and 6 beaten eggs. I poured into unbaked pie crust and covered with another unbaked pie crust.
I put this in the oven which was preheated to 450 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Then I reduced the heat to 350 and baked for 45 more minutes.
When I took it out of the oven, I put a little bit of melted butter on top and sprinkled with sugar.
It’s not the prettiest looking–I have to improve my art of making food look pretty. BUT it IS tasty.
Neck pain is more common than you may realize. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 15% of American adults who present to the doctor’s office with pain report it in their necks. That number doesn’t include the areas of pain that are so closely related to the neck that poor neck mechanics may actually contribute to the pain. For example, 16% of adults report headaches and migraines, 28% report low back pain, 9% report shoulder pain and 8% report finger pain. These are all related to neck mechanics.
Neck pain takes its toll on all age groups. I have seen high school swimmers with severe neck pain, middle aged salesman with neck pain, and ninety year old bridge players with neck pain.
So what’s the scoop on this neck pain and how can we manage it and/or avoid it?
As always, musculoskeletal pain tells a story about how we move … or how we don’t move.
An excess motion in one direction more than another can lead to neck pain. For example, if swimmers get in the habit of breathing to one side during the free-style stroke, they are setting themselves up for pain. If salesmen consistently talk on their cell phone on the right ear with their head bent slightly to the right, they are setting themselves up for pain. If bridge players are constantly looking down at their cards through their bifocals, they are setting themselves up for pain. In each scenario, the simple solution is what I tell my patients: “Don’t do that!” When swimming, breathe out both sides. When talking on the phone, use speaker phone or headphones. When playing bridge, hold the cards higher. The solution seems very simple … because it is.
Our poor necks support and move a 10 pound head day in and day out. Consider how you move your head each day and what you can do to make sure your movements are symmetrical and not overly excessive.
Aside from how we move our necks, we also have to think about what happens when we aren’t moving our necks. What positions do we sustain for long periods of time? The classic example of a sustained position for the neck is how our head is positioned when we are looking at our computers. If you sit at a computer day in and day out, it’s important that you position your head in the most neutral position. Follow these four recommendations for your computer set-up, and you should be good to go:
1. Sit with your knees and hips bent 90 degrees. You may have to raise/lower your chair or put a stool under your feet.
2. Sit all the way back in your chair so that your spine is supported. Most people tend to sit on the edge of their chairs, whether slouched over or erect. This may require you to scoot your chair closer to your computer.
3. The top of your computer monitor (the top of the frame) should be level with your eyes. More than likely, your computer screen may be up too high because when you set it up, you thought your line of eyesight should be straight to the screen. However, this causes a slightly extended position in your neck than can become bothersome.
4. Armrests are a great thing. Use them. A lot of people say “I carry tension in my shoulders” and feel like their upper traps are always sore. They are usually the people who don’t use their arm rests, so their muscles are just tired from holding up their arms all day at a keyboard.
Your sleeping position may also aggravate your neck. Consider whether or not your head is turned toward one side all night. Read my post The Ergonomics of Sleep for good sleeping position ideas.
***The content of www.kayleemay.com is for informational purposes only. The information presented is not to be taken as professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are having pain, or seeking medical advice, talk to your health care provider. Do not delay in seeking treatment because of information you have read on www.kayleemay.com. Taking recommendations presented on www.kayleemay.com is solely at your own risk***
Although I dream about having as much energy as all my DIY idols, I rarely muster up enough time and effort to do a DIY project.
But when Davey and I were engaged to be married, we wanted to make our wedding favors for our guests to show them how much we appreciated their support. I wanted something personalized for them so they knew we took time to make something just for them considering how much time and money they were all putting into just coming to our wedding.
The first two things I love in life are my family and friends. The third is coffee. Making personalized coffee mugs was the natural choice for our wedding favors.
We contacted a friend who sells coffee mugs in bulk (everyone has a friend who sells coffee mugs, right?) and made the initial purchase. We then researched and researched and researched the best “sharpie mug DIY” project we could find that had the best reviews with the longest lasting and clearest results. Naturally, we were afraid that we would spend so much time writing our guests’ names on mugs, then they would go home and wash off immediately. Tacky.
Here is how we did our DIY sharpie mugs:
1. We purchased:
–Ceramic mugs in bulk. I am talking the classic, traditional, coffee mug you find at a local diner (my personal favorite type of coffee mug).
–A set of black Sharpie oil based paint pens/markers
–Rubbing alcohol
–Cotton balls
2. Each mug was then hand washed and stripped using the rubbing alcohol and cotton balls. This step removed all the oils on the mug, therefore allowing the paint to adhere.
3. Once the rubbing alcohol was dry, we (err…I…Davey has the handwriting of a small child) hand wrote each guests’ name on a mug.
4. The mugs sat for 24 hours…la dee da…
5. 10 mugs at a time were placed on a baking sheet and set in the oven. The oven was then turned on to 425 deg F and the timer was set for 35 minutes. When the timer went off, we left the mugs in the oven to cool down with the oven (so the mugs didn’t crack).
6. When the mugs were completely cooled, we sprayed each mug with acrylic spray finish to set the ink.
And voila!
Photo credit Honey and Salt
If you plan on doing all your guests’ mugs in a day…well, you’re a fool. We did a batch every time we received 10 RSVPs. Then we sprayed them all with the finish on the same day. This made it manageable for our 200 guests.
We also used our mugs to organize our table placements on our living room floor:
We have had some feedback from our guests and it is positive! Our guests who hand wash their mugs have noticed that the ink does not wear away. The dishwasher is a little harsher on the ink. I think no matter how you do “DIY sharpie mugs”, it’s always best to plan on hand washing for the longest lasting results.
My favorite part of the whole process has been getting picture texts of our family and friends enjoying coffee, cocoa, or hot toddies from their mugs and remembering how much we appreciate them!
