LADDventure

One Day

 

This is my project for today.  I am linking up with a bunch of other bloggers to document one ordinary day in my life. There is so much pressure these days to savor the moment and document every memory, but sometimes we forget about the day to day that makes life memorable.  Follow me on instagram and then join in on the fun yourself.  Just use the hashtag #onedayhh when you instagram a picture of the little things that make up today for you. 

A Precious Week

I just got back Saturday afternoon from spending the week back in Wisconsin, helping my sister with her brand new baby.  She was about 3 weeks early, so her arrival was a bit of a surprise, prompting a bonus trip back home for me.  I washed tiny onesies and impossibly small socks and tucked them into drawers in her new nursery that still smelled like fresh paint. I cleaned countertops and lit candles and tried my best to make home relaxing for the newly expanded family.  I walked my older niece home from kindergarten, holding hands and crunching through leaves on chilly November afternoons.   It is the most newborn time I've ever been able to spend with any of my nieces, and I soaked up every minute - gushing about her mini ears, kissing squishy cheeks, and tickling tiny feet.

My sister and brother-in-law kept thanking me for coming and helping, and all I could think was that I was the thankful one...so grateful that my sister and the baby were healthy and perfect, so grateful to share their first week home, so grateful for the flexibility to drop everything and be with my family and love them up close and in person.

I accidentally left my camera on their dining room table, which is the only reason this post is not full of an insane amount of sleeping baby pictures.   Good thing I will be back at the beginning of December.  My camera will be waiting for me to take pictures of a baby who already will look completely different, I am sure.  But I have those newborn pictures waiting to be flipped through along with memories of a week that I am so grateful for. 

Welcome To The World, Aidee!

Photo taken by Hilda Sandoval - More coming soon, because I'm sure I'll be clicking away with my camera shortly!

In the wee hours of a morning that was sure to be littered with annoying facebook statuses and divisive politics, our family got a big old reminder about what's actually important in life.  Well a little one actually, in the form of 6 lb. 9 oz. Aidee Asuncion Luis, born at 3:55 a.m. this morning to my sister and brother-in-law.  It was a bit scary at first because she had to be delivered about 3 weeks before her due date because of a problem with Kelli's liver that occurs in some pregnancies.  It clears up after delivery, but it can be very dangerous for the baby if it's allowed to go on too long, so the doctor decided to deliver her early to be safe. 

When she was admitted to the hospital yesterday, I just wanted to be there with my sister.  I wanted to watch reality t.v. with her while she waited, and be there for whatever she needed when the baby arrived.  The big sister instinct was strong, but having a ticket booked for December 7th already, it didn't seem to make much sense to go home now too.  Mr. Ladd got home from an errand, and I told him she had been admitted and they were probably going to induce that day.  He took one look at me, immediately said, "Do you want to go home?" and promptly logged into his American Airlines frequent flier account to find me a flight with his free miles from business travel.  I love how he knows my heart so well. 

Mom and baby are doing fine, and I am so thankful and excited to meet my newest niece.  So, I will be boarding a plane in a couple of hours on a late flight into Chicago to snuggle this little beauty, and I couldn't be happier to have something to do other than watch election coverage.

Random Reading - Low Key Weekend List

We had a backyard fire after a relaxing dinner last night, and we have no other plans this weekend.  After lots of busy party prep and clean up last weekend, it feels lovely.  It will be a nice prelude before a loaded November and December calendar, so we are looking forward to lots of sweatpants and football around these parts the next couple days.
Hopefully you are getting some relaxing done this weekend too, and while you do, here are some of my favorites from around the world wide web for you to read. 






On Politics (Hopeful Leigh)
Couldn't have said it better myself - a refreshing read about why we get so frustrated with the political discourse in this country.

My Drug & My Defense (Shauna Niequist)
An honest post about the real reasons we keep ourselves so busy at times from one of my favorites

Exhaustion Is Not a Status Symbol (Lillian Cunningham for The Washington Post)
An interview with Brene Brown also about keeping busy. As you can tell, I am fascinated by this epidemic of busy we have in our society and workforce, and this was a very interesting take on that. It prompted some of these questions for me in my own thinking about working.

@#$% People Say to Transracial Families (Rage Against the Minivan)

This video is absolutely hilarious and educational perhaps.

Simply Marlena

Found this blog on pinterest, and spent a ton of time on it.  Marlena is the founder of Makeup Geek and her blog is full of fashion tutorials, makeup tips, and inspiration to be your best for real women.  

You Are a Writer (Schmutzie)
Schmutzie was on a panel at BlogHer '12 about blogging as a medium, and I really liked what she had to say and the tone of her whole blog.  This one was an important reminder.

Happy Weekend!

Fast Food Friday - White Chicken Chili

Occasionally on a Friday, I will be sharing my favorite quick weeknight dinner recipes.  I started with some Slow Cooker Chicken & Dumpling Soup if you missed it.  This week I am making White Chicken Chili in my favorite kitchen invention.  The slow cooker gets a workout at my house.  I use a seasoning mix with the perfect amount of kick for this chili.  However, I don't exactly follow the directions on the back, so here's how it's served up at my house with some hot bread, fresh out of the oven. (It's just a frozen bread dough loaf, popped into the oven after it rises all day.  I am a big believer in homemade-ish.)

Ingredients:
2  3/4 C. water
2 packets of McCormick White Chicken Chili dry seasoning mix
1 can cannelini beans (white kidney beans) undrained
1 can pinto beans drained
2 T olive oil
2 frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
Sour cream and shredded cheese for topping (optional)

Directions:
1.  Add  3/4 C water and the frozen chicken breasts to the slow cooker the night before and cook on low for 8 hours. 
2.  In the morning shred up the chicken and return it to the juices in the slow cooker.
3.  Add all other ingredients and simmer on low for at least 5 hours or until beans are very tender
4.  Top with a dollop of sour cream and shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese.  Delish.

Thankful Thursday - #thankfulliving

It's November!  The days are sunny and warm here in the desert, but once the sun goes down the nights are chilly.  I even had to put on socks last night as we snuggled up in jeans and long sleeves with every candle in the house lit to start watching Walking Dead after handing out trick-or-treat candy.  We are two episodes in, and I already get the craze and agree wholeheartedly by the way.

November is the month of thanks and gratitude, but it's also the kickoff of the busy holiday season and things can get hectic.   I've said it before and I'll say it again, living thankfully means paying attention to your life and choosing to enjoy it.  A few days ago, I connected with a fellow blogger living in Scotland through my blog!  Man, I love the internet.  She is doing a link up for this month that fits right in with my Thankful Thursday posts. Every day this month,  join us in an instagram challenge.  Take a picture of something you're thankful for that day and tag it #thankfulliving   It's a good excuse to spend a whole month being thankful and cultivating that habit.

So hello November!  We welcome you with your cool weather, cozy nights, and family time.  Bring on the turkey, the mustaches, and the early Christmas shopping!


Things I'm thankful for on this first Thursday of November:

• Dark fall nails painted in Revlon's Hot for Chocolate 
• A night in the driveway handing out candy with our neighbors
• Houseguests 2 weeks from today! My brothers and the band will be here for some shows in the Phoenix area!  I am crazy excited because I haven't seen them play in forever, and this will be Ben's first visit since we moved.  I intend on being a groupie all weekend.  More gushing proud big sister posts coming soon I am sure.
• A much lower electricity bill for the next few months as our poor air conditioner gets a well earned break
• A husband who makes me want to be the best version of myself

 Today I'm linking up over at Living a Listful{l} Life and Lovely Little Whimsy