An Incredible New Beginning

I don't even know how to begin writing this post- my heart is overwhelmed and my eyes are full of happy tears. Today my mom started moving into her NEW house, thanks to Habitat for Humanity. I cannot fully convey through a blog post what an incredible blessing this house is for my mother and my family. This is the house that my family spent many many many days building, that we saw change from a dirt lot to a home.


(I wish my brother was in this picture but he was working. He'll be living here, too!)

My mom has always been, hands down, the most generous woman I have ever met. She is generous when she has abundance, and she is generous when she has little. She has taught me- through her actions more than her words- that we are to love all people and help anyone that needs help in any way that we can. During times we were barely scraping by, she'd welcome people in our home for a meal or a place to sleep. She would say that even if all we had to share were beans, that we should share with those beans with those who needed it. She always reminded us that what we have is not our, that we are not to store up our treasures on Earth, and that we are called to love and to give. And give she has, over and over, and always with a happy and humble heart.

What Habitat for Humanity has given my mom and family is a fresh start. They now how a house to live in that is not only in good condition, but excellent. My mom has the freedom to spend more time at home versus at work. They have appliances that are reliable and a house that is incredibly efficient. My mom is just over the moon about a house that is healthy for Jacob to be in- she keeps talking about him spending all day there in the summertime, just him and his Abuelita.

Habitat for Humanity doesn't hand out free houses, instead they empower people to become responsible homeowners by providing mortgages with payments based on the owner's income. This makes homeownership a reality for many people who may have otherwise not had that chance. The qualifying process is rigorous and selective, but the guidance Habitat provides is invaluable.


(Jacob breaking in the house, making sure it's suitable for a rambunctious boy. It is.)

I can't think straight enough to say what this means for us or what a blessing God has bestowed on my mom. Thank you to Habitat for Humanity and everyone who has volunteered their time and/or money to this incredible organization. I guarantee you that these houses mean more than you can ever imagine.

// here is a post from last Fall of the construction starting! I can't believe it's real now! //

// find out more about Habitat for Humanity here, and find information on how to volunteer here //

Strawberry Babe

Our strawberries are coming in nicely- we are getting 5-10 berries a day! Jacob figured out what those little red spots in our garden were and just went for it one day. He was a little garden monster, trampling on all my plants to get to that next ripe berry. I had to make washing the strawberries a game because he wanted to shove them straight into his mouth and eat the whole strawberry, stem and all.







This sweet boy is a strawberry lover, and I'm glad our garden will keep him happy for a few months!

Big Jacob Little Spaces

If you follow me on Instagram, you have probably seen this little series I started called Big Jacob Little Spaces. Jacob climbs any and everything he can and- when he's not in danger- he ends up in some pretty funny places!



(you can see more of these on Instagram under #BigJacobLittleSpaces but you can only see it if you follow me under the handle TheFriendlyFox, since my profile is private)

hi!

Hello, internet! The sun was shining on us here in Portland for the past two weeks, which kept me outside all day long. We planted a lot more of our summer garden (post to come), worked on our greenhouse, and had a lot of outdoor family time. For now, I'm happy to be rained in and have an excuse to read girly magazines and be on the internet.

Some sad chicken news: we unfortunately lost one hen to a cat who thought her head was a toy. This really mangy and mean stray cat really hurt one other girl, who is sort of recovering. We're hoping she pulls through, but it's been almost a week and she still can't open one eye and is moving only very slowly. Josh built them a new covered run for them until the main fenced area is finished. It keeps the cats out, and the Jacob in.

for sale

I've been pairing down my wardrobe a lot and letting go of things I no longer wear. There are a few things listed here right now, and I'll be adding more throughout the day (as Jacob allows), mostly vintage Dooney & Bourke purses, a pair of Frye sandals, and a couple of newer purses, too. I'll post on twitter when I list new stuff, I hope that's not too annoying.

// click to shop //

Puddle Heart Parenting

I told Josh I am starting a new type of parenting called Puddle Heart Parenting. It's for parents who get through the days full of ups and downs, but at the end of it all they are convinced their kid melted their heart into one gigantic puddle.



Before Jacob was born, and even into his first couple of weeks alive, I had NO idea that there were so many different "types" of parenting, each with it's own catchy name and guidelines you should stick to. I sort of just thought that you raised your baby and you asked for help or advice when you needed it. Well, thanks to a million late night nursing sessions and my iphone, I read up on and got caught up in a particular parenting style. I started to try to do everything the "experts" said to do, and felt guilty when I couldn't (or didn't want to) do what I thought I had to do in order to be a "good" mom. Plus: open up a book about Parenting Style B and chances are it tells you everything about Parenting Style A was wrong and harmful to your kid.

One night when Jacob was a few months old, I was frantically looking something up on google- I don't even remember what I was looking for now, but at the time it was imperative that I do it the exact way the experts said I should. Josh, who can read me like an open book, walked over and closed my laptop. He said something that I still remind myself of each day: "Parent like there is no internet." His words made me tear up instantly, and acknowledge that I was scared of relying on my mother instincts. Surely experts could tell me what I should do with my baby more than me, a new mother!? Josh reminded me that yes, information is great for when I REALLY need it, but these experts aren't in my room with me and Jacob. Their's wasn't the chest Jacob cuddled up to when he was first born. They don't feed Jacob from their bodies and bond with him daily. I am his mother, and my instincts [usually] are what's right for us.
I have been thinking about this a lot because after a lot of reading and researching on how to get Jacob to sleep, I was close to giving up. Everything I read seemed so involved and not right for us. One day last week, I just tried something I had been wanting to try, and it worked. Jacob now falls asleep without nursing and little to no crying. I had pushed aside my mother instincts on sleeping because surely everyone knew more than I did.

While I'm thankful for the wealth of information out there, I'm careful to use it wisely now and it is second to my instincts. I'm constantly informing myself on the developmental stage Jacob is in and I could recite the symptoms to the most common ailments in toddlers as well as their treatments, but I have to limit myself to that. You know when you have what you know is a normal headache, but you check the internet about it anyway and then you're convinced you have a brain tumor and are about to die? That's basically what scouring the internet to see if you're a good mom is like. Now I check on myself by taking a look at my son who is happy and healthy, a thumbs up from his doctor, and a peaceful mind. Sometimes I mess up and it's obvious, but I'm learning along the way.

Puddle Heart Parenting, it's what I'm into.

*I should also add that there is nothing like having a support group of other moms around to ask for help and advice. I'm glad to have a lot of mothers in Josh's and my families to lean on and that can tell me, "Yup, that's just a normal baby rash! Stop worrying!" :)

// read more of my thoughts of motherhood here //

Yes, Please (I'll make it)

(one, two, three)

I'll be using these dresses from Zara for inspiration for some sewing projects I'm going to start today. I could live in this silhouette! I hope to make a couple of sleeveless dresses and a couple with sleeves (that shouldn't be too hard, right?). This will be the first time I sew a garment for myself out of a pattern, and I'm kind of nervous! I took a sewing class when I was pregnant and my big belly got in the way of really following the pattern, but I hope I remember the basics. Here we go!

A Salad Table

A couple of weekends ago, I found a huge left-over pallet from when we had some siding delivered, and it inspired me to use it to build a salad table. I saw this post at Apartment Therapy, and I knew that's how I wanted to plant my greens this year. Salad tables are great for plants that have shallow roots, they keep most pests out, and because the soil and plants are up at table height, they're easier to keep weed free! I'm glad that these greens won't be taking up valuable soil and space in our garden bed this summer. We have a TON of lumber in our backyard, most of it salvaged from our remodeling projects, so aside from the metal mesh and landscape fabric, we had everything we needed in our backyard. While this salad table isn't nearly as pretty as the first one pictured here, it was practically free and most important to us- we pieced together what we already had on hand, using materials that would have otherwise gone to waste. The table ended up being about 12ft long and 2ft wide, which worked out great for planting a big portion of our plants, and the ones that needed more space (cabbages, brussel sprouts, etc.) went in buckets down below.

I initially planned to have Josh write a step-by-step of how he built this, but let's just say he took some...creative?... freedoms that you probably don't want to copy. :) These instructions are really easy to follow, from what I can tell, and they were the ones I planned on following. We used landscape fabric instead of the fine mesh, since we needed some for our yard anyway.



One thing Josh added that I highly recommend is using a small piece of pressure treated lumber at the very bottom of the legs so they don't rot out over time. I think I'll round up some more 2x4's and a sheet of plywood and make a shelf under the plants so I can use it for storing empty pots, hand tools, and other junk. I might be a little too excited about this table, you guys!

Jacob for Hire

Are you looking for a reliable, experienced, professional contractor? Look no further than Jacob at Cute Baby, LLC.

Qualifications include:
Shows up on time, has his own transportation.


Eager to work and take orders...




...but is not afraid to stick up for his ideas when your's are wrong.


Knows the importance of a healthy breakfast before beginning work, as well as taking a break mid-day.



Jacob also knows the importance of family and helping others, and has helped Habitat for Humanity on site, building his Abuelita's house. He can be counted on to finish the job on time and leave the site clean and tidy.


Jacob's asking pay: a lot of snacks and a bucket of bird seed to play in.

Hello, Chickens

Last weekend we went to Urban Farm and picked up six chickens we will be raising for eggs. We are so excited about having these ladies in our backyard, to have Jacob play with them, and to eat their delicious eggs. We picked out a Wyandotte, a Brahma, a Leghorn, an Australorp, and two Americaunas. Jacob loves to visit them and play with them, and it's so cute to watch him watch them. It looks like we're working our way to our dreams of farm living!



(Jacob and his heat lamp chicks)