currently…

Posted on November 19, 2013 by tara

Counting down the days to Christmas! (35 days, 13 hours and 15 minutes if you’re wondering)… I’m so excited to share Christmas with Kaya this year (she was such a tiny little munchkin last year, so I’m anxious to see her reaction to the Christmas tree, opening presents, and sweet treats 🙂 )!

Trying to catch up on editing photos. I still haven’t gone through all the ones from our family shoot. I’ve been super diligent about shooting every day for my 365 project, but I’m behind on editing those too.

Thinking about gingerbread cookies! This is a big tradition for my family, and in the years since we’ve been married, we’ve tried to keep it up. There is nothing like my mom’s recipe (and all the delicious candies we decorate them with!)

Planning out the rest of the cookies we want to make to keep up with our cookie-delivery tradition. There are always so many great recipe options (I even started a Pinterest board just for Christmas cookies), but I am especially loving anything that has to do with chocolate and peppermint right now.

Missing this little chunk-a-monk. It’s so weird not having pigs (and probably part of the reason I am so behind on editing photos… my computer is in the den, where Maggie and Juni used to always be. It just seems so quiet in here without them)! We used to pick on Juni for being “chunky”, and now it makes me pretty happy to look back at earlier photos of her in good health, because she was definitely a skinny pig in her last days. (And this is random, but did you know that Juni was actually featured on Cute Overload a few years ago?)Wishing you a happy Tuesday!

sometimes, it’s rough

Posted on November 11, 2013 by tara

Let’s face it- on the blog, I mostly write about sunshine, rainbows, and/or unicorns. (Not really, but you get the idea, right?)

Today I’m going to be honest.

Life is hard sometimes.

I know that other people have trials that are so much bigger. So much harder.

But that doesn’t mean that YOUR troubles aren’t significant and sometimes even overwhelming.

We had a crazy weekend. For most of it, I was feeling pretty under the weather. I noticed on Saturday night that my guinea pig, Juni, really wasn’t looking so well. She was still eating, so I kept an eye on her.

When I woke up on Sunday, she was just lying there, barely hanging on to life.

“I think she waited for you”, Michael said.

I agreed.

I spent all morning with her. I stroked her fur, which seemed softer than ever. I told her I loved her. Her breathing became so slow that it was hard to tell exactly when she left us, but I believe it was just before we headed out to church.

This is the first time in almost 8 years I haven’t shared my home with a guinea pig. It’s strange. It feels empty.

We went to church, and suddenly, Kaya started to become lethargic and feverish. She has never been sick before (we have definitely been blessed), so it made me really nervous. We actually left a few minutes early to get her home, take her temperature, and see if she’d nap.

103.4 degrees.

I felt so helpless. She cried and cried and cried. My first instinct is to nurse her, but anytime I’d lay her down, she’d start bawling.

Sometimes (maybe even most of the time), I have no idea what I’m doing as a mom. I’m just making it up as I go along, and sometimes that doesn’t feel good enough.

She was still eating and drinking, so we didn’t take her in to her pediatrician until today. Her doctor said that she has seen a lot of kids lately with fevers that just run for a few days, and that’s all it is. Everything else looks good.

All these events seemed to accumulate into one big avalanche and completely cover me. Add some insomnia and sleep deprivation to our equation… and it made today seem so hard. I’m so thankful for Michael, because without him I would probably be 100 times more irrational and clueless.

I miss Juni. My heart breaks for my sick baby. I’m exhausted. But it’s okay. Life’s meant to be a little rough.

I also burnt our microwave out on Friday. I’m almost laughing at that one now. Almost.

five on friday

Posted on October 11, 2013 by tara

Happy Friday! Here are five awesome tidbits from life lately:

ONE.
Kaya’s smile is so contagious. We’re a couple of grinning fools together and I love it. She was so happy just because I tucked her into the car seat with her blanket.

TWO.
Juni has had a rough week and had to spend Wednesday night at the vet due to bladder stones and a urinary tract infection. Poor baby. Luckily, they were able to get the stone out without surgery. It was 4 mm in diameter- HUGE for a tiny guinea pig! We’re all happy she’s home now.

THREE.
I went “treasure hunting” (or thrifting, as normal people call it) this week, and found a few great deals- a Banana Republic skirt (with the tags on, original price marked as $88!) for $3.75, and this busy ball popper toy for Kaya for $3.95. It still needs batteries but she gets SO excited just looking at it!FOUR.
I have pumpkin everything on my brain right now. Lelia and I have made pumpkin bread AND pumpkin cookies in the past two weeks. Mmmm. I bought five cans of the stuff this week so I’m looking to create even more ooey gooey deliciousness soon.

FIVE.
This little girl is suddenly doing all sorts of big-kid things. She colors, says a few words, and even started drinking some whole milk this week. It warms my heart to see her learning and growing so much (although I do wish time would slow down just a little)!

Linking up with Natasha, April, Christina, and Darci today!

insta-jam #11 (may 2013)

Posted on June 20, 2013 by tara

Now that we’re more than halfway through June… Yep. I’m a slowpoke, but that’s okay. Better late than never! I won’t write captions for all of them since they are pretty self-explanatory (aka my baby is CUTE and I take lots of pictures of her. Haha).

Baking too much; a bath in the sink at Grandma’s; playing with some plastic cups; and one of the last photos I have of my sweet Maggie just two days before we said goodbye. Smiles; frozen keys for sore gums; waiting at the pond for a photoshoot; giggles.

She loves panda; I love these “Wendy’s fakeout” homemade chicken sandwiches; being cute; big beautiful eyes.
Juni (in motion!)
One of the few “fun” baths we’ve ever had. Rolling over on the changing table; grabbing toes; eating some yogurt for the first time; and cuddles.

The night we brought Jax home (look at that tail wagging); less-than-perfect mint chocolate cupcakes I made for a barbecue; chocolate chip cookies with my buddy; and Jax always trying to sit in my lap.

Beautiful; sleeping all crunched up in the corner of her crib; making her laugh is so easy; and letting Jax cuddle in our bed when Daddy isn’t looking.

Sheep that didn’t run when we walked up to them; my first walk with a baby AND a dog; enjoying the swings; and a hot, tired puppy.

friday thoughts

Posted on May 10, 2013 by tara

We’ve had quite a crazy week, with just getting back home from my Utah trip, cuddling a teething baby, editing three photoshoots, and saying goodbye to my sweet Maggie. The weather is at least looking a bit more like spring, so we’ve been enjoying more time outside (although 3 of my 4 runs this week were in the RAIN)!

Juni seems to be doing okay without Maggie. They were more like roommates than best friends, after all. The cage just seems so big and quiet now. Juni hasn’t been too excited about her veggies, so she had some parsley this morning as a treat.I had a photoshoot with a sweet family from church last night. Kaya and I got there a little early, so I played around with the beautiful lighting while she (re)discovered grass.

(and she tried to eat a stick…)

Kaya’s had a bit of a rough week with teething, but the top two front teeth have both finally broken through the gum! She seems more like her normal, happy self today so far. (Although she is going on three hours of napping right now!)
I also forgot how much I love listening to this song. It’s silly, I know, but it is a good reminder of the simple things in life. I’m definitely looking forward to some great family time this weekend!

I still plan to show off all the fun I had in Utah, but I have a TON of photos to go through, so it might take me a little longer than I’d like. Stay tuned and happy weekend! 🙂

insta-jam for august!

Posted on September 3, 2012 by tara

This might be the last “insta-jam” that doesn’t include any pictures of a cute little munchkin! August seriously flew by, and I’m guessing that September will too…

1: I tried some more crockpot recipes, including homemade chicken and dumplings! Mmmm. It turned out so delicious! I definitely think the crockpot is going to be my new best friend once munchkin arrives and I don’t have time to stand over the stove.

2: Our friends ding-dong-ditched us some cupcakes… don’t worry, we ditched them some cookies in return!

3: We house-sat/watched a family of kids for a week, but just at nighttime. There are five girls in the family and two of them were eager to paint nails, so I let them do mine! They were pretty creative, as you can tell, and my toes actually turned out even wilder than my fingers.

4: Michael got a new tablet, so I got the “old” one. And what was the first thing I did with it? Change the wallpaper to horses, of course! I am loving using the tablet instead of my old old brick-of-a-computer.

1: This wouldn’t be an insta-jam without some cute animal photos, so here’s Juni enjoying her pink zebra-stripe hut. I’m glad she finally figured out that she’s supposed to lay under it, not between the back of it and the wall!

2: Parsley is a special treat for a piggy!

3: One morning, Michael decided to get up early for a bike ride before work. It wasn’t even ten minutes after he left when he called me, and of course I panicked, thinking he had gotten hurt. Instead, he told me he had found this puppy, and she kept following him and laying down at his feet if he stopped. He asked what he should do, and of course I said… bring her home! She looked like she’d been outside and walking all night, so we gave her a warm bath and called the phone number on her collar. Her owner came to get her pretty quickly, but it was fun having a puppy for a few minutes!

1: Michael had his 25th birthday! I surprised him with a banner and balloons already hanging when he woke up.

2: Michael got his new tablet. He’s been waiting and waiting and contemplating which one he wanted, and picked the Nexus 7. It was sort-of-an-early-birthday gift and I’m glad he is so happy with it.

3: We went to Macado’s for his birthday dinner, and he got a “Cowpoke” sandwich (I’m not even sure why it’s called that, since there is chicken and bacon on it, but no beef)! I got my usual chicken caesar sandwich.

4: A few days after his birthday, Michael’s side of the family came up to visit. Now, it wouldn’t be a real visit if we didn’t go out for Chinese- that’s pretty much tradition! I’m not really sure what Kevin is doing, but at least it didn’t get us kicked out of the restaurant!

my sweetie

Posted on October 3, 2010 by tara

Yesterday, Michael got me a puppy! Okay, well…he isn't real. But isn't Michael so sweet and thoughtful?

Today we watched General Conference. I love this time of year, because I love hearing counsel and guidance that is particularly for the time period we live in =)

Michael also thinks Juni is getting fat… Here she is after her bath!

happy anniversary juni!

Posted on July 25, 2010 by tara

Today marks one year since we adopted little Juniper and brought her home to live with us! Juni is such a special girl with a blossoming personality, and I'm so glad I get to be her "mommy".

When she first arrived, she was so shy, easily frightened, and didn't even know how to cuddle! She wouldn't even talk when being pet or asked if she wanted food. Now, although quiet, we've actually heard her voice. She'll curl up in your lap and even kiss your finger when you ask.

Her favorite food of all time is definitely timothy hay (she even likes it more than fresh veggies… weird, I know!). As far as vegetables, her favorite would have to be carrots. She'll fish one out of her bowl and run into her house to eat it before Maggie can get it!

The funniest thing about Juni is that when she gets very excited, she'll squeal AND flap her ears!

Today she had a "carrot cupcake" to celebrate.

Happy 1st anniversary sweet girl!

bah ram ewe

Posted on March 30, 2010 by tara

Yesterday was AWESOME!! I finally got out to the sheep barn! Needless to say, it was pouring down rain (yes, I was riding my bike) by the time I got there. Ah well. It was worth it. My sheep is a Suffolk ewe and she's pretty small (which is good, because realistically, I'm kind of a small person. aka not a tough strong man or anything!). Honestly, I never realized how badly behaved Bubbles (my sheep from 2 years ago) really was until I met this girl! She already walks with me without too much resistance, and we even went outside! It took Bubbles weeks to do that. The one funny thing about her though, is that sometimes, when she doesn't want to walk, she tucks up her front legs and jumps! So that's why I'm calling her Frog. You've heard of a pig that thinks it's a dog, well, here's a sheep that thinks it's a frog!

Michael picked me up from the barn and we went to Subway for dinner! A nice end to a rainy day! =)

Today, I took the divider out of the guinea pig cage. Yep, after about a month, Maggie and Juni are back together! They are thrilled to have their big cage again and have been running and popcorning like crazy! Maggie is pretty glad to be in charge again… which means Juni has retaliated by spraying pee in her face. Oh, sisterly love!

yumyums and more time at the vet

Posted on March 11, 2010 by tara

I've had a lot of "firsts" in the kitchen this week! Okay, well, just two:

Yesterday I made pizza from scratch! My dough turned out great, but sadly, I tactlessly dumped too much tomato sauce onto my creation. This, in turn, caused some of the cheese to come sliding off before I could even get a good photo. Oh well.

Tonight, while hubby was out playing basketball, I decided to surprise him with one of his favorite desserts: cinnamon rolls. His mom makes the best ones ever, and I've never done it before, but I figured I'd try. Can't get better if you don't try, right? Michael ate 2, so either they're really good, or he has no taste buds… haha.

(the finished product!)

Maggie went back to the vet tonight. I was really hoping he would take the staples out, say she was back to normal, and send us home forever and ever. He did say she looks great, and for that I am so thankful. But, she does still have a little bit of infection, so he replaced the antiseptic gauze that was in her wound, and stapled her back up (I must add… she was AWAKE). My little girl is so tough.

Oh… and Juni feels kind of left out. So she asked me to post her picture:

Michael and Tara

It's Us!

Category Archives: juni