Wordless{ish} Wednesday: A few fun finds

{You might be wondering just what's been keeping me busy these days, or at least busy enough to be dropping the ball left and right in regards to keep up this blog.  Well, I'll tell you--I've been busy finding fabulous vintage things all over the place thanks to local thrift shops and estate sales.  If I keep this up I really am going to have to consider opening up my own little vintage store.  Captain Husband thinks I'm nuts for buying quilts when we live in the desert, but we won't always live in El Paso, right?}

{I found this lovely Arts and Crafts drop-front desk at an estate sale a few weeks ago; the estate was of a couple who had owned their own antique store, so going through their house and giant garage had me feeling like a kid in a candy store.}

{This stunning step-back cupboard came from the same estate; it had been hidden at the very back of the garage and no one seemed to notice it.  Of course, they probably had more sense than me and realized that moving an 8' tall and 4' wide ONE-PIECE cupboard just wasn't worth the trouble.  Thank goodness the ceiling in my garage is high; this thing just barely fit inside with only a few inches to spare.  The movers are going to hate me the next time we have to PCS.}

{And last, but not least, is one of my favorite thrifted treasures: a full set of vintage Lustro Ware yellow kitchen canister set, bread box, and salt and pepper shakers.  I honestly don't think they've ever been used--the bread box still has the Good Housekeeping seal of approval sticker on it.  I found them at a thrift store in New Mexico and nearly did a little dance when I realized that the bread box was filled with the other things and that they were all included in the already ridiculously low price.  I think these might be my best thrift store find to date!}

Charlie's two-month update

Charlie turned two-months old on the twelfth but thanks to a combination of procrastination and forgetfulness I wasn't able to take him in for his well-baby appointment until last week.  I knew he had been growing but even I was rather surprised by his stats: 14 pounds, 7 ounces and 24" long (I think I can now say with some certainty that breastfeeding is going well).  Now I know why he's barely squeezing into his 3-6 month clothing!

Charlie is such a happy and easy-going baby; he always greets me with a big gummy smile and coos of happiness.  He's recently started laughing out loud and seems to enjoy being tickled and surprised.  One of Charlie's favorite things in the whole wide world is watching the ceiling fan followed closely by some good ol' fashioned nekkid time whenever he gets his diaper changed.  Charlie has also recently discovered how to splash in the bath and has started to grasp for toys and such just within his reach.  In other news, Charlie has been sleeping through the night since he was about five and a half weeks old and has recently given up night feedings entirely, which is awesome albeit kind of uncomfortable for me as I usually wake up feeling like a soggy Dolly Parton impersonator.

The first glimpses of Fall

The temperatures are finally making their long-awaited dip downwards around these parts and the days are getting shorter, which means that fall is almost here.  I don't know about you guys, but fall is my favorite season of all; there's just something about that crisp feel to the air that I can't help but love.  We don't get a lot of fall love here in El Paso--it's a very short season and it won't be long before things have transitioned completely from summer to winter, so I'm trying to make the very best of the short window of gorgeous fall days that we have (though to be perfectly honest, the winters are pretty nice, too).

The cooler temperatures means breaking out the warm footie pajamas for the boys and spending most of the morning lounging about in them while the house slowly warms up from the previous night's chill.

The rose bush in the backyard is making one last colorful hurrah before it hibernates for the winter.

And of course there's an abundance of fall produce, like these Granny Smith apples that a sweet friend was kind enough to share with us.  I tried my hand at making apple crisp from scratch last night and while it was a bit labor intensive (I definitely need to invest in an apple peeler and corer if I ever want to make it again), it was definitely worth every minute spent slaving in the kitchen.  Has fall arrived in your neck of the woods?

Baby on a budget

Yesterday was my official due date and there's still no sign of this baby arriving any time soon.  Le sigh.  So since I don't have any cute baby photos or updates to give you, I decided that I'll regale you with what we've managed to set up for baby #2 once he decides to grace us with his presence.  The plan for right now is to have this kid set up in the master bedroom with me and Captain Husband for the first few months before we move him in with Sammy--hopefully giving everyone a chance to adapt to one another without too much pain and suffering involved.  So far I've managed to get just about everything I need for this baby second-hand (thanks to hand-me-downs from big brother Sammy and the generosity of family and friends), which translates to super savings that I then get to spend on fun things, like cloth diapers.  (Sorry for the cruddy photos, guys--the batteries in my speed light died last night and the lighting in my bedroom is just plain awful.)

I've owned the vintage wall lamp for a few years now and had been waiting for a reason to dig it out of the garage (it also helps that my mom was able to rewire it for me while she's been here); the shade is one that I thrifted and spray painted in Petrol Blue (using leftover paint from the chest of drawers in Sammy's room).   I found the wall hooks and vintage metal shelf at my favorite thrift store and painted them in Petrol Blue, too, just so everything was nice and cohesive.  My plan is to use the hooks to hang the baby's diaper covers to air out in between changes--plus it will also be a handy place to keep a spare outfit or two or a toy for distractions during diaper changes (like the vintage Fisher Price Happy Apple that I picked up for a song at an estate sale).  My friend gave us the awesome changing table as a gift, which meant all I had to do was outfit it with a changing pad--my mom sewed a few custom covers following this tutorial using jersey fabric and a sheet that I had thrifted earlier this summer.  All in all, I'd say that I spent around $50 for everything, including the changing pad, which isn't too shabby all things considered.  I've also made sure to run everything past quality control, too, just to be on the safe side:

I think if she had opposable thumbs, she'd be giving me two thumbs up.

Worldess{ish} Wednesday: Just hanging out

{Some days you just really have to let it all hang out.}

The best of all medicines is resting

Well, I'm home again and on strict doctor's orders to take it easy and stay in bed as much as possible for the next two weeks.  No one seems to know why this kid is so adamant about making an early arrival; granted, I don't have much longer to go before I'm considered full term at thirty-seven weeks, but I'd like to let baby #2 cook for as long as possible (and hopefully give him time to flip around from the breech position he seems to like so much).  Because I'm going to be limited to such fun activities like showering, using the bathroom and surfing the web, I think it's best if I take another impromptu blogcation, unless you guys really want to see a series of my feet artfully photographed from my recumbent position in bed for the next two weeks.  I'll definitely be using my down-time to catch up on all of your blogs, so you won't be rid of me entirely.  I'll also try to post updates on facebook and instagram from time to time because I'm hopelessly addicted to social media and can't go completely cold turkey for that long of a period.  Here's hoping that I'm still pregnant when I'm back in two weeks--see you then!

Practice makes perfect

Both Sandy Cat and Sammy have been doing their parts to get ready for the new baby by using Sammy's baby doll as a proxy.  As you can see, Sandy Cat is always ready and willing to be a nap buddy/bed warmer at a moment's notice.

Sammy, on the other hand, has taken on more of an interest in making sure the baby has enough to eat and drink at all times and made the baby a gourmet breakfast of eggs, ketchup and sugar.  When I informed him that the baby might be thirsty after all of that yummy goodness, Sammy raced for the bottle and proceeded to give the baby some milk for the next fifteen minutes or so, which in toddler time is equivalent to approximately two and a half days.

I'm so glad to see Sammy taking on such a nurturing role, especially without having a real-life model from which to follow (although he did pick up quite a bit about the younger set while his cousin, Henry, was here in May).  I'm toying with the idea of maybe making his baby some pretend cloth diapers so Sammy can try his hand at changing him--I think he might enjoy that, or at least the act of velcroing something over and over again.

From the looks of it, I'd say Sammy's ready to be a big brother--hopefully his little brother will decide to wait it out a few more weeks before making an appearance!

Short and sweet

Sammy's birthday is tomorrow and I think I've got a pretty good handle on things, but there's still a lot of cookies and cupcakes that need to be baked.  Fortunately, the cavalry arrives in the form of my mom later today, so I expect that the two of us will have things pretty well under control when push comes to shove.  After Sammy's first birthday last year I promised myself that I would never ever go that crazy planning a party, and I think I've managed to strike a happy medium this time around.  But you guys can be the judge of that next week when I share the whole kit and caboodle with you.  So in the meantime, enjoy this photo of Miss Sandy Cat in her new bed, and by her new bed I mean the vintage doll bed that I purchased to use as a photography prop but was claimed by her approximately five seconds after I opened the box in which it arrived.  Have a great weekend everyone!

A connoisseur of comfort

{I feel like I've been burning the candle at both ends preparing for Sammy's birthday this Saturday--holy crap, I'm going to have a two-year old in the house!--and as a result, I've been staying up late and working through Sammy's nap time just about every day this week...that is, on the few occasions when he actually deigns to go to sleep.}

{I think I need to take a page or two from Miss Sandy Cat and get serious about lounging about without a care in the world; after all, it certainly looks very relaxing.}

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: A few of my favorite things

{There's no other flower that can bring a smile to my face quite the way that a bunch of yellow tulips can.  They brighten up any room and never fail to brighten my day.}

{Another of my favorite things is Miss Sandy Cat, of course.  And one of her favorite things to do--second only to using our new sofas as scratching posts-- is nibbling on the leaves of my flowers when she thinks no one is watching.}

{And l couldn't let a post about my favorite things go by without a mention of Sammy, my favorite resident toddler.  Here he is showing off one of my recent thrift store finds--a vintage photographer's backdrop and stand that I scored for $10 at my favorite thrift shop.  What are some of your favorite things?} 

Foto Friday: Feathers or fur

Sandy Cat really likes the perches that I put up for her in Sammy's play room, especially as they give her a safe place where she can watch over Sammy without worrying about him getting too affectionate and check out the neighborhood birds that like to congregate around the bird feeder in our backyard.   She had apparently just spied a few tasty-looking ones when I snapped this photo.

In other news, this baby is kicking my butt, or rather, he's kicking my back.  My lower back is still a mess, so I finally broke down and called my doctor in the hopes the could recommend something, anything really, that might help.  He gave me the name and number of a local massage therapist and I have an appointment tomorrow afternoon with her, so I hope that it will do the trick or at least give me some sort of relief.  Maybe if I play my cards right I can convince Captain Husband that this will need to become a weekly expense until this kid is born--I kind of like the sound of that!

Happy Military Spouse Appreciation Day!

Hi and welcome to those of you coming over from the Military Spouse Appreciation Day Blog Hop; pull up a chair, get comfy and enjoy your visit!  (New to the Blog Hop?  Go write yourself an intro post, link up over at the Household 6 Diva, and join in on the fun!)

My name is Laura and all of my initials are the same, which is how the name of this blog came about.  This is the story of my ongoing adventures as a historian, military spouse and mom.  (And not to toot my own horn, but today is my birthday, too!)

Captain Husband and I met at a Halloween party in Washington, DC in 2007; I was dressed like a zombie flapper and he was a 80s hair-metal rocker, complete with an awesome mullet wig.  We were married in July of 2008 and became proud parents to a bouncing baby boy named Sammy in June of 2010 and are expecting bouncing baby boy #2 in early August of this year; we also share our home with a very lovable and fuzzy kitty named Sandy.  The cast of L to the third currently resides in the west Texas town of El Paso--a bit of a change from what we are used to, having spent most of our lives in the northeast, but so far so good.

Want to know more? Click here for our story.  Thank you for stopping by--please leave a comment so I can swing by your blog, too.  And to all of my fellow MilSpouses that are reading this, I offer my heartfelt thanks for all that you do!

In command

Friday was a big day for Captain Husband; he assumed command of a battery of just over a hundred soldiers.  He's been waiting a long time for this and I couldn't be more proud of him--I just know he's going to do a wonderful job.

This was my first time attending a military ceremony (and Sammy's too), so I wasn't quite sure what to expect; fortunately it was held outdoors, so Sammy plopped himself down in the dirt and spent the entire time quietly playing with some of his matchbox cars.  The ceremony itself was short, sweet and to the point, with the outgoing commander passing the unit guidon (or flag for those of you new to military speak) to CH in a symbolic transfer of power.

CH then led the battery in formation and then it was time to break for some refreshments.  It was one of those situations where I didn't know a single person, but everyone seemed to know who I was and kept coming up to introduce themselves to me--it's going to take me a while to learn all of these new faces and names!  Sammy had a blast running around and many of the soldiers were more than happy to indulge him in little games of chase and tickle monster; I was worried that he might get confused by all of the people in uniform and start calling random dudes daddy, but fortunately, that never happened.

Part of the ceremony included a presentation of roses to the outgoing commander's wife and to me; they're really quite lovely although Sandy seems to be under the impression that they're meant for her...to eat.