My Tuesday Friends

Okay... so quite a bit has happened since I last wrote a post.

Things that I accomplished (on the list):
Annihilated the Laundry Monster.
Made awesome apple butter.
Made unimpressive but still delicious cherry pie.
Bought new jammies for Baby Boy
Finished all Hospital work by my last day (which was yesterday).

Things I accomplished (not on the list):
Organized pantry and kitchen cabinets (it sounds way less impressive than it is).
Purchased a Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden membership (will be going tomorrow with Baby Boy and my mama).

My Last Day of Work
My last day at work was very bitter sweet. I said goodbye to a couple of the families that I worked with this summer. My boss took me out to lunch to a wonderful little German Restaurant  in Cincinnati. It was so nice to talk to her about non-work things and the more we talked about motherhood and having to split time between home and work the more I was happy about my decision to stay home.

The Tuesday Crew

Going out to eat on Tuesday nights has become a ritual for our small group of friends. It started back before Chris and I got married. Some Hanover College friends and I started attending Pub Trivia at a local Irish Pub. With only three or four people from Hanover our team name was "We have our B.A.'s and we don't know B.S.". Once my husband joined the team we had to change the name (since he did have his B.S.). After that, the team grew to include other friends that we knew from high school, friends from work, and anyone who we thought would bring up the team's collective I.Q. We went to trivia for about 2 years, every Tuesday. Then our two favorite servers told us they were leaving. With no desire to get to know new servers, “Try New Things Tuesday” was born. We pick a new place or new activity every Tuesday and if you can make it, great. If you can’t attend, then you have no vote where we go next week.

These people that I affectionately call my Tuesday Crew have grown to be a very important part of our life. We celebrate new jobs, graduations, birthdays, new apartments, new boyfriends/girlfriends and anything else that is worth celebrating. We also are there for each other when a beer with friends will be the only silver lining to one hell of a day. I feel so lucky to call these wonderful people my friends.

One Week to Go

I have just a little over a week left before I make the switch from a working mom to a stay at home mom. I have to admit it’s all a little bitter sweet.

I suppose I should tell you what I do for a living. I work for a pediatric hospital in a department that treats patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder. I work with the little peanuts (ages 3-6 years) and help facilitate a preschool program that focuses a lot on language development and social, cognitive, and play skills. After working with some of these families for 2 years it’s kind of sad to have to say goodbye (however, I’m sure I’ll get over it quickly).

As I count down my days, I’m trying to get the house ready for regular daytime inhabitants. I’ve found it’s much easier to keep a clean house clean, as opposed to clean a dirty house, when you are also trying to entertain, feed, keep safe, a ten month old.

This weekend was no exception. After we went to Choo Choo's Restaurant for breakfast. 

 Ezra loves sitting outside at Choo Choo's.

He loves his daddy too. 

 I ventured to Kroger to get some grocery shopping done. Then it was cleaning time. With much help from Pinterest I discovered a tip that assisted me in this deep cleaning process. I wish to share it with you.

Cleaning a Microsuede Couch:

When my husband and I were buying furniture to put in our new house we had this crazy idea that a beige microsuede couch and recliner was something that we had to have. We were horribly wrong. It shows every little water mark, drip and spot. Our couch was a mess. We were on the verge of throwing it out until I found this post on Pinterest. With as simple as it sounded (spray bottle + rubbing alcohol + light colored sponge + soft brush) I thought I’d give it a go. It worked!! It looks almost as good as new. If you have microsuede furniture please check it out. If you are smart and did not purchase beige hard to clean furniture I applaud you. The only thing I did a little differently was that I sprayed the alcohol on the sponge as opposed to directly to the cushion. I thought I had a little more control over where the alcohol went that way. You definitely have to let it dry all the way. I was able to clean the stove burners, load and unload the dishwasher, wash bottles all while the cushions were drying. Which brings me too…

My Reward for Staying on Task:

With Fall rapidly approaching (okay so it's creeping along taking its sweet time) I have been searching for fun Fall recipes. I have found a few that will be making an appearance in the next few weeks: Apple Butter, Crock Pot Apple Sauce, Pumpkin Butter and Saturday’s recipe: Ginger Apple Ale

Ginger Apple Ale:

Ingredients:

Ginger Ale

Apple Cider

Bourbon

Directions:

Mix 2 parts ginger ale

       2 parts cider

       1 part bourbon (or as little or as much as you like)

Pour over ice

My husband and I both preferred less than 1 part bourbon. It was 3 in the afternoon after all.

My plans for the upcoming week: (because it won’t get done if I don’t say/type it out loud)

At Work:

Write up end of summer reports

Train replacement

Clean out desk

Prepare for 2 parent conferences

At Home:

Bake a Pie for Father –in– law’s birthday

Making Apple Butter

Wage war against the Laundry Monster

Clean up craft table down stairs

Put Baby Boy’s “too small for him” clothes into storage

Purchase new Fall weather jammies for Ezra

Write Letter back to dear friends in Baltimore

Until next time…

There are two things to aim at in life: first, to get what you want; and after that, to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second. ~Logan Pearsall Smith, Afterthoughts, 1931

~Sarah

it starts...

So… here I am, about to embark on an adventure unlike any other I have ever faced.

As of August 21, 2012, I will be the newest Stay-At-Home-Mom on the block!

::cheers of applause::gasps of shock::

With the support of my wonderful husband and love for my beautiful son, I have decided that raising my family and being an active part of our life is far more important than any job I could have outside the home. It has taken a lot of thought, consideration, smiles, tears, and prayers to come to this conclusion. If you think I’m outside my mind (as true as that may be) please keep it to yourself. There is no going back now, and I’m facing this life change with arms open and a big smile on my face.

A little about me…

Chris and I on our honeymoon, in New England (this is one of my favorite pictures).

Name: Sarah T

Location: Cincinnati, OH

School/Degree: Hanover College (Hanover, IN) Psychology

Loves: my family, my church, my friends, my music, theatre, baseball (particularly the Cincinnati Reds), manicures, Charlie Brown, shopping, baking, singing, talking, wine, and honey whiskey

Dislikes: putting away laundry, gardening, monkeys, toffee, chaos, bad/weird music, chipped nail polish, slasher movies, and hiking

My Peeps:

I mentioned my wonderful husband, Christopher. We met in high school (didn’t date till college). We have been married almost 3 years.  He is very tech savvy and a self-proclaimed beverage snob (beer, wine, liquor, coffee, you name it). He loves the outdoors, camping, Frisbee golf, and all things electronic (even his toothbrush has batteries).

Isn't he the cutest thing you've ever seen??? (Photo curtesy of Perfect Image Photography)

My beautiful baby boy, Ezra, will be one year old in October. He loves to make noise, attempt to sneak into the bathroom, eat puffs, climb Mt. Daddy, squeal, and occasionally watch Veggie Tales. He’s an awesome sleeper, okay, eater, and the best little boy in my life.

Top 5 reasons I'm writing this blog:

1.       I need an outlet. If I can’t tell my office mates about the funny things my son did, the cool Pinterest craft I made, the delicious wine Chris bought, and all my other funnies that happen in and out of my house then I need to tell you.  

2.       Chris and I have quite a few, very loved, friends and family members who don’t live near us and have missed out on the first 10 months of Ezra’s life. We want them to be a part of our life and our family a part of theirs.

3.       I’ll need something to drive me and keep me accountable so I don’t waste all my time pinning ideas about organization, craft projects, and recipes and actually do them.

4.       A record of my time home with my son. I plan on going back to work eventually and when I do enter the work force again I want to look back fondly on my time at home and remember the details that will make me smile.

5.       I enjoy telling stories (as my family and friends like to remind me, sometimes I tell them two or three times).

Well that's it... my first blog post. ::check::

Wish me luck, I'm going to need it.

~Sarah