Omnivore's Dilemma

Last week my mom and I took Izzy to a nearby farm called the Animal Sanctuary.  We thought it would be a fun way to let her see and pet farm animals, very fitting since there are red barns and farms all over the countryside around Glenora.  And she loves to sing about Old McDonald.  So it was time to show her these animals in person!

 

Little did we know that the hour long tour would be a lecture about why we should turn vegan.  My mom and I both knew going into it that we weren't going to change our carnivorous ways (I was the 8 year old child who ordered filet mignon at restaurants because it was the only thing I would eat).  But I must admit that the information about how factory farm animals are treated was shocking and sad. 

 

I personally go through a gallon of milk every 2 weeks (crazy, I know, but LOVE it and I drink with every dinner).  Understanding that the female cows are constantly in a cycle of impregnation, birth and milking, living most of their lives hooked up to a milking apparatus, made me especially sympathetic (as I look down to my growing belly and remember those months of pumping, feeding, pumping, feeding...ugh).

 

Even seeing a model of how chickens are crammed together in a cage kinda made me feel bad about the thousands of eggs I purchase every year.  And when we visited the rescued farm animals it reminded me of the years I grew up at a barn riding horses.  I love old barns, the wood stalls, the hay and manure everywhere.  Back then I felt so connected to the horses I rode; they had emotions, feelings and they certainly felt pain.  So, when I carefully led Isabelle to these gentle animals I realized that the cows, goats, sheep, pigs and even chickens are living animals just like the horses that I loved, or like our pet dog.....living animals much like me and you.  And they should live comfortably and be treated with the same kind of love that I give Crockett, right?

 

The goats were really cute.  Isabelle had no fear approaching them. 

She wanted to pet each and every one...

And feed them too.

Hello cow.

The pigs sleep about 18 hours a day.  We were told not to approach them head on.  Hello, pig butt. 

Very large pigs snuggled up tight. 

Getting me excited about Thanksgiving.

Isabelle even fed the turkeys and they were as gentle as can be.  When I told her we were going to see turkeys, she said "want some?"  I think she must have thought I was taking her to the deli counter at Harris Teeter.

Sheep barn.

Go heels!

We had a great visit and learned a lot. 

I tried not to think about the delicious lamb we had the other night. 

And later we went to get ice cream cones...without any guilt.   

The Circus

A few months ago I saw an ad for The Greatest Show on Earth, the circus, of course!  I immediately decided that we must take Isabelle.  I hadn't been since I was very young, and I had vague memories of this ultimate childhood experience, so I was anxious to relive it through the eyes of my own child!  My parents decided to take our family (minus Collier) as a birthday gift to me since it fell on the weekend before my 34th.  Little did I know the irony of the situation. 

 

I knew that life would be much different with 2 young kids.  I remembered those sleepless nights, the frustrating, confusing days with a newborn.  Did I eat something bad to make him act this way?  Is he hungry?  Overtired?  Gassy?  Reflux?  Well, he's just a newborn!  Comes with the territory.  They say 6-8 weeks is the peak of fussiness.  And a 2 1/2 year old is possibly at the peak of her "bipolar" craziness (although I hear 3 is really when we'll really get a run for our money). 

 

A few years ago I envisioned my years with young children being focused solely on them.  I dreamed of spending days worrying only about meals to cook, diapers to change, tears to dry.  Cakes could take the backseat for a couple years because this time with my babies is so special and fleets by so fast....and it's demanding in itself! 

 

But when you own a business, no matter the size, you rarely take a day off. I have wonderful flexibility, and I am so thankful that I am my own boss, but it really never lets up. I was scheduling cake tastings while in the hospital because I didn't want to lose potential customers. I had 3 meetings with clients just 3 weeks after Collier was born. And I immediately felt the pressure to start making cakes because customers wanted my cakes, and I have medical bills to pay!

 

So, surprise, surprise, here I am back to full-time work, 8 weeks after my 2nd baby's birth.  It's not what I had originally planned, but that's life. 

 

There are evenings when Isabelle is running around, being a wild child, Collier is crying and can't be consoled, Brian and I are trying to cook dinner, and the house is really like a 3 ring circus.  But, the real circus is in my brain.  I have a million business things on my mind...cake designs to work on, proposals to send out, marketing, create an updated portfolio, improve the website, decide if I am crazy to take on 3 wedding cakes in one weekend this Spring with a 5 month old and 2 year old (will Brian have a job then? if so, yay!  if so, yikes! how will I manage it all?)...the list goes on and on and on.  And along with the business clutter, I am thinking about what childcare I need to arrange for the following week so that I can get work done.  Brian is home now, and he is a huge help (he is such an amazing father!!!).  But he needs his own time to work on the job search, and there are very few quiet moments in this house.  He is having phone interviews and setting up meetings with contacts, sometimes in between cleaning the house and picking Isabelle up from school.  We are constantly juggling back and forth...I am trying to give him his own time without kids (like wild lions) to tame and he knows I have to retreat to the bakement a few times a day. 

 

At the circus last weekend, I was captivated by the acrobatic ballerinas, floating in bubbles hanging from the ceiling, and the crazy people hopping around on horses...even the motorcyclists had me mesmerized as they all sped around inside a globe. 

 

But right now we are living in our own little circus, conducting our own death-defying acts!  I realize that we are not alone...most families with an infant and a toddler would probably call their household a circus too.  When Collier is refusing a bottle for the 6th time that week, Izzy is having a meltdown because she can't get her shoe on herself, and I am on the phone with a customer, I have to remember that this juggling act will soon get easier.  The circus is wild (and even scary!) at times.  But it can be quite fun.  And always entertaining!

 

Isabelle thorougly enjoyed her popcorn while we sat waiting for the show to begin.  We all had a ball!

 Collier is just as cute as can be.  He is smiling up a storm!

 Love that hair.

 Sissy loves her baby brother!

 

Isabelle's buddy, Laine, came over last week.  These 2 girls LOVE babies! 

 Isabelle made sure Laine knew Collier is her baby.  He's "mize".

Ring around the rosie with Laine and Louise.

I had a very special birthday last Monday.  It really was a perfect day.  Brian and I got away for 3 whole hours that afternoon to see the incredible movie, Les Miserables.  I am a huge fan of the musical and this movie lived up to my expectations....I had a hard time keeping myself from belting out On my Own in the theater! 

Later that night we celebrated at my parent's house with my brother and Laurie and Brian's parents.  It was very festive.  However, I think Isabelle was convinced it was her own birthday.

My mom dared to make a delicious cake for me!  I LOVE my mama's cakes:)

Got a little help with the candles...

And with opening gifts...

And trying on gifts...whose birthday is this anyway?

The past few weeks I've been easing back into baking, taking a few orders every week.  A couple of the cakes were for very special people in my life.  This one was a baby shower cake for my dear friend Elizabeth ("Sanders") Walker, and old highschool friend. 

 Her husband is obssessed with air jordans.  I didn't think he'd approve of these classic baby shoes, so I decided to make him a mini version of (one of) his favorite shoes, in cake form. 

This was especially appropriate since I made this groom's cake for him over 5 years ago:

 Last weekend we celebrated my future sister-in-law with a fabulous shower.  I made a special cake for her with her new monogram!

One of 2 baptism cakes I made this weekend.

And the valentine cupcake making marathon begins tomorrow! 

Praying for a nice 6 hour stretch tonight, my sweet Collier!!!

Amazing Grace

Last week we were given the heartbreaking news of the loss of Henry, the 10 month old son of my dear childhood friend, Jane and her husband, Carrington. My family and friends were shocked.

Having spent most of his life in the MUSC hospital, this mighty little boy had defied all odds, and with the miracle of a new heart he finally came home with his family to Charlotte. We were eager to see him grow and flourish, and having followed every moment of his journey (from the time we first learned of his condition many months before birth) we knew that his life was fragile. But we never gave up hope that he would one day grow up to play sports, or be a mischievous teenager who snuck out on Friday nights...and we imagined one day telling him stories of the times when he made our hearts stop, when we anxiously opened up Caringbridge to learn about his condition, sometimes on an hourly basis. Those were days he wouldn't remember, but we always will.

Sadly it was Henry's heart that stopped this time. His life was much too short, but in the words of his mother, it was a perfect little life. He was surrounded by love and prayers and he stole the hearts of all who "knew" him. Thanks to the photos and eloquent words that Jane posted daily, we all did know him, and we all loved him.

I was looking forward to one day asking Henry what it felt like to be a miracle boy. Having seen that precious face, I knew he would be a heartthrob and little girls like my daughter would look at him with starry eyes. And knowing what he had already been through and that he would experience more hardships in the future, I felt certain that we would call him our "hero".

But today it is Henry's mother who is my hero. As a mother myself, I cannot even begin to imagine the sadness and the hole in her heart that she is left with. Henry's sister, Loulie, will keep her smiling; her wonderful, loving husband will keep her grounded, and the support from her family and friends will keep her strong. But I think to be able to walk this journey with such amazing grace is something that one must have within.

With grace is how Jane has carried herself from the day she learned of Henry's heart defect to the day she said goodbye. Her positive attitude, her strong faith and her outlook on life is inspiring. I think grace is the perfect way to describe it.

What a lovely word. I found several definitions for grace that I found quite fitting for Jane.
1: a virtue coming from God
2 : a pleasing or attractive quality or endowment
3 : ease and suppleness of movement or bearing
4 : unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification (I might need a dictionary for this one!)
And a few of my favorite synonyms:
Poise.....Self-assurance.....Fluidity.....LOVE.

Thank you, sweet Henry, for bringing me and many others closer to God. And thank you, Jane, for showing us what true grace is all about.

"How you climb up the mountain is just as important as how you get down the mountain. And so it is with life, which for many of us becomes one gigantic test followed by one gigantic lesson. In the end, it all comes down to one word. Grace. It's how you accept winning and losing, good and bad, the darkness and the light." -- author unknown