A Little Bit Granola

Over the past six months, Ray and I have made some changes to our lifestyle.  We have turned a little bit granola.  It all started when we watched the documentary Food Inc. and realized all the pesticides and hormones and other harmful things that end up on our plates.  We have made slow and small changes but we feel much better about it.

 

The most shocking and first hand experience I've had with pesticides is on strawberries.  I thought I was allergic to them when after eating them every time my lips would swell up and get these really painful bumps all over them.  The last time it happened was the day before I started a new job.  Pretty embarrassing.  I went to the doctor and the first thing he asked was if I had eaten strawberries.  He told me to try some organic ones 'cause they don't have all the pesticides on them since that was probably what I was actually allergic to.  I had always washed my strawberries before eating them but that's one of the fruits that really holds on to all the bad stuff.  That really creeps me out.  I now eat organic strawberries and they actually taste a thousand times better, and I don't look like I just kissed a swarm of bees.

There is an amazing local company called Old Soul Organics that we have been getting organic produce from.  We get a large 40 lb. crate of food delivered to our house and split it with two other families and it's only $45.  One of our friends went to Walmart and did a price comparison on regular produce and Old Soul was cheaper per lb.  The quality is always incredible.  Most of their food is from local farmers and they have a pretty good selection of meat now too.  You don't get to choose what comes in the box so it's made me try new things that I wouldn't have ever bought.  We just got some red chard and I have no idea what to do with it!

Here is all the food divided out.

Two weeks ago my friend Stephanie and I had the domestic itch and decided to try and make our own laundry detergent.  It was SO easy and fun. 

Here's the recipe:

2 cups grated soap Fels Naptha, Ivory or handmade

1 cup Borax

1 cup washing soda Arm and Hammer makes this

Mix it all together and add 2 tablespoons to a large load of clothes.

All the ingredients were at Harps in Centerton. 

Stephanie had some handmade soap from the healthfood store with essential oil in it so our stuff smells awesome.  I've read that you can add a few drops to the wash but haven't tried it.

It was real fun and super cheap to make.

We aren't planning on going crazy with the whole organic/green living thing.  We still eat processed food and use paper towels but we are trying to be more aware of what we eat and how we are living.  We realized that we can do better.  I don't foresee disposable diapers in our future anytime soon, though.

Anyone else out there a little bit granola?

Oh Sweet Sleep

I never realized how precious a full night of sleep was until I hadn't had one in over 3 months.  Owen has now slept 3 full nights in his room.  Not a peep until 6am.  He is a tiny rock star. 

Here are a few pictures my friend Chrissy took when she was visiting last month.  She is an amazing photographer!

In other news, I have to go to the dentist today.  There isn't much that makes me nervous other than the dentist.  I am an anti-dentite.  Seriously, I'm getting heart palpitations right now just thinking about it.  I would rather give a speach than sit in that leaned-back chair.  At least they have a tv above each chair.  Last time I watched Saturday Nigh Live.  That helped a smidge.  But the first time I went, I was pregnant and sick and the tv was on food network.  I had no idea I could change the channel so I sat there wanting to barf whilst in denty pain.  It was the pits.

Owen has to come with me.  Oh dear Jesus, please give that child a spiritual sleep aid.

We went to Fort Smith this Saturday to celebrate my Great Aunt Jean's 80th birthday. My aunt and uncle and cousins from Denver came down and it was so much fun!! Here are a few pictures taken by Aunt Karen.

An extremely terrified looking Owen with his Great Great Aunt Jean. She is amazing and does not look 80 to me!


Great Granddad holding Owen's little feet.

I love this picture of my Granddad!

Aunt Karen is my favorite! Owen's face cracks me up. Apparenly he is easily startled.

Sweet boy

Playing with Uncle Doyle's goatee.

Making eyes at each other.





Yeah that's right, I posted twice in one day. What's even more impressive is that I'm feeding Owen a bottle with one hand and typing with the other. "Beat that you little trout sniffer!" Anyone know what movie that quote is from?

David Crowder Band - Shine

This video is so incredible! All the lite brite images were done by hand. It took 2,150 man hours, 700,000 pegs, 83 friends and 148 pizzas to make this insane video. What's even more amazing is that there is no computer animation or digital effects.
I didn't have a lite brite as a kid and now I really want one. Owen totally needs one.
Enjoy!

Thanks

I am thankful.

I am blessed beyond words.

Thank you, God for this wonderful life you've given to me.

Thank you for an incredible husband who is so encouraging and who has a heart after you.

Thank you for the miracle baby you've given us.

Thank you for my family.

I'm back to work...

It's hard to believe, but Owen is already 2 1/2 months old. The time is going by so fast. I know that I will miss these days when he is so little. I love to snuggle with him. I'm already back to work, but thankfully I'm only working every Wednesday and every other Saturday. So, if it's been a while since I've done your hair...I'm back and I'm ready to do it again. Call or email to schedule your next appointment. I'll also be sending out this reminder that Ray designed.

Baby Owen

Our little man is here! He was born on September 3rd at 3am. He was 7.4 lbs and 19in long.
We are having so much fun with him! That's why it's taken me so long to post this 'cause I've been so busy hanging out with our precious kid. My mom came down for a visit and took these pictures. Enjoy!

I Spilled the Beans

Literally...I spilled pinto beans last night.

Ray and I had already gone to bed when I realized that I forgot to put up our supper of pinto beans and cornbread. Which was really good, by the way. So I jumped up and went to put it all away. I was trying to get the beans in a freezer bag 'cause I've been freezing stuff for after Owen is born. As I was dumping it in the bag, I thought, "this seems like such a bad idea." It was. The bag tipped over and spilled bean juice all over myself and the floor. Ray heard a splash and a gasp and he jumped out of bed. He thought my water had broken! I was just standing there in a puddle of beans and we both started laughing so hard. As we were mopping, Ray said, "You don't always make the best decisions, do you?" I can honestly say that he is right. I usually realize in the middle of doing something that it's a really bad idea. But then it's too late and I'm covered in bean juice! Oh well, it usually makes for a funny story.

Change is Coming

Our lives are about to change pretty drastically in a few weeks. I am aware of this but people keep feeling the need to remind me. I am excited about the change. I want change. We have been just the two of us for over 5 years now and we're ready for a third Malouf. If we didn't expect things to change after bringing home a baby, we would be idiots. The thing that bothers me about people constantly reminding me of the change is that they always say it in a negative way. "Oh you'd better get ready 'cause you're life is about to change!" It's always like a warning of an upcoming disaster. Are kids really that scary? Of course, I realize it's going to be hard and I will be sleep deprived for a good chunk of time. But is it really that bad? I don't know, but I can't wait to bring home the little miracle growing inside my belly right now. A little nervous, but super excited. I love him more than I thought possible and we haven't even officially met yet!

Butterfly Boucher

This week's featured artist is Butterfly Boucher. Yes, that is her real name. Seriously. She has an interesting voice and is an incredible musician, too.

This video is great. The weird dancing is my favorite. I like that she doesn't take herself very seriously. Enjoy!

A Quick Word of Advice

Never should you under any circumstances plan to be 8 months pregnant in August. Unless you live in a state that doesn't get as hot as hades.

Happy Friday!

I would like to be friends with this guy.

Also, this is just about how excited I am to be having a baby shower in Fort Smith tomorrow! Yea presents!

Matthew Perryman Jones

So I had an idea to start featuring some of my favorite and less well known musicians on here each week. Hopefully they will be new to most of you that read this and you can find new favorites.

This week is Matthew Perryman Jones. He is incredible. His voice and his songwriting abilities leave me stunned and smiling. While I realize this video is full of running mascara, just listen to how great his voice is. I can't help but smile. MPJ is a Nashville artist and my brother has played with him quite a bit lately. I got to meet him last year and he hung out and talked to me for a really long time.

The bottom line is, if you don't like this, you don't have good taste in music. That's all there is to it.

So Great

This is my brother, Evan. Or "Kevin" as the elderly and hard of hearing like to call him. He lives in Nashville and came down to visit this weekend. We had so much fun! My friend Lacey's wonderful mom let us stay out at their old farmhouse on Friday night. Thanks, Pam!! So with fishing poles, food and tons of bug spray, Ray, Evan and I headed out.

This is the only picture I've ever seen of Ray reading a book. It sure is a cute one!

Nothing beats drinking coffee in a rocking chair early in the morning out in the country.

Especially when this is your view!

I love hammocks more than any other sitting device. So great.

Oh and I must add that I was the only one to catch a fish. Ray would appreciate me giving him credit for taking it off the hook for me. Still, I caught it!

Ray and Evan, my two favorite guys.

Zorak in Real Life

I used to be a pretty big fan of Spaceghost Coast to Coast back in the day. This show features a grouchy praying mantis named Zorak. Well, I was able to meet a real life version of Zorak in my own home. He was just as creepy and just as grouchy.

Yesterday morning I went in the garage and turned on the light to find this giant of a bug hanging out right next to where my hand had previously been! I almost touched it!!! I hate bugs more than I hate cats. They creep me out with those creepy little legs and claws. Also, you never know if they are going to jump on you or fly in your hair. Anyway, I ran in and jumped around and did a little freak out dance. Apparently it was disconcerting because my dog ran over to make sure everything was ok. I then made all my clients throughout the day come in the garage and check out, "the most gigantic but you will ever see in real life!" Most thoroughly enjoyed it.

When Ray got home from work Zorak was still hanging out upsidedown on the wall and I asked him to kindly remove him as I hid inside. Ray came back in and told me he tried to "golf" him out with a rolled up magazine but accidentally knocked his head off. Oops!

Spaceghost really was such a funny show.

You Might Get Punched

Here is a list of the things dumb people say to pregnant women that merit a swift punch in the jaw.

1. "Wow, you're huge!"

-Seriously? You think I don't already know that?


2. "Epidurals are so dangerous, you had better not get any medicine during labor. In fact, you should have your baby at home because hospitals can be dangerous."

-I bet there are many things that I could point out about you that are not healthy but is it my place to tell you about this? Nope, so I will keep my mouth shut. You should too.


3. "Are you sure there aren't twins in there?"

-Yep, I'm pretty sure.


4. "Can I see your belly?"

-Under no circumstances will I lift up my shirt and allow you to look at my bare baby home. Well, unless you are Dr. Smith.


5. "Oh, you're gonna need a c-section."

-I literally had a stranger tell me that today because I'm too petite to have a baby the normal way. No thank you, I'd rather not have major surgery unless I really need it.


6. "Wow, September is a long way off and you're gonna be SO hot in the summer!"

-I could probably wring a quarter cup of sweat from the pits of my shirt right now. I'm aware of the heat.

7. "Have you had that baby yet?"

-Really?

Friends, please do not ever say these things to a pregnant woman. We already feel giant, and hot; there is no need to remind us of our current state.

Feel free to add your own!

The Room

Here is little Owen's Room!

The changing table

The crib

The dresser and tiny chair

My chair and his moses basket. Notice the magazine rack behind the place where I will spend many an hour feeding.

Not Much Longer

Only 9 weeks and 6 days left until little Owen Foster Malouf makes his entry into the world. That really doesn't seem like a long time. At least not until I go outside and realize how hot it is carrying around a little furnace in my belly in july!
The nursery is finished and all that's missing is a baby. I'll post some pictures of that on here soon. It's pretty cute and is completely void of baby blue, cartoons, bears, cars or trains. That makes me happy. I don't know what the kid will want later in life but until then, he has a modern baby room.

I'm a proud husband.

I'm so proud of my wife. She not only has an incredible voice, but a real gift for leading people into worship - to experience the awesome power of Christ. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to try out the video camera on my new iPhone 4 (which is way cool). So, I recorded Monica singing the song Lord of Lords by Hillsong. Thankfully for me, Monica didn't know that I was recording this song at church or I would have been in trouble. I just feel so incredibly lucky to have a wife that is as passionate about the Lord as I am. It's really cool.

So, here's the video that I made on my iPhone. Enjoy.

Pregnant Pictures

My mom did a little maternity photoshoot this week and I thought you all might like to see some of the pictures. She's a great photographer and if you want to check out her website it's http://carolhutchings.com/

Enjoy!

5 Whole Years

As of Friday, Ray and I have been married for 5 whole years! I just wanted to brag on him and his spectacular gift giving skills. So for each anniversary there are traditional gifts to give and for year five it is something wooden. This isn't really something we always do but Ray went with that and got me the coolest wooden jewelry box. He hand engraved our tattoo on the inside with a wood burner thing. Then on the bottom he put the date and "5 years." This is probably my favorite gift he's ever given me just because of the thought and meaning behind it. He's kinda awesome at giving gifts.

These past five years have been the most incredible yet challenging of my life. I never thought I could love somebody the way I love Ray. He is such a wonderful husband and provider for me. It's so amazing how God has shown me His love and grace through my husband. While he is definitely not perfect, Ray is perfect for me and I thank God for him all the time. Love wins with us.