This moment was so sweet. Gigi sat patiently with me for a few minutes waiting for the baby to kick. She was not rewarded for her patience but I soaked up every second of her warm little hand on my belly.

G is such a Daddy's girl! She loves helping him with anything and everything. The other day we were driving in the car and she said, "I wuv Daddy!" Me too kid.

I'm trying not to get bored and stir crazy... it's hitting that time of year where I need a little sunshine. We get really banked in by fog. Someone send Vitamin D.

Gigi got this fantastic chalkboard laptop from Tara and Jeremy for her 2nd birthday. She loves it and plays with it a lot. "Mama. I makin' a list! I workin' too... on my 'puter!"

G and I had a little Portland date. Kyle had to head to Seattle for beer event so we dropped him in Portland and made a day of it. We met up with Chelsey and Rauri, bought a book on being a big sister, and had lunch at Bunk Sandwiches.

Nana came to visit and she and Gigi had a wonderful time. It was a nice, quiet weekend, we need more Nana visits.

This was an easy dinner of fresh-made ravioli stuffed with a mixture of ricotta, sautéed spinach, one egg, salt and pepper. Topped with a simple pesto recipe I found in Super Natural Every Day (made from cilantro and toasted pumpkin seeds)!

This kid has been getting into some tight spots lately. We were sitting in the other room and heard her little voice say, "Mama... Dada... I okay... ... I neeeeeeed help?!"

We've been cooking up a storm together! We made a delicious ratatouille together.

Finally, we've been watching a lot of great movies lately. I get some free screeners in the mail every year and free downloads so I can vote for the SAG Awards... a total perk of being a sometimes actress. My favorites so far have been Argo, which was so insanely intense I think it gave me a stress ulcer... Les Misérables, which I thought was absolutely spectacular. We still have a whole stack of movies to go, and thank goodness because with weather like this and an empty bank account there's not much else to do!

All photos via Instagram // @kaciecollection

Two things I love about this time of year: 1) Kyle bakes bread nearly every weekend. 2) Gigi loves to help him. It's the best thing about Sundays.

Gigi is SO ready to have her carseat turned around. I loved when we were in Sweden, seeing the carseats that kids use and rearface until four! But since we don't have access to those carseats, we'll be flipping this tall girl around after the new year.

I have eaten so much of this chocolate since I've been pregnant... and I normally don't like chocolate at all! I've also drank a ton of eggnog. I know, it's kind of disgusting but I can't help it. After the winter I'll probably never want to see eggnog ever again.

I was really sick (again) all last week and G took such good care of me. When I was laying on the couch she'd cook me food in her little kitchen and take care of me. She'd bring it over and say, "Careful! Is hot!" Then she'd wait for me to try it and say, "Better?" She's going to be a wonderful big sis.

She also did some of my work for me.

This beautiful rainbow is one blessing of living here. We get the most gorgeous rainbows.

I love going grocery shopping as a family. Gigi is a big help... sometimes. I usually bring a decoy grocery list which she writes on and, eventually, tears into pieces.

We've been playing "I'm gonna get you!", also known in my family as the tickle monster game. Is there anything better than that laughter?

We've begun adventures in potty training around here. Actually we're on week three of big girl panties and things are going pretty well. I'll put more details in a bigger post later as we get the hang of things!

We've been spending a lot of time reading on the couch just like this, pretty soon we're going to need a wider couch! Gigi decided she needed glasses too. Silly girl.

We've also been going for lots of rainy walks but today we'll be going for a snowy walk! It's already snowed about four inches and it's still coming down! It's quiet and beautiful and cozy. We're going to go for a walk, G will nap while I exercise and read, then we're going to bake a cake!

 I hope you're having a great week.

All photos via Instagram. You can find me on Instagram // @KacieCollection

I'm trying to get back into work mode. I've got a lot of catching up to do. I still haven't shaken this cough but am feeling better during the day. Lots of tea and lots of work are in my future this next week or so. To be completely honest, I am actually looking forward to doing it. I'm pretty lucky to love my jobs as much as I do. I've been trying to balance my time better and not work too much but that's resulted in not working enough!


Instead of working, I've been spending more time on the couch with this little gal. The fact that we've both been pretty sick all fall has made it a little too easy to ignore the lists and the laundry and grab a good book. Gigi is currently reading Madeline over and over and over again. I just finished reading Bringing Up Bébé and I'm a few chapters into Les Misérables. For those who've asked I have lots of thoughts on French Kids Eat Everything to share with you really soon! I wanted to really give the methods a few months in our own home before I shared my opinion with you. Oh also, I've been asked a couple of times about what we figured out with G's sleeping habits. She did drop the morning nap. It took a few weeks but now, after our trip to Seattle, is finally taking 2-2 1/2 hour afternoon naps. I put her down after lunch and she wakes between 2 and 3. This also helps us to follow the French Kids Eat Everything schedule. She's also sleeping longer at night. From 7pm-7am for the first time ever. She used to be a much earlier riser. Also, it's probably important to note that we made her big kid bed back into a crib. We were reluctant to do this at first but we thought it best, at least until her new sleep schedule was well established.


These are the cupcakes I made for our friends who came over on election night. I won't get into my political opinion here but they were definitely celebratory.


Gigi is such a joyful little toddler. She's feisty and energetic and talkative and outgoing. She makes me laugh constantly. Yesterday we heard a rooster crow so I told her it was saying "cockadoodledoo!" Then we got in the car and the whole way home she kept saying "chicken cock- chicken cock-". I eventually corrected her. Now she adds the essential -adoodledoo! to the end of her rooster imitation.


Now that the weather has shifted quickly towards winter, (I swear it went from 50 to 30 overnight!) this cat has been doing this all the time. Right now she sitting on my arms while I'm typing.


I found G on my bed yesterday serious faced, fully absorbed in my Vogue magazine. I had to try so hard not to laugh. Like mother, like daughter.


We've been having pancakes here a lot lately. I'll share our recipe with you soon! Yesterday morning it was just me and G but I made them anyway and we had a date in our pajamas with pancakes and syrup. *Note: Don't leave the syrup unattended. Kyle did this and turned around to see Gigi drinking it.

 
I cannot believe this girl is going to be two years old in less a month and half! Time to start planning a little celebration. Look how tiny she was at three days old! Her taste in footwear hasn't changed.

Finally I leave you with my new favorite video of G. These kind of shenanigans and constant around here...

I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

All of the photos are from Instagram. You can find me there // @kaciecollection

It's Wednesday already and I'm not quite sure how that happened. These past couple of weeks have been pretty quiet except for the fact that our darling girl is cutting four teeth at once. It's basically been like a sick week around here with Infants' Tylonel, popsicles and Winnie the Pooh for comfort. While G has been sort of under the weather growing teeth, I have been working hard to get our home and work life organized. I'll suddenly find myself reorganizing a closet or making a detailed list. While we were abroad I read French Kids Eat Everything and it has completely changed the way I am choosing to run our home (my goodness I sound like a 1950's housewife saying things like "run our home"). The changes are new but as they progress and solidify I'll be sure to share my thoughts and methods with you.


I can't get enough of this kid lately and since we're quite literally joined at the hip I can get my fill daily. She is talking so much, streaming together full sentences. There's a lot of "Dat my toot-bush." and "Dat mama's book." Sometimes she'll ask, "Dat gigi's food/chair/hat?" But usually she's just informing rather than asking. The other night she gave me a hug and said, "Dat my Mama", and about melted my heart. Sometimes the "mine" business can be a bit grating but I also am enjoying watching her learn about ownership and (hopefully) sharing.


Lately all I've been wanting to do is cook. I've been cutting back on my work hours, saying no to jobs here and there to make more space in my days. I'm finding that the result of having more time I've been in the kitchen more than ever. Cooking is a huge creative outlet for me and since I've been slowing down I'm finding that I have more ideas and time to cook and create in my favorite room in the house. I'm so happy that we remodeled our kitchen last year. It allows me to chop, cook, measure and bake while still keeping an eye on Gwyn... something that would have been impossible in our closed-in little kitchen.


I've also been catching up on little house projects like hemming curtains, finalizing the office, and making piles of books, clothes and toys for Goodwill. I love letting go of things. I tend to get on a roll and start noticing things I've had for years and asking myself whether or not I love it. If the answer is no, it generally ends up in the giveaway pile. This urge to fix, organize, and give away always comes along with the changing seasons.


We've been completely changing up Gigi's eating habits and we've jumped back into potty training after a little hiatus. We've cut out her bottles which she used to have before every nap. I expected more of a battle, or at the very least some tears but there were none. In fact she doesn't seem to miss them or notice their absence at all. She loved having them and would get excited for one but it's been a smooth transition. I was planning to stop breastfeeding this week as well but given the fact that she's so uncomfortable from the teething I decided to wait. As for potty training we are on day four and are starting to have some success again. Things were going really well when we started potty training at 16 months, but with our trip to Europe/busy summer we ended up taking a break until we were home and settled and could really commit.

All these photos are from my Instagram feed. Follow along here if you like.

I can't believe we leave for Europe in one week! I've packed nothing. Prepared little. But I don't care! In the past when I've traveled I've made big lists, checked things off, added things, stressed about things. This time around I would have expected to be an super planner since it's our first international trip with a baby but... instead I'm just feeling really mellow. I normally stress about the flight since I have major anxiety about flying, but this time I'm just choosing not to! I want this trip to feel like a walk in the park. We have our passports, the important things are booked. I'll pack some clothes and I'll probably forget a few things, I always do... but we'll figure it all out. I guess part of me feels like there is little I can control traveling with a tot so why bother trying to make it perfect and control it? I'm just planning to stay in the moment, go with the flow, and have the time of our lives. How lucky are we to get to take this trip?


This week I took Gigi to the swimming pool. She's getting so big but the minute we get in the water she holds on tight, asks for help, and is a little timid. It reminds me how tiny she still is and, although I want her to be independent and brave, it makes me feel good knowing she trusts me so much and depends on me...

...there are times lately when I just stare at her and will myself to take every inch of her in. When she's sound asleep in her bed and I check on her. I put my face right next to hers and smell her sweet baby breath, rest my cheek against hers and try to memorize the way she is. With every inch she grown my heart bursts with joy. I can hardly put into words how much I love this little kiddo.




This last weekend I shot my next cooking video! This one was easier because it's a one dish meal. Last time I did a main course and a side! I had so much fun shooting it and I can't wait to share it with you!


I am so in love with my haircut! I had been thinking about starting to grow it out, but now that I've cut it super short I may keep it this way for awhile. It feels so great and I am happy to be getting back to my natural color. Dying it was fun but I'm definitely a blonde.


We've been getting some Poppy time over the past couple of weeks and I LOVE it! Since Pops started school we missed her so much. You should see the way Gigi lights up when she is around. She squeels and yells, "PAH-PA!!!" She adores her and Poppy is so wonderful with her. Gigi is one lucky girl to have such an adoring "big sister".


I am happy.

Last week was pretty incredible. I booked an amazing acting job. A ________________!!! Directed by ________________!!! For ________________!!! In other words... I can't say anything about anything because I signed a big ol' contract saying I would keep my mouth shut about it. But it's thrilling, lovely, wonderful... and I feel immensely grateful. I feel like I won the lottery.


Our friends Jeremy and Tara came for a visit and Tara and I went wine tasting while the guys smoked some brisket. Kyle was up and grilling at 8 in the morning! That's some dedication.


More of our friends joined us for our Bastille Day BBQ and we celebrated in style. Vive la France!

Speaking of France... I haven't abandoned my Paris series! There's much more coming soon, I promise!


Kyle is an amazing griller (is that a word?). He makes everything with such care, from scratch, and it's so good!


I love baking cookies. It's been months since I've made any but yesterday I felt the need to whip some up, right smack in the middle of the day. Kyle and I had a mini cookie eating date during Gigi's afternoon nap. We watched a movie and had popcorn and cookies. The perfect thing for a Sunday. My recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies is here.


I've been doing so much better at simplifying things. Spending much more time outdoors, reading, resting, doing projects... and I'm so much happier. We go to the park a lot in the afternoons. Like me, G loves to swing.


I've been stepping out with friends in the middle of a "work day" to go for a relaxing glass of wine at great places where Gigi can run around and play. It's good for both of us.


Most of all I've just been taking more time to be in the moment. I'm not letting the stress of the day to day get to me. I'm recognizing that nothing is more important that enjoying time with my family. I'm learning to forgive and forget the undone dishes, the long list of errands, the big piles of laundry. I get to them eventually but I don't let them bother me, or make me feel guilty. Instead I'm choosing to have an expresso cup full of ice cream in the afternoon while I read a good book, catch up on my blog reading, take a few photos, or journal. I'm not getting as much done but I don't care!

And finally, there's this interesting new word that Gigi's learned...

I guess when Daddy's a brewer it's inevitable that she'd make that association. She also says, "hop", so.... oh, well.

Yesterday Gigi and I finally left the house. I've had the flu all week so we've been laying low.
We went cherry picking with our neighbors. G is a great little cherry picker.


This has been my look this week. Pajamas, glasses, bedhead. I've been catching up on photo
editing and organization and movie watching.


After being pretty cooped up, this girl has been getting into so much mischief! Covered in yogurt, oatmeal, and any other food item put in front of her. She also discovered the joy of Sharpies...

Despite being under the weather, I did manage to get to the Benjamin Moore paint store to pick up a few colors, and have some old gallons remixed so I can paint our bedroom, guestroom/office, and bathrooms. I've already gotten a great start and am thrilled with the bold colors! Can't wait to share the repainted spaces with you!

Tomorrow I'm heading to Portland and am going to hit up IKEA for some organizational things. It's a whole new world over here and I'm feeling so much better already.

I'm getting really, really excited for our trip. I can't believe it's coming up so quickly. Luckily we'll have family and friends staying here and keeping our kitty company while we're gone. Three weeks is a long time for a kitten to be alone.

I'm working on organizing my photos from my CF cards, Photoshop/Lightroom, my backup drive, Photo folders... it's kind of a mess actually. Does anyone have advice on this topic?

I hope you all have an amazing weekend.

For the past months, even the past year, I have felt overwhelmed... overtired... overworked. That might be typical for a new mom, but none of that exhaustion has been as a result of having a baby. Of course I get less sleep and have more demands on my body and time, but for me that results in a satisfied, rewarding kind of tired. I'm tired because I've been pushing myself too hard in all directions. I've been doing too much. What's resulted from this chronic over-work is that my home is disorganized, my relationship with Kyle feels strained at times (probably because when I'm stressed I tend to be a little sensitive and snippy), Sesame Street and Winnie the Pooh are regular babysitters in our house, our dining room table is my (messy) desk, about 10 times a day I realize I've forgotten to send that check/call that friend back/burn that disc/take that bottle of milk out of the backseat... I could go on but you get the picture.

I knew when I signed up for full time school on top of everything else that I do, it was going to be insanely challenging. But the trade off of finishing my degree in one go, rather than drag it out over another year, was worth a little sacrifice. During the quarter I found myself saying to Kyle, "When the quarter is over...", "Once this is done..." The quarter couldn't be done with soon enough for me. As of last Friday, it's done. My BA from Portland State is complete and I will be graduating with close to a 4.0 GPA. I finished something I started 11 years ago. While I'm very proud of this accomplishment, I underestimated how hard it would be and how much stress and strain it would cause in my home.

I have always had very high expectations of myself, and I derive great joy in challenging myself to try new things, do more, see more, do it all. When I would tell people that I'm a full time mom/photographer/blogger/website runner/full time student/actress/etc. I used to feel a little pride at the surprise on their faces, now I just feel a little ashamed. As a reflect about this past year of doing so much, I am surprised at how little satisfaction I feel about the quantity of things I've done, and seen, and tried. Because the cost of those explorations and challenges was a hell of a lot of stress.

When I look back at my journal entries from these past months the focus is on prioritization. The older Gigi gets, and frankly, the older I get, I want more simplicity and organization. I want focus. I want my values to be clearly reflected in my actions and choices. I want my family to know that they are my priority. I have a lot of catching up to do to achieve this simplicity but for the sake of my happiness, my families well being, my marriage, and my passions, it's time. It's time for me to weigh and reevaluate and consider each and every item in home, every hobby I put energy into, every thing on my schedule... I'm pretty sure there's going to be some sacrifice, some letting go, some weight lifted. It's time to simplify and prioritize.

When I started this blog I was younger, was a nanny to Miss Poppy, had just gotten my photography business off the ground, was a newlywed, was working more as an actress, was renting a little apartment. I had all the time in the world to blog about pretty things, new shoes, books I was reading, movies I loved, fashion fresh from the catwalk... Sometimes looking at my old blog posts makes me laugh a little. My life, my days, my time, my interests are so different now! It's hard to believe how much I've changed in just a few years. I started this blog as a way to find myself, to discover, create, be active in and distill my passions, and now I'm kind of drowning in them.

While I was in school Kyle suggested, more than once, that I take a break from this blog. I absolutely refused. This blog, this space of mine, this creative outlet, is very important to me. I have made some wonderful new friends, learned a lot, been creatively inspired, and touched a few lives. When I get an email from a reader saying that my blog makes them look at their life differently, makes them happier as a mom, more positive in their pursuits... I feel so fulfilled and grateful. I won't give up blogging, but over the next few months I'm going to be reevaluating what it is I want this space to be. As with all aspects of my life, expect it to be simpler, more focused, cleaner, and more organized. I so appreciate your coming to visit my little internet space, and I simply want to make this website a more accurate reflection of what I love and who I am.

With love,
Kacie

I've been cooking up a lot of food... and I'm working on my first cooking video to go along with my first published recipe! Stay tuned!


Gigi has been full of cuddles lately. She loves her books and can't get enough of them. I found her in the armchair like this the other day! She climbed up with her blankie and as many books as she could gather. What a sweetie!


Kyle had shoulder surgery last Thursday so we've been laying low around here. He's actually been helping me a ton. He's been helping me get Gorge in the Gorge all ready for the busy summer season. He's pretty uncomfortable but he's on the mend! Note the matching expressions... they always do this! Two peas these two.


G loves her little IKEA cups and has been playing with them constantly... stacking and unstacking them. Plus, LOOK at how her hair is growing/glowing! It's almost time for hair clips. I'm in love with these ones and can't wait to order some for her.

I'm having a terribly hard time focusing on my schoolwork. I completely underestimated how hard it would be to just DO it. My presence around here might be a little sporadic until I get my two 10 page research papers done...

I'm so excited to become an Aunt in just a short time... I'm thinking I better get my bag packed and my camera ready for my trip to Seattle since the call could come any time now! How wonderful is that!

I'm working on a great series of posts about traveling to Paris. I get asked every year about my favorite things in Paris so I decided to put together a whole series and I'm loving it!

We need to buy our tickets to Sweden for this summer! I'm so excited about traveling. We are working on a couple of things with Gigi (like ditching the crib and the highchair) in preparation for traveling... I'm nervous about these transitions, but maybe it will be easier than I think!

The light in the evenings lately has been so gorgeous. Every evening around 5:30, I just want to grab my camera and dash out the door.

I know I'm a little late to the party, but we are obsessed with Downton Abbey. We just watched the Season 2 finale and now I don't know what we're going to do! I love it... watch it now if you haven't!

Finally, here's a video of our very silly girl, who keeps us in fits of giggles from morning to night...

That's all for now... hope you have a great start to your week.