From A to Zoë

so after nearly 4 years...

2010-08-28T21:45:00.002-04:00

i'm moving the blog to wordpress. i've been using it for a couple of months, and i'm much happier with the user interface, as well as the ease of uploading pictures and the less complex template stuff. i will keep this blog active, but i won't be updating anymore. so go ahead, and set this address as the new one:http://thecakewife.wordpress.comi've already moved the post archives over there, and

she's a princess... mostly.

2010-08-28T11:33:00.002-04:00

grammie sent a princess outfit for zoë earlier this week, and i thought i had lost the pictures. when posting to my cooking blog (thecakewife.wordpress.com) i found them. we're still trying to unpack the storage unit, so the backgrounds aren't exactly princess-y. :) she decided princesses like to dance, and so she has. a lot.

untitled, because i can't think of a good one

2010-08-26T22:19:00.003-04:00

so i am most definitely in school now. i didn't realize how different taking senior level english classes were from taking studio art classes, but believe me, they are very. this is a different kind of difficult, i don't have to be creative and artistic 24/7, but i have to slow down my readings, read pages and pages of dusty literary theory, hope that i can explain myself with some sense, oh, and

first day of school... oh yes.

2010-08-09T22:24:00.003-04:00

so, in light of the fact that zoë started her pre-k classes today, i have some first day of school pictures. she's going to a small christian daycare/pre-k program. i initially was hesitant about putting her anywhere associated with "daycare" because i don't think it's completely what she needed. but the school starts the kids with abeka when they turn 3, and that was what mom used when she was

2010-07-13T19:22:00.009-04:00

the promised pictures, as promised. we had a pretty busy week last week, as there was the 4th, michelle had her baby, and susanna's sweet little piper celebrated her first birthday. if you go to susanna's blog, you'll see why this is such a big deal. however, for all of the business, i took pretty poor pictures. so, the few that were worth sharing are here. we're going to visit friends for the

more photos, coming soon!

2010-07-11T04:32:00.002-04:00

i am still editing the photos from the 4th, and in the mean time have taken more that need editing. so bear with me a little longer, and you'll get to see zoë very soon, i promise.

pool day

2010-06-29T16:15:00.002-04:00

so we had a pool day at grandma and grandpa's house yesterday... sloppy joes, tater tots, and an 85 degree pool. i don't think summer gets better than that. zoë had a blast, and really enjoyed being in the water, a marked difference from last year.

zoë did her hair this morning...

2010-06-25T09:22:00.002-04:00

2010-06-23T22:26:00.007-04:00

we went to family reunion last week, and zoë had fun seeing family members she doesn't see often. we also threw lori a small birthday party, while aunt allie and uncle buzz were in town. they once again spoiled zoë with lots of presents, and i'm looking forward to getting spoiled with aunt allie's poundcake recipes. i might be helping put together a family reunion cookbook, it just depends

picture day.

2010-06-12T14:40:00.002-04:00

so what i thought would be a huge pile of pictures is a lot smaller than i imagined. as i was going through, i realized i am the impromptu photographer for all the friend and family get togethers, and not everyone wants to see my friend's birthday party, or a different friend's wedding, etc, etc, ad nauseum. but here are the pictures i do have, of our sweet silly little beans.her friend

phew! we're back.

2010-06-12T14:15:00.002-04:00

so mom has been asking me to please post pictures. i ended up taking a longer break than originally planned, but it has been nice disconnecting a bit, and getting to do things off the computer for a change.summer is in full swing, and so are zoë's allergies. we have discovered (the hard way) that she is severely allergic to grass, so she's on steroids and an allergen reducer. dealing with a

time away, and big girl things

2010-04-16T00:44:00.008-04:00

so we held spencer's birthday party here on sunday. it ended up being 15 people present including the kiddos and it was great fun. our living room and kitchen turned into a big dining room, and we were truly crammed in like sardines. zoë was convinced the party was for her, and was buzzing around like a hyperactive bee the entire time. and this was before we unveiled the cake. you would have

rites of spring

2010-04-06T20:35:00.003-04:00

2010-04-04T16:09:00.006-04:00

easter and march

2010-04-04T15:49:00.002-04:00

happy resurrection day! in the spirit of coming to life again, we have a new post to savor. woo! the semester is winding down, and i'm in a groove for school, so i finally have the time to sit down and fill you all in on life at our house.i got on the dean's list, and narrowly missed the presidential scholars list by one a-. either way, i felt like i was in high school again, pushing up my nerd

2010-02-24T00:40:00.012-04:00

the curls, washed and brushed.cool chalkboard from aunt lorilistening to the baby in michelle's tummyit's my birthday party!! - we heard this a lot that week.where's zoë at? (it's her new favorite phrase)she wanted to build an igloo, but had to settle for a snowman.you probably noticed there weren't any kids at the party. there was a nasty stomach bug that hit almost every family with kids in

tea and sympathy

2010-02-24T00:31:00.002-04:00

i'm drinking a big mug of tea, and thinking, "there's something i was supposed to do last week, and i can't remember for the life of me what it was... oh. right. blog about zoë."so here we are. i'm hoping the pictures work this time, because it's so frustrating to edit them for posting, and then have them not show up. i don't know, i still might be switching hosts, because i'm getting close to

blogger issues, again.

2010-02-13T13:26:00.001-04:00

so i'm not sure why, but blogger can't locate all the pictures i've just spent the last 30 minutes editing for posting. so when we get home later, i'll post them. i hope. ugh.

birthdays, snow days, and great days

2010-02-13T12:13:00.002-04:00

because of the snow, i'm sitting at home, blogging, rather than sitting hunched over my loom, weaving like a 19th century 11 year old girl with no marriage prospects. haha. so here's all the pictures from this week, zoë's birthday, our 4 inches of snow, and zoë playing in it. there's no snow on the roads, which is a real blessing, so we're taking ourselves over to a friends house in our..........

2010-02-02T15:26:00.009-04:00

lots of gigglesand smilesfinally smiling for the camera...not very healthy groceries, but she picked them out and checked them out herself.getting more carbs to go with her lil debbie snacks.scheduling appointments in the beauty salonflying the planein the pretend ice skating rink, staring at the santa suspended in the corner, wondering why i've been telling her christmas was over.forget the fire

running behind, and a birthday

2010-02-02T15:15:00.002-04:00

so, today we are celebrating zoë's third birthday. she's already opened some presents, although we're reserving others for the birthday party on sunday.it's so strange to me to think that she's already 3, since it doesn't feel like it's been that long. i feel like it was just yesterday that i was walking into the hospital, waiting for the process to bring her into the world, not knowing what was

a few more pictures...

2010-01-19T00:06:00.004-04:00

sorry, i forgot these pics from amanda's wedding. she was radiant!amanda's face when sam said "i do."please note hope's face as her mom kisses sam.the mister and missustoo much smooching, according to hope.

2010-01-18T22:58:00.008-04:00

this was my final project in drawing, i drew these portraits, and then embroidered them on linen. greg built the frames for me, and then i lit them.zoë and our friend brent, who is about to be a poppa himselfme and the new camera at michelle's housethese were not purchased for bacon fest, erin already owned them.brent and michelle's newest puppy, billy.sitting on the new yellow chair.please note:

over due...

2010-01-18T22:38:00.002-04:00

wow. where did the week go? i have photos to post from bacon fest (where we got together with friends, and everyone brought food containing bacon {including ice cream and pie!}), ellen's birthday, our first really lovely spring day, and a friend's wedding.school has started, which means i'm back in the grind. this semester ought to shape up a little easier, since i'm only in classes 3 days a week

the aquarium, part deux.

2010-01-07T03:11:00.008-04:00

last year around this time, we took zoë for her first trip to the aquarium here in atlanta. while she certainly enjoyed it, i think this year it was a lot more fun. however, because i didn't have a great lens for low light shooting (got it in the mail when we got home today, go figure), zoë's excitement at all the fishies translated into a few blurry pics (boo!) and lots of use of the flash.

photos and explanations

2010-01-06T00:44:00.006-04:00

so you're about to see that i got a new camera... something desperately needed, as the old kodak simply quit. first the flash died last year, and then it quit holding a charge. it didn't matter that i bought new batteries, a new charger, and made sure that everything was charged before i used the camera. i would get 2 pictures, blurry ones at that, and then the camera died. i'd switch batteries,

on this good day...

2010-01-06T00:29:00.002-04:00

so the new year is upon us. there's something about this time of year that speaks of hope and renewal to me, a letting go of the past that we so often desperately need. i don't want to say that i have any kind of new year's resolutions, but this is a new decade, and that has to mean something. here's my thoughts on all of this.i want to be more gentle. more loving. more likely to have sweet words

2009-12-18T07:46:00.005-04:00

poorly lit picture that needed a lot of editing to see, but it's zoë pretending to be a robot. in her very messy room.

caught up, and back to normal

2009-12-18T06:59:00.002-04:00

school is finally finished... i finished my last final on tuesday, but it took me several days to get my sleep schedule back on first shift. i had been pulling quite a few all-nighters there at the end, so it's nice to be back to normal. my grades are up already, i got all A's and one A-. apparently UGA switched their grading system, so i have a 3.92 gpa for the semester even though they were all

2009-10-30T07:49:00.002-04:00

it's getting cold outside!

2009-10-19T06:25:00.002-04:00

2009-10-03T20:32:00.002-04:00

so we're doing one last potty visit before bed... zoë's little all in one potty chair is perched on one of the kitchen chairs while she colors. anything to keep her on her chair as long as possible... earlier she was "driving the potty" around the house, scooting the chair all over the living room.we'll see if it works.

it's shameful, right?

2009-10-03T00:03:00.002-04:00

i haven't used my camera in 2 months. which is a shame, i know. i keep using the school thing as an excuse, but it really is a viable one. i don't know if my issue is because i'm taking more classes than i was this summer, or i'm just getting lazy. i do know that my frustration with my camera batteries leads to me not charging them, since they hold a charge for 20 minutes and then die again.

2009-08-27T15:48:00.012-04:00

i guess i completely forgot to mention it, in my joy of actually getting in. but i am an art major at uga now. ha. it was a big deal when i found out, and i can't believe i forgot to blog it.here's those pictures.and if there's any doubt we live in "bulldog country", let the first picture show that apparently, crazed rabid bulldog statues in walmart are the best way to show team spirit. seriously

i'm bad, i know.

2009-08-27T14:20:00.002-04:00

so what was supposed to be a short hiatus while i got pictures together turned into a month. during this month away from the blog, we went to charlotte to see mom and marlene, started school, and i started riding my bike 3 or 4 days a week. which i am loving immensely. in light of the fact that school has become a full time occupation for spencer and i (i go to classes in the mornings, and get

2009-08-02T13:41:00.000-04:00

some pictures, and some still to come

2009-08-01T10:09:00.008-04:00

i've got a few pictures to post, and i'm waiting on michelle to send me pics of last night's party as well. we had a christmas in july party at brent and michelle's house, which was lots of fun, and had way too much food. initially, we were anticipating more people present, but a lot of people bailed at the last minute. meaning more food for us. it was loads of fun, and is most likely going to

at last....

2009-07-29T06:14:00.002-04:00

so, thanks for sticking with me this month. film history was a lot more involved than i anticipated, and i had to create a portfolio of art to submit for acceptance into art school. it's 6:15 on the morning of my portfolio review, and i just finished the last pencil strokes of my self portrait. i've got an hour and a half before i have to get to school, and i'm feeling so relieved it's

textual update, no pics yet

2009-06-20T13:06:00.003-04:00

it's been nearly a month, but with school starting, and trying to get everything worked out for the fall, i've been really busy. i have an empty fridge, and no shopping list to fill it. which is pretty unusual for me.i only have a few snippets of zoë to share, since i haven't really been taking pictures.right now, she's siting in her high chair, under the guise of eating lunch, telling me "no

long overdue, but no pictures.

2009-06-02T13:26:00.002-04:00

when i was a freshman in high school, gawky, and strangely self assured, i ran on the track team. i wasn't really all that good, but i loved being part of a team, and competing against myself. because i really wasn't good enough to win any of the heats i ran in. one day stands out to me more than any other. we were running another meet, and i was running in the 100 meter dash. i wasn't even

2009-05-20T10:41:00.004-04:00

in honor of another cool clear sunny day, we went for a walk yesterday. well, zoë went for a run, and we walked swiftly behind her yelling "zoë, come back! stay on the path! don't touch that, it's yucky!" and things like that. it was fun.

2009-05-18T18:11:00.008-04:00

i'm about to pop round to the grocery store, but i thought you might want to see the results of the first sunny day in 2 weeks... or at least that's how it feels. it's been raining off and on for days, and i think we were all getting stir crazy. zoë relishes playing outside, and believe me, there have been not a few tears shed in the attempts to get outside. so today, at long last, she was able

a little behind

2009-05-08T02:20:00.006-04:00

nothing better than strawberries right off the vine. or plant.looking pretty pleased with herself.pointing at the goats (small petting zoo at the farm) but refusing to go near them.pumping water at the strawberry farmtrying to watch the water come outit's been a busy week for us. i kept forgetting to post more pictures, and i know some of you are waiting with baited breath. :)we went strawberry

2009-04-26T21:05:00.004-04:00

brent and michelle came out today, and we went for a nice long walk at the oconee river greenway... zoë loves going through the trees, and it was super pretty. she was also covered in dirt, and leftover catfish. ignore the mess, since she promptly got a bath when she got home.

2009-04-25T21:38:00.004-04:00

i'm sharing some pictures of marlene and mom and the grandfolks that marlene sent me. enjoy! oh... plus a few of zoë playing in the backyard.

2009-04-18T00:32:00.003-04:00

this week, zoë got to see her grammy, her aunt mimi, and her great grandma and her great grandpa! so needless to say, this has been a banner week. a room to run around, yelling "zoë's house!!!" at the top of her lungs, and seldom seen family visiting to boot!where we live, we're about 20 minutes away from a major U.S. interstate, allowing us to drive over to a fairly large exit and see family who

2009-04-14T14:34:00.010-04:00

here's the promised pictures. there's a lot, so get ready! :)downtown gainesville, with the cherry treesat our favorite coffee shopeating mexican food with brent and michellea quilt i made for some friends who got married. it's huge!snow! in april! that's not dandruff!before we got started...master bedroombedroom looking into kitcheni love these door knobs!!in the middle of the movefront

we're alive!!

2009-04-13T21:58:00.002-04:00

well, we're back. the house is a wreck, and i can't find anything. we're overrun with books, and no bookcases to speak of. i actually have no idea where the memory card adapter is that i bought. if i can't find it by wednesday, i can buy another one at best buy. so, no pictures currently. sorry!!wednesday or thursday should have a nice large post. the kitchen is slowly coming together, and we're

gratitude

2009-03-22T01:01:00.004-04:00

welllll.... we signed the lease today. so we did it. we started over. i don't know if anyone else understands the magnitude of feeling we have right now, but it's overwhelming gratitude.there's a song by a band we both really love, and the verse and chorus says this:"When clouds veil sunAnd disaster comesOh, my soulOh, my soulWhen waters riseAnd hope takes flightOh, my soulOh, my soulOh, my

2009-03-20T00:08:00.002-04:00

i know i left everyone hanging with my doomsday post last week. but like i hoped, i have good news to share.spencer's surgery went really well, and he and the oral surgeon are now working on a timeline to start his dental implants and all the surgeries involved.we got a deposit from the state, equaling the amount spent on surgery. yay!we got our car from the wonderful folks who gave it to us,

2009-03-12T00:19:00.001-04:00

2009-03-11T23:07:00.002-04:00

so, here we are again. after another long delay. in all honesty, all the changes and uncertainty in our life has made it pretty un-motivating for me to blog. as lame as that sounds, it's easier to hide my life from everyone when i'm ashamed of it. i know that almost everything that's happened this year isn't our fault, and there might have only been a few things we could have changed. at least i

2009-02-20T02:00:00.000-04:00

2009-02-20T01:49:00.002-04:00

i had forgotten about posting her first "big girl owie"... when we were playing outside, she kept running on the concrete path, instead of the grass. and of course i kept telling her to get on the grass, knowing what was about to happen. and it did. followed by some tears, some kisses, and of course, more running.and then, we have pictures from zoë coming out of a time out. i know people call

2009-02-18T01:48:00.002-04:00

i'm a foodie now. muwhahaha. well, kinda. but i did start another blog. don't worry, this one will still be around. i'm just blogging about the things i don't post here. like what we ate for dinner, and how much i paid for toilet paper.over the last year, with all the upheaval in our life, i've really started missing my kitchen stuff. my mixer, my food processor. but in the middle of it all, i've

2009-02-08T18:30:00.006-04:00

the long delayed pictures from the birthday. we got kinda sidetracked the last couple of days.

2009-02-04T16:04:00.002-04:00

the big two-oh. zoë turned 2 on monday, with all the pomp and circumstance we could muster for a very busy bee of a toddler. i made 2 types of cupcakes, chocolate, and strawberry. in honor of her birthday falling on groundhog day, i also made a dozen candy groundhogs to sit on top of her cupcakes. she got to eat a whole cupcake, frosting and all. it was her first dessert that she didn't sneak.

2009-01-09T23:29:00.000-04:00

so zoë has done nothing but talk about fishies since we got back from the aquarium. the trip was a birthday present for her, and i am too impatient to wait until february. which, speaking of february, we actually hit our 2 year "blogiversary" on december 26th or 27th. i can't remember which day. either way, hard to believe it's been 2 years.and when it comes to other 2 year old things, zoë's 2nd

anniversary

2009-01-09T22:19:00.010-04:00

very crowded tunnel, and there was a baby crying right next to us. hence the dour expressions.