Naturally Dyed Eggs | Easter

This year for Easter I decided to take a stab at "naturally dyed eggs". This just means you use food right out of your kitchen to create dye for your eggs. I originally spotted this method via Pinterest and used this post and this post as a reference for how to make my dyes. I used the same measurement with each food item: 

1 Quart of water

2 Tablespoons of vinegar

Dash of salt

For my colors I used: 4 beets, 1 head of red cabbage, 2 tablespoons of tumeric, 4 red onion peels, coffee and half a pint of blueberries.

I boiled each of the foods in the water/vinegar mix. Added my eggs and let it sit. I would randomly remove an egg from each dye at different time intervals and ended up with lots of shades of each color. The deepest colors were eggs that sat in the dyes overnight. Some of the dyes got mixed together just to experiment. I found this method of coloring eggs to be exciting and rewarding. It was more work than your average store bought kits and it required A LOT more patience to allow the eggs to sit. Overall, I rather think they are lovely.

Dauphin Island | Alabama

Ryan and I, although we live and met in Ohio both have southern roots in our blood. Ryan was born in Alabama and his dad and many family members still live south. I was born in Ohio but my dad was born in Alabama and also have family who still resides there. It just so happened that our work schedules worked out that we had a long stretch of days off together and as with most getaways. We decided last minute to head south and see family.

Ryan, myself and the two girls headed south right before the girls nap time. This time of day worked out really great. We missed any big cities rush hour and the girls actually handled the trip really well. We landed our first night outside of Birmingham at my great aunt Sherry and uncle Jimmys lakehouse. The next day we woke to a home cooked breakfast. Sherry took us on a small driving tour around the lake telling quirks of her little gated neighborhood and how they came about landing their retirement home after living on a farm for as long as I've known them. We did lunch and sadly had to head south to arrive at our final destination. It was sweet to finally introduce my husband and children to some of my own southern roots.

Our home-base for the next three days was the Gulf Breeze Motel on Dauphin Island. Dauphin Island is a small, quiet and quaint little place off the bottom coast of Alabama. The center of "town" has the essentials- gas station, small grocery store, church, couple restaurants and a bakery/coffee spot. When you first drive onto the island there are these "birdhouses" that caught my eye. A row of tall skinny houses for deep sea fisherman to stay at. The color palette of the homes help you feel like you have arrived on an island in the sun. The motel didn't have much online information and with it being spring break time there was limited lodging, so we took a gamble and booked it. In the end the motel offered exactly what we needed traveling with two toddlers. We booked a "suite" which consisted of a two bedroom, living room/common area and a kitchen. We set up the two pack in plays in the second bedroom and brought our own two highchairs. With each getaway we learn a little more on how to make traveling with toddlers easier. Bringing these pieces of furniture have proven to make life work outside of our home and I think help ground the girls in the chaos of changed routines. The motel is a bit old fashioned with a mom-pop ownership feel. The sky blue exterior really kept us feeling like we got away to the tropics.

2nd Annual Progressive Dinner | Valentines Day

We had a progressive style dinner with all our friends for Valentines Day for the second year in a row. The general consensus is that we all want to see this happen every year till we are old. It's really magical to live in community with people you do life with and although we know this is a season, we will relish in it as long as we can. In the words of one of the girls last night, "The most honest love- what better way to spend the holiday. Who else can say they have people like this? Its rare and beautiful." xoxo

Appettizers were at the Goubeaux's again. They made a party platter to die for, cheese fondue, and two cocktail choices.

Mackinac Island | Michigan

Another weekend away in Michigan, this time kid free and with our friends Seth & Emily.  Seth and Emily just had their four year wedding anniversary, something to really value and celebrate, so why not get away?! As usual this trip was a last minute decision. With the weekend off and a recent anniversary the Britts and Bakers were at it again. Emily had her heart set on Mackinac Island and I quickly agreed that be the perfect weekend away. We had actually both been there before for a girls trip and have always talked about wanting to take our husbands and someday our kids. Mackinac Island is one of a kind. You can usually categorize the places you visit- "city" "beach" "mountains".. they most likely will all have the same kind of things to do with their own personal touches but Mackinac is truly unique.

Mackinac Island is located between Michigan's lower mainland and upper peninsula. From Columbus it takes about 7 hours to get to Mackinaw City, where you park your car and take a ferry over (roughly about 30 mins). There are NO cars on the island. Everything is by foot, bike or horse. This alone helps set the tone of how peaceful and relaxed the town is. We used each method of transportation and enjoyed them all. This time we stayed at the Murray Hotel(great location) downtown across from the ferry dock. Last time we stayed at Mission Point (located out of downtown but also a nice stay). The big attraction is to stay at the Grand Hotel. Usually the ferry service will take your luggage to all the lodging so you don't have to lug it around to check in.

Day One. We arrived around noon. Lunched at The Pink Pony. I was underwhelmed with the food but enjoyed their decor and drinks (pony up bloody mary and rosemary-ginger sparkler). Then we set out on foot and took a tour of Fort Mackinac. Last time we didn't get to see inside the grounds and with a history buff/military husband this was worth taking the time/money to do. After walking through the grounds and visiting most of the buildings we took a coffee break inside the Fort at The Tea Room Restaurant. We sat outside and had the best views of the island from up high. We then headed back to our rooms to rest/clean up and get ready for dinner. This was a repeat event for me and Emily but we really wanted the guys to enjoy the same experience. We had our hotel call and schedule us a pick up by horse carriage to take us to The Woods. This horse drawn carriage ride takes about 30 mins but you get great site seeing and usually the drivers or other passengers have fun facts to share. This time our driver was Paul, from Transylvania, his horses were Betty and Sam (one lost a shoe on the way). The Woods is a restaurant you MUST experience. Its high end, mens hunter club aesthetics fit perfectly to the middle of the island location. We didn't think to call ahead and make a reservation early enough, so we dined in the bar room, still totally worth it. (Defiantly try to call ahead if you are visiting). There is a single lane old school style bowling ally and popcorn to help hold you over for any wait. The horse carriage ride home is just as fun, everyone on board is usually cheerful and chatty.... you learn about the people around you and all gather under horse blankets to keep warm. The dark quiet ride is spooky and feels like you've gone back in time.

Day Two we walked to get coffee and breakfast. We landed the best breakfast sandwich (Good Morning Egg Sandwich) at Good Day Cafe. Next up were the bike rides around the island. This was and still is the best experience on the island to date. You rent bikes and take off on the path around the perimeter of the island. One side is always water front and the other is either nature or beautiful homes you can only dream of staying in. It takes a couple hours to get around the whole thing, with stops. We stopped at the Arch Rock and walked up 207 steps to see the rock formation and look out off the cliffs. The water is so calm, clear and beautiful. Memory to not forget- Ryans bicycle chain falling off :)

Once around the perimeter we went up above downtown and headed toward the Grand Hotel. This place is seriously massive, beautiful and unique. SOMEDAY we will plan ahead enough to actually stay. The hotel is the setting for the old classic movie "Somewhere in Time", which is extra cool because I fell in love with that movie at Emilys house in our childhood. Last time visiting with girlfriends, we did afternoon tea inside the hotel and that was a fun experience, I'd recommend for anyone visiting. We did bike over to the Grands horse stables and walked through seeing all the different style of carriages over the years and saw some of the beautiful horses and their equipment. (also highly recommended). Once done site seeing, we headed back and jumped on the next ferry out.

You could easily spend more days there doing new things and repeating some of it over and over. Its a great get away as a family, couples and friends. There isn't another place like it and I can't wait to go back with Hattie and Hazel when they are older.

Birthday Babes Turn ONE

All the feels as I sit here and recap celebrating the twins first birthday. We had their party a week early since Ryan has drill on their actual birthday. It doesn't feel real that the girls have been around for a year. They are such a part of our every thought that it's hard to remember life before them. I read through their baby books after the party and as I saw the pictures and read the details of their development it felt like a lifetime ago that we brought them home. I am happier than ever to have started blogging and be able to keep record of these moments that too quickly become memories.

The party was hosted at our home. We went with a "party animal" theme. Bright colors, animal crackers and sprinkles were what motivated the decorating/planning. I originally wanted to use the local park shelter house but with limited time slots available for rent and the cost for a location I opted to try our house (for free). I was banking on sunshine since we would have to utilize our backyard. Thankfully it was a beautiful day. Although it was beautiful and sunny... I have taken mental notes on how to improve on next years festivities. For example- we needed more shaded areas. We had a lot of toddlers and babies in attendance and the heat can make for some fussy babes. Hattie was going to loose her mind if we didn't do something quick (see baby on left in pic below)... SO, we sped things up and got cake passed out to all our guests and the smash cakes in front of the birthday babes. This did the trick and come to find out, my girls are excellent cake smashers... I mean, somehow they really knew what they were doing. I think the funniest part was Hattie in her exhaustion, kept laying her head down in her cake.

They smashed their cakes sooo well, that I quickly worried about their sticky sweaty situation. This is when the baby pool came out. We had no intentions on having the girls swim or all the other babies for that matter, but it ended up being one of my favorite moments. Our girls, along with all their pals, played (or cried) in the pool and were finally able to cool off. It's so profound to think in ten years these same little baby friends will still be celebrating life milestones together.

Progressive Dinner | Valentines Day

Every Valentine's Day should be spent with your friends. This is the conclusion after this years version on the holiday. A clever friend pitched the idea and last minute the plans were set. Three houses, all on the same street would host the different stages of a dinner. First-Apps/Drinks, Second-Dinner/Drinks and Third-Desert/Drinks  (see any common theme here?) Also, any excuse to host and decorate is a good time in my book, below are some snaps of the staging for the night in the Baker household. I'm a sucker for any and all holiday decor

There were 7 couples who partook in this shindig. Crazy Ohio gave us decent weather so most of us met at my house, being the last stop later, and walked down to the first. This walk was the first of many times through the night I felt overwhelmed with joy and gratefulness to have a community of friends that I do... not to mention all living so close together. My two bestests friends literally live on the same street as me.. Who gets to say that in life?

Each house had its own perfect theme, aromas and overall comfort to offer. The food was delicious but seriously the company was the bomb. Dinner was the longest stay. This was the second moment of being awe struck at how lucky this gal was to have all these crazies around me. Laughing at stories, eating delicious food, drinking even better wine.

My house was last... we have a bunch of drink snobs  in our crowd so we made sure to have some winner cocktails and a trifle that seemed to be a hit. As the night came to an end, the last moment came when it all stood out. These people. In my home. I get to do life with?

Next year on Valentines Day, or any day for that matter. Have a progressive style dinner with your people. It is just the best.

XOXO

h + h | A Birth Story

The twins were coming. After a night in the hospital for monitoring due to pre-eclampsia, the doctors agreed it was time to deliver. My surgeon thought I was a "ticking time bomb". The symptom that didn't settle right with anyone was my overall feeling of "just not feeling good". Now being a nurse, this is very unhelpful and I knew that but there was no other way to explain it. This along with my borderline elevated blood pressure, lab work heading in the wrong direction and the minor headache all concerned my doctor enough and with approval from the neonatal docs, the C-section was put in the books for later that morning. This date would make the babies 36 weeks and 5 days old. Life had gotten very uncomfortable so I was relieved to hear I would be finally meeting my girls.

What is it they say about healthcare workers being patients? I don't know if there's an exact phrase but I would sum it up with; if there's a chance; it is probably going to happen. What I mean by that is pre-op and post-op could have gone better, but in retrospect they also could have been much, much worse. As a nurse in the cardiac field, OB is a foreign species to me. I had general understanding and a brain but overall as with any patient, you are left to trust your healthcare team to be the experts. Now, don't interpret my tune wrong. I am very happy and grateful to the staff who entered our lives over that hospital stay. Some of them will forever be branded on our hearts for their attentive care.

Pre-op started a little rocky when one of my IVs had gone bad and after multiple (by multiple I mean 7) attempts, I had another IV. Then if that couldn't be topped, anesthesia attempted my spinal epidural 10 times before I finally could say, "YES, I feel the tingling in my legs" indicating I was numbing from the chest down. Surgery itself went flawless and even though it was surgery, the surgeon let me watch as she pulled the babies out and I did indeed see their first breaths like any vaginal delivery. The rest of delivery was a blur as they sewed me up and I had my head arched back to soak up every first minutes of those precious babies I could.

Post-op started out groggy as expected but it started to spiral downward when my blood pressures kept decreasing with each check. To explain my mental awareness is difficult. I knew things were going wrong and felt out of body at the same time.  If the nurses knew things were bad, they did a good job of hiding their concern when they checked under my sheets and asked everyone to step out while they cleaned me up. I was still numb and some blood is expected but the amount of blood and size of clots I was passing, were not. Quickly my room filled with extra staff. My husband had been allowed to stay in the room and during the next scene of my life he was up pacing with a crying baby while watching the staff pull me back from the downward spiral I was on. At one point while listening to the staff talk about what to do, what drugs to give (some foreign to me and a couple as only code blue drugs in my own work world) and demands from anesthesia to go pull my surgeon from a procedure and get her in my room right away; I looked at my husband with one of our two new babies and wondered, how in the world will he raise twin babies by himself? Death was absolutely what could have come of my complication if the staff had not acted quickly. Thank you Jesus for the fast pace care given that day.

To explain what had gone wrong was and still is a little fuzzy. Pre-eclampsia, left over placenta in the uterus, magnesium transfusing and my body heading toward DIC/HELLP Syndrome (look them up if you're curious about those further) were all attributing to my dire situation. My uterus wasn't contracting and I had lost too much blood, in return my blood pressures were in the bucket. The lowest blood pressure I remember being said out loud was 60s/20s. To say I was a little bossy or demanding of information would be a nice way of putting it. I was not use to being the patient and was prioritizing my care in my own head like I was the nurse. Luckily, if the staff was annoyed or offended, I never knew. To save the day, my surgeon arrived to my room and manually extracted all leftovers in my uterus, magnesium had been shut off and multiple drugs and fluid given to bring my blood pressure up. In a moment I could feel myself recovering.

Over the next few days, I slowly recovered. With bedrest and multiple blood transfusions my body was working its way back to normalcy. I am now 7 weeks post op and almost don't notice any discomfort where my incision lies. It took weeks to feel normal mentally and weeks to be able to walk without a hunch. That experience feels like a life time ago. When life becomes so serious in a blink of an eye, at least for me, you learn what matters most. I love my husband more than I knew possible and now have two beautiful babies who have shown me what having unconditional love for another, actually means. Thank you Jesus for allowing Hattie and Hazel to come into my life.