Baby Making Music

Hi, my name is Carly and I have control issues.  Basically, I'm a control freak.  I like to plan everything out to the very tiniest detail and I have a hard time adjusting if it doesn't go this way.  I may seem like I'm a totally go-with-the-flow kinda gal... but that's all part of the act; I'm using my self-control to make sure you don't notice that inside I'm silently freaking out, thinking "Oh my god, we're running 8 and a half minutes late."

Happy Birthday, to my Baby Daddy!

It's Terry's birthday today. 

He's not only a great father...  he's also my best friend.  He thinks my jokes are funny, he prefers me without makeup on, and he'll even kiss me when I have morning breath.  Not to mention what an amazing job he did as a birth coach and what a phenomenal job he's doing on our new home!  There's no one in the world I'd rather go through life with as my partner-in-grime... yes, that's G-R-I-M-E.  We change a lot of poopy diapers together.

Happy Birthday, babe.  Love you so much!

Does YOUR baby sleep through the night yet?

Pppshhh... yeah, right.  Felix is quite a spiritied little fellow.  He giggles, kicks,  and "talks" in long, silly run-on sentences.  He also screams like hell with a mere gesture towards his co-sleeper.

In reality, I think the sleeping baby is some sort of urban legend - made up by Hallmark and the P.T.O. - to make you buy more parenting books.  Yet people are constantly asking that question... "does your baby sleep through the night yet?"  As if sleeping through the night is some sort of developmental goal the baby is bound to reach.  It can make a new mom wonder "what's wrong with my kid?  Why can't he get a peaceful 12 hours like those rest of the "good" babies?   

Home Sweet Home

If you've read my bio blurb (to the right), you'll notice the term "(pseudo) homeowner."  That might be confusing to some of you... here's the skinny.

A view of our house from the street,
prior to any renovations.

A little less than a year ago, Terry and I bought a house in the teeny riverside town of Coxsackie.  We paid less than some people spend on a car - knowing our renovations would basically double that cost - and in the end we'd have a sweet little place to call home for a bit of money and whole lot of blood, sweat, and tears... all of which have actually been shed during the restoration process.  Terry doing the sweating and bleeding (thanks to a major tumble down the stairs).  I'm responsible for the tears (thanks to my child-bearing-hormones and a forever changing move-in date).

So... what's going on inside this diamond-in-the-rough?

The Wild Rover

I've been Irish for exactly 551 days now... well, Irish by marriage.  (You can take the girl out of the pizza shop, but you can't take the Italian out of the girl).  Anyway... this has been my favorite Irish song since before I was a Lynch.  I'm a sucker for songs that involve a good crowd clap.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Recipe: Harmony Chili

I've made this chili twice.  Both times it came out excellent (unlike my potato soup disaster).  The recipe is my own creation (sort of); it came from the marriage of several chili recipes.  I've named this creamy concoction "Harmony Chili" because it's a beautiful blend of chili recipes and one of the main ingredients is hominy.  Get it?  It's like Pauly D trying to say "Harmony." 

Ingredients:

I forgot to take a picture of the chili the day I made it.
This is my bowl of leftovers a few days later.  If there was more left,
I certainly would've filled the bowl.

Drizzle of Olive Oil
2 Chicken Breasts
1 Small White Onion
2+ Cloves of Garlic
Black Pepper, Parsley, Oregano (to taste)

1 Can - Cream of Chicken
1 Can - Chicken Broth (small can, 4.5 oz)
1 Can - Green Chiles
2 Cans - Northern White beans
1 Can - Hominy
1 Can - Yellow Corn
1 Pack - Taco Seasoning
5-6 Shakes of Worchestshire Sauce
2 Pinches of Chili Powder (or to taste)

(Sour Cream, Shredded Chedder Cheese, and Cornbread Recommended as garnish/sides).

A certain amount of wine...

Me.  Flask swigging while navigating traffic.
Don't worry, I wasn't driving.

I miss being drunk.  There, I said it.  With the pregnancy and now breast feeding, it's been a year since I caught a good buzz.  I'm not even a big drinker (at least not by comparison to some of my compadres), but every now and again I feel the need to get totally sloppy.

Being drunk gives you the right... almost the obligation... to do ridiculous things like devour a cheeseburger and fries at 3 a.m., sob uncontrollably to your girlfriends for no good reason, or take facebook photos of yourself in a public restroom.  Don't even get me started on what you SINGLE drunks can get away with!  I mean, the three-way-kiss wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for vodka.  (Ok, maybe the world could've done without that last one... but you get my drift).

Drunk dancing is what I miss most.  I got a birthday card once with the saying...

Three Months Ago.

After reading my girl Anne's post on the arrival of the adorable August McGrath (born 2 weeks after Felix's debut), I realized I've yet to write about this monumental moment in my little Lynch family.  So thanks, Annie, for the inspiration.

The task of putting it all down is daunting.  I've always been able to express myself in writing pretty easily... but this is one story I can't seem to capture the magnitude of with words alone.  I put together this little video for my family and have yet to share it online due to the extreme personal nature of this very special time.  But, as an artist and a proud mother, I have decided to put this intimate account on display for the whole world-wide-web to see.  In honor of Felix turning 3 months old today, here is the story of how he joined our family...

Save the Arts!

Join the Facebook Cause By Clicking HERE. 

Save Art in the Coxsackie-Athens School District !

Major cuts are being proposed in Coxsackie-Athens Schools. Sadly, this will effect the Arts - specifically a devastating cut in the Elementary Art program.

review: Buy Buy Baby.

The name totally turned me off at first.  I have enough trouble tooting the horn of big corporate chains... but to be so upfront about the fact that they're cramming commerce down your throat is disgusting.   It's as if they're whispering "buy more... you need more stuff... you'll only be a good mom if you buy this stupid gadget your baby doesn't really need..." upon entrance.  So I avoided the place until...