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Lily’s first birthday is fast approaching (less than a week!), and we decided a while ago that a swingset would be the perfect birthday present for a girl who can’t get enough swinging.  My dad and Bill just finished assembling it, so Lily got to try it out.  We have a toddler swing on order, so for now she is just enjoying the slide.

And, finally, this weekend I had time to put Lily in her Easter dress and snap a few pics, since we didn’t manage to take any on Easter itself.  So here is the cutest dress ever on one of the cutest babies ever…

It seems fitting on this day that we should take stock of how we’re doing in our quest to diminish our footprint on this planet.  I think our family has made some good progress in the last year, but we still have a lot of things we would like to be doing.  So here I’ll summarize our accomplishments and goals for this year:

• Cloth diapering:  Still going strong(ish).  I do love our cloth diapers, and Lily has no complaints.  I grade us at an A- on this, since anyone who cloth diapers at all should score pretty high for what is considered pretty un-mainstream.  I would say we are using them about 75% of the time.  We still use disposables overnight, because they are just so darn absorbent.  And we tend to reach for the disposables when we’re going to be out of the house, because (admitting sheepishly) it is so convenient to toss them, rather than bring stinky diapers home in the diaper bag (though I do have a specially-designed moisture-proof bag for that purpose).  I would like to set a goal that we are using no more than one disposable diaper per day.  I shudder to think that we will still be sending hundreds of disposable (more aptly called “single-use”) diapers to the landfills, but at least that is a fraction of what we could be using.  I’d also like to work on line drying more this spring/summer to reduce energy consumption of using the electric dryer.  As for our cloth diapering experience from newborn to age one, that is grounds for a whole separate post!  I’ll try to get to that, complete with (adorable) photos. 
• Reusable shopping bags:  We get about a C- on this so far.  We have purchased the bags, which is a good first step.  Now we just need to work on remembering to have them in the car, then take them into the store (I have made a lot of return trips to the parking lot to get the bags).  I have a variety of bags to choose from.  I like our nylon Chico Bags because they wad up into their own small pouch, making them convenient to carry in my purse or the glove compartment of the car.  However, the $1.49 Target shopping bags also fold flat (and I found some that snap themselves into a convenient little package), and — bonus — they stand up on their own, which the grocery sackers really seem to appreciate for bagging stuff.  Goal: Use our cloth shopping bags at 75% of grocery and Target trips.
• Recycling:  B-.  Since Kansas City began curbside recycling (limiting garbage collection to two bags per residence), we have gotten a good start on recycling paper, aluminum, and #1 and #2 plastics.  Still, we could be recycling more plastics and glass by making routine trips to the recycling center near our house.  However, we have gotten better about recycling more — I do think about each thing I start to throw away, and often it is something I can put in the recycling bin, like a receipt, or a piece of cardboard, or junk mail.  And we have started a big bag o’ glass to take in at some point.  Goal: Reduce trash from two bags to one bag per week.
• Reducing: This is a work in progress.  I grade us at a D+ right now, meaning the intention is there, but the follow through is lacking.  I did sign us up with GreenDimes, and I think that has helped reduce our junk mail.  Plus, I am much more aware of packaging these days.  The other day, I got a fast food salad (trying to work on one of my other goals of healthier eating), and I noted the waste: plastic bowl and lid, plastic fork and knife, plastic wrap around the utensils, paper salt and pepper packets, plastic bag of croutons, plastic bag of dressing, and plastic bag that it all came in through the drive-thru window.  Yikes.  So, I can reduce waste (and calories) by buying more whole foods and making things at home.  Unfortunately, this conflicts with my “have more relaxed quality time with the family” goal.  As I said, a work in progress.
• Energy conservation:  Hmm.  I do better at this than Bill.  I give myself a B+, and I give Bill a D+.  I have long been able to remember to turn off lights, TV, and ceiling fans when leaving a room or the house, but Bill still needs reminders (which he calls “nagging”).  And he thinks it is necessary to leave the TV on for the dog when we leave the house…the dog who is asleep the whole time we’re gone anyway.  However, I downgrade myself from an A rating, since I have taken up the habit of driving around to get Lily to nap — wasteful gasoline usage.  We have changed out most of our light bulbs to compact fluorescents…except the ones I just can’t abide, like the bathroom vanity (a girl’s got to be able to have decent light to put on makeup).
• Environmentally-friendly products:  Well, we’re buying more organics (food and fabrics), so that helps decrease pesticide use.  But we have only brushed the tip of the iceberg where it comes to cleaning products.  We use biodegradable laundry detergent and dish detergent, but are slow to change over to other green products.  Eventually I’d like to be using the old standards, like vinegar and warm water, for most of our cleaning.  So for now, I give us a grade of Incomplete.

I’m sure there are lots of areas I’m missing, but Earth Day is only so long.  Sure, someday I’d like to be driving a hybrid (or some new form of car, like a disposable diaper-powered car), and we’d love to live in a house running only on solar and wind power.  But we are taking things one step at a time, and I’d like to think we’re a little bit green.  Maybe seafoam.  Next year, we’ll shoot for lime.

I forgot to report on the restaurant we went to to celebrate Bill’s birthday with the family last night.  It is a relatively new place called Em Chamas, serving Brazilian and South American fare in KC’s Northland.   It is one of those “traveling meat on a stick” places (also called “rodizio” style by the more informed), where servers walk around with giant skewers of various meat selections (14, to be exact), which they slice off right onto your plate.  Is it any wonder this was Bill’s choice for his birthday?  We all started the meal with great gusto, welcoming every option that was offered.  My brother-in-law and Bill were practically cheering.  The comment “This is the best restaurant ever,” was spoken a few times.  My sister and I were a bit more restrained, and my parents abstained from the traveling meat altogether, sticking to just the gourmet buffet selections.  Fast forward to later in the evening, when my parents were comfortably discussing dessert, my sister and I were leaning back with strained waistbands and expressions, and the two carnivores were swearing off meat for the next 18 months.  So I’d say the place gets mixed reviews.  The food was sure tasty, but some of us need some sort of externally imposed portion control to prevent regret and remorse.  And perhaps a bit more ruffage is beneficial with so much meat.  (Such ruffage was available, but the guys hardly wanted to waste valuable gastric real estate on veggies.)  It was a unique dining experience, and one that will likely not need to be repeated for some time…

And, yes, the place was fodder for plenty of adolescent jokes.  That alone was worth the price.

No pics today.  I find myself waiting to post something until I have pictures to go with the post and, frankly, we just don’t do a whole lot that is photo-worthy most days.  Today after church we traveled up north for Kruisin’ Kearney, a place to park and show off your classic car.  The Mustang, a newcomer to the scene of regular “cruisers” at these events, drew quite a few admirers.  It was a fun opportunity to be outside on a nice day, strolling around and chatting with veteran car-showers.  We hadn’t planned on showing the Mustang — it was just going to be for short drives on nice days — but I can see now the allure of car shows.  Bill loves telling people all about the history of the car, and we are kind of proud of it, after all the work on it (not that we personally worked on the car, but we worked hard to invest in the restoration process!).  Who knows, maybe we’ll become regulars at these events.

The only other interesting thing to note today is that we are the temporary guardians of two stray dogs, a shepherd mix and a husky.  They were wandering around our neighborhood this morning, and we were concerned for their safety, living so close to busy streets.  So they have taken up temporary residence in our backyard as we try to figure out what to do next.  We posted a sign in our yard, in case someone was driving around looking for them, but no hits yet.  One of them had a broken chain around its neck (actually around his neck — no collar), so part of me doesn’t want him to have to go back to that existence.  Unfortunately, I don’t think these breeds have a very high adoption rate, so I hate to have to take them to the shelter.  And we can not keep them for long.  So, it’s a quandary.

That’s it for us!  Lazy Sunday.  There should more days like this…

Got stuck on the Jumble.  (Thanks for the hint, Abby!)

Things are looking up!  We actually got to be outside a little bit today to enjoy some sunshine.  Our daffodils are going strong, but most of our tulips fell victim to a deer attack a couple of weeks ago.  (If you aren’t familiar with where we live, let me just say it was very strange to see six deer grazing in our front yard, which is hardly rural.  They bounded off toward Minky’s — presumably for their delicious Thai pizza and a pitcher of Boulevard — when Bill spotted them in his headlights coming home.  Too late; they had munched most of our tulips.  Bad deer.)

It was a full day.  Bill and I both had dentist appointments this morning, so we performed a baby hand-off in between.  Happy to report no cavities, despite a two-year hiatus from said dentist’s office.  Then Lily and I went to visit my grandma (MeeMaw), who is spending a few days in the hospital for some issues related to her heart — nothing too critical at this point.  She was in good spirits, but I’ll be glad when she is able to be back home in a few days.  Had lunch in the hospital cafeteria with my folks, but Lily was NOT enjoying herself, so we made a hasty exit.  Lily had a nap in the [now defunct] Montgomery Wards parking lot while I solved the entire crossword, but only 3/4 of the Jumble (S-P-R-A-Y-T.  What IS it?  Aargh!  It’s driving me crazy!)  Once she woke and we returned home, we played around the yard for a bit, and then Bill joined us for a return trip to the hospital to see Grandma, since he hasn’t been able to visit for awhile.

So that’s it.  A pretty basic day around here.  Bill is out with the guys tonight, which I thought was only fair since tomorrow is (shhh!) his birthday.  He likes to pretend he doesn’t have birthdays anymore.  Man, not me!  I love my birthday!  My friends used to get so annoyed because I would start reminding them a month in advance of the occasion.  So, like it or not, I do have a couple of things planned to commemorate his non-birthday.

Can’t wait to get out and enjoy some more spring weather tomorrow!

Those were the words used by my favorite tv meterologist to describe the forecast for today.  Tomorrow?  Carbon copy.  Oh, but maybe a little colder.  Maybe some snow flurries.  I don’t know how much more of this anyone can take.  It’s mid-April,  for Pete’s sake!  The spring-like weather of Florida seems so loooooong ago at this point.  We should’ve stayed another month.

It’s no secret that I am totally susceptible to seasonal affective disorder (you know, SAD).  I just get so grouchy.  But now with Lily, it’s way worse.  Because trying to get through a whole day without leaving the house is TOUGH.  And it’s equally tough to gear up to leave the house when it’s so stinkin’ gross outside.  We spent two afternoons in a row at our nearby ghost town mall (nothing but mall-walkers, a Verizon store, and a Lens Crafters there).  But at least we were able to stroll around, and there are these carpeted stairs in front of a fountain, so Lily was able to crawl around and practice walking (ahem, up to four steps now!).  We also ventured to Aldi, a first for us.  We really didn’t need anything…just needed somewhere to walk around and look at different scenery.  So it’s no surprise that I left there with an odd conglomeration of goods: frozen pork schnitzel, jar of artichoke hearts, package of White Castle cheeseburgers, kitchen sponges, and suet (for the birds).  That’s what I get for grocery shopping in desperation for something to DO.

Today, Lily and I hit one of the only other indoor malls in town: Crown Center.  It actually turned into a really nice afternoon once we ran into my friend Angela with her little boy and we had lunch together.  They were in the same boat as us, just trying to fill the time until spring arrives and the great outdoors are hospitable again.

In the ever-evolving world of child-rearing, we have a new development.  Lily is not going down for naps very easily anymore.  Seriously?  I mean, the child only naps for 30 minutes at a time anyway, but I NEED those 30 minutes.  And now when I rock her to put her down, she just sits up and smiles, like “What’s next?”  So, again in desperation (lots of that going around these days), I stick her in the car and start driving.  Nothing new to most veteran mothers, I’m sure.  But once she falls asleep, I am held captive in my car, unable to move her (or myself, much), or else risk waking my little light sleeper.  Solution?  Crossword puzzles!  Today I got through the entire crossword, the Jumble, and half of the Cryptoquip, all while sitting in the Big Lots parking lot.  I am becoming a parking lot connoisseur, with vast knowlege of top-quality napping lots.  I look for shade, away from busy streets, without a lot of cars coming and going.  Last week I made the mistake of parking near a car wash.  Rookie.  Now I know better.

I should compile a list of all of this helpful info — good parking lots to nap in, best inclement weather alternatives.  I didn’t see that chapter in any of the parenting books.

After months of restoration, the Mustang has returned!  What an amazing transformation.  We had the engine and transmission rebuilt, body restored, everything re-chromed, and new paint (factory original color).  This is the 65 Mustang that my mom bought brand new.  It has survived two teenage drivers, then 12 years in storage, and now it is reintroduced to a third generation of the Graves family.  Lily enjoyed her inaugural ride in the convertible — to Sonic, of course — despite the still-lingering winter coolness in the air.  We are looking forward to lots of summer ice cream runs!

We lost our family dog this week, after 16 years with us.  My grief is proportionate to the love I had for her.  She was greatly loved and will be greatly missed.  Goodbye, sweet Savannah.  You’re a good girl.