delighted to be

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes / march 20, 2014

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We basically just call these banana pancakes at our house, but now that I think about it they do indeed taste like chocolate chip oatmeal cookies! And for breakfast? Even better.

I don’t remember where I stumbled across this recipe but I’m so very grateful I did. They take less than five minutes to whip up and Jack loves them. And did I mention they’re vegan?

I won’t post the recipe here because it isn’t mine, and you really should hop on over to minimalist baker and see her pretty photos anyway. :)

We found that this makes the perfect amount for the two of us. And we don’t need any maple syrup, either! I also use a real egg if I have it on hand, which in these pregnant days, I do.

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Baby Feeding Chart (Free Printable) / march 19, 2014

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For some odd reason, there’s been a huge surge of traffic to my old blog these past few weeks. People are emailing me specifically asking for the PDF of the baby feeding chart I used with Jack three years ago.

And I’m happy to share! Download it right here, in PDF format. (You can print it as many times as you want for personal use and gifts, but please do not sell, share digitally, or alter it in any way. If you’d like to feature it on your site, please link directly back to me. Thank you!)

Note: This is for bottle-fed babies, and as a new mom it was priceless in helping me keep my day organized. I followed the book BabyWise and Jack ate every three hours, so keeping track of feedings was crucial. The best way I found to use it was to print it out and frame it in an 8×10 frame. Use a dry-erase marker to write directly on the glass of the frame, and wiped it clean for the next day!

Update: here’s the breastfeeding chart!

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freelance! / march 17, 2014

Well, shoot. The weeks are flying by without me and it’s already mid-March.

But! When I haven’t been sick, I’ve been keeping myself entertained doing freelance graphic design. (Let’s all just agree that I picked the best major ever in college.) Here’s a catch-up of some of what I’ve been working on lately:

1. doTerra Essential Oils logo / business cards. My dear friend Gail (she took photos of us with Amelia at the hospital) has since moved back to her homeland of New Zealand. She was one of my favorite clients to work for, and I loved watercoloring this for her!

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2. Mac’s baptism invite. (As Mormons we get baptized at the age of 8 instead of as an infant.) This is a postcard invite for Gail’s handsome son’s baptism.

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3. My Dad is a competition barbecuer (weird hobby, right? he’s also opening a bbq restaurant soon, follow its construction progress on facebook!) and hosts an annual bbq competition every July in Vista, California. I had the pleasure of doing the branding for him this year, and can’t wait to continue working on it in the following months with posters, t-shirts and advertising.

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4. I’ve been sketching and doodling and making hand-drawn logos. I’ll share the final product if and when I can for this one.

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5. My sister has started a new business, and let me pretty much take full-control of her logo and website. The site isn’t 100% complete as of today, but I love how her logo turned out! (It plays off the 7 colors of one’s chakra, and the beautiful mountains of her new hometown of Highland, Utah.)

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I feel blessed and blessed again to be doing the work I love, and to be progressing and keeping my brain active. If you or a friend need a logo or branding done for a business, or a wedding invite or a website done (anything at all, really), email me at alie.jonesy {at} gmail.com – I’d love to work with you!

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25 weeks / march 6, 2014

Sorry for the radio silence, it’s been a rough few weeks over here.

Usually I can look at my pregnant body in the mirror and see just how amazing and capable it is. Despite flaws (love handles, love handles, please go away!) I can stand there and be in complete awe of the fact that there’s a baby — ANOTHER HUMAN! — growing safe and secure inside of me. I fall somewhere between being completely flabbergasted and humbled that I have been given the ability to grow a new life.

But lately I can’t help but feel disappointed and rejected by my body. This incredible, strong body of mine seems to be failing me physically. I’ve been starting to go to the chiropractor on a regular basis (which frankly, isn’t helping much at all), and every night a hot rice pack is an essential part of my bedtime routine. Somedays I just completely fall apart by 9am with exhaustion from the strain on my hips, legs, and core that I can barely move from the couch.

Maybe it’s because this is my third pregnancy in five years, but how did women in eras before us (and still now!) survive eight, nine, ten pregnancies?

I’m at a loss. I feel like crying all day long because the pain is so unbearable at times. I feel like I’m failing as a wife and mother, and I can’t keep up with any sort of normal routine.

I feel guilty and angry at myself for even complaining at all; I should know of all people what a blessing it is to have a healthy baby boy growing strong inside of me. So why do I feel so distraught and helpless?

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