I need a fresh start after all that has happened this year, and so a fresh blog will be happening. Please follow me now at:
http://bexontime.wordpress.com/
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Friday, December 6, 2013
Fooding
Growing up, I SUCKED at cooking. I set a pot on fire BOILING WATER. I set a frying pan on fire MAKING PANCAKES (and that pan had to be thrown out...there was no saving it). I was bad bad bad at cooking or anything kitchen related.
Now though? I'm on a roll. I'm finding that I have natural instincts in the kitchen and I follow them and it usually turns out good. Time for some food pictures and talk.
Now though? I'm on a roll. I'm finding that I have natural instincts in the kitchen and I follow them and it usually turns out good. Time for some food pictures and talk.
Scalloped Potatoes
This was the first time I have ever attempted to make these babies from scratch. I love scalloped potatoes and I always end up adding my own cheese to the boxed stuff anyways, so I decided to give it a go. I looked at a few recipes online just for a basic idea of where to start and so many said 6-8 potatoes. Let me tell you that would make A FREAKING LOT. I used 4 potatoes, but one was very small. Anyways, recipe.
4 peeled and thinly sliced potatoes
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 cup of milk (roughly...I don't measure)
A buttload of cheese
Onion powder
Pepper
Butter to grease the dish
Oven preheated to 425 degrees F
Basically just toss it all together in your dish and makes sure there's cheesy goodness throughout. I ended up baking it for close to two hours, but I could have left it in a bit longer. It was hearty and very delicious. This made enough to serve both B and I, along with a salad.
Spicy Salad
This is the salad I spoke of in my last post. Try it!
Salmon
I'm not a salmon fan, but B is so I decided to experiment a bit.
2 salmon filets (frozen)
Sprinkling of dill
1/3 of a cup of melted margarine
1 tsp corn starch
Splash of milk
Onion powder
Crushed red pepper
Oven: 350 F
I brushed some of the melted margarine onto the filets (both sides). Next I poured the milk, dill and corn starch into the rest of the melted margarine and mixed it well. I then poured it on the salmon (both sides, again) and then sprinkled the other spices lightly on top. Took about 20 minutes to cook perfectly, and B LOVED it. He saved one filet to take to work for lunch the next day.
Banana Muffins
Usually I make a loaf of banana bread, but these are so much more convenient for breakfasts and for B to take in his lunch to work. So I gave muffins a try and they are even better than my bread. I've been using this recipe ever since we got married.
3 ripe bananas
1/3 cup melted butter or margarine
3/4 cup of sugar (the recipe I originally used way back in 2010 called for a full cup, but I found that too sweet)
1 egg, beaten (today I didn't beat the egg, however, and it turned out fine)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Oven: 350 F
Mash the bananas thoroughly. With a wooden spoon, mix in the melted butter. Then mix in sugar, egg and vanilla. Next, sprinkled the baking soda and salt over the mixture and then stir them in. Finally, add the flour and mix it real good til it's smooth. Butter your baking pan, then pour the mixture in. For a banana loaf, you want to leave it in the oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes. For muffins, 30 minutes will do it.
I am obviously loving cooking. I find that I have a very 'me' approach to it, and I like it. I need to work on making things more healthy, but I have time to work on that. For now I'm really just enjoying experimenting and creating my own recipes as well as making known recipes my own. And B doesn't mind my kitchen adventures in the slightest. He is a man and he likes to eat. And I like to feed him. And myself. I love eating.
In G news, she's picking up new words rapidly and is really starting to get into calling me Mama on a regular basis. She's honestly the best kid. I love her so much.
Monday, December 2, 2013
Back to Business
Today marks the first day of being alone with G again. Time to get back to my job as housewife extraordinaire. It's amazing how much better I feel since the surgery. Unfortunately my appetite came back with a vengeance and I've been eating every thing in sight, but with the start of this new week and new chapter in our lives, I feel inspired to be good with the food. Example of my goodness: Last night I willingly ate a salad for a snack. Yes, I followed with that last final late night bowl of macaroni and ketchup, but I swear it was the last one!!
We recently got cable in our apartment - apparently it was free in our complex but no one ever told us...jeeze - and so that means I've been living on the Food Network and that in turn means that I've been inspired to cook! And more than just pasta! Amazing, I know. Here are some of the things I made last week:
This is...well I guess you'd call it a hash? Anyways, I was craving eggs and I had leftover potatoes from the night before so I tossed them together in the pan with some pureed spinach, onion powder, salt, pepper, and a few chunks of chicken. It was insanely delicious, and all three of us really enjoyed it.
We recently got cable in our apartment - apparently it was free in our complex but no one ever told us...jeeze - and so that means I've been living on the Food Network and that in turn means that I've been inspired to cook! And more than just pasta! Amazing, I know. Here are some of the things I made last week:
This is...well I guess you'd call it a hash? Anyways, I was craving eggs and I had leftover potatoes from the night before so I tossed them together in the pan with some pureed spinach, onion powder, salt, pepper, and a few chunks of chicken. It was insanely delicious, and all three of us really enjoyed it.
This is baked chicken topped with asiago cheese (soo yummy), cheesy ranch dressing, and Frank's Red Hot Buffalo sauce (I would drink it straight from the bottle if I could). It turned out to be probably the most delicious chicken dish I have ever made. Can't wait to make it again!
Cheesy mashed potatoes, with corn and pureed spinach mixed in. I'm loving spinach lately and am really having a great time experimenting, trying to figure out new things to add it to.
This week I also made an AMAZING spinach dip and a fantastic 'southwest' salad but I forgot to take pictures.
Spinach dip:
1 'thing' of cream cheese. I can't remember how big it was, haha. Just that it was a container, not the blocks.
1/4 of red pepper. I love the taste, hate the texture so I'm stingy.
Grated cheddar cheese (LOTS)
Pureed Spinach. Typically I chop the spinach, but I found that pureeing it gave the dip a much creamier texture.
Asiago cheese sprinkled on top.
Onion powder/Cayenne. Just a bit.
Because I didn't use block cheese, I could mix this dip by hand instead of bothering with the mixer which is a pain and extremely messy. This was very fast to prepare (though it would have been faster if a certain small someone hadn't been crying because Daddy ran out to buy Tostitos). Once everything was mixed together, I tossed it in the oven 375 for about 45 minutes, until the top was golden. I will absolutely be making this again, as much as I can because it was so darn good, and made for delicious leftovers as well.
Salad:
Lettuce
Grated cheddar cheese
Asiago (grated)
Crushed Tostitos
Corn
Sprinkling of Red Hot
Seriously, for something so simple it was SO delicious. It made me fall in love with salad for the first time like, ever. I want to eat it all the freaking time.
I wish I could continue writing right now, but I put G down for a nap almost an hour ago and she is still in there chatting away and singing. Round two of nap time now, I guess. Ugh. I may be healing fast, but lugging a fat baby around is still taxing.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
No More Stones in This Gal(l)
Sorry for starting with that dreadfully punny title.
So things were going great once all the bedbug and floor stuff was taken care of. But then my gallstones decided that right when I was into the swing of things (I was seriously an AMAZING housewife for a bit in there), they'd ATTACK. And attack me they did. Hard. Violent. I didn't eat for days. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't care for my daughter. B had to take off work because of it. Finally enough was enough and we went to the hospital where I was admitted and put on fluids for the duration of my stay. Turned out that the gallstones were also affecting my liver pretty badly. I lost ten pounds during my week and a half of torture.
I had an ERCP on Monday the 18th, and let me tell you it was one of the worst experiences of my life. They don't put you to sleep, but the drugs can cause you to fall asleep which is what happened with me. However I woke up mid procedure and I really freaked out. Waking up with a tube down your throat is 100% terrifying. I am scared when I think about it, even now. Anyways, they removed some stones and then gave me morphine and then the extremely handsome nurse told me to pass as much gas as I could.
The next day I have my lap-chole. I felt 100% comfortable going into it for a couple reasons. 1) They're always talking about that procedure on Grey's and ER so I knew what it was. 2) I'm generally a chill person, and I knew I wouldn't wake up in the middle terrified as with the ERCP. I trust doctors, the anesthesiologist seemed like an awesome guy, and my nurses were so friendly. I don't remember falling asleep but I do remember waking up feeling panicked. Not as scared as during the scope, but a different kind of panic because I couldn't remember anything and I HATED the oxygen mask. I felt so constricted and like I wasn't getting enough air. When they switched to the nosey tubey thing I was much happier. And they gave me a lot of morphine and it was nice. As a bonus, after my surgery I was moved to a different ward where I had a swanky private room.
All in all, though there's been a lot of pain and inconvenience over the past few weeks, I'm thankful to be rid of my gallbladder. It has been attacking me for over a year now. It was time to ditch the thing. By Monday we'll be back to our regular routine. I'm able to help more with G, my incisions are healing nicely, and B will be able to go back to work.
In other news, I've started to decorate our apartment in our A Very Zelda Christmas theme. I will be making all the ornaments/decorations myself which I think is going to be so much fun. Here's a couple progress pics:
So things were going great once all the bedbug and floor stuff was taken care of. But then my gallstones decided that right when I was into the swing of things (I was seriously an AMAZING housewife for a bit in there), they'd ATTACK. And attack me they did. Hard. Violent. I didn't eat for days. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't care for my daughter. B had to take off work because of it. Finally enough was enough and we went to the hospital where I was admitted and put on fluids for the duration of my stay. Turned out that the gallstones were also affecting my liver pretty badly. I lost ten pounds during my week and a half of torture.
I had an ERCP on Monday the 18th, and let me tell you it was one of the worst experiences of my life. They don't put you to sleep, but the drugs can cause you to fall asleep which is what happened with me. However I woke up mid procedure and I really freaked out. Waking up with a tube down your throat is 100% terrifying. I am scared when I think about it, even now. Anyways, they removed some stones and then gave me morphine and then the extremely handsome nurse told me to pass as much gas as I could.
The next day I have my lap-chole. I felt 100% comfortable going into it for a couple reasons. 1) They're always talking about that procedure on Grey's and ER so I knew what it was. 2) I'm generally a chill person, and I knew I wouldn't wake up in the middle terrified as with the ERCP. I trust doctors, the anesthesiologist seemed like an awesome guy, and my nurses were so friendly. I don't remember falling asleep but I do remember waking up feeling panicked. Not as scared as during the scope, but a different kind of panic because I couldn't remember anything and I HATED the oxygen mask. I felt so constricted and like I wasn't getting enough air. When they switched to the nosey tubey thing I was much happier. And they gave me a lot of morphine and it was nice. As a bonus, after my surgery I was moved to a different ward where I had a swanky private room.
All in all, though there's been a lot of pain and inconvenience over the past few weeks, I'm thankful to be rid of my gallbladder. It has been attacking me for over a year now. It was time to ditch the thing. By Monday we'll be back to our regular routine. I'm able to help more with G, my incisions are healing nicely, and B will be able to go back to work.
In other news, I've started to decorate our apartment in our A Very Zelda Christmas theme. I will be making all the ornaments/decorations myself which I think is going to be so much fun. Here's a couple progress pics:
I don't have any proper craft supplies so I've been working with paper and embroidery floss, but I'm hoping to pick up some perler beads soon so that I can begin creating the 8bit goodness.
Well that's all for today! Hopefully I'll remember to post again in a more timely fashion.
Saturday, November 9, 2013
Hi!
Apparently I haven't blogged since around G's birthday, and that was in July and it is now November. Oops. Good stuff and bad stuff have both happened since then.
Probably most significantly was the bad stuff we had to deal with concerning our apartment. Ever since moving in I would sporadically find bug bites on my body but since it was summer I didn't give it a second thought; I just assumed it was mosquitoes. When my bestie (and next door neighbour) discovered she had bedbugs however, I started to pay closer attention to what was happening. I inspected every inch of my apartment and could find no sign at all of an infestation. Yet bites would continually appear on my body. And then TWICE I found actual bedbugs on my body. Both were in different spots in the apartment.
We contacted management on Monday Sept 16 about the bugs and were told an inspection would be forthcoming. We didn't hear back all week. On the Friday, building managers went door to door just to make sure all was well with the tenants. I was asked if we had roaches (we do) or bedbugs and when I said yes and showed my bites, they didn't believe me. So I grabbed the jar where I'd been keeping the bugs I found on my body (KEEP ANY BUGS YOU FIND IF THIS HAPPENS TO YOU!) and THEN she believed me. That weekend we moved into B's parents house for what we thought would maybe be two weeks tops. It turned into 6 weeks.
Days stretched into weeks in part because after we left the apartment due to the bugs, our kitchen sink clogged (with food that was absolutely NOT ours) and our kitchen, dining room, and entryway flooded with nasty greasy water. B went into the office nearly every single day while we were not home to find out what the deal was with everything. The office would give vague answers and it was clear they didn't know what was going on. It turned out the extermination company they worked with was dropping the ball. They would book jobs despite being short of staff, which was completely unacceptable. When we finally got sprayed for bugs October was almost over. We were told they would either clean or replace or flooring, and it wasn't until the day before we moved back that a manager ACTUALLY FINALLY LOOKED AT THE FLOORS. No one had taken those few minutes to check. If they had, they would have told us we can clean it ourselves easily enough and that no replacements had to be made. And if they had told us that, we would have been home way sooner. Fortunately throughout the ordeal, we didn't have to pay full rent.
Living with B's parents was a nightmare for me, but I won't go into that today. Suffice to say, I'm ECSTATIC to be home, despite the fact that we have no living room furniture and are living in mild paranoia of bugs returning.
Now. I have two new blogs to recommend:
http://www.geekyhostess.com/
Tips, DIY, Recipes from a geeky girl. Even if you're not a geek, it's a blog worth reading. She hosts fabulous parties and has inspired me to try hosting an event of my own. (Perhaps at Christmas time!)
http://www.freckled-fox.com/
A mom blog, but different from any of the other ones I've found. She has great hair tutorials, and I love seeing her pregnancy fashion.
Probably most significantly was the bad stuff we had to deal with concerning our apartment. Ever since moving in I would sporadically find bug bites on my body but since it was summer I didn't give it a second thought; I just assumed it was mosquitoes. When my bestie (and next door neighbour) discovered she had bedbugs however, I started to pay closer attention to what was happening. I inspected every inch of my apartment and could find no sign at all of an infestation. Yet bites would continually appear on my body. And then TWICE I found actual bedbugs on my body. Both were in different spots in the apartment.
We contacted management on Monday Sept 16 about the bugs and were told an inspection would be forthcoming. We didn't hear back all week. On the Friday, building managers went door to door just to make sure all was well with the tenants. I was asked if we had roaches (we do) or bedbugs and when I said yes and showed my bites, they didn't believe me. So I grabbed the jar where I'd been keeping the bugs I found on my body (KEEP ANY BUGS YOU FIND IF THIS HAPPENS TO YOU!) and THEN she believed me. That weekend we moved into B's parents house for what we thought would maybe be two weeks tops. It turned into 6 weeks.
Days stretched into weeks in part because after we left the apartment due to the bugs, our kitchen sink clogged (with food that was absolutely NOT ours) and our kitchen, dining room, and entryway flooded with nasty greasy water. B went into the office nearly every single day while we were not home to find out what the deal was with everything. The office would give vague answers and it was clear they didn't know what was going on. It turned out the extermination company they worked with was dropping the ball. They would book jobs despite being short of staff, which was completely unacceptable. When we finally got sprayed for bugs October was almost over. We were told they would either clean or replace or flooring, and it wasn't until the day before we moved back that a manager ACTUALLY FINALLY LOOKED AT THE FLOORS. No one had taken those few minutes to check. If they had, they would have told us we can clean it ourselves easily enough and that no replacements had to be made. And if they had told us that, we would have been home way sooner. Fortunately throughout the ordeal, we didn't have to pay full rent.
Living with B's parents was a nightmare for me, but I won't go into that today. Suffice to say, I'm ECSTATIC to be home, despite the fact that we have no living room furniture and are living in mild paranoia of bugs returning.
Now. I have two new blogs to recommend:
http://www.geekyhostess.com/
Tips, DIY, Recipes from a geeky girl. Even if you're not a geek, it's a blog worth reading. She hosts fabulous parties and has inspired me to try hosting an event of my own. (Perhaps at Christmas time!)
http://www.freckled-fox.com/
A mom blog, but different from any of the other ones I've found. She has great hair tutorials, and I love seeing her pregnancy fashion.
Friday, July 26, 2013
G's Special Day
G's 1st birthday has come and gone. On the actual day (July 13th) we went to the mall with a friend (E) and then had dinner with Gma and Gpa. It was a low key day and G enjoyed herself as she always does every single day. Seriously, she is an amazing baby.
On the 21st, we had our celebration and it went really well. I was very anxious, because really...what do you do at a baby's birthday party? I mean, she's too small for activities that will engage her, and there was only one other baby to invite. So the party consisted of 4 parts.
1. General hanging out until everyone had arrived. At first it seemed slightly awkward, which is what I was expecting because I am not a good hostess as of yet. I lack the skills to start conversation when there's a large group of people. Fortunately there were two really cute babies to keep people entertained.
2. Food! We had snackish type things; cheese, crackers, fruit, veggies, and iced tea. Yum.
3. Present time. I had hoped G would be into ripping the paper off of her gifts, but she's not quite at that point yet. Hopefully for Christmas! The gifts she received were perfect. Everyone was so thoughtful and we definitely appreciated it!
4. Cake/cupcakes! I made the cupcakes (chocolate with chocolate frosting - from a box mix), and also used the leftover mix to make a small cake for G to dive into. And dive into it she did. She was timid at first, but she had chocolate EVERYWHERE by the time she was done.
All in all it was a really good day. I can't believe my baby is one year old though! Time has flown by, and now she has her first tooth and is walking (sometimes running!). I miss the days of the tiny newborn asleep on my chest, but I'm so excited by the fact that she can play now! She makes every day SO GOOD. Utterly and completely.
On the 21st, we had our celebration and it went really well. I was very anxious, because really...what do you do at a baby's birthday party? I mean, she's too small for activities that will engage her, and there was only one other baby to invite. So the party consisted of 4 parts.
1. General hanging out until everyone had arrived. At first it seemed slightly awkward, which is what I was expecting because I am not a good hostess as of yet. I lack the skills to start conversation when there's a large group of people. Fortunately there were two really cute babies to keep people entertained.
2. Food! We had snackish type things; cheese, crackers, fruit, veggies, and iced tea. Yum.
3. Present time. I had hoped G would be into ripping the paper off of her gifts, but she's not quite at that point yet. Hopefully for Christmas! The gifts she received were perfect. Everyone was so thoughtful and we definitely appreciated it!
4. Cake/cupcakes! I made the cupcakes (chocolate with chocolate frosting - from a box mix), and also used the leftover mix to make a small cake for G to dive into. And dive into it she did. She was timid at first, but she had chocolate EVERYWHERE by the time she was done.
All in all it was a really good day. I can't believe my baby is one year old though! Time has flown by, and now she has her first tooth and is walking (sometimes running!). I miss the days of the tiny newborn asleep on my chest, but I'm so excited by the fact that she can play now! She makes every day SO GOOD. Utterly and completely.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Blog Roundup
I've recently begun to read several new blogs, and I thought I'd share them with you:
Miss Abigail's Hope Chest
This is about the journey of a mother and daughter to revive the hope chest tradition! They are very crafty and the items they are collecting for Abigail's chest are absolutely beautiful. Kind of makes me want to get a chest for G!
http://missabigailshopechest.blogspot.ca/
Made by Marquette
This blog is actually made by the daughter in law of the lady running the blog above. It's mainly diy crafts and projects, heavily inspired by things on Pinterest.
http://madebymarquette.blogspot.ca/
Etiquette Hell
It's always fun to read the social faux pas horror stories of other people and this blog provides precisely that, as well as advice to navigate the various situations should they happen to you. Lots of laughs, lots of cringing.
http://www.etiquettehell.com/
Fleur De Force
Essentially this is just a lot of product recommendations and reviews. I love the author and really enjoy her youtube videos as well.
http://fleurdeforce.blogspot.ca/
Kristina Horner
I've been a huge fan of hers for years, and she just recently started up this new blog. So not too much content yet, but I can't wait for updates.
http://kristinahorner.com/
Miss Abigail's Hope Chest
This is about the journey of a mother and daughter to revive the hope chest tradition! They are very crafty and the items they are collecting for Abigail's chest are absolutely beautiful. Kind of makes me want to get a chest for G!
http://missabigailshopechest.blogspot.ca/
Made by Marquette
This blog is actually made by the daughter in law of the lady running the blog above. It's mainly diy crafts and projects, heavily inspired by things on Pinterest.
http://madebymarquette.blogspot.ca/
Etiquette Hell
It's always fun to read the social faux pas horror stories of other people and this blog provides precisely that, as well as advice to navigate the various situations should they happen to you. Lots of laughs, lots of cringing.
http://www.etiquettehell.com/
Fleur De Force
Essentially this is just a lot of product recommendations and reviews. I love the author and really enjoy her youtube videos as well.
http://fleurdeforce.blogspot.ca/
Kristina Horner
I've been a huge fan of hers for years, and she just recently started up this new blog. So not too much content yet, but I can't wait for updates.
http://kristinahorner.com/
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
1st B-Day
I've been preparing a bit for G's first birthday party. Her birthday is July 13, but the party will be on the 21st as that is when my brother arrives for his visit! I'm so excited for P to get here and that someone from my family will be represented at G's party.
The theme is Minnie Mouse. I found napkins, plate, hats, etc at Wal Mart so things will be fairly cute. I'm going to make chocolate cupcakes - my first time ever making cupcakes! Hopefully they turn out. It's not going to be a huge party - less than 20 people, I think. And it's not going to be long - only a couple of hours. In comparison to my cousin's son's first birthday, this is ridiculously tame. They had over SIXTY people stop by his party. My word. I could not deal with that. Holy moly. But my cousin is a social butterfly and I am not.
I'm looking forward to the party but it is so stressful figuring out who to invite. I feel worse about it than when I was making the list of who to invite to my wedding. This is a much smaller group of people and I would hate for someone to feel left out. I'm not even sure who WANTS to be invited. It's a baby party, not exactly exciting.
After the party I'll post pictures. If I remember to.
The theme is Minnie Mouse. I found napkins, plate, hats, etc at Wal Mart so things will be fairly cute. I'm going to make chocolate cupcakes - my first time ever making cupcakes! Hopefully they turn out. It's not going to be a huge party - less than 20 people, I think. And it's not going to be long - only a couple of hours. In comparison to my cousin's son's first birthday, this is ridiculously tame. They had over SIXTY people stop by his party. My word. I could not deal with that. Holy moly. But my cousin is a social butterfly and I am not.
I'm looking forward to the party but it is so stressful figuring out who to invite. I feel worse about it than when I was making the list of who to invite to my wedding. This is a much smaller group of people and I would hate for someone to feel left out. I'm not even sure who WANTS to be invited. It's a baby party, not exactly exciting.
After the party I'll post pictures. If I remember to.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
The Weekend
This past weekend was mostly great, considering it started off terribly. Friday was utterly awful. G had been up way too late the night before, and then woke up way too early. She was fussy, I was exhausted, and I ended up crying at one point - which she laughed at. I slept through lunch, so I didn't make B anything to eat (which was okay, he had Spongebob Alphagetti), and then much to my dismay I found out that B would be home late from work which meant several more hours alone with the cranky child.
Despite all this, and despite G waking me at 6:30 Saturday morning, I had a great birthday. It was lazy and quiet. I was able to lounge in bed for a few hours just reading fanfiction and being cozy.
Later in the day, we went to Old Navy so I could buy a new outfit with my birthday money. No luck. I only had $45 dollars, and they weren't having a denim sale so jeans were out of the question. I did find a pair for $20 on clearance, but when I stepped into the change room they wouldn't move anywhere above my thighs. Apparently I don't know my pants size. But that's understandable because I am still wearing my maternity jeans from Old Navy and in pregnant lady sizing, I'm an 8. So I thought a 12 in normal sizing would work. Wrong! There were also no tops that really stood out to me, and jeans were really the thing I NEED. So I went next door to Michael's and bought new art supplies! And I love what I bought. It has inspired me.
Next we went out for dinner with E and S at Denny's which was delicious. Afterward, we went home and I chilled some more, hung out with the fam, talked to my Mama on the phone, and then facetimed with my sister, brother and dad. It was a good end to a good 24th birthday.
Today, Sunday, was different. We didn't go to church and instead went to B's work family picnic thing, at the forestry farm zoo place. The bbq wasn't really my scene, but I did really like it when G decided to take some more of her first steps...on top of a freaking picnic table. That's my girl. Then we went into the zoo and saw some cool animals and G fell asleep in an adorably awkward position. At around 1:30 we came home, and all three of us had an hour and a half long nap which was amazingly nice. Then I got to work making dinner, and I tried out two new recipes. One was a simple chicken recipe that involved just oil, vinegar and a few spices. It was simple, and tasty and I made lots so that we would have leftovers for wraps. The second recipe was for twice baked potatoes and it was amazing. I'll have to find the pin but in the mean time, here's the final product:
My Sunday ended with some sketching, cuddles with my G, cuddles with my B, and some time to blog by myself. I'm really hoping this week will be a good one!
Despite all this, and despite G waking me at 6:30 Saturday morning, I had a great birthday. It was lazy and quiet. I was able to lounge in bed for a few hours just reading fanfiction and being cozy.
Later in the day, we went to Old Navy so I could buy a new outfit with my birthday money. No luck. I only had $45 dollars, and they weren't having a denim sale so jeans were out of the question. I did find a pair for $20 on clearance, but when I stepped into the change room they wouldn't move anywhere above my thighs. Apparently I don't know my pants size. But that's understandable because I am still wearing my maternity jeans from Old Navy and in pregnant lady sizing, I'm an 8. So I thought a 12 in normal sizing would work. Wrong! There were also no tops that really stood out to me, and jeans were really the thing I NEED. So I went next door to Michael's and bought new art supplies! And I love what I bought. It has inspired me.
Next we went out for dinner with E and S at Denny's which was delicious. Afterward, we went home and I chilled some more, hung out with the fam, talked to my Mama on the phone, and then facetimed with my sister, brother and dad. It was a good end to a good 24th birthday.
Today, Sunday, was different. We didn't go to church and instead went to B's work family picnic thing, at the forestry farm zoo place. The bbq wasn't really my scene, but I did really like it when G decided to take some more of her first steps...on top of a freaking picnic table. That's my girl. Then we went into the zoo and saw some cool animals and G fell asleep in an adorably awkward position. At around 1:30 we came home, and all three of us had an hour and a half long nap which was amazingly nice. Then I got to work making dinner, and I tried out two new recipes. One was a simple chicken recipe that involved just oil, vinegar and a few spices. It was simple, and tasty and I made lots so that we would have leftovers for wraps. The second recipe was for twice baked potatoes and it was amazing. I'll have to find the pin but in the mean time, here's the final product:
My Sunday ended with some sketching, cuddles with my G, cuddles with my B, and some time to blog by myself. I'm really hoping this week will be a good one!
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Update!
Well, we moved! What. A. RELIEF.
We found an amazing apartment that already feels like home. It may not be in the best neighbourhood, but there are so many families with children around that it feels very safe. I do wish said families with children would teach said children to BE QUIET at a decent hour each day, but hey...what can you do? Seriously though, it was almost nine o'clock tonight and we were preparing G for bed when this posse of six year olds starts hanging out near our front window, just jabbering away at the top of their lungs. And then they decided to peek in our window and dance to the music Sesame Street was making on our TV. Eventually I went and shut the blinds so I didn't have to see that one kid dancing anymore.
Since moving, a couple good things have happened.
1. I am SIGNIFICANTLY less stressed out. The ball of tension in my stomach is gone and it feels GOOD. Honestly, I was crying nearly every single night in MJ and since moving here I've only cried once or twice and it was because of extremely legitimate reasons.
2. I'm back in the kitchen, baby! I cook us dinner and lunch nearly every single day and I'm loving it. Having my own kitchen is fantastic and I'm having a blast stocking it with food and equipment. I finally own a muffin tin! And I got a Gordon Ramsay cook book for Mother's Day (my first!) which I'm looking forward to working through. Below is a picture of the soda bread I attempted:
It looks pretty good, but it was a failure. It didn't cook all the way through, which I didn't realize until after it had cooled down. Next time I'll add less flour, and I think that will solve the problem.
3. I'm no longer making my own baby food. I have the time, but at the same time I don't. Since moving here I haven't been sleeping well, so when G naps I definitely have to nap. When she's awake, I like to be in the same room as her. Most days I'm able to sneak off to the kitchen while she's watching Baby Einstein so I can get some dishes done, but some days she stands at the barrier banging away and screeching at me to give her attention. And how can I resist that face?
We found an amazing apartment that already feels like home. It may not be in the best neighbourhood, but there are so many families with children around that it feels very safe. I do wish said families with children would teach said children to BE QUIET at a decent hour each day, but hey...what can you do? Seriously though, it was almost nine o'clock tonight and we were preparing G for bed when this posse of six year olds starts hanging out near our front window, just jabbering away at the top of their lungs. And then they decided to peek in our window and dance to the music Sesame Street was making on our TV. Eventually I went and shut the blinds so I didn't have to see that one kid dancing anymore.
Since moving, a couple good things have happened.
1. I am SIGNIFICANTLY less stressed out. The ball of tension in my stomach is gone and it feels GOOD. Honestly, I was crying nearly every single night in MJ and since moving here I've only cried once or twice and it was because of extremely legitimate reasons.
2. I'm back in the kitchen, baby! I cook us dinner and lunch nearly every single day and I'm loving it. Having my own kitchen is fantastic and I'm having a blast stocking it with food and equipment. I finally own a muffin tin! And I got a Gordon Ramsay cook book for Mother's Day (my first!) which I'm looking forward to working through. Below is a picture of the soda bread I attempted:
It looks pretty good, but it was a failure. It didn't cook all the way through, which I didn't realize until after it had cooled down. Next time I'll add less flour, and I think that will solve the problem.
3. I'm no longer making my own baby food. I have the time, but at the same time I don't. Since moving here I haven't been sleeping well, so when G naps I definitely have to nap. When she's awake, I like to be in the same room as her. Most days I'm able to sneak off to the kitchen while she's watching Baby Einstein so I can get some dishes done, but some days she stands at the barrier banging away and screeching at me to give her attention. And how can I resist that face?
4. I'm losing weight! Part of this is due to being a little bit more active, but most of it is thanks to our diet. We no longer buy pop for the house. We still drink it, but only when we're out. Occasionally we'll get dollar drinks on the way home from somewhere, but there are no bottles or cans in our fridge or cupboards. This has been very good. We also haven't been buying a lot of junk food. I just bought my second bag of chips since getting here and it was only because I was having an extreme time 'o the month craving for them. Eating healthier is great and I can see results already. I can't wait to continue down this path!
5. I finally get to decorate a baby's room! One of my biggest regrets has been the fact that I didn't get to do a nursery for G. Nesting is SO important, and I would cry every so often because I didn't get to do it properly. It was like something was missing. But now I've been adding to G's room bit by bit and I love it and I feel so much happier.
Now, I'd best get to work on finishing the invites for G's FIRST birthday! I'll do a separate post about that another day.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Moving
We're FINALLY moving, and I thought I'd take a moment to talk about the move.
Biggest Moving Tip:
Number every box, label the contents of every box, and copy both the number and contents into a notebook. I am ridiculously organized about packing. I have a plethora of blue paper left over from our wedding, and each box has a blue paper taped to it with the number and contents written on it. This makes it easier to read, and really differentiates the current contents from the previous contents as most of the boxes were used before in moves made by either us, or our parents.
It is hard to move with a baby getting into everything at the same time. If you're a stay at home parent, it is invaluable to have your spouse take a week off to help pack. B has been carting boxes upstairs to the garage and also just keeping G out of my hair so that I can get stuff done. Last week G figured out how to climb boxes which would have made things a nightmare for me if I was alone.
Not much else to say. I probably won't update until we get internet in the new place. Hopefully I'll post pics of the new apartment and my progress in decorating and organizing it. It should be a lot of fun! I'm also planning on FINALLY trying all those recipes I Pinned, so we'll see how that goes too.
Biggest Moving Tip:
Number every box, label the contents of every box, and copy both the number and contents into a notebook. I am ridiculously organized about packing. I have a plethora of blue paper left over from our wedding, and each box has a blue paper taped to it with the number and contents written on it. This makes it easier to read, and really differentiates the current contents from the previous contents as most of the boxes were used before in moves made by either us, or our parents.
It is hard to move with a baby getting into everything at the same time. If you're a stay at home parent, it is invaluable to have your spouse take a week off to help pack. B has been carting boxes upstairs to the garage and also just keeping G out of my hair so that I can get stuff done. Last week G figured out how to climb boxes which would have made things a nightmare for me if I was alone.
Not much else to say. I probably won't update until we get internet in the new place. Hopefully I'll post pics of the new apartment and my progress in decorating and organizing it. It should be a lot of fun! I'm also planning on FINALLY trying all those recipes I Pinned, so we'll see how that goes too.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
A Rant
No one has directly spoken to me, but whenever a post pops up in my news feed about breastfeeding (I have a FB friend who is very pro-breast feeding) it honestly hurts my feelings. I'm not against breast feeding, not even a little bit. I say do it for as long as you want/can because it really is good for the kiddo. But all too often, breast feeding moms are ridiculously smug about it. And when posts where women brag about how long they fed their little ones pop up on facebook, it hurts me because even though none of these ladies are talking to me, they're inadvertently rubbing it into my face that I couldn't keep it up so somehow I'm not as good at being a mother.
I absolutely know with all my heart that THIS IS NOT TRUE. I'm a great mom. I keep Ginny healthy, and she's progressing perfectly. She's happy and I'm happy. And every other minute of the day when I don't see one of those posts, I am absolutely fine. No thoughts about breast feeding and my 'failure' to keep it up. I didn't fail. My body just couldn't do it, and that's nobody's fault. It happens to so many ladies all over the place. But when I see that breast feeding post, in that moment I feel terrible and I hate it.
What can I do about it? Nothing. Nor do I want to. So instead I come over here and rant about it for a couple minutes and when I am done, I'll finish my glass of water and go snuggle my husband.
I absolutely know with all my heart that THIS IS NOT TRUE. I'm a great mom. I keep Ginny healthy, and she's progressing perfectly. She's happy and I'm happy. And every other minute of the day when I don't see one of those posts, I am absolutely fine. No thoughts about breast feeding and my 'failure' to keep it up. I didn't fail. My body just couldn't do it, and that's nobody's fault. It happens to so many ladies all over the place. But when I see that breast feeding post, in that moment I feel terrible and I hate it.
What can I do about it? Nothing. Nor do I want to. So instead I come over here and rant about it for a couple minutes and when I am done, I'll finish my glass of water and go snuggle my husband.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
My Happy Baby
G is one of the happiest babies I’ve ever met. She is always ready to shoot you a smile, and she loves being picked up and played with. She isn’t fussy – obviously with the exceptions of being overtired or hungry – and she doesn’t cry too often. She is a happy, happy baby.
I mention this, because she has a huge reason to be unhappy. G has eczema pretty bad, and has had it so since she was a few months old. It is the worst on her face, scalp and left leg. On her face, it looks painful and raw and is extremely rough to the touch. Her forehead is constantly covered in scratches that bleed and mar her beautiful little face.
At night we have to swaddle her tightly so that her arms aren’t free – which doesn’t work because she’s a wiggle-worm. She wakes herself up in the night because her face is super itchy and she is desperate to scratch it, which usually means that she ends up knocking her soother out and she becomes too frustrated to get it back. It’s hard watching her struggle, and it’s hard to keep from scratching for her.
We were finally able to get to the doctor and he prescribed some cream. Know what? That NIGHT her eczema was fading already. She has been sleeping a little better since starting treatment with that cream. A week later and her skin is CLEAR for the first time in months. I’d grown so used to the giant eczema patches on her face that seeing her beautiful skin was surreal – it looks airbrushed! She’s such a pretty baby and I’m so utterly beyond proud of her for staying completely happy despite the frantic scratching and discomfort and bleeding.
I love my happy baby so much. She makes every day just that much better with her giggles (which are rare but always ALWAYS incredibly uplifting) and her cheeky smile and those big blue eyes that are frequently full of mischief. I love that she reaches for me and wants to sit on my lap or climb on me. I love her so much and I’m proud to be her Mama.
I mention this, because she has a huge reason to be unhappy. G has eczema pretty bad, and has had it so since she was a few months old. It is the worst on her face, scalp and left leg. On her face, it looks painful and raw and is extremely rough to the touch. Her forehead is constantly covered in scratches that bleed and mar her beautiful little face.
At night we have to swaddle her tightly so that her arms aren’t free – which doesn’t work because she’s a wiggle-worm. She wakes herself up in the night because her face is super itchy and she is desperate to scratch it, which usually means that she ends up knocking her soother out and she becomes too frustrated to get it back. It’s hard watching her struggle, and it’s hard to keep from scratching for her.
We were finally able to get to the doctor and he prescribed some cream. Know what? That NIGHT her eczema was fading already. She has been sleeping a little better since starting treatment with that cream. A week later and her skin is CLEAR for the first time in months. I’d grown so used to the giant eczema patches on her face that seeing her beautiful skin was surreal – it looks airbrushed! She’s such a pretty baby and I’m so utterly beyond proud of her for staying completely happy despite the frantic scratching and discomfort and bleeding.
I love my happy baby so much. She makes every day just that much better with her giggles (which are rare but always ALWAYS incredibly uplifting) and her cheeky smile and those big blue eyes that are frequently full of mischief. I love that she reaches for me and wants to sit on my lap or climb on me. I love her so much and I’m proud to be her Mama.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Different Things
This post is kind of going to be all over the place because my mind is jumbled and I just wanna post something!
We're back at home in MJ, and I am beginning to settle into my life as a house wife. We are planning on moving as soon as we can, but for the near future at least this is home. Since day one here I have been working hard to baby proof everything (G is a roller!), rearrange the furniture, and just do some general tidying. So far, things are looking great (or as great as they can in this ugly cave we live in with limited furniture). I'm getting organized and it feels good.
I can't wait for other friends to start having babies, because I am saving all of G's stuff. There are a few things I'll keep for myself for sentimental reasons, but most of it can be distributed. In addition to clothing, we also have a car seat for someone to take if they want it (my aunt gave us the next size up car seat that will do G til she's 50lbs - it belonged to one of her twins), a breast pump, a Snugli, and I would absolutely lend out the Baby Bullet.
The Baby Bullet. SO MUCH FUN. I love making the baby food myself. G loves my sweet potatoes way more than the store bought stuff. I can't wait til the next batch cooking day so we can try some new things!
One of my favourite parts about being a housewife, is doing the laundry. I've never enjoyed doing laundry, but lately it's been fun. I love sitting on the couch and folding everything out on the coffee table while watching Netflix. Today I put G on the couch behind me and gave her some toys to play with while I sorted her laundry. Just as I was finishing, I felt a little hand tugging on the back of my hoodie and I turned around to be greeted with a big smile and blue eyes. She just wanted a hug.
G is getting to be so much more fun (if that's possible). She sits independantly and the other day managed to stand up on her own! She was holding onto something, but it's still a HUGE moment for us. She's rolling all over the place and I've had to vacuum several times since getting back already. She has favourite toys, and is particular about different things. Another cute story: Naptime today, I heard her make a noise so I went to check on her and she was just chilling in bed with one arm behind her head, staring at her soother. I made a little noise and she turned to look at me and just beamed. Her smile is so big when she sees us after waking up. It really just melts my heart. So I picked her up and smooched her and we went to play and do laundry.
Baby Mum Mums. They're little rice cookie/cracker things and G LOVES them. Warning though: the box says they are not messy and that is a lie. They get everywhere! Mostly in her mouth, but little bits end up embedded in the carpet or her bib and stick to skin like the dickens. They are such a great snack for her though. It's great to be able to hand her something to eat while we eat dinner, to keep her busy.
I guess that's it for now. Not sure when I'll update again, as I'm pretty busy with getting the house into shape at the moment and in my downtime, I'm honestly just playing video games, haha. I have a post about traveling with a baby in the works, so hopefully I can get that done pretty soon and get it to you!
For now, here are a few recent photos:
We're back at home in MJ, and I am beginning to settle into my life as a house wife. We are planning on moving as soon as we can, but for the near future at least this is home. Since day one here I have been working hard to baby proof everything (G is a roller!), rearrange the furniture, and just do some general tidying. So far, things are looking great (or as great as they can in this ugly cave we live in with limited furniture). I'm getting organized and it feels good.
I can't wait for other friends to start having babies, because I am saving all of G's stuff. There are a few things I'll keep for myself for sentimental reasons, but most of it can be distributed. In addition to clothing, we also have a car seat for someone to take if they want it (my aunt gave us the next size up car seat that will do G til she's 50lbs - it belonged to one of her twins), a breast pump, a Snugli, and I would absolutely lend out the Baby Bullet.
The Baby Bullet. SO MUCH FUN. I love making the baby food myself. G loves my sweet potatoes way more than the store bought stuff. I can't wait til the next batch cooking day so we can try some new things!
One of my favourite parts about being a housewife, is doing the laundry. I've never enjoyed doing laundry, but lately it's been fun. I love sitting on the couch and folding everything out on the coffee table while watching Netflix. Today I put G on the couch behind me and gave her some toys to play with while I sorted her laundry. Just as I was finishing, I felt a little hand tugging on the back of my hoodie and I turned around to be greeted with a big smile and blue eyes. She just wanted a hug.
G is getting to be so much more fun (if that's possible). She sits independantly and the other day managed to stand up on her own! She was holding onto something, but it's still a HUGE moment for us. She's rolling all over the place and I've had to vacuum several times since getting back already. She has favourite toys, and is particular about different things. Another cute story: Naptime today, I heard her make a noise so I went to check on her and she was just chilling in bed with one arm behind her head, staring at her soother. I made a little noise and she turned to look at me and just beamed. Her smile is so big when she sees us after waking up. It really just melts my heart. So I picked her up and smooched her and we went to play and do laundry.
Baby Mum Mums. They're little rice cookie/cracker things and G LOVES them. Warning though: the box says they are not messy and that is a lie. They get everywhere! Mostly in her mouth, but little bits end up embedded in the carpet or her bib and stick to skin like the dickens. They are such a great snack for her though. It's great to be able to hand her something to eat while we eat dinner, to keep her busy.
I guess that's it for now. Not sure when I'll update again, as I'm pretty busy with getting the house into shape at the moment and in my downtime, I'm honestly just playing video games, haha. I have a post about traveling with a baby in the works, so hopefully I can get that done pretty soon and get it to you!
For now, here are a few recent photos:
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Valentine's Day
I love Valentine's Day, and I've done so for my entire life - single or otherwise. I have never once felt any Valentine's Day related sadness. To me it was never 'Single Awareness Day'. It's not just a Hallmark holiday, made to shovel money into the mouths of rich people.
When I was single, it was a day where my Mom and Dad bought me chocolate. It was a day when maybe I'd pop in a romance movie and cry over the gushiness. I didn't feel sad. Sure, of course I wished I had a boyfriend, but I knew that one day I'd probably have one.
When B and I got together, Valentine's Day became just a good day to remind each other of our mutual love. Our first year he bought me flowers, but I killed them so the next year he bought me a 4ft tall fake flower that I still have to this day. One year after we got married I made him a sexy coupon book. We usually get chocolate for one another and just remember to have fun. We're the type who are romantic all year round, so Valentine's Day is just an extra extra excuse to be a bit fancy.
Now, with G, Valentine's Day is even more special to us. On February 14th, 2012, we heard G's heartbeat for the very first time. That was our special event for that day, and we couldn't have done anything that would have made that day better that it already was. We were having a baby! A beautiful baby girl, though we didn't know it at the time. B and I were talking the other day, and we kind of decided that in our house, Valentine's Day would be more of a family day. We plan on spending February 14th this year doing something all together, just the three of us. We're hoping that by doing this year after year, perhaps G will grow up like I did: seeing Valentine's Day as a fun day where your mommy and daddy give you chocolate and you can just have fun. I don't want my daughter to be depressed because she's single. To me it's not a day of malice, which is how so many single people see it, but just a day to love things.
How do you spend your Valentine's Day?
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
New Look
FINALLY changed my background. I'd been meaning to do so since I began this darn thing, but just hadn't gotten around to it yet. The image is one that I drew myself. I cropped it, changed the colour with the computer and here it is. I also use it as the background on my tumblr: http://shortonheight.tumblr.com/
Anyways, just mentioning how pretty the background is now, if I do say so myself.
Also, G is sitting by herself, never stops talking, and loves to shriek with happiness allllll day long. I frequently have a headache these days, but she's so darn cute that I don't really mind.
Anyways, just mentioning how pretty the background is now, if I do say so myself.
Also, G is sitting by herself, never stops talking, and loves to shriek with happiness allllll day long. I frequently have a headache these days, but she's so darn cute that I don't really mind.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Clean
I'm just going to say it: I am a recovering hoarder.
If you ever visited our apartment in Saskatoon, you will know that I am not a neat freak. I had clutter everywhere. But you know what? That was not the worst I've been, by far.
As a teenager, I became incredibly messy. My room never had a floor and I'm not exaggerating. There would be a small footpath leading to my bed and that was it. Clothes and old toys and books and magazines would be strewn everywhere. My mom was constantly at me to tidy up and I would do it halfheartedly, but really I just didn't care. If you've been to the place we lived in Maple Creek, you would know that I had two huge closets in my bedroom. And you know what? They were both FULL of junk. Junk piled upon junk, spilling out of the doors. My friend A would come over pretty frequently and was constantly rolling her eyes at me and always tried to encourage me to do better. And maybe I would have done better if my life in MC hadn't been so bloody difficult. The ages of 11-17 were dark years for me and maybe that contributed to some of my problems.
We moved to GP and I was optimistic. New room, new start. I unpacked and organized all my things and my room looked really great. It looked like the room of a responsible 18 year old woman, just beginning her journey into adulthood and wanting to be taken more seriously by her parents. But then I couldn't get a job. And my dark days returned, though to a much lesser extant than when I was in MC (having the love of my life around helped considerably). My room began to clutter and once more my floor disappeared.
Then I did get a job, at the Thrift Store. This did NOT help. I had a staff 50% discount which killed me. My room rapidly filled with books, books, books! And mountains of clothes. I was honestly addicted. Every single day of work, I came home with a full bag of stuff. It was bad. The mess in my room grew. I was constantly tripping over things. When the phone rang, I had to maneuver over piles of stuff that were near 2 feet high. I'm not exaggerating! That is how bad it was. There was not a single empty surface in that bedroom. Frankly, it was embarrassing. I'm ashamed of the way I was. When I moved from GP to SK, I purged. Garbage bag after garbage bag after garbage bag went out my door. Most things were donated BACK to the Thrift Store. I couldn't believe what I had let myself become.
Things were better in Saskatoon, but I was just recovering from this previous life of being an absolute slob. It was hard to get out of the old habits, and although my apartment was less than pristine, I was proud of my progress. It was still hard to have people over sometimes, knowing they'd know I was messy, but that's who I was. They were my friends and I knew they would still be my friends.
Having G has changed me for the better. I now WANT to be tidy, and it doesn't take as much effort. I need a clean floor so that G can roll around and be safe and comfortable. I need a clean floor for myself, as well. My stress level decreases when my home is tidy and that is definitely a good thing because in MJ I am constantly stressed.
When we move back to Saskatoon, I will do even better. I will live in a home that looks like it belongs to an adult couple with a baby, not a home that looks like it belongs to frat boys. I am certain that I can do this.
I can be tidy and I WILL be tidy.
If you ever visited our apartment in Saskatoon, you will know that I am not a neat freak. I had clutter everywhere. But you know what? That was not the worst I've been, by far.
As a teenager, I became incredibly messy. My room never had a floor and I'm not exaggerating. There would be a small footpath leading to my bed and that was it. Clothes and old toys and books and magazines would be strewn everywhere. My mom was constantly at me to tidy up and I would do it halfheartedly, but really I just didn't care. If you've been to the place we lived in Maple Creek, you would know that I had two huge closets in my bedroom. And you know what? They were both FULL of junk. Junk piled upon junk, spilling out of the doors. My friend A would come over pretty frequently and was constantly rolling her eyes at me and always tried to encourage me to do better. And maybe I would have done better if my life in MC hadn't been so bloody difficult. The ages of 11-17 were dark years for me and maybe that contributed to some of my problems.
We moved to GP and I was optimistic. New room, new start. I unpacked and organized all my things and my room looked really great. It looked like the room of a responsible 18 year old woman, just beginning her journey into adulthood and wanting to be taken more seriously by her parents. But then I couldn't get a job. And my dark days returned, though to a much lesser extant than when I was in MC (having the love of my life around helped considerably). My room began to clutter and once more my floor disappeared.
Then I did get a job, at the Thrift Store. This did NOT help. I had a staff 50% discount which killed me. My room rapidly filled with books, books, books! And mountains of clothes. I was honestly addicted. Every single day of work, I came home with a full bag of stuff. It was bad. The mess in my room grew. I was constantly tripping over things. When the phone rang, I had to maneuver over piles of stuff that were near 2 feet high. I'm not exaggerating! That is how bad it was. There was not a single empty surface in that bedroom. Frankly, it was embarrassing. I'm ashamed of the way I was. When I moved from GP to SK, I purged. Garbage bag after garbage bag after garbage bag went out my door. Most things were donated BACK to the Thrift Store. I couldn't believe what I had let myself become.
Things were better in Saskatoon, but I was just recovering from this previous life of being an absolute slob. It was hard to get out of the old habits, and although my apartment was less than pristine, I was proud of my progress. It was still hard to have people over sometimes, knowing they'd know I was messy, but that's who I was. They were my friends and I knew they would still be my friends.
Having G has changed me for the better. I now WANT to be tidy, and it doesn't take as much effort. I need a clean floor so that G can roll around and be safe and comfortable. I need a clean floor for myself, as well. My stress level decreases when my home is tidy and that is definitely a good thing because in MJ I am constantly stressed.
When we move back to Saskatoon, I will do even better. I will live in a home that looks like it belongs to an adult couple with a baby, not a home that looks like it belongs to frat boys. I am certain that I can do this.
I can be tidy and I WILL be tidy.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Something to Think On...
B and I have been talking a lot about our eventual return to Saskatoon, and one of the main topics of discussion is where we will live. Our original intent was to go halfsies on a place with B's cousin and her boyfriend, but I really don't see that happening. For one, we haven't talked with them about it in any depth and when we have mentioned it they haven't seemed as on board as us, and for another we don't want to waste money renting.
The other day though, B came up with a great idea: buy a mobile home. This means living in a trailer park, which is something I'd never pictured myself doing, but it also means that we would own our own home and would have it payed off in less than ten years. Mortgage would be less than our ideal rent and our ideal rent is $700. We were looking at mobile homes online and there are some pretty darn nice ones. If we get the mortgage we want, we would even have money left over to invest in some new furniture and paint and trimmings.
I really hope this works out. I want a home of my own, and if it has to be a place outside my box, then so be it. I want to 'play' housewife again, properly. I want to have command of my own kitchen so that I can experiment and become a better cook (btw: I made sweet potato fries today in the oven, and a dip from scratch and both knocked our socks off!). I want to cook dinner most nights and have it hot and waiting for when B comes home from work. I want to snuggle on the couch with G in the mornings, watching Spongebob in our jammies. I want to decorate her room the way I want - this is EXTREMELY important to me, as I completely missed out on creating a nursery for her during my pregnancy, which has been something I've been filled with regret about. I want to decorate and make the place nice. I want to have friends over for dinner and feed them food that I made on my own dishes at a new kitchen table. I want to walk around without a bra again! I want to be able to dash naked from the bathroom to the bedroom if I forget my clothes or my towel or whatever. I want to be able to go into the kitchen at 3am and rustle up some mac and cheese and leave the dishes as long as I want because it won't effect anyone else. I want to start a real, grownup life with my little family and take care of them and have them take care of me, and hang out with our friends and just live a life that is not stressful anymore.
Hopefully things work out and we can achieve all of this.
Now, I wasn't intending to talk about this, but now that I've mentioned those sweet potato fries I may as well tell you about them. It's not an elegant recipe by far, but I may as well write it down so at the very least I'll remember it for next time.
1 sweet potato, chopped in half and then lengthwise to make fries
Onion powder
Seasoning Salt
Salt
Oil
Toss the sweet potatoes in the oil (not too much, I hate oily taste) and season them to taste with the onion powder and seasoning salt. Lay them on a cookie sheet (I line mine with tin foil to avoid messes), carefully not to overlap them (it took two sheets for me). Preheat the oven to about 400, and then heat them for about 30 minutes, flipping them halfway. The recipe I was using as a guideline said to heat the oven to 450 and that was way too hot, and half of them ended up burnt.
Dip:
Mayo
Sour Cream
Cayenne
Onion Powder
Horse Radish
Seasoning Salt
No measurements, I was experimenting. A few globs of mayo, mixed with a couple globs of sour cream. Mixed those together and then added some cayenne (just enough to give a slight nippy aftertaste), a bit of onion powder, the seasoning salt and a tiny bit of horse radish. Mixed it all together and it was sooo good.
The other day though, B came up with a great idea: buy a mobile home. This means living in a trailer park, which is something I'd never pictured myself doing, but it also means that we would own our own home and would have it payed off in less than ten years. Mortgage would be less than our ideal rent and our ideal rent is $700. We were looking at mobile homes online and there are some pretty darn nice ones. If we get the mortgage we want, we would even have money left over to invest in some new furniture and paint and trimmings.
I really hope this works out. I want a home of my own, and if it has to be a place outside my box, then so be it. I want to 'play' housewife again, properly. I want to have command of my own kitchen so that I can experiment and become a better cook (btw: I made sweet potato fries today in the oven, and a dip from scratch and both knocked our socks off!). I want to cook dinner most nights and have it hot and waiting for when B comes home from work. I want to snuggle on the couch with G in the mornings, watching Spongebob in our jammies. I want to decorate her room the way I want - this is EXTREMELY important to me, as I completely missed out on creating a nursery for her during my pregnancy, which has been something I've been filled with regret about. I want to decorate and make the place nice. I want to have friends over for dinner and feed them food that I made on my own dishes at a new kitchen table. I want to walk around without a bra again! I want to be able to dash naked from the bathroom to the bedroom if I forget my clothes or my towel or whatever. I want to be able to go into the kitchen at 3am and rustle up some mac and cheese and leave the dishes as long as I want because it won't effect anyone else. I want to start a real, grownup life with my little family and take care of them and have them take care of me, and hang out with our friends and just live a life that is not stressful anymore.
Hopefully things work out and we can achieve all of this.
Now, I wasn't intending to talk about this, but now that I've mentioned those sweet potato fries I may as well tell you about them. It's not an elegant recipe by far, but I may as well write it down so at the very least I'll remember it for next time.
1 sweet potato, chopped in half and then lengthwise to make fries
Onion powder
Seasoning Salt
Salt
Oil
Toss the sweet potatoes in the oil (not too much, I hate oily taste) and season them to taste with the onion powder and seasoning salt. Lay them on a cookie sheet (I line mine with tin foil to avoid messes), carefully not to overlap them (it took two sheets for me). Preheat the oven to about 400, and then heat them for about 30 minutes, flipping them halfway. The recipe I was using as a guideline said to heat the oven to 450 and that was way too hot, and half of them ended up burnt.
Dip:
Mayo
Sour Cream
Cayenne
Onion Powder
Horse Radish
Seasoning Salt
No measurements, I was experimenting. A few globs of mayo, mixed with a couple globs of sour cream. Mixed those together and then added some cayenne (just enough to give a slight nippy aftertaste), a bit of onion powder, the seasoning salt and a tiny bit of horse radish. Mixed it all together and it was sooo good.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Being G's Mom
Lately, I think due to the fact that there have been so many strangers holding her all the time, G has become increasingly attached to me. I'm the one she wants when she cries and when I leave the room, she is temporarily (thankfully) fussy. This morning she screamed for probably almost two hours and there was nothing B could do to help her. Finally he came and woke me from my nap and almost the instant she was placed in my arms she quieted down and rested her head on my shoulder. I love being that person for her, being able to comfort and calm her just by holding her or singing the Star Trek theme, but I feel bad that B can't do it too.
I think a lot of it has to do with boobs. Moms are more comfortable and a big reason is because we're the ones with the boobs. At first, they're the feed bags and the baby loves the smell of them and the knowledge that food will come out. Then because baby has grown so close to mom through feeding (if you breast feed...but I get the feeling there's also a very strong bond if you don't because of the pregnancy), that just her normal smells and feeling are comfortable. Resting that heavy head on that squishy chest is relaxing (just ask any husband) and they are also a useful tool. G has the problem of very dry, flaky skin. This means that she is constantly scratching her face and head. Sometimes this is problematic at feeding times, but because I am a lady I can tuck one arm comfortable under my boob and hold her other hand still while I feed her. It's perfect. B can't do that. If he tucks her arm, it's uncomfortable for both. I feel bad that guys just aren't physically capable of making the same connection as women are.
In Other News:
Lately, G has been screaming her head off when she's having a good time, a bad time, or an in between time. She shrieked during church several times last week. The other day she was in the exersaucer screaming at a flower. Another thing she's been doing lately is really toying with my emotions, and it's saying, "mum mum mum mum" when she wants something. She is most assuredly saying 'mum' but she doesn't realize that it is a real word. I think she's aware that by saying it she will get something, and more often than not I will go pick her up or kiss her or feed her, but I don't think it has clicked that I am mum. Every time she says it, my heart kinda leaps and I think, "Oh my gosh!! She knows my name!" But then I remember that she doesn't and I just feel sad. The fact that she does it while fussing or crying doesn't help. It's cute as heck though. I love that kid.
New Years Resolutions are going ok so far. I'm not changing my eating habits yet and I likely won't until I'm in my own home cooking my own meals in my own kitchen, which won't be for several months at least yet. I'm not concerned about this though. I have all year and I'm not pressuring myself. I have successfully been avoiding chips though. It's only been three days, but my brother cracked open a bag of sour cream and onion chips and both B and I were drooling over them. We abstained though, and are victorious thus far.
Les Miserables. Go. See. It. Now. It was so good. I loved it. It was perfect. I can't wait to see it again.
Now that January has begun, I'm beginning to get nervous because I know that my time in BC will come to an end soon (and by soon I mean in maybe a month). I don't want to go back! This place has done wonders for me. I take headache medicine waaaay less, and I'm eating more and sleeping better and am happier. B noticed a difference in me within the first week we were here. I've been cooking! And the time with my family has just been wonderful. I love my parents and bro and sis so much.
I think that's it for now. Just felt like dumping some information. Good evening!
I think a lot of it has to do with boobs. Moms are more comfortable and a big reason is because we're the ones with the boobs. At first, they're the feed bags and the baby loves the smell of them and the knowledge that food will come out. Then because baby has grown so close to mom through feeding (if you breast feed...but I get the feeling there's also a very strong bond if you don't because of the pregnancy), that just her normal smells and feeling are comfortable. Resting that heavy head on that squishy chest is relaxing (just ask any husband) and they are also a useful tool. G has the problem of very dry, flaky skin. This means that she is constantly scratching her face and head. Sometimes this is problematic at feeding times, but because I am a lady I can tuck one arm comfortable under my boob and hold her other hand still while I feed her. It's perfect. B can't do that. If he tucks her arm, it's uncomfortable for both. I feel bad that guys just aren't physically capable of making the same connection as women are.
In Other News:
Lately, G has been screaming her head off when she's having a good time, a bad time, or an in between time. She shrieked during church several times last week. The other day she was in the exersaucer screaming at a flower. Another thing she's been doing lately is really toying with my emotions, and it's saying, "mum mum mum mum" when she wants something. She is most assuredly saying 'mum' but she doesn't realize that it is a real word. I think she's aware that by saying it she will get something, and more often than not I will go pick her up or kiss her or feed her, but I don't think it has clicked that I am mum. Every time she says it, my heart kinda leaps and I think, "Oh my gosh!! She knows my name!" But then I remember that she doesn't and I just feel sad. The fact that she does it while fussing or crying doesn't help. It's cute as heck though. I love that kid.
New Years Resolutions are going ok so far. I'm not changing my eating habits yet and I likely won't until I'm in my own home cooking my own meals in my own kitchen, which won't be for several months at least yet. I'm not concerned about this though. I have all year and I'm not pressuring myself. I have successfully been avoiding chips though. It's only been three days, but my brother cracked open a bag of sour cream and onion chips and both B and I were drooling over them. We abstained though, and are victorious thus far.
Les Miserables. Go. See. It. Now. It was so good. I loved it. It was perfect. I can't wait to see it again.
Now that January has begun, I'm beginning to get nervous because I know that my time in BC will come to an end soon (and by soon I mean in maybe a month). I don't want to go back! This place has done wonders for me. I take headache medicine waaaay less, and I'm eating more and sleeping better and am happier. B noticed a difference in me within the first week we were here. I've been cooking! And the time with my family has just been wonderful. I love my parents and bro and sis so much.
I think that's it for now. Just felt like dumping some information. Good evening!
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
A New Year
Happy New Year!
We rang in the new year here in BC by playing circle rummy with my parents and sister. G woke up at ten to midnight so she got lots of kisses when the clock struck twelve. B and I then went to bed and talked about our resolutions and now I'm going to write about mine here.
1. Lose 30lbs
I feel this is truly attainable if I keep at it. I need to do this so that I can get healthy, so that I can be more active with my daughter and so that I can feel better about myself.
2. No Potato Chips
This one will be hard for me and I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't make it all year. The reason I spepotatocify chips is because it's unrealistic to add nacho chips as that is sometimes an entire meal. In the past year I ate much less chips than I normally do, but there were definitely times when I craved them and stuffed my face with them. Not so this year, hopefully! B is joining me in this endeavor.
3. Get Closer to God
This is an important goal and one I strive for every year. I am hoping that by teaching G about God it will be teach me too. I need to make it a point to remember to pray with her every night, something that slips my mind all too often.
4. Get Well
With the exception of a few things (the joy of having a baby, seeing my family, a few little things), 2012 was not a good year for me. I am not well mentally or emotionally the way I should be and that can be attributed to a number of factors. First, having a baby wrecks you. I'm so happy to have G and I love her so much, but it has been really difficult to bounce back. I've never had such low self esteem and I find it very hard to deal with the little things that come my way each day. I break down far too quickly and I am constantly having to go to B for reassurance that I AM a good wife or a good mother or a good person. Being positive and happy go lucky again is something I really want and I'm going to work really hard at it this year.
5. Read More/Read More to Ginny
I did not read nearly enough in 2012. Usually I read somewhere in the neighbourhood of 50-80 books a year (and that's 90% novels). Reading is obviously something huge in my life; I love love love to read. And I'm going to brag here: I'm GOOD at reading. I can read all 9 Little House on the Prairie books in 1 day. Anyways, because of the pregnancy and then the birth of G my book intake severely declined. I do have the time to read with G around, but I find that when I'm not hanging out with her I want to just do something mindless like watch TV. So! I WILL read more!
6. Keep a Food Journal
In my quest to lose 30lbs I feel like this is important. Even if I don't keep it up all year, just having an idea of what kind of crap I'm eating will be a good thing to keep handy. B is also joining me in this one too.
7. Purge Stuff/Move
We don't know for absolutely 100% sure if we can move to Saskatoon, but it's a huge goal we would love to achieve. Whether we move or not though, I want to get rid of a lot of our junk. It's so hard to let go of stuff, but I'm determined to do it.
And those are my goal for this new year of 2013. I hope I can attain these, and I hope that you can attain whatever goals you've set for yourself. Happy New Year!
We rang in the new year here in BC by playing circle rummy with my parents and sister. G woke up at ten to midnight so she got lots of kisses when the clock struck twelve. B and I then went to bed and talked about our resolutions and now I'm going to write about mine here.
1. Lose 30lbs
I feel this is truly attainable if I keep at it. I need to do this so that I can get healthy, so that I can be more active with my daughter and so that I can feel better about myself.
2. No Potato Chips
This one will be hard for me and I wouldn't be surprised if I didn't make it all year. The reason I spepotatocify chips is because it's unrealistic to add nacho chips as that is sometimes an entire meal. In the past year I ate much less chips than I normally do, but there were definitely times when I craved them and stuffed my face with them. Not so this year, hopefully! B is joining me in this endeavor.
3. Get Closer to God
This is an important goal and one I strive for every year. I am hoping that by teaching G about God it will be teach me too. I need to make it a point to remember to pray with her every night, something that slips my mind all too often.
4. Get Well
With the exception of a few things (the joy of having a baby, seeing my family, a few little things), 2012 was not a good year for me. I am not well mentally or emotionally the way I should be and that can be attributed to a number of factors. First, having a baby wrecks you. I'm so happy to have G and I love her so much, but it has been really difficult to bounce back. I've never had such low self esteem and I find it very hard to deal with the little things that come my way each day. I break down far too quickly and I am constantly having to go to B for reassurance that I AM a good wife or a good mother or a good person. Being positive and happy go lucky again is something I really want and I'm going to work really hard at it this year.
5. Read More/Read More to Ginny
I did not read nearly enough in 2012. Usually I read somewhere in the neighbourhood of 50-80 books a year (and that's 90% novels). Reading is obviously something huge in my life; I love love love to read. And I'm going to brag here: I'm GOOD at reading. I can read all 9 Little House on the Prairie books in 1 day. Anyways, because of the pregnancy and then the birth of G my book intake severely declined. I do have the time to read with G around, but I find that when I'm not hanging out with her I want to just do something mindless like watch TV. So! I WILL read more!
6. Keep a Food Journal
In my quest to lose 30lbs I feel like this is important. Even if I don't keep it up all year, just having an idea of what kind of crap I'm eating will be a good thing to keep handy. B is also joining me in this one too.
7. Purge Stuff/Move
We don't know for absolutely 100% sure if we can move to Saskatoon, but it's a huge goal we would love to achieve. Whether we move or not though, I want to get rid of a lot of our junk. It's so hard to let go of stuff, but I'm determined to do it.
And those are my goal for this new year of 2013. I hope I can attain these, and I hope that you can attain whatever goals you've set for yourself. Happy New Year!
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