The title of this post isn't an exaggeration. I got knocked up again in September, and I started waking up every night to pee in early October. In fact, for a few solid months now I've been waking up two or three times a night. It is some bullshit. Other than that, the pregnancy has been kind of awesome, but it is pretty grating to never feel like I've gotten enough sleep.
Things are progressing smoothly with the house. Our realtor had an interior designer come over on Saturday to help us stage the house. She had a lot of good suggestions along the lines of "Move that lamp here! Put some houseplants here! Take out that bookcase and shift that one over here! Try centering the kitchen table like this!" It was really interesting and I think it would be kind of awesome to hire an interior designer to come do a consult like that after we're settled in a new house. Some of the suggestions definitely make things look better but make the house slightly less comfortable to live in, like how the lamp that used to be right behind the chair I'm sitting in is now across the room. She wants us to get some accent pillows for our bed, which I think is silly because I am NOT into spending money on pillows that will sit on the floor most of the time, especially since they cost like twenty bucks a goddamn pillow. Did you know that? Throw pillows are fucking expensive! And stupid!
I've got a friend who works for a children's book publisher, and I do some occasional freelance work for them. I just signed on to work on a year-long book project and they want me to come to Pennsylvania for training on Wednesday and Thursday this week. So that should be fun and not at all overwhelming to add an overnight business trip midweek while six and a half months pregnant and putting my house on the market.
Hope y'all had a lovely Easter and the like!
Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holiday. Show all posts
Monday, April 1, 2013
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
Obligatory holiday post
Merry Christmas, y'all! Hope your day was full of loveliness and delightful surprises.
I have been dealing with some hormones the last few days, so my holidays have been about 93% delightful and 7% feeling overwhemed/crying/did you seriously just say that to me? So that's been pretty cool.
This crying shit is new, by the way. Made it to almost 15 weeks without crying overtaking me (besides relieved tears at the ultrasound), and then twice in the last two days, I seriously felt unable to stop myself from crying. Yesterday, Andy had to work so I had to do all of the last-minute Christmas stuff with the baby, while exhausted, and even when he got out of work he was only home for about half an hour before he had to leave to get ready for music at church. Usually this would have been "less than ideal, but nothing I can't handle!" but the hormones had me convinced it was ALL TOO MUCH and the poor guy walked in to find me wrapping presents and crying. I even was lucid enough to explain that really, I understood that my face was doing ridiculous things and that it was fine and the baby and I would be at church in our fancy clothes and all the last-minute stuff was seconds away from completion, but my face just would not quit with the tears.
Of course everything worked out fine, and we were there in our fanciest clothes, and his drumming and singing were awesome, as always. I actually love that he drums at church for Christmas Eve, since we don't even attend except Christmas and Easter. I think it's sweet, and I love that he has a real reason to drum for a while, since he was in a band when we met and our life right now wouldn't make that a great idea.
Today we had a really awesome slow morning, and the baby had a great time. Her favorite things to play with, in order: the box I used to wrap a belt for for Andy; the gum from Andy's stocking; the fancy-ass handmade wooden train set we got her; a jingling dog toy we've had longer than we've had her.
We spent the early afternoon with my family, and the late afternoon with Andy's. There was some nonsense from Andy's mom and sister, directed at me, that made it pretty clear that I'm still considered an outsider. I know the hormones are making it into a bigger deal than it might otherwise be, but I also know that in the past year I've worked hard at refusing to let people treat me poorly, so I'm trying hard to decide how to deal with this. (This was responsible for today's crying. Andy backs me up when he knows what's going on, but it's not always easy to relate a particular tone of voice or attitude, so it often seems like I'm making a fuss over nothing, I'm sure. He will support me fully in however I decide to handle this, which is very reassuring.)
So! I suppose NewBaby wanted to make itself known for the holidays as well. I've really enjoyed that other 93%, though, and I hope you all had less crying and more eggnog. I've got to work tomorrow so my version of unwinding right now will be some hot chocolate and a Christmas movie. If it weren't for NewBaby, the hot chocolate would have a serious dollop of Bailey's in there.
I have been dealing with some hormones the last few days, so my holidays have been about 93% delightful and 7% feeling overwhemed/crying/did you seriously just say that to me? So that's been pretty cool.
This crying shit is new, by the way. Made it to almost 15 weeks without crying overtaking me (besides relieved tears at the ultrasound), and then twice in the last two days, I seriously felt unable to stop myself from crying. Yesterday, Andy had to work so I had to do all of the last-minute Christmas stuff with the baby, while exhausted, and even when he got out of work he was only home for about half an hour before he had to leave to get ready for music at church. Usually this would have been "less than ideal, but nothing I can't handle!" but the hormones had me convinced it was ALL TOO MUCH and the poor guy walked in to find me wrapping presents and crying. I even was lucid enough to explain that really, I understood that my face was doing ridiculous things and that it was fine and the baby and I would be at church in our fancy clothes and all the last-minute stuff was seconds away from completion, but my face just would not quit with the tears.
Of course everything worked out fine, and we were there in our fanciest clothes, and his drumming and singing were awesome, as always. I actually love that he drums at church for Christmas Eve, since we don't even attend except Christmas and Easter. I think it's sweet, and I love that he has a real reason to drum for a while, since he was in a band when we met and our life right now wouldn't make that a great idea.
Today we had a really awesome slow morning, and the baby had a great time. Her favorite things to play with, in order: the box I used to wrap a belt for for Andy; the gum from Andy's stocking; the fancy-ass handmade wooden train set we got her; a jingling dog toy we've had longer than we've had her.
We spent the early afternoon with my family, and the late afternoon with Andy's. There was some nonsense from Andy's mom and sister, directed at me, that made it pretty clear that I'm still considered an outsider. I know the hormones are making it into a bigger deal than it might otherwise be, but I also know that in the past year I've worked hard at refusing to let people treat me poorly, so I'm trying hard to decide how to deal with this. (This was responsible for today's crying. Andy backs me up when he knows what's going on, but it's not always easy to relate a particular tone of voice or attitude, so it often seems like I'm making a fuss over nothing, I'm sure. He will support me fully in however I decide to handle this, which is very reassuring.)
So! I suppose NewBaby wanted to make itself known for the holidays as well. I've really enjoyed that other 93%, though, and I hope you all had less crying and more eggnog. I've got to work tomorrow so my version of unwinding right now will be some hot chocolate and a Christmas movie. If it weren't for NewBaby, the hot chocolate would have a serious dollop of Bailey's in there.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
A brief review of our post-holiday week.
On Saturday Andy and my mom and I all got food poisoning. That was not cool. I mention my mom getting it because she's our go-to babysitter but she was out of commission too, so the poor baby spent a lot of time hanging out in her playpen. She was recovering from several very busy days, so she was okay with that - she mostly played by herself and chattered at us happily. The worst part of having food poisoning, besides the part where I barfed ten times in twelve hours (not that I was counting), was the part where my sister and I were scheduled for massages Saturday afternoon and had to cancel. Heartbreaking. I'm rescheduling mine, duh.
Before we realized that it was food poisoning and not something contagious, my sister and her family decided to split back for Maryland before it hit them, so that sucks too. And by the time they got home, my goddaughter was totally miserable and when they took her to urgent care she was diagnosed with a double ear infection. Cool stuff all around.
We are now back to normal and things are going fine. As of yesterday I was eleven weeks pregnant. I started to miscarry right before that last time, and I realized last night that I honestly had just been waiting to get to the same date and to have another miscarriage. That's a pretty shitty thing to be carrying around with me for two months. Today, for the first time, I ordered some super-sale maternity clothes, because I can finally let myself think about what it will be like to be visibly pregnant. I'm still worried all the time and can't wait for the ultrasound on Monday, but it feels good to be able to start to plan for this being real. Having passed the date I miscarried last time feels like I've sort of moved out of that sincere belief that it would happen again.
The baby's dad didn't call to confirm his visit yesterday but did today. Then he showed up 25 minutes late and told the worker he had been pulled over on the way to the visit and gotten a ticket. After the visit the worker followed him to his car to get a copy of the ticket for her records, and he mysteriously couldn't produce it. He searched his car while the worker stood in the freezing cold for five minutes, until she gave up and told him to bring it next time. He won't, of course, but all of this goes in her file and the file goes to the judge.
How was your holiday and post-holiday week?
Before we realized that it was food poisoning and not something contagious, my sister and her family decided to split back for Maryland before it hit them, so that sucks too. And by the time they got home, my goddaughter was totally miserable and when they took her to urgent care she was diagnosed with a double ear infection. Cool stuff all around.
We are now back to normal and things are going fine. As of yesterday I was eleven weeks pregnant. I started to miscarry right before that last time, and I realized last night that I honestly had just been waiting to get to the same date and to have another miscarriage. That's a pretty shitty thing to be carrying around with me for two months. Today, for the first time, I ordered some super-sale maternity clothes, because I can finally let myself think about what it will be like to be visibly pregnant. I'm still worried all the time and can't wait for the ultrasound on Monday, but it feels good to be able to start to plan for this being real. Having passed the date I miscarried last time feels like I've sort of moved out of that sincere belief that it would happen again.
The baby's dad didn't call to confirm his visit yesterday but did today. Then he showed up 25 minutes late and told the worker he had been pulled over on the way to the visit and gotten a ticket. After the visit the worker followed him to his car to get a copy of the ticket for her records, and he mysteriously couldn't produce it. He searched his car while the worker stood in the freezing cold for five minutes, until she gave up and told him to bring it next time. He won't, of course, but all of this goes in her file and the file goes to the judge.
How was your holiday and post-holiday week?
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Obligatory holiday post
We had her up late last night, so the baby is still asleep right now, and Andy and I just enjoyed a leisurely piece of breakfast pie together. In a few minutes, I'm going to start working on the next round of pies - pecan, made without corn syrup - and Andy's going to start working on his fancy-pants sweet potatoes. Then we'll head over to my folks' to spend some extra time with my sister and her family. Today is not too shabby, you guys.
This is the traditional time for us to reflect on what we're grateful for, and I have to say, there's a whole lot on my list. My life is pretty spectacular, really. I'll try to keep this somewhat brief and also not too sappy, but here's a sampling of what I'm giving thanks for this year:
This is the traditional time for us to reflect on what we're grateful for, and I have to say, there's a whole lot on my list. My life is pretty spectacular, really. I'll try to keep this somewhat brief and also not too sappy, but here's a sampling of what I'm giving thanks for this year:
- My awesome husband and our wonderful marriage. Honestly, I'm legitimately thrilled that I get to hang out with this guy every day. He does little things all the time to make sure I feel loved and cared about. He has volunteered to take on SO MUCH lately so I can sit on the couch and feel queasy. He never tells me to stop being silly when I worry nonstop. He had a dream last night in which we had our baby, she was a healthy girl, and we had given her a really awesome name.
- Our life as parents. This baby is really awesome, and parenting her has been mostly a lot of fun. She is funny and charming and she likes to snuggle my face with hers, which she doesn't do with anyone else in the world. We call her Baby Girl a lot, and she has started calling herself Baba Gull. She also sometimes calls herself Baba Yaya, where "Yaya" is a hilariously mangled version of part of her name. We are so lucky to get to be her parents, even if it's not forever.
- The people we choose to surround ourselves with. Really, the only drama in our life comes from the foster care system and the baby's bio-family. We have many solid friendships with people who are genuinely awesome and sincere.
- Related to the above post, I'm really grateful for how kind everyone was to us after the miscarriage. It was the hardest thing I have ever gone through, and I learned that our friends immediately step up in situations like that. My parents, too, were amazing, and made sure we had food in the house, and took the baby to play and snuggle and hang out so we could just be alone together. The behavior of people close to us in a really shitty time made me okay with telling (some) people about this pregnancy, because I know I will need them again if anything goes wrong.
- This is going to sound weird, but I'm thankful for feeling shitty. I felt totally fine throughout the last pregnancy, so feeling crappy this time makes me feel like things are different. Don't get me wrong, I'm still totally a whiny baby about feeling queasy, but I am supremely grateful that there are indications this time that things are going okay in there. Also, for the first time, Andy and I can feel a bump now. We didn't feel one last time at all, and okay maybe I'm crying a little now.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Obligatory holiday post
We had a busy day today. It was our first holiday with a kid, and it wasn't easy.
First, we went to church for the first time since the kid got here. We sat in the church's Crying Room, because we didn't know how the baby would do in a new setting, and she was markedly the best kid in there. Because apparently "crying room" is now code for "loud rambunctious toddler room". There were about five two-year-olds running around screeching. The baby should have napped for most of the service, but was frequently startled out of almost-sleep by noisy kids.
Then we went to my folks' house for brunch. The baby does pretty well with my parents but it's still a change of pace, and my brother and his wife were there so it was extra stimulation and change. She napped about half as much as she usually does. We finally got her into a decent nap, and after she woke up we headed to Andy's parents' house.
We haven't brought the baby there at all. Andy's mom is a smoker and she smokes in the house, so when the baby first arrived, we had a very difficult conversation with her and told her we wouldn't bring the baby there if she still smokes inside. Andy's mom wasn't thrilled with our choice, but we think it's important for the baby's health and have stuck by it for three months. However, holidays are a little extra complicated. We didn't want to not celebrate Easter with his family, but we also didn't want to host a huge group at our house with a tired, overwhelmed baby. Andy's sisters were both in town, both with new romantic interests, and Andy's uncle and his girlfriend were there too.
I also had forgotten that FUCKING EVERYONE HAS AN OPINION ABOUT FOSTER CARE and we're expected to listen politely to all of those opinions. I got a little sassy at one point, because I am not interested in being lectured about this, but overall it could have been worse.
Now we're all fucking tired and going to bed early. Hope your Easter was restful and full of joy!
First, we went to church for the first time since the kid got here. We sat in the church's Crying Room, because we didn't know how the baby would do in a new setting, and she was markedly the best kid in there. Because apparently "crying room" is now code for "loud rambunctious toddler room". There were about five two-year-olds running around screeching. The baby should have napped for most of the service, but was frequently startled out of almost-sleep by noisy kids.
Then we went to my folks' house for brunch. The baby does pretty well with my parents but it's still a change of pace, and my brother and his wife were there so it was extra stimulation and change. She napped about half as much as she usually does. We finally got her into a decent nap, and after she woke up we headed to Andy's parents' house.
We haven't brought the baby there at all. Andy's mom is a smoker and she smokes in the house, so when the baby first arrived, we had a very difficult conversation with her and told her we wouldn't bring the baby there if she still smokes inside. Andy's mom wasn't thrilled with our choice, but we think it's important for the baby's health and have stuck by it for three months. However, holidays are a little extra complicated. We didn't want to not celebrate Easter with his family, but we also didn't want to host a huge group at our house with a tired, overwhelmed baby. Andy's sisters were both in town, both with new romantic interests, and Andy's uncle and his girlfriend were there too.
I also had forgotten that FUCKING EVERYONE HAS AN OPINION ABOUT FOSTER CARE and we're expected to listen politely to all of those opinions. I got a little sassy at one point, because I am not interested in being lectured about this, but overall it could have been worse.
Now we're all fucking tired and going to bed early. Hope your Easter was restful and full of joy!
Friday, December 30, 2011
Resolution review
A year ago today, I posted a list of fourteen goals I had for myself to complete in 2011. Let's see how I did!
House and home
1. Redo upstairs bathroom. Done. It looks so, so much better. I still want to add a shelf and I have a print to hang, but I love going in there now.
2. Attach headboard to bedframe. Done. See below.
3. Get new nightstands. Done. We actually bought a gorgeous bedroom set (an extra-long sleigh bed [so Andy's six-foot-two self can sleep comfortably] and two nightstands) from some friends and refinished it. I am very happy with how they came out, and that the height all matches now.
4. Repaint the crappy job we did with cut-in in the living room. Didn't do. It wasn't really a fair item, though, because I can't reach the cut-in even on a step stool, so this would be more accurate as "Make Andy repaint crappy cut-in", which I wouldn't have added to the list anyway. Also, I've been assured that it's not as noticeable to people who aren't me.
5. Get our kitchen knives professionally sharpened. Didn't do. We bought a fancy do-it-yourself sharpener, which didn't help as much as I hoped. I'll add this one to my 2012 list.
Social
6. Host a fancy dinner party. We hosted both our annual Halloween party and Thanksgiving, so I'll call this one done.
7. Take at least two weekend trips with Andy. Done! We went to Belhurst Castle in May, Maryland to see the fat baby niece in July, and Boston in October! I liked this so much that I think I'll add it to this year's list too, because it's good for us to get away.
8. Visit friends in NYC and Boston at least once each. Done. I went to New York in March and again in December, and Andy and I went to Boston together!
9. Go camping and enjoy it. Half done. I went camping, but while there I confirmed that camping is simply not my cup of tea. I have decided that I like Andy and our friends enough to be willing to spend up to two nights a year camping, but that three nights is too much. The friends we camped with were picking out our site for Summer 2012 before we even left, so we'll see how it goes.
Personal
10. Relearn to drive standard. Not done. We sold the truck I was going to learn on, so it seems a lot less crucial now. Also, interestingly, a whole lot of people have found this blog by searching "I hate driving stick," so I'm glad we can agree that it sucks.
11. See a dermatologist and learn how to better care for my specific skin. Nope. I started paying a lot more attention to what I put onto my body, and I'd like to find a dermatologist who uses natural shit as much as possible. I just don't really know how to find that, so I sort of put it out of my mind. Going back on the list, for sure.
12. Investigate laser hair removal. Nope. I remembered I'm a giant sissy with sensitive skin and would prefer stubble to lifelong scarring.
13. Complete Couch to 5K. Nope. I got to week five, but running just really isn't my thing.
14. Nail down the design of my next tattoo, then get said tattoo. Half done. The design is complete, but the artist I was planning to go to is no longer an option (she's making some choices that mean I don't want her in charge of putting something permanent on my skin), so I'll have to research artists and save up for someone who's worth it.
So! Seven and a half out of fourteen (or out of thirteen, if we remove the one that was really for Andy anyway). Could have been better! However, in that time, we also decided to become and then got certified as foster parents, became godparents, redecorated a bedroom, and generally enjoyed the shit out of each other, so overall, 2011 gets a thumbs up from me.
Coming soon: my 2012 list!
What's your resolution this year? Do you have a list? I'd love to see it!
House and home
1. Redo upstairs bathroom. Done. It looks so, so much better. I still want to add a shelf and I have a print to hang, but I love going in there now.
2. Attach headboard to bedframe. Done. See below.
3. Get new nightstands. Done. We actually bought a gorgeous bedroom set (an extra-long sleigh bed [so Andy's six-foot-two self can sleep comfortably] and two nightstands) from some friends and refinished it. I am very happy with how they came out, and that the height all matches now.
4. Repaint the crappy job we did with cut-in in the living room. Didn't do. It wasn't really a fair item, though, because I can't reach the cut-in even on a step stool, so this would be more accurate as "Make Andy repaint crappy cut-in", which I wouldn't have added to the list anyway. Also, I've been assured that it's not as noticeable to people who aren't me.
5. Get our kitchen knives professionally sharpened. Didn't do. We bought a fancy do-it-yourself sharpener, which didn't help as much as I hoped. I'll add this one to my 2012 list.
Social
6. Host a fancy dinner party. We hosted both our annual Halloween party and Thanksgiving, so I'll call this one done.
7. Take at least two weekend trips with Andy. Done! We went to Belhurst Castle in May, Maryland to see the fat baby niece in July, and Boston in October! I liked this so much that I think I'll add it to this year's list too, because it's good for us to get away.
8. Visit friends in NYC and Boston at least once each. Done. I went to New York in March and again in December, and Andy and I went to Boston together!
9. Go camping and enjoy it. Half done. I went camping, but while there I confirmed that camping is simply not my cup of tea. I have decided that I like Andy and our friends enough to be willing to spend up to two nights a year camping, but that three nights is too much. The friends we camped with were picking out our site for Summer 2012 before we even left, so we'll see how it goes.
Personal
10. Relearn to drive standard. Not done. We sold the truck I was going to learn on, so it seems a lot less crucial now. Also, interestingly, a whole lot of people have found this blog by searching "I hate driving stick," so I'm glad we can agree that it sucks.
11. See a dermatologist and learn how to better care for my specific skin. Nope. I started paying a lot more attention to what I put onto my body, and I'd like to find a dermatologist who uses natural shit as much as possible. I just don't really know how to find that, so I sort of put it out of my mind. Going back on the list, for sure.
12. Investigate laser hair removal. Nope. I remembered I'm a giant sissy with sensitive skin and would prefer stubble to lifelong scarring.
13. Complete Couch to 5K. Nope. I got to week five, but running just really isn't my thing.
14. Nail down the design of my next tattoo, then get said tattoo. Half done. The design is complete, but the artist I was planning to go to is no longer an option (she's making some choices that mean I don't want her in charge of putting something permanent on my skin), so I'll have to research artists and save up for someone who's worth it.
So! Seven and a half out of fourteen (or out of thirteen, if we remove the one that was really for Andy anyway). Could have been better! However, in that time, we also decided to become and then got certified as foster parents, became godparents, redecorated a bedroom, and generally enjoyed the shit out of each other, so overall, 2011 gets a thumbs up from me.
Coming soon: my 2012 list!
What's your resolution this year? Do you have a list? I'd love to see it!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Holiday interlude
The week between Christmas and New Year's is always weird, isn't it? Andy and I both have to work this week, but things are off because it's a short week, and next week is another short week.
Last night we decided to stay in and recover from all the go-go-go we'd been doing, and it looks like tonight is going to be more of the same. I stopped on my way home and got some Festive Ale and Everything Must Go, which is a Will Ferrell movie I had never heard of but which looks pretty good (and more like Stranger Than Fiction than Talledega Nights, which is a huge bonus in my book).
We actually had an invite to go ice skating and then drink hot cocoa (with booze in it), and we both felt pretty fine about saying no. Turns out I'm more of an introvert than I ever realized.
How do you spend this week? Are you on vacation, or back to the grind?
Last night we decided to stay in and recover from all the go-go-go we'd been doing, and it looks like tonight is going to be more of the same. I stopped on my way home and got some Festive Ale and Everything Must Go, which is a Will Ferrell movie I had never heard of but which looks pretty good (and more like Stranger Than Fiction than Talledega Nights, which is a huge bonus in my book).
We actually had an invite to go ice skating and then drink hot cocoa (with booze in it), and we both felt pretty fine about saying no. Turns out I'm more of an introvert than I ever realized.
How do you spend this week? Are you on vacation, or back to the grind?
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Obligatory holiday post
Morning! I hope you are all having the best possible Christmas. We had a pretty awesome morning - I had a delicious almond latte, thanks to the milk frother my friend in Brooklyn got me, and I could have put it in my badass, super-tough new Thermos travel mug from my sister and her husband, and I'm wearing a new cozy flannel shirt from Andy, who took the time to find one that would actually button over my boobs without gaping everywhere. So, yeah, definitely feeling the love.
Two more awesomes: I got a scratch-off ticket in my stocking and won $40, and also Andy special-ordered me a rubber stamp that reads BULLSHIT, and also a bright red stamp pad, so I can properly label everything at work now.
We're heading to my folks' in a few. I sincerely wish you all the merriest of holidays, and I hope you are feeling loved too.
Merry Christmas!
Two more awesomes: I got a scratch-off ticket in my stocking and won $40, and also Andy special-ordered me a rubber stamp that reads BULLSHIT, and also a bright red stamp pad, so I can properly label everything at work now.
We're heading to my folks' in a few. I sincerely wish you all the merriest of holidays, and I hope you are feeling loved too.
Merry Christmas!
Friday, December 23, 2011
Holiday spirit!
I'm already home for my Christmas long weekend! I usually don't get out of work until 4 at the earliest, but here's an awesome thing: at our work Christmas party, my work-best-friend won a game and got herself four extra hours of vacation time for this week. She knew my sister and Brian and the best baby in the world were coming into town (they arrived last night), so she asked my boss in secret if she could split it with me. Boss said yes, so work-best-friend and I both got two extra hours of vacation time, and I get to be home early!
I made Yuletide nipples yesterday, and I think I'll try to fit in a batch of m&m cookies this afternoon before we head to family dinner at my parents' house. My grandparents are in town for Christmas, which should certainly keep things from being boring.
I hope you all are having the best holiday season EVER.
I made Yuletide nipples yesterday, and I think I'll try to fit in a batch of m&m cookies this afternoon before we head to family dinner at my parents' house. My grandparents are in town for Christmas, which should certainly keep things from being boring.
I hope you all are having the best holiday season EVER.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Doing all the things!
So Andy got free tickets to today's Bills/Dolphins game through work. There are so many awesome things about this:
1. He's never been to a pro football game, but has always wanted to go.
2. The tickets were free.
3. He's a huge Miami fan (but not in such a way that he is an asshole all night if they lose, which was high on the list of attributes that made him marriage-worthy).
4. The first person he thought to ask was my brother, who is a Bills fan. I thought that was sweet.
5. Normally I'd be bummed at spending a full weekend day without Andy (seriously, we just like hanging out), but he's already getting tired of Christmas moves so it's okay that I get full control of the tv all day.
I also have a million-and-one things to get done today, many of which are secret and Andy-related. On the top of that list: I knit him this sweater two Christmases ago. It was my first sweater ever, and I didn't take into account that the pattern doesn't include any ribbing to keep the hem from rolling. Which it does. Enthusiastically. So Andy never wears the sweater, because it ends up sitting just about level with the top of his pants. So today, I'm picking up a bunch of stitches around the edge, and knitting several inches of ribbing. This is the one thing I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to find time to do before Christmas, because when would I have a chunk of several hours without Andy? And then the gods of football smiled upon us, and his sweater will be done today.
After the knitting, I'll be wrapping all of his presents, so he's allowed to go in the library again. Then it's back to knitting, so maybe my mom's sweater will be done by Christmas!
Are you done with Christmas shopping yet?
1. He's never been to a pro football game, but has always wanted to go.
2. The tickets were free.
3. He's a huge Miami fan (but not in such a way that he is an asshole all night if they lose, which was high on the list of attributes that made him marriage-worthy).
4. The first person he thought to ask was my brother, who is a Bills fan. I thought that was sweet.
5. Normally I'd be bummed at spending a full weekend day without Andy (seriously, we just like hanging out), but he's already getting tired of Christmas moves so it's okay that I get full control of the tv all day.
I also have a million-and-one things to get done today, many of which are secret and Andy-related. On the top of that list: I knit him this sweater two Christmases ago. It was my first sweater ever, and I didn't take into account that the pattern doesn't include any ribbing to keep the hem from rolling. Which it does. Enthusiastically. So Andy never wears the sweater, because it ends up sitting just about level with the top of his pants. So today, I'm picking up a bunch of stitches around the edge, and knitting several inches of ribbing. This is the one thing I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to find time to do before Christmas, because when would I have a chunk of several hours without Andy? And then the gods of football smiled upon us, and his sweater will be done today.
After the knitting, I'll be wrapping all of his presents, so he's allowed to go in the library again. Then it's back to knitting, so maybe my mom's sweater will be done by Christmas!
Are you done with Christmas shopping yet?
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Maintaining
After work today, I had to stop at the grocery store to figure out something for dinner (note, please, that the "figure out" part of the equation hadn't happened, because I had absolutely no idea what to do for dinner, and Andy's working late). I heard a commercial for the annual production of A Christmas Carol at our local theater, and instead of thinking, "I should see how much tickets are! I've always wanted to go see that," I found myself thinking, "Damn, who has time to see a three-hour play between now and Christmas?!" That's when I realized I was somewhat overwhelmed with my holiday season.
We do have a lot going on. I just got back from four days out of town. We are watching my parents' pets while they're out of town, starting tomorrow and lasting through Sunday. I have to knit one-and-one-quarter hats and half a sweater in twelve days. We have invitations to several holiday parties this weekend. I haven't even thought about sending out cards. My sister and her husband are coming into town on the 22nd (RIGHT, KID?) and staying with us. And on top of all of that, we're giving unconventional Christmas presents - baskets of our homemade preserves and jams and jellies and stuff - which were a fuckton of work and cost probably slightly more per person than the usual gifts we exchange, but I worry that we're going to look like cheap weirdos or something, so I'm stressing about making sure they're JUST RIGHT - like, compiling a list of recipes and ways to use the stuff in each fucking jar - before I can relax about it.
So I got to the grocery store, and instead of figuring out a real meal, I got makings to make myself a kick-ass cheese plate. And I stopped next door at the liquor store and got a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. And I made myself a super fancy, carefully presented cheese plate, which I ate at the kitchen table with a real napkin while I read the L.L. Bean holiday catalog. Because I needed to settle the fuck down.
I think it helped. I feel a little better, and I only had one glass of wine.
We do have a lot going on. I just got back from four days out of town. We are watching my parents' pets while they're out of town, starting tomorrow and lasting through Sunday. I have to knit one-and-one-quarter hats and half a sweater in twelve days. We have invitations to several holiday parties this weekend. I haven't even thought about sending out cards. My sister and her husband are coming into town on the 22nd (RIGHT, KID?) and staying with us. And on top of all of that, we're giving unconventional Christmas presents - baskets of our homemade preserves and jams and jellies and stuff - which were a fuckton of work and cost probably slightly more per person than the usual gifts we exchange, but I worry that we're going to look like cheap weirdos or something, so I'm stressing about making sure they're JUST RIGHT - like, compiling a list of recipes and ways to use the stuff in each fucking jar - before I can relax about it.
So I got to the grocery store, and instead of figuring out a real meal, I got makings to make myself a kick-ass cheese plate. And I stopped next door at the liquor store and got a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. And I made myself a super fancy, carefully presented cheese plate, which I ate at the kitchen table with a real napkin while I read the L.L. Bean holiday catalog. Because I needed to settle the fuck down.
I think it helped. I feel a little better, and I only had one glass of wine.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Thanksgiving plans!
We're hosting Thanksgiving again. We like hosting holidays, because it means we don't have to go anywhere and we only have to eat one meal. With both of our families less than ten minutes away, we spend part of each holiday with my family and part with Andy's, so we get double meals. Hosting Thanksgiving is awesome, too, because there are no presents - we hosted Christmas one year and somehow ended up timing it so that we opened our presents with both sets of parents here at the same time. It was super awkward. If we ever host Christmas again, we'd probably have my parents come over earlier and do presents, then have his parents join us for dinner, then do presents with his side after my folks leave.
ANYWAY. Last time we hosted Thanksgiving, Andy's mom offered to make and bring the turkey. This worked out great, as she makes a great turkey and I don't know how to cook one. So we're doing that again this year. Andy's mom is in charge of turkey and stuffing. Andy and I are making roasted winter veggies (Brussels sprouts plus probably parsnips and carrots), mashed potatoes with roasted garlic, and baked sweet potatoes with pecan praline topping stuff (we made these a few years ago and would recommend using SMALL sweet potatoes, not the large ones called for, because no one can eat an entire large sweet potato plus all the other Thanksgiving foods). Oh, and I'm making homemade applesauce and some small-batch pear-cranberry compote, which I MIGHT just can up and give as favors or some fancy shit. My folks are in charge of appetizers and rolls, and I know my mom will BRING IT with the appetizers. For dessert, I'm making a traditional pumpkin pie and a pecan pie without corn syrup.
We're going to have eight people, including ourselves, for dinner, and my brother and his wife will be dropping in for appetizers or dessert. We will have way too much food and not quite enough room at the table. It will be lovely.
Do you host holidays? What are your Thanksgiving plans?
Monday, October 31, 2011
Obligatory holiday post
I just realized that I've been blogging for a year! Actually, Saturday was the anniversary of my first post, which sucked. I did post a pretty awesome one a few days later, in which the wider world was introduced to my father-in-law. In the year I've been doing this, I've posted 281 times, which equals one post every 1.3107142857 days (if you want to be technical about it). In this time I also have not been offered a book deal, I was not invited to Fashion Week (or even Aldi), no one has offered to sponsor any posts of mine (even Wegmans), and I haven't mobilized an army of supporters against William Shatner. I will still call it a net win, though, because I have at least three people a day stop by and read whatever bullshit I'm thinking about when I happen to sit down and write. I'm not exaggerating about that number. Tell your friends to read my blog, or something, because I think we can see that I'm not exactly aces when it comes to marketing myself.
Anyway. It's Halloween. Our party on Saturday night was pretty good. Andy and I dressed up as Grimace and the Hamburglar, which was a huge hit. Other notable costumes included Lucille and Buster from Arrested Development, and a hobo in an actual union suit with a bindle. It's always a little hard to mix all of our groups of friends together, and we were missing some key players in the "let's get everyone to mingle!" category, so it wasn't the best one we've thrown. Oh, and some girl, a guest of a guest, BROUGHT HER AUNT AND UNCLE. A girl we've met literally once - because a friend we invited brought her to our party two years ago - brought along her mid-fifties aunt and uncle. They were the oldest people by about 20 years, and they knew a total of two people there. So, so weird.
Andy's family is going slightly less all-out this year than they usually do. They used to have this huge, scary setup in the front yard that would have inspired Childhood Rachael to skip their house. But the demographic in the neighborhood has changed, and there are a lot less kids of trick-or-treat age, so it's not worth three hours' worth of work in almost-freezing temperatures for only 50 kids. I'm hoping this means I get to hang out with Andy, but don't worry: I'll have my cell phone handy and ready to record any ridiculous shit spouted by Andy's dad.
How were your Halloween parties? What did you dress up as?
Anyway. It's Halloween. Our party on Saturday night was pretty good. Andy and I dressed up as Grimace and the Hamburglar, which was a huge hit. Other notable costumes included Lucille and Buster from Arrested Development, and a hobo in an actual union suit with a bindle. It's always a little hard to mix all of our groups of friends together, and we were missing some key players in the "let's get everyone to mingle!" category, so it wasn't the best one we've thrown. Oh, and some girl, a guest of a guest, BROUGHT HER AUNT AND UNCLE. A girl we've met literally once - because a friend we invited brought her to our party two years ago - brought along her mid-fifties aunt and uncle. They were the oldest people by about 20 years, and they knew a total of two people there. So, so weird.
Andy's family is going slightly less all-out this year than they usually do. They used to have this huge, scary setup in the front yard that would have inspired Childhood Rachael to skip their house. But the demographic in the neighborhood has changed, and there are a lot less kids of trick-or-treat age, so it's not worth three hours' worth of work in almost-freezing temperatures for only 50 kids. I'm hoping this means I get to hang out with Andy, but don't worry: I'll have my cell phone handy and ready to record any ridiculous shit spouted by Andy's dad.
How were your Halloween parties? What did you dress up as?
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Sweet canning stuff
Disclaimer: if you are my sister and you read this, you're contractually obligated to still act surprised come Christmas.
So with the eight quarts of free peaches our CSA share got us last week, we have successfully made enough peach butter to give some to everyone we love for Christmas. Andy and I decided that was an awesome idea but sort of a lame add-on: Here are some dvds and that shirt you wanted, and also some homemade fruit spread! So we've decided that our loved ones will be getting little gift baskets with peach butter and various other homemade delicious things. Andy prefers a sweet-themed basket to a mish-mash, so he shot down my idea of corn salsa. He did approve homemade applesauce (which we'll make later in the fall).
And that's where you come in. What else would you want in a basket of lovely homemade fruit-type things? Our criteria are as follows:
Throw 'em at me!
So with the eight quarts of free peaches our CSA share got us last week, we have successfully made enough peach butter to give some to everyone we love for Christmas. Andy and I decided that was an awesome idea but sort of a lame add-on: Here are some dvds and that shirt you wanted, and also some homemade fruit spread! So we've decided that our loved ones will be getting little gift baskets with peach butter and various other homemade delicious things. Andy prefers a sweet-themed basket to a mish-mash, so he shot down my idea of corn salsa. He did approve homemade applesauce (which we'll make later in the fall).
And that's where you come in. What else would you want in a basket of lovely homemade fruit-type things? Our criteria are as follows:
- Readily available (local) in upstate NY. So, like, kumquats are out.
- Not too sophisticated or bizarre in terms of taste. I can't imagine my dad loving blueberry-sage jam, for example.
- Sweet, not savory.
Throw 'em at me!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Mother's Day Food Thing = Success!
Dudes, we had our parents over yesterday for a Mother's Day picnic-thing, and it was a resounding success. Possibly less-than-stellar moments: I drank four glasses of wine while sitting in the sun (then wisely switched to water!), I sat at such an angle that a large patch of my right boob got sunburned (but nowhere else got any sun at all), and I doubled what turned out to be an already-tripled frosting recipe, so now I have enough frosting for at least two more layer cakes. I made a lot of frosting, is what I'm saying.
I tried on bathing suits a little while ago and am now feeling self-critical in that special way that bathing-suit-trying-on can bring, so I'm going to eat some celery and then go for a bike ride.
The bike ride part is true, but the celery part isn't. We don't have any celery, and I'm hungry, so I think I'm going to have some scrambled eggs and marble rye toast. That's healthy, right? Lots of protein, and stuff?
And I'm giving the rest of the cake away to my neighbors, but that was part of the plan before the bathing suit thing.
How was your Mother's Day? Anyone else feeling spectacularly self-image-conscious, or just plain fat, this week?
I tried on bathing suits a little while ago and am now feeling self-critical in that special way that bathing-suit-trying-on can bring, so I'm going to eat some celery and then go for a bike ride.
The bike ride part is true, but the celery part isn't. We don't have any celery, and I'm hungry, so I think I'm going to have some scrambled eggs and marble rye toast. That's healthy, right? Lots of protein, and stuff?
And I'm giving the rest of the cake away to my neighbors, but that was part of the plan before the bathing suit thing.
How was your Mother's Day? Anyone else feeling spectacularly self-image-conscious, or just plain fat, this week?
Monday, February 14, 2011
Obligatory Holiday Post
 |
| Dang, this wreath is cute. Too bad I'd have to take down the Christmas wreath that's still up to hang it. |
Tonight we're having lobster (it was on sale, and they're waiting in the fridge for me to murder them. Not sure how to feel about this. I've only been eating meat again for like a year, and I've never had a chance to meet my dinner before.) with lovely Kerrygold Irish butter and baked potatoes and broccoli, and watching a movie on the couch with our fluffy mutt of a dog and snuggling. Andy gave me my "present" early: we went to bed at 9:30 last night. I do not mean any innuendo by that. He knows that sleeping is in my top three favorite activities, so we turned off the tv, headed upstairs, and were snuggled up falling asleep by 9:45. Who says romance isn't dead?
Hope you're having a lovely day!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)