Thursday, January 31, 2013

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Winter Friggin' Wonderland

Hey Humble Readers...

It is still cold in the Shire, but at least not as cold as what it has been the last couple of days.  It snowed for two days straight, and we are expecting more snow tonight.  I understand that I live on the frozen flatland, and that snow, cold, and wind are synonymous with a Canadian prairie winter, but this feels like it has been dragging on and on.  January and February are always the hardest months. 

*****
I have a quandary before me.  I love Downton Abbey (you hadn't figured that out yet, had you?).  My Beloved got me all three seasons on dvd for Christmas, and season three arrived yesterday.  I love having Sunday nights as my Downton night, but I'm finding it hard not to toss that dvd into the player right now and binge on the rest of the season.  I love the anticipation as I wait for each new episode, but part of me is screaming for that instant gratification.  What would you do?

BTW, last Sunday's episode?  Yup, I was a wreck.  Totally gutted.  And my Beloved just sat there laughing at me. 

*****
Humble Readers, I hesitate to bring this up, but it is the pressing issue on my mind and body this week.  I will warn you that it's very tmi, but really, after all the IF stuff, I'm not shy about talking about my lady parts.  At least not here.  You have been warned.

I have a yeast infection.  My first.  Ever.  And let me just tell you, this shit sucks!  I am uncomfortable.  I am grumpy.  And who the hell said that any part of the female anatomy, let alone the lady bits, are allowed to burn and itch like that?  I didn't sign up for this.  I.  DID.  NOT.  SIGN.  UP.  FOR.  THIS!!!  I caught myself daydreaming about steel wool.  It's time to go to the pharmacy. 

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In other body news... I have busted through my 19.6lb plateau!  Yay!  I am now officially 22lb down.  I'm going shopping again this weekend (I can because I have a coupon to one of my favourite clothing stores - spend $80 save 50%) because now the only pants that fit me are the two pairs of jeans I bought at the end of December.  My next major target is to be what I weighed when my Beloved and I got married.  That means another 14 pounds.  And if I can do it by our anniversary in April, that would be an added bonus... a little more than 10 weeks.  I think that's doable.

*****
Pippin is having a rough day exploring his surroundings.  He's trying hard to really crawl (rather than army crawl), but he keeps on ending up under the coffee table and bonking his little noggin.  I'm hoping to get some video of him trying to crawl, because really it is just too funny.  More often than not, he ends up doing a face plant into the carpet. 

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Ginevra in January

Greetings Humble Readers...

Holy snappin' a$$holes, it's cold in the Shire today!  Windchill at the moment is at -40C.  It's been getting colder all morning.  There's ice forming on our windows... on the inside.  Yikes!

It's been a couple of months since I did an update post for Ginny.  In some ways it's hard to believe that she's 26 months old, but in others I swear she's going on 30. 

Dressed up in Mummy's sweater and shoes.
Here's the stats... Ginny's 27.5lbs now and 35 inches tall.  She can wear some size 2 clothes (mostly shirts), but as always we have an issue with pants staying up around her waist.  Heck, there's a pair of 12-18 month jeans in her dresser that are still too big around her waist, but more than an inch too short at the ankle.  Her eyes continue to change colour, some days being grey, other days being blue, and still others a greenish hazel.  Her eczema is almost completely gone.  She gets some occasional dry patches on her arms and legs, and her cheeks need lotion every day, but it's miles better than what it was a year ago. 

Looking very parochial
 She learns so fast, and so much.  She has managed to copy exactly the way I say my Beloved's name when I'm exasperated with him (like when he forgets to wipe up the crumbs on the counter after he makes a sandwich).  She uses it as an expletive.  It would be hilarious if I didn't want to nip that in the bud asap!  Ginny's gotten quite a bit more consistent with saying please and thank you (although she sometimes gets them backwards), and she knows that blowing raspberries is 'vewy rwoooooooood'.   She's also learned to say 'bless you' when someone sneezes (she gets mad at me when I say gesundheit instead) and 'scuse me' when she farts. 


Fascinated with the heating vents.  Loves the 'wind'.
About 90% of the time, Ginny gets her colours right.  And she tells me constantly what colour things are.  If I ask her, she can identify most of the alphabet and she knows that letters make words, but she's still struggling to connect the alphabet with the song or any kind of order.  Similarly with her numbers, she can identify them when asked, but doesn't quite get how they all go together. 

Supper is alle-alle!
She's still a great eater.  She loves almost all veggies (green beans are iffy), especially broccoli, cucumbers, and tomatoes.  She has yoghurt and toast most mornings for breakfast, although she has recently gotten into having 'talkin ceweals' (rice krispies).  She loves anything sour, like lemons and pickles, and has a new lunchtime favourite of celery with cheese whiz.   Hummus and pitas are always a hit, and she loves gravy on her fries.  And she requires pepper be put on all her meals (we negotiate at breakfast).  Thankfully, she isn't a big fan of juice, preferring to have water or milk instead.  She's fascinated with coffee, and I'm sure she's counting down the days to her first Starbucks trip (not until she's 12 if I have anything to say about it).  'Hot chokit' is for when she comes in from the cold. 

Crazy girl!
She loves to 'hep' with cooking, laundry (particularly sorting things), and with Pippin.  She tries to give him his bottle if he's crying, and often will try to shove the straw from her sippy cup into his mouth.  Ginny's still not so sure about sharing toys with Pip though, and will often push him aside, or otherwise manhandle him to the point where he cries.  At which point she will come to me and say "Ahhh-wee cwyin!" as though she had nothing to do with it. 
Ginny telling Pippin about the vent and the 'wind'.
Ginny has been learning to pretend a lot lately.  She spends lots of time at her play kitchen making 'wecipes' that she demands I try.  She's also beginning to understand different family roles, often deciding that this stuffie will be the mummy and that figurine will be the daddy.  She still loves her books, and she likes to try to 'read' her favourite stories to Pip or to her toys. 

This is her new 'smile for the camera' face.
She has recently developed an awareness of noises and sounds around her.  When the furnace kicks in, or when someone in the condo above us walks heavily she will look around and ask 'sound dat?' (what's that sound?).  Ginny has also become aware of music.  We have exposed her to lots of music, but she has never really paid any attention to it until the last couple of months.  She has music that she listens to when she falls asleep (great instrumental rocknroll cds - like U2 and the Beatles).  We listen to a lot of country music in the car, and this week she and I have been dancing to the new NKOTB release.  And just in the last week or so, she has started singing ('twinkle, twinkle, twinkle, twinkle')

My new favourite picture of my
wee sweet girl.
Ginny loves going out.  Out into the snow.  Out to do some shopping.  Out to church.  Out for a walk.  If one of us is leaving the house, she will beg to come with us ('wif me? wif me').  She will pull her coat off the hanger in a heartbeat and be trying to pull on her mittens.  One area that we still need to do some work on is stairs.  The only stairs at our home are outside, with open risers and lots of concrete.  She can walk up them while holding my hand, or crawl up them on her own.  But down hasn't happened yet, mostly because Mummy won't allow it.  Maybe in the spring when things are dryer and cleaner.

Trying to figure out snow angels
She's far too adventurous for my heart to handle.  In the past two days, I've caught her trying to climb over the baby gate, out of the playpen, and up into her booster seat at the table.  I'm sure that climbing out of the crib is sure to follow soon. 

She's two in every way.  She's active, she's challenging, and she's sweet.  She's discovered the joy of smooches and squeezy hugs, and she will only cuddle for a brief amount of time before having to be off on another quest for fun and excitement.  


Monday, January 28, 2013

Good News, Bad News

Hey Humble Readers...

Wow, it's been a day.

Started off with Pip giving me an extra early wake-up call (5:30am), then we had a small disaster after breakfast when a framed picture on a shelf in the living room fell and took a glass vase full of sand with it.  Both the frame and the vase shattered on the tv stand and sent glass everywhere.  Miraculously, Pip, who was less than 3 feet away from the whole mess didn't get a scratch. 

After I got that cleaned up, I settled Pip for his morning nap and gave Ginny a bath.  We decided that today would be another go round of potty training, so I moved the potty to the kitchen and got the little miss into her training pants.  Two and a half hours later all I had to show for it was a pile of laundry.  We went through all six pairs of quilted training pants.  **sigh**  We'll give it another go tomorrow morning. 

This afternoon was about keeping the wee little man happy, and trying to get some housework done.  All I managed to accomplish was sweeping and mopping the kitchen floor.  But, I did finally have someone respond to my kijiji ad for the bassinet who actually showed up (have had four or five people interested but they never came by to look at it) and paid full asking price. 

And then I got the phone call...

You might remember that I was rather concerned on Friday that my Mom's primary care physician wanted to see her today.  I was concerned that it was going to be be bad news about "the spot" that she had removed last week.  Thankfully, the appointment wasn't about that, and the doc isn't concerned about the spot, as he's certain the oncologist removed all of it.  Whew, good news.

My mom's main doc is also my grandmother's main doc.  And it wasn't good news. 

My grandma, who has been in a nursing home for the last four years, ever since she had a series of physically debilitating strokes, has just been diagnosed with lung cancer. 

We have known for a couple of months that she hasn't been well, but she's been ill before and she always surprises us and bounced back.  But this is different.  She's been complaining of stomach pain and has been eating very little.  Back before Christmas Dr. W ordered some tests.  It was the MRI last week that finally revealed the big picture. 

GG (what we all call Grandma... ever since the first great-grandchild was born) has had a very poor quality of life since her strokes.  She was a very active, social person, so losing her ability to communicate clearly and only having use of her right arm have been taxing.  Her mental accuity has also slipped quite a bit.  She doesn't remember my wee-lings' names (calls them 'the babies') and she struggles to remember who my Beloved is. 

Of course, when Dr. W asked, my mom reiterated GG's wishes.  No interventions, other than what's needed to keep her comfortable.  No surgery.  No chemo or radiation.  The prognosis is anywhere between one and nine months.  Mom is not that optomistic. 

My head knows that it will be a blessing when GG passes.  She would never have wanted to live this way, confined to a bed or wheelchair, eating mush for every meal, and never knowing if it's 2013 or 1957.  And she never wanted extraordinary measures, even when she had the strokes. 

By my heart hurts at the knowledge that I will most likely not see her alive again.  For the last few years, whenever we've gone out to K-town, I'd resigned myself to the fact that when we left it might have been the last time I would get to see her, but it doesn't make today any easier. 

Sunday, January 27, 2013

Sunday Night Chit Chat:

Howdy Humble Readers!

Happy Sunday!

Things here in the hobbit-hole have been a little bit busy this weekend, partially because I had a completely unmotivated Friday.  Blood donor clinic, grocery shopping (which I despise doing on a Saturday afternoon... but I can't blame anyone but myself for that), and the hairdresser for me yesterday.  Walmart and Toy's R Us (for a replacement on a Christmas gift) for my Beloved today.  Church for all of us this morning, too. 
All dressed up for church.

Pip, caught napping!

Reading - The Changeling by Philippa Gregory.  Only just started it late last night, but I think I'm going to like it.  It's Gregory's first foray into young adult fiction.  It's set in fifteenth century Italy, and so far I've just met the two main characters.  I'm anticipating much intrigue and drama. Finished my re-read of Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts last night... stayed up much too late reading. 
 

Watching - A documentary on one of the Queen's palaces (Holyroodhouse), and later Downton Abbey.  I adore Sunday nights!




Listening to - My Beloved doing the dishes.  All else is peaceful.  Pippin's sleep issues seem like a thing of the past.  (**knocking on wood**)








Baking/Cooking - Tonight was typical Sunday fare... a pork roast, mashed taters, veg, and yorkies.  I'm excited to try making Toad In The Hole next week. 



Happy you accomplished this week - Quite a few things actually.  I was able to give blood!  Hooray!  My iron was nice and high, and I had no issues at the clinic.  I got a haircut yesterday, my first since last April.  Basically the same style, just three inches shorter.  I placed an order for Ginny's winter coat and snowpants for next year (an awesome sale online at Please Mum.  Paid $38 total for both... regular price was well over $100).  And I did a fun craft project that, when framed, will be my mom's Christmas gift this year.  I will post a picture of it later in the week. 

Looking forward to next week - Making optometrist appointments for all four of us.  My Beloved hasn't been for an eye exam since I've known him, I need a new rx, and the wee-lings need to have their first exams. 

Thankful for today - My church family.  A wee little man who seems to be his happy, well-rested, well-fed (have I mentioned that he'd been uninterested in solid food during the sleep issues?).

*BONUS QUESTION* What chore around the house do you dread doing the most?  While I don't enjoy cleaning the bathroom, I have to say that laundry is my least favourite chore.  Which is a large part of why my Beloved does most of it.  It just drives me crazy that it's never ever completely done.

*****
This was posted as a part of Carla's Sunday Night Chit Chat.  Click over and check out what others are chatting about tonight.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: News & Updates

Hey Humble Readers...

Well, I'm back.  Beauregard the laptop is back in my posession and is actually running better than what it did when I first got it.  I got the computer back a couple of days ago, but because they had to completely wipe the hard drive, it's taken me some time to get things back to the way I like them.  Thank heaven I had backed up all the pictures on Picasa.  And the computer tech guys were able to save the files that I was most concerned about losing from my writing and my plethora of lists!  Yay!

*****
My Beloved's first few days at his new job have gone well.  He says it's a much more professional environment than he's been accustomed to.  And it's a rather posh office... a newly built building with granite countertops in the bathrooms and a water feature in the reception area.  Still in the dark on the medical benefits (which is one of my main concerns) but all in all, he seems happy and excited about his work.  A couple of little bummers... he has to leave a half hour earlier in the morning, and he can't come home for lunch any more.  I miss that little bit of adult conversation in the middle of the day and he misses seeing the wee-lings.

*****
My mom has had a bit of a health scare.  (Just a reminder that my mom is a 6 time cancer survivor - cervical, uterine, lung, melanoma, lymphoma, lesions on her brain)  One of her past cancer issues was a melanoma on her forehead by her left temple.  A month ago she found a small spot on her forehead on the right temple.  Given her history, her doctors didn't want to mess around, and so yesterday they removed the spot.  It was a little over 4mm, and it was sent for further testing.  I've been able to keep my concerns in check until today, because I found out that her main doc wants to see her on Monday morning.  Part of me knows that it's likely just to check on the incision and possibly remove the stitches, but I'm still anxious.  I know that she absolutely doesn't have the emotional reserves right now, with everything going on with the divorce, to deal with a full on cancer battle again.  DOESN'T SHE DESERVE A BREAK?!?!

*****
I'm hesitant to say this, but I think we may be past the sleep regression situation.  At least for the time being.  We changed up the bedtime routine a bit.  Ginny and Pippin both go to bed at the same time now.  We do teeth brushing, stories, and prayers together now, whereas before we would put Ginny down first and then put Pip down an hour or so later.  We are doing a modified version of Ferber (I think that's the name of it anyway), where one of us will go in and comfort him a bit every 10 or 15 minutes if he's fussing.  In the last couple of days we've only had to go in twice.  I was just so hesitant to do that, because I didn't want his crying to upset Ginny's sleep (and I really don't like CIO), but my Beloved was adamant that we give it a try... and it's worked.  And it seems like Ginny's settling a little quicker now too. 

QUESTION:  Have any of you found that your baby had a tough time learning to self soothe if they didn't learn to suck their thumb?  (we don't use pacifiers either) 

*****
Goals for 2013 Update:  I'm well into my third book of the year already.  I'm very happy that I've gotten such a good start on my reading goal for the year.  Other goals have been very slow to start.  I have been better with my line-a-day journal, but my weightloss has plateaued at 19.6lb down (since November).  Workouts have been pretty much non-existent (hence the plateau), but I have booked an appointment for a hair cut tomorrow (my first since last April).  And I'm planning on colouring my hair next weekend.  Potty training... oh heavens... I am so lame.  I am going to get on that on Monday.  My daily to do lists have remained unaccomplished mostly for the last couple of weeks, but I'm allowing myself some slack there because of Pippin's sleep issues for the last two weeks. 

*****
What's been the highlight of your week so far?

Sunday, January 20, 2013

On it Goes

Hey Humble Readers ...

It's approaching 1am and here I sit with a squirmy little boy who refuses to go to sleep.

Sleep regression continues, coloured with teething, and a strong dose of separation anxiety. And it seems that the ty.lenol that we have been giving him for teething pain has a stimulating effect on the wee little man.

Needless to say, my Beloved and I are tired.

My laptop is still under the weather but we have a diagnosis. The virus had worked its way into the boot up programming (whatever that's called. I forget the exact terminology the tech used). They have to reformat the stupid thing. Thankfully, I have backed up the important stuff (pictures). I will lose some writing stuff and my multiple lists.

I'm going to hate having to set up everything again. But at least the virus will be gone. I should get it back by monday.

Monday is also my Beloved's first day at his new job. If you have a moment, please send out your prayers/good vibes for a good start in this new opportunity.

I will attempt to be back for the sunday night chit chat. Hoping you all are well!
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Sunday Night Chit Chat: Oy Vey!

Howdy Humble Readers!

I hope you're all doing well.  I'm sorry that it's been a few days since my last post, but it's been a rough few days.  

First off, AF decided to be a real biotch and give me grief throughout the entirety of her visit.  It knocked the stuffing out of me for most of last week.

And then Beauregard, my oh-so-pathetic laptop, succumbed to yet another attack from the internet ickies.  Right now it's completely useless.  We are in the process of finding a decent tech to take a look at the wretched thing.  I refuse to be without my computer for another month.  And for the record, I will never buy a Dell computer again.  EVER.  The thing is a piece of crap.  Sadly, it has to do for me for the next few years.  One sad thing about having to use the desktop (which is challenging at the best of times) is that I will have to go without posting any pics for a while.  Or at least any new pics, as I cannot upload any new ones to picasa on this computer. 

If dealing with AF and an infected computer weren't enough, Pippin decided that this weekend would be a great time to experience sleep regression.  It's right on time, of course.  He passed his eight month milestone just last week (yes I did intend to do a post.  For excuses, see above).  For the last few nights he's been getting progressively more and more difficult to settle.  Last night, he slept a grand total of 4 and a half hours, and not all in a row.  He's never been a big napper, so it's been an exhausting few days.  Add in teething and a growth spurt... fun times!  

Anywho... on to the chit chat

What Am I...

Reading - Still reading The Secret Keeper.  It's such a good book, and I think I have figured out the mystery, but whenever I think that, I usually end up waaaaay wrong.  I picked up a few new-to-me books from the thrift store yesterday, and I'm looking forward to having some new titles to read.

Watching - A documentary on the building of Buckingham Palace and Downton Abbey.  Intrigued to see what will become of Lady Edith and her man.  

Listening to - My Beloved as he wrangles Ginny to begin her bedtime routine.

Cooking/Baking - Dinner tonight was lemon roasted chicken with mashed taters, mixed vegetables, yorkies and gravy.  Typical Sunday night fare, but oh so yummy.

Happy you accomplished this week - did the Jeopardy online test (never felt so stupid in my whole life), went thrift store shopping (bought myself those books I mentioned, a couple of Scrabble games to use for crafting, and an embroidery hoop to use in a project for the nursery)

Looking Forward to Next Week - Christmas gift exchange with a couple of my girlfriends (was too busy before Christmas to get together).  Making chili on Tuesday!

Bonus Question: What is your favourite board game?  That's a tough one.  I love Scrabble, because I can usually do pretty well at it.  I used to like Monopoly, but my Beloved plays cut throat so I've lost interest in that one.  Best for a laugh is Things In A Box.  Seriously, it can get a little out of control but it is the most hilarious game to play with a group of 4 or 5 people, particularly after a glass of wine. 

*****
This is posted as a part of Carla's Sunday Night Chit Chat.  Click over to find out what others are chatting about tonight.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Do-do, Do-do, Do-do-do...

Hey Humble Readers...

How's it going?  It's a bit of a grey day in the Shire, but at least the snow is still melting.  As of tomorrow we are supposed to be getting pretty cold again for a few days.  Ugh. 

*****
AF is here, and yet again she's kicking my ass.  I seriously want to line up all the women who told me that my period would get 'soooo much easier' after having kids, and kick them all really really hard.  If anything, it's gone back to the way it was when I was in my teens and early twenties, with nausea, extraordinary cramps, and migraines.  And to add insult to injury, I can't take the meds I used to (rx muscle relaxers) because they make me groggy.  I just don't feel I can do that when it's just me and the wee-lings. 

*****
So, did the title of today's post give you a hint?  Maybe not, but it's that time of year again.  Jeopardy online test time!  And this year, I'm taking the test too.  We'll see if either my Beloved or I get called for an audition.  It would be a great excuse to have a mini vacation if we did.  We both chose Phoenix as our audition city, and if it's like when my Beloved auditioned (in February of 2011) it would be a nice break from the winter.  I'm taking my test tonight, and my Beloved is doing his tomorrow night. 

*****
A while back I mentioned that I've been losing some weight, and that is still going down, which I LOVE, but there are other things happening that have been a bit on the humorous side.  For the last several years I've only owned a couple of pairs of jeans at a time because my wardrobe primarily consisted of clothes that I needed for work (strict dress code) and I rarely got to wear jeans.  After that came maternity clothes, which I retired last summer.  With the weight loss recently, along with pounds I've also been losing inches.  The dress pants that I used to wear to work are extremely loose and baggy on me, and the jeans that I bought after Ginny was born actually FELL OFF!!  I was walking down the hall to the nursery, carrying Pip, and they fell right to my ankles.  It happened again, later in the day, right in front of our living room window when I bent to put Pip on the floor.  I recently went shopping and bought a couple of pairs of jeans, in a size that I haven't worn in more than fifteen years.  I still have a ridiculous long way to go to get healthy, but I'm thrilled with the progress so far. 

*****
I don't normally promote products on my blog, but I have to tell you all about my new shampoo.  Back when I was expecting Ginny, my hair was beautiful.  One of the few things that was really great about being pregnant... nice hair.  After she was born, it went funky(brittle, limp, and dry).  And it stayed funky.  And it got worse while I was expecting Pip.  When Pip was about four months old, it started falling out a lot.  I would have to clean out my hair brush multiple times while brushing.  My hair has always been fine textured and easily tangled, and with the brittleness, that meant it was breaking constantly.  I was so frustrated.  I couldn't even put it in a ponytail, because the ouchless elastics would pull my hair out or break it.  SOoooo I switch to a new L'Or.eal hair care system (the one in their black and pink bottles) and after a month, I have my hair back.  It's soft, it's easy to brush out, and it feels so much stronger.  My only frustration now is all the funny wispy bits where my hair is growing back in (like along my hairline, at my temples, etc)

*****
Brain hiccup of the day:  I didn't realize until 3pm that the recipe I was going to make was actually a slow-cooker recipe.  It's a new one for me that I chose off my pinterest board and I didn't read it all the way through.  Doh!

*****
So tell me, would you consider trying out for Jeopardy?

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Sunday Night Chit Chat

Good Evening Humble Readers!
Master Pip dozed off early tonight
(and then was  bear when I tried to put him down for the night)
I hope you've all had a pleasant weekend.  Ours was fairly quiet.  I am happy to say that I was able to carve out a couple of hours for reading just for me.  Yesterday I got to have two glorious hours when everyone else was napping or having a rest to lose myself in a good book.  But more on that later.

I'm not sure how many of you follow hockey, but it's been a rollercoaster weekend for those of us north of the 49th parallel.  Our junior men's national team skated out of the IIHF tournament without a medal for the first time in 15 years.  But then this morning we woke to the news that the NHL and NHLPA have reached a tentative agreement in their contract dispute that has dragged on and on.  Now, I will confess that I'm not a huge fan of NHL hockey.  There are too many teams, and the season is just too long.  But all the same, I'm glad that the lockout appears to be over.  The only people being hurt in it were the fans. 

Anyway, on to the chit chat!

What am I...

Reading - A fabulous book!  Secret Keeper by Kate Morton.  I'm about halfway through it.  I love her way of interweaving of past and present in this and all her other titles.  In this one, the main character is a sixty-something actress who is trying to discover the secrets in her mother's past.  Set in England, alternating between present day and WWII (in particular London during the blitz).  And the description she uses for Laurel makes her sound, to me, like a dead ringer for Maggie Smith, with her lined face and history of playing critically acclaimed supporting roles.  If you like British drama, both present and past, with a touch of mystery, I strongly recommend anything by Kate Morton.

Watching - DOWNTON ABBEY!!!!  I am so excited!  Yes, I'm just a big old nerd. 

Listening to - My Beloved bang around in the kitchen as he does the dinner dishes. 

Baking/Cooking - Tonight was a greek-inspired pork roast with mashed taters, mixed vegetables, and yorkies.  Was very yummy! 

Happy you accomplished this week - Ummmm... not a whole lot. I'm rather behind on my to dos from last week. 

Looking forward to next week - Working up my nerve to start working on potty training again with Miss Ginevra.  I know it shouldn't be this daunting, and yet it is. 

What is the minimum # you feel comfortable with sitting in your bank account/piggy bank? - This of course would presume that we have savings, which we honestly don't.  I would love it if we could get to a point where we had a couple of thousand in the bank. 

*****
This was posted as a part of Carla's Sunday Night Chit Chat.  Pop over and check out what others are chatting about tonight.

Friday, January 4, 2013

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Friday Randomness

Howdy Humble Readers! 

Happy Friday!

Things here at the hobbit-hole were pretty chipper this morning.  It's a moderately sunny day and everyone was in moderately good moods.  We are in the midst of our usual January warm up before we get plunged back into the deep freeze.  We'll see how the rest of the day evolves.

*****
Yesterday was a big day for the extended Gamgee clan.  My Beloved's nephew became a daddy again.  Just a refresher:  My Beloved is the youngest by a LOT in his family, so all of his neices and nephews are grown up (youngest is 22).  The first biological great-grandchild, Thor, was born two months after Ginny was born.  Thor was born 9 weeks premature because his mommy's gall bladder decided that it didn't like the whole pregnancy thing.  He did amazingly well and before long he was bigger than Ginny.  When Thor's mom got pregnant again, her doc was optimistic that they wouldn't have a repeat of last time because she had her gall bladder removed.  She did have a little hiccup a couple of months ago, where her labour started, but the doctors were able to stop it, and she made it almost to her due date.  She had been having some back pain for the last couple of days and when she went to a regular doctor appointment yesterday, he immediately sent her to the mini hospital in their little town south of us.  An hour and a half after she got checked in, little mister Tyr arrived.  He was so quick that his daddy didn't even get a chance to get there (he was working here in the Shire).  I've seen a few pics, and the little guy looks a lot like his big brother, and a lot like his daddy.  I can't wait to meet the little guy. 

*****
I wanted to say a couple more things about my goals for the year.  I know that my list is long (and I've since come up with a few more things to add to it), but my way of looking at things is that a year is actually a long time, and the changes that I want to make and things I want to do are not going to happen overnight (case in point: I've already weighed myself 3 times this week.  Damn scale).  That's part of the difference, to my mind, between goals and resolutions.  Goals have trial and error, goals have a process.  Resolutions feel like they have to be done right the first time and they have to be done right NOW!  I'm not going to throw away my goals because I mess up in the first week. 

*****
Pippin has discovered the bookcases.  *sigh*  Here begins another 10-12 months of  'no touch' and 'those are Mummy's'.  In a funny twist, Ginny has become protective of my books and tries to move the little mister away from the shelves.  So not only am I having to rescue my books, but I have to rescue Pip from Ginny. 

*****
My Beloved is currently conducting interviews for his replacement.  I find it a bit ridiculous that he's having to do this, as January is the killer month of the year for my Beloved's role in their business.  He has to interview, hire, and train his replacement, all while managing to still get the tripled workload that comes at this time of year (and he has to have all this done in two weeks!).  Oh, and do his course work too.  Yikes!  I'll be so glad when he starts his new job. 

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Welcome 2013!

Happy New Year Humble Readers!
Image credit
I hope that you enjoyed your New Year's Eve celebrations, whether they were raucous or serene.  We had a quiet evening here in the hobbit hole... both wee-lings were snuggled under their blankets by 8:30, and my Beloved and I passed the evening playing video games (me - SuperMario Paper on the Wii) and fiddling with the new computer (my Beloved - the new laptop is for his course work as the software he needs won't run on his ancient desktop.  Can we say tax write-off?). 

My Beloved asked me a few days ago if I thought that 2012 had been a good year.  Without hesitation I said yes.  2012 brought us Pip.  None of the ugliness in my family or our financial struggles can overshadow the joy that our wee little mister has brought to our lives.  And Ginny just keeps on surprising us every day with her capacity to learn and to laugh.  In 2012 we ended our journey to build our family, and as I look ahead I can't help but wonder what this new year will bring us.  Undoubtedly, there will be new joys and new challenges that come our way, but today, as the sun shines and a warm chinook wind blows, I feel optimistic about 2013.

I'm not one for New Year's resolutions.  At least not in the usual sense.  I've never liked the vague "be better to myself" or "lose some weight" types of resolutions.  Being the to do list addict that I am, I need to have things that I can measure, things that I can cross off my list.  So instead of resolutions, I find setting specific goals tends to work better for me.  Some of my goals end up taking longer than a year to accomplish, but I like to be able to see measurable progress being made.  The tough part is always making the list achievable.   

So here's the list for 2013:
  1. Health - Continue the good habits that I developed in 2012 (drinking 2-3 liters of water a day, not drinking my calories, cinnamon tea every morning and evening), only step on the scale twice a week (rather than every day), gradually add in physical activity (twice a week in January and February, then increase it for March and April and so on)
  2. Self-care - Colour my hair every 8-10 weeks, get a haircut 4 times throughout the year (build it into the budget), buy new capris for the summer (build it into the budget),
  3. Household - Strive for at least one meat-free dinner each week (was about 60% in 2012), keeping up with my weekly/daily to do lists, purge cds, re-work household budget (January), do mending weekly (as needed)
  4. Learning - Read an average of 3 books a month with at least one of them being a new to me title, build up repertoire of meat-free recipes, learn a new crafting skill (very vague, but I don't know what I want to learn yet.)
  5. Family - Attempt potty-training again with Ginny in January, Transition Ginny to her toddler bed by end of February, send out extended family birthday cards ON TIME, come up with a better way of sharing photos with far-away family.
  6. Creative Endeavours - write in my "One Line A Day" journal every day, creative writing (using prompts or working on 'the story') for at least 15 minutes every day, maintain a regular blogging schedule
I know that seems like a lot.  Much of it will simply require being added to my daily to-do list.  Other than that, I think I can manage this list this year.  And it's always a given that some things simply won't happen.  Life gets in the way of the best of intentions, but every journey needs a map to point the general direction. 

What are some of your goals for the new year?