Hey Humble Readers...
Well, that was a loss of two weeks.
First, we were just busy. Westerner Days and Parade with the wee-lings, and Ginny's first ever class-type program (Mom & Tot Gymnastics), and a quick visit from my sister and her family.
Then we all got sick. Well, as much as my Beloved ever gets sick (a few sniffles and a frog in his throat), anyway. The rest of us have been sneezing, snarfling, and coughing for days and days. Ginny is on the mend, but Pippin and I are still suffering. You know, I can handle a lot of the whole bodily fluid thing, but snot and drool about do me in. And dealing with it when I'm barely holding it together is beyond challenging. Motherhood is grand! (and yes, I know this is what I longed for!)
Well, I need to lay down again. Thank heaven for nap time (Ginny) and play pens (Pip).
Hope you are all doing well and enjoying your summer!
Monday, July 29, 2013
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Sunday Night Chit Chat: Sunnybrook Farm Fun
Howdy Humble Readers...
I do hope that some of you are still out there. I've been such a terrible bloggy friend for the last month (ok, the last year really). I apologize for my absence. I will attempt to do better. I will.
This week was pretty mellow at the hobbit hole. Weather has been typical summer for us... moderate warm weather, lots of thunderstorms, and a few stretches of intense heat. The thing that makes the heat so hard for me (and this is not original) living here is the humidity. I grew up in very arid areas, but as soon as it gets over 25C here in the Shire, I'm a puddle. Seriously, it gets at least 10 degrees hotter on a daily basis in K-town in the summer, but it doesn't bother me anywhere near as bad.
This was another milestone week in the weight loss department. I passed (just barely) the 60 pound mark on Friday. I'm losing at a rate of about 10 pounds per month, which is a nice steady pace, but not too fast. Now my workouts consist of my walk (6.8km), 75 squats, and a fifteen minute arms and abs workout (with small weights). With stretching, it usually takes me about an hour and a half or so, start to finish. Blood sugars are good, and staying fairly steady, thankfully.
Today was we had a fun little outing with the wee-lings. We took them to a little farming museum/petting zoo. It was just a short little fun-time, but both Ginny and Pip enjoyed it.
On to tonight's chit chat. Here's what I'm...
Reading... I FINALLY finished Paris. It was so good! I learned so much about the city, about the history of France. Now I'm on to Revenge Wears Prada (the sequel to The Devil Wears Prada). I'm enjoying it, and I'm flying through it. That's always the way it goes after I read something like Paris, the next book goes by in a flash. I'm also doing some research reading for a possible project that has been percolating.
Watching... I'm going to watch a couple episodes of Rome tonight.
Listening to... Pippin, yawning and babbling to himself a bit. He's still not talking (14 months... I'm trying not to get too concerned) but he makes tons of little boy noises. Grunts, growls, and blowing raspberries.
Cooking/baking... Tonight's dinner was fantastic. Braised beef short ribs, with mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. I made a sauce from the braising liquids (sherry, onion, garlic, beef stock, and a bit of bbq sauce) that was killer.
Happy I accomplished this week... we finally broke down and got Pippin's big boy car seat. They changed the laws in the last year about when child can move to a forward facing car seat (they have to be able to walk on their own to the car, and Pip wasn't too steady on his feet until recently). We finally got rid of the baby bucket (caused my heart to twinge just a bit. We'd had that car seat since my first pregnancy five years ago).
Looking forward to next week... We are taking the wee-lings to their first parade on Wednesday. The local annual festival/fair (called Westerner Days) begins that day, and we are also going to take them to the midway to do a few rides, and then through the 4H exhibits.
Thankful for... The way my Beloved plays with our wee-lings. He gets them laughing so hard that they can't breathe, and makes them squeal and shriek. Even after a long day with them, I look forward to watching him interact with them.
***Bonus Question*** What's the last movie you saw in the theater? My Beloved and I were blessed with free babysitting on Friday night (MIL wanted to see the wee-lings, so we got an impromptu date night). We went out for dinner (the chicken I had was amazing... going to have to try to copy it) and to see The Heat (Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy). H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S!!!!!! Seriously, I was crying I was laughing so hard. I don't normally buy comedies for my movie collection, but this one might be an exception.
*****
Technically, there is not Sunday Night Chit Chat link up tonight, but I wanted to post anyway. Remember that you can always join in, and chat about what's going on in your world. :)
I do hope that some of you are still out there. I've been such a terrible bloggy friend for the last month (ok, the last year really). I apologize for my absence. I will attempt to do better. I will.
This week was pretty mellow at the hobbit hole. Weather has been typical summer for us... moderate warm weather, lots of thunderstorms, and a few stretches of intense heat. The thing that makes the heat so hard for me (and this is not original) living here is the humidity. I grew up in very arid areas, but as soon as it gets over 25C here in the Shire, I'm a puddle. Seriously, it gets at least 10 degrees hotter on a daily basis in K-town in the summer, but it doesn't bother me anywhere near as bad.
This was another milestone week in the weight loss department. I passed (just barely) the 60 pound mark on Friday. I'm losing at a rate of about 10 pounds per month, which is a nice steady pace, but not too fast. Now my workouts consist of my walk (6.8km), 75 squats, and a fifteen minute arms and abs workout (with small weights). With stretching, it usually takes me about an hour and a half or so, start to finish. Blood sugars are good, and staying fairly steady, thankfully.
Today was we had a fun little outing with the wee-lings. We took them to a little farming museum/petting zoo. It was just a short little fun-time, but both Ginny and Pip enjoyed it.
 |
| All smiles! |
 |
| Checkin' out the ponies and donkeys |
 |
| On the move |
 |
| Mooooo! |
 |
| Ride 'em cowgirl! |
 |
| Sitting in the clover |
On to tonight's chit chat. Here's what I'm...
Reading... I FINALLY finished Paris. It was so good! I learned so much about the city, about the history of France. Now I'm on to Revenge Wears Prada (the sequel to The Devil Wears Prada). I'm enjoying it, and I'm flying through it. That's always the way it goes after I read something like Paris, the next book goes by in a flash. I'm also doing some research reading for a possible project that has been percolating.
Watching... I'm going to watch a couple episodes of Rome tonight.
Listening to... Pippin, yawning and babbling to himself a bit. He's still not talking (14 months... I'm trying not to get too concerned) but he makes tons of little boy noises. Grunts, growls, and blowing raspberries.
Cooking/baking... Tonight's dinner was fantastic. Braised beef short ribs, with mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. I made a sauce from the braising liquids (sherry, onion, garlic, beef stock, and a bit of bbq sauce) that was killer.
Happy I accomplished this week... we finally broke down and got Pippin's big boy car seat. They changed the laws in the last year about when child can move to a forward facing car seat (they have to be able to walk on their own to the car, and Pip wasn't too steady on his feet until recently). We finally got rid of the baby bucket (caused my heart to twinge just a bit. We'd had that car seat since my first pregnancy five years ago).
Looking forward to next week... We are taking the wee-lings to their first parade on Wednesday. The local annual festival/fair (called Westerner Days) begins that day, and we are also going to take them to the midway to do a few rides, and then through the 4H exhibits.
Thankful for... The way my Beloved plays with our wee-lings. He gets them laughing so hard that they can't breathe, and makes them squeal and shriek. Even after a long day with them, I look forward to watching him interact with them.
***Bonus Question*** What's the last movie you saw in the theater? My Beloved and I were blessed with free babysitting on Friday night (MIL wanted to see the wee-lings, so we got an impromptu date night). We went out for dinner (the chicken I had was amazing... going to have to try to copy it) and to see The Heat (Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy). H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S!!!!!! Seriously, I was crying I was laughing so hard. I don't normally buy comedies for my movie collection, but this one might be an exception.
*****
Technically, there is not Sunday Night Chit Chat link up tonight, but I wanted to post anyway. Remember that you can always join in, and chat about what's going on in your world. :)
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Sunday Night Chit Chat: Quiet Week
Hey Humble Readers...
It's been a pretty quiet weekend around the hobbit hole. Did some shopping, ran a few errands, but mostly just stayed around home.
The heat has eased, for now, but one of the lasting side effects is that poor Pippin's eczema has flared up terribly in the last couple of weeks. My poor boy's hands, ankles and feet are all inflamed and itchy. I know that part of the problem is the fact that he's teething (his first molars are coming in) and he's been using his hands as teething toys. We've switched from the av.eeno for babies with eczema to a galaxal-base product and it does seem to be helping, but it's slow in healing.
Ginny is also teething these days. Her two-year molars are taking their own sweet time coming in. *sigh*
Weight loss update... I'm now down 57 pounds. I can't believe I'm approaching the 240s. It's easily been more than 10 years since I saw those kinds of numbers. My sugars have been okay-ish. Definitely not off track, just up a smidge over last week, but not where I ideally like to keep them. With the heat I've been snacking a lot more than before. I haven't been eating terrible things, but just a lot more (quantity) than my usual diabetes-friendly snacks. I did, however, indulge tonight (a small DQ blizzard... s'more flavoured) and I am feeling the jittery, over-caffeinated feeling I get when my sugars are a little too high. As of tomorrow, I'm back to my routine and better choices.
On to tonight's chit chat. Here's what I'm...
Reading... Still reading Paris by Rutherfurd. I'm loving it, I really am. It's just slow going. I caved and bought my own copy of it as I was unable to renew it at the library (holds pending). I'm about two thirds of the way through it. I love how he interweaves the stories of the different families with the history, geography, and culture of the city. I've never known much about Paris, so this has been educational as well. Case in point, Rutherfurd's explanation for the start of the first world war made that whole miasma of politics clearer than I have ever experienced before. In four paragraphs. Genius!
Watching... I'm late getting my post up tonight because I was watching the new Inspector Morse series on Masterpiece Mystery. I've never been a big fan of the mystery side of Masterpiece, but this series may have converted me. Oxford in the 1960s... wonderful! Oh, and I just picked up the first season of Rome (Thanks for the recommendation, Laurie!) from the library. I'll be getting into that this week
Listening to... a sound that I find very annoying. My Beloved typing on his computer. It's one of those noises that others would never notice but my screwy misophonic brain focusses in on it and it becomes all I can hear.
Cooking/Baking... Tonight's dinner was simple. Because it was cool enough to turn on the oven, I made a balsamic pork roast, crashed potatoes (not be confused with mashed... baby taters boiled, and then gently crushed on a baking sheet, seasoned with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roasted in a very hot oven for 20 minutes until crispy), and roasted broccoli. I'm trying a new recipe for tilapia tomorrow.
Happy I accomplished this week... Hmmmm. Not a whole lot really. The only thing of note is fleshing out the outline of a new story. We'll see if it goes anywhere beyond an outline.
Looking forward to next week... My sister and her family will be stopping by later in the week on their way through to k-town.
Thankful for this week... the fact that we were able to order a new fan for our living room. It should arrive in the next few days, just in time for the next heat wave to hit.
***Bonus Question*** Do you play games? Board games, card games, video games, games online, on your phone, iPad, etc... Yes, but nothing serious. I love Mario games on the wii, and some arcade and brain teaser type games on my computer (wordament, taptile, zuma). As for board games... not so much these days. Occasionally I'll play scrab.ble against my Beloved.
*****
This has been posted as a part of Carla's Sunday Night Chit Chat. Click over to check out what every one else is chatting about this evening.
It's been a pretty quiet weekend around the hobbit hole. Did some shopping, ran a few errands, but mostly just stayed around home.
The heat has eased, for now, but one of the lasting side effects is that poor Pippin's eczema has flared up terribly in the last couple of weeks. My poor boy's hands, ankles and feet are all inflamed and itchy. I know that part of the problem is the fact that he's teething (his first molars are coming in) and he's been using his hands as teething toys. We've switched from the av.eeno for babies with eczema to a galaxal-base product and it does seem to be helping, but it's slow in healing.
Ginny is also teething these days. Her two-year molars are taking their own sweet time coming in. *sigh*
Weight loss update... I'm now down 57 pounds. I can't believe I'm approaching the 240s. It's easily been more than 10 years since I saw those kinds of numbers. My sugars have been okay-ish. Definitely not off track, just up a smidge over last week, but not where I ideally like to keep them. With the heat I've been snacking a lot more than before. I haven't been eating terrible things, but just a lot more (quantity) than my usual diabetes-friendly snacks. I did, however, indulge tonight (a small DQ blizzard... s'more flavoured) and I am feeling the jittery, over-caffeinated feeling I get when my sugars are a little too high. As of tomorrow, I'm back to my routine and better choices.
On to tonight's chit chat. Here's what I'm...
Reading... Still reading Paris by Rutherfurd. I'm loving it, I really am. It's just slow going. I caved and bought my own copy of it as I was unable to renew it at the library (holds pending). I'm about two thirds of the way through it. I love how he interweaves the stories of the different families with the history, geography, and culture of the city. I've never known much about Paris, so this has been educational as well. Case in point, Rutherfurd's explanation for the start of the first world war made that whole miasma of politics clearer than I have ever experienced before. In four paragraphs. Genius!
Watching... I'm late getting my post up tonight because I was watching the new Inspector Morse series on Masterpiece Mystery. I've never been a big fan of the mystery side of Masterpiece, but this series may have converted me. Oxford in the 1960s... wonderful! Oh, and I just picked up the first season of Rome (Thanks for the recommendation, Laurie!) from the library. I'll be getting into that this week
Listening to... a sound that I find very annoying. My Beloved typing on his computer. It's one of those noises that others would never notice but my screwy misophonic brain focusses in on it and it becomes all I can hear.
Cooking/Baking... Tonight's dinner was simple. Because it was cool enough to turn on the oven, I made a balsamic pork roast, crashed potatoes (not be confused with mashed... baby taters boiled, and then gently crushed on a baking sheet, seasoned with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roasted in a very hot oven for 20 minutes until crispy), and roasted broccoli. I'm trying a new recipe for tilapia tomorrow.
Happy I accomplished this week... Hmmmm. Not a whole lot really. The only thing of note is fleshing out the outline of a new story. We'll see if it goes anywhere beyond an outline.
Looking forward to next week... My sister and her family will be stopping by later in the week on their way through to k-town.
Thankful for this week... the fact that we were able to order a new fan for our living room. It should arrive in the next few days, just in time for the next heat wave to hit.
***Bonus Question*** Do you play games? Board games, card games, video games, games online, on your phone, iPad, etc... Yes, but nothing serious. I love Mario games on the wii, and some arcade and brain teaser type games on my computer (wordament, taptile, zuma). As for board games... not so much these days. Occasionally I'll play scrab.ble against my Beloved.
*****
This has been posted as a part of Carla's Sunday Night Chit Chat. Click over to check out what every one else is chatting about this evening.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Hot
Hey Humble Readers...
Your friendly neighbourhood hobbit is a puddle tonight. It is seriously hot on the flatland. And getting hotter.
When I got up this morning to go for a walk it was already 18C (felt like 24C according to the humidex). At 5am. A week ago that was our daytime high.
The hobbit-hole faces full west, so of course we get the full brunt of the sun. This is a great in the middle of winter, but during our brief heat-waves it's pretty much unbearable.
We have two fans going in the living room and dining room, and one in each of the bedrooms. Thankfully, the wee-lings' nursery is the only room that doesn't face west, so it's not quite as hot as everywhere else. The coolest spot in our condo is in the hallway, where the thermostat is. Right now it reads 30C. That's about 86F.
Our current outdoor temp is 32C, and feels like 41C (106F) with the humidity. It's gone up two degrees in the last hour. And it's after 8pm.
The wee-lings and I spent the day not moving a whole lot, drinking a lot of water, and spraying ourselves with water (something the wee-lings found particularly amusing). I just took another shower to try to cool off, but it hasn't helped.
I know that our temps are nothing compared to what some of you experience south of here, but for those of us not acclimatized to this sort of heat it's crazy-making.
Thankfully, starting tomorrow it's going to cool off a bit, get a little bit more bearable. I don't want rain, but I don't want this either.
How do you all stay cool in the summer heat?
Your friendly neighbourhood hobbit is a puddle tonight. It is seriously hot on the flatland. And getting hotter.
When I got up this morning to go for a walk it was already 18C (felt like 24C according to the humidex). At 5am. A week ago that was our daytime high.
The hobbit-hole faces full west, so of course we get the full brunt of the sun. This is a great in the middle of winter, but during our brief heat-waves it's pretty much unbearable.
We have two fans going in the living room and dining room, and one in each of the bedrooms. Thankfully, the wee-lings' nursery is the only room that doesn't face west, so it's not quite as hot as everywhere else. The coolest spot in our condo is in the hallway, where the thermostat is. Right now it reads 30C. That's about 86F.
Our current outdoor temp is 32C, and feels like 41C (106F) with the humidity. It's gone up two degrees in the last hour. And it's after 8pm.
The wee-lings and I spent the day not moving a whole lot, drinking a lot of water, and spraying ourselves with water (something the wee-lings found particularly amusing). I just took another shower to try to cool off, but it hasn't helped.
I know that our temps are nothing compared to what some of you experience south of here, but for those of us not acclimatized to this sort of heat it's crazy-making.
Thankfully, starting tomorrow it's going to cool off a bit, get a little bit more bearable. I don't want rain, but I don't want this either.
How do you all stay cool in the summer heat?
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