Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Snot & Other Bodily Fluids

Good Evening Humble Readers...

How are you all doing? 

If you're affected at all by back-to-school season, I hope that things have gone smoothly for the start of the year.  Locally, kids went back today, which doesn't make a whole heap of sense to me... send the kids back for two days before a long weekend?  How many kids are even going to show up until next week? 

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All's quiet here in the hobbit hole, at the moment anyway.  Ginny has what I think is a cold.  She doesn't have a fever, but she's seriously snotty and has something other than her usual fake cough.  She's also been having several bowel movements a day.  I know that it's possible that this is related to her teething, but it seems to be bigger than that.  Her sleep schedule has been thrown off because she's having difficulty breathing with being so stuffed up, and while she still has moments of her usual cheerful self, but she's mostly pretty lethargic.  Poor wee girl... I'm hoping she's better soon.

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So, remember when I said I was going to start charting again on my next cycle, in hopes of feeling a little bit more in control?  Ha-freakin'-Ha!  My cycle started 18 days ago, and I reactivated my FF account and have been getting back into the swing of things.  Now, remember that wicked sunburn I got on the weekend?  I'm pretty sure it's screwed up my temps.  I'm almost certain I O'd on CD 16 based on my EWCM and a couple other usual signs.  The thing is, my temps from CD15 and 16 are way higher than normal for that time in my cycle, and now I can't see a clear thermal shift that ties in with my other O signs.  The whole point of charting was so that I could pinpoint O and keep an eye on my luteal phase.  So much for that idea this cycle. 

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Funny Ginny story... the baby gate we have has a hinged door-type-gate on one side for easy pass through.  I really like it, but apparently it's not a love match for Ginny.  The other day I went through the gate to put something away in the bathroom, but I forgot to lock the gate behind me.  Ginny was in the living room playing.  I was just coming out of the bathroom when I heard her crying in the hall.  I came around the corner and there she was, hanging on the gate that was swinging back and forth because of her weight.  The poor wee girl couldn't figure out that she had to let go.  (for those of you who are gasping... the gate just blocks the hallway.  It's not to block any stairs or other dangers) 

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Finally, for all the old ladies who harrass me about how we're raising Ginny, I submit the following...

Click for a larger view

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: A Few Little Bits

Howdy Humble Readers...

Thank you so much for all your kindness and comments on my last post.  I think that actually 'saying' it aloud has been a big first step.  It's going to take some time, but I know this too wil pass. 

Here's a rundown on a few things from the last month or so...

My Beloved and I celebrated our 4th anniversary.  On the actual day, I made a fancy supper (salmon, mushroom risotto, roasted asparagus, creme brulee) and fell asleep after my second glass of wine.  Romantic, huh?  Then, the following weekend, we left Ginny with one of Beloved's co-workers, and went out for dinner and a movie.  It was nice to be out, just the two of us, but it was the longest that I've been away from our wee girl, so I had a few challenging moments.

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My parents came for a quick visit a couple weeks ago, and Dad installed a reverse osmosis water purifier for us in the kitchen.  No more wasting money on Br.ita filters for us!  It was so nice to see them, even if it was only for a day.  Ginny played shy with her Mama & Papa for a few minutes, but soon was showing off her prettiest smiles and sweetest laughs.  It was great to watch her interact with them.

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I have officially finished my first postpartum cycle.  I started temping as soon as AF showed up the first time because I wanted to see if things had changed at all.  I know that things are potentially going to be messed up for a while, but I will admit that I was super frustrated trying to figure out when I O'd.  According to my temps it may have been on CD18 but according to my CM it was on CD22 (both are much later than I usually O... yup, I'm one of those b!tches who O's right around CD14).  So, you may be asking yourself why am I stressing about when I O'd, first time out of the gate... well, I'm concerned because if I really did O on CD22, then my luteal phase was only 10 days long, and kids, that's a problem.  I've been back on my B vitamins for more than a month and they obviously didn't help.  Given the length of time and bumps in the road we had to get to Ginevra, I don't want to waste any time getting things sorted out for when it comes time to be really trying for Halfling 2.0.

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Ginny went for her 4 month shots just over a week ago.  It went well, and she was only fussy for about 24 hours.  She weighed in a 14 lb 6 oz and about 25 inches long.  And she's solidly in the 50th percentile on all the growth charts.  She's super close to doing so many things... she can almost roll over (gets about 75% of the way over on her own) and she can sit propped up on the couch for a few minutes before she topples over.  She is responding occasionally to her name, and she's much better about tummy-time.  She doesn't laugh a lot, but when she does it makes my whole day bright.  Since her shots, she seems to be sleeping a bit more during the day than she had been, although that may just be coincidental as I think she's gone into another growth spurt.  She's up to eating close to 8 ounces of formula at most of her feedings, and sleeps super great at night.  Have I mentioned how blessed we are?  I'll post recent picks soon...

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I'm counting yesterday as a good day.  I walked for a half hour while listening to some of my favourite boy band music.  Showered before 9am (didn't do a blessed thing with my hair, but hey, baby steps right?).  Read for close to an hour this afternoon while Ginny played with her toes and dozed.  Yes, there was a brief teary stretch this morning, and watched too much tv, but all in all it was a good start.  This morning's walk wasn't quite as enjoyable (stiff knees and backache) as yesterday but I'm glad I went.

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Today we're heading to spend some time with wee little Thor.  It's actually an open house to give a lot of people a chance to meet him now that he's been given the all clear by his pediatrician and is well past his EDD.  It's been over a month since we've seen him, so I'm excited to see how much he's grown.  Now I just need to find a cute outfit that actually fits our wee girl... There's going to be a whole bunch of people there, she needs to be looking her best. :)

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It's going to take me a while to get caught up on all you lovely people... so, tell me, what's been the highlight of your last month?

Gratuitous, Self-Indulgent Dreck

Good evening... er, morning Humble Readers.

My sleep schedule is all out of whack right now, thus you are getting a middle of the night post. 

First up, because I'm sure you are dying to know... inventory last night went well.  Surprisingly so.  I don't wish to malign the particular inventory company whose services we utilize, but in all my previous experiences with them, their staff haven't been the brightest crayons in the box.  However, last night, I was pleasantly surprised.  The majority of them were efficient, filled with common sense, and altogether pleasant.  They were so good, that we actually had all the basic counting, verifications, and required audits done by midnight!  Amazing!  Normally, it's 4 or 5 am before the counters leave the store.

Second, a cycle update.  8... er, 9dpo now.  I made it through the morning (when I'm home alone) without caving to the taunting of the pee sticks.  I was going to assemble the shelving unit we bought at IKEA last weekend, but as I mentioned above, my sleep schedule is wacky right now so I ended up dozing most of the morning.  Phantom symptoms are more pronounced today (aka - the b00bs are KILLING ME!!).  The last two days I have had this odd sort of hot flash thing going on in the late evenings.  Not enough to register on my thermometer (yes I checked), but enough to make my face flush and make me feel uncomfortable.  Mild nausea, with a few moments of true gagginess.  The thing that's kind of got me a bit concerned is that I'm feeling kind of crampy tonight.  I know it could potentially be a good thing, but with AF showing her ugly face so early last cycle, I'm a bit freaked out.  Here's hoping that being back on the vitamin b is doing the trick. 

I know I'm over analyzing every little thing, and Sunday morning has the potential to be a real bitch.  But I'm still feeling that seed of hope.  I just hope it gets a chance to germinate. 

Here's hoping that my lack of interest in chocolate today is a good sign, too.

Like An Itch You Can't Scratch

Good Morning Humble Readers...

For all the rational side of me is screaming at me, I am actually feeling really hopeful for this cycle. 

My O went back to my normal, after three months of craziness.  My chart looks really pretty (check the link to the right), and with the help of the Ov.wat.ch, I'm feeling confident that we covered my O window well.  I'm 7dpo today, which means another 5 or 6 days to go.  My phantom symptoms are definitely there, although not overly persistent, which is different enough for me to note the change. 

And because I'm feeling so hopeful, I am starting to get that impulse to test.  Those two boxes under my bathroom sink are taunting me.  Calling to me...

I'm utilizing all my usual tricks while I'm at home to avoid the itch.  Distraction, misdirection, and avoidance... but I need outside help.  At least for another few days, until my temps start to drop, the need for chocolate grabs me, the mood swings start, and reality sinks in.

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In other news: tonight is inventory at work.  Ugh!  I'm one of the lucky ones and am getting an early shift, 4pm-midnight.  Most are working until 4am.  Thankfully, we are only counting the toy and gift departments.  But it will still be a long shift.

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: In The News

Good Morning Humble Readers...

It's not even 7am here, and I've already had an odd day. 

First, I read a news story that made me cry.  Corey Haim was one of my junior high celebrity crushes.  Well, him and Corey Feldman.  I saw all the movies they were in together, but I particularly remember renting 'Lost Boys' every weekend for a month.  I honestly hadn't thought about him in years, until the two Coreys did that reality show a couple of years ago.  It made me sad to see where his life had led, and the leading role that drugs now played in his life.  I didn't watch much of the reality show, because I don't like those shows that capitalize on peoples' struggles and pain like that.  So this morning when I saw his name at the top of the Yah.oo search list, I honestly thought that he had landed back in rehab or something.  Instead, I read this.  I hope that he has found the peace that he couldn't find in this life. 

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Next, I read a news story that made me laugh.  My Beloved actually told me a bit about this last night.  It really just goes to show that you CANNOT come between a Canadian and their hockey!  I can't help but be a tad proud of the people on that flight... their priorities were certainly in the right place!  I have to wonder if that would have happened south of the border. 

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And while this is not newsworthy by any means... I am a little confused by my cycle.  First off, I O'd earlier than I have for the last few cycles... Yay!  Second... my ov.watch says that I O'd on CD 15, but my bbt and cm say I O'd on CD 14.  Either way, we're covered, but still... confusing.

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Crawling out From Under A Rock

Good Afternoon Humble Readers...

So, you might be wondering where I've been the last week or so. Probably not, but just in case, I thought I'd tell you what I've been up to...

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Work has been very draining lately. Not so much physically, but psychologically and emotionally. The morale in our store has been taking a beating over the last few weeks (the usual post Christmas irritations), and it's potentially going to be getting worse before it gets better due to some changes coming in the next few weeks. The changes won't mean anything to our customers (except for better service!) and I think it will be great when it all falls into place, but the transition for our staff will be challenging, I think. And of course, if it's challenging for them, it means it's challenging for us as a leadership team because we have to make it work and be positive about it.

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The Olympics... I'm actually working on a full post about the first few days of Olympic competition. I'm not normally a televised sports fan... don't even get me started on how boring watching football or baseball is on a regular day. But the Olympics make me make me sports-crazy! I'm loving it! One thing I have discovered today... I have to limit how much of the alpine skiing and snowboarding I watch. I am very susceptible to motion sickness, and watching them fly down the slopes, on that track with the lines gives me a horrible headache and makes me feel ill.

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Valentine's day was a nice quiet day for my Beloved and I. I made a spectacular dinner (it will be my show and tell this week). We went to church, went out for lunch, got groceries, and then came home and watched a whole lot of speed skating, figure skating, and men's moguls. My Beloved surprised me with some beautiful red tulips on Saturday night... he brought them to my work... he likes to show off a little sometimes. He also got me a dvd (Jane Austen Book Club). I got him one of the official Hockey Canada jerseys. He's pretty stoked about it.

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You all have been very busy bloggers... I hadn't read any blogs since sometime Thursday, and when I opened my reader yesterday it had more than 50 posts... YIKES! I've read through most of them now, but I haven't done much commenting yet.

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Cycle update... oy! Fertility Friend has been driving me up a wall! I know I have griped incessantly about how my O day has changed significantly in the last few months, but really, it is still stress-inducing. Then throw in a couple of wonky temps, and FF all of a sudden says I O'd on CD 13. I KNEW that wasn't the case and that it would change, but there's nothing like having crosshairs on your chart to make you wonder if you are imagining things. This morning FF changed my O day to when I thought it was, CD 16. But it's still only dotted lines.... grrrr. I'm 3dpo now. Oh, and I got my OV watch. If I don't get a bfp this cycle (and I don't think I will), then we will start using that at the end of this month.

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Sunny-boy, aka 'the little poop' has had good days and bad days. He's definitely missing his owners. He's very well potty trained, and has only had one accident in the house, which was our fault because we slept in on Saturday morning. He really does have the personality of a cat... loving us one minute and the next totally ignoring us. He's also darn smart. He very quickly figured out how to open the garbage can in the kitchen. He has a decided opinion about the pizza guy and a couple of our neighbours (they are EEEEEEEVVIILLL!) and he doesn't really like the pen he has to stay in at night or when we aren't home. His owners have emailed several times checking in, which I think it pretty darn cute. But even with a few stressful moments with him, I am still very much wanting a pug... so much so that I started checking the local breeder and rescue sites again.

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Why is it that men's clothes are cheaper than women's clothes? I bought my Beloved three pairs of pants today for a total of $100, all of them regular price. I bought myself two pairs for the same amount, and one was half price. grrr.

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And while I'm on the subject of shopping, can I just say how much I HATE the mirrors and lights in the fitting rooms? Grey hairs, varicose veins, and let's not even talk about the cellulite... UGH!

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: The Life of a Dog

Good evening humble readers...

It's been a mellow day. Just me and Sunny-boy hanging out. He's a pretty lazy dog, sleeping most of the day. We did go for a few walks, but the only time he actually got at all rambunctious was when I dozed on the couch and he jumped right top of me. Funniest moment of the day with him... earlier this evening he jumped up onto the stool we have for our glider-rocker. He wasn't expecting the stool to move, so when it started swaying he was a bit freaked out. His owners emailed me on Sunday just wanting to see how things were going... very cute.

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We had this for dinner tonight. First, if you haven't checked out Ree's site, you need to. Incredible recipes, fabulous photos, amazing giveaways, and a great sense of humour. Second... if you are a fan of beef dip sandwiches, you need to try this recipe. I used the first recipe in the link, with just a couple of minor modifications. 1 - I sauteed some onions in my dutch oven and then placed the roast in on top of it. 2 - I couldn't get pepperoncinis at the little grocery store across the back lane, so I made do with pickled hot peppers. 3 - I don't like cheese on my beef dips so I omitted that. Let me just say they were the best beef dips ever! The au jus was incredible! This one is so going into my regular rotation.

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I need to get back to being a better commenter. Ever since I started utilizing my Goog.le Rea.der, I find that I read a lot more posts, but I don't actually click over and comment on many. Do any of you have any good habits for using your reader?

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I found out the other day that one of my staff's wife is very likely miscarrying. I didn't know that they were pregnant, but from what he said it sounds like a blighted ovum. I don't know if I said the right things, you'd think I would, right? Having been there and all. The thing is, I had exactly 10 seconds to process the fact that they were pregnant before he said that they were afraid she was losing the baby. The selfish part of me had already started playing the poor-me-I'm-not-pregnant tape in my head, and then I found out that there is a new member of this club. The club no one wants to be a part of. *sigh* Please send your prayers and good thoughts out there for M & R.

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Cycle update: Today is CD 12 and the ewcm has begun. O could be anytime, but not likely until the weekend.

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It appears that I am a bit abnormal. (OK, stop that smirking!) I love the olympics. I'm not normally a sports-on-tv kind of person, but I do love the olympics. Especially the winter games! Hockey, figure skating, curling, skiing, snowboarding... all stuff that Canadians do well at. And the fact that they are happening in Canada for the second time in my lifetime... that's pretty darn cool. The thing is, not a whole lot of people around here seem to be very excited about it. Hmmmm...

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Winter Returns

Good Evening Humble Readers...

I hope you are all enjoying ICLW! I love this time of the month... so many great new blogs to discover and new people to meet. If you don't know what I'm talking about, check out that blue button to the left with the dog in it. I'm going to try for Iron Commenter status again (it's been a while) but I'm a bit behind

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Cycle Update: 10dpo, VERY sore b00bs, pretty tuckered out especially in the evenings, have been very nauseous today, peeing more often, very hungry. I'm telling myself repeatedly that I get these same !#$%@ symptoms every month. I'm expecting that tomorrow they will start to fade as AF makes her approach. I've been really emotional the last couple of days (hellooo, last post anyone?), but different from my usual PMS. Normally, I get irrationally cranky. These days, I'm just weepy. Who knows? I'm trying not to pay too much attention the the pregnancy predicter thing on FF. And now that I think about it, I was craving chocolate today at lunch...

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This week's menu is posted. You may notice a few repeats from last week. That's because we had a couple of schedule changes and ended up flying by the seat of our pants. So, I'm making sure to use up the ingredients that we bought last week before I start on new recipes.

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I have a love hate relationship with grocery shopping. I'm a foodie (well, duh!) and I love just wandering around and looking at different things, and getting ideas. I love getting good deals, and finding the best of something. What drives me crazy is that in this little city on the flatland, there are things I can never find. Why can I not get tahini? And why is the only fresh basil to be found black and sketchy looking? Why can I not find a true brisket? This is beef country... it should be easy right? And don't even get me started on the lack of a good bakery in this town! I'm sorry, but Safe.way just doesn't cut it.

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Remember how I said last week that we were having an unusually warm January? Well, winter has come back with a bit of a vengance. Not too cold (only -7 or -8) but the snow and wind have returned. One of my staff made the comment that this is penguin weather... put your head down and follow the feet of the person in front of you.

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I'm thinking that it's time to get some professional help. Not for my mind (altho sometimes that might seem to be a good idea), but for my blog. I want a more personalized layout, with something that is just a bit more me. If any of you are into blog design or have worked with someone good, please let me know. One other thing... how in the world do I do a strikethrough font? I want to be able to cross things off my lists, but I can't find anything to make it work.

A Snag In the Spring Cleaning

Good afternoon Humble Readers!

Quick Cycle Update: I'm 8dpo, with phantom symptoms galore. Sore b00bs (totally usual), increased appetite (altho, I have been cutting back lately so my body just may be still adjusting), mild nausea (only once or twice), peeing more often (but not frequent), and some weird allergy stuff going on (who knows where that's coming from).

So, if you click back to my To Dos for 2010, you may remember me saying something about wanting to 'take better care of the hobbit-hole'. Well, I have finally come up with what seems to be a workable housekeeping schedule. I'm not ready to cross it off the list yet, but I think we are moving in the right direction.

I have mapped out what we will do Monday-Thursday, focussing on one room a day. Laundry is on Sundays. I have created a list of everything that has to be done in every room, so that My Beloved and I are on the same page in terms of what's clean.

At the same time I've also put together our list of things to accomplish for spring cleaning. It's a pretty long list, considering that we didn't do much of any spring cleaning last year. Tops on the list was going through our closet and dressers. I knew we both had a ton of clothes that we no longer wear and I was sick of not having any room in my drawers.

We went through the closet this afternoon and filled three large black garbage bags. We also went through four boxes that have been in the bottom of the closet since we moved in (two of which I packed before we got married... yikes).

Then we got to our dressers. The dresser situation has been a bone of contention for some time. We don't have a bedroom set. We have two, his and mine. His is a four drawer $40 wa.lm.art special. Mine is a three drawer wooden piece that my Beloved used as a child. Neither one is giving us a lot of room, but I have exponentially more clothes than my Beloved.

My drawers were jammed full. Jammed. Impossible to close properly.

Two of my Beloved's drawers were about 3/4 full. The other two WERE full... full of crap!

(you may be wondering why I didn't know this before, but he does the laundry so I rarely have need to go into his dresser)

Here I've been cramming my stuff into three little drawers, and he hasn't even been using the four he had for clothes! Argh!

We agreed to switch dressers, and set about emptying them. I was halfway through my sock drawer when I came across something I had honestly forgotten about. Actually a lot of somethings... 12 to be exact.

Twelve pregnancy tests. The positive results were still clear on the majority of them. Half of them have dates written on them (the dated ones are from July 08 and the undated ones are from December 08).

I recognize that keeping sticks that I PEED ON (for heaven's sake!!!) is pretty twisted. I get it. But, when I went to throw them away, I just couldn't. I mean I really really couldn't. I started bawling.

They are the only proof I have that my little girls existed. That they were real.

Please tell me I'm not totally insane for keeping them.

I'll get rid of them some day. I know I will. Just not yet.

(Hopefully, the rest of the spring cleaning will be less emotionally charged.)

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Houston We Have Lift-off

Good Evening Humble Readers...

Well, after much angst and worry, I believe O happened... what has now become 'right on time' on CD 17. At least I think it's safe to say that after three months of this, it can be called usual. What's throwing me though is all the EWCM (8 days!). I just don't quite get it.

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On the Menu Tonight: Meatloaf, Fully-loaded mashed potatoes, and salad. Meatloaf, of course, is rather dull, but my potatoes were outstanding. Mashed, with butter, roasted garlic, cheese, chives, and bacon bits. Yum!

This week's menu has been posted. I'm particularly excited about the brisket on Sunday.

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Does anyone know... is it possible to freeze homemade tomatoe sauce? I'm thinking about it, because of all the bpa's [note on edit: apparently I can't type bpa... any acronym that starts with b must be bfp or bfn.] in the can linings. Also, I make a pretty good tomatoe sauce out of canned tomatoes as it is, and I'm sure if I made it from fresh tomatoes it would be better.

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I love washing the car. Ok, not the interior. But I luurve taking the car to the car wash! (not the automatic kind, the wand wash) There is something so incredibly satisfying about watching all the gunk and mud slip away. I love the brush with the foam. Small things for small minds, right?

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Of course, you may be asking yourself... why is Mrs. Gamgee washing the car in JANUARY, in ALBERTA... IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER?!?!? Because, dear Humble Reader, it has been so warm out that everything is a royal mess (and poor Petey the PT Cruiser was looking like a Jackson Pollack painting). It's been above freezing every day this week. This is seriously west coast weather. It's not even a chinook... there's no wind. I didn't wear my winter coat to work today. Crazy!

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If you are in need of a good laugh, you need to check out tonight's post from Murgdan. And when I say good laugh, I mean don't-be-drinking-milk-unless-you-want-it-0ut-your-nose laugh. Hilarious!

Post Christmas Blahs...

Good Morning Humble Readers...

Maybe it's the inevitible let down after Christmas. Maybe it's the symptoms of PMS (yes, I'm PMS-ing. Temps tanked, phantom symptoms fading). Maybe it's the crappy couple of days at work I've had (Boxing Week shoppers are the worst! A customer, and I use that term generously, actually reached across the counter and slapped the hand of one of my cashiers yesterday. In what world is that acceptable???).

Whatever it is, I'm feeling blaaaahhhh.

Don't get me wrong, we had a great Christmas. Christmas Eve was busy. We cleaned the house, I cooked & carved a turkey, did a little grocery shopping, I prepped a breakfast casserole (which didn't turn out at all... what a waste), and got my sweet potatoes started. We went to church, and then came home and did our traditional Christmas Eve appetizers and movie (I had to get my Ralphie fix).

Christmas morning was fun. My Beloved really loved his presents (his main gift was a framed print of a picture of the Cal.gary Fl.ames locker room, with his name on one of the jerseys), and yes, humble readers, I got my Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer! (Used it on Christmas morning to mix my sweet potatoe casserole)

The drive to my MIL's was nice. Very pretty actually, with a pale blue sky and the fields and trees covered in snow.

Mom C loved her new computer. We had all chipped in to get her something more up to date (her old 'puter didn't have any usb ports and was painfully slow). I ate too much and drank too much wine. I won a round of cards, so now I have a wallet full of dimes.

It really was a good Christmas. I'm just tired, and not looking forward to going to work today. I'm hoping that when I wake up tomorrow morning, AF will have arrived and I can move on to a new cycle, with new hope. This cycle's hope is a little worse for wear.

Cycle Update: Calling All Experienced Charters

Good evening humble readers!

Welcome to crazy town! Work has been insane (in a good way) and I am completely exhausted (was there until 11 last night, and back there again at 8am today... don't have to be back until 7 tomorrow morning). Pfefferneusse cookies were made (18 dozen), but still no presents are wrapped or shipped, and no Christmas cards have been written up. Tonight my Beloved and I are going a-Cost.co-ing... I'm scared, it could be a mistake going tonight, but I can't put it off any longer.

Anyway, the true reason for this post... I need some experienced charters to take a peak at my chart. (link is in the right hand column) Ever since September, not-so-ironically when I turned 35, my cycle has been wonky. Extra long luteal phases, O dates changing... general wackiness.

This month is no exception. Short AF, what appears to be a very early O (CD12), and a fallback rise, followed by a very surprising albeit little patch of EWCM on a day when I had a dramatic temp drop. Today temps went back up... waaaaaaay up (10 hobbit points to anyone who can guess the retro-tv reference there). Either I O'd late AGAIN, or dare I hope it, an early implantation dip?

Gah! Is it any wonder I'm going insane?

I need all the insight you can give... save me from myself! Please!

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Remind Me Why I Love Christmas?

Good Evening Humble Readers...

I'm sorry I haven't been around as promised. Chalk it up to the expenditure of so much energy at work these days, the extreme cold weather, and a little bit of homesickness. Let me give you the run down...

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Christmas has finally hit at work... or rather the Christmas shoppers have finally realized that Christmas is a-coming. This weekend was crazy busy. It was fun while I was at work, but by the time I got home I was pretty tuckered out. I'm off today and tomorrow, but on Wednesday, hoo-boy do we have a big event... a big time book signing, our biggest name author ever, a former NHL hockey player who recently published a book chronicling all his time in the sport. We are hoping for a crazy busy night on Wednesday, and I likely won't be home before midnight.

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Ok, so I know that the northern flatland is known to get cold, but for heaven's sake! The capital of our province, only an hour and a half north of us, was THE COLDEST place on the planet on Saturday. Colder than either the North or South Poles... Insane! It's supposed to be -45C with the wind here tonight. Our windows have ice on them. The windows in our house... not just the car... the house!

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The joy of being a retail manager is that I absolutely don't get to take time off at Christmas. Actually, we don't get to take time off between mid October and January. This is the third Christmas that I haven't been able to spend with my family. Don't get me wrong, I love my Beloved's family. I just haven't seen anyone from my family in more than a year. I guess you could say I miss my mommy.

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I haven't started my Christmas baking yet (and thus no Holiday Recipe Round Up... my bad). I haven't done my Christmas cards, wrapping, or shipping. I love Christmas, I just need to get my butt in gear.

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Cycle Update: CD14... I'm right around O time, but if I didn't have much ewcm last month, holy cow do I have a lot this month. It's been 6 days so far. Talk about confusing me! Hopefully my temps will turn out to be clearer than last month.

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Aggravation as Distraction

Good Evening Humble Readers...

First and foremost, a cycle update: No sign of AF. I was fairly pissy earlier today, but more on that later. B00bs are so sore I want to chop them off (my Beloved is four square against that idea). Mild twinges of cramps again this morning, but gone by this afternoon. Tired... check. Bionic nose... check. Slight nausea (mostly connected to the nose thing)... check. Feeling goofy... check.

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So why was I pissy? Let me tell you... Every Saturday, my Beloved and I have a not so healthy tradition. We have breakfast from the golden arches. So, this morning he went to go hit the drive thru, and he couldn't get Petey the PT Cruiser to start. But not in that 'it's the first really cold morning of the winter' way. The ignition would not turn. You know, when your steering wheel locks up and it takes three or four tries to get it to budge? Well, multiply that by 20 or 30 times.... and it still didn't work. This is the same problem we were having late in the winter/early in the spring. The thing is, I'm sure we had it fixed. Between March and May of this year we sunk almost two grand into the car. Anyway, we called AMA and had the car towed to Canadian Ti.re. After a while, they were able to get it started, but very strongly suggested that we take it to the dealership to get them to take a look at it. Of course the dealership service department isn't open until Monday. Argh!

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So, because of Petey's health issues... all of our weekend plans are down the tubes (did I mention that I have this whole weekend off?!?!). No going to the MIL's place for the Grey Cup. No Christmas shopping. Not even a regular grocery shopping trip. All because we don't want to get somewhere, only to find that the car won't start to get us home. (We are going to risk it to go to church tomorrow, but that's it) The only thing on the weekend list that has gotten done is that while the car was at Canadian Ti.re, my Beloved thought to have them swap the all-seasons for the winter tires.

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And speaking of grocery shopping... Because we couldn't do our shopping at our regular store, we had to do the best we could at the little grocery store across the back lane from us. Now don't get me wrong, I like the little grocery store across the back lane. The staff there know us. They are really nice and their store is great for those nights when I've forgotten to take something out of the freezer for dinner. Their bakery is great, and their meat is always fresh. But just by restriction of their size, there are regular menu items for us that they don't carry. I wasn't able to get chicken wings, so my Beloved will be wingless for the game tomorrow afternoon. I can't count on them to have fresh garlic and they only carry little boxes of breakfast cereal. They didn't have shallots, or light eggnog, or chai tea... (good heavens, I'm a food snob). But... and this is so great... I just found out today that they have an order service for fresh turkeys! I ordered our Christmas turkey, and we will pick it up on December 23rd. Yay! I've always used frozen turkeys... fresh, from a local farm, has got to be miles better, right?

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And speaking of cooking... I tried two new recipes tonight, and while I don't want to give it all away because I want to save it for Show and Tell, I can say that polenta is fantabulous! And super crazy easy to make!

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In other news... I have been consulting Dr. Go.ogle about IBS. The big thing I found recommended is fiber... lots of it. I know that fiber is good for you, and I don't get the recommended daily amount, but in my situation it seems counter-intuitive. I don't really need something that is going to make me spend more time in the bathroom. But I'm going to give it a shot. All Br.an Bu.ds here I come.

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Small Things for Small Minds

Good Morning Humble Readers...

Just a few random thoughts and ramblings for you today. I'm also looking for a few opinions.

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I always love seeing different peoples' reactions when they first walk in my home. My mother would call it Ukrainian (like an Easter egg), I call it colourful. My boss and his wife just stopped by to drop off the freezer we are buying from them (yay, a freezer!). The look on their faces was awesome as they took in my school-bus-yellow living room with the cranberry red couch and the and dark dark brown tables and book cases. Add to that the sage green kitchen walls and white cabinets... well, I know it's not everyone's taste. (and at least they didn't see the crimson bedroom!)

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It's my Beloved's office Christmas party this evening. It's being held at a pub so jeans should be okay, right? If I wear something sparkly on top?

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Cycle Update: The way I figure it, I'm 9dpo. The extra ewcm combined with the recent cold snap that started this week that has messed with my temps just after O caused some confusion for Fertility Friend, so according to them I'm only 7dpo. Phantom symptoms are in high gear... incredibly sore b00bs, nausea, bionic nose is up and functioning, fatigue (although that is more than partially contributed to by a couple of very bad IBS flares the last couple of nights). Because of my lack of sleep, I'm not really trusting the jump my temps made this morning, but we'll see. I'm expecting AF on Sunday... the day we are supposed to go to my MIL's house for a Grey Cup party.

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The Grey Cup... the Canadian Football League's equivalent of Super Bowl Sunday. My Beloved's family are lifelong serious Saskatchewan Rough Riders fans. The Roughies are playing Montreal, a team they haven't beaten in the regular season for 3 or 4 years. For the party, should I do wings or ribs?

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I bought two new cookbooks yesterday that I'm very excited about. One is for artisan breads. the other is for slow cookers... Yay for new recipes!

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Speaking of recipes, I'm pondering setting up some sort of Bloggy Holiday recipe exchange. I'm thinking if I set it up like Show & Tell, Shout Out Sundays, or Perfect Moment Mondays, with a McLinky thing. Do you think it will work?

Cycle Update, et al

Hey Humble Readers...

Not much to tell today except that it's been a bit of a trying day. Nothing that could be classified as galactic badness, just a collection of irritants that, when taken together, are more than a little aggravating.

In terms of my cycle, not a whole lot to report either. I'm pretty sure that I'm 5dpo (temps indicate it, mostly, but the extra two days of ewcm is throwing me a bit), and the phantom symptoms are making themselves known. The 'girls' are sore, I'm pooped, and there is a hint of cranky stomach (but as previously stated, that could just be ibs).

I'm just trying to get through...

And that's why I'm so thankful that ICLW is almost here! If you don't know what it is, check out the link to the left. It will help keep me occupied for the next week.

Hobbit-ish Randomness Galore

Good Evening Humble Readers!

First up, this is my first NaBloPoMo! That crazy acronym is for National Blog Post Month. The goal is to write a post every day for a month. We'll see if I can pull it off.

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Halloween was a non-event for us last night. No kids. No pumpkins. No candy. *sigh*

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For all those people out there (not in blog land, but in irl) who gave me a rough time about waiting in line for 5 and a half hours, being two hours late for work, and freezing my hind end off for the H1N1 vaccine... I send you a hearty PPTTTTHHHBBbT! :p After the first two public clinics, my city is temporarily out of the serum for the vaccine. At this point they have cancelled all the upcoming clinics.

All has not been entirely rosy since we got our shots. My Beloved had a fever yesterday and was feeling mildly flu-ish. I have had a large red very sore patch on my arm at the injection site, and have been feeling rather icky for the last couple of days.

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We began our biggest merchandising project of the year tonight. Changing the store over to Christmas is always a lot of work. I'm excited for the season to really kick in, but I am always unsure if we are actually going to be able to do all the displays and handle all the product at this time of year.

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Cycle update: Tomorrow is d-day. AF is due tomorrow. No sign of her yet except a backache and some crazy intense acne. If she doesn't show, I'm not going to test until Tuesday.

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What are you most looking forward to in the holiday season? Personally, I am stoked for some good turkey. I missed Thanksgiving (Canadian t-giving is in Oct) because I had to work. A co-worker and I are getting together later this month to cook a turkey, just to give me a fix to get me through until Christmas.

Who Is This Old Woman in the Mirror?

Good evening, humble readers!

Alright, so I know that being 35 isn't truly old. I KNOW that. But, wow, have I ever been getting reminders that I'm not a spring chicken any more.

I have been colouring my hair for a lot of years. This hobbit's red hair is no where near my natural colour. I've always preferred to have red hair, but now it's more of a necessity... those pesky 'white' hairs have a way of shining through.

As I was doing my hair the other day, I made a mental note that it's getting close to time for me to get my roots done, and I could see a few 'white' strands mixed in with my natural colour. Alright, I can handle that. At least I didn't take after my bio-dad... by the time he was in his mid thirties, he definitely was more salt than pepper.

But in what world is it acceptable to have a wiry white hair that is almost an inch long growing out of my chin???? When did that happen? Why wasn't I consulted? And how in the h-e-double-hockey-sticks did I miss it when it was only a half inch?

And don't even get me started on the 'white' eyebrow hair I just tweezed tonight...

Good gravy... this isn't allowed to happen! Someone pass the Cen.trum Silver!!

(Cycle update: It's CD25 of a 27 day cycle. 11dpo. Temp spiked a bit yesterday, but then dropped again today. Still having a few phantom symptoms, but not as many now. I'm just not really feeling it this month, I don't think this was the one for us. I know it's not over until the witch shows up tho.)