Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Glorious Autumn!

Hey Humble Readers...

Have I ever told you all how much I love the fall?  It has always felt like a time of new beginnings, a chance to start over, for setting goals and planning ahead.  I love it.  It has cooled off tremendously in the Shire, and it is much more comfortable in the hobbit-hole.  We have had frost warnings the past few nights, so I'm very thankful that I got my basil and thyme harvested. 

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As I write this, the most intoxicating aroma of tomatoes, basil, and garlic is wafting through the hobbit-hole.  A big batch of my oven roasted marinara is gently bubbling away in the slow cooker.  It's so nice to be able to use fresh, local ingredients in this recipe.  The tomatoes come from just a bit down south of us, the onions from a local Hutterite colony, the garlic is from a local grower, and the basil is mine.  Woohoo.  I really should have started making tomato sauce much earlier in the summer, to take advantage of the tomatoes at the farmers market. 

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It's happened, Humble Readers.  Pippin has hit the "I can take off my diaper" stage.  Three times yesterday.  Thankfully, I caught him each time just after, so the mess was minimized.  Of course, he thinks it's hilarious.

This situation does reiterate something that I've noticed and mentioned before.  He's hitting milestones about four to six months behind when Ginny did.  I'm really trying hard not to be too concerned about this, and I know I was worried about Ginny's lack of vocabulary, but this seems different.  Pippin is 16 months old and hasn't spoken a word.  He makes noises, but nothing that seems intentional, except occasional car noises when he's playing with his cars.  The family anecdote is that my Beloved didn't speak until he was almost five.  Forty years ago, there wasn't much known about Aspergers and we both recognize now that he is somewhere on that spectrum (his tics, obsessive nature about certain things, his difficulty with some social cues).  When do I stop just being concerned about Pip, and actually start actively seeking intervention?  He has a well-baby check up coming up in a couple of months.  Do I wait until then?  Am I being ridiculous?

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I had a pretty major "Yippee!" moment yesterday.  The two plus-size clothing stores here in town both have points cards, and of course I am a member.  One of the perks is getting a special coupon to use in the month of your birthday.  I went shopping last night, and had a couple of truly awesome moments.  First, I needed some new yoga pants.  The ones I wear for walks are capri length and with it getting much cooler over night, it's getting a bit too chilly to wear them.  I also knew that the pair I have now are a bit too big.  So, for kicks, I tried on a pair two sizes smaller AND THEY FIT!  They are an X.  Not 1X, not 2X... just an X.  Yay!  I also tried on, just for curiosity's sake, a pair of size 18 jeans.  AND THEY FIT TOO!  (I confess, I did try a size 16, and that was absolutely a no go.)  Jeans weren't on the shopping list (waiting until Boxing Week sales), just yoga pants and a couple of long sleeved t-shirts (down to a 2X from a 3X last spring), but with the coupons I saved a bunch and came of there smiling.  Also of note, I FINALLY busted through the 70lb wall.  I'm down about 71.5 and hopefully things continue.  After the splurges around my birthday, I need to get back on track. 

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Does anyone know if there is a connection between teething and eczema?  Pip's eczema has flared up again (I had hoped we were getting it under control) and the only thing I can think of is that he's been teething pretty hard the last couple of weeks with his canines. 

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The second part of my interview with author JR Vikse is coming up in a few days.  I hope you'll come back and check it out! 

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: The Crud That Won't Die

Hey Humble Readers...

Geez... I was feeling fine over the weekend, but here I am again with a scratchy throat, plugged ears, and aching sinuses.  It's like the crud just started all over again.  Summer colds suck, big time.

Anyway, let's see.  What's been happening around here...

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Weight loss has totally plateaued.  Part of the problem is that with the crud I haven't felt like getting up early for my walks, and when I do, I can only manage a part of my usual distance.  Another part of the problem is that I've been eating things I shouldn't just because they make me "feel better" (only in the moment, then I feel even worse after).  I'm trying not to get discouraged.  I will get over this stupid cold, and I will be able to get back on track soon. 

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We had a long weekend last weekend, and spent most of it with my Beloved's family.  His oldest brother and older sister are in from Little Town Far Away, and so there was a lot of food, card games, and laughing.  I have to say, my Beloved's family is so strange to me.  They get together and there's absolutely no drama.  They like each other.  All of them.  Crazy, right?

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My favourite plus size clothing store (not that I have a whole lot of choice here in the Shire) had a one day sale on bras on Saturday.  Because I swear half of the weight I've lost is from my boobs, I was in desperate need of new bras again.  I'm down a full band and cup size, two band sizes on the sports bra I bought.  I managed to get four bras (a couple of them are really rather sexy too!) for $100!  That's amazing for me.

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My mom is supposed to be passing through the Shire on Sunday, so I may get to meet her new beau.  That's just so weird to say.  In other family drama news, Mom and the Douchewaffle (formerly known as Dad) have a court date at the end of September to finally settle this whole divorce mess.  Thank Heaven!

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I have a small conundrum with my addiction to the television.  The third season of Game of Thrones is going to be aired (on a Canadian network) starting at the end of the month.  Problem:  I have yet to watch season 2 because I'm #16 on the wait list at the library.  Thankfully, they have 3 copies, so the list is going quicker than I originally anticipated.  I may record season three just so that I have it, and don't have to wait for the library to get season 3 (sometime next spring).  That's just a lot of space on my pvr.  Hmmm...

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I'm planning on painting the bathroom and the hallway in a couple of weeks.  I've been trying to psych myself up for this for a while now, but it's time.  We've lived with a shmegly green bathroom for more than five years.  I need to make a change in there. 

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I've been reading a fair bit lately.  I read Perks of Being a Wallflower (awesome!) and The Honest Toddler (not so great... was really funny at first, but got old quick).  Now I'm rereading The Help, with Fried Green Tomatoes At The Whistle Stop Café and Mistress of My Fate on deck. 

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Toothache warning... sweetness ahead!  Playing in the wading pool at my Beloved's brother's house yesterday. 

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Sunday Night Random Ramblings

Greetings Humble Readers...

It is an absolutely beautiful Sunday evening here on the flatland.  Sunny, warm, a slight breeze, and peaceful (at least it is now... more on that later).  Seriously... I'm thrilled with how gorgeous it is outside right now.  It feels much more like June than April.  It's days like this that get me through the frustration of spring set backs (ie - snow in April).

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Today I went on what will probably be my last solo non-medical outing until this Halfling makes his or her appearance.  I had some shopping to do (a few random things from a discount store and some summer clothes for Ginny) and I needed some conversation other than my Beloved and my wee sweet girl.  Shopping went well, except that I bought two shirts that I thought were t-shirts and they turned out to be long-sleeved.  I even splurged and bought myself a non-fat, sugar-free chocolate and cherry frozen yoghurt.  Then I went over to my old bookstore and visited a few people and looked for a baby book for the Halfling.  It was a nice outing, but by the end I was pretty worn out. 

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While I was out, my wonderful Beloved was at home finishing the spring cleaning.  There are a few little things that need to be finished, but I am thrilled to be able to say that it's FINALLY done for another year.  I'm so relieved to have that off my mind. 

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There was a fair bit of excitement in the vicinity of our hobbit hole this afternoon.  I've told you about our neighbours (directly next door to our condo... we have to walk past their front door to get down to the sidewalk) before.  I have had to call the RCMP on them a few times when the shouting and screaming has gotten to a scary level.  Just before Christmas, the guy was taken away in handcuffs.  We didn't see him for a couple of months, but then he was back.  They have actually been fairly quiet over there until recently, when they fired back up.  As I was leaving this afternoon, I heard them arguing.  While I was gone, things got really bad. 

When I got home, the parents of the girl who lives next door were here, and her brother was carrying her out to the car.  The guy was standing on the stairs screaming at her and her family.  Apparently, the cops had just left, after giving buddy-boy a time frame in which to be out of the house.  I waited until he went out to the parking lot before I decided to try to enter my house.  Things were quiet for a while, and then buddy-boy was back, banging on the door and shouting that if someone didn't let him in, he was going to bust the door down.  Thankfully the cops returned right in the middle of this (doing a follow up) and they escorted him off the property.  I sincerely hope this is the last we see of him.  I despise feeling like it's unsafe for me to go in or out of my own house.

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Other than prepping for the Halfling's arrival, our lives have begun to center around one thing.  The hockey playoffs.  My Beloved's favourite team has long been out of the running, but there are still two Canadian teams with a bit of a shot, and so hockey rules around here.  I know many much more knowledgeable commentators have said it, but of all the hockey I have watched in my life (and remember, I AM CANADIAN), I have never seen such violence in the game.  It makes me sad.  I hope that the powers that be are able to bring it back in line. 

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That's about it from the hobbit-hole.  What was happening around your part of the world today?

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Lazy Bones Weekend Edition

Howdy Humble Readers...

I hope you're all having a fantastic weekend.  We've had a pretty good couple of days around the hobbit-hole.  Granted, they've been pretty lazy days and the hobbit-hole is in serious need of some cleaning, but I've been enjoying just 'being' with my Beloved and Ginny.

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My Beloved and I went to see Hunger Games last night... such a good adaptation of the book! Very well acted... Lenny Kravitz as Cinna was genius!  (Giving it 5 out of 5 hairy hobbit-toes way up!)  I was so happy to see that the few changes and omissions weren't central to the main plot.  My only real complaint was that we got to the theater a half hour before the movie started and we still ended up having to sit in the second row from the front.  Not the best vantage point.  Not to mention that I have a history of getting motion sickness at the movies (movies like Speed, the Bourne series, Constant Gardener... anything with documentary-like cinematography).  There was a stretch where I was concerned that I was going to have to leave the room because my head was spinning one way and my stomach was going the other way.

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Our only really productive activity today was to go grocery shopping.  I have recently switched grocery stores... AGAIN.  I've often voiced my dissatisfaction with a particular chain here above the 49th parallel (the Canadian Stupid-store), and yet every few years I find myself sucked back in.  The thing is, they have a great selection of international foods, and their produce is usually pretty good.  Whenever I'm looking for a new-to-me ingredient for a new-to-me recipe I can usually find it there.  But I hate the mad-house atmosphere and the fact that they only put out a limited supply of everything each day (even staples like milk) so once they're out, they're out.  Today wasn't too bad, but I do hate coming out of the grocery store frazzled.

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Speaking of cooking, you may (or may not) have noticed a lack of a Foodie Friday post yesterday.  That's because all my pics were on the netbook that died, and to upload pics to my Beloved's puter is a bit of a chore.  Hopefully, all will be in working order by the time my next monthly Ginny update rolls around next week.

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I decided that I needed a little kick in the butt when it comes to my virtual hobbit-hole, so I signed up for the April A-Z challenge.  Check out the groovy button on the right to find out how you can join in the fun. 

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Because my Beloved and I are sharing a computer for the moment, I am totally sucking at ICLW this month.  I feel bad, because I have actually had a number of new visitors, but have yet to have a chance to get back to them.  Hopefully the next couple of days will allow me to have a little bit more computer time.  My new laptop *should* be here by the 26th. 

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Embarrassing moment of the day: My dad showed up at about 5 this afternoon.  I knew that he was possibly going to be coming, but because his schedule is always so erratic when he's on the road, I usually get a call ahead of time to confirm if he's coming.  And that's usually when the flight-of-the-bumble-bee form of housekeeping kicks into high gear.  This time, no real warning... so Dad saw my house covered in dust, un-vaccuumed, and just a general mess.  Gah!  He may be coming for dinner tomorrow night, if his schedule allows, so I really should get my butt in gear and get some work done around here. 

What chores have you been putting off in favour of having some down time?

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Shop-a-holics Anonymous

Good Evening Humble Readers!

I hope you are all looking forward to a fun, restful weekend.  I know I am!  That's right, I've got the weekend off!!!  (Of course I had to specifically request it, way back in December, but hey... I'm off!)

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The reason why I have the weekend off is because one of my Beloved's nephews is getting married tomorrow.  He's the first of the (bio) grandkids to get married and it's a big big day.  It's going to be a pretty low key wedding (evening ceremony followed by a dance, no reception).  I haven't seen much of my Beloved's family in the last few months, so I'm really looking forward to connecting with them again.

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The wedding has led to a lot of shopping recently.  Shower gift (casserole dishes, kitchen towels, and a cookbook), wedding gift (bath sheets, hand towels, wash cloths, potpurri), new shirt for Beloved, new new shoes for Beloved... and then all the extras that I found along the way (including some Christmas presents!).

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One of the extras that 'fell' into my shopping cart is the very first little outfit for the Halfling.  It's a four piece little set, with a onesie, a diaper shirt, pants, and a jacket.  White with little snails and butterflies all over it, green for the pants and jacket.  And for a really good price too.  But I can't tell you how hard it was to buy it.  I almost put it back twice.  So, now, hanging in our closet (not in the baby's room yet) is a sweet little outfit for this Halfling that is kicking the stuffing out of me right now. 

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Work has been super stressful lately.  Our GM is on vacation (which delays a lot of decision making), and we are in the midst of our end of summer staff exodus (it happens every year at this time, to some degree).  This year the exodus is particularly hard hitting because we are having to fill some key positions.  And going into the critical holiday season we need the best of the best in those spots.  There are also a bunch of things that are just beyond our control (ie - the economy, the weather) that are making our jobs harder right now too. 

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Galactic Badness Alert!  My oven died two days ago!  I had used it the a couple of days before, and thought that it was taking a little longer to heat up than normal, but I didn't think much of it at the time.  I went to use it the other day, just to toast up a couple hamburger buns, and nothing happened... ARGH!  I have made sure that the timer didn't get turned on by accident, I've checked the connections on the elements inside and they all seem to be okay.  So... because I have exhausted my limited capabilities of fix-it-ness, we have called a repair man.  He'll be here on Monday morning and I am praying that it won't cost too much to fix.

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We are under ANOTHER severe thunderstorm warning.  Pretty much every three days now.  I just hope that tomorrow is nice for the wedding.

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!

Happiness Is...

... an actual weekend off to spend with my Beloved!

It's been over a month since my Beloved and I had a day off at the same time. He works in an office and I work retail, so our days off rarely match up. My 'weekend' is usually Tuesday and Wednesday. Normally it's not so long between my real weekends off, but taking two weeks off in September threw things out of whack.

This weekend, though, is about us just hanging out.

Today we spent the day Christmas shopping at a new huge mall, about an hour south of here. It was fun exploring new stores and hinting at what I would love to see under the tree. We had lunch at a great burger place in the mall... who knew that goat cheese on a burger would be so darn good?!? We spent a couple of hours going our separate ways to actually buy presents for the other... and I can't tell you what I got him (because he reads my blog) but I will tell you that I'm pretty sure he's going to love it!

Of course, I also found a few things for myself. Ever the bargain shopper, I am proud to say that I found two work appropriate tops (in a rather high end plus size store) for less than $70 combined. Now I know that some of my friends south of the border are probably raising their eyebrows at that, but things are a titch more expensive here... and did I mention that it was in a plus size store (yes, the bigger ladies get burned all the time with the cost of our clothes!!!)?

But my best find of the day (other than my Beloved's gift) was this beautiful new handbag....

I know it's not a great picture, but it is a truly awesome handbag! I got it from Fos.sil. It has multiple interior pockets (I hate the bottomless abyss purses), it's red (officially the colour is strawberry), leather trim, and because of a tiny little defect on the front I saved $90!!!!! Woohoo!

Tomorrow is church, and a quiet afternoon at home. I might put the Christmas lights out on our balconey... if I feel motivated.

Humble Readers, I hope you are all having a great weekend!

Crud Update

Well, so much for thinking that this crap is going away. Sinus congestion is in full swing and the fever is at it's highest so far (still not in scary H1N1 zone tho). I'm going to the doctor tomorrow, at which point, I'm sure he'll tell me that it's just a cold and to deal.

Let me tell you, getting an eye exam when you have a cold is not fun. That puff of air in the eye thing... yikes! And I was so self-conscious... I didn't want the doc to think I was dying.

I did pick a new set of frames (yes, they are partly red, City Girl ;) ) and I'm pretty sure I'll be happy with them. I did a little bit of shopping, including stocking my medicine cabinet with things I haven't had in the house in a year... that hot lemon stuff and some Buckley's (a truly Canadian experience... their slogan is 'it tastes awful but it works'... tastes like liquefied pine needles). Why is it when you're sick, you end up buying stupid stuff? When I got home I found that I had purchased hairspray (which I never use), a two sided stove-top grill/griddle (huh?), gum (which I never chew), and some Ol.ay face product (that I have never seen before).

I now have a couple of hours before I have to go pick up my DH. Maybe I should tell him to call a cab.