Sunday Night Chit Chat: Oy Vey!

Howdy Humble Readers!

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

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

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

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

Anywho... on to the chit chat

What Am I...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hey Humble Readers...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday Night Chit Chat

Good Evening Humble Readers!

Master Pip dozed off early tonight
(and then was  bear when I tried to put him down for the night)

I hope you've all had a pleasant weekend.  Ours was fairly quiet.  I am happy to say that I was able to carve out a couple of hours for reading just for me.  Yesterday I got to have two glorious hours when everyone else was napping or having a rest to lose myself in a good book.  But more on that later.

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

Anyway, on to the chit chat!

What am I...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hobbit-ish Potpurri: Friday Randomness

Howdy Humble Readers! 

Happy Friday!

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

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

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

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

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

Welcome 2013!

Happy New Year Humble Readers!

Image credit

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

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

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

So here's the list for 2013:

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

I know that seems like a lot.  Much of it will simply require being added to my daily to-do list.  Other than that, I think I can manage this list this year.  And it's always a given that some things simply won't happen.  Life gets in the way of the best of intentions, but every journey needs a map to point the general direction. 

What are some of your goals for the new year?