Unintended Housewife

Tons of Tiny Clothes

2012-01-30T16:58:00.004-05:00

The thing about babies that keeps throwing me for a loop is that in the beginning they need a whole new wardrobe every few months because they grow so fast. Last week, I realized we had exactly 5 items of clothing for a 0-3 month old. None of these items of clothing made an a single outfit. I kept thinking we were all set for baby clothes because our friends had handed down a huge box of clothes to us, but I hadn't really thought about the fact that most of those clothes were 6-9 month size. We have to clothe this baby for six whole months before we even touch the hand me downs. Sigh.

Let's get real. Shopping for baby clothes is probably one of the top ten pleasures in life. (Look how cute. They're so small!) But as fun as shopping for tiny clothes is, the thought of buying 5 wardrobes (newborn, 0-3, 3-6, 6-9, and 9-12 months) for the first year alone makes me kind of want to throw up because baby clothes can be so expensive and we're a single income family.

Chuk and I had gone thrift store shopping in our area a few times for baby clothes, but we live in such an expensive area that even thrift stores aren't very thrifty. However, over the weekend we drove a few hours south to spend some time with Chuk's family and while we were there we did some more thrift store shopping for baby. (Cheaper real estate = cheaper thrift store prices) We were able to get 27 articles of baby clothes for $31 in sizes ranging from newborn to 0-3 months to 3-6 months. We were both pleased.

We probably still don't have enough clothes in these small sizes, but it turns out we are having a baby shower, so I think other people will probably be getting us some baby clothes too. (See above about how fun shopping for baby clothes is.) I'm certainly less worried about it now than I was before.

Now, to figure out how to organize all the tiny clothes.

Overheard

2012-01-29T18:40:00.001-05:00

Chuk to the cat: "Hi pretty girl. Did you have a nice weekend? We missed you."

California Club Salad

2012-01-28T00:23:00.009-05:00

My favorite sandwich is, and always has been, a club sandwich. I think it's because when I was a kid we weren't allowed to eat white bread and we simply never had bacon; I don't know why. (True story, I think I was in junior high before I ever ate a piece of bacon and I didn't know how to cook it until a few years ago when I moved to DC and had a roommate from South Carolina who literally ate bacon everyday.)

When my parents would ship us kids off to Louisiana to be with our grandparents for six weeks almost every summer, our grandparents allowed us to eat whatever we wanted. Once a week, when my maternal grandpa took us out for lunch, he would get liver and onions; I would get a club sandwich; I have no recollection of what my brother and sister ate. I think that's when I first fell in love with club sandwiches. It was much later when I was introduced to the California club, which is simply a club sandwich with avocado, but I love that too.

When I saw this salad at Real Simple I pinned it right away. Tonight seemed like a salad-for-dinner night* so I used the Real Simple salad as my inspiration and created a salad that mimics so many of the flavors in my believed California club sandwich. Chuk and I both really liked it.

California Club Salad

1 head of romaine lettuce
2 Roma tomatoes
1/2 cucumber
1/2 green bell pepper
some onion (I used green onions because that's what I had but next time I want to try the red onion suggested in the original recipe)
1/2 avocado (Chuk isn't a big avocado fan so I only used it on my salad.)
2 oz. cooked turkey
5 slices of cooked bacon
Balsamic vinaigrette

Chop the first eight ingredients and then toss with the vinaigrette. C'mon, you know how to make a salad.

I will add, if you cook the bacon right before you make the salad, you can use the bacon drippings to make a bacon balsamic dressing. I did it and it made the husband very happy. (It also possibly offset all health benefits of eating salad for dinner.)

*I love salad for dinner night. Not only is it healthy, it's my chance to use up all those odds and ends of veggies that may otherwise be wasted.

Making Burp Cloths

2012-01-26T15:04:00.003-05:00

Even though I'm getting darn close to baby's arrival the nesting instinct (unfortunately) hasn't yet kicked in. However, I'm trying to deal with a bad week by being productive so I've been sewing up burp cloths.

Several months ago Chuk and I picked up a pack of prefold diapers at TJ Maxx (or one of those discount stores) for less than $1 per diaper, which is cheaper than I've seen used prefolds selling for online. I washed them up and, since the baby will be using it for burping, embroidered "Excuse Me" on them. I just free-handed the embroidery, which I've never done before and I don't love the result, but for something whose sole purpose is to be barfed on, I can live with it. Then I sewed on some fabric I already had that I had been saving for pillows. It didn't take very much fabric, so I should still be able to make the pillows.

It's a quick and satisfying project that will hopefully be useful in a few months. Now I'm off to make a few more.

Maternity Clothes on the Cheap

2012-01-23T18:56:00.003-05:00

I'm in my third trimester of pregnancy and I've spent less than $100 on maternity clothes. I've had a hard time finding national averages for how much women spend on maternity clothes, but I've seen estimates ranging from $400 on a bargain website to $1200 on MSN money. One of my favorite frugal bloggers, Penny Saver, who is a never-ending source of inspiration for me, spent almost twice as much as I did on her maternity wardrobe, so I think I'm doing pretty well.

The first thing I did was evaluate my existing wardrobe to see what would still fit my growing belly. I was surprised how much still works for me. I had two empire waisted tops, two turtlenecks, a long sleeved tee, two polo shirts, two sweaters, and five dresses that fit me. Serendipitously, I prefer shift and wrap dresses; both styles work well as maternity dresses. I also had one sweater dress and the knit simply stretches over my bump. Cardigans, scarves, jewelry and other accessories should not be overlooked either as all of these pieces will fit you throughout pregnancy. (Simply don't button the cardigan.)

I think one of the reasons I was successful at finding so many pieces in my own closet that work for me is that I was very careful in how I thought about things. I spent a lot of time going through everything and trying things on. Have you heard that saying that you wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time? Your potential maternity clothes are probably in the 80% of clothes you don't wear very often/have forgotten about. Seriously, take an afternoon and try a bunch of stuff on.

Though I already had a lot of stuff I could wear during my pregnancy, I had to buy a few things to fill in the gaps. I bought:
1) a maternity band, which helped me wear my regular jeans into the second trimester. This is the one I have. I don't know if it is better or worse than other types, I bought it because it was cheaper than others I saw.

2) maternity jeans. All of my pre-pregnancy pants are mid-rise, which are not very forgiving with a swelling abdomen. If you typically wear low rise pants, you may be able to get away with not buying maternity pants. I bought these maternity jeans when they were on sale. I had to get them hemmed (at my dry cleaner's) which added to the cost, but even with the cost of hemming they were WAY cheaper than any jeans I saw at specialty maternity stores.

3) two pairs of leggings. (In retrospect, I wish I had only bought one pair. I haven't needed two.) I knew I had a lot of dresses already in my wardrobe, so my plan was to pair them with leggings to get me through the winter. I bought these online from JC Penney when I bought the jeans.

4) a pair of pajama pants. (In retrospect, I wish I had bought two pair because I live in these.) I bought these from Old Navy. They are regular (non-maternity) PJ pants. I bought them two sizes bigger than my normal size and they are glorious. Hands down, my favorite outfit is one of my husband's undershirts and these oversized PJ pants. It is a personal tragedy for me that I can't wear it out of the house. I wear it to bed and for lounging, too.

5) extra undies. Some women, including me, develop a problem during pregnancy where it feels like your crotch is bruised. It's simply a result of increased blood flow to the region, the baby putting pressure down there, and your body loosening up. I heard going commando or wearing bigger panties can help. I bought new panties two sizes larger than what I usually wear. They are the granniest of granny panties, and you know what, I don't care one bit. They're comfy.

6) a caftan. I was given a caftan from this etsy store for Christmas. (I'm not counting its cost in my total since it was a gift.) It is incredibly comfy and though I just use it for lounging, theoretically I could wear it out too. I'm thinking about wearing it as my post-delivery coming home outfit since I think it will be easy to nurse in. I am also thinking about buying another one for post-pregnancy.

The reason I listed my sources for things (none of the links are affiliate links) is because I want you to notice that I didn't buy anything from a maternity store. Maternity stores are a rip off. You're going to pay a ton of money for poor quality clothes. I'd rather spend that money on cute baby clothes or on decorating the baby's room.

In summary, to save money on maternity clothes I would suggest you try to reuse as much of what you already have as you can. You should consider buying regular, non-maternity clothes two sizes bigger than what you normally wear because simply being labeled "maternity" carries with it a premium price. If you do need specific maternity clothes, shop sales and clearance at department stores rather than specialty maternity stores.

Maternity clothes are not investment pieces for the rest of your life; you're only going to wear them for a few months, so you might as well save some money on them. Although my maternity wardrobe is small (it all fits in one dresser drawer) I have more than enough to last me the whole pregnancy, spanning three seasons, and I don't feel like I'm wearing the same thing everyday. And even though I am a housewife, I daresay that my maternity wardrobe would work just as well if I worked in an office.

An Open Letter to the Naysayers

2012-01-19T00:52:00.005-05:00

My dad had a favorite expression, which I'm only going to minimally censor here. "Opinions are like a--holes; everybody's got one." The implication being, of course, keep yours to yourself because I've already got one. I can't tell you how many times a week this colorful turn of phrase pops into my mind as I progress through this pregnancy.

The truth is I often feel attacked, criticized and belittled about the choices I'm making for myself and my baby. And while that alone is hard, it is made more bitter because it seems the most biting comments come from well-meaning family and friends. Furthermore, despite the fact that Chuk and I have made every pregnancy-related decision together, he has not been subject to these types of remarks. Why do we subject mothers to a level of criticism and scrutiny that would never be tolerated in any other sphere of life?

This is where I plead my case that we, as a society, simply butt out and let parents, for better or worse, make their own decisions. I contend that these unsolicited opinions are rarely useful and mostly serve to alienate people and damage relationships.

You Can't Do That

"You'll never be able to give birth without drugs."
"Cloth diapers? Good luck with that because it's never going to happen."

We all have different capabilities. Maybe you can name all 50 state capitals and do computer coding. I can't, but I can do the quadratic equation and translate Camus from French to English. Just because natural child birth or cloth diapers or whatever didn't work out for you doesn't mean I can't do it.

When you act like parenting is a competition and you smack talk me, it hurts my feelings. Don't tell me what I can and can't do because you have no idea. I have no idea either, but I want to try. Just encourage me instead.

You're Reckless

"I'm just not the type of person who would risk my child's life to give birth outside of a hospital."
"You need bumpers or else the baby will hurt itself on the crib."

Trust me. I'm not going to do anything to endanger my child. Believe it or not, I have a vested interest in keeping this baby alive. I've done my research. You have either 1) not done your research and have no idea what you're talking about, 2) your information is out of date, or 3) are referring to something upon which there is divided expert opinion. In the case of one and two, I'm dismissing what you're saying out of hand. In the case of three, let's just agree to disagree. Look, you may let your toddler drink soda and watch TV. I've got opinions about that, but I'm keeping my mouth shut because I believe that as long as it's not illegal, parents have the right to make decisions based on what is right for their family.

Be Like Me

"We have the best sleep technique."
"You have to get this wipes warmer."

I'm not going to lie, your kid seems like (s)he's turning out ok, but this other kid I know is turning out ok too and its parents are doing things the exact opposite way you are. I interpret this to mean 1) all kids are different, and 2) the minutia probably doesn't matter.

I live in a tiny apartment. While I'm glad that giant gizmo you bought made your child happy, I am not neglecting my child if I choose not to buy it. Don't try to guilt me into a purchase. I will never believe that not having "hot item of the year" is going to turn my child into a juvenile delinquent in 15 years.

You may know the best technique for your child, but there's a 100% chance that I'm not going to give birth to your child. I'll try a bunch of things out with my baby (just like you did with yours) to try and figure out what works best for us. If that doesn't work out, I'll call you when I'm sleep deprived and stressed out and you can save the day by showing me your never-fail burping/sleeping/latching technique.

I'm Nosy

"Was this a planned pregnancy?"
"Are you having a lot of changes in your breasts?"

Doctor patient confidentiality exists for a reason. Just because you're curious about something, doesn't mean you have a right to know. If I don't volunteer the information on my own, chances are I don't want you to know. Don't put me in the awkward position of (nicely) telling you "none of your business." You're embarrassing us both.

True story:
My friend's boss's wife asked her what sexual position she was in when she conceived her baby.

***

I've had these thoughts in my head for a long time, and it feels very cathartic to write them out. But I also wanted to write about it because there are a lot of other posts floating around in my head about pregnancy, childbirth and parenting but before I write about them I want to make it clear from the outset that just because I made a different decision from you doesn't mean I'm judging you. While any decision made is a repudiation of all the decisions not made, decisions are not made in a vacuum. The choices my husband and I make reflect our circumstances and priorities, just as I'm sure the choices your family make reflect your circumstances and priorities. To quote the president, "I think we can disagree without being disagreeable."

Really Random

2012-01-16T22:43:00.006-05:00

1. I've started using Instagram. We should follow each other. My account name is TeamLift. What's your's?

2. I spent almost five hours on Saturday listing things on Craig's List and I haven't gotten any nibbles. It is incredibly discouraging.

3. When I first told my friends I was pregnant, one of them offered to have a baby shower for me. (I threw a baby shower for her a year ago.) She's only brought it up once since then when we talked about having it in mid-February. Since then, she hasn't said anything about it but other people keep asking me when my baby shower is going to be. (My sister-in-law literally asks me or Chuk EVERY week and has even emailed my mom and sister, who live in California and wouldn't be coming to a D.C. baby shower, about it.)

First of all, if I'm not really confident my friend is even going to come through with the shower. Second of all, if she does come through, it is my impression that she's just thinking about a small, casual little thing with just the few mutual friends we share (because she's got a little baby and works full time), which means all these other people who are asking me about it would not be invited. This is hugely stressing me out. Why do people keep harrassing ME about it? I have nothing to do with it. And if they're so interested in coming to a baby shower, then why don't they offer to have one for me? I can only tell people so many times, "I don't know anything about a baby shower" so many times before my hormones take over and I rip someone's head off.

4. Is anyone else having problems with blogger? Sometimes, when I click on the post of someone I'm following I can't get to their page at all. And I can't make comments on anyone's posts, including my own. (For the record, in my last post, when I mentioned the drive-thru daiquiris, we do not drink and drive. We just like the thrill of knowing we could drink and drive. We buy our daiquiris at the drive-thru, but enjoy them at home. I think drinking and driving is stupid and dangerous.)

5. Are you watching Pioneer Woman on Food Network? Does it weird you out when she calls her husband Ladd instead of Marlboro Man?

6. Today was my last day of my water exercise class, which I affectionately call "swimming lessons". It was a fun class, but I'll mostly miss it because there was a really odd woman in the class who I am almost 100% sure is a pathological liar but who kept me immensely entertained. I have no idea what I'm going to talk to Chuk about at dinner anymore, because she has made up the bulk of my anecdotes for months now.

What A Long Strange Trip It's Been

2012-01-13T15:27:00.005-05:00

During the holidays, Chuk and I drove over 3,100 miles through eight states. Almost half of those miles were driven hauling a nine foot trailer behind Chuk's minivan. Over the course of ten days, we slept in seven different beds. I was (and have continued to be) physically and emotionally exhausted from our "vacation".

Most of our trip was focused on spending Christmas with my extended family at my aunt's in Austin, TX and clearing the last of my late father's things from storage in southwest Louisiana. I'm going to skip the stories about having to call a tow truck from AAA and the family drama and focus on some of the highlights.

There's good eating to be had in Texas and Louisiana.

We did our part to "keep Austin weird."

We were able to go to Lance Armstrong's bike shop and see all seven of the yellow jerseys he won in the Tour de France.

The highlights of family time were decorating sugar cookies and playing board games.

There were so many gifts to be thankful for on Christmas day.

One of our favorite things about Louisiana is legal fireworks. You better believe we took advantage of our opportunity; they have all the good (dangerous) ones.

Another cherished Louisiana tradition is getting drive-thru daiquris. This is legal. Seriously. There's a menu of all different kinds of blended drinks (yes, with booze) and you order what you want and drive around to a little window where you are handed your cocktail like it was a burger at McDonalds.

The drink comes like this. The lid is taped on, so that it's not an open container, but they are always careful not to tape over the straw hole. Chuk ordered a "Ragin' Cajun". I didn't order a drink, but I'll admit, I did have some sips of his.

I think things are finally getting back to normal around here, so hopefully I'll be back to posting more regularly soon.

Third Annual Gingerbread House Party

2011-12-21T04:57:00.000-05:00

We had our annual gingerbread house party last Saturday. (I blogged about the first one here.)While we kept it a lot simpler this year than in years past, it was still a good time and I don't think anyone even noticed. We served chips with seven layer dip, veggies and dip, and Hello Dollys. To drink, we offered hot and cold apple cider (with optional rum), egg nog (with optional rum), iced tea and water.

While our preparations weren't elaborate, people's creations were. Everyone really stepped up their gingerbread house game.

I was the only person who made a traditional gingerbread house. Notice my Christmas tree in the front window.

The backyard of my house, covered in snow, made from coconut, with a tree and snowman.

A close-up of my snowman. My neighbor made the face for me out of nerds and the hat out of smarties.

My neighbor's Star Trek-esque spaceship.

A minimally decorated pagoda.

Chuk made a TARDIS from the TV show Dr. Who. I have no idea either. He used a cashew for the doorknob, which I thought was clever.

Chuk also made an ice hockey rink. He used a pretzel to make a hockey stick.

As always, it was a lot of fun. As people were leaving, they were already talking about what they were going to make next year and all the new ideas they had. I took it as a good sign that people enjoyed themselves.

Olive Oil Hair Conditioner

2011-12-20T02:37:00.002-05:00

Where I live, it is quite humid in the summer and quite dry in the winter. My hair hates this. I thought I'd give deep conditioning with olive oil a try.

My method was pretty basic. I poured some olive oil in a ramekin, to have a more manageable amount to deal with and poured it on my dry hair and massaged it in, then poured some more in and massaged it in, until my hair was completely saturated with oil. I let it sit for twenty minutes and then shampooed and conditioned my hair as usual in the shower.

Verdict: No difference at all. Save you olive oil for cooking because it's not going to help with your hair.

Storing Boxes

2011-12-16T17:22:00.003-05:00

It seems that at this time of year, we're up to our eyeballs in boxes. We're receiving packages and sending packages and wrapping up gifts in boxes. I think, the majority of the time, when we're done with these boxes, we should either offer them up on Craig's List for people who are moving or just recycle them, but it can be helpful to keep a few boxes at home too.

As someone who has always lived in small spaces, one of the most convenient places I've found to store boxes is under the couch. Many of us are already storing things under our beds, which tends to have a little more clearance, but there is a lot of floor space under your couch too. It's not a very high space, but if you flatten your boxes, you you can fit quite a few under there.

I tend to keep mostly medium sized boxes, which I find are the most versatile for moving, holding donation items, crafts, and, of course, sending packages.

Just What the Doctor Ordered: Date Night

2011-12-15T01:13:00.004-05:00

I feel like I haven't seen my husband in two weeks. He's been so busy with work and school that he just hasn't been around much. It's been tough without him because these last few weeks, for reasons I'm not going to go into here, have been full of drama, stress, and angst for me. But tonight, TONIGHT, he finally finished everything he's been working so hard on and we went out to celebrate. Delightful!

We had dinner at the new local BBQ restaurant everybody's been talking about. It was good, but didn't live up to the anticipation or hype.

Then we walked down to the candy shop and shared a "diva hot chocolate". (Their name for it, not mine. It takes a man secure in his masculinity to drink diva hot chocolate without hesitation.) It was dark chocolate with toffee. It was both the most expensive hot chocolate I've ever had in my life and the richest, most decadent hot chocolate I've ever had.

Then, we walked around the neighborhood to look at everybody's lights. This house, which I call "the house Christmas threw up on", is on our street the most elaborately decorated house every year. They even have music playing outside. While we were looking at it, the owner drove up and started talking to us, which I thought was going to be really awkward, but he turned out to be a very nice man.

Throughout the night, Chuk and I just talked and talked and talked. And I remembered how funny and interesting and nice my husband is. He really is my favorite person in the whole world and if this perfect night was my Christmas present, that would be enough. It was exactly what we both needed.

We ended the night by going to CVS and buying toilet paper, because romance has to meet reality somewhere (and I didn't want to make you barf with how cute we are.)

Preventing Food Spoilage

2011-12-13T22:48:00.004-05:00

In the last ten years, I've never lived with more than one other person, yet I cook family-size meals and love to shop at Costco. You'd think I'd be throwing out rotten food all the time, but food almost never goes bad on me and I attribute it to this one little trick: I set my fridge for slightly cooler than is recommended. I haven't noticed any increase in my electricity bill, but I have noticed my milk and veggies stay fresh much longer than they would otherwise.

Having an extra cold fridge works for me.

The Stockings were Hung by the "Chimney" with Care

2011-12-12T20:57:00.007-05:00

I spent Friday afternoon decorating our Christmas tree. It's three feet tall. I had bought it a week and a half earlier at Costco, just like the Christmases of yore. Ha!

Growing up, we would always cut down our own tree. Since I moved to the big city, I've mostly bought my Christmas trees from farmers' markets. This year, my husband is up to his neck with board week at work and finals at school and I'm up to my neck in pregnancy. I decided to respect our limits, so a tiny Costco tree it was.

Decorating it was a snap. It only took one strand of lights and I used our smallest ornaments to keep things in scale. The star we normally put on top of our tree was much too large, so I stuck an angel my late grandma had crocheted on top. It was meant to be a toilet paper cover, so it keeps flopping forward, but I love it anyway. I might even use it as a tree topper next year.

I spent some time Saturday wrapping all our presents. I hate theme wrapping paper, but Chuk brought this Christmas paper into our relationship years ago. Normally, I won't use it at all, but we were close to the end of it so this year, I was determined to use it up. I used it to wrap all of our presents, and wouldn't you know it, we still have some left! It's the loaves and fishes of wrapping paper.

I've finished my shopping, but Chuk has some more to do for his family. We're not exchanging gifts with them until January, so there isn't a lot of time pressure. We're spending Christmas in Texas and Louisiana with my extended family, so I expect he'll wait until the new year to finish his shopping. Hopefully, he'll get them large things so we can use up that darn Christmas paper.

As apartment renters, we don't have a fireplace, but last year I bought these JOY stocking holders after Christmas for 50% off, so our stockings are hanging from our bookshelf rather than a mantel. I wish I could hang the stockings from the bottom shelf, but the doors on the bottom half of the bookcase prevent that, so I'm just going to have to deal with them blocking the photos on the lower shelf.

The stocking on the right was made by my grandma, the same one who made the tree topper. I've had it since I was a little girl and I love it. It will always be my real stocking, but for display purposes, we're counting it as the cat's stocking. (We don't get our cat a present or anything for her stocking. So far, she hasn't noticed.) My mom got us the stockings on the left last year. I like them, but I still make Chuk fill the stocking from my grandma. It wouldn't be Christmas otherwise.

This year our decorations are very low key, but fitting for this season in our lives. I'm so glad we are able to have some festive decorations, but that it wasn't stressful at all and other than the $20 I spent on the tree, didn't cost us anything. Despite how busy our schedules are now, everything is so peaceful this year, it's hard to imagine that next year we'll have an eight month old celebrating its first Christmas with us. We can barely wrap our brains around it.

Linking to The Inspired Room's home tour.

My Favorite Part of Thanksgiving

2011-12-05T23:57:00.003-05:00

We had a really great Thanksgiving, but one of my favorite parts was my niece's excitement at getting to help me in the kitchen. Though she has a play kitchen at her house, when her parents cook they put her in her highchair and don't let her participate. I was raised helping in the kitchen and my general policy with my niece is "anything goes" when we're at my house so I was excited at the chance to give her her first kitchen experience.

When she first got to our place I told her I really needed her help later. All kids love to help. When I was ready, I pulled up a chair, stood her on it and let her sprinkle the crispy onions on the already prepared green bean casserole. She kept yelling to everybody in the other room, "Me cooking! Daddy, me cooking! Capaw [which is how she pronouces grandpa] me cooking! Mommy, me cooking!" She was so excited and proud she could hardly contain herself. She next got to sprinkle the mini marshmallows on the sweet potatoes. In her mind, she was a full blown chef at this point.

All during the Thanksgiving meal, I kept making a point to say "Mmm, Sophia the green beans you made are so good." "Sophia these sweet potatoes are the best." It kept her grinning and helped the picky little eater to taste more than she normally would have.

For the rest of the weekend, whenever I went into the kitchen, she tried to drag "her" chair in to help some more. It takes so little to make toddlers happy. I can't wait to get my own little one in the kitchen to "help mommy" and see him or her beaming with pride from having accomplished some real work.

Use It or Lose It

2011-12-03T19:06:00.005-05:00

The end of the year has us thinking about the very un-Christmas-y topic of flexible spending accounts. Because we overestimated the cost of some dental work we needed done and of prenatal care, my husband and I have about $250 we need to spend on health-related expenses before the end of the year or else we lose the money.

In the past, I would use our end of the year FSA money to stock up on over-the-counter medication for the next year. Unfortunately, the FSA rules changed this year and you have to have a prescription for OTC medicines if you want to use FSA money on them. Lame. Fortunately/unfortunately, we've also never had this much money to use up before either.

In researching what I could use the money on, I came up with some interesting ideas and great resources. While you can't use FSA money for massages (again, lame), if you need relaxation you can use it for acupuncture and chiropractic care. You can use FSA money for birth control pills or condoms, and if that isn't your bag, you can use it for ovulation kits and pregnancy tests. While you should check expiration dates, this is the time to be thinking about stockpiling for the year. Sunscreen, bandaids, contact lense solution, and the aforementioned condoms and pregnancy tests can be bought in quantity and used throughout the upcoming year. This is also the time to go ahead and replace your reading glasses, neti pot, shoe insoles, humidifiers, and the like.

As I get ready for this baby, I plan on using the bulk of our remaining $250 for supplies the baby will likely need. Thermometers, breast pumps, nursing pads, nasal aspirators, and absorbent bed pads are all FSA eligible. (Tip: Infant bed pads and pet weewee pads are the same thing. Look for them with incontinence supplies rather than in baby care or pet care. Thinking outside of the box pays off in situations like these.)

You could also think of this as an opportunity to buy some stocking stuffers. Denture cleanser and adhesive may be appreciated by a grandparent on a fixed income. Your althletic cousin could maybe use another ace bandage and a wrist or knee brace. If you have a sibling who loves to camp, why not get him/her a first aid kit and blister pads? I plan on getting my always-too-hot husband a Chillow. (He had one before and loved it so much he wore it out.) It would also be a good gift for your menopausal mom.

I'm not being compensated to say this, but I've found the FSA Store and the FSA section of Drugstore.com to be extremely helpful in coming up with ways to spend my remaining FSA money. Both websites accept FSA credit cards, which prevents you from having to submit a claim form and saves you a step. Amazon, in my experience, does not accept these cards.

While I am glad we won't lose the money we put into the FSA, I wish we hadn't allocated so much. We've corrected this problem by seriously reducing our election amount for next year, with the knowledge that with a "qualifying life change", like getting married, or in our case, having a baby, we can increase our election amount.

Do you participate in a FSA? If so, how do you decide on an election amount?

21.5 Weeks

2011-12-02T16:43:00.003-05:00

I spent all day yesterday either on my knees in front of the toilet or lying very still on my bed (unsuccessfully) willing my nausea away. I told my husband, "I'm throwing up like it's my job." Then I realized, it kind of is my job. I suddenly became VERY thankful I haven't had to work outside the home during this pregnancy. I have such respect for women who do.

According to Plan

2011-11-23T15:32:00.003-05:00

Despite some setbacks, clogged kitchen sink and cracked garbage disposal that necessitated a visit from the plumber and a turkey that was not as promised, all my Thanksgiving prep is done and I'm even a little ahead of schedule.

All my side dishes are done and sitting in the fridge waiting to be reheated and my turkey is in an ice chest brinning. Because our ice chest is so big, I use a bunch of over-turned bowls to block of some of the cooler and to ensure maximum contact of the brine to the turkey.

I hope you have a happy, stress-free, traffic free Thanksgiving and are able to spend some time reflecting on everything you're thankful for.

Thanksgiving Prep

2011-11-21T13:39:00.005-05:00

Chuk and I are hosting Thanksgiving this year. It's our first time. The year before last, we hosted Christmas for my family, so we're not completely inexperienced, but this time we're hosting Chuk's family and also I'm "large with child". (I''ve wanted to say that this whole pregnancy. I'm weird.) Somehow, it being my in-laws makes it more intimidating and, well, pregnancy just makes everything more difficult.

To keep myself sane, I've divided everything I need to get done into daily tasks in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. That way I never get overwhelmed and can keep my energy levels up. I think it's the best way to tackle any big project.

Everyone's to-do list is going to look different, but I find the most helpful thing in planning for an event like Thanksgiving is to clean out your fridge first. Toss anything you're not going to eat (I'm looking at you weird olives that came in that gift basket) or that has gone bad (like that bottle of almost empty mustard that was "best by" Oct 2010.) No one likes to waste food, but this is the time to be ruthless.

Once you've cleared it out, wash all the shelves in the fridge so they're sparkling clean. Finally reorganize the remaining food in a way that 1) makes sense to you, and 2) leaves large spaces empty for all the holiday food you're going to be cramming in there over the next week. If you're like me you'll have lots of little bits of food that need to be eaten up before you go shopping again. Point these foods out to everyone in your family and tell the goal is to have them gone by X date.

Another way I keep myself sane when hosting holidays, is I ask the guests to help. I normally don't ask guests to bring things when I'm hosting, but somehow, in my mind, holidays have a different set of rules. There is a lot of food to make and I have a small apartment and an even smaller kitchen.

We've asked Chuk's sister and brother-in-law to bring pumpkin and pecan pies. (I'm praying they make them themselves and don't buy frozen.) And we've asked my father-in-law, who doesn't cook at all, to bring things we don't mind him buying at the store: appetizers, rolls, and cranberry sauce. Chuk and I (and by "Chuk and I" I mean I) will be making the bulk of the meal: turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and possibly glazed carrots. Chuk's sister called him last night and told him she was also going to bring apple sauce because their mom always made homemade apple sauce for holiday meals.

How are you celebrating Thanksgiving this year and what are you eating? I think it's so interesting how every family seems to have a pretty rigid Thanksgiving menu, but that it seems to vary from family to family. For instance, Chuk's family always had apple sauce and rolls, but never sweet potatoes. We never had apple sauce and rarely had rolls, but always had sweet potato casserole and brussel sprouts.

Autumnal Decorations

2011-11-20T02:23:00.004-05:00

Walking home from the dry cleaners, I was struck by the fall leaves all over the ground. Being an East Coast transplant from California, where the seasons are much less dramatic, the changing leaves never fails to amaze me.

I picked up a few colorful leaves from the ground and brought them home determined to do something with them. What I struck upon was decorating some candles and candle holders with the leaves. It only took a few minutes to put together and I already had all the things I needed, so it was really simple and convenient little project.

I simply chose leaves that were the height of the votive holder or candle I was working with and used some tiny pieces of double stick tape to hold a leaf on each side while I used some kitchen string to tie the leaves onto the candle or holder. I knotted the string and cut off the excess "tails".

You could probably get away with not using the tape, but it helped since I didn't have an extra set of hands helping to hold everything in place. I think it probably would be cuter to use twine or bakers' string to hold the leaves on, but all I had was the cotton string I use to truss poultry, so that's what I went with. Finally, I didn't bother to press my leaves before I started working with them, and as they have dried out over the last week or so they've curled a little at the edges, which is evident in the pictures, but that doesn't really bother me. If it bothers you, I suggest you just press the leaves.

This is pretty much the extent of my fall/Thanksgiving decorating, but I'm happy because it didn't cost me anything and I have pretty leaves to look at.

Good Things About Being Pregnant

2011-11-16T02:53:00.002-05:00

So, I realize I've been pretty negative about pregnancy. While, in my limited experience, it does mostly suck, there are some good parts to it too. What I like, in no particular order:

1. No more cleaning the litterbox.
2. Eating cheese is strongly encouraged.
3. People are always offering to bring you glasses of water and pillows.
4. Naps suddenly become much more socially acceptable.
5. Snacks whenever you want.
6. Greater body acceptance...That big tummy isn't my chub; it's the baby.
7. People are more forgiving of your flaws. Everything from grumpiness to forgetfulness is blamed on the pregnancy.
8. Finally, an excuse to browse through those tiny, cute baby clothes.

Edited to add:
9. No more periods!

I Promise This Video Will Make You Smile

2011-11-15T04:25:00.001-05:00

The song is awesome and the video is even awesome-er. I kind of want to be best friends with this guy.

Telling Family I'm Pregnant, Part III

2011-11-14T01:39:00.004-05:00

We're lucky that we live close enough to Chuk's family that we were able to tell them we were expecting in person...the only people we told in person. We had already planned on going down to them for a visit because we were participating in a suicide awareness walk.

Because I am the best daughter-in-law in the world, I continued my habit of making Chuk's dad a cheesecake. We all ate dinner as a family and when we had finished Chuk grabbed the cheesecake, which had been covered since we arrived a couple of hours earlier, and put it in front of his dad and said, "We made you a sweet, little treat."

His dad gave us a weird look, probably thinking we made him something gross, and slowly peeked under the cover and saw that we had written "A BABY". Then he got a huge smile on his face and put the cover right back down. Chuk's sister was like, "What? What? What is it?" and then their dad took the cover off really fast with a flourish. My sister-in-law read the cake and screamed and then got all teary eyed and kept saying, "Really? Congratulations!"

There were lots of hugs and questions and my poor little niece was as confused as could be. So I sat her on the chair in front of me and said, "There's a baby in my tummy." Without hesitating, she lifted up my shirt and then gave me a look far beyond her 22 months, a look that said "You're full of $h!t." I don't know how to explain these things to babies, so I simply said, "It's hiding inside so you can't see it until you're two." She spent the rest of the evening kissing my tummy (which we all failed to get a picture of) not because she understood what was happening, but because we would all clap for her after she did it and that is a girl who appreciates applause from her fans. I can only hope our baby is just like her.

It was our least elaborate announcement, unless you count the email we sent to our friends, but it was so special to get to see the reactions with our own eyes. I only wish I could have seen my families' faces, but I have pretty good idea of how they looked.

Happy Hour at Home: Paloma

2011-11-11T11:38:00.001-05:00

I first learned about this drink after hearing it mentioned on TV. Apparently, it's also known as a tequila fresca and is very popular in Mexico. Ole!

Paloma

1 part tequila
6 parts Fresca (or other grapefruit soda)

Fill a tall glass with ice and add the tequila and soda. Serve.

Fun fact: Although I hate grapefuit (it is my least favorite food) and I'm not a big soda drinker, if I am going to drink soda, Fresca is one of my favorites. Weird, huh?

Happy About Little Things

2011-11-09T13:25:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, the maternity jeans I ordered online long ago finally arrived and, more significantly, I felt my baby move for the first time. This has been (and continues to be) a difficult pregnancy. While I know I should be thankful I was able to get pregnant easily and the baby and I are both healthy, I have to admit being in physical pain every single day for months on end has taken a psychological toll on me. Even though the jeans are just a little thing, that and quickening, which is a bigger deal, were just the little mood boost I needed to keep on going. I'm working hard on curbing my complaining and keeping my focus on the end goal.

Time Flies

2011-11-06T11:27:00.002-05:00

Today my niece, my little love, turns two years old. I would cry except that I fall more in love with her each and every time I see her and I am so excited to see how she changes and grows in the coming year. She truly is the sweetest, funniest, smartest child I have ever met and she just keeps getting sweeter, funnier and smarter every day.

This weekend, we are at my father-in-law's so we can all be together to celebrate this little girl who brings us all so much joy.

(Pictures by my sister-in-law of my niece at birth, on her first birthday and at 23.5 months.)

Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater

2011-11-04T23:52:00.002-04:00

Two friends and I drove up to Pennsylvania on the Day of the Dead to see the architectural masterpiece Fallingwater, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for the Kaufmann family.

The setting was absolutely beautiful. The house cantilevered out from a rock over a waterfall. Though I didn't love the colors Mr. Wright chose for the house (beige-y pink with maroon trim), I do think I would love to live on a waterfall.

To see the paint colors, check out Cherokee Red and Covered Wagon on this page:
http://voiceofcolor.com/en/exchange/the_voice/dee_schlotter.asp

VIP Halloween Party

2011-11-01T23:48:00.002-04:00

Chuk had class on Halloween night so we celebrated a day early by having what we decided to call a VIP Halloween Party. In my world, a VIP party is what I call any party where there are no invited guests...in other words, Chuk and I were the only VIPs at the Halloween party.

We prepared a bunch of orange and black snacks (which was our whole dinner that night) and watched the Halloween episodes of The Office and Parks and Recreation and then capped off the evening by watching It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, all of which we had on our DVR. The party was awesome. I highly recommend throwing yourself a VIP party every once in awhile.

For the curious, we served diet orange soda, diet cola, doritos, oranges, dried apricots, oreos, cheese nips, and a salsa made of orange bell peppers and black beans, which we served with tortilla chips. I wish we had bought blue corn tortilla chips because those look black, but we forgot to get them when we were at the store. We also had a glass pumpkin full of candy corn and the jack o'lantern bucket was full of peanut butter cups and snickers. We also pulled out our ice bucket so we wouldn't have to get up when we needed to refresh our drinks. Other foods we thought of but didn't end up serving were sweet potato fries, black olives, brownies, pumpkin pie, hot chocolate, and black licorice.

How did you celebrate Halloween? Did you have lots of trick or treaters? Once again we had NONE. I am always so disappointed by that.

Pumpkin and Pie Party

2011-10-31T16:42:00.004-04:00

On Saturday, we went to our friends' pumpkin carving and pie eating party. Everyone brought their own pumpkin to carve and a sweet or savory pie to share. I thought it was a great party theme. It was easy for the hosts and fun for the guests.

Between that darn pumpkin shortage and our procrastination, Chuk and I couldn't find any pumpkins. We bought squash instead, which cost a fortune (more than $10 for two little squash) and were very tough to carve. We wound up just doing bas relief instead of hollowing them out and carving them. Mine is the BOO above and Chuk did the Capital's logo below. I thought he did a great job, but everyone kept thinking it was a bat. They aren't hockey fans though.

If you decide to have this kind of party, you should remember to provide lots of pumpkin carving tools and knives and have a plan for easy clean up as people work because those pumpkin guts get messy fast. While it's easy to come up with ideas for sweet pies, if you have trouble thinking of types of savory pies, quiche, shepherd's pie, and chicken pot pie are all great options.

Happy Halloween!

Deciding on a Halloween Costume

2011-10-27T05:40:00.001-04:00

Before I got pregnant, I had decided I wanted to be Jemaine from Flight of the Conchords for Halloween. I already had an Elvis-esque wig with sideburns that I knew I could style to look like Jemaine's hair and a pair of 3-D glasses from when I went to see Avatar that I planned to pop the lenses out of. The only thing I bought for the costume was a snap front denim shirt from the thrift store.

photo credit

Then I got pregnant and I knew the Jemaine costume wouldn't work, mainly because the shirt no longer fits. I saw the Halloween outfit below on Etsy and thought I could recreate it pretty easily.

I also had the idea to use the messed up fake teeth below (my dad bought a pair for himself, my brother, sister and me one day before we were going out to play bocce ball and I've kept them ever since) and wear a stained wife beater and be white trash and pregnant.

(This is not the most beautiful picture of me ever taken. Chuk and I had just gotten back from a camping trip--hence the cooler in the background-- and instead of putting stuff away we decided to mess around and take pictures. It takes supreme bravery to post pictures of yourself on the internet with dirty hair and without make up.)

So while the problem with the first costume is my baby bump is too big, the problem with each of these costumes is my belly bump isn't quite big enough. I just look like I've gained a lot of weight. I don't yet have that perfectly round pregnant belly.

Now I don't know what to be and I need to decide soon. We're going to a party on Saturday and I want to wear a costume to it because Chuk has class on actual Halloween, so this it's my only chance to dress up. Any ideas???

Dinner Made Cute

2011-10-26T04:27:00.000-04:00

I saw this idea somewhere else, but can't remember where. It's only stuffed peppers, but if you use orange peppers and a paring knife to cut a face, dinner becomes infinitely more fun.

I think I'll need to make these again before Halloween. Even my big, burly husband called it cute and told me to take pictures of them.

Telling Family I'm Pregnant, Part II

2011-10-25T12:42:00.002-04:00

I can't get these pictures to orient properly. (My mom sent them to me from her phone, so I think that's why they're wonky.) If I invest anymore time in trying to fix it, I'm going to lose my mind, so just tilt your head to look at them. Thank you very much.

I wasn't able to tell my mom about my pregnancy in person either because she lives in California too. This was really sad because my mom loves babies more than anything and has been longing for a grandchild for YEARS. She is the only one of her friends without one. So I knew I had to do something extra special to tell her about her her first grandchild.

I made her a mini book from Snapfish. (I wasn't compensated to tell you that.) Blogger isn't letting me link, but it was a 2 x 3 mini photo book and cost $6. I titled the book "Family" and it had chronological photos of our family starting with baby photos of my great grandfather, then my grandmother, my mom and then my mom's kids. Then the pictures started to include images of my siblings and I as we grew up so that towards the end of the book there were pictures of my wedding and recent pictures of Chuk and me. This book holds 24 pictures, so it was easy to tell the "story" chronologically.

The final picture was of my positive pregnancy test and I wrote the announcement on the inside of the back cover.

The book was so little I was able to stick it in a regular business size envelope for mailing. It was light enough for just one stamp, but I put two on it, just because I'm paranoid. I wrote on the envelope for my mom to call me before she opened it because I wanted to hear her reaction.

The few days wait for her phone call was agonizing, but when she finally did, it was so special. She started crying halfway through the book before she even got to the pregnancy announcement. When she finally figured out what was going on she screamed and started crying even harder. It was really cute and certainly the biggest surprise of her life.

She carried the book around with her everywhere in a ziplock bag "for protection" for more than a month and has also requested a back-up book so she can safely store the original while still showing everyone her book. She's kind of crazy, but I'm glad she likes the book. I keep telling her it's the best $6 I've ever spent.

This Weekend and Last

2011-10-24T15:03:00.003-04:00

Last weekend was so special. I've been going through a rough time the past few months, so I really needed a few days of fun. Last weekend was full of fun, family and friends.

Friday, a dear friend of ours (the one who introduced Chuk and me, and who performed our wedding ceremony too) who now lives in San Diego came to spend the night. He brought me flowers and Chuk beer. We sat around the kitchen table all night eating pizza and chocolate chip cookies and drinking beers. (Well, I drank water.) Then Saturday morning we had a nice big brunch and my cousin, who lives several hours away, came over. We played Scattergories until our bellies hurt from laughing.

Our friend had to leave that afternoon, but then we got to have some one-on-one time with my cousin. I hadn't seen my cousin in two years because she had been doing a tour of duty in the Middle East for the Navy. She had literally just returned to the U.S. the day before. (I'd also like to mention it was her second tour in the Middle East.) She's back stateside because, after twenty years in the Navy, she's retiring. I'm so proud of her and her service to our country.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking down by the river and catching up and then we went out to dinner at a local restaurant.

On Sunday, Chuk made us waffles and then we headed out to my cousin's favorite spot in DC, Eastern Market. If you've never been, it's a combination farmers' market and flea market right in the middle of the city.

At Eastern Market, we had literally the best peaches I've ever had in my life. It's so late in the season, I don't know how the farmers kept them so sweet and juicy. I wish I had taken a picture. They were huge! Each one was like the size of a grapefruit.

We had a late lunch at a different restaurant, where we were able to dine al fresco. The weather that weekend was so perfect. Sadly, I had ended our fantastic visit on a down note when Chuk had to pull over the car on our way home so I could throw up on the sidewalk...for twenty minutes. My poor cousin was in shock. She's never had children and didn't realize my morning sickness was as bad as I had been describing it. She held herself together, but I think I traumatized her.

This weekend was much more low key. Chuk and I spent the at home or close to it. We went to IHOP Saturday night for some free pancakes (join their "Pancake Revolution" on their website and they'll email you a coupon for a free meal) and then we did a little shopping for the baby--a couple of pairs of pajamas and a pack of cloth diapers I'm going to turn into burp cloths. Sunday, I made a quick Ikea run while Chuk did homework with football on in the background. Then Sunday night I cut his hair and we watched The Amazing Race while doing laundry.

Are You Freaking Me: Forever Lazy

2011-10-17T02:48:00.002-04:00

My favorite part are the "zippered hatches" described at 1:14, though I also really enjoy the comment that "it'll be the talk of your next tailgate." You're darned right it'll be the talk of my next tailgate. If you wore that to my tailgate party we'd be talking about "What the hell are you wearing" and "Have you lost your mind?"

What do you think? Horrible or the Snuggi's new and improved relative?

Blame It on the Rain

2011-10-14T04:22:00.003-04:00

I totally have this song in my head (and now you do too.) Music from the early 90s is totally my favorite. Say what you will about Milli Vanilli, but this song is awesome.

P.S. I haven't been around for awhile for two reasons. The main reason is stupid Blogger wasn't publishing my posts. The second reason was because I didn't really have anything to say that wasn't a complaint (pregnancy, apartment troubles, etc). I was trying for that whole "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all" business. I slipped up with the above Blogger comment, but you know, some things aren't the rain's fault...they're Blogger's fault.

Still Feeling Barf-y

2011-10-07T23:01:00.001-04:00

But I heard my baby's heartbeat for the first time yesterday, so hopefully it's starting to balance out. (Can you hear the pleading in my "voice"?)

Anyway, I'm alive and hopefully I'll have the energy to start posting again more regularly soon. In the meantime, I'm getting lots of rest and trying to keep up with your blogs. Please send me recovery thoughts.

Pregnancy Sucks

2011-09-24T02:07:00.003-04:00

Riddle: What's worse than puking your brains out on a Friday night because you're totally and completely drunk?

Answer: Puking your brains out on a Friday night because you're not drunk.

I thought I was turning the corner on this morning sickness stuff, but apparently not.

You know that phrase, "Misery loves company"? I woke my husband up in the middle of the night so he could rub my back while I threw up. Then I made him promise me that the baby would love me more than him, because really, it's only fair.

Telling Family I'm Pregnant, Part I

2011-09-20T10:52:00.001-04:00

Both my sister and brother live in California, so I wasn't able to tell them in person I'm going to have a baby, but I still wanted to tell them in a fun and creative way. I made them custom cards at Shutterfly using this deal, bringing the cost down to less than what it would cost to buy a greeting card from the drugstore.

I made the custom eye charts for free using this website. I had to play with the wording a little bit to make it fit without the superfluous letters at the end that the program adds. No matter what, the program adds an extra line of letters that I didn't want, so after I saved the image I cropped it using a photo editing program. Then I uploaded the saved file to Shutterfly (you could use any photo printing site, I only used them because I had a coupon code) and order the card.

Once the cards came in the mail I wrote something inside like "Can't believe your eyes? It's true!" and a personal message. I think they both really liked it. I liked that it was a different way to announce my pregnancy. I like to try to be original.

Remembering my Dad

2011-09-19T23:00:00.004-04:00

Yesterday would have been my dad's birthday. Chuk and I celebrated with a makeshift picnic down by the river with some of my dad's favorites: shrimp fried rice and Jack and coke. (Don't worry, I skipped the Jack.)

This is such a bittersweet time for Chuk and me. Of course we're so happy to be expecting, but it's hard that we aren't able to share this exciting time with my dad and Chuk's mom. There's not a lot we can do about it, but we sit and reflect and talk and try to heal.

We scattered my dad's ashes in the Pacific Ocean, so it was nice to be by the water and think that there was a little bit of him with us.

Before

After

On another note, this is the first time we've picnicked like this. Is was so easy just to grab take out from the local Chinese restaurant and eat it outside. We don't get delivery or take out very often, but it made the picnic so fast and easy. It seems like such a better alternative to eating in a crappy restaurant or having a pizza in front of the TV. I'm keeping this idea in the memory bank for a cheap date. (The shared order of fried rice was $7 and the soda was $1.25 from the grocery store, and if we did this again we wouldn't have soda. Not bad.)

Made My Day

2011-09-04T13:40:00.003-04:00

My sister-in-law sent me this video this morning. My sweet niece, who is the love of my life, has never been able to say my name...until this week. This is the first time I've heard it. So cute! But what makes me even happier is that she is so excited I'm coming to visit her. She kept running to the garage door to look for me. She must know how much I love her. I can't wait to see her next weekend.

This may sound crazy, but is a legitimate fear I have about having a baby, one of my biggest fears is that I won't love my baby as much as I love my niece. I honestly can't imagine loving someone as much as I love her. Chuk assures me I'll love our baby more, but I don't think that's possible. Did any of you ever worry about anything like that? Is this a normal worry? I've never heard anyone talk about it.

*Note: You'll hear my sister-in-law say Chuk's real name in this video. I always call him Chuk though.*

Like a Narcoleptic with Mono

2011-09-01T02:12:00.004-04:00

If you don't like reading posts with lots of whining, you should skip this one. Seriously.

The last few weeks have been overwhelming. First, our air conditioner flooded so we had to get the carpet replaced in our hallway. (Why yes, we already had to get the carpet replaced in our hallway a year ago because of an earlier bathroom flood.) BUT, the carpet guy said he couldn't match our carpet color, so he was going to take the carpet out of our office/guest room to patch the hall and then replace the whole room of carpet in the office in a different color. So we had to move everything out of our office and pile it haphazardly into the living room because there was no other place for it.

Of course, then we realized we were going to have to turn that room into a nursery, so it's been coming back together slowly as we Craig's List furniture that is no longer going to work in the space and generally rethink, reorganize, and rearrange everything.

Last weekend, we escaped the chaos at home to go camping and tubing. We planned the trip before Hurricane Irene was on the radar, but since we had already paid for everything, there was no way we were not going to go. Long story short, the trip was aborted after only one night.

Long story long, the first night, I hardly slept at all. I was freezing cold, we had noisy neighbors, I was in pain from accidentally shoving a piece of wood under my fingernail, and I had a migraine. The next morning we drove to out of the mountains to go tubing, which was a complete nightmare. The water was freezing, it started pouring down rain and the wind was pushing us back upstream. The "lazy river" became a "swim for survival" exercise. I said to Chuk more than once, "We're going to die out here!" I may have been melodramatic, but it was torture.

Finally, we finished. We drove back to our camp only to discover that while we had been out all day the storm had destroyed our camp. Most catastrophically, our rain shelter had been pulled out of the ground by the wind and was bent and irreparably broken and our lantern had blown over and was broken into little pieces. So, in the pouring rain with sunset approaching, we found ourselves with no shelter and no light. I made the snap decision we were leaving right now!

We shoved everything we could salvage back into the car even though all of our supplies were soaking wet and drove through much of the night in thick fog and heavy rain back home. We had only been gone about 36 hours, but we had been through so much, it felt like eternity. We were exhausted and hungry, but at least we were in our safe, dry, warm home.

Except scratch that about safe, dry and warm. All of our windows had leaked in the hurricane and water was seeping through the walls too. Our apartment was flooded...AGAIN...except like ten times worse this time. The next morning Chuk rented a carpet shampoo-er to suck the water out of the carpet. He got more than four gallons out of our bedroom alone. Then he shampoo-ed all the carpets. We thought we were good, until we woke up the next morning and the carpets were wet again.

Sigh. My husband works full time in the day and goes to grad school full time at night. I'm still in my first trimester and sleeping like a narcoleptic with mono. There is so much to do, yet Chuk doesn't have the time to do it and I don't have the energy. So it sits. Our apartment smells like mildew and looks like chaos. Our basement is flung with wet, muddy camping equipment; I'm sure our neighbors all hate us now.

I try to breathe deeply and reassure myself it'll get done eventually, but in the meantime, all I do is nap.

Gone Campin'

2011-08-26T09:25:00.001-04:00

This has been one heck of a week for natural disasters in Virginia. First an earthquake, and now a hurricane is heading our way. Being the foolhardy/stupid/intrepid/brave/hard core* people we are, Chuk and I are going camping and tubing this weekend...in a hurricane. Eh, it always seems to rain when we go camping anyway. Hopefully it won't hit us too badly.

*I'll let you choose which adjective you think is most appropriate in this case.

Are You Freaking Kidding Me: Already Edition

2011-08-25T23:18:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, August 24, Costco had a whole aisle of Christmas items out. Already! Tree ornaments, ribbon, wrapping paper, lawn ornaments...EVERYTHING. I hate this type of thing. I am one of those curmudgeons who firmly believe Christmas season starts the day after Thanksgiving and not a moment sooner.

Costco, you know I love you, but this madness has to stop.

Yay!

2011-08-24T00:16:00.000-04:00

Linking to Wordless Wednesday.

Organizing Office Supplies

2011-08-23T10:57:00.000-04:00

I hate not being able to find things in drawers. I live in a small apartment and I try to make the most of my storage space. A super affordable way to organize office supplies is to use a cutlery tray, from the kitchen section of your favorite mega mart. All the little dividers keep your supplies easy to grab (and easy to put away!) I love keeping my desk clear.

It works for me.

Freebies

2011-08-22T02:55:00.002-04:00

Two deals for you:

You can get a free one night DVD rental on 8/25/11 if you "like" their Facebook page before then.

You can get a free customized greeting card from Shutterfly by using the promo code CARD4U.

I'm not associated with either of these companies in any way, I just wanted to pass along some good deals.

Where are you going?

2011-08-19T22:38:00.003-04:00

Nearly everytime I leave the room, my husband asks, "Where are you going?" We live in a small small small apartment. There aren't may places I can go.

Just now, after we had finished watching an episode of 30 Rock, I got up off the couch and started walking towards the back of the apartment.

"Where are you going?" It was at least the third time he's asked me today.

"Where am I going every time you ask me that question?"*

"The bathroom," he answered correctly.

"Well, that's where I'm going. If you don't see me pick up my keys and walk out the front door you don't need to know where I'm going. Why do you always ask where I'm going?"

"Because I want to know where you're going."

Sigh. "But you already know where I'm going. You're so silly Chuk."

Then we hugged and then I went to the bathroom.

*I'm going to the bathroom 90% of the time he asks me. The other 10% of the time I'm getting a drink of water. These things tend to work together.

Blerg

2011-08-16T15:43:00.002-04:00

As you've probably noticed, I'm having some layout issues. I'm trying to fix them, but I'm not very tech savvy and I'm also getting carpet replaced in half my apertment. Thus, every part of my life is full of chaos right now, so it might take a couple of days. Please hang in there with me. In the meantime, if you're trying to find the navigation buttons that are normally on the right side, they're currently at the bottom of the page.

Mending

2011-08-16T14:26:00.003-04:00

My husband is hard on clothes. Really hard. Because I want to learn to sew, he has been utilizing the opportunity to get his clothes fixed.

He tore the knee out of one of his pairs of cargo pants and the fabric was threadbare in one of the thighs. He asked me to make his pants into shorts and then to reverse applique (he did not use the term "reverse applique") his favorite fabric into the worn part of the thigh so he could use these as his grubby, fix his bike, wash the car, etc. shorts.

This project sounded easy enough, but wound up being a total pain in the butt. The position of the patch made it difficult to maneuver the sewing machine into the right place. And then when I tried to hem the shorts, the thickness of the fabric bent my needle. Of course, I didn't know anything about bent needles. All I knew was the machine randomly decided to stop working. Lots of googling helped me figure out what the problem was and then reading my complete owner's manual helped me fix it.

The fix on the second pair of shorts was much easier. The seam below the zipper split, and needed to be mended. My stitches aren't straight, but otherwise sewing these seams wasn't a big deal at all.

On the same pair of shorts, a hole was forming in the rear. Rather than deal with all the applique nonsense, as I had before, I simply cut a patch out of one legs from the pants I had made into shorts and used fusible tape on the inside to make a patch. I'll sew it in if the patch isn't able to hold up to washing and drying, but I'm trying to avoid that so I'll let him test it out a bit first.

Now, Chuk has two more pairs of usable shorts and it cost $0, and I know how to thread my machine without watching the instructional DVD or looking at the manual. Win.

I Know this Looks Bad...

2011-08-13T22:53:00.002-04:00

...but I swear she was laughing and yelling, "wheee!" Everytime he put her down, she would do the sign for more.

We miss our little monkey. She is so much fun. We got to spend the last two weekends with her, but it'll be another four weeks until we see her again.

Are You Freaking Kidding Me: Two Years Edition

2011-08-11T05:02:00.005-04:00

I started this blog two years ago today. I was a fresh out of grad school newlywed living, not with my husband, but living with my maternal grandparents. My grandmother was dying from frontotemporal dementia (or FTD) and I was taking care of her.

It was a difficult time in my life. Marriage was initially was not an easy adjustment for me. I was unemployed. My father had died less than a year earlier and that pain was still raw. Now, here I was living with two octogenarians in Louisiana, in the hot humid summer, surrounded by quarrelling family, providing the most challenging and intimate kind of care to someone I loved dearly, but who was no longer herself. She was stubborn and suffered from paranoid delusions. I was emotionally and physically exhausted all the time.

But there were sweet times too. Blow drying her hair after I had bathed her. Massaging her feet before she went to sleep. When she would ask me for perfume, which she always called Bulgari. Making her root beer floats.

The last thing my grandma ever told me to do was to be a writer. When I lived in China, I had had written her long emails about what I saw, did, and experienced and she, a world traveller herself, had loved it. She wanted me to keep writing. So, I started this blog. I write about what I would write to her about: my life, my opinions, my ideas, and my likes and dislikes.

It's not the most popular blog. It's not the prettiest blog. It's not the most well written blog, but it's mine. My secret little record of my thoughts and ideas and memories. Only my husband even knows I have a blog and I've never even told him the name of it. Keeping it secret and keeping it anonymous allows me to share my feelings without embarrassment. I write it for myself and for my grandma and I'm perpetually amazed that anyone else bothers to read it. But I'm glad you're here. You're all so nice and without ever having met you, you have become my dear friends. Thanks for sticking around. I owe you an ice cream cone.

Easy Cheesecake Bars

2011-08-09T23:33:00.004-04:00

Whenever my father-in-law comes to visit, I make him a cheesecake. I usually make my secret family cheesecake recipe (it's extra super duper creamy), but lately I've been switching it up a little more.

This time I sort of made up my own recipe, which I usually never do with baking, but cheesecake is forgiving. It didn't look gorgeous (that's what happens when I try to get fancy and decorate cakes) but my father-in-law gave it two thumbs up and my sister-in-law, who is on a diet, had seconds. High praise indeed.

Cookie Dough Cheesecake

Chocolate chip cookie dough

2 lbs. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs

Press cookie dough into the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. I used a tube of refrigerated dough because I'm a cheater and it was on sale. Obviously, you can use homemade if you are less lazy than me. Bake it at 325 degrees for ten minutes. It won't be cooked all the way, but that's ok.

While the crust is baking, blend the remaining four ingredients until smooth and well incorporated. Try not to beat in too much air. Pour over the cookie dough crust and continue to bake for another 45 minutes.

Remove from oven and let come to room temperature before refrigerating overnight. If you're a dummy like me, open an old jar of hot fudge sauce (for ice cream) and glop it on top hoping it will make some sort of pretty swirl. If I was to do it again, I would warm up the fudge, pour it in a baggie, cut off the corner and then decorate the cake.

On Being a Survivor of Suicide

2011-08-08T23:00:00.003-04:00

Friday marked the one year anniversary of my mother-in-law's death. Chuk and I drove down to his dad's house Thursday and spent the weekend with my father-in-law, sister-in-law, and niece.

We didn't do too much: ate, played with the baby, the usual. We drove to North Carolina, where she died, and wrote messages to her on balloons and then released them. It was simple, but I thought it was really nice. She liked simple things and wouldn't want too much of a fuss.

My mother-in-law died at the age of 58 because she committed suicide. She hung herself in the spare bedroom and her husband found her body when he woke up in the morning. According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 33,000 lives are lost to suicide each year in the U.S. alone. Worldwide, the figure is more than one million.

I believe my mother-in-law's death was the result of untreated depression. I also believe she didn't seek treatment for her depression because of the stigma that surrounds it. Depression is a real illness; it's not something you can just "get over". Just as a diabetic's pancreas doesn't produce insulin, some people have hormone imbalances in the brain. Both require medical attention, a long-term health plan, and possibly medication. Yet people make jokes about shrinks and the crazy people who see them. Mental illness is a physical illness. Sick people are not seeking medical attention because of others' perceptions and fear of how they might be labeled.

I urge you, please don't make jokes about psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, antidepressants, mental illness, etc. The flip remark you make creates a culture of stigma. You never know what someone else is going through on the inside. You never know if they are in treatment or considering it and might be put off by just one little thing you say in passing.

We need to remove the shame from mental illness. There was a time when people wouldn't admit to having cancer because it was considered shameful or embarrassing. Now, we rally around cancer patients and survivors, as we should. It should be the same with depression and other mental illnesses. We should be sympathetic and encourage treatment and celebrate recovery.

If you've lost a loved one to suicide, I implore you to be open about it. You have nothing to be ashamed of. People need to know how widespread this epidemic really is. If you have sought treatment for depression, I urge you to be open about that too, in the appropriate circumstances of course. There is nothing to be embarrassed about in saying to a friend "It sounds like you're going through a hard time. I went through something similar and sought treatment from my doctor/psychologist/pastor/social worker and it really helped." You never know, you just might save someone's life.

Secret Single Behavior

2011-08-04T06:03:00.002-04:00

I recently re-watched that episode of Sex and the City where the girls are all talking about their secret single behavior, the embarrassing things they do that they wouldn't want people to find out about. (I tried to find the clip online for you, but I couldn't. Sorry.) Carrie eats Saltines and reads foreign fashion magazines. Charlotte stares at her pores in a magnifying mirror. (Who doesn't?) I can't remember what Miranda's is and Samantha claims to not have any.

I have a lot of SSB, but my special summertime SSB is eating Saltines and Kool-Aid while watching TV. I remember I first figured out this awesome salty-sweet combo one summer day at my dad's little house in the woods sometime when I was in high school. My mom would have never bought Kool-Aid, but my dad sometimes bought us the sugar-free kind.

I'm not normally a snack-eater, but every once in awhile a nice, tall, cold glass of sugar-free Kool-Aid and a stack of Saltines is awesome. (You can buy individual servings of Kool-Aid nowadays, too.) I prefer either the grape or cherry Kool-Aid and I like to dip my Saltines in it very briefly then shove the whole cracker in my mouth. You know you've had enough when your fingertips start to get stained from the artificial colors of the Kool-Aid.

Do you have any secret single behaviors? Do you eat any embarrassing or weird food combinations?

Favorite Chicken Salad

2011-08-03T14:53:00.003-04:00

I almost never buy cold cuts. Even if you don't buy the free-range organic ones, they're still really expensive--like $6-$8 per pound and the free-range organic cold cuts are even more expensive.

Around here, we mostly stick to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunches, but sometimes I make up a big batch of chicken salad for the week which we can use on sandwiches for lunch or a green salad for dinner. Even using the organic, free-range chicken breasts, it's still cheaper than conventional cold cuts.

My favorite chicken salad "recipe" is:

Poached chicken breast
Dried cranberries
Green onion (Use twice as many as you think you need.)
Chopped pecans or walnuts (I prefer pecans, but walnuts are healthier, so that's what I usually use.)
Mayo or Miracle Whip

I know there are lots of Miracle Whip haters out there, but I say try it in this. We are a divided house; I prefer mayo and husband prefers MW. However, I find that in mayo based salads (like potato salad, macaroni salad, chicken salad, etc.) MW tends to be better than mayo especially if you let it sit in the fridge for a day before serving. It doesn't taste like MW at all. I think the onion mixes with the MW and transforms it. If you do decide to use mayo though, add some lemon juice and salt and pepper to the chicken salad.

A final tip: the smaller you cube your chicken, the longer the chicken salad will last. Cut it into the smallest pieces you can handle without having a nervous breakdown.

Salvaging Wilted Lettuce

2011-07-27T00:42:00.002-04:00

Salads are one of summer's perfect meals. You don't have to heat up the kitchen and there's an abundance of fresh vegetables. However, occasionally my lettuce will get a little wilted either because it's so hot out or it's sat in the fridge a little too long while I'm eating other veggies and fruit.

You don't have to toss wilted lettuce though. You can crisp it right back up again by submerging it in a bowl of cold water and a couple of spoonfuls of vinegar (I've had success with both white vinegar and apple cider vinegar) for five to fifteen minutes. Rinse and dry as you normally would and it's like you've got perfectly fresh lettuce again. You can't tell it was ever limp and it doesn't taste at all like vinegar.

It works for me.

The Siren Song of the Clearance Catalog

2011-07-26T08:46:00.002-04:00

Sixty percent off? Free shipping? Oh baby, you know how I like it. I found at least half a dozen items I wanted. They were all on sale too!

Then I remembered that 100% off was a better deal than 60% off. I recycled the catalog without making a purchase.

Unintended Beauty in the Laundry

2011-07-24T23:51:00.001-04:00

While folding the laundry, I realized the stack of my husband's tee shirts made a rainbow. It was one of those happy little accidents that made a tedious task less so.

Summer in the City

2011-07-22T21:25:00.003-04:00

You know how some people get seasonal affective disorder in the winter? I think I get it in the summer. Summer is already my least favorite season, D.C. is the sixth hottest city in the country and we're been having a heat wave all week. Today is 108 degrees with a heat index of 123 degrees, and I've got the blues.

In an attempt to look on the bright side, here are some things I do like about summer:

1. Glasses of ice cold lemonade

2. Wearing flip flops

3. Ice cream

4. Camping

5. Cherries

6. It isn't dark at 4:30 in the afternoon.

7. Rootbeer floats

8. Fireflies

9. Hammocks

10. Swimming

Just because it isn't all bad (only mostly bad) doesn't mean I'm not looking forward to fall. Please, please come soon.

Homemade Microwave Popcorn

2011-07-20T01:30:00.003-04:00

We don't have an air popcorn popper because we have a teeny little kitchen so I always made us stovetop popcorn. It was sort of a hassle, mostly because I don't like washing pots, but we dealt with it because it was healthier and cheaper than microwave popcorn.

Recently, my husband has been trying to break his addiction to potato chips. They're unhealthy and expensive, but his mom always packed chips in his lunch when he was growing up and he just carried on the habit into adulthood. He likes salty and savory snacks. (I prefer sweets myself, though I do like Doritos every once in awhile.) I suggested he eat popcorn instead of chips because it's high in fiber and low in calories, but it wasn't really practical for him to make stovetop popcorn every morning before work.

Instead, I tried a little experiment to make our own microwave popcorn rather than buying the chemical-laden kind from the grocery store. I simply put 1/2 cup of popcorn (from the bulk section of my favorite natural food store) in a paper lunch bag, folded over the top, and microwaved it. It takes something like two and a half minutes; I just use my microwave's popcorn button. It cooks up perfectly and leaves very few unpopped kernels. We pour it into a bowl before adding toppings so that we can reuse the paper bag. We've been able to reuse our bags 10-20 times, so it's still cost-effective and relatively eco-friendly.

Even with toppings, a large serving of popcorn for my husband's lunch costs just pennies; it's cheaper and healthier than either potato chips or microwave popcorn, and is just as fast as the latter. It certainly works for us.

Playing Hookie: One of Our Best Days

2011-07-19T17:49:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, Chuk and I had an all day date. He had worked so many weekends that he was able to take a comp day and we decided to do a little tourism in our own city. We had a really fun time.

We started off by having lunch at Good Stuff Eatery. It is a burger joint owned by Spike Mendelsohn, a former Top Chef contestant. It was DELICIOUS. I had the farmhouse cheeseburger and Chuk had the Prez Obama burger and we both loved them. We shared a shake, herbed fries and a soda. I'm mango mayonnaise's newest convert and Chuk met and fell in love with sriracha chili sauce. If you're ever in DC, I would recommend eating here. I've already planned what I'm having the next time I go: the smokehouse burger and a d-lechable leche shake.

After lunch, we walked past the Capitol and headed to the Smithsonian's Museum of Natural History. It was a million degrees out, but I didn't even whine. Maybe I'm maturing?

At the museum, we saw dinosaurs.

We saw the Hope diamond.

We touched a piece of Mars and did and saw a lot of other interesting things. I'm always amazed that the Smithsonians are free. They are a national treasure.

After the museum, we headed across town to Georgetown where we had dinner at a little burrito place and then went here:

Where we bought these:

I've never seen the show DC Cupcakes, but even so I couldn't help hearing the hype all over town about how good Georgetown Cupcake is. I've wanted to try it for a long time. I'm probably going to get hate mail for this, but honestly, I thought they were good, but I think Hello Cupcake in Dupont Circle is better.

Then, we went home and watched TV and ate cupcakes (I had 2 and Chuk ate 3!) and then Chuk gave me a foot massage.

I love that man. I love spending time together. I love all that our city has to offer. It felt like a mini-vacation. I feel very lucky.

Simple Blackberry Pie

2011-07-16T23:48:00.003-04:00

We have so many blackberries, I made TWO blackberry pies this week. (Yes, I do want you to be impressed.) The first, pictured above, was a little semi-homemade version I made up on the fly. It was sort of a cross between a pie and a cobbler, and though it wasn't the prettiest thing, it was good.

For the crust, I simply pressed refrigerated sugar cookie dough from the grocery store into the pie pan. I didn't even roll it out. Then I mixed about 5-6 cups of whole blackberries with 1 cup of sugar and 4 Tablespoons of cornstarch and dumped it into the bottom crust. For the top crust, I rolled the remaining sugar cookie dough into a thin circle and laid it on top. The top and bottom crust didn't meet, but as the berries cooked down in the oven, they made more of a connection. I baked it at 450F for 15 minutes and then reduced the heat to 350F and cooked it for another 20 minutes.

I made a traditional blackberry pie with a real pie crust and a cooked center for my friend Rebecca's birthday brunch tomorrow. I hope it's tasty...and that she appreciates the monogram.

Bastille Day

2011-07-14T22:38:00.004-04:00

Chuk and I will seize any opportunity we can for a special dinner. We made a little date night at home to celebrate France's national holiday. French bread, French cheese, French sausage, sparkling French lemonade, and some French music made it easy to set the mood.

We chatted in French and giggled at how pretentious we were being. We also imitated Kenan Thompson's French SNL character a lot. That made us giggle too.

Then, we slow danced in the living room. I have such a good time with my husband. Hopefully, someday we'll go to France together. I've been twice, but Chuk's never been. On peut rêver.

Fresh Summer Dinner

2011-07-13T17:54:00.001-04:00

Linked to Wordless Wednesday.

Quick Dishwasher Tip

2011-07-12T23:49:00.003-04:00

Dishes are not my favorite chore. (In fact, chores in general are not really my favorite thing, but what can you do?) I came up with a little dishwasher loading trick that saves me time when I'm unloading the dishwasher though.

I categorize the utensils by type in their little holders: salad forks in one section, entree forks in another section, knives in another section, etc. That way, when I unload the dishwasher, I can just grab all the same type utensils and drop them in the drawer organizer without thinking about it or sorting. It doesn't add any time to loading, but it saves time when unloading.

It works for me.

Washing Pots?

2011-07-12T14:56:00.002-04:00

Let's take a vote. Let's say you used your biggest pot to cook pasta. You didn't put salt or oil or anything into it, just water and dried pasta. Once you're finished, do you need to wash the pot? Keep in mind the pot won't fit in the dishwasher, the next thng you cook in the pot is likely going to be the exact same thing, it looks clean, and handwashing dishes is probably going to be the death of you.

I may or may not have just rinsed the pot out with hot water and called it a day. Is this disgusting or kind of genius?

Blackberry Picking

2011-07-11T23:19:00.003-04:00

We met some friends at a farm on Sunday to pick fruit. Turns out we were about a week too late for blueberries and a week too early for peaches. Fortunately, we were there at just the right time for blackberries. Chuk and I picked over eight pounds of the biggest blackberries I've ever seen. Yum.

I'm Still a Cheap Date

2011-07-08T23:12:00.003-04:00

I always like spending time with my husband, but I like it even more when our dates are cheap. (Remember this and this?) Yesterday, I had a case of the blahs so I convinced Chuk we should celebrate 7/7/11 by going to 7-11. Cost of a shared slurpee was less than $3, but the experience was worth much more. And dang, I had forgotten how yummy slurpees are. Just the thing to beat the heat. I have a feeling we'll be back again. We're within walking distance of two 7-11s.

Band Meeting

2011-07-07T08:09:00.002-04:00

This morning, over breakfast, Chuk and I hammered out band names. If he ever has a band, he's going to name it Waning Gibbous after one of the phases of the moon, you know, because he's a nerd. If I ever have a band, I'm going to name it Playlist, because I'm cool and it would be all ironic and stuff to have a Playlist playlist.

I'm really glad we got that all figured out since neither of us plays an instument or sings, so there's a super high probability that we'll need to have band names ready to go at a moment's notice. What do you talk about at breakfast? I hope you're as random as we are.

All this talk of awesome bands has me thinking of a particular awesome band that I miss.

Pasta Salad

2011-07-07T03:29:00.003-04:00

Summer cooking, for me, is mostly about figuring out what we can eat that doesn't actually involve cooking. Virginia is hot as Hades in the summer and I do what I can to avoid turning on the stove, and especially the oven. Pasta salad is a frequent go-to meal for us during the hot months.

Pasta Salad

1 lb. short pasta, cooked and drained
1 bell pepper, diced
1 cup chopped green onions
1 cup of corn
1 can sliced olives, drained
2 6oz. cans of wild Alaskan salmon*
vinaigrette (bottled or homemade)

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and refrigerate for at least four hours before serving, but it tastes better the longer it sits.

Other tasty additions to this salad are grated carrots, hearts of palm, tomatoes, raw baby spinach, and artichoke hearts.

*To make this salad vegan, substitute one can of drained and rinsed chick peas for the canned salmon. It's just as delicious, cheaper, and still a complete meal.

Celebrating Independence Day

2011-07-05T22:58:00.003-04:00

One of the great benefits of Chuk's job is that on the fourth of July we can go on his building's roof and watch the national fireworks show only two blocks from where they're set off. But because Chuk had to work both days this weekend and had to work again today, he didn't really want to fight the crowds on Metro and then hang around in the heat for hours. Plus, I think he was just getting sick of being in that building. So, at the last minute we sent out an email to five of our friends and neighbors asking if they'd be interested in doing a potluck.

To our surprise, nobody had plans and everybody was into the idea of a cookout. We set up our little charcoal grill in the parking lot of our building and stood around talking, drinking and cooking, like a trashy tailgating party.

We grilled corn on the cob, cheeseburgers, Copper River salmon, two kinds of German bratwursts, and chicken kabobs. We had tossed salad, watermelon and potato on the side and then brownies and berries with poundcake for dessert. All that food for only seven people! It was good.

So there were no fireworks for us, but there was lot of food and friends and laughs, so it was still a pretty great holiday. What did you do?

Perfect (and Less Than Perfect) Saturdays

2011-07-02T11:56:00.007-04:00

Last Saturday was wonderful. Chuk made me brunch.

It was a beautiful day, a rarity during a Virginia summer.

Because it wasn't too hot or humid, Chuk suggested we go down to the river and feed the birds.

There were a lot of birds: geese, ducks, and songbirds.

It was a lovely, peaceful afternoon. Then, in the evening, we met a friend and his parents for dinner and a walk through Old Town, and we ended up, once again, down by the river. It was an idyllic Saturday.

This Saturday is less than perfect. My poor Chuk has to work today and tomorrow, so I'll be spending the day catching up with my DVR and the laundry that needs to be folded. If it can't be perfect, at least it can be productive.

A Glimpse of My Future...

2011-06-30T21:37:00.006-04:00

...hopefully.

I did a lot of babysitting last week. I watched the little girl pictured above for three days while her daddy, who normally stays home with her, was out of state on business. Remember when she was born? What a difference four months makes!

I only watched this little guy for an afternoon, but he was none too pleased about it. He is nine months and going through that "I only want my mama" phase. Although, to be fair, I was his first babysitter.

His parents were best friends with my husband when they were all undergrads. Sadly, they are moving from our neighborhood to Baltimore. I took him on a walk and to the park so his mom could pack without him unpacking behind her.

Even though I had to deal with a diaper explosion on the former and a lot of crying with the latter, both babies were a lot of fun. Hopefully I'll have my own little one to play with soon.

Are You Freaking Kidding Me: Old Lady Edition

2011-06-29T16:28:00.002-04:00

Wednesday is my favorite day to go to Costco because Wednesday is the best free sample day. Apparently, word has gotten out about the samples because it was super crowded this afternoon.

I was waiting patiently in the checkout line for what felt like three hours when an old lady, pictured above in the bathrobe, sun hat, and tights, sauntered right up and stood in front of the next person in line right next to the conveyor belt. Clearly, we were all standing in line, but she didn't care. She just started putting her items on the belt. The gentleman in front of me was much nicer than I am and said "You can go ahead of me" even though she had already decided to go ahead of him.

Thus, my wait got a little longer. I rolled my eyes and thought, "Are you freaking kidding me, lady?! You're too old to be a cutter."

Turning 34 Two Ways, Part II

2011-06-28T09:54:00.003-04:00

A week after his birthday, we had a fun little party for Chuk at a local park on the banks of the Potomac. There was a shady baby play area and a hammock.

Babies weren't the only drooling guests, some dogs came too. They were so cute and well behaved. (The dogs and the babies.)

I labeled the cups with the names of rivers so it would be easy to keep track of. It worked really well and it was fun to see which rivers people picked. My husband, a returned Peace Corps volunteer from Ukraine, chose the Dnieper, of course. I knew he would.

There was lots of food. (Sadly I didn't get a picture of the cake. It was homemade, from scratch, carrot cake.) We provided cake, cheeseburgers and veggie burgers, and potato salad. Some guests asked if they could bring something, so we asked them to bring sodas or side dishes.

Everything was delicious and summery. It was my first time trying quinoa and I'm it's newest convert.

It was a lovely afternoon. We're so lucky to have such awesome friends.

Turning 34 Two Ways, Part I

2011-06-20T21:11:00.003-04:00

Two weeks ago, my love turned 34. Normally, I would make a big fuss, but I had hardly been home in more than three weeks, so the celebration had to be low key. Fortunately, the birthday man didn't mind.

The day started with breakfast in bed. Sadly, I messed up his eggs, but fortunately he was to sleepy to notice (or too kind to bring it up.)

Chuk had to work that day, but when he got home he decided he wanted to go out for traditional Irish fish and chips. This is not a fancy guy; he just likes good food.

He also treated himself to a deep fried snickers. He had been wanting to try one for at least five years.

Once back home, we did presents and had store-bought cheesecake. It was simple, but perfect.

Fish on Friday

2011-06-10T23:43:00.001-04:00

Costco has Copper River salmon for a meager $8.99 per pound. I bought seven pounds and divided it into half pound meal-sized portions using my kitchen scale. Usually my budget doesn't allow for such an expensive food purchase, but for the highest quality, healthiest fish, I decided the splurge was worth it. At $2.25 a serving, it's cheaper than a Big Mac and more delicious than almost anything I can imagine in a healthier restaurant. I can hardly wait to get some of it on the grill.

Do you have a special splurge food or would you rather just go out to eat?

Not Yet in the Swing of Things

2011-06-03T17:32:00.002-04:00

I've been back from vacation for nearly a week but I'm having trouble getting back to reality. I'm still on Alaska time. It was 104 on Monday. After ten days of 24-hour buffets, I no longer know how to feed myself. My attempts at productivity result in massive failure. Just yesterday, I tried patching a pair of my husband's pants and sewed one of the legs together, then I cut myself with a serrated knife while attempting to slice an apple, finally I got a paper cut while opening the mail, then I just gave up and watched TV.

Despite now being slightly useless at real life, vacation was heavenly. We really had the best time. Someday, I'll download my photos and tell you all about it, but now I'm getting out my suitcase again because we're heading to my father-in-law's this weekend to beat the heat in his community's pool. He also lets us do our laundry for free at his place, so I guess I'll have to start getting back into the swing of things soon enough.

Packing Light

2011-05-24T02:34:00.001-04:00

I used to pack an obscene amount when I travelled. I always worried about contingencies. What if it rains every day of a two week trip? Alternatively, what if there's a heat wave every day of the trip? I would pack for both and then have a month's worth of clothes for a two week trip.

When I was fifteen I left the country for the first time on an eighteen day trip to Europe. If memory serves, I took five big bags. I had so much that in the tiny Parisian hotel room I was sharing with two other girls, there was not enough room for my luggage and I had to leave two of my bags in the hallway.

Many years later in life, while backpacking around China, I realized I hardly needed anything to travel. I was away for several months with only what I could carry one my back. It was incredibly liberating. I love the feeling that I can make do with very little.

For this ten day trip to Alaska, I have only brought what I can fit in a carry-on suitcase. The suitcase is full, but I do not need to expand the bag or sit on it to close it. Honestly, I could have brought less too, but I need options since the ship has what sounds like a pretty strict dress code.

Including what I'm wearing on the plane, I have packed:

2 pairs of jeans
5 tops
1 sweater
1 velvet blazer
1 dress
10 pairs of underwear
11 pairs of socks
3 bras
1 bathing suit
1 bathing suit cover up
1 pair of pyjamas
1 pashmina wrap
1 pair of flip flops
1 pair of shoes
12 AA batteries (for my camera)
toiletries and makeup
5 pairs of earrings and a bracelet
windbreaker/raincoat
sunglasses

I plan to wear each top twice, mixing the look up with the blazer, sweater, wrap, and jewelry. I'm sure you realize that choosing pieces that match with everything else allows you to pack lightly, but I think it's important to recognize that choosing a color palate is important.

I know mixing brown and black is all the rage now, but I'm not feeling it. I choose either black or brown as my base neutral and work from there. You can see that everything I picked for this trip is black, grey or white. This is allows me to bring only one pair of shoes and and one set of accessories. In my everyday life, I normally wear a lot more color than this, but for a week and a half, I can deal with being drab. Besides, I have a bright blue wrap to add color and my jewelry adds color too.

In the same way that I base my clothes off a brown or black palette, I choose to either bring silver jewelry or gold jewelry so that I can mix and match pieces. On this trip, this isn't so much a factor because I'm not bringing necklaces that need to coordinate, but in general, I find the principle helpful.

What has really freed me from bringing everything but the kitchen sink when I travel is the awareness that if I really need something and didn't pack it, I can just buy it there. Even if I'm traveling to a remote developing nation, chances are, if it's something I REALLY need, they'll have it. And you know what, in all my travels, and I travel quite a bit, I have only ever not brought something I needed twice.

Once, I went on a long weekend trip to Pennsylvania Amish country and I was staying in a hostel because I was traveling alone. I forgot to bring a towel. (Hostels usually don't provide towels.) The first night, when I realized my mistake, I dried off with my dirty clothes when I got out of the shower. It wasn't my favorite thing in the world to do, but I lived. Then the next day I went to a store and bought a towel. It was ugly and brown and scratchy, but it got the job done for the next few days. No biggie.

Another time, I was in Africa and was bitten by something and was having a terrible allergic reaction to it. It was actually pretty frightening. My entire face was swollen and burning. (I was traveling alone then too.) I didn't have any benadryl, but I was able to stay calm and look on the internet for the name of the active ingredient in benadryl. (Benadryl is just a brand name and therefore can be called different in different parts of the world.) I wrote the name of the medicine down on a scrap of paper and took it to the pharmacy. Turns out, they didn't have benadryl, but they gave me some other type of antihistamine and again I lived to tell the tale.

Moral of the story, even if you do have to buy something, chances are it'll cost you less to buy it than it will to check a bag on an airplane. Even if you're not traveling by plane, schlepping around a bunch of luggage is a pain in the butt and makes you more likely to leave something behind. Though I'm not a minimalist in my everyday life, I like to travel like I'm one.

Do you pack a lot or a little?

Now Accepting Bets

2011-05-20T00:54:00.000-04:00

While we were packing:

Me: Who do you think would win in a fight, Snooki or Lady Gaga?

Chuk: Snooki.

Me: I agree, even though I think Lady Gaga is bigger and older.

Chuk: Snooki is like a weasel, small and feisty. She would just get in there and not stop. Weasels can take down big game.

Me: Plus I bet Lady Gaga is a pacifist.

So who do you think would win in a fight?

Social Savings II

2011-05-19T10:25:00.002-04:00

I didn't plan on making this a multi-part series, but after I wrote the last post, I thought of more ways friends and neighbors can save you money or you can save your friends and neighbors money.

1. Rides to the airport. In fact, while you're reading this, I'm on a plane now and I'm so thankful our friend offered to give us a ride to the airport. We had an early flight so we were not able to take public transportation. A ride from our friend saved us cab fare.

2. Sharing perks. A former co-worker at a temp assignment I had last fall had an Amazon Prime membership. He ordered things for me from his account and had them shipped to my address and I would just pay him for it in cash. Free two day shipping was a major score for me.

3. Streaming movies. I have never done this, but I know people who do. One person with a Netflix account will give their code to someone else to allow them to steam movies over the internet. I think it gets into murky ethical waters, but the idea of sharing services is one that can be applied to other areas.

4. Trading services. When I was growing up, my parents participated in a babysitting co-op, in which they swapped evening babysitting services with one another so they rarely had to pay for childcare. Since I've learned to cut Chuk's hair, I've offered to cut his friends' hair and my father-in-law's hair.

Protecting the Homefront

2011-05-18T17:16:00.002-04:00

I try to be eco-friendly, but when it comes to six-legged home invaders, I make compromises. I've tried all the green bug killers, but none of them have worked for me. I have to go for the hard-core poison. I spent the afternoon spraying the apartment. Hopefully, this will keep the creepy crawlies away until next year.

Grad School on the Cheap

2011-05-17T18:09:00.005-04:00

I don't know that I've mentioned it here, but we found out a couple of months ago that Chuk got into his #1 choice for grad schools, and incidentally, if you'll indulge me in a little bragging, it is also one of the best schools in the program for his field of study.

For the last couple of months, we've been discussing what would be the best way to pay for tuition. Should we use our savings? Should we get a loan? Turns out, the best way to get your spouse through grad school on the cheap is to marry a genius. We found out last night Chuk got both a merit scholarship and an assistantship. I honestly could not be more proud. I've shared the news with everyone I know in real life and since I still have that "shout it from the rooftops" feeling, I wanted to share our good news with all of you too. Yay! We're so happy.

Social Savings

2011-05-16T18:11:00.005-04:00

Your friends can save you money. I'm not referring to Groupon or Living Social (you're already using those, right?) but rather creating a reciprocal relationship with your social circle that is financially beneficial to you both. Saving money can be a natural extension of friendship.

The classic example is borrowing a cup of sugar (or whatever) from your neighbor. It saves you from making a last minute trip to the store, which saves gas and possibly saves you from making impulse purchases.

Recently, when my internet went out, I borrowed my neighbors' WiFi. Going through that ordeal made me realize we could split the cost of internet with our neighbors and share WiFi. This would give us a 50% savings on cable internet. (We already have a wireless modem.) Chuk vetoed the idea for reasons I don't completely understand, but the next time our rate increases, I'm going to lobby for it again. For security reasons, you should only share with people you trust, but I totally trust our neighbors.

These same neighbors even have a key to our apartment. When we go on vacation, they watch our cat for us. In my area, having someone drop by once a day to take care of my pet would cost at least $20/day. (I live in an expensive area!) My neighbors have said we don't have to pay them, but we usually give them $5-$10 a day, which is still a big savings for us.

Our friendship has benefited our neighbors, too. When one of their cars died, we offered to let them borrow our car while theirs was being repaired. We only use a car about once as week for shopping, but they need two cars daily for work, so it was no trouble for us to lend them one.

When I was growing up, our next door neighbors' lawn mower died. Instead of buying a new one, they just borrowed ours' when they needed it. Sometimes, they would make their son mow our lawn too, so it was a win for everyone, except their son.

My final idea gets into murkier ethical waters, but you can also share warehouse club membership with friends and split the cost. Most of these clubs charge you about $50 a year for basic membership, which includes two membership cards. If you and your friend sign up for the membership at the same time, you can each get a card. My favorite local warehouse club is now frowning upon this, I think too many people were doing it, and it's not something I do, but I have brought my friends to the store when I'm shopping and we've just purchased our items in two transactions using only my card. As far as I understand, this is totally allowed. You could also just do one transaction and split the bulk items and the cost. This works especially well for people with limited storage space.

Do you have any more ideas for how you can save your friends money or how they can save you money?

photo credit

Symptoms

2011-05-15T16:27:00.000-04:00

Do you want to read super-personal things about me? I thought so.

Yesterday, I had to run out of the library so I could throw up on the lawn multiple times.

My boobs are so big I had to buy a new bra. Speaking of boobs, my nipples are so sensitive that it hurts when my shirt brushes against them.

Are you thinking what I'm thinking?

The problem with admitting I'm trying to have a baby is that I assume everything means I pregnant. The anxiety every month sucks. I can't even take a pregnancy test because it's too early.

On the plus side, Chuk saw his doctor last week and he took him off the medication that likely reduced his sperm count (it reduces it to zero for 90% of men who take it) and the doctor has ordered sperm count tests for now and a month from now. The doctor is hopeful the count could be back to normal levels within three months. At least we're on the right track.

So there's every personal thing you ever (didn't) want to know about me. Did it make you want to barf? Well, at least you didn't do it in front of the library. Talk about embarrassing!

I'm lusting after the rocker above. It is totally going in my imaginary baby's room.

Sickness Statistics

2011-05-14T23:49:00.001-04:00

7: Days feeling crappy

3: Number of massages I forced my husband to give me because I was so ache-y

2: Number of boxes of kleenex I have gone through

13: Average number of hours a day I have been sleeping

0: Number of days this week I have done my chores (Zero is also the number of clean plates we have in the cabinet. Go figure.)

1: Number of jumbo bags of cough drops I have consumed

2: Number of days Chuk had to stay home from work

6: Number of days we have slept in separate rooms

Good news is, I think we're on the mend. Chuk is 100% better and I am spending fewer and fewer of my waking hours lying on the living room floor moaning. Thank goodness because we're off to Alaska next week. Yay!

Tickle, tickle, tickle

2011-05-12T02:40:00.000-04:00

Is it weird that I think this is cute in a twisted way? I can't help it; I just love how she pronounces the word "squirrel".

Scenes from the Weekend

2011-05-09T23:28:00.001-04:00

My father-in-law, sister-in-law, and niece came to stay with us this weekend and we had a wonderful time. I have not always had the closest relationship with my in-laws, but I really feel like we got a lot closer to each other this weekend. We had a lot of fun and several heart-to-heart talks. This weekend was the first Mothers' Day since my mother-in-law died and Wednesday is her birthday. We were all feeling pretty emotional, but it allowed us to get real with each other in a way we haven't before. I feel really good about it.

It wasn't all seriousness though. We spent time relaxing at home:

Playing Atari (yes, Atari) after the "monkey" went to bed.

We explored the National Building Museum:
This picture makes my heart tingle. I can hardly wait to see him as a dad.

We played at the park:

Not pictured is the celebration of my father-in-law's birthday, dinner at a local Thai restuarant, monkey's first tantrum, monkey's first ride on the metro, and my husband and all my in-laws falling asleep in the living room while trying to wait for Saturday Night Live to come on.

Also, the sore throats Chuk and I have now. We suspect the culprit might be too many baby kisses on the mouth because she is recovering from strep throat, but we hope we're wrong. Getting strep would suck. I feel like I just got over bronchitis; I've already paid my sickness dues. The kisses were worth it though. She is the sweetest.

Don't You Hate It When...

2011-05-06T01:38:00.004-04:00

Don't you hate it when you're trying to make a birthday cheesecake at one o'clock in the morning for your father-in-law and you discover that your springform pan is broken? Or is it just me that this stuff happens to?

I'm making it work, but if you can recommend a good quality pan that doesn't cost a million dollars, I'm open to suggestions. This is the second pan that's broken on me in the last year.

I am the best wife in the world.

2011-05-04T20:44:00.002-04:00

Chuk is working on his bike tonight at the co-op so I have the evening alone. I made brownies from scratch. Won't he be surprised? Alas, I did not wash the dishes that need hand watching. Won't he be surprised? Sadly, no. (I did load and run the dishwasher though!)

Things I Like

2011-04-28T23:16:00.002-04:00

In no particular order:
1. Naps
2. Air conditioning
3. Mini twix (obviously)

Royal Dork

2011-04-27T17:24:00.003-04:00

Is anyone else super excited about the royal wedding? I'm super excited and my friends are making fun of me for it.

I had grand dreams of a royal wedding slumber party where my girlfriends would come over and we'd eat fancy British food like crumpets and cucumber sandwiches and stay up all night watching the wedding coverage. Sadly, all my friends have to work on Friday and they all think the wedding is lame so I'll be partying all by my lonesome. I have my DVR set up to record 12.5 hours of BBCAmerica on Friday. So that's what I'm doing on Friday.

I think it's going to be epic, but I am kind of sick of people referring to it as the "wedding of the century". In thirty years, Williams and Kate's kid is going to get married and I'm sure that's going to be the "wedding of the century" too, just like Charles and Diana's wedding was the "wedding of the century" thirty years ago.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T23:53:00.001-04:00

Easter is my favorite holiday and I think this was my best one yet.

I Want Her Outfit...

2011-04-21T05:58:00.001-04:00

...and her dance moves.

Practical Ways to Be Supportive

2011-04-19T17:22:00.005-04:00

Don't you love it when you stumble upon something at just the right time? After posting about some of the hard times we're going through, I found this, which describes the ways this woman is supporting her husband during difficult economic times. While not everything that works for her family would work for my family, it got me thinking about the specific things I can do to support my partner.

1) As I mentioned before, am doing more of the housework. Housework is a contentious issue for a lot of couples, and it was one of the biggest issues Chuk and I had when we first moved in together. Here's my two cents on all of it: Chores are the rent we pay to be in a family. Living with others is work and everybody needs to contribute to that work. That being said, what is equitable isn't always what's equal. When I'm not working (which is most of the time) I do most of the housework. However, now that Chuk is putting in 110% at work, I'm willing to put in 100% at home. It's not equal, but I think it's fair.

2) I make his lunch. This has definitely made it easier for him to get out of the house earlier.

3) I remind him to go to bed early.

4) I project positivity. You know the sayings "happy wife, happy life" and "If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"? In a manner of speaking, I find this to be true. Because my spouse is such an easy-going guy, I've noticed his emotions tend to shadow mine. If I'm melancholy or cranky, he's likely going to be acting kind of down too. If I'm happy and outgoing, he's usually all smiles. I'm not being fake, but I am being optimistic and enthusiastic and I've noticed Chuk's mood has improved as a result.

5) Lots of hugs and kisses.

6) I keep telling him how much I appreciate what he's doing. I'm also spreading the
"I love yous" around pretty generously.

7) I create fun. Silly songs and dances? Check. (The song below is a particular favorite of mine lately.) Funny TV shows? Check. Playing games? Check. Get togethers with friends? Check. Laughter is a stress buster.

8) I've been treating him to some of his favorites. Chuk used to drink two liters of soda a day until I made him cut way back. Now, I'm buying soda a little more frequently, as well as some other little "luxuries" I know he likes that I normally don't get like frozen pizza and junky snacks.

9) I'm giving him space. Usually, I like to spend lots of time with him, but now I'm not saying anything if he wants to spend alone time tinkering with his bike or watching CSPAN. And, I'm watching hockey games with him even though I don't really like them.

10) I've got nothing. I just thought it would be lame if I ended with only nine things.

The Big Talk About Grown Up Decisions

2011-04-19T00:39:00.005-04:00

Isn't my niece the cutest? I just want to gobble her up.

Chuk had a bad day at work which was the catalyst for a "come to Jesus" talk tonight. Long story short, his job is in danger. This is hugely problematic since he is our only wage earner. Besides the financial strain, he's feeling extra stressed because he has to be perfect at work. Even one little mistake could result in termination.

I don't know what your partner is like, but mine doesn't like to talk about his problems. However, we've found that when we are both open to talking about what we're going through it brings us closer together. I work hard to encourage him to talk about what's going on by being persistent, asking open ended questions, helping him to verbalize emotions, and being sympathetic. Even though this process can sometimes be exasperating for me, the emotional intimacy is totally worth it. If your partner isn't forthcoming, it really is a worthwhile skill to work on together. I'll get off my soapbox now.

We made a "worst case scenario" plan in case he does lose his job and that helped us both feel a lot more secure. At this point, the WCS plan is for Chuk to move to a smaller apartment, go to grad school in the fall (as planned) and work at a part-time retail job, while I would get a job teaching English in Korea and send remittances home. Yes, this plan would suck because we'd be apart, but it would only be for two years. Besides, people all over the world do this type of thing everyday, so I'm sure we could manage it too.

The non-worst case scenario plan is for Chuk to bust his butt at work for the next two months, or so, to remind everyone how indispensable he is. He will mind all his Ps and Qs, put in longer hours, take lunch breaks outside his office so his "off the clock" time isn't confused with slacking, and he will not use the internet for any personal reason at all. I will pick up more slack at home so he can go to bed earlier and make him lunch everyday so he can be early to work. Additionally, I will stop looking for permanent work (not that I was looking all that hard before) and instead try to start working with another temp agency since I have not been getting very many assignments anymore. We will use any money I make to bolster the emergency fund...which thankfully, we do have.

The reason I won't be looking for permanent work is because we are OFFICIALLY trying to have a baby now. (I likely wouldn't make enough money to cover the exorbitant cost of child care in this area and, no judgement, we agree that we would prefer a parent stay home with any child(ren) we may have. It doesn't really make sense for me to get a job only to have to quit after a few months.) We even looked at ovulation charts and I made an inspiration board for how to convert our guest room/office to a baby room/office. At this point, the plan is for me to temp before and into my pregnancy, and then try and babysit another child once our baby is a few months old and I've gotten into the swing of things, to contribute to our income.

So there you have it internet, we're talking about job loss, big moves, future careers, babies, and money. We made a big life plan and a big life contingency plan. I'm feeling very adult.

Are You Freaking Kidding Me: Internet Edition

2011-04-18T18:01:00.003-04:00

I've been having some major internet connectivity issues for the last week. Four calls to Comcast and a home visit later, I think we've narrowed the problem down to needing a new modem. In the meantime, I'm still without internet acccess the vast majority of the time. I'm using my neighbors' wifi connection now; with their permission, of course. Hopefully we'll be able to get our tech issues resolved soon and I'll be back to more regular posting soon.

Anyone else have a love/hate relationship with technology?

Giving Up: How I'm Decluttering

2011-04-11T09:06:00.005-04:00

I spent much of the weekend going through my wardrobe, purging my clothes. Clothes are the trickiest thing for me to declutter. I thought a lot about why that is and the conclusion I came to is that I had a hard time getting rid of things because of hope. I was hoping I would fit into something again. I was hoping I would recreate the good times I had had while wearing a particular outfit. I was hoping to be the younger, prettier, more fun, more successful version of myself.

I had to accept that if something hasn't fit me for seven years, it probably isn't going to fit me the eighth year. Things that worked for my lifestyle when I was single and in my early twenties don't work for me anymore now that I'm married an in my early thirties. I had to give up the fantasy that one day I'd again be a size X and wear suits to my powerful job and spend weekends making out with hotties in nightclubs. That's just not who I am anymore and that's okay.

Getting rid of 10 bags of clothes (weighing more than 65 pounds!) is a step towards self acceptance. And I have to say, I feel so much better now! I feel better about myself and I'm loving how my closet and dresser look.

Vegetarian Stroganoff

2011-04-10T19:50:00.002-04:00

Just stopping in for a quickie. (Oh la la!) Remember when I guest posted over at Lauren's about how to make beef stroganoff and mushroom stroganoff? Well, I didn't have a picture then, but I made the vegetarian version again last week and took a picture so you can see what it is supposed to look like. See! I eat things besides cheesecake.

Squeezed

2011-04-07T17:34:00.000-04:00

Note to self: Just because you can physically get jeans on doesn't mean they fit.