Introducing Elizabeth Rose Focht
Born January 29th, 2007, at 12:42 AM
7 lbs. 4 oz. 19.5 inches long
Very fair of face indeed
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Friday, January 26, 2007
Quality v. quantity
Leaving aside the issue of blog posts (according to my new resolve to post more haphazardly if it means actually posting what's on my mind instead of letting the little gems slip into oblivion because I never got around to fleshing them out thoroughly enough), I would have thought I fell decidedly into the quality camp, preferring the few worthwhile whatevers to the masses of cheap shoddy whatevers. But I fell to mulling over this a few days ago, and decided that there are some categories where it actually makes sense - for me - to go for the cheap short-term quick fix. I came up with a few examples of each:
Quality - Jewelry. This is one where, for me, it makes sense to invest in the quality and have only a few very nice pieces. I started building my jewelry wardrobe over ten years ago, and I still wear the gold hoops I got when I was sixteen. A few classic pieces (gold hoops, garnet studs, sapphire studs, opal studs, black pearls, and white pearls) pretty much cover every look I need, and the lack of choices makes accessorizing so much easier. Not allowing my jewelry box to become cluttered with costume jewelry saves space, saves time, and perhaps helps me avoid problems with allergic reactions to cheap knock-off metals. Plus I don't ever have to buy new jewelry, unless I decide someday that I like diamonds, after all. (I'm thinking this might happen after I turn forty.)
Quantity - Sunglasses. This is one where I'll gladly buy cheap sunglasses from Wal-mart or even the Dollar Store, even if it means replacing them every year or whenever they break. I am far too hard on my sunglasses to invest in a really expensive pair; one might argue that a better quality pair would last longer and thus be a better investment, but no pair can resist getting scratched when tossed into the wrong pocket in my purse or avoid serious damage when accidentally sat upon. Plus, do I really want to be wearing the same pair of sunglasses for the next ten years? Having cheap sunglasses that will routinely break gives me a chance to update my look every summer.
Quantity - Hair accessories. This is probably rather a moot point, since the days of mother-of-pearl hairclasps and real pearl combs are long gone and pretty much everything is plastic, wood, or metal these days. But I'm sure there are still sliding scales of quality, and I'm happy to shop at the bottom rung of the ladder, with the cheap plastic barrettes and hair claws whose springs wear out and snap off within a year or so. Once again, do I really want to be putting the same things in my hair for the next ten years?
There were more, but I can't think of them right off, and rather than mull and ponder and strain to recollect I shall simply post, walk downstairs, brew myself a cup of tea, and try to take a nap. Happy Friday!
Quality - Jewelry. This is one where, for me, it makes sense to invest in the quality and have only a few very nice pieces. I started building my jewelry wardrobe over ten years ago, and I still wear the gold hoops I got when I was sixteen. A few classic pieces (gold hoops, garnet studs, sapphire studs, opal studs, black pearls, and white pearls) pretty much cover every look I need, and the lack of choices makes accessorizing so much easier. Not allowing my jewelry box to become cluttered with costume jewelry saves space, saves time, and perhaps helps me avoid problems with allergic reactions to cheap knock-off metals. Plus I don't ever have to buy new jewelry, unless I decide someday that I like diamonds, after all. (I'm thinking this might happen after I turn forty.)
Quantity - Sunglasses. This is one where I'll gladly buy cheap sunglasses from Wal-mart or even the Dollar Store, even if it means replacing them every year or whenever they break. I am far too hard on my sunglasses to invest in a really expensive pair; one might argue that a better quality pair would last longer and thus be a better investment, but no pair can resist getting scratched when tossed into the wrong pocket in my purse or avoid serious damage when accidentally sat upon. Plus, do I really want to be wearing the same pair of sunglasses for the next ten years? Having cheap sunglasses that will routinely break gives me a chance to update my look every summer.
Quantity - Hair accessories. This is probably rather a moot point, since the days of mother-of-pearl hairclasps and real pearl combs are long gone and pretty much everything is plastic, wood, or metal these days. But I'm sure there are still sliding scales of quality, and I'm happy to shop at the bottom rung of the ladder, with the cheap plastic barrettes and hair claws whose springs wear out and snap off within a year or so. Once again, do I really want to be putting the same things in my hair for the next ten years?
There were more, but I can't think of them right off, and rather than mull and ponder and strain to recollect I shall simply post, walk downstairs, brew myself a cup of tea, and try to take a nap. Happy Friday!
Windows of opportunity
Because:
1) Blogspot has been so unpredictable lately;
2) Very soon I will run out of spare time;
and, most of all,
3) When I mull over a post idea too long then it must be all the more eloquent to justify the time spent pondering it, at which point it will be too long for me to ever sit down and do it justice, so I generally end up not posting on the topic at all -
Therefore:
I will seize the day, not knock myself out to make deep philosophical posts as polished as possible, and post quickly and randomly if I have an idea in conjunction with a minute to spare. That is how I will balance blogging with my new season of life, quotha.
1) Blogspot has been so unpredictable lately;
2) Very soon I will run out of spare time;
and, most of all,
3) When I mull over a post idea too long then it must be all the more eloquent to justify the time spent pondering it, at which point it will be too long for me to ever sit down and do it justice, so I generally end up not posting on the topic at all -
Therefore:
I will seize the day, not knock myself out to make deep philosophical posts as polished as possible, and post quickly and randomly if I have an idea in conjunction with a minute to spare. That is how I will balance blogging with my new season of life, quotha.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Belated birthdays and blasted blogspots
I wanted to say something to the effect that New Blogger has fallen decidedly out of my favour since posting my farewell speech twice and keeping me out of logging in ever since I switched. But that would be to imply that I ever had a good opinion of it to begin with, which was its own task to win and prove. Now I am so desperate to get this post published before Blogger's temperamental window of bonhomie disappears that I cannot invest the proper time to invent scathing metaphors for how deeply into the void of my negative opinion it has sunk.
I was distressed not to be able to post a tribute to my beloved yesterday, who celebrated yet another revolution around the sun. Happy birthday, Michael!
And I was very concerned that the apparent silence would be inferred as a tacit acknowledgement of Baby's arrival. Not so. We are all here; do thyself-a no harm. But we will keep you posted. (Assuming further sunny spells on Blogger's part.) Meanwhile I'm trying to write them huffy emails explaining my dilemma and begging them to let me go back to the Old Blogger, which is difficult to do as they have an answer for everything else and assume that their answers cover all categories, thus sparing them from receiving any emails from real consumers. What can I say? It's not like I pay them for it, anyway.
I was distressed not to be able to post a tribute to my beloved yesterday, who celebrated yet another revolution around the sun. Happy birthday, Michael!
And I was very concerned that the apparent silence would be inferred as a tacit acknowledgement of Baby's arrival. Not so. We are all here; do thyself-a no harm. But we will keep you posted. (Assuming further sunny spells on Blogger's part.) Meanwhile I'm trying to write them huffy emails explaining my dilemma and begging them to let me go back to the Old Blogger, which is difficult to do as they have an answer for everything else and assume that their answers cover all categories, thus sparing them from receiving any emails from real consumers. What can I say? It's not like I pay them for it, anyway.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
A tearful farewell...just in case...
I have come to a fateful decision. I am going to switch over to the new Blogger.
For weeks they've been hounding me to do it, every time I sign in suggesting how much easier my life would be if only I'd capitulate and take advantage of all the new features (who needs new features, anyway? It took me long enough to figure out how to post pictures on the old system!) and half the time switching the locations of the old and new account sign-ins so that I'd almost sign up before I knew what I was doing. Despite the reassurances that nothing is lost, that all the posts and comments carry over, that the new Blogger is SO much better and easier, I resisted. We don't change, we badgers.
But now I must get the new account if I'm to maintain my access to Bookfest, which has already gone modern. So I go with heavy heart to make the switch. If all goes well then you may not notice any change at all, and all this angst will have been for naught. But I cannot repress a sigh and a feeling of doom at the thought. So, just in case, farewell to all. If it crashes I probably won't have the heart to start it all up again, not to mention finding a new name and address and all, at least not for weeks and weeks, by which time Baby's arrival will be old news. Tootle-pip and all that.
For weeks they've been hounding me to do it, every time I sign in suggesting how much easier my life would be if only I'd capitulate and take advantage of all the new features (who needs new features, anyway? It took me long enough to figure out how to post pictures on the old system!) and half the time switching the locations of the old and new account sign-ins so that I'd almost sign up before I knew what I was doing. Despite the reassurances that nothing is lost, that all the posts and comments carry over, that the new Blogger is SO much better and easier, I resisted. We don't change, we badgers.
But now I must get the new account if I'm to maintain my access to Bookfest, which has already gone modern. So I go with heavy heart to make the switch. If all goes well then you may not notice any change at all, and all this angst will have been for naught. But I cannot repress a sigh and a feeling of doom at the thought. So, just in case, farewell to all. If it crashes I probably won't have the heart to start it all up again, not to mention finding a new name and address and all, at least not for weeks and weeks, by which time Baby's arrival will be old news. Tootle-pip and all that.
A tearful farewell...just in case...
I have come to a fateful decision. I am going to switch over to the new Blogger.
For weeks they've been hounding me to do it, every time I sign in suggesting how much easier my life would be if only I'd capitulate and take advantage of all the new features (who needs new features, anyway? It took me long enough to figure out how to post pictures on the old system!) and half the time switching the locations of the old and new account sign-ins so that I'd almost sign up before I knew what I was doing. Despite the reassurances that nothing is lost, that all the posts and comments carry over, that the new Blogger is SO much better and easier, I resisted. We don't change, we badgers.
But now I must get the new account if I'm to maintain my access to Bookfest, which has already gone modern. So I go with heavy heart to make the switch. If all goes well then you may not notice any change at all, and all this angst will have been for naught. But I cannot repress a sigh and a feeling of doom at the thought. So, just in case, farewell to all. If it crashes I probably won't have the heart to start it all up again, not to mention finding a new name and address and all, at least not for weeks and weeks, by which time Baby's arrival will be old news. Tootle-pip and all that.
For weeks they've been hounding me to do it, every time I sign in suggesting how much easier my life would be if only I'd capitulate and take advantage of all the new features (who needs new features, anyway? It took me long enough to figure out how to post pictures on the old system!) and half the time switching the locations of the old and new account sign-ins so that I'd almost sign up before I knew what I was doing. Despite the reassurances that nothing is lost, that all the posts and comments carry over, that the new Blogger is SO much better and easier, I resisted. We don't change, we badgers.
But now I must get the new account if I'm to maintain my access to Bookfest, which has already gone modern. So I go with heavy heart to make the switch. If all goes well then you may not notice any change at all, and all this angst will have been for naught. But I cannot repress a sigh and a feeling of doom at the thought. So, just in case, farewell to all. If it crashes I probably won't have the heart to start it all up again, not to mention finding a new name and address and all, at least not for weeks and weeks, by which time Baby's arrival will be old news. Tootle-pip and all that.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Scavenger hunts are not only fun, they are PRACTICAL!
Who would pack a hospital bag and forget to include a hairbrush? Well, until ten minutes ago, that was me. After spending a good hour wracking my brains trying to recall anything, anything at all, that I'd read about hairbrushes in the past few weeks, it dawned on me that I hadn't packed one for the hospital! Thank you, Darren and Sara, for the timely reminder. Now Baby can come anytime!
Fancy car
Have you ever wanted to own a really, really fancy car? I mean, I'm talking about the fanciest car in the world here, like a Ferrari or a Rolls-Royce! A very expensive kind, that turns heads everywhere it goes, runs up incredibly expensive insurance premiums, is so sporty that it gets terrible gas mileage, and is in constant danger of being vandalised?
Neither have I. But I am getting pretty desperate over at the scavenger hunt.
Neither have I. But I am getting pretty desperate over at the scavenger hunt.
Scavenger hunt!
You can read the complete rules here. (And, now that I've submitted my entry, you can play too!)
* A Shoe
From Baby Cheapskate:
I think we've outgrown Robeez (okay, Robeez knock offs, I'm cheap). I can accept that my wee one now needs real shoes (sniff!). What I can't accept is how much toddler shoes cost! I admit, I'm a shoe person; I notice shoes. I'm always commenting on the other kids' shoes at the playground. I love the look of those trendy Vincent shoes, sure, but forty bucks (on sale) for something my kid's gonna outgrow long before the shoe is worn out? Come on!
* A Tooth
From The Duchy Of Burgundy Carrots:
Look at the pictures and you will see lots of teeth!
* An Odd Name
From Doug's Blog:
The Christian Boys’ & Men’s Titanic Society Eleventh Anniversary Banquet
(I really wanted to post a link to his family picture, where you could see children with such names as Justice and Jubilee. But I couldn't find such a link quickly enough without using search tools. Oh, well. This is a mouthful of a name for an event, let alone a society.)
* A Car (fancier the better)
From LinkTheValiant:
I'd always wondered whether the stereotypes of Corvette owners were accurate, and I've received confirmation today. Coming home, I was behind a Corvette at a stoplight. He was waiting with the engine revved slightly above midrange. As soon as the light changed, he was off. I turned the corner in my usual way, and saw that the guy had accelerated to 55 in a 35 zone. Not a quarter of a mile farther on, he pulls off and turns in to a school of all places. . . It's no wonder that, aside from theft, insurance rates are so high for Corvettes.
* A Frightful Dilemma
From Not Alone:
Seriously folks -- I have not, nor do I intend to, change the ability for everyone to leave comments. I'd rather hear honest, thoughtful conversation. But I would ask for a bit of courtesy in return...If you cannot contain yourselves to appropriate comments, then I will be forced to moderate comments (which I do NOT want to do-- but I'm feeling pressed).
* A Discussion of Childbirth
From Focht Tales:
The only thing about the Jolie-Pitt baby hoopla that interested me enough to irritate me was the statement by their apparently famous and accomplished doctor (so hand-picked that they flew him all the way to Africa to deliver their child), something along the lines of: 'The baby was delivered by a planned cesarean due to a breech presentation.'
* A Theological Discussion/Debate
From Kevin & Amy's World:
Frankly, I’m disturbed at the hoopla surrounding the Pope’s passing. If the he were a true follower of Christ, he would not want Catholics to make such a big deal over him. After all, he’s a mere mortal. Or did he claim to be more than that?
* A Funny Line, Joke, or Short Post
From LinkTheValiant's Site:
Little brothers can be hilarious. Case in point, on the way home from work yesterday:
Leah, in backseat: "Thomas, can you get that bug there for me?"
Thomas gets the bug.
Leah: "Okay, thank you, can you get rid of it?"
Thomas reaches for the door.
Leah: "Just roll down the window and throw it out."
Thomas: "But I can't do that. A car might hit me!"
* A Train (the engine and cars kind)
From Breitbart.com:
Traffic on the Eurostar, the train service that runs under the English Channel and connects London and Paris, was suspended for 90 minutes after an electrical cable holder was blown onto the tracks near the city of Lille in northern France, railway officials said.
* A Hairbrush
From Focht Tales:
Who would pack a hospital bag and forget to include a hairbrush? Well, until ten minutes ago, that was me. After spending a good hour wracking my brains trying to recall anything, anything at all, that I'd read about hairbrushes in the past few weeks, it dawned on me that I hadn't packed one for the hospital! Thank you, Darren and Sara, for the timely reminder. Now Baby can come anytime!
* An appeal for money
A very tactful request from MommyLife:
So just remember - whatever shopping you have to do, please save yourself time and money while supporting MommyLife by clicking through to Amazon from the Barbara's Store button on my right sidebar.
* A Hobby
From Mom Advice:
I am passionate about getting good deals, which makes me extremely passionate about going to garage sales and visiting our local thrift stores. There is nothing that thrills me more than to get to spend an hour hunting through all of the "junk" to find that one memorable treasure to bring home with me. I have always been this way, even when we had much more money than we do now. Thrifting has always been an outlet for me and now that we are eating at home more, I am able to use our dining out allowance to score some really great thrift store finds, without busting the budget.
* Green
From The Real Food Revolution:
Open some cans of black beans, or make some in the morning in the crockpot. Add to the beans, cumin, pepper, oregano, Cajun seasoning, dried cilantro leaves, chili flakes, and chopped bell peppers. (I actually roasted the pepper I had and then pureed it with some of the beans and added it all back in, but my husband doesn’t like the texture of cooked peppers if they are in larger pieces.) Puree about a 1/4 cup of the beans and stir into the rest to make creamy, serve with the quinoa and a green salad.
* A Shoe
From Baby Cheapskate:
I think we've outgrown Robeez (okay, Robeez knock offs, I'm cheap). I can accept that my wee one now needs real shoes (sniff!). What I can't accept is how much toddler shoes cost! I admit, I'm a shoe person; I notice shoes. I'm always commenting on the other kids' shoes at the playground. I love the look of those trendy Vincent shoes, sure, but forty bucks (on sale) for something my kid's gonna outgrow long before the shoe is worn out? Come on!
* A Tooth
From The Duchy Of Burgundy Carrots:
Look at the pictures and you will see lots of teeth!
* An Odd Name
From Doug's Blog:
The Christian Boys’ & Men’s Titanic Society Eleventh Anniversary Banquet
(I really wanted to post a link to his family picture, where you could see children with such names as Justice and Jubilee. But I couldn't find such a link quickly enough without using search tools. Oh, well. This is a mouthful of a name for an event, let alone a society.)
* A Car (fancier the better)
From LinkTheValiant:
I'd always wondered whether the stereotypes of Corvette owners were accurate, and I've received confirmation today. Coming home, I was behind a Corvette at a stoplight. He was waiting with the engine revved slightly above midrange. As soon as the light changed, he was off. I turned the corner in my usual way, and saw that the guy had accelerated to 55 in a 35 zone. Not a quarter of a mile farther on, he pulls off and turns in to a school of all places. . . It's no wonder that, aside from theft, insurance rates are so high for Corvettes.
* A Frightful Dilemma
From Not Alone:
Seriously folks -- I have not, nor do I intend to, change the ability for everyone to leave comments. I'd rather hear honest, thoughtful conversation. But I would ask for a bit of courtesy in return...If you cannot contain yourselves to appropriate comments, then I will be forced to moderate comments (which I do NOT want to do-- but I'm feeling pressed).
* A Discussion of Childbirth
From Focht Tales:
The only thing about the Jolie-Pitt baby hoopla that interested me enough to irritate me was the statement by their apparently famous and accomplished doctor (so hand-picked that they flew him all the way to Africa to deliver their child), something along the lines of: 'The baby was delivered by a planned cesarean due to a breech presentation.'
* A Theological Discussion/Debate
From Kevin & Amy's World:
Frankly, I’m disturbed at the hoopla surrounding the Pope’s passing. If the he were a true follower of Christ, he would not want Catholics to make such a big deal over him. After all, he’s a mere mortal. Or did he claim to be more than that?
* A Funny Line, Joke, or Short Post
From LinkTheValiant's Site:
Little brothers can be hilarious. Case in point, on the way home from work yesterday:
Leah, in backseat: "Thomas, can you get that bug there for me?"
Thomas gets the bug.
Leah: "Okay, thank you, can you get rid of it?"
Thomas reaches for the door.
Leah: "Just roll down the window and throw it out."
Thomas: "But I can't do that. A car might hit me!"
* A Train (the engine and cars kind)
From Breitbart.com:
Traffic on the Eurostar, the train service that runs under the English Channel and connects London and Paris, was suspended for 90 minutes after an electrical cable holder was blown onto the tracks near the city of Lille in northern France, railway officials said.
* A Hairbrush
From Focht Tales:
Who would pack a hospital bag and forget to include a hairbrush? Well, until ten minutes ago, that was me. After spending a good hour wracking my brains trying to recall anything, anything at all, that I'd read about hairbrushes in the past few weeks, it dawned on me that I hadn't packed one for the hospital! Thank you, Darren and Sara, for the timely reminder. Now Baby can come anytime!
* An appeal for money
A very tactful request from MommyLife:
So just remember - whatever shopping you have to do, please save yourself time and money while supporting MommyLife by clicking through to Amazon from the Barbara's Store button on my right sidebar.
* A Hobby
From Mom Advice:
I am passionate about getting good deals, which makes me extremely passionate about going to garage sales and visiting our local thrift stores. There is nothing that thrills me more than to get to spend an hour hunting through all of the "junk" to find that one memorable treasure to bring home with me. I have always been this way, even when we had much more money than we do now. Thrifting has always been an outlet for me and now that we are eating at home more, I am able to use our dining out allowance to score some really great thrift store finds, without busting the budget.
* Green
From The Real Food Revolution:
Open some cans of black beans, or make some in the morning in the crockpot. Add to the beans, cumin, pepper, oregano, Cajun seasoning, dried cilantro leaves, chili flakes, and chopped bell peppers. (I actually roasted the pepper I had and then pureed it with some of the beans and added it all back in, but my husband doesn’t like the texture of cooked peppers if they are in larger pieces.) Puree about a 1/4 cup of the beans and stir into the rest to make creamy, serve with the quinoa and a green salad.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Hit any key to continue...No, no, no, not that one!
I saw that in a cartoon once, and it's about how I feel re: Baby right now. I specifically didn't want Baby to come before Saturday (which, admittedly, would have been a really long shot anyway) because we had tickets to Cirque du Soleil and I really didn't want to miss it. (This was our Christmas present to each other, although as we both sheepishly acknowledged, we were going to buy the tickets anyway and calling it our Christmas present was really just a clever way to get out of wasting money buying superfluous presents for each other. We are so lame.)
Anyway we went to the show and thoroughly enjoyed it, and I told Baby afterwards that he/she was welcome to come any time now. Somewhat wishful thinking, I suppose, but I started taking Evening Primrose Oil every night just in case Baby needed a nudge. Never hurts to plan ahead, right?
Now Jane's fever is still dragging on (though she seems to be improving) and I'm thinking that I really don't want to leave a sick toddler with friends while I go off to the hospital to have another baby. So Baby can just hang on a few more days until Jane is fully recovered and no longer contagious. In fact, another week or two would be just fine, according to the original schedule, thank you very much.
Anyway we went to the show and thoroughly enjoyed it, and I told Baby afterwards that he/she was welcome to come any time now. Somewhat wishful thinking, I suppose, but I started taking Evening Primrose Oil every night just in case Baby needed a nudge. Never hurts to plan ahead, right?
Now Jane's fever is still dragging on (though she seems to be improving) and I'm thinking that I really don't want to leave a sick toddler with friends while I go off to the hospital to have another baby. So Baby can just hang on a few more days until Jane is fully recovered and no longer contagious. In fact, another week or two would be just fine, according to the original schedule, thank you very much.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Fever
Yesterday Jane came down with a high fever. I first noticed that she felt hot when I got her up from her nap, and her temperature registered at 102. We left a message for our pediatrician's answering service and meanwhile dressed her lightly, encouraged her to drink water, and tried to remember what the panic level is for fever in a young child. While we were waiting to hear back from the nurse on call we tried calling a couple of friends to ask for advice, since this was the first serious fever she's ever run. At least she exhibited no other symptoms and did make the occasional remark, thus evincing coherence and alertness despite her extreme apathy. It was a very odd evening, with us just sitting around taking turns holding a very hot (but so quiet and well-behaved!) child, not feeling very hungry, and not daring to do anything or go anywhere.
By the time the nurse called back, Jane's temperature was almost 104, but since she had no other symptoms and the fever hadn't lasted long enough to justify a visit, we were instructed to give her Tylenol to bring the fever down, keep giving her liquids, and check on her throughout the night. It was reassuring to know not to panic, though still very worrisome.
Today she's still a bit listless, but her temperature is down around 100, so we'll keep an eye on her and bring her in tomorrow morning if it persists. Otherwise, we'll just enjoy our quiet day.
By the time the nurse called back, Jane's temperature was almost 104, but since she had no other symptoms and the fever hadn't lasted long enough to justify a visit, we were instructed to give her Tylenol to bring the fever down, keep giving her liquids, and check on her throughout the night. It was reassuring to know not to panic, though still very worrisome.
Today she's still a bit listless, but her temperature is down around 100, so we'll keep an eye on her and bring her in tomorrow morning if it persists. Otherwise, we'll just enjoy our quiet day.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Goals 2007
Now you know (probably, because I think I've mentioned it on previous January posts) that I don't do New Year's resolutions (other than goofy ones that I was going to do anyway, like 'I'm going to lose 25 lbs. by the first quarter of the year!') but the turning of the calendar always makes me nostalgic and contemplative, and this year I fell to musing on goals and the way I approach them.
What brought this about is the curious feeling of non-stress that seems to have fallen over me upon embarking on the New Year. For some reason I've felt laid back, content, and completely not worried about a thing for the past week and a half or so. It seems that our calendar is pretty clear for the near future, after a seemingly interminable run of bouts with sickness, travel plans, houseguests, parties, and the like, so that's definitely a factor. But even in the day-to-day minutiae, once we got past the relaxing holidays, I found myself chilling out on a far grander scale than I can recall doing in recent history.
For instance, we hosted our Sunday school Christmas party on Saturday, which was a lot of fun and didn't feel stressful a bit to prepare for, even with Michael having to go in to work most of the day and me doing all the preparations solo. I had gotten quantities of marked-down paper goods in my post-Christmas shopping, so we didn't have many dishes to deal with, but there were quite a few pots and pans. These I set to soak and didn't feel compelled to scrub them out for two days, making the next day (Sunday) truly a day of rest because I wasn't racing around madly trying to clean up the kitchen. Usually it is difficult for me to relax if I am conscious of work undone, which has hijacked a quiet evening or two when Michael is ready to sit down with milk and cookies and watch a movie and I am still too focused on putting away laundry to sit still.
Why then would the laundry or dishes intrude on family time? Because I didn't get to it during the day, being too busy racing around with other points on my agenda such as running long errands (to get the best shopping bargains), baking cinnamon rolls (for Michael's breakfasts, so he doesn't have to eat cold cereal), chopping vegetables for supper (because of course it's cheaper and more nutritious to do it all from scratch), etc.
Now these are all good things and they are certainly done for the benefit of the family, but it occurred to me that I am really the impetus for all this frantic pace. Michael certainly appreciates how I stay on a budget and likes having home-cooked food around, but he is not imposing on me the details of how I run our household. In fact, it occurred to me that most of the time, it is more important to me than to him.
This is not to say that I should completely chill out and let things go to seed around here in an attempt to relax and focus solely on being a happy wife. Happiness should also come about from the satisfaction of honest industry. But the pots and pans that I left in the sink overnight did not disrupt my general feeling of well-being; at least they were stacked neatly, they were out of the way, they did not make the kitchen look cluttered, and I didn't use the slight mess as an excuse to let more mess pile up in the meantime. Therefore that was a successful incidence of a calculated deferred work plan.
I need wisdom to discern what the true benefit of any effort on my part will be, and to whom. I don't want to knock myself out to do something I think would be nice for someone, only to feel resentful and deflated when they don't appreciate it quite as much as I think the effort I put into it warranted, which should only prove to me that my motivation wasn't quite as genuine and good-hearted as I thought it was.
Of course, I'm not going to measure everything exclusively by the yardstick of quo bono - or rather, I'm not necessarily going to order my life accordingly. Some things may not matter to Michael as much but if I have a strong personal stake in it, then I may go ahead anyway. Dashing across town to get a free milkshake is just too fun to pass up, as long as I realise that I'm getting more mileage out of it than Michael.
(I toss that last paragraph in because I recently read a review of a new book that apparently claims that the secret to a happy marriage is basically for the wife to realise that her sole end in life is to be the helpmeet to her husband, and while I agree that the wife was designed to support and encourage and be the helpmeet to her husband, I don't believe that that means that every decision must personally advance the career, mental health, and personal satisfaction of the husband exclusively. Maybe that's not what the book was suggesting. But I've run across that school of thought before and I writhe when I hear it. The secret of a happy marriage, among other things, involves both parties being mature enough to defer and sacrifice when matters of personal interest conflict. The mainstream culture's pop psychology approach of negotiating 50-50 and making deals and bargains, and the extremely conservative approach of insisting that the wife's wishes and interests must always give way to the husband's because she is to submit, are both flawed, in my opinion. But I digress.)
So my goal for 2007 is to evaluate my daily goals and determine whose agenda I am pursuing. I hope this will help me streamline my daily to-do list and enable me to accomplish the truly important things without letting the house fall apart. I'll keep you posted - or maybe not, depending on where blogging ends up on the new spectrum. =)
What brought this about is the curious feeling of non-stress that seems to have fallen over me upon embarking on the New Year. For some reason I've felt laid back, content, and completely not worried about a thing for the past week and a half or so. It seems that our calendar is pretty clear for the near future, after a seemingly interminable run of bouts with sickness, travel plans, houseguests, parties, and the like, so that's definitely a factor. But even in the day-to-day minutiae, once we got past the relaxing holidays, I found myself chilling out on a far grander scale than I can recall doing in recent history.
For instance, we hosted our Sunday school Christmas party on Saturday, which was a lot of fun and didn't feel stressful a bit to prepare for, even with Michael having to go in to work most of the day and me doing all the preparations solo. I had gotten quantities of marked-down paper goods in my post-Christmas shopping, so we didn't have many dishes to deal with, but there were quite a few pots and pans. These I set to soak and didn't feel compelled to scrub them out for two days, making the next day (Sunday) truly a day of rest because I wasn't racing around madly trying to clean up the kitchen. Usually it is difficult for me to relax if I am conscious of work undone, which has hijacked a quiet evening or two when Michael is ready to sit down with milk and cookies and watch a movie and I am still too focused on putting away laundry to sit still.
Why then would the laundry or dishes intrude on family time? Because I didn't get to it during the day, being too busy racing around with other points on my agenda such as running long errands (to get the best shopping bargains), baking cinnamon rolls (for Michael's breakfasts, so he doesn't have to eat cold cereal), chopping vegetables for supper (because of course it's cheaper and more nutritious to do it all from scratch), etc.
Now these are all good things and they are certainly done for the benefit of the family, but it occurred to me that I am really the impetus for all this frantic pace. Michael certainly appreciates how I stay on a budget and likes having home-cooked food around, but he is not imposing on me the details of how I run our household. In fact, it occurred to me that most of the time, it is more important to me than to him.
This is not to say that I should completely chill out and let things go to seed around here in an attempt to relax and focus solely on being a happy wife. Happiness should also come about from the satisfaction of honest industry. But the pots and pans that I left in the sink overnight did not disrupt my general feeling of well-being; at least they were stacked neatly, they were out of the way, they did not make the kitchen look cluttered, and I didn't use the slight mess as an excuse to let more mess pile up in the meantime. Therefore that was a successful incidence of a calculated deferred work plan.
I need wisdom to discern what the true benefit of any effort on my part will be, and to whom. I don't want to knock myself out to do something I think would be nice for someone, only to feel resentful and deflated when they don't appreciate it quite as much as I think the effort I put into it warranted, which should only prove to me that my motivation wasn't quite as genuine and good-hearted as I thought it was.
Of course, I'm not going to measure everything exclusively by the yardstick of quo bono - or rather, I'm not necessarily going to order my life accordingly. Some things may not matter to Michael as much but if I have a strong personal stake in it, then I may go ahead anyway. Dashing across town to get a free milkshake is just too fun to pass up, as long as I realise that I'm getting more mileage out of it than Michael.
(I toss that last paragraph in because I recently read a review of a new book that apparently claims that the secret to a happy marriage is basically for the wife to realise that her sole end in life is to be the helpmeet to her husband, and while I agree that the wife was designed to support and encourage and be the helpmeet to her husband, I don't believe that that means that every decision must personally advance the career, mental health, and personal satisfaction of the husband exclusively. Maybe that's not what the book was suggesting. But I've run across that school of thought before and I writhe when I hear it. The secret of a happy marriage, among other things, involves both parties being mature enough to defer and sacrifice when matters of personal interest conflict. The mainstream culture's pop psychology approach of negotiating 50-50 and making deals and bargains, and the extremely conservative approach of insisting that the wife's wishes and interests must always give way to the husband's because she is to submit, are both flawed, in my opinion. But I digress.)
So my goal for 2007 is to evaluate my daily goals and determine whose agenda I am pursuing. I hope this will help me streamline my daily to-do list and enable me to accomplish the truly important things without letting the house fall apart. I'll keep you posted - or maybe not, depending on where blogging ends up on the new spectrum. =)
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
The times, they are a-changing
We've spent a good deal of time over the last week clearing out, sorting through, and tidying up. (Incidentally, with all the days off, I hardly know what day it is; for a long stretch there every day felt like a Saturday and it was weird when we finally did go to church. Next week things should feel more normal.)
But we finally decided to move Jane out of the nursery, mostly for our own convenience so we wouldn't have the children waking each other up during nights and naptimes. At first we thought we'd just move her crib across the hall into our acting guest room/office, and keep her stuff in the nursery. Then we realised that whenever Baby is asleep (and newborns do sleep a lot, I remember) we wouldn't have access to the changing pad, supplies, etc. That forced us to consider setting up a second changing station somewhere else, and the upshot of it all is that the former office/guest room (now renamed The Yellow Room, to avoid confusion) will now be Jane's room/guest room.
So we (as in Michael) took apart the computer, took apart the desk, and moved it all up to the bonus room. The bonus room has sloping ceilings, tons of boxes, and insufficient insulation, so it's really not a viable choice for an office. Thus far it's done fine housing our old computer, which was set up on a folding table, but now the old computer will be bumped off, the folding table will return to circulation as a folding table and not a makeshift computer desk, the current computer on current computer desk will become our new old computer, and we'll get a Mac and put it on the kitchen desk. Michael has been wanting one for a while, and the turning point came when he told me that Macs can be all-inclusive, meaning that there's no need for a tower case or superfluous equipment, meaning that all we'd have on the kitchen desk would be a flat screen monitor, keyboard, and mouse. I like the idea of having a computer out there, as long as it doesn't entail having all the cords, wires, scanner, printer, and the like. The house is networked so the peripherals can go upstairs, and we can still print from downstairs. I'm always running to the office anyway to look up a phone number or a recipe, so it can only make my life easier to have the hub of the universe located in my kitchen instead of a back room.
The only thing is that we don't have the Mac - yet. Once ordered, it can be here in a matter of days, but until it arrives, I'm dependent on the computer now located upstairs. That means I'm forever running up to the bonus room just to check email, which used to be a simple matter of just jiggling the mouse whenever passing through. All this exercise must be good for me, though, and may even bring Baby here the sooner. All the same, I'm anxious for a computer within easy reach again.
But we finally decided to move Jane out of the nursery, mostly for our own convenience so we wouldn't have the children waking each other up during nights and naptimes. At first we thought we'd just move her crib across the hall into our acting guest room/office, and keep her stuff in the nursery. Then we realised that whenever Baby is asleep (and newborns do sleep a lot, I remember) we wouldn't have access to the changing pad, supplies, etc. That forced us to consider setting up a second changing station somewhere else, and the upshot of it all is that the former office/guest room (now renamed The Yellow Room, to avoid confusion) will now be Jane's room/guest room.
So we (as in Michael) took apart the computer, took apart the desk, and moved it all up to the bonus room. The bonus room has sloping ceilings, tons of boxes, and insufficient insulation, so it's really not a viable choice for an office. Thus far it's done fine housing our old computer, which was set up on a folding table, but now the old computer will be bumped off, the folding table will return to circulation as a folding table and not a makeshift computer desk, the current computer on current computer desk will become our new old computer, and we'll get a Mac and put it on the kitchen desk. Michael has been wanting one for a while, and the turning point came when he told me that Macs can be all-inclusive, meaning that there's no need for a tower case or superfluous equipment, meaning that all we'd have on the kitchen desk would be a flat screen monitor, keyboard, and mouse. I like the idea of having a computer out there, as long as it doesn't entail having all the cords, wires, scanner, printer, and the like. The house is networked so the peripherals can go upstairs, and we can still print from downstairs. I'm always running to the office anyway to look up a phone number or a recipe, so it can only make my life easier to have the hub of the universe located in my kitchen instead of a back room.
The only thing is that we don't have the Mac - yet. Once ordered, it can be here in a matter of days, but until it arrives, I'm dependent on the computer now located upstairs. That means I'm forever running up to the bonus room just to check email, which used to be a simple matter of just jiggling the mouse whenever passing through. All this exercise must be good for me, though, and may even bring Baby here the sooner. All the same, I'm anxious for a computer within easy reach again.
Pregnancy photo
Here is one of me on New Year's Eve (you can tell it's after Christmas because the presents are all gone):
Even though I'm feeling smaller this time around, the baby is bigger. At my checkup this morning my midwife gave a rough estimate of 7 lbs. - and we still have at least three weeks to go! This is rather alarming. Fortunately Baby's not the one gaining a pound a week at this point.
Even though I'm feeling smaller this time around, the baby is bigger. At my checkup this morning my midwife gave a rough estimate of 7 lbs. - and we still have at least three weeks to go! This is rather alarming. Fortunately Baby's not the one gaining a pound a week at this point.
Hot & haute cuisine
I've been hearing so much about paninis recently that I thought I'd try making one (that, and I had some odds and ends of mozzarella slices, leftover Christmas beefstick, and rolls to use up). Apparently they are all the rage at upscale bakeries and cafes, and are merely hot, flat sandwiches. So I sliced a roll in half, fried the inside in butter, flipped the sides and lined the inside with cheese and meat, put the top half of the roll on top, pressed it flat with a potato masher, and waited for the cheese to melt. Michael and I both agreed that it tasted delicious, and I made several more. Who needs to spend $100+ on a panini grill when you can squish the sandwich just as flat in a skillet with a potato masher??
On the other end of the spectrum, last night I decided to try my hand at making hollandaise sauce, and to my great astonishment it turned out perfectly! I spent a good bit of time reading up on it online, and it's quite the delicate procedure, requiring patience, deftness, and lots of butter, but the oil and water didn't separate and the meal turned out so perfectly that I had to take a picture:
On the other end of the spectrum, last night I decided to try my hand at making hollandaise sauce, and to my great astonishment it turned out perfectly! I spent a good bit of time reading up on it online, and it's quite the delicate procedure, requiring patience, deftness, and lots of butter, but the oil and water didn't separate and the meal turned out so perfectly that I had to take a picture:
Monday, January 01, 2007
Happy New Year!!
2007 is here! Another year is upon us. This time we didn't go anywhere because of the child's bedtime, although she did make it up past ten, happily running around our own living room. We stayed up til midnight, though, and watched It's a Wonderful Life, made ice cream, and talked about New Years past. This is the fourth New Year's we've spent together since getting married, and I've been pregnant two of them. That always makes my New Year's Resolution (if I took such things seriously) of Losing Weight This Year straightforward.
The sun is shining, the house is clean, and it looks to be a lovely year!
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