kapachino

Author: Kathleen

  • Some Goals, Sort Of

    Recently, in my coffee-less state (this is important because everything seems worse without coffee), I have started to feel a growing discontent with some areas of my life. Not major things, but little things. I’ve kind of hit a plateau in a lot of areas and it’s bringing me down.

    I don’t have a lot of extra time or money, and I’m really good about cutting myself some slack because of it, but I’m at the point where I think some productivity and changes could really benefit me mentally. Here’s what I’m thinking about:

    Home

    Here is our home. We’ve lived here about three years, and I love it. But we never finished furnishing it, and there are a couple rooms that aren’t being used at all because of it, and more that are just plain boring or ugly. I love being at home, and I want it to be a place that inspires me and makes me happy.

    There are some bigger projects that need to be done: new carpet, new tile, redo or update the bathrooms, and (lower on the priority list) updating the kitchen. But right now I just want to get the whole place furnished and somewhat decorated.

    Thinking about it as a whole is overwhelming, so instead I think I’ll just take it a room at a time. First up is the living room. It gets used a lot, and it’s one of the rooms we’ve done the most with already.

    (Sorry about the bad lighting in these pictures.)

    Here are some things I want to do in this space:

    • Get a large jute rug
    • Style the coffee table
    • Style the mantel
    • Style the buffet area
    • Purchase bar stools
    • Switch out the sheer curtains for something with fresh color
    • Add some plants

    I’m not going to let myself think or stress about the other rooms until I finish with this one.

    Personal Style

    So, I’m not a stylistic nightmare, but I do have a long way to go before I really feel comfortable and confident in this area. I wear scrubs every day so it’s hard to get excited about clothes and accessories when I hardly get to wear them. But I went to a wedding the other weekend and I had a hard time really feeling polished, and I’d like to change that.

    >Hair: I have fine, straight hair that just hangs and won’t hold a curl. I’ve never been very adventurous with it, and I’m not willing to spend much time on it unless it’s for a special event. This weekend I’m going to get it cut, and I’m thinking a bob along these lines:

    Images found here, here, and here.

    At the moment I already have sideswept bangs and they really bother me at work, so I either clip it aside or wear a headband wrap. Once I get it cut I’ll work on how to style it for every day wear and for nice events.

    >Makeup: I have deliberately cut back on the amount of makeup I wear because I like the way I look naturally and I don’t enjoy the process of putting it on. Most of the time I only wear mascara and mineral powder foundation. Sometimes I apply eyeliner and blush. I’m fine with this. However, I want to learn how to look fancy. I want to have the products at my disposal and be able to look a little more glamorous if the mood strikes. If you have recommendations, or have written about your recommendations before, please share!

    >Clothes: This is going to take some work. Although I lost almost all of my weight from pregnancy, the sad truth is that my body will never be the same again. All of my nice things were bought pre-pregnancy, and most of them just aren’t right anymore. I’ve been doing some thinking about what I want my wardrobe to look like, and I’ve determined that I want to stay mostly with a classic, conservative style with elements of sporty and hippie thrown in. I don’t even know if that makes sense, but it sounds good to me.

    Steps to achievement:

    • Go through my closet with a critical eye. Get rid of lots of things. I do this a lot so it shouldn’t be too hard; I’m not overly sentimental about clothes.
    • Consult a wardrobe essentials list and determine the items that I lack (including jewelry, handbags, and shoes – I need it all).
    • Um, save up some money.
    • Shop – preferably sales and thrift stores!

    Lifestyle

    Some other things I want to make an effort towards:

    >Exercise: I’ve been an athlete all my life, and I find myself in a place where I haven’t exercised in a year. I have a really nice bike that is sitting in the garage unused. This is not okay. I really think it’s feasible for me to go running with Meredith in the jogging stroller three times a week right after work, and then take one bike ride on the weekends. I wanted to start this week, but the weather was terrible the first half and then Meredith got sick. Blah.

    >Cooking: I don’t cook. My husband doesn’t cook. What do we eat? Breakfast is oatmeal, lunch is provided for me most of the time (drug companies, woohoo) and if not I have a Lean Cuisine (David eats out), and dinner is something like cereal, sandwiches, eating out, or at a family member’s house. I’m not happy about it, I’m worried about providing food for Meredith, and I don’t know what to do about it. I’ve tried to start cooking before and it never lasts. I don’t even want to think about it, but I’ll have to pretty soon.

    >Church: We’re semi-committed to a new church now, and I think I’m ready to start getting involved and making friends. There’s a small group that is for young families that my friend (and doula!) attends, so I’d like to visit. We also need to start tithing again.

    I guess these are kind of like my goals right now, even though I didn’t set any sort of deadline because that would just stress me out. I’m totally open to any kind of advice or recommendation on anything. I hope to keep updating as I make progress, because progress WILL be made!

  • Women’s Novels

    I just read this piece by Margaret Atwood on novels written for women versus men, and it is good, of course, but this one part stuck out to me and I had to share because YES:

    I no longer want to read about anything sad. Anything violent, anything disturbing, anything like that. No funerals at the end, though there can be some in the middle. If there must be deaths, let there be resurrections, or at least a heaven so we know where we are. Depression and squalor are for those under twenty-five; they can take it, they even like it, they still have enough time left. But real life is bad for you; hold it in your hand long enough and you’ll get pimples and become feebleminded. You’ll go blind. I want happiness, guaranteed, joy all around.

    I’m thirty years old now and I have a kid. I have lots of emotions and worries and fears. Give me Jane Austen any day.

  • meredith at eight months

    She:

    >Is such a chunker. I haven’t weighed her recently, but I think she must be close to her fattest point. She drinks as much breastmilk as ever, plus baby food twice a day.

    >Hasn’t crawled yet, but I can no longer consider her “immobile.” She covers a lot of ground on the floor by pushing up, rocking, and pivoting!

    >Is easy to make smile, and lately has been laughing more. Over the weekend I laughed with her for probably thirty seconds straight, and it was pretty much the best thing ever.

    >Still goes to bed easily and sleeps well. Every night I nurse her to sleep in the dark and lay her down in the crib. Then when I’m ready for bed David picks her up, puts his hand on the back of her head, and brings her in to me.

    >Clearly recognizes people she knows – especially me and David, but also her grandparents. She looks us in the eye and smiles.

    >Loves to stick her tongue out and blow raspberries. Sometimes she blows them on me. One day she’s going to give me a baby hickey.

    >Will pull out any bow or clip that I try to put in her hair within minutes, and immediately put it in her mouth. She has even learned how to take out her ponytails, so I have to send her to daycare with crazy, untamed hair now.

    I:

    >Am still really struggling with the no coffee thing. I’m to the point where I no longer have a perpetual headache, but overall I’m less energetic and happy than I was before. Basically, I think I’m a better person with coffee, and I will be drinking it again for sure after Lent is over.

    >Have had some random emotional moments over the past month. Sometimes I even cry again when dropping Meredith off at daycare. Probably it’s the no coffee thing. (I’m blaming everything on that right now.)

    >Am starting to feel really guilty about the fact that I never cook. It’s sad that I can’t remember the last time I did. I mean, Meredith won’t be eating baby food forever; at some point I’m going to have to provide regular nutrients for her that don’t come from a breast, and I’m really stressed out about it.

    >Am in denial about babyproofing. I won’t do it until I have to. Until then, I think I’ll just watch her and move stuff out of the way.

    >Got my hair cut a week ago – just a trim and some long sideswept bangs – and I’m already ready for a bigger change. I’m going to chop it off, I just need to pick a style.

    >Decided to put the money I’ve been saving each month for a computer toward clothes and home decor instead. I realized that my personal style is sorely lacking since I wear scrubs all the time, and our house is barely even half finished. I need it to be my happy place.

    >Really wish I could work part-time. But I can’t. So I try not to think about it. I just want more time with this little girl:

    Tumbles happen when you’re learning to crawl.

    The video below is a great example of what Meredith is like right now. She makes me so, so happy.

    For reference:

    No months
    One month
    Two months
    Three months
    Four months
    Five months
    Six months
    Seven months

  • New Computer!

    Today I said goodbye to my faithful old computer, seen above. It’s lasted me six years and is still chugging along. It got me through nursing school and made it through at least one crashed hard drive. But as you can see, it’s seen better days. That huge black gash in the screen is actually a bend that has gotten bigger over time, and I have been dealing with it for a year.

    I have been saving up for over a year for a new computer, and now I’m writing you from my brand new MacBook Pro. It’s wonderful to be able to see everything on the screen. Who knew? I’m really proud because this is delayed gratification at its finest. I could have bought this computer on credit long ago, but I was determined to pay in cash and I did it. I can enjoy my purchase without guilt because I know we can afford it. Yay!

    I’ve also started the process of a blog redesign. My brother is a web designer, and he recently quit his job to go freelance, so he actually has time to do this for me now. Although, I still have no idea how long it will take him.

    In non-techie news, I was feeling kind of down today and I didn’t know why. So I made a list of all the things I wasn’t content with in my life. They aren’t major, but there’s a lot of little things that I want to work on. I’ll probably be talking about them more soon. Thankfully the list doesn’t include my marriage, family, friends, or church. And one thing I’ve already taken action on – I pumped up the tires of the jogging stroller AND my bike, so exercise begins this week!

  • introducing project life & 2012 weeks 1 – 6

    I started Project Life on my birthday at the beginning of February. It’s a scrapbooking system that can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be. It uses a 3-ring binder, photo protector pages, your photos, and journaling cards. There are special Project Life kits and supplies that you can buy, or you can just recreate it on your own.

    I really love it. I’ve never kept up with a scrapbook before, but this seems sustainable. It’s been five weeks and I’m going strong. I do one spread (two 12 x 12 pages) per week, and I usually put it all together on the weekends in about two sittings.

    Here’s the front page (click on the pictures to make them bigger):

    The week of February 5 – 11 (including my birthday):

    February 12 – 18 (including Valentine’s Day):

    February 19 – 25 (Meredith turned 7 months):

    February 26 – March 3:

    March 4 – 10:

    So I almost didn’t post about this at all, because so many of my ideas for this are taken directly from Elise. The top left pocket with the date on the kraft paper circle, the weekly quote, the list of the week’s happenings, and the labeling are all inspired by her. I’m not an original person, but I do like to craft. So I take other people’s ideas and make them my own.

    My album isn’t the most detailed, creative, or cool, but I like it. If I had more time I would have a blast adding little things here and there, but I don’t. I take pictures and keep odds & ends throughout the week. On Saturday I choose pictures (I print them using Snapfish and pick them up at Walgreen’s) and get a basic layout. On Sunday I put it all together.

    I don’t know if anyone is even interested in the supplies I use, but here’s some basic information. I already had some scrapbooking supplies around because I’m in a monthly craft club that focuses on making cards. I decided not to buy the Project Life kit, because I figured I could make it more like I want it on my own, but the kit is great if you don’t have any supplies or if you don’t feel like getting creative with it. I did buy the big pack of Design A page protectors because I liked the layout.

    My binder is American Crafts. I use a Fiskers corner rounder and paper cutter. I have a few punches from Stampin’ Up (tag, circle, heart) that I use frequently. I got some washi tape, some labels, some stickers, and I cut out cute patterns from magazines to add interest. I try not to spend too much money on it and use what I have.

    Let me know if you want more details about anything. I’m going to try and get my act together to post my progress (with clearer and more detailed photos) every week or two.