Category: personal

around here // blah

I am recovering from the major blahs. Last week started off with pinkeye followed up with a sore throat, neither of which got me out of work. I have also been plagued by recurrent, almost constant sores on my tongue and inside of my mouth for the past six months and last week they were really bothering me and were enough to make me cry. No idea why I am so susceptible to them but I hate it. Plus I’ve been having these random dizzy spells, possibly related to that time of the month although they are a recent development.

So for most of last week I had little to no energy above and beyond what I needed to get through the basics of the day (sometimes barely even that) and I was also pretty emotional. I didn’t blog or do anything creative because I was feeling supremely uninspired and not excited at all about anything. Then Meredith got sick with a cold and mild ear infection starting on Friday so we tried our best to take it easy all weekend although she was so uncomfortable she coughed and cried all night so we didn’t get much rest. I am tired.

Extra coffee helped, as did a helpful husband to take over the regular chores and parents who love to babysit. One exciting thing that happened was the birth of my new niece Karley. We got to visit her on Friday evening before Meredith’s sickness really hit but because of that we haven’t been able to go back. Meredith loved seeing the real life “baby” (one word she knows really well) although she was NOT a fan of mommy holding anyone other than her.

Despite all this I did manage to get some other stuff in. I finished a Project Life spread and realized that I need to clear off my desk because most of the stuff there I rarely use anymore. I made some slow progress on my current cross stitch project. I got a lot of cutting done for the quilt, and I made it to book club.

Most of the weekend was just spent coddling Meredith though. There were lap naps and some kitchen play and blocks and book reading and lots and lots of holding. I can’t complain too much about that, it was pretty great. And outside it was gloomy and a bit windy/cold so I didn’t feel like we were missing much by staying in. Although I am tired today, I am also optimistic because this is a short week (we get Friday off) and then soon after that is my week off! So nice to have that to look forward to.

Hope you are all having a happy Monday. :)

March 25, 2013
all the things

1. So yesterday David and I were having a really blah day so in order to salvage it we decided to go for a family shopping trip. We don’t usually do hardly anything on weeknights because it’s just too much but it was needed. We went to Target, of course, got a Starbucks and popcorn in the store, let Meredith ride in the back of the cart, and just browsed.

2. One of the things we bought was a new backpack for Meredith. The picture above shows her old backpack, which I love, and she loves, and she always runs to it when I pick her up, and it’s a cute little pink mouse, and oh the nostalgia of being me as a mom, because it was very, very hard for me to get a new backpack even though the old one is all beat up and torn and the zipper was coming off.

3. We also ordered her these shoes because they were out of stock in her size, and apparently they’re the most popular kid shoe ever, or something.

4. Then I dragged David into Ulta and as soon as we got in he told me he didn’t know how long he’d last, and I browsed their selection of natural facial moisturizers because mine is out and I didn’t find one at Target, but all theirs were either way too expensive or not natural enough, and why is it so hard to find the perfect product I ask you?

5. We were letting ourselves shop because David won a small amount of money on a scratch-off lottery ticket (shut up they are fun ok). Also I realized I had a Visa gift card from my birthday I hadn’t spent so I ordered this cross stitch kit and now I’m contemplating how to spend the rest, on something fun like stamps or boring but necessary to complete my projects like picture frames.

6. One reason yesterday started off so blah for me is that I was listening to The Fault In Our Stars on my drive to work and despite there being a lot of really funny and uplifting parts to it, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s about kids with cancer and I hit the point yesterday that was really freaking sad and I was just hopelessly crying and trying not to ruin my mascara, and then I had to come and face more cancer all day. I knew I shouldn’t have read this book.

7. So even though I’m on the last disc of that book I decided to listen to the Joy the Baker podcast this morning instead and I was much happier and had a better day.

8. I didn’t think I’d love Joy the Baker’s podcast as much as everyone else because she’s primarily a food blogger and I’m not a foodie by any means and I don’t cook or bake for fun and I didn’t want to listen to a podcast about baking but turns out it’s about regular stuff! And it’s awesome!

9. So now I follow the blogs of Joy the Baker & Tracy from Shutterbean even though they’re mostly food blogs because I like them and sometimes they write about other stuff. Also they don’t make me cry.

10. Another book that is not making me cry is Katherine by Anya Seton. I am so digging the historical romance thing right now, even though it’s taking me forever to finish because I am pretty much only reading on the shuttle ride from my car to work and back which is about 20 minutes a day.

11. It’s almost Friday. Supposed to be a doozy at work but it’s doable knowing the weekend is around the corner.

March 14, 2013
around here // weekend

Really good weekend. I got the quilt fabric all prepared – trimmed, washed, dried, and ironed. Ready to cut!

Spent several hours with my good friend Lauren on Saturday shopping. We walked around Highland Village and spent a gift card that Lauren gave Meredith and came home with an awesome new chair for her that we never would have sprung for otherwise. Meredith is obsessed with it and was super happy all day.

Lately I started letting Meredith sit on my lap for dinner when she’s fussy just to make it through the evening, and unfortunately she now refuses to sit in her high chair. I should have seen that one coming. In truth I don’t mind too much but it’s also kind of ridiculous.

Made my second batch of refrigerator oatmeal. The first time around I went strictly by the recipe but it was too runny and yogurty for my taste so I made some adjustments; it has such potential so I hope this one turns out well.

Started a new cross stitch project in an effort to have one going at all times. This one is a Victorian floral and it has lots of different colors so it should be fun and a nice change from my last project. The beginning of a new one is always so pathetic though.

Here’s to a good week!

March 11, 2013
cross stitch #1 : welcome

Okay! Today I finally have my first cross stitch project to share.

This is a pattern that I kind of improvised. I saw something like it in a thrift store, took a picture, and made my own. I chose the colors based on another painting we have hanging in our entryway. I also framed it really quickly so pay no attention to the wrinkles; obviously I have some practice to do. And can you spot the mistake in the second E? I got careless while I was watching a movie and decided it wasn’t worth the trouble to fix it.

And here is where I hung it up. Someone is testing her boundaries in this photo, seeing if she can escape outside. :)

Later that day after I hung this up David pointed it out to me on his own with no prompting on my part and told me that he likes it. So! Success in my book.

March 6, 2013
march goals

Whew. For the past several weeks I’ve felt very off-kilter in my routines, in my relationships, and in my goals. In March I want to get back on track. The first two goals are specifically targeting my relationship with David. I am not going to have my phone out in front of him (or anyone else, including Meredith) at all because I want to be giving my full attention. The Love Dare is a book I got as a gift years ago that I barely gave a second thought to other than assuming it was totally cheesy. But last week I pulled it out and discovered that it has a lot to offer. Each day you read a couple pages about one aspect of love, followed by a challenge to act on that day, and then a space for journaling. It’s actually 40 days long and I’ve already started it, but I want to continue it this month.

Then we have my monthly quilt goal; originally I wanted to aim for getting ALL the cuts done, but I’ve never done this before and I don’t know how long it’ll take me so I settled for half. Once I get started on this it will deserve a post of its own.

Honor the speed limit is something that’s been brewing in my mind for awhile. I am not a reckless driver but I tend to go a little faster than the rest of traffic and I really just want to slow down and be more cautious in general. I feel like driving is a good starting point. My intention is not to be annoyingly strict with this, but to be aware of what the speed limit is and stay within 5 mph or so of it.

I threw the “just for fun” craft or project in there because I’ve been feeling very inspired creatively lately, but haven’t had a chance to act on it. I want to make time to do something extra this month. We’ve been behind financially for a little while and this month we’ll finally be able to get caught up and start saving again. That will feel so good. And finally: the weather has been beautiful, Meredith loves riding in her stroller, we need to be more active, and family walks are the perfect way to spend time together.

Here’s to spring being right around the corner.

March 1, 2013