kapachino

Category: personal

  • Currently

    Time // 4:35 p.m.
    Place // at home in the recliner.
    Eating // trail mix.
    Drinking // water.
    Watching // nothing.
    Reading // Divergent by Veronica Roth.
    Wanting // to pay off our cars and free up some cash flow.
    Thinking // about Meredith’s upcoming first birthday party.
    Creating // a mini book of birth encouragement for a friend.
    Hoping // we all get over our colds soon.
    Needing // to get caught up on Project Life.
    Anticipating // getting started on refinishing some furniture with my dad.

    ***

    I love Saturdays. And Saturdays with coffee are amazing. I’ve been going going going since 6:30 a.m. – done all the laundry, attacked my toilet with a pumice stone (whoa), did dishes, swept the floors, went for a run, showered & shaved, painted my toenails, saw a movie (Blue Like Jazz) with a friend, ordered some pictures, paid bills, picked up our pool tags, read some blogs, and now we’re getting ready to go to dinner with David’s family. The best part is that I don’t have to go to work tomorrow, so with all the chores done I can really relax or get some extra work done!

    Lately I’m so torn with wanting to buy stuff for our house to make it pretty and wanting to save every extra penny to pay off debt. But I realized that there is a way to make a house look pretty on a tight budget, and I’ll just have to put a little extra work into it. My dad is going to teach me to refinish furniture which will open up a whole new world of options for me. I have my eye on some cheap but cute accessories from IKEA. And deep cleaning makes a huge difference too.

    I’m ready to get started. :)

  • On Giving Up Coffee, and Taking It Up Again

    Image from jessicaNdesign’s Etsy shop. And now I need these spoons.

    So I gave up coffee for Lent, and it was beyond difficult, and now I’m drinking it again, and things are again fantastic. That is the short version. Now for the full story:

    I used to hate coffee. I thought it was too bitter and I just couldn’t get it down. I didn’t really have a need for extra caffeine for a long time, and I was proud of that. Water and good sleeping habits saw me through.

    Then I became a nurse. My shift began at 6:45 a.m. and I was having to wake up at 4:30 a.m. to get there on time. I still drank lots of water and went to bed super early, but even though I was a morning person, I wasn’t THAT much of a morning person. The main thing that caused me to seek “help” was the fact that I was routinely falling asleep while driving to work, followed by a complete lack of energy for the first half of my shift.

    It was my dad who encouraged me to try coffee. I continued to refuse, because ew, until things got desperate. I started with the free stuff they had at work, dumping in the cream and sugar. I forced it down and noticed an immediate effect. It was magical!

    Over time I branched out. The first step was to get my own brewer at home so I could have my cup when I first woke up. I discovered that the free stuff at work was actually crap. At this point I still didn’t like coffee, but I didn’t hate it either. It was tolerable. But I kept drinking it, and after awhile I noticed that I looked forward to it. Sometimes the thought of it was enough to get me out of bed in the morning, or even into bed at night.

    By the time I graduated to French Press I was a full-blown coffee lover. I had the equivalent of two cups every morning and then I was good to go for the rest of the day. This is how it went until I got pregnant, when I somehow managed to quit (or only have an occasional cup) until my third trimester when I took it up again. I don’t even remember how I got through that, but probably it had something to do with the fact that my stomach was very sensitive and coffee irritated it more, along with the motivating factor of the health of my baby.

    This year I decided to give up coffee for Lent out of solidarity with my husband, who was giving up sodas. I did no weaning beforehand, and the first few days were seriously miserable. Pounding headaches, sleepy all the time, no energy, and just an all around feeling of hopelessness. I had obsessive thoughts about it – I’m not exaggerating. I took Excedrin, then had to wean off that. I found out just how dependent on the substance I had become.

    I drank coffee on Sundays because it’s the traditional feast day during Lent, and every Monday I had to “come off” it again. By the end of the 40 days I had gotten somewhat used to the lack of caffeine – no more headaches, not quite as tired, feeling more like my normal self – but I never once told myself that I was giving it up for good.

    Yeah, I don’t really like being so dependent on something, and I’m sure I might be a little bit “healthier” without coffee, but I don’t think it’s really that bad for me and I know for SURE that I am a better person when I drink it. This week I have had so much energy! I am going above and beyond at work again. I’m way more on top of things which I believe is safer and nicer for my patients. Then when I come home I still have energy to devote to my family. I am happier, more optimistic, and more productive.

    I fully admit that I am addicted to coffee. But you know what? I don’t care. It’s worth it.

  • Egg Hunt and Other Easter Things

    Am I supposed to be looking for something?

    Because I’ve got this leaf here so really I’m all set.

    Although…these things are bright and shiny. I could get behind that.

    But what am I supposed to DO with them, Lucca?

    Ohh…there’s something inside. Well whatever Cameron has, I obviously want it. You can tell by my grabby little hand, look of intense focus, and tongue that is about to come out of my mouth.

    ***

    It was a fun Easter weekend. Busy, because David had extended family in town – aunt and uncle, cousins, and their little boy Lucca – so we had a lot of gatherings planned. Plus I had to spend some time with my own family too, in addition to doing some baking and the regular weekend chores. But I love our families, the chores got done, and the baked goods were yummy. And Meredith was obviously adorable. So it was good.

    It was also strange, because we still don’t have a “home church.” We decided to go to church with my parents, and it was kind of surreal to be a visitor on Easter Sunday at such a big place. I felt like one of the masses after so many years of being intimately connected to a group that was like a second family.

    Another thing is that on Saturday David’s grandpa fractured his hip. He was playing mini golf with the great-grandchildren and fell off one of the little bridges and hit hard. It wasn’t bad, and the surgery only took fifteen minutes and three pins, and he’s in otherwise good health, but he’s 87 years old and has dementia so the recovery might be tough. Right now he’s in the hospital and not complying very well. So prayers for that are appreciated – especially for his wife and David’s mom who are his primary caretakers.

    Anyway, it’s back to the grind now, but it seems a much easier grind now that I have my daily coffee back. :)

  • Good Things: March 2012

    At the end of each day I write down at least one GOOD thing that happened, then I share them all here monthly.

    ***

    1 – An easy work day

    2 – A favorite patient finishing chemo & giving me a gift card; our A/C getting fixed for only $80

    3 – Walking the Stride for Stroke 5k with work friends; Pappasito’s for dinner and seeing Meredith eat lemons

    4 – Dinner with my parents at 59 Diner

    5 – The adorable artwork Meredith made at daycare, and how she went to bed so easily before 7

    6 – Meredith’s reaction when she saw me at daycare and when David came home, and how she laughed at the dogs

    7 – Playing on the couch with David and Meredith after work

    8 – Meredith being so happy & fun in the evening

    9 – Hanging out with my parents after work; quality time with David at home

    10 – Seeing my friend Emily & her son Elijah

    11 – Scott’s birthday dinner where there was delicious food and I spent a long time playing with Meredith on the floor while the family chatted

    12 – Meredith wanting to play WITH me; scrapbooking & reading time

    13 – A surprisingly easy work day; the drive over & back from David’s parents’ house chatting & laughing together

    14 – Handling a busy work day well; how easy Meredith’s bedtime routine has become

    15 – Family time with all three of us on the floor in the play room

    16 – A patient telling me I did better on his IV than the “expert”

    17 – Touring Bayou Bend; Meredith laughing over and over (more than ever!) dropping her toy, especially when I caught it –  it was a game!

    18 – Buying a new computer

    19 – Getting through the day intact

    20 – Free burgers for lunch with delicious buns

    21 – Home to take care of a feverish baby; she slept in my lap all day forcing me to relax

    22 – New shoes, belts, & headbands

    23 – Feeling so rested and having lots of energy for work

    24 – Getting everything done that I wanted to, plus brunch with Lauren & going running

    25 – A shorter haircut & visiting Emily; meeting a neighbor

    26 – Meredith being so happy to see me – hugs, cuddles, laughs, joy. Making a good dinner that David loved; crafting while he read in the same room.

    27 – Sitting outside with Meredith and reading while she played with the grass

    28 – First church life group game night

    29 – Dinner at my in-laws’ house, Meredith waving to me for the first time

    30 – M crawling a bit; seeing my friends Karlene & Krisann and learning about essential oils

    31 – Craft club, David’s sweet text, getting a 3DS from the lovely Nintendo folks!

  • Photo A Day: March

    I still love this photo a day challenge created by Fat Mum Slim.

    up • bedside • fruit • my neighborhood • a smile
    5 p.m. • something I wore • window • red • loud • someone I talked to today
    fork • a sign • clouds • car • sunglasses • green
    a corner of my home • before/after • delicious • kitchen sink • moon • animal
    breakfast • key • my name • feet • toy • where I relax

    I missed two days this month. One was “funny” because I had a really bad day that day and I wasn’t feeling inspired to find funny anywhere. Another was “trash” because I was super busy that day and didn’t want to just take a picture of a gross or boring trash can. Oh well. I think it’ll be fun to look back and see all these little details of life that I ordinarily wouldn’t give a second thought. Onward to April!