kapachino

Category: personal

  • Currently

    We’ve had the most gorgeous sunsets here recently. Captured this one from my parents’ house on Friday.

    Time // 9:10 a.m.
    Place // at home in my office/craft room.
    Eating // nothing at the moment.
    Drinking // precious, precious coffee.
    Watching // just finished season 2 of Parks & Recreation last night.
    Reading // Bee Season by Myla Goldberg.
    Wanting // new carpet, always.
    Thinking // about all we have to do today.
    Creating // last week’s Project Life.
    Hoping // to incorporate my crafting on the blog.
    Needing // to not be addicted to caffeine anymore.
    Anticipating // the newcomer’s luncheon at the church we’ve been going to. And chocolate ice cream.

    ***

    So I mentioned that I gave up coffee and chocolate for Lent, right? Well I’m five days in and I haven’t caved yet, but you guys it’s SO HARD. I am completely addicted to caffeine. I only have 1-2 cups of coffee a day but it hugely affects me immediately, and if I don’t have it I get pounding headaches. I couldn’t go cold turkey so I’ve been taking Excedrin daily. I mean, I have to wake up at 5 a.m. every day, drive an hour to work, and administer chemo. I started drinking coffee when I became a nurse and it’s what has helped me through to this day. I gave it up somehow when I was pregnant but now I don’t have the same kind of motivation. Oh, and chocolate is super hard to resist too, considering it’s basically the only type of sweet that I like. This is how I found myself drinking a Coke on Friday afternoon, which is rare for me.

    ***

    I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about how I spend my time, and over the past week I’ve come to settle into a routine that I think will work for me. When I’m not at work I devote myself completely to Meredith until she falls asleep. Sometimes she enjoys playing independently and I’m able to do a little crafting. Then if there’s time before bed David and I have been watching a little TV together. On Saturdays I do the week’s chores, play with Meredith a ton, and still usually have time for hobbies. David does errands, and then Sunday is more of a family day. I do most of my reading for pleasure during the week here and there. One thing I still haven’t figured out is how to incorporate cooking into our daily lives. I feel like this will always be a struggle for me.

    ***

    Project Life has really been great for me so far. It satisfies my urge to document life as well as work with my hands and doesn’t take too much time. It has renewed my interest in other crafts as well. I’ve also been doing some cross stitch, card making, and soon I hope to start embroidering as well. Eventually I may decide to learn how to knit, crochet, and sew, but one thing at a time. I want to start sharing these projects with you too, so look for that soon.

    ***

    Time to get ready for church. Sundays are feast days during Lent (hence why I’ve had my morning coffee) and I’ve never loved them so much!

  • Currently

    Meredith and her Gigi (David’s grandmother) watch the boys play last week.

    Time // 6:11 p.m.
    Place // at home in my office/craft/storage room.
    Eating // …two pieces of Russell Stover chocolate. You caught me.
    Drinking // water.
    Watching // Meredith play with toys on the ground.
    Reading // A Turn of the Screw by Henry James.
    Wanting // a new computer. (For any rich benefactors out there: a MacBook Pro, please.)
    Thinking // about what is making Meredith fuss right now.
    Creating // a really cheesy, flowery cross stitch of our wedding date.
    Hoping // my yearly skills check-off at work tomorrow isn’t too hard.
    Needing // a new children’s or young adult fantasy series to listen to.
    Anticipating // a shopping trip this weekend for beauty products, craft supplies, shoes, and baby clothes.

    ***

    Remember my Currently series? For awhile I did it every month, and then it was every few months, and now…well, obviously I haven’t done it in awhile. My life is so scheduled right now with being a full-time working mom that none of my hobbies can afford to be. I fit them in when I can, and that includes blogging, reading, and crafting (my three main “me” activities right now). I definitely do make time for them, but I just have to be flexible.

    My point is that with blogging right now, I can’t stick to any kind of schedule. The only thing I try to write about in a timely manner is Meredith’s monthly updates, and that’s really just for my future benefit. But I’m really into finding new and effective ways to document life, and I did like my Currently series because it provided a snapshot of my life at that point. I’m even using some of the same questions to include in Project Life, and I’m getting my husband to answer them too. But for the blog, I’m revamping it a little. Instead of posting monthly, I’m going to do it whenever I feel like it. Maybe that’s every week (doubtful) or maybe every few months (more likely). The format is slightly different as you see (I got the new one from this blog), but still the same idea.

  • Thirty!

    Guess, what? I’m thirty years old today. Hooray!

    It’s a milestone. Kind of a big one, although I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because 30 seems so…adult. So…old? Nah. I don’t feel old. I mean, I’ve been living like a grandma for years, but I feel great.

    Nevertheless, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting on this birthday. Kind of evaluating my life, and I’ve come to the conclusion that it is fantastic. I’m healthy. I’m married to a man with a heart of gold who loves me like I never dreamed I would be loved. We have an adorable, healthy baby who gives us endless joy. We have amazing families who are our best friends. I have a steady job that is challenging and fulfilling. These and many, many other blessings.

    My life isn’t perfect. I wish we were out of debt and had money to travel and save for retirement and Meredith’s future. I wish I didn’t have to work so much and that my job wasn’t so far away. I wish I had more time for hobbies. I wish I could figure out how to cook on a regular basis. Like anyone, my relationships have their struggles. But all of these things are trivial compared to the good in my life.

    I wish I was at a point where I could make some concrete goals for the next year, or even month – but I’m trying to be true to myself and right now I know that would just stress me out. I’m happy with the way things are going, though. I’m doing really well documenting life lately – I’ve started Project Life, am taking lots of photos, capture at least one good thing a day as well as writing down what happened that day. I’ve lost over half of the weight I gained while pregnant and am back into my pre-pregnancy clothes. I find time to read. I soak up my time with David and Meredith. We are looking hard for a new church.

    I’m just really, really happy to be alive. And I think thirty is going to be the best year yet.

  • Good Things: January 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 – A quiet morning just Meredith and me, and an easy drive home from Irving where we spent NYE.

    2 – David making dinner.

    3 – Rocking Meredith to sleep and watching her just lie in my lap, doze, nurse, and smile.

    4 – Prayer time while pumping & being filled with joy and peace.

    5 – Dinner at Scott & Vanessa’s with the whole family.

    6 – A patient (another RN) complimenting my needlestick technique, starting a difficult IV, and Meredith napping on my lap when I picked her up from Grammy’s house.

    7 – The Texans winning their first playoff game on David’s birthday; my good friend Carmen’s wedding.

    8 – Forbes birthday dinner (for David, my sister-in-law, and my nephew).

    9 – Getting through the day as charge nurse without any problems; finishing and truly enjoying The Marrige Plot.

    10 – An argument with David turning into a good conversation about how we can show our love better.

    11 – The whole evening at home with David.

    12 – Meredith’s milk experiment (giving less per feeding with snacks in between if needed) going well at daycare; David making Meredith laugh a lot before bed.

    13 – Doing a crossword puzzle at lunch.

    14 – Getting the house cleaned; Meredith napping in my lap.

    15 – Going to a church that David and I both liked.

    16 – A nice evening with David: sitting down to dinner together and helping each other with chores.

    17 – Finishing a book; Meredith nursing to sleep in my lap (apparently this is one of my favorite things).

    18 – My niece Lily was born! Ending the day with some paper crafting.

    19 – Meredith actually swallowing a bite of banana.

    20 – Relaxing on the couch with David; scrapbooking research.

    21 – Brunch with my good friend Lauren at Happy Fatz.

    22 – Mom’s birthday lunch with the whole family.

    23 – Taking Meredith’s 6-month pictures & video – she was in such a good mood!

    24 – Bell-ringing ceremony (for completing chemo) for one of my favorite patients.

    25 – Slow day at work and being able to leave 2 hours early.

    26 – Meredith falling asleep so quickly at night.

    27 – Meredith laughing when I kissed her all over.

    28 – Making a lot of progress organizing the craft room.

    29 – Church legacy celebration.

    30 – Putting Meredith’s hair in pigtails and seeing everyone’s reactions to how cute it is.

    31 – Meredith playing in her crib alone and falling back asleep, providing me with time to work on my cross stitch project.


  • thoughts on free time

    It’s Saturday morning and I’m feeling overwhelmed. It’s the first day in a long while that I don’t have a single plan. Not a thing on my to-do list. I’ve been looking forward to it eagerly.

    Meredith woke me up at 5 a.m. and I managed to stay in bed with her until around 6. We got up, I had coffee and oatmeal, and we played. I sat with her on the couch and finished a book while she chewed on her toys. It was good.

    Then I cleaned the kitchen. I knew I’d feel better once that was done. I tidied up the living room, but that didn’t take long. I thought that I needed to sweep the floor, do laundry, and vacuum, but I didn’t feel like it right then. Meredith needed attention.

    I picked her up and we walked around the house. We went into the extra room that I use for an office/craft room, and my head began spinning. I want to organize it. I want to work on several creative projects. I want to purge our house of the things we don’t need. I want to clean it from top to bottom. I want to read more books. I want to catch up on blogs and write and take pictures. I want to cook more and exercise. But I just have one day of free time, and Meredith needs me frequently. What should I do?

    I walked out of the craft room. I sat down to write this. The dogs are barking and it is annoying me. I feel on edge. Anxious for no reason. I’m going to take a shower now, to clear my head.