| Unintentionally, this video works to pull the post together! |
[Jan. 4th, 2010|10:47 pm] |
One of the most comments I've ever gotten on a Facebook post, was a link to this video, captioned with a simple "I miss the Smashing Pumpkins":
And I do miss them- they're very tied to a specific era and a specific group of friends that was only in my life for a very short time. Mostly I just miss being young and the '90s; one of my friends had a birthday party the other night, and I was jealous of her and her older friend because they lived in the area during the '90s, which still seems overly glamorous to me (and by glamourous, I mean grungey ;)...). Meanwhile, Billy Corgan is dating Jessica Simpson, James Iha is in a band with one of the Hanson brothers, and D'arcy moved to a farm in Michigan and has dropped off the face of the earth except for random call-ins to Chicago radio stations.
( Long thoughts on capital punishment, hunting, and Mennonites )
You know- I can write thousands upon thousands of words in LJ daily, but trying to apply this output level to my novel is ... failing. Miserably. I need to come up with something soon, too. *sigh* |
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| A productive day... |
[Jan. 4th, 2010|09:15 pm] |
Carl and I just got home- we spent all day at the new house. Our nanny doesn't get home until today, and her niece had to go to school today, so I took the day off to watch the baby, and Carl worked from home. So, around 10 a.m., we headed over to the new house to meet the electrician there.
The remodeling thus far, has been an exercise in disappointment. The foundation repair people, while they did stabilize the foundation, did not fix the ... leany-ness of the house. So, now we're talking to the general contractor about potential flooring options to smooth out the 3-inch-ish drop between the northeast and southwest corners of the house. Well, today, the electrician got there, and brought the wrong replacement electrical panel.
Still, I helped Carl take the hardware off of all the cabinets he demo'ed earlier this month while Catelyn slept, and got to enjoy hanging out with Catelyn when she was awake. I like six-month-olds much more than three-month-olds, I think, though you do trade in more awareness of the world for less lengthy naps.
And I got to meet the general contractor, and we worked out a general design for the kitchen, thank goodness! As in a design that will allow us to know exactly what size cabinets we need to order from the cabinet supplier, which is cool. Only thing is is that our contractor seems really attached to getting the cabinets from this one supplier, and they were not very helpful to us this weekend, where another supplier was (there's a cubic ton of cabinet warehouses just south of Seattle's downtown, so we walked the strip). We also found an awesome lighting/hardware store, Rejuvenation, which we'll investigate if our budget ever recovers enough from remodeling a kitchen and bathroom to consider changing around hardware and lighting ;) I mean, with lights like this, how can you not love them?
So we figured out the kitchen design, but we're waffling on the cabinetry. We were going to go with white cabinets and a dark countertop, but white shows traffic, and we have a small kitchen, and painting wood white costs extra. So now we're leaning towards a light wood, probably an oak-ish color. And we think we may have picked out a counter. But who knows, really? So many decisions to make.
Oh, and the worst disappointment of the day? Still no phone chargers. Carl's last phone finally ran out of charge tonight- he thinks he has an extra charger at work, which is good, but I really, really miss my phone. :-/ |
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| You know... |
[Jan. 3rd, 2010|07:02 pm] |
I could really do without this five-day-long one-sided sore throat. I'm having a rough time keeping up with everything; and it's good that I have to take tomorrow off anyway because of the nanny scheduling issue, but seriously... go away sickness! (Doc did a 5 min. strep test, which came back negative, and told me to gargle with aspirin in the most beautiful South African accent. It was the closest to a Grey's Anatomy moment I've ever gotten, though I totally had a moment of wishing I had worn something other than sweats and a ratty t-shirt- heh).
In other news, though, I still managed to go out for a friend's birthday. She invited a few of us out to Habesha. The food was delicious- quite possibly the best Ethiopian I've had in Seattle (and I'm up to four restaurants now, with Habesha). It's hard to beat Pan Africa's location, but Habesha is super-duper tasty.
We wandered around Capitol Hill- she'd planned to go to one bar, but it was far away, and then the first one we tried didn't open until 10:30, and the second and third were small and full. The fourth was half-reserved for a private party, but we managed to get a few beers and curl up next to a pool table. It was interesting to see the other two bars, too- they both looked fun- The Stumbling Monk was one, and the other was... Captain Black's? It was all decorated like a pirate ship and it looked like it had some decent Southern cooking on the menu. I got my okra at the Ethiopian place, though, so I was alright ;) Hush puppies, though... just sayin'
I'm batting very low on my New Year's resolutions- we skipped church today, as Carl has managed to pick up a cold (I'm a little skeptical, but he gets sick at the drop of a hat, so fine, whatever). And I haven't written anything for my novel yet either. Nor have I done much reading. Just lots of hanging out with the baby and laundry and watching episodes of Mercy in between.
I have to say that I really dig going in to feed her one last time around 11 when I go to bed for the night. She's so cute when she's all sleepy- and she nurses much better too- less distracted, and by that time I'm mostly refilled, so to speak. But mostly she's just really, really cute. She's starting to get mama separation anxiety, which is good for her developmental stage, but it's kind of hard on me. Like, if she's in that mood, I can't walk past her while she's playing to put her bottles in the fridge without her crying to be picked up. Poor baby. And I totally pick her up, too- it's not like I'm ignoring her 24/7, but she's definitely more ... clingy? She does it a little bit to Carl, as well, but only if she's really tired. Anyway, it's both cute and annoying, but mostly cute. I'm sure I'll miss the mama-wanting when she's 13 and thinks I'm way too embarrassing to be seen dropping her off at school (she's totally right, and I'm okay with that... haha!).
Alright- off to go finish a few more errands while Carl is out doing the grocery shopping with bebe in tow. It's nice to have a break this weekend- my throat is driving me nuts. :( |
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| Oh, and... |
[Jan. 2nd, 2010|12:17 am] |
My friend ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) write4jesus posted another poem by the same author, Frances Ridley Havergal. I enjoyed it so much that I looked up more of her work, and found this one, which I thought I would share with all of you on the first day of a new decade:
New Year's Wishes
What shall I wish thee?
Treasures of earth?
Songs in the springtime,
Pleasures and mirth?
Flowers on thy pathway,
Skies ever clear?
Would this ensure thee
A Happy New Year?
What shall I wish thee?
What can be found
Bringing thee sunshine
All the year round?
Where is the treasure,
Lasting and dear,
That shall ensure thee
A Happy New Year?
Faith that increaseth,
Walking in light;
Hope that aboundeth,
Happy and bright;
Love that is perfect,
Casting out fear;
These shall ensure thee
A Happy New Year.
Peace in the Savior,
Rest at His feet,
Smile of His countenance
Radiant and sweet,
Joy in His presence!
Christ ever near!
This will ensure thee
A Happy New Year!
–Frances Ridley Havergal |
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| Resolutions 2010 |
[Jan. 2nd, 2010|12:10 am] |
So, the time for New Year's resolutions is upon us. First off, I'd like to resolve to get rid of this horrible sore throat within the next week. It's made it difficult to get into making New Year's resolutions, but I figured I should probably get on it, keeping in mind the verse that jsl32 posted on the subject ;)
( Resolutions 2010 )
Tonight, I am going to wholeheartedly avoid getting started on any of these ;) Being sick sucks, and I really hope we can get me to an urgent clinic tomorrow to find out if this yuck is strep throat or not. Let's pray the baby doesn't get whatever it is... ugh. Oh, and in theory, I will be updating about these goals on the first of every month. I often forget, so if you guys remember, be sure to give me a poke about it!
P.S. Am taking suggestions for the books and/or authors!
___________
In other news, we went to Home Depot and picked out appliances tonight. It wasn't as exciting as it could have been since I'm feeling so icky, but we'll be getting a fridge, oven, washer/dryer and dishwasher to replace the 60's era appliances (I know sarahrae! I'm a little sad, too, but we're hoping to sell them to people who will appreciate them more). They were having a sale, so we saved 10 percent on everything ;) We got a black oven and dishwasher, and a white fridge. Our dishwasher has stainless steel innards, which helps the dishes dry faster, and the stove is one of the electric ones without the coils/metal pieces over the burners- just a flat surface, so cleanup should be easy :D
Oh, and our fridge has a little thinger that spits out water and ice in the door. That was all Carl, though- I was just like "What's the cheapest?" :) I kind of wanted to get a chest freezer too, but I don't know where we would put it, and we should probably see how we do with a full-size freezer before we get anything else. The washer and dryer are side-loading, so we're either going to have our contractor build a platform (hopefully with drawers) for it to sit on top of so it's at arm height when I'm standing straight up, or we're just going to buy the platforms that are pre-made. But we're hoping the contractor can build a custom one a little taller than the pre-made ones so it'll be closer to my height. That's what I'm excited about- no more bending over to get stuff into the dryer ;) It was really hard when I was pregnant, and now I just want the convenience ;)
So, kind of a fun start to 2010, but not as much as it could be with my stupid throat being sucktastic and all. Boo. |
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| Year in Review + Decade in Review! |
[Dec. 31st, 2009|11:02 pm] |
I'm totally going to spend tomorrow coming up with New Year's Resolutions. They're fun, and I miss having something to automatically use as post fodder on the first of the month. But they will be simple and not particularly ambitious this year (not like the year of 50 books!). In the meantime, here's a quick rundown of the last decade- which as one friend pointed out was sort of like my whole life, since it started in high school and ended with a six-month-old ;) But here goes nothing...
( Decade in Review )
( Year in review, with photos! )
Phew- that took a long time! Good thing I didn't post a photo for every year, either ;) |
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| Not prepared... |
[Dec. 30th, 2009|10:06 pm] |
I was totally not equipped to go back to work today, and my body sure let me know. I had a kind of general malaise all day which resolved into a sinus headache, and once I got home, my throat got all weirdly swollenish. The lymph nodes look fine, but things just feel off. Took some Tylenol and some DayQuil and will be attempting to relax all night.
I've been on a grouch all day regarding racism and Christianity and conservatism- it was inevitable, really. Tied up with that is the whole Christian courtship thing which was just gaining steam when Carl and I started dating. And yes, we dated.
I saw a book review from a friend today on something titled What He Must Be if He Wants to Marry My Daughter, and it just gave me the willies. Willies accompanied by a large round of being very thankful to God that my own father didn't discover this whole female offspring as chattel thing when it was starting to get popular. It was irritating enough that he told Carl that he wanted us to wait to get married leading to issues leading to more issues leading right up to the part where my pastor required us to get my dad's permission *again* before he'd marry us thing... but ugh. I just want to puke all over it in so many ways I can't even get into it. There are things about Calvinism that I appreciate but this courtship/submission to father as head of the spiritual household crap? Sooooo obnoxious. I mean, what are people supposed to do when their parents are *not* Christians. Or are not showing evidence of fruits of the Spirit. Or are less spiritually mature than the "He who wants to marry my daughter"?
Okay, I need to stop ranting, and probably go read some feminist theology books so I don't run screaming into the night. *stabby* /rant
Anyway, speaking of my awesome husband- he took the day off to go work on the house and got a whole bunch of stuff done. The general contractor's coming over to start construction on the bathroom/kitchen/water heater/laundry situation next week. Hurrah!
I should probably come up with New Year's Resolutions or 101 in 1001 or something, but I'm barely keeping up with my short list: running, writing, being a good wife and mother, and being a good employee. That's in order of slackage, there. But perhaps I should make a resolution to slack more on more stuff ;) That seems like something I could accomplish. That and rewatching Firefly :) Anyone want to help me come up with some slackeriffic goals that they can help me accomplish?
Also, randomly, I have two friends having birthdays today who both live in Seattle and were born ten years apart! wesa is the only one likely to read this, though, so you should all go wish her a happy birthday! :)
Happy second-to-last day of 2009! |
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| Meanwhile, in baby news... |
[Dec. 29th, 2009|10:33 pm] |
I am trying to stay up late, to get myself back on Pacific time.
One of the biggest highlights of the weekend was that we finally started trying foods beyond rice cereal and oatmeal and the occasional lick of bread. We had let her suck a couple of random citrus fruits and tomato sauce off our fingers and whatnot, but it had been very, very small amounts, just enough to get a taste.
Well, this week turned into food bonanza. We started off with applesauce and tapioca (I didn't realize it had milk and eggs in it, but she seems to have survived, thankfully), and then let her have a taste of cranberry sauce, which made her shudder :D It was pretty cute and funny- my dad got some good pictures.
When we were out to lunch with a friend the next day, I let her try some small pieces of roasted red pepper. We gave her some bananas and tomatoes in a mesh bag thing that lets babies chew/mush things through without choking on them. Today I gave her a little bit of squash, along with some smooshed up beans. And she gummed on some celery at lunch yesterday. We kept feeding her rice cereal throughout to keep her regular, and other than a particularly stinky diaper early on (which I think was more oatmeal than any veggies or the tapioca), she seems to have taken to everything quite well.
I'm sure we're doing things all in the wrong order, and we're probably screwing up her whole system, but she's happy as a clam, and wolfed down the oatmeal we gave her tonight. It's been fun to watch her try new foods. I'll have to get some photos up soon! |
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| Not much to report |
[Dec. 27th, 2009|10:26 pm] |
I never really post here much any more, but I do read my friends page often.
I have been spending the majority of my blogging time on my new blog. It's specifically about my kids, which is why I started a new one, rather than just using this blog. I wanted a fresh start on a new blog. So, here it is. check it out:
The Funny Things Kids Say |
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| Almost home! |
[Dec. 23rd, 2009|07:28 pm] |
We're heading home tomorrow! I'm pretty excited to have CJ's first Christmas :) I will say, though, that I get a little irked by people who tell us to enjoy our first Christmas as a family- we were a family before CJ came along, and will continue to be when she is grown and gone. I get that they mean it nicely, so it doesn't really bug me, but it's one of the things on my list of things not to say to people. Not up there with the "Soooo, when are you guys having kids?" question, but meh :)
I am most thoroughly sick of the Internet, and its drama, and will be happily taking a vacation from it over Christmas. Too many people get too stressed around the holidays, and forget that it's supposed to be a joyful time of peaceful contemplation. Some nights, I just want to shake the peace right into people! ;) Still, in theory, I know that sometimes the Internet and its communities are helpful, and I hope that people can still get good things out of them, even when all I'm getting is a whole lot of frustration.
In other news, can those of you that pray, please pray for my friend Tim King? I don't know him very well, but I wrote a profile of him for Relevant Nation, about his Sleep Out organization. There's an article about it here, and Tim's the guy in the picture. He has pancreatitis and is in the ICU, last I heard. It sounds pretty bad, and Tim is just such a wonderful guy- he's done so much with his life thus far, and I just really want him to get better, so he can continue doing God's work with the homeless and downtrodden. He's younger than me, I think, but still one of my heroes. So pray for him, if you would.
I've had this Jewel song (youtube video) stuck in my head for the last few days.
I hope we have an easy time tomorrow with the travel, and am looking forward to seeing my family and friends back home :) |
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