Refreshing

I got in a morning run this morning for what seems like the first time in ages. It's so refreshing and energizing to be up and out before the rest of the world wakes up. It's nice too when the temperature on the last morning of 2010 is 45 degrees.

My mom keeps a journal where she record weather and daily farm happenings (like dates of planting and harvest). I have a Garmin watch that keeps track of my distance and pace and though I could easliy download this information, I never have. Maybe I'll start keeping cumulative statistics in 2011.

Distance: 2.53 miles don't judge, it's been a looong time coming to even get out
Time: 26:20 so just a tad over 10/minutes a mile. I'm ok with that for now.Weather: 45 degrees, breezy

One upcoming resolution is to be more positive and confident about myself. No need to add the negative comments to everything. Just let it be what it is, right?

Wrapping Paper Fun

This could have gone on forever.

Brain Dump

I finally ordered Christmas cards last Saturday and they arrived yesterday...now, onto addressing them and buying stamps...I half completed my goal of family photo cards (on my list of new holiday traditions) by only including the little guy in the photo...the husband wasn't so interested in actually being on the card...speaking of which, we really do not have any photos of the three of us...

my sister got engaged a few weeks ago, and I saw her and her fiance last night for the first time since the big question was asked...yay! for her...our parents are, of course, pressuring her do things the expected way..."what, you're not going to get married in a church?" and "if you don't have the wedding here, grandma might not be able to come" and so forth...I know that it may not sound so bad in writing, but really they have a way of pushing the limits...I told my sister not to give in and I hope she doesn't...she asked me to be her matron of honor and I accepted....woohoo! I've actually never been in a wedding before...I wonder if this is means I have no friends???...I asked if I could design her invitations, programs, etc...her response: you're hired, go for it, and can you do the centerpieces too...so exciting...now to start collecting ideas...my head is spinning already

santa is coming to the little guy's daycare tomorrow and I can't wait to see his reaction...so fun...I also took tomorrow afternoon off in an attempt to finish off some Christmas shopping

Dylbug

How awesome is this? I won a giveaway from DesignMom for a personalized Christmas onesie from Dylbug. So excited! (Never mind the fact that I'm a week behind on this one.)

Thanks Design Mom and Dylbug.

Six Months

This little guy is six months old today. I can hardly believe it! Happy Half-Birthday Wyatt!

You are so big. Your dad and I were just looking at your newborn photos and it's amazing how much you've changed and grown. You love to smile and blow bubbles. You can mostly sit up on your own, though you are still working on your rolling. Your favorite toy is your set of keys. You've been eating rice and oatmeal as well as sweet potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, peaches and pears. You've been a joy and I can't wait to see who you become!

Spray Paint...my new best friend

I've not really spray painted any large or significant item before. A frame or two here or there, but no real furniture. On Veteran's Day, I made it my mission to update a few chairs that have been sitting in my basement collecting layer upon layer of dust since 2004. Six years!

A Thanksgiving of eight semi-required this action, but I've been wanting to do this for years. Afer some internet blog research, I discovered that a hand-held manual spray paint gun might be my ticket.

Light sanding, a coat of gray primer, and two coats of black satin spray paint later, they look great! Really, I am so happy with them. I spray painted two out of the four chairs and I couldn't be happier. Both are now in my dining room, but could be pulled into my living room when and if needed. In the spring, once temps return to something above 50 degrees, I think I'll give them a light sanding with a super-fine grit sanding pad to clean up a few small drips and then add another light coat of black satin followed by a coat of poly.

Of the two remaining chairs, I have a plan to paint at least one bright yellow for the guest room/office.

(For the life of me, I cannot get that last picture to rotate. And, this post layout is horrific. It's driving me nuts!)

Sweetie Pumpkin and an Apple Pie

It's November already...and not only that, it's the END of November already. I can't keep up. Hmm...the reoccurring theme of my life.

Anyway, Wyatt was the sweetest, plump-est (helped by the cold temps and extra layers of clothes), happiest pumpkin ever for Halloween. What a sweetie pumpkin!

The apple pie was a success. And, it really was easy, no lie. I tasted it too and decided that I could tolerate it after all, though the "before" mixture of raw apples, cinnamon and sugar still tastes better to me.

Easy as Pie

I love baking. It's relaxing and an often needed stress reliever for me. But, I've never made a pie. Never. (Well, I've made frozen pies with purchased graham cracker crusts but this is not a "real" pie.) Mostly, I am scared of the crust making component. I've considered buying pre-made crusts but somehow thought that it might be cheating. Though, if I purchase graham cracker crusts, purchasing a pastry crust is really the same idea, right?

So, I'm going to do it. I'm going to make a pie. A real, bona fide, ligitimate pie. An apple pie at that. I will earn some serious husband brownie points. He loves apple pie, whereas I'm not an apple or any kind of warmed up/cooked fruit pie fan. (Husband thinks this is ridiculous considering that I grew up on a farm in the rural midwest.)

So, I've been purusing apple pie recipies. A Saturday morning trip to the farmer's market should stock me up on apples.

Clover Lane
Whisk Kid
Pioneer Woman / Tasty Kitchen
Smitten Kitchen

Additional apples will go into the making of the little guy's first applesauce.

City Plates

Landscape Architecture + maps + plates on wall = LOVE.

These city plates by Rios Clementi Hale Studios in LA are amazing.

Available at notNeutral (set of 4 for $190) or Uncommon Goods ($50 a pop). Unfortunately, this isn't in my I-work-in-higher-education-and-have-a-mortgage-and-car-payments-and-daycare-expenses budget. Ideas for a DIY version, however, are brewing.

If I were in the market to purchase these, I'd snag Berlin, New York, Chicago, London, Paris, and Montreal for sure.

Weekend Recap and a Few Firsts

Even though it's now almost Thursday, the past weekend deserves a mention. The weather was warm, sunny and generally fabulous. We spent Sunday lounging in the backyard. I think I've only sat on the back patio two or three times this whole summer. We spread a blanket on the grass and played with the little guy.

The little guy had a few firsts this week too. Over the weekend, I think he finally "got" the spoon. So far, he's been able to down some rice cereal and pumpkin. Tonight I pureed some sweet potatoes for him; we'll try those tomorrow. Also, he's started grabbing his feet this week and tonight he finally rolled over (tummy to back) all by himself for the first time.

Summer versus Autumn

Though summer is my favorite season, I find that I am increasingly enjoying autumn as each year passes. I don't think autumn will ever be my absolute favorite since it leads into winter (and winter I'm not sure I will ever love), but it's growing on me.

I came across this poem today and thought it was worthy of remembering in the future.

“I am rich today with autumn's gold,
All that my covetous hands can hold;
Frost-painted leaves and goldenrod,
A goldfinch on a milkweed pod,
Huge golden pumpkins in the field
With heaps of corn from a bounteous yield,
Golden apples heavy on the trees
Rivaling those of Hesperides,
Golden rays of balmy sunshine spread
Over all like butter on warm bread;
And the harvest moon will this night unfold
The streams running full of molten gold.
Oh, who could find a dearth of bliss
With autumn glory such as this!”
     -Gladys Harp

Fill in the Blank Friday

1. Blogging is a challenge for me. I'm a very private person, but some piece of me needs a connection and I see this whole blogging world as one I'd like to be a part of.

2. A current fashion trend I wish I was brave enough to wear is tall boots with skinny jeans tucked in. I'm not sure I'll ever be comforatble even trying skinny jeans on, but I love the look on others.

3. My greatest accomplishment in life thus far is giving birth.

4. If I had to choose between a mountain or a beach vacation I'd choose a mountain vacation hands down. I think know I'd get bored at the beach; I'd rather be hiking and climbing.

5. A talent I wish I had is being able sing. I love the emotion of it and listening to others who are so talented.

6. A talent I do have is baking(?), and of course, being able to eat my baked goods too.

7. This week seemed long, but tomorrow is Saturday and I get to row at a regatta despite being out of the rowing scene pretty much all year.
 
Found this here via here and decided to join in.

Four Months

I missed taking Wyatt's four month pictures by a little over a week, but that's still better than I did with his three month pictures. Today was his four month check-up with shots (which he didn't even cry about). He now weights 16 pounds, 7 ounces.

And for good measure...

Finding Time

I have post-its, notebook pages and brainwaves full of things I want to post/say, pictures I want to share, and more. Yet I seem to have difficulty finding the time to do everything or anything at all. Maybe though, it's not really about finding the time, but rather being purposeful with my time. I need to find some balance and a way to feel like I can enjoy the little guy but also write, create and share.

Book-marked

Throughout all the baby showers, I asked for children's books as gifts. I really wanted books more than anything. I think I was raised mostly on Little Golden Books and Sesame Street books. My cousin and his wife gave us The Giving Tree. Surprisingly, I've never read this before. It's sad. Or at least it makes me sad.

My mother-in-law gave us The Runaway Bunny, which I had also never read as a child. I just read this one for the first time and it's also sad.

My collection of children's books is still small, but I was excited to find this post on A Cup of Jo. I haven't had a chance to read through all the comments yet, but I'm excited to make note of everyone's suggestions.

Keeping Up

Ahh...my intentions are good, but by follow through is not. I have ideas for blog posts daily, but lack the time and inspiration to actually sit down and write. And I like to write so why am I not bothered enough to actually do it?

Today though...I have about 30 hours of FML left so I decided to take this afternoon off just for myself. I'm head to the boathouse to row (for the fourth time this year). My rowing attempt on Tuesday evening was called off due to threatening skies and thunder. Today, however, is beautiful.

Lots to do, of course. The in-laws are coming tomorrow. I have floors to dust (good thing Wyatt can't crawl yet; by necessity, my house might be cleaner when he does). I have cookies to make.* I have chicken spaghetti to stir up for the in-laws to eat while they are babysitting tomorrow (the husband and I will be at the Ohio State v. Miami game). I have laundry to fold. Milk to pump. A stovetop to clean. More milk to pump. Etc.

But, I am taking the rest of the afternoon for me.

*Cookies were made once, but we ate them all. All of them. Really, it's true. I probabaly ate 75% of them myself. So I have to start again...

Great Aunt Martha's Coffee Cake, Attempt #1

Failure.

I figured this might take some time to get right, but I didn't quite expect to fail so badly the first time. My shortening wouldn't melt, and the dough didn't really seem to rise all that much. But at least I tried...better luck next time?

Back At It

After 11 and a half weeks at home with the little guy, today is my last day at home. I am excited about retunring to work; I'm looking forward to interacting with other people and feeling a sense of accomplishment at completing work-related tasks.

The first two months at home were really hard! I'm used to being quite active and on the go. Instead, I found myself struggling as I sat on the couch feeding or holding the little guy and watching Living with Ed, Renovation Nation, A Baby Story/Bringing Home Baby, and Say Yes to the Dress. During that time, I rotated between about three outfits consisting of t-shirts and running shorts. Before having the little guy, I didn't really think it was possible to have a day where I didn't even have time to take a shower or brush my teeth, but it's true and it happened!

The last few weeks have been better though. The little guy isn't crying as much and he's become more interactive. We can spend a good 30-45 minutes playing in the morning when he wakes up before he even wants to eat. In the past week or so, he's also (finally!) developed something of a nap pattern, taking one nap during our walk in the morning and another mid-afternoon.

Despite comments from the parents and in-laws, I do not feel guilty about taking him to child care. I really do think it will be good for him in the long run. I do, however, feel challenged about having a 45 hour/week job and knowing that he'll be spending more of his waking hours at child care than he will at home. But for me and my personality, I know that I will cherish my time with him even more when I do see him and spend time with him in the evenings and on weekends. I am anxious about the first day/week in terms of dropping him off, picking him up, and learning the whole process as well as developing our routine.

Lake Erie Vacation

We spent a few days last week at Lake Erie. Activities consisted of eating plenty of food, jaunts on a golf cart, a few morning runs through East Harbor State Park, and stroller rides for the little guy. It was nice (for me) to get out of the house for a few days. I'm not sure I can completely count this as a vacation, but it's the closest thing I'm going to get for now.

Back on the Water...

After an eight-month pregancy related hiatus, I made it back on the water yesterday. The water was perfectly flat, so I decided to brave a single and I was pleasantly surprised at how easy and comfortable it felt. I hoping to get one or two rows per week in for the rest of the season.

Big Boy

Yesterday was the little guy's two month check-up. He's certainly growing!

Weight: 12 lbs, 13 ozs (that's a 3 lbs, 1 oz gain in just one month)
Length: 23 1/2"

Some of his 0-3 months clothes don't fit anymore, though it greatly depends on the item/brand. The plain white Gerber onsies (which I love!!) are definitely too small.

Small(?) Obsession

My post-partum craving (can I actually blame this on my post-partum status?): Sonic. Specifically, a regular Snickers Blast.

Today, I looked up the calorie/fat count. (You don't want to know.) Sonic coupled with my large gift box of Cheryl's Cookies sure makes for a good diet. The good news is that the cookies are all gone.

Cute Hat

Found this adorable hat earlier today at SoBo's sidewalk sale. I can't wait for the little guy to sport it this fall/winter.

Two Months

Yum...

A box of these arrived today.

What a happy and delicious gift from my cousin and her family.

So, I'll postpone my diet and exercise plan until next week. I might as well wait until August, right?

Today

It's hot today; 95-ish degrees. This morning we walked to the farmer's market and picked up some sweet corn, green beans, zucchini, and red potatoes.

This afternoon I'm making Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins from this recipe. Very tasty! I always make this in muffin form as it's easier to eat, store and/or take with you.

What's Cooking?

Lately, I've started to realize that I might actually enjoy cooking. I used to dislike cooking a lot, primarily because I wasn't familiar with different foods or ingredients. I grew up on a strict meat and potatoes diet with some canned vegetables thrown in. But, now I'm opening  myself up to new food types and even trying to prepare a few new recipies every month. I've started to enjoy putting together a meal and trying new recipies.

The husband and I often make homemade pizza rather than ordering out. We used to purchase premade crusts from the grocery store, but he recently mentioned his mom's homemade pizza crust so I decided to try one for myself. I used PW's homemade pizza crust recipe (half was used for this; the other half is in my freezer for a future use). It turned out quite well. The before is below. My half: spinach and Roma tomatoes; his half: mushrooms, green peppers and onions and pepperoni. We were both happy and the homemade crust was easy as could be.

Sucker!

Gotta love the pacifier hanging out and the little fist!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday! Josh turns 33, Wyatt turns six weeks and one day old.

Blogworthy

I’ve delayed (and delayed and delayed) posting until I could find just the right thing to start with. Well, I think I’ve got it! Wyatt slept peacefully in nice three hour stretches last night: 9:30p-1a, 2a-5a, 5:45a-until now! This is definitely blogworthy in my book.

Yesterday, we went to the pediatrician for his one month check-up. He now weighs 9 lbs, 12 ozs which is 2 lbs, 2 ozs more than he weighed on his first visit. That equals a gain of one ounce per day; the doctor was quite happy. Wyatt is also up to 22″ long.

Starting Fresh

Seven or eight months ago, my life was on a different track. I was consumed with traveling to places I'd never been, running faster than I've ever run, rowing semi-competitively with big goals. Life was full and busy and good.

Now, May 11, 2010, and I am exactly four weeks removed from a date in my life that I, by choice, didn't intend to let happen. But, it did. And, well, here I am.

In that time lapse, I've been considering this blog as a reflection of my life. When I started this, I had one direction in mind, but now the direction has changed. My seven month pause was necessary for me to begin to sort out this new direction and to reflect on how to proceed. What do I want this to be? I'm filled with self-doubt. I don't want to "mess up." The perfectionist in me doesn't even want to start because I might fail. But, I need to be accountable to myself, and starting fresh again with this little project is a way to do that.

Here goes nothing...