Monday, January 26, 2009
Getting Homey-er
So here is the crown moulding and chair rail that Craig recently put up in our pink living room. He just started painting on Saturday. Now if we could all stop having sore throats, he could probably get a lot more painting done!
This, now, is Bentley's room with the lovely new rug that my sister Tracy sent him for Christmas! Doesn't it look great?
And finally, Kendra's rug too, also compliments of Aunt Tracy. I like how Kendra looks like she's about to take a ride, Aladdin-esque, on her carpet.
This, now, is Bentley's room with the lovely new rug that my sister Tracy sent him for Christmas! Doesn't it look great?
And finally, Kendra's rug too, also compliments of Aunt Tracy. I like how Kendra looks like she's about to take a ride, Aladdin-esque, on her carpet.
For All You Chefs (and Yes, You Can Laugh at Me for This)
How do you put potatoes into boiling water without splattering boiling water all over yourself and the stove top? I dread making mashed potatoes.
Things I Do That I Don't Really Enjoy
This is all stuff that I do quite regularly and dutifully (don’t worry!) and have no intention of ever quitting. But. If I somehow managed to magically never have to do them again, I don’t think I’d be too choked up about it.
1. Washing my hands. Especially after last week trying not to spread Bentley’s pinkeye, and after every diaper change… My poor hands are dried and cracked and I’d be happy if I NEVER washed them again!
2. Brushing my teeth. There are times when it feels wonderful to brush your teeth, but most of the time I just find it incredibly boring and monotonous. But don’t worry, I’ll persevere!
3. Pretty much doing anything with my hair. If I could find a good excuse and if I didn’t think I’d look so dreadful, I would totally shave my head. Think of all the time I could save! (Although it would get cold in the winter, I suppose…) Some day if I ever get cancer, please remind me (nicely) that I said this.
4. Surviving another winter. I sure hate cold weather.
5. Eating fruit. I really don’t like most of it. Sad, huh? And it’s so good for me!
6. Riding the subway. I don’t do this very often—only on the rare occasion when we head into the city or when I visit my sisters (ack—just sister, now!) in New York. But I don’t like it. I’d rather drive or walk. I don’t like being below ground and feeling like I’m breathing recycled air.
7. Flying. It’s not like I have a fear of flying or anything, I just find the whole thing tedious and annoying. Why does my tray have to be stowed away before landing? Why can’t the lady in front of me put her seat up just for a few minutes? Why can’t they give you food for free any more? Why can’t my luggage weigh 51 lbs? I really hate all the pointless rules, and even more than that, I hate sitting on the plane because I can never just fall asleep, but I can never manage to get my brain working and actually do anything productive, either. It’s awful. I’d rather drive my car and have the seat in whatever position is comfortable for me and stop wherever I want to get snacks!
1. Washing my hands. Especially after last week trying not to spread Bentley’s pinkeye, and after every diaper change… My poor hands are dried and cracked and I’d be happy if I NEVER washed them again!
2. Brushing my teeth. There are times when it feels wonderful to brush your teeth, but most of the time I just find it incredibly boring and monotonous. But don’t worry, I’ll persevere!
3. Pretty much doing anything with my hair. If I could find a good excuse and if I didn’t think I’d look so dreadful, I would totally shave my head. Think of all the time I could save! (Although it would get cold in the winter, I suppose…) Some day if I ever get cancer, please remind me (nicely) that I said this.
4. Surviving another winter. I sure hate cold weather.
5. Eating fruit. I really don’t like most of it. Sad, huh? And it’s so good for me!
6. Riding the subway. I don’t do this very often—only on the rare occasion when we head into the city or when I visit my sisters (ack—just sister, now!) in New York. But I don’t like it. I’d rather drive or walk. I don’t like being below ground and feeling like I’m breathing recycled air.
7. Flying. It’s not like I have a fear of flying or anything, I just find the whole thing tedious and annoying. Why does my tray have to be stowed away before landing? Why can’t the lady in front of me put her seat up just for a few minutes? Why can’t they give you food for free any more? Why can’t my luggage weigh 51 lbs? I really hate all the pointless rules, and even more than that, I hate sitting on the plane because I can never just fall asleep, but I can never manage to get my brain working and actually do anything productive, either. It’s awful. I’d rather drive my car and have the seat in whatever position is comfortable for me and stop wherever I want to get snacks!
Guilty Pleasures
There are oodles of other things which I enjoy (like, say, chocolate), but these are the ones that cause me just a twinge of guilt…
1. Ritz Crackers with cream cheese. It’s probably the highest calorie food other than chocolate that I regularly indulge in.
2. Smallville. While I admit it isn’t nearly as witty as Buffy was, I sure do enjoy watching it! It’s also fun to see how many actors from Buffy surface in this show—so far I’ve managed to spot Spike, Tara’s cousin, Riley’s best friend, and a bunch of others!
3. Long, hot showers.
4. Afternoon naps. I very rarely manage to snag one these days, but when I do, they are heavenly! With our church time switching back to the mornings, Sunday afternoons have never looked better.
5. Letting the kids play for a few minutes in their rooms at the end of naptime while I (somewhat leisurely) enjoy finishing my lunch.
6. Having a nice, long chat on the phone, even though it’s using my minutes.
7. Locking the kids out while I use the bathroom. I figure I deserve that tiny bit of privacy.
8. Hitting the “Ignore” button on my phone when I get a call with an area code I don’t recognize. And then I won’t even listen to the message until after nine pm so it won’t use up my minutes, either! Take that, annoying phone solicitors!
1. Ritz Crackers with cream cheese. It’s probably the highest calorie food other than chocolate that I regularly indulge in.
2. Smallville. While I admit it isn’t nearly as witty as Buffy was, I sure do enjoy watching it! It’s also fun to see how many actors from Buffy surface in this show—so far I’ve managed to spot Spike, Tara’s cousin, Riley’s best friend, and a bunch of others!
3. Long, hot showers.
4. Afternoon naps. I very rarely manage to snag one these days, but when I do, they are heavenly! With our church time switching back to the mornings, Sunday afternoons have never looked better.
5. Letting the kids play for a few minutes in their rooms at the end of naptime while I (somewhat leisurely) enjoy finishing my lunch.
6. Having a nice, long chat on the phone, even though it’s using my minutes.
7. Locking the kids out while I use the bathroom. I figure I deserve that tiny bit of privacy.
8. Hitting the “Ignore” button on my phone when I get a call with an area code I don’t recognize. And then I won’t even listen to the message until after nine pm so it won’t use up my minutes, either! Take that, annoying phone solicitors!
Jersey Boy
My friend Liza recently posted about the show Jersey Boys, which got me thinking about my own born’n’bred in New Jersey husband.
The first thing you should know is that Craig, somewhat akin to Clark Kent, is one of the most mild-mannered guys I’ve ever known. This turns out to be a huge point in my favor, since Craig is very good at tempering my own rather foul temper and also putting up with my idiosyncrasies. (I was actually once told that I was incredibly high maintenance, but Craig has assured me that that was a lie and that I am very easy to keep happy.) I sort of have a hard time believing that anyone could be as nice as Craig is, and I think some tiny part of my subconscious is constantly on the lookout for the day when Craig will finally explode from annoyance with me. But nothing to even suggest such pent-up rage has happened yet, so after three-and-a-half years of marriage I’m beginning to think that Craig really is just that nice. Did I luck out or what?
When I first learned that Craig was from New Jersey, I informed him that that was too bad because he couldn’t possibly understand what it was like to grow up in the woods like I had. No amount of arguing from Craig could change my mind on this matter, until I finally went to his house and saw for myself that he, indeed, had grown up in the woods, too! I guess not all of New Jersey is covered with landfills! Who knew? (I do have to point out that while there may be just as many trees in Craig’s backyard as there are in mine, I still win because our trees are bigger and green all year round. So there.)
Other than the fact that Craig can say “water” with a perfect New Jersey accent (but only when you ask him to—- he figured out how to talk like the rest of us when he was in the MTC), you wouldn’t ever guess at his roots. I can really only recall one time when Craig and I were dating that I could actually see some of the New Jersey-ness in him. That was the time when we were trying to get out of the parking lot at the Blockbuster video store somewhere off of 5th East and 6th North or something in Provo. Those of you who have been there will recall that that particular parking lot is absolutely ridiculous—- it’s like a triangle or something, so none of the spaces quite fit and there’s no room to back up or maneuver at all. So as Craig is trying to back up his Oldsmobile without hitting anyone, some truck suddenly goes zooming around us and out into the street without even stopping or checking for traffic as if he just can’t possibly wait for any of the cars that are already on the move and have the right of way. Much to my surprise, Craig yelled, “If I were in New Jersey, my window would be down and my finger out the window so fast he’d never believe it!!! These people in Provo are so stupid!” I’ve never laughed so hard. I was thrilled to see that Craig’s patience could be tried after all! He was as human as I was!
The first thing you should know is that Craig, somewhat akin to Clark Kent, is one of the most mild-mannered guys I’ve ever known. This turns out to be a huge point in my favor, since Craig is very good at tempering my own rather foul temper and also putting up with my idiosyncrasies. (I was actually once told that I was incredibly high maintenance, but Craig has assured me that that was a lie and that I am very easy to keep happy.) I sort of have a hard time believing that anyone could be as nice as Craig is, and I think some tiny part of my subconscious is constantly on the lookout for the day when Craig will finally explode from annoyance with me. But nothing to even suggest such pent-up rage has happened yet, so after three-and-a-half years of marriage I’m beginning to think that Craig really is just that nice. Did I luck out or what?
When I first learned that Craig was from New Jersey, I informed him that that was too bad because he couldn’t possibly understand what it was like to grow up in the woods like I had. No amount of arguing from Craig could change my mind on this matter, until I finally went to his house and saw for myself that he, indeed, had grown up in the woods, too! I guess not all of New Jersey is covered with landfills! Who knew? (I do have to point out that while there may be just as many trees in Craig’s backyard as there are in mine, I still win because our trees are bigger and green all year round. So there.)
Other than the fact that Craig can say “water” with a perfect New Jersey accent (but only when you ask him to—- he figured out how to talk like the rest of us when he was in the MTC), you wouldn’t ever guess at his roots. I can really only recall one time when Craig and I were dating that I could actually see some of the New Jersey-ness in him. That was the time when we were trying to get out of the parking lot at the Blockbuster video store somewhere off of 5th East and 6th North or something in Provo. Those of you who have been there will recall that that particular parking lot is absolutely ridiculous—- it’s like a triangle or something, so none of the spaces quite fit and there’s no room to back up or maneuver at all. So as Craig is trying to back up his Oldsmobile without hitting anyone, some truck suddenly goes zooming around us and out into the street without even stopping or checking for traffic as if he just can’t possibly wait for any of the cars that are already on the move and have the right of way. Much to my surprise, Craig yelled, “If I were in New Jersey, my window would be down and my finger out the window so fast he’d never believe it!!! These people in Provo are so stupid!” I’ve never laughed so hard. I was thrilled to see that Craig’s patience could be tried after all! He was as human as I was!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Misery is...
...a two-year-old with pinkeye AND an ear infection at the same time. I don't know who to feel more sorry for, Bentley or me.
Progress
I have not been keeping you up-to-date with all the things Kendra has learned over the last month, so I’ll try to remedy that now. First of all, I’m pleased to announce that she can finally crawl like a normal baby, on her hands and knees, rather than dragging her legs behind her! It’s a huge improvement, even if it doesn’t seem to be much faster. (She would usually drag herself around on the hardwood floor wearing her sleepers, so she could slide along pretty quickly that way…) It’s nice that she doesn’t look like a paraplegic any more, and I have to admit that her crawling absolutely delights me. She does it in a very slow, matter of fact way that I find irresistibly sassy—- something about the slow waddle of that diapered tush just cracks me up.
The other thing she’s been doing is pulling herself up on things. I’d been trying to “teach” her to do this by slowly pulling her up and occasionally hooking her arms over the couch and leaving her standing there. This invariably made her cry with annoyance at me, so I finally gave up. She figured it out about two weeks later on her own, so I guess my help wasn’t really necessary. Those of you who remember her rather dramatic birth will recall that this is a girl who started out doing things her own way and on her own time-table, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.
Kendra is also sporting some brand new, razor sharp teeth these days. She’s got two of them, to be specific, both on the bottom. She enjoys biting me, which makes me yell at her, which I think is probably the reason for her final “new thing” which is that she seems to be weaning herself. She used to eat four or five times a day, and now is down to about two feedings a day. I don’t know if this is because she doesn’t like me yelling at her when she uses me for a teething ring, or if she’s just big enough to not need me so much any more, but I can’t seem to be able to do anything about it (it turns out that phrase “you can lead a horse to water…” is quite true in this case), so I’ve decided to embrace it. I did this by leaving her with her grandparents all day last Saturday so Craig and I could attend the temple and do some shopping. And I thoroughly enjoyed myself and Kendra seemed just fine without me! So I guess my little baby is getting bigger. But—- you guessed it!—- she’ll always be my baby.
The other thing she’s been doing is pulling herself up on things. I’d been trying to “teach” her to do this by slowly pulling her up and occasionally hooking her arms over the couch and leaving her standing there. This invariably made her cry with annoyance at me, so I finally gave up. She figured it out about two weeks later on her own, so I guess my help wasn’t really necessary. Those of you who remember her rather dramatic birth will recall that this is a girl who started out doing things her own way and on her own time-table, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.
Kendra is also sporting some brand new, razor sharp teeth these days. She’s got two of them, to be specific, both on the bottom. She enjoys biting me, which makes me yell at her, which I think is probably the reason for her final “new thing” which is that she seems to be weaning herself. She used to eat four or five times a day, and now is down to about two feedings a day. I don’t know if this is because she doesn’t like me yelling at her when she uses me for a teething ring, or if she’s just big enough to not need me so much any more, but I can’t seem to be able to do anything about it (it turns out that phrase “you can lead a horse to water…” is quite true in this case), so I’ve decided to embrace it. I did this by leaving her with her grandparents all day last Saturday so Craig and I could attend the temple and do some shopping. And I thoroughly enjoyed myself and Kendra seemed just fine without me! So I guess my little baby is getting bigger. But—- you guessed it!—- she’ll always be my baby.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Yum?
So every time I shave I have to stop and ponder my shaving cream. The scent is called "Strawberry Tangerine Twist" and it smells so good I almost wonder if the people who created it were trying to trick you into eating it. And while I enjoy the nice scent, it's feels wrong for your shaving cream to make you hungry. Especially since I don't even like stuff like that usually! And then I start thinking of the old SNL commercial where a couple is arguing about whether or not the product they have is whipped cream or floor cleaner, only to discover that it's BOTH! It shines your floors but is ALSO great on ice cream! Don't worry, I have NOT tried eating my shaving cream to find out... Yet.
Beautiful
Okay, so I normally try my best not to brag on this blog, but this time I have to: Craig just finished putting up crown moulding, a chair rail, and quarter-round all around our living room and dining room! And it looks WONDERFUL! It will look even better once we paint since the room is still (alas!) pink. But all this stuff even makes the pink bearable, which I wouldn't have thought possible... Anyway, I was very impressed with my talented husband. If you ask him, he'll say it was all his father's doing (and he has helped a lot, so that would be fair), but either way, I think doing all that in less than a week is still totally impressive. He should never have to go to work-- think how great our house would look then!
New Tricks
So last week Bentley began doing something new: he would go and hide and then (drumroll please) take his pants off! And if we didn't notice he was missing soon enough, off would come the diaper, too! It's made life a bit more exciting, to say the least. Mostly I've been coping by leaving him in his pajamas or else putting him in overalls a lot since he can't get those off. This becomes especially problematic during naptime, when he's left unsupervised for so long. (I walked in the other day to find puddles on his floor-- ick, ick, ick!) Then yesterday, while Bentley was napping, Craig called me over to see Kendra who had ALSO taken her pants off! Craig laughed hysterically and commented that she is apparently learning from her brother. I'm hoping hoping hoping that it's just because those pants were a bit big on her. Please?
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