happy 2012!!!

2011 was an exciting year for us...

mainly welcoming hugo and becoming a family of 3 plus the zoo.

i couldn't ask for more.

wishing everyone a happy and healthy year to come!

Another yummy oatmeal...

You may wonder why I am constantly eating and posting about oatmeal...
Oatmeal is good for milk production. On top of that it's a healthy hearty breakfast and quick and easy.

Today's concoction...
Inspired by a yummy cookie I had from Tim Hortons...

Easy peasy. Just add sliced almonds, shredded coconut, a bit of brown sugar to your oatmeal and sprinkle with a few chocolate chips.

Yum!

Sent from my iPhone

I still miss you Buzz...

It's been a year and a half since Buzz died and the tank is sitting half empty.
I wanted another frog (or so I thought) but after several trips to look at frogs I just couldn't bring myself to replace him.
So now, I have finally decided to empty out the tank and try something totally different.

I'm going to try convict cichlids.
They have zebra stripes!

Thanks to the gift cards I got for Christmas I can get started on it right away.

New Project

I am going to attempt to finish a set of these blocks for Hugo.
The prototype turned out pretty much just how I wanted it so now I just have to decide on colors for Hugo's set.
Decisions, decisions.

happy times...

i received a parcel in the mail today... best present i self gifted EVER.
i have two hands free again for the first time in 2 months!
anyone who has read my previous blog posts about hugo knows that my little monkey loves being held pretty much ALL the time.
this has made it pretty tricky to get much done around the house.
even eating has been difficult when he won't let me put him down without screaming.
i have resorted to eating some pretty strange things just because i could prepare and eat them with one hand. ok... prepare would be stretching it a bit... i'm talking about things like eating a whole cucumber and just biting at it like a rabbit and then a chicken breast that had been intended to be warmed up and put on a salad but instead ended up being eaten out of  a ziploc bag cold.
this was not an everyday thing, but for the most part i would get hugo to go down, then make a mad dash to the kitchen to wash his bottles and throw something together for myself to eat. fingers crossed that i'd actually have time to eat it before he woke up.
usually i just ended up eating luke warm or cold food.

now i have my Mei Tai wrap... best invention ever.
to whoever created this contraption... I LOVE YOU!!! a LOT!
i love holding hugo but it can be really hard and super frustrating knowing that you can't even put him down for 5 minutes without screaming.
i know he will still cry and i will not be able to wear him 24-7 but its a pretty awesome solution since i was holding him anyways.... now i can hold him and be productive at the same time.

Tasty Tuesday - Lazy Day

I like oatmeal, but let's face it... Not the most exciting thing to eat.

My solution...
Stir in a spoonful of peanut butter, a sprinkle of brown sugar, stir well and top with a few chocolate chips.

Memory Monday

boys will be boys?

and it starts.

sorry for the dark blurry picture but i didn't want to miss the picture!

2 months!!

happy 2 months hugo!
time is really flying by...
hugo has grown so much in the past month.

his last weigh in was 2 weeks ago at 8 lbs 5 oz so i'm going to guess here that he's sitting around 10 lbs now if he kept up his lb a week growth rate. my arm feels like he has!

a few things about hugo...
he loves being held (a lot)
snuggles on the couch are his favorite :)
every morning when we get up and he's all smiles and coos when i say good morning to him.
he can grab onto stuff and has a really firm grip.
he found his hands. he will attempt to suck on his first knuckle sometimes when he's falling asleep.
he will sleep for up to 5 hours now. usually its about 3 but sometimes longer.
he likes holding onto my finger when he's eating.
he likes raspberries on his belly. they make him laugh.
officially moved into size 1 diapers!
newborn clothes is starting to get too small... well too short. he's a lanky little thing!

and the picture...

tasty tuesday christmas almond cherry bars

what you'll need...

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup maraschino cherries coarsely chopped and drained
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup shredded coconut

what you need to do...

preheat oven to 350
cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy
beat in egg and almond extract
stir in flour, baking powder and salt until just blended.
stir in chocolate chips, cherries, almonds and coconut
spread into a lightly greased 9x13 pan
bake 25-30 minutes
cool completely before cutting.

what i sometimes do differently...
i skip the chocolate. don't get me wrong. i LOVE chocolate. but i love almond and maraschino cherries all by themselves. the consistency is a bit different without the chocolate but i like them better without.
i eat enough chocolate. one recipe without it is ok. i will not lose my chocolate lovers club membership for it. i'm sure.

7 week weigh in...

8 lbs  oz!
he's gained another lb in the past week.
definitely making up for lost time.

here is a quick picture of him happy as a fuzzy bear...

memory monday

this is Smiley.
he was the sweetest dog ever.

also, i think if hugo was bigger and i put him in a dress he would look a lot like this.

its tasty on friday too...

since it's the christmas season and there is just so much baking and cookie eating that needs to be done i thought i'd throw in a few extra recipes here and there...

this basic german cookie can be adapted in SO many ways. for the most part you can add whatever you want! spices, cocoa, flavor extracts... whatever you're feeling like when you make them.

Basic Spritz

2/3 cup sugar
1 cup butter (i sometimes use margerine if thats all i have in the fridge)
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour


heat oven to 400F
in a large mixer bowl combine sugar, butter, egg, salt, and vanilla.
beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often until mixture is light and fluffy (2-3 min)
add flour (if you want to add food coloring add it now)
beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed (2-3 min)
fill your cookie press and press cookies onto ungreased cookie sheets about an inch apart.
decorate with colored sugar or sprinkles!
bake for 6-8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

this recipe makes about 60 cookies give or take (depending on your cookie press - mine makes closer to 80 because it makes itty bitty dainty cookies).

these are delicious with almond extract instead of vanilla!

enjoy!

tasty tuesday - chocolate cookie bark

this one is pretty easy... but delicious!

this is what you'll need:

1 pkg (8 squares) semi sweet chocolate
1 pkg (6 squares) white chocolate
2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
10 oreos


what you need to do:

melts chocolate in separate bowls over double boiler
add peanut butter to the white chocolate and stir until well mixed
crumble 5 cookies into each bowl and mix well

drop spoonfuls of the chocolate mixtures onto a wax paper covered baking sheet alternating chocolates.
cut through chocolate on sheet with a knife for marble effect.


refrigerate for at least 1 hour then break into pieces.
store in an airtight container.


variation:
instead of cookies and peanut butter add crumbled candy canes to the chocolate and sprinkle red sugar sprinkles on top for some delicious peppermint bark.

back when i was a kid... (memory monday)

i guess since i'm a parent now i'm going to have to start practicing that line.

i've got some good ones.

i'm hoping hugo will have many of the same stories to tell when he is all grown up.
i plan on using him as an excuse to do all those fun childhood things again.

for example:
as soon as he can wear rubber boots he will be getting some and we will be going frog hunting. this is not optional.


little bit of history here...

6 weeks and weighing in at....

we went to see the doctor today - a different doctor than we have been seeing to get a breastfeeding consultation. since having to supplement with formula it has been an uphill battle trying to keep hugo breastfeeding.
i have to say that i love the doctor that we saw today. she is going above and beyond to help us.
she was on call at the hospital when hugo was born and she was amazing then as well.

i had to start supplementing with formula 2 weeks ago because he started losing weight when he should have been gaining. after getting back up to his birth weight of 5lbs 5oz by 2 weeks he continued gaining week 3 but by week 4 he was back down to 5 lbs 2oz.
not good.

once i started supplementing he went on a total nursing strike and wanted nothing but the bottle.

i am apparently more stubborn than he is and managed to get him back nursing a bit, but he still will only nurse for about 5 minutes at a time before screaming like a banshee and refusing to nurse.
i refuse to let him win this.

last week he gained over a pound and weighed in at 6 lbs and 3 oz.
today on his 6 week weigh in he is sitting at 7 lbs 4 oz. so again just over a pound in a week. he's going through a crazy growth spurt it seems.

after over an hour with the doctor today trying different things - rather unsuccessfully i may add - he proved to be almost as stubborn as me. i am waiting to hear back from the doctor to find out where i can get my next secret weapon... i refuse to quit and i am not going to let him win this battle.
i am a sore loser and this is something that i refuse to quit so next i will be trying a supplemental feeding system.
i am optimistic that this will help.

interesting little contraption. it may seem like a lot of work but i'm hoping that even though it seems a bit crazy now that it will work and in the long run and help to end up exclusively breast feed in the near future.

fingers crossed!

ok and one more picture just because i can't help myself!

new accessory?

hugo seems to LOVE the sling! this means i'll have 2 hands again!
YAY!

i'll be able to get so much more done around the house now that he can go in there and hang out while i'm feeling productive!

and to make this even better? the sling was free!

now i'll be able to really keep up with my blog... maybe.... i guess i'll have to see how cooperative hugo is.





Success! x2

Hugo survived his first craft sale! and we started BIG... 4 days at the Kingsway Aviation Hangar for Make It!

great sale, lots of visitors, and lots of help from my parents who spent 3 of the 4 days with me helping out so i could get some work done... well ok, they just came so they could snuggle Hugo, but in doing so they made it possible for me to be there. without their help i don't think i would have been able to be there for the whole weekend without losing my mind!
it was a super busy sale with record breaking attendance.... people were actually lined up outside waiting for up to half an hour on saturday throughout the day.
lots of toques and scarves found new homes on the first cold and blustery weekend of the winter.

Hugo was amazingly cooperative and is already turning out to be quite the lady killer. he definitely helped draw people to my booth... even though he refused to stop squirming out of his toques... i'll let him get away with it. he's too cute for me to be anything but ok with it.

another great update -
Hugo had not gained enough weight at his last check up... i had to start supplementing him with formula to try and get his calorie intake up and make sure he was growing like he should be. i was worried about this. he was pretty small to start with so the doctor was watching him pretty closely to make sure everything was ok so when he didn't gain as much weight as he should have i had to take him back in a week (this past thursday) and make sure that he had gained some weight so if he hadn't he could get a referral to a specialist so we could figure out why.
well, looks like he was just a late bloomer.
he gained over a pound in one week. he went from 5 lbs 2oz to 6 lbs 3.5oz


time to relax and unwind after a busy weekend...

happy 1 month hugo!!

hard to believe that hugo is one month old today.
part of me feels like he's always been here and part of my life but then part of me is like holy crap its already been a month?!?

so many things have happened in the first month of Hugo's life.
first with quite a rocky start,
then things were going great...
then a setback... breastfeeding was not enough for my little monkey and he wasn't gaining any weight
i started supplementing with formula as per doctor's orders and by the second bottle i had the happiest most content baby.
then the guilt of knowing that for 2 weeks i had a fussy and unhappy hugo only because i wasn't feeding him enough...
then boob strike.
he completely refused to nurse. literally would scream like i was boiling him in hot oil if i put him near my boob.
now he's coming round to the boob... but literally... just one. its a start.
he's drinking about half the formula he was a couple days ago and nursing every feeding for at least 15 minutes happily.
this was a HUGE relief to me.
i was starting to get really discouraged as i wanted to breastfeed exclusively... now i'm back to half and half at least and working my way to get back hopefully to exclusively breastfeeding.
fingers crossed!

things i've learned about hugo in this first month:

HATES baths
hates being naked
loves snuggles
can almost roll over onto his tummy already
likes having music playing
loves being swaddled

thats all for now...

foto friday

well i've been slacking a bit with this...
but here are a few pictures from hugo's first month (almost)
just a few for now... more to come soon!

daddy loves couch time with hugo

meeting great grandma for the first time

what you lookin at?!

milk drunk

my godmother came to visit at my parents and meet hugo

ready for winter...

nicco wasn't sure about the noisy little guy on the table... had to go in for closer inspection.

uncle ryan is scared to touch me and blogger for some reason is being difficult and won't leave this picture the right way

the run down...

well little Hugo decided to make a big scary entrance into the world.

i experienced the easiest most symptom free pregnancy one could possibly have.

labour and delivery made up for it.

for anyone that doesn't want labor details you should probably not read any further.

i went to the hospital for an ultrasound and non stress test on thursday october 13th and was told that due to a few small reasons that i was going to be induced. they were going to do it right then and there, but i was totally not ready - i had no idea that i was going to be admitted so i had not brought anything with me and i had my car there... the baby was under no stress so they booked me to come back the next morning to be admitted and induced.

i went home and scrambled around trying to get as much done as i could since i was going to be coming back with a baby and no time to do anything but be a mom for the first while.

first thing Friday morning i got a ride to the hospital and was induced.
they warned me that it wouldn't necessarily do anything right away and to just hold tight and they would get me into a room to wait it out. turns out there was no room available where i was supposed to be so i got to stay for a while where i was and read. i wasn't too worried about it.
by about 1:00 i was told they had a room ready for me and since i had missed lunch i went and dropped my stuff off and headed down to the cafeteria to grab a bite to eat.
by this point i was cramping a bit (or so i thought) so once i got back to my room it was time to be hooked up to the monitors again and see how things were progressing. turns out what i thought was cramps was actually mid level contractions that were about a minute apart.
the "cramps" were getting a bit worse but still only uncomfortable.  it continued this way for the rest of the afternoon. by dinner time they were getting painful but not unbearably so. they checked and i was barely dilated so they told me that they were going to give me a shot of gravol and morphine and that i should try and sleep because nothing would be happening until the next day.
by about 11:00 that night the gravol had worn off and i was in a LOT of pain. the contractions were about 15 seconds apart and they REALLY hurt. they checked and i was still barely dilated. i thought that i might be asking for an epidural after all... if i ever got to 3cm (that's the point where they'll do an epidural). they hooked me back up to the monitors to check the intensity of the contractions and the baby's heartbeat and left me for 20 minutes to see what the results were. when they came back they were a bit worried and the doctor stayed in the room and kept monitoring the contractions and the baby. the contractions were off the chart (literally) and every contraction was causing little Hugo's heartbeat to slow down dramatically. it dipped so low at one point that the doctor just started pushing my bed and yelling to get the OR ready that i needed an emergency C-section. they didn't even take me out of the hospital bed and put me on a stretcher to take me there... it happened THAT fast.
throughout all of this i am still having what they are calling "off the charts" contractions, they're bashing into all the doorways and walls trying to maneuver the bed down the hall, and taking my clothes off en-route to the OR. once we get to the OR they try and get an IV in but they were having a really hard time so 4 tries later (with the bruises to prove it) they finally end up with one in the back of my right hand. then they have to take the Cervidil out because it is apparently "aggravating my uterus" and they want the contractions to stop so they can do the Csection. at this point they realize that in half an hour i've gone from barely dilated to 7cm and my contractions were back to back. too bad it doesn't matter any more.

next comes the spinal.
not the best experience i've ever had... first of all, trying to sit still and in a 90 degree position while having back to back contractions is NOT easy.
long story short, the spinal didn't work.
the first incision they told me i would feel some pressure.
i felt a lot more than pressure. when i told them i could feel them cutting they put me under general anesthetic. the funny thing is that as much as that hurt, it was no worse than the contractions i was still having.
after that i was out completely and don't remember anything until a jumble of random things in the OR while they were finishing closing me up. turns out the spinal did work, just not fast enough.
i know they were talking to me but i could barely make sense of it. i don't remember much of what they said but i remember asking them if the baby was ok... i'm pretty sure i did that repeatedly because i was so drugged up that i couldn't remember asking the first 3 or 4 times.

i was in the recovery room and they brought in my mom and again i was asking about Hugo...
he was in NICU getting tests done because he was not very responsive when he was born. turns out it was a reaction to the morphine they had given me at dinner time and even though it was out of my system it was still affecting him.
i got to see him for about half an hour and then i was taken back to my hospital room to finish my post op recovery while he was monitored and had a few more tests.

he tested perfectly and was finally brought to me at about 7am saturday morning.
i hadn't slept yet because i was so worried about him.
i managed to get a couple hours sleep once they brought him to me and i fed him a bottle of formula since that was what they gave me to feed him and i wasn't able to breast feed him yet.

at about 9:30 am saturday morning the lactation consultant came to see me since i was adamant that i was going to breastfeed him. unfortunately a stretcher was wheeled into my room at about 10:00 am to take me to nuclear medicine for testing. because of the intensity of my contractions during my c-section i had a lot of extra tearing and damage so they needed to do scans to make sure that everything was closed up ok. what i didn't know at the time was that because of the dye they inject to do the scans i was not going to be able to breastfeed for yet another 24 hours. this was devastating for me. i was returned to my room and to hugo around 1pm and shortly after that my parents arrived to visit.

the rest of that day was a bit of a blur. sunday proved to be the day i fell apart. i cried and cried. i couldn't do anything on my own... no getting out of bed for me because of the iv's and catheter meant that if i needed anything or to feed or change hugo i had to call the nurse in to do it for me.
i was also really struggling with breastfeeding. my milk had not come in yet and since hugo was used to getting a whole bottle of formula each feeding now he was not satisfied with the little bit of colostrum he was getting each time that i tried feeding him. so i'd try to feed him and he'd just scream and scream... he was hungry. the lactation consultant had been back and told me that he shouldn't have any more formula if i was planning on breast feeding him. i cried every time i tried feeding him because i knew he was still hungry and i felt like a complete failure.
the nurse who was working sunday night was a godsend. she consoled me and told me that if i had to supplement with formula for the first little while i wasn't failing, i was just doing what was best for my baby and myself.


monday was a long day and i thought that i would be in the hospital for at least another day but i was up and about moving and doing well and hugo was doing well so when the doctor came that afternoon she told me that if i wanted to i could go home. she couldn't have said anything to make me feel better at that point. i was thrilled.
once all the paperwork was done and i was ready to go i was out of there by dinner time.
within hours of getting home my milk was coming in full force.
fernando arrived home around 2am tuesday and for the first time our family was together. it was amazing.


as rocky a start as it may have been at that moment our happily ever after began.


now that i'm settling into a bit more of a routine i'm hoping to get back in the swing of things with this blog and start posting more regularly again.

i'm back.... plus 1!

just a quick hello...

this little man is taking up a lot of my time right now and i need to sneak in as many naps as possible when i get opportunity... birth story coming soon though :)

tasty tuesday- blueberry lemon muffins

normally i am not a huge fan of blueberry muffins... these ones my mom started making while we were still in school and i have to say this is still one of my favorite blueberry recipes.

ingredients

mufins:
2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 tsp BP
1/2 tsp salt
zest of one lemon
1 egg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter/margerine
1 cup blueberries

topping:
1/2 cup butter
1tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup white sugar
(this is a ton of topping.. i usually only use half the butter and half the sugar and still have lots for a single batch)

directions

muffins:
mix dry ingredients together
beat egg, add milk and butter
stir until mixed
stir in blueberries

scoop into lined muffin tins.
i find that the blueberries stain my silicone pans so i just use muffin cups.

bake at 425 F for 20 minutes

topping:
combine lemon juice and butter
dip muffins in butter and lemon juice mixture and then into the sugar.
let cool uncovered on baking rack

bump day - week 38

day two of home alone...

in a bit of a rush today... the long weekend threw me off and i totally thought it was still tuesday...
then i realized as i'm getting ready to run out the door that it is actually wednesday and i'd better get at least one picture up before i head out in case the lighting really sucks later or more realistically, baby brain sets in and i completely forget.

baby brain is so very real.

this morning i let the dogs out and then baxter came in, then draco came in... but i forgot that draco came in so i was out in the back yard calling him and starting to panic when i realize he is looking at me like i'm crazy from inside the house.
good thing he loves me unconditionally.

in other news...
i made some serious headway this morning tidying up the living room. its not by any means ready for the public yet but its hugely better than it was and if i don't lose steam this afternoon may be inhabitable once again. its amazing how things just pile up. especially when you are trying to fit baby stuff everywhere. even if i don't finish today, i will finish up tomorrow morning before i go for my ultrasound.

here's a quick pic for now and if i think of it later i will post a better one!

tasty tuesday - nuts n' fluff

i think i got this recipe off of a shreddies box years ago.
super delicious and easy to make.

ingredients:

6 cups popped popcorn
6 cups shreddies
1 cup salted peanuts (i like the ones without skin)
1/2 cup margerine/butter
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1 package of large marshmallows (250 g)

mix it up:

toss together popcorn, shreddies and peanuts.
set aside
melt butter and peanut butter in a large microwave bowl (about a minute)
add marshmallows and microwave for another minute until marshmallows puff.
stir in cereal mix until well coated
pour into 2 greased 15"x10" (or whatever's handy - i know i've used random sizes)
bake at 250 F for 10 minutes
cool
break into bite sized pieces and store in an airtight container.

happy munching!

38 weeks and counting...

i made it through thanksgiving!

i was really hoping to not end up missing turkey and stuffing... my family tends to do things like be born on holidays. i was christmas, my sister was grey cup sunday and my brother was new years. i didn't want to miss turkey though so i will fully admit that i gave the little sea monkey a bit of a pep talk yesterday that it was not allowed out to play until i have finished thanksgiving dinner and digested it.

the sea monkey seems to have listened.

at my doctor's appointment on friday i was still measuring pretty small... she is almost positive that this is because the baby has already dropped so low but just to be on the safe side i am scheduled for an ultrasound on thursday just to check on things and make sure that everything is ok. i originally freaked out about this, but now i realize that if she had been really concerned about it i wouldn't be waiting a week to go in and that its really just a precautionary thing.
if something is not quite right - like low amniotic fluids or they think the baby has slowed growing then i will be induced.
hopefully that won't happen because fernando will be away on tour still then, but i guess i have to be prepared either way.

my hospital bag is FINALLY packed. i feel like a bit of a weight has been lifted off me now that i finally can cross that off my list. i washed all of the baby's stuff yesterday and now it is in a laundry basket just waiting to be put away into the proper drawer. maybe later today i will get to that and also pack the baby's bag so its ready to go too.

SUCCESS!!

victory is mine!

first item on my mat leave bucket list was to re-learn how to make a granny square.

i am proud to announce i whooped the granny square's ass.

i am terrible at following directions when it comes to crocheting so i learned by just looking at a picture and i think i've gotten it.

two test squares and 3 good ones to start a blanket for the sea monkey.

this picture is really dark since it was taken with me phone around midnight in my basement (formerly known as man land - now a split between craft land and man land since i lost my sewing room to give the sea monkey a room), but the color is actually a really nice aqua green and i'm going to pair it with red squares and hopefully figure out how to connect them all with black and white in between.

not sure how to do that yet since i've never made a granny square blanket yet, but i'm up to the challenge. i am already picking up speed with the squares and i just started... i think that i like granny squares.

also just wanted to say happy thanksgiving to everyone... i for one can't wait for turkey and stuffing today! favorite food ever.

my mat leave bucket list

i had a summer bucket list that didn't really go so well... most of the things did not get checked off and i eventually just gave up trying to coordinate with fernando's hectic schedule.

this bucket list is different.

these are things that i am going to do. not necessarily depending on someone else to do them with me.

• re-learn how to crochet a granny square. for some reason that skill has eluded my memory and i have no idea how to make a simple granny square.

• lose the baby weight. i don't know if this will prove to be difficult or if breastfeeding will give me the advantage i need to get this done. ideally i would actually like to hit a weight of 10 lbs less than my pre-pregnancy weight. when i got pregnant it was in the middle of winter and i was not at my thinnest.

• swimming. i don't mean train for the olympics crazy kind of swimming... i used to swim kilometer after kilometer and to be honest i have no idea why. and zero interest in doing that again, but i would like to start going to public swims with the baby as soon as the sea monkey is old enough. we'll see how i feel about that once i am trying on a bikini for the first time in my post baby body. that might be a bit on the traumatizing side for me but we'll see.

• start going for walks. i am going to try and take at least a short walk with the baby and the dogs at least 5 times a week if not more often.

• stop neglecting my houseplants.

• keep up with the housework. being pregant and working full time leaves very little time for housework. by the time i would get home from work i would fall into bed for a nap and then get up, eat dinner and be too tired still to get much done. i have already tackled a lot of the little projects this week but i would ideally like to keep up with things so the small things that can be done on a more regular basis don't turn into massive projects.

• re-brand my crochet and knit products and separate them completely from kabukikreations. it is tricky to market so many different products as one small business. the target markets are completely different and i would like to give it a try as its own separate thing.

•  create a website so i have a stand alone site to sell from rather than just selling on etsy. this will be a project for the spring once toque season is over.

• start sewing more. i miss it. i am rusty, but i am positive that a bit of practice and i'll be good as new. so many adorable baby things that i could sew... that is motivation enough itself.

i'm hoping to revisit this post regularly and update everyone when i've accomplished any of these bucket list items. hopefully some of them get crossed off sooner rather than later but i have a year... that should give me time to get through them all.

wish me luck!

foto friday - the man candy edition

a lot of people know about my obsession with this guy....
it goes back YEARS.

i used to be an avid WWF (now WWE) fan and only quit watching when this guy left...

any idea who i'm talking about?

this LOVELY man.

Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson

excuse me while i drool a bit...

thankful thursday

 i am sitting here at my cluttered kitchen table typing away on my laptop catching up on all the goings on and trying to make sure that fernando will have someplace to sleep each night on his upcoming west coast tour... so far kelowna hotel is decided but i still have to figure out the rest of them.

and i realize...

i'm on mat leave.
i don't have to go to work for the next year if i don't want to.
i have a chance to spend time with our baby and get to know the sea monkey without having to worry about juggling a work schedule.

and after that year is up...

we'll see.

i don't HAVE to go back to work.
i will probably choose to work part time because my work is really awesome and will let me work a modified schedule and from home when possible so that will make the extra income pretty hard to say no to.

as i sit here i realize that the opportunity to stay home and be a mom is a privilege. i know that there are people all over that wish they could do that. i am going to make it work and take full advantage of the opportunity.

i also want to say thank you to fernando for finally getting most of the baby stuff out of the boxes and assembled. i was starting to go crazy trying to move around all the boxes. now they're all gone except for the crib. not sure when that will get put together but it will eventually. good thing we don't need it right away.

bump day - 37 weeks

day 3 of mat leave... wish i could say its been a stress free and wonderful time.... but i would be lying.

i'm not going to go into details because i'm posting this in a bit of a rush.
maybe another day.

here are some pictures though to represent the week the fruit ticker turned watermelon.

almost done :)

tasty tuesday - tis the season...

for PICKLES!!!

Dilled Carrots

here is what you'll need:

1 head of dill for each pint of pickles you're making
1 clove of garlic per pint
carrots - to fill as many pint jars as you're making
pickling salt - 1 tbsp per pint
Boiling white vinegar - 1/4 cup per pint jar
boiling water - to fill jar

this recipe is awesome because you can make as many or as few jars as you like!

what you'll need to do:

place head of dill and clove of garlic in hot sterilized pint jar
fill with carrots to within 1" of top
measure salt over carrots
add vinegar
fill with boiling water to withing 1/4" of top
seal tightly
let stand 6 weeks before using.

ENJOY!


variations:

add a couple jalapenos to the jar when you're filling it... dilled jalapenos are delicious! and spicy dill carrots are delicious too!

add extra dill or garlic - its not an exact science

try other kinds of pickles. this recipe is great because you can make one jar and see if you like it before committing to a huge batch of something you're not sure about.
dilled beans are delicious!

37 weeks - officially full term!! and a watermelon!

it's almost time to meet the sea monkey!!
its down to the final little wait.

i really need to get a hospital bag packed so i'm not caught unprepared.
that's on my list of things i need to get done ASAP.

and according to my fruit ticker the sea monkey has moved up a fruit... the final fruit...
a WATERMELON!

first thing entering my mind when i see that is...
OMG
that has to come out of me now

i'm actually less nervous for the birth than i am for having a little bobble headed baby to take care of.
i'm positive that we'll figure it out just fine but its a bit nerve wracking right now.

another milestone...
i'm officially done work now.

i'm hoping to get lots done this week to make up for all the stuff that has been put off because i was just too tired after working a whole day at the office.

an ending means a new beginning...

today is the last day of september.

hello october.

more importantly today is my last day at work.

my full time job is over in less than 8 hours.

this is a bit scary all of a sudden.

i have been working full time to support myself since i moved out of my parents house when i was 18.
this is the first time since then that i will not be working a regular paying job and now i'll be embracing a brand new full time job.

as a mom.

hopefully i am good at this new job.

it will be a steep learning curve but i am pretty sure that together fernando and i will figure out this parenting thing. i've managed to keep him mostly in line the past 6.5 years... that has to count for something... right?

i know that there will be moments when i will wonder what i have gotten myself into...
but i'm looking forward to the new experience and challenges.

now the countdown is on.

how many days until the sea monkey arrives?
nobody really knows!

was grandma right? is there another one coming?

its been a disappointing couple of days for me.


day before yesterday i had my first bad etsy experience.  i purchased a necklace and ended up having to send it back and have now been waiting for months to get it back. it was apparently lost in the postal system but the seller was not willing to replace it for me unless i wanted to pay for pricey shipping. i didn't think it was fair for me to pay more for something that i had yet to receive.  i ended up having to file a complaint through etsy and i hated having to do that but as a seller i would NEVER have even considered charging a customer  more to re-ship something that was lost in the mail. especially something that had to be returned in the first place because it was not as described in the listing. i would not have shipped something that wasn't the same as the listing to start with, but that is neither here nor there.


yesterday i find out that i have been basically kicked out of the Handmade Mafia.
i don't know why.
i have been trying to figure out what happened but rather than tell me that they didn't need/want my help i was just ignored.
finally i was told that they're "going a different direction" and didn't need me any more.

lovely feeling.

i'm going to look at is as a "door closes, but a window opens" opportunity.
what choice do i have?

i don't need to be upset right now and the only way i can think of to kind of balance out the hurt and disappointment is to tell myself that this is going to be my opportunity to move forward with my own business and built my brand without having anything else to worry about.
i enjoyed my time with HMM but i'm not going to stick around where i'm clearly not wanted and i want to associate myself with people that at least have the proffessional courtesy to communicate.


my grandma always told us that bad things happen in 3's... i'm going to be looking over my shoulder and waiting for the next bit of bad news now... fingers crossed that it is nothing major.

i may go crazy waiting for it and take a page out of her book.
even though i'm having a rough couple days, thinking of this makes me smile.
my grandma was a firm believer of bad things happening in 3's.
if she broke a favorite cup she would immediately get 2 more dishes out of the cupboard that were not her favorites and smash them. she told me that was to get the other 2 bad things out of the way and protect her favorite dishes.
crazy?
maybe?

will i try it?
who knows.

bump day - 36 weeks 4 days

less than a week and the sea monkey will be considered full term.

how crazy is that!?!?!?

hard to believe that before i know it i'll be holding the sea monkey in my arms and having to call it something other than the sea monkey... though i suspect the poor kid will have to live with being nicknamed sea monkey for the rest of eternity.
could be worse.
i've definitely been called worse! HA!

i would like to say - i LOVE lycra.
thanks to the wonderful stretchy fabrics available i have managed to make it through this pregnancy without buying a single maternity shirt. i have some that were given to me but the majority of my tops are all regular shirts.

i am officially unable to wear my pre-pregnancy jeans. the baby has dropped too low to accomodate the waist band of them even with the handy dandy hair elastic through the buttonhole trick.
i'm hoping i'll be back in them shortly after the sea monkey arrives, though i'm pretty sure i'll live in leggings a lot so i'll only need "real pants" if i'm going somewhere.

belly button update:
for everyone who thought my belly button would pop... still an innie and so far i'm still wearing my regular belly button ring.

fernando will be picking up the crib today from his parents house so this weekend i'm hoping maybe to get it set up!!  i can't wait to see it!! and get the mattress!

i'll be at a craft sale all day and night saturday but hopefully by the end of sunday it will be set up.
if it doesn't get set up this weekend i'll have to get my dad to come and set it up for me because fernando's tour starts next week.

tasty tuesday - mint spritz

ok, i know its nowhere near time to get started on christmas baking, but i couldn't help but start thinking about it when i was shopping on the weekend and saw christmas displays popping up all over the place.
these are my favorite christmas cookies that i ALWAYS make.

Mint Spritz With Chocolate Centers

2/3 cup sugar


1 cup butter -- softened

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/4 teaspoon mint extract

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

green food coloring (optional - but i always add it... it's festive!)

mint chocolate chips - one per cookie

 
Heat oven to 400F. In large mixer bowl combine sugar, butter, egg, salt, vanilla, and mint extract. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until mixture is light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add flour. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until well mixed, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in green food coloring, adding just enough to acheive the desired color. If dough is too soft, cover and refrigerate until firm enough to form cookies, 30 to 45 minutes. Place dough in cookie press. Form desired shapes 1 inch apart on cookie sheets. I always make pointettas. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Immediately after removing cookies from oven place one mint chocolate chip upside down in the center of each cookie then let cool on a cooling rack until the chocolate is set.
 
variations -
 
don't add the mint extract or food coloring and instead add some almond extract and a piece of candied cherry in the center of the flower. super delicious.
 
i usually use margerine instead of butter just because i always have blocks of margerine in the fridge... works just fine.
 

36 weeks

the countdown is on!

this is my last week at work. 4 more days after today.

after my doctor's appointment on friday reality has started to sink in.

she told me that she didn't think anything would probably happen for a couple weeks still... but that's not a for sure thing depending on how much progress there is the next little while. the sea monkey is dropped and in position. "locked and loaded" if you will.

i think i'm ready for the baby to be born.

is the house ready?

nope.

not even close.

getting fernando to help has been like pulling teeth and to be honest i don't really feel like fighting about it.
he is very good at telling me about all the stuff he is going to do but when it actually comes down to completing these tasks the success rate is pretty dismal.

how i see it...

fine. don't get things done. i can still help now...
when we have a new baby and no place to put it i will not be helping. i'll be holding the baby.

the crib is sitting in wetaskiwin, the basinet is still packed in the box. the car seat is still packed in the box... everything is still in the freakin box.

the only thing that is not in a box is the dresser and chest of drawers. and only because it never was in a box.

thanks to my parents for getting those ready for me and getting them to the house. they provide a much needed place to keep the baby's clothes and stuff.

i'm hoping that next week i will be able to get more done since i won't be working all day and can instead spend that time getting things done at home! and since i'll be home during the day, i'll be able to supervise fernando and make sure that he's actually helping and not sleeping in!

bump day - 35 weeks

35 weeks 4 days... this is what it looks like.

one picture.

that's it.

i tried to get one of more than just my belly....

it was scary.

i do not look friendly today.
and definitely would not be winning any "miss photogenic" awards today!!
bad sleep and achy hip paired with kick boxing to the ribs makes for a slightly grumpy incubator.


that aside, i bought myself/the sea monkey a diaper bag.

it's not actually a diaper bag, but its just like some of the ones that i absolutely loved but would not pay $300-$500 for.

it has a super similar interior and i think it will be just perfect. if not, it will be a great purse.
either way its a win win for me!

i LOVE ostrich.

and i love how comfortable it is to carry.

tasty tuesday - the meatball

this weekend i have left the schedule open. there are so many things that i need to get done still and i'm hoping to get a few more check marks on my to-do list.

one of the things i am planning on doing this weekend is make meatballs for in the freezer. i am going to pick up a bunch of ground meat and mix up a big batch of meatballs to freeze raw. that way when i want to use them i can just brown them in the frying pan (or not) and throw some sauce on and they're good to go.
i thought about cooking them and then freezing them, but i like being able to pick what kind of meatballs i want depending on what i feel like that day.
and lets face it.... no matter how lazy/exhausted i am i can manage to throw a bag of frozen meatballs in the slow cooker and dump on some sauce. then all i need to do is throw some rice in the rice cooker with some veggies in the steamer...
dinner is served.

its pretty easy. and literally ZERO work. i'm pretty sure i could even direct fernando how to do this without any major issues.

i might get lazy and make a couple meatloafs to freeze as well (if i get tired of rolling meatballs) because they're super easy to freeze and then just throw in the oven. throw a couple of potatoes in the oven with it while its baking and then all i need to worry about it a veggie of some sort. again... something i think no matter how rough things get, we should be able to handle.

i just love how versatile meatballs are.
you can make so many different kinds of meals with them just depending on what kind of sauce you put on them.
i'm a big fan of sweet and sour meatballs (with a dark brown homemade sweet and sour sauce), creamy mushroom meatballs (we all have fallen victim to a can of mushroom soup at some point in our lives) or tomato sauce with lots of basil oregano and garlic cooked with shredded cabbage in it so it tastes almost like cabbage rolls.
sometimes i add bbq sauce and just let them simmer in the slow cooker low and slow...
SOOOO many options!

what's your favorite meatball?

35 weeks!

the sea monkey is starting to run out of room. things are getting squishy in there... which means when an arm or leg is stretched out now i REALLY feel it. most of the stretching seems to be aimed up at my ribs. the arm stretches are just cute when they make my belly ripple.
though... i have to say its a little sci-fi when i watch an arm slide along the side of my belly... like aliens have taken over my body.

an interesting/scary thing i learned... my uterus has expanded to 1000 times its original size.

FOR REAL?!?!?! yikes!

my stomach may not have stretch marks but i'm sure that my uterus does!

the sea monkey is approximately 5.25 lbs these days.

i'm still hobbling around like an old lady. my hip is still out of commission. i was really hoping that i could get it back in working order by now but so far no luck.

we're starting to get really excited to meet the sea monkey.
i'll be done work next friday and that just makes it seem so much more real. and soon!

i still have tons to do in the baby's room so i'm hoping to get a bit more done each day so i don't have to do a ton all at once on any given day.

starting to get my hospital bag packed... just incase.
doesn't hurt to be prepared.

fernando asked me last night if he should pack his backpack just incase too... i asked him what he was going to pack.

his response...

stuff to keep him busy so he's not bored.

i'm pretty sure he shouldn't be bored!!?!?

i am now picturing how this will play out. 
if he is here for the baby being born he will sit in the waiting room playing video games and wait for news.

or...

 if he's feeling especially brave, he will play video games in the room.

for all of you who wondered why i wasn't super concerned that he will be on tour for part of the beginning of october.... this is why.

just because...

i don't have any real reason to have a blog post today, this is just rambling...
just to give you fair warning.

i enjoy my rambling, but if you don't then check back in later.

some random things going on these days.
you know, since i don't spend enough time on here going on and on and on.

• fernando text stalked me about finding him nail polish. yes. you read that right. unfortunately for you the entertainment value of this fact is significantly decreased since its not for his fingers (or toes) but to touch up some dings on his bass.

• the dogs act like they are velcro attached to me at any given opportunity. they've always been momma's boys but it has gotten significantly worse.

• today marks 10 more work days left (2 weeks until my last day)

• i am starting to feel really unprepared. i need to get my shit together. ASAP. i have almost everything but a lot of it is still in boxes and unassembled.

• my brother is living with us while he goes to NAIT. i kinda feel sorry for him. i don't know if i'd enjoy hanging out with me every night...

• i'm excited for the fall tv lineup like never before. i plan on being a couch potato as much as possible and getting as much crocheting done as physically possible before the sea monkey arrives. i love that i can PVR all my shows and watch them sans commercials at my leisure. awesome invention.

• i have a LOT of crocheting to do. i am selling at the winter/christmas Make It! show which runs November 17-20th. should be interesting since i'll have the sea monkey with me the whole time.

• i can't find a diaper bag that i love that isn't ridiculously expensive. i am debating just buying a really big purse at winners.even if i spend $100 on it that is only a fraction of the price of the diaper bags i have found so far.

i still can't believe i'm almost 35 weeks pregnant.
this last little bit has just flown by sooooooooooo quickly.

bump day - week 34

presenting to you..... THE BUMP!
34 weeks 4 days of brewing.

i woke up sunday and felt like i was all of a sudden WAY bigger than i was when i went to bed on saturday.
i don't know if i actually "popped" overnight or if i just feel that way because i can barely move so everything just takes so much more effort.

this picture is to prove that even though i can barely hobble around right now and i totally blame the sea monkey... i'm still happy.

and as a side note...
i'm not cutting my bangs until after the baby is born.
i don't care how silly this may seem to people, but the idea of having to wrangle sweaty bangs into some sort of restraint makes me stressed.
yes.
i'm stressing about my hair even though that is probably the least important thing ever.
sweaty bangs are a big no no for me.
especially when they get frizzy and curly if they get a chance to dry a bit.

so even though i have had bangs for years, they're going to be retired until after the sea monkey arrives so i can easily pin them back and not worry about them.

you may wonder why i don't just wear a headband.
well...
me and my giant melon head (fingers crossed the sea monkey isn't sporting my massive cranium) doesn't fit well in headbands. the plastic ones will usually snap in half part way through the day, the metal ones crush my skull and the super comfy looking stretchy ones just pop off.

so growing my bangs to ensure i can easily pin them back is something i have decided i need to do to eliminate that problem from my labor experience.

feel free to laugh.
scrunch your face quizzically.

i know its silly to worry about my hair when i should be worried about the whole having a baby thing...
labor doesn't scare me.
sweaty bangs do.
so i'm crazy.
i have known that for a LONG time.

here's a better bump picture now that we're not focusing on my hair.

and this one i just had to post.
my boobs look HUGE!! and my feet look tiny.
this is opposite of how i've spent my entire life.

even if its just for one picture at a weird angle, my boobs are so big they make my feet look small.
wooooooohoooooo!

for someone special... you know who you are...

just couldn't help myself.



tasty tuesday - ode to the slow cooker

i LOVE my slow cooker.
there is nothing better than throwing a pile of things into a pot putting the lid on and then coming home 8 hours later to a delicious smelling house and a meal that is pretty much ready to go.

AMAZING.

sunday i made a pork roast that i happened to spot in the freezer. i threw it in frozen and tossed in some mushrooms, some red onions, and some montreal steak spice. put on the lid, turn the dial to auto and voilla!
i made fernando a dinner for work of super tender roast pork and vegetables to be paired with his favorite dinner rolls.

easy!

and what's even better?

i shredded the rest of the roast for pulled pork sandwiches.

for this normally i just add a generous blob of my favorite habernero bbq sauce (thank you superstore for making such a delicious bbq sauce!), some cilantro leaves (quite a few), fresh cracked black pepper, and some peaches and cream corn.
then i close up the dish and let it soak in the fridge until the next day

makes some super delicious pulled pork sandwiches.

there was a slight change of plans for last night's pulled pork since my brother is living with us for the next six weeks while he finishes his 3rd year at NAIT.

he doesn't mix things. his food stays segregated. his plates look like those sectioned dishes that little kids use. except there are no actual dividers.

meat and bbq sauce he does allow to touch, but nothing else. no corn. definitely no cilantro...
so he can dress his own.
with lame bbq sauce, and probably just plain bread.

when i make mine, i will add the cilantro fresh to the sandwich, delicious sweet corn, and maybe even make it on garlic toast.

or if i'm feeling especially decadent... make a pulled pork grilled cheese.
YUM!

i have one other favorite way to make pulled pork... i'll post that one another day.

34 week update... getting closer!

34 weeks... only 3 more weeks until the sea monkey is considered full term. EXCITING!

hopefully fernando won't miss the arrival of the sea monkey.
for those of you that don't know, fernando's band The Preying Saints will be on tour with the Matadors for a western Canada tour. it starts out on October 6th and he'll be playing locally and fairly close to home umtil the 9th and then on the 10th heading to BC. 
he will be home October 17th so hopefully the sea monkey stays put until then! never know though.
i've been getting a lot of early predictions so we'll just have to wait and see.
conveniently for me (not so much for him) my giant little brother is staying with us while he goes to school so i won't be home alone. he'll be staying with us until October 21st so chances are he'll be there for the arrival.
he might end up be the one taking me to the hospital.
i assured him i would sit on a garbage bag to protect his precious truck. HA!
this is the 3rd time he's stayed with us while he's at NAIT...
good thing this is the last time since he might never want to come back again after dealing with an uber pregnant sister.
he's going to be carrying things around for me left and right.
if my hip/back doesn't get better soon he might be carrying me. good thing he's big and strong.

over the weekend i feel like i've turned into an octogenarian in need of a hip replacement.
NOT FUN.
this is the first pregnancy discomfort i've really had so i can't really complain because i know that i've been really lucky up until now.
but DAMN!
if this doesn't ease up i'm going to need a freakin walker to get around.

next doctor's appointment will be on September 23rd and at that point she will be checking my cervix (if this is TMI for some of you just pretend you didn't read it because i tend to overshare if you haven't noticed) to see if i've started dilating at all. it will also give a starting point to judge things from there on out

i will be done work September 30th so 15 more days of work (including today) until i'm offically a SAHM. i have to say... i'm super excited for that! not because i don't love my job, but because i'm ready to start this new part of my life.

that is all for now.

thankful thursday... a sneak peak

this is just a little teaser.

my parents decided that i am not allowed to paint anything while pregnant... so when i decided that i wanted to use an old dresser and chest of drawers for the sea monkey they offered to paint it for me.

it was white already but it had pink knobs. they were not so gender neutral.
it got a fresh coat of white and the previously pink knobs are now black to fit in with the sea monkey's colors.
once the room is set up a bit better and the clutter is cleared out i will take some nicer pictures.
for now all you get is a quick cell phone picture.

just for a little history.

i am obsessed with old furniture.
most new furniture doesn't even come close to comparing to the quality pieces.
can you imagine your current furniture in 60 years? probably in a landfill.
everything is so disposable now.

this dresser and chest of drawers were made for my grandparents sometime between 1945 and 1955.
unfortunately thats as close to knowing as i'll ever get. we know they got it after they were married and before they had my mom.

here's a peek!

bump day - 33 weeks!

not the best dress for bump pictures but its going to be a hot one out there and i thought i should be prepared for the half hour i will spend driving home in the warm weather.

i wish i got to be outside more and actually enjoy the gorgeous weather.

maybe i will go for a walk at lunch... or just walk until i find someplace to sit that i don't have to share with a homeless person. my being pregnant makes them smell worse....

or maybe they just smell worse in the summer because its warm out.

either way, i'm not going to share a bench with any smelly person. homeless or not.

brind wanted in on the pictures too...
18 more days in the office then brind gets to go home.

i have to say i'm not a big fan of the new blogger... or maybe i just haven't quite figured it out yet.

not sure.

it seems difficult sometimes.

so i will apologize in advance for any wonky posts i put up.

 the bump is growing.

shaving my legs is getting harder.

so please don't look too closely if presented with the opportunity to check out my legs.

wait.

who am i kidding.

nobody looks at my legs any more.

they're just there to hold up my new boobs and belly.

sometimes i even find women staring at my boobs.

i do too sometimes.

i can't help myself.

i've never had boobs like this before!