Today was a day... not much to it.
This morning the baby opened her presents, we hung out and at some point Lorelei and I took a nap.
Then this afternoon we went to a friend's place and had dinner with them- they had been shocked to hear that we were not doing anything with family so had invited us over to spend the afternoon with their family. That was a lot of fun and Lorelei got tons of attention.
This evening consisted of another nap for Lorelei and I (she's been doing these long dozing nursing sessions that put me to sleep). leftovers for dinner and a long walk outside which put her to sleep. Usually she isn't in bed until 11 or later so .... I'm crossing my fingers that she stays asleep. She only had short naps today so with any luck she will sleep soundly tonight. Last night she was up at 2:30 am and then again at 5:30 or so. Silly baby.
So, whoever's reading this... tell me something about your Christmas. I hope it went well for everyone!
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Rant- Allrecipes reviewers
Don't get me wrong... I <3 Allrecipes.com
I love that they have reviews because then I know what to expect from the recipe
Some of the reviewers are so stupid though. Some of the ones that get me going are
1. When someone says "I don't like ____ (insert main ingredient of the recipe) but I thought I'd try it anyways and ... it turns out I still don't like ______." And then give it a one star rating. Well, what did you expect? It's not because the recipe is bad, it's because you don't like that main ingredient.
2. People that make tons of substitutions and omissions from a recipe, then give it a poor rating because it didn't turn out well. If it didn't work because you didn't follow the recipe, it is YOUR FAULT.
3. When a cookie recipe says "drop on ungreased cookie sheet," Invariably there is a reviewer that gives it a 1 star review. Why? Because they put the cookie on a sheet sprayed with Pam, and then they couldn't get the cookies off the cookie sheet. Pam is a type of grease. Directions called for no grease. If it didn't work because you didn't follow the recipe, and actually did the OPPOSITE of what the recipe called for, it is YOUR FAULT.
Geeze people, get with the program ;)
I love that they have reviews because then I know what to expect from the recipe
Some of the reviewers are so stupid though. Some of the ones that get me going are
1. When someone says "I don't like ____ (insert main ingredient of the recipe) but I thought I'd try it anyways and ... it turns out I still don't like ______." And then give it a one star rating. Well, what did you expect? It's not because the recipe is bad, it's because you don't like that main ingredient.
2. People that make tons of substitutions and omissions from a recipe, then give it a poor rating because it didn't turn out well. If it didn't work because you didn't follow the recipe, it is YOUR FAULT.
3. When a cookie recipe says "drop on ungreased cookie sheet," Invariably there is a reviewer that gives it a 1 star review. Why? Because they put the cookie on a sheet sprayed with Pam, and then they couldn't get the cookies off the cookie sheet. Pam is a type of grease. Directions called for no grease. If it didn't work because you didn't follow the recipe, and actually did the OPPOSITE of what the recipe called for, it is YOUR FAULT.
Geeze people, get with the program ;)
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Christmas Cheer
My nod to Christmas.
We don't have any family here and aren't traveling so there's not much holiday cheer here. We do have a tree and are having Christmas dinner with some friends here, who were shocked to find out we were not going to be with family for the holiday.
We did go to the 37th street lights yesterday. It was a cold night and we were happy to discover that Lorelei now fits properly in the Ergo baby carrier. She does not, however, fit in her little snow suit. It makes her took much taller than she is, which is kinda adorable.
Seriously....look how long her legs look and then look how tiny her head is.
A little background.... unlike the Trail of Lights, the 37th street lights are simply lights on one block of a residential area in central Austin. It started with neighbors trying to one up each other and turned into an annual attraction. Fast forward 20+ years and of course some neighbors have moved and some houses are empty etc. Supposedly they "aren't as good" as they used to be because it's more just lights, less crazy artistic nonsense, but they are fun and free to see. Also, unlike the Trail of Lights, it doesn't require a shuttle bus to get to, which is a big selling point on a below freezing winter night when hauling a baby around.
A lot of people just drove there and there was a huge line for people waiting to drive down the block, but half the fun is the walking IMO so that's what we did.
We found parking only a block away and ambled down the block and then around the neighborhood before we got too cold and decided to go home to warm up.
A few highlights:
Gnomes being repressed
Flying Spaghetti Monster, or "Hi, How are you?"
Our group's consensus was FSM... The other one would not have come to mind except someone right behind us insisted it was the latter. After comparing both of them to the picture above I can see why someone might think it was the "Hi, How are you" but only if they had never seen the FSM.
I'm not quite sure what the message was supposed to be here.
My favorite, the Sock Monkey Nativity
And a family shot right before heading back to the car
I hope everyone has a great Christmas, and enjoys the days getting longer from here on out.
We don't have any family here and aren't traveling so there's not much holiday cheer here. We do have a tree and are having Christmas dinner with some friends here, who were shocked to find out we were not going to be with family for the holiday.
We did go to the 37th street lights yesterday. It was a cold night and we were happy to discover that Lorelei now fits properly in the Ergo baby carrier. She does not, however, fit in her little snow suit. It makes her took much taller than she is, which is kinda adorable.
Seriously....look how long her legs look and then look how tiny her head is.A little background.... unlike the Trail of Lights, the 37th street lights are simply lights on one block of a residential area in central Austin. It started with neighbors trying to one up each other and turned into an annual attraction. Fast forward 20+ years and of course some neighbors have moved and some houses are empty etc. Supposedly they "aren't as good" as they used to be because it's more just lights, less crazy artistic nonsense, but they are fun and free to see. Also, unlike the Trail of Lights, it doesn't require a shuttle bus to get to, which is a big selling point on a below freezing winter night when hauling a baby around.
A lot of people just drove there and there was a huge line for people waiting to drive down the block, but half the fun is the walking IMO so that's what we did.
We found parking only a block away and ambled down the block and then around the neighborhood before we got too cold and decided to go home to warm up.
A few highlights:
Gnomes being repressed
Flying Spaghetti Monster, or "Hi, How are you?"
Our group's consensus was FSM... The other one would not have come to mind except someone right behind us insisted it was the latter. After comparing both of them to the picture above I can see why someone might think it was the "Hi, How are you" but only if they had never seen the FSM.
I'm not quite sure what the message was supposed to be here.
My favorite, the Sock Monkey Nativity
And a family shot right before heading back to the car
I hope everyone has a great Christmas, and enjoys the days getting longer from here on out.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Imperfection in photographs
I have often liked the look of an imperfection. Found vintage photographs where parts of it are out of focus, but film was expensive and the imperfect photos found purchase in people's albums just as much as the perfect ones, because they were the only pictures that existed from that time. Now with previews on digital cameras it is easy to make sure you catch the moment in focus, with your subject's eyes open. You can even delete the "bad" ones before anyone else ever sees them.
In these days of everything new mentality, with perfect replicas of items produced in huge numbers lining the shelf, where it costs more to repair an item than throw it away and get a new one, the draw to imperfection is calling to many people-- just look at the success of Etsy, where almost everything sold there is (usually obviously) handmade.
I'm still drawn occasionally to the imperfect pictures. This is one of them, and I'm not sure why I'm drawn to it.
Any thoughts? Do you have a favorite picture that is technically not "good" but you love it anyways? Do you have a favorite item that is not shiny and new, but you prefer it that way? I'd love to hear about it.
In these days of everything new mentality, with perfect replicas of items produced in huge numbers lining the shelf, where it costs more to repair an item than throw it away and get a new one, the draw to imperfection is calling to many people-- just look at the success of Etsy, where almost everything sold there is (usually obviously) handmade.
I'm still drawn occasionally to the imperfect pictures. This is one of them, and I'm not sure why I'm drawn to it.
Any thoughts? Do you have a favorite picture that is technically not "good" but you love it anyways? Do you have a favorite item that is not shiny and new, but you prefer it that way? I'd love to hear about it.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Funny conversation....
Leave it to my best friend to get me giggling when I'm at the end of my rope...
1:48:39 PM) BakioMau: hm.. I need to think of a question of the week to ask the girls in my moms group
(1:49:45 PM) c____: if you could be a bird sitting on someone's windowsill, who's windowsill would you be sitting on?
(1:49:48 PM) BakioMau: Ive been keeping it holiday themed and sorta cheesy this month The questions so far have been "what are you thankful for" "whats your favorite holiday tradition" and "whats your favorite present you have received"
(1:49:58 PM) BakioMau: LoL .. I like that one.
(1:50:04 PM) c_____: :)
(1:50:44 PM) c_____: I suppose I could let you license it from me
(1:51:26 PM) BakioMau: I'll use that one after christmas if you let me...
(1:52:31 PM) c_____: well I don't know how I'd know if I told you no but you used it anyway~
(1:52:47 PM) c_____: you could change it to "if you were a partridge in someone's pear tree..." ;)
(1:56:45 PM) BakioMau: lol
(1:57:01 PM) BakioMau: Who's pear tree would you patridge in?
(1:57:46 PM) c_____: well I guess so... but partridge is a noun?
(1:58:05 PM) BakioMau: maybe it couldbe a verb too?
(1:58:38 PM) c_____: well I guess it could... but if you were partridging, what would you be doing?
(1:58:43 PM) c_____: ooh! another good question!
1:48:39 PM) BakioMau: hm.. I need to think of a question of the week to ask the girls in my moms group
(1:49:45 PM) c____: if you could be a bird sitting on someone's windowsill, who's windowsill would you be sitting on?
(1:49:48 PM) BakioMau: Ive been keeping it holiday themed and sorta cheesy this month The questions so far have been "what are you thankful for" "whats your favorite holiday tradition" and "whats your favorite present you have received"
(1:49:58 PM) BakioMau: LoL .. I like that one.
(1:50:04 PM) c_____: :)
(1:50:44 PM) c_____: I suppose I could let you license it from me
(1:51:26 PM) BakioMau: I'll use that one after christmas if you let me...
(1:52:31 PM) c_____: well I don't know how I'd know if I told you no but you used it anyway~
(1:52:47 PM) c_____: you could change it to "if you were a partridge in someone's pear tree..." ;)
(1:56:45 PM) BakioMau: lol
(1:57:01 PM) BakioMau: Who's pear tree would you patridge in?
(1:57:46 PM) c_____: well I guess so... but partridge is a noun?
(1:58:05 PM) BakioMau: maybe it couldbe a verb too?
(1:58:38 PM) c_____: well I guess it could... but if you were partridging, what would you be doing?
(1:58:43 PM) c_____: ooh! another good question!
Enough already!
When did my sweet baby girl become the fussiest little baby critter ever? She won't go to sleep.... she'll play alone for a few but then start crying, she has even been fussing in the car while on the highway, and at Target even when the cart is moving. All the fallback things are failing and ... I feel like a failure. I can't keep the one thing I'm in charge of happy. Last night, she had to cry herself to sleep because there was NO comforting her. Right now, she is in her crib crying because I have no clue what else to do. Writing this is my way of keeping from running to her right away.... it beats watching the clock for five minutes. She doesn't want to nurse. I can't take her for a walk today because I'm waiting for UPS. I play with her and it helps for a minute and then she's angry again. I've got nothing.
Monday, December 15, 2008
December photoday
The weather has been pretty weird here. There have been a few days where it has been near 80 degrees out, so me and Lorelei have taken advantage of those and gone for many walks... usually the next day it will be in the 40s or 50s. Lorelei usually babbles and sings for the first block or so and after that drifts off into a deep sleep.
This kind of temperature fluctuation means lots of wind! This is how we discovered that the siding on our shed wasn't attached too well (it is just made of beams and siding, there is no drywall or anything) It looked kinda cool though, and popped back into place easily.
Yesterday we got a Christmas tree. This is probably the only thing my boyfriend will be getting me for Christmas because he's not a big fan of the Christmas season. It's still not decorated though.... because the kitten loves it. I'm thinking I will leave it undecorated for one more day and then just be careful about what ornaments I put on it... or something.
It was another of those beautiful days out so I put Lorelei in this fancy little dress my mom bought her, set her on a quilt in the back yard and had a little photo session with her.
A note for those who wish my buy 5 1/2 month old babies fancy little dresses.... make sure that it isn't a fabric that changes color when wet. This dress was actually a good fabric to choose, though having a few less froofy layers would have possibly made it less attractive to baby noms.
It was moody day for her though, and she decided she'd had enough of it right about the time I ran out of ideas
- - well, she got angry when I stopped letting her eat my camera strap, but nothing was gewtting accomplished that way.
This kind of temperature fluctuation means lots of wind! This is how we discovered that the siding on our shed wasn't attached too well (it is just made of beams and siding, there is no drywall or anything) It looked kinda cool though, and popped back into place easily.
Yesterday we got a Christmas tree. This is probably the only thing my boyfriend will be getting me for Christmas because he's not a big fan of the Christmas season. It's still not decorated though.... because the kitten loves it. I'm thinking I will leave it undecorated for one more day and then just be careful about what ornaments I put on it... or something.
It was another of those beautiful days out so I put Lorelei in this fancy little dress my mom bought her, set her on a quilt in the back yard and had a little photo session with her.
A note for those who wish my buy 5 1/2 month old babies fancy little dresses.... make sure that it isn't a fabric that changes color when wet. This dress was actually a good fabric to choose, though having a few less froofy layers would have possibly made it less attractive to baby noms.
It was moody day for her though, and she decided she'd had enough of it right about the time I ran out of ideas
- - well, she got angry when I stopped letting her eat my camera strap, but nothing was gewtting accomplished that way.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Reunion ruminations
I've been thinking back to my 10 year high school reunion that was held about a month ago.
I went thinking "oh, I'll socialize and have a great time"
But the reality was that I sat with one friend in the back of the room and talked very little to anyone except her. She and her husband left early, and I followed suit.
Why?
Well first of all, I was exhausted due to having a really bad night the night before where I slept only a few hours. You'd think with a 4 month old baby at the time that I'd be used to it, but I'm really not. She typically sleeps all night and has since she was a month old or so.
Also, I was not exactly a social butterfly in high school. I kept to myself a fair amount (besides participating in every band class there was), wore all black a lot, sat in the back of the class and generally personified the typical socially awkward teenager. I thought when I saw people all that would drop away and I could be myself. Instead as I remembered people it just made me draw back into my shell and I couldn't imagine joining into the festivities more than to talk to a few people that broke away from the group and came to talk to me. So I was just the same outcast loser as I was in high school 10 years later at the reunion.
I'd say the weekend was a wash and a waste of money and time.... but my dad is still in the hospital from the surgery he had the day after I left. He had a bad reaction to.... something, probably the anesthesia and his mild dementia has become severe.
This weekend he became so agitated that he started cursing and pretty much attacked some people at the rehabilitation center he has been staying at. He has talked with a severe slur since the operation, cusses now (he has always hated cussing enough to tell me that he didn't approve of my mom saying sh*t, now he is calling people "bitch" left and right) He got so out of hand that it took multiple policemen, paramedics and three shots of Haldol to get him to the hospital. Now my mom isn't sure if he'll ever get to go home.
I knew something could go wrong and braced myself for the fact he might die from the surgery- it didn't occur to me that anything worse could happen. Death is indeed bad, but if he never recovers from this dementia I think that could be worse.
At least Lorelei got to meet him once before all this. Not that she will remember it. And luckily, she didn't get to witness my reunion freeze-up either.
I went thinking "oh, I'll socialize and have a great time"
But the reality was that I sat with one friend in the back of the room and talked very little to anyone except her. She and her husband left early, and I followed suit.
Why?
Well first of all, I was exhausted due to having a really bad night the night before where I slept only a few hours. You'd think with a 4 month old baby at the time that I'd be used to it, but I'm really not. She typically sleeps all night and has since she was a month old or so.
Also, I was not exactly a social butterfly in high school. I kept to myself a fair amount (besides participating in every band class there was), wore all black a lot, sat in the back of the class and generally personified the typical socially awkward teenager. I thought when I saw people all that would drop away and I could be myself. Instead as I remembered people it just made me draw back into my shell and I couldn't imagine joining into the festivities more than to talk to a few people that broke away from the group and came to talk to me. So I was just the same outcast loser as I was in high school 10 years later at the reunion.
I'd say the weekend was a wash and a waste of money and time.... but my dad is still in the hospital from the surgery he had the day after I left. He had a bad reaction to.... something, probably the anesthesia and his mild dementia has become severe.
This weekend he became so agitated that he started cursing and pretty much attacked some people at the rehabilitation center he has been staying at. He has talked with a severe slur since the operation, cusses now (he has always hated cussing enough to tell me that he didn't approve of my mom saying sh*t, now he is calling people "bitch" left and right) He got so out of hand that it took multiple policemen, paramedics and three shots of Haldol to get him to the hospital. Now my mom isn't sure if he'll ever get to go home.
I knew something could go wrong and braced myself for the fact he might die from the surgery- it didn't occur to me that anything worse could happen. Death is indeed bad, but if he never recovers from this dementia I think that could be worse.
At least Lorelei got to meet him once before all this. Not that she will remember it. And luckily, she didn't get to witness my reunion freeze-up either.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Favorite Christmas Song
Ah ahah.. I turned on XM Holly .. XM radio's Christmas channel and there was the song I was trying ot figure out the name for a few days back
Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra
And if you're not sure what song that is... here ya go...
Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra
And if you're not sure what song that is... here ya go...
The Blahs
I've been very tired recently.
No, it isn't because the baby is not sleeping... She sleeps pretty well. I'm not quite sure what it is. My boyfriend thinks it's because I don't eat right during the day and I don't get enough exercise. This may be true but is hard to remedy. To keep patient with Lorelei I try to stay low key. When she goes down for a nap it can be hard to switch gears into "do stuff" mode. Since I'm not always sure she'll stay asleep often I end up sitting her at the computer until her nap is over... out of a lack of momentum once I get started internetting.
It's a quite blah feeling, and I'm a bit worried that my depression is going to sneak back in now that it's getting cold to go along with the dark. It may be already here, but I certainly don't want it getting any worse.
Any suggestions those who stay home with their babies?... or those who don't too .... I'm open to ideas.
No, it isn't because the baby is not sleeping... She sleeps pretty well. I'm not quite sure what it is. My boyfriend thinks it's because I don't eat right during the day and I don't get enough exercise. This may be true but is hard to remedy. To keep patient with Lorelei I try to stay low key. When she goes down for a nap it can be hard to switch gears into "do stuff" mode. Since I'm not always sure she'll stay asleep often I end up sitting her at the computer until her nap is over... out of a lack of momentum once I get started internetting.
It's a quite blah feeling, and I'm a bit worried that my depression is going to sneak back in now that it's getting cold to go along with the dark. It may be already here, but I certainly don't want it getting any worse.
Any suggestions those who stay home with their babies?... or those who don't too .... I'm open to ideas.
uhmm.... WTF?
If you decide to watch it, you haveta watch it to the end for the maximum WTF effect. It's short. And weird.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
a craftless craft blog?
That seems to be what I have. Someday I will get more of a chance to craft again. For now... well, I did make a few stockings tying to work out a pattern. They were for a craft day with other moms to make baby's first stockings but for some reason all but one person has decided to change their RSVP to no or maybe- including the person who actually requested the event. *sigh* That was a bunch of work for nothing.
Here they are:
These actually aren't ones I am going to use but... well, at least I know how to make a stocking now.
I also made some sugar cookies last night that turned out wonderfully. I used this recipe. I tried to frost them with a simple powdered sugar and water glaze but I think I'll do something differently for the other half the batch. I need to do something that travels well or I'd put butter cream frosting on them. I'm going to be making them for a cookie swap though and I want them to turn out good after taking them someplace else in the car.
The icing I'm in theory going to make it going to be a royal icing like hard icing with crushed candy canes sprinkled on top before it hardens. The question is, when can I find a chance to crush candy canes into little bits while not waking the baby?
Here they are:
These actually aren't ones I am going to use but... well, at least I know how to make a stocking now.
I also made some sugar cookies last night that turned out wonderfully. I used this recipe. I tried to frost them with a simple powdered sugar and water glaze but I think I'll do something differently for the other half the batch. I need to do something that travels well or I'd put butter cream frosting on them. I'm going to be making them for a cookie swap though and I want them to turn out good after taking them someplace else in the car.
The icing I'm in theory going to make it going to be a royal icing like hard icing with crushed candy canes sprinkled on top before it hardens. The question is, when can I find a chance to crush candy canes into little bits while not waking the baby?
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Well, crap.
The baby has taken to pooping when she's laying on her tummy.... mostly when she is not wearing her diaper.
Knowing this I changed her this morning and then laid her down on her tummy on the floor on a blanket, and a strategically placed cloth diaper and went to start a load of diaper laundry. I was gone less than 5 minutes and when I came back she was turned a full 180 degrees, plus over far enough to be just barely off the blanket. Sometime in the middle of this maneuvering she had pooped. Sooo there was (is) baby poop on the blanket, the diaper, the freshly shampooed carpet and of course, the baby. The happy squirming baby that, as soon as I turned her over to clean it off of her, stuck her hands in the poo on her thighs and then tried to put her hands in her mouth. Oh the Joy.
Makes me sort of glad she's not on solids and is breastfed though- from what I've been told that is the least stinky baby poo that exists.
Time to get back to getting the poo off the carpet.
Knowing this I changed her this morning and then laid her down on her tummy on the floor on a blanket, and a strategically placed cloth diaper and went to start a load of diaper laundry. I was gone less than 5 minutes and when I came back she was turned a full 180 degrees, plus over far enough to be just barely off the blanket. Sometime in the middle of this maneuvering she had pooped. Sooo there was (is) baby poop on the blanket, the diaper, the freshly shampooed carpet and of course, the baby. The happy squirming baby that, as soon as I turned her over to clean it off of her, stuck her hands in the poo on her thighs and then tried to put her hands in her mouth. Oh the Joy.
Makes me sort of glad she's not on solids and is breastfed though- from what I've been told that is the least stinky baby poo that exists.
Time to get back to getting the poo off the carpet.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Scattergories (aka a meme of a different name)
I came across this via the lovely OhChicken who writes the blog WeAreFambly, who got it from calliope who says “it’s harder than it looks! Play here or let me know if you play on your blog. (note to those new to the game: these don’t have to be actual truths. If it helps- replace the word “you” in the questions & substitute it with “someone”.) Play on & use your imagination! Use the first letter of the answer to the first question to come up with answers for the rest.”
1 )What is the name of your favorite Holiday themed song?
Grandma got Run over by a Reindeer (not really but I can't figure out the name of my favorite one and it's driving me nuts!)
2) Something on your wish list
Giant new television, with input jacks that don't require jiggling
3) Something you plan on baking
Gingerbread cookies
4) Something you plan on giving
Gifts!
5) Something you plan on avoiding eating
Green eggs and ham
6) Something you plan on adding to the chorus of ‘12 Days of Christmas’
Grunty babies squirming?
7) Something you plan on returning/ re-gifting
Gravy mix
8 ) Something you wish was stuffed into your stocking (heh)
Grey purring fluffy kittens
9) Some place you wish you could travel to this month
Greece
10) Something you will decorate with
A green, wonderful smelling, live christmas tree... if I can convince my boyfriend that we need one.
My brain is not functioning on any semblance of normal tonight... so this turned out much less amusing than I was hoping. Also, I cannot get these italics to go away!
1 )What is the name of your favorite Holiday themed song?
Grandma got Run over by a Reindeer (not really but I can't figure out the name of my favorite one and it's driving me nuts!)
2) Something on your wish list
Giant new television, with input jacks that don't require jiggling
3) Something you plan on baking
Gingerbread cookies
4) Something you plan on giving
Gifts!
5) Something you plan on avoiding eating
Green eggs and ham
6) Something you plan on adding to the chorus of ‘12 Days of Christmas’
Grunty babies squirming?
7) Something you plan on returning/ re-gifting
Gravy mix
8 ) Something you wish was stuffed into your stocking (heh)
Grey purring fluffy kittens
9) Some place you wish you could travel to this month
Greece
10) Something you will decorate with
A green, wonderful smelling, live christmas tree... if I can convince my boyfriend that we need one.
My brain is not functioning on any semblance of normal tonight... so this turned out much less amusing than I was hoping. Also, I cannot get these italics to go away!
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