Good News and Good Cooking

December is usually a very busy month and this year it's been even busier than usual.  I started a new job earlier this month.  So far, it's been great.  Interesting work, nice people and a short commute.  I'm learning, asking questions and taking lots of notes in my notebook.  This job mostly uses my organizational skills. If you know me at all, you know I'm no stranger to lists, checklists, databases, forms or spreadsheets.

The transition to work has been pretty smooth.  And instead of wearing some variation of jeans and a black t-shirt every day, I wear my work clothes.  Shirt with collars!  Necklaces! Shoes without laces! It feels like I'm putting on my grown up costume. 

In an attempt to make dinnertimes easier, I cooked.  Though My Heart's Desire and I have divided the home chores and meals differently now, I wanted to make our evenings as easy as possible.  Babyface goes to bed pretty early and I wanted us to spend time with him rather than over the stove.

A few years ago My Heart's Desire bought a chest freezer (thanks, Craigslist) and both crocks worked overtime to pack it with meals. I filled almost two sets of Pyrex casserole dishes and plenty of plastic containers.  I made mostly standbys and tried one new recipe, light king ranch casserole. When we get to it, I'll let you know how we liked it.

December Dinners
Mac and cheese with broccoli casserole

Three bean chili

Mushroom quiche

Enchiladas

Enchiladas

Carnitas

Chicken fajitas

Pesto chicken thighs

Jambalaya

Jambalaya

Chicken tortilla soup

Chicken tortilla soup

Italian-style meatloaf
Light king ranch casserole

Balsamic chicken

Pasta bake

Grandma's old fashioned granola

In addition, I baked five chicken breasts and cut them up to use in future meals or to add to lunchtime salads.  I also made a big batch of Grandma's old fashioned granola for Babyface.

Having dinners ready to go really does make evenings easier. We also have dinner as a family more often, instead of My Heart's Desire and I eating after Babyface goes to bed.  I used to have breakfast with Babyface and My Heart's Desire would have lunch with him, but with our new schedule that doesn't work anymore.  So family dinners are pretty great.

Grateful Thursday

Today I am grateful for family, new and old friends, having become an early riser over the past few years, my festive holiday pedicure, HiFutureSelf app, good news, being able to adjust my expectations, clean laundry, things to look forward to and that Babyface insists on hugging both shoulders equally.

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Grateful Thursday

Today I am grateful for central heating, fantastic smelling body wash, go-to earrings and necklace that can dress up any outfit, not taking things personally, consistency, that Babyface loves books, staying in touch with friends in different time zones, healthy cookies (now sans chocolate chips), and really good bad TV shows.

10 Things I Love About the Holidays

 

1. Getting holiday cards from friends and family, especially those with photos of adorable kids 
2. Holiday music!  I've been listening to it since before Thanksgiving
3. Feeling grateful 
4. Dressing Babyface in ridiculous holiday outfits
5. Holiday movie classics (yes, I include Love Actually as a classic)
6. New traditions that My Heart's Desire and I create together
7. Holiday baking, which is hard this season since I'm sugar-free
8. Stockings hung by the fireplace
9. Ornaments from my childhood, especially the ones made on plastic lids with glitter and pipe cleaners for hangers
10. A white Christmas!

November Report

Now that the whirlwind month of November is over I can report on my first attempt at National Novel Writing Month. Writing an entire book in a month is a very ambitious goal and it is definitely one that got me going.  

I've been an early riser for the past few years and pushed the alarm back a bit more so that I could write in the mornings before it was time for everyone else to rise and shine.  When Daylight Saving Time ended, it was even darker and colder at 5am.  I loved typing while the rest of the house slept.  I even made a fire or two.  I also snuck out to Starbucks or the library some afternoons with my laptop. 

Did I write an entire 50k word book? No.  I got in about 15k words.  Did I write more in November than in the previous year cumulatively? Yes.  Having writing on the front burner has me consistently mulling, making notes, and then going back to them and writing. 

It doesn't matter that I didn't meet the goal of writing the entire book.  Or that my computer has a horrible virus.  And that the backup netbook doesn't work properly. Or that Babyface got sick.  Or the unexpected family tasks.  

NaNoWriMo helped me include regular writing into my routine.  I plan to continue working on my project.  One of the stories I want to work on as a standalone piece, workshop it and then send it out for consideration. 

Gone Writing

I'm consumed by my book writing project and it is not for the faint of heart.  I will resume postings in December.  Wish me luck!

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Treats

It's been more than two months since I gave up sugar and I'm going strong. I love the way that I feel. I've been sleeping better, my skin is clearer, and I managed to avoid the strep throat that brought down Babyface and My Heart's Desire.  My palate has also changed and I'm able to appreciate the sweetness of foods like carrots and grapes.

Until I gave up sugar, I didn't realize how much I used sweets as treats.  Dipped cones, brownies, pie, cake, those were the things I wanted as treats.  A clean eating friend says, "Don't reward yourself with food.  You are not a dog." That just makes me feel bad.  I prefer the message below that I saw on Pinterest.

I recently celebrated a personal milestone and was flummoxed when I had to come up with a non-food treat.  I ended up getting a fancy pedicure with a friend during Spa Week and it was lovely. Another time I was in a bad mood, wanted a sweet treat and ended up buying a magazine (I almost never buy single copies of magazines since subscriptions are usually the cost of two newsstand issues).

What are some good non-food treats? So far my free treat list includes: a couple of hours at a bookstore, having someone else do Babyface's bath and bed routine while I lounge, and leisurely reading. Treats with a small budget include buying flowers, a scratchy soap, or registering for a 5K.

If you have any other ideas, please share in the comments.

Grandma's Old Fashioned Granola

My honorary grandma gave me this recipe and it's a breeze to make. I make it with whatever I have on hand so it's different every time. So far it's always turned out well.

Grandma's Old Fashioned Granola Ingredients:
2-3 cups old fashioned oats
2-3 cups of any or all of the following: soy flour, whole wheat flour, wheat germ, rolled wheat flakes, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, shredded coconut, powdered milk, unsalted almonds or walnuts or pecans, or whatever else you like
1/4 cup veggie oil or 1 stick butter
1/4-1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla
Raisins (optional)

Melt the oil or butter, honey, water, and vanilla in a large pan.  Add dry ingredients, mix well.  Bake on a cookie sheet at 200*, stirring every 20 minutes, until golden brown. As you can see, I lined my pan with parchment paper.  The granola doesn't stick to it and I don't have to wash the pan.

Granola with fruit and yogurt

Grandma's Old Fashioned Granola

I made granola for Babyface yesterday and my dry ingredients were: oats, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut, sliced almonds, powdered milk, a little nutritional yeast, whey protein powder, and powdered milk.  It smelled amazing and was very tasty. After it cools, I stirred in some raisins. I keep it in the fridge. He loves it with Greek yogurt and berries.  So do I.

NaNoWriMo

For several years I have known about National Novel Writing Month and thought it was too ambitious for me. Of course there are a lot of reasons why this month isn't a good time—two family weddings, travel, Thanksgiving, I already get up before dawn, trying to stay focused on exercise, keeping my eye on the prize with healthy eating, home projects, and the list goes on. In the past I've done other things that I thought were very unlikely, like participating in a half marathon.

There's never a perfect time to do anything.  As my mom says, it's always something. But if not now, when? The stars will never line up perfectly for me to write a book so November is a good a time as any. The one thing that I always have is plenty of ideas.

My friend Megan from Anatomy of A Mother signed up with me (at my request) so I've really got to do it now.  I'm officially signed up on the NaNoWriMo site and am only slightly terrified.  I know it doesn't have to be great, it just has to get done.  Any whole draft gives you something to revise and edit, and that's when the magic happens.

What is this library carrel missing? Me!

I haven't written anything book length since my master's thesis way back in 2006.  I have the time, even if it means getting up even earlier (right now I get up around 6), typing quietly while Babyface sleeps, trading childcare with other moms, going to local write-ins, and sneaking out to the library with my laptop.

Fall in Love

Fall is officially here.  It's my favorite season. It's just beautiful to see colorful leaves almost everywhere.  I know people love to visit in the spring or summer (when it is a zillion humid degrees!) but fall is even better.  After a very sporadic start this year with some temperatures near 90* at the beginning of the month, fall has finally settled in.  I've had to put away my summer clothes and break out the fall/winter wardrobe.  

It's very chilly in the mornings and I am in love with my fleece-lined hoodie. My mom visited recently and we went for walks with Babyface and it was gorgeous out.  Last weekend we went to a toddler Halloween party in the park and it was hilarious to see the kids dressed up.  Babyface was a bumblebee. We didn't carve pumpkins but we do have some festive mini pumpkins that Babyface keeps trying to eat.

My mom, Babyface, and I also took a trip to the farm to pick apples.  We've eaten plenty and I'm going to make applesauce. I can hardly wait for the first fire of the season.  I love the way a wood burning fire smells.  

I've been trying out some new soup recipes in crock jr. Before long I'll have flannels on the bed.  They are so cozy I even have flannel crib sheets for Babyface too. And my collection of pashminas and cashmere wraps will soon come out of hibernation.

What is your favorite thing about fall? 

Grateful Thursday

Green Monster

Today I am grateful for my exercise bike on this very chilly morning, a new blender jar since I broke the last one after making a Green Monster, writerly ambitions, mom friends, non-food treats, clean towels, and that Babyface loves to help do chores.

The Tao of Martha: My Year of LIVING; Or, Why I'm Never Getting All That Glitter Off of the Dog

The Tao of Martha: My Year of LIVING; Or, Why I'm Never Getting All That Glitter Off of the Dog is certain to make you laugh out loud at least once.

Untidy and un-crafty Lancaster spends a year trying to emulate Martha Stewart in a suburban home run amok by cats and pit bulls.  Lancaster tackles holidays, knitting, organizing, cleaning, cooking, gardening, entertaining and more and finds some things life changers (slow cooker!) and others not so much.  Gold spray painted pumpkins aren't my thing but now I want to have an alphabetized spice rack.

Jen Lancaster writes amusing nonfiction though some books are better than others.  This one is almost as good as her first, Bitter is the New Black.  If you're traveling over the holidays and need something entertaining, this is a good choice.

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Grateful Thursday

Today I am grateful for going to bed early last night and rising early this morning, getting in 2.5 miles before sunrise, library books, that the blender jar I broke is replaceable in plastic, Amazon, seeing cute babies on FaceTime, guilty pleasure TV, pretty toenails, resisting the lure of the Balducci's treat tray and am still sugar free, that Babyface loves to help with chores, like throwing things in the garbage and unloading the dishwasher, and getting in my bonus walks.

October 15

Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.  Last year a very dear friend had a stillborn son. I have never been heartbroken for someone before. The loss has changed her profoundly. It's so hard to talk about. What I do know is this: Her baby will be remembered and loved.

The saddest book either of us will ever read, Empty Cradle, Broken Heart: Surviving the Death of Your Baby, was tremendously helpful.  It helped her deal with her grief and it helped me to understand what she was going through much better and be a supportive friend.  I have probably started hundreds of sentences with the phrase, "The book says.."

On his birthday this year, I made a donation to help the important research of the Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth in his name. Though I haven't mentioned this on the blog before, Babyface was born prematurely.  Even though he is two years and three months old, when I talk about it or even think about it very much, I burst into tears.

On October 15, people are invited to light a candle at 7 pm in their time zone and let it burn for at least an hour. The result is an international wave of light that lasts for 24 hours in remembrance of the babies who died during pregnancy or shortly after birth.

In America, stillbirths occur in 1 out of every 160 pregnancies.  For more information, visit March of Dimes.  For pregnancy loss, stillbirth, or early infant loss support, visit Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support.

Déjà Vu

I was looking online for links to old news articles that I wrote when I came across my name mentioned in a journal that did not sound familiar.

A few clicks later, I came across a photograph I took.  I had completely forgotten that it made the cover of a literary journal back in 2007.

I took this picture in Tlaquepaque, Mexico, in 2006, the year before it was published.  My mom lived in Mexico for many years and my siblings and I visited more than a few times.  Sometimes we would take the deluxe bus to other places and Tlaquepaque was one of the places that we traveled.  We were there in December, after Christmas, and it felt like summer. My siblings, mom, and I perused the artisan's market, walked around the historical district, and ate authentic and delicious food. 

How could I forget something great, like having a photograph make the cover of a wonderful if slightly obscure literary journal?  What other great things have I forgotten?

Bargain Day: Santa Baby

Yes, I know I recently lamented Christmas creep.  But when I saw this Babyface-sized Santa outfit for $6 at a toddler consignment sale, I couldn't resist. It's even more adorable on.

I take Babyface to get his picture taken about every other month and he will definitely be wearing this next. I'm crazy about professional photos of him and our family.

Today In One Sentence

This morning I rose before daybreak to do some writing and fiction submitting, fed and played with Babyface, took him to be minded at a friend's (we swap), got five minutes away and realized I had the diaper bag with me, went back and dropped it off, ran errands (sans toddler = efficient), ate and ran into someone I hadn't seen in a long time, went to the store for mushrooms, almond milk, and canned pumpkin, picked Babyface up and got a good report, put him down for a nap at home, worked on my laptop, walked to the park, met up with some moms for playground fun and a walk, a 10% chance of rain turned into a 100% chance when it started raining, I walked more, made fish tacos for dinner (so-so) for the first time, dined with My Heart's Desire, watched a little Netflix, and am going to bed early.

tiny beautiful things

tiny beautiful things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar
by Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild

Read it.  Read it now.

Grateful Tuesday

Today I am grateful for exercising consistently, the lovely rain, making a CD of all happy songs to wake up to, having become a morning person, dressing Babyface in my old, groovy toddler clothes, that I got a hot shower before the water heater went out,

Vintage toddler outfit

grapes, making plans, coupons, having a date with My Heart's Desire on the books, looking forward to my mom's visit next week, and the adorable photographs of my friend's newborn baby.

Chicken Salad Salad

Since it's nearly 90*, I had to shelve the soups for a bit and make a summery salad.  I had leftover chicken from some homestyle roasted chicken so I decided to make some chicken salad for the following day's lunch. I had it on greens and it was delicious. 

Chicken Salad Ingredients:
Chopped leftover chicken

A little light mayo (go very lightly, you don't want it to be gloppy)

Chopped celery

Chopped onion (frozen is fine)

Garlic salt

Pepper

Chicken Salad Salad Ingredients:

Chicken salad

Grapes

Diced apple

Grape tomatoes

Sliced almonds

Mixed greens (I like the kind with veggies) 

Balsamic vinaigrette  

 

Chicken Salad Salad

Put the greens, grapes, apples, grape tomatoes, almonds and balsamic vinaigrette into a big colander and mix well with a pair of tongs.  Then add the chicken salad and give it one stir with the tongs.  I really like fruit and nuts in salads.  It is great!  

The Lost Husband

Katherine Center's The Lost Husband features Libby, a broke single mom, widowed for one year and living with her volatile mother in Houston.  When Libby relieves an invitation from her estranged, zany aunt to move in with her kids and work on her goat farm in a tiny Texas town, Libby jumps at the chance. The city-girl-adapts-to-farm-life story has its appeal, and this one features handsome farmers, a former celebrity turned quasi-psychic, square dancing, and goats with names like Lady Bird Johnson, Toni Morrison, and Helen of Troy.

Libby and her family adjust to life on the farm and I found the story very charming.  I kept reading because I was waiting for a twist, and there was one, but not the one I was expecting, which I liked.  Libby grows in small bursts and connects in meaningful ways to her family as well as to other characters. I found it charming and enjoyable.

This is the second book that I've read recently where a single woman goes to rural Texas to find herself.  The first was Liza Palmer's Nowhere But Home. I wonder if finding yourself in small Texas town is going to become a fiction sub-genre, like a few years ago when there were a zillion books with wife in the title.

Grateful Tuesday

Today I am grateful for breaking out my super-cozy fleece lined sweatshirt, Washingtonian's Cheap Eats issue, duct tape (keeps Babyface's diapers on), fast typing skills, plans with friends, caffeine free diet Dr. Pepper, letting others have time to mull, late season tomatoes, that My Heart's Desire is tech-y, not wanting sugar free candy when it was passed around in class yesterday, and for singing really loudly and off-key.

Healthy Soft Serve (Really!)

Even though I gave up sugar, I still need to have sweet treats sometimes.  So I make healthy cookies with even more nuts instead of chocolate chips.

A clean eating friend told me he loves his Yonanas machine.  After looking at it online, I thought it sounded great.  One Bed, Bath & Beyond coupon later, it was mine.

All you do is put frozen bananas and/or other frozen fruit into this machine and it comes out the consistency of soft serve.  Voila! My Heart's Desire enjoys it and we told Babyface that it was ice cream.

Pros:
It really is that easy to make.  I've tried it with bananas alone, bananas with a little peanut butter, bananas and strawberries, bananas and mixed berries, and bananas, pineapple, peach with a little unsweetened coconut.  Good, great, great, okay, good.  The consistency is what makes it perfect.  I used to put these same ingredients into my mini food processor but I also had to add milk. And all of that harsh chopping killed my first mini food processor.  It's a very healthy dessert and very satisfying.

Cons:
It seems like the equivalent of one banana ends up stuck to the parts inside.  And if you want it, you have to take the whole thing apart and scrape it off the different parts.

It is also extremely difficult to get really clean.  I have no idea why, since all of the parts are plastic, except for the metal blades.  When I wash it by hand, it never really looks clean.  And when I toss it in the dishwasher, a lot of dishwasher schmutz gets stuck to it and I have to wash it by hand.  I've tried soaking, washing it right away, and really scrubbing with a bottle brush. If you have a trick for getting this clean, I'd be all ears.

Conclusion:
Altogether, I'm loving it.  And since I pay 49¢ per pound of bananas, if one has to be sacrificed, it's not a big deal.  It's delicious, easy and fast to make.

Crock Junior

I just couldn't help myself.  As much as I love my big, 6Q slow cooker, I couldn't resist picking up this smaller, 4Q slow cooker.  I bought it secondhand for a song and have been very happy with it.  I cleaned it like Martha Stewart was watching.  It's another Hamilton Beach, though this one is manual, which means I can't set a timer to tell it when to switch to warm.  So far this is not a big deal.

Crock Jr and Crock

It's great for two things.  First, for making smaller quantity recipes. A crock should be half to two-thirds full and when you put in a smaller volume, it doesn't cook properly.  You can put a smaller dish into the crock and cook that way, which I have done with success for baking sweet breads.  But since my big slow cooker is oval, large round dishes won't fit.

I've made some great soups in crock jr already. The broccoli soup, which was perfect on a chilly day and mushroom soup, which tasted nothing like the stuff in the can.  

I also like it when I want to make a side to go with whatever I'm making in the big crock.  Last week I made chicken drumsticks in the big crock and soup in crock jr. It was a breeze!  

Sugar Free Me!

Yes, you read that correctly.  Though all my teeth are sweet, it has been a month since I've given up sugar.  I have been making healthy changes for some time and it was suggested to me that giving up sugar could make a big difference.  This has actually been suggested to me for years and I was firmly unwilling.  Until now.  Healthy actions = healthy results

So I gave up all added sugars and sweets.  No more cookies or Safeway brownies or dipped ice cream cones on hot days.  No artificially sweetened treats either. The first two weeks I was really, really cranky.  I feared My Heart's Desire would grind up an Oreo and slip it into my Green Monster. I wrote emails to some clean eating friends and was told that the crankiness would pass.  I also realized how often I had a little nibble here, a cookie there, or a tablespoon of chocolate chips to make oatmeal tastier and how it all added up. 

The crankiness did fade rather suddenly on day 15 or 16.  All of a sudden, I felt less like Cookie Monster and more even throughout the day.  Also by refraining, all sweets were off the table rather than me trying to figure out how I could eat them. I also found this article about abstaining vs. moderating by Gretchen Rubin very interesting. I also don't drink, smoke, or ingest caffeine.  Clearly, I am an abstainer. 

I avoid added sugars and all sweets and have instituted a kibosh on them at home.  I do eat dairy products as well as a few pieces of fruit per day.  I find that I do feel better and the lion's share of the cravings for oh-so-sweet treats have passed.  Based on a clean eating friend's suggestion, I bought a Yonanas soft-serve maker (fruit is the only ingredient) and I will post a review of it soon.

The more I read about the effects of sugar, the happier I am to be sugar free. I'm not committing it to it for the long haul, neither am I planning to go back to eating sugar.  Perhaps an occasional sweet on a special occasion?  Maybe.  I'm trying not to be super strict with myself nor too lenient.  For now, I'm happy to be sugar-free.

Grateful Tuesday

Today I am grateful for Babyface's sense of humor, my new favorite salad, a homemade quasi-Cobb, the pleasure of being cold, adult conversation, the Internets, preparing healthy snacks for myself so I can grab and go, Superfeet, a tank full of gas, and that it must really be fall because I made pumpkin soup.

This Is How I Stroll

One of my healthy goals this month has been to go for a 10 minute bonus walk after Babyface eats dinner.  My Heart's Desire and I eat after Babyface goes to bed, for a number of reasons, one of which is that we don't like to have dinner at 5pm.  

So every other day or so (weather permitting), I load Babyface up in the stroller and we go for a walk that is at least 10 minutes.  It's actually very hard to go for a walk that short because 5 minutes (a song and a half) into it, it's time to turn around.  And, yes, it takes almost 10 minutes to get everything organized and ready for the stroll. 

So our 10 minute walk often becomes a 20 or so minute walk.  It's also very nice to get out of the house between Babyface's dinner and bath routine.  I'm a firm believer in more fresh air contributing to a better night's sleep for him. 

These bonus walks are in addition to my regular workouts.  Back in January I decided to mark my workouts off on a calendar.  Instead of a big X, I write down what I did.  I try to work out for three or four days in a row, then take a day off.   

When I go for the bonus walk, I get a star on the calendar as well. It's very motivating to see workouts and stars. 

Ho-ho-no

I had a few things to buy at Costco (baby wipes, cashews, hummus) when I stumbled across a display of Christmas items including wreaths, ornaments, and wrapping paper.  In early September.  I was prepared for Halloween merchandise and was thisclose to buying another costume for Babyface.  He already has a great Superman costume, complete with cape.

Anyway, I did not expect to see winter holiday items out so soon.  Christmas creep moves the Christmas up so early that the fun and family holidays, Halloween and Thanksgiving, respectively, are edged out and Santa's shadow looms over both.  Don't get me wrong, I do like the winter holidays and particularly holiday music probably more than the next person, but I don't want to see wreaths when we're still eating watermelon.

10 Things You Might Not Know About Me

1.  I like Post-Its.  If I write something down, I won't forget. This leads to Post-Its everywhere.  My Heart's Desire has a hard time reading my writing, so he'll ask me things like, "Why is sweat on the grocery list?" It was sweet, as in potatoes.  I knew what it meant.

2. My slow cooker obsession has been going on for almost two years now. I'm more evangelical about it than ever!
3. I almost always sit cross-legged. 
4. When I don't want to exercise, I tell myself that I only have to do it for 10 minutes.  It works.  Plus, I can read trashy magazines on the bike or treadmill.
5. I don't like cilantro.  In anything.  Ever.
6. The Princess Bride is my favorite movie of all time.  I remember seeing it in the theater when it came out with my childhood friend Michele.  I own it on DVD. My wedding ceremony started with the phrase, "Marriage is what brings us together today."
7. I watch TV with the closed captions on.  I love it.  Particularly when I'm watching something with a chatty person who lives in my house.  That way I don't miss anything. 
8. When I'm faced with something challenging, I worry and dread it so much that the actual experience seems fine compared to my bottom of the barrel expectations. 
9. I love, love, love having Babyface's picture taken professionally. He gets his picture taken at least six times a year, every month during his first year.  We get family photos taken once a year. 
10. I read fast.  Really, very fast.  Especially if what I'm reading is good.  I can finish reading in a book in a day or two.  Now that I have a Kindle, I rarely need to check luggage.
    

Dolls Behaving Badly

From the cover of Cinthia Ritchie's Dolls Behaving Badly (I know you shouldn't judge a book by it, but sometimes I do), I thought this was a fluffy, light, summer beach read.  Hey, it was summer and sometimes I need fluffy books.  

Slightly blurry photo of Dolls Behaving Badly

I was surprised to learn that this was a story about Carla, a single mother in Alaska living in a trailer, battling poverty, raising a son, dealing with family drama, flexing her artistic muscles, and working in a Mexican restaurant. Complex and unexpectedly funny, this book was so much more than I expected.  I was rooting for Carla through the very last page.  

Today I am grateful for small changes that all add up, taking action to be a good parent, cookbooks, family walks, grapes, new friends, Green Monsters with peanut butter, being able to see the things that I do right, and the way Babyface says Willy Wonka.

Autumn leaves

After a very fickle summer, I am definitely ready for the seasons to change.  It went from being super hot all day to downright chilly in the mornings in just a few days.

I was surprised to see so many fallen leaves in our yard.  I love autumn.  I can't wait to pull out my sweaters, go apple picking, feel a brisk breeze in the evening, dig out the flannel sheets, drink apple cinnamon tea, and have fires in the fireplace.

Drop Dead Healthy

I checked out the audiobook Drop Dead Healthy by A.J. Jacobs from the library.  He spends two years trying to become as healthy as he possibly can be, consulting experts in many fields and experimenting on himself. Jacobs refuses to eat birthday party cupcakes, physically runs all of his errands, tries a myriad of diets (one had him coveting lettuce), and practices cursing for pain management. 

It was interesting and I learned many ways to improve health, from the obvious, like eating more vegetables and fruits to the harder sells, including creating a treadmill desk, to the ridiculous, such as wearing pedestrian helmets. 

Whee!

Babyface is currently going through a climbing phase.  We go to the playground regularly and he plays outside every day.  I've been keeping my eye out for an inexpensive outdoor play structure for the yard.  

My mom recently visited and I mentioned to her that someone in my neighborhood has a play structure (like the one pictured) in the front yard and that I have never seen any kids playing on it. 

Outdoor climbing cube with slide

Never one to let a potential bargain go by, my mom knocked on the door, introduced herself, and found out that the owner was getting a new outdoor climbing  structure and would be happy to pass hers down to me.  So if anyone wonders, the apple did not fall far from the frugal tree. 

Lo and behold, two weeks later I get a message saying we can pick it up.  My Heart's Desire and I disassembled it, brought it home, and gave it a good scrub.  Babyface loves it!  He likes crawling in and out, climbing up the sides, hiding under the platform, and going down the slide.  He calls it Wheee!  

(You won’t believe they're) Vegetarian Tacos

For many years I have been a flexitarian.  Lately I've been including even more meatless meals into my repertoire.  I made these tacos for the first time and was surprised that they turned out to be excellent!  I didn't tell My Heart's Desire they were veg and after dinner, he told me he was glad I was using real meat.

Ingredients:
Olive oil
1/2 c chopped onion (of course I use frozen)
1 box Smart Ground
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
2t minced onion
1/4t chili powder
1/2t crushed red pepper
1t seasoned salt
1t cumin
1t garlic powder

These are very easy to make.  Heat up the olive oil and cook the onion.  Add the Smart Ground and break it up thoroughly.  If you're not familiar, it's protein crumbles that are the same texture as ground meat.  I find them with the other hippie foods in the produce section. Let the Smart Ground cook for about 5 minutes.

I rinse off the beans to reduce sodium then toss them in the pan with the remaining ingredients.  Then stir, stir, stir. Add 1 c of water and turn the heat up until it boils.  Turn the heat down and let it simmer for a little bit.  This makes a pretty big batch of (non) meat.

Delicious vegetarian taco salad

We ate it for dinner as tacos.  Then I had it another time as a taco salad, My Heart's Desire ate it as a tostada, then as taco nachos.  Babyface had it for dinner and liked it as well. We added cheese, sour cream, salsa and guacamole but if you eliminated the dairy toppings you'd have a vegan meal.

Grateful

Today I am grateful for air conditioning, acceptance, being Babyface's mom, important women in my life, glasses, finally getting more ponytail holders (where do they all go?), a great mechanic for my 13-year-old car, and being able to ask for help.

Nesting

When I was pregnant, I was too busy being exhausted, scared, and happy to think about nesting.  I let My Heart's Desire (who is a very handy man) be in charge of creating a nursery.

We went back and forth about making the guest room (the bigger room) the nursery or my office (the smaller room with a tiny closet).  The pros for making the guest room the nursery was that it was bigger and could fit more baby stuff and comfy spots for us.  The con was that a single bed would barely fit in my office and we needed a nice place for guests.  So they could stay and help with Babyface, of course.

Home office

My Heart's Desire did a great job making my office a lovely nursery.  He put the crib together, got the changing table from Craigslist, and made space for my office stuff in other rooms.  He also sorted the baby clothes by size so that we'd have what we needed handy.

I thought I had successfully avoided nesting.  I had no interest in painting, organizing, deep cleaning, or similar.  After this picture was taken My Heart's Desire even installed wall to wall carpet tiles, making it the coziest room in the house.  I'll take a picture of how the nursery looks now and post it soon.

Nursery before baby came home

Lately I've been feeling like I want to get rid of anything unnecessary.  So far I've sold a few things online (having a virtual yard sale on Craigslist) and made several trips to Goodwill.  Three years later, my instincts kicked in and I want things to be as simple as possible.

Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls

When I saw David Sedaris had a new book coming out, I was reluctant to buy it after my experience with one of his previous books, Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk.

I waited patiently for my library copy of his latest book, Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls.  This work includes stories and personal essays from childhood to present day, varying greatly in tone. And I was not disappointed.  Not only did I laugh out loud while alone like a nutter, I did it several times.

Why did I like this book so much?  I'll let it speak for itself.  Here is the advice he would like to give parents of crying, screaming toddlers:

"I'm not a parent myself but I think the best solution at this point is to slap that child across the face.  It won't stop crying, but at least now it'll be doing it for a good reason."

Get on the list for this book at your library.  It's worth the wait.

Today I am grateful for inexpensive summer fun, Netflix, wanting to exercise,  family, very cold lemon water,  in-season fruit, the emergency granola bar I keep in my purse, guilty pleasure books, clean sheets, technology, blogs, and Superfeet.

Swept Off My Feet

I have been going for lots of walks this year—walks to the park, walks with the stroller and Babyface, walks for fun, walks with friends, walks on the treadmill in bad weather.  Which was great.  Until I hurt my feet.  To make a long story end, I'm not allowed to go for walks for the time being.  

I don't want to be derailed from regular exercise as I have been in the habit of working out 5-6 times weekly.  I learned from my January goal that it's motivating to see all those days crossed off and have continued crossing out the days I exercise.

So I came up with a new routine that involves swimming laps and biking.  I perused the aisles of one of my favorite stores, Craigslist, until I found this beauty.

My Heart's Desire carried it down three flights of stairs from the previous owner.  I got it cheap for $40.  It's definitely not as fun as going for walks and the scenery is tedious, but on the plus side I can read informative periodicals with important current events and news (US Weekly).