cookie, cookie, cookie starts with "C"

Today has been spent hanging with Cababy as usual and trying to fit in some Christmas cookie baking. Tomorrow morning I have a cookie exchange with some lovely ladies. Whoever came up with cookie exchanges was brilliant. What's better than making one kind of cookie and going home with a whole melange of cookie goodness?! It's a really good thing.

This year I opted for an easy recipe (actually 2 recipes because the cookies are pretty small) that makes a LOT of cookies. Not lazy...just efficient. Oh, and citrus has sounded very good lately and I love how the kitchen smells when any citrus is being prepared.

Margarita Cookies. I'll tell you how they turn out, I substituted Triple Sec for the Tequila because we just didn't have any in the house.

"Key" Lime Meltaways. "Key" because I didn't actually go look for Key limes. I was at our market and they had limes bagged up (5 per bag) for $1 per bag!! I'm sure they'll still be very limey. A couple of years ago my friend Martha brought these to our exchange and I fell in love instantly. I hope some of them actually make it to tomorrow. :)

Can I ask how anyone managed to zest citrus before these babies came on the scene? I love, love, love mine...even though I only zest citrus 3 or 4 times each year (I'd love to use it more often...like for lemon curd and lemon or lime bars...but then I wouldn't be able to fit through the doors in our house). It is worth whatever it cost (I think it was around $9) and the little bit of drawer space that it takes up. Also, for those two recipes (that I doubled) I zested about 10 limes and 1 orange in a flash...so there you go.

Can't wait to actually bake and taste them!!

thoughts on a Friday

Random things in my head this morning.

Question: Could my feel get any more swollen and hobbit-like?

Answer: Probably. Then I'll be reduced to wearing slippers to the store (always classy) instead of any of my already uncomfortably tight shoes.

Confession: I am terrible at remembering to take off eye makeup at night. That, of course, leads to looking more like Alice Cooper than anyone really should.

Revelation: Is there anything more intriguing, beautiful, tasty and puckery (I think due to tannins) than a persimmon? My favorite has always been the Hachiya...but you see the Fuyu more often. I think it must be due to the simple fact that it's fun to say (and type) Fuyu.

person #1: "Hey, see this persimmon? It's Fuyu"

person #2: "For me?"

person #1: "Um, no."

Aaaand that's Friday folks. Still haven't gotten around to getting pictures off of the camera. Maybe before the new year?

Catch up from November!

**big, long post warning**

It's ridiculous how fast the weeks go by lately. I'm sure I've said it to more than one of you out there (hahahaha, as if there are more than one or two of you reading this! And, ps, you're my most favorite bffs.) since becoming a stay-at-home mommy the days go by rather slowly, but the weeks just fly by! I don't understand the complexities behind why we experience time the way that we do...I'll leave that to smarter, more interested people. But it is fairly intriguing, don't you think?

(insert much loud clattering noise as I get my thought train back on the right tracks)

Right, so I am playing a little catch up on pictures and updates on Cababy.

Here are just a few of the things Cababy can now do:

1. Crawl - still might not be the conventional technique but she has no trouble getting around and it's not just by rolling anymore.
2. Sit - not only is she no longer throwing her head back in wild abandon trusting that either someone or a pillow will be there to catch her, but she can also now go from crawling on tummy to a sitting position all by herself. This has made for some interesting bedtimes. Sometimes she just chooses to sit up in her crib for a while...maybe just because she can.
3. Kiss! - when you ask her for a kiss she'll lean in, sometimes with mouth wide open, sometimes with lips together...always an exciting surprise for the other person. We've also been working on blowing kisses. She's less consistent with this, but occasionally she gets on a roll and that's all we do for 10 minutes or so...just blow kisses back and forth. Can you think of a better way to spend time?
4. Make funny noises - okay, she's always made funny noises, but these are usually mimicking (mocking?) us. She'll move her tongue between her lips while making the "ah" sound...hard one to explain, but do it and you'll know what I'm talking about...it's pretty funny.
5. Fake sneeze - this is one of her favorite anticipation games. We play a lot while doing diaper changes. Ah-ah-ah-ah-aaaaaah.........achoo + tickles = hilarity. And then she makes her own version of the "achoo" to let me know that she's ready for another round.
6. Courtesy laugh - that's right. the fake laugh has arrived and I must say it illicites many real laughs from ED and me. It's just so fake. She likes to pull it out when everyone else is laughing at something or when someone has a particularly loud or interesting laugh.
7. Eat - we are firmly on the "solid" food bandwagon. Everything from fruits and vegetables to turkey purees and kamut puffs. Still working on the chewing action...it's a challenge with only two teeth. We're not quite at pieces of food yet (very strong gag reflex), except for the kamut, but I think she might be ready in time for Christmas. We'll see.

Here are a couple of videos from this fall (sorry about my awesome camera skills):

In baby Peter news...well, there's not too much going on. He's getting bigger (me too) and so are his movements (i.e. my belly can now reenact scenes from the Alien movies). This week I'll be 38 weeks...this moves us into "the window"...which is a slightly scary place to be. Essentially, it's that window of time where Peter could come at any moment. Yeah, this was sorta news to me. So, we're scrambling around trying to complete projects, order car seat and double stroller, etc. Oh, and we (read "I") totally procrastinated signing up for childbirth classes...so they were all full through February. Thankfully, we know a wonderful lady through church who used to teach the Lamaze method and, though she's "retired," agreed to take us through an abbreviated (because of the procrastination) course. So, that's going well. We just need to keep making time to practice, practice, practice. I have to keep reminding myself that this will likely be my primary pain management...so I want to be REALLY good at it. :)

By-the-way, where is my nesting instinct?! I could really use the kick-in-the-pants motivation. It's getting a little tiring being this big (and believe me, I'm now super-sized Mandy) and keeping up with Cababy and all of the house stuff. Sometimes Eric has to step in on the weekend just to make sure there'll be work clothes for Monday. I've been finding I need to nap during at least one of Cababy's naps. And, surprise, nothing gets done while I'm napping...even though I've talked to Mel about it, he's not on board with chores.

I have pictures, time is just proving to be a rare commodity so they'll be along sometime soon. For now this will have to tide you over. :)

so thankful (I honestly, started writing this on thanksgiving...honest)

Even though we are now, unforgivably (?) past thanksgiving, this post is as true now as it was then.

Our family has so many things to give thanks to God for.

• For the gift and grace of our Catholic faith and the fact that my husband and I share a common faith. For the awesome power of the Sacraments, especially the Holy Eucharist.
• For our wonderful marriage and my awesome husband. And God's awesome plan in which He created us so perfectly for each other and put us where we needed to be to meet and fall in love.
• For our babies. From 0 to 2 babies in one year is quite a blessing, indeed. What a testament to the loving and merciful God.
• For our family. From the east coast to the frozen north, we are thankful to have these people as our family. Even though we are scattered around, we love each and every one of you and wish we could see you so much more frequently.
• For our friends. We have such a wonderful, strong community that supports us and loves us. We would not be the family we are today without these special people.
• For this great country, of which we are so lucky to be citizens. For all of the men and women who serve in our armed forces and help to guarantee our safety and security at the risk of their own.
• For our little house. That God has given us the means to stay safe and warm and dry.
• For my husband's job during these tough times. That he has found a place where he enjoys the work and the people and that he is able to support our family in its needs and wants.
• For our pets, especially our pooch, Mel. They all (even the chickens) give of themselves wholly and ask so very little in return. We couldn't ask for a better buddy and companion than Melvin.

I pray that each of you is able to give thanks today and that our loving Father would pour his blessings down upon you all, especially those who find themselves in need. Please say a prayer or two today for all of those people who don't have a warm place or a delicious meal or loving family and friends.

frenemies...the sad confession of a lapsed dog lover

Poor Melvin. The dog gets no respect. His world was completely turned upside-down 9 months ago when we came home with a tiny, wiggly, crying person who has demanded all of our time, attention and love ever since.

Gone are the days of going to work every day with E. Gone are the twice daily walks around SODO. Gone are the trips in the car just because. Gone are the weekend outings to dog parks and for trail runs. Gone are the days of being the only (furry) kid in the house.

Melvin is now the proverbial step-child (the stereotypical one...I don't think I know any step children that fall into that mold, but for the sake of my little post, I'm using it). Oh, and he's getting old. He turned 13 this year. His hearing seems to be going. That or he's just plain tired of listening to me. It may be that Cababy's high-pitched serenades helped in the process. He's out of shape too...the product of few walks and less runs. Truth is, his age has really started showing in the past 9 months. Maybe dogs are like people and going to work for Mel was the equivalent of the elderly doing crossword puzzles to stay mentally agile. Maybe not.

Since E changed jobs Mel is no longer welcome in the workplace and he likely wouldn't tolerate the bus ride anyway. Now his days are spent at home with an oft' crabby SAHM. His outings are relegated to being let out in the backyard (which is very large and rompable...but Mel likes company when he romps). Oh, and once he's outside...he's outside for a few hours. Letting him in right now means drying him off thoroughly and sometimes it means a bath if he's that muddy. Since the bending and squatting and straining aren't really that comfortable for me at this point I put it off as long as possible. By the time I let him in it's usually because he's scratching at the backdoor and I'm deathly afraid he's going to wake Cababy from one of her few (and much needed) good naps. So, I'm not the kindest lady when I do let him in. Then I make him stay on the rug by the door until he's a bit dryer...of course he doesn't always hear or listen and sometimes he's downright obviously disobeying. He's learning to hate that rug.

He's also not really welcome in the car when I run errands. In the past, it was fairly normal for us to take him along when we were going to be out for a while. Now, not so much. Since he doesn't ride into work daily he's forgotten how to ride quietly in the car. These days we don't get more than a couple of blocks from the house before he starts whining and shaking and drooling. I'd keep bringing him along to help him get past it, but he eliminates any and all chances that Cababy will take a nap in the car if we have a bit of a drive. So, I've just stopped bringing him along.

Then there's the walks. I try to get out on nice, rain-free days for a 30-40 minute walk. It's good for me and Peter and it's a good and welcome distraction for Cababy. I was taking Mel along...until the day we passed another dog and he pulled so quickly and so hard that he almost took me down with him and I ended up with blisters on my hand from the leash. Oh, and he doesn't know how to walk when there's a stroller in the mix...forgets that he can't walk in front of it so it clips his paws, makes the stroller stop short, I run into the handle and Cababy wonders what the heck is going on. After that he keeps about 3 feet away from the stroller...almost in traffic...until he forgets again.

Dog parks and trail runs just aren't being scheduled. That is one thing that would be changeable...for E on the weekends anyway. With the yuck-o weather and the teensy amount of daylight that we have it's more difficult. And then there's the huge list of "stuff" to get done before we are a family of 4...not very much time left there.

So, that's the sad reality for poor Melvin right now. After years of being top dog he toppled overnight to the bottom of the dog pile. Even sadder still, he may be number 2 now but soon he'll slide further down to number 3. I keep trying to prepare him for the inevitable but I don't think he hears me. Either that or he's still ignoring me.

Anyone who's met Mel knows what an exceptional dog he is. He's really the perfect dog. Rescued from the pound at 8 years old, friendly, loyal, great with babies and kids, willing to do almost anything you ask, mellow, not a barker or a licker...pretty perfect. He's still my buddy, but it's hard. Our relationship has been strained for a while now. I'm probably more of the frenemy than he is in this scenario...and judging by the length of this post, I'm definitely the one with the guilty conscience.

saturday sweetness

How cute is it that my husband gets up (relatively) early on Saturday mornings just to go in the nursery and hang out with Cababy during her happy morning time. (It's the time when she's pretty content to play in her crib while mommy finishes sleeping usually.) But, if you do go in to hang out with her, she is all kinds of funny personality. :) Anyway, he always has to leave for work when she's just getting warmed up. So, he doesn't like to miss it on the weekends! He's such a good daddy.

Happy Name Day to my little sweetie!!

St. Francis Xavier Cabrini, pray for us.

morning rambling

fyi - if it's 10 pm, it's not necessarily a good idea to swipe bites of the ridiculous chocolate cake that you made for your hubby's birthday whilst you are cleaning up the kitchen. Unless, that is, you'd like to be up until 1:30 am.

Then is it also not a good idea to have said cake for breakfast? With a glass of milk, of course. Can't be much different than raisin bran...right?

Also, I love waking up to a clean kitchen (clean, not put away mind you...that'll happen during nap #1).

Happy Thursday.

This day in history...

two very special people were born!

Happy birthday to my sweet husband and my mom!

Thank you God for these two people! Amen.

Also, God bless all of those brave men and women who are serving and have served our great country. Thanks, especially, to my dad who served 25+ years in the US Air Force. Thanks for keeping us all safe and making the United States the land of the free and home of the brave!

Happy Veteran's Day!

Pregnancy is...

making my posture better?

That sounds funny, but it seems to be the case. I have to sit up fairly straight (if I'm not in a semi-reclined position) otherwise it feels like I'm squishing my little buddy. And then there's the careful bending and lifting. If it's not done just so, there's swift justice. So, there you go.

saving grace

A few years ago, during my time in the working world, I was constantly whining and lamenting that everyone was coming to work sick. I didn't want their cooties. I didn't want to be stuck at home sick...mainly because we don't have cable. I didn't want sleepless, stuffy, coughing nights or having to take Theraflu or NyQuil or whatever.

After a few days of my complaining, I came back from lunch to find this on my chair.

One of my sweet...and likely annoyed...co-workers had taken pity on me and decided to show me her family secret (I'm eternally grateful, Tedi). At first the idea of rinsing my sinuses was not very appealing, but I was desperate not to get sick.

Now, this thing is my go-to during cold season. And, if I'm not good about it and I end up catching stuff (read: my life for the past month and a half), this little guy clears things up, gets things moving and makes me feel better in general.

It's the same idea as the neti pot (which they make as well), but you are able to a) use a little gentle pressure and b) keep your head straight, instead of the 90 degree tilt.

So, there you go. You can find these babies online or at most drugstores. The kit (shown above) comes with the bottle and the premixed packets. Yes, it's really just a saline/bicarb mixture, but it's nice to just open the packet and know that it won't burn your little sinuses. You can also buy the packets separately when you run out.

Oh, I should warn you about the alarming stuff that will come out of you...it's really shocking.

Okay then, stay well!

my favorite street

Happy 40th birthday, Sesame Street!

It was hard to choose just a few...so many memories, but to mark the occasion, here are several of my favorite Sesame Street songs. Enjoy!

The "O" song

The "L" song

Mah Na Mah Na

The Ladybug Picnic

From waaaay back, ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

side note: I love that you can find anything online...with special thanks to YouTube.

feeling my age

I'm sore. Not because I've done anything athletic or incredibly physical mind you...just sore. I'm wondering if it is due to the chiropractic adjustments that I've gotten over the past several days. You see I have been plagued by activity-induced sciatica. :( It's one of those not fun, sacrifice-y things in pregnancy. So, while my doctors and midwives are really urging me to be active it literally is a pain in the...tuchas...to do so. Finally, upon everyone's advice I sought out a chiropractor. I've been to see him 3 times and, while I haven't been experiencing the sciatica, I have been feeling generally sore, mostly in my mid-back.

This soreness could very well be related to the adjustments and the fact that it would cause me to carry myself differently, thus using all of those little muscles in new ways. It could also be my ever-increasing girth pulling me forward and forcing my back to compensate, keeping me from face-planting every time I stand up. Finally, it could be from the ridiculous sleep positions that I've had to adopt, which are not sleep inducing.

Whatever the cause...ugh. But, this too shall pass.

Anyone have any pregnancy-friendly suggestions?

Whatever the reason I wish it would go away. I'm giving chiropractic a real try here and not just writing it off. But, if the sore, stiff feeling keeps persisting I may have to reconsider.

she may be little, but she's a big fan

I'm pretty sure that if fruit had a fan club...Cababy would sign up! Heck, she might even be the president of the fan club, run the fan site and even start a facebook fan page.

She's loving banana, applesauce, and pears...and, though she doesn't realize it (or maybe she does), she loves all of the aforementioned mixed with butternut squash puree. Mmmmmm.

a little more Halloween...

Here are the other costumes that didn't make the cut...I think you'll see we made the right decision with the penguin. :)

First we set the stage a little...I told you, no farm pictures and I couldn't bring myself to tromp outside in the cold. So, this is it. (fyi - the statement, "this is it" is not meant to be an infringement on the current documentary out in theaters).

Cababy liked playing with the small gourds very much...which you'll see later too.

First we had a wee little piggy.

She seems happy enough, considering this is at least one size too small. :)

And, yes, it does have a little curly tail

Next, Elmo, always a crowd favorite...although, is it me or does it look like Elmo ate Cababy?

hehehe, some day these will come in handy. :)

Nothing to see here, just 4 little pumpkins.

fin.

mommy question:

How am I supposed to get my 9 month old adjusted to daylight savings? Any ideas?!

At this point I'm guessing we just have to go with it and she'll adjust by next week...but if anyone knows any tricks I'm up for entertaining them.

Thanks!

egg...it's what's for dinner

I've been trying to be a little more...resourceful in the kitchen lately. Mainly, my goal has been to use more of what we already have. My solution: I go internet-trolling based on the ingredients that I have on hand. I still usually have to pick up a couple of items at the store, but it's considerably less than what I would normally need.

With 4 fowl friends, we ALWAYS have eggs. I've decided that, since we have 'em, eggs are our meatless Friday go to from now on. *Tangent - anyone in the area, if you'd like some eggs, bring me a carton and I'll fill it.* Below are links to two dishes that I made this week that we really liked.

Eggs in Tomato Sauce

This one is from Smitten Kitchen (which I heart) and was surprisingly filling and I would call it comfort food (what isn't comforting about tomato sauce over yummy, crusty bread?). I have to say, eggs poached in tomato sauce didn't sound appealing at first and the pictures didn't help. BUT, it was very yummy and I'll make it again. The sauce was so simple and really the shining star of the dish.

Mushroom Quiche

I altered this recipe from Simply Recipes. I ask you, who doesn't love quiche? I did not make my own pastry, I used the not-very-good-for-you pre-made from a box. Someday I'll be that good. Along with the mushrooms I added some chopped up roasted delicata squash and some roasted garlic. I (naturally) doubled the eggs and the cheese...because I'm good like that. This was awesome. E and I ate half of the pie for dinner(!) and then had it for breakfast the next morning (and we'll likely have it for breakfast tomorrow morning too).

That's all...just thought you all might want to know what we do with all of the eggs around here. :)

***Don't forget to set your clocks BACK one hour...Fall back!***

daddy kisses

Happy All Hallows Eve

We spent the afternoon/evening over at my sister-in-law's house for costume photos and trick-or-treating with cousins O and Ro. We had at least 5 costume options, the penguin won by being the warmest (I'll post pictures of the other costumes soon). For those of you who visit both of our blogs, the same pictures are posted on Cab's site as well. :)

Here we've just gotten dressed in our costume. Quite possibly the world's cutest baby penguin.

Pictures with O (cheerleader) and Ro (baseball slugger)

O looooooves her cousin!

Loves her so much, she decided to shield Cab's eyes from the bright camera flashes. :)

O was a very convincing cheerleader. Before trick-or-treating she treated us all to one-armed summersaults (she has a cast on) and a very peppy cheer, "K-E-R-R-Y, Kerry! Kerry! Go Kerry!" Must make her mom very proud!

Here we are out in the neighborhood. We didn't start with a candy bucket...I would have felt pretty silly since any candy collected would be for ME. ;) One of the very sweet neighbors gave it to her!

She thought it was a very good and useful thing to have.

cutest. penguin. ever.

Happy Halloween everyone!

1st Halloween...card

Grandma and Grandpa SD sent Cababy's first Halloween card. It was great...and tastey.

Here is the before...I skipped the after, too sad. :)

laundry time

Cababy helped me do some laundry this week. Such a good little helper!

Elusive bulldog face

I don't know if we'll ever be able to catch this on still camera. We've got a few seconds of video that we'll load soon that shows it better. :)

sleep is hard

Words that are not like me to utter...ever. Seriously, I am a champion sleeper. I do NOT have trouble sleeping. It's kinda one of my things. Some people are good at a sport or a craft...I'm a good sleeper. I own it because it's what I've got. This was me for 32 years...even through the first months after adopting Cab. I didn't always get a lot of sleep, but I never had trouble sleeping.

Enter pregnancy.

I'm only at 30 weeks (yes, yes, I hear all of your voices in my head, "Oh goodness, it's right around the corner now!" Well, zip it. I know it's...he's coming. Stop stressing me out.) and things are only going to get bigger, more unwieldy and (likely) more uncomfortable.

This brings me to sleep positions. Not something I ever gave too much thought to before. I always considered myself a side sleeper with occasional back-sleep periods. I would have told you that I never sleep on my stomach. It's not comfortable and is very bad for your spine and back (true story, ask a chiropractor). I come before you today...tonight...to say that I was wrong, oh so wrong. I may have been falling asleep in a semi-side sleep position...but I was not a side sleeper. In fact, that semi-side was a stomach sleep position posing as a side. And I was really a full-on back sleeper for the majority of the night.

Where did these insights and epiphanies come from? The minute I was told I couldn't (shouldn't) sleep on my back or stomach (cue the light-bulb) it all became so very clear.

Side-sleeping is NOT comfortable, it's just not. Okay, maybe it would be if I wasn't 20 pounds heavier than normal with loosey-goosey joints that start to ache after an hour or two...maybe. There is also the whole rolling over debacle. Really folks, it IS a debacle. Here's how it goes:

1. Roll from side A onto my back
2. Pull body pillow along for the ride
3. Try to scooch over back toward side A (from whence I have just rolled) to avoid rolling onto husband
4. Roll onto side B
5. Try to get shirt and pj bottoms back in order (from the scooch) which requires much bouncing and tugging
6. Get body pillow readjusted
7. Apologize in loud whisper to husband, who is now at least 30% awake and wondering if he's been roused to check on Cab
8. Repeat every 1-2 hours
9. Add a bathroom trip every 2nd or 3rd roll

That's pretty much how it goes. And E wonders why I stay up so late.

Side-note to my whining:

This baby, this experience of pregnancy, is worth every ache, pain, discomfort or challenge. This, all of this, is what I hoped and prayed for all the while despairing that I might never know it. I thank God for blessing us and entrusting us with this baby. I also thank Him for allowing me to see the humor in it all. :)

pumpkins? we don't need no stinking pumpkins!

That's what I'll tell poor Cab someday when she's looking back at pictures of her first blessed year of life. There'll be no fally, harvesty, autumnal pictures of her in a cute little outfit out at one of the MANY farms in the area. We have a plethora of farms here in WA (Oh yes, you have a plethora of farms). We're practically tripping over farms around here. Seriously, take a 40 minute drive in any direction and you pass farm after farm after farm with corn mazes and rides and pumpkin patches. And did the "parents of the year" at our house manage to get our own little pumpkin out to one single patch for a photo op...ehno.

*audible sigh*

Oh, I'll give her excuses. "Honey, that was the year of the 2009 SWINE FLU PANDEMIC (there are no dramatic fonts on Blogger)...Mommy and Daddy were sick most of October...Daddy has an unnatural fear of scarecrows." Whatever it takes. But I'm sure it won't soften the blow.

Instead, I'll pick up a big orange squash or two down the street at the market...I think they have decorative corn stalks too. Hmm, I'm getting an idea here...just stick with me. So, if we pile up the leaves in the yard (okay, we'll pile up the pine needles...not as dramatic, but it's what we've got), add the decorative corn stalks and pumpkins, let the chickens out...TADA it's practically a farm. This could be our little racket.

"Hey all you slacker parents out there. Didja miss the harvest window? Miss the cutesie pictures? Come on over to our house and fake it. As long as your kids are under 3 they'll likely never remember there was no actual farm. We're the tiny blue house barely outside of Renton, bring cash, see you soon."

Are you sold?

to blog well, or not to blog well

I'm going to take a moment to ramble. I'm doing so mainly because it's my blog and I can verbally wander if I want to. Secondarily, I really don't think there's anyone out there reading much of this blog these days (or ever...hi mom, I know you're still there).

Hmm...that sounded like a pitiful, cry for attention, didn't it? Unintentionally though. I'm serious. It really doesn't bother me that this is just a place that my parents check monthly to see if I've posted any pictures of Cab. So, if there is someone out there reading, I apologize for the following...leave me a comment telling me to "zip it" if it really bothers you. :)

Aaaand begin rambling:

Since I've been home full-time I've been reading a lot of blogs out there on the internet-blogosphere thingy. Usually to do with families or cooking or crafts...that's just my bag, I guess. So many of them are well (or at least fairly well) written using wit, humor, insight, etc. Or they have some purpose, like sharing creativity...recipe inspirations, crafts, selling of crafts. It makes me contemplate my own lowly blog, which was started to humor curious friends and family about our chicken project (because I wasn't about to carry pictures of chickens around with me...but dedicate a piece of internet property to them? Yeah, I could do that). I could look back and tell you the last time I wrote anything about said chickens...but it's early and let's just say it's been quite a while. I'm at peace with it, what is a web log but a changing and morphing thing? My life has changed and morphed (radically and dramatically...is that redundant?) since the inception of this thing...how could the content not change along with it? But I digress.

Back to my bloggy thoughts. I wonder sometimes if I should make more of an effort. Spend a little more time coming up with creative posts, artistic pictures, witty and clever stories that not only entertain but plumb the depths of the psyche. I'd also have to curb my gross overuse of commas and elipses...(see?) and learn to craft a proper sentence. Conundrum.

Do I have time for such endeavors? With Cab on the brink of crawling and just (shy of) 3 months until the arrival of Peter...should I really be thinking about taking on such a challenge and commitment? It makes me think of all of the other things I should be "taking on" in my life. Perhaps stepping up my housekeeping skills, getting the house prepped for carpet, doing more spiritual reading and praying, taking more time to prepare healthy (and planned) meals...the list goes on.

It would be nice to have such a regular routine of emptying my brain for the entertainment of the masses. I think I'm not quite there though. I think I need to chip away at some of the tangible items on that list that impact our family life a little more acutely.

So, for now, I'll keep browsing and appreciating other people's blogs. Maybe someday in the future I'll be able to make something more of this little ol' blog, just not quite yet. Until then, I'll just blog as the Spirit moves me.

End ramble.

Note to Old Navy...and all baby clothes makers/retailers

Dear Old Navy, et al.

Regarding the sizing of infant clothing. Is there really no way to standardize the system of sizing? Buying anything is a crap shoot...some brands run long and narrow, some wide, some have small neck openings, etc. Wouldn't the industry, as a whole, benefit from some organized system? I know I'd be a happier consumer.

And regarding the size ranges (specifically Old Navy)...6-12 months is a really big gap. Have you seen the difference between most 6 month and 12 month olds? It's pretty significant. Do you really think it's fair and wise to use this large range. I can get on board with 12-18 month, their growing slows a little. My baby (at 8 months) is still growing pretty rapidly and is either swimming in 6-12 month or there is no way they'll still fit at 12 months. It makes me not want to shop at Old Navy for baby clothes. Too much to consider on a brain that already isn't operating at optimum capacity. I'm just saying.

Thanks for your time.

Healing the Culture

This is an awesome apostolate founded by Fr. Spitzer along with Camile Pauley and others. We had the privilege of attending their gala banquet on Saturday night (thanks again Julie!!). I also attended their conference last year, held in Bellevue. What an awesome group doing awesome work.

Check them out:

http://www.healingtheculture.com/

not goodbye...just see you later

We had to say Aloha to one of our favorite people the other day. She's on her way to Hawaii for a fresh start. We wish her all the best and will miss her terribly. Even though the miles will separate us, you will never be far from our hearts. And now we have a very good reason to go to Hawaii!

Oh, and Mel and Jaz had some special moments in the goodbye as well.