Even Though It's the 2nd Time Around Again

I'm going to say it anyway.

Looking for the perfect home is really difficult. And trying to conceive is really difficult, too.

But I'm optimistic.

Herzing 3

Look at our little nugget! I can't believe he will be 5 months old Wednesday! Wow!

Well, we have been busy as bees and having lots of fun...! I have so much to catch up on this blog but I have been trying to get my photos in order to make that easier. I am back to putting photos on Flickr and this is the most recent photo of the three of us, taken this weekend while Sarah visited from Denver! OH THE FUN THAT WE HAD! :) I promise I will write more soon. I have updates on holidays, food, baby life, Josh and Jess visiting and Sarah's visit. We are also going to redesign herzing luv soon and make it a little bit prettier! Yea!

xoxo,
Leah

November Twenty-Third, Two Thousand Eleven

Photos that I stole from Dan's phone!

{I started writing this post two weeks ago. I think I averaged 3 sentences/day. How do you guys find time to post? Oh my goodness. Even when I find a tiny bit of time...I just don't have the energy!}

I never loved this season more than I did this year. I don't know what it was but everything seemed brighter and more beautiful than ever before. (Maybe because I am in love.) We had an uncharacteristically large number of dry days here in Portland this fall, so I enjoyed the foliage longer than usual. I only had a few moments each day to observe it all-as I drove Raine to daycare and myself to work in the morning, and again in the afternoon when I visit him during my lunch break. Sherwood is hilly with generous views of surrounding towns and country. The red maples, ash trees, and dogwoods were bursting with color. By the time I left work at 6, it was completely dark. A week (or 2?) ago a storm came through and blew the majority of our leaves in the neighborhood to the ground. Our car was coated in pine needles the following day. I noticed them finding their way into Raine's car seat, my purse, and my shoes. It is raining buckets now and winter has definitely arrived.

The days are shorter but we still try to stay awake until 10 p.m., try to hold out for it, but all of our internal clocks are turning off at 9. Hobbes sits at his food dish and meows in confusion. Daylight savings means nothing to him and his night time appetite. Two of my favorite shows are on at 10 but I can never stay up to watch them! (Parenthood and Prime Suspect!) If you watch Parenthood then you will know why I identify with the Kristina character right now. She and her husband just had their 3rd child and I think the show is capturing some great moments where her postpartum character is overwhelmed, joyful, exhausted, or insecure. I have heard others say that this show makes them cry but I never cried until the episode last week when her husband tells her how beautiful and hot he thinks she is, after she spends an evening out for the first time since their baby was born. She isn't ready for his affection and she doesn't quite see herself as normal yet, but she is getting there and he is very patient. Now that I have returned to work and Raine is sleeping with me through the night, I am starting to feel normal again but it is a very slow and strange process. I feel like I'm fumbling in the dark for a light switch or my glasses. I'm reaching for it...Normalcy...I know it is there. It looks and feels a little different than it did before, but it's there. As these crispy, cool days go by I get a little bit more.


I have a routine now that I am back to work and it is good for me. Raine and I wake together, he nurses and then usually falls back asleep. I tuck him in bed and get dressed (an outfit determined the night before), brush my teeth, and take the pumped milk from the fridge and add it to his daycare bag. If he is still asleep, I try to do other things: Brush my hair, eat something, tidy up a mess left from the night before. Showers are best performed at night while Dan can occupy him. :) I change his diaper and dress him, let him talk to his Ugly Dolls. Then I sit him in his car seat while I quickly take Rocco outside. He is very good natured in the morning and doesn't mind waiting in his car seat. He will chit chat with his zebra that hangs from the car seat handle and chew on his blanky. Once Rocco is taken care of and I have final items packed, we drive to Tina's, about five minutes away. There, we are greeted greedily by little Carlie, his 3 year old BFF. She tells me where to put him and then promptly shows me to the door! LOL. She has no use for me! So I get a quick kiss in and steal one last look and then shuffle out the door she has wide open and waiting. It would be so much more difficult to leave him in the mornings if I didn't know I would be back in a few hours to feed him. In the first 3 weeks, I have only missed my afternoon time with him once, and that was because Dan and I had a MUCH needed lunch date. When I visit him in the afternoons, Raine is usually sleepy but eager to eat. And once he has had his milk, he is super happy. He will coo and grin, flashing his dimples. I make sure to take a photo for daddy. :) I already know now that my visits will be very hard to give up when I eventually wean Raine. But let's not think about that right now! LOL.

Ugly Talk!

Entertained by Hungry Caterpillar and Mr. Zebra

Our Little Buddy Bean!

And the evenings? Oh my goodness they are delicious. I get to come home to Dan and Raine. And we play as a family. Yum. Even though Raine is only 14 weeks old, there is a surprising amount of things we can do with him...Especially since the last two weeks as he has become more engaged. He has 3 play areas...Daddy's lap on the couch is most popular. (Probably over half of the photos I have taken of him in his small short life have been with daddy's knees in the background. LOL.) Daddy's lap (or alternatively, mommy's lap, which is smaller and not as comfy and doesn't happen as often) is also known as "Poop Position." We have found that Raine can get his number 2 train moving if he is sitting in this position, and that has helped us out on more than one occasion when little dude really needed to poop but couldn't. Haha. I can't believe I'm writing about this. So glamorous! Anyway, he loves sitting in our laps and looking at toys or listening to us as we talk. We have black and white pictures, board books, and sensory toys. We use these when he plays on the floor, while lying on his special quilt. ;) He is getting super close to rolling over, too! I guess he did kind do it Monday night, but Dan missed it and I didn't count it because he didn't "land" completely on the other side. LOL. He basically rolled from his back to his tummy, but didn't stay put with all fours down. He went right back from the way he came. Ha ha. So then, another play area that is *new is his crib! He sleeps in bed with us for now but I wanted to start building some positive associations with his crib. (Aside from playing in the crib, I also put him in it if he is asleep in his car seat when we get home. I'm trying to get him used to waking up in it.) So far he loves playtime in it. I play a musical stuffed animal and swing his crane mobile back and forth. He kicks his feet and stares completely enchanted. Evenings are pretty fun, huh? We also have bath time, swing time, and we used to go for walks until the rain started. Pretty much we wind things down and Raine and I are in bed nursing at about 10. He has been super great sleeping throughout the night. We wake occasionally so I can switch sides or change his diaper if he is wet and distracted by it. He gets really obnoxious and fidgety if he doesn't like the way it feels. :) 

Lap Time!

Hangin' in Da Crib

Quilt playtime ;)

Anyway, I finally think I can wrap this up. :) I'm so grateful to have this little family and I am so excited about celebrating Raine's first Thanksgiving tomorrow. I hope your holiday finds you with loved ones and yummy food! I look forward to sharing about our day....Hopefully it won't take me a month to do that post.

xoxo,
Leah

Monday Bullets on Tuesday

To do:

• Register for hospital tours
  
• Install closet organizer
  
• Paint and reupholster our rocking chair (still not done...)
• Mail Easter package to the Nef and his Lil Sis
• Mail end of April birthday cards!
  

Contemplating:

• Better ways to organize our home. It is weird to have to start finding places for a stroller and car seat, high chair, blankets, toys, etc.
• Whether or not to design and make Blasty's birth announcements or just buy/order them
• How much I love my husband
• How to squeeze in a trip to Arizona during my maternity leave :)
  

Eating/Craving:

• Hubby's homemade chocolate milkshakes
• Starbucks chocolate smoothies with whey protein
  
• Chicken strips
• Applesauce and cottage cheese
  

Listening to:

• Radiohead
  

Wearing:

• Belly band
• Accessories...My clothing choices have dwindled so I'm trying to make up for wearing the same things over and over again by adding jewelry and scarves
• My "loungepants" from Loft. I wear them everyday, and believe me, as soon as I am home they are on! Best pair of sweatpants I ever bought!
  

Addictions:

• Before-mentioned hubby's homemade chocolate milkshake
  
• General Hospital
• Those "high brow" chocolate chip cookies from Trader Joe's
• Before-mentioned sweatpants
  

Missing:

• My family and friends

Making:

• Soon to be making wedding invitations for Allyson and Marc!
• Pillow for Blasty
• Easter package for the Nef and his Lil Sis
  

New favorite names for future baby:

I should mention that we have a name for Blasty and we will share it when he is born. Until then I can tell you what our girl name was going to be:

• Mabel
  

Wish list:

• Art: Over 2,500 Works... coffee table book (still)
  
• Bears hoodie (still)
  
• A ring with three stones (for after Blasty is born)
• Alphabet poster for the nursery

A Whole Bunch of Random Stuff

Saturday night we went over to Carmen and Lorri's. Top 5 reasons I love going to their house?

1.) Lorri's cooking. That night she made me (because it is all about ME when it comes to food now) an amazing plate of 5 spiced beef short ribs (slow cooked over night) over sushi rice with a side salad of cucumbers and oranges.
2.) Magazines. They know I love magazines so they always have a little stack of magazines next to my spot! (We all have our spots where we sit, you know, out of habit.)
3.) Did I mention Lorri's cooking? Well, she also always makes dessert! That night we had a homemade key lime mousse parfait. Yum! And Carmen also always has the latest quirky and obscure but wonderful snacks and new micro brews.
4.) Ralphie. I wish I had a photo of him but I just realized I don't. He is their handsome snuggle-bunny Pomeranian. So cute!
5.) Lorri and Carmen, of course! Such dear friends. ;-)


This my friend, Shane, who is the most wonderful barista ever. We met years ago over an iced mocha. While Dan was in Phoenix a few weekends ago, I went with Shane to a matinee of Red Riding Hood. Oh yes, it's true. Um, I don't exactly recommend it. I expected some bad writing and okay acting so I wasn't surprised to have a little bit of both. I thought I was going to be able to figure out who the "wolf" was--but I didn't! So I at least got into the mystery of it. And Amanda Seyfried is really pretty to look at. I was just happy to be out with a friend and at the movies with my little box of popcorn. What better movie to go see that Dan wouldn't mind missing?

After the movie I treated myself to a trip to the library and a milkshake made with gelato. I took a photo of all of my colorful and tasty choices, but now I can't find it. I chose cookies and cream. I spent some lazy time reading magazines by the fireplace and then checked out Your Best Birth: Know All Your Options, Discover the Natural Choices, and Take Back the Birth Experience (associated with Ricki Lake's documentary The Business of Being Born, which I highly recommend), The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy, and From Conception to Birth: A Life Unfolds, a beautiful book of photographs with scientific notes perfect for Dan. :)


While Dan was away, I also spent a day with Gayle. We hit up IKEA (I got curtains and a rug for the nursery) and then she helped me with our artwork project in the nursery. We had nine frames to hang and they all had to be lined up perfectly, which is no small feat that I knew Dan wasn't excited about doing. I planned to go all Martha Stewart on the project with measurements and taping, but Gayle and I quickly ditched that for an "eyeball it" approach and it didn't actually end up taking us very long! We ended up ordering pizza and watching a movie.


And this is where I spend my time, curled up on the couch with Rocco (and usually Hobbes but he didn't make this photo.) Usually I have a heating pad or milkshake or both.

As far as exercising....I haven't gone to yoga in months and I stopped going to the gym every day after work. Actually, I stopped going to the gym entirely. I haven't been meeting with my trainer to save some money and I haven't found much motivation to go on my own. Walking on the treadmill bores me because I can't go very fast. I'm not supposed to let my heart rate go higher than 140 bpm. In the beginning of my pregnancy, I was walking Rocco on my lunch break when the weather permitted, but that has also fallen by the wayside. I am much more interested in that little cushy spot on the couch!

Part of me feels outrageously guilty for not exercising. I know it is the #1 tool at my disposal for keeping my mood stabilized, and it is so important for my overall health. But another part of me is just too darn exhausted to care! I kept thinking, once I am in my 2nd trimester I'll get some energy back...but it hasn't happened and I'm half way through it. I bought a prenatal exercise video so I am going to give that a try this weekend. I will entice myself with the reward of a bubble bath and extra large milkshake. So if you're reading this, keep me accountable. Ask me if I did it!! ;0)

Some Reasons Why I Have the Greatest Hubby Ever

It has been a long time (seriously...I really long time) since we have had company in our home. After Terrah moved out in May, Gayle has stopped by once or twice to watch a football game or have a drink, Andy came down from Ft. Lewis for a weekend, and Carmen stopped by to help us get our TV up and running. Other than that, nada.

This fact, combined with my pregnant status and Dan's sympathy pregnancy status, means that we are very lazy and haven't really cleaned house much at all for a long time. Don't get me wrong: we take care of the necessities; the garbage goes out, the dishes get done, laundry somehow finds a way through the washer and dryer. It may not get folded for two weeks, or ever put away, but it gets clean. :)

The messiness of the house seems to have been growing in direct proportion to my loneliness. I have always struggled with feelings of loneliness, but they have struck an entirely new chord now that I am pregnant. Now I am not just lonely, I am lonely and pregnant. Waah waah. One particular evening I couldn't seem to shake the blues, so I asked Dan to clean our bedroom with me. I'm sure it was not on the top of his list of things to do after a long day at work, but he agreed. BECAUSE HE IS AWESOME. And while I started in the bedroom, HE TACKLED THE MASTER BATHROOM. I HATE cleaning bathrooms! So we spent a good hour dusting, vacuuming, scrubbing, and wiping away all the dirt and grime that had accumulated the past ....many months. And I have to tell you IT FELT SO GOOD. Lol!

This Sunday Gayle and Abbie were coming over to watch the Oscars with us, so we finally tackled the great mess in the rest of the house. Dan started cleaning the bathroom (AGAIN! THE BATHROOM!) and I began trying to find proper homes for piles of junk in the living room. Something took me to the nursery and it dawned on me that Gayle and Abbie might want to see it. I got SO excited at the prospect of sharing everything with them! I started tidying up the room and organizing the piles of clothing, blankets, and books that I have unpacked. By the time I was done (sometimes you just have to stop and marvel at how cute things are or the tiny sizes!) Dan had pretty much finished everything else.

About an hour later, he told me they had to cancel. I was so disappointed. Later that night, I ended up telling Dan that I was sad to not get to show the nursery to them. I don't remember if I cried, but it is entirely possible that I did. :) Because he is THE MOST SWEETEST MAN IN THE WORLD, he asked, "Do you want to show it to me?" So we went to the room and he pretended to see everything for the first time and share in my joy over each and every little thing: The little booties, board books, burp clothes, and stuffed animals... The blankets my mom sent us that were made by my grandmothers, Rachel and Ethel... The art Dan and I picked out together and framed. Our funky rocking chair, fabric swatches, and paint colors. I talked over ideas about how to arrange the room. He was more than a good sport about the whole thing. :)

He also pointed out that while I don't have my family and close friends here to share things with, I do have this blog. So I hope you don't mind if I keep showing these things and talking about them because it makes me happy to share.

...And did I mention his chocolate milkshakes? Oh yeah. Well, it's worth another mention. He uses Tillamook ice cream, only the best brand on the planet.

Monday Bullets

*
(The last time I did "Monday Bullets" was Dec. 8 2008!)


To do:

• Get birthday cards for my March lovelies!
  
• Download new Radiohead album. Why do I keep forgetting to do this??
• Sleep
• Eat
• Sleep
• Eat
• Paint and reupholster our thrift store find-a rocking chair for the nursery!

Contemplating:

• Boy girl boy girl boy girl boy girl
  
• How much I love my husband
• What's with the crib bumper thing? If it isn't safe, why are they sold in all the crib sets?
  

Eating:

• Hubby's homemade chocolate milkshakes
• Honeycombs
  
• Miniature Oranges
  
• French fries
  
• Toasted english muffins with peanut butter
  

Listening to:

• Girl Talk "All Day"
• Sarah Jaffe "Second Nature"

• The Decemberists "The King is Dead"
• Iron and Wine "Kiss Each Other Clean"
  

Wearing:

• Sweater cardigans
• Sweatpants (But not out in public, of course)
  
• New Romika shoes!
  

Addictions:

• Before-mentioned hubby's homemade chocolate milkshake
  
• General Hospital
• Nursery decor
• Top Chef
  

Missing:

• My family and friends
• Mochas
• NOT having to pee every 20 minutes
  
• Beer
• Working at Henny Penny :)
  

Making:

• Crib bedding
  
• Plans for several trips in the next couple of months
• Framed art for nursery
• Gift registry for Blasty
  

New favorite names for future baby (This is quite relevant! I won't be giving away my actual boy or girl favorite, but here are some on the back-up list:)

• Mae
  
• Eli
  
• Josephine
  

Winter wish list:

• Art: Over 2,500 Works... coffee table book
• Bears hoodie
• A KING SIZE BED!
• The Little Prince pop-up book for Blasty :)

november twenty-third o'ten:

it snowed last night. i woke up to white dust on the streets and the top of my car. it was barely an inch or two. so when i heard that sherwood schools cancelled classes today, i balked. never in illinois! it had to take a blizzard to keep people from going about their daily life. however, the ice has me slipping and sliding across the parking lot and there was enough snow and ice around portland (particularly the west hills) to cause my poor husband to work until 1:30 a.m., supervising crews on properties. if anything, the appearance of even a little snow justifies my pre-thanksgiving christmas music listening. :)

speaking of thanksgiving, we are headed out on a jet plane (after getting groped at the airport) on thursday. we'll be spending thanksgiving weekend in sedona, arizona with my lovelies: dan, tina, and cabel; josh, jess, pax and nexus; josh's mom, beth, and brother, pj, and his girlfriend pam, and andrea & hattie, who are flying out from chicago. i can't wait! we haven't seen joshica and pax since they left pdx a year and a half ago, and the johnson's since they moved back to nebraska in 08. a long overdue visit! with hattie and warm weather to boot! :)

i'm already planning ahead for next month...we have a great surprise gift for my mom, fun packages to send the nef and his lil' sis, yummy goodies to ship out to loved ones, and christmas cards to write. oh, i was lucky to survive the hunt for the perfect christmas card. i do this every year: work myself into a tizzy over cards. my problem is that i always pick out letterpress cards (usually a box is about $13 for six cards) and convince myself that i can afford them because i will only send a few. yeah right! i ALWAYS end up giving in and sending about 60-70 to everyone i know. so there is usually a back-up box of regular cards. so this year i was tortured by several beauitful cards and ultimately saved by my (newly?) inner-frugal-elf. a few cards that i passed up:

while these are super design delicious, i can say i am perfectly happy with my chosen big-retail-chain-store pack. besides, it's not the card but what is in the card that counts, right? and we know everyone is just totally anxious to get this year's photo strip. :)

if picking out a christmas card is difficult, you can imagine what it has been like as we hunt for a new couch. the past two weekends dan and i have visited two couches. we are probably going to visit them again (and again?) before we get one. apparently, we are completely incapable of deciding which one to bring home. this should be fun because we are planning a major overhaul of our living/dining area--our flooring, wall paint, curtains, etc.--but wow, is it hard to decide all of these things when you have a million choices and truly, as far as the pocketbook can tell, just one shot at it.

and the couch is our starting point. so imagine the difficulty.

actually, we kind of finally reached a decision saturday but i woke up sunday morning a nervous wreck over the implications said couch might have for the room as a whole. and the room as a whole is our main problem.

it is 17.5 feet long by 7 feet wide.

that is one giant looooong rectangle with some annoying features like no overhead lighting, and lengthwise open to either the dining area or (sliding glass doors) to the porch. so couch placement is limited to the width and not the length of the room. an 84" couch is max in order to allow access to the hallway, which we believe might be a necessary factor. and with an 84" couch, we can have it against the far wall (which creates a sea-like expanse between it and the tv at the other wall) or in the middle of the room (which is what we have always done to keep an orderly distance between couch and tv, leaving the space behind the couch for a bookcase or desk.)

but we want a 110" couch so that dan can actually lay his entire bodacious body upon it. and the only place for a 110" couch is along the 9 foot wall flush with the front door (in front of a baseboard heater, thank you very much). which means our tv would be on the opposite wall, 17 feet away. oh for crying out loud.

aside from this particular bit of over-sharing regarding dimensions and placement, if on a whim you had to choose between the following two couches (each 110" for dan), what would YOU pick? (1. costs more but better quality and has a unique modern design 2. cheaper and slightly less in quality and average modern design)

The Performers

I was also intrigued by the Typealyzer, mentioned by Christie on Life at the Condo. It matches a Myers-Briggs Type based on the text of your blog. We got:

ESFP - The Performers
The entertaining and friendly type. They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells. They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead - they are always in risk of exhausting themselves.

The enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way. They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation - qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions.

(Thanks Christie!)

Too Tired

I'm sorry but I can't post. I started my new job and I'm exhausted. Once I get used to this new 9 hrs/day schedule, I'll find some pep and pick up where I left off...!

xoxo

10 Things...a la Domino

10 Things That Make Me Happy

Who: Leah Herzing
Where: Portland
What: Nanny, writer, artist

Charitable Search
The new internet engine that donates cents to your cause every time you search!
www.goodsearch.com

Books, Books, Books!
I'm recently addicted to Karen Armstrong's religious historical non-fiction.
The Bible: An Autobiography, $14.95, powells.com



Best Boots Ever.
I have dreamed of owning Simple shoes for so long...And with the help of a sale and a Christmas gift card, THEY ARE MINE! Made from lots of cool recycled materials, so you can feel hip and green.
Women's Toetally Boot in Tan, $120, amazon.com


Unique Art & Gifts
Finds on etsy are never ending! It's hours of fun searching the shops.
Popcorn slug, $9.00, LullabyLily, etsy.com







Sentimental Bling
My new aquamarine ring that I don't have a picture of yet! I found it while visiting family in Washington, IL., and put it under the Christmas tree from Dan to me :-)
$17.50, Touch of Homespun, (309) 444-5707

Boy-Short Undies + Chickens = Sexy
I stocked up on a bunch of these after I took a pair home and realized how great my butt looked in them. Hubby-tested and approved.
Bluebird Graphic Boy-Short, $6.50, oldnavy.com





Cuddles
I couldn't live without my blankies, all things soft and wrappy-wonderful! My long-term goal is to outfit our entire bedding with organic linens like these from Gaiam.
Assorted Deluxe Flannel Bedding, $44.00-$100.00, gaiam.com




Stationery Stock
I keep all kinds of cards, paper, labels, and envelopes on hand for notes to friends and family. This box of cards by Binth is my favorite to have handy for newborn congratulations.
Alphabet Boxed Notecards, 5-3/8" x 7-1/2", 26 cards & envelopes, $16.95, chroniclebooks.com

Gingerale Me, Baby
My current IV. Helps with nausea from all of my drugs. I'm currently drinking the 365 brand from Whole Foods because it doesn't have high fructose corn syrup...But I am on the look out for something more tasty. Any suggestions?
Blenheim Mild Hot Ginger Ale, 12 oz. bottled six pack, $8.29, beveragesdirect.com




Target Bags!
I don't have a photo of my current one--a mustard yellow shoulder tote by Mossimo with a great front pocket for my nano. However, I'm already coveting this cheery one by Hayden-Harnett.
Canvas Flight Tote, 18" x 2" x17" $49.99 Target.com

Ugh.

Vacation + computer virus + Henny Penny closing = No posting.

I have so much to share!

Soon, very soon.

Oh My God: Hello Kitty Maternity Hospital

It truly exists. I have to have future-baby there.

Monday Bullets

To do:

• Send Christmas cards....Find addresses!!!
  
• Clean out jam-packed extra room
• Wrap gifts
• Dust
• Revise household budget
  

Contemplating:

• MA in Theology/Religious Studies/Christian History
• How much I love my husband
• Moral relativism
• How to continue to buy organic food with a tight budget?
  
• If Rocco will marry the heater in the living room

Eating:

• Mini frosted wheats
• Popcorn
• Pomegranate 7Up
• Spinach pizza
• Organic apple strudel made by Lorri....Mmmmmmmmm.

Listening to:

• Over the Rhine's 1st christmas album
• George Winston's December album
• Sufjan's christmas album

Wearing:

• Embroidered hoody
• Sweater boots
• Belts, belts, belts

Addictions:

• New knit poncho from Goodwill
• Cigarettes, still
• John Adams Miniseries & Sarah Silverman Program
  
• Mochas, still
• Procrastinating
  

Missing:

• Chicago
• Goshen
• Washington
• San Fran
• Everyone there

Making:

• Gifts
• Embroidered things
• Christmas cards
• Grilled peanut butters
• Secret plans

New favorite names for future baby:

• Ava
• Emelie
• Iver (Boy)
  

Winter wish list:

• Peace dove coffe cup cozy by Chet & Dot
• Floppy hat by CaboDesigns
• Simple boots
• New penguin deluxe edition Fairy Tales by H.C. Andersen

Fuego & Calendars

["The Gas We Pass" by Shinta Co, I Love You Braille Necklace, and Sofa Pillow T-shirt]

Yesterday I discovered a great store IN THE MALL. I'm picky, so that says a lot. I'm not a big fan of national chains (although I certainly shop the hell out of Target). If you go to the mall to buy a gift, in general you are looking at clothing, candles, Hallmark nick-knacks, and calendars. (Yes, it's that time of year when the enormous calendar booths descend upon the masses...I already have mine picked out--I traditionally get a William Wegman with the adorable Weimaraners. There are always at least 2--one of adult dogs and one of puppies--and the puppies usually win my favor. This year, the choices are:

[Family Calendar, Man's Best Friend, and Puppies]

...but this year, I'm leaning toward the family calendar with the stickers. Stickers! I'll let you know. As an aside, this is not the ONLY calendar I get for the new year. I have a bit of a calendar fetish. Already I have an Egg Press offset printed desk calendar and a letterpressed wall calendar waiting to be used--chosen for that combination of antique and modern that I love so much! We also usually receive a ridiculously funny calendar from Lorri & Carmen at Christmas. Year 1 was "Extreme Ironing" (I have to giggle at the memory of it) and this year was "Nuns Behaving Badly" (find similar here). In the yoga corner of our bedroom, I placed the new calendar by papercut artist, Niki McClure. Each portrait has a single word I meditate on. I've already started using it for this purpose, so I'm in October 2009 while I do yoga. The word is "Mother." There's more. I also have to get the new miniature calendar by Jill Bliss and Saelee Oh for their unique artistry:

[2009: Gathered Together]

[2007: Farm Life]

Oh my heck. I just realized how big of a tangent I went on about calendars. I haven't even finished; I haven't even got to planners and datebooks!)

The orginal point was: I like Fuego. It has a unique and fun selection of T-shirts, cards, jewelry, books, scarves, hats, toys, etc. It's small and a little trendy, but I picked up some fabulous items; A magnet I'm sending a friend and adorable cards to frame for the future-nursery. (Photos later. Haven't I given you enough eye candy for one post?) This is a great spot to hit for stocking stuffers, too. The web site doesn't feature as comprehensive of a selection as the store does, but it gives you an idea. Sorry midwesterners. For shopping the store, it's at Clackamas Town Center on SE 82nd.

New Shirt New Shoes

Snack Basket

Am I crazy to make myself a snack basket?

One of the frustrating things about living with depression is that I don't have much of an appetite. I also get stressed out very easily, and when I'm stressed, I don't want to eat. I want to have coffee and a cigarette. Unfortunately, I also am pre-diabetic, so my blood sugar is very finicky. In a better effort to feed myself (nutritionally), I decided to make myself a "snack basket" with all sorts of goodies that I can graze on throughout the day. When I came home with my basket and told Dan what it was for, I'm pretty sure he thought I was crazy. I reasoned, "If I put small amounts of small food in very pretty packaging, I'll be more likely to want to eat it."

I picked up some pretty sticker labels and a sturdy basket at the craft store, and a heck of a lot of nuts and grains in bulk from the grocery store. I was a little too ambitious because when I loaded up my baggies, there was too much food for the basket. Either I need to get a bigger basket, or I need to pair down my selections daily. To start, I have raw pumpkin seeds, shelled pistachios, halved cashews, cheddar crackers, sesame sticks, flax and veggie tortilla chips, walnuts, 5-grain cereal, Persian cucumbers, New England granola mix, chocolate covered almonds, roasted veggie crackers, flax+ granola mix, and dried cranberries:

Once I started filling my baggies for the basket, Dan was eyeing everything and "taste-testing" it. After a while, I asked him if he wanted his own snack basket. I'm pretty sure Rocco does, too. There was only 1 spill as I transferred the food and Rocco heartily licked up every last bit of New England granola mix off the carpet. I didn't even have to get the vacuum out. I obviously need to add more fruit and veggies to the basket, but for now we'll see how this goes. I usually have salads for lunch with lots of veggies and I have skinni dip, a new fat-free frozen yogurt shop next to Henny Penny. My favorite order is the mango yogurt smoothie with pineapples, strawberries, and bananas. YUM. For now I think the snack basket would do well with some grapes or cherries, and more dried fruit...What's a good dried fruit?

But I have an Interview Tomorrow Morning....

Out of anxiety, I am drinking Moosehead Lagers and blogging. I tagged myself from Under a Red Roof. Because I'm creepy and self-centered like that.

Enjoy, and play along, if you like…

Places I Go Over and Over

1. Trader Joe's

2. Henny Penny

3. Potso dog park.

My Last Three Purchases

1. Mocha Slurpy.

2. Iced mocha.

3. Parliament Lights

GROSS!

Places I Love to Eat

1. Pizzicato. It's an acquired Northwest taste. At least when you're coming from Chicago.

2. Daily Cafe in the Pearl. Yummy, fresh, and it reminds me of Nick & Megan.

3. Hot Lips. I guess I like pizza.

4. Lovely Hula Hands in the Mississippi neighborhood...Decadent and reminds me of Hattie!

5. Wild Abandon. Our special spot.

Dream Dinner Guests

...Living?

1. Barack Obama

2. Alice Munroe

3. Tina Fey

4. Dalai Lama

A Few Places I’d love to Travel

1. Reykjavík, Iceland

2. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

3. Madison, Wisconsin

4. Italy, again, with the hubby

Television Shows I Like

....current?

1. Mad Men

2. Pam: Girl on the Loose

3. Anything on OPB

Big Accomplishments Yet to Happen - Soon, Soon…

1. Sell screenplay

2. Get a job with BENEFITS!

Keep Portland Weird I

Right outside my window on NW Flanders St...I counted 43 corgis--short-legged, potbellied dogs in shades of golden blonde, white, and chestnut brown, shuffling along the sidewalk with their owners in some sort of make-shift parade, streaming along as they panted and interrupted traffic.

Surviving the Heat Wave

With temperatures climbing to over 100 degrees this weekend, Portland is freaking out. Not to mention Rocco and Hobbes. We tried placing wet towels on them for a neat cooling effect that Dan and I enjoy, and they ran from us as though we were going to chop off their feet. Finally, I poured a glass of water on top of each of them and they sulked off to cool and stop panting.

We are lucky in the sense that our condo faces the northwest and gets a lovely shade from surrounding Cedars and Sweet Gums, so unlike our neighbors situated on the opposite side in shameless sunlight, we can keep the place regulated pretty cool by keeping everything shut up during the day and letting breezes through at night. Oh, did I mention we don't have air conditioning?

We also don't have air conditioning working in our car anymore, which makes for a sauna of a commute at the end of the day, when Portland reaches peak temperatures between 4 and 6 p.m. This is one of the things that I have never adjusted to completely in the Northwest. Growing up in Central Illinois, you could expect the peak temperature at "high noon," usually spent graciously at the public pool, and then by dinner time it was cooling off. Not here.

Speaking of dinner, I did keep in mind the uber-hot temperatures when I planned our meals this week. Cool dishes like sushi rolls and edemame, santa fe gazpacho, and pasta or veggie salads taste so good when you're sweating in your underwear. And of course, ice cold ales never hurt.