iPod, and adding Injury to Insult

This morning I heard two songs on the radio that I want to download immediately:

Goo Goo Dolls: Better Days (2005)

and

Brandon Heath: I'm Not Who I Was (2007)

I'm also psyched about a few of the songs from this album, by my real-life friend from college. Go listen! Buy! He is very, very talented.

I've been compiling a list of other songs I want, and I'm excited to have a big gift card for iTunes from Christmas. New music is something I haven't wanted in a long time. I think because I so rarely get to listen to my iPod anyway -- or if I do, it's with AJ in the car, and he requests the same songs every time. Good songs! But the same ones. "Particle Man," "No! No! No!," and the Spiderman theme song as sung by the Ramones (I think). :)

All these songs I want are really calm, acoustic-y ones, which complements my theme for early 2008 -- trying to relax myself and chill out before the impending Unrelaxed State due Feb 24th. I hope one of these becomes a real favorite. During AJ's birth, I had a very sweet song stuck in my head (Amy Grant's "My Jesus, I Love Thee"), and I really hope that happens again for this Baby's entrance to the world. I might have to employ the iPod, actually, to make it happen. We'll see.

- - - - - ...and now back to our regularly scheduled complaining... - - - - -

Okay, this third trimester stuff is really just NOT a whole lot of fun, can I tell you? In the past week I've had a couple of very painful nights of crampy bullsh*t, where my lower abdomen just feels like it's on FIRE. They're not regular-interval cramps like contractions, just one loooong contraction I guess. On top of that, the pelvic pain and hip pain is beginning to really hurt during the night. I mean, I do sit most of the day, and commute; there is a lot of weight helping gravity's natural tendency there. And the launch-pad's creaky beams are making room and making ready, so okay, I can deal. I know it's all normal -- the doctor told me so -- and I'm not a first-timer. I'm trying not to get all het up about "normal."

I'm also getting BIGGER as we speak, and last week I had to go buy, 5 weeks before I'm due mind you, 3 pairs of pants in size large because my mediums are just not working anymore. Fine, whatever, I'm Large and in Charge. But on top of the pain already emanating from down there, Monday I wear some of the new pants without washing them first (desperate times), and the seam is so rough on the insides of my (dry, can't-reach-'em-with-lotion) thighs that now I also have to deal with flaming, bumpetty skin.

Gah. It is no wonder pregnant women waddle. (Warm baths every night have been very helpful for the contrax, by the way, although I can't lay down in the bath. I just sit there and pour big cupfuls of water over my shoulders for about 30 minutes. Quite nice. Send more bubble bath.)

What does a girl have to do to get a doc to write "Bed Rest" on a little white slip of paper? Because I'm thinking that would make it allllll better.

This is more like it

Not Snow Much

Well, metro Atlanta survived our fifteen flakes of snow with nary a frostbitten pinky toe, as usual making mountains out of molehills. Me included. I guess we just can't help getting excited to see the white stuff we hear so much about falling out of the actual sky. AJ and I were coming out of the grocery store when it started, and his first-time enthusiasm coupled with my nostalgia made for tongues hanging out to catch it, and positively joyful laughter as we soaked up the wintery-ness of it all. It was so fun to watch him. I may have accidentally mentioned that if it snowed a lot we wouldn't have school. And in my defense, they were predicting a lot of frozen rain and low overnite temps, which might have wrecked the streets and power lines... but it didn't. It all ended with some very uninteresting rain, making things just wet and annoying instead of "fairytale wonderland." Oh well.

Luckily, AJ went off to school this morning without any protesting, which has become pretty rare until this week. I think we're over yet another little tantrum hurdle -- when do these stop, exactly? Sigh. He's doing great in his new classroom, though, bringing home artwork where he has lined up elephant pictures from biggest to smallest, or drawn lines in diagonals across the page from SOCK to SHOE and HAT to HEAD and other things that match. I just love watching him learn.

I went to the OB yesterday and have finally gone all the way through their rotation, so I saw a doc I'd seen before, and decided I really like him. He's got a gentle bedside manner but tells it like it is, and I appreciate both of those things very much. Here's hoping he is on call the day I deliver. We've also got the nursery coming together (slowly but surely) and I washed a big load of itsy bitsy clothes -- none of which really needed washing. My friend who donated girl things to me obviously washed them before she gave them to me -- they even smelled like detergent -- and I had washed my own stuff before binning it three years ago.... but still. [Aside -- I am surprised at how many of AJ's onesies and little sleep gowns I am getting to reuse. He seems so BOY now, I forgot that sometimes 'baby' is just 'baby,' no matter what flavor you get. We had a ton of yellows, oranges, and greens and I'm so excited to cuddle and squeeze see them again. Hee.] You feel like you WANT TO do those Dreft loads. It's a ritual or something, a true PART OF getting ready for a baby. Next up is the casserole-freezing, I guess. And muffins. (Inspiring!)

High Class Trash

I am strangely addicted to yet another BravoTV hit, The Real Housewives of Orange County. Show of hands: Anyone? It's a love-hate thing for me -- these women are portrayed as whiny, bitchy, have-it-alls -- and I do mean ALL, we're talking millions of gadollars here. Exactly the type of person that makes me gag.... yet I can't. stop. watching. (Not meaning to judge, of course, because I certainly have everything I could ever want or need and *I* certainly whine and bitch, but you know what I mean.)

Last night rewarded my enduring XBox Live and hockey all week (love you Honey, and there's nothing else on anyway) with TWO episodes. In the first, they were having a Botox Party at a local plastic surgeon's office, complete with sushi, wine, and free consultations. Now I'm no expert on plastic surgeons, but um.... it seems to me if the invitation said they were going to seduce me with fancy wine in a big glass and THEN conduct my free consultation, I would notice that *something is fishy about this.* Sure enough, once the 39-year-old housewife was drunk enough, she thought everything the doctor said was either hysterical or GOSPEL TRUTH. She "wasn't planning to have anything done, but after the doctor told me I needed this lift and that lift..." she jumped right up onto the table for a Botox injection right then and there.

Brilliant of the doctor, I guess. I should give him credit for being a smart businessman and knowing his customers.

The second episode was the 39-year-old's 40th birthday party in which she MOANED and CRIED and RENT HER GARMENTS about turning 40, on her yacht... until her husband presented her with a BIG FAKE "I spent my last few dollars on this" Diamond encrusted -- no, Diamond Covered Rolex. And oh, ho, ho, by "last few" he meant "forty-thousand." The other women, in their confessional scenes where they speak directly to the camera, were all, "It's a rite of passage to receive your first (diamond) Rolex." BWAHH HAHAHAHAHA! God, they are funny. My first Fossil must be the middle-class equivalent. (I love my Fossil.)

After that, she didn't mind being forty so much, though. Go fig. Time to get drunk again, she said, pass the champagne.

It does sort-of bother me that they're calling all these women "housewives" when a) most of them have housecleaners and gardeners and pool-boys, which I'm not sure but I think means they don't fit the traditional definition of the word housewife. And b) two of them aren't even married, they've been divorced for more than 10 years each. ("You keep using dat word... I do not tink it means what you tink-a it means.") In Season One there was a single girl on the show who happened to be dating a very rich Orange County guy whose money she spent hither and yon. Dear Bravo: NOT A HOUSEWIFE.

To think, this used to be the network that showed intelligent, arthouse movies and James Lipton.

And yet... I'm a bit excited that they're doing a New York City spin-off this spring.

Let it snow, and photos

Ooh, they're predicting some sort of cold and precipitation for Wednesday/Thursday! Yay! Maybe we can get a snow-day out of it. You know, big southern city goes all Chicken Little when there's a potential for white stuff coming out of the sky.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I have been meaning to post a few pictures of the New Year's Eve wedding bash, mostly to show off the world's most adorable three-year-old in a tuxedo:

Practicing our runway walk before the festivities...

Charming the ladies on the dance floor...

Sampling his bartending skills (Sprite, meatballs, pretzels, chocolate-dipped marshmallows, and a strawberry) ... doesn't look like it's much of a hit...hey, I didn't care, it kept him occupied...

and finally...

Causing mom and dad to burst with pride and joy and Happy New Year feelings that will last and last. Awwwwww. Look, all dressed up we're pretty festive!

Things I love

Sunrise. The cool, gradual lift of darkness.


My car. A comfortable ride.


Happy baristas at the drive thru.


The potential of a weekend and a Target gift card in my purse.

Starting to think

I am starting to really think about just HOW this thing is going to work, this BABY thing.

....HOW is it going to work, y'all??

I mean, we had our little routine for getting up and out of the house with one baby:

>get awakened 4:30 or 5am
>warm bottle
>feed bottle, snooze in chair
>place baby back in crib
>go back to bed and snooze a while, if lucky

...and that evolved naturally into "with one kid:"

>wake with alarm, hit snooze
>let kid sleep while we're showering
>wake kid, get him snack or breakfast
>turn on his shows
>get him dressed

We now get it done within about an hour-fifteen (and usually without much screamingKNOCKWOOD). But what exactly happens when you add another baby to that mix? We already wake up at the crack of dawn -- well, I mean, I KNOW that the actual 'crack' of dawn is entirely relative when there's an infant involved -- so am I going to have to wake up and feed the infant at 5:00 am and then just continue on to our regular 5:45 start-time for showers and cereal and shows and scurrying around the dresser and bathroom sink? I guess I will. With no extra time for the snooze button! What am I going to DOOOOO without my SNOOOOOOZE? Sob.

I would say screw the whole thing while I'm on maternity leave, we'll just wake up when we wake up... but we need to keep AJ on his regular schedule as much as we can because GOD KNOWS he is better when he's in his groove. He needs a hat or something that warns: "Does not respond well to change."

Oh wait, I just remembered -- at least during maternity leave I can take my Today Show nap. I mean, if this baby cooperates. It's just crazy that you can't predict! Anything! She may not sleep the same way AJ did! I'm going to have to re-learn everything... with an extra distraction just for a challenge, you know.

Where did I read yesterday... someone's comments section -- a mom said "You're just tired for 16 years. You get used to it."

Every mom is superwoman, I think -- especially those of you with more than TWO! I BOW IN YOUR DIRECTION, YOU AMAZING CREATURES.

The glow of pregnancy

Here's me, showing off my World-Championship Ladies Bowling League gear.

No, wait, that's not it. Those are my "ROCK ON!" eyes and snarl.

No... no... hang on, I'll get it: These are the wrist braces I purchased today from Walgreen's so that my hands will cease feeling like they've been ground to stumps with a hacksaw.

Carpal tunnel, baby. One of the many millions of things they just don't tell you about pregnancy. I never had carpal tunnel before -- even though I've worked mostly at the computer for ten years. AJ gave me a mild case, which never completely disappeared but had become mostly unnoticeable until a few months ago. But that was just some tingling and numbness. Baby #2 is really letting me know how much she needs my good blood flow with PAAAAAIN. So I'm sporting my Hott New Look for winter. In a lovely twist of fate, the weather's gotten warm enough for short sleeves here, for a couple of days, so I can't even hide these monstrosities under a nice sweater. I feel like the biggest dork! All for a good cause, of course, and the braces actually do seem to help. They're a bitch to type with (again, ironic since that's probably why/how I got it in the first place), but the real test will be sleeping with them tonight. That's when the pain level usually shoots up to eleven -- sometimes I'll wake up at night to pee and have to shake and massage my wrists out for ten minutes before they loosen back up.

In other pregnancy griping, my stomach hurts. Just... all the time. I mean, crampy kind of hurting. No, it's not REALLY all the time, just seems like a lot. Don't worry, I have counted. No more than one "contraction" (Braxton-Hicks, obviously) in any given hour. They just seem long. Maybe I'm doing too much. Maybe I need to spend more time on the couch with my friends Haagen and Dazs.

While I was in Walgreen's, I peeked at InStyle magazine's cover story on Katie Holmes. I had no idea she is 30. Here I thought she was a teenage bride but, not really. Just a girl, in love with a boy, OH SIIIIIGHhhhhh, and she loves being a mom. I was disappointed the interviewer didn't ask her one single time if Tom is as wacko as he seems. It was all, like, professional and benefit-of-the-doubt and stuff. Oh well. Katie said "the weather is here, wish you were [as] beautiful [as me]." (Truly, the photos of her were somewhat bizarre and beautiful.)

*********

Have I told you my secret weapon for parenting? J-E-L-L-O. I swear, the days I make it, you'd think I hung the very moon. Today, just hinting that there was Jello in the fridge for dessert meant AJ cleaned up his snack debris, played nicely with the neighbor kids, read stories willingly with his Dad while I got dinner ready, Pleased and Thank You'd all through the meal ("Mama, do you want me to please pass anything to you?"), patiently endured his bath/shampoo, and went to bed when I said "It's bedtime."

Maybe I'm wrong -- maybe it's the new dresser. But I think it's the Jello.

*********

Today I received my customized Starbucks gift card in the mail. Have you heard of this? You can create "art," or simply choose a coffee cup with your "signature" drink spelled out on it, or any number of other mod designs. I can't wait to use it tomorrow. Thanks, Mom!

More bold moves

First it was OUT with the list-making.

Then today, I actually said NO to something, just because I DIDN'T WANT TO DO IT. This all-good-for-me, all the time, attitude is surprising.

The commitment was a request to sub for a cantor at Mass this Saturday. At first, I quickly but reluctantly typed out, "Sure, I can take it, Ralph. Hope you have a very Happy Birthday. Send me the song list if you can." Then I backspace-deleted every letter and typed,

"Sorry, Ralph, I'm afraid I'm already committed for Saturday. Hope someone else can sub for you. Have a very Happy Birthday!"

(Even though guess what? I'm not committed!) DANG, that feels good. I hit "Send" with no regret.

Look at me, I'm all zen and stuff

Believe me, if I had anything to say, I'd be blogging it. People are writing such gosh-dang funny things these first few days of 2008. I'd say it's going to be another banner year for the Mighty Internet. I just hope I'll have something to contribute, too.

This weekend we're going to get a dresser for AJ's room, and once we have that, I feel like many other things will snap into place. I can move his clothes into there, and thus move Baby's clothes out of the corner of MY room, and once AJ's clothes are there, his toys might as well be, too, and I can CLEAN UP FREAKIN' CHRISTMAS which is as of yet, still strewn about the living room floor. (Just his toys, I mean, and the tree. Which we plan to take down tonight.)

(He's already sleeping in his new room, btw. I think he likes it there.)

So really, that one item of business ought to make my entire home come to order in one hot second -- at least that's how I'm choosing to look at it. All hail the dresser.

I have not made any single list in 2008. Not counting my work to-do list, of course. But I'll tell you, not having every item of crap in front of me on a dog-eared piece of paper has greatly helped my mood. I'm just taking things one at a time and trying to be careful of getting overwhelmed. Sometimes I start listing in my head, and have to stop myself. (Dreft... hospital bag... mostly baby-arrival things. But I have time.)

I wonder how long I'll be able to keep this up? More later. It's Friday night, after all!

Just fine, and how was yours?

I suppose the thing to do would be to get out my to-do list, place it neatly on my desk, and start a clean page with "Jan 2 - Jan 4," underlined. Then begin listing out the must-do work-tasks of the day: finish the XYZ sitemap. Start the annual review paperwork. Invoice job #4022. Update project tasks list.

But GAWD, doesn't that all sound depressing?

Instead, I'm still trying to enjoy some of the lingering scent of the holidays that have come and gone. (But not the evergreen centerpiece my mother-in-law sent us; no, no, it was lovely -- beautiful, even -- but I think my pregnancy hormones are misinterpreting pine needles. To me it smells like B.O. every time I walk by it. What a bummer. I usually love evergreen.) The scents I like to remember are the ones of tape and wrapping paper being ripped and balled up, of mashed potatoes that turned out smooth and not-too-salty, of plentiful Honey-Baked Ham leftovers but Taco Bell for lunch on the 27th ANYWAY, and this year, of bridesmaids' hairspray and delicious lemony wedding cake.

Yes, my brother-in-law got married Monday night, New Year's Eve! We had a fancy party to attend for the first time in... ever. It was nice to get all dressed up and go someplace with good food, a dance floor, and an open bar (Sprite for me, WITH LIME, oooooh). In general the "wedding weekend" was a bit of a logistical disaster, but I think that comes with the territory. I managed to keep my good attitude up front EXCEPT:

> a couple of hours before the wedding -- when my DARLING BIL the groom called his mother to "run to the mall" for him real quick, and by the way, if I come over would you make me something to eat?? ...and then...

> during the ceremony, for which AJ had walked BEAUTIFULLY down the aisle holding hands with me and generally making my heart burst with pride and joy, and looking SO ADORABLE in his tuxedo... when he began whining out loud for 15 minutes straight, "Mama I wantta go OUUUUUT. I wantta go OUUUUUT. I need to go POTTTTY. (Which he didn't, but was using as an excuse, to which I replied: Hush, honey, in one minute.) It's been ONE MINUUUUUUTE..... WAAAHhhh..." causing the minister to notch up his volume a bit for the ring ceremony. I finally decided there was nothing to do but take him out and I will always remember it as stomping back down the aisle and then speaking harshly to the little guy outside through embarrassed hot tears, as everyone else watched the bride and groom kiss and be announced as Mr. and Mrs. I hate that I couldn't just laugh and say "HEY, he's THREE," and forgive him on the spot for nothing -- he did nothing wrong, he was just himself, a three-year-old asked to stand in a fancy suit and be still. But I let my pride get the best of me.

Definitely lost my cool there for a moment.

I shouldn't even post that -- I'd rather not remember it, except when AJ himself gets engaged someday and has a three-year-old niece or nephew or cousin that he thinks would be a great nominee for "wedding party member." Heh.

Anyway, we're back, the New Year has begun. I may or may not make any lists today, and my only resolution is to try to make each day better than the last. I think that about covers everything.

Gerunds, and a well-planned Christmas morning

Am doing a bit of sorry-for-myself-feeling, what with the first-to-the-office-being today: Friday, the last day before vacation-beginning. I am the pregnant one! Shouldn't *I* be doing more easy-it-taking than most people? Yes, decidedly. But nooooo, I have project-managing to attend to. Stoopid money-making.

Anyway, last night I was talking with Maryb and she shared with me the very logical, sensible Christmas morning plan that her family has followed through the years. I want to write it down so that someday when my life turns organized and sensible (!), I can consider it.

First, some personal history. It seems our Christmas mornings as teens -- that is, the ones I remember most clearly, which became our usual tradition -- were slightly chaotic. We never liked going to the 4:00pm Christmas Eve Children's Mass at our church because it was standing-room only, and a little bit ridiculous. The youth group always did this crazy thing where, right before the blessing and dismissal, they sent an "elf" or "elves" up the aisle with jingle bells (one year the guy ran screaming and hollering excitedly - and very stupidly) to announce SANTA'S ARRIVAL! And then Santa would process around the church for a few minutes making all the children go wild and... well, it was just too much after a Mass that went over an hour in the first place. Not to mention ruining the solemnity of Christmas Eve, GAH. So we generally preferred singing with my cousins at the 8:30am Mass Christmas morning.

However! That meant waking up at the crack of dawn to get the presents opened (tree first, then stockings) and still have time for showers. Which we wanted to do before Mass, because right AFTER Mass we had all the family over for brunch, most of those years. It wasn't a BAD way to do it, but it wasn't quite cozy and relaxed. (No one's fault, Mom! Don't go feeling bad! Still good memories, I promise -- I mean, Christmas brunch?? That right there is divinely inspired.)

But here's how Maryb's family did it:

Wake up. Open STOCKINGS first. Her Santa *wrapped* all the stocking presents, and that was the way the kids knew which wrapping paper under the tree was "theirs." This way, Santa did not have to give himself away with his handwriting on gift tags! wink wink! Brilliant. Each kid had his own pattern and discovered it on his own. So while they did that, Mom and Dad had coffee, and Mom put cinnamon rolls in the oven. (Mmmm, cinnamon rolls.) Cozy.

After stockings, they took a break for breakfast. And that turned into a break for 8:30 Mass. Again, brilliant, because no one goes to 8:30 Mass on Christmas morning so it's nice and quiet, and really, the anticipation is almost as much fun as the opening of presents. Putting it off for one hour (8:30 Mass is quick since no one's there) didn't hurt anything. Then after that, they'd come home and tackle the presents under the tree. And have the rest of the day to play, or make dinner, or whatever.

Doesn't that seem smart to you? What's your Christmas morning schedule?

Our house hasn't really established one yet. Last year AJ woke up, glanced at the presents, then declared he wanted his Froot Loops. Ha! We waited. I have a feeling this year will be different, but we'll just have to see. I haven't decided about Mass times, and I want to do breakfast. Oh well, whatever way it works out will be perfect. It's the togetherness anyway, not the logistics. Have a merry one, everybody! :)

Round up: Thoughts

> I've simply got to get started on work, but don't have the necessary oomph. As any holiday approaches, my work motivation just starts seeeeeping out the cloth walls of the cube. By Friday I'll have nothing.

> We've finally started receiving Christmas cards, hooray! It's the only time of the year when getting the mail is actually fun. Unless you subscribe to Southern Living like I do, and then once a month you have a fun mailbox. I finally have enough cards to display them on the pantry door. One of AJ's big things lately is wanting to tape his artwork to every available cabinet door in the house, so this is a good project for him. Hey, I bought him a glue stick the other day. HOURS of fun! I just cut out random images from Reader's Digest, and he sticks them to a piece of construction paper! How easy is that?! He made his first masterpiece the other day and was SUPER excited to give it to Daddy "for his office." CUTE!!

> Speaking of artwork and 3 year olds -- are they supposed to be able to hold the pencil/marker/crayon correctly yet? AJ wants to write the alphabet, and sort-of can, but he's holding the writing instrument... mmm, how to describe?... his fist curls over the top of the crayon instead of around the side/back. DH and I debate over whether we should correct that or not. I'm sure he'll get it eventually. I kinda want to make it easier on him. However, he isn't much interested in trying the 'right' way, so I guess I just answered my own question: Leave him alone.

> We seem to have turned the corner on this latest round of tantrumy behavior from him. I tell ya, every time I should remind myself, THIS IS JUST A PHASE! But in the thick of it, you really forget. You start analyzing and doubting and being sad and worried. BOO for that! I suspect it is easier with the second child.

> She, by the way, was kicking/punching me on both sides of my stomach this morning at 3. Like SHE was having little fits. DEAR LORD, already??

> I got the daycare teachers $10 Target gift cards, and the 3 directors $10 Chick Fil A gift cards (because they get out for lunch). Everyone seemed pleased.

That is all.

Poppyseed Bread

Not necessarily festive, but altogether delicious!

(makes 2 loaves)

3 cups all purpose flour
2.5 cups sugar
1.125 cups (that's one and one-eighth cups) vegetable or canola oil
1.5 cups milk
3 eggs
.5 tsp salt
1.5 tsp baking powder ('exsqueeze me? baking powder?' I always think this. Still.)
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 tsp almond extract
1.5 tsp butter extract
2 tsp poppyseeds

Grease 2 loaf pans. Mix all ingredients together with a spoon, pour into pans, and bake at 350 for one hour.

Glaze:

.25 cup orange juice
.75 cup sugar
.5 tsp vanilla ext.
.5 tsp butter ext.
.5 tsp almond ext.

Bring to a boil and pour over hot bread.

Only thing hard about this recipe is that you may not have butter extract on-hand. But you SHOULD!! I found it at my regular grocery store. And it will seem like there is too much glaze. Not so! It'll soak in and make everything even more LOVELY.

PS - sorry about the decimals. I wanted to do 1/4c for the 1/4c items, but then it was inconsistent and I had to edit that. Decimals seem much less elegant but then again, cooking is the only science I've ever loved, so there ya go.

Um, just one more thing...

Two friends said they actually LIKE the stressy posts. So, stressy it is:

-- Why THIS WEEK of all weeks, did we have a virus attack one of our servers?? (Part of my company's job is that we host some web sites that we've designed, although we don't have servers OR technical people on-site. I.E., ME, I am not a technical person and I don't know how to fix it -- but I'll get to field the phone calls of pissed-off clients.) The one guy from our group who seems to enjoy fussing over and "deploying solutions to" this kind of problem is, of course, out of town. *Sing-song voice:* LOVE-LY!

-- And BTW, corporate IT who run our email: GET REMOTE WEBMAIL TO WORK, dammit! We're in the middle of a weekend server-virus-crisis but can't check our email because.... I don't know why because. Because our multi-national company still runs a crappy version of LOTUS NOTES instead of Outlook, like the rest of the free world.

----------

That's it for real stress this Monday morning. And do I really care? No. This weekend in family-world, we knocked a whole bunch of crap off the list, like mailing Christmas cards (whose idea...? nevermind), getting haircuts, buying and wrapping a few more gifts, and baking. I made Lemon Poppyseed bread, which is really more like cake, and I'll post the recipe soon, AND I made my favorite peanut-chocolate "cussters" as AJ is calling them. That recipe:

Melt some chocolate bark. Dump in some cocktail peanuts. Stir. Spoon into cluster shapes on wax paper. The end.

I also had lunch with a friend Saturday, and laughed and laughed with her, and then attended a really fun Christmas party with some other friends -- a cast of characters for sure -- that made me COUNT MY BLESSINGS. (Swistle: haHA! You're so right! But still.) Let's just say there were cards and appetizers and one man farting outright, which was gross and so NOT in the Christmas spirit, but... still funny, and I felt like PART of the group, and the women talked in one room while the men looked at a video game in the other room until we raised our eyebrows to the vaulted ceilings to get them to quit and come be merry with us. And they were. AJ was beyond cute and everyone told me so. I think he may even have beaten out a 10-month-old for receiving the Most Attention. Look, he may not be very socially active among his own generation, but the kid knows how to work a room of adults, I'll give him that. Could be a very handy skill one day.

Finally, one of my favorite things was putting my Christmas china front and center in the china cabinet on Sunday while AJ napped. It looks so festive and it makes me surprisingly happy to putter around --gently... ever...so...gently...-- with bone china. :)

Christmas Past, Present, and Future

So! *Brisk claps* (hat tip to Swistle) No more stupid stress-n-drang talk! Pinky swear.

On to fun holiday questionnaires from Sophie.


I'm supposed to tell you my favorite childhood gift, my favorite gift I received as an adult, and a gift I would like to receive in the future.

BUT FIRST: Important, and relative, Literature Question: In your opinion, did Scrooge have a really vivid dream, or was he ACTUALLY visited in the night by those famous Christmas ghosts? I mean, as "actually" as possible -- it is a story, after all. Just curious -- either way, he was morally moved and ultimately redeemed, so it's all good. I personally think it was a dream. But since it's a story, it COULD have been a real visitation...

My favorite childhood Christmas gift: It's pretty hard to decide. The two that stand out are my kitchen set -- a white wooden stove and sink that must have been hand-painted -- and my JAM BOX, received when I was about 11 and listening to the radio for the first time. Y'all, it had a DOUBLE tape deck. I pirated many a cassette with that gift. I believe that was also the year I received Wham! Make It Big and Mr. Mister, Welcome To the Real World, so I was rockin' hard core.

My favorite adulthood gift: The first Christmas DH and I were married, he surprised me with an extra stocking gift -- a velvet box with these teeny diamond chip earrings. He said, "I had to get you something sparkly." Awww. I don't wear them very often, but that doesn't mean I don't love them. They mean a whole lot to me. It was such a sweet, young-love romantic gesture.

A gift wish for the future: One day, probably not next year or even the year after that, but one day, I'd really like to do a kitchen remodel. It's not something that can be wrapped up with ribbons and bows, but it sure will take the place of any gifts for me the year we decide to do it!

No taggies today, if you want to play let me know so I can come see!

Alright, this is just getting insane

The lists are going to eat me alive. I'm making more lists. I'm making lists to organize my lists. I want to clean everything. I want to put away stuff in AJ's new room so when I glance in there I don't see loose screws and brackets rolling around on the nightstand. I want to BAAAAAAKE. Lemon Poppyseed bread, cookies, heck, I even want to make banana pudding which I don't really like (but hubby does) and I feel like Making Stuff and making him Happy. And I happen to have some pudding mix on-hand.

This is nesting, right?

Other things that are insane:
- That my manager can't say "Staff meeting at 10," he has to say "staff meet at 10." Meet. Never MEET-ING. Not even "Mtg." "meet." All lowercase. Makes me twitch.

- That my back-door neighbor, always a strange yardbird, and that's the only way we know him, really, by watching him do yardwork.... decided yesterday to pile all of his raked leaves in the drainage ditch that runs through his yard.... and ours. So, we're all under a drought watch and outdoor watering ban, right? He can't burn the leaves until we get about four feet of rain and are able to use our hoses again. And whose yard is going to flood if we DO get any rain? That's right, mine. His leaves are going to cause a backup, I just know it. So he burned a few last night in a barrel, which, despite the outdoor watering ban *HELLO SAFETY VIOLATION I WANTED TO CALL THE COPS,* was preferable to letting them sit in the ditch... I think?

- Three-year-olds.

- That this week my only two freelance projects both come due, GAH, while I have no free time because of an influx of office work projects, too! I'll handle it, just... pardon me one more time while I WHII-YI-Y-YIIINE.

- That AJ turned down his beloved Pop Tart this morning for a Clementine instead. What the... who the...?

I should point out that my Dear Husband could sense my sanity level sinking this weekend (might have been all the crying out loud) and ushered me out of the house on Sunday afternoon. I had my nails done. It was lovely.

EDITED TO ADD: Sorry, guys. Really sorry. I just revisited my archives from the last, what, 3 months? and every other post has been, "I'm stressed and I'm busy." BULLlAAAGHGAHH. So boring. I will try to come up with a different topic, I sware. ;)

Fat on top, but not "fat on time"

Or: el-e-e rambles on and on -- be warned

Something I forgot about pregnancy and weight gain, as I have gone about my merry way eating every brownie and snack-pack of M&Ms I can find, is that you gain weight not only in your belly, but also around the torso -- the shoulders and triceps and, naturally, the chestseses. Padding and extra fat for making milk and all that jazz. I was cruelly reminded of this fact yesterday when I took my bridesmaid dress to be altered. Horrifying. I haven't been wearing all that many spaghetti straps lately, you know. I hadn't noticed. I was a bit surprised to be so stinking voluptuous. These wedding photos are going to be happy memories, aren't they? Gaaah. Oh well, motivation I suppose. In the three weeks from now 'til the wedding, I don't suppose my little 2.5-pound handweights are going to do one ounce of good, especially since I plan to CONITNUE eating brownies. It's Christmas for Pete's sake. So screw it. I'll be the fat bridesmaid and everyone will marvel when they look back at 2007, and say, "Wow, she really lost that pregnancy weight, didn't she?" YES THEY WILL.

I feel like I just can't, and will never, catch up with my December schedules and to-do lists. Every time I scratch one item off, I definitely add a few others. Every day at lunch is some errand that must be accomplished TODAY. It's only the 7th but I feel like I'm already late shipping presents to Seattle and Virginia and various other locales. Is everyone else getting this unnecessary "hurry-up" vibe? I heard "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" this morning on the radio and thought, "Beginning?? Sheesh, people, where have YOU been? We're late, we're late for a very impor-tant-date!"

Deep breaths. Deeeeeep breaths.

Hey, I KNOW you people buy some holiday gifts that are perishables. Chocolates, fruits, etc. There comes a point in your life when you just don't think you need any. more. random. STUFF, so your neighbors and uncles and parents' friends, whose homes have been filling up 20 years longer than yours, don't either. Do you go with Hickory Farms or Harry & David, in those cases? Is there a favorite gourmet food gift that you give? We had a client once who always sent us Crate & Barrel's Christmas snacks, which are DIVINE. I like those. Last year, I was introduced to John & Kira's floral chocolates, and WOW. They're pretty snazzy. Sometimes I just run to World Market and pick up something that looks international, hoping it suffices. If you have some fancy regional or local food item that I need to check out and can order online (I have about 3 gifts of this sort that I need to buy), spill it!

Wouldn't it be fun to hear some of the RESULTS of all this Christmas-purchasing frenzy? I think it would. I can't tell you everything, because many of my recipients read this blog. But I can tell you a few things:

For Nanny (DH's grandmother): 2 twenty-five-dollar Schwann's gift certificates. We got her these last year and she hasn't stopped raving about how useful they were. She has shopped with Schwann's for years.

For my MIL: The new Eagles' CD; a hand-painted ceramic plaque that says, "I am woman. I am invincible. I am tired." (ha!) Saw that and loved it and it's definitely her style; an Emerilware skillet that she asked for.

For my FIL: a pair of jeans; a Thrashers ballcap; half of a new office chair (we're counting on my brother in law to pay the other half and actually purchase this -- I'm not sure he can be counted on, but I hope so. *Add to to-do list: DH needs to call BIL and remind him.*)

For my secret-Santa cousin: a book I think she will like (and now Sis probably knows who I got)

For AJ: Shake-n-Go Crash Cars racetrack; 2 new Imaginex dinosaurs (from Gammy, but posing as From Santa); an air-powered football kicker-guy; 3 Berenstain Bears books; a preschool-appropriate clock for his room (from Grandmommy but might pose as From Santa); and for his stocking, some animal figurines, loads of stickers, some candy, etc. etc. We're still mulling over the V-Tech or Leapster handheld. Can't decide. I'd love to hear what you're buying.

Add a Dash of Meaning

I'll admit that I got caught up in a bit of a frenzy right after Thanksgiving, in preparation for the small party we had this past weekend. We decorated the house and have been ordering and buying and wrapping presents... even baked some goodies. We also had a birthday party thrown in there for extra stress good measure, and so the "spirit" of the season so far has basically been one of Hurry Up and Git R Done, as we say here in Georgia.

However, I would really prefer to have an appropriately anticipatory ADVENT. (Say it 3 times fast: GO!) Last year I managed to remember that we "deck the halls" for a reason -- to quietly create a space in our homes and hearts to welcome the King. And this year.... well, we didn't make it to Mass on the first Sunday of Advent (or the last Sunday of Ordinary Time, either) if that's any indication.

It makes me sad when we don't make it to church. But that's another topic for another day.

Onward. Advent. Looking forward. I did let AJ help me set up our nativity scene on the fireplace hearth, and it felt good to share that with him, telling him who these characters are, and what they are doing at the stable. Of course, he wants to put them ALL in the "house," so they don't get wet when it rains. I have to keep telling him that the shepherd with that lamb in his arms can't go in, because that lamb is too loud and will definitely wake up the baby Jesus. And that the 3 wise men are just visiting -- it isn't their house and they didn't wipe their feet, so they need to stay outside and just watch.

It's cute, and he's learning the Christmas story bit by bit.

I'd like to do the following other Adventy, preparatory things this year:

1. Get an Advent wreath. I say this every year and have yet to do it. I like the idea of having one at home and then the kids noticing, hey, there's one at church, too! (This has more impact if we start GOING to church, ahem.) I'm not saying we need to do all the prayers around it or anything that devout; I just kinda feel like it'd be nice to have one. THINGS beget questions, and questions become teaching opportunities. And besides, I like candles and need a centerpiece for the dining room table.

2. Paint or make some ornaments. There's a great how-to here," -- hey, look at that, I'm an "editor!" what fun to collaborate with kara marie! -- but I might not actually BAKE ornaments. I think I have some ceramic ones already in a craft drawer somewhere. It's still a fun activity and maybe AJ can paint some and then decide whom he'd like to give them to. Thus teaching him about the spirit of giving, instead of receiving, see.

3. Hmm. Why don't you help me here. Do you do any Adventy things? A paper chain? A Jesse Tree (OVERACHIEVER)? Even if it's just driving around the neighborhood one evening, looking at all the lights (we're TOTALLY doing that, too). Make our December meaningful. :)

Cute-isms and oddities of the weekend

AJ was sitting at the table eating a snack, when his foot must have fallen asleep. He said, "Ow, Mama! My foot feels all sparkly!"

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Saturday night, we woke to a little boy standing by the bed saying he'd had a bad dream. (First time this has ever been reported live and in person!) He naturally proceeded to kick us in the ribs the rest of the night, and was ready to wake up by 6:00am. Gah.

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This morning around 4:30, Hubby woke me to point out that AJ was sleeping on the floor, in the corner of our room, wedged between the armoire and some CD binders. Why there? Who knows. We thought it best to return him to his own bed. He didn't mention it when we all woke up later, and we didn't ask.