@#$%!

I have to tell this story because it is just too funny. You miss the voice inflections, which really tell the story, but you'll get the gist. When I was in the sixth grade I made a conscious decision (I still remember doing this) to start cussing. I was sick and tired of being teased for being a goody two shoes, and wanted to divert attention away from it. Well, it worked! I got just the "respect" and "attention" that I wanted, and people stopped teasing me for awhile about the grades and for never getting in trouble. Well, one day I was with my mom and my sister, and I think I must have dropped something. I opened my mouth and dropped the s-bomb. My mother stopped what she was doing, slowly turned her head toward me and said, "What did you say?" I quickly looked for a way out... any way out! "Uh, Uh, Sari taught me to say that!" "Oh no you don't, you're not pinning that one on me!" I knew I was beaten. I don't even think I was punished for it, consequently.

The funny thing is that when I got into high school I developed a crush on a guy at school (who amazingly liked me back), he basically said, "I like you, but you should stop cussing." I said, "Ok," and I've had a clean mouth ever since. Just like that!

The ants go marching, milling, nibbling...

Last night I was sitting in my chair nursing Lucy when I noticed an ant biting me. It wasn't one of the ants I'm accostumed to, the black carpenter ants. It was a tiny red ant that I'd never seen before. I felt like a cartoon who was zoomed in on the one ant, then zoomed out, then out again to see all these ants crawling all over the burp rag, the nursing pillow and my chair. I frantically gave the (luckily contented) baby to my brother who was luckily at hand, and set about to vacuum them up and figure out what to do next. It completely freaked me out, because I didn't know if these were just small fire ants (a friend very recently had her daughter bitten by hundreds of fire ants), or what they were, so I was completely freaked out. To be sitting cozily in my chair feeding my baby, then feel completely invaded was a bit nightmarish. I think I have a phobia or something, because it took me a couple of hours to settle down again. I have a pretty clean mouth (I'll have to tell the story behind that later), but I reserve one bad word for ants, which basically describes them literally and metaphorically. In essence, I make sure people know that their parents were never married.

Three Months??

Where did 3 months go? I should have posted this 2 days ago, but I'm sure Lucy will forgive me.







As I write this post, I cannot get a Sting song out of my head... You know, it's the one that goes, "That's my baby--she can be all four seasons in one day." Tried to get a few pictures to demonstrate.

One Happy Grammie!

That's the picture of contentment... Come on, you know you want to say it... AWWWWWWW!!!

Thanks for the great visit, Grammie! What a gift for this little girl to be with her Grammie.

Congrats to Colleen!

Welcome, Timothy Lamar Johnson! This is my friend from the MOL program. When we first started the program, the two of us talked a lot about whether or not we wanted to start families, and then we found out we were pregnant around the same time! Little Timothy was the same size as Lucy, but a whole pound heavier!!

I've told Lucy she's allowed to date Timothy, Micah Watson, Nicholas Geringer, or Colin Twisselmann. Oh, or either of the Himes boys. Or at least they can be her back-ups for prom if the person she likes doesn't ask her (which he will of course!), or if we decide he doesn't pass the Earle muster. =)

Red Bud

This is the view out my window. I love this tree. You can't see the shape exactly, but it has this lovely shape that reminds me of a Geisha doing a dance. It has small purple blossoms in the Spring, then gets these teeny-tiny heart-shaped leaves that grow into lovely big heart-shaped leaves. They start out dark purple, develop some green before turning yellow and orange and falling off in autumn. Then in winter, the branches still have that elegant Geisha dance pose. Its roots are unstable, as it was planted too shallow. A really good wind could take it down, though it is protected quite a bit by the house. If it were to fall, I would just cry!

The Announcements

Okay, it is sad, sad, sad that I am just now getting Lucy's Announcements out. She will be 3 months old next week! However, we finally have everything about ready to go. I had one of my favorite pictures of her printed, and the announcement (which I designed) has been ordered. Oh, and had to special order 4x6 envelopes... Office Max doesn't carry that size! Go fig. And I got these stamps because they are just way too cute!

Get Candy, Get Candy, Get Candy!

So this is a deadly time of year for me. I have a sweet tooth. If you think you have a sweet tooth and fruit satisfies your sweet tooth, you don't have one. You know who you are... if your back-up is a spoon of sugar right out of your canister, you're in the club. My death candy comes at Easter, from the evil Brits of Cadbury. Eggs one and all are favorites, but the mini-eggs with the sugar shells are my favorite favorite of all time, forever and ever, Amen. I could go through a 5 pound bag without blinking. Well, not only did we get candy from my mom, but I bought Easter Bunny candy, and our neighbors gave us a care package for Steve with candy. So much for getting back into my favorite jeans! God grant me the fruit of self-control--which means being satisfied with fruit!

Here's the package:

Yesterday, today...

Even the pictures don't quite capture it. Getting in the car is quite the ordeal... I now appreciate the plight of people with multiple kids.

Exercise is bad for your health.

My sister says that we should give up exercising. I think she might be right. Poor Steve took a bad step running and rolled his ankle, and now he's on crutches for the next few days or possibly even a week, and 6 weeks until full recovery. These pictures were taken before the swelling got worse and the bruising started to appear. So now I have a little baby and a big baby to look after. I gave him a walkie talkie for his nap so he could call me if he needed something, and I'm joking that I now have two baby monitors. =) (Apologies to Steve, who will no doubt read this on his rss, especially considering he now has lots more time to surf!)

Favorite Kitchen Gadgets/Tools

Garlic Press

Garlic peeler (see earlier entries)

Food Processor -- How did I live so long without one?? It makes bread recipes so much easier (like my awesome recipe for home-made pizza dough… takes less than 5 minutes), and brings EASY diversity to my cooking. Great for slicing veggies and onions. Easy clean-up, too!

Nice measuring spoons/measuring cups-- I like the metal ones. Cleaner, neater.

Microplane grater--Great forParmesann and zesting. I use this a lot!


KitchenAid --I used to wonder why I needed a standing mixer when I did just fine with a hand mixer. Now I can’t imagine going back. My wrists thank me, and being able to clean up my ingredients while something mixes in is huge!

Cheese grater attachment for KitchenAid--I hate grating cheese by hand. This allows me to buy blocks of cheese and grate quickly. Bummer is that a lot of cheese gets stuck in between the grater, so I lose some cheese. But clean-up is easy. Hooray for dishwasher safe!

Good non-stick skillet--My mother-in-law bought this for me, and I can’t believe I cooked without it before. It is the wonder skillet! I had non-stick items before, but not a large skillet, and I’ve discovered it is the most versatile piece of cookware I own.

Wooden utensils--These are great for cooking with non-stick, and I find they are somehow the easiest to use. They're also cheap!

Wish-list tool – citrus reamer--I currently have a citrus hand-press, which works—okay. We have a lemon tree out back, so I can always grab a lemon for use in a recipe. Great in pasta!

Corian cutting board – I like this so much better than plastic, wood or glass. It’s heavy and durable, but hard enough to really make a good chop. Unfortunately all I have is a lamb-shaped one, which drives me crazy. I am asking for a large one for Christmas.

Ice Cream Scoop --I use this for scooping out cookie dough or meatballs SOO much easier.

Adjust-a-cup --Awesome for measuring things like shortening or mayo.


Sontaku knife--Wishlist item. I like really good knives, because otherwise I hate chopping. This is the knife all the cooking shows are using, so I'm really eager to try it.

Why I Blog

This is maddening. I am awake at 2 in the morning (though I will likely publish this later). I took a little evening nap, which was my demise. I hope my baby sleeps long tomorrow morning so I can catch up a bit. I finally broke down and took a Benedryl to see if that will help. So while that kicks in, I will try to put down why I blog, as it was one of the things I was thinking about as I was trying to sleep.

I am an external processor. I always have been. I either talk to someone, write to someone, or journal. When I got married, my journaling rituals sort of changed and I got out of the habit of journaling, but my processing found other outlets. I enjoy the blog because it is a way to get out all that is in my head, down to the nonsense. It is also a way of defining myself and my world. In the past I have sort of tried to spiritualize my journals, but I find that they only sound fake or contrived. I discovered, though, that I find God in the everyday. I have learned that God rejoices in the fact that I like kitchen gadgets and clothes and funny stories and mentoring and music. I think that, if not taken to the point of sin (say, gluttony, covetousness, gossip and self-importance, some of my many), that I can worship God by enjoying these things. Afterall, he made me to love these things! He has always known these things about me.

So the journaling is a little bit processing, a little bit pondering, a little bit preservation and self-anthropology, and sort of all worship.

Favorite Things

I saw this cool article on "MommySavers.com" about favorite things. Oprah's included a$500 Ralph Lauren sweater--the author of the article mused that $500 is a whole new wardrobe from Old Navy. Here are some of my indispensables from a woman addicted to lists. (Note: many of these are technology based, but most of them were gifts, so I don't feel quite so worldly.)

Bath and Body Works Foam Antibacterial Hand Soap
--I refill the dispenser with diluted soap refill. It has to be way watered downto make the foam, so it's economical, too.

Viva paper towels
--These work so great I spend the extra money on them

My digital camera
--Inspired by Ms. Nomer, I am learning to anthropologize my day with the camera. Keeps the grandparents happy, too.

My laptop and wireless unit
--I spend a lot of time nursing, and this helps me feel connected to my loved ones. Steve is building me a Frankenstein laptop to replace my work laptop.

My $5, 8-year old flip-flops
--I can walk 6 miles in these without my feet feeling a thing. Best $5 I ever spent!

Tivo
--This was a gift to us, and has been invaluable! I can catch all my cooking shows, and we don't end up channell surfing as much as we did. I think we watch less tv this way.

Netflix
--Again, a gift. Great variety (things the video store doesn't carry) and no late fees. Hoo-yah!

Ipod/Audiobooks
--I don't all asleep well on my own, so it's like being read a story to fall asleep. My ocean sounds got me through part of labor. =)

iTunes
--I can't remember what it was like when I couldn't just buy one song if I felt like it, or a whole album for $9.99. When I get a song in my head, I can go buy it for only a dollar!

Organized files
--I went through all our old files and tossed out everything older than 3 years (shredded). Now I can FIND stuff, and I feel like I have a very do-able system. The file cabinet is in an accessible place, so I actually use it.

My crochet supplies
--Absolutely necessary for scary movies or watching 24. Plus makes for nice, personal touch gifts.

The Sling
--Given to me by my sister-in-law, I could NOT have returned to a normal life with a baby without this thing. She loves it and it gives me 2 hands. She hates her car seat, but this makes it possible for me to shop!

Kitchen gadgets, as afore mentioned
--I think I will sum up favorite kitchen gadgets in another list sometime.

This is the other fun gadget. Mostly I don't have trouble with peeling garlic, it usually comes off when I slice off the root, but occasionally I need one of these babies. You just roll the garlic in there, and the peel comes right off. Cool!

Garlic Press

This is my first favorite tool. It is a Zyliss garlic press, recommended by America's Test Kitchen for ease of use and efficiency. I used to use preserved minced garlic because I was scared of working with garlic, but this press makes it so easy! America's Test Kitchen makes great recommendations on tools and gadgets.

Jenny's Cooking Forum

So many blogs seem to have a cool theme. I found one yesterday, thanks to Ms. Nomer, that reviews kids' music that has adult appeal. (i.e. "If you like REM, you'll love _____ for your kids!") Ms. Nomer also has some great craft links. I love food and cooking, though I'd never consider myself a gourmet. I love a good meal that is easy but yummy and generally healthy. And I adore kitchen tools! I've been Tivo-ing Martha Stewart's show lately because she's doing a cooking school on her show--a different lesson every day--and I'm enjoying learning new things and remembering old things.

So. I am going to start adding some of my favorite recipes as well as hilighting my favorite kitchen tools, some of which I don't yet own. I would love to have submissions if you have favorite recipes or cooking tips. Remember: Easy, cheap, yummy and generally healthy (I say generally because a new favorite recipe of my family's calls for 6 TBSP of butter, but GOSH DARN IT, it's yummy!).

So here's to good eating!

Ah, Saturday. You'd think it wouldn't make much of a difference to me since I can no longer sleep in like I used to, but since Poopy Pants has been sleeping later in the morning, I'm still happy. Plus Steve is home, which makes the weekend feel special. We get to take turns running at least once during the weekend, which (most of the time) I love. I often wondered if Saturday would lose it's sweetness when I quit working, but somehow it is just as sweet, and almost even sweeter because I don't dread Sunday nights anymore. There are many things that I secretly wondered if they would fall into the "grass is greener" category, and then when they didn't I was happily surprised. There are some things I wake up daily and thank God for. Our first house was one of them. I really hated apartment living, and was so happy when I could pull into the driveway and leave the car door open while I put my groceries away. When marriage didn't turn out to be as hard as I thought it would be (I heard horror stories, so I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop), and our house. And now the whole being at home thing... I thought I would get sick of it. But every morning when I'm nursing my kid at 9:00 while still in my pajamas I think, "Life is good."

P.S. My husband made muffins this morning... the world is REALLY good.

Impertinence at the door

Now that I'm home during the day I am prey to door-to-door sales people. I'm waiting for Willie Loman to show up at my door, but until then it is the modern polo-wearing fast-talking monotone but cheerful youngster. I don't mind too much as they are generally gracious when I decline their AH-MAZING product. Plus a crying baby often gets me out of stuff.
However--
This week an AH-MAZING cleaning product came to my door. It was ONLY $25 a bottle and would last me until my daughter's wedding and even got stains out of my sidewalk. I think it even could achieve world peace. When I graciously declined, the gal got out the big guns.
"Why wouldn't you buy this product?"
"I don't buy things when people come to my door."
"So you're just saying no for no reason??"
"Look, I've got to get dinner going."
"You're about to make dinner? This is how I eat and you're not buying anything."
"Uh, bye now."

The truth is, while it bothers me to no end when people use pressure sales like that, I get a perverse pleasure out of standing my ground. I've always been a people pleaser, and yet the only times I ever got in trouble in school was when I knew I was right and got argumentative to an authority figure about it. Now that I'm a grown up, I can take it out on salespeople.

Vote!

I'm trying to decide what to wear for my brother-in-law's wedding, and have narrowed it down to these 4 tops (though I would take additional suggestions). These are all on sale at Anthropologie, and I like them all. I think the one bridesmaid is wearing lavendar, so I don't think any of these will clash in family pictures. I need to do a top-and-bottom set because I'm nursing and, well, dresses are kind of out of the question at present. Also noting the nursing issue, I want to make sure none of these would be, well, incompatible with my nursing chest size if you know what I mean. =) Please, weigh in!

Gift

I need an idea! I am trying to think of something special to give to my brother-in-law and his new wife when they get married this summer. They are not registering, and said, "No gifts," but I still would like to get them something... like a special bottle of wine or champagne, or a time capsule or something cool like that. I would LOVE some ideas!

In other news, Steve got a new camera for Christmas that takes really great pictures. Today because I knew I wouldn't get a chance to get to the bookstore to buy some birthday cards, I thought I'd make my own. This is the picture I made, then printed on a watercolor-type paper so it looks all bumpy and natural-papery.

This inspired me to start making some of my own cards, so some of you will be the victims of my card-making this year. I love when I get a creative bug!

Music of the spheres

I got to take a little break last night and go to the Biola Chorale Spring Concert. What a joy! It was a really truly lovely concert, well put together, well crafted, well sung. You could tell this was a mature group of some really neat kids (yes, I can call them kids when I'm 10 years older than most of them!). You can't sing the stuff they sang without discipline, and strange as this sounds, self-sacrifice. I remember watching Steve's mom's jr. high kids dance--at that age, they work hard to do the routine together, and yet you can see that the kids put in their own little flouishes to get noticed. When you work with a group like this, the point is not to stand out but to blend so beautifully that it's about something bigger than you. They did this awesome piece about the conversion of Saul that brought me nearly to tears. What a privilege to participate in that!