Nails

My hands are a disaster right now. My skin is so try, it feels like velcro. As do my heels. I think my hands might feel worse than my heels do. We've been quite busy in the past few weeks and so the skin on my hands and feet have not been my first priority...nor high up there on the list.

Anyway, when summer packed up its things and went on vacation, my pretty nails, fingers and toes, packed up and went for some R&R. They have been polishless since, and have been given some time to breathe. Much needed, if you ask me, judging from how they looked after self-mani/pedicure after self-mani/pedicure. (Who has the time and money to keep going to get these things done? Not me!)

And so now, after Thanksgiving weekend and cooking up a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with my family, which also included even more hand washing, I'm staring at my hands, both dry, and now still a bit covered with butternut squash juices (you know how it sticks to your hands like glue, only it doesn't peel off), and wishing that my nails were pretty. But then again, my nail broke last week, pretty low down, and nothing, NOTHING, can make it look pretty. So, I'm waiting for that to grow back and my hands to feel moisture again.

My feet? Well, who knows if I'll ever let those guys see the light of day anymore. Just kidding. I'm working on it.

Being grateful - 20120516

I am grateful for good news from my doctor.

I had my first appointment after delivering today. It was good. First, I'm okay to go for running again. Second, I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Pre-pregnancy body is another story, which also makes the green light to run a good thing.

How awesome is this?

The Singer 60th Anniversary Sewing Machine.

Being grateful - 20120322

I am grateful for PVRs.

We've been staying overnight at my parents' house while they are on a pilgrimage. Something to note about my Dad - he lurves (yes, loves that much) his TV. Not literally the TV itself, he just loves everything about TV -- hi-def TV, DVDs, satellites, etc (although surprisingly, he doesn't own a Blu-Ray player...yet...I think it's because he's burned so many DVDs, he doesn't want to have burned them for nothing). He recently discovered On-Demand with Bell's Fibe TV. He loves it. He also PVRs everything. Watching D-nut twice a week, he PVRs D's current favourite TV show, Toopy & Binoo (WHY?!?!?!) at least twice a day. While trying to get D-nut to stay in one place (the boy roams that house like he's never been there before and has no manners), we tried to find something he could watch and found that my Dad had episodes and episodes recorded and more to come every day.

Kitchen help

So it's common knowledge that I'm short. (Captain Obvious!) Having cooked allllmost every day this week (I was having leg/hip issues on Wednesday, so Mr.S took care of dinner), I've been remembering how much easier I imagine it probably is to slice and dice when you're average height. I only know what it's like from my height, but I'm sure it's easier to exert the force and control needed when you're a bit higher than I am above the kitchen counter.

And so, dreaming about my dream kitchen, I think about the raised platform I'd have (that Mr.S could remove if he felt like chopping up some stuff) that'd make my life easier. It could maybe work like a church kneeler where you can move it up or down by hinges on the sides, or maybe it could tuck neatly underneath the cabinets.

And since I was in high school, I've been dreaming about having a library ladder along my cupboards so I don't have to keep hauling the stool over to get stuff I need (or holler for Mr.S to ask for a favour, i.e. "Can you get that for me please?" *pointing upwards and grunting at the thing I need*). I thought the idea was so original, I invented it, but I've seen it on TV in places like Ricardo's kitchen (you can see it blurry in the background).

Then there's the issue of if the kids would like to help me out in the kitchen. I have a feeling when D-nut's a bit bigger, he'll want to help me make cookies, or at least watch me make them and drool all over the counter (I'll just let him watch/help when we're making our own cookies in case some of that drool ends up in the dough). I'd totally welcome it, but with his current record of stool usage, I'm not sure how good of an idea this is...

He was playing a game with himself last night while I put together a Taco Bake, where he'd sit on a stool, yell, "Ready, Seck, GO!" (isn't that so cute?) and run over to the couch and come back. On what-I-made his last run, he ran right into the table and then slipped and landed on the floor. Good times.

BUT, I learned about this today, the Luca and Company Little Helper Fun Pod, which makes it safe for kids to help in the kitchen on a stool....in a box. I bet it'd also be a good tool to use for time outs. It could go in the corner for those. (Haha.) I wonder if it's cheaper to make one though.

How Innovative!

Having moved into our temporary home just a few weeks ago, we spent much of this weekend getting ourselves re-organized, settled and tidy. Much of that time, for me, was spent re-rolling gift ribbons. Somehow they got unwound and tangled and turned themselves into an ugly mess for me to figure out while watching Once Upon A Time.

I found this today and have decided to add it to my list of things to do when we move again. I can imagine a wonderful shelf of tidy jars of string and ribbon. Perhaps sitting in my craft room? (Check out this one!)

Meditation tips?

So after a brief discussion with various members of my in-law family last night about how I should give Insanity a try, I found it quite disconcerting that the main reason I feel I can't try it out is because I don't have time. They told me it's only 45 minutes and I sat there, mentally scanning my calendar for a 45-minute opening. And I know it's time that's stopping me, and not a lack of drive to do it, nor a fear that I can't do it. (I think I actually like things like this. P90X was pretty fun while I was doing it...until I moved. That meant a stop somewhere between 50-70 days in. Boo. My abs did the opposite of  continental shifting and formed into an abdominal Pangaea. It was sad.)

We just came back from a family trip to Cuba (more on that later for sure) and while there, I decided to suck it up (and in, literally, with "it" being my belly) and sport a few bikinis. A total eye opener. I hadn't tried on any of the ones I packed before we left and as I put some of them on, I realized two things:

1. My tummy isn't that bad (for now?), but I think I'll regret getting two navel piercings for the rest of my torso-bearing life unless I get them re-pierced, which wouldn't be until we're done having kids, which, in turn, wouldn't look good on a woman approaching her 40s. Maybe having a tight stomach would help me feel more confident?

2. Where did my boobs go? I had to repack a few of the bikinis I brought because my chest just couldn't stay comfortably concealed in them. Mr.S kept telling me I could wear them when I'm pregnant or breastfeeding again. Isn't that a pretty picture?

So, I decided that maybe I should just go for broke and work on my stomach until I'm flat as a board...a washboard perhaps? (Heehee.)

Anyway, I'm totally digressing.

I don't have 45 minutes. Why is that? What is it about being a working mother and having a 16-month old that makes me have no time for myself? And what is it that drains me so much that I lack the energy I need to get things done? Or is this all self-explanatory in a way?

Last night while I was trying to fall asleep, my mind kept stabbing at the idea of freeing 45 minutes in my day to do something, whether Insanity or some other activity (I have a few ideas). I remembered that when I first went back to work, and I was struggling with the beginnings of this challenge of figuring out the Work-Mom-Wife-Treeh balance, I gave meditation a try. I've been hearing a lot about meditation recently, as in, in the past few days. I think all roads are leading me to try it again...which requires another 10 or so minutes to free. I think that's easier than 45 minutes.

When I gave meditation a try a few months ago, I found it quite challenging. I kept falling asleep. Or my mind would race from this thought to that thought, from this task to that task. Or I'd stop and remember I was supposed to do something somewhere in that 10-minute time. Yeah, it wasn't working for me and so eventually, it didn't make its way back into my schedule.

But, this time, I'm willing to try again, only I'm not sure I know how to do it properly. I'm not sure how to train my mind to clear all thoughts, focus, look inward and stay calm. Where is my mind supposed to go? I know I need to read up more on meditation, but I was wondering -- if you have any tips, please share!!

WANT THIS!!

One day, in my beautiful dream kitchen, I'm going to have this hanging on the wall. AWESOME.

Parties

For the past few eleven months, Mr.S and I have been planning D-nut's 1st birthday party. (D-nut will be 11 months in a week.) I've been bookmarking websites with cute ideas, jotting down thoughts, making sketches of decorations, invitations, dessert tables, anything and everything. But in all this, I've been finding I'm also planning the birthday parties of the next 12 kids we have. There are so many ideas swirling around in my head that I'd have to have that many kids to bring them all to fruition.

It's crazy.

Read more »

We're ONLINE.

FINALLY.

When Mr.S and I got married, our web-savvy friends designed a wedsite for us as our wedding gift. We came to them asking for some information about web design and they decided to do it for us. What great friends, eh? So anyway, when we first had the idea of a wedsite, we wanted to make sure that we could eventually turn it into our family website.

2.5 years later, and here we are.

It only took me 1.5 years to get it done. Holy cow. I had been working on the site for a while and only in recent months did I finally sit down and finish it. It only took so long in the past few months because the site had been a little glitchy...and I wanted to overload it with pictures (and when you check it out, you'll think I did, but just think, I wanted MORE!)

So yes, it's finally done. That URL on your Christmas card DOES go somewhere now.

Dream kitchen

Other than the obvious stuff I'd like in my dream kitchen (they are obvious, right?), I'd also like some bright, pretty casseroles and dishes. Just like healthy food, I'd like bright colours surrounding me and I think food looks good when there are bright colours associated with it. (But food also looks best when plated on a clean, white dish. I know, that's sorta contradictory, but we have a TON of white dishes, so I'm not writing about those.)

Read more »

What's cookin'?

I've been cooking nearly every day for the past few weeks. I don't know what happened. I'm not complaining, AT ALL.

I would usually try to cook as often as I could but many times, after a few weeks, I would feel tired of cooking and then we'd get on a take-out/delivery/frozen-food tip. It's horrible. And then, D-nut was born and lack of time and energy put us on that tip for a lllllong time. Just think: I didn't have sinigang for 4 months. And I was okay with that.

And then, finally, all that watching the Food Network got to me. And now, all I want to do is cook. FINALLY. I find myself thinking about what I want to cook several times a day. I know what I'm going to be cooking for all of next week.

Read more »

I Don't Like Cleaning

SAY WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!?!

Yes, I realized one day while in deep thought and tackling a mountain of dishes that it's not cleaning itself that I like. Mr.S can probably testify to this. He does most of the tidying around the house, not me.

I don't like small messes. I like BIG messes. When our house is a mess, it's because there's little messes around the house, and because the mess is spread out, it seems like it's not that messy, so I don't feel as motivated to clean up. But this doesn't mean that I prefer things to get completely out of hand before I decide to tackle something.

Mr.S is really good at putting things in their places and finding places for things (when he's in a cleaning mood...otherwise, he's the one who made the little messes (just kidding, Mr.S). You should see how he places things in his manpurses/murses. It's like each little pocket in those things was put there specifically for the item he placed in it. Imagine that, but with stuff. He just finds places to put things and it works out. I enjoy when he reorganizes rooms. I think he could do wonders with my purse/bag (more on that soon).

ANYWAY, enough about him (haha).

I like making order out of chaos. THAT is what I like.

I like washing dishes better when there's a lot of them. I like folding large amounts of laundry. I like putting away groceries after a big trip to the store. I like ironing numerous pieces of clothing.

I like how the dishes look so nicely organized when drying on the rack. I like the neat piles of folded clothing, ready to be put back in their respective drawers and on shelves and hangers. I like replenishing the fridge and cupboards. I like how wrinkle-free clothing looks hanging in the closet.

What I do like actually cleaning is the bathroom. I love cleaning the bathroom. I love a clean bathroom. I love the smell of a clean bathroom. I love the shine!

I think I'm gonna go clean the bathroom...

UH OH!!

My sisters, cousins and I had a craft day at my cousin's house last month. It was crazy. We played with her Cricut and made pretty little things. I found myself wrestling with the idea of saving up for one of these babies, but decided that I'd just wish for one from afar. The cartridges are pretty expensive, so I figured I'd just make myself become extra handy with a good old pair of scissors or something.

Then today, I learned about this.

I'm in trouble.

Is it too early to have a birthday wishlist?

I just found out about this:It's a Yudu product for creating your own graphics on t-shirts. OMG.

Imagine the things I can do with this thing. I usually make my own graphic tees with iron-ons, which crack when the fabric stretches :( I don't own a silk screen press. This would rock my socks.

Now if I can just manage to get it before the pregnancy is over so all these maternity graphic tee ideas in my head can be regurgitated on cotton.

Bottle Drive

Yesterday was the Bottle Drive for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I learned a lot about people yesterday. I'll leave it at that. It was a great experience. Click below to view some pics.

Fresh!

Every year (except last year because I was moving out and moving in and getting married during peak herb shopping time) I buy fresh herbs and either plant them or dry them (when they’re no longer fresh) or grow them (i.e. I buy them potted and hope they don’t die). Like most people, I prefer to cook with fresh herbs. Also, I keep knocking over bottles of dried herbs when I'm rifling through my pantry while I'm cooking, resulting in broken glass and wonderful aromas on my kitchen floor (and some swearing). My mominlaw gave me a beautiful set of bottles of dried herbs and spices and now I'm down two bottles. The bottles were so pretty, I was planning on keeping them and just refilling them every time I run out. :(

I don’t have a green thumb. I haven’t really tested it outdoors other than in my parents’ garden or my flower boxes, but indoors, my plants are screaming for mercy…all TWO of them. Feeding my “magic” fish is part of my routine while feeding my plants – not so much. My brother looks after watering them.

Then I learned about this: The Prepara Power Plant Professional.

It uses NASA technology something something something. There’s a video on the website on how it works (there’s also a video on the internet of someone using it to grow weed. Tsk tsk + wagging finger). I’ve blogged before about indoor herb gardens, but I think this one’s small enough that one, I have space for it and two, it looks pretty easy so I think I can handle it.

I hope they have it at Williams-Sonoma here.

artiCHOKE

One day, while tuning into the Food Network, I found Giada making this. It looked so good, I figured I’d try it, and given the success rate I’ve had with some of her other recipes, I thought this would be the perfect first-time-trying-actual-artichokes recipe (i.e. not including Jaye’s now-famous artichoke dip where the artichokes are from a can or jar). I've been asking people for a few weeks now if they've ever had artichokes and no one I asked said yes!

So, I made this and it turned out really pretty, HOWEVER, I learned last night that not only am I not a fan of artichokes, but I’m REALLY not a fan of gorgonzola either.

Well, there was no other way to find out!

Sarah

Have I ever talked about Sarah Richardson before? I’m not sure I have but in case you don’t know already, I’m part of a HUGE fan base. I love her. She has so many great ideas, all of which are clean, innovative, stylish yet timeless. She rocks my socks. She’s the reason I even check what’s on HGTV these days. Plus, she’s one of the only females on TV who my husband and I can agree to watch hours of.

So anyway, after a Sarah’s House marathon months ago, I became addicted to all things Sarah Richardson. I don’t know how many repeats I’ve seen of Sarah’s House and Design Inc. but I can’t get enough, and I think neither can my sisters. We’ve driven by Sarah’s “Sarah’s House” (I’ll post pics later…how stalkerish are we?) and we talk about her quite often.

A few weeks ago I saw her and her house on MTV cribs and I (and husband and brother) almost fell off my couch, jaws dropped. I can’t seem to find the bit online, but I found this. The cool thing I want you to see is the secret bar behind one of her book shelves. It’s better when you see it in motion. The whole house is awesome and looks very “her”. I especially love her nursery...it's got the prettiest crib.

And then while waiting for the train, I saw an ad for HGTV with a new Mike Holmes show…and this:

I almost fell onto the tracks to see if there was more information about the show, I was so excited. It airs tonight at 9PM. I’m going to have to take advantage of time shifting when Fringe starts again next week because I am NOT missing this show!

YAY!!!

Life Books

I'm not sure if it's because I'm getting older or something, but I'm finding non-fiction much more interesting. (Wait, is that even something that happens with age?) I've touched on this before... My favourite books are usually found in the Self-Help section of bookstores, things like New Age, Health & Wellbeing, Family & Relationships, Religion & Spirituality and Fitness...things like that. I also enjoy a biography or two every so often (next on my list is Barack Obama -- books about and written by him). I realize how lame loving Self-Help might sound to some people, but really, what's lame about improving yourself?

So, speaking of the book in my other book post, I also wanna read this one:

My cousin told me about it and I'm intrigued. It's about not choosing one career for your entire life, but going from different careers throughout life, doing the things you enjoy, and figuring out what those things are.

I find it's sort of frowned upon to not focus on one thing, and many other people find something like this strange because it's like these do-all-sorts-of-thingers can't stick to one thing. I don't see anything wrong with expanding, dabbling and trying new things. If it means you've tried it and didn't like it, you've learned something either way. If it means you've tried something, liked it and mastered it and decided to move on to master other things, good for you!

Time to dabble.