30 and 30

This week I turned 30 and I'm 30 weeks pregnant. Time is flying by.

Turning 30 wasn't too bad in the grand scale of birthdays. 25 was much more difficult. I was a single woman living in Los Angeles. My roommates and I were signed up for E-Harmony and trying to find love,  or at least go on a few dates. I felt like I hadn't met any of my life goals.

Now 5 years later, I'm married and pregnant with my first child. I didn't hit my career goals like I thought, but really I perfectly okay with that. Oh and back when I was turning 25, guess who I had just started dating...

Anyways, here I am in all my pregnant and 30 glory.

Belly is definitely there now. She is doing good. To celebrate my birthday we took the hospital tour. Ekkk! Made me realize I've never been a hospital patient since I was born! (I think, am I right Mom?) Since many of my family members have worked in hospitals the whole atmosphere doesn't bother me. Actually the smell reminds me of childhood. BUT...being a patient is totally different.

The Labor and Delivery rooms are like a cheap motel plus medical equipment. I know they are trying to make it seem like home, but they totally failed. The Maternity rooms are straight up hospital with horrible lighting.

Oh well, it is what it is and I'm sure when the time comes the decorations will be the least of my concerns.

Had a check up this morning and baby is doing excellent. I also passed my glucose test. Yay to no gestational diabetes! Bring on the Christmas cookies! Doctor thinks its going to be a late February baby, but we'll see. Maybe early March.

In other news, did you know Christmas is 2 days away? I've got butter softening and pie crusts defrosting in preparation.

Dottie is eagerly awaiting Santa arrival, even if she's not totally deserving.

See what she did to the yarn I was using?

But really even though she was bad, overall she was a good little girl. She even got her own stocking this year. It turned out a little bigger than I anticipated.

So...what is Dottie getting this year?

We think it will be a big hit!

Baby and Me

Did you know Christmas is less than 2 weeks away? Oh shoot! That sucker sneaks up on you fast when you're more concerned with growing a human and keeping your husband away from the fallen power lines.

Also, that means my 30th birthday is on Monday. Monday...that's like really close. And you know what? I feel fine about it, just overwhelmed with how busy I am.

You would think I would have enough sense to pace myself, but that just isn't the case this year.

Museum event + power outage + birthday + Christmas + New Year's + husband's birthday + baby classes + finding a day care + finding a pediatrician + working full time = tired Jessica

Now add sleep deprivation to the mix. Two nights ago I woke up at 5am because I was dreaming that Prince William and Kate moved in next door. I'd taken a part time job in their house as the copier fixer. I sat around the kitchen drinking really horrible coffee and gossiping with their staff all day. It was FABULOUS! Last night I had no dreams, but still woke up at 4:10am and never fully went back to sleep.

Everyone tells pregnant ladies to sleep all they can before the baby comes, but I just can't. I find myself staying up much later and unable to sleep through the night.

Thankfully my last day at work before the holidays is December 16th. Then I can enjoy two blissful weeks of family and friends, and maybe the return of sleep.

Oh lastly John and I started classes last night with Infant Care. My favorite quote from the evening. "Enjoy that Golden Hour of time with your newborn while the doctor is performing your repair work" Gulp. That does NOT sound fun.

No electricity for us.

With winds gusting up to 100 mph in Pasadena, we're lucky we only lost electricty.

Here's our yard.

Side yard.

The alley way was blocked too.

I tried to walk Dottie, but to the right there was more debris blocking everything. To the left there was a downed tree with power lines wrapped around it.

Last night as I finished watching Top Chef the lights started flickering. When I went outside I found one of the power lines sending blue and green sparks flying. Moments later the fire dept. showed up to cut the power and block off the alley.

My biggest fear was that the neighbor's tree would come down onto our house. Its a huge pine tree that should be taken out, but since that would cost several thousand dollars, they just leave it there.

I think its safe to say we couldn't get much sleep last night. I was convinced the tree would come through our roof or a branch would come crashing through our front window. Dottie would run to investigate and either get hurt or jump out the window and get lost.

But thankfully we made it through the night with no damage to our house so far. There are lots on people less lucky, like this house near the coffee shop.

The city of Pasadena has declared a state of emergency and cancelled school today.

The winds are expected to last through tomorrow, so hopefully we will make it through okay.

Knitting for John

John's been asking me to knit him a sweater for a while...or maybe I kept asking him what kind of sweater I could knit him. Not sure which, but my point is that I'm going to attempt to knit John a sweater.

But could I find a pattern he approved of? Nope. Modern men's patterns seem to be written for the type of big bulky wool that is completely impractical in Los Angeles.

So I took my search to Etsy and came away with this gem.

I'll probably never need to buy another men's pattern book again. This book had v-necks, cables, vests, cardigans, turtlenecks, etc. Plus I can use any weight yarn I want. Light weight to bulky.

Think John can pull of this look?

Ascots are sexy.

Boring is good...but Dottie is never boring.

Baby check up shows I'm about 26 weeks along. Holy cow! Its almost 3rd trimester time.

Everything looked totally normal. Anatomy scan showed a heart with 4 chambers and that its spinal cord meets the brain. Excellent. Head was down, but who knows if it will stay that way. Still have a few more weeks where she'll be able to wiggle around. We also got a pretty clear shot of her girly bits, so I'm feeling pretty confident that it is a girl and not a shy little boy.

I finally back to my pre-pregnancy weight. It can only go up from here.

I've also managed to ward off the glucose test for a few more weeks. I'm really not looking forward to taking it.

I'm feeling really good, just moving slower. Trying to keep active though.

So...onto Dottie who is never boring.

I've had not one but two calls from John in the last week that were warnings that Dottie was hurt but fine and I shouldn't be worried about her when I get home.

Injury 1: John has been experimenting with hiking with Dottie off leash. Days 1 and 2 went perfectly smooth. Day 3 she saw a squirrel and took off climbing up a cliff to chase it. Then she realized she couldn't get back down again. John had to risk life and limb to save her.

Result: Dottie hasn't been of leash since. She was scraped up, but otherwise fine. John is not teaching her NOT to chase squirrels.

Injury 2: Her nails were really long, so I asked John to take her in for a clipping. Only her front nails needed to be clipped, but the man at the vet insisted he could clip the back ones too. Mistake...BIG mistake. He cut them way too short. In the afternoon one claw started bleeding. By the time I got home 2-3 were bleeding. Pressure wasn't working. Baking soda wasn't working. She was bleeding through the bandages and we were supposed to leave for dinner in less than an hour.

Result: I ran to the pet store and bought some styptic powder. It worked! And graciously my Mom met us in Pasadena for dinner instead of halfway between our homes. Paw was bandaged for the night and the bleeding appears to have stopped. My sister Kathryn was our hero. She assessed the situation with a practiced hand and dealt with the blood better than this Mommy who suddenly wasn't feeling too well.

She's ready for a holiday. Happy Thanksgiving!

Registry Help

As a first time Mom I feel like I'm just kind of going with the flow of things. I've purposefully avoided reading books and buying into the hysteria of preparing for a baby, but there is one area I feel completely in the dark. Baby products.

Its sooooooo easy to walk the aisles, see all the cuteness and totally buy in. There is a reason baby already has one of these.

So...for those of you who are already a Mom, I'd like to enlist your help.

I've created two registries. One at Target and one on Amazon. I've been using these as a way to keep track of what we need to acquire, but I'm not sure if I'm on the right track. I know some things are pretty pricey and might end up substituted for cheaper options later (I'm looking at you crib), but can you see any holes? Anything on there that is totally useless? Anything you couldn't live without?

Your help is much appreciated.

6 Months Gone

Hmmmmm....it appears I'm about 24 weeks pregnant or 6 months. What? How did that happen?

It also appears I'm starting to look pregnant.

According to my internet research the baby is a little over 1lb., 12 inches long, and my uterus is the size of a soccer ball. Holy crap! Sporting equipment!

Also if for some reason the baby is born early, its now reached the point of viability. Go baby!

Braxton Hicks contractions.  I have no idea if that's what is going on or if the baby is just pushing up against my insides. Its painless, so I'm not worried.

This week the weather turned colder, so I finally found time to make a few skirts. Simple but serviceable and so comfy. Plus I made 4 for less than the cost on 1 in a store and I have enough fabric to make 3 more if needed.

Hmmmm....maybe I should start clearing a space to actually put the baby.

Food...

Last night I had a dream. John was driving me to ballet class and I made him pull over at a grocery store so I could pick up Pop Tarts (strawberry with frosting), Macaroni and Cheese, and Chocolate Milk.

I needed these items because my former co-workers (Lindsey and Enika) kept making me eat cucumber sandwiches.

Last evening while John was making dinner, I perused the weekly grocery special.

Here's our shopping list so far...

mushrooms
butter
peppermint hot cocoa mix
mulled wine
eggnog
spiced cider
apple blossoms
canned vegetables (for the earthquake kit)
evaporated milk
sparking cider
cranberry juice
instant oatmeal
honey bunches of oats cereal

Do you think I might be hungry?

So far I'm still below my pre-pregnancy weight, but I doubt that will be the case for long. Especially with the amount of macaroni and cheese I seem to crave on a daily basis.

Baby Update: October Edition

I can't believe I'm already 22 weeks pregnant. I also can't believe the baby is measuring at 23 weeks. That means there is an 11.5 inch child inside me. Seriously? I don't understand where because I feel like my belly isn't really all that big. Baby also weighs a little over 1 lb.

Today my Mom got to come along for the check up. I think she liked coming, even though the appointment is really short. They just check the growth, listen to the heart, and then send me along. I did ask him to check the gender again. Still a girl, thank goodness!

Basically everything is just normal. Growth is good. I haven't gained too much weight. Feeling fine. Totally normal.

At least I'm able to feel the baby move now. Not all the time and the kicks aren't too forceful, but I suppose its coming. They do get stronger as the week goes on.

So...since the ultrasound photo just shows a blob, I figured I share a picture of my fur-baby instead.

She's a Liverpool fan. John converted her. Or maybe this week shes a Cardinals fan.

Dottie's doing really good too. She went on a bit of a diet, and I think its working. Not that she needed to loose much, but she's gotten a bit more lazy now that she's nearly two. She's my little snuggle girl.

And the sex is...

A girl! 

So all my fretting was for nothing, unless I'm really carrying a very shy boy. Next appointment is at the end of this month, so I think I'll have the doc take another peak.

Anyways, because I caved and found out our little one's sex, I can now fully unlease my crafting mojo.

This baby sweater was started before I knew it was a girl. I convinced myself it could be manly because of the dark color. Now I can release that worry and pick up some cute little flower buttons for it.

I also found myself at Jo-Ann Fabrics this weekend. Simplicity patterns were only $.99, so of course I had to peruse the pattern books.

Oh look at that! Vintage 50s baby pattern.

Guess who happens to have a fabric stash filled with odds and ends perfect for patterns like this?

So, yeah I guess you could say I'm starting to get more excited about this little one.

That doesn't erase the worry though. Still can't really feel it move yet, but it should be any day now.

However, there has been a new awesome pregnancy symptom...leaking nipples. Oh yeah! Apparently this symptom does not directly result in an awesome ability to produce breast milk, but a girl can hope, right?

Baby Update and Anxiety

The good news...baby is doing just perfect.

The bad news...John knows the gender and I don't.

This sounded like a good idea before this morning. But once he was dancing around the lobby holding the news in his hand my resolved started to crumble. Then he threw our baby's picture in the trash because it was evidence. I made him retrieve it.

So...what am I going to do? I haven't really decided yet.

The thing is this...I really want a girl. Part of me is really worried if its a boy I'll be disappointed. So maybe I'll find out now so I get used to the sex of the baby before I'm all exhausted and laid up in a hospital recovering. And I could better focus my knitting efforts.

Plus, I haven't felt very connected to the baby. Now that the morning sickness has passed (Hallelujah!!!) I'm started to like this pregnancy thing a little better. But I can't feel the baby move yet, so its hard for this to feel real. Maybe knowing the little one's sex would help me along.

Do I sound like I'm trying to convince myself?

Anyways, here's updated pictures. Its a little freaky to think its head is already 4cm across.

Namaste

So around the 7 week mark I got morning sickness and was also hit with a complete lack of appetite. Before 7 weeks I'd been going to ballet class, but after the sickness hit I sort of gave up exercising. I know...that's not good. But I was only able to keep down about 600-800 calories a day and figured I didn't have much to burn off in a work out.

My Mom told me I should start to feel better by 16 weeks. At the time I couldn't believe her. I think I was 10 weeks at the time and another 6 weeks of sickness was unimaginable.

But here I am at around the 16 week mark and magically I can eat again.

So back to the question of fitness.

When I first met with my doctor I had asked him what type of exercise I could do. He replied 'Walking is really good.' But really? Nothing by walking for months. I just couldn't do it. I asked about my ballet classes and he said its fine. Just no jumping, no twists, and no raising my heart rate. Great! I'll just take half a class and stretch the rest of the time. He replies 'No stretching too much either.' Damn.

So I looked up all kinds of pre-natal exercise. First I found a water aerobics class. Sweet! Water fitness is something I've always wanted to try. Too bad the class only meeting during the work day. So, moving on.

Finally I settled on pre-natal yoga.

This is kind of what I pictured. A few gentle poses and getting in touch with the momma I'm about to become.

The reality was very different.

First off the teacher talked about some of that mumbo jumbo universe stuff. Sorry, but I hate this part of yoga. This probably means I'm not really a yoga sort of person, but oh well.

But what followed was well...hard. We did several series of poses that worked every one of my muscles except my abdomen. Even my hands were sore. Little did I know that I wasn't putting my weight on my hands correctly while doing downward facing dog. My triceps haven't hurt this much in like years. At some points I thought class would never end, but suddenly it was over and I was surprised it went so quickly.

As I hobbled out of the room I had a mental conversation with myself.

'How do you feel?'
'Tired and hungry.'
'Did you enjoy class?'
'Um...kind of.'
'Should you do this again?'
'Absolutely.'
'If you don't sign up for more classes right now, will you come back and sign up?'
'Nope.'
'Okay fool, then sign up now because you NEED this.'

Then I waddled my butt over to the counter and signed up for more classes. Because yoga was hard in the perfect way. And it will be good to challenge myself a little bit. My triceps will thank me in the long run.

I'm still going to do ballet once a week too and walking Dottie of course.

Childhood Memories: Little House on the Prairie

Last night I started reading The Wilder Life. Its a book about a life long fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder who decides to visit the places Laura lived and find out the true story. I'm only on the 2nd chapter, but felt I should pause for a moment and write this post while a memory is fresh in my mind.

As a child I think I was lonely. We moved a lot. When I was 2, 4, 8, 12, and 14. This is great for learning to be self-sufficient, but not terribly great for making friends on the playground. My sister and I were polar opposites. Kathryn was more wild. She liked to play outside. I preferred playing house and dressing up in historical costumes. At school we were both the new kid a lot, but Kathryn just seemed to meet people more easily while I was more reserved. I guess I would say that still rings true today.

So, when I'd enter another new school it seemed to take me a good while before I would make friends. But that doesn't mean I was alone in my game. I had imaginary friends, only my imaginary friends were literary characters.

God, that sounds depressing, but at the time I loved it.

So what does this have to do with Laura Ingalls Wilder? Was she my imaginary friend? Nope...her sister Mary was.

Laura was too crazy. She liked to do adventurous stuff. But Mary liked the same things as me. She preferred quiet amusements.

Why am I telling you this? Because last night I found out I'm not the only one who did this? Wendy McClure, the author of The Wilder Life admits in the first chapter that Laura was her imaginary friend. I am not alone.

Okay, so here's a story about me and Mary.

My family moved from Phoenix, AZ to LaGrange, KY in the summer of 1990. In the fall I entered 3rd grade taught by Ms. Smith. The kids thought I was totally bizarre and had a weird accent. I believed the same of them. Thankfully Ms. Smith was amazing and helped me get through the year with a minimum of embarrassment.

Every day we would have recess. This consisted of sending us out to a big open field with a swing set in one corner. Since I'm a loner, I would avoid the actual games going on and try to amuse myself. Instead I would play games with Mary. One day we went flower picking. There were bunches of yellow flowers along the edge on the field so Mary and I picked a bunch as a gift for Ms. Smith. I presented my prize upon returning to the classroom. Ms. Smith took one look and told me I'd just broken the law. What?!?! Me?!?! Turns out I picked a bunch of Goldenrod...the state flower which is illegal to remove. I was devastated, but she shrugged it off as a warning....thankfully.

Can you picture it? A little blond girl in a dress (always a dress) running around a grassy friend talking to an imaginary person. No wonder the other kids thought I was strange. But that's okay. What is more important is that I survived the 3rd grade thanks to Mary...and I made some real friends eventually.

A Summer of Changes

The last time I posted was just June 10th.

Since that time...

• John and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary
• Dottie celebrated first first year living with us
• I took on a client for sewing work
• I danced in the Ballet School's annual production
• Oh...and I got pregnant

So, nothing too crazy or anything. 

Our first anniversary was nice. My parents watched Dottie so John and I could go to Ojai for the evening. Ojai was boring, but we did attend a local wine fest. Being surrounded by a couple hundred drunk baby boomers was pretty awesome. It was Tommy Bahamas and Harley Davidson wear as far the your eyes could see. By 2pm they were all wasted and we were just starting. 

Dottie is doing great! She's 1.5 now and much more calm. To celebrate we bought her doggie cupcakes. She liked them very much. 

Yep, I took on a client for some wedding sewing. It turned out more involved than I planned (surprising right?), but in the end I was really proud of my work. I altered a wedding dress, embellished two bridesmaid dresses, added straps to the bridesmaid dresses, and constructed a lace edged shrug for the bride. Seriously, everything looked so wonderful and I cannot wait to see pictures from the wedding. 

As I mentioned above...I had my triumphant return to the stage. Well, maybe not triumphant since I was only a gypsy in one scene in a very long production. But really it was fun to get dolled up and dance in front of people. I only wish there were more opportunities for adults to perform more often. Plus rehearsing was really fun with the other gypsies. The hardest part of the performance was keeping my big secret that I'm pregnant. Found out two days before the show,but didn't dare tell anyone until after I got confirmation from the doctor. It was killing me to keep it from my Mom, but I did it and survived.

And so...now its baby time. 15 weeks 3 days today with a due date of February 26th. Will it be a leap year baby?

Being pregnant hasn't been easy so far. I've spent more time in a bathroom than I ever care to, I basically stopped eating for a few months, I'm tired all the time and get all kinds of strange aches. But at the same time I'm very excited about this baby.

At our appointment yesterday the baby was wiggling all over the place. So the only picture we got was this.

 That's a top view of the head. Not the most excited photo, but getting to see the spine and heart at work was pretty neat. No gender though. Little peanut wasn't interested in showing the goods. I don't want to know if its a girl or a boy, but John REALLY wants to know. So he can find out and torture me.

I'm also starting to show. Did I mentioned the upper arm spread? Sweet!

Next up...how to clothe my growing belly as I enter the busy season at the museum. I have both Halloween and Christmas events coming, plus regular tour guiding and I'm afraid my current outfit just isn't going to work.

Making our rental a home

So far we're managed a couch, curtains in the living room/kitchen, and new pots and pans. 

Now, we also have a table!!!

Isn't it pretty?

We picked it up at the Pasadena Flea Market last weekend. Its replacing the really wobbly table we got from my parents. 

Now what fabric should I use to replace this?

May Knitting Update

For the month of May I participated in a celebration of Madelintosh, one of my favorite yarn companies. 


Basically we all knit only with one brand of yarn for the month. Giving us a chance to use some of what we have stashed and have support from fellow knitters. 


It was a lot of fun and I managed to knit two sweaters, even with John travelling all month and house guests. Go me!

Project 1:


(Mad)rigal for Madelintosh aka Madrigal from the Twist Collective
Dates: May 6- May 30, 2011
Yarn Used: Madelinetosh Tosh Sport
Color: LaVie en Rose
Yardage: 1050 yards


Great sweater. So soft and comfy. I know I'll get a lot of use out of this with sundresses. I purposefully made it shorter so I could wear it with my full skirted sundresses and still look like I have a waist. The color is awesome! The perfect mix of pink and purple without making me look like I'm 5 years old. Someone even stopped me to ask where I bought it. Truly the best compliment. 


Project 2: 

Betty Draper's a Witch aka Elphaba Pullover
Dates: May 1-May 28, 2011
Yarn Used: Madelinetosh Sock
Color: Betty Draper's Blue
Yardage: 990 yards


Not my favorite picture ever, but oh well. This sweater also fits great, though I made it extra big in the hips and I really didn't need to. I learned a new skill with this sweater, something called horizontal dust darts. Basically the HBDs add a little extra room in the bust so your sweater doesn't pull upwards. Since I'm rocking size Ds, these little darts made a big difference. 


All in all it was a fun month and it was a lot of fun to knit along with other people using the same patterns and yarns. 


I also finished this sweater in May 

Akoya 
Dates: April 8-May 6, 2011
Yarn Used: Madelinetosh Tosh Sport
Color: Porcelain
Yardage: 1110 yards


Love this sweater too. Makes me happy that my skill has improved so much since last year. 


Wow! That's a lot of knitting. 


So far for 2011...9,263 yard in finished projects. That's 5.26 miles of yarn. And its only June 1st. 

Sewing...my first passion

Lately I've been making more of an effort to get back to my first passion, sewing.

I think if I could spend my days sewing sundresses and my evenings knitting, I'd be a pretty happy girl. So its been especially fun making a few things lately.

Sewing project 1 - Victorian blouse

What do you do when a major museum event is in 3 days and you don't have a top?

You dig through your fabric stash to find something suitable and then whip that sucker out.

Sorry for the poor quality photos, but I was on my own.

Here's the back.

I also recently made a new dress and finished a new sweater.

The dress is still a little plain. Could use some trim or a sash or something. The sweater...oh its awesome. Soft 100% wool. You would think that would be too warm for LA, but not really. Wool is pretty breathable in a hand knit, so this was just right for a day in the 70s.

There is also what I'm wearing today...

Not the most flattering photo...but I love this dress. Cute tie around the wait. And its a wrap dress. So it wraps around the back to create a V.

Can't wait to make a few more from my vintage patterns, and who knows, maybe this is my business plan. A little help from my husband for good photos and I could be on my way.

Oh, and here's Dottie's latest photo. She's sleeping with us now (not all night, but part of the night).

I think she's getting too comfortable.

So you're married? When are you having a baby?

As John and I come to our 1 year anniversary, there is a question popping up with increased frequency...

When are you having a baby?

That's a very personal decision. One left between John and myself.

But, as I've been chatting with my girlfriends, I discovered some alarming issues we all seem to share when it comes to family planning. 

All of my friends are in the same spot as me. We've all married men who have careers in creative fields and work freelance. Meanwhile all of us ladies are working steady jobs with benefits. 

What does this have to do with having babies? A lot. 

Our husbands are business owners, artists, and working in careers. They are actually using their degrees in their fields of work. 

The ladies are all working jobs. None of us are using our specific degrees or working in a field we feel passionate about. 

Our husbands bring in more money, by a lot. But, and this is a big but, its all freelance. So there is no guarantee the work/money will be consistent. 

The ladies all make substantial less money on average, but its a consistent paycheck. 

None of the men's jobs offer insurance. 

All of the ladies jobs offer insurance. 

So when it comes to having babies, what do we do? 

Do we keep working? Full time? Part time?

None of us want to totally stop working. I like working. I like my job. I like my coworkers. 

But, childcare is so expensive it would eat up almost my entire paycheck. 

But if I quit and stay home John will be solely responsible for supporting our family, and bringing in enough income to pay for our health insurance too. 

Is that fair?

If John's not working steady, he can stay home with our children, but my paycheck is not big enough to support the family. Also I know I'd be jealous. I already get a little jealous sometimes because I must go to work 5 days a week, 50 weeks of the year. John only works about half the year and spend the rest of the time surfing the Internet, playing with Dottie, brewing beer, napping, etc. 

There's also the travelling element of the husband's jobs. 

John travels a lot when he's working. So will he be jealous that I'm home with the kids, while he's missing all their ballet recitals and soccer games? And will I survive having to be the sole parent a lot? And how will I work full time for insurance benefits and be a 24/7 single parent?

But besides all the financials, there is also the issue of passion. One thing all the ladies have in common is sacrifice. In some ways, we all have put some of our own passions aside so our husbands can work towards their dreams. We're sold our souls for money and insurance. When is it our turn to follow our passions? Something tells me kids are not the answer, so I'd better get off my ass and work towards my dream now, while I still have free time (even is its not much after my full time work week).

So ladies what should we do? And when will/can we have babies? And will socialized health care ever come through, so the ladies don't have to work full time just for insurance? 

Waiting for John

Yesterday Dottie and I waited in anticipation for John's return...from soccer.

BBQ started
Wine poured
Knitting project
Dottie anxiously waiting at my feet

Derby Party Wrap Up

Last Saturday was the Kentucky Derby. Party time!!!

We drank Mint Juleps...

Recipe: Pour 1.5 bottles of Maker's Mark into a pitcher. Add a couple cups of mint simple syrup and some mint leaves. Serve over ice. Become drunk very quickly.

Dottie helped people place their bets...

My Mom came wearing a really nice hat...

And my sister came too!!!

Her hat was made of a shoulder pad and it was awesome. 

So who won the pot?

Kristin!!! What are you plans with those winnings lady? Are you going to Disneyland? 

Anyways, I'd just like to say a big thank you to everyone who came out! It was an awesome day and I can't wait until next year!

Its a dream come true!

I was walking through Union Station this morning trying to figure out why there were so many heavily armed Sheriffs walking around and then I remembered the top news story. I can be so dense sometimes.

Moving on...

Here's a fact about me no one knows besides John. I really want a hexagon or octagon side table.

Weird right?

My person taste in furniture is usually like this...

But back in 2003 when I was shopping thrift stores for apartment furniture I found a little side table. I tried to find a picture to show you, but basically it had 8 sides and 4 of those sides had paintings of middle ages dudes to represent the 4 seasons. I think it was $20, but that was too much for me back then, so I passed on it.

Biggest furniture mistake of my life!!!

I became obsessed with finding a hexagon or octagon table (minus the paintings), but so far no luck. Sure we'd see one at the thrift store, but it'd be missing hardware, chipped, and uneven.

But this weekend I finally found it.

John, Yuri, Andrew and I hit up the PCC flea market. John and I had just been discussing our need for a side table in the living room. One that I could stash my knitting in.

And there it was...

See how well it hides my knitting? And holds my coffee cup?

I'm so excited and it looks so nice next to the couch. Yay! Success!!!

Recipe: Pork Cutlets With Arugula and Apple Salad

Yum!

Last night John and I tried this recipe for the first time. Our house guests were out with some friends and John and I needed a quick/light dinner before I headed out to ballet.

We totally found a winner.

(image from Real Simple)

Pork Cutlets with Arugula and Apple Salad (click link to get the recipe)

The pork turned out juicy and I really enjoyed it. John thought it could use some spices added. I think that would be good too (if you added them to the flour), but enjoyed it as is. 

The real star is the salad. Easy, inexpensive, and incredibly delicious. It was tart and sweet at the same time. I can see John and I making this one all summer, maybe with the arugula growing the our garden. We managed to eat the entire salad. 

Yum!

Dottie's First Easter

Technically this was Dottie's second Easter, but since we adopted her in July of 2010, it was her first Easter as part of our family.

The day started bright and early...sometime in the 6 o'clock hour. It was a little too early for us humans, so I pulled Dottie into bed with me. A dangerous move, I know, but it totally worked.

After a while we decided to go ahead and get out of bed, get dressed and travel to my parent's house. Dottie loves it there because there are lots of people to pester and a big grassy backyard to romp in.

She can also do this...

Take that Uncle Bruno! I'm tired from all the playing and I'm taking over your bed! Then I'm going to run around while the kids try to find Easter eggs.

Really, Dottie still does plenty of puppy things. She still nippy, but she's growing up and John and I can tell. We even took down her crate and started letting her sleep in her own bed at night. Sniff...sniff. My baby's all grown up. Ha! But then she'll do something naughty and we realize she's not quite there yet. Oh, and as you can see she's feeling all better again. Yay!

Dottie's Home

She's home and resting. Dottie will need to take it easy for a while, but thankfully recovering.

I can't wait to go home from work and pet her soft pretty head.

Sniff Sniff

After a wonderful weekend marking John's return home...things have turned sad. Dottie is in the animal hospital overnight.

Last night we noticed Dottie was walking with an arched back and not using her rear right leg much. After sleeping and resting it didn't seem to be getting better...so John took her to the vet.

After doing a few tests....

Good News: Doesn't appear to be a broken leg, slipped disc, or pulled muscle.

Bad News: They think it is nerve damage from the medication she took for the giardia.

Can you feel our frustration? I think she can fully recover, but what do we do if the giardia is still not gone?

At least John, Dottie and I had 24 hours of bliss together. We bought and hung curtains in the living room, stocked up on supplies and food for our house guests (Hi Andrew and Yuri, we're excited for you to come), had a nice meal, etc.

Home Again

Today John returns after an entire month away from Dottie and I. Its been a long month, but in many it was also easier than when he was gone for a week.

Let's start with Dottie...

Dottie has been battling parasites the entire month. She woke me up in the middle of the night vomiting three times. We've gone to the vet with bloody stools. I've figured out a way to feed her really bitter tasting pills, and a way to force cherry flavored antibiotics down her throat. She's woken up early more times than she's slept in.

But she also learned how to walk on a leash better thanks to her new Easy Walk harness. She also only had one accident in the entire month. (It was while I was at work.) She also started doing tricks for her medicine thanks to the invention of pill pockets. I think John's going to be surprised with how mature Dottie has become.

I also did a lot of knitting.

I finished a short-sleeved cardigan for Kristin's birthday.

...a short-sleeved sweater for myself (that I then gave away to my aunt Jennifer)

...I've been working away on the Mata Hari sweater

...and lastly started a new spring weight cardigan.

Dottie and I also started our garden for this year. So far we have arugula, kale, two types of tomato, green peppers...

and strawberries and cucumbers.

Tomatoes are for John. Cucumbers for me. Everything else is something we both enjoy. I'm just hoping I get a few of the strawberries this year. John's such a berry loving freak and I don't think I got a single berry last year. 

Next time he goes away I'll try to learn a synonym for the word 'also'.