Baby food plums

The block I have with blogging

2009-12-12T20:36:00.000-08:00

I read blogs and read blogs and read blogs - but I never write for mine. Why is that?

New resolution - blog at least weekly.

How did it get to be August?

2009-08-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

Okay - it's obvious I am so not a blogger.

checking in on my previous post about my progress - interesting to see that my general focus is the same.

I have finished 28 books so far this year. 22 to go.

Our garden has been amazing - I don't know when I have eaten so many zucchini and loved them so much!

Waiting for puppy girl to join us in September.

Lizzy starts at the lab school in a couple of weeks and Darien is in First Grade! yikes.

D started piano, still doesn't want to go back to dance class. She played tee ball and went to VBS this summer - and after tee ball was over did a week at the Art Center in a drawing and painting class.

Daniel is doing piano with Darien - which is great.

Lizzy starts dance class (first time!) next month.

My challenge to myself has been to create two completely new meals per week, rather than cooking the same things over and over - doing okay on that. Not perfect, not totally failing.

this weekend is our 4 day trip to the lake with my parents.

We survived the 4 days in Omaha with his family 2 wks ago - the zoo was great, the campgrounds were really nice and the kids loved the fireside time.

most common evening for us - dinner, followed by time in the pool and on trampoline - then reading and bed. Reading the first Harry Potter this month. Girls are old enough now - the next book will wait until next year. I think we'll do Little House on the Prairie after HP. Little House in the Big Woods was a hit this spring.

I am not putting up corn this year. still have some from last year. I had hoped to can tomato sauce, salsa and tomatoes, but it looks like we may not have enough of a crop to worrry about - we have hundreds (really!) of green tomatoes and anything that gets a bit red is immediately infested with some strange bug. Dan took a sample to work, but no word from the plant path fellas.

The peas were a flop. Green beans did well for a long while. Lettuces were delish and the onions and carrots are lovely. Acorn squash coming on now - the pumpkins and melons are progressing, but not there yet.

next year, we'll expand the garden and put the vining plants on the creekside edge and just let them go. I also will plant my lettuces in a phases.

peppers also failed - not enough heat, I think.

the raised beds were the bomb. Everyone thought we were growing all potatoes! ha!

Can't wait for spring and the sheep.

Status check on 10 things I am working on right now -

2009-02-15T11:40:00.000-08:00

1. 50 book challenge - I am 10 books into it. 40 to go.
2. Weight - down about 8 lbs (doing the Paul MacKenna hypnosis thingy)
3. Household management - all laundry is staying caught up, closets are organized and menus are fully planned two weeks out. All shopping done weekly by my super duper hero husband.
4. Wardrobe - 6 new pair shoes, 2 new pants, small cross-body bag for essentials
5. Spiritual - we are working on a new bible study with the couples at church and I am only 1 wk behind on my "Bible in a Year"
6. Work - I am in a really good place now, feeling like I have a good line on everything I have outstanding and like progress is being made on all fronts. Had a great review.
7. Girls - we're eating as a family every night (that's not new) and still doing our great bedtime cuddle/snuggle routine. We are doing okay (maybe 80%) on the no-TV during the week thing. Darien and I are doing her girl scout activities together. We will do riding lessons together this summer. Lizzy and I don't have a joint activity yet, but I am hoping we'll find one by spring time- she has been a shopping buddy for me pretty frequently. She has her own sense of fashion - I find her re-styling herself a couple of times a day.
8. Marriage - Daniel and I are more connected than we've ever been and I think our growing church involvements are really helping. He's been great about getting stuff done around the house - it's been a good feeling starting to see how things will really be around here. Example: he made the girls a great play area in the basement - complete with salvaged carpets and vinyl floor remnants (for their play kitchen, of course) and he helped me relocated 90% of the toys in the house to that play area so now the rest of the house stays much more tidy.
9. Meaningful friendships - Jan and I are in pretty close regular contact. Sonya has been a great find in a friend. The last two years, I can easily see the positive impact her friendship has had on me.
10. Learning/Personal Growth - personal challenge to myself this year to get a designation done - not doing so well on that so far, been carrying the first class books around for 2 wks.

Normal eating

2006-02-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

I am hungry. My stomach is cramping slightly and I feel hollow and uncomfortable. I am about to go fix my "at work breakfast"

I am so tired of dieting that this non-diet or normal eating thing is really appealing right now, and I don't know if I could be any more rock-bottom emotionally without being in full blown depression.

So, here goes...

Emotional Eating

2006-02-21T10:56:00.000-08:00

Okay, so my good pal Beth recently wrote about Secret Eating on her blog and I have been thinking about it in my own life.

Thinking:
1. How much of my eating is really ever about nourishing myself with macro and micronutrients?
2. How much of my eating would I or do I actively hide or mask or offer excuses for?
3. What would I do or what would happen if I didn't eat? (not didn't eat ever, but if I did something APPROPRIATE with my emotions rather than shutting them up with a cookie)
4. Why does something so out of control make me feel like I am somehow IN control?

So, I am now reading Geneen Roth and trying to get myself to commit to a food/emotion journal.

Attitude

2006-02-20T07:47:00.000-08:00

A while back I made an admission to a group of friends of mine - an admission that I am so very nasty, resentful, poisonous inside myself that I am ashamed of my thoughts. I have no sense of personal peace to give me distance on a situation and I am likely to (albeit largely internally) completely LOSE IT when any given thing happens. I do sometimes act out my frustration and I am often sighing, grunting or almost silently muttering curses. I manage to be sing-song bright w/ the girls and I mask maybe 75% of stuff w/ DH, but... I know I am a bitter, bitter girl these days.

And, I am also eating for comfort.

And I am hardly moving my body. Partly b/c our schedule is SO hectic and partly b/c it is so derned cold out lately (-17F Sat morning for example).

I started a Bible study on Attitude 2 wks ago and I do think it is helping a bit. The lessons are weekly, so I have done only 2, but they were big into reminding us that God knows how flawed we are and that he wants us to put trust in him and let go of all that stuff. Not rocket science, but not bad, either. Good to remember He knows me and loves me anyway.

The trick for me is to make the changes I need to bring peace in my life w/o concentrating on it so much that it feels like punishment.

This weekend, I had beautiful plans to spend 16 hrs at a crop - with my Toni-mom. I had arranged a sitter in advance for the baby and D was to spend the day at home w/ Daddy (who has yet to change a diaper for the baby girl, he feels uncomfortable tryign to meet her needs and won't watch her alone).

Anyway, I arranged the sitter several weeks ago - then sitter made plans to do something out of town this week, but after some back-and-forth it was decided they would be back either Fri night or early Sat. I would take baby girl w/ me to crop for first 2 hrs, then drive her to sitter for rest of day. WHen the plans started for going out of town, I realized that this person really didn't want to sit for me - but wouldn't say no.

Sat morning rolls around and I am running late, it is hectic - after a short cry, I pull self up and say "why are you stressing, sister? Who cares if you get to the crop at 8 or 9:30? Your spot is reserved, no worries - relax and enjoy yourself so you can enjoy your day." No lie: w/in 15 mins, phone rings. I give to DH b/c I see from caller ID that it is sitter and I know I don't want to hear whatever they have to say. DH talks for a while, then hangs up and says "we have a little problem"

Sitter is ill. Why they didn't call Friday night, I don't know. So, crop has started, I am at home. Car is 2/3 loaded w/ all my stuff and I am w/o sitter. And my backup is in the Holy Land (not South Bend, but actual Holy Land - she floats in Dead Sea today).

There's even more to the story, but I am dropping it in favor of protecting the ridiculous.

I call my Toni-mom and cry and she encourages me to bring baby girl for a while and just see how it goes. Baby girl has been to 3-4 other long crops and is really getting too old and too busy, but a couple hours is better than nothing, right? So, I load up and leave.

We stayed til 10 pm and it went fine. There were only a couple really fussy times and I still did 30 pp. There were 2 other babies in the crop rooms where our spots were, so we weren't even the only ones.

Making the best of it paid off - now I need to remember that lesson before I have to learn it again in harder circumstances.

The power of a personal "policy"

2006-02-16T12:12:00.000-08:00

"I appreciate the invitation to join you in X, however I have a personal policy against engaging in social activities during the week"

Okay, so I don't really say it that way, but I have started to decline invitations to do things, based on the "we've decided we just really can't do things on a weeknight" excuse. It is so nice - who knew?

Many of you may be horrified. (actually there's only 1 person I know of who reads this, so - more accurately - Beth, you may be surprised...) We just can't do anything on a weeknight and have a non-insane night/morning. We're barely keeping it together as is. and the truth is that I was accepting invitations and then not showing - either having forgotten completely that I had made plans, having realized there was no way I could make it or caving into my spouse, who was telling me I was insane for committing to whatever it was.

I have been forced to take another look at what I am committing to - and it's not pretty. I bail on a lot of stuff and not b/c I dont' want to do it - but b/c I want to do it and then realize I can't balance it against the rest of the stuff on my plate. The guilt I feel for bailing is outweighing the satisfaction I felt at accepting the initial invitation. This is a successful outcome - I have failed miserably enough to realize I must change - hooray!

What other personal policies should I write?

Reminds me of the power of "rules" with my 3 yr old. I don't have to repeatedly say "no" if I can point back to one of our 10 or so understood rules... and I get less pushback from her. Works with her and now I see it works with me.

Think it might work with spouse?

50 books

2006-02-16T12:06:00.000-08:00

Here's the update on my 50 books for 2006

AMLP
Gilead
You: the Owner's Manual
The One-Armed Cook
8 Minutes in the Morning
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter**
Naked Conversations**
The Rational Unified Process, An Introduction**
Project Management Case Studies**

**indicates I am not finished.

1. Roland Fryer 2. Insenstive remark 3. Something about being "Out There"

2006-02-16T11:56:00.000-08:00

1. Beth - not surprised you had to look him up, but would expect ppl here on campus to know him and make a fuss - he's *the* speaker for the celebration of Dr. King's birthday, and the Daily basically said zilch. Oh, and they now have our lecture series available via podcast and I waited and checked daily for his lecture to appear - finally emailed the director yesterday and she said he declined to grant them permission to post it. Bummer. Yeah, he's a bit on the hot side - and so very interesting. Makes me wish I were a better economist so I could appreciate his research even more than I do.

2. Coworker described a group of ppl as "yard apes" - what the heck is that? Doesn't sound good and I am a bit afraid to look it up.

3. What is that I am so fearful of that I don't link my own blog or personal info to comments I post on sites I enjoy? Is it that my blog is "frivolous"? it is. If I am embarassed that it is frivolous, then there's an obvious solution -

catching up

2006-02-01T08:33:00.000-08:00

1. Semi-important - what to do when you are in a meeting and an insensitive remark is made.... Still wondering what to do about a junior staff member's characterization of a special needs population. The remark was an odd one and I am not sure which of us might be misunderstanding the meaning...

2. Reading moving forward. Finished a couple non-fic (diet and cooking) books. Still on track.

3. Roland Fryer spoke on campus last night and there is NO story in the Daily or online. Do people not realize who he is?

4. I look fab today. just thought I would throw that in.

No time to go further.

Weekend

2006-01-22T22:51:00.000-08:00

So, it's late late late Sunday night (really early early early Monday) and I am not going to sleep. I really enjoy this time when my family is all asleep and I can roam around the house, putting things in order and getting ready for the week. There is an endless amount of cleaning and preparation, so I am never finished.

Dan got on my case about making the girls wait while I finish whatever chore I am doing. I don't know why I can't just drop whatever it is - I often don't just finish what I am doing, but pick up and do 2 or 3 other small things on my way to them. need to nip that in the bud before the girls start to get the idea they come last. I don't think of it that way, but I act like it.

We are starting to show the house again soon - so much to do to be ready and I feel like I have to do it all myself, b/c it's the "inside the house" stuff. Dan will help if I am very specific about what needs to be done and why. The why is important to him. Simply b/c it "needs to be done" isn't a reason to do it.

50 books this year

2006-01-21T14:51:00.000-08:00

Decided that I am going to do the 50 book challenge this year.

My count is 3 as of today: AMLP, Gilead, You: the Owner's Manual...

Knitting is going fine. Started a new "practice project" for home - another scarf, but will try pattern sections on it.

Laundry almost totally caught up (major feat). I started around 8:30 this morning and haven't had much of a rest since - several loads of laundry, dishes, cleaned kitchen, ran vac on 1st floor, picked up D's room, made her bed (which was in a snarl) and cleaned up our room -

I had been avoiding folding/putting away any laundry for a couple of weeks - finally went thru baby E's drawers, removing all tiny clothes and replacing with the next size. D's drawers were also a wreck, so started over with those, as well.

Book group met this week to discuss Gilead. I enjoyed the book so much more once I switched to the CD's. The reader had the perfect voice for my taste.

I am still thinking about what my future home-based business is going to be. I really like the idea of a cookie business - cookies, petit fours, maybe a few other small baked goods - I am thinking through the recipes I would start with and how I would promote it.

Baby E has been sleeping for a few mins - feels to me like she didn't really take very long naps today. when she is sleeping well, of course then Little D needs me. I would like a break. A long break.

2006 resolutions

2006-01-07T06:03:00.000-08:00

Okay, here goes -

1. I am letting go of the 30 lb weight loss goal - it is 10 lbs this year. 10 lbs only. 10 lbs in the first quarter of the year and then I am keeping it OFF the rest of the year. I am not going to regain it - full stop.
2. I am fixing my health by implementing some changes from You: the owner's manual.
Fiber intake up
Water intake up
Activity level increased greatly
Vitamins and other meds taken daily (considering adding that baby aspirin, too)
3. I am getting all the unread periodicals OUT of the house.

That's it. 3 things.

barf city

2005-12-28T09:45:00.000-08:00

So, pal Beth is mothering the poxy crew and I am on barf clean up patrol. the joy of confined quarters in cold weather...

I just wish I hadn't fed little D quite so much chicken at dinner, after she already complained about tummy hurting...

Holidays and family

2005-12-27T13:57:00.000-08:00

Funny thing a friend of mine observed recently - ever noticed that finding out that an annoying relative bugs others, too somehow reduces their power to annoy you? Something about not being alone in your annoyance makes the person more tolerable... or maybe you can more easily just ignore the person b/c you know others are, too?

I have noticed the same thing.

Overall, we are blessed to have a wonderful family - and we have just a couple members who are a bit much to take for longer than a short visit - if we didn't feel that way about a couple people, it would probably be a sign something is wrong, right?

I really knocked myself out making food for the holiday parties and it was received with less than full enthusiasm. I have decided that I am not going to go to that much work again. I wanted to do it and I enjoyed it, but there's no reason to overdo it.

Favorite gift: my new iPod (with engraved message from my family - I cried).
Least favorite: I really didn't have one this year - it was all very nice.

Other fun things we rec'd: Runny Babbit; Lizzy's new glow worm and horse lovey; D's blinged out Calvin Klein denim outfit...

Fun recurring joke of weekend: D's new "I like to move it, move it!" dance moves after watching Madagascar too many times.

Thing I can't wait to have time to play with: my new 3/4 dress form.

Favorite yummy treat of weekend: Debbie's new recipe for choc choc chip gingerbread (from the Omaha Weird Harold)

Hit gifts given by Dennis family to others: Gram's tea maker; Sherril's cake decorating kit; my dad's scrappy coffee cup with the girls on it.

Things to remember next year: We need more time at home alone as our small family. *Make* daddy take pics of Santa's plate, don't believe him when he says he'll do it later - this is not the first year the dog ate the cookies...

4

2005-12-27T07:55:00.000-08:00

Okay, Beth - here goes...

Four jobs you've had in your life: clerical asst to Women's BB team at Iowa, personal banker, estee lauder chick, Proj Mgr at ISU Extension
Four movies you could watch over and over: Moonstruck, BBC Pride and Prejudice miniseries, You've Got Mail, Barefoot in the Park
Four places you've lived: Nevada, IA; Yokosuka, Japan; Corpus Christi, TX; Iowa City, IA
Four TV shows you love to watch: Oprah; SATC; ER; Law and Order
Four places you've been on vacation: London; San Antonio; FL; Bahamas
Four Websites you visit daily: CNN; huffpo; BBC World news; NYT.
Four of your favorite foods: Fuji apples, chicken & noodles, angel food cake w/ fresh strawberries and ice cream; Italian cream cake
Four places you'd rather be right now: a nice warm bath; reading a book in a cozy coffee shop; Bath, England; home in bed (alone)

My "places" list isn't very fun - but with a 3 month old, my dreams are simple ones...

Little D, eater of yellow foods

2005-12-12T17:45:00.000-08:00

mac n cheese, chicken nuggets, peaches, a stray piece of pineapple here and there...

there are some white foods in there - milk, mashed potatoes, apples

I had to take a break from posting to go feed her - she wanted to pretend I was mamma bird and she was Stellaluna. Each bite was id'd as a different type of bug.

She woke from her nap this afternoon crying loudly. We planned to take pictures for the christmas card photo tonight and she wasn't cooperative. She is sensitive and cries easily this evening. She had wet the bed as she woke up, or maybe just afterwards. We're down to only 2-3 wetting incidents a week now - it has eased up considerably and almost never happens at school any more. I am trying to give her the attention she needs so that she doesn't feel her sister has taken something from her, without sacrificing the love and attention I give to baby E.

The new Moby wrap rocks. www.storkwearhouse.com for Louisa's wahm store. I have worn it almost nonstop for 3 days and don't feel a thing in my back.

Wish I could say the same about this rotten headcold I have. I hate the heavy postnasal drip thing.

D just came downstairs - "Mommy, guess what I've got. The most beautiful book I have ever seen. Can we read it?" "yes," I reply. "Please, " she continues. Honestly. All the words, I didn't finish any phrases for her. What a stitch. It's a board book from her first birthday and nothing she usually asks for.

I asked her never to touch the ceramic heater daddy used earlier today b/c of fire. She said"I know fire safety! Stop, drop and Roll!"

then, later "when we go to campus and there's a fire, I will tell everyone about fire safety."

I said "I hope we don't have a fire."

"one time we had a fire."

"when was that?"

"when we had marshmellows."

This is true...

Baking disasters

2005-12-04T20:50:00.000-08:00

I was up at 5:30, wrapping presents and watching "As Good As It Gets" while the rest of the fam slept. Lizzy was with me (nursing and snoozing). We've finished our shopping ('cept Lizzy, Troy and I have yet to buy for Dan). One gift still needs to be wrapped - and we have more shipments coming from Amazon. God bless e-tailing.

I made 2 batches of sugar cookie dough, 2 batches peanut butter blossoms, a batch of ginger snaps, 2 loaves banana bread, 24 banana muffins and a batch of chocolate crinkles. There is still a whole batch of sugar cookie dough to bake + some of the trimmings from the first batch. Darien helped me decorate the batch we finished. I have a large, covered tray ready to go to school with her tomorrow, for the teacher's work room - I figured I should get my treats sent in early (and I think Monday is Renee's b'day - head teacher). So, you might wonder where the disaster part figures in - here goes - I burned the muffins, which tasted really bland anyway and then managed to leave the sugar out of the crinkles - yuck. I couldn't figure out why they didn't spread in the oven - tasted one - p'touey.

I have a cookie exchange at Renee's next weekend, following lunch w/ Laura W. I plan to roast a turkey that afternoon, as well. I will put it in the brine solution Friday night. I should put it in the extra fridge in the morning to be sure it starts to thaw. I also need to set out the bread to dry for the stuffing. I will do the turkey, smashed taters (skin on), my basic stuffing (celery, onion, melted butter, chicken broth diluted w/ hot water, salt, pepper and dried cottage bread cut into cubes - no sage or other herbs). The turkey will soak in a brine made from veg broth, peppercorns, etc - from Food Network approx 4 yrs ago - Alton Brown's high heat roast method. I will also attempt my grandmother's parkerhouse rolls. Nobody is coming over or anything. We still have a turkey in the freezer and need to use it. I didn't have to cook T'giving dinner this year & I didn't get the dinner I grew up w/. No gravy. No cranberries.

The girls and I will go to the farm for a big cookie baking day on the 17th. That is also my sisters' birthday (they are twins) and I have suggested a lunch out. We'll see what happens to that plan.
This is the year I said I was going to create the traditional family christmas notebook/planner for all future years. I have only had a couple of folders up to now. I still prefer paper for that sort of thing - I need the doodle factor and my home laptop isn't a tablet.

I don't know what I am doing with my hair - btw. The color, that is. I am stuck.

Post 1

2005-11-23T07:05:00.000-08:00

I prefer Gerber plums with tapioca to all other babyfoods.

I would actually buy and eat them if I remembered while I was in the grocery store.