Thursday, May 24, 2012

Settling

I know, another post?! I thought I'd show you a bit of the outside of our home. Last week my folks came down and unearthed some old beds. Mom wasn't sure about some of the stuff, and I can't identify anything, so we left some intact and probably pulled out lots of good things, but we'll give it a year and see what comes up. I'm too impatient for that, though, so I have been yielding to the lure of garden shops. As of today we have 5 tomato plants, 5 cucumber, 6 green peppers, and 3 pea vines. I'm out of sunny garden spots so that might have to be it for this season. I can report we have very rocky sandy soil with a large dose of shattered glass interspersed. Henri has been enjoying the mess she's able to make and unfortunately today made the discovery that fruit is separable from its plant. One less tomato for the harvest.
West side of the house. The original plants

This tomato is no more

Can't wait to make these into pickles!!!!

The garden Papa cleaned up for us

Backyard view while standing at the end of the drive. There's quite a bit over the hill as well

South side and new garden

My watering can! I'm not sure of our water yet so we've been doing bottled. I didn't want to waste the containers, and with a few nail holes it became the perfect gardening tool

Would I pick your tomatoes???? (Side note: Why, when I was loudly proclaiming a yard was a must when looking at houses did no one warn me of the sheer volume of dirt this would daily generate???)

OK, small explanation for this video. As I've mentioned, H has been having some separation problems. This extends to me facing the sink and not her while doing dishes. I discovered that if I gave her a task (specifically, cleaning) she stopped her meltdown immediately and was happily occupied. I'm sure this is setting her up for all kinds of OCD behavior in the future (Stressed? Clean a little more!) but for now it's saving my sanity. It's not really helping with the cleaning, though. We'll work on technique later.


This next week needs to be very homework focused. Huge paper to be completed started and an exam to take by Sunday. The living room is clear of boxes and I'd like to get the rest of the house in the same shape by the end of the holiday weekend (S's home so I might have a long list for him.....). Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Home

I'm slightly embarrassed to be showing you the mess that currently passes as our home, but I wanted you to see where we live and the great space we've been blessed with.
On Saturday we were inundated with help (I think like 14 people came from the church?) and everything was out of the apartment in 30 minutes. Took another 20 to get it fit into the truck (not a wasted inch; Steve did good). We headed to the house and again it took about 30 minutes to unload. Started at 0830, done at 1000. Of course the pizza we promised didn't open until 1030 and it was such a gorgeous day people wanted to get home, so we skipped on lunch for everyone (HUGE thanks to Jess for supplying breakfast and goodies for everyone). Some of the guys stayed and helped get stuff to fit. Our ceilings are very low so the bookcases and loft bed got cut down, and heavy furniture got placed more or less where I wanted it. I don't think I freaked out on anyone, and thanks for ignoring it if I did :)
We made some good progress getting stuff put away but that tapered off yesterday so you'll see a lot of boxes featured in the photos. I did get the important items completed (beds put together, bathroom and kitchen assembled, tomatoes and cucumbers planted).
A few side notes. Henri has been a bit out of sorts with all the changes. She had a brief separation anxiety phase back at 6ish months and it seems to be rearing up again. She gets very upset if anyone leaves and you can just see the stress on her face as she wanders among the boxes. Yesterday I got out some of her books and she pounced on them with a desperate grasp. I was also told in nursery she freaked if her diaper bag was out of reach; it was something she recognized. What I didn't tell the worker was that her real security blanket is my bra. Yup, she's been carrying one around quite a bit this past week. I figure as long as we keep it in the house it can't hurt. It's just gross when I need to wear it and it's soaking wet from where she's been sucking on it.....She's also teething (top right) and has a very snotty nose; not sure if it's teething, allergies or a cold. Every time she gets this and I finally make an appt with the MD she gets over it before we get there. So I'm letting it go for now.

Anyway, lots of changes but we're trying to keep the routine the same until we all get acclimated. A cessation in the rain will certainly help. And the contractors are finally here, so I'm feeling more confidence in our main support beam already :) Poor guys look miserable as they're on their bellies digging out nasty muck AND it's pouring on them when they go outside, but I guess it's semi their own fault as they were supposed to come yesterday when it wasn't raining. I attempted brownies for them and somehow my never fail recipe failed big time. A combination of too little cocoa powder and a new to me oven, I think. And apropos of nothing, does anyone know how to increase the temp on a hot water heater? I like my showers piping and at the moment the temp doesn't even qualify as lukewarm. It might be part of Steve's grand scheme to keep utility costs low, but 30 second showers (and I'm not exaggerating on the time, either) are very disheartening. But we have a curved shower rod so the liner doesn't touch you while you're in there :)


Little model is very into bright colors right now


Love her faces


This is what the poor suckers contractors are digging out


Living room from the front door (or maybe it's the side door. I don't think we've decided yet)


Living room from the doorway of Henri's room


Can't wait to hang this pict in H's room; the colors go perfectly with the wall. Not sure you can see, but the goat is saying "maaaa". Awww!


The guest bed cut down to size


H's closet is coming along nicely


Pantry's filling up


Learned very fast that H is still too young for fridge letter magnets. I'm finding them all over the house


The table fits!


Perhaps a bit girly, but the shower curtain matches the paint.


The mirrored cabinet Steve put together and hung. Holds a lot!
I'll post again when things are actually put away and cleaned but this hopefully gives you a general idea of the layout. Just realized there's none of the master bedroom, but it's still a mess of boxed and strewn items and I'm still figuring out spacing for everything so that will have to wait.  A special thanks to Allie for coming down last week and helping me pack. Also, my folks came last Friday and put the gardens into great shape. I think we're going to have a very lovely yard with a bit of work. Off to unpack a few more boxes :)

Thursday, May 17, 2012

In the midst of it all

I'm posting this more because I made a resolution to post each week than because I have anything to say (or the time to say it coherently). Somehow in the last 3.5 years I have accumulated a ton of stuff. And right now S and I are trying to cram it into some semblance of order to be hauled away and fit back into our normal patterns. And it's taking a lot more time than it used to. So, I will be back, hopefully early, next week with a full update as to the house and the great things H is up to (lots of kisses and some new words; she said "Allie" when her aunt was here to visit) and of course picts. Thanks for letting me slide a bit :)

Monday, May 14, 2012

Mom's Day

Happy Mother's Day! I realize this was yesterday, but I was too busy being pampered/packing to write. Unlike birthdays, which exist because, well, you're alive, Mother's Day felt like a deserved holiday. Last year was my first but I was too foggy with crazy hormones to register anything other than "I forgot to get my mom a card (Steve saved the day) and we're about to be on our own with this tiny thing and what if something happens while mom's driving home and why and I still so fat and.....". So, this was my first "with-it" one. And let me tell you, I totally begin to get why my mom is so amazing. I always loved her of course, and always had some level of appreciation for what she did, but now that I have just one child....wow, I really don't know how she does it. So I guess I still don't fully understand how wonderful my mom is. But I'm beginning to grasp it. And selfishly, this makes me a little bummed to realize I'm going to have to wait another 25+ years before anyone begins to "get" what I do as a mom and be in awe :)
I still forgot to get her a card, though. We did uphold the tradition of a long Mother's Day walk. Unlike the VT ones, I gained 3lbs because we made BerryLine the destination and they had peppermint oreo and I added oreos to mine and didn't share one bite.

My mom <3


And in an unrelated side note, I just had to record this somewhere in a braggy manner. I had a very successful shopping day today.
First we walked to Porter where I spent $4 and obtained $50 worth of groceries (3lbs cheese, marinades, bbq sauce, bananas, strawberries, lettuce, yogurt for H, orange juice). Then we went to CVS and I got 2 packs of Pampers and Pampers wipes for $14 (not amazing, but 50% savings so I was happy). Then home where I was informed of another deal, so off to another CVS for 4 bottles of Steve's favorite Pantene shampoo at $1.10/bottle. And $2 for my next trip :) Also got in a 4ish mile workout (not to mention a hosing off in the downpour on the way home). Now to find a box to pack it all in :D

Friday, May 11, 2012

Getting stuff done

There is something wonderful about waking up at 0400 knowing that you are on top of all your assignments (due date wise, at least), have no major projects looming for the weekend, and dinner has been soaking overnight so will be a cinch to throw together (heirloom bean soup from Allie's farmers market. Definitely something I want to grow as they look so gorgeous sitting in my red pot). Part of this (and last semesters) reduction in stress is attributable to me actually going by the schedule I set for myself at the beginning of the semester. All due due dates are written in, and then I make up due dates for myself a few days or week prior to the actual one, and then I schedule when I'll work on each assignment. That way if I want to goof off for a day there's no guilt or panic because what I have written doesn't usually have to get done for another week. The trick is to making myself forget that and go by my set schedule. Anyway, what I'm rambling to say is, I'm doing OK today so I think, other than textbook reading while H naps, we'll be spending the day outdoors. Not a cloud in the sky and there seems to be a breeze. Lovely!
Progress has been made on the house, though we really didn't go over at all this week. S and H stopped by yesterday to pick up mail and finish the closet. I need to hem (i.e take them to the dry cleaners and have them do it) and restring the curtains to face the right direction, but he did a fantastic job and was just what I wanted. This weekend is putting together the bathroom (double curtain rod, mirrored medicine chest, shelving and paper holder) and then we should be move-in ready enough for Saturday. I want all the tools out of my pantry so I can move over all the dishes and food this coming week. Allie is coming for a few days to help which will be fantastic. I'm planing to have all the clothes, food, dishes, bathroom stuff...in short, everything I can lift and fit in our car, over by Saturday. I appreciate all those that have volunteered to help, I just hate the thought of people touching my stuff, you know? (germs!!! lol).
So, this week. Hm....Ikea on Friday night (we resisted the baby Poang chair but barely), house and Craigslist find, church and Jess and Wade came over to see the house and celebrate with a delicious Indian supper (in other news, Dosa Factory is going in a few miles from our house. I anticipate most of my food budget will be spent there), Henri came down with a nasty rash on Monday (roseola...never noticed she had a fever but that might be because anytime she felt warm she was also wearing a fleece vest and hat and Uggs in the house...her favorite fashion accessories), H being a total pill for the weekend and Monday but back to her fun self by Tues evening, packing, homework, possible lead (or at least sympathy) on the whole preceptor thing at St. E's, educational dinner last night with a co-worker (yay for catching up! And D, since you read this, your haircut really is fabulous. I raved about it to S when I got home), lots of free stuff at Shaws for their 50K fan celebration (cheese, Ragu sauce, popsicles)...maybe Ogunquit today to let H play in the sand.
I'm going to attempt iphone picts again. If any of you have one, how do you get them to transfer over right side up???
Closet, before

Despite all the toys, a plastic bag remains her favorite

New linen closet! Fits without a millimeter to spare

Assembling kitchen and closet simultaneously. H had a wonderful time mixing and losing our parts for us

And now it stops flipping photos for me. Sorry. Closet going up

The pretty-much-finished product!

Soooooo tempting!

H's kitchen with all the dishes from Gram

She loves the oven mitt

Loves the cracker from Aunt Allie

park day yesterday before the rain
One quick warning: I have to conduct a survey of 30 women (and men, but mostly women) regarding their knowledge of midwives and birth centers. It will take 5 mins to complete with a 5-10 min spiel beforehand by yours truly (or I can forward you a quick video to watch). Expect blatant begging, but if you'd like to get a jump start on participating, please call or email me. Thanks!
Well, H is down for an early nap so I'm off to read about preterm labor, birth and other unwanted outcomes. Textbooks should be mandated to come spiral bound.

Friday, May 4, 2012

Birthday Week

Much like her birth, Henri's birthday celebration stretched across a week. And also like her birth, not a whole lot happened. My sister Anna came to stay with us for the weekend, and then on Sunday Papa and Allie and Siena came for the day. Unfortunately Sunday's are murder on our schedule so Henri hadn't napped and wasn't about to with her favorite person around (Papa) but she held up pretty well. Actually got some homework done, met with lots of contractors, killed innumerable spiders, finished the fridge, called yet more midwives and blatantly begged for a preceptor, constantly picked up onion skins from the rug and couch (Henri's new favorite toy; unpeeling and rolling an onion), made lots of lists, cooked tuna noodle casserole (it was amazing!), and shopped home improvement stores (Ikea tonight!!!).

 Now that I think about it, for a week where not much happened, a lot did. I suddenly feel like this house is ours and it's a good thing (this came about while I was mopping), Henri's imaginative play really kicked in (she spends a lot of time feeding me and her animals from her play cooking set), Henri's adding new words every few days (this week was "amen", the sign for "thank you", and perfecting her "woof" (dog)), and I made lots of progress with this semester.

Lastly, I am thrilled to announce a resolution to the closet dilemma. I'm not sure this was weighing on your mind as heavily as it was mine, but this new house only has 3; two dinky ones in the bedrooms and one in the entryway. Our current apartment has 5, plus a storage locker in the basement, and they're all put to very good use. However, thanks to some sage advice I have chosen to follow (Papa's to give Henri the guest room mostly....does anyone know of a good night-vision-capable video baby monitor???) Steve and I will soon be enjoying an 11' closet in the master bedroom, the entryway closet is much larger on second inspection and should fill the function a double closet currently is, I think my pantry will hold all my dishes plus food AND I get a crafting/study closet ALL TO MYSELF!!!! (wee bit thrilled about this. Shelves are already there, I just need to drop in a board for the main table, looking to thrift a low stool as I have the perfect fabric just waiting to upholster it....and should I wallpaper or paint it? Def going to be my fun nap-time project). We also have this little nookish area when you first step into our bedroom that would be hard to find a function for but I think will fit a tall skinny wardrobe perfectly and will house all the towels and linens and bathroom supplies.

So while I am pleased to have things coming together (electrician finished rewiring everything, new outlets, thermostat moved, etc) no one told us that the act of buying the house was the easy part. Steve and I must have stared at shower rods for over 20 minutes in Lowe's last night debating whether to get the brushed nickle finish (match the flooring) or the traditional silver one. Finally decided on the brushed one only to get it to the house and realize the sink fixtures are silver. Argh!!!

And for the visually-inclined, pictures!:


She loves the ipods, iphones...


Took Anna on an educational trip. Just what every teen wants on their vacation!

Dressing up as a cabin boy


My baby sister. So gorgeous!

Anna takes pretty good picts, too :)

We had beautiful weather

A whole seawall to run on, she was thrilled. Even more so when a dog appeared that just wanted to be left alone. Poor thing, Henri chased it, squealing, the whole time.


She totally takes after Steve. Good thing!

What's a trip to the shore without some ice cream?

Happy Birthday!!!

Gift from Mom and Dad

Really not into eating the cake. This might be the only bite she took. She enjoyed crumbling it all over the floor, though.

Reading with her favorite person

Not really into tearing the paper, either. Maybe my repeated "no's" as she tears into books is finally getting to her

Absolutely adorable sailor dress from Aunt Anna. H liked the coordinating headband

Whenever we go home, H and Papa head straight for the large chimes. He got her some of her own and she LOVES them. Looking for a nice spot for them in our house/yard (they come in at night)

Allie made these (of course, right?). Animal crackers, and the duck is a cheese cracker. I've been fighting Henri for them they're so tasty. She also made these insane graham crackers that taste like pure maple syrup and butter. Yum!

Gram got this for H. I had been debating getting her the wood kitchen from Ikea but decided not to as she wasn't playing yet. After seeing how she is with this set, it's on the probable purchase list for tonight. I'm having fun with it, too :)

Pot lid on. And off. And on.....

Sampling the goods

The headband continues to delight

Little out of order here, but we did sushi on Saturday night. The spicy yellow tail continues to addict, and Henri enjoyed this lemon slice (also a bowl of tofu and rice which they always and generously bring out for her)

Because she doesn't have enough toys, and in addition to the onion she's obsessed with, Henri has added a sewer cap to her list of claimed objects

The fridge! It's ready to prime with chalk tonight (rub it over and erase) and then good to go. Actually very pleased with how it turned out. I gave away the magnetic paint so I wouldn't be tempted to use it again. Way too anxiety provoking. But the chalkboard paint is latex so it soothed and comforted my bruised DIY ego.

Whew. If you made it to the end...well, I'll think of something you deserve. Ice cream, probably :) Another exciting week ahead and if I don't kill Steve this weekend as we assemble our loot (or he me) I'll see you next Friday :D