tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89788806868993643942024-03-05T14:35:51.334-08:00NestessitiesA little blog about my hopes and dreams, and all the projects I do around the house.ErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978880686899364394.post-28186130590143404022012-04-05T11:34:00.000-07:002012-04-05T11:34:32.399-07:00Real Food Meal PlanI wanted to share my real food meal plan for the last week, in case anyone else is looking to start doing this. Thanks to <a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/">Lisa</a> for being an inspiration! Sorry for the formatting issues, I couldn't figure out how to attach a word document.<div><br />
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</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic"; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">7-DAY “REAL FOOD” FAMILY MEAL PLAN </span><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="MsoNormalTable" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; margin-left: -.55in; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-insideh: .5pt solid windowtext; mso-border-insidev: .5pt solid windowtext; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-table-layout-alt: fixed; mso-yfti-tbllook: 191;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="background: #678D4B; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 76.5pt;" valign="top" width="77"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: white; font-family: "Century Gothic"; font-size: 12.0pt;">DAY</span><span style="color: white; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="background: #678D4B; border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 94.5pt;" valign="top" width="95"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: white; font-family: "Century Gothic"; font-size: 12.0pt;">BREAKFAST</span><span style="color: white; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="background: #678D4B; border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="54"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: white; font-family: "Century Gothic"; font-size: 12.0pt;">SNACK<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="background: #678D4B; border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 139.5pt;" valign="top" width="140"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: white; font-family: "Century Gothic"; font-size: 12.0pt;">LUNCH</span><span style="color: white; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="background: #678D4B; border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="63"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: white; font-family: "Century Gothic"; font-size: 12.0pt;">SNACK</span><span style="color: white; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="background: #678D4B; border-left: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 130.5pt;" valign="top" width="131"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: white; font-family: "Century Gothic"; font-size: 12.0pt;">DINNER</span><span style="color: white; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="background: #AAE77B; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 76.5pt;" valign="top" width="77"> <div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Sunday</span><o:p></o:p></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 94.5pt;" valign="top" width="95"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";"><a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/05/25/recipe-whole-wheat-cinnamon-raisin-bread-for-bread-machine/">Cinnamon raisin</a> <a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/02/20/recipe-whole-wheat-french-toast/">French toast</a> with ½ banana<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="54"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";"><a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/05/12/recipe-fruit-nut-or-berry-or-whatever-you-want-them-to-be-whole-wheat-muffins/">Carrot muffins</a> w/ cream cheese<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 139.5pt;" valign="top" width="140"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Grilled cheese and carrots sticks with hummus<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="63"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Apple slices with peanut butter<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 130.5pt;" valign="top" width="131"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";"><a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/862207/kale-and-sausage-hand-pies">Kale, Sausage, and Green Apple “stir-fry”</a> (skip pie crust and just make filling) with <a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/04/08/super-easy-recipe-whole-wheat-biscuits/">whole-wheat biscuits</a> and carrot sticks<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="background: #AAE77B; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 76.5pt;" valign="top" width="77"> <div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Monday</span><o:p></o:p></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 94.5pt;" valign="top" width="95"> <div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";"><a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/04/04/recipe-granola-bars-cereal/">Granola cereal</a></span></b><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">* with milk and sliced mango<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="54"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Zucchini Muffins<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 139.5pt;" valign="top" width="140"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Leftover kale and sausage w/ biscuits and sliced strawberries<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="63"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Hard boiled eggs w/ salt and pepper<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 130.5pt;" valign="top" width="131"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Home-made mushroom and carmelized onion <a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/04/01/recipe_homemade_whole_wheat_pizza/">whole-wheat pizza</a><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="background: #AAE77B; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 76.5pt;" valign="top" width="77"> <div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Tuesday</span><o:p></o:p></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 94.5pt;" valign="top" width="95"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Strawberrries, granola, yogurt (with honey) parfaits<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="54"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Peanut, Cashew, and Raisin Trail Mix<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 139.5pt;" valign="top" width="140"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Round <b><a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/08/12/real-food-tips-10-ways-to-switch-up-your-kid%E2%80%99s-lunch/">apple sandwiches</a></b> made with peanut butter & raisins, carrot muffins and plain yogurt mixed with a little honey<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="63"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Triscuits w/ Cheddar Cheese and pear slices<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 130.5pt;" valign="top" width="131"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";"><a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/crispy-chipotle-lime-tilapia-with-cool-avocado-sauce/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=tilapia%20chipotle&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe%20Search%20Results">Crispy chipotle lime tilapia /w avocado sauce</a> on whole-wheat tortillas<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="background: #AAE77B; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 76.5pt;" valign="top" width="77"> <div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Wednesday</span><o:p></o:p></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 94.5pt;" valign="top" width="95"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Egg in a (whole wheat) frame w/ grapefruit quarters<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="54"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">GoGo Apple Sauce<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 139.5pt;" valign="top" width="140"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with parsnip sticks<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="63"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Apple sauce frozen squeezers<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 130.5pt;" valign="top" width="131"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";"><a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chucks-favorite-mac-and-cheese/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=mac%20and%20cheese&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe">Whole-wheat mac ‘n cheese</a> with broccoli added<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="background: #AAE77B; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 76.5pt;" valign="top" width="77"> <div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Thursday</span><o:p></o:p></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 94.5pt;" valign="top" width="95"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Plain<b> <a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2011/12/14/recipe-oatmeal/">oatmeal</a> </b>flavored with a little honey and cinnamon, topped with raisins<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="54"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Lara Bars<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 139.5pt;" valign="top" width="140"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Leftover mac ‘n cheese<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="63"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Apple slices with peanut butter<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 130.5pt;" valign="top" width="131"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";"><a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/336528/sweet-potato-and-chipotle-soup">Sweet potato and chipotle soup</a> w/ <a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/05/26/recipe-whole-wheat-tortillas/">whole wheat tortilla</a> wedges<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="background: #AAE77B; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 76.5pt;" valign="top" width="77"> <div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Friday</span><o:p></o:p></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 94.5pt;" valign="top" width="95"> <div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";"><a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/04/04/recipe-granola-bars-cereal/">Granola cereal</a></span></b><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">* with milk and frozen blueberries<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="54"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";"><a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/05/12/recipe-fruit-nut-or-berry-or-whatever-you-want-them-to-be-whole-wheat-muffins/">Carrot muffins</a> w/ cream cheese<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 139.5pt;" valign="top" width="140"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Home-made <a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/10/14/recipe-homemade-chicken-nuggets/">chicken nuggets</a> with parsnip and carrot sticks<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="63"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Cherry Yogurt Smoothie squeezers<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 130.5pt;" valign="top" width="131"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Leftover night<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="background: #AAE77B; border-top: none; border: solid windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 76.5pt;" valign="top" width="77"> <div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Saturday</span><o:p></o:p></b></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 94.5pt;" valign="top" width="95"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Scrambled cheesey eggs with blood oranges<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: .75in;" valign="top" width="54"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";"><a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2010/06/25/recipe-zucchini-bread/">Zucchini Muffins</a><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 139.5pt;" valign="top" width="140"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Leftovers/PB & J<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 63.0pt;" valign="top" width="63"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";">Popcorn<o:p></o:p></span></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext 1.0pt; border-top: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 130.5pt;" valign="top" width="131"> <div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "Century Gothic";"><a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/859191/potato-hash-spinach-and-eggs">Potato hash with spinach and eggs</a><o:p></o:p></span></div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table><!--EndFragment--></div>ErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978880686899364394.post-14007994130815077742012-03-20T16:24:00.000-07:002012-03-20T16:24:23.130-07:00Get RealHave you ever noticed how one time-consuming obsession leads to another? Well, I've been spending a lot of time on Pinterest lately and had noticed a pin for "<a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/" target="_blank">100 Days of Real Food</a>." I noted it, but browsed by until one of my friends actually pinned. Then I took a look, and I got hooked. There are so many fad diets and trends out there now (gluten-free for everyone?), but this seems to come from principles I embrace, and the author credits Michael Pollen on the first page- so points to her there.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>Even before I really started reading the <a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/" target="_blank">blog</a> (now about 20 posts in), I decided this was something I wanted to do. So, this week we are using up what we can that doesn't fit in with this "diet." Any highly processed food that is non-perishable will be hidden in the basement by Saturday.<br />
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Now, this <a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/" target="_blank">blog</a> supports using almost 100% organic food. I like this idea, but I'm going to see how it works in practice. Additionally, I'm not willing to waste the pound of regular whole wheat flour I just bought, so I'll use what I have on hand, and replace with organic when I run out. This goes for pasta, cheese, butter and anything else that I'm not just going to throw away. As time goes by, I should be able to get to an almost 100% organic pantry/fridge. I imagine if this sticks, I'll eventually need to throw out the processed sugars and white flour I have (but then, I also need to help with cupcakes for my brother-in-laws wedding, so they might be put to good use).<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/" target="_blank">blog</a> also wants you to eat only local meat, which might be difficult. Farmers markets around here don't open up till June, and close in September, so I'll be hitting up Whole Foods and Sunflower for my groceries. I'm going to do my best to go local, but CO is not known for its abundant produce.<br />
<br />
I think this is going to be an interesting and bumpy ride. I predict that Dominic will HATE it, Darcy will be fine, and Jason will cheat while he's at work or traveling. As for me, I have no idea how I'll fare. I'm thinking sugar in coffee and my nightly handful of chocolate chips are going to be the hardest to give up.<br />
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Wish me luck! (Really, if anyone still reads this after 9 months of silence leave a comment so I know you are out there)</div>ErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978880686899364394.post-51415649834225056222011-05-22T16:38:00.000-07:002011-05-22T16:38:36.710-07:00Adventures in Spray Paint and UpholsterySo.... I've been a very busy girl this weekend. Saturday I took a bunch of junk to Peterson Air Force Base for their base-wide yard sale and set up with a new friend from a playgroup I just started attending. I wanted to do more than just sell some junk though, I was shopping! I keep a list in my phone of all the things I "need" for the house that I would like to pick up at bargain rates. Well, I managed to buy a full patio set (four chairs and a table) for $20, a wicker chest for $1 and 20 items clothing for Darcy for $10. Oh, and a ginormous mirror for $10 too. <br />
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I'm not sure what I'm doing with the mirror right now, but it was the perfect size, color, and style to go on top of Darcy's dresser when it stops being a changing table and needs to be a vanity. That thing weighs a ton, so I'm not hauling it upstairs until I know where it's going. It stands on it's own, so I'm thinking I may just put it on the floor in her room so she can admire herself when she had floor play time.<br />
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But...more to the point I've been tackling the wicker and patio projects. I've been wanting a blanket chest for our living room for ages. Right now our fleece blankets end up on the floor because Carson pulls them off and likes to snuggle in them. As a result, all of our blankets are embedded with dog hair- blech. But if we had a place to toss them out of his reach, I'm hoping they would have a chance to de-hair after a dozen or so spins through the laundry. So here's my before and after of the chest (I've spent about an hour on it so far, but I have to reattach the hinges and hardware still.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkpqgXhIbEhytYzkH83D4ueyvlLhMZxV5ZfRfFgIKuL65E64aY-ADRZctXfUywCHyytgTr4xKrbfqnjiofJ-A7UQef3Z4iesx0YngXAlYq6vhkgLM0_rtFVcIUzofcVsSZkdexS6VwBfI/s1600/DSC_0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkpqgXhIbEhytYzkH83D4ueyvlLhMZxV5ZfRfFgIKuL65E64aY-ADRZctXfUywCHyytgTr4xKrbfqnjiofJ-A7UQef3Z4iesx0YngXAlYq6vhkgLM0_rtFVcIUzofcVsSZkdexS6VwBfI/s320/DSC_0002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before- $1</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMSWQycUWusz7hOawzOKxU-L8BCtdFdJk0P61eDljYC_rOrEtAikpHdzncKEWNnR847xBaq8nGGcGLpNSS_z0TsBOhcfVlkowBP105ggSHPbHWd0-FeJNmtohYN3kgMzVqDWtODMYaRkfn/s1600/DSC_0005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMSWQycUWusz7hOawzOKxU-L8BCtdFdJk0P61eDljYC_rOrEtAikpHdzncKEWNnR847xBaq8nGGcGLpNSS_z0TsBOhcfVlkowBP105ggSHPbHWd0-FeJNmtohYN3kgMzVqDWtODMYaRkfn/s320/DSC_0005.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After- with $4 spray paint and $10 batting and fabric (before second coat of paint)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I"m pretty darn pleased. Just ignore the photography though- it's not my strong suit. The next project coming down the pike is to paint the patio furniture and recover the cushions. Here's the before and a sneak peek of what's coming. Yes, the table top is FILTHY. Apparently $20 doesn't cover windex.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3LD5hnPZraD4n9GCWpsekWmwYfEpRy3nSAgSYq2cxMVahNdd7E-YPGIFkGDuR5mYWZ0lDpOeJxC_xFUhLkW9uUBoN8Iq2ULB1Y362yBQffFBuZFENjFd6V9q7leR3AUSwYuLREqvMgGwf/s1600/DSC_0007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3LD5hnPZraD4n9GCWpsekWmwYfEpRy3nSAgSYq2cxMVahNdd7E-YPGIFkGDuR5mYWZ0lDpOeJxC_xFUhLkW9uUBoN8Iq2ULB1Y362yBQffFBuZFENjFd6V9q7leR3AUSwYuLREqvMgGwf/s320/DSC_0007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGp8e8pcF3qjFAH93_lRVgZRK9L9rTJjJbkmA_cDkuxsxh85tawIMR7yvJhKF06rOUM9oGx7iz0PxJlqkGZNTzJcikWbi9GnMStE7YLsoDmCaoXnBtYrW5fU8n8nSchGZ6SUEzqvfkagM/s1600/DSC_0009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbGp8e8pcF3qjFAH93_lRVgZRK9L9rTJjJbkmA_cDkuxsxh85tawIMR7yvJhKF06rOUM9oGx7iz0PxJlqkGZNTzJcikWbi9GnMStE7YLsoDmCaoXnBtYrW5fU8n8nSchGZ6SUEzqvfkagM/s320/DSC_0009.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br />
I'm adding color to the front porch baby! Hopefully I'll get this wrapped up this week, along with assembling my raised bed (boards in the background) because we'll be in Greeley next week and then Boulder as I run my first 10K!ErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978880686899364394.post-18611855099042034222011-05-21T12:43:00.000-07:002011-05-21T12:43:12.203-07:00Quilt StoryI did it! Having begun this quilt in early 2004, I finally completed it over last weekend. Man, this thing has been with me in six different houses/apartments and has fabric in it from at least 3 different quilt shops.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjN_INrzV26edrQ8Ve0M5mwIRcFJBgXP0DKsWtkJcQpBlVDIVbdrmpfG3TQsCObVXS6n0L_fV3WjtknQcYZAnalwXvDzwPScY9Wf7tvEEFZiFxcY97Z0fHetkEmQ9AoHJ0uofF9jC5FqIR/s1600/DSC_0005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjN_INrzV26edrQ8Ve0M5mwIRcFJBgXP0DKsWtkJcQpBlVDIVbdrmpfG3TQsCObVXS6n0L_fV3WjtknQcYZAnalwXvDzwPScY9Wf7tvEEFZiFxcY97Z0fHetkEmQ9AoHJ0uofF9jC5FqIR/s320/DSC_0005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>When I first started it, I thought I would make it for my MIL-to-be, Michelle. But, then I realized it wasn't really her colors, so I made her a different small quilt which now hangs in her guest room. So then I decided it would be for Michelle's mother, my dear Grandma Gayle. At this point, I had pieced the back (something I did in one day and a few hours of hanging out with my own grandmother), but hadn't gotten any further.<br />
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After Jason and I were married in June 2005, we moved to the East Coast. On our way to NoVA, we stopped in Maryland and I saw GG's house for the first time. Well, it is impeccably decorated and I confess to thinking within a few minutes of entering that I would have to find another recipient for this quilt. I knew if I gave it to her, she'd feel obliged to hang it somewhere, and it didn't fit her color scheme either. At this point, I had at least cut the fabric for the applique, though not a single flower or vine appeared on the quilt.<br />
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Well, when GG's mother (aka Brambie) moved out to live with her, I knew my quilt had found it's perfect recipient. Brambie likes ALL colors, and the brighter the better. Brambie just celebrated her 90th birthday, and though this was not completed in time, I hope it will brighten the rest of her year.ErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978880686899364394.post-8974439529685850912011-03-02T12:57:00.000-08:002011-03-02T12:59:19.344-08:00Revisiting Resolutions<div style="background-color: white;">S<span style="background-color: white;">o, every year on my birthday I resolve things (I find this more meaningful than the new year). With less than two months till my next birthday, let's take a look and see how I am doing with last year's resolutions.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f;">1. Run another 5k, be very close to being prepared to run the Bolder Boulder (10k) in 2011.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f;"><span style="background-color: black;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;">Well, I haven't done this quite yet, at least I haven't run a race. But I am in training for the Bolder Boulder and plan to do a 5K with Kevin and Ramona this month.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #bf9000;">2. Re-upholster at least one chair</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f;"><span style="color: black;">I have the supplies to reupholster a couch, all except the upholstery needle, so this is "in progress."</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">3. Sew my own curtains</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f;"><span style="color: black;">Definitely not happening. Well, maybe I'll get around to sewing curtains for Darcy before my birthday. I have the material, but I make no promises.</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">4. Finish my columbine quilt and my secondary circles quilt.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f;"><span style="color: black;">Ha! The columbine quilt is a possibility, the secondary circles quilt is not.</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">5. Sew decorative pillows for my living room</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f;"><span style="color: black;">Cancelled, after t he dog ate our existing ones. This can go back on the list when he completely exits the chewing stage.</span><br />
6. Paint EVERYTHING! (Or at least almost everything in my new home. I'm talking walls, doors, trim, and cabinets. If I get really into it maybe even the kitchen counters? Don't freak out Mom, that's just a musing.)</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f;"><span style="color: black;">Though I have not painted everything, I'll leave this green. I'm very satisfied with what I was able to accomplish while working full time and being pregnant. Work continues....</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">7. Build a bed and some bookshelves using plans from www.knockoffwood.blogspot.com</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f;"><span style="color: black;">Cancelled- I don't need another bed and I picked up enough cheap and free bookshelves, for now. Bookshelves may be a summer project, but they are not a priority.</span><br />
<span style="color: red;">8. Raise my own vegetables and make home-made jam</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f;"><span style="color: black;">Sigh... I never got my garden in. It was just too much work without Jason, and by the time he got around to helping me with the yard, the season had passed. But this resolution is staying on for next year.</span><br />
9. Expand the family...</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f;"><span style="color: black;">Green, very green. I didn't even realize when I said this that I would be adding a dog to the family as well. But, we have our darling Darcy and I call that success!</span><br />
<span style="color: #f1c232;">10. Visit my family in SE Asia (this is the improbable must most desired one)</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f;"><span style="color: black;">Though this didn't happen, I'm marking it yellow since we are now at least planning a trip, for next Christmas! Yayayayayay!</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #6aa84f;"><span style="color: black;">Hmm, I definitely have more red and yellow than green, but I'm not unhappy about it, and it's not that unexpected. I think it is fair to say that I have very high expectations for myself and tend to get over committed. Stuff that was not on this list that did get done included painting Darcy's crib and dresser/changing table, and sewing her crib skirt, bumper, and sheets. I've done plenty of projects, so the ones I didn't do were because they lost on out the priority wars. So far 27 has been good, very good. I'm excited to see what 28 brings, and I'm even contemplating a 30 before 30 list. Do I dare?</span></div>ErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978880686899364394.post-35771847382692906712011-03-02T09:24:00.000-08:002011-03-02T09:24:40.434-08:00I am SAHM, SAHM I am<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>After only four months, I finally have time to blog again! (well, sort of) The end of the year was pretty busy what with having a baby and hosting Christmas dinner for 30 family members. And then it's just been an adjustment period. While I was on maternity leave, we had Dominic going to preschool only part-time. Over the 7 week period, it became increasingly obvious that Dominic wanted to spend more time at home and that some of his behavioral issues from the last year or so are stemming from a sense of insecurity. Add this to a new baby and the fact that I've found my job entirely unfulfilling and eventually Jason and I took a hard look at our finances and decided we could afford for me to quit and stay home with the kids.<br />
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Anyway, I'm taking my job as as Stay-At-Home-Mom very seriously, and with the same amount of anal retention that makes me plan my menus a month in advance. I've set up my old office as our class room, drawn up a schedule in half-hour increments, planned the snack and lunch menu, and made a lesson plan for the week. I'd like to do the lesson plan further out, but I figure I need to gauge progress every week and work from there. Here are a few pictures from our classrooom.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTIvp1BC2sTB7Wrl3YpcLqnQsW1-PHBorNnNV5p7NPnC6BiRmzXz6zDaAC6plFZozotLHTJ98nvYteJcyHdmcHYcdeMa5APVCCwyyxN1p0yrG7ypwTogB8914TBbijGGPCiqjFEuVE_QcB/s1600/IMG_1219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTIvp1BC2sTB7Wrl3YpcLqnQsW1-PHBorNnNV5p7NPnC6BiRmzXz6zDaAC6plFZozotLHTJ98nvYteJcyHdmcHYcdeMa5APVCCwyyxN1p0yrG7ypwTogB8914TBbijGGPCiqjFEuVE_QcB/s320/IMG_1219.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darcy hanging out</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS5iKu7irf4CHDeVhA6wemhv1RvA-mcqWDwrnj3KY2cFAnGnZ9bwplqygsVXnc-Jz283aWItMHKeNQPLCEruJXO738B8soFTwCfFYnBaMaHIciL0yGQF8U8r-vxzrPZv3jIHqeaJGFBvDZ/s1600/IMG_1222.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS5iKu7irf4CHDeVhA6wemhv1RvA-mcqWDwrnj3KY2cFAnGnZ9bwplqygsVXnc-Jz283aWItMHKeNQPLCEruJXO738B8soFTwCfFYnBaMaHIciL0yGQF8U8r-vxzrPZv3jIHqeaJGFBvDZ/s320/IMG_1222.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The start of our number line. Teaching Dominic to recognize numbers and help his cutting skills.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOndS6wifFUypdqp1qy7WURHm66HH88XZp1SFswctS16wWbDSLvlRGrA4Qg5_zIg1itVrjR93ShE9WdX4KWO-IHNyVwcAEtmrakIj8BWJBYLntDM-nGm_1qL7BioBktPE0YLlp8j_qmkVQ/s1600/IMG_1221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOndS6wifFUypdqp1qy7WURHm66HH88XZp1SFswctS16wWbDSLvlRGrA4Qg5_zIg1itVrjR93ShE9WdX4KWO-IHNyVwcAEtmrakIj8BWJBYLntDM-nGm_1qL7BioBktPE0YLlp8j_qmkVQ/s320/IMG_1221.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dom working hard to color pictures that start with "a" for the first page of his alphabet book.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNAfns0Do2tlr21vGSjNgPfLweJnkuDklDawXQSx4v0a0fIBnAV1nIiEpeU-Igf1LIya9Z2XtoTatwTXxsQsSA5EqjAT8LA3RpYcu4k3fhRaTNDg5rLc4QcSHLO_S4lv-la8Oqf2MSNKVZ/s1600/IMG_1220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNAfns0Do2tlr21vGSjNgPfLweJnkuDklDawXQSx4v0a0fIBnAV1nIiEpeU-Igf1LIya9Z2XtoTatwTXxsQsSA5EqjAT8LA3RpYcu4k3fhRaTNDg5rLc4QcSHLO_S4lv-la8Oqf2MSNKVZ/s320/IMG_1220.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lesson in word building. I used "bat"- the other word was what Dom wanted to know how to spell.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Anyway, so far it's been a real treat. I get to spend more focused time with Dom, cuddle Darcy (and no pumping!) and I've divided all my weekend chores across the week so I don't have to spend a full day just doing household chores every weekend. I do these during Dom's "free play" time.<br />
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On a side note, I was going to use this title anyway, but it's timely. Happy Birthday to on of my favorite authors, Dr. Seuss!<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>ErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978880686899364394.post-44498876061014181062010-11-28T15:04:00.000-08:002010-11-28T15:08:20.542-08:00Eccentric or Looney?Jason and I managed some spectacular feats this four-day weekend. Jason gets a lot of four-day weekends, but it was nice to have one together for once. It also meant that Jason did a lot more work since I was there to hold a whip, instead of holed up in my office on conference calls and fighting the backlog of emails that never dies.<br />
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Instead of doing my normal Thanksgiving weekend holiday decorating, we focused on finishing painting some areas of our house. We did the trim last weekend (all trim in the house is eventually going white instead of the super shiny foak that it is now) and so this weekend we applied color. The living room was the only major downstairs room not to be painted yet, so it looked just a little out of place It's now the same color as the kitchen, Guacamole!<br />
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And we finished the hallway upstairs. It's a slightly paler yellow than the front room and dining room, and I had previously painted the stairwell, just not the hallway at the top. It's something I had been procrastinating on because of the amount of trim and cutting in required (4 bedroom doors, 1 closet, and 1 bathroom door). Unfortunately, only one door is white already, and it's going to stay that way until Spring when the weather is warm enough for me to take everything out to the garage for painting.<br />
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And we hung pictures last night! Hooray for stuff on the walls! There is still a lot of dead space around the house because we haven't yet figured out the purpose of our front room and I don't want to hang anything in the living room until... our new furniture is delivered!<br />
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Here's what our current furniture looks like:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNdIlUjOv_ktZM5DUnOunlP8XGaFvTD6lp37pox1FUIvT_ZEQtHttSN2Mf2rLAa8snOncYd9jZ1fMSudqlMOnT7M48zsBUh3p8THydIiOPi7Rsgepcu41DduTjhueO5TXBuBJ6uvd-rOv/s1600/IMG_0345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZNdIlUjOv_ktZM5DUnOunlP8XGaFvTD6lp37pox1FUIvT_ZEQtHttSN2Mf2rLAa8snOncYd9jZ1fMSudqlMOnT7M48zsBUh3p8THydIiOPi7Rsgepcu41DduTjhueO5TXBuBJ6uvd-rOv/s320/IMG_0345.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdPUOwAaBK-5ROWBr8iGkWJNUdys0BTPifzQ3pfZck5n0fzfI9IucQ0dxEIPxXCMPb-eKzo88CUP4bBzu0GOUdBOJfG1D7mbEWrDjb8xugHs-I4rF2uPhqezYAkvPjMnTFHTOAfvbeFpM/s1600/IMG_0346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigdPUOwAaBK-5ROWBr8iGkWJNUdys0BTPifzQ3pfZck5n0fzfI9IucQ0dxEIPxXCMPb-eKzo88CUP4bBzu0GOUdBOJfG1D7mbEWrDjb8xugHs-I4rF2uPhqezYAkvPjMnTFHTOAfvbeFpM/s320/IMG_0346.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
It's nice, but it's over sized and really only comfortable to lay on, not sit on. It's also been hardily abused by the whole family over the last four years, and I'm not comfortable having guests over with our unsophisticated look. So, we went down to American Furniture Warehouse and got ourselves a new couch, love seat, some end tables (hallelujah!) and a coffee table. Oh, and for Jason we got a new 50inch LCD TV with a entertainment center that should also serve to shelve some of our ever-growing collection of books. Needless to say, our Christmas shopping (for Jason and I) is done. No Kindles, no kitchen island, no TRX training system this year, we maxed out our budget and then some. But I couldn't be happier. I just hope when our furniture arrives on Tuesday, I'm still happy with what we selected. I'm pretty sure it will look awesome, but is it practical? Before I post pictures, let me just preface it with the fact that for the last four years I've been berating Jason for allowing me to make the purchase of our current furniture while I was pregnant. Hormones do funny things to your judgement and at the time, I just wanted something really soft and comfortable. But here I've done it again, only this time, it's the dust and dog hair around the house that has been bothering me and I'm craving something fresh and clean. So without further ado, our new living room. (pictures in setting to follow on Tuesday or someday shortly after).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifxjy7Mx4O1adgSX2o-mXwIJn_G_UEiGYGpnB7L8qJhvf_oB96WGHGj1fgjQ3N_Vrpj18EhMBjk8XFm2eRngib083M3XNYyQXjiA8FPmXuBSCD9_0541KMEby3fv00DxU2wGbe8T6E1To6/s1600/1h1-9321l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifxjy7Mx4O1adgSX2o-mXwIJn_G_UEiGYGpnB7L8qJhvf_oB96WGHGj1fgjQ3N_Vrpj18EhMBjk8XFm2eRngib083M3XNYyQXjiA8FPmXuBSCD9_0541KMEby3fv00DxU2wGbe8T6E1To6/s320/1h1-9321l.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6gHGNhMBbRR3hRoDseL1p_BdRBcXV9_B4ytYYyZQTAHQXH-TrMk-l1H71QqYItsoqVgWP4IkGazCz1od8fHtyYAhHrmdOoIhOs3ejG7NjX6jXFdD9BDhkw3pu-X5xj7dC0pN8lA0V0ruz/s1600/1h1-9321s.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6gHGNhMBbRR3hRoDseL1p_BdRBcXV9_B4ytYYyZQTAHQXH-TrMk-l1H71QqYItsoqVgWP4IkGazCz1od8fHtyYAhHrmdOoIhOs3ejG7NjX6jXFdD9BDhkw3pu-X5xj7dC0pN8lA0V0ruz/s320/1h1-9321s.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2e4Xe5isXzmTynOAaabNTTSFMsDZYsO2EV32z15-5YJj3JvuPR-lz7VPHm6nh6pMRv8I_C2jMkPfl044kF6vykVp7g7ZKZ2Atafw1Ej8gx4pxJlKmEM5xHUnfaNFVTc4MhOaUkxjMhaD/s1600/2904-3pk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ2e4Xe5isXzmTynOAaabNTTSFMsDZYsO2EV32z15-5YJj3JvuPR-lz7VPHm6nh6pMRv8I_C2jMkPfl044kF6vykVp7g7ZKZ2Atafw1Ej8gx4pxJlKmEM5xHUnfaNFVTc4MhOaUkxjMhaD/s1600/2904-3pk.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This color isn't very accurate, it's actually much closer to the entertainment console below.</td></tr>
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And there it is. Is it cool? or just crazy?ErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978880686899364394.post-61027207902469855962010-11-22T15:13:00.000-08:002010-11-22T15:13:57.329-08:00My son, budding photographerDominic has definitely shown a keen interest in photography from as far back as I can remember. In fact, it was with a kid's camera as the prize that I was finally able to potty train him. This is fun in so many ways, but can be a pain as well. For instance, I love seeing his crazy shots, but when I want to take pictures, my camera batteries are always low.<br />
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His Fisher-Price camera has never really satisfied him, the quality just isn't there. So more often then not, he snags my little point 'n shot and goes to town. It's so fun deleting a hundred pictures of the floor and people's butts. Every once in a while though, he get's a few good shots in. Here are some of his latest:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Self-Portrait (but he really does have hair, I promise)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht02X1wNP1GrruiXH54ge5eT2nQaeu3L2JTrIWyXMaPb92a1B7xeHpUZWGw3bYa28HkJKJB2ud2LvEs8WAxFoRcUEs20Hcev8gOv8Csn19hTfnDmRBsJve0zs_mxm8aWDqBdIjXKXzj64n/s1600/IMG_1172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht02X1wNP1GrruiXH54ge5eT2nQaeu3L2JTrIWyXMaPb92a1B7xeHpUZWGw3bYa28HkJKJB2ud2LvEs8WAxFoRcUEs20Hcev8gOv8Csn19hTfnDmRBsJve0zs_mxm8aWDqBdIjXKXzj64n/s320/IMG_1172.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">view out his bedroom window- I'm impressed with how in focus everything is</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HjwNqAYCN2VqlwDbfKXFiKeUHCxGa3S6d2C4DVf2YyWGRD5VnB5oh47R_aRGZP_jaKCeept9qVo9rr6oPS9w9KjmgWKYtI7K8qqbbRQdZtsJkeRZS0Htx7463DKb5KsDZeAq13gPM6PZ/s1600/IMG_1153.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7HjwNqAYCN2VqlwDbfKXFiKeUHCxGa3S6d2C4DVf2YyWGRD5VnB5oh47R_aRGZP_jaKCeept9qVo9rr6oPS9w9KjmgWKYtI7K8qqbbRQdZtsJkeRZS0Htx7463DKb5KsDZeAq13gPM6PZ/s320/IMG_1153.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, painting trim this weekend</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table>ErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978880686899364394.post-45961700346370632392010-11-22T15:06:00.000-08:002010-11-22T15:06:11.907-08:00Da da da Done!So, I FINALLY have Darcy's room ready to welcome the little girl. Her crib and dresser are painted and in the room, and I've finished all the crib linens that I'm going to be making. (Well, I may sew more sheets come summer, but I'm not committing to that now). <br />
<br />
I have her clothes sorted into the drawers of her dresser (how are six drawers already packed?), and the newborn and 0-3 month sizes have been washed. I've also washed the carseat cover and the bouncy chair cover in anticipation of her arrival, but I have to dig the carseat base out of storage. <br />
<br />
In actuality, Darcy will probably spend the first month in a pack 'n play in our bedroom so I have easy access to her in the night, but we'll see. However, when she is ready to move into her own room, this is what will greet her:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCscdnfFRyeUVOwCoMPzrg0bI25l_VJWcO40ThFWzjfQzcKdsdRN4rXWCu06GWKp24xOsiHwEeXmxiYBa0qEVPFFOU7KdiOqG5DIyFBmPzC4e8rFWJ1T5Q_MOoesb5qUve1D_BWDF7_ul/s1600/IMG_1187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCscdnfFRyeUVOwCoMPzrg0bI25l_VJWcO40ThFWzjfQzcKdsdRN4rXWCu06GWKp24xOsiHwEeXmxiYBa0qEVPFFOU7KdiOqG5DIyFBmPzC4e8rFWJ1T5Q_MOoesb5qUve1D_BWDF7_ul/s320/IMG_1187.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
I'm little frustrated by the hitch in the crib skirt, but it can't be helped since this is a drop-side crib. I am, however, extremely proud of sewing my own ruffles and the crib bumper came out exactly how I wanted it to. <br />
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I wish I could show you the rest of the room, but it's covered in junk that I'm still sorting, cleaning, washing, assembling, etc. It definitely still needs a few homey touches, like artwork and a pretty lamp, but were she to arrive early, I'd be ready to meet her.ErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978880686899364394.post-5408898227673160082010-11-13T13:48:00.000-08:002010-11-13T13:48:30.736-08:00November Monthly MenuOkay, so it's half-way through November already, but I only just finished the four weeks from my last menu, thanks to a cooking hiatus in Milwaukee for work.<br />
<br />
Without further ado:<br />
<b><br />
Week 1</b><br />
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Asian Turkey meatballs with carrot rice and stir-fried veggies<br />
<br />
Sauteed Chicken with Linguine with lemon-cream sauce and steamed broccoli<br />
<br />
Black Beans and Sausage<br />
<br />
Spicy Apricot glazed chicken w/ French bread and sauteed green beans w/ slivered almonds<br />
<br />
Chicken carcass soup w/ baking powder biscuits<br />
<br />
<b>Week 2</b><br />
<br />
Grandma’s Veggie Chili w/ Cornbread<br />
<br />
Lighter chicken Enchiladas (add spinach)<br />
<br />
Open-faced cheeseburgers w/ mushrooms and onions /w sweet potato home fries<br />
<br />
Chicken, carrots, and broccoli stir-fry<br />
<br />
Herb-roasted Pork Tenderloin w/ pears and roasted acorn squash w/ cinnamon butter<br />
<br />
<b>Week 3</b><br />
<br />
Very Veggie Lasagna<br />
<br />
Ginger chicken stir-fry<br />
<br />
Cottage pie<br />
<br />
Fish Tacos<br />
<br />
Chicken and kale hand pies w/ cheddar crust<br />
<br />
<b>Week 4</b><br />
<br />
Turkey Keema<br />
<br />
Slow cooker Chicken taco soup<br />
<br />
Tuna Nicoise Sandwiches<br />
<br />
Baked Ziti w/ Sausage and Fresh basil w/ green salad<br />
<br />
Easy Beef Stroganoff w/ green beansErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978880686899364394.post-44215705684825056672010-10-10T08:02:00.000-07:002010-10-10T08:02:27.762-07:00Another Monthly MenuWeek 1<br />
<br />
Cassoulet w/ lots of vegetables<br />
Lighter Chicken Enchiladas<br />
Spicy Apricot-Glazed Chicken, Green beans w/ toasted pecans, and quinoa<br />
Meatball Sandwiches w/ baby carrots and celery dippers<br />
Broccoli and Pork Stir-fry w/ jasmine rice<br />
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Week 2<br />
<br />
Jamie’s Minestrone<br />
Grandma’s veggie chili w/ cornbread<br />
Whole-wheat flatbreads w/ lamb and yogurt<br />
Chicken stirfry w/ broccoli and carrots- w/ rice<br />
Pasta w/ Rosemary Shrimp and Scampi w/ sautéed zucchini<br />
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Week 3<br />
<br />
Slow-cooker Green Chili w/ tortilla chips<br />
Maple-glaze Cornish game hens w/ carrots and warm green bean and potato salad<br />
Very Veggie Lasagna<br />
Mediterranean Baked fish w/ roasted zucchini / couscous pilaf<br />
Ginger Chicken Stir-fry w/rice<br />
<br />
Week 4<br />
<br />
Slow cooker Short Rib Ragu w/ baking power biscuits<br />
Lentil Soup w/ Sourdough Croutons<br />
Green Chili Burritos<br />
Healthy turkey loaf w/ mashed sweet potatoes and steamed broccoli<br />
Beef and Broccoli in Oyster Sauce w/ rice<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><o:p></o:p></span> <!--EndFragment--> <!--EndFragment-->ErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978880686899364394.post-84172604435145304742010-10-09T06:16:00.000-07:002010-10-09T06:16:10.442-07:00Crazy With a Touch of InsomniaSometimes I just have to face it, I'm my own worst enemy. I know that with the boys and Carson gone for the weekend, I should be resting up and recharging myself- at 30 weeks pregnant, I definitely need all the extra rest I can get- especially considering I'll be leaving to work my annual convention one week from today.<br />
However...with the boys and Carson gone, I also have the perfect opportunity to knock a bunch of items off my to-do list. I started yesterday by leaving the house shortly after wrapping up work around 5pm. As I left I thought, "should I turn the porch light on? Nah, I'll definitely be back before it's dark." Well, at 8:45 I rolled back in with sub in hand to finally sit down and eat dinner. I got a bit hung up on my first stop- Joann Fabrics, because I had fun browsing and THEN took a number to get my fabric cut. Big mistake. They were completely swamped, something I didn't expect on a Friday night, and between the cutting and the check out lines, I was there for another hour.<br />
Then I had to hit up Ross and TJ Maxx/HomeGoods looking for some maternity khaki pants (fail) and a cool lamp for Darcy's room (fail). Then it was off to Target to do some birthday shopping for Dom (fail) and buy some bras that don't chafe and poke me in the wrong places (success at last!). After all that, I grabbed a sub at Jimmy Johns and went home to watch a chick flick on the instant queue. <br />
I don't know why I'm so wound up, but I ended up not turning in until 11, and then I woke up, wide awake at 2. Though my body is kind of tired, my mind has been racing since then, trying to prioritize what I need to do this weekend. At 2:30 it occurred to me that I wouldn't disturb anyone by turning on lights and actually DOING stuff on my to-do list, instead of stewing about it. I did try to go back to bed at 4 and wasted another 1/2 hour before I called it a lost cause. So, now it's 7 am and I've started to wash my newly purchased material, eaten 2 breakfasts, a cup of coffee (and am currently sipping some tea), finished a big print job for work, and sewn two more crib sheets. I KNOW I'm going to crash at some point today, but hopefully I'll sleep soundly with a few more things checked off my list. So what else am I hoping to get done this weekend?<br />
1. Finish painting and polyacrylic Darcy's dresser.<br />
2. Sand, paint, and polyacrylic the crib.<br />
3. Sew a crib bumper<br />
4. Sew a crib skirt<br />
5. Sew a jersey baby wrap (just need a seam down the middle and a reinforcement panel. <br />
6. Buy and install blinds in Darcy's room (I took the old one down to paint and forgot I have a guest coming next week who might enjoy her privacy!) and maybe in the master too, since we've been unable to shut our blinds for months now. Thankfully, there is an easement behind our house, so nobody is looking directly in our window. Although, I suppose that if someone across the way had a pair of binoculars, they've had a pretty good show!<br />
7. Hang pictures in stairwell and hallway/ figure out what I want to hang in Darcy's room.<br />
8. buy lamp for Darcy's room<br />
9. find rocker/glider and/or recliner for Darcy's room (to be reupholstered in some awesome toile currently 40% off at Joann's)<br />
10. Make monthly menu and do grocery shopping<br />
<br />
The painting stuff really has to be a top priority for me because as the weather is getting colder, I'm going to run out of space for painting. But it's not going to get over 60 until after lunch- so I'm off to start on my crib bumper while the material for the skirt is still being washed and dried. <br />
<br />
Hopefully I'll have some finished projects to show by the end of the weekend!ErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978880686899364394.post-23167705946316573722010-09-18T20:46:00.000-07:002010-09-18T20:48:19.117-07:00A Darcy DayFor a day that started off pretty shaky, it has ended very well. I haven't done a single one of my normal chores, but I've made a lot of headway on some of the things I've had to put off. <br />
<br />
The last two weekends we were away from home, and that always makes me a little stressed out. The weekends are when I menu plan, grocery shop, do the laundry, and do the majority of the housecleaning- so whenever we're away- I have to try to pack all those things into a much more condensed time frame, which makes for a very cranky Erin.<br />
<br />
However, this weekend I said to hell with clean floors and clean bathrooms and made Jason promise to do the laundry, as long as I will fold and put it away. Now, this might come back to bite me in the butt later- my parents are flying in on Thursday night and I would like the house to be clean for them. However, Jason has agreed to let me HIRE A BI-WEEKLY HOUSEKEEPER to help out with the chores. Hooray, hooray! I just need to get someone in before Thursday or my parents will have to deal with my slovenliness (is that a word Dad?).<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgBni7Jmr4ANhAGujtEhRLBieFdW-xCp13_D7XpVDP0RB3-xlpXD59u0BUfq-hEG8zqE6ZRa_tmAAD1AgJ74DSVAqXCE_-v3ScRA9X2P0f-pduNSRQfY3jga64qVifieb2BBwhuIX9WLw7/s1600/5016501001762lg-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgBni7Jmr4ANhAGujtEhRLBieFdW-xCp13_D7XpVDP0RB3-xlpXD59u0BUfq-hEG8zqE6ZRa_tmAAD1AgJ74DSVAqXCE_-v3ScRA9X2P0f-pduNSRQfY3jga64qVifieb2BBwhuIX9WLw7/s320/5016501001762lg-1.jpg" /></a>I got a great start to my morning by going over to my grandparents house to spend some time sewing with my grandmother. She worked on a baby quilt for one of my cousins and I borrowed her machine to start sewing crib sheets for Darcy. Man, I underestimated how long that would take me- but I got one done (minus elastic). I also managed to iron all the material I have for Darcy things prior to going over there- so progress is being made. Now if she shows up early she has a sheet, if nothing else.<br />
<br />
In the afternoon the boys took a nice long nap which allowed me time to finish sanding Darcy's dresser and learn how to use my new paint sprayer- the Graco Spray Station 2900.<br />
<br />
I'm still getting used to it, but so far I am pleased. The spray is a little thinner than I anticipated, so I will have to do more coats that I had planned (I usually do primer + 2 coats). However, it took me about a half an hour from can opening to finishing cleaning up to prime a six-drawer dresser and all the drawer fronts. Did I mention cleaning up is so EASY! I hate cleaning rollers, so this may be the best $99 I ever spent.<br />
<br />
Right now it is coming out a bit speckly, but I have a feeling that is more user-error than anything else. I'm still trying to find the right flow volume and distance for that professional spray. But, I will just give it a light sanding between coats and I should still finish in record time. Tomorrow, I hope to put 2 more coats on (and hope that that is all it needs) so I can start the polyacrylic process as well.<br />
<br />
In the evening I managed to get the trim in Darcy's room sanded and a first coat of paint on the dresser. Jason and I would have hung the closet doors in Dominic's room, but my drill ran out battery (for the first time ever). My good friend Sheena is coming over tomorrow afternoon to help me paint, so I am hoping to get the trim in Darcy room at least primed and first-coated. I doubt that I'll get her room painted prior to my parents arrival, but I'll be happy with the trim done.<br />
<br />
We ended the day with a late dinner at Texas Roadhouse and Dominic behaved better than he has ever behaved while we're out. He ate the dinner we ordered him, including veggies, and colored during all the waiting times. Now, after a nice hot shower and a chance to blog, I'm ready to crawl into bed and see if I can get 5 pages into my new book prior to zonking out. I just hope when I wake up tomorrow too stiff to move, I'm still as gung-ho about the day's plans as I am now.ErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978880686899364394.post-53531194047667098812010-09-14T14:08:00.000-07:002010-09-14T14:08:01.851-07:00A Manic Mom Monthly MenuMy first blog failed. I attempted too much and ended up giving up altogether. I was trying to post my monthly menus with links to all recipes, and then do a detailed "how to" post for each recipe, including pictures. After a week I discovered it was WAY too time consuming and abandoned it.<br />
I also don't always have a monthly menu. While Jason was away for 6 months, I didn't make any menus. We ate a lot of PB&J, eggs for dinner, and ate out. Being pregnant and packing up a house at the same time just didn't inspire me to cook as much as I usually try to.<br />
<br />
Since we got settled in in Colorado, I have been trying to at least come up with a weekly menu. The commissary is close, but not so close that I want to run out and pick up a missing ingredient. I also wasn't shopping at the commissary initially, but I've discovered it saves us between $20 and $40 a week on groceries, so I'll make the hike.<br />
<br />
I got inspired over the weekend and dug up last year's September menu- that really made the process quicker, though I had to sub out some recipes that weren't hits- and take out some vegetarian meals since Jason has expressed that he prefers meat at every meal (too bad- we're eating meatless at least once a week).<br />
<br />
So here's my menu plan for the next four weeks, sorry links not included.<br />
<br />
Week 1<br />
Rotisserie Chicken with Mashed Sweet Potatoes and Steamed Green Beans<br />
Chicken Taco Soup with Home-made cornbread<br />
Kung Pow Chicken over Jasmine Rice<br />
Beef Stroganoff and Oven-Roasted Zuchinni<br />
Lemon Garlic Tilapia over Quinoa, with Steamed Broccoli<br />
<br />
Week 2<br />
Shrimp Pad Thai<br />
Chicken Fajitas<br />
Sausage, Lentil and Kale Soup w/ French Bread<br />
Pan-seared Pork with Potatoes and Lemon, with a side of Shredded Brussels Sprouts and almonds.<br />
Veggie Calzones (providing I can find refridgerated pizza dough)<br />
<br />
Week 3<br />
Bacon and Broccoli Quiche<br />
Turkey Spaghetti w/ mixed veggies<br />
Pork and Green Bean Stir-Fry over Jasmine Rice<br />
Tilapia Tacos w/ fresh salsa and guacamole<br />
Granny's Veggie Chili and home-made cornbread<br />
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Week 4<br />
Lentil Soup with Sourdough croutons<br />
Keema curry w/ naan<br />
Red-wine marinated steak with roasted root vegetables and potatoes<br />
Stir-fried ginger chicken w/ rice<br />
Baked pork schnitzel w/ white wine and lemon sauce, with roasted Brussels sprouts and mashed potatoes<br />
<br />
I plan 5 menus a week to account for the fact that at least 1 night we are going to eat leftovers, and 1 night I demand to be taken out. I saw an apron at Salvation Army that said something to the extent of, "A wife who cooks and cleans deserves many thanks and dinner out once a week." But the apron version rhymed and I cannot for the life of me remember what it was- or I'd paint it on my kitchen wall. I can't agree more. At least one night a week I go on strike and refuse to even microwave anything- because there are still dished to be cleaned, tables to be wiped, and floors to be swept after a leftover dinner.ErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978880686899364394.post-37899408483523530362010-09-14T07:55:00.000-07:002010-09-14T08:11:42.674-07:00The Dining Room/Front Room<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
After Dominic's room, the dinning room and front room (so called because it doesn't really have a function) were the next thing I tackled. This is kind of an awkward space since it it is long and skinny, and has a weird beam running straight across it. My first thought was that the beam just looked so out of place and awkward- especially since it was the same color as everything else.<br />
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This room isn't really "done" yet. I still need to line the curtains (table clothes from Target) find a corner hutch for my wine glasses and liquor, and figure out what I'm putting in that front room area. I keep hoping to find two matching wingback chairs that I can re-upholster, and I'm also hoping that when my Grandparents move, they won't have room for their piano and I'll be forced to take it off their hands. Oh- and I want to paint that brassy chandelier- but I can't decide on white or oil-rubbed bronze. Any thoughts?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUJtFclMgxy2kl9SNHJh_jAJZG3EzCn-PXlGUqYBGz2DEJE1TfFQGEI1VUC1w7STwuUhPWg9N1DN5ftQvNlpOEEOfzPikHIQp-z4W6u0M_gg8hWtFPdx84iTHAvz1n-GGdJVcKvaIi5Df/s1600/IMG_0047.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUJtFclMgxy2kl9SNHJh_jAJZG3EzCn-PXlGUqYBGz2DEJE1TfFQGEI1VUC1w7STwuUhPWg9N1DN5ftQvNlpOEEOfzPikHIQp-z4W6u0M_gg8hWtFPdx84iTHAvz1n-GGdJVcKvaIi5Df/s320/IMG_0047.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before-From Front Door</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihwFNcLi1DSst_aV5lIkxjcP2ph1gFOjlmvDZyrjT8QVTS2ZmjNw-CojlHntOJwt1xcSPw5Y0ux2NVCrx-_mRWkd4XkVFHFh6HqlIFXEQg1jRNKLPL_i5UmvfW-m3gUxqBUrfIJqONGsB_/s320/IMG_1025.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After- From Front Door</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before- From Dining Room</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmfJw1_VRuxCpTG8v_np6xwtCRhOttigyH5U013cLzV5_e_5h_oGLoRNfrG4iVqxjxUanNlIZCxn7ankMZtczkVNoXv699UtxUMPRjztmFauufYn8uxGktH_ijS2__LvKA-7pEBILDLdqy/s1600/IMG_1026.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmfJw1_VRuxCpTG8v_np6xwtCRhOttigyH5U013cLzV5_e_5h_oGLoRNfrG4iVqxjxUanNlIZCxn7ankMZtczkVNoXv699UtxUMPRjztmFauufYn8uxGktH_ijS2__LvKA-7pEBILDLdqy/s320/IMG_1026.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After- From Dining Room</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcw5XJV1jkmDxBftSU7pDN0ZAdsMiV9vCewEMHKrfFS86h7Ry8vWB8THhQkDxpp-KvtWji4PsKVaS3FJ3OZrxHBptU68lMhZj8PYgvnB4LHG8Z_pu1Xf1ZdtcVoiW_23LOjSoxDSLmawUK/s320/IMG_1029.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stairwell seating area- <br />
where the piano or wingback chairs would go</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6xA10scKFuflCH-g-GHG1iiA1VxK8BJLW5PQzmMv0oAGTw6BAnBy-s9x13BIUE4b7KXC030vX8iCEKH91JIdero5MQPZSxI_xNbQG3lnQ9HjX7YcdDccbz8h00IX3-75A9tB2jy0K6NMj/s1600/IMG_0048.jpg" imageanchor="1"></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihwFNcLi1DSst_aV5lIkxjcP2ph1gFOjlmvDZyrjT8QVTS2ZmjNw-CojlHntOJwt1xcSPw5Y0ux2NVCrx-_mRWkd4XkVFHFh6HqlIFXEQg1jRNKLPL_i5UmvfW-m3gUxqBUrfIJqONGsB_/s1600/IMG_1025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcw5XJV1jkmDxBftSU7pDN0ZAdsMiV9vCewEMHKrfFS86h7Ry8vWB8THhQkDxpp-KvtWji4PsKVaS3FJ3OZrxHBptU68lMhZj8PYgvnB4LHG8Z_pu1Xf1ZdtcVoiW_23LOjSoxDSLmawUK/s1600/IMG_1029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>ErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978880686899364394.post-66376094860244424982010-09-13T14:26:00.000-07:002010-09-13T14:26:45.477-07:00Dominic's RoomWhen I arrived in Colorado, I expected my shipment to be right behind me. However, because of the wonders of military shipping, it was diverted all over the country before it actually made to my doorstep, 6 days after the date I had initially been told. I had arranged for Dominic to spend the week with his grandparents so he wouldn't have to be caught up in the moving of furniture and unpacking, and so that he could arrive at his new house with his new room set up with all his things. It was just not to be.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVIDmZH8MXnQmoen9MZq6pwkYnGZ8xjBi3y_MLO-eBijN9Mv-c2brBZ0DOyKPUrCdhdxoJzUh1Y2z4Ikh3eW43OhsibZ-iLK8UX8Ggr2HjyFKiUyO1xV9uHPCInXqQyQcV2QQEGsdBhSw/s1600/IMG_0060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVIDmZH8MXnQmoen9MZq6pwkYnGZ8xjBi3y_MLO-eBijN9Mv-c2brBZ0DOyKPUrCdhdxoJzUh1Y2z4Ikh3eW43OhsibZ-iLK8UX8Ggr2HjyFKiUyO1xV9uHPCInXqQyQcV2QQEGsdBhSw/s200/IMG_0060.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dom's Room Before</td></tr>
</tbody></table>But, since I had a week off of work (no internet access or desk yet- so I didn't have the option to return early) and nothing to clutter up the house- I decided to make the most of the situation and paint! I choose Dominic's room first for 2 reasons: 1) he would have the hardest time with the transition and 2) he has the most furniture of any room in the house- no kidding.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7CH9szf7tYi6SEqA3DuGRozIMnHfYvBijHgi6tWuASpjclTBRZHLOkhgl0cphVYrBdDZfKRZvGG1PVVS4zUaxXSBJ9F5xnkTzIT9LywmFQ0C-2PT6bqagmwZ06P_H6lK6000oeRqxyBy/s1600/IMG_0061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF7CH9szf7tYi6SEqA3DuGRozIMnHfYvBijHgi6tWuASpjclTBRZHLOkhgl0cphVYrBdDZfKRZvGG1PVVS4zUaxXSBJ9F5xnkTzIT9LywmFQ0C-2PT6bqagmwZ06P_H6lK6000oeRqxyBy/s200/IMG_0061.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dom's Room Before</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
First a word about the general condition of the house. It was in pretty good shape- decent carpet, everything works, etc, but every wall and ceiling was the exact same color of off-white, and all the trim was this really beat-up "foak" color that had been sealed with something so shiny, you could not longer tell it was real wood and not plastic.<br />
<br />
Eventually, all that plastic-wood will be painted white, but I'm taking it one room at at time- that's about all I can manage these days. Dominic's room got the white trim treatment, and 2 coats of "Spa" blue by Olympic. I picked Olympic because it has Zero VOCs- even the colors. Without further ado- I give you Dominic's room with it's new color, decorations, and furniture (all painted by me, btw). I have not given you a shot of his closet though- as I have yet to re-hang the doors. I need Jason's help, and I've only been asking for about a month- so it's should only be another 2 months before it actually gets done.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3EoZF4LB7_9F7kQGLQMthxIx0GQ4LXzngUgtAA-ribwuqBSYayMwyHYvCs2vuZOVxt1IEPPC3-UOXLJRUFAyUY7KJurJq1KKmYfuBxyvdQReywmV8O09SACm11YEH_UC4AzIC2cX2hZPd/s1600/IMG_1030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3EoZF4LB7_9F7kQGLQMthxIx0GQ4LXzngUgtAA-ribwuqBSYayMwyHYvCs2vuZOVxt1IEPPC3-UOXLJRUFAyUY7KJurJq1KKmYfuBxyvdQReywmV8O09SACm11YEH_UC4AzIC2cX2hZPd/s320/IMG_1030.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZX4AwHIu_qlAzpX6PHYnZF-q0VLjimU1J-D3e0JhXNzo3LiSElncmsXgIs0CtAX0kzpl89r03dE3aDbKp_51_IoYVsA4l_EeL4S2GnYx-owX0d3krYOB1UgRPEBFH2DH01kZ3bSJ_zq-K/s1600/IMG_1031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZX4AwHIu_qlAzpX6PHYnZF-q0VLjimU1J-D3e0JhXNzo3LiSElncmsXgIs0CtAX0kzpl89r03dE3aDbKp_51_IoYVsA4l_EeL4S2GnYx-owX0d3krYOB1UgRPEBFH2DH01kZ3bSJ_zq-K/s320/IMG_1031.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpz-NIQ7Z5n7WvgGF-z69elK1uDIqA1ElNdj1wxC8U6xajMqxEcv-NJG2B7LxIhjlcQ4EdHGXdD-EypEJYjCTGzDSjuUbWSjEYgVRldwu6gMpCub9ZQddkXUupzLk6iH5UWSf-YlhPrz8P/s1600/IMG_1032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpz-NIQ7Z5n7WvgGF-z69elK1uDIqA1ElNdj1wxC8U6xajMqxEcv-NJG2B7LxIhjlcQ4EdHGXdD-EypEJYjCTGzDSjuUbWSjEYgVRldwu6gMpCub9ZQddkXUupzLk6iH5UWSf-YlhPrz8P/s320/IMG_1032.JPG" /></a></div><br />
I didn't take a picture of his other bookshelf and the "Goodnight Moon" lithograph- it was too close to the undoored closet. I'm also not one for staging a photo. What you see is pretty much what his room looks like on any given day- wires showing, bed slightly rumpled, etc. Did I mention I also made his quilt? I am pretty proud of the fact that his toys are picked up everyday and not allowed to get out of control, now if only we could institute the same policy for our kitchen bar!ErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978880686899364394.post-75756473029098248172010-09-03T08:04:00.000-07:002010-09-03T08:04:23.153-07:00Itchin' for some Thriftin' (why I'm completely insane)Hi, my name is Erin and I'm completely incapable of making realistic evaluations of what I can and cannot take on. For instance, I am whining (just a little bit, and mostly in my own head) about the fact that the next two weekends because I'll be away from home. This means that my regular cleaning has to get done some time else, but most importantly, I don't have time for projects. I really want to go to this flea market with my friend Sheena (even though I don't really NEED anything right now) and check out what's there. <br />
<br />
What am I hoping to find? Well, I'm thinking it would be great to find a wine cabinet (that could potentially hold liquor and our wine glasses that are still in the box from our wedding). I also want some cool frames that I can turn into chalk and cork boards around the house. I'd love some floating shelves for the kitchen, some more bookcases, a rocker glider, a better desk, a futon, and a pair of wing back chairs, and some chandeliers to replace the hideous brass fixtures in the dining room and kitchen. Also, a porch swing and maybe some cool pots so I can liven up our entry way next year. I wouldn't be opposed to finding some nice fall decorations either.<br />
<br />
Okay, maybe that doesn't sound too crazy- but keep in mind that anything I buy I will probably end up painting or refinishing is someway- and I'm 6 months pregnant with a 3-year old and a puppy. And a husband- he needs looking after too. Plus, I already have the promise of a desk and a rocker glider from my grandparents, if I can just find the time to drive up to their mountain house and get them. I also could just paint the ugly chandeliers with blogland's favorite ORB (oil-rubbed bronze) spray paint. That's actually what is most likely to happen. I'd like to get a futon so we can sleep a few more guests- right now we have twin with a trundle- and that's not so very nice for couples because even though I CAN make a king from it, there tends to be a huge gap in the middle. Plus it would be nice to have a futon in my office.<br />
<br />
And all of this is on top of the projects I'm already trying to complete. I've got a lap quilt I've been working on for 8 years (yes, it takes me that long) and it's coming close to being finished. I've also purchased a lot of fabric to sew my own crib sheets and bedding for little Darcy Rose (all rose-themed of course), and I still need to repaint the crib and the yard-sale dresser I have for her room. Plus I'm planning on painting her room (along with all the trim) before she arrives, and I'd like to finish the living room down stairs and the hallway upstairs too. Preferrably the room painting will get done prior to my parents arrival on Sept. 23rd- yipes! I'm not sure I'm going to get the three bathrooms, laundry room, office, or master bedroom done before December. The painting seems a lot harder now than it did a few months ago, and crawling around on the floor to do trim and cut in means I can barely stand up straight the next day. <br />
<br />
Le sigh. I'm ready to not be pregnant anymore, and I still have 15 weeks left! In fact, I'm so ready I'm even fantasizing about running again. I've downloaded a cool app to my iPhone for a 10k training program, still determined to do the Bolder Boulder next Memorial day. Potential start date is Jan. 31st- as long as I've been cleared by a doctor. I figure that's about 6 weeks after delivery and any stiches/staples/what-have-you should be healed. No need for a baby weight loss plan- I'll be running and breastfeeding- so if that doesn't do it, nothing will. Thanks for reading my ramblings if you made it this far, the next post will contain some house pictures, I promise! ErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978880686899364394.post-80725553522783713352010-06-14T06:13:00.000-07:002010-06-14T06:15:31.903-07:00Transition SucksWell all, I'm back. I've survived a huge move without my hubby, while in my first trimester, with a temperamental 3-year old. Of course, I had help. My wonderful father-in-law flew out to Virginia just to spend 3 days in a car with Dominic and I, and then my in-laws kept Dominic for a week so I could "move-in" without him. Unfortunately, my shipment arrived 6 days later than originally anticipated, so Dominic was back with me by the time I actually got to do any unpacking.<br />
<br />
But the week of no stuff and no Dom gave me a chance to start painting (and I mean start, there is still SOO much to do) and to get some things squared away. I will post before and afters as I finish rooms. Dominic's is almost done, I just have to finish and rehang his closet doors and get some of his decorations up on the wall.<br />
<br />
I also got a chance to tour the school that Dom is attending while he was up with his grandparents. It seems very nice and had a philosophy of learning that both Jason and I embrace, but it is the source of my tears this morning. We LOVED Reston Children's Center where Dominic went from the time he was 10 months old to just three weeks ago. Dominic knew and loved the teachers, and they reciprocated in a way that you don't expect from a facility serving so many different children. It was very hard to leave it, and I've already shed many tears over that.<br />
<br />
Dominic started his new school last week and seemed to do fine. He was a bit clingy in the morning, but there were no tears. His teacher reported that he was transitioning well and I was pretty pleased. Well, pulling up this morning Dom says, "I don't think I like this school. I think I just want to be with you all day, Mommy." As soon as we stopped he unbuckled himself and went to hide in the back seat. I had to tell him I would sit with him a bit before he would come out.<br />
<br />
So we went inside and I sat with him in his class room, just hugging, for a few minutes until he was ready to go join the rest of the children who arrive early. Then I helped him find a toy, lay out his mat, and gave him another big long hug. But he wouldn't let go. When I left, he wasn't shrieking or being hysterical, just quietly sobbing into the neck of the teacher. It was heart wrenching and I barely made it to my car before my own sobs erupted. Maybe it's the hormones, but this morning was especially hard.<br />
<br />
I'm sure that part of Dominic's sadness has to do with the many, many goodbyes and transitions lately. First, with his dad going off to training, and it being more than 5 weeks since we last saw him. Then leaving VA, then leaving his grandparents and favorite uncle in Greeley. We also had my brother and sister-in-law here for a whirlwind trip of 4 days and my parents here for 6 days. We had to say goodbye to them at the airport yesterday. I imagine that Dominic is feeling pretty insecure, and I am the one constant through this whole transition. Hopefully things will improve next week when Jason finally comes home. Sunday can't come soon enough.<br />
<br />
Now off to work, the whole reason why I have to send Dominic anywhere in the first place.ErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978880686899364394.post-43266098148288403202010-05-20T05:13:00.000-07:002010-05-20T05:13:42.829-07:00All Quiet on the Eastern FrontI haven't been blogging as much as I've been meaning to, but I hope that will be forgiven considering my current status as a single-mom trying to get ready for a move while also preparing to be out from my extremely demanding job for two weeks.<br />
<br />
Since my last post I've managed to accomplish many things. I have now notified all my utilities that they should be turned off, and I've arranged to have internet connected at the new house the day I arrive (yeah, I can't live without my internet). Thankfully all the other utilities for my new house are on and all I have to do upon arrival is switch them to my name. I've finished de-cluttering the house, except the fridge (top and inside) which will be done this weekend when I officially start eating out 3 meals a day (can you see my butt getting bigger?). I've also patched and touched up every nail hole in the house and had a walk-through with our moving company.<br />
<br />
With some of these more onerous tasks done, I'm looking forward to the weekend. On Saturday, I'll get to see my aunt, cousin, and grandparents at my cousin's bridal shower. My family is probably the single most important thing in my life, so I'm so grateful I have the opportunity to say goodbye to at least part of the East Coast clan. I'll be with my grandparents much much more in Colorado, and that will be wonderful.<br />
<br />
This post is getting long, but let me just take a moment to talk about how much my grandparents mean to me. Grandfather has always been a supporter and encourager of my sometimes wild imagination. For years he encouraged me to pursue writing and become a published author like he is. I think my writing may be a bit different, but I have a dream to write a series of children's novels, something I've been harboring since I was about 12. LONG before Harry Potter, I dreamed up many magical worlds that are somewhere between Narnia and the wizarding world of the Potter series. Grandfather, you may see me published yet. And Grandmother. Well, if there was ever a more gentle, stubborn, loving, and determined person, I haven't met them. My grandmother taught me to quilt, and basically gave me my entire stash of fabrics when she was "cleaning" out hers. She also taught me to drive (or tried to) the summer before I went to college. I remember taking a right turn at the bottom of a hill WAY too fast and swinging all the way over into the left lane and on-coming traffic. She didn't scream, didn't clutch at me, she simply said, "Erin get back into the right lane as quickly as possible." I can't wait to be near you again.<br />
<br />
Okay, now I forgot where I as going with this post, so I'll wrap up. I'm excited to get going and to be so close to some family I haven't seen much in the last five years.ErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978880686899364394.post-3324038894073571622010-05-10T09:38:00.000-07:002010-05-10T09:38:12.269-07:00Making ProgressJason headed of to GA for some more lovely training on Saturday morning. Thankfully, we got to spend Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday evening with him. I had to work all week, but Dominic did get to go hiking with his Dad and gruncle on Thursday. Anyway, with Jason gone before 9am, I pretty much had the whole weekend to get stuff done. And I got'r dun.<br />
On Saturday:<br />
<br />
<ul><li>3 loads of laundry</li>
<li>trip to Walmart for vacuum bags/filters and car stuff for the upcoming road trip</li>
<li>trip to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to pick up shower gift for my cousin Lara, who is getting married this summer</li>
<li>2 1/2 hour nap (much needed)</li>
<li>posted items on Craigslist and freecyle </li>
</ul>On Sunday:<br />
<ul><li> 3 more loads of laundry (washing sheets, towels, and comforters to be stored until after the move</li>
<li>cleaned out master closet</li>
<li> trip to recycle center to drop off too much stuff</li>
<li>trip to target (after discovering I purchased all the wrong vacuum components on Sat)</li>
<li>Starbucks date with the Dom to celebrate mothers' day</li>
<li>Home Depot to drop off propane tanks that will NOT be moving with us, and buy tool caddy and hardware organizer (plus pick up paint chips for my home records book)</li>
<li>Trader Joes for groceries (mostly frozen meals since I won't be cooking much until after I settle in in CO</li>
<li>sanded primer and painted two dresser/side tables one coat</li>
<li>organized tools and paint downstairs </li>
<li>made arrangements for treadmill pick up</li>
<li>took Dom on roller skating adventure around the neighborhood</li>
<li>sold massive corner desk and watched in leave (if somewhat painfully) the premises</li>
<li>made chocolate chip cookies and dinner with Dom</li>
</ul>So I am definitely making progress. This probably doesn't matter much to the few of you that read this blog, but posting it makes me feel like I got something accomplished. And I need that because I still have to:<br />
<ul><li> call Verizon and cancel service, despite not being the name on the account and not knowing the account number or the customer service number</li>
<li>follow up with WashGas to confirm service cancellation</li>
<li>cancel service with Fairfax Water</li>
<li>clean grill- it's yucky</li>
<li>paint one (or two?) more coats on dresser/side tables</li>
<li>put together important documents file and continuing cleaning office</li>
<li>clean out Dom's closet</li>
<li>clean out bathroom cabinets</li>
<li>patch and paint various parts of house</li>
<li>sell sofa and love seat</li>
<li>freecycle guestroom bed</li>
<li>use or lose pantry and refrigerator items</li>
<li>take video of household goods</li>
<li>pack up stuff to take in the van with me</li>
<li>wash pots (for flowers) and replant one plant for a colleague</li>
<li> finish removing personal touches from work office</li>
</ul>I could go on, but you get the idea. Wish me luck, I see many more nights of work ahead. I have two weekends left, and on each weekend I have a family commitment that will rob me of most of the day.<br />
<br />
ErinErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978880686899364394.post-57009328812494444692010-04-29T05:49:00.000-07:002010-04-29T05:49:01.720-07:00Birthday ResolutionsI'm not one for New Year's resolutions- I hate to be just one of the crowd. But every year on my birthday I sit down to think about what I want to accomplish in my next year of life. These things range from the mundane to the improbable, but if you don't set a goal, you'll never reach it! So here is a list of things to do by the time I'm 28.<br />
<br />
1. Run another 5k, be very close to being prepared to run the Bolder Boulder (10k) in 2011.<br />
2. Re-upholster at least one chair<br />
3. Sew my own curtains<br />
4. Finish my columbine quilt and my secondary circles quilt.<br />
5. Sew decorative pillows for my living room<br />
6. Paint EVERYTHING! (Or at least almost everything in my new home. I'm talking walls, doors, trim, and cabinets. If I get really into it maybe even the kitchen counters? Don't freak out Mom, that's just a musing.)<br />
7. Build a bed and some bookshelves using plans from www.knockoffwood.blogspot.com<br />
8. Raise my own vegetables and make home-made jam<br />
9. Expand the family...<br />
10. Visit my family in SE Asia (this is the improbable must most desired one)<br />
<br />
As you can see, I have quite a few hobbies. There are fewer things that give me more pleasure than crafting- either with wood or fabric. I love to work with my hands and add beauty, or at least flair, to things. ErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978880686899364394.post-69360216407509881272010-04-27T16:10:00.000-07:002010-04-27T16:10:49.081-07:00Losing My Mind or Just My Keys?My afternoon turned into a saga rather quickly, but I'll start at the beginning. It's been a beautiful day and I had a good conversation with my hubby while I was driving from work to Dominic's school (yes, I do talk on the phone when I'm driving, deal with it). I pulled up to Dom's school and went it, picking up my raffle prize on my way.<br />
<br />
Dominic's class had just gone outside and he was gleefully zipping around on a tricycle, so I let him play for a while, in no hurry to get home. After about 10 minutes I rounded him up to go home and headed out. I realized, however, that my car keys were not in my pocket, so I went back to check Dom's locker where I frequently leave them. Nope, no keys there, but I had managed to forget the raffle prize, so I picked up. Next thought: maybe I left them at the front desk when I went to pick up the prize? Nope, no keys there either. Dreading what I might find, I took Dominic outside and peered in the window of the van. Yup, there in the cup holder were my keys, mocking me, right next to my phone and purse.<br />
<br />
I went back inside to let the front desk know that I would most definitely be violating the 10 minute parking rule while I ran home to break into my home for my spare set of keys. Yvette was kind enough to suggest that Dominic stay at school while I carried out my mission, and I'm glad she did, because that hadn't even occurred to me. With Dominic safely back in his teacher's care, I set off through the woods to get home. Thankfully it's only about a 10 minute walk at a brisk pace. <br />
<br />
Here's where the plot thickens. You would think that I would have a house key hidden outside somewhere for these occasions, but you'd be wrong. You'd think I'd at least give a trusted neighbor a spare key, but you'd be wrong. You'd think that maybe, just maybe with all my forgetfulness lately, I would have forgotten to latch a ground level window or maybe even have left the walk-out basement unbarred, but you'd be wrong. After several pathetic attempts to open the living room windows, I realize that would not be my point of entry. In fact, the only windows in the house that I knew were not currently latched were the windows in the kitchen, a full story up above the walkout basement.<br />
<br />
Oh for ladder! I was pleased to see a car parked in my next-door neighbors spot, for I knew they have a 30 ft. ladder in their back yard and I thought maybe someone would help me. No go, nobody answered the door. Just then, a neighbor I usually avoid due to his propensity to be quite.. loquacious (and from me that is saying something) pulled up. I seriously considered busting a window, but I decided to just ask. Thankfully a ladder was available! It only took him 10 minutes to unearth from somewhere in the basement, but I could not have been more grateful. I had also seriously consider climbing the fence of my neighbors and helping myself to their ladder, I just couldn't figure out how I was going to manage it on my own, and whether they would forgive me if I destroyed their windows/fence/yard by dropping it.<br />
<br />
Once I had the ladder, it took me less than a minute to pop out the screen, lift the window and climb through. One minute after that I was back on the trail in jeans and a t-shirt (so much more appropriate than the work clothes I had been wearing) and so endeth the drama. Dominic and I made home safely after I was berated by him for my thoughtlessness. We even managed to squeeze in a half-hour at the playground before dinner and cookie making. The cookies served the dual purpose of comforting my fried nerves and acting as token of thanks to a helpful neighbor. <br />
<br />
If you got to the end of this, good for you. This is probably WAY more details that anyone wanted to know, but sometimes I just have to share.ErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978880686899364394.post-87146021884124498862010-04-27T12:40:00.000-07:002010-04-27T12:51:57.682-07:00So much time, so little to do. Strike that, reverse it.Oh what I wouldn't give for a little team of Umpa Lumpa's these days. I could even deal with the obnoxious songs telling me about my bad parenting if they would just help me sort through all my junk. I can just imagine them now, squatting up and down singing:<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">"Umpa lumpa dumpadi dap,</div><div style="text-align: center;">Why are you collecting this crap?<br />
Clutter and mess will bring nothing but stress<br />
Why has your house become a trap...<br />
for everything that's useless.."</div><br />
And so on and so forth. After that foray into fantasy I must return to the issue at hand. I have TOO MUCH to do, and not enough time or energy to do it. I have long since started the great de-clutter of my house, but it has plateaued recently. I still have two huge problem areas to tackle- areas where I have no idea what I will find. These would be Jason and my offices. Jason's office is currently being used to house a dusty treadmill and two bins of random things I threw in there when I was making room for the treadmill. My office...well I don't even want to talk about what might be in there (like the various pictures and art that have never been hung on my walls for the past three years!).<br />
<br />
I did manage to make some headway last night, thanks to the rain giving me a good reason to keep Dominic in from the playground. I cleaned the hall closet. Who knew how much junk was in there? What came out was 1 FULL bin of winter gear to be stored for another season, 1 large black garbage bag of assorted crap (the word of the day), and 4-5 trips either to the basement to put tools and a stroller in their "right" place or to take purses, clothes, and other items not currently in use upstairs. I also moved the shoe rack out of the closet and around the corner, in hopes that keeping it in plain view will help it to be a) used, and b) kept tidy. I then moved Dominic's scooter, roller skates, and ball bin in the closet. Here's the result.<br />
<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQTWZGQjeLmQNRRHZZQZu4AovPxX53FjAH0WYYkrBHUrRe9cLeV467UY7rXbj52BBVjaRbBMu3u8760M0hMnYRpBLGvyrMXA_o8QXoE7goHSOHOSTDOM4Q2BlnuOjOGjMsBNo5qQqwBmS/s1600/clean+closet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnQTWZGQjeLmQNRRHZZQZu4AovPxX53FjAH0WYYkrBHUrRe9cLeV467UY7rXbj52BBVjaRbBMu3u8760M0hMnYRpBLGvyrMXA_o8QXoE7goHSOHOSTDOM4Q2BlnuOjOGjMsBNo5qQqwBmS/s320/clean+closet.jpg" /></a></div>Ahhh! I should have taken a before picture, but I didn't feel the need to shame myself on the world wide web.<br />
<br />
So here's the list of things for me to do before we move. <br />
<ul><li>Purge of junk: kitchen, Erin's office, Jason's office, Dominic's room, master bedroom, bathroom cabinets, and finish purging the basement (specifically tool and pain area under the stairs).</li>
<li>Sell or give away: big corner desk, couch and loveseat, captains bed in guestroom + any other crap I find that I don't want to keep.</li>
<li>Endless trips to the recycle center.</li>
<li>Create a folder of all necessary travel documents, housing and utility contacts, and identity documents.</li>
<li>Schedule carpet cleaning.</li>
<li>Schedule lease check out.</li>
<li>Schedule maid service or suck it up and do it myself.</li>
<li>Pack up office in McLean and make sure I have all things I need to work from home in my POV so I can start working right away upon arrival.</li>
<li>Call utilities to end in VA and utilities to start in CO</li>
<li><b>And most importantly:</b> spend time with friends and family before setting out on my great life migration tale.</li>
</ul>Now that I've written it out it looks so much more manageable- NOT! Anyone got a paper bag? I'm starting to hyperventilate.ErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978880686899364394.post-10614934675590797362010-04-19T05:00:00.000-07:002010-04-19T05:00:53.133-07:00Too Short<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Dominic got a haircut this weekend after months of my begging Jason to do it. I think that Jason doesn't want to do it again for a while, because it is now really short. Like, is that poor child in the Make-a-Wish program? short. Unfortunately I have no after pictures, but here's a "during" pic.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDzexGbBaaEwobxbOB6wUTS9N-DbksxoCghobAN93_yTtOp55XvjsXSnKd0xts2mEWZdn8_7ERG2coFHV4uGIiWkhrUJWqJFsCSHGDvCgDbZzcqw2pdzJbcHShuYler9PSR0J-Pjt1Kfe/s1600/Dom's+Haircut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzDzexGbBaaEwobxbOB6wUTS9N-DbksxoCghobAN93_yTtOp55XvjsXSnKd0xts2mEWZdn8_7ERG2coFHV4uGIiWkhrUJWqJFsCSHGDvCgDbZzcqw2pdzJbcHShuYler9PSR0J-Pjt1Kfe/s320/Dom's+Haircut.jpg" /></a></div>ErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8978880686899364394.post-38237890025377056782010-04-19T04:53:00.000-07:002010-04-19T04:53:57.386-07:00Master of PersuasionAfter taking FOREVER to get Dominic to sleep in his own room just after he turned one, it feels like a backslide every night that he ends up in my bed before 5 am. After 5am doesn't count because we get up shortly after that and it's just morning cuddle time. With Jason gone, it has been a challenge. 1) I don't like sleeping alone, and 2) I have parent guilt that says I need to make some special accomodations for his absense. Nonetheless, I would really not like to start a habit that is going to end in midnight battles later down the road. Every night I've been tucking Dominic into his own bed with a hug and a kiss, and every morning, he is somehow slumbering right next to me. Usually he just sneaks in after I've gone to sleep (is he waiting for the lights to go off?) or after I get him up to use the bathroom, but last night was a bit different.<br />
<br />
Erin: (reading book)<br />
Dominic: (patters into room looking adorable in jammies) Mommy, can I sleep in your bed now?<br />
Erin: No Dominic, you have your own room and your own bed for sleeping in.<br />
Dominic: (indicating big empty spot next to me) But there's a spot right there!<br />
Erin: There is also a spot in your bed, in your room.<br />
Dominic: but I want to snuggle with you.<br />
Erin: Did you bring your oobie? Promise mommy to close your eyes and go to sleep while I read.<br />
Dominic: (scampers off and returns quickly)<br />
some minutes pass<br />
Dominic: Mommy, I'm going to go potty so I don't pee pee in your bed<br />
Erin: That would be good. Goodnight Dominic.ErinQhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09305245800255284037noreply@blogger.com0