Things for which I am thankful this year, in no particular order:
1.
Caffeine. Why did I resist it for so long? Grad school, first kid, I
said no. It wasn't until I became a stay-at-home parent that I regularly bowed to
the power of this miraculous and life-giving force. What was I waiting
for? A muddled mind on this matter: a clear indication of needing caffeine*.
2.
Cheese. Just all of it. Brie. Gouda. Cheddar with caramelized onions. I'm even thankful for that vegan rice milk
cheese, which is not much like cheese, but still decent on a pizza,
and better than no cheese at all.
3. Songs We All Know. Can you imagine birthday parties without "Happy Birthday?" "Uh, here's your flaming cake." "Thanks."
4.
Hugs. Nature's true miracle drug, soother of wounds, bestower of love
and affection. Also, a good way to suck body heat from your partner, if
you happen to be cold-blooded and have a warm-blooded partner like I
do.
5. Sticks. Good for building fires and smacking things, and for making fishing poles, tree forts, and fantastic fake antlers.
6. Saying Wow. And not just because my littlest
began to say it this week. Try it yourself, go find some things to say
wow about. I'll wait. Now don't you feel better? Wow!
7. Dressing Up. As a person who wears slippers for the majority of my work day, I love wearing nice things once in a while. And the cats appreciate having more luxurious materials to shed upon.
8. The Color of Cranberry Sauce. I don't mean the kind in a can, I mean the kind made on the stove with cranberries, sugar, and water. I've been fortunate enough to see a lot of beautiful things in this life, but few can rival the color of cranberry sauce.
9. Traveling, and Not Traveling. I love to go exploring. But sometimes, like this weekend, I am quite glad to be staying home.
10. Good Books. They feel good to read, and they're good for you. I'll never be able to read them all, but I'll die trying.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!
*No
matter how much I reassure you on this matter, however, do not let me
have a second cup of coffee. I quickly turn from peppy and productive
to angry and jittery. A second cup of tea should be okay, but a third might be risky. Be thankful I have told you this.
Showing posts with label love and marriage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label love and marriage. Show all posts
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Over the Hill
Current Word Count:
25,095/50,000 (50%)
I am feeling the fatigue. Suddenly, there is a lot going on at home and I am not wanting to give my attention to this project. Matthew laughed as I was grumbling tonight, because it's not as if I have to do this. I apologize if I owe you an e-mail or a phone call, but this project is sucking up literally all of my free time at the moment.
On the other hand, I'm at 50% now, two days ahead of schedule. It's all downhill from here!
And now I am going to go have an actual conversation with my husband, because I miss him.
25,095/50,000 (50%)
I am feeling the fatigue. Suddenly, there is a lot going on at home and I am not wanting to give my attention to this project. Matthew laughed as I was grumbling tonight, because it's not as if I have to do this. I apologize if I owe you an e-mail or a phone call, but this project is sucking up literally all of my free time at the moment.
On the other hand, I'm at 50% now, two days ahead of schedule. It's all downhill from here!
And now I am going to go have an actual conversation with my husband, because I miss him.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Top Ten Reasons I Love My Husband Today
Because it's too much pressure to try to decide the top ten reasons I love my husband ever, here are the top ten reasons I'm loving my husband this morning, in no particular order.
1. He packs a mean diaper bag. And by mean, I describe a bag that is "comprehensive" as well as "likely pirate-themed, possibly containing a large knife." Arrr.
2. He looks great in a kilt.
3. His children adore him, and rightfully so. Lots of dads come home from work and play with their kids for a bit. He doesn't just entertain them, he instigates things from babywearing to rocket-launching, and still helps with the crummy stuff like washing out the poopy diapers.
4. He continues to discuss paint colors with me, although he is color blind and hates painting and would be perfectly happy to keep the dining room the same color for the rest of his life. He frowns thoughtfully at my paint chips and offers opinions because he knows that I care.
5. Ditto to discussions about what I should do with my hair.
6. He continues to patiently explain radio things to me, although I continue to make astute observations, such as, "that box is more blinky than this one," and "you have a lot of wires."
7. He is willing to do crazy things that others would shudder to contemplate, from a certain rappelling incident at a certain concert venue, to backpacking through bear country with a five-month-old.
8. He is a great dancer.
9. He will never run out of things that he is interested in, or things that he would like to do. One can talk with him about virtually any topic and he will find something interesting about it.
10. He still seems to like me. A lot.
1. He packs a mean diaper bag. And by mean, I describe a bag that is "comprehensive" as well as "likely pirate-themed, possibly containing a large knife." Arrr.
2. He looks great in a kilt.
3. His children adore him, and rightfully so. Lots of dads come home from work and play with their kids for a bit. He doesn't just entertain them, he instigates things from babywearing to rocket-launching, and still helps with the crummy stuff like washing out the poopy diapers.
4. He continues to discuss paint colors with me, although he is color blind and hates painting and would be perfectly happy to keep the dining room the same color for the rest of his life. He frowns thoughtfully at my paint chips and offers opinions because he knows that I care.
5. Ditto to discussions about what I should do with my hair.
6. He continues to patiently explain radio things to me, although I continue to make astute observations, such as, "that box is more blinky than this one," and "you have a lot of wires."
7. He is willing to do crazy things that others would shudder to contemplate, from a certain rappelling incident at a certain concert venue, to backpacking through bear country with a five-month-old.
8. He is a great dancer.
9. He will never run out of things that he is interested in, or things that he would like to do. One can talk with him about virtually any topic and he will find something interesting about it.
10. He still seems to like me. A lot.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Things I Wish I Could Give to You for Father's Day
To my darling husband Matthew, most excellent father to our children, a small sampling of what I would give to you today, if I could:
Replacements for all the home items lost this year, including but not limited to the wooden salad bowl (multiple dishwasher incidents), the white dress shirt (the flipping incident), the car washing bucket (the Christmas cement incident), and the coffee pot (the my large bottom in the kitchen incident).
Self-feeding, self-scooping cats. Ones that do not pee on our shoes during the night, yet are still masterful at catching crickets, and who enjoy cuddling and long walks on the beach.
A garage filled with power tools, and time to use them. There would be a whole radio nook. It would have heat and a/c and a triathlon training area, where you could ride a stationary bike and use power tools or play radios at the same time so you wouldn't get bored. Yet, miraculously, the kids would never be tempted to do anything dangerous in this garage.
A lake house with a couple of kayaks. Far enough away to be peaceful, yet an easy, no-traffic drive from home.
Down the street from the lake house, a winery. Of course you would make friends with the owners and rig up their sound and lighting system, and in exchange you'd get free wine forever.
Down the street from the winery, a theatre, where you could dabble to your artistic heart's content, but the schedule would be totally flexible with your day job. The kids and I would star in the shows, and we would all be awesome.
Sleeping in. Just in general. And this would be okay with everyone; me, the kids, work. And when you wake up, you'd have your breakfast choice of pancakes, omelet filled with veggies, amazing handmade sausages or all three.
A Father's Day card covered in so much glitter that it likely won't be dry until next Father's Day.
Two girls and a wife who just adore you and thank you for being a great dad.
With much love,
Becca
Replacements for all the home items lost this year, including but not limited to the wooden salad bowl (multiple dishwasher incidents), the white dress shirt (the flipping incident), the car washing bucket (the Christmas cement incident), and the coffee pot (the my large bottom in the kitchen incident).
Self-feeding, self-scooping cats. Ones that do not pee on our shoes during the night, yet are still masterful at catching crickets, and who enjoy cuddling and long walks on the beach.
A garage filled with power tools, and time to use them. There would be a whole radio nook. It would have heat and a/c and a triathlon training area, where you could ride a stationary bike and use power tools or play radios at the same time so you wouldn't get bored. Yet, miraculously, the kids would never be tempted to do anything dangerous in this garage.
A lake house with a couple of kayaks. Far enough away to be peaceful, yet an easy, no-traffic drive from home.
Down the street from the lake house, a winery. Of course you would make friends with the owners and rig up their sound and lighting system, and in exchange you'd get free wine forever.
Down the street from the winery, a theatre, where you could dabble to your artistic heart's content, but the schedule would be totally flexible with your day job. The kids and I would star in the shows, and we would all be awesome.
Sleeping in. Just in general. And this would be okay with everyone; me, the kids, work. And when you wake up, you'd have your breakfast choice of pancakes, omelet filled with veggies, amazing handmade sausages or all three.
A Father's Day card covered in so much glitter that it likely won't be dry until next Father's Day.
Two girls and a wife who just adore you and thank you for being a great dad.
With much love,
Becca
Monday, March 7, 2011
(Just a Few) Reasons to Be Thankful
10 Things I am thankful for, off the top of my head, right at this very moment:
1. A great production of Footloose. It's wonderful to see dear friends and my dear husband carrying on with their love of theatre and passing that on to a new generation. I'm fortunate to be close to such kind and talented people.
2. Getting to take my kids to see live theatre, with live musicians. The kids on stage were superheroes to my girl. And she was mighty proud of her first props; ketchup and mustard bottles she'd filled with playground gravel to keep them from rolling off the tables. (Thanks for giving her that job, S.)
3. My washing machine. I complain about having to put the laundry away, but I'd complain a lot more if I'd had to wash it all by hand.
4. My dishwasher. After the 7+ years in Arlington with no dishwasher, I sure am glad to be able to put everything in and press start.
5. NPR. I like to hear what's going on in the world while I make/clean up from dinner. And it's much better than the network TV coverage, which mainly seems to be about The Weather. (It's coming our way! What this means for your commute, after this commercial.)
6. My husband, who is crazy busy, and who still dropped everything to come home tonight when his girl needed him.
7. Baby carriers, and the babies who sleep in them when nothing else will do for soothing.
8. The opportunity to watch my baby grow and change each day. Last night she figured out crawling. That change, from sitting unsupported to moving unassisted is a monumental one.
9. Kitties who keep us company on good days and bad.
10. The way my husband looks at me, still, after 7 years of marriage.
1. A great production of Footloose. It's wonderful to see dear friends and my dear husband carrying on with their love of theatre and passing that on to a new generation. I'm fortunate to be close to such kind and talented people.
2. Getting to take my kids to see live theatre, with live musicians. The kids on stage were superheroes to my girl. And she was mighty proud of her first props; ketchup and mustard bottles she'd filled with playground gravel to keep them from rolling off the tables. (Thanks for giving her that job, S.)
3. My washing machine. I complain about having to put the laundry away, but I'd complain a lot more if I'd had to wash it all by hand.
4. My dishwasher. After the 7+ years in Arlington with no dishwasher, I sure am glad to be able to put everything in and press start.
5. NPR. I like to hear what's going on in the world while I make/clean up from dinner. And it's much better than the network TV coverage, which mainly seems to be about The Weather. (It's coming our way! What this means for your commute, after this commercial.)
6. My husband, who is crazy busy, and who still dropped everything to come home tonight when his girl needed him.
7. Baby carriers, and the babies who sleep in them when nothing else will do for soothing.
8. The opportunity to watch my baby grow and change each day. Last night she figured out crawling. That change, from sitting unsupported to moving unassisted is a monumental one.
9. Kitties who keep us company on good days and bad.
10. The way my husband looks at me, still, after 7 years of marriage.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Happy Day After Valentine's Day
Thank you to my husband for the lovely poem, and for the art on the dining room mirror. I am honored to be your Valentine.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Flummery!
Today I decided to make something warm and filled with blueberries. A special mid-week treat for my husband to say, "Thanks for working 6 days a week and only sleeping 4 hours a night or something crazy like that."
At lunch, Elizabeth and I perused cookbooks. Should we make a pie? A slump? A flummery!
We made the blueberry flummery in Keep Cooking the Maine Way by Marjorie Standish. It was delicious and I'd make it again, but the best part was that we had an excuse to say flummery as much as possible this afternoon.
One can substitute the word flummery in all songs containing the word "Figaro," by the way.
At lunch, Elizabeth and I perused cookbooks. Should we make a pie? A slump? A flummery!
We made the blueberry flummery in Keep Cooking the Maine Way by Marjorie Standish. It was delicious and I'd make it again, but the best part was that we had an excuse to say flummery as much as possible this afternoon.
One can substitute the word flummery in all songs containing the word "Figaro," by the way.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Refreshed and Ready for the Next week
Tonight at our parenting-focused bible study, as we were sitting down to dinner, Matthew took both kids and told me to go to the other table and find some grown-ups to talk to. And I did. And it was great.
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