Ask and ye shall receive

Not more than 25 minutes after I posted, as I lay curled up on the sofa watching All My Children, BJ called down from upstairs.  “Katie!  Come see this!”

In roughly a week, this beauty will arrive on our doorstep and beg to be lovingly installed.  And install it we will.  And there will be much rejoicing.

This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for the internet.

Christmas Comes Early

Sunday afternoon BJ had had enough. He was stir crazy and wanted to get out of the house. "Where do you want to go? Somewhere inside? Somewhere outside?" I said. After a sardonic reply about spending money, he decided he'd like to go look at Expo and The Great Indoors to see if they had any lighting fixtures of interest.

You see, we have been on a mission to find a fixture to replace our kitchen fixture. There is nothing wrong with our current installation. Nothing excepting that it is ridiculously hideous. We have very specific requirements for our replacement - which, I must add, that I discovered my husband's particularity when it comes to home decor 4 years ago when he revealed the "dishwasher plan". At any rate, we have been completely unsuccessful in our quest, although we'd limited ourselves to the local home improvement giants. Menard's, Lowes (or "Lowells" if you're my father-in-law), and the Depot.

So, BJ suggested we do that, although thought the drive might be a bit much for our kiddo. Who had not been napping or sleeping well all weekend. Legitimate concern, but I was ready to get out, too. With more hours to kill than I'm used to, Zoe and I had actually exhausted all our play options. We all took our chances and set out.

And we found this:

While browsing for the kitchen light of our dreams, I saw this and said, "That would look awesome over our dining room table." It is true that a dismembered corpse would be an improvement over our existing "chandelier" , but this . . . this would be like a little slice of heaven beaming down on all our dinner guests (we have so many). We walked on by and continued our pursuit of the elusive kitchen light.

As we sat down to eat - at the nearby Olive Garden, no less (oh, how suburban) - BJ suggested we get the heavenly light fixture for ourselves and call it even for Christmas. I could have jumped up and down, I was so happy! To be this ecstatic about a lighting fixture seems silly to me, but seriously. Let's just say that my husband got lucky.

We never did find a kitchen fixture. If anyone out there has some great recommendations of places to look - brick & mortar retailers, online dealers, whatever. We have "modern mission" sensibilities, a requirement for a lot of wattage, it needs to be square, and not have any shiny brass* anywhere. Ideas?

*"Didn't you build this house?" you ask. "Didn't you pick your lighting fixtures to begin with?" Yes, we built the house. No, we didn't pick the fixtures. The builder wanted crazy money for anything other than the Builder Special shiny brass. Little did I know how awful they would be.

Is the week over, yet?

Once again, a string of random things today. See - I've been good about the posting every day bit. But each day that goes by - each step closer to the holidays, every inch nearer annual review season (work) - my brain grows ever more mush-like. I'm scatter-brained and I really don't like it. But it also means that I have not one coherent, original thought to blog. Blech. It's like the potatoes have been boiled and the chef is looming over them with a masher.

I just spent some time catching up with what's going on over at finslippy. Boy did that sound familiar. It reminded me of the pea-sized chunk of disappointment nestled down in the lower-left corner of my heart. It waved hello when I read Alice's post. But, moving along . . .

I just read that one of my sorority sisters recently gave birth to her second son! Owen Michael - I'll let her off that she totally used my boy's name since she didn't know (or did she?) and because, well, Owen is a kickin' boy's name. Congratulations Andrea, Chris and big brother Zach!

Last week I received one of the best compliments of my working career from my principal. I don't really want to go into what, just to say that it totally made my week (maybe my month) and renewed some of my spirit and energy. In education in general, but definitely in my profession, it is so often thankless what we do. It really brought home how much everyone needs to hear "Thanks - you're doing a great job," from time to time. Obviously, we don't do what we do for the money or the fame. But it's nice when someone notices your efforts.

Finally - holy crap, is being a working mom kicking my butt. I'm pooped, and I'd love to have a legitimate 2 weeks off like BJ is having right now. No work, no kid - just time to gather my thoughts, spend some time on things I find personally enjoyable, practice Guitar Hero . . . (Seriously - dude can kick my ass, now. It's disappointing.)

Reality

While sitting at dinner tonight, BJ said:

"To think - if it wasn't for her, we'd have an extra $1000 a month sitting in our pockets. It'd be like, 'Wanna go on a vacation?' 'Okay!'"

And yet, somehow, I don't really think that's how it would go even without a kid. It'd probably be like, "Wanna go on a vacation?" "Oh, I don't know. I'd really rather sit around the house and play computer games."

Winter is nearly here

It's been colder this week, below freezing some mornings, and I'm faced with the harsh reality that winter is almost here. Granted, we've been kind of lucky temperature-wise. Must be all that global warming. But I think it's that much harder because it is only now getting cold. I got complacent.

Today was icky - gray, slightly rainy, cold. But BJ got productive and (with Zoe in toe) headed outside to winterize the roses and bring in the hoses. (Such rhyming!) He had our little girl toddle into the house bearing this:



The last rose of the season. They really stayed in bloom forever and this one is a beauty. All yellow and sunny, it just reminds me of warmer, brighter days. They will come again. Besides, now I can gear up for the holidays! While I was at the mall today I tried to point out Santa to Zoe. She was a bit oblivious - distracted by the mall milieu. I will have to bring her out to meet him before long. She can get freaked out like every other 2 year old.

At last . . . "Powerhouse"

Sometimes its the easy tasks that take the longest time to accomplish.

Powerhouse from Kate L on Vimeo

In other news, got an awesome jump on my Christmas shopping today. Thank goodness for half-days at work. Robyn and I kit Kohl's after lunch today - there are always deals to be had there, but I don't usually have the patience. Having a friend with me really helped me stick with it. To top it off, we got a set of new silverware. Woo hoo! It doesn't get much more exciting in suburbia, does it?

Time long since past

Okay, so not that long . . .

 

This evening, as I work late for Parent/Teacher conferences, I had the opportunity to look after my supervisor’s baby boy for a while.  Her sitter fell through and she had a parent meeting.  Sharing her conundrum with us during a team meeting, I chimed in, “I’ll be here!  I’ll watch him!”  So I did.  He’s maybe 5 months old and, of course, a lot lighter/smaller than I’m used to; I practically threw him over my shoulder picking him up.  It got me recollecting about way back when, when Zoë was but a wee one herself.  It always bugs me just a little bit when I find out that clichés are clichés for a reason – you really do forget, and quickly, how small and meek and helpless they once were!  How they can just fit tucked under your chin with their soft, warm heads and baby smell.

 

Granted, this little boy did also make me vividly recall how I wished my little baby was as low-key and laid back as he is.  The sweetheart fell fast asleep in our secretary’s arms and then spent 45 minutes sleeping soundly on a hodge-podge bed on the floor of my office.  And do you think he minded a bit that he was being cuddled and snuggled by near strangers?  Without a single sight of his mommy?  Nope!  That was definitely not my kiddo.

 

But then, I realized how great it is to have a kid who can sit, and eat, and walk all on her own.  And who sleeps through the night (his mommy just shared that she was up at 1 am with him).  And I wonder if I’m nuts to want to go back to all that again.

 

Yeah.  I am.  And I do.

Woohoo Wednesday!

So many reasons to say “Woohoo!” today:

-          Project Runway returns tonight.  It is “sew” time (see how I stole their latest tagline?).

-          Mom’s cooking dinner tonight, which means I don’t have to!

-          A really wonderful friend shared a really wonderful secret.

-          I got to work not only on time, but early.

-          There are only 1.5 days left of work this week! (Okay, so I have to stay late tomorrow night.  But they feed us, and we get a half day on Friday.  That’s all that matters.)

It's getting late

I've spent most of the evening (finally) finishing up a little movie of Zoe. I had it nearly completed one time before and my program crashed. Had I saved prior to the crash? Of course not. Lost every last edit. Grr. A few weeks later and I've finally steeled myself enough to face it again. I hit "save" after every edit.

I'll be posting the finished version to Vimeo shortly. But, given that I've successfully spent all my free time this evening and I need to go to bed, this will have to sufice for my daily post. People, I'm tired. Does this sound familiar? Because I think I wrote this post sometime last week, too.

Have a great evening - see you tomorrow!

Happy Anniversary

Three years ago today I published my first Blogger post. While I'd had a website for years prior, it wasn't until then that I really started blogging. And now I am just astounded that it has been three years.

Should I celebrate? And how? Maybe a new pair of shoes (thank you, NoBloShoeMo).

Lullaby Land

Zoë is a fan of rock and roll. More than anything, hard core guitars and slammin’ drum beats get her going. I think a great Middle Eastern drum solo, heavy on the doumbek, comes in a close second. When she wants to listen to music or dance, in the wise words of Tom Petty, “Anything that’s rock’n’roll’s fine.” So, we oblige! We’re more than happy to, especially since it means a minimal amount of kids’ music. When it comes time to settle down to bed, should we really be so surprised she’d want something different?
The past few nights I have been dancing Zoë to sleep to “Hotel California”. I am not kidding – I sing along and it knocks her out. But, it seems a little strange to me as far as lullabies go. The lyrics aren’t exactly an inspirational message for kids . . . but the guitars are nice and it’s easy to sway to. And it calms her down, which is a major feat. I just can’t shake that it’s a little unusual. What about all you parents out there? What music are your kids into? What about the rest of you? Was there something your parents played/sang for you that’s stuck? Or that you’re now sick of?

We Got Our Rexy Back

Bears win! And with Sexy-Rexy at that.

Hoorah!

So hungry

I've been racing around this morning trying to get the house in order for our brief departure (overnight sitters here = someone else using my bathroom = CLEAN!). I took a brief break to get a massage (aaahh), then ran through the mall on the way home to get BJ some new jeans. We're leaving in about 20 minutes and I just realized: I haven't eaten anything all day! This happens far too often on the weekends. I get so busy trying to catch up around the house that I forget to eat. So what am I doing writing this post . . . ?

NaBloPoMo.

Today's Thoughts

-Last night I think I had the best counseling session of my career and it had nothing to do with my actual job – it was with my brother.  I’m so glad you called, Dave!

-Zoë looks like a little elf today, BJ says.  She got this adorable puffy vest with a fuzzy collar last year for Christmas; it still fits (boy, she really did have a belly back then!) so I’ve got her in it today with a skirt and matching striped tights.  Cute. 

-As a side thought, Old Navy rocks my world.  I placed an online order Tuesday and I got it yesterday afternoon – normal shipping.  So not only did I get fabulous deals on some long-sleeved shirts for Zoë (did you know it’s cold outside?  Apparently I forgot that happens in November), I got it fabulously fast.  Hooray!

-No one goes into teaching to get rich.  Or heck, even because the pay is “good.”  No one.  Take that for what it’s worth.

-A little over 24 hours from now BJ and I will have our first full night away together – alone – since having Zoë.  Hallelujah.

Achoo!

Zoë was pretty stuffy this morning.  As we were rushing into the car to go to school/work, I had this sudden urge to put a roll of toilet paper in the car.  Just in case.  Thank heavens I did – nearly to school, Zoë sneezes.  It sounded like solid sneeze.  I turned around quickly (as I was driving at around the 50 mph speed limit on a 2-lane highway) to see glistening green boogers dangling from each of Zoë’s cute little nostrils all the way to her chin.  She couldn’t see herself, but she knew there was something all over her face.  Miracle of miracles, she left it alone until I could help.  There were 2 stoplights between us and school.  I usually get stopped by at least one of them.  Not today!  We’re about 2 blocks from the school and poor Zoë has go to the whole way with a face covered in snot.

But, at least I had some tissue!

Or maybe not . . .

The video is now up over at Vimeo, but I won’t be embedding it this morning because (shh!) I’m already at work.  Hooray for posting via email.  In the meantime, I suggest you go check out: www.workitmom.com/blogs

 

My Little Guitar Hero

I've just spent the past 40 minutes waiting for a little video to load on Vimeo. Now it's "waiting" to be converted. I'm done sitting on the computer. If you're reading this a little later, just click on the video to the left. I'll actually post it here tomorrow.

Good night.

Smiles for a cold, blustery Monday

The cuteness – you can’t stand it, can you?


Zoë showed off her Illini pride yesterday. We even taught her to say “Illinois”. Of course, it comes out “Ill-lill-in-noy” . . . which, I’m sure, adds to the cuteness by a factor of 12.
Her talking is staggering these days. She can, and does, repeat whatever we say in her sweet, little voice. While this does have its obvious problems (fuckers better be for damn sure about that), it has had some unexpected repercussions as well. For example, a few weeks back Zoë and I were shopping at Target. Not at all an unusual occurrence, especially if you know anything about me and Target. But, on this particular occasion, I needed a new bra. As we headed to the lingerie section, I told Zoë what we were doing. Again, not unusual. “New. Bra,” she says.
“Yes, Zoë, Momma’s getting a new bra.”
“New! Bra!”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“New! Bra! New! Bra!” she announces over and over through the store.
Ah, but it gets better! Because now, any time we go to Target and we go by the lingerie section (which, of course, is every time because that is the best way to get to the diapers, damn Target lay-out designers) she starts in on her chant: “New bra! New bra!”
And now for something completely different:
We’re doing awesome with our revised grocery shopping strategy, and I think BJ is reaping the rewards most of all. I’m so spoiling him – hot, home-cooked meal almost every night ready when he gets home? It’s a good thing he’s so hot, or some other gent might steal me away. Tonight was cheesy baked ziti (from familyfun.com). Delicious! Here’s a photo:

By the way, Zoë took this shot. Seriously. I held the camera, she looked through the viewfinder and pushed the button. The picture I took didn’t turn out as good. You gotta see this kid peering through a camera. She looks like a pro at 19-months-old.

"Fall Back" bites my backside

Forget this time change crap. We tried to put Zoe to bed late last night. It was a little later, anyway. We even went to bed later last night. But what do you think happened at 6:15 this morning? When a certain someone under 3 feet tall thought it was 7:15? Ah, it was the start of the downward spiral.

It's now 6:19 in the evening. I just got Zoe into bed, who was so tired that she could no longer stand up. I'm not kidding - the kid was leaning on the ottoman in her room because she was worn out, and not even that could hold her up. She just toppled onto the floor, where she flopped on her back and continued what she was doing (playing with BJ's old cell phone) like nothing happened. I've been trying to get the kitchen floor vacuumed and mopped all weekend, but now I am exhausted because I didn't sleep enough last night and I've spent a good chunk of today trying to entertain a toddler and get her on a 1-hour-delayed schedule. I wonder what's on TV tonight . . .

Where the magic happens

A while back (OK, a long while back), I posted about creating my new craft space. My "home office." Well, over 2 years and one toddler later, it's about as near completion as it will ever be. So, I thought I'd let you all see how it has turned out. Besides, it being NaBloPoMo, I gotta write about something.

This is a dinky little room. It is the smallest bedroom in our house. I lobbied for BJ's office because it is a lot bigger. Like comparing Rhode Island and California. Unfortunately, I lost. At any rate, I'm finally happy with how the furniture is arranged and my work space.


I also had to lobby for the overhead halogen fixture over a ceiling fan. It was BJ's dream to have ceiling fans in every bedroom of this house. I had to really argue my case that ceiling fans and paper/fabric crafts don't necessarily mix.

Melissa wrote over at Organizing Disorder about organizing wrapping paper. Several of the commenters talked about having an old dresser to store wrapping stuff. I felt totally with it, because I was already doing that . . . just in the guest room closet. Which, long story very short, had been usurped over the past few months. While cleaning up this weekend, I found that the dresser was the exact size of the last open space in my craft room closet. Et voila!

Now, credit where credit is due: the computer desk, book shelves, shelf lights, and printer table are all Ikea. I love Ikea. Oh, so is the bulletin board that is yet to be mounted. The sewing table/cabinet was hand made by my grandfather for my mother. I am so glad to have inherited it!

There are still plans in my brain for shelving above the computer desk (I have way too many peripherals), hanging some more pictures and the bulletin board, and I'm now lobbying for an LCD monitor. A small room like this just can't really handle my huge 17-incher. Good thing it's on the fritz. You know, getting your space just the way you want it is so rewarding, isn't it?

NaBloPoMo!

NaBloPoMo – it’s totally not a crude slang phrase, honest.  

It’s National Blog Posting Month and I’m committed to the challenge.  Every day for the month of November bloggers around the blogosphere will be posting a new entry.  I am often going through phases where I don’t post for weeks or months at a time, and it always drives me crazy.  So, I’m about to flex my writing muscles and start cranking.  Maybe if I get in the habit for a month, I can keep with it . . . If you want to see who else is participating, check out the link above.  And, if you’ve got a blog of your own (you know who you are mostly because your site is on the left), why not try it?  I give you permission to reward yourself.  How about a slice of pie for pulling it off?

News Flash

After an exciting evening of Halloween frivolity, Zoë crashed into bed.  It appears, however, that she made a wish to the Great Pumpkin because Zoë peed in the toilet this morning!  All by herself! 

Let me revel in this a little bit . . .