McCall Trip

Jim had to finish an install up in McCall, so he invited Tralee and me to come along for the ride. We left Sunday after church for our little trip.

The drive up to McCall is really beautiful. It's also kind of scary, because it's a curvy drive that follows the length of a river. The river had parts with MAJOR rapids. I mean rapids that no one in their right mind would attempt to go down, let alone survive. There are parts of the drive that you're looking right down at the rapids, and there's no guard rail or anything!! Jim kept teasing me by acting like he was going to keep going straight into the rapids instead of curve with the road. I would scream, duck my head down, and yell at him to stop goofing around. Upon which, he would crack up. What a hoser!!

About halfway up to McCall we pulled over to the side to let Tralee stretch her legs. There's a little picnic/recreational area right by a calmer portion of the river that we thought would be a nice area to take a break. Jim took Tralee, and as soon as she saw the water, she took off towards it. We had to hold Tralee, or keep our hands on her clothing, or she would have walked right into the river. The girl has NO FEAR! I used to make fun of parents who would make their kids wear harness/leash things, but I think I'm beginning to understand the appeal to them!! We took some nice pictures by the river, let Corky relieve herself, changed Tralee's bum, and continued on our way.

Jim's Uncle Dave has a cabin up in McCall that he let us stay at. There was still TONS of snow surrounding it, so we had to walk over about three feet of snow to get to the door. Then, we noticed a HUGE chunk of ice melting off of Uncle Dave's new cabin onto the older one. It was kind of scary looking, because it could do some damage once it slid off the roof!


I'm ashamed to say that we purchased a LOT of junk food for our trip up to McCall. Once we were in the cabin and unpacked we made a frozen pizza, watched Click, and ate junk. I woke up in the middle of the night with some wicked heart burn. We did pack some healthy things, and I managed to have some organic strawberries and a glass of orange juice for breakfast before snarfing half a donut down the hatch. Oh well, we were on vacation. . . sort of.










Jim left for work early Monday morning, and Tralee and I were woken up by a wood pecker on the side of the cabin. RUDE! I had kind of a lazy morning with Tralee, and then we went for a walk. I didn't really know where I was going, as the cabin is hidden in the woods with only a dirt road around it. You could tell from looking at the cabins which people only use their cabins for the summer months. Most of them had three or more feet of snow covering their driveway. I took a picture of Tralee next to some snow to give you an idea how much snow there was in McCall. Even though we were surrounded by the white stuff, the weather was gorgeous! I packed a whole bunch of winter clothes, and we didn't even need them.

I called Jim while we were on our walk to make sure we wouldn't get eaten by a bear. Jim thought I was funny, but it's kind of an eery feeling being the ONLY human beings out in the middle of a wooded area. I had a plan in case a bear attacked. I would let Corky off her leash and say, "Go get it!" Hopefully Corky would chase after the bear to distract it, while Tralee and I could make it back to the cabin in safety. I know, I know I'm a horrid dog owner, but if it came down to it, I'm sure Corky would sacrifice herself for our safety. Actually, Corky's a pretty selfish dog, if I let her off her leash she would probably high-tail it in the opposite direction and leave me to fend for myself. Luckily I had just watched a TV show about what to do if you come face-to-face with a bear. I don't know how a toddler fits into the equation though. Luckily, just as Jim predicted, our walk was bear free. Jim also made sure to tease me about the whole bear thing when he came back to the cabin at lunch.

When Jim was done with work, we packed up our things, cleaned up, shut down the cabin, and left to do some more damage. Actually, I wanted to see the "cabin" where Jim was installing cabinets at. I put "cabin" in quotation marks because this thing was over 12,000 square feet, and had a bowling alley in it!!!! THAT WAS SO FREAKIN' COOL!!! If I could have a bowling alley in my house, I don't care what the rest of it would look like. This "cabin" was beautiful, everything was high-end, no detail was left untouched. Jim said they had been working on this house for over a year now. Keep in mind, this is just somebody's vacation home, probably will only be used a few months out of the year. What do you think their regular home looks like? CRAZY! I didn't take pictures of this place, because there was still a lot of construction going on. Jim will have to take several more trips up to McCall to finish installing, so when it gets closer to being complete I'll try to put pictures of it on here.

The drive home didn't go as smoothly as the drive there. Tralee got REALLY fussy about half-way home. She cried pretty much all the way home from that point. We changed her, fed her, gave her drinks, took her shoes off to make her more comfy, nothing worked. She just wanted OUT of her car seat. Poor thing. As soon as we got home she fell right asleep. When she woke up from her nap she was just as happy as can be!

My house is TRASHED!!! I have to clean today. I don't know how it gets dirty so quickly. Actually, I do. I believe it has something to do with a little 31 inch munchkin running amok pulling out everything in sight. Oh well.

I have to go. I smell something not-so-pleasant coming form the bottom area of the afore-mentioned munchkin. As my father-in-law would say, I believe Tralee has gone "numbers." So. . . there you go and there you are.

Honeymoon

My brother and sister-in-law are on a kids-free vacation of sorts in Orlando, Florida (see her blog for details). Anyways, reading her blog brought back memories from Jim and my honeymoon to Disney World. We had a BLAST there (thanks to my Mom and Dad who gave us the trip as a wedding present). So, I started to look through our honeymoon pics and decided to share some of my favorites. Our sixth anniversary is coming up in a few weeks anyways. Six years, can you believe it?

There's nothing really exciting happening in our lives right now, so a visit down memory lane is what this post is all about. Plus, Tralee's taking her nap right now so I have few spare moments.

These pictures are in no particular order. This first one is of Cinderella, can you believe she tired to steal my man while we were on our honeymoon! She almost got a way with it, but I put her in our place. Ever since then Cinderella has been a sore spot in our marriage.



Don't worry though, Jim had to fight off a few Disney Characters himself. Dopey was looking FINE!!!

Then when we were eating dinner, Goofy took me away from Jim and proposed to me in front of the whole restaurant!! I told him he was a little late, and that I was on my honeymoon. Jim carried me out of the restaurant while Goofy looked on, head tilted, in despair. It was a really funny experience!!


After a while Jim and I decided to stop trying to make each other insane with jealousy by flirting with our favorite characters, and just enjoy their company instead. Maybe we enjoyed their company a little too much, especially Kermit and Miss Piggy!! WHOOHOO!! They were lookin' good to us!! We calmed ourselves a bit after this picture, and just took the pictures.

The line to see Mickey Mouse was SUPER long, so I just stood at a distance in awe while Jim took this picture

The first full day of our honeymoon it rained. I pretended to be sad, but it was actually GREAT! There were no lines at all.

Just some more fun photos:

Here are some pictures from the rides we went on. Crazy! Jim has a bit of a weak stomach, so after we went on Tower of Terror two times in a row I asked, "Want to go again?" He was like, "Uh, I don't think I can." That was the first time I realized I married a guy with a weak stomach. However, that didn't stop him from doing a barrel role in an airplane with me and one of our neighbors (a pilot) a few years later.

One of the reasons I've gone to Disney World eleven times now is because of the turkey legs. Think what you want, but these turkey legs are YUMMY!!

I guess that's all for now.

The Mickey and Minnie Honeymoon ears we wore were great!! We got such special treatment, tons of freebies, we were able to skip to the front of lines, and everyone smiled at us the whole time. We still have the ears somewhere, and when we go back to Disney for our fiftieth wedding anniversary (just the two of us) I'm sure we'll wear them again. :) The last two days of our honeymoon we didn't wear them, we were sort of over all the attention, and just wanted to blend in. However, the first five days we were all over it!

That was fun!!

Anger Issues

I'm almost finished with my first sewing project! I made a rag quilt. I probably won't put pictures up, because it's going to be a present for someone that read my blog, and I don't want to spoil it. It looks pretty good for a first-timer though. The only down-side is that I was so wrapped up in this project that I let my house-work slip. I also started reading a book at the same time I started making this quilt, so it's safe to say that my house-work REALLY fell behind. The good news is I spent a good part of the day playing catch-up. My house is still a little messy, and I still have a lot of laundry to do, but I've been productive.

The book I read was called Makeover. I saw it in the Deseret Book catalog and thought it would be a fun read. It was pretty cheesy and predictable, but overall a cute story. I passed it along to my mother-in-law and warned her it was a bit cheesy, but fun none-the-less.

I just started reading the Twilight Series. Pretty much everyone I know has read them, so I thought I would give it a shot. I started reading the first book in the series today while Tralee took a nap. . . I know, I know, how am I supposed to get anything done if I keep reading? If you're wondering if I like my new book, I'm already on page 200-something and can't wait to put Tralee in bed tonight so I can keep reading it! I had to force myself to stop reading and actually start my housework.

It's perfect timing for me to get engrossed in a book, because the NBA playoffs are on now, and Jim's in full-on Basketball mode. If I try to talk to him during a game, especially if it's a game involving his favorite teams (Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz, Cleveland Cavaliers) or his LEAST favorite team (LA LAKERS) I might as well be talking to a light bulb. So, after Tralee's down for the night Jim will watch the games he's recorded, and I'll read my book. It's a good thing we went out for a date Saturday night, because until the playoffs are over, Jim's one-true-love has switched from me to a bright orange ball and the tall guys that try to throw it into a basket.

One example of how into the playoffs Jim is, happened right before our date on Saturday night. Jim was watching a game, and the whole time he was screaming at the TV like a crazy person. So to say he was into it, would be an understatement. I was gathering Tralee's stuff to take over to Grandma's house, and I wanted to take her Elmo in Grouchland DVD along in case Grandma wanted to watch it with her. I was just focused on getting the DVD out, and didn't realize when I pushed eject, it would automatically switch the TV to DVD mode. I happened to hit eject the last twenty seconds of the game. . . in double overtime. Anyways, as soon as the game disappeared from the screen Jim FREAKED OUT!!! HE FREAKED! He kept yelling at me to "Turn it back on! Turn it back on!" When I finally got the game back on, the whistle blew. . . it was over. Jim missed the last few seconds of the game he had been so emotionally invested in for the last hour or so. I felt bad, and I swore to Jim I wouldn't go near the TV during the playoffs. On the other hand, I'm still laughing about how much Jim overreacted. He still swears it wasn't an overreaction, and any NBA fan in that position would have reacted the same way he did. What do you think?

In other news. . . Jim's cousin is selling a 12 foot trailer. Jim is going to buy it, and for a bargain price too! He's so excited about having his own trailer for work. It will save us money in the long run too. No more renting trailers and U-hauls to deliver cabinets. Hooray!

Tralee has started to scream and hit! What a little stinker! In church on Sunday we wouldn't let her out of the pew to walk around during Sacrament meeting so she started to scream! I mean full-on bloody murder screaming. There were no tears involved, she was just MAD and wanted us to know it! Her whole body would go rigid, her eyes would squint in anger, and she would just start a-screamin' After each time Jim or I would tell her to be reverent and to "shush!" and she would just get this "hose-off you two" look on her face and start screaming again. Eventually Jim took her out in the hall, as to not completely ruin the spirit for those around us. When he takes her into the hall, he doesn't let her walk around, because we don't want her to think screaming gets her what she wants. Usually he'll find a vacant classroom or a table and sit her on it until he thinks she's ready to be in sacrament meeting again. In Tralee's defense, Sacrament meeting falls right in the middle of Tralee's nap time. So, she's a little fussy. Also, sitting still for a one year old is a near impossible task. I bring tons of books, snacks, and quiet toys to occupy her, they only go so far before she wants out of the pew!

As far as the hitting is concerned, she started doing this on Sunday during Sacrament as well. It happened somewhere when the screaming began. She looked up at me and took a swing! I couldn't believe it! She looked so DETERMINED to show us JUST how ticked off she was. I really had to bite my tongue as to not laugh or smile, because she looked so funny. However, the screaming and hitting are NOT things I want repeated! I think we nipped the hitting in the bud pretty quick. After it happened a few times I held her hands, looked her in the eye, and sternly said, "We don't hit!" When she's tried again I did the same thing and set her on the ground. She hasn't hit since Sunday, so I hope that's the end of it!! But oh my goodness!!! If she's like this now, what will she be like at two? Or. . . at thirteen?!!? I shutter to think!!

Then after all the above screaming and hitting, we got home from church and she fell asleep. She looked like a little angel and all memories of screaming and hitting disappeared for the time being. I do have to say, the older Tralee gets, the more mischievous she is. I know we'll have our arms full, but I love every minute of it!!

How could you not love this face?

Spin Spin Spin

Tralee has discovered the joys of getting dizzy! She loves to spin, and then walk around like a drunken sailor!! Jim and I just sit back and watch her, cracking up the whole time. Who needs a TV when you have a one year old to watch?



Last night Jim and I went on a date. Grandma Tricia and Grandpa Jeff babysat for us. First Jim and I went out for sushi (YUM CITY!), and then we went to a Boise Burn football game. Jim has a cousin that works for the Burn, and he can hook us up with free tickets. YEAH BABY! We had fun watching the game, and although I missed Tralee it was nice to have a night out without having to chase after her.

Tralee did pretty well at Grandma's house. She fussed for the first little bit, but then eventually warmed up to Grandma and Grandpa. She got tired later at night, laid down on her little couch, and fell asleep. What a good girl!

It was a nice night.

Church was good today. As soon as we got home, Tralee started spinning in circles. All is good in the hood.

Cute Tralee

Happy

I'm so happy! I'm out of the fog I was in. I think it's because I'm healthy again, and I'm finally over the fact that my mom left. Her stay was short-lived, but WONDERFUL!I might have been a little depressed when she had to go home again. I really enjoyed spending time with her, and appreciated all she did/does for us.

Today is a good day! I woke up and put dinner in the crock-pot. I fed all of us breakfast and played with Tralee. Then I made Tralee home-made mac-and-cheese with added carrot puree for lunch. I also added some frozen peas, because she likes them. After cleaning up lunch, I made chocolate-chip pumpkin bread and muffins. I packed up some muffins to take to Tricia and Jeff's -- using the Tupperware Tricia sent home food to us in. Usually after Sunday dinner at Tricia's house, she'll send leftovers home with us. I usually forget to bring them back, so I thought it would be much nicer to return them with yummy muffins in them. Anyways, I was getting ready to pack Tralee and the muffins up and go deliver them when the doorbell rang.

Tricia was at the door!! "Perfect!" I thought, "That will save me a trip!" When I opened the door she handed me some sewing bobbins. I wondered why, since I don't have a sewing machine. I knew Jim mentioned to her last night on the phone that I want to learn to sew (I have NO experience sewing WHATSOEVER, and thought it would be something fun and practical to learn to do. Jim called her and left a message that said I wanted to learn, and could she help me.) I confusingly thanked Tricia for the bobbins and she said, "Wait! I have one more thing for you." Then she went back to the car and came back with a BRAND NEW SEWING MACHINE!!! YAY!!! I was so excited!! Tricia said it could be an early birthday present. She also said that it's just a basic one, which is all I wanted/needed. Tricia said once I get to the more advanced level, I can always use the one she has at home. . . it's HIGH TECH! It does embroidery and you can program designs into it, super cool! Anyways, I have a SEWING MACHINE!!! So fun! I hope I can learn to use it for fun projects. Plus, Jim always complains that I can't even sew a button back on. I really can't! I'm completely clueless! I hope this machine comes with a good manual. I'm going over to Tricia's on Friday for my first lesson! I can't wait. Hopefully within the coming months you will see projects I have created with my new toy!! :) I'm very grateful my mother-in-law did this thoughtful thing for me.



Tralee's been a busy girl today. Her new favorite thing is climbing the first batchof stairs, and then yelling out once she's on the landing. One of us will go over to her, and she'll walk off the landing into our arms. She loves to do this. I'll be busy doing something when I hear Tralee go "AHHHHHHH!!!!" Without looking, I'll know just where she is, and what she wants. As soon as Tralee knows she has my attention she gets a big grin on her face. I'll walk to the bottom of the stairs, hold my hands out, and Tralee walks right into them. Then she usually gets tossed in the air, caught, and given about a million kisses -- all while squealing with delight. It's pretty cute!



Today she crawled passed the landing, and all the way up the stairs. Sometimes she'll do this and just go into her room and play with something. Usually she gets bored being all alone, so she'll either come downstairs again, or yell for me to come get her. Today I heard her going upstairs, and then I heard silence. Mothers know, silence is NEVER a good thing, that is of course, unless the kid is sleeping. It quickly occurred to me that we moved Corky's food and water bowl to the top part of our stairs.I ran upstairs to see Corky's food dish overturned, and Tralee just as pleased at punch to be munching away on dog food! YUCK!! I fished the food remnants out of Tralee's mouth, and explained to her that we don't eat doggy's food, and if she's hungry, just let me know. I think she KNOWS all of this already. It's just that I really do think she LIKES Corky's food, and KNOWS I won't let her eat it. So, she tried to be sneaky!!! The other day while I was putting laundry away, Tralee took her rubber ducky from the bath tub, and played with it in Corky's water dish. What a silly girl!
We've been starting time-outs when Tralee doesn't listen to us, and giving her LOTS of positive reinforcement for when she does. Hopefully the next time I ask her to leave Corky's food and water alone she'll listen!!

For the first time today Tralee brought me a diaper when I asked! I always ask her to bring me one when it's time for a change, and today she actually did it! HOORAY!! I can't believe she's getting so big and so smart!!

Well. . . there's more I could say, but I think I'll call it quits for this post.

I hope everyone is doing well. I'm glad to be happy again! :)

I'm Thankful My Washer is Fixed!

In case anyone was planning to surprise us with a visit -- don't! We're a sick household!

It seems that Tralee's throwing-up episode the other night wasn't due to choking, she caught a bug. Or maybe Jim or myself caught a bug and passed it on to Tralee. Or, maybe we ate something that made all three of us sick. Whatever we caught is causing a lot of unpleasantness at our household. I've had to do lots of laundry to clean up the messes that a flu bug can create. I'll leave out the details. I'm just grateful our washing machine is on the mend!!

I feel bad, because last night was supposed to be our fun bowling league night. It was the last night of bowling league where prizes were handed out, and there were fun bowling contests. Jim and I were really looking forward to it, and even asked Grandma Tricia to babysit Tralee so we could be kid-free. Instead the three of us stayed home, feeling sorry for ourselves.

I know I've kind of been a Debbie Downer lately, but overall I AM grateful for the life I lead and what I've been blessed with. I've just been in a weird funk. Maybe it's because this sickness was creeping up on me. I think I'm coming out of it though. Even though I feel crappy physically, mentally I'm in a better place than I was a few days ago.

I also haven't taken any pictures lately because we've all been looking/feeling crappy. But, I promise I'll post some soon.

Adventures in Motherhood

I went to my Primary Presidency meeting last night at church, and had to take Tralee along because Jim had made plans with a cousin to go watch a hockey game. I asked Jim if it would be possible to take Tralee along, he said it wouldn't be. I think he COULD have taken her, but it wouldn't have been very fun for him. He would have been chasing her around instead of watching the game with his cousin.

The presidency meeting started out okay. Then after twenty minutes or so the room filled with that familiar soiled diaper aroma. So, I excused myself and went to change Tralee. I left the diaper bag at home, and only grabbed one diaper and a few wipes on my way out the door. I figured the meeting wouldn't last longer than an hour, and only one diaper would be necessary. (I've since learned. . . ALWAYS bring the diaper bag and SEVERAL diapers and wipes, or I'll be sorry!!) When I changed Tralee I was surprised to see that nothing was in the diaper. I changed her anyways, figuring it wouldn't be too much longer before the meeting would end. WRONG AGAIN!! The meeting pressed on as we were trying to find people to fill three or four callings in the Primary, and then I heard it. . . .BLAST! I knew FOR SURE this time that Tralee would need a change. The only problem was, I didn't have another diaper.

Luckily the first councilor brought her baby also, so she let me use a diaper and some wipes. I'm sure glad she did! After changing Tralee AGAIN, I thought we were in the clear, and continued to take notes during the meeting. Tralee just went back to running around the Primary room and playing with toys I brought for her.

Every once in a while Tralee would come up to me for a treat. I brought along some Gerber Graduates Corn Puff things, which she has ALL THE TIME. So, when she started coughing I didn't think much off it, until I looked over and realized Tralee was choking on one of them!! She must have tried to swallow one whole or something. I ran over to her just as she started to gag and throw up. I grabbed her and put my hand under her mouth to try and catch what was coming out of her mouth. Then I ran Tralee to the nearest bathroom where she continued to throw-up. All the while getting puke on me, herself, and the carpet. After making sure Tralee was recovered and okay, I started to clean up the mess.

I had to take Tralee out of her outfit, find the custodial closet at church, and grab whatever I thought would clean the bathroom, and carpet in the Primary room. The first counselor even helped. What a nice woman! I assured her she didn't have to clean up my child's puke, but she insisted and said she was used to it with her boys. Both of them had a sensitive gag reflex, so she said she cleaned/cleanss up throw-up all the time. Poor woman. I hope she'll be blessed, not only for helping me clean up, but for letting me use a diaper and wipes.

Keep in mind, while all the above was happening, the Primary Presidency Meeting continued! I thought for sure everyone would agree it was time to go, but I guess there was more to discuss. I was tempted to just say, "Sorry guys, my clothes are covered in throw-up, my daughter doesn't have any clothes on, and I'm emotionally exhausted, so I'm going to go." BUT. . . I pressed on. . . it is my job to keep minutes anyways. And, how much longer could the meeting last anyways? It lasted for TWO HOURS! We didn't even get through the whole agenda. CRAZY!

On the way home from the meeting I called Jim who was having a grand ol' time at the hockey game. I really tried hard to stay calm, but I must have given him a pretty good guilt trip, because when he got home he started doing the dishes. . . which he NEVER does! He felt sorry I had such a tough time at the meeting.

Tralee and I both took a bath when we got home. We got into our most comfortable pajamas, and I let her lay in bed with me until Jim got home. She fell asleep there, and I was almost asleep when Jim returned. I was woken up to the sound of him cleaning up the kitchen. I went downstairs and finished up the job, and we watched The Office together that we had recorded.

All was calm again.

This morning I went to the Y. I worked out on my own, then tried another Pilates class. I REALLY liked this Pilates class better than the other one. The instructor worked us out hard! I felt the burn baby! I'm feeling better today. I hope the day continues on bright and happy.

Just One of Those Days

Yesterday was "horrible no good very bad day." (name that book. . . I dare ya!)

I just wasn't feeling it. I woke up and my house was slightly messy. I didn't feel like cleaning, but managed to feed Tralee, eat breakfast, clean the kitchen, and start picking up the living room. However, as I was putting one toy or book away, Tralee was taking another one out. So I gave up on that task.

Jim came home for lunch, and I attempted to make a grilled cheese and chicken salad sandwich. How can you screw up a grilled cheese? I managed to TOTALLY burn both sides of the sandwich. It was charcoal, but I didn't have any more chicken salad, so Jim had to eat it. I tried to saw off most of the blackened bread, but there was just too much, so Jim ate the black stuff. Poor guy! I blame using a pan I wasn't used to. I usually use my favorite pan for EVERY meal. However, when my Mom was here she said I should use my newer nicer one, because my old one looked like it's seen better days. So. . . I used to newer one, and BURNED everything. I think I'm going to stick to my old pan, besides there are probably lots of yummy flavors in it from all the meals that have been prepared in there.

***************DON'T READ THIS NEXT PART IF YOU'RE EATING OR SQUEAMISH!!!************

After lunch Tralee needed a change. It wasn't just any run of the mill change either. It was one of those diaper changes that you push your shirt sleeves up, hold your breath, and pray that it's over soon. I didn't realize before I started that some of Tralee's diaper "deposit" leaked out of the diaper, and into her pants. So. . . when I took off the pants I had a surprise leak out onto the couch. Then in the middle of the change Tralee decided it was the perfect time to get up, and as she did her foot landed on the dirty diaper. The diaper was closed, but so full that even more you-know-what fell out. I had already made up my mind that after the change I would need to get a bucket of soapy water and some disinfectant out, so the extra mess didn't faze me all that much. But BOY it WAS a MESS!!! After I disinfected my furniture, I put Tralee in a tub full of soapy bubbles. She needed it!!

I would have LOVED to put Tralee's soiled clothes in the washing machine, but it's been in out of commission since Saturday! I've called our landlord three or four times about it, and explained, "I have a one year old and I NEED a functioning washing machine!" They told me the repair person should call and make an appointment. I explained that if that happened, I wouldn't be calling AGAIN. Anyways, the landlord finally called me and explained that the repair man HAD tried to call, and had left several messages, but I should probably try to call back. Uh. . . I didn't get ANY messages! If I had, don't you think I would have called? Anyways, I called the repair person, and set up an appointment. If all goes according to plan my washer should be fixed this afternoon. YAY!! I have TONS of laundry to do!!!

Now, you think since I burned lunch I would have learned from my mistakes and had been able to cook a great dinner! Well, you would be wrong! I burned dinner too! I was just NOT on my A game yesterday! Usually I'm a pretty decent cook, but it just wasn't my day yesterday. I tried to make the Chicken Nugget recipe from the Deceptively Delicious cookbook. However, the breaded part of the chicken kept falling off as I was turning the chicken in the pan. The whole meal process made a HUGE mess in my kitchen, and in the end I didn't have anything to show for it, except for some burned chicken. The stir fry veggies turned out okay.

When Jim walked in from work, he saw a frazzled wife, messy house, and smelled burnt chicken. Jim was really sweet about the dinner. He teased me for a bit about burning two meals in one day, but said if I hadn't told him the chicken was burnt, he wouldn't have noticed. Then he reminded me that I have the funnest job in the world -- taking care of our daughter. I have to agree with Jim. I get to stay at home and play, read, sing, and teach my amazingly cute one-year-old everyday. We go shopping together, do fun activities together, get together with other moms and kids, and just get to enjoy one another's company. So, I guess I shouldn't let having a messy house or burning meals get me so frazzled. I still need to work on counting my blessings!

Even so. . . I hope today goes better than yesterday. :)

Not Up to Much

Things have gotten back to normal since Grandma Charlene has left us. The first morning she was gone I came down to our kitchen and wondered why it wasn't spotless. Every morning my Mom was here I would come downstairs to a spotless kitchen. Oh well, I guess I need to start cleaning again. So sad!

Last night I went to the Y. I worked out on my own, and then went to a pilates class. I liked it, but I think I like yoga better. Perhaps it was because of the pilates instructor that I didn't like it all that much. She was kind of laid back, and I didn't really feel like I got that great of a workout. It was okay, but I think I'll stick to yoga and my own routine. I still have more classes to try out though.

I was going to go to a yoga class this morning, but I woke up too late to go. Jim woke me up by saying, "Hey Hippie, are you going to yoga or not?" I said I wouldn't be today, perhaps tomorrow.

Nothing else is going on. The foundation is being poured for our house on Chicken Dinner Road today. That's exciting! There's still kind of a lot to do before the house feels like a home, but we're getting there.

Yoga

I went to my very first yoga class at the Y yesterday. I was impressed, and feel certain I will go again. I have to admit, I've never done yoga before, but thought I should take a class to broaden my horizons. I thought I would be doing a lot of just sitting there while listening to music. However I was delightfully mistaken. The instructor had us do several interesting poses, and some of them I couldn't even do or hold for very long as it worked muscles I obviously haven't worked in a while.

I got there right at 5:15, when the class started, and the instructor had already begun. I wasn't sure whether or not to go in, because the lights were dimmed and I didn't want to interrupt. However, I was really looking forward to trying out yoga, so I sucked it up and went in, I'm glad I did. I wasn't sure what the proper protocol is for yoga, but I looked around and saw that everyone had their shoes and socks off. So, I took mine off as well. Luckily the teacher must have recognized I had no idea what to do, so she set up a station for me with a yoga mat, blankets, a pillow looking thing, a block, a belt, and another hanging belt strapped to a bolt in the wall. There was relaxing music playing, and the female instructor talked just how you would imagine a yoga instructor to. It was in a soft, breathy, overly-calm sounding tone. I found it amusing. She would tell the class what pose to do next, and I would have to look around to make sure I was doing it right. Some of my favorite poses where the Supported Shoulder Stand (which I did very well if I might say so myself!), the camel pose, the dolphin pose, Four Limb Staff Pose, Chair Pose, Cat Flow, and my most favorite pose was the Hanging Child Pose. I couldn't find a picture of the Hanging Child Pose, but I'll try to describe it. There were yoga belts hanging off the wall, and we were asked to take one of our blankets and use it as a apron across our hip area. Then we rested our hips in the belt, lifted our feet onto the wall, got into Child Pose, and hung upside down like that in the belts. It was interesting, different, and enjoyable. Where else am I going to get to hang upside down off a wall in my life? The only pose I couldn't do all that well was the Hero Pose and Reclining Hero Pose. It hurt my toes. I have weird feet, I think that's why.

At the end of the class we layed back with our hands extended "heart center" and relaxed. The teacher explained in that breathy voice of hers that these last few moments were ours. Then she came around and put eye pillows over our closed eyes. After we got back into sitting position we placed our hands together at the heart charka, closed our eyes, and bowed our heads and the instructor said "Namaste" to which everyone else responded back, "Namaste." I later learned that Namaste represents the belief that there is a divine spark within everyone and it is located in the heart chakra. One article I read said that "the gesture is an acknowledgment of the soul in one by the soul in another." Another interpretation of Namaste is "The God in me greets the God in you. The Spirit in me meets the same Spirit in you." I think that's beautiful. I also think that yoga will be added as a more relaxing part of my workout routine.

It was great!