forward

AUGH!!! 

*rant warning*

i know i pay too much attention to spelling.  sometimes i miss the sentiment because i can't get past the poorly spelled writing. 
(it runs in my family, too. my sister sent me a pic of her kids posed by a memorial that read "LESS WE FORGET."  really.)

anyway.  this one seems to be haunting me, and i'm finding it everywhere.  (but mostly in the beginning of books.)

(where have all the editors gone?!?!?!)

so, i get a new book.  i'm blissfully opening the cover.  turn a page or two.  and then it strikes:

FORWARD

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
really?  really?  forward?  in a book?  not just some random person blogging, but an actual, published book?

the thing about the correct spelling is it actually makes sense.  "fore" meaning first, as in first word. 

and when the first word of your book is spelled wrong, my eyeballs roll so far to the back of my head that i can't even read your lame book.  my tendons are snapped.

gah!

i want to send marked-in-red copies of all the FORWARDS back to the publishers. 

*scowl*

maybe if i'd had some raspberry cordial?

my parents-in-law (awesomely!) lent us their car.  so now, when i want to go to the mall with sam, it's not a three-hour ordeal involving multiple layers of sunscreen, a case of water, a few yells for the crosswalk-ignoring-jerk,s and two diaper bags full of stuff.  (okay, that's a stretch, i refuse to be a stuff-laden mommy.  what doesn't fit in one bag stays home.)  but sometimes when i pack for a walk to the mall, it looks more like a camping trip than a shopping trip.

anyway, the other day i really really enjoyed driving to the mall, lifting the stroller out of the trunk, popping sam in, and strolling through the mall.  i wasn't sweaty, red-faced, windblown, or reeking of sunscreen.  in fact, i was probably smelling pretty good, since i'd even managed to keep sam occupied and had taken a shower in the morning.

i wasn't really in a hurry or anything, just enjoying my stroll, when i saw her.

she was pushing a stroller out of a clothing store.  she, too, looked relaxed and happy to be in the mall.  she just looked like the right sort of person.  tall.  happy.  a newish mom.  she even had freckles.  she smiled, and i smiled back. 

and then she was gone.

i wish i had thought to stop and admire her baby.  we could have bonded over the sweetness of our sleeping angels, the ridiculous price of diapers, and the lusciousness of mallwide air conditioning. 

i really want a mom-friend, a tall one, a happy one, with freckles!  i want someone to hang out with who also smells like spit-up instead of fresh laundry.  someone who gets a little euphoric at being around a whole store full of adults with the potential for grown-up conversation.  someone who is a stay-at-home mom, so we can hang out in between breakfast and supper.  someone who doesn't moan about calories when we go out to eat.  someone who's ready to laugh and tell funny stories about herself.  a kindred spirit.  an anne&diana friend.

next time i see her, i am so going to leap on that stroller and not let go until we're facebook friends.

or until security pulls me away and i'm banned from the mall for life.

whatever.

wins & fails

yesterday was not the most spectacular day.
sam and i had 2 (pretty awesome) wins, but they were offset by 2 (pretty sucky) fails. 

sam's been trying SO HARD to crawl.  for a long time, he's been able to get his bum up in the air and squirm forward on his face. he is pretty hardcore for a five month old.

 

like i said ... hardcore.

yesterday, he figured out how to prop himself way up on his arms while his bum is up in the air.  no more crawling on his face?  winning!

unfortunately, once he got himself all propped up on his hands and knees, the only direction he could go: backward.  he growled angrily at his toys as he tried to get closer to them and they just got farther away.  fail :(.


in the afternoon, patrick texted me that one of his coworkers wanted to pay me to make him a braid.  doing something i love and getting paid?  winning!

this is a braid.

i knew patrick would be super-duper hungry after a long day of digging trenches, so i thoughtfully decided to turn some leftovers into a delicious casserole.

ha!

it was so delicious i only had a few bites.  patrick hammered through a serving (he was starving, and didn't want to join me in my plan b.  plan b was popcorn.), but admitted it was pretty bad.  then we both ended up fighting for the bathroom. and canceled our evening plans. 

greeting my hard-working husband with the Grossest Casserole Ever and a side of Rumbles?  fail.

here's hoping today will be a better day.

xo.

family project

i'm not very familiar with a lot of tools.  sure, i can hang my own pictures and curtain rods, put together easy furniture, and glue things.  but that's about it.

so when i put together our gorgeous new table, i was pretty bummed to see that our chairs were too tall for it.  how could i fix this?

i thought about setting the table up on blocks - but i definitely wanted a more permanent and pretty solution.  we thought about getting a hacksaw and shortening the chair legs, but i doubted we could make them all straight and even and smooth.

so my smart mother in law suggested a pipe cutter!  i had never heard of one, but it sounded like just the thing.

we were having company for supper yesterday, and wanted our guests to be able to sit at the table in comfort.  so sam and patrick ventured to home depot while i enjoyed a very luscious and uninterrupted shower :).

i love my family!

when they got home, i was so excited to start operating.  and the pipe cutter was awesome.

while i cut chair legs with all the glee of a kid at christmas, patrick removed the feet from the ends to place on the freshly shortened legs.  (and my 1st chair needed a little bit of extra padding in two of the feet - he manned that too.)

it was totally fun and the pipe cutter is now my favourite tool.  i don't know what i'm ever going to use it for again, but i'll keep my eyes open ;).

the results?  absolutely great :).  much cheaper (and more fun!) than buying new chairs.

tah-dah! 
c'mon over and visit.  i've got a place for you to sit :)

heart melter

it was time for the samjam's second feeding of the day, so i tiptoed into the bedroom to see if he was ready to wake up.  (the door creaks when opening, so i guess i didn't need to tiptoe:)
he was kicking his feet a little bit, but his eyes were closed and the rest of him was still.  i leaned my head on the rail of the crib and whispered, 'good morning, sweet sam.' 
a smile spread across his face, and then he turned his head and opened his eyes.
when he saw me, he laughed and waved his arms and legs and said, 'goo!'
which is completely what i was - a big pile of goo.

little sweet.

a small rant

as you can tell in the picture from yesterday's post, samjam has a pretty big hemangioma on his head.  it's also known as a strawberry birthmark, one that will shrink and go away as he gets older.
it's really noticeable, and most people who are curious about it just ask straight up, "what happened to his head?" 
(especially kids!  kids are so cute and they always ask about it, and worry that it hurts him.  i love when kids ask about it.)
sometimes, i notice that people are looking at it, and want to ask, but probably aren't sure how.
usually, i just smile and tell them it's a birthmark, and they're relieved that they didn't have to stumble over awkward words that make it sound like they think he's some sort of freak.

yesterday, however, i ran into someone who was not so concerned about how she asked.  and she made it very clear that she definitely thought he was a freak.

i was walking out of chapters, and a young woman pushed past me.  i pulled the stroller back to let her go ahead, and she glanced down ... then stopped dead and stared at sam with the most disgusted look on her face. 
(i wanted to get by but she was right in front of my stroller, so i couldn't go anywhere.)
she just stared at him like he was some sort of horrendous mistake.
finally, when i realized i wasn't going to get past, i tried the whole smile & explain thing.
me: "it's a birthmark."
she (in disbelief & disgust): "that's the biggest birthmark i've ever seen."
me: "yes, but not to worry, it's supposed to go away before too long."
she (shuddering): "ugh, i should hope so."
me: !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i didn't even have words.  i just pushed my stroller at her until she stepped aside.  last i saw, she was still staring after us with her nose wrinkled up.  i could not believe anyone would be so rude and so horrible about my sweet baby! 

he's the nicest little boy in the world, and someone being mean to him brings out all my mamabear.  grrrrrrr!

one picture, of yourself.

 

last day! took a lot longer than ten days, but life's been busy and i'm not complaining :).

one picture of myself, coming right up:

i adore my samjam.

that was a fun challenge.  won't you join me and do one too?

xo

adore

it's late and i have no brain cells left.
but before i go to bed i just have to tell you that my husband is amazing.
and watching him put sam to bed at night bursts my heart into a million fireworks.

he takes off the spit-uppy clothes sam has been in for far too long.
and the wild rumpus starts.
tickles.
adorable giggles.
kisses.
adorable giggles.
snuggles.
adorable giggles.
and when sam is completely worn out from all the laughing, he will just gaze into patrick's eyes with all the craziest love.  i can't even think about that look without tearing up.

and then we put sam into his pyjamas, cuddle him between the two of us and pray, and put him in bed
 ...where he pulls his stuffed animals on top of his face and falls asleep.
(i am not even kidding!  the kid is 4 months old and already he's amping up this family's quirkometer.)

 

 snugglebot

i adore this family.  i'm so freaking grateful i get to be in it.

two songs

two songs. 
i have two songs that i love.  but i can't tell you what they are because i don't know them.  here's the story:

i love african music.  harmony.  rhythm.  repetition.  there's something deep and - moving? no, i can't think of the word.  it's like how the ocean feels, huge and like it's so much more than you can see on the surface.

when patrick & i were married, i walked down the aisle to two songs from a soundtrack my friend kelly made after our time in zambia.  i don't know what the songs were called, who sang them, where she got them ... i just loved them.  i can even sing some of the lyrics, but i don't know what i'm singing.

i lost the cd.

i prowl around youtube every now and then, to see if i can find them.  i can't ... but i've had a lot of fun listening to some great songs.  here are two links for you to enjoy, since the 2 songs i would love to share are lost.

son of africa (soundtrack: league of extraordinary gentlemen,  ladysmith black mambazo and t. jones, 2003).


yakumbuyo (danny - when i was in zambia, rox & tash & i bought zambian music to bring home, and this was the title track on a cd they bought.  i can catch a few words, but i don't know the gist of the lyrics)

xo.

three films.

 

 three films that i can (and do!) watch over & over again are:

1. the scarlet pimpernel (the jane seymour, anthony andrews version)

i LOVE this version!  no, it doesn't follow the book's storyline too closely, but anthony andrews is ridiculously charming and heroic, jane seymour is beautiful and brave, and it's fun to see a young gandalf, i mean ian mckellen, play the antagonist.  

:)  also, after watching, i can't help saying "sink me!" in a ridiculous british accent.  for days.

2. life is beautiful.  this is a weeper.  it's amazing and wonderful and happy - and tragic and horrible and gut-wrenching.  i really can't imagine watching it now that i have a son of my own, because watching it before was killer enough.  but the goodness in it is so good that i love it.

3. sherlock holmes (the robert downey, jr. & jude law version).  this movie is such a fast-paced brain rush.  i love the peeks into holmes' brain, the rapport between holmes & watson, and the stellar unraveling of mysterious events.  it is fun and intense and awesome.  i cannot wait for #2 in december!

happy watching :).

four books

i wasn't sure what i wanted to do with this one!  four books i love?  four books i'm currently reading?  four books i want to read? four books that have impacted me most?  four books that i'd love to see made into movies?

all fun.  but i settled on:

four books i use everyday.

there are four books (mmm, maybe five) that i use daily, and they all make my life better/happier/easier/nicer, so i guess they deserve a shout-out or two!

1. my bible.  after i feed sam and settle him into a happy circle of toys, i read a chapter or two.  i've already read it through a few times, but i seem to always be reading something new, and God always points out something for me to remember.  i like starting my day with Him.

2. sam's baby journal.  i keep a list of when & how much he's eaten, and i write down any milestones or especially cute things he's done.  sometimes patrick includes hilarious sketches of us, and those might be my favourite part.  it's mostly just a reference for myself, so i can monitor his eating and growing and things, and make sure he's healthy and thriving.
he is ;).

3. my organizer.  as i've said before, i LOVE checklists.  so i made an organizer with lists of things i do every morning, every evening, and chores that need to be done each day, or through the month.  i put the pages in protectors so i can check them off with a dry-erase marker and then start fresh again the next day.
i realize this solidifies my status as a complete nerd, but it helps me keep the house running smoothly and reasonably clean, without having to scratch my head every day, thinking of what to do next.

4. my recipe binder.  this was a wedding present from dan & kaye kancir in kap, and i LOVE it!  again, it's a binder with page protectors, and the kancirs filled it with a collection of tried&true recipes.  i've also added my own favourites, and recipes that other friends have given me, and refer to it daily.  it's super great.  it's the only recipe book that made it onto our thunder-bay trailer, and i haven't missed my other books at all.

so there are four of the books that i use every day - and i hate being separated from any of them :). 

tell me: what books do you use every day?

five foods

oh blogland, i've missed you! 
i had a wonderful, busy, happy time in halifax, and then a busy week adjusting to being back, re-stocking on groceries, and changing sam's routine a little bit.  not to mention an ecstatic weekend of spending time with my dear dear dear husband. 
but things are settling in, i'm back on the writing wagon, and i'm going to pick up where i left off!

five foods:

1. spaghetti.  it's weird - i don't even make it that often - but spaghetti is my instant response when people ask me my favourite meal.  my mom used to make it for me every year on my birthday (and days in between too, but especially then!).  i don't think there is a sauce in the world that can compare with my mom's spaghetti sauce.  mmmmm good.

2. cheese.  oh yes.  any cheese, almost.  (i'm not a fan of blue cheese, or of cottage cheese, but really almost anything else.)  homemade cheese.  old cheese.  soft cheese.  hard cheese.  cheese on toast, cheese on crackers, cheese alone, cheese with hot sauce, cheese baked into succulent bread sticks - eeep!  i have to stop or i won't be able to write, i'll just be licking out the cheese drawer!

3. bread.  mmmm.  soft bread.  fresh bread.  melting with butter.  i love everything about bread.  the daunting task of starting a recipe (but then how lovely once you begin!).  the smell of yeast dough, rising.  the golden glory of baked bread, shining with butter.  the contentment that comes with eating a still-warm loaf.  of all work, bread is worth the effort.

4. cilantro.  i wish there was a richer, deeper, more multi-layered word for sparkle than sparkle.  because i want to say that cilantro makes my taste-buds sparkle - but it's not a good enough word.  cilantro makes my taste-buds sing.  hmmm.  cilantro makes my taste-buds roll on the floor in ecstasy.  :/   nope, still not right.  but there's something so fresh, so succulent, so unparalleled about the taste of cilantro.

5. dill pickles.  fresh strawberries.  yogurt.  vinegar.  lemon juice.  lime juice.  salt. tomatoes.  salt & vinegar chips.  crushed ice and fruit juice.  slim.  crispy chicken.  smooth soups.  basil.  i am so sorry, i cannot pick just five foods! 

:)  tell me your favourite foods in the comments. 
(and thanks for still reading, after such huge gappiness!)