Archive for March 2009
I was forced
Posted on: March 12, 2009
- In: Life
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At least that’s what Jonathan said I could say.
I had a sweet treat tonight, even though I said I wouldn’t.
It’s been a rough day, so Jonathan treated me to a treat. He said that I could tell everyone I was forced to eat a Cookie Doughn’t You Want Some from Coldstone. Pretty awesome guy, huh?
I’m still savoring every bite.
- In: Life
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Inwardly: I am stomping my feet, yelling “NO, NO, NO!”.
We spent two blissful weeks of Julia napping 3-4 hours a day.
After daylight saving began, she started waking up later (Thank God!) and we thought we’d be able to skip her morning nap and just do one long afternoon nap.
How long you ask?
Today: 30 minutes.
Beautiful! Just what a mama always wanted.
Oh, and I burnt the cake I was making.
“You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” Psalm 56:8
- In: Life
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Since Julia was born, I’ve been getting more and more anxious about her fully grasping her “heritage”. We’re mastering the Hispanic side (thanks to Grandma), but I’ve found that the tried and true Southerner side will mostly likely only come from me. Not good.
See, I spent a majority of my high school and college years running away from my roots. Honestly, there never seemed to be much use in holding on to them, until I moved to Iowa and had a baby. Now, I want desperately for Julia, Dubya Dos and any other Windham babies to just “get” it. I know of some things that will come naturally for me to pass on: saying ma’am and sir; calling coke, coke, none of this pop stuff; enjoying a good glass of tea; knowing how to make a mean batch of fried chicken; and understanding where the Mason-Dixon line clearly cuts off.
I googled different “Southern” phrases for a laugh. Although, I am thoroughly convinced these are used everywhere, not just in the South. Let me know if you’ve actually heard and used them, as I know for sure I have:
Like a chicken with your head cut off
Snowball’s chance in h*ll
Argue with a fence post
Rode hard and put up wet
Short end of the stick
Ruffled her feathers (I actually say this way more than I realized!)
Chewin’ the fat
I declare (said like “Well, I declare!”, when something is shocking or a surprise)
Bump on a log
Bitten’ off more than you can chew
Barking up the wrong tree
Like water off a ducks back
And here are some of my favorite stereotypes:
A Southerner knows that “fixin” can be used as a noun, a verb, or an adverb.
Only Southerners make friends while standing in lines … And when we’re in line, we talk to everybody!
In the South, y’all is singular …. All y’all is plural.
Every Southerner knows tomatoes with eggs, bacon, grits, and coffee are perfectly wonderful; that red eye gravy is also a breakfast food; and that fried green tomatoes are not a breakfast food.
All Southerners know exactly when “by and by” is. They might not use the term, but they know the concept well.
Only a Southerner knows instinctively that the best gesture of solace for a neighbor who’s got trouble is a plate of hot fried chicken and a big bowl of cold potato salad. If the neighbor’s trouble is a real crisis, they also know to add a large banana puddin’.
But, truth be told, there are a few things about the South that I will gladly leave behind and never, ever teach my children. And that’s the great thing about being a Southerner in Iowa. I get to pick and choose what Julia and Dubya Dos learns about all things Southern.
*When I was in college, a guy I knew used this as a pick-up line on me. He wasn’t actually meaning it (or if he was I never knew!), but he said it every time he saw me.
Singing in the rain!
Posted on: March 8, 2009
- In: Life
- 6 Comments
First things first: Happy birthday, Leah!
Ok, now on to my post…
I really like rain. It does get old when it constantly rains, but for the most part, I just plain enjoy it. Nothing like playing in the rain makes you feel quite like a little kid. However, I’m not a big fan of wet jeans. You know, where your hem gets all wet and nasty from running car-to-store-to-car-to-house-to-car-to-library, etc, etc. Other than wearing only flip flops with my jeans rolled up, have I ever solved my dilemma. But, not this year.
This year for my birthday, Jonathan is buying me a pair of rainboots! About now is where you can imagine me giving a gleeful cheer.
Rainboots, for all vanity’s sake, aren’t what I’d consider attractive. However, I think they are uber cool and very functional. Given that we have a mud pit in our backyard (that will soon enough be a garden), it’d be nice to have shoes to wear that can resist rain and mud without getting ruined. And not to mention that it’s easier to dash from my car to the store with Julia in my arms when I’m not worried about getting soaked or slipping in my beloved flip flops.
But, as always, I’ve too many choices. So, will you be so kind as to help me pick out my new boots?
Here are some things to keep in mind:
1. I will be wearing them with many, many different outfits (jeans, shorts, skirts, etc) that will range in color.
2. I will be wearing them in mud.
3. I like unique, but not weird. There is a fine line, in my opinion. Liz Lemon, unique. Angela from the Office, weird.
4. They should be well priced. Meaning, I’ve seen some way cool ones, but they are a tad expensive.
Here are a few that I’m digging:
Plain jane with a little flair.
Any favorites? Any suggestions?
- In: Life
- 6 Comments
Don’t shoot – but I really like cleaning. I find something rather therapeutic in the act, and really, really love the results. However, I’ve come to realize there is one chore that I dread above all others….
Making the bed.
Shocking I know. Probably would have guessed cleaning the bathroom, or doing dishes, or something that seems rather “dirty”, but no, just making the bed. It’s something that has to be done daily (in my book at least) and it seems to be the one thing I’d rather forgo doing alone, as it takes a lot of time. I can think of only two reasons for my growing displeasure of bed making; 1) we upgraded to a king size in September, thus making the chore “larger” and 2) we still have all our winter blankets on the bed, thus making the amount of covers made seem to never end. Perhaps once real spring roles around and we put away some of the covers things will be a little simpler.
So, what is your least favorite chore? The one thing that stares you in the face that you want to ignore but can’t?
Dear Dubya Dos,
Posted on: March 5, 2009
I love you. It’s been awesome being your “greenhouse” for the last 25 weeks. I’m looking forward to finally meeting you in the next 15 weeks (please no later – mama doesn’t like that idea). I have to admit I love when you kick, punch, roll, stretch around. Makes for some great entertainment, and reminds me that you are healthy and apparently pretty happy.
However, I do have one, small, tiny request. Can you please stay out of my pelvis? Especially at night. Sure, sure, it’s cozy and warm. But child, it hurts. Bad. I feel like you’re trying to push yourself out. Head (or butt) down, pushing on my lungs with all your might, squeezing as tightly as you can into my pelvis, makes mama very uncomfortable. And another question: are you purposefully waking me up at night with your kicking? Are you getting bored and in need of companionship? I’m just wondering, because Big Sis never did that, so it’s a little alarming. Personally, I’m hoping this means that you’ll sleep through the night long before Julia ever did, but hey, I’m a daydreamer.
Enjoy your next 15 weeks, stay healthy, keep growing and know that mama, daddy and Julia are anxiously awaiting to see your beautifulness.
Love,
Mama
Oh, wow.
Posted on: March 2, 2009
- In: Life
- 8 Comments
Not to long ago we established that I am lazy but really need to be more mindful about where and how I spend our grocery money. So, last night I sat down with Hy-Vee, Fareway and Wal-Mart’s ads to make my grocery plans for the month (or close to it). It took me an hour and a half. Now, granted, I was doing my month meal schedule at the same time, while watching National Treasure 2, but still.
After Mabel woke up from her morning nap I was able to hit up New Pi and Hy-Vee. I scored some pretty good deals (in my mind) at Hy-Vee. We came home to eat lunch with Jonathan and then back out to Wal-Mart and Fareway (where I found 6 bell peppers for .59 cents total!). All in all, I spent 2 hours going from one store to another. And can I just say, I hated it. Alright, for someone who is lazy and likes to shop at one store and one store only, I sure wasn’t digging spending the better part of my day driving around to 4 different stores. And Julia really didn’t like it. Especially when she lost it in the Wal-Mart check out and got a spanking.
Whew.
Which makes me realize, Mondays are no longer my “grocery” days. We get Hy-Vee and Fareway ads delivered on Wednesdays, New-Pi’s are online, along with Wal-Mart’s. So, my new plan of action:
Mondays store run will be for “essential” items – cereal, milk, veggies for the week, etc.
Thursdays will be hitting up any deals that were posted from Hy-Vee and Fareway.
And random runs to New Pi thrown in throughout the week (it sure is nice that Jonathan works right next door!).
I think I’ll keep tweeking my plans as I go, but that’s what I thought would be best for now. I’m good with groceries till middle of next week (save for fruits and veggies), but I plan to still watch for whatever goes on sale this weekend.
What days do you shop? Is there a method to your madness? And if you have kiddos… how in the heck do you do it?!
A Wife Loved Like The Church 
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