It's Worth A Shot

I went to the basement yesterday to scout out the girls' summer clothes. Having two girls you'd think I'd have the hand me downs covered. Well when Kid was about three I decided to sell her clothes and my maternity clothes. You see I wasn't sure if I was done having kids but I thought I might have been. And I reasoned I couldn't guaranteed I'd have another girl anyway.

Yup.

I was pregnant with another girl just a few months later.

Fortunately I was able to hang onto everything size 3 and up. Plus I had set aside unisex stuff like Baby's badass snowsuits you've seen her in the past two winters. And several nice dresses that I didn't want to take pennies on the dollar for.

As it turned out my girls were born in different seasons and I really only got screwed with the size 2 stuff. That's not even true. I had the winter stuff (since I was selling the stuff in the spring they only took summer if I recall)... so I guess for making a triumphantly bad decision I made out alright. Until now.

No summer clothes for Baby.

I've been keeping my eye on an ebay lot of summer clothes but figured...

Hey, there are a couple hundred moms reading this RIGHT NOW... maybe one of them has my missing bin.

You know that bin sitting all lonely down in the corner of your basement?

In all seriousness I don't want to bid on a huge lot of clothes on ebay when I only need a couple pairs of shorts and shirts. If you happen to have a few that you wouldn't sell I would be more than happy to pay for the shipping if you'd send them my way. Baby is not picky. If you've got stuff the resale shops turned down... we'll take it! Baby will happily wear stained clothing... she'll stain it the first time she puts it on anyway (sad but true).

Size 2 shorts and shirts would be greatly appreciated. If you happened to have size 6 (toddler) sandals we wouldn't turn those down either (or size 11 while we're at it).

*********************************************
UPDATED

Mission Accomplished.

Thanks so much!!!

Something's Wrong

with our internet connection...

and Mr F just pruned a giant living branch off our Maple.

We have at least 5 dead and dying trees in our yard and he hacks into one of the living...

Something about not seeing all of those hundreds of buds until after it was on the ground.

jackass

Well That Was Good While It Lasted...

But it's back to ME ME ME!

Truth be told I'm somewhat devastated since I just heard back that Kid did not get into the Charter School. At this point 10 of the current class would have to move or leave (that's more than half the class) in order for her to have a shot at getting in. Not likely. I didn't want to get my hopes up... but... I did. It would have been just the prefect solution for us.

Ah well.

I guess I'll go do laundry.

Questionable Motivation aka Failing To Succeed

I think the thing that I'm willing to acknowledge after 8 months or so of yo-yoing is that I've spent the last 8 months waking up hoping to succeed and not planning to succeed.

The difference between what I did last year and what I'm doing this year is that last year I had everything in place to make the right choices. I had to try to fail. Now I don't have anything in place and I'm just hoping it works out.

And it's not exactly working.

Maybe with that realization I'm one step closer.

Maybe No One Will Ever Take Me Up On This... But I'm Putting It Out There

I suppose I should be writing an April Fool's Day post and tell you all that I'm pregnant or some such quasi believable story. I am going to be stopping at the dollar store and buying green clay to craft into peas for dinner (mwahahaha). But other than that I've been somewhat consumed by an idea that's been stewing in my nog for a bit.

Everyone knows that we have had some tough times recently. Maybe you know how much the blog keeps me afloat... and maybe you don't. Like every blogger everywhere I have my moments of blog inspiration and my somewhat labored efforts to just get something down. I used to stress about it inordinately but as I've gone on I've been able to get more comfortable with the creative ebb and flow of my writing. Sometimes it's hilarious... sometimes it's a snooze... but either way I show up. I show up because I know you are going to show up. And that means a lot to me. It's changed my life. Not always in earth shattering ways... but in the center of me I know that someone does care how things are going. And that matters. We all need that. It changes the whole course of your thinking and sometimes even your doing.

So I want to be able to offer that back. I try my best to stay up with many of your blogs but I don't always know if you have a blog... or you may have a blog that you don't keep as personal. Or like most of the readers here you might be a lurker. (and a note to lurkers... don't ever feel guilty about that.... I lurk on 98% of the blogs I read too!). I'm thinking that on my weekly plan I will ask for people to let me know if there is something they are struggling through. It could be anything... a sick kid, financial crisis, or just a weight plateau. If it's burdening you than I would like to know about it.

I've been thinking about how I would like to live my day... and instead of getting up and focusing on some stupid annoying thing like Mr F leaving the sink full of food bits... I'd like to take a few moments and send out some positive thoughts and energy to others. It'll help to know that we are not alone in our struggles, it'll also help me to appreciate what is working in our life. And hopefully just knowing that someone is thinking about you and wishing you success will help you as much as it does me... even if just a little.

It's basically like a prayer request except that I don't require that your burdens be life or death. I'm going to print out the list and put it on my coffee cabinet. Every morning when I might usually lament what I need to get done... I am instead going to start by sending out positive thoughts to those readers who've requested it. Then I'll start my day. It's just a thought... and it might not seem like much. But I have found that having people keep you in your thoughts can make a big difference in how much you can bear.

So if you lost your job, or your dog, or your diamond ring, or just your motivation and you'd like all the positive energy you can get towards getting them back... I'd like to help.

It doesn't matter who you are, or if you've ever commented before, or will ever comment again. You can leave me a comment to this post and then from now on I'll be asking for them on my This Week The Plan posts. You can leave a comment every single week if you need to. I don't need to know you but I do need to know both what is troubling you and what outcome you're wishing for. It's kind of like the vision board idea... the more specific the outcome the better.

Is It Just Me...

Or is there something about this that strikes you as funny?

Mr F left this on the counter for me to inspect this morning. Every time I see it I bust out laughing.

This Week The Plan

Last week was busy. We cleaned the house for company... including finally getting all my paperwork filed! It feels so great to have finally gotten our paperwork cleared out and to be able to process our mail immediately.
We also sold our Volvo. Thank you to everyone who encouraged us to do that. While there are some glitches as we wait until we replace it... we were able to pay off all our outstanding medical bills & our appliances. We also got the van new tires. That was over $4000 that had been hanging over our heads for MONTHS. It is a huge relief to be able to move forward debt free. Mr F has a 2K (maximum) budget to pick out the junker of his dreams. The remainder I'm setting aside in a car maintenance fund.

This week should be a nice basic week. Nothing unusual. That's pretty rare and I plan to enjoy it.

P.S. Do you all know about archive.org? I'm obsessed with this site. I'm sure it won't surprise you that I'm reading a vintage junior's home economics book.

Alright this week...

Menu:

Sunday - Crockpot Brisket w/ carrots & potatoes, green peas

Monday - leftovers of the above

Tuesday - Quesadillas

Wednesday - Honey Mustard Glazed Salmon, green beans, sauteed potatoes & onions

Thursday - Scallion & Ginger Shrimp w/ Noodles

Friday - Pizza, Salad & Carrot Sticks

Saturday - Mexican Fritatta

Sunday - Salmon Noodle Casserole



Diet & Exercise:
I'm hoping to have some renewed efforts this week. I was really exhausted last week after having been so sick the week before and ended up bailing on my plans until I had more energy. So this week it is game on. I'm back to food journaling and working out. Last week the orthopedic surgeon said I'm all clear to workout as I see fit.

One Car... The Saga Of Annoyance Begins

Mr F sold his car on Thursday... the same day my mother arrived with her rental car. Working out the logistics of having one car for two driving adults had been surprisingly easy. Mostly, in retrospect, because until now we haven't had to.

Late last night I sat up in bed alarmed. I went back into the office and asked "Are you taking the car or am I?". We had both completely forgotten about it.

He is... that lazy bastard.

Fine.

The bus picks up one block from our house at the perfect time for him to get to work. He does not have a photo shoot (and I believe that is really the only reason why he needs it). And I happened to have had BOTH pairs of my Target kids jeans wear out in the butt this weekend... making them a hazard to the eyes of all passersby.

Far be it from me to put my particular needs before others.

Now I have to walk all through town. Why don't I have more black underwear?!... or better yet as Mr F suggested...jean underwear.

Don't worry about me Mr F. I was only going to use that gift card I got at Christmas and head over to the department store (across town) and buy some tasteful pants. Because, unfortunately, I literally only have 2 pairs of pants... the Target jeans... both inexplicably trashed at the exact same time... which was really awkward while taking Communion at church.

Yesterday Mr F test drove a car that lives, conveniently, a few houses down from us. It is turquoise (not the exact car... our one is a hatch and has ripped seats (classy!) and is 1K cheaper). I laughed when I saw it... nervously... gauging how ugly it was. I said to Mr F "Why can't it be burgundy or blue?... turquoise?! Damn you 1995"

Of course this morning I see the value of turquoise.

One Lump Or Two

The tea was a success across all four generations. I'm not sure who enjoyed it more (my mom). The food was more than plentiful and absolutely delicious. It started with a plate of 6 savory sandwiches (cucumber, smoked salmon, asparagus tart, radish & lemon on crustini (delish!!), fig & procuito, chicken salad in puff pastry) after that I was already full... don't worry that didn't stop any of us. Then there were honey cakes with lavender, blueberry & lemon scones, chocolate cake, truffles, pink grapefruit tarts & green tea shortbread... all with lemon curd, devonshire cream & raspberry jam. It was ridiculous. We ate until we could burst and still had plenty to bring home to Baby.

They had us all choose our teas by smelling the different varieties. I have been to a couple of formal teas before but have never done this... it was the perfect way to pick exactly the right flavor. I hadn't really thought about the tea part until we got there (focusing mostly on the tiny sandwiches & cakes) and then I was worried that Kid might not really like tea and wasn't sure how disappointing that would be. That was before I smelled the Mayan Chocolate Truffle tea which when mixed with sugar and milk tasted a lot like hot chocolate. She loved it... and especially enjoyed adding the sugar cubes.


Kid enjoyed the plate of finger sandwiches and then the plate of "kid friendly" sandwiches they brought up fearing she wouldn't like the grown up fare. They vastly underestimated her sophisticated palate but she didn't mind. She ate her smoked salmon, cucumber, chicken salad & mini quiche and then delighted in the ham & cheese, ants on a log, and pb & j... which she told me was just how she liked it... on white bread.


It was a fantastic afternoon with views looking over the bucolic cow pastures of the estate with the cloud covered mountains in the distance. Kid is the perfect age for this... she was in awe of it all and felt really special. If you happen to be up for the experience reserve a window table... that's what I intend to do for Mother's Day... when Kid and I will go back for a little tete á tete. It's a whopping $22 a person but... trust me... you are actually getting $22 worth of food and then some. You won't need to eat again that day. Not to mention the good sized doggy bag you'll likely bring home.