Thursday, November 11, 2010

Oh hey, I'm still alive!

After L's update, I figured I'd drop in and post my own, since I'm certain all of our readers out there are just dying to know what I've been up to. :)

1. My puppy is growing faster than I knew was possible for a living creature, and considering I was praying he'd be a huge guard dog, I'm thrilled. I am not thrilled, however, that he is currently the perfect height to put his paws up on the table or counter in search of water (he's a fiend I tell you). The record so far is 3 cups knocked over in one night, when I had friends over and there were drinks all over the place. At least it's all clear liquid.

2. The bf is going through some difficult stuff at work that I am (naturally) completely freaking out about. I cried so hard I made myself sick the other night, and I've been feeling like I'm fighting a stomach bug ever since. I'm planning to adopt the BRATT diet tonight and tomorrow in an attempt to feel 100% again by the weekend...

3. ...which we are spending at the Great American Cooking Expo at the Arlington Park Racecourse. It essentially looks like a cheap and fun event for a wannabe-foodie like me, complete with "abundant tastings" and cooking demos by "celebrated chefs" whom I have never heard of. I talked the boy into this with the promise of wine tasting and a beer garden, so the website had better not be lying about the alcohol situation.

4. My first set of holidays as a child of (almost) divorced parents are quickly approaching. So far, I'm doing a good job of not dealing by avoiding the entire situation in general. Originally, I figured I would just continue going where I've always gone, as it's been pretty much the same for years - Thanksgiving with my dad's side, Christmas Eve with my mom's, Christmas Day with my dad's. Piece of cake, with just one less parent at each event, right? Wrong. So, instead I've decided that at least for Thanksgiving, I will likely not go anywhere at all. That's right friends - I'm ditching out on Turkey Day. I've volunteered myself to help Bev out serving an early dinner for the residents at our local YMCA, and honestly, I cannot WAIT. I mean, giving back and helping others is what Thanksgiving is all about in the first place, right? And as a tradition, I'll finish the night off in my pajamas with a glass of wine and every single Black Friday ad imaginable laid out on the table, planning out my shopping trip that looks like it will be starting promptly at 3am this year.

5. I am slightly ashamed to admit this, but I have spent a MASSIVE amount of time lately reading through How About Orange, a new blog find that I am really really hooked on. This blog is FULL of handmade goodies that even amateurs like me could handle, and there's a teeny part of me that's tempted to try out a few projects for Christmas gifts. There's also a teeny part of me that really wants to find a way to become friends with the writer, who just so happens to live in Chicago.

Is it the weekend yet?

Monday, November 8, 2010

Delinquent Blog Mother

by L

That's me. A delinquent blog mother. My joint custody should be taken away. Sigh.

I actually don't have a single topic to ramble about, so here are a few random ramblings.

1. It's November. It's COLD. We live in a 2 flat, on the top floor. Our building is easily 100 years old, so you can imagine the "charm" it has. Part of the "charm" is that our downstairs neighbors have the thermostat in their unit that controls the heat in the WHOLE BUILDING. So... being cold 361 days of the year is even more unfortunate now that I can't control my own heat. (And for the record, the other 4 days of the year I'm sweating profusely. There is seriously no happy medium.)

2. This past weekend we had an early Thanksgiving with my group of college friends. We do it every year, and it's always a great time. This year did not disappoint - it was a blast! Well, it was a blast until approximately 25 bottles of wine had been consumed and someone (who shall remain unnamed) discovered that if you throw things into the ceiling fan, they will shoot out in a random direction. Shortly after, jello mold and pumpkin pie adorned the walls/floors/ceiling. It made for some pretty great photos, but needless to say, we will never be hosting this particular event. Ever.

3. This is the first year that I will be away from my parent(s) for a holiday. We will be spending Thanksgiving in Ohio, with the hub's fam. I'm excited to begin making our own traditions and memories as marrieds, but it's going to be really weird not seeing my wacky uncles and sitting at the kids table with my cute baby cousins. So far I've only received one guilt-laden email from my aunt about not being there, but I know more are to come! Oh well, such is life, eh? For five days, I will be living the laid back country life with my in-laws and enjoying every minute of it :)

4. The whole idea of creating traditions of your own when you get married is a doozie. On one hand, you want to start making those holiday memories of your own I mentioned above. But on the other hand, you have multiple families now that expect you to be around... so what do you do? And it's even worse when you get the pleasure of dividing THREE families by two holidays. Or is it two holidays by three families? (Math was never my strong suit.) People keep telling us "just have babies, then people will come to you!" And you know... if one (or both) of the future grandma's lived a little closer, it might be a different story...

5. My husband is a wonderful man. But there's one problem when it comes to gift-giving: he doesn't WANT anything. A few weeks ago, I asked him to make a Christmas list. Do you know what is on said list? Undershirts. A 3 pack of white, crew neck Hanes undershirts. Not even joking. This is why every year, I go through multiple stages of emotions during my shopping: stress, second-guessing, stress, frustration, excitement, second-guessing, contentment, irritation, elation, second-guessing. Rinse and repeat. It just seems like dudes have it SO MUCH EASIER. I could walk into anywhere and without even looking rattle off three things I must have in order to not die. Not sure what that says about me, but I like to think I'm just making his life easier :)

Time for some cookie dough to finish off this manic Monday.