quit work make crafts

Sat, 19 Dec 2009 19:24:52 GMT

Internets, I am confused.

When one is cutting meat across the grain and "on the bias", does this mean holding the knife at a 45 degree angle as you cut perpendicular to the grain, or does it mean that you hold the knife exactly vertical while cutting on a diagonal line across the grain?

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:43:07 GMT

To Do Today While the Zoo is in Daycare:

* ~~marinate meats~~
* ~~clean up basement~~ (more or less)
* clean up bedrooms (one of four)
* fold laundry
* put together and mail photo package for my grandpa

Awesome and Adorable Baby Milestone Du Jour:
One of the baby books I've taken out repeatedly from the library is a book of colours featuring a photo of a snake to illustrate the colour brown. When we get to this page, I always tell her that "snakes say ssssssss". She was playing with this book the other day, and it fell open to the page with the snake...and unprompted, upon seeing it, she said "ssssssssss".

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:56:56 GMT

The Zoodle is spending the day with her Bubbie to give me time to cook. And lo I have been very productive: eggplant, squash, garlic, and root vegetables are roasting in the oven, and applesauce is on the stove. Next up is a grocery list and a quick shopping trip, after which I will make latkes and gravlax.

Bleh. I don't know. Feeling kind of sad today.

Mmmm, I should roast vegetables more often. So delicious and soooo easy.

HA. Corey sent me this to cheer me up, so I inflict it on you, flist:

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:37:49 GMT

I'm not sure whether this is something she learned from us or if it's a universal developmental thing. But, hilariously, the Zoodle now goes "OOOOoooh!" when she finds something interesting.

Stitch & Bitch

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 04:03:42 GMT

So the lovely commodorified is convening an evening of bitchin' stitchin' at the Arrow & Loon this Wednesday. 8PM. Anyone else want to bring some yarn (or sewing or other craftiness)? It will be epic!! And there will be beer!

Sun, 13 Dec 2009 02:57:00 GMT

No matter how stressed out I get around the holidays, this song always makes it better.

And his name shall be callèd:
Wonderful
Counselor
The mighty God
The everlasting Father
The prince of peace

The weather outside is frightful

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:57:47 GMT

Holy howling snowstorm, batman.

The Zoodle and I actually mustered out into it this morning to run errands. Ugh. I am so not prepared for winter - neither mentally nor practically. Must make a hat-and-mitts-and-boots shopping run sometime.

Also, does anyone have suggestions for how the hell to keep mitts on a baby for more than 5 minutes??

Anyway, it is now naptime, and I am curled up on the couch with a Fine Cooking magazine and some chocolate chip cookies with cats lounging around the room. When the baby wakes up we will crack open the new books. One thing to be said for snow is that it makes everything very cozy inside.

Voices of Venus last night, btw, was lovely. amazon_syren was totally right about Luna Allison, who knows how to deliver a punch. I should write more.

snort

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 12:47:32 GMT

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:00:30 GMT

Behold!

TAKE THAT, Frost Flowers! Hahahahahahaaa!

Decisions

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:50:33 GMT

Strongbow and dancing or knitting and cooking?

Hmmmmmm...

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:54:39 GMT

Adorably, the Zoodle fell asleep mid-"sentence" tonight. She was still awake when I put her in her crib, so through the baby monitor we could hear her squiggling around and talking, mostly saying "bababa ba baba". And then eventually the "ba"s got fainter...and fainter...

In other baby news she's clearly developing a vocabulary - there are several words she obviously understands, even if she can't articulate them. She knows:

* cheerios
* milk
* nose
* mouth
* ear
* button
* zipper

She will point to these last if we ask her where they are. She will sometimes accompany the pointing with a syllable that could very well be "there", as in "there it is" (which phrase we used a lot when showing these things to her..."where's mommy's nose??...there it is!")

Communication, my friends. IT IS SPOOKY.

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:01:02 GMT

I am the tired.

However: Corey and I went to Montreal and he defended his thesis in predictably fine form and flying colours. His advisor awesomely provided everyone with little glasses of champagne afterwards (or sparkling wine? I can't tell the difference). Then we had lunch at Thompson House for old times' sake and drove home through stoopid rush hour traffic.

The Zoodle, meanwhile, had a nice day with her Bubbie (Corey's mom - the word is yiddish for grandma) AND she apparently napped with barely a peep of protest, which is once again very encouraging!

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 04:15:35 GMT

OMG. Some frenzied measuring/calculating suggests that I JUST MIGHT have enough of that swanky cashmere wool I've been saving to knit a duplicate of my all-time favourite but sadly worn out sweater. This would mean ripping up the 10" of stupidly difficult pattern I've already achieved, since I would have to shape it, but I'm totally excited anyway! Plus the sweater has a very straightforward line to it that would be easy to shape (awesomely, since the line of the sweater was exactly what made it so kickass and since I have very little clue as to what I'm doing in this department yet). I'd have to wash the resulting garment much more carefully than the old one, mind you. BUT STILL.

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:25:19 GMT

Rose has been awake since before 5AM.

I am freaking tired.

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:08:20 GMT

Events on the horizon this week:

Tuesday The Zoodle goes to daycare for a few hours again; I go talk to my boss about what happens when I go back in January. I hope my old job still exists and that they don't ask me to do ATIP.

Wednesday Big old day trip to Montreal so Corey can defend his thesis!

To do this weekend:

* pick up playpen and another baby gate at Bayshore
* make some of the freezable nibblies of deliciousness
* check out craft sale chez Lakeside Centre

BE AFRAID

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 00:23:01 GMT

SWEET MERCIFUL CRAP.

I turned my head for thirty seconds and when I looked back Rose was STANDING UP, having used the bars of the baby gate to haul herself up from the floor.

Alas, she fell over before I could find the camera.

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:23:17 GMT

Well, daycare was a qualified success. She didn't cry when I left, and was apparently OK for the first hour, but not very happy for the second hour, and she pitched a royal fit when Linda tried to put her coat on at the end (nothing particularly new there, she hates getting dressed and undressed). She was rubbing her eyes and all so was probably getting tired; after I got her home and fed, it took her about 5 minutes to fall asleep, so it certainly seems plausible.

I am trying not to be discouraged.

Sometimes I wish we didn't have to do this. I wish there was some way for one of us to stay home without tanking the budget and/or one of our careers. Or that my mom had the leisure to come and look after her instead. But I know it's good for her to socialize with other kids, and to adapt to caregivers who don't dote on her *quite* so much. And I'd go insane with stircraziness staying home indefinitely. It's just...damn, this is going to be harder on me than I thought, y'know? I wish we could afford the middle road, i.e. working part-time...maybe by the time #2 comes along. Bleah.

On the plus side I did get a couple of very productive hours in at the studio, which is where I'm intending to spend the free time daycare nets me in the next month or so. Another hour of grinding and I should have one cabinet panel ready to foil. Somewhat slower going than usual because (a) I'm trying not to scratch the float glass and (b) I'm painstakingly making sure that the damn thing is the right size when the lead frame is factored in.

I think I will go unwind with knitting now. Not the most relaxing of patterns - I've lost count of how many times I've had to unravel the whole thing and start over, despite the instructions claiming it's uncomplicated - but I think I've finally got it mastered. Hopefully I am not jinxing myself by writing that.

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 01:47:51 GMT

Tomorrow is the Zoodle's first day in daycare. Only for a couple of hours, but still, I am all nervous. I hope it goes well.

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:23:56 GMT

Wikipedia tells me that there's a new Miles Vorkosigan book to be published in late 2010! Sahweeeeeeeet!!

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:10:32 GMT

Thank you everyone for your support re previous entry. Fortunately things are not turning out as overwhelming as they were threatening. Corey is recovering rapidly (has already ditched the crutches in favour of a cane), and the Zoo seems to also be recovering from the clingy grumpy whatever it was she was embroiled in for a few days. Also I have made a point of (a) going to bed early the past couple nights and (b) spending the evenings in totally mindless and non-productive entertainment, i.e. re-reading Miles Vorkosigan books and knitting. In sum, I am somewhat refreshed. And I found a $10 DVD copy of Labyrinth at the grocery store. Hee!

Tonight: Star Trek reboot movie (finally!) - with any luck it will not be all rented out, it being a weekday. Also I am going to try to make some curry for Rose. Not powerful curry, of course, just a bit of ginger and cinnamon and cumin with some chicken and onions. Also I will throw in peas and potatoes and raisins. And if she doesn't like it, well, I'll eat it :P Homemade baby food is surprisingly tasty, given how unappetizing it looks.

Oh, for CHRIST'S SAKE

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 02:30:40 GMT

Today was actually going pretty well - tired, but otherwise ok. Until Corey somehow put a foot wrong and sprained his ankle. So he needs to stay off his foot and keep it iced and elevated for at least 48h, and then may be on crutches, and meanwhile everything in the goddamn house is basically on my head for as long as this bullshit lasts. I could just fucking cry.

Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:59:55 GMT

I am about at the end of my rope for the day. Screamy non-napping baby is noodling peacefully enough for now with cheerios. I think she must be teething like whoa, but there are so far no additional teeth to show for it, just a clueless mother with fraying nerves.

The worst part of this gig is that when I get to the end of the day I get a couple of hours to myself to recuperate and then I have to go to bed and get up at the ass crack of dawn and do it all over again. Cheerfully. There are no days off ever. I cram what time off Corey can give me full of projects because I have no other time to do them, and I can never catch up enough to feel like I can chill with nothing else I should be doing instead. And the thought of trying to fit everything in around a full work week makes me want to cry.

raynedaze did a lovely tarot reading for me at amazon_syren's birthday party that seemed to suggest I should stop beating myself up about not getting shit done and try to look at all my competing priorities as being in counterpoint rather than competition...an orchestra, not a juggling act. Nice idea, if I only knew how to get there.

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:47:46 GMT

Stained glass is still to come, hopefully soon!

Sweet, sweet, sweeeeeet gas stove, how I ♥ you.

The dining room remains kind of a mess, and the fridge won't be staying there, but this is the view from where I was standing in the first picture.

This is where the fridge goes as soon as we get a chance to move it.

Dare to compare - the "before" pics!

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:05:28 GMT

All right internets! Kitchen pictures to follow at the end of the day!! But meanwhile, what colour do you think I should paint the dining room?

The red is Behr's Ruby Ring:

The dining room is currently an almond sort of yellowy-off-white, as is the rest of the main floor. Should I just go with a similar colour? It needs to be warmish, to go with the red, and it needs to be unobtrusive, so as to not compete with the red.

VERY LAST kitchen tasks:

* ~~get counter mess out of the way for tile guy~~
* ~~put up trim around door~~
* move fridge once trim is complete
* find a spot for CD player
* ~~more red paint if needed (please god no)~~
* paint ceiling and bulkhead
* trim under counter in DR
* paint DR
* get cracking on glass panels

Just look around you, it's easy to see - there's nothing we women can't be!

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:11:14 GMT

I raise my glass to you, Sesame Street. Rock on.