So when you decide to stop taking "the pill," most everything you read and everyone you talk to tells you it can take a little while to get pregnant. People tell you to give it a year before you start wondering if everything's OK with your reproductive organs. Others tell you that since you were taking said pill, it can take your body a little while to get "back to normal." I took all this very wonderful advice and prepared myself for whatever was to come. And even though I told my husband that we shouldn't go off the pill until we were completely ready to have a baby, I didn't actually think we'd get pregnant a month later. I really didn't. But we did. And all I can think at this point is "praise the Lord I didn't get pregnant our first year of marriage!" Or second for that matter. My husband would have thought he married a crazy person. I've learned a few things about early pregnancy (well.. early pregnancy for me, anyway) and they're, well... they're below.
1. When you start throwing up two weeks before you've missed a period, you're in for it. (I mean, I started getting sick so early in this pregnancy that I didn't even think it could be related to pregnancy.) And when you're sick that early, you have lots of time for it to get worse... and worse... and worse. Till you're sick all day, everyday, and you find yourself forgetting what it feels like to be healthy.
2. When you are sick all day everyday from all these extra hormones, sometimes these hormones display themselves in the form of tearful breakdowns about how awful it is to feel so sick all the time, and how you're going to be a terrible mother because you no longer want to be pregnant. Ah, the joys.
3. After throwing up certain foods multiple times, you are no longer able to eat them. Even your favorite foods. Like Indomie.
4. You are exhausted in a way that you've never been exhausted before. You sleep at least 10 hours every night, and feel like napping multiple times throughout the day. And yet, somehow.. you still feel tired.
5. Excessive vomiting can lead to a sore throat. It's grand.
6. You no longer enjoy eating. It's now something you have to do because if you don't, you might get sick. But once you do eat, you still might get sick. Food in general has lost its appeal.
7. When everything feels like it's falling apart and you just want to sleep through the next unknown number of weeks until you feel better, remember this song:
Lord, prepare me
To be a sanctuary
Pure and holy
Tried and true
With thanksgiving
I'll be a living
Sanctuary
For You
And strive to do just that. Because even though this has been one of the hardest journeys I've ever started (I've literally only just begun!), I know that God is in control. I prayed before all of this and said, "Lord, I'm not going to pray that I'll get pregnant. I'm praying that I'll get pregnant in YOUR time. And I'll trust that if this happens, it's part of YOUR plan, not mine."
And now that I'm no longer "suffering in silence" (although if you ask my husband I don't think he'll say I've been all that silent...hah!), I'm hoping I can turn my frustrations into comical anecdotes. It's like Sabre peeing in the car. It wasn't a great experience... but it made for a funny story and it helped change my outlook a great deal. And eventually, I hope things will get better and the tone of my pregnancy will be far more positive and fun. :)
On a side note, Skittles needs to get their act together and bring back the lime skittle. This green apple business is absurd.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Monday, October 28, 2013
Five and a Half Years Later and I'm Still Craving Cafeteria Food
I'm trying to be more organized. It's been in process for years. I'm pretty sure I've posted before about my desire to be a better grocery shopper. Unfortunately, I haven't improved in this area at all. My poor husband has been making grocery runs at least once a week for a while. He's started going when he gets off work at 2:30 in the morning. Apparently no one does their shopping at that time. Who would've thought?
All day today I've been trying to think of meals we could have. We eat a lot of spaghetti, but it's sauce from a jar. Granted, it's delicious HEB sauce and it's very convenient, but today I got a hankering for a different spaghetti. I want the spaghetti from my middle/high school cafeteria. This may not be the story for most people, but the lunches they served in the cafeteria were amazing. And one of my favorites was their spaghetti. It was so delicious. I never understood my fellow students complaining about the school lunches. I wish I could have the recipes for so many of the meals they served. One of which is spaghetti. I've yet to have spaghetti I've liked as much. I also loved their Potato-Corn Soup with Grilled Cheese, Beef and Potatoes with Rice, Tacos, Beef Stew, Risotto (which wasn't risotto at all, but it was delicious!), Nasi Kuning (Yellow Rice) with Fried Chicken, and I'm sure there were others. Sigh. Those wonderful cafeteria ladies sure knew how to cook. I always thought when I moved to the states I'd be bombarded with even more wonderful foods... but oh how I was wrong. Don't get me wrong, there are good foods here. But it's just not the same. The cafeteria food in college wasn't quite the same as the home-cooked (because essentially they were!) meals from high school. And now that I don't have the option of eating in a cafeteria on a daily basis, I miss high school. Wait, that doesn't sound right. I miss lunch in high school. Hah. Maybe there's some way I can track down those recipes.
I fall asleep really early now. And I sleep for a very long time. My body must need lots of recovery from all the nothing I do all day. Halloween is coming up. And I feel that since the neighborhood kids come by the house on days when they don't get free candy, I should go ahead and expect them for a night when they do. And I've never done the trick-or-treating thing. I mean, I went trick or treating once. When I was 16. It's a bit embarrassing to think about now, but I'd never been before and it was the only Halloween we were in the states for. And I thought free candy sounded great. And dressing up. I've always liked dressing up. I don't do it much now because, well, that would be weird, but when I was 16, I saw no harm in making a fool of myself around complete strangers. We were going to dress up the dogs, but I can't see either of them letting us put costumes on them and not trying to chew them off. I thought Sabre would make a great Batman. He's got the dark face and ears... but all the dog batman costumes were goofy and not big enough. I'm sure the kids would have loved it, but maybe another year.
(Can you believe how many sentences I write end in prepositions? It must be my style. How lovely that part of my writing style is so widely accepted as grammatically incorrect. Decipher that sentence, why don't ya?)
I've been enjoying fruit lately. Apples. And kiwi. And hopefully I'll have some strawberries tomorrow. Then I plan to make kiwi-strawberry fruit salad. Which is basically just sliced up kiwi and strawberries in a bowl. Together. But needless to say, I'm looking forward to it.
All day today I've been trying to think of meals we could have. We eat a lot of spaghetti, but it's sauce from a jar. Granted, it's delicious HEB sauce and it's very convenient, but today I got a hankering for a different spaghetti. I want the spaghetti from my middle/high school cafeteria. This may not be the story for most people, but the lunches they served in the cafeteria were amazing. And one of my favorites was their spaghetti. It was so delicious. I never understood my fellow students complaining about the school lunches. I wish I could have the recipes for so many of the meals they served. One of which is spaghetti. I've yet to have spaghetti I've liked as much. I also loved their Potato-Corn Soup with Grilled Cheese, Beef and Potatoes with Rice, Tacos, Beef Stew, Risotto (which wasn't risotto at all, but it was delicious!), Nasi Kuning (Yellow Rice) with Fried Chicken, and I'm sure there were others. Sigh. Those wonderful cafeteria ladies sure knew how to cook. I always thought when I moved to the states I'd be bombarded with even more wonderful foods... but oh how I was wrong. Don't get me wrong, there are good foods here. But it's just not the same. The cafeteria food in college wasn't quite the same as the home-cooked (because essentially they were!) meals from high school. And now that I don't have the option of eating in a cafeteria on a daily basis, I miss high school. Wait, that doesn't sound right. I miss lunch in high school. Hah. Maybe there's some way I can track down those recipes.
I fall asleep really early now. And I sleep for a very long time. My body must need lots of recovery from all the nothing I do all day. Halloween is coming up. And I feel that since the neighborhood kids come by the house on days when they don't get free candy, I should go ahead and expect them for a night when they do. And I've never done the trick-or-treating thing. I mean, I went trick or treating once. When I was 16. It's a bit embarrassing to think about now, but I'd never been before and it was the only Halloween we were in the states for. And I thought free candy sounded great. And dressing up. I've always liked dressing up. I don't do it much now because, well, that would be weird, but when I was 16, I saw no harm in making a fool of myself around complete strangers. We were going to dress up the dogs, but I can't see either of them letting us put costumes on them and not trying to chew them off. I thought Sabre would make a great Batman. He's got the dark face and ears... but all the dog batman costumes were goofy and not big enough. I'm sure the kids would have loved it, but maybe another year.
(Can you believe how many sentences I write end in prepositions? It must be my style. How lovely that part of my writing style is so widely accepted as grammatically incorrect. Decipher that sentence, why don't ya?)
I've been enjoying fruit lately. Apples. And kiwi. And hopefully I'll have some strawberries tomorrow. Then I plan to make kiwi-strawberry fruit salad. Which is basically just sliced up kiwi and strawberries in a bowl. Together. But needless to say, I'm looking forward to it.
Friday, October 18, 2013
Fried Chicken. That's All You Need to Know.
A couple weeks ago, I decided I would make some fried chicken for lunch. Travis was at a meeting, and I was hungry. I had some defrosted chicken in the fridge. It was an easy solution. I wouldn't have time to make my usual WONDERFUL fried chicken, but I figured this easier method would suffice in a pinch. I sliced up the chicken, dipped it in egg, dipped it in flour, and fried it in the deep fryer. I took a taster bite of the first batch and nearly spit it back out. It was flavorless. It was dry. I hadn't cooked it any longer than usual, but something hadn't gone right. I threw out the chicken in a state of despair. I asked my husband to pick me up some Taco Bell on his way home, and tried to comfort myself. It was a rough day.
We have a lot of chicken. Most of it is frozen, but we had two chicken breasts defrosted in the fridge today. "Hm... maybe we should make some fried chicken..." But THIS TIME, we did it the right way. When we first got married, I was determined to make wonderful meals for my husband and myself. My first goal was to make delicious fried chicken. I tried a handful of recipes, but none of them truly lived up to my expectations. I finally took matters into my own hands and took bits and pieces from different recipes and made my own fried chicken. And after a bit of tweaking here and there, it was perfect. And even now, it's the only thing I make completely from scratch. I put the "be a great cook" thing on the back burner once I'd mastered fried chicken. Priorities, people. Today Travis did the cooking, I did the cleaning. I say that as if it's unusual, but really... that's just how we usually do things around here. He sliced the chicken, soaked it in my special buttermilk mixture for a good... 5 or 6 hours, and then dipped in my special flour mixture. He fried it up to a golden crisp in our lovely deep fryer. (Don't judge me for having a deep fryer. I need my fried chicken.) And do you know what happened when I took a taster bite of the first (and only) batch? I melted inside. It was flavorful and moist and wonderful. And I vowed to never ever ever, no matter what, fry chicken without first soaking it in buttermilk. Some people may know how to fry chicken without buttermilk-soaking and have it turn out delicious... but I am not that person. I learned a valuable lesson today. We will also eat fried chicken tomorrow. That's just how it's gonna be.
The dogs played outside with Travis and the neighborhood kids for about two and a half hours today. They've now been completely out (as in, asleep) for... an hour and a half? At least. The kids tire them out. And since my wonderful husband doesn't mind staying outside with the kids and dogs for two and a half hours, it works to my advantage. I enjoy the quiet of the house... watch a movie... take a nap... whatever I would like. It makes for a lovely afternoon! This week I finally read three of the five books I checked out from the library a month ago. I put off starting them because I know that once I start a book, all I will want to do is read. And that's exactly what happened. I read one book on Tuesday, one on Wednesday, and one on Thursday. Since Travis has Fridays off, I resisted the urge to start another book today. But I have rediscovered how much I love reading. And there's a good chance I will be reading incessantly for the next... however many months it takes before I run out of books to read. (I'm very picky about authors and genres and such when it comes to reading... so while I won't literally run out of books I could read, there's a good chance I'll run out of books I want to read.)
I just found out that Thanksgiving is the last week in November. No one told me.
We have a lot of chicken. Most of it is frozen, but we had two chicken breasts defrosted in the fridge today. "Hm... maybe we should make some fried chicken..." But THIS TIME, we did it the right way. When we first got married, I was determined to make wonderful meals for my husband and myself. My first goal was to make delicious fried chicken. I tried a handful of recipes, but none of them truly lived up to my expectations. I finally took matters into my own hands and took bits and pieces from different recipes and made my own fried chicken. And after a bit of tweaking here and there, it was perfect. And even now, it's the only thing I make completely from scratch. I put the "be a great cook" thing on the back burner once I'd mastered fried chicken. Priorities, people. Today Travis did the cooking, I did the cleaning. I say that as if it's unusual, but really... that's just how we usually do things around here. He sliced the chicken, soaked it in my special buttermilk mixture for a good... 5 or 6 hours, and then dipped in my special flour mixture. He fried it up to a golden crisp in our lovely deep fryer. (Don't judge me for having a deep fryer. I need my fried chicken.) And do you know what happened when I took a taster bite of the first (and only) batch? I melted inside. It was flavorful and moist and wonderful. And I vowed to never ever ever, no matter what, fry chicken without first soaking it in buttermilk. Some people may know how to fry chicken without buttermilk-soaking and have it turn out delicious... but I am not that person. I learned a valuable lesson today. We will also eat fried chicken tomorrow. That's just how it's gonna be.
The dogs played outside with Travis and the neighborhood kids for about two and a half hours today. They've now been completely out (as in, asleep) for... an hour and a half? At least. The kids tire them out. And since my wonderful husband doesn't mind staying outside with the kids and dogs for two and a half hours, it works to my advantage. I enjoy the quiet of the house... watch a movie... take a nap... whatever I would like. It makes for a lovely afternoon! This week I finally read three of the five books I checked out from the library a month ago. I put off starting them because I know that once I start a book, all I will want to do is read. And that's exactly what happened. I read one book on Tuesday, one on Wednesday, and one on Thursday. Since Travis has Fridays off, I resisted the urge to start another book today. But I have rediscovered how much I love reading. And there's a good chance I will be reading incessantly for the next... however many months it takes before I run out of books to read. (I'm very picky about authors and genres and such when it comes to reading... so while I won't literally run out of books I could read, there's a good chance I'll run out of books I want to read.)
I just found out that Thanksgiving is the last week in November. No one told me.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Just Another Tuesday of Sedation, Urine, and Dilated Eyes
It's been an eventful few days. Well. One day primarily. Yesterday. I mean, I had a wonderful time in Dallas over the weekend. But, thankfully, those days were mostly relaxing and enjoyable. Wonderful food, bouts of laughter while we sat around and reminisced on days when my sisters and I were younger. We seem to have established that I was the bossy and emotional one (what lovely characteristics!), Brit was the trouble-making yet sweet one (how does that work?), and Kris was always so calm that we all remember the very very few times she got upset at someone. It was fun to take a walk down memory lane. Laughter is such a wonderful thing.
But back to my eventful day yesterday. The day started with me calling Sabre's vet about an appointment first thing in the morning. His dew claw (which is the thumb-like nail) on his front left foot must have gotten snagged on something at some point because it was almost completely pulled out. Sabre kept licking it and when I compared it to his right paw, it looked drastically different. The vet said that Sabre would need to be dropped off since there was a chance they would need to completely remove the claw. And even though we knew Sabre would be the biggest baby in the world about staying at the vet's office all day, we knew it had to be done. We dropped him off around 9:00 am. He tried to make a few escapes, but that's why Travis held Sabre's leash. We got a call around 1:45 saying that he had indeed broken the claw alllll the way down and would require sedation and pain medicine in order for them to remove it. We could pick him up between 5:00 and 6:00. So I did. I picked him up as soon as I got off work. He was still a bit loopy and desperate to leave the vet's office. We got in the car and started our drive home.
About halfway home, Sabre started whining. Really really whining. I thought maybe he was just flustered from his not-so-pleasant day. Or the sedation was making the car ride seem strange. I don't know. But either way, he wouldn't calm down. Then, about two miles from our exit, I hear a nice heavy stream of liquid somewhere in the car. I look back to find Sabre peeing all over the back seat. While still whining. (Thankfully we have a seat cover on it. And we just found out yesterday that the seat cover is waterproof. Score!) The smell of urine filled the car, I started to feel queasy and tried rolling down the window (which scared Sabre to death--apparently the wind is too loud when you're driving at 65 miles per hour), he jumped up to the front seat because he didn't want to sit in his pee, the car started dinging every so often because there was someone in the passenger seat without a seatbelt on, I exited early (though how I managed to not crash the car is some sort of miracle!) and drove into a large gas station, walked Sabre over to a nice patch of grass, and he peed again for about five minutes straight. Apparently they don't give dogs bathroom breaks at the vet's office. Wish I'd known that. I called my husband and pleaded with him to come help me. I couldn't drive with Sabre in the front seat because the dinging was stressing me out; I couldn't hold onto Sabre's leash and pull out the pee-covered seat cover and certainly couldn't drive in a urine-scented car; and I was about to have an emotional breakdown in the parking lot of a gas station, while my still loopy dog seemed completely confused. Travis was my hero. He took an early dinner break and came to my rescue. He pulled out the seat cover, found that the pee had NOT soaked through to the actual car seat (celebrate!), and drove Sabre in his car. We put a sock over Sabre's injured paw because the stuff they used to stop the bleeding would stain any fabric it touched AND so he wouldn't lick it constantly. We probably need to get him an e-collar (aka, cone of shame), but we'll see how the sock goes for now.
When people are coming out of anesthesia, we're so thoroughly entertained. They say funny things and act weird. We record it and post it for everyone else to see. When dogs are coming out of sedation, they are just plain strange. All yesterday evening, Sabre was weird. His eyes were ridiculously dilated and he would seemingly forget what he was doing every three seconds. He would start walking and then just freeze. Literally, freeze. No movement whatsoever. He would stop mid stride. We could say his name, call him to us, anything... and he would just stay frozen. And because his eyes were so dilated, when he would look at us, he looked surprised. And scared. And Tatum wanted so desperately to play with him (she didn't like him being gone all day), but he was so loopy he didn't know what to do. It was a weird, weird evening. But we made it home by the grace of God.
And now it's a new day. I'm enjoying some nice quiet while the puppies take their morning nap.
But back to my eventful day yesterday. The day started with me calling Sabre's vet about an appointment first thing in the morning. His dew claw (which is the thumb-like nail) on his front left foot must have gotten snagged on something at some point because it was almost completely pulled out. Sabre kept licking it and when I compared it to his right paw, it looked drastically different. The vet said that Sabre would need to be dropped off since there was a chance they would need to completely remove the claw. And even though we knew Sabre would be the biggest baby in the world about staying at the vet's office all day, we knew it had to be done. We dropped him off around 9:00 am. He tried to make a few escapes, but that's why Travis held Sabre's leash. We got a call around 1:45 saying that he had indeed broken the claw alllll the way down and would require sedation and pain medicine in order for them to remove it. We could pick him up between 5:00 and 6:00. So I did. I picked him up as soon as I got off work. He was still a bit loopy and desperate to leave the vet's office. We got in the car and started our drive home.
About halfway home, Sabre started whining. Really really whining. I thought maybe he was just flustered from his not-so-pleasant day. Or the sedation was making the car ride seem strange. I don't know. But either way, he wouldn't calm down. Then, about two miles from our exit, I hear a nice heavy stream of liquid somewhere in the car. I look back to find Sabre peeing all over the back seat. While still whining. (Thankfully we have a seat cover on it. And we just found out yesterday that the seat cover is waterproof. Score!) The smell of urine filled the car, I started to feel queasy and tried rolling down the window (which scared Sabre to death--apparently the wind is too loud when you're driving at 65 miles per hour), he jumped up to the front seat because he didn't want to sit in his pee, the car started dinging every so often because there was someone in the passenger seat without a seatbelt on, I exited early (though how I managed to not crash the car is some sort of miracle!) and drove into a large gas station, walked Sabre over to a nice patch of grass, and he peed again for about five minutes straight. Apparently they don't give dogs bathroom breaks at the vet's office. Wish I'd known that. I called my husband and pleaded with him to come help me. I couldn't drive with Sabre in the front seat because the dinging was stressing me out; I couldn't hold onto Sabre's leash and pull out the pee-covered seat cover and certainly couldn't drive in a urine-scented car; and I was about to have an emotional breakdown in the parking lot of a gas station, while my still loopy dog seemed completely confused. Travis was my hero. He took an early dinner break and came to my rescue. He pulled out the seat cover, found that the pee had NOT soaked through to the actual car seat (celebrate!), and drove Sabre in his car. We put a sock over Sabre's injured paw because the stuff they used to stop the bleeding would stain any fabric it touched AND so he wouldn't lick it constantly. We probably need to get him an e-collar (aka, cone of shame), but we'll see how the sock goes for now.
When people are coming out of anesthesia, we're so thoroughly entertained. They say funny things and act weird. We record it and post it for everyone else to see. When dogs are coming out of sedation, they are just plain strange. All yesterday evening, Sabre was weird. His eyes were ridiculously dilated and he would seemingly forget what he was doing every three seconds. He would start walking and then just freeze. Literally, freeze. No movement whatsoever. He would stop mid stride. We could say his name, call him to us, anything... and he would just stay frozen. And because his eyes were so dilated, when he would look at us, he looked surprised. And scared. And Tatum wanted so desperately to play with him (she didn't like him being gone all day), but he was so loopy he didn't know what to do. It was a weird, weird evening. But we made it home by the grace of God.
And now it's a new day. I'm enjoying some nice quiet while the puppies take their morning nap.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
I Like Lists
Things my dogs do that make me laugh...
- Sabre steals my spot on the couch every morning. I think he's teasing me. He likes the reaction I have when I come back in the room and see he's in my spot. It must be very entertaining.
- When we tell the dogs to go to bed (their crates), Sabre will usually go right in (unless he thinks we're leaving the house), but Tatum will weave in and out of our legs or lay on her back right by our feet. She becomes very affectionate when she's supposed to be going to bed.
- When Travis joins me on the couch and kisses me, Sabre goes straight to his crate. Apparently he has sensed a pattern. ;)
- Sabre now sleeps on the coffee table 90% of the time. It's his spot.
- When Travis runs around the room while the dogs chase him, he's most scared of Tatum because she gets so into the chase, she sometimes ends up biting his ankles. It's kind of funny. (Don't worry though, we correct this behavior. And she doesn't do it to anyone else--except Sabre. Which also makes it kind of funny.)
This weekend is going to be wonderful. I mean it. Absolutely wonderful! I get to see my mom for the first time in almost two years! My dogs are boarding with this family in Dallas for the weekend. They have a pool and kids and a big yard. I'm not sure my dogs are going to want to come back with us! My birthday is on Friday so we're going out to eat. I just love eating out. It's a sickness, really. My grandfather is making a big Thai meal for my aunt and myself (her birthday is tomorrow). :) It's a good thing we get to start the weekend on Thursday, because I'm barely able to contain the jittery excitement I'm experiencing. AND THEN. Next weekend (on Saturday), my mom, sisters, and grandparents are coming to visit here for my mom's birthday! I'm hoping that's enough motivation to start hanging some pictures. This house needs to look more lived-in. Needless to say, the first two weeks of October are looking pretty great!
In other news...
- I checked out five books from the library... I'm hesitant to start them because then I won't want to do anything but read. All the time.
- I started working last week. I watch an adorable little two-year-old boy for a couple hours Monday-Thursday in the afternoon. It's nice to get out of the house. Yesterday I was talking to his mom when he said, "Ms. Cassie, stop talking." Hah. He wanted to tell me that he ate a cookie.
- I can no longer eat eggs.
- Today is Taco Plate Tuesday. Makes Tuesdays pretty awesome. (Three tacos, beans, and rice for $3.69!)
- Christmas is going to be wonderful. I know it's a couple months away but... it just is.
- I need to teach Sabre and Tatum the "quiet" command. I've realized its true importance in my sanity.
- Sabre steals my spot on the couch every morning. I think he's teasing me. He likes the reaction I have when I come back in the room and see he's in my spot. It must be very entertaining.
- When we tell the dogs to go to bed (their crates), Sabre will usually go right in (unless he thinks we're leaving the house), but Tatum will weave in and out of our legs or lay on her back right by our feet. She becomes very affectionate when she's supposed to be going to bed.
- When Travis joins me on the couch and kisses me, Sabre goes straight to his crate. Apparently he has sensed a pattern. ;)
- Sabre now sleeps on the coffee table 90% of the time. It's his spot.
- When Travis runs around the room while the dogs chase him, he's most scared of Tatum because she gets so into the chase, she sometimes ends up biting his ankles. It's kind of funny. (Don't worry though, we correct this behavior. And she doesn't do it to anyone else--except Sabre. Which also makes it kind of funny.)
This weekend is going to be wonderful. I mean it. Absolutely wonderful! I get to see my mom for the first time in almost two years! My dogs are boarding with this family in Dallas for the weekend. They have a pool and kids and a big yard. I'm not sure my dogs are going to want to come back with us! My birthday is on Friday so we're going out to eat. I just love eating out. It's a sickness, really. My grandfather is making a big Thai meal for my aunt and myself (her birthday is tomorrow). :) It's a good thing we get to start the weekend on Thursday, because I'm barely able to contain the jittery excitement I'm experiencing. AND THEN. Next weekend (on Saturday), my mom, sisters, and grandparents are coming to visit here for my mom's birthday! I'm hoping that's enough motivation to start hanging some pictures. This house needs to look more lived-in. Needless to say, the first two weeks of October are looking pretty great!
In other news...
- I checked out five books from the library... I'm hesitant to start them because then I won't want to do anything but read. All the time.
- I started working last week. I watch an adorable little two-year-old boy for a couple hours Monday-Thursday in the afternoon. It's nice to get out of the house. Yesterday I was talking to his mom when he said, "Ms. Cassie, stop talking." Hah. He wanted to tell me that he ate a cookie.
- I can no longer eat eggs.
- Today is Taco Plate Tuesday. Makes Tuesdays pretty awesome. (Three tacos, beans, and rice for $3.69!)
- Christmas is going to be wonderful. I know it's a couple months away but... it just is.
- I need to teach Sabre and Tatum the "quiet" command. I've realized its true importance in my sanity.
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Five Splinters and a Lesson in Following Through
Yesterday when I closed our backyard gate (it's very warped and difficult to close), I got about five little splinters. I didn't even realize it until my hand felt itchy, and it wouldn't stop. I tried to get them out myself with tweezers, but as it turns out, I'm not very good at using tweezers with my left hand. When my husband came home for dinner, I showed him my poor splintered hand and he immediately grabbed tweezers to get the splinters out. He's a "fix the problem" kind of guy. But the splinters were too small and stuck to grab with tweezers. (I promise my hand is fine... this is sounding doom and gloom, but it's really not.) But because he is a fix-it guy, when he got home in the wee hours of the morning, he put a little "splinter remover" by my laptop, so I would see it first thing in the morning. I didn't use it, of course, because nothing had changed about my ineptitude in left-handedness. After I woke him up because I thought my puppies had caught/brought inside a little mouse (it turned out to be a hairball or something... I had no idea dogs coughed up hairballs), he saw the unopened splinter remover. He immediately opened it to reveal a sharp, needle-like thing (I have no clue how to describe it) that was supposed to dig the splinters out of my hand. I had a little bit of a breakdown because I'm a wimp and imagine everything to be much worse than it really is, so he threw the splinter remover away. After I calmed down I told him, "It's too bad you threw that thing away. I think I could handle it if I just distract myself." His response? "Well I brought two home." I'm a bit concerned that my husband knows me better than he should. Because somehow I had agreed to let him remove the splinters without even realizing it. I made myself some breakfast and then ate it while he poked my poor hand and pulled out all the splinters. (It turns out I am perfectly capable of eating with my left hand...) It stung a little bit, but it wasn't really as bad as I had imagined. And I was proud of myself for following through on what I unknowingly said I would do.
You know what's interesting about that story? It made me realize how often I'm willing to do something difficult, challenging, or out of my comfort zone as long as it's not possible. I don't think that's only true when it's a few little splinters and I'm scared of the sharp needle. It also comes into effect when I tell God that I'm ready and willing to do something for Him. But when the opportunity presents itself to do exactly what I said I would do, I hesitate. Or I just don't do it. And that's not OK. I've been asking God what my purpose is during this phase of my life. I've tried getting involved at church, but nothing seems to be working out. I'm not working, so I don't interact with many people throughout the day. Except the neighborhood kids. And you know what? I've complained endlessly about having to go outside every afternoon and hang out with a bunch of kids. I can't just send my dogs outside by themselves, so I have to go too. But you know what? If that's my only opportunity to show God's love, every afternoon with a bunch of kids that love to play with my dogs and talk my ears off about all sorts of random things, perhaps I need to fix my attitude about it. Perhaps it's time I look at it as my purpose during this phase of life. Who knows when this phase will end? I have an interview on Friday morning with a woman who needs someone to watch her two-year-old son for a couple hours in the afternoons. After Friday, if all goes well, that could be my new purpose. Right now, maybe my purpose is to show God's love to whoever God has placed in my life at that particular point in time. I said I wanted a purpose. I wanted to be His light. But did I really mean it? I better have.
I went outside with the kids earlier today. The dogs weren't as energetic as usual, but sometimes that's good. It gives me a chance to do a bit more focused training while we're surrounded with distractions. Sabre will sometimes sit automatically when a car goes by now. I'm completely panicked that one of my puppies will run out in front of a car and get killed. So every time a car goes by, I tell Sabre and Tatum to sit. Tatum doesn't usually sit. She just walks over to me. (I'm working on it.) But Sabre seems to have mastered it. And I'm very excited about that! He was also the first one to run inside when I called them in after we were done playing! While puppies may be cuter than dogs, I'm loving the fact that Sabre listens AND obeys now that he's older. The kids wanted to walk around the neighborhood, so I leashed the dogs up and we went for a walk. They loved walking the dogs! They even ran with the dogs the last couple of blocks back to the house. I don't run. Hah.
I love McAlister's sweet tea. It's delicious. Sabre turned one this past Saturday. My sisters came to celebrate with us. I'm very excited about eating leftover beef stew for dinner tonight. With freshly baked biscuits. My mother will be arriving in the states for a short visit in two weeks and two days. I'm beyond excited about that! I'm trying to work up the motivation to start a novel and actually finish it. And I discovered that I do not enjoy shopping for wood for my husband's building projects. It's very boring, guys. Oh! And I think I need a chore chart for myself. The end.
You know what's interesting about that story? It made me realize how often I'm willing to do something difficult, challenging, or out of my comfort zone as long as it's not possible. I don't think that's only true when it's a few little splinters and I'm scared of the sharp needle. It also comes into effect when I tell God that I'm ready and willing to do something for Him. But when the opportunity presents itself to do exactly what I said I would do, I hesitate. Or I just don't do it. And that's not OK. I've been asking God what my purpose is during this phase of my life. I've tried getting involved at church, but nothing seems to be working out. I'm not working, so I don't interact with many people throughout the day. Except the neighborhood kids. And you know what? I've complained endlessly about having to go outside every afternoon and hang out with a bunch of kids. I can't just send my dogs outside by themselves, so I have to go too. But you know what? If that's my only opportunity to show God's love, every afternoon with a bunch of kids that love to play with my dogs and talk my ears off about all sorts of random things, perhaps I need to fix my attitude about it. Perhaps it's time I look at it as my purpose during this phase of life. Who knows when this phase will end? I have an interview on Friday morning with a woman who needs someone to watch her two-year-old son for a couple hours in the afternoons. After Friday, if all goes well, that could be my new purpose. Right now, maybe my purpose is to show God's love to whoever God has placed in my life at that particular point in time. I said I wanted a purpose. I wanted to be His light. But did I really mean it? I better have.
I went outside with the kids earlier today. The dogs weren't as energetic as usual, but sometimes that's good. It gives me a chance to do a bit more focused training while we're surrounded with distractions. Sabre will sometimes sit automatically when a car goes by now. I'm completely panicked that one of my puppies will run out in front of a car and get killed. So every time a car goes by, I tell Sabre and Tatum to sit. Tatum doesn't usually sit. She just walks over to me. (I'm working on it.) But Sabre seems to have mastered it. And I'm very excited about that! He was also the first one to run inside when I called them in after we were done playing! While puppies may be cuter than dogs, I'm loving the fact that Sabre listens AND obeys now that he's older. The kids wanted to walk around the neighborhood, so I leashed the dogs up and we went for a walk. They loved walking the dogs! They even ran with the dogs the last couple of blocks back to the house. I don't run. Hah.
I love McAlister's sweet tea. It's delicious. Sabre turned one this past Saturday. My sisters came to celebrate with us. I'm very excited about eating leftover beef stew for dinner tonight. With freshly baked biscuits. My mother will be arriving in the states for a short visit in two weeks and two days. I'm beyond excited about that! I'm trying to work up the motivation to start a novel and actually finish it. And I discovered that I do not enjoy shopping for wood for my husband's building projects. It's very boring, guys. Oh! And I think I need a chore chart for myself. The end.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Can You Tell I Stay Home with My Puppies All Day Long?
I believe I've mentioned before that Travis and I used to live in an apartment. We moved into said apartment right after we got married. After living there a year and a half, we hadn't met a single one of our neighbors. Not one. But then, last November, we got a puppy. And everything changed. Sabre was a cute little puppy and got tons of attention from other dog owners and non-dog owners alike. He made fast friends with other dogs to the point where he would sit at the window and wait for one of his friends to go outside. When he played with his doggie friends, we talked with their owners. And we got to know them. And it was wonderful! It was nice to actually know some people in our apartment complex instead of feeling like antisocial recluses.
Then we moved away. Far, far away. (Not really that far...but I'm trying to play up the dramatics.) We were back at square one. The problem this time? We have a backyard, so we don't let the dogs out the front door into a common outdoor area where other people and dogs frequently pass by. (That sentence sounds confusing and terrible all at the same time, but I'm not sure I have the willpower to correct it. It breaks all sorts of rules to end a sentence with the word 'by', I'm sure.) Needless to say, Sabre and Tatum haven't had as many dog friends or people friends since we moved.
Until yesterday.
I harnassed and leashed up both puppies and we went outside. I figured at the very least, we could go for a walk. But I also knew there were a bunch of kids playing in the street right in front of our house. Perhaps they would give my puppies some much-needed outside attention. As soon as we got out there, the kids eagerly asked if they could pet the dogs. One thing led to another, and I let them off leash. They chased the basketballs and the kids (thankfully Sabre knows he's not supposed to literally catch the kids when he chases them), and it was wonderful. They were exhausted by the end. Tatum was exhausted before the end. She's an introvert. ;) The kids knocked on the door today and asked, "Can your dogs come play?" It was cute. And we went outside for a while. Another couple passed by walking their two dogs, and my puppies made new doggie friends. Sabre really scared the poor Hound dog when he approached her though. I had both my puppies in a sit-stay, but they're still working on mastering the concept. Tatum broke first and I confirmed with the other owners that their dogs would be OK meeting mine before I let Sabre go. Just to calm your fears that my dogs are crazy and out of control. :) After the initial uncertainty, both of the other dogs came around and seemed to enjoy the encounter. They didn't want to leave. Hopefully we'll see them again and our dogs can play a bit more. Yay for doggie friends! My puppies are now exhausted. They're fighting the desire to sleep.
Yesterday Sabre chased some chickens. Poor things were scared to death. They escaped though. I'm not sure what Sabre would have done if he'd caught one. My sisters are coming to Waco for Sabre's first birthday next weekend. Hah! They thought it was kind of silly to come for his birthday, but I told them it's not silly at all. While he won't know it's his birthday, we will. And we'll have fun! :)
I'm very ready for cooler weather. I can't explain it, but I now love cold weather. It's cleaner and fresher and just nicer all around. I mean, sure it's not great if you have to be outside a lot... but neither is hot weather. At least when you come in from the cold, you don't feel like you need to shower. And I like fall/winter clothes. I like boots. And long-sleeved shirts. I'm ready for fall. But since it's still in the high nineties everyday even though it's September, I think I still have some waiting to do. I just have to remind myself that while Texas summers are horribly miserable, the other three seasons are really quite nice. It's the silver lining.
Then we moved away. Far, far away. (Not really that far...but I'm trying to play up the dramatics.) We were back at square one. The problem this time? We have a backyard, so we don't let the dogs out the front door into a common outdoor area where other people and dogs frequently pass by. (That sentence sounds confusing and terrible all at the same time, but I'm not sure I have the willpower to correct it. It breaks all sorts of rules to end a sentence with the word 'by', I'm sure.) Needless to say, Sabre and Tatum haven't had as many dog friends or people friends since we moved.
Until yesterday.
I harnassed and leashed up both puppies and we went outside. I figured at the very least, we could go for a walk. But I also knew there were a bunch of kids playing in the street right in front of our house. Perhaps they would give my puppies some much-needed outside attention. As soon as we got out there, the kids eagerly asked if they could pet the dogs. One thing led to another, and I let them off leash. They chased the basketballs and the kids (thankfully Sabre knows he's not supposed to literally catch the kids when he chases them), and it was wonderful. They were exhausted by the end. Tatum was exhausted before the end. She's an introvert. ;) The kids knocked on the door today and asked, "Can your dogs come play?" It was cute. And we went outside for a while. Another couple passed by walking their two dogs, and my puppies made new doggie friends. Sabre really scared the poor Hound dog when he approached her though. I had both my puppies in a sit-stay, but they're still working on mastering the concept. Tatum broke first and I confirmed with the other owners that their dogs would be OK meeting mine before I let Sabre go. Just to calm your fears that my dogs are crazy and out of control. :) After the initial uncertainty, both of the other dogs came around and seemed to enjoy the encounter. They didn't want to leave. Hopefully we'll see them again and our dogs can play a bit more. Yay for doggie friends! My puppies are now exhausted. They're fighting the desire to sleep.
Yesterday Sabre chased some chickens. Poor things were scared to death. They escaped though. I'm not sure what Sabre would have done if he'd caught one. My sisters are coming to Waco for Sabre's first birthday next weekend. Hah! They thought it was kind of silly to come for his birthday, but I told them it's not silly at all. While he won't know it's his birthday, we will. And we'll have fun! :)
I'm very ready for cooler weather. I can't explain it, but I now love cold weather. It's cleaner and fresher and just nicer all around. I mean, sure it's not great if you have to be outside a lot... but neither is hot weather. At least when you come in from the cold, you don't feel like you need to shower. And I like fall/winter clothes. I like boots. And long-sleeved shirts. I'm ready for fall. But since it's still in the high nineties everyday even though it's September, I think I still have some waiting to do. I just have to remind myself that while Texas summers are horribly miserable, the other three seasons are really quite nice. It's the silver lining.
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