Wedded Wednesday: 5 Love Languages

Wedded Wednesday is a collaboration

of married bloggers sharing their inspirations,
anecdotes, struggles and thoughts regarding
the amazing union of two separate people, as one.

I'm betting that most of you are familiar with Gary Champan's 5 Love Languages, and all of the different books incorporated under that umbrella. But in case you aren't, here's the basic idea:

We all have one of five ways that we primarily and instinctively show love and appreciation to others. In turn, we feel most loved and appreciated when someone expresses their love and affection for us using our own "love language".

The 5 Love Languages are: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch.

Rarely do two spouses have the same love language. This can create an interesting scenario within a marriage. For example, if my love language were Acts of Service, and my husband's were Words of Affirmation (and for the record, they aren't...) it's likely that I would show my love to Justin by cleaning the house, cooking dinner, etc--because that's MY language, and how I express my love and affection. However, Justin probably wouldn't be feeling very loved, because that's not the manner in which he experiences feeling loved and feeling affection--instead, he'd feel most loved if I were to thank him for being such a hard worker which provides for our family, or to tell him that he did a great job with a certain project around the house.

I think it's just a good reminder that the way we show love to our spouse is not always the way that they experience feeling loved. Sometimes, we have to speak their language! I also find that this premise applies in many other avenues of life besides just marriage--a co-worker and I were talking about how it even seems to occur in the workplace, or among friends. Gary Chapman also has a book specific to the love languages of children, and includes information about the type of discipline that might be most effective for children of different types of love languages. Check it out!

5 Questions...

I'm headed off to a little all-day conference for work. I am NOT looking forward to it simply because the venue is incredibly uncomfortable normally--it's theater style seating, but the rows are so close together that my legs don't fit. I always have to put my knees up on the chair in front of me to get my legs to fit, which then means after the whole day my feet have fallen asleep. I can't even imagine what it's going to be like now that I'm rocking a nearly-30-week belly!

Anyway, I've noticed some new followers and commenters lately, so I thought it was time for a corny little "get to know you" survey--for me, AND for you. Don't worry, I'll keep this short, sweet, and hopefully fun. I'll post my answers in the post--you post yours in the comments section [LURKERS, that includes YOU!] The questions are:

1. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?

2. What does your real name mean?

3. What tops your Christmas wish list this year?

4. If you could hire either a driver, chef, personal trainer, maid, or stylist, which would you pick and why?

5. Has the "bad economy" personally affected you? How?

Here are my answers:

1. From January-November, my favorite ice cream is rainbow sherbet. From November-December, it's Hagen Daaz Peppermint Bark.

2. Meredith means "keeper of the ocean". It's pretty fitting, because I'm really a water person.

3. Really, there isn't much on my Christmas list this year--the camera lens I keep talking about, Pioneer Woman's cookbook, and some Warm Vanilla Sugar body wash is just about it.

4. There is no doubt in my mind that I'd hire a maid. I actually like both driving and cooking, and I don't care enough about looking nice to have a stylist. And maybe if the house didn't always need cleaning, I'd actually have time to work out!

5. We haven't experienced a lay-off (knock on wood), though because Justin works in the trades, work is definitely slower than usual. However, that's honestly something we've seen for a few years now. I guess it's just making us more cautious about purchases, and selecting which things are needed expenses, and which things we just want. Though really, I think in a lot of ways, we've always been pretty frugal. We don't take big vacations, or give each other big presents for the holidays. We DO spend more on unnecessary expenses throughout the year than I'd like, but that's just always a work in progress! We will definitely be feeling the burn in January when I'm no longer working, but I think we'll be able to make it work. We just might be living a little more simply (and without all the latest DVDs and books) than we once were. But I'm not sure that's a bad thing...

Please post your answers in the comments section!

Weekend Photos

So, I actually had a paying photo shoot (my first with a non-friend or family member!) scheduled for this weekend. Unfortunately, she wanted outdoor family pictures in front of their trees--and it poured all weekend, so she called to cancel. I offered to come out at 3:30 one day this week once I get off work, but she said that doesn't really work with the baby's sleep schedule. The next free weekend I have is the 14th (and actually, it would really be pushing it.), and she's not sure that there will be any leaves left then. I have to say that although I was totally nervous for the shoot, I was pretty bummed when it was canceled.

Halloween has never been a good day for me--things just don't seem to work out as planned. That said, I got to take some pics of the Harvest Fest at church before we headed home to pass out candy (but sadly, we only had ONE group stop by to trick or treat!):

The day before Halloween, my dad decided to try on my brother's Halloween costume...


Payton was Sleeping Beauty.


Logan was Franklin the Turtle.
[Renee did an awesome job with the costume!]






As festive as I got this year was this flowered headband,
which I can't quite bring myself to wear on just a normal day.


Logan's not too sure he wants to participate in the spaghetti eating anymore.
Ryan's cheating--hands behind the chair, mister!


Sorry you didn't win babe, but look over here.
Why? No reason at all...


Except to give your brother the chance to shove food in your face.
Love ya!


Just playing with camera settings, but kinda liked this one :)

And no, I didn't go buy the red jacket. I know, it's a great deal. But it's also half the price of the camera lens that I'm lusting after, and I think I'd rather have that. I can continue to look schlumpy for a couple more months...

I'm really tempted...

To go pick up this maternity coat from Target. It's $40. I do have one maternity coat, but it warm, and the one above is wool. I also do have a regular pea coat that I can still wear unbuttoned, but because I'm wearing it unbuttoned, it just looks like I'm huge instead of pregnant.

What's a girl to do? Probably not do anything for weeks, until I finally decide to buy it and discover that they've already sold out in my size...

Burning Question of the Day: Spanking

Do you, or will you spank your children? Why or why not? And more interestingly, do you judge other parents who have an opinion that's different than yours?

The child conduct clinic has released findings that in the US, 63 percent of parents physically discipline their 1-to 2-year-olds, and 85 percent of adolescents have been physically punished by their parents.

On the other hand, in 2001 the UN launched the Global Initiative to End All Corporal Punishment of Children, with a target of 2009 for achieving that goal.

For me, working with kids in foster care, I think it's important to first define what I mean by "spanking". When I'm talking spanking, I mean with an open hand, to a clothed bottom. In the State of Oregon, spanking isn't illegal--unless it leaves any sort of mark. Then, it becomes child abuse.

Now that that's clear, personally, I think it depends. It depends on the child, for one--Justin says that he remembers singing "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" to his parents once before getting a spanking. I think it's pretty clear in that circumstance that spanking wasn't going to be the most effective form of discipline for him.

However, there are times when I think that spanking may be the logical and natural consequence for behavior--specifically when that behavior could cause physical harm to themselves or another (i.e. swinging a bat near another child). I'm not sure that I would use spanking as just a general method of conduct correction (i.e. "stop screaming or I'll give you a spanking"). For some reason, in my opinion, spanking would probably only be effective from about ages 3-8. I don't believe in spanking teens or infants. I think at that point, there are just other forms of discipline that are more effective.

Honestly, spanking probably won't ever be my first choice in terms of discipline. I feel like through work, I've learned some great alternatives to spanking for even the most defiant children. But I'm not sure that spanking is ever anyone's first choice.

That said, because I guess I have kind of a middle-of-the-road approach to spanking, I don't have a lot of judgment towards parents either way. I actually think that I'm probably more judgmental towards parents who don't tend to discipline their children at all--yes, discipline is mostly about teaching, but sometimes, it also requires a consequence (whether that's a spanking or a timeout, or being grounded)...which doesn't always seem to happen. The only time that I DO get really worked up over spanking is when I see parents spank a child under 1, or when they're using a belt or other object to spank, and spanking hard enough to leave marks.

So again, what do you think? Do you/will you spank your child? Why or why not?

Pregnancy Post: Week 29

Holy cow, I can't believe that I'm 29 weeks already! Assuming I go to 40 weeks, I now have 77 days of pregnancy left. Even better, I officially have 41 or fewer days of work left!

Lizard is now approximately the size of a butternut squash (or about 2 and a half pounds and 15 inches long). This week, her bones are developing, which may explain the fact that I seem to be craving milk, cheese, and other things containing lots of calcium. Lizard's spleen has also begun to work this week. I still don't really know what a spleen does, but it's undoubtedly important somehow!

As far as I go, I'm tired all the time, crying all the time, have heartburn all the time, I feel like my bump is oddly shaped, constipated, and my ribs hurt all the time. Soon, I might need Justin to help push me up off the couch. It's not pretty, but it's the truth folks! Still, oddly, it's almost like it just becomes the new normal. I'm not really even all that grumpy about it...it just is what it is.

I guess the bottom line is that I'm just happy that she's still baking away, and kicking away. We had a case at work this week with a baby who was born at 24 weeks gestation, and is doing okay, but is obviously very fragile and still in the NICU. It boggles my mind to think that this would translate into me giving birth over a month ago. Holy manoley.

This afternoon, I have to do the one-hour glucose test. Cross your fingers and say a little prayer that I pass! Also, I don't even want to know how much I weigh now!

I'm also trying to get a little issue with my FSA worked out at work. My boss and I have a different understanding of how the flex spending accounts work--essentially, since our plan year runs from mid-calendar year to mid-calendar year, I have already used more of my flex money than I have contributed, or will contribute by the time I leave in December. She believes I will owe the company the difference between what I have used ans what I have contributed. My understanding is that there is a risk to both the employee and the employer with a FSA--i.e. if I don't use all the $, the employer gets it. If I'm laid off, I am no longer able to use those funds. BUT, if I leave the company having used more than I contributed, I'm not liable for what I didn't actually contribute. For what it's worth, we haven't continued to use the flex funds once I said I wouldn't be returning...though I do believe that legally, we could. Anyway, all the research I've done backs up my opinion, but I'm still waiting for my boss to give the final ruling.

In other news, the nursery is coming along spectacularly! I'm not going to post anything other than detail pics until we're done, but I had to share the latest nursery development, which is that my mom finished the bedskirt and fitted sheet for the crib:

I am LOVING how they work with what we've got going on in the rest of the room so far. And I really, really love how the majority of the nursery is either hand-made, or hand-me-downs. I can't wait to tell Lizard all about the family members who helped with her room :)

Wedded Wednesday: Purpose of Marriage

Wedded Wednesday is a collaboration
of married bloggers sharing their inspirations,
anecdotes, struggles and thoughts regarding
the amazing union of two separate people, as one.
Head over to Marital-Bless to see more Wedded Wednesday bloggers.

Last night in our couple's Bible Study, we talked a lot about the purpose of marriage. In order to make it work, I think that it's important for you and your spouse to be on the same page about what marriage means, and WHY the two of you are married.

Most Americans would tell you that the purpose of marriage is to make each other happy. And being happy in marriage IS important, even crucial. But what if the purpose behind marriage wasn't necessarily to make us happy, but to make us holy?

We've been talking a lot about Gary Thomas' book Sacred Marriage, which is formed around that exact idea. If you're interested, you can download the first chapter of the book here.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with a quote to ponder...

"For the Christian, marriage is a penultimate rather than an
ultimate reality. Because of this, both of us can find even more
meaning by pursuing God together and by recognizing that he is the
one who alone can fill the spiritual ache in our souls. We can work
at making our home life more pleasant and peaceable; we can
explore ways to keep sex fresh and fun; we can make superficial
changes that will preserve at least the appearance of respect and
politeness. But what both of us crave more than anything else is to
be intimately close to the God who made us. If that relationship is
right, we won’t make such severe demands on our marriage, asking
each other, expecting each other, to compensate for spiritual
emptiness" (p 24).

Lunch Break Photography

I decided to spend my lunch break taking pictures yesterday. Unfortunately, I was only able to take pictures for about 14 minutes before it started to rain--again. Still, I think I got some interesting shots. Though, these detail shots were REALLY making me lust after a 50mm f/1.8 lens. Sigh....

You know what else is funny? I used to hate.hate.hate. taking pictures of people. In all my photography classes, my one picture of a person was always the portrait assignment, and then I wouldn't shoot another person the rest of the term. Somewhere along the line (probably when I started dating Justin and hanging around our niece and nephew), I started taking pictures of people. Now, it feels weird NOT to have people in the frame!

Click on any picture for full size...

A few things....

- I fell asleep before Lie to Me finished last night. Anyone want to tell me how it ended?

- Speaking of sleep, I cannot get enough. On Sunday, I got up, got ready for church, and had to take a nap again before we went. People keep telling me that it's "normal" for this stage of pregnancy. This may be true, but it's really kind of difficult when you're still working. Regarding sleep, people keep telling me, "You just WAIT until the baby comes!!!" Yes, I know, I won't be sleeping much. I'm a zombie now, I'll be a zombie then.

- I discovered a great no-knead bread recipe. Click here. You can substitute some of the white flour for whole wheat flour. I topped one of my loaves with cheese, and J proceeded to eat pretty much the entire thing with a beer on Saturday night. Justin is a sucker for beer, cheese, and bread.

-Last week, I also froze a couple batches of Ropa Vieja, which is a Cuban beef stew, to toss in the Crock Pot. The name of the recipe translates to "old clothes"--there's a story that a family was so poor that they had no food. The father decided to try and make a stew out of his old clothes. His love conquered all, and it was the best tasting stew ever. Unfortunately, I can't quite say the same for this recipe, because I had to doctor it quite a bit. We're talking 5 or 6 tablespoons of cayenne pepper, quite a bit of chili powder, and I am NOT a spicy food gal. Next time, instead of the tomato paste, I think I'd substitute a can of Rotel or something similar to give it more heat. In the end, we ate it over rice with cheese, and it was pretty good.

-I need to do some photography. Heck, I'd even be happy just taking pictures of leaves, but the weather has been so non-cooperative lately, that hasn't even happened.

Weigh In: My Furniture Arrangement

This is our living room, and how it's been arranged since we moved in (excuse the messes!). I'm thinking that I'd like to change things up a bit, for several different reasons, one being that there isn't any place that we could actually put a Christmas tree--lots of people have suggested to just put it right in front of the window, but that wouldn't work for two reasons: (1) there is no outlet anywhere on that wall, which would make plugging in lights a pain and (2) we usually sit together on the big couch to watch TV, and the Christmas tree would directly block the view of the TV.

Here's what you need to know:

-This isn't a sectional--it's actually a sofa, loveseat, and ottoman.

-The TV in the lower right hand corner is sitting directly in front of a small half-wall. It isn't long enough to put either the sofa or loveseat in front of without it looking really weird.

-The TV hook ups are actually on the wall with the floating shelves, which means we're currently running cords all along two walls.

-Just out of the picture on the wall with the floating shelves is a door leading out to the garage. The loveseat in the left of the picture provides a walkway out to the garage (there are also bookshelves lining the wall behind the loveseat), adjacent to the door outside.

Here's what I'm thinking:

-I'm thinking about moving the sofa that's currently on the wall with the floating shelves to the wall with the window. I measured, and the sofa is just about the same length on the window. I don't mind having the sofa in front of the window.

-The loveseat would stay approximately where it is, so that you could actually look at people on the sofa and face them when you're talking.

-The TV would move to the wall with the floating shelves (where the hook-ups are)

-When it's time for Christmas, the tree would go essentially where the TV is now--in the corner between the sofa and the half-wall.

What do you think? Do you see a better layout option? On one hand, we'd lose a bit of floor space, but it's going to be awhile before we have a walker who needs that! On the other hand, I feel like having the couch and loveseat face each other might make things more "cozy"...

Edited to add: I don't know WHAT is up with pictures on my blog today! But this one has been fixed!

Sleep toward Heaven and Handle With Care

I've been back on a bit of a reading kick lately, and polished off two books in the last week!


In Sleep Toward Heaven, we meet three women who lead very different lives--a 29 year old female awaiting execution on death row in Texas, a 29 year old doctor from New York who has just lost a patient that she was close to, and a Texas librarian struggling to reclaim her life after the death of her husband.

It was a little slow and melodramatic at first, but keep reading--there's much more to the story than first meets the eye.

This is one that I'd definitely recommend reading--and when was the last time I said THAT?!


Now, I think some of you probably remember me saying that I like Jodi Picoult, but that we've been on a break. This was partially because I've read almost all her books and was getting tired of her writing style (and could usually pretty quickly predict the ending of the book). I've had this book for awhile, but haven't read it because it's about a very fragile baby--a baby with brittle bone disease. And for my own sanity, I've been trying to stay away from books where babies have the propensity to die. Anyway.

From the inside jacket:

“Things break all the time.
Day breaks, waves break, voices break.
Promises break.
Hearts break.

Every expectant parent will tell you that they don’t want a perfect baby, just a healthy one. Charlotte and Sean O’Keefe would have asked for a healthy baby, too, if they’d been given the choice. Instead, their lives are made up of sleepless nights, mounting bills, the pitying stares of “luckier” parents, and maybe worst of all, the what-ifs. What if their child had been born healthy? But it’s all worth it because Willow is, well, funny as it seems, perfect. She’s smart as a whip, on her way to being as pretty as her mother, kind, brave, and for a five-year-old an unexpectedly deep source of wisdom. Willow is Willow, in sickness and in health.

Everything changes, though, after a series of events forces Charlotte and her husband to confront the most serious what-ifs of all. What if Charlotte should have known earlier of Willow’s illness? What if things could have been different? What if their beloved Willow had never been born? To do Willow justice, Charlotte must ask herself these questions and one more. What constitutes a valuable life?"

Overall, it was shaping up to be a half-decent book. But I couldn't help but thinking 'I've read this before!' and it wasn't until the last chapter that I realized that I had read this book before. Or virtually the same book, also by Jodi Picoult. It's My Sister's Keeper...even the endings are strikingly similar [and ps--please no spoilers about the ending of my Sister's Keeper...I know there's at least one person who reads this blog that's currently in the middle of it!]. I'm really sad about this. I was counting on this book to be the one that sent me back into Jodi Picoult's arms. Unfortunately, I just can't recommend it, unless you haven't (and won't ever) read My Sister's Keeper. 'Cause really, that's the better book of the two.

So what about you all--what are you reading?

Burning Question of the Day: Top 5

Anyone who knows me knows that I have pretty eclectic music taste. I will listen to almost anything, unlike my picky husband who is a total music snob! But, I have a feeling that his snobbery comes from the fact that he actually sees chord progressions and whatnot in his head when he listens to music, and he can tell if the song would be better with a different chord or rhythm, or whatever, and it bugs him. Anyway....

What are your 5 favorite songs of the moment? They can be new, old, any genre...what are you listening to?

Mine go like this:

1. Wheels- Foo Fighters
2. I'd Need A Savior- Among the Thirsty
3. Down the Road- Kenny Chesney and Mac McAnally
4. Stickshifts and Safety Belts- Cake
5. Camilo- State Radio

What about you?

PS- ETHAN...have you heard the State Radio song?

Pregnancy Post: Week 28

Holy cow y'all. At 15 weeks, I was pretty darn skinny! If you would have asked me whether or not I thought I was skinny pre-pregnancy, I would have told you HELL NO. And at 15 weeks, I felt like my baby bump was totally obvious to everyone. Now, I can't help but laugh! Nothing like pregnancy to make you feel thin!

This week, Lizard is between 2-3 pounds. When I was at the doctor the other day (GP, not the OB), she told me that Lizard is "essentially done cooking" and is now just "plumping up". Speaking of Lizard, many of our family members and church ladies are expressing their dislike for the nickname "Lizard." I tell them that we like that nick-name, but if they don't, they're welcome to call her Liz or Lizzy--not Liza, or Ella, or Ellie, or Beth. I don't understand those being nicknames for Elizabeth (except for Beth, but if I wanted her to be named Beth, I would have named her Beth!), but that's another story.

In other news:
-The nursery is coming along...I just need ideas for what, if anything to do on the walls that don't have the mural. Floating shelves? Frames with wall art?

-Back pain is near constant.

-Did I mention that last Friday the waiter asked me whether I was pregnant or "just really liked beer"? Justin says that in retrospect, he should have looked at me and loudly said, "YOU'RE PREGNANT?! When were you going to tell me?!" I have to admit though, as far as pregnancy comments go, that one is probably the funniest and most unique. The waiter is just lucky that I was in a good mood that day. Any other day, and I just as easily could have cried.

-Sweet Justin told me he's been praying hard that I have a good night's sleep, and for the first time in months, I slept for more than 3 hours at a time last night. Speaking of last night, I remember rolling over and feeling this weird kicking by my stomach. While I was sleeping, I remember thinking, "that's not what Lizzy's kicks usually feel like!" Then I realized that I had rolled over onto the cat, and she was kicking me and trying desperately to get my big belly off her. Sorry Bones!

-My hair is a big frizzy mess. I am really tempted just to toss it in a pony-tail for the next 3 months.

-I HATE the taste and consistency of plain, organic yogurt, but I've been eating it like it's going out of style to try and ward off any nasty side-effects of the antibiotics that I'm on (and thankfully, I'm feeling much better). Blech! I mixed the most recent batch with applesauce to try to make it taste a little better, but no dice.

-I'm beginning to get a linea negra. But here's the funny part--I had surgery a couple of years ago to remove my appendix, and they went in lapriscopically right above my belly button. Consequently, I have a small scar right above my belly button. The linea negra goes from my ribs, down to the scar in a nice straight line, then the scar makes it jutt over about an inch, making it go completely around my belly button. It's just funny that the lines totally don't line up at all.

The Violinist on the Subway

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007: The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.

4 minutes later: The violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes: A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes: The musician played continuously. Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100. This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. The question is: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made.... How many other things are we missing?

Note: The photo included in this post is the one that I received in the email telling this story. The photo is not mine, and I do not know of it's origins to properly credit the source. If you are the source, I am happy to give you photo credit!

Wedded Wednesday: Love and Care for Each Other

Wedded Wednesday is a collaboration
of married bloggers sharing their inspirations,
anecdotes, struggles and thoughts regarding
the amazing union of two separate people, as one.
Head over to Marital-Bless to see more Wedded Wednesday posts!

In my hometown, there was an elementary school teacher, who was also a football coach. He was loved by almost everyone who had him in school, and even most of the kids who didn't. He had battled with cancer for quite awhile, but always seemed to pull through and go into remission. While my brother was on the football team, the cancer came back, and spread quickly. The boys made it to state that year, but the coach couldn't attend because he had to be hospitalized. Somehow, it was arranged for him to get a live video feed of the game to his hospital room, and he helped coach the game via phone. Everyone knew that he didn't have much longer to live. I wish that I would have been there to hear his pre-game talk--I've heard that it was incredible. One of the things that the coach was famous for saying, and told the boys that day before he passed away was to "Love and care for each other." It's such a simple thing, isn't it? But it's also the most important thing.

That statement has kind of taken on a life of it's own in my little town. All of the football shirts being sold through the booster club now have that quote on the back of them--and it really is quite something to look down into the stands and to see hundreds of backs that all bear that gentle reminder. For me, it's a good reminder in my marriage to stop, and think about that sentiment--are my words and actions loving and caring? Does Justin feel loved and cared for?

So for today, take a minute to think about that simple command--to love and care for each other. How will you show that you love and care for others today?

My Favorite Meal: Chicken Picatta

So, I am home from work and antibiotic-ed up. I didn't have full pneumonia, but it was headed that way. I planned to go in to work today, but after I couldn't stop crying last night (for no good reason other than I was just exhausted), Justin made me promise to stay home today. So I did, and I'm still trying not to freak out about having to use two-day's worth of my precious PTO. Anyway. I found this post that somehow apparently never got published back on 10/8, so here you go!

____________________________________________________________________

Last night, I made one of my most favorite dishes--Chicken Picatta! It's so lemon-y, butter-y, and wine-y...and totally delicious. I keep telling Justin that all he has to do to make me swoon for weeks is to make me this recipe. So far, no luck. Anyway, this is actually my younger sister's recipe, from when she used to work at a kitchen shop and help teach cooking classes.

Now, this particular recipe calls for a "dry white wine"--I usually use whatever mid-priced white wine the grocery store has on super clearance. This time, I used Mad Housewife Chardonnay. I couldn't stop giggling the whole time because the bottle was so hilarious.

Although I really wanted a glass, I didn't taste the wine by itself (yet), so I'm not sure if it can stand alone, but it worked great in the chicken! Anyway...on to the recipe!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded until thin.
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1/4 cup flour for dusting
1/2 cup dry white wine
2-4 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
4 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons capers, drained
4 tablespoons butter
Fresh lemon slices

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place flour into a Ziploc bag, and insert chicken pieces one at a time to coat. Spray a saute pan with non-stick spray then add vegetable oil and heat. Saute chicken 2-3 minutes on one side, flip over and cook the other side 1-2 minutes with the pan covered. Transfer cutlets to a plate, and place in the microwave or oven to keep warm. Pour off fat from the pan. Deglaze the pan with white wine, and add garlic. Cook until the garlic is slightly brown and the liquid is nearly gone. Add broth, lemon juice, and capers. Return chicken to pan and cook one more minute each side, or until juices run clear. Finish with a pat of butter and lemon slices on each piece of chicken.

Once, I skipped garnishing with butter. Don't do it. It isn't Chicken Picatta without the buttery-lemony-garlic flavor. I usually serve over wild rice or angel-hair pasta. Some places add mushrooms to this recipe, but I firmly believe that mushrooms have no place in buttery-lemony-garlic heaven. The end.

Pneumonia and other Snippets

-So, have I mentioned that J and I have been battling colds for probably a month? I actually thought mine was allergies related to the fires around here, but my symptoms never went away and the smoke has. Last week, Justin started to sound REALLY bad, and kept coughing until he threw up. Finally, on Friday he went to the doctor and has either pneumonia or walking pneumonia. Now, I'm starting to sound like him with a dry, non-productive cough, and it pretty much hurts to breathe. Everyone seems to have their own opinion about whether or not pneumonia is contagious, but I'll probably go have the doctor listen to my lungs today to make sure they're all clear. I've been grappling with whether or not to do this for several weeks, but any time I make the decision to go in, I suddenly feel much better and don't end up going in. Today is no exception, but I will probably make myself go anyway.

-I think I'm going to attempt to freeze some meals here in the next couple of weeks. Any suggestions for good, freezable dinners?

-I finished We Were The Mulvaneys over the weekend. I really enjoyed the beginning of the book, but not so much the end. Who wants to be an observer to a family crumbling apart? I kept expecting them to pull it together, but it just got worse and worse!

-We are out of hot chocolate, and I want some really bad.

-I am much more interested in knitting baby booties than I am in finishing either one of the baby blankets. I totally appreciate the sentiment that I should open an etsy store, but unfortunately, I'm not quite speedy enough to do that yet. Right now, if I sold them for the going rate of $10, I'd only be making like a dollar an hour!

Mary-Jane Baby Booties

I don't really think of myself as being crafty--I can't draw, I'm not good at scrapbooking, I can't make my own cute holiday cards or crafts. In high school, I taught myself how to knit, but I was essentially confined to square and rectangle items...scarves and blankets. Even then, as Lisa, Sara, and Ethan can attest, my blankets weren't really always square either. And I most certainly could NOT read a knitting pattern!

Recently, I've discovered that you can look up almost anything to do with knitting on You Tube. It makes it so much easier to understand! So, I've been branching out a little bit in terms of what I'm trying to knit. Last weekend, Justin's mom gave me a bunch of her grandmother's knitting needles, a quilted knitting needle case, and a bunch of baby yarn as a belated birthday present. I decided to try and make some baby booties. Here's the first pair that I made:

I was surprised at how simple they were, and completing them gave me the confidence to try some mary-jane style booties (pattern here). I spent a little bit of time on You Tube figuring out what the heck "ssk" and "kbf" meant, but once I did, I whipped up these puppies pretty darn quickly:

Top view:

I ended up modifying the pattern a little bit because I just could NOT figure out how to do a couple of things. But overall, I think I did pretty well! I am impressed with myself!

And yes...it's 12:45am and I'm awake. Don't ask. Sleep hasn't been returning my calls lately. I think he wants to break up with me, but I'm not letting him go without a fight!

Burning Question of the Day: Think Back

This BQOTD is courtesy of Sara, one of my roommates from college that stalks the blog....

Think back 5 years ago from today. October 16, 2004. What was going on in your life? Where were you working and living? Where did you think you were going in life? Is it where you've ended up?

In October 2004, I was just entering into my 2nd month of my first year at PLU. I was very happy that I got along with my roommate Lisa and our neighbor Sara--I was just a little bit suspect about Lisa's love for Britney Spears! Going into PLU, I was essentially a vegetarian, though I'd occasionally eat non-red meat. About in October, I went out to dinner with either Lisa or Sara and accidentally ordered pasta with meat sauce instead of marinara. I was poor, and couldn't afford to waste the meal, so I ate it anyway. I was in agony all night...but I realized how tired I was of trying to make vegetarian meals in the cafeteria, and that's the story of how I came to eat red meat again!

In terms of school, I was taking all general ed classes, and for the first time in my life, I was actually having to work at them to do well. In terms of work, I think at that time I was running the photography darkroom. I didn't have a major picked out, but I was thinking about pre-law.

Justin and I had been dating for about 5 months, and I had just found out that he was not coming up for Family Weekend over Halloween, and I was a little bit crushed. Still, I was really excited to see my parents over Family Weekend and to have my sister stay with us for a night and go out on Halloween with us.

At that point, my life felt so up in the air. I had serious feelings for Justin, but I wondered whether we'd be able to make it through the whole long-distance thing. At that time, I didn't forsee myself transferring back to school in Oregon, so I was figuring we'd have four years of a long distance relationship (more if I went to law school)--could we do it?

I remember kind of feeling like I was at a crossroads--I could quit school, go home and get married, and start having babies right away like a lot of people I knew, OR I could continue in school, and become some big-shot laywer who lived alone in the city. I felt like it was option A or option B, but what I wanted was really a mix of those two lives, and I didn't know how to make it happen. I didn't know how it would all work out, but I'm glad that it all happened the way that it did, and I honestly have no regrets.

Pregnancy Post: Week 27

Okay. So I think Kristal is on to something about the baby bump looking much smaller with clothes compared to without clothes. Case in point: these two pictures were both taken after work yesterday. And yes, the second one is black and white to better hide my stretch marks.


Here's what's going on this week:
-About half of my pregnancy books now say that I'm in the third trimester (the other half say the 3rd trimester begins at 38 weeks). If you divide 40 weeks by 3, that's 13.333, which means that the second trimester should end at 26 and 2/3 weeks, so I'm just gonna go ahead and say I'm in the 3rd tri, mmmkay?

-Lizard now weighs about 2 pounds, and is about 14 inches long (over a foot!). Survival rate for babies born now is about 85%, with medical intervention. Because there's such an increase in brain function this week, some experts say that it's likely that babies begin to dream. Also, she's kicking the crap out of my cervix, and let me tell you...that is a WEIRD sensation!

-I realized a couple of days ago that in 10 weeks, I'll technically be considered full term, and had a little bit of a freak out. I so do not feel prepared or ready for this!

-Heartburn. Leg cramps in the middle of the night. Shooting back pain. Changes in vision. And remember that weird pregnancy rash I had? Yeah, that's gone, but now my skin is peeling off every place that the rash was. Justin also informed me that he thinks I'm developing a linea negra. Thanks babe!

-At the end of the month I have to take the 1 hour glucose test for Gestational Diabetes, and I am SERIOUSLY freaked out about it. If I end up having GD and have to eat a diabetic diet for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, I will flip shit. I am half considering eating a pre-diabetic diet for like a week before the test to make SURE my blood sugars aren't tweaked out, but I kind of feel like that's cheating.

-I am not exercising nearly as much as I'd like to be. By the time I get home and cook dinner, I am absolutely exhausted. More and more, I'm coming to accept walking around Target on my lunch break or grocery shopping as "exercise".