Keep Calm and Drink Coffee

After reading Living Locurto's recent post about being a tad overwhelmed by the many, many, MANY demands - and even the delights can become demanding - of the holiday season, I was inspired to create a little saying of my own.  I'm sure it's not the first time it's been said.  But it's the first time I've said it, and the first time I've created a cute little printable sign that you can hang on your fridge or bathroom mirror or beside your desk.

Remember to stop and savor the scents of the season along with your cuppa joe!

Coffees that should make it into your mug:
Starbucks Caffe Verona... an old classic for me
Starbucks Sumatra... rich and dark, sort of how you might feel after three days of lounging on Italy's Amalfi Coast at some posh resort
Blacksmith Coffee Roastery's Bali Blue Moon... what's not to love?  And they're a small husband-wife team pursuing their passion.
Java John's Superior Blend... a classic, full taste and at an amazing price.  And another entrepreneurial coffee roaster.
Caribou Coffee's Daybreak Blend... usually I prefer coffee from the darker side of the roasting scale.  But this is a treat.

Suggested scents to wrap gifts, decorate the tree, and read the Christmas Story by:
Bath and Body Works 3-Wick Candles... they burn evenly, are highly fragranced the entire time they burn, and if you happen to get them during a Buy One, Get One Free sale, they're only $10 each!  We buy them in bulk - so they gave us a great little cardboard carton to tote them home in.

My favorite holiday scents:  Fireside (smells just like a wood burning fireplace, without the smoke); Winter (crisp, slightly clove and orangey); Marshmallow Fireside (warm, nutty vanilla with a bit of fire to finish it off); Homemade Cookies (a deep, rich vanilla scent, without being too sweet).

And I'll say for the record, nope, they are not paying me to list these things.  I just love 'em myself!

New Year's Eve: Party It Up

We're having a New Year's Eve party!  I'm so excited!  I love entertaining and haven't hosted a big shindig since this summer... because of, chronologically listed, bed rest, baby delivery, new motherhood, holidays.

A big part of my love of entertaining is simply the planning part of the process.  So I've already got a game plan in mind.  Fair warning: You'll be seeing my rough draft notepad rather than a thoughtfully worded monologue about party planning.

7:30    On-time guests arrive / start snacking
8:15    Crazy Rook tournament (prizes for winners and losers)
10:15  Tournament ends / prize ceremony / bake party sandwiches
10:45  Snacking continues / set out puzzles, cards, dominoes, trivia, bingo
12:00  It's 2012!  Bring out the bubbly!

Now, I want to go into hyper-drive and make about 10 different appetizers and a couple drinks and have party favors and possibly even a theme.  I've been poring over magazines and cookbooks and compiling lists.  But in the back of my head, I know this is not necessary.  And with a baby it might just be overdoing it without reason.

Because... our friends aren't expecting an elaborate party.  They will all ask if they can bring something.  And I will let them.  Because I know many of them also enjoy trying new recipes or sharing old favorites, and because bringing something to a party makes (most) gals feel that they've contributed to its success.  Because a good party isn't about the food you provide or the perfect way it all looks arranged together.  It's about the friends you see and the memories you make.

And maybe I'll go all out in a couple years.

The Treadmill: First Run

I am pleased to announce I made my inagural run on our new treadmill yesterday.

It was slow.

I breathed with difficulty at times.

I had to walk for a minute mid-way through.

But I did it!  I walked upstairs on lead legs and felt slimmer, tauter (is that a word?!) and stronger already.

Blasting my music helped.  I can't run effectively without music.  It's only a problem when I forget my ipod and only notice as I'm walking into the gym.  But this won't be a problem at all this winter, because I'm going to freeze my gym membership and hit it hard on our treadmill instead.

I'm accustomed to competing with the person next to me (I don't think they usually catch on), and I won't get to do that anymore.

The surroundings are a *bit* stark.

But the proximity is priceless.

3 Months of Motherhood

With three months of motherhood under my belt, I'm finally beginning to think clearly again, finally beginning to feel like I'm regaining some of ME, and finally beginning to spend more of my day enjoying my little boy than panicking about how to be his mother.

I'll be completely honest and tell you, it has been a rough road.  I entered motherhood with a baby IQ of about 10.  Before he was born, I'd changed about 25 diapers in my life, never bathed a baby, never cared for one for more than three hours.  Because he was born 5 weeks early, we didn't even have time to attend the baby care classes.  For a Type A person, this was a frightening situation!

I've always heard it said that a mother's love is instinctual and natural, and I am so grateful it is.  Because that love is all we had going for us.  Our poor baby has suffered through more clumsy diaper changes, discomforting baths, and and weeping mommy moments than I wish he had, but I have learned some things.

1. Pick three or four people, besides your spouse and doctor, that you're going to take advice from.  If anyone else gives you advice (And they will.  Oh, they will...), listen politely, thank them graciously, then either toss it out the window or run it by one of your chosen advisors.

2. Let people take care of you.  Make a list of things you need help with - so you remember when people ask - and then don't be too proud to share your list.  Even if what you really want them to do is watch your baby so you can steal an hour's worth of uninterrupted sleep.

3. Take a shower every day.  Even if you don't put on a speck of makeup or blowdry your hair or wear anything besides stretchy pants, you will feel so much better.

4. Take a walk every day.  Even if you have to go to the mall and walk laps with the orthopedic shoe crowd.  You'll feel better for the activity and getting out of the house.

5. Ask your mom or mother in law to come spend a few days with you - once in the early weeks and then again at about six weeks.  Mine both offered such valuable support and ideas, plus they were more than happy to take care of diaper changes, feedings and even rocking at night to give us a break.  I realize this is ironic, but thank God for mothers!

So that's what I know.  The other stuff - practical stuff about diaper changes and burping and comforting - well, that's all better learned the hard way.

My mom told me, "It's trial and error.  Try something and if it doesn't work, try something else.  And maybe that first thing will work later."  Comforting, right?  Ha!  For someone who thrives on checking the box when I've completed the task, this ambiguity is difficult to accept.  I've found that one of the few constants in my day is the way I love my son.  Whether I show it by holding him when he cries, changing his diaper when he's wet, talking and playing with him when he's awake or comforting him when his tummy hurts, I do believe he recognizes the love in spite of the sometimes clumsy attempts.

Fortunately, love isn't one of those things you have to learn.

My Rosemary Dilemma Continues

Last month I was debating transplanting my rosemary bush into a pot and bringing it inside to survive the winter.  Well, it was one of the projects I never completed, so instead I bought a rosemary tree from the grocery store.  It's so pretty that I haven't been able to cut any sprigs off it yet.  This could be a problem.  But I'll deal with that later.

The immediate problem is that my rosemary tree is shedding little leaves all over our rug!!

It'll tell you something about the current state of my housekeeping when I tell you that my husband noticed this before I did.

Well, you can learn anything online.  It's shedding leaves because rosemary plants are "high light" plants that want a lot of light to thrive.  When they aren't getting enough light (as during winter months, especially if they are indoors), they will shed their less efficient leaves to conserve food for the higher efficiency leaves.  Survival of the fittest.

I just hope my rosemary tree makes it through winter!

An update on my outside rosemary plant:  it seems to be doing quite well, even though temperatures have gotten quite cold.  And it is not losing any leaves.

"Best of Show" Tomato Quiche

This one's a winner!

I've been making more egg-centered recipes recently?  My mom keeps chickens, so I have a steady supply of fresh, organic, free-range eggs available.  The difference between grocery store and fresh eggs is amazing.  Fresh eggs have harder, thicker shells; their yolks are more yellow and stand more upright after being cracked; they have more and better flavor.  But maybe I'm biased - or at least spoiled - by my ready supply of free, fresh eggs!

I didn't make my own pie crust, so I saved even more time.  And again in the interest of time today, I'll simply give you the link to the recipe!  I love how the recipe contributor says she first used it in the 1970s.  Good food is truly timeless!