I think I know why I don't blog.

So, I was really trying to figure out why I am so terrible at getting a blog out more than every once in a while.  I like writing.  I like putting thoughts out there.  I like thinking that people are reading my thoughts and thinking, "Oh, she is just so funny & witty & smart & wouldn't she just be so fun to spend time with?"

What it comes down to is that a daily accounting of how I spend my day is sent to by best buddy via Facebook messenger.  Literally anything I could think of to blog about goes to Amy.  Example:

Those are the gems you're missing, people.

You know I've been busy.

Guys, let me tell you....  I have an excuse (like always).  This blog has been silent since just days before I found out I was pregnant with Grayson, my sweet little girl.  Now that she's 10 months old, I might start blogging it up again.  Ha.  Might.

This is what has been going on:
James just turned 3.
We are living in San Diego.
We are going to Twentynine Palms in a few months.
Molly is still my sweet perfect pup, although she has had a couple health problems. She has been doing well recently.

I think the real reason I am starting this again is because I cannot find ANYTHING online about life in Twentynine Palms.  I'd like to put it out there so that, hopefully, someone else might be able to get some information from my (soon to be) experiences.

Okay.  I'll see you when I see you.

I Like This Thursday: Episode 2

Since we moved to Texas, I have become somewhat of a nail polish-aholic.  I don’t paint my nails all that often, toes far more than fingers, but for some reason, I can’t pass the cosmetics department at the H-E-B without running in and finding a lovely color – preferably on sale.

During the last few weeks of my pregnancy, when I was exiled to the couch, I was CRAVING some sparkly red nail polish.  Nothing I had on hand would do.  It needed to be red. And sparkly.  And the sparkles needed to be red.  We’re talking give Dorothy's shoes a run for their money red sparkles.

So, I cheated the bed rest a bit and after dropping Matt off for class and before going to my doctor’s appointment, I made a quick stop to the Walgreen’s on Rt. 66 and checked out my options. Red polish with silver sparkles, red sparkles with clear polish, red with shimmer (shimmer, really?) and just plain red.  I nearly left empty handed.  Then I spotted it on the bottom level of the Sally Hansen section – and for only three bucks!  Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in Red Carpet.

I have about 10 bottles of this brand and have to say, it lasts like no other.  This last week I picked up Golden-I, and it is the most perfect gold – sparkly, but not glittery, smooth and shiny.  I’d have pictures, but the only cameras I have right now are either film or my less than great phone camera.  We went to the Children's Museum today so I did not give this post the attention it deserves.

I Like This: Episode One

I was doing so well, wasn’t I?  For a few days in a row, I busted out some blog entries (I thought about using a modifier & decided against it).  I’ve been trying to come up with some sort of frame work so I have motivation or some sort of a structure for writing posts.  That’s when I came up with I Like This Thursdays.  Each Thursday (humor me, here) I will write to you about something wonderful that I like.  It could be a person or a product or a TV show – anything.  The possibilities are limitless.  So here we go.

**********

I flippin’ love hatch chiles.  I came to this realization about this time last year when any time you hopped out of your car at a grocery store in Flagstaff, you were greeted with the delicious aroma of roasting hatch chiles.  TO. DIE. FOR.  I have been looking forward to August since last September.  I knew the fancy grocery store in town, Central Market, did a Hatch Chile Festival, so I knew I’d be able to locate the goods, which was important when August rolled around and I didn’t smell chiles anywhere.  What the heck?

So today, I plopped my boy in the car and headed to the land of chiles.  When I parked and opened my car door, my heart dropped.  All I could smell was ashpalt.  Another San Antonio disappointment.  I needed to pick up tea leaves for my dear friend, so I went in the store, desperately searching for a chile roaster. 

Ugh, well, I found some iced roasted chiles and tried about five different Hatch chile flavored edibles, but theres a little hole in my heart that can only be filled by the warm aroma of roasting chiles.  That’s why I Like This.

**********

(I considered starting with Episodes Four, Five & Six, and then heading to One, Two & Three, but decided against it.  Let’s not get TOO nerdy.)

What’s with TODAY today?

Today, I shattered my teapot.  My expensive, beautiful, Valentine’s Day gift teapot.  I am sure I will someday look back at the Wii remote tossing incident with laughter, but not today.

Then, the RSS reader I chose as a replacement for my (and everyone’s) beloved Google Reader decided it was no longer going to be a public website and left me scrambling for another replacement.

Tomorrow has to get better, right?

Yes, I hosted a party.

I am not a party person.

I always have really big plans for parties with fancy food, drinks and decorations.  But my party planning eyes are always bigger than my party planning stomach, and at some point in the party I end up saying, “Eh, its in the pantry, just go ahead grab it yourself.”  That is the sound of me giving up on being a hostess.

Matt’s class is about 25 people and the few class parties we’ve attended were hosted by two very lovely ladies who welcomed us all into their apartment.  So kind, and a huge undertaking, but a little crowded.  After the last one, I told Matt we’d be hosting the next party.

Our chance came for the 4th of July.  Perfect.  Matt told me a lot of his classmates were out of town so it would only be 10 – 15 people.  No biggie.

I prepped and bought and cleaned to get ready.  It was exciting.  A party!  Yay!  When the time came, the grill was ready, the house was clean and, holy crap, probably 25 people (spouses and kiddos) showed up.  But it was great.  Everyone was so fun and brought awesome food.  And 5 bags of tortilla chips that we are still working through.  When I needed to get away, oh, look, James needs some quiet time!  It was so much fun.  I had so much fun at a party at my house.  Amazing.

I have officially run out of things to write about.  I know.  That was my interesting stuff.  But!  Wills & Kate had a baby and didn’t name it James, thank goodness.  George Alexander Louis. Maybe our next kid will have three names.  I’d like to think of it as a bonus middle name.

HRH Baby Crumpets!

I have seriously been waiting all weekend for this!  I’m SO EXCITED.

That’s all for now.

More summer ramblings…

Maybe if I start writing daily or near-daily, my writing will get better & more coherent.  One can hope.

So, where was I?  Ah, yes, I had just gotten back from spending almost $150 on hoodies in Canada (don’t judge, Roots is the Supreme Ruler of All Things Hoodie).  Another week of rest between event (you know my introvert soul needs it) and here come my parents for a visit!  My dad just got a job working at Pine Summit Camp in Big Bear Lake, California.  I could tell from his demeanor that he was really excited to be starting as the camp manager.  My dad was pretty bubbly (for a Pascoe) and we had a great time together.  Its still weird to see my parents as grandparents, but I like it.  The first morning they were here, I walked over to the guest bathroom and saw my mom, dad & James all standing there brushing their teeth.  It was the most precious thing (also a memory to share specifically for Crystal :) )

When we were in Canada, I was so jealous of Matt’s little sister’s DSLR camera, when I remembered that my Dad has an old film SLR (that I have actually tried to steal many times and somehow he always steals it back).  Well, I figured the iron was hot, with my parents’ moving situation, so it was time to strike!  My Dad brought me not only his ‘86 Minolta SLR, but also HIS Dad’s ‘74, totally old school, doesn’t even use batteries, super-sweet Minolta with Telephoto lens.  I’ve been trying to learn how to use them, and realizing why its so much easier to use digital.  I can fiddle with all the buttons, but I can’t see the results until I have completely forgotten which buttons I was fiddling with.  Oh, well.  I feel vintage and maybe a little Hipster-y.  Please still be my friends.

Still reading?  Good.  My writing brain is tiring and my fingers really want to be pinning (my sewing project, not on Pinterest) & not typing, so the Independence Day Party will have to wait.  xoxo, friends.  Thanks for reading.

I thought summers were supposed to be dull…

So, here it is, July, and I’m just now sitting down to write.  Is it because I’m so busy I can’t find time to tap out a few words?  I just can’t find a minute to sit?  Nope.  I’d just much rather read about Duchess Kate’s impending bundle or continuously refresh my Facebook & Pinterest feeds.

I guess that’s not all true: we have been doing various fun things, which I will recap for you enthralled blog visitors now.

Matt finished his first term in Physical Therapy school in May!  He’s been such a work horse.  He’s in class for a full work day, comes home & eats dinner, then retires to our Master Closet to study.  The study closet used to be a bedroom until some enterprising homeowners added a master suite on the back of the house and annexed the bedroom for a closet.  My wardrobe is painfully inadequate to fill it.  But I digress.  Matt had a full week off after his first term, so we took our little family to Corpus Christi for a few days at the beach. 

We had a week or regular life and then My father-in-law came to San Antonio to watch James and I got to go celebrate my mother-in-law’s 60th birthday on Prince Edward Island with my sisters-in-law.  (There were a lot of parts to that sentence, I apologize for any misplaced modifiers.)  We all had a lovely time, tromping around the island, shopping, visiting every Anne of Green Gable’s/L.M. Montgomery site we could find, shopping, eating & more shopping…  It was a lovely & refreshing time.  I really have wonderful in-laws.

Oh, this blog writing is so self-indulgent.  I’ll come back soon and tell you about the 4th of July Party that left me with 7 bags of tortilla chips in my pantry.

Getting Back.

Whew, boy.  I’m sure there are a thousand things I need to update.  The last six-to-eight months have been a whirlwind. 

We are now safely ensconced in the bosom of Texas.  We’ve settled into our nice little house and our nice little routine.  Matt goes to work/class everyday and I get to chillax (ha!) with James everyday.

I am going to try to blog once a week starting in June.  Why not until June?  Because next week is Matt’s first week off in the program & we are going to Corpus Christi and Austin and then a week after that I am going to Prince Edward Island with my mother- and sisters-in-law.

Then, I will be back and I will be all yours.  Sorta.  I think we all know how these promises go.

Blackberry Mint syrup.

I decided that because my Blackberry Mint syrup is just so amazing, I will post a recipe, even though there are about a million other things I should be doing right now.  I am a terrible prioritizer.

Blackberry Mint Syrup
1 1/2 cup water
1 cup sugar
6 oz blackberries
10 -12 leaves of mint

Place all ingredients in a pot.  Bring to a boil.  Let it boil for a while (5 to 10 mintues - I'm not sure, I was obsessing over Pinterest at the time).  Let is cool & add to your tea or other beverage.

Wow, that's easy.  I think I only used about 6 leaves of mint, but it needed a little more.  Don't get too crazy though, because mint can make your tea awfully earthy tasting.

See how pretty my syrup looks in its lovely bottle ($2.97 @ Wal-Mart)?

Yeah, I've got a pretty nice camera.

EDIT:  I forgot the very important step of straining the syrup after boiling it.  Whoopsie doodle.

Tea and other stuff.

I have been experimenting with tea lately.  Yesterday I made a blackberry mint syrup to sweeten my daily drink and today I am sipping on some peach & earl grey.  This is mostly brought on by my husband's stipulation that I "have to actually use" the pitcher I got at World Market a few weeks ago.  Done and done.

My lovely sister-in-law is coming to visit on Friday, James is going to be dedicated at church on Saturday and then on Wednesday we are spending some time in Greer, Arizona with the rest of the in-laws.  Should be fun.

I've been watching Green Wing on Netflix and it provided me with probably the most hilarious thing I've ever seen on TV.  Enjoy:

Oh, good job, RL.

I loved the Beijing Olympics page boy caps.  Loved them.  Would have gotten one if my husband weren't so hat-averse.  The whole look was great cute & stylish for the guys and the gals.

So why did Ralph Lauren not only decide to go with a doofy beret, but also have the uniforms and doofy berets made in China?  Ugh... This doesn't bode well for our London Olympics.

Miscellaneous.

I have been following this article series over at Slate since it premiered last fall.  It is so fascinating.  Go give the latest installment a read.

James had his 4 month doctor's appointment this morning and is growing like a weed.  The doc said she especially liked his double chin.  Which made us all laugh.  Rice cereal, here we come!

You will only see this video here on the blog.  I apologize for it's sidewaysness - blame the videographer.

Here We Are!

James came about ten days after that last blog post, which is part of the reason why it's been so quiet  around here.  He is the most wonderful baby I could have possibly imagined and I feel as though life has transitioned easily from one stage to the next.  I am so happy.

At least a couple times a week, usually while checking Facebook or doing some other internet time waster, I think about updating this blog only to be overwhelmed as to where I should start.  So I think I'll just start from here.

Can you believe Johnny Depp & Vanessa Paradis have called it quits?!

Last paid job for a long time.

A week ago was my last day at Michael’s.  My last time getting paid for my work for the foreseeable future.  Now I am a stay-at-home-(almost)-mom and I have to admit, it’s a little scary.

I left Michael’s on a pretty good note, having worked nearly every position in the store and finally stopping at Office Specialist (I had my own set of keys – to everything but the front door).  Our store manager left about two weeks before I did and in those two weeks, I found out that I had been doing nearly everything wrong.  Oh, well.  It’s all over now.  And I can still confidently show my face at my favorite craft store.  So that’s a plus.

Now, I just have to sit around (literally.  Bed rest is hyperbolically the worst thing ever) and wait for my next job to arrive.

Yesterday certainly didn’t go as planned.

I had my 34 week appointment yesterday.  I was thinking it would be quick and easy just like the last few appointments had been.  In & out, practically before the appointment was even supposed to begin.  This pregnancy has been so smooth, I guess I just didn’t expect anything.

My blood pressure was high-ish.  So, I was admitted to the hospital for a few hours to run tests and eventually to be prescribed blood pressure medication.

And now I am on bed rest, something I’ve always thought would be fun and wonderful, but omg, this baby could be here in two to three weeks (or sooner) and I have so much I need to do!  ARGH!  BABY!

But, I am able to finally get caught up on Glee and I have time to start off LetterMo with a BANG!  But it would be nice to get some of this baby laundry taken care of.  And everything else that I’ve been meaning to do.

So that is what is going on in the Baby Department of my life.

Unemployed.

So, here I am.  Unemployed again.  By choice (no one else is going to raise my child!) but still somewhat anxious.  More on that later, I suppose.

Why I started this post was to tell you that I will probably have time to blog again and that I plan on doing so pretty frequently.  This week I will catch you up on the last three months (that second trimester was the blur of all blurs!) and then we can just go from there.

If you are curious, baby is doing well and seems to enjoy bouncing on my bladder.  Thank you, baby.

More to come.  Soon.  I promise.

Kill Comic Sans.

Now here's an internet time-waster I can get behind.

Quick News.

- I have had two Peppermint Mochas in the last week.  Bad Andi, I know.  I will slow it down.

- I’ve finally found the replacement to my small, simple corner cutter and feel as thought I can continue with work on my Okinawa scrapbook.  FINALLY.  The Card table is set up and awaiting creativity.

- I have moved into full time maternity pants.  My stomach is getting larger.  I can still sorta kinda mostly fit into my shirts though.

- It is raining and I love Flagstaff.  Even though it is supposed to be a high of 49 degrees on Thursday.