| very sad |
[Nov. 13th, 2009|06:20 pm] |
Today was a gorgeous sunny day. It was also my last day of maternity leave. So what did I do? I sat inside all day waiting for a courier to collect the faulty travel system*. The window was 12-6 (we had other packages due today from "7:30 to 6" so I couldn't even go out in the morning!). It is now 6:17. An angry email has been sent.
*the handle came apart when I tried to close it, after 7 months of normal use. |
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| Bonjour de France! |
[Oct. 26th, 2009|11:49 am] |
The trip here has so far been quite mellow, the key highlights being NOT the one to do all the laundry (since I don't know how to use my in-law's machine...) and having other people around all the time with Emily, for a change :-)
The train down was a bit long, and I am now dreading the flight to the US. Actually, it's the first hour that seemed to take forever, then I adjusted to not doing much. Adjusting to not doing much seems to be a key part of motherhood.
Friday, we went to the grocery store, and hung out. Saturday, we saw the construction site that will be my brother in law's house. How cool is it that he's able to build his own place, doing even more of the interiors than my parents did, but at a much earlier phase in his life? Am a bit envious that he's already at the "forever" house, but mostly glad for him and his wife. (plus, the sort of location they can afford to build on is, upon reflection, the sort of locaion I could afford to build upon, too. The key difference being they actually WANT to live somewhere so rural!)
Saturday, we visited Mamie (JL's grandmother) in a care home (something to do with her knee, and not super serious-- she'll be back to her home in a few weeks) in the evening, and hung out in the morning.
Today, we're going to downtown Caen. Guess what we did this morning? ;D |
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| swimwear silliness |
[Sep. 21st, 2009|09:46 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  silly | ] |
So, we're going to an aniversary party at a place with a pool, and i'd quite like to be able to swim/use the sauna, etc. Only my old swimsuit (well, the one I can find!) doesn't fit me anymore. I did a bit of a hunt online, and found this fun green one and this brown recycled plastic one. It'd be very cool to wear one that's recycled AND I think that style would look good on me (am a bit worried about the green one making me look fat), but it's more expensive. But, as fun and cool and modestly priced as the green one is, would it make me look fat? |
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| Time to introduce soilids me thinks |
[Sep. 5th, 2009|07:57 am] |
Emily's generally been a good sleeper. Two weeks ago, we could count on her going from about 7ish to 7ish without waking up*. This has started creeping earlier-- I didn't mind the 6/6:30ish wake up call, and was ok with when the feed finished at 6 (so prob a 5:30 wake up, since she take both barrels first thing in the morning). The past few days, however, it's felt waaay too early. I'd arranged to take ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) kareina to the train station at 6:30 today (a couple weeks ago. Thinking I'd drop her off, then come home and it'd be the perfect time to feed Emily. Hah!), so when Emily woke us up, I actually looked at the clock.
4:30.
I have not had to get up that early for her since my parents left (when she was 6 weeks old).
Given that she eats every 2-4 hours durring the day (e.g. yesterday: whenever the super early feed was, then 9 ish, then 12, then 1:45ish (finished eating just after 2 when the friend we had lunch with HAD to be back at work), then 5ish. Feeds tend to take 10-20min and are on one side, except for the first one of the day.), I'm not sure how to get her to eat more during the day in the hopes of needing fewer calories at night. Except maybe offering both sides at every feed from now on. But if that doesn't work, it's time for big people food. (I'll prob just offer some avocado or banana for her to play with, rather than mess about with purrees.)
*It's possible she's been waking up, playing for a bit, then falling back asleep again. As long as she's not distrubing me, I don't care :-) |
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| (no subject) |
[Aug. 31st, 2009|07:51 pm] |
Saturday was for adventures! After a late-ish start, kareina and I headed off towards the SCA folks in Bridge of Allan, Doune Castle, and the Trossarchs. loupblanc was invited to join us, but he wanted to get some work done in the garden so opted to stay home with Emily (I get her all day durring the week, so it's only fair on soo many levels that he get a chance to play with her at the weekend). So it was my first baby-free *day*! I've been out for a few evenings, but never for the day before :-)
I really wanted to stop first to visit with a family moving north to Inverness, as it was the last chance to definatly see them easily. It's kinda pathetical how I'll be only an hour or so (or less!) from someone, yet rarely make it to see them, just out of habit. Then when I do see them, I enjoy the conversation so well (but obviously not well enough to make the effort to arrange something else... hmm, I think there's a few other people who I need to poke to get together)
After our chat, we headed off in the general direction of Doune Castle. Due to missing a turn at Doune village, we drove through the village, and decided to just head on to the Trossarch Trail (convienently signposted), rather than turning around/looping back through the village for the castle.
The country lanes were confusing, unfortunatly-- at one intersection, all three directions were labeled "Troassarch Trail"! so kareina dug out the map, and we worked out where we were and where the mountains were and how to get there. In the map reading, she noticed the Brecklin Falls noted on the map, and a place where it went squiggly... we decided to find the falls, and then make a loop around the curvy bit of road.
The waterfall was loveley-- I'll just let pictures tell that story!
Slightly sadly, saw a lady being treated by paramedics; she was able to walk out of the park with 2 people assisting her but...
After we'd finished there, we headed on the drive. The magnificent views were spoiled a bit by the low amount of petrol in the tank (thus making me wonder whether we'd find an open petrol station before running out...), but we made our way around Loch Venachar and Loch Achray. Shortly after, we stopped at the car park for Ben Venue and had another wee wander. |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 28th, 2009|01:41 pm] |
I took Emily on the bus to mum and baby yoga today, and while I had to fold up the buggy in both directions, I also met some really loveley people!
On the way to: the First 129 driver helped me on and off the bus with the buggy :-)
On the way back: an old lady and her husband helped me on, and another young mum gave me her seat. Then a young man helped me with the buggy on the way off the bus.
Sure, folding it is annoying but it did give some people a chance to demonstrate their kind side :-) |
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| project ponderings |
[Jul. 27th, 2009|11:30 am] |
So, loupblanc and I have decided that i'll make my SIL something for her 18th bday. Bonus points if I can make her something using stash-yarn, rather than buying yarn.
The yarn I have that I think might be suitable is: 1 skein (90ish m) teal recycled sari silk, in an approx double-knit weight. 1 skein teal dk lana grossman merino (sadly, the two teals don't go that well together, and the lana grossman looks faded and icky next to the silk). 2 skeins pink regia silk 6-fadig yarn (dk weight again). 1 skein (unless I can find more in the loft) silvery-grey cashmerino Aran. Her favourite colour is blue.
The patterns I'm considering:
biased fingerless mitts, simple fingerless mitts, patterned fingerless mits fetching fingerless gloves (notice a pattern here? it's because all of the suitable yarn I have is in small quantities, so if it is a stash project, it's gotta be something small! which mitts are. Though... perhaps too small?). Non-mitt projects I'm considering are a small scarf or a braided headband.
I don't have the material for it, but isn't this purse loveley and special? The original idea, of course, was Clapotis, which I still think would be an ace project, big enough but not so big that I wouldn't finish in time, and quite special... I wish there was a way I could maybe use the sari silk yarn with some other yarn, then it could be at least a little bit of a stash-bust...
Other crafty thoughts this morning have gone towards baby garb(1). There's a craigmillar in Aug (i think?), so I'd like to make Emily a sideless surcote for it... I've worked out the pattern (even dimensions!), now I just need to drag the fabric (a loveley dark blue twill that goes well with her eyes!) down from the loft... I've also had a look-see through scarfs and scraps from moonlightsnake, and there's lots in there that I can shop the stash for Emily garb for years :-) If there's time, I'll also make her a tunic out of a lovley and soft flanelette...
(1)I may also have had a thought or two for mommy garb... there's tons of the blue linen, and I'd quite like a tunic to replace my first garb (a tunic bright yellow quilter's cotton... yes, I still wear it on occasion! eek! It's just so nice and comfy and loose and easy to toss on over things and goes well with both the sidless surcote and the viking apron dress...) |
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| go-to meals |
[Jul. 24th, 2009|07:20 pm] |
So in today's wanderings online, I came across a blog post that mentioned that person's "go to" meal that she always had in the house, and would do as a backup if things got too hectic or the planned dinner didn't work or anything. We have one of those in our house, too, and that got me wondering if the rest of the world did, too...?
For the reccord, ours is pasta with peas (boil pasta with frozen peas. drain and add butter/cheese/salt/pepper). I wonder if I should post this on slackers can cook, too...? |
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| today's plans: a to-do list of great verbosity |
[Jul. 6th, 2009|09:32 am] |
1)Shopping. I think Emily will need more short sleeved vests in the 3-6 month size (and possibly 6-9 month as well), and there's some cute ones in M&S, so that'll be me spending some more of the work christmas voucher (they give us vouchers every year. I forgot to use mine last year. and the year before that.) I could visit the car boot sale some Sunday to fulfill this need, but I can't be bothered. Plus I really like these vests (here's the link, so I may as well buy them for her BEFORE they get discontinued and sold out. Especially since she needs more short sleeved vests anyway.
2)Phoning. I'll continue calling nurseries and childminders today, setting up appointments to visit. I'll also concentrate on the ones that are on the way TO work, as opposed to a short walk from work, but in the opposite direction as home (like the childminder we're visiting Weds, sigh. I can't help it, I'm lazy. I dont want to walk any more than I have to, especially since the amount of walking I'll have to do is already 40min or so). Does anyone have advice on how to find a good one? The one we're seeing volunteered a reference, which is prob a good sign (depending on what the ref says of course!)
3)Internet. I'll also look up the reports of all the places... I wonder if a "good" report means just that, or whether it's like ebay and if it's anything less than "excellent", then there's something wrong... (you know, how everyone gives 5 star ratings, and you'll only do 4 1/2 stars if it's really slow to arrive... rather than like Amazon, where the ratings actually MEAN something, so 3 stars mean acceptable, and 5 stars mean OMG fantastic!)
I've also got laundry to do (fold and put away clean dry clothes and nappies, hang up the towels, and maybe run another load of something depending on the spirit and the drying space), dishes (dry ones to put away, dirty ones to wash), and if I'm feeling really keen, tidying in my room or going through emily's tangled drawer of Clothes That Fit Now. (or a few other chores that need doing that i'm not thinking about since I prob won't get a chance to do them anyway).
In other news: as mentioned before, I've picked up the shoes again. OMG do my fingers hurt now! I'm at the heel reinforcing, and it says to tunnel stitch it in the directions I'm using (an article on shoemaking by Cynawulf). After doing a bit of it, and wondering how and why I managed to get such fine, neat stitching on the other heel, I googled tunnel stitch, and learned that you're not supposed to just force the needle through the leather, but you should use a curved awl to make the holes first... oops. I think I need a new needle! |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 3rd, 2009|02:25 pm] |
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Further to tuesday's entry, the recycling was NOT collected, as I feared. loupblanc emailed the council and today I got a call from Andrew from recycling at the council. They will deliver new lids "at somepoint in the next few weeks", and are arranging a new collection (it could have been today but monday or tues would be easier for me). He will have a word with the guys about damagin the boxes and keeping an eye out between the cars for our box (which is what happened this week). He was very nice and helpful and it makes me wish we'd taken the trouble to complain before we got all cranky... |
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| A Crafty Update |
[Jul. 2nd, 2009|06:57 pm] |
Yesterday, I made it to a Weds night knitting stitch n bitch for the first time in AGES (yay for a husband willing to stay home to hang out with his daughter and not even entertain thoughts of fencing so I could catch up with thereyougothen!) So, I got to see the lovely lady aforementioned, plus A, H, R, and a couple of other people who's names I forget/I don't actually know :-) I had such a lovely time :-)
I brought along 3 projects: my unfinished Dragone shawl, a half-finished wooly rain hat, and a ball of wool yarn (I'm going native, eeep!) to make a guage swatch for a dress for Em (with some new babmboo tape yarn that matches her eyes, so maybe I should do that soonish...).
Meanwhile, I was going to put away/rearrange Emily's dresser this afternoon, but she wanted my company in the bedroom, so I went through the box of partially finished projects instaid (while she didn't nap on the bed. A mother is apparently that entertaining...). The projects are:
( Read more... ) |
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| (no subject) |
[Jun. 30th, 2009|03:08 pm] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| |  worried | ] |
the recycling people are the council have a bit of a jobsworth attitude, so we need to carefully put our recycling by a driveway, not the entry to the stair (because only people with driveways recycle, or something), and it needs to be visible from the main street, because we're the only ones on our street who recycle, so they don't go down it. So I did that this morning.
I looked out the window to see if I can bring the box in, and someone's parked in front of it (totally blocking my nice neighbour's driveway in, but that's happened before so hopefully it's his visitor...)
:-( |
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| (no subject) |
[Jun. 25th, 2009|11:12 am] |
oops, meant to do something other than sleep durring Em's last nap... today I have buggy strides at 1 and a doc apt at 4-something.
Before buggy strides, I'd like to:
shower
dress
finish tidying the lounge
hang the wet nappies
fold and put away dry clothes
eat lunch
before the apt:
eat a large pot work out snack
work out when the apt is, exactly apparently, "4-something"=3:40!!
finish putting dishes away
work on the budget
we'll see how much actually gets done :) |
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