Maintaining a Home

Last weekend was a rare one for serial renters like us--a weekend filled with home maintenance. Basically, we've spent the last three years wishing we had nice landscaping. Since we've moved into our place here, however, we've quickly changed our minds.

For example, the backyard bamboo, the side yard ivy, and--most troubling--the front yard giant grass bushes, all are a bit more maintenance than I would sign up for again. Nevertheless, here we are and with one of the last nice weekends of the year, I decided to do a little good ol' fashioned yard work.

The end result? A front-lawn so well manicured that Robin nearly drove by our house because she didn't recognize it. I realize that likely says more about the state of the landscaping before I started than it does about how great of a job I did, but any victory is one worth celebrating. I'm also particularly proud that I dug up the gladiola bulbs and prepped them for winter storage, as opposed to letting them freeze in the mulch bed. Such good tenants.

In other upkeep activities, we got the glass "storm panes" in on the windows around the house, cleaned the roman blinds in the baby's room, and stopped using the giant fan to blow cool air up to the second floor. Theoretically, we should have done this a few weeks ago, but the weather has been so unpredictably hot/cold that we didn't want to winterize too early.

The week ahead offers a bit more down time than usual: a potential movie premiere, community group dinner, and no Lamaze class (that's right, we graduated). Given that we only have 7-8 weeks before "our lives are forever changed", we'll take some relaxation.

"Ringing" in November

Happy November!
And welcome to the eighth month of pregnancy.
Thankfully, of the many distasteful pregnancy symptoms that I've been experiencing, unsightly and outrageously uncomfortable swelling has not been one of them...yet. I have however become a little "puffy" over the last several weeks as initially indicated by the increasing difficulty I was having taking off my wedding ring. I usually only take off my ring to put on lotion which depending on how dry my hands are happens 0-2 times a day. Normally it just slips right off but as the days have been getting colder and my hands dryer my ring finger was becoming less and less forgiving. Here is a picture of the last time I was able to wear my ring.

very real and wonderful ring signifying an
undying love and commitment 

It's not the clearest picture but perhaps you can see the "puffiness" that seems to surround the ring on either side. Once I finally got the ring off (a little soap and tugging) the sore, red imprint it left behind was a sign that I may have waited just a little too long to remove it. 


Not being able to wear my ring for the next 2-3 months is not something I was excited about, which is probably why I waited so long to take it off. So to keep my finger from feeling "naked" and my paranoia that no one will think I'm married abated, I brought out my replacement ring. I originally bought this ring to wear after we got engaged and had to wait for my ring to be sized. Ironically my real ring was a size 7 that had to be sized down to a 4.5, and the fake replacement ring I bought was a size 7 that I had to wrap string around so it would stay on. Well no need for the string anymore. The replacement size 7 ring fits perfectly right now and hopefully my hands won't get any bigger or I might have to get a back-up for my replacement. Maybe my next ring will come with a gumball...

not so real 9.99 ring signifying my vanity and insecurity
that I should ever be seen in public again as "unmarried"

October

In a bid toward greater efficiency this week (read: less time sitting and thinking of what to say), I thought I'd provide a largely pictorial version of the month of October. Of course, I would never leave you without context and commentary.

October 2 - Visits from Friends

Scott & Amy came over from Indiana to take in the wonders of SW Ohio. The result? A trip to Hidden Valley Fruit Farm. Pros? It was Apple Cider fest, which means more unhealthy food, a bluegrass band, and lots of fellow farm-goers. Cons? Picking your own apples was so expensive that we actually saved money by purchasing ones that other people had picked--that and the incredibly long lines to purchase said apples.

After church on Sunday, we had a lunch for 8 (+1 sleeping 1 yr old). Jath busted out some amazing soup, we pulled some chairs up from the basement, and I rushed out the door to NYC while a house full of people enjoyed still-hot homemade bread!

October 9 - Our Baby Gets Some Furniture

Thank goodness for IKEA, power drills, and a small car with a freakishly large trunk.

With quilt hangers installed a few days later, we're getting ready for December.

October 17 - Baby Shower in Indiana

The middle of October brought us back to "The Middle" (also a fantastic show on ABC for those of you who can identify with all things Midwest). Jath's friends Robin and Amy and our sister (in-law) Lauren hosted a baby shower. They spent all day Saturday--seriously, all day--baking, cooking, putting together party favors, planning activities, and watching the movie Babies for inspiration. I, on the other hand, played tennis, played Kan-Jam, ate Pizza King pizza, and hung out with friend Jason.

The shower was a great success (read: our car was loaded down with thoughtful, useful gifts) and it was great to see (for 5 min.) our long lost friends Steve & Jolie (VISIT!)

October 24 - Family Sleepover 2010

This past weekend was our annual family get together--artfully termed the "SFSO". In only two years, it has become by far one of my favorite weekends. From judging the quality of one another's favorite family memories around a Friday night firepit to climbing onto a hay wagon for family pictures taken by the cashier of a local farm, we have way too much fun with very few supplies.

The matching sweatshirts compliment the matching blankets from last year. Not pictured? Hours of Kan-Jam (seriously, Google this game then go find a way to play it), the spiciest entree I have eaten in several years, 10 carved pumpkins, Lucy & Toby's non-stop running around, Mark & Lauren's frankenfuton, and late-night s'mores.

In summary, October's been a good month.

food for thought

It would seem that we have been a bit delinquent in our posting for October, meaning we will either post like crazy this week or just do better next month. I can't wait to see which one we choose!


This post will be about food. I found a smattering of food photos on our camera from the last several weeks so I thought it might be fun to share.


We'll start with some dinners. Robin had the pleasure of experiencing most of the food below and was probably the reason we even have pictures of them. So thank you Robin for finding my cooking photo-worthy :)

Trader Joe's Mandarin Orange Chicken
over brown rice with broccoli

Spinach Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

Eggplant Lasagna
(this had lots of yummy veggies in it)

Autumn Chicken Pot Pie
(butternut squash was what made it distinctly fall, so good)

Now on to lunch. I originally took pictures of my lunch because of how simple and kindergarten like they all were. Hey what's good for a six-year old is good for the pregnant lady and so tasty! Remember an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

green beans, cheese and crackers, sliced apple
oh and lots of water of course

Trader Joe's Organic Joe's O's and sliced apple

whole wheat bagel with cream cheese and sliced apple

I have no pictures of breakfast. They aren't usually very exciting anyway. Just a bowl of cereal (Honey Nut Cheerios, Quaker Honey Graham Oh's, Cinnamon Life) with organic milk and a sliced banana - for all that good potassium.


Dessert. Oddly enough I don't have very many pictures of desserty things which is weird because that's probably what I make the most. This month alone I made Molasses Cookies, Chocolate-Chip Apple Pumpkin Bread, Oreo Pie, and Double Layer Pumpkin Cheese Cake. Here are some things I/we made and did take pictures of.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
not so recent but such a pretty picture!

Braided Lemon Bread

Monkey Bread with cream cheese glaze

The Best Coffee Cake. Ever.
Made by Aaron and repeated by Aaron. A new favorite
and no stranger to the blog

So where's the chocolate? I know it's shocking how lacking in chocolate all those desserts were. Well this past week I got something in the mail to make up for it. My wonderful husband got me my very favorite box of Godiva chocolate in honor of our pregnancy home stretch. Only 2 months to go! Sweet as candy that Aaron.

Milk chocolate assortment.
Just what the doctor ordered

Mmmm such good food deserves a pregnancy peek. Thankfully my increasing girth has more to do with the growing baby inside than any of the food pictured above. Here we are at 30 weeks.

Toby and the Baby

It’s come to my attention that there has been little to no mention of our Toby on this blog. I’m shocked, as it would seem that our whole lives revolve around the 14 lb miniature schnauzer. That is until lately. My fears are being confirmed, Toby has already taken a backseat to our baby.

Since learning I was expecting I’ve been mourning over Toby being bumped down the attention chain. I know it has to happen, it’s natural and certainly expected that a baby come before the needs of a dog. But still it makes me sad. In fact it makes me very sad.

Little Toby has admittedly been our pride and joy since the day we brought him home at a mere 2 lbs. Even Aaron, who originally had concerns not just about the breed we/I chose but owning a dog in general, fell immediately in love. Toby had us from day one and the fact that he behaved so well and was easily trained only made it more so.

In the two years that we’ve had him he’s become our cuddle buddy, our constant companion and truly a piece of our family. He loves us like crazy and we love him too, so the thought of him feeling unloved or unwanted when baby comes breaks my heart.

There is a sweet but sad book called McDuff and the Baby which fits right in here. McDuff is a good dog who has a good life with his owners Fred and Lucy. He gets to do all sorts of fun things with them and of course he loves them. Until one day when Fred and Lucy bring home a baby. The baby cries and pulls McDuff’s hair. They can’t go on the same kind of walks and overall McDuff feels replaced and forgotten. (This is where I start to tear). 

Then one day Lucy notices that McDuff won’t eat. (Now I cry). So Fred and Lucy start doing all the old things they did with McDuff before the baby came like read him the comics, let him eat sausage and vanilla rice pudding and take him on walks in his favorite place. In the end everyone is happy again and there they all sit Fred, Lucy, baby and McDuff hand in hand happy to be a family together. (By now I’m sobbing, barely able to be consoled).

I know things are going to be different, there’s no way they won’t be, but both Aaron and I have vowed to do our very best to let Toby know he has not been replaced. He might have to be moved over a little, or a lot, but he’s still important and very much loved.

It now occurs to me after 400-some odd words that perhaps it’s me we should be concerned about…I really need to stop crying.

Toby's McDuff face

Lamaze, or what to do when contractions are 7 minutes apart at 1 a.m.

Jath and I are doing Lamaze, which according to Bill Cosby, falls into the class of "things intellectuals study that people already know how to do naturally." After two weeks, I would beg to differ--respectfully, of course.

Mind you, our Lamaze class is hilariously stereotypical. Exhibit A: our Finland-born, German-trained MD instructor, who happens to have a name that puts vowels and consonants in places one would never think possible. She has a moderately strong accent, which only makes the anatomy discussions more entertaining, and a penchant for randomly asking questions while holding up a large chart and pointing to the answer (apparently, audience participation rates had been low).

Exhibit B? The baby doll stuffed inside a giant knit wool "uterus" that our instructor keeps dropping and wedging into a science-class style pelvic bone. The fact that the baby has made it through said pelvis exactly 1 time so far (out of dozens of droppings and wedgings) does not instill confidence in the class. We did learn, however, that Jath can apparently just bounce around on a giant inflatable exercise ball and the baby will magically get into that 1 position. If you hadn't guessed, my first assigned labor task is to "Get the ball!"

We've also been learning lots of acronyms that will help us remember important information while in the panic of early labor. Fortunately, one of those acronyms is the easy to remember "COAT". Unfortunately, Jath will most likely be giving birth in the dead of winter, when either one of us screaming the word "coat" at each other could result in more than a little confusion. Other acronyms, like "EAT" (early labor, active labor, transition), are not so helpful.

Which brings me to this week's class: the "curious couples hospital tour"--which seems to be a rather insightful if not 9ish-months-too-late name for the event--followed by "videos." Needless to say, I won't be posting about that one.

Good things to come (i.e., it's gonna be a short one)

Apologies for last month's cliffhanger. I'll provide a better ending in a future post, but the long and short of it is that we found a great, young presbyterian (PCA) church in Cincinnati that we've become quite involved in over the last month. Lots of young families and a church with a solid sense of purpose and identity. Needless to say, we're very thankful God has brought this our way, especially in this season of life.

As for me? Work recently has been a mix of lessons learned the hard way and challenges in matching my personality with the line of work I've chosen. Needless to say, that's kept me pretty busy during the day and with a lot to think about at night--hence the lack of blogging.

But many great and wonderful things continue to happen in life. Exhibit A? A BBQ pork sandwich from one "Porky Capone" at last weekend's apple cider fest. It's not an apple donut from Carter Mountain, but it makes 54 degrees and rainy seem pretty nice.

This weekend? Furniture for the baby's room! (i.e., how many IKEA boxes can fit in the Honda).