Merry Christmas, Everyone Everywhere!

Well, we are deep in snow, and it has been a slow week for us. We're going to where my parents are staying this evening for a little Christmas Eve get together. Our sibling plans have been postponed until Friday, since road conditions are not too pretty around here. Our exciting moment of the day was sliding 180 degrees while driving, then shortly after that sliding into a snowdrift that we had to be pulled out of by a big truck. All of this a couple of blocks from our home. Looks like the snow is melting a bit now, though!

Although I didn't do the usual gift-making and card-mailing that is customary around the holidays, it doesn't mean that I love and miss each of you friends and family members any less! We have been taking it easy and enjoying celebrating advent. Each night we have been lighting the advent candles and singing Christmas hymns with Amelia. It has been so special and meaningful, I will be sad when it's over tomorrow. We'll have to come up with some new family rituals to observe through the rest of the year...

Merry Christmas to each of you!

Four years ago...

We got married and had our very first marital miscommunication-- in front of all of our friends and family! I still get a kick out of this photo sequence.


I am thinking," Really? That whole bite? How am I going to get that down?"
Jeff is going, "Really, you're not just going to take a bite of this? How are you going to get that down?"
Me: I can't believe that whole piece is in my mouth. Right now. In front of everyone.
Jeff: Oink! Oink!

Me: Oh dear. Now what?
Jeff: Yikes!


Me: Be graceful! Be graceful!
Jeff: I think there was a misunderstanding... Sorry.

Both of us: OK, I think the worst is over.

Me: Can everyone see that I am dying to have a child? Am I really going aaah as I put food in my husband's mouth?
Both of us: Phew, we made it past that first hurdle! On with the show!

An Improvement!

We had this old church nursery type of carpet that made it impossible to clean out dust and old cat pee-type smells in the extra room downstairs. When we pulled it up, of course we were hoping for some decent hardwoods that we could enjoy with some minimal sprucing up. As usual, it was much worse under there than we'd expected. The wood was in terrible shape, and it looked like at some point, someone let their kid go to town on them with a hammer and a bucket of nails. We quickly changed course and pulled the nails, patched the cracks with wood putty, scraped some linoleum up and painted them with porch paint. In spite of that extra work it was a very doable project that cost under $50, and we are loving the difference!

Doggy Amelia models the previous carpet.
You can also see more before pics here.

I love the way white floors (and rug) brighten all of the colors in the room!

Two Birds... One Stone...
It's our family update/ blessing inventory!

General
I know I keep mentioning it here and there, but the repainting of our house is imminent-- we have chosen a contractor and everything. We still can't believe this is being done for us and can't wait to have the outside of our home lookin' "purdy."

Christmas came early for us this year with a record-breaking show of generosity from J's parents-- we had been without a washer for months, and even when we had one, it was a one unit combo that did a terrible job with lots of noise and rubbery smells and could only take about 1/4 of a regular load at a time. They found a beautiful stacking washer and dryer, complete with warranty for us that actually fits in our cramped space! I never knew laundry appliances could make me feel this way-- it is amazing to have fresh smelling clothes, a quiet laundry day, and to actually have to wash clothes rather infrequently because the loads can be so large! Hurray!

We are thankful to not be visiting churches during the holiday season this year. We are gradually getting to know the people at our church and even had our small group over here for lunch on Sunday. We are so glad to have a church to experience the Advent season with.

Jeff
Work continues to be a positive challenge for Jeff. We are still just so thankful that he has his job and barely missed last year's pink slips. We have become friends with a number of his co-workers and are so pleased and blessed that he works with such wonderful people.

His health has been much better in the last couple of months! He had food allergies tested and has a short and doable list of things to avoid, and so far he has been close to normal-- a huge answer to prayers.

Jeff is currently taking the carpeting out of the spare room downstairs and repairing the sorry-looking wooden floor underneath. This will be a big improvement, and counts as one of my blessings.

Amelia
Amelia is almost 2 1/1 and at a really fun age. I am enjoying letting her help me a lot, or do household tasks independently. She loves washing the dishes with Jeff and today she helped me make cornbread. She often goes "shopping," walking around the house with a cloth sack picking things up to buy. It's also nice to have her cleaning her own messes up!

She is such a good communicator, and it's wonderful to have a whole new level of ability to understand one another. We are working on telling people how we feel, especially instead of screaming or acting out or getting walked on. Jeff and I were amazed the other day when she came up to me and we had this conversation:
A: Mama, I feel frustrated.
Me: You do? Why do you feel frustrated?
A: Because Papa said "NO." (With a very fierce face.)
Jeff was able to come over talk about the safety issue that had prompted this, and she seemed to make peace with the interaction. We couldn't believe we were able to have this little dialogue!

Sleep has certainly continued to be up and down, but she has been taking some serious naps-- a first! It's really been nice.

Here's some exciting news: Amelia will be attending preschool in January! I am so happy for her to be able to spend time with other children and get to go do so many interesting thing several days each week. Of course, there is also the benefit of me having some time freed up for work and rest. More on this later.

Me
I have been pleasantly surprised to have a pretty good amount of business so far. In the second week that I was "open" I filled my five client quota that I had been hoping for. I have had a couple other weeks with that many, and of course a couple of slow ones. Overall, things have picked up more quickly than I had expected. One very exciting tidbit is that my chiropractor, who I have a good relationship with, will be sending me clients for cranio-sacral work. In fact, when anyone calls their very busy wellness center asking about that type of work, they will refer them to me! I have also been getting referrals from the studio I work at. I am very happy and relieved that things are going well, and plan to step up my marketing quite a bit in January.

As winter is coming quickly, I am more thankful than ever for all of the changes we've been able to make to our home over the past year. The glass doors let in so much more light, the colors are cheerful, we are no longer trying to keep white carpet clean in muddy weather, etc. I feel a big difference in how I feel, and think it will be easier to stay positive through the gray and rainy weather ahead.

As far as my health goes, I can honestly say I'm feeling a bit better. This will be a long process, but I have had more energy lately and don't feel as overwhelmed by all that I have to get done on a daily basis. I am very thankful for a good doctor that has done so much to help me through this tricky healing process. I am also thankful to those that have been supportive and helpful, especially my sister-- she has been watching Amelia once a week for me, and was even doing a load of laundry for me each week! Amazing.

I have to be honest that last year was a difficult one for our family, but even so, we have so much to be thankful for. And much of our gratitude is for what has changed for us in the last few months, and what is to come in the year ahead. Our lives are so rich!

Portland in the Fall.

I confess that last year I was too cold and depressed to really get out and see the city at this time of year, and that pretty much lasted until June when it finally stopped raining. My circumstances and spirits are much improved this year, and I have resolved to get out and do as much as possible this winter. Jeff has a break this week, and we wanted to start it off right with a fun day downtown.

Today was the last day for the Portland farmers market, and they were having some chef demos, music and other fun things happening. Man, it was THE place to be! It was packed with people, and even though it was really big it took a long time to get around. I love that Portland is surrounded by farmland, and there is incredibly fresh produce, beers and wines, cheeses, meats and seafood to choose from for a most of the year. This particular market is located in the park blocks amid PSU, and is really pretty.


I love the fall vegetable vegetable offerings-- everything is pretty funky looking, rather than sleek and shiny as it is in the summer. What we brought home: Jerusalem artichokes, chanterelles, turnips, celeriac, artichokes and a dried flower bouquet.

I am loving all of the fall foliage mixed in with the cement and brick buildings downtown.

After the farmers' market, we walked a ways to Pioneer Square, where they have a gigantic Christmas tree that they are literally trimming up and stringing lights on. Then on Friday they will "trim" it again with the ornaments and such. Amelia is newly aware of Christmas trees, and super excited about getting one. It was fun to go in search of The Giant Christmas Tree.

After we found the tree and checked out some smaller ones around it, the best part for Amelia was chasing all of the pigeons around the square.

It was pretty cold out, but we were so thankful that it never rained, and we actually had some blue skies-- that made the day that much nicer, and Portland that much more lovely!
We rounded out the day with a ride on the MAX light rail within the "free zone" to a cool toy store where we let Amelia get the ants out of her pants. I was pretty proud of us for having such a fun, full day out in the city in November. It may not seem like a stretch for many people, but at this point in my life, it seems very difficult-- yet I was pretty pleased that it was such a successfully enjoyable day and feel motivated to do it again and again this winter.

A Moroccan Dinner for a Special Lady

I love to cook, but it's not often that I feel like I have a green light to spend what I want and pull out all the stops for a special meal. Maybe once a year or so. Jeff's parents have been such a blessing to us this year, so I wanted to celebrate Amy's birthday in style. Making food is probably my #1 love language, and it's especially gratifying when the recipient feels the same way about food. I only chose the menu the night before, so Jeff stayed home yesterday to watch Amelia so I could focus. It was so much fun! I thought I'd share some pictures, but I didn't remember to capture everything.

The Menu

Pomegranate, Orange, Mint and Rose Coolers

Chicken B'Stilla
(A filo pastry filled with chicken and egg, with almonds and cinnamon between layers of pastry)
I didn't get a picture of mine, but it pretty much looked like this one.

Vegetable Course:
Baked Pumpkin Stars with Caramelized Onion, Raisins and Almonds
Beets with Minty Yogurt Dressing

Lamb Tagine with Prunes
served with Fresh Baked Baguette
Garlic and Lemon Fava Beans


Homemade Baklavah
Fresh Spearmint Tea
White Coffee
(Hot water infused with orange blossom essence)

None of the recipes were very difficult, let me know if you'd like to try one of them!

Need a little budget- friendly cooking inspiration?

I really enjoyed an article by the Washington Post they did on Jacques Pepin cooking a meal for six on $24. Fun and inspiring-- go invite someone over for dinner!

(In this photo he demonstrates sharpening a blade on a porcelain plate-- !!)

Uh oh. Mama was impulsive.

And just couldn't take the hair in the face or the food in the hair in the face anymore. However, she failed to take into account the many cowlicks, the inability of a toddler to keep her head straight for more than two seconds, or the apparently unusual shape of her daughter's forehead.


Mimi saw the results and concluded: "I'm a big girl now." Then she ate her chicken soup without any her hair in her face. Mama doesn't quite feel sick about it, but has a new found respect for children's hairdressers.

'Tis the Season...

Amelia's grandma stopped by this afternoon with a costume she found at the Goodwill! I think it looks hilarious, and am glad Amelia is eager to amuse us by wearing it. Actually, she is loving it, and I have to admit that it's nice to hear her barking in place of all the meowing she usually does. She keeps announcing, "I'm a dog now!" Jeff has been taking her through the doggy paces of fetching things with her mouth, jumping up on people, etc. I'm glad he's leaving out all of the crude and awkward things dogs spend much of their time doing.

Arf! Arf!

It's easy to confuse Christianity with pregnancy:

"Mama, I have a baby in my heart!"

"It" Happens...

I had no idea I would be due for another Most Embarassing Moment so soon. And it wasn't even last night when we were eating out-- Amelia was yelling at our server while she was with another table, "HEY LAAAADY! I'M HUUUNGRYYYY!" That was embarrassing, but not too bad.

I was having one of those days today-- hoping I wouldn't run into anyone I know, just trying to fly below the radar while letting Amelia get out of the house. We went to our favorite kids consignment store, where I let her wander around and play while I was looking through things. There were a lot of ladies there, and I heard one of them, laughing, say "Hey, where's your mom?" Of course I identified myself right away and asked what was going on. She said Amelia had lost her pants. No big deal, but it's not really like her to just take them off for no reason. Then Amelia walked around the corner with her pants around her ankles, beaming. "I pooped!" Oh, no you didn't! Oh, yes,she did! She had made her not-so-little deposit in one of the kids potties on display.
This was already enough, but the store owner didn't even laugh when I told her (in front of many people) what had happened. In all of my routine humiliations, I don't remember the last time I blushed so badly that my eyes watered. She gave me a key to the bathroom, to take care of it. Then I ended up wandering around the courtyard with a giant potty and a toddler trying to figure out where the bathroom was. Someone came out of their store and told me it was all the way around the block. So we marched over there. And of course there were construction workers working on the sidewalk right in front of it. Of course it was occupied, so we had to hang out there with the laborers and our big pot of stink.
We cleaned up, returned the potty to the store, bought something as a courtesy and got out of there! Amelia was quite proud of herself, which I'm glad for-- no need to maker her feel bad as well! Anyway, This is just one of those things that you have to share so that people can just laugh and redeem the mortification. Enjoy.

Our Big Event

On Saturday evening we had a party. There was no real occasion, so we blamed it on the fact that our house turned 100 this year. I guess it was more like a housewarming, since we never had one and wanted to just have everyone over all at once. We had a really nice turnout-- 30 adults and about 25 kids! The weather was perfect, so that we could spend most of the evening outside (in jackets) as planned.

Although there were plenty of people to feed, this was the most stress-free party I've ever hosted! I was determined from the beginning to not feel the compulsion to have anything perfect, and to make the goal to be FUN (for us especially,) nothing else. I made two huge batches of soup, lots of popcorn and hot cider. Guests brought beer, wine and desserts, and there was more than enough of everything for everyone. I took the plunge and rented the plates, bowls and glasses, then borrowed forks and spoons. I cannot tell you how nice it was to rent the dishes-- all I had to do was give the bowls and plates a quick rinse, and I am returning them today!

The nicest part of the event was having Jeff, his dad, and a couple of friends play music for everyone. We have a firepit in our yard, and we picked up some hay bales for extra seating (to be used for bunnies and chickens later.) Everyone gathered around the fire, chatted and listened to the music. So fun, so fall. I'll share some pictures that Jeff's parents took.

We're Glad You're Here!
Now, Have Some Soup:
Curried Pumpkin with Coconut Milk
Potato Cheese

It's official, this house will soon get a paint job, thanks to the city of Portland!

Putting this patio in was our biggest summer project. And it was free-- we took stepping stone pavers from all over the yard, got some free pea gravel on CL, and went for it, thinking of the potential for a fall party!

It was a lot of fun to have so many kids over and to watch them get to know each other...

Of course, Amelia had a blast. She's been telling strangers about our party for weeks-- "We having a party at our house. Be kids there. Be music there. Be lots of fun!" Here she is with her cousin Piper. She kept bursting into groups waving and shouting "Hi everybody!!!"

This was the first time in about ten years that Jeff and his dad got a chance to play music together again-- what a treat for everyone!

This was so much fun, we're thinking we will do it again next year. It was also a nice moment to look around and see that we have some very lovely people in our lives.

Feeling Quite Conscious of my Subconscious....

I have a pretty active dreamlife. Most nights, I have a dream (or several) that I can remember in the morning. While this is sometimes something I dislike-- my in-sleep episodes can be extremely stressful-- I sometimes gain insight about myself through these visions. For example, I may be "playing nice" with a difficult person in real life, but in my dreams I'll really let them have it. Or I will act out in my dreams in other ways that betray the way I'm really feeling deep down-- good information! It can be really useful.

Last night my dream was not necessarily helpful in terms of information, but extremely pleasant and telling. I dreamt that I met these two really nice ladies who were massage therapists. They were very caring and one of them gave me a long massage (this took up most of the dream) while they both chatted with me in a really kind manner. Afterward, the other one told me that we should trade massage services each week, although some weeks she would like to just give me a massage and I didn't need to reciprocate. Then, the funniest and best part of the dream was that I would have to walk a ways to get back to my car, but they said, "Oh, Honey, we don't want you to have to walk all that way. You need rest-- we'd like to wheel you back to your car on a gurney!"

I woke up feeling good and encouraged, but also kind of embarassed that this is what I'm dreaming about. Last week, I also dreamt that someone came over and cleaned for me-- of particular note was the thorough mopping of my floors! I'm kind of hoping that tonight I may be prepared a fancy meal...

Let's Get This Party Started!

So, everything with the massage space went through this weekend, and I am in high- gear in terms of moving in, setting up, marketing, etc. I will technically have office hours this coming week.

A little info about the place. It is in a pilates studio called Imago Dei in a nice neighborhood (Sellwood) near us. A friend of mine who is a movement therapist works there, and made the connection for me. In addition to pilates, they offer body reconciliation sessions (think psychotherapy using movement, related to issues of our experience with our bodies) and there is another massage therapist and an esthetician working independently as well.

The owner opened the studio with the intention of having a ministry to women who are survivors of childhood sexual abuse, and there is an understanding that this is the most important part of what goes on in the studio. I think it's so wonderful to find a place that is more committed to helping with body issues and whole person health than strictly making someone look good or feel pampered.I also think this is a really good fit for my practice, since the type of bodywork I do is more orthopedically oriented versus relaxing/ soothing massage. The fact that the demographic is interested in growing and changing and addressing problems on a physical level is perfect, and I hope to be a good match for them.

The room I am renting is very small, but still bigger than the room I'd been squeezing some people into at home, and I think it will turn out nicely. It has been stressful to be buying things for a business that has yet to make any money. I wish I could just go shopping and have fun with it, but this is REAL money, I still have to pay for everything! Hopefully it won't take too long to get a reliable amount of work, and we can start enjoying making money on this! I am really excited to finally have my own practice, it seems too good to be real. I will try to put up some photos soon.

General Updates...

Amelia is sick again, although at least there is no fever or blisters, so far. Just a chest cold. Fortunately, I have a big pot of chicken stock ready for action, and she's been drinking tea with herbal elixirs and raw honey all day. I'll do anything to try to make this quick!

Things are going full-bore for Jeff at work, and this will be a very busy year for him. He works at two different locations each day M- W, with a total of 5 work places, not including home visits. We are SO glad for the truck, which has also bumped up Jeff's testosterone levels a bit. (Don't hate me for writing that, Baby!) We never call each other 'baby'.

I am in the very final phase of negotiating on a space for my massage practice. I'll wait until I actually move in to tell you about it. We're supposed to get the key tomorrow and paint, but I have hit a very big bump in the road as of yesterday, and this one IS a "deal breaker." So either we'll get it all taken care of and be open for business in a week, or we'll be starting at square one again. If I don't get the space, the greatest loss will be all of the stress it has caused for me-- I really hope it goes through! Also, I just got a box full of marketing materials in the mail today, and I hope I get to use them-- they have the studio's name and address printed on them.

We're throwing a big party in a couple of weeks, and we're so excited! We only wish that all of our 'old' friends and family could come-- only I can't complain, since it's looking like 40+ people will be squeezing into our yard. I am praying hard for no rain that day!

Our house didn't get painted this summer, but there is a good reason for that. There is a grant for lower income (that's us!) homeowners with small children in Portland that have lead paint on their old houses. We applied and qualified, and it looks like we are going to get up to $10,000 of "lead abatement" done on our house by the city this year in the form of stripping and painting and anything else that needs to happen-- our old windows have already been replaced, so they don't need to do that one. We are SO THRILLED! I don't know when the painting will be done, especially since we're entering the rainy season that lasts most of the year, but we are having an inspection done this week and will be able to find out more then.

My health is about the same although made a bit worse by additional stress, and we're still trying to solve some mysteries related to Jeff's odd medical issues. Prayers in that department would be great. That's all of our not-so-big news for now...

How did she get so big?

It's Been a LOOONG Week!

I don't think I have it in me to spin a good story, so I'll give you the bare bones facts-- also known as an outline. [I would like to note that I meticulously formatted this outline with all of the proper indentations and such --twice-- but it only comes out in one straight line once published. What a shame.]

Thesis Statement: This week was super lame.
I. Last Friday Amelia got very sick with hand, foot and mouth disease (for the 2nd time in 3 months)
A. High fever
B. Sores in mouth, on hands and on feet
C. Misery
1. terrible sleep for everyone
2. serious and constant neediness and whining for days
D. Very contagious
1. my sister couldn't baby sit her, as offered and which I had perceived as a desperate need
2. we couldn't see anyone all week, there were many canceled plans
II. Jeff got sick on Thursday
A. Fever
B. Misery
1. general family downer
2. more canceled plans
C. Crazy, unusual swelling over a series of days
1. way more misery than before
2. more canceled plans and resultant cabin fever
3. serious impairment of the legs
4. disturbing distortion of face due to swelling
5. concerns about swelling moving to airway
D. Trip to the ER
1. who wouldn't want to spend their Sunday at the ER? Especially with this gorgeous weather?
2. Amelia was there, too!
a. five trips to the bathroom in two hours
b. two incidences of pee all over the floor
c. one busted lip from falling out of a chair
E. Steroids and benadryl
1. Jeff was out of commission for most of the day
2. we were forced to watch dumb shows online like "High School Musical-- Get in the Picture"
3. a week full of meds and their side effects ahead of us

Ugh! I'm not sure where this fits in, but our washing machine is also broken so we spent the better part of our most functional day doing laundry at the "mat." So, we're glad the week is over and are hoping for better luck next time. It wasn't all bad, though. On Saturday night we got out and went the movies. For $13.50, we got two tickets and two hours of babysitting-- exactly what we needed. We watched Get Smart, which was even funnier than we were hoping-- I love Steve Carell. We also spent a good amount of time this evening laughing about our super lame week and coming up with nicknames for Jeff's distorted visage-- "Dog Face" seemed to win the most laughs. We took pictures as soon as we got home from the hospital, which we will share for your sympathy and amusement.

As a point of reference, this is what my handsome husband USUALLY looks like.

I think this is the best one!

Where would we be if we had no sense of humor?

Well, well, well. Look who decided to show up and join the party! Go on over and give him a warm welcome to the blogging world.

Almost there...

So, potty training is almost officially over! I am so thrilled to be done with cloth diapers, and can't wait to not have to buy pullups for bedtime anymore either. So far, apart from pooping her pants at extremely inopportune moments, Amelia has done really well in public. Sure, I had to take her to the bathroom three times at breakfast this week, but no accidents on long drives or in the stroller... anywhere but home (and my sister's house, when she saw the tap running into the sink.) I am really looking forward to not having those moments where I'm thinking, "Am I really having a conversation about potty training with another adult? This is SO not what I'd like to be talking about in this rare moment of peer interaction...."

This one's mostly for the ladies...

I found an article that I really want to pass on. I hope you ladies will read it through. It talks about the current healthcare system and how to navigate through areas of corruption (and, I think, intimidation) to really receive quality care. I especially appreciated the section entitled "Good medicine requires patience" that addressed the widespread use of the HPV vaccine. I really like the website Women to Women. They are "Western" doctors that are very holistic and practical, and also address social/cultural issues related to our health. I could say SO much more on this topic, but it's written much more eloquently there already, so I'll hold off for now.