I just discovered some "trigger words" yesterday that get Babysierra to smile. He will already smile for me when I look him directly in the face (provided he's in the mood, of course), but now others can get him to smile by telling him he's "so cute!" He smiled for the lactation consultant and both my parents. And it's not just any smile, either – he grins, tucks his chin, and lowers his eyes, like he's flirting or being coy. :)

This is the best smile pic I've gotten to date (taken with my phone):



Heh. Now to teach him his first words: "I know!" ;)

( Of Babies and Boobies, Take Two )

I went to the library yesterday on a commando-strike mission to pick up the Baby Whisperer books. I'm reading the first one slowly, as I nurse the baby. Unfortunately, I also got distracted by the DVDs for checkout, and have a couple things to watch now, which I really didn't need, except that sometimes trying to do something useful while feeding Baby is just not possible, and it's just more entertaining to throw something in the DVD player for background or distraction.

Okay, Baby is awake for a little while and calm. I should quit distracting myself and do something useful, like laundry.

Hasta!

I went back to kempo class on Thursday. My gi fits (it's a miracle!) and I still remember some of the material I was learning before I got pregnant. I can't go back as often as I used to, but he's opened up the studio in the mornings for open workouts, so I can go in during the morning for reviews and working my strength back up for class.

But, boy, am I sore! Not as sore as I expected to be, but still sore.

Doesn't help that I was rearranging the bedroom yesterday, too. The place was driving me NUTS. It's horribly cluttered, covered in clothes, and I wasn't able to walk in there. It needed work STAT. It's still in progress, but I can see a positive outcome!

The other challenge I've had lately is not necessarily something everyone wants to read, so it's behind a cut.

( Of Babies and Boobies )

Lastly, the laptop seems to be having issues. The backlight has been blinking out, and the computer turns itself off sometimes. I have to powercycle it to get it to come back on (that is, I have to take out the charger and pop out the battery). It's not had an easy life, so it's getting a little long in the tooth. But it's not a good time to need to buy a new laptop; especially not an Apple laptop. And I'm really not crazy about going to a Windows machine, even though I can get a discount on a Dell through Mary Kay. I don't know . . . I do know that I have to back this thing up fanatically for a while and somehow store all my bookmarks. I need to go through and write down all my passwords and logins, too.

Right now, though, I really ought to make some phone calls and go back to cleaning my room. It needs to be done, and I don't want someone else to do it, so I'm the one to do it. Tonight, I'm going to my parents' house so they can get some grandparent time and I can get a bath and some sleep. Hopefully that will help my state of mind . . .

Laterz!

( UPDATE: Of Babies and Boobies )

So, Sweetie is gone for two weeks. I'm not a wreck, but I do feel kind of pathetic. Directionless. Seriously, though – two weeks is kind of a drop in the bucket for us. So why do I feel so blue?

Because the first two weeks of a deployment are the hardest. He's not deployed, but he's gone for two weeks with limited communication. It's close enough to a deployment, 'cause he's not here. There's really not a whole lot of difference in the feel of it, except that I know he'll be back home in two weeks to resume "normal" life.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to figure out my daily schedule so I can actually start booking some facials. Baby has hit a growth spurt, so he's eating often and for longer, especially in the evening. However, I've found he will go four hours between feedings now and take longer naps in the afternoon. That gives me a chance to do a facial or two a day. I don't get to move as fast as I'd like (doesn't help that I'm afraid of my phone!), but I'll at least get moving! And I'm about to get over my phone fear just so I can get out of the house in the evening!

Baby slept almost eight hours last night. I didn't, because the eight hours were from about 8:45 to 3:45, and I was at my parents' house till almost 11. (Okay, so he slept about seven hours. Math has never been my strong suit – especially when I'm sleep deprived.) I'm hoping he'll do it again tonight, despite having slept much of today away.

In other news, Baby is two months old today! Time is flying by, and he's growing SO FLIPPIN' FAST.

I managed to catch a bit of a smile on camera:



And the obligatory (and totally adorable) two-month photo!:



For more photos, check out the photostream. The newest ones are at the end.

In the future: Videos! I just need to upload them to YouTube so I can share them here, but I'll need to get the login info from my husband.

For now, it's Baby's (and my) bedtime. 'Night!

I cleaned my bathroom yesterday!

I know . . . what's to be proud about that?

My bathroom was a wreck, and I hadn't cleaned the floor in far, far too long. It was GROSS. I purged a bunch of stuff to take to the women's shelter (if they'll take it) – shampoos, body wash, perfumes – mopped the floor, and cleaned the sink. I sort of wiped down the toilet, but forgot to brush the bowl. I also didn't clean the window panes, which are all wet and moldy. Oops. But the rest is done! :)

I also planned my dinners for this week, and shopped accordingly on Monday afternoon. I'm planning so I will use up stuff in my freezer, then I'll start using Saving Dinner the Low-Carb Way, which I bought a while back in order to start planning my dinners better. I hate it when stuff goes bad in my fridge. Food is not getting any cheaper!

Now, I just need to get the rest of my house under control . . . Slowly but surely!

I should be posting most of this in my tiny_socks blog, but I'm lazy. ;) Not to mention, this is my life now. This has turned into a MOMMY BLOG. But I'll try not to overdo it. I merely want people to adore my son as much as I do. ;)

ANYway – I didn't have any clean newborn clothes to dress him in on Saturday, and he needed something new to wear. I looked around for something that said 0-3 Months and put him in a full-body outfit without footies. At first, he seemed to swim in it. By the end of the day it fit perfectly. Anyone ever heard of children having growth spurts just to fit an article of clothing? Me, neither. It was creepy. :)

Anyway, since that fit so well, I decided to try another outfit on Sunday in 3 month size. I came up with a onesie and pair of jeans I've been dying to use since I got them at my shower (they're not from the same person, but they're both so darn cute).

Check out my little "stud muffin" (heh, he looks so bored!):



He ended up spitting up all over the onesie, and it was cooler today, so I dressed him in the jeans and a littlt sweater. Originally, he had on a little blue zip-up hoodie, but it was a little too loose to wear while feeding.

He was SOOO tired this afternoon, that when he lost his pacifier while falling asleep, he didn't even cry for it:



He's getting so big! It's hard to tell sometimes, because he's still curls up so tight when he's held, but I'm beginning to notice his head is bigger, and he wears bigger clothes. I can hardly believe it! Also, it seems like a switch has been flipped recently, because he's looking at us now and beginning to notice things. He's beginning to coo, and he gave us his first real smile last night! We got a second one this morning, too. SO CUTE!!! Can't wait to get a picture of that. For now, it's just enough to get to see it. :)

Okay, enough gushing. :) I'll post pics of my brand new niece later. She is also very cute. But that's a given. ;)

I added more pictures to the Flickr set.

Here are a couple of teasers:





I can't get over how utterly adorable my son is!

He turned six weeks old yesterday. He's still pretty tiny, but he's beginning to grow out of his newborn clothes. He'll be swimming in his 3 month clothes for a while. I just have to sort them out and find the ones that fit the best till he can wear them all.

Hmm . . . I forgot what else I was going to say. I suppose I should take this opportunity to shower before he wakes up and wants to be fed again . . . Hasta! :)

But it mocks everyone equally. (Embedded video under the cut)

( Abso-flippin' HILARIOUS! )

I love Lewis Black – especially when he's forced by the FCC to "keep it clean". Yay for the FCC, in this case.

Unfortunately, like South Park and America World Police (or whatever that movie is called), he's terribly vulgar in his normal standup, but his humor is sharp, snarky, and appeals to my vindictive, politically opinionated side – which really only comes out to play when I listen or watch something like this. Sometimes, my diplomatic side takes a little vacation so I can have a little laugh. ;)

I've mentioned before how much I like Jon Stewart and the Daily Show. It's one thing I REALLY miss about not having cable. Hooray for the internet! ;)

Okay, I have approximately half an hour to forty-five minutes in which to post something. Babysierra has finally quit screaming and gone down for a nap before his final feeding for the night. I heard a little whimper just a second ago, but it still sounds as if he has his pacifier . . .

I do love motherhood, but I'm pretty tired – and my brain is fried. I'd love to just blow off the rest of the world, all commitments, everything for a few months until I can get this mommy thing down, but I find that I'm more susceptible to cabin fever now than I ever was before. It's weird. I think it's because being busy keeps me awake. :)

I do have the easiest baby in the world. He does fight sleep when he's put to bed against his will, but when he's finally asleep, he's down for the count. I'm still trying to get him on a schedule, per the instructions in On Becoming Babywise (which gets kind of a bad rap, but you really have to take the principles with a dose of common sense and instinct, not just follow it blindly as the answer to all your problems). I was having some success getting him to eat, stay awake for a while, then sleep for a while – repeat as often as necessary – and I was getting four to five hours of sleep at night. However, he's had some days where he just sleeps. He wakes up for a feeding, then goes back to sleep. Then he's waking up every three hours at night to be fed, but only eating on one side for fifteen minutes or so.

I have to admit to being a horrible middle-of-the-night feeder. I fall asleep and he falls asleep, and I don't know if he's been eating long enough to get the fatty hind-milk that will keep him fuller longer and not give him gas (the fore-milk is sugary, so it tends to give babies gas if that's all they get – and this kid is gassy enough on his own!). Really, the only reason he cries is hunger, gas, and when he's in need of a diaper change. He's a great baby!

It's easier on me if I feed him several times a day, try to keep him awake once in a while, then give him one middle-of-the-night feeding after sleeping for several hours in a row. I'm more alert during the day, and I'm able to structure my morning a bit so I can get a shower in and actually do morning things.

Honestly, I should be grabbing some Z's now, but I don't want to feel all muzzy from not enough sleep by the time I have to feed him again (in about thirty minutes) before putting him down for the night.

Okay, so perhaps thirty minutes was an overestimate . . .

He's beginning to fuss. I heard diaper action a little while ago, so I should go attend to that. No reason to let him go back to sleep if I'm just going to feed him in a little bit.

Perhaps I'll have pictures later . . . Bye for now!

My mother-in-law was perusing our local paper online, and noticed that the kitsapsun.com blog, The Bremerton Beat, discovered my husband's blog and featured one of Sweetie's posts about the baby, including a little writeup about Sweetie's blog.

A little slice of fame! How cool! :)

And it's true – my baby IS as cute as a button! ;)

Well, sleep deprivation doesn't help, either.

Last night, the "check engine" light came on in the Subaru. It has plenty of oil. It's possibly low on coolant. The earliest appointment I could get at our local shop is next Wednesday. It's our only family car. Frustrating.

My house is a pit, our storage unit is full, and I desperately need to get rid of stuff. I just don't know where to start. Shameful.

The worst part: My baby has his first cold. He was sniffling, sneezing, coughing, and (most frightening of all) choking. I usually am not one to freak out, but I just couldn't stop crying this afternoon. I didn't think breastfed babies got sick this early. So, here I was, worrying and blaming myself for his discomfort. I'm better now. I called the Tri[andget]care appointment line to make his two-month well-baby appointment, then tried to get an appointment for this cold, because I didn't know what else to do. The earliest appointment I could get was Tuesday. They also said I could call tomorrow, first thing, to see if I could be placed in a same-day opening.

I called PEDS (the pediatric clinic) for advice, and the gal on the other end said to get a rectal thermometer and bring him in to the ER if his temp is 100.4° or more. I could also bring him in if his breathing truly seemed labored. It doesn't if I keep him elevated, but the choking was really worrying me. I knew it would be a LONG night if I was going to be listening for his breathing or waking to choking after putting him down.

I read a couple tidbits online, trying to inform myself, but it was mostly nonprofessional advice. Many people did suggest saline drops and suction, so I went to Target today for pediatric saline drops and a rectal thermometer. Turns out I already had a rectal thermometer at home in a kit someone gave me for my shower; fortunately, I saw the same kit at Target and made the connection before buying another thermometer. UNfortunately, it's a 60-second thermometer, which means I have a seriously ticked-off baby who has peed all over himself by the time I have a temp. 98.6°, incidentally. That knocked my worry down a bit.

I can't decide whether to bother calling tomorrow, except that the doctor could at least get a look at his nose and throat. I doubt there's anything s/he could do after that, other than rule out anything more heinous than a cold.

Oh well. I gotta feed him and try to sleep a little. I'll update again later.

I uploaded a bunch of photos to Flickr. I was hoping to get all their titles and descriptions done so I could post here before feeding the baby again (and having to type one-handed). But – I fell asleep. As usual.

If I'm not out running errands or feeding the baby, chances are I'm unconscious or nodding off. Thus the lack of posts here.

I'm inbetween feeding at this moment (up until this sentence, I was typing one-handed), so I will quickly post the link to the Flickr photoset for the baby, so you can go there yourself to see our adorable little boy: Photoset

Turns out my fevers weren't the flu – I don't know what they were, actually. The 800mg Motrin given to me by the hospital knocked the fevers out. Someone brought up the idea to me that it might have been my thyroid readjusting itself. Between that, milk issues, and sleep deprivation, I was probably set up for some really wacky bodily reactions. I haven't had a bad temp since Sunday. Things seem to be reverting to "normal".

The baby is cute, Sweetie is bursting with pride, and I'm happy. I just can't stay awake for long enough to finish a post . . . Falling asleep now, actually . . .

'Night!

I got the flu shot a couple months ago, because I was strongly encouraged to by the OB clinic and the CDC.

Now, in addition to sleep deprivation, I'm running a fever and feeling very lousy in my head and chest. Mostly feverish, though, with chills. Thank goodness for 800mg Motrin! When that fever breaks, it's like hot flashes.

If it's a post-partum thing, it's probably mastitis (infection in the breast tissue), but I'm thinking it feels more like the flu, because of sinus pressure and a little lung irritation. Blecch. I did see a doctor today, who confirmed that everything seemed normal, but to keep an eye open for signs of mastitis, in case that's what it is. The window is right, apparently, for that infection.

I'm hoping it's the flu. Breastfeeding is hard enough without having to go on antibiotics.

More about the baby later. I need to change his diaper, which will wake him up, which will make him want to eat.

MAN my kid is cute! :D

Please read my post at tiny_socks. Sorry there's no fanfare at the moment. Computer battery's about to die, and I'm about to pass out from sheer exhaustion.

Night!

And the second one a little political in nature!

(I still am quite lazy, just FYI – I just feel like posting about this.)

The following article is one of the "Code 911" reports in our local paper. It's about some burglars who broke into a guy's house, stole some stuff (including guns), and went on a spending spree with the guy's credit card.

Four Guns Stolen in Silverdale Burglary

( Article Text )

Now, you'd think the reactions to this would be "Heheh, stupid numbskull robber(s), using a credit card and leaving a trail!"

But, because there are guns involved, I knew where it was going to go. And it sure did.

One of the comments at the end:

Posted by Snowdog on February 25, 2008 at 2:03 p.m.

Because this gun owner is not responsible with his guns we now have 4 more guns in the hands of criminals. If gun owners are so adamant about the right to own guns maybe they should be held accountable when their actions allow guns into the hands of criminals. IMHO if these weapons end up being used in a murder the gun owner should be charged as well. You get all the talk from the NRA crowd about their right to bare arms and yet they don't walk the walk and keep those guns from getting into the hands of the criminals.

Hm. Very Obama-esque. Of course, Obama isn't the first one to say almost the exact same things, but it's just as ludicrous no matter WHO is saying it.

I couldn't help but reply:

Posted by deltasierra on February 26, 2008 at 2:01 p.m.

Wow, Snowdog, you make it sound as if this guy invited these criminals in, showed them where the guns were, then turned his back and let them walk off with them.

People *broke into* his house, *stole* his private property, and now he should be to blame for the burglars' criminal behavior?

Wrong. He could have locked up the guns, perhaps, but at some point the *criminals* must be held responsible for stealing property – weapons or not. The homeowner has been violated, and he has reported the theft of his weapons. He has fulfilled his responsibility.

Now the police need to do their job and track down the idiots who are leaving a glowing trail, so they can get the guns back.

And I'm sure the NRA couldn't care less whether they have sleeves on their shirts, or not . . . ;)

I doubt anyone else is going to read it (or get my needlessly snarky little jab at the commenter's spelling error), but it drives me CRAZY when people turn around and place the responsibility on the victim, instead of on the criminals, where it belongs. Give me a BREAK!

There are more people out there selling weapons illegally than victims who have them stolen from their property. Put the blame where it should be, and allow the average citizen to feel safe in their own homes – from idiot burglars and liberal/socialist politicians.

Still haven't had the baby yet. I feel like a total lump today, though. I have no desire to do anything but sleep and munch on berries. :) I can't have too many berries, though, because they have sugar. Maaaannn . . . I'm trying to suppress my cravings.

I fell on the stairs again last night, but it wasn't as catastrophic as the first time. I did land on my ample butt, which probably saved me, ;), but my tail bone took more of it this time. My elbow might be bruised, too. My back is a little stiff, but I don't feel anywhere near as painful as I did last time I fell. I really should walk barefoot at night, instead of wearing these slippers. I like my toes to be warm, but, despite their rubber soles, these slippers don't grip much when it counts (they're supposed to be called "slippers" because I just slip them on – not because they cause me to slip on things!). I just went back to bed feeling stupid, instead of horribly bruised and stupid. :)

Well, I should at least take a shower. It might wake me up some. Then I can go through baby clothes while I watch a movie. I need to wash the new clothes and pack an outfit or two for the hospital. I might pack my own go-bag first, though.

So lazy . . .

My cat doesn't play very often – at least, not energetically. But when you find the right toy – look out! :)

I've discovered that she really likes tissue paper. You know, the kind that comes from gift bags. Thankfully, she doesn't eat it, too, but she hops around on it, her ears and tail swivel, and her pupils get huge. Today, she had a plastic ring toy on top of the paper, and was having a blast.

It's so cute. :)

I woke up LATE today. But I went to bed late last night (early this morning, really). Sweetie has been up for a few hours already and is off at my brother's house, fixing his wireless network. It's a gorgeous, sunny day. I should be productive!

My living room is covered in bags of baby stuff from my shower on Saturday. I really ought to figure out where I'm going to put it all. :) At some point, I'm going to have to face my closet. All that pre-pregnancy clothing is going to have to go somewhere else and make way for maternity/post-partum and baby. We got several gift cards to Target, so we'll probably pick up some more metal mesh shelving to set up in the bedroom to keep all the baby stuff close at hand.

In the midst of this, I also need to go through all my old Mary Kay stuff and do an inventory list. Last Tuesday, I did what I didn't think I would ever do again, at least not this early: I re-signed up to sell Mary Kay. However, this time, I have a director who I LOVE and I'm surrounded by people I know, so it's not as scary or confusing this time.

Even before that guest event I went to last Monday, I had been staying up nights writing out a plan of action to run this business debt-free. I accumulated a lot of debt last time, making orders when I didn't have the sales and making an initial inventory order when I didn't have the resources (or know-how or motivation) to sell it off. In fact, a lot of the credit card debt is mine alone. And I don't want to get a J-O-B to pay it off. I want to do it a FUN way. :)

Part of the speech the National Director made last week included this statement: "Hm, I'm being asked to sell a product I love to people I like. How hard can this be?"

I feel exactly the same way.

I believe wholeheartedly that my skin has been nearly perfect this entire pregnancy due to Mary Kay products. I have never had such great skin in my life (well, after puberty) since using Mary Kay products. I like the company. I like the product. I love my new director and new fellow consultants. It feels right! :D

And, because I made my decision overnight (I'd filled out an agreement to win a free starter kit that night – feeling like I was going to throw up, because I wasn't sure I was ready and I definitely didn't have my husband's blessing yet), I earned this gorgeous ring:



The tag was still on it: $45.00.

I rarely get excited over jewelry, because I wear so little of it. Here's how excited (and proud) I am of this particular ring: I took off my high school class ring, which I've been wearing for the past twelve years straight – even in my wedding – to wear this one for the past few days.

I thought it would be hard to get my husband's okay, because he knows how much debt I could go into. I couldn't ask for it that night, so my director held the agreement and my check for me till the next day, when I could talk to him. I couldn't go to sleep right away and I couldn't stay asleep that morning when he got up – but I also couldn't form coherent sentences before he left for work. SO, I emailed him, laid out my reasoning, and told him I'd thought about just going for it without asking but I didn't want to start out that way. I also bribed him with steak. ;)

He was very happy that I'd asked. I got his permission with the condition that I not impoverish us. :) I called my director and had her mail the check and agreement that day, and I went to the meeting that night to be pinned. I still felt a little like throwing up, but this time it was excitement. :)

My goals:
-Pay off credit card debt (without going into more debt).
-Make some extra money that will give us some freedom to do things we wouldn't be able to do on a Soldier's salary.
-Pay off car debt.
-Fund Sweetie's lasik eye surgery.
-Eventually buy a house.

I'm even looking at that pink Cadillac as something I would be willing to drive, after all. Maybe my son could drive his date to high school dances in it. :)

I do have a lot of work to do to get myself to the point of meeting these goals, but I did the math, and if I sell just $200 a week, I can pay off one of our credit cards in a year. That's a long time, but if I didn't do it, that credit card would still be sitting there with a big ol' balance a year from now. I believe I can do better than $200 a week, but that's my "Start Small to Get Big" approach at this point. I'm about to have a baby, so starting out (and continuing on) like a cannonball might not be the option I can take.

Certainly doesn't mean I shouldn't try, ;), but I have to be realistic this time around. I can still dream, but I need to be realistic about my goals. At least the baby will be helping me get up early in the morning, and will be a constant living reminder of the life I want him to have. My husband is a good reminder, too, but he's also the main breadwinner. It's easy to fall back on that when business isn't moving along. But we're also looking more job options in the face, including deployment later down the line (maybe), and I want my husband to have choices. Heck, if I do really well with this, maybe someday he can be a Mr. Mom or stay home and write or build computers, or whatever he wants to do.

I've mentioned before that I'm afraid of this next presidential election. I suddenly have this urge to do everything I can do to help us become financially free – unafraid of bills and tax time. I'm not willing to go into real estate investing, like my dad wants to do, or try to start my own business from the ground. This is the best opportunity I've come across for me. And it feels really good. :)

And I actually looking forward to Seminar this year – the registration for which I will be funding with the money I make from my sales/commission, or I will not go at all. That's my deal with myself. And Sweetie might come with me! :D

I feel so good about this decision this time. Now I just need to get crackin'! :D

Like I said before, I love Valentine's Day. I love the color red, I love hearts and gooshy cards, and I LOVE MY SWEETIE!!! :D

It's possible that part of the reason I still dig V-Day is because I used to get a lot of attention. My parents also made a bigger deal out of gift-giving holidays than birthdays. At least, I always got a lot of candy. ;) Not that I ate it all – hardly! But Valentine's candy rates right up there with Easter and Christmas candy, so I'm not complainin'.

Problem is, this year, I can't have candy. :( I could really have used some chocolate yesterday, though. At least, part of the day. It was a good day, overall, but I had some hormonal moments. Sweetie's arrival home from work made everything better, though. :)

I'd intended to maybe get up early and start cleaning the living room. We'd already planned to have dinner at home, and since that's where the dining table is, I wanted us to be able to use it, and not have to think about a mess around us. We were CERTAINLY not going to eat Valentine's dinner on the couch!

I woke up late, though, and only had time to get the roast started in the crockpot and the veggies chopped. I only had an hour after that to get ready to go out to lunch with a couple of friends from the choir I was a part of back in 2006. I was horrendously late, but lunch was fun and we got to spend a few hours catching up. I had a giant smoothie thingie that I was hoping was sugar-free but may not have been – not that I cared at the time, because it was SO FLIPPIN' GOOD!!! The coffee shop where we met for lunch was not diabetes-friendly, so my sugar was elevated when it was time to check, but not so bad to be worrisome. I knew it would be. Sometimes, you just have to go with the lesser of the evils. The breakfast burrito was VERY good. :)

When I got home, I didn't have a lot of time before Sweetie was going to be home to get the living room cleaned up and the dishes done. And then I just kept dropping stuff. I felt really unwieldy yesterday. It's hard to pick things up, so it's frustrating when I drop them! I was getting kind of cranky about it.

I decided to roast the veggies before putting them in the pot, which meant coating them in oil and putting them in a 500° oven. The sink was very full of dishes, so I didn't wash off a spatula to pick the veggies off when they were done. When I was pulling the onions off (using my large carving knife and a fork), I touched the hot baking stone (covered in oil) with the back of my left middle finger. OUCH!!! I sucked on it first and put some stuff on it, so it didn't blister, or anything, just hurt. :( Thankfully, Sweetie was home not long after that, so I got hugs to ease my fraying nerves.

I didn't get the living room as clean as I wanted it, but it's still way better than it was. I was pretty exhausted and didn't want to do the dishes. Sweetie did them for me. I couldn't have asked for a better present. :) But he got me a present, anyway!

He wrote me a little note and even put the present in a bag with some tissue paper (see, it's GOOD that I save some things ;)). He told me beforehand that it wasn't a romantic gift, but it was something I would like. I didn't care – he was going to do the dishes. :) He could have wrapped up a pretty rock from the driveway, and I would have been happy. :)

Turns out, he'd gone to Game Stop on the way home and, based on reviews and the advice of the guy behind the counter, decided to buy me Professor Layton and the Curious Village for my Nintendo DS. For the first time in months I took Clubhouse Games out of my DS (ALL I've played has been Solitaire – for months). The game is cute and the puzzles are fun. I love this kind of game! :) Sweetie did a good job. :)

After Sweetie finished the dishes (he's SO awesome! My hero!), I separated the stuff out of the crock pot into serving dishes. Sweetie had found some candlesticks and candlestick holders and lit them, and set the table! He even folded some paper towels all fancy, like we saw at a Chinese restaurant last Sunday. He was bored while we were waiting for my parents, so he reverse-engineered the folding technique, and put it to use last night. :)

Check it out!

The spread:


A closeup (you can see the steam rising off the meat!):


The napkin:


I swear, this is THE BEST pot roast I have EVER made. It was pot roast NIRVANA. Seriously!

Take a roast, leave the fat on it, sear it on all sides in an oil-coated pan, and drop it in a crock pot. Poke some holes in the top and insert whole garlic cloves. Salt the meat (I have a sea-salt grinder), pepper it, and sprinkle on any or all of the following: Onion powder, curry powder, dill weed, savory (an herb that came with my spice rack – I don't know how available it is, but it's not really that important, so if you don't have it don't worry), and a little brown sugar.

In a bowl or large measuring pitcher, mix up the following and dump it on the roast in the pot:
2 cans cream of mushroom soup (Campbell's is my favorite)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
1 Tbsp brown sugar

Turn the pot on low and let it cook for a few hours (my usual rule of thumb is 8 hours on low, 5 hours on high).

About two hours before the roast is done, drop in your veggies – starchiest/firmest on the bottom, softest on top. For instance, if you're using potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion, put the potatoes and carrots in first, and then put in the celery and onions on top.

I can't have potatoes right now, so I substituted them for butternut squash and turnips. Not only did this make the meal more aesthetically pleasing (pretty colors!), it was also all kinds of tasty! I decided to roast them (as I said above) before putting them in the pot, but I couldn't tell you if this made a difference, or not. (Roasting instructions: Place chopped veggies on a flat pan – baking stones are perfect for this – coat with oil, add salt and pepper, and put in a 500° oven for five to ten minutes, or however long it takes to get them to brown a little and sizzle.)

I kid you not – this was the best pot roast I've ever eaten (if I do say so, myself). We had the rest for lunch today, and it was just as good, if not better! The sauce is sweet, and compliments the meat and veggies perfectly. And you don't have to add anything to make it into gravy! Just ladle it, as is, out of the pot. SO VERY GOOD!!!

I'm getting hungry again, just thinking about it!

Anyway, after dinner, we decided to watch an episode or two of Supernatural – in the dark (not necessarily recommended – it's scary!) – and ate sugar-free instant pistachio pudding.

We were really tired at bedtime. Sweetie read for a while and I played my new game. Since today's his day off, we got to sleep in this morning.

I love being an old married couple. :) Valentine's Day doesn't have to be all about the presents and market-driven romantic gestures. It's all about being together and doing stuff for each other.

I love you, Sweetie. You make my life wonderful! :D

I went to a Mary Kay event last night. I couldn't sleep when I got home. Too excited! Also, I think there might have been some caffeine involved. At any rate, I didn't get to sleep until after 1am.

I woke up before Sweetie's alarm so I could go to the bathroom, but my hip was hurting, too. I tried sleeping on my left side, but heartburn kicked in. I flipped to my left side and the cat joined me, but then Sweetie was getting up. My heartburn subsided a little, but I realized I was HUNNNNGRRRRYYY. This is not just morning munchies, here – it was full throttle I-need-breakfast-right-NOW. Also, I was still excited from last night.

I got up, ate some cheese, helped Sweetie with his lunch, made some tea, ate some more food, and now I'm back in bed (where it's warm) to use the computer for a little while.

I have an urge to clean out the back room today. A STRONG urge! It's just freakin' cold this morning, so I'm going to give myself a chance to sleep a little longer (although I don't think it will happen), then get up, shower, and dig into that pig sty storage area.

I only have a few months to use it effectively before we move again. I want that time!!! Not to mention it just needs cleaning. Sweetie's getting a shiny new computer soon. It needs a nice home! :D

More about Mary Kay later.