Dream dress
I WANT: Chiarakruza Yasmine Maternity Dress
How sweet and feminine is this dress? I adore it. If you put it on, you would transform into a whimsical, calm preggo woman who picnics and eats watermelon and picks flowers. Ahhh …
Learning from Laura
Some people buy self-help books or money-management books. Not me. I find financial advice in the childrens’ section.
My guru of choice? Laura Ingalls Wilder, of course.
You see, I have always loved, loved, loved the Little House on the Prairie books. I devoured them when I was about eight, and have re-read the series once or twice a year since then.
Over the last year, I’ve started to really identify with Laura and her husband, Almanzo, and admire the way they played the cards they were dealt.
For their entire marriage, they ran into bad luck and struggled financially. As farmers, they often had high hopes for a certain crop, only to have it be ruined by drought or hail.
Almanzo was always positive, saying that everything would work out. Even though Laura worried about bills and debt terribly, she always managed to adjust her attitude, be grateful for what they did have, and remain hopeful about their future.
I need to remind myself to take a page — literally — from Laura’s book.
It is always best to be honest and truthful
to make the most of what we have
to be happy with simple pleasures
to be cheerful in adversity
and have courage in danger
Things of real value do not change
with the passing of years
– Laura Ingalls Wilder
Holiday traditions
Happy Easter, my super-special, much-loved readers! I had a nice Easter with my mom and sis, and Darling Husband had a good time with the in-laws.
We have always separated for the holidays, so that neither of us miss seeing our ‘rents and sibs. A lot of our friends think that’s weird. They think we should do the take-turnsies thing that they all do, where you spend Thanksgiving with one family, Christmas with the other family, and then reverse next year.
The thought of spending Christmas away from my fam has always made me a bit hysterical, so Hubby and I have continued to do our divide-and-consquer strategy. And I’ve always been very happy with it.
But … yes, with me, there is always a but (and a butt) …
Last night, Little Dog and I trooped in — with much luggage — from our brief stay at my mom’s, and Darling Husband trooped in — minus any luggage — from his stay at his parents’ place. Our condo was cold and dark. There were no groceries in the fridge. There were no Easter decorations.
We sat in our living room, a bit exhausted from the overdose of family fun. We felt the same inkling that we’d felt last Christmas. We we were looking forward to having our own holiday, with our own traditions, and our own family.
I want to buy those little hollow plastic eggs, and fill them with treats — and stay up late, laughing with Darling Husband as we hide them. I want to decorate an Easter basket for everyone, so they can carry it around and use it to collect their treats. I want to dig out art supplies for egg-decorating, and make ones covered in glitter and googly eyes and finger paint and anything we can find. I want to make a special Easter breakfast.
Even though Darling Husband and I have been together for almost nine years — and married for almost one — I think never spending the holidays together is keeping us from feeling 100% like a “family.”
By the time next Easter rolls around, our first baby will hopefully be on the way. And I can’t wait to start making traditions of our own!
Three months, one week, and about 13 hours …
You may have noticed my cute little counter that I added a couple of days ago. Why? Well, I am math-challenged, and was tired of trying to count back from July 18 (D-Day) … or is that C-Day?
As it creeps closer to the three-month mark, it’s getting hard to contain my excitement. In three months, are going to start trying. In three months, I could technically get pregnant.
The “three month” excitement, of course, got me thinking about trimesters. If the first three months is when you feel sick, the next three months is where you get your energy back, and the last three months is when you feel huge and uncomfortable, then there needs to be a name for this three-month chunk.
So I proclaim this time “the zeroth trimester.”
I have been doing my best to be healthy during 2009, but now we are down to crunch time, people! The zeroth trimester — whether it lasts exactly three months, or however long — is my last chance to prep this bod for what it’s about to go through.
The next three-plus months are all about …
- Taking my prenatal vitamin every day (I never miss a weekday, because they are so structured, but I always forget on Sat. and Sun.)
- Continuing my healthy-eating regime (I have been pretty good, but could be eating more of the hardcore stuff, like spinach, salad, etc.)
- Getting more exercise (When pilates ended, I didn’t replace it with anything. But Best Friend and I are going to start playing tennis two or three times a week)
However, they are also about …
Feel down? Exfoliate something!
Remember my vow to take breaks at work? Of course you do — it was yesterday! Anyway, you also remember that most of my “break ideas” centered around personal grooming (hair, makeup, nails, etc.)?
Well, apparently excessive personal grooming is the answer to all my problems!
I got the work thing solved — take breaks — but last night I was still feeling kind of ho-hum around the house. It seemed like all I was doing was cooking, packing lunches, cleaning, etc.
So I had an impromptu spa excursion — in my own bathroom!
While the jacuzzi was filling, I rounded up all the essentials — and it was a lot of product, let me tell you! Face exfoliators, brown sugar body scrub, hand polisher, shampoo, special conditioner, etc.
I gave my hair a special conditioning treatment, used three (yes, three) different kinds of exfoliators, cleansed, toned, moisturized — the works! I even gave exfoliated my lips (hey, I guess there were four types!) using sugar, water, and a toothbrush, and then moisturized them with beeswax.
It was relaxing and productive — and productivity is my favourite feeling in the world — and I’m going to make this spa night a weekly event!
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Heather's Handmade Life 