New hair (same baby)

The other night i finally decided to do it...get my hair cut, that is. I had been thinking about it on and off for the last month or so and because i have an extreme paranoia of the stylist butchering my hair, i waited way too long. I finally got to the point that anything would look better that what was currently going on with the scariness that i was pulling back in to a ponytail everyday.
So, i called up my go to salon and of course my usual stylist had gone somewhere else. Go figure, i find someone good and then she leaves me. Since i was in desperate mode at that point, i went with who the girl on the phone recommended. Note to self....do not get so desperate that you will let anyone with scissors who claims to be a "stylist" within 50 ft of your hair. You probably will regret it..just saying.
Anyway, i get to the salon and meet my "stylist"...a slightly peppy looking highlighted, wide eyed 30 something ..hmmm ok...whatever. I give her very specific instructions as to how i want my hair cut. Usually i let the sylist dictate because i really have no idea what would look good but this time i was very pleased with myself for knowing exactly what i wanted. I told her and angled bob, shorter in the back with a very definite angle toward the front. So she was cutting away and everything seemed to be going fine and then she started to blow dry my hair. Hmmm, seems a little soon...she'd only been cutting for like 10 mins. She reassured me she would be "touching things up" after my hair was dry.
And then before i knew what had happened she was like "ok, how does that look?" Wait, what??? Where is the angle? Does the back look shorter, um not quite..looks the same as the front. Apparently her definition of an "angle" is different than mine, because this was more like a slight slant. I guess i should have brought my protractor and given her a specific angle measurement, maybe 47.5 degree angle would have been clearer.
After wrinkling my nose and staring at the mirror for a second i informed her that i needed more of an angle, oh and shorter in the BACK! Like i had said before. I thought that we were clear on that....well after more cutting away i guess we weren't. FINALLY, after the fourth redo i was looking alright. I knew if i kept asking her to fix it i would end up with no hair so i decided to cut my losses and just figured it would grow out and then i could have it fixed.
As you can see by the picture, Jude is not too happy by my change in hair. I think he's over it now though. He probably figured best not to protest the person who gives him nourishment

What i now, know for sure

Sorry Oprah, i don't want to steal your thunder but i now know for sure that i have found the most perfect dessert. This is what i want to take with me on long journeys, i would save this in the event of a fire and this is also what i want to curl up next to when i go to bed at night (sorry husband o'mine)but you better make room for the smoothness and creaminess that is this pudding. I think right in between our pillows will be perfect.
My quest for pudding deliciousness started late last week. "I am going to make a delicious pudding" i said, so that is what i set out to do. So i gathered my ingredients, eggs, sugar, chocolate, cream and vanilla. I followed the recipe and i made sure that the little puddings were tucked snugly in their water bath. Something happened, in the end, the little puddings got too hot and so i ended up with coagulated chocolate eggness. They tasted alright but were downright unpleasant to look at. At this point i was annoyed with the water bath method, too much work so i made my second attempt and went sans egg yolks and tried the traditional cornstarch recipe. Oh and this time i was going to attempt butterscotch. Well, this recipe didn't even make it to pudding form. The liquid didn't even touch the cute little ramekins who were eagerly waiting to hold tight their soon to be pudding heaven. No, this recipe failed from the beginning. The hot sugar liquid, scorching the innocent fat globules of the cream, made the whole recipe doomed from the start. Eh, another failure. I will not let the pudding win, i must conquer what is supposed to be a simple little down home dessert. Finally, finally....i have won! The puddings i made today (water bath..oh yes!) were small pots of delightfully sinful chocolate creaminess. I took one bite and i knew that these were well worth the wait. I finished my little ramekin, i obsessed to myself about how good that was and then i had another one. I even left the whipped cream off the second, just so i could savor the pure flavor and texture that this pudding proudly became. I mentioned to the hubby that these are the best ever! He proceeded to tell me that he was waiting until he was hungry to have one. WHAT???? EXCUSE ME??! When there is dessert present that makes your eye balls roll back in your head, YOU EAT IT! No questions asked. Also, i would like to know who is ever actually hungry for dessert in the first place? You don't eat dessert because you're hungry, you eat it because it is delicious and it's there waiting for you to indulge. Anyway, there really are no words to describe the party that was in my mouth tonight..well other than the one's that i have already typed here, so i guess what i mean to say is that there are no other words. Besides, i can't be bothered to type more, i must go to bed and dream about the other pudding that will be waiting for me when i wake up. Oh and most likely the husband's also....don't expect me to wait around until your stomach starts rumbling. Not for this dessert, no siree!

And then you melt

I just couldn't resist....

A term of endearment?

Last week i was asked to fill out a form before i had a massage. When i got to the Employment section i had to stop and think...hmmm what to put? Actually i was really thinking about how this question would affect my massage. Do doctors and lawyers get treated differently than bartenders or exotic dancers..maybe i should try this experiment. Why yes, i work the pole for a living, and you? Yeah, that's right, i got special massage, if you know what i mean. Anyway, i quickly ran through the choices in my head, N/A, Stay at home mom, housewife...definitely NO...so i decided on LOL. Apparently i couldn't just leave it blank, the logical decision.
LOL does not mean Laugh Out Loud, although i would have laughed out loud if i would have read my form. LOL stands for Lady of Leisure. I had thought of this term for myself while i was pregnant because clearly i didn't have enough other things to think about while carrying a human being inside of me. Actually it was at about my 30 week OB/GYN appointment when my doctor asked me if i was working. I said no and she proceeded to tell me i was a lady of leisure...awesome..my doctor is awesome! She clearly understands my line of thinking..and being. Granted i don't lay around all day by the pool eating truffles, my life is pretty good. Yes taking care of a small demanding child is at times constant and tireless, i shouldn't go as far as call it a job. Sitting in a cubicle, answering email all day, while pretending to be engaged is a job. Uh, i would gladly wipe up half digested milk that has been regurgitated in to my hair than do a cost/benefits analysis of some over priced wonder drug any day. Excel is the devil and i refuse to believe, that even if i learned how to properly and efficiently use it, that i would like it. So i will keep my title as lady of leisure. I will wear it proudly, even though my life is not that leisurely, someday again it will be. Until then, i will enjoy the chaos and the unexpected spit up that it brings.

3 months

 

Happy 3 months Jude!

You have brought nothing but joy and happiness in to our lives. It's so exciting watching you grow and change. Your smile lights up the room and your big blue eyes just make my heart melt. Keep up the happiness little buddy!

And then there was pain

After getting all excited last week about the prospect of me joining the same gym as my best friend since fifth grade, i got the three day pass, just to tide me over until we joined for real.
The three day pass is ridiculous if you ask me. If you are getting the three day pass then you probably haven't worked out in a while, so after your first go at actually working out, your body will feel like it is separating itself in several different directions. So really, who actually can go all three days??? WHO i ask you, WHO?????!
Well, I went one of the days and it happened to be to the infamous BODYPUMP class on Saturday. Of course most of the weights that i needed had already been snatched up by evil spandex wearing exercise fiends. Damn you women in tight spandex, give me my 2.5 lb weight! Soooo, i had to do tricep extensions with weights that were just a tad on the heavy side. At the time i was like "pff, i can do this, these aren't THAT heavy" HA, WRONG! Up until this morning i thought something was seriously wrong with my left tricep. I started envisioning months of physical therapy and the prospect that i might never be able to tuck my hair behind my left ear ever again. Ok so that panic lasted all of about five minutes, i'm starting to feel better and thinking about torturing myself all over again this weekend..hooray! Immense pain, here i come! Oh and watch out spandex clad bitches, this time i'm getting my weights!

Yes, it's just like high school

On and off for oh, the last 10 years of my life, i have belonged to a gym. I used to be obsessed with the idea of going to the gym and working out when i was too young for them to legally allow me to operate the weight machines. One of my friends in second grade belonged to an athletic club with her parents and we used to go there to use the pool. I remember on our way in, i would stare longingly at the weight lifting machines, anticipating the time that i too could do leg presses with all the other spandex clad workout fiends. You had to be 13, so clearly i was a deranged 8 year old, longing to workout. Yeah, i was a freak child, ok!?? Fast forward a few years to high school when i finally got my wish and joined the local gym in town. It was basically a large warehouse space that now had a basketball court, a few weights and a couple of treadmills and precor machines. Ha, yes i know, but in the 90's those were all the rage. After all, i lived in a town that consisted of three kwik trips and a subway, enough said. Zanarchy and I would go there during our free hours, which we had a lot of, learning wasn't high on our priority list back then, working out was. Some of our other concerns were what we ate that day, our wardrobe choices and who we made out with the night before. At one point i actually dated a guy who gave me a gym membership for the cool gym in another city.I then proceeded to break up with him the day after he presented this grand gift to me, so trying not to be such a bitch, i paid him back. I couldn't have waited just a few more days.....actually i couldn't this guy was way too much. He actually bought a car so he could drive me around, oh and he brought me flowers EVERY SINGLE time he saw me....it was a bit excessive. This guy also pierced his ear for me and when we would go out we would order booze, because he looked OLD!! I think he was 18 at the time but apparently he passed for 21, so whatever, good for me, i got to drink margaritas with real tequila!
Anyway, back to the gym obsession....
Moving on to college. I worked out quite a bit, since the gym was included in tuition, somehow i still managed to gain the freshman 15. Funny how that works..i hate to think what it would have been like if i didn't go to the gym, freshman 30...eek!
Towards the end of college i met my husband and we joined a gym together.
Ok, now let me start out saying that he is a very disciplined person. Everything he says he is going to do, he does and that includes going to the gym. Yeah, i know, seriously right?! I on the other hand, not unlike a lot of people, can be helter skleter. I get excited, really excited about something and run head on in to it and then something happens, the excitement wares off. THen i'm done, just done.
So this last year i went to the gym maybe 10 times. I was pregnant so i figure that gives me some leeway. Who wants to face the treadmill when there's a pretty good possibility that the cheerios you ate for breakfast could re-emerge at any moment. Yeah, nobody needs to see that. Recently though I told my husband..."Cancel my membership...i can workout with the baby." Ummm, well not exactly. Yes i tote the baby around but i think i need some variety. So conveniently, Zanarchy belongs to the same gym we are thinking of joining. Yes my poor husband, but really he still gets to workout and i gain a workout partner. Let's face it, men aren't the best workout partners. They put on their headphones and are intensely focused for the duration of their workout. Personally i like to chit chat while getting my heart rate up, well that and bitch about the unbelievable thing my husband said to me the other night. So you can clearly see that i need female companionship while at the gym.
Together i think women can rule the world, or in my case encourage and motivate you to attend the gym regularly.

An understated message

Peace is what we all hope for.

I am thankful for the peace in my household tonight.
For the sleeping baby that rests peacefully in his crib.
For the food that is in our refrigerator and the water that runs freely from our faucet.
I can go to bed tonight in my house that is heated.
Life can change in an instant. Be thankful for what you have right now, this moment is what matters.
My heart goes out to those who are affected by the earthquake.
I hope that they can experience peace again.

Small pieces that make a whole

Perfect laziness inducer

Not that i need an excuse to be lazy but where was this last summer when i needed it most?? Seriously, this company has awesome products. I will also be needing to buy this, oh and perhaps this. Now, how can i justify the purchase of any of these? Early birthday present? Half birthday present, no? Ok, maybe "i will be a better wife and mother if i am given the opportunity to lounge endlessly (in public, no less) on this luxurious and beautiful cushion!" If i lived by the ocean i might be more convincing, well then, time to brainstorm justifications for moving by the sea. Husband, if you are reading this, the lake would be a good consolation prize;) Although really, what's to stop me from setting up my own luxurious setting in the backyard?! Jude can entertain himself right..plenty of sharp objects to keep him occupied until mommy is fully rested.

Better than New Year's Eve

When you're a new parent all the days and nights blend together. Monday could be Friday and Saturday night could be Tuesday morning, really they all feel the same. Actually i take that back, weekends are WORSE because there is no good tv on. At least i don't think Wendy Williams is on, hmmm maybe i'll have to check in to that.
But, as of late, Jude has been sleeping seven, eight and even nine (NINE!) hours at a time. The other night he woke up at 5 in the morning, after nine (NINE!) hours and i wanted to call everyone i knew. But instead i threw myself a silent party. I did, after all, want him to fall back asleep. So i brushed the confetti out of his hair and wiped the champagne off his chin and put him back in his crib. Then guess what he did??? Slept another three whole hours...amazing!!! With this much time i could take over the world, well at least take a shower. Getting this much sleep is so overwhelming awesome. I really don't know how the rest of the world sleeps this much without wanting to throw a party every morning after waking up. So if you want to know what i'm doing in the morning hours, i'm toasting myself and the baby for being cooperative and giving me back my sanity.

2010!!

2009 in photos from Kerry Kresl on Vimeo.

This year has gone by incredibly fast, so i felt the need to sum everything up with my photos. I still find it hard to believe that last year at this time Jude wasn't here...he has fit pretty seamlessly in to our lives, it's like he was never not here.
A lot can happen in a year!
Happy 2010!