October 31: Happy Halloween!

Day 174

Today is Halloween, probably my least favorite holiday of the year. I just can't get too excited about Halloween since it was such an understated holiday when I was little. We didn't decorate, we didn't trick or treat until we were teenagers, we didn't have wild parties. The only things I really feel nostalgic about are Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror specials and carving pumpkins. I hope as Peter gets older we can put more emphasis on Halloween being the eve of All Saints Day. I don't think I ever connected Halloween to a Holy Day when I was little, especially as we live in such a secularized society.

Here's why I like Halloween this year:

Happy Birthday Uncle Kevin!!

Zoey was in the kitchen and Petie couldn't stop watching her.

He has a crazed look in his eyes.

We went for a family walk last night, Zoey included, and so to keep Petie warm, I suited him up in his ladybug outfit.

I'm purging a pair of flats. They've seen better days.

October 30: Rehearsal Dress

Day 173

I wore this dress to my rehearsal dinner and to a friend's wedding. I didn't wear it at all this year and I don't think it would look quite as good.

We're counting down the days to Peter's surgery. I'm starting to feel nervous and am glad that at this time next week it will all be over!

The Royals lost the World Series, which makes me secretly glad. Suddenly everyone around here is a Royals fan...like they ever gave two hoots about baseball in the last thirty years.

October 29: Hand Lotion

Day 172

This morning when I changed Petie out of his sleeper and into his daytime clothes, I discovered something very curious...his diaper was securely fastened around his waist, but it was not covering his body. What? Somehow, during the night, Peter managed to kick his legs in such a way that they came out of the leg holes and the actual diaper was behind his behind. In fact, the diaper became a sort of bustle. It's extremely hard to explain and a picture would have been immodest. Suffice it to say there was a huge circle of pee in his bed.

This is what Peter looked like later in the morning -

Clint's mom brought over several things yesterday. The blanket in the photos above was the first blanket she ever made and it was Clint's. The Raggedy Andy doll was also Clint's and was made by his Grandma. Finally, there's the dinosaur. Clint has an incredible fondness for this dinosaur as he made it a special point to show it off to me last night: "Isn't this a great dinosaur? It was mine. I love it. This is the reason I love dinosaurs. Etc." Apparently, Petie didn't take to the dino right away and I think Clint is a little hurt by this. Oh well.

Today I'm purging some hand lotion.

October 28: Passport Holder

Day 171

This has been in my purge pile for a while. I used this passport holder on my trips to Italy and to Ireland. Since I don't foresee much international travel in the next 18 years or so, I'd rather pass this off on someone else! It is great for boarding an international flight because you can tuck your passport and boarding pass right into the pockets and not worry about the two documents getting separated. It also has nice pockets for money and your ID/cards.

I'm helping with a Halloween party at work tonight, so I'm going in a little late today. I love extra morning time with Petie!

October 27: Summer Shoes

Day 170

Today was such a perfect fall day. Petie and I just stayed close to home. We watched a flock of turkeys in the yard, we went for a walk, and we stared at each other a lot. Peter was looking at me in the eyes and I think he could see his own reflection because he kept reaching up and trying to grab my eye.

Peter loves cups. If you are drinking out of a mug or glass, he will watch you with grave intensity and try with all his might to get his little hands on it. I feed him cereal out of dixie cups and yesterday he really got a hold on one:

There's no stopping me now!

Nummy.

I'm purging a pair of sandals that I rarely wore this past year. They're just not very practical for work or babies. They're nearly worn out anyway, but they're a nice brand.

October 26: Bright Top

Day 169

Today I'm purging a bright red-orange top. I've worn this several times, but the little diamond embellishment on the bust has a sort of see-through dimension that makes this top tricky at work. I'd rather not worry about it.

We went to the farm in Ness City today and I wish I had taken some pictures! Clint and I went on a long walk while Petie was napping and Zoey came along. She got all excited when we reached a small pond where there were lots of frogs. We decided to see if she would fetch in the water and she did! She's the swimmingest dog you ever did see! Her fear of water (finally) seems to have past.

Clint's parents have really been working hard on their house at the farm and it's starting to come together. They hope to be moved out by Christmas!

Petie LOVES Craig's beard. He just pulls and pulls it....again, wish I had a picture!

October 25: Gourmet Wizard

Day 168

Based on the title of this post, you may think that I am purging some sort of fancy kitchen appliance.

Wrong!

I titled this post after myself because I am a gourmet wizard. This week, I've really upped the ante in terms of my dinner making. I made meatloaf on Monday with mashed potatoes and broccoli. On Tuesday we had more meatloaf with rice and broccoli. Plain rice is a surprisingly good side dish. On Wednesday we had frozen pizza. This was my least impressive night of cooking. On Thursday I made pork chop foil packs. I tenderized the pork chops to make them extra delicious and they were! I also added potatoes, carrots, celery and onion. It was like a pot roast! Last night was my most impressive night of all.

I need to go to the grocery store and we don't eat meat on Fridays, so I just went home after work and waited for inspiration. I ended up sawing a butternut squash in half and roasting it in the oven with some water for about 90 minutes. While it was roasting I did the Biggest Loser Bootcamp workout. This is NOT for the faint of heart. After the squash was roasted, I peeled of the skin and set it aside. I then made tuna patties with three cans of tuna, Panko breadcrumbs, salt and pepper, an egg and.....wait for it.....tiny cubes of cheese! I then cooked the patties on the stovetop until they were brown on both sides and the cheese was all melty. To make it even more delectable, I made my families favorite tartar sauce, which is just some mayo and a TON of horseradish. Once the patties were made, I added a little bit of butter and brown sugar to the squash and put it under the broiler. It was an amazing dinner.

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I grew up on salmon patties and tuna fish sandwiches, but I never thought of making tuna patties!

My purge today is a pencil skirt.

Here's a picture of Big and Little Clint this morning. I purposely dressed Petie in a mismatched hodge-podge. I thought it would be cute.

October 24: Denim Jacket

Day 167

I've had this denim jacket since 2002 or 2003, so well over a decade. In the past, I've tried and failed to part with this jacket. Even though it has a hole in the elbow, I just couldn't bring myself to get rid of it. I was already thinking about trying to part with it again last week when my mom and I found a new denim jacket at the thrift store that I like just as much. I realize the purge has less value when I immediately replace a purged item with a new one, but a denim jacket has been a staple of my wardrobe for the last decade. It would be like trying to quit a bad habit.

This jacket was one of the best purchases I ever made. I literally wore it out. I'll probably donate it and the thrift shop will probably throw it away because of the large hole in the elbow, but I just can't bring myself to throw it away. We've been through too much together...high school, college, post-college and my first year of marriage.

October 23: Jeans :(

Day 166

Pants are no longer my friend. Even though I don't look drastically different than I did before I was pregnant, my weight distribution and general shape is so different that very few of my jeans/slacks fit anymore. It's extremely frustrating and disheartening. I love my Levis and sadly, I must say goodbye.

On a brighter note, here's Petie:

He's turned into the eater of the century. For dinner he usually eats about 3 or 4 ounces of rice cereal, plus four ounces of a vegetable, PLUS whatever is left over from his breakfast fruit. The kid is a machine. I poke the food in his mouth and it goes down, he doesn't even bother to spit it out. Every morsel is going in to making him longer. He is not a chunky baby, but he is loooong!

October 22: More Flowers??

Day 165

I'm beginning to think St. Therese is responding to the novena I did for her feast day in a big way! ("I will let fall from Heaven a shower of roses...") I received another bouquet of flowers this week! The Kansas Humanities Council sent me flowers for a job well done on the film premiere. It was such a surprise since I'd just received flowers a couple of weeks ago. I must be the most blessed girl in the world!

This bouquet looks remarkably similar to the other one, since they came from the same place, but this bouquet has more lilies, which make my office smell amazing!

My purge today is a pair of flannel pajama pants (I recently got out all my winter clothes). I wore these pajamas all the time when I was pregnant, but they don't fit me now. It's too bad, I really like these. I just can't wear anything that sits below the waist anymore.

October 21: Snakeskin Boots

Day 164

Throughout my life, I've been an avid wearer and collector of cowboy boots. There was a period of years where I could almost never turn down a pair of boots, which I usually purchased at second hand stores. At one point, I think I owned nearly 20 pairs of boots. After today, I only own two pairs!

My love affair with boots started when I was four or five years old and my family went to Texas on vacation. My parents bought me an authentic pair of cowgirl boots and I wore them every day to kindergarten. This love was reignited in high school when I joined the FFA and I've loved boots steadfastly, ever since.

I paid $40 for these boots, second hand, but they are Tony Llamas, which is a very expensive brand and they would have cost a lot more than that new.

It's been a while since I posted any Petie pictures, so here's a few from today.

Pure joy.

One of my favorite things: when babies chew on their feet.

Blanket surfing...a game courtesy of Grandma!

October 20: Happy Birthday Greta Bear!

Day 163

Today is my niece's third birthday. She was only 10 months old when I moved to Kansas and now she's three! Where did the time go? She was the first baby to be born in our generation and we were all mesmerized by her...who wouldn't be?

Greta and Pa-Pa

Sweetest face in the world!

Surprise Eyes!

My purge today is a bunch of coozies I found in our junk drawer at home. Clint doesn't know about this purge, but he shouldn't worry as we still have plenty!

October 19: Ring A Ding Ding!

Day 162

It's wonderful when my mother comes to stay. She cleans my house, she cooks, and she takes me to WalMart. One thing I (mom) purchased at WM was a new dish drying rack, with a draining board underneath. Since I don't use my dishwasher very much, I needed a bigger rack than what I was using and I needed one with a drainboard.

I have loved this drying rack. It's one of those wedding presents I've used everyday and have been very grateful for, and sadly, we've outgrown it.

The big news this weekend is that my brother and his girlfriend Ellen got engaged. The story is completely romantic and we are all so SOOOO happy. Another Flaim wedding? Don't mind if we do!

These pix are from when my brother and Ellen visited a couple  of years ago and we went to the miniature horse farm.

October 18: That's a wrap...

Day 161

The good news is that my event last night was classy, well attended and had good food/drink...the bad news is that I was at the mercy of technology. The projector in this giant room overheated and the 100 people who attended the premiere only got to see the first and last short films...luckily we got through my film, but it was a hard-won battle. Oh well, there was nothing I could do to have prevented a projector from overheating and shutting itself down. The important thing is the premiere is OVER!!!!!!!!!!!

Today I'm purging a purple shirt that I recently purchased. It's one of those things I should have tried on first, plus it doesn't go with every much of what I own.

October 17: Film Premiere!

Day 160

For the last 15 months or so, I've been working on a project with the state humanities council and our local arts council. The project is a short film that depicts the arts council's foundation in 1965 as a major turning point in our community. Only four communities in Kansas were selected for this project and this project has involved a lot of time and patience, so I am excited that after tonight, it will all be over! That's right, tonight is the big premiere event! I've been interviewed for local TV, I've been on the radio, I've given presentations - not to mention I had to write the proposal, write the story, schedule interviews, write interview questions and co-produce the film! Basically for 15 months I've thought about this project to a nauseating extent. I hope to take a few pictures of the event tonight that I can post on this blog. Even if it's a disaster, at least it will be over!

My purge today is a set of Pilates DVDs. I'm sort of off pilates right now, but I need to work in some ab exercises...

October 16: Another Glass

Day 159

My CCD lesson went really well last night. We did another lesson on the Rosary, and this time, we prayed all five decades of the Glorious mysteries. The kids took turns leading prayers and lighting candles. In the end we had an illuminated Rosary. I liked the idea of lighting a candle for each prayer because it gave the kids something to focus on and it showed them how many prayers accumulated. They even agreed on a common cause for which to offer the Rosary.

The kids took everything very seriously and they seemed to remember a lot of what we talked about last week. It was really an encouraging lesson.

This morning Clint and I carpooled to work for a plethora of reasons, and the sunrise was gorgeous. Here are a couple of photos:

This color of orange is my favorite color.

My purge today is another glass, I don't know why I only have one. It's pretty, but again, I have a spacing issue for my glasses.

My hand looks really gross in this picture...

October 15: Tasting Glasses

Day 158

Each year, my mother buys each person in the family a gift or two from the Caring Center (thrift shop) that we are allowed to open on Christmas Eve. This tradition has quickly become one of my favorites. These gifts are always really fun to open because they are not usually from a wish-list, they are unique gifts that have been hand-picked for you.

A few years ago, my mom gave me this set of three beer tasting glasses. Unfortunately, we don't have space for them anymore and they are rarely used. 

Last night, mom took care of Peter while Clint and I went to dinner. There's a local bbq/smokehouse that we'd never been to and it was delicious. I had a pulled pork sandwich with slaw on it and Clint had the brisket. We also split and order of hot wings and boy were they hot! We also got to watch part of the Cards game, but did not see the end. I just found out they lost. Bummer.

TTFN. (Ta Ta For Now!)

October 14: Leapin' Leopards!

Day 157

Once in a while, a patron will give me a gift. I've received books, chocolate, even a gift card or two. Recently, I was given a t-shirt. The gift itself wasn't strange, it was the image on the t-shirt that gave me pause.

As you can plainly see, there is a sort of water-color leopard on this t-shirt. This shirt made me really uncomfortable. The shirt was given to me by a little old lady who attends my programs at one of the assisted living centers I visit. She doesn't have a lot of money and she's just as nice as she can be, but I have to wonder what crossed her mind when she decided to give me this shirt. The t shirt came with a note that said she can "just picture Peter asking me to where this shirt when he gets older." (I brought Peter in to visit a few months ago).

Old women are not, traditionally, my favorite demographic but they are drawn to me like leopards to t-shirts.

October 13: Pottery

Day 156

Da na na na na, hey - Go Cardinals!

As you can see, we are still Cardinals fans even though we now live in Kansas. Most people out in our neck of the woods are excited about the MLB playoffs because the Royals are doing so well. I say phooey on them! I've never even heard people mention baseball until the Royals made the playoffs. Fair weather fans I tell you.

Mom arrived today and she made egg rolls for dinner. Clint is in heaven. So is Peter. He loves his grandma!

Mom brought him a ladybug outfit for Halloween. This is an especially fitting costume because Clint studies ladybugs in his lab. We probably won't take Petie trick or treating, but I wanted to dress him up anyway.

Today my purge is a little pottery bowl. I used to have it at my bedside, but its main function was dust collection.

October 12: Pretty Dish

Day 155

It was just me and Petie today since daddy was working all day, but we had a good time anyway. Petie's expression says it all.

We're looking forward to my mom coming to visit this week. She's going to have lots of fun time with Petie.

I'm purging a dish I used to use to hold some jewelry.

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