tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-121591622024-03-07T00:08:22.632-05:00In Blue Inka/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.comBlogger809125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12159162.post-46970373975385342852018-08-22T14:55:00.001-04:002018-08-22T14:55:17.059-04:00Summer Wishlist 2018: Farmer's MarketI've been rather busy of late, but we did tick another item off the <a href="https://inblueink.blogspot.com/2018/05/summer-wishlist-2018.html">summer wishlist</a>. The Saturday before last my son and I took a quick trip to the farmer's market. In the days before kids, my sister and I were regulars at the market, but these days it's more of an annual event. I missed two of the vendors I was counting on seeing (fudge and wooden toys) and saw many of my old favorites, as well as a trend toward fermented food. The highlight for me is Thai iced tea and my son loves the stretch bread.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfA3XVjA_zkI_zMwjJdqkXCA_yV284TtK83MvDcWX_ksGOBruvbNfoYZwO9WJuGuEvq881XkUfjhqs2GxJtEyG6yQ-MxlJ63OL4dSG2s1xQBla6V_5jjaWf8PPVxtqd0RX5FvG/s1600/IMG_20180811_090533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfA3XVjA_zkI_zMwjJdqkXCA_yV284TtK83MvDcWX_ksGOBruvbNfoYZwO9WJuGuEvq881XkUfjhqs2GxJtEyG6yQ-MxlJ63OL4dSG2s1xQBla6V_5jjaWf8PPVxtqd0RX5FvG/s640/IMG_20180811_090533.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
a/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12159162.post-65613188763212924832018-08-08T12:03:00.000-04:002018-08-08T12:03:34.397-04:002018 To Do List: July<ol>
<li>Rearrange/clean the family room to make it a more usable space - <b><span style="color: red;">I need to do a few more finishing touches on this, but it is essentially done!!</span></b> ✅</li>
<li>Read at least 28 books - <b><span style="color: red;">three books finished in July (20/28)</span></b></li>
<li>Hang snow shoes</li>
<li>Hang rabbit art (x2) in my son's room</li>
<li>Acquire a hammer ✅</li>
<li>Get rid of clothes my son has outgrown</li>
<li>Get rid of clothes I don't wear/like</li>
<li>Go swimming, preferably in a natural body of water</li>
<li>Go to the Adirondacks</li>
<li>Take my son camping in a tent in the woods for at least one night</li>
<li>Frame 2017 school pictures ✅</li>
<li>Spend less money on weekly groceries </li>
<li>Try shopping at Aldi ✅</li>
<li>Eat more veggies</li>
<li>Eat more fruits</li>
<li>Journal more</li>
<li>Complete 365 Mile Challenge - <span style="color: red;"><b>39.5 miles for July (246.3/365)</b></span> </li>
<li>Refinance my mortgage - <b><span style="color: red;">Some loose ends still need to be tied up, but this is more or less done.</span></b> ✅</li>
<li>Make my own kombucha</li>
<li>Get my son to use the potty - <b><span style="color: red;">This is life changing, yo.</span></b> ✅</li>
<li>Get new glasses ✅ </li>
<li>Decorate the house in some way for smaller holidays (Valentine's Day ✅, St. Patrick's Day ✅, Easter ✅)</li>
<li>Grow some sort of veggie this summer (zucchini? tomatoes?)</li>
<li>Have the driveway sealed ✅</li>
<li>Take down the baby gate at the top of the stairs to the family room ✅</li>
</ol>
a/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12159162.post-76818874783517305292018-07-26T14:40:00.003-04:002018-07-26T14:41:52.052-04:00Most Boring Currently Ever<i>Drinking</i>: Water. I don't understand people that don't drink loads of water. It's really delightful.<br />
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<i>Watching</i>: Nothing really. I can't even remember the last time I turned on the TV. I'm just too damn busy. I'm even weeks behind on my <i>General Hospital</i>. And I've only watched a handful of minutes of Le Tour de France since it started.<br />
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<i>Reading</i>: I started this new-to-me book, maybe you've heard of it. Something about Harry Potter. It's quite captivating.<br />
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<i>Playing with</i>: Cars & trucks. Koala Crate musical instruments.<br />
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<i>Feeling</i>: Disbelief that it's almost August. What? How?<br />
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<i>Enjoying</i>: Time outside. Saturday hikes. Ice cream. Reading with my little man.<br />
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<i>Looking forward to</i>: Ticking things off my to do list. Eating ice cream. Reading Twitter messages. Going outside.<br />
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<i>What are you up to these days?</i>a/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12159162.post-91527546400878857762018-07-09T10:29:00.000-04:002018-07-09T10:29:33.648-04:00Summer Wishlist 2018: Berry PickingOn Friday I saw our favorite local farm post about u-pick BLACK RASPBERRIES. Berries are super yummy. I love all berries. BUT black raspberries are THE BEST. I have picked commercially farmed red raspberries many times, but I've never seen black raspberries on offer. Saturday morning plans were set clearly.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitCcCCyvKkfigl1aKxsXwBAKqyCex37FefNQBV3e-pkDdNGJueFO8wy42Xw1msIzxmepG6wE5JLZ8YozXD_hbUcI00ZKQVCpGWfq9yQ__PF9ID2IcfsvbDreI6IzYd5C2BAQR8/s1600/IMG_20180707_093841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitCcCCyvKkfigl1aKxsXwBAKqyCex37FefNQBV3e-pkDdNGJueFO8wy42Xw1msIzxmepG6wE5JLZ8YozXD_hbUcI00ZKQVCpGWfq9yQ__PF9ID2IcfsvbDreI6IzYd5C2BAQR8/s640/IMG_20180707_093841.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6wKQu75ZzgK2j9zOiTSKmVnpRwHOAcPYS4Xkr3llTq0voAr8sz0TcLxwMRYflPRsVqgXbR16XevTqSbMZDGCXKbcGdGa3e6f9q6iEkLRUnxtiKx9Hc_g6r6AoCPJw8NXbE-o/s1600/IMG_20180707_093854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX6wKQu75ZzgK2j9zOiTSKmVnpRwHOAcPYS4Xkr3llTq0voAr8sz0TcLxwMRYflPRsVqgXbR16XevTqSbMZDGCXKbcGdGa3e6f9q6iEkLRUnxtiKx9Hc_g6r6AoCPJw8NXbE-o/s640/IMG_20180707_093854.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBn-q5Ium3phkfBQXl2IPYFtuZbOGcLrM9XfjWrJBmsSzgrMX6k2X7En9W9L3UDt1US7okhq9fCUvKZMWbX4mByaodcIBplFhqU17t02vNEnmLB1NtVdD-JE7zK1vPPa0DcoEa/s1600/IMG_20180707_102202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBn-q5Ium3phkfBQXl2IPYFtuZbOGcLrM9XfjWrJBmsSzgrMX6k2X7En9W9L3UDt1US7okhq9fCUvKZMWbX4mByaodcIBplFhqU17t02vNEnmLB1NtVdD-JE7zK1vPPa0DcoEa/s640/IMG_20180707_102202.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Little man did pretty well as you can see (his berries are on the left). The best part is I can eat as many of "my" berries as I want without feeling guilty that I'm depriving him because he has his own and they won't stay fresh forever. We didn't pick enough to freeze because he is three years old after all, but we picked plenty to satisfy both of us.<br />
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And this checks a second item off the <a href="https://inblueink.blogspot.com/2018/05/summer-wishlist-2018.html">Summer Wishlist</a>.a/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12159162.post-11211522742237402342018-07-02T10:09:00.000-04:002018-07-02T10:10:04.242-04:002018 To Do List: June<ol>
<li>Rearrange/clean the family room to make it a more usable space</li>
<li>Read at least 28 books - <span style="color: red;"><b>two books finished in June (17/28)</b></span></li>
<li>Hang snow shoes</li>
<li>Hang rabbit art (x2) in my son's room</li>
<li>Acquire a hammer ✅</li>
<li>Get rid of clothes my son has outgrown</li>
<li>Get rid of clothes I don't wear/like</li>
<li>Go swimming, preferably in a natural body of water</li>
<li>Go to the Adirondacks</li>
<li>Take my son camping in a tent in the woods for at least one night</li>
<li>Frame 2017 school pictures ✅</li>
<li>Spend less money on weekly groceries </li>
<li>Try shopping at Aldi ✅</li>
<li>Eat more veggies</li>
<li>Eat more fruits</li>
<li>Journal more</li>
<li>Complete 365 Mile Challenge - <span style="color: red;"><b>47.4 miles for June (206.8/365)</b></span> </li>
<li>Refinance my mortgage - <span style="color: red;"><b>process continued, closing date in July</b></span></li>
<li>Make my own kombucha</li>
<li>Get my son to use the potty - <span style="color: red;"><b>We've got the pee thing pretty well down. Poop though, that's a whole other story.</b></span></li>
<li>Get new glasses ✅ - <span style="color: red;"><b>Hopefully it will be the last time I have to use my ex's health insurance to get new glasses.</b></span></li>
<li>Decorate the house in some way for smaller holidays (Valentine's Day ✅, St. Patrick's Day ✅, Easter ✅)</li>
<li>Grow some sort of veggie this summer (zucchini? tomatoes?)</li>
<li>Have the driveway sealed</li>
<li>Take down the baby gate at the top of the stairs to the family room ✅</li>
</ol>
a/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12159162.post-36795359522668014652018-06-20T09:59:00.003-04:002018-06-20T09:59:54.794-04:00What I Ate WednesdayWell, it was actually what I ate Tuesday so I could post it today, haha. Two years ago at this time I was at my lightest weight ever, a thoroughly unhealthy weight. I was constantly sick, including a week long stomach bug during which time I lost another 12 pounds. My clothes were literally falling off of me. Since then I've gained weight, sailing right past my normal resting weight and out the other side. I have only a few pairs of pants and shorts that I can still squeeze myself into. The main issue for me is how I eat at work. I am bored, restless, disenchanted, etc. So I eat. It distracts me for a few minutes. And before you suggest I try nibbling at something like baby carrots (gak), I assure you I've tried it. If the food is unsatisfying I will just acquire something else, which often means I've eaten more not less (first the lame food, followed by the bad food).<br />
<br />
Anyway, here's a look at one random day's food consumption:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLdcHsz-MbXnwNzYro4rMZ6AWky2OquaCa_UmT8N54boS_4TauLD5iWdwVrFZG5DCouMPGfMryhh5sEDVfidCbz8oRFnDUjhn7RZ6-BYX_m-hxy6WlbqC08tF86pfmLHVsagO/s1600/IMG_20180620_060939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLdcHsz-MbXnwNzYro4rMZ6AWky2OquaCa_UmT8N54boS_4TauLD5iWdwVrFZG5DCouMPGfMryhh5sEDVfidCbz8oRFnDUjhn7RZ6-BYX_m-hxy6WlbqC08tF86pfmLHVsagO/s640/IMG_20180620_060939.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black tea with sugar and milk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0qpBEvXAqefmg0q8L7f4KoXunjafAWDRJuCdAh7-8T3NEwrzcUqekxcTkOa3y-KEs9JJmjtOu745adUzpppfG-Fc1Fdo3-YyzVOq9jHv72kzg2vjsfQaAYZAWECIdhExo3uOY/s1600/IMG_20180620_062050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0qpBEvXAqefmg0q8L7f4KoXunjafAWDRJuCdAh7-8T3NEwrzcUqekxcTkOa3y-KEs9JJmjtOu745adUzpppfG-Fc1Fdo3-YyzVOq9jHv72kzg2vjsfQaAYZAWECIdhExo3uOY/s640/IMG_20180620_062050.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Whole wheat waffles with lots of butter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXoinF36_D3W7FPRIFkgrhydSJzYrp05375beOuvt_WG3Usjz02m-QrlmiyCiIkNTw_-6mzBAmg6I5j-W-ybfdFZ3Zp7tH6SzVwJ3EBODzyDZf0O2F1PbW5hBCYQVtb2Weu4uG/s1600/IMG_20180619_083014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXoinF36_D3W7FPRIFkgrhydSJzYrp05375beOuvt_WG3Usjz02m-QrlmiyCiIkNTw_-6mzBAmg6I5j-W-ybfdFZ3Zp7tH6SzVwJ3EBODzyDZf0O2F1PbW5hBCYQVtb2Weu4uG/s400/IMG_20180619_083014.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plain black tea</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo-tC1tzYRbTPx7fR58IBzJr2xuG5Ns7DV8a4G8QR73BiaodMnRjC6VqdOjvLcYpRqz5RinZpGcyresItzoHIx-cR1WJAnYMCm7wtS4Xyb2RIQ9BgNVyMpVIsDRo-mS34qCCHp/s1600/IMG_20180619_091225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo-tC1tzYRbTPx7fR58IBzJr2xuG5Ns7DV8a4G8QR73BiaodMnRjC6VqdOjvLcYpRqz5RinZpGcyresItzoHIx-cR1WJAnYMCm7wtS4Xyb2RIQ9BgNVyMpVIsDRo-mS34qCCHp/s640/IMG_20180619_091225.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I only buy one of these a week because they're so expensive.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH381Fhju1DVlz8urzdKUoywbsC1TXBQgcjV-wv8rNeQ6Ns0mR8Rw5wUsSUz2hXtICwI03UJ3ndigPihxE0J5dfZ2RmW-569ceZvgG_J_BEUqAwtLFoXXqV3DW-GrQTxsnj2RF/s1600/IMG_20180619_103217.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH381Fhju1DVlz8urzdKUoywbsC1TXBQgcjV-wv8rNeQ6Ns0mR8Rw5wUsSUz2hXtICwI03UJ3ndigPihxE0J5dfZ2RmW-569ceZvgG_J_BEUqAwtLFoXXqV3DW-GrQTxsnj2RF/s640/IMG_20180619_103217.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All that was left or I would've eaten more.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVr6alL5fehBaCa2f1rhTDRcIEqlNBYI0gDb5ucVA112x-CiqsnQEvsl1K-UwMY8btXzre_XHgeyXy2lCQuLL7NDZORPfsJrkoQulpG3At1-uTEDIPLqtjUKnVkozM3Bn_LBA7/s1600/IMG_20180619_114824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVr6alL5fehBaCa2f1rhTDRcIEqlNBYI0gDb5ucVA112x-CiqsnQEvsl1K-UwMY8btXzre_XHgeyXy2lCQuLL7NDZORPfsJrkoQulpG3At1-uTEDIPLqtjUKnVkozM3Bn_LBA7/s640/IMG_20180619_114824.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Same as above. Last few pretzels in the bag.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pbhvGP3a3vVwxwAPbxRAb7dQQSYMwfDu4U3GRRlt2AaJS6DkW5lSwgPMsb-DUHRUwXOzFgroi1bz0hbo21MtNcJa2CTgepDlwDMZXfu0HZpPIMDnsT3cgFFMMNMYOEApjVtJ/s1600/IMG_20180619_123421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2pbhvGP3a3vVwxwAPbxRAb7dQQSYMwfDu4U3GRRlt2AaJS6DkW5lSwgPMsb-DUHRUwXOzFgroi1bz0hbo21MtNcJa2CTgepDlwDMZXfu0HZpPIMDnsT3cgFFMMNMYOEApjVtJ/s640/IMG_20180619_123421.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Veggie chili with a slice of cheese mixed in.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6f9IXpPo7a_Jb3ytznQAIBy7PtcbWxSbRBQARxq46znnPB3vQpNY7yZqKmuRl3HSZhww9S4eTLTC5dqjiFcHAOXqE0MhvKuSz4_hiwaTUu2VXTuFEX_zb12aUViU70mE6Mmv/s1600/IMG_20180619_134320.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6f9IXpPo7a_Jb3ytznQAIBy7PtcbWxSbRBQARxq46znnPB3vQpNY7yZqKmuRl3HSZhww9S4eTLTC5dqjiFcHAOXqE0MhvKuSz4_hiwaTUu2VXTuFEX_zb12aUViU70mE6Mmv/s640/IMG_20180619_134320.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I eat one of these every day at work.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesxqWgW7Okz_AZfUDyAN70hIp3eL4vTafCM1XRx3suQ-_bV1ioJW1B411RUwmHcxCRCah3KpReioHCaBaUfA9DD8B1nSDdYqJzczuIVSCByRthY5UHs3V_O-0rlQ3w__U7ixH/s1600/IMG_20180619_150958.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhesxqWgW7Okz_AZfUDyAN70hIp3eL4vTafCM1XRx3suQ-_bV1ioJW1B411RUwmHcxCRCah3KpReioHCaBaUfA9DD8B1nSDdYqJzczuIVSCByRthY5UHs3V_O-0rlQ3w__U7ixH/s640/IMG_20180619_150958.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Office cake. I managed to not eat ALL that frosting.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WSEGppJBGUz1e_zdehxpk0jRx2oh_3morkzXlXw5OjSWtdyAYSA0QJrl-HC2WqkBuJFxF8L_O6Itg-wBUwLLUkeaXqHifDxFbcdMwQuL13tcSg2Go6kj4YMLj27sCkv632Ws/s1600/IMG_20180619_190018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WSEGppJBGUz1e_zdehxpk0jRx2oh_3morkzXlXw5OjSWtdyAYSA0QJrl-HC2WqkBuJFxF8L_O6Itg-wBUwLLUkeaXqHifDxFbcdMwQuL13tcSg2Go6kj4YMLj27sCkv632Ws/s640/IMG_20180619_190018.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Penne with butter and parm</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoXE4ipPE_HNGDOkyVVTKZNufMNA7TiQeTghrDEFPW4ngW6yRPgFdCwzbUDXTSN8_ZZNl1A7jzbhrMsCrzfz0yJ3mpKkpAMxBag6IUYTMbLEZ0Q3axJFG8F2d05PQhz-d_7qcz/s1600/IMG_20180619_190904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoXE4ipPE_HNGDOkyVVTKZNufMNA7TiQeTghrDEFPW4ngW6yRPgFdCwzbUDXTSN8_ZZNl1A7jzbhrMsCrzfz0yJ3mpKkpAMxBag6IUYTMbLEZ0Q3axJFG8F2d05PQhz-d_7qcz/s640/IMG_20180619_190904.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mixed greens with croutons, craisins, shredded cheese, and blue cheese dressing</td></tr>
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<br />a/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12159162.post-49666703332937145662018-06-14T09:37:00.000-04:002018-06-14T09:37:09.492-04:00Summer Wishlist 2018: Waterfall I checked the first item off our <a href="https://inblueink.blogspot.com/2018/05/summer-wishlist-2018.html">summer bucket list</a> this past weekend: hike to a waterfall. There are a lot waterfalls in the region, but none of them are on my side of town. Because we are still restricted by my son's nap schedule typically we hike first thing in the morning, then head home for a late lunch and nap. Google told me we could get to the county park that features a 137 foot waterfall in 37 minutes. I've spent a lot of time over the years at this park, including running a nature day camp there during college, but I haven't been in many years. I was so happy to see it again!<br />
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<br />a/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12159162.post-44099589001276445862018-06-08T11:28:00.001-04:002018-06-08T11:28:11.695-04:00Summer Fun<b>Walk or bike ride?</b> Walk.<br />
<br /><b>Favorite picnic food?</b> I'm not really a picnic person. I like potato salad and mac salad, but I'd rather throw a pb&j in a backpack and climb a mountain.<br /><br /><b>Pool or lake?</b> Lake.<br /><br /><b>Favorite flavor of ice cream?</b> Cinnamon buns. Chocolate chip cookie dough. Or vanilla in a pinch. Bring on ALL the ice cream. Except chocolate 'cause that's nasty.<br /><br /><b>Ice cream cone or in a dish?</b> Dish. No thanks on the soggy, drippy cone mess.<br /><br /><b>Flip flops or slides?</b> Neither really. I prefer Teva style sandals that stay on your feet. That said, I do want something I can just slip on and off for the ease of running in and out of the house this summer when we're playing in the yard.<br /><br /><b>Jean shorts or jean capris?</b> Again, neither really. I don't love jean material. So restrictive. I'm all about comfort.<br /><br /><b>Favorite summer fruit?</b> Berries. Apricots.<br /><br /><b>Corn on the cob or cut off the cob?</b> On the cob. Plain. No butter or salt.<br /><br /><b>Favorite summertime song?</b> Summertime by The Sundays. Or DJ Jazzy Jeff. Or Janis Joplin.<br />
<br /><b>Favorite summertime activity?</b> Hiking.<br />
<br /><b>Favorite berry?</b> Black raspberries.<br /><br /><b>Bikinis, tankinis or one pieces?</b> I haven't gone swimming in years. I have a two piece with a skirt bottom. Unless the elastic is shot I see no reason to buy another one.<br />
<br /><b>Dresses or skirts?</b> Dresses. I like not having anything squeezing my mid-section.<br />
<br /><b>One word to describe summer?</b> Hot. Haha.<br />
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<i>Inspired by <a href="http://coffeeuntilcocktailsblog.com/index.php/2018/06/05/tbb-asks-summer/">Beth</a>.</i>a/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12159162.post-71234039530781114892018-06-06T10:54:00.000-04:002018-06-06T11:57:34.680-04:002018 To Do List: May, etc.<ol>
<li>Rearrange/clean the family room to make it a more usable space</li>
<li>Read at least 28 books - <span style="color: red;"><b>three books finished in May (14/28)</b></span></li>
<li>Hang snow shoes</li>
<li>Hang rabbit art (x2) in my son's room</li>
<li>Acquire a hammer ✅</li>
<li>Get rid of clothes my son has outgrown</li>
<li>Get rid of clothes I don't wear/like</li>
<li>Go swimming, preferably in a natural body of water</li>
<li>Go to the Adirondacks</li>
<li>Take my son camping in a tent in the woods for at least one night</li>
<li>Frame 2017 school pictures ✅</li>
<li>Spend less money on weekly groceries - efforts underway</li>
<li>Try shopping at Aldi ✅</li>
<li>Eat more veggies</li>
<li>Eat more fruits</li>
<li>Journal more</li>
<li>Complete 365 Mile Challenge - <span style="color: red;"><b>58.4 miles for May (161.7/365) Best month so far!! </b></span></li>
<li>Refinance my mortgage - <span style="color: red;"><b>process initiated</b></span></li>
<li>Make my own kombucha</li>
<li>Get my son to use the potty</li>
<li>Get new glasses</li>
<li>Decorate the house in some way for smaller holidays (Valentine's Day ✅, St. Patrick's Day ✅, Easter ✅)</li>
<li>Grow some sort of veggie this summer (zucchini? tomatoes?)</li>
<li>Have the driveway sealed</li>
<li>Take down the baby gate at the top of the stairs to the family room ✅</li>
</ol>
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My May mileage really kicked into high gear with all the biking I've been able to do. All the bike miles are "commute" miles back and forth from the parking lot at work. After having put all these miles on my folding bike, I do wish I'd opted for a bike rack instead. The folding bike is great in a lot of ways. It's super easy just to toss in the car and drive off at the end of the day. However, it has no shocks and doesn't shift well (or at all?), so it's not the most comfortable on bumpy, hilly roads.</div>
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I started the refinance process at the end of May, and have a tentative closing date in mid-July. As anyone who's ever bought a house or refinanced a mortgage knows all too well, this process requires a lot of time and attention. So I'm anxious to put it all behind me.</div>
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We've managed to get peepee in the potty a few times, but we're not making much headway. The boy is a bit too attached to his diapers. Argh.</div>
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We planted a few zucchini seeds and a billion marigolds seeds, all of which were destroyed by rabid squirrels. OK, maybe not rabid, but they show little regard for our desire to grow things.</div>
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In other news, I took an undergraduate course on Child Development in May. I just finished the last piece of coursework last night, so phew. One less source of stress. It was A LOT of reading.</div>
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I also took the advice of a colleague who'd had success using it and downloaded a dating app to my phone. I can't (won't) date in the traditional sense (dinner and a movie), so this may lead to nowhere, but it's a few minutes of entertaining swiping every now and again. I can tell you one thing: dudes need to learn how to take more pictures besides the "here I am holding a big fish" pose and the "bare-chested in bed" pose. No thanks.</div>
a/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12159162.post-6198729601024039722018-05-24T12:34:00.000-04:002018-05-24T12:35:38.314-04:00Summer Wishlist 2018I've seen a few other bloggers create summer wishlists or bucket lists and it seems like a fun idea. Some of the items here are ones I pulled from my <a href="https://inblueink.blogspot.com/2018/01/2018-to-do-list.html">2018 To Do List</a>, but some are new. They may not all be possible, as money is EXTREMELY tight. But that's why it's called a wishlist, right...<br />
<ul>
<li>go berry picking</li>
<li>go to the beach</li>
<li>climb a mountain with a fire tower with my son</li>
<li>go camping (in a tent)</li>
<li>get ice cream from the ice cream truck</li>
<li>go to the farmer's market</li>
<li>go swimming</li>
<li>hike to a waterfall</li>
</ul>
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(That's all I can think of right now, but I may add more later if inspiration strikes.)<br />
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<i>What's on your summer wishlist?</i></div>
a/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12159162.post-26052812443797461442018-05-16T09:41:00.002-04:002018-05-16T09:41:33.048-04:00Mother's Day on the BogWhat better way is there to spend Mother's Day (or any day) than with a hike at Second Home Nature Center? That's what we did, returning to the favored Bog Trail. The weather was perfect, starting cool and warming more than 20 degrees while we were out. We saw tadpoles, a giant snapping turtle, several painted turtles, fish, and frogs. We threw LOTS of rocks and sticks and watched people paddling in canoes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFuC6Zq1C7wQAZ-wTNUb13qWDRyASHqGIRUFb38L3OxAvsKvfyaC0Otk-BA3BDF6u24vHZ4AEhXcmhPTTXFPRu-A-dyehu7VEPkmb6RbZh9HKaMBEOvhmxsc_oy1ND-eWvbxwL/s1600/IMG_20180513_102534.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFuC6Zq1C7wQAZ-wTNUb13qWDRyASHqGIRUFb38L3OxAvsKvfyaC0Otk-BA3BDF6u24vHZ4AEhXcmhPTTXFPRu-A-dyehu7VEPkmb6RbZh9HKaMBEOvhmxsc_oy1ND-eWvbxwL/s640/IMG_20180513_102534.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Throwing rocks.</td></tr>
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a/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12159162.post-56838088850995428652018-05-01T10:46:00.000-04:002018-05-01T10:46:36.922-04:002018 To Do List: April<ol>
<li>Rearrange/clean the family room to make it a more usable space</li>
<li>Read at least 28 books - <span style="color: red;"><b>two books finished in April (12/28)</b></span></li>
<li>Hang snow shoes</li>
<li>Hang rabbit art (x2) in my son's room</li>
<li>Acquire a hammer ✅</li>
<li>Get rid of clothes my son has outgrown</li>
<li>Get rid of clothes I don't wear/like</li>
<li>Go swimming, preferably in a natural body of water</li>
<li>Go to the Adirondacks</li>
<li>Take my son camping in a tent in the woods for at least one night</li>
<li>Frame 2017 school pictures ✅</li>
<li>Spend less money on weekly groceries - <span style="color: red;"><b>efforts underway</b></span></li>
<li>Try shopping at Aldi ✅</li>
<li>Eat more veggies</li>
<li>Eat more fruits</li>
<li>Journal more</li>
<li>Complete 365 Mile Challenge - <span style="color: red;"><b>34.3 miles for April (101/365) </b></span><b><span style="color: red;">Best month so far!! </span></b></li>
<li>Refinance my mortgage</li>
<li>Make my own kombucha</li>
<li>Get my son to use the potty</li>
<li>Get new glasses</li>
<li>Decorate the house in some way for smaller holidays (Valentine's Day ✅, St. Patrick's Day ✅, Easter ✅)</li>
<li>Grow some sort of veggie this summer (zucchini? tomatoes?)</li>
<li>Have the driveway sealed</li>
<li>Take down the baby gate at the top of the stairs to the family room ✅</li>
</ol>
<div>
I continue to plug away at my reading and mileage goals, but otherwise April was pretty slow for the to do list. My reading time during lunch has been much interrupted of late, which is frustrating but goes with the territory job-wise.<br />
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I've fully incorporated Aldi into my weekly shopping routine. I go there first, purchasing as many items as possible, then I race across the road to Wegmans to get the rest of what I need (items not available at Aldi). The only line in my monthly budget that is at all flexible is food. So I am focusing my efforts on spending less money on food since it's the only item I can control. I already switched to store brands whenever possible and stopped buying organic. But it's not like we can live on rice (my son won't eat rice). This past week I spent a total of $59 between the two stores and $11 of that was diapers (dude really, really needs to start using the potty). I am taking advantage of some food items already in the freezer and pantry, so I won't always be able to get the bill down that low. And of course now that I'm into an Aldi/Wegmans rhythm my Aldi is closing for renovations until the end of June. Sigh.<br />
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I may share more about my finances and budget in another post.</div>
a/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12159162.post-4685804764201889042018-04-30T11:08:00.000-04:002018-04-30T11:12:15.758-04:00Birthday WeekendSaturday morning (my birthday) we took it slow. We both needed some slowness after the mad rush Monday through Friday to get us out the door to school and work on time. Eventually we headed to Target so I could collect my free birthday drink from Starbucks (a large Green Tea Latte) and a couple cake pops. We also picked up hay for the guinea pigs and yeast because the grocery store hasn't had any for 2-3 weeks and I was craving some homemade bread.<br />
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From there we headed for Second Home Nature Center for my annual wildflower hike. Alas, the never ending winter wasn't really working in my favor. We found a few spring beauty, hepatica, and blue cohosh in bloom. Even that surprised me. I thought we'd come up completely empty. The trillium and trout lily were in bud, just barely. It was overcast and sprinkly, but still fairly mild. We also heard two barred owls calling ('tis the season) practically on top of us, but I couldn't search for them because my son was at the water's edge doing his best to throw everything not nailed down into the water (including himself?).<br />
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We encountered a man with his two year old son and got to chatting. He made it clear he was single and I tried to indicate the same, but nothing came of it. Do I need to be more direct? (That's not gonna happen.) Or was it the fact I hadn't showered in days? Who can tell.<br />
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That night we went to Panera with my dad where I collected another birthday freebie, a yummy tulip cookie. My sandwich was probably the worst I've ever had from Panera, but of course I ate it anyway.<br />
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The weather on Sunday was cold and dreary and raw, which made me grumpy. But at least I had <a href="https://inblueink.blogspot.com/2018/03/bread-baking-continued.html">fresh bread</a>.<br />
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<i>How was your weekend?</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHHmIW1rY0HsE8zwQatQJ8laagAhCULKRV65X0k5GpZpRrgiM2p69Vzimbn9C32CnUWynJzIz-nqG7AbV1iBn_5fm1o6DjUautKPCZASGeW5i64pZ9JZgzCF6ukK4CzNfGBNYE/s1600/IMG_20180428_104827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHHmIW1rY0HsE8zwQatQJ8laagAhCULKRV65X0k5GpZpRrgiM2p69Vzimbn9C32CnUWynJzIz-nqG7AbV1iBn_5fm1o6DjUautKPCZASGeW5i64pZ9JZgzCF6ukK4CzNfGBNYE/s640/IMG_20180428_104827.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying to get my phone to ficus on the blue cohosh flower.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
a/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12159162.post-3393646394591324922018-04-23T11:19:00.000-04:002018-04-23T11:19:14.076-04:00Currently<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeEkACAqt5h68wrBxicvw74upeYRgakHxzGgS8vTW_6YOPALHe5skhceps1bMEe_vbpz4o8ldcGRQCj115i-Yxed-ps7Sce3sOcc_Nb6NWjIAi9Hox_Ey7xxEe2jRk4x7n8NzW/s1600/IMG_20180422_105853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeEkACAqt5h68wrBxicvw74upeYRgakHxzGgS8vTW_6YOPALHe5skhceps1bMEe_vbpz4o8ldcGRQCj115i-Yxed-ps7Sce3sOcc_Nb6NWjIAi9Hox_Ey7xxEe2jRk4x7n8NzW/s640/IMG_20180422_105853.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<i></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Drinking</i>: Water. Black tea. Kombucha. Same as always. I found a new to me kombucha flavor yesterday and it is fantastic.<br />
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<i>Watching</i>: I started catching up on <i>Designated Survivor</i> this weekend because I finished my re-watch of <i>ER</i>. I think I had 7 or 8 episodes of <i>Designated Survivor</i> on my DVR, so I'll be working on that for a while before moving on to the next show.<br />
<br />
<i>Reading</i>: <i>Balanced and Barefoot</i> by Angela J. Hanscom. <i>The Gruffalo</i> by Julia Donaldson. <i>It's Fall</i> by Linda Glaser.<br />
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<i>Playing with</i>: Wooden marble track. Shape magnets. Penguin ball.<br />
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<i>Feeling</i>: Miserable. I'm so sick of the constant drip, drip, sneeze, cough. It's been a good four months straight and I'm OVER IT. I scheduled an appointment with an allergist for mid-June (their first available, sigh). <br />
<br />
<i>Enjoying</i>: We finally had a mild, sunny weekend! It was fantastic. We went for a hike, played in the yard, walked to the playground, and generally just enjoyed being outside as much as possible.<br />
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<i>Looking forward to</i>: More warm weather. The end of the semester.<br />
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<i>What are you up to these days?</i>a/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12159162.post-15838759174962811492018-04-10T15:52:00.000-04:002018-04-11T09:35:21.867-04:0010 Items in Your CarI used to have a super neat car. Not clean, but neat. I didn't let anything pile up or collect in the car. And then I had a baby. I could easily list WAY more than 10 items that ride around in the car all the time.<br />
<ol>
<li>Winter hat, big mittens, fleece gloves. Because it's still WINTER apparently.</li>
<li>Pile of car toys: elephant, caterpillar, watering can, blue car, tiny tiny piggy, 2 wooden trains, a dump truck...</li>
<li>Box of tissues</li>
<li>Snow brush (this is in the car year round, regardless of the never ending WINTER)</li>
<li><a href="https://inblueink.blogspot.com/2017/10/folding-bike.html">Folding bike</a> (not that I've been using it for the last week, because WINTER)</li>
<li>Picnic blanket</li>
<li> A slew of CDs I never listen to</li>
<li>Bike helmet</li>
<li>Baby blanket (for diaper changing purposes)</li>
<li>Old towel (for mud, vomit, whatever)</li>
</ol>
<div>
Inspired by <a href="http://coffeeuntilcocktailsblog.com/index.php/2018/04/10/10-on-the-10th-items-in-your-car/">Coffee Until Cocktails</a>.</div>
a/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12159162.post-56119323132487304152018-04-06T14:56:00.000-04:002018-04-06T14:56:06.497-04:00School LunchesMy son started at a new school (daycare) this week. It's a smaller center without a full kitchen, so I have to pack his lunch from now on. I'm sure this will get easier for me, but it's actually been more than a little stressful. Am I providing enough? Is it something he likes and will eat? Plus, I hate the idea of wasting food, so I want to avoid giving too much. Tricky business. My sister passed down her son's preschool lunchbox and it is super awesome. My Little Man loves it and loves that he can do it ALL BY HIMSELF.<br />
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Here's a look at some of his lunches from his first week.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7JXJ2sNvOkmYcVI1Q1aGscLhGvkpeiB3koI5flT9_z1lVLhog8xBXoTP5s8Q5l_98wo3yBHK5McW1s-VkAbJLXQJf4EK0xsl3uMItpYuAhensk80erac0s4IJI_FRg1nJb0l/s1600/IMG_20180403_070450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7JXJ2sNvOkmYcVI1Q1aGscLhGvkpeiB3koI5flT9_z1lVLhog8xBXoTP5s8Q5l_98wo3yBHK5McW1s-VkAbJLXQJf4EK0xsl3uMItpYuAhensk80erac0s4IJI_FRg1nJb0l/s640/IMG_20180403_070450.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mini meatballs.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOuxiLrQoGA20P5Pgdl6pAgxHK7Pb1Tl4Hwdyqf_q6L5CIOcEyjFWr2RbYjKPn5kRIE_sWgzHcEia5kBOLzTs3498IwcFsmfIHF1Ks6tU4RbnRF5T4-2x0NZ3qGp1uqwEXwGhO/s1600/IMG_20180404_070721.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOuxiLrQoGA20P5Pgdl6pAgxHK7Pb1Tl4Hwdyqf_q6L5CIOcEyjFWr2RbYjKPn5kRIE_sWgzHcEia5kBOLzTs3498IwcFsmfIHF1Ks6tU4RbnRF5T4-2x0NZ3qGp1uqwEXwGhO/s640/IMG_20180404_070721.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deli turkey.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwNzuhq6MqBrhn-L2uWs4tO9GymBfbMUa2K1JYkPt8GotPVpL_2hmdD-6S2aYwsZRmqWs75Gbaa_hLv7pIVxH_b-7ROdKax1QvGtbRTylHieNKhh_E5ktN0BSQjxqS62Cc8W_/s1600/IMG_20180406_072702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwNzuhq6MqBrhn-L2uWs4tO9GymBfbMUa2K1JYkPt8GotPVpL_2hmdD-6S2aYwsZRmqWs75Gbaa_hLv7pIVxH_b-7ROdKax1QvGtbRTylHieNKhh_E5ktN0BSQjxqS62Cc8W_/s640/IMG_20180406_072702.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peanut Butter on tortilla shells. Fruit twist (not licorice). Friday.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
a/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12159162.post-73919854992382049652018-04-02T12:04:00.000-04:002018-04-02T12:04:36.423-04:002018 To Do List: March<ol>
<li>Rearrange/clean the family room to make it a more usable space<b><span style="color: red;">*</span></b></li>
<li>Read at least 28 books - <span style="color: red;"><b>Four books finished in March (10/28)</b></span></li>
<li>Hang snow shoes</li>
<li>Hang rabbit art (x2) in my son's room</li>
<li>Acquire a hammer ✅</li>
<li>Get rid of clothes my son has outgrown</li>
<li>Get rid of clothes I don't wear/like</li>
<li>Go swimming, preferably in a natural body of water</li>
<li>Go to the Adirondacks</li>
<li>Take my son camping in a tent in the woods for at least one night</li>
<li>Frame 2017 school pictures ✅</li>
<li>Spend less money on weekly groceries </li>
<li>Try shopping at Aldi ✅</li>
<li>Eat more veggies</li>
<li>Eat more fruits</li>
<li>Journal more</li>
<li>Complete 365 Mile Challenge - <span style="color: red;"><b>21.7 miles for March (66.8/365)</b></span></li>
<li>Refinance my mortgage</li>
<li>Make my own kombucha</li>
<li>Get my son to use the potty</li>
<li>Get new glasses</li>
<li>Decorate the house in some way for smaller holidays (Valentine's Day ✅, St. Patrick's Day ✅, Easter ✅)</li>
<li>Grow some sort of veggie this summer (zucchini? tomatoes?)</li>
<li>Have the driveway sealed</li>
<li>Take down the baby gate at the top of the stairs to the family room ✅</li>
</ol>
<div>
<span style="color: red;"><b>*</b></span>As I mentioned in <a href="https://inblueink.blogspot.com/2018/03/currently.html">my last post</a> I started working on the family room, but my momentum has stalled and the room is probably less usable in its current state. Oops.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I bought myself a small tool kit which includes a hammer, so I can check that off the list. I spent TWO hours hanging two very small display shelves for pictures. Remind me never to do that sort of thing again. (It does look nice.) (As long as you don't notice the giant holes in the wall from where I sank the anchors in the wrong spot.)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm not sure how I managed to have more miles in February than in March, but that's what the spreadsheet says. I started riding my bike again to and from the parking lot, so that should help my miles. Assuming I don't die trying, that is. General consensus seems to be that I'm not riding far enough each day to enable my legs to get stronger, so it may never get easier (what??).</div>
<div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioOCkPqB_VAGcVslwVl0PbHwrwJ4fBievrbZeiSJ88JjIJCY6ACZm2XCxIaagHVukfWmBuwvchJF3f82WFx77JDwnO1US5KcUFdwkiDgYbO8GgafBX0kpg70jJz0vhQfd3fNa8/s1600/IMG_20180302_110040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioOCkPqB_VAGcVslwVl0PbHwrwJ4fBievrbZeiSJ88JjIJCY6ACZm2XCxIaagHVukfWmBuwvchJF3f82WFx77JDwnO1US5KcUFdwkiDgYbO8GgafBX0kpg70jJz0vhQfd3fNa8/s640/IMG_20180302_110040.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I finally found some St Paddy's lights for the fireplace. Yay!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
a/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12159162.post-75110590949390419612018-03-26T11:50:00.001-04:002018-03-26T11:51:05.508-04:00Currently<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: white;">Drinking</i><span style="background-color: white;">: Pineapple Peach Kombucha. I splurge every week and buy myself one bottle of kombucha at the grocery store. I drink half on Monday and half on Tuesday.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br style="background-color: white;" /></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: white;">Watching</i><span style="background-color: white;">: I'm still watching </span><i style="background-color: white;">ER</i><span style="background-color: white;">. I've more or less abandoned most of my other shows in favor of ER. I realized recently that several of the things I'd been watching are no longer enjoyable and I was just watching them out of habit. And that's just silly.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: white;">Reading</i><span style="background-color: white;">: <i>Miller's Valley </i>by Anna Quindlen</span><span style="background-color: white;">. <i>Meet the Austins</i> by Madeleine L'Engle. <i>Pretend</i> by Jennifer Plecas.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>Working on</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">: Shuffling stuff around to make the family room a more usable space. Unfortunately this does not involve much discarding of items (even though it should). More like carrying piles of crap to the basement. It's in the 'worse before it gets better' phase. Hopefully it doesn't remain there permanently.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><i style="background-color: white;">Playing with</i><span style="background-color: white;">: We spent a long time playing in the yard yesterday: throwing and kicking a ball, picking up sticks, playing in the sandbox, swinging, etc. It was wonderful to be outside again and not wearing snowpants.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><i style="background-color: white;">Feeling</i><span style="background-color: white;">: Amazed that my baby boy is THREE YEARS OLD today. And slightly bewildered. How is it possible when just yesterday he was a newborn? I reread his birth story this morning thinking I might share it today in honor of his birthday, but oof. No, still too soon. Maybe in another 3 (or 30) years.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><i style="background-color: white;">Looking forward to</i><span style="background-color: white;">: </span><span style="background-color: white;">SPRING weather. Milder temps. No more snow. Playing outside. Flowers.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><i style="background-color: white;">What are you up to these days?</i></span>a/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12159162.post-83047407980070507032018-03-21T10:34:00.000-04:002018-03-21T10:34:10.134-04:00Bread Baking ContinuedI have continued baking bread since I last <a href="https://inblueink.blogspot.com/2018/02/baking-bread-attempt-number-one.html">posted about it</a>. I've tried a couple recipes, but it always boils down to having to touch the dough. I HATE IT. As in, can NOT deal. No, no, no. I found a no knead recipe and gave it whirl Monday night. You mix up the four ingredients with a wooden spoon and let it sit on your counter for 12-18 hours, or in my case, closer to 22 hours (work being so inconvenient and all). Then you're supposed to bake it in a dutch oven, which I don't have, so I just threw it on a cookie sheet like I've been doing with all the loaves. And voila! Bread! And I barely had to touch it at all. Perfect.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBg2P9zficOKO4Vydo_vqv8b8jH4xwHBHgmmNJwcZVh71vQHXoWklCUT69bPKg_hqrL3dKY6pjuNaKPfwoQpmtdTimTNShqplPM0zPYqHi8b6XTKEBXYShU3b4AuYmj0LwylWg/s1600/IMG_20180320_054916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBg2P9zficOKO4Vydo_vqv8b8jH4xwHBHgmmNJwcZVh71vQHXoWklCUT69bPKg_hqrL3dKY6pjuNaKPfwoQpmtdTimTNShqplPM0zPYqHi8b6XTKEBXYShU3b4AuYmj0LwylWg/s640/IMG_20180320_054916.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After 10.5 hours on the counter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqy4em74FZXsymvdV3POZ9UmDRZfDlFLGb_f128A481cldcx3x24J-YDvnRSnrZoI6DyMvMfgfFdiIhogrFOjoU9cv0UT_51ZvbUtdeljbEd_F0zlBvb6rXxqDrczFpNWSjke9/s1600/IMG_20180320_175718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqy4em74FZXsymvdV3POZ9UmDRZfDlFLGb_f128A481cldcx3x24J-YDvnRSnrZoI6DyMvMfgfFdiIhogrFOjoU9cv0UT_51ZvbUtdeljbEd_F0zlBvb6rXxqDrczFpNWSjke9/s640/IMG_20180320_175718.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After 22 hours on the counter.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dZB_ERkVyGvnJ4GKr0yuwM3m2Tct6UrpIcYFpZsythDGbNnmVRB5m2PHXfsMkyANrK2-hrWE-_d6nLVhVQIPUSNd_L7Vf9mYMGzURbwC1-nauYscVx8dPnOaVXK3tsPE93vo/s1600/IMG_20180320_190437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dZB_ERkVyGvnJ4GKr0yuwM3m2Tct6UrpIcYFpZsythDGbNnmVRB5m2PHXfsMkyANrK2-hrWE-_d6nLVhVQIPUSNd_L7Vf9mYMGzURbwC1-nauYscVx8dPnOaVXK3tsPE93vo/s640/IMG_20180320_190437.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yum.</td></tr>
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a/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12159162.post-74848126850549761722018-03-12T10:33:00.000-04:002018-03-12T10:33:40.840-04:00Bog in March, SnowSaturday morning and with it, snow. But we needed to get outside and Little Man was in good spirits, happily agreeing to go for a hike. As always he hoped for his aunt and cousin to join us, but they were otherwise occupied. He didn't even balk at the snowpants, big coat, or big mittens. I was overly optimistic at how smoothly it all was going.<br />
<br />
The "I've got boogies" complaint started only a few feet down the trail. Spirits sagged. I wanted to throw myself face first into the snow and cry. Here we were in such a beautiful setting and I couldn't even appreciate it. I suggested we go back to the car (multiple times), but he kept choosing to go forward, even though clearly no one was having any fun.<br />
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We made it to the observation tower and carefully climbed the snow covered stairs. The wind whipped off the lake with such ferocity the snow stung my face. I tried crouching down below the height of the railing but it didn't help, so I dragged my very resistant child back down the stairs. Fortunately, it was at this point that we made a discovery that turned things around. There was open water under the tower and snow is fun to throw and kick into open water.<br />
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Eventually we got out to the end of the island where I mentioned the possibility of pancakes and sausage back at the building. We very rarely go inside the nature center, so this was a big departure for us. But dude LOVES sausage (eew). I buy the fake sausage to eat at home, but I suspected he'd be more than happy to eat the real stuff too. So that motivated him all the way back to the building. After we ate he ran around the exhibit area looking at the animals and playing with the touch & feel table. When it was time to leave, I steered him into the gift shop. I know this seems like an odd decision, but I wanted some maple candy. I was prepared to buy him a small (not edible) treat in order to satisfy my sweet tooth, but it ended up working out better than I could've have hoped for. He settled on a small rubber snake and after paying I suggested he show Mr. Snake where our car was. And that's exactly what he did, with enthusiasm and no fuss about leaving the super fun building.<br />
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Let's try not to worry about what happens next time when there is no sausage and Mommy does NOT want to go inside the boring, overly heated building.<br />
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<br />a/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12159162.post-5922823554115954012018-03-01T09:17:00.000-05:002018-03-12T10:33:53.932-04:002018 To Do List: February<ol>
<li>Rearrange/clean the family room to make it a more usable space</li>
<li>Read at least 28 books - <span style="color: red;"><b>Three books finished in February (5/28)</b></span></li>
<li>Hang snow shoes</li>
<li>Hang rabbit art (x2) in my son's room</li>
<li>Acquire a hammer</li>
<li>Get rid of clothes my son has outgrown</li>
<li>Get rid of clothes I don't wear/like</li>
<li>Go swimming, preferably in a natural body of water</li>
<li>Go to the Adirondacks</li>
<li>Take my son camping in a tent in the woods for at least one night</li>
<li>Frame 2017 school pictures ✅</li>
<li>Spend less money on weekly groceries </li>
<li>Try shopping at Aldi ✅</li>
<li>Eat more veggies</li>
<li>Eat more fruits</li>
<li>Journal more</li>
<li>Complete 365 Mile Challenge - <span style="color: red;"><b>23.2 miles for February (45.1/365)</b></span></li>
<li>Refinance my mortgage</li>
<li>Make my own kombucha</li>
<li>Get my son to use the potty</li>
<li>Get new glasses</li>
<li>Decorate the house in some way for smaller holidays (Valentine's Day ✅, Easter)</li>
<li>Grow some sort of veggie this summer (zucchini? tomatoes?)</li>
<li>Have the driveway sealed</li>
<li>Take down the baby gate at the top of the stairs to the family room ✅</li>
</ol>
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<b>School pictures</b>: I framed them (in cheap, boring frames) and have them propped up at the moment. I need a plan of attack for displaying framed photos, but decorating is not my area of expertise or interest.</div>
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<b>Aldi (revisited)</b>: After additional shopping, I have determined that Aldi will never replace Wegmans for me. I have switched to Aldi diapers and other non-food items like garbage bags, toilet paper, etc. The produce is significantly cheaper, but selection and variety is limited and unpredictable. Things I have tried and rejected: cereal bars, granola bars, chocolate chips (nasty!), and a frozen pasta meal.</div>
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<b>365 Mile Challenge</b>: I even logged my first bike miles of the year. Yay!</div>
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<b>Holidays</b>: My son and I had lots of fun decorating for Valentine's Day. We've done some minor decorating for St. Patrick's Day (pictures will be shared in the March update), but I have been disappointed to find not much in the way of fun decor. The stores seem to have moved directly to Easter without much thought for St. Paddy's. I was hoping to find a string of shamrock lights to replace the hearts below.</div>
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a/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12159162.post-31716515165646072622018-02-21T11:14:00.001-05:002018-02-21T11:14:16.951-05:00Baking Bread: Attempt Number OneI'm reading <i>Sourdough </i>by Robin Sloan and it makes me want to bake bread. But as I've mentioned many times before, I'm not exactly a natural in the kitchen. I found several recipes proclaiming to be easy! or simple! on Pinterest and decided to try one last night since Little Man is always down for some measuring and mixing.<br />
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As it turned out the recipe that printed was bare bones and didn't include some of the more useful info available on the <a href="https://www.mymundaneandmiraculouslife.com/foodie-fridays-easy-peesy-french-bread/">website</a>. I suspect the bread would have come out better had I had the full description. But alas, what I have now is an incredibly dense, chewy, almost doughy lump.<br />
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Things I might try if I do it again: warmer water for the yeast (it was warm coming out of the tap, but the glass bowl was cold, aka room temperature), more flour (?), warmer spot for the bread to rise (Grammy used to place her dough in front of the baseboard heat, but my heat wasn't running last night), and shaping it into a loaf before letting it rise (I just left it on the bowl. The printed recipe didn't mention forming the loaf shape first, or at all actually). Live and learn. And try again, I guess.<br />
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<br />a/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12159162.post-42335330662282930952018-02-12T12:02:00.000-05:002018-02-12T12:02:58.410-05:00Two DemandsThe first thing my son says upon coming downstairs after nap or in the morning or after getting home is "put dishes away." On one hand this is awesome because I hate putting dishes away, but on the other hand this is not entirely awesome because he doesn't understand that the dishwasher is not always full of clean dishes. He will demand to put dishes away 800 times a day and sometimes melts down when there are still no dishes to put away. Toddlers, wow.<br />
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His second demand is to "bake something." He likes to sit on the counter and measure ingredients and mix them. Oddly enough he never shows any interest in eating the finished product, aside from one cupcake he nibbled at and never finished. Yesterday we made peanut butter fudge with a super simple recipe (pb, butter, vanilla extract, powdered sugar). I cut the recipe in half because that's a lot of fudge, even for me.<br />
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<br />a/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12159162.post-49452817087278644502018-02-02T10:06:00.002-05:002018-02-02T10:06:36.364-05:002018 To Do List: January<ol>
<li>Rearrange/clean the family room to make it a more usable space</li>
<li>Read at least 28 books -<span style="color: red;"><b> Two books read in January (2/28)</b></span></li>
<li>Hang snow shoes</li>
<li>Hang rabbit art (x2) in my son's room</li>
<li>Acquire a hammer</li>
<li>Get rid of clothes my son has outgrown</li>
<li>Get rid of clothes I don't wear/like</li>
<li>Go swimming, preferably in a natural body of water</li>
<li>Go to the Adirondacks</li>
<li>Take my son camping in a tent in the woods for at least one night</li>
<li>Frame 2017 school pictures</li>
<li>Spend less money on weekly groceries </li>
<li>Try shopping at Aldi ✅</li>
<li>Eat more veggies</li>
<li>Eat more fruits</li>
<li>Journal more</li>
<li>Complete 365 Mile Challenge - <span style="color: red;"><b>21.9 miles for January (21.9/365)</b></span></li>
<li>Refinance my mortgage</li>
<li>Make my own kombucha</li>
<li>Get my son to use the potty</li>
<li>Get new glasses</li>
<li>Decorate the house in some way for smaller holidays (Valentine's Day, Easter)</li>
<li>Grow some sort of veggie this summer (zucchini? tomatoes?)</li>
<li>Have the driveway sealed</li>
<li>Take down the baby gate at the top of the stairs to the family room ✅</li>
</ol>
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<b>Aldi</b>: I've now done my weekly shopping at Aldi twice. They do not carry everything I need/want, so I've started alternating weeks with my regular trips to Wegmans. I spend significantly less on the weeks I shop at Aldi, but if I end up spending significantly more on my Wegmans weeks to compensate then it won't be worth it. That remains to be seen. One major point of contention is their yogurt selection. They ONLY carry low fat or non-fat. No, no, no, people. Your body needs fat. Fat in dairy is better for you than the reduced fat kind that is loaded with extra sugar or god-forbid, sugar substitutes. I will not feed my son that garbage.</div>
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<b>Baby gate</b>: My dad took the gate down on Sunday and there have been absolutely no issues since then. And man, doing the laundry is SO much easier now. Why didn't I do this sooner?</div>
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I have also been eating more veggies and <a href="https://inblueink.blogspot.com/2018/01/journaling-and-what-it-means-to-me.html">journaling</a> more.</div>
a/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12159162.post-89690581425632400112018-01-29T10:29:00.001-05:002018-01-29T10:48:01.520-05:00This weekend: the good, the bad, & the uglyIn bullets:<br />
<ul>
<li>On Friday my boss closed the office an hour early because she and her husband were going out of town for the night. Bonus.</li>
<li>Once home, I rushed around doing some chores that are easiest sans toddler. In my haste I misjudged the stairs going down into the family room, thinking I was at the bottom when in fact I was not. My ankle rolled and something popped/snapped. I ended up curled on my side, screaming like a banshee. Thank goodness I was home alone. Eventually I was able to move and hobble around enough to appear normal when my son got home. It's only a little swollen and sore, but it bears weight, so I'm sure IT'S FINE.</li>
<li>Saturday morning we went for our customary hike on the boardwalk. Conditions were quite slick were the snow remained, which made walking a bit treacherous, always helpful on a weak ankle. But whatevs. The weather was mild and the woods were lovely.</li>
<li>I cooked a $1.99 frozen pizza from Aldi for dinner (living the high life, as always). When I was pulling it out of the oven, the oven mitt apparently had a thin spot and I jerked my hand because of the BURNING and the pizza slid off the pizza stone landing cheese side down on the bottom of the oven. All that was left was a crispy thin piece of naked crust. Tears were shed. And dinner ended up being much more lame than even a $1.99 frozen pizza.</li>
<li>Sunday morning we squeezed in some outdoor play time in the yard, including swinging, sliding, and sand. Not bad for JANUARY.</li>
<li>I invited my dad over after nap to assemble the balance bike he bought my son for Christmas. The assembly process was a nightmare, but at least he had the cutest "helper" ever. And then WITHOUT COACHING my darling not-yet-3 year old more or less invited his grandpa to take us out to eat at "Paneria" so he could "eat bread and grilled cheese." Hahaha! Well done, sweet boy, well done. And he ate every single bite.</li>
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a/k/a Nadinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09499119739368587916noreply@blogger.com1