Mmmm...dinner

I made this for dinner...complete with a delicious olive oil dough that really made it tasty.  The recipe for the dough comes from my favorite bread book, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.  I've taken to looking through it lately to figure out a few fun recipes...it really is that easy to do.  I managed to put the dough together while J took a nap, but it took me less then ten minutes, honestly.  So delicious on a cold, messy night!

The peppers had their inspiration in Ouiser's pledge on her recent post to eat more vegetables.  Now, I don't do too poorly in that area, but I could do better.  So for the last few days, I've tried more consciously to eat my fruits and vegetables, and I've done fairly well, I must say.  I try to balance it all without leaning too much on pasta and bread (yes, dough counts as bread, I'm aware, but I know exactly what went into it).  Sure, I fall down on the job every once in a while, but I figure if I want to stay healthy for myself and my child (and if I want to work on losing that pregnancy weight), conscious eating goes a long way.  

At least I'm doing something about it, unlike our congress, who considers pizza a viable vegetable for school lunches....

A glass of water

In the movie White Men Can't Jump (yes, I'm actually referencing that silly movie), T and I always made fun of one scene in which the main female protagonist, Gloria, and her boyfriend, Billy, are lying in bed.  She tells him she's thirsty and he gets her a glass of water.  She then gets angry with him for doing this, saying,

"See. if I'm thirsty. I don't want a glass of water, I want you to sympathize. I want you to say, 'Gloria, I too know what it feels like to be thirsty. I too have had a dry mouth.' I want you to connect with me through sharing and understanding the concept of dry mouthedness."

Billy pretty much says she's overthinking it-- if you're thirsty, get some water.  Solve the problem.  T and I reference it every so often when we think someone's acting like Gloria.

Last night I realized, to some extent, I've become Gloria.  In looking at myself critically, I realize that I have what I consider a rather female tendency to want to get sympathy for a problem, to discuss it, but not necessarily to fix it.  Now, I'm not trying to bash myself--I think there's definitely valid reason to examine a problem.  However, if examination doesn't lead to solving of said problem, sometimes it's a waste of effort and emotion.  Consequently, I shall attempt from here on out to quench my metaphorical thirst with metaphorical water...I'll likely still examine my frustrations and problems but will attempt to solve or improve them as well.

Just ducky

Thanks to Toddler Tamer, J dressed as a duck for Halloween.  The fact that the costume fit him slightly too large made it even better:

 What did Mommy do to me?  How did I get like this?

 Well, I know I look pretty sweet....

 I'm kind of excited about it, really

 Actually, today I'm Ducktor Evil 

 Mommy, what is this thing on my head?

 What's with all the adults making all that racket to get us to look up, anyway?  They are so silly.

I'm helping! 

What?  I said I was helping.  I wasn't going to do anything....

As promised

I said I'd post picture of J, and here are a few.  If you're friends with me on Facebook, you've probably seen them already, but oh well.  Enjoy anyway.

I am cute even first thing in the morning.

Sweet little froggie heinie!  I love that he sleeps like this.

Got this picture with sheer luck.  What a ham.

First time in the Bumbo

Monkeybutt!

 It's good to have Daddy as a lounge chair.

C was in the process of trying to "pat" him, nine-month-old style (IE, no gentleness but lots of enthusiasm and love)

 A little QT with Daddy

Turning four months is a serious business.                         Nah, I'm ok with it.

Easy Crock Pot Chili

Yesterday I made what may be the easiest crock pot recipe I've come across since my favorite Turkey Sausage and Tortellini Stew (have I posted this?  Let me know if you want it--EXTREMELY simple).  I got it from my sister M and BIL C's wedding cookbook.  You're welcome.

- 2-3 frozen chicken breasts
- 1 can tomato sauce
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- peppers of your choice
- 3 different cans of beans
- 1 diced onion
- 1 packet chili seasoning mix
- I also threw in a can of Mexi-corn; I'm sure you could use fresh or frozen

Put the breasts, frozen, in the crock pot.  Take a large bowl and mix the other ingredients together, then pour it all over the chicken.  Put on LOW for the day (I did about seven hours).  The chicken will separate like pulled pork (which you could also use) with just a bit of prodding.

THAT'S IT.  It turned out quite delicious.

Update

I think my last post may have had a tone I didn't mean to elicit, so now I'm wondering if I did it unintentionally.  I meant for it to sound matter-of-fact, me trying to make myself realize that things are actually pretty good right now even though money's tight.  But as a result, I received various e-mails and comments and phone calls of support, so thank you to my lovely friends and family for your endless support.  Plus today, for some reason, I feel I made some potentially good inroads to getting a job.  I have no specific evidence as to why I feel this way, aside from using LinkedIn to make a connection and looking at another university job.  Who knows if either will pan out, but simply making those moves buoyed me immensely.  My mother would be so proud of me: both she and DH rock when it comes to making a Plan (you must capitalize The Plan).  They're both detail-oriented when it comes to getting things done, so I get it from both sides.  This helps because I do not always get those details that seem screamingly obvious to them, like immediately seeing who we know when I apply for a job so I can possibly get my resume noticed above the other hundreds like me, clamoring for work, or making a List of What I Have to Do and What to Do to Make Things Happen. 

But I digress.  On this crazy Friday night I have successfully managed to cook a great dinner and finish Mockingjay, PLUS get a haircut and have nice-looking salon hair, so the fact that it's 8:40 and I may well go to bed in 20 minutes does not faze me.  Did I ever think I'd have this life?  Me on one couch, T on the other, excited about the fact that we just got new space heaters for the bedrooms, both with one ear listening for noise on the baby monitor?  Hardly.  Yet I love the life I have.  It would take too long to explain; I just know I'm happy and plan to work very hard at staying that way.

On a side note, the other night I made an amazing Brazilian fish stew (Moqueca) that T pronounced "restaurant-grade quality".  Got the recipe from my dad over a year ago and finally got around to it.  It's really not hard to make at all, although we have to save it for an "every-so-often meal" in terms of splurging on the fish.  If the idea of a slightly spicy, hearty white fish stew revvs your engine, make this dish immediately.  It calls for serving with rice, but we didn't bother.  Doesn't need it, I think. 

Ah, yes, I know I promised Little Man pictures.  Forthcoming.  And wait until you see J in his Halloween costume (thanks to Toddler Tamer!)....

What I know

Wow, time flies.  I didn't realize it had been so long since I last posted; I'll try to do better.  However, right now most of my days consist of playing with J, learning the ins and outs of his dietary and digestive habits, and looking for jobs.  I love the J part, although the job search gets a bit frustrating. 

To that end, here is what I know:  I cannot control

...the job market
...why people choose to hire or not hire the way they do
...the weather
...whether people call me back or not
...how long J naps
...the quality of T's day at work
...the health of my loved ones
...the fact that we simply have to spend money on certain things
...certain changes my body has gone through, post-baby

I can control
...how much I pursue a job and the avenues I choose to take to get one
...how I present myself as a candidate
...dressing for warmth, wind, and rain
...making attempts to get together with friends and meet new people
...the general pattern of J's days and what I do within my days
...how I respond to T when he's had a hard day to make it a better one
...positive thoughts and vibes, calling the doctor when J feels bad, trusting my instincts
...my spending on frivolous items, staying within our budget
...working out in tiny increments when I can, eating healthily, accepting the fact that my body's changes have resulted in the most fabulous life change I've ever had the privilege of going through

So I'll do my best to live the Serenity Prayer, really.  Not a bad way to go about things, is it?

(Upcoming:  lots of pictures of J)