Daydreamer

Day 12 of 24/7

2010-03-27T19:36:00.000-07:00

Well the first round of 24/7 is drawing to a close. Thank the gods! All in all it hasn't been terribly bad. I got a schedule down and it pretty much ran itself. I wish that I was able to get out by myself a couple times so I will have to work on that the next time around. I am hoping to have a job the next time Nathan leaves for an extended period of time. I know it will make it more difficult but at least I will get a break by going to work. We'll have to see what happens in the job category, I should know more this week!

The World Famous Zoo

2010-03-26T19:43:00.001-07:00

The kids and I went to the San Diego Zoo today. It was a lot of fun. It was awesome to see Julia get so excited about seeing all the different animals. She seemed intrigued by the rhino's and the camels. She kept asking about the baby camel(born 3/9/10).

She would ask what the animals were eating and stuff like that. I am glad that I am fostering a natural curiosity for the animals of this planet.

We hiked all the way up to the new Polar Bear Plunge. The underwater viewing area is cool but it would have been better if the bears were actually playing in the water AND better if there were less people. But that is what I get for taking the kids there on the day that it opened.

We then went to see the new Elephant Odyssey. That was an AWESOME exhibit. It was huge too. They even had a simulated tar pit with fossils of many extinct species. Once we got to the elephants we ended up being about 5 feet away from them. It was amazing to see them that close. I think that it is so great that the zoo put this exhibit together. It gives people an up close view of these amazing animals really are, which is different from the Wild Animal Park. At the Wild Animal Park, the elephants are pretty far away so you get a distant glimpse of them unless you go to the elephant "show". I say "show" because it isn't really a show like a circus show but more of an informational show to introduce people to some of the behaviors of the elephants.

Anywho, I decided to upgrade our tickets to the annual pass. It will pay for itself the next time we go!

Stumbled on an AWESOME blog!

2010-03-23T19:49:00.000-07:00

I love paper products/stationary. I think that you can do some creative projects with paper. There is a great store in the Carlsbad Forum called Paper Source and the last time I was in there I signed up to get their email updates. And I found their blog. I love it!!!! So I am sharing it with you all.

Paper Source

Growing so fast

2010-03-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

Elliott is getting so big. I can't believe that he is 10-months old already. Seems like yesterday that I was pregnant with him. He doesn't seem to realize that he is just a baby. He tried to climb into the big kid structure at Playwerx the other day but couldn't. He got so frustrated. And lately he has been going to bed after Julia goes to bed so he has to check on her. He'll crawl over to her room, bust in the door and then go over to her bed. If I try to stop him he throws his hands in the air and tries to make his body as stiff as possible. It makes it hard to hold him-which is the point. If I let him go in there, he is totally cool and crawls right back out once he has checked on her. So cute!!!

Trying out my green thumb

2010-03-20T16:40:00.000-07:00

I decided to plant some strawberries plants for this spring/summer. We love strawberries and eat a ton of them so I thought we could save some money and grow our own. The only problem is that I do not have much of a green thumb so I hope that don't kill it. We'll see!

Spring is in the air!

2010-03-19T19:20:00.000-07:00

Even though the time change has been difficult on the kids, I really enjoy having it light outside longer. It makes me think I can get more stuff done. We were walking yesterday and there were some beautiful flowers in bloom. I had to capture their beauty.

Present time!

2010-03-19T09:29:00.000-07:00

I thought that I would get creative in regards to Meredith's baby shower present so I put this together:

I love it! I keep looking at it with amazement. I hope she likes it!

Day 2

2010-03-17T19:48:00.000-07:00

Today is day 2 of Nathan being at SXSW in Austin. There are times when I think that I am going to explode but then I tell myself that there are plenty of other women that are single parents and don't ever get a break. Once I get that thru my head I usually count to 10 and I am back to normal.

Before Nathan left I made a prediction that I would get an interview the second he stepped on the plane and low and behold on the way home from the airport I received a call and had an impromptu phone interview. As it turned out the position wasn't for me, mainly because of the pay(I can't take a job offering $10 an hour) and the fact that it was entry level, which means I would have been bored to tears. Then today I received an email asking me to come into an interview on Monday. I am excited especially since this is with a very well known company. If I get this job we will have to move to Orange County because the company is moving up there.

Maybe, just maybe my 6-month plan is coming to fruition.

oh to dream

2010-03-15T15:46:00.000-07:00

I just entered the Sprint Premiere "Pick Your Perk" Sweepstakes. I picked a trip to Florence, Italy. How awesome would that trip be??? We could have a lay-over in Rome and then we could see it all. Crossing my fingers!!!!!

Feeling Anti-social

2010-03-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

Lately I have been feeling anti-social. I think I expect too much out of people and then they disappoint me. For instance last week I walked in to pay the phone bill and the guy directed me to the back of the store to pay the machine. Totally what I would have done back in the day but it still irked me that he couldn't take my payment seen as how there wasn't anyone in the store.

I don't know why I feel this way. I try to be nice and friendly but it wares me down to constantly have to engage people in conversation. SIGH! But alas I am the one that usually instigates conversations and hopefully a friendship emerges. I just get tired of doing it all.

blah blah blah!

Coupons, coupons, coupons

2010-03-13T07:44:00.000-08:00

I am a coupon-a-holic. I have been scouring the internet to find coupons for the most common things that I buy. But really, it is a gamble whether or not I am going to find any. I like to think of it as a game, really. I feel so proud of myself when I save money at the grocery store. :)

and the job search continues

2010-03-08T19:02:00.000-08:00

Last week I was told that I was going to go thru the background check process and that I should receive the authorization within 24-hours. 24-hours came and went. So I tried to get a hold of the manager I interviewed with but he was always busy and would not return my calls. (red flag) Then this morning I attempted to contact the store manager to ask her if I needed to do something because I still hadn't received an authorization but she was "in a meeting". (red flag #2). Then, I kid you not, 10 minutes after I made the call I received an email stating the usual verbage: We thank you for your time but we have chosen to go a different route. Well thank you very much. Why even tell me about the background check if they didn't plan on extending an offer?? I don't get it.

Now this whole process has me looking to myself and how I can improve myself especially in the interview category. Previously, my personality got me the job. I built a report with the hiring manager and then the job was offered to me. This time around I can swear I have built up report and then nothing. I don't know, do I have to be more mechanical when I am interviewing???? I do know that I need to stay on topic and really answer the question. With all of this rejection I find it difficult to concentrate when I am in the interview(don't even get me started on phone interviews). I need to change that. Practice makes perfect, right???

Possibly...maybe...

2010-03-02T19:29:00.000-08:00

My interview today went fairly well. I have another interview with the GM tomorrow. Sounds positive but all the candidates have an interview with the GM. I am trying to stay positive though :)

As it turns out this is a part-time position but hey it would be some extra money, right??? Plus I could work my way up fairly fast.

Hopefully I will know more soon!

Looks yummy!

2010-03-01T20:32:00.000-08:00

I have been baking with Amanda recently. She wanted to learn to bake so I have been helping her out. Her stipulation was that it needed to me vegan baking. I hadn't baked anything without eggs and butter so I was a bit nervous but excited at the same time. Usually it is just me and Julia baking cupcakes and brownies and the occasional ice cream sandwich.

Anywho, another reason for the baking sessions was so Amanda can practice food staging for her upcoming cook book. She is an amazing photographer(check out amandaprince.com) so I knew the pictures of the cookies would be great.

Besides the chocolate chip cookies, we have made Banana Bread and Chocolate-Chai cupcakes. I am hoping she posts those pictures soon!

Next I would like to make vegan cinnamon rolls, an apple crisp and attempt to make some truffles. I think those desserts would be fun to stage as a photo as well.

6 months later!!

2010-03-01T09:04:00.000-08:00

I have been meaning to update my blog for sometime now. Everyday I say to myself "self, sit your ass down and blog", but alas the days continue to pass.

I am still on the job hunt. It has been frustrating. I have gone to several interviews and some of them I thought for sure I was going to get an offer but nope. I have an interview tomorrow that makes me very excited. I hope I don't screw it up because I REALLY want to work for this company. PLUS with this job we can move out of here. I found a great apartment complex in Oceanside that I want us to move to. It has everything we can ask for. Hopefully the stars will finally align.

Elliott is now 9 months old and very active. He is 23lbs and 30.5". Yes, he is quite tall. He crawls after his sister and has the cutest laugh.

Julia is getting big too. She seems to think of herself as a teenager so lord help me when she is actually a teenager. I am trying to find her a preschool program because the poor girl is going stir crazy and needs to play with other kids more. I try to get her out to do things but I really think preschool is the best option at this point.

well...

2009-08-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a blur. Friday Nathan's aunts came over and redid the patio. It needed to be done and it looks a ton better. Julia was outside helping with ballet leotard and princess crown on. She loved it and boy was she dirty when they were done. Elliott sat in his bouncy chair, taking it all in. He especially liked when they were watering the plants.

For dinner, I thought that I would make a pizza and we would relax seen as how this was the first Friday night in 6 weeks that Nathan was home. So I busted out the bread maker and made some pizza dough. I am getting better at dough making. The first time I made it was for Julia's birthday party last weekend. Well, the first attempt was horrible... rewind to Friday, Aug. 7: The timer beeped so I checked the dough. It didn't look right but what did I know I hadn't made pizza dough before. So I took it out and laid it on a floured surface and began to try to shape it into the pizza pan. It wasn't budging, so I got the rolling pin and sat in front of the TV and tried to roll out the dough. Again, it wasn't moving. I stood up and placed all my weight on the rolling pin as I am trying to roll this dough out. By this time I was breaking a sweat. The dough was cooperating a bit but I was spent. Then I thought well lets put it in the oven, maybe the cooking process will make it expand. I put it in the oven and set the timer, meanwhile I start putting together the color-me castle so it will be put together for when Julia woke up in the next morning. The timer goes off and I pull the pizza crust out of the oven. It looks ok, didn't expand at all but all in all the size would be fine. I let it cool for a while and I go back to the castle. After the castle was together I ventured into the kitchen to taste the crust. It doesn't break off easily..this is a bad sign. I finally get a piece off and it is hard as a rock. I picked up the rest of the crust and banged it against the counter...bang bang bang...and nothing breaks off, not even a dent, the counter top showed more damage then the crust did. Disgusted I threw the crust away. Luckily, the next morning I was able to make a great dough, thus a great fruit pizza.

The pizza I made on Friday night was fabulous. I don't think I will order out for a pizza for a while.

For dessert, I made a Frozen Lemon Cream Pie. This recipe steams back to when I was leaving for UCSC and I made Frozen lemon Creams for my going away party. They were yummy. However I had lost the recipe. Recently, I decided to search the internet for it but alas I was not able to find it. So I decided to do a simple variation of it.

Medium carton of Heavy Whipping Cream

4 lemons

1/2 c. sugar

Graham cracker crust

1. Mix whipping cream, sugar, juice from 2 lemons and zest from 1 lemon together at high speed until firm peaks rise.

2. Place mixture into crust and top with sliced lemons

3. Place in freezer for several hours until frozen

4. to serve, remove from freezer and let thaw for 30 minutes or so.

It was really good and a refreshing treat for a nice summer evening.

3rd Birthday!

2009-08-08T20:03:00.000-07:00

Today is Julia's 3rd birthday. I can't believe how fast the time has flown by. We were eating lunch today and I looked over and there she was, a little girl. No longer a baby or a toddler. I am amazed at how different she is now. She has her own opinions on things and she is smart as a tact.

We had a princess theme party for her today. The weather was beautiful and the kids had so much fun just running around the yard. I made some great food to complement the great summer day. Here are the recipes:

Best Grape Salad

2 lbs green seedless grapes
2 lbs red seedless grapes
8 ounces sour cream
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, to taste

Topping Ingredients

1 cup brown sugar, packed, to taste
1 cup crushed pecans, to taste

Directions

Wash and stem grapes.
Set aside.
Mix sour cream, cream cheese, white sugar and vanilla by hand until blended.
Stir grapes into mixture, and pour in large serving bowl.
For topping: Combine brown sugar, and crushed pecans.
Sprinkle over top of grapes to cover completely.
Chill overnight.

From recipezaar.com

Creamy Berry Burritos

1 cup cold milk

4 serving-size pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix

8 ounces cool whip

2 cups sliced strawberries

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon cinnamon

10 flour tortillas (7-inch)

1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine milk and pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk for 1 minute or until well blended. Let stand for 5 minutes. Fold in 1 cup of the whipped topping. Stir all but a few strawberries into pudding mixture.

In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Brush both sides of tortillas with butter. Sprinkle one side of each with sugar mixture, then bake on ungreased cookie sheet. Make sure sugar side is up.

Bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes or until bubbly; let stand for 5 minutes. Spoon some of the pudding mixture onto each tortilla. Roll up. Top with cool whip and strawberries. Serve

from CDkitchen.com

Summer Fruit Pizza

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:
	Crust:
	1 pound purchased pizza dough, or your favorite homemade recipe
	1 tablespoon melted butter
	2 tablespoons sugar
	Frosting:
	1 (8-ounce) package low-fat cream cheese at room temperature
	1/4 cup sugar
	1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
	1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
	Topping:
	Assorted fruit (we used blueberries, raspberries and strawberry halves)

1. Heat the oven to 400°.
2. Spread the dough in an ungreased 12-inch pizza pan. Brush on the butter and sprinkle on the 2 tablespoons of sugar. Bake the crust until it's golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool the crust on a wire rack.
3. In a medium-size bowl, combine the frosting ingredients with a rubber spatula. Stir until smooth.
4. Spread the frosting over the cooled crust. Gently press in the fruit. Serves 12.

I also did chocolate covered strawberries, fruit skewers with plums, kiwi, peach and blueberry. Plus since Julia loves lemonade I got some pink lemonade and made ice cubes out of some of it. In the ice cubes I froze raspberries and lemon slices. Once they were added to the lemonade it gave it a really pretty look to it.

All in all the day has been really great. Julia really enjoyed the day.

All is silent in the house right now. I am reflecting back on the day Julia was born with admiration and love. That day changed my life forever.

Tongue Tied

2009-08-05T15:56:00.000-07:00

I went on a job interview today and I think it went well. I kept getting tongue tied though. I knew exactly what I wanted to convey but when it came to give my answers I couldn't find the words. I apologized to the interviewer a couple of times and proceeded on. Anywho, we talked about 2 different positions which leads me to believe that I may get a job offer. I should hear back one way or another in the next week or so. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Girl Power

2009-08-01T08:33:00.001-07:00

I miss my close girlfriends. They have all moved away. I have been a part of several mommies groups and for a while there I thought that I had made some good friends but I quickly realized that I was putting all the effort into the relationship. As in I was contacting them to get together and I grew tired of that. So, those relationships are no more. sigh!

Sweet Dreams

2009-07-30T20:29:00.000-07:00

I was watching Cake Boss tonight and wished that I could make cakes like they do. Maybe not the ultra artsy cakes but the wedding cakes. I keep meaning to take a class because I think that I would be good at it but alas I am a flake and forget to sign up. Maybe I will do it the next time it is offered at the local community college. It would probably be a lot of fun!

Walking Heater

2009-07-24T20:56:00.000-07:00

I visited my dad over the past several days. He lives about 25 miles east of L.A. and it was hotter than Hades when I was there. Good thing he has air conditioning. I felt bad for Julia though because she wanted to play outside but it was too blasted hot. We drove home last night and it was the first time in a long time that I was glad to see the ocean.

Now we are home and I am sweating like a pig. We have no air conditioner and it is really hot in this house however it is relatively cool outside. Maybe I should just sleep outside, under the stars. That would be nice...(((mind is wandering now))) But alas I have a little munchkin that loves that I am so warm. He can't seem to get enough of it. And the kicker is that he makes me even hotter.

Hopefully, it will get cooler.

Being Milked

2009-07-17T19:57:00.000-07:00

I received a breast pump a few days ago. I am so happy to have it because I really want Elliott to have as much breast milk as possible and I was feeling defeated by giving him formula. So this morning I sterilize the equipment and I sit down to pump some out. Julia was curious as to what I was doing and she said something about me pumping booby milk. It was cute. So anyway, I am all set to pump out milk and nothing is happening. Ok, fine, I started with my less than dominate breast so I switch over and still nothing. After about 15 minutes I had only a half an ounce of milk in the bottle. No wonder Elliott is always hungry it seems as though I have no milk to give him. Now, granted, pumping is a different thing then when he is latched on so I am determined to pump out enough milk that we do not have to use formula anymore.

So I decide to try again after the kids go to sleep. This time I had a bit more success. I got 1 whole ounce of breast milk...oh boy I am a milking machine. :)

Placebo effect????

2009-07-14T20:31:00.000-07:00

I finally admitted to myself that I have post-partum depression. So at my 6-week checkup I layed all of my cards out on the table with the nurse practitioner...I cried my eyes out because I had to verbally say everything that I had been feeling and even thinking. The thoughts were bad...I mean really bad. I didn't have any thoughts about hurting anyone but I did have some morbid thoughts about myself(not suicidal thoughts though). So the NP prescribed me some Zoloft. I am only taking half the dosage right now so my body can adjust but I feel soooooo much better. I am hoping that Nathan sees a bit of difference in my mood.

I am wondering why I have not considered going on anti depressants before. Maybe because of the stigma that surrounds them, dunno. Or it could be that I think I can control things that are not controllable so instead of asking for help I build up walls.

Disappointed

2009-07-06T14:15:00.001-07:00

I took Julia and Elliott to get their pictures taken today. Julia's for her 3rd birthday pics and Elliott for his newborn pics. The photographer at the place I took them didn't offer any suggestions and made me feel rushed so I couldn't throw any suggestions out. So Julia's turned out cute but Elliott's pictures were not what I hoped for. There are so many cute pics hanging in the studio that I thought that the photographer would offer some of those poses. When I suggested one of the poses she responded with I already tried that. Um, hello...if you were going for a particular look maybe you should tell me so I can help get the kids in the right position. At that point Julia was done and wasn't cooperating. sigh!! So I picked out some pictures and we went on our way. If we had the money to spend we would have hired my friend Amanda(www.amandaprince.com) to do the pictures. Maybe we can get her to do our holiday pictures.

I really miss having my SLR camera. I haven't been able to use it for 4 years now. The lens is broken and I haven't been able to get it fixed or replaced. The digital camera is nice and all but I miss film.

Time Flies!

2009-07-06T12:50:00.000-07:00

Oh Jeebus, it has been a long time since I wrote anything. Elliott arrived on May 22, 2009 at 5:06pm at a bouncing weight of 8lbs, 11.5 oz. He is doing fabulously and getting so big!

Julia is faring well. She has her bouts of jealousy but on the whole she is doing well. She loves her baby brother(AKA "baby brother jelly and mermaid" as she lovingly calls him). Since I was let go from my job back in January we have spent a lot of time together and I think she really needed my time before Elliott arrived.

Don't even get me started on why I was let go from my previous employer. I seriously think that the CFO had a Napoleon Complex and was intimidated by me. Also, I can soooo sue their assess for pregnancy discrimination but I neither have the funds or the time to do it. I should probably file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau(note to self). Anyways better things will come my way.

I am starting to send my resume out again as I can't stay home as long as I did with Julia, although I wish I could. Maybe a windfall will land in my lap and I wouldn't have to search for a job....but alas I am not that lucky. Although I don't think luck has anything to do with a windfall. So I am hoping to find an interesting position that pays well and we can move on with our life. I miss having my own place!!! And eventually I would like to start traveling again.

I am rambling....

Catch up!

2008-09-10T06:02:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we found out that I am pregnant with #2. We are excited and took Julia out to lunch to celebrate. I told my mom the news and she cried. I guess they are tears of happiness. We decided to wait to tell more people until after the first pre-natal exam which is later this month.

On Tuesday, I woke up to some bleeding but no cramping so I went in to get my blood drawn. This way the doctor can make sure my hormone levels are rising. I go back for another blood draw on Thursday. I feel calm about this. Last time I was all freaked out when I bled so early. Probably because the ER doc diagnosed me with a "threatened miscarriage". However, I went on to produce a beautiful little girl. The bleeding has since stopped. yay!

Julia woke up with a slight fever last night. Poor girl! I thought by the time I woke up that she would feel cooler but her temperature hasn't seemed to change. She will most likely stay home today with Nathan.