Necklace Love

So it seems that lately everyone is selling engraved or stamped necklaces.  Normally that sort of makes an object less desirable for me, but this time I have to admit that some of these are fabulous.  Take these, for instance (base prices are shown):


Julian & Co Moon Necklace, $99 with up to 4 lines of text on the back

Lisa Leonard Designs Heartstrings Necklace, $64

The Vintage Pearl A Cup of Love Necklace, $42

The Noisy Cricket Hammered Names Around Pearl Necklace, $39

Project 2011, January 10 - VVA

Dinner - Tacos and black beans

C's Dinner - Tilapia and lima beans

Enrichment - Huge donation to Vietnam Veterans of America.  Hmmm.  That isn't really enrichment, but it's a good deed and I think it's good for the soul to purge the excess and unnecessary, even if it's just the tangible.  Anyway, I highly recommend donating to VVA. They make it very easy by picking up your donation, and the cause is more than just.  My uncle fought and died in Vietnam, and although I never knew him, I'm incredibly proud of his service.  Among the issues the the VVA remains committed to today: Agent Orange, PTSD, POW/MIAs, veteran education and job-training programs, homeless veterans, veterans benefits, and health issues.

Saw It, Liked It

I saw this AP photo in an article about the recent tragedy in Arizona. 

Project 2011, January 8-9

Meals - Very light on the cooking this weekend:  Southwest eggs and ham, leftovers, fend for yourself  :)

C's Meals - Sort of a grab bag.  He's getting his two top middle teeth and was sort of picky.  When all else failed, we had bananas and baby oatmeal with fruit or veg mixed in. 

Enrichment - C and I went to our first Gymboree class.  It was good for both of us - for me to be around other parents of young children and for C to try out a new environment with other kids and mama.

Project 2011, January 7 - My mother is not a horse

Dinner - creamy rice soup with ham, fruit, spiced pumpkin biscuits (a nice use for leftover pumpkin, but take heed, you really need to use a light hand with the dough).

C's Dinner - Beef stew, pears

Enrichment - For awhile I've been interested in learning calligraphy, and in researching that, I became interested in Chinese characters.  Today I studied some beginners' Chinese language (oral for now, hopefully written some time in the future - the distant future) using the BBC's language tutorials.  Check it out here.  I studied Spanish for two years in high school and it wasn't easy.  Now that I'm more than 15 years older, learning a language without the trusty ABCs would be much more difficult.  Alas, the BBC provides many aides, such as a guide to tones, games, a pinyin guide, and slide shows.  There are also videos, but full-length videos are only available in the UK.  I chose the "Real Chinese" section of the site, and spent quite awhile on Topics 1-5.  It's amazing how much difference in meaning a word has just because of the tone of the speaker's voice.  One word, that sounds like "ma" means mother, linen, horse, and "to swear" depending on tone and inflection.  Be careful not to call your mother a horse.    I'll be back on topics 1-5 the next time I visit the site, too.

Project 2011, January 6 - Crying it Out

Dinner - Tomato Artichoke Pasta, Garlic Bread

C's Dinner - Butternut squash, Blueberry/Banana/Pear blend

Enrichment - A few months ago C got an ear infection that threw him for a loop.  It also wrecked his sleep habits (full disclosure - he was an okay sleeper, but it was all on his own accord.  We couldn't take the credit).  Since then, he's been up between three and ten times per night.  Yes, ten.  It's our dirty little secret.  He's trained me to get up at his first little peep and nurse, although he's not really hungry - he's basically using me as a pacifier.  If I don't get him quickly, he erupts into a screaming, frantic mess and is inconsolable.  Utterly inconsolable.  The whole cry it out solution makes me cringe, and to be honest, I thought C could outlast us any day of the week, so instead I've tried the more mild Pantley method with no results.  So although it might not seem like an enrichment activity, let me assure you that if we're successful and I can get my first complete night's sleep in 10 months, then my life will indeed be enriched.  To that end, we finally resorted to the dreaded Ferber Method.  He cried for 45 minutes (by "cry" I mean wailed/screeched/sobbed uncontrollably) before settling down (we went in the room to tell him that it was time to go to sleep, kiss him, and pat his back about every 4-7 minutes.  He would latch on to us in desperation).  Then he sat staring at his teddy bear for another 5 minutes before falling asleep.  It.Was.Torture.  And yet, he did better overnight.  I heard him stir twice and put himself back to sleep, then he cried at 3:00.  I went to him and nursed (was that wrong?) since I felt he actually was hungry.  He ate steadily for about 8 minutes and I put him back to bed when he slowed.  This time he cried for less than 10 minutes.  He woke up again at 4:30 and needed his nose aspirated and diaper changed.  He was up for the day at 6:15, puffy eyed.  We will give it another go tonight. 

Resources we used: 
Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
The No-Cry Sleep Solution

Project 2011, January 5 - Pipes

Dinner - Leftover Kalua Pig - this time in sandwiches, fruit, cottage cheese

C's Dinner - Chicken and noodles, pears

Enrichment -  Restarted the 100 Pushup Challenge.  I was in the middle of this during my pregnancy when I found I couldn't keep going due to my big belly.  I did the initial test, completing 42 decent pushups.  I'm under age 40, so I'll be at week 3, column 3 to start. In about a month I should be able to complete 100 consecutive push-ups!  Has anyone done the Couch to 5K program?  My sister is a runner, and one day I'd like to run with her (though not nearly as far).  Maybe a 5K?  I haven't ran a step since about the 20th week of my pregnancy (opting for elliptical machines and classes instead) and C is now 10 months old.  Eep!

Refeathering the Nest

The house looks so drab now that the Christmas decorations have gone back into storage.  In an effort to perk things up a bit, I've located these goodies...

at West Elm:



Herringbone Bed, $399-$699


at West Elm:



Sweep Armchair, $499-$599


at West Elm:

Perennial Pillow Cover, $29

at Restoration Hardware:

Palladian Urn Table Lamp, $439

at Restoration Hardware:

Antique Planisphere Chart, $995

from Etsy seller MayDae:

Vintage Scalloped Plates, $24.50

at Urban Outfitters:



Dance Steps Rubber Bath Mat, $16


at Rugs USA (save 20% with code WSJAN20):

Surya Caesar Rug, $55-$1840

at Rifle Paper Co.:


Animal Parade Print, $24



Project 2011, January 4 - Educate!

Dinner - Kalua Pig, rice, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, and fruit (thanks Kehau and Pomai for steering me towards the Kalua Pig!).  I loved this recipe, proving Kalua Pig without a pit and banana leaves is possible!  My only complaint was that I probably smelled like a smoked pork chop by the end of the day, myself.

C's Dinner - Butternut squash and dilly salmon

Enrichment - Johns Hopkins panel discussion - Health Care and Its Discontents
                   Oxford panel discussion - The Future of Medicine

I sort of went the easy route .  C had to get his second flu shot (babies get two) and have his ears checked (bye-bye infection!) so I had to work late.

Adieu, 2010

At the beginning of 2010 I posted about my goals for my 32nd year.  Here's a link to the update.

I've done another list of goals for my 33rd year.  Maybe I'll post that on my 34th birthday.  Until then, I've started a couple of new projects for 2011:

1. I've started a log of all of our meals.  The hope is that I'll be more aware of what we're eating, how I'm spending the grocery money, and how often we eat out.  I'll share our dinners with you when I have a recipe worth sharing.

2.  This year I've challenged myself to expand my boundaries.  To do so, I've set a goal of trying one new thing/doing one personal growth activity/or otherwise attempting one horizon-broadening endeavor per day for all of 2011.  Some days it might be nothing more than picking up a book on something I know nothing about and others it might be something more ambitious. 

Since we've been out of town, the project started today.  Today's activity was listening to a lecture on microfluidics and diagnostics for the developing world via Berkeley webcast. 

Dinner tonight consisted of big spinach and vegetable salads with peppered smoked salmon for BB and I and a bevy of things for C - sweet potatoes, cauliflower, and green beans (he was in a picky kind of mood, and these were the only items he'd take more than one bite of).