"Julie & Julia" - the movie

My mom and I saw it last weekend - part of my birthday month celebration. Bonnie picked me up & drove to the theater, paid for my ticket AND let me have the points on my Regal Crown Club card. BONUS! : )

It is the best movie combination - Meryl Streep and food - and I got to see it with my mom! PERFECTION ... like all of the wonderful butter used in Julia Child's recipes. Stanley Tucci plays JC's husband. They are adorable together, just as in "A Devil Wears Prada". Made me want to see "Big Night" again - food & another great Stanley Tucci movie.

The next day I saw my mom & we talked more about the movie. I almost fell over when Bonnie said she wanted to see it again. For Bonnie to see a movie is one thing, much less see a movie TWICE. To SAY it - that is truly amazing!

Yet I agree - I want to see it again, it was funny and poignant.
Lots of yummy food displayed ...
Then there were scenes of Paris, France... oh, I want to live in Europe.

Jai jokes that I'm going to make every recipe in JC's cookbook. NOT going to happen! : ) I'll taste if someone else wants to attempt the incredible looking concoctions. I might dress up like JC as Julie Powell does in the movie! That was fun!

One of the scenes I found amusing was Julie's ignorance about blogs (insert Tara) and then fascination and eventual obsession with the blog following, i.e. comments from readers. I'm not quite like that though I find myself noticing the comments are mostly on Jai's posts. What's that about anyway?!?! : )

Most often I read and write my blog entries while I pump, either at home or work, since there are limits to what I can do while attached to a machine! : ) I find it especially helpful at work so that I don't fall into the trap of reading my work email or doing work stuff and getting stressed. I find it more relaxing to read/edit past blog entries or compose a post.

If you like food, France, Julia Child, Meryl Streep, movies or all of the above, I suspect you will enjoy this film.

Bon Appetit!

What goes in as a solid...

...must come out as a solid.

That's all I'm sayin'

Good Stuff

Good Stuff
Originally uploaded by bmitd67

Do you remember your first taste of yogurt?

You haven't posted anything in awhile...

I hear this sometimes...

I wish I could post every day. However, it's like email. Sometimes it piles up & when I finally sit down to read & write email, I'm there for HOURS!

The same could be said about the blog - I could write almost every day, but it's about choices. I'm learning... I want to do everything, but in reality that is not possible.

Susie was here for 2 weeks in July you know - she found time to be on her laptop constantly, watching her guilty pleasure/evening soap opera drama... somehow I thought I'd get more babysitting out of Susie. Actually I did get a few personal hygiene things done like haircut, legs waxed, but somehow I thought it'd be more. : )

Julia's baptism happened and we had tons of family in town - also great, but not lots of personal time. I still need to order some photos and send to my family... WHEN?

Then I went back to work... I already posted my insane schedule.

One thing I really miss is exercising every day. I haven't been to the Y since before Susie was here! We didn't go ONCE while Susie was here. We were like couch potatoes which is unlike us.

So here's a post saying I don't have time to post! : )

Family Resemblance

I was flipping through my photos while standing in line at Calypso and I saw this photo of my Dad and thought, holy crap, that looks just like Julia...

Solids

We started feeding Julia solid food last week and she is gangbusters for banana. It took about a week...

Sooo? How's it going..?

Filled with pregnant pauses, I get this question every time I talk to somebody about my career change.

Well...(insert pregnant pause)

It is going pretty darn good for me and I think for Julia too. I knew and I'm pretty sure Tara knew that this type situation works better for me than Tara. Why? (insert pregnant pause) Because I don't work well with narrowly defined schedules, I need room to grow, at least that's the way I like to think of it. Now, don't get me wrong. I've been as frustrated and thrown off as the next person when Julia changes her own schedule but my disregard for scheduled events makes it much easier to roll with the punches.

The stay at home thing is also hazardous for me b/c I am such a procrastinator. I can leave a task unfinished AND I can find excuses to do other things instead. A free flowing schedule like feed Julia after she wakes, try to get Julia back to sleep until she wakes again and repeat gives me a crap load of latitude. I can make the best of it but more often than not I make the least of it.

So far I have spent far more time in the kitchen than I ever imagined I would. If I'm not eating I'm feeding, if I'm not preparing I'm cleaning. I have been able to space out the house cleaning so I don't feel nearly as rushed on the weekend - this is probably the best thing so far. I hate cleaning and even more I hate having a deadline for it. Some cleaning I do more often...the floors. Johnders sheds constantly. I find myself dry mopping or vacuuming some floor in this house pretty much every other day. Outside...well its been too hot. I haven't done any additional gardening, I'm not ahead on any lawn or shrubs.

We've gone to the park, mostly Shelby Bottoms, a few times. Again, its been so hot that I can't take Julia, Johnders nor myself out in the heat for too long. We've been to the library once, Davis-Kidd once, we've gone to the grocery store umpteen times. We haven't hung out at any coffee shops yet nor have we done any children social activities yet. I've watched some but not an insane amount of TV.

I am not bored. I am not lonely. I quite enjoy my conversationless hours and the noisy baby (sometimes). I spend more time with Johnders - never as much as he wants but more - and I always excited to see Tara come home.

Celebrating TJ

Celebrating TJ
Originally uploaded by bmitd67

This was taken on the day after Tara's birthday. She & Julia share a laugh while wearing complimentary outfits. Tara's shirt is a birthday present.

Can you believe it?

I've been hanging around here for 7 full months! I'm learning to talk and stand and crawl but I still love my raspberries.

Somebody welcomed me to the 8's. I'm not sure what that means but I think its gonna be a good month.

Yea me!

How Tired Can you Get?

I thought I couldn't get any more tired. WHY did I think that?

Driving to work this morning, I was so exhausted; I don't remember why now. That's the other lovely by-product of not getting enough rest - my sucky memory REALLY suffers now!

Some days are better than others.

I called my sister, 1/2 hoping I'd get her voicemail (at 8am in Nashville it's 6am in Phoenix). Sadly my sister rises with the sun of her own free will ... ahh, the life choices for a person without child who wakes you at 1am to eat. I'm so jealous sometimes!

Anyway, not really trying to be funny, just honest, yet the delivery is so serious and sad that it really is funny, I tell Susie the following advice:
- get as much as sleep as you possibly can
- take naps - if not for you, for me! : )
- sleep LATE - again if not for you, for me

Susie laughed & laughed; I joined her because it is funny, pathetic, but funny. One day, soon I pray, I'll be able to sleep uninterrupted for 8 WHOLE hours without having to feed Julia in the middle of the night.

That's all I want right now - that's my dream. : )

World Breastfeeding Week 2009

This goes out to women like my wife, Tara, who believe breastfeeding is the best way but even more importantly, that women should be informed not marketed to when considering their choice of how to feed their baby.

World Breastfeeding Week 2009 (Aug 1-7, 2009)

This year's theme: A Vital Emergency Response.

• To reinforce the vital role that breastfeeding plays in emergency response worldwide.
• To advocate for active protection and support of breastfeeding before and during emergencies.
• To inform mothers, breastfeeding advocates, communities, health professionals, governments, aid agencies, donors, and the media, about how they can actively support breastfeeding before and during an emergency.
• To mobilize action and promote networking and collaboration between those with breastfeeding management skills and those involved in emergency response.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to me!

I love my birthday. As a friend said, it is a National Holiday. TOTALLY!

This is also my first birthday as a mom AND the last year I can say "I'm in my 30's!" CRAZY!

I cannot believe I'll be 40 years old next year; more likely when we have another baby I'll be 40 or 41. Also CRAZY!

Gifts
Jai asked, but I didn't have any ideas ... too tired to be creative! I love gifts, but I've mellowed a bit in the past year. Spending time together is more valuable to me now than material gifts. I'm maturing. Also who needs more stuff?!

Then while writing in my Grateful journal one night, the pen died. AGAIN! Another one gone ... happens when you use them I realize, but somehow it surprises me each time. I search my office for a "nice" one and none seem appropriate. I tell Jai "couple of pens, like Jeanie's, they're not too expensive I think, $5-10."

Jai's funny ... "I googled 'Jeanie's pens' but didn't find anything." Jai emailed Jeanie.

Jeanie stopped at GMS the other day (I really miss my friends!) [she looks fabulous, retirement agrees with her!]. She brought my B-day present - 3 "old" pens she was about to toss (she knew I'd prefer she didn't if they still are good) and 4 "new" (in package). They are ALL nice, oh, so nice! Small things excite me now! : )

I got a cool t-shirt from Jai's aunt. It's 100% organic cotton with a neat star and "Happiness" on the front. Well done!

Jai got me 2 tickets to see "Wicked" on September 8. YEAH! I mentioned that idea to him.
I'll ask a friend since Jai is not a fan of musicals ... when we went to Chicago 2 years ago I went to see "Wicked" by myself.

Julia got me a "green" book of Suduko puzzles (recent interest, for YEARS Jai's been telling me I would like it), a cool box of stationary (cotton), and some pens. : )

Great gifts! I had a great birthday! THANKS!

I believe and relish celebrating my birthday ALL month ... I cannot change that tradition!

8/1 I planned to rest & relax & have lunch at Jerusalem restaurant (they have a great buffet I heard). However, Julia took a LONG nap during lunch time. Plan B was take-out from Dee's BBQ (yum-o) for dinner and Gigi's Cupcakes (double yum-o) and we watched 2 episodes of "Entourage." FUN!
8/8 I'm going to the POTATO consignment sale alone
8/15 not sure, maybe lunch with a friend ... at Jerusalem?!?!
8/22 see movie "Julie & Julia" with my mom (she LOVES Meryl Streep)
8/29 not sure, maybe walk with a friend