Hospital Highlights

Sarah and I recently spent a lot of time in the hospital. I was there to keep her company and make sure she was getting the best care possible. She was there because she couldn't stop throwing up and had to have a constant stream of fluids via IV.

While at the hospital, I kept a notebook documenting what medications she was receiving and when, as well as her vital signs and various other details. It came in handy on more than one occasion. I also used it to jot down bits of overheard conversation and funny anecdotes. Since she's been home for more than a week (keeping food down, hooray!), I decided to look back over my notes. Among them:

* If one more person says we need to let the virus run its course, I'm going to punch someone.

* From the next bed over, where fiftysomething children comfort their paper-frail mother: "Mom, we're going to put you down," said gently, kindly (referring to the position of the bed).

* son to nurse: "She has a flap of skin on her lip. Do you have any scissors?"

* the woman in the next bed is watching a cartoon: "They have to have monsters in everything these days."

* One nurse has scrubs with multi-ethnic angels flying everywhere: "Happiness is being an angel." Appropriate?

* It's emesis, like "nemesis," not emesis, like "the Jesus."

* Sarah explains about a hypnobirthing-friendly hospital to a nurse. Nurse's response: "Really? Damn!"

* nurse to Sarah: "I'm going to get you some pillows. We're going to make you so comfortable, you're never going to want to throw up!"

* I noticed the TV in Sarah's room is labeled "Type B Equipment."

* Sarah had a dream about a hotel clubhouse with jacuzzi toilets you sat in and went. Then they drained and refilled and you could relax in them.

Christmas Meme

Daja tagged me to write about Christmas by answering a set of pre-written questions about the holiday. If you want to learn about how I celebrate with my family and friends, read on. (Spoiler alert: Eggnog is involved.)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?

Wrapping paper, color-coded by who the gift is for (my side of the family, Ryan's side of the family, and friends) to make sorting easier.

2. Real or fake tree?

Real. Even in our tiny apartment we had a real tree that was no taller than 2 feet!

3. When do you put up the tree?

When we have time to go together to choose one. Usually in the first couple of weeks of December.

4. When do you take the tree down?

We left one up so long that I re-decorated it for Valentine's Day!

5. Do you like eggnog?

I love it, but am very picky about it. My favorite is Strauss Family Creamery Organic Eggnog. It's not too sweet or too thick.

6. Favorite gift received as a child?

Once, when my Dad was unemployed and money was tight, my mom made us all rice socks--just festive toe socks filled with rice that could be microwaved (a huge blessing in a house with no central heat). Though I have had several replacement rice socks and bags since then, I still keep that one because it reminds me of how special that Christmas was and how much the Lord blessed us during that time.

7. Do you have a nativity scene?

Five, actually. I have a hand-carved wooden one that was given to me as a high school graduation gift from the parents of one of my sister's friends. There's also a glittery traditional one given to us as a wedding gift by the worship director of the church Ryan and I grew up in; a Vietnamese one with people who look like thimbles that Ryan gave me last December 1 (the day we always set up our nativities); a Playmobil nativity that I got for our then-not-yet-born baby last Christmas; and, finally, an African nativity made from banana leaves that Ryan got for us for this December 1. Ryan wants to collect nativities from around the world and hopes to get a new one every year.


8. Hardest person to buy for?
Bret Rooks.

9. Easiest person to buy for?
Ryan. I end up finding so may great presents around Christmas time that I put a few away for his birthday in January.

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
Some "lump of coal" jelly beans from a former employer in lieu of a Christmas bonus or even paid time off for Christmas day.

11. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards?

We will be mailing our first Christmas cards this year (kind of a requirement now that we have a baby).

12. Favorite Christmas movie?

White Christmas. I love the music and cry every single time I watch it.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?

December of the previous year. I always stock up on stocking stuffers at the after-Christmas sales. I also make a point of going to the end-of-summer sales in June to finish my stocking-stuffer shopping.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?

Yes.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?

Fondue on Christmas eve, and Ryan's chocolate chipotle cookies with hot chocolate made from scratch.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree?

There can never be too many clear lights!

17. Favorite Christmas song?

O, Holy Night (especially when Ryan sings it).

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?

Travel.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?

Yes.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?

Star. I don't really like most depictions of angels.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?

I guess both. We open presents with Ryan's parents on Christmas Eve morning and my family on Christmas morning. Ryan and I usually open our presents for each other on Christmas night.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?

The song Frosty the Snow Man.

23. What I love most about Christmas?

It is SO romantic! I also love purposefully and consciously preparing for Christmas through celebrating Advent.

Now, I tag Flo and Jen.

8 (Other) Random Thoughts About My Kitchen

Sarah tagged me to write eight random thoughts about my kitchen, which is technically her kitchen. But I do visit it occasionally ...

1) We have two whole shelves devoted to nothing but tea, from Orange Dulce to Rooibos Chai. One day a few years back, we decided to become tea people, and have stocked up on the stuff ever since. We have black tea, green tea, white tea, red tea, tisanes ("teas" made without actual tea leaves ... basically anything floral or herbal or whatever), and a bundle of dried plants that Sarah calls "Greek Mountain Tea," though I've never seen her use it to make a drink.

2) Our freezer is stocked with Otter Pops. There's not much else to say about this one, aside from the personal slogan I developed for the product in college: "Otter Pops ... That's something my body needs anyway."

3) I keep the clock on the microwave set 10 minutes fast. For some reason, I enjoy looking at a clock and knowing that it's not really as late as the clock says it is.

4) When I was but a fresh-faced young lad, my dad cooked me pancakes practically every Saturday morning (and other times too, but the Saturdays were the best), and I've unofficially adopted Saturday mornings as the times I cook breakfast for Sarah. She--ahem--doesn't really like pancakes, but she does like scrambled eggs and omelets, so I oblige by making scrambled eggs and omelets that turn into scrambled eggs. I'm just not good at making omelets, but I still try.

5) When I cook, I cool by smell. This is not technically a thought limited to my kitchen in particular, but it's close enough. Sarah cooks by what "feels right." I use my nose, mainly for spices.

6) We have several different types of cheese graters, and since I enjoy grating cheese--it's so satisfying to watch that pile grow!--I'm almost always the one who shreds our cheddar or Monterey Jack or Gouda or what-have-you . My grater of choice features four sides, each with a different grating option, but I only ever use one side.

7) We have a cabinet in which we keep all manner of liquors (Kahlua, Irish cream, etc.), but I keep a few bottles used most often on top of the refrigerator: vodka, rum, and Scotch (which I drink neat).

8) I have long been fascinated by empty glass bottles, and our kitchen window sill is lined with samples of all shapes and sizes. There used to be more bottles, but I broke one or two when closing the window once.

Now, I tag Bret. And James Van Lommel, if he ever sees this.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

(Hattie as Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" chewing on her favorite natural wood teether.)

Though we have barely blown out the candles in our jack-o-lanterns, we are beginning to get the inevitable "What do you want for Christmas?" questions from friends and family. For everyone's convenience, and because Sarah constantly misplaces the long list of books that Ryan wants, we have each created an Amazon wish list. Feel free to browse it for ideas, or even just ignore it.

Hattie's list is the default, but links to Ryan's and Sarah's lists are on the sidebar on the left-hand side of the web page. Just click here to get to our wish lists.

When Hattie was 1 week old, Lisa Maksoudian took some beautiful pictures of her. We were unable to purchase all of the pictures we wanted, but Lisa has a list of the photos we would love to have if someone wants to get them for us. She can be contacted at lisa@lisamaksoudian.com for more information.

Hattie really loves the toys and other products from Nova Natural Toys (where we purchased the teether pictured above), especially since we're trying to become a plastic-free home! She also has a wish list at A Toy Garden. We just discovered that they have the cheapest naturally dyed play silks which are another one of Hattie's favorite toys. She carries her piece of silk around with her everywhere!

We hope this helps answer some questions, but of course we don't need any of it. The thing that is most important to us is to spend time with family and friends this holiday season, to make joyful memories and create our own family traditions.

What do YOU want for Christmas?

8 Random Thoughts About My Kitchen

I have been tagged by Andrea to share about my kitchen.

1) My counters are pink and brown tile (my current favorite color combination for just about anything). They are probably the original tiles that were put in the house when it was built in the 50’s. So retro and totally feminine, I love it!

2) Like Flo, I wear an apron whenever I cook (and most of every day actually). In the summer of 2006 Ryan's mom created the “Apron of the Month Club” for me. At the beginning of each month a package would arrive in the mail containing a unique hand-made apron of her own design. I now have a different apron for every month. The apron I am currently using has jack-o-lanterns on it, a full skirt, and a pocket large enough to fill with candy for trick-or-treaters (she thinks of everything).

3) Our kitchen does not have a built in dishwasher. While I was in labor with Hattie, Ryan's parents bought and set up a stand alone dishwasher in our kitchen. It has been such a blessing!

4) I love washing dishes (even in my pre-dishwasher years), but I hate putting them away. On more than one occasion I have left clean dishes in the dishwasher until it “emptied itself” because we used all the dishes directly from the dishwasher.

5) I tend to be very ecologically minded and try not to create unnecessary waste. My one splurge is aluminum foil. I despise washing large baking sheets and big pans (especially if they are greasy); I always line them with aluminum foil so that I can just throw the mess away.

6) I have one drawer in my kitchen that has nothing in it. I am tempted occasionally to fill it, but it is kind of luxurious feeling just to know that it is there.

7) The house came with a vintage O’Keefe and Merritt oven. It is small and not very pretty, but it cooks food more efficiently than any other oven I have ever used. Unfortunately the door to the broiler fell off in my hand when I tried to use it for the first time a few weeks ago. Because replacement parts are so hard to find (and expensive) our property managers plan to replace it. I will be sad to see it go, but am also excited to have a new oven! It is probably for the best since Hattie will be crawling soon and the doors on the old oven get really hot.

8) While I recently switched to using my own home made cleaners in our house, I stumbled upon Method’s Cinnamon Bark all-purpose cleaner last week and had to try it. I have been using it to clean my kitchen counters and it makes the whole house smell like I have been baking all day, even though I have not baked a thing in over a year (unless you count Trader Joes pre-formed frozen cookie dough).

I tag Ryan, Jen , Jesse & Kelly