Hello Spring!

Yes, It's the first day of Spring and this is my deck.

The Jesus Bread

One of my favorite things about Lent is parish fish fries.  I'm not Catholic, but my husband is, so I've adopted the not-eating-fish-on-Friday ritual as my own.  I did this for two reasons really.  One, I love rituals and traditions.  Second, I really like fried fish, so it's a win-win situation for me to join the club of Friday fish-eaters.

This evening at the parish fish fry, I saw the most amazing piece of food artwork I have ever seen-Jesus Bread.  No, not communion wafers, bread made in the shape of Jesus.  I wanted to purchase this loaf so that I could enjoy the body of Christ at home but, Jesus is not for sale.  According to the sales girl, the bread is actually very old, made when they first started this sale and preserved.

Can you imagine the skill that it takes to make Jesus bread.  I can't even make regular bread.  If you are interested in Jesus bread, check out St. Michael the Archangel Friday fish fry during Lent.  Added bonus, this parish fish fry has smoked salmon and fried shrimp, seriously.

Hey Blog, What's Up?

Hello Blog,
Well, I've done it again.  I've ignored you and I'm sorry.  I don't have a good excuse for it either. 
I promise I'll write again soon.
Smooches!
Angie

Trying not to be overwhelmed!

Hi Friends!  Well, I've been back to work for 3 weeks now and I think it's going well.  The same week I went back to work, I started school again.  I'm only taking one class, but it does require a bit of studying and the teacher makes us turn in homework!!  What??  The hardest thing about going back to work and school has been finding a new "normal".  Just when I was getting into the groove of having a baby, it was time to change it up!  Sometimes, I love new schedules (like when I was in college), but in this case, I hate new schedules.  We have a new adjustment tomorrow that I've been dreading since the time I found out I was pregnant, Adelaide's first day at the babysitter's house.  I have no idea how that will change our "normal".  All of these things have left me feeling on the edge of overwhelmed.  I'm trying to keep it in perspective by remembering that with all things baby-related, I've found that the anticipation and anxiety is much worse than the actual event. 

I love Conan

I think I might name my next child after him...seriously...
I've always loved him and his silly dancing, but tonight I realized why I loved him so much.  He ended his last Tonight Show by telling young people not to be cynical, it's his least favorite quality.  He went on to say that nobody gets what they want exactly in life and if you work hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen.  Thanks Conan...you're the best, you're a funny, funny man and I heart you. 

Then, Jimmy poured a little out for Conan and I remembered that I love him too (but not as much as Conan).

Ten things I'm thankful for in Ten

Yesterday I was thinking about things that I'm thankful for in 2010 that I didn't realize were so great in 2009.  Here's 10 things that I would have turned up my nose at last year, but now I'm glad to have them.

1.  Toothless Grins:  I mean I personally don't want one, plus I have a good dentist, but look at this one.  Who wouldn't love this?!?!?!

2.  Bathtime:  I never really liked taking baths, but I found it pretty relaxing while I was pregnant.  I've since discovered something better, bathtime with Adelaide is so much fun.  She really likes the water and I'm teaching her to splash and kick and I love to see that big toothless grin!

3.  Tucks Pads:  Pregnancy and childbirth can really do a number on you...enough said...

4.  Cream that you wipe on other people's butts:  I've always thought that a career in nursing would be out for me because of things like this, but diaper rash cream is pretty awesome. 

5.  A little bit of flab: I don't really want flab, but I have it right now because I have Adelaide, so it's ok (for now).

6.  Laundry:  I've always disliked putting away clothes more than any other chore except emptying the dishwasher.  However, I don't mind laundry as much anymore, even though we have a lot more of it.  I'm happy to be using cloth diapers and they've got to get clean somehow!

7.  Large pieces of fabric the you wrap around your body:  Before a baby, I would say that wearing fabric that in a way that somewhat resembles a sumo wrestler would be a fashion no-no, but now, I say fashion yes.  These baby wearing devices are awesome and allow me to walk around and use my arms.

8.  Big boobs: Well to be 100% honest, I still don't really adore them, but they're doing me a solid and feeding my baby.  It's just too bad that they had to get SO MUCH bigger.  Here's hoping that don't stay like this forever...or one day I'll have to be thankful for plastic surgeons.

9.  Projectile (anything):  Yes, I am even thankful for projectile poop.  I have yet to experience projectile vomit, we'll see if this still holds up then.

10.  Very little sleep:  If you know me, then you know how much I cherish my sleep.  It's one of my favorite pasttimes.  However, I am happy to sacrifice some sleep time for Adelaide.  But, I'm about 100 times as thankful that she started sleeping through the night already!

A New New Years Resolution

I'm going to keep my NYR from last year: to be more thankful, but I'm going to add a few goals for this year.  I want to do a better job watching how I spend my money, not only because I want to save more money, but because your wallet does a lot of talking for you.  You don't have to make a campaign contribution to vote with your money.  When you buy products, you are telling the producer/manufacturer, "I approve of this product and the processes used to make it."  For example, I love orangutans, but if I buy products that contain an ingredient that causes habitat destruction, what am I really saying?  So, I try not to purchase products that contain palm oil, because palm oil plantations are the number one reason that rainforests in Borneo are being cut down.  It takes a little effort to figure these things out, but it's important to me not just to support something with words, I want to support a cause where it really counts.  It's not always best to buy a product just because it's cheaper.  I want to know that my money is supporter a responsible company...how do their products affect the environment and the people who make them. 

So, the first thing on my list is to finally join a CSA this year.  I found out about CSAs in 2005 and I've been thinking about joining one since.  If you don't know what a CSA is, it's basically buying a share in an organic farm for a season and then getting a box of produce every week during the growing season.  This year, I'm actually going to do it because the food tastes better, it has more nutrients, it supports local farmers, and the growing practices help protect the environment. 

I'm not going to lie, sometimes I don't have time to research something, but I'm going to do it as often as I can before making purchases, especially major ones.  In addition, it's not always easy to find the information you need.  But, I'm going to put in a good faith effort to buy from companies that don't exploit the environment and treat their employees fairly.  I know I'll feel like a better person for doing it, even if it takes a little bit of my time and energy.