Banjo!

I have absolutely no idea what to write about. Well, I mean, I have things I want to write about but I can't write about. So instead, a banjo.

I have a secret love of banjos. They are a guilty pleasure. I grew up listening to folk music, and it will always be my first musical love. Banjos, mandolins, fiddles and all.

Getting to see the father of the bride (who is not the banjo player) and many family friends playing at this wedding was a real treat for me. Though not as big of a treat as hearing the bride's brother (who is 15 years younger than me) sing. He's a baritone. He also dropped his pants and peed in my yard at my graduation party. (he was potty training) The two things are not quite matching up in my head just yet.

Things I Have Learned in the Last Week

AFTER above average snow fall and unseasonably cold weather is not the time to remember that you needed to buy a roof rake BEFORE winter this year.

Snow/ice dam removal is expensive! Also, they won't be here for another two days.

Well, at least you remembered to buy your kid some clothes the next size up before shorts take over all of the stores. She is after all acting a lot like she's going through a growth spurt. Damn if new clothes aren't expensive.

When driving in St. Paul at night avoid the right lane, even if that is the only way to get to Cupcake.

It is hard to see potholes in the dark.

Two new tires are expensive.

Finding a new wheel for a Hyundai Elantra is not easy.

See above, add in one new manager, including having to reestablish relationship with your manager and not know where you stand while everyone adjusts to new manager, makes for one very stressed out Sprout.

Oh, and I'm on call this week.

If I just breath deeply and enjoy the fact that my daughter actually wants to snuggle and cuddle with me, even if it is 4 AM, because this won't last forever. She will drive me crazy with all of her being two, but she isn't a teenager yet so I should enjoy it.

Chocolate makes nearly everything better. Except the size of my ass.

Things I Love Right Now

Hoodie with built in fingerless glove things. I may not be able to run outside (too dark) but it is nice for typing in the cold office.

I finished my MIL's yearly calendar. Always a challenge to make sure I get a balance of grand kid photos in it, and I'm done, and they are balanced.

Lists. I made one of my holiday tasks and it isn't so bad for just about Thanksgiving.

Ripe pears. I haven't had a good one in years, but the ones I got ripened perfectly. Yummy.

Sleeping in. I get to on Sunday.

The Internet. I was able to easily see that M's Ped had H1N1 vaccine and could schedule online without a phone wait.

Tall sizes. I love not having the arms of my shirts be short. I am an orangutan, just like my dad.

Weekends. Another day of work would have sucked.

A Post is a Post Right?

I would have a post, I would have a header that isn't creepy (according to my mom) but I spent all night sewing doll carrier #3. #2 was sort of a bust, basically a try out for #3 which I now need to get M to try on and then take away from her, despite the fact that it is PINK! and GREEN! her favorite colors.

Pictures coming when I trim off all of the threads.

Well, and do the dishes, sort of neglected those too.

Help! Not Just Anybody

After years of questioning me, I believe my mother finally thinks the apple finally didn't fall too far from the tree. My canning escapades have proven that perhaps I did pick something up in the years of growing up on a commune organic vegetable farm. I've been calling her regularly for advice on what to do with certain situations. Usually after I already did it the wrong way.

I am on my second batch of tomato jam after all of the previous batch became spoken for.

Work is crazy because I am near a vacation in which I am not allowed to even so much as look at my blackberry. It is why I am not finding the energy to blog so let's just keep going with this list of randomly associated things.

Oh yeah, and the new obsession with canning things. That may be interfering with the blogging too.

I made salsa, which I had no idea before tonight actually requires additional acid (or pressure canning) to make sure it keeps well. Yeah, vinegar in salsa, not so fun any more. Oh well, at least it will be a good base for things like chili. I think from now on I'm sticking to jams and pickles.

Speaking of that, do you know how hard it is to find a good commercial bread and butter pickle without high fructose corn syrup (HFCS, see rant here). Pickle season is done or I would be making some nice natural (and spicy) ones of my very own.

As soon as I get done canning everything in sight, I'm going to start my fall knitting. Summer is too warm and sticky, but I have high goals this year. My absolutely favorite yarn has these super cute kits and I need to make M something for Christmas because I have no idea what to get an almost three year old. Between us and her Nana, the girl has gotten just about everything she could possibly need until the is at least 5 or 6. Help?

Ooo, Help!, there is something. I love the Beatles. I will be your new best friend if you invite me over for Beatles Rock Band. I have been told I can't get a Wii just to get Beatles Rock Band. When I am home where my brother is, if it is there, I am going to abscond with the Sgt. Peppers with original cut outs. Sorry little bother, I reserve this right as the oldest child. You got the house, so quite complaining.

Fried Sprout Brain

Adjusting to the anti-depressants is taking time (woah, so not prepared to feel like I was on speed), and that combined with some really deep posts has left feeling inadequate if I write anything less deep. So instead, I'm just going to ramble and see if it clears out everything. Right now I'm feeling a little toasted around the edges.

For my birthday I got A to agree to get me some jewelry. Part of my new found confidence in myself (which got another boost by seeing official 30 pounds weight loss at the OB/GYN's office yesterday) means I'm wearing jewelry more. I got just stunning earings from Momomatic and Velma at the BlogHer swap meet, but no necklaces that really did anything for me. So, A got me this from Sudlow, and I'm still looking for another item or two.

Any Etsy sellers you really like? I'm taking suggestions. Has to be better than just browsing.

I went through the trouble of getting a couple of pairs of pants hemmed (which I have never ever done before) because I realized that lifting very heavy computers while wearing high heels is a VERY bad idea. It makes it hard to lift right, and my ballance is all screwed up. I pick them up tomorrow. The seamstress who is doing it comes reccomended, but she's quirky. For some reason that makes me trust her more.

There is a lot of weight loss happening with the few women on my floor at work (it is IT, we're outnumbered). We're all encouraging eachother, sharing tips, and best of all, handing down clothes. It feels good knowing that something you may have rarely worn is going to get used. Also, it feels good to have them out of the house, knowing that you won't just revert back to your old ways because you have stuff you can wear.

Tonight, M said I didn't love her. Two is hard. I hope I make it out of Two alive.

I really am starting to think that weighing less than 200, and even the ultimate goal of 155 is doable. I saw my OBGYN yesterday and she who knows my recent weight history best, was impressed and encouraging. Take that weight loss drugs, I don't need you.

Random Sunday

When M figures out that on weekends when we don't go anywhere, Mama and Papa sit around in their jammies while she has to get dressed, it is going to be a sad day for A. He loves lounging on the weekends.

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I keep forgetting to thank PBN for the stuff I keep winning from their blog blasts. A Deluxe Scrabble game, $250 Visa Gift Card, $100 SpaFinder.com gift card, and a bunch of coupons. On top of everything, a couple of issues that I've had actually getting stuff has been resolved by the always professional and wonderful Kristen and Julie. The gift card is part of why I'm going to BlogHer, where I hope they won't mind if I stalk them just a little.

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Christina hasn't instituted it formally, but informally, I'm going to be Hot by BlogHer. It is now March, the weather *should* be warming up (today was not a good example), so I will start walking. Daylight Savings Time, while I think it isn't the best idea, means light after M's bedtime, which means walking on the Grand Rounds.

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Having the dress code at work being enforced more again (which normally I wouldn't care about) is hard when you're losing weight and don't want to have to buy new clothes. Especially when quality khakis are hard to find in plus sizes. I had to mail order from LandsEnd.com and I don't even know if they'll fit. Hint: You can get free shipping if you order online at the store, which did take some of the bite out of it.

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I replaced my super nice Coach wristlet with one like this from Fossil. I wanted another Coach one, but they're all sort of... tacky looking this season. I will miss getting taken more seriously at swanky stores once they saw my Coach bag.

Invading my little world.

If you're local, you know we're having another big snow storm. Since the ones that hit in the afternoon and run through the evening commute have been bad on the commuters this year, my manager suggested that we all leave as soon as was possible. I chose to leave when M got up from her nap at daycare. Since it was only 3:15 or so, I decided to go to the grocery store. We're running low on a few things since I decided to shop the fridge this week instead of the store. Great chance to get something fun for dinner and some staples.

We took the back streets and made good time getting to the store. I grabbed my wallet, put it in my pocket with a reusable bag, thinking that I would be so good. At some point while shopping, M mentioned my purse. I said yes, people have purses at the store. Lately she's been talking about purses, so we talk. I guess I should have listened to her. When I got to the checkout, my wallet was missing. A quick check confirmed it wasn't on the floor anywhere. It had been stolen.

I am relatively sure I was pick pocketed on purpose, and it didn't just fall out of my pocket. I think the reusable bag made my pocket bulky enough that I didn't notice it was missing right away, and having M with made me distracted. I feel like a dolt.

I apologized for leaving my things, and headed home quickly to cancel my cards. Before I had made it home, my check card had already been used at a gas station across from the grocery store. A common way to check if a card is active, according to a woman at one of the places I had to call. I canceled all of my cards, then filed a police report. (the officer said often people call before canceling anything, I did it in the right order)

The things I can't replace/recover are an iTunes gift card, three fifty in cash as in 3.50), and the wallet. It was a very nice Coach one, a gift from my friend who I performed the wedding for this summer.

The worst part, other than feeling like an idiot for breaking my routine and putting myself in this position in the first place, is that this person has my address. Credit cards have been left at stores, canceled as a precaution. That I can deal with. However, this is the most personal a theft has ever been for me. I had a tape deck (yeah, I know, idiot though it was a CD player I think) stolen out of my rusty Honda when we lived in South Minneapolis, but this unnerves me more. I'm hoping the license was tossed out with the collection of receipts and other junk in the wallet.

Tomorrow I visit the DMV at lunch, replace the license. I just don't know if I can ever replace my feeling of relative safety in my own home.

Randomocity

I'm having a hard time coming up with a coherent post, so instead I am just going to list off all of the things that are keeping me from making meaningful post.

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I am moderately obsessed with the arrival of my new niece. Depending on how you look at it, my SIL is either a week overdue, or about to be a week overdue (conflicting due dates). Either way, the kid needs to show up so I can get a baby fix.

I am a little OK with the kid being late, since the longer they wait the greater the chances I will see them soon. We are getting healthier by the day around here.

My checking for updates involves the Internet, which is funny because we will likely find out by phone call first.

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Work has been rough, and yesterday I saw M in the morning, but she was well asleep by the time I got home. She's also been all about the daddy lately, and with not seeing her, it has been hard on me. All was made up when I picked her up from daycare today (awesome coworkers took on a little of my work so I could see her) and she ran to me, hugged me multiple times, and insisted on kisses. I have had to drag her out of there a lot lately. Play-Doh is better than mommy (and Papa) apparently.

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It was silly warm her today, and while I love winter and cold and snow, I'm officially done now. It shouldn't have warmed up this early. Now I have cabin fever.

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For Valentine's day, I think we are going to a romantic brunch (with the kid, so well, not so romantic) at neighborhood restaurant Sauced. They do brunch now!!! Look at the Irish Toast and tell me that wasn't a super idea to go there. If you are local, you need to go there and support them so I don't lose the best thing in my hood.