I am finally finding the time and courage to face my blog again. Hello! It's been a while old friend. I re-read my resolutions for 2011, and surprisingly I am not doing so badly. There are some hits and some definite misses, but the beauty of October is, there is still two months to finish the rest. Here's an update:
1. Work to either change my habit of procrastinating or to accept it. I haven't decided yet. I am still undecided... but I still have 2 months.
2. Feed my family really well. Okay,so I may have missed the mark on blogging at least 2 new recipes a month, I have been trying new recipes, and I will release them in a volume. As far as Olivia's explorations in the food world, she is now a full fledged eating machine. Despite my best efforts to introduce her to things like tofu and veggies early on, she has inevitably become her own person, with her own, very picky tastes - sigh.
3. Write. Epic fail.
4. Enjoy the hell out of my last 4 months of maternity leave. I want to spend as much time as possible with my sweet little babe. Reading her stories, playing guitar for her, and generally loving her to bits! I want to keep on volunteering. I am currently working in the nursery at church, helping with worship services and working at the community thrift store. Check, check, double check!
5. Get out and do stuff. I feel like there is still some room for improvement on this one, but I have been making a concious effort, enduring some rather painful community events, along with some awesome ones!
6. Give my dreary blog a face lift.
7. Facebook less and face time more. This has been done, but I am still missing some of my amazing Calgary friends. Now that we are living in the sticks we don't see them as much as we would like.
8. READ... CHECK!
9. Walk and cycle more. Yes, I got a chariot this summer, so we did some biking late in the season (mainly errands and grocery shopping) and we get out for a walk at least twice a week now that I am back at work.
10. Support local business as much as it is feasible to do so. Check mark!
11. Play, listen too and enjoy music as much as I used too. This includes expanding my record collection by at least 3 records off of my must have list this year. Woops, there are still two months left.
12. Grow something for my family. Well, I had the best of intentions, but mainly I ended up growing food for the creatures small and furry. For the 6 weeks of summer we ate more lettuce than we could stand, and then the local wildlife discovered my garden and engorged themselves on beans, beet tops and baby zucchinis. In the end, the only harvest that I really enjoyed were the lettuce, parsley and tomatoes!
13. Get more involved in my church community. Ugh, check this one to a fault. I am now the Children's Ministry Coordinator at my church, and have not been to an entire service since May!
14. Channel my inner domestic goddess again! I miss her!... I still haven't found her yet. We had some wonderful new neighbours move in next door and she frequently reminds me that "housekeeping never keeps, hugs and kisses do!"
15. Find some sort of employment that makes a difference in the world. A vocation where I can make the world a better place for at least one person, and also recieve a paycheck. Again, I have overcommitted myself. I now have three jobs and am interviewing for my fourth tomorrow. Clearly I am going to need to make a decision if I get this job tomorrow, but I love all of my other jobs so much.... even though the paycheck thing isn't really there yet.
16. UGh....
Can I add number 17 to my list of resolutions in October? Well I just did.
17. PRAY.
i will be change. i will live change. i will embrace the world as it changes. i will be the change i wish to see in the world. with my own two hands.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Monday, February 21, 2011
Oooooolivia
This morning Olivia tried cheerios as finger food for the first time. She held the cheerio between her fingers and looked at it from every possible angle before finally testing it out and she loved it! Another first... I have been cutting bananas into impossibly small peices for about a week and leaving them on Olivia's high chair tray to see if she would accept it as finger food. While she likes banana, it was just too slippery. This morning I had the bright idea, what if I coat the tiny banana pieces in dry baby cereal before offering them to her and success. High five for ingenuity! She was able to pick them up, no problem and get them in her mouth.
In another note, I had an idea last night for a children's story about a little girl who always got hand-me-down shoes, but her mother made up great stories to go along with each pair that make the little girl excited to wear them. It's call Maisie and the Magical Shoes. So far I have 2 ideas for types of shoes and stories to go along with, sandals which belonged to an amazonian princess and winter boots that the child of a famous explorer wore while exploring the North Pole.
In another note, I had an idea last night for a children's story about a little girl who always got hand-me-down shoes, but her mother made up great stories to go along with each pair that make the little girl excited to wear them. It's call Maisie and the Magical Shoes. So far I have 2 ideas for types of shoes and stories to go along with, sandals which belonged to an amazonian princess and winter boots that the child of a famous explorer wore while exploring the North Pole.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Mmmm Curry...
Curry Apple Beef... one of my own creations!
1 lb stewing beef
1 1/2 c water
1 tsp butter
3 apples
2 tbsp yellow curry powder
1-2 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp sea salt
a pinch of cinnamon
Cube beef and brown in 1 tsp of butter for a about 4 mins. It doesn't need to be fully cooked as it will finish cooking as it stews. Add water. Peel and chop apples and add them to the pot. Bring to a boil for 15 mins. Turn it down to simmer and add the remained of the ingredients. Simmer for an hour.
I served this delectible creation with fragrant rice and steamed cauliflower that I tossed in butter and nutmeg.
Olivia tried an interesting baby food combo last night that even Phil liked! Sweet potatoe, avocado and banana puree. It sounds rather awful, but Olivia loved it, and it had a surprisingly enjoyable texture. It wasn't as well recieved as mashed peas (her all time favorite) but she still ate it.
1 lb stewing beef
1 1/2 c water
1 tsp butter
3 apples
2 tbsp yellow curry powder
1-2 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp sea salt
a pinch of cinnamon
Cube beef and brown in 1 tsp of butter for a about 4 mins. It doesn't need to be fully cooked as it will finish cooking as it stews. Add water. Peel and chop apples and add them to the pot. Bring to a boil for 15 mins. Turn it down to simmer and add the remained of the ingredients. Simmer for an hour.
I served this delectible creation with fragrant rice and steamed cauliflower that I tossed in butter and nutmeg.
Olivia tried an interesting baby food combo last night that even Phil liked! Sweet potatoe, avocado and banana puree. It sounds rather awful, but Olivia loved it, and it had a surprisingly enjoyable texture. It wasn't as well recieved as mashed peas (her all time favorite) but she still ate it.
Friday, February 18, 2011
WORDS
RESOLVE... I hate that word. I know I was rather cavalier with the use of that word in my last blog post. In fact, I even put it in the title. Today I am wondering where is the woman who started this blog? She was full of resolve. Her resolve was emblazoned across the title of her blog. Where is the resolved woman who wrote "With my own two hands... acknowledging the state of the world and my place in it, I have decided to take responsibility for my actions. With my own two hands I will change my life, I will change my attitude, and I will change the world." And what have I changed?
Perhaps not much.
But let this be said, I have been changed.
First of all, let me add a number 16 to my list of new year's resolutions. Rewrite my blog heading. It is rather lame and slightly naive. Second of all, let it be known that I have been changed by the most basic, yet epic moments of human development. The power of words is easy to underestimate. Yet, words have saved and slain, simultaneously changed the course of history and captured it in books. Today my little Olivia shared her first words with the world. The joy I had in that moment was this blissful combination of pride and awe. This tiny little being that I birthed into this world gained the ability to speak! Just seven months ago she was this tiny little creature clinging to me for life and now she is a slightly less tiny creature who can say two words, "Mama" and "Dada". I caught this moment on camera and have put it on facebook, my level of excitement was borderline embarrassing, but I am glad that my reaction is also on tape. If you haven't checked it out yet, go do it now!
Suffice to say, that this was one of those changing moments for me. The world is a great, complex and beautiful place worthy of saving once again...
Perhaps not much.
But let this be said, I have been changed.
First of all, let me add a number 16 to my list of new year's resolutions. Rewrite my blog heading. It is rather lame and slightly naive. Second of all, let it be known that I have been changed by the most basic, yet epic moments of human development. The power of words is easy to underestimate. Yet, words have saved and slain, simultaneously changed the course of history and captured it in books. Today my little Olivia shared her first words with the world. The joy I had in that moment was this blissful combination of pride and awe. This tiny little being that I birthed into this world gained the ability to speak! Just seven months ago she was this tiny little creature clinging to me for life and now she is a slightly less tiny creature who can say two words, "Mama" and "Dada". I caught this moment on camera and have put it on facebook, my level of excitement was borderline embarrassing, but I am glad that my reaction is also on tape. If you haven't checked it out yet, go do it now!
Suffice to say, that this was one of those changing moments for me. The world is a great, complex and beautiful place worthy of saving once again...
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Resolved
I have been milling over what I would like to resolve in 2011 and here is my list. Some are peculiar, some trivial and others will likely be on my list of New Year's resolutions for the next 20 years. So here goes...
1. Work to either change my habit of procrastinating or to accept it. I haven't decided yet.
2. Feed my family really well. This may seem a little odd, but I really think that eating well has an immense impact on our health, our overall enjoyment of life and the environment. As a part of this I will aim to try at least 2 new recipes a month and blog about them. I will also include some of the more enjoyable moments of Olivia's journey into the gastro world.
3. Write. I am working on a collection of short stories which currently consists of random scribbles on scrap paper and about 4 unfinished pieces. I hope to finish at least 5 stories this year, whether or not anything comes of them is entirely moot. I also want to blog and write at least one children's story. In addition I plan to write mroe cards and letters.
4. Enjoy the hell out of my last 4 months of maternity leave. I want to spend as much time as possible with my sweet little babe. Reading her stories, playing guitar for her, and generally loving her to bits! I want to keep on volunteering. I am currently working in the nursery at church, helping with worship services and working at the community thrift store.
5. Get out and do stuff. I want to be a member of my lovely little community of Didsbury.
6. Give my dreary blog a face lift.
7. Facebook less and face time more.
8. READ... and educate myself in general. It should be noted that so far I am doing a smashing job at this one. I read to Olivia almost every night and have renewed my love of children's literature.
9. Walk and cycle more.
10. Support local business as much as it is feasible to do so.
11. Play, listen too and enjoy music as much as I used too. This includes expanding my record collection by at least 3 records off of my must have list this year.
12. Grow something for my family. Last year I grew herbs, pumpkins, strawberries, peas, onions, and zuchinis. While my crop my a little stunted by the August snowfall (I ended up with teeny, tiny everything) it still made me feel like a woman of the earth to be able to grow my own food.
13. Get more involved in my church community.
14. Channel my inner domestic goddess again! I miss her!
15. Find some sort of employment that makes a difference in the world. A vocation where I can make the world a better place for at least one person, and also recieve a paycheck.
1. Work to either change my habit of procrastinating or to accept it. I haven't decided yet.
2. Feed my family really well. This may seem a little odd, but I really think that eating well has an immense impact on our health, our overall enjoyment of life and the environment. As a part of this I will aim to try at least 2 new recipes a month and blog about them. I will also include some of the more enjoyable moments of Olivia's journey into the gastro world.
3. Write. I am working on a collection of short stories which currently consists of random scribbles on scrap paper and about 4 unfinished pieces. I hope to finish at least 5 stories this year, whether or not anything comes of them is entirely moot. I also want to blog and write at least one children's story. In addition I plan to write mroe cards and letters.
4. Enjoy the hell out of my last 4 months of maternity leave. I want to spend as much time as possible with my sweet little babe. Reading her stories, playing guitar for her, and generally loving her to bits! I want to keep on volunteering. I am currently working in the nursery at church, helping with worship services and working at the community thrift store.
5. Get out and do stuff. I want to be a member of my lovely little community of Didsbury.
6. Give my dreary blog a face lift.
7. Facebook less and face time more.
8. READ... and educate myself in general. It should be noted that so far I am doing a smashing job at this one. I read to Olivia almost every night and have renewed my love of children's literature.
9. Walk and cycle more.
10. Support local business as much as it is feasible to do so.
11. Play, listen too and enjoy music as much as I used too. This includes expanding my record collection by at least 3 records off of my must have list this year.
12. Grow something for my family. Last year I grew herbs, pumpkins, strawberries, peas, onions, and zuchinis. While my crop my a little stunted by the August snowfall (I ended up with teeny, tiny everything) it still made me feel like a woman of the earth to be able to grow my own food.
13. Get more involved in my church community.
14. Channel my inner domestic goddess again! I miss her!
15. Find some sort of employment that makes a difference in the world. A vocation where I can make the world a better place for at least one person, and also recieve a paycheck.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Changing Reality
For the writer of a blog that officially has only one follower I have and alarming measure of guilt for not writing since the middle of last year. Sigh. I have landed back on earth, once again, after a simultaneously dreamy and sleepless 6 months. 2010was quite a year in the Boucher household. We joyfully welcomed little Olivia into our family in July and have spent the last 6 months as parents, if you can believe that! Needless to say it has been a little hectic.
Before having Olivia, I so looked forward to my maternity leave, mostly because it meant our baby would finally be here with us, but also because I was excited to be, at least for one year, a stay at home wife and mother. Maternity leave has not exactly been what I expected, it has been full of joys, but also struggles. I am more than happy to be at home with my little girl, but I always had the comfort of knowing that I had a career, changing the world with a great organization and a comfortable salary to return too. Unfortunately that changed in November when, out the blue, I was fired. First of all, let me say this, not only it is illegal to fire a woman while she is on maternity leave, it is morally reprehensible. Apparently my job had become redundant, whatever that means.
Having a new baby put me into this strange emotional high. A bliss I had never experienced before in my life. I cried for joy on a daily basis (honestly I blame the happy breast feeding hormones). The world all the sudden became this great and amazing place where nothing bad could possibly happen because a child this great had entered it. Getting fired sort of burst that bubble. Oh right, bad things can happen.
I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't devastated about losing my job. And lying further if I didn't say my employer handled it badly and caused me much unnecessary hurt. But I am letting go, slowly. All this to say that my plans have changed out of necessity. I now live in this world of uncertainty. I have no idea where I will be when my maternity leave comes to an end. I really want to be excited about the possibility of change, and at times I truly am but being a parent brings this whole new and startling sense of responsibility. This is all part of my changing reality.
I hope a few months from now this experience becomes one of those delightful anecdotes that expound upon the adage "from everything bad comes something good."
Truthfully, I didn't intend for this blog entry to become a rant about getting fired, I still respect my former employer and the work that they do, I guess I just needed to vent. What a downer I have become. I intended this entry to be about my resolutions for changing myself and the world in 2011 and an overview of my amazing 2010. Perhaps I am not quite ready to let go of 2010... All of this venting and the midnight feedings have left me a little tired, give me some time, the resolutions will come.
Wishing you a year of peace and possibility!
Melissa
Before having Olivia, I so looked forward to my maternity leave, mostly because it meant our baby would finally be here with us, but also because I was excited to be, at least for one year, a stay at home wife and mother. Maternity leave has not exactly been what I expected, it has been full of joys, but also struggles. I am more than happy to be at home with my little girl, but I always had the comfort of knowing that I had a career, changing the world with a great organization and a comfortable salary to return too. Unfortunately that changed in November when, out the blue, I was fired. First of all, let me say this, not only it is illegal to fire a woman while she is on maternity leave, it is morally reprehensible. Apparently my job had become redundant, whatever that means.
Having a new baby put me into this strange emotional high. A bliss I had never experienced before in my life. I cried for joy on a daily basis (honestly I blame the happy breast feeding hormones). The world all the sudden became this great and amazing place where nothing bad could possibly happen because a child this great had entered it. Getting fired sort of burst that bubble. Oh right, bad things can happen.
I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't devastated about losing my job. And lying further if I didn't say my employer handled it badly and caused me much unnecessary hurt. But I am letting go, slowly. All this to say that my plans have changed out of necessity. I now live in this world of uncertainty. I have no idea where I will be when my maternity leave comes to an end. I really want to be excited about the possibility of change, and at times I truly am but being a parent brings this whole new and startling sense of responsibility. This is all part of my changing reality.
I hope a few months from now this experience becomes one of those delightful anecdotes that expound upon the adage "from everything bad comes something good."
Truthfully, I didn't intend for this blog entry to become a rant about getting fired, I still respect my former employer and the work that they do, I guess I just needed to vent. What a downer I have become. I intended this entry to be about my resolutions for changing myself and the world in 2011 and an overview of my amazing 2010. Perhaps I am not quite ready to let go of 2010... All of this venting and the midnight feedings have left me a little tired, give me some time, the resolutions will come.
Wishing you a year of peace and possibility!
Melissa
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