Giving Thanks for Thanksgiving

Happy Turkey Day!  I'm up before Steve and Katherine so I have the opportunity to reflect on what I'm thankful for.

I'm thankful for Thanksgiving, as weird as that may sound.  I'm thankful for a holiday to gather with family, prepare a meal and appreciate what we've been given in the past year.  Steve and I don't live near family so anytime we're able to have family visit us, I'm thankful.

I'm thankful for Katherine's vacation days at day care.  Katherine had 5 vacation days at day care that would have expired in January.  I decided to take this week off so she and I could get some quality time together before Baby S arrives.  We didn't do anything super exciting this week or out of the norm.  We've had more snuggle time and time to play together.  The days off also gave me a chance to recharge.  I'd been feeling pretty exhausted lately.  Staying home with Katherine actually allowed me to not push myself too hard and get a few extra things done around the house.

I'm thankful for my crazy cats, The Fuzz and Leela, who as I type this are running around the living room attacking each other.  Our lives would be so boring without them.  Katherine loves them and now wants them to come play with her.  She'll hold a cat toy and yell "Leela!".  So far, Leela has yet to come running but it's still cute.

I'm thankful for the internet and Weight Watchers magazine.  Both have enabled me to find low-carb pumpkin and cranberry dishes so I can still enjoy some of my holiday favorites without going over my carb allowance.

I'm thankful that despite a few hiccups I'm healthier with this pregnancy.  I'm confident I will deliver a full-term baby this time around and not spend a week in the hospital clinging to my life.

I'm thankful all of the specialists I've been referred to this year have been in Sioux City.  This has made my life so much easier.  Rather than take a full day off work for a specialist appointment, I can take a few hours and drive across town to my appointment.

The things listed above are just a drop in the bucket.  I have so many things to be thankful for, this post could continue indefinitely.  I hope you all have a wonderful holiday today with your loved ones.

Gratitude

I'm adding a new feature to my blog: gratitude posts.  This year has been quite stressful for me (for reasons I won't discuss in this blog) and my stress management skills have not been the best.  I'm hoping that expressing gratitude publicly every week will help with that.  So without further ado: welcome to my first gratitude post.

I'm thankful for Steve, Katherine, The Fuzz and Leela.  Steve has always been very supportive of me whether it's supporting my various interests (crafting, reading, music, whatever it may be at the moment) or my recent medical issues, he's always there by my side cheering me on.  He's a lot more patient than I am too which helps a lot!  He has pretty much taken over meal prep which isn't an easy task now with my gestational diabetes.  Don't get me wrong, I'm still involved in part of the planning and prep but he does the bulk of the work.  Katherine's baths have also been taken over by him now that my belly gets in the way.  I'm so thankful he's willing to help out with these and so many other things.

Katherine brings such joy to our lives with her cute giggle and inquisitive mind.  I love when she asks "Where go?" when someone leaves the room or even the TV screen.  I also find it absolutely adorable that if the answer is "I don't know", she whispers the question twice more.  This week she's been really snugly.  She's wanted to sit on my lap more and just hang out.

The Fuzz and Leela are such dorks that I can't help but love them.  Their crazy antics make me laugh or shake my head daily.  I can't imagine not having them as part of our household.

There's the Sugar

Pregnancy complications seem to be my normal for pregnancy.  I was hoping for a pregnancy with minimal complications.  We were referred to the maternal-fetal specialist earlier due to a few cysts.  The cysts have disappeared and the baby and I were given a clean bill of health.  Then I received the diagnosis of gestational diabetes.  Initially I was really angry about my diagnosis.  While this isn't the diagnosis I had hoped for, I've decided to accept it and move on.  There are a few positives to this diagnosis:

• I get to meet with a dietitian.  I've taken an interest in nutrition in the past few years and have wanted to meet with a dietitian for awhile.
• I get to search for new low-carb recipes.  For a foodie like me, it's the perfect excuse to look through recipes.  I've already found a few for Thanksgiving so I can enjoy some of the traditional foods without completely blowing my carb count.
• My cousin Erin has been an enormous source of support and knowledge.  Erin is a Registered Dietitian and I've relied on her for nutrition advice since Katherine was born.  I really appreciate her knowledge!
• We have to plan out our meals in detail and are eating healthier, more balanced meals as a result.  
• I'm learning more about nutrition.
• There are more foods I can eat than I originally thought there would be.
• I can't die from this.
• Steve is very supportive in my diet and cooking healthy foods.
• I'm allowed 3 meals and 3 snacks each day with specific carb counts for each.
• Proteins, cheese and most vegetables are considered "free" foods.  Thanks goodness I can eat however much cheese I want!  And yes, I'm serious.  I love cheese.
• I don't have to take medication.  Usually gestational diabetes can be controlled through diet.  I really hope this is true in my case.
• I've had to finally give up Pepsi for good.  I've known for awhile I should do this.  Gestational diabetes was the kick in the pants I needed to actually do it.
• This has made me even more aware that I need to adopt healthy habits.  I'm hoping to adopt an exercise routine within the next year.  (I'm giving myself a little leeway when Baby S is really little.)  I'm also hoping to continue with a healthy diet about Baby S's arrival. 
• A coworker also has gestational diabetes.  We've been able to commiserate and support each other.  It's comforting to have someone in the same boat, even if I wish we both didn't have it.
• So far, my blood sugar has been within the acceptable ranges.  
• Gestational diabetes usually goes away after the baby is born.
• Pumpkin spice cream cheese is only 5 carbs per serving.  Yay!  A pumpkin something I can enjoy.  

There are a few negatives to this as well:

• I have to go through the holidays with this new diet.  I'm really not thrilled about not being able to eat whatever sweets or foods I want during Thanksgiving and Christmas.  We are celebrating Christmas in Sioux City and I was looking forward to trying traditional dishes from all over the world.  That probably isn't going to happen now.  
• Learning to carb count takes time out of my day.  Until I get really good at it, it takes time to figure out what I'm eating for my meals and snacks each day.  
• I really, really like pasta, bread and sweets.  I'm a little bummed I can't eat these whenever I want in the quantity I want.  
• Our meal-planning takes a lot longer.  Steve and I sat down and really had to think of low-carb meals for the next week.  I know this will get easier over time.  It's a just a little frustrating right now.
• Possible health risks for the baby if I don't follow my diet and the potential for diabetes in the future for me.  I really didn't want to add more future health risks for myself.  I have a few potential future health concerns due to the preeclampsia I had while pregnant with Katherine.  I also want to have a healthy baby who gets to leave the hospital the same day I do.  
• I can't eat ice cream whenever I want.  
• I have to check my blood sugar 4 times a day which means my fingers get jabbed each time.  On the plus side, it could be a lot more.  I'm only required to check my sugars in the morning and 2 hours after each meal.  
• I've had to finally give up Pepsi for good.  It was my one vice and I really like it.  I don't drink (even when I'm not pregnant I don't drink much alcohol.) and I've never smoked.  Pop was my vice.  As you can see, I have mixed feelings about having to give it up.

I'm trying to make the best of this situation and be positive.  It is only 2 months and I can stick with it for that short of a time frame.  

New Name, New Look

Welcome to the re-launch of my blog!  I finally settled on a name that seems to be a better fit for my blog.  For the Love of Food didn't feel right anymore.  This blog doesn't focus on strictly food anymore and I felt it was time for a change.  Tots and Tails describes my life perfectly.  Our days are filled with Katherine, Baby S coming in January and our cats, The Fuzz and Leela.  Thanks for sticking with me while I've been MIA in the blogging world.  I plan to post more in the upcoming months.

Busy Bees

Hello!  Steve and I have been pretty busy lately.  Last weekend was a crafty weekend for us.  Steve started painting a wooden dollhouse he'd given me as a gift for last year's anniversary.  (Don't judge... I have projects from 2 years ago I still haven't finished.)  I made Katherine's birthday invitations.  The invitations turned out pretty much how I envisioned them.  I don't plan on making the invitations every year but this year I couldn't find invitations that I liked.  Her birthday party theme is Teddy Bear Picnic and there is not a lot out there for that theme.  Unless you want to spend an arm and a leg on the invitations alone but I knew I could do better on my own and save some money.  I purchased gingham earlier in the year in anticipation of her party and a teddy bear rubber stamp when I realized I'd probably be making the invitations.  I already had the blank note cards and the party info stamp.  I got to work and the invitations were done that afternoon.  I'm pretty excited for Katherine's birthday party.  The menu is full of bear-themed food and there will be baskets with gingham and teddy bears everywhere.  I think it will be a lot of fun.

On Sunday I also finished making a look-and-find bean bag I had been working on for quite some time.  I needed to finish that bean bag before church today.  I have a bag of toys only for church so Katherine has something to play with while we're there.  She's grown tired of the current church bag so I need to switch things up.  (I knew this would happen.)  Months ago I had purchased two felt squares from Hobby Lobby (love that store!), some craft beads and some alphabet charms.  I cut the felt squares down so the bean bag wouldn't be huge and cut a hole in the middle.  We also reused the plastic covering that came on her car seat for the window.  It was nearly impossible to find the bendable clear plastic anywhere!  I sewed it all together, leaving one side open so I could pour in the beans, beads and alphabet charms.  I didn't use all the letters.  Instead I picked out letters to spell "Katherine", "Mommy" and "Daddy" 3 times.  The bean bag turned out pretty cool, if I do say so myself.

I also purchased some fabric at Hobby Lobby last Saturday.  I will be making a quilt for the new baby.  I've dug through my stash of fabric and picked out a few I liked.  The fabric from my stash needs to be measured to ensure I have enough for the quilt.  The 2 new fabrics compliment the stash fabric nicely.  There are a couple of the stash fabrics that won't be used because they clash a little with the new stuff.  I picked yellows, greens, tans and white for this quilt because we're not finding out the gender of the baby.  Right now green is the dominant color so I might buy one more yellow and one more tan.  I think the quilt will be beautiful when completed.  I am deviating from the pattern a little bit with the number of different fabrics I'm using.  The pattern is a nine patch so I don't think it will matter too much.  The quilt will have a vintage feel to it which I love.

Yesterday Steve and I decided it was time to start the decluttering process, again.  Steve worked evenings for the last 3 weeks and our house became even more cluttered than it already was.  I went through a stack of a magazines, tore out recipes I wanted to keep and recycled the rest.  It was a good feeling to get rid of that small piece of clutter.  We also made our menu for the next 2 weeks and went grocery shopping.  While shopping at Fareway, I saw a former Target coworker of mine.  It was fun to catch up with him.  I hadn't seen him in quite some time.  Fareway's ad was really good this week so we stocked up on ground beef and pasta.  We also bought the lemonade for Katherine's party because the sale was fantastic.  We went to Target for a few things not available at Fareway.  I went armed with a bunch of Target coupons and my Cartwheel bar code.  This was my first experience using Cartwheel and I'm pretty pleased with it overall.  We saved over $20 at Target using the coupons and cartwheel and also received a few gift cards (yay!).  Saturday was also laundry day.  All of the laundry was washed (with the exception of one quilt).  All the laundry was folded except for the things on the drying rack and half of it was put away.  The rest will be put away today.  I might tackle our office today for the decluttering project.  It's rather scary in here.  I also need to put away clothes that no longer fit and pull out some of my maternity clothes.

Wish me luck with our decluttering and organizing endeavors!

An Ode to My Dishwasher

When Steve and I purchased our home, we had to buy a new stove, washer and dryer.  The dishwasher and refrigerator came with the sale of the house.  I love the stove, washer and dryer we picked out.  We did careful research regarding these appliances: going to the store to look at the models, going to multiple stores to check prices and also reading user reviews online.  Overall, I'm pretty pleased with our selections.  The dishwasher that came with our house was another story.  I hated it.  The racks were strange and it didn't do a great job cleaning the dishes.  The dishwasher would only hold 6 plates.  The racks were also waved with the top wave of the bottom rack and the lower wave of the top rack being on the same side.  This made it impossible to wash anything tall.  Pictures might do a better job explaining the awkwardness of our previous dishwasher.

Pretty ridiculous, right?  Who designed this and thought "It loads 6 plates.  That'll be great."?  And why did the previous homeowner buy it?  Our new dishwasher is definitely a different story.  Our new dishwasher holds at least 10 place settings.  The bottom rack has ample room for plates, pots and big bowls.  The top rack has space for the numerous glasses, sippy cups and bowls we use throughout the day.  The silverware caddy is in the door but can fit in the bottom rack.  It took awhile for us to get used to everything the new dishwasher could hold.  If we were behind on dishes and the sink was overflowing, we'd think "Great. That'll take at least two loads to clean."  We were always pleasantly surprised when all of the dishes fit in one load.  Here is a picture of the new dishwasher.

Much better, right?  The best part about buying our new dishwasher was how we paid.  I had won a health contest at work.  I decided to take the $300 I received and buy the new dishwasher.  Overall it has made life so much easier.  The dishwasher is the working woman's best friend.  So much time is freed up by using a dishwasher.  I can be playing with Katherine and "washing" the dishes at the same time.

So, my faithful readers, what do you think of my dishwasher?

What I'm Reading

I love to read.  When I was little, my mom taught me to read the summer before I repeated 1st grade.  (That's a story for another time.)  Ever since that summer, it's hard to find me without a book in progress.  I don't have a favorite type of literature or a favorite author.  It's hard to pick one out of so many great books and authors.  Right now, I'm in a kid-lit mood.  I'm reading through the Anne of Green Gables series.  I dove into the first book.  Anne of Green Gables was a story I always loved but have just read for the first time.  We had the movies Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea starring Megan Follows when we were younger.  We watched the movies all the time, much to my younger sister's dismay.  (Sorry, Darce!)  My sister-in-law gave me Anne of Green Gables for Christmas a few years ago and I finally read it for the first time last month.  It was fun to see how the movie and the book aligned.  For the most part, the movie stayed on track for the book.  Anne of Green Gables tells the story of Anne Shirley, an orphan, who has largely been unwanted and unloved until she is mistakenly brought to Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, unmarried siblings who live together.  Matthew and Marilla decide to keep Anne and raise her together.  Anne is a very imaginative girl who constantly gets into various predicaments.  After finishing the first book, I decided I must read them all.  I searched Barnes & Noble and Amazon for them.  I purchased Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island, books 2 and 3 in the series.  I just finished reading Anne of Avonlea.  Anne of Avonlea follows Anne as a teacher at Avonlea school.  I started Anne of the Island, the third book in the series.  I've really enjoyed this series.  Reading about Anne and her family and friends feels like I'm catching up with old friends.

As a family we are reading our way through The Chronicles of Narnia.  As mentioned in this blog post, we read a chapter aloud each night before bed.  We finished the fourth book Prince Caspian and will be starting The Voyage of the Dawn Treader..  I've really enjoyed this series.  It's very fun to finally read this piece of classic children's literature.  I enjoyed The Magician's Nephew and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe immensely.  A Boy and His Horse has so far been my least favorite book of the series.  The other three books have involved someone discovering Narnia or traveling to Narnia from our world which is why I prefer these books over A Boy and His Horse.  I'm not sure what books we will read next as a family.  Maybe the Laura Ingalls Wilder books or some other classic.

I have a list on my computer of books I want to read.  Type-A?  Probably but there are so many good books recommended by friends or little blurbs in magazines that it's impossible for me to remember them all.  Want a peak at my list?  Here it is:

Within Arm’s Length by Dan Emmet

Mother Teresa: An Authorized Biography By Kathryn Spink

A Time to Kill by John Grisham

Screwtape Letters C.S. Lewis

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader C.S. Lewis

The Silver Chair C.S. Lewis

The Last Battle C.S. Lewis

The Journey Peter Kreeft

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Room by Emma Donoghue

Fahrenheit451 by Ray Beadbury

The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K LeGuin

 The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafron

Don Quijote de la Mancha

The Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olson

The World Without You by Joshua Henkin

Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann

Tell The Wolves I’m Coming Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

The Beatles Anthology by The Beatles

The Beatles Every Little Thing by Maxwell Mackenzie

Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt

Anne of the Island by LM Montgomery

Anne of Windy Poplars (Anne of Windy Willows) by LM Montgomery

Rainbow Valley by LM Montgomery

Rilla of Ingleside by LM Montgomery

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Farmer Boy, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

On the Banks of Plum Creek, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

By the Shores of Silver Lake, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The Long Winter, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Little Town on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

These Happy Golden Years, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

The First Four Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Story of a Soul

The Help

Happier at Home  by Gretchen Rubin

The Magician’s Nephew C.S Lewis

Eat Pray Love Elizabeth Gilbert

The Thirteenth Tale Diane Setterfield

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe C.S. Lewis

The Horse and The Boy C.S. Lewis

Prince Caspian C.S. Lewis

Anne of Avonlea by LM Montgomery

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder