The Holiday Whirlwind

Maybe it's because I'm in my last trimester of pregnancy, or the fact that we've been super busy, or maybe I've just been too lazy, but I'm beginning to think I really stink at this blogging stuff! Funny thing is, I actually enjoy getting to tell friends what we've been up to and share the ups and downs in life through this platform, and yet, I suppose I just need to make time to do so.

Now that Christmas is over and baby Noah is scheduled to arrive in just over 4 1/2 weeks I suppose I'd better get in at least a short update on our family happenings!

The most exciting thing that has happened for us in the past few months has been Matt's promotion. He has been working for Old Dominion Freight Line for a few years now, first as a dock worker, then driver (around the time Nathaniel was born), and was recently promoted to Operations Manager. Any promotion of course is exciting, but I'm super proud of him for taking the initiative a few years back when he let the terminal manager know he was interested in promotion. In November the terminal manager (top guy at the Seattle terminal) approached him asking if he would be interested in the job. For those that aren't aware, drivers with the freight line report to their dispatchers, who report to their operations managers, so this was a significant jump to take all at once. I'm happy to report the new job is going well! He has been approached by several people, including the terminal manger to let him know what a great job he has been doing and that they have been able to see a significant difference in the performance of the team Matt is now overseeing. Go Matt!

So, back to holiday bliss...or was it more like a blizzard?! We hosted Christmas Day at our house this year so, being as neurotic as I can be sometimes, I set a cleaning and baking schedule for myself, being sure to work in as many fun activities for Nathaniel along the way. We had a lot of fun, but in the end, I had to remind myself that if everything didn't get done it was okay. The focus of Christmas wasn't on the completion of Crystal's ideal celebration, but on Christ's birthday after all (insert "duh!" here). 

In any case, here are a few photos from the fun we had (at least what we remembered to capture on film)!

 Lots of new bread recipes, including tasty cinnamon rolls and these bagels!

 We pulled out the Christmas Classics DVD collection to watch in the morning while breakfast was being made!

 The dogs relaxed.....a lot!

 Nathaniel met Santa last year but was so young to really understand he was sitting on some fat guy's lap. He was nervous but his pictures turned out adorable!

 Nathaniel had fun helping me make cinnamon ornaments, which we hung on the tree and around the house. He recently learned how to "smell" and was so cute going up to the tree, sticking his little nose in a scrunch and sniffing the ones that hung low enough (without touching, of course!).

 Santa hat brownies turned out okay for the Clark Family Christmas party. There were only a few casualties on the way to the event after I so delicately dumped some off the plate onto the floorboard of the car. Perfecto!

 Stole this idea from a friend and Pinterest...turned out lovely, though next year maybe I'll laminate each piece and attach a magnet to the back for re-use...and play (frosty's buttons didn't fair too well with curious N).

 Who needs new when you can get used?! One of Nathaniel's favorite gifts this year was the slide we got for....free, compliments of a good friend who passed it down. We stowed it in the garage for about a month and pulled it out on Christmas morning!

 Grandma bought Nathaniel the Charlie Brown Christmas book, which we kept on the dining room table all month. Nathaniel insisted it be read to him at each meal!

Finally, our gingerbread houses were a success! It took me quite a while to shop for good deals (some free!) on candy. I bought the last available gingerbread house cookie cutter set at Michael's crafts with a 40% off coupon, did some recipe test runs, and was able to construct houses for the kids to decorate on Christmas day. Nathaniel's house, while not covered in candy, was perfectly decorated by his little hands (on one side of the roof only...and that's the way it stayed!).

Life's Expansions

It’s about due time I update our family blog! I keep reminding myself to do so and am just now, in the fall, finding the time to sit down and document the whirlwind of a spring/summer we had.

Our latest news started back in May when Matt and I had the opportunity to take a vacation away from home for the first time in the seven and a half years since we were married. For our honeymoon we had taken a trip down to Mexico, staying at an all-inclusive resort where there was food, drink, warm ocean water, and even a swim-up bar on the property. Our taste of the tropics led us to embark on a 7-day Caribbean cruise, without then 9-month old Nathaniel (he stayed with Grandma and Grandpa for the first time).

We had a wonderful time visiting St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and a private island in the Bahamas. Our adventures included a treetop adventure on St. Maarten where we went zip-lining and a sea-turtle snorkel trip off the coast of St. Thomas. The water was incredibly warm and beautiful!!

It’s no surprise we had a wonderful time. When we got back we realized we brought home an extra souvenir....

Baby #2 is due to arrive February 1, 2012! We decided to keep it to ourselves for a couple of months and have the "big reveal" during Nathaniel's first birthday party in late July. It sure was hard waiting so long to tell our family but having Nathaniel open a framed ultrasound picture was a fun surprise!

The pregnancy has, well, frankly, it has been draining. Granted, I’m comparing this round to when I was pregnant with Nathaniel, not nauseous and full of energy. That hasn’t been the case this time around. While I never did physically throw up I was nauseous for the first 3 1/2 – 4 months during my waking hours. The tiredness hasn’t really gone away but at least I’m not feeling sick as much anymore (always a good thing!).

Because of being tired and “sick” while pregnant, the garden, once again, suffered this year. Eh….at least there is always next year. We successfully grew blueberries, raspberries, carrots, tomatoes, rhubarb, snap peas, pole beans, (a total of 2 ½ cucumbers  - lame!), and a few hot peppers, but not nearly as much as we planted. I like to blame this on the late spring we had, which I’m sure had a lot to do with it, but frankly, I could have done a much better job with the watering and care. Oh well…I’ve let it go, and I have a new walk-in bean/pea trellis, which I la-la-la-love (thanks Matt!).

So, it’s officially fall, and we’re planning our next adventure. The plan? We’re getting chicks in the spring! Operation chicken coop build has commenced and is making steady progress. Making great use of the add-on I built when I installed our shed almost five years ago now, we’ve begun closing it in and have plans (and the materials) to fence off a good-sized run in addition to the coop itself. I’m really excited about the potential of fresh eggs….I’m just hoping I can manage an active toddler, newborn, and household while I get those chicky babies up and growing! Wish me luck!

Last but not least, while we go full-speed ahead towards our 8^th wedding anniversary on the 18^th of this month, and the beginning of the holiday season, Nathaniel is growing so fast! He’s nearly walking…up to three-to-four steps at a time now (insert proud mama smile here) and is quite the gibber-gabber. His latest word attempts include “shoes”, “socks”, “Z” (for “Zieto, our shepherd…which comes out more like a spitting sound), and “night-night” (complete with a clicking of his tongue like some tribal African language). Ahh…I love watching this boy grow and learn!

Contract work is going well also. I’m back at World Vision until mid-November working on a stellar Media team and as usual when I work alongside of them, learning a ton! While I know I made the right decision to stay home with N (and the new baby) and have learned to love “not working” I still love “the work”. I can’t think of a better way to spend working time than to be contributing towards something I’m passionate about (and the extra money is great to have too!).

Last but not least:

Best purchase this year: My soy milk maker! This thing has paid itself off this month and I’ve come to really enjoy the fresh soymilk without extra junk (like sugar and other chemicals) that commercial soy milk includes. Bad news is my milk sensitivity has seemed to worsen a bit…but that’s probably because it’s out of my system now and I can tell a huge difference when I consume something I’ve made/baked/cooked with milk.

Looking forward to: The arrival of our new bread machine. This was a huge splurge for us and we went for the home bakery system by Zojirushi. I’ve heard nothing but great things about this machine after researching and price quoting it for a few months now. I’m happy to report we were able to get an awesome deal on one and should have it in a few weeks. So…if my house smells of freshly baked bread every week, you’ll know you can come grab a slice!

Have a safe fall, enjoy your families, and I’ll try to keep updated more often as to avoid the subject-skipping extended posts in the future!

Homespun

Okay, so I guess I've been a little granola, or crafty these past two weeks. While I've been waiting on more contract work to be ready I've really enjoyed trying a few new things I thought I'd share. 

1. Making baby food

I don’t have ice cube trays yet to store large amounts of food but I’ve been starting to make more of Nathaniel’s food. While I could probably set all those glass Earth’s Best Organics baby food jars aside and take them to a recycling facility I end up just throwing them in the garbage since our waste management doesn’t accept glass off the curb. I hate throwing away so many baby food jars….and spending nearly $1 for each jar when I know I can make the same thing for pennies on the dollar. He has been enjoyed mixtures like pear, plum, mango and sweet potato carrot.

2. Dryer balls

I’ve been wanting to get my hands on a set of these balls ever since a friend told me about them after I started cloth diapering since dryer sheets shouldn’t be used. Dryer balls don’t cause any buildup on the material, cut static, and speed up drying time. Since so many people sell them on sites like etsy (something I’m thinking about) I knew I could figure out how to make them myself. I contacted a wool mill in Pennsylvania and had a couple pounds shipped. I just finished them up and am putting them to good use!

Wool balls inserted into a nylon stocking and ready for the felting process

Completed wool dryer balls!

3. Homemade pasta

I’m guilty of having a pasta making tool for a few years and NEVER opening the box….until now. As a side to the filet minion and mashed cauliflower with cheese, I decided to do a garlic and olive oil tossed pasta side. I’m happy to report that not only was it much easier than I thought it would be, it was also delicious!

4. Wetbag

This project has been on my to-do list for a couple of months now. To avoid dragging plastic sacks everywhere we go I have now equipped the diaper bag with an adorable wetbag to store dirty diapers (or anything else wet) until we get back home. I found a cute pattern at the fabric store at a fabulous price and picked up a brand new zipper for .10 at the thrift store (hurrah me!).

Completed wetbag

5. Cucumber/pea/bean trellis

I’m hoping this project is wrapped up within the next few weeks so we’ll be ready to plant once the frost date passes. I’m in the process of digging up the sod where we’re going to place the trellis and the last four pieces of lumber are waiting for their last coat of stain (I’m planning on doing that today).

6. Making soy milk

I’ve been drinking soy milk ever since I found out I have an allergy to dairy a few years ago. I really enjoy soy milk but it is SO darn expensive! When I learned there is a way to make soy milk from the comfort of home I just had to give it a try. From beans to milk the process took a bit of time but I did it! I understand they have soy milk making machines….one might just end up on my Christmas list this year!

Dry soy beans

Soak overnight

Blend with water

Simmer for 20 minutes

Strain through cheesecloth

From start to finish

And…as I stay busy with projects around the house I’m getting ready to take on another contract job and go on our cruise. I’m more excited for the cruise!

Ready, set, spring!

Spring is finally here!

I’ve been waiting ever so patiently for the sun to come out and the past couple of days couldn’t be more beautiful! Spring around the Clark household means one delightful thing….Crystal gets to play in the garden again!

While this may prove to be much more challenging than in years past because of our little bundle of joy, I was able to pull out a blanket, a few toys, and have my little man accompany me out in the backyard today to play. Toys were fun for a while but then we decided to play in the dirt and plant our first four rows of seeds in hopes that some of the early veggies will be able to outlast any additional frosts (our last frost date in Puyallup is not until May this year – ugh!).

Nathaniel inspects a handful of dirt before planting seeds.

Today we put one row each of radishes, beets, Swiss chard, and cauliflower into one of our raised beds. In addition, our hot peppers are begiining to flourish in the garden window. We tried these last year as well with not much luck but wanted to give them a go again since we've had huge success with jalapenos and serrano chilies in the past.

 The rhubarb starter I picked up at the Puyallup farmer's market last summer is taking off this year.

My next project is a 8X4 bean/cucumber/pea trellis. Matt took me to the hardware store this weekend to pick up the materials (2x2x8 boards and wire fencing material). I stained the boards with an oil based stain to protect the wood from the weather and insects and will hopefully be working on the construction soon!

Everyone has their own journey

Someone once told me I should write a book about my life; that my experiences would equate to some interesting content and pages of an entire book could be filled with them.  I think about that conversation and have to laugh a little. While it would be a fun outlet to write a book about myself, doesn’t facebook do that for us all each and every day? 

After all, hundreds of my “friends” and I get to post about the ins and outs of our lives. Most post daily, or multiple times a day about the places they get to go, or are going to go, the things they’ve just finished doing, or the plans they have, how they’re feeling at the moment, and what the dog just did that was so funny. Status updates give us an insider’s view of another person’s life, and so often “their” life seems so much more fantastic than our own.

And yet, no one more fully understands your emotions in the cycle of victories and challenges more that yourself and God do.

My mom was telling me the other day about an article she read about social media and how “status updates” can sometimes skew your view of someone’s life. While I’m not about to analyze the psychological aspects of facebook and other media outlets, it did get me to think about how others might perceive my life, based upon the things that I’ve put on-line.

I understood my friend’s suggestion about writing a book. I do have a VERY interesting life, but so do you. Everyone has their own unique story that is filled with challenges, victories, and everything in between. One day my life’s story will be presented and I know it will be a good one.

I’m defiantly not perfect. I’ve made my share of mistakes. Some that seem bigger than life, but life isn’t all glamour and glitz. It’s not all about envious experiences and endless joy. The lowest places in my life have (in hindsight) made me stronger and more reliant upon Him and while I might struggle with one thing or another day to day I can sit back and know that I have it made, simply because I have a perfect Father whom I can look up to, lean on, ask for guidance, celebrate with, and be comforted by.

Who knows, I might write a book some day, but even if I do it won’t be outstanding. To the One who matters, my life is just as important as yours. I have one shot at this one so I’m not about to take it for granted!

New Beginnings

I was standing in the kitchen yesterday beginning my newly formed dinner prep routine while thinking about the past several weeks.  I began to cry. It wasn’t the onion, those tears would come next. Rather, I suddenly became overwhelmed with how much I’ve been blessed. 

Just one month ago I felt anguish trying to decide whether to leave my role at a company I love. Having worked for World Vision since my internship began in 2005 I’ve had ups and downs stretching my post-college wings.

My internship turned into a temporary position that lasted nine months before turning permanent. A couple of years later a departmental re-organization earned me a role as a mass marketing project manager that ended when the company was forced to conduct a reduction in force (layoff) resulting from a bad economy. 

Having the rest of the summer to enjoy, I spent most of my days out in the yard constructing new garden areas, weeding, and planting – a new passion was born! I kept the house spotless and had time in between job interviews here and there to catch up with friends and prepare meals. I was incredibly stressed knowing we needed an additional income if we were going to keep paying our bills. Somehow, with Matt’s limited income at the time and the measly unemployment checks I was receiving, we were able to make ends meet. This wouldn’t be possible without the help of friends and family who helped provide us decent meals in between our rice and bean dinners and the gas money I was earning working on the side for a friend’s janitorial company.

Going from prominent “Project Manager” to night custodian might be a jolt to any person’s ego but at times it was also humiliating and humbling. From recognition to stares of no recollection, emptying trash cans and cleaning bathrooms did little for my self-worth, especially when staff at the clinics I was cleaning looked at me like I was trash myself. And yet, having been laid off might have been the best thing that could have possibly happened to me. I worked side by side with “those” types of people and began to love and enjoy them. Before I ended my tenure with JTS Cleaning not only did I began to see the world and the people in it through a much different lens, but we also learned how to live much simpler and what our income needs really were.

I eventually was called back to World Vision to help as a temporary employee following the devastating earthquakes in both Haiti and Chile and then competed and was hired into a 1-year contract position that turned permanent six months later.  Shortly after the news of my pregnancy, while I was working with the media department, Matt felt led to leave his volunteer position as Lieutenant/EMT with the fire department, something that he was passionate about and had spent the previous seven years doing. Within a couple of months, as I was settling into my contract position, he was asked to attend driver training with his company, leading to a full-time driver position that would take him away from the poorly paid dock work he had been doing.

We welcomed the birth of our son, Nathaniel, on July 26, 2010.

I had to return to work eight weeks post-partum. I dropped Nathaniel off with Matt’s mom and tried to say goodbye without losing it, which was not successful! I cried all the way to work and was able to pull it together before entering the building. The day couldn’t have gone slower as I attempted to assimilate myself back. Before I knew it I was rushing back to pick up my baby.

This routine continued for several months and nearly made me late for work on a few occasions. I felt like I was a part-time parent, pulling Nathaniel out of bed before he was ready, getting him dressed and out the door. I tried to hold and play with him for the few short minutes I had each morning but would too soon be forced to pass him off and leave for the day. Once I was at work and was distracted with my responsibilities I was okay but each evening I would rush back and snuggle him, get him home and have to leave him sitting in his car seat while I hauled his stuff and my stuff out of the car, milk into the refrigerator, feed the dogs, etc, all at super speed. We would commence our nightly routine of feeding, pajamas on, and then he would have to play by himself while I would attempt to throw something together for dinner. It was off to read a book, sing a song, and put him into his crib, all within a span of two hours, just to repeat over beginning in the morning. Nathaniel wouldn’t nap well when he was away from home and I was miserable.

I drafted and submitted a part-time proposal all while debating whether or not I could or should just quit and stay home with him full-time. With the incredible support of Matt and months of mental deliberation, I went for the later. The part-time had been approved and the workload was locked and loaded. I just couldn’t do it. I gave my three week notice - - probably the longest three weeks of my life but I wanted to make sure I could wrap up as much of my open projects as possible.

And so, about 1 ½ weeks into my new role as Executive Mommy, I’m standing in the kitchen sobbing. Not because the new job is going horribly, but because it couldn’t be going better. How and why am I so blessed to have the opportunity to hold down my dream job, at least for now?