Unexpected Surprises

What Matt and I woke up to this morning:

Two to three inches and still falling...

Thought I'd heard a rumor it is Spring.

That Smile

One of my preoccupations is trying to make Matt laugh (or at least smile). Since he's the one gifted with a great sense of humor, well crafted punch lines and perfect timing, I skip the jokes. What does that leave in my arsenal then? Silliness. :)

Every morning I see Matt off to work, at least every morning that I'm not going with him or heading out to take care of the baby. Outside of our wood door, we have an almost full glass door. I stand inside with that door closed and watch him while he gets in his truck to pull off. Then, we wave just as he turns out and gets to the end of the drive.

In the cold weather, he often takes a little longer, needing to scrape ice off of his truck windows. That leaves me standing at the door longer, watching and waiting. This morning, I saw that no one else (no neighbors) were outside. Matt is often very focused and getting in his intense work mode at this point in the morning, so I, of course, wanted to see that smile. That handsome, adorable smile. The one I see when I'm silly and he can't help but be amused. So...I started dancing :) 

He didn't look up...Hmph. He moved around the truck to the other side. I danced again. He didn't look up. Erg. Hmph. Oh. Wait. That smile. There it is. Hmm...Did he catch a glimpse? He's coming back to the driver's side, maybe he'll look up this time. I danced for him one last time and I got to see that broad, amused grin as he looked down, almost trying to hide it. Hee hee

I may not have much to draw from, but I love bringing a smile to his face. I'm crazy about that man.

Low Price Wonder

Several years ago, a friend mentioned in passing how much she loved shopping at Aldi. She was so emphatic that I was convinced. 

I looked up the address for the nearest location and dropped by one day to check it out. Somehow, I was inadequately prepared. No quarter for the cart. No shopping bags for my groceries. Not enough cash on hand (I didn't use a check card then). My options were very limited. 

That's the short and pleasant version. The longer, embarrassingly awkward version includes me reaching for a cart, finding resistance and yanking on it noisily trying to fight it loose of whatever that thing was...oh...wait...it's purposefully attached. Uh...blushing every shade of red at the attention I must have drawn at my ignorance, I nearly skulked back to my car deeming it not worth it. Deciding I'd matured enough I could press on through the embarrassment, I proceeded into the store. 

I saw several things I needed, so I began picking up items one by one, filling my arms and nearly holding it in the excess of my shirt. A cart would have been helpful. I staggered on to stand in line at the check out...who cared if I was looking the fool...I was beyond the point of embarrassment, what was left to lose?! Putting my items on the belt, I felt relief that I was done looking and being awkward in this new experience. Uh...wait...she's not bagging my groceries. What do I do now?! 

Fortunately the checker had mercy on me and offered up a spare cart so I could get the items to my car. Then, it was time to pay. No credit card. Oh...I didn't know. Check card...I don't have one. Any other options? Whew...I wrote a check. I pushed my cart toward the car thinking I was on the home stretch and then I remembered, I parked in a space up a hill and over a curb. There was no way to push the cart close to my car.

When I made the turn into what I thought was the Aldi parking lot, I found out it was actually a neighboring one. Since I wouldn't be buying much, I didn't think it would matter. With no grocery bags on hand, it mattered.

I parked the cart at the bottom of the hill, grabbed as many items as I could carry, went up the hill, stowed the load and went back for more. When I finally settled into my car, it was certain I'd never darken the door of an Aldi again.

Fast forward...I'm living in another city, motivated to cut expenses on food and my mom suggests Aldi. Mom and Dad shop there often and have enjoyed everything they've tried. You're right, Mom, I should try that.

It only took a couple of weeks and off I went for another try: 

This time I was prepared and it was a great success! For me, I guess the second time was the charm. I'll be back.

Meal Planning

My sister has been working her meal plan for as long as I can remember. She just celebrated her 20th anniversary, so she's had plenty of years to perfect her system. I love it. 

When I knew Matt and I would marry, meal planning was one of my main preoccupations. I looked up tons of recipes and saved them to my computer. I scheduled meals over the course of a few months and began making up grocery shopping lists. 

The only flaw in my use of her system was a lack of practical day-to-day cooking experience. I found out quickly that I'd over planned. Well, actually, it took a while to realize that, but ultimately one of my issues early on was that I planned to cook a meal every night during the week. When using new recipes, I'd follow it exactly rather than reducing the amount to serve two people with one or two days of leftovers for his lunches. I ended up with tons of leftovers, a full refrigerator, ruining produce and fewer nights to cook than planned (when Matt had unexpected business dinners), so it was my management of the plan that was messed up. :)

That led to a slight, but temporary abandonment of planning well in advance. Now that I'm returning to it, I'm taking it a little slower. It also seems to be helping me to think differently as I plan. 

I've come up with some basic categories...Mexican, Pasta, Sandwiches, Soup/Stew/Chili, Pizza, Homestyle, Fried, Stir Fry, Casserole, Salad, Breakfast and Veggies...to guide my recipe selection and scheduling. On weekend nights, I choose simpler meals. It's also a part of the plan to try a couple of new recipes every 3-4 weeks. The only recipes that make it to the rotation are ones we really, really like. 

This is what my meal plan is looking like these days...

Meal plan for March

Though it's much too small for you to read, you get the idea. Maybe this shot will give you a better idea. 

Well, maybe if you squint :)

Thanks, Sis! for a great way to simplify life. This is SO much better than figuring it out as I go day to day. There's little need anymore to run to the store for that one missing ingredient.  

Do you have a meal planning system? If so, what do you do?  

Moby

As you know, if you've been keeping up with my blog, I've been taking care of a friend's baby once a week for a little while now. He is precious. 

One of the things he loves is being held (is there any surprise?!). He's about 15 weeks old now. One of the things I've learned is that I need to lift weights more often. (No worries...I'm working on that.) In the meantime, I decided an assist might be helpful.

Another friend used a Moby wrap with her two children and I remembered her saying she loved using it. In fact, I thought I'd want one when we have a baby one day. So, after receiving a catalog showing the regular price, a 20% off of one item coupon and a gift card with a decent balance, I decided to buy one to use with the boy. It seemed worth it for $15!

Knowing that no two days are exactly alike, I didn't expect to use it the next day, but took it just so it would be available. As it turned out, the opportunity presented itself and we went for our first walk through the neighborhood! 

Yes, he slept comfortably and soundly while I got some good exercise. I have a new appreciation for military training, understanding the difference made by the extra weight of a pack!

 

He was sleeping so well, I continued baby-wearing after we went home.