Precious moments

There have been many times in my life where I wished I could just hit the pause button and freeze certain moments in time.  Lately, it seems like I am feeling that more and more.  My little girl has hit that precious transition between baby and little girl, and while I love the little girl she is becoming, I already miss the baby she was.  The phases seem so short and fleeting, and just when I feel like I can fully appreciate a new phase she is in it is over and on to the next one.  And during the tumultuous toddler years I know the sweet, calm phases can be short lived and therefore need to be appreciated even more.

The past few days she has positively oozed cuteness from every pore.  I’ve been priveledged to spend plenty of uninterrupted time with her, which feels rare these days considering the hectic schedule I am constantly trying to keep up with.  She has been playful, talkative, cuddly, and curious.  We’ve had conversations about everything under the sun (some of it I didn’t understand, but she sure seemed to be interested!)  We’ve read books over and over with her sitting on my lap, pointing to pictures and giggling.  We’ve sung songs and played in the park and she let me kiss her chubby cheeks as much as I wanted to. 

This morning she greeted me with her usual cheery, ” ‘I Mama!” as I walked in her room to get her up.  She jabbered as I got her ready for the day.  We said hello to the world as we opened the blinds to let the sun in, and I told her I would make her a waffle for breakfast. 

“Faffle!” she exclaimed, her face lighting up as I put her down to get things ready.

“Faffle!”  she chirped over and over, stamping her feet in a happy dance, her little fists balled up in excitement and a smile on her face.  “Faffle!”

It’s times like that I wish I could put under glass to preserve for a later time when I know things may be challenging.  I do my best to capture the moment in my mind, but just like all the other moments I’ve tried so hard to preserve I know time will dim the edges and make it blurry and hard to recapture. 

Still, I am grateful I will have the memory, even if it is imperfect.  Someday I will likely get a letter like this tucked under my pillow, and I’ll wistfully remember the day I was my daughter’s hero because I made her a “faffle”:

I found this today on one of my favorite websites- PassiveAggressiveNotes- and it cracked me up.  Not exactly the love note mom was hoping for, I’m sure!  I suppose it could be worse though, right?

Tags: funny note, kids, precious moments

Home again, home again…

Well, I’m back from a week in the Caribbean.  It’s ok if you’re jealous, you probably should be.  We had a great time.  Explored some AMAZING beaches, ate a lot of good food, went on some adventures, got good and sunburned, and enjoyed relaxing with my sweetheart.

Now its back to the daily grind.  I’m trying to muster up some enthusiasm but am having a tough time.  After seeing the beautiful sights of St. Martin, St. Thomas, and Grand Turk, it’s hard to return to the drab routine.  Don’t get me wrong, I am happy to be home.  But I miss the color of life in the Caribbean.  The vibrant greens and blues and pinks and oranges.  Sometimes I feel my life here is so…gray.  Gray winter outside.  Gray townhomes.  Gray carpet and cubicle walls at work.  Blah…..

We’ve been Googling job opportunities and housing in St. Thomas since we got back.  Maybe it will become a reality someday…?

Tags: Caribbean, fun, vacation

Maybe a name change is in order…?

I’m starting to think that the name of this site should’ve been “Domesticating Rachel” or something along those lines, since that seems to be what is happening lately.  I think I’ve mentioned it before, but I’m really enjoying learning to do all the “housewifely” things I didn’t know how to do before.  I really think that homemaking skills are becoming a lost art, which is sad.  Don’t get me wrong, I would consider myself a “progressive female”, but I still think there are basic skills that women traditionally used to have that shouldn’t be left behind.

*Side note!*  We were recently looking through a family history book about my husband’s side of the family and came across the story of a woman named Caroline, who is my new hero.  She was described as a “progressive female” because she was thrown in jail for voting before the 19th Amendment was passed.  Hearing that made me want to pump my fist and cheer!  I LOVE strong women like that!  It makes me wonder if I would’ve been brave enough to do the same thing had I lived back then.

Anyway, a little while ago we had some leftover ham that needed to be used.  I thought, hey!  Why not make a quiche? Even though I’ve never done anything like that before in my life, I figured it was worth a shot.  While I was at the grocery store I picked up a frozen pie crust. It just seemed to make sense to buy a pre-made one.  I’ve never made a pie crust before!  And looky!  There’s one right here!  Easy!  But, I paused and thought about it.  What would a frugalista do? She would make a pie crust from scratch, that’s what.  Especially considering I already had all the ingredients for one at home.  I had no excuse.

So I went home, broke out the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook (a great resource for how to do the basics) and attempted my first pie crust.  I’ll admit, I was nervous.  Would it be too tough?  Would it be soggy?  Everyone loves a perfect, flaky pie crust but I didn’t know how to achieve it.

Turns out, it’s not as hard as I thought.

BEHOLD!

It was a thing of beauty.  The crust itself wasn’t exactly perfect looking, but it sure tasted good.  So did the rest of the quiche!

Now I can’t wait to try a whole pie from scratch!  I just need an excuse to make one…

Tags: pie crust, quiche, success

Running beside the wagon

Here’s the thing about frugal living: you have to think about it EVERY SINGLE DAY.  At least at first.  It’s not easy making the change, especially when your husband suggests Del Taco because nothing else at home sounds good and we have no leftovers from previous dinners.  Sure, we have other food on hand.  Sure, I could make something from scratch.  But if I have to expend energy to stand on my feet and cook something for lunch (lunch!  Who cooks something for lunch??) (the more I type the word ‘lunch’ the funnier it looks.  Ha!  Lunch lunch lunch…) (where was I?)…Oh yes, I am not going to expend precious energy to creatively combine random pantry ingredients to cook a satisfying lunch from scratch EVERY DAY.  That’s crazy talk.

Needless to say, my zeal for frugal living has it’s ups and downs.

Clearly, I have the wrong frame of mind.  The key to frugal living is Big Picture type thinking.  The little sacrifices, the planning ahead, the constant effort…it all pays off in the end.  In the end you’ll have extra money to [insert desired activity/item here].  But some days it is really hard to think Big Picture.  Sometimes I can’t help but just think about Right Now.  And Right Now mama’s tired and wants a burrito.

I’m not off the frugal-livin’-n-lovin’ wagon yet, just kind of dangling off the edge a little and dragging my feet in the sand.  And I’ll get back on.  Just you wait.  One day I’ll be driving that bad boy.  Just you wait…

Tags: frugal living, thinking