The Birds

You ever seen The Birds? Um, I think we're about to be living it. In the last week there are suddenly Birds! Everywhere! Clark came home last night to report that there were about a dozen birds on our front lawn, in addition to the dozen on our back lawn, in addition to all the birds on the side of the house, and in the trees. They are everywhere! And they make quite the racket at dusk and dawn. Quite. The. Racket. Not that it really bothers me, I'm up long before dawn and in bed long after dusk, but it's a little unnerving.

I know, I should be grateful that it's spring, birds are singing, the weather is lovely, blah blah blah. But dude. Have you seen that movie? It's creepy. And there is no resolution in the end, the birds are still crazy and everywhere, they just run away. And there isn't even any music AT ALL in the whole show, except for when the school children sing their song, which makes it even creepier! And it's happening in my backyard!

I also think it's especially appropriate, because Clark and I talked about how we needed to watch The Birds after the birds were over. Apparently we don't need to watch it. We just need to keep a weather eye out for the actual birds. If you don't hear from us for a few days, send help. The birds are attacking.

Would you like to take a survey?

I just spent a few minutes filling out this blogging questionnaire. Apparently this girl is doing her thesis on blogging, and needs some help with her research. It did take a little chunk of time, but it's all in the name of research! And if someone has to go through the hell that is writing a thesis, the least I can do is fill out a survey to help them out.

She is also going to have a drawing for two $100 gift certificates to Target. I don't know about you, but I could always use $100 at Target. So you should go check it out.

Veggies

I've been thinking lately about vegetables. (And half the readers [so, 2 people] just clicked away from this post, because who wants to read about vegetables?)

Mostly I've been thinking about how I've been a self-proclaimed vegetable hater for such a long time, but really, that isn't true anymore.

So I set out to make a list. A list of vegetables I like. And then I thought I should also make a list of vegetables I don't like. And then it occurred to me that the reality is I like most vegetables. I just don't like them steamed and sitting all by their lonesome on my plate. I think I've mentioned this before, but broccoli is the perfect example. Steamed broccoli? Blegh. No thank you. Broccoli cheese soup? Yes, please, I'll take seconds! You see what I'm saying here? It's the solitary taste of the vegetables alone I cannot stand.

Anyway, in case you were interested, here are a couple of lists detailing my vegetable likes and dislikes:

Vegetables I Always Say No To:
-Green Beans
-Iceberg Lettuce

Vegetables I Enjoy Only When They Are Not Alone:
-Cabbage
-Peas
-Cucumber
-Bell Peppers
-Carrots
-Broccoli
-Tomatillos (though I'm not sure if I've ever had them by themselves, just in sauces and things. But I like them, so they count)
-Onions, shallots, leeks (I felt that I should include them, but really, is there anyone who likes a plain onion?)

Vegetables I Think are Delightful Anytime:
-Celery
-Spinach
-Kale
-Lettuce (non-Iceberg varieties)
-Avocado
-Acorn Squash
-Butternut Squash
-Zucchini
-Yellow Squash
-Basically all squash
-Corn
-Tomatoes
-Artichokes
-Cauliflower
-Okra
-Potatoes
-Sweet Potatoes
-Yams
-Asparagus (this is a new one)

Do you see how that first list has only 2 things on it? HA! I don't think that someone with 2 kinds of vegetables on their hate list can be called a vegetable hater. I guess I'm just a preparation snob. And it just so happens that I don't like the 2 classic vegetables of America. Or plain peas and/or carrots, which are like the third and fourth classic vegetables of America.

And finally, here is a list of
Vegetables I haven't tried (at least not to my memory)
-Beets
-Brussels Sprouts
-Chards
-Collard Greens
-Endive
-Jicama
-Parsnips
-Turnips
-Rutabagas
-Radishes
-Eggplant (I swear I've had eggplant before, but I can't for the life of me think of what it tastes like. So it goes on this list)

I'm thinking I've got to get my hands on some eggplant soon. I want to try to make ratatouille, see how I like it.

If you think of any other vegetables, please, pass it along.

Weekly Quote 3/22/10

"I'm stuck! I want to go home!"

This was what Julia said approximately 7000 times on our way home from South Jordan last weekend. It turns out, Julia, we KNOW you're stuck, we put you there, and we're GOING HOME!

New quote up!

Oh Danny

In honor of this fine St Patrick's Day, I thought we should all enjoy this rousing version of Danny Boy.



I'm sure you've seen it before. But today, of all days, you should watch it again. And if you're in Lieto with me, you now know why it's hard for me not to laugh every time we sing that song.

Also, as a side note, Julia has green milk today. Because I thought it was fun.

Weekly Quote 3/15/10

"Sometimes, it's the boring stuff I remember the most."

That was from Up. I love that movie. New quote up!

The Big PT

One week ago, we embarked on a great adventure at our house. We decided the time had come to introduce Julia to the world of potty training. The Big PT. I figured she was ready, since she would go (by herself) into the bathroom, take off her pants, sit on the potty (w/a diaper on), and poop without any prodding. And she was starting to take off her diaper at random times. SO. We embarked.

Monday was a hard day. Many accidents. Lots of tears. Much tribulation.

Tuesday, she had zero accidents. Notta one! The whole day!

She hasn't had a zero accident day since then, but she usually keeps it down to 1 or 2. And usually they are when I am in the shower, or not paying attention. (Though, I'd like to know, how can a kid who JUST WENT POTTY have an accident in the 10 minutes I'm in the shower? Seriously? She needs to go every 15 minutes? I don't think so. I wasn't pleased by that one this morning.)

She still wears a pull-up during naptime (though she usually stays dry during naptime, we just wear it as a precaution), and at night. It'll probably be a while before she can go through the night. But that's ok. She's doing a great job with daytime toilet usage.

I have to remind myself that she is, in fact, pretty new at this whole thing, so having accidents is to be expected. It's only been 1 week after all! But I think we can safely say that she has left the diapers behind, and is loving her Hello Kitty panties.

I can't call her my baby girl anymore. She's my big girl!

Unprecedented

Last week, I discovered a little thing called Bountiful Baskets. Cheryl offered to share a basket with me, see if I liked it and if I wanted to do it. Basically, it's a food co-op where people come together to benefit from inexpensive produce. And it was great, so I did it on my own this week. And I am LOVING it!

I picked up my food, and was kind of in shock at how much there was. (And at how heavy it was, I might have to make Clark go get it in the future, as my belly gets bigger and my lifting abilities become more restricted.) I would have taken a picture, but remember how I never take pictures? Not even of my first born experiencing the beach for the first time? Right. Like a box of produce would inspire me more than the ocean. Anyway, here's a list of all the delicious things we received:

• 1 head of iceburg lettuce
• 2 bunches of asparagus
• 1 head of red leaf lettuce
• 2 bunches of spinach
• 8 cucumbers
• 7 zucchini
• 2 cartons (6oz each) of blueberries
• 1 lb of strawberries
• 7 Concord pears
• 8 Braeburn apples
• 10 bananas
• 20 tangelos
  

They weren't kidding when they called them "bountiful." All for the low cost of $19.50. And that was including the $3 fee for first timers. Next time it'll only be $16.50. Oh, and I also got a tortilla pack, which included 3 dozen 13" flour tortillas, 2 dozen 6" flour tortillas, and 2 dozen 6" corn tortillas, for $10. We have a lot of tortillas in our freezer now. Which I am FINE with. They are yummy.

The best part of all this (and the main reason for this post) is I have fresh produce in our house, that I normally wouldn't buy because I either don't know how to prepare it or don't know that I'll like it, that I am actually using. That's right! I'm eating it! This is a major accomplishment for a former vegetable hater like me.

On Saturday, we made a stir-fry. I have never made stir-fry in my life. But we had so many vegetables, I felt like we should give it a whirl. It had broccoli, carrots, asparagus, zucchini, and chicken. And I ate (most of it) up. I still can't stomach large amounts of broccoli. But I ate some of it. And I liked the asparagus. Yes, I liked it. Clark mentioned that it was probably the most amount of vegetables consumed in one meal our entire marriage. And he is probably right.

I also had a tangelo for the first time ever. I was a little wary since I don't much care for either tangerines or grapefruit, but when you've got 20 sitting in your fridge, you've got to suck it up and try it. Turns out if you mix those tastes together, they are great! The too-tart grapefruit mixed with the too-sweet tangerine is a delightful combination - they cancel each other out to leave a tasty citrus fruit. And wow, they are juicy. Like, dripping down to your elbow juicy. And I never would have tried it if not for Bountiful Baskets.

If you live in AZ, UT, ID, NV, or WA, you should check it out.

Weekly Quote 3/8/10

"La, la, la, LINOLEUM!"

Last week's quote (last month's quote? I'm really not doing well here) was from Bert. Of Bert and Ernie. New quote up!

February Recap

So, I don't know if you noticed, but it's March. I'm not exactly sure how that happened. I guess I got all caught up in my great love of February I didn't notice it passing so quickly. But here we are, in the month of St Patrick's Day and spring (especially here in St George). It's seriously lovely weather down here, so I would highly recommend you all make plans to get down here as soon as possible to enjoy it before that terrible season who shall not be named arrives and I flee the area. Or at least hunker down in my air conditioning. With a large pregnant belly. And prepare to give birth. Yikes.

But the point is, I was not the best blogger about all the events of February, so here is a smattering of what went down:

1. Of course, the happiest event was saying goodbye to the "birds." This was obviously taken in January. But actually, I still have a couple of them still up, just as a reminder I guess. It couldn't be that I'm too lazy to take them down. No. I'm sure that's not it.

2. Julia watched a lot of shows. And was entranced. I think we should start calling her Little Pink Riding Hood.

3. Clarky had a birthday! He is now old, like me. So old, in fact, that he didn't even want a cake on his birthday. Since his birthday fell on the last of four 12 hour shifts, and he knew he'd be too exhausted to care about anything, he requested that we not make a big deal out of it. And that we not have a big cake that we can't eat. So we had birthday muffins! What everyone has always wanted!

And he opened presents! Hooray for new shoes! And MarioKart! And books! And gift cards!

And that was about it. Since he got home at 7, Julia goes to bed at 8, and he was exhausted by 10, the birthday cheer on his birthday was limited this year. Kind of sad. But then. . .

4. It was Valentine's Day! The actual day wasn't anything terribly spectacular (lots of church meetings came first) but I did actually make Valentines and send them out before V-Day! And some people even got cookies! I thought the Valentines were pretty cute. My matchbox creations:

5. Julia discovered the fine art of "dress-up." And insisted on wearing this to the mall one day. I say, why not? She probably brightened someone else's day. I know she brightened mine :)

6. I got a lot of help in the kitchen. Every time I start to make dinner or cookies or just about anything, Julia drags a chair over so she can stand next to me and help. She especially likes to stir, "All by myself!"

7. Julia also likes to find the camera and play with it, "All by myself!"

And then, when I take it away from her, she says, "It's not my own camera," with tears in her eyes. (This is a common phrase around our house these days. "It's not my own phone," "It's not my own purse," "It's not my own pencil." And then she cries and throws herself on the floor. Delightful.)

8. We watched the Olympics! Not nearly as often as we would have liked to, but what we saw was great. Julia even got semi-snuggly for the occasion.

9. We had visitors! My parents came down on their way to San Diego, and then Clark's parents came down for the Parade of Homes. We had a lot of fun hiking, looking at homes, eating at Brick Oven, and swimming at the hotel. We even discovered that Julia needed a new "wimming poot" as the one she recently got from her cousin Lauren looks more like a singlet.

10. We went to San Diego! We were there this past weekend, living it up with the Millars. We went to the beach, and Balboa park, and the Chicken Pie Shop, and visited family, and played Fantan. And I got exactly 0 pictures of the whole thing. Because I am awesome like that.

11. My belly got bigger. Here I am at 20 weeks pregnant:

Halfway there! And I haven't even busted out the maternity pants yet, though we are getting close.

And that is February at the Blockburger household in 11 easy steps. And now that Julia has eaten almost my entire apple, and managed to find, open, and eat a granola bar, I'd better hit publish and pay attention to my daughter.