just call me suzy homemaker.

(really, when did i get so domestic? 5 years ago, i would NEVER have believed i'd turn into a cook-from-scratch, quilting, mini-van queen of suburbia. if my old firm could see me now, i'm not sure they'd recognize me. actually, they'd pry point & laugh. whatever. they're all soul-less corporate bloodsuckers anyways.)

& on to the substance of the post:
- i have decided that binding quilts is NOT my thing. it's a necessary evil, but i think this part is where i would give in & use a sewing machine. if i had one. i finally got the right color thread to finish the blankie i'm making for one of the dudes, but binding is sooo lame & tedious. sigh.
- i tried making bread for the first time the other day & it came out AWESOME. (yeah, i'm bragging. sorry.) N liked it so much he didn't believe i had actually made it. i'm planning a repeat for tonight, & i have to say, there is something really pleasant about raw bread dough. it's warm, it smells all yeasty & it's fun to punch down. seriously, it's a good time. i highly recommend it. :)
- i am *almost* done christmas shopping. & in a real shocker, for once i actually know what i want to get for every single person left on my list. that never happens & it makes me pretty happy to actually go finish shopping instead of dreading the slog through the super-crowded stores. being prepared for once is making me feel all festive. now if only i could get N to turn on the christmas lights outside...

sunday soup & sleepless babies

em is totally protesting any nap that does not include mama today. sigh.
she's not crying, so i'm letting her work it out for now. which likely means she will sleep little to not at all this afternoon. which in turn will make for a looooong evening.
we've been going thru some super fun sleep regression with the little miss as well. i went from having a great sleeper, to a little monkey who will NOT pass out before 11, no matter how tired she is, & then wakes oh, say, every 3 hours or so all night long. this has been going on for 2 weeks now. we have a nice quiet nighttime routine already in place, so i'm just persevering in hopes that she will eventually rediscover the joys of sleep. maybe i'll try throwing a warm bath in at night & see if that helps knock her little baby self into dream land.

the kids & i made a trip to the local kroger's this morning for onions, (i have a really yummy lentil soup planned for tonight & onions are not optional), & i was reminded once again why i hate shopping on sundays. playing grocery cart chicken with upity ladies in church hats while toting 3 babies & enjoying odd leers from men in their purple pin-striped sunday best is not that cool. altho the kids were all good as gold, & we got the required onions.

my folks will be over for dinner tonight, since they're just getting back from up north, & they never have any food in their fridge. plus, my mom is dying to see her grandbabies after a whole week (gasp!) away from them.

& that's my sunday in a nutshell. how's yours?

perogis, part II

in response to questions:

perogis are kind of like a polish dumpling. they're little dough pockets stuffed with filling, usually potato or cheese, altho i usually do mine with saurkraut, bacon & sour cream, per N's preference.

yup, they are completely from scratch & one of the few polish dishes i really do well (if i do say so myself). they are a HUGE pain to make, but i always make a huge batch & freeze them (which is why i made them now, so we can have them to munch on after 3 gets here.)

N is really good about eating all my spicy armenian/lebanese cooking, so i learned how to do his grandma's (aka busia's) kapusta & perogis so i can give the poor polock a treat on occasion.

next on my list of cooking to freeze is a giant batch of pasties (they're a northen michigan thing) but they'll be happening tomorrow, as i need a break after the perogi marathon!



oh-- if where i am was just a bit closer to hamtramck, we would totally hit up the polish shops for N... maybe this summer i'll drag him out there anyways so he can have a taste of home :)

I LOVE my blender & other news

i do. it's awesome. i insisted N get me a new fancy one that was also a food processor, & i love it. it rocks. i make most of the dudes' baby food (except carrots & beets & spinach. something about nitrites (nitrates?) in the soil that is bad for babies. apparently Ger.ber picks carrots, etc. without it. ) anyways-- our old blender really hated peas & refused to blend them, & this one makes a beautiful pea puree. sometimes it's the little things in life that make you happiest. :)

i have to share a moment of triumph here too-- BOTH boys are napping peacefully in their CRIBS right now! woo-hoo!!!! i'm so excited about this, i can't even describe it. who knows how long it will last, but it's a definite step in the right direction.

i also had my first "i really must be pregnant" moment yesterday. i was driving back from the library, flipping radio channels & when a cheesy country song came on, not only did i listen to it, i bawled my eyes out. yup, i'm definetly KU. :P

i'll try to think up a more pithy post next time... i'm feeling sort of brain dead & chill lately.

p.s. if anyone who wants to start thinking healthy baby thoughts for our appt tomorrow, we'd be grateful!!!! nerves still haven't set in yet, but they're lurking in the background. thank goodness i'm busy.

Beets, Buds & Birds

Beets are delicious. No, really-- they are. I roasted beets for the first time a few days ago (drizzled with olive oil & sprinkled with thyme & a little salt & pepper) & sauteed up the greens (i love "greens" of any kind. i know i'm a yankee girl & i'm not supposed to be into that, but i LOVE them.) anyways, i've been craving beets in the worst way ever since.

:)

My other best friend (K) came up from charlotte to visit this past week to visit her newest niece, & i got to spend the afternoon with her on friday. she only visits a couple times a year, & they're always whirlwind trips bc her family makes a lot of demands on her when she's here (big part of reason why she moved away), & this is the first time since the dudes were born that i actually got to go out with her & M. it reminded me how much i miss K. she's one of those people who seem to carry around their own personal sunshine. Even though she's going through some hard times with her husband right now & is feeling sort of down & confused, she still manages to make everyone around her smile. its not an act she puts on, she just genuinely manages to find the light in any situation. it's rare quality & i miss her lots.

in critter news, we're working on breaking the birds of a bad screaming habit. parrots are by nature noisy, & i don't mind normal racket (the boys don't even notice it), but lately they've developed a screaming game. we keep them in separate cages that face each other, so even when they aren't sharing a cage, they can interact. (they don't share a cage 100% of the time, bc they like to have bird sex. i would love for them to be able to have all the bird sex they want, but we really don't want eggs. scout is not maternal & cooper is the most jealous bird in the world. so no eggs. plus, i think its irresponsible to breed birds without having good homes for them.) anyways... scout has developed a habit of screaming to coop when they're separated, who then screams back & this continues for a while, & then they laugh like crazy. i'm trying to keep them in the same cage, but without all their hidey-holes, so they can't sneak off & get it on. wish me luck!

A bunch of random thoughts....

- I've been doing a bunch of experimental cooking lately. I decided N in particular needs to eat healthier, so I'm enforcing some vegetarian meals & we're trying a bunch of new veggies. Tonight it's beets. :) He's being pretty tolerant of my experiments (some of which have been pretty good!) but I know for a meat & potatoes guy it's a big switch. Seriously, before I started cooking, his idea of a fresh veggies was to open a can of corn.

- I like being back in school. It makes me feel productive. Although the thought of starting a full-time program (which I'll have to do when I start the official dental hygiene program) makes me anxious... I hate the thought of leaving my dudes in any one else's care. It would be ok if I could get my mom to babysit... I know she plays with them, reads to them, makes sure they get outside time, etc, at least as much as I do. I just hate the idea of some one parking them in front of a TV or something. Yup, I'm a control freak.

- & at the risk of offending some folks, I have to have a mini-rant. (sorry guys!) It REALLY irks me when a mom of a singleton complains to me about how hard her life is with her ONE full-term baby. How the little one sleeps though the night at 6 weeks, but gee whiz, mom still feels tired. How they just can't get anything done bc they have to carry around their little one, etc, etc. Come on, people. We did feedings every hour and a half when our TWO came home. At 3 months old, we were still feeding every 3 hours. You have to carry your kid around? Lucky you. It is a rare moment when I have the luxury to just hold one of my dudes, without also having to entertain the other one. We treasure every minute of one on one time, & you complain bc you have nothing but one on one time. I know life with newborns is hard. It's supposed to be. They're babies, for pete's sake. I just wish people had some perspective. Parents of multiples & parents of preemies have exponetially more work & guilt & worry, so please don't expect sympathy from us. I can empathize with newborn woes; I'm not a total jerk. But don't expect me to "poor baby" you.

- I have to go shopping for a dress to wear to my friend's wedding soon. They are 2 of our favorite people, & there is no way we're missing this one, even though it's in Chicago & we're still freaked out about layoffs. (The fact they're moving to Madrid afterwards also has something to do with this!) Anyways.... I am so not looking forward to buying a dress. I HATE the little tummy I've acquired... drives me nuts. (Yes, I'm working on it, but it's not gone yet!) & a bunch of my old work cronies will be there, so I want to look totally amazing so I can not only rub in their faces how happy I am since I left that horric job, but how great I look after having twins. (I know this is incredibly petty of me, but at least I'm honest!) The only downside to my plan is that I don't look that amazing yet.... sigh... so I need to find a dress that will help....

- I kinda want to chop my hair into a long bob. I've had layers forever, & want a change form just growing it out. Any opinions? I'll see if I can finda recent picture of me with my hair down....

ok, here are some pics... not the best, but you can see my hair. (the first one was after I accidentally spilled a glass of wine all over me & con man)this one is with my cousin... i'm too lazy to crop him out, but you can still see my hair, i think.