Some mundane musings just to keep the blog rolling

I’ve been nesting like mad. A friend of mine is hosting a wedding reception at her house (mainly in the yard) next weekend. She’s “nesting,” too, in a different sense. “Don’t you wonder why you put off doing this stuff for so long?” she asked as we compared notes. My answer was a resounding “No!” I have no trouble finding things to do—things other than the little projects that pile up around the house. I read, I Facebook, I fart around, I blog. (Did I just write “fart around”? Yes, yes, I did. I’m pregnant and punchy—what can I say?) But now that the baby’s arrival is pending—and especially after experiencing about 24 hours of contractions last week—I’m motivated to wrap up what loose ends I can before my schedule gets swallowed up indefinitely by this new small person.

I won’t bore you with the details of my doings. But I will mention that I’ve had help, for which I am truly grateful. Some friends kindly offered to “shower” me with whatever baby things I might still need. Offers of baby stuff are rare for fourth-time moms, which is ironic in my case, since I had given away and therefore needed almost everything. However, over the past few months I have acquired baby gear galore via hand-me-downs and eBay. Therefore, I declined the shower and suggested manual labor instead. My friends (“with a capital ‘F,’” my mother says) have painted my porches, sorted my socks, and another one is coming tomorrow to scrub my kitchen floor! Thank you, friends!

My latest eBay find (and, Will hopes, my last for awhile) was a set of vintage birth announcements, like I sent last time for Pearl. I find the retro designs quaint and I like the idea of reusing something that’s already made and might otherwise go to waste. I do realize that it’s not wholly “green” to disperse the news via U.S. Mail, not to mention the fact that I’m having said vintage announcements shipped here from Richardson, Texas. But it was the Richardson that clinched it for me, after thoroughly scoping out the eBay options in this category. I ruled out any that were obviously “boy” or “girl” cards, since we don’t know which s/he is. Then I ruled out cards that were offensive to me in other ways—either by design or implication. And then I settled on the ones with the clothesline theme. I’ll let you wait and see what they look like. The clothesline reminds me of a spot-on essay I’ve been pondering lately, Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy and “Women’s Work,” by Kathleen Norris. The Richardson reference is to my late paternal grandmother, who was certainly not spot-on in so many ways, but we are who we are because of those who went before us…even in the most marvelous families, it’s by the grace of God.

Lastly, a recipe. I’ve indulged in a few fancy iced coffee drinks from Tim Hortons and McDonalds recently. At Tim Hortons, if you ask for your small iced capp to be made with milk not cream, it cuts the calories by more than a third! When I asked for this substitution at the McDonalds drive-thru, the guy on the other side of the intercom actually said to me: “Yeah, it’s just a pre-packaged bag of stuff, so it won’t make a difference.” Here’s a homemade solution I found on Facebook (where else?) from a fellow pregnant lady—I’m gonna try it!

Crystal Z’s Iced Mocha Latte

Combine 2/3 cup sugar (or 2/3 cup Splenda), 2 Tbl. baking cocoa, and 2 Tbl. instant coffee with 2 cups boiling water. (Or, substitute 2 cups of hot brewed coffee for the instant coffee and water.) Whisk until well blended. Stir in 1 cup half and half (evaporated milk, fat free half and half, or even milk work well, too). Pour into 2 ice cube trays and freeze 8 hours.

Pour 1 cup half and half (again, fat free half and half – even skim milk works well, but, of course won’t taste as rich) into a blender. Gradually add frozen mocha cubes; blend until smooth. One tray makes about 2 tall glasses.

Just don’t let the kids taste it or you won’t get any.