I'm A Little Teapot

The Hannah Lashley sling

2009-02-17T18:56:00.001-08:00

I entered a contest about a month ago to have a double-sided silk sling named after Hannah. Baby So Smart slings had a contest where you sent in a picture of you and your child, their first and middle name, what inspires you, and what your favourite colour combination is, and they would pick 5 that they liked to become their latest slings in their "Inspiration" line.
Mine was one of the winners!!
Here were the winners and honorable mentions:
1. Jessica Hartenstine (TBW: LunamothMama), with the "Azor Forrest" sling, color combo of chocolate brown, leaf green, and turquoise.

2. Michelle Tonkinson, with the "Kyla Ilene" sling, color combo of pink and cream.

3. Carmela Smythe (TBW: carmelasmythe), with the "Hannah Lashley" sling, color combo of chocolate brown and pink.

4. Elizabeth Easter (TBW:EllieBellie), with the "Tiffany Sabrina" sling, color combo of "Tiffany blue" and lime green.

5. Dana Carries (TBWyrodjm), with the "Natalie Monet" sing, color combo of deep orange and chocolate brown.

And now the Honorable Mentions--
1. Andee Roll, with the "Harper Delaney" sling, a pink and brown combo.
2. Jennifer Lytle (TBW:mamarocks), with the "Claire Margarite" sling, a deep wine and brown combo.
3. Heather Russel (TBW:bgexotics), with the "Aidan Carter" sling, a slate blue and sage green combo.
4. Shanna Bartram (TBW:anneannahs), with the "River Anna" sling, a blue and white combo.
5. Dawn Partlow, with the "Nova Marie" sling, a jewel-toned deep purple and green combo.

Tiffany from Baby So Smart emailed me the pics of the one-sided versions.
The Hannah Sling

The Lashley Sling

She will be making a double sided version "the Hannah Lashley", and sending it to me as my prize!

The print will be different though:

I'm so excited!!

I made yogurt!!

2009-02-15T10:16:00.000-08:00

Yup! It was super easy too!

I heated 1L of homogonized milk in one pot that was sitting in a bigger pot of water (this was to make sure the milk didn't burn) to 185F (using my trusty candy thermometer!)

Then I took the milk off the heat and let it sit until it cooled to 110F

For a place to incubate it (ewww.... sounds so clinical...), I heated the oven to 150, then turned it off, but turned the oven light on.

I added in a few tablespoons of plain yogurt with active bacterial cultures (as a starter).

Poured the whole lot into a big casserole dish, covered it, and popped it into the warm-ish oven. The oven light keeps it warm, but not too warm. I kept my thermometer in a bowl of water in the oven too to make sure it didn't get warmer than 100F.

A few hours later.....YOGURT!! Woo hoo!
I had some this morning: it was yummy, creamy, perfect!
I set a small amount aside a few hours into it for Hannah, that way her portion would be a little runnier, but less tart and tangy. I let the rest stay in the oven for about 7 hours total. I gave Hannah some mixed with some fruit. She was a little hesitant at first, but once she had a taste, it was all good!

25 things

2009-01-31T15:02:00.000-08:00

From facebook:

Rules: Once you've been tagged you are supposed to write 25 things about yourself that others might not know. Then, tag 25 others to send the note to including the person who tagged you. Have fun!

1. I've started to write this list about 10 times in the past two weeks, but have always gotten too busy to complete it and post it.

2. I have a blue mole.

3. I have an insatiable sweet tooth. hmmm... scratch that. I have an insatiable "any food that's bad for me" tooth.

4. On my 22nd birthday I ordered dessert first (Joey Tomatoes al Forno baked apple pie with maple ice cream) and had my entree last - I figured if you stuff yourself with pasta first, you have little room for dessert, and that's the kind of dessert you can't pack up and take home with you. So I ate my entire dessert, then ate what I could of my pasta and brought the leftovers home. It makes so much sense, but I haven't done it since. I think I'll make it a birthday tradition from now on.

5. I've had several dreams that have later come true - the night before the US presidential election, I dreamed that Obama won. I dreamed about Hannah about a year or two before she was even conceived. I dreamed about a hotel with a fountain and restaurant in the courtyard, and a few months later stayed at a hotel with, you guessed it, a fountain and restaurant in it's courtyard.

6. I've had several weird dreams that I hope don't come true! (zombies, alien attack - invasion of the body snatchers type stuff, vampires, mass murderers, marrying Michael Jackson because I was the only one who understood him...)

7. I have 4 nipples.

8. I’ve run a marathon (2004 Vancouver marathon). I did it in 5 hours, 6 minutes and 1 second. This is a huge deal for me as I was always the one in school that walked the 6 lap fitness test or the milk run. I’ve never considered myself athletic in any way shape or form.

9. I am, more often than not, extremely self-critical and wracked with self doubt.

10. My first ever ambulance ride was while in labour with Hannah.

11. I am very ticklish.

12. I collect / am addicted to / am obsessed with baby carriers. My collection is always in flux as I buy/sell/trade constantly.

13. I often wonder how I lucked into marrying Bill. The man surprises me with double baked almond croissants "because I deserve them". He's my McDreamy!

14. I'd love to have at least one more baby - maybe two.

15. The best donuts in the world are Honey's Donuts in Deep Cove. Bill and I have a deal that whenever i let him have sushi for dinner, he has to go get me a donut from Honey's. Sweet deal for me because then i get sushi for dinner AND a Honey's donut!!

16. Most of my nicknames for Hannah are food related.

17. I have a weird, unknown antibody in my blood that was only discovered during routine bloodwork during my pregnancy. Much of my pregnancy was spent getting blood tests done and seeing specialists to determine if it was a potential danger to my baby... it wasn't. Still don't know what it's for, but we do know it's a cold agglutinin antibody, which means that in really cold temperatures, the antibodies break down my red blood cells (I think...). I should be fine if I stay away from arctic temperatures. I now have a card that I have to carry around with me and present any time I give blood or am admitted into hospital.

18. I watched "I Am Legend" while all this was being discovered, and figured my antibodies might make me immune to the Zombie virus.

19. I would love to host a sleepover themed talk show where I interview celebrity guests on a set decorated to look like a bedroom. The guests and I would be dressed in pajamas, and we'd do typical sleepover activities like making popcorn, prank calls, truth or dare, manicures or facials, spin the bottle (especially with good looking male guests!), karaoke, ordering pizza etc. etc.

20. I am 1/8 Spanish.

21. I love my daughter more than anything in this world.

22. I could easily spend several hours kissing Hannah's toes.

23. I've always wanted to live in Hawaii and Australia.

24. I can say the alphabet backwards.

25. I would love to run a cupcake shop where all the cupcakes were named after friends of mine and/or people I know. The flavours would either reflect who they are, or what they like. eg. the Carmela cupcake would be sweet and kinda nutty. the Ruth cupcake would be lily white and have pink frosting. the Carmen (my grandmother) would be chocolate and coconut, because that was her favourite. Or, I'd have rotating flavours and sell themed cupcake sets, like a 6 pack of rainbow coloured cupcakes celebrating either the Wizard of Oz, or gay pride week.
Aw hell, I just want to run a cupcake shop so I have limitless access to cupcakes!!

Babywearing

2009-01-30T16:47:00.000-08:00

So Carmela! What's with the babywearing thing?
I'm so glad you asked!
Since she was born, Hannah has always needed to be "in arms"... she's most settled when being worn or carried. Not to say that she's never gonna walk on her own... No, she's doing plenty of motoring around on her own. But she just needs to be carried to settle down. It's her thing. It's my thing too I guess. So I happened upon babywearing early, but never intended to from the beginning. It has been a lifesaver... and a sanity saver.
I enjoy babywearing, and Hannah does too. If she's fussy and I can't figure out what she needs, sometimes she'll crawl to a carrier and sit on it, then look up at me. I put her up on my back or front and she'll be out like a light within a few minutes.
Here are some excellent reasons why babywearing is a good thing.

So how many carriers do you have, exactly?
um... a lot... But they are the tools of my trade (mommyhood). Why do carpenters have more than one screwdriver? They all drive screws, don't they? You need different screw drivers for different things. Why would anyone need more than one pair of pants? Or shoes? So with carriers. Yes, I could make do with just one, but I use my buckle carrier when I need something quick and secure, I've got my wraps when I want more support for longer walks, a fancy mei tai when I need something dressy, ring sling for quick ups and downs...
That said, here is my "stash". I use pretty much all of these, minus one or two that I keep around for "just in case" scenarios - just in case I've got a fancy party to go to, or just in case my mom wants to wear Hannah around in something... I've currently got 3 out on loan to a friend, and will likely sell the ones I don't use so often anymore.
Since I took these pics I acquired 2 new (to me) wraps which are not pictured.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/carmelasmythe/DSC03539.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/carmelasmythe/DSC03544.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/carmelasmythe/DSC03546.jpg
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn233/carmelasmythe/DSC03547.jpg

So how long will you babywear for?
For as long as Hannah lets me, and as long as I physically can. I know some that still use carriers with their 3 or 4 year olds, but that is only for short periods now that their babes are walking and are more active, but they still carry them for snuggles or quick walks down for naps or when sick or quick point a to point b walks.
Hell, if Hannah wants me to carry her down the aisle in one of my carriers, I will!

Where can I get more information?
Thebabywearer.com rocks!!!
and locally, there's a babywearing email group that meets up monthly:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MarsupialMamas/

I got the job!!

2009-01-26T17:46:00.000-08:00

So I interviewed last Friday for the Bounce Back counsellor position at our branch of CMHA and just heard back from our executive director today offering me the job! So the good news is, I will be returning to work in a position that's more in line with what I've been wanting to do. I'll be doing this job full time, and it's a 2 year program (possibly more), and that's round about the time I'll be thinking of maybe having baby number 2. I'll also be teaching Mental Health First Aid courses, also through our branch of CMHA, which I'm also really excited about.

The bad news? The position starts on February 16, which is 6 weeks earlier than I was expecting to return to work! So I've been kind of freaking out today. I've fortunately got fabulous parents who are retired and wonderfully willing to take transit out to Coquitlam every day from Vancouver to look after their granddaughter, but I am also looking for day care options in case they're unable to keep up with a rambunctious little one daily, or if they've got appointments or other things that would keep them from coming out. Hannah still needs to be walked to nap, and does not drink from a bottle, so I'm a little worried about my day care options, but we'll see what my searching finds.

I'm also trying to soak up every micro-second with Hannah. I smother her with at least 500 kisses every day, and tell her I love her every chance I get, but I sometimes feel like that's still not enough. I love her laugh, and her little toothy, drooly smiles, and the way she looks so earnestly and sincerely while she's babbling her little baby talk babbles. Having and caring for Hannah, and being on mat leave since last March has made me so aware of how quickly time passes, and I'm always trying to grasp and appreciate the little moments. I'm gonna be a mess on my first day back!

yummy soup

2009-01-15T18:13:00.000-08:00

I made yummy soup today! I wasn't entirely sure if it would turn out well, but, Holy Cannoli it was better than I expected! A very deep flavour, lots of layers, and little to no fat.
Recipe is from this page, but I added one sweet potato to the recipe and substituted curry powder for coriander.
SOOOOOOOOO good!!
I will definitely be making this again!

teeth... and other stuff...

2009-01-08T18:36:00.000-08:00

So Hannah has two bottom teeth and two brand new top teeth that are still quite short, but have popped out of the gums and are growing daily.
Her latest hobby: grinding her new teeth together *shudder!!
I love my daughter with every fibre and ounce of my being. But, dear God that is the most horrible, soul cringing, eyelash curling sound I've ever heard... next to her scratching the walls while I'm trying to change her diaper. Okay, yeah, that's pretty bad too.
nnnnggghhaaa!!

In other news, one of my favourite shows started up again, but this time on a new channel. SCRUBS!! It was sucking pretty hard for the past few seasons and NBC pulled the plug, but ABC picked it up for one more season. I gotta say, the first two episodes were better than I thought they would be. We actually laughed out loud several times. Seems like their writers have pulled it together finally and are back almost on par with their first three seasons. We'll see how the rest of this season pans out. Not liking Courtney Arquette so far though. Or JD's hair and stubble... what's with that? I did ike the touchy-feely orderly though! And love Ted. Just waiting for a Todd moment too. Where was he? Colonel Doctor was there, squeaky voiced intern was there, but no Todd. Or Snoop Dog Intern.
My fav moment: the steak night song... and dance. Awwwww yeahhhhh!

Looking forward to other favourite shows starting up again soon!!

I don't wanna.....

2009-01-07T09:38:00.000-08:00

I just started thinking about work today. I've got a little under 3 months to go in my mat leave and time seems to be just zipping by. I don't wanna go back :(
Here are my options:
1) win the lottery
2) find a rich beneficiary willing to support me, my husband and my daughter
3) figure out some way to make money from home
4) find some fabulous part-time job where I can make enough money to pay our mortgage, bills, etc
5) just suck it up already and go back to work when my mat leave is up
I don't know where the past 9 months has gone. There's so much I wanted to do and I feel like I've lost the opportunity. Looking back at Hannah's early pics, I forget how quickly she's changed and how much she's grown. Makes me want to absorb as much of the next three months as I can...

mmmm..... ribs.....

2009-01-04T16:38:00.000-08:00

I made taaaaasty ribs for dinner tonight. You can too!
Here's the recipe from Best of Bridge.
yum.

My first post!!

2009-01-02T16:56:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Okay, so I'm jumping on the blog-wagon and starting my own blog of various random things I like and find interesting. This was what got me thinking about starting a blog. It's like a mini "life list" and this was the first one on the list. Why not?
Here's my list:

Things you've already done: bold
Things you want to do: italicize
Things you haven't done and don't want to - leave in plain font

1. started your own blog - Heh... TICK!
2. slept under the stars
3. played in a band - does orchestra count?
4. visited hawaii - 1994 and 2004
5. watched a meteor shower
6. given more than you can afford to charity
7. been to disneyland/world
8. climbed a mountain
9. held a praying mantis
10. sang a solo
11. bungee jumped
12. visited paris
13. watched a lightning storm at sea
14. taught yourself an art from scratch
15. adopted a child
16. had food poisoning
17. walked to the top of the statue of liberty
18. grown your own vegetables
19. seen the mona lisa in france
20. slept on an overnight train
21. had a pillow fight
22. hitch hiked
23. taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. built a snow fort
25. held a lamb
26. gone skinny dipping
27. run a marathon - May 2004 Vancouver Marathon 5:06:01
28. ridden a gondola in Venice
29. seen a total eclipse
30. watched a sunrise or sunset
31. hit a home run
32. been on a cruise
33. seen niagara falls in person
34. visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. seen an amish community
36. taught yourself a new language
37. had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. seen the leaning tower of pisa in person
39. gone rock climbing
40. seen michelangelo's david in person
41. sung karaoke
42. seen old faithful geyser erupt
43. bought a stranger a meal in a restaurant
44. visited africa
45. walked on a beach by moonlight - Hawaii 1994
46. been transported in an ambulance - while in labour with Hannah!
47. had your portrait painted
48. gone deep sea fishing
49. seen the sistene chapel in person
50. been to the top of the eiffel tower in paris
51. gone scuba diving or snorkelling
52. kissed in the rain
53. played in the mud
54. gone to a drive-in theatre
55. been in a movie
56. visited the great wall of china
57. started a business
58. taken a martial arts class
59. visited russia
60. served at a soup kitchen
61. sold girl scout cookies.
62. gone whale watching
63. gotten flowers for no reason
64. donated blood
65. gone sky diving
66. visited a nazi concentration camp
67. bounced a cheque
68. flown in a helicopter
69. saved a favorite childhood toy
70. visited the lincoln memorial
71. eaten caviar
72. pieced a quilt
73. stood in times square
74. toured the everglades
75. been fired from a job
76. seen the changing of the guard in london
77. broken a bone
78. been on a speeding motorcycle
79. seen the grand canyon in person (from a plane, though)
80. published a book
81. visited the vatican
82. bought a brand new car
83. walked in jerusalem
84. had your picture in the newspaper
85. read the entire bible
86. visited the white house
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. had chickenpox
89. saved someone’s life
90. sat on a jury - was called in for jury duty once, but wasn't selected
91. met someone famous
92. joined a book club
93. lost a loved one
94. had a baby
95. seen the alamo in person
96. swum in the great salt lake
97. been involved in a law suit
98. owned a cell phone
99. been stung by a bee

Feel free to share your list in the comments section!