So today (well yesterday) was family home evening and Josh and I needed to study up on all the candidates for the mid-season elections before we voted. That requires a lot of time and work, so we had planned to dedicate all of FHE to researching. Then I planned on taking some time to write for Nanowrimo. I had family in town for the weekend so I couldn't start writing until today (yesterday) which meant I was already behind and couldn't afford to miss a day. The concept of doing all that election studying and then nano writing was so daunting that instead I took a nap that lasted from 6 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. I was pretty appalled at myself for giving in to my irresponsible tendencies, so I got up just as Josh was getting to bed and I went out to the living room to study up on the candidates.
I got through all the candidates and constitutional amendments and judges and wrote down my selections in preparation for voting, then I started in on my novel. Technically by this time it's November 4, so I'm four days behind on nanowrimo, but I knew I wouldn't be able to write 1,667 words for each day of the month so far. Instead I concentrated on writing one day's worth. I got 1703 words written and considered that sufficient. Now I'm ready for bed except it's three a.m. and I don't think I can sleep yet.
This is really going to come back to haunt me in a few hours...
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Sleepy Camilla is a Prude
So this morning I woke up wearing a robe over my pajamas and I couldn't figure out why. Josh woke up at the same time and looked over at me quizzically.
"Why are you wearing a robe?" he asked.
I really had to think back to figure out what happened last night but it came to me shortly after I really woke up. Josh had gone to bed before me because I had wanted to write in my journal, so I went to bed around an hour after Josh was already asleep. I was so tired yesterday that I was able to fall asleep fairly quickly. Then I woke up suddenly at 1 a.m. convinced of two things: that it was morning and I needed to get up, and that it was inappropriate for me to be lying next to a strange man in only my pajamas. In a bizarre burst of propriety, I felt compelled to get up and put on my robe. Then I checked the time and realized I still had more time to sleep, so I went back to bed.
This morning at breakfast I explained to Josh what I remembered from last night. He and I shared a great laugh but he pointed out something rather glaring:
"So it was inappropriate for you be wearing your pajamas without a robe...but it was perfectly fine for you to be sharing a bed with a stranger?"
Tired Camilla is only half-prude. The other half is one racy chick.
"Why are you wearing a robe?" he asked.
I really had to think back to figure out what happened last night but it came to me shortly after I really woke up. Josh had gone to bed before me because I had wanted to write in my journal, so I went to bed around an hour after Josh was already asleep. I was so tired yesterday that I was able to fall asleep fairly quickly. Then I woke up suddenly at 1 a.m. convinced of two things: that it was morning and I needed to get up, and that it was inappropriate for me to be lying next to a strange man in only my pajamas. In a bizarre burst of propriety, I felt compelled to get up and put on my robe. Then I checked the time and realized I still had more time to sleep, so I went back to bed.
This morning at breakfast I explained to Josh what I remembered from last night. He and I shared a great laugh but he pointed out something rather glaring:
"So it was inappropriate for you be wearing your pajamas without a robe...but it was perfectly fine for you to be sharing a bed with a stranger?"
Tired Camilla is only half-prude. The other half is one racy chick.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Camilla Takes on Homemaking
I don't really see myself as a crafty person, so activities like making cakes and costumes and wreaths and any other Pinterest-y thing doesn't really appeal to me. HOWEVER. My sister showed me these adorable costumes on Pottery Barn and when she showed me the pumpkin costume below, I was appalled for several reasons. First, observe the costume:
Cute, right? My first thought was that I could make that myself, it was that simplistic. You have to understand--I don't MAKE things, so to tell myself I could make it meant that I thought it was an incredibly simple design. And it is. Also, Pottery Barn, being the mecca of well-off homemakers that it is, was charging a whopping $79 for this simple getup, which offended my sentiments.
So I decided to steal the design and make the dress myself. I went to a fabric store for the first time in my marriage and bought what I hoped would be enough fabric and supplies. I really should have brought a picture of the costume with me, but I figured all I needed was some orange material, some orange tulle, and at the checkout stand I threw in some orange thread. That night I spent maybe three hours hand-stitching pieces of fabric together (I don't own a sewing machine because I don't sew) using the few sewing materials I got as a wedding present from Josh's mom.
I had to sort of guess how to make buttonholes and it didn't even occur to me to buy buttons, so thank goodness I had a few in my sewing kit. I also HUGELY overestimated how much fabric to buy. I bought six yards of tulle and two of the orange cotton-ish stuff underneath. I could have bought half of each type of fabric and still had tons of extra. I guess I erred on the side of caution. Measuring Scarlet proved a difficulty as well. If I'd been smart about it, I would have taken some of her form-fitting clothes and used that as a basis, but instead, I tried to measure her while she was awake (big, wiggly mistake) and ended up creeping into her room after she went to sleep like a creeper and holding up a tape measurer to her still form. I finished the costume this morning after buying ribbon and the other accessories from Michael's.
This is what the finished product looks like:
It looks ridiculously homemade, but I'm ridiculously proud of it anyway. Plus, it's trendy to make things, so whatever. I just saved $50. Take that, Pottery Barn.
Friday, July 4, 2014
Color Run 2014!
Last week Brianna and I ran the Color Run that WGU paid for. It was awesome. After walk-running 3.1 miles, I got two free t-shirts and a muffin and Brianna walked away with a new pair of sunglasses, a sticker, and a temporary tattoo. All in all, a sweet deal.
There were I think five stations of colored chalk that we ran through on our way around downtown Salt Lake. Brianna and I are awesome out-of-shapers, so we walked quite a bit of it, but I still managed to get a blister from disuse of my running shoes. I should really run more.
Some of my fellow WGU runners were appropriately colored after their own jog:
It was such a fun experience that Brianna and I chatted and laughed and felt generally light-hearted the whole drive home. Once we got home and showered and washed our clothes at the laundromat, I sat down to read a book and I suddenly became overwhelmed with exhaustion. We had gotten up at 6 that morning, and I had gone to bed after midnight the night before finishing up a book I had been reading. Six hours is neither a typical amount of sleep, nor enough sleep for me, so I was DYING by that time. I crawled into bed where Josh was studying and lay down, thinking I'd close my eyes for a few minutes.
Three hours disappeared. Josh had to wake me up to watch Scarlet while he went to take a test, and I fought to shake myself out of the bizarre fog of untimely napping.
Later that night, still a bit in a fog, I was sitting on the lawn furniture of Costco while Josh was checking out our groceries and Brianna was spinning Scarlet around a lawn chair. I thought it was so funny that Scarlet kept her mouth open in amusement the whole time, so I started recording it. This is how we ended our day:
 |
| We didn't get very colored, but we weren't trying as hard as many of the other runners. |
Some of my fellow WGU runners were appropriately colored after their own jog:
It was such a fun experience that Brianna and I chatted and laughed and felt generally light-hearted the whole drive home. Once we got home and showered and washed our clothes at the laundromat, I sat down to read a book and I suddenly became overwhelmed with exhaustion. We had gotten up at 6 that morning, and I had gone to bed after midnight the night before finishing up a book I had been reading. Six hours is neither a typical amount of sleep, nor enough sleep for me, so I was DYING by that time. I crawled into bed where Josh was studying and lay down, thinking I'd close my eyes for a few minutes.
Three hours disappeared. Josh had to wake me up to watch Scarlet while he went to take a test, and I fought to shake myself out of the bizarre fog of untimely napping.
Later that night, still a bit in a fog, I was sitting on the lawn furniture of Costco while Josh was checking out our groceries and Brianna was spinning Scarlet around a lawn chair. I thought it was so funny that Scarlet kept her mouth open in amusement the whole time, so I started recording it. This is how we ended our day:
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
How My Daughter Has Changed My Body
This isn't going to be a blog post about the physical transformation of my body from pre- to post-baby. Although I have plenty to say on that subject and there is a plethora of other moms out there with their own posting on the topic, I mean to address the less noticeable changes of my body due to the existence of that adorable 18-month-old.
Josh and I went for a walk last week and for the first time ever, we let Scarlet walk by herself in front of us on the sidewalk. Everything was fine until Scarlet started to veer off the sidewalk toward the street just as we heard an approaching car turn onto the road behind us. Josh and I bolted toward Scarlet and I got to her first and snatched her up before she touched the street. Josh made to pick her up from out of my arms, but whether he could read something in my face or whether he just knew, he said instead, "I think Mommy needs to hold you for a minute, Scarlet." Somehow the only way to stop my pounding heart is to hold her little body up against it. Physical change number one: I can run faster than I ever had before--even faster than my husband, whose legs are several inches longer than my own.
Scarlet loves to be tossed in the air. I didn't dare swing her or play roughly with her when she was fairly young because she lacked the muscle strength to hold her limbs steady and she could never have held her head up safely as a newborn. Once she passed the year mark, however, I really started to play. I toss her in the air and catch her on the way down. I love how her face lights up, her mouth opens in a soundless grin, and she holds her breath until she's back in my arms, where she transports into giggles and laughter. She is fast approaching 30 pounds, but she doesn't feel particularly heavy when I heft her into the air and catch her again repeatedly. Physical change number two: My arms are stronger than they ever were before.
When I'm working on the couch, the laptop resting on the arm of the sofa, sometimes Scarlet gets jealous of the infernal computer and demands my attention. I have gotten very good at taking small, five-minute breaks frequently throughout the day so that I can give Scarlet some attention and occupy her with some activity before returning to work. Sometimes, however, when I don't have time to play with her, I'll let her lean on my legs and I'll lift up her body with my legs and bounce her and swing her from side to side, all while I remain typing at the computer. Physical change number three: My legs are stronger than they ever were before.
So yes, my body has changed for the worse in many respects: I can't run for as long, I can't hold a plank for 60 seconds anymore, I can't fit into my old jeans, not to mention the changes that are too indecent to write about (but more plaguing and permanent than all the others), but I also have changed for the better. I love the new me because it comes complete with a smiling girl who is currently dumping her sippy cup water over her pasta salad in her high chair. So, so worth it.
Josh and I went for a walk last week and for the first time ever, we let Scarlet walk by herself in front of us on the sidewalk. Everything was fine until Scarlet started to veer off the sidewalk toward the street just as we heard an approaching car turn onto the road behind us. Josh and I bolted toward Scarlet and I got to her first and snatched her up before she touched the street. Josh made to pick her up from out of my arms, but whether he could read something in my face or whether he just knew, he said instead, "I think Mommy needs to hold you for a minute, Scarlet." Somehow the only way to stop my pounding heart is to hold her little body up against it. Physical change number one: I can run faster than I ever had before--even faster than my husband, whose legs are several inches longer than my own.
Scarlet loves to be tossed in the air. I didn't dare swing her or play roughly with her when she was fairly young because she lacked the muscle strength to hold her limbs steady and she could never have held her head up safely as a newborn. Once she passed the year mark, however, I really started to play. I toss her in the air and catch her on the way down. I love how her face lights up, her mouth opens in a soundless grin, and she holds her breath until she's back in my arms, where she transports into giggles and laughter. She is fast approaching 30 pounds, but she doesn't feel particularly heavy when I heft her into the air and catch her again repeatedly. Physical change number two: My arms are stronger than they ever were before.
When I'm working on the couch, the laptop resting on the arm of the sofa, sometimes Scarlet gets jealous of the infernal computer and demands my attention. I have gotten very good at taking small, five-minute breaks frequently throughout the day so that I can give Scarlet some attention and occupy her with some activity before returning to work. Sometimes, however, when I don't have time to play with her, I'll let her lean on my legs and I'll lift up her body with my legs and bounce her and swing her from side to side, all while I remain typing at the computer. Physical change number three: My legs are stronger than they ever were before.
So yes, my body has changed for the worse in many respects: I can't run for as long, I can't hold a plank for 60 seconds anymore, I can't fit into my old jeans, not to mention the changes that are too indecent to write about (but more plaguing and permanent than all the others), but I also have changed for the better. I love the new me because it comes complete with a smiling girl who is currently dumping her sippy cup water over her pasta salad in her high chair. So, so worth it.
Friday, June 13, 2014
My Life As It Stands Today
So today I was feeding Scarlet microwave macaroni and cheese while trying to simultaneously edit a task for work and it just sort of hit me that this is my life now. Scarlet giggled and spit out her noodles and smeared cheese in her hair until I cleaned her up and put her down for a nap. Trying to finish my work before the end of the day, I sat at the table and ate the rest of Scarlet's macaroni (with a little pepper sprinkled in, because I'm classy like that) and edited my document. So this is my life: smeared cheese and leftover baby lunches and naptime and work.
I have to admit, though--I really like this place in my life. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Not even for the higher-quality, non-microwaveable macaroni and cheese.
I have to admit, though--I really like this place in my life. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Not even for the higher-quality, non-microwaveable macaroni and cheese.
Friday, May 30, 2014
Lindsey Stirling Concert
So Josh and I had a fun night. We bought Lindsey Stirling tickets last January and last night we finally got to see her perform! She performed at the Saltair, which I had never been to. Once I got there, I was a bit let down. It's a standing-room-only location. I hadn't been to a standing-room-only concert since the Aquabats in 2008. That's right--six years ago. And let me tell you, there are things you don't enjoy as much when you're six years older, standing for three and a half hours being one of them.
But it turned out to be a wonderful experience anyway. I couldn't help jumping up and down (a LOT) and cheering until I grew hoarse and clapping after every performance. That girl can really rock a song! Her dancing was elegant and fast-paced and triple-y impressive with her two backup dancers in sync behind her. The choreography was spot-on incredible. I can really tell she's improved her dancing and violin-playing a lot since her last album came out. I especially loved her costume changes. She had five different (awesome) outfits complete with five different violins for the concert, including a black-and-gold violin that she "unearthed" from a chest during her pirate-themed performance.
She talked a bit between some of the numbers, which I really loved. She's bubbly and bright and energetic and she has the sweetest things to say. After her first number, she was discussing the research she did before going on tour this time around, and said she had attended a Lady Gaga performance where Gaga did a "sexy" costume change on stage until she was "down to her nothings." Lindsey said she wanted to do something similar, so her backup dancers threw a bright green track suit on over her outfit. It was a funny bit, especially when she called it her sexy wardrobe change, but then the lighting changed and her clothes started to glow and she performed an incredible rave-like techno number that perfectly worked with the outfit. It was awesome and the crowd loved it.
Immediately after the song, she begged her dancers to help her take it off, though, claiming that "being sexy was too hot."
My favorite numbers were a song she wrote for a little boy struggling with bullying and her album-cover song "Shatter Me." The anti-bully song dealt with wind and flight and stars and sky and the dancers wrapped Lindsey in this sheer blue fabric and a powerful fan blew her beautiful dress behind her as she was carried on the shoulders of the dancers and leaned far over the crowd. It was so beautiful and artistic. And Shatter Me. Ohhh...I love that song like nothing else. The music video is spectacular and you should all watch it and fall in love with me:
It deals with Lindsey breaking out of her shell, except in a literal sense via the music video. I think it's absolutely fantastic.
The opening band was Archis with Dia Frampton, whom I now love. My favorite song they performed was Blood. You can see her perform it two weeks earlier in this video:
I thought their performance last night was better, but our stage had better acoustics and the band was two weeks more experienced.
Anyway, Josh and I left at 9:30 with our ears ringing from standing too close to the stage. We felt like old fuddy-duddies with our sore feet and ears, but my heart was light. We picked up our sleeping baby from the grandparents' on the way home and then we all went to sleep. It was a magical night.
But it turned out to be a wonderful experience anyway. I couldn't help jumping up and down (a LOT) and cheering until I grew hoarse and clapping after every performance. That girl can really rock a song! Her dancing was elegant and fast-paced and triple-y impressive with her two backup dancers in sync behind her. The choreography was spot-on incredible. I can really tell she's improved her dancing and violin-playing a lot since her last album came out. I especially loved her costume changes. She had five different (awesome) outfits complete with five different violins for the concert, including a black-and-gold violin that she "unearthed" from a chest during her pirate-themed performance.
She talked a bit between some of the numbers, which I really loved. She's bubbly and bright and energetic and she has the sweetest things to say. After her first number, she was discussing the research she did before going on tour this time around, and said she had attended a Lady Gaga performance where Gaga did a "sexy" costume change on stage until she was "down to her nothings." Lindsey said she wanted to do something similar, so her backup dancers threw a bright green track suit on over her outfit. It was a funny bit, especially when she called it her sexy wardrobe change, but then the lighting changed and her clothes started to glow and she performed an incredible rave-like techno number that perfectly worked with the outfit. It was awesome and the crowd loved it.
Immediately after the song, she begged her dancers to help her take it off, though, claiming that "being sexy was too hot."
My favorite numbers were a song she wrote for a little boy struggling with bullying and her album-cover song "Shatter Me." The anti-bully song dealt with wind and flight and stars and sky and the dancers wrapped Lindsey in this sheer blue fabric and a powerful fan blew her beautiful dress behind her as she was carried on the shoulders of the dancers and leaned far over the crowd. It was so beautiful and artistic. And Shatter Me. Ohhh...I love that song like nothing else. The music video is spectacular and you should all watch it and fall in love with me:
The opening band was Archis with Dia Frampton, whom I now love. My favorite song they performed was Blood. You can see her perform it two weeks earlier in this video:
I thought their performance last night was better, but our stage had better acoustics and the band was two weeks more experienced.
Anyway, Josh and I left at 9:30 with our ears ringing from standing too close to the stage. We felt like old fuddy-duddies with our sore feet and ears, but my heart was light. We picked up our sleeping baby from the grandparents' on the way home and then we all went to sleep. It was a magical night.
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