The Mer Show

Need A Photo

2012-02-01T13:42:00.000-08:00

I had to link a professional photo to a webpage, so I uploaded this here for that purpose. Don't mind this post - just ignore. :)

Updates

2011-12-21T19:55:00.000-08:00

So all is well in the Mer Show household. I'm currently on a medical leave after having finally having the hysterectomy that's been on the horizon for the last four years! I've been dreading this darn surgery for years now, but now it's finally over with! I'm a little sore and it's been hard to get rest with 2 little monsters running around, but I'm gonna live.

For those of you wondering why on earth I had a hysterectomy at 36, it's because I was diagnosed with cervical adenocarcinoma in situ, stage zero (non-invasive cervical cancer), in 2007. The oncologist wanted to remove my cervix back then, but I talked him into doing a lumpectomy to keep me healthy long enough to pop out a couple of babies. Thank heaven it all worked out ok!!! I have 2 perfect (ahem), healthy little babies and am so grateful that I got the opportunity to have a family. Now that I don't need my baby maker any more, it was time to yank that sucker out. Done and done!

People keep asking me how I feel about having the surgery, and I have a feeling that they want me to say that I feel sad about the loss of fertility. Honestly, that bothers me none. More than anything, I'm just annoyed that I have to take time during the holidays to convalesce - I really don't have time for this!! I worked my tail off to get work and home prepared for a 2.5 week break from my job, get all my Christmas shopping done by the 14th, get the house ready for visitors, etc. etc. etc. and I did pretty well, but there are indeed a few things that didn't get done. In the last few years, I've thankfully learned to let some things go. :) Right now none of my Christmas gifts are wrapped, but I have faith that it'll happen in time. LOL I almost didn't do Christmas cards, but threw one together quickly at hallmark.com - I LOVE LOVE LOVE the fact that they address, stamp and send cards for you. <3 you Hallmark!

I've watched quite a few movies over the last few days, which is highly unusual for me. With that, allow me to jot down some reviews:

Country Strong - pretty good, I give it a B. Who's the guy that plays Beau??
12 Dates of Christmas - typical ABC Family fare, I was amused
Karate Kid (with Jaden Smith) - surprisingly entertaining
Dear John - cried, dangit
Eat Pray Love - why didn't I do that after my divorce? And I really have a hankering for homemade pasta right now!

In other news, Katie just started taking some steps!!

So those are the most important updates for now. I'll try to log back on soon with more.

Meanwhile, merry Christmas to all of you and your families and friends!

Love, Mer

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY, KATIE!!

2011-11-29T14:25:00.000-08:00

It's my sweet angel's first birthday. Where on earth did the time go?

Katie is currently wearing a size 3 shoe, and about to grow into a 4, and she wears size 12 months clothes. She looks adorable in hair bows, but she ends up pulling them out and chewing on them... so no hairbows for more than like 20 seconds! She says dada, uh oh, doggie, and hi... and I just know that she's practicing on mama whenever I'm not around. :) Katie's not a big eater, like her big brother, but she does like Cheerios, cheese, oatmeal and fruit! She's not quite walking yet, but cruises on EVERYTHING and is dying to run around with her big brother (who loves her very much).

We had one birthday party for her in NM over Thanksgiving with all her dad's family, tonight we're having an intimate family birthday, and this weekend we'll be heading to Houston to celebrate with my family in Kingwood. Her birthday will be properly celebrated!!

To my precious, sweet angelpie, Miss Katiebug, Sissybear... happy first birthday! I love you so much.

Mommy

Thomas the Train

2011-09-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we took K and P to Burnet to ride Thomas the Train! The actual steam train came to Central TX and toddlers from all over the area brought their parents for a fun day in the 102 degree heat. YAY! ;) P loved all the activities, music, and most of all - the choo choo. How cute is my little conductor in his overalls and conductor hat? As for Katie - she loved all the people watching... I'm excited that baby girl is old enough that we can start doing this stuff as a family now. I can't wait to take them to a football game someday! It'll be a little longer... but soonish.

Summer 2011

2011-09-26T20:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I wish I could say summer was really OVER, but the 100+ temperatures are still lingering, even though it's almost October. I'm pretty sure this is the most brutal summer I've ever experienced in TX. I mean, they're all brutal, but it's been like a frying pan for 5 full months now. Fall - please hurry!!!!!

Meanwhile, we sure had some fun this summer. Check out some of my favorite shots of our family time - http://www.flickr.com/photos/21262441@N03/sets/72157627638243473/

Enjoy!

Love, Mer

P Got a New Bed!

2011-09-26T19:40:00.001-07:00

So after the chin gashing experience/ first stitches experience, the first thing Sheridan said was "so... new big boy bed for P"? Ohhhhh, little did he know how much this would cost him. ;)

New mattress - $400
New bed frame - $150
Slats and hardware for new frame - $50
New bedding (he got off lucky here; we found Cars bedding at Target) - $40
New decals and posters to match the new Cars 2 theme - $100
-----------------------------------
Little kid who LOVES his new double bed and Cars room AND sleeps later and better these days... PRICELESS!!!

July 4th in Indy

2011-09-26T19:40:00.000-07:00

Highlights include celebrating Fred's 70th, Matt's 40th, meeting baby Shannon (who's not so much of a baby anymore) and introducing our little princess to all her aunts/ uncles/cousins/ grandparents. Carolyn's family has a sweet and historic cottage on Bass Lake, IN and we spent time there, and at Matt and Carolyn's new house in Indianapolis. Awesome times!!! I wish all my siblings in law lived closer...

Next stop: Edgewood, NM to see Sheridan's mom and stepdad's new place at Thanksgiving. We can't wait to see the crew again and celebrate the holiday (and Katie's first birthday) together!

There are way too many great pics to post on this blog, so here's the Flickr link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/21262441@N03/sets/72157627149565280/

Enjoy! Mer

Darbys Do Austin

2011-09-26T19:34:00.000-07:00

OK, so I'm super behind on my blogging, so I'm going to paraphrase for the next few posts. :)

We're super excited that the Darbys came to Austin to come us. It was such a mad house with 4 little kiddos in the house, but so much fun. Sweet Finn loved Baci and gave him TONS of attention; I loved getting the opportunity to get to know Griffin better - he is such a special little dude - so funny and playful!! And P loved having the Darby boys in the house to play with, but Katie particularly loved all the attention... well, maybe not ALL the attention (see pic below). LOL

Boys Will Be Boys

2011-08-16T14:52:00.000-07:00

Is there a boy in the world that doesn't have a scar on his chin? (Come to think of it, I have one too... from stitches). SOMEONE (ahem) was playing on his bed before 'lights out' and when I was heading to the dresser to grab his sippy cup of water, I heard a plop/bam, and then.... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! And then the blood started gushing. My poor baby boy fell and hit his face on the siderail of his bed, which is made of wood.

I had hesitation about buying the P'kolino Toddler Bed (http://www.pkolino.com/Toddler-Bed-Orange-p/pkffborg.htm) because it was made of wood, but bought it because it's just so darn cute! It turns out that this bed is very dangerous, and not only did he bump his head on the wooden side rails as he was learning to sleep in it, he has now gashed open his chin. And very deeply, as well. FIVE stitches! I really regret buying this bed and look forward to buying him a new big boy bed pronto that doesn't include death defying features. :(

Anyway, any kid's first trip to the ER for stitches seems like a momentous moment, so why not document it here? (I can't wait to show my kids these pages someday!)

Mer Show Update

2011-08-12T06:03:00.000-07:00

Well, it sure is hard these days to find time to update the ole blog, but it's definitely important to me, so I need to get with the program.

So the kids are growing up so fast and are really a joy. Patrick's tantrums seem to be subsiding now that he can use words to tell us what he wants and feels. He's FULL of energy still though, and some of the things he says and does just crack me up! This past weekend, he got mad at me because I wouldn't let him drive the car! LOL But he really loves his baby sissy and gives her lots of kisses and attention... although he's not a big fan of sharing his toys and blankets with her. That, of course, makes his toys and blankets her most FAVORITE things... :)

Katie is doing great! She's tall and skinny - at 8.5 months, she's only about 16 pounds, but is very long. She's got these long skinny legs, which astounds me... how on earth did I have a long, leggy, skinny kid? I mean, clearly both my children took about 90% after their dad. Some days I look at them and wonder what it might be like to have a kid that looked like me. Given that I'm DONE with having kids, I guess I'll never know!

Yesterday, Katie crawled for the first time and I happened to get it on video. I knew it was going to take something pretty motivating for her to put herself in motion, and she found it. She crawled over to snake Patrick's car out of his hand. LOL Check it out!

Otherwise, I found out recently that I have a deviated septum, hence all the sinus headaches, infections, and SNORING! So I'm having surgery next month to fix it, including some sort of shot to the soft palate of my mouth to stop the vibrating (read: snoring); Sheridan's pretty jazzed about that part! LOL I'll keep y'all posted about that - should be tons of fun.

We went to Indianapolis in July to visit Sheridan's siblings and their wives/kids and his dad/ stepmom. Will post pics soon - we had a blast!

So that it's it for now. Hope you all are staying cool this HOT summer!

Love, Mer

Baby Immunizations

2011-06-24T06:08:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty passionate about the topic of immunizations for babies. There was a study a while back that indicated that shot injury could be the source of autism, which is my worst fear for my children! That study has recently been confirmed as a big ole source of horse crap, BUT it still got me thinking and researching the topic, so that I feel educated to make the right decisions for my children. You know, when I was young, we received like 15 immunizations and kids now receive like 50, and so many of them all at once; and really, a Hep B shot at birth? It just doesn't FEEL right to me, and what does feel right to me is ensuring that my children do receive all their immunizations, yet spaced out a little bit. It doesn't feel right to me to inject a 12 pound baby with 5/6 shots at a time, all including mercury and other preservatives that keep the medication for long periods in the doctors' cabinets. So I found a pediatrician that respects my wishes, and we developed a shot schedule together that makes sense from a medical perspective, and that I'm comfortable with, as well. It took a lot of research, time, and thought, so I thought I'd share it all of you, in case you ever embark on a similar project. Let me know if you have feedback or insight.

Thanks! Mer

Mer Show Babies' Immunization Schedule

2 months – DTaP, Hib, Rotateq (Rotateq isn’t a shot, it’s oral)

3 months – IPV, PCV

4 months – DTaP, Hib, Rotateq

5 months – IPV, PCV

6 months – DTaP, Hib, Rotateq

7 months – IPV, PCV

October (beginning of flu season) – flu

12 months – Hep B

15 months –Hep B

18 months –MMR

October – flu

24 months – IPV, Hep B

30 months – Varicella, Hep A

October – flu

36 months – Hep A

4 years – DTaP, IPV

October – flu

5 years – MMR booster

October – flu

6 – varicella booster

October – flu

12 years – Tdap, HPV

12.5 years – HPV

13 years – Meningococcal, HPV

Bubby Loves Sissy

2011-06-20T05:29:00.001-07:00

Please ignore the broken slat on the blinds behind the kids. We recently had an 18 month old guest to the house that walked through the front door, straight to the back, and snapped the slat in half. :x I'll get to fixing it soon...

Meanwhile, Patrick loves Katie so much and these spontaneous kisses are frequent. I just happened to have my phone with me this time, and I caught the moment. Awwwwww...

Arent they sweet? <3

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Memorial Day at Lake Travis

2011-06-19T19:49:00.000-07:00

Sheridan and I went out to the lake over Memorial Day weekend with some friends and had a blast! See?

The Latest Ailment - Fifth's Disease

2011-06-12T11:55:00.000-07:00

So a couple of weeks ago, our little dude came down with a nasty rash - he had welts all over this face, and although he seemed to feel pretty normal, he looked TERRIBLE. We finally got nervous and took P to our fave urgent care (they know us well by now) on Monday of Memorial Day, because it was getting worse and worse. They sent us home with some liquid steroids and said that they didn't know what it was, but thought it was food allergy related.

So the next day, we took P to school and upon looking at him, his teacher sent him home. She said that one of the other kids in school had been diagnosed with something called Fifth's Disease, and wanted us to get a doctor's note confirming it wasn't this before sending him back to school .

I immediately took P Diddy to the pediatrician, who said it was definitely not Fifth's Disease, and that's an often misdiagnosed rash. He also thought it was a food allergy and told us to watch what he ate, and how he reacted (sheesh); he wrote up a doctor's note and sent him back to school. The thing that just sat really wrong with me was that A) we had done blood testing for allergies and it had come back negative for everything and B) he went on a long diatribe about how I shouldn't send him to an allergist, because they're blood-sucking jerks who just perform expensive skin-testing, because they want cash, blah blah blah...

So of course, the next thing I did was schedule an appointment with a highly recommended allergist for the next day. He got one look at Patrick's rash, and said "oh, this isn't allergies - this is VIRAL'. WHAT?! Three different opinions in 3 days from 3 different doctors. Exasperation strikes!

So we went a few more days, and the rash moved from his face to his arms to his legs to his bottom... and would get worse when we went outside, or he'd play hard and get hot, or when he'd have tantrums (you know, like 5x/day, LOL). It just wouldn't go away!! By the next weekend, Sheridan was ready to take him to another urgent care for another opinion, and I said "you know what, let's google pics of Fifth's Disease".

And we ended up having a GOOD LAUGH, because the pictures we saw of Fifth's Disease were a dead on match for Patrick's rash. And indeed, it flares with heat, stress, sunlight, and exercise, and once the rash shows up, apparently it's no longer contagious - thank goodness, since our pediatrician sent him back to school!!!

And fortunately, our little muffin Katie didn't pick this one up. Whew!

Anywho, add it to the list. Could this kid obtain anymore crazy childhood cooties? He is such a magnet!!

Just in case your kid shows up with a weird rash, check this out and note - it's Fifth's Disease. (BTW, the name means that it's the fifth disease after Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Chicken Pox.)

Look Who's Sitting Up

2011-06-05T15:30:00.001-07:00

Miss Katiebug is super close to sitting up on her own. Today, she's practicing against the couch. :)

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Hair Crisis

2011-05-17T13:14:00.000-07:00

I'm so over my hair style. I have no time in the mornings to do what I need to do to make it look pretty, which is blow dry it completely straight and then flat iron it. My hair used to be pretty and curly, and then I went and had kids, and my hormones aren't the same anymore; henceforth, no curls. It was so easy to come out of the bathroom, spritz it with curly stuff, and GO. Darnit, I miss those days!

So I find myself putting it in a wet ponytail most days. I have learned to spiff it up with a little braid or blingy barette/ ponytail holder, but that's getting old too. I'm even getting sick of coloring it to hide those few grays that plague me. I'm just over it all...

I'm about to pull a Brit Brit move and shave it all off! Ugh.

Maybe I just need to find a cute style that makes me want to *fix* it every day. What could that be? Any suggestions? Anyone?? Anyone???

Love, Mer

How We Picked Her Name

2011-05-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

So someone today asked me how we picked out Katie's name. In my mind, I tried to envision what my little precious angel would look like, and I saw a dark headed, freckly, delicate little girl that looked a little bit like Patrick. She just looked like a Katie to me, in my mind... the picture in my mind of how I envisioned our baby girl is still very clear - I hope I never forget. She actually looks quite a bit different in reality, but still like a Katie to me. :) Anyway, we reverse engineered her nickname and decided on Kathryn/Katherine/Catherine. I gave Sheridan the choice and he liked the first spelling the best.

Other names in contention were Juliet (I love Shakespeare) and Lexie/Alexandra. However, Juliet H. just didn't sound right for some reason... and there's already a Lexie H. in daycare with P and K, so that ruined that option! We thought and thought and thought about whether Katie was the right name, and no other name ever came close - she was just a Katie.

Of course, her middle name Genevieve is after her paternal grandmother, Mary Genevieve. And it turns out - we had no idea until after Katie arrived - that Genny's grandmother was also named Genevieve, and she was named after her. So our little muffin is named after her great, great grandmother Genevieve. How cool is that?

Scenes From The Mer Show House

2011-05-09T05:30:00.001-07:00

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ShoeDazzle

2011-02-23T06:41:00.000-08:00

OMG! You guys MUST check out this shopping site - http://www.shoedazzle.com/invite/14cap0k6c1

It's basically a "shoe club", if you will - for $40/month, you sign up and fill out a profile that indicates your style and fashion sense. Each month, you'll receive a showroom of shoes, based upon your profile (mine is romantic/ poetic/ eclectic), and you can choose one for yourself. (I checked it out, though, and you can skip months so that you don't have to pay $40 that month - it's not one of those automatic things that turn into a nightmare.) They also have handbags, jewelry, and some home goods, all chosen by famous Hollywood stylists. How fun is that?!

Maybe you have more style than I do (you probably do!), but I'm constantly seeing women in cute things and think... "Where on earth did they find that? I want it and have NO idea where to look!" Well, I think this might help me with that problem.

Sheridan, close your eyes and pretend you didn't read this. This blog entry does not exist - please disregard. :)

GIRLS - go forth and shop!!!!

Love, Mer

Back to Work!

2011-02-18T06:54:00.000-08:00

Wow, so it seems that maternity leave is now over. It's been 12 glamorous weeks of PJs, spit up, trying to figure out and implement a routine (#epicfail, by the way), and conducting my days in a fog after long nights with the lovemuffin. It's been hard and absolutely wonderful at the same time. I am so grateful for the opportunity to spend this time with my incredible, amazing, sweet, beautiful daughter!

Katie is the sweetest little girl we could have ever imagined. Little girls are just so DIFFERENT than baby boys - she coos and smiles so much, is extremely alert and focused and just loves, loves, loves to be cuddled and kissed. Patrick has always just wanted to play, play, play - that's his MO. Doesn't care too much for Mommy unless we're wrestling, running, and playing... he was even like that as a baby, to an extent. It doesn't mean I love him less - I certainly do not! - but it's just less of a lovey dovey interaction that we have. I'm glad that I now have one of each, so I can have the best of both worlds!

Speaking of the best of both worlds, I feel blessed to be a working mother. For me, I love having a beautiful, fun, crazy family AND a great job that challenges me to the max and gives me the opportunity to help people, socialize with super intelligent people, and use my talents on a daily basis. I mean, really... how lucky am I?! Being a working mom is super hard work - there are no breaks... you work hard all day and then come home to make dinner, eat, clean, bathe, soothe babies/ coerce to bed, and then prepare for the next (and maybe work a little bit to catch up from a crazy day of 100+ emails)... but again, when I'm complaining about how crazy things are, and how tired I am, can someone please remind me that I'm *incredibly blessed*?

Monday is likely to be the hardest day in my life - first day back to work at 12 weeks post Katiebug, and Katie's first day at "school". I feel a warm swelling in my belly (like I'm going to cry) just thinking about it. With Patrick, I had gotten laid off while pregnant and didn't go back to work until he was 6 months old; and even then, I went back to an easy job that I conducted from home. This time, I'm returning at 3 months to a job that, from what I hear, is going to be absolute chaos when I return (Dell had a record year in 2010, so we're hiring like crazy!) - gulp. But again, I am blessed... just need to keeeeep reminding myself. And Katie will hopefully love being surrounded by all the sweet kids at school who will absolutely love her. I've taken her in a few times to pick up Patrick and all the kiddos rushed to come see her - it was really sweet!

Anyway, today I plan to spend contemplating the new normal for our family. How is this all going to work, where can I squeeze time in to work out and take care of myself too, what are some meals that I can prepare ahead of time and throw in the oven when I get home, how on earth is this pumping at work and sending bottles to school thing going to work, etc. etc. etc. I need to label all of Katie's blankets, bottles, etc. and think about the logistics of getting the kids to school and picking them up... This is all going to be very interesting... I know people all over the world do this every day, but it's first time I'm going to be doing it with 2 very tiny children, so it seems like a big deal! LOL

OK, time to get to work. Have a great day and weekend, kids! I'll post an update soon.

Love, Mer

Patrick Likes Pudding

2011-02-13T10:34:00.001-08:00

He's digging for every last bite! :)

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Test

2011-02-09T10:22:00.001-08:00

Testing the new BlogPress application from my iPhone...

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:The couch

Smiley Girl

2011-02-09T10:02:00.000-08:00

Too bad these are blurry, but Miss Katie kept moving around, so I couldn't get a clear shot! But you get the gist... I have a smiley girl on my hands today!

We Got Snow Today!

2011-02-04T09:17:00.001-08:00

Asparagus and Sun Dried Tomato Risotto

2011-02-03T10:18:00.000-08:00

Since I've been breastfeeding, I've been OBSESSED with food!! I spend all day thinking about what I'm going to make that night, gathering all the ingredients, then figuring out how I'm going to time to nurse the baby, squeeze in a nap, pick up Patrick from school, and try to have dinner ready before Patrick's bathtime. It's an all-day thing for me - thinking about and preparing dinner. When I return to work (in 2 weeks), I probably won't be cooking a lot - until I figure out the "new normal" - so hopefully Patrick and Sheridan enjoy my culinary obsession while they can! :)

Here is one of my favorites that I am in the mood to make tonight or tomorrow night... I hope you try it and enjoy it too.

And by the way, this picture is from when I lived in sunny, warm San Diego when I had the ability to hang out by the pool and go on fun vacations. Today I'm in freezing cold Austin, very pale-skinned, and still in my pajamas because I'm on maternity leave. You people don't need to see a picture of that...

Love, Mer

Asparagus and Sun Dried Tomato Risotto

Ingredients

4 cups simmering veggie stock

1 T olive oil

3 T butter

1 small onion, finely chopped

6 sun dried tomatoes, thinly sliced

1 3/8 cups risotto (arborio rice)

2/3 cup dry white wine
(1 or 2 glasses of wine for the chef, naturally)

8 oz fresh asparagus spears, cooked

3/4 cup grated parmesan or pecorino cheese

Lemon rind to garnish

Method

Most importantly, pour yourself a lovely glass of wine. Now you're ready to cook! Start by heating oil with 2 T butter in deep pan over medium heat until the butter is melted. Stir in onion and tomatoes and cook for about 5 minutes until the onion is soft and turning golden - don't brown.

Reduce heat and add rice; mix to coat in oil and butter. Cook, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes or until the grains are translucent. Add wine and cook, stirring constantly until it's reduced.

Gradually add the hot stock, one ladleful at a time. Stir constantly and add more liquid as the rice absorbs each addition. Increase heat to medium so that the liquid bubbles. Cook for 20 minutes until all the liquid is absorbed and rice is creamy.

I'm sure you're ready for another glass of wine. Go ahead... pour yourself a glass. Cheers!

White risotto is cooking, cut most of the asparagus into 1 inch pieces. Carefully fold the cut pieces into the risotto for the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

Remove the risotto from heat and add remaining cutter. Mix well, then add parmesan until it melts.

Serve in pasta bowls and garnish with lemon rind - it's beautiful, delicious, and vegetarian goodness. Mmmmmmmmm!

Who's Who?

2011-01-31T12:11:00.000-08:00

You think my kids look alike? Me too!

Patrick, March 2009

Katie, December 2010

Patrick 2009

Katie, 2011

Patrick 2009

Katie 2011

My Sweetie

2011-01-31T11:20:00.000-08:00

Babywise

2011-01-28T08:27:00.000-08:00

So I have drunk the Kool Aid and read the Babywise book, in an attempt to work with Katie to get her sleeping through the night and on a regular schedule. I'll be heading back to work in about 3.5 weeks, so I really want to make sure she's going to transition to "school"/ daycare easily, and turned to Babywise to help prepare her.

But I'm sooooooo over it! The basic tenets of the Babywise theory are ensuring that a child gets enough to eat during the day to sustain them overnight and helping to regulate their internal clock with a predictable routine. To accomplish this, parents should direct feedings about every 2.5 - 3.5 hours and ensure that a complete feeding is accomplished. Also, a routine of eating, activity, then back to sleep helps regulate the baby's internal clock, giving them the wonderful gift of regularity and security. Makes sense and sounds easy enough, right?

Not for my kiddo! Trying to direct her to eat full meals every three hours makes her GASSY and uncomfortable, and I end up getting up with her about 25 times a night to help comfort her. Wasn't the goal to help her sleep through the night? Babywise says that 95% of babies using this method can sleep 7 hours through the night by 9 weeks, and Katie will be 9 weeks on Monday. I'm pretty sure that's not going to happen for us... Between acid reflux (she's on Zantac, but it doesn't seem to be helping) and being impossible to burp sometimes, I think her little tummy is just too sensitive for this authoritarian method of parenting. I've tried implementing this method 3 times now and each time, I end up spending the worst night of my life and cursing that *#@!&^%* book the next day. (Can you tell I'm having one of those days today?!)

Let's just hope that baby girl can hack it at school, where routine is a given. Given that Babywise is going so horribly now, I need to figure out a new approach to help her get ready for this big step! Wish me luck... I don't have much time left!

Yawn.

I love Shutterfly

2011-01-28T08:06:00.001-08:00

Pop Heart Valentine's Day 5x7 folded card

Create personalized greeting cards and invitations by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Scenes From the Mer Show Household

2011-01-15T09:07:00.000-08:00

It used to be party pics and travel shots. Now it's a rambunctious toddler and baby girl sleeping, growing, and pooping (repeat)... This is why I haven't had time to return so many phone calls to about 100 people I'm dying to talk to (I apologize, but I'm catching up slowly)!

If you're wondering why there are so many photos of my son running around naked, he LOVES running around the house for a few minutes before getting in the bathtub! I always announce that it's time for "NAKED BOOOOOYYY"... and he runs around like a maniac. One night I grabbed my camera and documented 'naked boy time' - hilarious! He's also obsessed with shoes right now... can you tell?

Love, Mer

P's First Haircut

2011-01-07T08:44:00.000-08:00

Katie's Newborn Photos

2011-01-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

Whew!

2011-01-04T11:08:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a MONTH since I last posted... I guess that's a pretty good indicator of what's been going on around here. We've had lots of grandparents and family visiting, Christmas, Sheridan home from work (yay for vacation - he needed some down time!) and Patrick home from school for the holidays. The visitors are gone, the holiday decorations have been put away, and the boys are back to school and work. Now it's just Katie and me, and time to tackle of the projects that I want to complete while out on maternity leave. We'll see how much gets done... as of today, I just want to sit in my bathrobe and cuddle my baby after a crazy few weeks.

I've had a lot of people ask me how Patrick is doing with the transition of becoming a big brother. I have to say - the kid has done phenomenally well! At first, he showed absolutely NO interest in Katie; he would glance over at her occasionally, but it seemed as though he figured she was just a visitor. I think he understands the concept of "baby" and "sissy" now, though, and realizes that she's here to stay. He found one of her pacifiers this weekend and ran over to put it back in her mouth. Too bad she was sleeping soundly at the time! I typically have a "no waking up a sleeping baby" rule in our house, but this time I let it slide... ;)

Our first Christmas with two babies was extremely special! Although Katie slept through most of our Christmas party, Patrick understood the concept of Santa, presents, and having fun with family much more than last year. Santa brought Patrick his very first bike, and he LOVES it! Even more than Patrick, I think Sheridan is super excited to be teaching P something about his very favorite pasttime - it's awesome. My parents came in from Houston, as well as my brother, and we cooked like crazy, ate like crazy, played like crazy, and I can't believe the holidays are over and 2011 is here!

2010 was a banner year for the Mer Show family - I started my new perm job at Dell, Sheridan was promoted at Apple, Patrick learned to walk, talk, and grew like a weed, we settled into our new home, and most notable - Katie joined our family! I can't wait to see what 2011 has in store.

Here are a few shots from our 2010 holiday season. Enjoy! Love, Mer

Introducing the Fabulous Miss Katie

2010-12-06T14:43:00.000-08:00

We are ecstatic to announce the arrival of Kathryn Genevieve. She's a soft, cuddly, sweet Sagittarius and has her mama's chin dimple! She arrived at Seton Hospital in Austin, Texas on November 29, 2010 at 2:01 p.m. and weighed 7 lbs, 9 oz. More photos and stories to come, but please help us welcome baby girl to the family!!

Love, Mer

New Camera

2010-11-25T06:40:00.000-08:00

So Santa came early this year and brought me a new SLR camera before baby girl arrives... yay!!! Honestly, I wasn't expecting this - it was a big surprise from my sweet hubby, so I'm really excited. Here are a few test shots... I read the manual last night and it was pretty darn confusing. I think I'm going to have to learn through experimentation. So here goes!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T10:38:00.000-08:00

I hope you all have a lovely holiday with your family, friends, and neighbors. Our holiday will be a quiet one, in preparation/ anticipation of baby girl - we plan to watch football, head out to eat as a family, and spoil Patrick for his last few days as an only child! The parentals will arrive from Houston on Sunday for the induction on Monday, so we're going to have a big, nice dinner together on Sunday to celebrate Thanksgiving. Mom's bringing all the fixins, minus the sweet potato souffle, which I will put together. It's just not a holiday without Weezie's sweet potato souffle!! :)

We have much to be thankful for this year - healthy children, a warm home, good jobs, a great marriage, and wonderful family and friends. Though it'll be a quiet holiday for us, we won't forget to take time and give thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Love, Mer

Dear Santa

2010-11-22T14:50:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's already time to write another letter to Santa - where did 2010 go?!! Well, I must say... Santa was generous to me all year this year, so I am very grateful. I got the car I wanted, filled the house with pretty furniture, and got to travel a bit, as well. So this year, my list is pretty sparse. I think that at the top of the list is a wish for a very healthy and SLEEPY baby that loves cuddling and hates crying.

So without further adieu, here is my 2010 Christmas list:

1. Clothes that make me feel fashionable and skinny
2. Makeup that makes me feel pretty... and skinny
3. Super fast SLR camera that helps me take gorgeous pictures of my family (and makes me look skinny)
4. Membership to the Wall Street Journal wine club. :)

That's about it! See any themes?

Thanks, Santa!! Love, Mer

Stuff

2010-11-21T10:26:00.000-08:00

So while Patrick's down for his morning nap (well, his only nap... but he seems to want to take them in the mornings on weekends), I thought I'd take a few minutes to start decorating for Christmas. It feels strange doing it this early, since I usually wait until after Thanksgiving! However, given all the excitement this year, I have decided that the Austin faction of the Halls needs to pretend like Thanksgiving doesn't exist this year, and focus on making Christmas extra special instead. (I have no energy to cook, host, or travel at 39 weeks pregnant, which I will be on Thursday!)

I've been looking at holiday catalogs all week and have been stealing ideas for decorating the mantle, table, tree, and front patio. I'm even having thoughts of baking Christmas cookies... and I don't usually do that until like 2 or 3 days before Christmas. Could it be nesting? Perhaps. OH and I have a question for my readers - I have an 8 ft front door, so the regular wreath hooks for 7 foot doors are too short... it makes the wreath hang at the wrong height. I've been looking for special hooks to accommodate a tall door, but can't find them. A) Have any of you seen those? B) Are there other ways to hang a wreath from the top of the door that don't involve those hooks? Like ribbons? HELP please!

Speaking of nesting, I think we're ready for baby girl to arrive - sheesh, we should be... we've been expecting her for weeks. My very good friend, Shannon, reminded me today that one is *supposed* to be pregnant at 38 weeks along - LOL, touche! - but there are just so many factors that indicated that this one was coming early. First, due to all the cervical cancer surgeries in 2008, I have half a cervix left, which is why Patrick came so early - what was left finally gave out. And my doctor has been definitively telling me the entire pregnancy that this baby would come around the same time or earlier than P due to my cervical insufficiency. And then when I started having contractions and was hospitalized at 33 weeks? We thought FOR SURE she'd be here around 36 weeks! Alas, this one has a mind of her own already... and that's cool with me. I'm just ready for these contractions and early labor symptoms to end... it's been a LONG 6 weeks and I'm ready to meet this baby girl! I'm just hoping and praying that induction goes as planned next Monday...

The good thing about her lasting so long is that she's going to be a Sagittarius and not a Scorpio... whew - I was a little worried about that. ;) Some of my most favorite ladies are fellow Sagitarriuses (and I'm one too) so I'm hoping that baby girl and I will be close buddies. I'm SO looking forward to getting to know my daughter!

In other news, today is Patrick's 22 month birthday. He's growing and changing so much every day... He's very verbal these days and is learning more words, even though they're hard to understand. He's quite the athlete and never ceases to amaze us with his physical strength and agility. Think he might be a gymnast someday?

OK, rest time is over... time to get back to Christmas decorating. I might need to make a little trip to Michael's and/ or Target today... I really need some garland, snowflake lights, and decorative stocking hangers STAT to complete my Crate and Barrell knockoff display (not the one above, but a different one). LOL

Love, Mer

Baby Pool

2010-11-16T12:36:00.000-08:00

Well folks... the time is drawing near! Our little baby girl's due date is 12/3, and every doctor's appointment shows the same thing - 2 cm dilated and 60% effaced. It's becoming apparent that these contractions are empty threats and that baby has found a comfy little spot to stay for a while. With that, doc and I have decided to induce at 39 weeks. It's such a HUGE relief that we have a light at the end of the tunnel now - 13 more days. I can DO that! Whew - I was beginning to think that we were going to be siamese twins in a few years that would have to be surgically separated!

Meanwhile, do you think I'm going to make it that long? I mean, after all, I've been having contractions for 4.5 weeks straight now! But then again, if the contractions haven't caused my water to pop yet... do you think they ever will??

Let's create a baby pool. When do you think she's going to arrive? Today is 11/16 and induction day is 11/29 around 7:00 a.m. The winner will receive a special prize that baby girl and I will pick out on a shopping excursion together, once she arrives. :)

Please post your answer as a comment to this post.

Love, Mer

Yep, Still Pregnant

2010-11-09T06:39:00.000-08:00

As of yesterday, I was having contractions every 1-2 minutes!! Today? Nada.

PRAYING, PRAYING, PRAYING that my water breaks soon, soon, soon!!!

That's it. Love, Mer

Pregnancy Snaps - 36 Weeks

2010-11-08T14:51:00.000-08:00

Still Pregnant

2010-11-04T13:07:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow is 36 weeks and I'm still pregnant! YAY! I never, ever would have guessed that I would have held out this long, given that I was in the hospital trying to avert labor at 33 weeks. Go figure! This baby girl is going to be quite the princess, I can tell already... ;)

Doc has been telling me that if/ when I make it to 36 weeks, I'll be off bedrest orders, so I asked her if I could go bungee jumping... she didn't seem to get my sense of humor, but when I started laughing hysterically, she finally figured out that I was KIDDING. (Do I seem *that* crazy?!) I guess she feels that anytime after 36 weeks is fine for baby girl to arrive, so that makes me feel a lot less uneasy about the prospect of The Princess arriving soon... I'm finally more excited and less freaked out. Yay!

I took off this week from work, thinking that I could get some rest before baby girl arrived, because I figured I was going to pop any second. My appointment on Monday revealed that I'm now 2 cm dilated and 60% effaced (which means that I only have 40% of my cervix holding this baby in place); however, contractions have slowed down considerably and I'm beginning to think that maybe she'll go full term just to prove everyone wrong! LOL

It's been an interesting week - Sheridan and P both had colds and pinkeye and stayed at home, so it's been quite a zoo around here. Meanwhile, they both got back to school and work today. My plan was to eat ice cream in my PJs while watching Lifetime all day, but it turns out that I have a problem sitting still. Anyway, it's been nice to have some Mer Time before life really changes again.

I can't believe I'm going to have TWO CHILDREN SOON!!!! Whoa.

Otherwise, I'm glad the elections are over. We all saw the big Republican win coming, so no surprise there. Since they seem to have all the answers... ahem... I look forward to their saving the world. Go forth and deliver, elephants! And could you please do so in the next 2 years? Thanks.

OK, I'll keep everyone posted on baby news. I'm a lot better about updating Facebook than I am this blog, but I'll do my best to keep my faithful Mer Show readers apprised of the latest baby goings on. Thanks for reading!!!

Love, Mer

This Dog Needs to Get A Job

2010-10-30T09:59:00.001-07:00

Seriously, it's the least he could do...

Patrick's Halloween Party at School

2010-10-28T06:29:00.000-07:00

So getting this kiddo to sit or stand still for a photo these days is like herding cats... but I got some cute shots of him dressed up this morning for his school's Halloween party. He's SUPER TODDLER!! I mean, Spiderman. :)

Quick update on P:

1. He's about 27.5 pounds now - 50% in weight, 30% in height.
2. He transitioned from his crib to his big boy toddler bed like a CHAMP. It took about 2 weeks to learn not to fall out of bed, but he's doing great now.
3. His entire row of teeth have grown in on the bottom and he's got three new teeth coming in on top - only one space left!
4. He LOVES trucks and tractors, which is probably a result of all the construction going on in our neighborhood. "Gack" is truck and "gaar" is car. :)
5. His daddy is his favorite person on the planet and he wants to be just like him - he imitates him every chance he gets and rather spend time with him than anyone else. I'm done being offended and am just glad that P has such a *wonderful* father in his life.
6. No, he hasn't had his first haircut yet. His hair is so pretty, curly, and sweet, and I just can't bring myself to cut it!!! Soon, though... soon.

Update

2010-10-26T14:14:00.000-07:00

Well shoot, it's been an exciting few weeks! Baby girl has been trying to make an early break for it, so things have been rather crazy around here... Let's start from the beginning.

I showed up to my 33 week appointment 2 Fridays ago, just for a checkup, and it turned out that I was 1 cm dilated. Given that the last time I had a baby, I went from 0 to 10 in about 2 hours, and was holding Patrick 2 hours after that, we TOTALLY PANICKED. Yep, the doctor too... She put me on a monitor to test for contractions, and sure enough, I was having them!

Doc sent me right across the street to the hospital and checked me into Labor and Delivery. OMG! So this particular weekend, some friends of mine were supposed to host a baby shower for me. With that, my parents were literally on their way from Houston at that time, as was my aunt from the Dallas area, and one of my BFFs from high school was heading in the next day. So at least I had some backup on the way to help with Patrick, and thank goodness I left the house ready for visitors that morning (about 90% ready anyway), because I spent the next 2 days in the hospital fighting off contractions. At one point, I was having them every 7 minutes!! Yikes!

Eventually, though, we scared off the regular contractions, and checked my cervix - no more dilation. So they let me go home, only if I promised to relax and work from bedrest from that point on. Ummmmm, bedrest? With a full time (crazy) job and a (crazy) toddler? And a husband and (crazy) dog? I was thinking that they were freaking crazy for letting me leave that hospital bed, but of course I wasn't going to SAY that... Shhhhhhhhhhhh, don't tell anyone I just admitted that!

Meanwhile, it's a week and a half later and baby girl is still baking up nicely. Oh yes, I'm still having crazy contractions, but not regularly and they don't seem to be getting any more intense. Doc checked me out yesterday and said everything looks good, so I'm just going to keep trying to keep off my feet as much as possible, drink tons of water, eat like a maniac, and concentrate hard on not going into labor (mind over matter!).

Now, we expected some early arrival drama, given that Patrick showed up at 36.5 weeks (and because I'm a drama queen, natch), but sheesh - this has been even more than I was expecting. Looks like baby girl is a chip off the ole block! Patrick is CERTAINLY Sheridan's baby - they are BFFs, so it seems like this one definitely is going to be *my* baby.

That shower never materialized - my girlfriends had to postpone it, but I've had so many lovely people send pressies, drop by for visits, and send their love. I feel so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life; it's really inspired me to think about becoming a better friend to the people I care about and spend my days with. With so much going on, it's easy to get wrapped up in myself and my family, but as soon as I can get back on my feet, I want to do something nice for my loved ones and friends. Need to start thinking about that...

Cross your fingers that the baby stays put, and I'll continue to keep my legs crossed! ;)

Love, Mer

p.s. Per my last post, I did decide to pack my hospital bag. A) It came in handy! B) Do you think I jinxed myself?

Childbirth - EEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!!

2010-09-29T06:36:00.000-07:00

So if you'll remember back to my birth story with Patrick, you might recall that I was supposed to have a C section. I was very comfortable with this idea, as it was planned, controlled, and would hopefully entail as little drama as possible. Well THAT didn't happen. It was dramatic, unexpected, surprising, and early!! I showed up to the hospital in super active labor, at 5 cm dilated, and they made me push.

I soooooooooo didn't read that chapter in the 15 baby books I read while pregnant with Patrick. I was HAVING a C SECTION - it wasn't necessary! I didn't talk to friends about giving birth, I didn't read about it, I didn't take classes... nothing. And then out of nowhere, I had to do it. 2:00 a.m. on a Wednesday morning, 36.5 weeks along, totally unprepared.

You'd think that after that experience, I'd be prepared to do it again (doc says I'm pushing again this time, since my cervix is proven to work the way it's supposed to during childbirth). However, I am not. I do remember that I had to push for 2 hours and had no idea what I was doing. I was in a lot of pain afterward and feel like maybe if I had been prepared, it wouldn't have seemed so traumatic and hard.

So this time, dangit, I'm going to GET PREPARED! I've been avoiding the topic for a while now, but since I'm going to be 31 weeks shortly, and baby girl might arrive anytime around 36 weeks, I really need to start preparing myself for this endeavor. This morning I pulled out two baby books from my shelf (from the last pregnancy) and am going to read those chapters on childbirth.

This thing is getting real. I'm having another baby. Another Hall baby. Another Patrick. OMG. Am I sure I'm ready? Well, ready or not, here she comes! So I better prepare myself. And the nursery. And my husband. And our son!

And that does NOT include packing the hospital bag - last time I packed that bag early, Patrick arrived a few hours later. I don't want to jinx us this time! Maybe I'll make a list for Sheridan and say "if I go into labor, throw this stuff into the bag sitting on the dog crate and let's boogie".

Anyway, time to get to work.

Love, Mer

Random Thoughts

2010-09-21T12:27:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it through the brutal Texas summer, and once again it's Fall. I love this time of year! Growing up, it meant going back to school, the beginning of intensive training for gymnastics since competitions began in January, homecoming dances.... and now it means cooler weather, busy time at work, FOOTBALL SEASON, and still feels like a fresh start. The Hall household is in full swing, getting prepared for baby numero dos - our baby girl.

Becoming a 2nd time mom is definitely less intimidating than the first time - I feel like I'm better prepared for what's about to come. I'll know how to deal with the diaper blowouts, colic-y symptoms, lack of sleep, sleep training, when to feed what and when, etc. etc. etc. but I'm still a little nervous about having 2 little ones in the house versus one. I mean, P is a monster - like a crazy little pinball with endless energy and creativity - how are we going to be able to keep up with TWO?! Well, it's a blessing, so I just need to keep on remembering that. :)
I'm getting rounder, slower, and more tired and the doc says that we need to be prepared for baby girl to arrive around the same time that P did, if not before... so that really only gives us about 6 more weeks. EEK! We still haven't even started on baby girl's nursery (well, I do have the bedding), because we've been concentrating on P's big boy room. So far, his is done - it's adorable and he likes it a lot - save a couple more things... And he's still sleeping in the Pack N Play IN his new room - hasn't transferred to the big boy bed yet... we'll see how that goes! Wish us luck.

Sheridan just got promoted at work - YAY! He's been working hard to achieve this, so I'm really happy for him and know he's going to have his opportunity to really shine. Congrats, babe - you deserve it!! My job is hectic right now, so I'm looking forward to some "down time" (yeah right) during maternity leave... Meanwhile, I'm working like crazy to get my reqs in good order, so that when I leave, my temp replacement will know which way is up. :)

We just celebrated our second wedding anniversary, so that was really exciting! What an amazing 2 years it's been - we got married, moved to Austin, had Patrick, started new jobs, bought a house, I started at Dell on a perm basis, we made another baby, and now here we are about to complete our family!! Whew - that's tiring just hearing about it. I need a nap.

With that, I bid you adieu! Until next time... Love, Mer

p.s. Nursery and big boy room pictures soon to follow...

Recent Trips

2010-09-02T07:42:00.000-07:00

Highlights from my recent trips to San Diego, Northern California, and New York City. Whew, no wonder I haven't had time to blog!!

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA

NORTHERN CAL

NEW YORK CITY

Random Thoughts By Mer

2010-08-04T05:36:00.000-07:00

1. Big Daddy bought me a new car! We call her Red Dragon and every day, when I walk out to the garage, I can't believe that I get to drive her. I've never had a car with the new car smell before! I'm really enjoying her and P seems to like sitting up high and watching all the other cars - it's cute. We had a couple of minor setbacks in the new car - a big, ugly door ding the FIRST day I parked in the parking lot at Dell (rude!!!!) and a speeding ticket about 3 days after I got the car (in this car, it feels like you're going 50 when you're going... 82). But all in all, having a new car is super exciting!

2. Sheridan's best friend Troy is getting married this weekend in Nor Cal (he's the best man... again), and he went out to Tahoe for the bachelor party 2 weekends ago. They had a blast and seem to have stayed out of big trouble... :) Patrick and I took the opportunity to head out to San Diego for some fun in the sun, relaxation, grandparent time, friend time, and a fun mommy/ son trip. We had a blast! He had a few meltdowns here and there, but he does that at home too, so all in all, I would say he handled it like a champ.

3. Ali chose Roberto. He is yummy, sweet, and seems like a solid dude. She better not mess it up!

4. We saw lady bits on the last baby ultrasound, so it does appear that baby numero dos is a baby girl. It's finally sunk in that we're having a daughter and we're both really excited! I've been doing a lot of online shopping, looking for the perfect bedding, accessories, and baby items to complete baby girl's nursery. Now we just need to dismantle the 2nd guest room, paint, get P's toddler bed set up, get him settled in there, and take down all the boy stuff in the nursery to prepare for baby girl x (name to be determined)! Good thing we have lots of time, because we have a LOT to do!

I think that's it for now. Hope you all are doing fabulously! Love, Mer

Letter to Ali, The Bachelorette

2010-07-20T07:20:00.001-07:00

Dear Ali,

First of all, I think you seem pretty genuine, intelligent, and fun. If we met, I think we’d be friends. With that, I’d like to give you some friendly insight as to you why you keep failing at love. Believe me, I know a thing or two about failing at love OVER AND OVER AND OVER, but look at me now – I’m married to my best friend, have a cute kid with another on the way, and am very happy. So please, hear me out…

Here’s the problem: you fall in love with jerks. You have to break the pattern if you’re going to have a real chance at happiness. You fell in love with Frank because he was hesitant about you – it was obvious that he had something “holding him back” (as he said about 20 times in last night’s episode). I mean, he was the only one that didn’t repeatedly express his interest in being with you and that “he was there for the right reasons” (another phrase which I’m sick of, but you get the point). I’m guessing that in the past, you probably fell in love with other Franks and got your heart broken, and that’s what you’re going to continue until you QUIT DATING THE SAME GUY OVER AND OVER AGAIN, AND EXPECTING DIFFERENT RESULTS!

You need to step outside your comfort zone and start giving the nice guys a chance. Yes, it’s different in the beginning. Maybe you’ll start out with a strong friendship, and things will move slowly and you won’t see that “instant connection” that you had with Frank. It’s going to grow slowly, over time, and THAT is the relationship that’s going to stand the test of time. Yes, some women find that instant connection thing and it ends up working out in the long term, but sista, you and I are not those women, because we have “instant connection” with bad people. You need to change your stripes, and it’s going to feel strange, like detox… but it’s what you need to do. Detox yourself of the shitheads you’ve been dating.

Is that clear? If you want to hug it out, or talk, call me!

Love, Mer

It's a GIRL!

2010-07-03T04:32:00.000-07:00

So I'm a bit overdue in announcing some huge news for the Mer Show family... we're having another baby!! For those of you doing the math, that means that Patrick will be 22 months older than the new baby. I've heard that little kids that are close in age are really, super close, so I'm really hopefully that I'm cooking up Patrick's future BFF. :)

And yesterday, we found out it's going to be a baby GIRL! I knew it all along, because I've been much sicker this pregnancy, but it sort of hit my lovely hubby like a brick. He had in his head that it was a boy, and had visualized two little boys running around this house some day, so he really believed that we were going to find some boy parts in that sonogram. No dice! But of course, he's thrilled and excited about this surprise!

For those of you that knew me growing up... or in my teenage years... or my 20s... this might possibly concern you a bit. LOL I was a bit of a curious, rambunctious, rule-breaking, assertive young thing that definitely drew outside the lines. (But hey, I worked it all out and became a productive member of society, right?!) I'm pretty determined to use all the lessons I learned to teach my little girl (and Patrick, too) how to avoid some of the mistakes I learned, but how to be unafraid to be who they really are, and to concentrate on being kind to others and making good decisions. :)

Like I said, I was really sick in the beginning of this pregnancy, which also explains my lack of updates here on this blog. I apologize! Every waking moment that I wasn't at work (working my tail off), running after my hell-on-wheels toddler (he is so stinkin' hilarious these days, but requires a lot of energy to keep up with), I was pretty much passed out on the couch. I'm feeling a lot better these days - energy is back, for the most part, and my appetite has returned, for the most part, and I think I'm back to myself again.

I'm sure that Sheridan is glad about that - he's really had to step up to the plate the last few months to take care of me, Patrick, the house, and our life. I'm so grateful to have married a wonderful person, so full of love, and such a great father. There's no way I could be a pregnant, full-time working mommy of a rambunctious toddler, with a house to keep, crazy dog to manage, and ever get any rest at all... BIG KUDOS to my husband for hanging in there with me through this crazy pregnancy! I love you, babe!

I promise not to let so much time lapse between future postings. I think I'm getting back to normal, and you guys need to hear all about it. ;)

Love, Mer

I know!

2010-06-19T17:16:00.000-07:00

I know, I need to update this blog!!! I promise I will soon. I have so much to share, but so little time and energy...

Until then, maybe this video of our big boy will amuse. :)

Love, Mer

He Did It!

2010-04-18T07:39:00.001-07:00

Oh boy - life is about to change again. I have a feeling this kid is going to be RUNNING by midweek!

Severely Overdue Update

2010-04-11T10:06:00.000-07:00

So this weekend, Sheridan's out in CA hanging out with some of his buddies from the college era, and so it's just been Patrick and me, doing our thing. I have to admit, I was a bit worried that it was going to be rough - I've come to really rely on Sheridan as an active partner in this parenting endeavor... But it's actually been really wonderful! Patrick I spent yesterday shopping, running around together, napping together, and watching movies. We've had a great weekend of bonding, and I haven't had to cook so much, since Patrick's food is easy to prepare and without hubby around, I can subsist on Lean Cuisines. hehe Right now, P's taking a much-needed nap, so I thought I'd update the ole blog, since I'm so overdue.

The new job is good. I'm not gonna lie - it was a ROUGH start. I'm a pro at starting new jobs, jumping right in, and being successful right off the bat due to my consulting years; however, this time has been challenging. I'm not sure if it's the difference between doing business in CA and Texas, but culturally, my rather direct approach doesn't really seem to be working here. Me blunt? Direct? LOL So anyway, I'm working on a softer, fuzzier approach with my new colleagues here in Austin... We'll see how that turns out. :)~ Meanwhile, I'm committed to being in this job long term and building a career there, so I'm working hard to being successful. That also includes taking the PHR certification in May, so I'm studying and taking classes to prepare for that. Honestly, I should be studying right NOW versus updating this blog, but... whatever.

In other news, Patrick is doing great! Still not walking, but he takes steps quite often before giggling and dropping to his knees to crawl about 100 mph wherever he wants to go. He's such a curious little boy - he loves splashing water in the bathtub (as in ALL over the bathroom - it looks like a tsunami hit after bathtime), playing, climbing the stairs (and descending, too), and still... eating. He's "The Tank", per his Auntie Carolyn. Yesterday, we enjoyed our first Chick Fil A combo meal together - nuggets, fries, and coleslaw; he, of course, inhaled it. He's so active these days, and curious - I went into the loo yesterday for about 3 minutes and came back to find him noshing on the dog food. This morning, I found him on the ottoman/ coffee table watching Sesame Street, smiling and clapping. He just cracks me up. :D

We got some pics of the little monster in the Texas bluebonnets this year - see below. If I do say so myself, this kid is pretty darn adorable... Is that rude?

That's about it for now. I hope you're all doing great! xoxoxo, Mer

New Videos of P Diddy

2010-03-29T19:03:00.000-07:00

He's quite the talker these days!

He's a play machine!

Stand N Stuff Taco Shells

2010-03-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

So now that I have a very demanding job, obviously the posts are coming slower than normal. Sorry 'bout that! But you'll know when something is really inspiring or really important when I take time out of my day to sit down and write!

And THIS topic is deserving of my time - Stand N Stuff taco shells. They've revolutionized taco night at Casa De Hall! I love the way they stand flat on the plate so that all the meat, salsa, queso, and goodies don't fall out onto the plate when you put the taco down. It just makes me so happy!!! I keep a dinner kit in the pantry at all times, along with frozen turkey in the freezer - it's a Hall house staple. I heart Old El Paso Stand N Stuff tacos!

That's it.

Love, Mer

Video From The Mall This Weekend

2010-03-15T07:23:00.001-07:00

Patrick is usually The Flirtmeister, but when actually pursued by an older woman, he chickened out!! LOL

Snow in Austin

2010-02-27T10:47:00.000-08:00

It snowed here in Austin last week!! This is a rarity, so took lots of pics - here are a few. :)

Love, Mer

Restaurant Review - Juan In A Million, Austin, TX

2010-02-21T10:02:00.000-08:00

Just got back from eating at Juan In A Million and felt inspired to write a review. We had some friends in town from California and tried to give them a full overview of what life is like in TX - took them to 6th Street, the Capital, The Oasis for sunset, Salt Lick; we even took them to the Alamo. And of course, sadly, they were able to check out the burning Echelon building on Thursday. We had seen the Man vs Food - Austin episode on The Travel Channel, and had always wanted to check out these famous tacos at JIAM, and decided to take our friends on the way to the airport. This restaurant is on the east side of 35, in the barrio, so we don't exactly spend a lot of time in that part of Austin. This is definitely a destination place, or a good spot to drop by on the way to the airport. :)

The reason why this restaurant has become so famous is because they have a contest that if you eat 8 breakfast tacos (which are ENORMOUS), you get your picture on the Juan of Fame. We stopped by to check it out and it looks like the last winner, who ate 7 of them, was a really tall, skinny Asian kid. I don't know where he put it all!! LOL And Adam Richman, the Man vs Food guy - he was on there as the "celebrity winner", but didn't get anywhere near finishing 8 tacos. And this dude can EAT. Anyway...

Where else can one order chili con queso and fire-hot salsa and chips at breakfast? Texas, baby! (swoon) I accidentally ordered the "breakfast special" instead of the breakfast tacos and I really missed out - it was just hash browns, scrambled eggs and refried beans with tortillas. BORRRRING. Hubby ordered the famous breakfast tacos made with flavorful potatoes, crispy bacon, and scrambled eggs, and topped with salsa and cheese on HOMEMADE tortillas, so I got to try them after all, and actually, the two of us dined on his one taco quite easily - they're huge! And soooo delicious. AND they only cost $3.50!

The only reason I'm not giving Juan In A Million 4 stars is because we ended up sitting near the bathroom and it smelled like a raw sewage plant was close by... I had to stuff my face with the super spicy salsa just to override the smell! It worked, but that is just uncool.

All in all, a super cool experience - great food, good service, and a fun environment. Just be sure to sit on the patio or in the main dining room - not in the alcove by the shitters. PU!

Love, Meredith

Tragedy in Austin

2010-02-19T14:22:00.001-08:00

Well, unless you’ve been living under a rock the last few days, I’m sure you’re familiar with the fact that a nutjob flew his plane into an IRS building a few miles away from my house. It’s literally 10 minutes from my home and about 5 minutes from Sheridan’s office. Fortunately, none of us nor our friends, were affected by the tragedy. Sheridan, Troy, and Chastity drove past the madness on their way to Chuy’s (those jerks were drinking margaritas while I was slaving at work), but that’s about it. Thank God for that!
I would imagine that since this guy isn’t Middle Easter, people wouldn’t call him a terrorist, but I hope people realize that he is exactly that – a terrorist. Making his extremist views known by means of extreme violence… that’s terrorism. He was just a suicide bomber with an airplane, not a backpack, and a private plane versus a jumbo jet. What a jerk! Couldn’t he have just shot himself or something? Why did he have to kill innocent people? What an asshole!
This dummy cheated on his taxes and refused to pay his bill NUMEROUS times, yet is upset at the folks that held him to his responsibilities. I mean shoot – I’ve gotten behind on my bills before, so I understand the frustration, but to blame the creditor for our trespasses is just dumb. Ooooh, this guy just really makes me mad!!

Please pray for all the Austinites affected by this horrible tragedy.
Love, Mer

Here We Go!

2010-02-07T09:20:00.000-08:00

It's Sunday afternoon and the dog is asleep, the baby is asleep, and the hubby's at the gym. I'm preparing myself for a very big day tomorrow - first day at the new job! If you know me, you'll know that I've started scores of new jobs in the last 10 years (Manpower Professional in Raleigh and San Diego, the hotel twice, The Art Institute, the horrendous SMS.ac, Blue Oasis twice (I didn't realize that I had worked at the same place twice so many times until now!), Fair Isaac, Affymetrix, Cisco, and working as a contractor for Dell.

However, starting this job is different - this is really my dream job! I've been working my whole career to find a senior recruiting role with a company that I can be proud of being a part, and on a permanent basis so that I can stay a while, set down some roots, and really grow as a professional. I have gotten close a couple of times, but this is finally it - I'm really excited! PLUS, there's the brand new dimension of being a working mom for the first time... Yes, I've been "working" the last 6 months, but from home, doing sourcing, which I can do in my sleep and really didn't require a full 40 hours a week. I've obtained my dream job and am becoming a REAL working mom for the first time. I'm nervous - can I really do this? I know I can kick ass at what I do professionally, but can I really do it with a baby on the brain (and someday, another one in my belly)? I'm gonna have to dig really deep and DO IT! Having a great husband and hands-on daddy will really help, but it's going to be an adjustment for him, too. I know he'll be great, though!

So today I'm having a little pep rally in my head, preparing my paperwork, getting together my identification docs, making a list of things to ask tomorrow so that I can get up and running ASAP, and trying to figure out the PERFECT outfit that will make me feel confident, professional, pretty, and look great in the company directory for the next few years. No pressure.

Wish me luck! Love, Mer

p.s. For my friends who email me regularly, Dell blocks Yahoo Mail, so I'll be able to check my personal email via my iPhone, but responses will probably be short, since it's hard to type novels on the phone... If you need to reach me about a time-sensitive matter, call me por favor! xo

New Furniture

2010-02-05T06:23:00.000-08:00

Still have a long way to go - curtains and corresponding rods, accent walls painted, master bedroom and ceiling painted, lots of artwork, a couple of rugs, and a few accent tables and lamps... but all in all, this house is coming together!! Every week we feel like it's a new house and it's feeling more and more like ours every day. We love it!!

And I bought this to brighten up the living room a bit - it doesn't photograph well, so this is a jpeg from the West Elm website. It's super cute against the chocolate wall! :)

More to come as I complete today's painting project! Love, Mer

Crock Pot

2010-02-04T07:42:00.000-08:00

So a few years ago, any talk of crock pots actually kind of sent shivers down my spine - "what a heartless way to produce a meal". It just seemed like a short cut to the type of meal that wasn't welcome in any dedicated foodie's home and I wanted NO part of it. Well, friends and countrymen, here is example #198709867a that people really can change! Not only am I married with a kid, living in the burbs and eyeballing an SUV, but I, good people, am now a huge fan of the crock pot.

I received not one, but TWO crock pots for Christmas, and decided that it was time to give this thing a shot. Now that I'm going to be a working-outside-the-house mother, it could become a very handy tool for feeding my family! Over the last month, I've tried several recipes and even made up a delicious brisket for Patrick's birthday party that ended up being a huge hit. Who knew? I know that I have some crock pot loving friends who read this blog, so I thought I'd post some new recipes that I've tried and were successful for me. Let me know if you try these and enjoy them!

Recipe 1: Barbecue Chicken

Ingredients:

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 1/2 cups tomato ketchup

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1 teaspoon ground red hot pepper flakes, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Combine all ingredients for the sauce in the slow cooker. Add the chicken, try to coat it well with the sauce. Cook on high 3-4 hours (or low for 6-8 hours), or until chicken is fully cooked all the way through. Then shred or cut up the chicken, and replace it in the sauce in the pot; mix it all up so all the pieces are coated. Serve on rolls or alone with veggies... delish!

Recipe 2: Cola braised brisket

Ingredients:

3/4 cup cola

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon vinegar

2 gloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon beef boullion granules

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, ground

2 medium onions, chopped

1 1/2 pound beef roast or brisket piece

1/2 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons margarine or butter

Directions for meat: Mix all ingredients up to and including red pepper. Reserve 1/2 cup for sauce. Cut meat to fit crock pot. Place onions in crock pot and meat on top of onions. Pour remaining liquid over meat. Cover and cook 10-12 hours on low, 5-6 hours on high.

Directions for sauce: Combine 1/2 cup reserved liquid, ketchup and margarine in saucepan. Heat. Set aside. Shred cooked meat. Serve on buns or tortillas with sauce.

Recipe 3: Turkey Chili

Ingredients:

1.25 lbs ground turkey or beef

1 can kidney beans

1 can garbanzo beans

1 can tomato soup

2 cans diced tomatoes

2-4 gloves garlic, minced

4-6 T chili powder

splash of cayenne pepper

optional: 1 cup frozen corn

Brown meat, add it and all other ingredients to a crock pot, and simmer forever on low or maybe about 3-4 hours on high. Bon appetit!

Dear Sheridan,

2010-02-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

Have I told you lately that I love our life together? Thanks so much for giving me everything I've ever wanted!! Our life sure is domestic these days, but let me tell you... I LOVE IT! Thank you for being trustworthy, loving, funny, giving, forgiving, a great dad, and making me want to be a better person every day. Thanks for giving me a new life in the form of being a wife and mother. Thanks for the beautiful future we're planning together...

Just wanted to publicly tell the world how much I love you. :)

Love, your adoring wifie

New Job

2010-02-01T06:46:00.000-08:00

So for some reason, my background check has gotten held up, and I'm not cleared to start the new job yet... So my start date has been changed to next week! I'm a little bummed that I didn't get to start today (and paranoid that there's something on my record that maybe I don't know about - like unpaid parking tickets turned into warrants or something... I know, I'm paranoid), but I'm sure everything will work out. And I'm going to try and do some relaxing this week. We'll see about that...

Like I said in the last post, we're taking P to the ENT today to get those problematic ears checked out... He pulled on his ears all weekend, so I have a feeling the outcome is going to mean tubes. If that's the case, I'm going to try and talk the doc into doing surgery THIS week, while I'm out of work, so I can take care of the little man. I'll keep everyone posted if that happens. Meanwhile, I need to do some deep cleaning, hang some pictures, and maybe do some painting. Wish me luck!

Hope you all have a great week!

Love, Mer

UPDATE: P does need tubes, surgery is scheduled soon!! And the background check cleared... as if it wasn't going to... DUH. I freaked myself out for nothing! :)

Stuff

2010-01-29T08:18:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone. So it's been a busy month or so here at The Mer Show - Patrick's first birthday, wrapping up my life as a contract recruiter, and getting prepared for the transition to a full-time working mommy with a job onsite. I had a week off this week to get things in order, so I've done everything from getting my teeth cleaned to my roots done, nails done, clothes to the cleaners/ alterations, house projects, lunches with friends, cleaning, and all sorts of things. I'm nervous about next week - getting used to the new schedule and demanding job, but I'm also really excited. Wish me luck!

In other news, here are a couple of other updates:

1. I got sucked into the Meaningful Beauty infomercial - you know, the one with Cindy Crawford - and have been using the products for about a week now. And guess what? I can already see a substantial improvement in my skin! My sister-in-law, Sarah, is going to kill me (she's an Arbonne consultant) when she reads this, but I know she'll forgive me. :) So far, my skin is more supple, less red and splotchy, and my eyes even look less tired. It's miracle stuff! They say you should use it for 4 weeks to see its full potential, but so far, so good. And the best part? It's reasonably priced!

2. Patrick has a doctor's appointment on Monday to see if he needs to get tubes in his ears. I have a feeling they're going to say that he does. Pray for him!

3. I ordered the bedding I've been coveting! It went on super duper sale at Macy's and then I had another 15% off coupon, so it finally made it reasonable enough (sort of, LOL) to buy it. I can't wait to get it on the bed! My idea is to create a luxe, hotel-like feel so that it can be mine and Sheridan's little getaway spot every night. This is the bedding, but I added a red coverlet and 2 red euro shams (instead of the charcoal ones shown) to add color. We plan to paint the walls a cool gray, add colorful red artwork, maybe add a red daybed or chairs for a sitting area on the side of the room, and super cool pendant lamps/ chandeliers over each nightstand... Can't wait to see the finished product!

So that's it for now. Have a good weekend, everyone!

Love, Mer

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PATRICK!!

2010-01-21T08:14:00.000-08:00

Dear Patrick,

On this, your first birthday, I want the world to know how much I love you and how glad I am that you came into my life. You sprang up - a bit of a surprise - and injected my life and your entire family's life with so much positive energy and joy. I love taking care of you, laughing and playing with you, and watching you grow. I've seen you learn to roll over, sit up, crawl, babble, play, eat with your hands, grow teeth, and now any minute, you're going to be walking! What an incredible study you are!

Someday you're going to be able to talk to me and I can't wait to hear what thoughts on in that crazy little head of yours. I bet it goes something like "oh wow, that is so cool over there - I need to go touch it RIGHT NOW" or "geez, I'm hungry again - that lady never feeds me enough" or "heh heh heh, I just pooped". You're already hilarious!

We've had a tough year with the cooties - you had thrush, colic, acid reflux, Roseola, Hand Foot and Mouth, RSV, FIVE ear infections, and many runny noses. Geez, kid - you really need to stop putting everything in your mouth! But until then, you know that your Mommy will be there with Boogie Wipes, warm compresses, pain suppressants, cuddles, toys, and silly made-up songs about you to make you giggle. I promise to do my best to make you feel better when you feel yucky.

You are a much-loved little boy - by your parents, your grandparents, all your aunts and uncles and our special friends. I can't wait to watch you succeed throughout your life - I just know you will! I promise to do everything I can to help you grow up to be big and strong, intelligent, responsible, and a good person. There might be times when you make mistakes or take the wrong fork in the road, but it's ok - just keep trying to be your best. And don't forget - we'll always love you, no matter what!

Happy birthday and thank you for being my favorite kid in the whole, entire world!

Love, Your Mommy

Now I'm Sick

2010-01-18T09:32:00.000-08:00

Please shoot me. Both Sheridan and I ended up getting what Patrick had last week.

Called in sick today and am very pathetically sitting on the couch, watching Julie and Julia - good flick. I'm getting inspired to buy Mastering the Art of French Cooking and get busy! If only I had energy...

Just wanted to bitch and whine publicly and request lots and lots of sympathy. Poor me - I'm SICK!! Waaaaahhhh!!!

That's it. Mer

Scenes from the Mer Show Household This Week

2010-01-14T12:28:00.000-08:00

I'm so pooped, I don't have much time and energy to write. Therefore, I'll post pictures of what's been going on at our house this week. Patrick is home VERY sick with RSV and 2 raging ear infections, so Sheridan and I are working out of the house, taking care of him. All of us are completely worn out after playing, crying, soothing, doctoring, and not doing much of something else - SLEEPING! We're sneaking in some fun times in between the yucky moments, and I've been capturing our week of togetherness in pictures, so I thought I'd share some with you all!

Love, Mer

p.s. Big thanks goes out to Patrick, who napped long enough for me to create this posting. Thanks, baby boy! xoxoxo

OK, so I got up here, but now how do I get down?

Fun with a water bottle

Cry break!!

OK, feeling better. What's this thing, Mommy?

Investigating...

OK, I'm over it... Hall out!

Almost down...

DID IT! (So proud of myself)

Pat in the box (alert - only his MOTHER is allowed to call him Pat; all others must call him Patrick!)

Boxes are fun! (Check out that cowlick!)

Fun with Baci

Heh heh heh

OK, I'm over it.

Playing in the train tent

Learning to throw a ball

Bottle intervention! He's almost a year old, he should be able to feed himself his own darn milk, right?? Wrong. He refuses!!

He's thinking about it...

Oooh, ooooh, oooooh!!! Is he gonna do it??

Not so enthralled...

HAHAHAHAHA, that was funny! Who needs to hold their own bottle when Mommy will hold it for me??

He's already browsing through Daddy's liquor cabinet... Insert joke here.

About The Artist

2010-01-06T09:19:00.000-08:00

In my last post, you'll see that I linked the inspiration for my latest painting for your viewing pleasure. You'll see that there is a subnote under the painting that says "About The Artist". After thinking about that for a minute, I decided to write my own biographical history in artistic endeavors - since I'm becoming a more committed painter, I thought that might be amusing!! LOL

What do you think? Here's my autobiographical "About The Artist":

As a girl, Meredith was much more interested in sports and socializing than artistic pursuits. In college, however, she traveled to Europe, where she lived and studied Spanish linguistics, literature, and culture in Southern Espana for a summer. Visiting world-famous museums such as the Louvre, El Museo del Prado in Madrid, and a few years later, the MOMA in NYC and the Tate Modern in London, her interest in art - particularly modern, contemporary art - bloomed. It wasn't until marrying a man with an artistically-talented mother and becoming obsessed with HGTV personality David Bromstad's design aesthetic, which oft includes custom-created paintings for his rooms, that she decided to start creating her own works of art. Armed with some craft paints from Hobby Lobby, practice canvases, and a short lesson from her mother-in-law, she began experimenting with paint and continues to increase her confidence and ability with each piece. Her goal is to reflect her views of the beauty and energy in the world onto canvas, and share it with those experiencing life with her.

New PIcs from the Mer Show Household

2010-01-06T08:27:00.000-08:00

My latest painting - it's 22"x28". I like this one. It was inspired by this piece, but is obviously my own interpretation of it.

Paint samples taped to the wall. Looking at them via photography is eye-opening!

Half-done painting over the mantle. Have NO IDEA what I'm going to do with this mantle - need inspiration!!

Junk on the side of the fridge. Note picture of Sheridan and me when I was young and skinny (waaaaaay back in December 2007 - LOL) and cookies way up high, where I can't reach them.

Do You Hear That?

2010-01-04T10:22:00.000-08:00

Oh yeah, that's the sound of... NOTHING! Today the house sure is quiet with both Patrick having returned to school and Sheridan back to work. We had a fantastic holiday season - cooking, eating, playing, napping (ok, maybe once), movie-watching, shopping, Wii-playing, and just spending quality time together. It was the most special holiday season in my whole life!

But throughout the holidays, all of us got WAY off our routines and I think that it's going to be super nice getting back into the swing of our routine. Really, we've been off of it for a couple of months, given the move, Thanksgiving, birthday, Christmas, company, Patrick's sicknesses, and New Years. I mean, our baby slept from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. yesterday and then went to bed at 9:30 p.m. for the night. This is not normal, and I think it's indicative of how off we are as a family right now!

Today is the first day that all of us are back at work, back to school, and life is back to normal. No cookie baking, no Christmas tree, no company - back. to. normal. I'm pretty relieved, actually!!

Now it's time to get back on track, get back in shape, get organized, get things done, work hard, and be productive. I'm feeling very motivated and am going to go with it! I just updated my resume, took care of a lot of bookkeeping, answered a bunch of emails, cleaned off my desk, made a couple of business calls, and am getting back to business. I feel grrrrrrrrrrreat!

I hope all of you are feeling as motivated and inspired about this new year, new decade, and opportunity to make some positive changes. Good luck to you and wish me luck too. :)

Love, Mer

Reflections on 2009

2009-12-31T11:27:00.000-08:00

I certainly have a lot to be thankful for, and much of it happened in 2009! This year, I moved back to the home planet, changed my life for the better by becoming a mother to the uber-sweet, funny, wonderfully delicious Patrick, became a happy working mom, and bought my dream house. Seriously? Could someone pinch me, please?! I hate to come across as braggadocious, but sheesh... after a few years of really struggling, I would like to think I was DUE. :) I'm so grateful for all the wonderful blessings that I have received, and want to thank the universe, my friends, family, and God for making those things happen.

I certainly hope that 2010 is just as fruitful and successful for my little family. Best wishes to all my Mer Show readers and your family and friends. Let's hope that 2010 is a wonderful new start for all those families out there affected by this crappy economy and that a new year brings new life to those suffering in any way.

And meanwhile, have a fun and safe celebration tonight. Farewell, 2009 and welcome 2010!!

Love, Mer

Photos from Christmas

2009-12-29T09:32:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2009

2009-12-28T09:08:00.001-08:00

Wow, what a Christmas! I hope you all had a great holiday, as well! Patrick's first Christmas was filled with lots of love, food, memories, gifts, giggles, and activity - definitely one to remember. I don't have pictures pulled from my camera yet, but promise to get those up shortly.

My parents, brother, and his dog arrived Wednesday the 23rd and my second cousin Janie came that day, as well, to spend some time with us. We had a nice time - I hosted a little pre-Christmas party with my artichoke dip, mini burritos, mini quiches, wine, desserts, and all kinds of goodies. It was a great way to break in my new dining room stuff - it looked so pretty all dressed up for Christmas... I was so proud!

The rest of our days were spent cooking, taking care of and playing with P, wrapping presents, watching Christmas movies, parades, talking, etc. etc. etc. It was a nice Christmas with everyone here. Even with Paco, Matt's doggie, who helped the Hall household reach a new level of havoc!

Some of my favorite presents this year were a Crock Pot and recipe book for it, Bissell Green Machine (steam cleaner), gorgeous cookbooks, a Oreck Hand Vac, and a bike trailer to cruise around with P. Who would think I'd get so excited over cooking and cleaning?? LOL!

In other news, I received an allowance from my hubby to spend on the house for Christmas!! I decided to buy bedroom furniture - Z Gallerie is having a 15% off sale right now, so I pulled the trigger on a set that I've been eyeballing. I went a tiny bit over budget, but Sheridan let me off the hook. Can't wait to see it in person!!! Whatcha think?

Things are back to normal now and it's time to start thinking about putting away all the decorations, the tree, and DIETING!! Oh good God, the dieting... I weighed myself this morning and I gained SEVEN pounds in December. OOPS! My pants are about to pop from being so tight right now... Operation Fatass is definitely ON. So far, not so good - I had 2 cookies with my coffee this morning. Gotta work on that!

Patrick is a bit ill and has been for the last few days. He had Hand, Foot, and Mouth about 10 days ago and appears to be healed from that, but has a really runny nose and I'm afraid some of it has infected his ear (he's tugging at it), so he's at home today and I'm taking him to the doctor shortly. Pray that we get him fixed up - he's been so miserable the last 10 days!! :(

So now the New Year is upcoming and the next things to consider are:

1. Several visits from friends and family in the coming weeks

2. Patrick's first birthday party on 1/23

3. New Year's resolutions!!! Specifically, getting back into the gym and shedding this holiday weight, networking more for work, and making time to see friends I haven't seen in a while.

I'll post pictures soon from Christmas!

Love, Mer

Update at 5:30 p.m. Patrick still has Hand, Foot, and Mouth and two raging ear infections. One more ear infection before long and we're going to have to chat about inserting tubes. :( Cross your fingers that my baby boy feels better soon, please!

Bakefest 2009

2009-12-22T05:51:00.000-08:00

The cooking bug has struck me just in time for the holidays! Here are the recipes of the cookies I plan to make today - I highly recommend both - they're always a HUGE hit! I actually won a cookie-baking contest with the first recipe about 7 years ago. (Did you know I am so domestic?)

Love, Mer

Raleigh’s Best Ever Cookies (from the Raleigh Junior League cookbook "You're Invited")

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
3/4 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups (18 ounces) crunchy peanut butter
4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 (10 ounce) bag M&M’s or Reese’s pieces
1 cup semi sweet chocolate morsels

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine first 9 ingredients and mix well. Mix in oats. Stir in chocolate and candy.
3. Drop by tablespoonfuls, about 2 inches apart, on a greased baking sheet.
4. Bake for 10-13 minutes until golden brown around the edges.
5. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

Mer's Amended Toll House Recipe

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup milk chocolate morsels
1 cup white chocolate morsels (sometimes I substitute these for butterscotch morsels and Sheridan goes nutz)
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, white and brown sugars, and vanilla in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 9 - 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Serve and take all the credit!

Christmas at Our House

2009-12-21T09:40:00.000-08:00

A few random shots from The Mer Show household this Christmas season. Enjoy!

Does anyone else have beavers and fish on their Christmas tree???

How about Jack in the Box holiday balls from several years ago? :)

Picture of my late kitty, Dylan. Gone, but never forgotten!

Have no idea what this thing is. (Wedding present.)

Beautiful snowflake with no picture in it.

Patrick's first stocking with his first football sticking out - pressie from his Daddy!

P's chair with a special Christmas pillow

Lotsa Christmas cards - I love 'em!

Sleeeepy puppy on the new chairs. It's his new fave spot!

P with his new soccer ball - another early gift from Daddy. (Doesn't everyone let their kids play at the top of the stairs?)

Could have been a cute photo of P in his Christmas outfit, but Baci's feather duster tail got in the way!

The Debate on Climate Change

2009-12-17T07:39:00.000-08:00

I was reading an article today on the banter going on between The Governator and Sarah Palin (both whom I think totally suck, but that's beside my point) - those two are going at it on the subject of climate change. This, along with all the comments I've heard lately about "look how cold it is this winter - so much for global warming, what a crock"... have gotten me thinking about the topic. I am certainly no expert; I haven't done a ton of research on climate change, and believe it or not, I haven't even seen "An Inconvenient Truth" (although I'm interested in seeing it); however, I have a couple of thoughts on the matter.

It's true that icecaps are melting, polar bears are dying, and all that sad stuff... but what's causing it? Obviously, it's tremendously difficult to track down data that definitely determines whether or not the trends that we're seeing are caused by man. HOWEVER, what is so *horrible* about efforts to reduce pollution and toxins from being produced and released into our air, water supplies, and earth, protecting our natural resources, recycling, and living cleaner lifestyles? I honestly don't understand why people are so opposed to protecting our environment, *regardless* of whether global warming is tangible. Is it really so horrible to put controls into place for greedy corporations who would love to dump their manufacturing waste in rivers because it's cheaper than disposing of it responsibly or private citizens who don't care that their 1984 Buick Skylark is pumping toxic fumes into the air we breathe? What could that possibly hurt? Seriously.

So your taxes go up a bit to help with this effort? GET OVER IT. We live in the best place on earth - America - and everyone has to do our part to keep things going. I mean, I would love to receive 100% of the gross pay my employer pays me, but that just ain't the way it works, and worrying about taxes is pointless, because it is the way it is. Life is way too short about thinking that you're contributing to society TOO much... Really.

So whether or not you think that leaving all your lights on in the house all day, every day is killing polar bears, what could it hurt to turn them off, use florescent bulbs, dispose of your batteries and electronics responsibly, and buy recycled products (or whatever else you do to reduce your carbon footprint)?

Love, Mer

Fun With Cheerios

2009-12-15T08:55:00.001-08:00

Patrick's new favorite thing to do is... THROW. By the end of his bath, all his bath toys are outside the bathtub and a good amount of his "finger food" is on the floor. Things are about to get VERY messy! LOL

Granny's Chairs - AFTER

2009-12-14T12:12:00.000-08:00

YAY, they're HERE!!! After 3 weeks of being upholstered, Granny's chairs are here. What do you think? I adore them. The houndstooth is a bit preppy, which isn't entirely in line with my super contemporary style in the house, so I might have to update my description of the house to... eclectic. hehehe

Now I just need the couch to arrive from Star Furniture (I called them this morning and they said it's not ready yet, with no hint of when it might be ready; boooooooooo) and the living room will look totally different! I love the Lifesucker 4000, but she's going to live upstairs in the game room when the new couch arrives.

Once all the Christmas stuff gets put away next month, I'll have to reassess the house, and I think the next project will be draperies for the dining and living rooms, and paint and draperies for the office. Eventually I'll get to the blank slate that is the master bedroom, but that's probably going to be a while...

Without further adieu, I present to you... GRANNY'S CHAIRS!

Close-up of the fabric.

My Attempts at Christmas Photography

2009-12-10T12:18:00.000-08:00

I don't think there's any explanation needed here, except...

Patrick 1, Mom 0.

Love, Mer

Latest Pics of The House

2009-12-07T07:44:00.000-08:00

There's still a long way to go with the house, but here are a few pics of what we've done so far...

Welcome to our home!

Foyer

Dining Room

Family Room (notice America's Funniest Home Videos in the background - haha!)

The green couch is being moved upstairs to the game room as soon as our new chocolate couch arrives in a couple of weeks, as well as my Granny's Chairs

Patrick's armchair in the family room... :)

Patrick's Nursery - the other side of the room needs some work. I ordered this to put on the wall behind his crib and have some more animal watercolors to hang behind his dresser/ changing table.

Very sad looking game room. Right now, it's our catch-all room and Patrick's play area - see his train-shaped tent that his Grandmommy gave him?

View of the great room (family/dining combo, with foyer in the background); this is all open to the kitchen, to the right.

Master Bath (love that Sheridan's toothbrush is in this photo, LOL!)

Very sad looking study - we have a long way to go with this room, but at least the desk arrived last week, so I have somewhere to work.

Even my Christmas tree needs work - I don't have anything to put on top!! Working on that...

And our master bedroom literally is a giant space with a giant bed in it (we *love* the kind size Tempurpedic, by the way...) and a giant dog crate. It's the least romantic bedroom EVER. No bedding, no pictures, no design!! HOWEVER, it is a lovely blank slate and after our tax return comes next year, it's getting pimped out. :) Any design suggestions are welcome!!!

Love, Mer

Best. Artichoke. Dip. Eva!

2009-12-05T13:51:00.000-08:00

Mer’s Artichoke Dip

2 cans artichoke hearts, chopped

1 cup mayonnaise

8 oz cream cheese

3 spring onions, chopped

½ cup parmesean cheese

½ cup mozzerella cheese

Blend everything by hand and put in baking dish; top with a little extra mozzarella for extra scrumptiousness. Bake 30-40 minutes at 350 and serve with warm pita bread. I put my pita bread in the toaster oven at 425 for about 4 minutes and it is SO delicious that way.

*This is another one of those good ole North Carolina dishes that just rocks everyone's world - it never ceases to amaze!* :)

Crawling!

2009-11-29T19:25:00.001-08:00

My little bugger finally figured out how to crawl and he's into EVERYTHING! It's a brand new adventure here at the Hall house.

Update on the new house coming soon...

Love, Mer

Granny's Chairs

2009-11-23T13:56:00.000-08:00

When my grandmother passed a few years ago, she left behind quite a few treasures to my family - tons of furniture, kitchenware, dining ware, artwork, jewelry, and all sorts of lovely things for us to remember her by. My mother has been storing these chairs in her attic for the last 10 years and they have just been waiting for some TLC to bring them back to life!

My mother is pretty sure that Granny bought these chairs in 1963; I'm not sure if that makes them antiques or not, but their petite size and clean design suit me very well!! So when we bought the house and started buying stuff to decorate it, my mom suggested that we buy some fabric and reupholster these babies to bring them back to life. So I went to Mood Designer Fabric online (of Project Runway fame) and picked out a super cute chocolate brown and creme houndstooth fabric, and found a great little upholstery store in Cedar Park, and we're going to do just that. They're going to end up being more expensive than new ones, but then again, they're my grandmother's chairs AND it coincides with my attempt to live as green as possible - reduce, reuse, recycle! :)

Today when the delivery guys came to pick up the chairs and take them to the store, I took a quick picture of the chairs in all their avocado tweed glory. They're still cute, even dusty, dirty, and avocado green!! I thought it would be fun to do a before and after pic of the chairs...

Whatcha think? hehe

Love, Mer

iPhones Taste YUMMY!

2009-11-20T12:33:00.000-08:00

"Much better than those blueberry things", says Patrick.

Social Networking

2009-11-20T08:37:00.000-08:00

So these days, I have a blog (actually two - one for personal, one for professional), plus I use Twitter, Facebook, Linked In on a regular basis. And since I work from home with no social interaction every day, I actually find myself using ALL of them on an active basis. I'm starting to realize - are my friends sick of hearing all about everything I'm doing at all times? Shoot, I'm getting sick of *myself*!

Status updates on Linked In outline my hiring efforts, status updates on my Facebook page about random thoughts, notes on Twitter about recruiting, etc., status updates on my blogs about... I don't know... other stuff. I'm rather overexposed. And seriously, all this social networking sure takes up a lot of time! Perhaps if I reduce my networking, I'll increase other things that I really should be doing... like GOING TO THE GYM and finally losing this stupid baby weight!

Plus, am I really as fun or interesting when everyone knows everything about me? Surely not. So I think I'm going to start using my blog more and using social network sites less. So if anyone actually gives a crap about what I have to say, I'm probably going to be saying it on my blog from here on out and less on every other tool. So TUNE IN or subscribe, si'l vous plait.

Love, Mer

Dreaming

2009-11-18T08:39:00.000-08:00

So everyone knows that I'm madly in love with my wonderful husband and can't live without him... he's a great dad to my son, sweet and a thoughtful husband who loves me just the way I am... but that man takes up WAY too much of the bed! And no - he's not a bed hog (he's a cover hog); it's simply that he's IN the bed. See, in a queen size bed, I need about 80% of the space in order to stretch out and get comfy; and that man has the *nerve* to take up about 40% of it! ;) The only time of night that I really get decent rest is after he's gotten up for the day and I scoot to the middle of the bed, stretch my arms and legs, cuddle all four pillows, and finally get some rest.

OK, yes, I'M the bed hog. Blame all the years of gymnastics and cheerleading, or lugging around a 23 pound infant that can't walk yet, but I am one achy woman with a bad back that gets no sleep because I can't really get comfy.

However, that problem is about to be solved. Aforementioned fabulous husband has bought me... a Tempurpedic mattress! IN KING SIZE!!! Seriously, I love this man more and more every day. xoxoxoxo

Next Wednesday, the bed of my dreams is arriving to the brand new Hall house! Firm and spongy, warm and enveloping, large and spacious - this bed is going to solve all my life's problems by providing me with the kind of sleep I haven't had in... well, 2 years since we commingled households.

Last night, as I was tossing and turning because my back was killing me, jockeying for space (and covers) with Sheridan, I laid in bed and smiled... knowing that this fluffy piece of heaven would be arriving soon. Only seven more days before I get to sleep on my new mattress in my brand new house... yipppeeeeee!

Here she is - doesn't she look, well, dreamy?

MOVING!

2009-11-17T07:03:00.001-08:00

Holy cow. We're moving into the new house in ONE WEEK FROM TODAY! That means that the walkthrough of the house is tomorrow and I only have 6 days to pack up this house. Obviously I've started building the boxes, but now we need to fill them with all our stuff! I always think "we don't have that much stuff", and then I regret it by realizing that WE HAVE A LOT OF STUFF! So I really need to be diligent about this packing business. If only I had the motivation...

Does anyone wanna come over and help me pack up the house? Anyone? Anyone?? (Crickets...) That's what I thought. Well, I better eat my Wheaties and drink lots of coffee - there's lots to do in a very short amount of time.

EEK!

Love, Mer

GO APPLE!

2009-11-13T08:34:00.001-08:00

Go Apple, it's your birthday, we're gonna party like it's your birthday... Yeah boyyyyyyyyy!

Change of Plans

2009-11-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

So over the last year or so, I've been an HGTV watching fool! While I was pregnant, I watched tons of "Baby Story" and "Bringing Home Baby" on TLC, but as soon as Patrick arrived and we moved on to the house endeavour, Sheridan and I started watching a lot of "House Hunters", "My First Place", and I fell in love with the show "Color Splash".

OMG, "Color Splash"! I DVR it and watch every single episode because the work that David Bromstad does totally inspires me. Watching him create custom artwork for the rooms he designs is actually the reason why I decided to learn how to paint. He is an incredible designer and is the cutest gay guy that God ever created - I want to be his BFF so badly!! I can just see us hanging out in our PJs, drinking wine and having pillow fights while talking about boys and shoes. It would be fabulous. :)

Anyway, there is this one show where David designed a gorgeous, eclectic, mid-century modern dining room for this family and I just love the way it turned out. I spent a good amount of time tracking down that episode so I could see exactly what chandelier he put in there, because I remember thinking it was so chic and fun. I finally found it yesterday and yep, I still love the chandelier. So I sent DB a message via Twitter to see if he could tell me where he got it... and he responded!! I was so giddy and excited - it was like I met Barack Obama, or something...

Anyway, I felt it was a sign that a colleague of my husband's sent a coupon to us this morning for 20% off at Z Gallerie... because *that's* where this chandelier can be found! So I talked to Sheridan about it, and he has agreed to go pick it up with me this weekend. So no more capiz shell pendant chandelier, as noted in the prior post - this is going to live in the dining room instead of that one (hence, the change of plans, as noted in the title).

Check it out, isn't it fabulous? It's 47" long, so it'll stretch a good amount of the table we bought and provide a lot of light and fabulousness to the room. With the cream leather chairs, colorful rug, and painting that I'm working on, this room is going to be tres chic! I'm super, duper, uber excited.

Here it is in David's room. How cute is this? (And did you see the portrait of the dog in the room? This also inspired me to ask my mother in law for the portrait of Baci. I'm such a copycat!)

Love, Mer

Dear Santa,

2009-11-10T09:52:00.000-08:00

Well, this year I have a VERY big wish list, so I'm going to start early!! I swear I've been a good girl - I've been fruitful and multiplied, stayed out of trouble, have tried to be a good wife, mother, daughter, and friend, and try to help people in need/ donate/ volunteer as much as I can. Will you please take those things into consideration???

Here's my Christmas list this year. I'm sure it'll grow... so please standby. :)

Mer's 2009 Christmas List

**Chairs for our dining room -

*2 of these:

* 4 of these: (in cream, por favor): http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Curved-back-Leather-Side-Chairs-Set-of-2/3370056/product.html

**Sideboard for the office:

**This chandelier for the dining room:

**Couch (in chocolate brown, please):

**A couple of these: http://www.cb2.com/family.aspx?c=120&f=2985

**Rug in 8X10, please:

**Oh yes, and the currently unidentified PERFECT bedroom suit; you know what that is, right? :) .

OK, that's it for the house... for now. Can I also have one of these too, please?

Thanks, Santa!!! Can't wait to hear you shimmy down our brand new chimney on Christmas Eve.

Love, Mer XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Mama's Little Fishy

2009-11-09T18:58:00.000-08:00

Master P LOVES the water, so we spend a good amount of time every night letting him play in the water. Saturday night, he was feeling particularly sassy in the bathtub, so we grabbed the camera. Please pardon the baby talk - I was talking to the baby! (Duh...) ;)

Love, Mer

Stuff For the New House

2009-11-01T13:45:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited - I just bought a dining room table for the new house. It's saal wood, reclaimed from old Indian railroad tie, restored, and pieced together to create a unique mosaic top. It's green (not in color, but in eco-friendly terms, hehe) and super modern, and will create a cool focal point for our dining room, which is really the center of our house. I want to pair it with leather parsons chairs, tons of acrylic candlesticks (not glass since we have a curious kid), a unique rug with lots of colors, and the painting that I'm working on... I think it's going to turn out to be a really cool room.

Re the rug, Sheridan's brother is deployed right now in Afghanistan (keep him in your prayers, please) and is looking into having a custom rug weaved for us. We haven't quite figured out the logistics of it, but if we can make it work, we're going to have a really cool, custom room. We'll see how that turns out.

Whatcha think of the table?

Meanwhile, we also bought a refrigerator. YAY!! We bought the biggest, baddest fridge we could find - we figured it would be a great investment for the family. If P keeps eating like he has been... we're gonna need all the cubic footage possible to store tons of food to keep him fed as a kid/teenager. Whew.

Two major items down, about 100 to go! :)

Love, Mer

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2009-10-30T08:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I've never been THAT into Halloween, but now that I'm a mommy, I guess I need to start getting into the spirit. :) Obviously, this year, we're not going to be taking Patrick trick or treating or anything like that... He wouldn't get it and we certainly don't want to present him with candy right now. We've found that lately, when he's interested in something and we take it away, he cries, which breaks mommy's heart. So we're just avoiding the candy thing until he's ready to eat it!

Meanwhile, Patrick's "school" had a little Halloween party yesterday, so we put the little guy in a simple costume and sent him off to celebrate with his little buddies. We took these photos of him in his costume (check out the last one - he's showing his new chompers). That's a cute kid, if I do say so!!

Sheridan and I are supposed to attend a Halloween party tomorrow night, but given that I'm laid up on the couch today with a stupid cold, we'll see if we actually make it. I was planning to recycle a costume from a couple of years ago, but I'd DIE to wear one of these!!!! See below:

Can you imagine? That would be such a riot - wearing this wig, rotten behavior would be part of the persona... It could be hilarious!

Can't wait to see pics of all your little ones in their costumes - email photos and post on Facebook, por favor!

Love, Mer

Visiting the Darbys

2009-10-29T10:24:00.001-07:00

We were recently in Houston and dropped by the Darbys' house to meet the brand new Griffin and see Finn, Shannon and Petri AS WELL AS see Gina, Caroline from London, Maria AND Philip (we gave and received lots of hugs). As you'll see, we had Baci with us, who behaved quite badly at their house; he ate one of Finn's Halloween toys - a pumpkin shaped ball - barked at the cat, and insisted on being in most of the photos taken. Stupid dog - just can't reason with him! haha

Anyway, I'm sure we'll have a million more chances to take pictures with our babies, but here's our first attempt. At least Shannon and I are looking at the camera!! hehehe

Love, Mer

STUPID *(^&^%$@ EASEL!

2009-10-26T10:17:00.000-07:00

OK, so some of you might know this, but it might be news to others of you. After daydreaming for months about decorating my house, I have decided that I want very colorful, abstract, original artwork for my new house and am teaching myself to paint so that I can create it myself!

I plan to decorate our family room and dining room in mid-century modern/ eclectic/ eco-friendly styling. What does that mean? I can't explain it, but I have a picture of it in my head and it's super cool! I have been inspired by the mid-century modern chairs that were passed along to me by my late grandmother, and am soon recovering for our family room. They are cube-shaped club chairs (2 of them), with very straight lines, and I'm having them reupholstered in cream and white houndstooth fabric. I can't WAIT to get that project going!

But anyway, I want cool, abstract artwork for these rooms with lots of gorgeous colors... All the furniture will be chocolate and cream, so the accents (pillows, vases, flowers, artwork) will provide pops of color in the rooms. I have an idea in my head of what I want, but A) probably can't afford custom, original artwork and B) probably wouldn't be able to find it anyway... so I'm painting it myself!

My mother in law is a very talented artist - she has painted all the watercolor prints of animals in Patrick's nursery and bathroom, a few pictures for our guest suite, and the most GORGEOUS portrait of my crazy Maltipoo, Baci. I'm so honored that she took the time to paint this fabulous future heirloom for our family. Words really can't describe how cute this portrait is, so here it is for your viewing pleasure:

Anyway, I continue to digress. Back on point - MIL took me to Hobby Lobby to show me what supplies I need, how to use the brushes, and given me tips on how to achieve what I'm hoping to do. I have been messing around with some practice canvases, brushes, colors, etc. and have an idea of what I want to do now. I started the big painting for my dining room (36"x 48", I'm not messing around!) and it's coming along nicely. I'll post pictures of my handiwork when it's done. :)

Meanwhile, I bought a painting easel at Hobby Lobby, and this STUPID easel did not come with directions! I'm usually pretty handy with assembling things, but I tinkered and tinkered with this thing for about 40 minutes until I finally had to consult the hubby, and then the internet. I found one single blog post of another woman who also had the same problem with this easel (Hobby Lobby Fine Art Traditional Easel - A13114) and it saved the day. (Thank you Dixie Belle: http://dixiebelle.blogspot.com/2007/07/easel.html) I thought I'd pass along the same advice just in case any other individuals needing help with directions aren't able to find the Confessions of a Bargain Hunter blog.

OK, the secret to this stupid *$@&^& easel is that the two pieces that form the shelf are meant to be on opposite sides of the stand; the long screw with the loop attaches both pieces together and the tension from this screw holds all of the pieces together. See pictures below:

Anyway, that's too much info for the average Mer Show reader, but for any of you that have found me by googling "how the *^%$##^& do you assemble the Hobby Lobby A13114 easel?", I hope that helps!!

For my regular readers, I hope you have a great week and thanks for listening to my rambling thoughts today.

Love, Mer

New Pics of the House

2009-10-20T07:57:00.000-07:00

One Last Vegan Post

2009-10-15T08:36:00.000-07:00

And then I'm done - seriously. I recommend this book highly to anyone that's interested in learning more about how to eat more healthfully and look gorgeous as a result!! (Not that I follow it religiously, but I do feel guilty when I *don't* follow the principles... does that count?)

There are tons of great veg recipes in there and lots of great information about how to use nutrition to your full advantage. And it's just entertaining - the writers are also funny bitches, in addition to being skinny bitches.

Love, Mer

Vegan Chili

2009-10-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

OK, so my friend Roni passed me a chili recipe a long time ago that rocks my world. I make it about once a week and have been missing it over the last 10 days of my vegan cleanse... So Sheridan and I got creative and tried it a couple of nights ago, using tofu instead of turkey meat. And you know what? It was REALLY GOOD!!! I recommend this very highly, as it's really tasty, filling, and animal product free!

MER'S VEGAN CHILI

1 package firm tofu, chopped into small pieces
1 can tomato soup
1 can tomato paste
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans
1 small onion, chopped
minced garlic - 2 or 3 gloves
4 T chili powder (I use the HEB San Antonio chili powder for those of you in TX)
half a bottle of Shiner Bock or whatever beer you have handy :)

Brown tofu and onions in a bit of olive oil in a large saucepan. When onions are soft and browned, add cans of tomatoes, beans, garlic, beer, and chili powder, stir and simmer for about 30 minutes. I served it with shredded soy cheese on top (see picture of the brand above, although we used the pepper jack flavor; this stuff is SO GOOD) and crackers. YUM!