He Did It!

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

Severely Overdue Update

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

He's quite the talker these days!



He's a play machine!

Stand N Stuff Taco Shells

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

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

Snow in Austin

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

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

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!

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

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

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,

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

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

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!!

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

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

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

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

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?

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