jaysaint Getting it all down on paper…

I’m disoriented. As I mentioned a bit back, I just took over the HGTV site. Which was in the middle of being redesigned. This is by far the biggest site I’ve ever run. And there are tens of thousands of pages — articles, packages, specials, shows, video players, landing pages, etc, etc, etc, etc. It relaunches this week.

Jumping into the middle feels like when you run down a hill and then suddenly gravity grabs you and you’re going faster and faster and not really in control. Now I’m right at the point of going ass over tea kettle. We’re working late every night. We’re working all weekend. And I spend so much time thinking “WTF are they talking about?” and then trying to say something smart. I just need to get this baby out the door before I do something W-R-O-N-G. I feel like I’ve been working so much that I can’t catch my breath. I love my job, but I miss my family and I would also love a little time to myself.

Now allow me to contradict myself: I went to the movies! I haven’t been to a movie in over a year. I went to TWO movies. When my mom hit town last week Damon and I went to see Quantum of Solace. In case you haven’t seen it, it goes like this: FIGHTFIGHTPARKOURFIGHTexpositionFIGHTFIGHTKNIFEFIGHTEXPLOSIONexpositionFIGHTEXPLOSIONAXECROTCHfin.
Today I took a break and mom and I went to see Four Christmases. I’ve already forgotten most of that, so I can’t do a recap. I don’t care. I loved them both. I was just so happy to be in a movie theater. Did you ever notice how good they smell? If you can’t appreciate that, you should stay away for a year and then go back.

My mom has been here for about ten days and she was heaven sent. She’s been a miracle worker around the house to keep us fed and sane while I’m so absent. She’s leaving tomorrow and I am super bummed about that. I’m considering going out and taking that wire thingy out of her car like the nuns did to the Nazis in Sound of Music.

In other fun family news, my mom bought Alden an Ernie doll that I think is a re-skinned Tickle Me Elmo. I don’t have first-hand experience with the latter, but I seem to recall that he laughs and falls over. That’s what Ernie does. Regardless, Alden is absolutely terrified of him. He can’t even look at him. Even when I held Alden and we stood way across the room, he just fussed and pointed and even shook a little until we banished the doll. First we put him up on a shelf in the laundry room but this afternoon Alden was scooting by and saw it there. He froze, and then he stared at it and whimpered until I made a big show of throwing Ernie out the door. Now he lives inside a cupboard.

Thanksgiving was, overall, a success. We still have four house guests, but that’s scheduled to go down to one in a few hours. The last one is my mom, and she hardly counts as she can usually be relied on to go about her business. Later today we’re going to take advantage of her presence to go to a matinee — my first theater movie in 14 months. I don’t care what we see provided it is not a) experimental b) intended to teach me or c) intended to make me a better person. Those rules were actually already in place before Alden was born.

Amidst all the hullabaloo of planning the holidays (I am more than half way done with Christmas shopping. I. Am. Awesome.), I also managed to throw a fake christening for Alden. You see, we have a family christening gown that is just about 100 years old. It is three layers of gorgeous lace and lawn with a sweet crochet cap. I asked that the dress be sent to me, thinking maybe it would be the thing that would push us over into joining a church. Didn’t work. And yet, I could see he would soon outgrow it. So finally we just dressed him up and took a bunch of pictures.

I’m doped up on Benadryl (I poked myself in the eye with an allergen-laden fingertip) and chocolate pie. Alden is conked in his crib. My mom, Damon’s mom, my SIL, and her daughter are all upstairs behind closed doors. Zoe is making biscuits on my lap. Damon is watching something pointless on TV.

Thanksgiving dinner went well, I think.

The menu:
— sesame shitake salmon (Salmon?! Scandal! SCANDAL! But that is what you get when you accept a Thanksgiving invitation from a pescatarian, and all were duly warned. Still, major drama ensued. To which I say, “Report back to me when you have an actual problem.”)
— classic mashed potatoes. (Mine are always a hit, due to a secret I stole from .)
— lemony brussels sprouts in dijon mustard and tarragon
— green bean casserole (Because I am not a communist.)
— stuffed artichoke casserole
— creamed spinach with crispy shallots (Laboriously crisping your own shallots will result in a product 98% similar to a Durkee fried onion.)
— roasted beets with their greens in white balsamic vinegar
— cornbread stuffing
— biscuits
— cranberry sauce

We busted out my grandma’s old china, which looked like doll tableware. What is currently accepted as regulation-sized dinner plate looks like a platter in comparison. This is why we are all getting fatter by the minute. Of course, I just paired each plate with a bowl so folks could get a reasonable amount of food without having to stretch way over to grab a serving spoon. Even more fun than the china was the family sterling. It hasn’t seen the light of day in almost 40 years. But since I gave up on the Queen or Martha Stewart swinging by for dinner, I’ve been looking for a reason.

We had our current crew, plus SIL #2 and her boyfriend and my newly-single BIL. I’m sad for him, as he was with the same girl for four years. But he’ll be fine. He created quite a stir among the young ladies who viewed my wedding pictures and I doubt he’ll be lonely for long. This family makes sweet-tempered, smart, good-looking boys.

I have a lot to be thankful for, and I’m counting my blessings as a matter of course over this four-day holiday. If you’re reading this, you’re among those blessings. Having you all to talk to, and get such good wisdom from, makes a marked difference in my life. I wish I had it in me tonight to write one of those eloquent, itemized posts. The Benadryl and holiday exhaustion deny me, though. (This is further confirmed by my having to go back and edit that sentence from “right one of those” and “denises me, though.” Heavens knows what I’ve missed.)

Taken from

A: What accessories do you wear everyday?
There’s nothing I wear every day. But most often I can be found wearing two rings, my wedding band and a pearlized stone ring I bought in Kauai which goes on my right middle finger. I also frequently wear an antique locket with a photo of Alden. But he’s learned to unlatch it and so I’ve put it aside until I can baby-proof it.

B: What is your beauty routine?
Let’s say hygiene is a given and I’ll go with: I wear a moisturizer/sunscreen every day. I wash and condition my hair every other day. Every weekend I give myself a facial (type depending on what my face is up to lately) and a hair mask. Unless I forget. I have just recently returned to giving myself pedicures as needed.

C: What was the last item of clothing (for yourself) that you purchased?
A dress that looks like it was made out of lemon sacks.

D: Do you use a dresser, closet, or both?
I use a Chinese apothecary cabinet for small items like socks and underthings. My closet it so large it makes me blush.

E: What type of earrings are in your ears right now?
None right now. I stopped wearing them for a while because Alden got grabby and now when I put them in they make my ears itch. Yesterday I wore the diamond studs my mom gave me when I graduated from college.

F: What type of figure do you have (measurements)?
I don’t know all my measurements, but certainly wouldn’t publish them if I did.

G: Do you wear glasses?
Sometimes. I’m near sighted. I paid way too much for a pair I really loved and lost them almost immediately so now I’m punishing myself by going without.

H: What type of handbag do you carry?
I have a small collection of handbags, but most often I carry a larger light canvas tote that will accommodate both basic pocketbook items plus a book or two plus files for work.

I: What is your ideal style?
An evolving one

J: What is your favorite brand of jeans?
I’m still looking for the perfect pair.

K: Do you wear knee-hi stockings?
No, but I sometimes wear knee-high socks.

L: Do you *have* to wear matching lingerie?
Nope.

M: Do you wear makeup?
Sometimes. Almost always at work

N: Do you wear nightgowns?
I love all kinds of pajamas. Most nights I’m wearing pjs cut like old-fashioned mens pajamas because I get cold if my legs aren’t covered. But I do have nightgowns and break them out in the summer.

O: What outerwear do you put on when going out on a typical winters day?
It depends entirely on where I’m going. But for typical I’ll assume work or casual outings and say that while I have a few different coats of varying weights and lengths, I can be relied on to be wearing a scarf (I favor long, loose knits) and often a hat.

P: What is your favorite perfume?
I love the Crabtree & Evelyn Naturals and right now am using Black Tea, Vetiver & Sugarcane. I also love Dr. Hauschka’s Lemon Body Oil. I don’t have a signature scent. If I wear something too often I get used to the scent and can’t enjoy it anymore.

Q: Is your motto “quality over quantity” when it comes to clothing and accessories?
It becomes more and more so.

R: Do you wear rain boots?
I have adorable yellow Morton Salt Girl style rain boots. But they really hurt my feet. I can’t bring myself to throw them out, but I don’t wear them often.

S: Do you wear socks or slippers when your feet get cold?
Socks. I prefer to be barefoot and socks gets me closer to that.

T: Do you have a set of travel luggage?
I have excellent travel luggage.

U: What is your daily uniform?
You never can tell. But I do so love my Dansko mary janes and wear them often.

V: If you are married, did you wear a veil with your wedding dress? If not, how did you do your hair?
I did not wear a veil. I treated myself to a visit with an excellent colorist and then simply gave it a brush and shine. It was very short at the time.

W: Do you wear a watch?
Never. I don’t like the feeling of something clamped around my arm.

X: What item of clothing always makes you feel beautiful?
The closest thing would probably be something very well tailored.

Y: What is your favorite type of yarn?
A Ripping adventure yarn! Preferably with Amazons and dinosaurs and explosions.
(Stolen from Liddle_Oldman because I could never come up with a better answer. And it’s true.)

Z: Do you prefer zippers or buttons?
Depends on what I’m closing up.

I’m feeling pretty pleased right about now, for reasons I suspect are obvious. I haven’t fallen under the spell of Obama the way many have. As a matter of fact, I have real trepidation about how this is going to go. But the appearance of Palin pretty much wiped the floor with any balance I was feeling.

But I’m not here to talk about politics.

First, update on the lead-y baby. Part of the story I didn’t even get into was the terrible experience we had with his new (and now former) pediatrician’s office. I was told, basically, that while I may be used to a more participatory role since I come from commie, liberal Manhattan, that here in Tennessee the doctor is pretty much going to tell me what to do and I’m going to like it. After combing the mothering.com boards I was able to find a good recommendation and we visited that doctor to follow up. It was phenomenal. One woman in the waiting room told me that when she was struggling to breastfeed her newborn he sat down with her for 45 minutes to talk about it and encourage her. Then he called her every day for the next few days to check in. Another couple, whose daughter has multiple serious medical issues, told me they drive two hours each way to see him. When the nurse left us in the exam room Damon and I each got almost teary with relief. The downside, which I will joyfully embrace, is that (as promised when I made the appointment) the doctor feels free to take all the time he wants with each patient and so we will often wait long past our appointed time. Fine. No problem. Anyway, they did a venous blood draw (rather than the finger stick that produced our first result) and we should have that back by Friday. We got nervous when the nurse assigned us positions to hold Alden down for the draw, and offered to have another nurse come in to help restrain him. But we declined (it’s got to be less scary coming from us) and it actually wasn’t too bad. Alden fussed and protested, but the nurse was gentle and skilled and so he never even got up to a full cry. As soon as she took the needle out he perked right back up. At least now I feel like we’ve got a good doctor on our side, and we’ll deal with whatever number comes back.

On to more fun things:

If I am particularly exhausted this month, it will be because I got a promotion at work. I’m the new vice president and site director of HGTV.com. Yay! My mom is so jealous. I didn’t see this coming, so now I’m scrambling furiously to catch up. But I’ll get there.

And Halloween: Alden feasted on the flesh of his enemies and a good time was had by all (except the enemies).