Category Archives: The babes

Blog, Sew Sew Sew, The babes, Work

My Sometimes Invisible Brain and My very Visible Gullibleness

Posted on by Amanda Jackson

Yesterday I told everyone that I work with that manatees are invisible in the wild. Yup, I said it and everyone believed me. And where did I hear this factoid? From my good friend Chad. He was apparently making a joke about how he went on a Manatee tour in Florida this past weekend and how he saw no manatees. I saw the photos and took it literally, I mean how would I have known, there was even a picture of Captain Jack, the invisible manatee tour guide.

After Internet researching for 30 minutes, my boss Doug alerted us to the fact that manatees are not ever invisible, not even in the wild. At least that is what the interwebs told him. I proceeded to defend myself by showing all of them Chad’s photos of invisible manatees and the shadows these gigantic mammals cast.  “Look,” I said. “This clealy says that manatees are invisible except for in captivity.” Boy did we call have a good laugh at me when Doug pointed out that he thought that Chad was joking.

Here is the picture that I printed out for my cube of the invisible manatee, it is the one below the photo of Jim Henson’s puppets from the Labyrinth.

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Here are some more facts about manatees that you might not know:

1. The average adult manatee is about three meters (9.8 feet) long and weighs between 362-544 kilograms (800-1,200 pounds).

2.There are approximately 3,000 West Indian manatees left in the United States.

3. Manatees can live 60 years or more.

4. Manatees are pregnant for a year. This is what I attribute their slow decline to. If I had to be pregnant for 12 months or face the demise of my species, I can’t say that I would take one for the team. We’d be goners.

Speaking of procreating, Auggie is turning 6 months next week. Here is a sneak peak at the present I am making for him….

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Yes, almost six months have gone by. Nuts how fast it goes.

At home, Blog, Food, The babes

A week in the life….

Posted on by Amanda Jackson

This week was pretty eventful. We had our first snow of the winter:

Of course I was at work when the precipitation hit. This picture was from a few hours after it all stopped.  Just to highlight what it is like to live in the dessert, all schools were canceled the next morning, government jobs were on 2 hour delays.  I had to drive home that morning at 7am, and to my avail the roads were practically clear. By 10am the snow was almost gone, but I was so glad that school had been canceled. I mean the kids might have had to wear their jackets and they may of had a whole lot of fun having a snow ball fight or building a snow person.  Who would have wanted that??!!?? So silly.

Having Noah home mad Auggie super happy though. I think he is all ready to get up on those fat little legs and run around with Noah.  Here he is trying, well succeeding, in escaping his car seat:

He didn’t even cry when he hit the floor. This one is all boy.

Noah lost another tooth this week. Out of boredom on that wintry snow day he pulled another one from his face. Soon I don’t know how this child will chew! He is totally goofy, I cannot imagine what kind of mayhem he and Auggie are going to get into together!

As for me, I finally got my new table delivered! Yahoo! It is absolutely gorgeous:

And my friend Doug is coming to take my piano in a few days so I have even more room for this beast of a set. It seats 8 and is 5′ x 5′ square. I totally negotiated the price, but even then I think I will still be buying one chair a pay check for the next 3 months or so. We started with 4 thanks to Allissa  and her school financial aid.  If the government only knew what they were paying for!

I am sort of sad about the piano, but that tells me that it is time for it to go. I really hate having attachments to material things and I have held onto this piano forever now! Kdphoto064

As you can see it is a beauty, but I have no idea why I have owned it for 3 years and moved it 3 times.  I tried to learn to play when I first acquired it, but that experience only magnified something I already knew about myself: I am musically stunted. I have no rhythm, music notes do not translate into anything in my brain and my coordination is that of a small child. With that said, I am so happy to see this beautiful instrument go to a good home,and so glad to get more room for what I like most, eating and socializing.

Not tying to learn to play the piano leaves me more time for this:

And really what is better.  (Photo by Noah. Amanda’s makeup still in the bathroom cabinet.)

At home, Blog, Sew Sew Sew, The babes, Work

Posted on by Amanda Jackson

One good thing about working at a news distribution service on Christmas night was that I had 10 hours of uninterrupted time to do whatever I wanted.

And look what I did.

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My aunt Lisa finally had her baby on the 23rd and she gave her a name the 25th — Sofia Louise after my grandma.  So night before last I sat in my cubicle with my embroidery hoop and a jar full of thread sewing away.

All went well till it was time to go home and assemble the bib. Apparently staying awake all day Tuesday and then coming to work and staying up all night wasn’t good for my motor skills.  It took me near 4 hours to make the bias trim, sew it on and wrap the gift up.

But here is my favorite part—

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It has arm holes so that she can’t move it and accidentally get her shirt dirty. I know how important this feature is as Auggie will remove any article of clothing that isn’t tied onto him.  And even then its likely that he will get it off, but that is another blog for a different day…

On the way to see her it occurred to me that there was a way easier strategy to making the bib. I hate how I over think things sometimes.  I just need to remember that this was the prototype. I’ll make her another one when I get the recipe down pat, not that she notices my sloppy stitching and uneven bias work, but still. Her parents must have thought I was drunk when I made it. Yes, it was that bad.

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Sofia is super cute as you can see from this picture of the back of her head. Meanwhile, I am super tired looking, but I swear it isn’t as bad as it looks. I am getting quite a bit of sleep which was confirmed when my aunt told me that she was up with a crying Sofia all night long. That has yet to happen to me with Auggie.

Thank God for small miracles.

At home, Blog, The babes

Jesus Christ Rockstar

Posted on by Amanda Jackson

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So normally I would bore everyone with the same Christmas pictures of the kids opening up presents that every other mother shot today, but I have something way more entertaining: My Auggie was baby Jesus at Christmas Eve mass!  In case you are wondering, no, that didn’t mean that I was the Virgin Mary for the day (not that I didn’t try to pass myself off as that) but it did mean that we got the front row reserved for us which meant that we didn’t have to arrive an hour early. The priest said that Aug was very "animated" which I think was a nice way of saying that he felt sorry for me when Auggie starts walking.  He did well except for the fact that he was damn near rolling out of the manger on more than one occasion.

Good thing Santa was near just in case. Img_0816

I had such a good time and was so proud of my baby that I got to thinking about what it must be like for my mom now that we are all grown up. When we got home I told Dan that I felt so bad for her that she didn’t have any babies anymore. My heart hurt for her, I mean what is life without children in the house. Then this morning she proceeded to tell everyone that as she watched people with their babies in church yesterday she felt so happy that all of hers were grown!  Boy was I off on that one! All the more proof that all this baby fever that I have must be completely hormonal.

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Well whatever it is, I sure am enjoying my boys. Life is quite wonderful with them around.  Noah almost passed out when he realized that we had gotten him a guitar and lessons for x-mas. His whole face lit up, it was way more rewarding than I had ever imagined.

So I ruled this year. One of my kids was baby Jesus, the other thought I was the coolest, best, most thoughtful mom around.

To quote Noah today :

Noah: I want a Mohawk.

My mom: You can’t have a Mohawk Noah.

Noah: Rock Stars have Mohawks.

My mom: You are not a rock star.

Noah: I will be soon…

At home, Blog, Friends, The babes

Staying Positive.

Posted on by Amanda Jackson

We had a rough week.  Dan’s uncle Dave past away on Sunday very unexpectidly . Thankfully he was only suffering  in the hospital for two days, although he was there for most of that alone as he didn’t want to ruin his families holiday.

Unfortuanly I only knew him for one year, eight months. I feel angry, like
I missed out on having this man, who I felt a grand kinship with, in my life for longer.  Every time I saw him I reverted to a little girl who wanted to curl up in his lap and listen while he told me why the grass was green and where I could find a stream to catch tad poles.  He made me feel at home, he made me laugh and one night he stayed up with me, helping me drink 64 ounces of medicine because I was horribly sick. He was the first person I told on the phone that I was in laybor with Auggie and he was the first adult that I thought consistanly chose pleaseure over pain- no matter the consequences.

So this blog is for Dave.

Things that bring me pleasure:  Img_0744_2

A beautiful latte that I made with my own hands on a Saturday morning.

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How happy and heathly Auggie is.

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Things my mother in law makes me.

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Dan making Noah laugh.

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Taking Dan home with me.

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My best friends. 

At home, Blog, Food, Friends, Sew Sew Sew, The babes, Work

Self Portrait, Age 26

Posted on by Amanda Jackson

In the wake of my 26th birthday (Sat, yahoo!) I have flown  into reflection mode.  How things have changed this year. If I would have made predications based on my state this time last year, I would have said that the year was going to be horrible.

Au contrer mon ami.

If all the years in my life were in competition for who was the best thus far, 2007 would win. Here is why:

1. Auggie was born.

I cried an awful lot last December. I had the baby blues somthing bad and no puppy or $500 esspresso machine or new furniture could make it stop. I really tried to bandaid it though.

In January I found out that I was pregnant.  Next to my wedding day, this was the happiest day of my life.

It literally feels like a miricle that Auggie, only one short year later, is here— flesh and blood here. I didn’t think that he existed, not this year or any year. And not only has he made an appreance, but he is amazing. He is perfect. He is all mine.

2. I quit smoking.

Woohoo! I will live to be a very  tawdry version of myself and damn my skin will look good.  More importanly, I will be around to teach the grandkids about the importance of drinking good coffee, creating every day, and the power in buying handmade.

Oh, and I get to see Dan as an old man. he he.

3.  I fell in love with my husband all over again.

Wasn’t sure that we were going to make it through the first year of marriage, but we did it and are way more crazy about each other than ever before. No pain no gain, eh?

He lets me be me. And he like me too. Couldn’t get any better than that.

4. We moved into an amazing house and got really cool jobs.

Love the new pad– there is so much room for all of us now. I must point out that the decorator was impecable. 🙂

Both Dan and I work as editors, he during the day and I at night. It works out perfectly. Noah and Auggie always have one of us home and what can I say, I like the night life.

5. I fell in love with sewing all over again.

I create, therefore I am. Anyway, that is what I tell myself for validation. It had just been so long and it felt so unbelievely good the first time I pulled something off my machine that was real. I always defined myself as an artist but I had to re-evaluate after I hadn’t created any art in months. I thought that I had lost myself. It is really fantastic seeing that part of me come back to life.

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6. Lastly, and maybe most importanly, I am so healthy now. And I am sure that it is due to the 5 forementioned things that I have to be happy about.

Now I shall leave you with this:

“There are some days when I think I’m going to die from an overdose of satisfaction.”

~Salvador Dali

At home, Blog, The babes, Work

Waiting for Guffman, Gudot, and Oprah: A Blog About Existentialism and the New Mom

Posted on by Amanda Jackson

Auggie got his first set of shots this weekend. He was quite a trooper, better than I was for my flu shot earlier in the week.  He cried for a bit and then was his normal, happy self again as soon as I nursed him. He and I are good at nursing. I really love it. That’s the thing I would say if Oprah ever asked me what is "One Thing That I Know is True."  Strangely,  it is so encouraging to me that I at least know that this one thing is 100% true.  Sometimes it seems as if no one knows anything really.

Our nursing makes Auggie so happy he has to throw his hands in the air and laugh really dramatically.   

In other news, Noah has really great hair. I came to this realization after I downloaded the photos from a memory card that we lost last year and happily found recently. This being a cool haircut is not something Noah says he knows is true. Believe it or not, he would rather have this beautiful hair shaved off so that he would never have to wash it or comb it again. Although lately, with the new baby and going back to work, I appreciate his plight.  He usually has the freedom to create the meaning in his life, but I have to draw the line at his hair. Everyone has their limits after all.

Oh and I ended up eating milk products while baking with the girls on Sunday. And Auggie’s tummy got upset, I was super sick at work and Dan didn’t sleep all night. It’s no joke that we are ultimatly responsible for our destiny.

I blame the whole mishap on the fact that I forgot to bring my apron with me. All that talk about taking it to make me feel better and then I left it at home. I am weak, what can I say. 

At least I take responsibility for it all: the apron, the desserts, the haircut, the fantstic nursing. Yup that’s right.  I am a regular  Postpostmodernist today,  a Sammy Beckett if you will.

At home, Blog, Sew Sew Sew, The babes

And a very happy December to me!

Posted on by Amanda Jackson

My mom was so cute last night. My birthday is still two weeks away, but she got so excited about my present that she gave it to me early. I couldn’t really imagine what it was as she lead me down the hall to her sewing room, but when she opened the door and there lay a brand new Singer with every function a girl could want , I have to admit that I was in a state of shock. My very first sewing machine! And she is beautiful! For the last few months I have been borrowing a machine from Alissa’s boyfriend Nelson — who ever so trustingly and graciously let me keep his baby here as long as I needed it.

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After my mom gave me the new machine, whom I think I will name Consuelo after her, we went shopping for new fabrics. Now between the new books, my Singer, and all the new beautiful fabrics we found, I should be good to go. It was the most fun I’ve had with my mom since  before I went to college. We don’t usually get to spend any time alone with my 3 little sisters, Noah and Auggie around (not that I am complain about them, its just nice to get some time with your momma sometimes — even when you are a momma yourself.)
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I got so excited to come home and show Dan that I lost my car keys in the process of bringing the machine, Auggie and my bags from Ann Taylor (sale weekend yahoo!) in the house. But I didn’t let that break my stride, I was giddy like a little kid all night long! This is turning out to be the best birthday ever. Dan built my work area, my mom got me the sewing machine and I have the new baby here now. Last year at this same time I was a wreck.  I was sure that I would never get pregnant and hitting my 25th year of life made me realize my mortality.  It’s amazing how in only 360 days things changed so drastically. Now Auggie is 2.5 months old and he and Noah are totally healthy and happy, all a mother could want.

Noah brought this takeout box home today after going out to eat with my uncle. It gave me a warm fuzzy feeling inside. I love when he pops up with things that make me feel like we are actually doing a good job with him.Img_0672

Not a bad couple of days. Not bad at all.