We enjoyed some wine, played with Becca, and then watched Joe Black. I watched most of it alone, because Mark thought it was depressing. Finally, we put Becca to bed, and I fell asleep. Mark watched a little more TV, then he went to bed too.

At 6:00, we were awoken by a beeping noise. It would go off every ten seconds or so. Mark wandered out to see what it was. Our CO2 detector was going off, but by the time I got out of bed, it had stopped.

We stood there a moment, and nothing happened. Mark checked the stove, and then we headed back into the bedroom. I hopped on the computer to see what could be going on. If it was actually CO2, it wouldn’t stop beeping, right?

It started again, and then stopped. And then started again. We bundled up Becca (who had still been sleeping), called the fire department, and went outside to wait. Two firetrucks pulled up outside a short while later, minus the lights and sirens. I was starting to worry about our neighbors. Should we have woken them? What if there was a leak upstairs, and everyone else was dead? My imagination was getting away from me. It was really early, and I was tired.

The firemen went into the apartment, and then called us in. The detector had stopped going off, and there was no CO2. They waited a minute, and then two of them left. The third was starting to head out, too, when it started beeping again. So, back we went to the kitchen. Still no CO2.

All of that excitement for a faulty CO2 detector.

We had scouted out the chair we wanted a week before. It was pink, and could be used as an insert for the regular toilet, or as a chair on its own. I pointed to it, and Becca let out an excited squeal. “Potty!”We also picked up some Pull-Ups and a step stool to make it easier to reach the sink. Then we navigated over to the party supplies. Two packages of Mickey Mouse stickers for decorations.

We got home, and Becca and I immediately ran into the bathroom to set everything up. Mark took care of the last of the groceries, and then he joined us. We all sat down and started applying stickers. Now decorated, the potty was ready for it’s maiden voyage. Off came the diaper, and Becca sat down. We sang, we played games and we waited. After a few minutes, she had her first success. I don’t know who was more excited– her or us. We called all of the grandparents, and a few of the aunts. Our adventures in potty training had officially begun.

Fast forward a few weeks. Becca does very well with BMs. She very rarely misses one, partially because poopy=two hearts on the reward chart and a small piece of chocolate.

She does still have a lot of wet pull-ups, though. I think we’re picking up some “big girl panties” this weekend, to try to speed that part of the process along. She doesn’t make much of an effort to get to the potty on time, and we’ve been going through a ton of pull-ups and diapers (still used at nights). We’ll also get one of the purse-sized portable potty seats, so we can start training away from home, too. I’ll be getting a bigger bag, to hold everything while we’re out and about.

The only thing I’m concerned about is choosing to train away from home too soon. I’ll probably give it a week or two after we start with the actual panties, just so she can really get used to it. I’m okay with this taking a while, as long as we get there eventually. Becca’s doing really, really well with all of it, so I don’t think it will take too much longer. She’s very excited about no more diapers, and more than ready to do the work to give them up.

Not Actually Me

One of my resolutions this year is to get into shape. That means making changes. Big changes.

The first big change was to (more or less) give up soda. A cup here or there is fine. Ginger ale in moderation, also fine. But Mark and I were both enjoying our bubbly, caffeinated beverages way too much. I haven’t had any soda at all since just over a week ago, which, granted, isn’t that long of a time, but it’s a good start.

I’ve also cut back on sugar. That is going to be the hardest part of this weight loss plan, at least at first. I haven’t had any chocolate or other candy since Thursday or Friday. Again, not much of a streak yet, but I’m getting there.

I’m drinking a lot more water, actually getting the 8-10 recommended glasses a day. I’m trying to eat more vegetables. The steamer from Dad II (Mark’s dad) and the food processor from my dad and step-mom are fantastic, and are helping with that goal. It’s nice to only have to peel carrots, then slice them in the processor and pop them into the steamer. Perfect carrots in 20 minutes, with almost no work on my part.

We have the exercise on demand channel, which lets me sort through almost 100 different exercise videos at any time and choose which ever looks the most interesting. I do a lot of dance videos. I can’t dance, at all. But it’s more entertaining than the half hour of crunches and jumping jacks.

We also have a treadmill now. Sunday afternoon, I checked my email and saw a message from Freecycle. Someone had a couple of treadmills they wanted to get rid of. It had been 10 minutes since the email went out. No way were they still available. Buy, I emailed anyhow, thinking that maybe someone wouldn’t show up, and I could be one of the next in line.

A few minutes later, I got a response. I was the first person to reply. Could I pick it up that afternoon? So, I called my dad to see if he could help, and we drove the half mile to the woman’s home. It’s big, it’s heavy, and it’s mine. It’s programmable, and has an incline. Becca loves it, but we’re trying to convince her to stay off of it. I can only use it while she’s sleeping. She tries to climb on behind me, or set things on there to watch them fall off the back. I finally managed a few minutes on there yesterday; just enough to realize how horribly out of shape I really am. I want to add a couple minutes to the program I’m currently using each day, until I can do it easily. I’m doing one that’s about half running, broken up into 3-4 minute sections. I’d like to work up to running the whole time.

I’m hoping to follow through with this, and actually lose the extra pounds I’ve put on since becoming a mom. My goal is to be where I want to be by the beginning of June.  While I’m definitely not aiming for a bikini summer, it would be nice to have an excuse to get some new summer clothes.

I bought the Kindle 2, got it delivered two days later, and then spent most of the evening trying to pry into the box in a way that would make it look like I wasn’t trying to pry into the box. No such luck. Mark wrapped it the next day, and it sat in our laundry room for a couple nights before Christmas.

Shortly after the Kindle shipped, I got an email from Amazon. I could start loading it up with books while it was still being shipped. I headed over to Amazon, and started looking around.

I bought the Kindle for the free books. Amazon always has a couple dozen free books available for Kindle users, and they almost all looked interesting. By the time I opened the box Christmas morning, I had 12 free books on there. It’s been just over a week, and I now have 30, not counting the older classic (public domain) which are free all the time.

With 30 free books, at an average of $10 a piece if I were to actually buy paper copies, the Kindle has already paid for itself. In a week. Which is way more than I expected. The screen is really easy to read, and I like being able to increase the font size for late-night reading sessions, once my eyes have started to get tired from staring at my computer screen all day.

I’m not giving up regular books; far from it. I’ve added a half dozen books to my (already full) shelves in the past week or so, with Christmas. But if I run out of reading material, and just need something quick and cheap, I will definitely purchase a new Kindle title. I read 4-5 books a week, and having such a wide selection of new books is thrilling. I love my Kindle.

Yesterday, my husband and I celebrated our third anniversary. We had the genius idea to be married on New Year’s Eve, 2006. Michigan (where we got married) cold and rainy, and the hotel room that night (with kids running up and down the halls screaming, and drunks doing the same) was not conducive to what most people do on their honeymoons. So we ordered pizza, watched (I believe) Seinfeld, and discussed the miracle of Dick Clark still being alive (we thought he was dead. Seriousl. Mark is still convinced that he’s a zombie.), and then cuddled up and went to bed. We were tired. And Mark had an oozing ex-blister on the back of his heel from wearing dress shoes that were too small. The tux company made a lot of mistakes. No one’s shoes fit correctly.

Yesterday, we celebrated by eating pizza, watching Seinfeld, and being amazed (again) that Dick Clark is still alive. He’s hosted 37 New Years parties at this point. And we both try very hard to not laugh when he meesses up the count, or counts out of sync with the actual counter.

Okay, I try. Mark falls out of his chair. He’s such a sensitive person, no?

We also had a bottle of wine, courtesy of Dad II (Mark’s Dad, who is also a Mark). It was really good. I usually go for the directly fruity wines (cranberry, apple, blueberry, ect). This was different, but still really, really good. We each had a small glass, and even Mark enjoyed it.

Over the past week, I made several resolutions. I’m going to list a few, to help keep me on track… I’ll try to keep updating with my progress.

1. Get back to 160 lbs. 150 would be better, but I’m starting small. This is actually several resolutions, because I’m also giving up cheap chocolate (sorry, Hershey. We’ve been friends for a while, but it’s time to let you go), cutting way back on soda, and exercising 30 minutes, 3 times a week.

2. Do more writing. I have two creative writing workbooks I will be working out of daily, I will be blogging regularly, and I will be finishing two novels. I also want to write a couple work-related ebooks.

3. Improve financial stability. I want to put aside money each month for Christmas, to avoid being broke in the few weeks following the holidays. I want at least $1000 in the savings account, and a $1000 buffer in the checking account. No more paycheck to paycheck. We’re also putting aside money each month for a very nice pot and pan set before the holidays next year. I’d like to put $100 a month aside for this, ideally.

Those are the biggies. I also want to bring Mark and Becca down to NYC with me for a few days this year (Mark’s never been. Which kills me. I’ve been several times, and I love it down there), and get a few articles into print.

I happened to look at the lists (I have a separate one for professional goals) and realized that now I actually have to do all this stuff. Crap.

What are your goals for the new year?

Becca turned two on October 27th. We had a huge party for her the Sunday before. It was great to see everyone, and Becca enjoyed all of the extra attention. The party was Mickey Mouse themed, complete with a Mickey Mouse cake.

A week after her party was Halloween. She was a tiger, complete with face paint. We went around to see all of the relatives, and then even trick-or-treated along the road I used to go to when I was younger. The residents who remembered me were pretty excited to see Becca.

A few days after that, we drove up to Syracuse to see the Imagination Movers. I can’t say enough good things about their performance. I think I had as much fun as Becca did, and she was beyond thrilled. The look on her face when the Movers came out on stage was priceless. She even had the opportunity to meet Mover Rich. After the show, we went out to Chuck E. Cheese’s for the world most expensive pizza. But we had a lot of fun with the games and rides. We’ll be going again soon, I think.

We hosted two Thanksgivings, one with my Mom’s side, and one with my Dad’s side. We’re having Mark’s family over (all at once) for Christmas.

I competed in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in November. The goal is to write a 50,000 words or more novel in 30 days. I didn’t make it, but I had a lot of fun trying. I’m going to be finishing up that novel soon, as well as the one I started earlier this year. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you see it), the last half of the month ended up being a lot busier than I thought it was going to be. I was working on a huge project for a new client, which kept me away from my story.

Christmas is coming a lot faster than I’m ready for. I’m almost done shopping, with just a few things left to order, but I have another big client project next week, so I’m going to be racing to get all of my baking done. I need to mail out all of my cookies and candies towards the end of next week in order to get everything where it needs to be on time. I have several people around the country looking forward to their chocolate covered mint marshmallows..

I might not be back much between now and the end of the year, due to the holidays and a busy work schedule, but I really mean to start blogging more regularly next year.

If you are interested, I’m on Facebook, a lot. I’d love to connect on there…  http://www.facebook.com/margo.upson

Until then, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

A few years ago, in the middle of yet another flat-broke holiday season, I decided that, as I couldn’t afford to buy gifts, I was going to make some cookies and fudge for family members, put them on a tray, and hand those out on Christmas morning. I made cut-outs, gingerbread men, chocolate chip cookies, Rice Crispie Treats (with M&Ms), and a few different kinds of fudge. They were a hit.

Well, as it turns out, I’m broke around Christmas a lot. So the cookies and candy have sort of become my “thing”. Every year, I try a few new recipes, branch out a bit, make the trays a little bigger… Last year I added peppermint bark, peanut butter balls, mints, and chocolate covered jellies.

My mom was the originator of this idea. I remember one Christmas when the desk in the dining room was covered in plates and bowls of homemade candies (all of which I made last year), cookies, and cinnamon buns. That was the year we had the whole entire family together, at our place, for Christmas.

My mom has worked as a crossing guard since I was in 2nd grade. Almost every year she made cookies for the bus drivers. It was a child’s dream come true. Come downstairs in the middle of the night, and the table was covered in cookies. Hundreds of cookies. Not for us, of course, (although we did end up with quite a few), but for the bus drivers.

So, Christmas has always meant baking. And this year, I’m taking it up a notch. I’m going to cut back a bit on the cut-outs, and add in Linzer (window) cookies, and I’m going to start making more candy. I’m also splurging on a cookie press, which I have wanted for years and am only just now getting.

Mark and I are also investing in a double boiler. Finally. Last year, I stuck foil in the bottom of a steamer insert. It worked, but I ended up with some “streaked” chocolate, thanks to water seeping up around the foil. I’m also getting a real candy thermometer.

It probably sounds like I’m jumping the gun a bit on Christmas. After all, it’s not even Halloween yet. But I know those three months are going to go by quickly, and I don’t want to be scrambling at the last minute. A lot of the new treats are going to require a good bit of detail work. I might even give using chocolate molds a try (home made chocolate cherry cordials, anyone?).

Is anyone else planning ahead for Christmas already?

Becca taking her first bath in a real tub.

Today, we moved the last of our stuff out of the old apartment and into the new. It was a crazy sprint at the end– Mark told the landlords that we would be out by today, and the new tenants (whom I love, btw) were starting to move in tonight.

I have decided that I do, in fact, hate moving. I love the new apartment. I love the washer, dryer, dishwasher, and fireplace. I love having the extra large living room.

I hate moving. Oh, do I hate moving. And it’s not the packing and carrying that gets me (although that sucks too). It’s the unpacking. I am sitting in the new living room. It is the only room of the entire place, besides Becca’s, that is not stacked with boxes. I can’t even get to the sink right now. The kitchen is blocked off from Becca’s ninja-like grabbing skills, so we piled most of the boxes in there.

However, we wouldn’t have actually gotten everything done today, on schedule, if my wonderful father-in-law hadn’t dropped by to leave a few things for Mark. He was roped into watching Becca while Mark and I packed and carried stuff down.

As a thank you, I am making him some of my Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. I am also, finally, putting the fish pictures up.

Let me explain– A little over a month ago, Mark and his dad (who is also Mark, btw. Gets confusing.. We’ll just refer to him as Dad II) went fishing.A few hours later, Mark came back, and dragged me out to the van with my camera to take pictures of his fish. Shortly thereafter, Dad II showed up for more pictures.

I’m assuming (perhaps wrongly) that I will not be called on to take pictures every time they go fishing. And I already told Mark that he isn’t using the camera when he goes hunting. I don’t want to see the deer, especially if he expects me to actually eat the meat. There’s a good reason for that, and I’ll post about it later. Maybe.

Anyhow, back to the fish. The reason I took the pictures was because Mark had caught a huge bass. Massive. And he was very proud of himself (rightfully so..). I took these pictures, and I was supposed to print them out, email them, put them on the blog.. Something. And I forgot. And I was busy. And… it just never got done. So, I am putting them up right now. If you go to the photo album (top navigation bar) there is an album labeled “The Fish.” There are your pictures, Dad II. Enjoy them.

Mark, Dad II, and the Fish

That all changed by the time he got home from work at 4:00am Friday.

Here’s what happened:

Our garbage can reeked to high heaven, so I took it outside to spray it out. We had chicken juice that had leaked through a bag. It was really nasty. After the can was clean, I brought it back upstairs, filled the bottom with bleach water, stuck the top of the can inside there, and set the whole thing out on the fire escape. Where I promptly forgot about it.

A couple hours later, after Mark left for work (poor, unsuspecting soul), I went out to retrieve our garbage can. I pulled out the cover, set it aside, then dumped out the bleach water, somehow managing to knock the cover over. I watched it slide down the roof, and then drop three stories, landing in the grass below. I glared at the cover, flipped the garbage can over to let it dry, then went back inside the apartment.

An hour or two later, I threw on some shoes, grabbed Becca, and we headed down to retrieve our lid. On the way back up, we walked past one of the other apartments, and I noticed the smell of gas. I knew the tenants had moved out a week or so before. I knocked, then tried the handle. It was unlocked.

The door opens up to the kitchen. I opened up a window near the stove, then went up and called the landlords. A short while later, Becca and I decided to go for a walk, so we headed back down the stairs, and caught up with our landlords (the Savinos) as they were exiting the other apartment. As it turns out, their cleaning lady had turned off the pilot lights in the gas stove, but didn’t turn off the gas.

On the way back home, after our walk, Becca and I poked our heads back into the apartment. I knew a few things about it already– it has it’s own washer and dryer, and it had a tiny kitchen. We wandered inside, and had a look around.

There are three entrances to this apartment. One opens into the kitchen. When Becca and I walked through, we came in the one that opens up to the living room. Which is huge. With 6 windows (one is a picture window), high ceilings, a custom wood floor, and a fireplace. From there, I wandered into the dining room, which also has a lot of windows and a custom wood floor. A small hallway leads to the first bedroom, complete with an attached bathroom. There is another bathroom down the other hall, near a second bedroom. The kitchen is indeed tiny, but it has a dishwasher.

To get to the laundry, you have to go back down the hallway, out the front door, and across another hallway. There’s a small laundry room, which may also be my office, with a closet and another bathroom. This will also be where our freezer goes, assuming we get one. Mark is hunting this year, so it’s kind of a priority.

Mark came home friday morning, after work, to a note on his chair saying that I wanted to move, and would be calling the Savinos that morning. By the time he got up, I had a price, and permission to go down and show Mark around. He wasn’t thrilled. Rent is considerably more than we are currently paying, but still something that we can afford. Once he saw the place, though, I knew he was on board with it.

We started moving yesterday. Today, we start painting. And, within two weeks or so, I hope to be entirely moved out. I love where we are living now, and we’ve made a lot of great memories here, but it’ll be nice to have a washer and dryer. And to not be on the third floor. And I am really okay with having a fireplace, especially with those cold NY winter nights coming up.

Oh, yeah. I am officially mother of the year over here.

Becca’s 2nd (OMG) birthday is October 27th. And I had no real idea of what to get her. Then, I was sitting around one day, watching Disney with Becca, and an announcement came on.

Imagination Movers. Live. Coming To A City Near You!!!

Okay, that’s the shortened version. Anyhow, I hopped online, right that very instant, and went to the Imagination Movers web site. Sure enough, they were coming to Syracuse, November 5th. Just over one week after Becca’s birthday. Tickets were supposed to go on sale two weeks later. I told Mark all about it, and we agreed– This had the potential to be the BEST GIFT EVER.

The day of the ticket sale came, and… No Tickets. It had been pushed back, indefinitely. A few days later, the Imagination Movers site was saying that it was going to be this coming weekend. The tickets would be  on sale Friday.  But it wasn’t until yesterday that the concert venue or Ticket Master sites were saying anything about the new date. Presale tickets (supposedly only for a select group of people? I thought?) were supposed to be available this morning at 10. I had a couple guesses for the presale password, so I logged on a bit early (right before 9:30) to check it out.

And tickets were already available.

But I would need a password. Right? So I punched in the number of tickets and section we wanted, and clicked the submit button. After a few moments, they came back with these seats:

Row B. Seats 106-108. Orc. In English, second row from the stage. Front and center. Where’s the catch? Where’s the little pop-up asking for my password?

So I hit submit. Yes, TicketMaster, I will accept these seats. Gladly. Thankyouverymuch.

I am asked for my credit card information, my billing address. And then, next thing I know, the payment is processing, and I am getting a confirmation message.

Presale password?? Not for this lucky mama.

So, yeah.. Second row. Front and center. Did I mention that already? I did? Can I mention it again??

It’s going to look like this.

|Scott|              |Dave|          |Rich|           |Smitty|          |Warehouse Mouse|

=================Edge of Stage==================

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX–Row One–XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXX—Other People–XXXXXXX–Me-Becca-Mark–XXX-Other People–XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXX–Children with less-cool parents, and not as good of a view—XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Multiply last row by about 5 dozen, including the balcony.

I am awesome. And very much bragging. (Sorry).

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

See? See?

I am allowed to be a little excited, right?

Thought so.