vanessa.oxygenvalve.com

I am going to show you two photos that you have already looked at by now since you probably look at pictures before reading text.

It's snowing SIDEWAYS!

This is from 10:42am, it is April and snowing like CRAZY… big huge fluffy flakes.

This is the same place!

This was taken at 11:20am, it is April… and… BWAH! Wasn’t it JUST SNOWING???

There may be no global warming or there may be, NY is screwy either way.

Well… that’s not news I guess…

Working on clearing out the Sprout’s room has proven to be a much more ambitious undertaking than I initially imagined. I foolishly thought I could simply take out the things that don’t belong in there, and, Voilà! turn it into a baby’s room. Oh, how wrong I was! The thing is… we need to clear space in other places of the house for those other objects to go. What was once just “clearing out the nursery” has evolved into a whole-house purge — from the baby’s room to the garage and beyond! At first I considered having a garage sale, but who am I kidding? I don’t have the time or energy for such things! So in two weeks we have taken 5 CARLOADS of unwanted swag to the Goodwill! Think about that for a second… I know I’ve said it before that we have too much stuff, but I didn’t realize how much of it there was. The sick thing is that even with all that stuff gone, it barely looks like we’ve made much progress! There’s still so much more to go. And then there’s the not-so-small matter of finding a place to put a full-size electric piano. Oy!

The current state of the Sprout's room – we're working on it!

The other side of the room

Someone said to me, “It sounds like you’re nesting!” And, while that kind of comment kinda gives me the rage, I’m going to be honest here… maybe a little of it is nesting, but Mike was the one who initiated the purge — starting in the garage. This massive clean out was long overdue, and the baby coming has been a great mobilizer for both of us; No more lazy procrastination.

Here's what the garage USED to look like a few years ago – Hello, HOARDERS!?

I have to say, it is sooo liberating to get rid of your unneeded stuff; it’s definitely habit-forming. I recently read an article that talked about the psychological aspects of getting rid of stuff. It said to ask yourself these three questions: Do I love it? Do I use it? How does it make me feel? You’d be surprised how easy it is to let go when you go through the exercise of self-evaluation. I’m almost embarrassed to admit the amount of stuff I was holding on to just because it was easier to ignore it.

So we’re making slow progress, but we still have a few months. And I think we’ll all benefit from having a more organized life: Me, Mike and the Sprout.

I don’t know what possessed me, but something made me do it. Maybe it’s because I had a bunch of heavy cream and didn’t want it to go to waste… or maybe I was craving it, but I made a chocolate cake last week—drum roll please—FROM SCRATCH! With fresh whipped cream on top! I know! I’m sort of shocked about it too.

I had been eyeing a recipe in Natural Health Magazine from way back in November. I dog-eared the page, and since it’s been in the bathroom… I’ve been seeing it a lot. Enough said about my tiny pregnancy bladder. I looked on the Natural Health website, but it’s not there. However, I found it here (recipe is at the bottom of the page). It’s the dark chocolate chile cake. The only omission I made was the pumpkin puree in the whipped cream. I didn’t want to buy a can of puree, only to use 1 tablespoon. Plus, I added a couple of shakes of cayenne pepper to the cake batter to give it a little kick (although Mike claims it could have been spicier).

Just revel in its chocolatey goodness! Mmmmm.

Given my experience with baking debacles (of which I’ve had MANY), this cake came out perfectly! I will definitely be making it again.

As you have read, Vanessa and I have basically rediscovered cooking. On Saturday we made pork vindaloo and man was it good.

I started-off making the curry in the afternoon, since this was a big undertaking. Seriously, I’m going from making toast and grilling in the summer to all-out ethnic dishes from all over the world! I toasted-up the nuts and then threw everything into the new food processor to blend it up. After a small disaster with the spatula (you should read the directions that come with your food processor) … lets just say I was lucky to find the small piece of spatula in the curry that it hacked-off.

Curry... now with NO ground spatula!

Later in the evening we started-in on the meal proper. Vanessa started in on the three-part process of making the rice. Yeah, you heard me… THREE steps for RICE. The recipe was pretty easy to put together. Here’s me with our new cutting board and knife. I wasn’t aware that you ever use the stem of the cilantro, I always see the leaves in salsa so figured the rest was crap.

Choppin' Cilantro!

One thing I enjoy about Jamie’s book is that it usually has pretty clear directions along with some pictures of key moments in the process. This was the first time I had to try and remove meat from the bone without it having been with my teeth after its been cooked. It was tricky, but I did OK.

Step 12, try not to go yummmmm over and over.

I’ve never used a dutch oven before and I have to say I really liked it. You don’t’ have to worry about spills and sputters so much because of the high-sides.

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble.

In the end we had some pretty good looking grub that actually looked like the picture!

Needs an Alice in Wonderland like tag: Mix me!

I found that as with Tex-Mex, this dish is way better all mixed-up to get the yogurt flavor and the rice texture around evenly. Yum!

So as Vanessa said, I’m moving over here for my blogging fix, so hello!

Oxygenvalve has undergone MANY changes since its inception way back in 2000… Holy crap, it’s been that long? I just checked the anniversary date and it’s April 13, 2000. Happy 10th birthday Oxygenvalve!! (That’s ancient in web years!) Mike and I arbitrarily came up with the name based on the lyrics of a song we liked, and purchased the domain to use as a joint plot of web space — long before we even talked about marriage! We’ve had college projects, portfolios, photo galleries, etc; most of which are long gone.

We’ve been collectively blogging since 2003 — each of us with our own segregated web spaces. Over the years, Mike’s interest in blogging has waned to the point where the time span between posts is often months. However, he has recently expressed interest in collaborating on blog posts or doing an occasional feature on my blog instead of feeling guilty for not posting enough on his own blog. I am more than happy to oblige him! So keep an eye out for upcoming posts authored by Mr. Mike himself! I can only guess what he’ll have to say, but I suspect you might see posts on food, parenthood, homeownership etc… Please welcome him into this small tiny slice of the blogosphere. :)

Thanks for reading!!!
-Vanessa & Mike

One of the things that we’re guilty of in this house is succumbing to the convenience of having Wegmans (our supermarket) so close to home. Given that Mike’s schedule keeps him at work till at least 6:00pm, we often find ourselves slacking off in the cooking department and just picking up a pre-made meal at Wegmans. While I would argue that it’s marginally better than running out to a restaurant for dinner, it’s still not ideal—especially when I’m trying to eat right for me and the Sprout (good proteins, whole grains, leafy greens, yadda yadda…)

So I picked up the new Jamie Oliver “Food Revolution” book. I have always had a mini crush on Jamie Oliver, so his was the natural choice… never mind that the book has good reviews! :) Just kidding. As we started reading the book we realized that our kitchen was lacking in one major area: good-quality, nonstick pans. We have an awesome pot set, but they’re stainless and sometimes you just need a good nonstick pan (think omelets… chili cheese omelets… mmm)! We picked up a couple of pans and I just have to say: Holy crap, what a difference good nonstick makes. Since this weekend we’ve tried two of Jamie’s recipes so far, and we’re looking forward to trying more. The first recipe was a very tasty asian chicken noodle bowl, but it gave Mike horrendous breath. (Not sure what it did to mine: Mike has had a cold and couldn’t smell.) The second was a creamy pasta with peas and bacon which I can definitely see becoming a Loftus meal staple. We totally should have taken pictures… I dropped the ball on that one, sorry.

The reason I mention the new interest in cooking is twofold. First, I think we’ve gotten lazy in our eating habits. I don’t exactly love to cook, but I realize how important our nutrition is to our overall well being. And eating out at Wegmans or relying on prepared meals isn’t doing our bodies any favors. Second, one of the things I value is family mealtime. Sure, when it’s just the two of us having dinner, we can catch meals whenever, however we want. But when this baby comes into the world I want him to experience dinner with the family as a regular occurrence. We’ve all heard about the importance of family meals (or maybe you haven’t), but I want to make it a staple in our house. Which means I’m going to have to turn meal-planning and -preparation into a habit, and what better time to start than now! Oh man, I’m going to need a lot of help!

One thing (among many things) I wasn’t prepared for with this pregnancy was the barrage of “you’re so cute” comments. I mean, I was well aware of the imminent unwanted tummy touching, and potential unsolicited commentary from strangers, but this has completely thrown me for a loop. Maybe it’s because I have yet to really balloon, and I just look like I’m smuggling a basket ball. At 24 weeks I have only gained about 14 pounds, which my doctor assures me is a healthy weight increase. And I am certainly not starving myself in any way whatsoever–seriously, ask Mike. I’m just trying to eat healthy and get a balanced diet of whole grains, protein, dairy, fruits & vegetables (although I could stand to eat more veggies) with the occasional bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream thrown in there. :)

Mostly the “cute” comments come from people I know–not total strangers, thank goodness! And I know it’s all meant to be complimentary, but they tend to make me squirm a little. Perhaps I’m just bad at taking compliments. I obviously don’t want to make anybody feel bad, so I try to take it graciously and in stride… with varying success.

Case in point: Since yesterday was Easter Sunday, I got a little dressed up for Church with a cute (there’s THAT WORD again) multicolored maternity top. As soon as I got there, I was accosted by a woman who loves all things pregnant and adorable. While I know she means well and she’s a very nice woman, we don’t exactly agree on cute philosophies. She rushed up to me and gushing with excitement exclaimed, “I just have to say!! You look like a big Easter egg!” I tried to crack a smile but only managed to come out with an “Oh dear” and a pained look on my face. To which she quickly rebounded, saying it’s because I’m so cute… Those within earshot erupted with uproarious laughter. I knew what she meant, and I wasn’t upset with her, but I know my response made her feel bad. I couldn’t help it. I don’t want to feel like a big anything, which is ironic because I AM a big pregnant lady.

I finally had a lull in the freelance work and spent a good portion of time on Saturday working on the crib skirt. I’m proud to say that a day later I’m finished. :) WOO! However, since I spent a lot of that time crawling on the floor cutting, measuring and assembling the pieces, my sore and tired body isn’t quite as excited. Owie! I imagine as my belly balloons even bigger, it will get tougher and tougher to keep doing this stuff. :)

I finally ordered the Flor tile samples this morning, so I’m looking forward to seeing how my tentative selections match the color scheme… Also, I’ve been thinking about other accessories for the Sprout’s room. Check these out:

“Olephant” mobile from Hanging Mobile Gallery The elephants are perfect with the skirt, except I think there should be more elephants on it. I might want to order two, but that would make it a pretty expensive mobile. Perhaps I need to do a little more searching or do what I usually do: make it myself! :) Couldn’t be THAT hard, right!?

Simple modern bedside lamp available from Euro Style Lighting. I love this lamp! One of my gripes about baby stuff is the annoying themed accessories that go along with commercial crib bedding. While cute when baby is still tiny and without opinions, I can’t help but wonder how long is a kid really going to want the cutesy matching woodland creature bedside lamp? Me thinks not too long.

Finally, I couldn’t forget the adorable Ugly Doll that I showed sitting on the rocking chair in the last nursery post. He’s too cute!

I’ve been sooo busy with regular work/freelance work, personal drama, among other things that I haven’t really had the time to get my craft on. There hardly seems to be an end to this madness in sight. And I’m jonesing really badly for some fun craft action. But I’ve got my sights on an upcoming book that releases in April, and just in time for me and the Sprout. It’s called Handmade Beginnings by Anna Maria Horner.

I read her blog occasionally, and find her to be pretty inspirational. I can’t even imagine how she juggles her creative life/business and her enormous family (I think she’s got 5 or 6 kids)! She might as well be Superwoman to me. I can barely manage to keep myself together and find time to be crafty with only a husband and baby on the way! More power to her.

I’ve started thinking about decorating our little boy’s room, and it’s soo much fun. Considering that I have what my Mom calls eccentric taste, I haven’t really liked any crib sets or nursery themes — especially for boys. Yuck! Incidentally, the only ones I’ve liked have been OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive. Also, I feel there’s no point in buying a crib set when you’re not going to use the fancy blanket or bumpers. Ooooh, safety hazards!! So I plan on sewing a crib skirt and just buying simple, solid-colored crib bedding. I found the adorable Michael Miller Zoology pattern and fell in love! So cute, yet definitely boyish. I’m pretty much basing the whole color scheme around that fabric.

I’m toying with different area rug colors by mixing and matching carpet tiles from Flor. I should probably order the samples soon to make sure they look good in person. I just love the fact that there are so many options to choose from.

My parents offered to buy us a rocking chair or glider, but I found the nursery gliders from baby stores to be huge, expensive and unbearable ugly! Maybe I’m just overly practical, but I can’t see buying a piece of furniture that will become obsolete after you’re done nursing. Lord knows, I would never put a giant nursery glider in my living room! At first I really wanted a Herman Miller Shell rocker, but after some research I realized I would rather have a chair with a high back to rest my head. Enter the Poang rocker from IKEA — modern yet functional, and most importantly, not hideous.

Finally, I found an adorable print from Alberto Cerriteño on Etsy. What could be cuter than a little boy hugging a big monster?! Nothing, that’s what. :)