tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26317164706033158402024-03-13T00:53:14.442-07:00suddenly sahmnot working outside the home, one day at a timesuddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.comBlogger255125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2631716470603315840.post-7937446861791846712011-01-04T10:07:00.000-08:002011-01-04T14:50:23.082-08:00An Open Letter to YouIt’s been a fun ride, but this is my last post…for a while, at least.<br />
<br />
I started this blog at the beginning of my journey as a stay at home mom, nearly two years ago. At the time, I didn’t know where it would take me. I had the kernel of an idea that the transition from seven years as a full time working mother of two, to a laid off, at-home mom, would yield lots of interesting situations and unique experiences. I thought that a blog would be the perfect forum for documenting and sharing that experience.<br />
<br />
In 2008 and 2009, when the economy was falling apart and people were losing their jobs left and right, I never saw stories in the media that mirrored my own. Where were the other women like me? I wanted this blog to be a place for that missing voice to be heard.<br />
<br />
This was the space where I openly struggled with the work vs. no work question, where I celebrated some of life’s small, but precious moments, and where I learned the ins and outs of blogging, tweeting, and photo sharing.<br />
<br />
Since returning to work four months ago, I simply do not have the physical, emotional, or psychological energy to maintain the blog as I would like to. I think about it…a lot. I write posts in my head about recipes and cookbooks and outings with the kids and meditations on life, but the posts do not get written. <br />
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I feel this period in my life has reached a natural end and it’s time to leave this space. I don’t know yet if it will be permanent. I am also toying with some other new ideas that I might explore as an alternative.<br />
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I will monitor the inbox for <a href="mailto:suddenlysahm@gmail.com">suddenlysahm@gmail.com</a>, so if you ever want to drop me a line, that’s where you can reach me. <br />
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Wishing you a peaceful and refreshing start to the New Year!<br />
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Jensuddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2631716470603315840.post-91375814957399090792011-01-02T09:06:00.000-08:002011-01-02T09:06:11.866-08:00Project 365, put to bedIn the spirit of not being too hard on myself, I'm not going to qualify this post by saying that I didn't really stick to the rules of project 365 (snicker, snicker, I just did). Rather, my project 365 was one done in spirit...The photos were not always taken on the day they were named for. Ah, well. This project became much harder when I returned to full time work eight months in. When you are in an office all day, it's hard to take inspiring photos day after day. The last four months were really saved by my travels and the fact that during the holiday season, there are just a lot more photo ops.<br />
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I picked one from each month of the year to share here. Enjoy:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlkUWD-QqbjZbHyYXydhAdZY3Aft7r7vKqVl5eHKyMHf5jLPmn44Sx4SGz8jRb4q57d3mtEPJu8zq7zPEqgVyui_yF4Tz3tQ9OvGwQ609lqqp1X4gWCPFNd_B5ijqQIUPBkX41-UgCznW/s1600/4262579447_e69d0281cf_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDlkUWD-QqbjZbHyYXydhAdZY3Aft7r7vKqVl5eHKyMHf5jLPmn44Sx4SGz8jRb4q57d3mtEPJu8zq7zPEqgVyui_yF4Tz3tQ9OvGwQ609lqqp1X4gWCPFNd_B5ijqQIUPBkX41-UgCznW/s400/4262579447_e69d0281cf_o.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">January - New Year's Day snowshoeing</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_2ZrQzAWZ9Wzs65qyIp5e3gNznVRBu-QVdJYVkL2YqG0VBQUpQQsUofzYix4Lawe9QUTAuihmZDmQSph8je8SNFHBsvfmUE1mHTiblWbnUAucGnyZLJKRv64hUEPtOBmi30H2RhpJIqX/s1600/4339236139_1742b4ec49_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_2ZrQzAWZ9Wzs65qyIp5e3gNznVRBu-QVdJYVkL2YqG0VBQUpQQsUofzYix4Lawe9QUTAuihmZDmQSph8je8SNFHBsvfmUE1mHTiblWbnUAucGnyZLJKRv64hUEPtOBmi30H2RhpJIqX/s400/4339236139_1742b4ec49_o.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">February - 24 hours alone together in Bellingham</div> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLzKueeHfIYN-GAApvV4bB1cZIzSzNwyg9jFe2LCsBbSPt-8xlV_AJcvpYa920G-E4gQ6eVhtfAAs3p4jS6M0WhjA3WBhC4WIWtb8OxH7eeJyxMH3mhkPVcYugh_HpIset68I3-JE3JHcL/s1600/4418236756_2bae13c34b_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLzKueeHfIYN-GAApvV4bB1cZIzSzNwyg9jFe2LCsBbSPt-8xlV_AJcvpYa920G-E4gQ6eVhtfAAs3p4jS6M0WhjA3WBhC4WIWtb8OxH7eeJyxMH3mhkPVcYugh_HpIset68I3-JE3JHcL/s400/4418236756_2bae13c34b_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> March - letterboxing in Oregon</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmorOCG3nBG75dtxztXIIt1cgCL1Gl4DiZg2auzzIDgRXC23-CZX7WTWpik3vkb69xLPuz3b2MF0xbD2NsIzbai_KhT-HAFN0zJNxwd1RkfcwzSs_efCi_nrj2RbgjVamN7FJdLMfMCkA8/s1600/4579075230_5cd3330eea_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmorOCG3nBG75dtxztXIIt1cgCL1Gl4DiZg2auzzIDgRXC23-CZX7WTWpik3vkb69xLPuz3b2MF0xbD2NsIzbai_KhT-HAFN0zJNxwd1RkfcwzSs_efCi_nrj2RbgjVamN7FJdLMfMCkA8/s400/4579075230_5cd3330eea_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">April - benedetto di uova</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4oNFu1dZZ5dfDMHvzOwteZI72cFhTY5NeZtDbI0agR1LUnsmC-XrmWWd3zgTMma9Fxn_pRljcax_nX4t7F_7klwqcxrJF7QR7TTskFTxgUszY41n-ljqqPzhwo5dwuKxwkttb51b8QNZ0/s1600/4609388742_ab40c6e8a9_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4oNFu1dZZ5dfDMHvzOwteZI72cFhTY5NeZtDbI0agR1LUnsmC-XrmWWd3zgTMma9Fxn_pRljcax_nX4t7F_7klwqcxrJF7QR7TTskFTxgUszY41n-ljqqPzhwo5dwuKxwkttb51b8QNZ0/s400/4609388742_ab40c6e8a9_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> May - tulip</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnK59bIMpyXwYvu1UsIiJIoLET7NBeI89FX0nFsvLhnV2X4IFsughKvgMgGOHdORsDpY2NUce-n8aGGUx1imhzgeWL5sqUaR6cVnE2znfwz7ilkt9mDzsjhWcebZpSMD-8yZvUdo_8Fba3/s1600/4773971731_fe367809d9_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnK59bIMpyXwYvu1UsIiJIoLET7NBeI89FX0nFsvLhnV2X4IFsughKvgMgGOHdORsDpY2NUce-n8aGGUx1imhzgeWL5sqUaR6cVnE2znfwz7ilkt9mDzsjhWcebZpSMD-8yZvUdo_8Fba3/s400/4773971731_fe367809d9_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">June - getting on a plane</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_PnYmpfjRZDOY3CR3FyXBbmJ3rS8MUzMlAZX3Le4gY97PwKXz6mQL8IjiHIxGktnO18VI62i4p8BLpK08_SfFoLnEPQqv8n1JnfQ-SXsO1PW6LrzciDeunSeNH3p6J7fj5IynsqCpzy9J/s1600/4828749792_df1ca0f2ce_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_PnYmpfjRZDOY3CR3FyXBbmJ3rS8MUzMlAZX3Le4gY97PwKXz6mQL8IjiHIxGktnO18VI62i4p8BLpK08_SfFoLnEPQqv8n1JnfQ-SXsO1PW6LrzciDeunSeNH3p6J7fj5IynsqCpzy9J/s400/4828749792_df1ca0f2ce_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">July - Paradise, Mt. Rainier</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXfPDA4jdhlcROF_tqCen49Ccr0DS8bwnUETFLt9fcu7Gl4KLPIAu0oG8ZSAXi8VGY20n3n8VGp-kaBZJcZKfTG0coiQTrFP4DVK7DD8nnh1x6X3wl4Cw4WwocqLHjjjbTuWL4q88oJSPU/s1600/4911053134_104fdb69cb_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXfPDA4jdhlcROF_tqCen49Ccr0DS8bwnUETFLt9fcu7Gl4KLPIAu0oG8ZSAXi8VGY20n3n8VGp-kaBZJcZKfTG0coiQTrFP4DVK7DD8nnh1x6X3wl4Cw4WwocqLHjjjbTuWL4q88oJSPU/s400/4911053134_104fdb69cb_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">August, canning spectacular</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoSg3Sn3PP1jBQp15k2dyjZIgBoAYlCUL6v0doAl-8-begOUgfl__wYM4Mvu8xszpQauPlQIJkPcoQXNByEIQrMhX5K6O5tXQp_vrXfeMoDYZ8G2zUzv8AegFC8Fv8OMiyLfStlfLheYtV/s1600/5013196607_3d3bb87110_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoSg3Sn3PP1jBQp15k2dyjZIgBoAYlCUL6v0doAl-8-begOUgfl__wYM4Mvu8xszpQauPlQIJkPcoQXNByEIQrMhX5K6O5tXQp_vrXfeMoDYZ8G2zUzv8AegFC8Fv8OMiyLfStlfLheYtV/s400/5013196607_3d3bb87110_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">September - emerging sunflower</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrgXqQ_HMz776i8vu2SmpTCj9j5zw3lLTIOG4I2hIYTR02cW9u39XN5xO-EDzJR4ISwxlIOyFBHe2t4mbsq8_Z8nlNOUwONmXvgZoPio-6mCbZF3-7xRgx1baF9SD4-R2bvv_XUDdkr_Lq/s1600/5115237140_47333f96ba_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrgXqQ_HMz776i8vu2SmpTCj9j5zw3lLTIOG4I2hIYTR02cW9u39XN5xO-EDzJR4ISwxlIOyFBHe2t4mbsq8_Z8nlNOUwONmXvgZoPio-6mCbZF3-7xRgx1baF9SD4-R2bvv_XUDdkr_Lq/s400/5115237140_47333f96ba_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">October - Mt. Rainier from a plane</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQets3IUefvDjMi82FIqwSkAjxmSMehFWfD-oky1K1XRHLmvMgUNK0S2KOBmumVMLz8ZKhNuieo9n2xEan71lPq6Ppirz9cijN-HXQl49x1PmWhnQDFcO-SkCnwJYQV_qhLx0gmveaurM/s1600/5198690864_3bd82da1a9_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCQets3IUefvDjMi82FIqwSkAjxmSMehFWfD-oky1K1XRHLmvMgUNK0S2KOBmumVMLz8ZKhNuieo9n2xEan71lPq6Ppirz9cijN-HXQl49x1PmWhnQDFcO-SkCnwJYQV_qhLx0gmveaurM/s400/5198690864_3bd82da1a9_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">November - approaching storm, Cancun, Mexico</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy-H9LXGt2ZHUOKDyAl_vELE6iglCrnw-eozx2atvMrokUY3cbkN1LstD68Ab6k_qFJljQefHqFotIv5VDYBIog_e11YWzfMwxLBAuvYuNSKKozxRgJQ3mN1X2p3YJKPShjzg4bPssRtq_/s1600/5254529347_28c97f113e_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy-H9LXGt2ZHUOKDyAl_vELE6iglCrnw-eozx2atvMrokUY3cbkN1LstD68Ab6k_qFJljQefHqFotIv5VDYBIog_e11YWzfMwxLBAuvYuNSKKozxRgJQ3mN1X2p3YJKPShjzg4bPssRtq_/s400/5254529347_28c97f113e_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> December - holidays at home</div>suddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2631716470603315840.post-46337267826156912552010-12-29T09:56:00.000-08:002010-12-30T07:45:39.681-08:00A Dream DeferredSeveral months ago, I alluded to an "exciting new project" here. Well, that exciting new project never quite came to fruition.<br />
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I had planned to open a small business called "handmade jeny" to sell stuff I make for fun through etsy...salted bacon caramels, greeting cards with my photography, perhaps a handbag and quilt or two...but it never happened.<br />
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I went so far as to have a logo designed. I knew deep down at the time that this effort probably would not get off the ground at any time in the near future. Still, designing the logo with <a href="http://www.floating-palace.com/">Kris </a>was an "exciting new project" all on its own.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi06Atg39d0QaVSSp63S1m1SpwAuCJL1ygGc4Lut_RR6cbpzCU_4ltIlkDIL5gvvY7ONGn_oKcIgxDrWmQCx2Hi9ChKnh0FFngNvf2z4TOLNqtyiUCcOqZXFsDihjSSv6zCVWjj03MxApe3/s1600/owl_final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi06Atg39d0QaVSSp63S1m1SpwAuCJL1ygGc4Lut_RR6cbpzCU_4ltIlkDIL5gvvY7ONGn_oKcIgxDrWmQCx2Hi9ChKnh0FFngNvf2z4TOLNqtyiUCcOqZXFsDihjSSv6zCVWjj03MxApe3/s400/owl_final.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
It turns out that I can't have it all all at once. Since going back to work I hardly run anymore, I have a hard time meeting my self-imposed project 365 commitment, there's no time for quilting, etc., etc., etc. My life has taken a sharp turn and the cards have all been re-shuffled.<br />
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So, handmade jeny will have to wait until another time in my life, or maybe she will stay a beautiful dream to contemplate.suddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2631716470603315840.post-29954884863756978472010-12-26T11:57:00.000-08:002010-12-27T07:06:02.207-08:00To Give and ReceiveIn a season filled with gifts, one given and one received stand out for me this year....<br />
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Given:<br />
I snapped this photo of my mom and my sister at my brother's wedding last summer. I thought it was a terrific shot of them, so I framed the black and white, included a color version behind it and gave one to each of them. :)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Dq-b5s1Y5OFU8XBq0BAFXNSHdzW62-MsDka9OCLUhiv9k85Cf9VMvd0BTDjLDAwmn0GhKQOPlbMbfL4lgKYaW06kQvAyOIVmubVThXz4h3Ai9j1YdJ3g3AJUdmHvThXK6aLvyRhwHVvf/s1600/bwgirls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Dq-b5s1Y5OFU8XBq0BAFXNSHdzW62-MsDka9OCLUhiv9k85Cf9VMvd0BTDjLDAwmn0GhKQOPlbMbfL4lgKYaW06kQvAyOIVmubVThXz4h3Ai9j1YdJ3g3AJUdmHvThXK6aLvyRhwHVvf/s400/bwgirls.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Received:<br />
I admit it. I cried. My little men made this for me...I will cherish it for many, many years and yes, it is going to the office with me tomorrow.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPuSc8LGK_daZ74Lz2hJFi_FCl4oAcpUWIbfSB4OcJKFGsl0EEZ1v0jLQyh6j8BCmo_FBhyrM-QxTarsaw9PTf1mksWbgaQPFS8jYELqjkKUoeBnALSFRzoFWkDQ-fF_SjFUlhFYAkBHA/s1600/PC261561.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPuSc8LGK_daZ74Lz2hJFi_FCl4oAcpUWIbfSB4OcJKFGsl0EEZ1v0jLQyh6j8BCmo_FBhyrM-QxTarsaw9PTf1mksWbgaQPFS8jYELqjkKUoeBnALSFRzoFWkDQ-fF_SjFUlhFYAkBHA/s400/PC261561.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilt0RlyqFPCFC8aq_Za_0UwF6fDGUG1w3woNQ_x82VXpYDNtjaRnF81BZE0XkkWwE0yFo2D0CyUs8aR56VjJvlOiJLivDxj8Gv065J-hBAdHjXHalzLX82nfScd8FqTxZFH-OBU6Mjc0Qn/s1600/PC261562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilt0RlyqFPCFC8aq_Za_0UwF6fDGUG1w3woNQ_x82VXpYDNtjaRnF81BZE0XkkWwE0yFo2D0CyUs8aR56VjJvlOiJLivDxj8Gv065J-hBAdHjXHalzLX82nfScd8FqTxZFH-OBU6Mjc0Qn/s400/PC261562.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu2F9P8TuW8ulwPFz_Fr36aAIZ2dioOB7syNbHcEtDoQy-XBNnu3G_z9tgNe4ZOWAmUwGU_AIrZrel9wJBI342_bbUgLDobwrIKhrwXU5csdin06o7hq3kBTKLExw8GEXYljCL0ylOGpWt/s1600/PC261563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu2F9P8TuW8ulwPFz_Fr36aAIZ2dioOB7syNbHcEtDoQy-XBNnu3G_z9tgNe4ZOWAmUwGU_AIrZrel9wJBI342_bbUgLDobwrIKhrwXU5csdin06o7hq3kBTKLExw8GEXYljCL0ylOGpWt/s400/PC261563.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Oh, and we finally got the boys a Wii...God help us!suddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2631716470603315840.post-24920928856147514472010-12-22T07:21:00.000-08:002010-12-22T07:27:52.641-08:00SAHM for five daysThe working Suddenly Sahm is starting the first of <b>five </b>days at home baking, wrapping, writing christmas cards, santa visit, the whole shebang!<br />
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Here's my favorite shot from last week - tubing at Snoqualmie pass on the hubby's birthday:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-LzVdARrXJFGk0yPFcIq-YZrKDajom5zVzlG7vdPj-5WK73ynbvjeK9S3dgyMDZXP1cMjhyphenhyphenwfl5fgySjRFQ83IYt80fzXI6dJfoVB0fEeF-KM2HCZflcXiN-wRfjLu0SeMo2vwZ5ci3z/s1600/5280559848_bb8162d3e7_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr-LzVdARrXJFGk0yPFcIq-YZrKDajom5zVzlG7vdPj-5WK73ynbvjeK9S3dgyMDZXP1cMjhyphenhyphenwfl5fgySjRFQ83IYt80fzXI6dJfoVB0fEeF-KM2HCZflcXiN-wRfjLu0SeMo2vwZ5ci3z/s400/5280559848_bb8162d3e7_b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8SSAxQAPweTRviYDbEFprVmLQZXPaicPggYfrMGiGcNPFcWL2nP_psImgqXoUvIe-QyeLeC58bM3qvPAQr3zbWRH7xt4_ADPYr_SGTKlbBrLYGmRT75561pMgia4RNDBV_aKL-79pl_4/s1600/5280559848_bb8162d3e7_m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a></div>As I like to say at work these days, (because I am a process nerd), Feliz Navi<i>data</i>!suddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2631716470603315840.post-38078265010658682952010-12-14T00:26:00.000-08:002010-12-14T00:26:00.181-08:00Old-Fashioned, Soft Pumpkin CookiesStephanie asked me for <a href="http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/32364/Old-Fashioned-Soft-Pumpkin-Cookies/detail.aspx">this recipe</a>. I make these cookies every year. For the icing, I like to either mix a little buttermilk or freshly squeezed orange juice with powdered sugar. I also make 'em pretty big (because I am too lazy to make a lot of cookies ;)<br />
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Santa would love these - enjoy!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLhTD9pAyLf5isyWMLI4EEUuEspr-CZT-PrZkXNbV3CN9o2NnLntZGbWhz4QP2GiRL-voIU8vRPQGgi86sy1DXOhMeQUeOWCcqqlXXgg2q9GXPCqc4N4InT0ILVyiYdNe7UL6ueLr6iSl/s1600/20101126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWLhTD9pAyLf5isyWMLI4EEUuEspr-CZT-PrZkXNbV3CN9o2NnLntZGbWhz4QP2GiRL-voIU8vRPQGgi86sy1DXOhMeQUeOWCcqqlXXgg2q9GXPCqc4N4InT0ILVyiYdNe7UL6ueLr6iSl/s400/20101126.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>suddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2631716470603315840.post-67663805009281895292010-12-11T14:17:00.000-08:002010-12-11T14:17:33.078-08:00Unique, Fun, Handmade Christmas (or anytime!) GiftI'd like to direct your attention to a fun little business run by Suddenly Sahm's mom:<br />
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<a href="http://carolsmusicboxes.com/">Carol's Music Boxes</a>:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpUFxKSCXKpvFhZv3hO5FNw617r5cMzbU2aVm4_AYZz29wtbNRTqj_uSiepPE2hbveJwP2NkVtfZC1rsQYacKXzUotgPd1o5_FGrc7Jb41qz22AP2OOxmo9xSg8JVfbWXa5ZVVFgoWAWFr/s1600/20101205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpUFxKSCXKpvFhZv3hO5FNw617r5cMzbU2aVm4_AYZz29wtbNRTqj_uSiepPE2hbveJwP2NkVtfZC1rsQYacKXzUotgPd1o5_FGrc7Jb41qz22AP2OOxmo9xSg8JVfbWXa5ZVVFgoWAWFr/s320/20101205.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwHWDcgSxXxXkYMYfpFCZULTt-6nwkj90AZSll02NzzsckBMwQFwQ1KCNqZ8wIroXRoLDGtwZOZcX6mOF9p2jz3ct8c6Vm7fFOIt2fG9AEH0K78BURcWlUZHBeSlZluC74IzGa4R5mzHt/s1600/mb1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwHWDcgSxXxXkYMYfpFCZULTt-6nwkj90AZSll02NzzsckBMwQFwQ1KCNqZ8wIroXRoLDGtwZOZcX6mOF9p2jz3ct8c6Vm7fFOIt2fG9AEH0K78BURcWlUZHBeSlZluC74IzGa4R5mzHt/s320/mb1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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Her handmade music boxes come in two sizes and you can probably choose from existing inventory or give her the specs for a custom designed one. I'm giving these to the boys' teachers this year for a holiday gift. The one with the poinsettia plays "Deck the Halls" and the one with the Santa plays "Up On The Rooftop".<br />
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Reasonably priced, unique, handmade, and fun. Oh, and endorsed by Suddenly Sahm.suddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2631716470603315840.post-20062068628140441432010-12-09T22:16:00.000-08:002010-12-09T22:16:28.905-08:00Where Am I?I don't know, but I'm certainly not here.<br />
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I am somewhere between overtired, recovering from being sick, overworking, the exhausting travel and not preparing for the holidays. <br />
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We had a lovely Thanksgiving here and my body decided to shut down immediately upon placing the meal on the table. I guess the idea of three days with no obligations was too much for it to compute.<br />
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I don't come here much these days as blogging requires a bit of brain space that I can no longer seem to spare. I think of posting ideas, but I am too tired slash don't have the emotional slash psychological energy to write the post. My current internet goal is to hang on and complete project 365. I am too close to quit, but frankly, I am looking forward to being freed from an obligation.<br />
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Wow, this post is a downer. This job has been more demanding than I originally signed up for and I am fervently hoping that things quiet down to a dull roar after the first of the year. This week I leave for work in the dark, come home in the dark and spend the intervening hours in a windowless conference room with two co-workers, walls papered with notes, charts and process maps. Let's just say I'm ready for the weekend. It's been one of those weeks where I keep thinking it's a day later than it really is. Yes, today is Thursday, but I found myself repeatedly fantasizing that it was actually Friday.<br />
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I am not offering any fun stories or recipes or craft/activity/decorating suggestions or musings on the working mom life...this year, my holidays are all about psychological survival.<br />
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One thing that I made time to do was load a ton of Christmas music on my ipod...all my albums and some selected songs. The only other song I really want isn't available on itunes and I don't know why. I encourage you to check out the Sounds of the Season channel on ondemand (if you have comcast) and hope to hear Peter Cincotti's version of <a href="http://music.aol.com/album/my-favorite-time-of-year/722164">My Favorite Time of Year</a>...holiday jazz classic hearkening back to Andy Williams. good times. enjoy.<br />
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Wishing you peace as we count down the days to the New Year.suddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2631716470603315840.post-41368807073786017772010-11-30T21:11:00.000-08:002010-11-30T21:11:28.734-08:00November Shots<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixW6VEZlDqz3xeyVaQL6zTyTsqtBf3TT5GjTJrix3dxk7KIMeqfBmIPu3BqQ2It1trmx_Kpe2wRne332Nnc723umCVaIzanaHTM-PTHd5d5lk6_bWj3ynNreBwJ_zMdsAmko3uQOcNyHte/s1600/5148298142_9065f3e1aa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixW6VEZlDqz3xeyVaQL6zTyTsqtBf3TT5GjTJrix3dxk7KIMeqfBmIPu3BqQ2It1trmx_Kpe2wRne332Nnc723umCVaIzanaHTM-PTHd5d5lk6_bWj3ynNreBwJ_zMdsAmko3uQOcNyHte/s400/5148298142_9065f3e1aa.jpg" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sunny Madrid</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgBKbfWmS1v4aSbMa6bJRPVwu60yEmiG89tK7t_huG_oXWWg5Tlh1PpNFjB6GZLTr2B6ot-dq__I6kIK_LpwGD_xQlXp0v6skXxWI2FHXwx4kW4XcydOhryhgnGjI0RWs79l0LFNAnsNXk/s1600/5163797330_554665f3e4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgBKbfWmS1v4aSbMa6bJRPVwu60yEmiG89tK7t_huG_oXWWg5Tlh1PpNFjB6GZLTr2B6ot-dq__I6kIK_LpwGD_xQlXp0v6skXxWI2FHXwx4kW4XcydOhryhgnGjI0RWs79l0LFNAnsNXk/s400/5163797330_554665f3e4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Chilly Munich</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJOrfzHX1qSwpcxJ5YpA3Iw6XSIV2jQ9Nw__FcdmEcqx00g415XUgY7LsG2t-YmLLdU9TAY2i87zUBNiR04UrwfaVSGU04EyAjooOQZeORn7I1EvC1mihEhOztmcqLf_CA-UOtXdkuLLg/s1600/5175946035_7e846ea476.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJOrfzHX1qSwpcxJ5YpA3Iw6XSIV2jQ9Nw__FcdmEcqx00g415XUgY7LsG2t-YmLLdU9TAY2i87zUBNiR04UrwfaVSGU04EyAjooOQZeORn7I1EvC1mihEhOztmcqLf_CA-UOtXdkuLLg/s400/5175946035_7e846ea476.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Rainy London</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZEpyV-N2XbfXdFwf0Xw_n8FaL4_s3qlUzJtLI_-JJUXJQcFGEjjVi54-VB_V7D2KifUiKwBAklWqXesawQSX8xM-pafrOk11hlpE6BmDoX3LlhLXL_uYmft-HOl4K_5PUwnTP9We1uxu/s1600/5198690864_3bd82da1a9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkZEpyV-N2XbfXdFwf0Xw_n8FaL4_s3qlUzJtLI_-JJUXJQcFGEjjVi54-VB_V7D2KifUiKwBAklWqXesawQSX8xM-pafrOk11hlpE6BmDoX3LlhLXL_uYmft-HOl4K_5PUwnTP9We1uxu/s400/5198690864_3bd82da1a9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Stormy Cancun</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_QyfSTaPcREVxBWMKdjl4TLZz6rU79SSloacq5sXGlaErSZ6JNc5Apo6rx2uTKGVKgRdGyoNIYpolt2AM2wkoXf7P6Daeuy9CVxjYONW0Vt9CzWjE6BC-iR2dhb0iTBJ8Whh2TQzVWB6j/s1600/5222384543_fe620a482a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_QyfSTaPcREVxBWMKdjl4TLZz6rU79SSloacq5sXGlaErSZ6JNc5Apo6rx2uTKGVKgRdGyoNIYpolt2AM2wkoXf7P6Daeuy9CVxjYONW0Vt9CzWjE6BC-iR2dhb0iTBJ8Whh2TQzVWB6j/s400/5222384543_fe620a482a.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Warm home</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUuoys4v8DyQaNdY48h_uRJMRberGCL81GaFryIUImaxuxvmiEQH5A8KqAzxEIGaPyVUn-hv9YUGhD8R5A7wmIK6gEWT6xXHw6M6TZEA67vDRRj7pixWD-yTIjRGnMBKDiVoz7KGygaRex/s1600/20101129.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUuoys4v8DyQaNdY48h_uRJMRberGCL81GaFryIUImaxuxvmiEQH5A8KqAzxEIGaPyVUn-hv9YUGhD8R5A7wmIK6gEWT6xXHw6M6TZEA67vDRRj7pixWD-yTIjRGnMBKDiVoz7KGygaRex/s400/20101129.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">With my family</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>suddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2631716470603315840.post-12212612352514359242010-11-24T07:10:00.000-08:002010-11-24T07:10:12.217-08:00And Another ThingAfter re-reading last night's post, I feel compelled to add that I am EXTREMELY GRATEFUL that I have a job (even if I don't want it)...that I have a loving husband and healthy children...that I have a warm, safe, comfortable home...that I am able to provide Thanksgiving dinner..and that my family will be together for the holiday. suddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2631716470603315840.post-62329700020284557802010-11-23T20:38:00.000-08:002010-11-23T20:38:38.049-08:00Thanksgiving and the Working HostessLast year at this time, I was <a href="http://suddenlysahm09.blogspot.com/2009/11/thanksgiving-to-do-list-part-i.html">waxing poetic</a> about <a href="http://suddenlysahm09.blogspot.com/2009/11/thanksgiving-to-do-list-part-ii.html">sharpening knives</a> and <a href="http://suddenlysahm09.blogspot.com/2009/11/thanksgiving-timeline.html">cleaning ovens</a>. This year, well it's different.<br />
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This is my rambling getreadyforthanksgiving post. As I read back over the links above to last year's posts I am thinking, "who is this crazy person?"<br />
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Having just returned from traveling five of the last six weeks, I am trying to reconnect with my life, my family and my home. Add to that the mountain of work I am currently buried under (the result of all those site visits) and the fact that the Puget Sound area has basically shut down under the weight of snow and frigid temperatures and you get a pretty harried Thanksgiving hostess.<br />
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As I write this, I am taking a brief break from work. The benefit of working from home is that Addy the cat is my faithful assistant, I can work in my sewing room, surrounded by things I love and with a view of the neighbor's snowy backyard and I don't have to get out of my pajamas.<br />
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I am T minus 44 hours until the big dinner and I am already behind. I strategized my grocery shopping in hopes of completing it in only one trip. I was fortunate enough to be able to pay someone else to clean my house (a luxury I only indulge in twice a year, Thanksgiving and a Spring cleaning in May).<br />
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...But I still haven't cleaned the ovens or sharpened the knives or set the table. I haven't made my <a href="http://suddenlysahm09.blogspot.com/2009/11/my-cranberry-sauce.html">cranberry sauce</a> or roasted the garlic for the mashed potatoes or cut up the bread for the dressing.<br />
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We just got the word that school is closed again tomorrow due to icy conditions. Sigh. I will be in the house all day with the boys, behind on dinner preparations, feeling the weight of the work I need to complete bearing down on me and all I feel in anticipation of tomorrow is tired. and it hasn't even happened yet. <br />
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I could stay up late into the night and workwork or go do some holiday prep and get up v. early to get some more workwork done. I havn't figured out how I'm going to get from here to dinner Thursday, but it will come whether I am ready or not. At least this year I loosened up a bit about letting others contribute to the meal. I gave up rolls, appetizers and dessert...and I've decided at the age of forty that no one is interested in salad with Thanksgiving dinner. So there you have it.<br />
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A friend mentioned to me the other day on the topic of working motherhood that she wasn't sure how she was going to be able to "properly enjoy the holidays" (while a working mother). This comment stuck with me on a number of levels...I find myself wondering if last year was the only time in the last several years that I have "properly enjoyed..."..what does it mean to "properly..."...should you expect to be able to "properly..." every year? I don't have any good answers, but it sure got me thinking. I hope this year, starting with Thanksgiving, that one of the ways I am "properly enjoying" the day is by letting go and letting it be what it will be; by trying to fnd the joy in the things that don't go as planned as well as the ones that do.suddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2631716470603315840.post-78435091118857465102010-11-15T04:48:00.000-08:002010-11-15T04:52:47.891-08:00Jet LagWhat do you do when you can't sleep at 3 am? Why, you play around a bit with your blog, of course and try to decide how early you can go to work. I'm not sweating the jet lag much as I leave again in a little over 24 hours for Cancun...that should shave a couple of hours off my problem.<br />
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The last few weeks were a whirlwind. I'm pretty exhausted and really don't feel like leaving again. I'm only home for two days, so it's hard to get back into the swing of my home life when I know I just have to leave.<br />
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Getting off the plane from London, I gave myself a little pep talk about how I wasn't going to totally embarass myself when I saw my family in the airport (but of course I did). I blew through people, running to them and nearly knocked them over such was the force of my hug.<br />
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I added a new feature to the blog on the right side tonight (this morning?) the links to the monthly photo summaries from the year. The end of project 365 is in sight and though I didn't execute it perfectly, it's still a meaningful look back for me.<br />
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The new banner photo is one I took in the Madrid airport around 5am. I'm really looking forward to waking up Saturday morning in my own bed and knowing that I don't have to leave again any time soon.<br />
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Here is a photo of me taken on The Eye in London on Friday afternoon.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz6nZsQPXLiC7vzIAFm3kSxC_zEiMscZiQyvmmoH_eKnYzjIc3SF2E2uB92LpFHbzo7BzCcVWFFXySRxQQ_3zA03MHzu9jBVAFMgqvvhURIRJ7riEXpNTgZGd9PSCS72J1n4I0HswNFXb1/s1600/20101112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz6nZsQPXLiC7vzIAFm3kSxC_zEiMscZiQyvmmoH_eKnYzjIc3SF2E2uB92LpFHbzo7BzCcVWFFXySRxQQ_3zA03MHzu9jBVAFMgqvvhURIRJ7riEXpNTgZGd9PSCS72J1n4I0HswNFXb1/s400/20101112.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was raining, but that couldn't dampen my enthusiasm!</div><br />
I really love London and it was wonderful having a bit of time to explore on my own. My colleagues left for Rome late Friday afternoon, so I spent the evening at the National Gallery and roaming around. The next morning I walked all the way to Harrod's in Knightsbridge and back to my hotel at Charing Cross before flying out. I must look at home in London because people kept asking me for directions!<br />
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This is a photo of our hotel. It is directly across the water from The Eye and I can't say enough about how wonderful it was. My favorite of all the places we've stayed (thus far).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilR4TsiB0XKKlwcrPqWKvSlWlZMh7mBr23dN4xZpcJcrE7UMt2XrJs5SQqUtRmfUOs2srZQGtV4N5K03aH3B2zuPQCMGduTQCLKJut0GiqRS2Xoav2DeLrMf-68pg8xryaq9NcgnA7yvyt/s1600/P1000205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilR4TsiB0XKKlwcrPqWKvSlWlZMh7mBr23dN4xZpcJcrE7UMt2XrJs5SQqUtRmfUOs2srZQGtV4N5K03aH3B2zuPQCMGduTQCLKJut0GiqRS2Xoav2DeLrMf-68pg8xryaq9NcgnA7yvyt/s400/P1000205.JPG" width="400" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's called <a href="http://www.guoman.com/en/hotels/united_kingdom/london/the_royal_horseguards/">The Royal Horseguards </a>and you can read about its' history <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitehall_Court">here</a>. </div>suddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2631716470603315840.post-7836517706721802402010-11-09T14:10:00.000-08:002010-11-09T14:36:00.205-08:00Fourteen Days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mEqez_BqaQp7E6kMEgVEnSogouTsW1pGJG_6WW9Mf7ptXEUHrvkgmSC_fKOdCTuSnYHpnLiadLz3VtHzcgwakc4_gW406h1dQvlnvyUh6stEwCpEBbtZPmTvJZEn8MOaZ0okk5ShL-uv/s1600/P1000002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4mEqez_BqaQp7E6kMEgVEnSogouTsW1pGJG_6WW9Mf7ptXEUHrvkgmSC_fKOdCTuSnYHpnLiadLz3VtHzcgwakc4_gW406h1dQvlnvyUh6stEwCpEBbtZPmTvJZEn8MOaZ0okk5ShL-uv/s400/P1000002.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Fourteen Days...is a long freaking time to be away from your home, your husband, your children.<br />
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Okay, <em>my</em> home, <em>my</em> husband...<em><strong>my</strong></em> children.<br />
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My children. I have never been away from Big Red for more than four days. I've never been away from Tank for more than seven days. I am on day ten. Four more to go. I am in heavy withdrawl as I write this. It's late at night in this fancy Munich hotel room, but only afternoon at home. What are they doing right now?<br />
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Before I left for my European tour, my sister gave me an excellent idea - to leave them a surprise for each day that I was gone. Whew - fourteen days and two boys. I had to pull this together in the last couple of days before I left and ended up finishing this project only hours before my flight.<br />
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I used brown paper lunch sacks with something inside, stapled closed. The outside had the day number, the day of the week, the date and their first initial. Some of the days had one bag for both of them or to include their dad. Some days had specific instructions to open in the morning or evening or one of the bags before the other.<br />
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I enjoyed putting them together. We also started skyping on this trip. It is EXPONENTIALLY better than a telephone conversation. You get to see each other in real time. Most days they have opened their bags while we are skyping. I didn't make myself a cheat sheet and I was really tired when I finished up, so it is also a surprise to me to see what is in their bags.<br />
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The danger of skyping with your kids when you are away from them is this: you cry. I couldn't help it; I was completely weepy on the third day. I just wanted to hold them and ruffle their hair and smell their heads. I know it was hard on them and I feel terrible. It was one of those things that I didn't see coming. It just hit me and I couldn't help it. I've kept it together ever since.<br />
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Another VERY cool thing about the skype is that you can take a snapshot of your kids at any time during the conversation...if yours turns out anywhere near as good as mine, it can become your desktop background...(completely unposed, btw. They don't even know you did it!)<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALegPV3RPVxECRWZp1W7qSWCOzMDu-GHBxBbQryGpdHi1CmVGYioXnQmEIB7MY4DNgdCxQXjLQWyim4cUfDu6N9EdKnlmOXZYZJOtQ4fr4rboeKBzblXljbvK_dfWc-iuN68JZBKcxPmI/s1600/Video+call+snapshot+1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgALegPV3RPVxECRWZp1W7qSWCOzMDu-GHBxBbQryGpdHi1CmVGYioXnQmEIB7MY4DNgdCxQXjLQWyim4cUfDu6N9EdKnlmOXZYZJOtQ4fr4rboeKBzblXljbvK_dfWc-iuN68JZBKcxPmI/s400/Video+call+snapshot+1.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Here's some of the things I put in their bags. I didn't want it to be too commercial, but I also didn't have a lot of time to weave scavenger hunt haikus out of sustainably raised hemp.<br />
<ul><li>unopened carefully selected netflix movie with microwave popcorn for a Saturday afternoon</li>
<li>I mixed up dry ingredients and provided instructions for them to make pancakes on Sunday morning</li>
<li>new paints and brushes for them to make me pictures for when I come home</li>
<li>a card that came from grandma and grandpa in the mail</li>
<li>on Halloween (day one) light up necklaces for trick or treating</li>
<li>$5 Fatburger gift cards</li>
<li>silly bands</li>
<li>lip balm</li>
<li>packs of gum</li>
<li>a book for the little one and instructions to the older one to read it to him</li>
<li>a Lego game that they could build and play together (and give dad a break!)</li>
</ul>I know there's more but it seems like a long time ago and I don't remember what else I gave them. I'm looking forward to tomorrow's call to find out!<br />
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More than that, I'm looking forward to two whole days at home with them before I have to leave again for the last trip of the year to Cancun for four days...I am road weary.suddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2631716470603315840.post-58523349977159513592010-11-07T14:25:00.000-08:002010-11-08T04:00:59.547-08:00OctoberThe best of October...selected from a hotel room in Munich around midnight on November 7th...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0YyxchyphenhyphenBFkS2sxu75fInO1juAXSn_dIKdJp1pLV2wR5AUNl0yHH3mOFTN8FLvojhbjDr5HiTJY5lBDIhlB9x6pfBP83gTsEIrN9Gy5dua7qFcrRtuHITsu6nj0cIOQMTx-0pptsj437Lr/s1600/oct6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0YyxchyphenhyphenBFkS2sxu75fInO1juAXSn_dIKdJp1pLV2wR5AUNl0yHH3mOFTN8FLvojhbjDr5HiTJY5lBDIhlB9x6pfBP83gTsEIrN9Gy5dua7qFcrRtuHITsu6nj0cIOQMTx-0pptsj437Lr/s400/oct6.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Fall scene at a farm in Skagit County</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqlKSdwF6Vh2Jze6Beq8LhCWE1fID5QotkdIp91ReF1yJQZs_qNEFe2EJsBk6K_sGD6VSklylRPcp0Rf8vBc5_QzbkzLR3TMoT26OQhv5t9ALdDwM4I2-TLrE2GIP1O5KzhnSHq8xlhGPf/s1600/oct1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqlKSdwF6Vh2Jze6Beq8LhCWE1fID5QotkdIp91ReF1yJQZs_qNEFe2EJsBk6K_sGD6VSklylRPcp0Rf8vBc5_QzbkzLR3TMoT26OQhv5t9ALdDwM4I2-TLrE2GIP1O5KzhnSHq8xlhGPf/s400/oct1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">we are men. we hunt punkins.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTT-pwMCGgHo-xecy9CdDKf1HnNfoV_x0QrI4IUFNhxzvPCRTikWUH-pdTyGn6ljrFZ8Y80y1PAudVi6KeOwggSZohBTU8gjSg2VHGEc7FIG48C-biq4D93Bb6m80E3qrjhrZ0xouKUeg5/s1600/oct3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTT-pwMCGgHo-xecy9CdDKf1HnNfoV_x0QrI4IUFNhxzvPCRTikWUH-pdTyGn6ljrFZ8Y80y1PAudVi6KeOwggSZohBTU8gjSg2VHGEc7FIG48C-biq4D93Bb6m80E3qrjhrZ0xouKUeg5/s400/oct3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Dallas is a strange place.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0os5s24sW4xuNNjQ9lNiUITNlmdHJxWTc1FWBfutsnA9HcPbm4jxyWoUIk9F1f9N7lwY2ZaVlBnzqQ3oU26Zwu6TcvINzHkoCfSbH9ZaEkEl5_26FG4j6fEM3Ly2UpjOSr4TzxEGYVFQ/s1600/oct4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb0os5s24sW4xuNNjQ9lNiUITNlmdHJxWTc1FWBfutsnA9HcPbm4jxyWoUIk9F1f9N7lwY2ZaVlBnzqQ3oU26Zwu6TcvINzHkoCfSbH9ZaEkEl5_26FG4j6fEM3Ly2UpjOSr4TzxEGYVFQ/s400/oct4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">view from high up in Vdara (Las Vegas)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGm0jndCaig6_Et0wEUUuJhnwUMzNb8RyDU26OohvYgvtRSYs-VQjwIbftPDQDrxcwSksik2elgiDkVsPelFzp7AdjMZmC5nkGOUxi0zRtopzU9kLt1VHfoHUAENgy3LqEKENknJZnm7b/s1600/oct5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGm0jndCaig6_Et0wEUUuJhnwUMzNb8RyDU26OohvYgvtRSYs-VQjwIbftPDQDrxcwSksik2elgiDkVsPelFzp7AdjMZmC5nkGOUxi0zRtopzU9kLt1VHfoHUAENgy3LqEKENknJZnm7b/s400/oct5.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Rainier, taken from a plane</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VV4NWcIM4dxaRJj8yAzVMZmf212LfTMSsc24eWYbbEJ8Ltnk6zZNd99hAIj8Zn0rWO70wxTZCsXTgF0i_ZSmRYymEySWe0xg9jPi8AF-ONJIViAMZXWXacAeFIXDZ0Cmi6Y15snv3g-P/s1600/oct2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8VV4NWcIM4dxaRJj8yAzVMZmf212LfTMSsc24eWYbbEJ8Ltnk6zZNd99hAIj8Zn0rWO70wxTZCsXTgF0i_ZSmRYymEySWe0xg9jPi8AF-ONJIViAMZXWXacAeFIXDZ0Cmi6Y15snv3g-P/s400/oct2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center">The trick or treat I missed - may it be the first and last.</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"></div><div style="text-align: left;"> More on Madrid, Segovia, Avila, and Munich later...</div>suddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2631716470603315840.post-36564697834190512842010-11-02T15:14:00.000-07:002010-11-02T15:14:29.697-07:00The Halloween That Wasn'tBecause mommy is on a business trip.<br />
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I missed Halloween. I am mostly over it, but still harbor a little guilt and sadness over missing the Trick or Treating. I helped the boys get their costumes and we did a dress rehearsal Saturday, so I could see them together and take a couple of pictures.<br />
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I left cider and cake donuts with their dad for post trick or treating (a family tradition).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEoZcs7HxrbWtsQJ1UP1IuI85uc9VOVNdk_DgURbS2MKz-hGiGp0RMr2t6aOwcMd9hv9keGDNAiM-yTcXyueSusrHuBlOqm6MQMcfBnIRIWuCzvok9ieiFISvjvPCM7i3lmtkHiIhdlJ1F/s1600/boys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEoZcs7HxrbWtsQJ1UP1IuI85uc9VOVNdk_DgURbS2MKz-hGiGp0RMr2t6aOwcMd9hv9keGDNAiM-yTcXyueSusrHuBlOqm6MQMcfBnIRIWuCzvok9ieiFISvjvPCM7i3lmtkHiIhdlJ1F/s400/boys.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Harry Potter and Leonardo, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle (with a light sabre)</div><br />
The car picked me up for the airport before 5:00 am Sunday morning and I was up for a collective 32 hours before falling in to bed the following night in Madrid. <br />
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Let's just say this was a far cry from <a href="http://suddenlysahm09.blogspot.com/2009/10/party-big-party.html">last Halloween</a>.<br />
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One thing about being away is that it reminds you how much you matter in the lives of your loved ones.<br />
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Buenos Noches. suddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2631716470603315840.post-51180134754554645952010-10-26T22:06:00.000-07:002010-10-26T22:06:19.824-07:00Will she ever post again?"Keeping Up with My Life" is exhausting. Leaving on Sunday morning for FOURTEEN DAYS in Europe - Madrid, Munich, London...14 days away from my boys. Then three days home and five more days in Mexico. Then Thanksgiving. We set up the Skype...I am planning surprises for them while I am gone...to do list to catch up on life as long as my arm...seems I always remember the adds when driving or showering...pensive, tired, anxious, excited, sad, wistful...want to make some fluffy pumpkin cookies and an apple pie...no time.<br />
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Here's the front and back of a recently finished quilt...knitting is calming these days...only two items left in the quilty UFO stash. Fantasizing about items to sew for my boys for Christmas. <br />
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This hamster keeps a runnin' on the wheel.<br />
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Front:<br />
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Back:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghMliTgFeEFDNoTEPGl7Aym1gpaeb_U-biyQuxnndI2Fwv2FFMjCCPa-wVzwz-Fv0WRctL14pB_tS2-kxy5XDoxtmT8z6OrcYWucb0Tv9MQwA6B6GfEFtJiSZquf3X7rH5biiqgInZBoJ1/s1600/PA241479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghMliTgFeEFDNoTEPGl7Aym1gpaeb_U-biyQuxnndI2Fwv2FFMjCCPa-wVzwz-Fv0WRctL14pB_tS2-kxy5XDoxtmT8z6OrcYWucb0Tv9MQwA6B6GfEFtJiSZquf3X7rH5biiqgInZBoJ1/s400/PA241479.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>suddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2631716470603315840.post-22061231126207577902010-10-18T22:29:00.000-07:002010-10-18T22:33:59.343-07:00On The Road<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYwJzSpHXkdcsNSMfLNsUdZa8klbWyR6Q3adSe0qLGgfLvm12dVwO8C1dQwd_odGIBOXUPkbcMYJ16bQ4_Nsy5OMtL4bn2Yi97lvmOiSMtznDqwZkqu-JYc5COXdezxuDyMNcGZsmDyZFE/s1600/5090231602_c5d9a67e5e.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYwJzSpHXkdcsNSMfLNsUdZa8klbWyR6Q3adSe0qLGgfLvm12dVwO8C1dQwd_odGIBOXUPkbcMYJ16bQ4_Nsy5OMtL4bn2Yi97lvmOiSMtznDqwZkqu-JYc5COXdezxuDyMNcGZsmDyZFE/s400/5090231602_c5d9a67e5e.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
It's unreal to me that I haven't blogged for almost two weeks! Tonight, I'm writing from my room on the 47th floor, high atop the new hotel <a href="http://www.vdara.com/">Vdara</a> in Las Vegas. It's week two of the work travel. Last week was Dallas, but more on that later.<br />
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I've loaded a bunch of photos and am working on organizing them for project 365. I have many days to catch up on. I'm going to do at least five a day. I'm now up to October 9th - which feels like a tremendous accomplishment. These new concessions to work life make me wistful. There simply aren't the hours in the day anymore to have as much art and color and beauty and peace as I used to have.<br />
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This is my first time in Vegas and I have to say I don't love it. It seems sad to me in a way that's hard to articulate...kind of like an old woman trying to stay thin and beautiful with a personal trainer and plastic surgery. I can't imagine staying here for more than a week at the absolute outside. My stint is four days.<br />
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This is probably the fanciest hotel room I've ever stayed in. Personal space is important to me and this is truly a sanctuary. There is a giant deep soaking tub, I have a panoramic view, dining space, living space, three phones and two huge flat screens. It's still strange to be alone though. I realized on the trip last week that I'm not really used to being alone in this way anymore...it reminds me of when I was single, living alone in a studio apartment. Actually, this suite is larger than many apartments I've called home. funny.<br />
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I haven't made any <a href="http://suddenlysahm09.blogspot.com/2009/09/i-can-can-you.html">apple butter</a> yet this year, which bums me out, but I'm hoping that I can get to it this weekend. I'l be home for just a week then it's three more weeks on the road and then it's pretty much Thanksgiving. Time. Flies.<br />
<br />
I have many reflections on the business travel mommy situation. I'll try to articulate them into a post soon. After all, I'm just lying here on my kajillion thread count sheets with nothing better to do. :)<br />
<br />
g'night all....suddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2631716470603315840.post-66968318519543502062010-10-05T21:27:00.000-07:002010-10-05T21:27:27.351-07:00Nearly Meatless Mad Men Monday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9coX0dI-450tT6m87FOk4nCybF5CMdt1eirJEifnfZv82EDG5Zgq5mHEs2XFnKTnf8r8Mgli6uhNtJoE5hwRmKOhbXoAIvMhOkzro1z1S7Iu3qL8_n1jfq-oWTAl7ACuc4T7Q9YDy4dU/s1600/5053725487_e5e0847ff7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-9coX0dI-450tT6m87FOk4nCybF5CMdt1eirJEifnfZv82EDG5Zgq5mHEs2XFnKTnf8r8Mgli6uhNtJoE5hwRmKOhbXoAIvMhOkzro1z1S7Iu3qL8_n1jfq-oWTAl7ACuc4T7Q9YDy4dU/s1600/5053725487_e5e0847ff7.jpg" /></a></div>saute 1/4 lb chopped pancetta in a bit of olive oil with a bunch of chopped swiss chard (from my garden!) and a half dozen cremini mushrooms, sliced. If you are an over-achiever, add a sliced shallot or other aromatic such as garlic, leek, or some variety of onion. Cook half a small box of orzo. drain. toss into veg/pancetta mixture and saute. If you have pine nuts, now is the time. Taste for seasoning. Add some fresh ground pepper. Add some kosher or sea salt. Finish with a small knob of fresh farmhouse butter (that we got at Golden Glen - yay!). Plate. Grate some romano or parm over the top. If you are me, serve with a scoop of steamed carrots (from my garden - yay!). We paired it with a light pinot but it wasn't quite right. Back to the drawing board.<br />
<br />
The Mad Men part of nearly meatless Monday is that I prefer to watch Mad Men on On Demand on Monday nights so I can buzz through the commercials. I think Roger is about to self-destruct. Anyone else?suddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2631716470603315840.post-27811970951244001402010-10-05T00:40:00.000-07:002010-10-05T00:40:00.700-07:00September - What I want to remember<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1VcIMCBlVGo3XUggBuOkXh41gLlug320bfp1yD5Vx1TVQb-FlepGcA2YyF-IibRSgJFVM2O1_XeOjkTc80F_VrnK1hRYZsigzbkT0i1G-GxY-E7z4O3abCcu5j2wBlM1Km-1d6Dar8Fx/s1600/4991715567_97b02db049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM1VcIMCBlVGo3XUggBuOkXh41gLlug320bfp1yD5Vx1TVQb-FlepGcA2YyF-IibRSgJFVM2O1_XeOjkTc80F_VrnK1hRYZsigzbkT0i1G-GxY-E7z4O3abCcu5j2wBlM1Km-1d6Dar8Fx/s400/4991715567_97b02db049.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdwcPyrmLMJrB4nrMso6eO5V_MDpbU5DJ-BIOpQ4-dIa8eFcDdA2ws9JqpM6cQDubTaDLOe9gjc-sRB2_4cF4sqwjlOOnexkqVuTKzzmy_rTnwNB4CAW0rhpEtLj8mL3b_EMtnOMvhQP1/s1600/5050257937_2d7e2f06dc(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdwcPyrmLMJrB4nrMso6eO5V_MDpbU5DJ-BIOpQ4-dIa8eFcDdA2ws9JqpM6cQDubTaDLOe9gjc-sRB2_4cF4sqwjlOOnexkqVuTKzzmy_rTnwNB4CAW0rhpEtLj8mL3b_EMtnOMvhQP1/s400/5050257937_2d7e2f06dc(2).jpg" width="400" /></a></div>suddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2631716470603315840.post-65701855436227552172010-10-04T04:16:00.000-07:002010-10-04T04:56:56.894-07:00And sometimes, It's more than a weekWhat happened to my life? I've gone away. poof.<br />
<br />
It's so strange to leave my life every morning and come back in to it at night. I've been gone all this time and nothing has changed. My days used to be a whirlwind of activity around the house and I miss it. I wish I had the time and energy to bake something.<br />
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I'm also pretty creaky from the sedentary work life. I'm running again, but just the general lack of inactivity over the day wears on me.<br />
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I have some travel coming up, some of it international which provides me with lots of conflicting emotions all at the same time. Exciting, nervous and it makes me tired to think about it. At this time, I'm scheduled to be gone three out of the next five weeks. yikes.<br />
<br />
And here I am at 4 am...I'm usually not an insomniac, but I'm worried about a situation and trying to figure out how to handle it.<br />
<br />
One more thing - book recommendation - Room by Emma Donoghue is supposed to be the hot book right now, but after reading the jacket, I decided that it would be too rough for me...but you might like it. <br />
<br />
I just finished Red Hook Road and I am a big Ayalet Waldeman fan. I like everything she does. I started reading her when she was writing the Mommy Track Mysteries. These books have titles like "The Big Nap" and "A Playdate with Death".<br />
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I miss this and had to scrawl out a few thoughts since I'm up anyway...xo-Jensuddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2631716470603315840.post-59094605431691514652010-09-23T21:23:00.000-07:002010-09-23T21:24:18.709-07:00Two Minutes, Just Two MinutesA long time ago, when I worked for Amazon, they ran what is still for me the best ad campaign they've ever done. There was a choir of middle aged men singing, "two minutes, just two minutes, I spent two minutes shopping for your gift..." among other awesomely corny tunes.<br />
<br />
There's a theme there. Yes, you can buy someone the perfect gift online in two minutes. There are a lot of other things you can accomplish in two minutes. Or fifteen...or twenty. My point is that you don't need long periods of time to accomplish a lot.<br />
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I think I forgot this when I was home. When time ceased to be a luxury. In my previous working life, I could be a producer of epic proportions in the cooking and quilting departments. Friends would ask me how and I'd just shrug and say "twenty minutes a day...just make a little bit of progress every day". <br />
<br />
In The Happiness Project, the author espouses the "evening tidy up". If you spend fifteen minutes at the end of the night doing this and that, tomorrow will be much easier to handle. She's right. Although sometimes, it's pretty hard to get motivated to do that fifteen minutes.<br />
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As you know, I have been struggling to take my daily project 365 photo since returning to work. I discovered that I had missed about four days out of the last nine and at first I was really depressed about it. Then I just picked up my camera and <i>went outside</i> (a life rule).<br />
<br />
In and around my house, in about ten minutes, I took some really beautiful photographs and more than enough to fill the gap of the missing days. From here until the end of the year, I cannot promise that a photo assigned to a day <i>was actually taken on that day</i>. I will do my best, but I still plan to <i>assign</i> a photo to each day. I just might take the majority of them on the weekend ;).<br />
<br />
I uploaded, edited and organized the photos. The next morning I woke up and two people (one a stranger) had tagged one of the ten minute garden photos as a favorite on Flickr. Which is what inspired this post. I didn't spend an afternoon looking for the right shots. I spent ten minutes. And quite by accident, I took one of my best photos ever.<br />
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My mom always tells me that with the parenting it isn't the quantity of time, it's the quality. I don't have a quantity now, so I have to believe it's the quality. Still, I miss taking them to school and picking them up...snuggling in the morning and chatting while chilling after school. It's just not the same, but I think I'm starting to accept that.<br />
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Enough rambling...and now...here's that photo. I hope you like it too. I call it "emerging". It's a sunflower in my garden that is less than a day from bursting open...maybe I'm getting close to opening too.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgcJxEhCw1VrzxmQk1MQFohsmJRZqnv_SY-i_vRggg6MrhtGEas83mdWOwRAOHSWC-fhRaZucI6ikY1Lz2dhzEn8EHc11JvdwtNi9vAmJusuS1h6OFbGFgmXF7nPk4BqJuorPgScUJEXli/s1600/5013196607_3d3bb87110_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgcJxEhCw1VrzxmQk1MQFohsmJRZqnv_SY-i_vRggg6MrhtGEas83mdWOwRAOHSWC-fhRaZucI6ikY1Lz2dhzEn8EHc11JvdwtNi9vAmJusuS1h6OFbGFgmXF7nPk4BqJuorPgScUJEXli/s400/5013196607_3d3bb87110_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>suddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2631716470603315840.post-44857513630861095142010-09-21T20:15:00.000-07:002010-09-21T20:15:28.521-07:00Catch Up Catch Up Catch UpCatchUpCatchUpThat's what I'm back to...playing catch up. all the time. At times, it's invigorating being so busy. Most of the time I feel like I'm just trying to keep my head above water. The sitting all day, lack of movement business is hard. I feel creaky a lot. I'm going to have to design an at-my-desk stretching program.<br />
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Evidently this blogging thing <i>is </i>going to be a weekly event...sigh. Favorite photo of the past week:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguv46kJ7e3ieoGXcKuobw1MmkotNr8gkvWtBB79dOuizW905GJ8EnfTMr-6rZdyCO4Y6GTbcHu0uEBm-zVKBHaritbugVycEU_gMkKnsTR5gQR9jKL6DopRzMt9_Q4WW5pmdovlo8QU4Zx/s1600/5013190267_a7a4390362.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguv46kJ7e3ieoGXcKuobw1MmkotNr8gkvWtBB79dOuizW905GJ8EnfTMr-6rZdyCO4Y6GTbcHu0uEBm-zVKBHaritbugVycEU_gMkKnsTR5gQR9jKL6DopRzMt9_Q4WW5pmdovlo8QU4Zx/s400/5013190267_a7a4390362.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>suddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2631716470603315840.post-49336920367842186292010-09-14T21:15:00.000-07:002010-09-14T21:15:26.591-07:00Something's Gotta Give<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SurS3ROq1JWTqbYXAWoDkvn00rmswPzQPYr07iKKCypb6v2Ko5Bdt0izkUhFWwmtWNzTu0Ks22TPMUzX3iF42Sc6BJVjSBbIfj5YG25xunMdSOty6fgvgdejVKyydy0708MmV8EL15Ud/s1600/20100912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8SurS3ROq1JWTqbYXAWoDkvn00rmswPzQPYr07iKKCypb6v2Ko5Bdt0izkUhFWwmtWNzTu0Ks22TPMUzX3iF42Sc6BJVjSBbIfj5YG25xunMdSOty6fgvgdejVKyydy0708MmV8EL15Ud/s400/20100912.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>The road...I can see a little bit, but I don't know what's around the bend. <br />
<br />
As part of returning to the world of the working, it has once again dawned on me that if you can't have a clean house, healthy marriage, happy children, toned thighs and a wonderful career all at the same time, what can you have?<br />
<br />
I managed to more or less cobble together a non-working life that fit me. It took a long time, some trial and error, and perseverance. Now that I have added what is essentially at least 50 hours of work time a week (including commute) into that mix, some things have to go.<br />
<br />
I am in week two of return to work life and each day gets a tiny bit easier. Still, I am sitting in messy house. I didn't take a picture today. I watch my husband wash dishes and he is packing the lunches and getting the kids off to school and I don't really like it. It's all weird.<br />
<br />
The hard stuff...I forgot that when you pick up your child from care, be it daycare, preschool (full day) or afterschool care, they have <i>that smell</i>. They have a weird, unfamiliar smell much like the office film you get after a day of work. Picking the boys up is easily the very, very best part of my day. At the same time, it is a little heartbreaking to hug them and smell on the tops of their heads <i>that smell</i> that says that <i>they weren't with me today</i>. I think this is something moms get, but if my wonderful husband read this he would be scratching his head. Big Red also usually has a little smudge of something on his shirt or his face that I would have wiped off, but nobody else has noticed. I have to leave the house before they get up. If I see them, it's too hard. Friday morning, Big Red called me at the office before he left for school. His small voice on the phone was almost more than I could bear. Today, he stumbled downstairs in his footy pajamas with his big red rooster hair just as I was leaving because he wanted to see me. Saying goodnight to them and knowing that I won't see them again until 5 pm the next day. I don't talk about them at work, and I haven't put up any pictures of them. For now at least, I have to disengage and compartmentalize as much as possible. Small things are little heartbreaks for me.<br />
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By the time the boys are in bed, I am totally exhausted. Maybe this will ease up as I get used to this life again. I don't have any energy to quilt or knit or blog or cook. I barely have enough energy to go through my personal email, which piles up all day. (If I owe you a response to something, I apologize.) I managed two short runs over the weekend, but that's it.<br />
<br />
<br />
I know I sound like a big melodramatic whiner, but there it is. I think we both know that I could go on, but I'm going to cut it off here. So, I am adjusting. It's sort of fun to use my brain, which was getting dusty. That's the good stuff, I guess.<br />
<br />
Are you curious about any aspects of the sahm to watom (work at the office mom) transition? If so, let me know and I'll try to speak to it.<br />
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One thing I do find I have time for is the occasional Twitter post. I think I am starting to think in 140 characters or less. My Twitter feed is on the right side of this page. I'll also try to keep the photos updated, even if I'm not writing posts. Maybe I'll go to a weekly format?<br />
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To those of you who are still reading this blog, thanks for staying with me and thanks for all your words of support.suddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2631716470603315840.post-67062221009788353332010-09-09T15:01:00.000-07:002010-09-09T15:01:08.322-07:00Thought for TodayCourtesy of <a href="http://laidoffdad.typepad.com/">LOD</a>:<br />
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"If you think blogs in general are just a load of useless, narcissistic oversharing, you really won’t have any use for this one."<br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here,_here">Hear, hear</a>.suddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2631716470603315840.post-80717758125061811232010-09-08T20:23:00.000-07:002010-09-08T20:23:07.299-07:00It's not so badAc-cen-tu-ate the positive...e-lim-in-ate the negative and don't mess with mister in-between...<br />
<br />
Pros:<br />
<br />
badge picture isn't the worst one I've ever taken (even though mouth looks a bit Bells-Palsy funky)<br />
nice laptop<br />
great pay <br />
desk <i>near</i> window<br />
relatively private cube<br />
quiet office<br />
nice people<br />
interesting work, lots of professional opportunity<br />
fancy Starbucks brewed by the cup to order<br />
all manner of free drinks, food, parties, mandatory fun<br />
completely reimbursed parking<br />
casual dress<br />
work from home options<br />
international travel<br />
very flexible hours<br />
laid back staff<br />
working for a company with (gasp!) money!<br />
desk to home in as little as 25 minutes.<br />
<br />
And I only cried twice today. If I keep reducing the crying by half with each passing day, I'll be done by the end of the week...I could probably graph that and put it into a colorful powerpoint slide.<br />
<br />
On the whole I'd say I'm a big whiner and though I would rather be home, I probably have a better job than 95% of Americans...suddenly sahmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10319322577989075445noreply@blogger.com3