a laundry list of changes

well, there's been quite a bit astir at the Kratzer's household these past few weeks. Hence, no new post in a while. without sounding eloquent, here's a list of changes (which also helps me as I process life!)

• Cancelled internet & cable. Actually, just cable to start. But then through confusion with Comcast & revisiting the conversation with Andy, both were cancelled. This is hard. I like the internet. I like blogging & reading blogs & recipes & googling things & facebook. se la vie.
• Andy is looking for work in Minnesota. This is due to:
• I had a positive pregnancy test. Then I got my period. Then i had blood tests at the Ob. i don't think i'm pregnant anymore (which is fine in this season of life!) but I guess the results will tell us tomorrow.
• So yes. Andy's looking for work in minnesota so we can be closer to my family during pregnancy #2 which is yet TBD. So we'll sell the house? Rent the house? ????
• Our computer crapped out. Big time. We bought a laptop & thusly entered the next decade. (old PC was from 2004=horribly outdated.)
• Carly crawls & pulls up. EVERYWHERE. I love it.
• TV out of the bedroom & into the living room. Old TV into the garage & maybe a friends house after today. (=gorgeous sleep for me! & pillow talk for the marriage:) )
• ps we still have 1 car.

In general, these changes have been wonderful. There have been a lot. But really, sometimes you need some change to really get refreshed. We have been praying so much too. I like it. Just getting used to it:)

projects looming...

I have such an itch to make things lately, and yet, the heat is keeping me out of the garage (my "shop") so they're just looming around on the horizon of my Creativity Center in my mind. And when I say looming, I mean bouncing around, making it hazy and me feel antsy! So i'm just going to write them down here and get some of the ideas out of my head...

1. apron.I cook enough that this will be a great use of time & resources & I'll use it and look hot:)

2. Baby Sling. I have a baby bjorn that I really like, but I think for baby #2 (whenever he/she comes) I'd like to try one of these babies. (haha.)

3. Mittens. I've been working on a pair that's taking me FOREVER. okay. that's a gross exaggeration. However, I've been going at them for a good 4 hours and I'm only half-way done with the ribbing. on ONE mitten. It's a cool pattern and awesome yarn, and i think i'm going to end up keeping this pair for myself:) that's usually how i do it with new patterns that i love:)

4. This sweet scarf. From Knitty.com, it looks awesome and i love their patterns. I would love to knit/crochet things to sell at my mom's shop. I have 4 pairs of mittens and 2 scarves, which is not much, but is relatively impressive considering i have an 8 month baby and work 30 hours a week. Not that it's that impressive compared to other people's feats, but I'm working on being kind to myself:)

Hummus day:)

it's hummus day at my house:) lately, once a week I've been making hummus to last me the remainder of the week. The best part about it is that I get to use my own green onions & parsley, and my own cucumbers & green beans to eat it! I seriously love summer vegetables.

<--vegetables & chick peas ready to go

<--Get blending!

and we have lunch.

Here's the recipe I've found that I like the best:

2-15 oz cans chick peas

1/2 c. tahini

1/4 c. lemon juice

1 t. grated lemon zest

2 cloves garlic

1/4 c. olive oil

1/2 t. cumin

1/4 c. packed flat leaf parsley

1/4 c. chopped green onions

Salt & pepper to taste

Blend it all up in a food processor. Add water VERY slowly if it's too thick. I use the zest & juice of 1 lemon, more cumin, & it tastes AWESOME with sun dried tomatoes:)

oh the giveaways i haven't won...

i love reading the blogs about other moms and running. it REALLY makes me feel connected in such a non-running, not-runner friendly city/neighborhood. Seriously it's sad. Anyway, it makes me feel like there are more than just me out there! And they all get these super sweet products to giveaway! I can't even COUNT how many I've signed up for. But, alas, I haven't won any YET. I will continue to try, and by golly, one of these times it's going to be me:)

This dress is by far my favorite giveaway yet. (a close second to the running skirts folks get). The Nuu-Muu dress in Fleur is what I TOTALLY want and if I don't win it in Laura's giveaway at My Reason To Run I may just break down and buy one myself!

Carly Girl on the move

Look at that grin! That's the grin of a girl thrilled to be crawling around on the floor putting all KINDS of refuse into her mouth. I'd lie and say I try really hard to keep the house clean, but Dakota is an elk hound people. We furminate him regularly, and each time it looks as though we've skinned a rabbit. Anyway, i do what I can. Carly's thrilled about the mobility:)

It is one HUMID day today. I think I'm going to try to run anyway and hope it rains on me. Carly will chill in the jogging stroller, and I figure I'll just put her in her swim suit and we'll commit to being wet. That always makes it better for me! If i do into a run thinking i'm going to get wet, no big deal. I also may go to the Blueberry Ranch tonight with MIL Marty. I love that place:) but she's already expressed that if it's raining, she's not in. So we'll see....she'll be the transportation since we have the one vehicle now. (which is, by the way, a choice & lap of faith that's paying off in huge ways:) )

gluten free....ish

since i've been having such a bugger of a time with post partum depression, i've been doing some research. it seems that for some, a gluten allergy/intolerance affects their mood. Well sign me up. That along with all the reading i've been doing (because i can't STAND to have something wrong with me!) has me connecting some dots all around the sugar cravings, the carb cravings, the pleasure center to "comfort" my self in my brain, etc. So I'm giving gluten-free a whirl. But it's not so easy! I saw on the Today show and some other show--they sort of blur together--about "leaning in" to changing your eating habits. I have a tendency to go all in, 100% right away. Because that didn't work (we had 2 gallons of milk that I can't justify not using) I'm ending up leaning in. So yesterday, did great. No gluten as far as I know. Today I went to my pal Londa's house for a cookout. had a salad made with cabbage (good) and vinegar (has gluten). so what do you do. I wrote it off as a learning experience and ate dessert. oops. Well, now that I've eaten all my meals for the day and am pleasantly full, i'll start anew tomorrow. I read Barefoot Angie B.'s blog http://barefoot-angieb.blogspot.com/ and one of her tips that really stuck with me, when she was losing weight & starting a GFCF diet (http://www.gfcf.com/ ) was

The key to weight loss is making friends with being hungry. Not always hungry as in empty stomach but hungry in the mind too when you really want that ice cream and yet know that it will add more calories than you have burned. You make a choice. The key to weight loss and eating is to burn what you consume to stay at your weight and burn more than you consume to loose regardless of what it is you eat or when. I have found though that certain foods illicit a response to eat more and more of it instead of being satisfied with just a little. This seems to be the case with HFCS, sugar, and fried foods.

making friends with hungry. that was my thought for the day! I've committed to a week to see what I feel like, but in general, i'm doing a diet overhaul. Andy said the key for him to quit smoking the last time he did was to realize that HE could tell his brain what to think & what to feel. That the addiction couldn't really talk. So I shall try with sweets. I think i may addicted to sugar, but that is another topic altogether! Giving this a whirl may take care of all of it:)