Caffeinated Epiphany

Oh, Christmas Tree!

Yes!  Our tree is up and ready to go for the holidays!  There are even presents beneath it!  I love having the tree up.  Wish we could keep it up all year because it really lights up our little home.  

Notice hubby Brooks' guitar cozied up next to the tree.  He wooed me by crooning romantic songs about cherry blossoms while playing that guitar.   

Behind the tree is a corkboard collage that represents how we make our marriage work.  After we got married, I threw a fit when Brooks wanted to tape pictures to the wall to build a photo collage.  The corkboards (we now have three of them) were our compromise and each one is beautiful and shows off all of the places we've traveled.

I am one lucky girl, and December 7th will be our 1.5 year anniversary!  :-)

 

 

 

Thanksgiving: To Love or to Dread

Thanksgiving was always my favorite holiday growing up.  When I say this to people, I often get a look of bewilderment or even disgust.  Thanksgivings, for many, represent endless awkward conversations with estranged relatives, the dread of trying to prepare a huge feast without adequate assistance and a tug-of-war between family members over whose turn it is to host the event or which dinner to attend.  For these reasons, many choose not to celebrate this holiday at all.

I admit I have been lucky.  Thanksgivings with the Martain clan, my dad's side of the family, revolve around the concept of who can tell the most humorous, but amazingly, true, story, who can win the family wrestling match, and of course, plenty of food and drink.  Spending a whole day with this quirky, lovable family is where I feel most at home.  This is my tribe. 

To those who do not yet love Thanksgiving, find your tribe to celebrate it with.  This tribe may be friends or neighbors, but always people you are thankful for, and you will learn to love it.

Last year, Thanksgiving was different.  My dad managed to fall off of a deck and break his pelvis just before Thanksgiving Day, and was stuck in the hospital for quite a while.  My husband and I spent turkey day at my mother-in-law's house, which was very pleasant, but I couldn't quite get in the spirit knowing my dad was wearing a backless gown and munching on hospital food. 

Dad just celebrated his one year anniversary of falling off of the deck, and is doing very well.  For this, I am thankful, and am more than ever looking forward to Thanksgiving with my Martain family.  The tribe will have new members this year, an initiation my husband already went through two Thanksgivings ago.  My beautiful aunt will be bringing her new fiance, Chris, and my sister will be bringing her boyfriend, Matt. 

To new tribe members I say this: 

Welcome to Thanksgiving with the Martain clan.  Be prepared for general mayhem, hilarity and so forth, but also be prepared to be wholly embraced, as we are famous for doing to anyone willing to spend the day with us.  And that, most of all, is what I love about Thanksgiving.

Healthy Alternative Household Cleaners

Looking to be clean, but also environmentally friendly and health conscious in your home? 

Check out these great alternatives to household cleaners, as listed on the EPA's website.  These alternatives will keep you safe and help out the environment.  They can also help you save money on expensive cleaning products. 

Do you have other suggestions on alternative household cleaners and products?  Leave me a comment! 

Household Cleaner Alternatives

Household Cleaner	Alternative
Drain cleaner	Use a plunger or plumber's snake.
Oven cleaner	Clean spills as soon as the oven cools using steel wool and baking soda; for tough stains, add salt (do not use this method in self-cleaning or continuous-cleaning ovens).
Glass cleaner	Mix 1 tablespoon of vinegar or lemon juice in 1 quart of water. Spray on and use newspaper to wipe dry.
Toilet bowl cleaner	Use a toilet brush and baking soda or vinegar. (This will clean but not disinfect.)
Furniture polish	Mix 1 teaspoon of lemon juice in 1 pint of mineral or vegetable oil, and wipe furniture.
Rug deodorizer	Deodorize dry carpets by sprinkling liberally with baking soda. Wait at least 15 minutes and vacuum. Repeat if necessary.
Silver polish	Boil 2 to 3 inches of water in a shallow pan with 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and a sheet of aluminum foil. Totally submerge silver and boil for 2 to 3 more minutes. Wipe away tarnish. Repeat if necessary. (Do not use this method on antique silver knives. The blade will separate from the handle.) Another alternative is to use nonabrasive toothpaste.
Plant sprays	Wipe leaves with mild soap and water; rinse.
Mothballs	Use cedar chips, lavender flowers, rosemary, mint, or white peppercorns.
Flea and tick products	Put brewer's yeast or garlic in your pet's food; sprinkle fennel, rue, rosemary, or eucalyptus seeds or leaves around animal sleeping areas.

Additional guidelines:

*If you do store a homemade mixture, make sure it is properly labeled and do not store it in a container that could be mistaken for food or beverage.

*When preparing alternatives, mix only what is needed for the job at hand and mix them in clean, reusable containers. This avoids waste and the need to store any cleaning mixture.

 *DO NOT mix anything with a commercial cleaning agent.

The Return of Romance

Having been married now for just over a year, my husband Brooks and I have settled into that sort of normative married state that at times can feel utterly unromantic. 

On the typical weekday, we both roll reluctantly out of bed in the morning, dress and ready ourselves for the day without exchanging a word.  "Bye, love you," we say, parting.  After working all day, I often return home to an empty house.  We are on opposite schedules much of the time because he is a full-time engineering student who works nights for a brokerage firm and I work the classic 9-5 shift at a bank as an analyst (which often turns into a 9-7 shift). 

On a typical weekend, we often feel the need to spend time with family and friends as well as with one another, which can be simply exhausting by the time the weekend is through.  Don't get me wrong; we love our families, but having three of them to balance (his parents are divorced) means there are a lot of people to keep happy.  To top it off, my house usually hasn't been cleaned by the time Sunday night rolls around, which turns me into a frantic, OCD-type person - not so much fun to be around.  If we are not visiting family, we are often camping with friends, or Brooks is studying for a math test, or I am preoccupied the entire weekend with my yoga training (I am currently getting certified to teach).

This weekend was different.  We spent the entire weekend doing wonderful, romantic things around home.  We dressed up to go out on Friday night and walked from our house to a sushi restaurant we hadn't been to, Naked Fish , and savored the tempura calamari.  We walked from there to the theater to see Public Enemies (starring Johnny Depp as John Dillinger, the notorious bank robber) and marveled that we hadn't been out to a movie together in over a year.  Leaving the theater at midnight, we laughed at our jumpiness as we walked home, the result of watching everyone get gunned down in the movie. 

The next day I awoke to the smell of homemade blueberry pancakes and coffee.  I know, I am one lucky gal and I've definitely married the right guy.  From there, we mountain biked the Crest Trail on the ridge above Big Cottonwood and, amazingly, I made it down in one piece.  Lunch/dinner was Lonestar Taqueria fish tacos and nachos, my all-time favorite. 

Finally, Sunday morning was spent "mastering the art of French cooking" with Julia Child.  We googled a video of her making French-style omelets after reading an article discussing the new movie about her, Julie and Julia, produced by one of my favorite authors, Nora Ephron, on www.nytimes.com.  Of course, after I attempted and failed, Brooks mastered the technique right away, and we topped the delicious omelets with fresh tomatoes and basil from the patio garden Brooks planted for me for my birthday. 

"This is the best weekend ever," I thought, "it doesn't get any better than this." 

So, to my family and friends that I may have ignored this weekend, I offer my apologies, but not my regrets.  It was totally worth every minute. 

Happy Birthday to US!

We've come a long way!  Happy birthday to our beautiful nation!  Have a wonderful 4th of July!  May it be filled with barbecues, fireworks, friends and family!

love,

Adrienne

Nana's Cell Phone

As is customary, new US presidents always present royal dignitaries and other world leaders with a "welcoming gift."  President Obama presented Queen Elizabeth II with an ipod full of American showtunes.  Queen Elizabeth II will be 83 this month (on April 21st).  So, an ipod?  Hmm...

Pictured above:  President Obama, Queen Elizabeth II, Michelle Obama, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

I think it was the perfect gift.  Sometimes we don't introduce "old people" to technology because we think they won't understand it, when in reality cell phones and internet are the kinds of things we should be taking full advantage of to keep the lines of communication open.

I was reading the New York Times' blog "The New Old Age," which discusses what it is like to deal with aging, aging parents, and so forth.  While reading the post Wise Counsel at Unexpected Moments, by Dale Russakoff, which discusses ways to keep communication lines open with aging family members, I began thinking about my own experiences with my Nana. 

My 94-year-old great-grandmother, whom we called "Nana," passed away in June 2007.  The year before she died, she fell and broke her pelvis while getting dressed.  Prior to the fall, she had been living alone, completely independent, for the past 20 years since my great-grandfather had passed away. She needed supervision while healing, so she was sent to a nursing home/rehab center for a few months while she recovered.

The rehab center was full of elderly people, but not people "like her."  Many had severe dementia and many others were bitter about life to the point of being intolerable to be around.  Although she had been living alone for twenty years, I don't think she felt really "lonely" until she lived with all of those old people in that rehab center. 

We visited Nana often, but it always felt uncomfortable being there, sort of like visiting a patient in a hospital.  My parents bought her a cell phone so she could call us whenever she wanted to. 

She loved that cell phone! And we were always happy to hear from her.  She called everyone she knew and talked all day.  She knew would even schedule "phone dates" with her daughter who lived in Florida, so that she knew every day at, say, 7, her daughter would call to check in. 

And even if aging family members cannot communicate via cell phone or email, there are plenty of ways in which technology can make their lives more full and interesting.  My mother-in-law is the marketing director for Highland Cove, an assisted living center.  She's told me about how much residents love playing "the wii" bowling and cheering each other on.  This seems like a perfect way to communicate across generations, and reduce the awkwardness we sometimes feel when visiting elderly loved ones.

Do you have any stories about technology aiding communication or about dealing with aging family members?  Please share on my comment board.

-Adrienne