Recycling

So I work for the Dept of Environmental Quality. You would think that I would be more apt to recycle. Well it wasn't until recently that I thought the same thing. We don't have a curb recycle program in Bossier, so all materials to be recycled have to be brought to the recycle place. I didn't have extra bins to hold the recyclables. And whatever other excuse I could find is why I wasn't.

One big step was the cloth diapers. We started that a year ago with Jeanne, and haven't looked back since. After having to convince myself it was not as scary as I thought, I switched to cloth panty liners also. It's just as easy to through a liner in the hamper as it is the wastebasket. The ones I bought can be folded and snapped so it doesn't actually touch the clothes until they all go in the wash. I just began using them last week. Again, haven't looked back. These two changes are also about the money savings as well as the environmental benefits. Yes a box of 25 liners may only cost $2.00, but 3 cloth liners at $11.00 evens out after 5-6 months. Then you don't have to pay for any more. The same with cloth diapers. I figured Jeanne would use 7000 disposable diapers before being potty trained. That's almost $2000! I spent only $400 on cloth and they can be reused.

A week or so ago, we forgot to put the trash by the road. So the next week we had double the trash. We tried to stuff as much as we could in the house can because the outside was too full. As I watched us pile up plastic bottles and boxes on top, I realized that I should recycle. We drink 2 gallons of milk a week, and 1 64 oz bottle of juice. That's half of a trash bag already. Plus the can goods, newspapers, shredded mail, etc. It only makes sense to recycle these and not stuff them in the landfill. I have conducted inspections out there. I know what they look like. And most landfills only have a 10 year plan. Once it's 10 years, they just cover it up, and move over and start again. It's a never ending cycle of piling up and burying waste.

So I figured I could just keep bins for recycling, and bring it to the recycle place once or twice a week during weekly compliance runs. Makes me feel a little better about the landfills I inspect.

Emergency response weekends

So with my job in DEQ surveillance, we help with emergency response incidents, which include overturned tankers, gas well blowouts, chemical spills, etc. This also requires us to be on the weekend rotation. It's not so bad since it's once every 6 weeks and we know ahead when our weekend is. The hard part for me is being anxious about getting a call in the night.

So last night I got to bed early intending on going to sleep early in case I got a call. Well early sleep didn't happen bc I got caught up in the book I'm reading, Explanations of Catholic Morals (this book is deep, but that's another blog post). I lucked out in that I didn't get called out during the night. I got a call at 7:10 this morning though. At 10:50 I'm still onsite, awaiting the trailer to be unloaded and the totes to be transferred. Seems like I am the only one who has a fast button here...

I haven't got to see Jeanne yet. Left before she was awake. I did try to talk to her on the phone this morning. I don't think she was happy that I was on the phone and not there. Did I mention I'm not the biggest fan of leaving her? Just another day in the life of a working mother.

The Love of a Child

It's been a while since I've posted. I had a busy week. Two coworkers left this week. I moved into one of their offices. It's much bigger! I feel so small in it though, like I have big shoes to fill.

My little love bug has become so much more loving, and very often wants to share her love. She enjoys giving hugs and kisses. She will walk up to us and throw her arms out for hugs. Of course her kisses for her daddy or more like head butts. Hehe

She dances and sways and shakes her booty more when she hears music. She cut up so much with Clive tonight, taking his bone and running, then giggling when he'd find her.

Shawn bathes her and I give her milk, then put her to bed. Watching her while she drank her sippy cup, her little eyes trying to stay open to look at me, her little hand holding my shirt. When I kissed her forehead, I had a sensation come over me. Kissing a small child, a gift from God, made me feel so much closer to Him. I said our prayers (bc Jeanne can't yet), and put Jeanne to bed. I hate the feeling when my arms let go in that first instant. If I could, I would hold her in my arms all night. I'm taken aback at the beauty of a child dreaming, maybe of her angels. Again, it makes me feel closer to God. So I will end this blog by thanking Him again for what He has blessed me with.

Child to work day...

I was very excited to get Jeanne back from my mom on Saturday. I had missed her so much. With all the stories mom had to tell me, I knew she would miss having Jeanne. She told me my dad didn't want to be there when she loaded up Jeanne, because he missed her already. My husband was so excited to see Jeanne, and vice versa. She even hugged the dog a few times once she was home.

Fast forward to today. Daycare is closed today (family vacation) and Shawn is taking his Step 2 Board exam. So Jeanne is with me at work. So I am not getting as much work done as I need. Of course finding the time to write my blog wasn't so hard. I have plenty of inspections ready to go, I just can't do them today obviously. So I'm sitting at my desk, watching Jeanne run around my office. It is her lunch time, and I am sure a nap is needed. A coworker is bringing me lunch. After that, if I can't get her to sleep here, we will have to go home. I just don't have much time off available. Ugh. It doesn't help that we don't have any one here that could watch her. All my good friends work with me, so that's out of the question. We don't live near family. *SIGH* I need to go change a diaper...

Little feet, little voices

I am so ready for tomorrow. I will be meeting my mom in Alexandria so I can pick up my little girl. She stay at her Noni and Pop's this week, as my dad was in from work overseas and my sister hadn't started her new semester yet. I have received daily emails of all she is doing, along with pictures and videos. I am so ready to see her "happy feet" and hear her jibber jabber language. When it is quiet at the house, I hear her laughter and her little feet running down the hall.

As happy as I am to have her back because of all this, I know it will be that much harder for my mom to have Jeanne leave. She has gotten used to the little voices and the little feet. It is sad that we live 4 hours away and can't visit more often. This is how it has to be with Shawn in school. And it may be further next year. Time will tell.

I need to run to a doctor's appointment.

Date night followed by a busy day

So last night, my husband and I had a date night (something we haven't had in a while), since Jeanne is at mom's for the week. We ate at Copeland's Cheesecake Bistro on the Boardwalk. It was so good! We started with the crab and crawfish bake for an appetizer (along with a chocolatini for me). For the main course, I enjoyed the ahi tuna steak with garlic potatoes and steamed spinach. It was wonderful!! Shawn had the mahi mahi tuna with garlic potatoes and succotash. For dessert, I had the death by chocolate cheesecake (I had a free cheesecake coupon from my birthday) and Shawn had the strawberry topped cheesecake. We very much enjoyed the evening, though it was rather quiet once we got back home. I miss my little girl, but I get regular updates of how much fun she is having at Noni and Pop's.

Today I got to begin training two inspectors for our Title V air inspections. We inspected an oil and gas facility. I am training two because we are fixing to loose the other air inspector,  and I may be leaving Shreveport come June, so we need to have competent inspectors before then. It was an easy inspection since the facility was one of the smaller ones. My coworkers did fine on their first inspection. They will continue to tag along for a few months before they actually conduct the inspection on their own. I know they will do great!

I hate the thought of the possibility of us leaving in June. Shawn will find out where his residency is in March, and then will begin July 1. We will not know exactly where we are going until March. The only input he really has is that he will get interviewed by places he potentially want to go, then he will rank his top 10. That data goes into a computer, and the schools he interviewed at will rank their interviewees. Whatever matches best will be where we go. I love the possibility of a new adventure, but I don't want to leave my friends that I have become close to here. We already lost some really close friends this passed June as they were a year ahead of Shawn. We always have phone calls and facebook, and the occassional drive to the other's house. But in all honesty, I know it will become further and further apart as people grow and move on. It is so hard that one of my best friends, the person who shared a first pregancy with me, and we watched our little girls first year together, had to move away. I have already gotten close to my female coworkers. They have become my friends. I don't want to leave them and feel all this again next year... But I have already told my husband wherever he needs to go for his residency is where the baby and I will be. And heart ache or not, I will be with my husband next year.

Books

I have always loved to read. I love to get lost in the pages and I can usually see myself as one of the characters in the book. I remember being little, and having summer activites at our local library and checking out books. I couldn't wait until we got to go back so I could get more. We read books with Jeanne everyday, hoping to instill the same love for books.

Of course since, Jeanne, I haven't had as much time to read. I got caught up in crochet tasks for a wile, then cloth diaper making tasks, etc. I couldn't even think of trying to find books at a store with Jeanne, having her pull books off the shelf and such.

Shawn gave me a Nook for my birthday, and I have been putting it to use. I am currently reading The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. I need ideas for other good books. Whoever reads this, please share a few of your favorites.

Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

I have recently joined St. Parish's Blogs. Through them, I have encountered a group of Catholic bloggers who gather weekly to share their best posts with each other. My weekly post would be the one I posted yesterday about time for prayer. I think it is essential for every Catholic to find the time in the day for prayer. And I am trying to grow in my faith, so I am working on this.



http://aworkingmotherssoapbox.blogspot.com/2011/08/time-for-prayer.html

Here is the page I am talking about in reference to the weekly posts:
http://rannthisthat.blogspot.com/2011/08/sunday-snippets-catholic-carnival.html

Time for prayer

So I went to Mass at the church I grew up in today, since I went to Erath for the weekend. They have a new priest, Father Melancon, but he was actually in Shreveport this weekend. There was a visiting priest from St. Genevive Church in Lafayette. The Gospel today was Jesus walking towards the disciples on the water (Matthew 14:22-33). The priest's homily talked about how before the disciples went on the boat, they were with Jesus as he fed the crowds. Then Jesus dismissed the people and dimissed the disciples so He could pray. The priest pointed out that we all need to take the time to pray, whether it be in the car to work, when cooking dinner, after tucking the kids in bed, etc. He said when people have family over on Sundays to visit, they lose track of time and don't make it to Mass. He tells them when he hears this, that they should say to their family that they need their time to pray, and invite the family to Mass also. What greater way to disciple to others than by showing your family you keep God first.

So it got me thinking about finding times to pray. And the more I thought about it the more I realized I have LOTS of time to pray that I don't take advantage of. I always say prayers before bedtime. I just don't take advantage of my time during the day. It takes 12 minutes to drive from the daycare to work. I go home for lunch almost everyday. Then 12 minutes from worm to daycare in the afternoon. That's 40 minutes right there. And there are several here and there minutes here and there throughout the day that I can find.

So I ask those who follow my blog: can you find time to spare during your busy day to pray?

Happy and sad times

So this weekend, I am taking my little one down to south Louisiana to spend a week at my mom's. I am excited to go visit, and it is my younger brother's birthday, but I am already dreading Sunday having to leave without her. It's going to be a long week... But my husband and I will have a chance to have a date or two and some much needed alone time. I feel we have been neglecting each other lately. Work has been so busy and a bit stressed with our boss retiring, coworker (that I depend on) leaving, new manager, etc. I leave work, pick up Jeanne from daycare, go home, cook dinner, play with Jeanne, get small chores done, and I am pooped by the time we put her to bed. My husband does his share in the chores and dinner, but he is also studying for his Step 2 for the boards (did I say yet that he is in medical school?) Ugh.

I made a pot of potato and sausage stew last night. It was wonderful!! I thought I'd share the recipe for whoever reads this:

6 medium-large sized red potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

¼ lb smoked sausage (we use Richard’s or Savoie’s from the store if we don’t have some from back south), sliced ¼’ thick

Vegetable oil

Water

Add just enough oil to cover bottom of large soup pot. Heat oil over medium heat. Add potatoes and sausage. Season with salt and pepper. Fry for 3 minutes. Add enough water to cover potatoes. Bring to a boil. Cover, and reduce heat to low-medium. Simmer for 25 minutes. Remove cover and allow to boil for 20-30 more minutes, or until potatoes are soft and stew thickens. Some oil may remain on top. May want to skim before serving.

My Family Tree

So, when I was pregnant with Jeanne, I got a 'wild hair' as my mom calls it, and decided to go to ancestry.com to research my geneology. I worked on it a good while towards the end of my pregnancy, as I had already finished most of my inspections for work. Recently I have gotten back online to look at it again and have found several other families with the same tree 'branches' that include us. So with their data, I can see how BIG our tree is. I can date my family back to 1550's in France. It gives me a pretty neat feeling to see that. I wish I could post the link so everyone can see, but the site is out to make money.  If you really wanted to see it, you can send me your email and I can invite you for free to my personal page to see it.

I don't have very much information on Shawn's family yet. I am trying to gather it, but his family is slow at responding to me. Shawn didn't meet his grandfathers (they passed away before he was born) so he couldn't help with their families. Granny is 100 and not doing well, so I want to try to get any information I can before she decides it is time to go home.

The website is a great way to search for deceased ancestors. They do not publicly show living relatives in searches, unless it is in a census report, and those are hard to find for the living. I will work on mine as much as I can in the next few weeks and then export all the information to a file and cancel my subscription. That way I can just edit the file and maybe later redo the subscription just to update the online file.

I'm not 21 anymore

So my coworker and I decided to go a mini girl's night at her house last night and watch the finale of The Bachelorette. We ate some dinner, dessert, turned on the show, and started on some really good white russians. After the show, and post show, we stayed up talking.  I got to learn a lot about her last night, outside of a working friendship. We had such a good time, full of laughter. After 4 white russians, and seeing that it was 1:30 in the morning, we decided we better get some sleep. I did not drive home, don't worry. I stayed in her spare bedroom. 5:30 came way too soon..... So we are both struggling a little at work this morning, but we will be fine. When I first saw her this morning at work, she asked, "What the heck were we thinking?" I was pleased on the outcome of the show. :-)

We will definitly not be doing this again for a while. At least not on a work night.

My husband laughed at me when I came in this morning. I'm sure I had a sheepish look on my face because I felt silly being old and staying out drinking. But again, it was fun!

I have to go now. Have a dentist appointment this morning. I'm having a filling replaced. Boo...