Cheerful Sunday

A few nights ago I was making dinner.
I was preparing Jersey Royals and found the most awesome potato ever!

It made me almost irrationally happy.  I summoned Ross to view it with great excitement.  Luckily for me, he thought it was just as cool as I did.  We sure are dorks.

So our dorkiness and my love of heart shaped carbs is a great reason to be cheerful!

The Name Game

As we near the finish line to the arrival of our baby boy, (10 days til my due date, y'all!  TEN DAYS! How is that possible?!!?  My older brother was 10 days early.  Yikes!) we've been nearing a final choice on name.  Nope.  I'm not telling.  Yet.  But I would like to talk about how you test drive names for a baby.  I mean, you've got to get the feel of a name and see how it handles.  If it fits.  If it's "the one", right?

Fill in the blank

First up is the obvious way- referring to the baby by the name.  We've gotten to the point that we either refer to our son by our prospective final choice or "the baby".  No more endless rotation of ridiculous possible names.

A friend suggests the following methods:  1. Envision the name signed on a holiday card with the rest of the family.  This makes sense.  You can see if it fits with the family as a whole.  I guess you could also literally write all the names out to physically see it.  2. Holler the name as if your child is in trouble.  Other variations include: as if you're getting their attention on a playground or other crowded space and as if you're calling them in from playing outside because it's dinner time.  Also an excellent barometer, I think.

We've tried our own non-traditional methods.  When we see the midwife at the Children's Centre there are often mommy and me type classes going on.  So as we wait for Mandy, we often get a peek at what's going on.  Sometimes it's a "messy play" class with adorable babies doing sensory play with different textures.  Sometimes it's a singing group.  One day, whilst waiting, the singing group was doing a little introduction song where they went around the circle singing this song with each child's name put in:

_______ is a jumping bean.

The biggest bean you've ever seen!

He/She can jump so high.

He/She can nearly touch the sky!

We've since used this song to test drive names and frequently refer to the baby as the biggest bean we've ever seen.  

The final thing we've done only works on certain names because there's a list to select from, but it's pretty fun!  Ross found a link on one of the many "freebie" sites he subscribes to that inserts your chosen name into a song sung by Elmo!  You can try out as many different names as you like in the free short clip (though you can't save it) and you can download with your final selection if you like.  There's no better way to decide on a name than by getting Elmo's stamp of approval.

Did you test drive a few different names for your baby, or did you just pick?

What method of testing do you think works best?

Poetry for Sanity

For the most part, I don't miss my job.  There were plenty of headaches and a micromanaging (if generally sweet) boss.  I did get to play data detective with my buddy Abu, which was fun.  Most importantly, though I had a partner in crime.  She and I were the project managers on the study we ran and worked together pretty closely.  We had a fair amount of overlap on our jobs and knew how to do most things that the other did.  I focused more on data and she focused more on patient care.  Over the course of working together we became good friends.  She was even one of my bridemaids.

in my old office, circa 2009

She stopped working in the lab shortly before I did because she'd had her first baby and was going to be staying home with him and finishing up her certification to be a fully licensed Psychologist.  I was glad that I was leaving a mere couple of weeks later as it just wasn't the same without her.

We really bonded over a similar strong work ethic, sense of humour and respect for each other.  Eventually, we even jokingly referred to ourselves as "Mindy" (a Brangelina-like portmanteau of Meg and Cindy) when asked for our joint insight or opinion on a matter.

We supported each other through some rocky times at the office, personally and professionally.  One thing we started doing to relieve stress was compose poetry.  We'd generally stick to haiku, but we'd also have "Limerick Fridays".

Today we were reminiscing on Facebook and she posted my most spectacular haiku.  We were dealing with an... interesting... and ... challenging co-worker who regularly drove us up the wall.  The haiku were integral to our composure being maintained.

Would you like to read my work of literary genius?  I thought you might...

The prepositions
dangle like the frail thread of
my very last nerve.

Good, huh?  I thought about seeking publication.  (I hope you realize I'm not really this cocky... just being silly... you know... for humour)  Our co-worker viewed herself as a highly skilled communicator/writer, but was notorious for leaving multiple dangling prepositions.  I swear, sometimes the haiku were all that kept Mindy from shaking this girl!

Have you ever engaged in creative sublimation to get through a tough time?
Do you like to write poetry?  Is it any good, or just silly, like mine?

MIA Catch up

Sorry for going MIA at the end of last week.  Friday was my birthday and I was too busy celebrating to come up with posts for y'all ;)

So how did we celebrate my birthday?
Well I attended the Active Birth Workshop.  Yes, without Ross (My little victory turned out to be hollow... argh...)  In the end, though, while helpful, the workshop didn't really cover birth positions or things that would have been helpful for Ross to know anyway (despite it's name) so it wasn't that big a deal.

Then we went to the Trafford Centre for lunch at Carluccio's and to see The Muppets!  Though it's been out in the US since Thanksgiving, it wasn't released until my actual birthday here.  I declared it to be a birthday gift from the universe.  My husband knows how to treat me right!  My amazing man had also planned to take me to IKEA after the movie (seriously, I'd told one of my friends that a trip to the Swedish store was one of my birthday wishes!), but because the Active Birth Workshop had run nearly an hour over it was too late.

In the end, I don't really feel a year older.  Thirty three!  I've never been one to be squeamish about getting older or people knowing my age.  And I think this is going to be the best year yet.
And now, I leave you with some Muppet fun.

The Rainbow Connection

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Original Song in the year of my birth!

Did you see The Muppets yet?
Are you perpetually 29 or ageing normally?

Meg and Ross and the Case of the Mockaroon

Ross LOVES macaroons.  No, not the trendy french cookies that are all over the wedding blogosphere.

Fancy Macaroons

It can also be spelled macaron.  They're supposed to be heavenly, but I've never actually tried one.

The ones made of shredded coconut.

Delicious fluffy bites of yum.

There's a Christmas market that sets up around Manchester town centre during the holiday season.  There are all these cute little wooden cottage stalls that sell crafty products and food.  It's really fun and crowded and cheerful feeling.

See- crowded!

(Personal photos)

See- cheerful!  I was dancing to the music of a band playing nearby.

(Personal photo)

One of the stalls sells "The World's Best Macaroons".  They ain't lyin'!  These things are huge and warm out of the oven.  They are light and fluffy and the best thing ever.  They are probably Ross' favourite thing about the Christmas season.

At any rate, he is generally on the hunt for competition to this self-proclaimed "World's Best" of his favourite treat.  There are plenty of crappy ones out there.  Ones that are sticky and hard or too dense.  Many are discounted on sight.

When we were recently in Boston though, we were wandering around the Quincy Market and stumbled across two contenders that merited tasting.  We opted to sample one of the stalls offerings as a pre-dinner snack.  It was very nice.  VERY nice.  Ross and I deemed it a fairly close 2nd in the "Best Macaroon in the World" competition.  

We decided that after we'd eaten dinner we would return to the market and try the other one.  We got very excited about the prospect of three strong contenders in this race.  That's normal, right?  Well we walked and explored the market and then found some place for dinner along the harbour.  It was a lovely night for a stroll.  

After we'd eaten, we headed back to the market, which seemed to still be hoping.  We walked inside and what did we see?

Why would they deprive a pregnant lady of a potentially

delicious macaroon comparing experience?!!?

The second bakery stall was already closed for the night.  Harumph!  It was very upsetting as you can see.  We were forced to go back to the first bakery stall where Ross obtained another macaroon.  I opted to go for a giant oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.  Mmmmm.

Well the next day, as we walked The Freedom Trail,

The Freedom Trail as it enters The North End.

(Personal Photo)

we entered Ross' own personal Mecca- The North End (aka Little Italy).  Before we left the area, Ross was planning our next trip to Boston which involves eating at every Italian restaurant in the vicinity.  We guessed it would take about a month.  We noticed lots of people with little white boxes, tied up with string.  We figured it was worth popping into this (apparently very) popular bakery.

As we looked at the offerings, what did we spy but a tray of pretty little white macaroons.  We asked for 4 macaroons and headed outside to eat them.  They felt light and fluffy... promising...  We each took a cookie and bit in.  And they were... not macaroons.  As Ross put it, "These don't taste like they've been anywhere near a coconut."  They were nice I guess.  They were sort of almond/marzipan tasting.  So disappointing!

Ross dubbed them "fake-aroons".  I (in my opinion) one-uped him by declaring that they were, in fact, MOCK-AROONS.  (Am I right?!  So much funnier... Ross still claims that "fakearoon" is better.)

Have you ever gone on a ridiculous quest for something?
Have you ever been thwarted by a baked good?
And most importantly, which is funnier "fakearoon" or "mockaroon"?

Cheerful Sunday

The "Add Me" app on my phone camera.
It lets us take pictures "together" without bothering anyone else or having it be an awkward.

It totally looks real, right?  You can't even tell that it's a composite! :)

But it's real purpose is to make Siamese Twins out of my loved ones.

Siamese Ross.  The one on the left was feeling a bit pouty, 

but the one on the right was cracking jokes all night.

A Man with a Plan

This weekend was a first (of a sort) in our marriage.

Often times I will inquire of Ross "What's the plan for ______?"  That blank could be any number of things:  tomorrow, dinner, this weekend, etc.
You see I am an agenda maker.
My darling Ross..... is not.

It's taken awhile for us to get used to this fact about each other.  I function much better if I have at least a general plan for the day ahead.  What time do we need to leave?  What tasks do we need to complete?  Do we need to run any errands while were are out?  This helps me collect my thoughts and keeps me from sleeping in until noon.  Ross, on the other hand, will get up at a reasonable time and start doing work.  Yes, there are tasks that need to get done, but he just sort of rolls with it.  He figures out what he feels like working on or what most needs doing and does it.  This works for him.

Neither style is wrong.  In fact, I think they're quite complimentary in many ways.  We end up pushing each other and expanding each other's perspective- a quality that I really value in our marriage.  We're learning to compromise.

Anyway- last Saturday afternoon I asked my husband what the plan for dinner was (usually the easiest of my "plan" queries for him to answer).  He shocked me by stating that he thought we could walk to the grocery store and get food to have a picnic and watch The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe.  FYI- I love a floor picnic.  It seriously makes me ridiculously excited.  That's not weird, right?  I think it dates back to my childhood when my mom was awesome at inventing activities for us to do.  Somedays we'd pack a little picnic and carry it out to eat in our front lawn.  Oh the excitement!

Ross then absolutely baffled me.  He didn't stop.  He went on to state that he thought the next morning we could get up and go to the Whitefield Farmer's Market and then go into town for the Manchester Day Parade.  When the man makes a plan, he makes a plan!

So we followed the plan.

We had a picnic!  (You should know that I'm re-experiencing my picnic-related excitement just by telling you about it.  I know... I'm a freak.)

On the left (top to bottom):  Potato Salad, Egg Salad, Prosciutto, Black Olive Hummus

On the right (top to bottom): 2 kinds of bread, pear, apple, grapes, brie, Cheshire, and Double Gloucester cheeses, olives, cucumber and tomato.  And a glass of Apple and Mint juice.  Delish!

The next morning, we got up and walked to the Whitefield Farmer's Market.  Whitefield is technically the town we live in.  It's sort of like a suburb of Manchester.  Ross had noticed a banner up at a nearby park which proclaimed that the Farmer's Market was back.  We were pretty excited to see if there was anything good.  Some tasty fresh fruit and veg, perhaps?  After about a 5 minute walk we were at the park.  There seemed to be people around.  There was a buzz in the air.  Then I looked down into the park and saw this.

Oh look some tents!

We walked a little closer.  

Wait... make that 10 tents.  10.

Yep it was, in Ross' words, "The World's Most Crap Farmer's Market".  Do you think they'll want the award in the form of a certificate, a plaque, a trophy, or a crystal bowl of some kind?  There were 10 measly stands. Two that were perhaps legitimately from a farm.  The highlights were: the black and white photos that the woman basically told me sucked and I'd be stupid to buy them, the "cute" kids costume-outfit thingies, and the pencils made out of sticks that a guy would engrave with your name.  Yeah.  It was lame.  LAME!!  Oh well.

Stay tuned for part 2 where we go to the parade...

Meg in Hats

So, I'm going to introduce you to a side project of mine and Ross'.

Meg in Hats

My current favourite, in TK Maxx

So, as you may have gathered, Ross and I are major nerds.  

This blog is pretty self-explanatory.  It's pictures of me.  In hats.

Kilgore tartan in Oxford

This started as a Facebook album, but a blog can be shared with the entire world.  And obviously, the entire world needs to see pictures of me in hats...

Ghetto-fabulous in a pound store

I've always enjoyed trying on hats in stores.  If there is a hat rack, I'll find my way over to it and try on a few select chapeaus.  I was engaging in the activity one day and asked Ross if my chosen head covering was cute.  His response was a resounding "No."  When I expressed disbelief, he took a picture of me in the hat so I could see how right he was.  

Crazy eyes in a cowboy hat at ASDA

Thus began "Meg in Hats".  Now, whenever we see a worthy hat out and about, Ross snaps my pic and uploads it to his Facebook album.  We're gradually sharing the fun with our new blog project.  One of my proudest moments was when my best friend from college uploaded a picture of herself in a fabulous Kentucky Derby-esque hat- inspired by me.

My own Kentucky Derby-style in M&S

So what about you?

Do you like to try on hats, or am I alone here?

Or do you have some other odd, but satisfying hobby?

Duck Race

When Ross got wind of a Rubber Duck Race taking place in Manchester, we were in.
If you know us at all, you know we've got a thing for rubber ducks.

So on this past Friday, we headed to Spinningfields to partake in the fun.  It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day so we grabbed some lunch at Pret a Manger and settled in to eat it outside.

I love the sweet and salty popcorn from Pret!

After we'd eaten, we headed down to take a look at the first part of the duck race.  Corporate groups could purchase a jumbo duck and decorate it however they liked for the first race.

The ducks getting arranged at the starting line.

 We moved to higher ground for the start of the race.

 There were a few late entries that I felt broke the rules: a Rotary Club duck that was attached to the top portion of 2 umbrellas that had been bound together like a sandwich cookie and a giant platform featuring a duck vignette of The Apprentice.

 We were excited!

And they were off!

At this point, the pace of the race slowed down and we decided to walk towards the finish line (under the bridge in the distance).  

 Here's the view looking back towards the starting line from the bridge over the finish.  Since the corporate ducks were taking so long and people were getting restless, they decided to go ahead and release the family race ducks.  Anyone could buy a little quacker for £1.  Apparently there were 2000.  Doesn't look like much does it?

The big ducks had pretty much come to a standstill due to a weird current, so some helpers in motor boats tried to use their wakes to push the ducks along.  I asked Ross if they wouldn't have thought to test this stretch of river prior to selecting it.  He laughed and explained that I really didn't understand the British way yet.

 The little ducks in the distance started closing on the big ducks.

 Obligatory self portrait.

 Ooh, look how pretty they are all spread out.

 I like to think that the 2 that are tied for second place at this point were ours.

 As they hit this spot in the river (the same spot that troubled the big ducks) it turned into a duck parking lot so the motor boats came back out to play.

One last shot of the beautiful view.

Sadly, we never really heard which ducks won the race as the announcer had appalling microphone skill.  When will people learn that when you shout into a microphone, you can't be understood...  But it was still a fun day!

What better way to cap off a fun day than with cupcakes!

We walked over to a cute little cupcakery called Hey Little Cupcake! (cutest name ever) that we'd heard about, but never visited. 

 The cupcakes came in cute little individual containers, complete with paper lifters for easy access.  Ross's (on the left) was "Lemon Grass", a lemon and vanilla.  Mine (on the right) was "Cherry Blossom" a yummy vanilla and cherry.  There were even chunks of real cherry in it!

What a great day with my honey...

What was the last fun and unusual thing you did?