Goodbye Aurelian Ball

July? Geez. I knew I hadn't posted in months, but I thought it was at least September, not July. Pheeps! My computer died for a looong time, but that's not the whole reason why I stopped posting.

Anywho. I'm not blogging anymore. I'm choosing to do less. Basically it's because I can't even clean my house and feed my child (or myself) everyday. Practically. (Hyrum is fed at regular intervals. Gee whilikers. Don't you know not to take me so literally?)

You already knew I'd stopped posting. It was obvious. "Now it's official! Ha ha ha."

Awesome Movie

Arranged is about a Muslim girl and a Jewish girl becoming friends over their uncertainty for their arranged marriage prospects. I LOVED THIS MOVIE. And it's free streaming if you have Netflix. :)

So Tempted

K, so I'm super pale, right? Cha. The polite/pretty term is porcelain, but that's definitely me. But I love my pale skin! Problem: finding make-up pale enough. Every foundation I find, always choosing the palest they have, makes me look ORANGE. 


I did some pale-skinned-makeup research and tra la la! found out that there DOES exist a make-up that would work for me. It's just too expensive for little me to consider. Sad day. But if I could-- I'd go crazy for Bobbi Brown Alabaster shade. It's soooo tempting.  

Two Months

Someday I'll explain why I haven't been posting-- for now, here's Hyrum's most fabulous picture! Taken by his Aunt, Heather Mildenstein.

Hommina! Royal Wedding Cake

News Group Newspapers Ltd

Royal Wedding of William and Kate was this week. We're all so glad that new Princess Kate chose a classy, timeless wedding dress. Right? It was breathtaking! But did you see a picture of the cake? Mah mah mah mah maaaaaa..... it's phenom. It took five weeks to construct, so it really should have been. I can't believe it's all frosting-- even those legit looking roses are made of frosting! Holy eight tiered goodness, Batman! 

Read more here.

News Group Newspapers Ltd

I'm a Mommy!

HYRUM DYLAN MALTBY

April 22, 2011

21.5" long, 7 lbs

Hyrum looks just like his Daddy... even has the same hair-cut!

 My baby made it here a whole week and two days early. He's just perfect. I'm SO GLAD he has hair! Tons of DARK hair! That's what I wanted. I suppose I got lucky. :) He has my hitch-hiker thumbs and stubby fingers, Dylan's nose and face (excuse the "conehead"), and a few features all his own. 

We love him very much.

Birth Details follow if you want to read more. More pictures too.

1st bath-- always Grandma's privilege!

Meanwhile, here's some Bach

Only Japanese people would build something like this, I swear. Pretty cool though. 

Anyway. I've been totally in labor-- not false labor, the REAL DEAL-- and then it slowed down. Lather, rinse, repeat: totally in labor "get yourself to the hospital now" labor... oh wait... your contractions just quit... since last Friday at midnight. My mom changed her plane ticket to get here early and now we're sitting here waiting.

I'm told this is very unusual for a first-time mom. There was no way that I should be 80% effaced and dilated to a four at 37 weeks, let alone have contractions every 2 to 3 minutes that last 2 to 3 minutes apiece, so I guess this is all unusual. Yippee.

I didn't mind waiting the full 40 weeks or even MORE for my baby; personally, I wanted him to stay inside and bake as long as possible. But now my Mom's here and the clock is ticking until she leaves, and I loathe being the "oh wait, sorry to upset everyone's life, but it stopped" girl. Ah well. At least I wasn't one of those panicked people who went to the hospital with braxton hicks-- these are, at least, real contractions.

So for now I just feel like my line is I'm going to free the genie. ...Anytime.  *sigh*

Keep you posted. --R

Photo Proof

A HUGE thank you to Heather for throwing me a baby shower Saturday. Another HUGE thank you to Heather for then taking some pictures of me so I can a) fondly remember my happy pregnant days, and b) show photo proof to the dozens of you who've been begging for a glimpse of my belly :) .

I never can get a good face-angle in pictures (I don't say this because I'm pregnant, I've thought this my whole life) but the rest of me looks pretty good. If I do say so myself.

Happy April, Everyone!

daffodils are my very favorite flowers.

And Merry Conference, too! As for us Maltby's, two of Dylan's good friends are staying with us this weekend. They're visiting from Alaska. 

It's intimidating business entertaining house guests you've heard stories about, but have yet to meet...

Especially when they've known your husband far longer than you. Aha ha. I'd better hear some really good stories this weekend. That's all I have to say.

Spring Cleaning

I've always loved making bathrooms shiny! When I was little I pretended to host my own cleaning show. I told audience members how to really get your faucets to shine. :) Haha.

If you deep clean your house this spring please don't neglect baseboards, the tops and sides of door jambs, light plate switches, overhead fans (in bathrooms especially), refrigerator doors + handles, and around doorknobs.  People often forget those areas and they can look nasty. Thank you.

Here are some cleaning digs I recommend:

Microfiber mitts or cloths (the kind with opposable thumbs are nice). Get one and you might forget to hate dusting. They pick up more than swiffers and don't snag on rough corners. After microfiber looks full of dust you can beat it outside to get off the excess nd keep dusting, or you can always wash it. Keep one in your glove compartment and your dashboard will always look spiffy! 

Rubber gloves. Not only will your hands stay out of the muck, they won't absorb nasty chemicals either. I used to hate it when my hands smelled like bleach all day after I cleaned, but now they don't smell anymore!

 

Old toothbrushes + toothpicks. Especially in bathrooms and kitchens, dust combines with liquid-- water, grease, hairspray, etc-- and settles into every groove imaginable. I use old toothbrushes and toothpicks to remove it. The dials on your stove, the outside rim of your sink, the runners of sliding glass doors, that tiny space between your vanity mirror and its frame-- I dare you to pick at that gunk with a toothpick. They're also great to use on drains, spigots, and other tight spaces.

Click to read about my take on chemicals and products:

The Baby Bag

Behold the Eddie Bauer messenger I bought at TJMAXX.

If the bag had come in an awesome color I'd have taken it but this was it.  Usually I'm the girl with a brightly colored purse, so the utilitarian look will be a change for me, but function was more important to me than color.
 

What I most wanted:

1. Easy storage for and access to: keys, wallet, and cell phone. 

2. Lots of pockets to hold things so they don't jumble into a mess. 

3. A bag I wouldn't be embarrassed to carry everywhere. 

4. Durable + easy to clean. Also won't start to look old. 

Everything I thought I might eventually have to stash in a diaper bag-- extra clothes, blankets, books, toys, snacks, changing kit*, meds, burp cloth, water bottle, etc.-- I brought to the store with me so I could really tell how a bag would suit my needs. Hands down this was the most functional and attractive choice.

 Why this particular bag:

1. My stuff has it's own section! I won't have to dig for my keys or phone and I can get to them with one hand. Most importantly, my clutch-wallet fits without a squeeze.

2. Changing system fits into it's own outside zipper pocket! Sweet. 

3. Dylan is pleased he won't be embarrassed to carry it. 

4. Slim! Even with all the junk inside! Half the diaper bags I saw resemble clunky luggage even before they're packed-- this does not.

5. Classy construction: the zippers glide open, it's lightweight, there's a very comfy shoulder strap AND a trim handle for easy pick-up, and it doesn't look cheap. 

6. With everything inside there was plenty of room to spare, and it was very organized.

Finally I found a diaper bag to suit MY needs. There was much rejoicing.

*I have a sensational all-in-one changing pad that holds diapers, wipes, and ointments, so I wasn't looking for a bag that came with that extra stuff (plus if it comes with a bag it's usually flimsy). While not intended to be a "diaper bag," the bag I chose is sort of like this one from Chicco, except better. And mine didn't cost $60.

Alone & Windy

Dylan works the graveyard shift*. Have I mentioned that? He does. As it's 10:00 pm right now I'm all alone at home in a rather eerie situation. WIND is howling through the trees and spaces between houses, wailing and moaning with great enthusiasm.

I must admit it's a little unsettling having windows rattle next to me... in the dark. Eek! Silence starts and all is calm-- interrupted suddenly by howls of air whistling through tree branches. Yes sir. Just a tad creepy being here alone. One more creak of the carport roof and I may hide under the covers! :) 

*We both actually like his schedule. By working graveyard Dylan gets the same amount of hours but ALWAYS gets a three day weekend; we have more time together than if he worked during the day. 4 ten hour shifts instead of 5 eight hour shifts. Since we don't have kids (yet!) the nocturnal thing feels more like an oddity than an imposition.

Recommended Baby Gear

My sisters are my trusty sources of modern-gadget mom knowledge. They recommend stuff that I wouldn't have thought to get. Like the baberoo necksaver. Self-explanatory, it's designed to prevent your child from looking like Nearly-Headless-Nick.

Seems sort of silly to get a neck pillow for a baby, doesn't it? But then I think of how many hours they spend asleep in a carseat or stroller and it seems less silly. I know MY neck hurts if I fall asleep in the car (or tour bus!) with my head lolling around with every bump in the road.

Today TJMAXX had them for 50% off. I bought one.  :)

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Wear orange today, please. Just for me. No green! Just orange. :)

Green Thumb & Petunia Pride

Plants and I struggle with relationships. Just ask the feeble clinging-to-life pot of shamrocks in my living room. Hopefully getting a green thumb has more to do with practice than natural ability, cause I'm trying reeeeeally hard.

I've been making early preparations for my 2011 yard to be blooming terrific. (Does that count as a joke? It was supposed to, otherwise I'd have written terrific-ly. As in, adverb? ...anyway...) I bought fertilizer, swept away leaves and sticks blown in by winter winds, raked away dead grass, and soon I'll be turning over dirt to make nice, soft, drain-able flowerbeds for this years batch of petunias. 

Yaaaay petunias: cheap colorful flowers tolerant of Utah dry heat and blazing afternoon sunlight that won't die easily! Woot yeah! But what colors should I choose? My house has sea-foam green siding (built in '41) and I need flowers that work its color-quirk.

Picture found at Vista Landscaping

Some things you repeatedly tell yourself to do but don't get around to them. Last summer mine was "take a picture of my house covered in the petunias that I planted." Big surprise, I never took that picture. I lost my chance to preserve the memory of a great summer. Moping aside, I've decided that it's okay because this year it will look even better! (and I promise to take a picture so you can see it too.) I'm gonna GET that green thumb, baby!

Sorry I didn't post last week-- my Mom was in town and I was having too much fun to get on the computer. :) Miss you already, Mom.

Sunday Funnies

At church today our bishop announced that we'd have our closing prayer after the prelude music, then corrected himself and said closing prayer would be after the postlude music. At this point Dylan leaned in to me with a sly grin on his face and whispered, 

"If music before and after this meeting is prelude and postlude, does that make our meeting a lude? I didn't know we were allowed to have lewd church meetings." 

Har de har har.

Guess What Was For Dinner

Italian Breaded Pork Chops, Asparagus, and Mashed Potatoes. This is the type of food that makes life worth living! Try the recipe, it's very tasty-- but be warned-- it makes enough breading for 16 pork chops, not 4.

My Dylan

If husbands had a super-power, Dylan's would be the ability to calm me down. Those of you who've known me for years and years might say I can be a trifle... dramatic? Since I've been married, I am a much more mellow person. Really. Dylan's calming abilities tell my physical form and my mental storms that everything is ok, and to hold still. He's magic! Five minutes with him and my fire-breathing dragon insides have been lulled to tranquil sleep. Also, he gives really good hugs.

Dylan spoils me. He supports me with everything. He surprises me. He makes me laugh. He washes dishes. He eats everything I cook (even the infamous "dragon soup"). He notices what I do every day and says thank you for it. He recognizes 99% of my references and quotes to obscure things--wow! He tells me he loves me. He tells me I'm beautiful. He drives on the freeway for me cause he knows I'm afraid to. He's excited that I'm pregnant and is even more excited for our baby. Most of all Dylan is understanding, even when pregnant-me recoiled from him for the unforgivable offense of breathing on me after eating 1 soda cracker. He makes marriage easy. 

I really love him.

Tragedy of 1st position, indeed. Haha!

Her arms are my favorite part.

Girly Ruffle Cake

from Martha Stewart

I eagerly await the opportunity to make this cake, cause oh baby, I'm gonna make this cake. The basic premise is that you fill one piping bag with both white and pink frosting, half and half, so when it's squeezed out it's two-tone. Ruffles made of two-tone frosting will be eye catching and forgiving, as far as piping talent is concerned. And I love the pink! 

Come to think of it, maybe I'll make a blue and white version of this for my baby shower (substitute "baby ruffle cake" in instead of "girly.") Hmmmm. But then, who wants to eat blue frosting? It never looks as appetizing as pink. *sigh* I'll have to think of something else.

My Happy Place

Getting ready to have a baby is interesting. People talk about "visualizing" something other than labor (when you're in it) to make things smoother, easier, hopefully less painful, etc. Sort of a FIND YOUR HAPPY PLACE type... thing. They tell you to pick something detailed and easy to find.

photo by super-friend Bill Giles

My current happy place is actually a memory: big band night with all my folk dance chums. I'd always fantasized about a 1940's swing bash. It was so nice to have one for my very own!

The music, the real-vintage gown from 1942, coordinating gloves, the falling snow outside, performing an Andrew's sisters song with Tiff and Jan, kissing my escort and knowing we'd be married in a week, the live band, a ballroom filled with people who could actually foxtrot, and getting my make-up just the way I wanted it.....*sigh,* what a night!

That IS a happy place.

For Those of You Who Like MST3K,

Dylan and I quote this one all the time. The commentary is funny, yeah, but the actual clip is awesome too. Remember kids, "Always wash your hair on the same day every week!" and don't forget, "You're not clean if your fingernails aren't!" 

Extra points if you get the subtle Fonzie reference. :)

My Favorite New Face

Photo by Heather Mildenstein, stolen from here.

Meet my brother's new dog, Dorothy, a 9 week old Airedale Terrier. I'm spending too much time at my brother and sis-in-law's house; they're dying for privacy, I'm sure, but I can't stop myself! Why should I care about vacuuming or dishes when I can walk three blocks and spend time with a soft adorable puppy who loves me?

She's just too cute! Soft paws, cozy fur, and the sweetest little romping scamper-- I'm undone. And then she'll snuggle into my lap! Ohhhhh. Dorothy has no idea how much power she's got.

Same credits: Photo by Heather Mildenstein, stolen from here.

Love Linked Cookie Cutters

Found at Fancy Flours

I have fallen in love with a new baking website. Trust me, you'll see a ton of posts from FancyFlours this year-- they have some of the coolest stuff I've ever seen. Awesome, brilliant things that spin my imagination into a whirl: like candy molds for gemstones-- can you say Leprechaun treasure, batman? SWEETNESS.

Baby Hair

 

Baby Rachel Mildenstein had tons of hair. Baby Dylan Maltby had hardly any. I'm very curious to see how our Baby Maltby turns out... hair wise. I'm thinking that I should get one of these to help me picture it. 

You're never too old to play imaginary-hairdo with iron shavings! Wooly Willy agrees with me. 

This Makes Me So Happy

There are a dozen reasons to love this movie clip: it's general vintage appeal, for example, or the 4 year old hula prodigy. Watch it! I swear it'll make you smile.

I originally was introduced to this by my History of Music professor, who used the short as an example of how classical music can be used to great effect in film. If you keep that in mind as you watch, you'll be thinking no kidding! just like I was.

Happy Valentines Day!

Don't forget to tell people how much they mean to you!

Happy Birthday, Abe.

 

"The struggle of today is not altogether for today; it is for a vast future also. With a reliance on Providence, all the more firm and earnest, let us proceed in the great task which events have devolved upon us."

--Abraham Lincoln, December 3, 1861

I want to have the first sentence of this quote displayed in my home. Few better reminders to maintain an "eternal perspective" exist, and even fewer are so eloquent. Happy Birthday, wise guy!

3rd Trimester Begins!

Today I'm 28 weeks, which means I've started the third stage of pregnancy. (Cue Card Reads: Applause!) Hooraaaaay. 

Recently I stumbled across a Dozen Eggs Bake Shoppe, which makes the most beautiful frosted creations. So cute! I am now inspired. My favorites are the little frosted onesie cookies.

Celtic Fiddle Festival

I have a Pandora playlist some of you may enjoy-- the channel is seeded by The Chieftains and Celtic Fiddle Festival. I LOVE CELTIC FIDDLE FESTIVAL. Check them out. Their music is not too hyperactive, doesn't have annoying squeezebox-sounding interludes or piercing flutes, and they feature all the best parts of Celtic music. Nice and folksy!

They sort of remind me of Kirkmount, if you're familiar with them (though sadly, Pandora doesn't have their music).

New Jersey's Hoggin All the Snow

While I've been sniffing over having no snow (in the land with license plates that say "greatest snow on earth," no less) my awesome older sister Melissa and her cute boys Lincoln and Grant made the ULTIMATE snowman; or should I say snow-giant? Seriously, this monster could rival the snow creations of Calvin & Hobbes! Next time you build a snow-giant I want in, ok?

I hope you don't mind that I posted this without asking your permission. The snowman made me do it! *shifty apologetic grin* He, uh, wanted publicity! *cough* Really I just wished he was my snowman and I wanted to live vicariously in your world of snowy wonderment.

Ahem! Lest I forget, here lies the honorable mention for Kenny and the Dog, who did not make it into the above photo but are too awesome to leave out.

Phil Says Spring is Coming

At the annual Groundhog Day celebration this morning in Punxsutawney, Pa., Phil was gently lifted from his sleep spot to perform his duties. "He surveyed his surroundings carefully and found that there was no shadow around. So an early spring it will be," says the article I'm quoting on People.com (full article here).

This morning marked Phil's 125th prediction, stemming from a tradition that began in 1887. Though there have been several Phils over the years – the Inner Circle doesn't reveal how many – the revered rodent has seen his shadow 98 times, and hasn't seen it just 16 times. Record keeping of the event didn't begin until 1900. 

Rachel's P.S.: This is the first time in memory that Phil has let me down. How could you, buddy? Where's my snow? :(

Free Samples

I'm so jealous of people who constantly receive free samples in the mail. You know-- the ones who post pictures on their blogs of all the free stuff they got? Exhibit A: 

I tried signing up for stuff online but I don't know if it'll even work. I am currently accepting advice on how to snag free-baby-goodies for myself. Ideas?

Pottery Barn Serves Geeks?

Since WHEN has Pottery Barn decided to have Star Wars themed bedrooms? Heck-- I'd love to get my kid the Boba Fett sheets-- but doesn't that seem a little out of character for classy McClassy-Class Pottery Barn?  You think the Vader alarm clock is sold separately?


If it turns out that being a geek is cool Dylan and I will soon be very fashionable. :D

Chicken Noodle Cold-Cure

I just found out that chicken soup actually can help reduce your cold symptoms. Go figure.

Apparently chicken contains a natural amino acid called cysteine, which can thin mucus in your lungs and make it less sticky so you can expel it more easily. 

I'm a vegetable-beef soup girl, myself. But Dylan LOVES chicken noodle. Our preferences aren't that helpful as far as Campbell's goes, though, cause processed canned soups don't work as well as the homemade types. 

For best results, make a fresh batch yourself. Better yet, add tons of pepper and hot spices. The spices will trigger a sudden release of watery fluids in your mouth, throat, and lungs, which will help thin down the respiratory mucus so it's easier to cough up and expel.

Pink Champagne Gown? I want one.

Golden Globes? Yeah, no one really cares. I checked in to see the gowns, and was surprised by Natalie Portman's look. She's pregnant! (And she won, incidentally.) Sorry I couldn't find a great picture of her sideways so you can see the bump. Great dress, especially for the bump, though I can't decide if the unorthodox combo of pink champagne and red is tasteful or not. Maybe if the rose had been pearl or cream? Hmm. 

Who knew my favorite dress of the globes would actually fit my growing-baby look?

I Can Hear My Heartbeat

The purpose of this post is not to rave about sugar cookies (even though these look amazing).  The purpose is to whine about something. Here goes. Every night I can hear the pulse beating in my right ear. It's so obnoxious! I can't turn it off! Gah!

Apparently it's quite common for pregnant people to hear their pulse in their ear. This is not a sign of high blood pressure, it's just because of the increased blood volume and flow that are typical during pregnancy. 

I should be chanting "yippedee doo dah, it's normal to hear this!" but all I can think about is how annoying it sounds. Grrr.

Scarrf, munch, lip-smack, swallow

*sounds of messy eating continue*

I've discovered that when making a grilled cheese sandwich with dry bread, the best remedy is to use extra butter. :) Finish with a large side of broccoli to ease guilt. *licking fingers, smiling widely* ... mmm scrumptiousness... 

Proof-- I DID have bangs

A Jerusalem Center Fall-2007 partial reunion, March of 2010

Can you find me? Hint: my striped arms seem unnaturally long and are awkwardly hugging my friend Tiffany. That's just weird, cause Tiff and I are so against awkward hugs. 

Anyway. I think this may end up being the only photo-proof of me with bangs. My bangs don't even look that good in it, either. Ah, well. At least now you've seen proof of the bangs that didn't last six months! Haha 

Dreaming of Puj

 Those of you who have been to my FABULOUS little 1940's sea-foam green house probably know about the shower. *sigh* It's the #1 drawback to our otherwise blissful rental. Well, that and the complete lack of insulation. 

What's wrong with my shower? Oh, nothing. The shower head, fully extended, sprays my nose-- which means that to douse my hair or rinse it, I have to bend my knees and squat to get underneath the spray. The tub is also very narrow. This is accentuated by the space sucking non-removable metal-track-sliding accordion door that I surmise was intended to be a shower-curtain.  (Don't worry, I covered that eye-sore with a 7' shower curtain that rocks, and put another shower curtain inside the "door" to catch water so I'll never have to clean the drasted thing.) Did I mention that door struggles to open?

Recap: shower is tiny, hard to open, has a metal track on the edge, and an accordion door in the way.

I choose to forgive the house for this evil because the majority of the home is heavenly. HOWEVER. I can tell you I am NOT looking forward to leaning over the tub to bathe my baby while that metal track digs into my ribs. The accordion door, even open all the way, will even block my access to the water source! Grr. It will not be fun.

But as I said-- I'm dreaming of Puj. A Puj baby tub, that is. Then I could even fit a baby tub into my tiny sinks! It would be soooo nice. 

Puj tubs are foldable for easy assemblage and easier storage. 

And doesn't he look comfy? Mmm. I want one. (The tub, I mean. My baby's already on the way.)