Sunday, February 26, 2012

Week 17-- whizzed by me!

Oohhh my goodness what a week... Bianca was off from school Monday- Wednesday of this past week, for Carnival.  She had the option of going to school and basically playing all day, but she said she wanted to stay home with me.  OOOh joy!  :)  So Monday, Galina the wonderful amazing angel of my life cleaning lady came, tidied things up for us.  I love when Galina is here, because I feel like such a lazy princess if I am sitting on my ass, that when she is here, I am "super busy" around the house.  Laundry, organizing drawers, I throw things away, I tidy around her, or I sit and do paperwork (which can look very important...)  Bianca and I went food shopping, which can be fun... and this week, it was.   Sometimes I prefer food shopping by myself, so I can wander the aisles, trying to figure out which products I am actually purchasing (remember, not only do I have to figure out the Portuguese labels, sometimes they are in German, French, Greek, etc....)  But Bebe was really well behaved (she's almost 8, and when she is happy and in a great mood, is my best little helper.  Other days.... when we're cranky, not so much.... Oh the joys of step-parenting!)  

I mentioned to Galina on Monday if she knows anyone who can fix my sewing machine.  I have this gorgeous Singer machine that I recieved for my 21st birthday (yes, my mama was floored when I told her that's what I wanted.)  Sometime last year, I plugged my American sewing machine into a cheap European adaptor and blew the motor.  I cried.   And while there are a TON of Singer signs all over the place, most of the shops don't do this kind of repair...  So on Wednesday afternoon, Galina brought her friend by who took the machine who will hopefully be able to fix it!  I am SOO excited!  I've missed my little machine!

Victor is working like a maniac this week, preparing for his two-week trip!  He will be filming four commercials.  I will write more about this when he is away. (Sniffle. Sniffle.)

Having Bianca home most of the week really cut in to my blog/ online activity schedule... I feel like such a d-bag for not writing at all this week, but I hardly checked my email, Facebook, etc...  Now that I'm not nearly as nauseated by cooking this last week, I promised Vic I'll get back into cooking and baking.  I was seriously slacking.  But in all fairness, by the time I finish making dinner, all the cooking, chopping veggies, etc, I am so exhausted and my back is killing me!  I can barely peel myself off the couch afterwards!  And then Vic is bummed that he comes home and I am ready for bed 10 minutes later!

So this week, I made some vegetarian enchiladas, a shrimp and broccoli pasta, something else, I tried my hand in red velvet cupcakes...  I will be trying again this afternoon.... Hopefully my new batch of red velvet will be much more photo-worthy than the last batch... The Paula Deen recipe I tried was shit...  super crumbly, and I didn't read the recipe before I made it... It required 1.5 cups of oil.  Gross.  Won't make that mistake twice.  Also, I am looking forward to delicious cream cheese icing.  mMMMmmm

I made pancakes this morning, just a basic, from scratch recipe that I found online, that I've tweaked and love.  My American maple syrup supply has run out, so this morning, I tried my hand in making homemade syrup.  It was so sweet and delicious!  I will have to post the recipe!  So easy-  I like recipes that I don't screw up the first time I try.  Those to me, are keepers.

Other news, totally un-pregnancy related... I shaved my legs yesterday for the first time in a month.  And I will admit, I'm not a big leg-shaver.  Everyone knows this.  I blame going to an all girls high school.  Becuase it was so hilarious to see people get so bent out of shape due to blonde leg hair.  But anyway, I digress, as usual.  I cut the SHHHIIZZZZY out of my ankle.  And I swear, I'm not a big puss when it comes to little bumps and scraps and bruises.  I like to show them off.  (Thank you, Roller Derby. <3)  But I took a freakin' CHUNK out... I nicked the vein over yr ankle bone?  I have a two-inch gash.  And while I screamed a lot of bad words, I was fine, until Victor poured this liquid cleaning stuff on it.  I was thinking it was something like American Bactine, where it only hurts when yr 6 and yr Mama needs to blow on the booboo and its all better.  This hurt like a BASTARD!!  I almost started to cry!  Then I threw a little tantrum after he put the band-aid on... Yes I have a big, pouty bottom lip, that shit HURT!  Definitely the last time I shave my legs for a long time.  Thats IT, Mr. Castro!     

Pregnancy update:  
I look kinda fat.  I don't look pregnant.  I look like I have a gut.  Vic says it looks like a belly, I say it looks like a gut.  I try to dress as "pregnant" as possible, either flowy shirts that hide it, or snug shirts that show it off.  And when I do wear snug shirts, I make sure I rub my belly in public, in case anyone might wonder... AHHAH!!!  Am I vain or just super weirded-out that I have a pot belly?  I am super ok with pregnancy weight gain, it just looks so bizarre on my body, looking in the mirror and seeing this shape that I don't recognize.  Its as if you looked in a full- length mirror for the first time and saw yr ass in yr favorite pair of jeans... "My ass looks like THAT?!"  And then you realize you need new jeans...  And while at times I may get upset when I ask Victor if he likes my outfit, etc., he is always honest, whether I like it or not.  So at least I know that when I leave the house with him, I always look my best.  (I am still a bit peeved to just find out he doesn't like my vintage green lace headband/ bow.  I think I'll wear it tomorrow when he is at work.)

I am almost due for my 18 week pregnancy update, so I will leave all the baby related, nitty gritty details for tomorrow's post.  But I will say, this week was blissfully uneventful.  

OHH!! Except for one thing:  I HAVE MY PORTUGUESE RESIDENCE CARD!  I officially live in the European Union!  I am legal!  I will have to write an effin' essay on getting legal documentation here in Portugal.  OMG... Almost 2 years, and I finally have the paperwork.  The bureaucracy here is amazing amounts of bullshit.  You literally go to one office, they tell you to go to another.  Its appointment only.  You make the appointment, wait two months, show up, to be told you have to go to another office.  With different paperwork.  You go there.  Wait for appointment.  THey tell you that you need to go back to the first office, start there.  If you are lucky, you have a different person helping you, they give you different answers.  Different paperwork.  If you are lucky, you get past round one, and move to round two.  So, I now have a piece of cardboard (tri-fold) with my photo, glued on, stamped, fingerprinted.  I am legal.  I thought I would receive some official citizen's card, with a microchip like Vic and Bebe... No. I get a tri-folded cardboard.  Hilarious!   

Baby update:  the umbilical cord is getting thicker (weird) and baby now has fingerprints!  How cute is that?!  Baby's skeleton is changing from cartilage to bone.  This week, baby is the size of an onion.  We love onions in this house, just as much as we love avocados! 


Sunday breakfast!  


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