|updates|

madeline is sick, again! i don't remember, but i guess kids must get sick all the time. it's so sad. but she doesn't seem to be too miserable. we can't stop buying her things. well, she does need some things (like a high chair and clothes)... but we're such suckers. we bought her a cute little hat at an after christmas sale from this overpriced baby store called "gymboree". we paid $8 (on clearance!) for it, and i wouldn't even buy myself a new sweater for $9. what weirdos. btw, the hat that she is wearing in this picture was $15. that one is from "talbot's kids". we had a coupon for a free onesie if we made a purchase. matt said the cheapest thing in the store was that hat. turns out that the free onesie would have been $20. who are they kidding?! we have onesies that madeline never even wore because she grew so fast. we probably won't be shopping at those stores again, soon. we got really lucky with a bunch of second-hand baby clothes that a friend gave us, but she's outgrown them, so now we're having fun buying her cute outfits.

i've been on call all week, and am feeling a bit sleep deprived.

there is semi-good fellowship news. i told the first fellowship that i wanted to wait for the second fellowship to make a decision. they are going to wait for me. i've learned a lot about the games they play. i'm glad i didn't yield to their pressures. it was the right move for a lot of reasons. and in the end, i think i'll be happy no matter which one i choose. i'm a lucky girl.

on the cooking front, we haven't been eating out (obviously). we're too lazy to take madeline out, and i do like to cook. and it's good practice for staying frugal. but we are still getting to treat ourselves... it just involves a bit more work on my end. i told matt to pick up any cut of meat he wanted from the store. he came home with a 9 pound, bone-in pork shoulder with skin.

we've been obsessed with pork cracklings and pork belly since watching an episode of gordon ramsey's bbc show "the F word". he raised his own pigs, and then cooked them! so, my goal for tomorrow is to make a beautiful pork roast with cracklings. the leftovers will be great for pulled pork sandwiches and dinners for the deep freeze. i hope it turns out well.

i think one of my new year's resolutions should be to eat better, and buy better ingredients. i'm still working on the other resolutions.