I just picked up the book, Raising Baby Green by Alan Greene and I thought it might be something that you'd be interested in. The title is rather misleading. While yes, it touches on having a green pregnancy, childbirth, and child products - it's mostly a great resource for greening up ones home.
Anyhow - I found a copy at Barnes & Noble. Check it out if you're interested! :)
Today starts my maternity leave. It's awesome. I'm not going to lie. The only thing that could possibly make it better was if I was being paid for it.
I'm 37.5 weeks pregnant. I had an appointment on Friday and found out that I'm a little over 1cm dilated. This basically means that my body is progressing towards labor.
After coming home, and throughout the weekend this and this happened. (Do not click if you're squeamish. It can be gross for you non-breeding types.) Sunday, I started to feel a few pains in my lower abdomen. Today, I've felt some on and off throughout the day. I called my Dr.'s office to talk to a nurse and she said it sounds like contractions and chances are good that Harper will make an appearance before Christmas. I'm excited, but at the same time wish there was a way to know for sure that it was the real thing. (Besides the whole water breaking thing - which only happens to about 1/3 of women before labor.)
Anyhow... that's my update for the day. Exciting, eh? I'll keep everyone posted as things progress and hopefully - I'll be sharing pictures of my daughter before the end of the year!
Currently, I'm starting my quest for a diaper bag. I really like this one, but don't know if I'm going to like it as much in person. If anyone has any diaper bag suggestions - I'm all ears!
If I don't get a chance to blog again before Christmas, I hope everyone has a safe and warm holiday!!!
Have you ever packed for a destination unknown? That's how I've been feeling lately as I try to wrap my head around going to the hospital a two-some and coming home a three-some. I'm trying to pack for myself and Harper so Rob doesn't have to make trip after trip out to get things, but it's rather difficult.
I feel that the lists you read in the books tell you to bring way too much. My hospital is about 10 minutes away from my house... 15 if there is traffic. I can't imagine there would be anything that I'd forget at home that couldn't be replaced. I wonder if this is a normal way to feel.
Then, there's the fact that I probably won't be leaving the house much (if at all) in the two weeks following Harper's birth. That's another aspect that's difficult for me to wrap my head around.
Right now, I'm trying to figure out what bag to pack, what to bring with me, and what I need to purchase new. For example - I'm looking at nursing night gowns. That's one thing that I think I'm going to want in the hospital. I tend to sleep wearing a tank-top or nightgown anyhow - so sleeping in something with a high collar doesn't appeal to me (like a hospital gown). The two I'm looking at are this one at Gap.com and this set at OldNavy.com.
I'm certainly open to opinions if anyone has any. In addition to needing a gown, I'm thinking about getting a long robe to wear during my stay and beyond. I have a short one that I wear at home, but even that is a little cold now that it has turned to winter. I don't really like fleece or terry-cloth robes, so finding one has been difficult. Does anyone else like robes and have a good source for picking one up?
I suppose I'm writing this post to complain that packing for a trip where you don't know what to expect and you don't know when it could happen, makes things difficult. It also makes it hard to be completely motivated. I guess just the fact that I'm looking around and considering makes me more motivated than if I were sitting here doing nothing.
Doesn't it?
1. Project Runway starts tonight!
2. I have 50 days until my due date.
3. My toes are cold.
Okay, so I forgot to post yesterday, but I swear I have a very good reason. Since I wasn't really trying to win anything with this NaBloPoMo thing... I don't feel that bad.
Yesterday was our marathon day of learning where babies come from. We started the day at 8:30 am in a small classroom. There were 11 couples. There were supposed to be 12, but Vickie, our instructor told us that one of the couples that was supposed to attend gave birth early. After sitting through the entire day of information yesterday, I can not imagine giving birth for the first time without having attended the class. This couple was cutting it close.
The day filled our brains with any and all information we could possibly want. At the end of the day, I felt really good about our choice to deliver at that hospital. The hospital really allows the mom to create their own experience while staying there. They have LDRP (Labor, Delivery, Recovery, postpartum) Rooms - This means that I check into one room and that's where everything happens. The only time I leave that room for anything is if, by some chance, I require a c-section. Most babies stay with their mom's in the room as well, unless Mom requests that the baby have some time in the nursery so she can rest a little. The hospital seems to know that everything about childbirth is extremely personal and that every woman has their own choice and preference. I really appreciate that.
The one thing I wish they would have mentioned was cloth diapering. For those of you who don't know, Rob and I plan on cloth diapering Harper. We will use a combination of cloth and gdiapers, but mostly cloth. We will have one pack of disposables around at all times for emergencies, but it really is just for emergencies.
It was I that initiated the interest in cloth and gdiapers, for environmental reasons. Your thoughts on impact on the world change significantly when you're bringing another generation into the world. After researching cloth (almost to death - more on that later), I discovered that there are many other benefits to using cloth besides environmental impact. The average baby goes through 6000 diapers before potty training. That's a lot of money! Cloth is re-usable, most times for more than one child! The financial reasons sealed the deal for the two of us.
I understand that this choice isn't for everyone, but it makes so much sense for us. We don't mind doing laundry, and with so many cloth diapering choices out there today (it's not just pins and prefolds like our parents put us in...) it makes it really easy to use.
I'm thinking of starting a new blog about my adventures in discovering cloth diapers. That will be the basis of it, but it will also expand into other green ways to raise a child and articles of interest. I'm in no-way trying to convert anyone, but sharing the information makes me feel as if I'm doing a little bit more for the world.
#FF1493
Your dominant hues are red and magenta. You love doing your own thing and going on your own adventures, but there are close friends you know you just can't leave behind. You can influence others on days when you're patient, but most times you just want to go out, have fun, and do your own thing.
Your saturation level is high - you get into life and have a strong personality. Everyone you meet will either love you or hate you - either way, your goal is to get them to change the world with you. You are very hard working and don't have much patience for people without your initiative.
Your outlook on life is very bright. You are sunny and optimistic about life and others find it very encouraging, but remember to tone it down if you sense irritation.
For today's post, I found out what color I was. You should do the same.
Another day, another post.
This is a quickie I'm trying to crank out before anyone else comes into the shop (workers, customers, etc).
A good day is started with a peppermint mocha. Even in decaf it's still yummy on a chilly morning... even if this morning wasn't chilly enough for me. Then again, I'm crazy.
I do love this time of year tho. The tree across the street from my office is really pretty right now. You know... the one in front of the place that teaches you how to cage fight. (I wish I was kidding...) The weather is cool enough that I'm wearing a nice black cowl neck sweater with a pumpkin colored tank under it.
I'm getting sidetracked easily, because I'm no longer the only one in the office. Must be time for me to get to work!
Have you ever Etsy'd?
For those of you who aren't familiar, Etsy is a place where crafters and other handy people can sell their wares for the public to purchase.
Here's a few of my favorites I've found tonight:
A pair of cute felted baby shoes.
I love everything in this Joanna Goldman shop.
How about a rockin' wallet?
I've kicked around the idea of starting my own Etsy. I have several items mulling around in my brain that I believe could make me some extra cash and make a few people smile. Now, all I need is time.
I'm sure once the baby is here I'll have plenty of time, won't I? Won't I? Guys? Anyone? All I can hear is the deafening sound of laughter...
Friday - Came home to find Rob, who had a "compromised cornea" laying down to relieve a headache. Sat next to him and got on the laptop for a while. Eventually ended up drifting off to sleep myself. Woke up around 8:30 and rousted Rob as well. We headed to Little Caesar's for $5 pizza and then back home to relax while eating pizza and watching season 1 of Project Runway. Eventually, I headed to bed.
Saturday - Took Rob to the eye doc early in the morning to have his cornea checked, then headed to our favorite thrift store. Found a nifty little ottoman for 5 bucks and brought it home for the nursery. Cleaned a bit in the nursery as well as around the house. Mom stopped by briefly to see the progress in the nursery. After she left, we didn't do a whole lot during the day. Lowns came out around 5:30 and we headed to Boone's Crossing. Beth & I shopped for girly things while Rob and Nate shopped for manly things. Picked the boys back up and headed out in search of dinner. After a frustrating attempt at eating at both Cheeburger Cheeburger and Cheesecake Factory, Harper dictated that a wait would not do, and we had Espino's instead. Yummy Mexican food was had by all. Headed back towards our place via Chocolate Cafe to pick up dessert. Kim joined us at our place and the 5 of us watched Knocked Up.
Sunday - Woke up earlier than normal due to DST ending. LOVE the end of DST. Started to clean up dishes from the night before when Mom showed up. She was picking something up but had the Best Buy ad in her hand. Asked what we thought of a certain laptop. Thought it looked great and the price was right ($600) so we headed over there to get her a computer. Purchased everything she needs and went our separate ways. Rob and I headed to Home Depot for shelving systems for the office. Came home and put it all together and started to organize DVDs while I sat upstairs with Kim. Kim used my laptop while I loaded things onto Mom's. Headed back over to Mom's to have dinner and help her get her wireless network setup.
That's about it for our entire weekend. We didn't do a whoile lot but that's because we didn't really feel that we had a whole lot to get done. It was rather nice. I'm baby brained even more than usual lately, but I've read that's completely normal. I'm making plans and getting everything into place. I only have 8 weeks to go before Harper is scheduled to put in her first appearance. I simply can not wait.
Ever heard of NaBloPoMo? Me either until now. I'm not interested in the drawings or the prizes or whatever, but I think that blogging every day would be a good exercise. Force myself to take time out and actually think, rather than continue to walk through the day in my usual foggy state.
To update everyone, I'm getting bigger. I have 8.5 weeks left to go (approximately). Time has just flown by.
Today is going to consist of laundry and getting shelves up in the office. Rob is in the middle of a major overhaul in the office that will leave each of us with nifty workspaces and plenty of storage. I'm getting to a point where I crave storage. I want everything to be placed somewhere certain in matching boxes so our home looks like a photo out of blueprint mag. Think we can make it happen? I hope so.
Liz, how is your home coming along? I look forward to more pictures soon!
Here's a great question - what the hell happened to Wal-Mart?
I'm not saying that it's my new favorite place to shop, but when I can't really sit in a car for 6 hours to hit my closest Ikea, I'm starting to find that Wal-Mart online is a resource for affordable modern design furniture.
Tonight, my search has brought me to finding storage solutions for Harper's room. We have a cute dresser we purchased at Value City (another place that can give me the heebie jeebies) and modified with some monkey drawer pulls, but we're also in need of a place to stash diapers, wipes, toiletries and other necessities.
As most of you know, I'm not one to go for the conventional items when it comes to my furniture. I'm often finding new uses for existing items, but this is one place where I was having trouble... until my search lead me to walmart.com's office furniture.
This is the 2-Door cabinet from the W Collection. At $130, it's a great deal for something that might be able to be used as a changing table and storage, and is attractive enough to be moved to another area of the house if Harper somehow decides that she's destined to be a pretty pretty princess, rather than a modern design diva. Also, at $130 for what I'm assuming is pressed board, it's a piece that I will have no qualms about rehabbing, modifying, and finding new uses for in the future. Maybe my daughter will have a creative urge to draw all over everything? One coat of chalkboard paint or chalkboard contact paper will give her storage she can label herself.
This is the W Collection hutch. Made to go on the cabinets I posted above, it's sold separately for $75. I think this would sit rather nicely on the floor and make a modern, affordable, kid-friendly bookcase. With baskets or boxes it could hold small toys as well as Harper's favorite books. As she grows, we could add it to the cabinet to hold a stereo, hair accessories, or anything else a growing girl needs/wants.
I'm not saying that all of my shopping will be at Wal-Mart from now on, (God no!) but I will definitely include their site in my searches for inexpensive storage and furniture solutions.
This has been our crazy nursery/baby weekend. It started on Thursday afternoon when we had our 3D ultrasound. (Check out Lammle Lounge for a few pictures and 7 seconds of Harper pushing against my stomach. Amazing technology...) Then that night when we headed to Wal-Mart to pick up our crib that we ordered online. We were surprised that Wal-Mart, even online, would have affordable and modern furniture. While Rob was waiting for the crib to be brought out of the back, I headed over to electronics to see what was new in the land of Wii. To my surprise they had 2 Nintendo Wiis sitting on the shelf. My boss had mentioned earlier that week that she was looking for 2 of them for Christmas presents. Calls were made, Wiis were purchased and reimbursement checks were written. It was a good night.
Friday evening was spent assembling the crib and making an impromptu trip back to Wal-Mart to price crib mattresses. Found a Sealy mattress for $60 bucks that looked nice and purchased it. Headed back home to put bedding on and get a better feel for how everything was going to look and plan for additional details.
On Saturday we stayed in bed way too long before getting up to get back to the nursery. Rob painted the windowsill that was still pink from the previous owners. (We didn't paint it because we didn't want to deal with taking down the blinds.) We were going to replace the blinds with something much nicer anyhow, so we took the opportunity to take them down and do the painting.
While the paint was drying, we decided to head to La-Z-Boy to price recliners for Rob. The one he has is almost as old as I am. Recently, he mentioned wanting to find an inexpensive replacement recliner. Me, being the wise woman I am, suggested he screw inexpensive and get himself a nice quality one at La-Z-Boy. The one we currently have lasted 25 years (and through numerous moves and families) so why not pay good money for one that will last another 25. He agreed and we decided to start looking.
Once there, we asked about the Todd Oldham line and were sad to discover that La-Z-Boy was no longer going to carry it. (From looking at their site, though... I have my own theory. I don't believe that the entire La-Z-Boy corporation is going to get rid of the line. I think it wasn't selling well in the St. Louis market, or possibly just St. Charles County. This doesn't shock me, and actually worked to my advantage.)
While there, I looked at some of the closeout pieces and found a Todd Oldham wing chair in the nursery colors for only $200. (The chair is similar to this one. The fabric type, if it doesn't come up in my link, is Central Park. I will post pictures as soon as I have more done in the nursery.) My mother was ready to purchase a glider for me at that price, so I sat my butt in said chair and made a phone call. She said it was up to me, and the chair is mine. (I'm actually sitting in it currently to write this.) Not far from the chair was a coffee table that caught our eye for only $50. The amazing thing about both purchases is that the chair originally retailed for $800 (which means it was 75% off!) and the coffee table was originally $700. Now, anyone that purchases a coffee table for $700 or more that doesn't have the name Nouguchi (or something equally recognizable) is nuts, but we'd have to be crazy to pass it up at $50. Some quick thinking also lead us to purchase a yard of the fabric used to upholster our beloved chair to use on a thrift-store ottoman to have a matching set. Viva la Creativity!
After a quick stop at Lowe's, we returned home to do some major rearranging and hang our new roman shades in the nursery. A long discussion was had and we finally came to the conclusion that the days of the futon were over. A new stage in our life was starting, and it's a futon-less stage. I have had major apprehensions about ridding ourselves of the futon, simply because I wasn't sure if I would still be able to lift myself from our platform bed once my stomach got larger. I have yet to have any issues getting out of bed, and I'm 7 months along, so I figure I'll manage. Everyone who's ever slept on the futon loves it, so it's sad to see it go.
Saturday night was spent with me having one long drawn out major asthma attack and us breathing new, modern life into a toybox my grandfather built for me for my 3rd birthday. The toy box is nothing special to the average person, but I've always loved it. It was covered inside and out with contact paper showing yellow bears at play. I can remember from a young age, the bear at an easel was my favorite. I've decided to leave the bears on the inside of the box for Harper to enjoy, but I've removed the paper from the outside (more on that in the future) and replaced it with a faux wood grain contact paper. We'll also be adding white trim to the box to have it match the other elements in the room. I'm happy thus far with the result and can't wait to complete it and post pictures.
This brings us to today. Rob headed to the Fire Department this morning to get some work done, and I started laundry, did dishes, and headed to the grocery store. My father arrived at 1pm so he and Rob could load things into the truck to take to Goodwill. Along with the futon, we're saying goodbye to a cheap-o coffee table, a 27" TV, clothes and other miscellany. Once they return, we'll be loading up my great-grandmother's dresser to take to my mother's. I love this dresser, but it's just not right for our style currently and I don't want anything to happen to it.
(Okay. I'm back. I actually just left the computer to hibernate while I ran to Mom's house with Rob and my dad with the dresser and etc. I hope this will explain if my post is all over the place. This was not one continuous train of thought.)
With everything gone, we're now in a simpler place. It's a strange feeling to get rid of things that have sat around for so long, but us being in this place in our life, I feel that it's necessary. It is symbolic of moving from one stage in life to the other.
The rest of the weekend (okay, really the evening) holds laundry, dinner (oven baked chicken, cornbread and mashed potatoes... probably some applesauce to substitute for some sort of veggie), knitting, and studying. It will be a nice, well earned rest and dinner, as we've worked our butts off this weekend to get things ready for our little one.
I will post pictures as they come and try to post thoughts more often as we near Harper's appearance. I don't know if anyone has noticed (probably not as I haven't really blogged) but I have a counter on the side of the page that shows how far along I am.
I do have a question for all of you: Do you prefer Flickr or Picasa Web Albums for your online picture storage/display? Currently, we use Picasa Web Albums because we have picasa for our photo organization on the computers, but I'm going to be looking to Flickr more often (hopefully) so that I can post photos to my ravelry site. (After months of waiting, I finally got my invite to beta test.)
Please let me know your answers via comments.
Well, I'm writing a weekend update while Rob studies and we get ready to eat the lasagna he's made for our dinner. Yes, it's 9:20pm on Sunday, but that doesn't mater. Harper will enjoy lasagna at any time in the evening.
Friday: We headed out for dinner at Outback for okay steaks (I've discovered that I enjoy Longhorn steakhouse a little better) and then proceeded to... well, I just don't remember what we did next. It was fairly unimportant I'm sure and somewhat uneventful.
Saturday: I woke up and headed into the office at 8:30am to tweak a design that my boss would sewing out over the weekend. It was a pain in the ass to get ready for sewing and of course, it was a rush order. I'm seriously starting to hate the general public by working in this shop.
Met my mom back back home where we grabbed Rob and headed out to Chesterfield Mall. Mom and I shopped while Rob went to see 3:10 to Yuma. (Look for a review on SMX, I'm sure...) I purchased a new purse, more MAC wipes and some more foundation. I also found some wonderful wonderful WONDERFUL pants at Old Navy that I will be purchasing many more pairs of. (Pregnancy + comfy pants = heaven) Met up with Rob, hit Applebees for lunch and then headed home. I took an impromptu nap while Rob did....something else. I have no idea. I dozed off in front of the laptop in bed. After my nap, I was looking to get out of the house so we headed out in search of new shoes for me which proved successful. ($8 pair of slip on cheap-o tennies at Payless and $7 pair of slip on shoes for Rob) I'm not wanting to spend a lot of money on shoes right now because everyone says that your feet change during pregnancy. We'll see. We headed to Lowe's to look for storage solutions and then hit Wal-Mart to purchase white onesies and iron on transfer paper. Headed home to get creative. Look for pictures of said onesies in the coming days. (No, really, I mean it....) Stayed up way too late watching Undeclared.
Sunday: Woke up late and headed to Costco for bulk food lovin'. Headed home where I took an impromptu nap (I'm getting good at these...) while Rob worked on... something else. Once again, I have no idea what. We then headed over to Mom's with some rubbermaid tubs as she's kind enough to let us store some of our crap at her place. Hit the grocery store for the remainder of the lasagna ingredients and came home.
Which brings us to now. The lasagna is resting on the stove, the rolls are in the oven getting all warm and yummy and I'm bringing this weekend update to a close. There's lasagna to be eaten and Undeclared to watch while eating it.
Yum.
This happened about a week ago:
Rob and I were on our way to Best Buy to pick up Flash Gordon so Rob can re-live his childhood years. The light turns green and I head on out. Someone from the intersection on the right, decides to make the turn regardless of my having the right of way and completely ignoring the fact that he was cutting me off.
I honk at him and make an ugly face and complain loudly with generous profanity to Rob...then I look in my review.
There's a cop coming up behind me at full speed with his lights and siren going. I pull over, wondering to myself when honking became illegal... then my mood completely changed.
He pulled over the guy who cut me off! Justice was served! Right before my very eyes!!!
Needless to say, while Flash Gordon made Rob's night...watching an idiot get pulled over because he cut me off, made mine.
This is a football.
This is a foot
ball on clearance.
This is a Michael Vick football on clearance at Target.
In the pet supplies section.
Sorry for the blurry phone pics, but I was giggling at the time. I can't imagine why.
I'm at home today. I woke up with the room spinning. Thinking it was just how hungry I was, I stumbled my way to the kitchen (literally... I was holding the walls to stay upright) and had a yummy breakfast. It didn't help.
I may have an inner ear infection, and because I can't take much, I'm waiting on Rob to get home with the prescription that my doc called out for me.
I'm doing a little work from home, stressing of financial woes, and getting in a little knitting. I've started my knitting earlier this year in hopes of actually having a scarf for Rob by the time the weather turns colder. (Instead of the half of one that he's had in previous winters.) I've discovered that I'm knitarded. That is, I don't know how to make anything but scarves, really. I can do flat things, but that's about it. I'm going to devote the next few weeks to learning how to knit properly so I can fulfill my dream of being a stereotypical cartoon pregnant lady (or chicken, or cat, or whatever cartoon creature you watched while growing up.) Which means, I want to knit baby things.
We're looking to green up our lives a little once the baby is here. I've always been a hippie at heart, but now I have some one on board with making our lives and the way we live better for the future because we'll have the face of the future staring back at us. Rob and I are already committed to using gdiapers and cloth diapers as much as humanly possible. We're concentrating on getting/making wood toys for the little one as the wood is much more sustainable than plastic. We already use cloth napkins, and are trying to cut down on our paper towel and paper plate usage.
The thought of becoming a parent makes time passing mean something. I'm not trying to say that it doesn't before, but from the moment of conception, you're looking at a lifetime of milestones. 12 wk, 16wk, 20wk, 40wk.... 1st trimester, 2nd trimester, 3rd trimester, due date, first sound, first smile, first giggle, first word, first steps.... there are many touchstones that you can measure time with when you add another person to your family. For us, it also means we're paying attention to how we treat each other and the world around us. I don't want our child to have the asthma problems I've had. Solution #1 for this is to get the eff outta MO. Seriously. This is the worst place to live if you have allergies and breathing problems. (Okay, not the VERY worst, but we're in the top ten.) Solution #2 - treat our environment better. Solution #3 - Pray that genetics don't get the best of the little guy/gal.
I'm rambling at this point, and I'm fully aware of that. But that's what you're here for right?
Right?
Guys? Still there???
Damn.
Please... those of you who will have families some day.
Never name your child after a type of wood. I just typed (yes, to get ready for embroidery) the name: Mahogany.
Just got into work this morning and had to hand-sew some patches on a couple of hats. Fun stuff. One looks like a retarded 6 year old did it while riding in a car on a gravel road, the other looks alright. Looks like I figured it out by the second one.
Spend all evening yesterday prepping for Brasher Bash. Like Rob said, it should be a good time. Honestly, I've never been to one in the past, but I've heard plenty of stories. Apparently when these would take place while we were in high school, it was the best place to see some of your teachers and band parents urinating in public, vomiting, and just being generally hammered...and then having their students/children drive their drunk asses home.
I still have some things I want to do for the bash tonight. I'll be making some homemade sparkling lemonade and a pan of brownies to bring with. Yesterday, I was at the Brasher's cooking potato salad, mexidip and veggie dips. The food should be a damn good spread.
Today I'm at work, but I have the closed sign up. I'm only going to be here until noon or one and then I'm heading out to get ice and possibly cupcakes for the party. Then it's home to see if my swimsuit will cover the growing tummy. If not, I'll be heading out to find a new swimsuit for the party.
That's all. I should get to sewing some of these things that aren't going to sew themselves.
I hope everyone has a safe and happy 4th! Have a drink for me!
Today, I'm 13 weeks pregnant. This means I'm entering the 2nd trimester officially. This is often known as the "Honeymoon Phase" of pregnancy as the vast majority of your symptoms go away and you feel really good.
As morbid as the thought may be, I'm excited to have made it this far. I worried, fretted and drove myself and everyone around me nuts because I was constantly fearing miscarriage. Things that I have near no control over scare me. But here I am! 2nd trimester! I'm allowing myself to get super excited and to maybe purchase a thing or two along the way.
To celebrate this milestone, I sent in my pre-registration for the hospital I plan to give birth in. I'm also hoping to get into a prenatal yoga class in the near future to limber up my body and make it as prepared as possible for giving birth.
There are a lot of things to consider when planning for a new family member. One of the things I decided early on is to try to be as green as possible with this child. This means that I'm going to avoid disposable diapers, (no, I'm not using cloth, but I'm going with g-diapers as much as possible as they decompose quickly) I'll use cloth bibs, and I'll try to avoid bottles with disposable inserts. I really hate the fact that so much of our lives is disposable. Rob knows this, but I hate paper plates. I'd rather use regular plates and just have to wash them more often. Silly, I know... as I may be wasting water to avoid making more waste.
Anyhow... this is how I hope to be. I am fully aware that most people have delusions of grandeur before actually becoming a parent, but I'm certainly going to be one to try to stick with this. But if I fail, I know that may parents do. And that when it comes to parenting... you can only do the best you can.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye.
- Miss Piggy
Not that any of those who read this need to, but if you cruise on over to lanebryant.com or torrid.com you'll notice that the price of clothing is significantly higher than other stores. These two stores charge a great deal for clothing that's not made all that great.
When I would shop for clothing, I would usually hit Old Navy. Sure the clothing isn't better made there, either... but at least they weren't trying to fool anyone. If I pay 20 bucks for knit gouchos, I'm fully expecting them not to last longer than a season. It was inexpensive enough that if I wanted something new to wear out on a Friday, I could hit ON on my way home and get something without breaking the bank.
Well, let me be the first to say, "Fuck you, Old Navy!" I've just learned that they're removing the plus size clothing from their stores. I have basicly no reason to go in there other than to buy the occasional t-shirt (which, for now, I don't need plus size) and a pair of flops.
I was really excited about Old Navy's Plus Size collection currently, because finding plus size maternity clothing is somewhat difficult. I knew that I could buy bigger sizes at Old Navy and get by without just buying a mu mu. Apparently, not anymore.
So join me in giving Old Navy the finger. FUCK YOU, OLD NAVY!
Friday - Left work at noon to meet up with Rob and Cville kiddos at the Lown's for some sellin' of our shit. Sale ended at 3 with everyone exhausted except for me, as they've been sitting in the sun for the whole day. Lowns napped. We ran to Target. Came back for BBQ and a chill night with Kingstons and Lowns.
Saturday - Get up early for more selling. Decided to pack it up at noon-ish and head to goodwill to donate what didn't sell. Bought a few things and headed to 54th Street Grill for yummy lunch happenings. Headed back to the Lowns where I proceeded to pass out for 2+ hours. Having a little person growing in you makes you tired.
Headed to the Kingstons at about 7:30 so the boys could play poker and the girls could hang out. I left at about 10:30 or so because I was getting tired again. Headed straight to bed and read a little before dozing off with my face in my book. Rob got home about 1am.
Sunday - Did a whole lot of nothing. Went to Babies R Us and looked around at cribs and other baby stuff. I'm anxious to start buying things for the little guy/gal. We had lunch at our O'Standby - O'Charlies. Headed to Old Navy to look for pants/shorts for me. Failed. Rob got some tho! I hit The Body Shop for necessities and then we headed for home. Grocery shopped at some point in the day. Spent the rest of the day doing probably nothing.
Monday - Rob and I were both home sick. I had a headache and Rob can barely talk. I still have the headache and upset stomach and just wnat to go home and sleep.
End of the first trimester is this week. Baby Lammle is growing strong. I have a dr. appt tomorrow to make sure everything is okay.
I wish I could say that the baby is what has me so excited right now, but no.. that's entirely too understandable. What has me excited right now is that the State will finally be released on DVD this fall. My prayers have truly been answered.
Not a whole lot to report besides the little person growing inside of me. I'm hoping for a boy, but I'll be happy either way. The fun thing is I'll find out what it is not long before I visit Soniya and Erik for DMB in August. Yay! Soniya, we may have to go to that hip baby store you mentioned. :)
Work is going alright. Boss is out of the office today and has been most of the week. That always makes for better times as things can be more relaxed and productive. (yeah... don't ask..)
Garage sale this weekend at the Lown home. Going to sell loads of stuff and hopefully make loads of cash.
That's all I got. Sorry for the rambliness.
I'll be 8 weeks pregnant this Friday. How's that for an update?
Do we think that Nate & Pam will allow a 4 month old at their wedding?
At my office, we have a front entrance and a back entrance. On nice days, like today, we will open both doors and let the breeze through.
Today, my boss returned from errands and opened the back door. A horrid smell wafted through...
There is a large pile of poop outside the back door, and I believe it's human. (Otherwise, there is a neighborhood dog that needs to see a doc ASAP.)
Longer post about things not related to poop is set to come. Watch for it!
You'd think that a high school graduate, partially college educated (hey! I'm working on it!), formerly gifted student (as in formerly in gifted classes, not that I've lost any gifts....) would think to check the weather report before leaving home for the day.
But no. Instead, I'm sitting at work, wearing flip flops and according to the radar there is certain rainy death approaching. Fun!
I haven't blogged in a while. Work is nothing short of crazy lately. Baseball teams and American Girl out the wazoo. We've been rather busy. In fact, today I have several things on my plate and I'm supposed to head to class at 1pm. This is, of course, if rainy death doesn't get in the way of my going to class... We'll see how things look closer to 1pm.
Liz! You're on blogger! Yay!
I'm currently trying to decide what DMB shows we're going to attend this year. If it was up to me, we'd be doing a marathon week of 2 shows in Alpine Valley and 2 shows in Indy.... but Rob isn't as much of a fan as I am. Oh..and that would be somewhat expensive.
Every purchase I make I've been thinking about how it takes away from my mac fund. I'm saving up to get an iMac. A little each month... I hope to be giving myself a sweet birthday present next year. (hopefully sooner!)
Blah blah blah bliggity blah. I feel I've rambled enough for one day. I'll check back soon!
1. I'm going to rock this post liz style and bust out the list with a tasty groove.
2. I enjoy watching WorkOut on Bravo.
3. I had sushi from a local place today. It's right up the street and not bad. Not as good as Drunken Fish, but not bad.
4. I'm actually looking forward to going to the gym tomorrow.
5. Work is crazy lately. It's getting to be spring which means uniforms and lots of high maint. customers. I've been working from home every night so far this week. Tomorrow night, I will take an evening off.
6. My asthma is hopefully going to get better. We'll see, tho.
7. I'm looking forward to crawling into bed tonight.
8. I'm currently reading Ender's Game. I picked it up because I had never read it before and hear nothing but good things.
9. I'm trying to eat better and try new things.
10. I'm currently addicted to CookingCute for all things bento.
11. I think Bravo is addicted to champaign toasts.
12. This weekend is Ann/Norah's baby shower. Fun!
you may not know this fun fact about me: I don't like killing things.
Yup. That's right. I'm not one who enjoys seeing something come to its untimely end, so I'm reaching out to all of you for help. The truth is... I'm a killing machine.
You see, out of all the plants I started last year... a lone, sad looking tree has survived. This year, I'm starting fresh! Strawberries! Jalapenos! Catnip! Many other things to come... but how can I prevent death from finding my green little friends? I'm turning to the interweb for assistance!
Anyone with a remotely green thumb? What are your suggestions for container gardening on a small patio?
Yesterday was a rough day for me. Work sucked a fatty and I ended the day with a HUGE stress headache.
Today, looks to possibly be the same. Oh fun. I did get to watch Dave on House last night. That was great.
I'm having a grand ol' DMB time lately. Whenever spring comes around, my brain switches to tour mode and I listen to DMB non-stop while anxiously awaiting the tour dates to be announced. I'm hoping that I'll get an email from the Warehouse any day now. I surfed on over to the WH site and found that some DMB shirts were on sale for $5.. so I picked one up.
I really don't have much to post today... which is good because I have plenty of work to get done.
OH! One more thing... Everyone with cds sitting around that they don't listen to anymore should sign up for LaLa. It's music trading - inexpensive and legal.
I was on the phone with my mom as she drove into her parking garage at work. She says, "Someone is in my parking spot!"
She proceeds to memorize the plates so she can have a co-worker find out who the car belongs to.
Ahh... to work for a law enforcement organization.
Read this.
It may help some of you *coughrobcough* cope with the fact that you have married someone who will be a mac-person. Someone who will enjoy being a mac-person. Someone who wishes she could be a mac-person very soon.
If nothing else, it will make you giggle.
This morning I forgot to set my alarm. That's okay, because the crazy MO weather took care of waking me up by having the tornado sirens go off at 7:57am. Gee! Thanks weather from hell!
Did I mention that it's sunny and about 60 degrees out right now? Did I mention that it was sunny and 55 degrees at about 8:15? No? Well... there you have it.
Seriously... I need to move.
Okay, so maybe it's not officially spring, but it certainly feels like it's getting close.
I know this because I have been listening to DMB nonstop and it makes me very happy. Almost excited. Spring means summer and summer means tour. Tour means happy fun dancing time for Andrea.
Not much is new with me... work, school, gym. I've lost 10 lbs since the beginning of the year. (ironically, I'm eating a cookie at 10 am as I type that...)
I've decided to start a new category in this blog and that would be highlights of some of the shirts I'm asked to make by high school students. I'm amused by them... you should be as well.
For example:
1. A kid came in with his mom for a shirt that says - Stop the bus, let my friend Jack off. I offered to put something on the inside of the shirt for when he's asked to turn it inside out at school.
2. I am in the process of creating shirts for twins that say, "I'm Mr. Kelly Clarkson." Their friend has photoshopped a photo of Kelly Clarkson in pics of each of them.
Crazy kids...
'Ello!
I must apologize for my unintentional hiatus (band name!) from blogging. There has been a lot going on since the start of 2007, which hasn't left me with much blog time.
I started my new job at the print/embroidery shop. While I still sit at a computer all day, I have little time to read anyone's blogs, much less write an entry of my own. I'm going to try to start blogging a little more.
The new job is going well. There are still a few wrinkles to iron out, but otherwise it's going well. I'm learning all about digitizing, which, I'm told can make you big bucks just about anywhere. It's apparently not something that a lot of people can do. This is why I can charge 50 bucks for about 15 minutes of work. Not bad, eh?
I've started school and am taking algebra and drawing. Next week I have a field trip to SLAM with the drawing class and a math test the following Monday. I'm in the school year full throttle.
Between work and school, there is little time to sit down and write an entry or even cook a meal, but I'm trying to work on both with the latter becoming a passion again. After the trip to Drunken Fish for JK's birthday, I've had a taste for sushi and all things Asian. I'm starting to explore Japanese cooking and may even try to make my own sushi soon. I'm looking into the proper (and inexpensive!) cooking instruments. I'll keep you posted as to how it turns out.
I tried take home sushi from Trader Joes... ICK. I think I've been spoiled by fresh sushi, because the nori on this batch was chewy and icky. It didn't taste bad, but the texture was horrible.
I'm trying to get to the gym as much as possible, but have been slacking due to tiredness from the busy schedule. I'm still eating well every day, tho, unlike what I would have done in the past... just said "eff it" and eaten whatever I want. I'm trying to make wise choices and eating many green things frequently(preferably with a side of soy sauce).
This weekend will hopefully hold Wiifest/party on Friday night, Mardi Gras (maybe) on Saturday (after we have Direct TV in HD installed) and MAC with mom on Monday. I'm anxious to see the new Barbie loves MAC line, as I'm in love with the colors on my screen, but we'll see how they look once they're in front of me.
Anyhow... that's all I've got for now. I promise to try to post more often.
Yeah... DMB quote. Predictable, eh?
Well, it's my first post of the new year, and I figured, "Why not do it on my birthday?"
Today was the big 25 for me... it feels a lot like being 24. Whoopee. On NYE we were at the Scottish Arms listening to bagpipes and eating yummy food. Ran into my best friend from high school and proceeded to analyze the crap out of her, myself, and our entire friendship for the... well the next 10 days or so. It still creeps in there once in a while, but WAYGD? Float on, I suppose.
I've started the new job, and besides a few small things, I love it completely. I get to sit infront of a computer all day and be creative, it's the easiest boss I've ever worked for, and I'm building my portfolio. Oh.. and customized clothing rocks the pants. Look for creations to be posted as soon as I get the hang of everything.
For my birthday, Rob got me I AM PLASTIC, Frankenstein makes a Sandwich by Adam Rex, and Strangers with Candy: The complete series. The coolest thing he got me (altho, I AM PLASTIC really rocks...) is he registered a domain name for me - zenbotdesign.com - which will be the website for the design company I'm starting. Yay for being grown up!
We ended up at McGurk's tonight for drinks and burgers and proceeded to brainstorm about changes to make to the condo. We can't really leave anything alone...
I don't have much else to report at this time, other than I'm currently adding music to my ipod and my fingers are currently cold.
Oh... I guess it's news that I got a new phone. It's a Samsung Trace. I'm falling in love with Bluetooth, as I can wear it and still work on the embroidery machines as well as do my artwork at work... so that's cool.
I'm random tonight.
G'night!
