Suspense!

Only 39 minutes til the Rock of Love season finale!! I can't wait!!!
See, I'm really not all that big of a TV fan, in general. It's this, and starting in January again (I assume), Jack Bauer and I will work together to save the world in 24! (He couldn't do it without my support from my couch!)

I've Been Tagged!

Woo-hoo!! I'm easily amused on a boring Sunday morning (the man is sleeping off his late night). I've been tagged by Kathi at Stamp Maniac. Thanks!

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet, current car) Crissy Cadillac
2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (favorite ice cream, favorite cookie) Moose Tracks Snickerdoodle (LOL)
3. YOUR FLY “GUY/GIRL” NAME: (first initial first name, first 3 letters last name) B-Bay
4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) Pink or Black Cat
5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born) Nancy Redford
6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (first 3 letters last name, first 2 letters first name) Baybe
7. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink and add” the”) The Orange So Co & Coke
8. NASCAR NAME: (first names of your grandfathers) Donald Alvin (I think...)
9. STRIPPER NAME: (favorite perfume, favorite candy) Chanel Nerds (hahaha)
10. WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother’s and father’s middle names) Gail Alvin

And now I get to tag five people :)

Stephanie from A Mother's Musings
Jessica from Oh, where do I start?
Vamp D from thirtysomething in charleston
Jaime from A New Beginning, and
Daisy from Daisy's Petals

Have fun!!

Hope for a Cure

What a day! If you've never been to an American Cancer Society Relay for Life event, it's kind of like a giant fair of sorts. All the fundraising teams have tents set up along the 1/4 mile track. They're selling crafts, baked goods, chances to win big prizes, massages, anything they can think of to help raise more money. And it's easy to see it like a contest - especially since our team was one of the highest, if not the highest, fundraiser in our county. We win, right?

But underneath the fun and games is the underlying reminder that we're all here because we've lost. Nearly everyone there, smiling and laughing and having a good time, is there because they've lost someone special to them to cancer. One of my best friends died at only 36 years of age from breast cancer. She never got to see my baby, or even know that she was coming. She wasn't alive for my wedding. Her parents had to bury their child. Her husband had to bury his wife after watching her suffer so, so much. And they will never have a baby together, which they wanted.

Sue was just the sort of friend who would have gone to Relay for Life and had a good time right along with me. But if she was here to go with me, it may never have occurred to me to go, and I never would have realized how important it is to find a cure.

Shout out!!

Huge shout out to VampD and JecaMarie - you rock!!

See my nifty gauge over there -->>>
VampD just made the last donation to get me to my goal! I would love to never have to see a loved one suffer from cancer again. That's exactly why I try to do my part each year with our Relay for Life team. Thanks to everyone who helped me help our team and the American Cancer Society.

Safety First

I've been really trying to appreciate our really hot water lately. We've always had the water heater set as high as it goes, so when you turn on any of the Delta faucets in our house to hot, nearly boiling water comes out. Sure, I cuss at it from time to time when I just about burn my widdle fingers, but I appreciate it too.
Once Maggie gets big enough to control her hands, we'll have to turn the water heater down for safety's sake. It's a sacrifice, but a clear one to make for our little bundle of joy.

Darn

Didn't hear anything back on the job today. I am severely bummed. And now I'll have at least all weekend to wait. Darn.

We have one more week with hubby/daddy at home. After next weekend he has to go out west to the Venetian hotel or someplace else in Vegas, where they're leaving to do hot weather testing for like ten days or something. Next he'll come back home for one measly week and then we'll begin the exodus to Germany. He'll go first and I'll follow - hopefully after training for that job I really want.

I don't know if I mentioned how much I want that job??

Waiting...

Still waiting for the call back on that job that I interviewed for on Wednesday. The woman said she'd call back by the end of the week - so that's today, right? I'm getting more and more nervous. I really need it.

My back-up plan, you'll remember, is to work my candle biz again. That's actually become a step up from a back-up plan now, as I already have a show booked in a couple weeks, whether or not I get the job I want. I've got her guest list, and have just been thinking about how to send out reminder cards, since I don't have any actual reminder cards. I'm thinking about just laying something out 4-up, then having it printed on cardstock. Luckily I already know everyone who is being invited, since they are some of my regulars from before. I'm sure they'd be okay with my 'fake' invites. And I'll actually be able to see some of the new product in person before the show, since I was invited as a guest to someone else's show about a week before. Hahahahaha...I'll go, so I can see what I'll be selling!

Hubba Hubba

Who doesn't need a little more romance in their life? At RomanceForEveryone.com, there are lots of great stories and ideas to say "I love you," or "I miss you" to that special someone in your life. If you're already with your one-and-only, check out how to write a love letter to your husband or wife, tips on how to get what you want from your spouse, or step it up to romance her (or him).

At the very beginning of the spectrum, there are also tips for online dating as one way to find your true love. There wouldn't be all the online dating sites if it wasn't working for some people - that's how my brother and my father-in-law met their wives!

Sadly enough, if you've got someone who isn't worth your romance efforts anymore, there is even information available for breaking up and moving on. RomanceForEveryone.com has all of your bases covered!

Goodness

Last night was really nice. We decided to skip the movie and just do dinner and go shopping (okay, mostly because momma didn't want to leave the baby that long...). Since we didn't head out til almost 7, we hit the mall first. I never knew it would be so frustrating to find nursing tops. For starters, every time you ask a store clerk if they have nursing tops, they first think 'nursing scrubs,' not booby accessible shirts. The only place we ended up finding any of the type of nursing tops I was looking for was Motherhood Maternity. And I'm not even linking to them cuz they had like 3 and their sizing was HUGE! The smallest they had was a medium, and that was substantially too large. Darn.

At Kohl's, I ended out picking out a pair of pants (not jeans, woo-hoo!!) and a zippered cardigan hoody. The sweater came with a tank underneath, but I don't see myself wearing that anytime. My man ended up getting a sweater and a work shirt at Eddie Bauer (since they have tall sizes, a lot of his clothes are from there). The last attempt at getting nursing tops was at JC Penney. They didn't have any (surprised?), but we got an adorable little outfit for Maggie. It's a long-sleeved onesie with a witch on the front, with orange and white striped pants with a black cat on the leg. Too cute! I'll probably use it for her 3-month pictures too.

Still reading? hahaha For dinner, we headed over to Logan's Roadhouse, since I always love a good steak. Our waitress, Kristen, was super awesome. My husband said it was our night out, and she said she would make sure we had a great time and wanted to come back to Logan's every time. I think it may have worked, Kristen!

Overall, it was a really nice night out, and he got me in a good enough mood to agree to letting him go to a metal concert with his brother on Saturday. He said I could go and his mom would watch the baby, but I'd rather stay home with my cuddle-bug and get to bed earlier than they will. Wow, I must really be a mom! :P

Date Night!

It's Thursday again, and my marvelous man has arranged another babysitter for us. His dad and his dad's wife are coming over tonight so he and I can go out. My special request for tonight is the movies (with popcorn, of course). Since they're coming over pretty soon after he gets home from work, I imagine we'll grab something for dinner while we're out.

I'm trying to talk him in to a bit of shopping. Nothing fun like books, but apparently they're right - my priorities as a mom are changing. I DESPERATELY need new clothes. Every day I wear jeans (thank goodness for that little bit of spandex, eh?) and a maternity shirt. Okay, so today I'm wearing one of my tighter fitting shirts that is a bit longer, but it makes Maggie's feedings a bit more challenging. I would love a pair of casual pants (instead of jeans, to dress things up a bit) and a few nursing tops. We'll see!

Yippee!!!

I am SO excited! One of my very dear friends is pregnant :) They're due in May. I think it's a good sign that I can be this happy and already know what she's in for. Hahahaha.... I told her I actually miss being pregnant. True story.

Oh! I forgot - it's still a secret, so don't tell anyone, k?

Wordless Wednesday

:(

I feel so bad waiting for her to fall asleep all the time...I would love to be able to keep her up and play with her as long as she'd let me, but today I have that interview. I need to leave her in 1 1/2 hours, and I still need to shower, put on make-up, get dressed, complete the application and print out my resume and eat something so I don't starve to death before I get home a couple hours after that...

I'm sorry, baby - I feel like a pretty crappy mommy today. :(

I Must Have Done Something Right!

I FINALLY heard from the company I really want to work for today. After working for them a couple years ago, I knew the jobs they had were perfect for me - work from home, flexible hours, steady work, only a week or two of office training. Starting in July, when I was home waiting for Maggie's arrival, I applied and followed up once a month or so with them.

Today, the manager called me to tell me about what their hiring for now. It's even better than what I had before. I'd work 20 - 30 hour/week consistently (my last project had a break after each quarter), and training is just before our family relocates with my husband's job!

She spoke about training and stuff, which makes me pretty confident in getting the position, but my interview in person with her is tomorrow - cross your fingers!!

Are You Inked?

Something that surprised my midwife at one of our first visits was 'finding' my two tattoos on my hips. They've been there for so long, I couldn't figure out at first what she was looking at. Hahahaha... I've got a sun and moon on either side of my hips. I also have a daisy colored in like the American flag on my ankle, but heck, I think nearly everyone has an ankle tattoo now...

If your tattoos truly define a big part of who you are (oh, yeah...and if you're single), tattoo lovers may be able to find someone who loves your ink as much as you do.

Another Day

I made a rather lame attempt at gathering my household donations for Purple Heart. There's some ceramic..thing...and an old sugar bowl and a couple things from the kitchen like that, but I haven't taken the time yet to package them so they don't get broken. Instead I went through my closet and a couple drawers and picked out like five things I'm tired of and put them in a bag. My logic is that by putting the bag on the porch, I'll be able to tell if they've already picked up later on when I have time to do it right. If I were better at this stuff, I'd go ahead and do a 'good' bag this afternoon whether or not they've already been here, cuz they'll come again next time, and I'll pull the same tricks at this rate....

Maggie is waking up slowly. She pulled her Houdini trick again last night and had one leg out of the swaddle when I woke up to nurse her at 3am. Crazy kid! I re-swaddled her and we finally got back to sleep before 4, so that's pretty good, actually. I'm not sure if swaddling is going to keep working since she's growing more and more fond of her thumb. Anyone who swaddled - how old were your babies when you stopped?

Modifications already...

On my to-do list I already need to modify the tasks I need to accomplish, since I've tried one and decided not to complete it...yeah. Go, me. I called the pediatrician's office about the $100 bill we received. Turns out they forgot to mention that they don't accept our insurance. Umm..thanks? As long as we're delaying vaccinations, I'm certainly not paying them $100 every other month just to tell me my baby is growing. Duh.

Instead of calling them to schedule her two-month appointment, I called to ask them if they'll reduce our bill. And tomorrow I get to call around and try to find a new pediatrician, in our insurance network, who will work with my desire to delay vax. Wish me luck.

Mission Organization?

So yesterday, after spending the day at a baby-fest of relatives, my hungry husband and I picked up a pizza and antipasto salad on the way home. Our gathering had been for 'brunch' so we hadn't eaten since like noon or something. With nursing Maggie, I'm supposed to be eating more often than not, and I'm no good at it (don't hate me!)
After dinner, while I was in the bathroom (okay, I was hiding and doing sudoku, so shoot me), he decided the kitchen cupboards were a mess - which I already knew. By the time I got back out to the kitchen, he had found my secret stash of Nutty Bars (oops!) and was rather passionately reorganizing the cupboard.
I don't mind doing the kitchen cupboards at my own pace. I'm just wondering now what kind of magic he could work in the garage with a car lift...hmm....

Tease!

Grr....
Those dirty dogs. I would just about SWEAR that last week (as in September 16) they said the season finale for Rock of Love was this week (meaning yesterday night). But noooo....it was a measly half hour of recaps/outtakes/whatever. So now I have a whole 'NOTHER week to wait?? If something holds it off next week, there is gonna be a serious throw down. I'm just sayin.

September 23 - 29, 2007

Goals for the week:

1. Call the State about Maggie's birth certificate (don't get me started on the background for this one...).
2. Leave stuff for Purple Heart on Tuesday.
3. Go to LLL enrichment meeting on Tuesday.
4. Respond to resignation acceptance email from person previouslyknown as 'boss.' Return access badge. :)
5. Make new menu/grocery list.
6. Walk in Relay for Life.
7. Make appointment with pediatrician.

Dinner on the Patio?

So I'd like to modify my answer to #2 - Things you'd like to have, regardless of cost. Actually, I'd need to then answer it in two parts, an outdoor kitchen, and a cool yard to have it in (so it's only a slight modification, since I already asked for the patio). Right now, we'd end up looking at the neighbors on their patio, which would just be kind of awkward, ya know?
While we're at it, can I have a chef to go with that? hahaha

Friday Fun

from Friday Fun:

List four...

1. Things next to your bed.
a window
my dresser
the bathroom door
my cat (usually)
2. Things you would like to have, regardless of cost.
new clothes that fit
new screens/windows
new patio (instead of the deck)
more friends
3. Things you wish you hadn’t done.
gotten married the first time
run up so much credit card debt
taken out so many student loans
let my office get to be such a mess
4. Things you would like to learn.
how to speak better German
how to knit (I know, I know...mom has already taught me several times)
baby sign language (with Maggie, of course)
how to belly dance
5. Websites that you like to shop at.
Ebay.com
Victoria's Secret
JC Penney
someplace with cool nursing tops
6. Blogs that I should visit. And I will then visit all of them!
Two Lines on a Stick
Karaoke Diva
Andria and Co.
A Mother's Musings

Booking Through Thursday

a meme from Booking Through Thursday.

Imagine that everything is going just swimmingly. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and all’s right with the world. You’re practically bouncing from health and have money in your pocket. The kids are playing and laughing, the puppy is chewing in the cutest possible manner on an officially-sanctioned chew toy, and in between moments of laughter for pure joy, you pick up a book to read . . .

What is it?

For me, I don't really have a list of 'books for a good mood' or 'books for a bad mood' (okay, there may be a couple books I can count on to distract me/cheer me up). Right now, my mom has been handing off several by Debbie Macomber which are pleasant enough to pass an afternoon.

No TV? No Problem!

I didn't even turn on our TV today. I'm sort of proud of that. I read half of a book for entertainment instead. The book I'm reading is just a romantic fluff, but I've always seen reading as somewhat valuable no matter what the actual text is. I hope Maggie gets my love of reading.

Did your local library have a reading club over the summer? Ours did. I remember coloring in part of a shape, or getting a stamp or sticker for each book read. If you filled in your shape completely, or got all of your stamps or stickers or whatever, you got to take it to the big party to celebrate at the end of the summer. Am I a complete geek to wish they had this for grown-ups too??

Back to Business

The wheels are set in motion. I'm picking up my candle biz again. Want free candles? Drop me a line!

By doing this again, I should be able to make the fundage I need in one or two nights a week, plus the stuff I've been doing with this blog. Honestly, I'm not really thrilled with the idea, but it's better than day care and a job outside the home. A 'real' job outside the home would spend what little income it brought in on daycare and incidentals. With my candle biz, my man can stay home with Maggie while I go out and make a quick hundred or two...

Wish me luck!

Talk Like a Pirate Day

Yes, it's Talk Like a Pirate Day. And I just used that fact to shamelessly put a picture of Johnny Depp here. So? ARRRR!!!

Good News ;)

You Will Be a Cool Parent

You seem to naturally know a lot about parenting, and you know what kids need. You can tell when it's time to let kids off the hook, and when it's time to lay down the law. While your parenting is modern and hip, it's not over the top. You know that there's nothing cool about a parent who acts like a teenager... or a drill sergeant!

Would You Be a Cool Parent?

My Mind is Still South of Here

At least the weather is warming up a bit here (compared to earlier in the week, when it almost felt like fall). It still isn't bikini weather, though, which I totally missed out on with my big pregnant belly when summer was here. I tried to talk to my friend in the Bahamas today, but she wasn't home. I guess I'll have to dwell on Florida again. I'm not sure where Broward county real estate is in relation to my Miami haunts, but it's definitely closer than here! Anyone want to help me find a house? Find a big enough one for the right price and maybe there will even be a spare room for you! hahahaha

10 Things to Do When You Have Nothing Else to Do

from Ten on Tuesday.

1. Watch TV.
2. Surf the internet.
3. Hang out on No Mama Drama.
4. Organize/straighten cupboards and drawers.
5. Work on cleaning my office.
6. Plan scrapbook pages.
7. Read.
8. Talk on the phone.
9. Brush the cat.
10. Go for a walk.

Memes!

Am I the only one who likes memes? I hope not! I remember seeing a lot more of them a few years ago, but none of the blogs I've been reading have posted any lately (that I remember anyway...). So I searched and found this:
Well? Good idea?

MySpace Toy!

I found something this morning on a friend's MySpace that I've been playing around with and put on mine. It's Frazy. It has all the cute little pictures for your favorite music, movies and books, and puts them together for your profile. Check it out!

I'm a Grammar Nazi

At least when I'm paying attention...

You Scored an A

You got 10/10 questions correct. It's pretty obvious that you don't make basic grammatical errors. If anything, you're annoyed when people make simple mistakes on their blogs. As far as people with bad grammar go, you know they're only human. And it's humanity and its current condition that truly disturb you sometimes.

The It's Its There Their They're Quiz

Mission Accomplished!

We did it! Maggie did not get at all fussy during all of our errands. We went to the post office to overnight mail MORE MONEY to try and get her birth certificate corrected, then to Target for the stuff on my list (except popcorn :( ). The afternoon was going so well I splurged on one of those projection televisions - just checking to see if you're reading, hehehehe - actually got a cute outfit and another shirt for Maggie. On the way home we drove through Kentucky Fried Chicken for lunch for mommy (nevermind that it was already after 3 o'clock).

Her big thing this afternoon was trying to sit up. She'd hold on to my thumbs and I'd gently pull her up, then she'd wobble around trying to hold her body in a seated position, with her big roly-poly head perching precariously at the top of her neck. Hehehehehhe...how exciting! Now she's exhausted from all the effort and has fallen asleep in her swing without any fussing at all!

Coasting

Back into our weekly schedule, well, mostly anyway. I've got a few things to pick up, so I'm taking Ms. Maggie to Target this afternoon. A trash can for the nursery, some popcorn for my hot-air popper, girly products and then if it's not too late, we'll pick up lunch on the way back to the house. She's resting up for the adventure now. Hopefully her plan is to chill and take it all in, not save up lung power to cry. I'm crossing my fingers!

I'm more than half way on my Relay for Life donations. --->>>
Woo-hoo!! Go, me! Thanks, everyone :) I think we're going to take some of the lonely hot dogs that didn't get to go to the cottage for labor day out to the walk as well. The chairman of our team will have his RV there, so I'll pick up more buns and they'll have food for the whole 24 hours. Or at least til they get sick of hot dogs! hahaha

Frustrating!

So I decided not to say anything til it was fixed, cuz it generally makes me feel pretty stupid. See, my man has the TV routed like, through the VCR and a receiver, and maybe the toaster oven too (I'm not sure...). Well, he's taught me what buttons to push on the remote control to make it so I can just use the channel and volume buttons and watch some TV. All's good, right? Almost. The power went out Saturday morning, which resets the whole elaborate system. So I had to call him, while he was eating dinner four states away, and he had to talk me through using another remote to turn stuff on/off/sideways so I could watch TV. And while he did, I could hear his friend laughing in the background. I'm sure they were both rolling their eyes and saying, "Darn women..." Whatever.

In my ideal living room, we'd have a much better set up. Besides home theater furniture, there would be a big, bright TV with one remote that made the channels change and the volume change at my easy command. Is that too much to ask?

YIPPEE!!

The bad news first? I had to run to the computer with the good news, cuz my marvelous man is still on his way back from Minnesota.
The good news? Good bye, Lacey!!!!
The sad news? Next week is the season finale of Rock of Love. I'm excited to see Jes win (fingers crossed), but bummed to lose my show after next week :(

Lazy Sunday

So much for accomplishing things while my man was out of town. Last week, I got two cupboards organized in the kitchen (pretty sure I already bragged about that...). My goal for this weekend was either cleaning out under the sink in our bathroom (with the goal of comandeering a drawer in there for my make-up, since he hates when I leave it all on the counter in a basket), or continue on another cupboard or two in the kitchen. Yeah. About that.

I'd need to get rubbermaid stuff to do the bathroom. Prepare yourself for a very lame excuse: Maggie spit up (three times!) on my last pair of jeans yesterday, so today after church, I put my pj pants back on. Yes, I've seen what some kids wear out in public lately, but I am NOT going shopping in my pajamas. Oh well.

The kitchen alternative is fading with the daylight. I read a book all day, and now the only way I could do much of anything in our kitchen is if it had some track lighting. My man and I both complain that the one light in the middle of the kitchen just doesn't cut it after dark if you're trying to work on the counters or in the cupboards. So I'm sort of off the hook. Except it's only me that wanted to see something accomplished today, which leaves me kind of disappointed in my own (lack of) productivity. Darn.

Oohh!! Shiny!

Don't ask me why it never occurred to my inquisitive mind before, but seriously, why did I never wonder about the shiny polished rocks in the tourist shops when I was younger? I always wanted said shiny rocks, but I never got it in my crafty head to make my own with rock tumblers! I had no idea how they got so pretty, but now I have the knowledge to make huge quantities! My little Maggie will never want for shiny rocks - we can make our own!

It's Good to Have Goals

Welp - I've made it almost halfway. Last year, I don't know if it's because I was working (and saw more people), or because it was 'new' or what, but money just poured in for my Relay for Life donations page. This year, most of it's my mom (what would I do without her?!?!?). See the gauge over there? --->>>
If you've got a few bucks lying around that you weren't sure how to spend, throw them my way! I've almost made it half way to my goal, but I only have until September 29th! That's when Maggie and I do our hour around the track in memory of her Auntie Suzanne. I wish she could have known her.

Motivation

Is it bad that many of the things I do during the day aren't done because they're the best thing to be doing, but only done to avoid further repercussions? Take Maggie's diaper, for instance. She's got a full belly, and has been awake for a few hours, so it's swing/nap time. I changed her diaper before putting her in the swing. Not because she was fussing about it or anything, but because I knew it had been a few hours, and I certainly don't want to have to clean blow-out off of the swing seat. Eww...

Not so Bad...

I just realized it's been like...two days since I've posted a picture of the baby - GASP! Here's one from the other day when my brother came over and took like a kajillion pictures of her with his new camera. We did get a good one for the announcements, but I'm withholding that til we send out the announcements :) Here's one where she's hanging out on the changing table - for some reason she's usually happy there!

RAWR!

How perfect is this? My iTunes is on party shuffle, and for some unknown reason, I'm hearing crazy jungle noises....so I thought I'd post a few words about animal inflatables. How cute! I think this is the unique sort of thing you'll need for a theme party or something and have a heck of a time finding. But now, when the biggest parties I have coming up are a one-year-old's birthday party and a small family reunion, I stumble across these crazy critters. The penguin could totally rock my house :)

A Decade Behind

You Belong in 1996

With you anything goes! You're grunge one day, ghetto fabulous the next. It's all good!

What Year Do You Belong In?

Cowboys?

I'm still thinking about that vacation. I'll have to tell him what a good thing he's done already just by giving me something fun to focus on! Has anyone been to Branson? For some reason, it makes me think of cowboys, but according to their website, it's the "Live Music Capital of the World." A listing of attractions shows it's got a lot of the regular tourist-y stuff, but that works out since I'm like a 10-year-old kid and LOVE that stuff! Putt-putt golf, anyone?

On another note, the baby is clean as a whistle and cute in her little outfit, and we're going out for Mexican! Yum! She's been relatively quiet since I wrote last, but I didn't have to wake her up for her bath - she woke up again, poor girl. My ideal right now (well, for the rest of the night) would be that she's finally worn herself out and will through dinner so I can eat. Can I add I wouldn't mind if she slept a few hours during the night too, or would that be pushing my luck?

Blech

I think she's still feeling wonky, and it's really wearing me down in a hurry. She usually sleeps a decent-sized chunk in the morning, gets up for a couple hours in the middle of the day, then sleeps a few more hours in the afternoon. I don't think she's slept more than a half hour (tops!) at a time all day. Poor girl.

Then my man gave me what would be very fun news - we're going out for dinner with people from his office (in from out of town, so it's a social thing...). But damn, I'm tired and cranky :( I've finally gotten my shower, but I still need to bathe her. And right this minute, she's finally sleeping. I'm dreading actually having to wake her up shortly for her bath. Keep your fingers crossed that she doesn't let the lack of sleep make her all cranky during dinner! I want to enjoy a meal out, ya know?

Ouch!

I think my poor baby girl has too much gas tonight :( Yes, it's just after midnight and I'm still awake. She's woken up screaming twice so far. Since darling daddy is the one who brings home the bacon, my job is trying to make sure he can get a good night's sleep. Now I'm wired and ready to jump if she makes a peep again (she sleeps in our bed, so once she's awake, he's awake).

He was the first one trying to put her to bed, and I felt so bad for both of them. She was obviously miserable, and he's not used to trying to soothe her, so he looked like he thought it was his fault. She didn't come with a manual, I've just established my own list of things to try and calm her down. I ended up standing in the living room 'shhhh'-ing and swaying and holding the pacifier to her mouth. Poor thing. Both of them ;)

Friendship Bread

Has anyone made this before?? I LOVE it! Don't be fooled - it isn't bread, it's more like CAKE! Super yummy!! Which explains my out-of-control exclamation points!

AMISH FRIENDSHIP BREAD
DO NOT use any type of metal bowl or spoon etc for mixing. DO NOT refrigerate when air builds up inside the bag; just open the bag and let the air out. It is normal for the batter to rise, bubble and ferment.

DAY 1: (The date on the bag) Do nothing
DAY 2: Squeeze the bag.
DAY 3: Squeeze the bag.
DAY 4: Squeeze the bag.
DAY 5: Squeeze the bag.
DAY 6: Add 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of milk to the bag and squeeze.
DAY 7: Squeeze the bag.
DAY 8: Squeeze the bag.
DAY 9: Squeeze the bag.
DAY 10: Squeeze the bag; pour entire contents into a non-metal bowl and add the following:
1 ½ cups of sugar, 1 ½ cups of milk and 1 ½ cups of flour. Mix well with a non-metal spoon. Take 4 one gallon Ziploc bags and label them with today’s date. This will be the new day one. Put one cup of batter into each bag and seal. If you wish to make more bread, keep one bag for yourself. Give the other bags to friends and family along with a copy of the directions.

DIRECTIONS FOR BAKING: HEAT THE OVEN TO 325 DEGREES.

TO THE REMAINING BATTER IN THE BOWL, ADD THE FOLLOWING:
3 eggs
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of vegetable oil (if you prefer – ½ cup of applesauce and ½ cup of vegetable oil)
½ teaspoon of vanilla
1 teaspoon of baking powder
½ teaspoon of baking soda
½ teaspoon of salt
2 cups of flour
1 large box of instant pudding, the flavor of your choice (I recommend vanilla)
Additions you may choose to add: chocolate chips, raisins, nuts, etc.

Spray or grease two large loaf pans. In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup of sugar and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon. Dust the pans with the mixture and save some for the top of the loaves. Pour batter into the two pans and sprinkle the tops with the remaining cinnamon and sugar mixture.

Bake 1 to 1 ¼ hours and cool in the pans for at least 10 minutes.

We've also made it as muffins before. More portable and just as delish!

If you'd like a starter, email me and I can send you one right away - I'm just on day 2 now :)

Surprise!

You didn't think I'd be able to make a WHOLE DAY wordless, did you?

I've been poking around this morning still thinking about my man's offer to send me on vacation. I don't know that there's really anywhere I want to go without him and Mags, especially not for a whole week! Last February (pre-Maggie), he and I went to Disneyworld. I would love for the three of us to do a Florida rental vacation, but probably not til she's a little older and better able to enjoy it.

Did you ever go to Disney as a kid? I remember our trip when I was in elementary school vividly. We were already to go, but then either my brother or I got the chicken pox, so we had to postpone it (since one of us was about to infect the other...). I was in the fifth grade and we drove down there and stayed in a camper (not sure if it was ours or a rental). I still remembered some of the attractions when my man and I went back this year. Disney rocks!

Wordless Wednesday

7 weeks

I think I'm finally recovered from delivery. Except for my back acting up again, I'm practically good as new! Still waiting to do my 6-week follow-up physical, but then they'll give me the go ahead to try and make another little darling - or at least participate in the act that could lead to that.

Right after the delivery, I was on nutritional supplements trying to rebuild from all the blood I lost. I'm done with the extra iron now, since I figure my blood should be fine, but I'm still taking the whey and soy protein because there's no way I'm consuming the recommended number of calories each day. Did you know a nursing mother is supposed to consumer 500 calories MORE than a pregnant woman? Come on - I spend my time taking care of the baby - I can't be eating all day!

Peace

For the first time in a couple weeks, we were up and in the living room at like 6am again. And the swing batteries are still dead. Luckily, my fantastic man brought home this nifty thing he calls a 'power supply' from work. It pretty much plugs in to the wall, and then connects to the battery terminal thingys to make the swing go. Yippee!!

In the living room, we went on to sleep until 10:30am - amazing! Unfortunately, that meant I slept right through the LLL meeting. Oops! I had one thing to do ALL MONTH and I forgot about it. Oh well.

Cars AND Houses?

When I think of GMAC, my first thought is cars. They financed my Sunfire back in college. GMAC also offers real estate, though. They have stuff on their website for buying, selling or even pursuing a career in real estate. What I like best is putting in your zip code or city/state and looking at the houses for sale in your neighborhood. It's fun to see the pictures of what is for sale, or if you choose the map option, you can see where (approximately) there are houses for sale near you (by GMAC).

Insurance

Did you get your children insurance - like life insurance, I mean? I don't remember my parents having life insurance for us, but I sure remember when they got rid of it! I was probably in my early teens, and my brother is about three years younger. The time came when more and more people were getting computers, but we were never early on trends like that. When the time came for us to get a computer, our parents cashed in our life insurance. I wasn't really sure how to feel about that at the time - did it mean a computer was more important than my LIFE? But once we learned a few games on the computer, and my brother started finding his way around BBSs (is that even the right acronym?), everything was okay. And since we're both still kicking, I guess it turned out to be okay, not having life insurance. Hahaha

Yum!

Okay. So I totally saw this recipe on Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals last week (but I'd rather have it with bacon and cheddar cheese, I think...), and I'm putting it here cuz I had such a hard time finding it online!

Ham and Cheese Mini Frittatas Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray
Show: 30 Minute Meals
Episode: Engagement Cocktail Party

Note: you must use 2 mini-muffin tins with 2-inch cups to make these easy party bites. These tins can be found on the baking aisle in larger markets or at many discount stores. Most hold 12 mini-muffins per tin, some hold 24. This recipe will make 24 pieces.

1/4 pound deli sliced Swiss cheese, finely chopped
6 slices Canadian bacon, finely chopped
3 tablespoons snipped or chopped chives
A few grinds black pepper
8 eggs, or 1 pint egg beaters
2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Mix together the chopped cheese, Canadian bacon, and chives and season with a few grinds of pepper. In a bowl, beat the eggs. Brush the muffin tins with melted butter. Using a teaspoon, fill the 24 mini-muffin cups halfway with the cheese mixture. Using a ladle, fill the cups to just below the edge with the beaten eggs. Bake until golden, about 12 minutes. Remove and let cool to handle, then arrange the egg bites on a plate and serve.

Baby Houdini!

Okay, my child is somewhat of a Houdini, apparently. Last night she worked her LEGS out of her Swaddle Me. This really is nothing short of amazing. See, their feet go in this pouch, then the right side comes across and VELCROs to the pouch, then the left side comes very tightly around and velcros to the right side. Both sides were still done up snug, but both legs were out and the pouch part was just behind her. Very weird. Tricky kid.

Winding back down

What a busy day! Maggie and I did the most funnest thing today - I took her in the bath tub with me :) She was totally digging just floating in the tub while I held her head above the water level.

Once we finished up with that, Maggie and my man and I headed to the mall. Unfortunately it's a rather short trip when all you can shop with is coupons that involve no cash (who needs a drug rehab type program to stop shopping? If I stopped cold turkey, anyone can...). I walked away with a pair of free panties from Victoria's Secret (a coupon I got in the mail) and five birthday cards from Hallmark (from my Gold Card rewards - they said I've bought 71 cards this year?? YIKES!!).

But the day was still young! After stopping home to nurse again, we headed to my man's mom's house for dinner. Maggie held up pretty well through all of it.

Tomorrow's adventure? Church! I want to do a dedication ceremony for her at the Unitarian Universalist church, but I figure we should at least make an appearance or two there to a) make sure it's something my man wants to be involved in, and b) keep me from feeling like a total poser. Just sayin.

Zoom!

So another highlight from last weekend was the drag races on the way to dinner. The roads out in the country (where we were...) are flat, straight and go forever. These factors made it pretty easy to forget that we haven't read any radar detector reviews, and challenge our friends to races. Of course, with our friends, the challenge is unspoken, and always there. My Cadillac (with hubby behind the wheel) was doing over 100mph when a hairy, naked butt appeared in the rear window of the Honda Pilot some of our friends were in. I think that was intended to scare us into backing off, but it didn't work. Maggie is learning how to go fast at a young age :P

Chillin...

Here's Maggie chillin in her swing at about 10:30 this morning.

Picture Pages!

Anybody remember the old picture pages show with Bill Cosby (I think it was him...)? That was just a random question. My title made me start singing the theme song.
Anyway, tomorrow is the day for photo-an-hour posts on No Mama Drama, so my fabulous man just spent almost an hour showing me how to do stuff with his camera. Little stuff, like get the pictures off of it..hahahaha
I'm sure a couple pictures will show up here tomorrow as well...any special requests? (Don't bother saying Maggie - you know she'll be well represented! hahaha)

Good News in a sometimes Bad World

I was coming to the computer to post a gigantic, 'GO, ME!!' While Maggie napped this afternoon, I've cleaned and organized two kitchen cupboards, pumped 2 oz of breastmilk (this is good for me :) ), sterilized all my pumping stuff and started straightening/cleaning/organizing my office desks and counters. So a great big yippee for me!

But then when I opened up my internet browser I was met with the story of little Madeleine's mother possibly being responsible for her disappearance??? This is a bad story no matter what. Either this poor little girl could have been accidently killed by her mother, and then had her body hidden all this time - or her poor mother has been legitimately searching tirelessly for her little girl, and is now actually accused of having something to do with her going missing? Neither possibility pans out well in my book.

Thankful

When I was Maggie's age (6 weeks) I was hospitalized for strep throat and scarlet fever. I don't remember it (of course), but how very scary for my parents!! I can't even imagine. Luckily, the IVs in my little head and little heels did their job, and the long term effects were nothing but messed up teeth (from the antibiotics).

I'm so very thankful that Maggie has been so wonderfully healthy. She had no jaundice or anything, so we haven't need to deal with a bili blanket, portable oxygen concentrator, or any other medical equipment that would be so scary with a new baby.

129.5

So I've lost my pregnancy weight. I'm afraid to tell some people, especially those struggling with it. I think part of the reason I lost it so fast was from breastfeeding, but another big part was the fact that I have the nearly the same appetite as before I was pregnant, which is to say little to none. I still feel a bit flabby, but it's from the hormonal/shape changes, not extra weight.

Quirky

So my father-in-law has this...thing..with post-it notes. When you go in to the cottage, you'll notice they're EVERYWHERE. But, as someone pointed out last weekend, anyone walking in then knows how everything works, or what to do to make it work. My father-in-law's truck is the same way. Which leads to my crazy husband story.

A few weeks ago, my man and a friend of his took the boat out. The boat needs my father-in-law's truck to pull it, so they were driving that. On their way to the lake, traffic came to a stop. Unfortunately for my father-in-law, the boys needed to find some way to amuse themselves. They found some spare post-its and added a few more truck accessories for my father-in-law. Stuff like, 'Press here to honk horn,' 'AM radio best for traffic - try 760,' 'Drinks go here' (on the cupholder), 'Look here to see who's behind you' (on the rear view mirror) - and so on and so forth. Luckily they said he was amused to see the additions. What goofballs!

Still Smiling

Sometimes it all really starts to wear on me. I'm here all day with a baby who doesn't even really 'play' yet (give it a few more weeks...), but I really do appreciate the opportunity to be home, raising my daughter.
So then when my man gets home, I'm THRILLED to see him and want to be pleasant, but at least half the time he's grumpy from work. When he's grumpy, it makes me annoyed and drags me down too. So then I feel like I'm nagging if I ask him anything at all (tonight it was, 'would you rather have hot dogs or leftover spaghetti for dinner?' I'm so mean.)
And, since I still haven't found a consistent 'work from home' gig, I keep trying to grab a few minutes in my office to slap up a quick post that will net me a few bucks. Have I ruined my blog for the sake of commercialism too? I hope not.

Hi Sarah!!

I just talked to one of my dear-est friends for over a half an hour without interruption! She moved to the Bahamas like six months ago :( We will be going to visit her and her husband in February - I CAN'T WAIT!!!
Have you ever met someone you just clicked with? She and I started working together in October of 2005, and I wasn't sure I'd like her at first. Over time, we became very good friends. Then she left the country and I got knocked up (hehehe) but we still try and talk regularly. And of course the big trip that I am so excited about. My man and I are going to try and schedule the exact dates soon :)

Hmmm...

So maybe my baby prefers to sleep every other day? After the trying day we had yesterday, today is a walk in the park! Which is good, cuz it's the only walk we'll get today. It's SO HOT again... :( She does fine hanging out in the stroller for a walk as long as the temp is below 80 or so. If it's warmer than that, I end up 20 minutes from home with the neighbors peering out their blinds at my screaming baby. Not only embarrasing, but traumatic for me and baby Maggie. It's not like I can tie the stroller to a ladder rack on my back and carry her home or something. I have to walk and try to ignore the screaming. Last time I actually stopped and nursed her under a tree, hoping it may lull her back to sleep, but no luck. The neighbors peering out of their blinds just got a little more than they bargained for. Hahahahaha

Well Rested

Well, Ms. Merry Sunshine (aka Maggie) slept til almost 9 this morning. So we both woke up happy (although she's starting to fuss now...).
I apologized to her yet again for inheriting her mommy's butt, which is to say - NONE! Yup. I was flat as a pancake back there to begin with, and I've LOST more weight from my bum since I've had the baby. What's up with that? I'm going to need a padded panty if I ever want to show my butt in the bar again (hahahaha...pun intended...).

Good Night!

Can you tell I've scammed a few more minutes for myself this evening? All my new mom friends will understand my elation at this :) I'm headed off to bed now. Maggie is already asleep on her little incline sleeper between our pillows. I'm afraid tonight is going to have the same struggles as last night, with an additional twist. I think I have a clogged milk duct or something, cuz I can't seem to get the twins emptied. The biggest hassle of this (besides my ongoing discomfort), is the fact that it hurts to burp my baby. How frustrating!
And the added twist? The batteries in the swing died. This is a major, MAJOR malfunction. My man is going to do some fancy power conversion thing so we can plug it in, but until then, I'm not sure how kindly Maggie will take to having it out of commission. Cross your fingers for us to get some good sleep...especially her, because if Maggie sleeps, we all sleep :)

Back to Work

After working in marketing at a successful dot-com for a few years, I'm always intrigued by an interesting marketing or Technology Blog. Back in the day, I spent a lot of time on trying to build traffic to our site, frequently by identifying where they were coming from and what it cost us to help them find us in their search. I still flash back to some of this when I'm searching the internet for information or products. Sometimes it's useful information, sometimes it's just haunting to be reminded of the grind of the old 9-to-5...

Rock of Love!!

So I got to catch this week's episode of my favorite 'reality tv' show last night....Rock of Love - where Bret Michaels is trying to find his true love among a mansion of...er...interesting (read: sometimes crazy, psychotic or otherwise scary) women. I'm pulling for Jes to win, now that my other favorite was eliminated. :( I'm waiting (with the rest of the sane world) for Lacey to get eliminated. I'll help her pack, just get rid of her!!

And Dinner too?

Woo-hoo! My man and I even got to eat dinner together :) As soon as he got home, my family was still here, so I threw our taco salad together quickly so we could eat in relative peace and quiet while they played with baby Maggie...yippee!

Hush Little Baby...

What a morning! Maggie's been a bit fussy, but I'm not really sure why. I've given her the tummy drops (in case it's gas), and she should be getting plenty of milk, since I feel full now that she did fall to sleep for more than an hour at a time...
So what's an exhausted mommy to do when she finally has a few minutes to herself? Luckily, I don't have to pack up the baby to go get groceries for tonight, since grandma (hers, not mine) is coming over tonight (when she gets here, I can go to the store BABY FREE!).
I have like an hour left before company comes - I could start working on the thank you cards I've been blowing off (I suck!), or maybe try and find an episode of Intervention (that fabulous show where they make the addicts go to drug treatment centers and I cry every time...hahaha)?
Okay, okay....I'll sit down with the thank you cards - but I AM going to have a glass of root beer.

Humpday!

Humpday sort of has lost its punch since I'm not working outside my home. Now I feel like I spend the end of the week waiting for the weekend so we can spend time with daddy, then spend the weekend waiting for the week to start again so we can get back into our routine. Tough call.
So I talk way too much for a 'wordless wednesday' post, but here's a picture of my darling Maggie anyway:

Recap....

So, how did last week's to-do list go? Let's see, shall we?

1. Thank you card envelopes got addressed (hey, that's progress...)
2. The whole BBQ was accomplished (course, we meant to bring it all up north with us too, but forgot some, so we have like 80 hot dogs left...guess what's for dinner? hahaha)
3. Completely didn't start on birthday cards. Put it back on the list for this week, I suppose...
4. Purple Heart stuff was picked up - YAY!!
5. Scrapbooking is still just a dream. But I've committed to starting to clear off the counter top in my office, so I can get a work space ready.

And this week we need to add:

1. Call state offices to see what documentation is required to correct baby M's birth certificate. (and then start mail in said documentation with check and start waiting - again - for corrected birth certificate)
2. Call midwife to schedule 6 week post-delivery follow-up.
3. Do lunch with friend.

And this weekend we're thinking we'll go to the Renaissance Festival. If I remember correctly, we missed it completely last year. I think this year it may work with baby M by just laying her down in the stroller (not in the carseat of doom). We'll see - keep your fingers crossed!

I Think I'm Growing Up...

So the party is still drizzling on (less than five people) on my back deck, but I'm in here on the computer, and eating toast with peanut butter. Maggie was a bit fussy, so it took me a while to get her to bed, and I put my pjs on to nurse her to sleep. And she's never slept anywhere but at my side, so I hated to leave her even now. Even though I was a bit teary-eyed when my darling man came to check on us, because I'm missing the party, there's no place I'd rather be than with my baby.
I'm not sure if it makes me happy or sad to be so...old...and pitiful.
It definitely makes me happy, though, to be feeling so in love with my Maggie. I was getting worried for a while there that I didn't feel 'attached' enough, but I think it's just the fact that I'm not a baby person. Now, when she's almost six weeks old, I feel like we're getting to know each other a bit more - and liking what we're learning about each other.
Maggie is wonderful, even when I skip out on a party that other people drove ten hours to be at. And my man did point out that we'll be spending the whole weekend with these people, so I haven't passed up the whole party yet.