Christmas Recap!

We had a lovely Christmas this year. I was afraid it would be sad and dreary, but it really wasn't at all. We kind of got off to a rocky start though.

On Christmas Eve, as we're headed out to my grandpa's, Doug asks me if I really didn't buy him anything for Christmas, because of course, he didn't buy me anything. (We'd agreed to this previously.) I assured him that no, I did not buy him anything and that even if I had, it would certainly be too late for him to get me anything. Which wasn't a big deal. We really didn't get each other anything for Christmas and I didn't really notice it either. We did however get some nice things elsewhere. At my grandpa's we had a gift exchange where we each bought a wrapped gift and then drew numbers and that was fun. I got candles and Doug got a long sleeved t-shirt (that actually fit). My grandpa also gave us a savings bond for the baby, wasn't that sweet? We have to wait until after the baby is here to actually get it, but the thought was nice.

At my mom & dad's we did get our TV stand and Doug and my dad put it together right away. It looks great in our living room and matches the rest of our furniture quite nicely. I also got an immersion blender and some new cookie sheets. Mom is also making me an apron, but she hasn't finished it yet. Doug did pretty well too. My brother gave him back his exchange gift that he brought to my grandpa's, which made him very happy. Doug really wanted to keep it after he bought it. He also got some new track pants, this book, and a gift card to MC Sports. We also got movie passes, yay! And of course, my parents could not resist buying Christmas presents for the little peanut that is on it's way. :) The peanut (our prego nickname) got this book, this book that also came with a penguin toy, a set of penguin dishes (so cute!), and a penguin blankie. Notice the theme? My mom had to read the Some Babies Sleep book to my belly that morning too. I think my brother took a picture of it. I'll send it to you sometime.

Later that day, we went to see my grandma for a few minutes before heading to Doug's dad's. She gave us a Cracker Barrel gift card in a cute little pair of baby KC Chiefs socks. :) At Doug's dad's we got another baby gift, a Christmas sleeper from Aunt Becky & Uncle Eric. Doug's parents gave us Christmas money, which was much appreciated. We've used it this past weekend at the after Christmas sales. Doug & I each bought ourselves some badly needed new sweat/lounge pants. Doug also got a new coat and gloves. I found some cologne he'd been wanting for awhile in a gift set 50% off (no more perfume wearing for him, I still haven't told him!) The very last little bit of my Christmas money went for a new set of dishes (I know, I know...) that I ordered this morning. We both overspent a little bit, but since we didn't get each other anything for Christmas really, I think we're excused. It was definitely nice shopping the sales and getting such good buys.

Reading over that kind of makes me feel spoiled. We probably didn't need nearly that many gifts, but I'm sure next year everyone's Christmas spirit will be focused on the peanut, so it was a nice last hurrah!

How was your Christmas? Did the grandma's abide by the 2 gifts rule?

Ack! I'm a Bad Blogger!

Sorry I haven't posted in forever. I was feeling pretty low last week, but this week is better. Everything is totally back to normal, well, as normal as it can be, I suppose. I'm trying really hard to give up my coffee, but it is not working! I'm kind of sad about the whole changing of my due date thing. You see, before I would have been 8 weeks today. With this new due date, I'm like 7 weeks and 3 days. I know, I know, it's only 4 days! So after last week's scare, I've been doing my best to take it easy after work. Last night, I had to run to the store, but I went ahead and picked up something for dinner while I was there. When I came home I ate my dinner, did a few dishes and threw in a load of laundry, which is still in the dryer, btw and then laid on the couch for the rest of the night. We have free HBO for a month, so I watched bits and pieces of movies. It was lovely. I've now decided that I'll be waiting for that energy boost in my 2nd trimester before I'm really going to tackle any major housecleaning. As long as I keep things picked up the house shouldn't get too bad in the next month, right? :)

Menu Planning SUNDAY

I've decided that Monday doesn't really work for menu planning since I grocery shop on Sunday. :) So, now I'm going to do Menu Planning SUNDAY.

Another revision to my plan is to incorporate a budget. For the meals below, not including items I already have in my pantry, I hope to spend less than $40. Wish me luck.

SUNDAY: Sweet Potato & Black Bean Burritos
MONDAY: Turkey Hash Brown Casserole
TUESDAY: Chicken Cordon Bleu w/Rice
WEDNESDAY: Eggplant Parmesan
THURSDAY: Honey Dijon Crockpot Chicken & Cornbread muffins
FRIDAY: Butter Bean Burgers
SATURDAY: A meal on the town! (celebrating our Anniversary)

MPM - A Review

Okay, so my first Menu Planning Monday went... okay. I did enjoy doing it, and think it will only help me stick to my food budget, but I didn't follow my menu as closely as I could have.

Here's a review of the week. Blue I did as planned, red, a revision:

Monday: Turkey Tenderloin with Mac & Cheese
Tuesday: Spaghetti w/ Garlic Toast
Wednesday: Bean & Sweet Potato Burritos (MOVED TO SUNDAY)
Had frozen pizza instead.
Thursday: Hash Brown Casserole w/Turkey (MOVED TO MONDAY)
Had Spud Special Soup instead.
Friday: Spud Special Soup (ATE ON THURSDAY)
We ate at my Holiday Christmas party.

So... out of the five meals I planned for, we only actually ate three of them. On to next week!

Paranoia

Remember when you told me that I'd need to use my other test? Because I would think I didn't feel pregnant or something? Well, was it supposed to happen so soon? I got crazy paranoid today, because my boobs quit hurting. Probably because I didn't sleep on my stomach last night and wore a tighter shirt, along with a cami and bra. So I came home from work and immediately pulled out that test. Of course it was positive, there was no doubt about it. I feel silly now, but definitely feel a little less crazy. I've got to quit googling my symptoms and message boards aren't much help either. Apparently pregnancy hormones make everyone paranoid!

Menu Planning Monday

I'm not sure how accurate this will be, but it's definitely a good idea. I can definitely plan what I want to cook for the week and then make it whichever night I feel like it.

Monday: Meatloaf, roasted carrots, and potatoes
Tuesday: Working late, eat leftovers
Wednesday: Spaghetti
Thursday: Working late, eat leftovers
Friday: Chicken tender wrap
Saturday/Sunday: Barbecue chicken legs, roasted sweet potatoes, lima beans

Going Post Crazy Today...

But I I added link sections to the sidebar if you want to add any. :)

Also, I this is a little insane, but I think it's sweet.

Menu Planning Monday

So I found this site and I thought I'd give the whole menu planning idea a try. Wanna try with me?

My first menu is pretty uninspired, but I was going for cheap and filling.

Monday: Turkey Tenderloin with Mac & Cheese (It was good!)
Tuesday: Spaghetti w/ Garlic Toast
Wednesday: Bean & Sweet Potato Burritos
Thursday: Hash Brown Casserole (w/Turkey)
Friday: Spud Special Soup & Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Your turn!

A Girl & Her Little Tree

Ugghhh...

I think the nausea has set in. It kind of feels like when I had the flu, but I hadn't been sick yet. My stomach felt weird, but I wasn't convinced I would be sick. That's how I'm feeling right now. Otherwise, everything is about the same.

My first appointment is not until December 22nd.

To Test or Not to Test?

Test tonight, or wait until morning?

24 hours from now...

We'll be there!!! I got your email and put your number in my phone and printed it out. I verified with Angela that we do indeed go through Iowa. I still have to pack and do many other assorted things this evening. I'm going to be too excited to sleep!!! :) See you tomorrow!

Fun Stuff

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Doris!

You are a Doris -- "I must help others."

Dorises are warm, concerned, nurturing, and sensitive to other people's needs.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Tell me that you appreciate me. Be specific.
• * Share fun times with me.
• * Take an interest in my problems, though I will probably try to focus on yours.
• * Let me know that I am important and special to you.
• * Be gentle if you decide to criticize me.

In Intimate Relationships

• * Reassure me that I am interesting to you.
• * Reassure me often that you love me.
• * Tell me I'm attractive and that you're glad to be seen with me.

What I Like About Being a Doris

• * being able to relate easily to people and to make friends
• * knowing what people need and being able to make their lives better
• * being generous, caring, and warm
• * being sensitive to and perceptive about others' feelings
• * being enthusiastic and fun-loving, and having a good sense of humor

What's Hard About Being a Doris

• * not being able to say no
• * having low self-esteem
• * feeling drained from overdoing for others
• * not doing things I really like to do for myself for fear of being selfish
• * criticizing myself for not feeling as loving as I think I should
• * being upset that others don't tune in to me as much as I tume in to them
• * working so hard to be tactful and considerate that I suppress my real feelings

Dorises as Children Often

• * are very sensitive to disapproval and criticism
• * try hard to please their parents by being helpful and understanding
• * are outwardly compliant
• * are popular or try to be popular with other children
• * act coy, precocious, or dramatic in order to get attention
• * are clowns and jokers (the more extroverted Dorises), or quiet and shy (the more introverted Dorises)

Dorises as Parents

• * are good listeners, love their children unconditionally, and are warm and encouraging (or suffer guilt if they aren't)
• * are often playful with their children
• * wonder: "Am I doing it right?" "Am I giving enough?" "Have I caused irreparable damage?"
• * can become fiercely protective

3 More Days!

Dear Aunt Misty

I'm so glad that I get to meet you next week. I love the animal pillow you got me. I felt really bad when I drooled on it, but Mommy said it was okay cause my gums hurt right now. I love the fuzzy pajamas you got me too, I finally got to wear one of them last night cause Daddy says I'm getting too big for my other britches.

Mommy told me all about you and what fun you and Mommy used to have. I hope one day I have a friend like you!

Waiting for next week.

Munchkin Love,
Hazel

YIPPEE!

More election coverage tomorrow (with pics), but for now can I just say how happy I am?

Edited to add pics:

Getting ready to go vote (we walked to our polling place)


Her politically CORRECT shirt. *It says "I'm Smarter than..." and has a picture of GW. Tee Hee!*

Realization

The other night I went shopping with Desire and it reminded me once again how totally different our lives truly are. While she's trying on every pair of jeans in the store and complaining about how nothing, but those $70 ones really fit her, I'm scouring the clearance racks. Then during a conversation about barhopping, I realized that since we are TTC (sort of) that I probably am not going to be doing any of that for awhile. Nor do I have any desire to, really. There's probably a million other examples most of which are heightened by recent events, I'm sure. I still love her to pieces and would never want to not be her friend, but once again we are in completely different places in our lives. I guess we have always been, but the realization of it sneaks up on me here and there. It kind of makes me sad.

Then I think about what you said the other night about how great it is that our kids will be close in age (we hope!) and that makes me happy. Except that you are far away. Sorry, this isn't meant to be a guilt trip. I'm just feeling kind sad today, I guess. I just miss my friends. Sometimes don't you just want to go back to when it was simpler? Before we had husbands and babies and all of that? Oh wait, that means we'd have to go back to high school...I'm not sure any of us are willing to repeat that!

I'm thinking this little road trip (less than 2 weeks...eee!!!) will do me a world of good. Time to reconnect with everyone and to appreciate how wonderful our friendships really are.

Hazel's First Halloween

At dinner before the costume (She's wearing the shirt you got her!)


With Mommy, the tree, and the Obama sign in our front yard.



With Daddy in her costume (the Zipper broke!)


With Anna at Beth's house.


-----

Overall, it was a great Halloween! I really thought Hazel was going to be a grump (since she hadn't really napped all day) but she was great! She even cried when we took her home. I think because she was having so much fun. :)

Not As Bad As I Thought...

Doug took what I told him pretty well. He did NOT call his mother this morning. I'm sure she'll be calling me again this evening. I won't answer. He's going to talk to his brothers first and then hopefully tell his mother to mind her own damn business.

I Haven't Forgotten

I've been looking at baby clothes in my free time and I haven't yet found the perfect dress for Miss Hazel, but I've found a lot of cuteness!

Here's an example.

This is cute too, but doesn't necessarily look "holiday."

Not a dress and not very dressy, but still so adorable!

Here it is in a dress, shhh...I know that sash is satin!

I just love this dress, just because. :)

Or maybe you could just figure out something for her to wear under this shrug.

Okay, I'll post more later. Now I have to go and get ready for work...ick. Have a good day!

P.S.
I haven't told the girls you are planning to come down for Thanksgiving. I'm afraid they won't want to make the drive if I do. Or maybe they will. I don't know. Do you think I should mention it or should I wait and let you tell them when we are already up there?

She Won't Wake Up! :)

Snap, Snap

Got a new camera over the weekend.

I'm totally in love with it.

Holiday Dresses

Okay, so I'm probably starting this too early, but I'm trying to find the perfect Christmas dress for Miss Hazel Dumpling. These are the rules:

• No Velvet
• No Velour
• No Satin
• Would prefer it not to be too "mature" looking
• Doesn't need to be super dressy
• REALLY don't want to spend more than $25 (but I would for the perfect dress)

So far I've found this for inspiration. The problem with this dress is that it violates two of my rules: velour and price. Care to help me search?

Ack!

I just found Baby Gap's newest collection. And I had just decided to start saving money! Help! Steal my purse!

Oh, and she NEEDS this shirt.

3 Weeks!

Scattergories Part II

1. What is your name? Carmen

2. A 4 Letter Word: Care (Carebears, care!)

3. A Boys Name: Caleb

4. A Girls Name: Catherine

5. An Occupation: Cowpoke (ok, not exactly an occupation)

6. A Color: Chartreuse

7. Something you wear: Cape (I'm super woman!)

8. A Beverage: Carrot Juice (YUCK!)

9. A Food: Chicken! That was too easy!

10. Something found in the bathroom: Crimper (In 1990)

11. A place: Caribbean (Ah... warmth)

12. A Reason for being late: Can't get out of bed!

13. Something you shout: Could you PLEASE pick up your socks!

Scattergories!

Here are the rules:

• Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following questions.
• They have to be real places, names, things. nothing made up!
• You can’t use your name for the boy/girl name question.

1. What is your name? Misty

2. A 4 Letter Word: Most, as in, I am MOST excited about the conversation with my husband yesterday!

3. A Boys Name: Max

4. A Girls Name: Miranda

5. An Occupation: Musician

6. A Color: Misty Rose (haha!)

7. Something you wear: Mini Skirt (actually, I wouldn't wear that!)

8. A Beverage: Margarita (better drink them while I can!)

9. A Food: Mushrooms (so yummy yesterday at lunch)

10. Something found in the bathroom: Medicine

11. A place: Madison (hopefully next month!)

12. A Reason for being late: Misplaced my keys

13. Something you shout: Mommmm!!!!!!

Your Turn!

Crazy Week...

TGIF!!!! This has been the craziest week. Doug went back to 2nd shift. I had an interesting dinner with the girls on Monday evening (call me for details!) I went to Maryville on Wednesday to see my sister and of course worked on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Tonight, I'm going with Angela to see Jay do his Talking Show. It sounds pretty interesting so far and after that we're planning on getting out for a little bit. Saturday, my brother and I are going to go purchase my mom's birthday present (a stand mixer) and Sunday we're taking her out to dinner (shh...it's a surprise!) So anyway, that's been my week.

I can't believe that Hazel is 3 months old already and I can't believe that I still haven't sent her package. There's really no good excuse for me, so I'll just apologize. I'm so sorry! I do plan to send it either Saturday or the first of next week and I'm sending it priority mail. There's still one more thing I want to get for her. They have these adorable Halloween onesies at Wal-Mart, hence the reason for the priority shipping! :) I'd hate for her not to get it in time for Halloween.

Be on the lookout for a package. I'll let you know the day I get it in the mail. :) Talk to you soon!

Weekend With Geeks

We went camping this weekend!

Josh's medieval fighting group had a national event in northern Illinois, so we loaded up the bus and hit the road. There were SO many people there. I had no idea there were so many geeks in the world. ;)

Here's Josh in his uniform:


Battlefield:


Hazel with our friend Sorcia (Not named after our cat):


And the best picture of Hazel EVER!

Pumpkin Carving

I <3 Target!

I was at Target last night and stumbled upon a really a great clearance aisle! All kinds of bedding for under $20! At first I thought it was just twin size stuff that was left over from back to school sales, but I looked a little closer and found this set in full/queen for $17.48! Yay! And Angela was with me and she found a comforter for herself for $7.48. It was a good shopping night.

So, I've yet to actually decorate my bedroom since we've lived here (3 years now) and so now I'm having a dilemma. I love that particular shade of green and the bedskirt that went with our old set matches it nicely and is multicolored. I'm at a loss for what to put on the walls though. I like this and there is this one that matches it and that would give me many more colors to choose from. I'm also thinking just going with a chocolate brown would be really pretty, but then what to put on the walls?

Veggie Foods!

Since Hazel's been here I've been feeling the need to introduce healthier meals. After all, how can I ask her to eat her veggies if I don't even like eating them?

So, Josh and I made the commitment to eat two meat free dinners a week. We haven't adhered to the two dinner rule, but we have had at least one meat-free dinner in the last two weeks. So far we've had:

Butter Bean Burgers (super yum.)
Chili w/Boca Crumbles (super-duper yum)

Saturday I'm making Lentil Burritos. Next week we're having Artichoke and Chickpea stew.

I've also been cooking fish alot lately. In the last month I've made Mahi-Mahi, Tilapia, and Orange Roughy. The Mahi-Mahi was by far the best of the bunch. It's so darn expensive, though!

New Job

How was your first day? If you're like Doug, you're probably not so sure about it yet. He told me last night that he just realized yesterday how good he had it at Snorkel. I'm sure your situation is different though, since you were the one making the decision to leave. Either way, it's definitely an adjustment.

Some days, I fantasize about working anywhere other than a library. I told Doug last night that we should be more like you and Josh and just go somewhere and find new jobs. :) He almost went for it.

Pic of the Day (part 2)

Looking cute on her first trip to the zoo. More pics at my Flickr account. :)

Halloween Costume

Remember when I said that Hazel should be a gnome for Halloween? Well, I just opened up the new Family Fun magazine and look what I found...

Catch Up

Doug started his new job this morning. He's already called and didn't sound very enthused. Granted, today is orientation and he's probably just bored. I just hope he doesn't think this is a mistake and thinks that just because Angela gave him a reference that he has to stay there.

We celebrated our anniversary over the weekend. I think we've found a new mattress for our bed and that is going to be our anniversary gift to each other. Not very exciting or romantic (well, maybe it is a little romantic.) Anyhow, it is hard to believe this year has gone so quickly. I'm hoping for fewer issues in our 2nd year. As for actually celebrating we had dinner at Red Lobster on Sunday afternoon (I really wanted something a little bit nicer, 36th Street or someplace like that, but they are all closed on Sundays) and we ate way too much. For some reason the whole experience kind of soured our celebratory mood and we ended up sulking for a good hour or 2. Finally, I decided that it wasn't worth it to spend our anniversary like that so I got our freezer burnt cake out and we had that with some wine we bought last year right after the wedding. That turned our whole evening around and we both went to bed happy that night. Then since yesterday was our official anniversary Doug had dinner ready for me when I got home from work, we exchanged cards and spent the rest of the evening in a most enjoyable way. ;) Overall, I'd say it turned out very nice and we didn't need to take a fancy trip or anything like that.

We also went to see Burn After Reading this weekend...HILARIOUS!!! I highly recommend it. We went with Angela & Jay and it was definitely a crowd pleaser. We've been having a nice time hanging out with A&J. For some reason Doug & Jay have really hit it off. I'm glad for that. It's nice that we aren't always hanging out with his friends. Not as nice as when you & Josh lived here, but I'll take it.

That's all for us, now what's been going on with you? I know your new job starts next week, are you getting excited? How's Hazel? Isn't time you posted some more pictures of that little cutie! How's school going for Josh? Is he ready to be done?

Alright, alright...no more questions! Have a great day!

Decision 2008

So what was the verdict on the job?

New Glasses

Pics of the Day. :)

Back to Work for Me, Too!

Tomorrow is the big day, huh? It'll be hard, but Hazel will be just fine at her daycare. The great thing about daycares (and I know this from experience) is that those teachers come to love your kids almost as much as you do. Almost. Never more than a parent, of course.

Anyway, I head back to work tomorrow too. It was nice being out of the library this past week, but I had the most boring vacation ever. Doug has been on 3rd shift and so that limited what I could do during the day. Our lack of funds definitely put a crimp in any shopping plans, I might have had. I did manage to get a few things done around the house. I have clean ceiling fans now. :) I also ordered my new contacts and glasses. See, fun stuff! Too bad a trip didn't work out this time.

Well, good luck tomorrow! I'm sure everything will be fine.

Back to Work

Hazel is 7 weeks old and this is the last week of my leave. It went so fast I can't even believe it. Next week I'll be at work all day while she's at her daycare center without me. How depressing can you get? It's times like this that I long for socialism and curse our capitalist society for making me want a new pair of shoes every week. ;)

I went on a job interview yesterday. My boss that quit Navitus last year contacted me about the position. Seems like interviewing was just a formality for them, and to see if I would like the job. It's a huge company 1300 employees and offices all over the world. I'm thinking about it very seriously, even though we don't know what our plans will be after Josh graduates in December.

Anyhow, I'm just enjoying this cold and rainy day (I'm wearing a sweater!) and surfing around Allrecipies for a good soup recipe.

Hope you are enjoying your vacation!

Caught a Smile

Just wanted to share. :)

Did You Know?

Old Navy now has petites? Only online, but I've been poring over it since I found out yesterday. I really want this dress, but it is sold out in my size. Darn it!

Yay! You Have Internet!!!

Now where are my Hazel pictures? :)

Seriously though, I loved those ones you sent yesterday. They were too cute. My favorite is the one where she is peeking out from underneath that pink blanket. Her expression is so inquisitive. I can already tell she is going to keep you & Josh on your toes at all times!!

When did her hair turn red? It's so cute! You'll probably hate me for saying this, but little red haired girls in pink just melts my heart!

Did I tell you that I snagged a few things from Becky's garage sale a couple weeks ago for you. It's all going to be too big for a bit, but I hope you can use it eventually. Of course, you know she has boys, so what I picked up was pretty generic. A pair of jeans, a pair of overalls, 2 pairs of sweat pants (navy & gray) and a plain gray sweatshirt. They are all 12 mos. or 18 mos., but I was planning ahead. :) Of course, now seeing those pictures I don't want to buy her anything that isn't pink or purple!

Anyway, I better see some more pictures soon! :) I'm on vacation this week, so I'll be checking online often.

Good News!

Doug got the job he interviewed for on Thursday! More details later!

Post #468

Wow...we're really getting close to 500 posts! Who would have thought our silly little blog would have lasted this long? :)

So, still no internet? I'm really getting anxious to see more pictures of your little Hazelnut! :)

I guess I should update you on what's been happening here. My vacation starts next week. Well, Saturday at 5 to be technical about it. I can't wait! Nothing really planned, just some much needed time away from work. It's driving me bonkers and I'll have to save it for a phone call because I can't subject your eyes to that much reading!

Doug got some not so good news. He got a letter that basically said, if sales didn't improve his job would be at risk. It's a permanent layoff. Well, you know my husband won't take that laying down, so he's already gotten about 10 applications out and has an interview on Thursday. So we're both really feeling much better.

So, I really say "so" too much!

Did you know that it is only about $200 to travel (round trip) from me to you on Amtrak? It's still a chunk of change, but much better than the $600 it costs to fly. Unfortunately, with Doug's job situation a visit doesn't seem very likely. Although, wouldn't it be fun, when Hazel gets a little older, for the 3 of us to meet up in Chicago for a weekend? Or we could include the husbands too! We should look into that one of these days. Maybe next Spring or something.

Anyhow, I hope you get some internet access soon! Or call me. Talk to you soon!

On a More Serious Note...

I've been feeling really yucky lately. Physically, emotionally, just blah. I hate that. You know, I'm not that kind of person. At least I never thought I was. I like being cheerful and happy. Ever the eternal optimist. So this being in a bad mood thing is really hard to pull off. I think these last few weeks have just really gotten to me. It just seems like there's always something, you know? For instance, last week, they got rid of Doug's shift at work, Doug's dad was in a car accident and then had 2 insulin reactions 2 days in a row (they had to call the paramedics to get him out of the second one), and my brother lost his job. None of these things actually happened to me (although work was particularly crappy) , but it still feels like I've been run over by a truck. So I can't imagine how anyone else can be coping. Last week was a lost cause. I was so exhausted from all of that, I forgot to go to a program on Friday. Thankfully, the daycare director was super nice, as was my own manager and everyone just kind of blew it off, but I felt terrible. I still feel terrible. Here I got a promotion and a raise to go along with it and look what I do, I drop the ball.

Then this weekend, I couldn't get along with Doug to save my life. It was just fight and bicker all weekend long to the point that I spent the entire evening last night holed up in the bedroom. I do feel better today, but I wasted this whole weekend being annoyed. Says the woman with her period...okay, so that is probably where part of my annoyance and exhaustion is coming from, but it doesn't make me feel much better.

So anyway, ignore most of this. You have much bigger fish to fry, caring for a 1 month (eek...1 month!) old. It will get better, it always does. And I'm being proactive about it. I bought some freaking M1dol, first of all. :) Plus, I got up about 4:30 and made Doug come to bed with me. We cuddled and it was nice. I couldn't go back to sleep, so at 6, I decided to get up, put on my tennis shoes and walk on the treadmill for half an hour. That really helped. After a shower and a breakfast of an english muffin with peanut butter, I'm venting all my frustrations to you so I can get to work refreshed and ready to go this week. Thanks for listening (reading, whatever).

I <3 My New Purse!

As promised, pictures of my new purse! Only a few days late. :) Now where's yours?

Here it is on my table. I was trying for an "artsy" angle.

Full of stuff! :)

My favorite feature by far...why don't all purses have this?

Me with my new purse, courtesy of my husband's oh-so-wonderful photography skills.

Birthday Present - a HINT

I'm sorry that your Bday present is late yet again this year, but it's a good one, I promise! If you're wanting a hint, click here. (but don't click if you don't want to know!)

Crock Potting

My mom sent me a link to this blog the other day. I can't wait to try out some of these recipes. I figured you might enjoy them as well, now that you'll be a bit busier. ;)

Welcome to the world, Hazel!!!

I got your message and I'll definitely be calling you tomorrow. I didn't get home until after 10 tonight and I figured you'd still be pretty tired. I'm so glad to hear that Hazel has finally arrived. :) I can't wait to see pictures!

Today is the Day!

I can't for Josh's phone call today!

Free Day

Doug is on his way to Oklahoma by now. He got wrangled into going down with his brother to disassemble a swing set to bring up here. He's not happy. He'll probably won't be home until tomorrow afternoon, unless he can convince Eric to come back this evening. I wouldn't want to do that. 5 1/2 hours in the car is plenty for one day, tyvm. But Doug's pretty hard headed, so he may get his way.

So what this means for me is a free Saturday. I have absolutely no plans, but lots of possibilities. I have a stack of movies to watch (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Waitress, P.S. I Love You, & Casablanca.) I have my wedding album I could work on. I have a messy house to clean. :) Plenty of stuff to keep me busy for awhile!

I hope you're having a fun day...your last Saturday with just the two of you! :) Can you tell I'm excited??!!!

One Week

One week left! All my best for a safe and quick delivery!

P.S. Happy 4th of JULY!!! :)

RIP Big Bird Creator!

The maker of yellow feathers has died at 91. The story is here.

Also, this book sounds interesting. Do you guys have it at your library?

Honest Opinion Needed, please...

Do you like my new dress? I got it for $7 at Kohl's yesterday. I think it is really cute, but I'm concerned that the skirt is too poufy. What do you think? More specifically, does it make me look pregnant? I thought I'd ask you since you are the expert on that subject at the moment. :) I'm thinking of wearing it to the class reunion (depending on what Desire & Angela are wearing, of course!) There's alot of material in that skirt, so if nothing else, I may ask Doug's mom if she can take it in for me.

Pupperotzi

Since it doesn't seem like we're going to afford a new camera before Hazel comes, I decided to practice my indoor camera skills on my current favorite subjects -- our Furbabies!

I cheated for the most part and took photos near windows with alot of light. The only pic that wasn't near a window was Sorcha's and I had to really fudge with it in my photo editing program to make it look decent.

Grey's

How great was that season finale last night??? I LOVED it! It's so nice to finally have a happy ending (sort of...) on that show. I'm sure it won't last and we'll be up to our eyeballs in turmoil next season, but still. For me it was a very satisfying episode. I'm actually becoming a Mer/Der fan. Yeah, yeah. But for some reason they are supposed to be together and it is just not right when they aren't. Anyhow, I loved the whole 2 hour thing! It was great! Now I have to get ready for work, which is not great.

Happy Friday!

Party Pictures

Sadly, I didn't take anymore pictures of Sarah's party. I'll be sure to get some of her in her cap and gown next weekend though.

Recipe Site and Yummy Food!

So, lately I've been thinking that since I'm actually an adult now (*sigh*) I need to learn to cook FOR REAL. I'm ashamed to admit that there hasn't been a week yet this year where we didn't have a meal that came straight from the freezer at least once in a week. My goal is to make this week freezer-free!

I found this great website a loooong time ago, but didn't realize how great it was until I actually registered for an account. You can add recipes to your "recipe box", select the recipes you want to make, then hit "shopping list" and it adds all the items to you need for the recipes to a categorized list for you.

Tonight I made:

Apple Butter Pork Loin &
Macaroni and Cheese Bake

I changed the Pork recipe up a bit since boneless pork ribs are a cheaper cut of meat, but they were super yummy!

The Mac & Cheese was just okay, but the recipe made enough for the next week, easily.

Can't Believe It...

Tomorrow is Sarah's graduation party and next weekend, she graduates from high school. Just 10 years ago, it was us. Feels like an eternity and a blink of an eye all in one.

Everything is a DOLLAR!!

http://www.eyeslipsface.com/

No, I'm not kidding! Apparently Nordstroms has bought out the brand and is trying to get rid of the old product logo'd stuff.

A DOLLAR!!!!!! Dangerous stuff.

The Crap That You Miss By Not Having Cable...

Or do you now? Either way, I bet you didn't watch this show last night. In my defense, I was painting my toenails and really, who doesn't like to watch some trashy show when they are painting their toenails? :)

So, the premise of this show is very Bachelor-esque, with one small twist...it's set on a farm, instead of a fabulous mansion. The girls all have to live in this farm house (which is still probably way nicer than our houses, but whatever) and they go out and do farm chores, I think. The best part, "The Rose Ceremony" except there were no roses given away. No, these girls were given eggs, from under chickens. He took them out to the chicken coop and had them pick up their chickens and if they didn't have an egg he was sending them back to the city. HILARIOUS!!!!! Next week, the RC is going to be down at the bingo hall. Whoever doesn't get BINGO is sent home.

Aren't you sad you missed that??

Too Funny!

While perusing my google links this morning, I came across this. Caution: drink beverages at your own risk while reading this!

I took the test...

I read the brief synopsis and was shocked! It made me sound like the most terrible person. Then I read the more in depth analysis further down the page for each category and those were mostly true. What I really noticed was that it seemed like it took the most negative aspect of each category and put them in the synopsis. What do you think?


My Personality

Neuroticism	45
Extraversion	25
Openness to Experience	9
Agreeableness	53
Conscientiousness	26

You very rarely feel depressed and are usually in a good frame of mind, however you are not generally self conscious about yourself. You get overwhelmed by too much noise and commotion and do not like thrill-seeking activities. You prefer familiar routines and for things to stay the same. You can tend to feel uncomfortable with change. You do not enjoy confrontation, but you will stand up for yourself or push your point if you feel it is important, however you feel superior to those around you and sometimes tend to be seen as arrogant by other people. Your sense of duty and obligation is average and although you are mostly responsible you can sometimes be unreliable.

Take a Personality Test now or view the full Personality Report. The best Myspace Layouts

Weirdly Accurate Test

My Personality

Neuroticism	58
Extraversion	31
Openness to Experience	88
Agreeableness	35
Conscientiousness	3

You rarely get angry and it takes a lot to make you angry, however you are sensitive about what others think of you. Your concern about rejection and ridicule cause you to feel shy and uncomfortable around others. You are easily embarrassed and often feel ashamed. Your fears that others will criticize or make fun of you are exaggerated and unrealistic, but your awkwardness and discomfort may make these fears a self-fulfilling prophecy. You tend to feel overwhelmed by, and therefore actively avoid, large crowds. You often need privacy and time for yourself. You tend not to express your emotions openly and are sometimes not even aware of your own feelings. You are tenderhearted and compassionate, feeling the pain of others vicariously and are easily moved to pity, however you believe that a certain amount of deception in social relationships is necessary. You are guarded in new relationships and less willing to openly reveal the whole truth about yourself. You take your time when making decisions and will deliberate on all the possible consequences and alternatives.

Take a Personality Test now or view the full Personality Report.

Handbags Galore!

I'll take any of these bags!

Jane Austen

I watched The Jane Austen Book Club tonight. Have you seen it? I read the book a couple of years ago and loved it and I really liked the movie too, but I didn't remember much from the book. Now I feel like I need to go back and reread the book and see how accurate the movie really was.

Hilarious!!!

I don't think I could ever get Tess or BJ to do this...

I hope your test goes well this morning! :)

Book Earrings

We should make these!

New Haircut

BEFORE:

AFTER:

New Shoes

I bought new shoes tonight. Total necessity, I swear! No really, we have an open-toed shoe ban at work now and of course, most of my spring/summer shoes have open toes. So tonight I bought
these to go with the dress I wore for your shower. (We're having an Open House next week in honor of National Library week and have to dress up.) And then I bought these just because I thought they were too adorable. :) I have no idea what I'll wear them with though, but oh well. Gotta love cute shoes and BOGO!!

Desire's Birthday Party

You remember that I told you that JT was throwing Desire a surprise birthday party, right? Well, here's pictures from last night's festivities. Let me just preface this by saying that I had no idea that Desire hung out with such a crazy group of people. WOW!! Good times though. :)

Clean House

Don't you just love times when you actually want to clean your house. Not because you have to, like when you're going to be having company or anything. Just because you come home from work one Friday evening and you want to clean your house? Okay, so now that I've just admitted how boring I truly am, are you sure you still want to be my friend? Would it make you feel better if I said the only two rooms that are totally done are the kitchen and the bathroom? The other rooms still need to be picked up and vacuumed. Actually, what brought on this fit of cleanliness was the fact that I bought this. I hung it up last night and we've used it already, but then I read the part about it taking an entire bottle of cleaner to clean a dirty shower and I didn't want to waste all that good cleaner on a dirty shower! So I started in the bathroom and by the time I squirted the stuff in the tub and toilet I figured I might as well sweep and mop the floors and since I was at it, I'd do the kitchen too. Oh and I'm doing laundry too, what an exciting life I lead! :)

In other exciting news, it looks like we'll be trading in Doug's truck. He just can't deal with all the little repairs and I can't deal with all the remarks that my dad somehow did this to us on purpose. I'm happy to put it all behind us though. Not sure what we're going to be looking for. Doug hates the idea of not having a truck, but we don't want a huge payment and to buy another 9 year old truck or older to keep those lower payments means more of the same as what we're dealing with now. Although, if we did that then at least he might realize that it wasn't anything having to do with my dad! Anyhow, I've offered to give Doug my car and drive something smaller. Definitely something that would get better gas mileage would be nice. So we'll see. I doubt we get this done anytime soon.

Oh and for some good news, remember when I told you how well my evaluation went and that Karen was recommending me for a promotion? Well, she had her evaluation today and it sounds like my promotion will be a go (and I might get a raise...shh)!!!!

Alright, I won't bore you any longer. Hope your weekend is off to a more exciting start than mine!

Cute Quiz

Take the 100 Acre Personality Quiz!

Dreaming of a New Bathroom

Here's what I have in mind, so far.

Shower
Pedestal Sink
Faucet
Toilet
Lighting

We also need other fun things like an exhaust fan, new flooring and towel racks. We probably won't get this stuff at Lowe's either. Menards seems to be cheapest of them all, but they don't have much selection on their website.

My Own Etsy Wish List...

Alright, you know we're playing with fire here. Sorry to hear about Maddie's vet bill, but I'd trade you that for Doug's $900 hospital bill! Is she feeling better? Doug unfortunately isn't, but that's a post or long phone call for another day.

To get things started, from the same site as that adorable hat I linked to you earlier:

Felted Purse
Family Name Plaque (because I really need one more place to display wedding pictures!)
Throw Blanket
Quilt
Pillowcases (These would be great so Doug could always remember which pillow was his!)
Magnetic Frame

For when I have a baby
Apron

Oh man, I could go on and on, but at some point I should get ready for work! I'm sure I'll be adding more later.

Oh and you wanted a story about girls' night? Okay, we drank too much and Angela passed out on the table at the bar. Got to my house, and Angela got sick. They left and I was fine until Doug got home, then I got sick. Took a shower and fell out of the tub (took the shower curtain with me). Had a terrible hangover on Saturday. Not drinking again for a long, long, looooooong time! That's the short version. For more details, give me a call!

Etsy Obsession

Okie, doke. I've found a new obsession and it is Etsy. Care to join me and make a list of your own must haves? I don't have the funds for buying things right now (vet bill for Maddie was over $400!!!!!!) but I keep finding things I want and know I'll forget about them if I don't list them somewhere.

So, for Hazel, I love:
Owl Shirt
Vintage Pillowcase Dress
Chicken Country Dress
Tie-Die Flower Onesie
Wangly-Legs
Monkey Hat
Ladybug Pillowcase Dress
Peasant Dress
Princess Banner

For me, I love:
I'll be adding to this later, Josh needs the computer for now.

Finally Friday!

Wow...I can't believe you were just here a week ago. We didn't have nearly enough time to visit, did we? How's everything going? Is Miss Maddy doing any better? Poor girl! How about you? Did you finally catch up on your sleep? Oh and I found a hat for Hazel. I can't decide if it is more gnomeish or Seussish. Whatever it is, it's adorable! I'm having to use all my powers of resistance to not order it. (We got Doug's bill from the lab work and stuff yesterday...)

I think I forgot to tell you that I really liked my hostess gift. I didn't get a chance to really look at it until the other night. I LOVE that candle holder. That's exactly the kind of thing I want in my bedroom, that flocked look. :) You got it at Michael's right? I might want to get another one. I'd really like to get my bedroom decorated one of these days.

Tonight, I'm going out with Desire & Angela. We're celebrating Angela's healthy liver! It may not be so healthy by the end of the night...I'm sure mine will stay healthy though. We've got too much to do tomorrow and frankly I haven't had much to drink since Doug gave it up. I'm sure I'll be a total lightweight! You know what though, I don't really mind! I've had more than my share of that fun in the past. It can be someone else's turn.

Well, it's that time of the morning again where I have to rush around like a madwoman because I lingered over my coffee too long. Have a great day!

Not Your Present Anymore

I'm sorry to report that you may not get your baby shower gift from your mom this weekend...BJ has taken over the box! :) He'd probably let you have what's inside if you promise to leave the box here!