Incommunicado

Our modem is down! Which also means our phone is down (we have Vonage). Have a repair person coming out tomorrow thankfully. I'm now blogging at work (eek!). Must make this short and sweet.

So bummed that I missed out on this original painting by the well-known Ms. Martin. It just makes me so happy to look at!!!! I would have seriously bought it if I had remembered her shop update was yesterday.

NKOTB (OMG)

Not sure how I feel about this. A little old. Weird. Nostalgic. EMBARASSED thinking of how much time, money, and energy from my teenage years went into my NKOTB devotion. Shudder, shudder. Yeesh.

And if I don't feel old enough, we gave away a mattress set to a guy from our I.T. department last week (for free-- just to get it out of the house). So the guy calls my friend in another department to ask her if there's a restaurant I like, so he can give me a gift certificate-- very nice. Then he goes on to say it was nice of me to give away the mattress and for my son to help him load it on his van. Leigh says, "Her son?". He says, "Yeah, her teenage son". Ummmmmm, yeahhhhhhh. That would be my husband. My friend said she almost pissed her pants laughing.

First of all, Ryan does not look *that* young (although he always gets carded, and I never do). But second of all, I don't think I look old enough to have a teenage-- wait, theoretically, I guess I would only have to be 3 years older to have had a 16 year old son at age 20. Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. I'm going to sleep now. Don't wake me. Ever.

eBay Loser

Look what I lost today on eBay! Boo hoo. Isn't it so cute??? It would have been perfect in Q's room, but the final bid ended up being $52.77 which was a bit too rich for my blood.

Well, I think we are all over the gack (knock on wood) officially. Quinn slept in her big girl bed for naptime yesterday, therefore we took her to Chuck E. Cheese's to celebrate today. Yes, Chuck E. Cheese's. She asks for it by name. It was great though-- we got there at 10am, and we were the only ones there for a solid 1/2 hour which is great because she likes pretending to play the games much more than actually playing the games. With too many kids there, she can't do that. She was very happy. And she's napping again in her big girl bed as we speak.

The Barfalonies

Know what's worse than vomiting for 7 hours straight? Being nearly 6 months pregnant and vomiting for 7 hours straight. My darling Q passed the barfalonies on to me. She hurled once on Saturday and was done. I, on the other hand, thought I was dying yesterday. Today, I'm much better although I had to go to the doctor because I have a urinary tract infection too. Lovely!

But I walked into my doc's office (who is also Q's doc), and I see my good friend, Cindy, sitting there! She was also feeling under the weather, but we had a nice time chatting for a bit and trying not to breathe on each other. She and I have the same general prac as well as OB. Weird.

And on the way to pick up my multiple prescriptions, I found an estate sale! I was so bummed about missing the one yesterday, so this was a nice consolation. I didn't find too much, but a few cute things (more pics here). Hope I didn't give everyone there the barfalonies too...

Oh! And look what I won on eBay yesterday for Quinn's room! It's a Hansel and Gretel nursery lamp. I am bidding on something else as well, but I don't want to jinx it, because it is FABOOOOOO, let me tell you!!!! Her room is coming together, but still a WIP. I may take a few pics this weekend though...

Realizations on a Snowflakey Gray Wednesday

+I like it when people use plus signs as bullets; thus, I am trying them on for size.

+Burning my tongue on Cosi’s Tomato Basil Aurora soup once does not deter me from doing it again…immediately.

+The two men below are one and the same. I’m sorely ashamed to say that I find the former to be way attractive.




+I start my 3rd trimester in 12 days!

+Matilda Ledger is only 14 days older than my Q. :(

+I like the name Matilda, but it sounds funny with a last name like muh-LAH-lee (I really did consider it, Jessie and Jana!). I like simply Tilda even better, but Ryan says no way to both. Poop on you, Mister.

+The estate sale I plan on attending tomorrow will be my first in over 3½ months. I’m so jonesin’ for a vintage fix.

+I truly believe that deep down, [Adam Levine] has an unknown affinity for chubby, semi-crafty, married, pregnant chicks. I could be that chick. You never know. As an aside, please feel free to insert [Justin Timberlake] or [Channing Tatum] above. It simply improves my odds.

+Buying Martha Stewart items at Michael’s after final clearance markdowns makes me approximately 3.14 times happier than buying them at regular price. I bought all of this for $11.00.

Quick Pics on MLK Day

Q and I had the day off today. We went to my friend's house and hung out with her teenage daughters and ate pizza for lunch. Yesterday, my parents came to visit. Q was so excited to see her "Gramma Grampa" and to show off her big girl room. We have now graduated into reading books in her big girl bed before going to sleep. That's something, I suppose.

Anywho, here are some fun things my mom brought. Some nice springy tulips with aster:

A really neat old book she picked up for me. Tons of different silhouettes inside:

And some pieces of silver that belonged to my grandmother from the early 1800's.

Oh, and my friend, Dave, just got back from Japan. He even spent New Year's Eve in Tokyo. He brought me back some yummy Pocky, some Miffy stickers and figure (which Q has already confiscated) and my favorite thing, this baby dressed up as an egg. It's a cell phone charm, but I want to figure out somewhere else to put it. It's so delightfully odd! He knows me so well. Wish I could read Japanese-- Joel, can you tell what this says???

"No Like-A Big Girl Bed"

We attempted to make the transition from crib to twin bed last night. Did not go so smoothly. She loves her new room-- playing in it, getting on and off the bed, and even laying in the bed. Sleeping in the bed? That's a different story. Tried again at naptime today, and she was not having it. Although, we did make a little more progress. She laid down and read some books and wanted me to lay with her. But the minute I got up to go downstairs, she started crying hysterically. Baby steps I guess. Any transitioning tips would be greatly appreciated!

Need to start making some new items! The last of my Apple Dee Doo address books are officially gone now, so I'm thinking of cutting up this vintage sheet with these charms for some new addy books.

And maybe the same with this fabric. I cleaned out our upstairs closet and found scads of fabric including this which isn't vintage but looks vintage-y to me (from Joann's!).

Also found YARDS AND YARDS of these Michael Miller western print fabrics that I bought when I was pregnant with Quinn. If Quinn were a boy, was going to have the nursery bedding made from this. I bought it because I read that it was going to be discontinued (I'm such a freak). I tried selling the whole 8 yards of the ditzy bandana print on eBay a couple weeks ago, but no go. I'm just too lazy to cut it up, but I guess I may have to. Eight yards of super cute fabric with no bids-- six of Ryan's old Super Nintendo games, however? Sold for $53.00. Weird.

FFF (Funky Finds Feature!)

Yay! Jessica was sweet enough to feature Girl Land on her blog, Funky Finds. Check it out! There are so many fun and nifty products on here. Can't wait to peruse some more!

No New TV????

So apparently, due to the writer's strike, networks have given up hope that there will be any new shows this SEASON! This SEASON??!!! That means no new shows until next September. And even worse, that means February sweeps and beyond will be mainly nothing but reality TV. That's right, folks, reality TV-- my worst nightmare. Thank goodness for Lost which will come back on January 31. OK, I will admit to you that I did watch the first seasons of Survivor, Dancing with the Stars, and American Idol, but I cannot stomach the stuff anymore-- except So You Think You Can Dance, but I have to fast forward through the judge's comments. When Mindy Kaling first wrote about the strike, I was like, "Yeah! Give The Man hell!"-- now I'm like, "Get back to f'ing work, you greedy bastards." (I'm somewhat joking, but the thought of all reality television makes me super nutty...and irrationally ornery).

I started scanning some vintage Valentine images from my stash with the intent of getting some banners made (sorry, Naomi, I'm such a slacker). Thought this one was particularly odd. It was part of a 4 panel card "For Mother". More like, "Darling Mother, here's a dump I made in the shape of a valentine for you!!" WTF??

Happy Hump Day, yo.

Bake 'N Break, Baby!

I am ashamed to say that I am the Bake' N Break queen. In fact, before Xmas, I couldn't remember the last time I made cookies from scratch. I always just feel like mine don't taste as good as the BNB. Maybe I need to add lard or something. Look at the cute (BNB) cookies I made today!!!!




And I MUST tell you about El Orphanata (The Orphanage). This movie gets 4 out of 4 stars from me! I am not a wuss when it comes to scary movies, but there were several times where I had to hide my face and a few more where I nearly crushed Ryan's hand. And not only scary, but SAD! I totally cried. But just let me forewarn you-- not a happy-go-lucky ending. I would highly recommend it. But if you pee your pants, don't blame me!

Big Pink Nightmare

So I had lunch with my aunt (and uncle) yesterday. I may have mentioned that she is making the comforter for Quinn’s big girl room. I gave her a pile of my fabrics, most of which were Japanese with hedgehogs and mushrooms. Mostly pinks and reds. I have to say, she is SO talented. Her eye for pairing fabrics with other complementary fabrics is just crazy. She dug some more fabrics out of her own personal stash, and while I would have never had the foresight to have chosen them, they looked absolutely perfect with the fabrics I gave her. I so wish I had brought my camera to lunch (what a nerd I am). A few were vintage, and here is a piece of one that she gave me (more pink in real life):


I went to Home Depot today to match the swatch above and bought the paint. It’s called “Pink Tiger”. Man is it Pepto-Bismol, but I think it will look good with everything else in it and when the furniture/quilt are all in place. This ugly scene is from the Glidden paint preview tool. No, we will not be installing nor do we currently have green lattice carpet in her room. Yuck.





Whenever Ryan and I see something overly pink (and this paint definitely qualifies), we always say it looks like a big pink nightmare. Here’s the original big pink nightmare:




And I actually also found a website where you can buy your own adult (or kid) sized pink bunny pj's! How fun.

Happy weekend, Lovies! We are going to see The Orphanage tomorrow. Check out the site! Pretty creepy nifty. xo

I Got Nothin'

One of my co-workers comes into my cube daily and says, “Got anything?” and usually my response is typically, “I got nothin’”. This pretty much describes my blogitude these days. I feel like I want to tell you all something, but there’s not much to tell. Not much of interest anyway. I’m in a blog-o-funk.

I need to get on the stick and think of some Valentine’s projects. I have some cute vintage cupcake picks and a pile of vintage valentines (some with robot boys!!!) that I need to make use of, but man do I hate scanning stuff, bleh. Be on the lookout for some Valentine banners and maybe even some flat Valentine cards if I can get ambitious with my Photoshop.

Oh! Here is one kinda fun thing. I’ve contacted Leslie, and she is going to design some custom birth announcements for me. I know it’s still 3+ months out, but I figure I’ll get a head start. She’s going to make a custom illustration of Q and it will be something relating to her as the big sis. Here are some of her items that I LOVE!

Just Saying No

I really dislike telling people no. It’s not fun to me. At work, this kid asked me if he could rezone a residential property he was considering purchasing to commercial. He came to the counter yesterday in a tie for cryin’ out loud. He had such hope in his eyes and in his voice. After researching, I had to smack his dreams down…via e-mail. He wrote me back and said, “But…” and I had to slap them down again. I really didn’t enjoy it as much as it sounds.

On the converse, I did get to tell someone YES today (which doesn’t happen often), and I really played it up like I did them a favor. Like it actually had something to do with me and not the circumstances.

I tried to find an Etsy product to coordinate with this post for grins, but I was unsuccessful. However, I did find this Lloyd Dobbler finger puppet:

Saturday's Mail

On Saturday, I received some mail that got me excited about baby stuff again. One was Pottery Barn Baby. I usually don’t like PB Kids because it seems slightly unimaginative for the price, BUT I really do like what they are doing with silhouettes and birds and dotty fabrics.

Next, my Cookie Magazine, which I always like, but I often find myself rolling my eyes at some of the articles. Case in point is this article about a boy who wanted to (and was allowed to) wear a pink embroidered sundress to preschool. Ok, wait a sec until I can climb onto my soapbox…there. Here’s where the eye rolling comes into play. I am not an uptight mother with gender roles, so that isn’t the issue. My whole thing is that kids are kids, not mini adults. I do not want to teach my child that they can do or say whatever they want whenever they want. There is a fine line between this and encouraging independent thinking. It should be also stated that I am not going to be one of those parents who let my kid wear orange pajama bottoms, a tutu, and a purple shirt out of the house. I don’t care if I have to strap them down and force them into regular clothes, tough sh*t. I’M the mom, YOU’RE the kid. Ok, off my soapbox. Hope I didn’t offend anyone.

I do love Cookie for their love of Etsy and vintagey things. Found this article on nesting. And also their Family Paris Travel Guide is loverly. Although France was stressful enough for the two of us alone, so I don’t know how people do it with kids in tow, but more power to ‘em. Loved this picture of a carousel in the courtyard of a Paris hotel. Sigh.

Great Expectations

So we saw Juno. It was cute, but I wanted more. I think I have been wanting to see it for so long and building it up that I couldn't help but be disappointed. I loved the music though! This is my favorite song by the Moldy Peaches. I think the song was also in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but I don't remember it. Ryan downloaded the soundtrack this morning. So good!

Also, I do have a minor inappropriate geeky crush on Michael Cera that began with Arrested Development.

Ryan always says that you can tell how good a movie is going to be by the previews that proceed it. That being said, Juno should have been a tremendous flop. Fool's Gold with Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey looks horrendous. Can't even remember the others, but they all looked bad and/or cheesy.

Well, now I want to see this! EEEEEEEEK!

Shambles

Well, the tree is finally down, and let me tell you, it was a fire hazard waiting to happen. Ryan had apparently stopped watering it some time ago. Our house is a pit! I should be cleaning/organizing instead of blogging, but well...you know how that goes.

I'm just starting to put away my Xmas gifts. I need to show you some of them!

Stationery from Paper Source in lovely candy-toned Girl Land colors from my bro and sis in law:

Great Amy Sedaris book also from my bro and SIL. Why had I never looked through this or asked for it? They thought I'd like it, and I so do. Completely up my alley.

Chock full of funky photos like this one:

Lovely antique mercury glass votive holders from my other sis in law:

And this tray from my mom and dad. I love it sooooo much! I need to figure out how and where to hang it now. And here is the designer's website. So pretty. Click on "collections" at the bottom and flip through the book. How dreamy!

Off to get my chocolate chip cookies from the oven. Our 14 year old babysitter is coming over. She weighs like 90 lbs. I try to make sure we're stocked up because she usually eats about a dozen. Life is so unfair.

Schemin'

I’m plotting out Q’s room. Have even drawn a scaled schematic of her room with the proposed furniture layout—can’t help it, I’m a(n urban) planner by trade. Working with the quirks of a partitioned (ie bastardized) bungalow are quite challenging. The twin bed will be situated between two built ins which does not permit an end table. One wall is half windows, another has a 2x2’ grate smack dab in the middle of the wall which provides the room’s only heat source. I am currently scouring the internet for a shallow or half moon dresser and toy box. Also have been considering this table to paint:


Her play fridge/kitchenette will fit in quite nicely in the corner. I am also planning on making another vinyl fabric covered play table similar to the one in my craft room. She likes that one so much! I thought it would be the perfect place to sit and listen to records (like in Oscar’s room).

Finally, I bought a wonderful book from Tiffa yesterday. Can’t wait to receive it. It’s a craft project book from 1973, and I’m going to make a mushroom collage lampshade. Wheeeeee!


Have a great weekend, everyone. We’re (finally) seeing Juno tomorrow. It’s pretty bad when your parents who typically have to travel 45ish minutes to see any quality movie see it before you do. Have heard great things!

Also, have been on a movie kick at home—Music & Lyrics, Heartbreak Kid (both bad), Catch & Release (not as horrendous as I thought, but not good), Spider Man 3 & XMen 3 (loves me some comic book action), and Eastern Promises & Once (phenomenal!!!). Eastern Promises was so great—despite all the Viggo bits flying around (and not in a good way…think naked crouching). xo

Hellooooo 2008!

Our New Year's Day consisted of pajamas, a lovely snowfall, and some good eatin'! Breakfast strata, cinnamon streusel jam-filled muffins, and non-alcoholic mimosa (for me and Q anyway)...mmm. Couldn't think of a better way to round out the holiday. Hope yours was great too!