Top Ten

It's been a few months since I did a "Top Ten" list. And no, I realize it's not Tuesday, but eh... who gives a crap. All the days run together when they all feel like a Saturday. Right... speaking of unemployment, that's the inspiration for today's list. In an effort to help keep my mind on the positive future that will ultimately come after all this nonsense, I'm focusing on the things that will be such sweet purchases once I get that first new paycheck.

This list is a mix of needs and wants, but that's part of the fun. Now to just keep our fingers crossed this list gets knocked out sooner, rather than later. In no particular order, the top ten things I will mull over and consider dropping some dough on when I get my first paycheck at my new job...

1) Paint the dining room (re: Hire someone to do this for me)

2) Baby girl clothes galore

3) Book our first family vacation

4) Pay off any credit card debt

5) Coach purse

6) Two pine trees to plant in the backyard for privacy

7) Pressure wash the house

8) Post pregnancy clothes from Banana Republic and J. Crew

9) A top to bottom, heavy duty cleaning of the house (re: Hire someone to do this for me)

10) Anything West Elm is willing to sell me

What would you do with a sudden increase in cash flow? Am I being too frivilous with this list? Too safe?

Flash Bulb Friday

Two years ago, on Valentine's Day weekend, we woke up to a little surprise. Yup... sometimes, it does snow in South Carolina. (Need more proof?) I'm happy to report, however, that this weekend, there is no snow coming. In fact, we've been having temps in the mid to upper 50s at the coldest for highs during the day. Last week? It was 71 one day. In February. Rock on.

 

So, while there won't be any snow this weekend to force me and Puff to curl up together in bed, I can still appreciate the beauty of it. Sure, I bitch and moan about it all the time. But, if you can stay inside and just *look* at it, versus having to venture out in it? Well, then I suppose it's good for a few pretty photos and a cup of hot chocolate.

 

As long as it melts within 24 hours.

 

Oh... but am I allowed to get a little excited that next winter I can take Bimmer out in the show? The pictures will be priceless!

My kid is sooooooo gonna hate me!

"Here, Bimmer. Sit in this snow bank while Mommy snaps lots of pictures of you looking perplexed and cold and pissed off."

It Stings

Over on the Bower Power blog, (she is seriously the cutest girl ever) she recently put up this post... http://www.bowerpowerblog.com/2012/02/prepregnancy-bucket-list/.

 

Now, I can totally relate to the wanting to get pregnant and feeling like it will never happen phenom. Sure, it was dramatically overstated in my world since I thought it would just happen the first go round, but still. That doesn't mean my feelings were any different than hers. However, since I *am* pregnant, the whole pre-pregnancy bucket list isn't what struck me in that entry. What was it then that struck a chord?

 

The sting.

 

She mentions "the stinging pain of the wait." And her description of that is the most profoundly close description I can come up with to what I am feeling right now with trying to find a job. It feels good to not be alone in wanting something to happen RIGHT NOW, but realizing it is out of my hands. Just a good, humbling reminder that things will work out in the end. (I did have a great interview recently and was their second choice, but didn't get it because I had no specific experience and the person they chose did. I was flattered to make it that far in their selection process!) I just have to find some patience. (A shame, really, that Mr. Smith never was able to instill that virtue in me, despite years of trying!) Maybe I should come up with an "Unemployment Bucket List" of things I need to accomplish while I have the time. Hmmm.... perhaps a new blog topic just arose!

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On a similar note... I have gotten so much love and support from every different angle on my "housewife debacle." It seems that everyone but me has a much more positive outlook on this situation. I've had over-worked friends tell me they are jealous of the fact that if I feel like crap in the morning, I can just roll back over and go to sleep. The overwhelming majority of comments have come from those who are already parents. They repeatedly insist that I enjoy this down-time and rest and relax and use it to get ready for the baby.

 

The only problem with that? I have no idea what I should be DOING to get ready for the baby three and a half months in advance! The eternal planner in me feels like I have already started everything I can at this point. Daycares are on alert. I've got a list of pediatricians to scope out. I've got our hospital orientation tour scheduled. The baby registry is in full swing. The baby showers are being planned by my awesome and amazing friends. The maternity pics are scheduled. The newborn pics are scheduled. The nursery is in progress. The clothes and toys and gizmos and gadgets are piling up. The scrapbook is being prepped.

 

Please, parents, tell me what I am missing!

24 Weeks

I know I say it every four weeks, but can you believe how close it's getting to being able to actually meet this amazing little girl that's been kicking up a storm in my belly?

 

 

The past four weeks have been relatively uneventful. And considering how I rounded out week 20, I am definitely grateful for that. The quick trip to the hospital and several subsequent blood tests produced no result as to why I was having the debilitating pain in my lower abdomen. Their best guess still lies with either a kidney stone or a bowel obstruction. ::shrug:: It's been weeks since I had the pain, so I am counting my blessings doubly hard. Never mind I've been having more increased nausea again the past week. Par for the course, I suppose.

 

The bigget milestone is that I've officially hit the 20 pound weight gain mark. I guess it's a good thing it took me this long to get there, right? My goal was to stay under 40 pounds total while packing it on, so we'll see how close I come to reaching that goal. Being at home all day long, surprisngly, leaves me getting less exercise than if I was working. Perhaps I should have taken more advantage of those 65 degree January afternoons to go for a brisk stroll in the park. However, Puff still insists I don't look pregnant from behind. Somehow, I think, that's supposed to be a compliment.

 

It's hard to believe I've been out of work since I took my week 16 picture. In some sense, I'm trying to see that as a blessing. Less stress and worrying is always a good thing when baking a baby, right? Plus, I've been able to stay off my feet a lot which has kept down a lot of pregnancy swelling I hear should be happening right around now. I also don't snack as badly as I did at the office... I haven't had a piece of chocolate candy in ages! And it has given me and Puff weekends to spend trolling antique shops looking for the perfect old dresser or mid-century Danish modern buffet or record cabinet to repurpose into a dresser/changing table. We've struck out so far, but that doesn't mean we'll stop looking!

 

Oh... and I finally felt the pressure to start the baby registry! Bring on the goodies! But the best part was the night that Puff told me he is really excited that we're having a little girl. After some thought (I know he was initially unsure) he said that it's probably better that way. Because if we had had a son, he would've been disappointed had he been into sports instead of cars. Now, if Bimmer isn't into that, he can just blame it on her being a chick. And if she does happen to be into cars like her daddy? Just an added bonus!

Pin Me

So... what are your thoughts on Pinterest?

 

I feel like I learned about it forever ago from the cool folks over at YHL. They did "Pinterest Challenges" where they did DIY craft projects inspired by something they found on the site. I had heard it was pretty addictive. And having an addictive personality, I avoided it for as long as humanly possible. It wasn't until I officially became a housewife that I decided I'd scope it out. The verdict? It's definitely a good time-waster. I wish I had had it when I was working! ::insert grin::

 

In the month plus that I've been at home, I have conveniently avoided any shopping sites (ahem, West Elm) or any real estate websites. I figured there was no sense in dreaming about things I couldn't afford, right? Well, Pinterest has sucked me back (a tiny bit) into my obsession with anything and everything related to redecorating. I like to think of it as a mood board for our future house. Because, this situation is only temporary, and we will eventually be getting a bigger house. One that I can decorate in the white/gray/turquoise color scheme that is running rampant in all of my "pins."

 

However... in addition to home decor and baby items, I have found a few recipes. I figure since I am home all day long, I might as well turn on my best Betty Crocker and at least attempt something new in the kitchen. Most of the things I've "pinned" with relation to food have been the few sweets that have come across my radar... raspberry lemonade cupcakes or Nutella cheesecake bars. But I was a dutiful wife and sought out something suitible to serve for dinner. And I found that in a crazy easy pesto chicken dish! Check it out over on Kalyn's Kitchen Blog! The verdict? Even though I scoffed at paying $3.99 for a thing of pesto (Puff later told me I should learn to make my own!) it was definitely crazy easy and super yummy!

 

Puff gave it two thumbs up. And an extra high-five for finding a new dish to add to our ever-shrinking dinner rotation of options. Winter nixes the grill most nights, unfortunately. So... while I seriously make no promises to start pumping out cool recipes for you guys to try, I will definitely keep you posted if I find something off-the-hook. Just nothing that involves a crock pot. I don't have one, nor do I want one. Sorry, CPFC (crock pot fan club), but when you have a tiny kitchen, you've got to pick your kitchen appliances carefully. And that frozen drink machine totally trumps anything that doesn't involve rum.

Flash Bulb Friday

I keep going back and digging up photos from my "Lesbian Extravaganza Cruise" with Meghan back in 2008. Probably because the ports we hit were gorgeous and sunny. Reminissing about them in the middle of winter (no matter how mild it has been) is always nice.

 

This was from the streets of Old San Juan. We walked from our hotel (a ratty HoJo in the center of town... slim pickings for chain hotels in the old quarter) before dinner and headed toward the outer rampart walls of the city. This was a quiet side street en route. I loved the different colored buildings. Such charm! Such a seemingly easier life!

 

Now it's got me hoping we can take Bimmer on a cruise with us in a few years. So we can get her started out right on picking up some foreign countries!

Nursery: Step 1

I've already thrown out there that Puff and I have decided on this white crib from Babies R Us for the nursery...

But now comes the decorating the crib part. Following a lot of research and discussions, we've opted to join the "No Bumper Crowd" and skip that for Bimmer's room. Sure, they make it look more complete, but if there are any safety risks involved at all, I'm not willing to go there. I am certain I can pull some tricks out from up my sleeve to make the room look adorable regardless. Plus, you can't use the quilt with the baby for like a year anyway... so what's the point in wasting the money for a bedding set that you can't even really use? (Case and point... I found MY old quilt from my crib bedding last July and it's in mint condition. So, we still have that for Bimmer to use if she wants a thick quilt anyway!)

Thus we land on the crib skirt debate. I had been super gung-ho about having our friend, Rachel, from Rachel's Creations, create us a one-of-a-kind crib skirt to rock in Bimmer's nursery. However, now I'm a bit stumped on what to do. First, here are the two fabrics that Puff and I narrowed it down to...

He prefers the yellow, but since our walls are sorta yellowish, I worry that it won't look right. Plus, the pink stripe gives more of a cabana feel to our baby's tropical beach-themed room. The problem? Of course, I wasn't able to find any fabrics I loved at a reasonably priced store, so these puppies come from the fancy-pants designer fabric store. And that means they come with a much heftier price tag. And with all the yardage required, plus Rachel's time, it's going to end up being more expensive than something we could register for and have someone else buy. In fact, this perfectly cute and coordinating one from Pottery Barn Kids would be cheaper...

::sigh:: I know I'm just over-analyzing things because of the lack of a job situation. Even with Rachel making it, it's a less than $100 investment that *should* last us through Bimmer's use of the crib and subsequent toddler bed. And that is perfectly reasonable. Plus, it'll look pretty darn cute with this sheet we found at Target that is white with pink stars. As I've mentioned before, this baby girl will want for nothing. Even if she couldn't care less about the stripes on her crib skirt!