Random Thoughts

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything. However, I've felt quite overwhelmed lately with work and the baby coming. I've got so much to do and don't have the energy to do half of it. Here are some of my random thoughts today.

I didn't make cinnamon rolls to give out to friends and neighbors this year. I'm so disappointed about that. However, I realized it's something that takes a lot of time and energy and I just couldn't do it. Hopefully I'll be able to do it next year with a ten-month-old!

I realized late that I forgot to send Christmas cards to several people on my list - that's what I get for hand addressing them!

My house is a total disaster, more than normal, but at least I got the laundry done Saturday. I washed the baby's clothes up to 6 months and now there's no room in her closet! I saw an ad on tv today for these "closet extenders" or something like that where you hang up five things on on little rack and it saves on closet space. I'm going to see if they have them at the "As Seen on TV" store at the Great Mall. That could give me some much needed space in her closet!

I feel like I'm 40 weeks pregnant instead of just 35. Lance is tired of me complaining but I'm tired of not being able to sleep, having no appetite and then starving because nothing sounds good, and feeling like my stomach is going to rip open at any second. Seriously, my stomach burns most of the time and feels like it's going to tear apart. It's ok right now but this little girl is moving like nobody's business.

Lance's car is not working . . . again! Thankfully he works close and we have one car that still runs.

Ok, enough of this. Brett had a really great Christmas. His favorite toys are his Lincoln Logs, his Big Wheel, his Marble Run and his Elmo stove. Very cute. I'll post some pictures one of these days.

Christmas Cards have been mailed!

I mailed our Christmas cards yesterday. So, I'm guessing that some people might actually be getting theirs today (love the US Postal system!). For some people that means you are visiting our family website for the first time - welcome! I hope you enjoy looking around, seeing what we've been up to. I plan on revamping the site in the next week or two, so make sure you check back to see the new look and updated photos, etc. I had planned to have it done before I mailed the Christmas cards but I've had a lot to do lately and didn't get it finished. But, that'll give you something to look forward to.

I also want to encourage everyone to feel free to leave comments on my blog. You don't have to be a registered user or anything to leave a comment. You just hit the "leave a comment" button and you're done! I think it's a lot easier than an email even!

Well, I need to go eat lunch. Hot dogs. Brett has been on a hot dog kick lately. He ate 2 1/2 for lunch yesterday and 2 the day before! This will last for about a week and then we'll be on to something different. But, at least he's eating!

We're also watching the snow today. It's been snowing since around 10am and has been pretty heavy but there's really not any accumlation on the ground. Big bummer for us since I have a three-year-old that's been wanting to build a snowman for weeks! I'm hoping that it will continue to snow enough for him to play in it after his nap! I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Bad Dreams

I just put Brett to bed. He wasn't in there 5 minutes and came out saying "Mama, me have bad dream." This has been going on for about a week now. He's obviously not having a bad dream, he hasn't even had time to fall asleep. He's just using it as a tactic to not go to sleep and come out to see what we are doing. Often he has a smile on his face as he's saying it, like just now. We began using the Supernanny technique last night to "cure him" of this. Whenever he comes out and says it, we simply usher him back into bed without even saying anything. It seems cruel, I know but it works and it's really necessary. He's not suffering from a real bad dream - if he was we would react differently. He's just stalling. About a month ago he was using the potty excuse so we had to resort to this method. After about two nights of the Supernanny technique, he stopped getting up out of bed. I expect he'll stop in a night or two and then in a few weeks come up with something else. It's kinda funny but something we can't let continue to happen.

Especially because since I've been writing this blog entry, he's now gotten up two more times. I'm actually surprised it's at three already tonight. But, hopefully the Supernanny technique will work soon! I'm off to finish assembling the Christmas cards. Maybe not having the light from the office shine under his door will help him go to sleep faster!

Birthday Wishes and another room idea

First of all - HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my good friends Jobi and Heather! They are both former neighbors (it's still hard not to have them in my cul-de-sac) who are great friends that just so happen to share the same birthday! So Happy Birthday girls! I hope it's a happy day!

Ok, I think this is what I'm going to do for the baby's room on the walls. I had "recolored" several more pictures with all the various color combinations and wasn't really in love with any of them. I knew I wanted to put flowers on the wall somewhere but wasn't sure where when this idea hit. What do you think? I'm in love with it! It totally repeats the pattern in the rug I'm going to buy and isn't too overwhelming for me. I think before I was trying too hard with too many stripes on the wall - it was giving me a headache. But I think having the flowers in the middle breaks it up a bit. Plus, I love the green above and below the brown flower stripe.

So, unless Lance totally objects this is what I'm going to do for my little girl's room. I'm going to order the rug (let's hope they still have it!), get some paint samples and test them on the wall, then let my husband paint the stripes. I'll ask my doctor about painting. I don't mind waiting until my little one is here to do it, although it would feel good to get it done before she gets here.

Now, if anyone has any good ideas for Brett's room I'm all ears. We're going with a vintage airplane theme. I'm thinking red and blue for paint colors, but am open to options. I think Lance wants me to paint another mural on his wall and then hang airplanes from the ceiling. But, I need some ideas first!

I'd rather be working?

Ok, so I'm really supposed to be working right now. I've started - even made my "to do" list. But I have serious ADD and am trying to get my "desk" cleaned off before I start. This is what got me so distracted.

One of the things sitting open on my "desk" (I say "desk" because it's an ugly 4-ft brown table that I use) is the recent issue of Better Homes and Gardens. I used to really love this magazine and lately haven't been that inspired. However, as I was reading it the other day (during Brett's speech class - this is when I catch up on my magazines!) I saw something really awesome!

It's a website called http://www.tastebook.com that lets you create a hardcover cookbook online! You can add your own recipes or find recipes you like from their site. They'll print it all for you. It's only $20 for the binder with 25 pages and you can add future recipes! I have been trying to figure out what I want to do with my recipes for over a year now. Not kidding. At one point I thought I wanted to type them on 5x7 cards and put them in a box. But then I got this really cute stand that sits on my kitchen counter and just the other day decided I wanted to put them into a binder/actual cookbook. But, I was wrestling with the size, etc. Then I saw this Tastebook thing! Oh my goodness! I could not believe it! I am so excited about it and that's why I can't seem to close the magazine where it's listed. I want to enter all my recipes NOW and make my cookbook.

But, I have work to do. I have a new website to create (yeah!) and several more updates to make on other sites. Plus I have a lot of pending Hospital Hill work to work on. All of that (which I get paid for) and a lot that I don't! I need to work on Christmas cards - as soon as our pictures get here, work on the baby's room and Brett's big boy room, and finalize my plans for the baby's announcement (yes I'm working on the design this soon - that's a very important thing you know!). Oh, and I forgot finishing Brett's scrapbook and uploading pictures. (And I haven't even mentioned housework in all of this - don't tell Lance!)

Anyway, that's what's on my mind right now. Maybe this short little interlude will help me focus. I certainly don't want to be up late tonight, 6am comes very early.