Hi everyone! I want you all to know that I did not fall off the face of the Earth. The new Stampin' Up! year has me pretty busy. The cool thing is that I've actually had time to play with new stuff in addition to the workshops we've been having. The other thing I've been busy with is selling our pool. I was so excited to buy the house with the pool...but it's a ton of freaking work...so we sold it. Things with the baby are going super...I'm still the most unpregnant person in the world...I look the same...I feel the same...it's pretty nice! I go to the doctor on August 2nd...and it can't come soon enough! I know I'm far enough along (18 weeks) to find out the sex...and the suspense is KILLING ME! And now, to the topic of today's post:

Five Ways to Piss Me Off

1. Drive 12 mph on Main Street...where the speed limit is 35 mph. And just for the record, I'm fairly certain that there is no where on the face of this whole planet where the speed limit is 12 mph. I do have to hand it to you, though, you sure are a consistent driver...one would think that you had your cruise control set at 12 mph the way you went that freaking slow for over six blocks.

2. Start a sentence with "what you need to do is". Because, quite frankly, that makes me have violent thoughts. These thoughts sound something like, "what you need to do is shut the hell up because I'm not listening to one damn word coming out of your mouth for the duration of this conversation." I'm 24 stinking years old and don't need anyone telling me what I need to do...unless you're a doctor or nurse in the delivery room while I'm birthing a child...then you can boss me around all you want...and I'll listen...I promise.

3. Don't answer your call waiting...when you have caller ID...and you KNOW that it's me...and less than five minutes ago I said, "I'll call you right back." Don't you understand how absolutely irritating this is? I hope that when I'm in labor I don't have to call and say, "Oh, I called you over two hours ago to tell you...but you were on the other line...I could tell by the way it rang and rang...must've been someone more important than me that you were talking to." For the record: there is no one more important than me...I have your grandchild in my stomach. (Love you!)

4. Ask me "Are you showing yet?" when I'm standing right in front of you. Look at my belly. Decide for yourself if I'm showing...or just fluffy in the belly area. The problem I have with this question is that I don't think I'm showing...I think it's just belly fluff...but Larry thinks it's the baby. So, the answer I wanted to give you was, "My husband thinks I am...but I think it's just fat. What do you think?" Luckily for you I decided to spare you further embarrassment.

5. Loudly ask me, "Are you wearing your fat pants?" First of all, they would be maternity pants. Second of all, just because I know that you know I'm preggo, doesn't mean that everyone in the bank...all of whom have turned around to stare at me...know what you're talking about. The other thing...you don't have to ask me every freaking day. I'm 18 weeks along now...assume that for the duration of my pregnancy I'll be wearing my fat pants...unless I come in dressed in a garbage bag.

Posted by Courtney at 8:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Dear Baby,

This morning I thought I felt you move...but it was a false alarm...or gas...one of the two. I was in a half-awake state (it was 6:30) so I wasn't sure if I was dreaming. Of course once I thought I felt you moving inside my stomach there was no hope of going back to sleep. I had to lay there...perfectly still...willing you to do it again if it was in fact you. After an hour of feeling nothing I decided it must have been a false alarm. Yesterday I was reading the week-by-week pregnancy guide and it said you should be fluttering in my tummy anytime now...so maybe the power of suggestion made me think it was you. I'm 17 weeks now, which means we're almost half way there! I still don't look very pregnant, but hearing your heartbeat assures me that you really are in there! The book says you grew to about 5 1/2 inches long in the last month, and your fingerprints are already on your little fingers. It also says that your external genitals are visable on an ultrasound...but unfortunately the doctor doesn't even have the damn appointment set up for that yet. Can you tell your Mommy is impatient?! I hope you inherit your Daddy's patience...it will save you tons of frustration! We go back to the doctor on August 2nd, where we'll set up the ultrasound appointment. I'll let you know when that's going to be so that you can cooperate so we can see if you're a boy or girl...it's killing me, child...I have to know...

Love,
Mommy

Posted by Courtney at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Project: Nursery is underway! After less than one, less than grueling, half hour we picked out everything. We knew it was going to be done in Winnie the Pooh, so that helped narrow things down. First, did you know that there are two Poohs? There's Classic Pooh, and the regular red-shirt wearing Pooh that almost everyone knows? This is something you find out when you go in search of Pooh wallpaper. Classic Pooh, for those of you who are lacking Pooh knowledge, wears no shirt, and was the 'first' Winnie. Someone must have decided that a naked Pooh was inappropriate, because the updated, Regular Pooh, has a shirt on. I find it odd that they felt the need to put a shirt on the bear, but not pants. Interesting. I liked the Regular Pooh better, and Larry (of course) liked the Classic Pooh. We went with the Classic Pooh because it looks more 'nursery' than 'toddler room'...and because the fact that I had Larry inside Sherwin Williams, looking at wallpaper, kinda made me feel like I ought to go with what he liked. We're doing wallpaper on the bottom portion of the walls, and painting the top portion. They'll be separated with a white chair rail, and the border.

Originally we were going to do two different papers and the border. When Mr. Sherwin Williams priced things out for us the total was a whopping $340 + tax and shipping. Holy Expensive Wallpaper, Batman! I mulled things over for a few days, and decided that even though I love this child, $340 is a whole crap-load of money for an 8x10 room. Plus I wasn't 100% sure I'd like the two different wallpapers with two different patterns in the same room, thing. So the conclusion I came up with was to pick the wallpaper we liked the best of the two, and paint the top half. I totally lucked out an found three rolls of the wallpaper border, unopened, on E*Bay...thus saving $45 on the border. Last night we ordered the wallpaper, and it should be in next week. Our new nursery total is estimated at about $170. We'll see how close it comes to actually being that!

We went with neutral colors...not because I'm itching to start the room NOW NOW NOW...but because I'm paranoid that even if they tell us the sex, they could be wrong. Just to be safe, we decided on green and yellow. I'd be so ticked if we spent $200 on wallpaper, only to have it be for the wrong sex. Hopefully the actual painting will start by the end of July! And now, here's the border:

Posted by Courtney at 7:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

of a new Stampin' Up! catalog! Mom and I placed our first new catalog order on Saturday morning. Did we order one or two new things? Oh no. That's not the way we do it. We just had our own little $150 party...because we had to get a new hostess set...right?!? Well, that and we have a workshop on the 16th and want to be able to show off some new stuff. So, you're just dying to know what made the cut, aren't you? Here goes:

Time With You-This is Mom's number one, new favorite stamp set. I think it's because she can see herself as one of the ladies at the table, and my Aunt Carole as the other lady...just chitty chatting. I think the first thing she'll use it for is to make a card for Aunt Carole.

Happy Everything-We both liked this one and thought it looked pretty versatile.

Stinkin Cute-My fav fav favorite new set! I'm not exactly sure what all I'll use it for, but it's just too...well...stinking cute! The best stamp is the "Big Stinkin Deal" one...a little snarky, but I love it!

Word Search Background-Both of us liked this one. I think it's so cool that it has all of the different phrases hidden in the word search. I can see where it would be cute to use on children's cards and things.

Jumbo Wheel Spot On-This one just looked like it would be fun...and we haven't bought any new wheels in a while, so it made the cut.

Riveting (Hostess Set)-I like all of the new hostess sets, but I especially am liking this one because you can punch out the middle...so we had to buy the punches, too, of course!

The other things we bought were accessories, and a bottle of Stampin' Mist Refill. The accessories that made the cut are: the new colored brads in Soft Subtles, the new In Color line of cardstock, Fresh Favorites II buttons, the new patterned ribbon in Seaside, a new package of Designer Paper in Recollections, a Cool Caribbean ink pad, and a Cranberry Crisp ink pad.

Those are the things that made the cut for the first order...but truthfully, we're already plotting a second order that is to be put in after we get back from vacation. Ah, a stamper's buying habit is never done...

Posted by Courtney at 9:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)