Eve's Garden

Minor frustrations
		11:50am 10/07/2009
	House is all sprayed. I don't like the smell, though they assure me that it is safe. I'm happy we'll be leaving for the weekend. I didn't let them spray the baby's room so I was hiding in there most of the time. I got the curtain shortened at last, so all that's left to do is make throw cushions out of the left-over fabric. Easy and fun little project so that might get done on Monday or even Sunday when we get back from the event. I'll take pics of the room as soon as I'm done that bit. The dogs are miffed that I won't let them out in the yard. It takes half an hour for the poison out there to dry so they'll have to live with it, but they're clearly communicating that they aren't happy about it. We got the car mostly packed for the event last night. It's nice being able to pre-pack and store it in the garage and not worry about all our stuff being stolen. The only things that aren't in there are the things that can't sit in a warm car (archery equipment and a cooler). All that's left to be done is that I need to clean the kitchen and get showered and put away some laundry. Jason will leave work in an hour and I think I can be ready to walk out the door when he returns. It's nice being all organized and actually ready to go somewhere for a change. And I even got a load of whites done today while I waited! The Snoogle is working out pretty well. The cover it comes with is a little rough on the skin, so I might make myself something softer, at least for the area around my face, neck and shoulders. But the shape is spot-on. I've actually been sleeping relatively soundly through the night. Still not feeling exactly rested yet as I am still waking up pretty early to pee (but at least not waking several times in the night) and I think it will take a few days to get over the accumulated sleep deprivation. Also I won't be taking it with me camping, so I anticipate tonight's sleep will suck. Off to tackle laundry, kitchen then shower. See you all after the event.
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Way to go Captain Obvious!
		04:03pm 09/07/2009
	Dr. Phil did a show on ADHD and ADD today and part of the show was "simple things you can do to help your child with ADHD or ADD" 1. Stick to a schedule 2. Organize 3. Be clear and consistent How do these things only apply to children with this condition? My experience is that all "simple" creatures benefit from these treatments. Everything from children to pets appreciate those things. And heck, when you get right down to it, most adults are more comfortable with those things than without them too. Sure, we like a bit of spontaneity, but for the most part we appreciate schedules. And of course we all feel better when our homes are clean and organized. When it comes to anyone who claims they love the chaos I deeply believe they're just making excuses and justifications because getting organized is a lot of work (and I totally get that because it is). And isn't having a boss that isn't clear or consistent a major complaint among unhappy workers? Why is this sort of advice put out there as something only for "special" kids when the truth is that it helps ALL children (and all relationships with other living creatures)? Again we're just reinforcing my idea that doggies make great practice kids. The fur-babies wake at the same time every morning and expect to be let out. They expect to eat at the same time every night. And they head upstairs for bed at the same time every day. Any change to the schedule definitely gets them upset. And any time you want them to follow a rule, consistency is key. If you let them get away with something once they'll try it again and again. I'm not sure they care as much about things being organized. They are just dogs after all. All their worldly possessions would fit in one plastic bag. Parenting isn't rocket science. Sure I expect to make some mistakes along the way, but I'm thinking the basics are pretty easy to grasp. It amazes me how many people don't think those simple three things are obvious and applicable to all children. In other news we got our estimate for the ant treatment. It's a bit of a hit to this month's budget, but it has to be done. They'll be coming to do it tomorrow and as soon as it's done we'll head out to an SCA event for the weekend. Hopefully camping in the record-breaking heat won't be too bad. There aren't nearly as many ants around now, but there's still a few and there's an absolutely horrid ant mound near the AC unit outside, so it will be good to have them all dead. I found out what they like about fresh, clean laundry... apparently there are proteins in detergent and fire ants like protein. So it wasn't the fabric softener after all. And again, I guess this will teach me to put it away. I really should go and get something done, but I really am exhausted from this whole week. I just want to curl up and sleep and do nothing at all. I'm hoping I can do some more creative/fun things next week since this week has been a whole lot of not fun.
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More ants
		10:01pm 08/07/2009
	They have now spread to the kitchen garbage (which is now out on the back porch) and are eating all the glue out of my wooden cutting boards, so I now have many thin slats of wood instead of BOARDS on which one can CUT. No, the garbage and cutting boards are not in the same cupboard, but they are both in lower-level cupboards. sarcasm I can't wait until tomorrow when I get to discover what new way they can make my life suck. /sarcasm The pest control company is sending out their inspector (and estimate-giver) tomorrow, so hopefully we can get them poisoned and dealt with quickly. In other news, one of the power locks on the van is making an annoying noise. Apparently it requires a new $200 "lock actuator" and all the air filters need changing too, to the tune of $300 altogether. And of course I was out getting away from ants so I didn't approve the repair in time to get it done today. This is going to be a very expensive week. So what did I do today that didn't suck? I went out and had a lovely lunch with Rhonda (my treat because she'd bought the last time and she was chauffeuring me around) and then we went shopping at Ikea where my sole goal was to purchase $100 worth of stuff I'd bought last week so I could get the $20 gift certificate and then immediately turn around and return it with last week's receipt. Mission accomplished, gift card in hand, I found out the estimated arrival date for the next shipment of my crib is in three weeks (oh joy if it's right) and I also got cinnamon buns. I was very good and did not purchase another orchid. Then it was on to Babyearth to inspect a toy for eliskimo where I bought a Snoogle for myself. I really, really, really hope this helps me sleep because I am so very tired of being this tired. Off to test out the Snoogle. Wish me luck.
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United breaks guitars
		09:57pm 08/07/2009
	United Breaks Guitars I guess it's nice to know I'm not the only one they've treated like crap. In my experience, if their "customer service agents" could have cared any less it would only have been because they'd ceased breathing. United is the worst airline in the world. On one trip we had the misfortune of having to make 2 connections. The first leg we flew with no heat in the cabin; the stewardesses were wearing parkas. Sucked to be the rest of us who had checked our coats because we were going to Hawaii. On leg two they claimed we had to be delayed because our plane was "unsafe" and then immediately boarded another plane-load of passengers onto it while we watched and waited. They then gave us a smaller plane and bumped 25 people from our flight. At the final connection they told us we needed to leave the security area and pick up our bags to bring them to the next flight. By the time we found out that was incorrect we couldn't make it back through security in time to make the final connection. Through all this they didn't even offer a complimentary can of soda. When asked their employees were very quick to answer that they were not authorized to offer compensation of any sort. I would rather walk than fly United again.
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Fucking hate fucking fire ants
		11:12am 08/07/2009
	That's it, I've had it, we're calling in the professionals and the commercial-grade poisons. I wanted to be all environmentally and pregnancy friendly, but I have my limits, and this morning the ants found them. I'm standing in the shower and I feel a sting on my foot. I figure it's a phantom bite because I've got ants on the brain, just like when you spend too much time looking at or cleaning up after bugs you start to feel like they're crawling on you even though they're not. Slowly I realize that no, this really, really hurts and I bring myself to look down and sure enough, there's an ant on my toe, biting me IN THE SHOWER!?!?! I kill it and finish my shower and get bitten again when I step out. I look down and they're all over the bath mat. So I managed to drive them out of the laundry room and up into my master bathroom, perfect. I get down on my hands and knees and start smushing them all with my bare hands because I am soooo very pissed. I know that killing them one at a time doesn't do a thing about my problem, but in the moment it feels good to take out 30 of the little bastards. Also it clears enough space on the mat for me to actually get out of the shower. So now I've got a swollen toe from the one bite this morning, and my power lock on one of my doors went this week so the car is in getting fixed, and our passports expired and we finally this morning found a studio that could take a picture formatted with Canadian passport requirements (after asking around at SEVERAL different places). It's been a shit morning/week all round. Fuck it, I'm going out to lunch and getting some retail therapy with the neighbour. If anyone needs me I'll be at Ikea. I think I may pick up some cinnamon buns too, I need to spoil myself.
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I'm not nesting
		06:09pm 07/07/2009
	Did a MAJOR cleaning today. Vacuumed and mopped every floor on the main floor (except my craft room, which again is one of those rooms I can't really get to enough floor to be worth vacuuming yet) and moved all the furniture to do so. No, I am not nesting, if anything I'm UN-nesting, or to be more precise, trying to get rid of every single damn ant and whatever nest they came out of. In the course of cleaning I found ants under the dog bed, in the middle of the room, crawling up walls and curtains and along window sills and generally everywhere. It took all day (and I was doing laundry while I was at it) and now I am just completely exhausted. I've told Jason he gets to bring home food tonight because there is no way I can face cooking after all that. We're getting Chinese take-out - yum! On the bright side, other than the stairs (which I can't face without a stair attachment, speaking of which I should go and order one now) and the upstairs game room, every room we use is all nice and clean now. If I just tidied up a bit of clutter I could even take pictures of the place. I might do that later this week, but right now I am bushed. I've also got every single cloth diaper I've bought in the washer right now. The used ones need to be stripped as they smell detergenty and I've also got a couple dozen new ones. So that's 4 dozen infant pre-folds, 2 dozen regular pre-folds and 1 dozen flat folds (to make into burp cloths). They barely fit in the washer. I'm hoping when they get water added and swell up that they don't break it. I figure a couple of washes and passes through the dryer to fluff and I'll do the last pass tomorrow and put them out on the line I hung last week to sun-bleach and they'll be all ready to go. I also pruned my African Irises as they were looking a little scraggly this morning. So yeah, I've been busy.
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Ant and Anna updates
		09:59am 07/07/2009
	Ants appear to be gone. Jason sprayed them with raid and put down traps and they spent most of yesterday carrying bait into their home in the wall (or outside, I'm not sure where their base of operations is). Our birthing class coach gave us some organic pesticide (clove oil suspended in inert things like olive oil, water and other food-grade products) that he sprayed outside and which I put in the kitchen a bit. And we got all the sheets and towels washed and de-anted. They survived the washer (bastards) but the dryer killed 'em good. As of this morning there were one or two stragglers wandering around the floor, but that's a typical number so I'm okay with it. Nice to have that cleared up quickly. The beagle on the couch epidemic on the other hand seems to be getting worse. I had to yell her off the couch when we got home last night. She came over and greeted me and then as soon as she was done with her greeting hopped up to get settled on the couch. This morning Jason came down after his shower (he lets them out in the morning and then goes back upstairs to get dressed) and found her on it. She's obviously not getting the memo here. I'd rather if she stayed off it all the time, but with reduced exposure it doesn't smell doggy like the old couch did, so I guess it's not the worst thing in the world if we have to keep correcting her. I managed to get the kitchen cleaned last night but still have the main floor vacuuming to do, so I'm off to get that done and then maybe I can spend my afternoon doing something creative. That would be lovely. The house is actually clean enough right now that I wouldn't be mortified if guests dropped in. That's a nice feeling. Here's hoping I can maintain it.
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Yucky discovery of the day
		03:28pm 06/07/2009
	Some weeks ago we'd found a few ants hanging out in dirty dog towels I left on the floor in the laundry room. No biggie, I washed them and put them away and decided no more dirty laundry on the floor. I just figured the ants were attracted to crumbs the beagles had left on their bedding and not leaving it around would solve the problem. We put down an ant bait but didn't see another ant. This morning I sent Jason down to fetch the clean sheets to change our bed. I'd washed them a few days ago but I just put them in a basket rather than folding them and putting them away as we were going to use them again shortly. The basket of clean laundry was ENTIRELY FILLED with fire ants. After getting bitten a bunch of times he threw the laundry back in the wash (incidentally, fire ants survive the washer, but they do not make it alive through the dryer) and got out the raid and baits. There are now hundreds of dead ants in the laundry room and a steady stream of live ones going to and from the baits. I will vacuum them up later, for now I don't want to disturb the ants bringing the bait back to the colony. It's killing me not to get out the vacuum though. What I can't get is what attracted them to the fresh, clean laundry? What would be in there that they would want? There's no water, no food, I'm at a loss. This morning I got lots of stuff done. Most of the upstairs has been vacuumed (didn't get to my closet, the junk room or the games room but I did the rest) and I cleaned the ceiling fan above our bed. It was really gross so that was nice. I've got about 2 hours left before Jason gets home and I'm trying to decide what to tackle next. Vacuum the main floor or clean the kitchen? I really wish I had a self-cleaning house. That would be awesome.
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Happy 4th of July
		05:32pm 04/07/2009
	I spent my first 4th of July here doing some very un-patriotic things. First we took the beagles to the off-leash dog park bright and early in the morning. There was supposed to be a "beagle brigade" meeting, but only 2 or 3 other beagles were there, so it wasn't much different from the average day at that park. I assume next month or maybe the month after will be better. The holiday and the heat probably had something to do with it. Beagles had a grand time. It was just cool enough that they felt like they could run around and play a bit. Lizzy was a gross, slobbery mess though. And neither of them would stop for long enough to drink until we had them back in the car - dumb dogs. After the dog park, it was still relatively cool so I decided I'd tackle a project out in the garage. I still owe Emer a gift for her daughter and she was lamenting the availability of SCA-appropriate toys, so this is what I whipped up this afternoon: The Animals of Ealdormere - Series 1 Not sure if there will ever be a series two as neither rams nor boars really inspire me. They still need a final bit of sanding, but by the time these were done it was so hot out in the garage that I was finding new places to sweat, so that's getting done another day. I chose not to make them to scale because I wanted them all to be nice and big and choke-proof. The Holtztiger toys they are modeled loosely after are made out of hardwood and painted and also recommended for children 3+ and I'm thinking it's because of the size variation (some would be small enough to swallow). Mine are made out of softwood instead of hardwood because that's what I had on hand (left over from making the shelves) and it's a little easier to work. Less durable, but I'm not sure getting a little banged up is a big deal; they're toys, not fine art. I've tried to design them so all the parts are relatively thick and well-supported so they are less prone to breakage (things like legs and tails especially). I'm still trying to decide whether I want to paint or varnish them or just give them a final sanding and leave them as-is. They're going to be your toys Emer, what would you prefer? Also, do these look like something you'd like for M to play with or shall I head back to the drawing board and come up with something else? (I'm cool if you'd prefer something else, I'd rather send you something you want than something that will never be used after all) So yeah, I spent my Independence Day asserting my independence of America by making little toy animals representing Canadian SCA places. Tonight backyard bonfire, watching what fireworks we can see from our backyard and making smores. Not the worst plan ever, and no fighting crowds or traffic at the end of the night either.
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It's like magic
		05:21pm 03/07/2009
	For the last few days, every time I leave the living room for any significant length of time (working on the baby's room, puttering in the garage or out shopping) these paw prints magically appear on my couch. Accompanying the paw prints is always an amount of white shedded fur in proportion to the amount of time I have been absent. It seems that while Anna was fairly quick to catch on to the new "humans don't want me on the couch" rule, she has also adapted it to include "and what they don't see won't hurt them". I haven't actually caught her on the couch in a few weeks now, but the signs are there every time. What to do with a rebellious hound?
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One day at a time
		03:15pm 03/07/2009
	Pregnancy is strange. One day I feel almost normal, the next I feel completely horrid. Just yesterday I was feeling pretty good in my body, able to do most of the things I tried, and generally doing okay. The day before I even did a little work out (motivated by watching a "competitive eater" demonstrate his "sport" on Wifeswap, which made me almost throw up in my mouth and totally got my ass off the couch before the episode was half-finished). Today my stomach feels heavy and stretched almost to the point of breaking. Even the slight motion of walking makes me feel like it's going to pop and I can't seem to take a full breath. It hurts like heck. And don't even get me started on how hard bending or going up the stairs is. Yesterday I was taking them two at a time. This sucks. I think it's because the baby has shifted into a strange position. Or at least that seems to be what would make sense. I get one of these days about once a week, and then suddenly she shifts and I'm fine again. I imagine they'll get more frequent (if not constant) by the end though. And ow - ow - fuck - ow - she just kicked something REALLY sensitive. I'm not sure what but holy shit that stung. Jason is off today because of the holiday. As I had him home I decided we'd finish up some stuff that required two people to do. We had to move a bookcase to make room for a CD storage rack that I picked up for him, and that's been waiting to be done for a month now or maybe more. We also got 3 pictures hung in the hallway/games room. On my own I varnished the shelves for the baby's room and the top of the changing table/dresser as we've discovered in the Texas heat and humidity stuff sticks to painted surfaces. I'm hoping stuff doesn't stick as well to polyurethane, but that remains to be tested. I also mounted all the brackets for the baby's room shelves and I'm just about to fetch the varnished shelves and put it all together. Might then take a moment to tidy the room up and give it a vacuum. That means all that's left to be done in there is shortening the curtain, making a few throw pillows (optional) and getting a crib. Anything else I take on (hanging mobiles and stuff) is just gravy. Earlier this week I also hung the curtain rod for the quilt, re-hung the guest/kid's bathroom towel rack to a reasonable height and hung a picture over it to brighten the room up and finished assembling the filing cabinet. I still haven't done any laundry for myself and yesterday opted to just buy more clothes. Yeah, I know, not the best choice, but I was dreadfully short on t-shirts that still fit at this point. Not the most productive week I've ever had, but certainly not the least either. Still on the to-do list for today: - get passport photos taken - mail passport applications off - try new bubble tea place in Pflugerville
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Man and wife
		10:16am 01/07/2009
	My mother made an amusing observation a few weeks ago... when we got married, Jason got both a wife and a husband. I am proficient at every job around the house, from changing locks, hanging curtains and mounting storm doors to cooking, cleaning and taking care of the laundry. I'm a do it all kind of girl. Jason helps out occasionally (you need two people to hang a storm door, one to hold, one to do the actual mounting, and I'm in no shape to pick up dog poop or mow the lawn right now, not that I've never done those jobs in the past mind you), but most of the time, I take care of it all. I've noticed an interesting trend though... it seems that in any given week I generally choose to be one or the other. One week I'm all up to date on the laundry and the kitchen is kept spotless, but none of the home improvement tasks will get done. The next week I'll have a flurry of home improvement where I get all the locks changed and things planted in the garden and the garage organized and the house will look like it's been hit by a tornado. I guess you just can't have it both ways. Of course some weeks I get nothing done on either front and I hit the weekend wondering what the hell I did with all my time. I bet no one else's "husband" has ever had to pick sawdust out of hir bra at the end of a hard day's work though ;) This week has been semi-productive thusfar. Monday I wasted a lot of time out shopping, so all I really got done was repairing the table I bought at Ikea. Yesterday I oiled the table and put together the filing cabinet I also got from Ikea. Still not quite finished on that one as I actually have to drill the handle holes myself, so I'm thinking after I post I'll head back into the garage and finish that up. Today's been pretty good as I sanded and primed the shelves for my daughter's room. I'm thinking one more coat of primer and one coat of paint and they should be okay. We've decided to go with open shelves for toy storage for now. The room is still looking pretty bland and I'm thinking some bright and colourful toys on the shelves out in full view will really improve it. As the child gets older and the toys get smaller, we'll probably invest in some drawers or bins or something to keep it out of view. But right now it's all large-scale and pretty, so on display it goes. I'm thinking while I've got the drill out to put in those handles that I might hit upstairs and do all the drilling projects there, like re-hanging the towel rack at a more appropriate height and getting that curtain rod up to display the quilt. And I might as well install the brackets for the shelves even though the actual shelves still need a couple coats of paint. It will make installing them easier if the job's already half-done. The dishes of course haven't been done since Sunday (the last day I played "wife") and I'm completely out of clothes. Whatever, I'm off to play with power tools.
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A beautiful way to be remembered
		11:37am 30/06/2009
	I will freely admit that I never knew this woman, but this death announcement had to be the most beautiful one I've ever read so I wanted to keep a record of it. Her Excellency Kelta Bri Leith has passed away. She has traveled to Valhalla proud and battle weary. She battled fiercely to the end her sword failing her only at the coming of the valkyries. I've been thinking about death and generations and how times have changed a lot in the last few centuries. Go back a few generations and I imagine it was rare for anyone to have a great grandparent, and not having a full set of grandparents probably wasn't that unusual either. Now people are having children later, and yet more of the extended family tends to still be around. When my husband and I were born, we both had all 4 grandparents and 1 great-grandparent. When our daughter is born she will have all 4 grandparents and 3 great-grandparents (barring anything horrible happening in the next 2 months - knock on wood). Strangely, all the great-grandparents will be on my side. I guess I'm contributing good genes. It saddens me that my Granddad will never meet my daughter, and that my Grandpa won't be able to see her because he lost his sight in the last few years, but it pleases me greatly that most of them will be able to meet her. It also saddens me that we happen to live so far away so seeing both grandparents and great-grandparents will be a rare occurrence. Almost makes me want to move back home, but then I look at everything else wonderful in my life and realize that just now it's not quite enough motivation. Maybe in a few years...
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Texas summers are expensive
		09:28am 30/06/2009
	The first of the summer utility bills arrived today - eeek. We've been running the AC since June started, but not too much before that (I was just sucking it up when it got warmer before that and I wasn't quite as big nor was it quite as hot so it was okay). It's been over 95 now for weeks, so that's been quite the expense. I've also gotten a lot more rigorous with obeying the watering schedule. Ironically, I used less water when I wasn't adhering to the schedule because I'd just do it when I remembered. Now I know there's only two days a week I can do it so I feel obligated to do it those two days when I might otherwise skip it. That said, with the hot weather everything in the garden has been suffering a lot more lately too, so the water usage may have been the same regardless. It's three times this month what it was the month prior though. Impressive. In other news, I had the car yesterday and had a big shopapalooza. Ikea never did put the table I wanted for the back patio on sale, but they had their floor model in the as-is section. It wasn't marked down much (only 10% - in as is?!?!) and was in really rough shape so I complained and got it for 50% off - yay! Drove around all day with it in the trunk as I couldn't get it out on my own. Last night Jason and I took it all apart and made what repairs we could. Most of the metal brackets were bent a little out of shape, and the hinges were utterly destroyed, but thanks to a vice grip, a rock hammer and the curb out front it's all been bent back into something as close to right as I can manage. Probably would have worked out better with sledge and anvil instead of rock hammer and curb, but you make do with what you've got. Today I need to give it an oiling and Jason and I will move it out back tonight. There's a storm brewing outside, so it's a lot cooler out now than it has been in days. I might throw on some crappy clothes and see what I can get accomplished outside today while it is tolerable. I also got an umbrella and stand, so other than not having quite enough chairs out there (no biggie, just grab inside chairs if we have a party) I'm all good to go out back. I also picked up a new filing cabinet thingy at Ikea to replace the one I bought years ago and have hated pretty much since the minute I brought it into the house. What use is a filing cabinet if the drawers only come half-way out? I actually had to empty it half out to get at anything towards the back. Seriously shit design there. Then it was on to Jo-Ann's where I went a little nuts in the fabric section. Picked up almost 8 yards of a super-cute beagle-printed flannelette that I intend to make into as many baby blankets as I can. The idea being the kid can have a security blanket, but I can swap them out if I need to wash them or one gets lost. How big should I make them? I also got some dinosaur and lizard printed flannelette to make burping cloths for Jason to use. How big should those be and do they need to be lined or anything? And as a final last-minute spend Jason and I hit Old Navy on the way home. The local store officially cleared out all their maternity stuff and yesterday was the last shot at it. Everything was 50% off which was nice, but there wasn't a whole lot left, and what was left was stuff I had a lot of. I picked up two pairs of track pants anyway because they were only $10. This morning I got up wishing I'd gotten one more pair so I could have cut them off to be capris. It was disappointing to see a whole bunch of the cargo pants that I wore frequently in my 2nd trimester on sale when I paid full price for them. Unfortunately I already have 2 pairs in grey, and they didn't have any colour options so it would have been dumb to buy more. That and it's too hot now to keep wearing them. I hate that I'll only be able to get their stuff online now. I refuse to buy clothing online. I really do feel a need to try stuff on and see how it's going to look on me when I buy it, and this is especially true of the maternity stuff. So much of it has looked terrible on me. I will buy certain brands that I get on e-bay where I know their fit really well and tend to buy the same thing over and over with only ornamental variation, but that's for normal-sized me. I've discovered that I really, really need more shirts. Maybe I'll hit target this weekend since all I really want is black t-shirts anyway. Surely they'll have those. The real reason we were there was shorts being on sale and Jason having only 1 decent pair. He managed to find 3 that he liked, so that was great. Of course he's gone off to work wearing them today on the first day in a month that it's not hot. Speaking of the weather, it's started raining so I'm going to go and get on with my furniture assembly and oiling the new table while it's nice out.
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I can haz chair and goth baby!
		09:06am 28/06/2009
	Chair is teh awesome! Not in mint, fresh out of the box condition, but as it is wooden, it's just like buying a piece from a good antique store. A couple of nicks and scrapes, but perfectly good from 20'. As the chair only cost $100 compared to the $250 + tax I would have paid retail I'm quite delighted with it. Ironically, if I'd chatted more I could have gotten it for less. The reason the woman was selling it because she was converting her storage room to a sewing room. She has no friends who are interested in sewing and her family is also uninterested. I mentioned that I am also an avid sewer, but as we had the doggies in the car I couldn't stick around and get into a lengthly discussion. When I got home, on a whim I e-mailed her a link to my site with my Tudor. She replied that if she'd had any idea I could sew like that she would have bartered the chair for sewing lessons instead of money. Rats. In other fantastic news, when Jason finally came home last night he also brought the mail with him and my baby gift from rectangularcat was one of the packages that arrived. I eagerly ripped it open and I am just awed by what she found for me. Perfect doesn't even begin to describe it. She found a black onesie (which all by itself is nearly impossible) with a button spider and embroidered spider web on it that is just too cute for words, and a ruffled skirt with skulls and crossbones that is just made of awesome! She also sent two sets of legwarmers (that can also be used as adult wrist-wraps, so these will get used for YEARS) one with pirate skulls and the other black and purple stripes (awww, baby legs will match mommy's legs). I tremble before her superior shopping skills and will take pictures to post later so you can all see what great finds she got for me! Thanks so much rectangularcat, and I just hope you think my giftie is just as cool when I finally get it done and mailed off to you (though I have my doubts, how can I possibly out-cool that skirt?). Off to work on dining room curtains again since that task got interrupted last night with a run out to buy a chair. And of course need to clean the fabric again since Anna decided curtains on floor = dog bed.
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How long does it take to get a haircut?
		05:41pm 27/06/2009
	Today I told Jason to go and get a haircut. We need to have our passport photos taken and he looks decidedly shaggy. Though really that's just a convenient excuse to make him go do it and not wait another month or two until it's hanging in his eyes instead of looking vaguely like a tribble landed on his head, which is how it looks now. Did I mention Jason hates going and getting his hair cut? I'm not sure if it's the wasted time, the actual hair-cutting act or just having to spend money on himself that he hates, but he certainly does avoid it like the plague. I think he gets 4 haircuts a year, if I pressure him. About the only thing he avoids with more efficiency is going to the doctor and actually discussing problems with the doctor instead of having a routine physical and saying "everything's fine". Anyway, his instructions were to go get a haircut and then stop at Wal-Mart on the way home and pick up a small list of grocery items. Nothing too challenging really, and not an enormous week's worth of food shopping list or anything. Just the ingredients for one simple meal. Most of which is in the produce section. It's been over two hours. Maybe coming up on three. I know he left some time after 3pm but before 3:30. His plan was not to actually go further than about 3 blocks from our house, so the travel time should be 5 or 10 minutes depending on the lights. Do haircuts really take that long? Is he lost and overwhelmed at Wal-Mart? Or should I actually be getting worried about him? I'm hoping he comes back soon because there's someone on Craigslist selling a Tripp Trapp chair for a pretty good price. It's not the exact colour I wanted, but it is my second choice and at less than half of retail it's a pretty good bargain. But she's got other interested parties and isn't willing to hold it for me. If he gets home soonish I might get the chair. If he stays out another hour it will probably be sold. Ah well, if I don't get it, then it wasn't in the cards I guess.
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8 weeks to go
		08:55am 27/06/2009
	8 weeks left and there's still some stuff left to do, but not too much. I'm hoping I can get Jason's help today with hanging mirrors, pictures, the quilt rod and some shelves. While I could do it on my own it's easier with help. And then we just go back to waiting for Ikea to get that crib back in stock - sigh. Yesterday I picked up the second side-table to go next to my couch. I freaking LOVE having side tables. The old futon had wooden arms I could put a drink on and I really missed that with the new couch. Especially now as it's very challenging to reach forward to grab a drink off the coffee table. And I'm guessing that won't get any easier when I'm holding the baby instead of carrying it internally. I'm holding up okay. For the last week or so I've been waking every 2 hours like clockwork. I get up, pee, and maybe get back to sleep after, or toss and turn for some time. So I'm not functioning real well. I actually missed a cooking class last week that we'd paid for because I was just too out of it to remember I'd signed up. I'm kicking myself now and have decided that I'm not allowed to sign up for any more classes as I simply can't remember anything. Someone asked if I can see my feet... no. Not sure when I stopped being able to see them as I hadn't looked until this morning. The weight seems to be hovering in the 150-152 mark. Puts me a little under the minimum suggested weight for this stage shrug. It's not like I'm not eating. I feel like I'm eating all the time. 154-162 is the suggested weight for this week. Also, a few weeks ago I officially went from innie to outie. I meant to post when it happened but I kept forgetting. I'm really hoping when this is all done that I can discipline myself and get on a good diet and exercise program and shed the pounds I've put on since starting University. I'd like to be somewhere in the 120-125 range. I was 115-120 in high school but I don't think that is an achievable or reasonable goal, so we'll aim for early university weight. That's only 10-15 lbs off my pre-pregnancy weight so I think it's a reasonable goal. Last night when I was trying to fall asleep I had an itch on my belly. When I scratched it I got kicked REALLY HARD from inside. I stopped, the kicking stopped, when I scratched boot. I think I was tickling her feet - heh. My back is pretty much sore all the time. I've been seeing the chiropractor, but it's hard for her to adjust my injured spot because it's right behind the baby. The hips go weird every couple of weeks too but she's been able to fix those just fine. My wrists occasionally get buggered if I spend a day doing something hard on them (working with lots of power tools for example) but she can fix those right up too. Every once in a while the muscles on the underside of the belly start to hurt, I think it's when the baby sits really low and stretches them. It stings, but eventually she moves and it goes away. I've got my sense of balance back. My ankles haven't swollen up at all yet. I still get the occasional bit of mild heartburn, but it seems to be helped by just eating smaller meals all the time and never letting my tummy get empty. I'm having a hard time getting comfortable enough to sleep, but I've just got to suck it up. Really, as pregnancy goes I've got the mildest of symptoms. I just might be able to do this again. Of course we'll have to revisit that suggestion after I go through delivery. The birthing classes are going okay. They gave us exercises to do and of course I've done nothing. I really should get on that. If I do it for 8 weeks that should help. If I leave it much longer though there won't be much benefit. They also talked about nutrition, but I can't be bothered tracking every little thing I eat. There's been a lot of propaganda, including a video of a 1982 news report questioning the safety of ultrasounds. First of all, every woman in that room is too late in the process to decide not to subject their offspring to ultrasound, so why fear-monger? Second, if you can't find any news report that is younger than the people taking the class, maybe it's a sign that there wasn't any actual news there. So far the only thing we're really learning is how well we know each other and how well we already know how to work together. They mostly focus on relaxation, and how the coach can help the woman relax. Jason already knows plenty of techniques to calm me down, so I'm not sure how much benefit we'll actually get from this. Hopefully it will get better in a few weeks when we get to the sessions on labour. The teacher is pretty useless. She's trying, but I can't help think that I'd get just as much by just reading the textbook and saving myself a drive to her house. I think I've killed enough time this morning. Off to get some chores done.
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Big thinky
		05:27pm 26/06/2009
	I went back today and read old journal entries from Em and Dru. Specifically reading about their changes in lifestyle upon returning from Pennsic last year and their attempts to approach parenting with a green slant. I'm finding myself in the odd position of being envious of their commitment and wanting to emulate them at least to some extent, though being a little certain that I just don't have the will-power. We are talking about the woman who bought the biggest house her money could buy and who willfully drives a gas-guzzling minivan simply so she has the space for the once a month or less she needs that kind of cargo room. I'm keenly aware that most of my lifestyle choices aren't green in the least. I also envy their ability to hold "open table" nights. I'd like to feel that kind of community, and to have the kinds of bonds with people that would allow inviting a large group. While my neighbours are fantastic and practically family at this point, that's still just one set of friends in my circle. I'd like to broaden it a bit more. I have to say, as an adult, I hate trying to make new friends. As an adult with no job I hate it even more. I have tried to get Jason to invite the guys from his office to dinner but I'll tell him a week in advance and despite reminding him several times, it always comes down to a day or two before my intended "dinner party" and he's invited no one so I give up. I feel like I should open my house to some SCA function, but I tried that in Edmonton and it got me no where. Is it worth giving it another kick at the can? Funny enough, as I was in the act of writing this Rhonda came over and invited us for dinner, social needs for the evening met. More thoughts later on raising baby green as I now have to get ready for a mini-impromptu dinner party.
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Speak of the devil
		06:24pm 25/06/2009
	Mere minutes after posting that last note the craigslister showed up and took the ugly high chair off my hands. With those bits of the lot sold my cost on the diaper genie and extra play pen (I bought a nice new one for indoors so I'll use this one outside and camping) came to $5, plus the gas to drive out there and the $1.60 toll when I ended up on the wrong road. Not too bad. It also cost a day of cleaning to make it all tolerable, but it's not like I have anything better to do anyway. Have now showered and am back to work on the foam frabjous. Not sure this is going to work in craft foam. Colourful, but it may be too floppy.
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Only mildly productive
		04:36pm 25/06/2009
	This morning I was up early because Jason had to go to a dental appointment and needed me to give him directions to their office (and no, he can't retain that information overnight). So I got up, made him breakfast so he wouldn't have to be starving all morning because of the no eating after fluoride treatment rule. When he got to work he confirmed my suspicions that the hygenist was a butcher and my gums were NOT just bleeding because I'm pregnant or haven't had a cleaning in a while. "Your gums are really bleeding" she says with a "tut tut" kind of tone as she puts her tools ON my gums and tries to drag them across my teeth. Really, with less stabby I'm sure they'd bleed less. We'll have to ask for someone else in future. And if there is no one else, I'll find another dentist. I'm not that attached to this guy. As I was up bright and early I decided to tackle hanging the clothes line outside that I will need to drying/sun-bleaching the diapers. I pulled it as taut as I could and it still looks a bit slack. Anna really liked when I dropped it and it retracted, that was fun to chase. Even being done before 8am it was still hot, sweaty work. I did not actually wash or hang any diapers, and I am very thankful I did not as the builders are now installing sod in a new house and they've parked the sod truck right next to my fence, where they are merrily flinging dirt and grass everywhere. Ah the perils of living in a construction area. They still haven't started laying the foundation on the "sold" lot next door, which is a bit irksome. At this point it's looking like the baby will arrive before that house is completed. Bummer. I also got the front lawn watered and finished our little inside-the-door key cabinet thingy. I'm very pleased with how that turned out. It's got 6 hooks and a shelf, so Jason has no more excuses to go wandering all over the house in his shoes fetching his wallet and keys. They'll always be right there on the wall behind the door. I just have to fix the door stopper spring thing so said cabinet doesn't get clobbered by the door. The brilliant builders actually installed it so that it slides under the door when it opens. sigh Is there anything these guys did right when it came to installing exterior doors? They actually installed my neighbour's back door with the hinges on the outside so you can break into his house with a hammer and nail and not have to touch either glass or locks. Great. The car seat sold on craigslist a week or two ago, so that was good. I got one nibble on the high chair but they gave me the wrong phone number so I couldn't follow-up and actually get it sold. Last night I reposted the ad and knocked the price down $5. I got a nibble today, they actually got my address and directions and everything, and I've been waiting for them to show up for about 2 hours now. I took some of the time to clean the front entry way so it will look presentable for when they arrive. I figure getting full price is easier if the home doing the selling looks nice. I've spent the rest of the time working on a larger frabjous. I'm about 2/3 of the way done the frabjous and still they are not here. I'd really like to get to some more cleaning (but I wouldn't hear the door ring over the vacuum) or go have a shower, but instead I'm stuck waiting and killing time. I will be most irked if they show up during dinner and I've been waiting all this time. But at the same time, if they come it will be great to get rid of that thing. And I've got nothing against the money it will bring in either :) Back to crafting I guess...
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	eve_the_just
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