Time is just flying by! We cannot believe London is 2 months old already. Today, she was quite the cranky one as she barely slept an hour before she was up and she woke up almost every time I tried to put her down. Definitely frustrating from my end of things as I tried to finish B's birthday invitations to get them in the mail and tried to catch up with my work email.
On our Halloween Countdown, today was Decorate a Pumpkin so Erik designed some Jack o'Lantern faces and I cut them with my Silhouette cameo. We picked B up a little early from school and used the vinyl stickers to make pumpkin faces.
Erik and I had a productive meeting with our architect and I think we have finalized an overall design for our house. We have to arrange a meeting with the owner in Indian Meadow to see a "version" of the house. I'm excited, yet scared, to build our forever house. We have listened to others and have changed quite a bit about what we want and are eliminating the 2 story great room but instead of 5 bedrooms, we're just doing 4 bedrooms and having a 2nd floor laundry and sitting room off the master. We will still have the finished 3rd floor but with this space and the basement space, we won't be excavating under the garage. We also added in a nice shed under the porch so that should help with lawnmower and snowblower storage.
I must say that B has become one of the sweetest, most kind kids there could be (minus a toddler tantrum or whining). She so eagerly shares her snacks and gives kisses and hugs all the time. We were cuddling on the couch watching Bang Bang and she just hugged and kissed me and said "love you too." Sometimes, I have to step back and understand that many times, her whining is just from her being tired or not feeling well. Today, she is still recovering from the weekend (I think) because she complained about a headache at school to her teachers. It was also PJ day for her.
London Harper
Age: 2 months
Weight: probably about 12 pounds but her appointment is tomorrow
Length: guessing around 22 inches
Clothing: sadly, I had to put away her newborn clothes since she's probably about 22 inches and popping out of the bottom but she's in size 1 diapers and 0-3 or 3m clothes.
Hair: filling in to be more fuzzy on the top. It looks a bit brown but at times, can have a strawberry-blond-reddish hue, especially in the sun. She's also getting longer eye lashes.
Teeth: none
Sleep: Typically, she'll go to sleep around 9-10pm and will get up around 4-6am to eat. This is where she is totally different from her sister and I love that I get a solid night sleep. This is heaven as I remember how exhausted I was with Brooklyn because she would be up at 1, 4, 7, etc. She goes back down pretty quickly after nursing for about 10-15 minutes and then gets up around 8-9 for the day (that's why I try to get my 7am workouts in...try being the key word). She's usually up for an hour or two and then back down for a good 2-3 hours (except today where she barely napped 30 minutes). She LOVES to nap in the swing. She'll be up another hour or two and back down for a nap, maybe an hour or two. She's usually up around dinner time and then we start winding down around 7pm. She's been fully transitioned to the crib at night, especially with only getting up once really overnight. B doesn't seem to be bothered by her nighttime cries.
Eating: Nursing is going great. Taking a bottle is misery. She will only take a bottle if absolutely necessary, after quite a significant struggle and usually more milk winds up on her onesie or on her mouth than in her. We have tried....and tried....and tried to get her to take a bottle. Avent, Playtex, Breastfriend, Medela, etc, etc. She still poops quite a bit with feeding and will just stick her legs straight out or curl up when she has to do her deed. You know it's coming because she just slows down, stops and looks all "serious" before getting her "O" face and then you hear it. Man, sometimes, she is so loud and wet sounding.
Movement: She's still unmyelinated jerkiness (random and uncontrolled). She likes to grab on while she nurses and still sticks her legs straight out. She will make eye contact and follow around the room. I know I even got a few social smiles with her cute right dimple this week.
Milestones: First social smiles. First time on a subway and staying in a hotel.
Favorite toys/activities: She's starting to enjoy her activity mat and likes hitting the animals and looking at herself in the mirror. She could care less about the bouncer. She's been in the Bumbo a few times and will tolerate it for 10-15 mintues or so. She still likes the bath....sometimes.
Dislikes: NURSING AND THE CAR SEAT. Both sources of misery as I feel horrible that she hates the bottle. She usually cries for 10-15 minutes every time she goes in the car seat thought it has made a difference with putting the puppy strap covers back on.
Words/Sounds: She's just doing the regular "gey-yeah," "gah" and cooing. Sometimes a squeal too.
What we love: the baby smiles, nice sleep schedule, more predictable naps/routine/eating, seeing Brooklyn doting all over her "Lomon Harper"
What we don't love: We would just love for London to start taking a bottle without a fight and to make a car ride tolerable! A week ago, London was having her witching hour between 7 and 10 but that seems to have improved quite a bit.
What we are looking forward to next month: London will be starting daycare at the end of the month and hopefully, crossing our fingers, will be taking a bottle!!!! We can't wait to see more baby smiles and laughs
Showing posts with label house. Show all posts
Showing posts with label house. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Monday, December 13, 2010
Getting back on the blog....
Blogging has taken a back burner to life for a while, but now, I'm committed to getting back on the blog.
First things first....I have this huge project (a book chapter) hanging over my head. The project is already late...by a few months, but it's because it requires a significant effort and it's not the type of project, at least in my style of writing, that I can write 20 minutes a day on. It requires that I sit and focus for several hours at a time to write. I could see if I was an expert in this field...I could probably crank out a chapter in no time flat. However, this requires effort. Lots and lots of effort! Now, with a 13-month old at home and prior rotations that were 5 days per week, where can I find the time for that? In all fairness too, most of the other people already had most of their chapter written...they just had to update with some new photos, information, etc whereas my chapter is from scratch and it's not like I'm describing the steps for a process.
I must say...I love my daughter and my husband to the extreme. They are around what my world revolves. However, last night at 6pm when they left, I had a beaming smile on my face (that, after I wiped the look of disgust at what Brooklyn could destroy in 1 hour). I went to Old Navy to pick up camis for Lauren, stopped by Target to get neighbor gifts, and then came home to straighten up the kitchen/living room that Brooklyn had destroyed. I also managed to squeeze in some time to straighten up my cake decorating supplies and whipped out the tackle box to organize all of my random supplies. Let me just say that it's so much easier to find what you're looking for when everything is in a place.
I then retreated to bed to catch up on the DVR and prepare my to do list for today and tomorrow....though I know what the biggest item is on the list today.
While it's not quite December 31st, I'm getting sad to see 2010 is coming to a close as this has been a fantabulous year. October -December, by far, hands down, are my favorite months of the year. I love the holidays, the fact that people have generally been happier, and that there's so much festivity going on.
I hope B has a fun day at grandmama J's house today!!!
First things first....I have this huge project (a book chapter) hanging over my head. The project is already late...by a few months, but it's because it requires a significant effort and it's not the type of project, at least in my style of writing, that I can write 20 minutes a day on. It requires that I sit and focus for several hours at a time to write. I could see if I was an expert in this field...I could probably crank out a chapter in no time flat. However, this requires effort. Lots and lots of effort! Now, with a 13-month old at home and prior rotations that were 5 days per week, where can I find the time for that? In all fairness too, most of the other people already had most of their chapter written...they just had to update with some new photos, information, etc whereas my chapter is from scratch and it's not like I'm describing the steps for a process.
I must say...I love my daughter and my husband to the extreme. They are around what my world revolves. However, last night at 6pm when they left, I had a beaming smile on my face (that, after I wiped the look of disgust at what Brooklyn could destroy in 1 hour). I went to Old Navy to pick up camis for Lauren, stopped by Target to get neighbor gifts, and then came home to straighten up the kitchen/living room that Brooklyn had destroyed. I also managed to squeeze in some time to straighten up my cake decorating supplies and whipped out the tackle box to organize all of my random supplies. Let me just say that it's so much easier to find what you're looking for when everything is in a place.
I then retreated to bed to catch up on the DVR and prepare my to do list for today and tomorrow....though I know what the biggest item is on the list today.
While it's not quite December 31st, I'm getting sad to see 2010 is coming to a close as this has been a fantabulous year. October -December, by far, hands down, are my favorite months of the year. I love the holidays, the fact that people have generally been happier, and that there's so much festivity going on.
I hope B has a fun day at grandmama J's house today!!!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Busy day...
So, lots of action in HC last night....as I was feeding B around 11:30, we heard this thumping followed immediately by police sirens. Then a minute later, the Mars Fire Sirens were going off and then lots more police sirens. We found out today from Bob since Brandon is a fireman that there was a high speed chase last night and the car blew out its tire on 228 and turned into our plan to take Crider toward Myoma. The cops coming from the other direction turned down Myoma and cut off Crider at the top of the zigzag hill by our house. When the car apparently saw that he was blocked in, he wrecked on the zigzag. Even though I couldn't see anything from the glider, Erik saw the flashing lights from our bedroom. So we saw at least a dozen police cars, a few fire trucks, and ambulance. Then around midnight, there was just a few police cars and the fire trucks with their crash lighting out. Good thing the car didn't keep going down HC drive...it could've caused a major accident.
B had a good night last night....B slept from 12:00 until 3 and then was up at 5 and 6:30 to eat (then I got about a 30 minutes nap before I woke up at 7:45). As I may have mentioned before, I was supposed to go to Houston this weekend for the AMA meeting...however, given our bilirubin and poor nursing issues in the few days after B was born (and my feeling way more sore than I imagined), I decided to do what's best and just call in to the meeting. I was up at 7:45 this morning and on the conference call to Houston from 8 until 10am. In the interim, Erik so kindly brought me breakfast and drinks and I nursed B when she woke up. Then, I started some more laundry and put away clothes in between the sessions. I picked the call back up at noon until 2:15ish and then woke B up to eat.
We all headed out to Ross Park Mall and went to JC Penney to order the ottoman and get a few things for B. We had a few gift cards to use, including one very generous one from the Erik's group. We walked the mall but didn't really find anything. We then swung by the store to pick up a matt to put under Crosby's food and water bowls, something we should've gotten a year ago but kept delaying. B started to have a meltdown in the store so we tried to keep her calm as we headed home and I fed her as soon as we got in the door.
We settled into the theater room and watched Pirates of the Caribbean 2 (but I fell asleep before it was over...go figure!). I'm just writing a quick post after putting B down for the night.
B had a good night last night....B slept from 12:00 until 3 and then was up at 5 and 6:30 to eat (then I got about a 30 minutes nap before I woke up at 7:45). As I may have mentioned before, I was supposed to go to Houston this weekend for the AMA meeting...however, given our bilirubin and poor nursing issues in the few days after B was born (and my feeling way more sore than I imagined), I decided to do what's best and just call in to the meeting. I was up at 7:45 this morning and on the conference call to Houston from 8 until 10am. In the interim, Erik so kindly brought me breakfast and drinks and I nursed B when she woke up. Then, I started some more laundry and put away clothes in between the sessions. I picked the call back up at noon until 2:15ish and then woke B up to eat.
We all headed out to Ross Park Mall and went to JC Penney to order the ottoman and get a few things for B. We had a few gift cards to use, including one very generous one from the Erik's group. We walked the mall but didn't really find anything. We then swung by the store to pick up a matt to put under Crosby's food and water bowls, something we should've gotten a year ago but kept delaying. B started to have a meltdown in the store so we tried to keep her calm as we headed home and I fed her as soon as we got in the door.
We settled into the theater room and watched Pirates of the Caribbean 2 (but I fell asleep before it was over...go figure!). I'm just writing a quick post after putting B down for the night.
Monday, October 19, 2009
MiCasa Monday: Our House in the Fall
This is one of our favorite times of the year and we love decorating the outside and inside of the house to reflect all the beautiful fall colors...all the luscious reds, oranges, yellows, browns, and golden undertones are so beautiful!
The past few years, my mom has had a tradition of decorating the outside of our living space (whether the house or our prior townhouse) with pumpkins, hay bales, cornstalks, gourds, Indian corn, ribbons, wreathes and other decor as part of my Birthday gift. This year, mom and dad came down last weekend (I already had a few minor items of decoration out since Labor Day weekend) to decorate the house and I just love it.
The past few years, my mom has had a tradition of decorating the outside of our living space (whether the house or our prior townhouse) with pumpkins, hay bales, cornstalks, gourds, Indian corn, ribbons, wreathes and other decor as part of my Birthday gift. This year, mom and dad came down last weekend (I already had a few minor items of decoration out since Labor Day weekend) to decorate the house and I just love it.
Yesterday, I was able to sneak outside with the few hours of beautiful weather in the afternoon to snap some photos of the house and the foyer. While I love the new Nikon D60 and the new lens with much better zoom options, I still don't know how to upload pix from it so I will leave you with the point and shoot Sony pictures as soon as I have the chance.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Another relaxing day...
We had another morning to sleep in together. Then we ventured to Giant Eagle to get essential groceries (and Erik then vowed never to go again when the church crowd was present). While we watched some of the NFL pregame previews and the Steelers game, Erik stayed downstairs in his theater room while I went to the Craft Room to finish some organization. I made some great strides in my recent desire to purge unnecessary papers. Unfortunately, I stopped around 4pm then picked it back up at 9pm but was too tired to really put everything away so I have some stuff to do tomorrow (or in the interim, if I shall go into labor, Erik was instructed to just shove everything into a box until I have time again).
It truly turned out to be a beautiful afternoon and we washed our cars and I was able to capture the essence of fall at our house by taking some photos of our porch and entryway with our cute little maple tree whose leaves are turning a brilliant red (see tomorrow's MiCasa Monday post for pictures of our house during my favorite season of the year). We watched New England pummel the Titans and made constant remarks of Tennessee's 0-7 status since stomping on the Terrible Towel. We ordered Brooklyn her first Penguins jersey and then made a few other Amazon Blu Ray purchases to prep for the upcoming maternity leave video nights.
Erik made a wonderful French Onion Soup (recipe below). This is truly one of our favorite recipes and usually makes its appearance in the fall and at various points throughout the colder weather. Finally, we spent some time relaxing in bed with Crosby....I swear that girl just slept all day.
French Onion Soup ala Alton Brown
Ingredients
5 sweet onions (like Vidalias) about 4 pounds
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups white wine
10 ounces canned beef consume
10 ounces chicken broth
10 ounces apple cider (unfiltered is best)
Bouquet garni; thyme sprigs, bay leaf and parsley tied together with kitchen string
1 loaf country style bread (we used croutons)
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
1 cup Fontina or Gruyere cheese, grated
Directions
Trim the ends off each onion then halve lengthwise. Remove peel and finely slice into half moon shapes. Set electric skillet to 300 degrees and add butter. Once butter has melted add a layer of onions and sprinkle with a little salt. Repeat layering onions and salt until all onions are in the skillet. Do not try stirring until onions have sweated down for 15 to 20 minutes. After that, stir occasionally until onions are dark mahogany and reduced to approximately 2 cups. This should take 45 minutes to 1 hour. Do not worry about burning.
Add enough wine to cover the onions and turn heat to high, reducing the wine to a syrup consistency. Add consume, chicken broth, apple cider and bouquet garni. Reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes.
Place oven rack in top 1/3 of oven and heat broiler.
Season soup mixture with salt, pepper and cognac. Remove bouquet garni and ladle soup into crocks leaving one inch to the lip. Place croutons on top of soup and top with grated cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly and golden, 1 to 2 minutes.
It truly turned out to be a beautiful afternoon and we washed our cars and I was able to capture the essence of fall at our house by taking some photos of our porch and entryway with our cute little maple tree whose leaves are turning a brilliant red (see tomorrow's MiCasa Monday post for pictures of our house during my favorite season of the year). We watched New England pummel the Titans and made constant remarks of Tennessee's 0-7 status since stomping on the Terrible Towel. We ordered Brooklyn her first Penguins jersey and then made a few other Amazon Blu Ray purchases to prep for the upcoming maternity leave video nights.
Erik made a wonderful French Onion Soup (recipe below). This is truly one of our favorite recipes and usually makes its appearance in the fall and at various points throughout the colder weather. Finally, we spent some time relaxing in bed with Crosby....I swear that girl just slept all day.
French Onion Soup ala Alton Brown
Ingredients
5 sweet onions (like Vidalias) about 4 pounds
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups white wine
10 ounces canned beef consume
10 ounces chicken broth
10 ounces apple cider (unfiltered is best)
Bouquet garni; thyme sprigs, bay leaf and parsley tied together with kitchen string
1 loaf country style bread (we used croutons)
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
1 cup Fontina or Gruyere cheese, grated
Directions
Trim the ends off each onion then halve lengthwise. Remove peel and finely slice into half moon shapes. Set electric skillet to 300 degrees and add butter. Once butter has melted add a layer of onions and sprinkle with a little salt. Repeat layering onions and salt until all onions are in the skillet. Do not try stirring until onions have sweated down for 15 to 20 minutes. After that, stir occasionally until onions are dark mahogany and reduced to approximately 2 cups. This should take 45 minutes to 1 hour. Do not worry about burning.
Add enough wine to cover the onions and turn heat to high, reducing the wine to a syrup consistency. Add consume, chicken broth, apple cider and bouquet garni. Reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes.
Place oven rack in top 1/3 of oven and heat broiler.
Season soup mixture with salt, pepper and cognac. Remove bouquet garni and ladle soup into crocks leaving one inch to the lip. Place croutons on top of soup and top with grated cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly and golden, 1 to 2 minutes.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
One Week (or Less) to Go!
As busy as our schedules seem to be, Erik and I purposely scheduled NOTHING for this weekend to enjoy our last weekend before Brooklyn's arrival. Yesterday, I was fortunate to have an early day (7 shoulder blocks, done around 1pm) and headed to Above All Grand Salon where I treated myself to a massage (gift to self) and a spa pedicure (gift card from Sara). It was quite relaxing but I didn't realize my spa pedicure was going to be about 100 minutes long so I didn't get a chance to get a manicure so I scheduled one at Capelli's for today.
I got home around 4pm and took a jetted bath, complete with bubble baths! While we had dozens of restaurants to pick to go out to eat, I went with my favorite comfort food and wanted Long John Silvers Chicken and Corn-on-the-cob and man, was it the comfort food I had so desired. The heartburn has just been horrid the past 3-ish weeks. We then went to Bed, Bath and Beyond and picked up a humidifier for B's room. We ventured to Costco and picked up one of their super duper metal shelving units for the storage room and went around to various places attempting to seek a Blu Ray movie to watch in the newly completed home theater in the basement but couldn't find anything we wanted to actually buy so we just watched Blue Planet. The quality of the picture on the Kuro is outstanding and Erik did a great job setting up the multitude of speakers. I had an early night falling asleep on the couch but we did have a nice couple pick up the China Cabinet...I'm sure the country style will look great in their house, it's just not our style. We have more of a modern classic style and I just didn't have the time to refinish it to something more espresso or black in color to go with the associated decor (just like Erik never had the chance to get into all this hacking of satellite stuff with the extra Direct TV dishes on our house).
This morning, we slept in until 9am (which compared to my 5am wake-ups is definitely sleeping in). Erik didn't go hunting initially b/c it was raining at 5am. I went downstairs and made Belgian waffles....a small plain waffle for Crosby with Cocoa Chocolate Chip waffles for us. We were out of chocolate syrup so I made a syrupy chocolate ganache out of some chocolate chips and heavy cream I already had in the fridge. I also made a simple syrup and cut up a big bowl of strawberries for myself. After filling up some of our breakfast glasses with milk, I brought breakfast in bed upstairs and we had an enjoyable breakfast. I just hope Crosby realized how spoiled she is by getting homemade dog-friendly waffles in bed and then was cuddled by her mommy and daddy for another 30 minutes.
Erik went hunting while the pregnancy nesting instinct was in full force as I attempted to clean out and purge items from my craft room. In the middle, I had my French manicure at Capelli's and returned to find my nesting instinct was still strong. I have decided that I am no longer keeping old bills (aside from credit card bills for record keeping) and once the new bill comes in showing the balance, the old bills get shredded. I've been keeping bills for years so I figured I had better act on my current need to shred those old bills while it was in my mind. Likewise, I also went through and purged a good bit of papers, journal articles and memos and other info from med school that I haven't looked at in ages. I am trying to organize my coupons, create a binder for my stash of BBB coupons and reorganize product info receipts and brochures that I want to keep. In addition, I am organizing all my fabrics and ribbons so that I can make some feeble attempts at efficiency for my crafting projects while I'm on maternity leave.
By late afternoon, Erik returned empty-handed and we put together the storage unit in the back part of the basement. Right now, it is holding our paint supplies and organizing our alcohol since we got rid of the China Cabinet last night (love Craigslist!). We now have a semi-carpeted storage room with yet, to be determined organizing space.
After getting Chinese for dinner, we watched Couples Retreat (don't even ask) and then followed that by the Pens Game where they trumped Tampa Bay. Nothing better than enjoying the home theater, having the Pens on while cuddled up with a blanket, having Crosby asleep on our laps with the laptop coming up with my 60+ item to-do list for maternity leave. The biggest tasks while I'm on leave: organizing the craft room to complete efficiency, obtaining a secretary desk (custom made or found in store) for the entryway, craigslisting half the items sitting out in the basement and organizing the rest of the items into storage totes.
Now, it's off to bed....awaiting that moment anytime in the next 7 days where Brooklyn will let us know she's ready to make her appearance.
I got home around 4pm and took a jetted bath, complete with bubble baths! While we had dozens of restaurants to pick to go out to eat, I went with my favorite comfort food and wanted Long John Silvers Chicken and Corn-on-the-cob and man, was it the comfort food I had so desired. The heartburn has just been horrid the past 3-ish weeks. We then went to Bed, Bath and Beyond and picked up a humidifier for B's room. We ventured to Costco and picked up one of their super duper metal shelving units for the storage room and went around to various places attempting to seek a Blu Ray movie to watch in the newly completed home theater in the basement but couldn't find anything we wanted to actually buy so we just watched Blue Planet. The quality of the picture on the Kuro is outstanding and Erik did a great job setting up the multitude of speakers. I had an early night falling asleep on the couch but we did have a nice couple pick up the China Cabinet...I'm sure the country style will look great in their house, it's just not our style. We have more of a modern classic style and I just didn't have the time to refinish it to something more espresso or black in color to go with the associated decor (just like Erik never had the chance to get into all this hacking of satellite stuff with the extra Direct TV dishes on our house).
This morning, we slept in until 9am (which compared to my 5am wake-ups is definitely sleeping in). Erik didn't go hunting initially b/c it was raining at 5am. I went downstairs and made Belgian waffles....a small plain waffle for Crosby with Cocoa Chocolate Chip waffles for us. We were out of chocolate syrup so I made a syrupy chocolate ganache out of some chocolate chips and heavy cream I already had in the fridge. I also made a simple syrup and cut up a big bowl of strawberries for myself. After filling up some of our breakfast glasses with milk, I brought breakfast in bed upstairs and we had an enjoyable breakfast. I just hope Crosby realized how spoiled she is by getting homemade dog-friendly waffles in bed and then was cuddled by her mommy and daddy for another 30 minutes.
Erik went hunting while the pregnancy nesting instinct was in full force as I attempted to clean out and purge items from my craft room. In the middle, I had my French manicure at Capelli's and returned to find my nesting instinct was still strong. I have decided that I am no longer keeping old bills (aside from credit card bills for record keeping) and once the new bill comes in showing the balance, the old bills get shredded. I've been keeping bills for years so I figured I had better act on my current need to shred those old bills while it was in my mind. Likewise, I also went through and purged a good bit of papers, journal articles and memos and other info from med school that I haven't looked at in ages. I am trying to organize my coupons, create a binder for my stash of BBB coupons and reorganize product info receipts and brochures that I want to keep. In addition, I am organizing all my fabrics and ribbons so that I can make some feeble attempts at efficiency for my crafting projects while I'm on maternity leave.
By late afternoon, Erik returned empty-handed and we put together the storage unit in the back part of the basement. Right now, it is holding our paint supplies and organizing our alcohol since we got rid of the China Cabinet last night (love Craigslist!). We now have a semi-carpeted storage room with yet, to be determined organizing space.
After getting Chinese for dinner, we watched Couples Retreat (don't even ask) and then followed that by the Pens Game where they trumped Tampa Bay. Nothing better than enjoying the home theater, having the Pens on while cuddled up with a blanket, having Crosby asleep on our laps with the laptop coming up with my 60+ item to-do list for maternity leave. The biggest tasks while I'm on leave: organizing the craft room to complete efficiency, obtaining a secretary desk (custom made or found in store) for the entryway, craigslisting half the items sitting out in the basement and organizing the rest of the items into storage totes.
Now, it's off to bed....awaiting that moment anytime in the next 7 days where Brooklyn will let us know she's ready to make her appearance.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
We're separating...
and parting ways with Direct TV (so totally not what you were thinking). So, when we first bought the house in March 2008, we wanted to discuss Direct TV vs our provider, Armstrong cable. We had the TOUGHEST time getting in touch with Armstrong representatives and then when we did, since our house was only 2 years old at the time and had never had cable service to it, they had to do an inspection of the house to make sure it was cable appropriate and all the cables were run that needed to be run. This would take 3 weeks to get them to come out and then they couldn't hook up cable that day if we did have the appropriate connections so it would be another 3 weeks until we could have that done. We had called mid-March and we didn't want to wait until May to get this done b/c Erik would have been at the house plenty in the interim. Anyway, we had called Direct TV and literally, they were ready to set it up the very next day so we then just waited until it was convenient for us to have them come out.
Since we only had the plasma in the living room and a regular TV in the bedroom at the time, we got an HD receiver and a standard receiver. We were told by the Direct TV people that it was "no problem" to get additional receivers when we added TVs. We did like Direct TV and still do like Direct TV and their service.
However, fast forward to the past months/weeks when we finished the basement and had an old TV down there setup without a receiver and then we were purchasing the Pioneer Kuro for the basement, now we had this extra TV we were going to take to the guest room/Brooklyn's future room once she grows out of the nursery...so now we need an additional HD receiver/DVR for the basement and a standard receiver for the guest room (not to mention that in the next few months, we plan to buy a plasma for our bedroom so we'll need to upgrade to an HD receiver there and get rid of the standard receiver we currently have).
So, this week, Erik has an intelligent, educated conversation with Direct TV. Sure, we can add an HD receiver/DVR now but that will extend our contract an additional 24 months (our contract is up in April 2009 so that would extend it an additional 24 months so we would have like a 31 month contract from here on out...not to mention if we needed another receiver for the guest room and an upgrade for the bedroom) and add $10/month to the bill and the receiver, b/c we are already a current Direct TV customer, is $300.....whoa!
Step back a moment baby. Erik then inquires about buying a receiver off Ebay for $70 and just getting the activation card and then Direct TV gets all snippy and states that anything off Ebay, even if you purchase yourself, is still their equipment and you have to give it back in the end when you get rid of your equipment, even if we purchased the receiver off Ebay and not from them. So, our bill initially with Direct TV was like $65/month for 12 months with an HD receiver/DVR and standard receiver then increased to $95/month for the 12 month remainder of our contract...then if we add the additional receivers and their lease fees, it would bring it close to $115/month with no chance of ever coming down since we just relocked ourselves into this rate by adding the receivers.
Anyway, a quick call to Armstrong Cable and a quick response and quick action (apparently, since we're currently Direct TV customers, they're more than happy to come out like TOMORROW to assess for cable and set up the same day..........jeesh, where was this like 19 months ago!). They anticipate that, based on what Erik told them now that we've gotten to know our house a little better, that we're fine for the cable. Then, since we're transferring service from a satellite provider to Armstrong, we have a locked in special for 12 months at $65/month which includes the standard channels, the additional channel package, the second additional channel package (so we get the NHL network), the HD channels, and 2 HD DVRs for the living room and basement. We would not need receivers on each TV as our house would already have the HD capabilities just by plugging into the existing cable outlets (so we would have TVs in our bedroom and guestroom and if/when we upgrade to the plasma in the bedroom, we wouldn't need anything different unless we wanted a DVR). As the person repeated themselves like 3 times to make sure everything he said truly was included, we were like "sign us up!"
Thus, on October 28th, we're crossing over to the dark side and going with Armstrong Cable. We figure the money we would save in the next 4 months alone would pay for our termination fee with Direct TV. Don't get me wrong, we've like Direct TV but we just really don't care for their business practices as all this contract extending and receiver BS is really just that, BS. We'll take our business elsewhere. Then next fall when our contract with Armstrong is up, we can always recall to see what special they will be able to offer us...otherwise, we'll be happy to pull the "we'll go back to Direct TV" card again.
We still have yet to make the call to Direct TV but anticipate we'll cancel the next week to make sure we're happy with Armstrong through the weekend.
Since we only had the plasma in the living room and a regular TV in the bedroom at the time, we got an HD receiver and a standard receiver. We were told by the Direct TV people that it was "no problem" to get additional receivers when we added TVs. We did like Direct TV and still do like Direct TV and their service.
However, fast forward to the past months/weeks when we finished the basement and had an old TV down there setup without a receiver and then we were purchasing the Pioneer Kuro for the basement, now we had this extra TV we were going to take to the guest room/Brooklyn's future room once she grows out of the nursery...so now we need an additional HD receiver/DVR for the basement and a standard receiver for the guest room (not to mention that in the next few months, we plan to buy a plasma for our bedroom so we'll need to upgrade to an HD receiver there and get rid of the standard receiver we currently have).
So, this week, Erik has an intelligent, educated conversation with Direct TV. Sure, we can add an HD receiver/DVR now but that will extend our contract an additional 24 months (our contract is up in April 2009 so that would extend it an additional 24 months so we would have like a 31 month contract from here on out...not to mention if we needed another receiver for the guest room and an upgrade for the bedroom) and add $10/month to the bill and the receiver, b/c we are already a current Direct TV customer, is $300.....whoa!
Step back a moment baby. Erik then inquires about buying a receiver off Ebay for $70 and just getting the activation card and then Direct TV gets all snippy and states that anything off Ebay, even if you purchase yourself, is still their equipment and you have to give it back in the end when you get rid of your equipment, even if we purchased the receiver off Ebay and not from them. So, our bill initially with Direct TV was like $65/month for 12 months with an HD receiver/DVR and standard receiver then increased to $95/month for the 12 month remainder of our contract...then if we add the additional receivers and their lease fees, it would bring it close to $115/month with no chance of ever coming down since we just relocked ourselves into this rate by adding the receivers.
Anyway, a quick call to Armstrong Cable and a quick response and quick action (apparently, since we're currently Direct TV customers, they're more than happy to come out like TOMORROW to assess for cable and set up the same day..........jeesh, where was this like 19 months ago!). They anticipate that, based on what Erik told them now that we've gotten to know our house a little better, that we're fine for the cable. Then, since we're transferring service from a satellite provider to Armstrong, we have a locked in special for 12 months at $65/month which includes the standard channels, the additional channel package, the second additional channel package (so we get the NHL network), the HD channels, and 2 HD DVRs for the living room and basement. We would not need receivers on each TV as our house would already have the HD capabilities just by plugging into the existing cable outlets (so we would have TVs in our bedroom and guestroom and if/when we upgrade to the plasma in the bedroom, we wouldn't need anything different unless we wanted a DVR). As the person repeated themselves like 3 times to make sure everything he said truly was included, we were like "sign us up!"
Thus, on October 28th, we're crossing over to the dark side and going with Armstrong Cable. We figure the money we would save in the next 4 months alone would pay for our termination fee with Direct TV. Don't get me wrong, we've like Direct TV but we just really don't care for their business practices as all this contract extending and receiver BS is really just that, BS. We'll take our business elsewhere. Then next fall when our contract with Armstrong is up, we can always recall to see what special they will be able to offer us...otherwise, we'll be happy to pull the "we'll go back to Direct TV" card again.
We still have yet to make the call to Direct TV but anticipate we'll cancel the next week to make sure we're happy with Armstrong through the weekend.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Mi Casa Monday: Brooklyn's Nursery!
For the first installment of Mi Casa Monday, I'm going to feature Brooklyn's nursery! We spent months, literally, agonizing over the design, colors, etc. We were going to go with Blues/Browns but then found this bedding that was too soft and cuddly to pass up (so many of the baby bedding sets out there are made from scratchy cotton based fabric...this bedding is the soft, cuddly, minky fabric). We love the honeybee theme with the soft yellows and greens with the crisp black to finish it off.
The first photo features the dresser combo from Babies R Us (Babi Italia Pinehurst Espresso). We spent agonizing hours selecting the furniture (we knew we wanted Espresso) and finding a convertible set (this can be used as a dresser and the crib as her future headboard/footboard for a full bed) that was within a normal budget (it's going to be chewed on...I couldn't justify spending thousands of dollars on a set not knowing what it may look like after 1 and hopefully 2 kids get use from it). The frames above the dresser (Burnes of Boston set) will contain some of her newborn pictures. On the shelves are Mr. Frogs (on the shelf b/c they are Crosby's favorite toys) and Erik's baby cup. Erik and mom painted the nursery while I was in the ICU over the summer. Around the room are matching honeybee stickers with sharpied buzz tails!
Brooklyn has her outfits ready to go for her first week, scratch that, first DAY, home! She has her Penguins fleece sleeper (from Target; I'm still looking for a Penguins Infant jersey...I may have to just order it online), a glow-in-the-dark skeleton onesie (from Walmart; she must arrive before Halloween...we have too many cute outfits for newborn and 0-3 month for Halloween that she has to wear) and an adorable brown polk dot romper (thanks Lisa!). You can see the sage minky changer cover (thanks Steph!) and the obligatory, every-child-needs-to-have key teethers (thanks Michelle!).
Above the changer, we have my favorite vinyl quote: "First we had each other, then we had you, now we have everything." I agonized for months trying to come up with a quote that would include Crosby but we're interpretting the "you" to be plural and include Brooklyn and Crosby. This is done on black vinyl from Etsy seller, designaline. It's so easy to stick on the wall then peel off the front portion, leaving the vinyl attached to the wall.
In the corner, you can see the SimpleHuman Deluxe Fingerprintproof trash can (we have one in the kitchen and it truly is smell proof...a must have for the nursery!). We have the busy bee canvas on the wall that I ordered from Ebay and we have Mr. Bear on the floor (a gift from my Baba for Brooklyn...we plan to take a picture a month of Brooklyn next to the bear to see how much she has grown!)
We have Brooklyn's crib with the bedding and mobile. We have some of her stuffed animals in the toy bag that Melanie's grandma made for us with coordinating fabrics. As a side note on the bedding, since Erik and I loved this pattern for a while, I actually bought it on clearance before we ever got pregnant because Babies R Us was discontinuing this pattern. Then, after we found out the news, I was stalking Ebay looking for the accessories like the mobile, pillow, canvas, blanket, and Boppy.
Above her crib (a gift from my mom and dad), we have her name. We were going to do vinyl letters, then canvases inspired by another blog, but then Erik thought about simply using wood. We used a prefinished white 7 inch wide shelf and cut it down into 7 inch squares. I painted all the squares in their base color (white, onyx, avocado green or honeysuckle yellow...Glidden paint samples from Lowe's). Then I printed out letters in various fonts in various sizes that would fill the 7 inch squares. I traced the letters onto the wood squares with a pencil and that left the indents in the wood. I then traced the letter indents with pencil and filled them in with the corresponding paint color for the letters. After they were dry, Erik put picture hanging hooks on the back and then voila, her name letters were complete! We love them and think that they add yet another special touch to her room!
Inside the crib, her wearable blanket and sheet saver (thanks Steph) are ready to go!
In front of the window, we have the Pottery Barn Anywhere Chair with her name on it...again, we plan to take monthly photos of her on the chair to see how big she gets each month. There are white sheers on the window with a black wrought iron curtain rod. The valance is a testament to my craftiness as there was a valance that was supposed to be to the Honey Bee set on clearance at Babies R Us...I, of course, bought it but didn't realize until later that it was too another set so it only partially matched the honey bee. After spending some time ripping off the fabric from the top of the valance (there was another fabric where the white was), I then sewed white minky fabric to the top to create the valance as it is currently. You can't tell and I'm proud of my sewing accomplishment.
The glider, a fabulous gift from my sister and her husband, is one item where we are sure to spend a significant amount of time. It's actually very comfortable so it's selection was an easy choice. We actually got it at Walmart because the espresso wood perfectly matched the rest of the nursery. It's currently draped with the Honeybee blanket and matching Boppy. Crosby finds the glider to be a wonderful nap spot and I'm sure she and Brooklyn will have some bonding to do on that glider. On each side of the glider is a basket of books for her story time. The books were actually gifts from my baby shower guests as my hostesses asked each guest to bring a book for Brooklyn with a message to her instead of a card. This wonderful gesture has started a beautiful library of books for Brooklyn. We can't wait to share our love of reading and learning with her...one story at a time.
No nursery is complete without the obligatory photo of the closet full of clothes...these are all for larger than 3 month sizes as everything 0-3 are in the dresser (I think I'll refrain from showing you her shoe drawer!!). She has her hamper (thanks Marie!) ready for all the changes of clothes. We also have totes for some of the larger size clothes, the breast pump, blankets, larger bottles, and other items we'll need in the future in storage in the closet.
The last thing to do yet in her room is hang the picture frame that's on the floor on that empty space behind the door. The picture frame, one of my DIY projects, is actually a frame, the insert covered by fabric then with ribbons hotglued to it. It makes for a decorative, yet functional place to store the influx of hair bows that I'm sure is just beginning. On the back of the door is the pink tutu I made for her for her newborn pictures. We have the blessed cross above the door and the matching Busy Bee light switch plate (thanks Lauren).
So, this completes the first MiCasa Monday and the tour of Brooklyn's nursery. We love this room and I will find myself sneaking into it at times over the past few weeks just to sit in the glider and think about what it will be like after she arrives. I find the room to be calming and peaceful and can't wait to grab book after book and read story after story to her....
The first photo features the dresser combo from Babies R Us (Babi Italia Pinehurst Espresso). We spent agonizing hours selecting the furniture (we knew we wanted Espresso) and finding a convertible set (this can be used as a dresser and the crib as her future headboard/footboard for a full bed) that was within a normal budget (it's going to be chewed on...I couldn't justify spending thousands of dollars on a set not knowing what it may look like after 1 and hopefully 2 kids get use from it). The frames above the dresser (Burnes of Boston set) will contain some of her newborn pictures. On the shelves are Mr. Frogs (on the shelf b/c they are Crosby's favorite toys) and Erik's baby cup. Erik and mom painted the nursery while I was in the ICU over the summer. Around the room are matching honeybee stickers with sharpied buzz tails!
Brooklyn has her outfits ready to go for her first week, scratch that, first DAY, home! She has her Penguins fleece sleeper (from Target; I'm still looking for a Penguins Infant jersey...I may have to just order it online), a glow-in-the-dark skeleton onesie (from Walmart; she must arrive before Halloween...we have too many cute outfits for newborn and 0-3 month for Halloween that she has to wear) and an adorable brown polk dot romper (thanks Lisa!). You can see the sage minky changer cover (thanks Steph!) and the obligatory, every-child-needs-to-have key teethers (thanks Michelle!).
Above the changer, we have my favorite vinyl quote: "First we had each other, then we had you, now we have everything." I agonized for months trying to come up with a quote that would include Crosby but we're interpretting the "you" to be plural and include Brooklyn and Crosby. This is done on black vinyl from Etsy seller, designaline. It's so easy to stick on the wall then peel off the front portion, leaving the vinyl attached to the wall.
In the corner, you can see the SimpleHuman Deluxe Fingerprintproof trash can (we have one in the kitchen and it truly is smell proof...a must have for the nursery!). We have the busy bee canvas on the wall that I ordered from Ebay and we have Mr. Bear on the floor (a gift from my Baba for Brooklyn...we plan to take a picture a month of Brooklyn next to the bear to see how much she has grown!)
We have Brooklyn's crib with the bedding and mobile. We have some of her stuffed animals in the toy bag that Melanie's grandma made for us with coordinating fabrics. As a side note on the bedding, since Erik and I loved this pattern for a while, I actually bought it on clearance before we ever got pregnant because Babies R Us was discontinuing this pattern. Then, after we found out the news, I was stalking Ebay looking for the accessories like the mobile, pillow, canvas, blanket, and Boppy.
Above her crib (a gift from my mom and dad), we have her name. We were going to do vinyl letters, then canvases inspired by another blog, but then Erik thought about simply using wood. We used a prefinished white 7 inch wide shelf and cut it down into 7 inch squares. I painted all the squares in their base color (white, onyx, avocado green or honeysuckle yellow...Glidden paint samples from Lowe's). Then I printed out letters in various fonts in various sizes that would fill the 7 inch squares. I traced the letters onto the wood squares with a pencil and that left the indents in the wood. I then traced the letter indents with pencil and filled them in with the corresponding paint color for the letters. After they were dry, Erik put picture hanging hooks on the back and then voila, her name letters were complete! We love them and think that they add yet another special touch to her room!
Inside the crib, her wearable blanket and sheet saver (thanks Steph) are ready to go!
In front of the window, we have the Pottery Barn Anywhere Chair with her name on it...again, we plan to take monthly photos of her on the chair to see how big she gets each month. There are white sheers on the window with a black wrought iron curtain rod. The valance is a testament to my craftiness as there was a valance that was supposed to be to the Honey Bee set on clearance at Babies R Us...I, of course, bought it but didn't realize until later that it was too another set so it only partially matched the honey bee. After spending some time ripping off the fabric from the top of the valance (there was another fabric where the white was), I then sewed white minky fabric to the top to create the valance as it is currently. You can't tell and I'm proud of my sewing accomplishment.
The glider, a fabulous gift from my sister and her husband, is one item where we are sure to spend a significant amount of time. It's actually very comfortable so it's selection was an easy choice. We actually got it at Walmart because the espresso wood perfectly matched the rest of the nursery. It's currently draped with the Honeybee blanket and matching Boppy. Crosby finds the glider to be a wonderful nap spot and I'm sure she and Brooklyn will have some bonding to do on that glider. On each side of the glider is a basket of books for her story time. The books were actually gifts from my baby shower guests as my hostesses asked each guest to bring a book for Brooklyn with a message to her instead of a card. This wonderful gesture has started a beautiful library of books for Brooklyn. We can't wait to share our love of reading and learning with her...one story at a time.
No nursery is complete without the obligatory photo of the closet full of clothes...these are all for larger than 3 month sizes as everything 0-3 are in the dresser (I think I'll refrain from showing you her shoe drawer!!). She has her hamper (thanks Marie!) ready for all the changes of clothes. We also have totes for some of the larger size clothes, the breast pump, blankets, larger bottles, and other items we'll need in the future in storage in the closet.
The last thing to do yet in her room is hang the picture frame that's on the floor on that empty space behind the door. The picture frame, one of my DIY projects, is actually a frame, the insert covered by fabric then with ribbons hotglued to it. It makes for a decorative, yet functional place to store the influx of hair bows that I'm sure is just beginning. On the back of the door is the pink tutu I made for her for her newborn pictures. We have the blessed cross above the door and the matching Busy Bee light switch plate (thanks Lauren).
So, this completes the first MiCasa Monday and the tour of Brooklyn's nursery. We love this room and I will find myself sneaking into it at times over the past few weeks just to sit in the glider and think about what it will be like after she arrives. I find the room to be calming and peaceful and can't wait to grab book after book and read story after story to her....
Sunday, October 11, 2009
What a Busy Weekend!!!
We had such a busy and productive weekend around here!
First off, I wanted to mention that Andrea was here on Tuesday and Wednesday giving the house a deep fall cleaning in prep for Brooklyn's arrival. We were very thankful to not have to worry about scrubbing tubs/toilets, dusting, vacuuming, windexing or the multitude of other things she did that we weren't able to fit in in these last few weeks.
Friday night, I had a few friends over for a party...it was nice to have a chance to catch up (and meet for the first time in person for one of the ladies) with some old friends. It just reminded me that we don't get together nearly as often as I'd like. Unfortunately, work commitments or family commitments kept some of our usual crew from getting together
So with 13 girls at the house so with that much estrogen upstairs, Erik and Crosby retreated to the basement where Erik was happy to explore his new TV and surround sound system. Around 10:30, my mom and dad arrived and then around 11pm, most of the girls had left so Erik, Crosby and I spent some time relaxing with mom and dad in the basement.
Saturday, we hit the 38 week mark...scary to think that literally ANY DAY she could arrive and our lives, as we know them, will be totally and forever changed. Dad and Erik got up at the crack of dawn to go bow hunting while mom and I slept in, made our venture to our Starbucks for the usual (mom: white chocolate macchiato, me: caramel apple spice) then off to Target for some baby purchases, Costco for our traditional Saturday stock up and sampling fest (oh, how I love that place), Michaels for some fall home decor, Bed Bath and Beyond for the heck of it, Babies R Us for some last minute baby items then Joann's where I signed up for Wilton Level II Cake Decorating for December (it'll give me something to look forward to during maternity leave....and a few hours out of the house as I'm sure I'll be in cabin fever by then). On the way home, we picked up a DiBella's Godfather sub...so so good!
The boys had just arrived home from their Costco and Best Buy venture where dad picked out their new plasma TV. We spent the afternoon outside where dad and Erik did some pruning of the bushes and plucking of weeds, mom decorated the porch and front of the house, and I, in my sad looking 9-month pregnant state, weeded my mulch because, well, I wanted to.
We then had a late dinner at the house....salad (awesome deal at Giant Eagle) with homemade Luigi's recipe vinaigrette, shrimp scampi and spinach/mozzarella ravioli followed by tiramisu (my birthday request) for dessert. We would have gone to Springfield but it was Mars Homecoming dance so the place was full of teeny boppers. Dinner finished up late and we just relaxed the rest of the evening.
Today, we started off with my birthday Champagne brunch at Springfield where the boys had Eggs Benedict and the girls had Sunday Quiche. I subbed my fruit for their Cream of Mushroom soup and my Sunday Quiche with cottage potatoes was, yet again, a delicious choice. Since it was my birthday and I had my free dessert email coupon, I ordered the Pumpkin Pie Spice Creme Brulee which mom happily shared with me. Then it was off to Best Buy to see said-TV that mom and dad are getting and Costco where they stocked up for their trip home.
We watched the Steeler game then Erik and I then headed to Glade Pike where we took some maternity pictures against the scenic fall backgrounds and then picnicked with Crosby by the lake. God how I love our Nikon D60...as Erik said, "this camera makes my pictures look good!" We can't wait to test out our photography capabilities with Brooklyn.
While we were there, Crosby took her customary swim in the lake which then warranted a bath when she got home. Erik then headed into NC as he's in Johnstown Monday and Tuesday.
Tonight, though, I admit that I was a horrible puppy mommy...Erik had just left and Crosby was doing her usual whining. I had to go downstairs to take some photos of some items that we are selling on Craigslist. I still thought Crosby was upstairs by the door so when I came up from the basement, I went to upload my pictures. About 45 minutes later, I was searching the house for Crosby...not in any of her usual sleeping places and then I heard this little whine by the basement door and low and behold, I had locked her in the basement in the dark! The little sneakazoid must have snuck down there while I was in the back part in our storage room taking pictures. The look on her face with her downturned ears and sad expression just made me want to cry...she was like "I have no idea what I did to deserve this but I beg of your mercy." She was afraid that she had done something wrong and I spent the next 5 minutes whipping out every treat I could find trying to tell her that she was a good girl. It didn't take her long to forget and then she was back into her usual spot on the couch...asleep, of course!
Look for the first installment of Mi Casa Mondays where I'll feature a room in our house...tomorrow: the nursery!
First off, I wanted to mention that Andrea was here on Tuesday and Wednesday giving the house a deep fall cleaning in prep for Brooklyn's arrival. We were very thankful to not have to worry about scrubbing tubs/toilets, dusting, vacuuming, windexing or the multitude of other things she did that we weren't able to fit in in these last few weeks.
Friday night, I had a few friends over for a party...it was nice to have a chance to catch up (and meet for the first time in person for one of the ladies) with some old friends. It just reminded me that we don't get together nearly as often as I'd like. Unfortunately, work commitments or family commitments kept some of our usual crew from getting together
So with 13 girls at the house so with that much estrogen upstairs, Erik and Crosby retreated to the basement where Erik was happy to explore his new TV and surround sound system. Around 10:30, my mom and dad arrived and then around 11pm, most of the girls had left so Erik, Crosby and I spent some time relaxing with mom and dad in the basement.
Saturday, we hit the 38 week mark...scary to think that literally ANY DAY she could arrive and our lives, as we know them, will be totally and forever changed. Dad and Erik got up at the crack of dawn to go bow hunting while mom and I slept in, made our venture to our Starbucks for the usual (mom: white chocolate macchiato, me: caramel apple spice) then off to Target for some baby purchases, Costco for our traditional Saturday stock up and sampling fest (oh, how I love that place), Michaels for some fall home decor, Bed Bath and Beyond for the heck of it, Babies R Us for some last minute baby items then Joann's where I signed up for Wilton Level II Cake Decorating for December (it'll give me something to look forward to during maternity leave....and a few hours out of the house as I'm sure I'll be in cabin fever by then). On the way home, we picked up a DiBella's Godfather sub...so so good!
The boys had just arrived home from their Costco and Best Buy venture where dad picked out their new plasma TV. We spent the afternoon outside where dad and Erik did some pruning of the bushes and plucking of weeds, mom decorated the porch and front of the house, and I, in my sad looking 9-month pregnant state, weeded my mulch because, well, I wanted to.
We then had a late dinner at the house....salad (awesome deal at Giant Eagle) with homemade Luigi's recipe vinaigrette, shrimp scampi and spinach/mozzarella ravioli followed by tiramisu (my birthday request) for dessert. We would have gone to Springfield but it was Mars Homecoming dance so the place was full of teeny boppers. Dinner finished up late and we just relaxed the rest of the evening.
Today, we started off with my birthday Champagne brunch at Springfield where the boys had Eggs Benedict and the girls had Sunday Quiche. I subbed my fruit for their Cream of Mushroom soup and my Sunday Quiche with cottage potatoes was, yet again, a delicious choice. Since it was my birthday and I had my free dessert email coupon, I ordered the Pumpkin Pie Spice Creme Brulee which mom happily shared with me. Then it was off to Best Buy to see said-TV that mom and dad are getting and Costco where they stocked up for their trip home.
We watched the Steeler game then Erik and I then headed to Glade Pike where we took some maternity pictures against the scenic fall backgrounds and then picnicked with Crosby by the lake. God how I love our Nikon D60...as Erik said, "this camera makes my pictures look good!" We can't wait to test out our photography capabilities with Brooklyn.
While we were there, Crosby took her customary swim in the lake which then warranted a bath when she got home. Erik then headed into NC as he's in Johnstown Monday and Tuesday.
Tonight, though, I admit that I was a horrible puppy mommy...Erik had just left and Crosby was doing her usual whining. I had to go downstairs to take some photos of some items that we are selling on Craigslist. I still thought Crosby was upstairs by the door so when I came up from the basement, I went to upload my pictures. About 45 minutes later, I was searching the house for Crosby...not in any of her usual sleeping places and then I heard this little whine by the basement door and low and behold, I had locked her in the basement in the dark! The little sneakazoid must have snuck down there while I was in the back part in our storage room taking pictures. The look on her face with her downturned ears and sad expression just made me want to cry...she was like "I have no idea what I did to deserve this but I beg of your mercy." She was afraid that she had done something wrong and I spent the next 5 minutes whipping out every treat I could find trying to tell her that she was a good girl. It didn't take her long to forget and then she was back into her usual spot on the couch...asleep, of course!
Look for the first installment of Mi Casa Mondays where I'll feature a room in our house...tomorrow: the nursery!
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