Confetti Friday!!

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving!! We cooked for about 7 hours, and then sat down to an allergen free Tia-safe Thanksgiving dinner that was worth every back breaking second spent in the kitchen. We made everything from scratch, right down to raising and baking our own bread for the stuffing. We don't mess around folks, we mean business. Miss Eleanore Sue is very excited to decorate the Christmas tree today, and thinks that Santa will be here at any second. And in baby related news, I've stopped taking my anti labor pill in hopes of functioning like a human, and we're going to let Charlie get here when he gets here.

Confetti time!! Blogspot user ms-texas is this weeks Monday suck-day winner! And what a holiday filled fun-tastic package shes won! ms-texas, 6 handmade holiday cards by blueleaves, and some gorgeous cranberry soap by SudsNSuch, are all yours! Suddenly last Monday's suckage doesn't seem so bad, huh? Thank you so much to both of our wonderful sponsors for giving us such perfect holiday items to giveaway this week, we all appreciated it!


-"White Snow Flake Snowflakes Punches different sizes- 100", by
jleighdesignz, $2.50.

Not a wink of sleep.

OK. That's it. I'm ready for this baby to get here. I'm just getting so tired of waking up at 1am every morning with awful contractions, and then spending the next couple of hours doing everything I can do to get them to stop (drinking water, walking in the cool air, laying on my left side, taking my anti contraction pills). I'm exhausted, and oh so irritated. Mostly at my husband, who I know is just trying to help, but is driving me absolutely crazy. No honey, I do not need to go to the hospital... yes, I just had another contraction... no, I'm fine please stop touching my rock hard stomach... yes, it hurts... no Christopher, I really don't need to go right now, I'll tell you when I do... no I'm not lying... no, I'm not lying about not lying. Suddenly my blog that I was trying extra hard not to consume with baby, has been completely engulfed. Baby shower this, labor that. Much like my every day life. All crafts and chores have come to a complete stop, and everything revolves around me laying on the couch, shoveling cookies into my mouth in hopes of putting an extra pound on my little mister before his arrival. OK, plus I really like eating cookies. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and we still don't have a clue as to whats on the menu. Which means we haven't done our shopping. You know what that leads to? Chaos at the grocery store at the very worst possible time to shop. Will the madness ever end??

-"The New Baby - A3 Art Print", by Sascalia, $25.00.

A mocktail baby shower!

When it comes to opening presents, I'm extremely impatient. I'm the annoying bouncy little girl that sits under the Christmas tree shaking presents and trying to peel back the paper until the very last minute. I thought I'd outgrow it by now, but I still find myself poking and pushing the packages around with my index finger, watching it closely as if it will come to life and shout "I'm a new eyelash curler!!" ...which is on my Christmas list this year, in case anyone was wondering *wink wink Christopher*. My pen pal, Miss BeckyKayDesigns, had sent me a package with strict instructions not to rip open her packages a minute sooner. I guess I figure if a package doesn't come with similar instructions, its fair game, and I let loose on all of its crinkly papery goodness.

One of my favorite friends in the world, Kristen, threw me a fantastic baby shower this past Sunday. She decorated her apartment to perfection, complete with framed ultrasound pictures, and made me my very first diaper cake, which I would have eaten if Christopher hadn't baked me 5 dozen cookies and a batch of pumpkin maple bars. This was the first time I've gone somewhere other than my house, and been able to graze on the goodies. Usually I go to parties and have to practically wear a gas mask in order to not inhale the tiny wheat particles and have an allergic reaction. I was scared at first, that everyone would hate my gluten-soy-dairy-egg-everything-free delights, but they seemed to be a success. Christopher really came through for me, and baked all day long while I slept off my previous days preterm labor hospital knock-out drugs. For a minute, I thought I'd have to be carried into my baby shower, wrapped in a blanket with a pillow attached to my face, haha.

Mr. Charlie got plenty of thoughtful presents. Lots and lots of onesies. Some handmade, some store bought. The clothes that he wears during his first couple months of life will really make an impact on my memories. I still remember all of Eleanore's teeny tiny outfits. Plus I took a thousand and twelve pictures, so I could never forget. He got a womb bear, that sounds like a mothers heartbeat. He got some itty bitty socks and booties. A super soft blanket. Burp cloths. A gorgeous wall hanging with his name on it, done in tattoo style. All wonderful things that I appreciated more than I could tell everyone. And on top of the shower gifts, I've gotten a few random packages in the mail lately, with gifts for me, which I really didn't expect. Just the other day I got a super surprising present from Miss Megan, also known as lemonade. Its so special to me that I lectured Christopher on the importance of never putting his sasquatch hands on it. Its not his fault he breaks nearly everything that he comes in contact with...

Isn't that perfect? I haven't used it yet, I'm waiting for a special occasion I guess. And then yesterday, as I was laying in bed like a big frumpy contraction filled lump, I got these gorgeous postcards in the mail from Miss JessicaJane, or, petitehouse.

Everyone has really been so great towards me and my family lately. My mailbox has been filled with colorful envelopes and packaging, and my blog flooded with wonderful comments and well wishes. I appreciate everyone that has taken the time to give us some of their love. It means a lot to us...

Monday suck-day, take 15!!

OK, so this Monday super sucks, because I woke up at 3 am to round two of preterm labor. Without going into extreme details, this pregnancy looks like its going to be coming to an end early, and Mr. Charlie will be entering the world sometime next week. Am I ready? No. Is Charlie ready? Apparently so.

Lets do a giveaway shall we? In the name of the suck.

This week, you can win some delicious handmade cranberry soap by SudsNSuch, and a set of 6 handmade Christmas cards by blueleaves! Score!

How to Enter: (please please please read all of the directions before entering, to prevent any disqualifications, thanks!)

-Visit both of the sponsoring shops, blueleaves and SudsNSuch.
-Pick out your favorite items from each shop, and then come back here and tell us what you loved.
-If you are not a blogger user, please leave both your name and email, so that we can contact you if you win.
-For an additional entry, give me 20 words or more on why Mondays suck!
-For an additional two entries, blog about this giveaway on your own blog, complete with links and pictures, and then come back here and leave us a comment with the link to your blog.
-This contest will end on Friday, November 28th, at 10am.
-What are you waiting for? Get your suck on!

Not yet Charlie!!

Would you guys believe that Charlie tried to come out early? Well, a not so cozy 14 hour hospital stay sure put him in his place, now didn't it. We showed him!

I woke up the other night, not feeling so great. And when I say not feeling so great, I really mean, feeling like I was on the verge of death, and begging Christopher to find some kind of miracle relief. I thought maybe I had just eaten something bad (you know, with all of my crazy food allergies, that's usually the case). After a few minutes, I announce to Christopher... "I think I might be having contractions". 3 minutes later I notice another one. Followed by another. Some more after that. And then another. And then... holy crap, I'm in labor! How did that happen? Christopher made me a 2am bubble bath with my fancy lavender soap, but nope, Charlie wasn't having it. We called and woke up my good friend Kristen, and she came over and swept me off to labor and delivery. Because I didn't exactly go into natural labor with Eleanore, especially 6 weeks early, I half expected the nurses to tell me it was a false alarm, and send me home. Fast forward a few shots, collapsed veins, pretty pills, knock out drugs, and 14 long hours later... mission keep-Charlie-inside was a success! No baby yet. Lets hope he stays in until his scheduled arrival date of December 26th.

-"Love song - Print", by carambatack, $18.00.

Its confetti Friday!!

Congratulations to Susie G, who won this weeks Monday suck-day giveaway!! You were the lucky winner, out of 92 valid entries. That gorgeous Polar Bear Ornament from PaperLadyInvites, and that delicious looking Christmas soapsicle from anniepoo, are all yours! Thank you so much to this weeks sponsors, it was a pleasure having you suck with us. You've both got wonderful shops that I'm sure we'll all see in the future.

-"Fun-fetti Hearts- Belle Mix", by funkychickenscoop, $1.00.

(If you would like to sponsor an upcoming holiday suck-day, we've got just a few slots available! Please email me, or convo me at my etsy shop. Thanks!!)

34 weeks and counting...

You'll have to please please please excuse my absence. I know that recently my blog entries haven't been as thrilling as they once were. The reason for this, is my 8th month of pregnancy, and the awful exhaustion that comes along with it. I thought I could keep up with it day in and day out, the blogging I mean, but as my due date nears, I find it harder and harder to sit in this chair and form sense making sentences. I hit backspace every other word. My brain is cloudy and my fingers are clumsy. That 3rd trimester insomnia has hit, and left me with a black eye in need of a nice cold nap. My diet is almost made up completely of chocolate peanut butter ice shakes, and the sink is almost always full of dishes. I feel lazy. And anxious. And every other emotion I could possibly feel. We've set the date for Charlie's delivery. December 26th, at noon. So that's it folks... we're officially having a baby. It feels weird to be able to write it down on one of the 9,000 calenders in our house, as well as heart warming. But as we get farther and farther into the winter, please bare with me, as my fingers are frozen with hormones, and I might skip a day of writing here or there. Its nothing personal (I promise!). I'm just too, dang, tired...

-"Bonne Nuit, John/Bonne Nuit, Jane Sleep Angel. one custom-made lavender-scented dream doll", by lapomme, $16.50.

How precious life is. Sometimes it takes the worst of things to remind us of this. Last night Christopher and I snuck into Eleanore's room at midnight to watch her sleep. I held her warm tired hand, and he kissed her rosy red cheeks. We told her how much we loved her, and then snuck out before she had the chance to open her eyes.

My heart goes out to the Covey family today. I can't imagine losing a child. Having a child the exact same age really puts it into perspective for me. I'm not good at writing with a serious tone, but today there are no clever sayings or jokes hiding behind this keyboard. Just a lot of sadness, some waterproof mascara, and an aching heart for a family going through the absolute worst.

-"Angel Wings Baby Blue Onesie with Black Screenprint", by cloud9designstudio, $26.00.

No subject.

Exactly.

-"Warm me up coffee cup postcard", by charliemotel, $2.00.

Monday suck-day, take 14!

Nothing I could possibly say, can describe the suck that I feel right now. Its not even my own personal suck, its the suck suffering of someone else. Every Monday sucks, but, wow... today really is Monday suck-day isn't it?

Which is why we do a giveaway!!

As you can see, we've got a wonderful holiday giveaway this week!! I'm really excited. Christmas makes me giggle. A lot, hehe. The loot this time around, is a beautiful "Polar Bear Paper Ornament", handmade by PaperLadyInvites, and a delicious looking handmade "Christmas Soapsicle", by anniepoo. Thank you to both sponsoring shops this week, for offering up such great handmade items!!

The Official Rules to Monday suck-day 14: (Lately we've had so many disqualifications, so please make sure to read the rules thoroughly before entering, thanks!)

-Visit both of the sponsoring shops, anniepoo and PaperLadyInvites. Pick out your favorite item(s) from their shops, and then come back here and tell us alllll about them, by leaving a comment, making sure to say what item is from which shop, and all that good stuff. You have to visit both shops for your entry to be valid. If you do not have blogger, make sure to leave your name and email. That way we can get in contact with you if you're the lucky winner!

-For an additional entry, tell us why this Monday, or Mondays in general, suck. In detail though, make it fun! Simply saying "because I have to go back to work", will not gain you an extra entry, haha. We want the juicy stuff.

-For an additional two entries (oh yeah, bustin' out the big guns), blog about this giveaway on your own blog. Make sure to include both pictures and links. Come back here, and leave us a link to your blog entry, and voila, two extra entries for you!

-The Monday suck-day contest now ends on Fridays. So you've got until this Friday, November 21st, at around 10:00 am to enter. The confetti Friday post (my fancy way of saying "hey look who won!") will be posted shortly afterwards.

-On your mark, get ready, suck!

(If you would like to sponsor an upcoming holiday suck-day giveaway, please email me or send me a convo at my etsy shop, thanks!)

O Tannenbaum

Last year I made all of my own Christmas cards. It was time consuming, and kind of a pain. While it was nice, and I had more of a personalized connection with my cards than any previous year, I decided that this year with Charlie's impending arrival, it would be best if we just went out and bought them. So as of 2 minutes ago, my Christmas card shopping is finished. There's one check on my mile long Christmas to-do list. What kind of cards are you sending out this year? Handmade by you? Handmade by someone else? Store bought? I'd love to see the pretty things that you'll be sending out to mailboxes...

-"O Tannenbaum, Post Card 5 Pack", by MarmeeCraft, $8.00.

Confetti Friday!

I meant to have this weeks suck-day winner posted just a little bit sooner, but I accidentally-on-purpose fell asleep on the couch while Eleanore watched cartoons. I've still got pillow marks on the left side of my face as I type this. And as you can see, we've moved win-day from Thursdays to Fridays again. The reason behind that is the great turnout we've been having. This week we had 119 valid entries! I found it fitting to give today the title of "Confetti Friday"! So on with the confetti...

Congratulations Starshine3!! You're the lucky lucky lucky winner of this weeks suck-day giveaway! A couple of great big huge thank you's go out to ThePeach and ZuliDesigns. Thanks so much for sponsoring the giveaway this week! For those of you that had a bit of suck with your luck this week, don't worry, you can come back next week and try try try again. Next weeks suck-day will be sponsored by both PaperLadyInvites, and anniepoo. Its gonna be good stuff, I promise you that...

-"Giant Confetti - Kiddie Colors - Fun and Festive", by rarebirdboutique, $2.00.

(If you would like to sponsor a future holiday suck-day giveaway, please email me, or send me a convo at my etsy shop! Thanks!)

Wee-wee Teepees

A few weeks ago I was having a yahoo messenger conversation with a friend of mine, about my fear of getting peed on. Its not really a fear, but more of a ... I just don't want to. I've never changed a little boy bubby before. A bubby is what we call a diaper. Where this originated from I'm still not sure, but diapers are known as "bubbys" in our house?

So my friend bought and sent me these...

Thank you Carrie! You are an angel.

-"Green Stripe Wee-wee Teepees - For Your Little Squirt", by hushboutique, $9.50.

You're my best friend.

The other day Eleanore reached her hand out for mine, and said "Mommy, you're my best friend"...
...but I think its clear who her real best friend is.

I like you a whole bunch...

But unfortunately... its not going to work. Last night banana, you and I had our very last dance. It was magical, you being mixed in with all of that chocolate peanut butter goodness. But the way you treated me afterwards, was unforgivable. I thought I'd bring you to a public place, like my blog, to officially end it. I'll still see you around, when you have a play date with Eleanore, or when Christopher puts you into a protein shake. I'm sorry to say that there won't be any more early morning breakfast cereal rendezvous, or weekends in a cup with strawberries and ice. From time to time I'll say hello when I pass you in the store, but don't expect a hug or a kiss. Not from me at least. I used to date one of your good friends, bread, which I know has caused problems in our relationship before. Even though we never really talked about it, I know you secretly wanted to invite him on vacation with you, me, and peanut butter. Well, now that I'm out of the picture, you and bread can do whatever you want. Banana, I'm not going to lie, I'm going to miss you. But... its over.

-"Banana Pin", by peasoup, $8.50.

Monday suck-day, take 13!

If any of you had on your reading glasses yesterday, then you know that Christopher snuck in a blog update. I do love it when he blogs, even though I'm guilty of some occasional editing. I try not to chop it up too much though, hehe. Anyways, now that its Monday, hes back to work and its just Me, Elie, Charlie (who I swear has doubled in size since yesterday), and the Kitties. I miss Christopher already. Today sucks.

This weeks giveaway sponsors are both fabulous (I'm sure you'll all agree)! Up for grabs this Monday suck-day, is a gorgeous pair of "Silver Petals" earrings from ZuliDesigns and a super fun set of 12 "Darla Deer" handmade cupcake toppers from ThePeach.

How to enter: (Note- you have to follow the rules, or your entry will not be qualified. Don't suck!)

-Visit both shops, both of them, not one, but both. ZuliDesigns, and ThePeach.

-For just one entry, pick out your favorite item(s) from both shops, and then come back here to this suck-day post, and tell us what treasures you've found! If you're not a blogger user, be sure to leave a name and email in case you're our winner!

-For a second entry, tell us in detail why Mondays suck. This can be done in the same comment as your first entry, no additional comment is needed.

-For an additional 2 entries (hey, sometimes you just really want to win), blog about this giveaway, complete with photos and links, on your blog, and then come back here and leave us the link to your entry.

-And because our suck-day turnouts have been so great lately, we're extending the contest another day! This suck-day will end on Friday, November 14th, at 10am. The winner will be posted shortly after the giveaway closes.

-That's up to 4 entries. So go. Get to winning!

(If you would like to sponsor a future holiday suck-day giveaway, email me or send me a convo at my etsy shop! Thanks!)

Dudes get shit done too.

Sunday morning with Christopher:

So I've taken the last week off to get ready for baby Charlie (or Chwarrrrlay, as Eleanore has named him). I had a 2 page to-do list of things to take care of, and Tia was really counting on me to get them all done. I have to say, taking a week off from being an airplane mechanic was pretty nice. My hands are finally clean, I haven't gotten any new scars, and my back isn't bothering me. But the grand finale, is that I have a pretty nice scruff growing after a week of not shaving.

We started the week by going through all of Eleanore's old things. Some of her clothes we were able to recycle into outfits for Charlie. Some were too girly for our little man, but so adorable that we had to keep them, with the hopes that someday we'll have another girl. A lot of clothes were stained so badly though, that they had to be thrown away (I suck at doing laundry, I'm a dude). The in between items we took down and donated to the Airmen's Attic, which is a nice place here on base that enlisted folks can get free stuff. Things like clothes and uniforms, toys and furniture, crap and more crap. We've gotten a lot of things from there in the past 2 years (mostly clothes), so it's only right that we give back. The best part of sorting through Elie's old clothes, was when I was closing up a box to put back into the garage, and Tia spotted something that made her move all the way across the house in about half a second... a Black Widow the size of a golf ball, relaxing under the box flap. After completely denying it was a Black Widow (I like to argue), I corralled it into a large plastic cup and soaked it in pesticide. Yeah, it was a Black Widow. Tia was right and I was wrong.

A lot of Eleanore's old toys were covered in some kind of crusty food substance. And pounds of gluten (we weren't always gluten-free my friends). All of the goop covered things had to be taken apart and pretty much soaked in gallons of bleach. Charlie's crib finally got painted and put together (it only took me 6 months of Tia's nagging to get me to finish spray painting it white). Charlie's clothes got hung up in his closet, and his room got put together to the best of my abilities.

Aside from Charlie related chores, lots of cleaning was done. The kitchen, for starters (a few times). The awful laundry room, which was pretty much a landing pad for all my junk on the way from the living room out to the garage. Hopefully I can entice Tia in there to do laundry more often now, since as I mentioned above, I really suck at it and everything I wash comes out stained (even if it didn't go into the machine that way). The floors were swept and mopped. The upstairs carpet got vacuumed for the 2nd time ever (its a brand new house we live in, we're not that lazy). Pictures were hung up. The outside got picked up. Shit got done!

In conclusion, it was a great week. I got to spend a lot of time playing with Eleanore, Tia got to sleep in (well at least she tried to), and I cant wait to do it again!

-"Shaving Mug Set for the Deep Dark and Mysterious Shaver ", by sheilathings, $19.50.

-"Flight Suit Onesie", by flybabykids, $10.00.

-"Elephant Wooden Pull Toy in FRUIT LOOPS Print", by cookiedough, $20.00.

-"MAGNET Jack Kerouac Quote", by nouveaumotley, $3.00.

Pretty things in my mailbox.

I want to start a group. We could call it, "Pretty things in my mailbox". How does that sound? Maybe a Flickr group? Maybe a street team? I don't know much about group-starting. I was in Girl Scouts when I was younger, but I was far from a leader, and didn't learn any leadership skills like I was supposed to. I'm not even sure I earned any badges. Shame on me. I was a lazy kid. Far less proactive than I am now.

All I know is, nothing makes me happier than opening up my mailbox (or watching my 2 year old do it), and pulling out a beautiful wrapped box or envelope. Yesterday on our way back from the park, Christopher held Eleanore up to pull the mailbox door down, and inside was a pretty purple package. "I don't remember ordering anything", I said to myself. Well that's because I didn't. A wonderful surprise was awaiting me on the inside of the purple exterior. OhMandie had sent me a baby shower gift! This time, it was a gift just for me. I appreciate and love all of the fabulous things that everyone has gotten for Charlie, we all know he'll need them (that cute little helpless chubby wubby baby), but its even more wonderful when somebody thinks of the mama.

I'm always careful to open up the nicely wrapped packages, because I know if they're packaged pretty on the outside, then they're probably packaged nice and pretty on the inside as well. Usually packages that come in a plain jane padded envelope are over sized, with a rather sad excuse for a thank you note (if there's one at all), and were purchased in a large lot for cheapness and conveniences sake. It does the job, so I understand... but honestly, I'm a packaging snob. I hope I'm not the only one. When I order something online (OK from Etsy really), I want it to come beautifully wrapped like a handmade gift, with frills and bows, colors and curtains, the works. Recycled or brand new, a simple thank you combined with some visual happiness goes a long way.

So I snip through the clear tape on this gorgeous purple envelope, and inside I find a wonderful handmade note book. OhMandie!! Thank you!! What an absolute dear. There was a nice little card with a darling note saying something along the lines of "I read your blog post about your baby shower, and I had to join in". My heart paused for a few seconds while I scrunched up my face as if I had just seen a newborn kitten, and said "awwww!" out loud. What a sweetheart!

-"Recycled Holdiay Gift Tags", by notjane, $3.00.
-"daheim - postcard gift set - handprinted", by SiebenMorgen, $10.00.
-"10 3x7 Handmade Shipping Envelopes", by lisasshop, $4.00.

-"Bluebells - Large Handbound Journal / Sketchbook", by OhMandie, $10.00.

Blankie makes everything better.

Eleanore Sue is afraid of the vacuum. Very afraid. She always has been, since the day she was born. Christopher is upstairs acting out the part of Mr. Mom, balancing a screaming Elie on one hip, and handling a noisy vacuum with his free hand. As soon as he flipped the switch on, the screaming began. He ran downstairs in a giant leap of fatherhood based faith and grabbed her blanket, yelling "Blankie makes everything better!", in hopes that when he handed it over to her, she'd magically become best friends with the yellow suction monster. ...Nope. So then, he bribes her with dress up. What kind of 2 year old girl can resist a big suitcase filled with jewelry and tutus?? So next I hear the monster turn back on, and Christopher singing Old MacDonald as loud as he can to try and drown out the evil vacuum sounds. Is it working? Is she distracted by dress up? A few minutes later they both come marching down the stairs proudly, saying something about a magical broom that they're not afraid of anymore. We'll see how long this lasts...

-"Vacuum Appliance Print", by JackRabbit, $15.00.

Yay somebody won!

Congratulations to Andreashops for winning this weeks suck-day giveaway!! Hurray! *star confetti everywhere*. Andreashops you are now the proud owner of 24 personalized Thanksgiving stickers, so kindly given to you by SimplyEmbellish, and a set of 4 fall tree note cards by the fabulous fivedot. Both shops this week were extremely generous, and its been a pleasure working with them. Thanks SimplyEmbellish and fivedot!!

If you didn't win, turn that frown upside down. Next week we've got another great double giveaway. I won't tell you what you'll be winning, but I will tell you that you can scope out the goods at zulidesigns and thepeach. Its going to be good, trust me.

-"100ish Hand Punched Recycled Paper Stars", by silvergelatin, $1.00.

Must. Eat. Cake.

I'm 7 months pregnant and starving. Somebody please bake me a gluten-soy-dairy-oat-amaranth-sorbitol-egg-corn-potato-fructose-gum-everything free cake. Please please please?

-"Super Bake Girl", by AFancifulTwist, $20.00.

Reason number 294 why I love Etsy.

A few months ago, I was wasting time in the Etsy Etc forum (seriously, when am I not?), and I stumbled upon a wonderful thread... an etsy baby shower? I wasn't sure how it worked, because it seemed far too good to be true, so I sent out a quick convo, and before I knew it, I was getting contacted by a couple of gracious etsy sellers offering to send me and my Charlie some of their handmade creations.

The first package that arrived in the mail for me, was sent from mypinkeareddog. She was due to have her own baby at any second, so rather than sending me something handmade by herself, she sent me over to one of my favorite shops, beanpicklesprout, and let me pick out my own gifts! How generous is that?? I think we got 2 onesies, and a bib (my memory has kind of developed a sort of fog). And to top off the insane amounts of giving, beanpicklesprout tossed in a handmade pot holder for mama. Aww!

My 2nd package that arrived, was from etsy seller TweedleBee. A soft and cuddly lovey, perfect for Charlie to snuggle. I must have rubbed it against my cheek 100 times before setting it next to the stairs to take up to Charlie's room. This was before we knew Charlie was a Charlie though. He was still potentially a Lucy. Either way, it would be any newborns favorite cuddle buddy and drool partner.

And then when I was least expecting it, I got another package? Who's this one from, I wonder. Miss jessicajane? But she wasn't even signed up to participate in the baby shower. Shes just that kind. She sent me a beautiful travel bib made by Odannysgirl! Up until this point, Eleanore refused to wear bibs. But ever since baby brother Charlie had gotten one in the mail, she just had to have one too. So now at every meal, she asks for her own bib to wear, which is just fine by me. Talk about a win-win. We've had far less stains to work at because of this...

Last night when I got home from a short shift at work, there was a nice little white box waiting for me. I took it upstairs with me, sat down near the tub where Eleanore and Christopher were playing in bubbles, and tore it open with grace. SudsNSuch had sent me a perfect little gift set. A bar of handmade baby soap, wrapped up in pretty decorated paper, and 2 handmade blue washcloths. Funny that I opened it right there next to a tub full of bubbles.

I'd just like to say thank you to each and every one of you.

Monday suck-day, take 12!

Its Monday. Is anyone else letting out a sigh of misery? Halloween is finally over (it was nice while it lasted, but I'm happy to have October behind me), and if you've got kids, you're probably dealing with the sugar highs and lows. Eleanore is still walking around yelling "Happy Halloween!!" when she sees a door decoration that the lazy neighbor failed to take down over the weekend. So then I have to explain to her, again, that Halloween is over, and now we're getting ready for Thanksgiving...


So this being the first suck-day of November, I thought a Thanksgiving-ish giveaway was in order! A double giveaway, no less. Up for grabs this week, is a set of 24 personalized Thanksgiving turkey stickers from SimplyEmbellish, and a set of 4 fall tree note cards from fivedot! Your pen pal will be thrilled to hear that you no longer have an excuse to deny them mail, haha.

The Rules: (They're a little different this time)
-Go to both sponsoring shops, SimplyEmbellish, and fivedot!
-Pick out your favorite item(s) from the above shops, and then come back here to this suck-day entry and leave us a comment telling us what you wish was yours! (that's good for 1 basic entry)
-Tell us in detail why Monday's suck! (that's good for a 2nd entry)
-And for an extra 2 entries, post about this suck-day giveaway, complete with pictures and links, on your own blog! Come back and leave another comment letting us know you've done so, along with your link.
-For you non-blogger users, please make sure and leave your name and email, otherwise we have no way to get a hold of you, and you'll be disqualified, which suuuucks.
-This weeks suck-day giveaway closes on Thursday the 6th, at noon.
-Good luck suck day'ers!!

(If you would like to sponsor an upcoming holiday suck-day, please email me or convo me at my etsy shop! Thanks!)

Its never too late to start playing dress up.

Yesterday as I was routinely checking my email, something stood out. Something was different? It wasn't spam. It wasn't an etsy convo. It wasn't a flickr alert...hmm. Had I won a giveaway?? Yes!! I had won a giveaway! I almost thought it was too good to be true. Six pairs of hair clippies from supanerdstef?! Perfect! Ever since I've found out that I'm having a Charlie instead of a Lucy, I've been feeling nostalgic. Charlie can't wear ruffles and hair bows. And sometimes I feel like its too late for Eleanore. Shes not a baby anymore, shes a big girl. Of course she'll argue that with you if given the chance, but... Anyways, what a fantastic prize to win! The pink skulls pictured above are just one of the pairs that we'll be seeing in our mailbox, and in Elie's curly blond hair. Its never to late to start playing dress up, is it?

Everyone should take a minute to visit supanerdstef's shop for some super cute and affordable hair bows...

Trick or treat!

Aside from my nearly going into labor, getting into an almost-fight with a disrespectful 16 year old, and Miss Elie Sue falling down and scraping her knees x100, I'd say there couldn't be a more perfect Halloween.