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Sometimes life stinks.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009


Ever since a bottle of this, was knocked over and shattered on our downstairs bathroom floor yesterday (the Sasquatch), my house smells like man. Reeks of man is more like it. I need to light like 9,000 fru fru scented candles. And asap.

-"Life Stinks", by pairedhearts, $6.00.

Charlie has a boo boo.

Monday, March 30, 2009

As promised, a picture dedicated to the reason that I've been puked on 4 times today. Vaccines.

Monday suck-day, 22!

Usually Monday suck-day is up before the sun, but today... oh today has been extra awesome. And by awesome, I mean sucky. Adventurous really. My Mondays never actually "suck". I'm grateful for every day that I have with my family, no matter what mood hovers over it. Maybe I should change Monday suck-day's name. What do you think? Monday awesome-day. Monday used-to-suck-day. Monday only-wishes-it-sucked-day. ...OK that last one didn't even make any sense. Maybe I'll just leave the title alone.

This morning started off with me dishing up a big bowl of allergies for breakfast, yum! I knew that in a few hours I'd be giving 7 viles of blood for special testing, and I wanted to make sure that my body was acting as grumpy as possible, for the best results. Does that make sense? Not only did I have to go give a gallon of the red stuff away, but my 3 month old son had to get a hefty round of vaccines. Tickle shots, we call them. I'll have to post a picture of his cute bugs bunny band aid covered leg tomorrow. Well while Charlie was getting his shots, Eleanore found the mother load of doctor-loves-patient prizes. She wanted a bracelet. No, a ball. No... a bracelet. No wait, a ball! I took the baby and walked away from the situation, letting Dad handle it. She wouldn't be happy no matter which item she picked out anyways. 15 minutes later we ended up in the parking lot with a screaming snot-covered 2 year old refusing to get into the car, throwing a tantrum on the sidewalk, very upset that she had a new bracelet instead of a new ball. Oh please. We dealt with it, and managed to get home. But just a few minutes after getting home, my Sasquatch husband knocked his giant monster-man shoulder into a bathroom shelf and tumbling down it came. Did anything break? No. Wait.... yes. And it had to be a bottle of cologne didn't it? Gah.

So, Monday awesome-day, right?

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Man, I'm really excited about this weeks giveaway. When I first saw this shop I fell in love. Angelcake. I want everything that she makes. Everything. Her shop announcement simply says "thanks for visiting. I'm obsessed". Direct and right to the point, my kinda gal!


Oh, what, you want that? I know you do! I do too, but unlike y'all, I can't enter my own giveaway. I'm not fooling anyone though, we all know that I never have the time to play dress up. Wait no, that's a lie. I have the time, I just don't have anywhere to go. The commissary? Lame.

So, enter this weeks giveaway, and win it, and love it!


Le Rules:

-Visit Angelcake's shop. Browse through all of her gorgeous Victorian inspired accessories, and then come back here and leave us a comment telling us what you liked the most, and why.

-For an additional entry, tell us why Mondays suck (or, why Mondays are awesome, har har) in 20 words or more. This is my favorite part of the giveaway actually.

-If you're a follower of my blog, mention that in the comment and you'll get an extra entry. If you're not, then you should be! Click follow. Leave a comment. Ta da!

-If you purchase anything from Angelcake's shop, get an extra 10 entries. Yes, ten.

Giveaway ends this Friday night at Midnight. Any entries posted after that time will not be considered valid. The winner will be announced on next Monday's giveaway, and of course contacted by email (which is why you absolutely must leave us a name and email). By the way, last weeks winner was Meredith.

X Marks the Tot.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Um, not only is that the most cleverist name (I keep it real) for kids clothing EVER, but have you ever seen anything so awesome?

X Marks the Tot. Awesome.

So this started with me browsing ebay for recycled clothes this morning, and my adventure turning out to be a big flop. Then I skipped over to Etsy, knowing I couldn't afford anything today, but GAH... so cute. Charlie (who is drooling something fierce in his swing behind me right now) would totally rock the Wyoming one-piece. I'm totally in love with these. I wish I could walk into her Seattle shop, stuff them all into my purse, throw a load of cash down on the counter, and run home to have a baby induced fashion show.

3 months old today...

Thursday, March 26, 2009

The curse of the Sasquatch mug.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

My husband breaks things. Hes clumsy. Hes not fully aware of the size of his body, and therefor has no control over the way it moves. Its not entirely his fault though. On top of his protein shakes and creatine powder, I stuff him full of as much food as humanly possible. When we first started dating, we were both on a diet strictly of coffee, cigarettes, ramen, and beer. After my motherly instincts kicked in, (and we had enough money to pay for food, really) I started loading him up on the calories. We don't eat unhealthy, we eat quite the opposite. Some would probably describe us as "health freaks". Its a stretch to us, but probably the most accurate. My food allergies give us no choice. He can still eat a lot of the things that I can't, he just chooses not to. I appreciate the choice, by the way. I probably wouldn't be able to live if it wasn't for his lack of gluten. That's not an exaggeration.

Anyways, so Christopher breaks stuff. Sasquatch, I call him. You've probably read his nickname a few times here and there, as I joke about this all too often. Well for Christmas, I had a mug customized for him. "Sasquatch", it would say. I ordered it in plenty of time, and the seller promised to have it to me by Christmas. A friend of mine, also ordered a mug, the same day. She ordered hers first actually. I copied her. The gift was too perfect not to. Hers didn't say Sasquatch though, instead it was appropriate for her and her husband.


So then the mugs break. We both get emails, me and the friend, saying that she somehow broke the mugs in her kiln, and has to start over. OK, no big deal, as long as its here by Christmas, right? A few days pass, maybe a week or more, and she still assures us that our mugs will be delivered by Christmas. Next she says shes overnight'ing them, which as you know, around Christmas time, is the cost of a small house pretty much. I didn't argue though, seeing as how she was trying right her wrong. Christmas eve comes and goes, no package. The friend got hers, but I didn't get mine. I was really disappointed, but also preoccupied by the birth of my son, that was taking place in just a few hours.

The package came the day after Christmas. I wasn't too upset, knowing that it was an honest mistake, and got over it after about a second. Christopher brought it from the house when he came to visit me and new-baby in the hospital, along with a few other packages we had gotten from friends and family. He opened it up, and loved it. He proudly showed everyone that came to visit us, the nurses even. He used it to drink his cafeteria coffee out of, until the day we left the hospital. Sadly, that was the only coffee the Sasquatch mug ever saw.

As we were leaving the hospital, packing things up, Christopher has a brilliant idea to wrap up his new mug, inside of a baby blanket. That way it wouldn't get broken. How could it, under layers upon layers of padding? I didn't have the energy to comment on his packing plans, I just let him do what he wanted to while I tried to recover from my surgery. I'll leave out the part where he lost my shoes in the process, and I had to wear his dirty man slippers home. Oh wait, I just brought it up didn't I? *scowls at Christopher*

Shortly after getting home, I'm cozying up on the couch, stitches in my belly, a baby in my arms, and I hear Christopher say "whats wrong with this blanket"? Before I could say anything, or even finish turning my head towards him, its too late. He throws the blanket out, almost like hes sprawling out a rug, and then in slow motion.... the mug shatters. Into a million tiny Sasquatch pieces.

I cried uncontrollably (just a tad hormonal), and we didn't talk about the mug for weeks.

For Valentines Day, I knew I had to get him another one. He had felt so guilty about breaking the last one, I think maybe he even cried over it, I had to put him out of his misery. Plus, I really wanted him to have a special mug of his very own. One of my Air Force wife/etsy/blogger/twitter friends, had recently gotten me a "zombies ate my brains" mug, and he was jealous. She had gotten it for me before I had gotten him his, so that made the loss of "Sasquatch" even more unbearable. I ordered him another one. "Sasquatch II" it would say. Cute right? I know, hehe.

A few weeks pass, and finally I hear back from the seller. I had explained to her what happened. She offered me a discount, considering the story was so sad. I think she might have even offered to make me another one for free, but I had declined, telling her I'd like to pay for it, since it was my husbands Sasquatch hands that broke it this time around, and not hers. Weeks later, she sends me a picture of the finished product, telling me its on the way. Great, its going to be here in time for Valentines Day! I had a matching card made and everything. "If you're a Sasquatch, I'm a Sasquatch". Perfect, right? ...and then I see the picture.

No. I wanted it to say "Sasquatch II". I thought she knew that? I had mentioned it in 2 separate messages to her. In a way I felt guilty, like maybe I should just accept it for what it was, but then decided "no, this is what I ordered, and it would mean so much more if the outcome was what I wanted". So I politely convo'd her back, and asked her to please fix it. I didn't hear from her for a few days, and then when I did, she said she'd remake it, and I'd have it in time for Valentines Day still. Insert sigh of relief here.

Valentines Day. No mug. What the hell.

I send her a convo, and she replies saying its not finished. I'm starting to get aggravated, but keep my cool, and decide to turn it into an Anniversary present instead. I run out and get Christopher a Valentines Day roasting pan instead. He had no idea, so it worked out fine. Our anniversary isn't until March 19, which is more than a month away, surely, we'll have it by then. ...Do you see where this is heading?

The 19th is getting closer, and still, there hasn't been a mug in my mailbox since last December. I convo her yet again, just to double check that it will be ready, since I haven't heard from her in weeks. And no... its not ready. This time, she says, her kiln has broken. She says she can either express mail the plain "Sasquatch", which isn't the mug I had ordered this time, or she can send me a picture of the unfinished "Sasquatch II". I take a deep breath, print out the picture, and accept that it will not be here in time.


She says she thinks I deserve a refund. But I don't want a refund. I like her mugs, I want my husband to have one. And when he breaks that one (because I know he will), I want him to have another one. So I ask her, if rather than sending me my money back, can she please make me a "Sasquatch III" instead?

No response. Rather than convo'ing me back, she ignores my request completely, and instead, goes ahead and refunds my money. Lady... seriously? Whats your problem?

So, here it is, March 24th. And the mug that I ordered on Feb 4th, still doesn't exist. When it gets here, I'm sure it will be cursed. The damn thing has failed, what, 4 times now?

Wish us luck...

Monday suck-day, take 21!

Monday, March 23, 2009

Can we skip through all of the why-my-Monday sucks stuff today, and get right to the giveaway? That's how bad my morning has been. Sounds pretty serious right? I guess its more of a bad Sunday afternoon extending into my early Monday morning routine. It all kind of blends together. Ibuprofen to the rescue? That and a good dose of reality check. My body hates me. I can't eat anything. Poor me. Wah wah wah....

Over the past couple of weeks I've gotten all sorts of buddy-buddy with Raven Moon Herbal and Arts. A super sexy belly dancin' mama, who owns her own shop and sells her own crafts. Seriously, can you say badass? Well whether you're fond of my potty mouthed yet flattering name calling or not, I'm sure you'll be interested in winning one of her Blackberry Sage candles. How good does that sound? The last time I dove into a candle frenzy was in October, so I've got a drawer full of cinnamon this and apple pumpkin that. A spring scented Berry candle sounds like just what I need. And maybe just what you need too?

Introducing, the rules:
-Visit Raven Moon Herbal and Arts. Click on "products". Browse over said products. Leave a comment here telling us what you liked, and why.
-Contest is open to US only. If you do not have a blogger account, please make sure to leave a name and email in case you win! Giveaway ends Friday at midnight, any entries posted after that time will not be qualified (sorry, but we have to cut off somewhere). Winner will be announced on next Monday's suck-day post.

Additional single entries:
-Tell us why Mondays suck, in 20 words or more.
-Follow my blog, by clicking the "Follow" button on the left hand side of the screen, and then let me know you've done so. If you already follow, make sure to speak up so I don't count you out :)
-Blog about this giveaway, complete with links and pictures on your blog. Comment here with your link.

Good luck with the suck!

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Congratulations to last weeks suck-day winner, Miriama!

(If you or someone you know would like to sponsor a future suck-day giveaway, please don't be shy. Email me or send me a convo at my etsy shop!)

Twilight.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

OK. I know what you're thinking. Half of you are thinking "its about time!", and the other half of you are thinking "....Tia, please say it isn't so".

I feared the Twilight-obsessed, like most of you probably have at one time or another. I first heard about the books one night while I was at my last job. I don't think I was even paying attention to the girl that was talking about them. I just responded "oh that sounds cool", when really I was pulling it in one ear and pushing it out the other. Another Harry Potter, I thought to myself. I heard about it a few more times, and picked up on both facts that it was about Vampires and romance. Two things I liked, but for some reason was embarrassed to admit. I guess because its hip to like Vampires. And I hate to be hip. Or, I hate to admit that I like to be hip? Because I am. Hip? That word has completely lost its meaning now that I've typed it 4 times, by the way. Does that ever happen to you? Anyways, so we got my mom the book for Christmas, and I asked her if I could read it when she finished, knowing she'd probably never read it, but satisfied at my attempt to give in to my hidden lust for this annoying series that I was trying so hard to avoid. And then out of nowhere, one morning I came down the stairs, and there it was, sitting next to the computer on the desk. Christopher had bought it for me. Well, I still couldn't read it, because I didn't have any reading glasses. Take that, Mr. Herman. You can only guess that he bought me reading glasses a few weeks later. Nice try, but I've got kids to take care of, and... dishes to do. The book and glasses slowly made their way from the desk, to the couch. They sat there for awhile. Next thing I know, they were on the end table, which is really a bar stool usually covered with a magazine and a water glass. And then somehow, the thick rimmed black glasses were on my face and the book was stuck to my fingers, about 6 inches from my eyes. Crap.

You can only guess what the outcome is...

Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Yesterday was our 3 year wedding anniversary. We've been through a lot in the past 3 years. We've had 2 kids. We've moved 6 times. We've flown home twice. We've had 4 surgeries. Survived Basic Training, and our first TDY. We've overcome a thousand food allergies. We've gone through 5 jobs. Lost a cat. Lost another cat, but in a different way. Gained 2 more. We've fought enough times to be considered dysfunctional. We've been to mental health more than we'd like to admit. We've stomped in puddles and rubbed aloe on sunburns. Hung up the phone and kicked each other out of the bed. Put each other down and pulled each other back up. Talked, tickled, bickered, yelled, screamed, cried, laughed.


And at the end of the day. We still love each other, more than we did in the beginning.

Happy birthday to you...

Thursday, March 19, 2009

I'm really terrible with birthdays. I remember the general week in which they occur, but the actual date? I've had to send a text message to my best friends mom 2 years in a row now, asking her what day Kalii's birthday fell on. And honestly, I don't even know how old she is. My Grammy just recently had a birthday last week. I sent her out a card, randomly, hoping it would mysteriously show up in her mailbox on the correct day. I was thinking it was on the 13th. Which means it was probably on the 11th or 12th. Or maybe neither. I always remember my moms birthday, my dads, my children's, my husbands... but aside from that, you're probably out of luck. To make up for my lack of phone call, and probably late arriving card, I stumbled upon and purchased this cute tea bag holder for my Grammy last night. Her name happens to be Cheryl, but I had it customized to say "Grammy". I hope she likes it...

-"Tea Time - Personalized Ceramic Tea Bag Holder", by SayYourPiece, $5.00.

PS. It wasn't on purpose that I blogged about tea twice in a row. I'm just awesome like that.

No burns on these fingers this morning.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Yesterday I was on the phone with my best friend, pouring myself a cup of tea, when I suddenly interrupted her sentence with a random shout of "Aw piss!". Normal for me, spitting out random sayings loudly, but she found it to be extremely funny. Clearly, its been way too long since we've seen each other. Her laughing triggered my laughing, and caused my abs to hurt for an hour. I have abs buried under there somewhere, I know I do? What was I so mad about, causing me to yell "Aw piss!", you wonder? Well as I was pouring the hot water from my red tea kettle into my matching red mug, the stream knocked the string and paper down into the bottom of the pool of bubbling water. ...Aw, piss, right? Don't you hate that? And then you have to get a spoon or other utensil to fish it out, because why would you put your fingers down in there and fry them? I'm certainly not burning my fingers... no thank you.

-"Fruity Tea bags for Tea Party and Kitchen Play, Pretend Food", by SydneyAngel, $9.00.

Rubber band wrists.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

All of those cute little chubby baby rolls make my heart melt into allergen free mush. Who cares if hes already outgrown everything in his closet (which is our closet actually, since he has yet to move out of Mom and Dad's room), hes so cute. I was just telling someone yesterday, that I love him in a completely different way than I love my daughter. Not more. Not less. Just, differently? Maybe its because I'm breastfeeding this one. Or maybe its because hes a boy, and shes a girl. But oh gosh, I am so in love with this little man. His cuteness kills, that's for sure.


Also, he let me sleep for 5 hours in a row last night, so that definitely earns him some bonus baby points...

Monday suck-day, take 20!!

Monday, March 16, 2009

*Rubs eyes and tries to brush fingers through rats nest of hair while yawning* ...Good morning suck dayers. *yawns again*. Needless to say, the baby kept me up half the night. "I want to eat, I want to be held, love me love me love me". All that stuff, bless his tiny-little-trapped-in-a-13-pound chubby wubby body, heart. So I've got breakfast cooking on the stove (chocolate brown rice hot cereal), and as soon as we're all fed and dressed, which will probably take hours, its off to our play date with Miss ElegantSnobbery. The baby is taking a nap in his swing (oh now he sleeps), so I've got a few minutes for a giveaway. Anyone up for some free stuff this morning? Thought so...


YAY for the suck! gifteddesigns, out of Canada, is our sponsor this week. Have you seen her shop? Her jewelry is beautiful. I'm honored that shes agreed to work with me, and really, all of you. If you get a get a chance, please stop by her blog (shes looking for other shops to feature, so don't be shy!) If you want to win a pair of "Soapstone, African Turquoise Jasper, Wood, Glass and Copper earrings" from her Crystal Collection, you had better put on your typing fingers and enter!

The Rules:
-Click your way over to gifteddesigns.
-Browse through her wonderfully photographed listings, and pick your favorite item.
-Leave a comment on this blog post, making sure to leave a way for us to get in contact with you, telling us what you liked the most.
-Contest ends Friday, March 20th.


Additional entries:
-For one, tell us why Mondays suck, in 20 words or more (we totally count by the way, haha). Misery loves company.
-For another one, follow me on Twitter.
-For two, blog about this giveaway on your own blog, complete with links and pictures. Make sure to leave us a comment with the link to your blog entry.
-For another two, follow me on blogger! To do so, find the box of followers on the left side of the page, and click "follow". Once you do, or if you're already a follower, say "I follow", and voila!

So, that's what, up to 7 entries? How badly do you want those earrings?? I can't wait to hear all of your Monday complaints...


(If you, or someone you know, would like to sponsor a future suck-day giveaway, please email me or convo me at my etsy shop! We're currently looking for non-jewelry items. Thank you!!)

I forgot to pick a winner!

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Did anyone else have a hectic weekend? How is it 3:00 on a Sunday afternoon already, I have no idea. But, I do know that the sheets are in the washer, the upstairs has been vacuumed, and I finally finally packaged that box full of baby clothes to send out to my cousin (who's due to have her baby this Wednesday!!). The rain washed away the sidewalk paint from last weekend, which is kind of a downer. I liked seeing the bright streaks and neon globs every time I looked out the window. I guess we'll just have to go out and do it again when the 80 degree weather returns.


Oh, and hey, SeahorseLady, you won!! (the above picture is not the item that was won, I just thought it was fitting considering who the winner was). The lovely HelenesDreams, who was an amazing sponsor might I add, will be sending you a gorgeous pair of earrings from this past weeks suck-day giveaway. Lucky! Thanks to everyone that entered. We had 203 valid entries this time around, which was awesome! I loved reading all of your why-mondays-suck entries. You guys crack me up, haha. (...I hate it when I type out haha like that, but I can't help it). If you didn't win, don't get discouraged. Come back next week for another giveaway, this time sponsored by giftedideas. We all hate Mondays, but we all love to win stuff :)

(If you, or someone you know, would like to sponsor a future suck-day giveaway, please email me or convo me at my etsy shop! We're currently looking for non-jewelry items. Thank you!!)

-"the SPARKLY sea horse necklace", by angelcake, $38.00.

Just a ramble.

Friday, March 13, 2009


How is it Friday already?! How? My weeks have been flying by. I swear yesterday was Monday. Oh wait, no, because Greys Anatomy was on. My one guilty pleasure, if we're not counting peanut butter, which by the way I'm not going to have a single bite of today. This week has been crazy. Emotional crazy, physical crazy, I'm a mom and I need out of the house crazy. All of the crazies. I won't bore you with the ramblings of what I can and cannot eat, again, but its forever changing. I think sometimes I was born with a heavy rock in place of one of my major organs. Right? Probably. Its been raining the last couple of days, for the first time since October. Usually I can't drive in the rain, because I can't see past the raindrops on my window. Well, guess who got glasses?? Holy crap, there's a road! And cars on it! And street signs! I sat in the car playing peek a boo with the freeway for a good 5 minutes before deciding to focus on not killing the other drivers. Glasses on, road. Glasses off, raindrops. On... road. Off... raindrops. See, craziness! In dinner related news, I've mastered the baked falafel. Middle Eastern food used to be strictly for outings. A treat I guess. Has anyone ever been to Nicholas' restaurant in Portland? Oh I used to love it there. We'd order take out all the time. There and Hodas, since we lived right across the street from it. We hadn't had an all out mezza platter feast in years, until we recently picked up the art of baba ganoush. My mouth has never been so happy. I'm dying to make it for somebody other than my husband. Good thing my friend Jessica (aka jessicajane) will be coming over this weekend. Shes totally going to get a mouth full of chickpeas. Also, does anyone know how to crack a filbert without a nut cracker?? ...help.

Cupcake!

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

I've been bothering Christopher to make a cupcake design since the dawn of time. Mostly, because I haven't yet made myself a recipe box and cards, and I think I'd want a cupcake more than anything. Crazy right? That I haven't made one for myself? My recipes are scattered around the kitchen on beat up scribbled on scraps of notebook paper. Well he finally made the design. And I finally made a box.


But just like every other box I've made, this one isn't for me. I'm going to list this one in my etsy shop later today, along with a aqua and pink raven box. I think I want a red and pink box. ...maybe someday, hehe.

A perfect day for painting.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

The weather here in Texas is crappy. There's no nice way to put it. There are 3 seasons. Hot, warm, and rain. Hot seems to last for about 10 out of 12 months. One month of warm, and one month of rain (which is warm also, so maybe that season should be called humid). Its really rare that we come across a decent day for going outside. Well, decent by my standards. I'm from the pacific northwest. I lived there all my life, up until about 3 years ago when I uprooted and followed my husband 1894.26 miles across country (geek quote from mapquest).

The other day it was perfect out. Cloudy. Breezy. Cool. Dry. ..."where are we", I asked myself? Without a shadow of a doubt, we grabbed the kids and went outside to play with freshly purchased sidewalk paints. Lets make a mess! Lets get covered from head to toe in hot pink splats (just how I like it!), and neon yellow speckles. We took off our shoes and let our feet get gritty in the driveway. We dipped the roller in the pan, put it to the pavement, and let our eyes light up with electric colors. Eleanore held her paint brush proudly as she painted her rainbow. Charlie, who keep in mind is only 10 weeks old, rolled up the sleeves to his romper and dove into his very first art project.

We're lucky to have found March 8th. And neon colored sidewalk paint.

Monday suck day, take 19!

Monday, March 9, 2009

What was I thinking this morning when I asked my husband to wake me up early? Don't believe anything I say in the middle of the night. Its all nonsense. Doesn't he know that? Thank goodness for peppermint face wash. I'd still be struggling to keep my eyes open if it weren't for that. I was hoping that I could get away with second day makeup, so that I wouldn't have to reapply makeup for my 365 self portrait today, but it was very important to the awakening of my eyelids that I scrub it all off immediately. I hate that heavy feeling that I get after mascara has settled onto my lashes for an extended period of time. So now not only am I up way too early, with really bad hair (didn't we go over this last Monday?), but I also have to redo my makeup if I want a decent picture. Ugh. I'll have to find a way around that one. Makeup sounds like too much of a fight. And I think today is going to be rough, so I better choose my battles wisely...



On the sucky side of things though, its Monday suck-day! This week, HelenesDreams is offering you a gorgeous (and I do mean gorgeous) set of earrings. She actually had a different pair lined up for the giveaway, but we decided at the last minute that these ones were much too pretty to go unworn, and needed to be given a chance to be worn straight away (I just said that with a British accent in my head, by the way).

By now y'all should know how this works, but for those of you that don't (welcome to our sucky Monday party!), here are the rules:

1.) Hop, skip, jump, on over to HelenesDreams. Browse her beautifully photographed jewelry listings, pick your favorite, and then come back here and comment on what you liked.
2.) Make sure that you leave us a way to get in touch with you in case you win.
3.) The contest will end on Friday, March 13th. (Hey, wasn't there a Friday the 13th last month too?)

How bad do you want those earrings?
-For 1 additional entry, tell us why Mondays suck, in 20 words or more. Not necessarily this Monday, but any Monday. Because most of the time, all Mondays suck. Well, I've found, at least.
-For 2 additional entries, blog about this giveaway on your blog, complete with links and pictures (you need to have both in order for it to be valid), and then come back here and comment with the link to your blog entry.
-For 3 additional entries, follow my blog! If you already follow, simply comment saying something along the lines of "I follow". If you don't already follow, its super simple... just scroll down to the followers box (on the left hand side of the page), and click "follow". And then like the pre existing followers, comment saying "I follow".

Ta da! ...now its off to get a cup of coffee for me. Good luck suck dayers!!

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

Hey there Delilah...

Saturday, March 7, 2009

(Christopher made me type the subject line, I swear)
(And please forgive the lack of visual. Blogger is being a picture snob right now)

...put your suck-day woes behind you lady, because you've just won a free kelly green sling from SugarBugSlings! Hopefully this next Monday there won't be as many sick feeling fueled temper tantrums, and life will go back to normal. Not to say that normalcy doesn't involve temper tantrums...

A huge thanks to SugarBugSlings for sponsoring this past weeks suck-day giveaway, it was so much fun! And thank you to everyone that entered (there were 169 valid entries). Make sure to come back this next week for a great giveaway sponsored by HeleneDreams! It'll be good I promise. Stay tuned...

Oh my blender!

Friday, March 6, 2009

If you haven't caught onto my 9,382 food allergies/intolerance's by now, you've probably been living in a cave. At this point, my dietary restrictions make up 75% of who I am. Its been a just-over-2-year struggle, figuring out what I can and cannot eat. What makes my body so sick? I lack an actual diagnosis, but I've managed to weed out the bad enough to make a "safe list" suitable for my apple print dinner plate. My intolerance's are gaining on me, and my safe list is getting smaller and smaller by the second. Every time something new pops up, we ask ourselves "what could possibly be next"? If you think you spend a lot on food, you should see my balance at the checkout counter. Its nothing to brag about. It sends the dollar sign section of my brain into a temporary panic room state of mind. Temporary, permanent, a mixture of both actually. So the husband and I decided to take the plunge into the life of blender luxury, and we bought a Vita Mix.

I can't even describe my blender bliss to you. How do you type out stuttering? calsklskrnc. Something like that? Recently added to my bogus list, is fructose. Meaning, no sugar, of any kind, at all. Not honey. Not agave. None of it. I'm testing the stevia waters, and so far so good, but I'm still learning. I miss fruit. I loved fruit. Maybe its not a forever farewell. Maybe I just need to heal a little, and then fruit will revisit the safe list. So if you cut out gluten/oats/amaranth/soy/dairy/eggs/fructose/sugar/corn/potato/onions/carrots/sweet potatoes/celery/preservatives/avocados... whats left?

...a lot of homemade peanut butter. I know, I KNOW(!), I said I was dumping peanut butter. I know I said I was walking away and never looking back. I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Last night we made our own homemade peanut butter. Nothing but peanuts, salt, and stevia. Oh. My. God. You must not hate me after all, because you didn't wave your magic allergy wand and shoot anti-peanut zaps at me.

With our new blender we can grind our own rice and bean flours. Make our own nut butters. Make ice cream (which I haven't had in over a year) in only 30 seconds? Seriously. Its brought excitement back into our kitchen. And I really really needed that.

Tonight? Vita-ganush and Mixalafel. I think I just invented a language. I now speak Vita Mix.

2 months down...

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

I can't keep track of time. Its already been 2 months since Charlie was born. 2 months, really? As I'm typing this, the little man is sleeping in my lap with his head resting on my arm. This is how I usually type, seeing as how he hates to be put down. Even after hes fallen into the deepest of sleeps and I so slowly and carefully move him from my lap to his swing (I don't even attempt the bassinet anymore, its never good), he refuses. At first it seems like maybe it will work. I hover over him for a few minutes, holding my breath, not making a noise, just waiting for a flinch or whimper. As soon as the coast is clear, I walk away. And then within seconds of turning my back... how dare I abandon him?! I rush to him, before he opens his eyes, stroke his hair and say "awwww, mommy loves you, here I am, here I am, goo goo, goo goo Charlie" over and over again, trying to trick him into thinking hes still in my lap. Pffft, please mom, I'm not falling for that crap- says his imaginary thought bubble. ...dang it!



This morning we went to the base clinic for Mr. Man's (oh we've got endless ridiculous nicknames for him) 2 month well baby checkup. Christopher offered to let me sleep in (if 6:30 is sleeping in), and said he'd take him. *long pause* ...What?! Are you kidding me? Us moms, we live for this stuff. This is the part of the parenting job where you get to hear the doctor tell you how beautiful your baby is, and how good you're doing, and everything else that your friends and family have probably told you, but you need to hear from the doctor. I don't want to hear secondhand how much weight hes gained. I don't want to get tossed a piece of paper with his stats on it, never having heard from the doctor's mouth that the small hole in his heart has possibly closed up. Seriously, dads... you stay home and sleep in this time (wow, a whopping hour. You really do love me), this is the only type of doctors appointment I'll ever enjoy going to.
Pfffft, sleep in.
Right.

Paint covered hands.

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

...I wish finger painting was a daily requirement. Don't you?

Monday suck-day, take 18!

Monday, March 2, 2009

Did anybody else wake up with crazy hair this morning? My bangs are going one way, the rest of my hair is swaying the other way, and whats with this cowlick at the very back of my part? Nice. Usually my morning hair is a fortune teller as to how the rest of my day will go. Does anybody else find this to be true? Over the weekend I had to give up my best friend sugar, due to even more cruel dietary restrictions. Not only sugar, but honey, agave, and all of those other sweeteners that you were probably just about to suggest, bless your blogger hearts. I'm giving stevia a go, in my coffee actually, so I'll be sure to let y'all know how that turns out. Because I know you're all on the edge of seats just dying to know. Anyways, lets get on with the suck, shall we?



I'm really excited for this weeks giveaway. As I'm starting to get back into the swing of suck-day, I'm stumbling upon great shops, and the nicest of shop owners. This week, to suck the suck right out of your Monday, SugarBugSlings has offered up a "Choose Your Hues Ring Sling"- Um, yes please! Can I enter my own contest? What a serious score. I know a bunch of new mommies/ mommies to be, that had better be jumping all over this one. And if you're not expecting a baby, or maybe you never plan on having kids ever, you should enter to win anyways, because wouldn't this make a great shower gift? Here's how you can win...

Monday suck-day 18 rules: there is a lot to the rules this time around...

1) Click over to SugarBugSlings shop (cute name huh?) and browse through all of her fabulous baby carriers.

2) Tell us what solid-color sling you'd want to win (because that's the color you'll win if you win!), and then tell us what kind of prints you'd be interested in seeing in her shop. You need to tell us both in order to qualify for an entry. Its not too terribly complicated, but I know that a sad few will fail to meet this requirement and miss out on an awesome giveaway. <--- I didn't mean to be grouchy just then. Its just Monday morning talking. 3) Make sure you leave us a way to get in contact with you. Either post using your blogger ID, or leave a valid email address.

4) Contest ends on Saturday, March 7th. See? Super simple.

Additional entry opportunities:
-For one additional entry, tell us why your Monday sucks (this Monday, last Monday, a Monday 5 years ago) in 20 words or more. Yep, I make you work for it.
-For two additional entries, blog about this giveaway on your own blog, complete with links and pictures. Come back here, and leave a comment telling us you've done so, with the link to your blog entry.
-For three additional entries, follow my blog :) If you're already a follower, just comment and say "I follow", and you'll be entered as well. If you're not already a follower, scroll down my page, and on the left hand side you'll see a tiny little box that will give you the option to "follow". Click that! And then once you're a follower, leave a comment saying "I follow". Either way, you must let me know that you follow...

So there you have it folks. Thanks for hanging in there on the kind of sucky long list of rules. But now you can enter up to 7 times. And with a prize as good as the one we've got this week, I'd take advantage of that. Happy suck-day! Good luck!!

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