Monday, December 7, 2009
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Things i meant to post but never got around to: The Nursery
I've been making tons of stuff and taking plenty of pictures so I could post what we've been up to. Unfortunatly I never got around to the posting part. Here are some pics of the nursery in progress.
That damn clothes hamper was elusive. It took 3 tries to get it put together right.
We painted the nursery. B did most since he didn't want me around the paint fumes. I helped tape and sponge the gold onto the pink stripe though. You cant see the dresser very well, but B's refinished it since then. I havent taken pictures of it yet.
This is what I looked like while we were doing the nursery. I must've been around 25 weeks or so.
we put together the crib.
That damn clothes hamper was elusive. It took 3 tries to get it put together right.
I made the bed skirt and curtain from sheets that I got on sale at Target and fabric that I got at the fabic ends sale at Fabrix. The chair cover is actually a failed attempt at making a crib sheet.
I've got a lot more projects to post.
Olivia is here
3 weeks old today and snoozing in her sling right now.
We took this picture right before we left the hospital. Its a good thing I brought something in newborn size. That outfit just swallowed her.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Apparently the "American Dream" needs a wakeup call.
I just read this article on Mother Earth news. http://www.motherearthnews.com/Nature-Community/Waste-Pollution-Disposable-Products.aspx
Kind of scary. Bad China!!
Kind of scary. Bad China!!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Misdirected Nesting
Ben and I had rough week last week. His epilepsy started acting up and it took about 3 days to get under control and about another 3 of resting to recover. I think between it and the rain he worked maybe one day. We don't have to worry about him overworking himself, his body simply will not allow it. He's been stressing about his job too which is the major factor in losing control of his seizures. But, he's all better now and his business is starting to pick up which means he will have something to fall back on once the yard work slows down. Hopefully we can keep this under control.
I, on the other hand, have been hording food. I think it's my nesting instinct kicking in in an unusual way. Last Friday morning (the 14Th) I got up and pulled all the veggies out of my fridge that were about to go bad and cleaned and peeled the last of the 10lbs of potatoes, cooked and then canned them (apperantly we were making vodka and didnt realize it). I would have frozen them but with the peak of hurricane season very very near and the likely hood of us losing power for numerous days just doesn't make freezing very economical. Now, I have been freezing meat. I always take advantage of Winn-Dixie's buy one get one free deals and as of late, due to freezing leftovers, I have started running out of room.
Yep. I know that after the baby's born I'm not going to want to hover over the stove for an hour and try to make something to eat. I've also read that its a good idea to start freezing meals ahead of time. You can just heat them up and eat and not have to worry about splitting your attention between cooking and the baby(much). Since this has started, the freezer has been getting a little crowded - I mean watch your toes when opening the door crowded. Luckily the old deep freeze that we put in the shed about a year ago still works and isn't stinky from post hurricane Gustav defrosting. I've started putting my BOGO extras and frozen left overs in it and in the event of a hurricane, it will keep stuff frozen for about 4 days. I don't think that we're going to get hit by any hurricanes this year anyway. Maybe I'm in some kind of hormone induced denial or maybe its gut instinct. Whatever it is, I think we're in the clear, aside from a tropical storm or two.
anyway, aside from the food hording, I've been drawn towards hording other things. I went onto amazon.com and seriously contemplated buying 6 containers of All Free and Clear laundry detergent for $50. I know that I would use it and I know that I would save at least $20 since they run about $12 each at the store, but where would I put it. Then I started thinking about putting shelves in the laundry room, which I could really use. But then I pictured those shelves loaded down with laundry detergent and numerous tubes of toothpaste and toilet paper and numerous other items bought in bulk and realized that as much money as I would be saving, i would be overdoing it a bit. Besides, Ben and I would be overwhelmed with extra stuff and we're only having 1 child. Maybe by kid number 3 I will actually be able to justify shopping in bulk.
In addition to the canning and hording, I started a sourdough bread starter. I read an article on baking your own bread and immediately my head was filled with visions of fresh baked bread being pulled from my oven. I wanted to start right away but don't have any yeast so I opted for the sourdough starter. Sure it takes longer, but I also worked this weekend and wouldn't have been able to fool with it anyway. I'm on day 6 now and its smelling pretty fermented. If it all works out then pretty soon i will be adding loaves of fresh baked sourdough to my deep freezer.
I think about cleaning. I want to clean. But I feel compelled to store food like a damn chipmunk facing potential starvation. It nearly consumes me. Maybe once we have the dresser finished, the room ready and have the shower and I'm able to gain more perspective and direction and I'll be able to nest in a more "normal" way.
I, on the other hand, have been hording food. I think it's my nesting instinct kicking in in an unusual way. Last Friday morning (the 14Th) I got up and pulled all the veggies out of my fridge that were about to go bad and cleaned and peeled the last of the 10lbs of potatoes, cooked and then canned them (apperantly we were making vodka and didnt realize it). I would have frozen them but with the peak of hurricane season very very near and the likely hood of us losing power for numerous days just doesn't make freezing very economical. Now, I have been freezing meat. I always take advantage of Winn-Dixie's buy one get one free deals and as of late, due to freezing leftovers, I have started running out of room.
Yep. I know that after the baby's born I'm not going to want to hover over the stove for an hour and try to make something to eat. I've also read that its a good idea to start freezing meals ahead of time. You can just heat them up and eat and not have to worry about splitting your attention between cooking and the baby(much). Since this has started, the freezer has been getting a little crowded - I mean watch your toes when opening the door crowded. Luckily the old deep freeze that we put in the shed about a year ago still works and isn't stinky from post hurricane Gustav defrosting. I've started putting my BOGO extras and frozen left overs in it and in the event of a hurricane, it will keep stuff frozen for about 4 days. I don't think that we're going to get hit by any hurricanes this year anyway. Maybe I'm in some kind of hormone induced denial or maybe its gut instinct. Whatever it is, I think we're in the clear, aside from a tropical storm or two.
anyway, aside from the food hording, I've been drawn towards hording other things. I went onto amazon.com and seriously contemplated buying 6 containers of All Free and Clear laundry detergent for $50. I know that I would use it and I know that I would save at least $20 since they run about $12 each at the store, but where would I put it. Then I started thinking about putting shelves in the laundry room, which I could really use. But then I pictured those shelves loaded down with laundry detergent and numerous tubes of toothpaste and toilet paper and numerous other items bought in bulk and realized that as much money as I would be saving, i would be overdoing it a bit. Besides, Ben and I would be overwhelmed with extra stuff and we're only having 1 child. Maybe by kid number 3 I will actually be able to justify shopping in bulk.
In addition to the canning and hording, I started a sourdough bread starter. I read an article on baking your own bread and immediately my head was filled with visions of fresh baked bread being pulled from my oven. I wanted to start right away but don't have any yeast so I opted for the sourdough starter. Sure it takes longer, but I also worked this weekend and wouldn't have been able to fool with it anyway. I'm on day 6 now and its smelling pretty fermented. If it all works out then pretty soon i will be adding loaves of fresh baked sourdough to my deep freezer.
I think about cleaning. I want to clean. But I feel compelled to store food like a damn chipmunk facing potential starvation. It nearly consumes me. Maybe once we have the dresser finished, the room ready and have the shower and I'm able to gain more perspective and direction and I'll be able to nest in a more "normal" way.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Gonna go to PT
I went and saw the doc today. I usually see the nurse but apparently it was required to see the doc. I feel like the nurse prac is a little less hurried which makes me feel a little less hurried and I remember to ask most of the questions that have been weighing on my mind.
I told her about my pelvic issue and wearing the brace and how it made my blood pressure go up and I don't even think she heard me. Luckily I had a second chance to talk to her in the ultra sound room a little bit later. Oh, and that's where I got stuck for my glucose test and now have a nice bruise that looks a bit like a defensive wound. I asked her"is it normal to feel like my pelvis has come apart?" she kind of laughed and said yes. I asked "even if its sometimes so painful I can barely walk?" I think she heard that and recommended a physical therapist. Hopeful the PT will be able to help me.
I'm fairly pain tolerant, but when you have trouble lifting your leg to put your pants on somethings not right and that's what worries me. I could feel my sacrum and ilium shift against each other while I was lying on the ultrasound table and I felt like the doc didn't want to believe me.
At least I got new pics of the baby. She's head down and already in position, not breech like I was, something I was worried about. And were still pretty sure its a girl. Doc said she has a swollen labia, or the winky is hiding. I wish there were a definite answer.
She has her hands in her face again.
I told her about my pelvic issue and wearing the brace and how it made my blood pressure go up and I don't even think she heard me. Luckily I had a second chance to talk to her in the ultra sound room a little bit later. Oh, and that's where I got stuck for my glucose test and now have a nice bruise that looks a bit like a defensive wound. I asked her"is it normal to feel like my pelvis has come apart?" she kind of laughed and said yes. I asked "even if its sometimes so painful I can barely walk?" I think she heard that and recommended a physical therapist. Hopeful the PT will be able to help me.
I'm fairly pain tolerant, but when you have trouble lifting your leg to put your pants on somethings not right and that's what worries me. I could feel my sacrum and ilium shift against each other while I was lying on the ultrasound table and I felt like the doc didn't want to believe me.
At least I got new pics of the baby. She's head down and already in position, not breech like I was, something I was worried about. And were still pretty sure its a girl. Doc said she has a swollen labia, or the winky is hiding. I wish there were a definite answer.
She has her hands in her face again.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
I don't wanna eat the candy bar!
Have you noticed the last post was somewhere at the end of February and then "Bam!" nothing, for months.
I found out I was pregnant on the morning of March 1st and it has since consumed me. Its all I've thought about. Counting down the months and days until I get to meet this restless creature I've been growing. Well, it was nothing romantic. My BF had gone to see Motley Crue with some friends. I stayed home because I had already seen them and there's only so much I can take of the "geriatric rocker" trend we've been experiencing. I had been having PMS like cramps for a week by then and thought that something was amiss.
I happened to have "the most advanced piece of technology you will ever pee on" the clear blue easy digital pregnancy test (it was on sale). So I did, and it said pregnant, but only for about a month and then the batteries died. Which kind of sucks since I had to throw away my first ever positive pregnancy test, but luckily, the D Geezy sells them for $1 and $4. They work, obviously, since they were sold out of the $1 ones and I ended up getting a $4 keepsake.
Well, as soon as that thing said positive I went and woke Ben up and told him "pregnant!" I don't know why I expected him to have any sort of tact when he had just woken up, but he replied, "that's not really what I wanted to wake up to." It was a lie because once he got his morning cup of coffee he was happier than a pig in shit and has been ever since.
Fast forward to 5 months 10 days later and I'm sitting here with a big belly and a child squirming around inside it making me wonder if I have worms. I'm forcing myself to eat the 2nd snickers bar of the day because I have to take my gestational diabetes test Wednesday. I hate candy bars. I've been worrying about this test for the past month. I have insulin resistance, one of the reasons why I thought I could never get pregnant. It goes hand in hand with PCOS which blatantly spells out that I will have to buy kids and will never get pregnant on my own. Wrong! I haven't been tested for insulin resistance since I've been pregnant nor have I had any ovarian complications. I doubt the two have just disappeared. But something went right. The last thing I want is to have to give myself insulin injections or watch what I eat. I don't want to jeopardize my child's life all because my body doesn't like my insulin therefore my sugar remains high. I hope everything goes okay with this first test and I wont have to do the second test. I would probably go grey over the anticipation.
I haven't really eaten badly at all throughout my pregnancy. Sure I like ice cream occasionally and I could eat a roast beef poboy damn near every day and pastries are always on my mind. But I've also eaten a lot of fruit, yogurt and no sugar added applesauce which actually tastes like apples and not high fructose corn syrup.
The alternative to the candy bar was 4 pieces of white bread a day for 2 days before the test. I could have gone that route but that meant being stuck with half a loaf of white bread. I'm sure B would have finished it off for me and it probably would have been the cheaper route but I figured why not take a walk on the wild side, live a little, eat some candy bars that you haven't eaten since you played soccer your sophomore year of high school. So I did. And remembered to wipe the caramel strings off my chin when I got through.
I found out I was pregnant on the morning of March 1st and it has since consumed me. Its all I've thought about. Counting down the months and days until I get to meet this restless creature I've been growing. Well, it was nothing romantic. My BF had gone to see Motley Crue with some friends. I stayed home because I had already seen them and there's only so much I can take of the "geriatric rocker" trend we've been experiencing. I had been having PMS like cramps for a week by then and thought that something was amiss.
I happened to have "the most advanced piece of technology you will ever pee on" the clear blue easy digital pregnancy test (it was on sale). So I did, and it said pregnant, but only for about a month and then the batteries died. Which kind of sucks since I had to throw away my first ever positive pregnancy test, but luckily, the D Geezy sells them for $1 and $4. They work, obviously, since they were sold out of the $1 ones and I ended up getting a $4 keepsake.
Well, as soon as that thing said positive I went and woke Ben up and told him "pregnant!" I don't know why I expected him to have any sort of tact when he had just woken up, but he replied, "that's not really what I wanted to wake up to." It was a lie because once he got his morning cup of coffee he was happier than a pig in shit and has been ever since.
Fast forward to 5 months 10 days later and I'm sitting here with a big belly and a child squirming around inside it making me wonder if I have worms. I'm forcing myself to eat the 2nd snickers bar of the day because I have to take my gestational diabetes test Wednesday. I hate candy bars. I've been worrying about this test for the past month. I have insulin resistance, one of the reasons why I thought I could never get pregnant. It goes hand in hand with PCOS which blatantly spells out that I will have to buy kids and will never get pregnant on my own. Wrong! I haven't been tested for insulin resistance since I've been pregnant nor have I had any ovarian complications. I doubt the two have just disappeared. But something went right. The last thing I want is to have to give myself insulin injections or watch what I eat. I don't want to jeopardize my child's life all because my body doesn't like my insulin therefore my sugar remains high. I hope everything goes okay with this first test and I wont have to do the second test. I would probably go grey over the anticipation.
I haven't really eaten badly at all throughout my pregnancy. Sure I like ice cream occasionally and I could eat a roast beef poboy damn near every day and pastries are always on my mind. But I've also eaten a lot of fruit, yogurt and no sugar added applesauce which actually tastes like apples and not high fructose corn syrup.
The alternative to the candy bar was 4 pieces of white bread a day for 2 days before the test. I could have gone that route but that meant being stuck with half a loaf of white bread. I'm sure B would have finished it off for me and it probably would have been the cheaper route but I figured why not take a walk on the wild side, live a little, eat some candy bars that you haven't eaten since you played soccer your sophomore year of high school. So I did. And remembered to wipe the caramel strings off my chin when I got through.
Affectionatly: Big Fat Preggy Preg
I made a stop by another blog about pregnancy and life and a first timers fears and what not and realized something. I haven't written since I found out I was pregnant. I've given up cigarettes and alcohol (though I would give anything for a nice cold Paulaner Hefeweizen) which are the 2 things that help me deal with my stress and forgotten about writing as a replacement, neigh, healthier stress reliever.
As I sit here typing away and eating fish sticks (beer battered of course) and corn fritters,I think back to the past 6 months and all the things I could have blogged about. The crazy things I've had to deal with at work, my aches and pains and sensitivity to smells, my weird dreams, the wonderful job my BF has been doing in keeping our house running smoothly and helping me keep my sanity.
I worry about keeping the memories of my first pregnancy and yet I've recorded nothing. My head has been elsewhere. Thinking about the nursery and names, learning about breastfeeding and making my own cloth diapers. These damn corn fritters are like rubber.
I vow to blog more. Mainly because if I don't, my head will surely explode.
As I sit here typing away and eating fish sticks (beer battered of course) and corn fritters,I think back to the past 6 months and all the things I could have blogged about. The crazy things I've had to deal with at work, my aches and pains and sensitivity to smells, my weird dreams, the wonderful job my BF has been doing in keeping our house running smoothly and helping me keep my sanity.
I worry about keeping the memories of my first pregnancy and yet I've recorded nothing. My head has been elsewhere. Thinking about the nursery and names, learning about breastfeeding and making my own cloth diapers. These damn corn fritters are like rubber.
I vow to blog more. Mainly because if I don't, my head will surely explode.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
First sale!!
I made my first sale this past Saturday. I was mid-transition from one store to my new store and I thought I lost an item. Lo and bohold, it had been sold! Shrunken head creations is now closed and VouDou Regal, a name that better embodies the feeling of my creations, is now officially in business. The items from the ld store that have been added to the new will have fresh pictures, which means it'll take a bit to get it all moved. I fell like this first sale is a good omen. Thank you etayotateya for buying Le grand Fleur De Lis.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
New jewelry for sale. Click here
I just made a bunch of new jewelry and put them up for sale on Etsy.com
Looksies...
Looksies...
Monday, February 16, 2009
My organic garden. This is whay I havent blogged in a while.
Wow its been a while since I've last blogged. I guess I've been so busy planning my organic veggie garden that I've forgotten to write.
That's right, organic vegetable garden. In the back yard where there were once huge fallen oak trees now lies a nice cleared area and a small pile of smoldering leaves and wood bits. There are still a few huge logs but they're out of the way and will eventually get chopped up for next winter's firewood and what wont chop will be burned outside. My BF and I cleared away all the brambles and blackberry thorns and I now have a nice clear space to plant a good sized veg garden.
Its been raining a lot lately so I took the opportunity to start my seeds inside in egg cartons. I filled them with potting soil, planted my seeds and covered the whole thing with plastic wrap and set on the window sill on the south side of the house to germinate. I have a few that have already started. I planted
Basil
broccoli
brussel sprouts
Buttercrunch lettuce
Beans, pinto
Beans, green
Beans, black
Beans, lima
Cabbage
Cantaloupe
Carrots
Chamomile
Chili peppers
Chives
Cilantro
Collards
Copenhagen cabbage
Eggplant
Garlic
Green bell pepper
green onion
green onion2
Jet star tomatoes
Lavender
Marigold
Mint
Okra
Peas
pickling cucumbers
Potatoes
Red onions
roma tomato
Rosemary
Round dutch cabbage
spinach
Sweet yellow peppers
watermelon
white daisies
yellow daisies
yellow squash
zucchini
and a green heirloom cotton that I am totally psyched about.
Once my plants get growing and make seeds I plan to do some seed saving. I'm curious to see what happens with the jet star tomato though, as it is a hybrid and its offspring wont turn out like the parent plant.
So, in my little back yard area I plan to do a "lasagna" or no-till type garden. This means that instead of tilling up the dirt, which is clay, I will lay down a thick layer of newspaper, then leave, then straw, then maybe some more leaves, lol, since I have plenty, and finally some top soil i bought for cheap mixed with what I've been composting for the past year. I only got the top soil for this season. The yard needs to be built up as it has a drainage problem and it needs better soil. the layers of the lasagna will decompose and help to improve the soil conditions. I've also been thinking about getting some wheat or barley to plant in the off season as a cover crop as it will help replenish the nutrients in the soil.
I'm getting some free landscaping timbers from a friend and for my plant supports, i.e. tomato's peas, etc. I am using cane poles since I have a plethora of cane growing in my front yard.
Aside from the garden I've been trying to get my alpaca fibers spun and out of the way because I am getting 3 Jacob's sheep fleece from my aunt who has a petting zoo. Its going to be a lot of work cleaning and carding all that fleece. I'm excited about it though. It will be a new experience and a chance to learn something. plus, I will have lots of wool to spin into lots of yarn to weave and crochet. I'm going to attempt to make a frame loom with some salvage lumber and supplies I already have. I haven't quite figured out the design though. I need to finish getting my garden ready before I can focus on the loom.
Oh, I also got a little dog. I'm not normally a little dog person, but this one was free and needed a good home. He's a Chinese crested hairless and his name is Brody. He's a sweet little dog and goofy as heck. I've had him for a week now. He follows me all over the yard and likes to eat the cold charcoal from around the fire. Weird dog.
Well, that's about all I've got. Until next time...
That's right, organic vegetable garden. In the back yard where there were once huge fallen oak trees now lies a nice cleared area and a small pile of smoldering leaves and wood bits. There are still a few huge logs but they're out of the way and will eventually get chopped up for next winter's firewood and what wont chop will be burned outside. My BF and I cleared away all the brambles and blackberry thorns and I now have a nice clear space to plant a good sized veg garden.
Its been raining a lot lately so I took the opportunity to start my seeds inside in egg cartons. I filled them with potting soil, planted my seeds and covered the whole thing with plastic wrap and set on the window sill on the south side of the house to germinate. I have a few that have already started. I planted
Basil
broccoli
brussel sprouts
Buttercrunch lettuce
Beans, pinto
Beans, green
Beans, black
Beans, lima
Cabbage
Cantaloupe
Carrots
Chamomile
Chili peppers
Chives
Cilantro
Collards
Copenhagen cabbage
Eggplant
Garlic
Green bell pepper
green onion
green onion2
Jet star tomatoes
Lavender
Marigold
Mint
Okra
Peas
pickling cucumbers
Potatoes
Red onions
roma tomato
Rosemary
Round dutch cabbage
spinach
Sweet yellow peppers
watermelon
white daisies
yellow daisies
yellow squash
zucchini
and a green heirloom cotton that I am totally psyched about.
Once my plants get growing and make seeds I plan to do some seed saving. I'm curious to see what happens with the jet star tomato though, as it is a hybrid and its offspring wont turn out like the parent plant.
So, in my little back yard area I plan to do a "lasagna" or no-till type garden. This means that instead of tilling up the dirt, which is clay, I will lay down a thick layer of newspaper, then leave, then straw, then maybe some more leaves, lol, since I have plenty, and finally some top soil i bought for cheap mixed with what I've been composting for the past year. I only got the top soil for this season. The yard needs to be built up as it has a drainage problem and it needs better soil. the layers of the lasagna will decompose and help to improve the soil conditions. I've also been thinking about getting some wheat or barley to plant in the off season as a cover crop as it will help replenish the nutrients in the soil.
I'm getting some free landscaping timbers from a friend and for my plant supports, i.e. tomato's peas, etc. I am using cane poles since I have a plethora of cane growing in my front yard.
Aside from the garden I've been trying to get my alpaca fibers spun and out of the way because I am getting 3 Jacob's sheep fleece from my aunt who has a petting zoo. Its going to be a lot of work cleaning and carding all that fleece. I'm excited about it though. It will be a new experience and a chance to learn something. plus, I will have lots of wool to spin into lots of yarn to weave and crochet. I'm going to attempt to make a frame loom with some salvage lumber and supplies I already have. I haven't quite figured out the design though. I need to finish getting my garden ready before I can focus on the loom.
Oh, I also got a little dog. I'm not normally a little dog person, but this one was free and needed a good home. He's a Chinese crested hairless and his name is Brody. He's a sweet little dog and goofy as heck. I've had him for a week now. He follows me all over the yard and likes to eat the cold charcoal from around the fire. Weird dog.
Well, that's about all I've got. Until next time...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
