Informal Critique

Surprise!

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:11:00 +0000

Last time you heard from me I was freaking out over the possibility of my doctor having to induce me in a couple weeks due to the fact that I might be developing preeclampsia. Well surprise!

We didn’t make it a couple weeks at all. I ended up in the hospital that very night, and I was induced the next day. Little Miss Elliana Grace arrived on Saturday October 24 via an emergency c-section at 12:11pm. At birth she weighed a whopping 4lbs 5oz and was 17 1/2 inches long.

Of course you know that means I didn’t have time to get any of my reviews together. In fact a lot of things went wrong right there at the last minute, so I actually ended up in the hospital for 9 days.

Until today I’ve done almost nothing except sleeping to recoup and taking care of Elliana, but my doctor cleared me for any physical activity today. That means now that I’m getting into a pattern I’ll definitely be getting back to my reviews, and boy do I have some to write up.

Hubby carried my computer into the living room and we set it back up with my LCD TV as the monitor so I can hang out in the living room all day. I've got Elliana setup here in her bassinet, and it makes everything a lot easier for me. Now I just have to get to work reviewing all these baby items that came pouring in thanks to all our wonderful family and friends. My baby shower just happened to be the day after I delivered, so we ended up receiving almost everything we needed to bring our little girl home. If it weren't for the shower we wouldn't have been ready at all considering we thought we had another month to work with here.

Anywho I’ll try to start taking photos and writing up some of these reviews in the free time I have. That time may be limited, but I’m already starting to see it is more time than I was originally anticipating that I’d have with a newborn.

Definitely Freaking Out

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:23:00 +0000

I think I've totally found a huge appetite suppressant whether I wanted to stumble upon it or not. Just have your doctor tell you your blood pressure is through the roof and she may have to induce you in a couple weeks. Now I'm freaking out because I don't want to have to be induced early both for the sake of the baby being as healthy as possible and because I'm 100% scared to death of Pitocin.

Since I tend to stick to a pretty healthy diet for the most part my doctor doesn't really think my sodium intake has anything to do with it, but I can't help but look at the sodium content on the package of everything I eat anyway. That right there is enough to scare me out of eating anything! Don't worry I'm still eating. I'm just totally freaking out right now over everything that's going on and happening so fast.

I’m trying my best to get all my products I bought recently reviewed and photos taken so I can hopefully get them posted before she gets here. I know there’s a very good chance I’m not going to have time to do it after she arrives, and then you’ll probably be seeing a lot more from the baby department and a lot less from the things I indulge myself with.

Preparing For The Holidays

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 01:20:00 +0000

With the Christmas holiday just around the corner I’ve had a lot on my mind. I know we still have to get through Halloween and Thanksgiving, but with the stores putting out their Christmas stock at the beginning of September it’s got Christmas thoughts running through my head. Seriously I don’t even see why the stores bother taking the Christmas stuff off the shelves since they just put it out earlier every year! They might as well start leaving it up year round!

Anywho, I keep thinking how much different Christmas is going to be this year. I finally have a real excuse to send out photo holiday cards that don't picture the cat and dog! We get to show off our beautiful little girl...no I haven't seen her yet, but she's mine so she's going to be beautiful no matter what! That means I need to have plenty of pretty little outfits so we can take tons of cute little photos for our cards, and of course we need a “family shot”, so I have to buy myself something nice to wear, and I have to force Hubby into a decent shirt that *gasp* actually has buttons.

Ahhhh…so much to think about!

Then we’ve got to worry about presents. I know I’m going to go way overboard just because I can. I’ll finally have a little girl to buy for, and I can’t wait even if she’ll only be a month old for her first Christmas.

Good lord this child is going to be spoiled rotten before she even makes it to see her grandparents. Somebody better slap some sense back into me now.

Ugly Duckling Designs Hot Maple Toddy Pumpkin Tart Review

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:47:00 +0000

As long as I’ve been purchasing handmade tarts online I’ve been in love with everything I’ve received from Ugly Duckling Designs. I look forward to opening the package and finding a cute primitive looking tart followed by a wonderful smell no matter what the item may be. When I purchase sampler boxes I always know there’s going to be some sort of tart from Ugly Duckling Designs tucked inside, and I’ve never been disappointed with a single item I’ve received from this e-tailer.

This time is definitely no exception. I opened the sampler I purchased to find a Hot Maple Toddy Wax Tart shaped like a pumpkin. It was packaged in a cute Halloween themed bag and ready to be gifted or opened and displayed for the season.

The scent is so nice the maple smell was pouring out of the bag long before I had a chance to open it, and it’s had me craving maple syrup for days. Smelling a sugary scent is definitely tempting me to give up on my search for a quick weight loss after the baby arrives!

This one is just too cute to use in my tart burner right now, but it is the perfect edition to my Halloween and Fall decor.

It’ll be using it as a decoration for a few weeks, and the cold throw of the scent already has my living room smelling absolutely delicious. Hubby has threatened to take a bite out of it a few times, and I’m sure he would if he thought the wax wouldn’t make him sick! I’ve even spotted the dog sniffing at this one.

Ugly Duckling Designs sells these pumpkin tarts for $6.95. You choose from over 60 scents, and you’ll receive a half dozen of them per order. I think that’s a steal considering the scent throw and how huge these tarts are. As you can see one tart takes up the palm of my hand, and I’ll be slicing this one into 3-4 smaller tarts for my burners.

This Hot Maple Toddy scent is definitely a new favorite of mine, and I give this tart from Ugly Duckling Designs 5 stars. I can’t find anything wrong with it.

Holiday Gift Reviews Coming Soon

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:22:00 +0000

Yay! I bought some goodies last week, and I’ve been waiting for them to arrive. Most of the goodies I bought are going to fall into the unique gifts for her category, and I thought it'd be good to start reviewing some gift type items with Christmas just around the corner.

I’ve been impatiently waiting for these goodies to arrive because I knew there’d be some good stuff to share, and I’ve been so impatient that I checked the mail 4 times yesterday before I remembered it was a holiday and the mail wasn’t running! Luckily for me the mail arrived today with my box of goodies tucked away tightly inside my mailbox, so starting tomorrow watch out for the start of my holiday gift guide reviews.

I know we still have Halloween and Thanksgiving to get through, but it doesn’t hurt to start getting shopping ideas ahead of time. I know I definitely don’t want to be stuck waiting to the last minute to do my shopping this year…although with a newborn in tow I’m sure that’s exactly what’s going to happen.

Knocking Out The List

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:27:00 +0000

A few days ago I may have been freaking out over the fact that I feel like we’re procrastinating way too much on getting things done before the baby gets here, but I have to admit it’s just another pregnancy freak out to add to my list of memories. Hubby really stepped up this week and worked his butt off to get a lot accomplished. We still have a good bit of stuff to do, but after dropping $250 at Home Depot on supplies we knocked out a ton of the little stuff.

Most of the stuff that was done this weekend isn’t necessarily stuff that has to be done, but it’s stuff I wanted done before she gets here. For instance we really needed to replace all the dingy old blinds in the house. Most of them were broken in some way or another thanks to the cat climbing in and out of the windows. We replaced all the cheap crappy mini blinds with thicker heavy duty ones that Alley has already proven he can’t break. He’s not too happy about it either.

We really needed to replace the light in the kitchen because the actual fixture died on us over a year ago! Hubby replaced it with a crappy little shop light with a pull string as a temporary fix, but I decided I really needed it properly fixed before the baby gets here, so he finally replaced it with a nice track light. He also replaced the crappy fixture in the bathroom that was falling apart. Now I don’t have to worry about feeling like I’m touching a major hazard every time I have to chance that bulb!

He also weatherproofed almost all the windows. Since he’s using the plastic wrap type stuff that shrink wraps to the outside of the windows I asked him to leave the 2 kitchen windows alone for now so I can still open them over the next 2 weeks. He’s also still got to do the one in the nursery because we have to remove the ac unit from that window sometime this week. Let’s see. He also changed out the rest of the door knobs that were really in need of replacing. Now my bedroom door actually locks, the closet door in the nursery actually shuts all the way, and I had him replace the knob on the nursery door with one without a lock. He’ll understand in a few years when we don’t have to worry about her slamming and locking her door when she’s mad…and if she inherits either of our tempers or stubbornness that day is sure to come.

Now we only have a few more household things that we need to do before she gets here, and then we’ve got a list of stuff I’d like to do if we have the time and money to do so. We definitely have to figure out the heating situation next weekend when Hubby gets paid. We’re still wood heat only with floor heaters in the bathroom and bedroom when needed, so we have to do something about that. I don’t want to chance using the woodstove with a newborn baby, but we know we can’t afford to have gas heat or central heat installed right now. My Grandparents are our landlords, and they definitely can’t afford to do it right now either, so we’ve got to think about our options and figure it out now. We’ve talked about getting a couple of the electric Amish fireplaces for the bedrooms, and we've been looking at getting an electric insert like this one for the actual fireplace that we don't use.

We don't use it because the chimney would need to be repaired and it's located in a weird spot in the house. The wood stove sits in the middle of the house, and we've maintained it so it's been the practical heat source until now. We also have the option of electric baseboard heaters, but I really don't like those. Plus I have to make sure whatever we get is going to be cool to the touch and/or out of reach of the baby at all times. I like the idea of the fireplaces because I know a couple people who have had luck with those in apartments, and I like the fact that you can now get the ones that are on casters and portable instead of wall mount. It’d be more practical to roll it from room to room only heating the parts of the house that we’ll actually be using. Seriously we have to really look into our options and figure something out soon. If we can't figure out an affordable quick fix I may just have to talk to my Dad about taking out a loan to install gas heat, but I really don't want to have to do that.

Anywho we do have a lot to think about still and a lot to do, but I’m feeling better about the fact that we will get it done. I guess I just needed Hubby to put forth the effort this weekend to prove to me he’s not going to procrastinate until I say I’m in labor! I think it’s also bothered me because I can’t do the manual labor needed to accomplish a lot of the stuff, and I’m one of those I’ll do it myself kind of people. It sucks when you can’t do it yourself anymore.

Last Minute Stresses

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:43:00 +0000

Knowing we’re in “any day now” mode for the arrival of the baby really has me freaking out lately. Hubby is a lot calmer about it than I am, and that can be considered good or bad depending on the hour of the day and my current mood. One minute I feel like he has everything under control, but the next I feel like he’s waiting too long…procrastinating past our limit. I feel like he doesn’t understand that she really could arrive any day now, and we’re not guaranteed to have until November 26th to finish everything. My acne treatment really is having a hard time concealing my stresses at this point.

We still have a ton of stuff to do around the house, but that’s the least of my worries. What’s getting me today is the amount of stuff we still have left to buy for the baby. We still need a car seat, crib mattress, and bassinet just to name a few. As you can see we’re down to the “big stuff”. Sure I still have a baby shower coming up in a couple weeks, but I’m not counting on people to buy the big stuff. I shouldn’t expect them to, and I feel like waiting to buy these things just incase someone else does is going to put us scrambling to get the things we need at the last minute.

Ahhh the joys…and stresses…of motherhood! She’s not even here yet, and I’m already discovering what the rest of my life is going to be like. With her new beginning comes a new life for me as well full of emotions I never knew existed.

New FTC Regulations For Bloggers

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:34:00 +0000

As most of you have probably already read, as of December 1 the Federal Trade Commission is changing the rules regarding how bloggers write product reviews. The change is simple, and it's a very easy one to follow. It's a change I also agree with, and it has been in the works for months. All bloggers must clearly disclose when they are given a free item and/or paid to review it...in other words bloggers must fully disclose all product endorsements.

I have always tried to disclose when I'm reviewing a product that has been given to me or that I was paid to review. Luckily as far as this blog is concerned I can't really say I've had too many advertisers offer me products to review, and I have disclosed the ones that were given to me.

I just wanted to make it clear that yes I do write quite a few product reviews on this blog, and a majority of the time I am reviewing a product that was either purchased by me or given to me by a friend or family member as a gift. If a company offers to give me a product to review or offers to pay me to review a product I will honestly disclose that within the post. I also refuse to endorse a product or service that I don't personally like. I will always be honest in my reviews no matter how I received the product, and if advertisers don't like that they should know not to send me the product in the first place!

I will still maintain a site wide disclosure as far as all other advertising is concerned. You do see links spread throughout some of my posts across all of my blogs that may link to products or services. I am not endorsing these products. I am only allowing links to be inserted into my posts, so these links will remain just as they are, and my site wide disclosure policy will continue to address that.

If you have any questions or concerns you are more than welcome to contact me by leaving a comment, and I will reply to you as soon as possible.

Lots To Do Today!

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 13:40:00 +0000

Sometime between jumping up and down thankful my aunt is finally having the dead tree in her yard chopped down and taking my shots (and donating) to the Boobie-Thon I have to find time to pick more grapes today.

We have so many grapes and scuppernongs that we honestly don't know what we're going to do with them all this year. We've had people stopping by like crazy to help us pick them all, but they're still hanging in bunches. I managed to get outside a couple days ago to take some photos of what's left, and we still have tons that are going to rot if I don't do something about them.

I know exactly what I'm going to do with as many of them as I can pick. I'm going to freeze as many as I can, and I'm going to make as much grape and scuppernong jelly as I can. Not only will this help me offer healthier choices to my daughter, but it'll help Hubby and I on our quest to get and stay healthy. I can search out weight loss pills that work for us, or I can take the few extra steps needed to keep us on a healthy diet with the options that are already free and readily available to us in our backyard.

I absolutely love scuppernong and muscadine jelly, so now is my chance to try my hand at making it. I've got my Grandma's recipe in hand, and I'm ready to spend the day picking and extracting juice. I know I don't have nearly enough jars to make my jelly today, but I can freeze the juice and make the jelly whenever I have time.

I keep saying I want to make sure I feed my daughter the most organic foods I can, but I know once she's here that'll be easier said than done. The prices of organic foods in the grocery store is outrageous, and I'm very thankful to have such an abundance of fruits surrounding me. Between the pears, grapes, scuppernongs, pecans, apples, and figs in our yard alone I have no excuse for my I can't feed my child healthy and preservative free foods.

My Camera Is Possessed

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:50:00 +0000

I swear my camera is totally insane! Yes I'm talking about the Kodak v803 I bought in late 2007 that's been giving me problems pretty much since the day I've bought it. Don't get me wrong it gets the job done for a point and shoot, and for a Kodak I was quite impressed. I actually gave the camera 4 1/2 stars when I wrote a review.

My main issue has always been with the battery and the fact that the battery life absolutely sucks on that camera. After I purchased it I vowed to never buy another camera that uses a rechargeable battery. I want to be able to use my own AA or AAA rechargeables so I can carry extras with me or pick up a pack of extra batteries at the nearest store when I need them.

The problem with the Kodak v803 is that the battery life totally sucks. At first I thought I was having problems with it only holding a charge for 2 hours because I bought a refurb camera, but that's not the case. After googling the issue I found it was a problem with the battery Kodak uses. I even ordered myself a few backup batteries that all suck. None of them have held a charge for over 2 hours...until now.

I don't know what happened but I haven't had to charge the camera in about a month! Hubby charged it fully before using the video function on the motorcycle one day, and it's held a charge ever since. It's like the battery has been attached to a never-ending power source! Trust me when I say I'm definitely not complaining, but it does freak me out! What the heck has happened to my camera?

Learned Something New

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:12:00 +0000

Wow I really do learn something new everyday. I've talked a lot about how I'm always searching for cheap insurance. I'm overly anal about making sure we're getting the best possible value out there especially since Hubby doesn't exactly have the best driving record. Let's just say he's definitely caused our rates to skyrocket over the last few years, so every penny I can save is well worth it. I'm constantly requesting rate quotes from various companies hoping I can have us a dime or two, but I definitely learned something new today.

Apparently it does matter who's name is listed first on our policy! Normally I'd automatically request the quote with Hubby listed first and me listed as the spouse, but today I learned that 3 different companies are willing to give us a drastic price reduction just for listing me as the policy holder and Hubby as the spouse. We're both considered primary drivers, so it doesn't really make a difference except for the price! I'm not talking small reductions either. Our current company is willing to drop our premium by $600!

Let that be a lesson to look at things from every angle. Something as simple as whose name is placed in the computer first can even make a difference.

Deborah's Candle Magick Candles And Tarts

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:34:00 +0000

This afternoon the dreary rain that's been falling for a few days and the nice drop in temps has me thinking about fall. The official start to fall is actually less than a week away, so I decided to try a candle that I think is only fitting.

This little votive from Deborah's Candle Magick is scented "Amber". Amber is one of those scents that I can love or hate depending on the season. Amber is known as a soothing and relaxing scent, but I also find it's one of those scents that not everyone can love. This little heart shaped votive is definitely a strong one, but it's one I like! I would definitely say it has been heavily scented. The cold throw is enough to "smell up" my entire office and bedroom without even needing to light it. Be warned if you're not a big fan of Amber you most likely won't like how strong this one is, and I have a feeling my Hubby will come home wondering "what stinks". He's not a very big fan of a lot of the fall scents I tend to choose.

Anywho, this one is probably going to sit on my dresser for a few days before I light it because I'm loving the cold throw. I will eventually light it, but with such a heavily scented soy votive I know the scent will last for awhile, and the candle will burn cleaner and longer. I'm so picky about stronger scents like Amber, so I'm not sure I would purchase this votive in this exact scent again, but it does make me want to try other scents Deborah's Candle Magick has to offer.

Getting Back Into The Swing Of Things

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:57:00 +0000

Wow. Has it really been that long since I had a chance to get a post up here? Where did the time go? Oh yeah it went to dealing with a ton of things in real life from baby stuff to personal family issues that have really been getting me down. This is one of those times I'd like to curl up in a nice bubble bath with a book and a cup of herbal tea, but it's hard to do that while you're pregnant. My skin is always changing, and I never know what's going to bother it. As for the herbal tea, that's out of the question, too!

It's been very hard for me to test any of the bath products I've received thanks to the whole pregnancy skin thing. I have to get my doctor to pre-approve a lot of the stuff before I attempt to use it, and sometimes I think she'd rather give herself a colon cleanse than have to wade through my big box 'o stuff.

At least I'm still able to enjoy my favorite scented candles and tarts, but circumstances in the job department had prevented me from purchasing anything new to share with you. Luckily Hubby is back to work full time now, and my business has picked back up. That means I can actually afford to splurge on a few products once again! I also have a nice bath of stuffs that a friend passed along to me full of wax tarts, some handmade soaps, and a few candles. We exchanged a few items due to scents we didn't like, and now we both have some new products to enjoy! Hopefully I can get a few reviews of those written up today, so stay tuned!

Where Did The Time Go?

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:17:00 +0000

Wow this has been a long day. It's been a long week in general, but today was definitely a lot longer than I anticipated. Sitting in my doctor's office for almost 2 hours didn't help that any. I had to do the nasty glucose tolerance test. At first I thought the stuff was great because it does taste really good, but the part that sucks is the crash you feel later. Couple that with the fact that I had to get a flu shot that always makes me feel like crap, and I was definitely glad when I finally got out of that place.

Oh well we don't have much longer to wait now. Miss Elliana will definitely be here near the end of November. I can't believe time has flown by so fast! It seems like yesterday Hubby and his bff were standing outside the hospital puffing cigars over the birth of his bff's son. That was in April, and we thought November would never get here. Now Hubby's talking about ordering Padron cigars to smoke with his bff because November is just around the corner.

Heck, I'm talking baby showers with my friends and family members, and that's something that I thought wouldn't happen for another few months. It's shocking to me to realize we only have about 12 weeks left. 12 weeks seems like nothing!

On Location: At The Doc

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:10:00 +0000

Sitting here in the doctor's office bored seems like a good time to blog. I've got to sit here for another 30 minutes before I can have my blood drawn for my glucose test, and then I'm off for food because I'm starving! Cross your fingers and hope time passes quickly! As for the baby everything is looking great, and we're right on schedule. She should be greeting us late November.

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Our "Onesome" Time

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:07:00 +0000

As much as I love my husband I can't wait for him to go back to work! Luckily his boss called this weekend and let him know if nothing else he did line up a few small side jobs for him. I know he's got a boat dock to renovate that will take a few days next week, and if all goes well he might be building the skateboard ramps for the small skate park that's being built in the town where his boss lives. We'll see how that goes, and we'll see if I can get him out of here long enough to regain my sanity.

Truthfully I'm very thankful we've been able to spend so much time together over the last 2 months. How many women can say they got to enjoy spending this much time with their husband during their pregnancy? He's been here for every little mood swing, craving, and puke session. He's experienced a lot more than most Hubby's can say they experienced, and he's enjoying every minute of it. This has also given us the time to spend those last few moments together as a twosome before we become a threesome, but we're also getting to a point where we're going to go crazy if we don't get to have what Hubby is now calling our "onesome" time. I know exactly how he feels!

Learn To Use A Phone

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 21:35:00 +0000

I had plans for today. My plans included making another batch of soup to freeze (I made taco soup a couple days ago), looking up term life insurance cost at Wholesale Insurance, and then I was going to sit down with some of the products I have to review. I still have a lot of products that need to be tried out, but I just haven't had the time to do it.

Today was going to be the day. I had my plan down on paper, but that's about as far as it got. I did manage to drag a ton of stuff out on the kitchen counter, and just as I started to open the first jar of homemade lip balm I heard a knock at the door. Today turned into the day everyone and their brother decided to stop by unannounced for no apparent reason.

Some days I don't mind when that happens, but today was not one of them. It was like someone hung a sign out that said "please visit now!". At one point Hubby's best friend, my soon to be brother-in-law, Hubby's dad, and a guy Hubby used to work with were all here at the same time. I understand all of them are temporarily laid off and bored, but how hard is it to pick up the phone to see if it's ok to stop by for a few?

*Sigh*

Maybe it's just the hormones getting to me again. I have been rather grumpy for most of the day, but then again I bet you would too if people kept stopping by when you weren't in the mood for company.

Chicken Soup For The New Mom's Soul Quick Review

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 16:59:00 +0000

Yep, I said quick review, and that's because I haven't actually made it through the entire book yet. My mom gave me Chicken Soup for the New Mom's Soul a couple days ago, and I immediately dove into the book. Anyone who knows me personally knows I'm not going to pass up an opportunity to read anything, and I've always loved the Chicken Soup books.

I followed my usual book reading routine, made a cup of hot tea (decaf), tucked myself into my rocker with a blanket, and I set out on my adventure with my new book. After the first 3 stories I was hooked...and my face was puffy and soaked with tears. If I had read this book prior to pregnancy I would have been ok, but with my pregnancy hormones and emotions I was a goner. I'm now half way through the stories, and each one of them has reached inside me and grasped my pregnancy emotions in some way.

Let that be a warning to any new mom's or expectant mothers like me out there who pick up this book. The valve will be opened, and the tears will flow. Don't take that to mean I don't love the book because I absolutely do. The first time Hubby saw me with tears streaming down my face while reading he asked me what was wrong. Now he walks into the room, sees me all puffy, and says "Honey, did the hormones get ya again?" We both laugh, and I continue with my reading. It has brought out emotions that I haven't felt until this point in my pregnancy, and it has helped to make me even more of an emotional basket case...but I love that. Every story has me touching my ever growing belly, taking in every kick and movement, and storing the memories of pregnancy to cherish forever.

Next on my list...I now have to find myself a copy of Chicken Soup for the Expectant Mother's Soul. I may make a trip to the library to check it out today, but I better remember to stop by the store for a case of tissues!

A Million Thoughts A Minute

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 16:25:00 +0000

Ahh...a nice low humidity day. After the last few days of thick & humid heat that's what we need, and it looks like today's the day we're getting it. Heat has never really been an issue with me. Like I've mentioned before I'm the chick who tends to get goose bumps when it's 80 degrees out, but not lately! After such a mild summer the last few days have shown me what a summer pregnancy is really supposed to feel like. I've had one long sweaty pit soaking hot flash that feels like it's never going to end. Thank goodness for a nice, pretty day. It's supposed to be 87 out, but if the humidity stays as low as it is now it's going to be great.

Now I just have to kick my butt in gear and get some stuff accomplished. I stayed up way too late last night scrubbing the entire kitchen from top to bottom...again. Seriously if this is nesting I've been doing it for 6 months, and I don't even want to consider what I might be doing in the next 3!

I'm going to try to avoid anymore cleaning today. I've got a list of stuff I promised to do for other people like setting up a forum for a friend and doing some more research on low cost health insurance for my bff. We're both kind of worried about what's going to happen with the whole Healthcare reform, so we're not counting on that to help us out anytime soon. She has a 7 year old son who just lost the insurance he had through his Dad, so now all she knows is he needs something, and she needs to find it now.

That's one thing I'm already worrying about as well. Because of Hubby's layoff I'm temporarily on Medicaid for my pregnancy, but that only covers me for a very limited time. Medicaid only covers the baby until she's 6 months old, and then I'll have to try my best to find something for her. I don't care how much it costs us...my child needs health insurance of some sort, so it's something I definitely need to worry about.

Well Hello Again

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 01:52:00 +0000

Yet again I feel bad that it's been so long since I've posted, but I promise it is due to reasons beyond my control. There is still a lot going on around here that I just don't feel comfortable discussing on my blogs, and it's keeping me away on a regular basis. Between that, Hubby still being laid off and home all the time, and the fact that we've been back to sharing one computer I've hardly had a chance to get online at all.

Now I'm also contending with a crappy internet connection again. Charter is supposed (keyword here) to be out here again on Tuesday to fix it. We'll see how that goes because they have a habit of not showing up when they're supposed to. So far the connection is cooperating with me tonight, so hopefully it'll hold out long enough for me to catch up on a few things.

Other than that I've just been trying to stay sane these days. I helped my Grandma have a yard sale this Saturday. She cleaned a good bit of stuff out of her basement, but it really didn't make a dent in how much stuff she still needs to get rid of. My Grandpa will be happy if she'll just get rid of the stuff piled in his "game room". He has a ping pong table and a pool table, and he can't get to either one of them for all the stuff she's hoarded.

Today was spent trying to run my own errands and catch up on housework. I barely knocked a dent in the housework, but I did manage to make it to the grocery store and to pick up a new router since I found one on sale for a really great price. Now I don't have to keep kicking Hubby off the pc to get anything done. He still needs a power supply for his computer, but at least now he can get online on the PS3 without stealing my connection, and he can surf the net there as well.

Now I'm off to try to make a dent in about 3 weeks worth of email I STILL have to go through (from about 5 accounts NOT counting the Facebook stuff), and then hopefully I can get a list made of stuff to do tomorrow. Maybe if I make a list I can accomplish everything I need to.

Back To Nesting

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:31:00 +0000

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenbo/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

I don't know if I'm in cleaning/de-clutter mode again or if I'm nesting like crazy, but I found myself going through the house this morning getting rid of stuff like crazy again. I never really thought pregnant women nested this early in the game. I thought nesting was what you do when you start scrubbing the kitchen floor with a toothbrush hours before going into labor, but I guess I was wrong!

I've also noticed the farther my pregnancy progresses the more likely I am to get rid of something I previously decided to keep. Last month I packed all of our extra Mp3 players in a box with other electronics we don't use anymore including an extra VCR. I justified it by saying we'd have extras if something happened to the ones we do use. Now I just want to get rid of it all! We don't need this stuff taking up space we'll need to store baby stuff.

Why are we even using a VCR anyway? I think the only video I haven't converted to dvd yet is our wedding video, and I seriously need to do that soon before something ends up happening to the tape. Anywho, that's something to worry about another day. Right now I have to run errands, grab some groceries, pay the truck taxes since they're due tomorrow and all that good stuff.

Cows & Sleep

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 02:47:00 +0000

I'm trying to pop into blog for a few so I'm not such a stranger around my own blogs. We're on our way home now after a long day of loading and hauling cattle to the livestock auction grounds. Tomorrow we'll be spending most of the day in Georgia watching the auctions...and hopefully watching at least the bull go for a really good price.

The rest of this week shouldn't be so hectic, so I'm hoping Wednesday or Thursday I can devote a full day to catching up on my blogs and online business. I know I've let things go slack lately, but sometimes you can't foresee what you'll end up having to deal with. I just hope things are back to normal soon. Now I'm going to relax the rest of the way home, and I'll be heading straight for the bed as soon as I walk in the door.

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Finally A Good Day

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:19:00 +0000

Woot! Finally I can say we're having a good day today. Actually yesterday was pretty good, too, after I had a major pregnancy hormonal stressed out cry session, but then we got the chance to go out to dinner with our best friends for a little celebration and that definitely helped.

Coming home last night to find our house smack in the middle of a man hunt for armed carjackers downed us a bit, but we got ourselves out of harm's way and decided to do a little shopping instead. Since Walmart was really the only thing open at midnight we headed there for a bit, and I broke down and actually bought something from those evil people. I couldn't help it. They had super cute baby clothes on sale for $1! ONE DOLLAR! Yep, I HAD to buy something lol. It also helped to make me feel a bit better.

Now I'm off to try to knock down some of my to-do list that's piled high of 2 week's worth of stuff I haven't had a chance to do. I'm going to start by getting a renter's insurance quote after everything that's been going on here lately. I'm also going to do some research to make sure renter's insurance covers theft since there's this huge sudden crime spree in our area. Then I'm going to try to work through some email since my accounts are on the verge of bouncing, and then hopefully I can convince Hubby to help me get a bit of the housework done.

I may even be back with a couple of reviews if I can find the time to try the products out tonight. We'll just have to see how that goes. I know my time has been short over the last few weeks, so I'm not making any promises.

Running Away

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 16:22:00 +0000

Do you ever feel like you just want to run away? This week has been one of those weeks for me, and I really wish I could just pack my bags, look up some Outer Banks rentals, and totally run away for a few days...away from family, friends, and everything that's driving me nuts.

We've had a lot of stuff come crashing down around us lately, and I think I've let everything pile up until I'm ready to explode. I thought I could deal with it all on my own, but I can't.

On top of that I wish someone would take my husband far far away for a day or two. I love him more than anything, but being jobless means he's under my heels 24/7, and we all know we need our space from time to time. I guess in a way this is preparing me for the baby since that's another little pair of feet I'll have running after me all day.

Yep, I just need a few days away from it all. Then I can find the time and the words to discuss the real issues at hand, and hopefully let life get back to some form of normalcy again.

Mobile Blogging

noreply@blogger.com (Jenn) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:50:00 +0000

You may have recently noticed I've been testing mobile blogging tools to find something that I could use to once again post to this blog via by phone. I was very happy using Utterli to do so until the service suddenly stopped working for my one day. I've since been on a mission to find something that works, and in the end I decided to go with Blogger's own mobile posting feature.

This means you will most likely see many more mobile posts appearing on this blog, and I can once again share info and photos when I'm "on the road" so to speak, even if I'm just standing in my own back yard snapping a photo. Just keep in mind I'm linmted to 1000 characters per post thanks to my phone, and this tiny screen will most likely result in plenty of typos that I won't always catch.

Now I'm off to do the dishes and laundry, but I promise not to blog photos of that...yet!

<3 Jenn

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