We've Moved...Again!

Due to technical difficulties, I've decided yet again to move my blog. I'm hoping that in this new situation I won't screw things up, EVER. So, please follow me once more to my new home at creativityatmypace.blogspot.com and I hope you will enjoy. PS: there will be something special revealed today so come on by and await the news.
Thanks Brooke

I've Started Purchasing.

Even though we won't know the sex of the baby until this Wednesday, I've already decided on a color scheme, 1. because I feel pretty certain for whatever reason that I'm having and boy and 2. I feel this color combination works well for boy or girl, sort of a unisex flair. Here are my 3 colors that I want to use in the room.And yes, I've already made some purchases like this nifty thing from Joann Fabrics.
This one is grey in color but mine is like the yellowy green up in my color palette. I thought it would be a good place to store extra blankets or little knick knacks, whatever, just something neat in the room. I also bought a blank canvas and some paint in shades of my color palette to do a little abstract design to add more interest to the walls. Our plan is to do a chair railing too so that the walls can be one shade on the bottom and a lighter shade on top, something to break up the room and make it look more contemporary. So far, the tally is approximately $27. So, we're doing good so far, it's the paint and the primer that's gonna kill us.

Now The Locks Feel Lovely.

I've been feeling pretty dumpy lately and so yesterday decided against all better judgment to go forth and get thee a haircut. I was just so tired of trying to grow it out and only hating every minute of it. I think I have finally decided after nearly 31 years of various hairstyles and colors that what is me is my dishwater blond hair cut pretty darn short. So, without further adu, here I am, with some new lovely locks. And, just for Sue, I too quite on accident am also wearing my grey wife beater.

Updated Belly Picture.

Thought I'd throw in a picture of myself since I thinks it's been about 6 weeks or so since the last one. I will be 19 weeks as of Friday, so I'm sort of afraid of how BIG I'm going to get. You see, when I was pregnant with Stella I weighed about 70 pounds more than I do now and this picture here is about as much as I showed with her, so knowing that I still have like 4.5 months to go, is more than a little scary. But, exciting too, because the first time around, I had REAL belly envy and now I don't think I'm gonna have that problem. Just sharing.

A Little Scare Yesterday.

I spent approximately 5 hours yesterday afternoon to evening in the ER at Botsford hospital all by my lonesome. The reason? Well, earlier in the afternoon I realized I was spotting a little. And, luckily is was neither bright red or did I have any cramping, but none the less, there was blood. So, I was advised to go directly to the ER. However, I couldn't reach anybody to tell them and Matt had called an hour before to tell me he was working overtime, usually meaning until 4:30, only an hour from when I was getting ready to leave for the hospital. I got ahold of my mother so that she could call my MIL and fill her in and hopefully someone could then call Matt once he got home and he and Stella could come to the ER to be with me, because I didn't know if I was losing the baby or what? So, it didn't take too long to get into Triage, but it took nearly 2 hours from there to go into the actual ER. Long story short, I wasn't bleeding from my uterus, but from my cervix. Which I guess in relation to the baby is a good thing. All the tests came back good and the doc couldn't really tell me anything other than I may or may not have something called Cervicitis?!?!?! Anyway, by 9pm, I was finally on my way home and found out that I didn't need to be mad at Matt anymore because he didn't get home from work until 8pm and then didn't know what was going on because in my mad rush to leave, I never left him a note. Well you can't blame a mother for panicking at the thought of losing her unborn child. So, that's my story, I'm so done with the ER, never again.

Binging & Purging.

Our spare bedroom that is, well, it started out as a studio/craft room and morphed into my office and when that didn't work either, it became the catch all for my stuff. Now, with baby #2 coming, it will be their room. Maybe I'm doing some early nesting, or maybe I just have a moment to breathe and I've decided to take advantage of my energy and go forth and clean and sort. it's not like it's a massive job, I mean come on, the room is only 10x10, but I have a TON of supplies to go through, throw away, give away and maybe even sell on Ebay.
This morning I did some searching on the internet for "modern" baby rooms and I do believe I've stumbled upon my theme. I wanted to go with something basic and simple and have always just loved geometric shapes, such beauty in simplicity. So, I found a few things that I'm going to "sample" from to get my new baby nursery in full swing, once we find out the sex anyway.
I really, REALLY love these dots of all sizes, but I'm thinking without the Paul Frank monkies inside of them, too busy. Then Matt and I could make stencils of the different size dots, draw a shape on the wall, maybe a paisley pattern or a wave or swirly shape going from one wall to the next. We are both excited to execute this design.

Then I found a few accessories that I thought I could either replicate or find MUCHO cheaper than this expensive albeit very cool baby site.
I think that I'm just crafty enough and just cheap enough to be able to finish my baby's room for under $200, let's see if that happens. I think I'll post as I purchase, receive or pick up items for the room and tally everything up once I'm all done, and let you know. Also, if anyone has any places for good garage sales and shops to look in for fun unique items and they don't just have to be for baby, Ohhhhh, I'm very excited now.

Garage Sale Dreams.

*UPDATE

Very shortly we are headed to our friends garage sale, lots of baby goodeis in Westland if anyone is interested. She started the sale yesterday and would you believe she made, well, I won't reveal the figure, but it's enough to go on a small vacation for 2. I have NEVER made more than probably $100 total at a garage sale, but with her success, I'm hoping that Matt can sell his Motorized Bicycle. It's literally a bicycle with a motor on it, he doesn't ride it anymore and we really could use the cash from the sale if it's would possibly sell today. So, keep your fingers crossed for us. Here is a picture of what it sort of looks like, although it's on a different bike. It would be perfect for someone who doesn't work really far from home, but just can't seem to afford these horrific gas prices, because it gets amazing mileage. I think Matt said that the tank is 2 gallons and it would last him all week if he rode it to work which is 6 miles from us. So, maybe we'll see you today, wish us luck.


*UPDATE
Nada, that's what we sold. There was mild interest, by old men and large men who drove cement mixers, but mostly boyhood fascinations really, nothing concrete. Ha ha, that was funny and I didn't even mean to do it. Although that was a bust, we did somehow get free food all day. Thanks Jenn and Steve, you are super cool and thanks for being our friends. Love ya.

A Day for Stella.

So, I haven't blogged in a little while, and to be quite honest, I haven't been very positive lately and so didn't want to blog all negativity, so I just stayed away, but as with everything, this too shall pass right? Yesterday was a day for Stella. Wednesday's are my typical "day off" and so lately I've been trying to do things with Stella that are different, but not expensive, but stuff she hasn't done before. And, I always try to make it a surprise if I can. This time I decided to take her to the Ann Arbor Hands On Museum. Now, you can't really sell science to a 4 year old, but you can excite them by telling them that they can TOUCH EVERYTHING. That was enough for her, she was ready and went right off to bed the night before knowing my threat of "if you keep getting out of bed, we're not going tomorrow."
We arrived and while trying to park, we nearly got into an accident, I was totally in the wrong, but the man beeped as long and loud as he could and just kept staring at me angrily. I mouthed to him "sorry, but you don't have to be an a$$hole." I
think he got the point, I know I did. In the car as we sat there and I calmed down, my very wise and perceptive 4 year old says to me "now momma, don't be upset, don't let us have a bad day." What can I say, the kid really knows me. So, we start heading to the museum, but are intercepted by the man who we almost hit and he apologizes to me for getting upset and I to him for being an idiot. All is good and I stopped to tell Stella what a nice thing that was for the man to do, he could have just gotten more angry and started yelling at me, but I think once he saw Stella he was like, "oh." So, we walk to the museum about 3 blocks from where we parked. She loves walking and even more than that, being where lots of other folks are walking, makes her feel like she's a part of something I think. In trying to find the entrance we discovered that the building is housed in and around the Fire Station, which Stella found all the trucks and gear to be and I quote, "CUTE!" So, we spent a ton of time in there, I think there are 4 floors, all varying in entertainment value and age appropriateness. Most of what you see does require reading, but for the basic 4 year old, there are plenty of levers, wheels and buttons to operate that that didn't matter. And, her favorite, water tables. She loves to play in the water and will spend an hour or more playing at grandma's in the sink. Anyway, and there is a rock wall to climb, a piano you can play with your feet, you can try to pull this hula hoop dipped in bubbles around you to try to encase yourself in a bubble and all kinds of interesting things for the adults to learn about science and the environment and going green and such. There is so much more, but those are the things she seemed to enjoy the most. It was so cool to see her looking at me as if to say "I can't believe you aren't telling me to stop or put that down and that it's ok for me to touch anything I want." It was one of the most relaxing days I think I've spent with her since she was a baby. So, starving, I pull her out of the museum and we walk about 6 block to the Parthenon restaurant on Main Street. Yummy greek food and of course she had grilled cheese and loved every bite. Then she told me that she wanted to sit somewhere and talk, so we left the restaurant and walked a little more and discovered where the road had been blocked off to film the new movie "Youth In Revolt." We didn't see anyone famous, but it was cool to see what a real Hollywood movie set looks like. She could've cared less. Then we found a place to sit, in the 90 degree heat and talked for a bit about silly things, baby things and doing my hair. She's my sweet little baby and I regret every moment I don't spend with her just listening to her talk or ask me questions, because very soon the day will come that she's yelling at me telling me she hates me. But, then we'll make up, go shopping and grab a cup of coffee and talk about silly things, baby things and doing my hair?

Here are a few pics from the day: