Yeah For Winners!

I've been absent but ever busy. School and my schedule is kickin' my butt. Alas I will persevere. On to the winner of the 250 business cards, sorry Richard, but Mary is the winner as Stella liked her usage of the word "fabulous," she loves the big words. Mary, you will get 250 of the best quality, fastest delivered and in general best customer serviced business card via Uprinting! I only use them now, as I had a bad experience with a competitor and when I realized I would not be receiving my order in time for my event, promptly cancelled that order and reordered them from Uprinting and received said item today just in time for my event tomorrow evening. Let me know if you need help with your cards, I'm glad to be here for you! I'm hoping to giveaway something amazing next, be on the lookout for the next one.

Halloween was cold but fun. We had our friends the Guthrie's over and my parents. Stella was a cute little bee and she even wore a cute black and yellow tutu which I made with my own little hands. Mr. Cohen was a pirate for all of maybe 10 minutes, but cute nonetheless.

As for school, I honestly don't know if I'd be making it through without the help of my amazing hubby, he knows his stuff and I can't wait until next semester is over and he finds a job he truly loves with web design. Strange, but every now and then I have this glimmer that we'll start a business for ourselves, who knows but I'm open to the possibilities. Aren't we all?

A Blog is A Blog of Course, of Course...

And no one is talking to my blog it seems. That's why I haven't been posting. Although I am guilty of the same behavior, so slap my hand. Things are still busy around here and while I'd like to think I'm getting used to the schedule, I think I still have a while before I learn to wake up early like a grown up should. I struggle with it because I stay up way too late and then find it hard to get up when I need to. Stella isn't late, but I on the other hand always am. You wouldn't know that I was raised by a man that thinks you are late to work if you only show up 5 minutes early. :)

Creatively, things are flowing like never before. It's amazing to me how a few years of bad jobs can really throw off your game, and while working where I do is NOT ideal, it does free me up to take on other ventures. My Vegas client even said that by the second or third quarter of next year, he's hoping to offer me a full time job working remotely to Vegas from Michigan. Again, not my ideal job, but it would definitely make life around here a bit easier to stomach. I also have a new company I am working with and things are going well there too. I do have one client that it won't surprise me if he lets me go, but if I'm to be honest, it wouldn't hurt my feelings. I may be able to create something from nothing, but I'm no psychic. I can't hear what you don't say and I don't read minds. He is the nicest man, but asks me to do things like I know what he's asking for. For example, what if someone came to you and said we want to do a Coke ad??????? OK? What do you want it to say? What is the important info? Do you have text? So incredibly frustrating. :( And then, he'll criticize (nicely) what the outcome is, my fragile ego can't take that sometimes. I'm sensitive. 

Halloween is starting to creep it's way into our home and we've even started buying items to make costumes. Stella wants to be a bumble bee and Cohen will be an ice cream "Cohen," french vanilla of course. I have a few projects in mind for the holiday so if I get to them, I'll take some pics. Enjoy your day, I know I will because I'm working from home today!! Yeah for little white lies. ;)

I'm Not Gone.

Just in case you were wondering, not abandoning this blog for the new blog, just adding a new one. I wanted a place to track my progression because I think it's going to be a worthwhile journey to document. Things have been pretty normal on the home front with a BBQ with my in-laws on the 4th. They came over, weird as they are, I know they mean well. Matt's sister just doesn't really understand that I think she stresses Stella out. It's like when they are over here, Stella is supposed to stop being 5 years old and wanting to play with her friends and only hang out with family. She just got to the point on the 4th where she ran in the house crying and I had to follow her in and let her know that we are the bosses around here, not Aunt Sarah. Sarah even got all riled up when I invited my friend Julie, who's on bed rest and having her baby on July 21st, and her husband over to watch our fireworks. And, she got bent out of shaped when the little kids in the neighborhood came over with there chairs to hang out too. Eventually she loosened up and went with the flow, but every time they come over we have to start over. It's stressful for me too. Oh well, it's my cross to bare. Cohen is rolling over all the time now and stands pretty well when you hold him up. It's only a matter of time before he's crawling and pulling himself up. 

Lately I've really been itching to scrapbook. So, I ordered some prints from as many places as I could find that offered a bunch of free and cheap prices. I have so far ordered from 4 different places for a total of about 500 pictures and only spent $45. I sorted through all my patterned papers to find ones to give Julie and then I'm going to pick up a boy album for her. Since she's on bed rest she's been wanting to get ready to scrapbook the photos of her baby to be. We talked lastnight and I offered to get her an album and the next thing I know they're offering us a television. After Cohen was born our hand me down tv died and all we had was a small 12" one. Well, this is beyond generous at 27" and instead of being a standard screen, it's flat. We have been blessed in so many small ways this year, maybe instead of lamenting the bad things, I need to stitch together all the wonderful little things.

Happy Valentines Day!

Hope everyone has a romantic day! <3

Resolute or Indecisive?

This year I do believe is the year that I make no promises. All those seem to do for me is allow me to let myself down. Instead I resolve to see the "sunny side." For example, it's not that we are using the cheapest baby formula, rather it is the most cost effective baby formula. You see how I did that? It's easy, now you try it. You want another one? How about instead of me just being too cheap and lazy to put gas in my car and drive somewhere, I resolve to lessen my carbon footprint. I know I'm being silly about this, but really, I think it will help me to do this. I am way too negative most of the time and hopefully this will make me a more positive person on a daily basis. 

In other news, Cohen is just a great little guy. He and Stella are bonding nicely and she really seems to enjoy being the big sister. My mother has always told me that one is easy and that two is more than twice as hard. I didn't know exactly what she meant, but I did know that those words really worried me. What could she mean, more than twice as hard? Where was she going with this, and why couldn't she expand on that statement? NOW I GET IT! It's not that having a new little baby in the house is hard, it's dealing with that other little one that's been there in the first position for this long now feels like they are playing second fiddle. AHA!

Her personality has gone through such changes lately that I was concerned that she might have a mental illness. Going from so sweetly holding baby bro to making snotty comments at the least little thing. I spend most of my day feeling like I'm constantly trying to reassure her in not so subtle ways that she is still much loved all the while needing to scold some of the not so lovely behavior issues that have come up. Strangest part is, I don't feel old enough to have any depth of knowledge on this subject but at 31 with two children, I guess it is what it is. Matt and I can't help but notice all the personality differences between the two in relation to newborn behaviors. Cohen is SOOOOOO much more layed back than Stella ever was even just down to when he wakes up in the middle of the night. She would immediately wake up with this shrill cry that said "feed me know or pay later." All he does is sort of sqawk a bit and makes little noises to alert you that "hey, I'm here and when you get a minute could you feed me?" I think we could be feeling this way simply because we've done this before and we know what we're up

 against and anything less traumatic than what we've already experienced we chalk up to good luck.

He's precious and she's preciously precocious. 

This photo was taken just about 24 hours after giving birth to Cohen so excuse my strange look, but in this photo I really see how and why people say Stella is my Mini Me, weird how you don't always notice those things. 

I am happy to say that since having Cohen I have lost about 22 of the 30 pounds I gained during pregnancy and I'm guessing that the gigantic boobs I've been forced to carry around the last three days may just account for a couple more pounds, so I'm nearly back to my starting point and I would like to lose another 25 to get where I really want to be, hmmm, maybe I snuck in one shiny little New Years resolution. :)

But, since I am not quite there I've had to wear some of the early maternity pants because my regular jeans don't fit yet and today, the little miss asked me why my butt is getting bigger. Wow! Someone hasn't learned to be delicate about such subjects. Matt though did reassure me that it was just the pants that looked bigger on my butt, not the other way around.

Visions of Sugar Plums Dance in My Head.

Well, I kind of owe someone an apology, not exactly sure who yet, but someone is probably due. Matt and I begrudgingly headed to the Health Department this morning and we were not prepared for what happened. I was already upset before we entered the building and basically told Matt, that he had to speak as I was already in tears. In my defense, I am 9 months pregnant and prone to emotional outbursts. So, this very nice girl tells us that she will squeeze us in on her break and we'll see if we can't get something. I'll spare all the boring details, but this amazing young girl whose only title was "Typist" is certainly much more deserving of a more inspiring title, maybe that of Goddess Representative on High, yeah, that's better. Whatever she did got not only Stella approved for MI Child - the very low monthly payment of $10/month with medical and dental which will allow her to continue going to the doctor in Plymouth that I absolutely love, but it also approved me for medicaid to fill in the blanks after I have Cohen and need all that follow up care, PLUS, she was able to qualify Cohen for the Healthy Kids program which is absolutely free!!!!! And, we were able to go back to Blue Cross Blue Shield, our beloved PPO. You do not know what it's like to go from having a PPO all your life to suddenly being thrust into the world of an HMO. I hated it and feel like I'm going home again. Before we left, both Matt and I hugged her and I told her that she had restored my faith in other people and I think I even called her honey, not like me, but I was again very emotional. So, needless to say, I finally feel like I am allowed to enjoy both this Christmas and the last few days we have as a family of three. Thank you again to our angel Nicole, you will never TRULY know what you've done for me and how I now trust other people with the things that are most important in my life. My hope is that someday I can do the same for someone else.

Merry Christmas!

It's A Marshmallow World In The Winter.

Well, the snow DID cover the ground, but most of our days go on as usual. All those lucky kiddies who don't have school today will be driving their parents nuts one day earlier than they would have. Took a couple photos of the yard and played with the color a bit, applied a Lomo Photo effect and then found a set of Vintage Photo Frame Brushes here to add a nice effect that so reminds me of the overexposed pictures my grandmother had in her collection of photographs that I was in love with. Feeling sort of blue today, but I always do when I miss my grandma. :( It's been 12.5 years, but she's never far from my thoughts, so this post is for your Margie!

An Amazing Gift.

Today when I opened my door to get the mail, there was a fluffy package there in that I was not expecting. But, I saw the name and knowing how talented this person is, I got so excited, I barely made time to put my other junk mail down. I ran to get something to open the package and what should be in there, but the most lovely little item I've ever seen, and it was all for me, well for Cohen anyway.It is the most absolutely loveliest little cozy sweater you ever did see. He is going to look so cute is this sweet little sweater. 

Sue, you are so talented and just once I want to hear you brag about how good you are at knitting and how you NEED to open a shop and how much people would just die to get ahold of the things you create. Please visit Sue's blog and encourage her to open some kind of shop where she can share all the beauty with others.

Sue, you are absolutely the best!

:)

The History of Halloween *aka* My Favorite Moments.

A recap of Halloween's past and present. Here is the little goobie as a goldfish for her second Halloween ever. Yup, I made the costume all with my own little hands. Felt was my medium for a few years.

Here is the Halloween for our first year in our new home. Actually we hadn't lived there for even a whole week by Halloween this year. Here she is Tinker Bell, well my felt covered version anyway. And of course an obligatory shot of her at the Pumpkin Patch with daddy.

This year right before Halloween, she fell off the porch and scraped her arm from wrist to elbow on a brick paver. "Ow!" It looks worse than it actually was because we only had really small band aids. I dubbed her Frankenstella for the next few days.

Daddy took her on a "Photo shoot" for a website he is creating. She is supposed to be the female, much younger, Woody Guthrie.

Yes, that is her guitar and yes those are Sponge Bob vinyl cling stickers on it.

Ah, the thankless job of a pumpkin carver. I was "busy" and didn't have to carve or get all gooey, that was her job.

Here are the treat boxes I created for her first class party. They are supposed to look like little monster with orange and green rice krispy treats on the inside. They came out pretty nice.

Here she is getting into costume for school. 

And, here she is on her costume parade around some of the hallways.