Aahhhhh....

OK the white on black was making my eyes bug out, so I switched it :) Now I need a new header, as the pink looks kinda wonky on the white...plus it's long since winter LOL

I have a gifty for you my faithful blog readers. You may have seen my latest ang greatest at Digital Freebies called Easter Dress, it has 2 pieces, clean and distressed, that both combined make up the mega kit. It has a 3rd piece, soon to be posted at Digital Freebies as this week's Friday Freebie, WHOO HOO! AND if that weren't enough, it actually has a 4th piece, VELLUM, which I am going to share here for a limited time :)

Here's the preview:



And here's the link: Click Me!
Hope you like it! Leave me a comment if you take it, and let me know when you use it! The usual things apply, tell your friends it's here, but don't share it with them. Don't alter it and call it yours. Don't upload it to a yahoo group to share. If you like it and want to share, send 'em here :)

Have a great weekend!

Someone does not like me today...

Piper has been giving me absolute hell going down for naps lately, mainly because she is no longer sleeping in our dark, cool bedroom, with humidifier making nice white noise, but in her bright, warm, silent room in her large crib. So I can't just put her to sleep and lean over and get her into her co-sleeper during the day anymore, I have to put her to sleep, walk her to the crib, put her in, put the side up. and walk out. Since she only sleeps in there for about 1.5 hrs during the day, but spends the whole night in our room in the cosleeper, the humidifier stays in there.

Yesterday, I didn't get her down for either of her naps. MIL ended up, after an hour of crying (Piper here at home, and me in my car going to work) getting her down for her morning nap. She wouldn't take her afternoon nap either.

Today, I got her down with minimal effort for her morning nap. Got her into the crib with only waking her for a few seconds.

and then


10 minutes later, the dog threw a fit outside at the Fed Ex guy (who was delivering...you guessed it, motorcycle parts!), AND 3 pans came crashing, unprompted by me, out of the cabinet, onto the stone kitchen floor.

WHAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH. She's up. And of course, she won't go back down.

So she's having quiet time in her crib with a few toys, so that mommy can cool off from idiot dog and idiot MIL (who precariously balanced a glass baking dish on top of 2 smaller metal pans in the cabinet yesterday when she insisted on doing my dishes...and not getting them clean....instead of playing with the baby)

Dan is out of town this week...so not only do I have to deal with MIL and her crap for my day classes, but also for my night classes this week...and I am going INSANE. It's bad enough I have to work when I don't want to. But to have to deal with MIL more often than normal is TORTURE! Especially when she WON'T LISTEN TO ME.

And especially after this weekend...

Last week MIL told me (after we lowered the crib mattress down) that I needed to lower it down to the lowest level because Piper could fall out. She is just barely shoulders above the rail...there is no way in God's Green Earth that she can fall out of the crib, unless she had something to stand on to boost herself up another at least 6 inches... So whatever I ignore her, because I know she can't fall out, and MIL has the common sense of a flea.

So sunday we are at her house for Easter. She invites everyone for 1pm, food is supposed to be ready for 2pm, food isn't out until 2:30 pm, and Piper's naptime is 3pm. She KNOWS Piper's naptime is 3pm because she is here every Tuesday and Thursday until 2:30, and tells me every day when I get home, that Piper is tired. So 3pm rolls around, and GUESS WHAT, Piper is tired. So I tell everyone I have to go home to put Piper down for a nap, and this is what MIL says

"Can't you just put her down to sleep on my bed?"

I swear, I almost killed her...standing right there in her kitchen in front of the whole family. Somehow, the CRIB, with mattress lowered one notch is not safe for her...but putting her to sleep on a 4 foot high bed with metal head and foot boards is??? Without rails, without sides, without a BABY MONITOR??? I FLIPPED! I said, um she can roll, crawl, pull up, and almost walk, you had an absolute coniption fit about me keeping her in the cosleeper, which has sides, and you want me to put her to sleep on your BED? NO. We are going home, and Piper is going to take a nap. And I left.

When DH came home (he took his motorcycle), I asked, So how long did your mom cry for after I left. 20 minutes was the answer. DH said, buy a crib, buy a playpen, give her a safe place to sleep if you want her to stay during her naptime. and she says "I didn't know I was supposed to buy a crib?" sob sob DH says you don't HAVE to buy a crib, but then we will have to leave when it is Piper's nap time. She says "So you'll stay longer if Piper has somewhere to sleep?" (OMG is she REALLY this dumb or is it an act???) "Yes mom, we'll be able to stay longer if Piper has somewhere safe to sleep. You will have to make a place for her to sleep, just like you made a place for Devlin and Amber (his nephew and niece) to sleep when they are at your house"

I swear, it is like dealing with a 5 year old most of the time. She has no common sense, no logical thought ability.

I came home from work last week and the house was STIFLING. It was SO HOT. It had gotten warm throughout the day, and she didn't have the sense enough to open the windows. We don't have central air, she knows that, neither do they, and when it gets hot, you open windows. But she couldn't figure that out. So she let it be hot in here, and left piper in long pants, long sleeved shirt, and socks.

5 more classes...5 more classes...5 more classes

and then I don't have to deal with this crap again until next january, when I have a day class again.

Calgon...

Everyday is yet another day

OK I have no clue what the title of this post means, but I couldn't come up with anything clever or witty to call it, so that will have to do.

Piper had her 9 month doctor's appointment today. She's right on track for weight, height, and head circumference. All her motor skills are on par for her age. The only concern is that she is not "babbling" yet. She ooohs and aahhhs but no bababa or dadada. The doctor (based on what we told her about Piper's behavior at home) doesn't think she has a hearing problem. So we're on hold for a month and a half, and if in that time she is still not babbling, they'll start doing some tests to see why her language development is delayed. I know they all say that all babies develop on their own pace, and she never has been a very vocal child, she was a very quiet baby since day one, but I still can't help but worry. Of course we will be ok with whatever happens, whether it's nothing, hearing impairment, or language impairment, what-have-you; but no matter who you are, you don't WANT anything to be wrong with your baby, and you hope against hope that nothing will be.

On monday, Piper discovered the water in her bathtub. It was the most interesting thing to witness. She has always loved her bath. She loves to kick and splash (me) and chew on her rubber duckie, and I guess in all this time, even with the kicking and splashing, she never REALLY noticed the water. So monday she saw it, sparkling from the bathroom light, and tried to grab it. She would try to lightly put her hand down on the surface of the water, as if it were solid, and then it would move, and she looked completely bewilldered. One of the best things about being a parent is getting to see things through your child's eyes. Watching her explore the water, try to put her hand flat on it, try to pick it up, put it in her mouth, was so amazing.

Things on the marriage front have been less than spectacular lately, I'm blaming it on work stress and depression...I'll see how far that takes me.

7 more class days plus the finals and I am DONE!!!!! Of course that takes me to mid May, but I'm almost there!

Off to put Pip to bed. Thanks for reading my ramblings :)

Lookit!

I'm famous! Well sort of: Melissa's Digi Picks of the Day

And this time I didn't even have to bribe her! (ok so I didn't REALLLLY bribe her the last time she picked my layout, I just respond to a request for Denise Docherty layouts...and lord knows I have those LOL)

Lots to tell and no time to tell it...later :)

hmmmm...

You Are Marcia Brady

Confident yet kind. Popular yet down to earth. You're a total dream girl. You've got the total package - no wonder everyone's a little jealous of you.

What Brady Are You?

hmmmmm....'nuff said...

Plumber, Snow, and Contractors...Oh My!

Still no plumber... a week and a half, and he still hasn't even called.

Last week on wednesday, it was 65 and sunny. Ania had gone to the beach. Today, it is cold and snowing...go figure... all my bulbs are coming up so boy oh boy do I hope it doesn't get TOO cold... I'd be really miffed

And the contractor.

I was joking about the 10 grand...I knew it was going to be more than that...

He came on monday night with his estimate...

Here's the back story. Previously we had 2 contractors come out and give us estimates on re-doing the basement. Putting wallboard up over the existing panelling, fixing the current ceiling, door on the laundry room. And both gave us estimates of 10 grand.

Todd, of Handyman -N- More, came out on monday with his officially typed estimate (separate copies for me, Dan, and himself)...oh boy I thought, here it comes.

Todd is going to tear down the existing walls, seal the concrete and any cracks, fix any existing framing problems, drywall with special mold/mildew resistant wallboard (he said this was made especially for bathrooms/damp areas...um...ok, OUR PLUMBER SUCKS! there's no special wallboard in our brand new bathroom...it's just plain wallboard), he's going to dig a trench around the perimeter of the basement so that any water that comes in will flow directly to the sump pump, tear down the existing drop ceiling and replace it, new doors, new trim, new gas stove to heat the basement, everything perfect...

For $9,000

He's going to tear off our existing roof and replace it, new soffetts, new gutters with special gutter guards, install a special venting thingie in the attic to release heat and help insulate the house, put in special thingies that filters melted snow off the roof appropriately, etc.

For $5,000


He's going to tear off the existing siding, re-insulate and re-side the whole house, including new shutters, and painting our plain concrete exposed chimney

For $7,000

Yep, our whole house redone top to bottom for $21,000. Our loan was approved for $40g. We talked and thought we could either take out less money, and have lower payments, or strike while the iron is hot (hosing market is up, interest rates are down and we are capable of getting a loan), and get the garage that Dan wants and the central air that I want too. Unfortunately Todd doesn't do central air, but he recommended someone that does, and Todd is coming out tonight to give us estimates on different types of garages.

The BEST thing about all of this...His work time frame was June 1-July 15. A new basement, a new roof, and new siding, in a month and a half! WHOOOO HOOOOOOOOO!

So true, once we sign the papers for the loan, there is NO WAY I can be a full time SAHM (until Dan gets a big raise LOL). BUT the whole house (pretty much) will be redone, the value will skyrocket, and we will have livable space again. YIPEEE!