70,000 miles ago....

On my errands out tonight, I looked down to notice that my car had just hit 90,000 miles.  Of course I had to pull over & snap a quick pic, 'cause I am a nerd :)  (See - the speedometer is safely at 0mph - learned that lesson trying to get a 60,000 pic :P).

When I bought my car, it had just under 20,000 miles on it.  So I got to thinking....where has 70,000 miles taken me?

• At 20,000 miles:
• I had a different last name
• I was 6 months out of college, working my first job at Target, and had just earned my first promotion.
• My sister and I had an apartment.  In Independence.  We were so cool (and really, really stupid! LOL!)
• I had just started dating someone.  My first grown-up relationship. 
• I got a puppy.  A little rascal named Stanley.
• At 30,000 miles I moved across town into my own apartment.  Behind K-Mart on Bannister.  (I really don't know why my dad ever let me live alone in those places!  I cringe driving past now!)
• At 35,000 miles
• I became an aunt for the first time :)  JoJo and I took rides around town when I would babysit him.
• Stanley had to find a new home :(  He HATED kids, and I couldn't risk him biting my nephew.  He found a great place though, with some people who love him a lot and spoil him to pieces!
• At 40,000 miles I got Miss Lucy :)
• At 50,000 miles, I got engaged....but broke it off at 55,000 :(
• Got new tires!!!
• At 60,000 miles, I met DH.  The car actually hit 60,000 the weekend before I met him.  That's when I tried to take that 60,000 mile pic....pretty stupid move when you are still driving (yep, lesson learned, and no one/no objects were hurt in the taking of that pic).  
• At 75,000 miles we got married :)
• And now, at 90,000 miles, we are expecting our first little one.

By the time 100,000 gets here, I will have a little buddy riding around with me everywhere.  Kind of weird to think about, but pretty cool too :)

Whirlwind

The past few days have been HECTIC!  Fun, but crazy :)

Wednesday we went out to a local jazz club with some friends for dinner.  I was skeptical since that's not really my thing, but I know DH loves it.  It ended up being a lot of fun. 

Thursday we went to the casino for our friend's 30th birthday party.  It was the first time DH has been to a casino - it was too funny watching him.  We got $20 cash, and played the $.01 poker machines.  At one point we were up $11 (LOL), but we just played it all out.  For about 3 hours worth of entertainment, it was fun.  I actually made it to about midnight :)  That's pretty good for me now, considering I like to go to bed about 9pm.

Friday was Christmas with my family.  My mom was fine - surprisingly enough.  We had a good time, and had fun watching the kids with their presents.  DH and I got our first baby gift - a frame for the ultrasound photo (which hopefully we get in about 2 more days!!). 

Saturday was Christmas with DH's family.  Everyone was there, which was really nice.  SIL is still doing really well and not on bedrest yet.  She is really hoping to make it until after the 1st of the year.  If she does, that would put her almost 7 weeks past the date they told her to originally prepare to go on bedrest.  The babies are doing really well - there are 2 boys and 2 girls (Caleb, Elijah, Abigail, and Elizabeth).  Its going to be so much fun to have so many little ones around! Then Saturday night we ran back to my parent's house to see my grandparents (all three were there!), and we got to tell them about the LO.

And today, we had church, and then another family dinner at MIL's house.

Tomorrow - I am sleeping in, and not going anywhere.  I just want to clean my house, do some laundry, and relax at home. 

Moving on....

I can't control how my mom acts.  I can only control how I react to her.  Lesson learned: don't tell mom ANYTHING until the whole world can know.  Lesson two: if she asks about the IL's, politely tell her that our interactions with them are none of her business, and its inappropriate to ask.

DH is really shook up about the whole thing.  My littlest brother is 18, and thinks he's bad-ass.  So he sent my DH some vulgar/threatening texts.  LOL, not like the kid could ever follow through on any of it.  I told him to stay out of issues that were not his, but of course to an 18-yr old, everything is his business.  So now DH is worried that DB will start something at Christmas.  My take?  Eh, let him.  DH is not going to fight him or anything like that - we would just get up & leave.  Got to love 18-yr olds and how they know everything....especially that little drama queen.

Oh well.  As far as I am concerned the issue with my mom is over.  Lessons learned, people forgiven, lets move on.  Things won't ever be the same, but we can all go forward.  I sent her a couple fun texts today to see how she was doing, and she replied like everything was fine.  Works for me.

------------------------------------------------------

Last night I woke up at 3am, CRAVING garlic bread.  I could taste it...I was dreaming about it...I HAD TO HAVE GARLIC BREAD!  Then I saw the clock & realized it was 3am, and there was no way I could get it that late.  I almost started to cry!!  LOL, it was pretty funny.  So after work I went to the store to get some (since I thought about it all day long).  I also wanted some juice - but I could not make up my mind on what kind to get.  So, I got:

Orange Juice
Apple Cider
Egg Nog
Cranberry Juice (x2)
Ginger Ale
Milk

DH just made fun of me as he brought everything in.  Other than the cranberry juice, I got the smaller sizes so I wouldn't be wasting anything.  The juice is fine for awhile as long as its un-opened.  I already had 2 giant glasses tonight :)  I also bought a TON of oranges and grapes, and that's what I ate for dinner.  I swear, this kid LOVES oranges.  Its the one thing I can always eat no matter how I feel.

Only 8 more days until the next appointment!!  I am still not too excited about this pregnancy yet (not that I am upset or anything - just not really sinking in yet).  I hope seeing/hearing the LO helps.  And, I only have 2.5 work days left until Christmas break!!

Guilt Trips

At church my mom completely ignored me.  That's actually what I was hoping for, because the last thing I wanted was to have a discussion right there.  But this afternoon she called.  She started crying, and said she was sorry.  I told her that I can forgive her, but the trust is broken.  Which made her cry even more.  And then she hung up on me.

When she called back 15 minutes later, DH answered the phone.  He told her that we forgive her, but he is still upset about the way she disregarded our direct request.  We could care less about the photos - its the fact that the photos showed us that she had disrespected what we had clearly asked her to not do. 

In both conversations, neither DH or I ever raised our voices, or said anything more harsh than "we are hurt by what you did".  My mom started crying, because that's what she does.  Maybe she really does feel bad...who knows.  My mom asked DH if he would dare to speak to his own mom like that.  His response?  I would if I had to.  She then asked why everyone else got to be excited about the baby, but she was not allowed to (another guilt-trip play).  We kept telling her over & over this has NOTHING to do with DH's parents, and it was completely inappropriate to bring them up at all in the conversation. 

And now the mean texts have started from my little brother.  All he sees is that Sarah & DH "yelled" at mom, and now mom is crying.  He has no idea what the real issue is, and he does not need to.  Its not his business.  But he's trying to make it his business.

Merry Freaking Christmas. 


So not looking forward to Christmas Eve.  AT ALL.

Time to eat better

I have been slacking quite a bit on eating healthy lately. I hardly ever eat at McDonalds, but right now I CRAVE cheeseburgers like nobody's business (seriously, from what I have seen on the pregnancy board, their food is like the nectar of the gods for preggos :P)!! But, its really, REALLY not good for me, at all. And its definitely not good for LO (btw - we still need a good nickname...DH keeps shooting down all my ideas). My food aversions are starting to subside, so I guess now is the time to get back on track.

I am trying to find some good resources on organic foods. To be honest, I am not sure I quite buy into all the hype. I know there are items where it definitely makes a difference, and there are items where it does not matter as much. I have been slacking on the GF diet now that it does not make me as sick right now, but I am noticing that I don't feel as well when I do eat gluten-containing items.

Of course, just googling for information brings back more than I can wade through. I can find one site that says I should never eat anything but purely organic, and then find another that says its all bunk. Does anyone have reputable, un-biased sources to recommend?  I already watched Food, Inc, and it made me never want to eat again (until I passed by McDs & had to run in for two cheeseburgers :P)

Home alone :(

DH got up this morning at 4am to leave for his business trip. Even though he tried to be quiet, I still woke up. He came in the room to tell me goodbye & I just started bawling. Cried for a good 30 minutes. Oh geez! I am NOT an emotional person usually - most of the time I cry when I get really, really, REALLY mad, and then it makes me even more mad that I am crying. But now it seems like just about anything can make me cry :(

I hate being here by myself now. I have gotten too used to DH being around. So my little bro is coming to camp out at my place tonight :) Not sure what we are going to do, but it should be fun. My parents don't have cable, so I think he will enjoy getting to watch TV when I zonk out at 9pm too :)

The nausea is more infrequent now, which is great. The round-ligament pains have started. O.U.C.H!! I rolled over in my sleep & just had sharp, shooting stabbing pains. It woke me up & I started crying (LOL, of course I did). I can still button one pair of jeans, but have resorted to using rubber bands for the other pairs. I have a feeling I am just going to explode :(

Work is going ok, but I am having the hardest time concentrating on what I need to get done. I have a bunch of curriculum updates to do. It is by far the least favorite part of my job. I detest it. So I have put it off as long as possible. Now I have 4 working days left this year to get it all completed & sent out to the print shop. And yet...I keep finding more reasons to put it off. If I don't get with it, I am going to have to bring home my laptop & work through my "vacation" time :( I do this every time we have a class. You would think I could have learned my lesson by now. Maybe I am just hoping that I can transition over to the new position permanently & not have to do training any more :P That would be great!

Good signs

I just got Wednesdays test results back. All completely normal. We are not out of the woods yet, but it has me pretty hopeful that this little one will stick around for another 33 weeks or so :)

And, I only have one hour left until I can go take a nice long nap :) Yesterday during my nap I dreamed I was eating chocolate chip cookies on the beach. Weird, but better than a scary dream I guess :)

I got caught!

Well, one of my co-workers was pretty quiet & popped into my cube to ask me something.  I was wearing my sea bands & didnt have enough time to pull my sleeves down.  I can't lie worth anything, so when she asked me I admited to it.  Guess I am going to have to spill the beans there soon, before the rumor mill does it for me!

I had the Dr appointment today.  I couldnt' remember which office I was supposed to go to, so I called before I left for the appointment (bet you can guess where this is going).  Of course I showed up at the wrong office!  So then I had to rush across town to the other one.  Luckily the nurse was really nice about it & still fit me in, even though I am pretty sure it made her short on her lunch break.  Whew!

They drew blood, and they are running the normal tests plus a couple extras just to make sure things are looking like they are supposed to.  I got all kinds of info, vitamin samples, and even pre-registration forms for the hospital.  They asked me to pick which one of the two I wanted to deliver at.  Talk about being put on the spot!  My sister has delivered at each one, so I guessed the one that I thought was the nicest.  I can always change my mind later.  That one just really threw me for a loop.

I begged & pleaded for an early u/s, but it is a no-go :(  I have to wait a whole 20 days before I get the first one :P.  I should be almost 11 weeks by then, so that will be a great time to take a peek anyway. 

Other than the nausea, things are ok.  Sleeping is a crap-shoot.  Sometimes I sleep well, others I toss & turn all night long.  Which makes the next day that much worse.  My belly is already pudging out a bit :(  My sister kept a bunch of clothes for me, but she's about 4 inches shorter than I am, so the pants won't help out much.  I did get a Be-Band though, so I hope that helps extend the pre-preg wardrobe a bit longer. 

In other news, check out my SIL & BIL on the local news!  Honestly, I am half-expecting the Dr to tell me we are having twins.  And that seems completely manageable right now!  LOL.

Blech...

I had to tell my boss today.  The m/s is hitting pretty bad, and it was pointless for me to try to stay at work.  Since I have no idea how long it will go on, I just decided to tell her now.  She was happy, and promised to keep the secret.  And, she let me take sick time instead of burning vacation.  Works for me!

Now if I could just keep something down besides vanilla wafers.  Its such a weird thing - it makes me happy that I am so sick because it means I am still pregnant for now, but I really could do without the mind-numbing nausea.

Stocking up on diapers?

Ok, so DH won't let me stock up on diapers yet.  Ughghg, its the best deal I have seen since I started couponing, but whatever :P  I would want to stock up even if I wasn't preggo, LOL!  So I am "helping" SIL out by stocking up for her.  Actually, she is helping me out by letting me go crazy & shop, and then she gets the dipes ;)

I got 2 boxes of Pamper's today at CVS (P&G Buy $30, get $10, they are 19.99 each).  After coupons, that one came out to $14 OOP.  Not too shabby, but I've seen better.  So I didn't want to run it again if I could find something better. 

And I hit the jackpot!  Walgreens is having a KILLER diaper deal right now.  Their brand is on sale BOGO (never happens!).  Also, it qualifies for the holiday promotion (Buy $5 when you buy $25, 10/50, 15/75, 20/100).  So I bought:

6 packages of diapers = $50.94
-BOGO sale = $25.47 + tax
Got $10 RR back!

That comes out to about $3/pack.  WOW!  That's a rock-bottom price for sure.  I did one transaction for SIL, and she's going to go do several this week.  I am betting she buys them in lots of 12 though to get stocked up, with so many little ones to buy for! 

DAMN IT!!

Forget signing up for cable.  Between DH and I, we have spent 4 hours on the phone talking to customer service.  We got a Cyber Monday deal, or so we thought.  Apparently something happened to our order, and today we got an email saying they could not process our order.  So we call in, and because the deal was only  on Monday, they won't honor it anymore.  WHAT?!?!?!

Forget it.  I am so pissed right now!  Of course it was too good of a deal to be true.  Maybe this is how they get around the great prices - they don't actually offer them :(  Its been such a freaking nightmare to talk to them.  First one company, and then they were actually just servicing a plan from another company, so we waited for 45 minutes on hold to get transferred over to the other company.  Now DH is talking (took the phone from me :( ) and trying to work out a deal. 

Ughgh. 

Picking up where I left off

Well, it looks like I need to get back into the swing of things with CVS/Walgreens.  They have amazing deals on diapers & baby stuff, and its even better when paired with EBs.  So I am making an effort to ramp it up with the money-making deals & rebates.  I know at CVS if I stock up on diapers, but we end up needing to trade them out for different sizes, they will let me do that with all the un-opened packages. 

We got the couch out of DH's room (soon to be baby's room) last night.  YAY!  We just re-arranged and put his desk against the far wall, and left a spot where the crib will be.  Eventually we will get rid of the desk, but the couch was my first priority. 

I came up with a couple goals for us for next year:

1. $4000 - My main goal is to get 6 weeks worth of pay banked for maternity leave.  I can get up to 8 weeks paid out from my sick time (I know - I am amazingly lucky to get that).  But I want to take the full 12 weeks & not burn all my vacation, so we will need to save up. 

2. $1000 - I went through my insurance back when we had to sign up, so as long as baby & I get to come home on the same day, we get covered by the same deductible ($500).  If separate days, that's another $500.

3. $1000 - Trip to NM with the baby to see great-grandpa (DH's grandpa) - October-ish.  DH and his grandpa are super close, and his grandpa is 95 yrs old.  Its really important for DH to take the baby "home" to meet grandpa as soon as possible.  This is a pretty high estimate, but should cover everything including hotel for at least a week. 

4. $2000 - Work daycare into our budget.  Still not sure what we will do, but it looks like we should plan on at least $1000/month to cover the high-end.  As long as we can swing that, then we should be fine no matter what option we go for.  I have enough vacation time to work part-time for two months, but still get paid full-time (like take every Friday or Monday as vacation).  That should help out too.

Quick, frugal dinner options

Work is picking up like it always does at the end of the year.  I have put in 20 hours in the last 2 days.  Oh well, I guess I will earn that vacation time at Christmas when I get to take it!!  My little bro came down with the flu, and now I think DH and I are getting sick too :(

I am trying to come up with quick, frugal, fairly healthy dinner options.  Lately I have been going into work early & coming home late, so by the time I get home I am too exhausted to do anything or come up with a good dinner (see last night's horrid attempt at something edible!).  So I went browsing on Kraft recipes for some ideas.

For anyone who actually cooks, I am sure the "recipes" there are abhorrent.  But for me, someone who HATES to cook, they are wonderful!!  Most have 6 ingredients or less.  A lot of them include pre-made stuff (dressing, ShakeNBake mix, etc), but that works for me at the moment.  I can choose some healthier options there, make some substitutions, and know that its better for me than eating McDonald's every night.  I mean, it has to be, right?

So here's what's looking good for dinner the rest of this week.  Lots of chicken, because we have it on-hand already & we need to work through that first.


Chicken in creamy pan sauce - will probably spice it up, but looks good.  Serve with some veggies :)
Crispy baked pesto chicken - YUM.  Maybe serve this with some pasta!
Fried chicken - serve with some mashed potatoes & corn.  I like the idea of marinading the chicken in the ranch dressing.  Sounds pretty yummy!

I have a 3-ring notebook & some page protectors.  I plan to print out the recipes we like, and put them in there for easy reference.  That way DH can help out too!  He hates cooking even more than I do, so the easier I can make this process the better.

Hmm....have you gathered that we really just dislike cooking around here?  Anyone want to trade chores?  I will come do laundry & scrub your tub if you just make me dinner every night!!!  :)

We broke down...

and got cable.  After 3 years without it, I was doing fine.  DH - not so much.  Its really just the past couple of weeks that he has been asking more & more about it since he loves to watch his football games.  We got a Cyber Monday deal through AT&T (pretty sure its still going on, they just sent us the email yesterday).  We got cable & changed our internet.  After we cancel Netflix, it only comes out to $5 more per month.  That works for me!

Right now all the finances are in a jumble, but hopefully after the 1st of the year we can get it straightened out.  DH gets paid on Friday, which is awesome!  Its not that I don't care anymore, but I just figure they are going to work out the way they work out.  Spending 3 years stressing about it all the time didn't get things done any faster .

Right now I am just tired.  All the time.  Dinner always sounds horrible.  Last night I put together whatever looked good - tater tots, refried beans, bacon, cheese, and jalapenos.  Seriously, that's what I ate.    I think this is going to be an interesting adventure, that's for sure!

WOW!

Holy Mood Swings, Batman!  All I can say is that DH and the pup are staying clear - and that's fine with me!!

I ran to the store after church today.  Got all the things we needed for the week & got ready to check out - except I didn't have my wallet :(  DH had taken it out yesterday to do something, and didn't put it back.  He put it on the coffee table by me, but I guess I missed it.  So I jumped out of line & tried to call him.  5 missed calls later, I just left.  So so so embarrassing .  Now he is mad because he wanted some of the stuff for lunch.  I told him he was free to go back out to the store, but that means he would miss out on his football games.  Well, I am not going back!!  Now he's sulking & I am heating up leftovers.

I think I need a nap.

Change is good :)

I changed up the background & header a bit to reflect my new change in perspective.  Its a bit bright, but a lot more cheery than all those stuffy dollar bills!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

DH and I are enjoying the Macy's parade while I prep the dishes for the big meal at mom's.  Nothing like the smell of boiling sweet potatoes at 8am!!  :)

I changed the way I am joining the squares on my blanket.  The first way was easy, but it left the whole thing kind of crooked.  I wouldn't mind so much if it was just for me, but I couldn't give it as a gift.  So I found this method for joining (I think this is a much more common method), and its turning out well.

 

Its still a little crooked, but I think that's just the nature of the work.  Hopefully once I get it washed & dried it will straighten out a bit more.  My MIL misses her home in NM a lot, so I thought I would do a blanket in the colors of NM to cheer her up while its -2 degrees here :)  Also, its a granny square blanket - and she's about to be a granny :)

Oops!

I ran out of yarn 1/2 way through the blanket.  I thought it would be easy to get some to match - except the apparently don't sell the same kind anymore!  Bah...I bought new yarn and started over. 

DH and I went out to dinner to celebrate that he got a big case closed.  Also, his big campaign should start paying off by next July at the latest.  Perfect timing :)

Not too much is going on here.  I have this whole next week off work, which will be awesome.  It will be good to just relax and not have to go to work!  I am hoping to get all of our Christmas shopping done this next week.  We will see.

Having fun :)

I got a big stack of grocery ads today.  And they are just sitting on my table.  I don't feel obligated to spend 3 hours matching up the ads and coupons.  YAY!

I am working on MIL's blanket.  Its a granny-square blanket.  So far I have 19 of the 42 squares done.  Not too bad.  I am attaching them in rows as I go.  I found this method online, and so far its been super easy.   It really helps keep my pattern organized too.  And now that they are in strips, its easier to lay out on the table to make sure its turning out the way I want.  I need to go get 4 more skeins of yarn, and I should be good to go.  I was able to start with what I already had on-hand, so I am counting those materials as "free".

Annie - I am using the Caron Simply Soft yarn, and I love it!  So much better than the Red Heart stuff (I seriously dislike that yarn!).  Turns out its Walmart's new brand too!

I need to find some fun patterns for easy baby blankets & hats.  I want to make small ones for their isoletes when they are born, and then bigger ones they can have at home.  I need to find some easy patterns - not sure I have the time or desire to do something too complicated right now. 

In not so-fun news, we had to take DH's car in today.  It started making some funny noises & cutting out.  The good part is that it only cost us $75 to get it fixed.  Apparently it burns oil, and was down to almost none at all.  But since its a "high performance" car, the oil is EXPENSIVE for it.  Oh well.  At least its taken care of.  We have swapped cars almost every day, and it is saving us a lot of money on gas.  My car takes $25-30 to fill up, and will go 300+ miles on a tank.  DH's takes $45, and goes about 250 miles.  When he drives 15 miles to work, and lots of driving around during the day, it makes a lot of sense for him to drive the more fuel efficient car. 

I am interested in seeing this month's gas bill.  We have only had the furnace on for 2 whole days since Nov 1.  We turn it on for a couple of hours, enough to heat up the house, and then it goes back off again.  We have been making it 3-4 days between furnace runs!  I know this won't last too much longer, but with the warm weather this weekend we can eek out a few more days.