Monday, January 24, 2011
Weeeeeeeeeee...
I guess someone, somewhere was listening. Today in the mail I get a flyer from IKEA: All Pax wardrobes 20% off! Time to go buy some closet doors!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Nesting-a-hoy!
I cannot believe how strongly the nesting urge has kicked in already this time around. I am possessed with the urge to fix up, decorate, clean and prettify every room in our house immediately. Never mind the fact that I don't have a) the energy b) the time c) the money do to this all right now. As with everything to do with this house, baby steps and a bit at a time. The priority on moving in was always fixing the roof and the electrical wiring, both of which were done (yay) last year, and of course re-doing Lexi's bedroom and buying her furniture (a generous gift from her grandparents). We always knew there was work to be done on this house and property upon buying it. The location, layout, the property itself and the work that HAD been done (new hardwood floors throughout, major kitchen and bathroom renos) were what sold us on this place. We were always willing to put work in to make it our own. Major work to be done still includes a total deck redo (hopefully to be done in the spring before bebe comes), some major landscaping out front, new paint, new carpet in the kiddie rooms (not til we get through the potty training years AT LEAST we figure) and adding a shower and/or tub to the downstairs bathroom to make it more guest friendly.
And so, I've started generating a list in my head (and now, for all the internet world to see, God help me) of all the "little" projects I'd like to have done over the next six months. Many are easily do-able, some a bit more ambitious. Here we go:
1) Jazz up the 2 upstairs bathrooms by adding some plants and art work on the walls (new towels, check)
2) New main light fixture for the kitchen (to replace the terrible fritzy track lighting that shuts off after exactly 1 hour and 20 minutes of being on) and have the back large burner on the oven fixed (curse you, previous owners)
3) Make some new throw/decorative cushions for both upstairs and downstairs sofas
4) Replace the GOD AWFUL window coverings in our room (I have a serious HATE ON for the hideous sage green organza-y curtains the previous owners covered everything in our bedroom with, including the closets, which are now exposed to the world). The high windows near the ceiling in our bedroom present a bit of a problem. Doug fashioned some cardboard covers to shove into there for now. We looked into motorized blinds, but they are expensive. Hmmm, will have to think about that one.
5) As mentioned above, buy some doors for our Pax wardrobes so my lingerie collection (as meager and tame as it is) is not exposed to the world. Willing to go second hand on these, so have been trolling Craigslist for months. If you see Pax stuff on sale at IKEA, please text me immediately!
6) Have hot tub fixed, but not until Uncle John can come and do it for a case of beer (and Mommy can actually sit in it). We had even made an appointment for a repairman to come to fix the tub in November so we could use it this winter, but then I found out I was preggers (and therefore wouldn't be able to use the tub until after the birth) so we decided to wait until either John could visit and fix it cheaper for us (as he just did a total rehaul of his own tub in Alberta) or pay someone to fix it later when we could both enjoy it.
7) Add a few finishing touches to Lexi's room including some homemade wall art, a new clock for her bedside table, and some curtain panels and valances for her windows
8) Change the towel racks/hardware in the bathrooms - in our ensuite they used a toilet paper roll holder as the hand towel rack, and it just doesn't work
9) Convert 2 downstairs "rooms" to a guest room and a storage/exercise room. We'll move the furniture from the current upstairs spare room downstairs, and we've been looking for secondhand weights/treadmill for the other room (which is how the previous owners were using it)
The big to-do this year of course will be re-doing the upstairs current "guest room" as bebe room. I once again shake my head at the previous owners. They had amazing taste when it comes to certain things (the hard wood brazilian cherry floors they had installed (expertly I might add) are stunning and must have run them a pretty penny). But then, as I've mentioned before, they have butchered every closet in this house, did NOT install fans in ANY of the 3 totally remodeled bathrooms (which they tiled ceiling to floor I might add), and have the most bizarre taste in window coverings I have ever seen.
So here are the pictures of how it currently looks. Don't ask me why in a room with 3 smallish and narrow windows, they decided to cover them with weirdo dark self fashioned panels that make the room even darker. I understand the choice of a neutral tan color for what was obviously a guest room for them (they only had 1 daughter), but this room just seems very boring and dead to me.
The carpet is in a bit of a state (a few odd stains, but it's good quality), but it's not worth replacing while the kids are young, so we will deal with it. These people also loooooved floating shelves (we removed at least 10 from Lexi's walls).
We will be reusing Lexi's nursery furniture (although I am less than thrilled with Storkcraft after Lexi's crib was recalled TWICE). I'm telling you people, NEVER buy Storkcraft. And the amazing Shermag gilder I scored for $100 off Craigslist when Lexi was a month old (and I spent MANY MANY hours rocking and nursing her in) will be a fixture as well. I'm leaning towards a turquoise, white and chocolate brown color theme for either gender, keeping the brown to an accent color to lighten up the dark room. I will kindly ask all my friends and relatives to not gift us with any more baby quilts or blankets for our new arrival. We were given at least 5 beautiful homemade quilts when Lexi was born, and plan to get use out of them again this time around.
This closet needs to be fixed as well. They divided it in half to make shelves on one side, hanging storage on the other. I'd like to see it back to to typical closet with hanging storage all the way across, maybe some storage at the bottom, and, gasp, normal CLOSING closet doors. I'll have to find another place to hang my wedding dress though (dang).
It looks like Lexi's first year scrapbook will FINALLY be finished very soon (I've been using my Cricut to cut out the lettering and only have a few more layouts to tackle before I'm finished), and I've started on making Valentine's cards with Lexi's help. So much to do, so little time...
And so, I've started generating a list in my head (and now, for all the internet world to see, God help me) of all the "little" projects I'd like to have done over the next six months. Many are easily do-able, some a bit more ambitious. Here we go:
1) Jazz up the 2 upstairs bathrooms by adding some plants and art work on the walls (new towels, check)
2) New main light fixture for the kitchen (to replace the terrible fritzy track lighting that shuts off after exactly 1 hour and 20 minutes of being on) and have the back large burner on the oven fixed (curse you, previous owners)
3) Make some new throw/decorative cushions for both upstairs and downstairs sofas
4) Replace the GOD AWFUL window coverings in our room (I have a serious HATE ON for the hideous sage green organza-y curtains the previous owners covered everything in our bedroom with, including the closets, which are now exposed to the world). The high windows near the ceiling in our bedroom present a bit of a problem. Doug fashioned some cardboard covers to shove into there for now. We looked into motorized blinds, but they are expensive. Hmmm, will have to think about that one.
5) As mentioned above, buy some doors for our Pax wardrobes so my lingerie collection (as meager and tame as it is) is not exposed to the world. Willing to go second hand on these, so have been trolling Craigslist for months. If you see Pax stuff on sale at IKEA, please text me immediately!
6) Have hot tub fixed, but not until Uncle John can come and do it for a case of beer (and Mommy can actually sit in it). We had even made an appointment for a repairman to come to fix the tub in November so we could use it this winter, but then I found out I was preggers (and therefore wouldn't be able to use the tub until after the birth) so we decided to wait until either John could visit and fix it cheaper for us (as he just did a total rehaul of his own tub in Alberta) or pay someone to fix it later when we could both enjoy it.
7) Add a few finishing touches to Lexi's room including some homemade wall art, a new clock for her bedside table, and some curtain panels and valances for her windows
8) Change the towel racks/hardware in the bathrooms - in our ensuite they used a toilet paper roll holder as the hand towel rack, and it just doesn't work
9) Convert 2 downstairs "rooms" to a guest room and a storage/exercise room. We'll move the furniture from the current upstairs spare room downstairs, and we've been looking for secondhand weights/treadmill for the other room (which is how the previous owners were using it)
The big to-do this year of course will be re-doing the upstairs current "guest room" as bebe room. I once again shake my head at the previous owners. They had amazing taste when it comes to certain things (the hard wood brazilian cherry floors they had installed (expertly I might add) are stunning and must have run them a pretty penny). But then, as I've mentioned before, they have butchered every closet in this house, did NOT install fans in ANY of the 3 totally remodeled bathrooms (which they tiled ceiling to floor I might add), and have the most bizarre taste in window coverings I have ever seen.
So here are the pictures of how it currently looks. Don't ask me why in a room with 3 smallish and narrow windows, they decided to cover them with weirdo dark self fashioned panels that make the room even darker. I understand the choice of a neutral tan color for what was obviously a guest room for them (they only had 1 daughter), but this room just seems very boring and dead to me.
The carpet is in a bit of a state (a few odd stains, but it's good quality), but it's not worth replacing while the kids are young, so we will deal with it. These people also loooooved floating shelves (we removed at least 10 from Lexi's walls).
We will be reusing Lexi's nursery furniture (although I am less than thrilled with Storkcraft after Lexi's crib was recalled TWICE). I'm telling you people, NEVER buy Storkcraft. And the amazing Shermag gilder I scored for $100 off Craigslist when Lexi was a month old (and I spent MANY MANY hours rocking and nursing her in) will be a fixture as well. I'm leaning towards a turquoise, white and chocolate brown color theme for either gender, keeping the brown to an accent color to lighten up the dark room. I will kindly ask all my friends and relatives to not gift us with any more baby quilts or blankets for our new arrival. We were given at least 5 beautiful homemade quilts when Lexi was born, and plan to get use out of them again this time around.
This closet needs to be fixed as well. They divided it in half to make shelves on one side, hanging storage on the other. I'd like to see it back to to typical closet with hanging storage all the way across, maybe some storage at the bottom, and, gasp, normal CLOSING closet doors. I'll have to find another place to hang my wedding dress though (dang).It looks like Lexi's first year scrapbook will FINALLY be finished very soon (I've been using my Cricut to cut out the lettering and only have a few more layouts to tackle before I'm finished), and I've started on making Valentine's cards with Lexi's help. So much to do, so little time...
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
BLAAAAAH
We've all got the flu. It sucks. It sucks especially bad when you are pregnant and can't take anything stronger than tylenol. Lexi seemed to bounce back quickly after a day of fever and malaise. Doug's been battling it since Sunday morning, and I thought I was in the clear (phew) until this morning when I woke up with the hacking cough and full body aches and headache. Ick.
On a brighter note, I wanted to say I have solved some of my maternity clothes problems! I attended my first clothing swap on Friday night and it was fabulous. There were about 7 ladies there, and everyone brought a bag of clothes that they no longer wanted. Two of the ladies brought big piles of their maternity clothes, as well as one who offered up her 'maternity-ish' non-mat clothes she wore while pregnant. I think I'm set until July. Thanks ladies!
Time to go make a cup of tea and turn up a heat a bit more (again).
On a brighter note, I wanted to say I have solved some of my maternity clothes problems! I attended my first clothing swap on Friday night and it was fabulous. There were about 7 ladies there, and everyone brought a bag of clothes that they no longer wanted. Two of the ladies brought big piles of their maternity clothes, as well as one who offered up her 'maternity-ish' non-mat clothes she wore while pregnant. I think I'm set until July. Thanks ladies!
Time to go make a cup of tea and turn up a heat a bit more (again).
Saturday, January 8, 2011
For the Love of God...WHY?
WHY are maternity clothes so freakin' ugly?
Let's face it - pregnancy can be a rough time on a woman's body. Your body is literally changing on a weekly basis when pregnant. Yes, it's a miracle and beautiful to be growing a baby inside you, but tell that to my hormonal breakouts, swollen sore boobs, and growing belly. It's definitely NOT a time when I feel my best (and that's when I'm not even hanging over the toilet dry heaving).
That being said, I do believe a pregnant woman proudly showing off her baby bump is beautiful. Too often, I see these bumps swaddled in ill-fitting, oversized stripped t-shirts and baggy pants borrowed from their guys. I recently got into watching MadMen on Netflix, and I literally cringed at the maternity clothes these women were wearing - all empire waisted pastel dresses with big bows on the bellies or huge mumus in ghastly prints (never mind cringing at the fact that these women all smoked like chimneys and drank like fish while knocked up back in the 60s - it's a miracle that any of us turned out normal!)
To be fair, I have seen some cute maternity clothes around. A Pea in a Pod (under the Motherhood umbrella, but only available in the States) has some cute things, including lines designed by Heidi Klum (the always uber-gorgeous pregnant momma) and Nicole Ritchie, but most of the things are pricey, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna spend $60 on a T-shirt I will only wear for 6 months! Plus I have to drive to the States to buy them. We have Motherhood Maternity (usually cheaply made) and Thyme Maternity (OK, but still a lot of polyester and too drapey tops). I bought most of my maternity clothes for Lexi from Thyme, and most of the stuff I wouldn't consider cheap ($70 for a pair of khakis with the full belly panel, which were my favs).
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you want to look at it), none of my pants from last time are fitting me, as I was about 5-7 pounds heavier when I got pregnant with Lexi. So I'm looking at getting my hands on some new mat pants.
I've tried Craigslist - mostly average stuff like I already have, or ladies trying to unload their designer maternity jeans for still more than I'm willing to pay (but I will admit I've seriously considered it). I do have one pair of expensive jeans (non-maternity) that I adore, and nothing makes my butt look so good as well made jeans. So this might be something I'd be willing to consider down the road, but not yet, and not at the $200 price tag most new pairs are running.
I'm a big fan of the beg, borrow and steal from friends theory. I've already been generously lent at least 2 bags of clothes from my best friends (one who is finished with having children, so I've been instructed to 'share the wealth' when I'm finished). There are some gems in there, including a sweater I've been living in from H&M Momma and 2 pairs of khaki capris that I'll no doubt be living in come June.
My tops (the ones I haven't deemed hideous) from last time will go back into rotation again, but to be honest, I'm going to try to get away with as much regular clothes as possible. I tried my Belly Band (which is supposed to allow you to wear your regular pants unbuttoned) but I find it too tight and reminds me of being sucked into Spanx underwear for my friend's wedding which I participated in 4 weeks post partum (only for you Jess, only for you). I'm so thankful that long Ts and tanks and tunics and leggings are in style right now. And I'm fortunate that in my profession it's acceptable to show up to work in casual clothes (but if I'm wearing "active wear" I always wear nice looking stuff - no ratty sweatpants here folks!)
For now, I'm living in my one-size-up "fat" jeans, my Lulu II pants from Lululemon and my extra long T-shirts. Here's the 12 week bump pic.
Oh, and if a pregnant lady asks you how she looks, the only appropriate answer is "fabulous."
Let's face it - pregnancy can be a rough time on a woman's body. Your body is literally changing on a weekly basis when pregnant. Yes, it's a miracle and beautiful to be growing a baby inside you, but tell that to my hormonal breakouts, swollen sore boobs, and growing belly. It's definitely NOT a time when I feel my best (and that's when I'm not even hanging over the toilet dry heaving).
That being said, I do believe a pregnant woman proudly showing off her baby bump is beautiful. Too often, I see these bumps swaddled in ill-fitting, oversized stripped t-shirts and baggy pants borrowed from their guys. I recently got into watching MadMen on Netflix, and I literally cringed at the maternity clothes these women were wearing - all empire waisted pastel dresses with big bows on the bellies or huge mumus in ghastly prints (never mind cringing at the fact that these women all smoked like chimneys and drank like fish while knocked up back in the 60s - it's a miracle that any of us turned out normal!)
To be fair, I have seen some cute maternity clothes around. A Pea in a Pod (under the Motherhood umbrella, but only available in the States) has some cute things, including lines designed by Heidi Klum (the always uber-gorgeous pregnant momma) and Nicole Ritchie, but most of the things are pricey, and I'll be damned if I'm gonna spend $60 on a T-shirt I will only wear for 6 months! Plus I have to drive to the States to buy them. We have Motherhood Maternity (usually cheaply made) and Thyme Maternity (OK, but still a lot of polyester and too drapey tops). I bought most of my maternity clothes for Lexi from Thyme, and most of the stuff I wouldn't consider cheap ($70 for a pair of khakis with the full belly panel, which were my favs).
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you want to look at it), none of my pants from last time are fitting me, as I was about 5-7 pounds heavier when I got pregnant with Lexi. So I'm looking at getting my hands on some new mat pants.
I've tried Craigslist - mostly average stuff like I already have, or ladies trying to unload their designer maternity jeans for still more than I'm willing to pay (but I will admit I've seriously considered it). I do have one pair of expensive jeans (non-maternity) that I adore, and nothing makes my butt look so good as well made jeans. So this might be something I'd be willing to consider down the road, but not yet, and not at the $200 price tag most new pairs are running.
I'm a big fan of the beg, borrow and steal from friends theory. I've already been generously lent at least 2 bags of clothes from my best friends (one who is finished with having children, so I've been instructed to 'share the wealth' when I'm finished). There are some gems in there, including a sweater I've been living in from H&M Momma and 2 pairs of khaki capris that I'll no doubt be living in come June.
My tops (the ones I haven't deemed hideous) from last time will go back into rotation again, but to be honest, I'm going to try to get away with as much regular clothes as possible. I tried my Belly Band (which is supposed to allow you to wear your regular pants unbuttoned) but I find it too tight and reminds me of being sucked into Spanx underwear for my friend's wedding which I participated in 4 weeks post partum (only for you Jess, only for you). I'm so thankful that long Ts and tanks and tunics and leggings are in style right now. And I'm fortunate that in my profession it's acceptable to show up to work in casual clothes (but if I'm wearing "active wear" I always wear nice looking stuff - no ratty sweatpants here folks!)
For now, I'm living in my one-size-up "fat" jeans, my Lulu II pants from Lululemon and my extra long T-shirts. Here's the 12 week bump pic.
Oh, and if a pregnant lady asks you how she looks, the only appropriate answer is "fabulous."
Monday, January 3, 2011
2011
I hope everyone had a happy and safe New Years. We had a quiet night in with our friends Kim, Sean and Abby which included good food, some Guitar Hero and Super Mario on the Wii, and just making it til midnight before we all wanted to crash.
I normally don't make major New Year's Resolutions, and especially don't make ones to lose weight because a) I usually abandon them by the end of January, and b) I don't feel you need to wait until January 1st to make positive changes in your life. I did make one good resolution years ago to floss my teeth more, and I'm happy (as our my teeth) to say I have stuck with that one. In the spirit of positive change, I am keeping a couple of things in mind this year:
1) Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, buying as local and organic as possible.
2) Limit the use of products with parabens in them. While there has been no major hard and fast evidence that they are toxic to humans, the links between them and cancer, especially breast cancer, are too serious to ignore. And like bisphenol A from a couple years ago, I would not be surprised if it is declared toxic in Canada in the next few years. Since breast cancer (as well as colon) runs in my family, I'll do whatever I can to reduce my risk. While on the topic, I want to give a shout out to my Aunt Liz, who is now 10 years cancer free in remission from breast cancer! Hooray!
I have already started using some paraben free cosmetics, such as BareMinerals mineral make-up and Ole Henriksen face moisturizer. I am excited begin using the LiveClean Baby Products for both Lexi and the new addition to our family.
I'll try to get a free pictures and videos from Christmas up in the next few days. Now that I'm in my 12th week, dare I say that I'm starting to feel a bit better and get a bit of energy back. Today I'm going to tackle a fridge clean out and try to clean out my closet (as well as Lexi's) in anticipation for a clothing swap I'm going to attend in a couple of weeks.
For now, enjoy this picture of Lexi in her new paintable rain boots (and all her glory too of course). Feel free to comment - any changes you plan on making in 2011?
I normally don't make major New Year's Resolutions, and especially don't make ones to lose weight because a) I usually abandon them by the end of January, and b) I don't feel you need to wait until January 1st to make positive changes in your life. I did make one good resolution years ago to floss my teeth more, and I'm happy (as our my teeth) to say I have stuck with that one. In the spirit of positive change, I am keeping a couple of things in mind this year:
1) Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, buying as local and organic as possible.
2) Limit the use of products with parabens in them. While there has been no major hard and fast evidence that they are toxic to humans, the links between them and cancer, especially breast cancer, are too serious to ignore. And like bisphenol A from a couple years ago, I would not be surprised if it is declared toxic in Canada in the next few years. Since breast cancer (as well as colon) runs in my family, I'll do whatever I can to reduce my risk. While on the topic, I want to give a shout out to my Aunt Liz, who is now 10 years cancer free in remission from breast cancer! Hooray!
I have already started using some paraben free cosmetics, such as BareMinerals mineral make-up and Ole Henriksen face moisturizer. I am excited begin using the LiveClean Baby Products for both Lexi and the new addition to our family.
I'll try to get a free pictures and videos from Christmas up in the next few days. Now that I'm in my 12th week, dare I say that I'm starting to feel a bit better and get a bit of energy back. Today I'm going to tackle a fridge clean out and try to clean out my closet (as well as Lexi's) in anticipation for a clothing swap I'm going to attend in a couple of weeks.
For now, enjoy this picture of Lexi in her new paintable rain boots (and all her glory too of course). Feel free to comment - any changes you plan on making in 2011?
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