Thursday thoughts

play along with Sar today...

[1]

we watched a video of a vaginal birth in our birth class on Tuesday night. I've seen one before (my 11 year old brother's), so nothing about the process really shocked me. what DID surprise me was how emotional I felt watching that baby being placed on his mother's chest. I had to stop myself from bursting into uncontrollable sobs and embarrassing myself in front of a room of strangers. I cannot wait to have that moment with Ronin.

[2]

baby LBL's nursery makes me happy. I want to live there. he/she is a lucky little baby to have such handy parents! I'm so excited for Cole & Jus and can't wait to "meet" their little bundle.

[3]

I changed my mind on the bedding for Ronin's room. after finding sheets at Pottery Barn Kids for MUCH less than most Etsy shops, I decided to change it up a bit. I'll post sometime soon about the actual shop and the quality (the pieces arrived this week) once I wash them and get them in the crib, but here's what I ordered:

[4]

my official last day of work is August 3rd. it's pretty surreal to think that for the first time in 12 years, I won't have any income. frankly, it scares me quite a bit. I consider myself to be extremely fortunate to be able to stay home with the babe, but I know that a part of me will miss the independence that comes with having a (paying) job.

[5]

I am SO FUCKING TIRED of people telling me that we will give up on cloth diapering. look, I get it... people tend to be threatened or intimidated by ideals that are not "the norm" in their social circles. but guess what? it's none of your fucking business to begin with! if I mention that we plan on cloth diapering, don't shake your head and respond with "yeah, good luck with that... we'll see how long it lasts." I don't know what it is, but it seems as if people inhale some stupid in their brains when they're around pregnant people. 

[6]

on a happier note, Mama cat loves little brother already. you're welcome for the cute. 

also? I just realized that I can't talk about anything non-baby related to save my life. 

WTF happened to me?!

Happy Thursday!

ketchup

I just now switched to the new template for Blogger, and ya'll? this shit is weird.

how do you pronounce the word "ketchup?" it's "cat-sup" or "catch-up?"

uhhh, so things have been pretty busy lately. lots of school work. my drawing class is a lot harder than I thought it would be, honestly. I guess I'm just not used to creating "realistic" art... I'm more of an abstract girl myself. I'd rather slap some paint together or do more graphic art than draw a flower or a self portrait, both of which I had to do yesterday.

I finally had dinner last week with my wonderful wedding photographer and friend, Jen. it's always so much fun to get together and catch up on what we're reading, our pets, families, and the like. I'm sure the wait staff at Four Seasons hates us because we sit there for 30 minutes gossiping before we even order our meal. oh, and for anyone who thinks that I read a lot? ... Jen has read 100 books this year! she is crazy! ;)

I've recently discovered Mio Liquid Water Enhancer. it's possibly the best thing to ever happen to me. I'm currently drinking the shit out of the peach tea flavor. and no, they didn't give me free stuff to say that. I wish.

I just finished reading Left Neglected by Lisa Genova. it's about a busy woman (think powerhouse professional, mom to three, and doting wife) who suffers brain damage following a car accident - she is no longer aware of the term "left" - meaning her left hand, someone else's left hand, the left side of a building, etc. it was an excellent read... full of witty snark and exploratory emotion.

one of my very best friends is moving to NYC in February. I am very, very, VERY excited for her and her fiance, who has been waiting for this opportunity for a very long time. they both deserve all the success in the world, and right now, that success lands them in the big city. but on the other hand, I'm so sad that I won't be able to just come over on a whim and play games with them on Friday nights. selfishly, I think it will be very hard to handle for both Sean and I. I'm going to miss them both VERY much, but I'm so proud of both of them for making this huge step towards their future. I know it's not for forever, but damnit, I love my friends.

my other best friend, Kaley, is going to give birth any day now. Mr. Rhys is scheduled for eviction on Friday, but we're keeping fingers and toes crossed that he makes it here on his own before then. either way, he'll be here for the weekend! I'm so thrilled to finally be able to meet his little face. I know it's going to be hard having a toddler AND a newborn, but Kaley is superwoman, so I know if anyone can make it work, it's her.

we semi-cleaned the garage over Labor Day weekend. basically, we got rid of all the junk that we could, loaded up the truck, and then realized that the dump is not open on Sundays. sooooo we took our load (that sounds so dirty) to the dumpster at my work and then came home and pushed everything out of the middle of the garage. it's not done by ANY means, but it's an improvement, fo sho.

once we get some storage solutions figured out, everything will have it's own place and we'll be able to really organize. for now, this'll have to do.

and yes, Kaley, those are your beach chairs. promise to get them back to you before next summer. :)


Happy Tuesday! 

Friday loves - short & sweet

I don't have much prepared today for Friday loves. it's been a long week of restless nights and whiny kittens! I hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend, whether you're celebrating in the US or with our Canadian friends up north! 

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this post by Mandy. we all get in funks sometimes. 

kudos to her for keepin' it real. 

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the Petersik's new kitchen wall color. IN LOVE. 

I want to make out with it and take it on a date. 

psst... it's Sesame 381 by Benjamin Moore

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last week's Real People In Love feature over at Cole's place. this couple just seems so amazing and SO in love. their story gave me goosebumps - it's a must read, for sure. 

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True Blood is back. I've read all the Sookie Stackhouse books, which I've loved (for the most part). I hope this season lives up to the book it's based on, because it was one of my favorites. either way, I won't complain... I just want to look at Eric Northman every Sunday. hubba hubba. 

via wehearit

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Meredith's roundup of built-in inspiration. I love a built-in wall. our next house WILL have them. 

actually, Welcome To Heardmont is an awesome blog all around. they're total DIYers when it comes to their home, and they're pretty damn good at it too. the projects they take on are ca-razy, but 

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my favorite duvet is on sale at West Elm. 

if we don't find anything similar/as fabulous as this at IKEA tomorrow, I will be snatching this beaut up. I have big plans for our bedroom, and hope to get a lot accomplished this weekend. 

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Happy Friday! :)

brain dump & online shopping

how is it only the second day of summer, but it's literally 4 million degrees outside with a heat index of 9 million? also, why does it feel like I've been SO busy already? oh wait, cause I have! let's do a little catching up, shall we?

two weekends ago, Sean & I met up with a bunch of our friends at Coconut Joe's for some dranks. and by "some dranks," I mean that I consumed so many orange crushes that I was puking all day Sunday and although I typically like to enjoy a good naval orange on a daily basis, I have yet to be able to stomach one since that evening. it seems as though my hangovers are increasingly getting worse with age, but I guess it's my own damn fault for thinking I can drink like I used to. damn the man!

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last Wednesday I finally got my hair trimmed and dyed and it feels amazing and so much lighter. the only problem is that I tried to do that curly hair headband trick and my freshly cut layers were falling out all over the place. whomp whomp. oh well, at least my wig looks awesome! 

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I got a little click happy and ordered a few new dresses a few weeks ago - 4 from Forever 21 and 1 from Buckle (along with those gold sandals I mentioned here): 

Cat Print Dress - $17.80

Moroccan Surplice Dress - $19.80

Daytrip Zig-Zag Striped Dress - $32.00

Woven Tribal Print Dress (blue/orange is no longer available) - $17.80

Smocked Tie-Dye Dress - $9.00

the cat dress I ordered to wear to a bachelorette party this weekend is too small. like... hugs the curves in a bad way and maybe if I lose some weight I can someday wear it as a shirt. this is also a painful reminder that I REALLY need to get my ass in gear and get back in the gym on a daily basis. talk about disappointing... I was really looking forward to showing off my crazy cat ladyness out in public.

the tie-dye dress is a teeny bit shorter than I'd like, but it's not terribly revealing, so I might just stick to leggings when I wear it. the other dresses fit amazingly well! I wore the Zig-Zag Striped dress to Kullen's birthday party last weekend and got a lot of compliments on it! 

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my favorite little curly headed Kullen turned TWO last weekend! I got to help Kaley a little bit with the party, and let me just say... she did such an astounding job with all the little details! there was a three tiered Yo Gabba Gabba cake, cookie lollipops, rainbow fruit kabobs, chocolate covered pretzels, balloons galore and SO many more little touches thrown in to make it special. the party was a complete success! 

photo courtesy of Kaley

Kullen is a lucky boy to have such a great mama, and I'm a lucky girl for having such a wonderful friend who shares her cute son with me! :) 

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my skin has been breaking out like I'm a 12 year old boy. ever since getting off birth control, my skin has been rebelling against me completely. I saw a dermatologist, who prescribed me a topical lotion to apply after showering, which I've been doing for about 2 months now. everything is cleared up except MY FACE. I never dealt with acne growing up, so it's all new to me to have to deal with this crap, and it sucks completely. if anyone has any tips, I'm all ears. 

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alright, I think that's all I got for today. I'm heading out tomorrow afternoon for a little girl's weekend trip to New Jersey for a bachelorette party - we'll be staying at a beach house in Avalon and then scooting over to Atlantic City for some fun on Saturday evening. it's going to be a great time, as long as I don't end up with another hungover-all-day Sunday. 

Happy Thursday! 

silence the mean girl

I saw this over at Amy's place and KNEW I had to repost and share with you all. if you haven't heard about the Mean Stinks campaign yet (it's slowly making its way around the blogosphere), check it out over here on Facebook.

this is so fitting for me right now, because in recent months, I've decided to make a conscious effort in shedding my inner mean girl. while I will always be an opinionated and vocal person, I will no longer waste my time focusing on negative energy. this means trying really hard not to gossip about others, even when it's encouraged by others. it means biting my tongue when the rude part of me wants to rip someone a new one, and ignoring the negativity around me. it means not criticizing women based on what they wear, how attractive they are, or who they know.

I wouldn't say that I've really been a MEAN person, but I've made the mistake in the past of speaking the truth for the sake of showing how "honest" I am, and I've hurt peoples' feelings. I've gossiped (haven't we all?) behind the backs of other girls, and I've participated in general harassment of others for a good laugh. I've been involved in other folks' drama just because it was interesting and entertaining for me, and not because I actually gave a shit about the outcome. I'm not proud of that, but it was a very Mean Girl thing to do, and I'm passed that stage in my life.

females have the tendency to bring each other down - instead of seeing the good in each other, we pick each other apart and constantly compare ourselves to the girl standing next to us. don't get me wrong... it's difficult sometimes, because it's so easy to get caught up in gossip and it's even easier to judge someone based on appearances. acting like a Mean Girl is something that every girl has done at one point in their life, and while it's not something we SHOULD do, we are all guilty of it. 

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the first step in changing your usual behavior is accepting that it's time for an adjustment. I feel that making this a goal for myself will greatly increase my own positivity in life. I want to be a happier, healthier, nicer MandeeFoFandee, and this is only one of many steps I'm taking to achieve that status.

so instead of looking at another girl and thinking "god, she should really do something with her hair," I'm going think "wow, that's a great top, and it's really flattering on her." instead of partaking in the bashing of other women amongst friends, I'll attempt to say something positive about the situation or person of interest. I want to encourage women to be themselves, and I want to treat others with respect that I would expect from them. 

I think it's awesome and inspiring when women lift each other up. while we obviously all live very different lives, we are all similar in that we live through the same life experiences... we all encounter heartbreak & love, life & death, old & new. it shows courage to praise and strengthen one another for no reason other than the fact that they have the same body parts.

I'm not saying shit is going to be all kumbaya and that I'm suddenly going to be the most perfect person ever, but I do really want to try to silence that inner bad girl part of myself that often gets me into trouble. this is a process that I began in the beginning of the year... just never really blogged about it, I guess. most people will roll their eyes when they read this, I'm sure, because it sounds ridiculous to some. I've been doing well for the most part, although I have had a few relapses here and there. 

I'm sure that I'll slip up in the future, but I'm only human. robots are mistake proof, and I am surely not a robot.

so tell me... do you have an inner mean girl?