Craigslist Win? Lose? or Draw?....That is the question...

I am learning that Sundays are the best days for free Hostas... seriously I am going to have a great garden next year once all of the Hostas have time to adapt and grow to their liking...

Scored 3 more Hostas today off of Craigslist for Free... I love the word free right now... I love Free projects too...

So there is my first score for Craigslist for the day.  Pretty good.  Then I stumbled on to this guy...

He...(I gave him a "he" since he looks so sturdy and what is the word? Strong?  Maybe) but anyways enough about the gender of this piece... He is free.  He is a "curb alert" which means he is sitting on the side on someone's driveway waiting for me to come and pick him up.

Trouble is... he is in Savage.  My daughter is napping.  Oh and I am due in exactly two weeks and I am sure that even if I could load this bad boy up into my car... I would get scolded by not only my husband, mother and all my distant relatives... but I would probably be scolded most by my co-workers who really would like me to last these last two weeks.

The other bad news about being a "curb alter" is that other people have access to my prize and that the person discarding this table won't be holding it for me.

Back up plan A: Be prepared to be disappointed

Back up plan B: Already texted the hubby requesting that his day at work be over - and that he might want to pick up this table for me...

Back up plan C: Be prepared to be disappointed that my husband does not get off work early, and that some other DIY crazy has picked up my table.

My odds are not good.  (As I am typing this I am continually refreshing my Craigslist page to see if it has been removed - so far so good.

UPDATE: and it is gone.  Today turns out to be a draw.

Mouse Shoes by Marc Jacobs

SO back in the day, when I worked as an assistant buyer at the Macy's North Headquarters (before they consolidated - boo) I had a lovely little employee discount.

How did I abuse this discount?  Shoes. And more shoes.  My favorite purchase above all was the following:

How could these not bring smiles to your face when you put them on your feet?  That was over 3 years ago.  I still wear them to this day... still one of my "go to" pieces with a pair of pearl earrings.  But sadly to say they are starting to show their years of chasing a 2 1/2 year old.  The little metallic pink noses are getting a little dirty :(  but I still get comments on them every time I wear them :)

So on and off I have been searching for a replacement pair.  Of course he has come out with black ones, pink ones, metallic ones... but nothing with quite the personality I was looking for...

Until I stumbled on these:

So now - these are a a little more recent than my last purchase so now I know exactly what I am going to get myself for a "yay" you just had a kid... but let's hold off on buying a whole new wardrobe until you lose the baby weight gift.

If my husband was super smart - he would read this post - go into my closet find my mouse shoes - check the size and then hunt these down... to show me that he could "read my mind" and buy me the perfect gift.

What I am expecting is this - my husband going into my closet - finding my mouse shoes - and pulling them out saying "look, you already have a pair, I found them.  Why would you need another pair?"

I am going to have to pull the "because it is my birthday month" logic on him.... I just know it... and if all else fails I will use the "I just had your kid" logic.

To be continued - wish me luck in my hunt!

P.S. Can you tell that I have kind of gotten a little "too pregnant" for projects right now?  I am sure there will be more project posts coming - right now I am just dreaming about shoes my feet can actually fit into at the moment.... sigh.

Tears at Work Happy Hours are Not Welcomed

I have done it.  I believe it is worse than the morning walk of shame in college.

It is worse than the time I dyed my hair a chicken yellow from a box that was suppose to give me a bleach blond look - and then went out and got wasted beyond belief - and then puked and broke a blood vessel in my eye - getting that scary mental picture in your mind - good now image that you had a breakfast date with your grandparents at a very very busy restaurant the very next morning...

Yeah worse than that.

I, being 9 months pregnant went to a "celebratory" happy hour for all the changes on the team... people being promoted, people moving to new roles, etc.  And then there is me - who is going on maternity leave pretty much any day now... and coming back to.... I am not quite sure.

Yes, I have a job when I come back - but I am not sure what it will be... and I really really don't like the unknown, and as much as it might seem like I have all the confidence in the world, I second guess myself all the time.

So by the time the 5th person asked me where and what I would be coming back to... I did the wabbly chin and then the tears started to form.  I almost had it under control.  Almost until a friend started to rub my back and ask me what was wrong... touching = more tears.

And this is when it just all came out... and as much as I knew I this was pretty much career suicide I could not stop.  I was yelling at myself in side my head "STOP STOP STOP" and yet I couldn't.

The only plus was that the majority of the people at the table were women - and knew I that I was pregnant (I really can't hide it anymore) so at least I can blame a smidgen of my mental instability on that... but really I hate myself now.

As I am telling B this story - he says "I am sure you did it professionally" in reference to me crying.... Thank you B.

And then he tells me how I should have handled it.  Should have taken the question and played it to my favor and really used it as an opportunity to self promote.  Where was he when I needed him?!?!? I have now invited him to all my future happy hours (if I ever get invited back). 

So now, as I am sitting in my self-shame, I am dreading going back to work tomorrow... really, this couldn't have been a Friday happy hour? At least then I could have had the weekend to feel a little better about my ridiculousness... but no.  It is Wednesday, I still have Thursday and Friday to get through...yay for me.

And what is worse is I am pretty sure I made a few people uncomfortable.  Great I am that girl.

So yeah.  That is how my day was... I am trying to tell myself "no one is going to remember" "no one is going to care" "everyone cries at work functions eventually" and that last one just really isn't holding any water for me.... bah.

Can't wait for the walk of shame tomorrow morning.  It is going to be fabulous.  Have to go pick out some great shoes to wear just for the occasion. 

Hope your night went slightly better,

Meg

Give a Girl a Sprinkler and her Dad is Surely to Follow

So Sunday - I was exhausted... and Monday I was a super grump (might even upgrade that to b*!ch) so I figured we would just skip over those types of posts and wait for a more "cheerful" day to post...

Father's Day Recap:

Tried to sleep in.  Not really an option with a two and half year old who woke up at 3 am crying about boogies in her nose...

Got up... B went to get Breakfast (it is pretty much his favorite meal of the day).  Thank you Mc D's for being open so I am never expected to cook this meal...

Then decided to let Bryan rent Company Men off of CinemaNow (a nice little app on our blu-ray player that helps us avoid late fees and actually watch new releases).  Well if we were looking for an up beat underdog story... this was definitely not it.  A little too real look at the recession and job loss...

So on to the park we decided.  I started to try and find clothes that still fit and broke down on my bed in tears.  Bryan is not so hot at saying the right things at moments like these - but he did try his hardest...

So after that breakdown... we loaded up into the car and we were off.  And made it half way down the hwy when we decided we actually wanted to go swimming.  U- Turn and back to target to find me a maternity suit.

Let's just say that I am not willing to pay over $45 for a damn suit that only makes me feel half way confident to step out of the dressing room... so back home we were since Emily passed out back in her car seat.

As we pulled into the drive way, Emily with her perfect timing woke up and looked around and asked "PARK?".

Back to Ravine Park we went.  And that is where the day started to turn around.  Emily had a great time on the jungle gym and said the sweetest thing Bryan could ever hear...

"Dad, Wanna catch fish."

After Bryan gave Em a huge hug, he said he had the best father's day ever.  They then went down to the dock to watch all the other fishermen fishing as Bryan planned to buy Em her own little fishing pole to go fishing on Monday after gymnastics....

Emily even got to see tadpoles that another family was catching and releasing.... as we walked away one of the little girls knocked over the bucket and released the tadpoles a little early than everyone wanted... glad it wasn't us :)

So on our way home we decided homemade burgers sounded good - and maybe a sprinkler for Emily to run through... I got a call from B who was in the store asking if what I meant was a slide thingy that was near $40 - I said noooooo.  Just a sprinkler....  Bryan tends to go "big" with things... but he came out with the perfect little sprinkler thing below...

 To say they had fun would be an understatement.  But to try and judge who had more fun - that would be a hard one.

So B had a great father's day!

And I actually had a great day today as well...

My coworkers threw me a baby shower!!! Yeah, how sweet right?  Got tons of cute clothes, books and some receiving blankets.  And then there were wonderful confetti cupcakes - yum.

So yay- I am in a better mood.

OH MY GOSH!!!
I almost forgot - today was super awesome since Emily decided today she was going to wear "big girl undies" to daycare!  I had packed an extra pair, and a change of clothes just in case.... but NO!!!! Girl didn't need them!  SUCCESS and right before the new little one shows up.... and no I don't need any stories right now about how the older ones tend to revert with the new little ones in the picture...I want my proud parent high to last a little longer thank you very much!

Wallpaper or a Dictionary?

So let us move on from complaining about being overly exhausted and all things complain worthy...

So as I mentioned last night, I somewhat got my organizational groove on last night.  Yeah - cleaned out the closet in the nursery packed away the heavier bedding that most likely I will need at the beginning of August the way our lovely MN weather is going...

But as I was doing so.... I had to keep walking past our "office".  Which has become partly my project dumping ground, Bryan's book storage center and then there is just the stuff we have no idea what to do with at the moment.

I have decided that this needs to stop.  The room needs a purpose (office/guestroom) and a better flow for the whole house.

So I have been scavenging Craigslist for a foldout couch - that isn't from the 60's or 70's... without much luck.  This one we might just have to save up for to get the look we want.  But I did happen on to this fabulous idea:

How cool would this be as an accent wall?  I think I am totally in love with the idea.  I have seen variations of this using your favorite book and having the edges roll up for texture... but really my taste is more along this line.  A dictionary - you get images and words, you could have a word of the day,  totally fits with an "office/educate yourself" theme, and plus it isn't your normal wall paper!

My only concern is if we do choose to leave this house at some point...how much am I going to hate myself for doing something like this?  But then I have to stop and think - this is my house right now.  It needs to fit me and my family.

So I have decided - I am not letting the "next" family dictate my design/decorating tastes now. So there.

And the geniusness does not stop there! Oh no - I am on a roll this morning (B and Em are still asleep - I am so enjoying the silence and not having to watch CSI or Shark Tale)...

And then do something like this on the wall over a black desk (which I will be searching for as well since the office desk went into Emily's room).

I am so inspired right now - and want to go out and buy a dictionary right now!  Might go to one of those used book stores or I bet a thrift store would have one...

And then there is this desk from Ikea - which isn't too shabby - however Bryan like drawers to hid junk... I like to throw out junk... I will win this one... I have conceded too much lately...

So that is on my radar.  Might not happen anytime soon since I guess this kid has an open invitation now to join the world.  T minus 3 weeks more or less... slightly unprepared... yup.  Freaking out inside my head... yup.

And that is where I am at the moment :)  Happy Saturday!

Mentally Exhausted

No Daycare today.  But that is not even it.  Emily was seriously the best little girl for me today.  Work killed me.  Working from home is not at all as glamorous as it sounds.

It is battling a new laptop that doesn't want to connect.  It is battling a laptop that disconnects at exactly the wrong moment.

It is vendors changing their minds five hundred and fifty-two times.

It is people "testing" things and then asking you to do something very last minute at 4:45 pm.

It is trying to juggle another thirty- two tasks on top of it. 

And did I think I had an advantage going for me this morning by proofing all my ads last night - ho yeah.  Stay till 7pm was surely going to make today easier.  Should have known better.  Silly Meg.

But the one thing I totally accomplished was finishing and submitting my resume... with a friendly reminder from both my mom, and one of my wonderful coworkers Brooke.  Brooke even reviewed and proofed the resume so I didn't totally shoot myself in the foot with this application.  What would I do without her.

So yes, I am sticking my neck out there and applying for another position.  Within the same company so don't everyone panic now.  I am just trying to climb the corporate ladder and get somewhere.

Who knows if I will get an interview, who know how I will do on an interview - it has been 3 years since my last... and here is a funny..... image funky flashback music...

I had an interview with Target for a Store Lead position of some sort... It was my very first interview- held on the college campus.  I am not sure if I really prepared for it, but I think it would be safe to say that I was very naive about the process - assuming that everyone appreciates it when people are themselves and honest.  Not so much.

And I guess when they ask "What your perfect day would be"  they are more or less looking for a response something like this "Working hard, getting results, and saving little kittens out of large trees on my way home from volunteering"... not so much of "Sitting on the couch, in comfy clothes watching trash TV while it rains."

If you are one of the smarties who catches on quickly, the last response was mine.  When I came home from the interview, and Lindsey and Laura (my roommates at the time) asked how it went and I told them this question - we all just kind of knew I wouldn't even get a call back to say "thanks but no thanks".  I think Laura - who is pretty much a pro at interviewing - even tried to be nice and said "At least you where honest".... and trailed off into silence.  It is one of their favorite stories, and I usually tell it to anyone who feels less than confident going into or leaving an interview.

But back to the topic...  the application process was killer... trying to talk up how wonderful I am is slightly harder - I couldn't attach any of my before and after pictures to the application.  So I am hoping luck is on my side for this one.

Other than that - got the nursery curtains up... washed the car seat fluffy stuff - what is called a cover?  washed all of Emily's old white Gerber onsies and mopped the nursery floor and cleaned out the closet.

So feeling slightly better there - slightly.  At least I know I can bring the kid home now :)

Now my tired bum is on the couch - and I don't think it is getting up anytime soon.  Might just sleep here.

Remember this project?

Remember this guy?

yeah... it has been a while.

Stripping.

Sanding.

Priming.

And finally painting:

And TADA!  It is purple.  I won the battle with B... kind of.  When we took out the baby furniture out of Emily's room it kind of left a big hole in the room... nothing was placed quite right and it was missing something.

So at first I primed a half table from Ikea that I had from the college years to put in Em's room.... Then B liked it in the kitchen...so that option was out.  Then we talk a little and decided that my Grandpa's desk that was originally set to go back into the office would be just the ticket.  It was going to be black, maybe gray or white ... but in now way was it ever going to be the eggplant/plum purple I wanted.

Well, Emily's room has a lot of colors pinks, greens, yellows and now a lilac purple from the Lauren Ashley bedding that I used to have in my own room.  Well I went off that lilac purple - and found Rustoleum's French Lilac BINGO!

I have the perfect color and Emily has a new desk... minus a little bit of hardware but that is coming this weekend.... I was just a little too excited to be almost done with one of MY projects - I jsut had to brag a little!

We moved the bed from the other wall and will be centering the shelf with her name, I like the balance and am hoping her not looking out the window at night might cut down on the nightmares.

Missing a little bit of extra, but it is getting there :)

Dad had just given her a purple Popsicle. Sarcastic YAY.

So yay.  I am happy.  B is happy and I think Emily is pleased.  Can't wait to get the hardware back on and a few little nick nacks to add a little bit of extra to the desk - oh and I need a little chair or bench...

Craigslist here I come.

As MY Feet Swell ...

I happened on to these beauties - I wouldn't have to justify this purchase cause they are just pretty...and would make my fat little feet feel beautiful once again.  And to top it off they could totally play in multiple seasons... gah ... here comes the husband pitch...

Niina Mary-Janes from Anthropologie 

And then these which if I could I would snatch up in a moment and "justify" my purchase by saying these would be my new "power- take me seriously- cause I got good shoes" work shoes.

Botanist Heeled Loafers from Anthropologie

And then there are these:

Parabola Heels from Anthropologie

Which totally scream my sister... Me on the other hand don't feel that these are quite me or that I could pull them off as well as her.  But I am sure there are other shoes out there for me ;)

Normally I am not a fan of Anthropologie's shoe collection - but I ventured out of their home decor site and was pleasantly surprised.  Yes they still have their quirky shoes that I most likely would pass on the majority of the time - so don't you worry.  Now it is just time for me to fill my shoe funds jar which is currently covered in cobwebs...

Oh and believe it or not... I know you would tend to favor the not... but I am almost finished with a project... one of my own.

I know!!! You thought this was a shoe post - but all of sudden it turns on you in the most unexpected way! 

Now which one is it?  One hint - not the nursery.  you want another hint... it is purple...

True Excitement...Then True Dissappointment

As I was stalking other blogs this morning, I notice I had a new follower!!! 

I was so excited I yelled out to B " I HAVE 5 FOLLOWERS NOW!!!!"

Then I rolled over the new joiner - it was B.  Totally doesn't count.

He giggled and told me that that was blog worthy. 

Love you too B.

One of my new Favorites from Her

Florence and the Machine "Falling" by TheRealPiper101.

And I really like how the artist of this youtube video made this.... not your average mash up of artist pictures...

Hope you enjoy.

It also makes me want to run out and dye my hair red - grow another 6 inches and wear many many more ruffles.  Alas I am short with mousey brown/blond hair with a huge belly.  Maybe my in my next life I can be tall and at least be able to carry a tune.

As for today's plan/project.... IKEA.  For many of you this would be an exciting trip - but for me and my husband it tends to be a chore.  Not because it isn't full of fabulous inspiration - but they have this fabulous kid section that is hard to pull Emily away from... our strategy usually includes bribery in the form of Swedish Fish.

Then, to tire out the kid we might hit up a park on the way back and then to Menards to pick up some pipping - as in plumbers real metal pipping... and a few drop cloths... for a project I have in mind that might have something to do with the nursery.

Yeah, I think I have put that off for enough time now... we are now down to under 5 weeks... and no one seems to think I will make it in to July...

Oh, and of course my doctor is out of town from June 27th- July 5th... Found that out yesterday.  Fabulous.  Not that I am really worried about it - they really only show up for the last 5 minutes to catch the baby - but it did throw me off a little bit yesterday.  I think I might have even sulked a little bit.

I am not one of those girls who have a "birth plan" that is planned by the minute.  Mine kind of goes like this:

1.  Make sure husband is awake and can get to the hospital.
2.  Get to the ER.
3.  Find a bed.
4. Get drugs.
5. Hope the kid shows up and go with the flow.

In all honesty - it is not like I am in charge of my body, no I think this plays out the other way, it tells me what it wants to do or what it can't do.  And to be honest - I think being open to what ever can or will happen will help me avoid any disappointment.

Someday I will have to share the excitement/ridiculousness of Emily's arrival... but I am thinking you are a bit tired of the baby talk for now :)
Peace.

If You Understand My Humor You will Understand Why I Love This

Wave At The Bus

New Favorite thing of the Moment

CB2 Bubble Balls

Yeah.  How can you not love this bit of whimsy?  CB2 (same parent company as Crate and Barrel) carries these lovely bubble balls for a relatively reasonable price $1.95 for the 4" and $3.95 for the 6"....  They even have a how to for the wreath they made on their blog below:

How to Make CB2's Bubble Wreath

Or you could almost do the same thing with Christmas ornaments (plastic or glass or even any color your really desire when you think of it)  but I still love this idea from them and am currently trying to think of a place I could introduce this into my home.

Yes I know what you are thinking - get rid of the TV and put up some prettiness on that fabulous new white fireplace... you tell that to my 2 year old who has now moved on from Shark Tale to Lion King (how many times today?  ohhhhh at least 3 in a row).  Hmmmm must think....

Now I must go stalk their blog to see if they have anymore fabulous ideas to steal.  Thank you Katie Anderson for introducing me to CB2 and wasting a 1/4 of the day browsing their website with me at work (and for those who really work with me - it is really like 2 minutes - promise - okay might be lying but shhhhhh don't tell).


OMG - they have bubble strands too!!! (Imagine teenage squealing)

 

My Mother is Going to Kill Me

So, I can picture my mother shaking her head right now as she is reading this.  She kind of knows my history of starting and not ending projects... and this is a doooo-sey.

We we driving home from our first day at gymnastics aka. jump on a trampoline and sing the abc's class when as we turn on to our road.... I saw it. Or them....

A couch. A love seat. And a chair.  the kind that look great from a far and not so hot up close... but I have a vision... and maybe a plan...

 So this is the loveseat,  the cushions are in the garage (I know I know not the greatest place for them but it will do for now) because Emily wouldn't let us put them back on.  The couch was already in the garage since I had only so much strength and B had to use it wisely... but it will have 3 cushions in total.

My end plan is to have a professional reupholster them to look something like below. I found this on StitchesByLiz blog but it looks like she stopped blogging - but thank god she had this image of her couch - dead ringer for mine except her's is finished and mine is so not close...

 And this is the matching chair... yes I have a whole set!!! and you want to know how much?  FREE... and this is where my mother would say "There is nothing free about a free pet."  Well, this is my pet project and yes there will be $$$ put toward having these pieces reupholstered... but they will have exactly the look and feel B and I want for the same amount as a new couch - and we are keeping them out of a landfill and breathing "new life" into them... I feel like a god... okay okay no I really don't but it is fun to have a small amount creative input into the furniture that you bring into your home.

You like how I just convinced myself that this pick up was a wise decision?  I am good like that.

This is the fabric I am thinking about:

And maybe a little inspiration from these pillows:

 

The poodle pillow was found on Etsy by ekofabrik... 

I am so excited about this find.... go me and my luck today!  Now I just need to find someone reasonable (as in price) who wants to make my couch, loveseat and chair beautiful again... impossible?  We shall see...

Trying my hand at Craigslist again

So Bryan is at work today, making up for taking off Monday to cut down trees and to destroy our driveway... so of course I am itching for a project that I can do on my own...

And for once, it is a gorgeous day here in MN - no rain in site.

But all my projects need strong hands to either lug my kitchen table outside to be primed - carry out my grandpa's desk to get primed etc.

So I have been stalking Craigslist's Free section - looking for a score.  I feel like a druggie.  But guess what I found.... Free Hostas.

I have sent the "I am interested email" and am just waiting on a response.  I am hoping for a win.  The last Hosta haul was such a success and I would love to fill up some of our new garden space that is quite empty as of right now.  Remember we are going for "Lush" and black mulch helps - but there is a rumor that green (alive) plants help more.

So as we wait, Emily and I are going to test out our new inflatable pool that is on our patio that B blew up last night.  She even got a new suit to model... Pictures to come.

UPDATE: Didn't get even a response to the first posting, was super disappointed, felt like a Craigslist looser AGAIN... but I kept looking, and looking, and looking.  Then finally accepted my defeat and went outside with Emily to water our own Hostas and play out side.  

Then as Bryan was driving home from work,  he called and we started to  discuss my defeat and also what we both found on Craigslist, when BAM!!! I found another listing for "A LOT OF FREE HOSTAS"  as I told Bryan where in Minneapolis he says "I AM PRACTICALLY RIGHT THERE!!!"

So I texted him the address and google mapped it - and guided my man to the location. It totally felt like reconnaissance work, and that I should have been wearing camo tank with mud smeared on my face and a laser beam leading my husband to the target... but I was just in stretchy pants and and large T since that is about all that fits me right now...

MAJOR SCORE!!! B says, the front seat, the back seat and the back of my car are filled with Hostas!!! It is like Christmas in Summer and I am giddy as hell for my Hero to come home with my plants!

Take that non responder Craigslist poster!  I got me some free Hostas!!! BOOYA.  And yes I am doing some booty shaking over this one.

 And that center one - is just one of the many many huge Hostas my husband came home with.  Ya - FOR FREE.  We did another project in the back - but waiting for the Hostas to rebound before those pictures are posted (sad Hostas look really really sad so we planted and watered).

And hopefully soon I can post pictures of Emily without dirt on her face or without worms in her hands.....

Double Ear Infection + Sinus Infection = Down for the Count

And no, this time it is not my daughter (she has an immune system like her father- never/rarely sick).  I am the lucky duck who is living in a miserable state of being.

Ugh.  Monday - sore throat - thought I was being pathetic. Tuesday major sore throat - but had major work to do.  Wednesday - cough syrup - more major work to do.  Thursday - my husband told me to stay home.  I chose to go to the doctor (I usually suffer through most stuff so this was major).

I figured I should, since I passed out on the couch last night right when I got home and left my husband to fend for himself with a child who was feeling like being two.

I woke up once to him angrily sweeping the living room.... I am sure he was steaming mad.... but I just rolled over and fell back to sleep.  I think he might have asked me to do something that I flat out said no to... but I can't remember.

So now I am on antibiotics (yay for the 3rd trimester - drugs are back in the picture!!!!) and back to work I went.

WHY IS IT ... the shortest week always seems like the longest?  And why the shortest weeks bring the largest problems that need as much time as possible to resolve-obviously there are only 24 hours in a day and that just doesn't cut it now does it?

Sigh.  Such is life.  Except in all the magazines everyone has beautiful clean houses without driveways that are being torn up... I would like a magazine life just for a day.  Just one,  I normally thrive on chaos and can take charge of most anything... but right about now that magazine life looks rather tempting.

I am now back to being exhausted- I did try the Mountain Dew/Milk Duds/Sweedish Fish diet to get me through the day - no such luck.  And I know there are probably some mothers who are "shame shame shaming" me right now... but seriously don't care, just glad I made it through the day.