How to Shop

Most of my blog posts recently have been a little, shall we say, all over the place. Being pregnant, adhd, and busy with work and life, its hard to keep my thoughts flowing in a concise manner. For that, I apologize. I have a lot of things I want to share with you in the coming days (the biggest being the nursery, which Husband just called to say that he really "loved the paint color I chose"....I haven't seen it, but I'm excited to get home and check out the progress)but until then, this is a post I have been wanting to write for a good long time (even though, no one really reads my blog, not even my step-mom, who should, because she still hasnt seen my fat belly, but i digress).

What's this bad boy all about? My favorite online shopping sites :)


So, its no surprise to those that know me that I LOVE to shop. But not shopping in stores, no, malls kind of stress me out (and I live in what could be considered a mall mecca, being a mile from THE Lenox Mall...aka the square and Phipps Plaza), besides, even when I go to malls, I refuse to try things on (grosses me out) so its kind of like, whats the point, yah know? I also REFUSE to pay retail, there is absolutely no sense in paying full price for ANYTHING...In fact, most people who know me will ask me "Hey Steph, can you find me the lowest price on _____" or "WIll you be on the look out for ______ for less than _____ dollars?", so I guess its time I share some of my online shopping go-to sites. Without further adeu, here are my FAV sites online!


1.) If you do not have an ebates account, you must be living under a rock. First of all, its free money...if you're going to shop online anyways, why not get a little cash back? Second, they list out the different stores coupon codes, so when you click on store, you get a list of all available coupon codes! Easiest way to save money, by far! After you've done a little shopping and accumulated some cash back, they mail you a check (It's mailed like once a quarter)


Sign up for an Ebates membership immediately. You will use it. Trust me.

2.)Amazon. Who doesn't love amazon.com? I've found amazon to be incredibly useful for comparing prices on baby gear (like carseats, swings, etc), because babies are expensive enough, why pay more than you have to? When you find something you love at a store, check amazon and get an idea of what that item is going for elsewhere. (Amazon may be the cheapest, sometimes its not, but its a good comparison tool, none the less). If you are a mom (or soon to be mom), sign up for an Amazon Mom membership. Its free and you get amazon prime benefits for up to 12 months (aka, free shipping!!)

3.) Speaking of babies...if you haven't heard about No Better Deal you should probably check it out. It's basically a company that sells returned and/or damaged boxed items. For example, they have a "Fisher Price Zen Collection Cradle Swing", lowest retail price $134.98 (Oh and they list a number of websites and what each website is selling the item for) for sale for $87.99. Shipping is very reasonable, too.

(oh, and if any of my friends or family are reading this, I really like this swing!!!)
They also have excellent deals on diapers, too, as well as computers, tvs, clothing and jewelry, you name it.

4.) Members Only Sites-I love Zulily (They have great deals on baby stuff), Rue La La (I buy ALL my lilly stuff from Rue La La, they have the BEST customer service, EVER!) and Gilt . I have tried other members only websites (Beyond the Rack) but have not had such good luck (Don't get me started on the Tory Burch debacle). I'm also a member of Joss and Main and One Kings Lane (which is all home goods) but I haven't ordered anything yet, so don't want to toot any horns just yet.

*Side Note, I just recently discovered that you can get cash back on zulily purchases through ebates, its good, too, like 7%.

5.) J Crew Factory Store (Online). J Crew Afficionadas will know about this, but for those that don't, J Crew has an online factory store that is only available on the weekends (Friday-Sunday). I still only buy stuff when I can score an additional 30% off, but you can get pretty good deals (especially this time of the year!)

6.) Ebay-there are a lot of potential problems with buying off ebay (knock offs, deadbeat shippers, etc) but for the most part, ebay can be a great way to get a great deal on everything from jeans to electronics. After doing A LOT of research, I actually bought my husbands wedding ring off ebay and ended up getting a fantastic deal (with free engraving), but you have to be smart when dealing with online auction sites and definitely do your research.

7.) FACEBOOK. Yep, no kidding. The key is "liking" your favorite retailers or designers...you can get insider knowledge on sample and warehouse sales, as well as unpublished coupons...easy and quick.

So, those are my favorite sites. I will try to blog a little later on this thrifty shopaholics steps to getting the best deal, but for now, go check out some of the sites I listed, you won't be disappointed!

Not a good thing to say to a pregnant woman.

Allow me to preface this by saying, yes, I have been incredibly hormonal lately (and incredibly gassy, which i discovered is thanks to kashi go lean, but that is beside the point) but I double checked with my other pregnant co-worker and we concurred that the following things are not good to say to pregnant women.

1.) "Wide load coming through!". Really, you should just be smarter than that. My pregnancy does not excuse your rudeness.

2.) (This exchange happened last night, and really got my goat):


Co-worker: Wow, Stephanie, you are so much bigger than Kelli! And she's like 6 weeks further along than you are!

Me: Guess I should lay off the ice cream, then? (joking)

Co-worker: That would probably be a good idea! (not joking)


w.t.f.

3.) "Well it must just be you"... (So, I was explaining my reasons why i would not eat buffet shrimp cocktail or feta cheese...mainly cross contamination, listeria, etc., when one of my co-workers said, "well, it must just be you, because my wife ate whatever she wanted"...I promtly replied, "well i guess your wife didnt care if she killed your baby"...mean, I know, but guess what, if I dont want to eat something because I'm not comfortable eating it, don't criticize me and make rude comments...I DON'T CARE WHAT YOUR WIFE DID).

4.) "You should just be thankful you're pregnant"- So, when I was little, there was always an exchange at our dinner table that went along the lines of "you should eat your dinner and be thankful, there are starving babies in Africa". So I get it, as long as there are infertile women in America, I should be thankful I'm pregnant. But I am thankful, I am thankful for every little kick, every little bump...what I could do without is the gas, the constipation, the back pain, the swollen feet, the fat ass and the breathlessness i deal with on a daily basis. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade it, but I am allowed to lament over my lack of bowel movements on facebook just as much as you are allowed to lament over your inability to conceive!

One of the blogs that I read sometimes said it best-
"Being pregnant doesn’t mean that they automatically revoke your “Sometimes I Need to Vent Card”. Of course, if all my blog posts were about how much pregnancy sucks, that I hated every minute of it, that I was disappointed in whatever the sex of my baby is (so you know, I would have been thrilled even if the baby were a hermaphrodite by the time I did my third IVF) or if I was endlessly bitching and moaning, I’d more than agree with people being for annoyed with me.

However, if I occasionally complain about being embarrassed about throwing up on a street corner in front of strangers, after almost three years of trying to get pregnant, I believe I've earned that right. Hell, if anything, I paid thousands of dollars to express the rare complaint if I want to!

Also, on the flip side, if I did nothing but marvel at how wonderful it is to have hemorrhoids, how getting an amnio was more fun than a trip to the Bahamas, told you how much I enjoyed my nipples changing colors so often that they were like mood rings and wrote non-stop about how pregnancy was an orgasmic cake walk of happiness, sunshine and lollipops, not only would you seek to have me committed, I’m pretty sure I’d get even MORE hate mail than I’m already getting now.

B) If and when I do occasionally have a complaint about being pregnant, that doesn’t mean I’m not grateful. That is one I’ve heard a lot. The fact that I’ve pointed out a few difficulties I’ve had while being pregnant doesn’t mean that I’m any less grateful. It’s like anyone who complains about their husband when they are happily married. You love him (hopefully) and you can’t imagine a life without him but when he uses all the toilet paper and doesn’t replace it, like it or not, it’s annoying."
The 2 Week Wait

She get it from her Momma!

Modesty that is...Apparently Baby H wanted to make sure the ultrasound technician got it right! Yes, Baby is a Girl!



I'm so happy I'm having a girl, but I would have been happy with a boy, too. Girls bring on a whole new lists of worries (will she have an awkward phase during a crucial-for popularity period? will she get into a good sorority? will she come home pregnant at 16? oh, god, please dont let her get pregnant at 16!) but I suppose I'm as ready as I'll ever be for those challenges!

Obligatory Self Portrait in Bathroom Mirror

Husband keeps saying he'll take pictures of my growing belly, but neither one of us ever gets around to holding up our end of the bargain (Me-never doing my hair or putting on make-up, Husband-never actually taking the picture on the rare occasion my hair is done or I am wearing makeup).

Here I am on November 25th, 2011. Depending on which due date I use (the one I think, or the one the doctor gave me) I am either 17 weeks exactly, or 16 weeks 3 days. Not that it makes much of a difference.




I think I look pregnant, but apparently, I'm the only one. My flight back from Dallas this weekend, no one would help me put my carry on in the overhead (it was crazy heavy, too) and the man behind me made the smart-a$$ comment, "took you long enough" when I finally maneuvered that thing into the overhead...Only to have the woman behind me move it and say to the flight attendant "some people just don't know how to put their carry-ons in the overhead, do they?" (Don't worry folks, when i was trying to get it down, I made sure to take a REALLY LONG TIME...and then waddled really slowly, just to piss her off).


Do I feel movement? Not really, sometimes, I think I do, but its normally when I'm really gassy.

As far as cravings, currently, all I think about are waffles. Morning, noon, night. Waffles. Previously, it was Taco Bell, and before that, chicken pot pie. I've also been enjoying O'Doul's, and if you are going to say something nasty, spare me. There's more risk to my child every time I get in the car than there is from me enjoying a couple of NA beers.

Wednesday, we get to find out whether Baby H is a boy or a girl. I think girl, just because I think it looks girly, but friends and family are split 50/50 boy girl, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see!

Baby Names

subtitle: Why I'm not telling you what I'm naming my offspring


If you have asked me "Have you decided on names yet?" chances are, I've lied to you. I didn't do it on purpose, but I am not 100% sure how to handle the question. You see, we have decided to keep our names a secret. Why, you ask? Well, a few reasons.

First, everyone knows everyone named something. Chances are you know a Jessica or a Sarah, a John or a David, and, there's an even greater chance that you have an opinion about their name. Maybe they have a stripper name like Candi or Kim (like Zolciak, hah!), or maybe every person you know named Lindsey or Lauren are just horrible people. I don't want the first thing out of someone's mouth to be "Oh, your naming your boy Zack? I knew a Zack, once, he was a real ass" (for the record, my daddy is Zack, so I'm quite partial to the name) or "Greta is an ugly girl's name". And lets be honest, some of you would think it, but not say it, but others, well, your filter is questionable. I happen to think that Husband and I have picked out the most perfect names and I don't care what you think and once the baby is here, your opinion won't change my mind.


Second, if you know us, you will probably know not long after November 30th, whether or not we're having a boy or a girl. Don't you want some suprise? Better yet, don't you think its fair that Husband and I have something that we can share when we're ready to share? Like, everyone has seen a movie when the dad walks out of the delivery room and proudly shouts "Its a Boy!" and everyone celebrates? Well, announcing a name for us is sort of like that, like we get to send out the proud parent emails that declare our new baby has arrived and his/her name is ___________!!!

So if I've told you we're thinking about Elizabeth for a girl and Bennett for a boy, well, thats a lie. Pretty much any name you've heard out of my mouth the past 15 weeks is probably a lie. Or is it? Guess you'll have to wait to find out.

Things You Should Know About Pregnant Stephanie

Warning, this may be TMI for most of you, proceed with caution.


Maybe its a pregnancy thing, maybe its just me...but you should know:

#1-That smell you smell? Its probably me. My unborn baby has gas and its manifested itself through me. And no, its not the taco bell, its pretty much anything I eat-soup, fruit, ice cream, you name it, it gives Baby H gas.

#2-Please, for the love of all that is holy, do not put yourself between me and the cookies. I will bite you and I will probably draw blood.

#3-Keep your conversations short, because chances are, I have to pee.

#4-I know you think that its just HILARIOUS that so many wonderful things have been happening since I was forced to abstain from alcohol (UGA winning 8 straight) but I do not. Please don't remind me that I can't have chili dogs, because it really makes me want one. Don't ask me how much weight I've gained, because I am honestly trying not to think about it.

That is all for now, I really wish this pregnancy would move a little faster.

Baby Houghton at 13 Weeks

Maybe I'm partial, but my kid is awfully cute.

Goodbye Man-Room!

Husband purchased our pretty little house back in February of 2008. It had been a rental property for over 20 years, so to say it smelled like a frat house is probably an understatement (and if you have never been in a frat house, urine and b.o. is what one smells like). We had grandiose plans for our lil brick ranch, so when we renovated, we did so with plans of eventually finishing the basement (with a master suite and big walk in closet. if you have ever been in a 1950's brick ranch, you know closet space is non-existent)...So, meet man-room.

This had previously been a den (with nice pine panelled walls) which served as the 3rd bedroom. We cut a big ole' hole in the floor and installed funtional (and up-to-code) stairs to the basement.



Well, then the economy continued to tank (thanks obama!) and home values are officially in the dumps...while we arent upside down, Husband and I both agreed that pumping any more money into the house would be a bad investment...So what do we do about baby?

We still have the second bedroom, but would like to keep that for guests (aka Moms who decide they want to sleep over and get up with baby in the middle of the night..hint hint) so our other option is...dun dun duuunnn! Converting the man-room back into a 3rd bedroom. I've pretty much decided how we would do this is by converting the half walls into full walls...yes the room will be a little small, but its a nursery, its not like baby will need THAT much space...The only thing I'm not 100% sure about is the area that will lead from the nursery to the kitchen:



My dad says pocket door, so that I'll have easy access to the kitchen for late night bottle warm ups, fridge runs, etc. I'm kind of thinking of just putting a full wall in, because its not like its that terribly far of a walk to the kitchen...plus i dont want to confuse future owners as to what the purpose of the room is (you know, is it a bedroom, is it a nursery, is it an office, is it a den?) but I guess if thats my biggest worry right now, I'm doing alright!

Does anyone have any suggestions about pocket doors or wall? Oh, and yes, we are keeping the flat screen in the nursery, cuz' Momma ain't about to miss her stories while she's rocking baby.

No, I did NOT get a boob job

I've just been incubating a baby for the past 12 weeks...

Meet Baby Houghton


My Father-In-Law (who I love dearly) said Baby Houghton looked a little like a hamster...I thought chipmunk, but same general rodent group...

I am just thrilled that I can be more open about my un-yielding obsession with Banquet Chicken Pot Pies. The check out lady at Publix thought I was nuts when I strolled up to the register with 30 boxes of the gooey goodness (which totalled $18.30) but I think growing a human being is a pretty good excuse to eat 12,000 calories worth of pot pies.

Boy, it sure is hot in here...

Maybe going to hell for this one, but c'mon, it's funny.

This may get me fired, BUT...

Georgia Law Title 40, Section 40-3 reads:

(3) It shall be unlawful for any person to stop, stand, or park any vehicle in any area directly connecting with a parking place for persons with disabilities which area is clearly designed and designated for access to such parking place for persons with disabilities.

So apparently this guy is not only above the many underlings at Agco, but he's above the law, too.

Further Proof

You thought I was kidding.

Assh*les Who Park

Blame it on my raging hormones, but lately, I am incredibly aggrevated by idiot parkers. Idiot drivers annoy me too, but there is something about someone's complete disregard for common sense parking rules.

Exhibit A.


Now, I know what you're thinking... "Her parking isn't THAT bad" but let me just stop you-it is THAT bad. It's worse, in fact. You see this person parks like this EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. Her bumper looks like her car has been used for a monster truck rally. If you can't park your SUV correctly, don't drive one.

I will continue to collect pictures of her parking jobs, just so I can further prove my point.

Exhibit B.


Where do I start with everything that's wrong with this picture? Hmm..

1. You are the only person who has a reserved spot at this company, yet when it's raining, you can just make up your own parking spots? Parking is already at a premium, with some people having to park at other businesses and walk through jungles in tory burch revas and you can just create your own spot and ignore your reserved spot? Interesting.

2. You are blocking a handicapped parking spot. I guess its ok, I mean, wheelchairs don't require any space at all to maneuver. Oh, and you're blocking the walkway too, but again, I'm sure wheelchairs are all terrain now a days.

3. Double lines don't mean anything? So, whenever I see a double line, I can just park there? Yep, I guess because the parking deck designers just thought those double white lines were pretty (nice decorations!)

Compromise

Sorry it's been so long, I am a terrible secret keeper and I just KNEW if I blogged, I'd end up spilling the beans.

No, I'm not saying anything yet, but I will give you a hint-it has something to do with the house!

I saw a picture on pintrest that had me thinking about compromise.

Source: bhg.com via Leigh on Pinterest

Now, you are probably thinking to yourself, "Why, Stephanie, does a picture of a cabinet organizer with a mixer, juicer and toaster have you thinking about compromise?".

Well, dear reader, I am glad you asked.

When my husband proposed to me, visions of kitchen aid stand mixers, toaster ovens and waffle makers danced through my head. I was not a bride set on finding the perfect dress (though if you watch "Say Yes to the Dress-Atlanta", you would know that it was not an easy decision for me) or the perfect venue, oh no. This bride wanted to register and STAT. I needed to turn his batchelor pad into a bona fide family home, with vases filled with flowers and potpurri on the back of the toilet. My house was going to smell like cinnimon and I was going to bake things, gosh darn it.

My husband obliged me for a little while, saying things like "Its your wedding, darling, pick out the china/crystal/appliances YOU want", and so I did. Everything was going swimmingly, I watched in amazement and things began disappearing off my list like free ice cream at a fat kids camp, including my beloved toaster oven.


I had wanted a toaster oven for as long as I can remember-they make fantastic cheese toast (which is the only kind of toast I will eat) and are wonderful for making nachos, pizza rolls and the like.

With the news that my toaster oven had been snagged off the registry, I came home, giddy as a school girl, and exclaimed "WE'RE GETTING A TOASTER OVEN!! THE MOST FANTASTIC TOASTER OVEN EVER!" Husband did not share my sentiment. He promptly called his mother to lament over how he "really didnt want a toaster oven", how "we just didnt have room for a toaster oven" and how "he only liked regular toast, which makes a toaster more pratical". He went on to say that what he really wanted was a coffee maker....


Well, it turns out his mom had purchased the toaster oven and upon hearing this, took it back :( and got a coffee maker. I'll admit, I was bummed. My dreams of perfectly toasted, melted cheese toast disappeared and were replaced with a (very attractive) coffee maker that I never use (I don't drink coffee). But it makes Husband happy, so I figured it was time to put on my big girl panties and deal with it.

So back to the picture. When I see this picture I think of my beautiful artisan stand mixer (that I LUUUURRRRVVVEEE) and where I believe a toaster should be-hidden. Because if it were hidden in the cabinets, there would be plenty of room for my toaster oven. It reminds me of what is and what will never be.

Maybe one day I will have the stainless steel beauty I dream of, maybe one day, I will make pizza rolls without having to preheat the oven, but until then, dear cheese toast and convenient pizza rolls, I will dream of you often. Compromise, that's what marriage is all about.

Prayers For Candy

Dear Readers (all 3 of you),

This morning I found out that the mother of a friend of mine has ovarian cancer. I had the opportunity to spend time with Candy when my friend Meredith got married a few months back and I must say she is the bomb.com. When it comes to entertaining, no one throws a party/luncheon like Candy Scherer...and don't get me started on her craftiness. After getting to know her, I really looked up to her-she is a Jackie O-of all trades.

So today, I ask for you to pray for her speedy recovery. She is a brave, strong woman, but it never hurts to have a little prayer on your side!

(Oh, and if you want to follow her blog, you can follow it HERE)

Am I Prepared?

Thanks UGA, for getting me ready.

Every Day I'm Husslin'

So, I monogram, I sew, I craft and now, I photograph. I'm hoping one day one of my hussles will pay off...until then, at least I'm having fun! Here are some pictures I took this week of a good friend's son and niece. I will say it was a lot harder than I had anticipated, but overall, I think the pictures turned out nicely (and really captured the Miles and Baylie's personalities.

Baylie and her pretty blue eyes, she was seriously the prettiest little girl (and a total ham for the camera!)


PCB 2032! WOOO!


Photographing two toddlers is a lot harder than it looks!




You could open a present, or stand on it, whatevs

Rule #1-When an Earthquake Strikes...

Do as much online shopping as you possibly can, especially if a Lilly sale coincides with the potential rapture.

Yes, I was in the middle of an earthquake. well, maybe not in the middle, more like on the southern half of an earthquake, but it was a quake non the less (I can call it a "quake" because I am a survivor). At approx 1:55 p.m. EST, I was sitting at my desk, doing some nonchalant online shopping, when I felt my desk begin swaying back and forth.
Said desk, post earthquake swaying.

Convinced someone was jacking with me (Because people sure love to jack with Steffy BadNews) I stood up and said in a demanding tone "WHO IS SHAKING MY DESK".

Well, it turns out God was shaking my desk. I quickly apologized to God, asked him to please save the rapture until my Lilly purchases come in and sat back down to continue my work/online shopping/fantasy football draft research. Its bad enough I accused my wonderful co-workers of shaking my desk when it was, in fact, an act of God...no sense in drawing more attention to myself. (PS-I thought I was going to hurl...I've got a very sensitive inner ear)

Anywho, on to the important stuff...what did I buy during this most fabulous Lilly sale/possible rapture?


Murfee Scarf, Itam Apricot


Jillie Dress, Jewel Green (For MerMer's wedding)


Josie Tunic


Janine Top (Had to get it in Pink, they were sold smack out of everything else...but I like pink, so its ok)

Commence oooohhhs and aaaaahhhhs. On another note, we are not broadcasting this recent purchase to Husband. I had to hustle hard to make this dough and I'm not going to let the ole' ball and chain make me feel bad for wanting to be pretty.

Miss Me?!

I know you did, all 3 of you. This weekend has been full of excitement and adventure with no signs of slowing down! I spent the better portion of the week researching and shopping for a new rug for the living room and, honestly, I was starting to get discouraged. Everything I saw that I liked was either 1.) more than I wanted to spend or 2.) not the right size. It appeared that I would have to suck it up and spend more money than I wanted to, or buy sight unseen (and I wasn't going to buy something that I had never seen or felt...so the latter was out of the question).

So I did what any good Southern Woman would do, I took off work and I shopped. I shopped until my feet went numb. It was awesome! First up, Tuesday Morning. I've never paid much attention to their rug selection, but I know they have them, and a lot of them, on the cheap, so I figured, why not?

Tuesday Morning had this beaut, it was the right size, though I probably wouldn't pick the brown border. It was also sisal and while I wasn't originally opposed to sisal, I thought it was incredibly rough and scratchy. It was $159, but out of the question.


Tuesday Morning also has a full sized Santa, if anyone is interested.

Next up was Ballard's Backroom and all I can say is, "What rock have I been living under??!!" Ballard's Backroom is the Ballard's Design outlet and they have a TON of scratch and dent and discontinued stuff-This week all of their slipcovers were 90% off, outdoor patio stuff was 50% off (one woman bought an 11 foot outdoor umbrella for 49 including tax!!) and their rugs were 30% off. I was a woman on a mission so I headed straight to the rug section. At first, all I could find were sisal rugs (even at Ballard's, they were really scratchy) and a couple of seagrass rugs (which I liked, but they all had red borders...which I wasn't 100% sold on). Slightly deflated, I pondered just buying the scratchy rug, because, you know, maybe it would get less scratchy as it aged. Just then, a Ballards employee came up to me and said, "You know, if you are thinking about that rug, might I suggest looking at this one over here? It's much softer".


And he rolled it out...(this one was 6x9)

And I walked on it...

Sold.

So here is the living room before (well, kind of before, I was so excited I started rolling the old rug up before I took a picture to so everyone)



And after: (I purchased the 8x10)


Total cost, $162, including tax. I love my new rug..I think it makes the room look so much nicer!

Dog In Mini Blinds

Hah. Someone was searching "Dog In Mini Blinds" and somehow got referred to my blog. Don't ask me why that cracks me up, but it does.


At first i thought this was a dog, but then i realized it was a kitty cat. An oversized kitty cat, if you will. Speaking of oversized cats, meet my nephew, Forrest.
Forrest is the sweetest kitty you'll ever meet, but he's a big boy. I was trying to get him to roll over, which he isn't quite able to do right now. But we're working on it.





Yep, I'd say that's definitely a dog in mini blinds.


Dang, I got caught.

Picking a Rug is Driving me Crazy!

If you had talked to me a mere 24 hours ago, I would have told you that I had decided on our new living room rug. I had decided on an 8x10 jute rug I found on Overstock.com

8x10 Jute Rug at Overstock.com

It's a good price at $170.99, the right size, pratically free shipping and has pretty good reviews. After hours of googling, it was the closest to what I think I wanted, in the price range I was willing to pay. But 200 bones is still a lot to drop on something you haven't seen in person, and honestly, the only thing more confusing than calculating derivatives is figuring out natural fiber rugs.

Jute? Sisal? Mountain Grass? Seagrass? Jute-chenille blend? Faux sisal? I feel like I'm in college all over again, where I slepted thru or skipped all my classes and show up for the final exam without a clue as to how to use derivatives to calculate a production demand chart. True Story.

I stumbled upon this explaination at Pure Style Home Jute vs. Sisal vs. Seagrass which does a pretty good job of explaining the difference between all the "natural" rug options...it helped me decide that I probably need to stick with my original jute idea (since sisal tends to stain more easily and seagrass can be smelly, which I would never hear the end of from Husband if I bought a smelly rug) but it also opened up a WHOLE NEW can of natural fiberous worms.

Guess how many rug patterns there are? Hundreds of MILLIONS.


(Basketweave, probably my favorite, I think)


(Boucle, this one seems to be the most popular)


(The manufacturer calls this one "Rivera")

Seriously, folks, this is just a drop in the natural fiber rug bucket. There is diamond weave, herringbone, braided, small boucle, large boucle...for a lover of linens like myself, you would think I would be in textile heaven!

It's like when I was a kid and we'd go to wal-mart, and daddy would say, "pick one toy" and I would just sit there, paralyzed with the fear that I would pick the wrong toy...There was this baby doll that, when you bought it, you didn't know if it was a boy or a girl. I cried in wal-mart for an hour because I was terrified I would pick the wrong one and get stuck with a boy baby! (Now a days, I'd give anything for a little boy, not that girls are bad, but I think with the proper grooming, my son will be a professional athlete)

So, here I sit, paralyzed with fear that I will choose the wrong rug. Those that know me, know I generally don't get worked up about such purchases (Who else buys three wedding dresses? Me. thats who. But husband won't let me buy three rugs now that its "shared money") but this whole rug thing has me in a down right tizzy.

Will she bite the bullet and buy a dang rug already? Or will she continue to waiver finally explode out of sheer frustration? Will Marlena ever escape the grasp of the evil Stefano Dimera? Like sands through the hourglass, so too, are the days of our lives.

I Can Hardly Contain the Excitement!

Ok, I didn't pee myself (I checked), but I am probably this excited right now. I can hardly contain myself. I just squealed and got a really peculiar look from all of my co-workers. suck it.

First, found out a good friend is expecting. I am so happy for her that I can't even find the words. And I always find the words. Maybe my feelings can best be explained in song. I got the joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart! Where? Down in my heart! Where? DOWN IN MY HEART! Yes, I just broke out in old school VBS song. What then?

Secondly, today is the Lilly Pulitzer sale on Rue La La. Lilly sales on Rue La La is better than Christmas for Steffy BadNews. And I got paid today, DOUBLE CHRISTMAS. The sale starts in t-minus 38 minutes and I am READY. Its Go Time!(I am so hopeful they have the Janine top, I've been wanting this shirt ALL SEASON!)

Other good news of note:

-My friend Meggers had her baby yesterday and I can't wait to meet her! Steffy BadNews loves babies, y'all.
-I am going to the PGA Championship tomorrow and will have the opportunity to profess my undying love to one, Mr. Adam Scott. HEY BOYFRIEND!

You would probably be excited too if your life was this awesome!

Enough.

Last night, after hydrating my fruitless garden, I noticed I was itching.

I looked closer and noticed my knees had welts/bumps and was super red. This could only mean one thing...dun dun duuuuunn.



Poison Ivy.

When I told Husband I thought I had gotten into some poison ivy, he made me shower immediately. Which is probably why the rash is not bad. Or I might just not be allergic to poison ivy (I don't know if thats even possible). Deathly allergic to wasps, not even slightly allergic to posion ivy?

When I was a young'un (thats what you call kids in south georgia) I talked my friend Missy into rubbing poison ivy all over herself while I did the same. This was our plot to get out of having to go to school the next day. (Genius, I know!) It worked for Missy, she was out of school for a week with a horrible rash from head to toe...she even had it in her mouth! I, on the other hand, was at school, without so much as a hint of a tingle of a reaction to the supposedly poisonous plant. So either I got into some faulty ivy or I'm not allergic.

Weird.

So, I've decided that the only logical place that I could have been exposed to poison ivy is in the backyard. This means the time has come to do some botanical demolition to the backyard, because god forbid my li' princess get into this stuff! Break out the bobcats, its on like donkey kong.

Whatever, Whatever, I do What I Want!

Good ole' Cartman. This episode of South Park is one of my favs...probably because I use to love to watch Maury. Don't judge.

There was one point in my life when I pranced around singing "I do what I want! I do what I want!"; I had a gypsy spirit, spontaneous and always ready for an adventure.

Lately, I feel like my weekends have been designated for everyone else. Seriously, I am 100% booked until November 4th (and that only includes ONE football game). I'm not complaining because if I didn't want to do something, I wouldn't commit to it, but it would be nice to just have some free time and not have to schedule it. You know, to just be like "Wow, it's Saturday afternoon and I don't have anything to do! Let me call ____________ and see if they want to go shopping!" or "Wow, today would be a good day for the pool, I think I'll go!". I guess this is just one of the drawbacks of being super popular and awesome. Le Sigh.

On a side note, I signed up for a photography class on Monday nights! My homie from highschool teaches at this photography school near my house, so I decided now would be a good time to figure out how to use my Canon DSLR. Now would probably also be a good time to get a bag for it, too. But, one thing at a time, people, one thing at a time.