Things I've learned since becoming pregnant

1. I can handle nausea. It's the vomitting without notice that gets me.

2. Matt's job is actually more gory than I thought.

3. Growing a human really does cause tiredness.

4. I miss chocolate more than I should.

5. Gaining weight because I'm pregnant lowers my self-esteem just as much as gaining weight because I'm lazy.

6. Eating pizza rolls for every meal SHOULD be socially acceptable.

7. I still am not a huge fan of being touched.

8. I don't have the pregnant glow that I expected. Unless the glow comes from my watering eyes as I vomit. But I don't think it does.

9. I haven't shopped for the baby like I thought I would. Other than a huge box of wipes that I bought the day I got a positive pregnancy test (that I've since given away) and a Sophie (for Christmas) I haven't bought anything for the baby. I hope that doesn't mean that I'm going to a cheap mom.

10. I'm not ready for this. At all.

The Christmas Creep

I'm not going to lie. I used to be one of those people that hated thinking about Christmas before Thanksgiving. I didn't not like that Christmas crept up a little earlier each year. HOWEVER. A few years ago I started listening to Christmas music before Thanksgiving, but only when I was in my car by myself. I didn't tell anyone. It was my little secret. Now, I've changed.

I've decided to start celebrating Christmas early. Like now. No, I am not going to put my tree up until after Thanksgiving, but I am listening to Christmas music without guilt. This weekend, I'm going to put my TV on the Hallmark Channel and shamelessly watch Christmas movies. I'm not sure why the urge for Christmas has hit me so soon this year, but it might have to do with not being able to go home for Christmas. This year is going to be different. Next year is going to be WAY different, but I wasn't ready for it to change so soon. I guess that's just part of growing up...

Anyway. Now that I've wiped my eyes and can see through the tears to type, a few of my favorite Christmas songs!! Because I love Christmas AND I love lists.

In no particular order:

Oh Come All Ye Faithful
Oh Come Oh Come Emannuel.
Breath of Heaven
Christmas Offering (totally contemporary but I'm a huge fan.)
Baby, It's Cold Outside (don't judge! It's cute!)
Do You Hear What I Hear
The First Noel
Away In A Manger
Jingle Bells (again, don't judge)
O Holy Night


There, that's the short list. I will just leave it at that so I don't freak you out with my love of Christmas music. Josh Groban may or may not be singing about a little drummer boy from one of my five Christmas Pandora stations right now....

Keep Calm and "insert stupid verb phrase here"

It's been quite some time since I've been so annoyed with something to feel the need to blog about it. However, I've been spending more time on Pinterest these days for some reason and I've about reached my limit on some things. Specifically, the "keep calm" collection of "inspirational" signs.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of the original. I think it was a brillant move by the Brits. I see it and I take a deep breath and keep going. That's what the British government wanted their people to do before WW2. I'm for it.

What I'm not for, is all the deviations. Let me share a few of the ones that annoy me the most.

 

What does this even mean? Following the white rabbit didn't work out too well for Alice so I can't think that's what the makers of this ickiness want me to do.

 

Shopping is the absolute last thing I want to do when I'm frenzied. Shopping? No.

 

How exactly can one "be swag?" I'm pretty sure that one "has swag." I don't get it and I don't like it.

 

I think this one bothers me the most of these four. Get a tattoo? When has that ever solved a problem? Never. It should say "Keep Calm and Think About it Longer."

 

 

Okay, rant over. I just don't like deviations. I need to spend less time on Pinterest. 

Some not so great things about working from home

Awhile back I posted some of the things I love about working from home. Now, here are some things that I don't love about working from home. I know, I have a job, I shouldn't complain, but here it is.

I get lonely. Sure, I email and call work people but it just isn't the same as hanging out around the water cooler talking before the boss gets to work.

I feel guilty when I don't do housework while at home. Matt and I had a big talk when we were discussing our options. I told him that I wasn't going to do housework while I was "at work." Then I started working from home and now I do housework while at work. A load of laundry here, a unloaded dishwasher there, it happens. When it doesn't happen, I feel guilty. Because I'm at home.

I have to give my cell phone number to work people when I leave messages. I'm not a fan. But I do it. Because it's my job.

My chair at home isn't as comfortable as my old chair at work.

Okay, I'm tired of complaining. I just wanted cyberspace to know that there are always downsides to even the best of situations.

Rationalizing an Irrational Fear

One of my least favorite things about being a girl is the near constant grooming that has to happen for me to be socially acceptable. Whether it is putting on makeup, painting my nails, or straightening my hair, for the most part, I don't enjoy it. I do sometimes, but mostly it is just a pain. Along with the frustrating process that is trying to be pretty comes getting haircuts. It seems like once I find the ideal stylist (that's what they are called these days), she does something that annoys me or I have to move.

When I was growing up, we went to the lady that my mom picked out. Easy, peasy. When I was in college, I would try to go back to Monroe when I could for haircuts, but that just got to be too much of a hassle. After a few misfires, I found the perfect girl in Ruston. Then I moved. In law school, I tried to go back to Ruston when I could for my girl there, but it just wasn't feasible so I found a girl in BR. Actually, that was the easiest. The place was right near campus, the girl didn't try to sell me anything, and cut my hair exactly how I wanted it. Then, I moved again. I tried a few different places in Shreve. The first was close to work, but she kept trying to sell me things I didn't want or need. The second was kind of far away. The third place kept blowing fuses during my haircut. I never really found a good fit but it was okay, because then I moved again. Now, I am back in BR. My girl from before really is too far away now and I don't remember her name... When I realized that it was time for a haircut (based on how much I wanted to die when I wore my hair down), I nearly cried. I spent several days looking online, reading reviews, and thinking about how to get to Ruston during the work week. Eventually, I just bit the bullet and made an appointment. I chose a higher-end chain of salons reasoning that the stylist would have to meet the strict standards of that brand to work at the salon. Regardless, I just knew that when I showed up for my appointment, I'd end up getting stuck with an untalented Edward Scissorhands.

I mean, what if she was having a bad day? What if she doesn't know how to cut my hair type? What if "she" is a "he" and a man cuts my hair? What if I hate it? What if they cut too much? What if they try to sell me products? What if they say I have awful hair? What if I'm late and they get mad at me?

I know, a bunch of irrational fears all tied to my fear of getting a haircut. I get clammy hands for days leading up to appointments, even after I've gone to the same person several times. It's ridiculous I know.

BUT.

If I have a bad haircut, then I have to deal with how to not be embarrassed when I go out in public. If they try to sell me things then I have to say no while feigning interest to I don't hurt their feelings, but I can't show too much interest or they won't stop asking. If they cut too much then I'll look like a boy. If I'm late then they won't cut my hair and I'll have to start all over.

I can rationalize anything.

In the end, my haircut turned out alright. I think. However, they tried to sell me way too many things so I'll mark that place of my list of potentials. I just get all anxious thinking about my next haircutting adventure. Here's hoping I can last another three months without one. At least.

Let's talk about spelling.

I'm awful at spelling. Not as awful as my brother, Jeffrey, but awful. Because I'm in a list making mood, here's a short list of words that trouble me.

1. definetely.  Is that spelled right? Nope. It should be definitely.  Apparently I like to define-it-lee. Which is fine by me.

2. refrigerator. Op! I spelled that right on the first try. Normally, I add a 'd' in there for fun.

3. diesel. One would think that a girl who drives an Impala needn't worry about how to spell that word. But one would be wrong. I'm a trucking defense attorney. I need to know how to spell 'diesel' without waiting for the squiggly red line to correct me.

4. surprise. Nope, I don't pronounce the first 'r' either, but it's in there. Or so Webster's tells me.

5. september. I DO know how to spell this word, but my fingers don't. My fingers add a pesky 'n' where there should not be one. It's annoying.

Um, I'm kind of tired of listing my spelling failures so I am going to stop.

Just know that when I misspell words, it isn't for lack of knowledge that I have a problem. It was my lack of caring about spelling in grade school. Please don't ask me to see my handwriting. I missed that lesson in school too.

The Top TEN things...

About working from home.

With no kids.

I've been working from home with my old firm since moving to the BR. It's been a huge benefit to me because I haven't found the perfect job down here yet. AND, it's been a benefit to my old firm, because they haven't had to find a replacement yet... I've compiled a list of the top ten things I like about working from home without kids in the picture. I'm sure that people that work from home WITH kids have quite a different list.

10.   It's cheaper. I don't have to spend gas driving to work.

9.    I get to deduct my home office at tax time. Matt and I need every tax break we can get.

8.   No traffic. I don't have to wait for a million other people to go through a traffic signal. I don't have to deal with a single car in the morning. Or in the evening. Or ever.

7.   I don't have to blow dry or straighten my hair if I don't want to. Or wear makeup. I promise, I do still wear anti-perspirant.

6.  I get to stay in bed until about 7:30. 7:30. Yep.

5.   I can take a bubble bath in the middle of the day if I want to. With my new whirlpool tub, I find myself wanting to get in the bubbles more often than I probably should...

4.    I don't have to worry about making and taking my lunch. I can just walk the thirty feet to the kitchen at lunch time and take care of lunch then. It's great.

3.   I get to hang out with Giselle all day. Granted, she sleeps most of the time, but I do feel better about being able to let her go outside during the day instead of just locking her up in her kennel. Today, though, this should probably be number 10 because she is off pouting somewhere for absolutely no reason and completely ignoring me. I swear, I didn't do anything to her.

2.   I can wear whatever I want. T-shirt and gym shorts, my pajamas, whatev. It's glorious.

1.    And perhaps the best thing about working from home: I can have a badittude without concern about hurting anyone's feelings or being asked about my mood. For someone who is no longer a morning person, this is HUGE.
Trust me, there are about a million other benefits to working from home, but there are some drawbacks. I don't like to think about those too much lest I get the urge to job hunt.

I know, you're jealous. I understand. I'd be jealous too.

Just a few glimpses into our new home!

 It seems that I am the world's slowest "move in and unpack-er." With our obligations in Sheve, a couple of weddings, and a beach vacation added to my inherent procrastinator tendencies, unpacking a bajillion boxes has been a long process. Until I am able to unveil our new house without embarrassment, I thought I would share a few glimpses of our new furnishings.

First up, a glimpse into the "beach room." The room is essentially my old bedroom from law school so white furniture with blue bedding. Matt wanted to make it beach themed and the colors really make that possible. Here's the side table. I am using shells from past beach trips, mottled blues, and pewter. That open space is waiting on the perfect lamp.

We went from a two bedroom house to a three so we "got" to buy a new bedding set. Naturally, we decided to get something new for our room and move our bedding to a guest room. Matt and I often butt heads when talking about design, but we both agreed on this pattern. Finding it on clearance made our decision even easier.

I had my eye on this gem for quite some time before Matt's mom got it for us as an anniversary present. The living room is not done, but this pillow is perfect! I love the hint of gold! I am typing this on my iPad and don't know how to scroll down so that is it for now! More to come as soon as I get some boxes unpacked...

Aslan?

 I am about to be all sorts of blasphemous. Please be aware that I'm not being serious and it's all in good fun. Well, fun for me.

You know what happens in the summertime?

It gets hot. 

I bet you didn't know that, did you? For people, we just put on our skimpiest (yet hopefully tasteful) clothes to battle the heat. For dogs, well, dogs shed. For dogs who already shed copiously during other parts of the year, they shed more for the summer.

Enter Giselle. 

I thought about posting a picture of the dog hair that accumulated under my dresser in the week between vacuumings but I decided to leave that out for the greater good. It was A LOT. Use your imagination.  To prevent me from having to vacuum every five minutes of the day and to prevent Giselle from suffering from a heat stroke, Matt and I decided to give her a haircut. With an electric shaver. Scissors ain't got a chance against G's locks.

We created a beauty parlor outside with a comfy table in the shade. After manhandling Giselle on to the table, we went to work. Matt shaved while I brushed out the loose hairs and held the dog down. About an hour later, more than one tear, and a trash can six inches deep in dog hair, we called it quits.

Seeing G laying on the table while being sheared was very reminiscent of a scene from a popular movie and even more popular book series:

Yep, that's Aslan. De-strengthened and de-haired.

I did not take a picture of Giselle on the table. I felt like she had suffered enough.

I did, however, take a picture of her laying on the floor later that day:

She's just a few shackles away from looking very much like Aslan. I hoping that her hair doesn't grow back overnight and she doesn't break anything in retribution.

She looks older now (I think because of the lighter hair of her undercoat) and much thinner. I hope she's cooler.  I think this picture, taken a few hours after her haircut, shows that she's still very much disapproving of our methods:

Now, if you'll excuse me, Giselle has a white witch squirrel to slay.

My last Monday

Today is THE last Monday that I will be working in my office at my current job. Starting June 1st, I'll be a stay-at-home wife.  Ha, just kidding. But, seriously I will be working from home until I can find a new job in the ol' BR.  I'm a little bit excited about it. I'm going to miss going to work everyday, seeing my co-workers but I am incredibly fortunate to have a boss who will let me stay on (remotely) until I get my feet on the ground. Thanks, Mark!  We don't have all the details worked out yet, but this time two weeks from now, I'll be billing time from my couch. I. cannot. wait.

Fear

Want to hear (read) something ridiculous? I have a hearing tomorrow and I'm scared to death. I'm a civil litigator who is not great at public speaking. (I hope no future employers are reading this...) I know that my problem is just that I haven't practiced speaking in public much. My argument is solid. I can be persuasive. I'm just terrified. The attorney opposite me is rude and mean. The venue is unfamiliar to me. I've only argued one other hearing before and it was just me and the judge. It is very likely that I am going to vomit before I get there. The good thing is that I'll likely go first so it'll be over quickly. That bad thing is that I'll likely go first so I won't get to see what the judge prefers. If you happen to talk to me in the next 24 hours, there will likely be a quiver in my voice and a tremble in my hands. It's just my body getting ready for tomorrow. I need to get that quiver out. I'm pretty sure that piranhas can smell fear.

Gracious I'm scared.

That time Giselle almost ran away

Giselle and I have been spending a lot more time together this year. Matt's at work nearly every waking minute so lately it has been up to me to feed G, play with her, get on to her, and stop her from jumping on people. At times I feel like a stay-at-home mom who is the "bad guy." When Matt gets home, she runs to the door and jumps on him and smells his ear like she hasn't seen him in forever and she is so excited that he is finally home. I'm fine with it, I mean, I know who she loves more, it's okay. I just remind her that without me she'd hardly ever be fed and she'd be stuck in her kennel for twenty hours a day. Basically, I'm her lifesaver. She'll realize how great I am to her when she is older, I'm sure. You know, kind of how like now I wonder how on earth my mother didn't put me up for adoption for all the trouble I gave her. Kudos to moms everywhere for putting up with their children.

I digress.

A couple of weeks ago, I let Giselle out after dark so she could play one last time before I brought her in for the night. She loves being outside at nighttime. I'm pretty certain that she pretends she's a ninja and hunts down squirrels. About ten minutes after letting her out, I opened the back door to call her back in. I called, but I didn't see her. Not a big deal, she was playing ninja. I called again and then noticed that the gate was open. The gate. The only physical barrier to keeping Giselle in the backyard was gone. As was Giselle.

My first thought: Matt's going to divorce me.

I grabbed my keys and ran out the door. And there she was. Sitting oh so patiently by the front gate, just a-waiting to come inside. I nearly cried. I let her in and gave her a hug and then got on to her for leaving the back yard. And then I gave her a treat. I mean, she did come back and saved me from certain future alimony payments.

I thought about naming this post "How Giselle Saved My Marriage," but I thought that was too dramatic. Last thing I want right now is more drama.

Note: Matt and I will be closing on our very first home sometime in the next twelve days. We'll be moving in just over a month. My brother is getting married in a month and a half. No, I don't need no more drama. I seriously ain't got time for that.

Hi, my name is Tara and I am a bibliophile

I try not to be. I rarely buy books. I frequent the library at least once a week. I check Amazon for free ebooks every few days. I am way too active at my e-library. All in an effort to not collect heavy, expensive books that will inevitably draw dust and dog hair. Evidently, all of my efforts have been in vain. I am slowly packing up our house and wanted to start with the things that we don't use on a daily basis. One category of those things is books. I can go online for a recipe or I can check a book out of the library if my copy is in storage. Little did I know how huge of a task packing up books would be. It took several days and 17 (SEVENTEEN!!!) boxes, but I've finally gotten them all packed up.

Once Matt and I are in our "forever" home, I will buy books but until then, I have got to stop. I'll admit it, I have a problem.

A week in pictures

 Last week had  A LOT of picture worthy moments so I decided instead of just telling you about them, I'd show you the pictures I took. I know, I'm awesome like that.

First, on Sunday, I felt bad, but I baked. Baking just makes everything better. My first attempt at pretzel rolls turned out delicious.  I made 12 of them, and they were all gone by Tuesday. Granted, my tummy trouble of Monday may have played a role in their quick disappearance. And my love of bread.  I should say that this picture is on a salad plate, not a dinner plate. The pretzel rolls were not the size of frisbees. I kind of wish they had been.

On Tuesday I started working on a little something special for a baby that was expected around April 12th.  Yep, CONFETTI!!!

 On Wednesday, that sweet baby girl came. A little early, but we aren't complaining one bit.

 On Thursday, I noticed those two little cuts on Giselle's face. And then Matt told me that the neighbor texted him about our dogs chasing a raccoon around. G and I spent part of our Friday at the vet to catch her up on her rabies vaccination. She looked so sad in the pictures from that day, I decided not to post them. I mean, who likes to cry at work? Not me.

On Saturday, Mar and I went to see sweet baby girl in the hospital. She spent several days in the NICU for low blood sugar so we had to stare adoringly at her through glass. This is her gramps peering in to see her. 

 Also on Saturday, this little man made an appearance for the church's Easter egg hunt. I swear, that kid's got some crazy egg skills. He hasn't quite grasped the concept of putting the eggs in the basket, but he can sure fill his little hands with them. Happy Easter, Henry!

 On Sunday, I got an Easter present! I keep putting off having kids because then I know that they'll get the goodies and I'll be stuck trying to sneak the chocolate our of their baskets while they aren't looking. For now, it's all about me and I'm okay with it.  I have no clue what this flower/plant/thing is, but it's mine!

 This week promises to be full of more babies, finished sewing projects, AND a birthday of someone I know pretty well. I can't promise I'll post pictures from any of those things, but I might tell you about them. Until then, I'll be gorging myself on Starburst jelly beans!

The one about disappointment

Last Friday was kind of a bummer for me.  I got rejected for a job, found out some problems with the house we want to buy, and a dear friend didn't quite get the news we were hoping for about something rather important. To say the least, as I drove the two hours to my parents' house for a visit Friday night, I had some heavy thoughts.  I felt sorry for myself for about half of the drive, then decided that there are some things that are just beyond my control.

I can only give what I have.

Everything happens for a reason. I know that. Heck, I say it all the time. I just don't want to hear it. I don't want to hear that I was not meant to have the job that I applied for and hoped against hope that I would get. I don't want to hear that the house that Matt and I have picked out may not the best purchase. I don't want to hear that my 8-month pregnant friend wasn't meant to pass her dissertation boards free and clear.

But it is true. Everything does happen for a reason.

I have a job offer waiting for me. There are other houses for sale in the same neighborhood. J is off work for the next 18 weeks so she can focus on her dissertation for the next few days without having to worry about students or deadlines.

I'm working on remembering that when what I give isn't enough, it isn't because I didn't try hard enough (or sometimes it is) or because I am not good enough. It means that there are other plans for me. It means that what I need is not a super stressful job in an international law firm or a house with a roof that will need to be replaced or perfect friends (who needs those anyway?).

What I need is to trust that it will all work out for the best. I've got to go full force then let it go. I've got to have faith.

What a difference a professional can make

 Last April or so, Matt and I decided to fix the flower bed in the front of our house. We spent hours and hours and over a hundred bucks to make it look perfectly perfect. And it did. For about two months. Then, the weeds came and the motivation left. We didn't weed the beds, we didn't replace the flowers when they died after the season, we just didn't care. Then, in about August of 2012, our generous landlords (Matt's parents) mentioned that they were going to have the front yard landscaped. We were thrilled. From that point on, I didn't even look at the beds and consider weeding them or raking the leaves out or anything. I will admit that about the beginning of last month I started to feel ashamed of the awful state of our flower beds, but not quite up to doing anything about it. Then. About three weeks ago, the professionals were sent in. They fixed everything. Like, everything. I have pictures to prove it.

 First, well start with the brick steps. We live in a pier and beam house (like, up off the ground) so we have steps to get into the house. Ours were in awful condition. The bricks were crumbling and broken. The "wall" facing the street looked awful. Look, I'll show you:
See what I mean? Awful. See the area below the wall? Covered in leaves? That's the flower bed. I know, it's obvious. I didn't even need to tell you.

And now, it has been fixed. Behold!

Isn't that the prettiest wall you've ever seen? The dark grey parts at the top are just wet concrete. It is dry now and much lighter. You can tell that the bricks aren't all the same. The landscaper used some of the bricks that we had been using to line the flower bed. I have to say, the color variation really makes a difference.

Next up, the big picture. Okay, first, the front of the house BEFORE the landscaper came in: 

 I have to admit, the best part about this picture is the Tech flag. Ain't a whole lot of prettiness. With about three days of work. the landscaper crew (two incredibly hard workers and one supervisor), turned that unattractive mess up there into this:




























I know. You are wild with jealous. Wait until you see it after the rest of the repairs. We're going to repaint all the white trim on the exterior of the house AND deal with those leaves on the roof. By "we" I actually mean another professional. Well, Matt had better handle the leaves, but the painting will be done by a professional. And no, we're not paying for a thing! Again, thanks to the landlords...

Now I'm kind of sad to be leaving it...

2013 resolutions

It's taken me 17 days, but I've finally decided on my resolutions. Completely doable resolutions. Last year's were a bit too abstract and too numerous, but now I've got better goals.

1. Clean the kitchen every night before going to bed. Including the dishes. I want an empty sink by bedtime. I can do that, I swear.

2. Starting today, yoga everyday. I just bought some DVDs that have 10-minute routines. I can spare ten minutes.

3. Eat less, exercise more.

4. Compliment at least one person every day.

5. File mail and other documents as soon as I receive them. I currently have a "to-file" stack about a foot high. It's ridiculous. But no more!

There, five completely do-able things that will make my life (and hopefully the lives of the people around me) a little bit better. It's going to happen.

2011 Craft Recap

This year I set a crazy goal of reading 75 books. I did it, but kind of let a lot of my other hobbies fall by the wayside. My goal for 2013 is still to read, just not as much. I want to really focus on crafting. And getting our house ready to sell. And finding a new house. And being able to pay for a new house. Without ending up with no money. 

Because you really don't want to read the list of books I read, instead, I wanted to share the completed crafts I did this year that I haven't posted before. I think y'all have seen all the wreaths so here are the other things I've been up to.

Matt and I went to Mexico for our honeymoon and brought back a whole bunch of tangible memories. While trying to clean things out for the big move, I came across them and made a shadowbox display. I'm quite pleased with it.

Here's a quilt I made for Whitney for Christmas. She mentioned on Pinterest how she wanted a quilt like this, so I tried my best to make it for her. It's not big enough to cover a twin bed, but should be a good curl-up quilt. I had fun picking the patterns for this one, while still trying to use as much fabric as I could with what I already had. 

This behemoth of a quilt is now Drew's. He got it for his birthday. He has this weird obsession with polo-style shirts. You know, the knit variety. He wanted a quilt made out of the shirts that he couldn't wear anymore (like stained shirts, too small, wonky collars). I volunteered. And then went back on my crazy meds. It took months, but I did it. It fits a queen-sized bed, which it what he wanted. I think my sewing machine still hates me for it. 

And that little piece of cheer is my first completed cross-stitch. Well, my first real one. I made another small one last year for our gallery wall, but I don't really consider that one real. This one is a wedding record. The "Love Never Fails" is a little wonky because I free-handed it while listening to the last five chapters of "Life of Pi." If you've read that book (I don't know about the movie), you know why I might have been distracted. I plan to give it  as a gift, but we'll see. It may be too wonky.

There. The four projects that you might not have seen yet. I'm hoping to have a whole heck of a lot more in 2013. I know, you can hardly wait to see what I churn out.