When I'm sick things just don't run quite as well. T.G. manfully steps in and does all he can to make it easier and to look out for everyone, but when the mama is taken out by illness the whole household goes a bit wonky. Obligingly I try to stay healthy as much as possible, but this time not only am I feeling crummy, but Little Guy is sporting a faucet nose as well. We are doing a lot of hanging out in our pajamas, napping, cuddling together, and watching Peep and the Big Wide World.
On the whole I have had worse colds, and I know this one will pass, but it is still pretty lame at the moment. And then on top of me feeling sick our refrigerator stopped working right. Now all our perishables are living on the back porch in big coolers, which means my neighbors get to see my sniffling pj clad self several times a day as I go in and out for milk, lunch, etc. Thankfully it is so cold out, otherwise I don't know what we would do. We're working on getting a new fridge and the weather is allowing us to find exactly what we need for a good price. This is no small mercy with the way L.G. and I go through milk. Speaking of L.G. he began referring to the computer as 'Mac' on Monday. I love that kid. He is currently obsessed with farm animals and there is often mooing, quacking, and baaing coming from him all day long. He is the most amazing blessing in our life. We can both be tired, worn out, and crabby - but five minutes of L.G. walking around his room alternately singing and mooing would put anyone in a good mood. I'm relishing the one on one time I get with him, because I know soon it will be at a premium. We've been working hard to prepare him for the arrival of a sibling in March, but I'm just not sure how much he understands. Today he and I looked at a book with photographs of a pregnant mommy's tummy growing and a drawing of a baby inside that tummy to try to explain what I meant when I said his sister is in my own round belly. He was interested and happily turned pages watching the development of a child in the womb and then of a newborn infant - but then everything fell apart because he got to the page showing how to bathe a baby which featured a rubber duck.
All I can say is that I'm pretty sure L.G. is hoping his sister will actually be a duck. Sigh.
However, this might come in handy. A few months ago T.G.'s cousin's wife suggested getting L.G. a small present when the baby arrives and giving it to him at the hospital when he comes to visit with the understanding that it is a present from his sister. Apparently they did this with their son, and it really smoothed the transition. I may need to look into a duck or farm related present for L.G., because I have a feeling her advice will turn out to be golden.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!
My darling In-Laws have gotten us a second video monitor for our impending princess!!! YES!!!
I would write more about how totally awesome this is, but I promised T.G. that I would only be fifteen more minutes before I came to bed and I'm pretty sure I'm at that limit now. LOL!
Anyway, HOORAY!!! Visual baby monitoring goodness!!!
I would write more about how totally awesome this is, but I promised T.G. that I would only be fifteen more minutes before I came to bed and I'm pretty sure I'm at that limit now. LOL!
Anyway, HOORAY!!! Visual baby monitoring goodness!!!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Feeling kinda dumb
I've been Ebaying now for something like ten years. In that whole time I've always had good experiences with both buying and selling items. Everything that I bought always arrived as described, I am a careful and conscientious seller, and I have perfect feedback.
Then last week I bought a dress for the new baby. The woman had a good feedback score and she described the dress as having no rips, tears, or stains of any kind. She did note that since she buys and resells baby clothes, she can't always be sure they come from a smoke free home, but she launders them all first just in case.
Um.
Yeah, here's where things got all wonky and I ended up feeling stupid.
I won the auction, paid for the dress, and then it didn't ship right away like she said it would in her Ebay ad. This led me to start reading all her feedback as I began to get that nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach. Her bad feedback all said the same things - item not as described, came with stains on it, had tears, smelled terribly of smoke...etc.
Her good feedback even had quite a few people that complained of a very strong cigarette odor.
Now I really started to get nervous, but I was trying to remain positive.
The dress arrived today and you could smell cigarette smoke ALL OVER the shipping bag. (it was one of those thin, plasticky expedited shipping bags, not a paper shipping envelope) Then when I opened the bag, the smell of cigarettes was so bad my eyes watered. T.G.'s description of how the dress smelled was "Ew! It's like she wiped it on a bar floor!"
Personally I thought it smelled more like she used it to clean ashtrays, but as I didn't have a panel of experts on hand I can't tell you for sure who was right. What I can tell you is that I strongly suspect the woman herself is the smoker, and the comment she made about the dress possibly being from a non-smoke free home was baloney. T.G. suspected that too, especially since the outside of the bag and shipping label both REEKED of smoke. If that was where the problems ended I would have just dealt with it. There are ways to get cigarette stench out of clothes, and I would have just employed them. But that wasn't where the problems ended.
Clearly visible on the front of the dress were yellow stains. They were all over. An inspection of the back of the dress was no better. It had even bigger stains. It was hardly in the condition the woman advertised it as being in. Not only that, but it appeared she was aware of the stains and had tried to do something about them, because there was either stain remover or detergent residue on the front of the dress. The residue was so thick in parts that the fabric was stiff, sticky, and somewhat bluish in color. Now this is all supposition, but she's the one who says she launders stuff before she sends it out. My guess is that she coated it in tide or some similar blue colored detergent, let it sit for a few hours, and then gave it a swirl around in the washing machine or the sink. The reason why it smelled like smoke so badly is because she's the smoker. Otherwise why would the outside of the bag and the label be coated in cigarette smell? And why would a laundered dress stink of an ashtray? Pft. I'm not buying her story about possible previous owners who smoked. Someone had smoked around that dress and envelope recently, and I don't claim to be Sherlock Holmes, but I'd be willing to bet on her being the culprit.
The end result of this was me feeling all deflated and dumb. T.G. was indignant for me, but all I could think was that I had bought this wrecked dress and it was so embarrassing. I've never run into an unethical seller on Ebay before, the experience sort of squashed me flat.
So I emailed her and told her about the stains. I requested a full refund and told her that I would be happy to return the dress if she prepaid the shipping charges. She did not email me back, but did refund my total cost.
Now I'm bit confused. Do I keep the dress? Do I look into how much it would be to ship it back and email her with that cost and ask if she wants me to return it? She didn't answer the previous email, just refunded the money and her account says she does not do returns, but I feel weird keeping a dress that has been refunded.
Ugh the whole experience is really leaving a bad taste in my mouth. I'm all...blargh.
Then last week I bought a dress for the new baby. The woman had a good feedback score and she described the dress as having no rips, tears, or stains of any kind. She did note that since she buys and resells baby clothes, she can't always be sure they come from a smoke free home, but she launders them all first just in case.
Um.
Yeah, here's where things got all wonky and I ended up feeling stupid.
I won the auction, paid for the dress, and then it didn't ship right away like she said it would in her Ebay ad. This led me to start reading all her feedback as I began to get that nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach. Her bad feedback all said the same things - item not as described, came with stains on it, had tears, smelled terribly of smoke...etc.
Her good feedback even had quite a few people that complained of a very strong cigarette odor.
Now I really started to get nervous, but I was trying to remain positive.
The dress arrived today and you could smell cigarette smoke ALL OVER the shipping bag. (it was one of those thin, plasticky expedited shipping bags, not a paper shipping envelope) Then when I opened the bag, the smell of cigarettes was so bad my eyes watered. T.G.'s description of how the dress smelled was "Ew! It's like she wiped it on a bar floor!"
Personally I thought it smelled more like she used it to clean ashtrays, but as I didn't have a panel of experts on hand I can't tell you for sure who was right. What I can tell you is that I strongly suspect the woman herself is the smoker, and the comment she made about the dress possibly being from a non-smoke free home was baloney. T.G. suspected that too, especially since the outside of the bag and shipping label both REEKED of smoke. If that was where the problems ended I would have just dealt with it. There are ways to get cigarette stench out of clothes, and I would have just employed them. But that wasn't where the problems ended.
Clearly visible on the front of the dress were yellow stains. They were all over. An inspection of the back of the dress was no better. It had even bigger stains. It was hardly in the condition the woman advertised it as being in. Not only that, but it appeared she was aware of the stains and had tried to do something about them, because there was either stain remover or detergent residue on the front of the dress. The residue was so thick in parts that the fabric was stiff, sticky, and somewhat bluish in color. Now this is all supposition, but she's the one who says she launders stuff before she sends it out. My guess is that she coated it in tide or some similar blue colored detergent, let it sit for a few hours, and then gave it a swirl around in the washing machine or the sink. The reason why it smelled like smoke so badly is because she's the smoker. Otherwise why would the outside of the bag and the label be coated in cigarette smell? And why would a laundered dress stink of an ashtray? Pft. I'm not buying her story about possible previous owners who smoked. Someone had smoked around that dress and envelope recently, and I don't claim to be Sherlock Holmes, but I'd be willing to bet on her being the culprit.
The end result of this was me feeling all deflated and dumb. T.G. was indignant for me, but all I could think was that I had bought this wrecked dress and it was so embarrassing. I've never run into an unethical seller on Ebay before, the experience sort of squashed me flat.
So I emailed her and told her about the stains. I requested a full refund and told her that I would be happy to return the dress if she prepaid the shipping charges. She did not email me back, but did refund my total cost.
Now I'm bit confused. Do I keep the dress? Do I look into how much it would be to ship it back and email her with that cost and ask if she wants me to return it? She didn't answer the previous email, just refunded the money and her account says she does not do returns, but I feel weird keeping a dress that has been refunded.
Ugh the whole experience is really leaving a bad taste in my mouth. I'm all...blargh.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Loose ends
I'm having one of those days where I can't seem to find my equilibrium. I'm all moody and bored and argumentative. In fact, I don't even want to be around me right now. Everything seems like too much and everyone seems annoying. I overslept and we missed church, it is too cold to go for a walk so the dogs didn't get out, and I can't eat or breathe because the baby has decided to inhabit my upper torso.
I hate days like this.
I bet T.G. hates them too as he lives with me. Sigh.
We went out earlier because I was feeling all house-bound and insane and going out sort of made it worse because I realized everything outside the house was as lame as everything inside the house.
There's no reason for me to feel so blah. I got all the Christmas stuff safely stowed away, I have new fabric to work with, I made Little Guy a squirrel toy that he loves, AND we got a new TV. It should be a good day, but I'm a hormonal pregnant mess. I truly cannot wait to have this baby and get over myself already.
I think I'm going to go sit in the baby's room and look at the peachy pink walls and cute ruffly dresses and just try to relax. BEFORE I turn into an utter harpy of evil. Meh.
I hate days like this.
I bet T.G. hates them too as he lives with me. Sigh.
We went out earlier because I was feeling all house-bound and insane and going out sort of made it worse because I realized everything outside the house was as lame as everything inside the house.
There's no reason for me to feel so blah. I got all the Christmas stuff safely stowed away, I have new fabric to work with, I made Little Guy a squirrel toy that he loves, AND we got a new TV. It should be a good day, but I'm a hormonal pregnant mess. I truly cannot wait to have this baby and get over myself already.
I think I'm going to go sit in the baby's room and look at the peachy pink walls and cute ruffly dresses and just try to relax. BEFORE I turn into an utter harpy of evil. Meh.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Crafty Nesting
I've found that not only did my nesting instinct kick in early this time around, but it manifested in a near obsession with sewing things for our little tummy kicker and the impending tummy kickers of some friends. Since all the patterns I found were free and available online, I decided to share them so my other favorite crafty girls, and mamas could use them too. :) In no particular order, here they are:
Lambkin: http://www.patternbee.com/FREELAMBKIN.html
I LOVE Lambkin. I made mine with a soft rose print fabric and stuck a big fat jingle bell inside to give it a rattle sound. It was a bit time consuming to make because it is all hand-sewn, but completely worth it. I didn't put a face on my lamb as I wanted it as safe as possible for that baby and also because the rose fabric was embellishment enough for my taste.
Wendy Bird: http://www.lollychops.com/lollychops/2008/10/wendy-the-bird---free-pattern.html
Wendy Bird is really easy to make, and turns out to be this adorable, pobby, charming little bird. They'd make great rattles or baby toys, as long as you are careful what you use for eyes. They also make great Christmas ornaments and chubby little birds for a handmade mobile.
Sophisticated bird mobile: http://www.spoolsewing.com/blog/2008/05/16/bird-mobile/
I made these birds as a mobile for the baby's room. They come out EXACTLY how they look in the pictures and are a snap to make. I am a huge fan.
Chubby Pillow Owl: http://ashbyfamilyblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/easy-owl-pattern-and-tutorial-win-one.html
I made two of these for my friend who is having twins. They are fabulous in fresh, mod fabrics and make a nice size owl to use as a pillow or a softie. Great pattern.
Tiny Felt Owls: http://juicy-bits.typepad.com/juicy_bits/2009/12/131-give-a-hoot-for-the-holidays.html
These are awesome, but very time consuming. They don't look it, but putting on all the little face bits takes a while. They are small and lightweight and make awesome ornaments and mobiles.
Lambkin: http://www.patternbee.com/FREELAMBKIN.html
I LOVE Lambkin. I made mine with a soft rose print fabric and stuck a big fat jingle bell inside to give it a rattle sound. It was a bit time consuming to make because it is all hand-sewn, but completely worth it. I didn't put a face on my lamb as I wanted it as safe as possible for that baby and also because the rose fabric was embellishment enough for my taste.
Wendy Bird: http://www.lollychops.com/lollychops/2008/10/wendy-the-bird---free-pattern.html
Wendy Bird is really easy to make, and turns out to be this adorable, pobby, charming little bird. They'd make great rattles or baby toys, as long as you are careful what you use for eyes. They also make great Christmas ornaments and chubby little birds for a handmade mobile.
Sophisticated bird mobile: http://www.spoolsewing.com/blog/2008/05/16/bird-mobile/
I made these birds as a mobile for the baby's room. They come out EXACTLY how they look in the pictures and are a snap to make. I am a huge fan.
Chubby Pillow Owl: http://ashbyfamilyblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/easy-owl-pattern-and-tutorial-win-one.html
I made two of these for my friend who is having twins. They are fabulous in fresh, mod fabrics and make a nice size owl to use as a pillow or a softie. Great pattern.
Tiny Felt Owls: http://juicy-bits.typepad.com/juicy_bits/2009/12/131-give-a-hoot-for-the-holidays.html
These are awesome, but very time consuming. They don't look it, but putting on all the little face bits takes a while. They are small and lightweight and make awesome ornaments and mobiles.
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