The never ending...

credit card bill!

It seems like each month I pay off our credit card bills only to see that the following month we owe $1,500!

I'm looking for a good card that either gives cash back, has no interest rate, or offers some benefits.

What's shocking is that even though I don't maintain a balance on our cards I still tend to get plenty of offers. However, the credit limits on the cards are only going up to $2,500.

I think it's the economy and people have used their credit cards to float them during struggling times...

Thank God...

that tomorrow is the last day of work before I get a nice 4 days off!

These holidays have been going way too fast.

MUST.SCHEDULE.VACATION.SOON!

Get me out of here.

This is the time of year when I start craving a nice, sunny, beachy, vacation!

We talked about going to St. Thomas or St. Maarten's last night with C and L. Of course, we couldn't really agree on a destination and they only want to go to certain areas.

I might want to look into travel insurance because you never know when you might need it!

Out and about.

I've got to get out of the house. It seems like we've been spending tons of time at home. Emmy hasn't been sleeping good and we're just trying to get her back into the swing of things and also get her back on track with NAPS!

Today she's working on a 5 hour nap. WHy she can't sleep during the night time is beyond me?!

Almost 4.

I can't believe that this day four years ago my water broke and within 24 hours our little girl made her appearance.

It's really gone fast and there are so many things that I still can't wait to share and teach her.

Today we're off to the library to see the dollhouse exhibit. Tomorrow we're going to do sushi and another kid's birthday party.

Our girl's getting big!

Fatness.

I should have gone with the flow when I lost about ten pounds. I figured the momentum would help me to drop a few more pounds. Not so.

I'm at the point of looking for diet and medication alternatives and I've even looked at Leptovox.

It's a fat burner and it might just be the little bit that I need to get myself started to a thinner me!

Seven fish dinner.

I'm pretty psyched that tonight we're going over to Amy and Christine's house for a seven fish dinner. The past few years we've gone over every year and enjoyed delicious food and met up with really great people.

This year I'm sure will be no different.

I'm making my lox platter and I'm hoping that it will be done by this evening. Eek!

Move.

I've got to move it, move it.

When January 1st rolls around you can bet your bottom dollar that I'm going to get on a diet to lose these unwanted pounds.

It seems like the weight that I lost when my father passed away has somehow been gained back!

Maybe I'll look at a good diet pill to help me get a jumpstart!

The countdown...

has started til Christmas! I have two - half days left and then I'm off for a few days! Woo Woo.

To say the least...I'm exhausted and tired of work.

Plus, I really want to spend some time with my girls.

Maybe a little getaway?

Maybe the perfect gift this holiday would be to take Shawna away to the Westgate Planet Hollywood Tours. This would be our first getaway after Emmy was born and honestly a night away might make all the difference!

God knows we could both use a good night sleep and an adult conversation!

Christmas already?

I have absolutely no idea what to get Shawna. I asked her again this morning and she just replied clothes. Of course, we don't have the same taste and I'm a little scared that I'm going to pick something out and she's going to hate it.

I guess it's the thought that counts and anything I get her will be better than the dumpy flax and maternity clothing that she's wearing now!

I know we're paying too much...

but I've been too lazy to look around for a different car insurance.

When I was looking at my dad's finances I realized that on life, car, and house insurance he was getting better deals than me! We currently go through one of the big companies and it's been years since I've shopped around.

I used to think we got great deals because we purchased it all together...but now I'm not so sure.

Freaking out?

Okay, so we just put our house up for sale and we don't have another house?!

WTF are we thinking?

We are going to probably put in another offer to the house in Northeast and maybe this time their bitchy attorney will accept our offer!

Bugs.

It seems like our house always has spiders! The basement has become a safe haven for spiders everywhere and we have tons of cobwebs running in the beams.

At our last apartment we had terrible grain moths. I wish we would have purchased a pantry moth trap.

We found out after searching for weeks that they had been feeding on our rice. Eww.

To say the least we stayed away from rice for a long while.

Yikes.

I just looked at my timesheet and it looks like I need to put in more time. Of course, I'm royally screwed because it seems like there just isn't enough time in the day.

Tomorrow I'm dropping off G and then we have our adoption tomorrow afternoon.

Maybe I'll just stay late and work til our Christmas Party at 6:30.

Augh...why can't I be independently wealthy again?

Time off?

I've thought about going down to four days a week of work. Of course, I'm not sure how we'd be able to pay our bills but figure we'd manage somehow.

Now I'm considering doing some online trading! Of course, I wouldn't invest too much because the market is so unpredictable.

It would be fun to take the day off and stay at home doing some day trading!

Out of commission...

Sorry I've been away for a while. Work's been kicking my ass everywhere and now I have just a few minutes to update this blog.

So much has changed.

Emmy and Graem are getting big and...


My father passed away a few days ago.

Of course, now I'm just trying to make sense of all of it...

We need more.

I've looked everywhere for the perfect table lamp for our living room.

Instead of buying a new one we just revamped our old one and even purchased a new lamp shade! Of course, that was an ordeal and took three months to find a decent one that didn't look like our grandmothers!

YES!

Tomorrow is my first day off of work since maternity leave! I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to going to Grammy's field trip and seeing her and all of her classmates interact.

Then we're going to Kyushu! After that we're going to do some geocaching and plan on going to L,C, and J's house for Halloween trick or treating and dinner!!

Let the fun begin!

Trimming the fat?

With the holidays approaching I don't know if I should try now or wait til January 1st to start my new diet!

Heck, I'm scared that with the holidays I might even put on more weight. God knows I love my food and I'd rather work on losing it than just cutting out goodies.

Maybe I should try orovo diet pills and see if they can help me out during the upcoming months!

Exhausted.

I'm so tired. Emmy was up quite a bit last night and she's been pretty grumpy the past day.

I hope she's not getting sick.

There's nothing worst than a sick baby!

Work less. Play more.

At some point Shawna's going to go back to work. However, I'm not really sure what line of work she's going to get into.

Ideally, she'd have a part-time job or something where she can make her own hours and then with the rest of her time tend to home stuff and kids.

Maybe we should look at franchise opportunities. That way she'd be able to make her own schedule and still contribute financially!

Let's vote!

I really can't wait to vote this year. I feel like things have got to change.

God knows I come home every day and curse out the computer because I see my savings and investments go to an all time low. Let's not even talk about the kid's college fund.

Augh.

So memorable.

I'm so glad that we purchased a camcorder when I was pregnant.

We've been able to capture both births of our daughters and all of those precious things that happen when kids are young.

The ongoing joke is when people come over we ask them if they want to see our birth video!

Rain or snow?

It's nasty outside!

The past few days it's been so dark when I get up. I can't wait for daylight savings so that I can wake up and know that it's time to start my day!

I just watched the news and it's reported that we might get snow showers.

WTF??

I guess it is October though!

Must move more.

I keep saying every few weeks how I need to trim down. I'm finally down from our trip to Philly but I feel like my clothes just don't fit like they used to.

Not to mention, I've spent a lot of money on my wardrobe and so I can't afford to buy a new one!

Maybe we should get an elliptical machine so that I can workout from home.

It seems like the hardest part of working out is actually getting out of the house.

All work...

These past few weeks at work have been so busy. My boss has talked about bringing on another employee but I'm not sure that's the right answer with the economy being in shambles and noone knowing where all of this is going to go.

So far I've been able to keep up with everything and just put a few extra hours in here and there.

What kills me is when I'm on the road and don't have access to phone or email. Typically I check in and make calls throughout the day.

I just need more time in the day!

They worked for Shawna!

Maybe I should try diet pills too!

When Shawna resigned to stay home with Graem she was prescribed a few diet pills. To say the least they were what jumpstarted her weight loss and she was able to get down to an all time low.

The good thing was that after she had lost some of the weight it was much easier to lose more.

Let the diet begin!

Yesterday as we were driving home we decided that we should start our diet. It was nice because after having delicious food all week in Philly it was easy to have a light meal last night!

Of course, it's lunch time now and I'm STARVING!

Maybe I should just go to the treadmills at the local gym instead of McDonalds.

We don't have a thing!

I swear office supplies in our house are pretty scarce.

When Shawna was working she always used to bring nice pens home since she did some work from home. We had collected quite the number of pharmaceutical pens.

However, just the other day I realized that we didn't have *any* pens at all! So for the first time in about 10 years we had to go out and buy a few packs.

I can't wait til we get to go school shopping with the kids. FUN FUN FUN.

Flab.

Well, at least I've been able to get back to my 150 pound mark. I was exceeding my limits for a while there and I contributed it to extensive maternity leave and the fact that we were eating way too much and too often!

Of course, I might be interested in reading weight loss pill reviews if I want to start on a fat pill any time soon!

*gulp*

Our friend, L, mentioned the other day that she was down $30,000 for the year. Now that's a lot of money! Right now I have a pretty large amount of money in savings and I've been looking at ways to invest.

I've thought about futures trading but I'm not sure I want to take the risk right now.

At this point I have some ability to go risky and I know I should just take the plunge in order to diversify my portfolio.

Nice.

When we were in New York I tinkered around with all of my dad's cameras. He has the Leica, Canon, Nikon D90, Samsung, and Olympus digital SLRs.

It was a lot of fun but somewhat overwhelming because there were tons of settings and it reminded me how much I love my Canon Powershot point and shoot!

What can I say...

I pick Shawna's blackheads.

The reality is we all need someone to help us out and instead of them getting infected in her skin I pop them.

I've noticed that I have some blackheads on my nose and try to pick them but they aren't as fulfilling as hers and many times I don't get anything out.

I suppose at some point if they really bothered me I could start washing my face more or using cleanser.

Where's my money?

Years ago Shawna used to be an accountant. She had a decent job and was constantly looking at spreadsheets all day. Her best friend worked in collections and always said that the company would be better off with commercial collection agencies because they had so much outstanding and she could only do so much.

Another flipside of going through an outside agency is that the company that is owed is not seen as the bad guy and it's more of a routine process.

Dumb computer.

Our computer is a serious piece of crap.

It dies once every week and each week I think that we're going to have to take the plunge and buy a new one!

Of course, we could just do the quick fix and purchase more memory!

My dad mentioned when we were in Houston that it takes quite a bit of memory to run Windows Vista and we have about half of what's needed.

Duh. User error?

Behind the times.

We ended up taping the birth of little Emmy. Kim showed up at just the right time and got every minute of the action.

However, now that I think about it...I wish we had a new camcorder.

They have some great ones now that allow you to tape directly to a DVD. Our old school camcorder takes the cassettes and you have to buy something for your VCR in order to play from the cassette. Or you can just plug it into the television.

What a pain.

Get me out of here!

I must say that I'm loving the great weather we've had lately. We've been doing everything we can do to take advantage of the sun and heat!

However, I know it's not going to last forever and I should come up with a plan to get so sun the middle of the winter.

That's why I'm eyeing Orlando vacations. Not only do they have great fun for the whole family....but also perfect weather!

Just keeps going up...

I can't believe the cost of car insurance these days. It's really gotten out of control. In fact, ours keeps increasing each year and there's going to come a point where we can't afford to keep our cars on the road with the cost of insurance, the car itself, and GAS!

Heck, with life insurance, health insurance, car insurance we're spending around 25% of Margot's income!

Must have...

3 strollers.

Now I know this sounds excessive to the person without kids but we have learned that over time you must get the accessory that gets the job done!

We have the:

Travel stroller - Maclaren Volo
Carseat stroller for baby - Peg Perego Aria
Double stroller - Phil and Ted's with double

Each one has it's purpose ... of course at one point we were thinking of getting another stroller. Yikes. Maybe that would put us over our stroller consumption limit!

I'm still looking for the ...

best diet pills available.

When Shawna was dieting she did Xenical and Phenteramine. However, they had awful side effects.

I feel like I need a little bit of a boost and something that will help me suppress my appetite.

Of course, I could just do the logical thing and eat less and move more. I've talked about getting a gym membership for ages and just can't bring myself to pay the outrageous membership costs.

It's got to get better...

Lately, we've had a hard time trying to find the perfect credit card. We go back and forth constantly depending on what deals we can find.

Our favorite is 0 balance transfer. That allows us to put money in the bank in an interest bearing account and then collect some income from that while we pay nothing on our debt.

Of course, at some point it would be nice to have no debt....

A girl can dream, right?

So fat.

Well we're back from vacation and I didn't do too bad with the weight gain. However, I started out chunky and so a few pounds here and there has not been a good thing.

I think I might look into a elliptical to get the unwanted pounds off.

At one point I was thinking that I might get a membership to the gym but everytime I've done that I ended up going a few times and the membership goes to waste.

Having a home gym would give me no excuses to get my butt in gear!

Dead.

To say the least our laptop computer is not working. The other day I was able to get it to start up and access to the desktop but I still haven't been able to get it online.

I'm starting to think that I need to get some laptop memory and have more diagnostics run.

My other option is to buy a new laptop and not install Windows Vista!

Are you secure?

With us going out of town lately we've been really careful about making sure our house is secure. Our friend, Cheri, had an alarm system installed and I must admit that there's a greater peace of mind knowing that your house is protected and that you could be notified if an intruder tries to break in.

I have no idea where I'd start looking for security systems but I've heard that ademco has a good product and easy to use.

More fun on the PDA!

I love using my PDA for geocaching. However, sometimes the battery doesn't work and I'm starting to think that I need to get another one.

When Shawna was the Executive Director for an assisted living residence she constantly got calls in the middle of the night with resident issues. Typically, it was that a resident fell, broke their hip and was going to the emergency room.

However, there were times when the nurse, myself, and doctor would be contacted and all of them were trying to figure out a medical solution for a specific situation. Many times she had to look online for the medications that were being given to see if they had any side effects.

Unfortunately, if she was out and about didn’t have access to the information and had to ask one of the aides to look up the information in the PDR.

I’ve just found out about medical reference software that allows you to view medical information online. You can actually use your PDA to get up-to-date information.

Medication information on the go — life is getting easier!

This announcement was paid for by Epocrates.

Zits!

I was shocked that when Shawna was pregnant she didn't have one pimple. The day she had the baby she had a huge zit on her nose.

Years ago she actually tried acne treatment that the doctor prescribed and it was a fortune. Plus, insurance didn't cover it.

If she ever chooses to do acne meds --- more than likely I think that we'll look at a natural approach.

I've got to do something!

Shawna's dropped almost 30 pounds since the birth of Emmy. I swear I've probably put that 30 pounds on!

Maybe I should think about doing diet pills. They worked great for Shawna when she had a lot of weight to lose and really helped jumpstart her system.

Not to mention, she was able to keep the weight off!

Who would have thought...

that even with window blinds that Shawna would be flashing the neighbors.

The other day she got out of the shower and walked into Grammy's room to put on her clothes.

This was the one hot day of the year and I had the windows, curtains, and blinds pulled open.

Well...just so happens that the neighbors got a show and Shawna didn't even realize until she was completely dressed.

Oops!

Now we have to find a good babysitter!

We talked about going to the Virgin Islands in February with the boys. We'd meet up there and we even talked about Caribbean villa rentals!

Of course, we should probably start looking for a babysitting situation because it'd be nice to leave the kids with someone while the adults went into town or out for a nice meal!

A true vacation...

So long, farewell...

We miss Alex and Dominic. Every time we get together we realize what great friends we are and that we're so glad they're part of our lives and the lives of our kids.

The visit was absolutely perfect with the exception of them not staying long enough!

However, we're glad to hear that Alex has a new job and we're sure he's going to be great at it!

I was shocked to hear that Los Angeles jobs were hard to come by! You'd think that being in a big city would allow you to have any job you want.

However, I'm guessing with the economy the way that it is...people are desperate to be employed.

You don't bring me flowers...

anymore!

That's alright because I'd prefer a gift basket any day of the week!

Just the other day Shawna's mom asked if we wanted money, flowers, or a gift basket delivered when the baby comes.

After thinking about it for a few seconds we instantly answered gift basket! Of course, we want ours filled with tons of chocolate and nice champagne!

The thought of spending money on flowers is nice and all...but at the end of the day you don't have anything and with a gift basket at least you've been able to gain a few pounds, right?

Fatty McFatt.

I'm not sure I've mentioned it...but I'm on the pregnancy diet with Shawna.

This pregnancy has been dangerous and if you look at me sometimes you'd think that I might be the one carrying our second child!

I think when this baby gets here either I'm going to have to find a way to nurse or else I'm going to have to get on the treadmills and work off some of this unwanted weight!

Of course, I have heard the stories from friends and family about how their babies don't sleep and they end up missing numerous meals and losing tons of weight...hmm...I guess that doesn't sound soooooo bad?

Know of a good dealer?

I'm talking about a coin dealer of course!

One thing that never loses it’s value is silver and other precious metals! Even when our stocks are floundering you can always look to silver, gold, and precious metals to maintain their value.

Monex Deposit Company offers silver, gold, and other precious metals for delivery or they will make arrangements to have your metals stored privately and securely at a bank or depository.

I didn’t realize this but Monex Deposit Company (MDC) is an industry leader. They sell gold in two forms: coin or ingot. The world demand now exceeds the supply demand for gold - which makes it a pretty smart investment.

Especially with the economy doing so poorly and people losing all of their investments with the stock market!

I wish it would stop!

I swear when it rains - it pours!

Both of the faucets in our bathroom have been leaking for a month.

I called PricePfister to get the parts and they sent every part but the one that I actually needed!

I was able to get the sink faucet to stop leaking but then one of the washers around the neck broke. So I need to order that part too!

I'm still working on the shower faucet and figure that when I place the call I can get them to send all of the parts at once.

Thank God this is all under warranty and the people there are friendly and provide really good customer service!

*drip*drip*

One faucet at a time...

I've got to keep telling myself that I can only do so much these days! I have a to-do list from here to the floor and my motivation to get things done is pretty limited!

A few years ago we looked at kitchen faucets and decided on a name brand faucet that didn't cost us an arm and a leg.

It's done a great job but now I'm realizing that I should do some caulking around the base of the faucet because I think water is actually draining down and into our cabinents.

Always something new.

So my dad is back at home after being in the hospital, nursing home, hospital, and nursing home.

I'm glad that he's back at home and in a few weeks he thinks he's going to be back at work.

Of course, I know that he's going to jump into it too quickly. His plan is to do botox and non-surgical procedures first. One option might be for him to buy wrinkle cream and market it to his patients!

If he were to find some good products and sell them then he could do pretty good without having to perform surgery!

Tick tock - you don't stop.

I'm not quite done with my to-do list. Before I know it I won't have anything on the list and it will be time for the baby. (Yeah, I'm sure that's how it works, right?)

A few years back I purchased a new Skagen watch for Shawna and it's been great. I just purchased a new battery for it and I expect that it will be good as new!

However, I just saw a beautiful breguet watch and they are really great timepieces! Not to mention, I think Shawna would have liked it better!

I was able to find some great watches at ViaLuxe! The website was easy to use and I like the set up. Not to mention, the pictures of the stunning watches are amazing. It makes me want to buy a few watches.

Of course, I'd have to spend Emmy and Grammy's college fund to do that. But you never know when I might hit the lottery! (I guess I'd have to play first, right?)

Not only are they classics with a great look...but they have a great reputation for being competent and hardy watches that can withstand almost anything!

God knows, I'm going to need a decent watch with two kids and and endless amount of baby barf landing on me!

Partner?

At some point I've got to ask myself if I really want to do the extra work to be come a partner.

What are my personal and professional goals and can I be happy and successful with both.

There's tons of potential in my line of work and at some point it might be worth thinking about even coming up with a franchise!

I know there's a huge demand for residential Landscape Architects....now just to find competent employees!

Drug rehab, anyone?

I was shocked to find out the other day that a few kids I had gone to school with had to attend drug rehab.

You hear about it everyday - the newest celebrity intake. However, it really rings through that there's a problem with alcohol and drug addiction when someone you know has a problem and seeks help.

Bad memory!

No matter how much dell memory we add to our computer I'm not sure it will ever be enough. It could be because we're used to working on desktops and laptops just don't have the lightening speed of the desktops.

At some point I know we're going to have to get another computer! It seems like when I am on the computer Shawna always needs it.

Doesn't she know I have important people to write and games to play?

Right about now ...

Shawna's wishing that we had a couple of walk in tubs! In fact, the other night she got into the tub with Graem and I swore she was going to need a hoyer lift to get out!

When we remodel the upstairs we're going to do a nice tub and shower combo. I can't imagine waking up and not having to walk downstairs to go to the bathroom and take a shower!

On other people..

I really like religious jewelry!

I've been in trouble for a few months now for losing my ring. Shawna bought those years back and I have no idea what happened to mine. I figure it's long gone now and a few weeks ago when we went to look for replacement rings I was shocked to see how much white gold was!

If only I hadn't lost one of the rings we'd be fine and wouldn't have to spend money to buy two new ones! Eek!

Got coins?

I have never really been into coin collecting. We tried to collect all 50 states and decided they were putting them out too slow and gave up on that whole idea.

Heck, I even purchased the quarter holder for the coins and I'm sure it's in the basement somewhere with $1.50 worth of quarters collecting dust.

I wouldn't know a rare coin if it were to hit me in the head!

However, I think it would be really special if we were to find Graem and Emerson's birth year and purchase rare coins in their honor. When I was a baby my grandparents were able to find the coins for my birth year and had them mounted. It was always really special to me.

ZoomCoin.com offers a great website for people like me who are newbies to collecting coins and need a little extra help along the way! I've always wanted a good coin dealer!

Oh zits.

I keep telling myself that now that I'm in my thirties I really shouldn't get pimples.

HA! So much for that idea. I seem to get a new one each week. What's ironic about all of this is that as a teenager...I never had pimples.

More than likely if I decided to do something about it...I'd probably go with a natural acne treatment. I really don't want anything toxic on my skin.

When Shawna was in high school there was a kid that put on acne medicine and a few months later he had liver failure and passed away.

Really, zits are not that evil.

I'm hooked.

I admit it...I have a passion for electronics.

I love computers, phones, and good televisions! Of course, I've never really liked watching television and I think I like the idea of having a nice one over spending hours in front of it!

It seems like there's getting ahead when it comes to buying electronics! There's always going to be something bigger and better and more than likely the price of it will be cut in half within 6 months of it's discovery.

What a mess.

All I'll say is that "it's back."

The situation with my father has gone from bad to worse. Right when I think he's doing better...I get a call last night that he's collapsed and back in the hospital.

I've all but given up on the financial stuff because very honestly...I just can't keep up and it seems like my dad doesn't want me involved.

I guess he's going to have to be the one to deal with the mortgage lenders.

We miss Peanut.

The other night we were in bed and I read the word Peanut in one of Graem's books and she started talking about how much she missed him.

Truth be told...we all miss Peanut and wish he was still with us.

I remember when he was a kitten and he loved playing on a cat tree that we had picked up on the side of the road. He also loved the curtains at Warrenwood Apartments.

In fact...I think that's where we lost our first pet deposit! Oh wait...that would have been our Seneca apartment after the landlord walked in to see we had a cat!

This shouldn't be happening...

to a 32 year old!

However, it seems like lately my face has been breaking out! I'm sure it's due to the stress and my lack of an immune system.

I don't think I'm at the point that I require acne treatment. In fact, I think I'm still in denial that I'm this old and still getting pimples!

Geocaching!

I really wanted to do some geocaching this weekend but I wasn't able to get around to it. This weekend has been pretty packed and I haven't had a whole lot of "fun" time to myself.

One thing I should think about getting is some tactical gear! When going through the wilderness that might help with the scratches and wounds I've incurred trying to get to my treasure!

LAPoliceGear.com offers a website with just about anything and everything you could want and it's perfect for the avid geocacher.

This post sponsored by: LAPoliceGear.com

I'm losing it.

So much is going on and I really can't get over how I've been able to keep it together. I guess I actually haven't. Considering that last week I crashed for two days.

I really do think it was my body begging me to take a break.

I hardly ever get tired, sick, and worn out...but I was in the gutter this time last week and could barely move.

Thank God I'm on the mend!

Wanna get hitched?

Are you looking for that special someone? Are all of the women you meet not worthy of your love?

Well, I've got the answer for you! You need to look into mail order brides!

LoversPlanet offers some beautiful Russian women just looking for love from American men. The women are devoted and looking for a serious and loving relationship.

You can check out Russia's top 100 women by going to LoversPlanet. These are the women chosen by viewers and are the most looked at profiles. The profiles provided offer full information and even Russian Brides Photos!

Check it out! You might be saying "I do" in time for a spring wedding!

I need to remember...

to schedule my massage therapy appointment! My work actually purchased a gift certificate for a local spa and that was back in September!

With all of the stuff going on with my dad I really could use a nice hour long massage. Maybe I'll go for that this weekend!

Logo on the go?

When we were starting up Shawna's business we really worked hard on creating a logo for her business branding, business cards, brochures, and letterhead. We thought an important part would be getting the word out but also having something that would link consulting and caregivers into one small logo.

In the long run I think we should have gone with a logo design firm that mastered the art of marketing! We spent way too much time trying to do it ourselves.

LogoYes.com has an easy to use website where you can design your own logo and even make a whole marketing plan designed specifically with your business in mind.

I admit it.

I love my wine. Most of the time I pick up a big bullet that will last me for a few weeks. However, at some point when Shawna can drink I'll go back to getting nice wine that we can have with our meals.

One wine that's been noted and become popular over the years is Riedel. I've really been trying to vary my interests and try new things so I might see if I can hook up with some the next time I go to the store.

Mmm.

I must say that since Shawna stopped drinking coffee I've cut back a bit. It's harder to make a single cup than it is to make a carafe of coffee. Especially, when I'm using a french press.

That's why I have my eye on espresso machines! I figure big things come in small packages and if I can get one shot of espresso to start my day it will jumpstart me!

New gear?

Shawna has started packing our bags for the hospital and I'm not sure if our good ole suitcase is going to make it. It's traveled all over the world with us and it might need to be retired soon.

At some point we might look at brands like Samsonite and Briggs and Riley for quality luggage with a good reputation.

WEEKEND!!

I'm quite excited that I have just a few more hours til work is over. This weekend we have swim lessons tomorrow scheduled and absolutely nothing else. I think I'm going to take the weekend off of work too.

To say the lease...I'm exhausted. Between my dad's health and work I can barely wake up on time, get dressed, and do my thing.

Shawna's been taking care of much of the house stuff and that's been nice. However,there are tons of things that need to be done that she can't do.

I'm scared...

of stepping on the scale!

My dad has two Escali digital scales and they have always been right on when it comes to weight, unfortunately!

They are actually really nice too and with the digital face they don't even look like a scale. He keeps it right in the kitchen and his girlfriend uses it to measure food and figure out calorie intake.

One place that has tons of scales at great prices is Scalesetc.com. The nice Escali scales go for around twenty five dollars and you can even choose your own color!!

This post sponsored by: Scalesetc.com

Bleh.

Well, we're in NY now and I'm so sick of hanging out in the hospital.

Today when we arrived I was glad to see that my dad had color and actually looked good. He was also full aware of what was going on.

Quite the difference from yesterday.

I think we're probably going to stay til we get kicked out this afternoon and I'm really not sure yet if we'll stop by tomorrow before we head back to I-Town.

I know we want to get on the road early in hopes of making it back home before the roads get bad and it gets dark.

We'll see how it goes...most of the time early these days means that we leave by noon!

We need a piece of this.

So we're really starting to get serious about investing for Graem and Emerson's education. In fact, we're looking for the perfect angel investors who would love to contribute to such a noteworthy cause.

We're just getting through some of the past infertility debt and feel like we're making headway. It'd be great if we could have all of our debt paid off before Emmy makes her appearance in May or June.

We'll have to see about that and see where we are when our taxes come back!

Got grille?

Shawna's car has been through the ringer. I guess it does have over 125,000 miles and is 9 years old!

This week we're taking it in to have the timing belt and water pump changed on it. We figure putting a little bit of money into it every few months is better than purchasing a new car and having a monthly payment.

When I was a kid I remember when my dad's Chevy grilles used to always come off! In fact, at one point we used to duck tape it right back on.

That car didn't last long...but I'm attributing that to be a Chevy!

Down to the wire!

I can't believe only 97 more days plus or minus before we get to meet little Emerson! Plus, we're down to 76 more days before we get to have a "romantic moment".

We've been abstinent for close to 20 weeks now and let me tell you we are ready to let loose!

We've already decided what hotel we're going to go to at 37 weeks and we figure since it's a daycare day we'll just make a nice afternoon of it including lunch and massages at the spa!

Of course, no romantic date would be complete without a little lingerie. Hmmm...I wonder if they have maternity lingerie!

Coins!

I have never really been into coin collecting. We tried to collect all 50 states and decided they were putting them out too slow and gave up on that whole idea.

Heck, I even purchased the quarter holder for the coins and I'm sure it's in the basement somewhere with $1.50 worth of quarters collecting dust.

I wouldn't know a rare coin if it were to hit me in the head!

However, I think it would be really special if we were to find Graem and Emerson's birth year and purchase rare coins in their honor. When I was a baby my grandparents were able to find the coins for my birth year and had them mounted. It was always really special to me.

ZoomCoin.com offers a great website for people like me who are newbies to collecting coins and need a little extra help along the way! I've always wanted a good coin dealer!

Broked.

This morning as I was getting ready for work I realized that one of our cabinet knobs had actually cracked.

We bought them years ago when we were in the "new homeowner phase" of life and actually cared and had time to maintain our house.

I hope that they have the knobs at our local store because I'd hate to have to pay an arm and leg for the same darn knob!

L Law.

Our friend L is starting her own practice and we are always there to give her good (bad) marketing and business advise.

Last night we talked about fax machines and I told her that she can subscribe to an online fax service so that she can get calls and still get faxes too.

Maybe she should open up a storefront and get digital signage so that the word gets out faster?

What a night.

Last night I got the call from my brother that our dad isn't doing well at all. He's bleeding and he has taken it upon himself to do oxygen and IV fluids in the comfort of his bedroom at home!

To say the least we're concerned and I'm wondering if we should get him medical jewelry for when he leaves the house so that if something were to happen people and healthcare providers would be aware of his situation and be able to treat him accordingly.

Maybe stairs aren't so bad.

These days Shawna's sleeping on the couch partly because her back has been bothering her but also it's a much shorter trip to the bathroom and going up and down the stairs is a real pain.

I think we might want to make an investment in either an upstairs potty or a stair lift!

Our stairs are pretty steep and we're always worried that we're going to fall down and them and it's really scary when we're holding a small baby!

We've got to do something!

It seems like every time Graem goes to daycare she ends up coming down with something. Just yesterday Shawna took her to the doctor and she has bronchitis for the third time in the past three months!

At this point she's on antibiotics and it makes us cringe giving her the meds because we really don't like using them and know that they will make her immune if she gets too many in her lifetime.

Maybe at some point we'll try a more natural type of cure that boosts the immune system such as Astragalus. Astragalus helps the defense system fight infection and disease.

Golf?

I can't imagine Shawna's going to get a whole lot of golfing in this summer! In fact, Branson private golf is notorious for having beautiful courses at really great prices.

We have friends that are avid golfers and golf around the world. They have a card where they can golf at so many courses and get a huge discount. PLus, they get their cards marked!

With two kids though, I can't imagine there's going to be too much time for anything!

Holy crap!!

Okay...so I can't get over that Shawna has made it to 23 weeks pregnant and in 13-19 weeks we're going to have a baby.

It seems like last time when I was pregnant Shawna had handled all of the small details and this time around...we have yet to do much of anything in preparation for the baby!

I guess at some point we'll put the carseat in, wash the baby clothes, put up the crib, and stare at her belly waiting for the little one to make her appearance!

Right around the corner...

I know within the year we are probably going to have to think about getting a new car. Shawna's car needs new tires, a new timing belt, and it sounds like the shocks might need to be changed again.

I mean it is 8 years and we can't expect it to keep running forever with minimal care!

At some point I really should check out Car Prices and see what it would cost us to get into a new or used Toyota Sienna.

CarsBlvd.com is a great website that offers car prices with minimal information. That way I can check out the Toyota and Honda and get a ballpark idea of what they both offer and the costs of each.

This post sponsored by: CarsBlvd.com

Long time, no post?

Yikes...I've totally been neglecting the website and for that...I'm sorry.

Work has been killing me lately and every minute I'm not trying to make this Thursday deadline I feel like I'm spending with Shawna and Grammy OR sleeping.

We're also trying to plan a trip to NYC to visit my dad and brother this weekend and I'm getting stressed about getting everything together in time!

The good thing is ... once the deadline gets here Thursday I can sit back and coast a little bit Friday after picking up the pieces of my other neglected projects.

The long road.

Shawna has a friend who was trying to get pregnant when we were about 2 years ago. Unfortunately, she's had quite a few miscarriages since then and also done a few IVF cycles.

We both cycled in Las Vegas together and now she's thinking about going back to LV and interested in Vegas hotels.

Last time they talked J had mentioned that she was going to do a cycle with the other doctor at SIRM, Las Vegas because he had a special protocol.

Bizarre commercials.

Lately, we've been watching live television instead of watching TiVO. Partially, it's because we don't have much taped tv due to the writer's strike.

I was shocked the other night to see so many commercials from the pharmaceutical companies promoting cures for fibromyalgia. I had never heard of fibromyalgia and the commercials were able to inform me a little bit about the signs.

However, I'm not sure I'd go with a medication just because I saw it on television!

Pregnancy lingerie?

I'm not even sure I want to think about that! God knows we're on probation in that area til Shawna gets to 38 weeks!

Of course, I'm always on the lookout for nice women's lingerie to purchase! Of course, we're going to be some old ladies by time we ever get to use our sexy clothing again!

Darn kids.

Next time get the professionals, dad.

My dad lives in Brooklyn and he's moved a number of times over the past few years. Every time he moves he hires some guys and they throw his crap in a box and end up breaking half of it before it gets to the new destination.

Next time my dad needs to look for New York movers to come in and get the job done! Had he gone with a reputable place then he'd be able to get them to cover the damage to his property.

Of course, that would include the porcelin ninja dolls that I'm sure he got in Chinatown back in the 1970's.

Darnit.

I just ordered over $200 worth of pictures from Shutterfly.com. Of course, I looked all over online for coupons but I wish I would have come across these great Shutterfly coupons!

CouponChief.com offers some great coupons on just about every internet provider out there. Just the other day I was able to find a great coupon for the new shoes that I got Shawna for her birthday.

Everyone needs a little funny sometimes.

I've been looking at baby clothes and onesies and I'm looking for something really cute for the tot to wear in the summer when she's born. Of course, I might want to look for matching funny t-shirts for Graem and the whole family!

RoadKillTshirts.com has a great selection of tees for the whole family and the website seems easy to use and shop.

I'm looking ...

for a few good investments. Just a few weeks ago I noticed that 2 of my 10 stocks weren't doing so hot. In fact I almost died when I realized that I lost $2,000 in one day of a very bad stock market.

Now I'm looking to diversify my portfolio and invest in things that are more solid and have a positive history.

Gold has always been a strong metal. Monex Deposit Company is one of the biggest and most trusted distributors of the precious metal. They have been around for years and have a great reputation in the field of precious metals.

This is just the thing I was looking for. I should buy gold coin!

God knows, I can't take too many more of those days where I lose $2,000!

Fun! Fun! Fun!

This weekend it looks like we're going to be pretty booked with fun stuff. We actually have a birthday party for Graem's friend Dobbs. He was born a day after Graem and he has two moms too!

Then we're going out and celebrating Shawna's birthday at Sangams. She's wanted to eat there for the past four birthdays and I'm trying to get a group together for that.

I don't think we have much planned for Sunday but I know that one of Graem's friend's from daycare wanted to do a playdate. So I'm sure our calendar might fill up quickly!

I can see you!

Ever since I've been small I've had prescription glasses. Unfortunately, my company does not have vision coverage and when I get glasses they run between $300 - $500!

It'd be great to have a second set of glasses but with the prices being so expensive it's just not something I have extra money to spend on!

Until now - Great Discovry:$ 8 Prescription Glasses From Zenni Optical might be an option for me!

This post sponsored by: ZenniOptical.com

Sleep.

It seems like no matter how much sleep I get...I just can't seem to get enough. Luckily, I have been getting good sleep so that helps.

The past few nights we've been going to bed at 10pm and it's nice to wake up refreshed, however, I think since I'm so sleep deprived it's going to take a lot to get me back on track.

Maybe this weekend I can sleep in a little bit and get a few naps in. Yeah, right...with a three year old?

The family quilt.

Last night we worked on the quilt pattern that I've had for over a year now. It was actually fun because we did it as a family. Grammy's job was staying away from the iron and table.

Shawna's job was doing the ironing of tiles and mine was to work on the sewing.

I think it's going to be a really nice quilt once we get it all together and of course I get motivated to finish it up!

Last weekend...

we had dinner with L,L&F. It was a great dinner and L's mother and sister joined us. Both family members are at a crossroad and really looking for direction. L's sister is considering going to an expensive college and ending up with a great degree but also tons of debt. But on the flipside...she still doesn't have a passion for what it is she wants to do.

We tried to talk her into an online college so that she could get her degree at her leisure while working and not have to have tons of debt upon graduation. That way she could pursue grad school.

The mother was interested in social work or psychology. It looks like an online psychology degree might be perfect for her!

Actually, Capella might be a great answer to what their looking for in their educational paths!!

She would love it!

We would love to do some traveling this summer but with a newborn I can't imagine we'd be going far. We even looked at checking out Emu Australia as one of our trip destinations!

If it were just the three of us I think it'd be doable but I really don't want to bring a newborn onto a flight that's going to be long.

Instead, we might head to the beach for a few days and stay with our friend C&L.

I guess any get away - away from work is a good one!

1/2 way there!

Well, Shawna is officially 20 weeks pregnant and for that we're very thankful! Yesterday, we had a good midwife appointment and everything seems to be great. Her chances of having Downs are 1:10,000 and that's the best available number for her age.

The little one had a heartbeat in the 140s and the midwife was able to answer all of our questions.

We have an appointment scheduled with the OB February 14th. We also have another ultrasound scheduled in Rochester January 28th to check out the baby's heart. HOpefully, we'll get a peak at the girl/boy parts!

Flowers!

I have another week and a half to get my act together and find Shawna a birthday gift! She's mentioned that she wants a massage but I owe her one of those for the holidays.

I think I might look into wholesale roses. FiftyFlowers.com offers some good deals on roses and flowers and I'm all on that!

She's also mentioned that she wants some new Merrell Slip on shoes too. That is so much harder to get than flowers these days! I should just get her to order her own shoes and have them shipped to the house!

Hmm....maybe I should check the credit card bill first. She might have already ordered the shoes!

Whew, we found it.

Over the weekend we thought we had lost our camera. We are pretty attached to the thing and we would have been sad because it had a memory card that had all of our Christmas photos and even Graem's birthday party photos!

We've already purchased a replacement digital camera battery so that we can have a battery in the camera at all times.

God knows, when you have a little one in the house it's important to have access to your camera at all times!

Got an extra car?

Many people (especially in Jacksonville) seem to have extra cars hanging out in their front yards! Who knows if they actually work or not.

However, it would make sense that if you have a car that's working and you're not using it that you might want to donate car to a good cause.

CarAngel.com is a great website that offers information on how to donate your car for a good cause. Check it out if your front yard or garage is full of cars that need a good home!