Hooray, hooray for Thursday! Finally, a post that isn't consumed by all things baby. =) Enjoy my random musings for the day.

HAIR DONATION
For those of you who know me, you know that I've been eagerly growing out my hair to donate. My cousin Margie (who is also my Godmother) and Sara (a good friend of the family) have both had breast cancer and have triumphed with much grace and beauty. I knew that with my pregnancy, my hair would grow more (at least that was the hope) and I just suck it up and grow it out and give it to someone who could benefit from it. I'd thought about Locks of Love, and while I think it is a great program, I was greatly disappointed to learn that they didn't actually make the wigs, but sold the hair for money to subsidize wigs for children in need. Still a great cause and one that I would back, but just not quite what I was looking for...especially because I wanted my hair to be used for women who have lost hair because of cancer treatments. Then, I discovered the Beautiful Lengths program being put on by Pantene. Hilary Swank donated her pony tail to launch their Million Inch Chain campaign. I plan to contribute to that chain, so I've made my pledge and next weekend after the cut, I'll put my hair in the mail to them. I'll be sure to take before and after pics.


Like I said, my hair appointment is for next Saturday. I just measured my hair and it is 15 inches in length from tip to 1 inch above my pony tail and it isn't even straightened today! I will have more than met the minimum requirement of 8 inches. I'm so looking forward to a change. I've been looking through magazines for new hairstyles and when I was at the OB, I was flipping through the More magazine and found the one pictured here. Frederic Fekkai, the stylist who cut it, describes this style as a modern layer bob and I love it! I think the layers would help control the volume level of hair that I have and I really do like the length. SASSY! I would want slightly longer bangs, but other than that, I think it's perfect. Plus, I've been reading about women losing much of the volume of their hair after pregnancy (something to do with the hormones releasing the hair follicles to get you back to where you were, which is ok, b/c my original thickness was pretty voluminous) and this style would work. It's professional, functional, and a new look for my new role as mommy.


After years of going to the same girl, I'm also trying out a new salon: Salon Pompeo. I'm pretty nervous, but excited at the same time. I really like Eva Mendes' hair and I think we have similar textures. I'll also take a picture of this hairstyle to emphasize the length I'm going for. She has a few layers in her hair too, but not as much as the other picture. But I do like the lines on this haircut and how it works with her facial structure. I'll just have a good initial consult with the stylist to see what she thinks and to see if she has any magical tips to make my face not seem so round (duh, lose some weight! All in good time.)


Right now I don't have plans to do any coloring. That will come later when I know I'll have more time to maintain that color. Maybe a few lowlights for the summer, but I know I'm getting ahead of myself.

I will need new hair tools, primarily a blow dryer. I already have a flat iron that I enjoy and I've only had it for 2 months. However, I haven't religiously used a blow dryer in YEARS!! I've heard some great things about the Chi Nano Dryer and the Chi Rocket. Do any of you have any experience with either or is there another hair dryer that you'd recommend? Let me know if you do. I'm looking for one that is super fast, but won't dry out my hair.



POLITICS
I'm not an active politician and I still haven't decided who I'm going to vote for. There are still so many issues to review and educate myself on, but for now, I enjoy watching all the hype surrounding the Primaries and all of the campaigning. I found this web site that will actually ask you questions regarding different issues. Based on the way you answer them, it recommends a candidate more in line with the way you view the issues. Unfortunately, the questions are a bit too detailed for me, but I can see what they are saying. Often times in life, it just isn't so black and white, you know? Anyway, here is the site, check it out if you get a chance: http://www.electoralcompass.com/

Tired

Well, it finally caught up with me and today I'm TIRED! My entire body was ready to shut down. I actually woke up early to get to work and I'm glad I did. There was quite a bit more traffic than usual, and I attributed it to everyone going back to work. I had to leave work early to make it to my doctor appointment. I had to wait a little longer than normal, but I didn't mind. I was happy to sit there in the waiting room and read the magazines. Plus, I much rather spend more time in the doctor's office than it actually takes me to get to the office. It's a slow go these days, so that helps.

Radio Shack

Afterwards, I had to stop by Radio Shack to buy an earpiece for my phone. I finally broke down and bought a hands-free device. I normally hate these things b/c I can never hear properly, plus, my ear holes are shaped funky (they are kinda small and narrow), so those ear buds are never comfortable. I was better using a rubber band strapping my phone to my head than using a bluetooth. Well, I walked in and they didn't have the one I was looking for. I guess Radio Shack didn't carry that brand. Oh well, I came across this other one and it looked pretty good. The worker helped me get it set for my phone and since it was charged, I went ahead and made a call to Don. I could hear his voicemail clearly and so I figured it was a good buy. Plus, I really couldn't tell I had it on. I guess time will tell if it was a good choice.

Half Price Books

Then I headed over to Half Price Books since it was in the same shopping

center. Don told me that if I came across a certain book, then he'd like it if I bought it. Well, I couldn'remember the name. Something with the words "lunch" came through my brain, so I asked the worker if he could look up the author for "Lunch Money." He took me over to the section and I was surprised to see the book. I just assumed this was maybe a book that Don loved as a child. I wasn't sure, so I went ahead and bought it. I also got some parenting books, mainly books about what to expect for the first year and a complete pediatrician's reference guide for typical hiccups along the way. This is really good b/c I know I'd freak out and need an immediate answer. WebMD is good, but sometimes it is just easier to look it up in a book.

Well, I get home and turns out, Don let me know the name of the book was "Free Lunch" not "Lunch Money." So the random book I got was indeed very random and very, very different from what I bought. LOL! Ahh...preggie hormones, gotta love them. Now I'll head back to HPB sometime and look for it. I just thought it was hilarious! So very, very different indeed, huh?? Oh well, it's all good. He was a good sport about it and I think I may give this book to my nephew to read.

I got home and was totally spent. I waited for Don to get home so we could work out. I really feel good when I swim. Well, needless to say, we didn't make it. I nuzzled in with him and passed out. I felt myself fighting it and not wanting to nap, but I just needed to I guess. I slept for about an hour and it was so good!!! I just finished watching the BCS National Championship and now it is time for bed.

I bought this First Ladies fandex at JCPenney for only $3. I figured it was something that Mari would totally get a kick out of and so we've been reading about 1 lady a night. So far they've all been really interesting and it has become something I look forward to before bed. Anyway, have a great day!

Hospital Tour and Prairie Creek Park

Today was an excellent day. Happy Birthday to Michael and Happy Three King's Day (Epiphany).The weather this weekend was ridiculously fabulous!

We had the hospital tour today and it made everything so real. Petunia kicked and moved during the entire tour and I wondered if she was aware of all of the other babies in-utero near her. After the tour, I asked my sister if she would be in the L&D room with me. I'm allowed two people, and of course, my beloved would be there. My sister is so very encouraging and positive and I know she'll be a wonderful support person for both Don and I. I know with her there, I'll be able to really get through it and stay focused. I got a little emotional thinking about it and when I asked her and I had to breathe through the happy/anxious tears. Afterwards, Don and I had a date at Abuelo's. I couldn't stop shaking. I had so much nervous energy, but it really is a good thing!

Then, I came home and friends came over. Jason helped Don move some dirt in the backyard and Jeev, Ada, and Camille and I headed over to Prairie Creek Park in Richardson to take some pictures. I wanted a trial maternity session run, but then it hit me that I probably won't have time to take these pictures again before Mari comes, so I'm glad that we did it! Here are some favorites:

We had a whole lot of fun running around and being silly. I got some other great shots of the friends, but I didn't want to post them before they got to see them. Many, many thanks to Ada for taking my pictures. I love them! I can't wait to print some off and put them in my photo album. (Yeah, you know you like my super balancing preggo skills. Yoga works!)

I have more to talk about, but I wanted to get this in tonight before bed. Have a great night and a great week! Best of luck to all the teachers who are going back to school tomorrow! Hooray! It's the 2nd half of the year. You can do it.

Preparing for Hospital

Yesterday we headed over to Bed Bath and Beyond to hit up their travel size aisle. I felt like I was prepping for an awesome vacation, but in reality, we were just stocking up our toiletries for the hospital bag. Like I said, I started packing my bag, but I know there was much more I needed to put in there. Hence the reason to visit BBB. I took Don with him and had him pick out his own toiletries. Many thanks to Mrs. Potts for her initial list that we were able to leverage from.

On a message board where I frequently lurk, I also read some advice from a recent mom about her stay in the hospital. She recommended that you get a luxurious shampoo because you will absolutely love the shower after you deliver. Heck, I love the shower now, so I'm totally looking forward to that. I actually bought a new shampoo, but nothing fancy. Just one I'd never used before. I also plan to have a separate bag for our snacks and such. I want to have some goodies available for the nursing staff, as a special thanks. I really liked how the nurses treated my sister at the hospital when she delivered there several years ago, so I'd like to be able to have something available to them. Aside from bringing bottles of water, I'd like to have some of those powdered mixes to flavor them up. I think that's a good idea, especially since drinking water can be monotonous! Hmmm...so yeah!

I received a gift card to Motherhood Maternity because I'd asked for a nursing gown for Christmas. Well, I got it in the mail yesterday and I went shopping. I really wanted a mommy and me set, but the ones they had available weren't as cute as I wanted them to be. That and the only ones they had in my size were really uncomfortable looking. So it isn't necessarily a gown, but it is a pajama set that looks quite comfortable, especially for late night feedings. Seems more my style anyway. The pants look like they won't be very restrictive either, so that'll work! After tax and shipping, I had a teeny tiny bit leftover, so I'll head on over to the mall and probably buy another bra at Motherhood. They normally have them on sale in the store for less money than what is on the website. Too bad they didn't have this pajama set in the store last time I was there. I saw one similar to it, but it was all pink and a small. Yeah, not gonna happen! ha ha!

I also ventured out to Motherwear.com. Earlier, I'd seen a couple of items there that I liked and figured, 'eh doesn't hurt to look. Well, I found this set too. It seems a litte more luxurious and feminine than the other one. I figured I'd want more than one anyway, so why not. It definitely beats the t-shirts I currently sleep in. In the summer, sleeping in tank tops won't be a problem, but since it is still a little chilly, it is probably best to cover up a bit. They also had a great looking bra from La Leche League and a black faux wrap 3/4 sleeved top that looked super comfy and pretty sharp. Definitely something that will be part of my wardrobe when I return to work!

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Here is the bra from La Leche League. Definitely not the norm as far as color and style that I typically go for, but I figured why not have some fun. There's plenty of other times to be boring, right? Especially if I'm going to hurt as much as I've been hearing. At least I can feel fun about it while wearing this. I hope it is as comfortable as it looks! We'll see. I'll talk about it when it comes in the mail.

Have a superb day!

Gator Bowl and Such

Yesterday was spent parked in front of the TV being lazy. Well, not entirely. We went over to my sister's house to watch the Gator Bowl. It was a pretty sweet game and definitely one worth watching. While there, I made a super cookie and some pineapple bars. My brain wasn't firing on all pistons for the pineapple bars, b/c they didn't come out quite like they were supposed to. I either added too much flour and not enough sugar or too many eggs. Either way, they were edible, but just not as good as I wanted them to be. I'll put the recipe for the Super Cookie at the end if you are interested.

Baby Brother was on Bertha duty during the game (Saddle Tramp tradition). This was his very last game to do it since he graduated in December. Here's a pic my folks took (yeah, they went down to Jacksonville for the game). I like how the security guard in the background has his ears covered. That's funny! Brother usually wears ear plugs (you can kinda see them). That glove is to help the blisters. He usually gets pretty blistered up from all of the ringing, but it is totally worth it. CBS never did a close up of him, but I could see him on the sidelines in the background and it made me feel good knowing he was there doing his thing. Since he's all finished up, he'll be joining the rest of us in the "real world." If things go as planned, he'll be in Houston in the middle of the month to start his training with Luby's. He hopes to be a GM for one of the stores someday. After the initial 9 week training, he'll head to Austin as an manager's assistant, an apprentice-like position. It'll be a good fit for him and he has a good sized friend base down there too. I love that he'll only be 3 hours away from me and will be another excuse for us to go down for a visit.

Baby Update

Well, we have officially crossed a major threshold. The doctor said that if I were to go into labor, they wouldn't do anything to delay or stop it. That I'd just go right ahead and deliver. It was an eye opener for sure! I now go in every week for visits and not just a typical pee in a cup, check blood pressure, weight, and measure my belly visit either. They'll be checking my cervix to see if I'm dilated. It's all so crazy. I can honestly feel her growing. Well, I've been able to feel her growing for some time now, but out of no where I'll get wiped out and just have to sleep. When I wake up, my stomach will stick out just a bit more. It's pretty cool. The nurse at the office said I had a bit of a waddle going on too. Sometimes I can feel myself doing that, especially when I have to go pee, but for the most part, I still feel normal. Well, that and the fact that even my maternity tops aren't covering as much as I'd like. I'm sticking out quite a bit more than I think I do. Good stuff!

Our First Baby

Oh and just for kicks, here's a picture of Guapo opening his Christmas bag of goodies. Yes, he literally crawled into the bag. It was so funny! He had about 6 toys in there. He tipped over the bag and pulled them out one by one. That dog sure is smart when he wants to be! LOL! He was so excited to get his gift bag. He really does know what Christmas is and he is so happy when he gets something too! We've been trying to acclimate him to baby Mari's pending arrival and I think he knows what's up. He's been responding positively and since he loves babies, this should be a relatively smooth transition. (knock on wood)

Super Cookie

1 box yellow cake mix

2 sticks butter (12 -16 tbsp depending on how buttery you like it)

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1 package chocolate chips

Set oven at 350. Mix all ingredients together, adding chocolate chips last. Spread on cookie sheet. Bake for 18 minutes.

Woo-hoo!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! So far, it has been pretty amazing. We were able to hang out with friends for New Year's Eve. Plus, I watched the Red Raiders perform an amazing comeback to win the Gator Bowl today. It was pretty kick ass! I got to see Brother on the sideline and every time I heard that bell ringing I was so happy to know he was there and doing his best to help out the guys. My parents were also at the game and it just made it that much more special. Tech football is a tradition my family has been able to share for as long as I can remember, so finishing the season with a win is always a good thing.

Okay, as promised, here are a couple of updates.

Whale Purse
This is the teeny tiny purse I made for my niece when we were bored. She uses it to carry around her travel kleenex. I had a scrap piece of both fabrics and the ribbon is from a gift that I'd received a while back. I was so excited I was able to use my snap button hand tool. This was a fun project because we were both able to pitch in and make it. The entire project took just under an hour for us to make, the majority of that time was us deciding what to make.

Nursery Pics

We didn't really have a theme for the nursery. I did want to incorporate dragonflies with the colors lavender, turquoise, and sage. The room was already painted that chocolate milk color and I didn't want to go and repaint it. All of the furniture in the nursery is an ebony color.

The first picture is the valance for the window. I didn't want a large curtain to block out the sun. The window faces West, so in the afternoon is when the sun will be brightest. Just outside of her window is a pretty large tree that blocks a lot of the sunlight and provides a lot of shade.

Next is a picture of the bookshelf we found at World Market. My husband and I are both readers (although we haven't had a lot of time recently to read) and we wanted our daughter to have a bookshelf for her books. We wanted to promote reading and a great sense of imagination early on. Also, the zebra sock monkey is another World Market find. This was my husbands gift to the baby when she reached her 3rd trimester. He wrote her a card that I'll also put in her scrapbook. The teddy bear is a gift that my best friend gave to me when I was 16. I've had it since then and saved it for my baby. The colored bunny in cellophane is hand crafted from my husband's great grandmother. It was a special gift that I received at a shower and I thought it would fit in her room.

This is a picture of the crib. We have a 3 slot picture frame above the crib. Next to that picture is a hand painted dragonfly that my friend made for the baby. Next to that is a turquoise glass tealight holder that we found at World Market. My friend gave me one of those battery operated tealights that you can turn on and off. It gives off this glowing flicker, but I don't have to worry if it is actually burning. I think it adds a really pretty and feminine touch to the room when the lights are off. The random cow pillow is actually made of the same fabric we used in her quilt. I saw the cow in the store and it cracked me up. I loved the fabulous color and texture and HAD to have it! It doesn't really go in the room, but it is so cute and I'm glad that we were able to use it. If I don't want to use the pillow, I can just turn it around.

This is an organizer that is connected to the crib. I've not found any buttons to use, but right now it is attached by velcro. It directly matches the valance we used. The the ribbon separating each of the four pockets is the same ribbon we used on the quilt. I'll get pics of the quilt later.

This is the diaper changing area. This area isn't really finished. I've not added the basket covers yet. They are a lavender gingham print. The cover for the changing pad is lavender terry cloth. I've not organized the shelving just yet. I started to use some of the glass jars that I found at Ikea. I'm waiting for the diaper organizer to come in the mail before I really start to sort things. You can see the born free bottles, the wipe warmer, and a bottle warmer. Also, the crocheted frogs are from World Market. They are another gift from my husband: Happy 2nd trimester! The moose in the middle is a gift from one of my old co-workers. She collects moose and it was neat that she gave the baby a stuffed moose. I cracked up when I opened it!

Ok, so that's about it. I'll take some more pictures when the glider comes in and I'll soon get another belly picture. She's just a-growin' bigger and bigger everyday and it is pretty amazing. Next Monday I start going to the doctor every week for them to check to see of any beginning labor symptoms. I don't want her to come early, well, at least not until the nursery is ready, ready.

I started to pack my hospital bag. So far, I have some socks, a change of comfy clothes, slippers, the rosary my grandmother gave me, and the teeny tiny picture of my momma. The last two are just small bits of emotional support for me to have. I'm still shopping around for my nursing gown to wear in the hospital, as well as a take home outfit for the both of us. Oh and I need to put some snacks in there. What else should I put in there?

catch up

I've been out of commission due to the holiday hustle and bustle. I will however have updates to post soon! I'll put up the latest belly picture, a before and after fence reconstruction, nursery updates, any maybe some more. I need to charge the camera and get going.

Label Maker!

Oh and I received a lovely label maker for Christmas. I've been on a rampage labeling everything. I had no idea how much I would want/use one of these things until I got it. This has come in REALLY handy since I've been trying to organize Marisabelle's room. I bought a bunch of these glass jars at Ikea to help sort things, but to also keep things neat and aesthetically pleasing. (Ask me again after 3 months of no sleep to see if I care about aesthetics.) But seriously, I'm going to finish up in her room today and then I'll move on to organizing the beast of all beasts: our home office/spare bedroom. Since I do like to do crafts, I have quite a bit of stuff here and there. A lot of it is in those plastic sorting bins. I love 'em and I know where I keep my stuff, but sometimes when someone comes over and wants to make a card, they can't find things. This is especially difficult for my husband when he gets a whim to hand craft a simple card. He never knows where I keep things, so he gets deterred from any crafting. That makes me sad because he can be quite creative when he wants to be. I digress...I absolutely love my label maker!

Cricut

We bought my MIL a Cricut for Christmas. I think she really liked it and can't wait to use it. Unfortunately, be booked it out of Kansas too early to play with it. Heck, we didn't even take it out of the packaging. It came with the basic George cartridge and overlay, but I knew she'd need at least one more. I found the Alphalicious on ebay for a lot better price than I'd EVER seen it in stores. Well, 'lo and behold, Michael's has their Cricut cartridges on sale for $49.99. If it isn't in stock, they will issue a raincheck to honor that price and the raincheck never expires! We are headed back there today to get rainchecks for the rest of the ones they do not have in stock. They are regularly priced at $89.99, so this is a really great deal!

Glider and Ottoman

And lastly, we finally purchased the glider/ottoman combo for the nursery. I didn't want a fancy schmancy super deluxe chair. I just needed something that was easy to clean, went with the rest of the furniture pieces, and was durable during the feedings. It is very difficult to find them in the ebony color, but Target.com carried it, so we went ahead an ordered it. I'm a bit ticked off that I had to pay shipping on it and that I didn't take advantage of the 15% off they were offering. I did find a 10% off coupon code, so that eased the burden enough to cover the taxes on it, but oh well. Still pissed about the shipping. And I swear, if they offer free shipping in the next week, that'll just be another reason for Target to go on my sh*tlist. Don't even get me started on their return policy! sheesh!

Sinus Drain & Jars

For the past two weeks I've been having a sinus battle. This weather is making my sinuses all kinds of wonky so I don't know what to do. Every morning I expect to wake up with full on sinus pain, followed by me blowing my nose, followed by an entire morning of sneezing and sniffling. This is how it goes. I normally deal with this during spring, not winter. It's so bizarre. Well, this week, I expressed my disdain of mucus with the massage therapist. She suggested that I continue with my light therapy, but to see if they would laser my sinuses as well. She relayed that information onto the physical therapy girl. Moments later, there I was with this stem/wand being slightly pressed to my forehead in circular motions. I figured, why not, this couldn't hurt.

The next morning, I actually slept until my alarm woke me up. No middle of the night drainage. No sneezing early. It was awesome! I still have some sinus drainage and I still sneeze, but it isn't near to the degree it was just days ago. Amazing!!

Also, I feel kinda bad that I didn't get to make my usual food jars as gifts. I normally try really hard to do these and I honestly thought that I would've had some time to do that, but I didn't. Someone asked what I put in them. I have the recipes somewhere. Here is the template for the tags of each jar:

I normally have it in a Word document. If you are interested in the recipes, I can dig them up and I'll forward them on.

I also baked lemon poppyseed cake in a jar and handed them out as favors at my last birthday party. They were a hit and oh so yummy and moist! I love jars. They are so functional.

Baby Stuff

I had a wonderful email conversation with someone yesterday and finally prompted me to go out and buy the rest of the essentials needed for Mari. We've made the decision to try to be health and environmentally conscious, but realistic at the same time. If we had an infinite source of income, as well as availability of products, then life would be really great. But, we're going to try at least and here are some things that we've researched and what we're gonna do:

G Diapers

First, we decided to go with G Diapers. We will still use Pampers Swaddlers for her when we travel, but we are really going to try to stick to the G Diapering system as our primary source. I first read about these diapers on Pink Ric Rac's blog and became instantly intrigued. We received a diaper cake from the hostesses from one of our showers made solely from the small and medium diapers. Last night I finally bought the starter kit and demonstrated to Don how to use them. I seriously need to bring my baby doll around so he can practice. He felt confident enough b/c he'd watch the video online, but never having changed an actual diaper, he didn't know how a wiggling baby would be. I guess we'll find out soon enough, huh? The only place I've been able to find these locally are at Whole Foods. I haven't compared the Whole Foods price to the online price yet, but I did compare the online price to Huggies brand diapers and they were actually cheaper and you got more diapers. Oh and Don said he's going to attempt to compost the pee diapers. So, we'll see if they really go away after 50 - 150 days. (Starter kit was $24.99...$2 less than online)

Born Free Bottles

I'd heard of these bottles before and had them on the back burner in my brain because I'd not seen them anywhere. I was actually going to place an order on Amazon for them to be in by the end of January. Well, yesterday when I was at Whole Foods, they had a two pack of these bottles and I thought, how great is that??? I went ahead and bought those as well. We are going to use the Avent bottling system, but try and use the Born Free bottles as much as possible, though. They are relatively the same size, so I think we'll be able to use a lot of the same sterilizing equipment and traveling pieces. I plan to get more than two, but for now that's a good start. Especially since I hope to nurse her for those 3 months that I'm home with her. Of course I'll pump some so Don can experience the joy of late night feedings as well. (about $10.99, I think)

California Baby Products

Like us, the baby will probably have some extremely sensitive skin and won't take kindly to scented soaps and soothers. All natural products free from harsh chemicals and dyes. Even when I was a kid, the Johnson & Johnson brand irritated my skin. I had to use this special soap that I later learned was all natural and prescribed by my doctor. It was on OTC soap, but still, I remember my mom having to go to a specific grocery store to get it. With that said, we're going to try the California Baby products to see how he likes them. I hope her skin reacts favorably to them and isn't has reactive like mine was. Man, I totally remember how uncomfortable life was every time I took a bath or if Mom changed laundry detergents. (the sample kit was about $13)

Burt's Bees Diaper Ointment

All babies get a diaper rash at some point in their lives. It is just inevitable. I'd read about Boudreaux's Butt Paste and seemed intrigued enough by it, but wondered if Burt's Bees made something too. Sure enough, they had a small sample pack of the diaper ointment, soothing apricot oil, and lotion. It smelled pretty good and I tried it on my own skin and there wasn't any irritation. (the sample pack was about $6)

Zoya Nail Polish

Well, this last one is for me. I came across this nail polish while in Whole Foods and wish I would've found it earlier in my pregnancy. Maybe I actually would've been painting my fingernails this whole time. I've missed looking at color on my hands! So I treated myself to a lovely shade of indigo. I'll paint my nails tonight and for the first time in 8 months, my hands will look familiar again. I liked that it didn't smell like most nail polishes since it is Toluene, Formaldehyde, and DBP free. I'm excited, almost to the point to where I want to go and get a manicure, but I'll wait until my mother-in-law is in town. We'll get all dolled up and fancy for the new year. (about $6)

So that's it. That was my adventure to Whole Foods (except the Burt's Bee's stuff was purchased at Target). I know we still have a long way to go to get to a really healthy lifestyle free of the random chemicals and stuff, but this is definitely a start. I'm of similar mentality to John Mayer: Another Kind of Green a mix of being green, but more like green light, I guess like a diet green. Hey, baby steps, right?

Have a Merry Christmas!

Holiday Meme in honor or Pink Ric Rac

Part 1: Gifts
Do you have a favorite gift that you love to give?
I love giving Don his gift. I literally spend from July up to Thanksgiving day thinking of the "perfect" gift for him. I love his reaction when he opens it. It always makes my heart melt!

If you’re making gifts this year, what are you making? (Post photos if you have some!)
I'm not making any gifts this year. About a week ago when I was watching my niece and nephew, I did make my niece a small purse for her to carry her Kleenex in. I forgot to take a picture of it. If she has it around this weekend, I will definitely take a pic.

Do you have any good stories about handcrafted gifts you’ve given or received?
ha ha!! One year I spent two weekends in search of beautiful rocks, which I turned around and painted and gave as paper weights. C'mon, I was 8...

Do you have any great gift compilation ideas (a grouping of gifts just perfect for certain recipients?)
My mother-in-law is a scrapbooker/quilter/crafter extraordinaire, so this year I'm giving her a series of gifts that relate to scrapbooking (with the exception of the pajamas that we give her every year). Most of the gifts surround the Cricut that we bought.

Name one thing on your personal wish list.
If money were no object, I would really love a fancy lens for my new-ish camera. Either that or an actual organized space for my half of our office.

Do you make and sell things that would make fantastic gifts?
No, I no longer have the time. Between work and personal life, I have maybe an hour out of the week and it takes me about an hour to plan those things. In the past, I used to make these really soft baby blankets for all of my friends who were expecting. And I always love giving gifts in jars!

Part 2: Traditions
What is your favorite family holiday tradition?
This isn't necessarily a tradition, but I loved waking up on Christmas day and all of us staying in our PJs waiting for mom to get the family Bible out so we could do the reading of the Christmas story before opening gifts. And inevitably, some of the gifts weren't wrapped, they had a tiny piece of newspaper covering the label of what the gift was. This was especially hilarious one year when we got a sleeping bag. The entire sleeping bag was exposed, but not the label! LOL!! Ahh...that was awesome.

Have you started any new traditions with your family that you didn’t practice growing up?
Don and I exchange our personal gifts to one another early. Then we do my side of the family's Christmas a week before actual Christmas. Then, we do my husband's side of the family during Christmas.

What do you love most about the holiday season?
I love the quiet time with family.

What do you like least about the holiday season?
Definitely the commercialism of it all and screaming kids demanding a really expensive gift and the parents giving in, but then they scoff at the Salvation Army bell ringers.

What is your favorite holiday food?
cookies or tamales

Do you have a great recipe to share?
Nah, not really. I just tend to make random things during this time of year.