15 Weeks To Go
Week 24 has been the most uncomfortable of the pregnancy so far. Last Thursday I had pain in my side that became so bad I could not stand up straight. The doctor had me go in for tests, which all came back normal, so they attributed the pain to round ligament stretching. Four days later, I still have the pain. Fortunately, it's not as bad as it was, but I hope it goes away soon. It's hard to keep doing everyday things when you can't bend over, sit down, laugh, or talk without grabbing your side in agony.
Monday, October 18, 2004
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Spiritual Side
Perhaps it's the changing of the seasons, but I'm feeling inspired to write about my spiritual beliefs. I typically don't share these with many people, but since very few people read my blog, I'm not sure how public they'll really be. This blog is really for me anyway. It has taken me a long time to formulate beliefs that make sense to me based on things I've read, my experiences, and learning from other people.
I did not grow up in a church environment. I went to church a handful of times with friends. Perhaps having no religious guidance lead me to alternative beliefs...or maybe I would have come to these conclusions eventually anyway. I am not sure. One thing I am sure of is that I've always felt a strong connection with nature, and I feel far more spiritual walking a forest than sitting in a church. I do love old, decorated cathedrals. Some are so beautiful that you cannot help but feel some sense of spiritualness in them.
Some of my beliefs are Buddhist. Some are derived from Native American beliefs. I can only classify myself as a Pagan. That word has a lot of negative connotations for people, but it simply means "non-Christian". It implies a deeply rooted respect of nature and the god and goddess who created it. Some people think that Pagans practice witchcraft, but that is not necessarily true. While a Wiccan person is classified as a Pagan, a Pagan is not always Wiccan. I am not Wiccan.
I believe in reincarnation. We can choose to return to Earth, and when we do, we can also choose certain challenges that we will face in our lives here. These challenges encourage the growth and progression of our soul. People that we gravitate to on Earth could have known us in previous lives or could be our best friends on the other side.
I also believe in karma. I treat people the same way I want to be treated. I do nice things because they will come back to me. I believe in helping those who are willing to help themselves.
I respect other cultures and religions; however, I do not appreciate other people shoving their religion in my face. I do not judge other people based on their religion, race, or sexual orientation, and I expect to be treated with the same respect and non-judgmental attitude.
I believe it is our duty as humans on Earth to treat animals with respect. Animals are very important to the whole interconnectedness of nature. I believe that they have spirits too. It is important to teach children to love and respect animals and the environment.
I do celebrate Christmas and other typical holidays. Christmas for me is celebrating family and togetherness. Even before Christianity, people decorated pine trees in the winter to show their respect for nature. I acknowledge seasonal events, such as solstices and equinoxes, not by performing rituals, but by thinking about my life and my place in the universe. Sometimes that may involve celebrating with food and drink. As the seasons change and we all become older, it's important to evaluate your existence and think about where you are going, if you are happy, and what you can do to improve your life on Earth. I also acknowledge full moons in the same kind of introspective way. I am fascinated by the moon and how it effects things on Earth. Nature is a delicate balance, and I am always in awe of how it works.
Finally, I believe there is not only a god, but also a goddess. They (or it - they could be one sexless entity) are the creators of all things. When we die, we return to the other side, our true home. I do not know where this place/dimension exists. Scientifically, I don't think anyone can figure that out or it would have been done by now. I also believe in ghosts, or spirits who become trapped here on Earth until they are willing to accept their fate and return home. People on the other side can communicate with us on a subconscious level, which includes our dreams. They can help guide us if we ask for their assistance. Before I became pregnant, I knew I wanted to get pregnant in May. At that time, I asked my family on the other side to send my daughter. I was ready. I became pregnant with a baby girl about one week later. Our subconscious is our link to the other side.
By writing this, I have only outlined what I believe. I have not explained how I came to these conclusions. That would probably result in a book. Sometime I might sit down and attempt to write it.
Perhaps it's the changing of the seasons, but I'm feeling inspired to write about my spiritual beliefs. I typically don't share these with many people, but since very few people read my blog, I'm not sure how public they'll really be. This blog is really for me anyway. It has taken me a long time to formulate beliefs that make sense to me based on things I've read, my experiences, and learning from other people.
I did not grow up in a church environment. I went to church a handful of times with friends. Perhaps having no religious guidance lead me to alternative beliefs...or maybe I would have come to these conclusions eventually anyway. I am not sure. One thing I am sure of is that I've always felt a strong connection with nature, and I feel far more spiritual walking a forest than sitting in a church. I do love old, decorated cathedrals. Some are so beautiful that you cannot help but feel some sense of spiritualness in them.
Some of my beliefs are Buddhist. Some are derived from Native American beliefs. I can only classify myself as a Pagan. That word has a lot of negative connotations for people, but it simply means "non-Christian". It implies a deeply rooted respect of nature and the god and goddess who created it. Some people think that Pagans practice witchcraft, but that is not necessarily true. While a Wiccan person is classified as a Pagan, a Pagan is not always Wiccan. I am not Wiccan.
I believe in reincarnation. We can choose to return to Earth, and when we do, we can also choose certain challenges that we will face in our lives here. These challenges encourage the growth and progression of our soul. People that we gravitate to on Earth could have known us in previous lives or could be our best friends on the other side.
I also believe in karma. I treat people the same way I want to be treated. I do nice things because they will come back to me. I believe in helping those who are willing to help themselves.
I respect other cultures and religions; however, I do not appreciate other people shoving their religion in my face. I do not judge other people based on their religion, race, or sexual orientation, and I expect to be treated with the same respect and non-judgmental attitude.
I believe it is our duty as humans on Earth to treat animals with respect. Animals are very important to the whole interconnectedness of nature. I believe that they have spirits too. It is important to teach children to love and respect animals and the environment.
I do celebrate Christmas and other typical holidays. Christmas for me is celebrating family and togetherness. Even before Christianity, people decorated pine trees in the winter to show their respect for nature. I acknowledge seasonal events, such as solstices and equinoxes, not by performing rituals, but by thinking about my life and my place in the universe. Sometimes that may involve celebrating with food and drink. As the seasons change and we all become older, it's important to evaluate your existence and think about where you are going, if you are happy, and what you can do to improve your life on Earth. I also acknowledge full moons in the same kind of introspective way. I am fascinated by the moon and how it effects things on Earth. Nature is a delicate balance, and I am always in awe of how it works.
Finally, I believe there is not only a god, but also a goddess. They (or it - they could be one sexless entity) are the creators of all things. When we die, we return to the other side, our true home. I do not know where this place/dimension exists. Scientifically, I don't think anyone can figure that out or it would have been done by now. I also believe in ghosts, or spirits who become trapped here on Earth until they are willing to accept their fate and return home. People on the other side can communicate with us on a subconscious level, which includes our dreams. They can help guide us if we ask for their assistance. Before I became pregnant, I knew I wanted to get pregnant in May. At that time, I asked my family on the other side to send my daughter. I was ready. I became pregnant with a baby girl about one week later. Our subconscious is our link to the other side.
By writing this, I have only outlined what I believe. I have not explained how I came to these conclusions. That would probably result in a book. Sometime I might sit down and attempt to write it.
Sunday, October 03, 2004
Another Year Older...
I turn 31 today. I bought myself some new things over the weekend, like a new purse and the new Tears for Fears album. I had been awaiting the release of the album for a long time, and it has been out since 9/14, but I just found out that it was released on Friday. I expected it to be good, but not this good... I LOVE IT! Tears for Fears has proven that they've still got it after all this time.
I turn 31 today. I bought myself some new things over the weekend, like a new purse and the new Tears for Fears album. I had been awaiting the release of the album for a long time, and it has been out since 9/14, but I just found out that it was released on Friday. I expected it to be good, but not this good... I LOVE IT! Tears for Fears has proven that they've still got it after all this time.
Saturday, September 25, 2004
Where did Magical Cat come from?
I used to sing songs to my cat, Rishi. One of my favorites was "Black Betty", but I changed it to "Black Buddy" (his nickname). Because of the mysticism surrounding black cats, I used to think of "Magical Mister Mistoffelees" from the musical Cats when I sang to him. So when I needed a Yahoo name, I thought of it at the spur of the moment.
I really miss Rishi.
I used to sing songs to my cat, Rishi. One of my favorites was "Black Betty", but I changed it to "Black Buddy" (his nickname). Because of the mysticism surrounding black cats, I used to think of "Magical Mister Mistoffelees" from the musical Cats when I sang to him. So when I needed a Yahoo name, I thought of it at the spur of the moment.
I really miss Rishi.
Thursday, September 23, 2004
Autumn Upon Us
I meant to post yesterday, on the Autumnal Equinox, but I didn't get around to it. Fall is my favorite season, and I'm so glad it's here! It never lasts long enough though. Soon the leaves will change and the holidays will be here. I already have some of my Halloween decorations out.
I'm feeling the baby move every day now (and every night). At this stage, the movements are cute because they're just little flutters. Reminds me how small she is even though I feel like my belly is HUGE.
I feel good most of the time, but I do have some trouble sleeping through the night. Perhaps it's my body preparing me to deal with a newborn. I've tried avoiding caffeine, switching sides of the bed with James, and taking sinus medication before bed, but nothing seems to help. I try not to complain too much... I've read about much worse pregnancy related symptoms that I am glad I do not have. Overall, I think being pregnant is fun.
I meant to post yesterday, on the Autumnal Equinox, but I didn't get around to it. Fall is my favorite season, and I'm so glad it's here! It never lasts long enough though. Soon the leaves will change and the holidays will be here. I already have some of my Halloween decorations out.
I'm feeling the baby move every day now (and every night). At this stage, the movements are cute because they're just little flutters. Reminds me how small she is even though I feel like my belly is HUGE.
I feel good most of the time, but I do have some trouble sleeping through the night. Perhaps it's my body preparing me to deal with a newborn. I've tried avoiding caffeine, switching sides of the bed with James, and taking sinus medication before bed, but nothing seems to help. I try not to complain too much... I've read about much worse pregnancy related symptoms that I am glad I do not have. Overall, I think being pregnant is fun.
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
Monday, September 13, 2004
Ultrasound News
James and I had our first ultrasound on September 7. I was amazed by the clarity of the picture. We saw every angle of the baby, including her spine, feet, face, and the top of her head. Yep, I said "her". We are having a girl! We are really excited, and even though the VHS tape of the ultrasound is bit lesser in quality than the actual picture was, that hasn't stopped us from watching the tape several times. Too bad they can't burn it to a high definition DVD.
James and I had our first ultrasound on September 7. I was amazed by the clarity of the picture. We saw every angle of the baby, including her spine, feet, face, and the top of her head. Yep, I said "her". We are having a girl! We are really excited, and even though the VHS tape of the ultrasound is bit lesser in quality than the actual picture was, that hasn't stopped us from watching the tape several times. Too bad they can't burn it to a high definition DVD.
Native Imports
I want to ask people who have a Native American dream catcher hanging from their rearview mirror if they sleep in their cars a lot. It's supposed to hang above your bed and "catch" nightmares. It's pretty sad that the Native American culture is one of the most exploited. If you shop for a dream catcher, some Native American pottery, or a flute, turn the product over. You might see a "Made in China" sticker. Real authentic.
I want to ask people who have a Native American dream catcher hanging from their rearview mirror if they sleep in their cars a lot. It's supposed to hang above your bed and "catch" nightmares. It's pretty sad that the Native American culture is one of the most exploited. If you shop for a dream catcher, some Native American pottery, or a flute, turn the product over. You might see a "Made in China" sticker. Real authentic.
Thursday, September 02, 2004
Work Is Nuts
I have managed not to complain about my job on this blog so far. I think today I am finally feeling motivated to write something about it. I am a web developer/project manager at a company that I've been working at for over 6 years. They have been good to me... I started out in the helpdesk making peanuts, and worked my way up to the world of IT (and perhaps now making walnuts?). I was helpdesk supervisor, then trainer, then writing documents for web sites, then web developer. I learned ASP and SQL (with help from my boss). I am good at what I do. It does not only involve web developing... it's about knowing how to treat your "customers" (other employees), and understanding the business. My boss knows I always put in my 40 hours (at least), so it's no big deal if I'm late or need to leave early. He even said I can work from home after I have my baby. Those are the good things about my job.
Now, the complaints. Everyone has complaints about their job. No job is perfect, and there are some days where my level of frustration knows no bounds. I have to be on call every 4th week. I am on call this week, which happens to include Labor Day weekend. This is the third holiday in a row where I have been on call. I do not get paid for being on call. I do get a cell phone allowance each month in exchange. People call about minor issues. It's supposed to be for emergencies, such as a web site crashing or server outage. Instead I get things like "I can't get into my Email", "How do I get to such-and-such web site", and the inevitable "My PC isn't working right". I got the PC call one night at 3am. These are not emergencies, people! And why are you working at night? Get a life!
I also have to mention pay. I am a female, which automatically means I get less than my male counterparts. Why is that fair? I even have the word "manager" in my title, but that doesn't seem to matter. I have many male friends working in the same field as me. They all make more than I do. One of them makes a full 20k more... it's really frustrating. I wish the job market would pick up. I had three interviews for one web development job. It was more money for less work, and they seemed concerned that I would not be as "challenged" in the new job. THAT'S WHAT I WANTED! I really thought I had it in the bag, but they ended up hiring a man. HMPH! I really hope to someday break into the cashew pay level... that rich, delicious nut seemingly reserved for men and very few women. Until then I will continue at the walnut level... if I'm lucky, maybe next year I'll get pecans.
I have managed not to complain about my job on this blog so far. I think today I am finally feeling motivated to write something about it. I am a web developer/project manager at a company that I've been working at for over 6 years. They have been good to me... I started out in the helpdesk making peanuts, and worked my way up to the world of IT (and perhaps now making walnuts?). I was helpdesk supervisor, then trainer, then writing documents for web sites, then web developer. I learned ASP and SQL (with help from my boss). I am good at what I do. It does not only involve web developing... it's about knowing how to treat your "customers" (other employees), and understanding the business. My boss knows I always put in my 40 hours (at least), so it's no big deal if I'm late or need to leave early. He even said I can work from home after I have my baby. Those are the good things about my job.
Now, the complaints. Everyone has complaints about their job. No job is perfect, and there are some days where my level of frustration knows no bounds. I have to be on call every 4th week. I am on call this week, which happens to include Labor Day weekend. This is the third holiday in a row where I have been on call. I do not get paid for being on call. I do get a cell phone allowance each month in exchange. People call about minor issues. It's supposed to be for emergencies, such as a web site crashing or server outage. Instead I get things like "I can't get into my Email", "How do I get to such-and-such web site", and the inevitable "My PC isn't working right". I got the PC call one night at 3am. These are not emergencies, people! And why are you working at night? Get a life!
I also have to mention pay. I am a female, which automatically means I get less than my male counterparts. Why is that fair? I even have the word "manager" in my title, but that doesn't seem to matter. I have many male friends working in the same field as me. They all make more than I do. One of them makes a full 20k more... it's really frustrating. I wish the job market would pick up. I had three interviews for one web development job. It was more money for less work, and they seemed concerned that I would not be as "challenged" in the new job. THAT'S WHAT I WANTED! I really thought I had it in the bag, but they ended up hiring a man. HMPH! I really hope to someday break into the cashew pay level... that rich, delicious nut seemingly reserved for men and very few women. Until then I will continue at the walnut level... if I'm lucky, maybe next year I'll get pecans.
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Another Milestone
Today marks the beginning of my 5th month of pregnancy (18 weeks). In just two weeks, I'll be half way through. Time to start preparing the baby's room. We have to relocate our rabbit (and our vacuum cleaner, my Barbie collection, and other miscellaneous stuff), put in new carpet, and put up a blind. Fortunately, the room is already painted a light shade of lavender, so we don't have to paint the walls (was that foresight on my part?).
Today marks the beginning of my 5th month of pregnancy (18 weeks). In just two weeks, I'll be half way through. Time to start preparing the baby's room. We have to relocate our rabbit (and our vacuum cleaner, my Barbie collection, and other miscellaneous stuff), put in new carpet, and put up a blind. Fortunately, the room is already painted a light shade of lavender, so we don't have to paint the walls (was that foresight on my part?).
Thursday, August 26, 2004
First Movement
I felt the baby move for the first time today! As soon as I sat down at my desk this morning, I felt a fluttery muscle spasm feeling. I am almost certain it was the baby. Very exciting!
At my doctor appointment on Tuesday, the nurse clocked the heartbeat at 150 bpm. She had to try 3 times or so because the baby kept moving around. Must be an active one! I have an ultrasound scheduled for September 7. I can't wait...
I felt the baby move for the first time today! As soon as I sat down at my desk this morning, I felt a fluttery muscle spasm feeling. I am almost certain it was the baby. Very exciting!
At my doctor appointment on Tuesday, the nurse clocked the heartbeat at 150 bpm. She had to try 3 times or so because the baby kept moving around. Must be an active one! I have an ultrasound scheduled for September 7. I can't wait...
Friday, August 20, 2004
Ooooo, Witchy Woman
My best friend and my husband have always teased me about being from a family of witches. They don't mean it in a bad way, of course. It's just that my aunts and my mom like to grow herbs and things and make weird stuff. My mom has 5 sisters and 1 brother. Even my uncle has a garden. We always had black cats when I was growing up, which happen to be my favorite type of cat (I recently lost my beloved black kitty of 10 years, Rishi, to cancer). My mom would trim my sister's and my hair by the full moon. I have to admit, I do consult the Farmers' Almanac to find out which moon phases are good for planting flowers or doing other stuff. I also love to look at the full moon. I always acknowledge it and try to gaze upon it if it isn't too cloudy to see. I really think it's just a deep rooted respect for nature that my family has (I wouldn't want it any other way), but I can't seem to shake the witch thing.
When my friend Leslie and I were in Scotland, one of us picked up a book about witches. It seems a brother and sister by the name of Weir were burned at the stake for witchcraft in Scotland. Weir was my grandma's maiden name. This just added to Leslie and James' evidence.
On the 4th of July, James and I headed down to my mom's for a barbecue. My mom had a huge spider in a jar. There are many more things I could list here that have fueled this perception. Will I ever shake this witch image? Probably not. I admit to having Pagan beliefs, but I don't cast spells or make potions. It sounds like fun though.
My best friend and my husband have always teased me about being from a family of witches. They don't mean it in a bad way, of course. It's just that my aunts and my mom like to grow herbs and things and make weird stuff. My mom has 5 sisters and 1 brother. Even my uncle has a garden. We always had black cats when I was growing up, which happen to be my favorite type of cat (I recently lost my beloved black kitty of 10 years, Rishi, to cancer). My mom would trim my sister's and my hair by the full moon. I have to admit, I do consult the Farmers' Almanac to find out which moon phases are good for planting flowers or doing other stuff. I also love to look at the full moon. I always acknowledge it and try to gaze upon it if it isn't too cloudy to see. I really think it's just a deep rooted respect for nature that my family has (I wouldn't want it any other way), but I can't seem to shake the witch thing.
When my friend Leslie and I were in Scotland, one of us picked up a book about witches. It seems a brother and sister by the name of Weir were burned at the stake for witchcraft in Scotland. Weir was my grandma's maiden name. This just added to Leslie and James' evidence.
On the 4th of July, James and I headed down to my mom's for a barbecue. My mom had a huge spider in a jar. There are many more things I could list here that have fueled this perception. Will I ever shake this witch image? Probably not. I admit to having Pagan beliefs, but I don't cast spells or make potions. It sounds like fun though.
No News Is Good News
It's been awhile since I made an update here. I'm in the 16th week of the pregnancy. I should feel the baby move any day now. I feel pretty good right now. I have energy, and the stars and headaches that I experienced in the first trimester are becoming less frequent. We have not started shopping for the baby yet... in fact, we haven't done anything to prepare. We will probably start in the 5th month. That's right around the corner.
Buggy Stuff
Indiana was recently visited by a type of cicada that only comes out every 17 years. Some areas were absolutely covered in them and others only had a few, if any. We only saw one of them in our backyard. I was a little disappointed because I thought they were kind of cool. While cleaning the other day, I found just the wing of one of the cicadas on our stairway. Weird.
I had a spider friend that was living behind my bread box in the kitchen. I find bugs interesting. Like most people, I don't want them in my house, but this spider didn't bother me. He was about the size of nickel (including the legs). It wasn't one of the big hairy ones (it would have been promptly smashed if so). I let it go, thinking maybe it would eat any gnats or flies that came its way (not that we have a problem, mind you). He was there for a few weeks, coming out occasionally while I cooked or washed dishes. Then I saw him crawling in the sink. BIG mistake. I washed him down the drain. If he had stayed in his little space behind the bread box, I would have left him alone. Oh well.
It's been awhile since I made an update here. I'm in the 16th week of the pregnancy. I should feel the baby move any day now. I feel pretty good right now. I have energy, and the stars and headaches that I experienced in the first trimester are becoming less frequent. We have not started shopping for the baby yet... in fact, we haven't done anything to prepare. We will probably start in the 5th month. That's right around the corner.
Buggy Stuff
Indiana was recently visited by a type of cicada that only comes out every 17 years. Some areas were absolutely covered in them and others only had a few, if any. We only saw one of them in our backyard. I was a little disappointed because I thought they were kind of cool. While cleaning the other day, I found just the wing of one of the cicadas on our stairway. Weird.
I had a spider friend that was living behind my bread box in the kitchen. I find bugs interesting. Like most people, I don't want them in my house, but this spider didn't bother me. He was about the size of nickel (including the legs). It wasn't one of the big hairy ones (it would have been promptly smashed if so). I let it go, thinking maybe it would eat any gnats or flies that came its way (not that we have a problem, mind you). He was there for a few weeks, coming out occasionally while I cooked or washed dishes. Then I saw him crawling in the sink. BIG mistake. I washed him down the drain. If he had stayed in his little space behind the bread box, I would have left him alone. Oh well.
Monday, August 02, 2004
Fatness, Here I Come
I am now wearing maternity clothes. I went shopping over the weekend, and bought several shirts, a skirt, and 3 pairs of pants. At first my friend Leslie and I were appalled by the styles, but then we went to a store called Motherhood. They actually have hip maternity clothes... Well, as hip as they can be anyway. I start my 14th week of pregnancy tomorrow, and I could not stand another day in my regular clothes. They were so tight that my circulation was getting cut off. So here I sit in my maternity jeans. They are green and look rather militant. I like them.
I am now wearing maternity clothes. I went shopping over the weekend, and bought several shirts, a skirt, and 3 pairs of pants. At first my friend Leslie and I were appalled by the styles, but then we went to a store called Motherhood. They actually have hip maternity clothes... Well, as hip as they can be anyway. I start my 14th week of pregnancy tomorrow, and I could not stand another day in my regular clothes. They were so tight that my circulation was getting cut off. So here I sit in my maternity jeans. They are green and look rather militant. I like them.
Friday, July 23, 2004
You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry
I think that pregnancy hormones can best be described through a comparison to The Incredible Hulk. For the most part, I am even-keeled. I'm no David Banner, out helping people in need whilst I remain lonely and isolated, but I am fairly happy and laid back (though it doesn't stop me from complaining at work). Piss me off however, and you've got the Hulk on your hands. I've had a few episodes. One was in the car the other day, and one was at work today. I am a web developer, and I was tired of my program being blamed when the real cause of the issue was user error. I felt my face turning red (rather than green) and I wanted to throw something very forcefully. I guess it's the hormones that cause me to fly off of the handle about situations that I would normally handle gracefully. Laura smash!
I think that pregnancy hormones can best be described through a comparison to The Incredible Hulk. For the most part, I am even-keeled. I'm no David Banner, out helping people in need whilst I remain lonely and isolated, but I am fairly happy and laid back (though it doesn't stop me from complaining at work). Piss me off however, and you've got the Hulk on your hands. I've had a few episodes. One was in the car the other day, and one was at work today. I am a web developer, and I was tired of my program being blamed when the real cause of the issue was user error. I felt my face turning red (rather than green) and I wanted to throw something very forcefully. I guess it's the hormones that cause me to fly off of the handle about situations that I would normally handle gracefully. Laura smash!
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
Abandon Every Hope, Ye Who Enter Here
For those online quiz-takers out there, here is a fun one for you. Answer the questions and see which level of Dante's Inferno you fit into. I'm apparently headed for Level 2, which is the lustful level. Hmmm, and I thought for sure I'd be a glutton relaxing in Level 3.
For those online quiz-takers out there, here is a fun one for you. Answer the questions and see which level of Dante's Inferno you fit into. I'm apparently headed for Level 2, which is the lustful level. Hmmm, and I thought for sure I'd be a glutton relaxing in Level 3.
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
Rat's Ass
Where did the expression "I don't give a rat's ass" come from? In Medieval times, did people give a rat ass to someone they cared about as a sign of affection? Did a witch say it when her friend came over to borrow a rat's ass for her enchantment potion? It's just one of those weird expressions that people use all the time, but when you think about it, it doesn't make any sense.
Where did the expression "I don't give a rat's ass" come from? In Medieval times, did people give a rat ass to someone they cared about as a sign of affection? Did a witch say it when her friend came over to borrow a rat's ass for her enchantment potion? It's just one of those weird expressions that people use all the time, but when you think about it, it doesn't make any sense.
Home Improvement
I'm feeling the irresistible pull of home improvement again. It's that feeling you get when you just have to tackle a project. So I'm trying to decide what to do. There are many things in our house to work on... new carpet or hardwood floors downstairs, removing the master bedroom wallpaper, replacing the faulty screen door, covering the cement slab we call a patio with flagstone or a deck, painting the trim... the list goes on and on.
When we first moved into our house (coming up on 4 years ago), my husband, James, and I did not know what we were in for. Every room in the house had ugly, 80's style wallpaper. It's easy enough to walk through and say "yeah, I can re-do that" when you're looking for a house to buy, but we had to change almost every single room in the house. There was even wallpaper in the hallways. So we transformed the house, room by room. With my dad's help, we stripped the wallpaper, sanded the walls, and painted. We put up wallpaper in one room, which is our downstairs 1/2 bath. It is one of my favorite rooms that we have done. Only one room remains wallpapered in an 80's design, and that's our master bedroom. It's the least offensive pattern of the many lovely designs that graced our walls. I won't be able to paint it until I have my baby, but oh well, what's another 6 months of looking at it.
I often wish I had chronicled our projects and created a scrapbook with before and after pictures. I could have saved the wallpaper pieces to show just how stylish the house was before. Here, I will attempt to revisit each project.
Fall 2000
Wow! We are home owners! The first room we tackled is the guest bedroom. It had wide blue and brown striped wallpaper with a border that had birds flying. It looked like a grandfather's bedroom. My dad showed me a process of removing wallpaper using a round scoring tool that makes holes all over the paper and then using a pump up sprayer full of hot water and DIFF. You soak the walls and the paper peels off. It was a bit messy, but it worked. We patched the nail holes in the walls but failed to sand them down, so you can still see the patch marks through the paint. Oh well, we were first timers, so it's ok. We painted the room Finnish Blue. We replaced the red metal mini blinds with white cellular shades. We were impressed with our job, flaws and all.
Winter 2000
On to the next bedroom upstairs. It had been a girl's room and had pastel striped wallpaper with tiny hearts in every pastel color you can think of. Ugh. This wallpaper was perhaps the easiest to remove. I could almost peel it off without using any water or DIFF. I patched the nail holes and sanded them down. I painted the room a light lavender color and put up lace curtains. It looks rather Victorian. I love the room... it currently houses our rabbit, but it will be the baby's room.
Spring 2001
Ah, the downstairs bathroom. Perhaps the most beautiful wallpaper I've ever seen (gag). It had neon criss-crossed stripes with a neon heart border around the mirror. I am not joking. Besides being ugly, it was also extremely stubborn. I think it must have been put up with super glue. No matter how much I scraped and soaked it, it came off in tiny bits that stuck to the floor when I dropped them. In addition to tearing the wallpaper down, which was really fun when I got to the toilet and pedestal sink area, I also decided to take out the white ceramic towel bar and TP holder in favor of a more elegant look. My dad helped me knock these pieces out with a hammer and repair the gaping holes in the dry wall. Dad also helped me hang my replacement wallpaper. It's a scroll design in subtle sage green with a parchment like background. I found a mirror, trash can, and two corner shelves at Pier 1 that have a silver scroll design that matched the wallpaper perfectly. It took me over 2 years to finally hang up the TP holder, but the finished room is awesome.
Summer/Fall 2001
Who puts wallpaper in hallways? That was the question I kept asking myself as I dealt with the most awful of all wallpapers I have encountered. It was a color my dad called "dirty beige". I would say it was the "dusty rose" color so popular in the 80's and it had yellowed over the years. It was in our downstairs hallway, stairwell, and upstairs hallway. The residue this paper left behind was terrible. Most wallpaper glue comes off of the wall with a little dish soap and water, but not this glue. It was like tiny grains of sand super glued to the walls. We had to use sandpaper to sand the walls over and over to get rid of it. We spent hours sanding until the surfaces were smooth enough to paint. We painted them Antique White.
Spring/Summer 2002
Our kitchen and family room are basically one giant room that spans the width of the house. I couldn't wait to tackle these rooms. The wallpaper played tricks with your eyes. It had small greyish diamond shapes, and they would flash when you looked at them. It also had a country blue border in the kitchen and country blue shelves with ducks on them above a planning desk. Those shelves were gone as soon as we moved in, but the holes remained. We had to do a lot of patching in this room, especially when I decided to rip the planning desk out. It left a square of missing linoleum on the floor, so we covered that with a rug until the floor needs to be replaced again. I now have a nice bakers rack where the desk was. We had some difficulty picking out a color since the color would have to go well in the kitchen as well as the family room. We initially were set on purple, but when we brought the paint home and painted some on the wall, it looked like grape Bubble Yum meets Grimace. Back to Lowes. We ended up with Victorian Slate Green. As we painted we joked that it would look like military barracks, but we liked the finished product. It's a dark sage color. I found that red and tan accents go with it very well, so once we hung up some wrought iron candle sconces and art work with red and tan colors, it looked very cozy. Over the last few years, we have replaced each kitchen appliance, so we now have a black stove, refrigerator, and dishwasher. I plan on placing red and tan tile above the kitchen cabinets at some point.
Fall 2002
The entry way (foyer, whatever you want to call it), living room, and dining room are all connected to the stairwell and hallways that we had previously painted Antique White. Before we painted the hallways, you could see three different patterns when you stepped in the door, each of them distinctly different (and ugly). The entry way had a mint green pastel Southwestern print, while the living room and dining room had a pink and light blue flower design. And we musn't forget the dirty beige hallways. Here's the kicker, when we bought the house, one of the "selling points" was that it was professionally decorated. I beg to differ... you may be wondering why we bought the house. We were able to look past the wallpaper and see what it could be. It has an awesome floor to ceiling brick fireplace in the living room, which is a two story room. The house also had nice carpet and parquet flooring. We knew it could be a great house. Anyway...
We removed the wallpaper in the entry way, living room, and dining room. Wow, it looked better already. Since all of these walls were interconnected with the stairwell and hallways, we also painted these rooms Antique White. It really makes the brick fireplace stand out. At this point our downstairs was almost done.
Spring 2003
Only two rooms remain with 80's wallpaper: the master bedroom and bathroom. I decided to do the bathroom first. The wallpaper had a white background with yellow and orange flowers and green foliage. A mint green shower curtain had remained since we moved in. I didn't know what color to use, so I found a shower curtain that I liked and pulled a light blue color out of that. Normally I don't like light blue, but I had seen it in catalogs and thought it might give the bathroom a retro feel. It is 100% improved over what it was, but I'm considering changing it at some point. Our double vanity is quite dated and the bathtub is small, so we may re-do that bathroom again sometime. We'll see.
Summer 2003
One thing had bothered me since we painted our family room and kitchen. The paint lines where the Slate Green met the Antique White in our dining room and hallway doorways were rather sloppy. Yet again, I called upon my dad to help. He helped me pick out wood trim that matched our other trim in the house. He measured and cut the pieces for me. I had fun staining them. Then he hung them up for me. I covered the nails and coated the trim in polyurethane, and it matches our other trim very well. The doorways look finished now, and the dining room looks a little more elegant.
All of those projects took a lot of time and money, not to mention blood, sweat, and tears. Over the last year, we have not started any major projects. To quell our need for home improvement, we have focused on smaller scale projects. I created a flower bed by our patio. We replaced our generic light fixture above the dining room table with a chandelier, and we installed a dimmer switch for it. James installed motion sensing light switches in the garage and upstairs office (which, by the way, was one of the few rooms that didn't have wallpaper, along with the laundry room and guest bathroom). We also replaced our kitchen table.
Soon I will undertake a major project... I feel it coming. Hopefully I can convince James to help me pull up our downstairs carpet and replace it with parquet flooring that will match our hallway. Muwahaha!
I'm feeling the irresistible pull of home improvement again. It's that feeling you get when you just have to tackle a project. So I'm trying to decide what to do. There are many things in our house to work on... new carpet or hardwood floors downstairs, removing the master bedroom wallpaper, replacing the faulty screen door, covering the cement slab we call a patio with flagstone or a deck, painting the trim... the list goes on and on.
When we first moved into our house (coming up on 4 years ago), my husband, James, and I did not know what we were in for. Every room in the house had ugly, 80's style wallpaper. It's easy enough to walk through and say "yeah, I can re-do that" when you're looking for a house to buy, but we had to change almost every single room in the house. There was even wallpaper in the hallways. So we transformed the house, room by room. With my dad's help, we stripped the wallpaper, sanded the walls, and painted. We put up wallpaper in one room, which is our downstairs 1/2 bath. It is one of my favorite rooms that we have done. Only one room remains wallpapered in an 80's design, and that's our master bedroom. It's the least offensive pattern of the many lovely designs that graced our walls. I won't be able to paint it until I have my baby, but oh well, what's another 6 months of looking at it.
I often wish I had chronicled our projects and created a scrapbook with before and after pictures. I could have saved the wallpaper pieces to show just how stylish the house was before. Here, I will attempt to revisit each project.
Fall 2000
Wow! We are home owners! The first room we tackled is the guest bedroom. It had wide blue and brown striped wallpaper with a border that had birds flying. It looked like a grandfather's bedroom. My dad showed me a process of removing wallpaper using a round scoring tool that makes holes all over the paper and then using a pump up sprayer full of hot water and DIFF. You soak the walls and the paper peels off. It was a bit messy, but it worked. We patched the nail holes in the walls but failed to sand them down, so you can still see the patch marks through the paint. Oh well, we were first timers, so it's ok. We painted the room Finnish Blue. We replaced the red metal mini blinds with white cellular shades. We were impressed with our job, flaws and all.
Winter 2000
On to the next bedroom upstairs. It had been a girl's room and had pastel striped wallpaper with tiny hearts in every pastel color you can think of. Ugh. This wallpaper was perhaps the easiest to remove. I could almost peel it off without using any water or DIFF. I patched the nail holes and sanded them down. I painted the room a light lavender color and put up lace curtains. It looks rather Victorian. I love the room... it currently houses our rabbit, but it will be the baby's room.
Spring 2001
Ah, the downstairs bathroom. Perhaps the most beautiful wallpaper I've ever seen (gag). It had neon criss-crossed stripes with a neon heart border around the mirror. I am not joking. Besides being ugly, it was also extremely stubborn. I think it must have been put up with super glue. No matter how much I scraped and soaked it, it came off in tiny bits that stuck to the floor when I dropped them. In addition to tearing the wallpaper down, which was really fun when I got to the toilet and pedestal sink area, I also decided to take out the white ceramic towel bar and TP holder in favor of a more elegant look. My dad helped me knock these pieces out with a hammer and repair the gaping holes in the dry wall. Dad also helped me hang my replacement wallpaper. It's a scroll design in subtle sage green with a parchment like background. I found a mirror, trash can, and two corner shelves at Pier 1 that have a silver scroll design that matched the wallpaper perfectly. It took me over 2 years to finally hang up the TP holder, but the finished room is awesome.
Summer/Fall 2001
Who puts wallpaper in hallways? That was the question I kept asking myself as I dealt with the most awful of all wallpapers I have encountered. It was a color my dad called "dirty beige". I would say it was the "dusty rose" color so popular in the 80's and it had yellowed over the years. It was in our downstairs hallway, stairwell, and upstairs hallway. The residue this paper left behind was terrible. Most wallpaper glue comes off of the wall with a little dish soap and water, but not this glue. It was like tiny grains of sand super glued to the walls. We had to use sandpaper to sand the walls over and over to get rid of it. We spent hours sanding until the surfaces were smooth enough to paint. We painted them Antique White.
Spring/Summer 2002
Our kitchen and family room are basically one giant room that spans the width of the house. I couldn't wait to tackle these rooms. The wallpaper played tricks with your eyes. It had small greyish diamond shapes, and they would flash when you looked at them. It also had a country blue border in the kitchen and country blue shelves with ducks on them above a planning desk. Those shelves were gone as soon as we moved in, but the holes remained. We had to do a lot of patching in this room, especially when I decided to rip the planning desk out. It left a square of missing linoleum on the floor, so we covered that with a rug until the floor needs to be replaced again. I now have a nice bakers rack where the desk was. We had some difficulty picking out a color since the color would have to go well in the kitchen as well as the family room. We initially were set on purple, but when we brought the paint home and painted some on the wall, it looked like grape Bubble Yum meets Grimace. Back to Lowes. We ended up with Victorian Slate Green. As we painted we joked that it would look like military barracks, but we liked the finished product. It's a dark sage color. I found that red and tan accents go with it very well, so once we hung up some wrought iron candle sconces and art work with red and tan colors, it looked very cozy. Over the last few years, we have replaced each kitchen appliance, so we now have a black stove, refrigerator, and dishwasher. I plan on placing red and tan tile above the kitchen cabinets at some point.
Fall 2002
The entry way (foyer, whatever you want to call it), living room, and dining room are all connected to the stairwell and hallways that we had previously painted Antique White. Before we painted the hallways, you could see three different patterns when you stepped in the door, each of them distinctly different (and ugly). The entry way had a mint green pastel Southwestern print, while the living room and dining room had a pink and light blue flower design. And we musn't forget the dirty beige hallways. Here's the kicker, when we bought the house, one of the "selling points" was that it was professionally decorated. I beg to differ... you may be wondering why we bought the house. We were able to look past the wallpaper and see what it could be. It has an awesome floor to ceiling brick fireplace in the living room, which is a two story room. The house also had nice carpet and parquet flooring. We knew it could be a great house. Anyway...
We removed the wallpaper in the entry way, living room, and dining room. Wow, it looked better already. Since all of these walls were interconnected with the stairwell and hallways, we also painted these rooms Antique White. It really makes the brick fireplace stand out. At this point our downstairs was almost done.
Spring 2003
Only two rooms remain with 80's wallpaper: the master bedroom and bathroom. I decided to do the bathroom first. The wallpaper had a white background with yellow and orange flowers and green foliage. A mint green shower curtain had remained since we moved in. I didn't know what color to use, so I found a shower curtain that I liked and pulled a light blue color out of that. Normally I don't like light blue, but I had seen it in catalogs and thought it might give the bathroom a retro feel. It is 100% improved over what it was, but I'm considering changing it at some point. Our double vanity is quite dated and the bathtub is small, so we may re-do that bathroom again sometime. We'll see.
Summer 2003
One thing had bothered me since we painted our family room and kitchen. The paint lines where the Slate Green met the Antique White in our dining room and hallway doorways were rather sloppy. Yet again, I called upon my dad to help. He helped me pick out wood trim that matched our other trim in the house. He measured and cut the pieces for me. I had fun staining them. Then he hung them up for me. I covered the nails and coated the trim in polyurethane, and it matches our other trim very well. The doorways look finished now, and the dining room looks a little more elegant.
All of those projects took a lot of time and money, not to mention blood, sweat, and tears. Over the last year, we have not started any major projects. To quell our need for home improvement, we have focused on smaller scale projects. I created a flower bed by our patio. We replaced our generic light fixture above the dining room table with a chandelier, and we installed a dimmer switch for it. James installed motion sensing light switches in the garage and upstairs office (which, by the way, was one of the few rooms that didn't have wallpaper, along with the laundry room and guest bathroom). We also replaced our kitchen table.
Soon I will undertake a major project... I feel it coming. Hopefully I can convince James to help me pull up our downstairs carpet and replace it with parquet flooring that will match our hallway. Muwahaha!
Friday, July 09, 2004
Freud Would Be Proud
My husband suggested that I start a dream journal. I remember my dreams almost every night. I tend to have very vivid, sometimes psychotic dreams. Some of them are very gory... I remember one where a dog exploded. Before you label me as crazy, know that I definitely believe that dreams are a release of the subconscious mind, and that's not just my Psych degree talking. I internalize stress, and I think it comes out in very strange ways in my dreams. I think this Blog is the perfect place to log my dreams. Perhaps I will post some of the more memorable ones if things get boring, but they probably won't.
Last night I dreamed of a party. I think it was for my own child, but I never actually saw him/her. There were many people there, and I did not recognize many of them. I was cutting tiny little pieces of cake, but I still ran out. These two older women who I didn't recognize were standing there with empty plates looking very disappointed. So I went to Kroger (Why Kroger? I shop at Marsh.) to get another cake. All they had were Halloween cakes, even though it was August. The one I wanted to get was $32. It was a small chocolate cake covered in orange icing and sugar with a black Jack-O-Lantern face on the top.
I can usually pinpoint what is going on in my life and why it caused me to have a certain dream, but I have no idea where that came from.
My husband suggested that I start a dream journal. I remember my dreams almost every night. I tend to have very vivid, sometimes psychotic dreams. Some of them are very gory... I remember one where a dog exploded. Before you label me as crazy, know that I definitely believe that dreams are a release of the subconscious mind, and that's not just my Psych degree talking. I internalize stress, and I think it comes out in very strange ways in my dreams. I think this Blog is the perfect place to log my dreams. Perhaps I will post some of the more memorable ones if things get boring, but they probably won't.
Last night I dreamed of a party. I think it was for my own child, but I never actually saw him/her. There were many people there, and I did not recognize many of them. I was cutting tiny little pieces of cake, but I still ran out. These two older women who I didn't recognize were standing there with empty plates looking very disappointed. So I went to Kroger (Why Kroger? I shop at Marsh.) to get another cake. All they had were Halloween cakes, even though it was August. The one I wanted to get was $32. It was a small chocolate cake covered in orange icing and sugar with a black Jack-O-Lantern face on the top.
I can usually pinpoint what is going on in my life and why it caused me to have a certain dream, but I have no idea where that came from.
Thursday, July 08, 2004
Seeing Stars
I called my doctor yesterday because I had been getting headaches and seeing stars while just sitting at my desk. I can deal with headaches, but I thought seeing stars for no apparent reason might be a problem.
She told me that I am not eating enough. Holy cow, I already thought I was eating plenty. I am supposed to be eating every 2 hours. This scares me because I don't want to gain a bunch of weight just from being pregnant. I'm trying to keep it around 25 - 30 pounds. So, I'm eating fruit or breakfast bars in between meals. Even if I'm not hungry, I'm eating some fruit anyway. So far it seems to work.
I called my doctor yesterday because I had been getting headaches and seeing stars while just sitting at my desk. I can deal with headaches, but I thought seeing stars for no apparent reason might be a problem.
She told me that I am not eating enough. Holy cow, I already thought I was eating plenty. I am supposed to be eating every 2 hours. This scares me because I don't want to gain a bunch of weight just from being pregnant. I'm trying to keep it around 25 - 30 pounds. So, I'm eating fruit or breakfast bars in between meals. Even if I'm not hungry, I'm eating some fruit anyway. So far it seems to work.
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