A Couple of the Shower Pictures

I finally got around to loading some recent pictures on my computer. I never use my real camera anymore, all of my pictures are from my IPhone. It's so much easier than carrying around my heavy camera!

The only down side is me having to plug in my phone to sync it with the computer each time I want to load pictures (which I guess is not the biggest deal in the world) but I was used to just popping out my memory card and sticking it in the laptop before.

In early October I helped host my sisters baby shower. I wish I could tell you I took a lot of pictures, but I took like two-literally. I just have this weird complex that if I take tons of pictures, it will be like "bragging". I just have to find the perfect balance of showing my friends/family the work I put in with lots of pictures, and bombarding them with a gazillion pictures of every little thing I did/made at the party. It's a work in progress guys! I was raised always being told "don't brag, never brag" so yeah I guess I have 'humble' issues, lol

Pumpkins: Since it was Fall, I thought it would be cute to having pumpkins at the shower. I researched online and saw these cute baby pumpkins. I painted the eyes and poked a hole and popped a binky in for the mouth. I put a ribbon on the girl and a hat on the boy.

Half of the cupcakes. This was my biggest regret: I took NO pictures of the shower cupcakes (these were my prototypes made earlier) I made Apple Cupcakes (below) and Chocolate Mint Cupcakes (sadly not pictured) The only change I made to the apple cupcakes was I used cinnamon to sprinkle the top instead of the sanding sugar. I think it looked simpler, and gave the guests a hint on what the cupcakes tasted like. The chocolate cupcakes had a peppermint buttercream that I tinted a really cool lime green. I sprinkled chopped Andies mints on those.

The favors: I was looking for a sweet, yet classy trinket to thank all the guests for coming to Elissas shower. I was getting discouraged at all the baby favors Michaels had to offer. I saw these beautiful jars in the wedding favors section. They were a bit pricey, so I decided to go home and wait for a 40% off coupon. At the checkout, the girl asked if my email is registered. I said no and she said would you like to register today and get a 50% off one item coupon? I said yes and ran back to the bridal section to pick up these jars-half off, yes!! I filled them with Fall M&M's and tied a olive green ribbon around it.

My (almost) finished diaper cake. I still had to straighten the ribbon and add some finishing touches to the flowers. I rolled up the diapers and used Giannas little rubberbands to keep them closed. Then I used a super big rubber band to keep all the rows of diapers together. I covered the rubber band with ribbon and placed green flowers around the cake. Her colors were green and brown, so I kept the cake simple, and used different shades of the colors.

I know my mom took pictures, so maybe I can see if I can load more later.

Lesson learned: take more pictures.

Blah

I've been feeling a little under the weather lately. I seemed to acquire an allergy to cats. Well, I was always a little allergic, but just a few hives here or there. Now if I'm around cats I feel horrible! Runny nose, sneezing, and eyes so itchy I'd like to just pop them out and soak them!

Then I found Claritin. My eyes no longer itched, and I could now pet a cat without the misery that followed. Of course I adopted a cat after my wonderful antihistamine discovery!

Anyway, there is the rare occasion that my meds fail. It doesn't help that my parents have seven, yes seven cats! Staying over there one night had me thinking I was dying! I couldn't breathe. I probably should have went in to the immediate care for a breathing treatment, but I just sat up in a chair all night watching a marathon of Dog the Bounty Hunter:

yeah.........

So the next morning I was still feeling winded, so I tried to take it easy. Lots of chicken soup, vapor rub, and R&R! Of course, having all this rest gave me lots of time to Google things. I googled asthma. After reading symptoms that sounded like mine, I read on. My eyes widened more and more until I read your lips eventually turn blue and you die. Ahhh! I had to be seen by a doctor!

I had Mark take me to the urgent care, where I had my lungs checked. They said I was fine- go figure. So, here I am still coughing. That's been my past week.

I'm very curious if anyone still follows me anymore. I was a bad blogger, and we all know what happens to bad bloggers: people tire of checking your blog just to see the same outdated post. Then they never come back.

Poof.Gone. :crickets chirping:

Fin

Lets see if this works......

Here is a video of Gianna. If it looks weird, it's probably my fault. I have no idea what I'm doing. I hope you can watch this!

Back to Blogging

4 months is a long time to disappear from here. That's a third of a year! Anyway, I'm guilty of letting my blog gather dust. I keep promising I'll be on here more, but always break my promise (just like dieting!)

I'd be a stater of the obvious if I tell you a lot has happened since I've been on here last- duh. So I won't.

My sister Elissa is pregnant, and due in about a month! I helped throw her a shower, and that kept me pretty busy. It was a success! I'll try to post some pictures of the decorations:

Actually, never mind. I forgot I didn't load those on the computer yet..sorry! I will post them soon! :)

Oh, I got an iPhone! I couldn't be happier! It is basically the greatest thing. I have a lot of fun with that gadget.

Mark is now a college student (again)! He is going for his masters in accounting. He studies a lot, so we are adjusting to that change in our family.

Speaking of change....we adopted a kitten! Her name is Katie and she is so cute! I really will post a picture this time: First a picture of G at about 17 months! Aww! :)

There you have it. I really will try to get on here more often!

Pictures of Gianna

It's been so long since I've blogged, I forgotten how. It's been almost a half hour, and I still can't figure out how to move the pictures in the right order. If anyone can enlighten me, I'd be much obliged! :)

Gianna is now walking! She started just one week shy of her first birthday. She is a pro!

As you can see Gianna had a clown for her first birthday. Surprisingly, she was not afraid of Pickles. Even more surprising, neither was I!

She is now 14 months. Time seems to be flying by. Gianna's little personality is shining through. I can easily tell she will not have a quiet disposition, like her mother. I was told I was the best baby on earth. My mom would say she could take me anywhere, and I would never make trouble. I assumed Gianna would be the same. Well she is a good girl, don't get me wrong. But she has a certain sparkle in her eyes...

As you can see, she love making strange faces, that makes everyone laugh. A future comedienne, perhaps? Another cute thing she does is shudder. Whenever she tastes something she doesn't like or sees something that frightens her, she gets the chills! It's very cute!

Well there you go! Again, if anyone can remind me how to manage my photos, that would be great!

Exploding Car Windows and a Sick Baby

We had a pretty interesting week to say the least. It started with a bang-literally!

G and I were driving to Elissa's house to visit. It was a non-eventful trip. Gianna always falls asleep shortly after we get in the car. Words cannot describe how grateful I am that she does that.

We were literally a minute away and I heard this loud thud. It sounded like someone threw a huge snowball at the back of the car. I looked in the rear view mirror and saw lots of glittery sparkles. For a second I assumed it was snow. Then reality sunk in- there was no one around to throw snow, let alone enough snow to make such a loud thud.

After looking again I realised. The window exploded. I was now 30 seconds away from Elissa's house, but it was one of the scariest 30 seconds of my life.

I was thinking what made the window explode? Was it a bullet? Then I got really scared! I've heard stories of kids being shot by a stray bullet in the car, and parent not even realising it because they thought they were asleep. Of course G was sound asleep! I reached back and was trying to wake her, but she was very sleepy.

I pulled in to Lissa's driveway and jumped out. Gianna was fine! She was still sleeping, like nothing happened. I inspected the window and all I heard was crackling. It was the window slowly breaking into a million pieces. I was still really shaken. What caused that?

After getting G in (and yes, stripping her from head to toe, just to make sure she was 100% ok), I called the police to file a report. After coming and checking out the car, the officer concluded that he had no idea why the window exploded (there were no cars around and he said it was not a bullet).

In a way I was relieved, but I was also still freaked out. Why do all the weird one in a million things happen to me??

Later that evening G started acting fussy. Her nose was really runny, so I assumed it was a cold. The next day she acquired a cough. So she has her first bad cold. She is taking it pretty well, I just feel so bad for her. We have gone through a lot of tissues, but G would much rather wipe her nose on my arm. I guess because it's much softer.

Addition to My Worry List

I came across this while checking the news on the web. I was totally shocked! How could this have passed under my radar? All this time I've been staying at hotels, unprotected from this type of invasion!

If any of you know a scaredy cat, consider me a scaredy cougar (no, not that kind of cougar.....never mind)! I'm just a big scaredy cat. I never cease to amaze my husband with my wild imagination on how everyone is out to get us.

We went to the zoo last fall, and we had to leave the stroller out of the primate room. Mark left his cup of water in the stroller. After we watched all the fun chimp shenanigans. we proceeded to put Gianna back in the stroller and move on. Mark went to drink his water, and I nearly passed out! "You can't drink that!" I said crazily. "Why?" he asked. "Someone could have spit in it or put poison in it!" Mark said he had never thought of that stuff until he met me. Not sure if that was a compliment or not, but he threw out the drink.

When I am at home with G during the day, and the doorbell is to ring, I jump. Not with curiosity or excitement, but with fear. I carefully, reealllly carefully peek out the window to see who it is. No matter who it is, I don't open it. Better safe than dead, right?

I wish I wasn't like this, but I am. Does that mean I think all people are bad? Mark asked me that once. After a moment of contemplation, I told him no. I think 90% of the world is really harmless. I just have to look out for that 10%, and you can never be too safe. I do watch America's Most Wanted!

Maybe next Lenten season, I will give up fear. And just to check up on me, pay me a surprise visit......