March for Babies

Click here to help me reach my goal!

Contest

Yesterday I used a random number generator to pick a winner for the consignment pre-sale and it picked the number 8, and the eighth person to comment was Ali Carlson. Ya-hoo! Of course, I will be willing to go with whomever wants to shop the next day too. I will also totally report on the goodness/craziness that will be the pre-sale. Thanks for entering!

Two Weeks

There is just two weeks until Quinn turns one, which means, just two weeks until the March for Babies walk for the March of Dimes.

We are walking for....

• Quinn
• All our preemie friends- Carter, Kian, Olivia, Brooke, Macey, and Baylee.
• All our preemie families.
  
• Our NICU nurses, and doctors.
• Anyone who has a polio shot.
• All babies born too soon or too small!
  

Come walk with us or donate to Team Quinners here.

No donation is too small. This walk is all about celebrating the small!

Your donation will help babies who look like this...


Become this.....





Thanks!

Consignment Sale 2011

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a sale at Carter's and wondered what size of clothes I should buy Quinn for summer. Well, I skipped the sale and bought nothing. I decided four things. 1. Quinn has a ton of clothes already. 2. Several people offered to let me borrow their outgrown clothes. 3. I remembered the Hilltop Consignment sale was coming up. 4. I needed to wait and see if Tubie helps with Quinn's weight gain before I buy clothes in one size or another.

Hilltop Methodist Church has a consignment sale on baby clothes and equipment twice a year. Last year, my mom, Ali, and I went right after I found out that Quinn was a she. We got lots of clothes, and even found a bouncy/vibrating seat for $3. However, I only bought one newborn sized item. At that point, I was SURE I would have a ten pound baby. (And I eventually did...she was just 7 months old by the time that happened...ha!) In the fall, Ali and my mom went for me, and got a ton more cute and super nice clothes for a bargain. We are going again this Friday afternoon/evening to get Quinn's summer clothes. When the items are only costing a dollar or two, I won't feel so bad buying things in a possibly too big of size. Plus, tubie is doing it's job, and it looks very likely she'll be wearing 6-9 months this summer.

Here are some of things bought there.

The chair...



Some jammies....



You get the idea! Plus, I just realized I can't really remember what clothes came from where. They are really that nice. I don't know which clothes were brand new, and which ones were slightly used.

Please come join us if you are interested! Email me for the time, and address.

New Things

Quinn tried Cheerios this morning. Well, not real Cheerios, but some organic, gluten-free version of them. She really liked playing with them, but she wasn't so sure about having them in her mouth quite yet. I think she ended up eating two. Piper also fully learned the benefits of sitting under the highchair during meal time. She ate more than two!






Dalan got a new car this weekend! A 2007 Jeep Patriot with super low miles. I am so excited. We now have two cars that can safely transport a wee child, and there will be no more mix ups if I accidentally take my car to work on a day Quinn has an appointment. Also, it will use like half as much gas as the truck. Don't worry though, we are keeping old Whitey Ford around for at least a little while.

Million Dollar Baby

Well, not quite, but close.
We got our final statement from Quinn's 140 day stay in the NICU.
The grand total was
....drum roll, please...
$923,471.92.


And worth every cent.

Computer blues

The cord powering our computer has frayed and stopped working....again! Dalan and I are trying to decide between buying a new cord...again, or just getting a new computer as ours has never been very reliable. This sucks, because it limits my posting ability....boo! And I have some cute Quinn photos to post.

Quickly, the answer to some frequently asked questions about Quinn:

1. She weighs about 1 pound 5 ounces now, maybe a little more.

2. That "bloody stick" attached to her left hand is to support her arterial line. This is like an i.v. that goes into her artery that allows them to easily draw blood from her, as well as, get an accurate reading of her vital signs.

Hopefully, we'll be up and running again soon. I will still try to post as often as possible from the hospital!

Poor, sick computer

My lemon of a computer is under the weather again, until we figure out a solution I will be noticeably absent from the blogging world.

Dalan's truck is also feeling under the weather, and decided to stop working. We may soon be the owners of a new computer and a new car. Lucky (?) us! Saving money is so overrated, right? Cole did offer to trade us his car for McKay's laptop, McKay agreed to the trade as long as I give him Piper. As good as a deal as it is, I don't feel comfortable trading my first born daughter/dog for a car.

It is Ali's 20th birthday today! In fact, I am typing this on her brand new, shiny laptop. Not that I am jealous or anything. Happy Birthday! Thanks for lending me your new toy for a minute! Love you!

Seven Random Thoughts

1. Played Beatles rock Band last night. Loved it. Almost convinced the huz that we should buy it today, but I could not justify the cost.

2. Saw The Blindside. Loved it. You should go see it.

3. Watched the BYU/Utah game. Did not love it. It was exciting, but so disappointing.

4. Had people over to watch the game. Loved it. It was good to see all our people.

5. Isaac came over. Loved it. He is the happiest baby ever. He is adorable. He made my ovaries glow like E.T.'s finger and innards when he is connecting with Elliot.

6. Played Guitar Hero with the family after the game. Loved it. I got warmed up after my long break from the game. Finally beat Ali. Made me want Rock Band even more.

7. Two more days of blogging every day. Love that fact. It is hard. (That's what she said.)

Black Friday

This morning, Dalan, Ali, my mom, and I participated in the Black Friday madness. We got up super early and headed to Target right before 5 am. We waited in an enormous line for about ten minutes, then we were in the store, and in the middle of Christmas shopping at its finest? Maybe at its worse? I am not sure. We got some good deals, and it was fun. The $3 grilled sandwich maker was already gone that Ali and I desperately wanted, however, she found one at the register as we were checking out. Lucky! We also got some cute black and red reusable bags.

Then we dropped my mom off, because she had to work, and headed over to Kohl's. The lines were ridiculous, so we left. We then went over to Lowe's to get Dalan an air compressor, and it was smooth sailing. Lowe's was the best experience of the morning. They had no door busters, just some really good deals. It was nice to get what we wanted without too much of a hassle.

Next, we went to Old Navy. Ali and I found plenty of things we wanted there, and the line was ridiculous. Then they offered us a chance to jump the line if we applied for an Old Navy credit card. We went for it. We will pay off the card and cancel it when we get it in a few weeks, but it was worth the line jumping 100%, plus we got a super cute reusable bag with birds on it for applying.

So, the jury is still out whether I will ever participate in this event again. Here's my thinking, and being a planner, this is seriously how I make most of my decisions in life.

Pros:

-We got some good deals.
-It was fun.
-It was thrilling to be on the hunt for the deals.
-Lines are part of the territory at Christmas.

Cons:

-It was early.
-The lines were out of control.
-I like the good deals, but might be willing to pay more and not deal with the early morning craziness.
-I was up early, but then napped, and felt like I wasted a good part of my day.

Dear Premium Channels...

Dear Premium Channels,

Welcome home! We have missed you, more than I am really willing to admit. Dalan is openly excited. I am more coy. It was easy to justify canceling you when your rates went up and up. However, it was even easier to justify letting you back into our home, when you made us a fabulous 6 month offer that was too good to pass up.

We have caught up on all the Curb Your Enthusiasm episodes we have missed so far this season. Larry David still makes me cringe, but in a good way. We have started the Californication episodes. David Duchovny is still super sexy as Hank Moody. Next, we are onto Dexter and Entourage. I am sure Dexter will be still be super creepy, and the boys on Entrourage will still be having money problems/career problems, only to have a blockbuster movie in the works. And we will LOVE it all.

We will be enjoying the winter weather inside, glued to the television. Don't plan on us making too many plans anytime soon with us. We are watching T.V.

Loves!

Jess and Dal

A "method" to my madness

I love the Method* brand non-toxic cleaners. I use them for most of my cleaning needs, and I have been replacing any cleaning product that runs out with the Method equivalent. I especially love their "naked" line of products....no toxins, no dyes, no perfumes. Perfect. However, some of the products don't come "naked" but that it ok too, because sometimes I like the wonderful and natural aromas that their products possess. My house never smells "clean" anymore, in the sense that it does not smell like bleach or other chemicals, but it does smell like grapefruit, almonds, and mint. Much nicer if you ask me.

I have been wanting Method's Omop since we got the new floors. The Omop is similar to a Swiffer, but is more environmentally friendly. However, I have not been able to find a store that carries it. Target carries the replacement fluids, but not the actual mop. The Method website has the Omop, but charged $13.00 in shipping. And I am cheap. So, I have waited and waited. Finally, Amazon has started carrying the starter kit, and had free shipping. It was the most exciting part of my day ordering that darn mop. I will have to review it once it arrives, and I start to use it. Let's keep our fingers crossed that it is not a big disappointment, although I doubt it, because I seriously love all the other Method products.

*I am endorsing Method brand products with no financial compensation from the company. This is just me sharing my love of a good product. HOWEVER, if Method would like to pay me to advertise their product or send me some kick backs, I have absolutely no reservations about doing so. Just throwing that out there.

NaBloPoMo

Apparently, November is NaBloPoMo or National Blog Posting Month. It is basically a challenge to post a new blog everyday for a month. I am kind of ambivalent about whether or not I want to commit to even trying this, but it has a funny name and I love a challenge. Also, it is getting colder and colder, and darker and darker earlier, so I should have some time on my hands, because I am sure as hell not going outside on the regular.

Have you seen the trailers for The Box with Cameron Diaz? It is some creepy movie about a family being offered a million dollars if they push a button in a box that will kill someone they don't know somewhere in the world. There is more to the movie from what I can tell on the previews, including some nasty consequences. Anyway, Dalan claims* he might do it, but maybe not for a measly million, he thinks he would need like 20 million to do it. I would not do it for any amount of money. I could not deal with the guilt. So, would you do it? And if not kill some anonymous person for a million bucks, what would you do for million?


*I don't think Dalan would do it for any amount of money either. He likes to talk like he is all tough and lacks empathy, but he is the biggest softy ever. Often times, he has to remind me to be kind and think of others, so it is doubtful he would ever do something with such dire consequences for any amount of money.

I am on a roll!

Dalan and I went shopping at the outlet mall in Park City as part of our anniversary weekend extravaganza (more details on that to come), and found wonderful deals. It was one of those fun, but expensive shopping trips when every store you walk in to, you find things that you have to buy. We went into the Nine West* store, and they had a lot of their shoes on clearance, plus they were buy one get one free. So, I got two more new pair of shoes. That puts me up to four in the last few weeks. LOVE IT! While these are not slippers/shoes, they are slip on shoes. Still flat, and totally comfortable, but just not as casual as the Roxy* ones.

*Again, I am receiving no financial compensation for advertising the Roxy or Nine West brands, but if they would like to throw some money or schwag my way, I would happily accept.

Super Psyched

I am that girl. The girl that loves to admire pretty shoes, but cannot stand (pun intended) to be in shoes that make my feet hurt. Actually, I can barely stand (pun intended again) shoes at all. I kick off my shoes the minute I walk in the door, and sometimes even while I am driving in the car (which drives Dalan nuts). I used to be able to sacrifice some comfort for fashion, and then I started teaching school. I am on my feet for way too many hours in a row to wear anything, but comfortable shoes, most preferably flip flops or slippers. Yes, I said slippers. Ali and McKay gave me these cute, Roxy* slippers for Christmas two years ago that almost, kind of pass as regular shoes. So, in the winter, I wear them to work on a regular basis. People even give me compliments on my cute "shoes." (Only they really mean shoes, I laugh in my head, knowing that they are really slippers disguised as shoes.) I can wear them with or without socks, and they have never gotten stinky. They are the miracle of all shoes. However, they have started to get worn out. I guess I should have seen it coming, they are technically slippers, and I wear them really quite consistently in all types of weather and terrain. So, I got online and found another pair, but with a different design, for super cheap from overstock.com, plus there was free shipping. Score! I should have ordered two pairs, but I was not sure of my size, since I wear a seven and a half, and they were only available in full sizes. The size on my old pair was worn off long ago, if there ever was one. I ordered an eight, and they came today, and they fit perfectly. DOUBLE SCORE! I might have to go and order me another pair now.

The old, dearly loved pair of slippers.

The soles have seen better days!

The new pair! I cannot wait to break them in.

No holes in these soles!

*I receive no money or kick backs from Roxy for endorsing their product. However, if they would like to send me additional slippers or other products for my overwhelming positive review of the BEST slippers EVER, I would gladly accept.

Presenting....the new floors and such

Here is our house shortly after we moved in last year. You can see the light floors, the unpainted walls, and the awful mauve fireplace. I am not sure if you can tell in the picture, but you can also see that the floor in the hallway is facing the opposite direction as the living room and kitchen. Lame!




And here are some picture of us living in the middle of a construction site.....



Finally, here is the (almost) finished product. You can see the floors really well, and the new paint alright. We still have not put up all our directions, and there were still some tools out and back, but you get the idea.

Presenting.....The Bathroom

Before picture

Before picture

Before picture

During construction picture

During construction picture

Tiling

Almost there!

All done!

Here it is....

The sink is huge! Here is Piper hanging out in it!

Quick little update

We just filed a claim with our insurance. The floor is the kitchen is wet all over as far as we can tell. It is going to be a big project. We decided it would be better to pay our deductible than keeping working on a never ending project, that we know little about. Hopefully, some people will come out and get this all sorted out for us sooner than later.

The little pump who didn't...grrrrr!

Sometime over the weekend, I subconsciously thought that the floor (a wood laminate) in our hallway felt strange on my bare feet...maybe like it was a little warped or something, but it was more of a passing thought that I left float out of my head as quickly as it came. Then this morning I was laying on our couch facing toward the hall/kitchen while talking to Dalan and I noticed that the floor looked a little warped. Dalan came over and stood and it, and it felt squishy. Not good. We stood on another section, and there was clearly water under the floor boards. Really not good.

We then opened the doors to where the furnace, water heater, and air conditioner are located, and Dalan saw immediately that the pump that takes condensation and water from the air conditioner was not working, and had been leaking for who knows how long. GRRRRRR! We got the pump replaced and the water from that space cleaned up quickly.

Old, leaky pump! The cause of our problems...

The new pump!

Next, Dalan started taking up the floor boards to see how far the water had gotten. It turned into an all day project, and was not an easy task. Molding had to come off, and some of the boards did not easily unsnap from their neighbors. Dalan got all the hall up, with one broken board. I was feeling ok about this because we have some extra in our stoarge room. Also the floor boards in the hall were installed running north to south, rather than east to west like the living room and kitchen, and we were excited at the idea of getting to put them in the right way.

Dalan, as the hallway project begins

One board up....little did we know how many more to go!

Off with the molding!

The hall is almost done....

Finally, Dalan pulled up the one board in the kitchen that we thought may have water under it too. Unfortunately, it turns out several of the boards have water under them. Dalan got through a good part of the kitchen, and we hope now we are at the point where only two more boards have water under them. Now, I am a little worried that we won't have enough boards in storage to replace broken/warped boards. Not good. I looked online, and apparently the company that made our flooring went out of business in 2001, so there is not a lot of hope in finding exact replacements. Really not good. I am annoyed. We want to replace all the flooring upstairs in the future, but like our flooring downstairs. I don't want to blow our flooring budget on the flooring I actually like!

On to the kitchen....little do we really know how much more work is to be done!

Chunk of missing floor....grrrr!

I am just hoping Dalan can get the job done over the next few days, and it is easy and inexpensive. Wish us luck!

It is the little ones you have to watch out for.....

I took Piper to the Humane Society today to get her rabies vaccination and her heart worm medicine. I am refusing to take her to her regular vet unless it is a seizure related incident due to the arm and leg they charge for everything. I knew taking her to her regular vet would equal a charge for the shot, the meds, the office visit, and maybe they would insist on doing some sort of seizure follow up while we were there. No thanks. And honestly, the vaccinations and meds at the Humane Society are the same thing just with a lower price tag, and less hassle.

We were sitting there in the waiting room watching as all the other dogs went back with a little hesitation, but no real fights. Then it is Piper's turn....she refuses to walk in the vet tech, instead keeps turning back and trying to come back to me. Next, she puts on her "brakes" when she can longer just turn around and try to walk away. People in the waiting room joke about how much she must love her mom. Finally, Piper and the vet tech disappear behind the self closing door, yet the door is very slow to actually shut all the way. And what do you know, before the door has closed all the way, there is Piper without her collar on, frantically searching the waiting room for me. The whole waiting room starts to laugh. I have to scoop her up, and hand her to the vet tech to carry to the back room. Mind you, the pit bull who went in after Piper had no problems following commands and going willing in with the vet tech, but not my little beagle/ chihuahua/poodle/ great dane/ lab/ cocker spaniel/ brichon frise mix, she gave the Humane Society a little run for their money!