Update Part 2

So, July was my first month EVER to set goals for myself.  I may have bitten off more than I could chew for my first month.  But, I was pretty happy with myself for what I did accomplish the first month of goals. 

The first goal I set for myself was to get in shape.  It is REALLY important to me to stay in shape since I am getting older and menopausal.  It is a lot harder to lose weight when you have both of these things against you, BUT I am not going to use that as an excuse.  One can still get in shape and be healthy.  So, I did go to the gym a lot as well as yoga with my Sister in Law.  I actually LOVE yoga.  I love it more than just going to the gym and getting on a treadmill and lifting some weights.  But, the Hubby LOVES lifting weights and I wanted to do something with him.  But, I did learn that yoga is what I want to focus on so I do feel like I accomplished my first goal! 

My second goal was to eat healthy and only have one cheat day.  This was REALLY hard with trying to sell a house and never being home.  But, I did do pretty well and even managed to drop 5 pounds eating better.  I typically do eat pretty healthy during the week anyways, but the weekends do me in!! 

My third goal was to only drink alcohol once a week.  I will go ahead and day now that I FAILED this one REALLY BAD!!!!  Let's just keep in at that!

My final goal for July was to practice walking away from idiotic comments and I will tell you all that I did accomplish the goal I set for this one!!  I am pretty proud of myself because there were a few times when I could have indulged in this one!  But, I didn't!  YAY!!!!

So, for my August goals I wanted to make my goals a little bit more relaxing and obtainable since this is the month that I will be REALLY in deep with the house wrapping up and Little Man's arrival creeping up! 

My first goal is the MOST important.....Getting my house packed up.  I really want to get this done way before Little Man arrives so that I don't have to take time away from him to pack.  I started packing quit a while ago, then stopped but I am back at it!  I can do this one for sure!!

The next goal is to continue my workout regimen which is going to focus on yoga.  I want to spend this month really getting my practice in so I can have a routine when Little Man arrives as I will have to practice at home after he arrives. 

The next thing I want to set for myself is the direction I want to take this blog after Little Man arrives.  I want to turn my blog into a fashion blog with some of my life in it as well, but mainly just fashion.  I am excited about sharing all my outfits I have pinned on Pinterest that I am going to re-create from my own closet. 

My last goal is more about a matter of necessity.  I MUST get ready for Little Man's arrival at home.  It has been really quite depressing not being able to have a room set up for him when he gets home.  I learned back in early June that there was NO WAY possible the new house would be ready before Baby.  It really devastated me because it was the one thing I wanted to happen before he arrived.  But, it was something I had to accept and get prepared for.  So, I changed gears and just went ahead and moved forward with the décor I wanted for his room and just put it in a closet to pull out when we did finally get into the new house.  I placed the order for the bedding, had the drapery Lady get going on making the drapes for his room (which I can't wait to see) and get the furniture for his room.  I also knew he wouldn't be in his own room for a few months anyways, so it did help knowing his room wouldn't be used anyways.  I didn't want to waste time setting up a room in our current house just to take everything down when we moved a few weeks after he arrived anyways.  Plus, I am not a fan of the wall color or trim color in the two spare rooms in our current house, so it was easy to not fret over making a room in this house for him.  The crib was actually delivered yesterday and I had them set it up in our room.  I am sure the people that tour our house are like, WTF???  HA!!!  So, I have half of his stuff in one of the spare room and his crib in our room.  It actually looks like a baby store blew up upstairs.  There is stuff everywhere up there.  I sure hope whoever the random people looking at our house, like Baby stuff......

Update Part 1.....

I have been SO busy lately that my poor little blog has suffered a bit!!  I am trying to get ready for Little Man to arrive.  It's only about 4 weeks now and to say I am SO ready for him to get here is the understatement of the world!!!  I am SO ready to be a MOM!!!  

My days are spent keeping my house spotless at all times for any last minute notices for showings.  This is a common occurrence!   Then, I got over to the new house and check on things, meet contractors and spend hours upon hours there.  It is really just easier for me to spend my day there because if I leave, I get a phone call from a contractor to come back.  Good thing it is only 10 minutes from the old house to the new one. 

The house is coming along great!  Firing the "Father in Law" was the BEST thing I ever did.  I know it sounds harsh, but he truly can't handle three different projects.  The City was probably more relieved than me.  Things have been running SO smooth without him involved.  The stucco will finally be done this week and I absolutely LOVE the color I chose!  The wood floors are done and all the trim will be done mid week.  The sink vanities will be delivered this week along with the cabinets and fireplace surrounds.  The wood for the stairs and the railings will also be installed this week.  It will be an exciting but VERY busy week!  The following week will be the start of paint and wallpaper.  I am wallpapering the laundry room and master closet.  I can't wait to see them when they are finished!  The paint will take about three weeks to complete, which seems like FOREVER!!!  The wood floors will get stained and scrapped after we have the AC turned on.  I have no clue why we have to have the wood floors stained while the AC is on, but that is what I am told we have to do, so I guess we will get the Certificate of Occupancy from the City before that happens.  This sucks since it means we can't just move in the day we get it like we should be able to.  It will delay that for about a week.  So, at this rate, I feel that we will be in mid to late September.  UUUUUGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!

NOTE TO ALL: NEVER BUILD A HOUSE WITH "IN LAWS"  Trust me on this.  Just trust me!!!!

So, this means Little Man will be here way before we move in the house.  I am sure it is going to be to so much fun finishing things up with the house with a newborn much less moving with one.  Fun times ahead for sure!!! 

Part 2 of my update will be about how I did with my July goals as well as my August goals! 

Until tomorrow,

Lesley

GOALS.....

I have been reading Mix and Match Mama's blog here... http://www.shullfamily.blogspot.com/ for a while now and I LOVE it!!  She has really inspired me in so many ways.  One of the many things she does is making monthly goals for herself.  She writes down a few things every month that she wants to try hard to achieve.  So, I decided that it was time I start setting my own (realistic) goals. 

I love organization, but when it comes to setting goals, I have a really hard time following them.  But, no more!  I am going to start living the life I need to live and that includes setting monthly goals.  I think it holds me accountable for many reasons in this hectic, chaotic life of mine.

I may be a few days late on starting off for the whole month of July, but what's seven little days, right???  I wanted to start off with a few that are very important to me and I am really wanting to hold myself accountable for. 

Writing down my goals and looking at them everyday is going to be a great way to stay in check!  (Ignore my horrible penmanship!)

#1-I have really been missing the boat on my workout.  I was doing really well before the house stuff started, but then......well, you know!!  But, I had an epiphany after I was told something to the extent that I had the arms of a 60 year old......WOW!!!   That one really hurt!!!  So, I decided getting my fitness on was a MUST for July!!!  Did I mention that is was my "Mother in Law" that isn't really my Mother in Law that said that????  I know a lot of people look at me and say I am crazy for thinking I need to lose weight, BUT I really do.  Have you ever heard the term Skinny Fat???  Yep, that's me!!!

So, here are a couple people that I admire and helping me obtain my goal!

I mean seriously, Yolanda Foster is simply stunning!!  If she can look that good being older than me, than I KNOW I can do it!!

I love Tamra Judge!  She has a potty mouth, says what she wants and doesn't care what people think of her.  Wait....I know someone JUST like her!!  HA!!  Seriously, I love her because she is real and beautiful! 

Need I say anything???  Alexis has the PERFECT body and if mine could look half as good as hers than I would be ecstatic!! 

Kyle Richards is just classy!  Love her style, love her look, just love her!! 

#2-I would say for the most part that I really do eat healthy, but there are a lot of times when I eat pizza, enchiladas or burgers a little too much in some weeks.  So, I have decided that I will only eat those foods once a week.  This is going to be the challenge since we are selling our house and eating out way more than usual.  But, I can eat just as healthy at a restaurant as I can at home.  It just isn't as fun!  Must sacrifice for a killer beach body!!! 

#3-There are days during the week that I like to enjoy a glass or two of wine while watching TV with the Husband, but I know that drinking and the way you eat has an effect on weight and health.  So, I am only going to drink one time per week.  The weekends are going to be REALLY HARD since we pretty much go to nice dinners every single weekend!  I am going to really have to plan for this one!!!  And....if you have read my blog long enough, you know I need to drink to put up with some of this family of mine!!!  #lordhelpme!!!!

#4-The last one of my goals is actually one of the BEST and HARDEST goals I set for myself.  Why you ask???  Because if you know me, you know I am not one for walking away when I feel attacked!  But, I have also learned that people are who they are and some people just like to make idiotic comments to start a fight and I no longer want to give in.  I think this is going to be the most valuable of all my goals if I can achieve it.  I know I can do it though!  I will know that I walked away the better person! 

The Last Adventure....Maybe???

So, the Hubby has been wanting to go see his Cousin in California since our wedding, but there just hasn't been time with their schedule and ours to even nail down a date.  But, that all changed a month ago and a date was finally set.  I told Jason I didn't want to travel to far from home the last two months before Baby R's scheduled arrival date, so this is probably our last trip before Little Man arrives!  Maybe??? 

We left on Tuesday and came back on Sunday, so it was a decent amount of time to be gone.  Let me tell you, I am SO glad we went to Southern California when we did.  The weather was AMAZING!!!!  Like, I am ready to pack up and move there anytime!!!  I fell in love with the place RIGHT AWAY!!! 

We rented a convertible and it was the BEST THING EVER!!!  Driving all over San Diego and Orange County with the top down was AWESOME!!  Perfect weather to drive around such a beautiful place!  The views are spectacular!! 

The view from the car leaving our Hotel

We didn't get to the hotel until Tuesday night, so we just had  some dinner and did a little gambling (shocking, I know) before getting some sleep. 

On Wednesday, we just did a little relaxing at the pool and then got ready to go to dinner at a little Italian place in La Jolla.  OMG!!!!  LA JOLLA!!!  Love it!!!  It is SO cute!!!  I am SO glad we drove up to this little town. 

The pool at Harrah's was really pretty!  I was quite impressed!

The beach in La Jolla

Thursday, we took another road trip to Irvine so that Jason could take some cupcakes to a new client they are bringing on.  I was SO excited when I found out that Irvine was in Orange County!!  UUUUUHHHH, hello my favorite Housewives!!!!  Of course I didn't see any of them but I was sure hoping to at the mall!  Oh well, I did see a lot of the places they film at.  After we left the client's office, we drove up to Laguna Beach and had lunch at a Las Brisas on the beach.  The food wasn't the best, but it wasn't bad either, but the view was worth going to alone.  Oh, and the margaritas were REALLY good!!! 

This was our view while having lunch in Laguna Beach!

Friday we checked out of the hotel and drove back into San Diego to meet up with Jason's Cousin, Anne.  She invited us to lunch with her Company.  They provide lunch to their employees in Fridays to talk about the week and go over goals.  It was pretty nice to see how another person's Company is ran since I really only have experience with Jason's family business.  (Is there an eye rolling emoticon on this thing???  I would insert it here if so!)  They could take some pointers from his Aunt and Uncle for sure, but they won't!!  You all should check out their Company here.......http://www.environmentallights.com/.  If you need LED lights, this is your place!!  They are seriously the smartest people I have ever met!  Jason's Uncle knew LED lights were the way of the future before LED lights were even talked about in the lighting world. 

So, after lunch we went to his Anne and Greg's house.  Their house is simply beautiful.  It is on a an acre and a half on a hill and just SO pretty!!!  A girl could get used to this lifestyle for sure!!!  Did I mention that you can sit outside and not get eaten alive by bugs???  How great is that???  I think the Hubby got super excited when I said I wanted to move to Cali!! 

This was one of the patios at his Aunt and Uncle's house.  I could sit out there forever!!

The lemons from one of their lemon trees.  They are HUGE!!

I am so glad that I got to spent some time getting to know Jason's Aunt and her Family.  They are such wonderful people and I really wish we could have spent more time with them.  This was also the one of the first times since our Honeymoon that Jason wasn't obsessed with work stuff, so he said it was so relaxing.  I was SO SHOCKED!!  He is ALWAYS obsessing with work stuff on ALL our trips and it makes me completely CRAZY!!  This trip definitely goes down as one of my favorite trips we have taken!  Can't wait to go back with our Little Man!!! 

Until next time!

Lesley

 

Finding A Happy Place.....

Anyone who has talked to me personally in the last couple weeks knows I have been pretty down over the events that took place at the last Doctor's appointment.  No point in re-hashing it now.  But anyways, I have really been working HARD at rising above it and getting back to my happy place instead of curling up in my bed and just staying there for A LONG TIME!! 

So, what to when I am down......a few things!  1. My little Buttercup, Lily Grace has really cheered me up!  She can always make my heart happy.  LOVE HER SO MUCH!!!  She has spent the night with us a couple of nights over the past two weeks and it really did cheer me up, A LOT!!!  2. Getting everything ready for My Little Man's arrival!!  I just love to wash all his little clothes and squeeze them!  I know that is SO weird, BUT it makes me feel close to him!  #youwouldntunderstandunlessyouwereinmyshoes  So excited that his chair is coming on Monday!!  Can't wait!!  One of the guest rooms has become the storage room for all his stuff.  #ineedmynewhousealready!!!  Pretty much put in my mind this house WILL NOT be ready before Little Man's LONG AWAITED ARRIVAL!!!  This is 35 years in the making people!!!!  I can't believe it is only 2 months 20 days away according to the countdown app!!!  HURRY UP DUDE and get here already!!  3. Shopping.  Who doesn't love to shop when they are down??  It sure as heck helps me!!  I have done a lot of shopping for my Little Man!  I actually think I am ready for his arrival.  I just need to get the formula and diapers and I'm set!  #helloHolleformulaandHonestCompanydiapers!!  Only the best for My Little Man!!!  You should see his little swim outfits for the beach!!  OMG, I could just eat them up!!!  Oh, and the handmade destroyed denim jeans I am having made for him!!!  I can't even stand it!!  Get him here NOW!!!  I probably won't put him down until he is about 4 days old!  Sorry Friends and Family, I doubt you will get to hold my Little Man!!  I will be too busy eating every ounce of him up!!!  4. Lunch with my Sister.  This has been difficult to fit into the house building schedule, BUT due to the circumstances, I fit the must needed lunch dates in!!!  She can ALWAYS cheer me up with her cra cra comments!  I am sure everyone in the restaurant gets a kick out of our conversations!  You know these people listen!!  5. A little core yoga action at Exhale.  6.  Erin Condren.  The woman is a pure genius!  Just trust me on this one!  She will CHANGE.YOUR.FREAKING.LIFE.  Go look for yourself.....www.erincondren.com.  You will thank me later!!! 

So, you know what the BEST part of me being down is.....My Father in Law has been SO much more calm with me and totally butting out of my house building!  Which, has made my trades people SO HAPPY too!!!  I think they might be even happier than I am!!! 
#hereallydoesdriveEVERYONEcracra

My Little Buttercup wearing my Kidd Rock concert shirt!  If you haven't seen this Dude in concert, you are missing out!!  She thought she was SO big in that shirt!  Gosh, I love her!!!

 

So, back to Erin Condren....This is my little gift from her!  It is simply amazing!  It's wrapped like a dang Christmas present first of all.  How cool is that???

The goods!  It's my life planner.  It's personalized with my name on it.  LOVE IT!!  The cover is interchangeable too, so as soon as my Little Man is here, guess what the cover will be????  People, this is LIFE CHANGING!!  I know I said it once already, but I am telling you, it is going to change my life! 

This is the back cover of my Life Planner.  You can customize this little gem! 

I think I might have a problem!!!!  My other Erin Condren book is an address book, BUT let me tell you something, this is no ordinary address book.  This thing is an address book on steroids!  My Life Planner will be going pretty much everywhere I do for the next 18 months!  I can't believe I can even plan Little Man's 1st Birthday in the same planner as his birth!  HELLO.......what is better than that??  Well, except the fact that a year is going to go by WAY TOO FAST!!!!  Ok, I will just keep planning his first Halloween, Christmas and Beach trip!  Oh boy!!!  This Little Man is going to be one busy little Baby!  He might need his own Life Planner!!  :-) 

 

Until Next Time My Loyal Followers,

 

Lesley

 

It's a......

So, today is Father's Day and I thought it would be the PERFECT day to reveal the gender of  Baby R, finally.  I can't wait for Jason to be a Dad to our sweet little Baby.  He is going to make an amazing Father.  Happy unofficial, official 1st Father's Day to Jason!!!! 

Anyways, Jason insisted on a gender reveal party and since he doesn't ask for much, ever, I thought I would go ahead and indulge him.  He called me SO excited one day with this idea of a gender reveal party and how he wanted to do it.  I actually asked him who the heck he was, because to know Jason is to know the man NEVER gets excited about ANYTHING, EVER except if it involves making money.  So, he got mad at me and hung up on me.  I thought it was SO funny, because most guys just really don't even want to do this gender reveal party stuff that is all the rage these days.  So, I called him back and said, ok, I am sorry for making fun of you and you can have this silly party if it really means that much to you.  So, I wanted to come up with a way to make it appeal to men, so I called my Sister and told her what Jason wanted to do.  She laughed too, BUT plans were underway for a Manly kind of gender reveal baby shower, if there is even such a thing.

I decided I wanted to have professional pictures of the Gender Reveal Baby Shower to have lasting memories of the special day that all our friends and family came to celebrate Baby R and the special moment with us.  We loved celebrating Baby R with so many loving people that took time out of their crazy hectic lives to share in our moment. 

The chosen day of the celebration was May 3, 2014.  My Sister and Brother in Law opened up their home to all our friends and family for the special day.  My Sister even gave up her birthday weekend for us and I am so very grateful for her to give up her weekend to share it with us.  She has been the most supportive person during this process and there are a lot of days I don't know what I would do without her! 

The Gender Reveal Baby Shower invitation.  I just loved it!  It was made from a sweet Lady on Etsy.  She did a fabulous job! 

Can you guess what Baby R will be yet??

Mommy and Daddy are SO excited to let all our Friends and Family in on the secret!!!

With the Hostess with the Mostest!!

 

Ok, I will stop the suspense now!  It's a.....

YAY!!!!  Baby R is a BOY!!!!  So excited!!!  Did I mention, moments before this happened, someone fell in the pool.  It was SO funny!! 

Everyone was SO excited for us!

Just some of the people that came out to celebrate Baby R!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shopping Adventures

One of the best things about building a house is getting to shop for it!  I mean, seriously, so much FUN!!  Lots of work, but lots of fun!  But, it does get a little boring looking at tile, granite, bathtubs, faucets and on and one!  However, furniture is NOT so boring!  So, I braved the furniture store with my little mini me #thekidismereincarnatedforreal.  I haven't gotten to spend a lot of quality time with her over the past months with all that is going on, so I picked her up on Friday and took her for pizza (her FAVORITE thing to eat and just about only) before shopping.  She was SO good and I loved the time I got with her! 

She was SO excited to get on this thing!

 

Testing out the chaise for LuLu!  I think she approves!

 

So, today was just one of those days that I feel like I got so much accomplished!  I got up early to unlock the house for the Inspector to tag the AC.  WHOOOOO HOOOOOO, we FINALLY passed and can now get the framing inspection!!  At this rate, there is a very good chance I will be in the new house by July.  Let's all take a moment and pray for this!!!  I got my drapes and blinds ordered too.  I can't wait to see how the drapes turn out!  I LOVE the Lady that is making them.  They are going to be AWESOME!!!  Think bling, people!  Lots of bling!!  I even got some work done and got my formula subscription set up for Baby R!  #onlythebestformysweetlittlelove  It was such a productive day that I had time to do some shopping for Baby before my meeting with the pool guy.#thereissomethingtobesaidforgettingupearlyeveryday 

So, off I went to Buy Buy Baby to got a few things that I want to have right when we get home.  I LOVE how helpful and friendly the staff there are!  I may have gone a little overboard since the sales girl was like, "Wow, you are really stocking up on stuff!"  It is one of the few ways I really even feel that I am actually having a baby.  I know people look at me like I am crazy when I say I am having a baby in September!  

A few of the things I got!

Then, I went to Babies R Us and bought the thing I have been dying to buy!  I can't even wait to use it.  I bought it at Babies R Us versus Buy Buy Baby because Buy Buy Baby excludes the 20% off this item and Babies R Us doesn't and the return policy is a little better!  I want to go on record and say that I still LOVE Buy Buy Baby the BEST for all things baby though!!!  Such a nicer store with a lot better products!!  Kind of like comparing Nordstrom to Macy's.  Nordstrom is just WAY better!!!   So, I am sure you are very curious what the #1 item I want to use more than anything, and here it is.......

Yes people, this is the BEST thing EVER!!!  It's a Keurig for Baby Formula!  This is going to change my life!!  I can't even stand it!!!

 

 

Tomorrow is Baby R's sono appointment to see how the development is going.  These are my favorite appointments and I look SO forward to them!  I just wish it could be a moment I had "alone" when I was there like normal girls!  Oh well, at least I don't have to gain weight and get to drink!!!  #alwaysanupsidetothedownside  Ok, I must end my post so I can get back to planning our first family trip WITH BABY R!!!!  SO EXCITING, yet so weird to plan a trip to with a baby that isn't even born yet!  This Baby has to start being a beach bum like Mommy and Daddy sooner than later, right??  #mustgetapassportforbabyR

 

Good night my people!

 

Love,

 

Lesley



Memorial Day Weekend

Here's a guess at what we did over the weekend.........

 

Ding Ding Ding, if you guessed Vegas, you would be correct! 

Yep, we left for Vegas on Thursday and came back last night.  It was A LOT of fun and we are completely exhausted.  That two hour time difference is rough!  If you know us at all, you know all we did was gamble and eat the whole time.  I was bummed we didn't get to go to the pool though because that is my second favorite thing to do in Vegas.  The pools were PACKED though!  So, we went over to Aria for lunch at Wolfgang Puck's restaurant with one of Jason's clients that was also there.  It was actually a great lunch and I LOVED his client!!  She is my kind of people!!  :-)

So, it was a fun and relaxing weekend of Roulette playing and eating at Scarpetta's and STK.  If you ever go to Vegas, you MUST go to STK.  It is simply amazing!!!!  Check it out for yourself online at http://togrp.com/togrp-stk-las-vegas/about/.  It is really trendy and a lot of celebrities eat here. 

The weather was gorgeous there too!  If I had known we were coming home to the crappy weather it has been yesterday and today, we would have stayed an extra day for sure.  Our flight home was delayed an hour due to the weather here.  YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope you all have a great Memorial Day! 

Until next time,

Lesley

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Last Week Fun

What a week it was!!  So busy!  I met with a Drapery Designer so I could get the drapes and blinds started in order to have them completed and installed by the move in.  #ifonlyIknewwhen  I loved her and knew she would be great at getting the look I want for the house.  Thank God for her because she has her work cut out for her!  I think she was more excited about getting to design drapery for the nursery!  I told her she could do whatever she wanted with the color palette I have for that room.  I can't wait to see what she picks out!!

Friday morning with the long awaited delivery of our concrete tile for the roof.  I LOVE the colors, BUT the pitch of my roof is so low, you can't really see it, so I pretty much stressed about the perfect colors for nothing!  Oh well, at least the planes landing at the airport will get to appreciate.  We also had work done at our current house being done in order to put it up for sale in the next couple of weeks.  So, since I was having work done at our current house, I had lots of time to get some stuff picked out for the new house.  We had to move furniture from one side of the house to the other.  What a mess the house was in!  Plus, meet with a trim carpenter and granite fabricator.  The house was seriously a revolving door of contractors in and out ALL DAY LONG!!!!   Nothing like your house being a complete disaster with people coming over to meet you.  Needless to say, I was exhausted after Friday and went to bed before 11pm. 


Saturday was the same eventful day.  I had to go unlock the new house before 8:30am to let the AC guy in and check on the roofers.  Then, the concrete floor guy (#trustmedonteverhaveconcretefloors)doing work at our current house came to finish the job which meant moving more furniture.  Then, we had to meet the dumpster guy so he could move the dumpster at our new house from the storm.  That was a NIGHTMARE!!  Four hours later from the scheduled arrival, he FINALLY showed up!  At least that is taken care of now though.  #nomorestormsplease

The disaster that is the living room! 

This was not fun to clean up!

After all that stuff was done, Jason and I went to look at light fixtures so I could get some visions of things I liked from the internet.  Poor Husband has no sense of style or vision!!  Good thing I know what looks good and what doesn't.  I love my Husband for letting me pretty much have all the say in this house.  I think he is going to be last forever in the new house!  I also think he is really getting sad at the thought of leaving the current house.  Afterall, it was his first "real" house, so I totally get it.  But, this girl right here, can't wait to get out of this house!!!  I wish I could count down the days to moving day!!  I can't wait to have a house that is ALL ME!!!  If I could kick this current house, I would!!  The last time I drive away from it will be THE BEST!!!!  #getmeawayfrombarcentralnow

So, after all the house stuff on Saturday, Jason wanted to go to Choctaw.  The Man doesn't ask for much, so I figured why not.  It will be good to take a little road trip together anyways!  When we arrived, Jason headed to the craps table and I went to the roulette table.  I think it was about 20 minutes later, when Jason was standing behind me which I knew that could only mean one thing.  He lost......I on the other hand was doing GREAT!!!  So, I kept playing and he just watch and I would make bets for him since you have to pay a .50 tax for every hand you play.  I started with $100 and ended up with an additional $400 so I got the my money back.  I can't say the same for Jason!!! 

Sunday was time to put the house back together so I of course called my favorite Brother in Law to help move furniture!  He is kind of like my pseudo kid!  He lived with us for the summer last year and I still kind of miss him.  He was like my little helper around the house! 

I got so many things accomplished through the week and so glad my weekend turned out to be pretty awesome!  It made up for last weekend for sure!!!  Now it is onto this week and getting more things done for the house.  Some of these contractors make me crazy with their lackadaisical ways!!!  This is the part of building a house that sucks!  You are depending on pretty undependable people!  Oh well, it will all work out and the house will get done at some point.  Like my Sister in Law tells me, at least I have a house to live in and not an apartment!  I feel sorry for her stuck in an apartment with two kids!  They are about to have to go month to month making their monthly rent more than our monthly house payment!  I told her to come on over and move in over here versus paying that kind of crazy amount!!!  That is insane!!!   They are having several issues over at their new house, so I am pretty certain we will be in our new house way before theirs gets completed at this point.  Actually, at this rate, I am pretty sure out of the three houses, mine is going to end up being done first.  #beingcompletelycrazyandhavingtobeincontrolhasitsbenefits

 

 

My Unofficial 1st Mother's Day

Mother's Day Sunday started off PERFECT!!  I got up, took a shower, went downstairs for coffee, put my makeup on and fixed my hair.  Great way to start my day for sure!  Jason and I had made plans to go to Brunch before going over to the in laws for dinner.  I LOVE Brunch and my favorite place to go is La Duni at Northpark.  So, off to Northpark we went. 

When we arrived at the mall, the parking lot was CRAZY!!  I knew this was not a good sign, but we went in.  When we got half way to La Duni, I could see crowds of people just standing around waiting.  So, I told Jason we didn't have time to eat there and had to go somewhere else.  So, we left and went to Uncle Julio's.  This has become The Hubby's new favorite place to eat.  It is good, so I was ok with going there especially since I we didn't have a lot of time. 

Did I mention we were running late because the Husband is does EVERYTHING at the last minute???  He went to get a Mother's Day card for me, so I couldn't be mad at him for doing something nice.  Too bad I have NO CLUE what the card says since it is in Spanish!!  Yep, when you wait until the day of Mother's Day to get a card, there isn't a lot to choose from. :-)

So, anyways, while we were at Brunch and I was about to order a Bloody Mary, Jason got a call from the Father in Law.  All I could hear Jason saying was, "oh, really, no way, someone broke in".....  Me being the paranoid freak I am, immediately thought someone broke into my new house, but it was actually the duplex we are also having built.  I must say, I was relived it wasn't my personal future residence since it would have delayed things a bit!!  Well, my day got totally screwed up after this phone call and it ended up being a pretty horrible day!!!!

No Bloody Mary on my first unofficial Mother's Day really sucked!!  I guess I could have gotten one, but since I didn't know what we were about to deal with when we got to the duplex to assess what had happened, I didn't want to even start drinking yet!  The Father in Law just said we had to get over there ASAP and get the fireplace that the vandals had drug out of the back unit to the alley.  UUUUUHHHH, the fireplace literally weighs probably 500 pounds!!!!  Ok, sure, no problem.....Jason and I can move it.  Sure thing!!  Hey, forget that I was trying to have a nice little morning on my first unofficial Mother's Day!!

The Father in Law told us that we had to call the Brother in Law to help move the fireplace but we couldn't get a hold of him.  Jason was really confused why we even needed to move the fireplace back inside the house since it was pretty damaged and had to be replaced most likely anyways, plus the fact that it has been sitting outside in the backyard all morning.  What was another few hours going to hurt???   We had to be at the in laws house at 2pm for Mother's Day and my Brother in Law was already half way to the house for the party. 

Anways, long story short, the Father in Law insisted that we not leave until the fireplace was back in the house, so I told Jason to get the dolly and see if he could get it moved.  The Father in Law was on the phone and Jason left to put to deal with getting it moved and I took the phone and told the Father in Law that we had plans today and this wasn't one of them.  I then said, "can't we just do this later when we have someone else to help move this thing?"  He then starts SCREAMING at me telling me all kinds of crazy things, so I just hang up!!  I just started crying hysterically!! 

I called my Sister (she can usually calm me down when dealing with the people I have to deal with these days) and when she answered I was crying so inconsolably that she couldn't even understand me!  I was upset mainly because my First Unofficial Mother's Day had been totally ruined by a JERK!!!  My Sister just told me to consider the source and not let someone like him ruin my day and just to hurry up and Lily would cheer me up!  (Actually, Lily called me a little later and asked if I was still sad and not to be sad.  It was really sweet and when I got to the house, she immediately ran to me and asked if I was still sad and said she would play with me and I wouldn't be sad anymore.  She did make me feel better!)

Then, Jason called me, so when I answered, I was still crying and he was like, "what is wrong."  I told him I was sick and tired of The Father in Law being rude and I wasn't going to take it anymore!  He told me to calm down and come down to the duplex so I could help him move the fireplace the rest of the way.  So, I went down there and helped move this dang thing in my white pants and wedges.  But, thank God we finally got the dang thing back in the place and locked it up.  To know me is to know I don't cry very much!!  But, I am just so fragile and emotional with all the stuff going on in my life right now!! 

The fireplace the vandals tried to steal.  It is upside down and one side of the glass was busted out.  I guess they figured it was a waste of their time at this point!

 

Before getting to the in laws, we stopped by Buy Buy Baby to get my Mother's Day gift.  I had told Jason to get me this diaper bag I wanted, but Jason being Jason never went to get it, so of course we had to do it the day of.....But, at least I could make sure it was the one I really wanted.  #WinWin

My new diaper bag!  Perfect gift for my First Unofficial Mother's Day!

Then we made it to the in laws and I got to see my Little Sweet Lily!  She brought me a gift and opened it for me and said, "This is for your wine, LuLu."  She always knows how to make me smile!!  Everyone noticed something was off with me, because I am usually pretty talkative, but I just pretty much kept to myself and just sat in the corner and you know what?????.....It was actually pretty pleasant just being off in a corner and talking to few of my favorite people over there. #turningoveranewleafattheinlaws 

My Favorite people did make me feel better after we all sat in the corner and I told them what was wrong with me.  They know how things go over there more than I do since most of them have been around longer than me!  I don't think I will ever get used to their family dynamics, but I don't have to either.  I can be my own person and don't have to agree with their ways or behaviors just like they don't have to agree with me or like things that I do.  Different personalities is what makes the world what it is anyways!  In the end, the in laws are good people that mean well and I do love them, but they just make me CRAZY!!!  #thisisnormalright?????

This is going to get LOTS of use!!  Lily knows me well!!!  :-)

 

Today has been another rainy day!  So, I have taken advantage of it and been spending the day to myself doing whatever I want to do at home!  It was a great way to spend the day after what I dealt with yesterday!  Now, I just need to have a glass of wine and wait for the Hubby to get home to eat dinner!  Then, take a scolding hot bath and get ready to watch The Real Housewives of Orange County!  #bestwaytoendtheday

 

Until next time!!

 

 

Rainy Day.....

I love days like this, as long as I have nothing to do!!  It has been raining in Dallas ALL DAY LONG!!!!  I went out early this morning to meet my Sister in Law at my new house so she could see it.  Thank God the rain held off until after we left.  Then, I went to Whole Foods and of course it was pouring when I was on the way to the car with my basket of groceries!  I was SOAKED when I got in the car!  Good thing I just had work out clothes on and didn't look all cute!!  (Yes, I am well aware that I am vain!!!) 

Today has actually been one of the ONLY days I haven't had a calendar full of appointments.  It was kind of nice to be able to catch up on laundry and just get some work done.  I think the dog REALLY loves me being at home, so he isn't left all alone.  I even took him on a little walk in the rain!  I think the Hubby was blown away I actually did that.  It's NEVER happened!!!  #firsttimeforeverything

I love looking out the window in the study at it raining, but all of the sudden I saw the trees blowing all over the place and hearing the tornado sirens.  That is not something I EVER want to hear!!!  I HATE TORNADOS!!!!   I decided I might need to move away from the window about that time!!!

 

                                                    My view from my desk in my Study

Thank God the tornado warning passed and I back at my desk working away, but I am dying to drive over to the new house to check things out!  But, I totally hate driving in this kind of weather, so I will make the Hubby take me when he gets home from work!  He'll be SO excited!  #hewillbemadatme

At least my new house is enclosed and won't get too wet inside, BUT I just hope it is still standing!  I don't have time to start over!!!  I will probably have a nervous breakdown if it is destroyed!  I think that area got it worse than where I am.  But, I am sure everything is fine!  #Iliveinastateofworry

Well, as long as all is good at the new house, we will be getting the framing inspected next week by the City.  I don't know why they call it a framing inspection, because actually it is framing, plumbing, electrical and AC.  So, once all is good with that, we will get the foam insulation blown in.  After that, it will be drywall!  Oh, and my roof is going to be in on Saturday!!  YIPPPPEEEEE!!!!  My roof is THE BOMB (well as long as it doesn't cave into my house!!  A concrete tile roof is OH SO HEAVY!!!)  #worrymuch  It is going to look AWESOME!!!!  It was custom made (the tiles are literally made at the time you order them) and the colors have never been mixed together.  I think the Sales Rep might be a little more excited about the colors than me. 

Sample of my exact roof tiles!

In the next couple of weeks, our current house will be going up for sale!!  YIPPPEEEEE!!!!!   I can't wait to move out of this thing!!!!  Although, we have to have the right buyer that is willing to wait until July or August to move in.  The way this market is, I am sure it won't be a problem.  For some reason that I have no idea about, people actually want to live in this area!  #mustlikegettingdrunkandwalkinghome

Onto Baby R......Yesterday was a fairly quick monthly appointment.  Everything is moving along fairly well.  Baby is measuring a week ahead which makes me SAD!!!  That means the kid is probably going to be half grown when it is born!  :-(  I want a little baby dang it!!!!  Oh well, I'll get over it!!!  #don'thavemuchchoiceanyways

I am a little concerned about "B" though.  It is only week 22 and she is already complaining to the Doctor about being out of breathe!  I am REALLY worried how she is going to be when she is WAY BIGGER in the next several weeks.  Just another thing I have no control over, so I shouldn't get myself worked up. 

I want to have a pity party for myself now about the things that make me sad in regards to not being able to be the one carrying my little love!  I think sometimes it is good to blog about my perspective of things and how things make me feel.  I really think it helps me to voice my views and feelings in my blog.  That is why I started it in the first place.  I just don't want anyone to hold it against me or feel I am not grateful for the experience!  I TOTALLY am and very appreciative, but I still have feelings.  I want to people to know how hard this experience can be as well.  It definitely takes special people to do something like this on both sides.  Just about every single person that knows what we are doing, tells me they could never do what I am doing and that actually makes me feel good when I hear that!  #weirdIknow  #justkeepingitreal

To start with a positive, I love that "B" told me she was taking a prenatal that is all natural.  I saw it at Whole Foods today and it made me happy!!!  It is one thing that I would do if I were pregnant with this Baby too!!   It sucks not having control of what goes into my Babies little 1 pound body.  No offense to anyone at all.  It is part of the process.  Basically, in Surrogacy, they go off the list that says what you can and can't eat.  That list sucks if you ask me!!!  Full of toxic food!!  America is killing us slowly but surely with foods that are full of chemicals!!!  I just have a much healthy lifestyle of the foods I chose to eat versus don't.  I also know that I consume toxic food, but I am really trying to work towards being WAY more cautious of what I put in my body!!  Besides "B" knows that I am a bit FREAK about foods and health and pretty much EVERYTHING else!!!!  I know she knows we are very different and I am sure she rolls her eyes at me! :-)  Heck, most of my Family does.  My Sister told me if I say something is toxic one more time, she is going to scream!!  I know that you can't force someone to eat a certain way and I am totally ok with it.  I am just making a statement on the way that I would be if I were the one pregnant.  I also wish I could workout with my little Baby too!  I bet the little Baby would love yoga or walking on the treadmill with me!  I get sad when I think about how I could be meeting other Moms to be at Pre-Natal Yoga.  I would LOVE to do Yoga with my little Baby!!  How fun would that be???!!!!  #cananonpregnantgirldoprenatalyoga???   Once the Baby is two months old, we are joining Mommy and Me Yoga!!!  WHOOOO HOOOO!!!!!  Can't wait!!!!  #Septemberseemsforeveraway

Oh and while I was typing this post, I got a call from my new Neighbor about the house.  Does she have ESP or what?????   There are some big tree limps down and some debris, but she said the house is still standing!  About to head over there to pick up the place! 

Until next time,

Lesley

21....

If you have kept up with my blog at all, you would probably get the idea that my post today would be about gambling, BUT it isn't.  The Baby has been cooking for 21 weeks now!  It is less than half way done!  WHOOOOO HOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I felt bad that I didn't do a acknowledge week 20, since that is exactly mid point, but with the sadness of last week, I just didn't feel up to making a post about it.  So, I thought it would be better to start this week off with a post about Baby R. 

The Baby is the size of a pomegranate now.  I LOVE pomegranates so it makes week 21 even more great!  Normally, the anatomy sonogram is done at 20 weeks, but for some reason the appointments worked out to be put that at week 18.  There was pretty much nothing out of the norm that the sonogram tech couldn't see, but said it was still a little early to see some of the stuff needed.  The Doctor said she wanted to wait eight weeks to do another sonogram.  I am not sure why she would want to wait until week 26, but I am not the one that went to Medical School to be an OBGYN, so I will trust what she says is best.  Too be honest though, I would think it would be better to do the sonogram at the next appointment which is actually next week.  Oh well,  I know if the Doctor thinks a sonogram needs to be done, she will do it.  I really love her!  She is a really great Doctor who is so popular that she doesn't even take new patients.  It pays to know people in high places!!! 

So, before Baby R was created, I was reading tons of books and articles about being living a more healthy lifestyle.  I do believe that everything should be consumed in moderation, but I also believe that a number of things we consume are toxic.  I first started doing all my grocery shopping at Whole Foods and changing a lot of the things I bought into the house to eat.  I rarely eat fast food and try to read labels of what is in the things I eat.  I know this sounds crazy, but I have a great life and don't want it to end shortly with all the toxic things out there in our foods.  With that said, I am not going to give up wine though!  Not happening EVER!!!!  I will get rid of all other toxic food though!  I even bought a non toxic deodorant and LOVE IT!!!  My Husband even loves it and I drive him nuts with the things I tell him are bad!  PEOPLE, LISTEN........those store bought deodorants are HORRIBLE!!!!  Don't do it!!  Just stop now!!!  Run, don't walk to your computer and buy yourself some Primal Pit Paste.  You'll thank me later!!! www.primalpitpaste.com.  This stuff has changed my life!  I know you are all skeptical of this, but I am telling you, IT WORKS!!!  It will be the best $8.95 you will ever spend.  I mean EVER!!!!

I am sure you are asking what this has to do with Baby R, BUT I want to live a healthier lifestyle for my Child.  I don't want my child exposed to any more toxic things than necessary. 

So, with that said, I have been doing tons of research on formula.  A lot of it has toxic stuff in it, but I have found one that is better than the rest and guess what???  Yes, you all guessed it.....I will be buying it for the Baby!  I found out about all the toxic things in the foods we eat everyday and the things we use that are just toxic from my newest obsession......Food Babe.  I have been following her for a while and I think most people know her now from exposing Subway (YUCK, don't understand why ANYONE in their right mind would go there anyways) for using a material used in Yoga mats in their bread.  Anyways, if you care about the health of yourself or your children, you should check her out.....www.foodbabe.com. 

Ok, I will get off my soap box now and move on to Baby R's room.....It is kind of hard to not be in the new house to put together the room, but it is going to be a clean slate when I get to that point.  I LOVE the way the room is taking shape though.  The little windows in the front are SO cute!!  It is going to be perfect!  I am going to put plantation shutters on the windows and probably drapery as well on the big picture window on the side of the room.  I think I have decided on a paint color for the room, but I want to wait until the bedding comes in to be sure.  I found the PERFECT crib at Bratt Décor.  It black distressed iron and just what I want!  For the rocking chair, I didn't even know they made wing back rocking chairs, but I found one at Pottery Barn!  This is what I always wanted.  I wonder if they read my mind or something!  YIPPPPEEEE!!!!!  Both of these items take 10-12 weeks to deliver, so I am holding off until I know more of an exact move in date to the new house.  Good luck to me trying to get that date nailed down!!! 

The most perfect crib EVER!!!

This chair is going to look FAB in the room!!!!

There is so much shopping to do!  I MUST make more time for all the shopping!!  Good thing their is online shopping!  What did Moms to be do before the internet???? 

So, I told the Hubby with my crazy schedule, I have to get a Maid again.  We had the Maid when I was working full time, but when I quit my full time job, I thought it was kind of wrong to keep a Maid.  But, as the house progresses, I spend more and more time at the new house with Contractors and driving all over town all day, everyday for all things house.  So, I don't have time to clean our house or for that much, even find the time to do my laundry. 

I had Jason call the Neighbors to inquire about their Maid and the next thing I knew, she was coming over here to look at our house.  I told her that we have to keep this house super clean in order to sale it.  (One day, we will get all the things done to this house, so we can HOPEFEULLY, sale it before we move into our new one).  I talking with her, I told her that we were having a Baby in September and she looked at my stomach and looked back at me in complete confusion.  It actually made me laugh, which rarely happens when things are brought into the picture of me not being the one pregnant.  All I can say is, this wonderful morsel of a woman is going to be my new best friend!  I can stop worrying about making time to clean and spend more time on all the other things going on.  Now if only I could trust someone else to do my laundry.  Not going to happen anytime soon.......

Bye Little Kramer Boy......

Yesterday started off as most of my Monday mornings do.  I wake up, read my emails, and get ready for the day.  Then, I come downstairs and take care of the dogs.  This is what I actually do EVERY.SINGLE.DAY!!  But, Kramer (The Hubby's little dog that I inherited through marrying him) didn't want to get up.  He had been hurt since we picked him up at my Mother in Law's house the Sunday before Mother's Day after returning from Arkansas. Matt, my Brother in Law, had called that morning say that Kramer didn't feel well and was limping around the house.  The Hubby just said he would be fine and probably just pulled a muscle playing with Matt. 

Well, we watched his behavior throughout the week and one day he would seem to be ok, then the next day, he didn't want to move.  I told Jason he really needed to go to the vet, but Jason said he knew his dog and he would be ok.  I figured Jason knew his dog better than me, so I said ok. 

But, then yesterday when I came downstairs to take the dogs outside and feed them, Kramer didn't even move off his bed.  I didn't want to make him either since he seemed to be very comfortable there.  So, I left to go to my Sister's.  Jason called me a little bit later and asked about Kramer.  I told him, "Jason, you REALLY need to take him to the vet.  He isn't getting better and wouldn't even get up today."  I just knew by the look Kramer had, that he wasn't feeling good at all. 

Jason went home and took Kramer to the Vet.  The Vet didn't have a clue what was wrong with Kramer and ran some tests and did X-Rays, but he didn't have an exact cause as to what was wrong.  He said Kramer probably had Cancer based on his T-Cell count being so low.  I know when my Sister's cat had cancer, it was several days and lots of tests before they said it was in fact cancer, so I really think this Vet is CRAZY considering after the cancer statement was made, he then said he thought he had been hit by a car.   UUUUUUHHHH, ok let's go from cancer to being hit by a car.  What an idiot!!! 

The part to this whole ordeal that makes me so sad is that Jason didn't call me to get a rational view point that wasn't going off of emotions alone.  Jason LOVED that dog and was really in shock when they said cancer.  If I had been there, I would have really questioned things more and gotten a second opinion.  I REALLY feel this Vet is horrible!  I just don't think you tell a pet owner that their dog might have a day or two left when they REALLY are just making assumptions as to what is wrong with the dog and don't know anything for sure. 

So, anyways, Jason made a decision based on what this Idiot Vet told him and put Kramer to sleep.  The Vet told him that Kramer only had a few more days to live to Jason didn't want Kramer to have to suffer for two more days.  Whether or not that is really the case is up for debate.  I truly feel the Vet didn't failed!

In the end, we found out that Kramer had in fact eaten rat poison while at my Mother in Law's house while he was there.  I was never comfortable with Kramer staying there because of how she lives, but it was really Jason's dog and he felt different.  My Mother in Law LOVED Kramer and did LOVE when he got to stay with her, but she is a Hoarder and her house is not really a place for ANYONE to be at, much less a little inquisitive dog that can get into things it shouldn't, including rat poison.  She is really having a hard time with what happened and I know she never thought something like this would happen.  My hope is that this tragic event will make her realize the way she lives needs to change.  I am by no means trying to make my Mother in Law look bad at all.  I know she is truly a sweet, loving, genuine, caring person who really loves everyone in her life.  I feel horrible that she has to live with this guilt and hope she can find something positive out of a horrible accident. 

Kramer was SO cute when he got a haircut!  He was the happiest dog I have ever seen.

Even though it was no secret that I wasn't a fan of dogs being in the house, I dealt with it and had lots of sweet moments with Kramer!  He was a feisty little dog!!   

I would like the record to show that at NO time will my child be allowed to step foot in my Mother in Law's house.  I am in no way trying to be mean or hateful, this is just a fact and something that I am sure she is fully aware of and in TOTAL agreement about.  She actually knows the way she lives is wrong and completely unhealthy, but it is an illness and she has to deal with it in her own time.

My Distraction....

Like I said in yesterday's post, the new house build has been a great distraction for me while the wait for Baby R approaches.  I drive to my new house everyday and love to see all the new things that have gone on the day before.  I seriously go over there EVERY.SINGLE.DAY!!!  Most days I have to go there to check on things or meet Contractors, but there are days that I am just going by to check things out.  It is pretty amazing to see the floor plan come to "life" with each passing day.  I look at some things and think, WOW, that looks a lot smaller than I thought it would or that looks a lot bigger than I thought.  I have made some changes to the floor plans which is great to be able to do when you are the Builder.  Once you see things how they will be in the house verses on paper, you see stuff that can be altered for the better.  Obviously, nothing structurally can be changed, but there are little things here and there can be made.  I know the Framers are really glad to be done with all my "little" changes I made.  They were SO good to me through everything they had to do though!! 

So, as of today, there is only one thing that the Framers have left to do that was misses, but it is really not a big deal at all.  The roof needs to go on now.  That has been a little challenging to get the concrete tile roof guy to get what I want for the color of the roof.  I am really not sure why it is SO hard to get what I want.  It isn't like I am asking for something that doesn't exist.  Hopefully, they finally understood the colors I want for the concrete tiles and we can move on with ordering it and getting them one the roof.  Too be honest, I really don't know why I am SO focused on getting the EXACT colors I want since the roof is 28 feet in the sky and really not too noticeable, but in true ME fashion, it must be perfect!!! 

We are about another week and a half out from getting the windows installed and all the exterior doors put on in order to have the house totally enclosed.  This will make me SO happy for a couple reasons.  The first is that it will keep the nosey people that go in the house to "check" things out and for the second and most important reason, we will be able to put the "guts" of the house in.  Until the house is enclosed and able to be secured, we have to wait for the AC, foam insulation, flooring and drywall to be done thus holding up the progress on the house. 

The foundation before the concrete slab was poured

The start of the framing

 

The house is finally taking shape!!  They still have windows on the second floor to cut out.

One of my FAVORITE things of the whole house!  The staircase!!  LOVE IT!!!!