weekend before last with Friends from Tally

Self Portrait


Weekend before last Lily and I were on our way to the park when we got a call from Chris D. He was in town for a friend's wedding and wanted us to meet him for lunch. Yay! I love surprise visits from old friends! We took a detour and headed all the way down to Coconut Grove and had lunch with Chris at Mr. Moes. Lily was well behaved but made Chris nervous by getting too close to the edge of the bench. He kept thinking she was gonna fall over and she insisted on sitting with him and not me. People without kids are funny.

That night we did the "Funtastic Friday" festival downtown again and it was cold and raining. On our way there I almost had a heart attack because we just happened to be a little too close to what looked like a drug bust. It was still light outside and we were walking down the sidewalk to a park in the middle of downtown. Those of you who aren't familiar with Hollywood, our "downtown" is totally safe, well lit, and this quaint little area full of restaurants and bars. All the restaurants have seating on the sidewalks and is totally not a scary place at all.
Anyway, as we were walking along about 20 feet in front of us I see a guy in complete black combat looking gear open the door of a pickup truck and yell "get out on the ground" then he pulls a gun. YIKES! It only took a second for it to register that he was a cop but the next thing that registered was "what if the guy in the truck tries to shoot and it ends up in a gun battle".
I grabbed Lily and ducked behind a concrete fence. I felt kinda silly afterward because there were people everywhere and no one else seemed to freak out like I did. I guess, better safe than sorry right?
Then, in order to get to our destination we had to practically step over these 4 young guys that the officers now had in handcuffs laying flat on their stomachs in the sidewalk and the side of the road.
So, we ended up at the park and it was raining so Lily didn't get to get in the bounce house but she was happy enough to get her face painted and play on the playground a little.


Then, the next great surprise, Jasmin & James are coming in town and want to meet up at the Miami Children's Museum and Jen & Adam are coming too! I was so excited for this. I'd been wanting to take Lily there and I was so excited about all these Poor Paul's people getting back together again.
James & Jaz have a daughter who is about a month younger than Lily and Jen & Adam have a little boy 18 months old. It was perfect. The kids had a blast and the adults were able to have some fun too. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera and taking pictures of very fast moving children with a camera phone is damn near impossible. I got a ton of blurry pics. Jaz got some good ones if you wanna check out her blog here.


This one was Lily shopping at the "Publix" they have. She was so funny, she shopped all around then took her food up to the register and rang it all up. Ever since then she has been going into the drawer here at home getting a green bag and a purse telling me that she is going to publix. Then she loads up into her car and tells me that she is going to buy cheese and toilet paper.

I thought this was hilarious. This bar here is intended for kids to play limbo. But for some reason, both of our girls immediately thought weightlifting. I guess it just goes to show that we really have grown up to be bad role models for our kids. So much that our children think of exercise before they think of fun. So sad.

Things that are broken that I cannot afford to fix right now

Items in our home that are broken:

1. Clothes Dryer
2. Ross' laptop
3. Our family's desktop computer
4. the heater
5. Ross' camera

The following is a list of things that are either on the verge of breaking or are technically "working" but not working properly.

1. My car
2. the oven
3. the plumbing
4. my camera

I guess I should be thankful that it isn't more. There are always folks that have it worse than us, it is just frustrating right now.

I'm not a Steelers fan, but I made these ages ago... if you know anyone, spread the word

It was either last summer or the summer before, I made these two Steelers tops for someone who didn't end up buying them. (Part of the reason that I now make people pay at least 50% up front when they order custom stuff from me)
I figure that this would be a good time to try to unload them. I have 'em listed on eBay but if you know anyone willing to pay $20, I'll take down the listing and deal outside of eBay. If they are an out-of-towner, I can ship it (they have to pay shipping though... first class would be $2, priority $5).
The cost of the fabric was about $7 for each top so I'm really not making near enough for my time, but if I don't sell 'em now, I'll be stuck with them for awhile.
If you know anyone, who may be interested, please let them know, thanks

Potty Training, Level 2 ultrasound update

Lily is working on using the toilet like a big girl and let me just tell you what an adventure this has been. Everyone I've talked to says that one day, it just comes. Well, not so much with Lily. Yes, there was a turning point right before Christmas that made her decide that she did in fact, WANT to use the toilet, but it has not been smooth sailing ever since.
She is about 90% trained on the pee part of it. She does still have accidents but I've noticed that those usually come when she is totally engrossed in something else. Most of the time I don't have to even ask her if she needs to go, she tells me! It has been interesting when we go places too. I've had to re-adjust the way that we do things now and I always have a second outfit and a bag to carry home wet undies just in case.
We have to pee right before leaving and I have to plan my day around bathrooms. We now only visit the parks that have bathrooms and the other day when we went to the beach for the day, we took her little potty with us. It was kinda funny her sitting on the toilet on the sidewalk! She thinks it is interesting that all these places that she has been to in the past actually have toilets. The one at Kohls is the funniest, it is miniature for a kid!
Now, for the poop part, we are about 30% trained on that end. For some reason she is not at all bothered by having poop in her britches. I can ask her if she needs to go and she will say no then poop her pants 10 seconds later. Many times she will even be standing in the bathroom NEXT TO the toilet, but go in her drawers instead. It is very very frustrating but I don't want to get mad at her and have her end up with emotional trauma over it.
Oh, and did I tell ya'll that our dryer broke? Yep, right before Christmas and we just can't afford to buy another one until I get a job so we have to air dry all these loads and loads of toddler panties that I'm having to wash. Our neighbors must hate us.

Update on #2.
I had a level 2 ultra sound on Thursday and everything is coming along fine. I'm not even sure the reason for this scan, last time they had me do one because Lily had a bright spot in her heart and they wanted to check further to see if there were any problems, but this time there was nothing wrong, they just sent me for it. The NP told me that these "screenings" became common in '07. Maybe the docs are in cahoots so they can refer their patients to one another and get more out of the insurance companies. Who knows, maybe it is a good thing. Irritating for me becuase the specialist is WAY across town and I have to drive my clunker on the interstate and pay 2 tolls.
The tech said that if she had to guess the sex at this point she would guess boy. We are only 12 weeks along so I asked how accurate her prediction would be at this point and she said 50/50. :)
I guess now would be a good time to put in your predictions and we'll see who guessed it right in a month or two.
Go ahead, post your prediction here if you want, it will give you bragging rights later down the road.

Odd jobs, New baby

We've been so broke lately after getting laid off I tried my best to get my websales up in order to make up the difference, but it hasn't worked out. I was hoping that selling aprons would help too, but that didn't make a dent. Unfortunately, during a recession is not the time when people go out buying premium handmade aprons.
So, lately I've been doing all sorts of odd jobs to fill the gaps and am trying to find a part time job that will fit into our schedule. Yesterday I was a maid. It was actually pretty fun. My friend has a condo that he rents to vacationers and I volunteered to clean it in between visitors. Lily was bored most of the time but it was cool that I didn't have to pay a babysitter and thank goodness for cartoons.
This little jack russell in this picture (no, it is not Zelda) is going to need a good home soon. If you know anyone looking for a doggy, let me know. He has some issues and would need someone who is willing to put in the time and effort for some training. Other than that, he is a great little guy.

New baby, coming along fine. I went to the doc on Monday and was 11 weeks. Baby has a strong heartbeat but that is about all they can tell me at this point. I've already gained 10 pounds!! I have a level 2 ultrasound today so I'll let ya know how that goes.

More pics from Christmas

My dad sent a bunch of pictures from Christmas but I have to download them one by one in my email so it has taken me awhile to get around to it. Here are some:

(notice how I am using Lily as a shield so that you can't see my flab?)

Lily is not allowed to have scissors, I'm not sure who allowed this to happen but I'm pretty sure that is what the face is all about.

Questions answered

Many of you emailed asking for more info on my pregnancy, here goes.
Baby #2 is due July 31 (exactly 3 years and 10 days after Lily's original due date). We found out that we were pregnant the week after Thanksgiving and at that time I was about 6 weeks along. I had suspicion of a pregnancy weeks earlier but twice got negative results on home pregnancy tests.
I've been feeling like garbage for since before my birthday. (hence the lack of blog posts.... sorry) I have been overwhelmingly exhausted and have been feeling nauseous almost constantly although only actually getting "sick" two or three times. I think Ross is starting to get irritated at my sleeping all the time. I go to bed right after Lily does every night and most times can't tear myself out of bed until after 9AM. I keep wondering how someone can sleep 12 hours a night for weeks and still feel tired.
I've said over and over that Lily was such a wonderful child and easy to take care of that I am sure that the possibility of having two that easy are slim. If my pregnancy so far is any indication, we are in trouble!
Besides my nausea and exhaustion, doctors say that so far everything is fine. He/she is healthy and I'm taking my vitamins (which make me sick by the way). I haven't really put on any weight yet other than in my boobs, which have gone up a full cup size at least. I look like some sort of freak of nature right now and can't wait to even out with the big belly.
Lily has taken the news in stride, I'm not sure she understands completely though. She talks about the baby in mommy's belly and has expressed with certainty that she wants it to be a girl.
I feel bad though because she comes to my bed in the mornings with a somber look saying "mommy you aren't feeling good?" and the guilt pours on about not having the energy to be up playing with her.

This picture is one of Lily acting like a lion just after a bath. This is part of our daily routine and my Dad took the picture when he was in town. We dry her hair with a towel and tell her she looks like a lion so she growls and tries to scare us.

Christmas 2008 re-cap

My friend Dickson sent me a text telling me my blog was getting stale, here ya go.....

Hollywood does a festival for kids every other Friday night so Ross & took Lily there last Friday before all the Christmas excitement started.

The face painter asked Lily if she wanted a princess or an angel, Lily said "Tiger".

She had a ton of fun.

Once David arrived and Brandi was on vacation too, we decided to spend the day at South Florida's freak show... the Swap Shop. We packed our lunch to avoid having to eat there and it was perfect. The weather was nice and we found some picnic tables away from all the chaos. Lily rode one of the big carnival rides and loved it buy cried when it ended.

So when we came across this ride, we tried it again and Brandi and I rode it too. I'm surprised it worked with all that weight on it!

Grandad arrived the next day. It was nice that Lily didn't do the shy thing, she hugged him right away.

They have been having a ton of fun together. My dad likes to sing while he does stuff around the house and Lily just loves that. She likes to sing too and already knows all the words to my dad's made up songs.

Brandi, Todd, David, Richard, my dad and I all went to Christmas eve candlelight service so we weren't here to put Lily to bed before Santa came. It was kinda sad for that, but Ross told her all about how Santa was coming and they left Santa some cookies, milk and a beer and a few carrot ts for the reindeer. Lily was surprised in the morning to see that Santa had eaten the cookies and all.

Christmas morning was funny because I was expecting Lily to run and tear into everything but she was so reserved and methodical. She only looked at one toy at a time and wasn't in a hurry to open everything up.

The run bike wasn't the hit that I was expecting. She asked right away where the pedals were and didn't seem to even want to try it out. Santa scored with the big tub of play-doh though.

And Grandad gave the best present, a kitchen.

After opening presents and stuffing ourselves full of bacon and eggs we went to the beach. I wanted to try out my new rollerblades, Brandi wanted to try out her new bathing suit, and Todd had some new beach towels to break in. Here is Brandi and her mad Frisbee skills.

on "Boxing Day" (as Ross calls it) or David's Birthday as us Carney's refer to it, Daddy cooked us an overwhelming amount of Bacon and the boys went to play Frisbee golf. In the afternoon we went bowling so Rich could try out his new bowling shoes and then to the movies.

Our holiday was great and everyone is still here for now but Richard, and possibly my dad, are leaving today :(

David leaves tomorrow then I guess it is life as usual.

Oh, and for those of you who didn't already know....

I'm workin' on adding a new member to our family in 2009.

Visit with the mall Santa

I hate the mall, but it is inevitable, Christmas gifts need to be purchased, mall must be visited. So, I got Lily dressed and went right when it opened this morning. She loved the Christmas displays and loved the trains. Finally we found Santa. I told Lily that Santa was there waiting to hear from all the kids so that he knew what to bring them on Christmas. She is so shy but she sat up there with him and said "please, may I have some presents for Christmas?" it was so sweet.
He asked her what she wanted and she told him a barbie. Right before she went up there she told me she wanted a bicycle, so who knows.
Then, once we left all she could talk about was how he was wearing gloves. Funny the things kids pick up on.

First week of December

Earlier this week I dumped out the trash can next to my computer and just as soon as I stepped away from it, Lily got in it. Then, half a second later, boom. She fell over and I guess she held onto the can rather than catching herself with her hands because she landed on her face. If you've been to my house than you know that my office is in what used to be a garage so the floors are concrete. Face hitting a concrete floor equals a nasty bruise. So, if you are expecting Christmas photos, you may have to wait awhile.
Today I had to do some work for my old boss Ned and took Lily with me. She had a blast playing with the dogs. She sat out in the yard and poured dirt on them then rubbed it in. I guess this must feel good for a dog because all three dogs let her do it.

Saturday was the annual Candy Cane parade. This year was the most fun of all the ones I've been to so far. As usual, Ross couldn't make it. For some reason there is always a function or something going on that night, this is my 5th and he has yet to see it. Lily waved and waved and ate more candy than any child should ever eat in one night. She was so excited to see Elmo and Scooby Doo and then when the Animal Rescue people came by with "real dogs" she was thrilled for that too. On the way home she told me about Santa Clause then said "Mommy, can I sleep car?" it was so nice to have a baby just absolutely pooped from a good time.

Thanksgiving & Birthday weekend

Ok, so this pic isn't from Thanksgiving, it is from last Sunday

My attempt to take a picture of Lily and I at the beach, self portraits never work out



Proof that I made my Pumpkin pie from SCRATCH (I forgot to get a pic of the crust too, but that was scratch as well)

We spent Thanksgiving in Melbourne with the Family. Lily was so happy to see Allison and I know Allison was happy to see her too. Tonight Lily told me that she missed Allison. Sweet.

I didn't put them up to this for the picture, they were hugging when I walked in the room and luckily I had my phone in my pocket so I was able to snap this one.

We left Lily in Melbourne and went to Islands of Adventure for my birthday

On my birthday, I was allowed to have a beer before noon because "on your birthday you can do whatever you want"

In the car on Thanksgiving day en route to Melbourne. I did my makeup in the car, so Lily had to do her make up too.

Dear Santa,

A few family types have asked for our wish lists, so here goes...

Lily was a good girl this year and would like:
- Pajamas

- Slippers

- puzzles

- play doh

- Disney movies on DVD (we only have Finding Nemo and Shrek so anything else is fine)

- anything for make believe (play kitchen, baby carriage, that sort of thing but not dress up, she isn't into that yet)

- She wears size 3T or 4T

Ross was a good boy this year and would like:

- a rugby ball (you would think the broken jaw would have made him lose interest!)

- dri-fit type golf shirt

- leather wallet

- he wears size L in shirts and 32 in pants

Shelley was a very good girl this year and would like:

- Roller blades (see photo...available at Target)
- FSU thong crocs (also, See photo)
- Live: Live at the Paradiso CD
- Red Potholder (the one that you put your hand in that is shaped like a mitten)
- Vintage Apron books or patterns

- two extra hours of sewing time

- round cutter thingy-do so I can make polymer clay buttons (like this set)

- That purse in the picture

Brandi, not to be left out, SAYS that she was a good girl this year, but I highly doubt it, would like:
- a crock pot
- a camera
- bike tires
- winged coffin T-shirt in size Medium (available at Addictedtorockabilly.com... but if you are reading this and want to buy it for her, email me for a discount)
- Rock Steady Spine button up in size Large (same)
- a computer

Disclaimer: Used, recycled and re-gifted gifts are always welcome because more than likely that is going to be the only gifts we will be giving this year!

And, none of us are really expecting to recieve any of this, we just like to post it ..... just in case!

Quick picture post

I had to post this one, it was from September of '07 and the one below is from this week. Funny how it is still fun to play in this cabinet! Although back then she was trying to get to the cereal, her mom is a genious and has since moved the cereal to a shelf she can't reach, now it is a spot for hide & seek

Ok, so it doesn't show up very well here (I don't know why my pics are so small) but there is a Gi-normous iguana in my yard. I couldn't get closer because I HATE lizards and giant lizards really freak me out but the fact that it is in my yard was kinda picture worthy.

this is my best Bowling game of all time! I got a 154 right after being getting stuck in the bathroom. I was dead sober and due to a faulty doorknob, got locked in the bathroom of the bowling alley and my friends had to bust the door down! Thankfully I had my phone in my pocket and a firefighter in our group, otherwise I might have been in there a really long time!

yet another boo boo

she fell down while running into the house to tell me something. I was a few feet out of reach on one side, Ross a few feet out of reach behind her. We both saw it happen in slow motion. This one swelled up to be about a quarter inch off her head. I took this picture about 5 minutes after it happened and as you can see, she is not at all bothered by it. She has got to be the toughest, clumsiest kid in the world.