Party Planning

I'm doing pretty well in the birthday party planning. I have all my ideas in my head and have started to collect what I need. But I'm newly stuck on something....the date.

We were going to have it on September 18. It's a Sunday so hubby won't be at work. It's after her actual date of birth. All seemed well. Then I realized it's the same day that a concert I want to go to for our anniversary. Same time? Of course not. But do I really want to have to rush through her party then rush to get the kid to sleep so we can rush across town to get there?

I wrote about it late last night on a forum I belong to. It seemed obvious enough what I should do. But now as I read the responses thus far, it's the opposite. Interesting to say the least.

I think I'm going to go with my gut on this one and go for the next weekend. It's not like we've told anyone the date yet. I guess I'm lucky I realized what day it was now and not later!

Wild Brake Chase

I spent most of yesterday trying to hunt down brakes for my car. I drive a newer domestic sedan, how hard can it be? Darn near impossible actually unless I wanted like racing quality which would cost me big bucks. After three places(four if you count the fact I had to go back to one twice) I finally got what I was looking for. Made for a very angry baby in the process.

I still need to get a transmission flush and my spark plugs changed but that will be done at a dealership. Mental note to get a rental as to avoid more angry baby.

Very Interesting Giveaway

Tales of Mommyhood  is running a very interesting giveaway. She reviewed some products from a Canadian company called Ever Bamboo. Reading her review, I also had no idea there were so many uses for bamboo. It's what panda's eat and apparently it makes a wonderful fabric. But this company makes deodorizers from bamboo! Amazing!

I normally just use baking soda for my fridge but I think I'm going to have to give this a shot.

What I've Decided

I'm quite annoyed at the moment. It's 5pm and I have not yet got dinner started. Why? I have nobody to make sure my kid doesn't cause any mass destruction or pick her up when she throws a fit. I normally do have someone, my husband. But he decided that going to see if peas where available to buy from the side of the road on the opposite end of the city was far more important.

He also thought that it was far more important to go get his haircut yesterday after dinner than it was to help me give the little monster a bath and say goodnight to her.

So here is what I think is going to be more important not this Monday but the next. I'm going to go get my hair cut. I'll probably get hi-lights too. He can stay with her. He can get a taste dealing with the napless wonder for a few hours. And I am NOT going to feel guilty about it. I'm not a martyr and I need to stop acting like one.

Done and Done!

Shortly after I wrote yesterdays post, my lawyer emailed me to let me know that the net proceeds of our house were deposited into my bank account. This money is so important to us. It's the start of our new life. One chapter is now finished, and the funds are in place for the next.

It's very exciting to wake up the next morning and know that things will be different. That things will be better. That we will have far less to worry about.

Finally. After working for so long and so hard, we finally catch a break.

More Waiting

So the mortgage on the old house was paid off last Friday. But it's still not over yet. We are waiting for the net proceeds from the sale. It's quite frustrating as we have plans for that money -debt repayment, savings accounts, paying for school for me, car insurance. But nothing yet.

I just want my money. I just want this whole sale thing to be totally finalized.

Lord....

I apologize for my absence yesterday...but I was busy with my mom. Why? My husband accidentally set her house on fire! We're lucky as there was minimal damage as the house is still standing. There is a hole in the roof where the firefighters accessed the attic and her living room is water damaged and she is going to have to have the house cleaned for smoke but overall it was not that bad.

She's been set up in an apartment for the time being and is actually over there right now with the contractors and insurance company. It still seems so surreal right now. My husband feels utterly terrible about it. He really loves my mom as she treats him like her own and he does all he can for her. And now she's (technically) homeless.

On the bright side, she could be back in her own house as early as 30 days, but potentially out for 3 months. She's now more worried that my grandmother won't make the 500km trip for the baby's first birthday. But her temporary apartment is a 2 bedroom so we have hope.

So when you think that something like a fire can't happen to your family, guess again.

Morning Walks

Being up at god o'clock on a Sunday there is really nothing to do. Nothing on tv except for Say Yes to the Dress and random Christian preachy stuff. So what to do? Go for a walk of course!

We live in a fairly walkable neighbourhood so it's wonderful getting out in the morning when it's still cool and most people(my husband included) are still sleeping. Very peaceful.

I worry that when I go back to school that I'm just not going to have time for these simple pleasures anymore. And even if I do have time, it's not long now before it's not highs of +30, but of -30. I really need to enjoy it while I can.

Bargains, Bargains at Once Upon a Child

I fancy myself a bit of a bargain hunter. I comparison shop through flyers, I coupon and while my kid is dressed better than me, I don't pay anything remotely full price for anything she owns. Today was a great example of that.

Once Upon a Child has opened up in my city. I was super excited when I saw the ads announcing it. We have pre-owned children's clothing stores here already. But one I find quite low budget(cheapo, out of style, no name brand stuff mostly) and another is really only good prices if you can get it on sale fro kids stuff, but great prices on mat clothes. So I went down with a mental list of things that I need for 12-18 month clothing for fall.

I was pleasantly surprised. The store was bright and clean and well laid out. Sizes and type of clothes were all clearly marked and even organized somewhat by colour. The toy section was fairly orderly with prices very visible. I particularly liked how clean and new even the older toys looked. The smaller toys were neatly packaged in bags and the play kitchens even came with bags of food.

So what was my bargain? It was one of the play kitchens! I can't find my tape measure, but it doesn't even come up to my hip in terms of height, so it's perfect for my tall 10 month old to reach everything. It has a microwave, oven & stove as well as a small cupboard with four open shelves. It's in excellent shape, with all the knobs still attached and the stickers on the oven and microwave doors not peeling and still looking new. Best part? It came with approximately 50 pieces of play food and play dishes and cutlery! So cool! And the price for all of this? $16!! Amazing!

I also picked up a pair of Baby Gap jeans in 12-18 months and a Joe Fresh Hoodie for just over $10 after tax.

I'm very happy with what I've seen so far. The staff is friendly and accessible. A bathroom and changing rooms for older kids to try stuff on where available and they even had a completely blocked off play area for parents to let their kids play so they can shop in peace. They also have a loyalty card program that encourages people to shop green. You get an extra stamp for not using a plastic bag. I also very much like the fact that despite being a used children's shop, they will not sell used car seats as there is no way to totally verify that the seat has never been in a car accident. And they will not take cribs manufactured before June 2011 due to recalls, just as they won't take any other item(stroller/high chair etc) that may have been recalled. Great business practice.

Overall, I'm thrilled that we now have this store where I live and I will for sure be patronizing them in the future.

Sippy Cup Success!

I've been trying for months now to get my stubborn kid to take a sippy cup. Each time I was met with her banging it around getting water all over the place. Monumentally frustrating. I could kinda get her to share a bottle of water with me so I just let it go for a few weeks.

Then yesterday at my mom group, she showed some interest in the sippy cups the boys had. These ones had straws. So I thought why not give it a shot. I had one at home with a straw but I never bothered to try it with her because I figured it was too big for her.

It worked! She actually drank from a sippy cup! I'm going to try to find a smaller one with a straw and handles so that she can hold it herself, but other than that, SUCCESS!

Farmers Market Fun

Every Wednesday and Saturday there is a farmer's market about 7-10 minutes from my house. It's been there for years but was just too far from my old place and I worked Saturdays but I always wanted to check it out. So last Saturday we did and we went yesterday too.

Saturday it was hot and very busy. But I got a lemonade and a couple of cucumbers as I didn't have much money left from the pittance I get for mat leave. But yesterday was the day after payday so with cash in hand we made the short drive.

Wednesdays are a bit different. You don't have to pay for parking and there are not nearly as many vendors set up. But for less than $10 in fresh veggies it was fantastic. I got some onions, snap peas, cucumbers and potatoes. Plus it was easier to maneuver the stroller as there were not the same crowds. It's too bad I didn't bring the baby's swim stuff as they have a spray pad right next door. Such a good way to cool down on these hot summer days we've been having.

I'm going to miss doing things like these once summer is over. I fear I'll be so busy with school and having to work a day or two a week and trying to keep up with the housework and the general demands of being a mom that I'm just not going to have time anymore for outings. At least I'll be going back after summer. So we have the next few weeks for family outings.

BBQ!

In our new house, we got a great BBQ. We had a small one in our old house that we borrowed from my mom for a year when she lived in an apartment that didn't allow them. We used it twice. Once was an utter failure on our part, the second time our friend actually did the grilling. Sad I know.

Seeing as it's a million degrees here, it's not ideal to cook with the oven. So I thought, what the hell, I'll marinade some pork chops and see what happens. Well what happened was an eye opener! They were fantastic! We've since done garlic sausage, steak, and pork souvlaki and it's all been super tasty.

I've always loved the smell of people BBQing in the summer, in fact I was always a bit jealous of the good smells(and undoubtedly good food) that others were having. Now I get to be on the other side and have the good smells and good food. I must say it's quite rewarding to be the woman BBQing on a hot summer day ;) Grilling is not just for men girls!

Summer Fun in the Sun & Sand

Mondays are my husbands Sundays. So with that and the fact it was over 30 degrees yesterday we packed up the baby and headed to the beach for the very first time the season. More importantly it was our little girl's first beach trip!

We went to a small man made beach only a few kilometers north of the city. I hadn't been there since I was a teenager actually as hubby and I prefer a larger beach that's further outside town. But as it was later in the day and we didn't want to drive an hour we went to this one.

It was surprisingly busy for a Monday. People on holidays or just taking the extra day off perhaps. But we still found a nice spot to leave the stroller and towels and after slathering on the sunscreen we headed into the water.

My girl is a water baby so we figured she'd like it. At first we went a bit too deep for her and we think she was too cold. Her and I went a bit closer to shore where she could sit in the very shallow water and explore this new environment. She splashed and picked up handfuls of sand and had so much fun. So a great success! We didn't stay long as she was getting tired and we didn't want to keep her outside for very long even though she was well hydrated and covered in sunscreen and a UV swimsuit and hat. So we dried off and had a snack and started back off for home.

So my girlie's first trip to the beach was super fun. Provided the weather is good, we'll likely be taking her many more times before the fall. She likes it, we like it, the sun is shining and it's not 40 below. What more can you ask for?

Summer Giveaway

Check out this post on Tales of Mommyhood. She is running a giveaway from BabyBanz. Like her I knew them for their sunglasses(which my kid just.wont.wear) but they also have UV swimsuits, hats and sunscreen! So important for us and especially the little ones.

Hot, So Very Hot

So at 8am this morning it was already 23 degrees outside, but 32 with the humidity. Crazy! Now at 11am, it's 29 but feels like 35. And until at least the end of July it's supposed to be 30 +/- 3 degrees. And that's not including any humidex.

Now I hated the heat. HATED it. I would rather it be -30 any day of the week and there are days when I wonder why I don't live in Antarctica or something. Then last year I was pregnant over the summer. Not just like newly pregnant and not even showing yet, but 8 months full blown pregnant. And for once I was comfortable. When I told my mother I was pregnant in mid January she told me she felt sorry for me because I was going to be so hot. Not even remotely the case. Summer was spent in sandals, cute capris and tops. It was a first for me.

Now this summer has come along. It's even hotter this year and I fully expected to want to die. Not the case. I took the baby to the Farmer's Market yesterday and it was 34 without the humidity yesterday. I thought it was lovely outside. I was sipping a fresh squeezed lemonade at the time but even before I picked it up I was happy.

I didn't think winter was that cold last year. Hopefully this new trend will continue for me.

I Actually Went Out

For the first time since even before my daughter was conceived, I went out with the girls. One of my friends from high school who had moved away is back in town this week. Us girls went out for some drinks and dancing. It was great to get out and have some fun. Something I will definitely have to make a more conscious effort to do more often.

In talking about my baby and her birth to one of my friends, we all came to a bit of a realization that in our own separate ways we've all gone our own ways; busy with school, work, homes, and our spouses. Strange how that seems to work out. We grew up and became homebodies. They don't go out that much more anyway. So I felt better that it wasn't just me. We all need to make more of an effort I guess.

Let's Talk About Size

Breast size that is.

Since having my daughter ten months ago, I'm actually far more comfortable in my own skin. While at a healthy weight before becoming pregnant it was the higher end of normal and I'm now on the lower end of normal no thanks to far better eating and drinking water like it's going out of style....and nursing of course.

Before having my daughter I had pretty good boobs. Not too big, not to small. Then I got pregnant and went up and my husband was in his glory (not like I let him touch them ;) ) Then I gave birth and my milk came in and it was like porn star boobs. And my husband was even happier. Eventually my supply regulated and my boobs went back to pre-pregnancy size, maybe even a touch smaller. Because they were on the smaller size to begin with they are still in the same place(which is pretty much all I care about, don't want saggy boobs in my 20's)

So the point to all this.

Last night we were watching a rerun of Two and a Half Men. It was the episode where Charlie's fiancee Chelsea wants a reduction because she is having back problems. So my brilliant husband tells me that's the size he wants mine to be. IMHO her boobs aren't that much bigger than my pre-pregnancy boobs and that her cleavage is a plunging v-neck top, double sided tape and a $300 pushup bra. Doesn't believe me. So I go get my $50 pushup bra and a v-neck top. Big difference from my nursing tank top. Still not enough.

What do you want from me?! I'm super comfortable and confident in what my body looks like, especially after having a child and you want to take that down a peg. I've never made comments about his package, why is it ok to make comments about a woman's breasts?

My Baby Isn't Really a Baby Anymore

My tiny little newborn is 10 months old today. I was going through her old clothes whilst putting away some things she's outgrown and I came across the outfit she came home from the hospital in. A pink Carters outfit; a little hooded jacket, pink footed pants and a white onesie with pink and brown flowers on it. The nurse gave us a crocheted pink, white and brown hat and it matched perfectly. She was little and perfect.

Last night, I half assed tried the outfit on her. The pants came up to just over her knees, the hat was more like a skull cap that didn't even cover the tips of her ears and the jacket sleeves stopped at her elbows. Am I surprised it doesn't even come close to fitting her? No of course not. She's 11 pounds and 9 inches longer now than she was at birth. It was just another reminder that my baby is growing up so fast. She isn't a helpless blob, but a crawling, babbling little person.

If I'm this torn up about her being 10 months, imagine two months from now on her first birthday. I'm going to be a wreck.

Ready for Winter

In the mail yesterday came my last piece of winter gear for baby this year, my Geox boots! I bought them 2nd hand off a girl on a forum I frequent along with a few other items. So now I have outerwear for fall and for winter and I feel prepared for the change of seasons.

It seems almost like sacrilege to be preparing for colder weather when it's actually nice and warm here and it's warm for such a short period of time. But I'm a bargain hunter and couldn't pass up good deals when I saw them. It pays to buy clothes when they are out of season. In total her winter jacket, mitts, hat, scarf, boots and snow pants should have cost close to $200. All but the boots were bought new(although the boots are in EUC) and cost me about $100. So I'll talk about and buy winter gear when it's sunny and 25 outside for that kind of savings.

Goodbyn Pics

By request I have some pics of the Goodbyn lunch kit that was part of my True Cuddles Prize pack.

You'll notice in one of the pictures there is a bottle cap and another there is a paint "edit" These are just to cover the first letter of our last name.

The Goodbyn came with a bunch of stickers to personalize it. I've put baby's name on the kit as well as the bottle for daycare purposes. The stickers are fun and are shaped like animals and foods. I also thought it was very cool that one of the stickers is an "I AM ALLERGIC TO:" sticker.

Without further ado.....

Pic of the outside with lid on

Lid next to the open kit, you can see the grooves on the inside of the lid and where the bottle goes

Inside of the kit with no bottle. You can see all the different compartments for different parts of lunch

Close up of the bottle

I found this interesting. On the paper packaging of the kit, they include a suggestion of what can go into the different compartments. It's something I kept to refer back to for when I actually need to use this thing. I'm slightly terrified about the whole lunch prospect so I'm hoping it will inspire me when I'm having a d'oh moment on what to give my kid for lunch ;) I've made this pic bigger so you can read the writing. You'll also note that it says 5+ but it's not there are small choking hazards here so I'll be ignoring that.

More Giveaways

On Not Just Baby Brain, another great Canadian mom blog I follow, she is having an awesome giveaway that I'm sure my hubby would appreciate. Here is the link to her giveaway from Nachomamatees, a cool t-shirt company that screens it's tee's with all sorts of random sayings, some of them throwbacks to the good old days and some with stuff from recent pop culture. They have a shirt with a screening of the wagon from the original Oregon Trail that says you died of dysentery. There are lots with funny zombie stuff and Chuck Norris. They have girl's sizes as well. Super cool!

Time to Read

Every night before bed we read a book. She really enjoys it and I have found myself reading books to my baby that were read to me when I was a child. Books that I didn't remember until we picked them out at the library. We are a very short walk away from the public library that I frequented when I was a child and I'm enjoying sharing the experience with my little girl.

We picked out a bunch of Miffy the bunny books yesterday during our once a week trip to the library. I always liked the Miffy books and it seems like she does as well.

But I think the best book that we got was a book about trains that she picked out herself. Hubby works for one of the two national rail companies and whenever we pass by the yard I always tell her that daddy works there on the trains. So she pulled it out and I told her that the train book was a bit too long for bedtime story and I put it back. I then pulled and put back a few other books. She really wanted the train book because she pulled it back out again and gave it to me. So we checked it out and we will read it tonight. I hope she likes it.

More Great Giveaways!

A Sophisticated Mommy is having another amazing giveaway. This is a link to her review of the Kidco Peapod. It's a very intriguing item. We aren't big campers, but we do some traveling and we don't have(nor do I really want) to buy a play yard.  We always just co-slept but somebody wants to sleep in her own bed now so I don't really know where to put her. This would be pretty cool.

Garage Sale Hell

Ok, so we moved and my dad has all but moved as well. So between us we have a bunch of stuff. I don't want to throw it out and there is just too much to all lug to the Salvation Army or something, so garage sale it is. Plus I live in a big garage sale town so people would look at me funny if I told them I had a bunch of stuff that we just got rid of.

So right now in my rec room all along a wall is boxes and piles of stuff. Kitchen stuff, household stuff, knick knacks, etc. Problem is I need to go through it all, price it and make sure that it's actually worth putting it up for sale. WAY easier said than done. It's just overwhelming and time consuming. And I can't get anything done when the baby is awake because she gets into everything. So I have to do it when she is asleep, but I just don't want to do anything then because I'm trying to relax after chasing around a very busy little girl.

Arg. New resolve for tonight, GET SOMETHING DONE! The proceeds will be paying for a 4 slice toaster because my 2 slice just isn't cutting it anymore. I'm sure I'll make more than enough ;)

Date Night!

Last night, for the first time in approximately ten months, my husband and I went out on a date. We haven't gone anywhere together sans baby since she was born so it was long overdue. After I put the rug rat to sleep, my mom came over to babysit our dog while we ran away to Mexico ;)

No I'm kidding. What we did do was head to Earl's for a drink and appetizers. Other than a few birthdays, our eating out has been to the fabulous places like McDonalds and Burger King and Wendys. Awesome right? Then we went to catch a movie. My dad and my ex-step mother gave me their Scene cards which have oodles of points that can get us free movies. I love free! We went to a 10:50 show! OMG, sitting through the previews I was yawning, that's just too late for me(not like I'm sleeping then, but I'm usually in bed). We didn't get home until close to 1:30. On our way home we joked that my mother probably did think we were halfway to Mexico.

We have many more Scene points, so we'll be doing this again in the near future.

So Done With Teething

I'm fairly certain(actually positive) that I said I was done with teething when babe was like 4 months old and didn't even have any teeth yet. Then she got a tooth and then another one and then stalled and life was good. My happy little fantasy world of no more teething was shattered at the beginning of the week when my generally happy, yet dramatic baby became a terror. Her sleep which had improved became the stuff of nightmares and she was just restless. She wanted to be held and cuddled yet wanted to be on the floor to play at the same time. Very frustrating!

Then while she was chewing on my finger, I noticed it. She's cutting three teeth all at once with another right behind. So all of her top incisors are breaking through pretty much at once. So she's cranky and her gums hurt and pretty much any little thing sets her off.

At this point I will gladly take the baby who wakes up at 4am just as long as I can give back the one who wakes up at 8:30 and then takes an hour to go back to sleep, then at 2, then 4, then 6, then up at 7 for the day and fights naps worse than before(although I didn't think that was possible)

Right now she is laying on the floor sucking her thumb. She never does that. Poor little girl :(

I Actually Won!

In this post, I wrote about a giveaway that fellow mom blogger A Sophisticated Mommy was running. I ended up winning! It was a prize pack from True Cuddles one of many deal a day sites that is Canadian and offers unique baby products.

The main prize was a litterless lunch box from Goodbyn filled with products. The Goodbyn itself is super cool. It's made from BPA and phthalte free plastic and is 100% recyclable when the time comes. It is sectioned off so that each food item has it's own little cubby hole so you don't need to use plastic bags to put crackers, sandwiches, chips, whatever in. It also comes with a bottle for water or juice. Very neat and it is now waiting for daycare to start.

I got an amber teething necklace from The Teensy Teethers. I had always wanted one but never really bothered to buy one. Amber is a traditional remedy for teething children that has anti-inflammatory properties that help to reduce teething symptoms. My poor girlie is presently cutting three teeth with a fourth right behind so hopefully this will help her out as her gums are really hurting her.

There was also a pair of BabyLegs, but these are tights and are cool. They are UV rated to 50 and are a bit more of a mesh material to allow the breeze to hit the legs. I have a pair of hand made knockoffs and they have been great for protecting her knees from the carpet that she now takes pleasure in crawling around on. But they have been too hot for her in the 30+ degree heat(Celsius) so these will be great.

Finally, they included a pair of Bugalug hair clips. Bugalug is a Canadian company that makes all sorts of hair accessories. The ones I received are simple ribbon non slip clips. I haven't tried them in her hair yet but they look like they will even work on my kid's very fine, short hair.

Overall I was really happy with what I received. It was well packaged and arrived very quickly. I was announced the winner on the 3rd and was contacted by True Cuddles the same day(quite late I might add!) for my mailing info and got the package(mailed from over 2000 km away) in my mailbox today. Very happy and I am now on their mailing list for their cuddle of the day. I expect to purchase from them in the future.

Shopping for the Future

I've come to the realization in the past few days that my baby is not going to be a baby this fall and will need new clothes. The weather will get colder and she will get bigger and her 6-12 summer clothes will be the next to go into the box and wait for me to have another girl.

I've got a few things for me to wear this fall/winter. I have lots of long sleeved shirts and a pair of jeans and I got a great deal on a winter coat/snow pants/hat/mitts last spring. I have a few fall jackets as well. But I have no hoodies, jammies or enough pants and I would like a few more shirts too. And shoes! She'll be walking! I'll need something on her feet.

Cue a gal on a message board I frequent. She put up massive albums of baby girl clothes for sale. For $85 shipping included I picked up two pairs of Geox shoes. If you no nothing about this brand, well they are quite expensive. The runners I bought which should fit her by fall and still have lots of wear left in them would cost anywhere between $50-65 new. Then I got a great pair of boots that will fit her by the time the snow falls.  I have no idea how much these would cost brand new but I can't imagine it under $75.

Then I got a super cute fleece vest with a fur lined hood and a hoodie dress with matching tights. These are both Gymboree brand and are in excellent condition and because Gymboree is typically very expensive I wouldn't be surprised if the retail value of just those three pieces is around $100. So I think I got a steal of a deal.

Now I'm not done ;) I'd love to head to the states and buy the rest of her fall/winter wardrobe. If not, there are some great second hand stores(like consignment boutiques not Value Village) where I can get some nice stuff for cheap. And Sears often does BOGO for sleepers.

So I guess I'm set, if not now then fairly soon. Why don't I feel that way?

Finally Done

I got an email yesterday from our lawyers. They have given authorization for the keys to our house to be handed to the new owners as they sent over the trust and cheque. FIN.AL.LY

We didn't get any extra money because they felt that we "hadn't been inconvenienced" and that "we should understand" that it wasn't their fault that even though they said they were pre-approved it turns out they weren't so someone else had to get the mortgage for him and they could have let the deal die but they didn't. I feel like we were played. They couldn't let the deal die without use keeping their deposit and suing them.

Very frustrating. I hope we get our funds soon. We have things we'd like to pay for/off. And we'd like to go down to the states or something for a weekend in August.

I'm never selling a house again.

Old Friends

While I've made some new friends, both online and real life since having my daughter, I still think about the "old days" and what my friends from high school are up to. They are in different places than I am. While a few are in fairly long term relationships, most live at home. A few have recently moved into their first apartments. Only one is engaged and I am the only one who is married and the only one with a child.

So to say the least I sometimes find it difficult to get together with them, even just for a lunch or something. I'm not invited for girls nights or day trips to the beach. Because I have a baby.

Today I am going out for lunch with a very good friend of mine. Back in high school, he and I were supposed to get an apartment together. But I met my now husband that summer and moved in with him instead. Except for me bringing him our old mattress, I have not seen him since before I got pregnant....I found out I was pregnant January 2010.

The friend who is engaged, is probably someone who I have the most in common with. We are both in relationships that are committed somehow concrete(I'm thinking rings here) and we are both home owners. She has a "real job" and I had one as well(course I'm going back to school but that's only so I can improve on my "real job" ;) ) But she lives two provinces away from me and I only see her once or twice a year.

She is on her way here in a few days. I haven't seen her since about this time last year and I'm really excited. I'm hopeful that not only can we have lunch all us girls, but I'm hoping that I can actually get in on a night out with them. My kid goes to bed early enough. I might not stay out as late as them all because I have to deal with the babe the next day. But it would really be nice to go out. Hubby does....why can't I?

Delays Part 2

So no, it didn't happen yesterday. There are only two lawyers in the practise that the purchasers went with and one is on vacation or something and the other has a family emergency and won't be back til Wednesday or Thursday. So while the transfer documents are all signed and everything, we have no way of getting the trust from them or the cash to mortgage cheque. So we have no legal standing and no money other than their small deposit if they got the keys and something happened.

I'm very frustrated with this whole process and the run around we are getting. They refuse to give us any compensation because they feel they have no inconvenienced us. We think they think this because the house is vacant and we have already moved and it seems like we don't need the money. Well we do. And it takes 2-4 weeks to get the title transferred as it is so it's now going to be 3-5 weeks from the original date of possession.

I'm frustrated with the run around we've gotten. At first we were told that they couldn't sign on time because they work. Well so does hubby, but when we thought that he had a course the day we were supposed to sign, we immediately changed our appointment. Then they said that they had to change the name on the title. Reason being, is the purchaser didn't qualify for a mortgage but the wife did so they put it in her name. Well that's interesting. You put in the offer to purchase that you were pre-approved. But now you say you weren't? WTF!

So we have held off on allowing them to have the keys until we get the cheque and the trust. So because the house is vacant, I need to drive from one end of the city to the other every day to make sure it's still standing under the conditions of our house insurance. I'd call that inconvenience don't you?

Friday noon is the deadline. I'm going to be a wreck until then. I just want this over with, and I just want our money.

Fences and Other Disasters

So we went over to my mother's yesterday to tear down her fence. A good friend of hubby's joined us. While my mom and I sat in the grass playing with the baby, they ripped apart a fence.

Then as we BBQ'd steaks and potatoes for supper, they went "hey, that tree is dying" "wait you're right, and it will make it harder to build that side of the fence" "let's chop it down"

OMFG

So my mother's yard now looks like a tornado or hurricane went through it or something. For a tree that didn't look so big from the deck, ya it was pretty massive once on the ground. All that remains is an approximately 7 foot tall stump that will be taken down once the boys go back at it with a chain saw today.

I'm pretty sure my mother is regretting letting them build the fence. ;)

Baking Spree

DH went to help turn about five trucks into one to basically save his friend's business last night, so I was all alone again. Had a shower, did some laundry...then what?

Baking that is what. I made a simple strawberry pie. Like a monkey could make it simple. Cut up strawberries covered in a glaze made out of strawberry gelatin, cornstarch, sugar and water and it will be topped with Cool Whip. At least the graham cracker crust was home made. ;)

Then I made brownies. Brownies are pretty much a recent discovery of mine. I knew I liked brownies and that was pretty much that. My first foray into making them came from a Betty Crocker box. Quite good surprisingly. Then I tried scratch. First recipe I tried, I found it not chocolatey enough but my husband thought it was fine. Second was pretty good. The ones I tried last night were money back guarantee brownies. Well I want my money back. The centre collapsed and the taste of vanilla extract and cocoa was overwhelming. Boo.

I have yet to taste the pie as I thought I'd take it over to my mom's when we head there for supper/hubby building her a fence. If it's a bust I might cry.

Delays

So yesterday should have been the day the buyers took possession of our house. Well it didn't happen. They might get around to signing the papers on Monday. WTF!?

Our fantastic attorney drafted a letter to them stating that we were upset at the delay and want compensation. They don't have to give us what we want and if we wanted to, we could demand the keys and transfer papers back. We don't want that yet, but have threatened them with such action which will hopefully entice them to get their shit together, sign the frigging papers and give us what we want.

Better happen on Monday or I will be supremely pissed.

Happy Canada Day!

Today is my little girl's first Canada Day. So she is decked out in a pink Canada shirt, a white jean skirt and a red bib and her red Canada hat. Right now it's kinda yucky outside, cloudy and drizzly, but it's supposed to clear up a bit and heat up. Not as hot as yesterday which will be nice. 45 degrees with the humidity yesterday was just freaking ridiculous.

I think we are going to take a bus downtown. There is a stop steps from our house and it stops right at the heart of a lot of the action today. Then they are operating free shuttles to another hot spot. I think it will be fun for her to take in the sights and sounds and see all the people. We won't be staying for the fireworks though. It's just too late. They had always been something that hubby and I went too, but we skipped last year as well because it was eleventy million degrees outside and I was 7 months pregnant.

For now I think I'll get some laundry done and wait for the weather to change.