Moving Days

It's here! The movers arrive in an hour - in the rain - to pack up the truck and move us to Albany. Then tomorrow they drop off our stuff - in the thunderstorms - and we can start our next adventure. See you all next week...

Memorial Day Weekend

We're back from our weekend of travel and are packing up the house tomorrow before moving on Wednesday. Everything was lovely - the baby shower, the visit to camp, seeing our families, etc. As is the usual trend lately, I spent more time visiting and less time taking pictures, so I only have a very random little group of pictures to show you.

At the country club before the shower started.

The beautiful hot pink and black centerpieces. I forgot to take a picture of the awesome bookmark favors - oops!

Relaxing on the side porch at camp while the kids played in the yard.

Feather Nester's daughter L and her corn on the cob.

More things to entertain you while I pack...

Since I have no time to blog myself, I'm going to just start ripping off other people's blog posts (see below). I'm not sure if I've mentioned this, but in a stroke of brilliant timing, B and I are going out of town for the 4 days prior to our move for a trip that was scheduled before he got his new job. It's totally typical of our life though, so I'm no surprised. As a result, 90% of the packing and chores have to be done by Friday afternoon and it leaves almost no time when B is around to help with stuff that I can't do.

So while I'm off doing all that random crap (other than packing) that accompanies a move, entertain yourself with what can only be described as the World's Coolest Wedding Video posted on Mighty Girl. Seriously, I wish I were this cool.

Brian & Eileen's Wedding Music Video

Making Sears Portraits Look Good

Oh my god, stop whatever it is you're doing and go to this site IMMEDIATELY. Seriously... go there right now. Don't have liquid in your mouth or else you'll spit it out.

Awkward Family Photos

Tuesday Time Killers

Lots and lots of things on the errands list today, so here are some fun articles from How Stuff Works to keep you entertained:


Travel: 4 Paranormal and Other Strange Roadside Attractions

Adventure: Top 5 Everyday Items You Can Repurpose in a Survival Scenario

Animals: 10 Most Dangerous Places for Shark Attacks

Auto: Top 10 Everyday Car Technologies that Came from Racing

Green: 10 Foods You Should Buy Organic

Health: Top 10 Weirdest Prescription Drug Side Effects

History: 10 Historically Inaccurate Movies

Home: Top 10 Mistakes in Kitchen Design

29 Weeks

Haven't done a bump update in a while, so I thought I'd start our week off there. I entered my third trimester last week, so we're in the home stretch now. Of course, I'm still lucky enough to not be uncomfortable and swollen yet, so maybe it's not really the home stretch.

There's not too much to report actually. My back has started to ache on a daily basis now, so my brace is permanently attached to my hips, but the pain is very tolerable, so I'm grateful for that. My big hope was that we'd be able to get to Albany and get a little unpacked and a little prepared before the debilitating pain kicked in, so it looks like I'll get my wish.

Our little peanut takes after her very fidgety father and rarely stops moving. Most nights we sit on the couch watching my stomach do bizarre alien rolls and screaming at the sight of it. We're seven months in and still can't digest the fact that there's a little person in there.

This past weekend we got to see yet another little one that entered our lives 6 weeks ago - the very first Tar Beach Band baby (B's former band). He's totally precious and yet another example of a freakishly well behaved baby (much like our nephew). B was joking that our friends are screwing us over by having all of these little Stepford babies and we're going to be the poor suckers that end up with the cranky, high maintenance baby. But she and I have long talks during the day about being calm and happy, so maybe we'll get lucky also. Here's hoping!

JoJo the Traveling Monkey

B and I are currently the owners of two cats, both of which are spoiled to within an inch of their lives with attention and affection. We were both staunchly anti-cat people when we met, but a year after we started dating we found a stray cat who had given birth to a litter of kittens at the country house where the band used to live.

We kept an eye on the kittens, but one was sick and the mother kept moving the litter and leaving the runt behind. We tried several times to reintroduce the little runt with no luck until one day I walked outside at 7am to check on the little furries and everyone was gone except the tiny little 3 week old white and orange kitten, sitting in the bushes waiting to be rescued. Since she never rescued him, we did.

One of the bandmate's sisters was a veterinarian and told us how to make a mixture that would replicate breast milk and we fed him with an eye dropper for a few weeks and took him to the old country vet who worked out of his house. The vet said he had about a 50/50 chance to live but that he had seen many animals rescued by TLC over the years, so we gave it a shot. 4 1/2 years later, we have a very finicky white and orange cat who strolls around our house.

Right before we rescued Dizzy (named after Dizzy Gillespie since he was rescued at the band house and also because it fit his less-than-bright beginning to life), B bought me a little stuffed monkey. However, since Dizzy had been abandoned by his mom, he used the monkey to suckle on for at least a year or two. After he stopped the suckling, he started secretly carrying the monkey around the house.

No one ever saw the elusive monkey-carrying, but every morning my roommate and I would wake up and the monkey would be in a different location. This went on for a year or so and then B and I moved in together in our current house. After Dizzy lost interest in his monkey, I put it on a shelf with the other stuffed animals and never really thought about it.

Then about nine months ago, I saw JoJo the Monkey and decided to bring him down again to see if Dizzy was interested. Sometimes we would see him curled up with him, and sometimes he would either drag JoJo into or out of the carrier where he usually sleeps. And about twice a week we would wake up and find the monkey clear across the house.

But lately we've noticed a really amusing trend. Well... amusing if you're us. I harbor no illusions that anyone else cares. I find that other people's pets are a lot like other people's kids - you can kind of see the appeal and you get that THEY really love them and care, but your interest is only marginal. But regardless... we've noticed a funny pattern.

In the last few weeks everything around here has been crazy. We've been leaving every weekend, there are boxes everywhere, nothing is where is used to be, and the general feeling of chaos is pretty evident. Now despite being cranky, Dizzy is actually really smart. We can't play the laser pointer game with him because he's smart enough to just look at the laser pen and then look at us like we're nuts. But the chaos and imminent change is clearly affecting him because the amount of JoJo activity around here has really amped up.

Every morning we find him someplace new and almost always it's on the bathroom mat. B specifically moves him off of the mat or out of the bathroom to see what happens and every morning he's back on the bathroom mat. Clearly, that's where he BELONGS. Also, the secretive nature of the whole My Pet Monkey thing has gone out the window and he's taken to just wandering around the house dragging JoJo with him. He reminds me of the little boy in Peter Pan who wouldn't go anywhere without his blanket dragging behind him and it totally cracks me up.

So for those of you who have been wondering how the move is progressing, we seem to be hanging in just fine, but Dizzy is feeling a little stressed out about all the changes. I'm pretty sure that when the baby comes we're going to find a little note on the bathroom mat and both of them will have run away together.

Need some pig sprinkles?

For the baking enthusiasts out there, LOOK at the baking warehouse in Georgia that Bakerella just posted about on her baking blog. WOW. I'm totally speechless - I had no idea such a beast existed!

I Heart Olbermann

As I've mentioned before B and I are nightly viewers of Keith Olbermann, but I missed this last segment of the show last night because I fell asleep. Luckily my good buddy in all things trashy, Perez Hilton, posted it on his gossip blog and I was able to catch up.

Keith is obviously a political smarty-pants, but every once in a while he comments on pop culture and it makes me love him even more! This whole segment cracked me right up, but it's long (6 min.) and you really have to watch the whole thing to fully get his point, but if you have the time - enjoy!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Checking In

Just wanted to say hello and let you know I'm still here - kind of. Moving plans are in full go-mode this week... and for the next three weeks. We found housing in Albany and we move on Wednesday, May 27th. Of course we decided to make life as complicated as possible and be gone every weekend in May, but that's no surprise. I'm busy making lists of what needs to be accomplished before moving (pick up dry cleaning, turn off cable, get vet records, etc.). See you sporadically!

Pet Peeve

There are two pronunciations in the English language that make the hair on the back of my neck stand up in annoyance when I hear them. I have no idea how they evolved, but everyone needs to STOP IT!

1) "Yoo-man" or "Yoo-ge" instead of Human or Huge. I don't care if the dictionary lists it as an alternative pronunciation, it's not. Trust me on this. You sound stupid and like you're jealous of all the other languages that have silent first letters.

2) "Draw." Oh, you mean DRAWER? Like the things that are in dressers? Most usually heard on people who drop no other "Rs" at the ends of words and are not from Boston. Makes. Me. Insane!

Design Love

Look at these beauuuuutiful envelope wrap arounds - I'm in love. And they're so cheap! 50 labels for $13, sold in a variety of patterns at TapeSwell. They have all kinds of other great products over there as well, including tons of decorative packing tape to make your packages that much prettier.






As a frequent cook, you can never underestimate the value of an apron. If you only knew how many of B's sweatshirts (ummm... all of them) are stained because he forgot to put on his Giants apron while cooking, you would understand. This apron is so beautiful it looks like a dress! I don't own a full length apron, so that made me love this even more. Gorgeous!!! Makes me think of the good ol' days when cooking involved music in the kitchen and a glass of wine in my hand. It's more functional and less fun these days, but that won't last forever. I think I should have something this lovely to celebrate my eventual return to drunken cooking! Smocks Design - $39.95






(Both products seen on The Today Show yesterday from blogger Daily Candy)

A Swirling World

I'm trying to keep my cool around here as I continue to realize what a ridiculous month May is going to be. Transition is always crazy, but this one is a little crazier than usual and I'm starting to feel that sink in. We move at the end of the month, but right now that will be the easiest part because it'll be the last. Presumably we'll have someplace to move TO, since we don't have a place to live yet, but we're working on that.

I'm so sorry to say that my grandfather is dying. He's in that last stage where a call could come any minute or the whole thing could drag on for months. I remember this stage when my dad's mother died and it was awful. And just like her, his mental capacity is still at 100%. So in addition to the daily updates we get, there is the inevitable logistics of death that come with having a spread out family. Calls to siblings and cousins about who will be coming home, who won't, who can afford the plane ticket, who needs help with the plane ticket, etc. Accompanying the plans are those thoughts that we all have that we're happy at the thought of seeing each other... just not under these circumstances.

My mom is finishing up her latest nursing assignment in Mesa, AZ and will be driving across the country (with a brief stop to see Feather Nester & Ouiser) to come back home. With the rapidly declining health of her father and her new granddaughter on the way the plan is to stay semi-local for the next few years. At the end of the month, we also have the baby shower and a nice trip to the Adirondacks to relax by the lake and see my family over Memorial Day weekend. Additionally, B has 2 weeks to study for and take the GMATs for grad school so that his completed application can be in by June 1st. We didn't jump on any of this sooner because it didn't look like there were any prospects for moving. Oh yeah... and I'm pregnant. I forgot about that factor for a minute. I have an appointment on Thursday, so I'll have more to report on the baby front after that.

See... it's crazy around here. I'm trying to use our timely wisely since it's still the beginning of the month and early work and preparation will make all the difference. It's nice to be able to pack things up and bring the house down to the bare minimum. I made pretty good progress on that front this weekend while B studied, but of course there's still a lot to do. All of those teeny tiny loose ends that are so easy to neglect, but take a lot of time to tie up.

I'll do my best to keep in touch in blog world, but the posts may get even more random in content than they already are. I know, you're thinking: seriously, is it possible for this blog to get more random??? Well, no, it's probably not, but I'm more aware of it so I felt the need to point it out. I decided last month that if I were to give the blog a tag line it would be this:
Scarlet Lily: Bringing random to a whole new level.