This is the most interesting thing I've made lately! :) 
Making the above, because of the below :) 
Oh and in case you are wondering - I made that Moby Wrap Im wearing the sweet little Ladybug in!:) Life is great!
BTW - For those wondering, the floors are done! WOOHOO! We went with a Harvest Pecan laminate and some porcelain tile. We originally paid around $2/sqft for our previous flooring, the stuff we got with insurance was $6.29/sqft, so major upgrade. The pipe breaking turned out well in the end. But I tell ya, it's nothing I wanna experience again! We are going to have all of our pipes/waterlines inspected next time hubs is home just to be sure there is nothing about to go bad and if so - we can replace before it becomes a stressful disaster! Ill post flooring pics soon! And I do plan to get back to cooking again here shortly. I mean, I do cook, but nothing new and exciting as my hand First off - Ill post photos tomorrow.
Second - the Claims Adjuster just came today - we are looking at around 7k in damages....That means the vanity, the baseboards, and paint in both bathroom and closet must be replaces. Then we have to take the floor out of the ENTIRE FREAKING HOUSE and have it all completely redone because in order to look nice - we had it flow from room to room without thresh holds which looks really clean and nice but set us up to where we can't just replace one room. So we pay $1069 deductible, and then after the flooring guys get here and give us an estimate - we have to decide if we want the same floor - different floor in the same price range, upgrade to tile which costs a bit more and we would have to assume the difference, or if we want the same floor but a different color. I have no idea what I want and Im glad that none of this has to be decided until hubby is home. The estimate will be given tomorrow. Nothing can be done however until the floors are ripped up in the master bedroom and MORE fans are brought in to dry it out. I had me a pretty good melt down last night before heading to the gym for Zumba (why am I still going to gym during this mess? Well because I needed a release). The fan people came out and we found that we had to keep the fans even longer and the dehumidifier is making the house so freaking HOT! It's seriously 85 in here during the day - our air condition runs CONSTANTLY and can't keep up. I've been sleeping on the couch because my bedroom is actually a balmy 94. Plus I have had so many strangers tromping in and out of my house that my anxiety level is high because I worry that someone will come in and notice hubby isn't home, then will come back and either rape me, or rape me and rob me, or rob me etc. Not that I think I'm amazingly hot and such but shit - it's like I'm this easy ass target! So when the guy told me it still isn't dry yet - I started sobbing, this led to him and his partner kinda panicking and apologizing profusely, and me being humiliated that Im standing here crying so I start crying even harder. Then Ri starts crying because Im crying and it was a freaking mess. I wish I could just load her and the dogs up and go to Mom and Dad's but I can' because there are yet MORE people who have to come look at stuff, evaluate stuff etc. Saturday my FIL is supposed to come and mow my yard. Im considering telling him to come while Im gone and just leaving. It's very depressing to see the room so torn up, that and Im a clean freak so the stuff everywhere is driving me NUTS!!!! Please keep us in your prayers- that the money is easy to come up with, and that this s It's been said that bad things come in threes and Im pretty much convinced. I've seen it growing up and we seem to be experiencing it for ourselves lately.
Thing 1 - We got a lovely letter from the IRS informing us that a debt from back when hubby was married to starter wife was cancelled and now must be counted as INCOME on our 2010 return, meaning we now owe an extra "surprise" $2000. Hubby thankfully was already set to work over so we could get the shed we have been needing so badly. But well....stuff happens so.... Thing 2 - Our first microwave ever finally shorted out during a storm so we got a new one. The new one was pretty pricey (we thought spending more might be better protected). It wouldn't cook for more than 2 minutes at a time without shutting down for 10 minutes because it had overheated....(Thanks Stacey for moving and giving us your old one!) Thing 3 - I originally thought that this one was my bestie going back to AK after a week long visit, but I was wrong. Saturday night while running the sink my foot gets a bit wet - I look down - water is ALL OVER THE FLOOR. We have a leak - it's already soaking into the cabinet...ugh!!! I call my mom near hysterical trying to figure out what to do and she says, "Shelley - go look in your closet since it backs up to that wall." I think I said something of the line "Focus mom, it's my bathroom." I checked the closet and yes water EVERYWHERE. Every purse I have is ruined but the one Im using currently (including a Brighton I got at a garage sale in perfect condition for $5. Anyway - we have had a recovery service people out to set up multiple fans at $25 per fan, per day - and they are STILL in there. And a dehumidifier for $120 per day. Still here also. The plumber came out today - $369 on a pipe that apparently was broken clean in half. Now the insurance company (whose deductible is $1,069) wants to test the pipe that was removed and possible pursue the builder for damages (which to me translates as ,"It's going to take us forever to cut the check to you because we wanna fight with a builder first"). In the meantime Im blowing through the savings! We haven't even gotten estimates on replacing the drywall, the baseboards, the bathroom cabinet, and the floors in both bathroom, closet and bedroom (the water ran under the floor into the master bedroom). I am sure we will be reimbursed at some point - but it would be nice if they don't wait too long.... So my hope is that - 3 have happened so we should be good for a year! Please pray! My poor hubby has been working over for forever trying to get this new shed so we can create a mancave in the spare room. Every time he has to work over he misses out on time home (with me, all the kids etc). The positive in all of this? We got my car on a loan we got through the credit union who apparently takes out a payment EVERY check...so my car I've had just a Eating right, is only half of the battle. In order to remain healthy you need to get physical as well! Last week - we enrolled our daughter into gymnastics. While it's adding another bill (which we aren't terribly fond of at the moment) we figure it's justified since other kids get to do electives in school (art, orchestra, band, dance etc) and in her school they don't have that. To our wonderment she is really decently good at it and even though her first actual class doesn't start until the 20th, she is almost already a level 2. We just have to get her pull over and casting on the bars down and she moves up. I took a bunch of video of her doing things there because I wanted her to have them as a reference later to see how much she has accomplished and thought I would share here. Something I did learn about gymnastics since her trial class and gym night, is that it's even more physical than I understood. There is a lot of strength and core requirements to do the various skills. Of course she just adores it, has a mat here at the house and is practicing constantly. I promised her that if she moves to level 2 by Christmas - we will get her a bar for the house. I have located a friend who will be selling it deeply discounted to me due to her being unable to take it to her dorm in college! As for me - I've been doing the Zumba thing again. Just trying to break up the monotony of doing the same work out daily. Muscle confusion is a good thing anyway. Eating hasn't been great this week - have a friend in town and she's preggo so we have been eating out a lot, lol. Ill get back on Track Saturday after dropping her at the airport. Today I did the school clothes shopping thing! I originally figured about $150 for clothes (bottoms, tops, socks, undies), but I completed the shopping with the exception of one pair of khaki pants for $61.47!! Sometimes I really love school uniforms! She has khaki skirts, pants, shorts, and her polos and brown belt. We dont need shoes as she recently bought herself some Sketchers with Grandad money! 
On another note, I have cut my shirt to look all 80's and it's cute! And I put on make up too - a rare occurance lately as I've been bustin ass at the gym so much! Oh - and I got my girl into Gymnastics! She went today for the first time and LOVED it! She's in a class that works on balance beam, floor routines and the bars. She seems to show a proficiency for the bars and is already able to swing and flip both forward and back. The teacher was a little surprised since she hasn't really had any real training before. Don't get me wrong - she's nothing amazing yet, but she's kinda impressive for not having been in class yet. Until you get to the back bends. This child for some reason just cant get that down LOL! Anyway - we got her into classes that occur on Friday so that her sport doesn't interfere with homework. If she balances this well with school for a bit - we may put her into an additional class of Tumbling (straight floor routines) on Wednesdays since that is also a no-homework day. Tomorrow she goes to a Fun Friday event where they get dropped off for 3 hours and can practice on any areas that they choose with instruction. She's excited! I am kinda too but not sure what to do with my 3 hours. I might go see a movie or something - I kinda wanna see Step it Up. *shrug* 
Well it's getting to be that time again! School Shopping! While I do love that my daughter's school does uniforms (not only because they can't tease each other - but because it's definitely cheaper), I find it incredibly frustrating to get it done and to hunt down the right colors, lengths etc. This year - I was delighted to find out my child can now wear White and Black Polos instead of just Royal Blue. They also get to wear jumpers! This means my little girl will actually have an opportunity to look like a GIRL at school! WOOHOO! But - then you read the small print, "Unisex Short Sleeve Polo - No Capped Sleeves" well...dammit! My girls is a slender child. A unisex polo that is long enough to cover her tummy - is also HUGE on her body. She looks sloppy in it no matter how your try to fix it. To top that off - no "girl" polos which are made to fit them better - are free of capped sleeves. So now my daughter is being punished for not being a wide and thick girl, so the other girls will fit their clothing better, and she will look like a slob. That's not fair. It just seems they are taking the stipulations a little too far. I know they mean for uniformity - but having a child look sloppy will not be uniform to the other children. I guess this year instead of our normal $200 in clothing/shoes/socks/underwear/shorts/undershirts - Ill have to see a Tailor and have it all tailored to fit. What a HUGE pain in the ass. And here I thought the biggest problem would be the khaki pants/skirts/shorts fitting properly (again - she's tall, and skinny so if it fits her hips, it's too short). Enough of my bitching and moaning I suppose. 
Yesterday we got the chance to meet up with my friend Maura and her baby girl M!:) We did the Waterpark thing and enjoyed ourselves immensely! Maura brought her Step Father and little Sis May along and we finally got to ride that Tornado ride that my girl has been DYIN to ride! And that was MORE than enough times to ride too. It was the scariest ride I've ever been on in my life, and judging by the look of sheer terror on my girl's face - she wasn't even able to scream she was so scared - she decided it wasn't her favorite either! It felt like the entire time we were about to flip.
We had a great time though - and my girl really enjoyed meeting another adoptee! It's not that common that she gets to meet others from similar situations and so it's a real treat when it does happen! Somehow - despite my extreme hunger leaving the park - I did manage to keep on my diet yesterday and Im being rewarded for it by a 2lbs loss this morning! WOOHOO! The dieting and working out thing has been going well if not slow - so Im going to keep on keeping on I suppose. Funny story - at the waterpark we were in the restroom because girly needed to do a potty stop. While in there, a girl in the far stall was clearly frustrated and emotional. Her mother and older sister were standing outside the stall trying to help her figure out how to use a tampon for the first time. The conversation was basically that the cardboard part wouldn't come loose from the tampon once inserted. Of course the mother was offering to come in and help her daughter -and her daughter was panicked and frustrated and talking about how she hates her life etc. She could hear us in there, so not wanting to just stand and stare I said aloud that being a girl sucks, and that every one of us have been in her position trying to figure out how tampons work, and it DOES get easier once you get the hang of it. At this point - the mother offered once again to come in and help her to which the girl replied "Mom, I'd rather SHE come in than you" and went on about how she doesn't want her mom to see her bits. It's funny because I can totally imagine years from now - being in that exact same position with my girl. It was like a glimpse into the future. LOL - I can't believe one day Ill be explaining tampon use to my own daughter. Im sooooo glad this is a ways off!! Anywho - I think the reason this post is soooo long is because in reality - Im 
I love those Living Social and Groupon deals. I got the girly and myself a Mother/Daughter session at Glamour Shots for $19 which included a framed 5x7 and a "facebook" digital file. Here's the digital file! My daughter's hair was curled and lovely - but it fell completely straight about 10 minutes into the shoot :( We still enjoyed it - but didn't spend the damn near $400 for the "SMALL" package. I have another session with our regular photographer coming up next time the hubby is home - and THAT is where we will make our portrait orders!
Still - it's a cute photo! I've lost a total of 7 lbs in the last month. Gah - sooooo slow! I understand that's also due to my working out nearly daily and doing strength training. Im building muscle - and retaining the water that is needed to repair the muscles. But still find it frustrating! Oh well... Today I was running uphill for 3 miles and really pushing myself and before I knew it I looked down and I had sweat literally DRIPPING off me. Eeeww....what's worse? My skin all over my face, neck, legs, stomach and back felt like it was stinging like a sunburn being slapped. I have NO idea what that was about but it was really miserable for about an hour. I even called hubby to ask about it because it's never happened before! 
Took this of myself after Mother Daughter Glamour Shots! Everyone on FB says I look like a 70's Porn Star! Yeah....only in the face! 
Me in my workout clothes. I figured maybe posting a Before Photo (or as I like to call it, Shaming Myself Publicly) that not only will it provide a point of reference when Im done getting my 15lbs off, but perhaps just the sheer knowing that folks can see how fat I am might shame me into getting it off? I accept that this might be a weird way to go about motivating myself but, to each their own! So there I am from the front, just under breasts down to crotch. I have a nice shape, says the hubs, a sexy and womanly shape. I disagree. I see extremely WIDE hips. 
Here is the side shot. I know a lot of people think this is still thin, I guess my point of reference is what makes me think Im not. There is a weird roll looking thing going on above my butt (see that white emblem? Look to the left, there is the roll), and in the front there is a belly going on. It's not a huge belly - but it's just enough that my clothes are uncomfortable, and I USED TO BE CONCAVE folks. I dont have to be concave again - I understand that my hubby likes me not to be bony like I was for a little while, but I'd like it to be perfectly taut and flat again. Im not really sure even losing my 15lb gain will get me there now either, as somehow my abs have built up there in the bottom and are rock hard but kinda bulge...
Didn't go as far as I'd like to but had to get er' done so I could get home showered and ready for the hubs to get home!:) But hey - I burned an entire meal off!:) 
Me - ready for the hubs (sans lipstick!) My hair had kind of fallen down but I rock
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