I'm Bringing Sexy Back

One maternity belt.....

Tush Cush......

and maternity swimsuit at a time.

My sexiness is overpowering at the moment.

If I get really lucky, I may even get one of these for easy showers.

JT's got nothing on me. Lance is one lucky man!

I'm Not Meant for Camping

I should just accept this fact and stop trying.

Two years ago, we had this little debacle where I brought a camping chair instead of the tent. No harm, no foul. We slept on our comfy inflatable mattress under the stars.

Last night, I wasn't going to be a fool again. Lance and I both double-checked that we had the tent before hitting the road. We made it up to Lehi and began setting up camp. As we pulled the tent out, we realized we had everything...but the tent rods. No worries! I pride myself on being a 'roll with the punches' kind of gal, so we set up shop on an outdoor stage. Problem solved.


Until, of course, the campsite was taken over by a band of wild foxes.

Seriously--3-4 brazen foxes, undeterred by people and fire. Suddenly sleeping under the stars without the protection of a tent seemed like a bad idea, and I can only imagine Dobbie barking at them all night long. Plan B. We packed up, and headed back home.

I give up. At least my hobo dinner was tasty.

Back From the Land of Cheese Curds

Yes!! I managed to make my 2nd flight. I will leave out the part where I tried to leave without my rolling suitcase, and then threw my boarding pass in the trash. Seriously--what is wrong with me??

The Heartland was good times, as usual. I love seeing cheese curds on **every** menu, especially deep-fried ones. I'm not knocking it--I would love to partake, I just can't. I should also note I ordered fries at a diner, and they came battered. Battered fries!! I had no idea fries could get more unhealthy than they already were. Turns out they can.

I did, however, squeeze in a few rootbeer floats from the local A & W stand. Heavenly.

My other big coup was this highly convenient walker/chair combo. My booty/bum leg graced this seat more than I care to admit. My sister dared me to fly down the driveway in it backwards, which I did *not* do. Unless you saw me do it, but I highly doubt you were there. So, it didn't happen.

Hi, Mom! Didn't happen!

On to the shower. Since everyone knows how much I love babies with headbands, especially with large flowers, my family thought it would be hilarious to force me to wear one. When I looked around the room, I was horrified--they all had them on. Worst. Nightmare. Ever. Good one, fan-damily!

The obligatory belly shots--10 weeks from due date!

They started the shower with cute little guessing games--my birthweight, my middle name, how big my belly measured. I like my Aunt Heidi's note of caution.

Then came the tasty food, complete with a tasty spread, bright green and pink cookies, and delicious handmade gluten-free eclairs handcrafted by Heidi. It was all so cute and delicious!

Time for presents!

Mini got the cutest swag around. Cute coats, jumpers, robes, towels--you name it. I am a very lucky and blessed Mom-to-be!


My mom and sister did this very cute clothesline deal where I pulled one end out a hamper, and then the line was passed around the room. As it passed me, I got to see all of the goodies hanging on it--shoes, hats, jackets. It was all so adorable.

One of the highlights is the "Lil Finn" shirt to honor my Finish heritage. I had planned on doing so by doubling all of my vowels (Kaari and Eriika, anyone??), mumbling a lot, and eating brats-- but this is probably better. I also got this from Eriika to honor the GREATEST MOVIE EVER.


While home, we went through a box of old videotapes I need to have transferred onto DVD. I promise to post them. I know you're dying to see our choreographed routine to Kris-Kross. It will make you want to jump-jump!!


I also found the tape with my foray into child modeling in a runway show. Cindy Crawford I was not. Stiff, unnatural, and not particularly attractive I was. It's good stuff.

Thanks to everyone who helped organize my shower, and a special thanks to everyone who traveled to be there for my big day. I can hardly wait for you to meet Mini! Now gimme some cheese curds.

What's Blond, 7 Months Pregnant, and Misses Flights?

If you guessed me, you get a cookie. I pulled a serious Doughhead move today. I was flying out of SFO, connecting through Denver, and ending up in Minneapolis for my family baby shower on Sunday. That was the plan. However, I mixed up my departure time from Denver with my departure time from SFO. I realized my mistake 20 minutes before my flight left this morning--too late.

I re-booked for tomorrow, but I'm nursing as seriously bruised ego. The worst part is that I double-checked the flight time twice yesterday. Can I blame Mini for this? Everyone told me I would lose my brain. Turns out this pregnancy myth actually is true, unlike the ones about weird cravings, crying jags, and bad sleep. But, hey, I have a bum leg, so I'm not totally off the hook.

Now that I have an extra 24 hours, I'm going to catch up on my blogging. Lucky you!

I realized that suburbia is slowly sucking the life out of me--and I don't even mind. Here are some of the recent things causing me great delight:

Our local Whole foods had a free e-waste recycling day. We loaded up 4 large and heavy bags with old laptops, phones, wires, and keyboards. It felt so good to unload all of this junk for free!


Here are some of the gems we have been holding onto for the last decade.

My first Blackberry! Barely a step up from a pager, yes?

What has to be the world's first laptop. I swear it weighed a solid 20 pounds.

My first cell phone! Note the large antenna and mouthpiece that comes down.


I have a feeling that it ran on this wireless network. Zack would be so proud.

Other suburban joys. I bought an ugly bar stool at a garage sale for $5. This allows me to put on makeup, dry my hair, and make food without standing on the aforementioned bum leg. Yay!

We got new rugs for our bathroom. The old ones were stained, flat, and janky. These are light, fluffy, and soft. It excites my feet to step on them when exiting the shower.

We're getting new closet doors. We have the original, 60 year old sliding doors that don't really slide so well. They jump the track all of the time, and end up looking like junk. Plus, when the fall off the track, they trap all of the contents inside, which doesn't come in handy.


I also re-discovered the joys of RIT dye. Since I'm picky, I decided to dye the changing table covers and basket liners kelly green. I love the results, and it was less than $8. The green is a perfect match with the canvas baskets from PBK.


To combat all of the boring suburban exploits, I attended the Grease Sing-a-Long in SF with Sharla and Candace.

I wasn't totally convinced the crowd was going to get crazy, but the minute the lights went down the entire theatre went nuts. It was so fun to be able to sing along with the movie. Nothing like belting out Summer Nights along with 300 other people.


If delighting in suburban adventures is wrong, I don't want to be right.

Why We Will be Attending a Baby Care Class

Lance has some strange ideas when it comes to Mini.

For instance--I was explaining to him about this baby bath bucket from Europe--it saves times and space.

He thinks the idea is great, but wants to sub in the Home Depot bucket instead.

In his defense, it is cheaper, and the idea is pretty much the same.

I also told him that a well padded dresser drawer could come in handy if you need a crib in a pinch. (Not my underwear drawer, BTW. Who the crap folds their socks and skivvies? Plus, I think I see some nude hose in there. Shudder.)


His response? "Sweet! Then you can just push the drawer in when the baby cries!"

No..babies don't go in dressers. In his defense (again) Kramer did it on Seinfeld, and the results were hi-larious.


Actually, most of what he's been saying makes sense now that I see it typed out. I think Mini will be a-ok. Plus, that baby care class sounds boring as all get-out.

Utah Baby Shower & Nesting

Last weekend I flew out to Utah for the first of three showers. Mini is quite fortunate to have a long list of people wishing to shower her with love and gifties.

Bon-Bon hosted the shower along with these 2 lovely ladies

They did an amazing job, and whipped up a delightful spread. The peonies smelled divine!

We were able to hold it outdoors in their gorgeous and immaculate backyard. They put up a tent, which kept the sun away, but allowed in a cool breeze. It was a perfect day!

My cousin Heather and her adorable daughter Summer were able to make it. She's due in a few weeks. I'm not sure why I look so large and tall standing next to her.

Mini got all sorts of cute clothes, blankets, and necessities. She's already one lucky girl!

Lancer dressed up--here he is in his finest clothing.

With my nieces Morgan and Taylor

Nieces Kristie and Brookie

We even got an update on the garden sign! Logan finally has some company.

After getting back, I had a little nesting/panic attack. I realized I was 12 weeks away from Le Bebe's arrival, and I still have a ton of stuff to do. I sat down and cranked out some final decisions.

I got this adorable 2 piece bookcase/storage bin from The Land of Nod in white. This will go in Mini's room. I love the vintage vegetable bin style on the bottom. Looking forward to chucking all of her goodies in the bottom bin with minimum effort.

Got this bookcase for the living room, along with some storage canvas totes from PBK for the shelves. Again with the cute vintage accents.

Here are the canvas bins from PBK--I got the hot pink totes, and the bright green totes marked 'Games' and 'Toys' in the picture below. 2 large ones for Mini's room (laundry and toys) and 2 medium ones for the bookcase in the living room (who knows what).

Got this adorable vintage-inspired white peg board to hang by the door. I'm wayyyy too lazy to open up a closet and use a hanger, so this is going to be a lifesaver. I'm going to paint it green, orange, or gray.

And, last but not least, I ordered new ultrasuede cushions for the glider Lancer bought from his co-worker. It has this aged denim on it that's not really stain-resistant. Even Lancer could tell it was worn out and stained. No worries, though. It's a great brand, and I love the mahogany wood. The new cushions are charcoal gray and will great in the nursery. Here's the fabric:

I'm glad I got them ordered, as they take between 8 and 15 weeks. Let's hope it's closer to the 8 week mark.


I'm feeling so much better. I'm not really the Type A, strung-out type but I certainly get in these moods where I feel overwhelmed, and I want things to get whipped into shape ASAP.

What's funny about the 3 pieces from Land of Nod is that they are the only things we have gotten new. Everything else has been used. I suppose that's the one good thing about waiting so long to have kids--everyone here has no room, and they're looking to unload all of their stuff for cheap or free.

Thanks to everyone who came to the Utah shower--it was great to see all of you!