Saturday was the bridal shower for my sister-to-be. I took Julie and she wore a dress for the first time ever. She wore the dress that lj bought for her and it looked adorable! I took a picture, but it was with my mom's camera, so she has the pic, I don't have it yet. Julie look adorable :)
Not much else happening around here. Our eaves work is being finished up right now, so they will be done before lunch today. I want my dad to come have a look at the work tonight and then if he says everything is okay, I will pay the invoice tomorrow. Home ownership is expensive! But that work was long overdue. We also have to get our chimney repaired, but I am hoping we can wait until the fall or even next year for that. And our shingles are almost 20 years old... it never ends! But that was to be expected, our house is almost 100 years old.
Operation declutter is going well. I am still working on the office. I moved all my scrapbooking stuff to the main floor, which will be much better. I bought a cheap $90 pantry at Wal-mart and we put it together yesterday to house all my scrapbooking stuff and that opens up some space in my office so I can actually put some office stuff away.
Oma is doing better. They have her on 2 new meds to help prevent further strokes, so that's good. She seems to be back to her old self. I'm wondering if this latest stroke will make her memory even worse, but I guess only time will tell on that one.
Tomorrow, I am going out for dinner with the girls from work, so that will be fun. I do miss the people I work with. Don't really miss work yet, but definitely the people. I'm starting to think about what I'm going to do when I have to go back to work. Since I have 8.5 months before I have to go back, I am considering all sorts of possibilities. I know I will have to go back, I just hope I can do some sort of part time schedule and maybe even work a couple days a week from home and only be in the office 1-2 days a week. That's my ideal situation. My mom has the type of job where she only has to be at the university for maybe 10 hours a week, so she is open to babysit a lot, which is great.
I am even considering other types of jobs too. I guess they would be in addition to my regular job since I don't want to give that up completely. My mom thinks I should sell Creative Memories (scrapbooking items), but I think there is a minimum sales requirement you have to meet each quarter, which I don't want. I do love their products, but I don't want any pressure. I sold Avon while I was in highschool. Didn't make a whole lot of money at it, but it was fun. I also didn't put in a lot of effort though, so maybe I could make more money at it if I put in more effort. Although in these tough economic times, I'm sure people aren't wanting to buy as much. I'm just thinking of the endless possibilities at this point. The 'top-up' from my company ends in July, at which point I will only be getting the maternity benefits from the government, so I guess I'll wait and see how we deal with the reduced income.
Baby Age Ticker
Monday, April 27, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Oma is okay
I just phoned the hospital to get an update and Oma is doing okay. Her symptoms have resolved, so they will likely be sending her home this evening. It was a very mild stroke, so they didn't need to do any treatment other than just watch her since for the first 24 hours, she is at a greater risk for more severe strokes. So, as of this afternoon, we can relax a bit.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Poor Oma
My mom just called to let me know she had to take Oma to the hospital... I guess she had another mini-stroke (she's had 2 or 3 in the last 5 years or so). They are waiting for some test results and will keep me posted. I hope she's okay!
Drowning in Papers
I decided to try to work through some of the mess that is my office and it's a huge job! I am in a ruthless cleaning up mood, so I figured I should take advantage of it. I can't believe all the crap I have kept! I really want to get my house a little more organized, so this is a start at least.
The company we hired is starting on our eaves/soffit/fascia today, so it may be done by the end of the week - yay! Our plan for this year is to get the outside of the house fixed up. New eaves/soffit/fascia is happening now, and then later on this spring we want to repaint the window sills, garage, and roof over the back deck. I think Carlos is planning to take a couple days off in May so we can get this done. We also really need to get our chimney repaired, but that will have to wait until either the fall or next year since this work on the eaves is quite expensive. Owning an older home is a lot of work! But, I think the work this year will make a huge difference on the outside.
The company we hired is starting on our eaves/soffit/fascia today, so it may be done by the end of the week - yay! Our plan for this year is to get the outside of the house fixed up. New eaves/soffit/fascia is happening now, and then later on this spring we want to repaint the window sills, garage, and roof over the back deck. I think Carlos is planning to take a couple days off in May so we can get this done. We also really need to get our chimney repaired, but that will have to wait until either the fall or next year since this work on the eaves is quite expensive. Owning an older home is a lot of work! But, I think the work this year will make a huge difference on the outside.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Good news and bad news
I'll start with the bad news... we think there is something wrong with Gino (one of our cats). I was out all day yesterday, but when I got home, he was favouring one leg and obviously in pain. I don't think it's a problem with the leg, but maybe his hip from the way he was walking. So, I'm going to check on him this morning, and if he's still limping around, I'll have to take him to the vet today to have him checked out. I hope it's nothing serious! Poor guy...
And the good news - we're having a new fridge and stove delivered today! We bought the set on the weekend since we found a really great deal - both for $999! No more beige and brown 'wood' trim appliances from the early 80's! So we should notice a difference on our electricity bill! They are "stainless look", so they are not actually stainless steal, but look like it. Actually this is better than stainless since it doesn't have that smudgy look that is so hard to keep clean. The stove is self cleaning which I really wanted and it also has the smooth cooktop, which is awesome! We got the very last set (they are selling them all off since they don't make that colour anymore). There is also a matching dishwasher, but we decided not to get that right now. They had lots of the dishwashers left, so we could always get it a few months down the road if we want to. We have gotten by this far without a dishwasher, so we'll wait on that one. And even if we don't get the matching one, a black one would look good since there is also quite a bit of black on the fridge and stove.
And even more good news - for the last 3 nights, Julie has slept for 9 hours! YAY!
EDIT 9:39am
Gino seems to be a bit better this morning. Still limping, but not as bad. So, we're going to keep an eye on him today and see if he gets better. If not, we'll take him to the vet tomorrow to get checked.
Our new fridge and stove arrived at 8:15am this morning - they look great! The funny thing is, we used our tax refund to pay for them and last year, we used our tax refund to pay for our washer and dryer! And both years, we bought our new appliances on the Saturday of the Easter long weekend. I found that funny.
And the good news - we're having a new fridge and stove delivered today! We bought the set on the weekend since we found a really great deal - both for $999! No more beige and brown 'wood' trim appliances from the early 80's! So we should notice a difference on our electricity bill! They are "stainless look", so they are not actually stainless steal, but look like it. Actually this is better than stainless since it doesn't have that smudgy look that is so hard to keep clean. The stove is self cleaning which I really wanted and it also has the smooth cooktop, which is awesome! We got the very last set (they are selling them all off since they don't make that colour anymore). There is also a matching dishwasher, but we decided not to get that right now. They had lots of the dishwashers left, so we could always get it a few months down the road if we want to. We have gotten by this far without a dishwasher, so we'll wait on that one. And even if we don't get the matching one, a black one would look good since there is also quite a bit of black on the fridge and stove.
And even more good news - for the last 3 nights, Julie has slept for 9 hours! YAY!
EDIT 9:39am
Gino seems to be a bit better this morning. Still limping, but not as bad. So, we're going to keep an eye on him today and see if he gets better. If not, we'll take him to the vet tomorrow to get checked.
Our new fridge and stove arrived at 8:15am this morning - they look great! The funny thing is, we used our tax refund to pay for them and last year, we used our tax refund to pay for our washer and dryer! And both years, we bought our new appliances on the Saturday of the Easter long weekend. I found that funny.
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Happy Birthday to my hubby!
Today is my hubby's 31st birthday! I have booked my mom to babysit Julie so that Carlos and I can go out on a date. I can't wait! I'm going to get all dressed up for a night out with my man ;)
Julie is amazing! The last 2 nights, she has slept for 8 hours - wow! I couldn't ask for a better baby! :)
I went to the bank yesterday and set up an RESP for Julie. For any babies born after 2004, the government contributes at least 20% of how much you contribute (could be up to 40% based on your income). So, that is too good of a deal to pass up on! A minimum 20% return on your investment plus whatever return you get on the money invested (ours is invested in a specific mutual fund called the "Target 2025 fund" which means for the first several years is it invested in mostly equity (high risk, but high potential for return) and then as it matures, it slowly decreases the portion of equity and increases the portion of guaranteed funds so that by close to the time you need the money, it is invested very low risk. Right now we are just starting with a low monthly amount, but we can always increase it when we have more money. And if we have any more children, we can add them to the same plan too.
Today I am making phone calls to try to get some estimates to have our soffit, fascia, and eaves replaced on our house. It will be an expensive thing to have done, but it is long overdue and we figured now would be the time to do it with the new "2009 Home Reno Tax Credit". We are also flirting with the idea of upgrading our kitchen... but again, an expensive job. We will definitely price things out though.
Julie is amazing! The last 2 nights, she has slept for 8 hours - wow! I couldn't ask for a better baby! :)
I went to the bank yesterday and set up an RESP for Julie. For any babies born after 2004, the government contributes at least 20% of how much you contribute (could be up to 40% based on your income). So, that is too good of a deal to pass up on! A minimum 20% return on your investment plus whatever return you get on the money invested (ours is invested in a specific mutual fund called the "Target 2025 fund" which means for the first several years is it invested in mostly equity (high risk, but high potential for return) and then as it matures, it slowly decreases the portion of equity and increases the portion of guaranteed funds so that by close to the time you need the money, it is invested very low risk. Right now we are just starting with a low monthly amount, but we can always increase it when we have more money. And if we have any more children, we can add them to the same plan too.
Today I am making phone calls to try to get some estimates to have our soffit, fascia, and eaves replaced on our house. It will be an expensive thing to have done, but it is long overdue and we figured now would be the time to do it with the new "2009 Home Reno Tax Credit". We are also flirting with the idea of upgrading our kitchen... but again, an expensive job. We will definitely price things out though.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
Busy girls!
Mom and I finished the wedding invitations for my brothers wedding yesterday. They look amazing! For some reason, my brothers fiance who is usually incredibly organized, is being a somewhat disorganized bride, which really surprised me. Good thing she has me to get things in order! I really think I should be a wedding planner in my next career, I really enjoy it. I guess the only downside would be working with bridezillas ;)
Last night we had a little birthday party for my mom, whose birthday is today. So that was nice. We gave her a little engraved photo frame with this photo in it:
I took my mom out for lunch yesterday in honour of her birthday (since she is fully booked for today), and that was the first time I went to a restaurant with Julie. She was an angel! She slept for most of it and when she was awake, she was happy in grandmas arms. Not a peep out of her the whole time!
Other good news: for the second night in a row, Julie slept for 7.5 hours - awesome! I really couldn't ask for a better baby! She's so happy and smiley 99% of the time she's awake, and she's such a great sleeper!
Last night we had a little birthday party for my mom, whose birthday is today. So that was nice. We gave her a little engraved photo frame with this photo in it:
I took my mom out for lunch yesterday in honour of her birthday (since she is fully booked for today), and that was the first time I went to a restaurant with Julie. She was an angel! She slept for most of it and when she was awake, she was happy in grandmas arms. Not a peep out of her the whole time!
Other good news: for the second night in a row, Julie slept for 7.5 hours - awesome! I really couldn't ask for a better baby! She's so happy and smiley 99% of the time she's awake, and she's such a great sleeper!
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