MOVING UPDATE, ETC!!!!!! :)

Long time no post! Many, many apologies!!

I promised to give an update of all of our drama as of late. As you can see my last post is Sept. 23rd, omg! I will give some short updates on our drama, although I could go on forever about each one.

The last week of September, my beloved Grandma Bernice fell ill. After a week or so in the hospital, we lost her. I spent TONS of time with her growing up and of course will never forget her. I absolutely hate that she's gone. She was my last grandparent, too. It seems weird to be grandparentless. She had moved to a sort-of assisted living cute apartment in Davenport since May and had loved living there. After a resident passes away, you only have two weeks to remove their things since there is a waiting list for the apartments. My aunts packed all of my grandma's things and moved them into our (soon to be old) house. It's weird seeing her stuff everyday and boxes with her writing on it, knowing she's never coming back! It's also strange to see the circle of life because my grandma was born in the house we live in now, her mom passed away due to child birth complications and now her things are stacked up everywhere. Sadness. R.I.P., Grandma!


The week my g-ma originally went into the hospital for the last time, my dog, Thomas, who had bone cancer (mentioned in other blogs) unfortunately passed away. I have never had to put one of my pets down. The vet had given me three signs to look for and to call him asap when it happened. Until then, he had been eating, greeting us at the door and going outside to the bathroom. He had slowed down and the tumor on his head looked TERRIBLE but he was still the same dog. When I came home that Friday, he was not the same dog. He looked so sad and wouldn't get up. So we had to make the decision. We miss him but I'm so glad he's not in pain anymore and addicted to pain meds like Michael Jackson!


Coincidentally, that same week, our groomer had found an awesome home for our dog, Georgia. I could go on and on how great it would have been. Georgia has a tendency to very occasionally snap at the air in her sleep if you walk close to her and she doesn't hear you approach. I am sure it's a herding dog tendency. She came from a very successful breeder and has a strong herding instinct. Not thinking this would be idea for the baby, we decided to consider re-homing her but ONLY to an awesome home. The people were great and we had planned on the Sunday after Thomas passed away (not knowing he was going to). Breaking your child of a dog she received from Santa is NOT EASY. We were both realllly sad and it was weird without Georgia in the house, although nice to be down to three dogs. lol. I felt TERRIBLE for Belle and bribed her with a trip to Wisconsin Dells next summer. :) The end of the story is we really missed Georgia but she seemed happy in her new home with her labrodoodle friend. I kept in contact with her new owners every few days. After about a month, her new owner called me extremely upset. Georgia and their daschund were not getting along and Dixie the Daschund was getting really depressed. She also said Georgia seemed sad. I was so happy to get Georgia back, I drove over there immediately! Georgia was so excited to see us and Belle cried when I pulled up with her in the car. Yay!


I had always said it would be good for Georgia to spend some time in a shelter to know how good she has it. All of my other dogs are rescues and WONDERFUL. Georgia is spoiled and even though she's been through a lot of training, still doesn't appreciate us like the others. I don't think she liked living with a two-year old hyper labrodoodle that outweighed her by thirty pounds and outheighted her by about a foot. LOL. Every since returning, she's been a COMPLETE ANGEL!! Granted, we still do not need four dogs and it was nicer with three. The problem is I love them all! Here's a pic of us trying to get a family pic with the five dogs when we found out Thomas had cancer. Trust me, the pic is terrible and we all, dogs included, normally look much cuter!



At the farm, we are getting an invisible fence and fencing a HUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGE area. We are also going to do an indoor invisible fence and keep them off the carpet/out of the bedrooms. Our current house has ALL wood floor and neat-freak husb is suicidal enough over it. He would not be able to deal with the carpeting having hair on it. Trust me!

The invisible fence people are sooooo nice and the prices are beyond reasonable compared to getting a real fence, including chain link! At some point, I will post a pic of the humongous area we were able to fence for less than we fenced a small to regular-sized part of our old yard. It's gonna rule.

Alright, moving on. So FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY, my in-laws' house was almost done and the harvest was getting underway. Kurt had been working working working on that house every night for months. Their house is unreal amounts of amazing. Everything is unbelievably awesome and top of the line from the trim and closets to the garage floors and new tv's. I'd love to live there but would hate paying for it :) so we'll be sticking to the 1960's ranch FOREVER. :)

So, like I said, it was nearing completion at the end of October when Kurt's beloved Grandpa Fred passed away! I am NOT KIDDING. Yes, I know deaths come in 3's. My boss says my dog counts as #2 so I am hoping this is the last. The farm was Fred's (Kurt's mom's dad). He was around every single day when Kurt and his brother were growing up and everything just kind of revolved around him. He was diagnosed with congestive heart failure earlier this year, same as my grandma, and his heart just got too tired. Needless to say, November 5th was not a happy day. It's definitely weird without him around! He passed away the Thursday before they were supposed to move into the new house (Fred had his own suite), so he never even got to see it. Sadness! R.I.P., Fred!


But, as of Sunday, Kurt's parents are completely moved into their new house! They began staying there last Thursday night (the 12th). I started painting on Friday night while Kurt and his brother began the horrendous task of wallpaper and border scraping. I love my mother-in-law and she sure does love her borders and wallpapers. She likes to glue it on (with super glue it seems). Kurt's brother worked all night on the master bedroom and Kurt worked for hours and hours over the weekend to get the bathroom wallpaper scraped off. What a nightmare!

The good news is that I was able to finish Belle's room on Friday night and the baby's room Saturday!! They look sooooo great!!!!!!!!!!!! Sooooo cute! I am SOOOOOOOOOO GLAD I painted those two rooms first. Our room is such a pain in the ___, I have to keep going into the kids' rooms to get inspired and not shoot myself!

Here are their rooms:



Although on my baby blog, I had posted some bedding I bought Belle, I ended up finding some I liked mucho better on Land of Nod!



The pictures are terrible lighting but it's a really bright grassy green:


Here's the baby's bedding for anyone who hasn't seen it 100 times (also from Land of Nod):

Again, HORRIBLE lighting in the pic below. In reality, it's a bright, buttery yellow just like in the Land of Nod pic:

NOW for our God-foresaken room! Some may remember the Pottery Barn collection I just "had to have." I decided this was now our "summer bedding" due to the fact I found some bedding I couldn't live without at Bed, Bath & Beyond! :) The husband was quite skeptical of this plan. I told him "LOTS" of people have summer vs. winter bedding. lol.

I PLANNED to paint the room three walls of copper and one wall of dark chocolate. When I went to buy the paint, however, I fell into 'the trap.' The "WOW RED WOULD BE REALLY COOL" TRAP! If you have EVER painted with red, you know this trap. It's similar to avoiding a marsh full of alligators. Only, begin to welcome death, not try to jump on alligators and swing from vines to avoid being eaten, a la Pitfall.

What a ___ing nightmare. What a ______ ____ing nightmare. Red is sooo hard to paint with, people. DO NOT DO IT. If I ever insist in doing this again, I will hire a professional. It's too stressful. Due to the border my mother-in-law had in the bedroom, Sunday I primed the entire room and did 2 coats of the red. It looked HORRIBLE after coat #1, then pretty good after coat #2. It still needs a 3rd coat, however. Last night I painted the one chocolate accent wall. MUCH EASIER TO DEAL WITH!!!!!!!!!! I loved it. Tonight, I am going to do the third coat of red and finish the closet. TOMORROW the ceiling. I agree you're supposed to paint the ceiling first. I decided to go on a limb and do it backward which is good because I hit the ceiling lightly a couple times with the red!

YES, I HAVE SPENT MORE DAYS ON THIS ROOM THAN BOTH KIDS' ROOMS COMBINED. KILL ME! It sucks because now that it's the weekdays, we have to have Belle home at a decent hour and I don't get out there until like 6pm. Ay!

P.S. I think it's super weird to say "kids" instead of "kid."

ANYWAY, here is a horrible pic of the red/brown room so far. Bad, bad lighting, yet again:

So, I am loving it but it has been a humongous pain! Would I go back in time and just do the copper instead of the red? GOD, YES! But ask me again when I'm all done with it :)

SO! Hopefully tomorrow we can get the hallway and living room painted. That will allow for the carpets to be cleaned on Thursday and us to move in on Friday, Saturday and Sunday! YIPPEEEEE!

Also this weekend I'll be working on painting the bathroom and kitchen, then the entryway at some point, then seriously celebrating the end of my painting era. The only thing left would be Kurt's bathroom, wihch is covered in wallpaper. That bathroom deserves its own post, though! HAHA!

Mucho love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ann :)

Well, well, well...

Look what I found online today. CNN had a list of 18 things mothers should teach their sons about women. Granted, I will also post this on the baby blog (with a different angle), but I thought I'd also post it on my random blog for good measure, just because it's things every GUY SHOULD ALREADY KNOW! :) I know my lovely husband checks my blog once every six months or so, so maybe it will be today and he'll take particular note of #7. :) Yes, yes, we do... Love you, honey.

As a side note, due to #10, I shop alone now. Ha. There's nothing more annoying than a guy following you around Von Maur in silence and instead of looking at retail items, he is staring at the back of your head. My husand would never do this, as he's now no longer invited (a.k.a. forced to go) with me. I'm pretty sure he's very happy about this as well!

In his defense, he's beyond amazing at most of the others. Especially #1, 2, 4 and 11! :)

#12 is completely irrelevant as there is no way in hell he'd ever invest in my shoe collection. I did not know this was bad luck but if he were willing to spring for some Calvin Klein heels, I think I'd take my chances.

No s*&^ to #3. Men that use this phrase "You're being crazy" are just blatantly asking to suffer the wrath.

#6 is just completely hilarious. I've never thought of it this way but hello, SO TRUE.

Ladies, feel free to use against your men via whatever means necessary:

1. Pick your battles.
2. Walk on the outside (closer to the street) of your female companion.
3. Saying "You're being crazy" is never an appropriate response, unless you want her to go postal on you.
4. Cooking, cleaning, and taking care of kids are things men can actually do as well as women.
5. Keep backup supplies of quality chocolate in the house for her to raid.
6. Buying tampons and other feminine products shouldn't embarrass you --everyone knows they're not for you.
7. Women like compliments and gifts.
8. Earning less than her shouldn't be emasculating.
9. Be on time, even if she usually isn't.
10. Don't be a pouty puppy when shopping with her.
11. Find out what her favorite flower is.
12. If you like her, then don't buy her shoes; it's bad luck.
13. Smiling and nodding aren't the same as listening.
14. It's OK to cry in front of her, but keep the blubbering to a minimum.
15. Personality goes a long way.
16. At some point she'll be more important than your mother.
17. You will never completely understand women.
18. Oh yeah, and no woman will ever be good enough for my baby!

Love you all ~
Ann :)

Bye Bye Dresses!

Alllllllrighty then! ALL votes for ditch the dressage! This is somewhat humorous or pathetic that some of the voters, I'm sure, were the brides of these weddings and/or also in some of the weddings with me. Lol. So if even THEY say ditch, it must be realllly ridiculous of me to have kept them this long! Haha.

My weekend consists of packing, packing and more packing and hopefully finishing the cleaning out the garage. Ugh. Bonfires will be big at the farm this weekend!! Kurt's going out to the farm Saturday a.m., so I'm hoping I can convince my dad to come out and help me look in and/or move boxes from the garage to the truck bed. Awwww because I can't lift anything? NO!!! Because I'm scared of big creepy garage spiders! Ha!! My dad is great and likes to help so it shouldn't be too hard to convince him. :)

Hope everyone has wonderful weekends planned!!

Love,
Moi

Another Random Survey! :)

Tango Show in Argentina. See #44.

Again, stolen from a friend's blog. Agree with her that it's a sad excuse for blog topics yet neither of care and at least it's posting something! This survey I had to post, if not only for #43 :) :)

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
No. Boring! My dad insisted my brother and I have names that couldn't be shortened. Hence, Ann and Jay. Otheriwse, I would've been Brianna or Heather (or so my mom told me). I love my name now, though :)

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Saturday about my dog.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Yah.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Ew. None!

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Yes. One and also a bun in the oven!

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Totally.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM
NEVER... *rolls eyes*

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Unfortunately. I always wanted them out.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
No! I am not a fan of potential bodily injury (excludes Vinyasa III @ the Shala).

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Hmmm... If I could only pick one it would be PB Captain Crunch although I never really eat it. I also like Cocoa Pebbles and Smart Start and Rice Chex.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Hardly any of my shoes have ties so no.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Whitey's Coffee

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Niceness

15. RED OR PINK?
Pink

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
I wish could be a tan version of Ann.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
Alabama going on tour.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST?
Oh totally but not thinking they could...due to this being on a blog?

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Pants and shoes are both dark brown.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
Nothing. I like silence. :)

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Violet

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Stella, Chanel

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE
My g-ma

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
I stole it from E.L.'s blog. Yes.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH
Professional baseball and college football.

27. HAIR COLOR?
Whatever Sara picks out

28. EYE COLOR?
Blue

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
Yes. My vision is like 20/350. I can't even walk around the house without them.

30. FAVORITE FOOD?
Thai!

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy Endings. Not a fan of the sad ending (i.e. Titanic, Marley & Me, etc)

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Honestly? Cheetah Girls One World. LOL.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
It's a sheer shirt that has flowers on it. Maternity is tres sexy. Not.

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Summer!!!!!!!!!!!!!

35. HUGS OR KISSES?
Both :)

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
Not sure of the possibility here...


38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
See 37.

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Some random book from the library (see previous survey).

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Do ppl still have mousepads?

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
Nothing!

42. FAVORITE SOUND(S).
Concerts.

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
Good lord, there is no comparison. The Stones obviously. The Beatles aren't in their league even. Don't get me started. I freaking LOVE THE STONES. *It's those honky tonk women....."

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Argentina. It's pretty far down there if you look at a map! For real!!!!! *Sigh* I want to go back!

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
I'm a big fan of makeup (buying and doing) although I wear minimal 99% of the time.

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
D-town, Iowa. Fun, fun.

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
OMG...see 37.

48. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/SIGNIFICANT OTHER?
My friends Kate & Crystal insisted we meet. :)

Survey Fun Time

Thanks, Emilene, for the idea!

1. ONE OF YOUR SCARS, HOW DID YOU GET IT?
I had malignant melanoma when I was 25.

2. WHAT IS ON THE WALLS IN YOUR ROOM?
Antique hats and purses. I’m moving though so they are being taken down. Permanently.

3. DO YOU SNORE, GRIND YOUR TEETH, OR TALK IN YOUR SLEEP?
I don’t think so. I’m a REALLY light sleeper.

4. WHAT TYPE OF MUSIC DO YOU LISTEN TO?
Country

5. DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME YOU WERE BORN?
9:10 p.m.

6. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE THAN ANYTHING RIGHT NOW?
I would take $10,000 to buy all new furniture and baby stuff.

7. WHAT DO YOU MISS?
Cheerleading

8. WHAT IS YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION(S)?
My wedding ring

9. HOW TALL ARE YOU?
4’11”

10. DO YOU GET CLAUSTROPHOBIC?
Not usually

11. DO YOU GET SCARED IN THE DARK?
No

12. THE LAST PERSON TO MAKE YOU CRY?
My dog groomer. She found a tumor on my dog’s head

13. WHAT'S YOUR WORST FEAR?
Something would happen to Belle, Baby “Kevin” or Kurt.

14. WHAT KIND OF HAIR/EYE COLOR DO YOU LIKE ON THE OPPOSITE SEX?
Strawberry blonde and green :P

15. WHERE CAN YOU SEE YOURSELF PROPOSING?
I would propose to Kurt if he gave me #6. Haha. We could renew our vows. Awww! Lol.

16. COFFEE OR ENERGY DRINK?
iet Soda, srsly.

17. Favorite pizza topping?
Double mushroom

18. IF YOU COULD EAT ANYTHING RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Thai

19. FAVORITE COLOR OF ALL TIME?
Pink, hello.

20 HAVE YOU EVER EATEN A GOLDFISH?
Sick! No.

21. WHAT WAS THE FIRST MEANINGFUL GIFT YOU'VE EVER RECEIVED?
I’ll have to think about this one.

22. DO YOU HAVE A CRUSH?
On other than my farmhusband? Just Kenny Chesney.

23. ARE YOU DOUBLE JOINTED?
My fingers are

24. FAVORITE CLOTHING BRAND?

Lots but I shop a lot at the Gap. True Religions for jeans. We’re kind of limited on brands in the QC. I also like The Limited but I hate the sales chicas.

30. SAY A NUMBER FROM ONE TO A HUNDRED:
16

31. BLONDES OR BRUNETTES?
Blondes!

32. FAVORITE QUOTE?
“Hi, Mom. It’s me, Belle.” Belle always says this when she calls or leaves me a message. I think it’s funny because I don’t have any other kids so obviously I know who it is!

33. FAVORITE PLACE?
Vactiony? Beach w/ Kurt...sigh...

34. HAVE YOU BEEN OUT OF THE USA?
Yes

35. YOUR WEAKNESSES?
Exercise aversion

36. MEET ANYONE FAMOUS?
No

37. FIRST JOB?
Babysitter!

38. EVER DONE A PRANK CALL?
OMG, Mandy and I used to all the time.

39. DO YOU THINK EVERYONE OUT THERE HAS A SOUL MATE?
Kind of, kind of not. I think A LOT of people try to stick it out with the wrong person just because it “kind of works” or there are “some good points.”

40. WHAT WERE YOU DOING BEFORE YOU FILLED THIS OUT?
Yawning

41. HAVE YOU EVER HAD SURGERY?
Um yes. Hello.

42. WHAT DO YOU GET COMPLIMENTED ABOUT MOST?
“Cute purse”

43. HAVE YOU EVER HAD BRACES?
Yes, thank god.

44. WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY?
To fit back into my true religions (Bday = March 16, Baby due = Jan 3rd).

45. HOW MANY KIDS DO YOU WANT/HAVE AND THEIR NAMES?
3. Isabella, Luke and Jane. Isabella exists, Kurt won’t go for “Luke” so it will probably be Jake and the future Jane.

46. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
No

47. WHAT IS THE BIGGEST TURN OFF OF THE OPPOSITE SEX?
Rudeness

48. WHAT IS ONE THING YOU LIKE(D) ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL?
Everything but especially my friends, teachers, cheerleading.

49. WHAT KIND OF SHAMPOO DO YOU USE?
Bed Head

50. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Yah

51. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Hell no.

52. ANY BAD HABITS?
Procrastinating

53. ARE YOU A JEALOUS PERSON?
No, not at all….unless you’re a housewife of Orange County. Then I'm jealous of you.

54. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Yes...unless you are into hunting, then I might pass. I'm not a fan of this.

56. DO LOOKS MATTER?
It depends on the situation but in general, no.

57. HOW DO YOU RELEASE ANGER?
Mostly yelling or b**ching to my girlfriends

58.WOULD YOU RATHER GAIN 58 POUNDS OR LOSE 58 POUNDS.
Um gain. Yikes. Ask me on Jan 4th.

60. WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE TOY AS A CHILD?
Honestly, books. Nancy Drew books, specifically.

61. HOW MANY NUMBERS ARE IN YOUR CELL PHONE?
IDK? Maybe 70?

62.WERE YOU A FAN OF BARNEY AS A LITTLE KID?
The dinorsaur? No b/c he didn’t exist. I became a huge fan of him when my two-year old LOVED HIM and he’d entertain her for hours.

64. MASHED POTATOES OR MACARONI AND CHEESE?
God, I love both.

65. WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN A GUY/GIRL?
A combine. My farmboy is adorable.

66. WHAT ARE YOUR NICKNAMES?
A$, Turner, Mom.

67. FAVORITE SUPER POWER?
Hmmm, I wouldn’t mind wish granting.

68. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOW?
Anything on HGTV or Rock of Love (any season).

69.WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO DEAL WITH YOUR ENEMIES?
Don’t make any?

70. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?
Whitey’s coffee

71. DO YOU HAVE ALL YOUR FINGERS AND TOES?
Yah

2. DO YOU HAVE A COMPUTER IN YOUR ROOM?
No

73. PLANS FOR TONIGHT?
Taking Belle to tumbling.

74. WHERE DO YOU WANT TO LIVE WHEN YOU ARE OLDER?
Tennessee

75. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?
Um, I’m guessing no one will since I’m posting it to my blog.

76. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO?
Myself type

77. LAST THING YOU DRANK?
Water

78. LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Mandy

79. THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE IN THE OPPOSITE SEX?
Smile

80. WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME?
Yoga when unpreggo.

81. FAVORITE THING TO HATE?
CNN.com. I hate it (sad news all the time) but I’m addicted.

82. FAVORITE SEASON OF THE YEAR?
SUMMER is the only season I like.

83. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE TYPE OF CANDY?
Laffy Taffy

84. HAVE YOU EVER REALLY AND TRULY HAD A BEST FRIEND?
Yes, a lot of them. I’m very lucky.

85. FAVORITE HAIR COLOR?
On me, whatever Sara decides looks good. On other chicas, brown.

86. YOUR EYE COLOR?
Blue

87. YOUR SHOE SIZE?
5.5

88. FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACE?
Hungry Hobo, Noodles

89. FAVORITE RESTAURANT?
Tantra Asian Bistro (in town). PF Chang’s (out of town).

90. DO YOU LIKE SUSHI?
Yes, I effing love veggie sushi. AAC rolls from Osaka = love.

91. WATCH TV TODAY?
I wish

92. FAVORITE DAY OF THE YEAR?
Christmas, I guess.

93. PLAY ANY MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS?
Flute. I did not go to band camp, though.

94. REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT?
Mixture of both, or neither, I guess. I am not a fan of politics.

95. KISSES OR HUGS?
Both!

96. RELATIONSHIPS OR FRIENDSHIPS?
I have one relationship and lotsa friendships. Not sure what it’s asking! LOL.

97. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU BOUGHT?
Some stuff from Pier 1. Oops :)

98. WOULD YOU EVER BE A HOUSEWIFE?
Totally!!! ONLY if my husband made a lot of $$ and I didn’t mind me spending it. Kurt’s not down for the spending part so he could own all the farms in Iowa and I’d still be workin’ mamasita.

99. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING?A random book from the library.
It’s called This Song’s for You by Arthur Phillips.


Love,
Moi

Poll Time

If you happen to check my baby blog, you'll note I'm a fan of polls. LOL. I added one to the random blog to confirm my suspicions on what to do with my eight bridesmaid dresses. I may do additional surveys in the future about things I'm on the fence about keeping, donating or bonfiring.

So I have eight bridesmaid dresses from my lovely friends' weddings. Some of the funnest nights ever! I have just always kept them hanging in the closets wherever my coats reside. I suspect it may be time to donate these bad boys and move on.

Side note: I don't think even the most deprived prom goer would opt for these dresses. Not that they aren't cute, but they are just obviously bridesmaid dresses from the 2000-2003 era with a couple stragglers post-2003. Not to mention I am only 4'11" so not thinking there are a whole lot of potential adopters out there. I'm open to suggestions, though, on where an organization might be that houses old dresses for prom-aged students.

I had them on the donate pile and asked Kurt, "Do you think I should donate my bridesmaid dresses?" His response was "Do you think I should keep my old underwear?" I think this means they are obvious donations.

Thoughts? Vote, por favor!

Love,
Ann's Bridal :-)

Rockin' the Pack

Well I ALWAYS do what I say I'm going to do (haha...yeah right!) so it should come as no surprise that I spent all of labor day packin' it up! No, seriously, I did this. All effin' day. Yay!

I hit the garage first. I had a huuuuuge pile of boxes and totes in there from when my mom moved a couple months ago and decided to give me all my junk back from when I graduated college, moved away and stashed it at her house. Then she also gave me all of Belle's toys she had bought her since she was a baby til now. My mom has spent ungodly amounts of cash on the only grandchild so you can only imagine that massive amounts of stuff involved. Insane.

The husband left me his beloved truck *rolls eyes* for the extravaganza while he went to help his parents at the farm. Belle's stuff was relatively easy to go through considering I threw it all away. This may sound harsh but do know that my mom smokes. A lot. A lot more than most people. I do not. She's not really keen on cleaning either and much of this stuff has been sitting in her extra bedrooms untouched for years so it had a weird filmy stuff on it. Nasty. It all reeeeeeeked like smoke. Belle's not even able to go over there anymore because she started smoking in the house again. Eeeeeew! There were a ton of childrens books I thought I might be able to salvage by cleaning the covers but changed my mind after flipping through the pages and smelling them. Ugh!!!! I can't believe I used to smoke in high school considering how much I hate the smell on things now. I sure loved it at the time, though. Haha.

Just Belle's stuff filled up the entire truck. As we went to drop it off at the farm, Belle accused me of burning her childhood along with her heart. Lol. She is not deprived at home by any means so she didn't need ANY of this stuff and it was too icky/smokey to even wash up and donate.

We got back home and I hit the storage room and my closet hardcore for the rest of the day. I filled up a huge box of shoes for Goodwill and stuffed a humongous 39 gallon trash sack of clothing donations. I put tons of photo albums into totes and packed almost all of my shoes, jeans, sweatshirts, work clothes, etc. God knows I won't be able to fit into any of the clothing until long after we move anyway so its working out good to get these things packed way in advance. I literally laughed when I packed my belts, as they more resemble hair ties to me now than something that could actually fit around my "waist."

I filled up another random truckload of stuff to ditch and mosied back out to the farm for another bonfire.

How exciting was that labor day?! Probably about as much fun as you had reading this post. It sucked big time (again, like this post)!

Through the suckiness though, its awesome to make progress!! Trust me, it was touch and go for while. Around lunchtime, I decided Belle and I should lunch at Noodles and hit the mall to check out new dishes. It was soooooo hard to resist! I stayed strong though and decided it will surely be a Noddles take out night tomorrow :)

Hope everyone else's labor days surpassed mine in funness!!

Love,
Ann :)

Packing, Donating, Ditching

There are tons of benefits to moving! Ridding yourself of sh## you don't need and replacing said sh## with new, improved, cooler sh##. This is how I'm rockin' the big move.

There are also tons of cons LIKE it takes FOREVER to pack and go through the unwanted. Moving sounds easy and fun, conceptually, I mean how hard is it to toss a bunch of stuff into a box, tape it shut, scribble "dishes" on it and call it a day? Yeah, it sucks majora, though. You are also forced to live in disarray starting Day 1 of the pack...and it gets kinda annoying. All of this is worth it, though, to be prepared in advance! Woot! I have a unique situation of no move date to be in or out, so I can take my sweet time.

I started packing last weekend and rocked The Pack on Saturday and Sunday. I loaded down boxes with kitchen stuff and random decor from all over our casa. They are so heavy even King Kong would need a dolly to move them! We (I.e. Kurt) won't be do much cooking because I packed all of our baking dishes, cutting boards, and what not.

I didn't get too much done during the week...for no real reason other than getting home late and being tired. Saturday I tackled the forbidden closet under our staircase. I filled Kurt's pickup truck with stuff I didn't want, had about three large Uhaul boxes of coats, books, pictures and whatnot and created a HUGE pile of stuff for the Goodwill. Oops. I told you I'm a bad closet person!! I came across a Nike shoebox thay said "Jeri is Tuff" on it, in Jeri's writing...obviously written in high school. The contents was random high school memoribilia that was pretty awesome and hilarious! I found high school cheerleading and orchestra spirit buttons. Several ziplocs of dried roses...hahaha. My old awesome keychain (remember rolling 30 keychains at once???) and the air freshener from my first car (named Million Dollar...no idea why) that I totalled in 1995.

Sunday was a complete loss for The Pack. I am so depressed but I knew it would be. The husb thought it'd be "nice" to go to a random small town festival for the fireman's pancake breakfast and watch the parade. I negotiated my way out of it originally but then started to feel bad for not going. So at 9am I started getting myself and Belle ready, we stayed there til 1:30ish, stopped by the store, saw some friends and made bueno dinner plans for 5:30, dropped Kurt off, ran into Pier 1, came home, left for dinner plans, got home at 9:30. End of day. It was fun, for sure, but no exciting packing stories ensued.

Today it's on. I want to get A LOT packed from upstairs (bedrooms). I so wish I had taken some before and after pics of the closet :). Haha. I'll do this upstairs though, hopefully!

Love,
Moi!!!

Random

My friend, Molly, emailed me this one day in a very boring and horrible meeting. It saved my life so maybe it will save yours, too!

o I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

o More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

o Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

o I don't understand the purpose of the line, "I don't need to drink to have fun." Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they've invented the lighter?

o Have you ever been walking down the street and realized that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

o I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

o The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard. This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.

o Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

o There is a great need for sarcasm font.

o Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the f*** was going on when I first saw it.

o I think everyone has a movie that they love so much; it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

o How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

o I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

o I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

o The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text.

o A recent study has shown that playing beer pong contributes to the spread of mono and the flu. Yeah, if you suck at it.

o Was learning cursive really necessary?

o Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say".

o I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

o Answering the same letter three times or more in a row on a Scantron test is absolutely petrifying.

o My brother's Municipal League baseball team is named the Stepdads. Seeing as none of the guys on the team are actual stepdads, I inquired about the name. He explained, "Cuz we beat you, and you hate us." Classy, bro.

o Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

o How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

o I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a dick from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

o While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

o MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

o Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

o I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

o Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

o I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

o Bad decisions make good stories

o Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

o Is it just me or do high school girls get sluttier & sluttier every year?

o If Carmen San Diego and Waldo ever got together, their offspring would probably just be completely invisible.

o Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from; this shouldn't be a problem....

o You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

o Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after DVDs? I don't want to have to restart my collection.

o There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

o I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

o "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

o I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this. It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

o While watching the Olympics, I find myself cheering equally for China and USA. No, I am not of Chinese descent, but I am fairly certain that when Chinese athletes don't win, they are executed.

o I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Darnit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

o I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

o When I meet a new girl, I'm terrified of mentioning something she hasn't already told me but that I have learned from some light internet stalking.

o I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my iTunes.

o Why is a school zone 20 mph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...

o As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

o Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

o It should probably be called Unplanned Parenthood.

o I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

o I think that if, years down the road when I'm trying to have a kid, I find out that I'm sterile, most of my disappointment will stem from the fact that I was not aware of my condition in college.

o Even if I knew your social security number, I wouldn't know what do to with it.

o Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my a$$ everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...

o My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "Dad what would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the hell do I respond to that?

o It really pisses me off when I want to read a story on CNN.com and the link takes me to a video instead of text.

o I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

o I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

o I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

o The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimate d that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself. There's nothing like being made to feel like a fat b@st@rd before dinner.

Bloggyness

OMG, it has been brought to my attention (thanks, Kelly!) I don't have a link to FarmBaby on this blog! Poor Farmbaby blog! I now have a link, right under Miss Audrey Hepburn and my fave purse, Louis. :) Feel free to check out farmbaby and see what I've been eating (everything - includes Casey's pizza = ew) and how huge I'm getting (seriously, I am). Yay!

What has everyone been up to? It's kind of lame to ask questions on this blog b/c there is really no way most people will answer. But do know that I do care :) I've been, well eating and getting big (see paragraph above).

I am DYING for a tropical vacation. Ugh. I hate the QC and I feel like winter will be here in no time and I'll be stuck in a mile-high snow drift (aka my new house). I'm not really wanting to prance in a bikini right now (hahahaha) so I think the vaca will have to wait. Waaaaaah!

My bedding came in and is fabulous! I love it all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mucho love! Sorry so short!!!!!!!
Ann

Facial = Love

Hola!! Nothing makes you feel like $1,000,000 bucks than a Five Star facial. I'm not even kidding you. The funniest part is you leave feeling like a million but looking 20,000 times worse than when you came in. But WHO CARES because, remember, you feel like a million!

*Sigh*

I was lucky enough to have a Five Star facial tonight with this chica named Sarah (ask for her). Loved it!!! It's an hour of pure bliss including getting your face beautified, steamed, scrubbed and moisturized...all while getting your neck massaged. Heaven! It is sooooo relaxing and your face, neck and self-esteem feels amazing afterward! I really think there are drugs in the steam treatment. As a side note, I have the most sensitive skin in the world and I ADORE their products they use. If I can use them without rushing to the dermatologist, anyone can. Come to think of it, I haven't had to see my dermatologist since I first starting using Five Star's skin care line. Yay!

Note to self: do not go get facial while hungry and pregnant. Oops. I was so starving I thought I was going into a diabetic coma on the table (I'm not diabetic). The funny part was I didn't really care and didn't want to interrupt my awesome facial. lol. I think it was the banana/papaya mask that set the blood sugar plumeting to the depths of hell. The bambino confused the facial mask with real food. Ha! :)

So I came home and had some Smart Start, soy milk and raisin toast. YUMMY!

I'm super tired from my muy awesome facial so I may take a nap :) :) now before Kurt and Belle get home from the farm.

I highly recommend you book a facial with Sarah asap :) www.fivestarsalonspa.com

Love,
Moi :)

Second Post of the Night

So sorry - I realize this is post #2 of the night. I was going to add it to my last blog but blogger keeps messing up my format when I do that. Weird!

Anyway, does anyone know of a charity/organization in the QC that would take a ton of clothes that a typical teenager would wear (remember I'm under 5 feet tall)? I am planning on donating to goodwill but I'd like to give to a women's shelter or something?

Lemme know if you can think of anywhere! :)

<3, Ann

Cleanout Curb

So Kurt's put the kabosh (sorta) on my cleaning. Our extra bedroom is literally FULL of my stuff from the previous blogs so there is NOWHERE to put my donations/garage sale items. Dang. I have randomly been throwing things away every day though :) Yay! I decided ex-nay on the garage-sale-a and would rather donate. Then Kurt's mom reallllly still wants to do it so I feel bad. This is only because she has more things than I do, so this buys her more time on what to NOT part with...ha. So until I decide, I have nowhere to go w/ my el junko. Ugh! I just DO NOTTTT feel like wasting a weekend to make a few hundy...however that could help feed my recently-developed Pottery Barn addiction... Hmmm...

In the meantime, since my deal with the devil has been put on temporary hold, I've picked out our new bedding, new shower curtain and new furniture. No one cares, I'm sure, but I'm at a loss for interesting blog topics. Remember I'm pregnant so the most outrageous thing I do is add lime juice to my water when I take my prenatals!

Here's the new bedding:

I bought all of the stuff in the pic, and I had our monogram added in apple green to match the dots. I also bought the quilt and quilted shams but in porcelain blue instead of watermelon (although I LOVVVVED the watermelon...not sure Kurt would have...lol). Here's the blue:

I didn't have the heart to mention to Kurt that the total I put on his cc last night did not include the bed skirt, extra pillowcases, curtains or ACTUAL DUVET (only included the cover). So hopefully he doesn't read this **smiles sweetly**! Loving him!! I'll be getting all of those things prior to the BIG MOVE! I'm guessing this will be coming out of my moving fund though...not our wedding fund. lol!

I'll miss our old bedding but it is pretty girly...and I'm excited to get new stuff. Yay! I like decorating and I'm TIRED of my old stuff. BEYOND over it!

Here's the new shower curtain for my bathroom (did I mention how excited I am for a boy-less bathroom):


I've realllllly, realllllly liked this little # for a long time but last night I noticed PB put it on clearance! Yikes! No bueno!! PB clearance does not = cheap but it does = no returns. I figured I'd better buy it, though, before they take it off the website completely and I developed a severe case of non-buyers remorse. Hopefully I'll love it since there are no returns on it! :) I'm going to be picking out random towels, rugs and whatever to go with this adorable shower curtain over the next couple of days. Yay for moving and redecorating!

Oh well, at least it's keeping me busy while Kurt's been working at the farm every night :)

We also picked out some furniture online, of which Kurt dropped off pictures to a custom furniture builder where his parents get their tables, chairs, cabinets, etc. It'll be interesting to see what this builder has to say! :) I'm sure it'll cost a million dollars and we'll be rolling to the furniture store like everyone else in the world (note: this is what I wanted to do all along-lol).


Muchoooo love!
Ann

Welcome Back...

...on the last episode of Ann's Random Blog... You'll all remember I made a deal with the devil. My last post was Thursday, the 2nd. So here's the deal: Happy Late 4th, everyone! I did take a couple days off from Thee Holy Regime. This was ONLY because we had a 4th party to attend on Friday evening, then actually hosted a lil 4th gathering on Saturday. So Friday and Saturday consisted of shopping and prepping and making foodstuffs for those events. Sunday I helped (or pretended to help) restore the farm to it's original "order" (a.k.a. cleanest farm EVER) and Sunday night we watched the rescheduled fireworks in Dixon. End of Weekend. Waaah.

Monday was back to work (ew) and back to Thee Regime. On Saturday I couldn't find my awesome F&F Boutique rainboots so I texted Mr. Clean on their whereabouts. He responded with: "Look in your other closet. Your trunk." While I was trying to determine if I should spell out the f-word in my response or just write "eff" or "F" or "f***," he promptly followed up with a "Love u." Smart man...he's clean AND smart! So, whatever, Steward...step off my trunk. LOL. I'll admit the Audilicous has minimal trunk space due to all of Belle & I's junk. It's been a "lil" out of control as of late since Belle's been on the roll for the summer and people are constantly handing me bags of stuff they bought her or she brought out or whatever. Anyway, so I cleaned my trunk. Belle's entire American Girl collection, our sets of rainboots, 44 pairs (exaggerated )of flip flops, several tote bags, my winter coat (okay, two of them) are all in the house now in their respective spots. Yay. So, truly, it doesn't count as a "house clean out" per se but I did throw a bunch of items away and put some in the donation pile. :)

Last night, omfreakin'g, I hit the dreaded computer desk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have been avoiding it like the plague. From the outside it looks quite innocent. A big vintage wooden desk. It kind of rocks it. The drawers are PACKED full of random MBA books, notebooks and papers, cameras, CD's (blank, burned and purchased) packs of pictures (pre-digital camera) era, random adapters to whatever gadgets I've had over the past five years, keys, a couple rocks (?), three staplers, etc etc etc. This innocent desk yielded two garbage bags full of stuff. The funniest things I found were: five old cameras (4 digital, 1 non-digital), I'm sure their respective adapters, three old John Deere badges and a badge to a gym I cancelled membership to in May '08, and two bags of potpourri (I don't use potpourri). I mean FIVE cameras - really? Why? Okay, my last film camera I still had because the battery was dead BUT there were pics on the film. Obviously, you can't take out the film until all had been exposed. I tried, trust me. I then decided the pics most likely weren't worth the cost of the special battery just to take pics of the floor and then take out the film. Gone. Also included were my first digital (Kodak EasyShare), second digital (Canon Elph SD700 - movin' on up), Kurt's digital camera (about as cool as his computer he loves), and a random digital camera of my mom's. I threw them all away. Anyway, this is a really stupid story. I also found all of our wedding receipts! Oh, and a huge stack of my paystubs (unopened) from 2004 and 2005, in order. WTF?

I still have the top of the desk (a row of books) to clean and also the middle drawer (a.k.a. the card drawer). I'm saving these for another night! :) I'm too tired today so I'll have to find something to throw away. I think I'll clean out this lil decorative basket beside the desk and just throw away everything in it. Fun!

Mucho, mucho, love!
Ann

Pure Insanity

Written on Thursday, July 2:

Yep, Day 5. Still hitting the trash bags and Goodwill/Garage Sale piles! I'm starting to get depressed/annoyed at myself for keeping all of this stuff I NEVER wear or use. Maybe Kurt is right - lol.

Tonight I went into the trenches...our attic. It's actually a big room off of the bedroom but for some reason my whole family calls it the attic. I think it's because everyone for the last fifty years has always used it for storage (due to lack of ANY other storage). I mined an ENTIRE laundry basket packed full of purses/handbags/wallets for giveaway. Then I found an entire HUGE storage tote FULL of sweaters and long sleeved shirts. OMG! I decided to not even go through it. I just put it ALL in the pile. Why? I recall packing these shirts away over three years ago when I was trying to put away winter clothes "for the summer." The fact I didn't look for them for three years indicates to me I'll never wear ANY of that stuff again. Ew. Goodbye.

In the "attic," there is an old armoire type of thing. I have all kinds of random clothing in it. That's where you see the big stack on top of the laundry basket in the pic. I made it about 1/3 of the way through this armoire.

The funniest part of the night is a humongous Victoria's Secret bag I FILLED WITH BELTS. Oh god, I have no idea how many but wow were they hilarious!!!!!!!!! Honestly, at least FIFTY BELTS, probably more. Why did I save all of these? Some I seriously remember wearing in college. This is just not normal. lol.

The bad news is the stuff for donating is really starting to stack up in the extra bedroom, which is about to give my farmer a heart attack. Yikes!

Post more soon!

Love,
Moi

Motion of the Lotion

...as in out the door.

I decided to hit up the lotion cabinet tonight. It's actually a really tall antique cabinet that serves as our bathroom closet as surprise, surprise: there is no closet in the bathroom! There is no closet in the bathroom because when the house was built, the bathroom was the outhouse. Therefore, the bathroom was snuck in later behind the kitchen = no room for a closet.

Shockingly, I had an entire shelf DEDICATED to lotions and lotions and lotions. And corresponding body sprays and whatnot. Granted, it's true...I am a shower freak, as previously mentioned. That being said, I buy a lot of lotion. I also feel terrible throwing away any gifts people get me. So I had a huge shelf of this stuff that I may have used at one point for awhile, but switched to something else. In most cases, I won't go back to the old stuff.

I have an ENTIRE fabric Hy-Vee bag packed FULL of bottles of lotions and body sprays. My friend is going to empty them and recycle them. Yay, Kate!



I also was able to purge almost all of my sunscreen collection, like 20 bottles of nailpolish, a bunch of hair ribbons Belle doesn't wear anymore, several types of band-aid boxes after consolidating the contents, etc.

Sorry for the bad pic quality. Kurt accidentally threw away my camera cable so I had to take pics with my phone and upload until I can replace it. Well, at least I'm blaming the cord loss on him. It couldn't have anything to do with the fact my desk and closets are in a disarray! BUT O.M.G. I should've taken a before and after shot. The before picture would look similar to the above picture, except imagine the inside looking like the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. I seriously cannot even explain the difference but my farmer seems impressed this is like Day 4 and I'm still ditchin'...and he can now open the bathroom "closet" without going into cardiac arrest!

So this is a totally lame post. But it IS a bathroom closet and that's the hottest scoop that could come from a bathroom closet! :) Still ditching stuff so...yay! Eventually, I'll have to move on to the computer desk. Ugh!!

Mucho love!!
Ann

End of an Moose-alicious Era (almost)

OMFG. I cannot believe I'm about to admit what I'm ditching for the day. Mainly because I should in no way, shape or form have any of this stuff!!!!!!! I have a feeling my friend Craig will never talk to me again. lol.

So when I turned 30, I decided I was too old to wear my beloved Abercrombie jeans and quit shopping at my 2nd favorite store cold turkey (Von Maur has always been #1). I had been shopping there hardcore for YEARS. Since age 30 (appx 16 months ago), I've done three MAJJJJJOR purges of my A&F collection including lots of jeans, lots of sweaters, lots of long-sleeve stretchy numbers, lots of obnoxious striped items, etc etc. Kurt's god-sister (?) (it's his mom's god-daughter) is 13ish so she's been able to wear all the stuff, which is AWESOME! She's getting rather tall now though so not sure she can still rock my A&F jeans. For those of you wondering how the hell a 13 year old can wear my jeans, do know that I am only 4'11". End of short story.

Anyway! Kurt mentioned the other day that he has never even seen me get into one of the dressers in the spare room. lol. This dresser is my "jeans" dresser and happened to be PACKED sardine-style of jeans, pants, (apparently jean skirts, omg) and capri's that have PRESUMABLY/APPARENTLY made the cut from the three major post-30 wardrobe purges?? For lack of a more appealing offer, I decided to tackle this little # for my nightly seek & destroy project. I discovered and ditched 5 more pairs of A&F jeans, a pair of IT jeans and a pair of GAP jeans in there. Considering I don't wear jeans that often (have to dress up for work), chances are I would NEVER choose any of these jeans over my True Religions or even my 7's in ten million years. Gone! I also found several pairs of A&F khaki's in there I used to wear to WORK (omg no), 4 A&F jean mini-skirts (wtf * 2) and a white (wtf) A&F khaki skirt. At some point you need to evaluate your age and incorporate the fact you don't do 1,000 squats per week...and admit you will NEVER wear one of these jean mini-skirts again...even if they were in style, which sure AS HELL they are not! Goodbye.

Now I actually have room IN THE DRESSER for all of the decently cool jeans I stack ON TOP of the dresser. Yay. I ditched some other random stuff I had on top of the dresser and stashed on the side of the dresser. I also cleaned out a tote of little shirts/tanks and made a decent-sized ditchable stack, most consisting of moose-adorned attire. Ugh!

Now I say "almost" in the title because I did keep a bunch of A&F tanks I still wear under stuff, some plain-colored tees I don't really wear but could see myself wearing eventually. And fine, several pairs of capris for lack of any other capri's (in general, I never wear jean capri's anymore...soooo over them). I'm sure they'll be getting ditched during the next purge.

I am starting to agree with Kurt's mom that I should have a garage sale (she wants me to have one, so she can have one, lol). Ugh. It sounds like a lot of work!!

But the point is I'm sticking to my deal with the devil and Kurt's going to be way overjoyed when he gets home from the farm and sees yet another garbage bag in the hall and a huge stack of clothes for either Goodwill or the alleged garage sale that will most likely never happen. Who has time for this? And why do I save all these clothes I NEVER wear? Seriously?? Jean mini-skirts??? I'm dying.

Deal with the Devil

Yes, I made one. F***! Not that my husband is Satan himself, but he sure as hell (no pun intended) is the g.d. anti-Christ of clutter. Nothing makes him go all male PMS more than a stack of magazines with a pair of sunglasses, a random Von Maur receipt and a bottle of nail polish on top. Leave this on the table inside the entryway and don't expect a conversation for two hours...instead expect lots of loud sighing and dirty looks. Most of the time I think it's cute/funny...after I came to accept his freakishly clean ways and realized that wow - I no longer have to clean. Yay!

Anyway, so he says I'm a packrat. I say I'm eclectic. Of course, I am right and he is wrong because I am pregnant and he is not! :) That being said, I have FINALLY admitted my need to downsize my junkola from our HUGGGE farmhouse to the new farmhouse. Current farmhouse has no closet space and a serial-killer basement. New farmhouse is way smaller but has tons of closets and storage space (including a dry basement). The fact that it's way smaller, means I gotta unload some serious eclecticness. Stat! I can't be doing this all last minute!

Basically, I like things to look really neat but my closets and drawers are an action-packed DISASTER. So I'm not sure if you'd say I were a neat person or not...I guess I'm "fake neat. The fake neatness extra extra sucks in an 100+ year old farmhouse because closets were built to hold only like two homemade dresses and a hoop skirt. Ugh!!!!!

So, last night I cleaned out my 4-drawer dresser. I packed an entire huge garbage bag of throw-away clothing and also got a heaping laundry basket full of clothing for the Goodwill. That dresser should not even be able to hold that many clothing items!!! And it still has lots of stuff in it!!! It felt so good to clean out this dresser that I told Lucifer I would "clean out" one thing per day. He was so overwhelmed with joy, he sprouted angel wings and started floating around the house. I thought he was going to propose again immediately. Then, I rained on his parade when I told him it could be something big (like a dresser) or something small (like a shoebox). Regardless, he can ask me about it each day and if I haven't done anything, I have to grab something immediately and throw it away. OMG!

Since he's probably on his way home from the farm now, I better get crackin'.

Wish me luck. Updates to be posted, for sure. I should post pics too.

Mucho love!
Moi :)

P.S. I forgot to mention my husband is pefect and awesome except for his little clean regime/Sleeping with the Enemyish ways. :) But it sure is nice to have a sparkling house all the time! :) So it's worth it!

****************************************************************************

UPDATE!!!

K so fastforward two hours from when I originally posted this blog. I was under a lil' bit of a time constraint and expected Stew to be home any second. I was snooping around the casa trying to find something that was worth my time to clean out yet not too big of a project. I looked in my lotion cabinet. Never a good choice. I mean everyone needs 100 bottles of various lotions and 74 bottles of sunscreen...so what's to throw away there!?!? I opened Kurt's nemesis (the computer desk) and quickly shut the drawers and ran screaming the other way.

Finally, I came back to our bedroom. Our nightstand has kind of hidden lower shelf that is nothing short of a nightmare. It doesn't bother me too much b/c it's on his side of the bed and by the wall so I literally NEVER go over there. And you cannot see the lower part of the nightstand from anywhere else in the room (fake neat). I discovered a bunch of random stuff stacked up on that shelf. Here's what the garbage bag claimed:

Approximately 7 bridal magazines, apparently from early last year when we were wedding planning. Oops. A software package of various fonts (also from wedding planning), a couple random best-seller paperbacks I bought in airports but didn't read and *drumroll* my favorite paperback of the night: Adam Smith's WEALTH OF NATIONS. I mean, REALLY? For those of you that know what this book is, I am positive you're laughing your a$$ off right now. I think I bought this book when I was trying to be all collegiate (I graduated in May 2000, so before then) but never read it then and I sure as hell won't read it now! I mean the pages were now YELLOW and when I bought it, it cost $7.95 from Brentan books, which I think used to be the bookstore at the mall before Borders and Barnes & Noble rolled into town!!!!! I'm dying! LOL. I checked Borders.com and it's now selling for $15.95!!! OMG, okay, I'll admit this is kind of fun cleaning out this stuff...and I have NO IDEA why I have this stuff stashed!! This innocently-looking nightstand yielded almost 1/2 a garbage bag of trash. I'm dying.

Things from the nightstand that made the cut: a vintage purse, an awesome hardcover book on Fashion my friend Larry gave me, a paperback dream book, Kurt's farmer's almanac and a box of kleenex.

Here is the description of Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, for those unfamiliar. Click here.

New Digs

So...many of you I see all the time know weeeeeee're movin'! I will admit to complaining about the move for two reasons: it's 20 minutes farther than my current 25/30 minute commute to work and I do LOVE our house now. BUT when I'm out at the farm, especially in the summer, I realize I'm the luckiest chica in the world and OMG WHAT in the hell am I complaining about??? Being out there in the summer is like the Dominican without the beach. It's warm and sunny and silent and breezy and blue and green and everything good. Time just moves slower and is happier there.

The scoop is Kurt's lovely parents (awesome in-laws - love them!!) are building a new house on their next farm. So we get to live in their house! Yay!


I thought I'd add some pics so all my friends know what in the world I'm talking about!

My lovely in the cornfield

Keith & Marilyn's awesome new house

View from their four-season porch

Another view from their porch (our house in the background)

Keith & Marilyn's old casa (Our new casa) :)

Front yard (you can see Keith & Marilyn's across the field)

Another view of the front yard :)

I love flags. I'm so excited to have one in our front yard!

Cartwheel girl :)

I love this barn (where the kitties live)

Back of the casa!

I love the backyard!

More backyard views

The machine shed where we had our awesome barn dance wedding reception!

I'm sure I'll have more info and pics to post soon! :) The in-laws' house should be done on Sept. 1 so we'll move sometime after that... Yay!

OMG

Why the hell didn't I think of this!?!?!?

http://perezhilton.com/2009-06-15-flat-fashion

SERIOUSLY!!!!!!!!!!!

A Year on Ladybug Farm

Do NOT worry, I'm not going to go all educational and refined on you just because I've got a bun in the oven. This little ditty/excerpt was TOO GOOD to pass up, though.

The books starts out, like most do, introducing and describing the main characters. In this case, the characters are three women, around the age women are when their kids are in college. I actually LAUGHED OUT LOUD (for a long time) at the description of two of the chicas, Lindsay and Cici and how "well off" they are now:

"Viewed from a distance, they could have been sorority sisters in their designer jeans and WALKING SHORTS, slim tanned arms swinging gracefully at their sides, casually coiffed hair glinting in the sunlight. (Skip a couple sentences). Lindsay wore her auburn PONYTAIL PULLED THROUGH A BAND OF A BASEBALL CAP, and a close-fitting T-shirt that BARELY SKIMMED THE TOP OF HER JEANS. There was a time when, as a college student, she couldn't have afforded the SPECIAL-EDITION VERA BRADLEY SUNSHINE AND SHADOW QUILTED BACKPACK BAG SHE CARRIED BY ONE STRAP ACROSS HER SHOULDER, BUT NO MORE. Cici was blue-eyed and covered in freckles. She had the legs of a dancer, which looked twice as long and twice as lean IN HER CKs (!!!!),"

OMG, some of you will find the capital letters absolutely hilarious. For those that do, this blog is for you! In an effort to find some rational for this insaneness, I checked the copyright date. First edition March 2009!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WTF was she thinking! I mean seriously. For the handbag, at least use an old stand-by that EVERYONE knows costs more than $50 at Hallmark (i.e. Gucci or Chanel or Louis V.). As for the CK jeans, God. They surely haven't made them for 10-15 years. Go with TR or William Rast, seriously. And...I have no clue what to say about the walking shorts.

In all seriousness, although fashionably challenged while trying to point out "great" fashion, this was a cute book. Who wants to borrow?? It's about these three chicas who are BFF's that fall in love with a humongous old estate farmhouse in the South and decide to uproot their lives from the Northeast to rehab it because they love it so much. It was really cute and I could relate to a lot of the things they went through (not the wearing of CKs) just because I hang out at Kurt's farm being clueless about what to do most of the time. There was definitely more of a plot than my normal Shopaholic books but it's NOT Pride and Prejudice or anything.

For those of you that care, I spent my entire life until I had Belle reading like a maniac. I was always reading growing up and took great pride in my complete Nancy Drew collection! Later, I moved on to VC Andrews (creepy) - not sure why my mom let me read stories about incest and creepy family secrets involving children locked in an attic when I was 13 - gross! I moved on to other insightful authors such as Mary Higgins Clark and Stephen King in high school and college. I'm sure there were other authors but I mainly liked to rock these, as a rule. Again, I was def not reading Jean-Paul Sartre or Shakespeare but at least I was reading!

Now I don't have a favorite author, but I pick up books from the recommended/best seller tables from Barnes & Noble or Borders whenever I'm in the mood or going on a trip. I don't read as much anymore because I've always been semi-obsessive about whatever I'm reading...as in that's all I want to do. ha. So for two days, I'll read the book every free second.

I'll probaly post some more book reviews occasionally. I have a couple good ones I've read on the vacations we've been on over the past year. And now that I'm pregnant, I'll be reading while everyone's out partying! :)

Love,
Moi

P.S. I'm serious - who wants this book? It needs to leave my desk area.

Random Blogging!

Well, I have nothing awesome to say (lol) as when I'm not working, carting Miss Drama around, taking care of the zillion animals at my rescue center (aka there is no center, it's my house that is a magnet for adorable but homeless pets), EATING, eating or Eating, THEN I'm sleeping. Such a cool life! Ha! Being pregnant is pretty fun except for being so tired. I blogged about this on the farmbaby site so I'll stop here on that...

Eating rocks it though. I have been dragging out some old school eating establishments in an effort to eat out as much as humanly possible. Tonight we hit Ganzo's!! YUM, I love that place. Vegetable enchiladas are soooooooooo awesome. Other thoughts for the evening were Riefe's and Harlan's. I am reverting back to my West Side or Die mentality. Yay!! I like to keep it real every now again (aka every day).

::cues Flapper music::

"I remember....when 53rd was a gravel road..." God I miss my Grandpa. He never said that sentence but he said lots of things like that... I really am saying, "I remember...when 53rd was a gravel road..." I totally do! I remember I was in high school and driving so it wasn't THAT long ago (shut it, Steward). No, seriously, there was no 53rd & Utica or 53rd & Elmore (as we know them, anyway)! About a 1/2 mile past Brady, it turned to GRAVEL. I remember when they put up the WalMart on Elmore - the FIRST one, by Millertime. Huge deal. Now I just cannot imagine our lives without this area of Dav/Bett. NOOOO Best Buy! It was all Radio Shack and that one store by Venture (now Kmart) on Brady & Kimberly for electronics. It was called *Something* Den (not Lion's ya sickos). I'll have to ask my dad the name.

I remember when there were huge fountains IN Northpark Mall (seriously, IN THE MALL), EVERYONE called Von Maur Petersen's and there was a humongous orange-carpeted stage in front of Younkers. The train at Hardee's (now L.A. Nails) in the mall by Ward's (now Dillard's).

I remember when the mini-golf course at Northwest Blvd (toward Farm & Fleet) was the shizit.

Seriously, Alladin's Castle.

When Rocket Slide Park wasn't scary as all hell.

Hollywood Video.

Geefman's and People's. (Geefman's MIGHT be spelled wrong - I couldn't spell then).

The OLD Ganzo's at 5 Points.

Ponderosa (ew) used to be our "steakhouse" LOL!

Not lying....I remember when Kimberly and Pine was a cornfield. It was seriously like that when we moved into the Linwood casa circa 1986!

Speaking of that area, Kimberly Pines Skating Rink, people!!

Mercy vs. St. Lukes.

NOOOO Carriage Haus. Stickman's, Halftime, The Gallery and The District were the ONLY cool places to be.

The pet store at the mall and also Scott Co. Seed at the Village Shopping Center. OMG Phar-Mor.

What else am I forgetting? OMG!

Happily Ever After?

Literally my dream job is working in the wedding biznazz. I just think brides are fun and weddings are awesome. My friends and I have always talked about how fun it would be to work at (and/or own) a wedding dress store. I can't imagine we are the only group of friends that discuss this every time one of us is planning a wedding. SO WHY IS IT THAT ALL WEDDING DRESS STORE ATTENDANTS ARE SUCH BITCHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SERIOUSLY, BITCHES! I MEAN, WTF.

I have been to so many different dress stores with so many different friends over so many years and seriously 99.9% of the time, the dress store chicks are sarcastic and bitchy. I have gone dressed down, dressed up, with my rugrat, without my rugrat, with moms, without moms, etc etc etc. Basically all ends of the spectrum have been covered. Always bitches. It is so weird!! And we are always the ones who are NICE TO THEM...they should be NICE TO US! Granted, they are used to dealing with crazy brides but if it really pains you that much to help one of my overly polite and super adorable friends, then get a new job. Seriously.

So obviously, I had an "experience" today. My future sis-in-law and I went into David's Bridal because she saw a dress online that she loved. So we rolled in so she could try it on. Granted, I wasn't looking my hottest but I still had on a cute work outfit, so not totally slumdog millionaire (I have not seen the movie, so not sure what that expression really even means). Bride was dressed cute. My princess had on a cute gap outfit. I think you know the attitude we received. And the place was DEAD! No one there. While the bride filled out her card, the two attendants were totally bitching right in front of us about this "STUPID" client that called requesting a total on a dress she had selected so she could drop off a check. They were being all attitudeish about it. I'm not sure why bc it seems like common practice someone might want to know a total when they are about to drop a grand, particularly if someone else is providing the check (i.e. Daddy). It just seemed rude they would talk this way about another client when WE (new clients) JUST got there.

Bride began to try on a few dresses. Chica was getting impatient being like, "What DON'T you like about that one?" She was working toward helping her out (i.e. motives were good), but just being in general bitchy about her interrogation. Finally, I started getting pissy and just said, "Do you like your job?" while the bride was in the dressing room getting ready for dress #3 (so it's not like we had been there for four hours). She was like, "Yes, I do but I'm just tired." What am I - a Diet Mt. Dew? I don't effing care. I have NO CAFFEINE TO GIVE, honey. So I immediately said, "Yes, I can definitely see how it would be a really fun job." WEIRD. This girl became instantly sweet! I wasn't even rude but maybe me asking her that made her feel like she was being rude? Whatever the case, she became helpful and nice around this 30 minute point. She ended up being great (sans the first 30 minutes), sis-in-law to be found an amazingly awesome gorgeous dress, so it was worth it.

I just think these employees should be NICER, considering dress shopping is supposed to be the most fun part of the planning and it can really kill a bride's mood to be treated like an intruder. This has not just happened at David's, it's everywhere (except DeWitt of course but I know and love those ladies). Celebration is by far the worst for bitchyness, which kind of sucks because I absolutely love their dresses. I have had a few terrible Hope's experiences. The bridal store attitude at Southpark is wretched. I will say I've had decent experiences at The Bridal Room in Bettendorf but don't like their dresses as much as I like the staff. Love DeWitt but again, I know those chicas :) and they have the best dresses.

Anyway, maybe a bridal worker will read this and have some insight. Yes, I know you work with 'zillas and crazy bride mom's. But isn't that part of the job? Break out the rag on those girls and be nice to the new ones coming in, at least!!!

I'm done ranting :) Thx for listening :) :) I still love dress shopping, regardless of dealing with these b's. I think I'm just going to start all bridal dress appointments with the "Do you like your job?" question and go from there. Sista is pregnant + suffering from Diet Mt. Dew withdrawl = No PATIENCE. Watch out! Ha!!

Love y'all!!
Ann

Sad Blog Sad Blog

whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when they... ?? I'm not creative enough to go into a cute lil jingle. It might also not be obvious I'm writing that to the tune of "Bad Boys." Depressing I haven't written in FOREVER!

Speaking of which, Bad Boys was one of my favorite movies EVER...which is surprising when you consider the other faves on my list: Dirty Dancing, Shag, Legally Blonde (1 and 2), Clueless, Breakfast Club, etc. Also Boiler Room is on there (another random).

So I made it to and from Disney. It was fun...but not as fun as our other vacations. This sista is a beach dweller though. I LOVE the vacations Kurt and I usually go on, so I knew Disney would fall short of my high expectations of laying around staring at the ocean overdosing on blended margaritas with salt. It rained A LOT at Disney. Put a major damper on our plans! But we still had fun :) I will try to post some pics soon!

Hope everyone is having a great start to summer! We sure are!

I rescued five kittens from the barn the day we returned from Disney. Four were immediately doing awesome (eating canned food right away is key) and I lost one. :( It was just too small and sick to make it. Yes, I sobbed for hours. Their mama had passed away while we were in Florida. They are sooooooooooo adorable! If anyone is interested, please let me know at ann_turner5340@yahoo.com! I will get the kitty fixed and its shots before it goes home to you, and also send food. Most importantly, I will take it back AT ANY GIVEN TIME (even hours OR years later) if you decide you don't want him/her :) Their names (for now) are Honeycomb, Tiger, Stripes and Vanilla. They are all super tame and super sweet! :) All are potty trained and drinking water (as opposed to milk replacer) now. They need to stay with me for a couple more weeks, until they can be fixed. Honeycomb is a girl and the others are boys. I'll definitely try to get some better pics posted!

Much love!!!

Ann

Hottttttt Scoop!!!!!

So I totally have hot scoop! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

www.farmbabysteward.blogspot.com

Don't worry this random blog will not turn into a random blog of babiness :) :) but yes we are sooooooooooo excited!

How is everyone? I am tired and reallllly missing yoga. Ready for Alice and Wonderland ballet to be over so I can have a life again :) About to hit Disney in ten days to hang with Mickey and Minnie. I'm more of a Looney Tunes person myself so I can't say my bags are packed and waiting on the front steps. I'm sure it will still be really fun though... *wards away swine flu* lol

Celebrity Scoop: Okay, so WTH. How in the hell could Jon of Jon & Kate Plus 8 have time to go out, meet this chick tons of times "as friends," etc. Seriously. This girl is a nutcase. Has she lost her mind?? Why would she consider dating him? I mean he's super nice, somewhat cute, seems to have some money now...but the guy has EIGHT KIDS. Count 'em honey: EIGHT!!! He won't have ANYTHING with that divorce is over with and can you imagine his visitation weekends? LOL...omg. Plus that's just freaking so rude b/c obviously she knows he's married. Hmmmm....who believes it? I do, I do!

Much love!
Ann

Hello, All

I am back.

Horrid week. Horrid yesterday. I'll never get over it. I hate SIDS!! The end.

*************************************************************************************

The good news is the sun FINALLY feels warm in this god-foresaken town. SERIOUSLY. I'm a true Floridian (as in the Southern-most part) at heart. I hate the weather in Iowa! Except summer :)

I am so happy to free of the chains from school! Craziness. I've been getting some stuff done! I cleaned Belle's room today...while she was gone of course :) I threw away TONS of junk. She's an only grandchild so she is SPOILED without her even realizing it. She thinks it's totally normal to have a stack of about 35 diaries that have never been written in. So existential of her.

I'm babysitting my friend's daughter tonight so the girls could have a "slumber party." I'm cracking up at their dramatic pretend games. Now I can see the benefits of having more than one child! They TOTALLY keep eachother entertained!!! LOL! Belle is being a bride and her friend, Maddie, is serving as "Mom/Lead Bridesmaid." omg. I just realized they've been quiet for about 15 minutes so I should go see what they are doing :)

Love ya's!
Ann