Orange B-Gone

I'm not gonna hide it. We have rusty water. Bad. You might remember from a previous post that my shower was horribly orange from months (maybe years) of build-up. I'm not sure the landlords even tried to clean it up before we moved in.

I finally tackled the bathroom today and am happy to say that I found a rust remover that works. The toilet and sink are crystal clean & white again! The shower still needs a lot of scrubbing. It might even take 2 whole bottles.

If you have rust stains, I highly recommend you go out and get yourself some Whink Rust Stain Remover (maybe I should get a discount for this free ad? *wink wink*). Just remember to wear rubber gloves as the directions say. I don't have any, so I just tried to be careful & not get it on my skin. A little bit splashed onto the back of my hand and that stuff BURNS. I mean really, REALLY burns. It will have you hopping on your toes toward the nearest source of water to rinse off (I'm now laughing & imagining how silly I looked). So, definitely follow the directions & use rubber gloves.

Just to show you how instantaneous the reaction is, this is my shower after I squirted the stain remover on the shower walls (cell phone pic). I hadn't even started rinsing or scrubbing yet.



As I type this, my house is getting pelted with ice falling from the neighbor's tree. In April. And it's really annoying. Clink... CLUNK... tink tink tink.... CRASH.

List Day

The nesting bug has hit me hard, and I'm starting to get a little antsy. What if Sofia comes early, and we are totally unprepared? We have 90 days till D-Day and even if just for peace of mind, I think it's time to start getting house ready for a new baby!

Things that need to be done in order to be sufficiently ready for Sofia's arrival:

• Refinish changing table shelves with fabric - 1/2 way there!
  
• Take "storage" stuff (boxes, spare twin bed parts) out of her room to the basement.
• Pick out fabric or curtain & make/hang in closet doorway (also 1/2 way there... I got the tension rod... lol)
• Get crib parts from Jason's parents' house.
• Acquire (or sew) crib bedding.
• Finishing touches in her room - lamp/nightlight, decor, etc.
• I'd like to get a double stroller or at least a baby sling to carry her around in for a while.
• One big baby-shopping day: diaper ointment, diapers, bottles, newborn clothes (most of Tiegan's 0-3m outfits had formula stains on them from severe acid reflux and I got rid of them).
• Even though we have a pack-n-play, I'd like a rocking cradle/bassinet that I can put next to our bed for a while until the night-wakings subside. Just a luxury though.
• We would also like to find a swing/bouncer/papasan - easily acquired at the Mom2Mom Sale I'm going to on May 2 (don't forget ladies!) or off Craigslist.
  
• Baby-proof the rest of the house.
  

Uhh.... am I forgetting anything?

A Sad Sight.

Today, mom and I took a little walk down to the Lilac Tree and I could hardly contain myself. Love - love - that place. There are several sofas there I would just die to have. Thinking of my amazing cracking-leather (er.. vinyl) sofa, and knowing that only in my dreams could I afford a sofa from the Lilac Tree right now, we decided to drive over to St. Vincent's to see if they had any couches lying around that might be suitable to clean up & slipcover.

It was a sad sight. The parking lot was PACKED. The people in the parking lot were brutal just trying to get in. Someone almost rear-ended my mom's car. It felt like a retail store on Black Friday. I didn't find anything there that I liked, so we headed over to Goodwill on the off chance they might actually have a couch. They didn't, but it was the same situation over there. Usually when I go into one of these places, I can practically hear crickets. Not these days.

It was definitely a reminder of the hard time everyone is going through right now. I hope at least these establishments are benefiting from the increase in customers as of late.

I mean, REALLY?

Just call me the Math Queen! OK, not really, but if you know me AT ALL you know I am horrible with numbers. I've never been officially diagnosed, but I think I'm very dyslexic when it comes to numbers. Not so much with words, but sometimes. It could also be the A.D.D. (which I have been officially diagnosed with) that causes me to drift off and completely overlook important things.

Anyway.
I've concluded that if I get every penny that I'd like out of my HP Slimline (see below), as well as my iBook, I will still be approx. $1,000 short of my goal for the CHEAPEST 17" MacBook Pro I can get. I refuse to settle for a 13" or 15" as it would be hell on my eyes even though they are significantly cheaper. And the only MacBook that comes in 17" is the Pro model. I've also made the decision to stick it out and save up for what I really want, and not settle for another PC. I have to time this just right, though. As soon as I have the difference saved up, I really need to unload both my current computers at the same exact time so I can replace my "work horse" right away. So if you know anyone needing a new PC, I have the total package! There is really nothing wrong with it- it just can't handle the high volume of work I need it for, and the large photo files that I need to process. This computer was not made for what I'm trying to use it for, in other words. It's a PC - personal computer. Not professional. I'm also selling my 17" monitor, speakers, and of course keyboard+mouse with it for $500. It will be $600 if the buyer prefers that I leave Photoshop CS2, Illustrator CS2, InDesign CS2 and Dreamweaver CS3 installed.

OH, and check this out. My DRAMA QUEEN.

She was upset because I took away her puzzle. I should have captured her face 5 minutes prior to this. Beat red, bottom lip out, tears and snot streaming. The puzzle is what she was busy doing this afternoon when she was too lazy to get up and go to the potty, subsequently peeing her pants on purpose for the 3rd time today. UGH!! I can't remind her every 15 minutes. She needs the motivation to go on her own. Or can I remind her? Should I? Will it just annoy her and make her want to go even less? I've tried just keeping it active in her mind that her toys will still be there if she has to leave them for a few minutes to go to the bathroom. I even put a potty chair in a very convenient place in the living room - always in sight. I've really got no clue what else to do. She already has 2 puzzles, coloring books & markers up on the "naughty" shelf that she won't get back until she spends a whole day NOT peeing her pants.

We warned her that she couldn't go to dance class anymore if she kept doing it. That seemed to motivate her enough to use the potty for one day. Now we're back where we were.

I'm stuck. And I don't care HOW adorable they are - I'm getting mighty sick of hand-washing batches & batches of tiny little panties in the sink.

Creep Alert

I am glad to announce that yesterday's good news was not just an April Fool's joke. After J told me the news, I realized what day it was and hoped his co-workers weren't just playing a prank on him. I didn't think they would, but then I realized that they are huge pranksters. They are always playing little office jokes on each other. How low would you have to stoop to play a prank like that? Whew.

CREEP ALERT: I heard a rumor [Jason said a friend told him] that there is a middle-aged man in an old red & white truck going around trying to kidnap kids. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but yesterday when Tiegan and I were taking a walk around the lake, I saw a middle-aged man in an older red & white truck. I only remember this because I was a little miffed - usually everyone on this lake is very friendly and we acknowledge at each other in passing. (I learned upon moving here that it's a common lake resident thing). I smiled and nodded at him and he just looked at me with his "grumpy old man" face and kept on going. He drove by two or three times and I wondered if he was lost or looking at houses for sale. When Jason told me he heard this was going on, my heart dropped to my stomach. I told him how I had seen a guy fitting that description while I was out - alone - no phone - with our 3 year old daughter.

So there is your unofficial "creep on the loose" alert. I haven't actually read any stories in the paper about abductions or missing children. But when you hear something like this, rumor or not, it never hurts to be extra careful. I'm actually hoping it's cloudy today as per weather.com's prediction so we have an excuse to stay inside and I don't have to explain to Tiegan why I don't want to go for a long walk today.

Good News

Jason has just notified me via text to my e-mail inbox that he has gotten A PROMOTION!!!

I can't tell you how much he deserves this.
He has worked relentlessly to get where he is now, and I still don't think he gets all that he deserves. Obviously he's lucky to have any job in this awful economy, blah blah blah. However, he has finally gotten a hint of recognition and I couldn't be more proud of him. How lucky we are to have had this happen to us. Jason works 10-12 hour days and hardly complains about it. He has been my supporter and lovingly so. Emotionally as well as financially.

When I decided to quit my job last year and turn photography from my hobby to my profession, he not only supported me but encouraged me to do it. He made sure I had everything I ever wanted, and even though we both knew we couldn't really afford it, he had enough faith in my passion and talent that he was willing to sacrifice. He wanted me to be happy. And now he's dug himself into Aria Photo almost as much as I have, which probably makes him feel like he has a 2nd job sometimes. I don't know what I would do without him.

So. Congratulations, Husband. :)

Tech Woes

Ah, the Money Monster is biting me in the butt. I am starting to contemplate what I can sell around here that will profit enough for me to be able to acquire one of these bad boys:

Ahh, wouldn't it be glorious? Right now, my computer situation is this:

Desktop: HP Slimline PC (Vista) - 2g memory, and a lovely 400g hard drive.
Laptop: Apple iBook G4 - I haven't used it for "work" (photo retouching/organizing/graphic design) in so long that I wouldn't even be able to tell you the stats - only that "working" on it is no longer an option. It just doesn't... "work".

Telling ya right now, selling these 2 computers (17" LCD monitor included with the PC) wouldn't get me enough to buy a MacBook. Unfortunately, I may have to resort to yet another inexpensive Windows PC to get me by. Being a tried-and-true Mac lover, totally giving up my iBook (even though it's only useful for web browsing and word processing) for a PC would be a very, very sad day for me.

I'm one of those people that gets all warm, fuzzy and goosebumpy about new technology. Apple's displays are top notch right now. The color depth is amazing - I could retouch photos all day long on a new MacBook or iMac. Not that you want to hear me go on and on...

My setup gets me by, and I guess that's all I can ask for until a boatload of money comes in. The only frustration I have with my HP PC (the work horse) is that it gets overloaded and shuts down. I can't convert more than 5 RAW photos at a time without it just up & quitting. Talk about DRIVING ME CRAZY when I have 500+ photos to batch convert. I can't even play my favorte game: FlipWords! I don't know if it's a lack of memory or if it's overheating. Either way, upgrading the memory won't do any good (apparently the 32bit system can't handle it?) and I've done everything I can if overheating is the problem - cleaned the fan, kept it well ventilated, all that junk. Bottom line is: when photography season gets busy and I have lots of computer work to do, I am going to be one frustrated b*tch.

I thought about saving up for a bottom-line new iMac, but I think I'd rather be portable. A 17" MacBook Pro is really what I'd prefer, and it's really not that much more expensive. I don't do a whole lot of traveling, but I can't imagine living without a laptop if I ever did venture away from here. Besides - I could take it on-location and show clients proofs on it.

Aaaand what I've realized in writing all this, is that it's a whole lot of ME ME ME and you probably don't care WHAT the heck computer I'm using, just quit complaining already. HA.

So, any ideas or suggestions? Open to the public now.