4.26.2012

On Lex

This morning when I woke up I was kinda of in shock.  No one extra was in my bed!  No dogs, no baby, no extra crazy pregnancy pillows (yes, I occasionally still use the body pillow just for fun)... It was wonderful.  But as I got up and walked around, I wondered where everyone was. 

Ella was obviously still in her crib!  YAY!!! 
Lou was in his bed with his little schnauzer toy.  This cracks me up.  It's like a web kin toy that is a schnauzer that both my dogs carry around like it's their pet or their baby... either one.  Makes us all laugh. 

And then I came out to our loft area and there he was... My other baby. 

Lex
Lexer
Lexie (at the vet)
My baby boy

Laying on the couch like it was his bed.  All spread out and sleeping sound.  Using a pillow for his head and stretched out over almost the entire length of the sofa.  Wish I had snapped a picture, but he looked so peaceful!  It's not often he's not crowded out by everything going on at our house. 


We got Lex after we'd been dating for six months.  He is a labradoodle that we found in a classifieds ad, I think (can't remember).  He was from an Amish farm and he had a brother Max.  Originally we took both... well, Mr. K's parent's picked him up for us.  We took Lex and they took Max.  Eventually, his parents took Max back. :(  We would have taken him if we had known, but when we found out it was too late. 

He was so small.  You could hold him in one arm.  His legs didn't fit his body... they were long and gangly.  He had a little trot that he did.  He hated water which was weird because he's part lab.  He always wanted to be around us. 

Acting like nothing is wrong with this picture.
"What Mom, I didn't eat those cookies..."

Lex was a stinker.  Ate probably everything I owned... none of Mr K's stuff.  He ate ALL my good shoes, my glasses, my diamond earrings, my pearl earrings, leashes, Frisbees, etc.  We tried really hard to train him.  Certain things took... He's a smart dog... maybe too smart.  He knew we'd give in eventually give in and break down. I still swear to this day that he probably sits in chairs like a human while we are gone.  I swear that he moves chairs to get stuff on the counter and then moves them back.  I swear he can open doors.  Probably not, but really... there are sometimes things I cannot explain...



He's very lovey.  Not as lovey as Louie, but very lovey indeed.  And he was an only child for 3 years.  Then Louie came along and he was not happy about it.  It took a lot of time to adjust.  Then another 3 years later, we threw a baby into the mix.  And while he adores Ella, sleeps outside her nursery, lays down with her on her play mat, gives her kisses, he is totally struggling to get attention.  There's a lot more going on now and he's vying for his turn for love and petting and kisses and cuddling.  Don't worry, he gets it, just not as often as he used to. 


But I'll always see Lex as that little black dog with long gangly legs, a great personality, barely fitting in to his dog bed, whining when we left him so loud you could hear him outside of our apartment down at the car, who loved to chase geese and eat there poop (we always tried to stop him), who ate everything I loved or had put money into or towards, and who has been nothing but loving to us. 

He'll always be my baby boy.





4.25.2012

Random Ramblings...

Today I was thinking, as I got up at 4:00am to grab Ella who was crying but not awake, about how many things I need to do on top of all the stuff I already do.  It's amazing how your stresses can just switch on almost automatically as you wake up. 

I was thinking about how exhausted I am but how good I felt because I actually got to sleep last night from 10:15 when I passed out on the bed until 4am.  Then I know I'm one of those moms, but I love to "nuggle" with my little one when she's sad or frustrated so we lay in bed together.  She curls right up into my chest.  Usually she lays on top of my chest with her head "nuggled" into my neck and passes out, but it's so fun to just be together.  I always tell her "it's you and me kid."  Mr. K doesn't like that so much...

I was thinking about what the day was going to hold.  Our new house cleaner is coming today so I was trying to get ready a little quicker than normal for work so that I could take care of a few odds and ends that I know Mike will not do.  I was throwing those not really dirty clothes into the closet on the valet so they were not on the floor.  I was making a pile of dirty clothes for Mr. K to move to the laundry room.  I was making sure my valuables (I know...) were put away... even if it meant tucking them into the top drawer of the dresser until I got back to them tonight... I was making sure that all of Ella's stuff in our room was tucked away at the end of her bassinet.  It's funny how you clean the house for someone to clean it!  And I was doing all this while trying not to make any noise and wake her up! 

I was thinking about how the dogs will have to be in the garage for most of the day because of the cleaner coming... Usually they stay upstairs while the sitter is there.  Today they'll be in the garage.  At least it's supposed to be a decent day.  They'll get a big blanket to lay on and toys (hopefully).  This also made me think about how Lex needs a new name tag and if we should get them chipped...

I was thinking about how we are making it through... We just had a new baby, we are working off less income than we've ever done in the past, and how we are scraping by.  I was thinking about how I feel like I'm busting my butt to make ends meet and how we are doing it... It's kind of strange how things usually come together.  I've been selling things on Ebay, Craigslist, working on S&D, skating, and have gone back to work full time this week.  Man do I miss maternity leave. 

I chuckled as I got around this morning... thinking about how Ella is such a turd that she rolled over for the first time for the babysitter yesterday and how I was laying on the floor with her when I got home and walked to the kitchen for 3 minutes and when I got back she was on her tummy so I had missed it again... do you think she did it again all night?!  Nope.  I'll just keep waiting for my turn to see it. 

I was thinking about how I'm playing single parent this weekend while Mr. K goes to Detroit for hockey.  It'll just be me and E this weekend and we've got a lot going on.  She'll be attending learn to skate with me again which I promised I would never do to her, but have to.  She is a part of the welcoming committee and has become somewhat of a mascot to the program!  haha.  She'll be driving to another rink to have a cupcake for the 2 year anniversary of a friend's liver transplant.  Then she'll be attending via baby bjorn her first ice show/recital on Sunday so that I can help with getting kids on and off the ice. 

I was thinking about all the things I want to do like run, travel, read, and relax.  Yes, I know some of those are daily things and others are once in a lifetime things, but I was thinking... will I be able to do the things on my Bucket List?  Do I even really have a Bucket List?  Maybe I should write it out...

I was thinking about how I need to write out a schedule for Mr. K and the sitter.  Apparently Mr. K can't remember it so has asked me to write it down.  This is a schedule for Ella.  It's pretty basic but the most important times are the morning and evening so we can get things done and start getting sleep again... Excuse me so I can start getting sleep again!

I was thinking about how I need to stop thinking about so many things!  But the stresses just continue on so the lists get longer... and I attempt to get them done at some point.  Being an adult kinda sucks but it does have it's great moments to so we'll push on...

4.24.2012

Mother's Day Gift Ideas

Well, I'm going to have my first official Mother's Day this year and have been pondering what to tell the husband to get me!  haha... Just kidding!  He asked first!

Like he could get away with saying Ella was enough...


Ok, he might be able to get away with that... Isn't she the sweetest?

But it got me to thinking...

Definitely no chocolate this year as I'm still trying to get rid of this baby weight... and probably will be for a while.  It's beguiling this weight problem... You think you are doing well and them BAM you get on the scale to find you've either lost nothing or gained!  It has to be the schedule... Ugh to the schedule, sleepiness, baby weight... Ugh to it all, but Happy Mother's Day, right?!

Maybe a house cleaning... Oh, we did just have that done. 
We found someone on Care.com to try out and she did an amazing first job!  I couldn't believe it!  She was there for 3 hours which either tells you we are super dirty people (which I hope is not the case) or she was busting her but to make the house look really good!  And it does!  I loves her!  Because let's be honest... no one likes to clean the bathroom! 

Maybe a necklace?
I never thought I'd be one of those mom's (no offense if you are one) that wore their kids around their neck, but Christina Applegate does it well on Up All Night... She's always got her Amy necklace on... And she makes it work...

via
 So maybe since I have most of the makings for this, I'll just ask for an "E" from Stella & Dot to go with the rest of my stuff.  I have Ella's birth stone and I have another charm to mix in so I could potentially have something like this... which I could see myself wearing. 


I think I'd mix the E, my zodiac sign, and Ella's birthstone.  Hmmm....
Did you hear that Mike?
Think you might want some charms?  Get them here

Yes, I know...shameless plug!
But...


Ok, I'm done... sorry just wanted to share!

Or maybe I'd like some plants for the house...
We do have a dead bush right in our front landscaping that I'm hoping to replace with a lilac bush. 


Maybe one like this?
I love lilac bushes!  They smell so good and even if it is for a short time they make me love them!  Plus, you can cut the stems and bring them inside to smell up your house!  Love it!


You can get them at Lowes.
Did you hear that Mike?

Or maybe a massage...
Oooo... a massage... Yes, maybe this!
via

Did you hear that Mike?
I even have a giftcard so really you'd just have to watch Ella!
Did you hear that Mike?! 

So there are my ideas for Mother's Day...
Other items I can always use are...
Bath and Body Works Stuff
Money! hah
Another Purse
Clothes - Gift Certs!

And thanks for bearing with me guys... this whole going back to work thing with a baby who was sleeping pretty well through the night but isn't anymore is kind of killing me at the moment.  Not to mention that Mr. K and I are both back on the ice about 5 days a week.  Needless to say, I'm getting worn down and the blog has had to be pushed to the wayside momentarily. 

Don't worry though, I will be getting back on track soon (I hope) and will be able to share all my finished and ongoing projects with you! 


4.12.2012

12 in Twelve

Well, the 12 in Twelve project is going ok so far. 
This is an idea that I got from Rachel over at Running Backwards in Heels where you take a picture of the family 1x each month! 

We technically missed January, but are subbing in a family photo taken on Feb 1st when Ella was born and then we really did miss March.  Oops!

But we did not miss April!  Here's our Easter Photos. 



And here are our others...

Technically Feb, but we are counting this as January so that they are all family pictures.



And here's our February picture...


I wish I knew how to photo shop...then I could totally make March happen!  lol. 

Happy Thursday!  It's the gateway to the weekend!

4.10.2012

Summer's Here with Stella & Dot

It's official! 
We've launched our summer collection and I couldn't be more excited! 
It's all about bright and bold colors and beachy-ness!


ALSO...

Remember we are still donating proceeds from the Shine and Sole Bracelets to Autism Awareness this month!  Don't miss out! Every time a Shine, Sole, Revival or Toujours Bracelet is purchased, 20% of proceeds will be donated to Autism Speaks. 


AND...

We have a great sign on special right now if you are thinking about becoming as stylist!  If you are, email me (abigail.hake@gmail.com) and we'll chat about it!  But right now Stylists that sign up starting April 3rd, can select over $500 in value of our pre-selected samples with their $199 Starter Kit- or better yet, double their investment and more than double their display to over $1100!


Not interested in being a stylist, but love the jewelry? 

Why not host a trunk show?!? 
Our average hostess earns over $250 in FREE jewelry

Doesn't that sound nice?!

If you are close, I can come to you or if not you can do an online show! 
Email me at abigail.hake@gmail.com to set yours up!

Shop all the styles at www.stelladot.com/abbyk


Back To Work

Today I'm back to work...
This should be fun. 

In the mean time, go check out some of my favorite blogs today and see what they are up to!

Young House Love
Bower Power
Isabella and Max

I'm going to get caught up on my blogging tomorrow and Friday (hopefully). 

4.04.2012

Spring Cleaning

I am really spring cleaning! 
I am decluttering my house (even more)!
I'm attempting to sell some items!
I can't believe how much STUFF I have in my house!!! 

Here is a good amount of the items I am attempting to sell on Craigslist. 

Mosaic

I have:
  1. A bronze clock and thermometer for patio
  2. Some clothes - Talbots and Eileen Miller shirts and shorts as well as a formal dress from CACHE
  3. Some jewelry display busts
  4. A playstation 2
  5. Some dog sweaters
  6. A wedding Fascinator
  7. A tall silver lamp
  8. A vintage desk
  9. Some Pier 1 pillows
  10. TONS OF CURTAINS -- 7 54in x 84in panels in gold tan color and cream set of curtains
  11. Nicole Miller Queen Bedding Set - Comforter, 2 Shams, and Bedskirt
  12. Canvas Bag
There are also some larger items like these nesting tables.


My ottoman


This coffee table


A bunch of lamps and lampshades


This tray table


And these checked rugs (2)



I can't believe how much "junk" I have in my home!!!  It's unreal!!!  I've been trying to do this forever and I feel like most of the items are decent and I would like to recoup some money from them instead of just sending them to Goodwill because honestly, we could use the money.

I do find it hard to sell things though.  I'm wondering if I need better pictures for a few of the items.  I'm wondering if there are tricks to selling on craigslist.  So far, I've sold 4 items, 2 of which are not on here.  I sold a birdcage that we used at our wedding for cards, one of the checkered rugs, the small desk, and a bag of fabric remnants. 

What are you doing for your "spring cleaning?" 

Getting rid of items? 
Just actually cleaning? 
Having a garage sale? 
Selling on craigslist? 

I'd love to really get rid of a few larger items to make way for a new sectional in our loft!!! 
Wish me luck! 

4.02.2012

This Week

Ok, so it's my last full week off of work.  Tear.

Yes, many many tears as my baby is still not sleeping through the night.  In fact, it might be getting worse.  And when you go in at 6am that doesn't really work out well... Last night it was 12-3 and 3:30-7.  Major Frown.  I'm going to do a little research today and see if there is anything else I can do...

But I still have so many things I want to do! 

Here's what I'll be doing today...



Can you guess by the picture? 
Yep, I haven't started this at all and ordered over 300 pictures to work with. 
Better get going! 

As for other things to work on...

Finish spray painting a couple of items
Sell A TON of things on craigslist
Add a navy trim to my curtains
Find dressers for our room
CLEAN CLEAN CLEAN
BLOG BLOG BLOG (I have so many things to share)
Take A TON of pictures of Ella this week
Paint my buffet
Get an oil change
BABY PROOF House

Haha... yes, I've needed an oil change forever.  There are a ton more things that need to get done, but I guess I'll have to tackle them one weekend at a time now...  My "free" time is up.  Time to get back on a schedule and be running out of time all the time.  And trying to keep up with this crazy chick to keeps me on my toes and I'm sure as soon as she's moving will be keeping me moving all the time too!


But she's so darn cute! 
Love her.

Ok, off to documenting...

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