Waiting... and thinking about booze

I could not sleep last night for the life of me. We have to leave our house at 2:30 am tomorrow morning and I have a feeling I won't be sleeping at all tonight! Whoever thought it was a good idea to make our airplane leave at 6:30 am is an idiot!

I just wanted to say hello - especially to the new followers! Hi! - and mention that I'll be away for a whole week in sunny (hopefully) Mexico. It's our 1-year anniversary and we're going down with a bunch of friends. It should be a riot! I remember last year I ate WAY too much guacamole. I'm planning on doing the same again :)

The big question for me is whether I'll be drinking or not. I've spent the last 15 months without drinking, through the two lost pregnancies. So I kind of feel happy that I've been living such a 'pure' life and being pretty self-disciplined! I don't really miss it, other than occasionally I miss the taste of Bailey's or even a good rum and coke or a beer. But... I wouldn't mind having the chance to let loose a little. And the group we're going with (all in their mid-twenties, we'll be the geezers nearly 10 years older) are loads of fun and definitely are not teetotalers. I haven't really decided yet.

On one hand it would be fun to kick back and forget some of the troubles and stresses of the past year. I don't technically have to stay sober - I'm no longer pregnant, and we can't try until February. It's an all-inclusive resort with all top-end liquors. And sometimes when other people are drinking they get a little... I don't know, wary? insecure? and think anyone not drinking is judging them. You know what I mean. (Although I know that 'other people' is not a good reason to drink!)

On the other hand it's been pretty easy for me not to drink - I'm a lightweight and it's never taken me much to get drunk (a few sips of wine can do it), but when I do get drunk it goes like - sober, half a drink = happy drunk, an hour later I am completely sober again and invariably cranky. So really it has never felt 'worth it' to get drunk in terms of the expense and the crankiness. As I get older I find I am more prone to hangovers, too - which I never had before I was thirty.

I don't know. I guess I'm leaning towards 'virgin' cocktails. I'll have to wait and see how it goes. It wouldn't be a big deal if nobody made a big deal about it... but once everyone knows I'm not drinking then things get weird. Only one of the couples knows about the miscarriages. And I don't really want to get into it with anyone.

Anyway... this is just me raving on while procrastinating (I haven't packed yet!). I'll be back in December with more giveaway lists. And who knows, I may pop in from Mexico!

Hasta luego!

One last list

Tomorrow I doubt I'll have a chance, what with all the little last minute things before we travel. Well, maybe, but don't count on it. So here's one last list before we head on vacation for a week. There are so many giveaways lately, it's great. I hate to think I'll miss any while I'm away! :) Though... lazing around Mexico is a pretty good consolation.

For baby:

• Win a $25 gift certificate to Adorable Baby Clothing at Health, Beauty and Family. Ends December 3rd.
• Win a Baby Emi jingle bells anklet at Simple. Ends December 10th.
• Win a Little Twig Mini Gift Set (bath products) at Organic Girl. Ends December 10th.
• Win Angel Baby bedding at Project Nursery. Ends November 27th.
• Win a $50 gift certificate to Maukilo Toys at BabyLuxe Daily! Ends November 26th.
• Win either a Bodysuit & Beanie (newborn) or Long Sleeve Tee (sizes 1-6 years) from Pipi Child at {Natural} Mommie. Ends November 28th.
• Win a Moby Wrap at The Eco-Friendly Family. Ends November 22nd so hurry up!
• Win an Ergobaby HandsFree System (carrier, backpack and pouch) at My Wee View. Ends November 27th.
• Win an Action Baby Carrier at Organic Girl. Ends December 5th.
• Win a LilleBaby EveryWear Baby Carrier from Scandinavian Child at Organic Girl. Ends December 7th.
• Win a Plush Pad by Ah Goo Baby at A Mom's Balancing Act. Ends December 3rd.
• Win an Applecheeks cover and insert from Change My Bummy at Glimpse Reviews. Open to Canadians only! :) Ends December 3rd.
• Win an Applecheeks Mini Test Kit (cover + 3 inserts in hemp or bamboo!) at Organic Girl. Ends December 17th.
• Win a Kalencom diaper bag in the Eleanor design Pheasant flap at Simple. Ends November 25th.
• Win any pair of Bobux shoes at My Organized Chaos. Ends November 28th.
• Win a Baby K'Tan sling at There's No Snakes in New Zealand. Ends December 4th.
• Win a set of Bummas cloth wipes at Joyful Reviews and Giveaways. Ends December 4th.
  

For the ladies:

• Win a Mommy Milk nursing tank at Me and My Boys. Ends December 3rd.
• Win a Blush topless tee at Mommies Angels. Ends November 30th.
• Win an awesome Marcelle "Classic Elegant" gift set at Sparkled Beauty. Open to Canadians only! :) Ends December 4th.
• Another great Marcelle Ultra Glam giveaway at a watercolour sky. Open to Canadians only! :) Ends November 29th.
• Win an Expressiva nursing top from their eco-friendly line at Simply Living on a Budget. Ends December 3rd.
• Win a Shower Hug from Belmama and Cherub at My Wee View. Ends December 4th.
  

For anyone:

• Win a $25 gift certificate to Affordable Scarves at Fantabulously Frugal. Ends November 29th.
• Win Clorox Green Works laundry detergent at Lucky Canucks. Open to Canadians only! :) Ends December 2nd.
• Win a Pottery Barn Christmas ornament at A Blonde Ambition. Ends December 3rd.
  

Ceci n'est pas un outfit!

I had a strange shopping trip today. Let's first say that I don't really shop for clothes for myself that much. Last month's trip to the States was a rarity (as in, the last time I did that was in the eighties!). I bought a few things there, but didn't get a lot of the things on my list. Some things are just hard to find! Like a nice brown belt, for instance. Or a pair of shoes I don't hate (and that are practical for my life).

Today I hit the mall to get a swim suit for our upcoming trip. I have a black bikini which is still in decent shape, but you know you need two on vacation - who wants to put on the suit that's still wet from the last swim?

So I picked up a sweet deal at the La Vie En Rose outlet. They have about a zillion bikinis there, many of them in the last few sizes (mostly L or XL) and many that are only bottoms (why so many bottoms that don't have tops, I wonder?). But I scored. A bikini that fits and is cute for only $15!

Then... I went to Bikini Village. I know, it's seriously overpriced, and I already had accomplished my mission... but... you know. They have those darned 'tanning mirrors' where you already look like you've been beaching it for a week.

And I found another one I loved.

For $45.

Per piece.

And... I bought it. I figure I'm averaging down. And, maybe this is the last year for a while that I'll be able to wear a bikini with some measure of confidence, so what the heck.

I also found some good snow shovelling boots at Sterling... North Face ones that are down-filled and so feel like I'm wearing fluffy pillows on my feet.

So my random purchases... bikinis and snow boots... I wonder what my husband will say!

in the studio

I have a busy day - preparing paintings for shipping, a pre-vacation & Christmas party haircut, another blood test to check on those HCG levels... little things but they always take a lot of time.

I've been working on a few new 'smalls' (little oil paintings) for the galleries' Christmas shows. I'm so late in getting these done and to the galleries... ugh. Anyway, I thought I would share a little studio shot of some of the new paintings and my inspiration board, just for fun.

So I have a few giveaways to share today but I'm not sure how far I'll get. If you get bored you can always look at yesterday's list - it was a long one!

OH, and I wanted to say thanks to those of you who are taking a moment to check out the advertisers on my blog - the google ads to the left there, and the sponsors/affiliates to the right. Just a click on one of those google ads throws a few cents my way (plus they are often Canadian companies or baby gear companies, which is fun). It's never going to make me rich (as in, if I blogged for a thousand years I might make a couple bucks) but it does feel like a 'thank you' from my readers and I appreciate it.

Okay, on to giveaways...

For baby:

• Win a tot-to-go sling at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous. Ends November 28th.
• Win a set of Bummas cloth wipes at Today's Give Away. Ends November 21st.

For the ladies:

• Win a handbag from Handbag Heaven (2 winners!) at Fabulous Fun Finds. Ends November 29th.
• Win a Hip-T at Today's Give Away. Ends November 23rd.
  

more to come, I think :)

Soaking up the sun

I hope it's a great day where you are. Here it's eight degrees and sunny - lovely! Not exactly warm, but I console myself with the knowledge that by this time next week I'll be on the beach in Mexico!! We totally need a vacation after this difficult year, and it's also our first anniversary (the marriage hasn't been the difficult part!). I can't wait. And I am VERY excited to come home and start decorating the house for Christmas. I wrapped my first Christmas present yesterday :)

I think my website for my artwork is all fixed now. I'd love to know if you see any problems with it. One of these days I will have to redo the whole site as I used a mix of programs to design it and they all leave a little garbage in the code. But hopefully that day is not today!

Now I've got a few giveaways to share with you! Loving the Christmas rush on giveaways.

For baby:

• Win a $25 gift certificate to Maukilo Toys at Momma in Flip Flops2! Ends November 22nd.
• Win a set of art cards by Wee Gallery at Cute Like Me. Ends November 23rd.
• Win a Mrs. Smith's Diaper Bag (2 winners!) at A Mom's Balancing Act. Ends November 30th.
• Win a pair of Beibi shoes of your choice from Wee Squeak at Katydid and Kid. Ends November 26th.

For the ladies:

• Win a Prego Planner at Jo-Jo's Place! I've been looking for a good one and this might be the one. Ends November 24th.
• Win a Blush topless tee at Jo-Jo's Place. Ends November 30th.
• Win a 7.0-8.0mm White Freshwater Pearl Necklace from Pearl Paradise at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous. Ends November 19th.
• Win a 6.5-7.0 mm AA+ Black Akoya Pearl Necklace from Pearl Paradise at Minnesota Mama's Must Haves. Ends November 27th.
• Another chance to win a 7.0-8.0 mm White Freshwater Pearl Necklace from Pearl Paradise at A Mom's Balancing Act. Ends November 20th.
• Win a 18” 7.0 – 8.0mm Lavender Freshwater Pearl Necklace from Pearl Paradise at A Wrestling Addicted Mommy. Ends December 1st.
• Win a 6.0-7.0 mm freshwater Pearl Necklace in black from Pearl Paradise at Jolly Mom. Ends November 23rd.
• Win Cream perfume at Mommies Angels. Ends November 30th.
• Win Fit in Clouds Ballet Flats at Sweeps4Bloggers. Ends November 24th.
• Win a L'Occitane Shea Vanilla Caress set at Wishing Penny. Ends November 28th.
  

For anyone:

• Win a $40 gift certificate to Every Little Bit at Canadian Natural Mama. They have loads of great eco-friendly gift ideas. Ends December 9th.
• Win a holiday art tote by Stubby Pencil Studio at Katydid and Kid. This would be great for kids but also kind of sweet for grown-ups who like artsy stuff or interesting office supplies. Ends November 28th.
• Win an Aromatherapy Gift Set by Natural Sundae at {Natural} Mommie. You know men are secretly into nice scents, too. Ends November 21st.
• Win a L Letterpress kit at iDiY! Ends tomorrow, so hurry.
• Win a set of 10 pretty letterpress note cards by Sweet Harvey at Boutique Stitches. Ends November 30th.
• Win a Golden Moon tea set at Sweeps4Bloggers. Ends November 21st.
• Win the watch of your choice from Inexpensive Watches at The Mom Buzz. Ends November 27th.
  

For grown-ups:

• Win a $50 gift certificate to Eden Fantasys at Robyn's Online World. Ends November 30th.
• Win a $25 gift certificate to Eden Fantasys at Boutique Stitches. Ends November 30th.
  

more to come...

Giveaways and a little help

So, I've been having some trouble with my other website lately - the site for my artwork. Sometimes the images aren't showing, and sometimes there's weird random text instead of my pages. The company that is hosting my site had a server crash, and since then my website's been booched. They've moved it to another server, I've re-uploaded the entire site, and it's looking okay on my end - but my husband tried it at work and said it's still messed up when he looks at it. Can I ask you a big favour - could you take a quick peek at my site and let me know if it looks right to you, or if you're seeing strange text and places where it looks like there should be images, but there aren't? And, what browser you're using? I'd really appreciate the feedback. I'm trying to get this sorted out before we go on vacation... it looks so unprofessional to have my site down!

Okay, on to the fun stuff: giveaways! Yay.

For baby:

• Win a $25 gift certificate to Maukilo toys at A Giveaway Addicted Mommy. Ends December 2nd.
• Win a $75 gift certificate to Zutano's Itzy Bitzy Boutique (newborn clothing) at Monkey Toes Reviews and Giveaways. Ends December 1st.
  
• Another chance to win a $75 gift certificate to Zutano's Itzy Bitzy Boutique at My Organized Chaos. Ends November 24th.
• Win a Bumkins Superbib 2-pack in the Grinch pattern at Monkey Toes Reviews and Giveaways. Ends November 25th.
• Win two cute bibs from The Bees Knees Kids at My Organized Chaos. Ends November 21st.
• Win an Urban Bundleme from JJ Cole at Minnesota Mama's Must Haves! Ends November 27th.
• Win a Babybjorn Organic Active baby carrier at Mom Fuse (5 winners!). Ends November 23rd.
• Win a Belle baby carrier at Simple! Ends November 22nd.
• Win a Rockabye baby digital download at Peg City Momma. This would make a fun gift for new parents! Ends November 20th.
• Win a Shoo-Foo bamboo crib sheet at Northern Mama. Ends November 26th.
• Win a tee or onesie from Lil' LJ at A Few of My Favorite Things. Ends November 20th.
• Win four items of your choice from Nosilla Organics (clothing) at My Organized Chaos! Ends November 23rd.
• Win a tee and tote bag from Bored Inc. at Fun and Funky Mommy. Ends December 3rd.
• One more chance to win a tee and tote bag from Bored Inc. at Mommies Angels. Ends November 30th.
• Win Bummas baby wipes at Dev's Favorite Giveaways. Ends November 27th.

For the ladies:

• Win a Blush topless tee at The Suburban Jungle. Ends November 30th.
• Win a prize pack from Pine Point Candles (candle, body mist, body butter) at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous. Ends November 26th.
• Win a handbag from Handbag Heaven at Minnesota Mama's Must Haves (2 winners!). Ends November 25th.
• Win a Gold Over Sterling Silver and Oval-Cut Ruby Garnet Cubic Zirconia Embellished Wavy Bracelet from Joolwe.com Online Jewelry Store at Simply Stacie. Ends November 24th.

For anyone:

• Win the book Hollywood Moon by Joseph Wambaugh at Sweeps4Bloggers. Ends November 24th.
• Win a 12 oz Bayberry 100% Soy candle from Maddison Avenue at Mommies Angels. Ends November 30th.
• Win a Glade prize pack (wine, candles, reed diffuser, Chapters gift card) at Simply Stacie. Open to Canadians only! Ends November 19th.
  

For grown-ups:

• Win a $25 gift certificate to Eden Fantasys at My Life with Four Kids. Christmas for hubby? ;) Ends November 21st.
• Another chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Eden Fantasys at Tara's View of the World. This one ends November 29th.
• Win a Kama Sutra gift set from Pink Cherry at Canadian Free Stuff. Open to Canadians only! Ends December 10th.