Small things

For today. We spent the day at the Toronto Zoo with my sister-in-law and her husband, and their two kids. Oh yes, and the rest of the kids in Toronto - it was jam-packed with kids. It was fun, if exhausting. I did have a few sad moments, seeing a thousand babies and lots of pregnant women. That was a little hard. Guess I'm going to have to get used to it.

Putting the sadness aside, for now, I have giveaways to share:

For baby:

• Win a mandarin GroBaby diaper at Green Kiddos. Ends Sunday night (August 9th).
• Win a Bamboo Bebe kimono and socks at Organic Girl. Ends September 5th.
  

And ladies, do check out my CycleBeads giveaway! It's such a great tool for tracking your cycle and fertility, perfect for both natural family planning or trying to conceive!

Cyclebeads - Review and Giveaway! (8/21)

***GIVEAWAY CLOSED***
winner: Tom, Sherrie and Kaden Kimber!
Sherrie, please email me!

Yes - finally - the long-awaited TTC (Trying To Conceive) giveaway.

But wait! It's not just for TTC women... read on to see what's in the mystery bag and if this would be good for you!

As you may know if you have been reading my blog, I had a recent miscarriage. We had been TTC since November, when we got married - I was thrilled and excited to finally be 'trying'! And, unfortunately, we are back to 'trying' again - this time a little jaded, a little less excited, a little wary, knowing firsthand what one of the possibilities is. Honestly that positive test that we may eventually see is going to be nothing like the innocent joy of the first one. Anyway...

I had never really kept track of my cycle before - other than knowing approximately when to expect it. Suddenly last November that changed. I wanted to know dates! I wanted to keep track and know where I was, the better to plan for conception.

One of the tools I picked up to help with that was Cyclebeads.

What the heck are CycleBeads? I didn't know either! It's basically a loop of beads, with a rubber ring that goes around the circle. The beads are coloured to indicate where you are in your cycle. How does that work? On the first day of your period, you move the ring to the red bead (intuitive, right?!). Then each following day you move the ring one bead over. When you reach the white beads, you've hit the most likely days you could get pregnant. It's based on averages, so is limited to cycles that are regular and fall within the average of 26-32 days long.

And I soon discovered that I'm not average - my cycle is around 34 days long - so I can't use these.

But my loss is your gain as I've decided to pass these along to one lucky winner! These are really not only useful for women who are trying for a baby... this prize would be great for:

• young women just reaching puberty, to help guide them through and keep track
• women who want to use a natural family planning method - yes, you can use them to NOT get pregnant by avoiding the baby dance or using other methods of birth control on the white bead days!
• women who want an easy way to keep track of their cycle for their own knowledge of when to expect "Aunt Flo"
  

PLUS I have made a cute little drawstring bag for them as they did not come with any storage case. The bag contains the Cyclebeads, the illustrated instruction booklet that you will want to read carefully if you are planning to (or not to) conceive, and even an extra ring just in case.
I think this is an awesome product and I really wish it worked for me!

Okay, on to what you want to know - how to enter!

MANDATORY FIRST ENTRY
- leave me a comment saying why you would want the CycleBeads or how they would help you. If you want to give them as a gift, who were you thinking of and why?

BONUS ENTRIES
- follow my blog on Google Friends (current followers count too!)
- add my button to your blog (if you already have it, that counts too!)
- blog about this giveaway

Please leave a separate comment for each entry and leave your email address if it's not visible in your profile. Enter by midnight EST on Friday, August 21st. I'll email the winner, post the winner on THIS post and probably do a new post as well - 'cause I know when I enter giveaways I like to know who won! This is NOT a sponsored giveaway, I will be shipping these myself, so I am limiting this giveaway to US and CANADA only. Entries that don't follow the rules will be deleted.

***GIVEAWAY CLOSED***

Early riser

That's me this morning. So unnatural! I'm a night owl by nature. I'll probably crash and burn midday. Meanwhile, some giveaways...

For baby:

• Win a $25 gift certificate to JamTots Baby & More Store at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous! Ends August 12th.
• Win a Baby Hawk carrier from The Cloth Diaper Shop at Organic Girl! Ends September 15th.
• Win an item of your choice from Ruthless and Toothless (onesie, tee, hoodie etc) at My Mom's View. Ends August 14th.
• Win a Kumquat outfit (your choice from the sale section) at My Organized Chaos. Ends August 14th.
• Win a pair of BePe booties at Organic Girl. Ends August 24th.
• Win a Zoolio Rainforest from Manhattan Toy at Gobs of Giveaways. Ends August 14th.
• Win Bummas wipes at The Lawellin Family. Ends August 16th.
• Win Bummas wipes at Mommy Loves It. Ends August 13th.
• Win a 3-pack of Muslin Baby Wraps from Little Bamboo at My Organized Chaos! Ends August 12th.

For the ladies:

• Win a Dreamsacks Silk Jacquard Robe (size S/M, in Lilypad) at Pour Some Sugar On Me! Ends August 11th.
• Win Handmade Home (book) at Barefoot Mommies! Guys can enter too, but seriously when was the last time your guy did something handmade for the home? Ends August 18th.
• Win a Boob nursing top at Lipstick to Crayons! Ends August 17th.
  

For anyone:

• Win a $25 gift certificate to Threadless tees at Contest Bytes. I love Threadless tees for their unique designs - I don't actually have any, but I wish I did. Ends August 20th.
• Win one of two pairs of Sanuk shoes at Prissy Green! Ends August 18th.
  

Oh, and I added (finally) a new bunny to my Etsy shop! This cutie's been done for a while, I just hadn't gotten around to posting it.

Just giveaways

For baby:

• Win a Cloud B Toddler Blanket from DoGree Online at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous! Ends August 31 and is open to Canadians only!
• Win a Wild Dill Babysoy jacket at My Mom's View. Ends August 7th.
• Win a Bored, Inc. onesie or tee and a tote at My Organized Chaos! Ends August 10th.
• Win a KC Fuzzy onesie at My Mom's View. Ends August 7th.
• Win a Bibi and Mimi organic onesie at tout-est-des-roses. Ends August 21st.
• Win a Bored, Inc. onesie or toddler tee, women's tee and a tote at Barefoot Mommies. Ends August 23rd.
• Win a Weleda Baby Starter Kit at My Organized Chaos. Ends August 8th.
• Win a Kushies Safari Organic Sleeper at Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House. Ends August 10th.
• Win a Beba Bean Bamboo Swaddling Blanket and Bamboo Hat at Simply Stacie. Ends August 12th.
• Win a BabyStar outfit - your choice from five colours or patterns - by signing up to receive the monthly Organic Baby Newsletter! Ends August 17th.
  

For the ladies:

• Win a $25 gift certificate to Passion Spice (maternity/nursing lingerie) at Thrifty Minnesota Mama! Ends August 13th.
• Win a bottle of Lush Vanilla Delite Body Lotion at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous! Ends August 9th.
  

For anyone:

• Win a $25 gift certificate to Bamboo Style Shop at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous. Ends August 12th.
• Win a $30 gift certificate to Skin Free at Rant-Rave-Roll. Ends August 7th.
• Win a $30 gift certificate to Skin Free at Simply Stacie. Ends August 13th.
• Win a Melamine Snack Set from Accent Furniture Direct at Sweet Cuddlecakes! Thanks for mentioning it! Cute for kids, fun for adults. Ends August 17th.
  

Creative block

I have creative block. I'm tired of the work I've been doing, and I find I draw no satisfaction from my job anymore. I chose a career that is so NOT about the money and much more about quality of life (I'm a professional artist), yet my work has been led by money for the past few years, and the quality of life and meaningful work has fallen by the wayside.

I have a lot of outside pressure to perform, and the judgment is completely money-based - whether I have job satisfaction doesn't come into it. I find this completely frustrating and completely contrary to my belief system. Not only that, the pressure and stress is making the process worse. I need time to fall back, evaluate, discover, review. I need to destress and have a chance to open my eyes to the world and new ideas without criticism. This is what will bring back the spark - based on my previous experience with painter's block.

I have reached the point, after three years of increasingly meaningless work, that I need to refocus and rethink. I've put it off and put it off, succumbing to the pressure, and have reached the point now that I simply can't do it any more.

I so need the criticism and the pressure to go so that I can get to a state where I can create again. If my work becomes a production line, just for the money, I may as well be working on a factory floor - it would be the same kind of mind-numbing, repetitive, soul-killing work (but I'd probably get better pay & benefits!).

Ughhh, it's so depressing.

I need to find inspiration again so that I can be fulfilled in my work.

There isn't any easy answer - no go-to website or manual for overcoming creative block - it is a fickle thing. I have found that for me, time and unfocused thought work. By unfocused thought, I mean a sort of creative meditation - a period of taking things in, turning ideas over in my head, observing life, colour, weather, all the daily routines - a time to consider and wonder.

There are a couple of sites that I find are useful for inspiring random thoughts, an ever-changing set of jumping off points or sparks. It is the thinking about new things that inspires more new ideas for me, and these help:

• Science Daily - read about new research and discoveries in all fields of science, like the recent discoveries of previously unknown species in Laos (a new, bald-faced songbird, a rodent descended from a species that was thought to have been extinct since 11 million years ago, a striped rabbit), how noisy environments can affect language skills and vocabulary in infants, interesting articles about anything science.
• The London Telegraph has interesting picture galleries. This week the paper art of Su Blackwell is featured - lovely and inspiring.
• PaintBlog features a painting by a different artist each weekday. I don't always love each day's selection, but I do appreciate the eclecticism, and particularly the urban landscape artists that frequently show up on this site.
  
• Found (click on Finds and sift through each day and the previous days) - a compilation of found papers, mostly, sent in from all over the world. They tend towards the amusing or odd, and can be fascinating glimpses into the lives of strangers.
• PostSecret - another glimpse into life, in this case people have written their secrets on postcards and mailed them to an artist anonymously.
  
• Overheard in New York - this one's more for entertainment than creative inspiration, but can be fascinating.
  
• Etsy, of course, is full of creativity and can be inspiring - but there's a lot to sort through to find the gems that speak to you.
  

I'd love to hear about it if you have any recommendations of sites that inspire you.

Just this

...giveaways list for today :)

For baby:

• Win a $25 gift certificate to The Baby's Bundle at Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House. Ends August 5th.
• Win a $40 gift certificate to Chick Pea Boutique (a Canadian store) at Organic Girl. Ends August 31st.
• Win a $75 gift certificate to Zutano's Itzy Bitzy (newborn) shop at Mommy Reviewed. Ends August 20th. But you won't really want to enter this one, right? Because I totally want to win it! Oh, who am I kidding! Of course you will want this awesome prize if you know someone expecting or are yourself.
• Win a Soothing Blanket (swaddle blanket) from Luna Lullaby at Barefoot Mommies. Ends August 5th.
• Win a BumGenius One Size Pocket Diaper from Eco Baby's Hut at Dirty Diaper Laundry. Ends August 5th.
• Win a Sweet Pea One Size diaper at Dirty Diaper Laundry, too! Ends August 5th as well.
• Win a Cuddlebunz diaper at Organic Girl! You even get to choose from 4 styles. Ends August 27th.
• Win the Anka high chair from Scandinavian Child at Simple! Ends August 10th.
• Remember Affordable Baby Organics? Dirty Diaper Laundry's hosting a giveaway for the Karma Pouch sling and a pair of BabyLegs from ABO! Ends August 5th!
• Win your choice of Baby Blend tees at While They Nap! Ends August 1st.
• Get your last minute entries in for the notNeutral blocks from All Modern at Le Petit Elefant! Ends tonight at midnight, MST.
• Win a Wubbanub (the cutest, cuddliest pacifier!) at Monkey Mayhem. Ends ??
  

For grown-ups:

• x-rated! Win a We-Vibe from Pink Cherry at Bargain Moose. Open to Canadians only and you must subscribe to their email list. Ends August 21st.
  

For anyone:

• Win a $30 gift certificate to Skin Free at Thrifty Minnesota Mama. Ends August 12th.
  
• Win a $35 gift certificate to Skin Free at Jamerican Spice. Ends August 17th.
• Win a $50 gift certificate to Gorgeous and Green at Prissy Green! Ends August 9th.
• Win a Stork Craft glider and ottoman at Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House. It's sort of for nursing but I can't think of anyone who doesn't enjoy a comfy glider. I would so love one of these for my office that hopefully will one day be a nursery. Ends August 31st.
  

And holy cow, I just had a guy in to quote on painting our house - he wanted $6825. Um, what? Do I look like I'm made of money? Just to put things in perspective, the house is only 1945 square feet. And we don't need the trim, ceiling or closets done - just walls. Yikes. I have two more guys lined up for quotes, I hope they're a little more reasonable!!!

Colouring my world...

Colour is basically my job. I mean, I'm a painter - the artist kind, not the house kind - and I spend my days looking at colour, mixing colour, playing with colour. So it is a mystery to me why it's so hard to pick paint colours for our walls at home!

My last house was a 1920's brick house with warm wood floors. I ended up painting every single room a variation on yellow - which was perfect for that house and made it feel very warm and sunny inside, even in the rooms with small windows. My favourite was the kitchen, which I painted a pale yellow and I did the cabinets in a warm "Squirrel Grey", with new brushed nickel knobs, which looked both modern and classic at the same time.

This house is a new build and we have been living with builder beige since we moved in nearly two years ago! Finally today I went around and picked some colours. Unfortunately my husband has a say (I'm joking, I don't mind - we do both have to live with it!). So I have set out my colours in a list, room by room, and hope when he comes home he will like them. I'm going for mostly pale shades of tan, pale blue-grey, a pale grey-green, and two darker colours - a dark grey-brown and a dark grey-teal. That last sounds weird but I'm not sure how else to describe the colour (I could mix it with oil paints, but I can't name it!). Kind of... natural, sand, rock and water colours. The darks are for the powder room, which I want to feel like a jewel box with its chrome hardware and accessories, and for our great room, which has grey-blue curtains with a gold sheen (prettier than it sounds) and beige carpet and sofas. I think the dark paint will make it feel cozier in there and better for tv watching.
It's hard to pick and I confess I used the paint brochures with the colour sets - then added my own colours to the four in the set. Yeah, I've chosen about 7 colours for the house, but all in the same family. I hope it looks good. We're probably going to hire someone, since we have tall ceilings, especially in the hall with the stairs. I don't mind tackling the smaller rooms myself at all, though! I kind of like painting walls, it's so satisfying and amazing to me that such a small thing can make such a big difference to a room.

The one thing I'm not looking forward to is moving all the furniture!

Do you have a method of choosing paint colours? What are your favourite colours for a house?

Okay, on to some giveaways for today...

For the ladies:

• Win a $25 gift certificate to Layers Clothing at Outnumbered 3 to 1. Ends August 1st.
• Win a 2-pack of RibbedTees at My Mom's View. 5 winners! Ends July 31st.
  

Big plans

I'm excited about a couple things coming up for us... we have a two-week trip planned to go out west (Victoria, Vancouver and Edmonton) to visit friends in September, and also a one-week trip to Mexico with friends and family in November, that will be an absolute riot and also coincide with our one-year anniversary. We got married in Mexico so it's pretty cool that we'll be back there for our anniversary!

This coming weekend we're heading to Stratford with friends, to see a play and eat... Eat, because my friend is a big foodie and makes a point of finding the most delicious food around no matter where she is. I can't wait. We're staying over, it will be fun to get away and spend the night in a hotel!

Lots of vacation coming up for me. Yay! It will be nice to take my mind off things at home and just relax some.

Now some giveaways for today....

For baby:

• Win a $100 or 1 of 3 $25 gift certificates to Ju Ju Beane at The Shopping Mama! Ends August 19th.
• Win a Purple Ducks cloth diaper at Our Life Upstate. Ends August 6th.
• Win a Little Lasso at Tales From a Shopaholic Mommy. Ends August 8th.
• Win a pair of See Kai Run or Smaller shoes at Life Happens During Naptime. Ends July 29th so hurry up!
• Win another pair of See Kai Run or Smaller shoes at Mahayla's Mommy. Ends July 31st!
• One more pair of See Kai Run or Smaller shoes to win at Through Hazel Eyes. Ends July 31st.
• Win a pair of Jack & Lily shoes at Mommies With Cents. Ends August 1st.

For the ladies:

• Win a Cami Tank Top & Shorts from Bamboo Sleepwear at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous. Ends August 6th.
• Win a Bamboosa Sleep Slip at Flying Giggles and Lollipops! Ends tonight (July 28).
• Win a Dreamsacks cami nightgown at tout-est-des-roses. Ends tonight as well (July 28).

For men or women:

• Win a Poison Apple Shirt at Flying Giggles and Lollipops! Ends July 29th.
  

Back to it

...After a hectic week!

I made it through the baby shower and totally held it together, phew. My friend loved the quilt :)

On Saturday we drove up to Algonquin Park with my husband's brother and his wife. We did some awesome hikes and ended the day with dinner at Bartlett Lodge. It's a cottagey restaurant right on Cache Lake inside the park, you have to take a boat to get there, which is fun. The restaurant is pretty casual; the food is anything but. We have eaten there three times now and never been disappointed. For $55 you get a five-course meal that is absolutely gourmet. And they always have awesome vegetarian options which is really nice for me... sometimes eating out at restaurants is simply disappointing with the only offerings being pasta or salad. Here's my menu from Bartlett Lodge on Saturday:

Amuse-bouche: a baby pattipan squash with red onion and pomegranate confit, and steamed arugula
Appetizer: oh my gosh, I can't believe I have forgotten this!
Soup: Cream of roasted parsnip
Entree: Fresh spinach tagliatelle with a white bean puree and roasted peppers (amazing)
Dessert: Chocolate orange creme brulee with biscotti

The breads with the meal were delicious, too - a caramelized onion focaccia, pine nut loaf, and tiny multigrain buns.

And we took a bottle of Amarone della Valpolicella (a gorgeous red) - which went perfectly with the meal. They don't have a liquor license, but if you bring your own wine they are happy to open it for you (no charge). After about 6 months of no drinking those two glasses of wine hit me like a Mack truck :)

On the way home we saw countless raccoons, a deer, a fox, an owl that swooped low across the road, lots of frogs and a massive house fire - the fire was huge, about 4 storeys high, and had taken the bungalow down so fast that as the fire engines were pulling up, only the 2x4 framing was still standing. Wow.

Unfortunately with the 3 hour drive, DH was trying to cut it a little shorter and managed to hook us up with a speeding ticket on the way back! Oops. Luckily the officer was very nice and reduced the ticket... My hubby's first ticket ever!

Okay, now what you have probably all skimmed past the text to get to! Some giveaways :)

For baby:

• Win a $30 gift certificate to Sophie's Chic Boutique at My Mom's View. Ends August 3rd.
• Win a Keiki Kuddlerz ring sling at MomStart. Ends August 12th.
• Win a Sleepy Wrap at {Natural} Mommie. Ends August 3rd.
• Win an organic Moby Wrap at Mkokopelli. Ends July 31st.
• Win a diaper Daypack or Wallet by My Royal Heinie at Mom's Most Wanted. Ends August 3rd.
• Win Sophie le Giraffe at Canadian Natural Mama. I'm sure you've seen this at Chapters and in the hands of lucky babies everywhere. Ends August 6th.
• Win a nursing cover and diaper clutch by Sweet Wee Bairn at Just For Me And You. Ends July 29th.
• Win a Kumquat baby outfit at Frugal Mommy of 2 Girls. Ends tonight at 9 EST (July 27)!
  

For anyone:

• Win a $30 gift certificate to Skin Free at Cheapskate Mom! Ends tomorrow, July 28th.
• Win a $30 gift certificate to Skin Free at tout-est-des-roses as well! Ends August 16th.
  

Winner - Affordable Baby Organics!!

Time to draw the winner for the adorable organic hat and onesie from Affordable Baby Organics... Who will it be?!

Hmm, heading over to random.org... entering the numbers... there was a non-contest entry comment in the batch. which I deleted so that the draw would be from contest entries only... And from only 18 comments (crazy, eh? With such an awesome prize?)... Random.org picked lucky number 6!

Which is...

Morgan from Mon Petit Amour!

Morgan is expecting, due in November; this will be a sweet addition to her little one's wardrobe! She is a Canadian blogger, based in Calgary.

Morgan, I'll be emailing you shortly!

For the rest of us, we can still shop for the perfect organic clothes and carriers and stay in budget at Affordable Baby Organics. Don't forget that coupon code to save an extra 10%: "emilyisland10"!

I do have another giveaway lined up, which I will post details about later this week! :)

The quilt!

I didn't find the camera, but my DSLR was around so I used that. It's a bit of a pain because it's an awesome camera (the Pentax *ist), but it has power surge issues if I try to connect it to the computer. So I have to take the photo, take the card out, put it in hubby's computer (mine doesn't have a card reader), transfer the photos to a USB key, then connect that to my computer and get the photos from that. Phew.Anyway, here is the finished baby quilt that I made for my best friend...
I'd love to hear if you think the colour is all wrong... I'm worried about that. It's not exactly 'sage' like she wanted. It's a very simple quilt, just 4" blocks, but I think it's pretty... I used six different cotton fabrics, with a white flannel backing. The batting is a bamboo-cotton blend and it was so soft I almost didn't want to cover it with fabric. Let's all just ignore the lousy job I did making the bed this morning and focus on the quilt :)
And lastly since it feels like an image-heavy day, here's the model sailboat we got last week at the antique shop in town. I love it, and I wish it fit in our bedroom where we wanted to put it, but it's just too darn big! I've found a spot for it in the guest bedroom:
Okay, all done. Oh, except for this pic of the bad dog:who yesterday ate half a loaf of French bread that he stole from the kitchen counter while I was out getting that last bit of fabric. He is not allowed in the kitchen at all, nevermind the counter. He unwrapped it and ate it all! That was my lunch!

Ruh Roh

Hmm. I messed up my blog, and then I messed with the HTML, and now it's sort of at what I wanted it to look like. Only, the header isn't centered, I know. I'm just ignoring that :)

Edit: Ninel the superstar gave me the means to fix it! Hooray! Thank you!!

I'm going to try to find the digital camera, which my darling husband has hidden somewhere, and if I do I will post a pic of the quilt! Yes, it's finished and I'm pretty pleased with the result. I just hope it's not too green - her nursery colours are sage and white, and just try to find pretty sage fabric in a small town... I thought that would be easy, but no! I'll have to get your opinions if it's too green or not. Not that I'm about to do anything about it now, with the shower on Sunday!

P.S. go enter my giveaway, for goodness' sake!!

Almost done!

I finished the quilt top, quilted it, and ran out of fabric for the binding. Otherwise I may have finished the quilt last night! Not quite, though. So I ran out today and picked up a sweet hearts on green print for the edges. I'll have to post a picture of the quilt when it's done - I'm quite proud of it. I'm such an amateur, and the quilt is very simple, but I think it looks great!

In a hurry...

...to make a quilt! I have a baby shower to go to on Sunday for my best friend since high school (20 years... eeks). And I have a wonderful gift for her already but I also want to make a quilt for her in her nursery colours... but I don't have the fabric yet... Oh, man. Leave it to me to leave it to the last minute! Plus we have guests coming on Friday so I really only have today and tomorrow to get this done.

Let me just say, I'm very much a beginner quilter - I'm comfortable with the sewing machine, but not that experienced. Plus I like to go my own way and not use a pattern (crazy, I know!). I'm going to base my quilt on the Martha Stewart memory quilt - it's pretty simple. I have actually done one before (just one, my first quilt ever).

I went to Fabricland yesterday to try to find fabrics... does anyone else hate that store? It's always so dingy and they don't really have a good variety, at least not for the things I want to sew. I used to live in a community that had a lot of Mennonites nearby and as you can imagine it was a great place to live if you love fabric, because of the huge demand for quilting fabrics. I miss Len's Mills back in K-W! So all I found yesterday was a small piece of white with green polkadots fabric that I am hoping will be part of this quilt! It really depends what I find today.

Anyway. Enough about me and my sewy dilemma! Here are some giveaways for today.. not too many since I really need to get a move on!

For the ladies:

• Win a maternity top of your choice from Milan Maternity at A Giveaway Everyday! Ends July 27th.
• Win a $50 gift certificate to Jumeau (handbags & belts) at Through Hazel Eyes. Ends August 3rd.
  

OH, and don't forget to enter my Affordable Baby Organics giveaway if you haven't yet - or even if you have already - there are two NEW entry options so get your bonus entries in!

New entry options for Affordable Baby Organics Giveaway!!!

Hey! Just in time - there are now TWO new entry options for the Affordable Baby Organics giveaway!

• Add their button to your blog
  
  
• make a purchase from Affordable Baby Organics before the end date & tell me what you bought (just 'cause I'm curious!)

Either one of these (or the original blog posting option) can count as your mandatory entry OR as a bonus entry for those of you who have entered already!

And because of the new entry options I'm going to extend the end date until Sunday July 26th at midnight, with a draw and winner notification on Monday!

Please! Add your entries on the giveaway post here, not on this post! :) Otherwise it's just gonna be a mess for me to do the draw.

Monday again

It always seems to come back around! :)

Some giveaways for today...

For baby:

• Win a $25 gift certificate to Tiny Tots With Style at Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House! Ends August 5th.
• Win a $20 gift certificate to Let's Go Strolling at Your Mama Reviews! Ends July 27th.
• Win a $25 gift certificate to Diaper Daisy at For The Love of Baby! Ends July 31st.
• Win a pair of Jack & Lily shoes at Newly Wed, Newly Bred. Ends July 30th!
• Win a Microlite Toro stroller (yeah!) at Bellaziza's Favorite Things! Ends when it ends!
  

For the ladies:

• Win a Tummy Honey pack from Due Maternity at A Giveaway Everyday! Nice for the expecting mom! Ends July 23rd.
• Win a maternity t-shirt from Happy Apple at True Cuddles! Ends July 25th.
• Win a $25 gift certificate to Layers Clothing at My Mom's View! Ends July 27th.
• Win a Glamourmom nursing top at Jamie's Precious Peas. Ends July 31st.
  

For anyone:

• Win a $30 gift certificate to Skin Free at Cheapskate Mom! Ends July 21st so hurry up!
  

..and don't forget to enter my very own giveaway for a onesie and hat from Affordable Baby Organics! Ends July 23rd.

Christmas in July

I don't know about you, but I am SO not ready to think about Christmas. However, The First Time Around is running a Christmas in July giveaway event that you may be interested in! Giveaways each day from July 19th through 26th.

Sunday quickie

Just a quick couple today:

For baby:

• Win a personalized blanket from Bubblecakes at A Giveaway Everyday! Ends July 27th.
• Win a Safari Organic Long Johns set from Kushies at My Mom's View! Ends July 27th.
• Win a Peanut shirt (size 2T) by Parade from The Cuddly Bunny Company at Organic Girl. Ends August 10th.
  

...and don't forget about my giveaway for an adorable organic onesie and hat from Affordable Baby Organics!

Saturday

Yes, I actually have time today for a quick post. Here's what we have accomplished today so it's surprising...

• DH went to the chiropractor while I watched the fence company finish off the fence (love our new gates with lattice!)
• we went by an antique shop in town to see if it was open because we'd seen a beautiful model sailboat in the window. Despite being 10 minutes past the opening time, it was closed. Small town hours!
• we went out for breakfast - I had a huge plate of warmed brie with maple syrup and nuts, with a pile of fruit and a latte... yum!
  
• we drove down to one of my galleries in Toronto to drop off some paintings
• we drove out to the Orfus Road shopping district and looked through half a dozen lighting stores before finally picking out some new lights for the front of the house to replace the faded cheap ones the builder put in
• we considered going to Yorkdale mall, but the parking lot was a madhouse so we left (note to Yorkdale - we were in a spending mood, your loss!)
• we drove back to our neck of the woods, stopping at a farmers' market and buying some freshly picked raspberries
• we returned to the antique shop, which was finally open, and bought the boat! Love it.
• we came home and I made a raspberry cheesecake with raspberry coulis, while DH installed the new lights on the house. Love the new lights! (and of course, love cheesecake! YUM)

Now DH is napping and I'm playing contests as usual. I've found a few to add today... and please do enter my Affordable Baby Organics giveaway! It's such a nice prize (wish I could enter) and there are hardly any entries so far.

For baby:

• Win a Puj Go Sling at Guessing All the Way! Ends on July 19th, I believe, as a winner will be chosen on the 2oth.
• Win a pregnancy journal at the Sure Baby blog. Ends July 31st.

For the ladies:

• Win a Maggie's Organics Lounge Wear camisole and pant set at Feisty, Frugal and Fabulous! Ends July 27th.
  

For those who sew:

• Win some Japanese fabric charms from Rae Gun Ramblings. Ends July 31. One time I won some Japanese charms and they never did come :cry:. That wasn't from this blog, though!
  

Every day is like Sunday...

Ahhh, I'm just being kind of sarcastic. No, my life's not as depressing as a Morrissey song. (Although it is kind of silent and grey out today.)

Our fence is still not done - they are finished the back and side, but not the front gates yet. We opted for a nice lattice double gate with a removable post (in hopes we can get a machine in for grading & post-hole-digging when we get around to building a deck). The fence company is doing about 10 houses on our street so they are doing all the easy work first, I think. I have been very happy with them, actually - the fence looks great, they are taking the time to level each piece of wood so it is nice and straight, they have been relatively quiet, work hard, and clean up after themselves. The company is Can-Do Fence and Deck, if anyone's looking for a fence recommendation in our area (Markham-Stouffville).

Some giveaways for today:

For baby:

• Win a $100 gift certificate to Land of Nod at Project Nursery. Ends July 24th.
• Win a Gift With a Basket baby basket at Organic Girl! Ends August 12th.
• Win a monogrammed Dablings Tutti Frutti Minky Blanket at The First Time Around. Ends July 18th!
• Win a pair of See Kai Run shoes at Never 2 Late 2 Save. Ends July 26th.
• Win a pair of Shoo Shoos at STL Mommy. Ends July 25th.
• Win a set of 3 Safe Sippy cups at Blondes, Poop and Mascara. Ends July 24th.
• Win a Hotslings baby sling at tout-est-des-roses! Ends August 11th.
• Win a Crunchy the Elephant toy from Picaflor at My Organized Chaos! Ends July 25th.
  

For the ladies:

• Win a $50 gift certificate to Jumeau (bags/belts) at Living as Mom. Ends July 29th.
• Win a Japanese Weekend (nursing/maternity) top at Rave and Review. No, don't, because I really want to win one! Ends July 30th.
  

For anyone:

• Win a $30 gift certificate to Skin Free at A Simple Kinda Life. Ends July 27th.
• Another chance to win a $30 gift certificate to Skin Free at The Giveaway Diva. Ends July 24th.
• Another chance to win a $30 gift certificate to Skin Free at The Money Jar. Ends July 21st.
• Win an In Balance Blanket at Mommy Goggles! Ends August 3rd.
  

more to come...

and don't forget to enter my own giveaway for an organic baby onesie and hat from Affordable Baby Organics!!! Ends July 23rd.

Affordable Baby Organics - Coupon Code & Giveaway! (ENDED 7/26)

Oh! I am so excited to be hosting a giveaway for AffordableBabyOrganics. Let me tell you a little about this online shop.

A mom is looking for quality, organic clothing, but it is all so darn expensive (sound familiar?). She's sure she can find it at a more affordable cost - and she does! Not only that, but she shares her finds with the world by opening up her own online store. This is how Affordable Baby Organics was born.

So what is on offer in the store? Affordable Baby Organics stocks organic cotton clothing by Organic Beginings (a Canadian company!). These sweet onesies, hats, pants and (coming soon) tees were developed by a Canadian mom and come in gorgeous, vibrant colours. The onesies have a roomy rear that accommodate cloth or organic diapers as well - bonus!
They also carry organic Baby Legs, and even organic baby slings and carriers by HugaMonkey and Karma Baby.

Now for the best part. As I'm sure you noticed, besides Organic in the company name, is Affordable! And they really mean it. Organic onesies are now on sale from $9.80 to $12.50 each (US dollars) - and right now if you buy four, you get one free with coupon code "BuyFourGetOne"! Um, yeah! US addresses also get free shipping (maybe us Canucks will too, one day soon!).

Here are some points to consider about the onesies:

Eco-Friendly Features:
• 100% Certified Organic Cotton
• Made in Fair Trade Facility
• Dyed with Eco-Friendly, Low-Impact Dyes
• Enzyme Washed for Extra Softness

Organic, check. Fair trade, check. Supporting both Canadian and mompreneur companies, check. Affordable, check. Soft and smart design, check. Ultra cute, check. My criteria are met!

Ready to shop? You can get a 10% discount off their already low prices by using the coupon code "emilyisland10"! (Please note you can only use one coupon code or offer per purchase)

Affordable Baby Organics is sponsoring a giveaway on my blog! I got to choose the prizes, and I went with an adorable gender-neutral outfit (cute, yes?!):

Ready to win? One lucky blogger will receive BOTH the Organic Beginings Apple Green Organic Cotton Onesie (in the winner's choice of size, 6-12 or 12-18 months) AND the matching Apple Green Organic Cotton Knot Hat (one size, fits 0-18 months). Yeah, BOTH the items pictured! Oh, if only I could enter!

MANDATORY ENTRY

• OPTION 1: Create a blog post about AffordableBabyOrganics & in the post link to your favorite product on their website. Leave the link in your comment for me to see. It doesn't have to be long or time-consuming - a quick blog post with a link will do!
• OPTION 2 (new!): Add their button to your blog sidebar
  
  
  
  
• OPTION 3 (new!): make a purchase from Affordable Baby Organics before the end date of this giveaway & tell me what you bought (just 'cause I'm curious!)

Any one of these can count as your mandatory entry OR as an extra bonus entry for those of you who have entered already!

Do your mandatory entry first please, or your comments will be deleted and not considered for the giveaway! Make sure your email address is either visible in your blog profile, or leave it in at least one comment - otherwise I won't be able to tell you if you win!

MORE BONUS ENTRIES

(leave a separate comment for each bonus entry!)
1. Follow AffordableBabyOrganics on Twitter, http://twitter.com/aborganics
2. Sign Up for the Newsletter on AffordableBabyOrganics
3. Follow my blog on Google Friends
4. Add my button to your blog
5. Link back to my giveaway on your blog (in your post about AffordableBabyOrganics if you like) and leave the link for me to see.

Who can enter: residents of Canada and the US
When: I will accept entries until Sunday, July 26th at 11:59 pm EST (comments after that time will not be published), and do the draw with a randomizer on Monday, July 27th.
How: I'll email the winner and post their name on my blog (on this post and probably on a fresh post as well - 'cause I know I hate checking back a million times to see if I won something or not! :) The winner will have 48 hours from my email to get back to me or I will re-draw.

I was not compensated in any way (product or payment) for this post. So the disclaimer is, I have not tried out any of these products - though I'd love to - but based on the information I have, I'm all over them. These are just my opinions.

Images courtesy of AffordableBabyOrganics

This giveaway has ended - and the lucky winner is Morgan from Mon Petit Amour!
Congrats!

Unspilt milk

The crying part I can forgive myself for... hey, it's freakin' sad to be me just now.

But I must say that the nurse called from the prenatal care centre today and let me know that (despite my probably incoherent message on their machine yesterday) they are refunding the full amount and hope to see us next time. I'm not sure if that's their regular policy for women who have lost pregnancies or if the weeping triggered sympathy. However, I am grateful that they waived the admin fee for my situation. I mean.. it's not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things, it just seemed like a crappy thing to lose that on top of all the hopes, wishes, dreams and happiness I'd packed into 10.5 weeks.

And of course her call this morning unleashed a fresh torrent of tears... My husband had called earlier and we had been talking about what might happen with the fee, and he said I just need to "deal with it and get on with things." I so took it wrong, I think... I felt like he was saying that about my sorrow over the loss and not just about speaking with the class organizer. I didn't say anything but I do feel like he's growing impatient with me being sad. I still don't think he really gets why I am 'still' sad and not back to the cheery, happy-go-lucky Emily he loves. I can fake it and even feel okay for a day here or there but I don't think this pain goes away that easily.

And then I had a nightmare about a baby shower I have coming up, it's for my best friend. I dreamed that I lost it at the shower and everyone thought I was just being a selfish jerk because nobody knows about our loss. (My best friend does know but she respects me not wanting to tell others). arghhhh This is not what I want my life to be about!

Anyway.
As usual, I have found some giveaways today -

For baby:

• Win an alphabet or numbers art print and your choice of two cards by SweetBeets (a Canadian company!) at {Natural} Mommie. Ends July 25th.
• Win an item of your choice by Picaflor clothing at Go Graham Go! Ends July 30th.
• Win a $50 gift certificate to Bug & Pickle at Simply Stacie! Ends July 29th.
• Win an Eco Fleece Sleep sack (size small in blue or pink) by kohlrbaby at {Natural} Mommie - I'm late on this one, it ends tonight, July 16th!
• Win an awesome looking baby gift pack from Verona Organics at Your Mama Reviews! YMR was impressed even though she didn't want to be! That says a lot! Ends July 23rd.
• Win a personalized alphabet print (love!) by Penny People at Mon Petit Amour! Ends July 21st.
  

For the ladies:

• Win a Rock and Roll Mom tank top by PeaceLoveMom at A Giveaway Everyday. Ends tonight (July 16th) at midnight!
• Win a $25 gift certificate to Passion Spice (maternity/nursing lingerie that is actually sexy!) at Katydid and Kid! Ends July 20th.
• Win a $25 gift certificate to Layers Clothing at Flying Giggles & Lollipops! Ends July 29th.
  

For anyone:

• Win a $30 gift certificate to Gorgeous and Green (another Canadian company!) at My Mom's View. Ends July 24th.
  

more to come...
and I'm going to be posting my very own giveaway later today so watch for that! :)

I was okay until...

I had to call and cancel the pre-natal classes I'd registered us for.

Everyone told me to get in early because the classes fill up. I am not glad I did that.

I had the m/c over three weeks ago (well the start of it, I'm still bleeding - TMI I know) and I kept putting this off to call and cancel. I called today and left a message but broke down in the middle of it.

You know what sucks? I mean, rubbing salt in the wound kind of sucks - they have a 20% 'administration fee' if you cancel. The price was $175. It's not about the money... it's more the concept of profiting from tragedy. I can see if we just decided not to go, or if we found another class we wanted to take instead, or if we called a week ahead of time... but that's not the case.

The class doesn't start for another 4.5 months and they typically are turning people away because they get so many people wanting to take the classes.

I'm just feeling... sad and ticked off, mostly just sad... I have that little kid feeling "IT'S NOT FAIR!!!" The whole situation. I'm all irrationally angry that I have seven friends with healthy pregnancies and I was and now I'm not.

Just needed to vent a little... I'm feeling sorry for myself

I'm trying to stay positive, but...
oh, it's sad

:(

Ooh, exciting!

Many exciting goings on over here!

First and probably only really exciting to me and my husband (maybe the dog), is that the fence is FINALLY going in today. By the end of today we should have an actual yard, not a communal football field. Yay! We moved in to our newly built house in October of 2007, so it's been ages without any backyard privacy. Kids have cut through our yard to get to the nearby high school (last year there was a huge teenaged fight in the backyards), the neighbours' toddlers constantly run through the yard (love kids but not necessarily uninvited kids) and we hardly use it because it feels like we're on display. No more! And I can finally start doing some landscaping beyond my vegetable gardens (which are doing great, btw!).

Okay on to exciting news for my readers (and me!). I'm in the process of sorting out a few (three!) upcoming giveaways here on my blog! Something sexy for the mamas, something organic for the tots, something helpful for wannabe parents. That's all the hints I'm giving! You'll have to come back to see. May I recommend following me? Be the first to know! ;)

And now for some giveaways I've come across out there today...

For baby:

• Win a Twilight Turtle at anti-supermom! I actually have one of these already (no, I'm not entering the giveaway myself!) and it is pretty darn cool. I can't wait to have a little one to enjoy it. I'm not sure when this giveaway ends, but it just started on the 10th.
• Win a custom Bloomers Designs onesie at First Comes Love... Then Comes Marriage! Ends July 19th.
• Win a pair of See Kai Run or Smaller shoes at The Bragging Mommy! Love their shoes. Ends July 20th.
• Win a whole pile of baby items from Coco Baby Boutique at Organic Girl! Ends August 7th.
• Win a set of Bummas cloth wipes at Gobs of Giveaways! Ends July 24th.
  

I smell chocolate banana bread...

and it smells heavenly. I can't wait until it comes out of the oven! Yum!

As a personal update, I have gotten the blood results and my levels have dropped off completely. So, no complications, no further drama (fingers crossed), I'm 'fine' and back to my non-pregnant state. What a rollercoaster. It was annoying how perky the doctor was about it.