Some non-crafty thoughts

Okay, okay--so you may or may not have noticed that pathetically it has been two months since the last post (I know some of you have noticed and I may not have responded to your emails but I got 'em--I'm just a bad blogger!)--thought I'd catch you up on a few things going on 'round here if you're interested.  I'm too lazy at this moment to add photos, so if you're only here for my fantastic photography (you know that's a joke, right??) then you might need to go check out a non-lame blog.  If you're interested in hearing the craft-free thoughtsicles developing in my mindgrapes (sorry if you don't watch 30 Rock and you miss my Tracy Jordan references) then feel free to read on!

First of all, due to many requests, I have added the ability to "subscribe by email" and to subscribe via feed of your choice over on the right side of the page.  Check it out, all of you folks who are interested!

Just for fun...

Trends I am currently not understanding:

-Men wearing skinny jeans (they do look awful cute on my kid though)
-Red velvet cake--why so popular all of a sudden?
-Instagram -neat, I guess, but why the rage?
-E-Trade Commercials
-Politics.  'Nuff said.  I'll refrain from my soapbox.
-The Little Mermaid - She's 16 and after saving a prince from drowning, she's certain that she wants to be with him forever.  AND her dad makes it happen!  Umm, am I the only one who finds this to be CUH-razay thinking and even crazier parenting? Obviously I've been watching this with my kiddo...


Things I am currently loving:

-Vera Bradley
-This potato casserole (LOTS of good recipes on this blog)
-Picking out clothes for my kiddo
-Succulents
-A bracelet made just for me by my daughter.  Purple pipe cleaner, 5 beads--does it get better than that? 
-Hot wings
-My Neti Pot


In more recent news, I guess I should tell you that I am expecting kiddo # 2!  We're 19 weeks along and will find out the gender soon.  My husband is really wanting a boy as we have decided not to be outnumbered by our children and will stop with two bundles of joy.  Please send some nice "boy" energy our way...

Are you interested in knowing names?  Sure you are.  We have decided that if this baby is a boy he will be named Simon.  If it happens to be a girl, she'll be named Bennett.  Yep.  So, that, we have worked out.  If you live outside of a 50 mile radius of Melbourne, FL, then you're free to use those names if you like.  Within the radius?  Please, refrain.  (I obviously think I have chosen awesome trend-setting names and am now afraid that my daughter will be sitting next to another Bennett in her second grade class and will be forced to go by "Bennett W".  Perhaps I think too highly of my choices.)

The practical side of me would love to have another gal since we'd be 100% prepared (except for diapers and sanity) but the other part of me wants to give my husband a boy and have a new experience.  We shall see what God has in store for us! (I have a few baby boy nursery ideas--if you want to check 'em out, you can visit this Pin board).

What I am really thankful for is that we are sure that we're having just ONE baby, and not twins.  There was a twin scare for a few seconds--and it was just about more than I could handle.  Not that babies aren't great... well, let's face it, babies are kind of terrible until they're old enough to communicate their needs without screaming.  Or maybe that was just Elliott, I'm not sure.  Daang, she was (and is) a tough cookie!  Her pregnancy was a breeze, whereas this pregnancy has been... not a breeze.  

On a blogging note, I can't tell you just yet where I stand on the future of Two Girls Being Crafty.  You've probably noticed that Sharon is M.I.A. (just to clarify, this is not the M.I.A. who made a bad gesture at the SuperBowl). Sharon is happily enjoying Pharmacy school at the University of Florida's Orlando campus.  I miss her terribly--she's an awesome student and very dedicated (something I have never been) so our hanging out and crocheting until 3 in the morning while our husbands play video games (yes, this has happened before) is no longer something we get to do.  We actually got to hang out this weekend at a Bunco party and it was great fun.  So, if you think YOU miss her and her awesome crafty self, you can only imagine how I feel!

Part of me is ready to quit blogging because it's not as much fun without my blogmate Sharon.  The other part is ready to quit because it seems like there is nothing new to do.  Everything has been done and truthfully it's a lot of effort to write and photograph each blog post, and it's ever-so demotivating when I read the blogs of others who do things in a  bigger and better way than I do--I mean, why try, right?  Ahh, I sound like such a defeatist.  Nothing like the tenacious gal I once was.  Perhaps it's the parasite in my uterus talking...  The other part of me (how many parts are there?!) wants to continue on at my current pace, which I would define as "sloth-paced".  We'll see what happens, I suppose.  If I get twenty "you changed my life with your DIY Art for Non-Artists and freezer paper stenciling" emails following this post, then I may just need to keep things up.  Or maybe not.  Oprah had a 25-year run making a life-enriching show and she quit for other pursuits, so perhaps I'll stop the blog and start my own TV network.  We shall see.

My latest and greatest DIY project has been potty-training Elliott.  She's 2 and a half, and boy am I glad I waited to get through the tantrum phase before I started this phase.  I thought potty-training would be terrible (I was SO afraid) but it has been amazingly easy and intuitive for both of us. I actually found a few products to be extremely helpful, and I do plan on sharing some of that info soon because I think others in this stage may find it life-changing, too.  I am glad to report that potty-training has been far from painful.  My dog was WAY harder and it took him WAY longer.

Have you heard that No Doubt is releasing an album this year?  That's exciting news to me.

That's it for now.

-Tristin