Okay, I've got my journal redesign done, but this journal's layout seems to be broken beyond my limited ability to repair -- which means I will, in fact, be shifting operations over to my other journal:

spazzula

I've tried to add those of you that I know are still posting actively; if I've missed anyone, just drop me a note over there and I'll gladly add you. I will be posting from/to that journal from now on, to consolidate everything into one journal. If you would still like to follow me -- and I won't be offended if you don't, since I'm going to be sporadic and random and possibly a bit flail-y at times -- just add me, yo.

Commence journal shift... now, :)

I think I've finished the new header for my journal. It's not anything like what I'd originally pictured when I sat down to Photoshop, though, and it's been so long since I did anything significant with Photoshop that I just kind of went with it. We'll see how it looks when I finally get a chance to redo my layout, though. For one thing, I'll be going from dark purple-greys and navy to very pale creams, so it'll be a pretty major change, heh. And I might've made a matching wallpaper for my laptop at the same time, so.... *hides*

(And yes, stargazr324, I totally went with Glee, :D White Collar will probably necessitate some Photoshopping when it comes back after the new year, but Glee is currently eating my brain, *lol*)

I've almost entirely shifted to Facebook in the past couple of years, but lately I've been considering reopening the old LJ for stream-of-consciousness and randomness that tends to pop into my head at any given moment, but is too rambly for Facebook. Or maybe the Dreamwidth journal, or a new one entirely -- I have no idea if either is worth the effort (especially since my layout here is broken and needs fixing, grrr). I check in over here periodically, but I've only seen one or two people on my flist actually still posting, hrmm.

Dang -- is anyone still following on here, or should I just scrap the idea and stick with Facebook?

I'm on my own this week -- no kids, no husband, just me. One of my favorite blogs is running a contest (link below) in which they're giving away free books and -- AND -- LUSH stuff.

Now, I've heard excellent things about LUSH from my flist... and it has occurred to me that, 1) I'm on my own this week with nothing to do but relax, 2) we have a LUSH in the local mall now, and 3) WTF am I doing sitting here instead of heading out to try these bath bombs??

...Yeah, I think a short trip to the mall might be in order this afternoon. AFTER I get done lounging by the pool and finishing my library books, of course, so I can maybe pick up a few new books while I'm out, :)

Celebrate the Category
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After four months of searching, I think we've finally found a house!

We went to see it on a whim on Tuesday afternoon; we'd scheduled a viewing for another house in the neighborhood, and since we got there early, we took a few minutes to cruise around, and ended up picking up an info sheet for this house when we drove by. We managed to get in to see it, and it was the first house we've looked at that Dom loved on sight. The more we talked about it, the more we liked it, so we decided to make an offer on it -- but when our realtor called the listing agent, there was already another offer in for it. They agreed to wait for our offer, so we put one together today -- and it looks like we got it, :) The location isn't perfect -- it's in the gray area of where I'd prefer to be -- but it's close enough that I won't feel totally isolated, and the house itself is really nice, with a great yard on nearly a full acre; I'm kind of amazed that we found it on a whim, and for a really awesome price.

After the last two failed attempts to make offers on two other houses, I'm glad this one's come through; third time's a charm, I guess!

( In other news -- health update, cut for possible TMI...Collapse )

I haven't posted much of anything in the last four months, mostly because it's been NUTS. We put our house on the market back in December, so most of November involved me frantically trying to clean and organize things to make the house look nice enough for showings. And once we were on the market, I had to KEEP it that way, which is not in my Natural Order of Things.

( Cut for four months of rambly-ness...Collapse )

I just got back from my 18 week ultrasound! ( Boy/girl?Collapse )

Size, anatomy, heartbeat, and movement all seem normal -- although I've somehow lost every bit of the weight I've gained in the past few months, so I'm actually one pound lighter than when I started, which is a bit disconcerting when I actually don't mind gaining a bit of weight. The doctor said that's nothing to really worry about, though, since the baby's size and weight (and my own measurements) are right on target for 18 wks, ^_^

Dom and I had a bit of a shock hit a little over a week ago -- I went to fill a new bc prescription, and picked up a pregnancy test on a whim. Lo, the prescription is now pointless, because we're expecting baby #2 next spring -- I'm six weeks pregnant.

It's not planned -- we were intending to give it another year before trying for a second child -- but we've already embraced it wholeheartedly and are starting to prep Will to be a big brother. I had my first prelim appointment with the nurse this morning, and my due date is VERY tentatively set at May 9th; this may change after my first ultrasound in October. It's still very early, and I am constantly fighting off paranoia that something will go wrong (even though there's been no miscarriage scare yet, like I had with my first). I'm back on the vitamins and supplements and no more than one soft drink a day, at least, so hopefully all will go well.

Also, I know of at least three people on my flist who are either trying or not actively preventing a pregnancy, and I feel kind of like a heel for this; it's out of my control, yes, but I'm Southern, and thus I still feel guilty about making such an announcement when I know others are trying and we weren't.

I'm going to go ahead and get something off my chest right now.

I don't discuss politics. I am not comfortable discussing my personal politics, most of the time. This is mostly because I am all too often made to feel like an ill-educated idiot for my beliefs -- which, incidentally, are not that radical to begin with. And this does not even involve me opening my mouth, most of the time. It's already started this year, with perfectly logical and wonderful people belittling others who think differently, and it's pissed me off badly enough to go on a defriending purge in the past.

I'm not foolish enough to demand that everyone not talk about politics around me for the next two months, because that would just be inane and ridiculous. But I am going to respectfully ask that anyone who does comment on the current election PLEASE remember that not everyone believes as you do, and that does not give anyone the right to call their intelligence into question. If I have to go through another election being deluged with 'anyone who votes thus-and-so is stupid', I'm going to lose a great deal of faith in the online community's ability to have respect for others. I understand that many people are passionate about their beliefs, and I applaud that kind of passion, but that does not give anyone the right to belittle others for thinking differently -- and it goes for both ends of the political spectrum, conservative and liberal alike. I truly hope no one on my flist would do such a thing, since I <3 all of you regardless of political beliefs, but I nearly shut down my journal during the last presidential election, and just wanted to get this out there.

Happy birthday, rhanningtheme!

Hope it's a good one, ^_^