KAMsnaps.com Giveaway!

I'm blogging this as an entry... I think the addition of snaps would be freakin' awesome! I'm tired of making fitteds. :P KAMsnaps.com has the best stuff... See The Details Here!
I'm dying for some Ooga Booga snaps to go with the PUL I bought.

Aqua Oogas

Oh, and some pliers to put them on, too. Oh, and some black snaps. And some star shaped or maybe troll snaps. And snaps with kittehs on them. Or mice. Meh, I want them all!!! Anyway.

Making diapers is hard work. It takes me about 2 days, because Alex can smell when I'm using my sewing machine. Or maybe he can smell when I use my rotary cutters. Either way, he always wakes up and wants attention when I'm either cutting or sewing. I really want snaps, because I've been far too lazy to try to sew Velcro on. I keep hearing how much of a pain it is. Maybe I should just try it. But I don't want to.

I've been trying to get GW to say yes to me getting a pair of snap pliers, but he's not convinced I need them.

 Yet.

Last night, I threw the fitted I had just finished at him, because he wasn't paying attention to my squeeful happiness. I understand, the Star Wars game he was playing was far more important, but he NEEDED to see my diaper. "Uh huh, yep, it's awesome, hun," while not looking at it was just not cutting it for me. And I pulled the wife card. "PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR WIFE!" Then he laughed and actually took 5 seconds to look at the diaper. I'd put a picture up of the diaper I made, but I used it. It's now festering with my FuzziBunz in the pail. Today, I finished another with a super-cute pirate print from Joann's. Or, it would be finished, but I need to put in the elastic.

I didn't mention, but MY WASHING MACHINE IS BUSTED!!! It's been broken since Friday afternoon. TJ came bursting into the bedroom while I was trying to coax Alex into sleeping with some boobie time.
TJ: "The washer's broken!"
Me: "How do you know?"
TJ: "THERE'S WATER EVERYWHERE!!!"
Me: "Like, how much 'everywhere'?"
TJ: "LOTS!!! IN THE HALL!!!"
Well, crap.
At that point, I had to put Alex down and check out the situation. There was indeed "lots" of water in the hallway. It took me almost two hours to clean up the mess. GW was en route to home (I called him b/c this was the worstest disaster EVER), and he took over Alex while I wasted paper towels, because we ran out of rags to sop up all the water. The peeps from Sears told GW they don't have a technician available until Wednesday morning.
Sunday, we went and washed the diapers at his sister's house, where we watched football, and tried to keep her puppy from eating Alex. Yeah, so, I need more diapers. Which is why I'm sewing fitteds.

We are gathered here today, in front of these ducks... {pic heavy}

I am a wife. How it all went down was...

I called Heather to find out when Eric was getting out of work, since they'd be our signing witnesses. Eric got out at 5, so it'd have to be after that... So, we called our Reverend (heh hehe, riiiight... he really is, we just think it's funny) around 2-ish to see when he & his wife (she's a notary public) would be available. We settled on 6-ish. Ian & Inge would meet us at the cemetery, and (since we'd forgotten to ask the night before) their services would be free.

I called Heather back, and made some final arrangements with her (what flowers I wanted, etc.), and then had to rush around getting my dress & makeup together.

We left the house at around 3:40, with an unhappy baby who was missing his cuddle time. I sent Heather a text to let her know we'd left the house. There was no way we could have heard each other if I'd called, Alex was pitching an unholy fit.

Alex finally fell asleep about halfway to Portland, and then I asked GW if he'd remembered the paperwork. I got an open-mouthed stare, and an "Oh, SHIT!". uggghhhhh... He'd left it on his desk.

We debated for about 5 minutes- should we go back and get it, or should we just keep going? We decided that dropping me off, leaving sleeping Alex in the car, and GW going back for the papers was the best idea. Then I could get ready without having to tend to an extremely pissed off infant.

I sent a text to Heather telling her that the papers were at the house. She freaked out and called me, and I told her the master plan. She told me she was running out to get a cup of coffee & the flowers. She'd be back before we got there.

However, Heather had not gotten back when we arrived. Turns out, a yard sale caught her eye. Sheesh. But, she did find some black ribbon there, and bought it to wrap the flowers with. I sat on the porch chatting with her landlord who was trying, (and failing) to fix the screen door spring until she got back.

Heather had gotten some pink champagne, some white roses (to match my corset) and some red dried flowery things to make my bouquet. She hung my skirt over her fan to play with it, and fluff it up after being folded in it's bag. Then I commenced dressing. This only took me a few minutes to complete.

Heather messing with my skirt

Makeup didn't take long, either. I just did some red glitter for my eyes, and lipstick. GW called me to ask if there was anything else I needed from the house, so I reminded him to grab a bottle and some frozen milk.

Holly & Kris showed up about 5:30. We teased Holly mercilessly for getting so wasted the night before. She took it well, but looked like she just wanted to crawl into a hole and die from misery. GW finally showed up at around 5:50.

Holly wanted to hold Alex, because he'd woken up, but we decided it was better for him to just stay in his seat, since we'd be leaving ASAP.

GW finished dressing, and we left at 6. Fortunately, the cemetery is only a couple of minutes away from Heather's by car. I&I were already there. They'd decided to come early and look around. Since Evergreen closes at sunset, and it was nearly time for them to lock the gates, we opted to leave the cars parked outside. GW dropped me & Alex off near the duck pond, so he wouldn't have to be carried in. I slipped his skully outfit over the onesie he had on, and stuck the bottle in his mouth, since he was getting fussy, and he likes to eat at 6. He immediately started to poop. Great... Then a mosquito bit his head. Then it bit me. Through my corset, of course, so I couldn't scratch it.

When everyone was assembled, Ian wanted to take some pictures before the light faded, so we did that, and joked about the ducks, who always seemed to quack at just the right time. Holly kept herself busy with Alex, which allowed him finish his bottled mom noms. A lady walking by with her dog asked if we wanted a group photo, so Ian handed her the camera, and she took a couple.

The actual "ceremony" was short, but I hardly remember what was said. We had told Ian we didn't have any planned vows or anything, and he was ok with that. He began with "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today, in front of these ducks..." And GW was kissing me before Ian was even finished saying "man and wife". When we were kissing, somewhere, someone, set off a bottle rocket. So there were fireworks. The whole thing was quite amusing. Then we stood around and chatted, and took more pictures. 

Oh Noes! My Parents Is Married??

Heather showing off the paperwork envelope (holding my purse)

 Walking out of Evergreen, I shot this photo below, just moments before Alex puked all over Holly, who insisted on carrying him with her everywhere. He got the entire length of her dress, and in her shoe. I think he gets bonus points for the shoe.

After we left the cemetery, we all went back to Heather & Eric's. We decided some type of wedding dinner was in order, and got pizza delivered. Super fancy, I know, right? When we busted out the champagne, Holly wasn't interested (haha!) but she had ginger ale instead.

Poor hungover Holly!

 All in all, things could have gone a lot worse. I'll probably have some better pictures when Ian gets them on a disc for me. The one full-length pic I have just doesn't make my dress looks particularly awesome, but it was, really. Because we care about equality, we decided not to tell any of our family members that we were getting married, because it was such short notice, and people who couldn't have come would be offended. So we thought it was best to offend everyone equally. We'll see how this goes. My parents will be pissed, but meh, it was a nice, short, intimate thing with our friends, and for what it was, it was just right.

Tomorrow... Er, today...

I'm getting married! For real! At least, the legal stuff will get taken care of. /sigh of relief
More later. Maybe. I've been trying to build up my "stash" of cloth, which includes making some, which is why I haven't posted. We went out tonight, and I do hope Holly doesn't feel like I expect her to. She had a lot too much to drink. Usually, she babysits me, but no, this time I had to snatch her drink, and give it away to a deserving person. So, g'night!

Selected corset shall arrive tomorrow!

Yeah, I've been stalking it on the USPS tracking. So it should be here tomorrow, and I'll get to see if it works for me. Which is good. This is the one I *finally* chose. I also have a plain black satin over-bust corset which I got at our semi-local "naughty shop", if the floral doesn't work out... The black satin one has a zipper in the front, which will make breastfeeding a hell of a lot easier than hooks.
My only issue with the under-bust is that I'm not sure what I'm going to put under it to cover mah boobies. I had thought that I'd use my favorite silk shirt for layering, but there are white 'oderant stains on it. This is hardly noticeable in the club, but during the day, you can definitely see them. Because of the shirt's delicate nature, I'm hesitant to just scrub them out.
Then I thought of something brilliant!
I could just scrub them, and then re-dye the shirt. But then, will I end up with a shredded black silk shirt that is useless? I just don't know what to do. Dammit.
I hate hitting a wall with all my ideas, which will always happen when I go off half-cocked like I do... Like the dress I spray painted black, and turned into a painful dress of pain, then wore to GFAK '08. But damn, it did look good.

In other news, my brilliant idea to make some cloth diapers (to save us some money) has turned into a project of projects (and I don't think we're actually going to save anything by me making them). This half-baked idea was inspired by the hundreds of BabyCenter moms who make their own cloth. Then, every time I turn around, I find out there's something more I need to do it right. I finally have all the stuff to start making some practice dipes, with more materials on the way.
I'm upcycling a pair of my old Tim Horton's work pants (yup, I did the "barista" thing for a while) as the outers for my practice runs. I bought some microfiber towels from the automotive section (I was told they're a cheaper alternative to buying by the yard, and it's the same stuff, really, it is!) for inserts, and some microsuede that was $2.00 a yard. The PUL (which will be hidden) I got at Joann Fabrics. I already had some elastic- it was left over from reconstructing my maternity jeans (I got too big for them).
And I picked up an el-cheapo snap kit just to try them out.
Oh, and the Velcro I got wasn't the right kind (it was sticky-back) the first time, so I had to get some more that was non-sticky...
And then I got a rotary cutter, and a board for that, too.
So, yeah. Not as easy (or cheap) as I was planning at all.    

Skirt Has Arrived!

I want to wear it NOW. Well, ok, I already put it on once and jumped around my kitchen in ecstasy. SQUEEE!!!
I still haven't picked out a corset. Timeless Trends is trying to make my brain !!EXPLODE!!. I seriously want just about every single corset on their site. They are not making this easy. Shame on them for providing such awesomeness. And then I'm wondering if I should just give up and wear my green corset. Then I wouldn't have to decide. But GW would need a new shirt. None of the things in his wardrobe match my green corset at all. Must. Have. MATCHING. STUFF.

First Day OUT Without Alex

My mom came to my house with my sister and our friend Shannon. Shannon's having a problem in her bedroom. Well, it wasn't just her problem, everyone who's gone in there has said it feels creepy lately. Her mother had stayed there to house-sit for her while she was doing something for the Coast Guard (training?) and had to go to the West Coast... Her mom ended up sleeping on the couch, because the bedroom freaked her out...

So we went to a shop where our (mostly my mother's) friend Tom was working to pick up some smudging stuff. On the way, I was telling Shannon what she could use, and how, and, lo, she already had the required items. (This was after giving her a lesson about how to use Sweet Fern, and cutting a bagful for her.) So when we finally got to the shop, we just kind of poked around at all the "magic" items, since she really didn't need anything. Tom (idiot) tried to be helpful and convert us to Wicca. Or maybe the pervert was just looking at our breasts. (He had an unhealthy interest in me feeding Alex at GFAK. Not like "Wow, the female body is so amazing & nurturing!" More like "Wow, your boobs are so amazing! Nurture me with them!")

After we were done doing nothing at the Luna Gallery, we went to the Christmas Tree Shop, because I wanted to pick up some more curtain panels. They were all out of the color I needed (red), but I did find some super-cute Halloween-themed board books for Alex. They were only $1.69, and for a board book, you can't beat that.

You spin the wheel, and the textures change! Sooo Cool!

It's Fuzzy! And Oh-So-Cute!

So it wasn't a completely wasted trip, and GW didn't call me once for help or advice or anything. To tell the truth, I was a little worried that the whole house had exploded, because he can't even go to the grocery store without calling me six times. I also picked up two glow-in-the dark star fridge magnets with the boy's names on them, and 2 others- a spiderweb & a grim reaper. I have an addiction to fridge magnets. I'm perfectly willing to admit I have a problem, and that I can't won't stop buying or making them. Hey, at least it's not crack.  

W00T! I'm getting my skirt!

After several convo's with the peeps at MTcoffinzUnderground, I'm getting my skirt in time! I'm totally psyched about this! Even though I still need to find a top to go with it, it's a ginormous weight off my mind.

His

GW recieved his ring in the mail today, too! I love it, it's a pretty good match for mine. We looked at a ton of them before deciding which one would look the best. It kind of irks me that the jewelery store was charging $300 for the same ring we got for him off Amazon for $40. And it also irks me that my ring was so dang expensive. I hate wearing really expensive stuff. I know I'm either going to loose it or break it because I'm a scatterbrained klutz. Seriously, wearing my ring makes me nervous. I've never owned anything, except a car, that cost more. And you don't wear a car, so that doesn't even count... I'm sure if I'd been the primary driver, it would have had it's days numbered.

Mine

I still haven't found anything appropriate for Alex or TJ to wear. Heather is madly shopping for a dress for Rebecca. Of course, in matters of fashion, Heather & I are practically Nazi with our passion for the ultimate awesomeness. Perfection is hard work, and we'll settle for nothing less than that when it comes to how we dress for events. Or, at least we try to achieve what is our view of perfect perfection.




So now, I need the perfect corset. I'm waffling between this, this, this, this, this, and this. How can I even choose when they're all so awesome?? I'm leaning towards the plain black ones, because the'll have excellent re-wear value. Or the black & white. Or one of the black and red ones. Hell, I want them ALL. ALL I SAY! but GW said no. Poop. He ruins everything, the big ol' meanie. And he isn't a big help, either, because he likes them all, too, and told me to get ONE that I want.
(He's not really that mean, btw, he spoils me rotten, and treats me like a princess, and I love him dearly.)   

Must. Pamper. Self.

I'm totally stressed out about this whole wedding thing. My family & friends are going nuts... They want a huge thing, and they want it in a couple of weeks. The list of things people want to do is INSANE. Ain't gonna happen. Soooo...
I'm taking a showerbath. By my dang self. No Alex. (he's sleeping anyway) I'm putting off the diapers until tomorrow.
I am creating a chem-free spa experience.
I have sea salt, extra virgin coconut oil (EVCO), sesame oil, baking soda, powdered oatmeal, and apple cider vinegar (ACV).
Sounds like a recipe for DOOM, right? Nope, they all have a purpose, which I will explain presently.

• Sea salt to put in the bath. 
• EVCO & sesame for my legs... After I *gasp* shave them. Also for after I'm done to smell yummy & moisturize. 
• Oatmeal for a masque.
• Baking soda for washing my hair, and for scrubbing my face.
• ACV for rinsing my hair.

This is going to be fun... Or at least, relaxing.

So, This Kinda Sucks...

I was all excited that I'd have a year to prepare our wedding, and it would be fabulous. Well... No dice. I need to get married yesterday.
How this happened was:
I no longer qualify for state heath insurance, with GW's income. So, we thought it would be a simple matter to just add me & TJ to his insurance (Alex is already on it). Then we find out that he can't do that unless were're married. They cover same-sex domestic partnerships and their dependents, but they don't cover domestic partnerships for a man & woman. I think this is a little bit effed up.
I honestly don't give a rat's ass if I'm covered or not, but TJ needs coverage for dental- he's got braces. And of course, true to his douchebaggery, his father never offered to try to do anything about it.
So now, I have to get married, STAT.
I tried on my dress, it fits around my waist with room to spare, even in a nursing tank. But... lo and behold, it doesn't fit. It zips up... and then it gets to my boobs. Then it just won't budge the last 4 inches or so. So I need a new dress. I'm not having much luck with finding one. I found an incredible, AWESOME! skirt on Etsy, but they're all custom order, so it would take 3 weeks for them to get it to me. I sent a message, because it said they had 2 in stock, but nope, they don't, they're all customs.

And I would still need a new corset. I don't have any that are plain black. I'd probably be able to find one locally, though, at Midnight Boutique. They had some really nice, excellent quality ones last time I was there, but at the time, I chose a green one over the plain black. And now I'm kicking myself for it. /facepalm.

I really, really, want, need, have to have it OMGS! this dress, but it's over $1500, plus shipping from Europe.
 Just can't toss around that kind of cash right now... Even if it is one of the most incredible dresses I've ever seen.

But, there is this awesome dress on Etsy as well, only $500. Except it takes 1-2 months to make, because again, it's custom...
And, to top it off, I've lost my seamstress tape. So I can't even get a good measurement for ordering anything online. Knowing just how huge my boobs really are would be a big help. I think I'm up to a G cup or something insane like that. Go breastfeeding, right? :p 


I could make a skirt, but then well, when do I have the time? And I don't have a dressmaker's form (something I've wanted for years), so it would be a challenge, and my sewing machine still hates me. 


We talked about just doing a small ceremony, just to get the formalities over with before TJ's next orthodontist appointment... So it has to be soon. Really soon. Like within a couple of weeks... I won't get any of the dresses I like in that time. I'm really pissed about it, not about the married part, but I wanted it to be a big deal, with a huge party, and awesome everything, and it won't be. I can't even find a suit that will fit Alex. Mr. Big Baby is still just too small. Weddings shouldn't be depressing, but I seriously want to cry.