Happy Halloween!

Halloween is pretty big around my workplace - all the departments dress up in different themes. It gets pretty competitive. We had some pretty good groups this year but none can compare to my departments Lucha Libres! Yes, that is correct - there were 10 luchadoras, a referee and a ring girl.

We ruled the place! But.... we still came in 2nd to a duo that dressed up like Dog the Bounty Hunter & his wife, Beth.

They really can't be beat!

Happy Halloween everyone!

AKA... Houses for People

It appears I'm on a good-deed kick these days.



On top of my Baking Gals efforts, I am also volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. I've wanted to do this for over 5 years now but never could seem to get myself signed up. So, 2 weeks ago, I finally went to the Orientation Meeting and discovered that there are many different opportunities to volunteer for within Habitat for Humanity. I feel so silly thinking all I could do was build a house! I immediately signed up for a bunch of different teams.



First, I am working with the Hospitality team. They are the group of bright & smiling faces you see when you first get to a building site. I am one of those crazy people that wakes up in a great mood and can actually hold a conversation without ingesting a pot of coffee. I love mornings. My husband would not be good at this. After many expletives & throwing something at someone, he would be escorted off the premises and banned. So... I will be doing this solo.



Next is the Family Selection. Feeling overwhelmingly blessed that Mark & I were able to buy our house this year I feel like this is a great place for me to donate some time. The idea of meeting families & working with them on their paperwork and discussing home ownership and all of that makes me super excited. I will, however, warn them about yards. They are a never-ending source of chores & items on the to-do list. Our yard is a mess. And due to the recent rain, it is now a mess with lots of growing weeds. They are pretty & green though... so if you squint it looks like grass!



Hopefully my recent stint of generosity will inspire someone to get up and devote some time on someone or something else. I feel like I have been blessed with a very charmed life and it is good for me to remember that not everyone has been so fortunate. We're all in this together - let's help eachother out.



And now we'll sing Kumbaya. :)

Baking for good

I just had to tell everyone about the new thing I am doing - it's call Baking Gals. I saw it on another blog and thought it was PERFECT for me. I love to bake & what an awesome way to do something good with it. Not that bringing cookies to work isn't a good deed but this is a great opportunity. Oh... you want to know what it is? How silly of me!

Baking Gals was started by a clever young lady who wanted to send baked goodies to soldiers serving our country. Each month new groups are formed & you can sign up for one or a few & they designate you a soldier to send your goodies to. You can do it every month or just when you are able to fit it in. It is a great cause & I am so excited to be a part of it.

If you'd like to check it out - see: Operation Baking Gals



Or - if you have a soldier to nominate, let me know. Surprisingly enough, I really don't know any soldiers that are overseas right now. That is a blessing for me, but I know that there are many men & women all over the world serving our country - let's send them cookies!

Have a great week!

Dearest Sophie...

Over the past few months I have admittedly become obsessed with this cute little giraffe named Sophie. I actually have Jessica & Jackson to thank for the introduction as I first saw her cute little self on their blog. My first thoughts were simple “What a cute little giraffe!” but then it turned into “I want one of those giraffes.” I felt a bit weird about it because I do not have any kids and I am not pregnant but I desperately wanted a giraffe teether. She is French & Organic! What is wrong with me?!

Then I saw her featured in Cookie Magazine.

Then I saw her again featured in the LA Times.

So I bought one.

I am afraid after 2 big features that everyone will want one & in a year or so when I am pregnant or whatever, I won’t be able to find one because everyone in the world will have snatched them all up. And I would be left out… with no cute giraffe squeaky/teething toy.

So I bought one.

And her little organic self, with her vegetable dye dots, will sit in her box until there is a bebe Lepper to enjoy her. But at least I can rest easy knowing that my child will have a Sophie to love. That is, if I can share.

Crazy Pills

I officially started taking prenatal vitamins this past weekend & I feel like they’re giving me crazy dreams. I checked with some preggies I know & they all said that pregnancy gave them weird dreams but they don’t remember prenatals giving them weird dreams. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe by body is just so excited to have vitamins in it that it is celebrating by making me have very weird but colorful dreams. Just maybe…

Baby Book Worm

My adventures in future parenting continue...

First, one of my very bestest friends called today to tell me that she is expecting & I couldn't be happier. Congratulations to you!

Ok... so back to me.

I am now reading three books simultaneously.
1. Skinny Bitch with a Bump
2. What to Expect before you're Expecting
3. Healing & Preventing Autism (Jenny McCarthy)

The information is crazy-fascinating and I just can't seem to get enough. I need there to be more hours in the day for me to read!

My last post was the brain child of Skinny Bitch - I have successfully given up soda, anything with aspartame (and trying really hard to give up anything with sugar substitutes but they're EVERYWHERE!), milk on my cereal & yogurt. It may not sound like much but it's alot for me. Soda has been tough but I find myself drinking gallons of water everyday. I also find myself peeing gallons everyday too... I guess that's good practice for when I actually get pregnant! However, with all of the positive changes I am trying to make in my eating habits, I am not seeing myself really becoming a vegan. I am sure that my husband will refuse to live in a world without bacon. *sigh*

I've only read the first 6 pages in What to Expect but it has already prompted me to schedule a dentist appointment & physical with my GP... and to start harassing my husband to do the same. I have to say I was a bit surprised when I emailed my doctor and he said it "wasn't necessary" for me to come in for a physical before trying to conceive. I sort of figured my doctors would always think it was a good idea to get a physical - especially if I am about to attempt to grow another human inside my body. Silly, Dr Chen! I also went and bought some major vitamins today. They'll probably make me nauseated... Boo... but good for my bod so.. Yay!

And finally Jenny McCarthy's book about autism & vaccinations. My manager is pregnant and we've been talking alot about vaccinations lately - we both find it surprising that so many parents are perfectly fine immunizing their kids from things like Hep B... I looked up Hepatitis B on WebMD and this is how they say you contract it:

You may get hepatitis B if you:

• Have sex with an infected person without using a condom.
• Share needles (used for injecting drugs) with an infected person.
• Get a tattoo or piercing with tools that were not cleaned well.
• Share personal items like razors or toothbrushes with an infected person.

Hmm... How many babies do you see out their having illicit affairs while shooting up & getting tattoos and then borrowing some random guy's tooth brush? Not many. But yet, we're vaccinating our babies for it.

Now, don't get me wrong... I am not discounting the importance of vaccinations & immunizations - I think they are very necessary for some things. But I think it is important as parents & future parents to ask questions & research. These are YOUR children.

Anyway - wee tangent there.. sorry... I just think it is really important to read up on everything I can now so I can make real educated decisions for my children. Thus my 3-books-at-a-time club.

I do feel a bit sorry for my husband... as he has to listen to me wax poetic about my new-found knowledge on everything... and now he has to go to the doctor and the dentist. It's all for our future kids, right? Yes.. so it's the most important thing ever.

Have a great weekend!