Wishful Thinking

I am in a funk. I had childishly high hopes this week that our open house would result in a miraculous offer and imminent sale. Naive, yes. Reality - one person showed up. This was a person that just happened to drive by and see the signs, and who is looking to rent-to-own (i.e. most likely doesn't have the credit to qualify to buy a house). *SIGH*

I spent all week stressing over the need to clean, declutter and depersonalize our house for our first open house. I scrubbed my hands raw, boxed almost everything up that isn't needed in the foreseeable future, and staged the home as if a rambunctious 21-month old has never lived here (except for the strategically placed toys that scream "this is a cozy house to raise your family in"). I was unable to sleep most nights for the lists running in my head of what still needed to be done. [My Brain: The blinds and windows - they haven't been cleaned since we moved in here. Must clean now. No one will ever buy this house if there are dusty blinds. AAHHH!]

Apparently open houses have gone the way of the dodo. Who knew. I get it, I can see everything I need to see online with pictures and virtual tours. But no one has scheduled a visit to come and see our charming craftsman style bungalow. And our pictures are good, and I know our house is cute. So what now? I know we can drop the price a bit, and I'm sure we will in the next few weeks. Other than that, what's left? It just feels like I will never escape Charlotte. I know I'm being dramatic. It's not like I live in Darfur. But I want out. I can't stand waiting. I think I'm going to research the whole rental route. It can't hurt to look into the costs of a management company and the likelihood of finding a great renter. Right? *sigh*

Do Something Good

According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence, domestic violence and sexual assault are pervasive and life-threatening crimes affecting millions of individuals across our nation regardless of age, economic status, race, religion or education. Domestic violence and sexual assault not only severely impact victims but our entire communities and are linked to many other social ills. That’s why The Mommies Network (TMN) will be donating 25 percent of the funds raised from their first Annual National Auction to the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV).

As a member of CharlotteMommies and TriangleMommies, I have donated the gorgeous Sofia Pearl Bib Necklace to the auction! I used to volunteer for a domestic violence and rape crisis group, and have known several women in my friend circle that have been affected by domestic violence. This is an issue that is near and dear to my heart. I urge you to either bid on the items in the auction, or donate something yourself (see info below).

To make this auction a success and bring the greatest benefit to the many women reached by both the NNEDV and TMN they need your support. They are currently seeking donations for the auction which will take place September 5, 2010 – 11, 2010. This online auction will be hosted by MissionFish (a division of eBay) and will be viewable to all 30,000+ of their members as well as the general public. Additionally, a listing of donations will be posted on all of their online sites to encourage their members to participate in the auction and to show their sponsors their appreciation by shopping with their businesses.

Your donation to The Mommies Network National Auction will:

• Benefit the great work of the National Network to End Domestic Violence

• Benefit The Mommies Network and help them to continue to bring encouragement, support, and volunteer opportunities to moms across America

• Benefit your business by putting your product in front of 30,000+ buyers in your target market in addition to countless others who view your auction listing

All auction listings will display a picture of the item being donated along with the logo of the donating business and the business’ website. The auction will be promoted on all of The Mommies Network’s sites, through their blog, and on Facebook, meaning that your donation will guarantee your business outstanding visibility, letting potential customers know that you care about women and mothers everywhere, helping to create loyalty among future customers.

If you have any questions, please e-mail Christine Byrd at christine.byrd@themommiesnetwork.org. Should you choose to donate, please send your donation no later than August 15th to The Mommies Network/ Attn: Christine Byrd/ 2904 Northampton Drive/ Greensboro, NC 27408. Thank you for your support.

Bummer

Apparently I am a loser and no one wants to participate in my giveaway. Sadness. Since no one shopped, there is no winner. Boo hoo. I'll try again in a few months when summer is over. I am telling myself that people were too busy and broke with summer plans. It's not me, it's them...right??

On a happy note, I just ordered some new line samples for the Fall/Winter 2010 collection and I am drooling! I cannot wait to get my hands on the pieces. So gorgeous! This is my new fave - the Metropolitan Mixed Chain Necklace. LOVE IT!

Spartina 449

A friend of mine had an adorable wallet from a brand I'd never heard of before, but now I am in love with them! Have ya'll heard of Spartina 449 before? I hadn't and I think they're adorable. It's a bit like Vera Bradley, which I like but can only handle in small doses.

I think a cute wallet would be fun - like this one in Island Ferry print.

And I am in love with this large, pocket tote in the Melrose print. I think it would make a great diaper bag too!

So, if you're on the hunt for a new bag, wallet or tote - check them out!

Pix

We did a photo shoot with APW Photography a couple of weeks ago at the Duke Gardens, and I'm happy to say that Ben was a trooper! Even though we met early in the morning for the shoot, it was still unbelievably hot. Luckily, Noy was able to get some great shots of Ben frolicking through the gardens, feeding ducks, checking out the flowers, and just sweating his pretty little blonde head off! If you live in NC and need some great family photos, please check out their site (now added to my "friends in the biz" section).

Nuggets

The joys of parenting are numerous. Let me share a recent conversation between myself and J regarding our darling son.

From bewildered me to his loving father:

I am not lying when I tell you that I just yakked in my mouth while changing ben's poop. The nastiest, messiest, smelliest diaper ever. Disgusting! It's thrown away and I can still smell it. I may burn the house down.

From his doting father to astonished me:

These are the moments that define our lives- this is indeed your finest hour. As Winston Churchill once said- "Never in the course of our history has so much been done by so few". He was not talking about beating Hitler- it was his vision into the future.... of Ben's poopy diaper. Luv U.

Ah yes, becoming a parent really expands your world. I never knew how much I could discuss my son's poop. I know you're glad I shared.

Grown Ups

I just have to take a minute to vent about how immature people can be and how sick I am of it! I am involved in planning a baby shower for my bestie, and I am working with another few of her besties and her sister. The sister and I were meeting tonight to go over all of her wonderful ideas, since she's really creating the vision and we're helping her achieve it. During our discussion, it basically came out that the old HS bestie doesn't want to work with me and other college bestie in the planning process and would prefer to only deal with the sister. Are you f*cking kidding me?! People, we are 30 years old. This is your alleged best friend since high school and you can't bother to email or converse with me about the planning of her first baby shower? Really mature. It is taking all I have not to send her a nasty "grow the hell up" email.

This isn't the first time I've encountered her immature and selfish ways. She pulled the same crap when it came to the wedding showers and bachelorette party. It's not just that she wants to be the leader and center of attention, but it's that she also complains to the mom-to-be about everything. For example, we were originally doing two showers - one hometown/family, one home of the mom/dad-to-be. My friend and I were hosting the home of the mom-to-be, and the sis and HS bestie were hosting the hometown/family shower. Well, HS bestie emails mom-to-be and complains that she "didn't know she was getting stuck with the grandmas" and that she wished she was throwing the fun party. Are you serious? First, why are you complaining? If you are the best friend, do your job and act like it! Second, you live in the hometown. Why wouldn't you be hosting the family party? And you grew up with her family, so why would "being with the grandmas" be so bad?

So this sparked an upheaval and now we are doing one big shower. Honestly, I am fine either way - I am just happy to be participating and be involved in the shower. It's just beyond annoying that HS bestie won't deign to speak to me or the other college bestie, and yet she feels like none of her ideas are being heard. Hello!? How can we hear your ideas if you won't bother to speak with us. Needless to say, I am not to happy about this person and am not looking forward to seeing her at the shower. However I will keep it to myself and keep the mom-to-be out of it! She should be enjoying these last few months of pregnancy and not dealing with useless drama.

**UPDATE**
So apparently HS bestie spent the weekend with mom-to-be and yet again brought up issues about the shower planning. WTH? On Friday, I sent out the invite preview and she replied through her intermediary (i.e. mom-to-be's sister) that she didn't want her name on the invite. Seriously? And then she grumbles to mom-to-be about this and told her she didn't feel the need to be included on the invite because her sister clearly has the shower planned out and she's just going to be bringing a few dishes of food. So then mom-to-be emails us and is paranoid that her sister isn't working well with us as a team. This is so not an issue and honestly if it was, it's not something that mom-to-be would need to know about anyway. Us college besties know how to work as a team and are not having major issues like this, why can't this chick grow up? Argh!!