Greetings. From the bed. Where I've been 75% of the time since Thursday evening. When I finally went to seek medical attention on Saturday I was told I had allergies. I've never had allergies before. I suspected an sinus infection and ended up filling a prescription for antibiotics when my temp neared 100.

Lots of Sudafed, Allegra, Amoxicillian, and copious amounts of Kleenex later and I am still not 100%. Sleep, although I am exhausted has been little due to sinus pressure, sneezing, and snotting. I have, however, been able to get through almost 3 seasons of Drop Dead Diva, which for some reason I am totally addicted to.

Hopefully I'll be better soon. Our trip to Asheville is scheduled for Friday!

This past weekend started off on a high note. The reception for a group show that I was invited to participate in was on Friday. When Heath and I walked into the gallery I noticed a little red dot by my piece! (for those of you who don't know, that means the work had been sold!) Yay! But at the same time I'll miss those little guys. (yes, yes, I know I can make more but I still get attached to them) After hanging out at the gallery a bit we went over to West Sixth for some beeeeeeer! And then to pick up Ruby from daycare. 

Saturday we took Ruby to get a haircut. Her first haircut was really just a trim so this was her first major cut. We were going back and forth as to what style to give her. I was all about going all out and giving her a pixie cut. After all, she really doesn't care at this point. (we kept asking her during the week if we could shave her head and she kept saying, "okay") Heath wasn't completely sold on the pixie but he was adamant about not wanting the short, across the forehead bangs. What we got was a assymetrical bob, short in the back, angled, and then long in the front. 

 She wasn't 100% cooperative during the cut. We tried Netflix but that didn't work very well because she kept pressing buttons that would start the movie over again or hits the home button and backed out completely. Instead we ended up bribing her with suckers. It wasn't happening otherwise and our stylist had already made a major cut so it had to be finished at that point. In all, about 8" was taken off of the back but the sides were basically just trimmed. Her hair looks much, much healthier and so much thicker. Way better than her Christopher Lloyd-esque hair before, right? I tried to get a different "after" picture but alas, she was very angsty for the rest of the day. 

Sunday was our typical get shit done we should have gotten done during last week so that things aren't a total disaster this week day. This means laundry, dishes, and other general cleaning. We also went grocery shopping. Oh, and there were naps. We always gets naps on the weekends. I think I sleep when Ruby sleeps more now than I did when she was an infant. She definitely wears me out way more now! 

It's the first daHow did you spend the gorgeous fall weekend? 

I love decorating magazines and websites. My favorites are Dwell, House Beautiful, Apartment Therapy, and Offbeat Home, among others. Even though our house is nothing like the 4000 sq. ft. house on the beach or the 200 sq. ft. space in NYC which seem to dominate these sites and magazines, I figured that I could take our average, run-of-the mill 1800 sq.ft. ranch out in suburbia and make it ''ours". So in my head, for a loooong time,  I've been doing two things. 1. Finally getting the house put together, and 2. composing one of those Before/After This Is How I Decorated My Space blog post in my head that would somehow be awesome enough to be on Offbeat Home (which features more Real Life homes).

Notice I said, "in my head" because, let me tell you, that decorating is neither my strong-suit or, apparently, a priority. We've been in our house for 10 years as of July and, Pergo flooring and different furniture aside, it has barely changed. Some of it is because H and I don't always agree on furniture/style/art and because of that we just don't do anything, a lot of it is lack of time, and most of it probably a nice big case of I Just Don't Care That Much. Obviously, if I really cared I would make it a priority, right? 

So because I need something to blog about it and I find it a little amusing, here's a mini house tour, AS IS as of this morning. Sometimes it's better, sometimes it's worse. Our first stop: The kitchen!

1. Container of batteries that I've been meaning to/trying to recycle for a long time. I've been told by several places to "just throw them away" but I can't bring myself to do it. 
2. Dishwasher and countertop full of clean dishes.
3. More dishes that still need to be washed. 
4. Blender on the stove because that was the only empty space when I went to make smoothies this morning.
5. Cool stoplight sign that I've been meaning to hang for months.
6. New table that I am totally in love with. In my head I'd have a cool table runner and my collection of vintage Fiesta mixing bowls (which are currently hidden in away) running down the middle. The chairs are like 20 years old and have been glued and re-glued several times. 
7. Target bag, water bottle, journal, and other junk that is inevitably dumped upon the table every day. Sometimes it's cleared away for dinner. Sometimes it's not. 

On to the living room! 

1. Ruby's table. This acts as Ruby's table, a side table or an ottoman, depending on the time of day and who is sitting in...
2. this vintage green chair that I found at Peddler's Mall. Oliver clawed the crap out of the top of it and while I was angry at the time, now whenever I rub my fingers across the top of it I think of him. 
3. Art! On the wall! This was all hung before Ruby was born and really needs to be moved around now that the furniture situation has changed. (we used to have a sectional that went all along the wall where the green chair is) There is more art and photos of Ruby (birth to 2 years) that needs to be hung as well. I'll take the fact that those are at least printed and in a frame as a victory in itself. 
4. Our pretty, amazing, gorgeous, new blue couch. Covered in afghans and throw pillows. All the better to protect it from claws, toddlers, and the occasionally klutzy adult. A little anal, I know, but dangit! I want the couch to look good for a least a couple of months! (see a better pic of the sofa here)
5. Vintage, claw-footed, spinny table with leather top, rescued from Peddler's mall for $100 and lovingly restored by someone who knew what they're doing, now covered with daycare reports cards, junk mail, a pair of jeans, books, cups, game controllers, and more. 
6. Play kitchen that I'd love to get the heck outta the living room because a certain little girl never touches the thing unless she has a friend over (which rarely happens). Unfortunately the changing table in her room is taking up the space where I'd like it to go. For now it will just be a great place for me to put my wallet and keys. 
7. Donations for the Goodwill and a plethora of shoes. You'd think that we didn't have a shoe organizer in the closet. 
8. Just a hint of the cord-gasm that is going on behind me from the PS3, Xbox, TV, and the DVR. A First World Problem, for sure. 

Perhaps I should be embarrassed? Meh. Whatever, lol. 

It's no secret, I like to curse. And out of all the "bad" words my favorite is fuck. There's just something so satisfying when you say that word. It's one solid syllable that is able to express perfectly the frustration and/or anger I feel in the situation where I feel the need to use it. I dropped my iPhone, shattering the screen? Fuuuck!  Forgot my wallet at home? Fuck! I just got an $800 bill from an ER trip where they literally just took Ruby's temperature and sent us on our way? Fuck! See? It just works so perfectly! 

So I am guessing that you know where I am heading with this. Ruby has started to say the f-word. The first time she said it was months ago. I think I said it while on the way home and in traffic. I said it and from the backseat I hear her sweet little voice repeat it. ''fuck''. I didn't react, didn't say, "Don't say that bad, bad word!" or anything like that. I just let it go in the hopes that by not drawing attention to it that it would just be a one time thing. 

Weeeeelll, that didn't exactly work. I'd hear her say it everyone once in a while but I still ignored it. One time, again on the way home from daycare, I heard her in the back saying, "fuckfuckfuckfuck fuck  fuck!" over and over again. She did this several days in a row. I am certain that I didn't say the word and that send her off in a diatribe of fucks so I really don't know where it came from. She'd even started using it in the right context. She'd be struggling to get her shoes on in the morning and she'd say"fuck!'" One time she dropped her glass and spilled milk everywhere..Oh wait..I think that was dammit...probably after hearing me say that, too. Oops. See, I am an equal opportunity swearer. 

Anyway. So I wasn't too concerned about it until the weekend of Woodland when Ruby was with her grandparents and she used the word, again in frustration because she couldn't get her shoe on, but this time grandpa heard her say it. And he spanked her. Yeah. So since then we've been working on trying to get her not to say the f-word anymore. I've explained to her that ''fuck is a word for mommy and daddy to use" (even though H very rarely swears) and that she shouldn't use it. Then she'd say, "I not say fuck!" lol. So I've given her alternatives: Can't get your shoes on?? Say, "awwww, man!" instead! Spilled your drink? Say, "bummer!" instead! 

So far I think we've made some progress but we are not totally out of the F-in woods yet. Occasionally something will happen and she'll start to say, "fuu....." but then I'll  catch her and give her 'the look' complete with raised eye brow and it turns into, "fuuu...awwww man!" I've caught her whispering it over and over again very, very quietly under her breath. When she knows that I've noticed she breaks out in a huge grin and starts to giggle. And I laugh right back, which I know is probably not cool, but dangit! It's funny! Yes, Mother of the Year I am not, not that I am really trying for it. The funny thing is that daycare has not mentioned anything about it and I've never heard her say while we are out in public, only while we are at home.