The Great Sockeroo!

Hey Humble Readers...

I hope you're having a great weekend.  Today was pretty mellow here at the hobbit hole.  A little Christmas shopping (yeah, I'm one of those people... I find it cheaper to shop early.  Besides, I only have my staff discount at my bookstore for a couple more weeks), some grocery shopping, and some morning sickness. 

Several weeks ago, a bunch of us signed up to participate in Kymberli's super cool "Sock It To Me" sock exchange.  I love love love these kinds of events... they are so much fun, and you get to connect with people you may have not really gotten to know before. 

My totally groovy sock partner was PCOS Chick... and she sent me these wonderfully warm, stylish, and awesomely STRIPEY socks! 

I'm not sure how it happened, but it looks like both
feet are coming out the same pant-leg.  Odd.

Aren't they outstanding?  I love me some stripey socks!

As a part of the Great Sockeroo, Kym has asked us to answer this question...

It has been roughly a year and a half since the last SITM Exchange. Reflect on the past 18 or so months – how has support from others, either in the blogosphere or otherwise, helped you?

Well, the past 18 months have been amazingly full.  At the time of the last SITM exchange I had just come out of a very frustrating cycle that was sadly of my own making.  It had been more than a year since my second miscarraige, and I was getting convinced that we were never going to get pregnant again.  That SITM exhange came a the perfect time... I needed a pick me up.

And as it turned out, those socks came in really handy as lucky socks less than a month later, when I got my sticky bfp.  I wore them to ultrasound after ultrasound, doctor's appointments and consultations, and by the time our sweet Ginevra was born those skull-and-crossbone, black and white checked socks were pretty worn out.  (And yes, they came to the hospital with me)

Throughout my long-awaited pregnancy, as well as before and every day after, this community has given me tremendous gifts... laughter when I was sinking, hugs in joy and sorrow, a calming voice in my moments of anxiety and panic, and, most importantly, listening ears and open hearts for everything in between. 

Oddly, SITM came around at the exact right time again.  And I have a new pair of lucky socks to wear to ultrasounds, blood draws, and doctor's appointments.  Maybe not so odd... maybe just perfection.

Q & A: 500th Post Edition

Howdy Humble Readers...

Early on last week I asked for some questions as prompts because I had hit a bit of a wall when it was came to what to blog about.  The August heat has melted my brain, and hence any and all creativity has been blown out the windows by the continually oscilating fans.  You lovely ladies came through with some doozies for me.  And I had no idea until I just logged into blogger that this is my 500th post.  How is that possible?  Who knew I could babble on that much?

On to the answers...

Kristin asked a whole bunch of stuff. 

1. How did you meet your beloved?  My Beloved and I were matched on eHarm.ony dot com on Valentine's Day 2006.  We went through their guided conversation process and then spent a couple of months just getting to know each other via email, instant message, and phone calls.  Due to some extenuating circumstances, we didn't actually meet face to face until June 12th.  We met in Banff for the day, which is sorta in between where we both lived (such a beautiful place for a first date), and I brought a couple of friends with me as back up, just in case.  My friend D later told me that he was just fine with my Beloved when my Beloved gave me a huge hug as soon as he saw me. 
2. If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?  This is something that I am still pondering.  It would have to combine cooking (without the angst of working for a professional chef), writing, and being able to be Ginny's primary caregiver.  Any thoughts?
3. Do you support gay marriage?  This is a very hard question for me, without a clear answer.  Part of me wants to plead the fifth (except that won't work as I'm not American).  Is it possible for me to simply, respectfully say that I am still grappling with this?  My faith tells me one thing, and my heart tells me something else.  I realize that I am opening myself up for some potentially challenging responses here, but I am still struggling to reconcile the two.  At this point I'm going to say that if you want to continue this discussion, please email me.  I would just rather not do it here. 
4. Would you classify yourself as liberal or conservative or something in between?  Wow... another hard one.  The difficulty here comes in how you define those terms.  I consider myself conservative, but not ultra conservative.  I find myself frustrated and offended by the extremes of both sides, but in general I find myself resonating more with the mid-right (if there is such a thing). 
5. Where would your dream vacation be?  Autumn in New York.  A safari in Tanzania.  Summer in the UK.  A coast-to-coast-to-coast roadtrip across my beautiful country.  I'm not a 'lay on the beach' kinda gal, I prefer vacations where I'm doing and learning.  Something historical is preferred, but not necessary. 
6. Who is your biggest celebrity crush?  Without a doubt, Donnie Wahlberg.  (excuse me as I wipe the drool from my chin just from thinking about him)  Man oh man, when he tore his shirt off at the NKOTBSB concert I was at last month... yum yum!  And he's been number one on my list for many MANY years.

Rain asked a great question.

• If your could live in any time period in history (besides now), when would it be and why?  Just for the sheer romance of it all, I would have to say the Victorian era in England.  Of course, if I was to live in that time period, I would have to be someone with a fair bit of money (and also a heck of a lot thinner) so that I could wear the beautiful clothes.  But then, I have also really been intrigued with the early 20th century in both Europe and North America... the amazing leaps forward in science and technology, the Golden Era of North American culture, the clothes.  *sigh*

St. Elsewhere gave me a couple of great ones about Ginny.

1. What are some of your favourite products for Ginny?  I adore her Sophie the Giraffe teething toy.  It's on the expensive side for a teething ring, but it was a gift, and with the way my wee girl gnaws on that thing, it was worth every penny.  I also love her high chair.  Because of the limited space in our home, we couldn't have a traditional high chair, so this one that straps onto one of our kitchen chairs is great.  Easy to set up and take down when we need to, and super easy to clean.  Lastly, we were given this body wash/shampoo as a gift, and I love it!  You don't need to use much at all (we're still on our first bottle) and it doesn't dry out the wee girl's skin.



Pic was taken back in February

2. If there was one thing of Ginny (a toy, clothes, blanket etc) that you would like to keep forever, what would that be? Just one!  Yikes... that's tough.  I would have to say her green blanket that I knitted while I was pregnant.  She's slept with it pretty much every night since she came home from the hospital.

Well, those are all the questions this time around.  If you didn't get your question in this time, leave it in the comments and I'll make a note of it for next time around.

And due to some unforseen circumstances, Kym of TheSmartness has allowed the sign ups for Sock it To Me to continue until the end of today!  If you haven't signed up for the coolest blogosphere gift exchange around, why the hell not?  Use that groovy button up at the top on the right to learn more!

Rock Out With Your Socks Out!

Hey Humble Readers!!  I'm super excited!!

Kym from The Smartness is back and better than ever, and to get ready for fall, she's hosting another round of Sock It To Me!

Head on over and sign up for the awesomest blogosphere gift exchange ever...  This is open to all bloggers, from all over the blogosphere and all over the world.  Come on Canadian bloggers, we need to represent!

(And then come back and read my previous post about our precious wee girl!)