Card Making & Money Saving

After countless hours on Etsy stealing people's DIY card ideas and going to Michael's to get a good deal on everything I would need to replicate things in bulk, I finally finished my first DIY card project! This was also inspired by Dr. Wong and her crafty shower invites. So thank you, Doc.

Before deciding to make my own thank you (baby shower) cards, I did browse the Target aisles for deals on cards. But to my disappointment, nothing really stood out to me and they were a bit too pricey for my tastes. Yes, $4 for 10 cards is pricey in my point of view. There were cheaper ones, $10 for 50, but it was too plain and generic and definitely NOT my style. I know most people rip their cards up after a while, but still, it's the craftiness and money saving (not time saving) persona in me who finds contentment in making cards in bulk.

Oh! I also had a really specific card theme in mind... monkeys, so yeah. I finally decided that designing my own cards were the way to go. I ended up spending $4 for a pack of 32 teal cards and $0.50 for brown string at Michael's. In short, $4.50 gave me 31 (not 32 because there's always the dud) cards. Not only is this an original, but it's handmade and way below market value. Now who wants to pay for my services on etsy?

Let's Go Warriors!

Approximately four years ago, Dan asked me out to a Warriors game (on our second date). I was hesitant at first because 1) I wasn't a fan of the Warriors and 2) my interest in basketball stopped after high school. He convinced me that his boss at the time, "LoBo" had awesome courtside seats and that games are a lot better live than on t.v. I eventually said yes, after I got him to drive from Redwood City to North San Jose all the way to the Oakland Coliseum then back to San Jose and finally home to Millbrae (yes, I realize that's a huge run-on sentence).

We had courtside seats that were six rows away from all the action and boy was I impressed! Four years later... although we don't have those luxury seats anymore because he no longer works for LoBo, we still have some decent tickets. The Magic vs. Warriors (can you say Warriors Torture?!) will probably be our last game for a while due to Peanut.

I realize to believe that I aged from four years ago... but other people have said otherwise. Besides (both) being rounder, we still look relatively the same, right?

THEN

NOW

Baby Bargain Shopping

Yup, I went on a really mini shopping spree for little Peanut Shinn this past week. (Blue Galore!) There's something for him from birth - one year old, haha... I think I just needed to get it out of my system.

I went to nearly everything baby store in Valley Fair and made my final stop as well as purchase(s) at Macy's. Who knew that the clearance sale at Macy's would be the cheapest of them all...

I kid you not, here's the price I paid for everything above...

Check out the total savings! Less than $20 for all that?! Is that a deal or is that a deal?

Peanut's a Boy!

After waiting for what seems like forever, we finally found out that our little peanut is actually a BOY! Yup, that was our first pick the entire time and we were really happy when we saw that tiny little wienie during our gender ultrasound.

This is probably the only time I can get away with posting private parts online, so I'm going to take advantage of this moment.

Here's a more internet appropriate picture of our soon to be addition.

After finding out the gender, we both decided to be good parents and buy Peanut his first outfit (separately). It's a relief to actually be able to pick something blue instead of looking at gender neutral green and yellow colors.

Finished One Life Goal

On January 12, 2011, I was able to experience something extremely spectacular! It would've been even better if the Warriors won though... On a Wednesday night, the arena was PACKED and it felt more like a playoff game than a regular season one.

As a kid, I saw Kobe and Fisher and Phil Jackson on t.v. all the time on NBC and would often root for them. But as a kid, what better did I know... was it weird to root for the other (home) team now? Nope! If only the Warriors were more clutch in the fourth quarter (leading every quarter except the quarter that counted!). Nonetheless, it was an awesome game to watch and I was able to say that I watched the Lakers play with nice seats.

Hotel Bed Realizations

After being on vacation and sleeping in hotel beds for 1.5 weeks, I realized:

1) How comfortable my bed at home is, despite it being a queen (it still fits 3 comfortably). I feel like I'm sleeping on clouds!

2) My pillows are also very very comfortable too (and it also smells good, and I don't question where it's been before).

3) Dot makes a great middle pillow and source of natural heat for my belly!

4) Our room is freezing cold!

It's good to be back home! I missed Dottie a tad too much.

2010: A Year In Review

People celebrated in style on NYE (noticed on Facebook). As for the Shinns, we celebrated in our jammies while watching Dick Clark and counting down to the new years so we could sleep at 12:01. Yes, we sound like an old married couple, but we wouldn't have it any other way.

2010 was probably the fastest year that's gone by for me during my 27 years of existence (even though I have a feeling that 2011 might roll by even faster!). A few highlights:

~ Starting the year off unforgettably with our 01.02.2010 palindrome wedding. All those wedding preparations and stresses seem so far away now. People were right, when you look back on it, everything you worried about on the days leading up to THE big day is really petty and forgettable. All I remember now is marrying my one true love and starting life together in the wonderful city of Mountain View.

~ Adopting my other true love less than a month after we tied the knot. Dot Trouble Shinn was the second best thing that happened to me this year, and it also happened early on as well. That little chihuahua, with her big brown eyes that could get away with anything, big soft ears, wet brown nose and big woman parts gave us a taste of our future parenting styles and how we both reacted to disciplining. I LOVE DOT!!!

~ Finding out that Dot is going to be an older "sister" and that we will be real parents, parents who don't leave their child at home when they go out. Knowing this news was probably the scariest and happiest and also most exciting thing that happened to us during the latter part of the year.

Although there have been other highlights, though much more miniscue, the above three would top it for best of 2010. Not only does today mark our one year anniversary, but it is also day 100 of my pregnancy! Yup, there's a completely different countdown for 2011.