Obama Candy Tax

Nothin like the good ole ER

Dear friends and fam, here is a prego pic as requested - 25 weeks along.

Dear friends and fam, use a "bagel cutter" when you are being nice and making breakfast for your husband or you might end up with four stitches. Who knew a finger could bleed so much!

Good practice for the hospital trip when the baby comes. Kris passed.

Discrimination?

I'm confused.

Anti-Prop 8 campaigns label those who support Prop 8 as discriminatory and their token slogan is "stop spreading hate".

Strangely, as I've been helping support the "Yes on Prop 8" campaign the past few weeks I've run into more "hate" than I've ever before felt -more foul language, more hysteria, more rage than imaginable.

This Saturday from Long Beach to San Clemente hundreds of people peacefully lined PCH holding signs and showing their support for Prop 8. One of those people got jumped on his way back to his car. Spreading hate? Who is spreading the hate in this campaign?

For the record, it's OK for me to LOVE gay people while at the SAME TIME believe that the homosexual lifestyle is immoral. That is my opinion. It doesn't make me hateful. It doesn't make me a bigot. It doesn't make me close minded. I think taking drugs is wrong. I think incest is wrong. I think a lot of things are wrong and I don't want someone teaching my children (school or society) that they are right.

I am allowed to disagree with someone else's lifestyle choices as they are allowed to disagree with me being LDS and my lifestyle choices. Many, many, many people have in my past and will continue to do so (I went to high school in the Bible belt, for crying out loud).

I should be allowed to stand up for what I believe in without being discriminated against. As I feel like I'm a sympathetic person who truly tries to love other people, it was a hard day for me to feel so much hate for standing up for what I believe and then being labeled hateful. Ironic.

Side note: For every raging, hysterical person we saw that day, there were ten supporters. I was buoyed up by their cheers and honks and waves.

Baby Stuff

One of my favorite people came over yesterday to bring me a little gift for the up-and-coming ruler of the Sundberg home.

That's right, baby Vans. Hahaha. Kills me.

P.S. It's helping me recover from losing out on a $700 Pottery Barn crib for $150 on Craigslist. Painful, I know.

What do you use?

I feel like I've used EVERY product for your face that you can imagine and I'm always on the hunt for good stuff.

Every now and then I find a total winner and hold onto it, which means now I have a COMPLETELY random mix of things that I like to use for this or that. Here are a few of my favorites. Tell me YOURS!

• Cetaphil Daily Cleanser - I've had at least two esteticians tell me they can tell when someone uses this cleanser because their skin is so smooth (ahem, pre-pregnancy, I should say). Best part? $8 - not kidding.
  

• Laura Mercier, Secret Finish - Put a TINY bit on your fingers and tap under your eyes/on your cheekbones when you've finished with the whole makeup routine. Gives you that great "Julia Roberts dewy look".
  

• Lancome Definicils Mascara - Have used it for years. Love it. Can't find anything better.
  
  

Bobbi Brown, All Over Bronzing Gel SPF 15 - Gives your face color without smelling like nasty self-tanning lotion or ruining your face in the sun

Philosophy, Hope in a Tube - Eye cream you can use after you wash your face and before you put on any makeup. I actually really like the sets you can buy from them too with their peels etc. "Make-Up Optional Kit" or "The Miracle Worker". I think the set was one of "Oprah's Favorite Things" a few years ago.

Now tell me YOURS!

The MOST Important Thing

Helping us pass Proposition 8...
may be THE MOST IMPORTANT thing this generation ever does.

• Unless Proposition 8 passes, California society will soon undergo a profound change in its basic understanding of marriage and family life. That will affect everyone in numerous ways. Over time, greater acceptance of nontraditional marriage will be demanded of all people. This could impact the ability of any religion to teach and practice its beliefs.
  
• Proposition 8 will not hurt gays.In California, the law provides for marriage-related benefits to be given to civil unions and domestic partnerships. Proposition 8 does not diminish these benefits.
  
• Failure to pass Proposition 8 will hurt children.If gay marriage remains legal, public schools will put it on equal footing with traditional marriage. Children will likely receive “age appropriate” information about sexual relations within heterosexual and homosexual marriages.
  
• Failure to pass Proposition 8 will hurt churches.The court’s decision will inevitably lead to conflicts with religious liberty and free speech rights. Society will become more and more hostile to traditional beliefs about marriage and family.

Oh this is SO important. The First Presidency called a meeting last week in California and asked us to give ALL WE CAN to help pass Proposition 8.

http://www.preservingmarriage.org

Please pass the link along and encourage your Californian friends to vote! Stats say we are 50/50 so EVERY vote is so vital.

Scrounging

The house hunt continues...

For my California friends (many, many of which are "looking to buy" next year since prices are dropping...just a few tips cuz I love ya). Sorry for boring the rest of you.

DISCLAIMER: I don't know anything and could be hideously wrong. Just a few things we experienced with our recent attempt (some tips are short-sale specific).
A. If you're going for a short sale don't bother unless it's "pre-approved" with the bank. And sadly, if it's a really great deal some jack-a investor will probably come in and offer the bank cash and steal it from you (no, i'm not bitter at all)

B. People think FHA loans are great because you can get one with only 3% down...trouble is...you will be charged monthly mortgage insurance, a mortgage premium upfront of THOUSANDS that tags onto the price of the house (close to $8K for the last one) and closing costs are a beast. Mortgage rates are also A LOT higher. Not to mention...if you are having a bidding war against a conventional loan, you will probably lose.

C. Do everything you can to save money for a conventional loan. You can get a 10% down conventional loan until Dec 1 for a jumbo loan (look it up) and after that, it's 20% again...and that's A LOT of money. Maybe the gov will step in and extend it.

D. Try to find an agent that would be cool enough to "clue you in" on the short sales before they hit the MLS so you can make an offer to the bank before it hits. Once they are there and if they are a great find, good luck.

E. Even though they can only lock a rate in for you for 45 days, if you are serious about buying, try to have everything ready when you are looking - pre-approval from the lender, etc. - because another big bonus for the bank is just being able to CLOSE quickly.

F. And finally, thinking that raising the offer price will help you win a bid, isn't ALWAYS the case (but sometimes is). Because CA is ridiculously inflated you may bid OVER the appraisal price (which is still much below the market price) however, the bank won't finance you for it and it causes problems. Best to just be able to close quickly with a decent down payment.

Just opinions...

P.S. Kris and I are now in the scrounging stage. We even have a "saving" game going on to see how fast we can save up, which is another way of saying...what can I sell?

Goodbye beautiful leather Lanvin boots.

Rock Star Baby

Every stage of life brings a WHOLE new spectrum of knowledge.

A few months ago I would not have been able to tell you ONE thing about baby strollers. Just like now, I can't give you one good reason why high school boys are wearing these hideous low-rise skinny jeans that suck to their ankles like spandex. How impossibly unflattering is that? Anyway...

I've fallen in love with craigslist - especially in Orange County where really rich people get sick of their seven hundred dollar "Rock Star Baby" strollers after a month and sell them for two. Never would have bought this stroller in a million years otherwise. Gotta love this place.

P.S. If you are not familiar with craigslist, do yourself a favor and spend some time on there. http://www.craigslist.org/
P.P.S. Next up...an $1800 stainless steel fridge for $350. Six months old. Unreal.

Vent

Today I despise real estate in California, shady real estate agents, and investors. I'm too frustrated to elaborate except to say we made an offer and because of shadiness and the absolute disastor of a market we have going on here, we will probably lose it.

Am I too old to egg a realtor's house?

Dear John...

My parents bought a John Deere last week so Kris and I went out to Texas to sample the ride.

Along with the John Deere they bought a house on 16 acres. Property? BEAUTIFUL - complete with horse stables, a pool, an orchard of fruit trees bla bla.

The house? A work in progress...but the first few weeks are always the most exciting!

1. Pepper, the resident Geigle family dog, won't even lay down on the old carpet


2. I had to switch rooms three times - for some reason creatures kept wanting to climb into the wall every night, wake me up with all their scratching noises, and then die - leaving a lovely odor around the house
   
3. The land, while beautiful, is full of noxious weeds. One of which, Kris and I got to bring home as a delightful souvenier called POISON IVY
   
4. The neighboring property is an exotic African animal war zone - people pay to go inside and hunt. We hear weird loud noises in the morning coming from that direction.
   
5. Last time my parents experimented with being ranchers my mom set the yard on fire and my Dad fell off the roof...and the horse


6. At the local military base, they build mock Iraqui villages to practice. The locals get paid $12 an hour to dress up and play the part. Kris and I were DYING to do this but didn't have time.


7. Fire ants...that's all I have to say on that subject.


8. Whenever my Mom talks to the locals she instantly breaks into a southern accent - totally throws me off. When I protested she said, "I HAVE to or they won't understand me..." Hahaha. Oh brother.

Side note:

When my parents got married they chose an adventurous lifestyle. They have moved 14 times, (including Rio de Janiero, Brazil and London, England). SOMEHOW everything they touch and everywhere they go is dusted with magic.

I consider them city slickers trying to pull off the ranch thing; however, while the house needs a bit of an update :) - their eyes were twinkling as the remodeling began. I see magic in the making and I do believe this will be their finest project :)

Let's be honest...

Maternity clothes...not cute. It's just hard to be adorable and flattering when you look like a whale.

And then came Isabella Oliver.

Please no freaking out when you see the price tags on these outfits. Every pregnant girl has the right to own something Isabella AND there is a 20% off sale online until midnight tonight. Tell your friends!




http://www.isabellaoliver.com/maternity-clothes