Yup, that’s right. This site is participating in CSS Naked Day to show much love Web Standards and all those who make our blogs beautiful. (Including me *ahem*) By stripping our designs for the day, we are showing support for those who take mass amounts of time/energy/frustration and high doses of caffeine to make our blog gorgeous, because we’re they’re worth it! Right?

Blog Herald posted an excellent article regarding CSS Naked Day - must read!

As stated by Lorelle:

This is the third year of the annual CSS Naked Day which honors web design and designers around the world who help make our websites and blogs look “pretty” to the eye while still being totally functional under the hood. Dustin Diaz wanted to give the web world an opportunity to remind everyone of the benefits of CSS web page design. By removing the stylesheet for the day, the world would see naked web pages, giving a little more appreciation for the skills of web page designers.

What do you have to do to participate?

Simple - install the Naked Day plugin, change the file name of your stylesheet, or remove it completely for the day (remember to keep a back up on file!!) Lorelle has also provided a naked theme on Lorelle on Wordpress for those who are tech savvy.

So, feel like getting naked?

I wanna know who’s stripping on April 9th so sign up on my Mr. Linky so I can stop by and see your bare ass (blog).

Refresh your cache, there’s a new design! Refreshing, summery, spring-like. Ironic that I unveil it the day of the hugest snowstorm this year.

We’re home-bound today since we’re expecting about 1 million feet of snow over the next 24 hours. I’m going stir crazy all ready: there is so much cleaning and preparing for baby to do that I have no clue where to start.

I think reality hit yesterday. I haven’t been thinking about how quickly this pregnancy has been going but rather how slow and agonizing it’s been for me. Yesterday I actually thought about it: there’s 74 days remaining. 74 days to:

• dismantle and paint the spare room
• organize and clean and PAINT the living room in preparation for infant toys - swings, playmats, etc.  to be included in the mess of pre-schooler toys.
• move Carter to the spare room
• complete touch ups on what is now his room for the nursery
• buy bedding
• buy a new swing
• get all baby stuff out of storage - crib, clothing, toys, nursing stuff, etc.
• buy a new stroller

I can’t continue. It’s just too much. Sure, short list - but it seems about 600 million times longer when working full time and only having weekends available to get things (like shopping and painting) done.

I may have to suck it up and hire out the painting part.

Any takers?

*crickets*

Yet, Mike once again is nonchalant about the whole thing: “I don’t see what the big panic is…. There’s really nothing that we have to get or do…. You’re blowing it all out of proportion…”

Oh, the heartburn.

With all this panic and freaking-the-fuck-out, I’ve actually found a renewed fresh outlook on this pregnancy and I’m getting… EXCITED!  My cold has passed (except for a mild cough) and I have regained some of the energy I’ve been sorely lacking over the past oh, 7 months.

Renewed, Refreshed and Ready (kinda)

Yet. I sit here. Blogging.

Priorities, Shmiporities I say.

Because seriously, I am ready to have this pregnancy over after seeing so many CUTE babies lately! I just wanna hold mine now!

When I was pregnant with Carter I was so sad not to be pregnant anymore once he arrived: and no, not because I actually had to take care of a child and lose sleep, but it was just really nice being knocked up. I like the feeling of movements, hiccups and twists; but this time? Not so much. I find each movement a little uncomfortable and each kick painful. Maybe it’s the constant illnesses that have ruined it for me, or the fact that I am achy and tired all the time.

Only 106 days to go.

[blank stare]

I am even more ready for Maternity Leave this time as well, though this time I feel a little bit guilty. Imagine that. I’ve only been back to work for about a year and a half and I’m taking another full year off. As wonderful as it is, it’s taken me this long to get back into the routine of work while parenting and to leave again? It’s a little sad.

I said little.

Though, I will have the opportunity to concentrate on designing and building a decent client base and well… we’ll see…. that’s if I can get any clients after the hiatus I’ve taken. *shakes head* Even thinking about it makes me upset, sad, guilty that I’ve worked so hard to get it going and then seems like I’ve dropped it. It’s really hard to not do it, but at the same time, I just can’t spend the time, and I don’t have the energy for it at the moment.

That’s why I’m in the midst of talking to my dear bloggy friend Leslie (aka Mrs. Flinger) about designing something for me. I need a change, something to inspire me to blog more (since whenever I see my blog I feel blah and totally lose my creative edge. *cough* So hopefully she comes up with something really cool, and really me that will get me back into writing and sharing more often. I’d love to showcase more photos I’ve taken and lots of colour, yet completely inviting - so that even I want to be here!

I need change.

Change is good.

Change is revitalizing.

Embrace change.

Random. That’s what today is. All topics that really aren’t worthy of a dedicated post and well, I just have nothing else. I had planned to subject you to Belinda’s dare but I didn’t get showered on Saturday and I wore PJ’s all day Sunday was really busy this weekend.

So, hold on tight cuz this bad boy is all over the map.

Bullet style!

• We have been a little more conscious of our spending, though much hasn’t changed as of yet. Got a new budgeting software to transfer existing online banking information over rather then hoping I got it all manually. Dare I say it’s actually FUN! to see the graphs and charts of our spending habits. Now all I have to do is transfer our budget information over and I’m all set. I think I may actually like this tracking money thing. (Does that make me nerdy?)
• Mike is - as far as I know, since I don’t go to work with him - 16 days smoke free. He hasn’t tried to escape outside for some odd chore to be done and he hasn’t smelled like smoke at all. I really, really hope this is it this time. I am beaming with joy that he’s actually succeeding, but it’s so hard to get my hopes up because he’s lied about it before.
• I’m contemplating starting up designing again. I really miss it and want to get back at it. There have been a few requests from people wanting to know when I’m going to start again, so I think it’s going to be sooner then later. But! I have to fight Mike for the computer now since he’s taken over with his latest addiction. Plus, I think I am in dire need of time to sit down and work on my own design. There is so much I want to change, but finding the time has been difficult since I never have a chance to get on my damn computer.
• Due to the conflict mentioned above, Mike thinks it time to put some money aside for a new laptop for me, including designing programs - bought from a STORE!
• I have a new job, within my job, that started yesterday (hence no post). I have to pretty much follow around a senior staff member and absorb all the information he has in his brain because (I haven’t been told officially, I just think) he’s close to retirement. He’s pretty much a wealth of knowledge that needs to be tapped prior to it all being gone with him when he leaves. So until I start my maternity leave in September, I am his shadow. (The perk: I get to boss people around - including senior engineers - to make sure they are completing their project budgets and following them throughout construction. I’m really looking forward to the new challenge (and kinda the bossing around too).
• Oh, and I wonder something - this domain is due for renewal in 2 weeks. I want to transfer the registration from it’s current location to where I have my hosting, but they charge a fee. Should I wait for it to expire and then buy it again (hoping that someone doesn’t scoop it from me) or do I suck it up and pay twice. Anyone with prior experience with domain transfer, please shed some light.

I think that’s it for now.

So look for Temptation Designs! to be opening up shop again real soon! So I can work on making my budget look prettier and more back then red. M’kay?