Extreme room makeover--part 2

Remember this?
http://maggieinthemiddle.blogspot.com/2010/02/extreme-room-makeover.html

I posted pics of the back room (Jason's lair) in February and I'm pleased to announce that the transformation is almost complete! It took a few weeks to get the soundproofing company over to insulate the wall. They needed 2 parking spots out front for the truck and it took a little while to make that happen. Then we (I mean Jason) had to figure out how to fill all the holes they put in the wall. The first attempt at spackling and sanding did not go so well. But we borrowed a power sander from Brett and Lezlie and that made a huge difference! Thanks Mackies!

Jason just finished painting, so now all we need to do is assemble the crib! And clean out the closet :) Here are a few pics of the nursery in progress:

All the little holes

 Luckily, Jason is not afraid of heights

Purple!

More pics to come! I can't wait to put the crib together and see how cute the room looks with the matching rug and bedding.

Memorial Day with Murray, Kyle, and Maggie Lee

I love long weekends! Doesn't everyone? This long weekend was especially wonderful because Murray, Kyle, and Maggie Lee were in town from San Francisco. We met for dinner on Sat at PJ Clarke's downtown and then again on Sunday for a picnic on Northwestern's campus with Courtney and Brian. I promised Laura that I would take plenty of pictures, but forgot my camera on both occasions! I did snap a couple of Miss Maggie with my phone at dinner on Friday. She's wearing her favorite yellow rain hat, so you can't see her adorable red curls. But she still looks pretty cute if I do say so myself!

The good news is that we will see Murray, Kyle, and Maggie again next weekend when we're in Sonoma for Kristen and Daryn's wedding. So I still have another chance to take pictures!

LOST Lunch Wednesday: The End

I guess all good things must come to an end. I can't say I loved the way this good thing ended though!

My LOST lunch group disagrees...I was probably the only person at the table who felt gypped. Maybe I'll feel better about things after I read a few blog posts and have time to really digest the finale. So, I may write a follow-up to this post in a few days.

Until then, check out the Dharma Swan cake we enjoyed at lunch today. How cute!

Showered with love

I feel VERY spoiled after this weekend... Not only did I get all kinds of love, attention, and thoughtful presents for my 30th birthday, but I also received about a million baby gifts at my shower on Saturday. Susie hosted everyone at her apartment and she, Betsy, and Sean cooked up a feast of lunchtime treats, including black bean salsa, 2 kinds of chicken salad, and 3 kinds of cupcakes. Yum!

A special thanks to B and the Sus (and Sean) for making Saturday such a wonderful day. And a special thanks also to my family and friends who traveled to Chicago for the weekend to celebrate with us. This includes Mom, Dad, Marsha, Grandma Janet, Grandma Pat, Keith, Jeremy, Megan, and Dana. I feel so lucky to have such wonderful people in my life.

Linds, Me, Dana, and Carrie at the shower

Everyone checking out the loot afterwards!

Happy 30th birthday to me!

I turned 30 on Thursday and celebrated by getting my 32-week ultrasound and then chowing down on a huge burger at Kuma's Corner. Pretty good birthday if I do say so myself!

Jason gave me an adorable purple Flip video camera as a bday gift so I wanted to upload a couple of videos to test the thing out. I need to improve my camera skills, but here's a preview. More to come!


It's hard to really see anything on the ultrasound -- the baby is so big now (4 pounds!) that you can only see one body part at a time. And, true to form, she wasn't moving around enough to give us a good angle on her face. You can hear Susie's voice in the background asking if she's seeing a little hand on the screen.

For dinner, my friend Jeremy was in town for the night, so we all met up at Kuma's Corner (a metal bar) for burgers. Best in the city! Every burger is named after a different metal band (eg, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Motorhead, Pantera) and they are all delicious. Check it out:


Now, I've got my parents, Uncle Keith, Jeremy and Megan, and Grandmas Kirkendall and O'Grady in town to celebrate my birthday and go to a baby shower that Betsy and Susie are hosting. I'm feeling pretty spoiled with all the attention :)

LOST Lunch Wednesday: What They Died For

Well, I missed LOST lunch on Wed and have been so busy at work and with life I haven't had time to really even process the episode. But, I did think it was a really good one! Things are starting to all come together in the sideways world -- what, oh what, is going to go down at this piano recital?! And we finally find out that Jack is "The Candidate." Of course it would be Jack! He's actually grown on me this season and I'm starting to like his character again. Too bad there's only 1 more episode left!

I thought it was interesting that Jacob left the decision up to the remaining candidates, but it makes sense, given that "choice" has been a major theme throughout the show.

Since I skipped LOST lunch and don't have any major insights of my own, I'll post my mother's prediction for the final scene and the end of the show. As always, she has some interesting ideas. I can see the show ending in exactly this way!

Here is my prediction for the final scene -- Jack and Locke looking out to the sea replaying the Jacob/Man in Black conversation.

Along with that, I think everyone on the island but Jack (and Locke/Smoke Monster) will die, although they will continue to exist in the Sideways timeline. (Now that Jack has taken Jacob's place on the Styx rowboat, the island is finished with the rest of them.)

Since we haven't seen Juliet, she is probably Jack's ex-wife (Nice call Mom!) in the other timeline -- hopefully she will run into Sawyer at the Gala. (Actually, everyone should be running into everyone else at the Gala.)

Maybe there will be some point where everyone flashes permanently into the new Sideways world. (That shouldn't affect the other Jack on island time since he is now some kind of altered being due to the Magic Elixer.)

Actually, I'm wondering if maybe Jack dies in the Sideways world, only to live for eternity on the island. Remember how he woke up with blood on his neck? What was that all about? It's like Back the the Future!

I hate heartburn

I keep telling people I'm having an easy pregnancy, but if this awful heartburn doesn't go away soon, I may have to change my story. It's been so bad the past few days, I've had to "sleep" sitting up, which basically means I get about 2 to 4 hours a night in between trips to the bathroom and back pain from the awkward position. And I'm keeping poor Jason up all night too. I guess this is just nature's way of preparing us for more sleepless nights after Baby OGrady is born. Which sounds good to me if it means my heartburn will go away. I think I'd rather get up to change a diaper than to feel the swish of burning acid in my chest and throat :)

I've downloaded a list of foods with little potential to cause heartburn, so hopefully a VERY bland diet will help. Because Tums and Pepcid just aren't cutting it! If anyone has any recipes to recommend...send 'em over!

Congrats Emily!

Check out my album from Emily's wedding in Cincinnati (click on the photo to view picasa slideshow). More pics to come from the ceremony when I get my hands on Jason's camera!

Happy Mother's Day (and that includes me!)

The Overbey girls were lucky enough to get to celebrate Mother's Day with our mother in person last Sunday. This doesn't usually happen since our mom lives in Florida and we all live in Chicago. But we were all in Cincinnati for our cousin Emily's wedding and so got to be together on Sunday for brunch. We went to a yummy French breakfast joint in Northern Kentucky, The Greenup Cafe, and enjoyed cappuccino, French toast, and Mother's Day cupcakes before heading back to our respective cities.

Thanks for being such a good mom, Mom!

 Me, Sus, B, and our lovely mother!

Jason also surprised ME with a Mother's Day card and gift. I could get used to this holiday...I got a card, a kiss, and a bib for baby that says, "Perfect, just like mommy!" That sounds about right :)

Belly shot #4 -- 31 weeks

Check me out! I get bigger every day now. As I should...only 2 months to go and I think this baby still needs to gain 4 or 5 pounds. Yikes.

The next baby photo I post will be an ultrasound! I get to go in at 32 weeks for a viewing. And lucky me, the appointment is on my birthday. Woo hoo!

LOST Lunch Wednesday: The Candidate

What an awesome episode! And it was a Jack episode to boot. I am, of course, devastated to have to say goodbye to Sayid, Sun, and Jin. But I guess in 5 and a half short hours, we're going to have to say goodbye to everyone :(

Sigh. One of my coworkers asked if I cried when Sun and Jin died, and I must admit, I wasn't that upset until the scene on the beach when Hurley lost it. Wah!

It seems that, when they die on the Island, our Losties are at least all dying in a meaningful way... Sayid got to make a noble sacrifice to atone for his sins and Sun and Jin got to die together, in love. Did Lapidis die?? That's the big question.

Who are they going to take from me next week? Just don't take my Desmond!  

Sweet Home Cincinnati

Jason and I just got back from Dana's wedding weekend in Cincinnati and I wanted to share a few pics. Dana was a beautiful bride and the wedding was so much fun. Plus, we got to eat LaRosa's Pizza, Montgomery Inn BBQ, and Skyline Chili at the rehearsal dinner...what could be better than that? I love me some Cincinnati cuisine.

Anyway, I'm trying out picasa for the first time, so hopefully the link to this slideshow will work! I think all you have to do is click the photo and it will take you right to the web album. Enjoy!