Posts by Jeffrey Barnes16

I find it absolutely fascinating—and by fascinating, I mean utterly baffling—when my friends, who already have kids running around and have long since moved past the newborn stage, will proactively offer to lend me their old baby gear, only to completely lose track of the whole thing. Don't get me wrong, thank God we’re in a position where we can just go out and buy whatever we need ourselves, but if you aren't actually going to follow through, why even bring it up in the first place? It’s like opening a door and then immediately slamming it in your face. And then, once I’ve gone ahead and purchased everything new, they suddenly become experts on my parenting choices, lecturing me about how I "wasted" money on stuff they could have given me...🙄 It’s quite the irony—I end up being labeled the snob just because I’d rather have something fresh instead of hand-me-downs. Give me a break!

That whole "one thing after another" routine—it feels all too familiar to me... I remember one day, driving home from a prenatal class, and I spent a good five minutes struggling with a single diaper change when even sixty seconds felt like an eternity...

It’s honestly infuriating—I can’t even make a simple trip to the local corner store without my stomach starting to feel like it's being stabbed from the inside. Yesterday, things got so bad that I actually had to sit right down on the sidewalk because walking or even just standing there was becoming impossible—and all this was just to emphasize that the shop is barely 300 yards away. 🙄I felt like breaking down in tears right then and there, just completely overwhelmed by how much everything hurts...

Anthony Watson35 said:I swear, reading this kind of "news" gives me an instant stomach ache... 🙄

🤦

Well, yeah—and apparently, they spend their nights solving complex calculus problems just to wind down, because otherwise, sleep simply won't come... though, if I’m being perfectly honest, that might just be my own jealousy talking. 😉

Bryan Wilson33 said:Honestly, this whole thing caught me totally off guard and it’s driving me absolutely insane:
bloating and gas😁🙂
all three of us—me, my wife, and even the kid—are probably gonna pass out at this rate, seriously🙂🙂🙂
🤦🤦🤦

thank god at least methane isn't actually toxic, I guess😁

🤣

Right now, my absolute worst struggle is the whole process of waking up and actually getting out of bed. To start with, I feel completely stiff and achy because I can't seem to find a comfortable position—I don't sleep on my side, nor my back, but rather somewhere awkwardly in between—and this started back in late July. (I truly cannot fathom how I manage to do this, considering when I'm awake, I can't stay still for even a single minute.) It takes me several minutes just to work through the stiffness... Then, once I finally sit up, I get this dizzy spell where my vision goes all blurry, so I have to wait for things to settle down. If it isn't one of those particularly rough days—like today, for instance—I actually deal with nosebleeds, so I'm constantly hovering my hand there to make sure I don't drip blood all over the floor. 🙄 Luckily, I've "only" got about seven and a half weeks left until the baby arrives. 🙂

I feel like I'm melting constantly—and honestly, the real heatwave hasn't even hit us yet... 😵😵

I suppose I should start my nightly ritual of complaining... 🤣

So, last night, I drifted off on my left side, and the moment I tried to roll over onto my right ribs in my sleep, the pain was so sharp and sudden that I actually started screaming... My husband—bless him—nearly jumped out of his skin, and honestly, I was just stuck there, unable to move an inch until my ribs decided to settle back into some semblance of a normal position. 🙄 Once I finally managed to shimmy over onto my right side, the little guy decided it was time for his midnight aerobics session (which apparently involves "counting baby kicks"—essentially me being lectured five times over in about fifteen seconds)—so I had to pace around the apartment just to get him to settle down. It didn't exactly work wonders, but he calmed down enough for me to eventually pass out...

And then, this morning, when I’m trying to vent to my husband about how I barely got any sleep at all, he has the nerve to tell me that *he* actually got less rest than I did because I terrified him with all that yelling. 🙂 He was already snoring away by the time I was pacing the floor...

I honestly don't even know where to begin with this list...

1. It drives me absolutely crazy when people announce they’ll be showing up at the hospital once I go into labor—as if anyone actually invited them to be there.

2. When my sister-in-law decides to weigh in on the name I’ve chosen for my own child, questioning why we didn't just go with "xy" instead.

3. When people think they have the right to just reach out and touch my stomach without asking—it’s incredibly intrusive, and frankly, I've never been much of a "touchy" person to begin with.

4. Standing in line with a massive baby bump, only to have some grumpy old man push right past me because he claims standing is too difficult for him—honestly, I’m surprised I didn't just snap at him right then and there.

5. When some guy pulls his car into a half-empty parking lot and parks a mere 20 cm away from mine, followed by a patronizing apology suggesting I probably wouldn't have managed to squeeze in if I weren't pregnant 🤣—which begs the question, how on earth did he even realize it was a pregnant woman's car in the first place?!

6. When my neighbor lights up a cigarette in the elevator just because he can't bear to wait those extra 30 seconds until he reaches his floor.

I'll add more to this whenever the inspiration strikes again.😉

I really have to give a shout-out to Walmart. They were an absolute lifesaver at the eleventh hour—especially after my total meltdown involving a former pastry chef who decided to change our entire agreement just three days before the wedding. Honestly, I was right on the verge of a nervous breakdown because of it. Anyway... everyone was raving about the desserts, and I actually found myself heading back there for more sweets even after the big day was over. Now, finally, I can embrace the extra pounds without any guilt. 😉

Thanks, ladies. In the end, I decided to go with the cardboard boxes instead. I don't know—they just felt more aesthetically pleasing to me... plus, I gave the pastry chef at the bakery a little heads-up: if any health inspectors happen to swing by (as if!), she should just say I was the one who packed them up and left them there because my fridge at home isn't quite big enough to hold everything.

Well, they have those options available at the local print shop for $1.25—they’re just standard stuff, really—but my pastry chef was giving me this whole lecture today, acting like she was an FDA inspector or something, insisting that plastic is actually the better way to go. Apparently, there are all these regulations about food not being allowed in cardboard packaging, which is a bit much if you ask me... especially since I think the plastic ones look absolutely hideous.

I have a quick question for those of you who’ve gone the route of gifting cookies as presents. What kind of boxes did you end up using, and where did you pick them up? Also—and this is the part I'm a bit worried about—did any local bakeries give you a hard time because the packaging wasn't plastic? I’ve heard some rumor that according to health inspectors, you aren't supposed to distribute treats in cardboard boxes.

Sean Long4 said:Frank had a cake from Sugar Land once...

Personally, I find their pastries delicious... they're just pretty pricey.

In my case, the cost of the cake was already baked right into the menu price; they told me all I had to do was pick a bakery (either Sugarland or M&M) and select the flavor.

Has anyone actually tried a cake from Sugar Land I’m currently torn between going with M&M's or sticking with Sugar Land—I would truly appreciate some recommendations before I make my final decision. 😉

Michael Martinez16 said:Alright, here’s my firsthand take on their pastries.

I copied this from another forum because I can't be bothered to retype it all.
I was prompted by yesterday's conversation with Mr. Mary from the Kašnar bakery over in Dubrava.
Back in February, we put down a deposit for 25kg of assorted pastries and a wedding cake, totaling $1133. The deal was 24kg of mixed treats and a mandatory 1kg of Šubarica for our table.
The first shock hit on the actual wedding day when my husband went to pay the balance and pick up an extra 8kg of pastries for the guests. The guy working at the shop had absolutely no clue where our order was. He actually had the nerve to ask me to show him a catalog just to prove which cake we ordered! Then he calls the kitchen to ask if they even have enough pastries left. Just as I'm finishing my makeup, my husband calls me panicking because the shop has nothing—they're completely lost.
We get to the venue, and after a while, we ask the waiter where the Šubarica is. Of course, it wasn't delivered... I was losing my mind.
Then comes cake time. A waiter comes over and warns us to be careful cutting it because the cake is wobbling everywhere. It didn't even arrive at the restaurant until 6:30 PM. Apparently, they didn't even start making the cake until my husband left the shop around noon.
I can't say much about the taste since it wasn't even fresh, but the real kicker came on Sunday. My sister-in-law wanted to give some leftover pastries to the neighbors, and a couple of the packs were already moldy. What a disgrace.
I stopped by the bakery yesterday to ask for their complaint book, but guess what? They don't even have one. Isn't that supposed to be displayed clearly by law?
I called Mary, the owner, and told him everything that happened. He just had the audacity to ask me, "Where have you been until now?" I'm telling you, I am never stepping foot in that bakery again. They are totally unprofessional, and honestly, what happened to us could happen to anyone. The man didn't apologize once; he just kept shouting that it was impossible. When I asked how it was possible to need a catalog to find an order on the wedding day, he just shut up. I gave him a piece of my mind and walked out.
I just hope anyone thinking about using Kašnar's realizes they might end up ruining their perfect day.

God !!! That is unbelievable!!! I would have lost it on them. And moldy pastries? That is just shameful. Absolutely horrific... 🙂 🙂 🙂

Donna Chase12 said:So, how much are her cookies actually running you, and how many different kinds does she have? Also—curious about the ratio—is it more dry stuff or creamy fillings?

$25 pounds plus $1.75 tray (if you check out the photo gallery, there's a shot showing exactly how she packages everything for delivery). Honestly, for me, it ends up being about $41 spread across the table—but keep in mind, that includes two trays and a pound and a half of treats. As for the ratio of dry versus creamy sweets... she didn't really mention that part. Once she gave me the price, I just went ahead and picked which ones I wanted and which ones I didn't...🤷

boldbison32 said:Check out this cake we had! It was filled with rich chocolate truffle and covered in whipped cream—absolutely perfection🙂
http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/5258/1016m.jpg

That cake looks incredible... Honestly, I’d love something similar, but I suspect M&M's tastes might align better with my own, so I'll probably just end up grabbing one of theirs instead.

As far as the sweets go, I ended up ordering from http://www.bakerywebsite.com/. Personally, I think those treats of yours look great. My only hiccup was dealing with the lady over the cardboard pastry boxes—she was being quite difficult about it, claiming that because of some health inspection regulations, she has to pack gifts in plastic packaging. We eventually reached an understanding, though; we agreed that if anyone ever asks questions, I'll just sign off on it and tell them I packed the cardboard boxes myself. At least we got it sorted out...