To Do List

Before Baby Comes:

-pick a middle name & spelling
-choose/coordinate going home outfit
-diaper bag + stock (NB diapers, wipes, lotion, burp cloths, blanket, flower headband, socks, nail clippers)
-hospital bag + stock (my clothes, breastfeeding must-haves (bra, Newman's ointment, pads), labor snacks, chapstick, toiletries, camera(s?), memory card, netbook, journal, lotion, drinks, hard candies?, birth plan + chocolates for nurses, boppy pillow, robe, slippers, socks, nail clippers, head band, contact lists, positive affirmation cards :), chargers (phone, camera, etc), pillow, thank you notes)
-NB diaper stock
-set up her bed area & drawers for her clothes
-wash, dry, fold, organize 0-3 mo. clothes
-type up BOYS schedule/list for caretaker
-verify caretaker info & get backup
-pack a bag for both boys if they need to go somewhere
-Trevor's bag
-car gas tank 1/2 full at all times
-wash & ready baby car seat
-find & prep baby monitors
-make plan for Nathan's sleeping arrangements
-write a letter to my each of my children
-maternity shoot 


Before Holidays


-finish downstairs update
-towels, sheets, linens ready for guests
-turkey/ham purchased & in freezer
-other foods, snacks, treats or ingredients purchased
-gifts chosen, made, purchased & mailed to H family members
-gifts chosen, made, purchased & mailed to J family name drawing
-write preliminary Christmas letter...
-get pictures printed to go with Christmas letter (?)
-finish prep for RS party 
-contact VTees
-finish Christmas gifts for boys, wrap, & ready
-choose one or two family traditions to enjoy & prep for them
-a few decorations in house
-new PJs for everyone?
-go through/organize closets, under beds, & garage
-cut J's hair
-...sometime soon...buy a VAN!

Things I Can Cross Off Already To Make Myself Feel Better

-haircut scheduled
-prenatal (mayan abdominal) massage scheduled
-OB appointment scheduled
-flu shots for Nathan & Trevor
-downstairs family room painted (3 coats white, 2 coats tan: CHECK)
-new couch purchased (Big Lots sale, yes we can!)
-very simple Thanksgiving dinner plans with friends
-VT almost done for the month
-sent thank yous, sent Nov. bday greetings
-Christmas tree: UP!
-doula(s) found, interviewed, met with, & paid
-playgroup list turned in
-tithing settlement done
-laundry (bah! It's never ending!)
-temporarily disabled my sewing machine so all the sewing projects in my head just CAN'T happen right now. taking them OFF my list--that is a relief and a stress--
-stocked with size 4 diapers
-called my Mom on her birthday :)

*sigh*

Thankful Thursday: August 13th

Well we have spun the wheel around and again it is Thursday, and time to be Thankful.

Random as it is--this is my Thankful List for today...

I am thankful FOR:

• The blessed invention of child gates, as now we are the proud owners of TWO which give us peace of mind and a sense of control in the raging uncertainties in toddlerland
• A new shelf in the pantry to organize all my stuffs (including all of my newly acquired collection of cake decorating tools) that my personal handyman assembled in less than 30 minutes (we timed it because the box said "only takes 30 minutes!")
• This post that greeted me this morning by my cousin's wife Molly... who keeps inspiring me with her amazing self
• Safe travelling for Mr. H's business trip this week (and for his job. ever grateful for the job)
• a curious almost-14-month-old who points to things so we can have a dialogue about what they are (and who has discovered his belly button!)
• hot pink toe nails
• SUNSCREEN for my fair, fair skin (and my offspring's even fair-er skin)
• This blog that makes me smile with delicious delight every time I check out the latest post
• two perfectly clunky cars (but do not qualify for the 'cars for clunkers' because their MPG is too freaking awesome: 38 mpg & 42 mpg)
• the opportunity to enjoy every day with the most darling redhead on the planet (in my humble opinion)

*sigh*

Lots on the list today, what's on your Thankful Thursday list??

The Southland

Earlier this week we took my mother-in-law's sewing machine to the local sewing machine shop. She graciously hauled it up here from Kentucky last month (for me to use...on some unnamed, unplanned sewing projects in my future) , and I am finally getting it out of our garage to check it out. Since my knowledge of sewing machines is pretty limited, I figured I needed to take it into a place to see if it is in working condition.

The gentleman at the shop was so kind and informative. He has been working in the sewing machine business since he was 21 years old. He is now 83. You do the math, the guy knows his sewing machines!

It was a thrill to enjoy a lengthy conversation with such a wise sewing-machine-man and longtime Wisconsin native. The machine we brought to him is pretty dated, Mr. H said it was his mother's very first sewing machine (is that really true?)--which would place it in the 70's.

The brand is "Atlas". Upon seeing the aged sticker with the brand name, the kind gentleman commented "ah...Atlas...these were sold in The Southland..."

Mr. H assumed he was talking about some area of Wisconsin that we were not yet familiar.

I knew what he meant, and it made me smile.

He used the term a few more times "down in The Southland", and Mr. H caught on as our conversation continued. He was talking about the southern U.S.--'the south' as we can often be heard explaining where we are from--but neither of us had ever heard it referred to as "The Southland".

And it was fabulous.
Honestly, I have been giggling about it for days.

It sounds like it's own country or island...straight out of an adventure novel: "The Southland".

So here we are in The Great White North, far away from our beloved Southland. Our conversation with our new friend reminded me of little things I miss from The Southland.

Here are just a few (in no particular order):

• being waved at as we pass cars on the street (no, we don't know them, we just wave back!)
• seeing tobacco barns dot the country landscape
• the sweet, slow-flowing accents*
• old fashioned Dairy Queen (where you have to walk up to the counter)
• Krogers, Cato, & Cracker Barrell
• fireflies
• friends & family
• super green, very thick summer grass
• real bbq

There are also a few things I don't miss:

• the humidity
• the humidity
• the humidity**

So, barring the humidity, I do miss The Southland...which missing I expect to grow exponentially as the winter approaches. Stay tuned!

*On the subject of accents. We are still misunderstanding some who speak very fast with very thick accents--nodding & smiling usually works just fine. I still laugh when I am asked to repeat myself...

**Speaking of weather, this summer in Wisconsin has been amazing. We haven't turned our A/C on once! We do have our Hawaiian Breezes fan at our disposal, but haven't used it much since the week of this post.

5 things I learned yesterday

1. I can conquer the world now that I have a dry erase board* in my house.



2. Fels Naptha (see first laundry detergent recipe) can be CUT with a knife instead of grated with a cheese grater. (I also learned earlier this week that they DO sell it at the Kroger here in town. YAY!)

Cutting the soap shaves off tons of time in the prep (haha, get it?), turning this recipe into a time efficient winner! Make your own in MINUTES! Just cut...
...then blend in a processor...and TA-DA. All done! All you have to do now is mix with the other ingredients.

3. Grinding wheat is way more fun than it was when I was a teenager.

(I think I hated the cleanup part)

4. I can make my very own wheat bread from scratch...without a mixer!**

5. If you mix mashed peas with mashed bananas, the almost-9-month-old will eat them up!

(This was Mr. H's clever idea!)

*A purchase I made this week to assist in my new morning ritual: teaching seminary (Church youth studying scriptures from 6:30-7:20 every morning before school) in our home.

**To those of you who have been baking bread from scratch for years--I applaud you. I am just now awakening to my inner homemaker. Any tips, ideas, recipes are welcome!

32 days...

...into the NEW YEAR.

Though I'm still having a hard time writing/typing 2009 when I'm writing the date--we're one month in and we've all experienced new things in these first 32 days.

Three of the many new things we've experienced in this new year:

1. A 7 month-old that can pull up to standing, cruise around, and sit back down again.

2. A last-semester-grad-student-husband that is working out 6 days/week, eating fruit smoothies for breakfast & salads for lunch. (I'm so proud of him. He's lost 15 lbs. He even refused to eat some of his grandmother's cheesecake. GO Mr. H!)

3. A me who has 'runners knee' after only 2 weeks of training for that 5K. That leaves me walking with my newest toy: an ipod shuffle. 250 dance-beat songs to keep me going--running, walking, whatever.


What new things have you learned, changed, or enjoyed during this first month o' 2009?

Resolutionisms

My theme for the New Year is

Redefine in 2009

And I'm proud to say, 11 days in, I've done some preliminary work on 2 of my goals for the new year...

GOAL 1.
Give something of myself to someone I don't know.

One way to reach goal: Donate to Locks of Love

What I've done so far: I researched the organization, reviewed the rules, and talked with my hair stylist about how to proceed (I have about 5 inches to go, so depending on how fast my hair grows...)

GOAL 2.
Get in better shape, make some lifestyle changes.

One way to reach goal: Run a 5K

What I've done so far: I found a 5K that will be on April 5th in my mother's hometown & recruited some running partners. I began my *training* today!


What are some of your resolutions for the New Year?

It's 9am and I feel domestic!

GOOD MORNING!

This morning is different than most of my week-day mornings.
Here are the 4 main things that are different:

• Baby J woke up at 6:50 instead of his usual 8 or 9:30
• Baby J didn't go right back to sleep after his morning feeding (which just means I had to really get up instead of go back to sleep with him)
• I didn't eat any breakfast
• I didn't log onto the internet as soon as I got up

And THESE are all the things I have gotten done since I rolled out of bed around 7:30:

-made the bed -took a shower -played with Baby J -put on real clothes & a bra! (not just a t-shirt and comfy pants) -prepared a gift for a friend's birthday -folded a load of laundry -have another load in the washer, and another in the dryer -paid cellphone bill by phone -wrote checks for other bills -made appointment at health department -made a batch of cake batter

...and there are 24 happy cupcakes baking in the oven RIGHT NOW. The baking mess has been cleaned up and I am wearing an apron (to keep my 'real clothes' from getting any 'batter splash' on them).

Ok. So what of those 4 different things made the difference? Was it that I skipped breakfast??

To Do: Making that list & checking it twice.

I love to-do lists.

Anyone who knows me, knows I'm always making to-do lists. Doesn't mean I always get everything done, but it means I am usually aware of everything I'd like to get done. The addicting part about to-do lists is you can clear your head of everything on your mind that you want to get done, and then you can begin marking them off (admittedly, the marking it off is my favorite part). Sometimes it even helps me to re-evaluate my priorities or let go of a 'to do' that really doesn't have to get done.

I usually make a monthly to-do list and store it in my 'To-Do List' folder on my computer. I also try to have a running weekly list in my planner. When I am in high-efficiency mode, I get most everything crossed off the lists. Other times...plans change, routines are disturbed, babies need attention and it is quite alright for the list to remain intact, items unchecked.

I am learning to love the feeling of both. If I do get everything done on the list--WOW, it's a great feeling. If I don't, then I fight the urge to be frustrated with the thoughts of all the things I did do that are just not on the list (and sometimes I add them just to have something to cross off at the end of the day). I am learning that a day of cuddling, changing diapers, listening to the rain, and making up silly songs is definitely as much a success as any other (and likely, more fulfilling)!

I now have quite the collection of To-Do lists. I thought about deleting all of the old ones (and mark it off my list! ha!) but then decided to keep them. I discovered that it is fascinating to go back and review the things on my old To Do Lists...it gives me insight to what was important to me then and what projects I was working on at the time. Like a journal. Or a blog. Only with less words and with some items checked off or marked through.

A writing professor once suggested that To Do lists were a *type* of journal. I like that idea, because I am not as diligent at writing in a journal as I would like to be. So, keep those To-Do Lists, folks...you'll wish you had them when you're writing your autobiography!

Time Flies When You're Making Lists

Is it me, or did the month of November FLY by at a crazy-fast rate??

Today is the last day in November.

This month has brought our family a baby-on-all-fours, a job offer that we are *thinking* about, nasty colds for all of us, the official start of winter (cold.cold.cold.), the General Conference edition of the Ensign (yay!), 3 birthdays in my immediate family, and of course THANKSGIVING and the holiday spirit.

I have enjoyed seeing others put up their holiday decor and listening to Christmas songs in public venues. I haven't done a THING as far as festive decor or music in our home...but that, my friends is about to change.

Tomorrow is the first of December. BRING ON THE RED & GREEN! I will make a list of holiday to-do's and start marking them off, one by one. (I am a list girl. Sometimes I make a list of things I've aready done just so I can have some things to mark off. )

Things to Do:

-send Thank You's to those who provided delicious food & gathering places for our Thanksgiving fun
-decide whether or not to send out Christmas cards
-make list of things to do for Christmas cards (if I decide to do them)
-get down boxes of holiday decor
-make hot chocolate, put on Christmas music, & decorate our apartment
-take pictures of Baby J by the tree, Santa
-make sure decorations are OUT OF baby's growing reach
-make cookies to share
-review & revise holiday schedule
-shopping
-new family traditions

AND, I am glad the 1st of December is on a Monday. For some reason, the month seems much more organized to BEGIN on a MONDAY. Monday is a great day for beginnings, dontchya think? Plus, it *might* snow here tomorrow (so predicts weather.com).

What's on your holiday list?

Let December begin!