feeling thankful today

things i am thankful for:

- having had the willpower this morning to not eat candy for breakfast. the woman in the cube next to me brought in halloween candy, and managed to get all my favorites save one (she is forgiven). it's sometimes hard to concentrate on working with a bowl of two-bite baby ruths sitting 3 feet from you.

- knowing that the financial "squeeze" i feel shortly after pay day is due to the fact that after i've paid the bills, bought food and other needed household goods (and perhaps a few extras), i've overpaid our credit cards and made a noticeable deposit into the savings account, not because i don't have enough to cover the bills. it's easy to forget that when we are too tired to cook and want to eat out, or there's a new video game bryan wants, or i find a fantastic deal on a designer wool coat, and i look at our checking account and don't feel comfortable spending the money on said item.

- that due to this, our savings account is growing again, surely and slowly. priority driven budgeting has served us well. we have aways to go (and i'm sure it will always feel that way), and i know there are lots of big ticket expenses coming up (including but not limited to a child, a car, and a new kitchen), but seeing our progress makes me know we can do it.

- experiencing such an easy and perfect pregnancy thus far. for any of the discomfort, in all reality, i have had it very good. so few symptons and no actual problems (knock on wood). i know plenty of women have it a lot harder. i've "hit the wall" and i'm ready to it to be over, but i've loved the experience and hope that in the future i have the opportunity again, and that it's just as delightful.

- being both happy and challenged in my job. part of the happiness comes from the challenge. i've been challenged, and happy, in my employment in recent years, but it's been a long time since it's been both. and everyone here seems to be impressed and thrilled with my work, which is a good feeling.

- having access to my parents. it's been so nice to be near them again, to spend time with them, have the ability to just drop in, and be able to share the excitement of this year with them in such close proximity.
- finding the house we did, in the neighborhood we did, for the price we did. i feel truly blessed about this. i absolutely love *our* home. i enjoy all the improvements we've made, and am excited to continue to do so for years to come. i've been looking forward to owning our own home together for years, and i'm still taken aback at how it all came together so seamlessly for us. bryan kept telling me to be patient, but that's not one of my strong suits. he was right once again, and everything has come out better than we had even hoped to plan for in that arena.

- being one of the few lucky ones to have a loving, attentive, and totally devoted significant other. i can't begin to explain how helpful and supportive bryan has been, even when i am cranky for no reason other than having a 30 pound wiggling bowling ball in my tummy, or too tired to do anything (even talk) other than lay on the couch. he hasn't complained once, and in fact is always there insisting i relax while he takes care of whatever needs taking care of at that moment. in my increasingly weak moments when i can't help but complain about how i am feeling, he smiles and tells me he loves me and how excited he is for this new chapter in our life.

i'm a pretty lucky girl.

lessons from a homeowner

i think i've become more laid back as a homeowner. not willingly, mind you, but i've learned a lot through this process.

first and foremost, it can't all get done. it simply can't. before we moved in, i had a list of things i wanted to have done before the end of the year. however, once we started doing projects, i was smacked with the reality stick big time. everything takes more time and effort than you think it will (when you're doing the work yourself).

and part of the time involved is "tired time." after spending all day stripping wallpaper, painting, doing yard work, moving boxes, and running 572 errands (or some combination thereof), you simply are too tired to do anything more. not all hours of the day are as usable as you thought they'd be.

also, everything costs more than you thought it would. always. everything. there's always 10 more things you have to buy to complete a project that you didn't think of initially. or the one and only thing you actually need costs twice as much as you thought it would because you couldn't go with the cheaper version for one reason or another.

because of all this, some work just isn't as important as you thought it was. that dated floral wallpaper in the downstairs bath? totally staying until next summer. the even uglier wallpaper in the stairwell? not going anywhere. all the hideously outdated light fixtures i thought just had to be replaced before we moved in? not only are they still there but i'm not even searching for replacements. finishing the basement before the baby comes? only in my dreams.

that and the list never ends. it just keeps getting bigger. the more projects you do, the more projects you think of to do. some of them are required (like patching the master bedroom wall that got scraped up while moving furniture to re-work wiring), and some just sound like a good idea (wouldn't it be nice if the 2.5 car garage were BIGGER??).

and to think we bought a house that didn't NEED any work.

don't get me wrong - i LOVE our house. the layout is perfect for us, it's a great size, the yard is great, the neighborhood is great. it's not at all like i pictured it would be (i love old houses with beautiful woodwork; i ended up with what was once a 60s brick ranch - which i hate - with a second story added in the 70s), but in the end, it is more than we had hoped for. we were so lucky to find it (4 days on the market), lucky to have such hassle free negotiations (our original offer was accepted less than 24 hours after we submitted it, and our request to have $7200 worth of work done in the basement was agreed to immediately), not to mention lucky to get it for the price we did (we got a good deal). the home has been meticulously cared for (we are only the 3rd owners) and did not need a single bit of work in order for us to move in. not that that stopped us from stripping wallpaper, painting, putting up a fence, pulling out kitchen cabinets and the countertop stovetop (and rerouting a gas line) to make way for a new oven, running a new water line for a new fridge, and buying a few new light fixtures (that was all me) - before we even moved in. we've since completed painting, tore out 90% of the pre-existing bushes, planted 13 rose bushes and over 100 tulip bulbs, installed a doggie dooley (that was all bryan), to name a few. and we still want to finish the basement, remodel the kitchen, pull out some carpeting and refinish the wood floor underneath - before next summer (i have some other projects planned for the summer).

i guess i've just come to realize that all those things we always said "well if it were OUR house" to while renting, now we have made into real live projects, since it is our house. :)

and i couldn't be happier, exhaustion, money, and endless lists and all!!! :)

nice and easy

the weekend was good. i even managed to nap both days!

i got bryan up super early so we could hit the new berlin farmer's market as soon as they opened. we picked up veg for the week, a cherry pie from the amish, and some flowers for mom. he wasn't aware of how early it was when we left the house, just when we got to the market and they were still setting up (they open at 7) so we had to go get him a big coffee as soon as we were done at the market. we headed over to mom and dad's house, where mom had prepared french toast, bacon, fruit, and coffee cake for us. that and the coffee helped wake bryan up. :)

then it was off to the airport to pick up bryan's dad, who is staying with us through tuesday. they had a list of house projects they wanted to accomplish, so we spent some of the afternoon at home depot after a tasty lunch at a local gyro place. their special that day was italian beef, which bryan had just read about in the new issue of saveur and he had a hankering for, so it was definitely serendipity that we wandered into that place. they ended up going out later in the afternoon to buy me a new vaccum cleaner, since mine seemed to die. it turned out it had just over heated (it actually started up on its own, out on the back deck, while i was napping and they were out) but i got a better vaccum cleaner out of the deal so it worked out ok. we had lemon basil grilled chicken for dinner (and that cherry pie for dessert), and i just barely managed to stay awake through the bourne ultimatum.

sunday, we skipped church, and i spent all day at home. i got us some donuts for breakfast (after being too lazy to make homemade chocolate waffles with creme anglaise). bryan and his dad built me some kickin' shelves in the hall closets, so i was able to organize bunches of kitchen stuff in the large closet off the kitchen (it was previously piled up wherever it would fit), as well as a broom closet. i'm super thrilled with the result. we plan on adding racks to the kitchen closet door for more storage too.

they watched some football while i made 2 tuna casseroles to freeze (the mushroom thyme sauce turned out so well i was very tempted to eat it for lunch) and took a nap. after football they continued to putter around doing projects, including an outing to 2 more hardware stores.

mom and dad came over for steak dinner (and some power tool use in the driveway to cut off the extra tops of the fence posts). we had some of those rib eyes bryan sliced from that 12 lb prime rib, roasted potatoes, a salad mom made with raspberries and a citrus vinagrette, and some mini pecan tarts mom brought as well. it was quite delicious. they brought the crib dad built when i was born so we can use it for oliver. :) we tried watching a movie after that but i couldn't make it through and headed up to bed to read some this old house and watch an episode of the uk hell's kitchen (fingers are for burning!!).

i stayed up a little late, which was a struggle, but had the opportunity to sleep in some since i had a dr's appt this morning. i actually lost 2 lbs, which was kind of exciting. :) ollie took a little break from the rapid growing, and no complaints from me (nor the doctor)!

should be a busy week at work, as we're scrambling to meet a deadline. some papers are due friday to a client, and we're heading there next week to present them. it should be interesting. the business trips there are always a good time, though it's a long time to be away from home.

this coming weekend is the big pig gig, a big bbq competition. we also have a tour at the hospital and dad has a marathon (we're going to go see him finish), so we'll see when we're able to hit that up AND still fit in a nap. napping is very important at this point in my life!

further proof bigger isn't always better

this weekend was busy busy busy with housework, as usual. bryan got the nursery painted, and it looks SUPER cute. we hit up babies r us and bought just about everything we need. our cart was so full bryan had to push it around because i couldn't see over the top. so you can imagine how stuffed full the suv was. bryan spent saturday night putting together furniture and various other baby gear. got so much cute stuff, and can't wait to use it! bryan also worked on painting his office; the blue and lime green are up, and he's going to work on the brown this week. it's looking pretty good - definitely bryan!

sunday was looking like an easy, lazy day, and then shannon called around 9:30 to fill me in on some new information regarding katie's wedding (the reception will be in mom and dad's backyard; apparently the $9000 bartolotta's reception at the gardens is a bit to rich!) and invited me out shopping with her. we hit target, jo ann fabrics, and the mall. i was under strict orders (given to myself) not to spend money and think i actually did pretty good. i did get a few things, but it was stuff on my list (like a deep dish lasagna pan for 50% off) to get so i wasn't that far off the mark. i had to take shannon home at that point, since there was no way i was going to make it to the 2nd mall with her - my feet can't handle marathon shopping at this point. :( i went home and took a lovely nap before dinner (bryan made delicious shrimp eggrolls), then soaked my feet in some epsom salted water while we watched die hard 4.

had my 28 week appointment this morning, and found out i have gained ELEVEN POUNDS since my last appointment (at 24 weeks). 11 freaking pounds! so lately when i've been feeling like my belly has gotten a lot bigger and i've felt a lot heavier, it wasn't all just in my head! overall, i'm at my target weight gain for this point in time, so the doctor assured me that it is fine. i just need to not gain that much again haha! i guess my body was making up for smaller weight gains earlier on. but holy cow, i'm gonna be huge. i need to stop looking at the scale when i go in too, because the number on there is just freaking scary. i also need to start taking the elevator to the 2nd floor at work.

a little ambition never hurt anyone (but a lot might have)

forgive the picture quality. it was taken at about 9pm last night, on my phone, with the aid of work lights, which i'm pretty sure could land commercial aircraft.

so, we're in the house. not living there, but we have keys. ;) we learned friday evening that our neighbor's property line goes right up to our driveway. which means bryan has to plant fence posts in the driveway. that's going to be fun, isn't it? if you want to help, by all means, call me - you're more than welcome to join.

saturday morning we trucked over to the new house with supplies. my parents showed up to help out. while mom primed the living room and dining room, dad and bryan ripped out some cabinets and moved a gas line. bryan spent the afternoon with his buddy dirk and a 2 man auger, drilling 2.5 ft deep holes for fence posts. it took them a little while to get the hang of it, but once they got going they made good progress. our appliances were delivered (woohoo!), and they are gorgeous. i managed to convince bryan that we needed to pull down the full wall of wallpaper in the master before painting. i ended up skipping a trip to chicago to visit a friend who was in town in order to stick around and help out, even though i couldn't do everything. i ended up doing a lot nontheless. pretty much everything we want to paint got primed, with the exception of the master bedroom. we dragged our butts home around 10:30pm for some frozen pizza (you know i was tired and desparate) and then fell into bed.

sunday morning we got up as early as we could. i headed to the new house to spackle and tape, then back to the old house to pack up whatever i could. bryan and dad spent the morning digging more fence post holes. they completed the back and side, holes dug and posts cemented in. dad also did some electrical work, and bryan ran some new plumbing to the new fridge for our ice maker (with options for 3 sizes of cubes, fancy schmancy). we found a broken part on the fridge and a missing gas connector for the stove. mom and shannon had found a way to strip wallpaper without chemicals (diluted fabric softener), so we spent about 4 - 5 hours yesterday doing that. it was easy, just tedious and time consuming. it's down now, though, which is great. i have a feeling though that the room will smell like fabric softener for some time to come. bryan got the color cut in in the dining room, and it is going to be great!

today i am working and mom and bryan are laboring. he is working on getting fence panels up, and they're also working on painting the master bedroom. mom washed the previously wallpapered wall with chemicals to remove the glue, which i am sure was fun. last i heard, it was almost all primed, and they were starting on paint for the ceiling. that's the one room we have to finish up tonight before the movers come tomorrow! shannon got off of work early so, lucky her, she doesn't get out of painting today, muhaha. i need to head to the appliance store to get the gas connector, and they've ordered us a replacement for the broken drawer part we need. i think i'm also going to order the silk for the bedroom drapes, since i didn't pick that up when shan, mom, and i spent 3 hours at joanns last week poring over fabrics. i also need to call for big trash and brush pick up. funny story, i called atlanta watershed management to find out why they sent me a water bill (albeit for a credit) even though i closed my account in march (and didn't receive anything in april or may). atlanta watershed management is seriously f'd up. turns out even though they closed my account in march, they billed me for april and may on the final bill. so i am due an even larger credit! the nice gentleman i spoke with is actually in the billing dept, he was helping out on the phones. so he's going to help me out. i am sooooo lucky to have gotten someone smart. last time i had to call about a problem (they were billing me for *2* houses and the bill was over $1000), i got some snippy little queen who refused to help.

tomorrow is moving day. the movers show up around 9am. i'll be in IL again until wednesday night, which is unfortunate. then i get to unpack all our stuff, which is exciting. next saturday bryan is going to rent whatever it is he needs to core holes in the concrete to get that fencing up. that may suck a bunch. hannah arrives sunday though! we're pretty excited about that. we've got a busy july planned. and we're cramming as much into this week as possible so we don't have to do too much house stuff while she is here.

nothing else to say. home depot is our new favorite store. they may get to know us by sight there. luckily, it's not far, though it sure wouldn't hurt if there was one closer. i'm pretty beat, and i haven't even been doing the hard work. makes it tough when the baby gets all my blood! speaking of baby, i think he wants a candy bar. i wonder if an orange will suffice instead...

i'm a homeowner!

the closing on our new home went smooth as can be this morning. we are so blessed to have had this process be so incredibly easy. bryan is at the house now, prepping for painting and dealing with the fencing delivery. appliances get delievered tomorrow, and the movers come tuesday. let's hope the weather cooperates so bryan can get the fence up by tuesday, so we can move over with the dogs. too cool. :)

well, it's a boy! :) we had our ultrasound this morning. it was pretty cool. he actually looks like a baby now! he was moving around a LOT during the ultrasound. i had been thinking i'd been feeling him moving and kicking quite a bit over the past few weeks. he'll be an athletic one. ;) we're totally thrilled and couldn't be more excited. the family as well. i've been waiting to buy anything until we knew - i may have to go to target tonight! :) i can't wait to talk to hannah too - she was hoping against a little brother! i'm pretty sure she'll still be excited (she already designed his halloween costume about a month ago, after all).

we're all set to close on the new house this friday. during our saturday errands, we drove by the house, and the seller was actually there doing some stuff. he invited us in and showed us a few things (indoor garage opened, hidden light switches for outdoor sockets, etc). he's a really nice guy. every time i go to the house i get more excited about living there. hopefully bryan gets the keys right away on friday so he can get started. he'd like to start painting friday, so he can concentrate on getting all the fencing up over the weekend. the movers come next tuesday to help with the furniture and then ta-da! we're home owners. so very exciting. i'm glad half our stuff is still packed up!!

i've been working on scheduling service transfers to the new house. always a fun time, luckily most places have online forms. hopefully it all goes smoothly.

bryan and i checked out the toyota prius, which is the car he currently would like to get. it's really rather cute. while he has until this point wanted 0 features in his cars, now that he has sat in a fully loaded prius, he's starting to think maybe a few features would be nice (or maybe just the fanciest package, since that has BLUETOOTH, and that's the Magic Word). once we get settled down into the house (and our bank account settles after closing, fencing, painting, light fixtures, baby stuff...) he'll get a new car. it's definitely a bryan car. i can still smell the leather, mmmmm.

i can't believe june is getting close to being done. the month has flown by, i suppose because we've been so busy! that also means hannah comes soon and we are sooooooo excited. she is freaking out and can't wait. we're going to have a blast.

i guess that's it at the moment. :) going out of town again this week and next for the new project at work. not fun to spend the night in a hotel away from bryan and the dogs, but pretty excited to be involved in this project. luckily they're short trips!

come on feel the (illi)noise

taking a little chocolate break at work.

spent the last 2 days in sunny, flat illinois for work. a new project is kicking off with a client there, and i'm being pulled in. my manager hasn't told me which piece will be mine yet, but one of the team members clued me in. i'm pretty excited. the trip was fun. the drive wasn't too bad (3.5 hours), just flat and boring. after our recent atlanta/milwaukee drives, i don't think i'll have too many problems with road trips under 5 hours. we had a lot of fun. the team is great, and the project is very interesting.

getting ourselves ready to close on the house next friday. bryan's trying to line up his permits for the fence (i think), and i've packed a few things up already. how fast we move in will depend on how fast bryan (and dad, and shannon) can get the fencing up and some rooms painted.

a friend from atlanta will be in chicago next weekend so i think i'm going to visit him for lunch. it'll be good to see him again, and i know he's just dying to make fun of my ever fattening tummy (the baby grows so fast). thinking of dropping by ikea. i mean, as long as i'm there, right?

holy crap, i'm (almost) a homeowner

so the sellers have agreed to fix the basement issue (see my post earlier today, below). our mortgage stuff is all set (pending appraisal, slated for early next week), as is insurance. we'll be in our new place before 6/23, and as early as *next week friday.* that's some pretty crazy stuff. i have to say, we were extremely lucky and had an awesome experience. we had one of the best realties in the state working for us, and our realtor was kick ass. she has worked hard to find the right place for us and then get us in it, all the while being someone we enjoyed spending time with. we were doubly lucky to be working with easy sellers as well. i've heard horror stories, and these sellers have done nothing but agree with our offers. easy peasy.

the long way home

the share drive is down today, and since my documentation is complete for my current project, that means i am having a slow day (as is the printer). at least the meetings start soon and there are always plenty of those around here.

bryan and i found a house that meets our needs wonderfully. we made an offer last tuesday night, and they accepted without counter on wednesday! we had the inspection done friday, and he found some electrical updates which would be wise to complete (and which we're willing to pay for) and some movement in the basement walls (estimate to fix: $7200). so we're asking the sellers to fix the basement prior to close, as we'd like to put up drywall down there soon after we move in. they're already out of the house and want to close quickly, so we're hoping both that they accept and that they are willing to get right on it. with any luck, we'll close in the next 2 weeks and have a place of our own! shannon and i have already been all over the home depot and lowe's paint departments and chosen all of our colors. i am so lucky to have shannon working interior design for free! she has measured every bit of the house and is already creating her architectural space planning design and will be making up design boards as well. she's pretty excited about shopping with my money. while there is nothing that needs to be done to the house (except putting up fencing for the doggies), we do plan on making some updates and changes, probably in a 5 year plan. we're going to reno the kitchen pretty quickly, as well as finish out the basement. we've already ordered our new kitchen appliances and i looooooove them. we were finally able to agree on a fridge, which was a big relief. i wanted a bottom freezer with french doors on the fridge, stainless, and while bryan agreed in theory, he didn't agree in price. we worked through that though, and i managed to get what i wanted without breaking the bank. ;) i finally get a 5 burner stove with a separate warming oven, so i'm in heaven. shannon and i need to hit up some more places to figure out cabinets, flooring, and countertops. there are so many options out there it makes it toughto decide. plus, once you buy it, you're stuck with it! but i'm extremely excited to be able to design our new kitchen. we'll also be doing lots of paint, which will involve pulling down wallpaper. luckily, shannon and bryan are experienced at that! we'll eventually want to update both bathrooms, and put french doors off the back of the house, but those are not top priorities right now. don't worry though, i have spreadsheets going already, and those will soon feed into project plans. you can never be too organized, especially when you're spending a whole ton of money. we're meeting with the lender tonight to sign all the paperwork there, and we should be hearing from the sellers before the end of today regarding the basement, so with any luck we'll be able to set a close date before tomorrow is through. keep your fingers crossed for us!

the house stuff has been consuming the majority of our time lately. i'm trying not to be overly anxious while we wait for all this decisioning to be over, but i'm so excited to move that it's tough. at least i have work now to fill some of my time.

the new job has been going well. i am definitely learning a lot. the banking/insurance business is pretty interesting. my first project is winding down soon, and i've already been pulled into their new project, so that's pretty exciting. i am looking forward to having more to do and be in the full swing of things. getting a paycheck now is pretty cool too. still trying to find my comfort level with consulting, which is new to me. so far i like it just fine, just need to get used to not being permanent.

i found out yesteday i've been taking the long way to/from work, which i figured was the case, but didn't know which was was better. one of the women here turned me on to a highway no one uses. that's pretty cool. saves me 10 miles round trip, AND even though it's still twice as far as my drive to work was in atlanta, it takes me less time. go figure. i can't tell you how very much i DO NOT miss atlanta traffic. atlanta traffic made me hate that city cometimes, and even at it's worst, milwaukee traffic's got nothing on that mess in atlanta.

hannah comes soon and we couldn't be more excited. we have so much planned for while she's here. i've made our reservations for our long weekend in the wisconsin dells, which should be a blast. i haven't been there in ages, and i think it will be so much fun to show hannah my childhood vacation spot. i'm also trying to find a close camp spot so we could camp one weekend (or, "mobile cabin" as bryan insists on calling it, since i want to take my parents' camper). all the good places are further away from the city, so we'll see. hannah and i should be planning the menu for the baby shower/birthday party two birds/one stone party tonight. we're going to do a full on bbq, so that should be fun. i wonder if dad would let me pit roast a pig in the garden (nothing is planted so it's all dead space currently). that could be fun. shannon's invites for the event turned out AMAZING. they look so freakin good. i'm pretty excited. it should be fun. i'm looking forward to seeing some folks from out of town, and there are some who have to come or they're not my friends anymore. ;) i'll be calling them to warn them soon.

everything has been going well baby wise. we find out in a week and a half if it's a boy or a girl, so we're pretty excited. that will help us focus our talks about names and hopefully agree on one. :) that will also allow me to start shopping! not to mention my family - my sisters have been dying to know so they can start sending cute clothes. i'm all for that! i luckily have had no real complaints, as this pregnancy has been very easy. i'm not too thrilled about the growing belly and the achy feet, though. i do now love elastic wasited pants, and that is something i thought i would never say. i've bought some very supportive shoes, since i don't want my feet to expand and not fit into my shoe collection (horror of horrors!). but all in all, it's been a smooth ride, and i'm hoping it will stay that way.

lucinda williams is coming to the pabst theater at the end of july. we may be lucky enough to see her twice in one year! mom and shannon want to go, so that could be a lot of fun. tickets go on sale tomorrow, so we shall see!!

that's all for now!

our life has been pretty hectic lately. we began house hunting, which has been fun and stressful. we preapproved for a loan, and then determined our budget. we've looked at a bunch of houses, many with features we do like, more with marks in the minus column. we know we won't get our dream home, we know we'll have to update/reno something (the kitchen being a given, no matter what). we looked at a house above our current budget (by more than a hair) but within our preapproved range, and found a bigger, more complete house. which got us thinking. so we're looking at a few places above our budget now. we're trying to find that balance where it is worth spending more to do less work without spending so much more it'd have been more cost effective to do the work ourselves. we're at the point where we are narrowing down a list and now have to decide what we're going to sacrifice on (building a fence? smaller garage? unfinished basement vs finished? etc). i'm hoping by the end of the weekend we have an idea of what we want to put an offer on. i'm sure too many more weekends and our realtor will be sick of us. :) the good news is we have options, and as always, i am super organized (you should see my spreadsheets; they're beautiful), so we'll at least be making an informed decision. that's something, at least.

i also started a new job this week. i'm contracting as a business analyst for a company that provides customized software to financial institutions. i've sort of been dropped into the middle of a giant project, so i'm trying to find my footing. i think i'm on track for my piece; still trying to work out some details and make sure i've got all the right documentation and stuff, but i don't feel in over my head. at least not any more than anyone else on the project here. it's huge and complex (consumer and commerical, including agricultural, loan stuff), but very very interesting as well. to me, banking is generally common sense stuff, BUT it's so detailed and involved you could never guess all the stuff you have to think about. also since we're going through the mortgage process ourselves, it's very interesting to see what happens behind the scenes during the application, approval, and closing processes. we shall see. it's kind of nice to be back at work now, and i think it'll be nicer once i fully get into the swing of things.

the house hunting has pretty much been taking up all our waking thoughts lately. shannon and i started talking about the baby shower/birthday party (july is the month of bryan, you know) set for this summer, and let me tell you, it's gonna be the CUTEST ever. we're doing a joint since we're inviting folks from out of town, and don't want an all girly get together (no stupid shower games!). we'd rather just have a friends/family cook out. so we're doing a texas bbq, complete with smoked meats, checkered tablecloths, cornbread, and lemonade. everything is coordinating nicely and it is going to be great. we're just banking on no rain since we have lots of invitees and will be renting tables and chairs but no tents. if it rains, i don't know where we'll put all of mom & dad's furniture so that we can set up our tables. just sayin. we didn't get adorably perfect tablecloths and centerpieces for nothing. which reminds me, we need to get working on the invitations. it involves pictures and graphics and will be, of course, coordinating-ly cute.

having mom, shan, and ad over for dinner tonight, which is exciting since i have new dining room furniture. bryan's making his infamous wings, since mom loves wings. or as we say in the south, waaaangs.

have a going away party for a friend on sunday. she is being sent to iraq. she works for the military, though is not a combat soldier. she is scheduled to be there for 6 months. she has a very young daughter. so that's pretty sucky. i can't imagine being in her shoes.

mom and dad are having a cook out monday. let's hope the weather holds. i'm liking this warm weather!

other than that i think i am boring. meeting time.

settling

well, we found a short term rental and moved last week. it's a beautiful house in a cute 'hood across the street from a park. the woman who owns it has been trying to sell it, to no avail, so has decided to rent until she can sell it. which gives us a home base to operate out of while we hunt for a house of our own. unpacking sucked, but we didn't unpack everything so hopefully moving again in a few months won't be as painful. i also plan on bribing many family members to help. :)

still unemployed and looking. at least i've had plenty to keep me busy lately with the move.

finally got to go grocery shopping last night. while we've still got to stock up on more spices, oils, vinegars, and items like anchovies, capers, etc, it is nice to be able to cook out of our home again. last night was a quick meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and spinach. tonight i'm getting a little more elaborate and making sausage lasagna, with homemade pasta (lord knows i have the time). my pasta dough is resting right now. tomorrow i am making big boy burgers, since i've had a craving and there are no more big boy's around here. i'll be making homemade buns, as, again, i am currently not pressed for time.

that reminds me, i should start on the red sauce for tonight. that's it, ya'all, i'm out.