The Countdown is On

We will soon be returning to America to visit family and then Hubby will return to Germany before deploying and I will stay in sweet sweet Tennessee.  Ahhhh, Tennessee.  I just love that word :)

Mostly, I'm freaking out because we have so much to do! I am mailing boxes back and trying to pack and trying to clean and do laundry and also don't forget I am taking care of a 14-month-old all day long! Plus I'm pregnant so not exactly at the top of my game.  One day at a time, right? 

I'm also freaking out about the trip home with our girl.   In case you missed the post about the trip over here, here you go: The Move Across The Pond.
It was, in a word, terrible.  And I am afraid events are going to repeat themselves.  They can't be that bad again, can they?  I refuse to re-read that post because I'm already worried about it and if I re-read it then it will just make things worse.   Babies are wonderful, but oh. my. word. they sure can run you through the ringer. 

In other news, I made finger puppets yesterday :)  I thought someone would be more impressed than she was, but oh well. She almost decapitated the butcher.  So now she can only play with the baker and the candlestick maker.

Alright, getting hungry.  It's time for second breakfast.  Actually, its lunchtime! I missed second breakfast today.  Dang!  Second breakfast is one of the major perks of being pregnant :)

Hope everyone has a great whatever today is! I'm off to eat and to pack!

Room by Blessed Room

I have another boring room for you today.  It must be easier to do the boring rooms :)  So, without further ado, may I present...the upstairs bathroom:

So fresh and so clean clean!

La toilet accompanied by news and parents magazines

Check out those shower knobs!! I use a grand total of one of them :)


There's our sparkly bathroom in all her glory! I think this is the cleanest it has ever been.

Room by Blessed Room

Up today: Foyer and Entryway...seriously one of most exciting rooms in the house.  (Sarcasm in case you missed that).

Here is what you see when you walk in the front door (kitchen on left, living room on right, 1/2 bathroom straight ahead).  That picture on the floor will soon be on the wall.  And, unfortunately, that stuff under the stairs has to stay there until I hang up more pictures, make a goodwill/thrift store drop off, and find somewhere to dump a broken microwave

There is our front door :)  If it looks funny, that is because there is a front door with a little room with a shoe rack and a closet for coats and then another set of glass doors leading into the foyer

1/2 bath

View from the top of the stairs

And, this, dear readers, is our "totally awesome window" that of course is too high for me to clean but it is so cool!  When I walk down the hall at night I can look at the stars through it.  Many trips to the bathroom get postponed due the the distraction :)

So, today I swept, mopped, did the windows, mirrors, and dusted this part of the house.  I have already done 1/2 of the downstairs and 2 out of 8 rooms in the entire house.  Not too shabby.  Actually, if you know me, you know that is really quite excellent :)  Next I think I am going to do Baby Girl's room.  I am leaving the really hard rooms until the end....you know I'm trying to do strenth training (people who work out: does that make sense?  I kind of just heard that term somewhere but am not sure what it means! :):):) )

I know this post is kinda boring, but I spent time cleaning so I had to show off.  Plus, no one has seen our place so I can't leave out the boring parts!

Room by Blessed Room

I am going to show you my house.  I have been here 3 months and still haven't put everything away and still haven't hung pictures on the wall.  My parents are visiting April 22nd.  Hubs comes back April 12th.  I am determined to make this house a home room by blessed room.  SO, in order to help motivate myself I am going to post as I go, room by blessed room :)

First up: Kitchen! It is my most essential room so I thought I would start there.  I worked on the kitchen for multple hours today.  Yes, hourS.  I am the man.  I not only cleaned it, I organzied it and hung up pictures. 

So, enjoy the virtual tour!

This is the view from the entry

View from the laundry room

View from the big window

View from the fridge :)  You can see our foyer on the left and the door on the right leads to the laundry room.  The outside view is our walkway leading up to the house and some yard

So, there's our kitchen! Hope you like it.  I'm pretty happy with it.  Coming soon...The entryway and the Foyer! Woo hoo!!

Bucket List

I found another thing for my bucket list.  I wonder how do-able (is that a word?) one's bucket list is supposed to be.  I wonder if people put things they really want to do, but probably may never or if they put things they probably could do if they tried hard enough. 

Well, today, mine (hopefully) falls in the latter category.  I want to be a better housekeeper.  I have several things going against me in this goal.  Main one being my personality.  I am Type B (is there a Type B?  I only ever hear about Type A, but I assume there is a B as well?).  I am a laid back chica mostly.  There a few things that I'm particular about...but, you know what, not one thing is coming to mind!  Hmmmm...I bet my husband could tell you something I'm anal about, but I can't think of anything.  I'm anal about not pumping my own gas! :):) Jokes! Just jokes.

Yes....back to that which is against me in reaching my goal.  I did not have chores as a child.  I thank you, mama, for always taking care of me, but now I don't make my bed.  Or vacuum.  Or scrub floors.  I do, however, do the laundry!  I also wash dishes every day.  I guess everyone does, but man, never ending dishes! (It also needs to be said that I take good care of my daughter.  She is not as neglected as my bed)

Also, I am self-indulgent.  Oh yes, I do not have that problem some people have of "never sitting still".  I can sit still and read for 5 hours.  No problem.  I actually do feel guilty when I do that, but apparantly not guilty enough to get my bum off the couch. 

So, what's a girl to do?  This week I have made small strides.  One "area" at a time seems to be working for me.  A room is to big of a goal so I have been focusing on "areas".  Judge me if you will...but know that the Bible tells you not to judge anyone ;)  On Tuesday, I cleaned the toilets (BOTH of them).  Wednesday, I kicked some butt in the foyer and cleaned the floors and put everything away and cleaned the rest of the downstairs bathroom (it took me at least an hour).  Today I cleaned off our dining room table which was covered in Ka-Rap.  So far, this is the best method I've come up with for myself. 

However, I am hoping one day to be more like my Fancy Bestie who keeps a perfect home :) I don't know that I'll ever get there, but...maybe?  :)

August Goals

I like 'em.  I'm a goal kinda girl.  And, this month, I've got lots. 
But I'm excited to try to attack them & make them submit :)  Some of my daily goals are....

1.) To read a Yahoo News Article every day.  Just one a day.  No biggie.  Problem is that I am not into the news.  Which isn't a problem for everyone, but it is for me.  Because I want to know what's going on in my country & around the world.  I think it's important.  I want to be able to hear an Obama speech & know what the heck he's talking about.  So one news article a day for now.  For August at least...

2.) To make my bed. Every day. Pretty self-explanatory I think.

3.) To take 20 mins every day to read non-fiction.  You see, there are lots of non-fiction books I want to read (books like...You on a Diet, Becoming Babywise, Super Baby Food).  I'm really good at buying them, but not so good at reading them.  I am making progress...just not the progress I want.  And, no time is not an issue.  I read 13 fiction books this month.  No joke.  13.  I counted them.

4.) To spend some intimate time with God each day.  Not massive amounts, just some.  Shouldn't be too hard.  Shouldn't being the key phrase here.

5.) To read to Baby Girl 20  mins a day.  I cannot tell you how many articles I have read that emphasize the importance of reading to your baby.  I really really really want this one to happen.  The roadblock with this one is that baby books are just boring.  But I guess I better get over it since I will be reading them for a long long time.  I dont know any kids that read James Patterson :)

Then I have a couple of weekly goals...

1.) Exercise 3x a week.  Right now, I am getting in 1-2 workouts.  Time to step it up!!

2.) Scrapbook 2hours a week.  2 hours a week!! That's nothing! I mean, come on!  I am ridiculous.  There are several scrapbooks waiting on me.  My bible study scrapbook (50% finished), my STINT scrapbook from 2006 (75% finished), my army scrapbook (haven't started yet), mmm...that's it I think.  And, NO, I am not going to start a scrapbook for Baby Girl.  An 18-year project?? No thank you.  You did see where I haven't finished the one from 2006, right?  I try not to make unrealistic goals, so Baby Girl is only getting a photo album.  If I ever have copious amounts of time & creativity, I'll scrapbook her life then.

All that's left is cleaning goals which I wont bore you with.  Here's to a productive August!!

*A derogatory comment about Hugh Hefner has been removed (in case you saw some of the comments reference it).  I removed it because God told me to :) 

True to form

Well, my unproductive self has been staying true to form this week.  Four days of opportunity have only yielded one day of any actual action on  my part.  What is my problem??  Hubby made a to-do list for me (it helps me) so on Monday I was super hyped up to get stuff done.  I paid the bills, made the bed, did the dishes, studied my Bible, & did laundry.  Wow-that was a good day (a REALLY REALLY good day if you are me!).  Then on Tuesday, I made the bed.  Yes-that's all.  Then on Wednesday, I took a walk.  Yes-that's all.  Then today, I have done nothing.  Yes-seriously nothing.


The funny thing is that Baby Girl's room is anally organized.  Her clothes are SUPER organized as in no one better move anything because I have a system & I like it, her blankets stay folded & put away, her socks all match each other, her stuffed animals sit in a nice little row, her books sit in a nice little basket, & if there is ever anything on her floor, I pick it up.  (I know-picking stuff up off the floor-what a concept!) It is like there is a secret part of me that is released when it comes to her.  I definitely think it is a good thing...I just wish it bleed over onto other areas of my life.  Areas like the kitchen & the living room :)


Today, I will vacuum or die. 

Wow.  Today was monster un-productive.  I think productivity will be something that I struggle with the rest of my life.  Every day if I don't fight it, I lose to it.  I have a newborn which requires me to be a bit productive, at least in areas concerning her.  As in, I feed her & change her & bathe her & cuddle her.  But when she is napping, I got nothing.  What did I do?  I watched Lost, read blogs, watched Lost, read part of "Graceling", watched Lost, ate lunch...ummm...watched Lost.  Yeah, my life is pathetic. 

I don't work, I only have 1 child who takes naps & I didn't even crack open my bible today...it's the least I could do.  I remember a couple of weeks ago when all Baby Girl did was cry & cry & cry & how I was so closer to the Lord because I was constantly feeling the need to lean on Him & I was praying for Him to make it better at 3AM.  And now today I didn't even open my Bible.  There is so much I need to be seeking Him about- Hubby's placement, making friends in this new town, Baby Girl's sleeping schedule, not to mention praying for others. I just need to be close to Him period. Ay-yie-yie.

So, yeah, productivity is the concept that I have to fight for daily, practically hourly.  I long to be like those people who rise @ 6AM, clean their kitchen, take a walk, & do whatever else those people do.  I rise at the last possible minute, am lucky if I get a shower in, open the door so the dog can go outside & sometimes don't even eat because it's too much work!  Not every day is like that, but every day easily could be if I didn't make a conscious decison for it to be different.

Ahhhh, tommorrow is another day with a clean slate & endless possibilites :)

Productive Me

You may think that the title of this post is contradictory in nature if you know who the "me" is (it is me, after all).  However, Hubby has been gone for 5 days & as I have done NO-THING I want to & I will begin being productive.

(on a side note, Regis is on with his wife today because Kelly is gone & it is hilarious!  His wife should seriously be on everyday.  He is SO MUCH funnier with his wife than with Kelly.  They bicker & tease & are totally cracking me up!)

Ok, commercial break.  Back to productivity.  Here are a few of the things I will get done before I go into labor :)

1.) I will wash all of Baby Girl's clothes.  I am tempted just to wash the little ones, but with all this time on my hands, I think I might as well wash all of them.  Besides, once I open the Dreft, the movers won't move it, so I better use as much of it as I can.  I might wash my own clothes in it-is that bad?

2.) I will do a Bible Study scrapbook.  I have been talking about this since LAST summer & now I have 2 weeks to do it before it becomes a lost cause.  But if I work on it everyday, I can get it done.

(oh crap, now Jeff Goldblum is one.  I love that guy.  Back to you in a minute)

3.) OK, I will also write in Baby Girl's baby book.  There are lots of pages to fill out before she arrives & if I don't at least get a head start on it...yep, you guessed it...another lost cause.

OK, for me that is enough.  I am not one of those people that make more goals than I can keep because it motivates me.  Hubby is like that.  I do better with smaller, more attainable goals so that I don't get overwhelmed & give up. 

SO, here's to hoping!

Also,  today I have already done the dishes (because I hadn't done ANY since hubby left. Surprise, surprise) & I am getting ready to vacuum!

addictions

I do realize that when most people hear that word, it is very serious and ominous, but of course that's not what I mean. Lately, I have been very aware of how many "addictions" I have-they really are addictions, although you also probably classify them as bad habits. (but let's not get into all my bad habits. you truly do not have the time.)

Firstly, I am addicted to both the Mark of the Lion series & the Twilight series. It's bad, I put one down to show self-control & then I just pick the other one up. I read them both last night while Shaffer slept.

Secondly, I am addicted to my ipod. I listen to it all the time. I take it in the car with me, in the shower (I have a speaker), while I cook, while I clean (ok, to be honest, that one is not very often), I will turn it on even if all I have to do is put my socks on!

Thirdly, I am addicted to sleep. I have had 4 days off (a small miracle) and so far I have slept for 10 hours every night. This is very unlike me, but I can't say I haven't enjoyed it. :)

Between books, music, & sleep I am very effectively wasting time. But today, I am going to hang out with some girls & then Dawn & Zac are coming over later for pizza & who knows what else. So not all my time is being frivilously spent :)

Right now, it looks sunny, but I'm scared it's cold. The weather through a window can be so deceiving.