Book finished: Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor; The Count of Monte Cristo

Reading: Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh; Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

On the Nightstand: The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Making Lists: I've started my packing list for Christmas in Indiana.  I need to leave a ton of room for presents and such to come back.  Minimalist packing is the key.  But I still have to transport various baby accessories to even get us there.  This will be a challenge.

From the kitchen: I tried a couple more new recipes.  All of these were taken from Iowa Girl Eats. I love that her recipes are tasty yet simple.

• Red beans and rice -- Super yummy and easy.  Throw everything in the crockpot and 8 hours later you have a filling meal.
• BBQ chicken, apple, bacon, cheddar quesadillas -- Quick and easy, just how I like recipes.
• BBQ pulled pork -- Definitely a keeper.

Crafting: Arthur and I went to stamp club on Thursday.  We made three cute cards and a candy holder.  Of course, Arthur only let me make the first card before he started to fuss.  Thankfully Pam made the other cards and the project for me while I watched with a fidgety baby.

Watching: The usuals...

• The Daily Show
• Almost Human
• Atlantis
• Revenge
• Once Upon a Time in Wonderland
• Once Upon a Time (hello Marilyn Manson!)
• Sleepy Hollow
• The Voice
• Elementary
• Dracula
• The League
• Parks and Rec

Plus, I started watching Reign.  It is better than I expected.  Of course, I don't have very high expectations for a show on The CW.  I am digging the political intrigue on the show.  It definitely makes the soap opera melodramatics much easier to watch.

From Nature: It rained almost all day on Wednesday...  I miss the rain storms.  It reminds me of the Midwest falling asleep to thunder storms.  I have a pair of rain boots in my closet that have just languished for almost two years.  It didn't rain enough to pull them out, but I was really really tempted.  By the end of the week, it was back to be sunny and high 60s.

Out and About: I joined two mom's groups this week.  On Wednesday, we met at a local park for playtime and socializing.  Of the five other ladies scheduled to come, only one did.  And it was the other first time participant.  I think it was because it was sprinkling a bit here (unusual for around here).  Oh well!  The other lady and I had a nice hour walking around the park and chatting.  Hope to meet here again at another meeting.  On Thursday, I attended another meetup from the same group.  I showed up, no one else did.  Extremely disappointed!  Arthur and I ended up walking the trail anyway for something to do.  I posted a comment on the meetup about no one being there, not changing their RSVP, and not posting any messages.  The group organizer (who was also supposed to come) apologized and said she would remind everyone to keep their RSVPs current.  But, I am very irritated by these women's behavior.  I don't think I want to be a part of a mom's group that shows such little consideration for others.  I RSVPed for an event on Monday with a different mom's group.  I hope I have better luck with them.

Project: I have not idea why, but suddenly this week I got the decluttering and purging bug.  I just felt the need to shed all the crap laying around the house.  I started on Tuesday in my closet.  Within an hour, I had two bags of trash and three bags for Goodwill.  Holy crap!  I also rediscovered some gems in my closet.  I've been pregnant for so long, I forgot some of the clothes I actually owned.  I also did a bit of organization in the hall closet getting rid of some blankets.  Since we now live in California, stocking ~10 heavy blankets (not including baby's and twin's blankets) just doesn't make sense.  Half of those... gone right away and I'm debating on a few more.  I hope to tackled my clothes drawers before Thanksgiving.

Picture: It's a real smile from a very chubby little baby!  I need to get a better picture of his smile...