Sunday Sunset #1

This week's Sunday Sunset covers the first two and a half weeks of 2014.

Listening To: Arthur and I have been rocking the shuffle on iTunes.  Plus, we've checked out the Top Pop channel and The Beatles radio channel on iTunes.  Interesting mixes.

Book finished: In the Company of Secrets; Medium Raw; The Fault in Our Stars; Shambling with the Stars; The Audacity of Hope

Reading: High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

On the Nightstand: Time Enough for Love by Robert Heinlein, Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton, A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin

Making Lists: So many lists... I don't know where to start.  Mostly they involve crafting projects and Pinterest.  Let your imagination run from there.

From the kitchen: I made a few recipes and prepped some freezer meals.

• Avocado, provolone, bruschetta chicken with balsamic vinegar dressing and spinach salad -- Very yummy and not too hard to cook.  This will be added into the rotation.
• Chili -- Another random ingredient chili.  This time it was spicy fun.
• Italian beef sandwiches -- Cooked and frozen for next week
• Baked Parmesan Chicken -- A big favorite around here
• Kielbasa skillet meal -- Prepped, froze for next week

Crafting: Before getting to the actual crafting, I wasn't able to get my SU order for December before leaving for Indiana.  I completely forget what I even ordered.  I was able to collect it at January stamp club.  Oh yeah, and December was my hostess month.  Lots and lots of goodies.

At stamp club, we made some cute cards.  It was also the start of our new 6 month round.  We drew hostess months and I got February.  Just in time for Sale-a-bration.  Now what should I order?

On the PL front, I finally got everything organized to put together the weekly spreads for the holidays.  I also got some great ideas from my Studio Calico class I joined for January.  Can't wait to put some of them into my spreads.  And I decided to do a monthly wrap-up page with my books read, life goals and progress, and photo a day pics.  I didn't want to have to include every photo a day pic, so I thought to combine some of my features into a monthly wrap up page.  Each month has one side (two months per page protector) using design F.  I have room for eight photo a day choice pics.  I went through and picked title, books read, and life goals inserts for each month.  I tried to play with some color schemes.  I plan on adding embellishments as I do the months.  In the meantime, here's a sneak peek of January's page:

Watching: While back in Indiana, I basically watched whatever my family was watching (lots of sports and HGTV).  Since being back home, we're back to our usual currently airing shows (Dracula, The Daily Show, Colbert Report, Community, Psych, Alpha House, etc).  While I love catching up on our shows, I was on the edge of my seat waiting until I could get back and watch Sherlock!  Three episodes is not enough Benedict and Martin to hold me over until Series 4 gets made.  I loved the twists and turns (did not see them coming).  I love the little updates they make to Doyle's original stories.  So good!  We also started watching Helix today.  J totally called that the head of the research base in Nemo.  It could be an interesting show.  We'll stick with it for at least a few more episodes.

From Nature: I am so glad to be back to the nice weather.  On my first outing, Arthur and I went to the grocery store and I wore flip flops!  My feet love the warmer air.

Shopping Scores: Lots of new things!  I got around to buying Arthur some essentials: Sophie the giraffe teether, larger onesies (although I will quickly need to get bigger), some larger lightweight blankets, a Valentine's onesie, and some sleepers without feet (he's just too long!).  I also picked up some Project Life supplies online: G and H page protectors (for inserts), Seasons Mini Kit (had Holiday, wanted general seasons), a WRMK 3x4 and 4x6 kit (Tangerine), and some random cards from a fellow PLer (from Honey and Kraft kits).  And then I went to Michael's for snail and ended up buying a corner rounder punch (mine is horrid!) and a 2in circle punch.  Finally I hit up Target for some cleaning supplies (boring!) but I did manage to grab a few clothing pieces for me.  I found a blouse, a tank, and a sweatshirt all on the clearance rack.  They all fit and don't accentuate my problem areas.  Score!  Unfortunately the two pairs of pants I bought don't fit at all.  Le sigh...  Back to the same pants I've been wearing the last three months.

Project: Upon arriving back in California, I went on a major cleaning and organizing spree.  I don't know what got into me, but I love the results.  On Sunday, I woke up at 7 (baby alarm clock) and proceeded to clean out and wipe down the entire fridge.  So pretty and clean now!  And just in time for major grocery shopping on Monday.  I got into all the nooks and crannies (didn't realize how dirty it was under the drawers at the bottom; I never pull those completely out).  I also cleaned out any and all old and expiring food.  A clean slate for a new year...

Later in the week, I completely reorganized all of Arthur's clothes (he has a ton now!) into outfits sorted by size.  Hopefully we can weed out the too small without missing any.  I already threw a few pieces into the too small bin.  Everything looks so pretty in his closet now.

While I was away, J cleaned out the office.  Originally the closet was full of boxes (mostly books) and one bookshelf.  J bought two more bookshelves and emptied most of the boxes.  He also completely organized his side of the office and all his model making supplies.  That left me to tackle my side with all the crafting supplies and a few random non-book boxes.  I wish I had taken a before photo because it was an absolute disaster zone.  I spent part of Sunday and most of Monday afternoon cleaning and organizing.  I completely redid the crafting supplies.  I also reorganized my books on the shelves.  Now I know what shelf any given book should be found on.  I also reduced four random boxes down to one random box.  Two garbage bags and a box to the trash later, my side was looking pretty nice.  Now the trick is to keep it nice...

Picture: Arthur turned 3 months this week!

Sunday Sunset #41

Listening To: Lots of Christmas music on Pandora.  I need my fix!

Book finished: Inside the Creative Studio; B is for Baby; Universal Rights Down to Earth; Final Jeopardy; Boneshaker; Tanglefoot; Vanity Fair; Sandition

Reading: Nothing currently...  I'm taking a bit of a break and will start my 2014 TBR pile soon.

MakingLists: Finished my list of activities with the boys for break. Our calendar is filling fast...

Crafting: Right before I left for vacation, I attended December stamp club.  We made two adorable non-Christmas cards and a treat holder.  I love love love the eiffel tower card using new Valentine's themed stamps.  And the designer paper behind it is too cute.  I might actually have to buy it.  The shovel card is using the 2013-2015 colors.  I really need to get that ink and cardstock...  January club order!

Watching: Before I left California, the book club ladies and I went to see The Book Thief.  We read the book for club a few months ago.  I thought it was an amazing novel.  The movie was good.  I wouldn't say absolutely great.  It left out a few key serious scenes (plane crash, march of prisoners {second time}).  I have to admit that I was in tears by the end.

Picture: Arthur and I flying back to Indiana...

Sunday Sunset #40

Listening To: Christmas music channels on Pandora.  It's after Thanksgiving, which means Christmas music!  I love the classic channel on Pandora.  It's full of Sinatra and Crosby and all the old favorites.  Bonus: Arthur really seems to love Bing Crosby...  Add that to his early musical education.

Book finished: Hyperbole and a Half; Me Before You; The Road

Reading: Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

On the Nightstand: Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray; Tanglefoot by Cherie Priest

MakingLists: Last minute Christmas gifts.  I have a few more things to pick up (mostly for the boys) and then I'm done.

Around the house: I finally finished cleaning out my clothes drawers.  I ended up having five bags total for the Goodwill.  While I was cleaning them out, I also started a packing pile...

From the kitchen: Another couple of recipes to try out this week.  I also made a meal plan until I leave for Indiana using most of the things in our freezer.

• Buffalo chicken dip -- Ridiculously good to scoop with tortilla chips.  I may make this for Christmas or New Year's.
• Cheese stuffed meatball sliders -- Pretty good.  Although next time I need to spice up the meatballs a bit.
• Cheesy artichoke pasta -- Good dish, but not one that would be good as leftovers...

On the Web: This week I fell down the Project Life blogger rabbit hole.  So many different options, I want to do it all.  Realistically I will keep with my current style and maybe add in one or two new ideas.  Still, the pictures are pretty to look at.

Farmer's Market Finds: Arthur and I ventured down to the market for sausages (for lunch) and kettle corn.  Yummy!

Crafting: I had a couple of classes these past two weeks, a meet and greet, and a crop night.  At crop night, i finished my stamp club homework (pics #2, 3, 4) and some copycat cards (pics #1, 5).  Lots of crafting fun!  With the class today, I think I've finished my Christmas cards.  Now to get them addressed and sent out before traveling.

Watching: The usuals, plus I've been binge watching Don't Trust the Bitch in Apartment 23 on Netflix.

From Nature: Chilly temperatures around here this week.  It was 39 degrees when I left card class the other night.  Brrr! Thank goodness I wore my sweatshirt.

Project: Prepping for our Christmas vacation.  It used to be that I would take a day or so to pack for my trips back to Indiana.  Now, I need to plan farther in advance.  Traveling with a baby is stressful.  And we haven't even left yet!  I've made a few notes in my Evernote "General Life" notebook highlighting things to remember, travel info, packing lists for me and for Arthur, general tips, Christmas gifts bought and to buy, and upcoming events.  I love using Evernote for these types of projects instead of cramming things into notebooks that I inevitably misplace...  I'm getting closer to having everything set and ready to go.  That reminds me...  I need to make a "last minute packing list" note for those things that I can't pack until the day we leave (bottles, formula, toothbrush, etc.)

Picture: Such a happy baby!

But not always...

Sunday Sunset #39

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...

Sunday Sunset #38

Book finished: 100 Days in Deadland; Love and Friendship; The Watsons; The Lace Reader

Reading: The Count of Monte Cristo (still...  getting close to the end); Jane Austen and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor

On the Nightstand: Boneshaker by Cherie Priest; Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

MakingLists: Grocery lists... the bane of my existence.

From the kitchen: This past week I was a cooking fool! As I hate cooking, my experimenting is an epic achievement.  I made Blue Moon chicken that justified buying and consuming most of a six pack by myself.  Decent, but not amazing.  I made beef and barley stew.  Yummy crockpot meal for cooler weather.  I made molten chocolate cookies.  Good but could have been better. And I made creamy black bean chicken in the crockpot.  Perfect for scooping with tortilla chips!  I added jalapeños to the recipe.  That addition makes it a keeper in my book.  Lord help me but I have another 3-4 recipes to try out this coming week.

Crafting: Nothing this week...  Didn't even get around to my PL pages today. Hopefully the little monster will take a good nap tomorrow so I can do those.

Watching: We finally finished the 4-part series The Men Who Built America.  It's been sitting on the server for a ridiculously long time.  Finally watched the last episode and it was a ton of fun.  I do so love my history documentaries.  Arthur and I have been watching our usual shows, but I am finding an issue with one of them.  I am so not interested in watching Grimm this season.  I made it through the first two episodes and am thoroughly bored.  Thinking about dumping it...  We have been enjoying Dracula, Elementary, and Sleepy Hollow.  Plus we watched Olympus Has Fallen for a stupid action film night and Starsuckers for an interesting albeit slightly depressing documentary.

From Nature: Chilly nights around here.  Of course not as chilly as the Midwest but for here it's almost cold.  Arthur was super fussy the other night and wouldn't go to sleep. Exhausted, I finally brought him into our bedroom to sleep with us.  As soon as he was snuggly, he passed out.  I'm convinced that he was cold and that was keeping him awake.  Guess we need to bust out the fleece sleepers for nighttime.  I don't want to close all the windows as it gets really stuffy in the day, but the nights are just a little too cold for my tastes.

Shopping Scores: Zulily was having their huge blowout sale.  And I couldn't resist buying Arthur some stylish outfits.  Can't wait until they fit, especially the mustache pants.  I also ordered a Boba wrap.  We have a structured baby carrier, but I also wanted more of a wrap style carrier.  This one came highly recommended on Amazon and wasn't a huge amount of money.  We haven't tried it out yet as I am still learning how to tie it.  Hopefully this will help with traveling and while in Indiana.

Picture: Absolutely adore this expression.  So much attitude! I call this one "Hey ladies!"

Sunday Sunset #37

Listening To: Random songs from my iTunes account.  Sometimes the juxtapositions kill me.

Book finished: The Billionaire Wins the Game; Saving Wishes

Reading: 100 Days in Deadland;The Count of Monte Cristo (still...  slowly getting through it)

On the Nightstand: The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry; Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

Crafting: Besides doing my weekly Project Life Pages (check out October's pages), I managed to squeeze about 20 minutes in on Saturday morning for Christmas cards.  I've signed up for two Christmas card classes, so I decided to finish up my own random cards.  I knocked out three cards using lots of scraps (hurray for supply reduction!) and managed to organize my Christmas supply drawer.  I have about 45 Christmas cards done.  I think I will stop there and wait for the class cards. I may have to finish a few more before the holidays, but I don't want to overdo it this year.  Here's two of my random scrap cards.  I took these images from some cut up scrapbook pages.  I added the sentiment and the washi tape and striped scrap.  I love the washi tape on the Santa card.  Overall, I really love how these two came out and I used two large scraps that have been in the box for two years!

Watching: All the usuals... Arthur and I are really enjoying the crazy campiness that is Dracula.  Okay, so I am enjoying it.  Arthur could care less, but I'm usually watching it while he's sitting with me.

From Nature: Beautiful weather like usual.  I love being able to enjoy fall and still wear sandals.  Arthur and I went on a few walks this week taking advantage of the mild temperatures.

Shopping Scores: My order from H&M came in the mail this week.  I bought a dress for me (very forgiving for post-pregnancy bodies) and some pants for Arthur.  The tag says 4-6 months, but good graciousness the pants are huge...  Well, he'll grow into them someday.  Now I need to buy another pair of pants for his Christmas outfit.

Picture: Baby yawns are too adorable!  And he makes the cutest sighing sound afterward.

Sunday Sunset #36

Listening To: Random songs from my iTunes account and the iTunes radio 3 of a kind: Mumford and Sons, Of Monsters and Men, and The Lumineers channel.  I love the mix of artists on the channel, but iTunes radio repeats songs a bit too much for me.  I think I'm going to have to stick with Pandora.

Book finished: None, still in the middle of a huge book...

Reading: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas; I may also start Billionaire Wins the Game to read alongside Count.  I may need a break from Dumas...

On the Nightstand: Billionaire Wins the Game by Melody Anne, Boneshaker by Cherie Priest

From the kitchen: Just trying to make easy dinners.  Using all the food that I had stored in the freezer pre-baby.  It's getting to be a little sparse in there now.  I may need to take a day and make a few more freezer meals.

On the Web: Attempting to start to catch up on my blogroll.  I've been way behind since I took three days off from reading to have a baby.  Working through my blogs when Arthur is sleeping.  I sometimes even read them to him when he's being fussy.  He likes being read to...

Crafting: None this week except for my weekly Project Life spreads.  I'll be sharing our October pages later this week.

Watching: Along with all of our current tv shows, we finally watched Admission the other night.  Not the funniest movie, but it did have a few good lines.  During the day, I've been watching my soapy shows so J doesn't have to: Revenge, Once Upon a Time, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, and The Voice.  And of course, we have our usual currently airing shows: Castle, The League, It's Always Sunny.

Wondering: When will these headaches go away?  Damn post-pregnancy hormone changes!

From Nature: For our area, the temperatures have been all over the place.  One day it's 73 and the next it's 66.  Crazy fluctuations!  I must say that I prefer the 66 degree days for taking a walk with Arthur.  I still get so hot, I like it to be a bit cooler.  And Arthur likes snuggling with his blanket.

Shopping Scores: After somehow missing the fact that it had been released, I rushed to Amazon and ordered Hyperbole and Half by Allie Brosh.  I love her blog so much!  I even ordered it in a physical copy to treasure all the pretties inside.

Project: Does taking care of a newborn count?  If so, them I am all over that project.

Picture: Not quite sure about his activity gym yet...

Sunday Sunset #35

Listening To: iTunes radio Chill channel.  Arthur really seems to like the channel in the early morning hours.  I need to make a couple of lullaby/bedtime playlists for those cranky times.

Book finished: The Angel's Game; Rose of Fire; Middlesex

Reading: Nothing yet, I'll probably start The Count of Monte Cristo tonight or tomorrow

On the Nightstand: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

MakingLists: Grocery lists.  It seems they never end.

Around the house: Chores?  What are those?  I have a baby eating up all my time.

From the kitchen: J has actually stepped up and made dinner most nights.  Thank goodness.  By the time dinner time rolls around, I am absolutely exhausted.

Crafting: I started my Christmas cards before Arthur arrived, but didn't have the chance to upload the pictures.  My plan is to create ~five different cards using some old templates and some class designs.  So I focused on taking the design and using scraps and stamps to recreate it.  Not all are exactly alike, but I'm loving the results.  35 cards down, about 20 to go!

Pictures I ordered came in the mail the other day.  Inserting those finishes my introduction spreads in the PL albums.  I highlighted the results in my PL Transition post from Thursday.  Now I can start on my weekly spreads.  I've got the first week done and am working on week 2 today.  I need to remind myself to take more pictures throughout the week so I can have a few to choose from when it comes time to make the spread.  As an extra helper to record our daily lives, I signed up for Oh Life.  Every day they send you an email asking how your day was.  You just reply to the email.  The site collects your responses in an easy to read format.  This helps me remember to jot down a few key things about the day and I don't need to remember where I put the notebook, etc.  I'm going with a bulleted list of things for each day.  Then I can elaborate in my actual journaling cards if I want to or leave it as a bulleted list of activities.

Watching: Lots of television randomly throughout the day as I'm still recovering.  We caught up on some of our currently airing shows (Castle, Shield, Modern Family, It's Always Sunny, New Girl, Once Upon a Time, Sleepy Hollow, The League) and watched some old shows (Arrow S1, QI).  I caught up on The Voice and The Daily Show while feeding Arthur in the odd hours of the morning.  We even started a new series, Atlantis.  So far, it looks not as cheesy as Legend of the Seeker,  but also not super serious.  We'll give it a few episodes...

Wondering: If I will ever get more than 5 hours a sleep at any one time.  I know it will happen, but right now it seems like a dream.

From Nature: I'm sure it's been gorgeous outside... but I really only know what the weather is like indoors.  Hoping to feel good enough to start getting back outside and walking soon.  I've taken Arthur in his stroller for a walk to the coffeehouse twice this past week.  Four blocks round trip is definitely my limit right now.  I'm hoping to be able to increase my endurance throughout next week.

Shopping Scores: Arthur received a package of toys this week.  Okay, so I ordered them on Amazon.  But I figured he should have some things to play with as he gets more and more interested in the world.  He doesn't really care about them right now, but they're here when he wants them.  Plus they were too cute to pass up.

Project: Figuring out a routine with Arthur.  My days are full of baby changing, eating, rocking, etc.  I am finding it difficult to remember to eat.  The curse of a new parent.  We are slowly settling into a routine and hopefully soon he will sleep more during the night (or at least the early morning hours).

Picture: My favorite picture of Arthur from these past weeks.  I just love this expression!  I call it slightly skeptical? or angry old man face?

Sunday Sunset #34

Book finished: Anansi Boys; Her Ladyship's Companion; The World is Flat; Iron's Prophecy; Lady Susan

Reading: The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

On the Nightstand: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides; The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Making Lists: Grocery list for after I come home from the hospital.  I tried to create a meal plan with corresponding grocery list so we don't have to live on fast food afterward.  Now I just need to get J to go to the grocery store on next Friday or Saturday...

Around the house: Mostly I've been relaxing this past week trying to rest up before Arthur arrives.  I did manage to vacuum the entire house in preparation.

From the kitchen: Nothing new this past week, but I have been finishing filling the freezer with meals (particularly marinated chicken).  I also made a nice list of what is currently in the freezer so we don't forget anything.

Crafting: No pictures until J can fix the upload bug, but I promise that I did a ton of crafting this past week.  I finished my intro pages for both Project Life albums.  I'm just waiting on the delivery of pictures.  I think I've decided that for the time being, I will create the journaling and inserts for each week's spread and leave spaces for the pictures i want to print.  Then, I will wait until Walgreens or Snapfish or Shutterfly have a sale and print the mass of pictures (probably once a month).  I also finished my Stamp Club homework for October (won't be at the meeting obviously) and started in on the Christmas cards.  So far, I've finished almost Christmas cards.  My hope is to finish close to 50 cards total.

Watching: Catching up on some of our currently airing shows: HIMYM, Castle, SHIELD, New Girl, etc.  We've also been watching a ton of QI past episodes.  Love Stephen Fry!  And I started watching Sleepy Hollow.  It shows some potential.  I'm enjoying it so far.

Pregnancy Update: No changes.  Still on track for Tuesday surgery.

Sunday Sunset #33

Due to a bug, I still can't upload pics to my blog.  I really wanted to share the nursery pictures, but hopefully I can soon.  J's working on a way for me to get them in here without too much hassle.  We'll see...

Book finished: Cape Storm; San Diego 2014; Witches 101; Gulliver's Travels; Total Eclipse

Reading: Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

On the Nightstand: The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon; The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman; Book club selection (I will find out tonight)

MakingLists: Last minute baby needs and grocery run before he comes.  I think I've taken care of all the baby essentials (at least for the first few weeks).  I just need to make sure we have food in the house for after we come home.  I definitely won't be going to the grocery store and it's iffy whether or not J will take on that task.

Around the house: If I could upload pictures, I would show you the massive pile of cardboard boxes and packaging piled next to the front door.  We have received so many packages of gifts and baby related purchases lately that's it definitely accumulated.  Nothing's stinky in there, just a lot of plastic and cardboard.  We really need to get this taken care of soon.  I just don't have the energy to break down all those boxes and then haul them down to the trash room...

On the Job: This was my last week with the company.  My team is moving and creating a new company and I got left behind.  I'm okay with it, but I will miss the extra money.  There was a mad scramble to get as much work out of me as they could before I left.  Unfortunately they didn't have the new database site up and running until Tuesday and then my home internet was spotty all Thursday.  Even with the crazy, I ended up finishing my tasks on Friday by the deadline and submitted my final invoice. Moving on...

From the kitchen: Lots of cooking and baking this week.  I have no idea why as I still am not a fan of cooking.  I made autumn spiced ham steak on Wednesday.  Yummy!  Easy and very satisfying.  Caprese grilled cheese sandwiches and homemade baked potato soup on Thursday.  I made sure to add a bit of cayenne to soup to kick it up a bit.  Half went into the freezer for later.  Plus I froze some various marinated chicken breasts for easy meals after the baby arrives.  The freezer is slowly being stocked again.  I am foreseeing lots of chicken breasts and takeout in my future.  Nothing more complicated than that.  I have lemon blueberry poppyseed pound cake and green chile pork stew ready to make this coming week.  We should be eating good before the baby comes.

Crafting: No card making this week.  I did start my Project Life pages.  I finished a transition/intro page for each of the albums, my ultrasound pictures, and prepped some inserts for baby's album.  I'm still deciding on the best way to print my pictures.  It would be nice to have an in house photograph printer, but I'm still weighing the time and money to invest.  I ordered my first prints through Apple, but I prefer matte photos (they don't do those).  If I want matte, I have to order through Walgreens or Snapfish, but can't pick up in store.  Dilemma!  I might just break down and ask J for a printer for Christmas.  My other plan is to do the spreads and journaling without the pictures (but have the pictures saved in a folder) and then print a ton when Walgreens or Snapfish have a good deal (so I can get matte pictures).  Still mulling it over...

Watching: Still working my way through Smallville S10.  I only have a few episodes left. Woohoo!  I also started watching the new season of The Voice on Hulu.  Can't wait to follow the competition.  J hasn't updated the server lately, so no new episodes of currently airing shows right now.  Instead, I'm been watching him play GTA V.  Okay, I'm usually writing posts of perusing the internet, but scenes do catch my eye.  I think he's a bit tired of the comments from the peanut gallery.  On the movie front, we finally saw This is the End.  OMG!  So hilarious!  I loved it!

J finally updated the server last night so we binge watched some The League, It's Also Sunny, SHIELD, and The IT Crowd special.  Fun fun!  I'm really looking forward to seeing what they do with SHIELD.

Pregnancy Update: Starting to feel very whalish.  I'm huge (although not anywhere near as big as with the twins) and sore everywhere.  It feels like a ran a marathon yesterday...  Still waiting to see if he wants to arrive before his October 15th extraction date.

From Nature: Sept-Oct in the Bay always seem more summer than July-Aug.  We've had temps in the low 80s and of course sun.  It feels weird when everyone on FB is talking cool temperatures, bonfires, and even snow.  Plus, it freaks me out that we have trees whose leaves change color and drop and yet people are walking around in shorts.

Shopping Scores: Lots of baby related items.  Along with all the gifts, we received a huge Amazon GC from work colleagues.  I immediately loaded it onto my account, but restrained myself from a buying spree.  Go me!  I did order a baby monitor for convenience, but am reserving the rest of the GC until after he comes.  I'm sure some of it will be used for diapers and such, but I imagine I'll pick up a few non-essentials along the way.  Maybe some nice board books or a cute stuffed animal.  I have my eye on an astronaut bear that is beyond adorable!

Project: Prepping for baby of course.

Sunday Sunset #32

Listening To: Arctic Monkeys AM.  "Do I Wanna Know?" popped up on the iTunes Top 100 Alternative channel this week. I completely forgot that AM had a new album.  I popped right over and bought it.  Been listening to it practically nonstop.  So good!

Book finished: The Graveyard Book; Storm Glass; Sandman Vol. 11 and 12; The Book Thief; The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Reading: Cape Storm by Rachel Caine

On the Nightstand: Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift; The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon; Total Eclipse by Rachel Caine

MakingLists: I ran across a great article on Flavorwire entitled "50 Books Every Parent Should Read to Their Child."  It's a great mix of new and old books.  In fact, we own many of these books, but a majority we have never own or were destroyed by twin boys at some point.  So, I am starting a list of books to eventually buy for Arthur.  I'll be adding them into an Arthur wish list on Amazon once I inventory our current collection.

Around the house: Really focused on getting the nursery ready for Arthur's arrival.  J put together the crib, travel system, wall decals, and mobile all without me asking.  I love how it all works together.  There are still some odds and ends being stored in that room that need to find new homes.  *cough* laser disc player *cough*  The rest of the house has been just here.  I want to vacuum every room before the baby's arrival, but that sounds like so much work...  maybe not.  I should also do one more big bathroom cleaning before.  Now to work up the energy to actually do these things.

On the Job: Big changes!  As of today, I have one week left with the company.  To be fair, the company is currently in the process of being acquired and the future of my project is very up in the air.  The current plan is to have the project team spin off into their own company.  It's so completely disorganized that the CEO decided to not renew my contract.  And I'm honestly okay with it.  While the additional bit of income would have been nice, I was starting to have some serious doubts about the project and it's future.  Plus, the team was so disorganized that I didn't even know who my actual supervisor was.  So I have a few more days wrapping up my tasks and transferring the data to another team member and then I'm done.  Just in time to focus full time on being a mom.

From the kitchen: I tried a few new recipes with mixed results.  This seems to be a trend.  I made a faux peach cobbler with just butter, peaches, and a yellow cake mix.  I really liked it, but J was upset that it wasn't "real" cobbler.  I also made a skinny version of chicken parmesan that was absolutely amazing.  Instead of a heavy batter and frying, it used a light breadcrumb batter and baked the chicken.  I made extra to freeze for next month.  It was easier than I thought it would be.  It's on the keeper list!  I also tried California quesadillas.  They weren't amazing, but I can probably doctor them up next time. I want to get a few more things made and frozen for after the baby's arrival.

On the Web: OMG the GoodReads controversy...  I've been following it since last Friday and I can't believe the craziness.  Censored by Goodreads has been an awesome resource to keep up with all the articles and related issues.  I decided very quickly last weekend that I wanted nothing to do with an organization that would treat it's participants like a disease.  I deleted my GR account and am currently shopping around for an alternative.  I know many have migrated to BookLikes, but I'm not completely sold on it yet.

Farmer's Market Finds: We actually ventured out to the market yesterday, but not for produce.  We went to get lunch from the sausage guy.  BBQ slaw dog for me and Seoul dog for J.  We also grabbed some kettle corn and cheese popcorn.  Yummy!  Walk to the market and back took it completely out of me.  I think yesterday will be my last big walking trip.  I was out of breath and in pain by the time I got back.  The food was good, but I guess I won't be back for a few weeks.

Crafting: I finished the family album!  It is completely update and ready to be put away.  I still have to do the boys' albums for this year, but found I need to buy them new albums as the ones I was using are full.  So a bit of a delay there...  With the family album completion, I am ready to transition to Project Life.  I prepped a few pages about the transition and my pregnancy.  I plan on doing weekly or biweekly spreads once the baby arrives, but I had all these pregnancy and preparation items to fit in somewhere.  I decided to start with an introduction page outlining the transition and the reason for the new style.  Then I made a page highlighting all my ultrasound pictures and fetal development.  This will act as a nice introduction to the focus of the new album: Change and Growth.  Looking forward to sharing the spreads on here soon...

Watching: Kitchen Nightmares (S1 and S2) and The Voice are my while I'm working television selections.  I finished Kitchen Nightmares this week, so I need to find something to replace it.  It's great to have on in the background.  J and I have been moving through Suits S3 (OMG summer finale!), Monk (S5-6), Star Trek: TNG (S7), Star Trek: DS9 (S1), and finally! Game of Thrones (S2).  Plus I've been watching new and old favorite movies for my Month of Movies.  Coming to the end of the project... Ready to move on to something new.  Plus, I have a list of new television shows that I want to check out (Sleepy Hollow, SHIELD, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Almost Human, The Blacklist, Dracula, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland).

Pregnancy Update: More BH contractions but still very sporadic.  Lots and lots of pressure, nausea, heartburn, insomnia, etc.  Ready to be done...  Four women from my October pregnancy board have already had their babies.  I am just waiting for my turn.

From Nature: Randomly last week it rained all day just like in the Midwest.  it was gloomy and the rain came down in fairly heavy sheets. It reminded me so much of my hometown.  Thankfully I finished my errands for the day before the rain came as people around here lose their minds when water falls from the sky.  They completely forget how to drive and subsequently annoy the crap out of me. It was nice to observe the rain and clouds from inside the house.  Bonus points for the temperature staying in the high 60s - low 70s throughout the day.

Shopping Scores: I picked up a ton of clearance rack items from Stampin' Up for this month's club order.  I went in needing to buy glue dots and came away with an embossing folder, a single stamp, three new inks (retired 2013), and three packs of 12 x 12 paper, envelopes, and one pack of 8.5 x 11 paper.  Whew!  It was a lot, but I got some great deals.

Plus, we've been receiving random baby gifts in the mail from friends and family.  I'm trying to stay on top of photographing the deliveries and getting Thank You cards out in the mail quickly.  So far, I'm doing really good.  I created a new FB album for all the baby stuff so everyone (i.e. my mother) can see what we got.

Project: Mental preparation for the baby.  I'm trying to savor my quiet relaxation time now.  I'm also trying to clear my schedule and mind of clutter to spend time focusing on healing and the baby after he's born.

Sunday Sunset #31

Book finished: Bachelor Girl; A Beautiful Mess Photo Idea Book; Winnie the Pooh; Cotillion

Reading: Storm Glass by Maria Snyder

On the Nightstand: Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift; The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman; Cape Storm by Rachel Caine

MakingLists: Bloggiesta is right around the corner (next weekend in fact!) and I want to take part while I still have some free time.  I've made a huge list of blog related tasks (mostly back-end stuff).  Among those tasks: reformatting and adding pictures to many previous posts.  When we switched hosts, some of older posts went all wonky.  I really want to get those fixed.  Plus, I've got some tagging issues to resolve and templates to make.  Currently my task list is sitting at 12 items, but it could grow longer before the even starts.

Around the house: We have the travel system put together, but the crib is still sitting in the box in the middle of the dining area.  Have to convince J to put that together soon if only for my anxiety...

On the Job: After almost an entire pay period with no work, this week I finally had tasks to finish and get paid for.  I'm doing well budgeting my limited income, but am hoping to work more in the next month to make a cushion before the baby comes.  I'd like to keep paying for the groceries and finish paying off one of student loans before the paychecks dry up... Hopefully I don't get too frustrated at the ridiculousness and just quit early.

From the kitchen: Tried another random Rachael Ray recipe.  J and I both agreed that it needed more spice even though I put in more than the recipe called for.  I feel like many of her recipes are just too bland as is.  I should remember that by now.  I think it's time to try some that aren't Rachael Ray.  Maybe some random saved recipes in my bookmark history.  And definitely something sweet baked in the oven.  I'm thinking coffee cake!

On the Web: I started reading a personal blog from one of the other October mamas to be and it's a bit scary how close many of our pregnancy experiences are.  I definitely put her in my blogroll so I can see pics of her little girl when she's born.  Currently our due dates are one day apart.

Crafting: Absolutely nothing this week.  Boo!  I spent a lot of time reading and working.  My goal is to get back to scrapbooking the family album this week.  I wanted to be completely caught up by October.  For that to happen, I need to get moving.  I've neglected the boys' albums for the time being.  If I can get the family album done, then I'm in a much better place to transition to Project Life in October.  Fingers crossed!  Maybe I should block out time on my calendar for scrapbooking.  That might be a better way of reminding myself to make time for it!

Watching: Kitchen Nightmares S1 and S2 (while I work); ST:TNG S6; ST:DS9 S1; Suits (OMG so good!); random movies for September's Month of Movies.  Nothing too exciting as I've been focusing more on reading than watching television or movies, but some good shows.

Pregnancy Update: I'll be doing a more in depth post for my 36 weeks on Tuesday.  In short, much of the same.  Just waiting really.  Although I'm pretty sure I felt some Braxton Hicks' contractions Friday night.  Very weird feeling!  But they went away quickly enough.

From Nature: Fairly consistent 75-80 degree temperatures this past week.  After hearing about the horrible storms throughout the midwest (my hometown had many flooded roads), I am extra grateful for the always gorgeous weather here.  I can still enjoy a swim in the pool and a walk to the coffeehouse without any hassle.  Also loving the consistent temperatures.  In my hometown the temperature dropped 40 degrees from one day to the next last week.  No thank you!  I do not miss that at all.

Shopping Scores: A Beautiful Mess just released a designed Project Life kit that was way too adorable not to snap up.  I already have a kit for PL (Seaform Edition), but I figure most of the colors from both kits work well together.  I'll just have a ton of inserts to choose from.  The kit should arrive on Wednesday.  Can't wait to open it up and look at all the pretty.

Project: Still prepping the house for baby's arrival.  I still want to get some of the closets cleaned out and the rest of the nursery in place (crib, mobile, wall decor).  We will see...

Sunday Sunset #30

Listening To: Whatever pops up on my iTunes shuffle.  It gets pretty eclectic some days.

Book finished: Pride and Prejudice; Sandman Vol. 8; Sandman Vol. 9; Sandman Vol. 10; M is for Magic; Apocalypse Z; The Dragon Men; As Shadows Fade; The Jungle

Reading: Gale Force by Rachel Caine

On the Nightstand: Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne; Cotillion by Georgette Heyer; Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

From the kitchen: I tried a few new recipes this week and the results were underwhelming.  They sounded good, but didn't live up the promises.  Oh well, I tried.  Plus, I did stock the freezer with more marinated chicken and steak ready to cook.  By the time the baby arrives, I want the freezer completely full.  That way I won't be eating a ton of fast food, but I also won't have to do as much grocery shopping and cooking.  Sounds like a win-win.

Crafting: I finished a set of Thank You cards and a set of Arrival cards for the baby.  I have 16 of each and each one is slightly different.  I love how they came out.  Can't wait to actually send them to people.

Watching: Star Trek: TNG S5, Monk S4, various movies for my Month of Movies, and Elementary S1.  We resisted watching Elementary because of our love for the BBC's Sherlock.  But we were feeling the Sherlock withdrawal and decided to try one episode.  It's a very American version of Sherlock, but I do love Jonny Lee Miller's portrayal of him.  I think he keeps me watching.

Pregnancy Update: I had my (hopefully) last diagnostic ultrasound.  Things looked great.  Arthur was measuring 35 weeks 6 days (I was 34 weeks 1 day) and a little over 6 pounds.  Now I'm thinking he may just arrive early.  We'll see.

From Nature: After beautiful temperatures in the 70s, suddenly we got temps in the mid80s.  Not loving this!  I want lower 70s or even high 60s.  I love fall weather, but mid 80s just doesn't put me in the fall mood.  Plus, I find it difficult to enjoy my hot pumpkin spice lattes while sweating from the heat.

Shopping Scores: So much shopping! I'm amazed I didn't kill myself the other day.  I snapped up some household necessities (shampoo, etc), two sleep sacks for baby, five onsies for baby, some crafting supplies (snail, dies, page inserts), some cute short rockstar boots for fall, and a diaper bag that isn't a diaper bag.  Plus, I ordered our travel system and crib and those should arrive on Monday.  I'll post pics once J puts everything together.  All told, I am feeling more comfortable about the imminent arrival of the little one.

Project: Organizing the kitchen, my closets, and the nursery.  I am in full nesting mode.  I want to get everything done and ready for Arthur's arrival.  Unfortunately, my energy levels do not live up to my daily plans.

Sunday Sunset #29

Listening To: The Faint channel on Pandora.  It always goes to very interesting places...

Book finished: Fun Home; The Sandman Vol. 6; The Sandman Vol. 7; The New Deadwardians; The Sugar Queen; American Vampire Vol. 1; The Host

Reading: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

On the Nightstand: M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman; Sandman Vol. 8, 9, and 10; The Dragon Men by Steven Harper; As Shadows Fade by Colleen Gleason

Making Lists: Updating my Target and Amazon baby registries.  I think they are now complete, or at least complete enough for people to shop from them.  Things are duplicated between the lists, but I figure once something is bought from either, I can delete the duplicate (or similar item from the other site).  And anyway most people get gift receipts or Amazon does returns.  J informed me this morning that he bought a mobile, so I deleted those as well.  Thankfully I didn't actually have to go into a store to do the registries.  Amazon's is absolutely amazing and easy.  While Target's is a bit of a pain, I knew what I wanted so that made it move quicker.  They could definitely use an update in the process...

Around the house: There was no major water damage from the leak emanating from the upstair neighbor's bathroom.  The maintenance guy sanded everything down and applied some drywall.  Now he just needs to come back to repaint and retexture and everything should be good to go.  Thankful it wasn't a bigger problem than that.

On the Job: In one word: frustrating!  I'm really looking forward to this being done, but not looking forward to the decrease in income.

From the kitchen: I tried two new recipes this week.  I made a variation of my usual chili.  This time I added an entire jar of jalapeños, adobo chilis, and cayenne pepper.  The result was a smokey spicy chili that we both enjoyed.  I will have to add this version to my usual mix of recipes.  I also tried a honey mustard chicken recipe from Rachael Ray.  It was decent, but the flavor wasn't very strong.  I think we will try this one again sometime.

Crafting: Nothing this week, but I have big plans for next week.  I received my Stampin' Up order, so I'm all set to make baby thank you and arrival cards.  I want to play around with a few ideas.  Once I settle on a design (or a few), I want to make a batch so I'm ready when Arthur decides to make an appearance.  I'll post some pics of the possibles...

Watching: This past week was the Bout of Books readathon, so I limited my tv watching.  I am still slowly making my way through S10 of Smallville (halfway done!).  J and I are watching an episode or two of Monk in the evening before bed.  It always him to work and me to write or peruse blog posts.  We also rewatched Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz in preparation for going to see The World's End on Friday.  While I think The World's End is the least funny of the three, it's still a great movie, part homage to Shaun and Hot Fuzz and part homage to science fiction movies.  We will definitely buy this one when it comes out on dvd.  Plus, I loved all the little references here and there.  Someone (possibly from i09 or The Nerdist) wrote that with each viewing of Shaun and Hot, they notice some other little reference or joke.  It's completely true.  I can't wait to rewatch The World's End to catch even more than I did upon one viewing.

Pregnancy Update: I had my 32 week appointment.  The usual 10 minute, in and out affair. Even the doctor commented that at this point, the appointments are pretty boring.  I don't really have any questions.  He doesn't really have any concerns.  We are just sitting and waiting until the baby decides to make an appearance.  Plus, we made my 36 and 38 week appoints and reaffirmed my birth plan.

From Nature: The temperatures have been beautiful lately, but I am constantly hot.  This kid is making me run hot all the time.  No fun!  Thankfully we have a pool.  Swimming makes everything feel better and keeps me fairly cool during the hot parts of the day.

Sunday Sunset #28

Book finished: Guns, Germs, and Steel; Wedding of the Century; Every Day; The Peach Keeper; Selected Stories of O. Henry

Reading: The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

On the Nightstand: The Host; Pride and Prejudice; American Vampire; The New Deadwardians; The Sandman Vol 6 and 7

Making Lists: Nothing new, but still working on my giant list of tasks.  Only about 8 projects left, but they are some big ones.

Around the house: I cleaned, even though it just about killed me.  I have been mildly annoyed by the amount of dust that has accumulated on the random furniture pieces (bookshelves, nightstands, etc).  I decided to tackle the dust in one day.  Well okay, it turned into more than one day because just dusting the entire bedroom and putting away clothes tired me out so much, I wanted a nice long nap.  But little by little this week I accomplished my task.  I also put the boys' beds back together after washing all the linens.  I realized I hate making beds while pregnant, but it looks so nice in there now.  All we need is a crib to complete the package.

Crafting: Another fun stamp club class.  We had some cute designs and shared our homework.  I can't wait to get my order so I can work on the baby cards.

Watching: Smallville S10; How the States Got Their Shapes; Monk S3 -- My television watching has declined greatly this past week, but I did manage to watch a few things.  On Friday night we went to the theater to see Elysium.  Not a great movie, but not horrible.  I'm anticipating my television consumption to be practically nonexistent due to the Bout of Books readathon starting tomorrow.

Pregnancy Update: 31 weeks and everything's just about the same.  I have good days and bad days.  It's the usual.  I'm working on a larger pregnancy update post for this week.  Stay tuned.

Shopping Scores: J and I ended up at Ikea on Saturday.  Unfortunately, they didn't have the crib I wanted, so I will probably just have to order off of Amazon.  We did end up buying a chair... for J.  His was ripped and sagging.  We are currently in a disagreement over whether the same chair will fit in the boys' room.  It's not a rocking chair or a glider, but it does bounce a bit.  I tried it out in the store, and I loved the feel.  If I can convince J it will fit, I'm buying one for the boys' room.  I also grabbed a ton of health and beauty products to stock up before the baby comes.  Next up: buying a crib and a stroller/car seat.

Sunday Sunset #27

Listening To: It feels like it's been forever since I grabbed any new music.  So, I went on iTunes and was immediately drawn to the new The Civil Wars album.  I love it!  I've put it on repeat.

Book finished: When Twilight Burns; And the Mountains Echoed

Reading: Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond

On the Nightstand: The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen; Wedding of the Century; Selected Stories of O. Henry

Making Lists: I mentioned last week that I was making a huge list of projects.  I dug into the list this week and crossed off a ton of smaller projects.  I'm feeling very accomplished.  I still have a ton of projects left and I'll probably be adding more, but it really feels good to cross things off.

Around the house: Another apartment nightmare...  A few months ago we had a dripping ceiling and this week we have water collected behind paint in the hall bathroom.  It looks like a leak from the upper stairs neighbor's bathroom.  I hope this won't be an extensive repair job, but you never know what we'll find behind the paint...

From the kitchen: I hate cooking, but I am trying my hardest to cook extra large meals to freeze for after baby time.  My goal is to have a stocked freezer for Arthur's arrival.  I'm about halfway there.  Lots of soup and marinated chicken ready to go.  Now I need some more variety, maybe some Italian beef for sandwiches or Salsa beef for tacos.

Crafting: I finally made it to one of our Meetup group's crop nights.  I've been trying for almost two months.  And it was so much fun!  We got together to work on our own projects with some great ladies.  We even got to create a make and take Halloween card.  Very adorable!  The card used SU's Pumpkin Pie ink that I've been contemplating buying for Arthur's thank you and arrival cards.  After using it, I am convinced that it's the perfect color.  Now I have to revise my stamp club order.

These are the other cards I created on Wednesday night.  The first two are my stamp club homework.  I flipped the sketch for the second card.  I really love how it turned out.

The other three cards are just some fun cards I whipped up using scraps from my giant scrap box.  I think the polka dots one is my favorite.  It's clean and simple, but oh so pretty!

Watching: Smallville S10; Monk S1; How the States Got Their Shapes; SYTYCD S10; Game of Thrones S1 (rewatching); Continuum S2.  Since the boys left, I've been a crazy tv watcher.  We didn't watch much during the day while there were here, but now that I'm alone during the day, I've got a list a mile long.  Trying to finish old series (Smallville), starting some new ones (Continuum with J), and rewatching to play catch up (GoT).

Pregnancy Update: Wow, I have been all over the place this week.  I've had days where everything is fairly normal and I have energy.  I have days where I am absolutely drained of energy.  And I've had days where no matter what position I put my body in, I'm uncomfortable.  All the normal issues of pregnancy...  I am getting more and more anxious to be done.  I'm also getting the bug to finish Arthur's nursery.  I did snap up a crib mattress on sale from Amazon.  We still have to make a trip to Ikea for the crib and a chair (I think I want a rocker instead of a glider).

Wondering: What position can I put my body into to be comfortable? I have yet to find one...

Sunday Sunset #26

Book finished: The Mark of Athena; A Storm of Swords; The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor; The Bleeding Dusk

Reading: When Twilight Burns by Colleen Gleason

On the Nightstand: And the Mountains Echoed; The Peach Keeper

MakingLists: Lots and lots of pre-baby projects.  With the changes in my job (see below), I have a lot more time on my hands.  I spent yesterday making a very long list of projects (large and small) that I want to tackle before little Arthur comes in October.  I've got about 30 total projects.  I'm starting on them tomorrow.  We'll start with the small easy ones and work into the larger ones.  Hopefully, hopefully I can knock out multiple this coming week.

On the Job: Big changes this last week...  resulting in a change in position.  I am now a part time work at home contractor.  I'm a bit confused on what exactly is happening with the project, but I guess it's not really my call.  We'll see how it goes.  At least this change makes my decision when it comes to maternity leave in October.

Farmer's Market Finds: J and I walked down to grab some yummy sausages for lunch.  J surprised me with a slaw dog comprised of a spicy sausage, cole slaw, and barbeque sauce.  Very good!  I may have found a new favorite.  We also grabbed some kettle corn and nectarines.  Next week, I plan on having a meal plan worked out to pick up vegetables and fruit for specific recipes.

Crafting: On Saturday, I got in the mood for some scrapping and dove back in.  The family album is now up to April 2013.  My plan is to get completely up to date before Arthur arrives.  In fact, that project is one my giant list.

Watching: We finished series 7 of Doctor Who and started in on Warehouse 13 with the boys.  They love both those shows now.  We'll have to watch more Warehouse during school breaks.  On their last weekend here, we saw Pacific Rim in theaters.  Very fun monster movie.  The boys loved the fight scenes.

J and I have started catching up on our recently or currently airing shows.  We're caught up with Warehouse 13.  We dove back into Wilfred (US version).  That show is dark and twisted, but I love it.  Also, we started Continuum S2.  We've heard a lot of good things.  I'm waiting to see what happens. Starting on Suits next and hopefully Game of Thrones.

Pregnancy Update: Basically I am uncomfortable 100& of the time.  But that's normal.  I'm starting to feel the fatigue creeping back in with the onset of the third trimester.  Other than that, I think everything's going well.  I have another doctor's appointment and ultrasound next week.  Hopefully another good update.

Shopping Scores: Randomly Amazon had a sale on a crib mattress.  I snapped it up even though we don't have a crib yet.  I have to jump on the deals when I see them instead of waiting and buying everything later a more expensive price.  I also picked up the next volume of A Song of Fire and Ice to be ready when I want to dive back into Westeros.

Project: Organizing my life...  Okay, that just sounds like a crazy plan, but I really want to get some things organized and ready before the baby comes.  He could technically make an appearance at any time so it's becoming time sensitive to get some of things taken care of.  And I'm feeling the urge to get the big nursery objects in place.  Really I just want a rocker, crib, and stroller/car seat system in place within the next month.  Then I can think about the little things.

Sunday Sunset #25

Book finished: Rises the Night

Reading: A Storm of Swords; The Mark of Athena (with the boys)

On the Nightstand: Gun, Germs, and Steel; And the Mountains Echoed; Rise of the Governor

Making Lists: School supplies.  I love this time of year.  I love shopping for school supplies.  Unfortunately, attempting to get the boys' supplies back to Indiana takes some planning.  I finally broke down and ordered a ton of the heavy stuff (paper, tissues, wipes, etc) from Walmart because they had free shipping over $45.  And I definitely spent more than $45 on those things, mainly because the school was asking for 2 reams of copy paper per student.  It was cheaper to buy a box of 5 reams and ship it than shop around and then attempt to ship to there separately.  I didn't add the little things (pencils, index cards, etc) because the prices were so high.  I'm waiting for Target to have their big sale and then the boys can transport it all back in their new backpacks I already bought (last week's sale at Target).  Even with all the hassle, this year should be easier and cheaper than last year.

On the Job: Super duper big changes this week.  I am still reeling from the news.  Basically I am now head of my side of the project... and I'm really scared about what that means.  I don't feel confident enough with where the project is going or what's happening on the other side to make the big decisions.  Plus, I won't be in office next week as it's the boys' second to last week here.  I'll be working from home without any real supervision or direction.  I'm planning on just doing what I was doing and figuring it out in the next few weeks, but wow!  I did not see all this coming.

Crafting: No actual crafting, but I did buy some supplies and organize my stash.  I was looking for cute baby themed accessories, but overall I'm always disappointed.  I finally found some stickers and basic sentiment stamps that I'm okay with.  I plan on making thank you and arrival cards for baby Arthur.  I want to get started on the design now so I just have to fill in the details and written notes when the time comes.  A group of crafting friends are all going in on a table at a local crafting resale.  None of us have enough for a whole table, but put it all together and we could potentially make a but of money while getting rid of tired supplies. I spent two hours today organizing my stash and weeding out the sale stuff.  About half a smaller tote bin full of sale items.  Now I just need to figure out prices and get tages.  Thanks Pam for putting the idea together!  This coming week I'm looking forward to doing some actual crafting.  At least I need to finish my stamp club homeword for Thursday.  I also want to finish the embellishments on my scrapbook pages from last year.  Ultimate goal: to completely up to date by the time Arthur arrives.

Watching: Nothing much, but we did introduce the boys to Back to the Future.  Now they want to watch the sequels...

Pregnancy Update: Feeling uncomfortable on a daily basis.  That's normal, right?  I get out of breath easily.  I have a bit of indigestion.  Most of shoes don't fit on my sollen feet.  And I have a very active baby.  He loves to kick and roll right after I eat and apparently when we play Rock Band.  All normal pregnancy issues (except maybe the Rock Band part).  Getting a bit impatient with how slow time seems to be moving with this one.  I want to be done with this pregnancy now.

Shopping Scores: School supplies and some baby clothes.  Nothing too exciting...

Sunday Sunset #24

Book finished: Reached; Lost; Vampire for Christmas; The Rest Falls Away

Reading: A Storm of Swords; Rises the Night

On the Nightstand: Rise of the Governor; The Host; Guns, Germs, and Steel

Making Lists: The usual weekly grocery list.  It never ends...

Around the house: We came back from vacation and I went on a crazy organizing and cleaning kick.  I take advantage of those when they come as I don't feel the urge often.  I fixed up a ton of things around the house and felt much better.  The urge has dissipatedbut now I am starting to feel the need to decorate Arthur's area of the boys' room.  I've already got a wishlist on Amazon and Etsy for cute space theme decor.  So far I've held off, but the urge to buy is growing.

From the kitchen: Mostly it was a week of tried and true favorites.  I did experiment with pesto chicken breast packets.  The recipe gave me a cook time that turned out to be less than half of what was needed.  So, I had to quickly make something else for dinner that night.  Maybe I'll try it again sometime.

Farmer's Market Finds: A bit disappointed with the market this week.  I only grabbed some nectarines and a pound of fresh green beans (for our pulled park sandwiches on Monday).

Watching: The boys and I grabbed a few movies at the library to watch: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Pokemon movies, and Step Up: Revolution.  Step Up was horrid, and I really like the first two.  I didn't watch the Pokemon movies, but the boys were entertained.  And the Pirates movie was better than 2 and 3.  This one actually had a plot line I could follow.  Not bad, although Jack Sparrow is really tiring now.  On Friday, we went out with coworkers to see Despicable Me 2.  Way funny!  Even all the adults loved it.

Pregnancy Update: Feeling pretty good, although I am having the random aches and pains of pregnancy.  Plus, Arthur is growing very active especially right after I eat.  His kicks sometimes get me in just the right spot to make me flinch.  I'm dreading the next two months.  Hopefully he chills out a bit before making his appearance.

Wondering: How can the boys have so much energy and eat so little some days?  I just cannot understand it.

From Nature: I'm really appreciating the 70-85 degree temperatures of South Bay.  I love it being hot enough to go swimming and wear shorts, but not so hot that I am sweltering.

Shopping Scores: I went a little crazy today at Target buying baby things.  I snapped up a cute baby blanket, some swim trunks, a set of space theme onsies, and a complete  cool weather outfit.  I think I need to start organizing Arthur's clothes and stop buying all the clearance items that appeal to me.

Project: Starting to really think about what we need for the baby.  I'm finalizing my Amazon baby registry and thinking about making a Target one as well.  I still need to do some research on strollers to see what I want/need and some various price points.  I have an idea in my mind, but still need to look some up.  I also want to get the crib soon so it's all set in case he decides to make an early appearance.

Sunday Sunset #23

Listening To: Lots and lots of Alt Nation and Lithium during our trip.  Plus, we listened to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for extra fun.

Book finished: Fables 18: Cubs in Toyland; The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill; The Color Purple; The God Delusion; The Paris Wife

Reading: A Storm of Swords; Reached

On the Nightstand: Rise of the Governor

Making Lists: Umm...  grocery list.  We got back from vacation and was greeted with no food in the house.  I went on a major food shopping trip to get us through the week.  I think I got everything, but I'm already starting the list for next week.

Watching: After getting back from vacation on Friday, we decided to lay around the house on Saturday.  We needed the rest.  So J decided to introduce the boys to Futurama.  They absolutely love it!  We also Redboxed A Good Day to Die Hard and Parker for some action entertainment.  And finally J finally got me to watch Walk Hard.  That movie was way funnier than it should have been.

Pregnancy Update: Overall I feel pretty decent.  However, the heat in Las Vegas really drained me. I'm glad to be back to the Bay Area for 75-80 degree temperatures.