Showing posts with label A list. Show all posts
Showing posts with label A list. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

Currently: May

planning our 'summer kick off' weekend, in just 2 weeks, doesn't seem much like summer yet..
going to get myself in sync with the newest itty bitty before summer hits in full swing.

watching the sunrise during the week, whether on my morning walk or from my computer chair.
reading  blogs on my phone, not near as rewarding as reading them on the computer.
celebrating  the school year is coming to a close (YAY!!)
thankful that I was able to spend the day w/Mom on Saturday. An early Mother's Day for her, we hit 2 high school plant sales, the big city farmer's market & she tagged along for me to hit 2 running shoe departments.
loving the hum of the sump pump after this last few days of overwhelming rain.
eating  my self crazy through the Iowa Food Coop shopping list-still.
enjoying working on Scrap Pink again. another worthy family in need of assistance.-still.
wearing new running shoes, was really hoping they just needed time for my feet to adjust but it was too much pain. so the super cute hot pink & teal Brooks must return to Scheel's. so sad

walking several early mornings each week.
trying .to eat cleaner, more fruits & veggies, less carbs



feeling cozy with this fabulous new s'mug & cuppow lid for my pint jar/ice coffee glass

planted these beauties on Mother's Day. the left is a tiered hanger that was here when we moved in, I usually try but rarely succeed in keeping plants alive in them. wish me luck. the middle is a really cool hanging basket I have had a couple of years that I put 3 varieties of Wandering Jew plants in love the green & purple they are & if they survive the summer, I can move them inside for the winter as they are originally house plants but like them on my deck. The right is a jade plant. I have been wanting one ever since I saw Elise doing fun stuff with them from her back yard. Ta-da! It jumped in my arms at one of the plant sales we attended on Saturday.  It is also a house plant but will live on the deck for the summer. luckily there are a ton of pins for their care, propagating & such too. 
.


How is your May going?

Friday, November 15, 2013

four on friday

  1.  am back on the 'get healthy' bandwagon again. I know, I rollercoaster a lot but I am seeing good progress this time so I upping my water again, REALLY watching what I eat, planking & running/power walking 3 mornings/week.
  2. I am back to shopping the Iowa Food Coop again.  another thing I do in spurts. I am so in love with their yogurt right now. it is amazing AND made On a Farm in Iowa! hello!! awesome! I would be giddy to see some of our local farmer's market vendors branch out & start to sell their wares on there as well.
  3. Origami Owl-Have you seen it in real life? Amazing Stuff! I love that it can be changed up so many different ways. I currently have
     this one, it has a 'family' plate in it (to keep it from being see through), a puppy print & a kitty print, an angel wing for my brother, the 5 & 3 are our anniversary & I Have since added a silver 'puffy' looking heart that says Aunt, & the J on the outside is of course for our last name.  I have 2 different chains I wear it on, a long linky one & a short stationary ball chain. I am wanting to get a bracelet too... yea, they have bracelets too! I also have a gold watch gear & a silver "love" w/the letters all stacked up that I can swap in or out of it as a please. That swapping is probably my favorite point of it.
  4. Hitting the Park in November (In Iowa!) Fabulous Friday!! One determined to climb up the bumpy slide in a timely fashion, one determined not to be afraid of the train (thankfully there wasn't one the entire hour we were there), one running amok, one learning his boundaries as it was his first time with us.


Wednesday, October 30, 2013

right now-October edition

So grateful that grandma's stroke left so little damage.

planning a long weekend in a quiet, country cabin, just the 4 of us, very, very soon.

thrilled to have been blessed with a box full of gently used cast iron pans

celebrating to have been able to donate so much good stuff to my Scrap Pink family this year.

excited for the Fairgrounds 5k on Sunday afternoon. followed by a fair square & corn dog, yes please.

preparing for the addition of another 2 year old boy in 2 weeks to my already mostly boy group.

making so many yummy things from the ingredients already in hour freezers & pantry.

living in the present is so very soothing.

breathing in the cool, damp, clean air of fall today.

eating clean after a short break of mostly junk.

loving today. The power walk this morning in the fog+drizzle was very emotionally cleansing making way for a beautiful day.

sleeping earlier than normal these evenings.


seeing these flowers reminds me how good it feels to do good for others that appreciate it.

Friday, February 1, 2013

right now

enjoying the brightness of the snow.  I am always amazed at how much better I feel about the cold when there is snow on the ground, especially when the sun is shining off of it.

planning shopping trip with my mom & aunt for Saturday And a Valentine's overnight outing.

thrilled to realize Summer is closer.

celebrating the bond of my brother & his son.

resisting drinking a whole pot of coffee today.

preparing for a downsizing & move-even if it is 5 years away, every little bit helps.

making so much from scratch in January, planning to keep it up for February.

preparing the childcare for an itty bitty to start in less than 4 weeks-- eek!

living in the present is so very soothing.

ordering my neices their first ever pieces from Lisa Leonard Designs.

eating so much comfort food this winter.

loving all the crockpot recipes I am making; refried beans, chicken/beef bone broth, beef/chicken & noodles, apple crisp.

sleeping 4 in the bed is surprisingly comfortable.

Thursday, January 31, 2013

to do

feeling pretty ambitious today.. so making a list of goals for next month:
  •  at the top is this no sew ruffle scarf out of a tshirt- I can totally handle that!
  • thinking of these for Christmas gifts
  • make this recipe
  • keep eating from the pantry (& freezers) as much as possible
  • keep decluttering the childcare
  • finish my December Daily album
and love every minute of it all!! :)


Thursday, December 20, 2012

right now..


so excited to see SNOW on the ground! after very little last year, this is awesome!
hearing the kids watching the Grinch movie
still saddened from the terrifying events in Newtown.
finding today easier than I had feared.
appreciating a small group today.
planning a lot of activities for tomorrow just in case its another snow day.
beginning worry about the status of my December Daily book.
drinking Snowflake coffee like its going out of style.
loving having the tree lights on all day every day.
making plans with the lake family for New Year's Eve.
checking the mail every day in anticipation of more Christmas cards.
prepping myself for a second snow day tomorrow. to kick off Christmas break.
looking forward  to having a couple of family days next week.
watching -in disbelief- as this baby grows right before my eyes.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

December Daily update

Day 6: should have been the Preschool Christmas program in which I had 4 childcare kids & 2 cousins but I begged out & stayed home for the first evening of the week- so I will plug something random in-probably something Kora related. or maybe the visit to Santa I got to accompany part of the neices & nephew on the week before.
Day 7: Kora became ours officially . (gee, I feel like this is turning into Kora's baby book...)
Day 8: was a pretty random day in itself, I did take a picture of some ornaments I filled w/pretty scrapbook supplies I no longer use: 4 boxes of glass tree bulbs + basket of variety of crafty goodies=simple gifts
Day 9: random plug in
Day 10: collage photo of Kora sleeping w/different childcare kids at nap time
Day 11:random plug in
Day 12: (12/12/12) the amazing weather we are being blessed w/in December that we can go out to play.

what I love about this book is that it doesn't have to be activities on that day that are scrapped on that page.  they can be anything I want it to be. perfect for the perfectionist in me that would get hung up on the little details :)

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Right now..

Right now, I am....
:: seeing the sunshine & loving it, as often times this time of year, its pretty gloomy.
:: watching Kora interact w/the kids & Sammy.
:: anticipating a busy week & weekend; monthly Relay meeting, Tim's work Christmas party, shopping w/the girls, surprise birthday party @ the Eagles & Christmas baking.
:: feeling so much love with this new puppy in the house.

:: craving my 'regular' Christmas cookies-snowballs, buckeye bars & spritz cookies.
:: hearing the sounds of 3 & 4 y/o boys working out a way to share the most popular cars.
:: remembering Philip.
:: looking forward to some real Iowa winter weather soon, snow included.
:: noticing that Kora is drawn to a sleeping child to snuggle with.
:: loving that she is such a great fit for our family.
:: hoping I get more scrapping time tonight.
:: planning to keep the month enjoyable for everyone.
:: keeping with the simplified attitude & thinned out some decorations when the Christmas stuff was unpacked.
:: loving my job.
 

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Right now

loving this feeling of being ahead of the game with my December Daily 2012 supplies ready to go!
enjoying any warm beverage I can wrap my hands around.
cutting down on my Google Reader list of blogs.
planning on starting my DD a couple of days early w/3 littles visiting Santa tomorrow night.
celebrating every day I win the fight over the urge to be doom & gloom
clearing the fridge of Thanksgiving leftovers.
driving Tim crazy w/my holiday spirit
booking December full of fun going-ons! Christmas programs x3-so far...
buying gifts constantly
trying to resist shopping for my self.
listening to Christmas music
hoping to get some big crafty projects done this next month
appreciating sunshiny days.
 
 
this is 2010 December Daily that I completed over the past few weeks.
what a fantastic Journey.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

May into June...

So let's see how I did for May..... EH, not tooooo bad, but not 100% as I would have liked...  taking the imperfection as a win :)

May Professional Goals:
1. send for the application for renewing my CDA post-poning until August
2. send out feelers gauging interest for a childcare provider 'group' post-poning until August
3. finalize Friday Funday list (thanks for the name Stacey!)DONE
4. bake cornbread muffins DONE

May Personal Goals:
1. plant garden CONSIDERING IT DONE
2. run at least once each week FAIL
3. find dress+accessories for June wedding ALMOST DONE
4. finalize plans for wedding rehearsal dinner I am hosting in June ALMOST DONE

Could be worse :)  Now, do I roll the incomplete into June? Some have to be, Some not so much.  Those that have to roll won't be included on my goal list as they are necessities that will just happen in real life, on the list or not...

June Professional Goals:
  1. towel rack-sand, paint, hang
  2. craft shelf-hang
  3. fish tank-find a light bar & use it or clean it out & rehome it
  4. dining chairs-recover 2 of the 8 
June Personal Goals:

  1. south flower bed-clean out & plant some summer perrineals
  2. hanging pots-by front door as well as deck
  3. deck plant rack-paint
  4. XL tshirt-cut to Medium

What are your June Goals?

Friday, May 18, 2012

5 on Friday


the whirlwind weekend was followed by a like-minded week! whew this weekend looks to be more of the same. So today's 5 is going to be a Friday Phone Dump post full of gratefull-ness.



1. PROVIDER APPRECIATION DAY: Last Friday was provider appreciation day & I have some of the best parents. Only one that knew it was that day. here's what she sent w/her little guy!! For future reference, its always the Friday before Mother's Day. Grateful for the people who think of the little things that mean so much!!


2.  ANNIVERSARY: With a photo shoot the next morning, I had a cousin do french tips on my nails. Love them!!  too bad I am so rough on my nails that they are already chipped & nasty looking!  Then I knew which shirt I was wearing as I had bought this purple & white one just for the occassion, next I had shoes & jewelry to decide on.  Here are the photos & questions I sent to my (much younger) fashionistas in a mini-panic Saturday morning:  a) with the belt or without? 
b)  short & chunky or long & sparkley? (necklaces)
Grateful for a wonderful husband of 15 years as well as enough means to have to decide on jewelry.
Flowers for our anniversary (5/3) -the reason for the photo shoot.  He really rocks the fresh flowers lately!!  these he took the time & energy to pick out blue & purple so they were our wedding colors *swoon*  Grateful for his thoughtfulness!
3. ENGAGEMENT: I already blogged a bit  about it on Monday when it was fresh in my heart, but to recap: I was blessed to do an engagement shoot on Saturday evening with friends that refreshed my love for the camera.  Grateful for great friends who did more for my heart than they realize.


 4.  TROPHIES: remember the hog hunt we went on back in February in Oklahoma? hmmmm maybe I haven't blogged it yet since I can't find a post... note to self: blog hog hunt. Anyyyyy wayyyyyy the trophies were done Wednesday so Tim buzzed up & picked them up from the taxidermist.  Pretty cool that we got 2 trophies (plus meat) from one kill.  The head went right on the wall by the antler rack & the skull (european mount) went on my display shelf at the top of the stairs, which in turn meant it was time to switch up the decor there!  I had threaded this empty frame w/twine one evening last week w/o a plan of where to use it.   When the skull went on the shelf I immediately clicked into knowing the photos needed to be displayed on the frame w/the skull! Grateful for the means to get to take trips & share in his love of a sport.


5. CHANGING SEASONS: the back yard is coming alive! I love watching theings change year to year & see what blooms & when  here is a pic of one of the yucca plants getting ready to bloom.

the warmer temps & more sunshine means we are spending more & more time out in the yard.  here is a super cute shot I caught on Wednesday.  Grateful that every day is different!
WHAT IS ON YOUR GRATEFUL LIST FOR THE WEEK??

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Twelve in '12- update 2

So inspired this past year by Elise's determination to complete a list of DIYs I was considering some smaller scale versions of her projects. Then today I read her wrap up post of her completed accomplishments, I am determined to give it a shot! I am going w/a much smaller number of much simpler items as I am a total beginner in the DIY ring.

my Twelve in '12 list: (to be completed in no set order)

  1. driftwood wreath-very much like hers, to hang in our entryway in the deadspace over the stairs --started collecting!
  2. sew a dress
  3. alter XL tshirt to a Medium, fitted, wearable tshirt -getting closer to trying-have a stack
  4. change bedroom curtains-maybe sew, maybe paint, but definately change-- done, found some used ones on the facebook swap site
  5. change shower curtain-again, maybe sew, maybe embellish, but definately change
  6. recover the childcare dining chairs- 2 different styles=2 different plans-of-action
  7. refinish upstairs dining table & chairs- repair as needed, sand, stain & varnish -decided I need a sander
  8. hang rescue mirrors-3 in total, may need some type of repair/paint/edit then hung -one of 3 done
  9. find + change floor lamp to fit living room-need some type of lamp behind the couch
  10. build raised garden for corner of yard- have a couple of ideas pinned on pinterest
  11. make pillows for childcare
  12. create a stash of greeting cards to keep on hand-really feeling the joy of getting real paper mail these days & hope to share that feeling

Friday, May 11, 2012

5 on Friday

I am so excited to see the productivity I have achieved in the past week!  having lists keeps me moving-not a new fact, just one I needed reminded of.  I am being careful to not have so many that I need a list of my lists ;)  So today for my 5 I am going to brag about what got accomplished with a list-hope it doesn't bore you too much :S

  1. tried new cornmeal (that I will be sure to buy more of) by using my May Goals list -and going gung-ho on 3 other items
  2. sold the rest of the children's VHS movies we've had hanging around for no reason for over 4 years (no player).  Love the facebook (city specific) swap group.  not really on a list but it sure started an avalanche, there is now a sack of adult, mature PG-13 & R rated movies bagged up to donate to the public library just to have them out of here too, I sold the dress I wore for Valentine's a while back but never again (red is not my color-nor was the fit), have books at the top of the stairs to take to a new book store opening (free coffee or dessert w/donation-heeeeelllllllllo!), boots I cannot wear anymore also to the stairs to take to cousin, see what I mean?? 
  3. I am on the look out for an electric sander to get moving on a couple of my Twelve in 12 list items.
  4. I have already started my June Goals list
  5. I needed to locate the pearl handled wedding/anniversary cake serving set for the June wedding coming up & I thought they were in my cedar chest at the foot of the bed, in order to get IN it I had to clean it OFF.  it is the largest flat space in our bedroom therefore it collects a lot of clutter when trying to clear other flat spaces around the house so it was quite high.  I was able to clear it without any drama & only minimal sneezing from the dust the things had acquired.  Upon finding the cedar chest FULL I decided to re-thing everything in it.  My infant clothes that were hand made-Keep, my christening gown-Keep, a bag of books from Tim's childhood-Keep, wedding cake top from a now divorced couple-TOSS, barbies in great condition- pull out to re-home, baby doll kit w/handmade blanket & pillow-pull out to re-home, giant plastic ducky bath toy-pull out to re-home, my graduation robe-pull out for childcare dress up box JUST to name a few.... In all, I was able to put in a king size quilt that had been storing under the bed and filled a kitchen size trash bag between the top & inside of the cedar chest.  THAT FEELS GOOD & It wasn't even on a list either.
Right now, I am in a 'get it out' mood so I am being rather ruthless with things that aren't handmade, used regularly or loved deeply.  Several things are leaving the house this weekend, others next week.  Spring Fling, I think so!! :) 

Friday, May 4, 2012

5 on Friday

Thinking about my health & activity (or lack there of) also has me thinking about my hydration.  I am terrified of a repeat event of last July's ER visit so I try really hard to stay on top of it.  SO this 5 on Friday is about drinks.. some healthy some not so much ;)

  1. my water of choice:  we have 5 gallon jugs delivered in the summer & fall-spring I take the empty one to the local grocery store & exchange it for a full one. We rent a warm/cold cooler dispenser from them & love it.  I would like to cut the monthly expense but would have to get used to drinking filtered water.....
  2. our nearest gas station/convenience store is Casey's & whenever I am given the opportunity to stop, I pick up a cappuccino.  White Chocolate Caramel to be exact. YUMMMMMMMMM I have even gone so far as to only drink 1/2 in the evening & refrigerate the rest for warming up in the morning to be cheap frugal. 
  3.  
  4. Sun Tea! I know its not hydrating in the least but its a nice fresh break from water & all other things in the summer.
  5. Orange juice.  I have an (immature) issue w/floaties in my juice so I have to always buy 'pulp free' kinds.  I also try to get 'not from concentrate' as I heard once in a training that that is the best kind for kids, the most natural, & there are few of them.  Simply Orange is our favorite & I get giddy when its on sale & especially giddy if I have a coupon to stack w/it.
  6. Coffee.  when in a pinch & needing a quick boost, I will make a cup of instant coffee (originally bought for the mocha recipe but I have been lazy & haven't mixed it up lately).  with making it only a cup at a time, I tend to drink a lot less! if I have a full pot on the stove, I will drink it all in one day, I reallllllllly don't need that much caffeine!! ;)
what are your beverages of choice right now?


Wednesday, May 2, 2012

May!

Holy Cow this year is FLYING! 

May already?!  sheesh!! that means school is almost out & summer is on its way! and THAT means its about to get CRAZY BUSY around here! Just the way I like it. :D big cheesy grin

Thinking I need to follow Elise's lead & start making some monthly goals.  Both professionally & personally.  My problem is that I tend to 'shoot too high' & over do the list then feel a big let down at the end when its not complete.  SO I will limit myself to 8 total.  1 goal per category per week even tho some weeks I will do both goals plus one and other weeks I might not achieve any & some goals may have several baby steps to them. I need to teach myself to be OK with less than perfection.... that in itself should be a goal ;)

OK, so...

 May Professional Goals:
1. send for the application for renewing my CDA
2. send out feelers gauging interest for a childcare provider 'group'
3. finalize Friday Funday list (thanks for the name Stacey!)
4. bake cornbread muffins

May Personal Goals:
1. plant garden
2. run at least once each week
3. find dress+accessories for June wedding
4. finalize plans for wedding rehearsal dinner I am hosting in June



must sign off as its killing me to not add other dreams & goals to the lists, reminding myself that I have 7 more months to the year to have goals for.

THERE... we'll see how that works for the first month, see if its too lenient or too stringent... wish me luck & feel free to keep me on task if I haven't reported in a while...  

What are some of your goals for the month? do you set official goals? year long resolutions?

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

I statements...

Challenge from Becky....

I am..looking forward to a quiet night at home.


I was..glad the sun came out today.


I think..about Philip every day.


I wonder..if I will ever have my scrapbooks current. ;)


I wish..I was more ambitious today. (every day)


I save..everything.


I always..have the best of intentions, tho my follow thru could use some work.


I can't imagine..living in Creston after the tornado hit this weekend.


I believe..in God.


I promise..nothing, because I am human & tend to fail.


I love..my nieces & nephews with all of my heart.

I challenge you to do try this list!

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

What Makes Me Happy Today

1. Surprise gifts from friends, I cannot wait to get this hung on my wall!  Also, the bag of supplies for impromptu banana splits, homemade pizzas, memorial stones,,, I have some pretty amazing friends!!
2. Thoughtful acts of kindness.  Tim straightened & put a cemented plastic 'sleeve' in the ground for my clothesline, tilled the garden again, & filled our sandboxes w/200# of play sand while I was working my last Monday night at my part time gig! What a Guy!!
3. A room full of sleeping littles, because it means we finally got adequate fresh air, physical movement & outside time this morning to exhaust their seemingly endless supply of energy.
4. Laundry on the line! Oh this is my favorite thing this time of year, getting to hang the laundry out. I think I wrote about it last year.  I love the physical-ness of it, the bending, lifting, stretching, puzzle piecing to get it all to fit sometimes,  & then the smell of everything is like my reward. *contented sigh*
5. The new phone w/internet that I resisted for so long.  I love being able to sit in the yard or at the park & be able to read blogs, view my photos on Kodak, keep up w/email or play words w/friends while listening to the littles play.  Even if I only got it because I accidentally dropped then drove over my beloved blackberry (that I had only owned since December) & Tim didn't give me a choice in what I was getting next, he was upgrading me to a touch screen.
6. Attacking the to-do list from last year.  Sadly it seems to take us a year to realize something REALLY DOES need done.  Examples: the clothesline stood at varying degrees of a tilt all of last year & this spring b/c the ground was so soft + the wet laundry so heavy= it leaned, we have sand in the sandboxes that have been empty since we moved here in '07, I am cleaning closets-selling things (mostly things I had intended to hang on the walls but have since changed my mind) on facebook swap site, now, can't wait to see what's next! one of those things from my Twelve in '12 list?
7. Blogging!!!! What a relief to be back! Now, to learn how to transfer photos from the phone to the computer to post or learn to post from phone. but either way, means MORE PHOTOS to be taken!!

I can get so carried away making lists!  What fun this was to make a list of what's making me happy today!  I do believe its safe to say I. Am. Back!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

a list update:

A few weeks ago, I had a mini-panic attack about what I needed to get done before starting a new baby the last week of summer vacation. To calm myself, I made a master list of what needed done by then & have been doing really good @ working on it! Here's what I have done so far this week:

*clean out pack & plays, fold down, carry outside to air out, hose down wouldn't hurt either
*deep clean nursery
*sort toys in play room
*deep clean play room
*deep clean kitchen/dining/bathroom
*get a couple of extra meal components in the freezer (banana bread, bananas, mac n cheese & tomato sauce)
*sort outside toys, discard all broken pieces I haven't yet
*apply pressure to get compost bin & rain barrel completed
*balance Jan-June income sheets done
*sort/organize Jan-June monthly paperwork
*hang curtains in playroom window
*finish painting dining room
*sand/paint/mount 'towel rack' for the kids individual hand towels to switch from paper towels
*make an accessable spot for the Fisher Price record player & records so we can use it during the day
*either find a new light bar for fish tank & get it running again, or clean & pack it up
*change light bulb in playroom
* shampoo nursery & playroom carpet

& now, the baby isn't coming.  Mama couldn't leave him.  I am so happy for them that she is able & willing to take the step to be that full time mama that they both need right now! So I will keep pluggin' away @ my list w/less pressure.

how are you doing on that list of yours?

Thursday, August 4, 2011

2 week list update

Last week I Had a mini-panic attack about what I needed to get done before starting a new baby in a couple of weeks. To calm myself, I made a master list of what needed done by then & have been doing really good @ working on it!  Here's what I have done so far this week:

*clean out pack & plays, fold down, carry outside to air out, hose down wouldn't hurt either
*deep clean nursery
*sort toys in play room
*deep clean play room
*deep clean kitchen/dining/bathroom
*get a couple of extra meal components in the freezer
*sort outside toys, discard all broken pieces I haven't yet
*apply pressure to get compost bin & rain barrel completed
*balance Jan-June income sheets done
*sort/organize Jan-June monthly paperwork
*hang curtains in playroom window
*finish painting dining room
*sand/paint/mount 'towel rack' for the kids individual hand towels to switch from paper towels
*make an accessable spot for the Fisher Price record player & records so we can use it during the day
*either find a new light bar for fish tank & get it running again, or clean & pack it up
*change light bulb in playroom
* shampoo nursery & playroom carpet

how are you doing on that list of yours?

Monday, August 1, 2011

2 week list

I have a brand new itty bitty starting August 15th.  EEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!! he was born 5 weeks early, so he's coming oh, about, 5 weeks earlier than I had planned. I had planned to get him in October, after we were comfortable in our new school schedule, instead he's starting the week before school starts. The good part about it is that he's only going to attend full 2 full days, 2 half days & get to spend the 5th w/his daddy, so there really isn't any need to stress. but every change, addition can cause some stress.  So to take my mind off of it, ease some of the stress, ease the transition into having him, I decided to follow several bloggers' ideas of a 2 week master list of what needs done around the house to feel ready.

*clean out pack & plays, fold down, carry outside to air out, hose down wouldn't hurt either
*deep clean nursery
*sort toys in play room
*deep clean play room
*deep clean kitchen/dining/bathroom
*get a couple of extra meal components in the freezer
*sort outside toys, discard all broken pieces I haven't yet
*apply pressure to get compost bin & rain barrel completed
*balance Jan-June income sheets  done
*sort/organize Jan-June monthly paperwork
*hang curtains in playroom window
*finish painting dining room
*sand/paint/mount 'towel rack' for the kids individual hand towels to switch from paper towels
*make an accessable spot for the Fisher Price record player & records so we can use it during the day
*either find a new light bar for fish tank & get it running again, or clean & pack it up
*change light bulb in playroom
* shampoo nursery & playroom carpet