When I found out that BlogHer was starting a book club, I got involved right away, especially once I saw the title and read the summary of one of the books available for review: A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz. Books about books are right up my alley! Not only that, but one of my most treasured possessions is my volume of Jane Austen’s complete works, not only because of the inscription my beloved grandmother wrote in it, but also because Austen’s novels are just perfect. Deresiewicz’s take on them also turned out to be a great read for me.
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BlogHer Book Club: A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz
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Ten on Tuesday: Photo Edition
This week’s Ten on Tuesday, hosted by Chelsea, is a photo edition of household things. It was easy and fun, although slightly embarrassing.
1. Your favorite piece of furniture in your home
Honestly my favorite piece of furniture is probably our mattress because it feels amazing, but that’s boring. This table is next because I got it at an antique shop, I think it’s cute and has character, and it’s one of the main hubs of our home. My husband hates it because it’s small, wobbles a bit, and is scratched up, but I don’t care!
2. Your favorite thing on your wall
This is pathetic because I actually only have two things hung on our walls so far: this tiny gallery of random things with two empty frames (found in our “library”), and three bamboo plates hung up in the breakfast nook.
3. Your bed as it looks right now
I used to be a diligent bed maker, but now my husband wakes up after I do, and I refuse to fight that battle. I sleep on the left side, and you can see my pregnancy pillow there with another pillow to prop up my head because of The Heartburn. Also, please note that our room has not been painted or decorated in any way since we moved in.
4. Your pantry
It’s not ultra organized, but it has method to it. Snacks on the bottom shelf, dry goods on the middle, and baking supplies on the top.
5. Your favorite piece of jewelry
I’m cheating here. There is of course my wedding & engagement ring. The delicate choker is what I wear every single day, and it’s from Jeneri Jewelry. The granny square necklace I won in a giveaway online. It has different colors on the back and, not being a huge jewelry person, it’s a perfect something extra.
6. Your favorite book
I should really have a better copy than this movie edition. Oh well.
7. Your most comfortable shirt
If you’ve known me for any length of time, you probably recognize this shirt because I’ve worn it so much. It’s perfect.
8. Your messiest room
This is the room where everything goes that doesn’t have a home. Right now it even has painting supplies in it! Eventually it will be a pleasant multi-purpose room, but now it’s just disorganized.
9. Your house shoes
On the left we have the sandals I wear basically all the time right now other than for work because they are so comfortable and supportive. In the middle is an example of some soft socks that I wear around the house rather than shoes if it’s cold, and on the right are my winter slippers.
10. Yourself
I took this right after work yesterday. Hi!
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baby registry: complete. sort of.
I have worked long and hard on my baby registry, and it is finally finished. Basically. I think I will be tweaking it up until I go into labor. Registering for baby showers is so much harder than for wedding showers because it’s a whole new world. I don’t have the first clue about what I need, what product is good, and what is a waste of money. It was all a little overwhelming.
Thankfully I had some friends that were willing to help. The first time I set foot in Babies ‘R’ Us I brought support, and I’m so glad I did because otherwise I might have just wandered aimlessly before breaking down in tears. Instead, however, I became excited after we methodically walked the aisles discussing nearly every product. The next weekend I took another good friend to fill in the gaps, and with their help along with much internet research and emails (mostly from my blog friends), I feel like I have a good list.
There is so much stuff out there, and I know I don’t need most of it. Some of it I won’t be able to choose until after I actually have the baby, so I left that off. I don’t want a lot of clutter, and I want people to buy me the things I really need instead of a lot of extra stuff. I’ve already accepted a bunch of hand-me-downs. So in the end, my registry doesn’t contain a ton of items, but there are several expensive things.
Thoughts on some of the products I’ve chosen:
>I’m going for a convertible car seat from the beginning plus a stroller somewhere in between the huge travel system and the umbrella stroller. (Plus a cheaper jogging stroller…because I have high hopes!)
>I plan to do a lot of babywearing, if she likes it, and I already bought an Ergo from Babysteals and I’m going to make my own Moby wrap. The only thing I registered for is a ring sling.
>We’re doing cloth diapers, and Fuzzibunz have come highly recommended to me by the most people. I also chose against the one-size in order to get a better fit, and we’re planning to use these for future children anyway.
>I chose a decent black diaper bag since my husband will be doing a lot of the work, but I also chose a super cute and really nice one that I’d love to have for myself.
I registered at Babies R US, Amazon, and Nurtured Family, a local store. Click the links to see my lists, and let me know what you think! I’m still totally open to opinions and advice. :)
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Good Things: April
In an effort to focus on the positive in life, I decided to take a hint from a fellow blogger and record at least one good thing every day. Here’s my list for April!
1 – Catching up on American Idol with David
2 – Cooking a homemade dinner and dessert for my in-laws
3 – Getting a massage
4 – Visiting Cleo at Mom & Dad’s house
5 – Starting a new Bible study
6 – David bringing me dinner, drawing my bath, and doing the dishes
7 – A big turnout at youth group and a good discussion
8 – Starting four IV’s successfully at work
9 – Getting a lot of painting done in the house
10 – Resting on the couch with David and watching the Masters
11 – My last free, relaxing evening for three weeks
12 – An extremely efficient work day
13 – Childbirth class, especially when David rubbed my back with a raquetball
14 – An unexpected reprieve from responsibilities in the evening
15 – Dinner at my in-laws’ house for my SIL’s birthday
16 – Brunch with Marlena
17 – Bringing Cleo home
18 – Homemade cupcakes at my nephew’s birthday party
19 – Making it through the day (it was a rough one)
20 – David making me laugh during childbirth class
21 – Going to bed early
22 – The end result of our house being thoroughly cleaned and the arrival of my best friend Becca and her family
23 – Playing at the park with Becca’s kids and seeing an old high school friend
24 – Easter dinner with the family
25 – Investigating Babies R Us with Becca and not feeling so overwhelmed afterward
26 – Opening a book for the first time in five days
27 – Starting the third trimester with a good day at work
28 – Playing Apples to Apples with the youth group and NOT getting in a fight with David ;)
29 – Mexican food with my in-laws
30 – A day with my friend Sara doing more baby product research
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Easter Weekend
I took a four-day weekend over the Easter holiday because my best friend Becca, her husband Micah, and their kids Eli (2 1/2 years old) and Chloe (16 months old) came into town just to visit us! Becca and I became close in high school playing soccer together, and our friendship was sealed when we both attended Tabor College in Kansas and were even successful roommates.
Although life has worked out well for both of us, I’m constantly sad that it hasn’t worked out for us to live near each other. She stayed in Kansas after college, and I moved back to Texas. We both eventually got married, were each other’s maid of honor, and our husbands get along so well that they actually planned activities for the weekend that didn’t include us, like fishing and visits to Bass Pro.
I can’t tell you what an incredible weekend I had with them. We didn’t do anything particularly special, just enjoyed each other’s company. It helped that her kids are pretty much the cutest, and SO well-behaved.
We cooked and baked (Eli helped)…
We played in the neighborhood park…
The boys got in a few rounds of Wii Sports…
I practiced with a little girl…
…and based on this picture alone I am determined to give David a boy at some point.
Becca made me this adorable blanket for Meredith, which is just my style and makes me want to learn how to sew…
…and my mom had this sweet little basket waiting for us at church.
We decided to take some pictures while we were still dressed up:
Becca also took me to Babies R Us and we walked up and down every single aisle analyzing the products, and by the end of it the prospect of registering wasn’t so overwhelming anymore. I realized that I really don’t need many of the things on the “must-have” list, and I’m excited now to pick out the things I do want.
Overall we didn’t do anything particularly exciting, but for a full day after they left I kept saying to David over and over, “I’m so sad they’re gone!” We only get to see each other once a year at best. This was the first time we’ve hosted anyone at our house for an extended period of time and the first time we’ve had kids stay with us, and I loved it. It felt more like a home while they were there, and so empty afterward.
The weekend was rejuvenating. I can’t wait to start filling our house with kids starting in less than three months (!), but for now I’m trying to remember to enjoy the quiet, and the time when it’s just me and David.
