Monday Daybook

Outside my window... it's frosty-cold. And noisy. I can't WAIT to not live next to a jillion and a half college students. I know I'll have "city noise" when we move to the loft, but I'm really over always hearing the comings and goings of my neighbors, 99% of whom are in the 18-21 crowd. Yuck. No offense to college-age kids; I'm just...well past that kind of lifestyle.
I am thinking... of how I'm going to possibly get organized and packed for our big move in T-minus 14 days. Climb every mountain. Yikes.
I am thankful for... home. Even though I'm tired of this apartment (have I mentioned that yet?), it's still home and it's still where we lay our heads at night. I love my family and I love traveling, but I really hate living out of suitcases.
From the kitchen...

• Monday: Beef Noodle Bowl ('twas delish tonight)
• Tuesday: Omelettes with fresh veggies, baby bella mushrooms, and cheddar cheese
• Wednesday: Three-cheese Ziti with Spinach
• Thursday: BLTs
• Friday: Homestyle Chicken Pot Pie

I am creating... a plan of attack for unpacking in the loft. Will's nursery first (put together crib, plug in monitor, set up diapering station, etc.), our master suite second (put sheets on bed and towels on racks, etc.), then basics in the kitchen. All of that needs to happen in Hours 1-2. HA! I'm only half-kidding, because then I need my office set up so I can return to work in a timely way, then the living room so Will can watch Clifford with Jessie, so on and so on. Anyone want to fly in to Tri-Cities to help???
I am going... to do at least 2-3 more loads of laundry yet tonight. I hate the piles of laundry that are inevitable after a trip. (I just realized how domestic this whole post sounds. Not sure how I feel about that.)
I am reading... just my magazines at the moment. Though as I told Kate earlier today, if Southern Living features another family who "enjoys getting away to their 2,000-square-foot woodland retreat when life in the big city gets to be too much", I might toss cookies and cancel my subscription. Really, Southern Living, can we include more of our target audience next issue??? Anyhoo, I need some book recommendations. My latest pick-up at the store was a complete dud.
I am hoping... to figure out a great birthday present for my hubby. His birthday is Christmas Day, y'all! No pressure on me to come up with double the amount of fabulous gifts!
I am hearing... The Saints v. Patriots game on the telly. Now if the Saints go to the SuperBowl, some of that gift-giving pressure might be off, because Marty won't be able to concentrate on much else until the end of January. He's been a Saints fan all his life and they're still undefeated!
Around the house... I'm missing some essential baby-gear items. Time to buy an exersaucer, time to buy a highchair. Puppy is now eating at least 3/4 cup of rice cereal at night, and right now we're doing the "Daddy props him on the table while Mama scoops it in" thing, and that's just not working for us.
One of my favorite things... clean sheets. Coffee. Cookies. Online shopping. Life changes. Friends. You name it -- anything that's blessing me these days is my favorite thing!

Monday Daybook

Outside my window... might as well be the dead of night, because it's pitch-black. I really hate the "falling behind" portion of daylight savings. I would so rather have daylight on the back end of the day rather than at 7:00 in the morning!

I am thinking... about several blog posts that I'm itching to write. I'm also thinking about finalizing all plans for November and ways to celebrate Christmas at home. That's right, we're staying HOME for Christmas this year! Marty and I decided it's very important for our children to wake up in their own home on Christmas morning, to run down the stairs in their footed jammies and rejoice at the sight of presents while Mommy and Daddy snuggle on the couch, sipping coffee and enjoying the lovely chaos of it all...sigh with me now -- "ahhhhhh."

I am thankful for... a young college student named Jessie. Who is my new day nanny, who starts tomorrow, Hallelujah! She is a doll, this girl, and she singlehandedly helped me go from worried like crazy about having a "stranger" in my house, caring for my son (even while I'm here) to stoked-excited at having some quality help. Jessie genuinely loves children and has excellent experience and credentials. Plus, we already dished on how much we love the Twilight books...I think this one's a kindred spirit. (My other favorite thing about having a nanny? I'm this much closer to actually living like Tori Spelling. HA!!!)

I am creating... a budget. Still. And at the advice of my dearest Kate, we bought Quicken, and may I pass the recommendation on down the line? It's a fantastic program; I especially love being able to hit the "Update" button and get current balances on all checking and savings accounts, plus credit cards. It's so cool, it seems magical.

I am going... to keep the kitchen clean daily. It's like a new obsession of mine. I refuse to go to bed with a single dish on the counter. Let's hope this obsession sticks!
I am reading... The Case for Christ by Lee Strobel. It ties in with what I mentioned last week; there's a big ole blog post on this topic coming soon; I'm already drafting it.

I am hearing... "Jeopardy." Marty and I are self-admitted senior citizens when it comes to pre-primetime TV. We truly love a good episode of "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy," even though Marty can't stand Alex Trebec's attitude (I think it's funny).

Around the house... are baskets of clean laundry. I need to clean out my dresser -- I'm sick of piling clothes I use on top of clothes I ignore. It's time to purge!

One of my favorite things... Mrs. Smith's frozen pies. We've been enjoying Dutch apple and it's going to disappear tonight. I wish I could make a homemade fresh pie, but at this point in my journey of (still) growing accustomed to motherhood, in addition to my other roles, who am I kidding? It's going to be frozen pies for the Conways for a few years to come.

Monday Daybook

Outside my window... bright blue skies that make the deep colors of the (remaining) red and orange leaves really pop.

I am thinking... about an enormous life change (yes, another one). More on that to come. Also about how sad I'll be when my sister leaves for home this week.

I am thankful for... my heating pad. Not doing so great adjusting back to the delights of NOT being pregnant...ahem.

I am creating... a budget. Wish I could say it's going well, but I'm not talented with math or money. If only one could create a budget by just reading stacks of books, but NO. You have to use spreadsheets and calculators and numbers and all sorts of things that give me hives.

I am going... to call and schedule haircuts for myself and Mr. Conway. We're both sporting way too much hair these days.

I am reading... The Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University. And holy cow, do I ever have things to say. This book has inspired me to rethink some future goals; namely, I want to become something of an amateur expert on fringe/extreme religious sects within Protestantism, because I truly believe God has something for me to say/contribute to the Christian understanding of these "cultures."

I am hoping... to nail down a daytime nanny very, very soon.

I am hearing... sweet silence. Will is asleep, rocking in his swing. Aunt Katie is sitting on the couch, absorbing another book. I'm quietly tapping at my keyboard and enjoying the sunshine streaming in the windows.

Around the house... are plenty of groceries. I did one of those marathon trips to Wal-Mart yesterday to prepare for the coming week. And came home simply exhausted! Does anyone else get worn out by Wal-Mart?

One of my favorite things... our new Avent bottle-warmer. Ridiculously priced (just as expensive as our coffeemaker?!?) but it will definitely pay for itself fairly soon.

Monday Daybook

Outside my window... a windy day with starkly blue skies blowing around a little white cloud or two. Autumn has come to the mountains.

I am thinking... about who I can hire to babysit Will for a few hours each day, so I can focus on my work. I would prefer a college student who is studying education or childhood development. My mom encouraged me to think of this as an opportunity to befriend someone, but it's difficult to not be fearful. Even under the same roof, I'm hesitant to place my precious baby in the hands of someone else.

I am thankful for... coupons. Saved $12 at Babies-R-Us tonight.
From the kitchen... breakfast for dinner: pancakes and sausage patties and orange juice. Marty cooked for me, once again. Wasn't I going to get my act together in the kitchen?

I am creating... a baby photo album on Shutterfly. I'm already up to page 35 and only into the third week of Will's life. Each album has a maximum of 80 pages, and at $75 an album, it's quite the expensive hobby.

I am going... to finish cleaning and organizing my office. Then I'm going to reward myself by starting a savings fund for new office furniture, I'm thinking the Bedford collection from Pottery Barn. I'll be able to purchase it sometime in 2013.
I am reading... One Fifth Avenue. Still. See, Kate, you're not the only one lagging behind on finishing a book!

I am hoping... that Will sleeps more than 4 hours at a stretch tonight. He had shots today and is tired, cranky, and a wee bit feverish. It makes my mommy's heart sad to see him not feeling well.

I am hearing... Monday night football, Cowboys vs. Panthers. I'm rooting for the Panthers because I think that stadium in Dallas is just a bit much, and I'm way over Tony Romo. Wow, I remember the days when I hadn't a clue as to the identity of NFL quarterbacks, nor did I care about the outcomes of games. But, as my friend RJ once told me, I had my "football awakening." He also told me if there were a Hallmark card for such an event, he'd have given me one. :)
Around the house... is never enough company. Leslie is visiting in mid-October and I'm counting down the days.

One of my favorite things... is cinnamon roll Pop-Tarts. I've only ever seen them sold at Wal-Mart.

Monday Daybook

Because I'm completely unoriginal and because imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I'm going to follow Kate's lead and do...

Outside my window...what looks like an evening in November. It's gray and morose-looking, rather like my mood.

I am thinking...about a family situation. I feel downright rage toward some people who have hurt my family. I mean, no one hurts my family. I don't let them. That's how I feel, anyway. I have been having imaginings about hurtful things I could do in response, but what keeps going through my head is a memory of saying the Lord's Prayer in church yesterday..."forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." Very, very hard today.

I am thankful for... my husband. Always my husband.

From the kitchen... expressed breast milk. Nothing else! Today was my first day back at work and it was all I could do to keep pace again; my brain is half-rotted from so many weeks of reprieve from concentration. I think Marty's making burgers, though, so at least I won't starve, and maybe next week I'll have my act together in the kitchen.

I am creating... an organized home. Worked all weekend on drawers, cabinets, closets, etc.

I am going... to take a bath as soon as this post is written. Hallelu!

I am reading... One Fifth Avenue. Still. It's an easy read but it's long!

I am hoping... that Marty gets a job in Indiana soon.

I am hearing... Sports Center on ESPN, as Marty and Will gear up for Monday night football featuring none other than my Colts. I'm also hearing Will suck loudly on his pacifier.

Around the house... is too much stuff. Thus the organizing of it all.

One of my favorite things... house slippers. Just bought some turquoise and plum slippers from Target, and I think I'm going to buy another pair for when these give out.

p.s. -- this is not the end of The List. It shall be resurrected soon.