DIY Detergent

Thanks to a super mild winter, our school was lucky enough to get an extra day for Memorial Day weekend, so I was home this Tuesday, a pretty eventful day. It just happened to be Beardslee's "birthday" (ie the day he came into our lives) and we had our first tornado watch/warning of the year. Exciting stuff!

So, what've I been up to today? Laundry. Fun stuff, I know, but it involved finally making some (hopefully) eco-friendly, mild detergent for baby items. I'm not sure whether the oxy-detergent (you know the kind...mine was more of a generic brand, and I'll keep an eye out for a still-cheaper version) is completely natural and I've read mixed reviews on Borax (which IS labeled "all natural"), but it should still be gentler than most detergents. And you know how I feel about soaps that provide us with natural options - like my vinegar/baking soda shampoo alternative (which I still use regularly - occasionally using a semi-eco-friendly shampoo if I'm in a hurry).

After chatting with my #1 go-to advice-giver (next to...y'know...Google), my mother, I felt comfortable not using Dreft on the baby clothes, blankies, etc that I've been lucky enough to receive (either as new gifts or as very welcome hand-me-downs). So, with only slight hesitation, I went forth making the stuff.

It was an easy process. I just mixed a cup of each of the following together in a French air-tight container (we bought from The Christmas Tree Shoppe for quite the deal!): Borax, washing soda (NOT BAKING SODA) and an "oxy" (or "oxi") detergent. After reading recipes and reviews online, this combination seemed successful, along with the very important direction of using just one or two tablespoons of the stuff in your cycle. (I'm also considering, if necessary, an extra rinse cycle; if only we had an Energy Star washer that had features that you could simply *set* to do such things. ;-) But, again, we're terribly lucky to have a hand-me-down washer and dryer, so beggars can't be choosers.) Oh, and while I read that white vinegar can be added in the rinse cycle, sheer laziness dictated that I'd throw a splash in with the wash. And, with all detergents, it's a better idea to let the machine run a bit so the detergent dissolves before adding clothes...just a lil' trick.

And, guess what! The loads came out fine!! I haven't finished all the baby stuff (still have all the clothes to do; that's a tad more daunting task given tag-snipping and the sheer amount of items), but with how the sheets and blankies and burp cloths and so on came out, I'm happy with it! Of course, I'll update y'all with how things continue, and how the baby's skin eventually reacts. (If they're anything like Daddy or Mommy, they may have sensitive skin...although I consider all baby skin to be "sensitive." :-))

By the way, I'm going to continue using my "usual" liquid detergent on our own clothes until we run out, but try to continue using this method for the baby items (and, yes, probably even cloth diapers...just don't tell the company I purchase from ;-)) and eventually switch over completely for all our laundry needs. Given how far a tablespoon or two go, I'd say that this is a very cost-effective washing method (although the "oxy" detergent ain't cheap-cheap...which is why I'd like to keep an eye out for it in different stores; we bought the smaller container for a couple bucks rather than a huge one, but given how much smaller the package is compared to the Borax and soda, it doesn't feel as cost-effective), and by throwing in some vinegar, things stay soft and fresh-smelling as well as uber-clean.

So, whatchya think? Am I crazy for not using Dreft? Do you think I should've done the Borax/shaved soap/washing soda boiled-into-a-liquid-method? Do you have a brand that you wouldn't give up for the world? Do share!

Time to Vote!

I'm *tentatively* working on a top-secret project for an upcoming edition of Kaia, so for those of you who dislike when I do little DIY decor projects around the house, you're in luck. This isn't a post about what I'm doing. 'Cuz, like I said, it's top-secret. Dun dun duuuun.

BUT, I do need your opinion. (Ha! You thought I was gonna let you off the hook on this one, huh? It's still a DIY decor project thing, just not one that I can show ya. Not until it's published and an amount of time has passed (or I send you guys the link to check it out in the ezine). I so sneaky!)

I've got a piece of furniture that I'll be reupholstering and refinishing. It's got some traditional (read: curvy...possibly even "sexy") lines goin' on. I'd like to turn it into a transitional piece of furniture, mostly because that's where my style seems to land and I'll want to find a place for it in my home once it's completed; waste not, want not. It will tentatively (there's that word again) feature neutral fabric for the "squishy" area and perhaps some cute lil' nail heads if the mood strikes me...or a slipcover. Seriously, can you see how good I am with decision-making?

The big "HELP?!" moment comes with the wood. It's a solid wood piece of furniture, again, with curves (and some intricately detailed areas). I'll show you some inspiration pieces that have me wondering whether to paint the frame a crisp white, paint the frame a dramatic black, sand it down to a "natural" look (very "beachy" and very "in" these days), or sand it and restain it to spruce it up. After looking at the inspirations, please comment below to let me know: A, B, C, D or E [E is "And now for something completely different" (please offer suggestion if choosing E, please...and name that reference!)].

A) Paint that sucker white, it's classic and will stand the test of time while brightening things up...

B) In the words of the Stones, "Paint it Black!"

C) Au naturel, baby. Go for a beach vacation in your house, everyday!

D) Keep it traditional. Let the wood shine through. Stain it! (Can't find any good examples for this, but I'm sure you know what stained wood looks like...right? Hope so!)

E) Example write-in votes include: Zebra stripes. Fluorescent green. Poop brown. Ask the cats; I hear that Winston has wicked style for miles.

And, now, for the "examples" to give you an idea of my thoughts (and, yes, I'm aware that there are ottomans AND chairs - that's part of the mystique, folks)!!!

Source via Pinterest
("Au naturel" legs...)

Source via Pinterest
(black or dark brown...or even stained(?) legs with a neutral fabric)

Source via Pinterest
(Dramatic black)

Source via Pinterest
(Clean white)


Source via Pinterest
(Clean white with neutral fabric)

Via Pinterest
(Pay no attention to the crazy flowers; just the natural finish)

Consider Me Showered

Nope, this isn't a post about reducing your water usage by showering less (although, admittedly, I do this...don't worry, lots of quick "washing up" going on). Rather, this is about all the awesomely rad stuff I was able to acquire at my baby shower, thrown by my incredibly generous family and attended by some of the sweetest friends and relatives I know.

Just gonna start by saying that, while it wasn't the perfect day (I was battling a sinus infection...and can we say "Target, you SUCK!" - 3 pack 'n plays!?!?), but it was memorable and funny, a few folks worked their tails off on it, and the baby's got some great people watching out for him/her - so it was totally all worth it. :-) And, really, isn't it all about the baby, anyway? Damn straight.

Now, on to the GOOD stuff. The BABY stuff!

Picture courtesy Jolene's FB page. ;-)

I never would have admitted that I wanted a diaper cake. As a matter of fact, the words "I hope I don't get a diaper cake..." were uttered to my husband shortly before the shower. Man, was I wrong. I ended up getting two diaper cakes; one, simply made by my mom (which helped add to a ducky decor - I thought it was adorable!) and another, elaborately made by a former student/now friend, Jolene. The fact that the diapers were either cloth (which I'll use as burp cloths OR may try my hand at the good ol' fashioned pre-fold -- she gave me Snappis, after all!!!! Either way, wicked versatile) and the rest that made up the body of the cake included well over 60 eco-friendly disposables (in size 1, the girl thought of EVERYTHING; if the baby's anything like me, it may never need newborn sizes ;-D). I was overwhelmed at how much work she put into making this, and with all the fun goodies that were hiding inside. And the cats enjoyed batting at it for a few days before I finally, sadly, deconstructed it. I think Winston was as devastated as was I. 

Picture from Target.com

Of course, the pack 'n play fiasco. These puppies ain't cheap. They're also a huge life-saver when you've got an old 2-story house and a touch of OCD about carrying a newborn up and down the stairs for a million diaper changes a day. It can be a place for them to nap or get changed or just to give you a couple of free hands for the moment - and can be packed away when traveling. We had registered for one...ONE of these...and we ended up with three. Whether someone didn't beep the registry when it was purchased (I'm pretty sure I know at least two of the gift-givers DID this, though!) or what, we ended up with three. Regardless, we'll be returning at least one (depends on if our future sitter will need one; both sets of grandparents already own one), which we can put towards some of the items we didn't get...so, no harm. But, man was it embarrassing and uncomfortable for a) the folks who pitched in and gave such a nice gift and b) ME, the mommy, unopening them and knowing full well what was in each box. Regardless, it was an AWESOME gift and we're lucky to have it. Er, them.

Picture from Target.com

This thing intimidates me, but I'm over-the-moon excited at the same time. I pondered signing up for this Moby as well as a more "stable" carrier, but read such great things about it that I just went for it. And, it turns out, my incredible aunt who gifted it to me has a son who ADORES using his with his new little one (side note: the mini-cousin also gave us one of the coolest onesies ever). Glowing reviews tend to suck the intimidation out of it...a tad.

Here's a shot of all the wonderful eco-friendly/natural toiletry products the baby got. This is about half of what we actually got. Seriously, I don't foresee needing to buy anymore until the kid's...well, using OUR soap. ;-) (And the ducky has a blue belly that helps you with water temperatures - which you'd think would be self-explanatory, but I really don't trust how hot our water gets.) And here I was worrying folks wouldn't get the "they don't buy the traditional Johnson's & Johnson's" memo! It makes you feel loved when folks care that much to know who you are. :-)

Picture from Amazon.com

I was ecstatic to receive this gift from my long-time friend, Kelly. It's supposed to be one of the tools that has brought cloth diapering into the 21st century (although I'm not sure how long it's technically been around, hee hee). Pretty self-explanatory, it's attached to the potty area and is used to spray cloth diapers before throwing them in a receptacle to eventually launder. Why in the heck did I get so excited about it? I have no clue. Perhaps I need to get a life. Maybe I've just read so much about the darn thing that I couldn't help but squeal like a 16-year-old getting a set of keys for her birthday. Or, it could just be the fact that I LOVE that Kelly knows me well enough to get it. Bingo, yep. That's the one. :-)

This lil' guy makes me cry...mostly because he's a gift from his soon-to-be owner's soon-to-be cousin (my sister's baby girl). Plus, giraffes are apparently "our animal." And, no, that doesn't mean our nursery has a theme. Oh, and the BIGGER version of this (from my sister, herself) has a good ol' musical wind-up mechanism in it that REALLY makes me bawl. She used to have a unicorn a a lot like it that our dad bought her. We played the crap outta that thing.

How about a nice representation of all the hand-made goodies we received? (This, again, is just a sampling!) One reason I picked these ones is because the light blue sweater (which came with a hat) and afghan were made by my mom...and the other sweater (along with its "apple" hat) just SCREAMS "let's go to Cooperstown Farmers' Market then feed some ducks at Fly Creek Cider Mill this fall". :-D We received more blankets and even our traditional hankie-turned-bonnet (for the christening...and for the child to use at his/her wedding one day), too, but I couldn't show everything. Besides, as far as the beautiful ribboned hankie, "The cat won't leave it alone!!!" (Reference, anyone?? :-))

Okay, we got several INCREDIBLE gifts from B+B (I've mentioned them countless times here...and still haven't gotten around to asking them if I should divulge their names...why are they the ONLY people I make the executive decision to just say, "Let's call them B+B." Perhaps the mysteriousness gets across how downright cool these cats are.), so why'd I pick this over the vintage/antique (can't tell which, but either way, AWESOMENESS) baby eating utensils? Because it's just so. Darn. Cool. It's a rattle of sorts. Made out of organic wood. For teething. I mean, if it was just a cool little owl toy, I'd love it. But the fact that it makes neat noises AND is organic AND is great for soothing sore gums makes it the best multi-tasker gift EVER. Plus, you guys can buy one online if you like. (I haven't checked out the web site, mostly because I don't care too know how much it costs. It's priceless to us.)

Talking about gifts from best friends and I honestly could've done an entire post just on the jam-packed BOX o' goodies that my BFF Beth (along with her grandmother and mother - yep, 3 generations of generosity!) brought along. (Not to mention the IKEA trip she made for us!!!) Seriously. Why'd I pick these (although she got ORGANIC blankies and other must-haves off my registry)? To give you an idea of our diaper situation. These are "wet bags." They're, tentatively, where we'll be throwing wet cloth diapers (after sprayed; or, when on the go, just thrown on in there without dunking or spraying) before laundering. If we need a larger solution, sobeit, but for now these (two travel ones on the left, one awesome zippered one on the right) will work great for our needs. Besides, I figure these bags would work great for a other applications, too, if need be.

After bragging about only a handful of the awesome gifts we received, I must say that we appreciated absolutely everything we got. While the hubs was slightly overwhelmed (okay, maybe more than slightly) by the sheer numbers of everything, I found it to be just the right amount of goodies. There are still items to be bought, but none are emergency things - and it's to the point where Mommy and Daddy want to invest in some of their own stuff. We don't have to rely on friends and family for everything. :-) We're uber-lucky, as is the baby, to have folks who are so willing to get us stuff - but, as I've learned from my mom, a vast majority of the stuff you simply don't need. At least, not right away.

Becoming a Nursery

FINALLY. I finally sent in the nursery art - art which was inspired by Pinterest and tweaked slightly by moi - to Staples. Sure, I won't be able to pick it up until I get a chance to swing by the joint (which is about a half hour away), but the prints will end up costing just over $10. I'm happy with that. An alphabet print, which I decided to use with a humongoid frame I picked up awhile back (I believe half off of $2.99; a steal for a 12x16 frame with that's matted to 9x12) ended up costing $6.99, just due to the weird sizing, but everything else (four other graphics) were $2.36. All the frames were Goodwill goodies, so the ultimate cost is less than $20 for five pieces of art. I'm hoping they all fit the frames! Now, back to my "handmade art" projects.

We also officially have our crib set up in the nursery. Anything non-nursery-related is outta there (except for a couple of items that will be sharing the closet...y'know, a wedding dress), so we've just got our honest-to-goodness nursery work to do in there. Oh, and when I say "crib", I don't necessarily mean mattress. Still gotta pick that out. I'd like to go organic with it, but may just settle for a mattress with, for lack of better description, "low emissions." ;-) We shall see, but it was awesome that Dave and his papa got the crib together in under 30 minutes -- and I'm in love with the wood color (even if I wanted white all along; sometimes a husband and wife have to compromise...and the wife has to get creative in her decorating choices.... *wink, wink*). I'll take pictures after things come together a tad more.

The big nursery "to-do"s include:
- A major cleaning of the wood floors (and everything else - that toy train, for example). Those floors are in rough shape, and no matter what I clean them with I can't seem to get up the film...or the rough patches.
- Hang the blinds. The curtains I made are already up, but our Christmas Tree Shop bamboo blinds (I believe $6 each) need to go up to block out more of the light - can you say "naptime"? Don't worry, I'll either replace them or find a way to make them child-safe when the time comes. I'm not too concerned about them considering that their construction is much simpler than regular blinds, and we may not even be in this house when the toddling starts - who knows?
- Sanding and painting the dresser (AKA changing table). I'd been waiting for the perfect weather, but when the sun finally shines, "other plans" coincide. Maybe I should learn how to ignore guests and just get to the dirty work while the weather cooperates. ;-) Oh, and it has occurred to me that the frames also need painting. And perhaps the bookcase. Hmm. Now, where IS that nesting instinct?
- Closet craziness. We'll be putting up an overhead shelf (ie big ol' board from Lowe's), and actually shifting where the rod (currently a huge wooden dowel - use whatchya got) resides. I know this will be a crazy feat, mostly because it was when we did this in our office closet. But, who knows? Sometimes projects surprise us. ;-) 
- A ragin' game of hangman. This will involve all the aforementioned art, as well as whatever else I can rock out myself. I'm still popping out more ideas, so we may simply have too much darn art for this kiddo! I don't want to overstimulate them (there are a lot of verbal graphics going on), but if I group them in collage form, I'm hoping they won't overwhelm. I also have some simpler art ideas, too, so it's all good. I'll edit if need be.  
- Finishing (and hanging...again, see above...hangy, hangy, hangy) the mobile. I'm thinking of putting this over the changing table rather than the crib. Y'know. Just to rebel a little bit.
- Finishing touches. Y'know, bringing in the rocking chair (which currently resides in our front room), move stuff around, find spots for all the goodies I'll be getting at my upcoming shower, and all the fun "final touches" decorating. Then share 'em here!

More importantly, our biggest job right now is researching our pediatrician options and putting in a phone call about a possible daycare provider. And, of course, I have to make the final cloth diaper decision (but that's technically lower on the list). There are a million loose ends I'd like to tie up all over the house - especially outside (our curb appeal is driving me CRAZY right now!!!) - but the energy levels are diminishing while the belly size is increasing. And why is it that every time I get halfway through a sewing project, my bobbin tension goes all wacky?! Is it the Universe shouting "It's time to call your mother" (mind you, the Universe in this scenario has a middle-aged Jewish accent, similar to Mrs. Costanza)?! Sheesh.

However, I must say that our weekend was quite eventful, between getting the full-sized bed hauled to its new home (the in-laws :-)), the crib built, a post-birthday celebration at Beardslee Castle with my favoritest people, a trip to Oneonta to visit a former student (who's like our first child, truth be known) and stop by an awesome natural food/product store and antique shop, and heading home to do a bit of yard work (during which I had an epiphany - the foundation is okay as it is, for now...the paint chipping off of the basement windows, however, could stand some paint - much easier mini-makeover, don'tchya think?! And I can totally do that with the right cushioning...hee hee). Oh, yes, and I sanded down the dresser only to realize that we needed more wood putty and to decide on some hardware for that sucker. So, while my energy lacks for more sanding/painting, I DO think I can head to Lowe's and grab those items...then fill some holes and call it a night. Whew. So, that's all for now!

May Day and Beyond

It's officially May. Call me Captain Obvious, but I felt it needed to be mentioned. As an educator, this is the time of year that suddenly feels like a slippery slide has sloped its way down toward the end of the school calendar (for better or for worse). For me, that means, among other things, hunting down overdue books and a complete inventory of the elementary library (partial of the high school), all while in my 8/9th month of pregnancy. I'm lucky to have an incredible library assistant, but as it is we're spread between two libraries, so it should get interesting. Majorly interesting. *prays for the nesting instinct to kick in ASAP*

Of course, the other "big" thing about May is the simple fact that...well...I turned 30. Yep, only a few days into May and I've already fit my birthday snugly into the schedule. May 1st was the big day, to be specific, and between the hubs treating me like a queen and some friends checking in, it was a pretty darn good day. Of course, the major heartburn and slight nausea didn't help, but if nothing else it grounded me. ;-)

So, this also means that my "deadline" for my 30 Before 30 has passed. I really thought I heard a huge, old-school game show buzzer go off in my head and everything. I'll admit: I didn't get 'em all done. There are several reasons, but let's see how I did, shall we?

1. Try a yoga class. Woohoo! This is the most successful (not to mention fulfilling; see why here) achievement off the list so far...although I skipped this past Friday, but sometimes time with a hubby needs to be a priority. Oh, and I'm thinking of adding a yoga DVD to one of my registries for some post-baby activity (I love that it's physical, mental, AND spiritual). Unfortunately, the class is at risk of being canceled due to low attendance - so if anyone knows of any local pregos who may be interested in trying it out, send 'em my way!
2. Start adding to savings. I've been adding a bit each month (sometimes $50, sometimes $200, but every little bit helps! Especially when I consider that I won't be working this summer), plus I have yet to utilize my overdraft in 2012. That, in itself, makes me feel better 'bout myself.
3. Organize the office. But it's STILL, admittedly, not done. D'oh. It looks lots better, though.

4. Go for a walk. FINALLY! After helping a bit at the theater last Saturday morning, I called the hubs to see if he'd like to take advantage of the gorgeous (albeit a tad windy!) day. It wasn't by any means a long walk, but we felt good about getting out and about. I'm hoping to become a "walker" when the baby comes. Oh, and of course Dave had to show me up by then going outside to do the first mowing and weed whacking of the year. Talk about a workout! 

5. Go antiquing. Yay! I did this, too!! A couple of weeks ago, Dave and I went for a cheap but delish breakfast at Ann St. Deli in Little Falls - which just HAPPENS to be quite close to our go-to antique center. We were able to get out without spending much - in fact, Dave bought a co-worker look-alike action figure, and I didn't get ANYTHING. I can't believe it. I'd like to have a SUCCESSFUL antiquing adventure, but it's good to just say that I crossed it off the list.

6. Get some more Etsy goodies posted. I was admittedly okay with not getting this done by the big 3-0, in hopes that my nesting instinct would work towards this. HOWEVER, I'd consider this one at least halfway done. I ordered some high quality prints of some photography I've always been proud of, so I just need to write up my posts and we'll be in business! Pretty good for lacking in the energy department. :-)

7. Organize the ol' blog. Some of this is done - have you noticed my "Archive" tab lately? I've got more to do, but it took a weekend just to organize those links...sooooo, let's call this baby DONE-ZO!

8. Get rid of 25% more of my wardrobe. Not sure if it's 25%, but lots is gone! I'm currently wearing maternity pants (or sweatpants when I know I'm not leaving the house - hello, spring break!), but still have some tops that are long enough to cover the bump. I'm in the midst of some spring cleaning, so I'll be organizing and purging a tad more. Isn't it weird that I still don't wear 100% of my clothing, even with the maternity clothes?? 

9. Organize/clean out my laptop (pictures & iTunes -- need room for the baby's music, after all). Eh, not s'much. Not yet. This is one of those "I can probably work on this during my ninth month of pregnancy" procrastinations. BUT, I did completely empty out my old tablet computer to pass along to my father-in-law, which was quite the task (as well as a trip on the ol' way-back machine). 

10. Do some major curb appeal work (spray paint the shutters, kill the ivy , paint the side door, paint the "porch", hang the numbers, plant some pretties) Nope. None of this got done. Lots of it had to do with bad weather. At least we've got our deck relatively ready for folks to hang out. :-)

11. Switch the living room from red accents to... As the Beatles would say, "It's getting better all the tiiiime." Just gotta work on ADDING some OTHER color. We're getting there!

12. At least organize the craziness that is The Basement Monster. This one's kind of reliant upon us finally picking out some cheap paint to do the walls. It's totally waiting on us. Sorry, Basement Monster!

13. Find someone to take the bed in order to change "guest room" into "nursery." As I said before, it sounds like we've achieved this! *crosses fingers* Now, to actually get the deed done!

14. Get a hairstyle. Up in the air on this one...and it seems a tad frivolous right now. I've got lots more on my mind (like, y'know, baby names...baby classes...the baby's room...and about a million other things, many baby-related - running theme much?) I'm fine with switching this out for other priorities.

15. Make some paper cranes (or other awesome origami art). I've got some ideas, but am currently working on a different mobile project...and I've found some art ideas to "recreate" - e.g. steal - to use in the nursery. I <3 Pinterest. So, again, this one's being "switched".

16. Do some painting...not in the home improvement way. This has been another frivolous possibility. *sigh*

17. REDO. THE. BATHROOM. (And I MEAN it!) (I'm workin' on it!) When the energy strikes me, I promise, I'll be sanding/painting up a storm in there.

18. Learn how to use a plain ol' digital camera in the best way possible. Eh, what better way to practice than on a baby? ;-)

19. Try to post more original pictures on the blog. Haven't been posting much, but I'd say I've had 50% more original pics. It's a work in progress. :-)

20. Gain weight, but not too much. (Seriously, I haven't gained a pound yet, even though my stomach's gotten a bit bigger. How is that possible?!) Definitely happening, but healthily. By no means "over-gaining" but big enough to show that I've got a healthy (hopefully happy) baby growing.

21. Make some DIY soap -- be it hand soap or laundry soap. I've bought the ingredients for diaper- and baby clothes-washing. I'm calling this one done.

22. Go through all my dust-collecting books and donate/sell what I'll never read/didn't like. Hmm...gotta get on this one. We DO need more space.

23. Go some place new with the hubs. I'm gonna call this "Mission: Accomplished". We checked out an incredible restaurant in Cooperstown with our awesome friends, B+B, called Alex & Ika. Mmm...fingerling potatoes with chipotle aioli. Need I say more? ;-) 'Twas an awesomely fun, delicious time. 

24. Plan a smaller, but manageable garden. Planting will have to occur well after May 1st. We also need to amend the soil in our two raised beds since they've become kitty potties for our beloved backyard cats. *sigh* So, this has been delayed until we know the weather is settled. 

25. Pick some baby names that we both can live with. (It'd be nice if we both LOVED them, but live with is the current goal.) Working on it...still!

26. Set up Amazon Affiliate. Dude. I'm just happy that we finally set up our two registries!

27. Take a road trip. This has been put off several times, so a short one will have to do. But, honestly, other much more important, family-related occurrences have taken priority, so it's all good.

28. Find enough room to actually be able to have every piece of my wardrobe put away simultaneously. Then follow through. The "following through" part is tough, but it's a continual process.

29. Reupholster the wine chair and slipcover/paint the ottoman. This is another one that relies a lot on a) my energy level and b) the weather outside. We'll git 'er done! But, again, I have a different priority: the dresser that will work as storage and a changing table in the nursery.

30. Pick up the house once a week. Sure, there are still messy parts to the house, but I'm picking up the already-livable spaces once a week. Woohoo!
I'm thinking of revamping my list a bit to replace the items on the list that were frivolous or just didn't mean as much to me. If it meant a lot, I would've done it, I suppose - right? Then there are those that I'll just keep plugging away on (y'know...like baby names ;-)). Keepin' it simple, keepin' it simple. And I'm continuing with the list mostly because they a) keep me somewhat accountable and b) organize me. :-)

Ending on a good note, we'll have a tad more "yay, I'm 30!" festivities this upcoming weekend with some close friends (some of those friends including family - isn't it great when you can put them in both "categories"??), then baby and I will be "showered" next weekend - just in time for Mother's Day! It's looking to be an uplifting month.