Good Friends

I recently was chatting online with a friend who lives near our old home in Texas. She is looking forward to our return as much as we are I think. We have been friends for over 10 years, but not always great friends. I caught her online and asked about her new years resolutions. She said she didn't really make any. I told her that was good because I made one for her! I told her that when we move back "you and i are going to take a class...you know some kind of fitness-ey thingey." She was so excited. Don't you just love good friends? Ones that will let you drag them into your crazy ideas? I went on to tell her that I thought ballet would be fun, but we had to fund a studio that had adult classes for the coordinated impaired. I took an adult ballet class here in San Francisco before I got pregnant and I told her a bit about it. She is ready to go! I was thinking though that maybe swimming is the way to go. There is a high school between us that has a natatorium and swim teams.





Anyway, other updated on things I was talking about on my goals post...
~I'd also like to make more of my Christmas gifts in 2008. I made reading pillows this year for a couple of people, we did family portraits for our parents/grandparents, and I made biscotti as stocking stuffers. I'd like to make a lot more this year.
~I didn't find the fabric I was looking for at the store the other day. Bummer.
~I think I'm going to follow the Bible study on Engage the Journey '08.
~Jared worked 2 days this week and I only sent the one picture, but he seemed to enjoy the picture of the day. I'm going to have to keep that up.
~Smart Habit Saturday has returned! Yay! I'll be participating, but possibly not until after the move.
~Jared is working on Miles' website now. Yay again!
~Last item, I was talking about home improvements, I can't stop thinking about it. I have measured all the furniture we have here, and saved it online so I can access it before my computer is delivered (I don't have a laptop). I have also drawn out what I think our front room looks like on graph paper and started working on furniture placement. Man, I can't wait. The bad thing is when we move back we have decided to have the movers place basically all of the boxes in that room because we will be doing the floors in the bedrooms and office. That means we have to finish the floors, and unpack those rooms before I can even start really designing that room. Also, we want to redo the floors in there, but we are going to wait a bit (you know, financial strain release time). Oh well, for now I dream. I'll be back first so I want to measure the rooms and draw them all out on graph paper. Maybe I'll post what I come up with.

Wish me luck. First we have to move back and get our things from the moving company!

What a Night!

Wow! We put him in his crib at 10:50 last night and he cried. And he cried. And he cried. At 11:28 he was quiet and we let him be for 10 minutes. He didn't make any noise. At that point we assumed he was asleep and went in to go to bed. Well, he was apparently just taking a break from the crying. He started crying again before I got into bed and it was crying right away. It wasn't like he had to wake up first. So, we left again. This time he was quiet just after midnight and we waited until 12:30 to go in. He was finally asleep and we were able to go to bed too (although Jared kept trying to talk to me). Then at 3:45 he woke up fussing again. I have always brought him in bed when he wakes up around 4 to nurse and cuddle, so I brought him into bed. I didn't really get to sleep before he rain storm hit. I knew we were supposed to get a bad storm, but this has been more than I was expecting. Last night it was so windy that it blew the cover of the back stairs open. Then off the hinges. Then right off the house! That was really loud as you can imagine, and I didn't get back to sleep any time soon! Miles and Jared seemed to sleep well though.

Ferber Anyone?

We have been scraping by in the sleep department recently. But just barely. I have been trying to nurse him to sleep for both naps and bed time. If he doesn't fall asleep, one of us will put him in the sling and bounce him to sleep on the yoga ball. It isn't pretty but it has been working. Last week he would even sleep the 5 hours in a stretch that makes up the elusive "sleeping through the night." After that he will wake a time or two before 4. I'll rub his back and he'll fall asleep within 5 min. Recently that stopped. Tonight we can't even get him to sleep. We have sleep trained him before and it has worked out well. We have half heartedly tried it in the last week or so too. Now he will just stand in his crib and scream. It is heart wrenching. Tonight when we were unable to get him to fall asleep with our regular methods, we ran out of ideas. Right now he is standing up in his crib and screaming. I go in every few minutes and lay him down, rub his back for a bit and leave. This seems to make him more angry though.

This stinks. I'm going to go look at all of the pictures I have of him sleeping and pretend he's doing it now. I hope someone out there is sleeping now.

Goodnight!

Resolutions?

Maybe just Goals (seems less weighty, no?).


I'd really like to sew more this year.
~I was able to basically assemble a baby blanket for Miles. I'd like to finish that very early this year. All I have left to do is finish the binding and quilt it. I have already decided that I'm going to machine bind it. I haven't worked on it since he was born in early February. I have put away all of my sewing stuff until after the move, so I probably won't be able to work on it again until after he is one! That is probably the first thing I will sew.
~I made stockings for everyone in the family a few years ago. Extended family too...I mean EVERYONE. Now there are 2 new babies in the family needing stockings!
~I made a table runner for a Christmas swap this year. I purchased enough fabric to make one for myself and some place mats. I was telling a friend about it, and she said that she wanted a table runner. If I can still find fabric that I like, I'll probably make her one for Christmas this year and make mine too. Here is a pic (not very good though)

~I really want to make a bag from this book Bend-The-Rules Sewing. Ok, a few things from there.

I lost some weight last year and I'd like to keep that off. Possibly even lose 5 more pounds.
~I'd like to sign up for a dance class.
~I'd also like to begin working out regularly.

There are many improvements to the house that we own in Texas that we would like to do this year.
~We are replacing the flooring in the 3 bedrooms and the front formal room. The master bedroom and one of the bedrooms are the most important. This will get rid of all of the carpeting in the house.
~I really want a garden. I'd like to begin it this year. We should be back at a good time. I can get the soil ready before spring and plant then. I'd like a vegetable garden and to work on the landscaping in general.
~Along the same vein, we need to work on the grass in the front and back yards. Our renter has 2 large dogs and they have torn up the back yard pretty badly. The front has always needed work.

I'd also like to begin having a regular Bible study time. I don't have a Bible study book that I'm wanting to go through, so I think that will be the first step.

I also want to participate in Smart Habit Saturday with some regularity this year. How embarrassing, I just looked and there hasn't been one since November 23! I haven't been posting to my blog or reading my regular blogs either. Well, I'm sure Laura will have some again in the new year! I may try to use Joe's Goals too. Not sure on that one.

I need to update Miles' website so there are tabs (or something) for 2008. This has to be done soon.

Oh, I also want to try to email Jared a picture of Miles on most of the days that he is working. Kind of like a photo of the day. I'll let you know how it goes. Here is today's photo...


That seems like plenty. There is so much more that I want to do, but I think I'll overload myself. :)

Happy 2008

Today is the second day in 2008. So far so good! :) We are finally on track to move back home! It is looking like the big day will be February 4, which will put us there in just enough time to celebrate Miles' birthday at home with grandparents et all. We are so excited. We have already given the lady renting our home there notice. We will be giving our management company here notice this week. The movers have been here to inspect the things they will move, and we need to get the specialty company out. When we moved in, they could not get the safe or the china cabinet up the stairs. They had to get a specialty company out to hoist them up and bring them in through the dining room window! The moving coordinator needs to schedule them to come out and survey and move those items and we will be good to go!

What an exciting year we have in store. We'll be moving back home, we'll be around family and friends. We are planning some remodeling of our home there before we get all settled in. Hopefully we will be helping my parents with a bit of a remodel of their own. I'm looking into a couple of things to get involved in when we return. I hope to take a dance class of some sort with a friend. That will be a great way to stay in touch with her, stay in shape, and get out of the house every week. I'm also hoping to become involved in a sewing group. I think I have found a neat place not far from the house to do that.

Here is a brief year in review of photos. Actually it is just one photo from each month.

January



February


March



April


May


June



July

August


September


October


November


December


Nap time is over. Gotta go!

So how's everything with you?

So, here's what's going on here (since I've been neglecting my blog):

Jared should hear about his new job this week (hopefully Thursday).
The new job which has been all but promised includes a move half way across the country.
If it comes through they are likely to be in a hurry to get him out there (as in possibly 30 days from when we hear).
The person renting our house wouldn't have to be out until October 31.
Jared's car is dying and he found a replacement that he wants in Chicago.
We are leaving in a week to visit my sister in CT (by way of Chicago to pick up the car).
We will be gone for 14 days.
Miles is teething and not sleeping.

Yay!

A quick Hello

Hi there. I wanted to put up a quick post. This weekend is Labor Day weekend, and full of family fun so I don't have too much time to post. Jared & I got married on September 1, 2001 so yesterday was our 6-year anniversary! Happy Anniversary baby I can't believe it's been 6 years. When I was first married everyone told me that the first year was the hardest. On our first anniversary I looked at him and said if that was the hardest year of our lives, bring on the rest! That is what I say again! I hope we have many many more like the last 6!

One other thing, I won! Meg at Montessori by Hand had a 100th post giveaway for one of her beautiful patterns. I picked the reading pillow, which I love! I can't wait to make it. I'm hoping to pick up some fabric for it this week. I'll post pic! Be sure to go by her blog. She has the most amazing pictures and ideas!