I’ve got a pretty big wish list of items we’d like to get for our house before our little one gets here. I think a big priority for me is getting a garmin zumo gps. I’m always getting lost and it’d be nice to always know where I’m going. They’re also so handy on trips when I need to find a gas station or a restaurant nearby. Hopefully we can get one in the next few months.

I’ve wanted to learn to play an instrument for a long time. I’m a decent singer, if I do say so myself, but singers are a dime a dozen. If I could learn to play an instrument too, I could make my own music. I bought a guitar a few years ago and it is such a challenge. What I would really love to learn is the
yamaha dgx 640 88 key digital piano. Pianos are beautiful and I love the sound they make. I have pretty dexterous fingers and I’ve been told I could easily play if I learned. Now I just have to find a used keyboard so I can start practicing. I wonder if we should soundproof a room in the house first.

We just got home from a wonderful belated Christmas with the in laws. We exchanged fun gifts, ate tasty food, and drank great wine and beer. We had such a nice visit that it was hard to say goodbye. Unlike last year, is year we had the whole family together, so at was nice. We were comfortable in the den with a cozy memory foam toppers and the air bed. It was nice not being in the living room this year. I think next year we will try to host at our new home. I think it would be so ice having the family over.

What is it about the holidays that make you just want to eat a bunch of sugar? I think it’s the cold weather and our instincts to just burrow under blankets with steaming mugs of hot cocoa and cookies. This year I’ve finally managed to get lose some inches and I’ve been feeling great about my body. Unfortunately, I’m getting those sugar cravings that threaten to undermine all of my hard work. I think it’s about time to bust out the yoga dvd and do my daily workouts. If nothing else, it will help me maintain, even with me putting away all those cookies!

Today we stopped by one of my favorite home improvement stores on a mission for some weather stripping for our front door. We also took a peak at their lighting department, and looked at the cost of new ceiling fans, bathroom light fixtures and ceramic switch plate covers. Our goal is to update the lighting in the master bedroom, all three bathrooms, and the downstairs family room. We’d also like to get rid of the outdated switch covers and update them with nice ceramic white ones to match the baseboards we will be putting in. But for now we need to focus on saving up so we don’t go into debt. We spent a lot on just buying the house, so now it’s time to build back up that savings we lost. We can’t wait to make more home improvements though. That’s half the fun of buying a house!

Well we finally moved in. I’m so bone tired. I loaded up my car, the movers came and loaded their giant truck, and 4 hours later we were moved in. Now if only the movers could have unpacked all the boxes and helped me clean.

One thing I noticed when I was packing is our long forgotten guitars. We bought them on a whim and we decided to try to teach ourselves acoustic guitar songs years ago. Maybe once we get settled I will pull the guitars out and actually try to learn. I’m just so excited to know that we will not be moving again for a very, very long time. This tree can finally put down some roots.

It’s OK…

To be totally behind on my blog linky post ups. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks!

To be thrilled that it’s Fall, but sad that all the fall decorations are packed up for the move.

To pay someone else to clean your new home. Gasp! I know. I feel like Monica on Friends, all weirded out about it. But our new home has been sitting empty for months, and it needs a thorough scrubbing. I can’t wait to walk in and have it all sparkling and clean.

To have had the house all packed up and ready to go way before moving day, which is TOMORROW!

To have new keys made with Tinkerbell and Cookie Monster on them. Who says being all responsible and buying a new home has to be 100% grown up?

To have butterflies about moving, similar to getting married. This is it for homes. This house is it for at least the next 5-10 years of our lives. Since moving out on my own, the longest I’ve lived in a home is 2 years. This long term move is HUGE. I can’t wait to get in there and make it ours. Cue contented sigh.

The hubs and I are vacationing in Oregon at my childhood home. My parents are here and so are my in laws. It’s been such a special trip having all four parents together with us. We have shared dinners, beach walks, and fun. The digs are having a blast exploring the farm and being crazy. I worried about my dog falling down a cliff because he never watches where he’s going. I was afraid he’d need Spine surgery Dallas but he managed to stay out of trouble.

Tristan Gets a Haircut is a book by Trudee Lewis, about a cute little fluffy white Bichon Frise who is in need of a haircut. This is a book for young readers that helps increase their vocabulary. I think this would be the perfect book to read to my young niece and nephew because they both love to read and they love dogs. Tristan the dog gets brushed, washed, dried, trimmed and clipped at the groomers. The language is colorful and the pictures of Tristan adorable. Your child will love reading along with the story, and learning about dog grooming. This would be the perfect book for a child that has a dog in the home that needs regular grooming. It’s so important for kids to learn about animal care and helping out with their pet.
I also loved reading that the author, Trudee, lives with Tristan in Napa and the two of them work as a therapy team for Paws for Healing. If your child loves this book, this is the second in nine books written about Tristan and his adventures. I could see buying my niece and nephew the whole set of books. It’s definitely worth a read!

Escrow is moving along quickly! I’m so excited that it’s going by fast. Now I’m set with the daunting task of packing up our place. I’m hoping to thin through some of the junk we’ve collected over the years. My hubs has a whole bin full of his childhood treasures, including trophies and awards. Now that we have a guest room, I think we’ll actually have a place to store them. I am hoping to get rid of the old couches we’ve had in the garage all year, that are collecting dust, dog hair, and probably a few black widow spiders, bleck! Hopefully we can get a couple of bucks for them to help with moving expenses. Ahh, I can’t wait!