New Year's Goals 2010

We'll take break from my obession of posting photos of the landscapers demolishing that island. They obviously are all done and long gone by now. The yard looks great, very nicely graded and all ready for grass seed this spring. I tell you I was like a little kid, there I was working quietly at the dining room table one second and then all of sudden...what's that noise? Oh my God there's a bulldozer being driven across my backyard! Of course, I was doing my best to get work done and not watch but when said bulldozer is ripping out something that has been the thorn in your side (literally) when it came to yardwork, how can you not get a little giddy??

So, let me turn your attention to my goals for 2010. I think it's important to review last years goals and see what needs to be updated (I would not be a good Program Evaluator if I didn't!). So here are last year's goals (for those interested in the full post, here you go) and how I feel I did with each of them.

1. Katherine's baby scrapbook. Did great on this one. Is it done yet? Nope. But it's almost there, I need to finish up Baby's First Christmas and one other page. Then I need to do some labeling throughout the book. I should finish well before number 2 arrives. Of course, I had to lose the craft closet in the process to make way for K's big girl room and baby #2's nursery but that's ok. I've got one of those "cool" rolling carts instead.
2. Learn to use Ted's ipod. Considering I now own an iPhone, I think I accomplished this one with flying colors. Ok, ok, I still have a huge list of music to get and I need to do some more app searching and organizing but considering that last year at this time I was afraid to hold Ted's iPod for fear of breaking it and my cell phone did no more than store phone numbers, I've come a long way baby!
3. Keep in better contact with family and friends. Definitely have done better in this area but I do think it needs to be cranked up a notch in the new year. How that is going to happen as we entered into the Newborn Zone this Spring, I'm not exactly sure. Case in point, one of my roommates from graduate school, Kim, and I have been trying to schedule a get together for the past couple of months...we'll get there eventually.
4. Get involved with something around here beside work that allows me to meet a few people. This is somewhat related to number 3. I've done better in this area, thanks to Adrienne and her scrapbooking get togethers but again, I need to work on this some more this year. But then again, the Newborn Zone. I may even need to take a break from the book club at the local library that I go to once a month...I don't think I'll have the time (or brain power) to read whole book.

Not too shabby. So what's on tap for 2010. I'm keeping it simple.

1. Do even need to put a goal of having a healthy baby up here? That's pretty much understood. But let's add to that, survive the first month or two of infanthood in one piece. It makes me want to cry remembering what it was like with Katherine. Ok, ok, I loved Katherine to pieces, she was beautiful and was wonderful to have a new baby girl yadda yadda yadda... But let's be honest, I was so tired and sleep deprived that my sanity could probably have been questioned occasionally. I'm told that it is easier with the second, you know that period is temporary and you're comfortable on what needs to be done to tend to a newborn's needs. Here's hoping that's correct.

2. After the arrival of baby getting back in shape. I'm realistic here, I don't plan on cutting any type of svelt figure any time soon. But I'd like to be in somewhat of a decent shape. My time will be extremely limited in this area, I'm thinking my lunchtime at work will be key to accomplishing this goals. This means I need to get back into those pilates classes when I return to work. I should probably say here that Ted has a goal for me that I will run a 10K with him in Wilmington this October. Right now, I'm in udder disbelief that that could happen. We'll see, baby steps.

Not as ambitious as the previous year but hey, we all know things are going to be crazy in our house. Anything else we accomplish is just icing on the cake.

Done?

They took a break for lunch and said they would be back to "fine tune" the grading. I have no idea what they need to fine tune, it looks great to me. Much better than what we could have done ourselves!


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Almost done

Just working on leveling out the dirt.



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Their here!

Time to get down to business. More pictures later.



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Bye Bye Island

I've posted here before about the rather large garden in the middle of our backyard, also known as "the island" around our house. It's been a love/hate relationship with that piece of dirt ever since we've moved into the house. I can't lie, the landscaping that came with the house was one of it's selling points. And properly weeded and mulched (see above taken a couple of years ago in early spring and pre-drought of 2007 I might add), that island is gorgeous. Mid summer in 90 degree heat full of thorny pickers and vines that need to be pulled out, it is a pain your you know what. In terms of yard work, it is by far what we spend 90% of our time working on. We could spend hours on it every weekend and still not be done. Last spring I had it clean and looking pretty. I vowed that this past year would be different, we would finally conquer the weeds! That is until a little vine (kudzu?) that was just a small patch the year before decided to take over the ENTIRE back half of the island. Ha ha!, it laughed at me. Just try to get rid of me. That #*$&% weed buried its roots deep and spread them out wide. You could pull until your arms were screaming at you in pain, that sucker wasn't going anywhere.

No more.

Tomorrow a landscaper shows up to do one thing...bulldoze that island to oblivion and flatten out the dirt in preparation for grass planting this spring. The only thing left will be the cherry tree in the middle and the bench, which will move to be near the swingset. I hesitated on keeping the tree as I think it may look weird in the middle of the yard. However, Ted brought me to reason that it is a beautiful tree and it would be a shame to cut it down. We'll see how it comes back this spring, give it some TLC and take it from there. Cause once it's gone, it's gone. We also thought about just getting rid of the back half of the island and keep the front half and then we decide to just go ahead and get rid of the whole thing. Because even the front half takes up a good deal of our time to stay ahead of the weeds. It's only a matter of time before that vine shows up there too.

Originally we had no plans of hiring someone to do this for us. Ted felt it was something he could handle little by little over time. Then he realized how much work it is for one person to do (I haven't been much help at all in my current state). So we called someone just to see how much it would be. Turns its pretty darn cheap just to have someone clear something for you. There's no replanting or even haul away for them to do since all of the plants, etc. will be dumped in the woods in back of our yard. They said they'd have it done in a couple of hours.

Ha HA! Take that you stupid vine!

Happy New Year!

This has been a wonderful long weekend of doing...pretty much as little as possible. I didn't realize how much I needed a weekend like this. Ted and I rang in the New Year sound asleep thanks to two nights in a row of multiple wake ups by Miss K. By New Year's Even I was exhausted (small taste of this April??) and we were in bed quite early. We figured out that the cause of the wake ups was because Katherine was kicking the covers off of her bed and getting cold. On top of that the vents in her room were blowing directly on her. So some cover adjustment and two vent deflectors later we are once again sleeping soundly.

The highlight of our weekend has to be: Yup our brand spanking new La-Z-Boy arrived on Saturday. Ted has spent most of his time there ever since. However, this purchase was my insistence and not his...surprised? A few years ago we wandered into the store, mainly looking for a sleeper sofa for the former TV room (which we never bought) and along the way we test drove a few recliners. Well, my first thought after one sit down was to wonder why we didn't have one of these when Katherine was a baby. Wow, 2am would have been that much easier with a comfy recliner to rock and feed and sleep in. So as soon as we found out we were pregnant again I was insistent on one thing...we were getting a La-Z-Boy (yeah, I know what you're thinking, Ted just protested left and right over that one!). Last weekend Ted and I snuck out for a bit to look. I think we gave every chair in the place the tush test until we settled on one that made both of us happy. We were all ready to take it home that day but unfortunately we found out that La-Z-Boy doesn't do that anymore...you have to pay for delivery. I could go on about what I am sure is a huge money maker for them now but I won't, wasn't much I could do about it anyway. So a week later our new rocker recliner arrived.

Right now it's sitting in the living room in front of the fireplace. We need to do a bit of furniture rearranging before it's in its final home and there's also the possibility that it may move upstairs for those newborn months. But right now, well, we're tickled with it.

Here's to 2010!!! I'm working on an update to last year's New Year's Goals post, time to revisit and revise! But in the meantime, I don't know about you, but it feels great to be in a new year!

Watching Cinderella

First time using the DVD player in the car...she loves it. Thanks Papa and Gram! The craisins are tasty too!



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