Today, I am...
-finishing up the unpacking.
-thinking that I need to hurry up and dig out some warmer clothes for the kids. The weather here is quite a change from the beach climate!
-thankful that the kids are so much easier to travel with these days. Yay for not having nursing babies and/or toddlers in the car!
(cute, but trouble)
-bummed that our van needed a new timing belt and water pump while we were on vacation, especially since we had both those things replaced on time not all that many miles ago.
-thankful we were able to get it fixed before heading home.
-bummed that we're now $700 poorer.
-happy that we had the money saved in our Auto Maintenance ING account.
-unspeakably grateful for the lovely, sunny, warm weather we enjoyed in Myrtle Beach, especially since the forecast looked like rain all week at the time we headed down.
-thrilled that so many of you loved my ebook!
-thinking of some other ebook ideas, all the sort to save you money (of course.)
-working on putting together a big fat picture post from this year's vacation (kinda like the one from last year).
-honored that a lot of other bloggers shared a link to my simplicity post. Even though it takes a while to gather all the pictures, I have so much fun putting together photo essay posts like that.
(two others are my homeschooling photo essay and my photo essay about Aldi produce.)
-sad that my Rebel camera body died last week (sob).
-hoping that a fix will be cheap (alas, the battery is not the problem).
-thankful that I have my 7d, because if I had to be completely camera-less, I would struggle mightily.
-thinking about how to save for a new Rebel if mine is too expensive to fix (my 7D is too heavy to haul around with me everywhere).
-reminding myself that if ever a camera deserved to die, my Rebel does. I've averaged way over 1000 pictures a month with it for the last 4 years.
-remembering again how strongly I feel that it's better to enjoy and use things until they wear out instead of keeping them safely on a shelf.
-feeling a little silly that I think that way and yet have not unpacked my china one time in the last 14 years. Must rectify that.
-getting off the computer to go make recover-from-vacation-and-get-back-into-the-swing-of-school to-do list.
What are YOU up to today?
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Today's 365 post: Delayed Gratification
(also, I got yesterday's 365 post up kind of late, so you probably missed it!)
Joshua's 365 post: Warning, All Repti-Phobes!
Hi! glad you had so much fun at the beach!
When we were registering for wedding gifts about 3 1/2 years ago, we considered it carefully. As my in-laws will eventually (and now, imminently!) live with us, it seemed likely our home would become a focal point for the larger family. We chose china that was simple and actually kind of plain, and also that was specifically designed to be dishwasher safe, so that we wouldn't tire of it and that using it wouldn't be a pain. I'm happy to say we have used it a couple of times a year, and I have been working towards its storage spot being increasingly more convenient but not intrusive (I think that's a key!).
That's wonderful that you had such a great vacation. As for your rebel, I too hope that it is A OK with a cheap fix, but if it is not, I know MANY people who have purchased a rebel in the past and have been disappointed, wanting something bigger and more sophisticated. They then end up selling them on sites such as Ebay. I know that B&H also has a refurbished/used camera section. That store is wondering to walk into if you ever visit NYC, but they do also sell everything they have in store online. As a rebel user myself, I hope it gets fixed because I love that camera so much!
Today I am signing papers to close on a house, and packing... getting everything ready to move tomorrow!
Congrats!!!
Today I am shipping our school books to our address in Germany. Praying they get there shortly after we do. I am also sending back our satellite boxes to the company. I will be playing with my new computer and maybe running to the store to get a back up battery for it.
And of course I will be doing Laundry because that never ends and you have to do it more often when you are living out of a suitcase.
Well, not having as exciting a day at Crystal but having a great Monday at school and very excited to start the kids on our yearly community outreach project.
So glad you were blessed with great weather and a happy time. BUMMER about the car but glad the savings were there.
Sell the china and buy a new camera. I'm very serious. Invest in the things you'll love and use...not the stuff you'll make yourself love and use.
Kristen, my family and I were also at Myrtle Beach last week! Wasn't it beautiful?? We stayed at the Carribean Resort...I was trying to see if it was close to your background in the photos. 🙂 Like you, I'm thankful for the wonderful time and memories, but am ready to be back on track.
I have already cleaned the kitchen including the fridge today, went for a long walk with Emma. I will do some pre-backing and pre-cooking today and look into what double-stroller I might buy, as we will be needing one in the spring. Happy unpacking:-)
We just got five sets of China and already packed them away. I don't see them coming out any time soon as it's just the two of us and it's not very often that people visit us. My fiancee's family has come out to see us exactly once since we moved in almost a year and a half ago and my family (who lives further away but visits more often) is more numerous than 5 settings. So I think they will get used once we own a house but we'll see.
Ugh technology these days! I swear, things keep breaking faster & faster! And why do cars always seem to break down when on vacation?!
As for us, I have to make a kiddo's allergist appt., finally fold & put away laundry, watch the boys' cousin for a couple hours, and as always, look for more crap to get rid of because there always seems to be too much!
I only take my China out for Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was my Grandmothers, it's not fancy but it does hold a lot of sentimental value since she's long passed. I don't know why we don't use it more, it's right there in the dining room hutch.
As for today's plans, I need to put my kitchen back together again. I painted it last week and I still have to hang everything back on the walls again. Clean out the fridge, since I never got to it over the weekend. Finish the laundry (my downfall when it comes to housework) and the dog needs a bath....I'm hoping to pass that chore onto my husband. You try getting a 60+ pound pile of deadweight "No I really don't want to get a bath" dog into the tub.
Simply Mommy, try giving your dog a bath outside. I have one that hates baths, and the last time I bathed him on the back porch. I had a dishpan filled with (warm) water & dog shampoo, soaked a towel in it, and rubbed my dog all over. I did that a couple of times, then rinsed him down with a quart-sized pitcher from warm water in a bucket (he hated that part. Too bad.). After he shook himself, I rubbed him down with a dry towel and chained him on the porch until he was dry. Then he ran into the yard and rolled around in the dirt, but he still was cleaner than before. He smelled better, too.
Another plus - no dog hair in the tub!
And some local pet stores have a dog wash station you can use. Ours does and it's a great deal. For $12 you use their hot water and their towels, and wash your dog standing upright instead of hunched over next to your tub. It's another $3 to use their dryer.
You know I'd bathe him outside except that it's cold here in Washington! And I fear that I'd need more than a couple buckets, he's a Golden Retriever/Chow mix and boy does he have hair!! I fear I'd never get all the soap out of him.
Now the dog wash station is tempting, I wonder if there are any of those near us? We live out in the sticks and it's twenty minutes to any sort of major shopping area. But it might be worth it to make the trek into "the city" to bathe him.
Suggestion: Unpack enough china to use for your date nights with Mr. FG.
that is a great idea!
On my list of things to do is go to the camera repair store. My rebel hasn't been focusing since I fell face first on it in the blackberry brambles. I need a new skylight filter too because the thorns scratched mine. While I'm there I'll see if the $3.50 thrift store camera I bought is worth repairing. Then I'll use it instead of the dSLR when doing dangerous things like berry picking.
Glad you had another fantastic vacation at Myrtle Beach 🙂
Our day today was mostly a "getting back to normal" day as our boys went back to school today, after the 3 month summer break!
My 8 year old was a little wobbly. New teacher, new class, new routines but he was very brave and didn't cry. He likes his new teacher too (and I'm sure the fact that they went to the beach during class didn't sway him at all 😉 The beach is just across the small road the school is on)
My 11yo was stoic and confident as he went in this morning (and he doesn't finish until 6.30pm)
I'm blessed to have children who, after only 1 year, have settled into a seemingly completely alien environment here in Portugal and that they are learning the language well (my 8yo, particularly, is bossy in 2 languages now!)
I like Karen S.'s suggestion about selling it to fund your camera. I also like Another Portland Katy's suggestion, if your china has sentimental value.
Too bad about the car. In the past we spent a lot of money on our Honda Accord trying to solve a "hot no-start" problem. Huge waste of money. We constantly researched on-line until we hit upon the solution and the Honda dealership agreed that they see that all the time (then why didn't they spot it when they were replacing other items trying to solve the problem?!!!) I'm still trying to get over that. Have you spoken with the people who replaced the timing belt and water pump the time before this to hear if they have any idea why they needed to be replaced so soon?
As for my day, my husband, our boys and I are taking a trip to Ikea with grandma this morning because she wants to pick up a few things and is not yet comfortable driving on the freeway to the Seattle Ikea. She's still settling in and finding her way since the big move from Ireland last year. Ethan is thrilled at the thought of the road trip. He adores grandma and our Odyssey, so it's a huge thrill to combine the two 🙂
Then I hope to finish switching out all the children's seasonal clothing. I'm almost done. I started last week. I've gone through all their summer clothes and removed items that will be too small next year. I went through their winter clothes and did the same. Then I looked through our boxes of hand-me downs to see what fits now. I've taken stock of where there are gaps.
All I have left to do is move on the small clothes and buy clothes to fill in the gaps in their winter wardrobe. The boys don't need anything and the girls just need new underwear and some leggings. Not too bad!
I look forward to your photo packed post about your vacation. I really enjoyed it last year 🙂
Susan, I hope you read my question! What did the "hot no-start" problem with your Honda turn out to be? I have an old Civic and this has been driving me nuts for years now "” it's the only problem I've ever had with the car and nobody so far has figured it out (I live across the border from you in Canada).
Wow! That was a long comment. Happy Monday Kristen 🙂
I'd add to your list Kristen... Writing a great post. Really like the format of the post, it's a good read!
My list would include - Caring for a poorly 3 year old! (nothing serious - a case of back to school germies me thinks)
The sell the china and buy a new camera idea makes me go hmmmm.....
That is definitely something I would consider. In my opinion its of the same using college money to buy a piano vein. Not only should we remember to focus on using up and enjoying what we already have, but putting that into play when it comes to spending our money/retaining our possessions.
This is why I asked for Fiestaware in a million colors. We use it everyday, and if something breaks, no one is going to notice. 🙂
I did that with Fiestaware too!! I joke that my cupboards look like a bag of Skittles. But it works and you are right if something does break (which isn't easy with that stuff) no one is the wiser.
That's why we have thrift store plates and glasses. If they break, meh, just get another 50 cent one! It's fun that they're all different.
Today I am...grateful to have another day!
We registered for nice china and everyday silverware when we got married. My mom was giving us her fancy silver, and I already had everyday plates I really liked. The bridal woman at the store nearly had a fit about how they were going to do the "display table" with modern everyday flatware paired with Monet china. But I was not about to ask for stuff I didn't need just because that was what I was supposed to do. Never used my china much, but when my mom moved here a few years ago I moved it to her apartment so we'd have nice dishes to use for family dinners there.
Another vote for selling your China to fix/replace your Rebel 🙂
Today was a sad day for our house.
We had to put our very sweet, sweet, senior kitty down; she had cancer and was hurting. So we spent today crying, and cleaning, and hugging, and crying some more.
And then I made your chocolate pudding, and that was delicious and helped us mourn, so thank you.
Worked for a paycheck. Getting ready to quit- come on January! Nothing too exciting in the customer service world. Then came home to some house cleaning.
My "china" is fiestaware- and I use it every day. My mom gave me most of it for my wedding present, and I pick up pieces here and there when I find a clearance sale- and it doesn't matter if it matches (but it still stacks nicely together in the cupboard!)
She also gave me the the set of "fancy" silverware that she ordered for her wedding 29 years ago. It's not really that fancy- not real silver or anything. Someone convinced her she needed a good set and an everyday set.
I know a lot of people have 2 sets of these things, but I enjoy that both my dishes and silverware are nice, and I don't need another "fancy" set to take up room!
Today, I got my website up and running, did 3 different crafts with my 3 year old, read board books and colored with my 1 year old, and snuggled my 2 month old. We also did some cleaning here and there, and every day stuff - cooking, feeding babies, etc. It was a nice day.
Hi,
I'm curious to hear about how you went about writing and publishing an e-book? Maybe you'll have a chance sometime to elaborate. I also wanted to say how much I enjoy your blog - I like that you post lots of pictures and about a variety of topics.
Thanks,
Carrie
Yesterday was crazy-busy for me! Grocery shopping with both kids in tow (3-yr-old and 2-month-old), then home to unload and eat lunch, then off to Once Upon a Child for fodder for Halloween costumes, snow boots for Big Brother, a hat for Little Sister, and an unexpected find of the complete box set of Laura Ingalls Wilder books for $3.50.
After that, to my parents' house to supervise the Haul Away guys taking out everything Mom and Dad decided they didn't want (long story, but they live 4 hours away and just sold their house here), plus loading my car up with the items I decided to take (some shelves for Big Brother's room, the missing end table from the set my parents' passed on to us - for some reason we have the coffee table, sofa table, and one of two end tables, but the second had been buried in the basement - a few odds and ends of crafting supplies and kitchenware, and some rugs.
Today is much calmer! Mostly spent sorting through an entire little girl's wardrobe (3mos to 5T) I bought for $20 at a yard sale on Saturday. I knew I didn't want everything, but it was way more worth it to me to just buy the lot and sort at home than stand there in the 10 minutes I had before I had to be home to get ready for church!
On china - we registered for a simple set, white china with platinum lines and banding. It's not dishwasher-safe because of the band around the rim, but I decided I'd rather get the banding since it helps protect the edges from chipping.
We use various pieces at Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas, anniversaries (wedding and dating), just for fun (like dessert after the kids are in bed, since we prefer to eat dinner with them when they're this young), and for decoration while eating off our daily white Corel.
I use the china tea cups, saucers, and dessert plates for having tea with my mom when she visits, and I plan to have a weekly or teatime with my kids when they're a bit older as a way to help practice manners and being a host/hostess. I'd like to try hosting a children's teatime with my kids' friends down the road, too, complete with dressing up and the kids practicing chivalry (since it does take practice to allow someone else to deal with your chair!).