Well, you all know how it goes...one project leads to another (if you want it done RIGHT,) which leads to another, etc. That's where I am.

We are working on getting the basement renovated to make a pseudo-apartment for Julia, Pablo and Bubba. It has formerly been half storage and half playroom and we are giving them all the playroom part, which is now made into two rooms - bedroom and living area. Anyway, Lillian will now have Julia's old bedroom so some of the toys from the playroom can go there, but Julia had way more in HER room than she can really have in the new area. The storage area needs to be gone through as well as the rest of the stuff in the playroom (amidst the ongoing construction) and oh, yeah, there is that wedding in two weeks...

So...the upshot of it all is that a lot of stuff just has to GO. Pablo has already delivered two truckfuls of stuff to Good Will (or Salvation Army, or something, notsure where he went) and there is already more in the back of the truck waiting for the next trip. Not counting the rather large amount of stuff we've set aside for Bubba and the two bins of clothes I gave a friend, this is what I've donated so far:

picture frames - 8
DVD - 1
Video - 4
CD - 12
knick knacks - 17
sunglasses - 2
padlock - 1
necklace - 13
clock - 2
bracelet - 8
rings - 3
earrings - 19
candles - 9
candle holder - 7
pictures - 3
decorations - 8
cloth napkins - 4
scanner - 1
keyboards - 2
printer - 1
computer - 1
picnic set - 1
tights - 3
kids jammies - 32
onesies - 11
kids shoes - 37
kids pants - 71
kids dresses - 28
kids shirts -95
kids shorts - 25
kids sweaters/jackets - 10
bib - 1
kids socks - 32
blankets - 2
baby sling - 1
kids hat - 1
diaper covers - 8
towel - 1
baby carrier - 1
bags - 6
bandana - 1
pillow - 1
lamp - 1
coat - 10
belts - 5
pants - 9
shorts - 8
skirts - 2
jammies - 4
undies - 19
bras - 7
robes - 2
shirts - 42
costumes - 11
jackets - 4
bathing suit - 3
socks - 1
dress - 2
slippers - 2
shoes - 12
gloves - 5
hat - 4
snowsuit - 2
exercise equipment - 2
toys - 88
games - 26
backpack - 3
appliances - 1
books - 41
household items - 3
scarf - 1
backpack - 3
maternity top - 25
maternity undies - 6
maternity swimsuit - 1
maternity slip - 1
maternity shorts - 2
maternity dress - 2
maternity pants - 6

Not to mention bunches of little things I've just tossed in. And we've probably got three times the trash as will fit in our trash can.

And I'm not done yet...

Thought I'd try and squeeze in a few minutes to update. It has been busy here! We are getting into the groove of school. Having Julia around the house has been a big help as she does "preschool" with Lillian, allowing me to work with the boys without interruption. And as an additional blessing we seem to have hit on one of those windows of opportunity in which Lil is just primed for language activities...she is picking up her letter recognition really quickly which is something completely unexpected as she is really MUCH more of a 'large motor activity' kind of girl and rarely sits still long enough to pay attention to this kind of thing. But the interest has been high enough that she sits and works with Julia much longer than I dreamed she would. Love unexpected bonuses!

Laura is enjoying public school but it took her no time at all to decide that she doesn't really require much primping to get ready after all. A few extra minutes sleep is much more important! She isn't a fan of homework but is already making new friends. Not sure what to make of the fact that most of the names I'm hearing are boy's names. Must have been a weird phenomenon in the area where a lot of girls were given boy's names for a period of time because she has been warned about talking to boys!! Pablo is also adjusting to a new way of school, being a college student.

Wedding plans are coming along. I will get to a point where I panic about how much needs to be done and then will have a spurt where a ton gets accomplished and feel better about it for awhile and then the cycle begins again. I believe all the major purchases have been made but there is still lots of details to work out and flower arrangements to be made, etc. We have been blessed with plenty of offers of help and if you are one of those people...rest assured, we will be in touch!

Baby R (aka "Bubba") is growing well and really starting to make his/her presence known! He/she has found Mama's bladder and seems to like it. I really need to get more pictures!

Laura ready for her first day -- EVER -- of going off to school! (Either that or posing for a Sears catalog, still not quite sure.)

I'm Back!

I'm back from another wonderfully relaxing week at a Rose Hills Resortand ready to get back to school and back to wedding planning! We did take a day and hit the outlet mall in West Branchwhere I found a mother-of-the-bride dress that I love so that was an unexptected bonus. I was able to get some wedding stuff accomplished after all!