August 2007 Round Up

Monthly Round Up idea borrowed from Katie the Scrapbook Lady.


Credit: Pinky Blinkies

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
Parenting magazine, lots of catalogs (started Christmas browsing, if not actual shopping). I started and stopped Inkspell (again; why is it so hard to read?), and I read most of Love and Logic Magic for Early Childhood (a gift from my parents; hopefully because they thought it was a good book, not because they think we need it!). Almost done with that one.

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?
Picked up two new television shows (both short seasons, not full shows). When I first heard about Mad Men on AMC, it really piqued my interest. The main character works for an ad agency in New York in 1960. It is quite interesting, I must say. I love seeing what was "normal" behavior back then that we would never allow today! Like a little girl playing with a clear dry cleaning bag over hear head; she was reprimanded for throwing the cleaning on the floor, and then ran off, still with the bag over her head (down to hear knees!). Also showed a very pregnant woman both smoking and drinking alcohol at a neighborhood get-together. It has slowed down some since the first episode, but it is still very interesting.

Damages on FX was recommended by my brother. Since it is rated TV-MA, I was concerned about the possible violence level, but it is fine. The rating is mainly for language (which I think they could do without, but I usually think that). It reminds me a lot of John Grisham, which is what my brother said to get me to start watching. It is rather edgy, don't get me wrong, and I'm not sure if the main antagonist is Ted Danson or Glenn Close! LOL This is NOT a show for children, in any way, shape, or form. But it is quite gripping, and the twists are great. It, too, has slowed since the first few episodes, but I am still anxious for it to come on from week to week because I'm still not quite sure how they are going to get where they are going (it is mainly told in flashback mode, so you know the end, so to speak, when you watch each week). Very very interesting!

Never made it to the movies, despite really wanting to see the new Jason Bourne movie and maybe the latest Rush Hour. There were also a couple of great premieres on our movie channel, but we haven't gotten to watch them yet.

What special days did I celebrate and how?
DH turned 31, but we didn't do anything special. Oh, well, I made cupcakes. And DS wouldn't eat one, the little booger! Apparently mine aren't as good as those from Golden Corral. ::snort:: Anyway! BIL turned 34. We sent cards to him, as well as belated cards to his bride, whose birthday is in July (sorry Jennifer!). I mailed a gift to Annette's son for his birthday. I was supposed to take my brother to lunch for his 27th birthday, but we had to bump it to next week.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?
Annette sent me a book (The Thirteenth Tale) and DVD set (Dresden) as a late birthday gift. I don't even think I've emailed her to say thank you. Bad me! I've boxed up (but not yet mailed) baby gifts to best friend in Texas, who should be about ready to pop any minute now (if she hasn't already; I'd like to think she would have called, but I also remember what being a newborn parent is like!). And a wedding gift for my cousin.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
Luke's tubes. Luke developed a cough late in the month, and I've thought on and off that he was running a fever, but he's getting better. Besides that, all is well. Thank goodness for small blessings, a light medical month! (Great, now I've doomed myself for the rest of the year, LOL).

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
We took Luke to the beach again, pretty early in the morning, and it was still rather warm. It's been too hot to do much else. Oh, cousin's wedding! Had some extended family in town for that, so we met up for dinner. And found out another cousin is expecting with his wife. That makes it sound like I have a lot of cousins, but there are only 7 total first cousins from both sides of my family. I did see four of the seven at the wedding, though!

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
Made brie en croute for myself. Another of those "I tried it at Christmas but someone else actually cooked it, so this was my first time actually making it" recipes. Picked up a couple of new ones to try, just haven't done it yet. I'm envisioning several sugar cookie recipe experiments in September (tell you why later).

What special or unusual purchases did I make?
After searching for several months, I finally bought a new wedding band for myself, since it will be a while before I can wear my original again. I also want to return my father's original band to him that I've been borrowing for the last 3+ years. Got Luke two new pair of shoes (again! I swear he goes through more shoes than any other child).

What were this month's disappointments?
Lost out on two jobs in two days. Been kinda floundering since then, but it hasn't even been two weeks. I'll get with it after the holiday (I hope).

What were my accomplishments this month?
Losing my job without losing my mind. That should count for something! And actually staying as outwardly calm as I thought I would for Luke's tube surgery. All the doctors and nurses commented on how calm and laid back I was about it all. They were just amazed! We'll ignore that my pulse rate was well over 100; thank goodness they didn't take my blood pressure. (I said *outwardly* calm!)

What were Luke's accomplishments this month?
Tubes! Not sure that counts, though, since he slept through it, LOL. Started speech therapy, and we are seeing some improvement. He can now hear you when you whisper (it wasn't the volume that made it hard for him to hear you, it was the tone or pitch of the whisper; noticeably better since tubes!). And he now mimics what he hears on television much more than he did before. Not necessarily sure that's a good thing! But it is interesting to see. No progress on the potty training front. If anything, we're backsliding some. ::sigh::

Anything else noteworthy to record?
The insane heat! Finally broke around August 25. Until that point, we'd had more days over 100 degrees than under. Made the upper-80s we had at the end of the month seem almost cool.
Currently feeling: trying to be cheerful