September 2009 Round Up

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Click mosaic to biggify, or see my September 2009 Project 365 Posts.

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
Didn't really read any, but I did acquire two new ones that I had on pre-order. (Please don't ask me why I am pre-ordering books, when I hardly ever actually read anymore.) I got the new Diana Gabaldon (Jamie and Claire) book, and Heat Wave by Richard Castle, a "spin-off" of the television show. Yes, this amuses me greatly.

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?
Fall television has started! I think all of our network favorites are back already, except Chuck which will put in an appearance in the spring (March, I think). We've tried three new television shows so far: Glee (just not our thing, though the music is outstanding), NCIS: Los Angeles (I'll give it a few more, but not loving it except for Linda Hunt), and FlashForward (really like it!).

I think the only new movie I saw was The Other Boleyn Girl. It was just okay. Didn't love it, didn't hate it, don't care to see it again.

I got super busy at work at the end of the month, plus with new fall shows starting back, I didn't have nearly as many "old favorites" running in the background this month as I usually do. Some of the few I remember are: That Thing You Do, Noises Off, The Birdcage, Ice Age, Disney's Sleeping Beauty, Treasure Planet. I have been watching/listening to snippets of Golden Girls or Murder She Wrote instead.

What special days did I celebrate and how?
I made banana pudding for my father's birthday, which we celebrated over Labor Day weekend.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?
I have much delayed packages to Leah and Connie.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
Actually, I think we were all good for the month. Wow!

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
We all went to see Walking With Dinosaurs at the Gwinnett Arena.

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
I genuinely cannot think of any.

What special or unusual purchases did I make?

A new house!! Will that do? I guess, technically, the house isn't ours yet. So I'll say we bought a home inspection and appraisal. We also had the vinyl floors replaced at the current house, though I think we paid for that last month. Hard to remember.

What were this month's disappointments?
Luke has been very very difficult this month. I do think a lot of it is just the rash of changes and stress and frequent routine changes due to the house business. Overall, he did very well with all of that, but there were an unusual number of meltdowns both small and large. I hope things will calm down, if not before the move then after.

What were my accomplishments this month?
Funny how buying a new house can make you get moving on all of those house cleaning goals from your 101 List.

72. Clean out my chest of drawers. Went from 5 drawers full of 0 clothes I could wear to 4 drawers full of clothes I currently wear.


74. Clean out my dresser. When I put this item on the list, I thought it was 3 drawers that needed to be cleaned out. Turns out it was only 1.5 drawers (DH previously appropriated the other 1.5). Still, I threw out and/or donated more than I kept, and there is actually room to put all of my socks.


75. Clean out the guest room dresser. I knew this was full of clothes I had not worn since high school (or before). I emptied 5 out of 6 drawers (one has keepsakes in it). They are now full again of clothing that I cannot wear just yet, but that I would gladly wear again if I ever get down to my pre-pregnancy weight.


78. "De-kitty-fy" the other sofa pillow. This is another item that turned out to not be as significant as I thought it was once I actually sat down to do it. It was not nearly as furry as I remembered it being. Maybe I cleaned it off some before we stored it? I really don't remember. But it is clean and presentable now. We put it away so long ago that Luke didn't know we even had 2 of them. He was shocked!


81. Replace kitchen floor. As mentioned previously, I think we actually paid for the work last month, but it finally got done this month. Everyone says it looks nice. I like it okay, but I don't love it. Doesn't really matter, though, since I don't have to live with it for long!

Before:


And After:


Project 365 is still going well. 75% complete so far.

Surviving the month was quite an accomplishment in and of itself. I have a new boss at work and some new work to go along with it. Just trying to jump in and get a handle on things has been a challenge. The house, of course, has been quite a lot to handle. In fun news, we're up to 90% complete on LEGO Star Wars. We're not likely to get back to it again until after the move, though.

What were Luke's accomplishments this month?


Luke counted to 20 by twos earlier this month. I was quite stunned. He didn't have it perfect (I think he said 17 instead of 18), but wow! Everyone at school keeps telling us how well he is doing in his phonics class, which is nice to hear. It is very clear that he is on the verge of being able to read and write, but he's just not quite there yet. I know they are working on it. I've been told before, and it seems to hold true, that sometimes baffling behavior issues can precede a major "jump" in physical or mental development. I can only hope that almost being able to read and write (combined with the stress and late nights related to the house) are causing this most recent rash of behavior problems. It's like he's regressed to being 3 years old, and it's driving me crazy.

Anything else noteworthy to record?
Everyone and everything with both the current house and the new house survived the flooding just fine, which was great news.

Monthly Round Up courtesy of Katie the Scrapbook Lady.

Currently feeling: trying to hang in there