todo update

Update on To Do List.

1. Remove paint from hideously ugly, but free, dresser we found in IL’s basement.
2. Stain and finish dresser.
3. Move dresser into Wally’s room and clean and organize it.

4. Get out baby stuff, wash it, and put it in the dresser.

5. Finish cleaning and sorting and organizing tool room.

6. Give away couch from sunroom. (Anyone want a brown hide-a-bed?) we have a taker, just need to get it to them now.
7. Assemble Brand! New! Awesome! Storage! System! in Sunroom and move Homeschool supplies into it.
8. Give away ugly cabinet from Dining Room. (Anyone want a small ugly cabinet?)  really, it’s not that ugly!!

9. Finish all MTO orders.
10. Have testers test out upsized baby shoe pattern.
11. Assemble numerous baby shoes for Craft Saturday.
12. Restock doll diapers.
13. Restock MT carriers. – these are all cut out!

13a. Fleece covers for customer

14. Try out Batik techniques
15. Make more tie dye and batik things
16. Applique and Embroider them.

17. Finish diluting colarants
18. Make Kids soaps for Christmas
19. Finish adult soaps for Christmas
20. Knit washcloths for Christmas
21. Sew various items for Christmas

And in October…

1. Make myself three new carriers – a new Mei Tai, a narrow-blanket Podegi, and what people are calling an Obi wrap, though it’s really not an Obi at all.

2. Decide if I’m really going to make new bedroom curtains this year. probably not.

3. Get fabric for new shower curtain.

4. Purchase all needed baby supplies. (um, diaper pail!!)

5. Develop my 2009 Mt Timp Training Plan.

Financial Situation

Can I say that I’ve had to stop listening to talk radio (which is big for me lately) because I’m too freaked out by the financial goings-on and too sick of politics?

(I’m actually excited about the election again since it doesn’t seem such a foregone conclusion any more, but, um, ready for it to be over.)

I’ve strongly believed for a few years now that we were heading towards bad times, as a nation, financially. And I knew that, in order to survive, our family would need to get completely out of debt. We’re working on it and making GREAT progress.

But we’re NOT READY! I don’t have millions socked away in gold bars under my bed yet! (potential robbers note: I will never have gold bars under my bed.) I don’t have my house paid off yet. Hell, I don’t even have a really nice rainy day fund yet.

We’re heading to the bank on Friday to HOPEFULLY wrap things up with my mom’s estate. But you know what? Her assets have not been actively managed since her death, and I know she was heavily invested in the financial sector. I believe she had quite a bit in AIG. That kind of pisses me off – the money and investments are off-limits to us at this point, and are the responsibility of the Trust Officer. Who, really, it’s not her money, so she doesn’t care as much as we do about it. Grr.

Anyway, we are hoping that once we get that all settled, we can use some of the money from our portion of her investments to pay off our remaining debt and head into the next season of our lives without owing anyone anything.

Nesting

So, last Tuesday I was compelled to nest. It was a force that would not be denied. Despite contractions (4-5/hour all day), I persisted as much as able and got the kids’ room all ready.

This first picture is the “new” dresser. It was soooo not worth all the effort to refinish it. But it does look a little better in the room than it would have when it was pink and purple. The top two drawers are baby clothes, the bottom three are Wally’s things. (puzzles and dress-up clothes)

The gray bin on the floor is our new idea. Throughout the day, various toys end up in various rooms in our house. Before bed, Wally is supposed to gather said toys and put them away. But that takes so long to remember where they go, and not get out other toys in the meantime. So we’re trying this bin. Throughout the day when we pick up, he can put toys in the gray bin. When the bin gets full, we take a few minutes and put the toys back where they belong for real.

This dresser holds the baby’s things. Diapers, carriers, etc. Diaper bag on the floor. Blankets and burp clothes on the top shelf of the little shelving unit. Pins, snappis, and personal care stuff in the baskets on the wall. Change pad will go on top of this dresser when I bring it down from the attic. Diaper pail, when I find one I like, will go to the right of the dresser.

This dresser is Wally’s clothes in the bottom three drawers and misc stuff (including our Small Toy Parts bin).

No, Wally doesn’t need three drawers for his clothes, and the baby doesn’t need two whole drawers for his or her clothes. But I like keeping their drawers less cluttered and with fewer things in each drawer. Helps Wally with the getting dressed process – pants in one drawer, shirts in another, underwear and socks in another. The shirts never flop over and cover the underwear.

I also washed all the diapers and clothes and got them ready in the drawers. Left picture is Daddy’s Drawer. AIOs and pre-stuffed pockets, and wipes. Right picture is my drawer. Fitteds, covers, prefolds.

And clothes. All very boy. My sister still has all my gender-neutral stuff. I bought one new thing for this baby – the pumpkin shirt you can see on top there. In case the baby arrives for Halloween.

So that was more than you needed to know about our dresser drawers, but I can’t tell you how good I feel about getting this done.