Falling Into Place

Today it feels like things are falling into place. We have acquired some basement sofas which I'm going to pick up tonight, someone is coming to see our apartment today and someone is coming to see my sewing machine that I have for sale tomorrow. I have started packing, picked out our master bedroom paint colour. I do have quite a bit of school stuff to do but for now I'm going to be happy with this progress.

Christmas...

So our Christmas wasn't exactly what we were expecting this year. We had a rather dramatic Christmas day and I'll leave it at that. I'm thinking Mexico next year. Today is a day of recovery (ok and retail therapy). But as crazy as our Christmas day was I got a lot of fabulous presents that satisfied quite a few of my 101.

I did get the KitchenAid I was wishing and dreaming about from my parents and I think I'll do some baking tomorrow. I got a label maker and a drill from my in laws. Whee.

Here's my updated list.

My List
1. Buy a house
2. Get a full-time permanent job

Purchases and Creations
3. Buy a new coffee table
4. Get a label maker
5. Buy a new TV stand
6. Get a KitchenAid Stand mixer
7. Get a food processor .... on my Christmas list
8. Buy a bike
9. Buy a new computer
10. Buy a piece of jewelry at Tiffany's- I have my eye on this http://tinyurl.com/4f34gf
11. Make an upholstered headboard
12. Make pillows for the couch
13. Make a gift for a friend
14. Sew 4 things 4/4
15. Buy a new(er) car (I would like a Mazda 3)
16. Make bread from scratch (And it has to taste good)
17. Get two new games 2/2... I got Scotland Yard for Christmas and Steve got Deal or No Deal (our household acquired two new games)

People and Places
18. Go to New York with Steve (I've been twice, and he would really love to go)
19. Go to the observation deck of the Empire State Building
20. Go on a plane with Steve (he's been on a few planes, I've been on more but never together)
21. Go to camp for two weeks (not necessarily in the same year)
22. Make Steve breakfast in bed
23. Go camping with just Steve
24. Go on an anniversary trip (probably won't include #23)
25. Go on a road trip longer then 6 hours away
26. Throw a birthday party - My mom's 50th bday party- 09/07/08
27. Have a dinner party once a month for 6 months 2/6
28. Visit a new state
29. Cook a meal for my family
30. Cook a meal for Steve's family (I think this will have to be after we buy a house, there's not room for all of them in our apartment) - By not saying entire family I am completing this 09/13 for my Mother-In-Law's bday- there will be a couple family members missing but we invited them all.
31. Have photos taken of the two of us
32. Send out Christmas cards (most likely including #31)
33. Have family pictures taken with my family
34. Visit 3 out of town family members 2/3
I brought my SIL (in Steinbach) a birthday dessert 09/11
35. Buy 3 friends flowers
36. Go on a hot holiday
37. Sponsor a missionary we're not currently sponsoring
38. Email or call Monique once a week for 3 months
39. Email or call Karyn once a week for 3 months
40. Go on a date night once a month 2/32- we went to the Forks tonight 08/08
41. Invite a new friend out for a meal
42. Bake for 5 friends 5/5
43. Take my parents out for supper
44. Have pictures taken with Karyn and Monique

Out and About
45. Eat at 5 new restaurants 5/5
46. Eat at my old Boston Pizza (for some reason I just haven't been going back)- Went 9/5/08
47. Go to a Goldeye's Game
48. Go to two Bomber Games 0/2
49. Eat outside 10 days in 3 weeks 0/10
50. Eat at the dining room table every day for a month
51. Go to a concert
52. Try 5 new flavours of gelati 2/5- first new flavour tried was Blood Orange 08-15, Pink Grapefruit 08-17

Healthy Living
53. Get a gym membership
54. Go to the Gym 3 times a week for 6 months
55. Eat vegetarian once a week for 6 weeks 0/6
56. Lose 10 pounds and keep it off for 6 months
57. Be in bed by 10pm for 2 weeks
58. Wake up before 7 am for 3 weeks
59. Watch no TV for one month
60. Quit biting my nails for 4 months
61. Reward myself for not biting nails by having one manicure a month for every month without biting
62. Don't eat fried chips for two months
63. Drink only water for three weeks

Home to Stay
64. Create a sports room with Steve
65. Paint a room in our house by myself
66. Create a welcoming guest/Karyn + Monique room
67. Have flowers waiting for overnight guests
68. Start a garden
69. Buy a Christmas Tree
70. Buy a Christmas Tree Skirt
71. Install new lights, one of which must be done by me.
72. Buy or make curtains for the upstairs 1/6
73. Repaint the blue squares
74. Repaint the stripe
75. Get couches for the basement
76. Get two new pieces of art/mirrors 1/2
77. Shop at the farmers market 3 times
78. Paint the bathroom
79. Read daily for 15 minutes, for one month
80. Install a wet-bar downstairs
81. Host a party in the new house
82. Install dishwasher
83. Replace the mirror in the bathroom
84. Refinish one piece of furniture for the house
85. Honour Renee in one way in our house

Organization
86. Label my files in my filing cabinet at home and at school
87. Frame three pictures I have taken 0/3
88. Start and Finish our wedding album
89. Make a new list by May 12, 2011- by then the list may include... kids...

Can't Put it in a Category
90. Take a cooking class
91. Take a dance class
92. Watch all the seasons of SATC- started with season 3- 09/12
93. Start putting money into RRSP's
94. Read 10 non-teaching books - 5/10
95. Incur no late fees at the library for 1 year (this may be hard)- Started August 16 with a clean slate!
96. Watch a sunset
97. Watch a sunrise- I drive into the sunrise every morning
98. Get a pet
99. Go credit card-less for one month
100. Watch our wedding video (yes, it's been 3 years and we haven't watched it)
101. Blog 3 times a week for 2 months

Packing, Purging and a little more Christmas

Today, my first "official" day of Christmas holidays I did put out some more Christmas ornaments, I went to my mom's for coffee, I went grocery shopping (oh me oh my what a gong show), I attempted to purge some of the excess stuff out of our apartment (which of course Steve is not inclined to feel as excess), I cleaned, I washed the floor, I made supper and cooked a pumpkin that has been sitting in my storage room for way too long. All in all a very successful day.

it might not look like Christmas...

But it feels like Christmas. And I am not referring to the world around us I am strictly referring to our apartment. With the plan being to pack up most of our worldly possessions over Christmas I did not want to haul out the ornaments and then put them all away. So instead we have one... solitary ornament hanging from the chandelier. But under the chandelier is our table, which is full of presents.

I have shopped for... my 22 students, my parents, my brothers, Steve's parents, the two people we have on Steve's side, my mentor teachers, supplies for Steve's presents and the person for whom I'm a secret Santa at school.

I have made presents (Strawberry jam and other things) for... some little ladies, my carpool girls, other friends, and my husband.

Steve went shopping today too for ME. Yes, the only person he is responsible to shop for.

Some things I'm excited for this Christmas-
- Celebrating Christ's birth
- Giving the above said gifts
- Spending time with family and friends
- Having my Christmas party with my students on Friday
- Singing Christmas songs (although I decided today I really don't like We Three Kings)
- Having two weeks to "relax"
- Having two weeks to get ready for having two half-time classes
- Having Monique home for at least a couple days and going Boxing Day shopping with her
- Packing up this apartment because it means we're that much closer to getting into our house
- Having Kurtis' girlfriend at our Christmas dinner (this Saturday)
- ... okay getting gifts....

It may be super duper cold but I am very excited for Christmas this year (and even more excited that the next time I need to go shopping is on Boxing Day)

Merry Christmas to all my blog readers!

Cheers!
Krista

More good news

So tomorrow morning all our conditions will be satisfied and they can finally put the sold sign on the house. I'm so excited that this long week of stress has come to an end. And part of what makes the financial stress go away is that I was offered a second half-time position today, which of course... equals full-time. YAY! I will be teaching a second Kindergarten class in Mitchell in the mornings and then coming back to my afternoon position in Steinbach. It will be very busy but it should be "fun". It will become a little easier when we move (on February 13th) and I don't have that hour and a half to commute every day. I've subbed in that class a couple weeks ago and it went really well so I'm expecting all to be well.

So my 101 can now be updated-

My List
1. Buy a house
2. Get a full-time permanent job

Purchases and Creations
3. Buy a new coffee table
4. Get a label maker
5. Buy a new TV stand
6. Get a KitchenAid Stand mixer
7. Get a food processor .... on my Christmas list
8. Buy a bike
9. Buy a new computer
10. Buy a piece of jewelry at Tiffany's- I have my eye on this http://tinyurl.com/4f34gf
11. Make an upholstered headboard
12. Make pillows for the couch
13. Make a gift for a friend
14. Sew 4 things 4/4
15. Buy a new(er) car (I would like a Mazda 3)
16. Make bread from scratch (And it has to taste good)
17. Get two new games 2/2... I got Scotland Yard for Christmas and Steve got Deal or No Deal (our household acquired two new games)

People and Places
18. Go to New York with Steve (I've been twice, and he would really love to go)
19. Go to the observation deck of the Empire State Building
20. Go on a plane with Steve (he's been on a few planes, I've been on more but never together)
21. Go to camp for two weeks (not necessarily in the same year)
22. Make Steve breakfast in bed
23. Go camping with just Steve
24. Go on an anniversary trip (probably won't include #23)
25. Go on a road trip longer then 6 hours away
26. Throw a birthday party - My mom's 50th bday party- 09/07/08
27. Have a dinner party once a month for 6 months 2/6
28. Visit a new state
29. Cook a meal for my family
30. Cook a meal for Steve's family (I think this will have to be after we buy a house, there's not room for all of them in our apartment) - By not saying entire family I am completing this 09/13 for my Mother-In-Law's bday- there will be a couple family members missing but we invited them all.
31. Have photos taken of the two of us
32. Send out Christmas cards (most likely including #31)
33. Have family pictures taken with my family
34. Visit 3 out of town family members 2/3
I brought my SIL (in Steinbach) a birthday dessert 09/11
35. Buy 3 friends flowers 2/3
36. Go on a hot holiday
37. Sponsor a missionary we're not currently sponsoring
38. Email or call Monique once a week for 3 months
39. Email or call Karyn once a week for 3 months
40. Go on a date night once a month 2/32- we went to the Forks tonight 08/08
41. Invite a new friend out for a meal
42. Bake for 5 friends 5/5
43. Take my parents out for supper
44. Have pictures taken with Karyn and Monique

Out and About
45. Eat at 5 new restaurants 5/5
46. Eat at my old Boston Pizza (for some reason I just haven't been going back)- Went 9/5/08
47. Go to a Goldeye's Game
48. Go to two Bomber Games 0/2
49. Eat outside 10 days in 3 weeks 0/10
50. Eat at the dining room table every day for a month
51. Go to a concert
52. Try 5 new flavours of gelati 2/5- first new flavour tried was Blood Orange 08-15, Pink Grapefruit 08-17

Healthy Living
53. Get a gym membership
54. Go to the Gym 3 times a week for 6 months
55. Eat vegetarian once a week for 6 weeks 0/6
56. Lose 10 pounds and keep it off for 6 months
57. Be in bed by 10pm for 2 weeks
58. Wake up before 7 am for 3 weeks
59. Watch no TV for one month
60. Quit biting my nails for 4 months
61. Reward myself for not biting nails by having one manicure a month for every month without biting
62. Don't eat fried chips for two months
63. Drink only water for three weeks

Home to Stay
64. Create a sports room with Steve
65. Paint a room in our house by myself
66. Create a welcoming guest/Karyn + Monique room
67. Have flowers waiting for overnight guests
68. Start a garden
69. Buy a Christmas Tree
70. Buy a Christmas Tree Skirt
71. Install new lights, one of which must be done by me.
72. Buy or make curtains for the upstairs 0/6
73. Repaint the blue squares
74. Repaint the stripe
75. Get couches for the basement
76. Get two new pieces of art/mirrors 0/3
77. Shop at the farmers market 3 times
78. Paint bathroom
79. Read daily for 15 minutes, for one month
80. Install a wet-bar downstairs
81. Host a party in the new house
82. Install dishwasher
83. Replace mirror in the bathroom
84. Refinish one piece of furniture for the house
85. Honour Renee in one way in our house

Organization
86. Label my files in my filing cabinet at home and at school
87. Frame three pictures I have taken 0/3
88. Start and Finish our wedding album
89. Make a new list by May 12, 2011- by then the list may include... kids...

Can't Put it in a Category
90. Take a cooking class
91. Take a dance class
92. Watch all the seasons of SATC- started with season 3- 09/12
93. Start putting money into RRSP's
94. Read 10 non-teaching books - I've read False Witness, and Good-Byes are Always Hard
95. Incur no late fees at the library for 1 year (this may be hard)- Started August 16 with a clean slate!
96. Watch a sunset
97. Watch a sunrise- I drive into the sunrise every morning
98. Get a pet
99. Go credit card-less for one month
100. Watch our wedding video (yes, it's been 3 years and we haven't watched it)
101. Blog 3 times a week for 2 months