Whew!

It seems like things are really starting to pile up!

• I cleaned out more of my kitchen and ended up with 5.5 bags of plastic type stuff that will be sorted, sold or donated next spring. It was crazy the amount of space it cleared up!

• I fixed my washer! My Dad had knee surgery so he guided me through the process. My front load washer is so easy to fix. It is a motor, a pump, two hoses and four legs that bounce with the drum. That's it! I took the pump off the big hose and there was a finishing nail in the blade (from the crown molding in the nursery). Four screws off the pump and the nail just fell out. I was able to get it all back together (with help from Dad on the hoses, I couldn't get those suckers back on) and now it works! I have to buy new screws to put the front back on because they were rusted but besides that - tada!

• Our TAs are sitting with DHL because my agency isn't open on Friday. So on Monday we'll have a tentative travel date we think. It seems the consulate is returning appointments in just a couple of days. YAY!

• I have been buying even more stuff to take to China. I know on some things I'm taking too much (like fancy trail mix from Target) but I know that if I do get sick, this is what I'll want to eat. I also don't want to compromise my cleanliness while there. Nothing grosses me out more than to read families in China wearing the same clothes over and over without washing them. I have soap. A lot of soap. Paper soap, liquid soap. Soap for clothes, soap for hands, soap for body, hair and special soap for the baby.
  

• I ordered my jeans from Walmart of all places. They have $10 jeans that are perfect for China. If they get screwed up in the wash it doesn't matter. I'll yardsale them when I get back. Basically I got 3 pair for less than one pair of my normal brand!

• I also found my new tennis shoes for the trip. New Balance, $27 after coupon today from Shoe Carnival! How cool is that?

• I think I am going to buy this...

or maybe cranberry straps with this inside



It is a BabyHawk carrier - $80 eeck! But I really like them and I am just going to have to break down and get it!

• Hmm so let me think. I am organizing the nursery, buying shelving. I stuff the pillow shams and I'll be hanging the quilt tomorrow along with the curtain rods. I've put all her stuffed animals in a big cloth bag to store them until she's ready for them (I know there are too many).

• I also bought this digital camera today. I am not sure if I am going to keep it or not, it takes rechargable batteries. My other Easyshare charged on a base and lasted all day long. I guess a bonus with having batteries is you can have 2 or 3 sets charged for really busy days. My old camera paused a bit in Vegas when I was taking pictures. I am afraid I'll miss something because the camera is pausing, putting the last image on the disk.

Old Camera

New Camera


The zoom is about double. And the lens is huge (and I am not sure why lol). The buttons and setting are the same and the new one is a 7.1 compared to a 6.1. Internal and external memory is the same. Both take 80 minutes of video on the internal card and I have 6 GB of external memory cards. I need a camera person to help me decide!

Ok I think that is it for now. The rambling of this post is much like my life now. I am flittering around, doing a little here and a little there. I need to focus!