Nesting
I asked Chris for a clean and organized house for Christmas. I've been so tired again in the third trimester and busy with work that I find it very difficult to just keep up with weekly cleaning. Compound that with the poor organizational tools we have, and I have found myself too overwhelmed to even start. I tried to pull out my FlyLady routine again, but I just couldn't get it started. I am, generally, okay with it because I am pregnant and it is more important to take care of ME than my house. Still, it would be really nice for it to just happen. Hence, asking for Chris to do it for my Christmas present. Unfortunately, cleaning is not his thing, and it really wouldn't be a gift if I have to keep hounding him to do it.
So yesterday, I started, and I made him help me. Our bathroom has been quite neglected because we are the only people who use it. (Guests use the main bathroom.) It has awful blue flowered wallpaper, a brown toilet and sink, but a beautifully HUGE shower stall! I attacked it with a vengence. I gave Chris the bleach for the shower stall since we have really hard water and it always stains. I took down the white 80's shelving that was in there and installed some polished chrome shelving. Then I emptied the medicine cabinet and our drawers and tossed everything we don't use on a regular basis. I replaced the leopard print toothbrush holder and soap dispenser (left over from my college days...) with a sleek black and chrome set. I put out some apothecary jars for cotton balls and q-tips rather than the packaging they come in. Now, I just need to take the wallpaper down and replace the toilet and sink with a more contemporary style. I have a dream!!
I put up our Christmas tree too. Again, being pregnant and tired (and realizing I would have to take the tree down when I am 8 months pregnant and probably more uncomfortable and tired than I am now), I opted not to hang our ornaments. So our tree is just lights, strings of pearls, and some velvet ribbon tied onto the branches. Frankly, I think it's very pretty. I'm thinking I might go get some silk poinsetta flowers to just stick in between the branches and bring some more color to the tree.
We had a major snow storm in Wisconsin today. I use our balcony as a judge for how much snow we get. Today, it was reported that we received about 6 inches of snow on the northside of Milwaukee, and I wouldn't doubt it, especially since we're further away from the Lake.
On to the knitting...
I finished a Baby Surprise Jacket for Benjamin. I have a lot of thanks to give to Jenny for this! She sent me all the materials I needed for this jacket: the pattern, the yarn, the stitch holders. It really is a leap of faith when creating this jacket! It's going to become part of his coming home outfit...as soon as I can find buttons that match it. I'm trying to decide if the cabled hat I knit earlier matches it, or if I need a darker grey to make it work.
Pattern: Baby Surprise Jacket by Elizabeth Zimmerman
Yarn: KnitPicks Memories in Yukon; 1 1/4 skeins
Needles: US 5