Today…

Outside my window: It looks nice and sunny again – yesterday was so gray and dreary and cold and rainy – it’s a serious relief to see the sun again. Here’s hoping for a week of blue skies and warm weather.

I am happy because: my husband seems to have gotten over his cold, the baby is napping, Avatar just came in the mail (finally – I was expecting it Friday) for review and most importantly – I don’t have jury duty this week! I’d all but resigned myself to the fact that it would happen but my number wasn’t called and I couldn’t be more thrilled. I was not looking forward to orchestrating the baby’s feedings through all that and I know Dan wasn’t looking forward to the prospect of working from home.

I am still reading: The Spellmans Strike Again by Lisa Lutz (squee!!!) and Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat by Michelle May – both of which I’ll be reviewing at Mommas Review when I’ve finished them.

This weekend we: did a lot of cleaning and projects around the house, bought a new hand vac finally – our old one wouldn’t hold a charge anymore. We got this Black and Decker that is very sturdy and powerful and is getting great reviews. So far we are very pleased with it – it makes our old hand vac look like a toy in comparison.

In the kitchen:

• Monday: Corn, black bean and avocado wraps or pitas
• Tuesday: Spaghetti with Sauce
• Wednesday: Taco Salad
• Thursday: Macaroni and Cheese with Veggies
• Friday: Penne a la Betsy

We also: found a new house for sale last night during a walk in the neighborhood that we both just love. We walked a little further than usual and there it was – beautiful brick detail, a front porch, a great secluded back yard with a sandbox, stone patio and play area, and a simple yet elegant kitchen with newer appliances and a nice overall layout (I got most of that information from their website, not just from the quick glance while walking by). It’s on a quiet cul de sac as opposed to a larger street which we like, in an ideal location. I highly doubt it will still be on sale next year – but it gave us hope that the kind of house we both love is out there in a price that isn’t entirely inconceivable. Maybe it will be there in a year, maybe not, but now we know something like it is out there, you know?

Some other links I think you should click:

• 26 Kitchen Organizing Tips from Real Cooks – Twitter Style at Simple Bites
• Favorite Family Ritual Ideas at Babycenter.com
• Goal Setting for Exercise and Weight Loss at Blissfully Domestic
• The Right Way (And The Wrong Way) to Make Cinnamon Toast at The Pioneer Woman Cooks
• The Best Cooking Tips Ever at Almost Vegetarian

One last thing I want to tell you about before I go: the other night Dan gave the baby her first plain old fashioned tub bath (as in, no infant tub or giant inflatable rubber ducky tub like we used with MM for a really long time because I have issues) and she did so well – I was all manic nervous mommy at first but she was totally fine and loved it – and she made a new friend.