Quick, before I get Sidetrack'd

It’s Spring which means it’s time for Matt and I to embark on some home renovation projects!

Three years ago we replaced the furnace (J was a week old). Two years ago we repainted the kitchen and laundry room including trim and chair railings. Last year we had the siding on the house replaced. This year we’re embarking on the biggest set of projects yet (as far as work for us Matt is concerned).

It all started when we decided to redo floors. Our kitchen floor has needed to be replaced for a while now, so that was the first project in the plan. We’ve also wanted to lay wood floors in the living room and hallway since our light colored carpet is hard to keep clean in the high traffic areas, so add that to the list.

Then, when we were discussing flooring options for the living room, we decided that we would be able to choose from more finishes if we painted the brick fireplace and hearth, the list keeps growing. And, while we’re painting, let’s go ahead and paint the walls in the living room. I’ve long (like not long after it was put on the walls 5 years ago) disliked the wall color in our living room. The amount of work that we’ll have to put into painting (the walls are painted veneer paneling) has made us put it off. However, now that we’re replacing carpet and will have the living room torn up for a while anyway, we might as well take the opportunity to make the room like we want it.

So, Matt started painting the fireplace and hearth this week, he’s planning to work on the kitchen floor this weekend, and then we’ll paint the living room walls before embarking on the living room/hallway floors.

Should be an exciting Spring!

Still pregnant…

38 1/2 weeks. Good heartbeat. Good movement. Good blood pressure. A few more contractions. A little more discomfort. A little less sleep. Ready to pop. Waiting to see what the next few days hold.

There hasn’t been too much to report this week. Little and I have been enjoying the warm, sunny days with lots of visits to the park and outside play time. Matt planted flowers in our flower beds over the weekend and some in pots last night; it is nice to see the color outside the windows after the drab winter. Little refers to the flowers as “da-da’s fowfers” everytime she sees them. Now we’re gearing up for more rain this afternoon and tonight and a few-day cold snap (hopefully the last of the season).

Hope you are all having a wonderful week!

Spring officially began two weeks ago, and our weather has definitely been Spring-like. The temps have ranged from highs in the low-50s to the mid-70s. We’ve had super windy days (I’ve never lived anywhere with wind like we have here). More than anything we’ve had rain. Lots and lots of rain.

Our lawn is saturated to the point that puddles (and rivulets) form. And the rain continues to come – sometimes light and drizzly, sometimes (like today) in heavy downpours – and the overcast skies only break on rare occasions.

And as much as I would like a warm, sunny day so we can play outside, I look out the windows and see the signs of life renewing – grass greening, plants and flower leaves poking out of the ground, trees budding – and know that the rain is necessary for this revival. In order to have the Spring greens and beautiful flowers that I enjoy so much, we must go through the rainy season that refreshes the earth.

Sometimes life is that way; the rains seem to come constantly and in heavy downpours. When we hold on through the rainy season we come out refreshed, renewed, and ready to enjoy the sunshine.

I know that the rain will pass (and later in the summer we’ll be wishing for rain) and the sun will shine again. That is God’s promise, and he is always faithful to keep his promises.

Today is a good day because it is:

a) the first official day of Spring
b) my birthday
c) the beginning of the Spring Reading Thing
d) time for a Sidetrack’d giveaway (check it out here)
e) all of the above

If you picked “e”, congratulations and happy March 20th!

I’m having a bit of a tough time with my reading list this Spring.  In fact, I wasn’t sure I was going to participate in SRT at all, but since I know I’ll be reading anyway, I might as well set a few goals.  My reading will be complicated by a few things: first, Boo’s arrival in a few weeks will definitely impact the time and energy I have to devote to reading; second, my local library is changing locations and is closed for the next couple of weeks (this could make it a bit more difficult to get some of my books); and third, I’m having trouble deciding what I want to read.  As always, I reserve the right to add to, subtract from, or alter this list as I see fit.

And with all my excuses out of the way, here is my list…

Non-fiction:
John Adams by David McCullough
Stepping Heavenward by Elizabeth Prentiss
A Midwife’s Story by Penny Armstrong
The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth by Henci Goer
The Complete Book of Sewing by DK Publishing (won’t finish this one by June)

Fiction:
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Austenland by Shannon Hale
The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory
Mater Biscuit by Julie Cannon

Bible Study:
Until the baby arrives, I’ll be continuing my study of the gospel of Matthew through Bible Study Fellowship International; after that, I haven’t yet decided what I will do.

The books listed here will be added to my bookshelf in the sidebar and will remain there until the challenge is completed (or I get them read if I don’t finish by June).

For more information on the Spring Reading Thing or to view the other participants lists, click on the button at the top of this post.

Happy Reading!

To celebrate Spring and the Spring Reading Thing, Sidetrack’d is hosting a book giveaway!

An Irish Country Doctor by Patrick Taylor

This was a light and fun read that left me with much the same feeling as the books in Jan Karon’s Mitford series.  Living in the small, rural Irish town of Ballybucklebo during the mid-twentieth century, the two main characters endear themselves to you with their quirks, faults, and the way they interact with each other and the interesting clients of their medical practice.  If you are looking for a warm and happy read, I would recommend you check this one out.

From the back of the book:

Barry Laverty, M.B. can barely find the Northern Ireland village of Ballybucklebo on a map when he first sets out to seek gainful employment there.  But Barry jumps at the chance to secure a position as an assistant in a small rural practice.

At least until he meets Dr. Fingal Flahertie O’Reilly.

The older physician has his own way of doing things.  At first, Barry can’t decide if the pugnacious O’Reilly is the biggest charlatan he has ever met or the best teacher he could ever hope for.  Through O’Reilly, Barry soon gets to know all of the village’s colorful and endearing residents and a host of other eccentric characters who make every day an education for the inexperienced young doctor.

Ballybucklebo is a long way from Belfast, and Barry is quick to discover that he still has a lot to learn about country life.  But with pluck and compassion, and only the slightest touch of blarney, he will find out more about life – and love – than he ever imagined back in medical school.

If you would like to be entered in the drawing for this book, leave a comment on this post; you don’t have to be a blogger to win, just be sure to leave a valid e-mail address when you comment.  I will close the contest around noon on Friday, March 28, and determine a winner using the random number generator at random.org.  The winner will be announced here at Sidetrack’d and notified by e-mail and/or a comment on their personal blog.  This is my personal copy of this book, so it has been gently read.  I will be happy to ship to US addresses via USPS parcel post or media mail.

I hope to have a couple more giveaways during the Spring Reading Thing, so check back over the next several weeks.