O great mysteries of the world!

Why do boxes of lasagna noodles come with 16 or 20 noodles, when most standard recipes call for 12 noodles???  Too many for one batch, too few for two.  I could understand one or two extra for redundancy against breakage or tearing, but this is just silly. 

It makes me twitchy.

37 weeks

Nesting, Part 2

Well, here's an update on all of the projects going on around Pine Hill in preparation for baby's arrival.

Last weekend, thanks to amazing Tyler and stupendous Monique, we were able to complete the "double vanity" project in the master bathroom.  Check it out:

Before

After

So what's the next project for the man of the house?  That would be ripping out the old exterior access to the basement, and building an awesome new lower deck to serve as, among other things, covered storage for the snowblower. Here's the beginning and the progress...

My fabulous mom was in town last week/this weekend to help set up the nursery and prepare for the baby.  She also got roped into sealing decking pieces for this project.  In her "office with a view":

Oh yeah, so she was also here to help with the nursery... and boy did we make progress.  So the "theme" is loosely camping, the outdoors, forest creatures, the mountains, etc. etc.  So on the crib wall, we painted a mural of aspen trees:

Over the changing table, we hung canvases of various campsites of ours and one of our Jeeps in the mountains:

The sitting/nursing area is mostly the same, just set up a little nicer with the lamp and stereo.  We have the valances (temporarily hung in the window here), but my mom is going to make some burlap shades to go underneath them, and then we'll hang them up properly:

We also spent lots of time doing laundry, organizing the armoire and changing table with bins, shopping for the  baby essentials still needed, and packing up the birth bags.  It seems like we are really ready to have a baby!  This is a good thing too, because I have been fatigued, nauseous, without appetite, and having some fairly strong practice contractions over the past three days.  I fully realize that by saying this, I virtually guarantee that I will still be pregnant at 42 weeks, but the reality that he *could* come early is still setting in, and I'm glad that we're ready.

Here's a bonus picture -- my dear Caitlin knitted us a nerd blanket.  I don't know if you can read it that well, but the first row says "E=mc2", second row says "V=IR," and third row says "F=ma."  It makes this nerd-mama's heart happy.

 Clearly this kid is going to get the right start.

Stay tuned for more updates to the new lower deck... there's already been enough progress for me to take another round of pics.  I can't keep up!!

Male nesting

Ah yes, 35 weeks of pregnancy, and the nesting urges are setting in.  The crib has been assembled.  Layette is being laundered.  Instructions for car seat installation are being reviewed.

And my husband has ripped out our bathroom sink:

In fairness, we've been wanting to do this for some time... replace the single vanity in our master bath with a double, and I am supremely excited to see the project started.  Not to mention that demo is fun!

But I'm completely amused to watch the male of the species doing the nesting ritual right along with me. And tear up the drywall in anticipation of his boy-child.

Oh you need a "before" picture?  Here you go:

We also bought a new refrigerator today, thanks to a fire sale at going-out-of-business Ultimate Electronics.  Stay tuned for more exciting nesting updates. ;o)