fall colors, furniture, and feisty little girls

I haven't been writing much at all lately. I'm backed up with reports to get done at work before maternity leave, busy at home, and too tired to write when I finally have time at the end of the day. I do have lots of ideas for posts, and a lot going on with baby preparations, so hopefully I'll find the time to write some things down soon. 

Rainy weather dried up this morning, and when I left work at midday it was a beautiful warm and sunny day. I opened all the windows when I got home. It was so nice to have the house filled with fresh air. Our leaves are finally turning but a lot of trees have already lost their leaves. It's still pretty, though.

I wore myself out doing some housework this afternoon, made a quick trip to the grocery store and pharmacy, and stopped to unload everything at home before getting Celia from daycare. Oh, and when I say I wore myself out? All that took was sweeping the first floor, picking up some clutter, wiping down the laundry room floor, and putting a load of laundry in the washer. I can't wait to have my normal energy and stamina back! I'm also dying to start taking walks and runs again. You would think I could still go for walks, but pretty much anything gets my contractions going. 

I also snapped a couple pictures of the dining room, which finally has a table.

Looking from the kitchen into the front hall and dining room.

I'm hoping to find more chairs at yard sales or flea markets eventually. I kind of like the slightly mismatched thing. I threw a runner and pumpkin I already had onto the table, and they help tone down the serious blue wallpaper problem we have going on in there :). We won't get around to taking that wallpaper down for a while, but the room will look decent if I can get the light fixture and oak colored buffet painted dark colors, and decorate with accessories in colors that will distract from the blue.

That's about all for tonight. Guess this was a pretty random post. I am completely beat right now. Celia wore me out from the moment I picked her up at daycare today. She is in a phase of just giving me a hard time, a lot of the time. I don't know if it's because I'm her mother and spend the most time with her, because she knows the baby is coming soon, or just that she's going through a difficult stage. Some days she's a perfect angel, and other days she is constantly arguing, refusing, yelling, and whining. I don't know where she gets it from, because according to our parents Chris and I were both well-behaved, easy going little kids. Celia has had her own (very strong) personality from the start. Even when she was a preemie-sized little peanut as a newborn, all the nurses in the hospital called her feisty. At least she's very sweet and well behaved outside of home and with other adults and kids. We must be doing something right...