Many changes to write about. I got tired of the old blue template for this blog, I made that one with an online template generator, but it did not work well with the new version of Blogger....so I waited for new templates to be created. I found this one today, and I like it well enough for now, so I'm all moved in...for a while, anyway. I tend to change templates fairly often. I may look into WordPress later. I haven't blogged in a while, but I am back now.

In July, my daughter called me to tell me that she and her husband had received a real estate flyer in the mail. She said she didn't think anything would come of it, but she filled it out and returned it, and they were pre-qualified to buy a house. So she gave me the name of the buyer's agent, and I called to find out more. Later that afternoon, the buyer's agent called to say WE were also pre-qualified, and when did we want to go look at houses? The next day was a Saturday, and we met the buyer's agent, who brought us out to a small, semi-rural town about 40 miles from our apartment, and we walked through three of the model homes in a newly developing community. I immediately felt a huge wave of peace about the community and about the house and even about moving here...which I did not expect. Every time before when I have even thought about leaving Austin, I would panic...but not this time. I could almost literally hear God saying, "yes, this is what I have for you. Come on." We talked it over, and finally chose a floor plan that is 1300 square feet, 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. The master bedroom is almost twice the size of the one in the apartment, with a huge bath inside the suite. There is a linen closet just inside the bathroom door, with a huge walk in closet on the other end of the bathroom. It sounds like it would be awful......but it is not at all. It works beautifully. All of the appliances are included, too. We have a digital range, range hood, dishwasher, refrigerator-freezer with ice maker, dishwasher, disposal, and a washer and dryer.

On August 4, we signed a contract to purchase the home, and paid a small amount as earnest money. Then in September, we met with the loan counselor at the mortgage company, and filled out an application for the mortgage. The loan processor worked with us then, and the loan was approved in early October (after we'd spent about six weeks "chasing paper" to collect all of the needed documentation for the loan. It had been raining more than usual all summer, and I was a little concerned that the weather would delay construction of the house...but it stopped raining, and construction began in mid-October.

We came out to the property once or twice per week while the house was under construction. We saw empty land (grass, rocks, and sunflowers) the first time we came out to our property. Then the foundation was poured, and we took the opportunity to anoint the foundation of the house with myrrh oil to bless the house and dedicate it to God. (We also blessed the foundation of one or two of our neighbors' homes, because we could not tell for sure which one was ours...) When we did meet one of the neighbors as we were leaving the sales office after closing, I mentioned we had blessed their home...just in case. The wife laughed and said, "we can use all the blessings we can get." I like them both.

We did take photos of each stage of the construction, and it was so wonderful to watch the house take shape. I was able to come inside for the first time just before the house was completed. I love the layout of the floor plan. There is abundant natural light during the day, so no electric light is needed. The living room windows, the patio doors, and the bedroom windows are all on the back wall of the house, with my office window on the front, and the guest room window on the right side of the house. The windows are double paned, and insulation is excellent, so we don't lose much heat at all. It was 34 degrees outside, but it was 70 degrees inside, without the heat on.

We closed on the house on November 15th, and I made it all the way through the closing...then I cried when the keys were placed in my hand. What an incredible feeling! We brought the girls to closing with us, and Jay and I came home and reset all of the locks so that the builder's locks were disabled. I stayed at the house to wait for the telephone installer, and Jay went back to the apartment to wait for the movers. We were in the house for the first night on the 15th, and Jay turned off the lights when we were going to bed...and literally could not see his hand in front of his face! It is so quiet here, my stress level has dropped quite a bit.

I was able to work on Friday the 16th after the internet was connected...and the satellite was installed for the television (no cable out here yet) on Saturday. Then the satellite had to be moved to the back of the house on Monday, to avoid a fine from the homeowners' association...but it's fine now.

We had arranged for the utilities to be transferred into our names prior to closing, so that was one detail we did not have to manage after closing. We are working on unpacking, and we did buy shower curtain rods and water hoses and sprinklers already.

My second grandson, Ryan Anthony, was born at 5 PM on my birthday, Valentine's Day. He weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces and was 19 inches long. He and his mother made it through the delivery just fine, and they went home from the hospital the following day. Now Dylan is getting accustomed to being a big brother.

Some people collect stamps. Some collect coins. I collect links. I can't help it. I'm a packrat when it comes to good computer applications and links to the plethora of websites I come across every week.

I am a long-time reader of Chris Pirillo's Lockergnome newsletter, one of the first newsletters I found when I began learning about computers and technology. I still find lots of good information in LG. Chris has recently developed Pirillo's Picks, a daily, weekday e mail with links to various sites he finds interesting and useful. Thanks to Pirillo's Picks, I've already found some good software and informative sites that I might not otherwise have found. You can subscribe to it by sending an e mail to picks@lockegnome.com.

I've migrated my blogs to the NEW version of Blogger. I'm going to spend some time looking at all of the new features, and it is likely my template(s) will change. Now I can go through all of the e mail tips I've been saving to see which ones I want to use.

We've been inundated with rain (5 inches on Saturday), sleet, ice...and snow is forecast for tonight and tomorrow, into Wednesday. Passing strange, in this part of the country. I did not go to work today, and may work at home through Wednesday, depending on how fast the weather clears. Bill Engvall has a comedy routine about how the State shuts down when ice and snow occur in places where it is unusual. And he's pegged it: schools close, businesses shut down, people stock up on all kinds of necessities in the event of power outages. If this were Chicago, it would not be news; it would just be winter. Down here, it's major news coverage. The news calls this "Ice Storm '07." My goodness. I just call it c-c-c-cold!

Lauren has just five more weeks until the baby (to be named Ryan, which I think is a wonderful choice) arrives. I worry about her driving on icy roads, so I hope things warm up quickly.

The induction phase of the South Beach diet is almost over. On to Phase Two in just a couple of days. That will last as long as it takes to lose the desired amount of weight, then Phase Three will maintain weight loss.

Many people make New Year's resolutions. I do not; I gave it up a long time ago. But this year, Jay and I are embarking on a change in our lifestyles. We both need to lose weight for health reasons and because it's just time to do so. I was at the doctor's office a short time ago, and noticed a handout he put together that has a variant of the South Beach Diet's induction phase. I asked him about it, and he said the South Beach Diet is medically sound and was created by a cardiologist. My doctor did recommend the South Beach Diet. Rather than use the handout, I went out and bought the book. Jay and I agreed to begin the diet right after the holidays, according to the guidelines in the book.

We started with dinner last Monday night, so we have about another week to go on the induction phase which is stage one of the plan. We have radically cut our use of fat and sugar, and have had no soft drinks at all. For someone who was accustomed to drinking soda several times per week, it hasn't been nearly as bad as I expected. In fact, if I never drink another soda, it wouldn't bother me a bit. We are eating fish, seafood, some lean beef, skinless chicken breast and lots of fresh vegetables. No breads, pastries, baked goods, rice, pasta, corn, potatoes or carrots. We are using small amounts of olive oil for broiling and for salad dressing, along with a balsamic vinegarette.

The most surprising thing about this diet is that I plan to stick to it indefinitely. Sure, there are times when I'd like a sandwich, but the carbohydrates will be reintroduced later in the plan, in moderation. I have had surprisingly few times when I have "missed" the foods not allowed in this stage of the diet. It is a mind-shift and a lifestyle change in the best sense. I already feel more alert, and energetic. The weight loss will be an added benefit; I'm in it for the long haul.

A little while ago, I came across GiveAway of the Day, a really good website offering a free software package daily. Each GiveAway file offered is available for 24 hours. If you want to download the package, you must also install it and activate it using an activation file inside the package, all within the 24 hour period. Note: If you need to reformat your hard drive, the GiveAway file(s) you've downloaded/installed/activated will no longer be available...but you can always choose to purchase licenses for the packages you like if you want to download them again from the home pages of each product.

This software is not "trial" versions or crippled in any way, assuming it is activated within the 24 hour period in which it is available. And, new software is available each day. This is a site I bookmarked almost immediately, and one I visit on a daily basis.
No, I haven't downloaded every available package...but the ones I have downloaded are useful and of excellent quality. The software is of various types: Screensavers, organizers (such as for notes and personal information or mp3 collections) and more. Well worth checking out.

Nope, I haven't fallen off the planet. Truth be told, I've been waiting to see if the "invitation" from Blogger would come so that I can migrate this blog to the new version of Blogger. So far, it hasn't happened....I've set up a test blog on Blogger Beta...but I don't want to get too far into it, until I can move this one over. Meantime, I'm collecting all the Blogger Beta tips and information I come across.

Lauren's pregnancy is progressing well; she and the baby are both doing well. She originally was told that the baby would be a girl; now she is told it is a boy. I don't care which gender he/she is. I do care that they are both healthy.

Dylan is by now aware of the baby. He mentioned something to his mother about her tummy being big, and she told him, "there's a baby inside." Dylan went to his dad, and said, "Daddy! there's a baby in the belly!" He will be here tomorrow night, maybe to spend the night...his parents have a date.

I continue to maintain my website for Babble resources. I have to move the calendars to a new service this weekend and possibly this will take a couple of weeks; it will be done before Thanksgiving.

I've been up since roughly 3 AM (don't ask), and since I was home today, I decided it was time for some much-needed reorganization of my files/email/software. I've been letting e mail pile up to ridiculous proportions (between work, life, Babble and other pursuits, something definitely had to give.) So when I finally got around to really looking at my e mail, it was huge. I've read, sorted, deleted and replied to more e mail today than I have since early June. Now it's back to manageable size again, and should be easier to maintain. The problem has to do with information overload, I think. I subscribe to several newsletters having to do with blogging, software/freeware reviews, computer tips and the like...things that look interesting, when I have time to really look into them...and I decided I either needed to clear up the backlog or (horrors!) unsubscribe to some of them.

I came across some good freeware in the process, plus a couple of blogging hacks I do want to implement. See the right sidebar for links to the freeware.

In the process of cleaning house, Jay and I collected a number of new, unread paperbacks and hardback books that are now in a neat stack on a shelf that I can reach quickly. I'm working on finishing one book before I begin another. (Time management 101: never have *too* many projects going at a time, unless you are in college, then all bets are off).

Jay and I are thinking about and discussing a possible weekend trip we may take in late September/early October to celebrate a major personal milestone of his. We are thinking about taking Dylan with us to visit The San Antonio Zoo and the Alamo.
The girls will be boarded at the vet's for the weekend of the trip; it isn't fair to take them with us.

Last weekend, we went shopping. I bought myself a new toy that should make holiday cooking and baking a breeze.

My office has relocated as of ten days ago. The new space is much larger, lighter, brighter, and quieter than our former office ever was or could be. Evwn the lighting is better. The new phone system is cutting edge, which is also a huge help, and more new staff will be hired. It took all summer for contractors to renovate and prepare the new space, and about a month to six weeks to get ready for the actual move. It was totally worth it.

Lauren has her first visit with her obstetrician this week; she has promised me she will provide an update as soon as she knows anything.

Currently reading: Seizure, by Robin Cook; I also bought The Husband, by Dean Koontz. What fun! I have several other good books waiting when I'm finished with these.

I gave all of my crocheting supplies to Lauren, so she can work on things for the baby. Despite my best efforts, my hands just would not cooperate with the program, and I couldn't hold the yarn correctly to do any good. I ended up with significant pain from my wrist to elbow, and it just isn't worth an injury. So I will be content with baking.

I did start a new hobby, however: Container gardening. Currently, I have aloe vera, an ivy, bell pepper, tomatoe plants, and an avocado, and they are all thriving. I did not think anything would grow because I've never had much luck before, so it's a nice surprise. I'm planning to create my own herb garden in the spring, since it's so late in the year now.

Ok, I freely admit: Martha Stewart I am not. I've never been one to always have craft projects in progress. But with the new baby, I've decided I'm going to teach myself to crochet. I went out and bought yarn, hooks, and other supplies...and I'm set. But...even the most basic chain stitch is eluding me, at least for the moment. The booklet I have says, "it's easy to do." Right. But I refuse to just give up. I've found numerous online resources (instructions, patterns, message boards, even videos...and I do have friends who can crochet...so, one way or another, I am going to learn! (I think grandmothers HAVE to be able to do something to get ready for a new baby...and this is what I am choosing. I already bake.)

I want to be able to create a baby's blanket. Nothing too fancy. I'm not asking for the impossible...at least, I don't think so. And, I like the portability of crochet; it can go almost anywhere, although I probably won't take it to church. Now, if I can just keep the girls out of the yarn basket...

I have finally put a decent amount of RAM in my computer. Jay took the CPU in to our favorite computer technician after two attempts to install new RAM at home didn't work too well. The technician put two sticks of RAM in, and now it runs much faster. He did say that since this machine is a few years old it might be time to start thinking about getting a new one. I generally buy a new computer every four to five years, and this one is four years old. The one he showed us is a nice machine for a decent price, but it has Windows XP Home OS. No problem. I have a legitimate copy of XP Pro I could probably install to upgrade the OS...but I'm wondering if I can wait a while. I might want to at least look at Vista...whether I buy it or not is still open to consideration. I've got an awful lot of software (freeware and commercial), and I want to be sure that it will work in Vista before I jump. Plus, I just want to check out Vista to see if I can live and work with it or not. Anyway, there's always Linux. *Sigh*. So many choices...

was just another ordinary day...until the phone rang. I have been unable to stop smiling since then. Lauren called, and we chatted for a bit. Jay and I have been thinking about buying a duplex and doing a rent-to-own arrangement with Lauren and Keith. She told me if we were looking for a duplex, better get one with three bedrooms, "because if not, Dylan will need to share a room with the baby." She is pregnant! The new baby is due in March or April. While this will be her second child, in a way it's like the first time for me, since I didn't get to share the first one with her due to circumstances we had no control over. So, yes, I am excited and thrilled. It's amazing what joy the word "baby" can hold.

Dylan will be three years old by the time his new brother or sister arrives, and it couldn't be better timing. I'm glad we held on to all of his equipment. It's amazing how much "stuff" a little one needs.