Finish Line Joys!

So here we are. The last day, the last blog and the last joys of the 2010. I don't know about you, but I'm glad to be crossing this finish line (I might be waddling slowly, but I'm finishing, dang it!). In honor of finishing, I thought I'd include some joys that involve completion.

 91) I have had a major jewelry problem for the past several years, in that I have had too much jewelry to fit in any box that I could find. I don't wear very much jewelry, but I like to get and buy it, so that leads me to needing adequate display/storage, especially for my necklaces. A few months ago, I created the boards on the left out of a cheap pack of bulletin squares w/ stick-ups, scrapbook pages and ribbon for backing and cute thumb tacks. The total for the project came to about $10 and I was very proud of it. Until they all fell off the wall a few weeks later. Not one to be easily daunted, I tried again with a real bulletin board covered with scrapbook pages and ribbon screwed into the wall, with cute thumb tacks to hang the necklaces on. And I am once again proud of it!

 92) About 3 years ago we took the door off the closet in our bedroom, thinking we'd hang a curtain up to give us more space. So for the past 3 years, the closet door has been off the hinges in the space we thought we'd save. Well, today, we finally got the curtain rods up and the curtain hung. Space saved!!

 93) Oh, this is nothing much, just a little bag packed to take to the hospital when we go there to have our baby!!

94) Speaking of our baby, I promised you a sneak peak of Blueberry's room. Well, here's the before, when it was our spare guest room and general dumping ground for random stuff; John and my best friend, Neelka, painting it, and what it actually looks like today. I know, we are so ready for this baby! Don't worry, we'll get the furniture redispersed to where it belongs after the floors are finished tomorrow, and I'll show you the whole nursery when it's really complete.

95) Until then, here's another peek. This is the crib set and memory board my mom made out of the fabric I shipped her (see pile on left). She's amazing! I'm so excited for Blueberry to have this one of a kind nursery made with love by family. (Mom wants you to know the blue pillows are blueberries, not to be confused with blue for boy.)

96) When I was at the grocery store today with half of the other residents of my zipcode, the lady behind the deli counter asked how close I was. I told her I had one week to go and asked if she wanted to guess what I was having. She said she should know after 6 kids of her own and guessed girl. Then she asked me to bring "her" in to meet her next week. I've never seen this lady before in my life, but I think we gave each other a little bit of joy in the midst of a hectic shopping day!

97) It's almost 8pm here. That's 2 hours after the NYE party that we're supposed to be at started. And my wonderful husband is patiently waiting for me to finish this blog so we can go. He will be almost as happy as I am that this self-imposed deadline has been met!

98-99) I started this month of joys with my nephew Solomon, having no idea that he'd be my closing joys as well. He's been in the hospital for the past two weeks fighting numerous symptoms caused by a viscous infection. My brother and sister-in-law, and the rest of us, have been overwhelmed with the outpouring of support, prayers and love for this little guy. They want to make sure the staff at the hospital doesn't go unrecognized for all their loving work, so here is our little hero with Drs Chang and Mather. You can just see how much joy they have in this now healthy patient. 

100) Solomon is home! He is out of the hospital. He is done! This is truly glad tidings of great joy to be spread across the land!

And now, so am I. Happy New Year to all of you!