My sister came down to visit us for her fall break this weekend. It was so wonderful to have her here! I really enjoyed it. She helped me put the finishing touches on the kitchen. So I guess I can take a picture of it now. :-) She also helped with various other projects around the house. Unpacking is VERY slow going, but we’ll get there. Paul’s parents are coming the first weekend of November so we have motivation to get a bit more settled. (Actually, it’s more motivation to get the guest room set up! We bought a mattress today for the guest bed. Soon it will start looking like a room and less like a junk room! :-) I hope!)

One of the things Amy and I did was head up to Discover Mills, a semi-outlet mall outside of Atlanta. We really enjoyed it! I wasn’t sure if Amy would like a shopping trip, but we made a stop at the Eddie Bauer store and she was happy.

It’s gotten a bit colder here – can’t pull of shorts and sleeveless shirts anymore. However, I’m still not into my pre-pregnancy pants. And, since I was mostly pregnant in the summer, I only ever bought one pair of maternity pants. Not only did I only have one pair of pants, I also get spit up or pooped on most every day, and while at home it doesn’t matter, I know that for my 5 day trip to Indiana I needed at least a backup pair! I found two pairs at Eddie Bauer that were on sale, and I like them a lot. However, I am sad at the size I ended up having to get. :-( I feel so heavy! (And I felt heavy before! While I was pregnant, I felt cute. Now I’m back to feeling fat.)

I have been assessing my cooler weather clothes, and it seems that most of them sit right at the top of my pants. I think that must have been the style a few years back…? However, now that I have a bunch of ugly stretch marks on my tummy, I’m all about long shirts that hide as much skin as possible. :-) Again, thinking of my 5 day trip to Indiana, I really would like to get some new shirts that I feel comfortable wearing. (I also am having trouble fitting into my shirts in *ahem* other areas.)

I was trying to make this a “no spend” month to try and recoup all the money we blew in September with house repairs. But… it’s difficult because technically I have clothes to wear, but at the same time they don’t fit me right and they make me feel fat and uncomfortable. And, it would be nice if I could look nice for Indiana and seeing everyone (many people, for the first time in a while!). I think I will head to Goodwill this week to see if I can find some nice shirts and sweaters.

I need to start exercising and get rid of this belly fat! I have lost 20 lbs. so far of weight I gained throughout pregnancy. Seven more pounds will put me at pre-pregnancy weight and another 15lbs after that will put me at a healthy weight for my height and body type. I enjoyed 9 months of not worrying about weight… now back to the familiar struggle. :-(