Keep it in your pants!

A quarter after 5 this morning Gryffin comes in our room whimpering. I scoop him up and carry him back to his room where he tells me that his bed is wet. I'm thinking this can't be true, he's not even wet but I check none the less. Sure enough, his bed was soaked and his diaper was dry. I get Mike, who proceeds to change Gryffin's jammies, there was a little wet spot on the side. I change the bedding and get milk. I tucked Gryffin in and climbed back in bed. Not five minutes later I hear him crying and opening his door. I get up and as I step into his room I step into something cold and wet. Little man had peed on the floor in his favorite spot. His little legs were dripping. I may have, OK I did, mutter a profanity. I know, I know. This will cause my child irreparable harm and make him talk like a sailor. Anyway, Mike heard my bad mommy skillz and came in. He would've spurted a potty mouth too but I warned him of the danger zone. Bless his big heart he got a towel and mopped it up while I did the same to Gryffin. Now Gryffin is awake, telling me so even and I'm trying to explain to him that playing in his diaper is bad and 'B' has to stay in his diaper. 'B' is the name he gave his well, you know. He looked up at me and said, 'I take care of B'. Yup, kid you sure do. I reiterated my comments that 'B' needs to stay in his diaper and that he will be going back to bed when he just smiled and asked, 'Mommy, you loving me?' Melt melt melt. I told him that yes, I loved him but that right now he wasn't making it easy.

Like I need more pressure about this!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070827/ap_on_re_us/diaper_free_babies;_ylt=AlYGalpTNBvCo8brG4XlbbBvzwcF

I don't want to call these fanatics fanatics but ARE YOU KIDDING? Personally, I bet their homes smell like toilets from all the oopsie poopsies that have got to come with this sort of practice. Then again, the one lady just took her kid behind a tree. Maybe if I had done this with Gryffin he wouldn't have flushed the splatter guard from his potty down our toilet last night but just fertilized the lawn instead.

1 down 1,000,000 to go

General contractor is gone. Bye bye! After he tucked tail and ran I kept having nightmares about him sneaking back and lighting the house on fire. Yeah, I'm paranoid. Last night was the first night of real sleep I've had in a long time.
Electrician is scheduled to start tomorrow and I'm hoping the experience won't give me more stress. With the housing market the way it is, in the toilet, we are hesitant to put it on the market, at least at a price that would make us happy anyway. The subject of renting came up, was shot down by Mike and later brought up again by him. Neither one of us is really thrilled with the idea of it. I've seen the way my renter friends have treated their abodes and I've heard the horror stories of the messes my rentor friends have been left with. One involved a mummified turkey in the oven that had turned into a condo for maggots. Hope you're not eating and reading this. Anyway, I think if we come across someone we know who is looking for a place to live then we would rent to them but we aren't going to actively advertise it.
Or maybe we will just use my Dad's sales tactics and slap a '$1,000,000 or Best Offer' sign on it.

Take the money and run

Here we sit waiting on evil contractor to show up for his money. He's not getting as much as he wants, that's for sure.
Knucklehead left the wax ring from the toilet on our hardwood floor for days and now there's a big grease spot that won't come up. When I mentioned it he commented that our floors needed to be refinished anyway. NOT THE POINT! Before you no stain, after you stain.
The list that I provided him with this morning specifically stated that the living and dining rooms needed second coats of paint. Heck, I even pointed to the spots that looked like crap when I let him in this morning. Did he do it? Does the moon glow plaid?!
When he came over this afternoon to tell me he was done he said that the cutoff valve under the bathroom sink was leaking and that we needed a new one and a new hose line for the toilet. Funny, didn't need that before you put your grubby little paws on it.
My dogs could've caulked the baseboards better than this numb skull. Jeez! I keep telling you, he's got kahunas. Big ones that are in a vise right now.
We are going to tell him. "This is how much you are getting, take it, run and never show your face around here again or you get nothing but a call from our lawyer". And then we are having him sign a receipt stating that the job was paid in full.
We don't joke about bringing in lawyers. Not just because we don't like them either. Lawyers and their profession should be the last possible resort not the first. Which is exactly the opposite of how my egg-donor feels. When she is in an accident, she calls her lawyer before the cops or insurance company. Anyway, I digress.
Mike asked me not to be present when he talks to The Evil One because I tend to get a little emotional. Hmm, go figure. That's fine, I won't be there but don't think that I won't be spying with 911 ready on my phone. After all, last time I dealt with a contractor I did have to call 911 and file a report because he was threatening mine and my families lives. Why are psychotic contractors magnetically attracted to my house?!

Sunscreen is for intelligent woosies.

Wednesday was spent with Beqi, http://www.beqiclothing.com/index.html, her husband and son. They came over and we let the boys trash the place like rock stars while we drank coffee.

Yesterday was spent in my mother-in-law's pool. Gryffin had a great time swimming and playing with his cousins and Grandma. I had a good time too but am paying a price today. Being the super ultra wonder Mommy I am, I made sure to slather G down with sunscreen. Being the super ditzy dingbat that I am, I forgot to put any on myself. It was a long night of readjusting me and the covers because things kept touching me. You know its really hard to lay down without anything touching you.

Today the contractor from hell is 'supposed' to finish. Its promising since he actually showed up. I handed him a list of everything that still had to be done and everything that had to be done again. We are to the point where we just want him done and gone.

I am also going to be taming the laundry monster today. I would much rather go to Trader Joe's and get coffee with Robin and Clara Jane but I've already been served with a notice from the Homemaker's Union that if I don't get it in gear they will take away my apron.

Reprieve

I have been granted a reprieve tonight. Muther is sick as usual so tomorrow's play date that I'm hosting will just be for fun instead of therapy. That and to keep too many witnesses around so I don't have opportunity of physically harming the contractor from hell. Not that I would ever do that. I talk the big talk but when it comes down to the walk I run away.
Speaking of said contractor, he yet again has asked for an advance on the job. He has promised that he would finish tomorrow but had to subcontract out the floor because of his incompetence. He asked for $300, he's only owed $450 total, and wants to pick it up tonight. Too bad, so sad. By the time he asked Mike had already left work and our bank is in the neighboring state so all of our checks have holds put on them by the local banks. Of course, we could always hit an ATM to get the cash but I wasn't about to tell him that. I just told him that we would have to discuss it when Mike gets home. Amazing this guy can walk with those kahunas.

Attack of the 5'4" Contentment Killer!

Have you ever met someone who no matter what is never happy? A person who sucks life out of everything around them? A person who constantly complains but is never willing to do anything to improve their situation? A person who thrives off of drama and conflict? A person who feels the world revolves around them and owes them a better life?
Yup, you guessed it. My muther is coming tonight.
I take comfort in the small things like knowing that when she comes to visit my house will be clean. Maybe not mother-in-law clean but vacuumed, clean toilets and clutter put away. I take comfort knowing that she will most likely be absorbed with Gryffin and only mutter a meager 'hello' at me. I take comfort in knowing that she leaves around 7pm because that is (as far as she knows) when we get Gryffin ready for bed. Lastly, I take comfort in knowing that I will have a nice glass of wine and relax after she leaves.

7 down, several million to go

Monday, again. I have a love/hate relationship with Mondays. I love them because I get to go to Robin's for a play date and hang out with really funny, enjoyable people. I hate them because there is always a void when Mike has to go back to work. I would much prefer he find a way to work from home that would still pay the bills but I just don't think it possible. I would also love to find a way for me to do the same, but again I'm dreaming. Then again last week I did win the lottery. Only $7 but its a start!

Breaking out the shovel

Its official, contractor dude is not coming out until Sunday (if then). I just had to call Mike and make him talk me down from a hysterical hissy fit. I want to scream, I want to puke, I want to scream puke all over this guy until he is covered in as much nasty as my beloved old homestead.
We were hoping to work on bringing my studio over this weekend but with plaster dust, construction debris and tools everywhere it would be an emergency room visit waiting to happen.
I'm going to the shed and get the shovel for a big hole under the porch. No one would smell him over the dog poo. Then again, you can smell him over the dog poo now so I better not.

Just call me Zombie Momma

I will call last night- The Night of a Thousand Nightmares. While I was at the grocery, Mike and Gryffin watched an old kids movie, The Mouse and the Motorcycle. It was from the early 80's and had a talking mouse that duh, rode a motorcycle and was constantly being chased by what Gryffin referred to as a monster cat. This cat looked and sounded demonic. And I have know some demonic cats in my life. Anyway, I didn't think anything of it until 2:30 this morning when Gryffin woke up screaming his little lungs out. When I asked him what was wrong all he would say was Monster Cat in between sobs. Oh great. From then on, about every 20-30 minutes, he was waking up screaming. It was a long night of diapers, milks and back rubs trying to get him back to sleep for more than a few minutes. No luck. He promptly declared at 6:15 this morning, "Momma, I awake!". Great kid, that makes one of us.
Currently I'm slugging down some trucker strength coffee in hopes of at least faking consciousness until I can wrestle him down for a nap about 11. HOPEFULLY.
I'm also keeping my fingers, toes, eyes, hairs and whatever else I have muscle control over crossed that the contractor shows up today and gets that vinyl adhesive off my wood floor before it dries and I have to bury his body under the porch.

Plug your ears!

AAAAAAaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I finally heard back from the electrician. Wondered if my hearing aides were working when he quoted me the price too. This guy had done work on our current home and came highly recommended by our HVAC guys so we thought we would just go with him but...
Now I know all electricians are expensive, especially in this city of politics and permits, but jeez! Three and half months worth of house payments is a lot to switch around some hot and cold wires and install some GFC's and light fixtures.
Back to square one. I've already set up one estimate for tomorrow and have to fax our city inspection sheet to another place for their estimate. I'm really hoping this guy from today is smoking something and we can find someone else that can competently do it for much less. My hopes aren't high as when I told most places I called what city the job was in they responded that they work everywhere but here. Oh yeah, there's strings a pullin' round this town. Unfortunately, I'm just caught in them.

Adventures in contracting...

The last we left our heroine she was stuck in a pile of poo with an avalanche of construction materials about to over come her...
You gotta give our contractor some credit, the man must have kahunas the size of bowling balls because he asked us for an advance. He wanted $400 to buy the remainder of the supplies he will need to finish. And oh yeah, his phone bill before it was shut off. After conferring with Mike I told him that we would give him $250 if the floors were finished and he would give us a definite date of completion. When we had finished dinner we headed over there to take a look at the work. Living room floor- acceptable I suppose. Bathroom floor- STILL POPS! Holy macaroni, I thought Mike was going to pop when he asked the contractor if he had rolled it with a 100 lb roller and the guy said no, just a little 3" roller and his body weight. We reluctantly gave him the money, only because it was our only hope of getting the job done and left. I could literally see steam coming out Mike's ears and I told him that this guy wasn't getting any more money if the floor still pops. After all, that was one of the specific things he was supposed to fix.
We were at Kohl's shopping when the contractor called and said that he was ripping up the bathroom floor (again) and will put down new underlayment. The guy also said that he would be picking up the cost of the new materials and flooring. (We sure wouldn't have.)
Now the really funny in all this is that this contractor keeps trying to talk Mike and I into buying in to his business. Yup, he's got some kahunas! Next time he tries telling me its only $30,000 to buy in I might mention that he would make significantly more money if he would get his finances organized and stop having to do one job three times. You're right, I won't. I don't want to get shot.

One step forward, two steps back into a pile of dog crap.

Today started out pretty good. Gryffin slept in and we had a lazy morning. The contractor actually showed up. We went to Robin's for an afternoon of eating, laughing and general goofing-off-ness. Then things went bad. Very, very bad.
As I was buckling Gryffin into his seat to come home Mike called and asked if I had seen what the workmen did today. Duh, no I was gone all day doing the goofing-off-thing. I could tell by Mike's tone that it wasn't good.
Lets just say the craftsmanship was only slightly better than if I had let Gryffin loose with a hammer and power saw and paint. I won't go into details, there are too many to list. And if I did list them my stomach would turn all over again and I really don't want to have to hit the Pepto because of it, again. I take it back, I will go into one little detail. Many of you will remember the bathroom floor. You know, the one that sounded like popcorn when you walked across it. That was what these dudes were supposed to be fixing. Believe it or not, they made it worse! Not only did it still pop, it had big globs of adhesive under it that created mushy bubbles that made it feel like you were stepping in dog doo.
Mike called the contractor and had him come over to look at the results. To make a long story longer, the guy couldn't deny the big pile of crap that his workers called progress. He ripped up the bathroom floor in front of Mike and apologized for the shoddy work and said that he will be out tomorrow to fix the problems. Of course, we didn't even mention all of the problems so when he shows up in the morning (at least he better show up) he will be presented with a list of all the inadequacies.
I was so wanting this to be done and over with. It will be, I just have to take a deep breath and relax. Huh, me relax. Funny. I think it would be easier for me to go blond sometimes.

Amazing thing happened yesterday. A rabid animal chased me into the pool. It was so hot I couldn't stand to sit on the hot concrete with only my feet in the water so I borrowed one of Dianne's old suits. Mike was so looking forward to seeing me in a swimsuit for the first time but alas, I put on a huge t-shirt over it to protect me from the sun.
It was a lot of fun splashing around with Gryffin watching him swim. Yes swim! All by himself! I was so proud of my little guppy. He got slightly annoyed with me slathering him down with sunscreen at every opportunity but it kept him from getting burnt.
Since we invited ourselves over to Dianne's we at least brought dinner. Brats, cole slaw and beans. She whipped up a salad and that was that. Gryffin stuffed his face like a starving pig, had seconds and a piece of chocolate cake. About 7:30 last night she and I were curled up on her new big a-double snakes couch with glasses of wine watching the Food Network dreaming of cooking a gourmet meal together. On the way home a short time later Gryffin fell sound asleep and didn't wake up until 8:15 this morning. Hmmm, we may have to go swimming more often.

Over the river and through the woods...

It looks like we may be going out to Grandma's today. Gryffin has been totally stir crazy and begging to go to her house. Who can blame him, she's got a pool! With triple digit temperatures a pool does sound nice. Of course, I don't own a swimsuit. But then again, my idea of swimming is sticking my feet in the water. Unless I'm being chased by a rabid animal that can't swim.

Leftover vacation pics...

I'm not a professional photographer, I just play one on vacations.

All of these were taken either at my Dad's or up the street from him.

Today has seen a plethora of nothing. So rather than just spew about politics, what I was going to cook for dinner or the bodily functions of our household I thought I would treat you visually instead.

The early bird catches the coffee

Up this morning early.
Granola bars and ice tea cooling.
Walked up to the market and picked up some coffee filters- can't run out of those again!
Now I'm off to make some freezer lasagna while listening to The Grateful Dead preview on Sirius. I have been waiting DECADES for an all Dead channel.
Then Robin and Clara Jane are coming over to play... looks like its turning out to be a nice day.

Makes me want to throw some tea overboard...

I hate politics, local, national, international, family, whatever... I hate politics.
A few years ago Mike and I gutted and remodeled our old kitchen. We improved our home, made it safer, worth more and prettier. And now the city is punishing us for it all because we didn't pull a permit. Of course we didn't pull a permit. We don't think government should be allowed in OUR home. We pay our taxes so they will leave us alone, its a lot like racketeering in my opinion but I won't go there.
Now that we are trying to get the house ready to sell they are trying to make us bring it up to current building codes instead of building codes suitable for a nearly 70 year old house. From what I understand this is kind of illegal, but try to convince any government agency they are doing something illegal and you will get punished even more.
Government can take your land, a good portion of your livelihood and in some cases, your youth and life. What do they give us in return? Red tape.

Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger!

Amy Winehouse, I love your music but damn girl, EAT A CHEESEBURGER!

I do think they should dedicate a hole in ozone especially to your hair though.

Troubles in a bubble and blow away...

I'm trying to remain calm this morning. Not easy. About 3 this morning I awoke with visions of city electric inspections flashing violently before me. I had dreamt that the city was suing us and had confiscated our home because we didn't have a 'city qualified electrician' do the work. It was like they had us wear big scarlet E's pinned to our clothes.
This afternoon Gryffin and I are going to a play date at a friends down the street, http://www.poppymom.com/ , which I am really looking forward to but my social anxiety is trying to break through my chest like an alien. I like meeting new people and doing new things, now if I could just convince my nerves of that life would be much easier.
All of this combined with my hairdryer not wanting to work this morning and a big pee spot on Gryffin's rug (don't know if it was him or dog but either way- Gross!) I'm ready for some coffee. Frangelica or Bailey's in it would be better but I'll just drink it straight for fear of trailer park tendencies. Hey, that would be a cool name for a band!

Yeah, I cried.

I finished Harry Potter last night at midnight. It only took about three days of reading to do it and that was only because I kept reminding myself to slow down. I savored every word just as much as I dreaded them. The end, it can't be the end. Or is it?
That is all I will say on the subject as I have a couple loyal readers who are still waiting for their copy.
Yesterday we cleaned up the old basement and readied things to be moved today. Spending time in my glass studio, sorting, cleaning made me realize how much I miss it. I'm chomping at the bit to get everything over here and set up so when Gryffin starts back to Day Out next month I can get back to working on glass.
My dream is someday to open and artist's co-op. Buy a big warehouse and put in a gallery, a classroom and studio spaces. Make it a place where artists of every medium can come to share ideas, inspire others and hopefully sell some wares. Someday.

Dorothy Hamel returns...

I've decided that my hair looks like Dorothy Hamel's. I want to find some rocker-punk chick with tattoos to fix it. Sorry Dorothy, I love ya, had your doll as a kid but I've outgrown you.

Holy Crap Weazels, Batman!

Its hot. Really hot. Did I mention it was hot? Yes well, its hot. A lot of my family live out in the desert and they say its hot out there, which it is but its not like here where you can literally feel the air pressing down you. There when sweat evaporates it cools you off, here it NEVER evaporates and just makes you stink. I used to go out to Arizona to visit them every August and the heat never bothered me, even at 115. Here it hits 95 and mixes with the humidity to make it feel like you are wearing a sweater in a steam shower. But hey, after all this lovely talk about the weather would you like to come help us move stuff out of our old basement today?

Diagnosis- Eeeeeeeww.

http://children.webmd.com/tc/Hand-Foot-and-Mouth-Disease-Topic-Overview
This is what Gryffin has. He's on the mend though. Last night he had black olives for dinner. Let me rephrase that: he asked for pizza for dinner so we got one wherein he only ate the black olives off of it. I didn't care as long as he was eating again. The blisters on his feet have already begun to heal and the ones on his tushy are looking a lot smaller. I see a light at the end of this tunnel!

The work crew showed up this morning and I'm really hoping they get it done fast and make it look nice. Mike worked late over there last night getting stuff cleaned up, moved out of the way or moved over here. I know, I know, you are all tired of hearing about this stupid move. Me too! But this people, is where I vent so get over it and know that when all of this is over I will have some other mundane thing to b*tch about.

Looking up...

Gryffin got a couple hours sleep last night and has managed to drink some milk this morning so things are looking up. At least he doesn't have a fever and has been able to eat some Jello. We have to go to the doctor at the end of the day and just wait. We are going to be the last people the doctor sees today. Oh yay.
We also have to pick up the paint and vinyl floor so the workmen can get started this week. That makes for a very busy day but at least I've got Mike here today to help out. He was so sweet and called off work because he knew I hadn't had any sleep and could use some help. Right now with Gryffin being cooperativehe is working in the basement cleaning. I think he is sick too, but of working every weekend on one house or the other and not getting time to play with Gryffin and me. Gee, a husband that likes chilling with wife and kid- look out world!

Its about 1:30 am. Gryffin has yet to sleep for more than 20-30 minutes all night. I am so worried. Monday he woke up with a low grade fever and massive amounts of drool. Teething, I thought. Today he woke up with a low grade fever, massive drooling, crankiness out the wazoo and refusing to eat. More medicine. Tonight, he won't eat or drink, ther are big white spots all over his tongue and throat and a rash from head to toe but no fever. Oh yeah, he's going to the doctor first thing in the morning. If the fever comes back we may be going to the hospital tonight. I am so worried I'm making myself sick too.
Right now he is camped out on the couch watching Shrek, as requested. He just can't get comfortable so he is going from one couch to the other. I am being called in a little pathetic voice so I'm off.

Contractor contractions.

Yesterday I handed over a deposit to a contractor for the work next door. This guy was the only guy that didn't make it abundantly clear he was on crack when he gave me the estimate. I just hope and pray he works out. The estimate was reasonable, he was personable and professional and didn't smell like B.O. We NEED to get this house on the market and sold- fast. The albatross is getting heavy. Ok, done worrying/complaining/obsessing.

Shortest distance/ longest move ever

So we just moved next door but you would think we moved to Siberia considering the amount of time it is taking us. The basement of the old house is still full but since Mike's Dad and Uncle both came this weekend and took truck loads of stuff we now have room in the basement here for all of it (hopefully).
Lets see, there's Mike's Happy Hippie Hole stuff: drum kit, miniature painting stuff, band memorabilia, etc. Then there is his tools, his tools and oh yeah- did I mention his tools? There is Christmas, treadmill, stationary bike and weight bench- all only used once a year. Last but not least, my glass studio. I really don't look forward to moving LARGE sheets of EXPENSIVE irreplaceable glass up and down stairs, not to mention all of my equipment. All of this is what we will be moving this weekend. Yup, this weekend. 90+ heat and humidity make for perfect moving conditions (if you are a glutton for punishment as apparently we are).
Our neighbors from down the street and our old gayhbors will be helping us. They are all related and make this street what it is... awesome. This will be the second or third time they have helped us move. This will be the first time they will actually be moving our stuff, the previous times it was moving Granny & Pa. I will have to think of something nice to do for them. Maybe get Denny and Rose a gift certificate to a local restaurant and get Dennis and Lee some Broadway shows on DVD, I don't know. What do gay men like other than show tunes?
This week however; will be spent getting ready for the weekend. We have some rearranging here in the basement and conquering the linen monster. I think there are about a dozen quilts downstairs in need of washing. Funny how old people like the smell of mothballs.

18 wheeled drug fest

I don't know what happened but I think an 18-wheeler rolled through our bedroom last night and hit me. At least thats what I feel like happened. I awoke with the cold from hell, if anything referred to as cold could come from there. I can only, sort of, breathe through one nostril, my head feels like its going to explode and I keep fighting the urge to hurl whatever keeps running down the back of my throat. Gee, I hope you haven't had breakfast yet, sorry! I took some medicine already so I will either feel better soon or be so stoned I don't care that I don't feel better. Thanks to all those toothless, inbred, meth-heads for making the government take away all the sinus medicine that worked for me. I hope you get clean, get a job and suffer like the rest of us tax payers. Ooh, bitterness so early in the morning. I may have set a new record.

After dinner craziness

Look at me, I'm a monkey!

Those are Mike's genes on display.

I thought it was poignant (and a little creepy) to have a cemetery as a backdrop.

Round 967

Today is the last day I will be getting bids on the work to our old house. I've got two guys coming this morning, then we get to sit down and play 'Pick the Contractor'. Its not as fun a game as it sounds, believe me. Its part luck, part feeling and a whole lot of praying. Now y'all know I don't have the luck and my feelings are usually off so if you get the chance put a murmur in God's ear for me.
Today is also the last day for Day Out until September. That means that my schedule gets put on a Tilt-a-Whirl and won't stop until I puke. Luckily, we found a little playground behind a local church that is within walking distance. Its right across the street from my friend Robin too so keep on the lookout for us, girl! We will be stalking you like celery! I'm thinking this may be a good morning activity for us. It will give me some exercise and hopefully get Gryffin tired enough to take a nap. I'm also going to squeeze in some crafty time for him. I want to keep him on the same schedule as his Day Out program just for ease of transition when it opens back up.
Good thing we have weekend visitors coming in because today will also be the last chance I have to scrub down the house for a while. I hate cleaning, but I hate filth more. Being allergic to dust and mold is crappy but at least I don't take the old egg-donors way of dealing with it. She just lets it lie, undisturbed and growing. Her feeling is that if you don't clean it and kick it into the air, it won't bother you. Maybe that is why she is always sick (mentally/physically/take your pick).
Off to slug down the coffee and meet a contractor. Wish me luck!

Those who are more woman than I hope to be...

1. Mother's who have multiple children
2. Mother's who home school
3. Those who do their hair to go get their hair done
4. Those who get manicures, pedicures and facials religiously
5. Drag Queens
6. Women who bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan
7. Spotless housekeepers
8. Female athletes
9. Day care workers
10. Again, Drag Queens

Here's a shocker... I hate people.

We had our electical inspection by the city today. I don't know how bad we failed but just by the amount of stuff the inspector wrote down in his handy, dandy notebook I can guess it was by a long and expensive margin. From what I understand about our city's electric inspection/permit process, if the work isn't done by one of the city recommended electricians you might as well hand over your deed and wallet. I love this little town but I hate a few of its quirks.
I've also spent most of the day on the phone trying to get contractors out to pry estimates out of them for the work that needs to be done on the place. You would think that if they took the time to come out, measure and write crap down they would call back with the estimate. Apparently they just like to waste their time and mine. A pox on them and their beat up trucks!
I'm tempted to just throw a Fix-It-Up Party. I'd hire a babysitter (or two), invite all our friends and supply them with power tools, paint rollers and beer. Beer only after the power tools are put away though, some I wouldn't even trust with tools sober. I would give out awards like: Best Plumbers Butt, Most Likely To Cut Off An Appendage With A Power Saw and Best Painter With Two Ears. Thats a reference to VanGogh people. I would order pizza and hire a midget on a pony. Ok, maybe not the midget on a pony but you get the idea.
I'm just to the point where I want to be completely moved and done and get that place sold. Its beginning to feel like a really expensive storage shed with a custom kitchen and fireplace. Maybe I should just convert the whole damn place into my studio and teach stained glass classes out of it. Oh wait, the city would never let me do that. They don't even like the idea of me installing my own ceiling fan. Surprised I don't have to pull a permit to change a light bulb.
Your right, I better check my bitterness at the door.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070724/ap_on_he_me/diet_soda_heart_risks;_ylt=AhRrqh0uq8MqpXSnHzi9XBvVJRIF
I always knew something that could clean your toilet and eat the corrosion off your car battery just couldn't be good for you. But kicking the habit is hard. I gave up soda while I was pregnant. It was a bi+ch. Being that heart issues are prevalent on both sides of our family I suppose its time to put the bubbly, sweet, yumminess down and take up water.

Some packing tubes and paper with a strategically placed piece of painters tape and dum-da-da-dum...

Its Gryffin in his Super Robot Suit!

He can scale the highest crib, fly over the big red sofa and bring a smile to anyone!

Today is chockful of stuff I'd like to chuck and just goof off but...
For some reason we haven't been getting ANY mail since changing our address. The bills and junk I could care less about but I'm waiting for Harry Potter to cast his spell upon my household. I don't know if any of you have figured this out but I'm not very good at waiting. So today I'm off to the Post Office to go well, postal!
Then if I don't do laundry soon we will all be breaking some major laws if we want to go out in public.
Last night Mike was such a doll. He picked Gryffin up at my audiologists office, took him home and fixed dinner. Mike is a really good cook. Now if I could teach him another method besides frying. The country fried cube steak, home fries and creamed corn was really good though. Tonight its honey mustard glazed pork chops, brown rice and broccoli. Yeah, I'm cooking.

Purple Haze

Sorry folks, no purple. I asked Donna, my stylist, if she had any semi-permanent purple and she didn't. Otherwise I would've totally rocked it, on the underside. I officially got 8 inches off the back and 6 off the front. I asked Donna for a really choppy, layered drastic swing bob. I don't think Donna does choppy or drastic so I ended up with a bob. If I thought for a moment I could pull off some Betty Page bangs I would cut them myself, but bangs and I just don't get along. The important thing is Mike thinks it cute and I don't look like a soccer mom. I'm somewhere in between soccer mom and Claire Danes. But that is 'my so-called life'.

Another boring post, sorry.

We are having our first house guests this weekend. Mike's uncle is coming to (hopefully) pick up the furniture of Granny's that he wanted. I'm hoping that Mike's dad will also come into town and pick up the appliances he wants. I may be close to having a garage to park in, YEAH!!!!!
Yesterday morning we went to a new park. Gryffin loved it! It had castles and pirate ships and tunnels. Bad mommy that I am, I forgot to bring the camera. Scrapbookers would gasp in horror and move that I be excommunicated from their society, if I were a part of it.
Today just the same old Monday kind of stuff. Laundry and a batch of granola bars. I've also got an appointment to re tune the old hearing aides and get a haircut tonight. We saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix over the weekend and after Mike spyed Tonks he mentioned that he wouldn't mind if I dyed my hair purple. She was hot. Now a few of you may remember the last time I dyed my hair. It was supposed to turn out a dark mahogany red and came out black with purple undertones. I liked it, and not just because the egg-donor shrieked with horror at the sight and cursed. However, having naturally red hair poses a big problem when dying. If it doesn't turn out right I cannot have it dyed back to my original color. For months upon months I looked like a sun burnt skunk while I grew it out. I don't want to go there again. A bad hair day I can handle, a bad hair year not so much. I could definately handle maybe having the underside of my hair dyed a crazy color so when I put it up it would show though. We will see.
I'm kind of picky about the style of my hair too. I would love to have it short-short, pixie style but Mike might make me wear a wig until it grows out. I would also love to go back to my drastic swing bob where it was shaved in the back but long in the front. Kind of a dyslexic mullet. But that took more than air-drying and three squirts of hairspray. If I can't do my hair in 5 minutes max it just doesn't work for me and I end up in a baseball cap. Or I just might turn chicken and do what I've done for the past several years... just a trim.

Soundtrack for the evening...

Gnarles Barkley
The Smiths
Amy Winehouse
Grateful Dead

Yeah, I'm in a weird mood.

Yard sale was a success. We made more than we thought, got rid of more than we thought and even had a little fun. Thankfully, my MIL made it out and watched Gryffin which REALLY helped out. Now Mike is off to nap, Gryffin is napping and screw the filth of my house because I'm going to lay down on the couch.

Yard Sale

Did I mention we are having a yard sale tomorrow? Did I also mention we are totally unprepared? Nothing is priced or cleaned off, we have no signs posted and no permit. I'm getting the permit today and will try to make some signs. I'm leaving the pricing up to Mike as these are his grandfather's things so the money will go to Pa. When I have a yard sale I price things pretty low because there is no way I'm hauling unsold junk back into the house.

Uh-oh, I think I just heard Gryffin climbing out of bed. Gotta run!

I'm back with coffee. I've got to kick it in high gear today. I was a real poop-head last night to Mike. I've been exhausted for a over a week, cranky- ok, down right witchy and have a headache that just won't go away. It will all go away in a couple of days, it better. Last night Mike was saintly, you could even see his halo light up and angels singing around him. After having to work late (again) he came home to Grumpella and Gryffin who decided to have a meltdown at dinner. After dinner he sent me off to a bubble bath. Hadn't had one since we moved, they used to be a nightly ritual. Anyway, it helped but I still felt like passing out. So I did. Bless Mike's big heart, he was even quiet and let me sleep in this morning. I do feel better, if I could just poke out whatever it is in my head that thinks its at a rave. Thump thump music is good, thump thump in my head is not.
Ok, second cup steaming maybe that will help. When I first sought help for my depression my doctor asked me how my energy level was. My reply was what was energy. The only time in my life I can remember having energy was in the early 90's. It was chemically induced from being pumped up on diet pills. No, I wasn't taking them to lose weight. I was taking them because I was working 2-3 jobs at a time and had a psycho room mate that made me too scared to sleep. Anyway the good doctor hooked me up with antidepressants and was still amazed that I didn't have any energy. With the dose he prescribed I should've been like cleaning like a meth addict. Since going off the drugs my mood, except during a certain week of the month, has been good and energy still nonexistent. I'm thinking that the only other option I haven't tried yet is the hardest and most evil of all... exercise and a change of diet.
We eat pretty healthy around here. An occasional bag of chips and a walk up to the ice cream shop but no deep fried, chocolate covered, gravy smothered Twinkies. We have veggies at every meal and they are usually steamed. Every cut of meat I buy is lean. What do I change there?
On the exercise side of the fence, we have an entire gym next door in the basement. Stationary bike, treadmill, weight bench- all dusty and neglected. I actually trained like an athlete for pregnancy. I was getting in the best shape of my life so I could have a shot at a decent body after. It worked but now the thought of going back to that regiment is ridiculous. When do I have time to walk three miles a day, do yoga and Pilate's? Shouldn't chasing a two year old all day account for something?
I've got to figure something out though because just the idea of having to get up and do something is getting to be draining. Eh, maybe its just the monthly misery talking too.

Caffeine is my friend...

Shower- check
Soft comfy robe from Mom Sherry- check
Coffee started- oh crap... ok- check
Our coffee maker is new so Mike is still getting the hang of it. Yesterday he thought he programmed it to start at 6, but he didn't. Poor guy had to go to work without coffee! And this morning when I went in there to start coffee for myself, Mike's idea of coffee is something black, tar-like and requires chewing, I discovered he forgot to put a filter in. Today he will have coffee but it will be crunchy. This new coffee maker is a grind and brew so it takes whole beans. I really didn't thing the flavor would be all that different but it is. I like coffee. Ever since I was 15 and started working in a donut shop I've been addicted. I like truck stop coffee, latte, cappuchino, espresso, pre-ground stale Folgers. Heck, in the old house I even picked the counter top based on how well it would hide coffee spots!
The other day I went to the Abbey, its a coffee shop here in town. I splurged and got my self a small latte and a scone and nearly choked when the teenage pop princess behind the counter said it would be nearly six bucks! If I pay that for something I want a dude in a white apron bringing it to my table, calling me miss and giving me free refills until my bladder explodes. Yeah, I know. I'm cheap. Damn proud of it too. Seriously, I think I will stay home, make my own and not have to hear conversations revolving around American Idol or golf while I try to read and enjoy my coffee. Because if anything will ruin a good cup of coffee, its American Idol.

Things I've learned from HDTV:
Gordon Ramsey isn't sexier life size
The show Dirty Jobs is even grosser
Celebrities have really bad skin, apparently Proactive isn't pro-active
and
the concerts are even better because you're so close you can see individual beads of sweat on the musicians without paying too much for seats or jockying for position among drunk divas hoping to fling their thongs on stage.

Happiness is the best revenge

MIL just left. I checked, anti-sibling pills are where I left them. I just can't stop giving her a hard time. She justified her craziness by telling me that I'm such a good mom that I should be a good mom to more kids. Bless her, flattery will get her everywhere- but there. I find it weird that there are those that think my mommy skillz rock. There are days where I'm tempted to call DCFS on myself. I know every mom has those days, especially when their kid is between the ages of two and twenty-two. I guess considering the example I had I'm damn good. I make sure Gryffin always has healthy food and a healthy habitat along with outside play time. I don't leave him alone for several hours a day or with a babysitter who beats other children in her care. I make sure to always kiss boo-boos and say 'I love you' way too much. I follow through on my threats of 'time outs' and make sure the punishment fits the crime. My egg-donor/muther/El Loco, whatever I call her at the moment, never really did any of that. She occasionally bought groceries, but never milk- she didn't like it. The state of the home would've made a health inspector gag, outside was the place you went to get away from the yelling and punishments were usually making me hug my brother. Affection as punishment, yeah that didn't play a psychological number on my impressionable young mind. For the most part, I guess I'm just like everyone else. I've overcome my childhood, mostly. Moved on to bigger, better and brighter things and make the conscious decision to do so everyday. Damned if I'm gonna let her win because happiness is the best revenge.

3:30 wake up call

I thought I was dreaming. Like the time I dreamt Java was blue only to wake up and find he had eaten a blue ink pen- in the middle of the living room rug. His muzzle and paws were blue for days! Anyway, I digress. I was awoken at 3:30 this morning by Gryffin, not from the monitor but by him standing next to the bed asking for his 'Robot drink'. That's a sippy cup with robots on it. What in the holy name of all holy's! He had climbed out of bed (again). I stumbled into the kitchen to get him his milk only to discover he had pulled a chair across the kitchen and up to the counter, had been playing in the sink and had gotten his beloved 'Robot drink' out of the cupboard. I love that my son is so smart but I hate the fact that he is getting to be smarter than me! This came only after and evening of 'cage the savage beast'. He climbed out numerous times, once he climbed to the top of the shelves in his closet and got down a box with a stained glass window hanging I made for him in it. Oh yeah, a toddler playing with glass. Geez, they should just throw me back into the trailer park with the toothless mothers who let their kids get a hold of the matches and guns. Today I guess I get to put a latch on his closet door and convert his bed to a toddler so he won't have to go all monkey boy to climb out. Then I'm getting the safety gate from the old house and putting it up so he can't make midnight snacks. Hey, maybe it will keep Mike from making them too?

From psychotic to serene

Can you believe that this was the guest bath pictured in a previous post ('I don't joke about ugly'). The neon peach and blue are now a brilliant white. Along with a new mirror, light fixture and shower curtain its a whopping makeover for less than $200. Couldn't beat it with a stick- and you better not try because I just cleaned it! It really turned out nice, thanks to Mike's hard, sweaty, fume-filled work.

Hopefully more pics of the rest of the house to follow. Give me a break, I'm tired.

Payback time

We have never had a problem getting Gryffin to go to bed. Usually just do the jammy-jam, read a book, hugs & kisses then tuck him in and he was down for the night. There were even times he would ask to go to bed. Not so much anymore. We had to buy a monitor because we just couldn't hear him in his room. Now that we can hear him we have discovered he can climb out of his bed. When we hear him we go in and put him back in bed only to have him climb out several more times. He can climb out so quietly that even the monitor doesn't always pick it up.
Last night I thought I would get all MacGyver and solve this problem. Our friend Chris had bought Gryffin this little play mat that is a piano and when you step on it music goes off, so I put that on the floor infront of his crib. He was caught not ten minutes later to the tune of Bach. So a couple of more attempts and he wasn't caught getting out, no- he was caught going back in for his milk after playing in his closet for awhile! Back in bed and we thought it was the last time so I snuggled up in bed with a book and one chapter in guess who, in the company of his father, pays me a little visit? Apparently someone had tried to turn his monitor off which set off the mobile unit's alarm. If there were any more escapes last night I didn't know about them. I left Mike in charge and promptly passed out.
I guess this means it really is time for a big boy bed, eventhough I don't want it. Mike almost bought a big boy bed for him the other day. It was a short platform bed with a hideout underneath and a slide. Thats just asking for a trip to the ER at this point.

Oh Paula...

Paula Deen has never done us wrong. From blueberry biscuits to bacon and brown sugar wrapped chicken. That is what we had tonight. It was a really easy recipe, I adapted it from an appetizer recipe of hers. I wrapped chicken breasts with strips of bacon and coated them in a brown sugar and chili powder mix. Next time I am going to add just a touch more chili powder, salt, pepper and make sure to use thinner bacon. I usually buy the thick stuff so it didn't crisp up like I would've liked but it was still darn tastey. I served it with some steamed carrots which was a nice accompaniment. I would've taken pictures but we were too hungry to wait, sorry!

Here I sit, coffee in hand, thinking about what all I need to do today. Its a little overwhelming. I have to return a cable box and argue with Charter, I have to make a menu and list and hit the grocery, along with Sam's and return an item at Walmart. Hopefully, if I get organized I can do it all before lunch. Ok back to reality, I'll do Charter this morning and the rest after Gryffin's nap. If he takes one. He's been fighting them lately. Yesterday he finally took one around 1 pm, we started trying at 11 am. He has mastered the crib escape. I guess my little baby isn't a little baby anymore.
We had the city inspection on our old house yesterday, not pretty. Just add it to the list and get cracking I suppose.

I slept with a clear conscience...

Last night I was standing at the bathroom sink and noticed something was missing. My anti-sibling, aka birth control pills, weren't where I usually kept them. 'Ok, don't panic', I thought 'probably just stashed them somewhere because my MIL was coming over'. I looked in the obvious spots, then the not so obvious, then the just plain ridiculous. No sign anywhere. Then I really started to panic because the terrible thought of Gryffin getting a hold of them and thinking they were candy hit me. I came into the family room and cautiously asked Mike, 'You don't think your mom would hide my pills, do you?' He looked at me like I was crazy and seemed almost insulted that I could come up with the scenario. 'Of course not, she would never do anything like that', he replied and kindly helped me scour the place in search of them. We found them, under the heavy glass and metal jar we keep the Qtips in. 'Hmm', I thought 'no way Gryffin could have put them there'. I kept this thought to myself as I didn't want to insult Mike again. About an hour later we get a call from Dianne. Apparently her conscience finally kicked in and she fessed up to putting them there for fear of Gryffin finding them. Yeah right! We all know how much she wants us to have another kid. Now, don't read this the wrong way... Dianne is not a conniving, scheming scoundrel. We all got a laugh out of it and she lost the privilege of Mike always sticking up for her. I'm just going to have to remember that when she comes over I need to hide them myself so I can find them again. Now I think I will give her a call and make her feel even more guilty, its fun!

Chewy Granola Bars, as requested

Look out Rachael Ray! I promise when I get my show it won't be annoying.
Chewy Granola Bars
2 cups quick cooking oats
3/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 T butter, melted
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds

optional ingredients: a handful of chocolate chips ( I think I used about 1/3 a bag), or handfuls of dried fruit ( I've used a blueberry, cranberry, cherry mix) or raisins

Spray an 9x9 glass pan and set aside. Preheat oven to 350.
Spread oats and wheat germ on an edged baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, stirring often. This gives the oats a toasty flavor and brings out the sweetness in the wheat germ. In the meantime, combine the remaining ingredients in a small sauce pan and cook over medium-low heat until sugar is completely dissolved. When the oats and wheat germ are done remove from oven and turn down to 300. Add the oats and wheat germ to the sugar, add any optional ingredients and stir to combine. Pour into glass pan and press down. Bake at 300 for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool in pan completely. Cut into squares and wrap individually in foil. They will be a little crumbly but will firm up if stored in the refrigerator. But save those crumbs 'cause they would be awesome over ice cream! Or store in air tight container for up to a week, if they last that long.
(adapted from Alton Brown's recipe)

Its Monday, time to rest.

We are (mostly) moved and Mike is back at work today. I'm sure he is probably looking forward to a week of sitting at a desk instead of hauling, cleaning and fixing.
Gryffin has adjusted really well. He has only asked to go home a couple of times. The dogs are adjusting too. They are constantly under foot and not sure of what to do with themselves but they will figure it out.
Yesterday Mike put the second coat of epoxy on the guest bath tiles and it looks great! No more neon peach and blue, Yippee! It has to cure for three days, then caulk which has to cure for another couple and then we will have two, yes two, bathrooms. Something I have never had in my life. Can't you just hear 'The Jefferson's' theme song playing in the background?
Our new appliances are here and in use. I love my new Velos oven! Lets see, I've made BBQ chicken, roast potatoes and steamed broccoli, bacon and fried eggs, baked potatoes and corn and am currently baking some chewy granola bars. One feature that kind of freaked me out was that the exhaust fan comes automatically. I didn't know this when I was making spaghetti and thought that it was either broken or possessed. Now I'm used to it and really loved it when I was frying chicken last night. I guess I have no more excuses for not cooking anymore. I also love our new refrigerator. Its the french door kind with a freezer drawer on the bottom. Biggest con- less storage in freezer. Not a big deal considering we have a deep freeze in the basement. Biggest pro- lots more room in the refrigerator. I mean a lot! Back to the Farmer's Market next Saturday. After having to live out of a cooler for five days, I missed fresh produce.
I plan on taking some pictures later today and will try to post them but right now I have to explain to a certain little boy that chasing the dogs around the house in his Cozy Coupe is not nice.

Right now Mike and I are struggling with a very sad decision. We have come to the realization that we are not good parents. At least to our dogs. We are too preoccupied with Gryffin to give them the attention they need and deserve. Gryffin just can't seem to understand that just because the dogs are bigger than he is he still can't push and jump on them and that dogs do not play like little boys. Although, Mojo did look (and even tolerate for a few moments) cute in the hat Gryffin put him in last night.
Mojo is of course exempt from this as the only attention he demands is an occasional fritch behind the ear and to be left alone the rest of the time. He is old and tired.
Java on the other hand is full of energy and always wants to climb in your lap. At 80 pounds that is not an option. He also sheds, constantly and terribly. I dust and vacuum and not an hour later it looks like I haven't done it in a week. Since Mojo is so old, Java's level of assertiveness has risen quite a bit. This concerns us.
We have decided that we must find a good home for Java. Mojo will stay until he decides to leave us. Everyday I feel guilty about not having the time to devote to them as I used to but priorities have changed. I will feel guilty when Java leaves but that guilt will subside knowing that he has found a good home. Which brings us to the most difficult part of this situation, finding a good home for him. I will not let just anyone take him. He is a good dog, happy and playful with a very unusual personality. We have had him since he was 8 weeks old and known him since he was born. I do not take this lightly.
It just makes me so sad to know that I can't do it anymore, that I have failed as a doggy mom.

Thanks to my brother Roger and sister-in-law Ruth, we got a lot accomplished yesterday. Swingset moved, kitchen appliances out, washers and dryers switched. And oh yeah, new TV installed. We even made sure it worked.
As requested by Ruth, here is the recipe for the cinnamon rolls I made for everyone. I can't believe we still have enough left for breakfast today, but they are pretty rich.

Dough: 4 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 large whole egg, room temperature
2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/4 cup
3 ounces unsalted butter, melted, approximately 6 tablespoons
6 ounces buttermilk, room temperature
20 ounces all-purpose flour, approximately 4 cups, plus additional for dusting
1 package instant dry yeast, approximately 2 1/4 teaspoons
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
Vegetable oil or cooking spray

Filling: 8 ounces light brown sugar, approximately 1 cup packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
3/4-ounce unsalted butter, melted, approximately 1 1/2 tablespoons

Icing: 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
milk
5 1/2 ounces powdered sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
2 tsp vanilla

For the dough: in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter, and buttermilk. Add approximately 2 cups of the flour along with the yeast and salt; whisk until moistened and combined. Remove the whisk attachment and replace with a dough hook. Add all but 3/4 cup of the remaining flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough, add more flour if necessary; the dough should feel soft and moist but not sticky. Knead on low speed 5 minutes more or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; knead by hand about 30 seconds. Lightly oil a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl, lightly oil the top of the dough, cover and let double in volume, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until well incorporated. Set aside until ready to use.
Butter a 9 by 13-inch glass baking dish. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently shape the dough into a rectangle with the long side nearest you. Roll into an 18 by 12-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the 3/4-ounce of melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch border along the top edge. Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border along the top edge; gently press the filling into the dough. Beginning with the long edge nearest you, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down. Very gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness. Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 1/2-inch rolls; yielding 16 rolls. Arrange rolls cut side down in the baking dish; cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 16 hours.
Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in an oven that is turned off. Fill a shallow pan 2/3-full of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy; approximately 30 minutes. Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
When the oven is ready, place the rolls on the middle rack and bake until golden brown, or until the internal temperature reaches 190 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, approximately 30 minutes.
While the rolls are cooling slightly, make the icing by whisking the cream cheese and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy. Add in the powdered sugar, and whisk until smooth. Add just enough milk for desired consistency. Spread over the rolls and serve immediately.

Today started off pretty well but now I want to punch something.
For the life of me, I can't find a decent (non-hideous) chandelier for the dining room that costs less than $300. Sorry Lowes, sorry Home Depot I ain't rich and even if I was, I'm not dumb. Speaking of Home Depot, yikes! I went there for the first time in a long time today in search of the above mentioned and nearly had an anxiety attack. The rows were narrow and stacked to the ceiling and there were so many light fixtures crowded together over my head I almost fell over backward trying to distinguish one from another.
Then I came back to peel the tape off my stellar kitchen paint job. Not so stelllar. Apparently non-paintable caulk had been used everywhere so when I pulled up the tape the paint came with it. Now I have to go back and touch up nearly all the walls that are connected to the counters. Then in spots the paint bled through the tape so I have to touch up the trim and then the 'I thought they were wood' cabinets turned out to be cheap laminate and the tape pulled off some of the finish. Holy crap, can I go to bed now? I still have to figure out what I'm going to do about that. Now I'm taking a knife to the paint to help the tape come off cleanly. All the while restraining the urge to find the previous owner and pop her eyes out with a spoon because 1. she passed the cabinets off as solid, real wood. 2. She textured the walls in the kitchen like most people texture a ceiling. Impossible to keep clean. 3. She put phone jacks on every wall. Cordless woman, you only need one! 4. She bragged about doing all the work to the house herself- not brag worthy work let me tell you. 5. And most importantly, when I ran into her in the grocery last weekend she farted the whole time and they really stunk. It was all I could do to not cover my nose and tell her the Gas-X was isle 4.

Kitchen- pre paint

It offers a lovely view of the neighbors window. Too bad they keep their blinds shut all of the time, we might have been able to save money on cable.

To the right, where Gryffin's toy kitchen is, we are hoping to put in washer/dryer hookups and a little desk area for me.

















The passthrough to the family room.





















My soon-to-be baking station. Finally, a place for my mixer, pans, bowls, flours and sugars all in one spot!



















Looking into the dining room. That chandelier has got to go. I'm sure it was nice somewhere around 1985.
















The door leads into the garage and basement.

Last night we found a color for the kitchen. Mike and I both hate light/baby blue. It seems that every house we move into had previous owners who knew of no other colors. Argh. The counters in the new kitchen are, yup- you guessed it- blue. They have little flecks of greys so I wanted to bring out the grey and minimize the blue. The color we chose for the walls is a Confederate Blue. Meaning, its blue but has a lot of grey in it. Its a blue we can live with, that doesn't feel cold like most blues. During Gryffin's nap I started the cutting in- least favorite of all painting tasks. It does look really good with the counters and the light cabinets. Most people would never choose a darker color for a kitchen, but I look better in dark rooms. Especially if the lights are off. Hee hee hee. It does what we wanted it to do and tones the blue counter tops down. I'm hoping to get at least the first coat done today.
Tomorrow a guy I met at Lowe's is coming over to give an estimate on some work that needs to be done. I'm hoping he is not a shyster or reminiscent of psycho flooring guy. He seemed nice enough and I can't find anything bad about his company on the BBB site. He specializes in repo'd homes and remodels. I'm pretty sceptical of fix-it people. Heck, I'm still waiting for an estimate from a BIG local plumbing company. They were to deliver it no later than Monday. I guess big or small, anyone who comes to your house to do anything is iffy. We will see.
Tonight's mission, should we choose to accept it, is second coat on Gryffin's room, first coat in kitchen and at least 1 step in prepping the tiles. If caught all members of our team will be dissavowed. This message will self destruct in ten-nine-eight....
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This morning we went to the park and played. But what else can you do at a park? Gryffin had a great time running rampant. We played tag under a big pavilion of picnic tables, he went down the slides and climbed all over the play set. I tried to teach him how to use the pedals on his tricycle, but he wasn't all that interested. Then he decided to climb a tree. Pictured below. He wasn't very successful but I'm sure in a year or two he will have that little boy past time mastered. When he was too tired to run and his hair dripping with sweat he looked up at me with those big browns and muttered, "Mama, home please." I think he was worn out, although you couldn't tell by the way he is singing in his crib! Go to sleep little boy, there will be more playing when you wake up. Thats a Mama promise!

This is the new family room.

The big bookcase on the left will be converted into an entertainment center. The furniture will be moved around, just don't know where yet.











The master suite is to the left of the door. Along with the family room, it is almost the same square footage of the home we are in now.

This is the breakfast bar and passthrough to the kitchen. The doorway on the right leads into the dining room and the rest of the house.

The pictures really don't show how big the room is but I'm sure you get the idea.

Instant Rock Star- just add sugar.

I slept like a log last night. I didn't even have to move to the couch because of Mike's snoring. Not that he didn't snore, I was just too tired to move. Even Gryffin slept pretty well with no 4:30 out of milk screaming fits.
Today is laundry day. Not even much of that to do, I think two loads. Maybe I can get next door and vacuum out the kitchen cabinets. We will see.
I do have to make a quick run to the grocery. I forgot to tell the babysitter that we dilute the heck out of Gryffin's apple juice. She gave him the 100 proof stuff, no wonder he was pinging off the walls last night. All that sugar mixed with a popsicle before bed ain't a good idea. About 30 minutes after we put him to bed Mike started hearing things bang and springs boing. When he opened the door Gryffin had trashed his bed like a rock star. Everything, sheet, pillow and case, stuffed animals, was on the floor and he was doing summer salts on the mattress. I had my ears out and was in the bath and missed all the fun.

Work- done. Me- done for.

Gryffin's room is painted, at least the first coat.
The guestbath vanity and toilet are out and ready for prep work.
The kitchen has a start on being taped off for painting.
No dig (chicken wire) and landscape timbers are laid so Houdini dog, aka Java, won't be able- or at least won't be easy, to escape.
Our current house is clean, dinner is done, babysitter is home, Gryffin is bathed and Mike and I are exhausted. I just hope I'm not too tired to sleep.

I don't joke about ugly.

And you thought I was kidding about the bright peach and blue tiles. Tsk, tsk, tsk. I never kid about ugly.

Yesterday I painted the walls a loverly shade of green, a vintage green that was poplular when the house was built in the 40's. Today we pull the toilet and vanity to prep the tiles for refinishing. That should be fun!

Last night Mike's dreams came true, his life is complete. Not only is he blessed with a wonderful son, a (a-hem) gorgeous wife but also a new addition to the family. Don't freak, I'm talking about a 55" widescreen projection TV. Although, having another kid might have been cheaper. And lets face it, if this is his mid-life crisis, I'm all for it! Better than a blond and a sportscar. We do have to modify the built-ins in the family room but it should fit (hopefully). And since the room is so big, we won't have to crowd the furniture around a TV set.

Enough goofing off. Gryffin and I have to get to cleaning. Mary Grace, our lifesaver- I mean babysitter, is coming to spend the afternoon with Gryffin while I paint his new room and Mike works on the bathroom.

Hope ya'll have a great Sunday. Relax, kick back, thank God for another opportunity at life. I'm doing all three, the last now, the first two later. Much later.

I may be on the edge of 35 but my toes will always be 13. Besides, nothing says summer like glitter polish. Gryffin thinks they're pitty, uh- pretty.

Happy Summer Solstice!

It is the longest day of the year, I know many others have seemed that way but this is the official day. Get out your loin cloth, flower head wreath and inscense, bang those drums and dance in the woods, celebrate the elements and don't forget to recycle.

Here it is, our new home.

With all the jabbering I've been doing about it I thought a picture would be nice.

More to follow!

The monthly muther visit for tonight has been cancelled. She and Roger were rear ended on their way to work. Roger is fine, both muther and her car are sprained. But at least she has an opportunity to milk the insurance company for all its worth. That always makes her happy.
I still scrubbed the house down today. I thought I had a Dr appointment but its next week so I didn't really have anything else planned.
I did get a few things moved next door, just some toys and coats. Anything is better than nothing!
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Coffee in hand and ready to face the day, I think.
It was a pretty nice weekend here, even after all the work there was time to kick back and relax. Thanks to our friend Chris for helping us finish the fence. Today Gryffin and I are going over there to do general cleaning. A lot of dusting, vacuuming and scrubbing. Since we are getting new appliances the old ones need to be cleaned out and readied for the yard sale. The walls in the guestbath and Gryffin's room need to be wiped down and readied for paint this week. Last night I reminded Mike that my muther was coming for her monthly visit with Gryffin tomorrow and he said that sounded like the perfect opportunity for him to escape and do the painting. I'm so jealous.

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Two weeks. That is how long we have given ourselves to get moved. The week of the 4th of July we are moving, come hell or high water. Hopefully neither. If you're not busy that week come on by!
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Happy Father's Day!

To all my favorite men. Thanks for being great dads!

Happy 6th Anniversary!

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This is my husbands anniversary gift to me, along with a french door refrigerator and a new gas range. Be sure to check out the video demo. This microwave does everything except the dishes. Of course, now I will no longer have an excuse to not cook or when I burn dinner. Man, this is a gooooooood anniversary.

Brakes are good, tires- fair.

My Pappy said, "Son, you're gonna drive me to drinkin' if you don't stop drivin' that hot rod Lincoln". And don't think that we aren't actually listening to the song now. Gotta cruze to tunes, dude. Now Gryffin can't keep the ladies waiting so we're off to cruze the strip in search of some hotties with clean diapers and a sippee to share.

My New Toy

I am taking the opportunity of moving to get organized. I don't mean organized as in knowing where the emergency roll of toilet paper is hidden. I mean ORAGANIZED. To the point where I finally can use the pantry feature on my MasterCook program and putting the CD's in alphabetized categories. Things I have been dying to do for years. I'm probably the only person in the world that gets excited about things like this, but I grew up in a house where things were constantly getting lost because nothing had a home and I witnessed the turmoil, frustration and even fights this caused. Even now when I'm not truly organized but just know where things are (or should be) is a major stress reliever. I don't have to tear the house apart to find the lint roller or last years taxes. When I lived in my apartment I knew exactly where everything I owned was... on the floor, somewhere. I was tripping and losing and ended up wearing wrinkled clothes that had to be given to sniff test to see if they were clean or dirty. It was causing more work and frustration than it would if I would just pick up after myself. I've learned that if I clean the stove or microwave when its still warm from cooking the gunk comes off without any scrubbing and takes mere seconds. When I wait until the next day (or two) its gross and takes elbow grease. You see, I'm not a neat freak... I'm lazy! The road of less resistance is the one I like to travel. Admitedly, when I'm tired I do not want to pick up toys or put away laundry, both of which I still have issues with, but I know that if I just suck it up and do it now it will make my life better. My goal is to get to the point where it is so ingrained in me that I don't have to think about it.
Pictured above is the Brother PT-80 personal label maker, my new best friend. I envision file drawers labeled with categories, storage containers labeled with "Flour" and "Cereal" in the kitchen, shelves labeled with "Cleaning Supplies", "Guest Towels" and "Gryffin's Linens". I can see boxes in the basement labeled with not just "Xmas" scrawled in messy black marker but "Xmas wreath, garland and lights" in a nice typewritten label. I daydream about a nice glass studio where each tool has a home and my sheets of glass are sorted by color, my chemicals are in a cabinet away from curious fingers and my pattern books on a nice shelf.
I look at it this way, I've got to put all this crap in a new place anyway so I might as well put away in a logical manner and order. Huh, logical- Mike will get a kick out of that. I don't do anything logically- at least not a logic most people can understand or associate with.
A place for everything and everything in its place. If it doesn't have a place then obviously, I don't need it.
Now, where did I put my car keys?