I have nothing of interest to blog because I have nothing on my mind but my to-do lists. I have two days left before we embark on approximately five weeks of either traveling or constant visitors. Ryan's sister Holly, her husband and three daughters (aged three and under) (I'd link to them, but they never update their website...) arrive this Friday. They'll be here all next week, leaving for a wedding in Chicago the following weekend... the same day we're heading out on our road trip. Arriving home from our trip we'll have a day (maybe two?) and then Ryan's little sister Jenn is coming with her husband for a five day visit. We then have a three day break (in which school starts!) until Ryan's dad and brother show up for a long weekend with us. Then the following week Ryan's mom and step-dad fly in to spend six days surrounding labor day weekend with us.
I'm exhausted just typing all of that.
Meanwhile, we're finally wrapping up projects around here (pictures to post!)(when I get time!) and I'm on a cleaning organizing frenzy trying to get ahead of everything before our slew of houseguests and prep and pack for a trip of our own thrown in there.
So, for lack of better blog content, I'm hashing out my to-do list right here and now...
I feel like I've already managed quite a bit this morning!
(and I'll keep coming back to check them off as completed!)
-caulk the kitchen backsplash (Ryan) √
-put handles on doors/drawers (Ryan)
-retouch kitchen wall paint
-clean fabric seats of kitchen chairs √
-scrub and shine kitchen sink √
-clean out fridge √
-clean laundry room (looked like a tornado hit after the overflow of the kitchen project) √
-do laundry (partial-√)
-repot flowers on deck √
-clean the aquarium (Ryan)
-clean half bath (put potty chair away) √
-clean upstairs bathrooms √
-(allergy)spray down Sawyer's bedroom √
-hang Savannah's bulletin board √
-hang Savannah's curtains √
-wash all sheets √
-mop kitchen and entryway floor √
-straighten up garage (Ryan?) √
-put frames up in playroom (Ryan)
-wash windows √
-dust/vacuum everywhere √
-power wash the patio (Ryan) √
I'm also watching a friend's kids this afternoon and have to take Savannah to a birthday party tomorrow afternoon and make and deliver dinner to a couple who just had a baby. And I suppose I should probably sit down and plan some meals and do some grocery shopping at some point!
Wow. I need a nap...
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
tough-skinned
So I was thinking the other day; it's a good thing I've been eating sleeping and breathing all this house stuff and we don't have a ton going on that I'm missing out on recording here.
The kids have been awesomely cooperative and for the most part have been able to be shooed outside or playing well on their own. We've had random playdates and been on the go go go, but nothing of too much interest or too pressing or out of the ordinary to report.
Although Sawyer decided to change that up for me yesterday.
My friend Joy called me up and offered me some kid-free time to get stuff done; they were spending the morning outside, and my kids were welcome to hang over there. Of course my kids had a great time playing with their two friends and the dog; more fun than me ignoring them with a paintbrush in my hand. Great fun until I came to pick them up after lunch...
When I got there Joy had Sawyer upstairs in the bathroom cleaning up a big five-inch gash on the back of his thigh. It was ugly. He was brave though and four band-aids later, and lots of hugs and kisses, he was back to playing.
But that's not all.
These friends have a very laid-back 85lb yellow lab who has always been great with the kids... they have their own three year old and one year old who are by no means gentle, and Cody has always been great with them, no worries. I have to admit they leave their kids un(der)supervised with that dog more than I would be comfortable with, but I've seen thetorture loving that toddler has put that dog through and he takes it all in stride. My own kids are completely comfortable with Cody; we're at their house regularly and they live close so Cody's visited us here and hung out in our yard with the kids just as often. Great dog.
But combine the unpredictability of kids with the unpredictability of animals... and even the greatest dogs do not put me at complete ease when there are kids involved. I think I'd become a little lax on that and yesterday reminded me of it loud and clear.
Cody was laying near me when Sawyer came up and straddled his back. I've seen Sawyer do this before, with no problem, though I've reminded him always not to sit on the dog. Cody was looking a little agitated this time and just as Joy said, "I don't think Cody likes that right now Sawyer", I heard just a hint of a growl from the dog. At the same time, Sawyer got up to get off of him. I don't know if he kneed him wrong or if he stepped on his tail or if he just wasn't getting off fast enough, but suddenly Cody snapped around snarling
and bit Sawyer right in the face.
It all happened so incredibly fast... yet so painfully slow. The crazy thing is both Joy and I were basically within arms' reach and yet both of us were essentially helpless, it happened so quickly. I think when we realized what was about to happen/happening, Joy did speak out "Cody!" and I really think that saved this from being a real bite. Even though he had his mouth completely open and actually had Sawyer's nose mouth and chin in his mouth... he barely drew blood. I think having us there refrained him from actually biting. Maybe he wouldn't have anyway. Maybe he knew and had complete control and was just giving a serious warning. As it was, he had his teeth on him and gave just enough pressure to bruise and barely puncture... I honestly shudder to think how it could have been different if Joy or I were not right there.
I cannot get the image of my child's face in a dog's mouth out of my head.
Sawyer was, of course, a wreck. I don't think I've ever seen him so upset. Ever. It didn't start bleeding right away, so we didn't think he'd even broken the skin. Until a minute later when I picked Sawyer's head up from my shoulder to look at it again and there was blood all over my shirt. There were two little perfect puncture marks where the bottom canine teeth were... right on Sawyer's chin. I sat with him for a long time with a wet paper towel on his chin, trying to calm him down. He was a strange upset... not the usual owie crying... he was just so scared and I think shocked. I hated feeling that he was feeling that. I was powerless to comfort him. He just kept saying he wanted to go home and he wouldn't let me put him down.
We sat for a bit longer, letting Sawyer get calmed down and making sure it wasn't worse than we thought. We finally went to head out about 20 minutes later and before leaving I tried to get Sawyer to say good bye to Cody. The dog was laying calmly by the front door and I tried to get Sawyer next to him with me so he could say sorry to Cody for scaring him and for Cody to "apologize" to Sawyer... I think this was completely one of those situations where you can't really blame either of them. Just have to learn from it. At any rate, I don't want Sawyer to be scared of the dog. He needs to be cautious and aware... a healthy fear of animals, but I don't want him to be physically scared of Cody from here on out.
Sawyer would have nothing to do with it though. He started crying again and said he just wanted to go home and he wouldn't let me put him down.
And then the whole rest of the day, Sawyer would randomly say (and be on the verge of tears while he said it) "I don't ever want to go to Hannah's house ever again!".
Poor guy. It was a rough morning.
So now he's got almost a perfect circle of teeth marks around his face... two bigger bruised puncture marks on his chin and a little trail of slightly red bruised spots all the way up around in a circle around his mouth. It's lovely. I actually cringe when I look at him. It's really not all that bad, and I'm sure you won't even be able to see it in another day or two. But I see it. I see those little bruised dots and I see the jaws of a big dog on my little boy's face. I also see what it could have been. If Cody had actually bit down or if he had torn the skin... I see how things could have changed in that split second. And that makes me cringe. It makes me sick to my stomach actually.
I'm just so glad it is what it is. So thankful.
Now matter how well you think you know your dogs... no matter how much you think you can trust them OR your child... please be aware. And be right there. It only takes a split second.
The kids have been awesomely cooperative and for the most part have been able to be shooed outside or playing well on their own. We've had random playdates and been on the go go go, but nothing of too much interest or too pressing or out of the ordinary to report.
Although Sawyer decided to change that up for me yesterday.
My friend Joy called me up and offered me some kid-free time to get stuff done; they were spending the morning outside, and my kids were welcome to hang over there. Of course my kids had a great time playing with their two friends and the dog; more fun than me ignoring them with a paintbrush in my hand. Great fun until I came to pick them up after lunch...
When I got there Joy had Sawyer upstairs in the bathroom cleaning up a big five-inch gash on the back of his thigh. It was ugly. He was brave though and four band-aids later, and lots of hugs and kisses, he was back to playing.
But that's not all.
These friends have a very laid-back 85lb yellow lab who has always been great with the kids... they have their own three year old and one year old who are by no means gentle, and Cody has always been great with them, no worries. I have to admit they leave their kids un(der)supervised with that dog more than I would be comfortable with, but I've seen the
But combine the unpredictability of kids with the unpredictability of animals... and even the greatest dogs do not put me at complete ease when there are kids involved. I think I'd become a little lax on that and yesterday reminded me of it loud and clear.
Cody was laying near me when Sawyer came up and straddled his back. I've seen Sawyer do this before, with no problem, though I've reminded him always not to sit on the dog. Cody was looking a little agitated this time and just as Joy said, "I don't think Cody likes that right now Sawyer", I heard just a hint of a growl from the dog. At the same time, Sawyer got up to get off of him. I don't know if he kneed him wrong or if he stepped on his tail or if he just wasn't getting off fast enough, but suddenly Cody snapped around snarling
and bit Sawyer right in the face.
It all happened so incredibly fast... yet so painfully slow. The crazy thing is both Joy and I were basically within arms' reach and yet both of us were essentially helpless, it happened so quickly. I think when we realized what was about to happen/happening, Joy did speak out "Cody!" and I really think that saved this from being a real bite. Even though he had his mouth completely open and actually had Sawyer's nose mouth and chin in his mouth... he barely drew blood. I think having us there refrained him from actually biting. Maybe he wouldn't have anyway. Maybe he knew and had complete control and was just giving a serious warning. As it was, he had his teeth on him and gave just enough pressure to bruise and barely puncture... I honestly shudder to think how it could have been different if Joy or I were not right there.
I cannot get the image of my child's face in a dog's mouth out of my head.
Sawyer was, of course, a wreck. I don't think I've ever seen him so upset. Ever. It didn't start bleeding right away, so we didn't think he'd even broken the skin. Until a minute later when I picked Sawyer's head up from my shoulder to look at it again and there was blood all over my shirt. There were two little perfect puncture marks where the bottom canine teeth were... right on Sawyer's chin. I sat with him for a long time with a wet paper towel on his chin, trying to calm him down. He was a strange upset... not the usual owie crying... he was just so scared and I think shocked. I hated feeling that he was feeling that. I was powerless to comfort him. He just kept saying he wanted to go home and he wouldn't let me put him down.
We sat for a bit longer, letting Sawyer get calmed down and making sure it wasn't worse than we thought. We finally went to head out about 20 minutes later and before leaving I tried to get Sawyer to say good bye to Cody. The dog was laying calmly by the front door and I tried to get Sawyer next to him with me so he could say sorry to Cody for scaring him and for Cody to "apologize" to Sawyer... I think this was completely one of those situations where you can't really blame either of them. Just have to learn from it. At any rate, I don't want Sawyer to be scared of the dog. He needs to be cautious and aware... a healthy fear of animals, but I don't want him to be physically scared of Cody from here on out.
Sawyer would have nothing to do with it though. He started crying again and said he just wanted to go home and he wouldn't let me put him down.
And then the whole rest of the day, Sawyer would randomly say (and be on the verge of tears while he said it) "I don't ever want to go to Hannah's house ever again!".
Poor guy. It was a rough morning.
So now he's got almost a perfect circle of teeth marks around his face... two bigger bruised puncture marks on his chin and a little trail of slightly red bruised spots all the way up around in a circle around his mouth. It's lovely. I actually cringe when I look at him. It's really not all that bad, and I'm sure you won't even be able to see it in another day or two. But I see it. I see those little bruised dots and I see the jaws of a big dog on my little boy's face. I also see what it could have been. If Cody had actually bit down or if he had torn the skin... I see how things could have changed in that split second. And that makes me cringe. It makes me sick to my stomach actually.
I'm just so glad it is what it is. So thankful.
Now matter how well you think you know your dogs... no matter how much you think you can trust them OR your child... please be aware. And be right there. It only takes a split second.
more
Cuz we didn't have enough projects going on already...
Yes, we're nuts.
Before our kitchen is completely put back together, we tackled yet another project. The exterior of our house was in dire need of attention. It needed a good power washing and our front shutters were incredibly faded and discolored, along with the trim on the house needing a retouching. We'd talked about doing it all last summer and never got around to it. Now this summer, we'd acquired a power washer and paint early on and had yet to get the job done. The weather this past weekend was a beautiful relief from July weather in St Louis, with temps in the low 70's (!!) and no humidity. I didn't care that our kitchen was still in shambles... we needed to get out and do outdoor projects and take advantage of that weather! So down came the shutters and out came the paint can.
We only got the front of the house done; Ryan was in charge of washing and I of painting. We rehung the fresh shutters and the front of the house is sparkling.
The other three sides of the house and all the white trim will have to wait for another good weekend. At least our curbside appeal is boosted a tad.
I also snagged some new (so comfy) chairs for our front porch with a new little table on clearance. I repainted the wrought iron chair and table set that had been on the front porch (that I bought for $5 at a garage sale last summer and originally painted white) and made up a cozy corner on the back deck.
(Hmm.... I know I have pictures of these... can't seem to find them. I'll add them when I do.)
Yes, we're nuts.
Before our kitchen is completely put back together, we tackled yet another project. The exterior of our house was in dire need of attention. It needed a good power washing and our front shutters were incredibly faded and discolored, along with the trim on the house needing a retouching. We'd talked about doing it all last summer and never got around to it. Now this summer, we'd acquired a power washer and paint early on and had yet to get the job done. The weather this past weekend was a beautiful relief from July weather in St Louis, with temps in the low 70's (!!) and no humidity. I didn't care that our kitchen was still in shambles... we needed to get out and do outdoor projects and take advantage of that weather! So down came the shutters and out came the paint can.
We only got the front of the house done; Ryan was in charge of washing and I of painting. We rehung the fresh shutters and the front of the house is sparkling.
The other three sides of the house and all the white trim will have to wait for another good weekend. At least our curbside appeal is boosted a tad.
I also snagged some new (so comfy) chairs for our front porch with a new little table on clearance. I repainted the wrought iron chair and table set that had been on the front porch (that I bought for $5 at a garage sale last summer and originally painted white) and made up a cozy corner on the back deck.
(Hmm.... I know I have pictures of these... can't seem to find them. I'll add them when I do.)
Monday, July 20, 2009
i heart feet
This week's theme at I ♥ Faces is...
Feet!
No faces, just feet. My favorite feet pic though happens to include faces anyway.
Happy faces, wrinkly toes... what's better?
Friday, July 17, 2009
lots
So I've got a lot of the question "where are you?" this week... inquiring both of where we're at in the kitchen project and just the fact that I've been pretty much MIA this week. Emphasis on the A.
I have honestly been going non-stop all week. If I've been home I've had extra kids here (Hannah and Rebekah for all of Monday morning and Norah, Lucy and Daphne for Wednesday morning) or I've been sick (Monday night and Tuesday). Otherwise we've been gone (Tuesday evening, Wednesday evening, the entirety of Thursday morning and all of every single afternoon).
So yeah. That's where I've been. Both of my usual blogging times (or anything times) -bright and early in the morning or early afternoon during naptime- have been otherwise occupied every day. Followed by busy late nights (or sick nights).
I'm ready for a weekend.
Unfortunately (fortunately? depends on how you look at it) the busyness doesn't let up. I'm getting ready today (while the kids have a playdate all morning and then another this afternoon) for a little in-town retreat for a group of women at church this weekend. We're starting our own charter MOPS group in our small church and I'm part of the "Steering Team" getting it off the ground and planning for the year. This retreat is a planning/prepping/girls' night (weekend) out combo for the seven of us. We're staying at a hotel nearby, going out to a nice dinner and spending some non-mommy time together. Very much looking forward to it.
But in the meantime, today, I am dropping the kids off to play at the Swinigans (thank you Heather!), I HAVE TO go grocery shopping, stop at Lowe's, stop and find a gift for a birthday party Savannah's going to tomorrow, go back and pick up the kids, feed them lunch, pack my stuff for the weekend, take the kids to their 5-day Club this afternoon (hopefully Ryan will be home by then), and be back just in time to meet the ladies at 3:30. Whew!
Gee, anyone think I packed way too much into this week??? (raises own hand emphatically)
So where are we on the kitchen stuff?
Well, barely any further than we were this past weekend. The first time we've made any more progress was last night, Thursday night... we finally got the grout work done. And oh how I hate grout. But it's looking good. Now we just need a couple days of a couple of coats of polycrylic on the cabinets, some sealing and caulking, and we should be able to get everything put back together by the end of the weekend. Depending on how much Ryan can get done with the kids on his own the next couple of days, that is. :)
So here's a quick idea of where we're at now...
I have to say I'm getting used to not having doors on all the cabinets... it's so much more convenient to be able to just see what you want and reach directly in to get it! ha! Not so convenient to have contents of drawers and countertops strewn all over the rest of the house though. I can't wait to have this done.
I was so impressed with how much we got done last weekend and really feeling like it wasn't going to be so bad or disruptive... and here we are five days later at essentially the same spot. Ugh.
Anyway, pics. I know I promised lot of pics during, and I did take lots of them, but I just have not had the time to even look at them or get them up here so this'll have to do for now.
Before (here are pics of the complete before kitchen)
:
and After (so far):
And I should be able to sit down on Sunday and show you the in between pictures. And Sawyer helping! And by then hopefully we'll have Completely Finished Pictures to share!!
Happy Friday!
I have honestly been going non-stop all week. If I've been home I've had extra kids here (Hannah and Rebekah for all of Monday morning and Norah, Lucy and Daphne for Wednesday morning) or I've been sick (Monday night and Tuesday). Otherwise we've been gone (Tuesday evening, Wednesday evening, the entirety of Thursday morning and all of every single afternoon).
So yeah. That's where I've been. Both of my usual blogging times (or anything times) -bright and early in the morning or early afternoon during naptime- have been otherwise occupied every day. Followed by busy late nights (or sick nights).
I'm ready for a weekend.
Unfortunately (fortunately? depends on how you look at it) the busyness doesn't let up. I'm getting ready today (while the kids have a playdate all morning and then another this afternoon) for a little in-town retreat for a group of women at church this weekend. We're starting our own charter MOPS group in our small church and I'm part of the "Steering Team" getting it off the ground and planning for the year. This retreat is a planning/prepping/girls' night (weekend) out combo for the seven of us. We're staying at a hotel nearby, going out to a nice dinner and spending some non-mommy time together. Very much looking forward to it.
But in the meantime, today, I am dropping the kids off to play at the Swinigans (thank you Heather!), I HAVE TO go grocery shopping, stop at Lowe's, stop and find a gift for a birthday party Savannah's going to tomorrow, go back and pick up the kids, feed them lunch, pack my stuff for the weekend, take the kids to their 5-day Club this afternoon (hopefully Ryan will be home by then), and be back just in time to meet the ladies at 3:30. Whew!
Gee, anyone think I packed way too much into this week??? (raises own hand emphatically)
So where are we on the kitchen stuff?
Well, barely any further than we were this past weekend. The first time we've made any more progress was last night, Thursday night... we finally got the grout work done. And oh how I hate grout. But it's looking good. Now we just need a couple days of a couple of coats of polycrylic on the cabinets, some sealing and caulking, and we should be able to get everything put back together by the end of the weekend. Depending on how much Ryan can get done with the kids on his own the next couple of days, that is. :)
So here's a quick idea of where we're at now...
I have to say I'm getting used to not having doors on all the cabinets... it's so much more convenient to be able to just see what you want and reach directly in to get it! ha! Not so convenient to have contents of drawers and countertops strewn all over the rest of the house though. I can't wait to have this done.
I was so impressed with how much we got done last weekend and really feeling like it wasn't going to be so bad or disruptive... and here we are five days later at essentially the same spot. Ugh.
Anyway, pics. I know I promised lot of pics during, and I did take lots of them, but I just have not had the time to even look at them or get them up here so this'll have to do for now.
Before (here are pics of the complete before kitchen)
:
and After (so far):
And I should be able to sit down on Sunday and show you the in between pictures. And Sawyer helping! And by then hopefully we'll have Completely Finished Pictures to share!!
Happy Friday!
Monday, July 13, 2009
updates and interviews
Okay, we're about halfway done with the kitchen. I say halfway because while it looks mostly done, now it's just a matter of time. Tile is on the walls, everything is painted, things are installed... now we just have to grout and put a few coats of polycrylic on the cabinets and the hundreds dozens of doors and drawers... which will take a few days. And then do all the hardware.
Today is a mostly unproductive day as Ryan is going to the All-Star Homerun Derby at Busch Stadium this evening, and I'm not about to attempt to grout by myself. I'm so anxious to get this all done though... it is looking amazing. I cannot believe the difference.
The kids are amusingly traumatized by this whole redo thing by the way. Sawyer let me know in no uncertain terms last Friday that he much prefered the "old wall" in our kitchen and why in the world was I doing this? When we moved the old stove out on Sunday, Savannah spent an hour writing letters and making drawings all depicting "I am sad we have to get a new stove". Apparently my kids are not fans of change.
I think they're starting to see the light now that it's all coming together.
I have some pics of parts of all this... I'll post them later today when I have a little more time.
First though, I was going through some posts from last year looking for something for someone, when I came across this one and realized I hadn't done the interview again this year. I really did want to start that as tradition, so we did it this morning. Only two-and-a-half months late, but who cares??...
Here's Savannah's Six-Year-Old Spotlight:
And Sawyer wanted to be included, so I gave him the same interview....
Spotlight on Sawyer (at three-and-a-half):
Today is a mostly unproductive day as Ryan is going to the All-Star Homerun Derby at Busch Stadium this evening, and I'm not about to attempt to grout by myself. I'm so anxious to get this all done though... it is looking amazing. I cannot believe the difference.
The kids are amusingly traumatized by this whole redo thing by the way. Sawyer let me know in no uncertain terms last Friday that he much prefered the "old wall" in our kitchen and why in the world was I doing this? When we moved the old stove out on Sunday, Savannah spent an hour writing letters and making drawings all depicting "I am sad we have to get a new stove". Apparently my kids are not fans of change.
I think they're starting to see the light now that it's all coming together.
I have some pics of parts of all this... I'll post them later today when I have a little more time.
First though, I was going through some posts from last year looking for something for someone, when I came across this one and realized I hadn't done the interview again this year. I really did want to start that as tradition, so we did it this morning. Only two-and-a-half months late, but who cares??...
Here's Savannah's Six-Year-Old Spotlight:
When I get home, the first thing I like to do is... color.
Some words that describe me would be... cute, she's my best friend, creative, loves dogs.
The best thing about being a kid is... learning to read and write.
The best thing about being Six Years Old is... going to first grade on the bus.
The very best dinner would be... birthday dinner; pizza and peanut butter and jelly
Some of my favorite songs are... (songs by) The Rubyz and Pure NRG
When I grow up I want to be... a photographer
Why? because I have my own camera and I like to take pictures with it all the time.
One thing I like about having a brother is... playing with him (only if he's not mean)
One thing I don't like about having a brother is... when he hurts me.
My dad is... fun.
What does he look like? he has black hair, he has light skin and he wears fun colors of clothes.
My mom is... fun
What does she look like? she has brown hair and light skin and when we go somewhere she wears necklaces.
When I am a mom I will... get my ears pierced. And be fun like my mom.
And Sawyer wanted to be included, so I gave him the same interview....
Spotlight on Sawyer (at three-and-a-half):
When I get home, the first thing I like to do is... take off my shoes.
Some words that describe me would be... my Sawyer. I'm not always nice. I'm funny.
The best thing about being a kid is... being silly.
The best thing about being Three Years Old is... being kind.
The very best dinner would be... macaroni and cheese.
Some of my favorite songs are... every song. Jesus Loves Me.
When I grow up I want to be... a firefighter. Or just a four-year-old.
Why? cuz.
One thing I like about having a sister is... nothing.
One thing I don't like about having a sister is... nothing.
(I think he was getting bored of the interview format at this point).
My dad is... Ryan
What does he look like? Ryan. He looks like Ryan.
My mom is... talking.
(definitely bored of the interview at this point)
What does she look like? she looks like you mom.
When I am a dad I will... You mean be a firefighter?
No, I want to know what kind of things are you going to do when you're a dad... I'm not gonna be a dad, I'm gonna be a firefighter. You mean when I'm gonna be a firefighter? I'll blow out fires with a firehose. That's the last question, right?
Friday, July 10, 2009
week end
Okay, what is the deal here?
It's been hot and sunny all week and I've been checking the weather forecast to be sure the sun was staying put as I've been putting off taking the kids to the pool in lieu of working on the kitchen and getting stuff organized around here. We had (have?) a swim/lunch date planned with friends this morning, so that was supposed to be my make-up for keeping my kids in the house all week. Friday was slotted for a whole day at the pool and friends to join us to boot!
And now this morning? It's dark and gray and looks like it's going to pour any minute.
I am not happy.
*****
We made a last minute trip to Lowe's last night. Ryan made the executive decision to buy a new stove. We weren't going to... we're doing all this work with the new backsplash, refacing the cabinets, we have a newish dishwasher that matches the stainless "look" fridge... but we weren't going to do the stove too. It's original to the house (15yrs) and it's not pretty, but it still works. What we were going to do instead, so it didnt' stick out like a sore thumb, was paint it. You know the epoxy spray paint they have for appliances? We picked up some gray stainless steel cans and were going to transform the almond colored hood and the almond parts of the old black and almond stove so it "went" with our new kitchen. All good in theory.
But then I started the project.
Spray paint and I apparently don't get along.
I asked Ryan to try and rescue the project. I still think it was perfectly saveable.
And even if it wasn't, it was only the hood that I painted, so all we needed to do was replace that and Ryan could either do the stove himself, or we just live with the almond color for now.
But he came home from work last night saying scrap it all, let's go pick out a new stove. Ack!
So we did.
(And I just know now that we spent $700 that we didn't "need" to, something else is going to break down around here that we'll have to fix/replace like the water heater or something more pertinent. It's like I'm waiting for the shoe to drop...)(Although it feels surprisingly "grown up" and oddly accomplished to have all the appliances in my kitchen match)
*****
So it's Friday.
And other than being skeptical of our pool plans working out today, I'm excited to get a start on the weekend with the high hopes of mostly finishing these projects. Hoping to have the whole kitchen done by Tuesday (when the stove arrives). I'll take some pictures in progress this weekend. (And of the bathroom project from LAST August, just for you Nicole!)
How about some Friday Questions for old time's sake:
Tell me what was the last movie you saw, what was the last book you read and what was the last game you played.
The last movie I saw was Gone Baby, Gone (which I liked pretty well)(we have Revolutionary Road here to watch next and I'm looking forward to that one).
The last book I read was Mr Noisy to Sawyer. Oh wait, should I try for something I read for myself?? That would be Julie and Julia by Julie Powell. (Meh)
And the last game I played was Idiot with my husband before bed two nights ago. We like to be idiots. :)
Your turn.
It's been hot and sunny all week and I've been checking the weather forecast to be sure the sun was staying put as I've been putting off taking the kids to the pool in lieu of working on the kitchen and getting stuff organized around here. We had (have?) a swim/lunch date planned with friends this morning, so that was supposed to be my make-up for keeping my kids in the house all week. Friday was slotted for a whole day at the pool and friends to join us to boot!
And now this morning? It's dark and gray and looks like it's going to pour any minute.
I am not happy.
*****
We made a last minute trip to Lowe's last night. Ryan made the executive decision to buy a new stove. We weren't going to... we're doing all this work with the new backsplash, refacing the cabinets, we have a newish dishwasher that matches the stainless "look" fridge... but we weren't going to do the stove too. It's original to the house (15yrs) and it's not pretty, but it still works. What we were going to do instead, so it didnt' stick out like a sore thumb, was paint it. You know the epoxy spray paint they have for appliances? We picked up some gray stainless steel cans and were going to transform the almond colored hood and the almond parts of the old black and almond stove so it "went" with our new kitchen. All good in theory.
But then I started the project.
Spray paint and I apparently don't get along.
I asked Ryan to try and rescue the project. I still think it was perfectly saveable.
And even if it wasn't, it was only the hood that I painted, so all we needed to do was replace that and Ryan could either do the stove himself, or we just live with the almond color for now.
But he came home from work last night saying scrap it all, let's go pick out a new stove. Ack!
So we did.
(And I just know now that we spent $700 that we didn't "need" to, something else is going to break down around here that we'll have to fix/replace like the water heater or something more pertinent. It's like I'm waiting for the shoe to drop...)(Although it feels surprisingly "grown up" and oddly accomplished to have all the appliances in my kitchen match)
*****
So it's Friday.
And other than being skeptical of our pool plans working out today, I'm excited to get a start on the weekend with the high hopes of mostly finishing these projects. Hoping to have the whole kitchen done by Tuesday (when the stove arrives). I'll take some pictures in progress this weekend. (And of the bathroom project from LAST August, just for you Nicole!)
How about some Friday Questions for old time's sake:
Tell me what was the last movie you saw, what was the last book you read and what was the last game you played.
The last movie I saw was Gone Baby, Gone (which I liked pretty well)(we have Revolutionary Road here to watch next and I'm looking forward to that one).
The last book I read was Mr Noisy to Sawyer. Oh wait, should I try for something I read for myself?? That would be Julie and Julia by Julie Powell. (Meh)
And the last game I played was Idiot with my husband before bed two nights ago. We like to be idiots. :)
Your turn.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
baby kye
So we may not have been able to locate very many friends of the rough and tumble, matchbox cars and sports variety for Sawyer at the moment, but at least the Fab Four are capable of producing boys so they can all be the second generation of the Fab Four together...
Today we got to meet the newest member:
Kye Michael Malone
born July 8th
12:05am
8lbs 4oz
20.75"long
Big sister Yuri with Baby Kye
and of course my big kiddos...
(who look like giants next to a new baby)
Sawyer just loves holding babies. He claimed he was going to "hold baby Kye for 100 minutes longer than anyone else".
*****
And just for kicks here are my kids meeting Yuri for the first time
exactly 2 years and 2 days ago...
How do they all keep getting so big?!?
Today we got to meet the newest member:
Kye Michael Malone
born July 8th
12:05am
8lbs 4oz
20.75"long
Big sister Yuri with Baby Kye
and of course my big kiddos...
(who look like giants next to a new baby)
Sawyer just loves holding babies. He claimed he was going to "hold baby Kye for 100 minutes longer than anyone else".
*****
And just for kicks here are my kids meeting Yuri for the first time
exactly 2 years and 2 days ago...
How do they all keep getting so big?!?
what a night
Forgive me if this random rambling makes no sense.
With the amount of sleep I got last night, I feel like I'm in some time warp and I'm a new parent with a newborn baby again.
It went something like this:
Kids in bed at 8:45 (late for them because of having company over).
I was about passed out on the couch by 9 with a horrible headache.
Up to bed by 9:45, headache has full-on turned into migraine.
Ryan checked on the kids at 10 before climbing into bed; Sawyer's still awake?
I was just falling asleep when at 10:15 we hear Sawyer in his room yelling, "Heather! Heather! Heather!" (that's his new thing... we ignore him yelling for Mom or Dad, so he's taken to laying up there yelling "Heather!" or "Ryan!") Ryan went in to tend.
I had a hard time falling asleep my head hurt so bad. I'm hoping I was asleep by 11.
Woke at 12:30? to Ryan's phone beeping with a text message announcing a new baby boy. (of course I hear it and not Ryan)
Took me awhile to fall back to sleep again... I was hot and restless and every time I moved I thought I'd have to move all the way into the bathroom to throw up.
Probably fell back to sleep 1:30ish.
3:30, Sawyer appears next to my bed saying he's scared in his room. I shoo him back to his room telling him he can leave his door open.
Of course I can't fall back to sleep. Head is still excruciating. Get up and take more drugs, but never fall back to sleep.
4:30, Sawyer back in again saying he's still scared. (why is he awake for over an hour in the middle of the night?) I make Ryan get up and put him back in bed because I can hardly move my eyeballs let alone my body to take care of him.
5:00 finally fall asleep (I think?)
5:20 Ryan's alarm goes off. Luckily I fall right back off to sleep
Ditto when he leaves at 6.
Then he calls me at 7:15(!!) to remind me about the Malones (I already remembered thank you... I was awake all night remembering) and ask when we can go up and see them.
Luckily, finally, my head is finally feeling liftable... but I am so. stinkin. tired. please don't wake me up and ask me questions.
Hang up and try to sleep a little longer... of course Savannah's in almost immediately, followed closely by Sawyer before 7:30. I guess I'm done sleeping.
So, what, three or four hours of sleep, with a migraine thrown in there in top of it and I'm supposed to function today?
Well at least there's a brand new baby to see today! Our plan was originally to hang at the pool most of the day today, but I'm not up to a day in the sun with this leftover migraine sensitivity, so I'm glad for the excuse to do something else with the kids. Ryan wants us to go pick him up for lunch and visit the Malones. Which means we need to get dressed and get a move on so we can stop and find baby Kye a gift!!
I'm sure I'll be back with pictures!
With the amount of sleep I got last night, I feel like I'm in some time warp and I'm a new parent with a newborn baby again.
It went something like this:
Kids in bed at 8:45 (late for them because of having company over).
I was about passed out on the couch by 9 with a horrible headache.
Up to bed by 9:45, headache has full-on turned into migraine.
Ryan checked on the kids at 10 before climbing into bed; Sawyer's still awake?
I was just falling asleep when at 10:15 we hear Sawyer in his room yelling, "Heather! Heather! Heather!" (that's his new thing... we ignore him yelling for Mom or Dad, so he's taken to laying up there yelling "Heather!" or "Ryan!") Ryan went in to tend.
I had a hard time falling asleep my head hurt so bad. I'm hoping I was asleep by 11.
Woke at 12:30? to Ryan's phone beeping with a text message announcing a new baby boy. (of course I hear it and not Ryan)
Took me awhile to fall back to sleep again... I was hot and restless and every time I moved I thought I'd have to move all the way into the bathroom to throw up.
Probably fell back to sleep 1:30ish.
3:30, Sawyer appears next to my bed saying he's scared in his room. I shoo him back to his room telling him he can leave his door open.
Of course I can't fall back to sleep. Head is still excruciating. Get up and take more drugs, but never fall back to sleep.
4:30, Sawyer back in again saying he's still scared. (why is he awake for over an hour in the middle of the night?) I make Ryan get up and put him back in bed because I can hardly move my eyeballs let alone my body to take care of him.
5:00 finally fall asleep (I think?)
5:20 Ryan's alarm goes off. Luckily I fall right back off to sleep
Ditto when he leaves at 6.
Then he calls me at 7:15(!!) to remind me about the Malones (I already remembered thank you... I was awake all night remembering) and ask when we can go up and see them.
Luckily, finally, my head is finally feeling liftable... but I am so. stinkin. tired. please don't wake me up and ask me questions.
Hang up and try to sleep a little longer... of course Savannah's in almost immediately, followed closely by Sawyer before 7:30. I guess I'm done sleeping.
So, what, three or four hours of sleep, with a migraine thrown in there in top of it and I'm supposed to function today?
Well at least there's a brand new baby to see today! Our plan was originally to hang at the pool most of the day today, but I'm not up to a day in the sun with this leftover migraine sensitivity, so I'm glad for the excuse to do something else with the kids. Ryan wants us to go pick him up for lunch and visit the Malones. Which means we need to get dressed and get a move on so we can stop and find baby Kye a gift!!
I'm sure I'll be back with pictures!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
randomness of tuesday
I have the Michael Jackson memorial/tribute/show thingie on in the background while I'm in and out doing a bunch of stuff.
Anyone else think it's weird that his family decided to dress in uniform, with the same yellow tie, sunglasses and the single white glitter glove?
Singing We Are the World at the end... all sorts of stars and singers up there together... pretty cool. Funny thing I noticed; you can totally tell it's an 80's song... every adult 30 and over in the room was singing along, but the kids and the young adults, the boy who sang a tribute song earlier who is apparently from Britains Got Talent (adorable boy by the way!) and even Jennifer Hudson, when the camera flashed on them you could tell they totally didn't know the words. Kind of funny. I can't imagine not being able to sing along with that song, it's so ingrained in our heads from 1985.
I keep inviting people over and forgetting that we have our kitchen in pieces;
We're putting in a new tile backsplash, painting cabinets, spray painting appliances, and painting walls and windowsills. In other words, it's a wreck.
Yet we're having our small group from church here this evening (for dinner), I invited other friends over for an evening this week and we have a lunch playdate planned for Friday. I just kind of keep forgetting... probably should curb the hospitality until we have a presentable kitchen. It's just such a habit... "oh, come on over!"
And by the way, I officially hate spray paint.
The kids have been sleeping in in the mornings. I just have to say... this makes for a completely different day. I didn't realize you parents who have late morning sleepers have been living in a completely different world than we have been! Ever since last Friday both kids have been sleeping in (Saturday both slept until after 8:30. Sunday I had to wake Sawyer up at 9:15 for church!) and I am loving it. I love the time to myself in the morning, to get started on the day without the kids prodding me out of bed. Love. It.
Of course now that I spoke of it I'm sure they'll go back to their normal 6:30 am rise and shine.
Have you seen WordGirl? We all love it around here. I love it. It's the one show I'll remind my kids is on... "Don't you want to watch WordGirl today?!" We throw out quotes from the show all the time. The kids always pick characters from the show to "be". Of course Savannah is always Becky/WordGirl (although sometimes she's more suited to Eileen The Birthday Girl) and Sawyer always claims he's Chuck the Evil Sandwich Making Guy. Love it.
Gotta go... it's on next!
Anyone else think it's weird that his family decided to dress in uniform, with the same yellow tie, sunglasses and the single white glitter glove?
Singing We Are the World at the end... all sorts of stars and singers up there together... pretty cool. Funny thing I noticed; you can totally tell it's an 80's song... every adult 30 and over in the room was singing along, but the kids and the young adults, the boy who sang a tribute song earlier who is apparently from Britains Got Talent (adorable boy by the way!) and even Jennifer Hudson, when the camera flashed on them you could tell they totally didn't know the words. Kind of funny. I can't imagine not being able to sing along with that song, it's so ingrained in our heads from 1985.
I keep inviting people over and forgetting that we have our kitchen in pieces;
We're putting in a new tile backsplash, painting cabinets, spray painting appliances, and painting walls and windowsills. In other words, it's a wreck.
Yet we're having our small group from church here this evening (for dinner), I invited other friends over for an evening this week and we have a lunch playdate planned for Friday. I just kind of keep forgetting... probably should curb the hospitality until we have a presentable kitchen. It's just such a habit... "oh, come on over!"
And by the way, I officially hate spray paint.
The kids have been sleeping in in the mornings. I just have to say... this makes for a completely different day. I didn't realize you parents who have late morning sleepers have been living in a completely different world than we have been! Ever since last Friday both kids have been sleeping in (Saturday both slept until after 8:30. Sunday I had to wake Sawyer up at 9:15 for church!) and I am loving it. I love the time to myself in the morning, to get started on the day without the kids prodding me out of bed. Love. It.
Of course now that I spoke of it I'm sure they'll go back to their normal 6:30 am rise and shine.
Have you seen WordGirl? We all love it around here. I love it. It's the one show I'll remind my kids is on... "Don't you want to watch WordGirl today?!" We throw out quotes from the show all the time. The kids always pick characters from the show to "be". Of course Savannah is always Becky/WordGirl (although sometimes she's more suited to Eileen The Birthday Girl) and Sawyer always claims he's Chuck the Evil Sandwich Making Guy. Love it.
Gotta go... it's on next!
Monday, July 6, 2009
our 4th
Lots and lots of pics.
No. I mean Lots and Lots.
We had a lot of family time on our hands, lots of time to kill waiting for fireworks and I took a lot of pictures. I tried to whittle it down for posting on here, but really almost every single picture made me smile, so it was hard to decide. We had a fabulous time!!\
We went to our city's Heritage & Freedom Fest, which happens to be the areas biggest, free Fourth of July celebration, with great bands, tons of carnival rides and food, and awesome kids activities. This is the third year we've gone and it was probably the best year ever!
We went on Friday the 3rd so that we could fully participate in our block party on the 4th this year (and because there was rain forecasted for the 4th!). We went down to the festival at around 5 o'clock in the evening and it was perfect... it seemed almost empty compared to the years past we've been there. There were hardly any lines for rides or anything and it was so nice. We met up with Kevin Lucy and Norah who were there for a bit, as well as some neighbors of ours too. We did some rides with Lucy and Norah and then headed into the kids' area where all the inflatable bouncers and slides were as well as crafts, relay games, face painting, puppet shows and balloon animals. (All free!!)
The kids had such fun and like I said, the whole park was relatively empty still at this point, so that made it all the more enjoyable. After a long time of making the rounds in the kids' area, we ventured back into the festival for food. We had brought lots of snacks and fruit and stuff but of course had to splurge on corn dogs and a bloomin onion... we're at the fair!
We took our food out to the field where we spread our blanket for our fireworks watching spot and just enjoyed hanging out in the cooler summer evening. Lots of playing around... (Sawyer silly and impatient with his slowpoke sister getting her sandals on)
Here are the pics of the rides the kids did with Lucy and Norah...
And the Ferris Wheel with Mommy...
(Savannah clung tight like this the whole time. I was surprised she even went on it. This is the girl who won't go to the top of most playground climbers; a self-proclaimed scaredy of heights!)(Sawyer loved it of course!)
Some pitching practice...
(for which they both won giant inflatable bats)
(I took a ton of these pictures bat battling pictures... however some of them I'm going to have to edit rather, um, creatively because if you'll notice, there's a couple in the background... a couple of the female variety, who were all over each other the whole time we were out there. It was rather obnoxious and a little offensive. Forget the fact that it was two women; I would not appreciate any couple making out and groping each other in the middle of a public park while we're trying to enjoy a nice family evening. They ruined half my shots! Gah.)
And more hanging out on the blanket.
Fireworks weren't until after 10pm, so we had plenty of time to kill. By about 7:30 the place had packed in so that it wasn't so fun or easy to do the kids' fun stuff anymore, so we ended up back at our blanket just playing around, people watching and visiting the mini family circus with flame throwers, jugglers and stilt guys.
Savannah killing time on the phone with Gramma...
I had to put the camera away as it got dark because it was drizzling just a little too much. Not bad for us, but not good for the camera.
The fireworks were awesome. Sawyer said he didn't like them, but Savannah loved them (even with her ears covered the whole time).
I wasn't sure we would last for the show, as that is way late for my kids, but they did great, we all enjoyed it, and best of all... everyone slept in the next morning!
Like I said, on Saturday, the actual 4th of July, we had another great block party. Lots of food, lots of friends, lots of Beer Frisbee games (Patty and I were the ladies' champions!!), lots of rain on and off (thank God for big garages!) and a great night with the neighbors. Once again, too wet to have the camera out, but we had a fabulous evening!
No. I mean Lots and Lots.
We had a lot of family time on our hands, lots of time to kill waiting for fireworks and I took a lot of pictures. I tried to whittle it down for posting on here, but really almost every single picture made me smile, so it was hard to decide. We had a fabulous time!!\
We went to our city's Heritage & Freedom Fest, which happens to be the areas biggest, free Fourth of July celebration, with great bands, tons of carnival rides and food, and awesome kids activities. This is the third year we've gone and it was probably the best year ever!
We went on Friday the 3rd so that we could fully participate in our block party on the 4th this year (and because there was rain forecasted for the 4th!). We went down to the festival at around 5 o'clock in the evening and it was perfect... it seemed almost empty compared to the years past we've been there. There were hardly any lines for rides or anything and it was so nice. We met up with Kevin Lucy and Norah who were there for a bit, as well as some neighbors of ours too. We did some rides with Lucy and Norah and then headed into the kids' area where all the inflatable bouncers and slides were as well as crafts, relay games, face painting, puppet shows and balloon animals. (All free!!)
The kids had such fun and like I said, the whole park was relatively empty still at this point, so that made it all the more enjoyable. After a long time of making the rounds in the kids' area, we ventured back into the festival for food. We had brought lots of snacks and fruit and stuff but of course had to splurge on corn dogs and a bloomin onion... we're at the fair!
We took our food out to the field where we spread our blanket for our fireworks watching spot and just enjoyed hanging out in the cooler summer evening. Lots of playing around... (Sawyer silly and impatient with his slowpoke sister getting her sandals on)
Here are the pics of the rides the kids did with Lucy and Norah...
And the Ferris Wheel with Mommy...
(Savannah clung tight like this the whole time. I was surprised she even went on it. This is the girl who won't go to the top of most playground climbers; a self-proclaimed scaredy of heights!)(Sawyer loved it of course!)
Some pitching practice...
(for which they both won giant inflatable bats)
(I took a ton of these pictures bat battling pictures... however some of them I'm going to have to edit rather, um, creatively because if you'll notice, there's a couple in the background... a couple of the female variety, who were all over each other the whole time we were out there. It was rather obnoxious and a little offensive. Forget the fact that it was two women; I would not appreciate any couple making out and groping each other in the middle of a public park while we're trying to enjoy a nice family evening. They ruined half my shots! Gah.)
And more hanging out on the blanket.
Fireworks weren't until after 10pm, so we had plenty of time to kill. By about 7:30 the place had packed in so that it wasn't so fun or easy to do the kids' fun stuff anymore, so we ended up back at our blanket just playing around, people watching and visiting the mini family circus with flame throwers, jugglers and stilt guys.
Savannah killing time on the phone with Gramma...
I had to put the camera away as it got dark because it was drizzling just a little too much. Not bad for us, but not good for the camera.
The fireworks were awesome. Sawyer said he didn't like them, but Savannah loved them (even with her ears covered the whole time).
I wasn't sure we would last for the show, as that is way late for my kids, but they did great, we all enjoyed it, and best of all... everyone slept in the next morning!
Like I said, on Saturday, the actual 4th of July, we had another great block party. Lots of food, lots of friends, lots of Beer Frisbee games (Patty and I were the ladies' champions!!), lots of rain on and off (thank God for big garages!) and a great night with the neighbors. Once again, too wet to have the camera out, but we had a fabulous evening!
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