Open & Shut

While driving home from church today we passed through a high-end neighborhood that had at least 4 open houses going on – I drooled. I love to go to open houses to see how other people decorate and glean off their great ideas. I am frustrated that most open houses are on Sundays when I cannot go.

“I hate that Sundays are the day for open houses. Why can’t they do them on Saturdays?” I whined to AH.

“Don’t they have them on other days of the week?” AH replied.

“Yes.” I said. “But not nearly as many as they have on Sundays.”

“Why would you want to go to an open house?” AH inquired. (such a man)

Looking incredulously at him, “So I can see how they decorate their homes. . . and so I can inevitably nag you to move.”

“And for that reason I am glad most open houses are on Sunday,” quipped AH.

A Break. . . Mid-Winter

I am not delighted with the week long "mid-winter break" our school district has in February. I am especially disgruntled when it is followed 5 weeks later by a week long “spring break” and then possibly by a school year extended into late June when the kids have to do snow or flooding make up days. How about we just drop mid-winter break and get out of school earlier in June? Alright, I'll get of my soapbox now.

Since we do have mid-winter break and it did snow (so so happy) we decided to make the best of it. After skiing last Monday with the cousins we had big snowstorm hit our area and AH decided skiing in a blizzard was the perfect time to ski as a family so we headed back up to the local resort.

The state patrol was monitoring all vehicles for the mandatory chains, snow tires or all wheel traction devices and so there was quite a long row of vehicles "chaining up" along the highway.





At the ski resort there was an astounding 12 to 18 inches of fresh snowy powder on the bunny hill (amazing). It continued to snow while we were there, so heavily at times that I couldn't see more than a few feet in front of me.



The kids did really well in the deep snow while I felt the burn in my upper thighs and lower abdomen as I tried to maneuver my skis through it. By the end of the evening I was truly missing my groomed trails that require no strength to change direction or to stop. I informed AH that there would be no need to do P90X that night and that I was super thankful that we had only done the yoga workout the night before and saved my legs for that nights ski workout.

After a few hours we took the kiddos over to the ski school to meet up with the instructor for their regular weekly lesson. At the end of the lesson the instructor told me that the kids did really amazing through their first powder. Good thing we got their early so they could practice before we paid someone to teach them how to ski in it (isn't this like cleaning the house before the housekeeper comes?).



This was AH’s first time seeing the kids ski since their very first ski lesson in January. He was really amazed at the skills they have developed and what wonderful little skiers they have become.

This ski date was also a huge milestone in our nearly 12 years of marriage. . . AH and I skied together for the very first time. Hallelujah, it's about time!

I Feel My Age +10 Years Tonight

This morning the kids and I tagged along with AH's brother and his family for a day of skiing. I was excited to see my kiddos in action after 7 weeks of ski lessons but as it turned out I hardly saw them at all! They took off with their cousins and I would only catch a glimpse them in the lift line or soaring 20 feet above me from the lift chair. It was exciting to see them excel and enjoy a sport that AH and I love so much. The investment (minor investment - I found a fantastic and inexpensive ski school) was worth every cent!

The pack is ready to hit the slopes:


A rare picture of me with my kiddos:


Beeb and Miss B coming off the chair lift at the top of the hill:


Patiently waiting in the never ending lift line:


Miss C at the end of the day getting more practice in with the help of the magic carpet:


Beeb doing some easy magic carpet runs while we wait for the last of our group to meet us before heading home for the day:


I had a fantastic time and am so proud of my kiddos and all the progress they've made since January. I can't wait until AH can join us so he too can appreciate their remarkable ski skills. Unfortunately tonight my feet are terribly sore, my calves ache a bit and my overall body is tired and ready to lay down for the night. This evening I definitely feel my age plus 10 years - I need to hit the slope more often and take a decade or so off.

Cleaning in the Dark

I am on a bit of a spring cleaning kick right now. The new entertainment room cabinetry has given us lots of extra storage space so I have started transferring stuff (or "junk" if you ask AH) into the new cabinets which in turn has freed up closet space that then requires a rearranging (a sort of demented cycle but in the end rewarding).

A newly reorganized closet:


Having a clean closet only enhances the rest of the cluttered areas of the house so today I decided it was time to clean out a few of those areas too. For example the kitchen junk drawer that I dealt with this afternoon:



I was able to get partially started on my office drawers (which really means creating a bigger mess than before once I took everything out of the drawers) but had to postpone the work when it was time for the kiddo's to come home from school. Typically this would have meant the mess staying out for several days (possibly weeks) until I got my "cleaning groove" back but then this evening a fantastic miracle happened. . . the power went out.

AH had taken Beeb to basketball practice so it was only Mr. B and I home and he had just confiscated my Zune leaving me with nothing to do but finish my project by flashlight. I cleaned out and filed away old bills and statements; threw away many files of paper work that had long since been outdated and useless; sorted through all our music CD's, computer game CD's and miscellaneous other stuff really should have seen the bottom of the trash can a long time ago.



I must say a house of order truly does bring peace of mind, even if it only gets done in the dark.

Happy {Early} Valentines

Once a month we have a free "baby sitter" through a local church program that takes our kids for several hours giving AH and I a chance to spend a little time together. We drop our kids off at the church where they are ready with lots of games, crafts, running room and a movie room as well as 1:1 friend/supervision for kids with special needs. It's amazing!

This month AH took the free evening as an opportunity to surprise me with a wonderful Valentine's Day gift. After dropping the kids off we headed to a Thai restaurant that we been to in the past and had the most awful food ever (what a waist) but during dinner AH handed me with a little gift. I was truly stumped over the mystery gift because it was much too small to be anything from "the list". As I unwrapped the box I got so excited to see that AH took the initiative to purchase me my very own Zune.



AH bought himself a Zune about a month ago and I have been borrowing it regularly to play games or watch movies while the kids are at ski lesson, basketball practice, etc. I guess he got tired of his new toy going missing all the time.

Here's just one of the reasons I love AH so much. He knows who I am and that I am exactly the type of person who gets excited over all things computer related: RAM, external HD's, monitors or, as in this case, a Zune. This gift is the perfect gift because there is no monthly subscription to pay and yet I can still listen to my music, pod casts, videos, access the Internet or play games. Absolutely perfect!

I guess the lesson learned for this year is that AH has permission to veer from "the list" but only for things computer related but definitely not for adult sized footed pajamas.

(Beeb was so amazed at my transformation from "plain ol' mom" into "what I looked like before I became a stay-a-home-mom" that I thought I had better document it lest it never happens again and she has only this foggy memory of me looking halfway decent.)

Me just before we left on our date:

It's a NeuroticThing

This week we are getting new carpeting in the family room, stairs, Mr. B’s room and my office. AH informed me that before I scheduled the installation date he had a check list of items that needed to be done prior to the carpet being installed. I told him he had until the day before the unknown install date to get it all done – and that the date would be sooner rather than later.

AH and I are not the fastest remodelers in the world. We’ve had our house 10 years and we are just now finishing the last “big” project. Of course the pace was mostly driven by funds but there have been a few projects that have just sat unfinished out of sheer lack of motivation. At this point I worry that if I don’t get the carpet installed now the stairs may sit bare for another two years.

AH’s list actually wasn’t so bad, he just needed the time to do it. This meant I needed to keep the kiddos out of his hair for a solid day (or the equivalent there of over several days time). He has made tremendous progress on his list in a very short time, especially after I told him last Monday that the carpet was coming in 10 days. Last night he tackled the last item on the list – a squeaky floor in Mr. B’s room.

Here’s where I need to explain how neurotic AH can be about certain things. I get lots of comments from people about the tidiness of my home (including garage). This is not me, this is AH. I am an average clean person. I am not especially tidy thought I do like to know that the surface underneath is clean. In our home I do the laundry, most of the cooking (including menu planning and grocery shopping), and other general household chores as I think is standard in most homes where the wife works in the home and the husband works away. AH takes my tidiness to a different level. Each night following dinner he cleans the kitchen – all of the kitchen. He 409’s the counters, washes and puts away the dishes, clears off clutter from the counters and vacuums the floor. This thoroughness is how AH treats everything in his life – he does not do projects half way. It is annoying for us less than perfect souls though I am thankful that AH never makes me feel guilty, I am capable of doing that on my own. When I get this way I yell at him for cleaning (can you imagine?). I know. . . I’m crazy (really I do know this but emotions aren’t always logical). On the flip side his need for clean does inspire me to work harder to be tidier and that is probably a good thing.

Now that you know a fraction of how neurotic AH is about his tasks you will understand how he approached the squeaky floor. After taking up the carpet he found a spot along the wall where the unevenness of the floor was causing the noise that drives him nuts. He put in a few shims to brace the floor more and the noise stopped – AH was very happy. He then realized that since everything is out of Mr. B’s room he would touch up the paint on the walls that had been patched a while ago but never painted over. He realized with the first stroke of paint in the closet that the color he was using didn’t match. I brought him a wet rag to wipe the paint off the wall. He then tried another color and called me back into the room to say that it too didn’t match and now he would have to remove the closet system to finish painting because he had already painted a quarter of the wall, too much to just wipe off.

“Why did you keep painting if you knew it was the wrong color?” I asked. “Nobody would have noticed that tiny patch at the back of the closet.”

“That’s not how I do things,” he answered.

“You’re crazy,” I responded supportively.

After finishing the painting he told me, “You’re not going to be happy with me in a minute.”

I stopped and looked at him. He had found another squeak in the floor and wanted to deal with it.

"I’m going to cut the floor open to find what's making that noise," he said.

“That’s fine,” I said back. “You’re not going to be happy with me either since I don’t like the color of Mr. B’s room and am going to want to repaint it soon.”

“You’re kidding, right?” he asked.

“No,” I said.

Guess what I’m neurotic about? If you guessed changing the wall colors you would be correct.

A Miracle of All Miracles

IT finally happened. After six and a half long years of waiting; watching others go before her, being the last in her class to reach such achievements - the momentous occasion finally bestowed itself on Beeb.


She lost her first tooth!




On Monday Beeb was playing at the neighbors house (no school). I got a call in the early afternoon from our little neighbor girl who announced to me that Beeb lost her tooth. Beeb got on the phone and told me she was doing a limbo under a bar they have in their basement and she accidentally hit her chin on the bar. With her hands splayed out in front of her her tooth ejected from her mouth upon her chin making contact and landed in Beeb's hand! Isn't that amazing?!

When she came home she brought her tooth in a little clear bag and I inspected the gap. That's when I noticed that her new tooth had already pushed its way up through her gums and was hiding behind her baby tooth.

On top of that Beeb's recent x-ray at the dentist shows that when her permanent teeth do come in she'll be one short. Two of her front lower baby teeth are fused together and it looks like only one will take their place. The girl has some strange things going on.

The tooth fairy visited her and left her $5.00 for this milestone. Beeb quickly promised the money to her girl scout friend for a box of Thin Mints.

What Is In Our Food?

Last night my sister and I went to a lecture given by Michael Pollan. I've been looking forward to the evening for months. I find Michael's writing style to be educational as well as entertaining; a great combination for someone who writes about food nutrition - an easily boring subject for the general population. His ability to be charismatic on paper has helped to drive forth the education of people from all socioeconomic backgrounds about the American government and corporate mismanagement for our food supply and production. This education has resulted in numerous books, articles as well as the creation of popular documentaries like Food Inc. and The Botany of Desire.

I won't event attempt to being to summarize the material he presented but I will share one item with you.


Just because an item says "low fat" or "non-fat" doesn't mean it is healthier. Fat tastes good and in order to keep food tasting good once the fat is removed food manufactures often replace fat with sugar. Note the nutrition labels above for yogurt (first three are yogurts I normally buy, the last one is a popular Costco brand) as compared with to the Coke on the end. Isn't that Kirkland brand sugar content interesting?

Essentially if you want to eat healthier foods, eat whole foods. Food without labels such as fresh fruit and vegetables or food with five or fewer known (real ingredients, not chemical additives) ingredients.

Skiing

In Washington skiing doesn't equate plowing through white fluffy billows of snow that you see in Warren Miller promos. No, skiing in Washington means skiing in the rain through snow sludge. We decided that it was important that our kids learn to ski in sludge and so we enrolled them in ski lessons for the next several months.

Last week was lesson number one. The benefit of mid-week evening ski lessons is that you essentially get private lessons for a fraction of the price. It's nice to live near the mountain.

Beeb mastered the Pizza Slice (stopping) and French Fries (going straight) but Mr. B struggled a bit and DID NOT like that his sister was able to do something that he was not. He literally cried for over a half an hour (deep sobs, no fake stuff) on the way home. I learned two lessons last week. First, practice the Pizza Slice with Mr. B at home and second, bring hot chocolate as it cures everything.

(Pictures from last week)








Tonight we tried it again and when I picked the kiddo's up at the end of class both exclaimed that they "LOVED IT". Whew! Practice helped a lot for Mr. B and Beeb is now working on turning. Their awesome instructor says that they will be ready for the lifts in just a couple of weeks!

I am so glad that tonight wasn't discouraging for them and that they both feel successful in this new adventure. I can hardly wait to be able to ski with my kids! In the meantime I now keep a big thermos of hot chocolate with me, we all loved being warmed up by it on the drive home.

10 Years Later . . .

A little over ten ago we bought a really crappy house on a really nice lot. We dis-affectionately called it "The Ugly House" (sometimes I still do). A common phrase we heard from friends who visited our new purchase was, "Wow, we could never do what you are doing, we just aren't that skilled." My FIL strongly urged us to walk away from it but AH and I saw the potential that others didn't. We knew that what was wrong with the house was strictly cosmetic and that the investment would pay off since it was the crappy house in the nice neighborhood. We also knew that it was 100K less than other houses in the area that weren't that much newer or nicer, and our house had more square footage and is on a great lot of land.

Over the years we remodeled virtually every room in the house from the attic on down. Nearly ever penny we earned went into the house as we tackled each new project as we could save for it. I'll admit we did it the smart way but boy has it been slow!

I am beyond thrilled to say that we are on the last "big" project. The family room we literally lived in for the first 6 months is now the last room to be completed. When we moved in this room had acoustical ceiling tiles, 6" wide OLD cedar siding (set on the diagonal) covering the walls (think lots and lots of places for spiders to hide!) and a very interesting footer shelf that lined the walls but not at the same height in all areas. AH and I could never agree on how to best finish the room so we just ignored it... for roughly a decade.

This last fall we decided it was time to tackle that beastly room. We had our wonderful friend and cabinet builder, Don, come over on several occasions to talk about what could be done to balance the room and make it inviting. I will brag here and say that Don agreed that my idea for fixing the footer issue was the best idea. What amazes me is that 10 years of telling AH my idea resulted in nothing, but when Don gives the okay the materials are bought the next day and the wall is fixed within a couple of weeks! Silly men.

So Don built my cabinets and even painted them for me (he prefers stained wood but the room is so dark I wanted to make it lighter and brighter) and then he and AH installed them. Did I mention that Don is 80? Yep he sure is and yet I hardly ever think of him being older than us because the man is more youthful than men half his age.

The room is not done but it is in immediate progress. The carpet is ordered and AH has finished painting the wainscoting and can start working on the trim for the wainscoting.

The poor stairs have not had carpet on them since we remodeled the kitchen over two years ago! Soon, poor stairs, soon.


Laying the foundation for the cabinets (See how high the footer (shelf) is? It changes height 3 times around the room. It's crazy.).


Ooh progress. AH feels the need to mud every wall to death before he paints thus the big white mud spot above the slider door (and the rest of the walls, but we'd already painted them so you can't see how spotted the room was prior. It looked like our walls had calamine spots all over them.). I love the lighter yellow color (a very soft yellow, not neon!).


I love that Don includes AH in the process. AH loves to be handy.


Nearly there. . .


Oops, no more pictures. They didn't finish up that night and I was out of town the next day when Don came back. Since then Don and AH put up all the beautiful trim around the edges, AH took up all the carpet in the room and has been a painting fiend on the wainscoting. I don't have a specific date for the carpet yet but it is ordered and now I wait anxiously for their call to schedule installation.

I am so so happy to be nearing the end. AH thinks that we'll finally be able to save some money now but I think he had forgotten. . . the new furniture.

Congrats - you are a First Reads winner!

Monday night I received this little gem of a note from Goodreads.com:

Congratulations _______________!

You are one of our First Reads lucky winners! You will soon receive a free copy of Invisible River in the mail. Please allow a few weeks for shipping.

Don't forget to add the book to your Goodreads currently-reading shelf, and we encourage you to also add it to a "first-reads" shelf when you are done reading. Posting a review is optional, but please keep in mind that reviewing the book is in the spirit of First Reads. Publishers provide free copies to Goodreads in hopes of getting early feedback about the book. First Readers who post reviews are also more likely to win free books in the future!

If you have further questions, please contact Bloomsbury, who listed this book for giveaway.

Goodreads is not involved in the shipment of books to winners. Books usually arrive within 4-6 weeks.

If you've waited more than 30 days, visit the Giveaway Details page to let us know you haven't received your copy.

Thanks for playing!
The Goodreads staff

I was seriously shocked by the email because I never win (and I enter tons of contests) and there were 1423 entrants with only 30 selected to receive the book. I LOVE to read so I am happy to get anything that encourages this hobby of mine. Of course of all the contests I've entered I could think of one or two I'd have rather won so I hope winning this one doesn't jinx me or anything. Could this be my 15 minutes of fame? I seriously hope not!

I Love You

For several weeks Beeb has been insisting that when I put her to bed I must stay and snuggle with her like I do with Mr. B. There is a big difference between Mr. B and Beeb’s nighttime activities - namely Mr. B goes right to sleep and Beeb doesn’t.

Tonight Beeb made her request while we read stories together. “Tonight you WILL stay and snuggle with me like you do with Mr. B.”

“Yeah right,” I laughed. “Mr. B goes to sleep right away and you take days to go to sleep.”

She leaned her head onto my shoulder and said, “Not tonight. I feel tired tonight.”

Indeed she was tired. She didn’t squirm throughout the stories and afterward she immediately snuggled down under her blankets with me.

We chatted for a bit and I told her that I loved her. Lately she has not been reciprocating these verbal affections and it has me worried so I told her so.

“You know, I haven’t heard you say “I love you” in a while,” I said.

Beeb held up her hand to show me the ASL sign for “I love you”.

“You know what happens if you don’t say “I love you” very often? Your lips forget how to say it.”

“Really?” she asked.

“Yes,” I said.

“I love you,” she blurted out.

“You know what else happens when you tell me you love me?” I asked.

She shook her head no.

“It makes my heart happy,” I informed her. She looked at me and smiled.