What We Did This Weekend

This weekend we got a project done that has been eating at both Ed and I since we moved into our house. The downstairs half bath somehow got left out of the interior painting we did last spring so it has been that awful pale yellow and had the UGLIEST GOLD light fixtures you've ever seen and an ugly mirror to match!! Let me just say that the builders of this house used gold fixtures in the kitchen, master bath, and half bath. I'm not a big gold fixture fan but the ones in the master bath are tolerable, the faucet in the half bath is fine, but the gold stuff in the kitchen was gone pretty much immediately when we moved in!! It was a challenge to come up with stuff for the bathroom that incorporated the gold faucet. I think it turned out a-okay.

So here's what the bathroom looked like when we came to look at the house before we bought it.

And this is what it looks like now.

I think it's much better. Ed and I are a good team when it come to these projects. I come up with the plan and he does the work! Works for me! I DO NOT have the patience to paint! I attribute that fact to my first job! I was a painter for several weeks one summer while we were in the Azores. We painted everything from playground equipment to traffic lines at the airport. We even painted cement stop signs. They had to be cement on an island where they called off school because of high winds! I literally got blown off my feet one time in a storm, but that's another story! Anyway, I didn't enjoy my painting job and try to avoid a paintbrush at all costs! Thankfully Ed is a great painter!

The other thing we did was to spruce up Becky's room. I haven't known what to do to make it cozier. Ed actually came up with the plan for this one! So here's Becky's room (scroll down to the picture from this link) when we first moved in.

And this is what we did. Just taking the bunkbeds apart and rearranging the room made such a difference. We also had an easier time deciding what to put on the walls and where to put it. She likes it better too.

That takes care of a couple of things, now there's only a gazillion more to do! It always seems that way, doesn't it? I think our next room will be the dining room. It really needs some furniture and wall stuff but I did get curtains which I love. I'll post pictures when that's done.

Stay Warm!!

A Cute Story

I got this story in an e-mail and thought it was just so cute. Enjoy!

Did you hear about the Texas teacher who was helping one of her kindergarten students put on his cowboy boots? He asked for help and she could see why. Even with her pulling and him pushing, the little boots still didn't want to go on. By the time they got the second boot on, she had worked up a sweat.She almost cried when the little boy said, "Teacher, they're on the wrong feet." She looked, and sure enough, they were. It wasn't any easier pulling the boots off than it was putting them on. She managed to keep her cool as together they worked to get the boots back on, this time on the right feet.He then announced, "These aren't my boots." She bit her tongue rather than get right in his face and scream, "Why didn't you say so?", like she wanted to. Once again, she struggled to help him pull the ill-fitting boots off his little feet.No sooner had they gotten the boots off when he said, "They're my brother's boots. My Mom made me wear 'em. " Now she didn't know if she should laugh or cry, but she mustered up what grace and courage she had left to wrestle the boots on his feet again. Helping him into his coat, she asked, "Now, where are your mittens?"He said, "I stuffed 'em in the toes of my boots."She will be eligible for parole in three years.

Points to Ponder

* Why do commercials aimed at men include toys from our childhood? (I saw the red and blue boxing robots during a recent football game!)

* Why does the water in the toilet bowl go down during a very windy day? (Don't believe it's true? Pay attention next time it's really windy outside)

* How long does it take a goldfish to die when you flush him down the toilet? (Said goldfish was on his last fin!) How much of the journey does he experience before he's rendered unconscious? This is a weird one, I know.

* How come when it's snowing and the sun is shining at the same time there isn't a SNOWBOW anywhere?

* How do drivers ACCELERATE while their brakes are ON? (This one is especially mysterious to me!)

* Why are active duty military legally allowed to participate in an anti Iraq demonstration!? That's a kicker isn't it? Did they or did they not sign up to serve our country? It seems a little traitorous to me! Here's my disclaimer again...I don't hold strong politcal views or have any strong opinions about the Iraq war, I do however find it unfortunate that some active duty military would disrespect their 'commander in cheif' with a public demonstration of defiance.

* When my dog is done eating, why does she immediately head for the rug in the family room and proceed to rub her face all over it and roll on her back and rub some more? Maybe if I offered her a napkin...

* Why do children like to eat snow?

* Why do smokers smoke right outside of the entrance to stores? This is a HUGE pet peeve of mine! I especially wonder why employers let their employees smoke directly in front of the entrance! I am not likely to want to shop someplace where one minute this person is blowing smoke in my face and the next asking if I need any help with something in the store! And one more thing!...at any given time there are AT LEAST 10 Wal Mart employees at the picnic table outside the entrance smoking! DO THESE PEOPLE EVER WORK!? Do non smokers get as many breaks as smokers do??

* Why are pennies a different color than nickles, dimes, and quarters?

* Why do our fingernails look longer after a long bath or a swim in the pool? ( Have you ever noticed that? Rebecca pointed it out to me.)

* What's the difference between a snow thrower and a snow blower?

I think that's about all I can come up with for now. I'm sure I'll have more!

Allison had the creepy crud the other day. Poor baby started throwing up around 1:30 in the afternoon and was still throwing up at 10:00 p.m. Even the next day she was totally wiped out! Wouldn't eat, very lathargic, took a little nap even. If this creepy crud knocked Allie down this bad then the rest of us don't stand a chance if we get it! It seems to take A LOT to knock Allie out. She'll run around, literally, with a 104 fever! She seems much better today but still a bit whiny and sensitive.

Here's Allison playing with her leapster. She pretty much never got off the couch for 2 days!!

We watched Jump In on the Disney Channel. It was very good! It's about a double dutch team who enlists the help of a boxer. It has Corbin Bleu in it. I just love his hair! Check it out.

Multi-Tasking

Picture this scene. It's 3:20 in the afternoon. Everyone is home from school. For a few moments it is relatively peaceful. Then...all of sudden my children all had need for my attention. Allison wanted to do Play-Doh, watch TV, needed help getting her Polly Pockets dressed, all at the same time mind you. Rebecca needed help with her piano lessons. Katie needed help with her math homework until her friend called and then we needed to discuss whether her friend could come over or not. AND...I was trying to get dinner started so that we weren't eating at 7:00 at night! I found myself going from one end of the house to the other and having 3 conversations at the same time!!! Talk about multi-tasking! SOMEHOW Rebecca's lesson got practiced, Allison's multiple needs were met, Katie was taken care of, and dinner got started!! When I realized how NUTTY it got so suddenly I got to laughing - OUT LOUD - by myself, the kitchen! My children probably thought I was losing it but the whole thing struck me so funny! If anyone had walked in on this scene they would've thought, for sure, that there was NO sense of order in our house EVER! Fortunately these crazy moments aren't the way it usually is. I'll admit that I did feel a small sense of accomplishment once everyone was taken care of! Isn't that what being a mom is all about anyway?

I've found myself addicted to American Idol! I think this is season 6 and it is the first time I've watched it! It's amazing to me how some people THINK they are talented singers and yet my DOG can sing better than they do!! At first I felt bad for those who were turned away and insulted, mercilessly by Simon and then I thought, "If they want to subject themselves to a televised audition in front of a panel of CRITICAL judges then they deserve what they get!!" Heartless, I know.

We went ice skating last weekend. SO FUN! I was surprised how much I enjoyed it! Becky was my skating partner. She'd never been skating before and, in theory, I was supposed to help her. I say 'in theory' because I'm no skater! Ed is the skater in the family! My girls were in awe of his ability!! As we would watch they'd say, "WOW, Dad is an AWESOME skater!!" Yeah, yeah, yeah, we know! Katie caught on really fast and managed to stay on her feet pretty much the whole time! Becky and I made it around the rink 3 times in a half hour!! But I think we were both improving by the time we were done. And Allison LOVED it! She's still talking about it! I can't wait to go again!

The snow I mentioned in my previous post never materialized. I'm finding that the weather people seem to have a difficult time FORECASTING! I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume it's because of the complex weather environment we live in.....whatever.

Today's a half day of school. Katie and Becky are having friends over. Should be a fun afternoon!

More SNOW

I had to post again because I wanted to let you know that I've just come in from SHOVELING and SLEDDING with Allison! My last post must have been like a rain dance or something! We have about 1 1/2 inches right now and may get up to about 4. I am surprised that we are actually experiencing Lake Effect snow which I'm assuming is off of Lake Erie (is that the one by Buffalo?). So now the wet clothes are hanging to dry and Allie and I are going to have some hot chocolate!

By the way, the museum was fun this morning. We got to learn about different lizards and then pet a Blue Tongued Skink! Allison was impressed!

Snow

I feel obligated to post something since it's been over a week since my last post, although I have no idea where this will go...

It snowed last night - big deal - a dusting. I was starting to get really bummed that we have NO snow. Let me clarify what I mean by NO snow. The ground is bare! Haven't seen more than a half inch all winter. Our pool is just now starting to be frozen. Katie hasn't worn her snow boots yet. That's what I mean. Anyway, instead of bumming over NO snow I've made a list of reasons I'm glad we haven't had any.
1)
2)
3)
Hmmm....I really did try to think of something. Instead I kept thinking about the things I LOVE about snow...
1)Bundled up kids who can barely walk due to their bundles
2)Big snow men (or little snowmen) in the front yard
3)The way sound is muffled by the snow - everything seems more peaceful
4)All the brown, dirt, and grime are covered up by an unblemished layer of white
5)Snow angels
6)Seeing my kids play together in the snow
7)Playing with my kids in the snow
8)Hearing the neighborhood snowblowers
9)Little red faces that need to warm up
10)Hot chocolate
11)Sledding
12)Snowball fights
13)Snow forts
14)Icicles from snow melting off the roof
15)Shovelling (I really do like to shovel, and since the snowblower ALWAYS kicks my butt shovelling is the best option for me. Of course when Ed is home he does the snow removal thing, unless I want to shovel, that is)
16)Trying to walk in thigh deep snow without losing a boot!
17)Watching the dog bury her face in the snow and come out with a bunch of it on her nose (we haven't seen Lucy's reaction to snow yet, but our dog Emily LOVED it)
18)Snow days from school
19)Driving in the snow at night with your high beams on. My dad would say we were going "Light speed" Try it, it really does look like it!!
20)It's fun to play in and pretty to look at

I probably could think of more but I'm bringing Allison to the museum this morning for Aquarium Storytime. We haven't been before, I hope she likes it. She is starting a music class next week. It's musikgarten. We went to an open house and tried it. We both really liked it!

Enjoy your snow if you have any!

My Daughter, The Celebrity

Allison has become somewhat of a celebrity at Rebecca's school. I've been noticing over the last few weeks how different kids want to sit with her at lunch or play with her at recess. Everyone seems to know that the seat next to Allie's is for Rebecca but all the other seats are up for grabs. Yesterday a couple of boys who were in Rebecca's class last year got the two seats across from Allison. I got a kick out of that because they were the only two boys at a table of about 15 girls! Anyway, one of the boys kept playing peek a boo with Allison by ducking his head under the table and then making some sort of monster noise at her when he stuck up his head. She was not sure what he was doing or why! Since I'm there partly to make sure lunch time is somewhat under control I thought I should step in and help this child focus on his lunch. I was trying to explain to him how since Allison is younger we need to try to be a good example to her of how we should behave at lunch time. I asked him if he had any younger brothers or sisters and he said he had a "really big brother who was 12!" Then he said, "My brother is the one who taught me the scary noises!" ... So much for that! It was too cute!
Then there's our principal. He is the stereotypical principal that kids are genuinely afraid of! I think he's a little too stern but he is a nice man. Anyway, Allison has been making eyes at him at lunch and talks about him at home. He always says hello to her and he's friendly but that's the extent of it. Well, last week she must've really batted those pretty eyes because he came over a few times to chat with her about her lunch and then, to the amazement of the rest of the table, he sat down next to her and talked some more. A little later he came over and sat down to talk to Rebecca. You should've seen the eyes popping out of the other kids' heads, Becky's included!! At first they were SCARED! WHY IS THE PRINCIPAL TALKING TO REBECCA?! When they realized he was just visiting they all relaxed! It was priceless! So this week was more of the same. The principal comes over to check out Allie's lunch and the other kids rush to sit next to her! It just cracks me right up!! When Allison goes to kindergarten there she will RULE THE SCHOOL! - at least she'll think she does.
I going to do my first Home Visit for Labs 4 Rescue today. When you want to adopt a dog from L4R a visit by a L4R volunteer to your home is required to 'seal the deal.' It's kind of a formality but I'm sure there have been instances where the home visit revealed a less than ideal home. So, I got an e-mail from L4R the other day looking for Home Visit volunteers in our area. The people I'm going to see are adopting a 4 month old black lab named Savannah. Their lab died in May and now they want a new pup. I feel kind of silly even checking out their home but the rules are the rules, right? Check out the L4R link and you can read about their good work and find out how to enter to win Yankees/Red Sox tickets!
Rebecca brought home a frisbee from Pioneer Club last night and you should've seen Lucy's reaction! She was flipping out! We tossed the thing to her and she grabbed it, chewed it a minute, and then lay down next to it with her paw on it. So adorable! Someone must've played frisbee with her somewhere along the line. That's the sad part about Lucy...not knowing what happened in her life before us. Obviously there were happy things. She was well trained and taken care of. Then the hurricane happened and her life changed...poor pup. It's funny how you rescue a dog from hardship thinking you're doing them this big favor and then you realize it's the dog that added happiness to your life. What a good thing.

Just for Laughs

Allison's version of 'Mary Had a Little Lamb.'

Mary had a little man

little man, little man.

Mary had a little man

And it's wife as snow - ho.

I'm not sure what the last line means but I love how Mary had a little man!

Katie is getting braces the beginning of February. The spacers go in on the 24 th of this month. I hope she's cooperative about taking care of them. She really has no idea what she's in for, which is probably a good thing. Unlike me, she won't need any teeth pulled in preparation for the braces to go on. And she won't need to wear a headgear of any other 'appliances' during her 22 (or so) months of metal. Rubber bands are likely, but that's nothing. Sounds pretty cut and dry. I have to admit I feel a little bad for her. Braces are no fun. Hopefully I can remain sympathetic when she's really uncomfortable those first couple of days and then after every appointment where they tighten things up. OOOH - just thinking about it brings back memories - OUCH!

It's almost 60 degrees here today! WOW! It smells like April. It's raining too, so it LOOKS like April. No snow in the forecast either. Yesterday after school the girls played outside with kids from the neighborhood, without coats, until it was dark (around 5). Unheard of in January! No complaints though, it was nice to be out. I even took the Christmas lights off the bushes. Usually they're frozen in place and they get all broken when they are removed, not this year. Poor Allison keeps asking when she can 'roll up Frosty the Snowman'. Maybe in April...

Allie's Song

Allison taught us a song yesterday. She learned it at school. It's the first time SHE has taught a song to her sisters, not the other way around! I just got so tickled when she sang it to me. It goes to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot" The words are:

I'm a little penguin, black and white.

Soft and furry, an adorable sight.

I can't fly at all, but I love to swim.

So I waddle to the ocean,

and I dive right in.

So cute! Sometimes I'm so amazed by what she can do. Don't you ever wish you could just freeze your children at the age they are? I do.

If you're not doing anything Saturday night and are in Maine you should go to the Matthew West concert and Portland Pirates game! We love Matthew West. Concert starts at 4:15. Tickets, if they're still available, were $12 for both the concert and game. Check it out!

Reflecting on 2006

Okay, so I may not make New Year's Resolutions but I was thinking that reflecting on the passed year is important. Looking at where we've been, what we've accomplished, that sort of thing. For us 2006 was FULL of changes! This time last year Ed left Maine to start his new job and I had to get used to him being gone all week. He would drive home from Mass. on Friday after work and then head back to Mass. on Sunday afternoon. I was looking at my '06 calendar and January was BUSY with house showings, school play rehearsals, basketball, gymnastics - all that stuff. We sold our house something like 10 days after it hit the Multiple Listing realtor guide and our buyers wanted a FAST closing. They originally wanted to close the end of January - however, we did not have a house to move into in Mass. and ideally we wanted the girls to go to their school until February vacation. A 30 day closing seemed realistic to us so that's what we agreed to. February came in with a flurry of activity! Ed still being gone during the week, Katie's birthday party to prepare for, going through closets and the basement to get rid of stuff we just didn't need. Then the actual move... It was more than moving all of our belongings from one place to another - we were moving our LIVES. Everything that was HOME and familiar became a picture in the rearview mirror as the girls and I drove down to Mass to be with Ed and start our new lives there. SCARY! I read a quote on a bumper sticker today: Change is inevitable. Growth is a choice. It's true, isn't it. So after reading that I thought, "Have I grown, have I seen growth in my kids since this move?" Of course! I think it's harder to resist the change and be bitter about it than it is to accept it and make the best of it. 2006 has been full of growth for all of us. I've had to step outside of my comfort zone so many times and God has blessed each time. My girls have had their world completely rearranged and yet they are thriving and happy and adjusted to our new home and hometown. I'm so proud of them especially. It's so much to ask a child to leave behind familiar things and start over but yet they are so resilient and able to accept change I think easier than adults. There have been times when it's been very difficult and I've felt sad and sorry for myself. Thank God I'm not a wallower. I don't let myself wallow in self pity - it's just not productive! I'm sure all of us have felt that way at different times since the move but I think we're all doing just fine. The adjustment seems to be over now we are really settled and feeling like our lives are here and this is our new home. I remember the very first time we went to a store after we moved down. I thought, "We know NO ONE here! We won't see anyone we know because all of these people are STRANGERS to us - ALL of them. None of them are even the slightest bit familiar!" It's not like that anymore. Between Ed and I and the girls we see familiar faces often when we are out. I like that. So 2006 was a year of change and adjustment for us. It was also a year of growth for all of us as well. My hope and prayer is that 2007, whatever it brings, will see us all healthy and happy.

Happy New Year

I'm not much of a New Year's Resolution type. I have tried before to make some resolutions for the year ahead and by January 2 they were all but forgotten. I don't even try now. If you make New Year's resolutions, good for you. I hope you succeed. I tend to look at time in a seasonal format; you know, winter, spring, summer, fall, as opposed to the year as a whole. That's how life operates, don't you think? We plan things according to the time of year, not neccessarily the year itself. Maybe that's mostly true of people with school aged children - because then the school year sort of dictates our time and planning a bit more than folks without school aged kids. So while I don't make resolutions for the year ahead, I might have a goal for the summer - walk the dog every day; or the winter - bake more with the kids. I'm not sure if those are resolutions or not. My resolution for TODAY is to take down the Christmas decorations. Maybe that's how I'll do it - DAILY! Hmmm...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!