365/333 My lil’ Helpers

Today I convinced Hubby to help me draw the lines for the striped wall.  He was not so crazy about having a striped wall but he did help me. CJ and Syd were very willing to lend a helping hand.  CJ was “Holding me” on the ladder and Syd liked the little ruler.  I only stepped on CJ’s hand once but other than that things ran smoothly.

The finished product?  Well other than a few minor tweaks, it is completed.  Hubby even likes it now that it is done!

The next painting project is the stairs and then the trim.  I think the trim will have to wait until 2011, I'm just running out of time.

365/332 They arrived

The chairs arrived today just as they promised. The table looks so much better with all of it’s chairs.  Now if only the carpet were gone we could eat a family meal here.  Hubby has given me the option to get a temporary floor but knowing our track record the temporary floor would be not so temporary. And who wants to put down 2 floors?

The plan right now is as follows:

Replace large picture window in living room with a patio door.

Replace fireplace with a gas insert and make a proper mantel.

Then lay a new floor in the main part of the first floor.

The list of little projects that will fall in between the 3 above biggies is long but it will all get done in due time.  Oh and things will move much faster if we sell house 1 and house 3/4

365/331 Holiday tradition

As promised this morning we decorated our tree.  CJ would not let me forget that, she was eager to hang her Cinderella ornament.  After she hung it oh so carefully, I moved it up high so little fingers would not pull it off every 5 minutes.  This year she got 2 Hallmark ornaments; one she picked, Cinderella and the other I picked, the Fisher Price school house.

Here are the rest of kids ornaments for this year:
MJ- Surrounded by Love
JD- 1964 Pontiac GTO
Syd- A World of Joy

The rest of the holiday decor will have to wait until I finish painting.  Hopefully this coming week; Hubby is off on vacation to get the insulation completed but maybe I can wrangle some painting time in there as well.  We'll see

365/330 Santa Baby

Tonight we hauled up the Christmas tree from basement. My 2 year old pre-lit tree that the top has stopped working (#@$#%&)! Anyway, by the time Hubby and I gave up on getting the lights to work it was too late for the kids to help with the decorating. But since they did haul the crates of holiday stuff up we pawed through the containers and Syd nabbed the Santa hat.  She left it on most of the evening, what a cutie.

I promised CJ the we would put her princess ornament on the tree in the morning; the only way I got her to go to bed

365/329 Houston we have a problem

After 3 coats of paint, yes 3, I think I’m finally done painting the ceiling! I started the last coat today at 2:10; after staying up ‘til after midnight and getting up early to hit the stores with my mom. I just had to get this ceiling done once and for all! It went smoothly enough that I was finished about 5 ish and I painted the walls (yeah!)

I was nearly finished with the walls when I noticed a section of ceiling had a few wet patches still and some bubbling! The rest of the ceiling was dry but after 3 hours this section was still damp. Hubby did some investigating after I showed him and explained to him that this was also the same area that I had to scrape loose paint off before I could paint. It lines up with the upstairs outer wall. We are guessing that it is the cold weather & a heated house that is creating condensation in the upstairs ceiling. Add in wet paint and you get this.

I guess the ceiling is not done yet!

365/328 Another Thanksgiving tradition

Besides sharing a great meal with our families and being thankful for all we have, we also enjoy another Thanksgiving tradition….  perusing the Black Friday ads  It is the second best part of the day, stuffing being the first Everybody must go over the ads at least a couple of times always calling out the awesome deals they find.  Some of us reminisce about past Black Friday deal lost; Hubby has yet to let go of the frustration of the one that got away - the Ridge Shop Vac from Home Depot last year.  He even got one from Ace Hardware that works great but the Rigid one still haunts him.  

365/327 Thanksgiving Prep

MJ and I traveled to Grammies for the traditional Thanksgiving prep of pies and turkey stuffing.  MJ has been getting right into  helping with the holiday prep for the last few years.  She is trying to take over the turkey stuffing but I have too much fun with that job to give it up just yet.  I will let her be the sleeve puller upper for me for a few more years 

365/326 Catch me if you can

CJ and Syd got into a mood tonight and decided running around and around the house was the thing to do.  CJ can out run Syd with no problem so when she would race through the kitchen  I would tell her to stop and wait for Syd to catch up.  As soon as Syd would round the the fridge CJ would take off  again. Syd would giggle and race after her trying to tag her.  They had such a great time with this little game.

365/325 Finally I can paint

I have wanted to paint this house since the day we purchased it. First we had wallpaper to remove on two of the living room/dining room walls, some soot to deal with and last, but not least, a chaotic daily life to maintain. So ahh, I have started to paint! This is not the fun part though, it is the primer & stain blocker coat. It took me 2 showers to remove all the paint from my hair, next coat I’ll wear something to protect my head!

The plan is to paint the ceiling in the living/dining room first then the walls so I can put up my Christmas tree. Then the hall/entryway ceiling and walls, and finally the stairway and upstairs hallway. I would hope to also squeeze in the blue bath but that might be pushing it to get it all done before Christmas.

365/234 no mercy

Hubby was wrestling with the girls on the floor when Uncle Luther called him.  The girls were not the least bit concerned with daddy’s inability to talk on the phone and wrestle at the same time. They just continued to attack him; they loved it when they did not get much resistance from him.

365/323 90% done

It has taken us months to get the fence project done! We are now 90% done; we spent the afternoon hanging the fence sections. Tomorrow Hubby will have to go though and trim off the 4x4s, screw the section in completely and rip a few pickets to fill in the  gaps we have (tree roots). It looks greats but we found out that because our house sits up so high the traffic on Saginaw Rd can still see into our back windows; I feel like we are in fish bowl. I need to get the drapes done soon.  I want to paint first  though. I think that will be the plan for tomorrow.

365/322 What a deal!

Heather told me about this great table at Pier 1. It was just what I was looking for; a long rectangle table that could fit 8 and it was ON SALE. I dragged Hubby to the store a few days ago to see it and he liked it as well. But he didn't like the total cost of the table and 8 chairs. The sales lady told us that if we signed up for a Pier 1 credit card we would get 20% off our next purchase. The catch was the coupon would take 6 weeks to get here and the table and chairs would no longer be on sale. I left the store bummed.

Hubby thought I should call Pier 1 customer service and see what they would be willing to do to get us to spend our money with their company. I called and they could not do anything but she said that the store manager might be willing to do something for us.

All I wanted was the 20% off the table and chairs now before they went off sale. I thought it was a long shot but I called anyway. The store manager was very nice but said she needed the coupon to mail into the home office so I would have to wait the 6 weeks for it to arrive in the mail. We were wrapping up the conversation when she apologized again for not being able to help me and I said “what if I promised to bring the coupon in as soon as it arrives in my mailbox and not use for anything else in your store” She sighed and said “You drive a hard bargain, I’ll give you the 20% off right now.”

As soon as the kids got off the bus I drove up and purchased it before she could change her mind. I didn’t realize how good of a deal we were getting until after she rang it up 3 times and the coupon code would not work. One of the other sales ladies said, “that is funny, that code should work, unless the items are on sale.” OH NO I thought. She frowned and I thought it was over, no deal! She and the other sales associate put their heads together and talked about another code they could use. She punched a few more keys and printed the receipt for me to sign.

She had given me to discount even though the items were on sale! I suspect she gave me an employee discount but I’m not sure.

Thank you Mary, Manager of Pier 1 in Midland, I will be bringing the coupon in wrapped in a bow as soon as I get it.

Brent hauled the table home for us in his 1/2 truck as he calls it. I will get the other 7 chairs in a few weeks. It looks great, now I can’t wait until we replace the carpet and we can eat at the table.

365/321 Sick kid

The girls and I were in basement, they were playing and I was unpacking my scrapbooking supplies when I got a phone call from MJ.  She was crying and wanted to come home because she was getting a migraine. She has not had a migraine in months. 

After we got her home  she decided the best place to take a nap was my bed; less light and less noise.  She was not even laying down for 30 minutes when sat up and vomited over the side of my bed onto the cream carpeting.  UGH what a mess. 

This is the first time she has gotten nauseous with a migraine.  She felt so bad for vomiting on my floor she decided to take the rest of her nap on the bathroom floor. 

By 6 she was starving and gobbled a huge plate of spaghetti. Kids are very resilient creatures.

365/320 CT scan, UGH

The ear specialist ordered a CT scan of Syd’s ears and today was the day to have it done.  Hubby worked from home today so I could take her without CJ.  I dreaded it.  I did not know how they were going to get her to stay still long enough to get a good image. Well is was a struggled but the techs were very patient with her even though she was not happy about being wrapped like a mummy and strapped to the table.  She was able to move and wiggle around but after about 30 minutes or so she wore herself down enough that they could scan her and they think they got 2 good images.  I hope so because I do not what to do that again.  She was so hot and very upset by the whole process. By lunch time she was back to normal and smiling again.

365/319 Recycling

My niece, Lu, has decided that she wants to recycle.  She does not have recycling pick up at her house so she decided to bring it to our house.  This was her first bag and I showed her how to squish the plastic container so we can fit more in the bin. She may  have to have Brent help her with the squishing because she a little sprite and does have enough weigh to squish the orange juice container very flat. I have to say I’m very impressed with her, she wanted to recycle and found a way to make it happen. I gave her a bin and a mini lesson on what to look for. I will have to make a copy of the “what can I recycle” flyer that they gave us when we moved in.  She will be surprised at all the items that can be recycled.

365/318 Wide open spaces

Here is the before picture taken during the home inspection in August.

Well a few things have change: the flocked wallpaper is gone, the grass cloth is gone  and now so is the 70’s style wood thingy.  I also started painting the wood work.  It is amazing how much more open it looks.  I even took the same wood thingys off the stairway too!  Oh, I also did this while Hubby was away for work and surprised him.

Next step is painting the walls and the rest of the wood work.  I need to have the painting done before I can put up my tree and holiday decoration.

365/317 what a sight

Heather and I left the crop early, JD is  running at districts today.  I pulled in the driveway at 1 am and found CJ sleeping with MJ.  What a sight, they were sound asleep, squeezed into a twin bed sharing the pillow.  Hubby said CJ went to bed with MJ about 10 pm and never wander out of the bed once.  (Maybe it is time to get her a big girl bed.)  MJ said she does not what to do this again because CJ kicked her all night. CJ on the other hand wants to do it every night.

JD did not fair so well at districts he was 13th out of 18.  He was not prepared for the cold weather and ran in his sweatshirt, against his uncle’s advice. He was disappointed but will continue to run with his coach as the other kids train the the Nationals in Florida.

365/316 When the cats away…

While I’m at the crop I have left MJ in charge of taking the POD.  She loves taking photos with her Itouch.  She took many shots like this one and also sent me audio clips of CJ and her singing while I was scrapping.  That was a nice surprise in my inbox.  I think I will ask her to record some more of them singing, it will be a hoot to listen to the recordings when they get older.

365/315 A weekend away!

This is one of my 2 scrapbooking retreat weekend I take a year.  Heather and I get to spend 2 days scrapping and chatting around the clock, getting all of our meals prepared for us and not have to deal with any kids!  With all the unpacking and wall paper tearing down I have been doing the last few months I have not prepared very well for this crop but I will do the best I can. I plan on just enjoying the visiting and food with a side of scrapping.

 

365/314 The plan

We took Syd to see the ear specialist at Michigan Ear Institute today.  He listened to us and decided not to traumatize her by holding her down against her will to look in her ears again. They have not been able to see much of anything when they try to look in the ear canals due to the fact that they are so narrow.  The next step is for him to operate on her in mid January.   He will widen just one ear canal for now and see if he can get her hearing better.  Which ear will be decided in the operating room once he can get a better look at what he is dealing with and she is not fighting like a tiger.

I had to laugh when I saw this photo. She looks like a vampire, but she does love strawberry apple sauce.

365/313 All A’s!

Today was report card day!  JD brought home  pretty good grades; A’s, B’s and 1 C.  His Math teacher has even suggested that he move up to pre-algebra as soon as possible. Great job JD!

MJ brought home all A’s; that is only straight A’s, no A-‘s.  I only tell you that because it is a very big distinction around here. She earned herself a hefty bonus of cash for this great feat; $100.00.

Some people wonder why we pay for grades. It started a while back as a way to incent JD as he was always money hungry, but not always willing to work. His grades were so erratic that we figured if we paid higher dollar for top grades he would want to get better grades to earn more cash.

It’s a sliding scale with top grades getting more money, no pay for anything lower than a B- and a bonus for all A’s.  Hubby is a stickler for accuracy so an A- doesn’t count as an A.

However, we could not offer it to just JD or that wouldn’t be fair.  But MJ needs no incentives to do her best and she just keeps earning more money then him.  This is her second time earning the all A’s bonus. As this pay scale has not really given JD the incentive we thought it would, we have decided to suspend this for the next few report cards and see what happens.  MJ was a bit bummed but when I asked her if she only worked hard for the A’s to get the money, she said “NO and I will get A’s next time even if I don’t get paid.”  That’s my girl!

365/311 It is a start & 365/312 This make 2

I bit the bullet and started painting the stair risers. I careful papered and taped the treads and wall which took me over an hour; that surprised me.  I put the first coat on and am letting it dry overnight.  I cautioned everyone to be careful on the stairs because of the paper, I did not want anyone slipping on the stairs or kicking the damp risers.

It is a start

All went well for the evening and no one messed up the paint or fell on the stairs.

Fast forward to Tuesday morning and look what happened…

The girls and I were getting ready to leave for Preschool and I was holding Syd’s hand like always.  I was also carry 2 sippies and 2 wet diapers (like always).  I got to the third to the last step and wham I find myself on my butt.  I slipped and pulled Syd down with me, she was not injured but was screaming for 30 minutes after and I banged my left elbow so hard that 12 hours later it is still throbbing and it is missing skin. All I can think is that I was so concerned with Syd getting down safety that I was not watching my steps carefully enough.  I just hope the pain stops soon or I might need to consider if I did something that needs medical attention.

In case you are counting this is my second fall down the stairs, I am tied now with my 2 and 1/2 year; what does that say about me?

The tape and paper came down today. I have some touch up to do and some caulking to fill in the gaps the a 60 year old staircase has.  I think it looks great and will be excellent after the minor things above are completed.

365/310 What on earth?

Hubby and I are in MJ’s room working on the window again and I look out and see this…

What on earth?

JD is in the tree in our front yard with his drawing pad!  I have no idea why but it sure strikes me as odd.  I believe he was supposed to be helping MJ rake the lawn but I see that was not what he was doing. The things he thinks of to get out of work amaze me sometimes.

365/309 First 5K (for some)

The entire family participated in the Harvest 5K Run/Walk in Lakeview, MI this morning.  This was also Brent’s first organized race of any kind! 

One of our good friends, Rodney, has a daughter who is a senior at Lakeview.  She chose as her senior class project to organize this race to benefit the Lakeview Cross Country team.

It was only about 25 degrees out but the sun was shining and there was no wind so it was a great day for a run.

Myself, MJ and the girls did the walk while hubby and JD took to running.

JD came in 3rd overall (1st in his age group) while hubby finished 5th overall (2nd in his age group).

The walk was as easy as could be thanks to a wonderful jogging stroller that we borrowed from some friends of ours.  The girls very much enjoyed their ride.  Thanks Tommy and Lisa for letting us borrow the stroller!

First 5K (for some)

365/308 Lock in ready

The kids are attending their first lock-in since we moved here. They are both excited as it is at the Community Center and the events that are planned include swimming, rock climbing and many different types of ball games.  I just hope they are still smiling tomorrow when we are walking and running in a 5k bright and early.

Lock in ready

365/307 Too cute to pass up

The kids are cute but I’m talking about the hats!  We we killing time yesterday shopping and came across these hats at Marshall’s.  The sales clerk was just putting them out. CJ wanted to try one on so I let her and I was hooked! We waited around to see if there was another animal so the girls would not have the same hat but Syd was getting antsy and the box seemed to have no bottom to it. 

Syd wore hers most of the day; sometimes she surprises me.  I did not think she would be tolerant of this hat with it’s long braids, not to mention it is a thick hat and we were indoors most all day.  She kept reaching up and playing with the ears. 

I’m just glad they like these hats.

Too cute to pass up

365/306 Just a peek! yeah Right

Hubby tells me he just needs to pull the mulling's from between the windows to get a better idea what we need to order to replace them.  I would not let him try it on the living room or dining room windows as I had a sneaking suspicion it was not going to that easy.  MJ volunteered her windows. 

I was right to be wary; he had to get out the Rotozip and remove plaster to see the rough opening.  What a mess.  This is just a taste of things to come.  Every window we replace will have to have the surrounding plaster and the tile sills demoed to remove them and then all the damage we do will need to be repaired.  Not fun!

Just a peek! yeah Right

365/305 Looks who’s not sleeping

Surprise!  10:30 at night and this kids is wide awake!  She has had no nap today and has not eaten any candy (not much of a sweet tooth).  Why in the world is she not fast asleep?  She is happily chattering in her crib; that is until I peeked in on her and now she is residing in our bed and playing with my hair.

Syd is our erratic sleeper; some days she can sleep  in late, take a nap and is rubbing her eyes by 7:30 pm. Other days she can wake at 2 am, keep us awake until 5 or 6 and then sleep a couple hours, thumb her nose at a nap and be wide eyed late into the night.  No wonder I still have the dark circles under my eyes like a new mom!

Looks who’s not sleeping

365/304 Sugar low?

Tonight I found these two slouched on the couch totally zoning out.  They were staring blindly at the TV watching last week’s Glee episode.  I think they ate way too much candy from the Halloween bags.  They were unaware that I was even taking their picture!

Sugar low?