08.29.07
Framing
has begun
Hard to believe this will be our new family room.
The pile of dirt is our new screened porch
This trench is for all our power lines, which are getting buried.
and the gutter, damaged again!
Holiday News
I know it seems early to be thinking about the holidays but I wanted to let everyone know (and we will be sending out a newsletter stating this as well) that all “design your own” bags will have to be ordered by October 1st. In an effort to actually enjoy the holiday season this year, I am shutting down that side of the website for the holidays. I am planning to have a bunch of ready-made bags up though, starting around that time. But, when their gone, their gone. Hoping this makes for a more peaceful holiday around these parts!
08.28.07
Love Him
I did this scrapbook layout a few years ago about how lucky I am to have him
I don’t tell him enough. We have been together a long time, a couple moves across the country, a few kids, no income, decent income, school, more school, ups and down. Being supportive with all my hair-brain ideas, lets have another baby, let’s get another dog, I want to start a business, let’s add on to our house…..
And now he has a big decision to make and I know it is stressing him out.
So Andy I just wanted to let you know that I am here, being your support, because you are always mine.
And remember a while back when I posted about the song that reminds me of Austin? Well this is the song that reminds me of you, hokey video and all.
Love you sweetie.
Braces here we come
Both of the older boys went to the Orthodontist yesterday for the initial consultation. The good news is that Blake can wait another 18 months, but Austin is good to go. He has a few more loose teeth that need to come out, in fact he lost one last night at football practice. He is excited I think, he wants straight teeth. The color he has picked out is Carolina blue- at least that’s what I call it.
The boys just walked out the door for their first day of school- Yee Ha!
08.26.07
Tomatillos
My friend Julie gave me this little basket of tomatillos that her husband grew in their backyard. She wasn’t sure what to do with them. We love tomatillos and when we moved up here from Texas we had the hardest time finding them. Everytime I buy them at the store, someone nearby always asks me “what do you make with those??”
Well the answer is verde sauce. I have yet to find a perfect recipe so I am always experimenting. When I have one I will share. Of course it may be years because I just don’t cook very often. Andy seems to think we will cook more when we get our new kitchen. I think HE may cook more. He actually likes to cook. I just like to eat.
So I snapped some pictures and thought it would make a good blog post as I am sure that most of you are getting a little tired of remodeling posts. But right after I snapped this picture the tornado sirens started going off. Cole and I were the only ones home and he was busy building a big monkey out of Legos. I flipped on the tv to see what was up and saw that we were right in line to be hit by a big storm that was producing tornados. The rest of the clan comes bursting into the house and we head to the basement and camp out for 15 minutes or so when we realize that the storm is passing a few miles south of us and we were fine. But by that time I was starving and just wanted to eat and not document or take pictures.
Which means we are back to remodeling pictures.
The dogs keep going to the back door to get in but there is a big hole there now. They just sit there and stare into the house.
Austin wanted to see what would happen if he opened the door and called them, I vetoed this idea because the last thing we need is major vet bills when they fall in the hole and break a leg, or two.
Austin is off to football practice and then to the ice cream social at school where he gets to meet his new 4th grade teacher, Blake gets to meet his 2nd grade teacher, and Cole gets to eat ice cream and run around like a crazy man. School starts in 2 days which is bitter-sweet. I am going to miss them all day but I am not going to miss the fighting! A little sad that summer is wrapping up and sports are starting. One in football and two in soccer, yes Cole is starting soccer this year which will be so fun to watch. Can’t wait.
I am really ready for fall though, it seems that every time I start getting tired of a season it is time to move on to the next one.
08.23.07
Downside of a remodel
The mess. Not a little messy, a lot messy. I used to have a nice yard, in fact it was the reason we bought the house.
Not so much anymore.
The workers got a lot of brick laid today- that’s the good part.
Good thing is next year they won’t have this nice orange spray paint
The cement is the worst. While I was taking pictures Barley decided to run through it. No problem, I will just hose her off- except all the hoses were gone. Good thing she knows what it means when I say “go get in the bathtub”
Just had to document, I know it will all be worth it.
While I was searching for pictures of what our house looked like when we bought it I found these.
All my boys on the day Cole was born
Cole when he was one week old. He was sooooo tiny, and I was soooooo tired, we tried to snag a nap on the screened porch. His hair looks so dark. Much different than a year later on his first birthday
and then on his 2nd
Ok, got a little distracted- love love love my boys!
08.22.07
Cosi
Loaded the kids up today for a trip to our local science museum. 
It was weird that my older kids have grown out of KidSpace, but not Cole. He loved it.
The water area is so fun and after looking at the baby table I had the biggest urge to dig out my pictures of Blake as a baby sitting in that same table.
Cole never sat in the baby table, not sure how that happened.
Cole has a friend that he calls his “ghosty friend” that does a lot of bad stuff. Whenever he (Cole) does something wrong he blames it on his ghosty friend. When he saw this picture he said, “that’s me and my ghosty friend.”
We took in a 3-D movie about dinosaurs that was really cool
My favorite exhibit is Progress
It takes you back to the turn of the century
and then to the 50’s
Trying to soak up our last days of summer.
08.21.07
Down days
Do you ever have them?
No reason in particular but lots of reasons piled together?
Sometimes the best cure is a good cry, and today what finally pushed me over the edge was reading this blog post about death of Audrey the dog.
Someone posted this poem in the comment section
Construction Day 7
Today was interesting. The cement truck couldn’t make it all the way into the backyard so the worker guys had to haul the cement by using wheel barrels. They weren’t happy and it was a sticky day. I took Andy’s advice on how to keep workers happy and took them a big jug of lemonade.
Once they got the cement down the block truck arrived and left tons of cement blocks in the yard. Then it started to rain. And they called it quits. And it is still raining. The hole is filing up with water.
Adding a few items to the ready made category today
08.19.07
Packing up
Our contractor has informed us that we need to start packing things up. How we are going to live in this house while it is being remodeled I have no idea. We don’t really have any rooms that aren’t getting touched. Insane. This means packing up most of our stuff.
One thing I did today was gather up a bunch of my quilting fabric, fabric left over from my days of designing children’s bedding, and even some bag fabric that I have a TON of. I sorted it out and made Andy photograph it and I am offering it up in my Etsy store. It felt good to pull it out and get it organized as most has been packed away for quite a while. I have so much. I put a few things up today and will be putting more and more each day as time permits- So… if you sew, check it out. I have a lot of vintage style children’s prints, canvas, decorator, well you name it.
I have to temporarily downsize my studio while my new one gets built but for the most part, that is one of the “safe” areas of the house which is good because it is where I spend most of my time.
by Robinson Jeffers (1887-1962)
I’ve changed my ways a little; I cannot now
Run with you in the evenings along the shore,
Except in a kind of dream; and you,
If you dream a moment,
You see me there.
So leave awhile the paw-marks on the front door
Where I used to scratch to go out or in,
And you’d soon open; leave on the kitchen floor
The marks of my drinking-pan.
I cannot lie by your fire as I used to do
On the warm stone,
Nor at the foot of your bed; no,
All the nights through I lie alone.
But your kind thought has laid me less than six feet
Outside your window where firelight so often plays,
And where you sit to read‚
And I fear often grieving for me‚
Every night your lamplight lies on my place.
You, man and woman, live so long, it is hard
To think of you ever dying.
A little dog would get tired, living so long.
I hope that when you are lying
Under the ground like me your lives will appear
As good and joyful as mine.
No, dears, that’s too much hope:
You are not so well cared for as I have been.
And never have known the passionate undivided
Fidelities that I knew.
Your minds are perhaps too active, too many-sided…
But to me you were true.
You were never masters, but friends. I was your friend.
I loved you well, and was loved. Deep love endures
To the end and far past the end. If this is my end,
I am not lonely. I am not afraid. I am still yours.
So of course I sit bawling my eyes out, and the door-bell rings. My dogs go nuts. It’s the guy from 84 lumber. I open the door with my eyes all red and puffy- he looks at me kind of strange and hands me the hardie plank samples and asks if I can choose the color of the house.
My time of self pity has ended.