Baby corn

I'm walking in through Wal-mart, minding my own business and managed to get into a fight with a can of baby corn. And the corn won. I'm not sure the picture does justice but I was wishing for a morphine drip all day yesterday. I am able to walk today, but not sure when I'll be able to wear shoes again. Anyone want in on the bet if I lose my nail or not?

Goodbye

My cat of 12 years, the one hubby gave me as a Christmas present when he lived in Florida, had to be put down on Tuesday. He hadn't eaten much in a few weeks and at first, I figured he was eating a neighboring cat's food. Last week, I called the vet and they recommended giving him baby food and then gradually mixing in with his food. It worked briefly. He didn't eat at all on Sunday or Monday, so Monday evening I opened up a can of tuna for him- his favorite food in the entire world. I immediately became alarmed when he wouldn't eat it.

I dropped him off at the vet Tuesday before work fully expecting he'd need some medicine, maybe even a surgery for whatever ailed him. He just did not seem that sick. I received the bad news right after lunch. He likely had a tumor and his chest cavity was filled with blood, he was severely anemic and only had about 10% of his lung function left. I immediately drove to the vet to see him and to say my goodbyes. The vet had to lightly sedate him in order to examine him and he was put on oxygen for an hour afterwards because he barely made it through that. I opened up the cage and he could not stand up, but managed to crawl over to my shoulder and nuzzle under my hair, his favorite spot.

The vet offered to let me take him home and said he could pass at any moment, but I knew not only could I not handle seeing that, it would affect the kids in a traumatic way. I had to leave before they put him down. The girl asked when he arrived home where he was and I explained that he had died. She hasn't shown any reaction at all to the news. The boy took it much harder. He cried and then was upset with me for telling him. He didn't eat dinner that night or breakfast the next morning and has been extremely clingy with the dog. The dog wanders around the house, searching for the cat. He checks where his food used to be and where his litter box was, all gone.

I still think I hear the thump as his paws hit the floor when he jumps off my bed. I still expect to see him laying on the bed, waiting for me to come home. He was always the one to comfort me when I was sad. He is very much missed.

Guitars, drums, and bermuda grass

A lot of activities planned for this afternoon. We are meeting with the landscape architect so she can present our plan. I am excited to see what she has in store for us. One of hubby's requests was bermuda grass in the backyard. I'm thinking it would make a lovely putting green for me.

After that meeting, we're off to dinner with a friend before the Rush concert. I've lost track of how many Rush concerts I've been to, but they never disappoint. Since it is at The Woodlands, I'm hoping to catch a quick cat nap on the way out so that maybe I can stay awake past 9:15 this evening.

Confirmed

Arrival anticipated March 23, 2008

Shamu, here we come

I am so excited. I just made reservations for a stay in San Antonio for a trip to Sea World. I've been wanting to take the kids there for years, well, ever since I saw the adorable scrapbooking accessories for Sea World.

We have not had an elaborate family vacation since Disney January 2005. Last summer, right before school started, we took the kids to Schlitterbaun in Galveston. It was a quick, 2 day vacation, but they still have not stopped talking about it. Made me realize that vacations don't have to be big productions to have an impact.

Teensy bit of progress

Garage door arrived and was installed. Unfortunately, it was not manufactured to my exact specifications and they put in the wrong windows. Nothing wrong with, but not what I ordered. They will replace the window panel. The windows should be squares, not rectangles. I am now convinced it is too much to ask for anyone to get it right the first time.

And wood has been laid on the stairs. Most of them anyways.

I'll have to take pics of the railings and the mantle over the fireplace. I even have one kitchen cabinet now. (I'm sure the sarcasm reads through even via text).

And maybe someday, somehow, somewhere, Yellow Freight will find my dryer. But I won't hold my breath.

Stress level declining

We are done with the old house. Moved, cleaned and keys turned over. And we are all getting settled at my folks and it is fairly comfortable. Even better, I have two extra sets of hands when hubby is out of town. And miraculously, my laundry is washed and folded almost as soon as I place it in the laundry room.

I am getting over the hump at work- I should have the bulk of it finished on Monday and can see the pace slowing a bit. As I've stopped talking to the builder and even going by the house regularly, the denial is helping with that as well.

Be watching for big news to be announced at the end of next week.

Alive, barely

We made it through the move. Three intense days of packing, moving, cleaning, and more packing. We had been packing and sorting since April, so we were completely amazed how much work was left to do. The little things seem to multiply as you pack them. The majority of our belongings are either sold, donated, or in storage and the four humans plus dog plus cat are living with my parents. I was hoping to wake up this morning and this would all be a nightmare, but no such luck.

In other news, things are still not progressing well on the house (and any schedule delays are amplified by the fact that we are living with my parents). Tile was started on Saturday and fortunately my folks stopped by to check progress because the tilers were working without a level, without snapping lines, and without spacers. Needless to say, everything was a bit off. I called the builder and had him remove the amateurs from the job. So now we're even further behind. Sigh.

Did I mention that everything for work is due this week as well? Calgon, take me away!

Marketing geniuses

I wonder if Apple is used as a case study in business school on how to market. After the hype died down a bit about the iPhone and everyone who would camp out in line for when the store opened or pay $3000 dollars on EBay has already purchased theirs after just a glimpse on television ads, Apple has moved on to phase II of the blitz.

I just received an email about signing up for appointments with personal shoppers to get all of your questions answered about the iPhone or attend an iPhone workshop or to find out which stores have it in stock. Since the impulse buyer craze has passed, time to target those that need more information in order to purchase.

I'd be even more impressed if they targeted cheapskates like me and were able to convince me I needed one.

Last to know or best kept secret?

I was able to sell a few pieces of furniture through advertising at work. I decided to put the remainder on Craig's List. I had heard of it before and had even been to the website once or twice, but I had NO IDEA how well it worked. It was incredibly simple to post my items for sale and the postings are free. Within hours, the weight set was sold. I've had 10 emails about the treadmill and it will surely be gone tomorrow. Someone is coming tomorrow to look at the bedroom furniture. Only have the squat rack and weights left without any potential.

The money for all the stuff we can't use anymore is nice, but the fact we don't have to move it is the best!

Mailbox

I need to select a mailbox for the front of the house. I haven't lived in a house where the mail man delivers to an individual house since I was a kid and it seems so quaint. That would pretty much describe the neighborhood, as it is one of the original neighborhoods for Sugar Land, built in the 1910's for the Imperial Sugar Factory.

Anywho, my issue is which mailbox and I can't decide, so I need some help:

A)
B)
C)

Bars

Took a look at the house Sunday and I was shocked when I walked in the door. I have no idea what they were thinking, but the window sills were in and each one hung outside the wall about 3 inches. It looked like each window was a little serving bar! I called the builder and he assured me it would look right when they installed the trim underneath the windows. I asked if he had seen it yet.

Hopefully they will be fixing that today. Also a miscommunication with the builder and the carpenter about the cabinet doors for the bathrooms and kitchen. Hopefully he hasn't started building those yet.

And feeling a little frustrated because no one was at the house yesterday. 11 more days until we move out of our house. And no one is working. Each day is precious and I'm trying to remain calm, but it is taking all of my energy. I really, really, really want to be in and relatively settled by the time the school year starts. And I really, really, really do not want to live with our folks for very long.

Paint

The exterior is painted! And I'm not quite sure how I feel about the color. It goes great with the stone, but I was so used to seeing white, it just throws me off.

Here is my gynormous whirlpool bath tub, or should I say swimming pool?

R&R

Why is it that I only allow myself to rest when I am forced? I made it through my niece's blessing Friday evening, the girl's birthday party Saturday, and my niece's birthday party Saturday night and then collapsed. I did manage to pack some boxes yesterday and had to go into the office for a meeting this morning. I left right after the meeting and am doped up on cold medicine. And I missed an opportunity for golf this afternoon :(

Here are some pics from the girl's birthday party Saturday, which was absolutely fabulous. It was hosted by Tea Parties to Go and I would definitely recommend!

Uniforms

I am usually fairly laid back and take changes in stride. But one in particular has me irked. The girl's school is requiring uniforms for the pre-K program starting in the fall. My biggest issue- they are ugly. My second issue- I hate being told what to do and being told how to dress my child for school definitely falls into that category. Not to mention that I'm cheap and most of her clothes are gifts and now I have to buy an entire wardrobe that will be useless come next summer.

I don't believe any of the BS associated with uniforms. 'The kids concentrate less on what each other is wearing and more on their education.' 'The kids feel part of a community because they are all wearing the same clothes.' Maybe the kid feels like a robot? Or a drone? Or even more controlled than they already are at 4 years old!!!!! And most of all, it feels pretentious. Argh.

They thought of everything

Toys that have not been seen or heard in years have come to the surface in the massive packing project currently underway. The kids started playing with this alphabet caterpillar where it will say the letter or sing songs or sound out the sound of the letter. The boy presses the letter 'f' and takes it to his father- Dad! This says a bad word!

So, dad, being the big kid that he is tries to sound out bad words. F-U-C: only it says Fuh-Uh- giggle, giggle, that tickles! He tries again. F-U-K: fuh-uh- giggle, giggle, that tickles! F-A-T: Fuh-Ah-Ta. D-A-M: Duh- Ah- giggle, giggle, that tickles!

Buckets of oil

This weekend I had one huge task I needed to complete: finalizing and summarizing my choices for lighting and plumbing fixtures. I had already spent upwards of 10+ hours perusing the internet and the catalogs from the builder and was totally confused. I asked interior decorator mom for help and the kids and I went to visit Friday night. Only then did I remember that I left the lighting catalog on my desk at work.

So, Saturday I loaded up the kids and we headed to my office. I showed them around a bit and then we headed to my folks. I asked if they were excited to see my office and the girl answers Yes! and the boy answers No! I ask him why not and he said because it was boring- just a chair and desk and some other stuff. Curious, I ask what he expected to see. He knows that I work for a large company famous for producing gasoline, and he thought I would take buckets and dig up oil out of the earth and bring them back to my office and pour them in a computer that would make gasoline.

My dad is an engineer as well and as a kid the boy's age I thought he drove a train. The boy has a much better grasp of reality than I did at his age.

A real house

I can actually begin to visualize us living here. Which I presume is a good thing since it will happen in 4 weeks. Give or take a few.

Living room

Kitchen

Office
The boy's bedroom
The girl's bedroom
Master bedroom
Bonus space- my scrapbook room oh yes!!!

Kids & money

I saw a cute post over at Blogging Away Debt and I thought I would get a time stamp on both kids progress in the financial arena. Let's see how our teachings have taken root so far:

The boy:
1.) How old are you?
7
2.) Do you like money?
Yes
3.) What do you like about money?
That you can buy lots of cool things
4.) How much money do you have?
$162
5.) How much money does mom and dad have?
I don't know
6.) How much money is there in the world?
About a million
7.) How do you get money?
Earn it
8.) What is a bank?
That saves your money
9.) If you had $100 dollars what would you do with it?
Save it
10.) How much money would you like?
All the money in the world and share it

And now for the girl:
1.) How old are you?
Three. But I am old enough, I watched it with Daddy. (She wants me to put the Superman movie on for her)
2.) Do you like money?
Yeah
3.) What do you like about money?
Watching TV (One track mind)
4.) How much money do you have?
2 dollars but the money is at the bank. Can I watch Superman?
5.) How much money does mom and dad have?
I don't know
6.) How much money is there in the world?
Ten dollars
7.) How do you get money?
You get it from the world (Quite astute)
8.) What is a bank?
Where they pay our money
9.) If you had $100 dollars what would you do with it?
Put it in my purse
10.) How much money would you like?
50 dollars

3000!

I apologize for the terrible picture. I took it with my camera phone and only took one, so it's the best I can do.



Went to the Astros game last night with several coworkers. The timing was amazing because last night Biggio hit the 3000 mark in hits. The crowd roared every time Biggio was up to bat. The place went nuts when it happened and even I was caught up in the moment. Which is a big deal because I have carried a grudge against Biggio for 19 years.


I was 13 and begged and pleaded for my parents to take me to the baseball card shop where Biggio would be signing autographs. I had my baseball cards ready and waited and waited and waited. He never showed and I was absolutely crushed. Last night, they were giving away Biggio signed cards to a select few based on their seats. And no, I didn't win, so after all of these years, I will still carry on the grudge.

Awww

I just received a phone call from the boy's extended day program that he is attending this summer. Normally my heart sinks when I receive a call because it usually means one of the kids is sick, injured, or in big trouble. Fortunately, it was a request from the boy to pick him up first as he had made something for his sister's birthday present and did not want her to see it.

It is so darn cute to witness day after day just how much those two love each other. Don't get me wrong, they fight like siblings most of the time, but they also look out for each other. What more could a parent ask for?

Insulation

The insulation is in! It really changes the feel of the house, can't see through the walls anymore and it feels like walking into a giant bottle of pepto bismol. Inspection this morning and I am supposed to meet with the builder and the cabinet guy to start making decisions on all the trim. Drywall starts this afternoon or tomorrow.

I'm getting excited again now that I can see progress.

Update: Insulation inspection passed. The house was a three ring circus when I went by- insulation guy finishing, 2 guys working on the stone, 2 guys finishing up the speaker/tv/alarm wiring, and two guys starting trim work. Now that's what I like to see!!!

Progress

We made it through a slew of inspections last week- plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and framing. Insulation happens tomorrow with drywall due to begin Wednesday. The cultured stone is coming along nicely and should be finished in about a week or so. Meeting with a landscape architect the week after next to work out a plan. I still say it's a one in a million shot to be done by the end of July, but we will see...

Pictures!

The boy's birthday party:

And the ridiculous amount of toys (and no, this isn't even close to all):

Inch by inch

Crazy, busy weekend like most. Met with the electrician to walk through some final details Saturday morning and then the boy's birthday party was Saturday afternoon at The Incredible Pizza Company. Sunday was a Father's Day celebrations and the family birthday party for the boy. We also spent most of our free time packing and even started the monstrous task of sorting through the toys, most of which will not be moved. We're getting there slowly, inch by inch.

Yesterday was the boy's actual birthday, so I skipped out a little early and we took the kids to Johnny Rocket's for dinner and walked around Town Square. Tricked him a little with his present by giving him a card and two pairs of pajamas first. He was not too impressed until we took him to the garage to show him his new basketball goal to be installed at the new house.

Not too bad to get three days of celebrating for your birthday!

Tissue

Apparently, I need to be more specific. I was preparing dinner and needed to set the table, so I asked the girl to take the tissue (kleenex, as we call 'em in Texas) boxes and put them in my bathroom. I finally called for her and asked her to please join us for dinner because it took her so long. I realized why when I walked into my bathroom- she had removed the plastic from each box and pulled out the tissue so each box was ready for use and lined them all up on my counter. Not exactly what I had in mind, but I did appreciate the effort!

Big tooth

Lost the second front tooth today! What a grin!

Snake bite

Friday, hubby and the boy headed north to work on the trailer park. The girl, myself, our dog and my mom headed south to their cabin in the woods. My father is working on developing property in the area and had left early in the morning.

After a bite to eat and a little nap, I awoke to my mom telling me to wake up. The dog's cheek was swollen and she was panting and drooling. Dad and I rushed off to find a vet in the nearest town- Hallettsville, population 2,772. In the waiting room was a woman and her dog, who was a mirror to my dog with the snake bitten cheek. After a quick check and a shot of penicillin and steroids, we headed back to the cabin for r&r. Fortunately, the remainder of the weekend was much less eventful and I came back rested.

However, Monday quickly kicked in and I was told at 8:00 am of an all day meeting I was supposed to attend at 8:00 am.

DITL- my first!

I always enjoy when Jo features 'A Day in the Life', so I thought I would give it a whirl. Maybe next time I won't be too chicken to take pics of people....


5:30 wake up call

Time for a bath

Breakfast for me

Breakfast for the kids

Drop off the boy

Drop off the girl The builder needs more money
Finally at work!
Definitely need more coffee

Head out early to check out cultured stone for the house

Some options Late lunch
Pick up the girl- great work!
Pick up the boy- always a ham!
More work at home- this time I'm double calculating the HVAC requirements
I cooked, but I'm too tired to clean
One down!

At last, time to relax

Be careful what you wish for

I always wanted our house to be the place for the kids to gather. I like the idea of knowing where my kids are and what they are doing and having a house full of laughter and joy. Hah!

I have five kids in my house right now and I am beginning to rethink this brilliant plan.