A Weekend of Firsts

So a combination of work and having Mom and Dad here have kept me from the computer (in the best possible ways)...and today is no exception. I will spend more time updating and posting when the house is woefully empty again.

But, for now, a weekend of firsts for my kids.
Steve took Jack hunting during the youth only pre-season and they got a jake, Jack's first ever. He was very proud, as was his dad. The picture was taken in our backyard, part of ritual of picture taking after every hunt.

Don't ask.


Maggie and Libby performed in their first ever dance recital and it was awesome. It was sweet, and funny, and worth all the weekends I spent sitting at Nazareth College waiting for them. I love this picture...taken backstage before the show, before the costume "reveal".

That's it for now. I'm supposed to working (I'm in my room with the door shut while my parents tend to the babes) and I don't get paid to blog (yet).

His Lordship (the original)

This is the backyard. Also known as his toilet. It was raining.


This is where he pooped. Note the care he took to miss even the wet part of the mat.


But he was the inspiration for this little critter, Wilson My-Cousin-Vinnie Brighidslastname.

So we'll keep him for now.

Mr. and Mrs.Wisenarses

Before you read this post, you'll have to go back and read the comments from my Before and After post (if I knew how to link to it, I would...but it's only two posts down, for cryin' out loud).

No, really, go ahead.

I'm serious.

Alright, you're back.

See, the transition from crappy dining room to stylish office, of which I was very proud, evoked an intense response from some readers. I'll even go out on a limb and call the reaction uncultured, bordering on barbaric.

To refresh your memory, my new office:

Mid-way through the comment marathon, I got this in my inbox from Brighid and Keith, presumably to show off her fancy desk:


Do you see it? Do you see the mocking? Do you see the reckless disregard for my personal design sensibilities and complimentary art selections?

Well, I didn't. She had to point it out.

Because it may be possible that I am as dumb as a chicken.

But now that I know she wasn't just trying to show me her cool desk, I can hear the two of them, cackling like a coven of decor hecklers, assembling the Pink Panther Art of Shame. When I close my eyes, I can picture them, searching for a way to diminish the impact of my Un Lapin Dans Le Jardin (a rabbit in the garden, you heathens). They just couldn't help themselves.

And that's fine.

I hope they can afford to pay for my therapy.

PS. At least I don't watch soap operas while I'm working.
PSS. If you missed it, too, think Pink.

Remembering Grampa

It seems so appropriate for this post to follow the last...since my Grampa would likely have passed out after watching that clip. He would have laughed until he wept.

It would have been awesome to watch, better than the clip itself.

He left us five years ago today. Gramma sat at his side through the night, quietly pleading for him to stay. If the sheer might of her will could have carried him until the morning, it would have. But, when she slipped out to use the bathroom in the early hours of April 11th, he spared her the pain of his last breath, and went to heaven.

He was a remarkable man...salt of the earth...loving husband, devoted father and cherished Grampa.

This is the message my Mom, his eldest living daughter, sent to the family a short while ago:

Five years ago today Dad( Grampa) left and still I miss him and often see or hear something he would appreciate. We are so blessed to have had a really honourable man as our dad. Bless you Dad.

Grampa, you are loved and missed, more than you could know.

The Dangers Of Being A TV News Reporter

I've watched this clip about 10 times today...and sometimes I laugh until I cry...and other times I'm so ashamed to even crack a smile! But, c'mon...a pie to Nancy Grace's face?! Sign me up! The Texas rat snake...OMG...funny shit! I did a little digging and apparently all these journalists lived to tell about it (especially the poor grape stomper and motor-cycle-tailgate-explosion...who sued the station and won). Thank God! So, have a little giggle at someone else's expenses...I won't tell.

Before and After

So, we've been hard at work making the house our own, so I thought I'd show you some of our progress. The former owners had a lovely shade of powder blue in the dining room, befitting perhaps a small clan of infant boys. Well, since we don't need a dining room (and coincidentally sold our gorgeous Mission dining room furniture only six months ago), we decided to turn the room into an office. My office. And it's awesome. Although I don't get to use it very much because it has no doors and my boss says the kid noise is unprofessional (what does he know?), so I typically sit on my bed with the laptop and work (I'll save my work bitching for another post...but suffice it to say I'm not lovin' it). Anyway...here it is!

The office before (camera seems to wash out the colors a bit, but you get a sense of the nursery-blueness of it all).


The office after. Note the wine glass on the desk. After putting that mother of desk together, and doing what I could to prevent the children from learning any new swear words, I needed it! I have since added a nice potted plant on the top left of the desk and pewter lamp next to the monitor to finish it all off. You like?


Couldn't resist a new one of Vinnie. I found him sleeping in Maggie and Libby's dance tote bag on Tuesday night, looking even more pathetic and cute than I thought possible. Bless his little heart.

That's it for now!

Updated to add close up of rabbit for other art enthusiasts (Brighid?).

Celebrity Home Tours

So, it took me a bit longer to get this up than I had hoped and I hope it doesn't take too long for the page to load. I had to resist the urge to point out EVERYTHING we want to change and all the trinkets and whatnots I have planned for all the sparse bits, but whatever. Here it is. Our new digs.


So, we'll start the nickel tour from the street. We are told that there are lots of perennials, so we're looking forward to the sprung of spring to see what we have. The porch is very quaint and our Amish/Adirondack furniture looks great on it (right next to the giant Staples box which I neglected to bring in the house before I took the picture).


This is the view of the back of the house, taken from behind the garage. Note the giant hot tub, a minor snafu in our contract negotiations. As I recall, it went something like this:

Sellers Ex-husband: "Yo, the hot tub is excluded in the price of the house, unless, of course, you wanna give me boat loads of money for it."
Poor Buyer's Husband: "Like, dude, we don't want your giant, budget-sucking hot tub, so you can load it up and take it with you."

Fast forward 3 excruciating months to the final walk through:

Poor Buyer's Husband: "Mmmm...that looks suspiciously like a giant hot tub on the deck."
Sellers Ex-husband: "Like, yeah...I'll be back for it when the weather warms up and my homeys can help me get it off the deck."
Poor Buyer's Husband: "Eh, well...no. You and your posse have until April 1st to haul it outta here. After that, me and the missus are going to do dirty things in it."

It's April 1st, suckah!!

Or something like that.


The entrance. Office behind me (not pictured...will be included in a riveting before and after montage this weekend) and living room to the left.


Corner of living room...surrounded by lots of stuff that still needs to be hung. Like Vinnie.


Looking at the family room from the kitchen.




Family room (no before pic, but the back wall was dark green and the side walls were white). Taken from the kitchen.


Kitchen sink side of island.


Fridge side of island. Hallway to the left leads to laundry room, powder room and garage.


Close up of kitchen border...lovingly painted by aforementioned ex-husband's sister-in-law, less lovingly named "one moose, many meese" by Poor Buyers and promptly put on the to-do-list (will be painted the same color as family room).


Where the magic is supposed to happen (our room, folks). Now THAT is green...and on the chopping block.


Maggie's room. Very blue, but fortunately matches her new comforter. Relegated to the "when-we-get-to-it" painting list.


Libby's room...blue does NOT match her comforter, but also sits solidly on the same list as her sister's. The cloud curtains will also be replaced.


Jack's room...inspired by dead critters and the desire to be invisible. An actual dead animal (one of Steve's deer) is planned for over the headboard, but they may wait until Mom and Dad leave (not sure how they'd feel about an animal watching them sleep).


The kids part of the basement.


Steve's part of the basement.


Eh...my part of the basement?

Not pictured in the interest of, well, interest are two and half baths and a laundry room.

Yawn. I'm tired. Tour's over.

*** Edited to add that the colors are a little off. The family room is actually a bit darker, grayish-green. And our bedroom is decidedly aqua-marine greenier...if that's possible. And Steve is already itching to finish the basement.