Thursday, March 31

ABCs of Me

Does anyone get on MySpace anymore?  When I was allowed to at work, I did these surveys ALL day long.  Since then I have moved on to Facebook and update there probably more than I should, Im never on MySpace anymore. Anyways, its been a while since Ive done a survey thing so here it goes.

A. Age: I just turned 29.Its weird that Im almost 30, I guess Im a grown up now.

B. Bed size: King. We had a queen forever but it was literally 4 ft tall and I had to jump on it to get in.  I found out I was pregnant and we upgraded.  Im small but I tend to take up a lot of room.

 
C. Chore you dislike: I hate changing the liter box and cleaning out the drains.  I have long hair so its MY hair that clogs it so its MY job to clean it.  Its gross and Id rather ignore it.


D. Dogs: We don’t have dogs, but we have 2 cats that act just like dogs.  They fetch and talk and jump on the counters and eat ice cream out of bowls.  Serioulsy.
 
E. Essential start to your day: I don’t NEED anything daily. There are days that I NEED coffee.  There are days that I NEED to eat breakfast.  But I do check Facebook first thing in the morning.  Does that count?


F. Favorite color: Ill admit it, it has changed to purple.  Everything I own is purple.


G. Gold or silver: I hate gold, end of story.  (My wedding ring is white gold cuz I couldn’t stand the thought of wearing gold)


H. Height: 5′ 1” and a little bit, you  know us shorties gotta include that ‘and a little bit’


I. Instruments you play(ed):  The short answer, Im musically retarded.  However, I would LOVE to play the piano or the guitar, ive tried, it doesn’t work. 


J. Job title: Good question, its who you ask.  Gopher, bitch, Assistant, Manager (without the title of course) I don’t really know what it is.


K. Kids: Elyse and Cole, 23 months and 2 days EEEEEKKK, I cant believe they are almost 2


L. Live for ______: See answer to K 
J  If they are happy, Im good with life

M. Most embarrassing moment:  There are so many.  How about my ‘coming to woman-hood’ party when I was 10?  More recently? My first night taking a Zumba class…..white girl gone wild right here LOL


N. Nicknames: Dickey, too many people have the same name so we went by last names and I still get called it today.


O. Overnight hospital stays:  The only time I have had to stay overnight is when I had a c-section for the kiddos.  I have had 2 other surgeries, but they were both day and I got to go home.


P. Pet peeves: Smacking, it drives me BANANAS  Eat with your mouth closed people.


Q. Quote from a movie: Oh so many. 

“Heeee’s a nutbag”
“High five for the clean punani”
“No one puts baby in a corner”
“Suki Suki love you long time”
“You cant handle the truth”
“The first rule of fight club, you don’t talk about fight club”
“Freeeeeeeeeeeee-dom”

I could go on and on.

S. Siblings: I have one sister who is 2 years younger than me.


T. Time you wake up: Monday trough Friday its around 6-ish.  On Saturday I sleep till 630 and go run and on Sunday I get to sleep in till 7
J

U. University attended: I graduated from UTD in 2007after taking a detour to Germany for 3 years. I have a BA in BS  (Bachelor of Arts in Business Science)  Ive always thought the abbreviation was hilarious.


V. Vegetables: I like MOST of them roasted and some of them raw.  Just puree it up and you wont taste a thing.


W. What makes you run late: Me.  Id love to blame the kids or the husband but really, Im 5 minutes late wherever I go.


X. X-rays you’ve had: Does MRI count?  If so, 4?  I think , Im not sure, it seemed like I got a few on my knee before surgery.


Y. Yummy food you make: I can make anything.  MOST the time it tastes good, but sometimes the only person that eats it is the trashcan.


Z. Zoo animal favorites: I like the bears, tigers, and penguins.


Join the fun and Link it up to Cleared for Take off

Ohh Hummus

Somehow over the last year or so, I have fallen in love with hummus.  I buy it every time it goes on sale and practically eat the entire container.  I dont know what it is, its just that good.  So while I made my list, I figured I might as well learn how to make it since I eat it all the time.

I found the below recipe, and of course I tweaked it.  For life of me, I cant remember where I got it from but here it goes.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
1 15 oz can of garbanzo beans, drained
1 4oz jar of roasted red peppers
1 1/2 tbl tahini
3 tbl lemon juice
1 garlic clove
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp Cayenne
1/4 tsp salt
Parsley for garnish


So what did I change?  I didnt measure anything (just another reason why I dont bake)

I added the garbanzo beans with a (literally) spoon full of garlic, dash of salt, some tahini (couldnt tell you how much but it was about what the recipe called for) , the juice of one lemon and the seasonings.  I put what  it said, give or take, but it didnt smell right so I added more.  I used my magic bullet so I had to puree some of the beans first before I could add the peppers.  I added half the container of peppers and some of the juice and blended until smooth.  I then added it to the bowl and topped it with parsley and sriracha sauce because lets face it, I like it spicy.


It was so easy to make and it tasted just like the ones I buy at the store.
Ill be making my own for now on.

Monday, March 28

My First Half

I have never claimed that I am a runner.  My way of thinking has changed.

Over the last few months, since January, I have been training for my first half marathon.  I paid for it in December, and if you know me, I will not waste money so there was no turning back.  Its been a long road.  From being bored on the treadmill, a smaller race to see where I stood, new distances I ran, sicknesses, other woman issues, its been a long few months.  I slacked, I ran, I was nervous.

I pushed my nervous thoughts out of my head and just said to myself, quit worrying, you can do this.  My nerves faded.  The came Saturday.  I went to pick up my packet. 
I saw the sign and my stomach flipped.  For whatever reason, it became real at that moment.  I just about puked, in front of everyone.  I got my packet, which included and awesome shirt that I will defiantly be running in soon, and started to look around.  I have mentioned that my hair is out of control.  It gets humid and my little hairs sprout out everywhere.  Its thin so bobby pins dont help.  I NEED headbands.  Here's the problem, they dont stay in place.  I dont know how many I have bought but Im pretty sure I could do the hair of a small orphanage. I have tried them all. Anyway, I found a booth that was selling one that 'would not move'  Guess what?  IT NEVER MOVED OFF MY HEAD  My fly-aways stayed put the entire race.  This headband is the best thing I could have bought.  If your in need of one, check it out.  Its pricey for a headband, but its worth every cent. 

Sunday morning, I was woken up at 5 by Elyse yelling "Mommy, Mommy, its scary"  I didnt want to mess with it so I brought her to bed with me (dont judge)  She sat up and played until my alarm went off at 545 in which she decided to dance on the bed.  Love her. 

I loaded up my pile that I laid out the night before and headed downtown.  I got about 3 miles from the house and realized I left my phone, my bib, and the directions.  I turned around.  When I got downtown the exits were closed (the ones THEY told us to take to park) so I drove in circles trying to figure out where to go.  I ended up in a parking lot and walked to city hall.  Music was blaring and the butterflies came back. Thats when I realized my chip was in my front seat.  I RAN back to the car, bumped my head on the door and grabbed my chip and RAN back.  It was NOT a good morning. 

Once I got back to start area, I saw my mom.  Mrs Picture Happy, that I probably wont get until next year, started taking pictures.  Its a good thing because I left my camera.  I can run with my phone, not a camera.  I ate a banana, drank some water, and ate some sport beans.  We waited for our corral to get to the start line.  More pictures, more butterflies.  Just before our countdown, I got this shot:
Notice the headband?  Do you see me clinching?  Im nervous but ready to get started.  Its go time.

The first 8 miles was uphill.  It didnt look that bad on paper but it was NOT what I was expecting.  Heres the rundown.

Mile 1-3
It was cake.  I was smiling and zoning out and getting into a groove.

Mile 4-6
I was right on pace.  At 4 miles, I was 42 minutes, at 5 I was 53 minutes at 10k mark I was at 1:06.  My thought was "Must pick it up, must pick it up"  "Get to 8, Get to 8"

Mile 7
Oh mile 7, how I loathe you.  There was a big hill but I kept pushing to keep my time.  Then POP.  My hip popped, out of place.  Not like broke it but it was a definite pop.  I had no choice to be slow to a walk and get it back in place.  Im not sure how far, just that it was about one song long, but I know it was before mile 8 marker.  I got it back it place and picked it back up again.

Mile 8
From this point on, the course was down hill.  I was so happy for this and got myself to zone out.

Have you ever heard of a runner's high?  Ive never had one.  At this point I did.

Mile 9-12
I honestly dont remember anything.  I remember seeing the times and thinking Im going to finish between 2:15 and 2:30.  I remember nothing else, except when I started to cry.  I hit mile mark 12, and tears came out.  I have never run 12 miles at once.  Something came over me and the tears just came out.  It was the BEST feeling that I cant even put it into words.

At this point, I picked it up a little bit. Part because I was crying, part I wanted to finish strong, and part I just wanted to be done to say I did it.

The crowds cheered and a UT band was playing, I sped up.

I crossed the finish line with what I thought was 2:23.  (We were corral 10 and started about 20 minutes after the clock started so I was estimating)  I got my medal and guess what?  Thats right, I cried some more.

Officially, my over times looked like this:
Pace 11:06
5k 32:26
10k 1:06:40
10 mile 1:51:08
Chip Time 2:25:20

I was a little off, but close enough.
I did it.
With tears, but I finished.


I AM a runner and I couldnt be happier.

Friday, March 25

Football and Running

Last night I ran 5 miles.  It was an EASY SLOW pace of 5 miles but the cramps didnt hurt to bad so Im happy with it.  I figure if I keep the same pace on Sunday, Ill be slow but Ill finish without walking.  For my first half, thats the goal, to finish.  Ill worry about speed on the next one.

In other news, Cole loves football.  We live in Texas, if you live here you know, so its never too early to start football.  (At least in my mind its not)  We got Cole a football and he gets so excited when he sees it.  He attempts to catch it and giggles with joy when he does (Of course you have to toss it IN his arms, but hes not even 2 yet so its ok)  After he catches the ball, he giggles and runs to the corner by our bedroom door.  He then throws it, laughs, goes to pick it back up. 

If he cannot find the ball, which is rare, he still wants to play.  He runs to the corner and yells "FOOBALL FOOBALL".  We then say Down, in which he squats, Set, he stands and takes off as you yell Hut Hut Hut to tackle.  I mentioned this a little before in this post and I have been trying to get it on video ever since.  Well last night, it happened.  He did it just the right number of times that I could get it on video.  Please excuse me yelling through my phone.


Hes actually saying down set hut with me, you can hear it if you listen carefully.

I think we got a future player on our hands.

Thursday, March 24

Mother Nature is a B

To be honest, I havnt taken many pictures the last couple of days.  Im a slacker, I know.  So today, Im going to talk write about working out with hormones.

To sum it up, it sucks balls.  The last couple of months I have been 'training' for my first half marathon.  I use training loosely because, lets face it, life happens.  I started off really well and didnt miss a run.  Then I got sick and was laid up in bed for a week.  When I could breath again, I started running again.  Then my monthly visitor comes and BOOM Im done.  Between the cramps, soreness, bulging boobs, belatedness, headaches and just plain uncomfortable I dont do much running right before I start.  Its like running with cantaloupes attached to your chest that are rock hard and knives going in your ovaries while trying to keep up a pace.  It does not work, at least for me.  So the past 2 months its been this, run, sick, cramps, run, sick-ish, cramps, run.  Its been a pain in the ass to say the least. 

About 2 weeks ago, I told myself,  no more missing runs.  Stop slacking , you can do this.  Then life happened again.  The kids got sick, work got hectic, I got wore out.  So I skipped some runs and rested.  I know I shouldnt have but I did. Taking care of my kids was more important and getting some sleep was much needed. I still ran 9 miles on Saturdays, except once when I only ran 5, so I know I hanvt lost EVERYTHING Ive worked for the last 3 months, but its still disappointing in my mind.  Its as though I gave up on myself but I didnt, make any sense?

This brings me to this week.  Of course Mother Nature wants to rear her ugly head the week before my half.  So my patterns starts:  I got the poops (TMI sorry but its reality), complete soreness, migraines, rock hard boobs that make it impossible for ANY sports bra to fit, and cramps.  Its Thursday and I am scheduled to run 13.1 miles on Sunday.  Im flipping nervous that nature will take over and shut my body down, it wouldnt be the first time that this has happened.  So what can I do?

I ran an easy 4.5 miles on Tuesday and did Yoga last night.  I think it helped.  The cramps have buried themselves, for now and Im not aching.  For this reason, Im hooked to Yoga, its better than any pill you can take.  I am going to run a short run tonight and tomorrow and rest on Saturday. 

I can only hope that my fears, nervousness and Mother Nature will disappear before Sunday.  If not, Im sure there will be tears along the way.

Wait, who am I kidding?  There be tears, of joy, WHEN I finish it and thats all I can really hope for.

Tuesday, March 22

Sunshine equals Bubbles

Bubbles are a simple concept.  Add soap (or something similar to it) and air and volia, pure entertainment.  We have been dying to bust out the bubble machines since Christmas but the weather has not been cooperating.  It was gorgeous outside so we thought it would be the perfect time to try out some new toys.

These bubble machines rock.  They roar and moo and blow bubbles faster than the kids can pop them.


When you catch the wind just right, bubbles come out non-stop.

WHOA

The kids had a blast chasing all the bubble and trying to blow them away.


What is she looking for?

More bubbles of course.


He has this look like "What are you looking at bubble?"

I guess she went off to get more.
May I suggest a future investment? 
Bubbles Inc, we will get you to retire early at this rate.


Monday, March 21

Weekend Round up

I think it is the best thing in the world when grandparents WANT to spend time with their grand kids.  My mom tells me about every 3 weeks or so, I think the kids miss me, they told me they want to stay with me and papaw.  They kids stayed the weekend in the beginning of March so I was not expecting this conversation to happen for another few weeks.  Very unexpectedly, the kids HAD to stay over and play, so we got a weekend to ourselves with no plans.

So what did we do?

I have asked him for the past 2 years to build me a garden so I can plant and things and attempt to keep them alive.  The hubs had his own agenda.   He wanted to build an entertainment cabinet.  We both won and he got to work.  After 2 days, I had the beginning of a garden and he had this cabinet that now rests in our bedroom with the SECOND surround sound (Its a man thing Im told)


He did a really good job, its just big, but at least it fits everything.  Im grateful that hes handy.

While he worked in the shed, I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned.  I started in the kids bathroom and bleached everything.  The non-slip mat gets gross, the toys needed bleaching and dont get me started on the toilet.  For as much as that thing does NOT get used, it was gross.  I then headed to the kitchen and worked  and worked and cleaned.  I dont know it got bad, though if you saw it youd say I was crazy but it was dirty by my standards, but it needed some deep cleaning.  Next, I cleaned out the kids closets and set stuff to sell and donate. 

If your in the Dallas area this next week, you should come by, JBF, its the best sale ever.  You can find great deals and clear out the clutter in your house.  Im so glad I found out about this.

Where was I?  Oh yea, kids closet.  After I got that taken care of, well the part of pulling out stuff that does not fit anymore, I went to the garage.  Thats right, I straightened out the garage.  We have shelves and a freezer so it wasnt much.  My hubby believes garages are for parking, not storing but what we do store was a disaster.  So I went to work organizing and now the shelf is in an orderly fashion (OCD much?)

After THAT, I know right, I planted seedlings.  I have decided to start with a variety of seeds with the hopes that something wont die.  I have tomatoes, radishes, cucumbers, broccoli, squash, green peppers, jalapenos, onions, chives, parsley, cilantro, spinach and lettuce.  Im just hoping something sprouts so I can plant it and hopefully eat out of it this summer.  We will see.

It was a long weekend but we got a lot of stuff done that needed to be done.  My to-do  list got shorter but then I added more.  I guess Ill never be done, but such is life.

What projects did you do this weekend?

Friday, March 18

Working from home shouldnt be exhausting

Before I start, let me say this.  I love my kids more than I ever thought I could and would drop everything to doing anything for them

Now saying that, the two of them are driving my batty.  The last two days, I have had to work from home due to daycare being closed (long story)  Being at home should be too hard right?  Its not , really, until my little munchkins turned into Houdinis.

Here is how the last two days have gone.  Ill start with yesterday.  I was woken up by a faint "Mommy, mommy (smack on face) MOMMY"  She was standing next to my head.  I leaped 30 feet in the air.  As of now, they both are still in their cribs and have not figured out how to climb out yet.  I also have recently watched Paranormal Activity 2, if youve seen it, youll understand. So after my freak out, we headed to 'work'  Breakfast was fed and the kids were happy and entertaining themselves.  They then found the cat bowl and dumped it in its entirety.  After that, they found the cabinet with storage bags.  There were about 300 sand which bags all over the floor with two of them saying uh-oh mommy.  They ate lunch and went down for a nap.  When they were up, I opened the door and found her naked.  She will not keep clothes on.  They then ran up and down the stairs, around tables, and anywhere else their little legs would take them.

Not so bad right?

That brings me to today.
Morning started off the same, but I didnt leap 30ft out of bed again.  Breakfast, headed to 'work'  Once I got here, Elyse started saying "Hunny, hunny"  So I popped them in the highchair and gave them applesauce.  I ran upstairs and began work.  Then I hear it.  "We did it, we did it, we did it" Damn you Dora.  Just after I hear that I hear, OH NO COLE and giggles.  I run downstairs and find that they have both dumped applesauce on their hands, stripped down to diapers and were dancing.  Great and I change them and put them in their blocked off playroom.  A little bit later I hear silence then giggles.  I run downstairs and see this:


That would be their kitchen flipped over with Elyse sitting on it like a potty with her pants down.  What is the white stuff you ask?  Oh its a box a wipes they found and took out one by one and then used them as a blanket.

In there Cole, in there, and Cole puts more in the "stove"  As I grab for one she says, No mommy, nose and she blows her nose.  I ask if I can throw it away.  No mommy, its me blanket.

Of coarse it is.

They have also figured out how to un-do the gate, climb over a giant arm chair and 'hide' on the stairs.  Im tired but now they are eating lunch, quietly for now.

I better go check on them before I return to something else that I have to clean up.

Tuesday, March 15

He's Baaaaaaaaaaaack

So you know how yesterday my child was temporarily missing?  I think we have it figured out.

When I left work, I kept thinking.  What is wrong with him?  What can I do to make it better?  How do I fix him?  So I drove and when I arrived, I was greeted with a HUGE hug and laughter.  The laughter did not come from my son, it came from the people who watch him during the day.  And the conversation went as so,

 (Laughing)
Me:  Umm ok what did she do now?
Its not her.
(Confused look)
How long is your hair?
Me: Just at my waist, why?
Well he was a fuss bucket ALL day but he has no fever, he ate, but he just seemed ticked off.
Me: Ok?
Well, right before nap time we changed his diaper and we noticed something.  He had a hair on his bum so we pulled it out.  Pulling pulling, pulling, pulling.  We pulled a hair that was about 3ft out of his diaper/butt area that we can only assume that was squished up his crack or somewhere in there.
Me:  Are you serious?
Yes, heres the funny thing.  He didnt fuss one more.  Hes back to his normal self and running and laughing and giving hugs.  I do believe we removed the stick hair out of his butt.

Does anyone else find this funny?  My hair has made him miserable the last few days?  We can only assume this is what has made him cranky because we havnt heard a fuss or peep out of him since it has been removed.  This morning he walked up to me, grabbed my leg and sais "Loove you" and walked away.  I guess its very freeing to remove hair from your bum. 

Im so sorry Cole, maybe Ill head out to cut my hair.  I dont want you to get wrapped up in me again unless its with my arms, not my small child that I shed on a daily basis.

Im glad hes back.

Monday, March 14

Where did my child go?

Its completely normal to not recognize your child right?

Wait ....back up......thats not what I meant.

Cole is sick, or achy, or pissy, or something.  For the last week, he is NOT happy.  He doesnt have a fever, hes going to the potty, he eats (mostly) but he is a giant old fuss bucket.  I attempt to blame molars, but I cannot see anything breaking through.  Could it be his ears?  If it was, hes showing no signs of it.  This screaming, fussy child has taken over my laid back little dude. 

She usually wakes up at night, he sleeps through all of her screams.  Last night, he was up and down all night screaming from I can only describe as fear.  He'd lay on my chest and he'd calm and start snoring so Id put him back and screams would shortly follow.

Hes the easy one, or he was and Im not sure what to do.  I wish he could really tell me what hurts or whats made him mad or whatever is going on with him. I dont know if hes sick or hes just getting to that age where kids do this or something else. 

I hope it passes soon, I miss my kid.  Until then, I guess Im gaining a cuddler and Im ok with that.

Friday, March 11

Bye Bye Kitty

If you know me at all, you know I love fun socks.  The brighter and the more obnoxious, the better.  I have been slowly bringing the kids into my obsession since they could fit into socks.  If you remember awhile back, I was super excited to find bright socks for both of them.  Bottom line, I LOVE fun socks.

Oh sweet Elyse, our baby parrot.  We talk, she repeats.  Shes getting to the point where she remembers what and where things are which is great, until she pops off about stinky farts in public or how she poo-ed on the floor and decides to tell a cashier about it.

Every morning, I get them dressed, grab a pair of socks out of the bin and put their shoes on.  Today, I grabbed a pair of pink socks with Hello Kitty on them.  Think this but about 20 heads on each sock with hot pink toes and heals.


Cute, I know.  The parrot speaks.

Mommy, socks.
Yes, Elyse
Mommy, kitty?
Yes, its Hello Kitty.
She looks down at her toes and says "Ello Kitty" in her best british accent
Ello Kitty
Ello Kitty
Ello
(pause)
Kitty

At this point, Im putting her shoe on and she says this:

Kitty bye bye
Bye Bye Kitty

She then lifts her pant leg, so she can see the top of her socks.

Ello Kitty

Lowers pant leg

Bye Bye Kitty

I dont think she understood that Hello Kitty is the name of the character, not that she should say Hi to her socks.

Im Starving

By the look of this, you would think we starve them.


I guess hes calling for Take Out.

Thursday, March 10

Wheres the Clover?

I don't know how many times I can say how much kids amuse amaze me.  They can turn a box into a fort, a shoe into a phone, a football into a baby (ok maybe that's just in Texas) or spend hours doing the same thing over and over and over and over and over (you get the point)

We haven't, when I say we I mean he, mowed the yard in awhile since its been cold.  The front is fine but the backyard is filled with what looks like clovers.  They are everywhere.

Enter Cole.


He plopped himself right down searching for his lucky 4-leaf clover.  At least that's what I assume hes doing.


I think he found one, but as luck would have it he got excited and dropped it .


Off to digging again, any luck?  All I see is green.

Tuesday, March 8

Lets Spin

The kids love music.  They love to dance.  They love to spin.
Before bed last night, I put on a Baby Einstein video for background noise. They both were GLUED to the TV, which really they never do. 

At one point, a frog is on a box, ribbits, then falls off.

Elyse's response?
Frog
Bibbibt Bibbit
(Frog Falls)
Bye Bye Frog Bye Bye

I dont know if this is funny to anyone else, but its hilarious to me.

Then the music starts, and she does this.
(Im sorry for it sideways, I thought my camera would adjust it but it didnt)


She cheers for the music and for herself.
Cole claps.

Im giggling again.

Friday, March 4

A whole new house

Come April, we have been in our house for 3 years.  When we moved in, we knew immediately that some things would change.  The spare bathroom needed to be done right then.  Who super glues paper bags on top of zebra print wall paper to a wall then paints them to add texture then adds the doors back on UPSIDE down?  No, Im not kidding.  The bedroom had to be painted.  Whoever thought that dookie-brown with GOLD GLITTER sprinkled all over the walls was 'classy' must have been a retired stripper. And, no unfortunately, Im not kidding.

These two things, along with paint of the very blah same color walls were painted within the first few months.  Now we are technically DIYers, I guess you have to label it.  BUT not ALL people should be DIYers.  Just because you see it on TV does not mean you can or need to do it to your house.

For example.  In our entry way, the previous owner took it upon themselves to lay tile.  Just tile would have been fine. But in between the tile, you know where the grout should be, they put laminate flooring.  It look like criss cross.  It was ugly but even worse than that it was doen wrong.  Instead of laaying grout on the floor then on the tile then grouting, they super glued the tile to the floor.  No, Im not kidding.  They apparently thought super glue was the answer to all home improvement projects.

So yes, we are DIYers but we know our limits.  Ill pay someone to make it look right.  This brings me to the last two weeks.  Do you remember my post about our sand trap?  Here is why.

Along with the bathroom, the odd paint jobs, and the wonderful super glued tile, they built columns.

Before you go saying, oh I love those, its something different, no one has that in their house, I have said all of this before.  Its part of the reason I liked the house.  Well 3 years and a set of kids later, Im over them.  I wanted them down.  The hubs did not agreed but he did make a deal  to re-do the floors if Rome came down.  So it was set, we were getting new floors.  Here is what our living room/dining room  looked like before.

Such a lovely tile walkway




You can kind of see their creation

Ignore all the kids toys, but can you see how it closes everything off?  So down they came. And by the way, they super glued the bottom of the columns to the carpet. TO THE CARPET No, Im not kidding.


And up the tile, carpet, and whatever you want to call the entry way. Enter dust bowl.

The kids no longer sat at the table, because we moved it to the carpet area unitl it all could be finished.  They ate in the kitchen, not sure if they were fans or not but we made due.


One week later, its a new house. Here's the after.



The carpet goes all the way to the wall like it should

And their creation is gone




Feel free to oooh and ahh at any time.
Ive got to get the pictures back on the wall, its driving me nuts, even if the husband would like to keep it this way.

So whats next?
It all depends on $ becuase the rest costs too much (Gut kitchen, re-do floors in kitchen, re-do main bathroom)  We will probly re-organize the closets next.

And no Im not kidding.

Thursday, March 3

Random Pictures, well kind of

Im at it again.  Im getting another item off of my list.  This time, it is #56.  The goal was to take a random picture daily for one month.  Its harder than you think.  I didnt want to have 28 pictures of the kids, coffee cups or food.  There are a few of those, but I tried to keep it random. Here's what I snapped at last month.




























I believe the last is my favorite  :)
Is there anyone else making a 101 in 1001 days list?