“Sun is shining. Weather is sweet. Make you wanna move your dancing feet.” Bob Marley

We did not stop moving ALL WEEKEND LONG!

Thursday evening we celebrated my first 29th birthday (yes, next year is the big 3-0!): I really don't have any issues with turning 30 and quite frankly I think I'll be too busy next summer to even realize that I have a birthday.

(This is something that ONLY a child's MOTHER can do! I think more of it was on her face than in her mouth.)

On Friday my Uncle W and his family came up for a visit and, I think, a good time was had by all....at least I know a good time was had by my youngest cousin, Miss S. She and Avelyn absolutely adored each other all weekend: There were a few tears shed this morning when the car was getting packed up.

Friday night we had dinner at the store since it was just too hot to go and eat dinner in somebody's house (it was 92* in my house, and (98* outside). Afterward we planned on going to the pool, but they were closed at 6pm; I guess no one wanted to stay and life guard. Ave and I then followed the troop up to Oma and Opa's (my parents). Ave, my mom, and I went in the pond: The water was so warm that it wasn't even too refreshing!

Saturday morning we got up early and headed over to Grammy's (Matt's grandma) to pick some blueberries. They are particularly early this year, usually there isn't any ripe until the week of Morris Fair (the first week in August). We picked quite a bit, Matt is hoping to make some blueberry wine, and with how many green berries were still on the bushes I'd say he'll have no problems with finding enough.

In the afternoon we met up with Oma, my Uncle W, Aunt L, M and S to go swimming: Fortunately the pool was open and surprisingly it wasn't that crowded. Ave and S splashed around in the kiddie pool for a while, before the big people were just too hot sitting there in only a 1' of water...then it was the big pool. Ave is doing so well with swimming....she's got everything moving the way it should, but she sinks...she loves it though!

Yesterday was a bit more low-key. In the morning Ave went down for a nap at 9:45! I got her out of the bath after breakfast and she looked at me and then Matt and said "Nigh, nigh Daddy". I'd say the little girl was a bit tuckered out from our festivities! I did some stuff around the house and Matt worked outside. Once she woke up we headed to my parents for a BBQ.

(Ave helping daddy harvest fallen apples and build a trellis for the grapes:
We actually have a few grapes this year....a first!)

It was great spending the evening with family and friends we don't see too often! All the food that everyone brought was delicious and it was a blast to watch Ave and our friend's daughter run around together, with my cousin, S, not far behind them :-)

It was a great weekend...of course it was jam-packed and now we're trying to recuperate before Ave and I head to Maine on Thursday for a friend's wedding.

A few of my favorite things....

It's finally beginning to feel a bit like summer; we've had more than a few days in a row without rain (I disregard the showers that we had yesterday, they weren't called for and left quickly). It's been warm, if not hot even. Everything is just absolutely delicious! Whether it's enjoying flowers in bloom, relaxing with a book, or ogling the growing tomatoes in my back yard.

What are your favorite things about summer?

And just because she is my MOST favorite thing :-)

AppleFest 2010

Last year my dad and Matt decided to buy a hundred year old apple press. With every thing we had going on and not knowing when little miss was going to arrive we had a low key pressing the week after she was born. This year we went all out and had about 40 friends and family members take part in the day. It was great!

My Dad smoked a pig in the smokehouse (which is now operational at the store) and everyone brought delicious foods! I made cider donuts....it was all good!

We got a whole bin of apples which according to my searches is about a 800lbs of apples, resulting in 26 gallons of cider (not including what was drunk during the day)....and it's all done by hand...no motors involved in this process. The left of mash will be going up to the deer on my parents' property as a gift before hunting season.

We had a lot of fun: How could we not? The day was absolutely beautiful, we had food and drink a'plenty, and wonderful friends and family around.

Click Here for a slideshow of pictures from the day.

The big reveal!

Well, the house is DONE! YAY! I cannot tell you how glad I am to have my house to myself again and not feel like I need to be available to someone else the whole day. The painters finished last Monday, but I didn't get all of the finishing touches done until the other day.

Here's the before picture


And now...

The furniture was pretty beat up...we bought it 4 years ago at price chopper for $300 for the whole set. I scrubbed all the flaky paint off, washed it, scrubbed it again, then brushed the left over trim paint from the house on it. I bought a $14 wa.lmart flat king sheet in black and stitched up new covers for the seats.

The house just looks so much better now...of course my flower beds are devastated between the tromping painters and the lack of rain we've had. I even learned how to replace the panes of glass in our windows. The contractor didn't do the curved pieces on the top, because it was way too labor intensive...but they showed me how to do them, so this fall Matt and I are going to try our hand at it.

I'm happy....I love the look of it now and the black trim above the windows just makes it so sharp!

“Progress is the activity of today and the assurance of tomorrow” Ralph Waldo Emerson

The house is coming along, I'm not really sure how they're going to be done by Tuesday, which is what the estimated. Two whole sides of the house still need to be primed and I don't think they've put a final coat on anything yet.

I will say it's very stressful hiring people to do things. You have strangers around your house all day (even if they're decent people, they're still strangers); you have to go to them about how you want things done; you have to go to them if things aren't what you're expecting. Not fun. I'm a controller, I like to do things myself, because then they get done how I want them done. I realize that we're paying customers and should ultimately be happy at the end, but I have an issue with complaining and seeming like a pain in the ass.

Our original agreement with the pastor (who's painting our house) was that he wouldn't charge us for the labor if we supplied the materials, in regards to small construction jobs that needed to be done (replacing boards, repairing broken glass in the windows, putting a ceiling up on the front porch, etc). Well, because of this I feel beholdin' to him (I have no idea why).

He has a guy who is working with him, who is also a contractor, he's the one doing all of the construction. We've bought all of the materials necessary for the jobs: We've had everything waiting except for those items he needed for something unsuspecting. Any time that happens he just seems to rub me the wrong way by either how he reacts or something he says, "Materials aren't part of the agreement" (I'm well aware of that, tell me what you need and I'll get it).

Matt helped him put the sheets of T1-11 on the ceiling and I pulled out Matt's nail gun to make putting up trim easier. So, I've definitely been going out of my way to help and show how much I appreciate their doing these little projects.

This morning he asked me about the soffit vents for the ceiling and whether we had the 1/4 round molding. I explained that Matt has been sick and hasn't gotten to the lumberyard (he's been throwing up his guts for the past 2 days and still working), and that I would try and get there today. He then asked if we wanted him to put up the 1/4 round; I said "no", that we could do that ourselves at a later date.

I picked the 1/4 round up today so that I could paint it black and have it on hand for me to do. I came back with everything (clapboards needed for siding, soffit vents, and 1/4 round) and mentioned that I also got the 1/4 round and the guy starts to go off (not yelling or anything, but patronizing almost) that I need to let them know, because they have their day planned out and blah blah blah...I interrupted him and said that I brought the 1/4 round so that it was here and that I still planned on doing it myself, I just wanted to know where I could put it so it wasn't in his way. "Oh, ok." Then he said something about still needing the vents, and I pointed out that they were in the paper bag by the steps. It just really got my dander up, and maybe I'm taking it too personal.

I just want the house to be done and have it be to my expectations without my having to tell them that I'm not happy. I'm sure I'm worrying about something that isn't going to happen. The pastor comes very highly recommended (paints FIL's apartment house) and the contractor does work in the guy who owns our local lumberyard's house. I'm just ready for it to be done and to get back my house.

It's a good thing we're not doing major renovations with contractors...I don't think I could handle it. It makes me anxious about our big home reno we're going to do on our house if we're planning on staying her long time, but we have 5-10 years before that decision needs to be made.

Can I say one thing? I love clapboard...the smell of it, the feel of it, the look of it. Love it! I always have liked house that have wood siding over something else. There's just something beautiful about wood.

"Life is about using the whole box of crayons." ~RuPaul

Well day two of "Operation House Makeover" is done. I feel like I'm having buyers remorse and it's the dumbest thing: I love the color, the house needed to get painted, and I'm still asking "Should we have done this", "Should we have spent the money on this". Someone please smack me. Here's what we started with.

Here's what it looks like so far:

Also, got my hair done today...cut and color.
She straightened my hair afterward, I never straighten it and it actually looks OK. I don't love it, but it looks nice. I'm much more of a curly hair kind of person. I do like the cut though and the color.

Decisions, decisions, decisions (part 2)

Color has a lot to do with how we present ourselves to the world and how people perceive us: If we're always in black people think one thing, if we're in psychedelic rainbow prints they think another. That's why, to me, color choices are so important: The colors I choose reflect my personality.

Color Selection #1
Our House

We decided on paint colors! We kept hemmin' and hawwin' about it, but then I saw this picture in
Country Sampler magazine. I have always loved this color scheme, heck it's how our upstairs hallway is painted (which will now be getting repainted). So, we're doing it! Because of the wackiness of our house, we're only painting the top of the window trim on the front of the house black and the front door.

I am so excited to have this house painted! The painters are coming the 21st to start scrapping the house down. I keep forgetting to ask them approximately how long it takes them to paint a house.

The colors we are using are Sherwin Williams Daffodil, Dover Cream (the trim), and Tricorn Black for the windows. There are a whole bunch of little projects that they've also agreed to do (one of the painters is a contractor)...such as replace the molding around the front door (Matt hasn't gotten around to this one in the past 4 years) and put a ceiling up on the front porch.

Of course I will be inundating all of you with lots of pictures!

Color Selection #2
My Hair

I've been waffling back and forth about my hair, cut it or not, highlight it or not. I've decided to trim it (it needs that at the very least) and highlight it. Of course I'm very adventurous when it comes to the color of my hair, so I'll be having highlights that match my natural highlights added (they've kind of become blah! from the winter and need some spicing up).

What I'm trying to do now is reconcile myself to paying $50 (+ tip and eyebrow waxing) to do it. I'm also trying to think up some ways to make $50 in the next 2 weeks. Any ideas?

ETA: My mom is going to give me the money for my haircut, since I renovated their bathroom. One good deed turns another :-)

I have a question for every single person who reads this...

What's hanging on the walls of your bathroom?

I've been painting today and we're planning on the bathroom being done this week (or at least every thing but the shower). We have a LOT of wall space in our bathroom....TONS...and I have no idea what to fill it with.

I am planning on a bath photo collage (4-6 pictures) of Avelyn...but beyond that I don't know. I have considered getting a couple of prints (like Monet, VanGogh etc) to put up.

Here's a sneak peak at the room.
The color is more yellowy-orange than the picture shows.

Office Re-do

Yesterday I pulled EVERYTHING out of the office and painted the walls and the molding....so now my kitchen is covered in a full room of stuff. Hopefully Matt will help me cut the plywood tonight so I can get it down and painted tonight, second coat tomorrow and dried by Sunday.

I do have a couple of DIY projects for the room, particularly now that I have no desk. The desk that I had, while OK, was falling apart. It was one of those cheap particle board things, and between moving it from my parents' to here it was falling apart. Plus I was planning on using the draw pulls for the bathroom cabinet.

I'm keeping the top of the desk, cutting it down, attaching a couple of 2x4s, and painting it white. I found one of those rolling (plastic) carts that holds hanging files...so that will be my storage and it also rolls out for when I need to have additional surface area. Then besides the desk I plan on building a 40" bookshelf with baskets to hold all of those wonderful electronic gadgets.

I'm also thinking of framing in (on 1 side) the pantry shelves and hanging a curtain in front of it so that it's not so obviously my pantry. Once all of this is done we're putting a bi-fold door on it so that I can actually CLOSE the room off when we have company....or Miss A is mobile and I need to do work.

The colors were inspired by the April 2010 cover of BHG. I loved the robin's egg blue and the bright yellow. The room was originally painted Behr's Autumn Mist, but it was too orange-y so I had lightened the color and sponged it over. I never really liked it and never really finished the room....so I went for it!

It's been kind of crazy around here....

I don't even know where to begin...nothing bad is going on I just feel like it's all a whirlwind. I'm sure the fact that A's christening is on Sunday (4/11) doesn't exactly help, nor does the fact that the bathroom is nowhere near done.

A is doing better. Her cold was never anything serious...more of a runny nose that flared up and aggravated her at night...you could hear how raspy her breathing was (and still is) when she was laying down. So she's had a lot of face time with her nasal aspirator...she's not liking that thing as much anymore, but it certainly helps get the gunk out. Someone mentioned as to whether it was allergies...and I'm not sure, because the snot is clear and very egg-whitey, not at all like it is when I have a cold. If she already has Spring allergies I feel for the kid (I have them).

Other things

The bathroom: It's not done...it's not going to be done. We're so close to having it all done, except for the shower...I think that's what's driving me the most nutty.I was seriously hoping we could at least have it painted and the floor down, so that the sink and toilet could be put in there, but I have my doubts that even that is going to happen.

Unless Matt somehow manages to get the taping and seaming done. I started it last Friday, but haven't gotten back in there since. I'm really hoping between tonight and tomorrow he can get it sanded down and touched up...because if he can do that...I can get it primed and painted before the end of the week.

I did get the vanity stained. I like it. We went with minwax Dark Walnut. I could have left the stain on a bit longer, but we'll live with it. It's virtually impossible to add more stain and make it darker...I've been trying, but it doesn't absorb as well into the wood because it already has stain on/in it. Now I just have to poly it and add the hardware and THAT will be done.

Saturday was another gorgeous day...albeit with some sadness. We butchered the chickens on Saturday night....I know PETA would have a field day. They were attacking each other and we had 8 hens and were getting no eggs....they were eating them all before anyone could get them. I was even standing out there and waiting for them to lay them or checking every 5 minutes...it didn't make a difference. So they're gone. We have chicks coming in a few weeks, but fortunately we won't have to have them in the house this time.

I spent the majority of Saturday doing laundry, cleaning the upstairs (company is coming this weekend), and A and I went to my parents' to color eggs (my mom has those pictures). I love how the house feels with things clean and the windows open!

Easter

We got up on Sunday and walked to church...it was THAT nice out! We put A in the stroller and away we went. It was so nice to be outside and enjoying the weather. I've taken A out a few times in the stroller, but this was the first time that Daddy was able to go with us. Church was nice...A behaved...a lot better than last Sunday (she blew raspberries at anyone who would look at her for the entire church service!).

After we got home A went down for a nap and Matt went out to muck the house and I stained the vanity (above). In the afternoon we headed up to my parents' for dinner, and then (2 hours later) to Matt's parents' for dinner.

Here's more Easter Pictures.

I still have to do a 5 month post for A....sometime soon. The pictures I got were kind of ehh...the kid doesn't want to sit still!

A Whole Lot of Something....

There's a whole lot of little things....the littlest of which is...we have a MOUSE in our HOUSE! I was sitting on the couch with Ave this morning when this furry little critter decided to walk out of the bathroom and into the living room: EEK!

Now before you think..."wow, she's really calm about this". I am SO NOT CALM! I HATE mice, but not as much as I HATE RATS! See, Matt tore the wall down between the cellar hallway and the bathroom[see picture] (our cellar is a cellar in the deepest, dankest sense). I had been wondering whether any critters would decide to enter the upstairs via that opening, but none had...until today.

I immediately called Matt...he told me to "let the dogs back in and put a few traps out"...ummm....the mouse hasn't touched a trap and the dogs are oblivious. I told him he needs to rebuild the wall on the cellar side TONIGHT! My house is trashed, but I refuse to share it with a mouse!

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The bathroom is c o m i n g a l o n g s l o w l y. . . . Unfortunately there is no way for me to speed the process up. Last Wednesday we made a trip to Lowe.s specifically to return the shower door and get a new one. On Saturday I'm looking at the receipt and think to myself "Why does it say 48" door?" I get home and check...the Lowe.s guy loaded the WRONG door into the cart (and it was 9:15 at night and we didn't think to check). Back the door has to go (just a reminder....Lo.wes is 45 minutes away, one way, from our house).

Well here's some pictures of what has gotten done in the bathroom. We're still no where near me being able to start working in there, but it's coming along.

Ok, here's the layout of the vanity and the shower....at the end of the shower, closest to you, will be a full wall, then the toilet. Unfortunately while doing all these things for layout and spacing we found out that the walls are not square (Surprise! No.) So Matt spent most of yesterday sanding down the 100 year old studs to try and square the wall.

We pulled the toilet out yesterday, can I just say that was disgusting. The floor under it is rotted out and I don't think it was ever installed correctly to begin with. We are re-using the toilet, but it will certainly be getting thoroughly scourged before it goes back in the NEW bathroom. AND, Matt discovered why it wobbled...they failed to attach the toilet to the actually floor on the one side.

The other thing that Matt did get done yesterday was the boxes installed for the electric...the electric was run prior to sheet rocking, but not hooked up. He's hoping that this week one evening he can run all the wires and "plug" them in...hopefully we'll have lights soon!

I somehow don't think this bathroom is going to get done with the only 4 Sundays left before A's christening :-( I guess as long as it's livable by then...oh well. My uncle will just have to deal (he's the one staying here).

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Other things...

Daylight Savings time is working out well for us with Ave's sleeping. She goes down at 8 (was 7 before) and wakes up in the morning at 7:30. Now, before you get all excited...she is still waking up at 12:30am and 4:30am...I can NOT figure out the 12:30 thing. I've tried not giving her a bottle and just soothing back to sleep, but she genuinely wants a bottle and takes 4oz. At least she is going right back to sleep though after her bottles...rather than wanting to play.

We tried the rice cereal again the other day and she actually was eating it. She wasn't doing the pushing the food out with her tongue thing as much and was opening her mouth up for more. Matt got in on the action and fed her for the first time too. We don't have a high chair yet (no room until the bathroom is done and the swing is gone), so we use the exer-saucer as her feeding station.

Tell me that isn't a self-satisfied grin :-)

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I'm still plugging along at my mom's quilt...I have two weeks left. I have all of the star blocks done, but I still need to stitch all of the photo blocks (and finish printing the photo blocks). Here's my goal and time frame: This week...all blocks need to be finished (I'm going to ask MIL to take A for a couple of hours on Thursday); next week the quilt needs to get stitched together. It's not an impossible time frame....hopefully I can manage it.

I'm still waiting on my brother to mail me pictures. I asked him a month ago where his baby album was..."In my closet at home". I looked...it's not there. I finally caved and asked my mother where it was and she said "he has it", so she called him and asked about it. Then I had to call his wife and ask her...she said she'd have them to me this week. I'm praying she does.

I've emailed a couple of times, but I don't want to be a PITA, but if I don't get the pictures by this weekend...there will only be little kid pictures of my brother in the quilt...no baby pictures.

I'd love to show you pictures of what I've got done, but I have absolutely no CLEAN place to lay the blocks out to take a picture...you'll have to wait until next week (I'm planning on finishing the quilt at my MIL's)

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Anyways...I think that brings you all up to speed on some of the things going on :-) I hope everyone is doing well and deep in preparations for St. Patrick's Day!