Finally, finally, our block planters are being built in the courtyard. They will at some point be covered with faux stone to match the front of the house, but at least we’ll be able to start using them soon! Click for photographic progress updated throughout the day: (Read on …)

Four years ago today, we moved into this lovely house of ours. And if it were not rainy and cold outside, I’d take a picture to commemorate. Maybe later.

Anyway, I took this particular day off from work and we moved the important things (you know the computers, clothes, tvs, bed, doggies and various other things) and slept here for the very first time. Then we spent the weekend (with help from friends) packing up and moving the rest of the house.

The thing I remember most, though, is waking up and turning on the news and hearing that the space shuttle Columbia had come to an untimely end, which I wrote about here.

Today has been “one of those days”. Other than a nice walk with Marlene, the rest of the day so far has been a pain in my patootie.

First of all, the termite guy had to come back because we now have termites under our kitchen cabinets. Our kitchen cabinets that cost a ton of money and have only been in for a year. Yeah, that’s fun. So, it has to be taken care of.

But hey guess what? The warranty has expired on the treatment. So that means they have to do a whole new treatment. That’ll be about $800. On top of the fact that we have to pay our full property tax before December 31 because we didn’t opt for the pay half earlier in the year and half later in the year plan. I won’t tell you how much our property tax is, but let’s just say it would pay for the termite treatment. A few times. So, the termite guy is coming back on the 28th to deal with that. And it’s going to take them most of the day. I think LG and I will go shopping or something. :P

THEN, LG and I went to Albertson’s to do some grocery shopping since we didn’t have time to do it yesterday. Now those of you that have been reading for awhile, will remember the saga of the shopping cart placards. That all happened back in APRIL. And since they took the placards off the carts, they have not returned. Until today.

Yep, I walked into Albertson’s and what do I see? Those frigging placards are back. I had LG with me, and I obviously wasn’t going to put her in a cart with one of those and start the whole thing over again, so I just carried her into the store and asked to speak to a manager. She didn’t even know they’d been put back on (maybe she hadn’t been there the day before when they were doing it), but she walked out with me to look and said she could see how little fingers could get caught or skin could get scraped and so on and that she’d call and see what was going on. Because she did indeed remember the whole hullabaloo from April. Anyway, she suggested I use one of the carts that have the toy car attached to the front, so for today I did that. LG love love LOVED it. She “drove” us all over the store. Me? Not so much. It feels like I’m driving a Mack Truck and there is also not as much room in the cart as there is with a non-cartoon cart. Anyway, at least I was able to do my shopping there and not have to go somewhere else.

But seriously, what is the deal with those frigging placards? And didn’t they learn their lesson the first time? And also, I’m going to be getting in touch with the advertiser if I possibly can and giving THEM a piece of my mind. UGH!

Christmas shopping is both something I love and hate at the same time. If I had more money to spend, I’d probably hate it less, but who knows? There are still nine million people out there pushing and shoving, getting in my way and making me cranky.

I hope to get some more done tomorrow after we do the high school mass. LG is staying with her grandparents while we do the mass and I’m going to see if they’ll keep her a little longer so I can go to a couple of stores to which I’d rather not take Miss Grabby Grabby with me.

Saturday we are going to be cleaning out the spare bedroom in case my cousin decides to come for Christmas. I have a feeling she’s not going to be coming, but I’m still holding out hope and I figure that cleaning the room is positive energy toward her coming, right? Besides the fact that it really does need cleaned out so that if we ever did have a guest, it could be used! It, unfortunately, has become the junk room, and we just need to get it in guest room shape. Or even 2nd child shape if that ever happens.

So that’s our weekend - all planned out. Next weekend is the family party, so I have to have all the family shopping done by then. Hopefully, I will have ALL the shopping done by then, but we shall see.

If you’re already done with your shopping? And decorating? And all that? I do not want to hear about it. :P

Tile!

Originally uploaded by kmrg.

At last, my backsplash is getting tiled! Woohoo!

Here is a link to the tile we chose.

We got the first two on the page: Country Polished and Country Bright Satin and also the Country Polished trim. The demo kitchen we saw had a checkerboard pattern between the polished and satin, but one of the satin boxes was gone, so it will have to be a little more random with the satin tiles.

Here is a picture of some of the tile actually in a kitchen.

Since we have black appliances, black slate countertop and stainless steel stovetop and sink, I think it’s going to really help tie everything together.

My original idea had been to have a mosaic for the backsplash, but when I saw this, it all just sort of clicked for me! And Mike agreed, so that helped…lol!

I actually spent most of the past two days away from the computer other than answering some email and reading a blog or two, and from someone who usually has a very hard time being away from her laptop for more than a couple of hours at a time, I have to tell you that it was a good break. Not that I would want to do that ALL the time, but once in awhile is nice. :)

So we had a great weekend and accomplished a lot…. (Read on …)

So, I had three things on the honey-do list today for Mike. 1) Hook up the automatic watering dish for Melody; 2) Make our hall bedroom doors closeable so she can’t get in there when we don’t want her to (she meaning Melody for now, but soon enough it will mean Little Girl, too); and 3) Make it possible for me to actually see who is standing in front of the door when it’s dark outside because the peephole does no good if I can’t see who is there and I’m somewhat paranoid after “The Incident”. And I’m also going to add 4) Clean out Melody’s crates (pee-you) if he has time.

First he had to go to Home Depot and they didn’t have what he needed for the doors, so he had to go somewhere else, then came home and has been trying to find the wire for the porch lights since then. He just found it. Ya’d think he would know where all that stuff is having wired the house himself wouldn’t you? ;) Luckily he took pictures of everything before the drywall went in. He’s smart that way.

We just finished our lovely lunch of frozen fish fillets, corn and mini powdered sugar donuts. Little Girl’s first try at powdered sugar. Yeah, it was quite amusing. Her response to powdered sugar donut? “Mmmmmmmmmmm”.

For the first time since we moved into this house, I have a fully (and I mean FULLY) functioning kitchen: fridge, oven, stove, sink, dishwasher, garbage disposal (although the actual worth of the garbage disposal is still under debate). I don’t know what to do with myself!

This morning I cleaned a little, blogged a little, emailed a little. Then I got to take a break and eat lunch. And then off to the grocery store to buy food for the party of the century. ahem. (psst…it’s not really the party of the century - it’s just a party with food and cake and presents and a bunch of people coming - mostly family - but apparently someone thinks it’s “elaborate” and therefore I’m being petty and snippy about them thinking it’s elaborate…so there…now we will never mention this again) If you get good karma points for letting people go ahead of you in line, then I earned a ton of them at the deli counter and in the checkout line. I was in no hurry as I knew that at home Mike and crew were putting sealer on the countertop tile and the house probably was stinking to high heaven.

Now I’m home and we have been relegated to the back of the house because 1) the kitchen is torn apart and is practically impossible to function in (and now I’m starting to feel the stress that Marlene was feeling when her house was torn apart) and 2) it stinks to high heaven of toxic sealant fumes.

Luckily, the weather is splendiforous (as in a sunny 68 degrees) and I have the french doors in the master bedroom and the windows open in the back of the house to keep the air moving and keep the toxic fumes out of here.

I’ve got a million things to do but no desire to do them. However, now that Baby Girl has gone down for her afternoon nap, I’m going to go tackle my closet and the laundry room and our bedroom and try to make them presentable for the party. Not that many people will be back here, but you never know, now do you? There may be people here that haven’t seen the house and Mike must show it off…lol!

I probably won’t be posting too much tomorrow or for most of Saturday, but I promise to try my best to get a post up Saturday night recapping the magnificent event (with pictures and movies even!) and there will be a birthday post tomorrow. I’ll catch up on everyone else’s blogs and comments as I can. I’ve not forgotten you. I’m not ignoring you. I’m just a lil’ busy right now. :)

Mike and his work partner are about to begin laying the tile on the kitchen countertop. Hallelujah!

Ready to lay tile:

Laying out the tile in a random pattern way:

Not a lot going on around here today. Mike just woke up as he played out of town last night and got in about 4 a.m. Baby Girl is down for a nap. I’m trying to convince myself that I should take this opportunity to get something done around the house, but what am I doing? Blogging of course. That’s “something” isn’t it? :D

Mike is going to Marlene’s this morning to finish off her bathroom and a few other little things and then on Friday her kitchen countertop is finally coming and I think they will finally be done with all the beautiful remodeling they’ve been doing. And I bet she will be so relieved and thrilled for it all to be over. :)

He got the first layer of the wood for the countertop on yesterday here (I’ll try to get a pic up in a bit). I am told there are two more layers to go before he can start tiling (which I am also told will happen Monday - hurray!) and we also have to paint and do a few more things to get it party ready for Saturday. Hard to believe my baby will be one year old on Friday. Wow.

Anyway, a lazy day for me today - other than doing stuff around here (like getting some of the Christmas decorations out perhaps) and maybe going to order a birthday cake.

Anyone doing anything exciting this weekend?

Baby Girl loved her Thanksgiving dinner. I love her bib. You can’t see it but it says “Gobble Gobble” on it.

Not long after we got home, Mike spied a hot air balloon going over the house, so we rushed out so Baby Girl could see it. You could hear the burners and everything.

Here’s a closer shot of the balloon.

Today Mike is working on the sink cabinet. Or in this case under it.

Once he gets it done, he can start on the countertops.

And finally, there is a new movie from Thanksgiving Day that might make you giggle. :)

Poor Mike. We finally picked a paint color for the kitchen and then last night I decided on a faux finish. Of course I had to make it a work intensive one because, well, that’s how I am. He just looked at me, said “that will be some work and you’ll have to roll it on for me so I can brush it” and that was that. So at some point in the next 10 days or so we’ll be painting. Hurray! Now if I can just figure out a paint color for the living room that makes me happy and content. Ugh.

I have some pics of the kitchen as it is at the moment. And some pics from the family photo shoot, although only of our little part of the family since I do not have permission to splatter the rest of the family all over the internet. :D

(Read on …)