Hey, it's all good now

I bought some new pajamas for Madeline a few days ago and she wanted to wear them yesterday, waaaaaay before it was time for bed. I said she could. She also wanted underwear instead of a pull-up. (Picky, picky.) I said that was fine, too.

You know where this is going, right?

Around 4 a.m. I woke up in a dreamy fog to a little person standing next to me whining in a tiny voice, “I’m all wet!”

Yeah – totally forgot to put a pull-up on her before I tucked her into her cozy little toddler bed last night. (Smack head with hand.)

She started herself a bath and I stripped and changed her bed. Adelaide, of course, woke up from all the commotion. Got her a bottle.

I finally had both girls settled down again in their beds and made a tired beeline for my own. A few minutes later Madeline reappeared, this time saying she had to poop.

So we dealt with that.

Went back to bed…

A few minutes later I heard more crying and whining. I went back in to her room to check on her; “I feel hot!” I felt her head, and it was a little warm. So I doled out some toddler chewable fever-reducing tablets and trudged back to bed, hoping I wouldn’t see her again ‘till morning.

I didn’t, although she did wake up a tad on the early side. Anyway, right after Andy left for work, I found her in the bathroom munching on Tums. I think she only had two or three at the most but I put in a call to Poison Control anyway. (It's been a long time since we've called them; we were due for a chat.)

They said a one-time dose of thirty or forty tablets would have no effects. (Who knew?!) Perhaps a stomachache akin to eating too much candy. So that was a relief, since we were dealing with a quantity much, much less.

So, yes, I drained the contents of the coffee pot myself today. When he got home, dear Andy thought it in the family’s best interests to send me off to Starbucks alone, which is where I now sit, Vanilla Latte in hand.

I love that man.

Down Days

Not a whole lot going on around here these days. Madeline picked up a little bit of the bug the Lewins brought home to us so graciously. (I'm sure we've spread around our own fair share of germs the past four-and-a-half years so I really can't complain.) All that to say, we've been laying fairly low.

She felt better this morning so we headed to the playground. I'm so glad we did because we reconnected with a family friend of sorts and she has two small children of her own. It was fun to chat. I had called Nicky (my default since she's just down the street), but they were pouring new sidewalks in front of her house and had cemented her in.

The electricity just flashed a few times and went off. Thank goodness for laptop batteries and wireless connection. Anyway, hopefully I'll be back maybe tomorrow with something more interesting to say.

Off to search for some candles... (and little kids to snuggle with)...

Lazy Blogging

I've been busy doing a whole lot of nothing. Well, not really, we did have our friends Nicky and Steve and their boys over for lunch after church yesterday. I served Eggplant Parmesan (I got the recipe from my cousin Vangie). Yum.

But, fun as having people over is, it's also a whole lot of work. So I had very low expectations for today because I knew I'd be tired. My main accomplishment was hanging the black-out roller shades behind the wooden blinds in the girls' room. Hopefully that will help curb Madeline's recent habit of early rising. (They have had a very morning-bright room.)

And then I "swam" in the kiddie pool with Drew and started in on my new book during naptime - but fell asleep almost immediately myself.

Oh, and I've been taking some pictures. These are the most recent, straight out of my camera with no editing. (And no flash, which is why the first one is a bit dark; it was taken at dusk).












(Like Drew's bed hair?)

How to Have a Happy Saturday

Have hot coffee and blueberry waffles with real maple syrup for breakfast.

Send Drew and Madeline off to Wall-E with Andy and put Adelaide down for a nap. (She's almost phased out of morning naps but this was too good an opportunity to pass up.)

Hang some living room wall pictures.

Get the laundry going and dishes done.

Finish a few odd jobs that have been hanging over my head.

Be on the computer with no one to bother me or push random buttons.

Have Karen reformat the layout for my blog comments. (Hurray!)

Have Andy fix the bathroom sink that has been slow ever since we moved in. (We bought a plumber’s snake a few years ago and it was one of the best home maintenance purchases ever. For him, that is, not me.)

Take a shower before 4:30 p.m.

Get that book from the library.

Go to Old Navy and Hobby Lobby during sales.

Have pizza for dinner.

Go over and see a friend who finally decided to grace us with her presence.

Give Drew and Andy the haircuts that I’ve been putting off.

Enjoy the sound of a sleeping house while cleaning and preparing yummy food for Sunday lunch (because those friends are coming over).

So what's on your Happy Saturday list?

Gray

The weather, it affects me.

Today was rainy and overcast and I felt tired and lazy. I ran a few errands this morning and we made it inside before the downpour. Which is nice.

I had also grabbed a book from the library and pulled it out this afternoon only to find it's the third in a series. I decided I need to read the second book before the third or things could get slightly confusing.

Finally I took a shower while the kids were napping - at 4:30 p.m. Who gets ready for the day at 4:30 p.m.?!

Well, besides me.

When Andy got home I ran to the main branch of the library for that book only to walk up and realize the doors were locked. Apparently they close early on Friday afternoons. Great. And even more disconcerting was the young girl being sick all over the steps of the public library.

Yeah. Moving right along.

We just had a lovely dinner of pasta and red sauce with some baguette and pesto (which means Adelaide had to get a bath and I even got her out before it went south). We have nothing on the agenda for this evening besides sitting around and playing with the kids.

Well, that and the dishes.

Busy Day, Good Day

I have plenty of friends I probably could have left my kids with today but I threw caution to the wind and took them with me to brave the DMV and county courthouse. The baby had had her nap, and everyone was in a good mood. I brought books, juice, and snacks. I thought we'd be okay. And we were.

Also, I had washed and done my hair this morning and had my “face” on. So it was a good time for a driver’s license picture. (If there are such things.) *grin*

It’s a bit of a drive, the older kids fell asleep on the way out there and it was peaceful. There was no line since it was the middle of the day, and I got right in. The only iffy part was Drew and Madeline each “took” themselves potty in the public restroom while I was signing papers and writing my check.

I don’t even want to know. I made sure to douse them in antibacterial cleanser afterwards.

The courthouse was surprisingly just as easy and quick. The only iffy part there was the security guard would not allow me to push my stroller through the metal detectors. I had to leave it by the entrance. So the kids were obligated to walk and I hadn’t even bothered to grab Madeline’s shoes.

Again, no line, I walked right up. The kids ran around some while I paid and got my plate stickers. But this is the South, after all; most people are friendly and no one cared or even batted an eyelash at their antics. The older clerk who helped me even said “I know how it is! I raised two boys!”

So that was that. Checked off my to-do list. And good riddance.

I managed to snag a last-minute babysitter for tonight and we were able to go out to dinner with friends. (Andy’s old restaurant, of course.) I think this has been one of the most fun things about being back – impromptu little get-togethers with the near and dear.

[And speaking of that, this past Monday night I went with some of my girlfriends to see ‘Mama Mia.’ I don’t think I realized it was a musical...so I was a little surprised every time the actors would break out in song. But it was a fun movie and had gorgeous scenery. Greece, anyone?]

And, like I said to Sarah, it’s nice not to have to cut up anyone’s food or put anyone to bed.

At least for tonight.

Adventures in Grocery Shopping

I took the kids, post nap, to Wal-mart yesterday for my usual mix of groceries, wipes, lipstick, and beach towels. (Somehow we only had two beach towels this year and for a family of five, that is just not enough. And they were even on clearance!)

All the school supplies are now out, so I thought I’d also take advantage of the promotional prices and bought Drew and Madeline each a lunch pail. (Because every time we go on a playdate where we’re supposed to bring our own lunch, I’m forced to use a plastic shopping sack. Like, so un-cool, Mom.)

So we were standing in the school supply aisle browsing lunch pails and spiral-bound notebooks (because I can’t find mine), Adelaide was perched more or less happily in the front seat of the cart (buckled in, don’t worry) and Madeline was “riding” on the outer side. And then Drew jumped on board next to her.

Apparently empty carts at Wal-mart aren’t made to withstand 60+ combined pounds of toddler jumping on one side. The entire cart toppled over, pinning the two of them underneath and sending Adelaide for quite the wild ride. No one was hurt, just a little dazed.

And yes, there happened to be witnesses. As usual.

Fast forward to this morning. We were out of milk (rice, in case you’re wondering), so I made a quick trip to the local grocery store to get some. (Adelaide’s nap looming in the not-so-distant future.)

(Yes, I take my naptimes very seriously. It’s the only time of day I don’t have to share my sweet tea and chips n’ salsa. Or chips n’ guacamole, as the case was today.)

Anyway, my kids love riding around in those carts made to look like big plastic cars. (You know the ones nearly the length of a tractor trailer? Yeah, those.) Unfortunately for me, there is only room in the “car” for two kids, and only two buckles. Either I had to rest Adelaide on the front bar or carry her outright since today I came unprepared (i.e. without a sling).

(Sidenote. Putting her in the basket part with the food is entirely out of the question, unless I want my groceries ripped to shreds and teeth marks in all the bananas. I am so not kidding.)

This morning’s trip was fairly quick and painless. I used the self check-out since it’s almost always guaranteed to be faster (this being the chatty South and all).

I looked back as I was swiping my debit card in time to catch Drew standing on his tip-toes on the very top front bar of the cart reaching for a helium balloon.

GET DOWN YOUNG MAN!!!

Tell me, do they ever learn?

So fast

We had a bit of a scare Saturday night.

A dear family had invited us up to swim and have take-out Chinese for dinner with them. (Vegetarian, even.) And since we make it a practice never to turn down food, we went.

The kids had a blast swimming, jumping off the diving board (Madeline, anyway; Drew's much more cautious), riding bikes on the tennis courts, and just generally running around being the crazy kids that they are.

Even Adelaide loved the pool. There’s a large corner that is sectioned off for babies and it’s perfect for her age.

After dinner and some more swimming, Sarah had brought everything to make s’mores for dessert. There’s even a fire pit, convenient for, well, a fire to roast marshmallows in.

That was mostly uneventful except for the times Drew almost whacked whoever happened to be sitting near him with his red-hot skewer. (Now that I think about it, probably wasn’t the smartest thing to bestow upon a rambunctious and somewhat airheaded four-year-old boy. I'm just saying.)

As it was getting later, our friends started packing up and saying their until-next-times and left, and we began gathering up our stuff as well.

Everyone knows those swim diapers aren’t much good for anything besides holding in a dirty mess, if you’re lucky. I looked down to where Adelaide was perched on my hip, and realized the contents of her swim diaper had oozed out onto the bottom of my tank top and all over my shorts.

Gross.

(Why me?)

So I’m trying to wrangle her out of her suit, keeping as much poop off of me as possible, while trying to fish the wipes out of the diaper bag and start wiping at her. She felt like a slippery little piglet almost about to squirm free.

I managed to clean us both sufficiently enough for the drive home. (Which, at the moment, was all that mattered. Clearly a bath was on the horizon.)

But then. I glanced up and over at the pool, just in time to see Madeline in the water, struggling back over the baby pool wall and over to the edge to pull herself up and climb out, coughing and gagging up water and trying to breathe around an enormous coughing fit.

I have no idea what happened. My guess is that she jumped in, totally oblivious that she had already taken her water wings off. She’s not afraid of the water; I’m sure she’d assumed it would be like every other time she’d jumped in and that she would float.

Or she may have been in the baby area and crossed the wall and walked too far. Either way, and I have no idea how she managed it, but she was somehow able to get herself back to the side and to safety. She’s only three, smallish, and I haven’t had much opportunity to teach her to swim. We mostly stick to bathtubs and backyard wading pools.

I am SO thankful nothing worse happened; it was just a scare. But it was a harsh reminder of how vigilant we have to be with young children around a pool. And also a reminder of how quickly things can change.

Heavenly Father, thank You for watching over and protecting your little children. Amen.

The New 'Do

I have a close friend here who also happens to be a hairdresser. (Convenient, I know.) She's been cutting my hair for several years up until last year because, well, thirteen hours is a little extreme for a haircut commute. (Call me crazy.)

The problem is, she's currently out of town and she also stays pretty busy (meaning booked weeks in advance). Impulsive me didn't want to wait, so I looked in the phone book, closed my eyes, and pointed to a salon.

Just kidding. It really wasn't quite that scientific.

Andy had the kids yesterday, so after I met a friend for a little dress shopping and lunch, I went (FINALLY!) and had my hair cut.


It's shorter than I asked for, but since my hair grows like weeds, it will be perfect in a month or so.

Revisiting Poor Baby!

This past week has been one of the roughest yet for Adelaide. First of all, she’s teething two of her back molars.

Which I discovered one day when I tried to fish a penny out of her mouth.

OW!

(That’s all I have to say about that.)

Secondly, she’s got a nasty diaper rash that is holding on for dear life. It’s probably from the sheer amount of recent poopy diaper changes. I lost count Thursday at ten! And couldn’t even bear to count yesterday.

I mean, enough is enough.

(You know it’s enough when your three-year-old exclaims “I don’t BEWEEVE it!” when the baby poops in the tub, yet again.)

So, there’s that. (Red Fiery Bottom, let’s call it.)

And then she pulled the cord of my hair straightener down in the bathroom and it came clambering down and landed encircling her thigh.

And, yes, it was on.

So, the poor baby’s got a burnin’ bottom and a burned leg. And those pesky burnin’ gums.

So needless to say, she’s not feeling so hot. (Pun totally intended.)

Yeah, poor baby.

Getting back into the swing o’ things

I feel like I’m finally at the point where our house looks like our house. Like, from before. But there are a few things that are very different.

The most obvious change is the bedroom setup. Drew and Madeline were small toddlers at the time and shared a room. Adelaide was only 2 months old when we left. So now Drew has his own room and the girls share. Makes sense.

(Which also means we lost ourselves a guest room. Sad, sad day.)

Our renters ripped out the carpeting in the kids’ rooms. (I KNOW! Don’t even get me started.) So that means there is hardwood throughout the house. Which is beautiful.

But loud and creaky.

LOUD, I tell you. Especially when a certain sleep-deprived mama is forced to change the sheets on a certain little boy’s bed at 2:23 a.m. because she forgot to have him go potty before he went to sleep, 6 hours previously.

(Don’t you just love giving middle-of-the-night baths? Yeah, me too.)

I put area rugs in their rooms and that helped cut down on the echo. And then yesterday I made the girls a door snake. I originally saw the idea in a Martha Stewert magazine a couple of years ago and wanted to make one ever since. They filter out some of the noise from the rest of the house.



I had that fabric and ribbon on hand because I had to add some length to their curtains. The windows at the other house were a little shorter and I had hemmed the drapes to fit.

I’ve also painted the girls room and have it mostly finished. I’m saving that for a later post so you’ll just have to stay tuned. Drew’s room still needs practically everything done, but I have started in on it.

And I’ve already shown you my room. I still can’t decide on the green. I’d never return to the red it was before, because I’ve completely tired of it. But I did like the cream we had in our bedroom at our last house.

Pictures of the rest of the house are also forthcoming. As soon as I can keep it clean long enough to snap a few. And I still have a few wall pictures to hang...

Plus there are several piles o’ random junk that I have to attend to. (WHERE DOES ALL THIS STUFF GO?!)

Another big change is we took the fireplace and mantle out of our living room. So there’s more space, even though we filled part of it up with the piano. And we acquired (ahem) a TV cabinet that had to be squeezed in, so the living room furniture is set up completely different than it was before. I haven't decided yet if I like it.

And the last obvious change is our renters also stripped one (one!) wall of wallpaper in the kitchen. (Don’t get me started on that, either.) So I eventually need to strip the rest and paint the whole room.

All in good time, my friends.

All in good time.

You're So Vain...You Probably Think This Blog is About You...

(I swiped this from Jo-Lynne.)

Here are the rules for this meme:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
   
   
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.

I can't wait to see your responses. Come on, be a sport and play along!

My first attempt at vegan baking

I tried an experiment today. Drew loves muffins and begged me to make some this morning. I've had this box of milled flax seed in my pantry and according to the side, you can use a tablespoon of it mixed with 3 tablespoons of water in place of an egg.

Which is perfect for vegan living. (I mean flexitarian living.)


They turned out perfectly yummy. You'd never know they were egg and dairy free.


Vegan Banana-Walnut Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup regular flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon milled flax seed mixed with 3 tablespoons water
1/2 cup rice milk
1/4 cup cooking oil (veggie)
3/4 cup mashed bananas
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

400 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

One of those days

I managed Wal-mart, Target, Aldi, and Bi-Lo by myself with the kids today. And believe me, it was no easy feat.

Drew and Madeline (to my utter horror and embarrassment) ran like mad around the aisles at Aldi, completely heedless to my calling their names. I almost started pretending I had never seen them before.

Whose kids are those? (With disdain.)

WHERE IS YOUR MOTHER?

Anyway, I had to get the items on my list, otherwise I probably would have just hauled everyone back out to the car. Thankfully, we pulled into the drive just as Andy got home and he, bless his soul, took them straightaway to the playground.

I made pasta and red sauce (otherwise known as spaghetti) for dinner and whenever we eat that, Adelaide is sure to need a bath. I plopped her in, only to hear her wailing a few minutes later.

I don't even need to tell you what she did. It's been well documented here.

After that cleanup, I let Madeline get into the tub. She said she had to go potty, so I picked her up out of the bath and set her on the toilet, and somehow she managed to pee all over my hand.

Yeah.

One of those days...

Talkin' Girl

I am not even kidding when I say that Adelaide is starting to talk. A few she's consistent with are 'mommy,' 'daddy,' 'baby,' 'bottle,' 'uh-oh,' 'bye,' 'ball,' 'watch,' 'NO!,' and 'good girl.' The last one is especially funny because she'll say it and clap for herself, nodding enthusiastically.

Andy and I were trying to get her to do it for Josiah and Liz this past weekend, and I held her banana slightly out of reach while saying, "good girl?"

"Adelaide, say 'good girl!'"

She looked up at us and, I kid you not, said (rather emphatically) "Nooooo!"

We all just about died laughing. It's so funny hearing real words come out of such a tiny little person.

We went to Atlanta.

Yesterday could only be classified as a Very Fun Day. Andy and Josiah went golfing. The kids had a very sweet babysitter who played with them outside even though it was hot. Liz and I hit Starbucks and then went shopping. (Ann Taylor and Loft, DSW, and White House/Black Market.)

Hello my name is Moriah and I just spent way too much money.

(But it was Andy's idea. So it's his fault.)

(Or something.)

And then we went to dinner at the South City Kitchen for good ol' Southern food. Emphasis on the good. Wow.

We had the fried green tomatoes and a butterbean hummus with flat cornbread crackers to share as appetizers. I personally had the caesar salad as my entree with croutons made of fried chunks of garlic grits. Quite amazing, actually. And it was garnished with fried okra.


And lest you think me too healthy, (eating a salad for my meal and all), I also had a side of fries.

I am my mother's daughter.


Thanks, guys, it was an awesome weekend.

Ta-dah!

Okay. I forgot to take pictures of the main parts of the house (I will later) but I do have a few from my room. When we lived there before it was a deep red. The renters changed it to this pale sage-y color. I can't decide if I want to keep it or change it.




The thing is, Madeline's room is a lime green (with pink accents) and I had planned on also painting the kitchen a shade of green (Sherwin Williams' "Haven.")

Can you have three different green rooms in just one small house? I don't know!

Be a dear

and click on my new ads! I'll love ya forever.

I'm sitting in the front seat of my van, the kids are watching "Red Toy Movie" in the backseat and we're on our way.

(Yes, I'm mobile. Thank you Andy's old job.)

I'll post some house pictures, as requested, when I get to where we're going and have an outlet since the laptop battery is about to die.

Until later then...

Thursday Work Day

Today I finished the bathroom (looks even better than when we lived here before), one of the hall closets, and put a sizable dent into my bedroom. (Which is good because it was the last frontier.)

The boxes are gone! Actually, I think there is one left in Drew's room (which I won't open until after I paint his and the girls' rooms). Oh, and there are two in the laundry room of old office stuff that needs to be sorted through. But there aren't any boxes remaining out in plain view.

(Cue the Hallelujah Chorus.)

We're going on a little out-of-town getaway this weekend with some friends. Should be fun. A babysitter is even written into the agenda. (As well as shopping, a possible spa outing, and dinner that I don't have to prepare or watch the kids eat.)

Which is perfect timing because this unpacking thing is wearing me out.

I should be asleep, I know.

I had a bunch of errands to run today so I bribed my kids with the purchase of a kiddie pool for their good behavior while out shopping.

It mostly worked.

But, really, I would have bought one anyway because IT IS HOT.

I blew it up with my hair dryer (on cold shot) and an extension cord. (I know, I'm full of genius ideas!) I even got in it with the kids because did I mention it is hot?

It's hot.

And tonight Andy held down the homefront while I did the errands I couldn't do with kids in tow. And I have a little confession.

I bought some paint.

I could not help myself.

What can I say? I'm an all-or-nothing kind of girl. (When it comes to home decorating, anyway.)

Yay for sparkling floors

This morning was rough. Adelaide woke up pretty early and let the whole house know about it. This house only has three bedrooms so the girls are in one together. Needless to say, Madeline took it as her cue to start the day, regardless of the time.

And then I ended up driving Andy up to work, pajamas and all. (Shh, don't tell!) These are the days I'm thankful coffee can travel in a to-go cup.

The rest of the morning I spent scrubbing the floors (all wood) in the dining and living rooms. I don't think our renters mopped, like, ever.

But what can you expect from a bunch of single guys?

I'm finally to the point where I wouldn't be embarrassed if someone popped on over. The two front rooms and kitchen actually look like a home instead of a box-filled, cluttered, disorganized mess.

Now, for that paint.

(Kidding!)

And, yes, we had take-out for dinner. By the time mealtime rolled around, I had met my maximum quota for work in one day.

I do have my limits.

Goings-On

We went to church with a friend on Sunday morning and ran into a girl from my SIP class from ye olden college days. It was a little surreal. And then we got a lunch invitation from the dear Wykoffs (one of my cousins, her husband's family).

We make it a practice to never turn down food.

It was such a wonderful afternoon. Madeline totally hit it off with Mandy, and the kids all had a good time together. The girls even twisted Madeline up in the swing and let 'er fly. I really could not believe how fast she was whipping around. I was sure she was going to be sick.

"Can I do it again?!"

And also there was chocolate cake. See? Good day.

Later yesterday evening we hung out at the playground with peanut butter and jellies and even more friends. I can't believe how much cooler it is here than it's been up North where we came from. There was even a coolish breeze. Definitely abnormal for a July evening in the South.

Today I ran some errands and scrubbed the life out of my kitchen floor. You really do not want to know how bad it was. I could eat off it now (not that I would).

And then, being the social butterflies that we are, we had dinner tonight over at another home of (different) close friends. Delicious, as usual.

And more chocolate cake.

Oh, and quality coffee.

(Decaf.)

It's been so much fun to catch up with people, in person. Lots of things feel exactly the same (it's only been a year). Other things are totally different (it's been a whole year!).

Good to be back.

Tired, thanks, and you?

So... Fourth of July...

I unpacked my china cabinet in the morning (not so much because I care about that particular piece of furniture, but because the boxes were taking up precious real estate all over the room) and then late afternoon we went over to a friend's place for a little birthday party combined with a 4th-of-July BBQ. Oh, and also a small Welcome Home Us was thrown in for good measure.

Dolly and Ethan came up for the festivities and ohmyword it's been way too long. They are some of our closest IRL people. And, of course, it seemed like we'd never been gone. Don't you just love friends that you can utterly be yourself around? I didn't even bother with make-up because, hello, swimming.

(Not that I even got that far into the water. Two words: ICE COLD.)

We scarfed down our veggie burgers and then later gathered around the drive to set off a collection of do-it-yourself fireworks (which are perfectly legal around here, bytheway). The kids even were allowed to "help," under careful adult supervision and they LOVED it.

I even heard Drew yell, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JULY!!!" in his excitement.

I have no pictures to share because a) my camera batteries are dead and b) the aforementioned no make-up.

Today we had a little more time with E/D & kids , sandwiched by more unpacking. I managed to run several boxes and rubbermaids up to the attic this evening, so it's not quite as cluttered as it was. I even did a couple of loads of laundry and started the dishwasher (my reacquainted bff).

I, for one, am looking forward to resting tomorrow.

This post has nothing to do with July 4th but it is in fact July 4th, just so you know.

Coffee?

More.

MORE!

Ahhhhh.

Okay. Now we can have us a chat. (Do people blog on holidays?)

My plan worked! I was able to run to Walmart and then get the kitchen almost done after the kids went to bed last night.

I KNOW!

It gives me a reference point to move outwards from and maybe we can start seeing some real progress soon.

(I'm also trying to ignore the urge to repaint all the walls. Priorities, you know?)

In other silliness, I discovered something yesterday. Madeline thinks toes are called 'piggies.'

Like, for real.

Like, you might go to the doctor with a broken toe and he would reply, "well now, the x-ray shoes the fifth piggy is in fact broken."

In all seriousness.

But I can't bring myself to correct her.

At least for now.

Things Fall Apart

Apparently I forgot how difficult it is to unpack with three rambunctious kids underfoot.

And by that I mean impossible.

So our house will have to wait for evenings and weekends. I'll just attempt to ignore all the clutter (and the whining) in the meantime.

You people are hilarious. Wave a little free Target shopping and everybody starts talking! I used Random.org's number generator and was rewarded with a cheery number 5. Commenter 5 was Babiesforruby. Congratulations! Email me your mailing address at Moriah (at) pleasepassthesalt1 (dot) com and I'll send it off pronto.

Talk about commenters coming out of the woodwork - you know, you're free to comment any time (doesn't matter who you are), I promise I won't bite!

(Much.)

"Many hands make light work"

The drive down South yesterday was fairly uneventful, just excruciatingly long. We sat for an hour in the morning waiting in line to pass an overturned tractor trailer; all our gas and potty stops seemed to take forever; and then a loaded-down U-haul truck doesn't exactly drive like a race car. We pulled in around 2:30 a.m. and I have never been happier to see a guest bed in my life.

A friend watched my kids today while The Men unloaded the truck. Andy had this fabulous idea to unload the whole thing out into the backyard, and then pick out the furniture to place inside where it all belongs. Next we ran in all the boxes and miscellany to various spots in the house and by the afternoon, the house looked full again. Cluttered, but full.

You would really not believe how good it looks. (Relatively speaking, of course. I mean, I wouldn't exactly enter it into a Parade of Homes contest. But it might be able to pass for the "before" shot.)

BUT.

All the furniture is in place, several boxes are completely unpacked, the beds all have their respective proper bedding (which is also clean), and the kitchen is more than half-way unpacked. It looks like someone actually lives here! I even know where my coffee pot and mugs are.

I KNOW!

It's been the best move we've ever had. We had lots of help, and owe many thank-yous. (You know who you are.)

This is the first chance I've had to sit and now that I am, I'm about to fall asleep. So I'll catch y'all later.

One Year

It's been exactly one year since my first post.

So in honor of such a momentous occasion in my blogging life, I'm going to host a little giveaway.

Leave a comment in order to be entered to win a $25 gift card to my favorite multi-purpose store, Target! (Where else?!)

I'll leave comments open for the rest of today and draw a random winner from comments received before midnight. Make sure I have a way to reach you if you don't have a blog.

For now, I have to drive - HOME!

(We finished packing and I mopped myself right out the front door about midnight last night.)