One Mom, three kids, and no answers...

2011-01-04T11:12:00.001-06:00

I’m not sure if my decision to come home and put on pajama bottoms is pathetic or just practical.

Almost back to normal

2011-01-02T14:58:00.001-06:00

Thankfully, break is almost over and Julia will be heading back to school tomorrow. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get back into the gym after a couple of weeks off. I can’t wait to get back to our routine. Although, on Wednesday, Jude starts preschool…3 afternoons/week. It will take a little getting used to the new schedule, but I’m sure we’ll manage. I’m not sure how Ruby’s naps are going to work into it, but hopefully it won’t take too long for her to adapt.

Oh, here are the answers to the Pop Quiz

1.C, 2. C, 3. E, 4. A, 5. D, 6. E

Welcome, 2011!

2011-01-02T09:17:00.002-06:00

Well, I just got used to writing 2010 on my checks, and now it’s 2011 already.
I still have a few Christmas Cards to send out because I had to re-order. Apparently we have more friends than I thought.
In the mean time…..

2010 Spann Family Pop Quiz
1. This summer, Julia was on swim team at the Lincoln Racquet Club. Her favorite event was:
a. The Freestyle
b. The Butterfly
c. The Backstroke
d. The Concession Stand
2. In February, Jude broke his ________ for the second time in less than a year.
a. nose
b. tooth
c. arm
d. all of the above
3. In June, we adopted a new dog. He is:
a. named Reggie Ndamukong Spann
b. 81 pounds
c. a St. Bernard/Boxer mix
d. 100% lovable
e. all of the above
4. Ruby learned to ____________ in November.
a. walk
b. talk
c. do long division
d. spell Ndamukong
5. Ruby has several commonly used nicknames. The top three are:
a. Lovey, Pooky, and Schmoopy
b. Sweet pea, Muffin, and Cutie Pie
c. Pokey, Turkey, and Boo Boo
d. Destructo, Roo, and Monkey
6. This Christmas, the Spann family wants to wish you _______________.
a. Love
b. Peace
c. Merry Christmas
d. Happy New Year
e. all of the above
We’ve had a wonderful, busy year. We are so grateful for our many blessings. Have a very Merry Christmas, and a blessed New Year!
Merry Christmas, with all our love,
Bryce, Nicole, Julia,
Jude, and Ruby Spann(and Reggie too)

December 17, 2010

2010-12-17T07:07:00.001-06:00

Fa la la la la la la la la

11/30/2010

2010-11-30T06:54:00.001-06:00

I think it snowed last night. This is the only thing of interest I have to report this morning.

Long time..

2009-06-02T14:07:00.003-05:00

Wow - I guess I've been more neglectful than I realized.

School is nearly out here and Julia is anxious for her summer to begin. Jude talks a mile a minute now and repeats EVERYTHING I say, so I have to be really careful these days. I haven't undertaken any major projects lately, unless you count installing a clothes line in the back yard and a little bit of gardening.

I don't suppose I'll be doing too many major projects for a while, since I'm pregnant with our 3rd baby, due around Thanksgiving. I spent most of the first trimester feeling crummy but I feel like I've turned the corner and seem to be feeling pretty decent most of the time now. My energy seems to be returning as well, though my stamina while running pathetic and I'm not really looking for that to return until after the baby is born. I'm not even sure how much longer I'll be able to keep running, but I'm going to keep up with it as long as I can.

I'd planned on writing a bit more, but I hear Jude on the monitor - apparently a nap doesn't fit in with his afternoon plans today. Should make for a fun evening!

Interesting weekend

2009-03-15T07:39:00.002-05:00

Friday morning, while climbing on a little plastic climbing toy at the gym, Jude fell about 18 inches and wound up breaking his arm. I knew it wasn't good when I got there and he had been crying hysterically for 10 minutes while the staff was searching all over the gym for me. I got him wrapped up and buckled him into the carseat as best as I could without moving his arm and took him to the E.R. Poor kid couldn't stop crying and kept saying "go home".

He actually did very well in the E.R. considering the fact that he's deathly afraid of anyone wearing scrubs, and anything that remotely resembles a doctor's office. X-rays weren't fun, nor was the shot of morphine, or getting his arm in the splint. He's still in some pain, but has some good medicine for that and wants get down and play when the medicine kicks in. I think in Jude's case, a little pain might be necessary to keep him slowed down a little. If he has no pain - he goes full throttle...which is scary since he doesn't have a cast yet. We go to the doctor tomorrow and we'll see what happens from there. Right now he just has a splint and a sling, both of which he is tolerating amazingly well.

Will post photos soon.

Yes, I'm still alive

2009-03-07T16:43:00.002-06:00

I've had a few comments about the fact that I haven't posted recently. Honestly, I just haven't had all that much to say lately.

I still don't have that much to say, but I thought I would share my new favorite running songs for the treadmill. 1. Viva la Vida - Coldplay 2. Paper Planes - M.I.A and 3. Jai Ho - A.R. Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack). Good stuff.

I found the floor

2009-01-14T14:27:00.002-06:00

While Jude was napping this afternoon, I started in on cleaning up our storage room. It had gotten so horrible since October or so. It reminded me of Monica's secret closet on Friends - the secret room that no one could see because it was so filled with crap. I literally could not walk through it without dodging one thing or another. I had limited time, so there is much left to do, but it felt good to get started.

We're all fighting colds again. I swear, it's just impossible to stay healthy this time of year.

The thermometer dropped again, and is supposed to stay really cold for the next couple of days. Bitterly cold doesn't begin to describe it. Sounds like it's that way over much of the country, and even our friends in the deep South are going to see some pretty chilly temps. How long until Spring? I can hardly wait.

Happy New Year

2009-01-08T14:27:00.002-06:00

Albeit a little late, Happy New Year! I've been finding plenty to keep me busy this first part of 2009, much of which has to do with the fact that I'm procrastinating. I have yet to take down the blasted Christmas tree. I absolutely loath that job. I don't know what it is, but I just can't seem to make myself start. Perhaps admitting it is the first step.

I've decided that my project over the next 6 weeks or so (you know how I love projects) is going to be ME. In October I finally started getting back to the gym and I'm finally back to the point where I can say it is now in the routine again. And while I've been hitting the gym every weekday, I admit, I've been half-assing it a little bit - at least I was. This week (maybe it's 2009 - the year for Change, right?) I've been more focused and pushing myself a little harder. I've also decided (I can't believe I'm writing this) that I'm going to lose 9 pounds. I've been wanting to lose 5 lbs. for about 5 years, and over the holidays, I put on 4 lbs. so I had to add that to the equation. I can't do a crash diet, because I have no power over hunger. I have to eat, so I'm trying to be sensible about this. If you read nothing more on this topic from me, you can assume that I've failed miserably. The odds are against me since I've never once in my life met one of my "weight-loss goals".

Oh baby, it's cold outside

2008-12-21T08:00:00.005-06:00

The first day of winter. There is snow and ice on the ground. We woke up to -2 degree temperatures, and are expecting a high of 3 degrees today...and winter has just begun.

Yesterday I spent much of the day baking and will do the same today. I made 6 dozen dinner rolls - some for Christmas dinner, and some to take with us to Ainsworth for the next Christmas dinner. I made Kringla dough yesterday and will bake them today, and may end up making another batch. I have candy to finish up and am considering making my cinnamon rolls for Christmas Eve ahead of time. It's a good day to have the oven going, and as long as I'm making the mess, I might as well just make the mess.

There is still laundry to be done and cleaning to do before company gets here, but considering that most of our company will be family, I figure they've seen it in worse condition, so what doesn't get done, just won't get done. I just hope that everyone is able to get here safely...actually, I just hope they are able to GET HERE. Bret is flying in Tuesday night, and Lyuba will follow on Christmas Day. I don't envy them having to fly this time of year.

Julia is already complaining about being bored. It's a little after 8 a.m. It could be a long day. I convinced her to clean up the playroom with the understanding that we can decorate in there with Christmas lights once it's all cleaned up. She might be cleaning for a while - it's a disaster down there. Maybe I'll post pictures when we get the lights hung.

Not Martha

2008-12-15T19:08:00.005-06:00

Saturday's "goodie" making was a bit of a bust. While the pecans turned out beautifully - Oh my gosh, they're so good - I had a chex mix incident. I've always made my chex mix in the oven, and it's always turned out well. But this time, I decided to use the directions on the box and make it in the microwave. Long story short, I burned it badly, and ended up throwing the whole batch out and smelling up the entire house. I felt like a complete failure, partly because of the chex mix, and partly because of the boxed brownie mix I made the night before that didn't set up and I still can't figure out why.

On an up-note, the weather on Saturday was fabulous...53 and sunny. Bryce hung the Christmas lights on the house.

Sunday, we spent the day at church. Jude finally was sent to the nursery. He was happier, and we were definitely happier. In the afternoon, Julia had her Sunday School Christmas Program. She sang all 5 songs (or lip-synched) beautifully, and afterwards there were crafts and waffles. It was a very full day.

Today again was painfully cold. I think it reached almost 10 degrees, but the windchill this morning was well below zero. Jude and I considered skipping the gym, fearing the long walk through the parking lot, but we braved the cold. Remind me again why we live in Nebraska...

Oh, in case you were wondering what happend with the peanut butter crackers...Julia is finally finishing them right now. Better late than never.

Worth posting...

2008-12-13T19:51:00.003-06:00

Tonight, one of my favorite holiday specials was on. The Special Christmas episode of COPS! The title...."Ho! Ho! Ho!" Awesome.

Fa la la la la

2008-12-13T13:17:00.003-06:00

I'm spending the better portion of my day making Christmas goodies to share. In lieu of Christmas music, we are listening to Kanye West. After Christmas program practice, I just wasn't in the mood for more carols. Bryce and Julia decided to dip peanut butter crackers. Of course, they got half way through and both of them left, so I have a bowl of hardening chocolate almond bark and a plate stacked high with peanut butter crackers on the kitchen table. I'm not touching it.

My new favorite Christmas (or anytime) treats are Sugar and Spice pecans. I got the recipe from my friend Tina (trainer and health nut), so we know they are healthy. I made them for the first time a little bit ago and besides tasting wonderful, the house smells heavenly after roasting them. Personally, next time I make them, I will double the sugar, but they are very tasty just like this:

Sugar and Spice Pecans

4 tbsp sugar (divided)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cayenne
2 egg whites
5 cups pecan halves

Heat oven to 375. In small bowl combine 2 tbsp sugar, salt and all spices. In medium bowl beat egg whites until frothy; add spice mixture. Stir in pecans and toss until coated add remaining sugar. Lightly coat 2 baking pans with nonstick cooking spray; spread nuts in single layer. Bake 10 min., stir and bake 10 min. more, or until golden.

I think this would work well with almonds also. I haven't tried it, so if you try it, let me know how it turns out.

Well, the red-head is up from his nap, so I should get going. I don't think I'll get Christmas cards out this year, so Merry Christmas!

I'm back

2008-12-05T07:31:00.003-06:00

Happy post-Thanksgiving. Our house was full for Thanksgiving, which was wonderful. It was lots of work, and a very busy place, but it's always great to have family. For the most part, the guys stayed in the man-cave watching football, which I fully expected. Bryce had perma-grin all day.

Friday after Turkey Day, we went downtown with friends to watch the game at the N-Zone. Actually, Bryce went to the game with his dad and left me all alone with a bunch of crazy people :). Great day, but I just can't hang like I used to.

Saturday was lefse making day! I can't believe we didn't take a single picture!!!!! Mom & I had just gotten started when our friends Lisa and Lewie stopped in with some wine...and stayed for about 8 hours! It was a great day. We made loads of lefse - and I think they turned out really well. Of course I drank too much wine and I can't be sure. I guess we'll find out when we thaw them at Christmas!!!! Lisa even took a turn at rolling and turning a few. Julia is a very good lefse turner, but she makes me nervous around the griddle. She has no concept of just how hot it is. Her rolling needs some work. Her first lefse looked more like pita bread. She has plenty of time to learn.

In bigger and more exciting news - a switch flipped in Jude's head last night. As if magically, he started speaking in full sentences. It was the most bizarre thing...and sort of bittersweet. Keep in mind that it's not easy to understand everything he's saying, but it's obvious that he's now really TRYING to talk like us. He explained what was happening on each page of "5 little monkeys", pointed out what lots of things were in "Goodnight Moon" and when I put him to bed, he said "Will you lay down with me?" He had to say it three times before I understood what he was saying, but "I-oo-yay-don-et-mee?" definitely means "will you lay down with me?". Awesome.

Our snot cup runneth over

2008-11-21T14:36:00.003-06:00

Well, with the exception of Bryce, we all have the crud. Jude's nose is like an endless stream of boogers. I don't have to wipe it that often, as he's taken to eating them. I'm feeling somewhat better after a couple of rough days, but Julia woke up with it this morning. She thought she was going to get out of going to school, but unless she has a fever or is really showing signs of not feeling well, she's going to school.

I finally got the TV and all of the components hooked up with the new HD box. Thankfully, the line at the cable co. was short and we got in and out of there fairly quickly. I was pleasantly surprised also that the 50" TV doesn't look entirely out of place in the basement. I was worried that it would look like a glossy mammoth down there, but it looks pretty decent. Bryce didn't know when he bought it that the only thing we'd ever get to see on it is "Wow Wow Wubzy", otherwise known as "baby crack" at our our house. Jude can't get enough. He doesn't know that all of the Wubzy shows I had recorded on DVR are gone now that I switched out the box, and doesn't understand why I can't play it for him whenever he wants. Of course that's the one show Noggin doesn't have On Demand. I got to watch The Young and The Restless today in HD...some of those people aren't nearly as goodlooking as I thought they were.

I've done rather well, but typing this with a 2 year old climbing on me is challenging, so I'll wrap up for now.

Yup, it's that time of year.

2008-11-18T10:52:00.002-06:00

I woke up this morning with a cold...actually I felt it coming on yesterday, but after a fairly sleepless night with a dry scratchy throat, I know what's coming. The sneezing started this morning, and I can feel the symptoms gradually accumulating. Warm tea, and a fairly lazy day at home (I skipped the gym this morning) is my treatment plan for today. I suppose I should make a run later for some NyQuil...or wine.

I finally got Jude's new old dresser painted last week and moved into his room over the weekend. I spent a good portion of yesterday cleaning the drawers and lining them with the most adorable contact paper. It's got chickens and roosters all over it. I loved it so much I bought an extra roll and have started lining my kitchen shelves with it. I have to finish that up today. Jude's dresser is adorable but I'm still trying to figure out the arrangement in his room. It's a small room, and really a single bed would work better in there, but for now, he's going to have to settle for the double bed and a little less room.

Bryce is more than likely chomping at the bit to get home today...his new TV is being delivered this afternoon. Of course the stand I ordered for it isn't coming for a couple more days. It is what I consider ridiculously huge. 50" Plasma screen...I suppose that's the last I'll see of him until springtime.

I'm starting to get Turkey Day figured out and planning what to make, aside from the standards. Looking forward to a full house that day. Maybe I'll post a pic of my turkey to add some holiday ambience to the blog. I guess you'll have to wait and see.

Check!

2008-11-03T13:26:00.005-06:00

One more thing checked off of my never-ending list of things to do. Bryce's favorite uncle gave this ugly old chair to Bryce for the kids shortly before he passed away. Because it's special to Bryce, I couldn't really toss it out because it was "sorry" looking. I finally got around to spiffing it up a little. Total cost...$5 for fabric and about 3 hours of work. Not too shabby - and I think the kids will like it.

Love this...

2008-11-02T15:21:00.002-06:00

Maybe it's the leaves

2008-11-01T07:07:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure what it is, it might be the leaves turning colors, but I have that shutter bug again. It's been a really long time since I've really had the urge to go out and do some shooting, but lately, I see beautiful photos everywhere I turn. Unfortunately, I never have a camera in hand to capture them. It's been a few years since I've taken anything other than snapshots, but I miss it. I really want to get a high quality digital camera so that I don't have to "guess" with my 30 year old camera. It still takes lovely photos, don't get me wrong, but if I screw up (which I do) and shoot a whole roll with the wrong f stop or film speed...or god forbid the film doesn't catch when I load it...then I kick myself.

Anyway - to remind myself of why I love photography, I gathered a handful of my favorite shots and put them on Picasa. I'd forgotten all about some of them. I love going back and looking at them. I think this link will work http://picasaweb.google.com/colespann1/MyFavoritePhotos#

It's just about dark...on Halloween

2008-10-31T18:13:00.003-05:00

The sun is setting and it's just about time to go. Julia has been asking all day, "How long is it until we go trick-or-treating?" At least the weather is wonderful so we have a non-frigid night to go begging. Jude is with Meema and Bop for a few days, so Mom is dressing him as a cowboy tonight. Hopefully she'll put some pants on him.

Ode to a hedge apple

2008-10-21T11:05:00.002-05:00

My hedge apples are starting to rot. The beautiful shade of green is changing to a sad yellowish color. I thought I'd have them longer, but it's time to say goodbye to them. Farewell my lovely hedge apples. I'll see you again next September.

I'm done...almost...I think.

2008-10-13T14:48:00.004-05:00

I started out my day by doing a bit of light sanding on the countertops and then the final coat of Poly-enamel. I think they turned out pretty well for a first attempt. I didn't mention in yesterday's post that when I stopped at the paint counter yesterday to ask for advice (I'd been told never to go on Sunday, and I should have listened), I told them that I was painting my countertops. The kid, and yes I mean kid, interrupted me mid-sentence saying..."You can't paint countertops. Did someone tell you that you could do that?" I knew right there that they'd be of no help. Anyway, I DID paint my countertops. I'll let you know how they hold up. My hope is that I have nothing further to post regarding this project. Finally some actual before and after shots of the kitchen...drumroll please....

Ok...so this is a little crooked. I swear, I haven't been drinking, just hurried possibly.
If you're in the mood for a chuckle (completely unrelated), check out my sort-of-brother-in-law's blog. I find it's usually good for a laugh. www.gern-blanston.blogspot.com

I'm at it again

2008-10-12T13:14:00.005-05:00

Well, a little over a week since we finished the cabinets and I'm at it again. Ever since the fresh cream colored paint went up, I couldn't stand to look at those ugly, 20-something year old countertops. They stuck out like a sore thumb for some reason. We plan to get new countertops in the near future, but not sure what we want, or when we'll do it, I decided to paint the countertops in the mean time. Nothing to lose really, but a few days and more of my already dwindling supply of "marbles".

Step 1 - sand...easy breezy. 80 grit sand paper roughed them up and took off the gloss well

Step 2 - Clean - vacuumed, then washed with TSP and rinsed. No problem.

Step 3 - Prime - I had tinted primer left over from the cabinets that basically matches the color of the cabinets. Cool.

Step 4 - now what? I had considered painting them the same color as the cabinets - in fact, that was my plan initially. However, when I got cross-eyed looks from Bryce when I mentioned it, I thought maybe I'd experiment a little before I got too far. I had some chocolate brown paint from the "accent" wall in the living room, so I thought I'd try a rag-rolling technique. It looked pretty cool, so I decided to go with it. The paint was drying way too fast though, so I decided to thin it out with a little water. BIG mistake. Here's why.

I spent a good part of the day trying to achieve the look I wanted, but it was getting globby and not looking great, so I abandoned the project and went to bed. This morning I made a pot of coffee and decided that I should sand any rough spots, which I did. Then I took a damp rag to it to wipe off the dust, so I could get back to it after church. Well, more than dust came off. The paint just wiped off, and globs rolled into tiny little mouse-turd like balls all over the countertops. I could have chanced it and hoped that the coat of poly-enamel at the end would seal it enough, but I decided I'd better just keep wiping and start over. Gigantic mess. ANYWAY - what I really needed (I think, I hope) was a glaze, which I knew from the get-go, but since I didn't have any on hand, and felt too lazy to go to the store and get some (I really knew better), I winged it. Not my best decision. However, not the end of the world. I'm part way through and it's looking pretty good. I found some more spots that needed re-priming, so I'm letting that dry before I get back to it. I hope the rest of the day goes as planned.

Time to breathe

2008-10-05T14:32:00.007-05:00

It's been a little while since I last posted. It's been crazy around here, but I finally have a little quiet time since Jude is napping and Julia is at lunch with her uncle Bret and his girlfriend, Lyuba.

Clare arrived last Sunday afternoon to begin painting on the kitchen cabinets. For 2 1/2 days, we were like 2 tornadoes wielding paintbrushes. We hung the doors at around 9:30 Tuesday night and the results are amazing. I LOVE the way it turned out. Clean, fresh, and warm. We will hopefully replace the countertops this fall/winter.

Tuesday morning, Bryce's Grandma Gayle passed away, so amidst the mess of a dismantled kitchen, we had quite a bit to deal with. She was a wonderful woman, who always handled everything with dignity and class. She suffered so much toward the end, so we are happy that she is now at peace.

Friday evening my brother, Bret, and his girlfriend flew in from New York and are staying until tomorrow when they will head up to Mom and Dads for the rest of the week. They went to the Husker game (sad as it was) yesterday, and Bryce went downtown to watch it with friends. I worked on my latest garage sale acquisition - a new kitchen table, and enjoyed just being here at home with the kids. I watched part of the game, but frankly it was just too sad to watch, so I went to sleep shortly after half time.

The house is quiet and I should lay down and take a nap or something, but I'm looking at the light fixture over the kitchen table and thinking that I'm going to take it down and paint it black.

I know you've been chomping at the bit for pictures of the kitchen (HA!), so here you go...

Always wear eye-protection and a turtleneck when using power tools

2008-09-25T10:28:00.004-05:00

A bit ago, while making a minor repair to a split in one of our cupboards, I had to drill a hole. I got out the handy Dremmel with a drill bit and started to drill a hole to add a supporting screw. Seconds into drilling, I felt a burning sensation...on my right nipple! A piece of really hot wood had flown out and down my shirt settling in at just the WRONG spot. YIKES!

I dare anyone to try and top that one!

Another great weekend

2008-09-21T20:43:00.004-05:00

Could be the weather, but it's probably because the Huskers were off, but it was just a nice weekend. Friday was my birthday and Bryce did well making a nice steak on the grill and baking a chocolate cake with Julia. I had finished sanding my cabinet doors in the afternoon, so it was early to bed in my new jammies...a perfect end to the day.

Saturday, I did my weekly grocery shopping and actually got there early enough to miss the crowds, which also allowed me to get home and put everything away and head out to hit some garage sales. Some great finds, and it was a perfect fall morning. Saturday afternoon Anna, Denise and I met for early drinks and apps...Denise was unaware of the surprise birthday party waiting for her at home. Today was busy, but also really nice. Target had some cute dresses 75% off, and I snagged two that will work well into fall. Anyone who loves a deal can understand the joy of a $6 dress. I finally got that hydrangea planted today with Bryce's help, now I just have to try to keep the thing alive. I did more sanding on the cupboards - now is the messy part - inside the house. I got most of the upper bases done, and I plan to do some priming on it this week. The lower ones will have to wait since the doors and drawers will have to be removed again to do it. I'll do that just before Clare comes to paint. Feels good to make progress anyway. I just tucked Jude into bed after a little snuggy time...is there a better way to end the day?

28 down, 10 to go

2008-09-18T11:10:00.002-05:00

In preparation for painting the kitchen cabinets, I have begun sanding. I have 17 doors and all 11 drawers done, and have 10 doors to go. I'm glad I started early since I would have hated to spend a day or two working on them when Clare is here. At least this way, we can concentrating on painting instead of prep work.

Aside from that, life is pretty easy breezy. I've been working on some "artwork" for the house. I'm too cheap to buy something, so I'm making my own. It won't make it to the Smithsonian, but I like it and I guess that's what counts. Not to mention the fact that since it's cheap to make, when I get tired of it, it's not a big deal if I feel like tossing it out.

I read a great article in Real Simple last night about finding real happiness. I tried to find it online, but no luck so far. If I do find it, I'll post a link. If not, it's worth checking out hard copy.

Who invented wallpaper anyway???

2008-09-10T08:31:00.002-05:00

Did someone wake up one day and think it was a great idea to glue paper to their walls? Did they think they'd never tire of it or that the edges would never begin to peel? Someday the paper would need to be removed. I pondered that question for 12 hours while removing wallpaper from my kitchen. There was really only one wall papered - how big of a job could that be? I continued to ponder my initial question for 5 hours the next day while I was scrubbing the glue off of the walls, and then rinsing them off. I pondered some more while I spent the next 2 hours painting the walls with awful-smelling, eye-burning primer (ok, I'm exaggerating a little) just in case I didn't get ALL of the glue off. I finally got around to painting, and I'm still wondering - who in the hell thought it was a good idea to glue paper to walls?

You've gotta be kidding me

2008-09-05T10:31:00.003-05:00

So Wednesday of this week, a repairman came back out and replaced the board in our refrigerator for the second time. The first board was apparently either the wrong part, or is a bad part that shouldn't have been installed in the first place. Well, this morning the fridge started making that annoying sound again...sort of like a kid who has pinned a baseball card to the spokes of his bicyicle. I'm starting to lose my patience and I'm ready to throw this damn thing to the curb.

Another sleepless night - I was up once with Jude for about an hour, then he was up at 5:00. I got him back to sleep around 5:45 and he slept until 7:30 or so. I however was up for the day. Oh, and yesterday my hopes for a good nap were dashed. Only about 45 minutes. I hope today is a better one.

Gettin' my poop in a group

2008-09-04T12:58:00.003-05:00

It seems that sleeplessness is some sort of inspiration for me today. I'm working on my closet and getting all of my clothes put back in order - sorting, tossing, donating, and repurposing (cutting up for rags). The bedroom is still sort of a disaster from the process, but at least it's out in the open now where I have to do something about it. I also worked a bit on the storage room and I can successfully walk from the door to the back wall without tripping on anything...major accomplishment.

I'm surprised at my ambition today since as I mentioned briefly that it was a rather sleepless night. Jude was up for 2 hours with a slight temp for some reason and was up early this morning. He seems fine today and hopefully his nap will be a good one. Despite the ambition I've been feeling to get things squared around here today, my mind isn't working properly and it took me a good five minutes to come up with the word "ambition"...I'm blaming this on my lack of sleep.

I should also mention that I'm newly addicted to crack...not the chemical, but the gadget. Bryce (no longer needing it) gave me his Blackberry (CRACKberry) a few days ago and I haven't been able to put the damn thing down. I'm a gadget freak anyway, but I love figuring out what it can do, and getting all out if it that I can. Might as well, right? I spent a few days playing with it and getting nothing else accomplished, so maybe that's why today I've been so gung-ho on getting things done. Whatever the case, it feels good to make some headway.

On Monday, being a holiday, we started in on our kitchen project. Phase one is complete. With the help of Bryce's cousin Zach (OK, he did most of the work - ok ALL of the work) we have the wainscot up around the bar and on the endcaps. Despite being unpainted, it looks fantastic and now have a clear vision of what my new kitchen will look like. Next in line is to rip off the wallpaper and then paint. Then will come the labor intensive, time consuming, and most exciting part. Painting the cupboards. I can hardly contain my excitement.

Another lesson learned

2008-09-02T12:25:00.002-05:00

Lesson 1:
Paintbrushes hanging in the garage, even the pricey ones, are fair game for 7 year olds painting bricks and rocks.

Lesson 2:
Bright pink acrylic paint, once dried, will not wash out of paint brushes, even the pricey ones.

Much Drama

2008-08-29T07:10:00.002-05:00

Well, it's been quite the start to the day. We put up Jude's "big boy bed" yesterday. He was excited and went right to bed without issue. However, at 3:10 this morning he woke up crying. I tried laying down with him, then I brought him downstairs. I put him back to bed and he was quiet for about 20 minutes, then started to cry again. So I laid down with him again, but he kept asking for Daddy. So we went and laid in our bed for a while. He was happy for about 5 minutes, but then we ended up coming back downstairs and have been up ever since. He's going to need an early nap. I think the smell from the paint (I just painted his bed frame a few days ago) was bothering him...so, we took the bed apart and will let it set in the garage for a couple of weeks and hopefully the smell will fade. The mattress and box spring are on the floor now...closer to the ground in case he falls out, so I guess that's OK.

Oh, I forgot to mention the fridge. The repairman was out yesterday and the board they installed a week ago is bad. So they had to order a new one...they have to come back Tuesday. Anyway - at about 5:00, the fridge started making that horrible noise again, and LOUD. So, I made a pot of coffee, emptied the freezer, pulled the fridge out, unplugged it and got the hair drier out again. Of course, Jude was afraid of the hair dried...don't ask...so there was more drama there. The fridge is back in place and quiet for the moment. Too much activity for this early in the day. I wish I could squeeze in a nap, but I don't think that's going to happen. Just power through I guess.

I need to steam clean the carpets today. The black paint from the bed frame left a nice coat of black dust all over the garage floor. I should have cleaned it up immediately, but you know how that goes. So, the black dust got tracked in all over the house. The carpets really needed cleaning again after moving back in - I have spots where the guys dripped sweat and then dirty shoes...not to mention hundreds of trips from the garage back to the house - the basement steps took a beating. One more thing to do. Will it ever end? (I already know the answer to that)

It's finally out

2008-08-27T18:49:00.005-05:00

Julia Returned from school looking a little different. After weeks of that thing being brown and hanging by a thread, she finally bit the bullet (so to speak) and pulled that nasty old tooth. That new tooth must be right there because the gap is disproportionally wide.

In other news, the fridge is on the fritz again. The repairman is coming back tomorrow.

We returned on Sunday from a quick trip to Kansas City. We had a blast. I got to spend lots of quality time with my Auntie Clare and returned with a truck full of stuff. We shopped a little, and got some wonderful "bargains". The most fun though was our hedge apple hunt. As always, there is something free to find in Missouri. Clare took me to her favorite hedge apple tree (otherwise known as an osage orange tree) and it was full of great big hedge apples. Some we could reach on our tippy toes, but then, like a bolt of lightening it occurred to me that we could reach some higher ones if we got creative. Soon, the Montero was pulled up on the grass beneath the tree and I found myself standing on top of it picking to my heart's content. We hit the mother load. Clare was happy I was wearing "granny panties" since I was wearing a dress! She also sent me home with a s-load of apples from a neighbor's tree. I baked my first apple crisp..mmmm! (I can't believe I've never made that before) I also shared some with neighbors. They were thrilled, and I was happy to get rid of them before they spoiled.

Busy day today - I put in 4 dimmer switches after reading (kind of a "duh") in Good Housekeeping last night how much energy it saves by using a dimmer switch. I had several locations that I had thought about using a dimmer on for quite a while and since I had to make a trip to Home Depot any way (looking for wainscot for the kitchen), I bought 4 @ $5 a piece and installed them this morning. As always, the most difficult part of electrical work like that is finding which breaker to turn off since the previous owner didn't do much in the way of labeling them. Good times, and much harder to do alone than with a partner. Next year Jude will be able to tell me when the light goes off, but for now, he wasn't much help...he did let me knowwhen the TV turned off though.

Like Christmas morning...The first day of school!!!!

2008-08-20T10:11:00.004-05:00

Jude and I dropped Julia off in her classroom for the first day of 2nd grade. Mr. Glenn-Hash seemed excited...he even wore a tie. Julia found her seat right away and is sitting with 3 other kids, 2 boys - both J names too, and a girl. Can't wait to hear about her first day. Jude and I need to establish our routine again - it will probably take a few days, but we'll manage. I'm thrilled - life finally seems like it's getting back to normal.

That tooth is about to fall out - I wish she'd just yank it out already.
New backpack - courtesy of Auntie Clare & Uncle Ricky
740-some kids and 1 entrance. Chaos.

Cabinets

2008-08-18T08:46:00.003-05:00

Well I hung the remaining 2 cabinet doors and they look pretty good, I think. I was "sound proofing" them this morning and thought I'd share a trick I use with left over weather stripping. Last time I used weather stripping, I had a few short pieces left over at the end, so I used them for pads on the cupboard doors. If you have left-overs after your next project, now you know what you can do with them!

My baby is two

2008-08-17T17:16:00.005-05:00

Yesterday at 5:49 p.m. our little baby, Jude, turned two surrounded by his 4 Grandparents, his Mommy & Daddy, his doting sister Julia (who he now calls Dee Dee for "sissy") and his Great Grandma Mildred who came despite some hesitance. Couldn't imagine a better way to celebrate 2 years on the planet. Bryce & I reminisced a little about the day he was born - the horrible mood I woke up in that day, the beautiful weather that day, the surprisingly enjoyable afternoon spent in delivery, and the joy of introducing him to his sister and grandparents within an hour or 2 of his birth. What more can one ask for. We spent most of the day out on Mom & Dad's unfinished deck enjoying the spectacular weather. Great day. We grilled out - GG loved the food - she said it was the best food she'd ever had and was tearful when I took her home. We're so happy she joined us. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been to a 2 year old's birthday party.

Jude was so excited about his birthday that he got up at 5:30 and then decided to lay down with Daddy on the couch and go back to sleep...Priceless.
Storytime with "Bop"
Taste testingPlay Do with "Mee Ma"Julia was nice enough to take our picture together The Spann Clan after the party.

Sometimes people really are nice

2008-08-15T10:32:00.003-05:00

I heard on GMA this morning that Donald Trump bought Ed McMahon's house. It was being forclosed upon and he (85 years old) and his wife (probably 45 year old) were going to be kicked to the curb. Trump paid off the house and is going to allow them to continue living there. He said he watched him everynight on TV and couldn't stand to see this happen to him. Now, I'm guessing that he sees this as a good investment, since after McMahon dies he'll have a nice property and by then (hopefully) the market will have rebounded making him a nice chunk of change. That being said - still a nice thing to do.

And LG came through on the fridge! We bought an LG because we had read that they stand behind their products. I spoke with them earlier and they are going to cover all parts needed for the repair. It never hurts to ask. I should have reported the issue directly to them the first time we had problems...lesson learned. And as a side note - absolutely everyone I talked to regarding this issue, both at Andy's Appliance Repair and at LG have been very nice. Not only that, but I didn't have to spend hours on hold with LG. They answered right away.

Jude was a little butt this morning at Target, but my day is looking up!

Cabinets - on a roll

2008-08-14T19:44:00.006-05:00

Before - obviously with 2 doors missing Two down, two to go

Always something

2008-08-13T17:01:00.004-05:00

Well, the repairman came out today to look at the fridge. I explained that a fan had been replaced once before. Apparently there is a problem with this, and many other models of LG fridges. It doesn't defrost properly - really? The ice in the back of the freezer gave me no indication of this. Anyway - they have a new board that tells the thing to defrost more often which should take care of the problem. It only costs $300. The labor will only be about $200. I'm not good at math, but that's $500 for a fridge that we paid about $1k for. Hmmm. I'll be calling LG tonight to see if they will pay for the repair. The warranty, of course, is expired - however, clearly this is a design flaw. We'll see if we can talk them into it.

In other news, I took 2 of the 4 cabinet doors off of the laundry room cabinets. I'm using these as "practice" before I start in on painting the kitchen cabinets. I think it's going to be a royal pain in the ass, but I'm going to see if my auntie Clare will come help me....Auntie Clare, are you reading this? I always have beer. (That oughtta lure her in.) If I find the camera, I'll take pix. I know all 2 of you reading this are waiting with bated breath...OK, one of you.

Beautiful weather today. We're out on the deck, listening to the pool party in the yard kitty-corner from us. Good music - screaming kids. It's pretty nice actually. Sounds like summer, and since I've basically pissed mine away, it's sort of nice to hear others enjoying what's left of it.

OH - I have to talk about my new obsession - Flipping Out. It's on BRAVO and absolutely one of the most hilarious "reality" shows out there. Unfortunately, it's only on re-runs now, but last night they had a "reunion" show that was truly hilarious. It's like HGTV on crack. Basically, it's a neurotic, narcissistic gay man who flips houses in LA. Undoubtedly worth watching.

Well, the steaks smell wonderful - I hope there's no e-coli in this lot.

The fridge is buzzing again

2008-08-12T14:29:00.002-05:00

A few days ago the fridge started making noises again. 2 years ago ( I know when it was because I was at the end of my pregnancy and moved the fridge out myself despite being on bedrest) it did this and we had to have some sort of fan replaced. The guy who was out said that it was probably due to frost build up in the back of the freezer. So I emptied the freezer and crawled in(literally) with my hair dryer. I melted the frost (in our frost-free freezer) and the noise stopped. Well it's back. I suppose it's time to call the repairman - before we leave for the weekend and it dies and everything spoils.

On a happier note, I found the floor in the basement. HOORAY. I even vacuumed. It was kind of a funny feeling - after months of vacuuming daily just so there would be vacuum marks on the carpet, I actually had stuff to vacuum up. Rather satisfying really. The camera has gone missing or I would take a photo.

To date, I have finished zero rooms. They are all in a state of flux, but I'm getting there. I just can't stand to look at one mess for too long. It's probably A.D.D.

Earlier, the girls were bored, so I pulled out some face paint that I ran across yesterday. They were excited and not complaining, so I left them to their own devices. I envisioned balloons and hearts, maybe a cat face with whiskers. When I went out on the deck to check on them, Allie did indeed have a giant read heart on one cheek...and her eyelids were completely BLUE...lashes to brows. Cassie's entire face was YELLOW - picture severe jaundice. Julia's was completely red...Satan? No designs, just solid yellow and solid red. O-well, it bought me 10 minutes of peace and quiet. I wish I had a camera.

Just another day

2008-08-11T19:04:00.005-05:00

Today was just another day filled with unpacking boxes and moving things from one place to another. Sometimes it feels like I'm not actually putting anything away, but just shuffling things around. There are fewer boxes setting around now though, so I must have made some progress.

Bryce started back at SF today. I think he's glad to be back at work - more than a couple of days home with the kids and me makes him a little nuts. Sounds like he had a warm welcome back, and I think it just confirmed his decision to go back. However, I seem to remember his last week there when he had an incident that "confirmed his decision to leave." I'm glad he gave the other job a shot, but I'm also glad he figured out quickly that it wasn't for him.

So, yesterday I learned something. Don't use aerosol sunscreen in the house...at least not on hardwood floors. Two words....putty knife. It wasn't pretty.

What happened to Mr. Whipple?

2008-08-10T07:42:00.004-05:00

Last night while watching a re-run of COPS, a new Charmin commercial came on. An animated bear was brushing dingleberries off of another animated bear's ass. WHAT? Remember "Don't squeeze the Charmin?" Now they have bears crapping behind trees and simulate dingleberries by dragging wet TP over carpet. And have you seen the kid wipes - Can Do...or something like that...a frog wiping his butt is on every package. Huh? I'm not sure these are products that need "how to" graphics. I miss Mr. Whipple.

More before and after

2008-08-09T09:49:00.005-05:00

This before and after stuff is sort of fun to see, so I thought I'd post some more. When we put our house on the market, we made some changes. This one was one of the easiest, but most dramatic changes. This is the vanity in the Master Bathroom. It took me about 3 hours, but well worth it. I took down the huge mirror - by myself. I don't recommend it, but I'm not one to wait for help. It came down without incident, but that sucker was heavy. I taped it up, like they always do on HGTV just in case it would break and figured out how the brackets worked. I removed the old light fixture, which you can't see here, but it was one of those long "Hollywood" lights with all of the round bulbs - not very impressive. I replaced it with a $40 fixture from Home Depot...luckily, I remembered to turn off the lightswitch first. There was major patching, sanding, and skim coating to be done from years of painting around the mirror and light fixture. After the gunk dried, I sanded again and then painted the wall - glad I kept the left over paint. A couple of $25 mirrors from El-cheapo Depot (Walmart), and some pix I had hanging in the basement, some rolled up towels in a basket I already had, and voila. The 7'x3' mirror is in our basement now - framed, waiting for a home. It was supposed to go in our bedroom in the new house, but since we aren't moving now, I have no idea where I'll end up putting it.

Before

After

Our Little Fairy

2008-08-09T07:57:00.003-05:00

Daddy says I'm a wolf in sheep's clothing

Julia's Birthday - July 23

2008-08-09T07:49:00.003-05:00

Julia's 7th Birthday - 7/23/08She really liked the fried ice cream

I hate the garage

2008-08-08T15:20:00.003-05:00

This morning I went to a couple of garage sales, which I love. I spent $5 for 4 books (hard cover - which I have no intent of reading, but they look pretty) and a mirror. It inspired me. I thought (for the 18th time this summer) "I'll have an impromptu garage sale tomorrow". As soon as I got home (around 9:30 am), I started sifting through the rubber totes in the garage (these had been in storage for 4 months). I sorted, tossed, consolidated (I'm down to 5 big totes of Christmas decorations - who needs this much stuff???). It's now 3:25 pm and the garage is completely torn apart. Everything I had intended to sell has either been taken to Goodwill, or set aside for the refugees, which I'll later take to the pastor and his wife who live down the street. We have stuff strewn everywhere and I have absolutely no intent of having a sale tomorrow, or any day in the near future. I HATE THE GARAGE. Nothing has a "place" and everything is dirty...no matter how well you keep the garage, everything is dirty. I've had 2 Coors lights, and I'm ready to quit. Problem is - everything is on the driveway. Do I shove it in and start back tomorrow, or do I keep cleaning for the next 8 hours and hope for the best? We'll see what happens I guess.

Big Duck

2008-08-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

I forgot to mention that upon seeing the sharks swimming over us in the giant aquarium, Jude made us laugh out loud, pointing and saying "Big duck, big duck, big duck!!!"

Insomnia

2008-08-07T23:22:00.008-05:00

Went to the zoo today. Walked 400 miles or so in flip flops. Jude pulled up my dress over his head to hide from some animal called a Bongo. He didn't nap, and wouldn't ride in the stroller we brought along, but was happy to be carried. Julia complained a lot, and disagreed with anything I said. It was fun.

I have nothing of actual interest to post. I just thought someday I might and so I'll start this now and never finish it.

I painted our fireplace yesterday. I'll post before/after pix when I get this figured out. I have successfully gone 2 days without unpacking anything, so tomorrow I will have to work a little bit at that.

Before

After ... take note of the time on the clock. That's PM people - I stayed up past 8:30.
Before beforeBefore before before