Finally

Well we finally finished the kitchen. Now I don't have to worry about Mason crawling in there. Not to mention we got rid of the horrible green color. We chose a dark reddish brown for the trim and a slightly lighter color for the wainscoting. The new color combination makes the kitchen feel warm and inviting.

I am pleased with the results. Austin, I am afraid is still getting used to it. He did ask what room was next for paint and I told him the living room. He thinks that next time we should buy a little can and do a test spot. I have already decided though that the living room and office are going to be country white. He wants the trim in the office to be a dark navy blue. I have a feeling I will have to do some fast talking to get my way. Should be fun.

Before

After

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Before

After

Strep Throat and other yucky stuff

Well I have gotten strep throat from my sister, Cameron. I swear I didn't hug, kiss pinch or even slap her when I saw her on Saturday. I don't get it. She gets it and then I get it. There have been some years that I have gotten just by talking to her on the phone. O'well I am finally getting over it. I actually went to the doctor yesterday. She gave me some stuff that has kicked it in the butt.

Now Mason is getting sick. That has been the hardest part. I haven't got to hold or kiss my baby. I don't think he is Strep Throat because his eating hasn't slowed down, so he isn't afraid to swallow. His nose is really disgusting but that is about all. Hopefully it stays that way.

Austin is taking the day off. That means I will be around him for 12 to 13 days. I thought a weekend was hard. We should have some interesting fights. Who knows might be fun now that Mason is taking 2 hour naps mid-morning. Incidentally that is about the time Austin likes to get out of bed. Lucky for me.

Commercials

The other night Austin and I were watching t.v. and in 2 hours we only say one commercial that wasn't a political diatride. I will give it to them this election the commercials haven't been as nasty. They are sticking to their own accompishments and ignoring everyone elses downfalls. It doesn't mean that I'm not tired of seeing Hilary and Obama though. They have the most money so of course I would see them the most. I just can't wait until the caucuses are done in Iowa. I call it a late Christmas present. I can't even listen to the radio without being bombarded by the political ads. It is a good thing we have a big dvd collection.

Not As Planned But Good None The Less

Before

After

Well my weekend plans didn't go as I wanted. Saturday Mason and I went to Marianne's for Jesse's birthday. We ended up staying the night and coming home on Sunday. I dropped Mason off at Grandma Robin's right at one. I got home at 1:30 ready to get to work on the basement. Austin didn't want to work on the basement so while I was in the basement he was tearing out the carpet in the kitchen. It looks totally different in there now. Hopefully we can decide on a paint color today or tomorrow. We have quite a few to choose from. I cannot wait until it is done.

We want a paint color that won't clash with or blend into the color of the cabinets.

I like the middle green. The light one is just too light.

I like the middle one. It doesn't blend in like the darker one but it doesn't shock you like the light one.

I liked these in the store but when I got them up on my cabinet they tend to look too pink.

I grew up in a country blue kitchen so these were way too close for my comfort.

This is Austin's pick. I personally think it is too greeny blue and will clash with all my apple stuff and the grass on the other cabinets. I had to pull out the veto on this.

I love the dark brown but Austin pulled out the veto on this. I think he did it more in retaliation.

Weekend Plans

Austin's mom is going to watch Mason tonight so we can go to the birthday dinner. She is excited, she just finished her classes on Tuesday, so, she is available. She also gets to watch on him Sunday because I am making Austin help me clean out the basement. I want everything put away or thrown away. I am tired of walking around his boxes. If it has been in a box for over 2 years we evidently don't need it. I don't even remember what all is down there. I found a tote with empty boxes for things we don't even own anymore. Stuff like that can find its way to the burn barrel.

If we have time I am going to make help me finish cleaning out the closet in the bathroom. He said if I could live without that closet then he would seriously consider moving my washer and dryer. He is afraid that the bathroom will be really messy if we move them because of all the dirty clothes that will be in there. I had to remind him that that is where the dirty clothes sit now until I am ready to wash them. I don't know if he thought I was running them downstairs every night, or what. Sometimes I think he is crazy. So anyways he wants me to prove that I can live without that closet. Not a problem. Even though there will storage space beside the w&d. I can do it. I think he is afraid of losing the closet. He keeps more in it than me.

Another Reminder- Like We NEED One

One of our good friends is celebrating a birthday so we are all getting together, sans kids, for dinner. I remember when we could get together with just a 10 min notice. Now a week sometimes more. Everyone has to have time to get a babysitter. I remember when people would call me so that they could go on a Friday night. Then I remember that was over 10 years ago. Where does the time go?

It will be nice to be able to go out and eat without having to tell one to sit and stop pestering the people in the next booth. We won't be able to stay out as late because of said babysitter and their extortionist like prices. You would think they were part of the mob. The only jobs I know of that pay that good you have to have a 4 year degree, or more. Julie said they have to pay their babysitter $40. I don't know what Jess and Joe are pitching in.

We have found that it is easier to just get together at one of our houses. The kids go to bed about 8 and then we play cards until around 10. Now between us we are evenly matched 6 kids 6 adults. Hopefully in the next couple of years it will get easier. Every birthday we celebrate together as a group is just a reminder that we are getting older. We don't like to stay out as late, no alcohol, no loud noise. Every year we need to plan farther in advance because it is hard to find babysitters willing to watch that many little ones on a Friday night. Or even a weeknight. It is like well how far into the retirement fund are we willing to go for one night without the kids. Truthfully we aren't willing to go that far. We get lucky with November and December birthdays because the teenagers are always looking for extra money this time of year.

Julie and Sterling found twin 17 year olds willing to watch all six on a Friday night for this time. We don't have to worry about them not doing a good job because Hannah, who is 3, loves to tell on people. She doesn't see it as tattling. At least we know that we get our moneys worth out of them.

Oh the Joy

Oh the Joy of being a SAHM. I'm sure it wouldn't be so bad if I had more than 1 kid. Mason isn't too much work now that we have the walker. Getting him to do tummy time is still a pain. He just screams, goes stiff and throws his arms about. Really who needs to crawl when you can roll to wherever you want to go.

Everything is clean. I know sometimes in photos the floor looks a mess. Trust me that is all picked up before I go to bed. Well at least in the living room. The office is a different story. If it is on the floor it is there for a reason. I call it organized clutter. So, I have nothing left to do. I went through my cabinets earlier this week. I deep cleaned the bathroom yesterday. I love being able to get out my Comet cleaner. Today I think I will clean out the closet in the bathroom.

Austin and I have been arguing about the washer and dryer getting moved up from the basement. I have the LG front load washer and dryer and they are stackable. Austin says they won't fit in the bathroom closet. I say they will because we have to take out the closet anyway because of the shower/tub combo we are going to put in. It is too long and so we have to take out the one wall of the closet so the whole thing will be coming down. If they won't fit in the empty half of the bathroom then there is a problem. I WILL WIN, or die trying.

He should really learn that the house is my domain and the garage is his. He wants to build a shop where the barn is. I am all for it, but I told him that if he wants that I want my washer and dryer in the bathroom. I don't know why he finds this so hard to understand. I am confident he will give in way before me. Maybe if I keep telling myself that it will come true.

Last night for supper I made chicken and noodles with home made noodles. It was the first time I have cooked, in what feels like forever, that he hasn't complained. I even cheated and used finger noodles. Finger noodles are the same as cut noodles just so much quicker and easier. Unfortuantly my receipe is for like 10 people and there are only 2 of us. That means I will be eating chicken and noodles for lunch for the next week. Well it is about that time. Today is day one of leftovers and it actually still sounds good. Tomorrow will be a different story.

Mobile

Mason is becoming more mobile thanks to the walker. He can now get to about anywhere he wants to go. Unfortunately that means cornering the dog. He loves to play with Hyde's kennel beside the fridge. Hyde doesn't like this. He will go into his kennel and growl at Mason. Mason will laugh and Hyde will come out and lick his hand. Thankfully this has just turned into a game for them and they do it over and over again. Keeps them entertained for quite a while every evening while I am cooking supper. Once in a while though Mason will get a hold of Hyde's chain when he walks by. That is never good. It usually ends up with a whimpering dog and a crying child. Thankfully, Hyde is not a biter. He will lick and bare teeth but never bite.
Hyde loves to hide his pig ear treat under the walker. So while Mason is getting into everything he can reach he is dragging around this dog treat under him. Hyde can be seen going in and out from underneath Mason. He has learned to be quick because Mason kicks. I don't know what the poor dog is going to do when Mason starts crawling and walking. Should be interesting. I am afraid I will never have a moments peace with the dog sitting between my feet or worse yet jumping on my counters. Yes, he can jump that high. I have seen the evidence of it.

Stupid Snow. Stupid Roads.

So we are having more bad weather. I'm getting tired of snow. One day of it is okay. It comes looks pretty and then goes away. Great, love it. What I do not love is this every other day crap. At least we aren't expecting ice like other parts of the country. My husband actually went to work today. He will do anything to get out of the house. I do mean anything. He hates to be cooped up. Never fails, the weather will be bad and he will dream up an excuse to go to town. Everytime. At least him going to work won't cost me money. Last year during the ice storm it cost me a chain saw and a cold. There I was 5/6 months pregnant outside in the cold crappy weather making sure my husband didn't kill himself with his new "toy".
They finally came and plowed our gravel road. I wonder if the plow guy misread his map. They never do our road. The neighbor usually ends up getting us a path to the main gravel road with his tractor and bucket.
I might have pd'off the county road guy. We wouldn't have such issues if he did his job and got us a load of gravel for between our house and the stop sign after we thawed out last spring. The county doesn't want to spend money on our mile of the road because we are the only house on our stretch and it isn't frequented by more than 5 other people. Mostly farmers that have land on this road. Guaranteed, they aren't complaining about the condition. The road is usually fine during the times of year that they use it. Supposedly they only have so many miles of gravel they can do. I don't want the whole mile. Just my 1/8 mile. That is it. I could care less about the rest of the road.
Last spring when we started to thaw out we had about 3 inches of mud. They use river rock up in this area of the state. River rock is not good for use on gravel roads. It belongs in the bottom of the river. That is why it is called 'river rock'. I grew up in the southwestern part of the state where they use limestone. Limestone is hard and angular so it packs really well and doesn't tend to move that much. After awhile it becomes really hard almost like dusty pavement. Well river rock is round and smooth, never packs and shifts all the time.
Then you have the idiot road graders who drive way fast while grading and make the whole road a rumble strip. They move the "gravel" from one side of the road to the other, leaving exposed dirt to drive on.
Me being me might get annoyed once in a while and call the county engineer, who is the one that is to decide where the money gets spent on the road maintence, and bitch. During last spring I called him everyday. I do mean everyday. He started to avoid me. So I started to call more than once a day. I wish it wouldn't have to come to that. Hopefully he doesn't run again. I don't know what the road department spends their money on because all the gravel roads suck here. I had to warn him that my road wasn't a level b "enter at your own risk" road and that if I ever got stuck on it, in mud, that the county would not be able to afford the lawsuit. That it would just be cheaper to keep my road well maintained and that didn't mean to grade it every week. Since then the road has been alot better. I've only had to call maybe 5 times in the last 5 months. Much improved from where we were.

The Bathroom

I don't use the toilet paper holder for the toilet paper because you have to reach so far behind you. I put a wal-mart sack on it and use it for the trash. I know it is tacky but who cares. For crying out loud I have farm animals on my kitchen cabinets.

The floor is bad. That is all the cleaner I can get it. They put the tile down themselves so it isn't level or spaced evenly. There are some tiles that they painted to appear darker and random. I hate this floor worse than the kitchen.

I don't like the window behind the toilet either. We are in the country though so it isn't as though anyone can just peek in.

The wall paper drives me nuts and I would take it down but I am truly afraid at what we would find behind it. I know there used to be a tub surround there because I have seen photos. If you rub your hand over the wall paper it is really bumpy. I think they just tore off the surround and put up the wallpaper instead of fixing the wall. We will get to find out though because we need a bath tub. Mason is getting to big to bathe in the kitchen sink. That and I want to be able to take a hot bath sometimes.

I actually like the sink. I cannot stand the counter though.

I don't know what the counter looked like before but I do know that they used spray granite to get it to what it is now. They were nice and left us the can in case we ever wanted to do touch ups. The stupid stuff comes off all the time all over everything. I can't even use a washclothe to wipe the counter down because that stuff comes off all over the towel.

I like the mirror and lights. I wish it was more of a medicine cabinet though. The cabinet down below isn't really set up for smaller items that you would keep in a medicine cabinet. Therefore I have taken over a part of the closet for those items.
I cannot think of a worse layout for this room. Don't get me wrong it is a fairly big room. 9*6. Unfortunatly everything is in the last4 feet of the room. On the other half is a closet.
When we take the shower out to put in a tub I am going to get Austin to bring my washer and dryer up from the basement. I hate not having my laundry on the main level. We already have to take out the closet to get a tub in so it shouldn't be that much work to get the washer hooked up. Austin does the electrical and I do most of the plumbing. Not that Austin isn't smart enough to do it he just doesn't have the patience. He has to have patience to do the electrical because that is life or death while you are working on it. Plumbing isn't.

My gross kitchen

I hate the position of the stove. I have been begging for some cabinets to be by it on both sides.

This is the table Austin made for me while we lived in Indiana. He put the shelf in as decoration. I couldn't believe it. He didn't want me to put anything on it. He threw a huge fit the day he caught me using it as a foot rest while I was peeling potatoes. Now it holds Mason's formula, cereal and water.

My welcome wall. Everything hanging down either says WELCOME or GREETINGS. Austin's contribution was the 3 meat grinders. I didn't think I would them at first but they have grown on me.

My last kitchen was done in apples so I have a lot of leftover stuff. This is one that I still like. It only took us 3 tries to get them straight.

My cabinets.

The people that lived there before had a different definition of 'country' than I do. They do make the kitchen feel warm and inviting. Lets just say noone has ever asked if they need to take their shoes off.

My sink. It really finishes the kitchen. I like it but it is a pain in the butt to keep clean. Hopefully one day I will talk him into putting in a dishwasher.

The pig cabinet freaks me out a little. It has no legs and it feels like the eyes follow you. I could really do without that cabinet. This picture also shows the blue carpet I wrote about yesterday. I cannot wait until it is gone.

I don't mind the cabinets above the counter. Plain and serviceable. I wish the shelves were adjustable. That and that the inside wasn't painted a pukish red color. I guess it could be worse the inside could be the same color as the paneling.

I actually like the little shelves beside the window with the mirror behind them. I have found good cow and chicken figurines. I have yet to find a good pig one, so if anyone finds one let me know.

Another view of the stove. There is probably a good 4 feet beside the trashcan before you get to the door. Plenty of room for cabinets and maybe even the fridge. I told Austin that he could even put the dishwasher over there. He said we would want a sink beside the dishwasher and I said. "What you couldn't put another one over there. The sink wouldn't have to be very big." He looked at me like I was crazy.

The view from my kitchen window. Austin recently put up a platform bird feeder right under the window and didn't tell me. So all the birds would fly to it and it looked like they were flying into the window. I could have killed him, he thought it was funny when he caught me off guard ducking because of the stupid birds.

This house has a lot of little updates we would like to do to it. We have painted almost every room but the kitchen paneling, the dining room and bathroom. I can live with the dining room. I am counting down the days until I get to paint the kitchen paneling. We already painted the walls. The people before us smoked so there was the smokers shadow on the walls. They said they had painted everything the year before. There is no way, you could tell right where the pictures were hanging. It was really bad. It was years of shadow, I know my dad is over a pack a day. So glad I quit.

The Hormonal Red

This is the view you see starting up the stairs it isn't until you get up in the landing that you realize all the trim is red.

You can see Hyde's bed under the window. He likes to lay in the sunshine.

Our door. Thankfully he didn't talk me into painting the doors red also.

I have no idea how he got me to agree to a RED railing.

Our door. No need for a baby monitor with us being that close. When the doors are open we can hear Mason breathing.

Mason's door. I know someday I'll have to take the hearts off. Until he learns that boys shouldn't have hearts on their door though they are staying.

I asked if he would mind if I painted the trim to something a little more subdued and Austin got mad. Something about it taking him 3 days to get it red and that no I couldn't do it over. Then he suggested that I paint the bathroom.

Front Door View

This is the view out my front door. It was snowing at the time. This was taken about a week ago. We have gotten about another 4 inches since then.
Saturday we went to Fort Dodge and were on our home and it was fine out. No snow. Driving 60. Literally 1 mile down the road and there was 2 inches on the highway and our top speed was 30. I had never seen anything like it. By the time we got home we were scrapping snow. Usually it happens that you will drive into it but it is gradual. Not this time. There was a definite line.
We had gone to Menards to pick out floor tile for the kitchen. The floor in there now is rather disgusting blue carpet. We have to do something before Mason starts crawling. As it is when he is in his walker in there the bottom of socks get so dirty. I have tried everything I can do to get that carpet clean. I can't. I don't know if they had dogs in here at one time or another but that carpet is gross. There are stains that go away for a day or so after I shampoo it and then they come back. That and I keep getting my sock caught on something in the carpet so we can't risk Mason getting his hands or knees scrapped up. No telling what kind of disease is in there.
Hopefully after we get the floor done I will get to paint the trim. I have no idea what color. Austin and I have to argue about color. I just know that the green (think granny apple green) that is in there right now is leaving. I would like a warm brown or maybe a warm red color. No green or blue. I grew up in a country blue kitchen and the thought of my kitchen being blue makes me sick to my stomach.
At least for this color choice I am not pregnant. The upstairs hallway is red trim. I have americana theme going up the stairs and in the landing. I was 7 months pregnant and Austin suggested red for the trim in one of my hormonal rages I decided that that would be ok. Now I think he took advantage of me. In fact I know he did. That is not a color I would have chosen without some proding.

Pretty White Stuff Falling From The Sky

The next snowstorm is upon us. It started snowing about 11 or so and has already covered the ground and made the road really slick. We have about 2 inches already. We are expecting about 4 or so. I am so glad that Austin already took tomorrow off as a floating holiday. I love him dearly and it makes me nervous when he drives in bad weather. I know that the snow should be over by Friday morning but we live out in the sticks and our roads aren't the best 4 days after a snow let alone the day after. Now I just have to figure out what to do with him all day. He tends to get in the way. I know what we would be doing if we didn't already have Mason. We might still if Mason cooperates. Somehow he gets off schedule when Austin is home.

MOPS

This morning was my Christmas brunch for MOPS (Mothers Of Preschoolers). Every other Thursday we get together and have a great time. We have a devotional and do a craft. Not to mention the food. I do not know what I did before this group.
Any Stay At Home Mom can tell you just how little adult conversation they get in a day. There have been days I have gotten excited about telemarketers. I especially love the campaign surveys. Those have to be my favorite. Especially when I get someone with a southern accent. "Um, what was that?" They expect to get some old person on the phone. I love how they give option A, B, C or D. It is fun to come up with my own answer. I am afraid I am in the margin of error + or - 5%.

My Baby

Mason 2 days old 6/2/07

6/28/07

7/29/07

8/5/07

9/12/07

10/2/07

10/31/07

11/19/07

11/30/07

Mason is making a ton of noise in his walker this morning. Yelling and banging toys around. It makes me wonder 'where did my quite sleeping baby go'. He is still taking 4, one hour, naps everyday. Those are taken where ever he passes out. It is easier that way. He no longer wants me to hold his bottle so to give him a bottle and a nap is impossible. Once he learned he could hold his own bottle that is all he wants.

I am not ready to give up my baby yet. I want to give him his bottle. I want to hold, hug and kiss on him for a while longer. My next baby should be a breeze. After all I only have one gallbladder. My luck that means next time I'll get kidney stones instead of the gallstones I got with Mason. It would be worth it though. Maybe next year Austin will let me find out. I want them close together he wants Mason potty trained first. How young can you potty train a child. Trust me I will find out. I think 14 months is good. OR it could just an accident and I can claim innocent. That sounds good to me.

The Corn Crib

Before back side 9/16/2007

After back side 12/2/2007

Before side view 9/16/2007


l After side view 12/2/207

The Tree

The tree Austin decided need cutt down in the middle of an ice storm.

The people that we bought the house from did a lot of outside decorating with chairs. I got rid of the rest of them. I left this one because on the day I went to get it there was a HUGE snake under it. There was no way I was going to touch it. I am sure that chair will just decompose right were it is. I figure it isn't hurting anyone and in the summer no one can even see it.

I know it is just sick how afraid I am of snakes.

Bad Weather

I love snow. I don't love ice. That is what we woke up to Saturday. Now where we live any ice and we the power flickers and is crappy. So for Mason's sake we went to Austin's Mom's house for the day. We had fun. Well at least Mason and I did. Austin just dropped us off and came back home. I have no clue what he did. Don't think I didn't ask either. He just said he worked outside. I know, he did, his carhart coat was soaked. I think he was out in the barn working. I know I said "in" the barn but the barn needs torn down so it isn't in the best of shape. I think he might have been in the chicken coop part. The chicken coop is in a part of the lean-to area and they only part of the roof that is complete in that area is where the chickens are kept.

I knew he hadn't been working on the corncrib because if it didn't kill him I would. He has done a lot work to get it down, so now we are just waiting for it to fall on its own. When the wind is blowing you can hear it creaking.

When I let Hyde out in the mornings I have to go out also and stand with him. Mainly to make sure he goes #1 and #2. Otherwise he will hold it as long as possible and then he whimpers the whole time he goes. So anyways I was outside waiting on the dog and walked around to the barn and corncrib to see what he was doing and then I saw the tracks leading to the grove of trees. My husband had been cutting down a tree. I normally wouldn't care but Saturday it was raining and snowing. All around it was just a horrible day. At least he wasn't working on the corncrib.