Wordless Wednesday- When Ant finds a marker...

Tackle it Tuesday-Books books everywhere!

My kids love their books. Sometimes, however, I wish they would read only one book at a time. Apparently in our house, you must pull every book off the shelf before you can read. And when you're done reading, and Mom makes you pick them up, you must throw them on the shelf in a heap.

So this week, we are tackling their shelves. Anthony's shelf didn't have any books on it, and Amelia's shelf had too many. So we took all of the board books and put them in Ant's room. I think it looks way better. What do you think? (And yes, more often than not, my son is only in a diaper. That boy hates wearing clothes and really hates wearing shoes. He runs off as fast as he can when I put a new diaper on him.)


The before pictures:




The after pictures:

Make Something Monday!

We've been going a little stir crazy this summer with the hot temperatures. During the middle of the day it's often over 100 degrees. Right now our yard has almost no shade, and has no grass at all. The story of why we dug up the whole backyard is a post for another day. The above picture is what my yard currently looks like. So the point is, we've been trying to find indoor activities to beat the heat. We've been visiting the library once a week and checking out new books; this helps as Amelia is much more likely to sit still and "read" if it's a new book she hasn't seen before. She picks a few books for herself, a few books for Anthony, and I pick a few books that are a surprise for her once we get home.

The other thing we've been doing is lots of arts and crafts and projects. I'm always looking for new ideas for projects. I recently came across this website I wanted to share with you all. It's called No Time For Flashcards and I've already gotten a lot of use out of the crafts on her site. If you have children who are still home for the summer go check this site out. She has a lot of great ideas and they are presented in a way that makes it really simple to do the craft at home.





Today we're going to make popsicles. We made these last week too and the kids love them. To make this you just need some fruit, yogurt, a blender and some popsicle makers like these. We make ours with plain unsweetened yogurt, strawberries and bananas. I thought they were a little bitter, but the kids didn't mind them at all. You could use sweetened or flavored yogurt to make it sweeter. Or you can eat it as is, and just get some best face wrinkle cream to help with the pucker face you'll make. :-)

Even more kitchen decisions

I need to pick out a sink and faucet. There wasn't a lot of selection at home depot, I guess I need to find a plumbing supply store or something like that? Where do people normally go to buy a sink?

I do like these faucets, although every time I see another one I'm amazed at the price. These range from $200 to $350 or so.








And we still haven't made a decision on the granite. We went back today and I took pictures of the actual slabs they have in the yard. Here are the two I like.

The first one is the Giallo one from the post below, and the second is the New Venetian Gold. Maybe I should flip a coin. :-)




And once I decide on this stuff, I need to call and get a new auto insurance quote. I'm not sure how happy we are with our current insurance. I hate doing all of this stuff and making decisions.

More kitchen picks

Below is the style of our cabinets, and the molding that's going on the top. Ours won't have any glass doors, but the style of the doors is the same.

This is more like the color of the cabinets.



So here's the problem. I can't decide which granite I like. There is some variation in price but not much. These are the four I liked the best at the warehouse. I got to see them in big slabs, I know they look different on a computer screen than they do in a kitchen. But, all of that aside what do you think? Which one do you like best and why. Leave me a comment.:-)

wf2cb

Wordless Wednesday-

I hate all the weird effects they do to the pictures at the portrait studio. I think the pink circle around the edges looks kinda weird. The pictures I ordered aren't actually like that, but the ones on the CD are. Oh well.

Kitchen stuff

For the next month or so, I'm probably going to be posting some kitchen remodel stuff here. It's the easiest way for me to keep track of stuff. So here are pictures and measurements of the appliances.

The double oven


Depth: 26-1/8 in.
Height, Backguard Top: 46-3/4 in.
Maximum Width: 29-7/8 in.

Microwave



Dimensions:
Depth: 15-11/16 in
Depth, Door Open: 37-5/8 in.
Height: 16-7/16 in.
Turntable Diameter: 12-3/4 in.
Cutouts:
Depth, Opening: 13 in.
Height, Opening: 16-1/2 in.
Top Edge from Cooking Surface: 30 in. min.
Width, Opening: 30 in.




Dishwasher (with controls my kids can't get at when it's closed. I don't know how many times they have turned the dishwasher on by messing with the buttons.


Depth w/Door Closed: 25-1/2 in.
Depth w/Door Open: -
Height: 34-1/2 in.
Width: 23-7/8 in.
PS3
This is the fridge Jeff wants. I think it's a bit of overkill, but he really wants it. He already gave the kitchen guy the measurements for it. LOL

The phone

Have I ever shared here that I hate talking on the phone? It's one of those things that Jeff and I go around about. He always wants me to speak to people on the phone. His family, random people he knows, the guy doing our kitchen, whoever. I'm pretty sure Jeff thinks it's like a public speaking anxiety or something, but really, it's not. For whatever reason, I can not hear well on the phone. It's better with people who I speak to regularly maybe because I can figure out what they are saying more easily? Anyway, I'm pretty sure that Jeff is convinced he will fix this about me by making me talk to people. I wish I could make him understand that this is not the case. If anything it makes me more anxious about talking on the phone. I love email and texting because I can often get around the talking on the phone stuff. What about you, what weird things do you hate?

Tackle it Tuesday

It's Tuesday! Time to tackle something right? It's been a while since I've participated, but this week, I've actually got something done. My tackle for the week is hanging pictures. We've lived here since the beginning of May, and as of last week, there was nothing on the walls. So today, I'm hanging stuff up. So far, the tea cup shelf is up in the office. There are things on the walls in both kids rooms, and I've hung pictures in my room and bathroom. I'm not putting anything up in the kitchen or dining room because it will just have to come down anyway. ( Have I mentioned that we're not redoing our counters now? Instead we're getting a new kitchen??) I'll post more about that later. Let's just say I'm going to be using lots of wrinkle creams and dying my gray hair by the time this is over. LOL

So, did ya play? Go visit 5minutesformom.com to see other Tackles. :-)

I survived! The actual visit to the dentist was great. I think the most painful thing was getting the IV put in! Okay and maybe the little pinch when I got the shots. Most of the procedure is pretty hazy. I remember them putting oxygen on me, and an automatic BP cuff. Then I got a heart rate monitor and next was the oxygen sensor on my finger. Last they put something over my eyes and put in the IV. I remember the doctor asking me a few times if I was sleepy yet. Then he started doing the Novocaine. He did an excellent job. I've never done well with anesthesia but I didn't feel a thing. I have vague recollections of conversations going on around me, and the doctor commenting when the first tooth came out. The next thing I remember it was half an hour later and we were all done. It went faster than anticipated, they came out easily.

So thanks for all the well wishes I got on here and in emails. I highly recommend getting some sort of sedation for big dental work if you're nervous. I really appreciated that the dentist also called me last night to check on me. This was my first experience at this dental office and they definitely get 5 stars in my opinion. Amelia has a check up on Friday, wish me luck that it goes well! LOL The kid loves brushing her own teeth (with lots of toothpaste) but she's not real big on letting anyone else near her teeth.

Totally unrelated (I'm going through mail while I'm writing this) I keep getting junk mail for random vacations. I'm not sure whose list I got on, but they think I'm loaded and want to take lots of vacations. Yeah, cause I have so much extra $$ that I can afford to pack up the family and have a vacation across the country with Outer Banks rentals. Seriously though, I wonder how they pick who is on those lists.

The dentist

Tomorrow I have to go to the dentist. And not just a normal simple cleaning type visit, but I have to have my wisdom teeth surgically removed. All four of them. They're going to knock me out and take them all at once. They mean business too, I got a whole list of rules for tomorrow. Jeff must come with me, and stay in the waiting room the whole time. (Which should be interesting considering he will have both kids with him.) We even get a special parking spot at the back of the building so they can sneak me out without dragging me through the waiting room when the torture surgery is complete.

I don't know if I've mentioned this before or not, but the dentist and I are not good friends. I'm kind of terrified of doctors in general, and the hospital smell makes me want to vomit. (The fact that I managed to spend six days in the hospital when I had Amelia is amazing. That's probably why they strapped me down during the c sections, they were afraid I'd bolt.) Yeah so the point of this post is I'm scared. So if you read this before noon on Friday, think good thoughts for me. I need all the help I can get! :-)

Rambling

I can't remember what I've posted about lately. Did I tell you all about our furniture buying experiences? We spent a lot of money at Ikea, I found the most perfect couch there. (Well it's perfect for us, and it has nothing to do with aesthetics.) Ikea has this furniture line where you can pick your own cover. So the couch isn't really upholstered. You buy the couch, then you buy your covers. Once they are put on, they look much better than a separate cover you'd buy at Macy's or wherever. And the best part? It can all be thrown in the washer! So yeah, experience shopping at Ikea was great. One of my friends recomended this other furniture store to me. She went on and on about how great it was, so I went to check it out. I was a little disappointed when I arrived however and I found out it was a commercial furniture store. It had office furniture mostly. Not sure how that would help my house but oh well. It's that thought that counts. Maybe she thought we needed industrial grade furniture for it to stand up to my kids? LOL

I have a bunch of furniture I still want to purchase for my house. I'd like a new dining set ( don't tell my husband) and I'd love to get a new headboard and bedroom furniture. Unfortunately Jeff bought our bedroom set and dining set way before I knew him and he refuses to part with them. Even though they are all in pretty bad shape.

I don't remember now what the point of this post was. LOL I have to go to the dentist tonight to find out about getting my wisdom teeth pulled, and I'm just a bit nervous and distracted. Wish me luck.

Quiet time.

We have been so busy here. Who knew summers at home could be so crazy. I like it this way though, the kids get in far less trouble when we're off doing stuff. Monday I was sick so we had to skip our playdate. I did drag myself out of bed to take Amelia to ballet tough. Tuesday we went to the park and to story time at the library. Wednesday we got the kids hair cut, then had a trip to costco and the grocery store. Thursday we stayed home and got stuff done around the house, although we did make it to the park in our tract for an hour in the morning. . Friday was a trip to OC for swimming at Tiffeny's. I got sooo sun burnt. It's two days later and I'm still bright pink and cringing when anyone touches my back or shoulders. The kids had a blast though. Anthony's still not sure about the pool, but he's getting better about not freaking out too much.

Yesterday we went to the Farmer's market. The kid each picked out a cactus and we got some fruit and veggies too. Next we went to Fairmount park and drove around the lake. Then we let the kids run around in the rose gardens. It reminded me of some the old parks and rose gardens in Portland. Then last night we packed up a dinner and went to another park. We ate and then the kids ran around and played. Then once the sun started setting we set up our chairs and blankets on the grass and got ready to enjoy a movie courtesy of the city's Parks and Rec Department. It seems like there are a lot of free or cheap activities to do around here especially in the summer. I think next week (once my sun burn goes away) we're going to try out the local pool.

When you add in the baking Amelia insists we do regularly, cleaning the house, doing laundry, making meals and our ongoing projects in the yard, it's been crazy busy around here. But I like it that way. Jeff and Amelia are at the grocery store getting a couple things I need to make some banana bread. ( I bought too many bananas at Costco this week. Ooops.) Anthony is napping and I'm doing laundry, and enjoying the peace and quiet.

I actually took a few more house pictures I'll try and get up in the next few days too. I've already rearranged Amelia's room again since the last pictures, and I'm fianlly starting to hang pictures and things on the walls.

Sellout?

So my friend, (also named Stephanie, also with the nickname Stepherz, weird huh?) does some paid advertising in her blog occasionally. It cracks me up because she labels these posts Stepherz the sellout.

I like this blog. I like sharing pictures of my kids, projects we make and what I'm tackling around the house this week. However, this blog does cost a little bit of money to host. (Not much mind you!) And if I haven't already mentioned it 800 times, we're getting a new kitchen. So every little bit helps. And that would be a nice way to make some extra $$.

So yeah, if you're looking for moving companies San Francisco
then go visit that site.

Kids rooms

Yes, I'm aware we've lived here for over two months, and I still haven't posted pictures. Oops. In my defense, I did move and I'm still not totally unpacked. I did however find the camera cord today(now if I could just find the rest of the silverware) so here are a few pics of the kids rooms. Poor Ant got the smallest room in the house, but I wanted his room next to Amelia's, so thats what he's got. Besides, the office/spare room/ sewing scrapbooking room needs to be large to hold all of our junk. There are no curtains in Ant's room because I haven't figure out what I want in there yet. Amelia picked the fabric for her valance herself, which is why it's pink. (Cause the pepto bismal color on the walls isn't enough pink. LOL) So yeah, I'll stop rambling now, here are the pictures. :-) Click to enlarge.

No one's home.

The downside to my new home purchase and moving is the new phone number and the new telemarketers. Half the people who call me don't speak English, which I find entertaining. It's much easier to harass a telemarketer when you don't speak the same language. I've stopped answering the phone for unknown numbers, they are all usually someone trying to sell me something, (especially security systems!) or wanting to sign me up for some cause or get my donation. The best one that I've seen on the caller ID was the Oakland motorcycle accident lawyer. That's actually what showed up on my caller ID. Well really it was a much shorter condensed version, but I'm guessing that's what they meant. Either way, I got a good laugh out of it.

Still unpacking!

Is it sad that I'm still unpacking? We've lived here for three months. I sort of thought we'd be all done by now. Oh well, we'll get there eventually. We're about to pack up the whole kitchen back up again. I'm not looking forward to that. On the plus side, unpacking stuff is like Christmas as far as the kids are concerned. We got out 4 huge boxes of toys from the garage last weekend and they were so excited.

It's funny the random things that are still lost somewhere. I can't find my favorite Dansko shoes. My cousin talked me into buying them the last time I was in Portland, and I love them. But they are still lost in the garage somewhere. Hopefully I'll find them soon.

What did you do today?

Today I

Got up at 530.
Took a shower.
Had a cup of tea.
Made 3 beds.
Prepared breakfast.
Filled up the water and sand table.
Played in the back yard.
Made mud pies with the kids.
Washed dishes.
Unloaded the dishwasher.
Vacuumed the dried mud off the floors.
Spot steam cleaned the carpet.
Bathed the kids.
Baked brownies with Amelia.
Made lunch for myself and the kids.
Washed dishes.
Unpacked two more boxes.
Dug up some more of the ditch we're digging in the back yard.
Signed Amelia up for a ballet class that started today.
Drove all over trying to find the right outfit/shoes for ballet.
Drove across town to the ballet class.
Spent an hour chasing Anthony around the ballet studio.
Explained to the teacher that Amelia does not have three brothers (named Anthony, Jack, and Chance. HA)
Supervised (and kept the kids away from) the guy from the window company while he made some repairs.
Washed, hung up, folded and put away a lot of laundry.
Weeded my flower beds.
Took out the compost. (That stuff stinks! Ewww)
Swept and mopped the kitchen floor.
Glued Anthony's dresser drawer back together(someone remind me why I put an antique dresser in a kid's room?)
Went through all the kids toys, and put them back where they go.
Sorted through half of Amelia's closet.(have to do Anthony's tomorrow)
Did puzzles with the kids.
Tried to convince Anthony not to wear the laundry basket on his head.
Changed 3 poopy diapers and a lot more peepee ones.

It's 730. Ant is in bed, but not sleeping. Jeff and Amelia just ran to get ice cream. I think I'm ready for bed.

What did you do today?

Did ya miss me? Wait. Don't answer that. So anyway, I'm back. Still probably not going to be blogging too much, but I'll try and post here and there. And I promise there will be pictures of the new house soon. :-)

Things are progressing around here. We've got the new windows in. It's a lot quieter and much cooler in here already. The downside to the new windows is our already funky kitchen counters (tile that someone put in themselves) have bigger problems caused by the pass through windows. When the new windows were put in, they had to chip out some of the tile and it ended up cracking the tile all around my sink. So it looks like the kitchen redo is going to front of the list. We're trying to decide now if we're going to do new cabinets or just new counters. I love the size and layout of our kitchen. I can live with the current cabinets, Jeff hates them. I think it's just the stain that he hates though so I'm wondering if we could just refinish or paint them. We'll see. Right now I'm trying to pick out the counter tops. I'm really liking that the solid surface counter tops (think Corian). There are even some green options, one style we like is made with a portion of recycled materials. The ones I like are made by LG, pictures can be seen here. I really like the idea of having the sink integrated so it's all one piece. No seems to keep clean!

If you're reading this and have experienced solid surface counters, please leave me a comment. I'd like to hear about it! It's one thing to research and look at pictures it's another to hear from someone who has it in their house. Anyway. I should probably get to bed, I'm having a nanny party here tomorrow. Woohoo. :-)