The pits

I knew the day would come when I would have to send Little d to school. And I even anticipated how rough it would be. I told D a couple of years ago that he needed to take the day off just to be there for me when I collapsed in tears after dropping her off.

Today we had the little meet and greet at her school. It's a small little country school with an awesome reputation. I instantly felt the warmth from her teacher, Mrs. H. And there is another mother there that I see a potential bond with. Though I could only nod and smile when she spoke to me, so close was I to tears.

I have been seconds from tears for the last two days. Last night my brother called to say that if we needed to spend the night in his new house we could instead of staying in our travel trailer at the land. I couldn't even speak I was so choked up. We are hopefully less than two weeks from being able to move into our house, but I was so not wanting to be "camping" during Little d's first weeks of school.

Everything feels upsidedown right now. My house is a mess, my body is a mess, my hair is a mess, my state of mind is a mess. I have never been this disorganized in my whole life. I just wanted Little d to start school and have the transition be smooth as silk. But I don't see how that can be possible.

I should just focus on the positives. She is going to a great school. She is super excited about it. Her teacher seems like just the type of person that you want to be your kindergarten teacher. She even had a little goodie bag at each kid's spot.

But I still have this yucky feeling of dispair in the pit of my stomach. It's a mix of not being with her every second of the day combined with she's going out into the big bad world without me.

I'm praying she loves school so much she never cries not to go...because then I just may have to look into that whole homeschooling thing...

Paint Fumes

Yesterday the 'painter' was supposed to be done with all the cabinet work in the house. {We hired out for that. All the rest we are doing ourselves.} But when I looked at the doors, they aren't all done properly. On the dark cabinets, you can see primer through and on some of the bookcase shelves, there are streaks of dull paint--like the final coat was sprayed on unevenly. Ugh. Just what I need.

My dad and I finished the caulking today. Well except for two baseboards in the stair landing. They aren't nailed to the wall. Yeah, you read that right.

D is spraying the ceilings with the final coat. Maybe tomorrow, we can start the final coat on the walls and trim.

Meanwhile, I have a smashing headache. Either from being hot, not drinking enough water, or...paint fumes.

Whose idea was it to build this house again?

How it goes....

drive to land

work

drive home

pump

repeat.

School Shopping

Maybe I should just do little mini blog posts every night when I give the girls a bath?


This past week I managed to go school clothes shopping with Little d. I somehow managed to get home with several cute interchangeable outfits. Little d had blast. I was exhausted. Who knew it would be so tiring? I swear. I remember having so much fun shopping for school clothes with my mom. Now I'm wondering if she was that exhausted when we were done?

While we were shopping I was thinking (during the brief moments when I wasn't thinking about being so frumpy and out of touch) that these clothes were never gonna match up. But then when we got home and laid them all out, whatdya know? They were actually really cute and they were interchangeable. I still need to get her some more shirts and some plain denim shorts, but other than that it was a pretty successful trip.

Meanwhile. I'm having these panic attacks. Have I done a huge disservice to my daughter by not exposing her to more experiences? Will school be too much of a shock? Will she hate the fact that she has to wear shoes all day? I mean seriously, we are pretty much homebodies around here who do what we want when we want.

I keep trying to tell myself that I never went to preschool and I did okay. Actually, I hated school. All 12 years of it. And had I gone to preschool I would have hated all 13 years of it.

But Little d is different than me. She loves going places. She likes being around other kids. I'm hoping this will translate into her loving school. I am hoping beyond hope that she gets one of those good kindergarden teachers. The kind who loves kids and who knows just what to do to make them feel comfortable in school.

I realize that over the last few weeks I've been more and more stressed. And the more things I am stressing over, the more overwhelming they all seem together. I also am realizing that I haven't been praying lately.

So perhaps it's time to turn things over to God.

The tub saga part two

Soooo after the Lowes joke I tried a place called City Plumbing.

Wowza. They actually had a pink tub. Or was it a shower? I dunno, I'm still in shock. After waiting forever for someone to actually wait on me, I get this guy:

Guy: Can I help you?
Me: I'm looking for a corner tub--a soaking tub, not with jets--and I need it to have the front apron.
Guy: Is this for a trailer?

Huh?

Me: Um, no. It's for new construction.
Guy: Well I don't think you can get the tub with a skirt, unless it's a whirlpool, because that's the only reason they put that on there. For access panels.

Check, please.

Next stop...Kitchen and Bath Showroom. The lady there knew exactly what I needed as soon as I said it and plucked not one, but three binders from a long row of them to show me some samples. And then pulled it up on a full color computer screen and gave me quotes. Then she printed out the brochures and then she showed me little samples of the colors the tubs come in.

Sweet. But pricey.

Next stop. The internet. Where I located the tub, called the guy, got it delivered in a week.

Even sweeter. Gotta go!

Blogkeeping

You see what I did there? A cross between blog and housekeeping. I'm sure someone's done that before me, but anyhoo-

I should be housekeeping, but I'd rather blog while the girls bathe. So here's what going on...

House news: The painting continues. We went and got all the colors yesterday. SO exciting...can't wait to see them on the wall...pictures to follow! The tub came in today. The elusive tub. No that's not a type. It's not supposed to be exclusive. See the story is we needed a corner tub. Around here we call it a garden tub. The part you sit in is triangle shaped. We wanted a soaking tub, not a whirlpool. And it needed to have the front skirting. Welll if that's confusing...here's a picture:

Except we didn't want the whirlpool jets. And we needed the skirt. So we went to Lowe's. Twice. Uhhhg. Here's a thought. If you want to actually sell a tub, don't have the customer leaning over your shoulder looking at a weak computer moniter picture of a tub.

Time's Up! I decided that to blog more often, my posts may have to be broken into several pieces...so until part two...see ya!

Spackle on---

There is soooo much prep work that goes into painting the house. And it is so tedious. Primer, spackle, caulk, cutting in...all before the final coat. Hard, ass-sweating work. Haha I totally made up the word ass-sweating for the occassion, because believe me it is hot in south Texas right now.

Because I am breastfeeding I can't just go all nuts working out at the house. A) When I breastfed Little m I had at least four rounds of mastitis. And since using those chest muscles can cause me to have an infection, I have to be careful. B) I don't really have the stamina to go all out in the heat, and I don't want to overdo it. C) I have to either feed or pump at least every three hours when I'm awake. D) I have to stay really hydrated.

So, consequently, I not of much help. I try to do the work I can to make it easier for the others out there working...my dad and my in-laws. I did a little of the cutting in work, and lately I've been putting the filler in the nail holes on the trim...it's about as exciting as it sounds.

Oh and even though it's less than a month away, I am NOT going to start counting down the days I have left before Little d starts school... :(

Facelift!

The Cutest Blog on the Block (see above left) informed me that as of Friday I will no longer be able to use my blog background. I've had that background forever. I think I have had it since the month after I started blogging. I loved it. I had never seen it anywhere else and to me it was easy to read on. So I'm trying this one out as a replacement....we'll see how it works.

In other news: House stuff is rolling right along...no pun intended, but we have all the primer coat on the walls and ceilings save for one pantry. I've started filling in the finishing nails on all the trim work. There are millions of them.

We've ordered countertops, carpet and a tub. We've bought faucets and cabinet knobs. I believe this is the time they call a full court press. Although I don't watch basketball or know anything about it.

Y'all have a great rest of the weekend!

Cabinets!

If you happen to have already seen these pics on facebook--sorry for the repeat, but you know I had to post them here.

We have cabinets and let me tell you--makes it start to feel like a real house! Well that and the drywall!

Here's the full view of the kitchen taken from the bay window area.

This is the wall where the refrigerator will go. I wanted these deep drawers to put snacks and stuff in for the kiddos.

Here's the island. It has the drawers also...I'm thinking for all those plastic containers and lids!

Here's the area of the stove. I'm going to use a vent hood that has the exposed pipe and back the whole area with mosaic tile. At least that's the plan. Oh and on the side there is a bookcase for cookbooks. It looks a little weird because the shelves aren't mounted yet.

Moving on to our bathroom. Here's our cabinets. My husband insisted that he wanted a cabinet that opened specifically to his side so he wouldn't have to reach around a door to get his shaving stuff. Anal, I know, but he rarely has an absolute opinion so that's okay.

We came up with this design, and the cabinet maker added the front doors.

Here's my ingenious idea. I saw in a design mag where they flipped that fake drawer under a sink to the bottom of the cabinet and put the doors on top. And after tripping too many times on the little step stools the are always in front of our sinks, I decided to ask if they could make that drawer into a pull out step...voila!!



And here is an updated picture of our living room as taken from the back door.

It's a little like she's doing my laundry.

My mother in law that is.

See during this whole house building experience I haven't really been involved. My primary duty has been, you know, give birth and watch the kids. Well, that's pretty much my primary duty anyway, but up until now, I've had no purpose whatsoever with the house. Remember what I said D is in charge of function and I'm in charge of pretty. So now comes the pretty part and it's not fun.

It was supposed to be fun, but the fun has been sucked out of it. For starters, I kind of changed the whole decorating direction I was going. Instead of the kitchen being a traditional ivory with antique stuff and oil-rubbed bronze, I am now all about clean white and ivory with silver knobs and pulls and fixtures. So there was a little internal stress about 'what the hell am I thinking changing the whole aesthetic at the last minute?' {Yeah I used the word aesthetic...blame BRAVO.}

Then I found myself all alone. My mom came down with something (thankfully she is better now!) and couldn't be around to go shop with me. My BFF has another friend going through a divorce who needs a house hunting budding. SO here I was out at these kitchen and bath and carpet and tile and paint stores with no one to bounce ideas off of. It was such a bummer. And it was kind of pathetic how I latched on to the sales girls like they were my new BFFs. Yes we are building a house. Yes, and my daughter is starting kindergarten....

And here's the other kicker. Truly. And the reason for my weird post title. There are few mundane things that bring me joy. I enjoy accomplishing the laundry in peace. And I like to paint. (You know for the record I think people can be divided into two catagories: those who like to paint and those who don't. And while we're on the subject, those who like to are usually good at it and those who don't aren't.) Anyway. So today I am here at the house with two wild monkeys and a equally fussy baby, while my mother in law is out at my new house painting.

Yes I know I should be grateful it is getting done.

But like I said at the beginning, it's a little like she's doing my laundry.

How I Hates Me A Liar

Okay. Maybe liar is too strong a word. But at this point in the whole house thing, I need the people to be honest...or at the very least vague.

Our drywallers said they would be done Wednesday. They said this to me and D seperately, on several occasions. So was it done on Wednesday? Um, no. Now the cabinets are off a day. That means we can't start painting and the trim guy--who has yet to show up even though his appointment was almost two hours ago--is also going to start later.

At this stage of the game that is just unacceptable.

We have to be in this house by no later than mid-August. Little d starts school on the 23rd. And we have to be living there so she can start school at that campus. We simply must be living there by then!

After paint we have to install electric plates and switches and the light and ceiling fan fixtures. The other things that will have to be completed are trim work, countertops, tile work (which may or may not be done by us) and carpet. Also the A/C guy and the plumber have to finish up.

Okay and can I just say that I spend three fourths of the day pissed off at my husband--so we need to get in the house so that whole stress is off. Because I hate being such a naggy bitch!

On a bright note...as of today we have a septic system. Installed by an ex-boyfriend. Who happens to be my husbands new BFF. Smile.

Annnnd we have a new laptop. Which explains while this post was started and finished today! Talk atcha later...

Drywall and babies and tiles, oh my!

Here's the updates I haven't been updating:

Little md: growing like a weed. He is so precious. He grins and coos and is more often than not a calm happy roly poly baby. I am so thankful we were blessed to have him join our herd. He is the easiest baby to breastfeed in the world. He only nurses for about ten minutes, usually every three hours. He already loves his big sisters and watches everything they do intently. The other night I cried a little to realize how fast the time has gone and how fast it will continue to pass us by. Before long I will be baking his first birthday cake in my new kitchen and wonder where the last year went...or I will be pulling my hair out over the latest Little m stubborn streak and wondering how to get crayon out of carpet...either way--the future promises to be an adventure.

The girlies: Gosh they are precious too. Little d is so smart. I know she is going to do so well in school. Ahhh. Kindergarten. I am having the worst panics about sending her away most of the day. What ever will I do without my constant little companion? Both girls are still testing their limits. I am still finding myself at wit's end. But I know that things will work out. I just have to be consistant. Little m has such a personality. I wish I could capture everything she does on video. She now has an imaginary friend....Lisa.

Today they were pretty well behaved. The reason?

Little Miss Perfect: We ( my mom and I) are keeping her while my sis in law goes to work. She works part time and so on wednesdays and some fridays, we get to keep her. She is a precious precious girl. So tiny and perfect. And you should just see her tiny perfect mouth. And the little fingernails...ahhh I could go on and on. It's so funny to learn her little habits. I am just thrilled that we get to spend the time with her. And Little d is such a great helper. She spent all day entertaining both babies.

The hacienda: We are getting drywall up. So excited about that! I still need to decide on the texture pattern. Did you even know that was a decision to be made? Sheesh. The details are endless! I've also chosen the countertops in the kitchen and tile for the bathroom...I think. But I am still on mission to find a subway tile for the backsplash in the kitchen to match the countertops. Oh and paint. We may be starting to paint as early as next week and I still haven't chosen the interior colors.

A word about the tile. I have been on the record several times saying that I will never have tile in my house ever! But then I saw this tile. And I fell in love with it. I am not even a fan of blue, but now I want this seaglass stuff in our master bathroom. Click on the link above and you can enlarge the picture.

And since that site is sooo chock full of beautiful tile. I fell in love with this to use behind the stove and vent hood.

Oh who knows? I seem to be on a tile binge!

Off to get the girls out of the bath. Someday maybe I'll write an actual entertaining post. Or except my award...

She started another one...

post, that is. Let's see how long this one takes to complete.


Reasons it may take awhile:

1. Laptop is toast. Thankfully we only used it to surf. No pictures lost.


2. Kids bath must be cut short so we can spray three (3!) wasps nests outside.


3. Headache.


4. Determined to work on organizing house and not on wasting time on computer.
   

First, thanks for the support. You guys are like a pair of super strong hosiery. Wink!

I had my root canal last week. It was not to horrible. Except. There was going to be an except right? He couldn't get the tooth numb. Oh how I grin even as I remember the fun we had. So he hit it with the stuff. Then waited five minutes. Could still feel my lips and stuff. So he hit it with some more stuff and massaged my gums. Fun! Then he said 'let's see if that nerve is sleeping.' Guess what? It was not. SO then he drill into my tooth and shoots it with some more stuff right into the nerve I guess. And the bonus...it makes your heart pound like you are running a marathon. Gahhh! Glad that's over.

Day three of typing this post:

Sooo I have a bruise on my cheek from the root canal. Purdy.

Is it wrong to say I am fed up with my children's behavior? Fed Up. Well not the little one. He still has time to learn to be a little hellion. As of right now, after requisite meltdown, they are whining in the tub. Little d is calling Little m "the worst". And this is of course "the worst day ever!" Until tomorrow...that will be the worst day ever. Pukity puke puke blech! Soooo tired of this situation that happens several times a day.

Still typing on the same post...not even sure how many days...but--kiddos are being really good today. I actually got laundry accomplished and made banana bread. Can you imagine?

I recieved a blog award from Penny so I need to close this post up and start working on accepting that one... hope to get to it soon!

Chaos

Someday I will look back on this time in my life and maybe think "things sure were easy then." But here in the present its a little not easy, in fact maybe I'd go so far as to say chaotic. Before I get to the details let me first say I have the most blessed life I could imagine. I have a wonderful husband, three whole and healthy children and we are building our dream home.

Prior to Little md's birth things were verging on the out of control. House in shambles. (No I'm not tossing that word around loosely.) Kids on a schedule that defies gravity. Behavior that needed to be checked.

Now that he's arrived, it's been multiplied. I keep thinking, "when we get to the new house it will all fall into place." Well, some of it will. Just by the nature of the house being 1000 square feet bigger, and all on one level, some organization will happen naturally. I mean my kitchen size will double, so therefore, all of the bottles and sippy cups and bread and bags of chips won't have to sit on top of a counter. And the office will be just down the hall from the garage where we will usually enter the house, which means mail can be handled there...not on the kitchen island, counter...floor (yes it's that bad.) And there will be a bench/cubby area at the back door for shoes, purses, backpacks (gulp-that's just around the corner) and keys.

And somewhere in the back of my sleep-deprived befuddled mind I seem to remember an adjustment period for Little d when Little m was born in the behavior department. It's as if she took out her frustration of having to share the spotlight on me, not the new baby. And I am truly thankful for that. I don't have to block books being thrown at the baby's head, I just have to put kids in timeout...alot. Today Little d was in special form. She was in timeout several times and got three spankings. Talk about testing limits. Then tonight when bathtime hit, Little m threw such a fit that I only washed her hair and the top half of her and then dragged her kicking dripping body out and got her dressed.

So I'm hoping after the post-new baby adjustment wears off, we'll see something that resembles order again. But Little md is 8 weeks old. How long of an adjustment do you suppose it will take?

The good news. My kids are well behaved in public.

And speaking of the world outside these four walls...that house we're building? When will it ever be done? I get so annoyed that D spends all his time off from his job-job working on the house. And it's not his fault. If he doesn't work on the house, how will it get finished? Answer--it won't. And when he's not working at his job-job or working on the house, he's working overtime to make extra money to pay for that house. See? Can't fault him for that either. But where does it leave me--resentful, restless, and for that matter sleepless.

On the subject of sleepless: We are both exhausted. He is running himself silly from place to place and I am nursing a newborn and trying to reign in two heathen monkeys. I am starting to think this tunnel doesn't have a light at the end. {No, that's not a post partum depression sentence.} I've started practicing visualization. Soooo not like me. But I have. When things get particularly hairy, I picture something in the new house. A wall of a new paint color. A cabinet pull. The front door. Anything to distract me from the crazy.

Sometimes it works. And sometimes I sit at the computer and type a blog post. Which may take three days to write. Like this one. PS I'm over double checking and editing for a while. Please excuse the typos. And misspelled words.

Funny Remote Story (or two)

Everybody has one of those right?

First I should explain that we have three TVs in our house. One in the living room. One in the office/guest/completely trashed room. And one in our bedroom. We also have Dish Network, so we have two remotes that control the dish. One is for our bedroom and the other controls both other TVs. Make sense?

So the TV in the office also has a seperate remote that controls On/Off and volume.

I just realized that I actually have two funny remote stories...bonus for you.

Anyway. Tonight Little m wanted to watch Disney in the office (we were finishing up bath time) and the dish remote was downstairs in the living room. I told her that she had to watch was Dad was watching downstairs and then left the room to get Little d out of the tub. I was drying Little d off in the office (hey don't question our routine-it works) when Little m comes running in the room yelling Hannah Montana and waving the dish remote in her hand. She had gone down and stolen the remote from D (who was sleeping in the recliner) and came back upstairs. I don't know why, but this struck me as extremely funny.

Okay my other remote story. A while back--maybe last year, I was up in the office--probably scrapbooking. {Sigh. I miss that a little.} When I decided I wanted the TV on. So I looked for the remote and couldn't find it. I yelled downstairs to ask if anyone knew where the remote was. Little d in all seriousness said "mom, there's this button on the front of the TV and if you push it, it turns the TV on."

Oh and then while I was typing this post, this happened...



But it was worth it.



And this is my other little poser.



Mwah!!!