The new house!

I'm starting to wonder if I'll have everything packed in time for the move two weeks from today, but then I realize I don't have much choice in the matter. I'm feeling a little like back in college when I procrastinated for weeks before a final then crammed all my studying into the 18 hours before test time (for whatever reason I know a few college freshmen who read my blog; ya'll don't do that, mmmkay?)

As promised, however, here are some pics of our soon-to-be home sweet home. I'm calling them "before" shots, since we have a list a mile long of improvements we want to make:

Raining when I took this shot, so I wasn't getting out of the car to get the whole house.

Does anyone know the technical term for this thing? Looks like something that will require climbing on rooftops someday.

I love the bay windows. There are three sets in the house!

'Cause you needed to see the stone close-up.

Must. Be. Climbed.

Handwashing sink in utility room. Weeee!

Unfinished kitchen cabinets that will soon be "ginger." Better known as medium brownish-y.

"Hey, let's put granite in, but that means we have no budget for a backsplash. Maybe The Hometeam won't notice..."

The third bay window in the dining room just off the kitchen. This one looks out onto the...ready for this...BACKYARD! (Which I have no pics of...sorry.)

Formal dining room. But we're not calling it that because we're not formal (suggestions for other names welcome).

Den. With a weird closet thing that we'll have to define sometime.

Sort of a shot of the yard. It has a fence and trees. I'm livin' the dream, I tell ya.

...and the house has a front door.

With a window like this in the office, I'm sure to write some inspired blog posts for once. Right now I'd settle for just writing.

Stairs...which I don't really like having, except I love these since they lead to...

...a gameroom!

More gameroom.

My favorite bathroom feature: they all have these bureau-type vanities.

Guest room upstairs, too. Crooked ceiling fan included.

Boys' room downstairs next to ours. They'll be rooming together until further notice. Or the fighting starts leaving scars.

"Oooo, and let's not replace any ceiling fans. We can call them vintage!"

The bad news: all the closets are small like this. The good news: there's four of them.

New appliances. Yay!

Storage in garage. I'm very excited about this since we won't have as large a utility room in the new house.

I'm also excited about having a screen door in the garage. Oh the little things...

Spot for our second fridge. I still have mine from my single life. Seriously, save a couple hundred and buy one for your garage. Priceless for summer time drinks and frozen treats, stocking bottled water, trays of party food.

Ceiling fan in the garage. I'm sure there's a sweet spot somewhere those three blades will cool...

Mickey's very intrigued by the mail drop set-up. When he saw this picture he asked "...what happens to the mail when the garage door goes up?" Hmm...

Not looking forward to fitting all my pots and pans in here.

The utility room sink again. I'm in love with it.

I may even leave one remaining piece of "vintage" in the house.

Checkin' in

So just for fun I checked out how many posts I put up here during the last few months. Seems I've been doing things other than writing. Oh, well. I'm so glad ya'll don't hold that against me.

On the house situation: as I mentioned before, we close on both the sale of our house and the new house on July 27. I've finally accumulated a few boxes and have actually packed one as of tonight. Packing is quite overwhelming to think about. So I'm preferring not to think about it. But I'm saying "no" to extra activities a lot, which will be a good thing when I decide to attack the packing head-on.

Tomorrow we visit the new house since I get to choose a stain color for the new kitchen cabinets. I'm more than incapable of making such a decision by myself, so I called a friend to meet me there to help me decide. She doesn't know it yet, but I'm also handing her a tape measure and a pencil to write down window measurements. None of the windows have any coverings on them, which will drive Pete to insanity within one day.

I'm hoping to snap a bunch of pics, too. Just maybe I can take some time to put some up here.

The inspection on the new house is scheduled for Thursday. We hope nothing major will be discovered, or that it is and we don't have to pay to have it fixed!

There's the whole incredible update; ya'll have a fabulous week.

Happy Fourth of July!!

It's a little soggy outside today, so I'm hoping our Fourth festivities will still happen. But just in case, there's this as a worthy substitute.

Ya'll be safe!

And just like that...

(I promise this is not turning into a once a week blog. Mostly.)

So blah, blah, blah...we've been busy and preoccupied all week with house hunting and I've been friggin' exhausted every night, with barely enough energy to pull up Facebook and see who scored 50,000 on some game I never heard of. Tonight, however, we have reached a turning point so I feel somewhat compelled to let ya'll know...

...we found a house!

We'll be closing on our new house on the same day as our current house: July 27.

A lot of people ask me if I've begun packing...the answer is still no. I just felt weird starting the packing process when we didn't have a destination. Really, though, we did: it's out the door of this house... But now I guess I don't have much of an excuse.

I'm sure I'll post some details or pics or something about the new house soon. Or late. You know me by now...

May a rock come flying through our window

If I talk to one more neighbor about our move I'm going to scream. Since our house sold and the "sale pending" sign now graces our lawn, you would think we were deserting the friendliest and most considerate cluster of people on Earth.

It's possible, however, that we are.

At church Sunday, I guess word has gotten out and some people are talking about our move instead of Fr. Jack's sermon...sorry FJ. Since we're only two houses down from the church parking lot, I guess people can't help but notice. A couple of concerned souls live in the neighborhood and they did nothing but gush about how badly they don't want us to leave. This, added to the fact that there's a house for sale in the neighborhood that very nearly suits us but we're still discerning it, and the other fact that we visited several very good possibilities over the weekend but nothing seems just the perfect fit...add a very kind woman's words about how much she loves midtown, our church, this neighborhood...

...it's enough to cause a bit of overwhelm in my head. And it did. And the tears came. In the middle of the parish hall during coffee and donuts. The poor woman, whose name I don't even know, politely asked if this was a bad time for me. "Um," I told her between sobs, "I'm fine."

I just thought the decision would be a lot easier...like when I bought MY first house without even looking at any others, and how I felt when I said "I do" to Pete. (After all, as much time as I'll be spending in our new abode, it's nearly as monumental as choosing my husband. Seriously!)

So I collected myself and the poor woman gave me a very warm hug, and I was fine. And all that occurred pretty much under Pete's nose but he was oblivious thank goodness, as he was gathering napkins and drinks for the boys.

I just really love this neighborhood, which is why it's taken us about two years to make the move to move. I had no idea, however, just how hard it would be. Other than the fact that we need a little more room and a backyard, we've been incredibly happy here.

Actually it would be easier if there was something that we didn't like about the neighborhood, like Pete's truck getting vandalized or a stray bullet grazing our mailbox. Then, my goodness, my difficult decision would become very easy, no?!

So if you have any grievances against the Hometeam...now's the time to take your revenge. And put my mind at ease.

Somebody pass me a popsicle...

...and a swimming pool. With ice cubes floating in it.

A new job for french onion dip

If you happen to buy some french onion dip, and if you happen to have some leftover after your event (since who buys that stuff if you're not celebrating something or going on vacation), and if you happen to then make mashed potatoes for dinner, reach your stirrin' spoon into the dip and get a dollop of it. Then add a little butter to the potatoes and just a little salt and milk, and then stir in the dollop of dip.

Then watch the potatoes sing and dance. Yum!

Probably could have even done with the butter.

Baby steps, people....

The hunt

(Big sigh)

We have some targets for a new house we're visiting this weekend. None of them really get me all giddy inside...but I might as well face the fact that "giddyness" would come from a new 3000 s.f. home in Midtown Tulsa. Which won't happen as long as lots in the area go for $200,000. That's LOT. Meaning, grass and dirt. I doubt the city would let us pitch a tent there...

So here we go...we're tired of perusing ads and doing drive-by's. We're ready to start kicking tires and find the Hometeam a new dugout.

But these realtors and their ads...I'm getting wise to them. If you should be on the lookout for a home of your own, beware the terms below. I'm all for creative writing, but during my home search I've come to find out one has to look past the flowery phrases and see the house for what it is:

1. "patio home" No yard.

2. "move-in condition" My goodness, this one really bothers me. Some people think could move-in condition means functioning light switches.

3. "must see" What could they mean will happen if we don't see it?

4. "granite" Granite seems to be so desirable these days that some ads just print the word with no "kitchen" or "bath" behind it. I started to wonder if our house would ever sell since we don't have any granite anywhere in it. Maybe this isn't a misleading term, just bothersome to me.

5. "vintage" Old.

6. "vintage tile" Old tile.

7. "newer roof" What the heck does this actually tell me??? That it was newer than the first roof, which was replaced ten years ago?

8. "new price" I love this one: why don't they just put "reduced"? I've never seen a "new price" be more than the original listing price.

9. "as is" Translation: "we aren't fixing it up before we sell it so don't ask."

10. "formal dining" Means it has a room the Hometeam will never use.

11. "priced to sell" WHY ELSE WOULD YOU HAVE IT ON THE MARKET?

12. "cutie," "charmer," "good bones." Yes, I've seen all these terms in ads recently. Perfect if you're buying a cocker spaniel.


I'm starting to have flashbacks about when I was a marketing writer and I was always trying to spin words to make the reader get a warm fuzzy inside about whatever I was selling at the time.

...guess it takes one to know one.

Bye

As of July 27, we'll be leaving this house.

And going where? We have no idea yet.

That crystal ball thing...that would be worth a lot to me right now.

Tee-d up

Tonight was Mickey's first tee-ball game. I feel like I played the thing myself...or maybe I just smell like it. My job(s):

Take pictures, cheer him on, keep Alex from throwing balls on the field, meet a parent (and promptly forget her name), sign a sheet to bring snacks next, um, sometime, feed Alex candy, then crackers, then help him wash it down with water, take more pictures, play catch with Alex, call Pete who's in Chicago to give him an update, fish orange Tootsie pop out of the dirt and convince Alex it's no longer good, call seasoned sports mom sister for tips on how to get through the next twelve years of this...

...and possibly realize the evening wasn't about me. Drat.

Mickey did have a great time, in spite of his learning curve:

"Mom, is there going to be another team there?"
"Can I have my snack?" (After each inning...)
"Am I going to be catching or hitting tonight?"
"Is there a door to go down to the field?" (Yes, honey, in about 20 years.)

Notice the focus...not even distracted by the little girl with the pink glove.

(Alex! Stop distracting the players!)

Every batter looked like a Bobble Head of himself.

I'm sure this guy was imparting tee-ball wisdom unto my little boy. Or maybe just "...hit the ball, kid, so we can all go home..."

...my son obliged.

...and made it home.

Right now.

Right now both boys are sleeping. Right now it's 3:00 in the afternoon.

Both of them napping has not happened since...wait, when did it happen last? Amazing how those memories fade so quickly.

I don't want this to fade. I want to remember their little sleeping faces. I want to remember when this homemade blanket was Alex's favorite, and that Mickey loved that soft Ty puppy dog.

I know when they grow up they won't be soft and snuggly anymore. Their soft hands will grow calloused from play and their feet will all of a sudden smell. I'm going to wonder pretty soon if I'm giving them enough independence, if they still want to be tucked into bed...if they get embarrassed when I ask for a kiss goodbye at school.

I know all that is going to transpire, like an inevitable wave over my life. I know it. And when it does they'll be little people I love even more than I do now. And they'll still be making me laugh and cry. Their little kid personalities will develop them into big kids, and I'll love them then, too.

But I just want to savor this, for right now.

Fun-dant with Brittany

We just returned from my niece's graduation in Texas...which was Texas-sized, heh, heh. She and 570 or so classmates made the transition from little people to "big people," as their class Valedictorian so eloquently proclaimed. Ahem...

So that was all good and fun and we all congratulated Rachel a bazillion times. In addition to this very momentous event, another major happening occurred:

I got my hands on some fondant.

You know, the fancy-schmancy stuff of beautifully decorated cakes and pastries. Rachel's sister Brittany, who I believe has made it her own mission in life to make her two sisters feel special, thought her graduation was a great reason to decorate cupcakes with this magic sugary blanket-y stuff.

(And because she doesn't know any better, she also turned my sons loose with jars of sprinkles. She's the Fun Cousin, believe me.)

Back to the fondant: if you've never used it before, pretend you're in preschool again and you're playing with Play-doh, only you can eat this stuff without getting sick.

It comes in a white blob in a canister, and all you do is tear off what you need, add food color, and knead the color in. And if you're also thinking about people in your life who have wronged you, this kneading thing can be very therapeutic. Then you get to cut it with a sharp knife! I'm tellin' ya...who needs to pay $100 an hour for a shrink?

Brittany's very ambitious plan was for each cupcake to illustrate something Rachel had done or a club she'd belonged to. So some of these won't make much sense to you, but I can tell you they were special for Rachel. Brittany called it an "edible scrapbook..." Did I mention she's creative with words, too? I'm trying hard to still love her. And that's without mentioning her passion for photography.

(Here's the illustrated version of our day. I'm posting these pics in random order, though, because Blogger in all its free-to-use glory, makes it very painful to change the order of graphics. So in order to get this post up before August, I'm posting it anyway. Just scroll up and down a bunch of times if that bothers you.)

Because it wasn't enough to fondant her way through the day, Brittany thought we could use some candy graduation caps. Oh, my! She'd tell you to thank Bakerella for this delicious idea.

I'm thinking Brit and her sister Lauren could build my boys a playhouse out of this stuff.

Sweet Lauren...who also doubles as a lifeguard, who has friends who are lifeguards who came over that day, and lifeguarded the boys in their pool while I fun-danted. Try making verbs of nouns sometime...it's a blast.

The buttercream backups. Yum!

Could she be having second thoughts about letting them have the sprinkles?

Ambitious Brit whipping up a mess o' buttercream, which we used for gluing on the fondant. And that's a Kitchen Aid mixer...isn't everything in the kitchen more fun with one of these?

It only looks like a mess. It's really the workspace of pastry wizards. Who need coffee in order to work their magic.

...and computers.

I did this one...yay for me! And for tiny fondant cutters! The University of Texas at Arlington is where Rachel is headed next...and apparently 2013 is when we'll see her in another graduation ceremony. If cupcakes are involved I'll be there for sure.

I think Brittany's nails were manicured when she started the day. She's a hardworkin' girl...

...who always does just a little extra.

****
This post will be entered in June's Write Away contest at Scribbit. She's my friend who writes from Anchorage, Alaska. Ya'll head over there and cool off...

Overheard: How to make your brother feel smart

Mickey: "If the red light is red, and the yellow light is yellow...which one is the red one?"

Alex: "The red one!"

Mickey: "Correct!"

Inspiration. Admiration. Aspiration.

My nephews and my son.

And you can't see it, but my pride.

Someone please drop in on us

Alrighty, then. The sign is in the front yard...announcing to the world, or at least our little neighborhood so far, that our house is for sale. Our first house together, the one with the sidewalk where our boys have played and knocked each other around on for the last five years, the one with warm memories for us and for them in every room.

It's also the one that's getting smaller by the moment. And the backyard situation, or lack thereof, is getting on everyone's last nerve, possibly even our next door neighbors', since it seems like we're always fishing balls or boys out of their yards.

So Pete and I have worked like dogs for the past three days getting the place cleaned up. Oh, my. It's cleaner than it's ever been in its short life, and I'm having a bit of a confused moment here. Never, ever, ever, even in my single days, have I ever looked around my dwelling space and not had some sort of housework nagging at me. Our house is completely and utterly spotless.

And I'm in a bit of shock.

Last night I put the boys to bed, and when my thoughts are usually of what I need to pick up downstairs, laundry that's wrinkling in the dryer, dishes cluttering the sink, stray Legos on the floor, and whatevers camping out on the stairs awaiting their trip upward, I realized none of those things existed. It's just plain weird. In a good way.

What did we do with all the toys you might wonder. They've found various boxes and spaces and areas where we created space we didn't know we had. It was amazing when the picking up and weeding out began, how we actually had a little room to spare.

So I told our realtor when she came over last night that she must sell it within a week, because I'm not sure how long this freak of clean can last.

And by the way, if anyone would like to drop in unexpectedly, now's a good time. I'll even let you use the bathroom.

I. Give. Up.

I'm really not sure what I was thinking: buy two new pieces of electronics and plan to photograph major life events within two weeks. And not freak out about it.

In case you're not keeping up, I just purchased a DSLR camera. And a video camera. I'll try to make this as concise as possible since both of them currently make me want to pull my fingernails out one by one. So I'm going to get this post done and move on before that happens.

I've currently taken more than 700 photos with my DSLR. I tinkered around with the settings a little but nothing seemed to make too much an impact in the quality of the photos, so I just kept it on Auto most of the time. Then I figured out how to download them onto my computer...yay me! I accomplished these tasks, mind you, without reading the manual. Aren't you proud?

I'm not.

Of the 700 or so pics, about five (1, 2, 3, 4, 5. F I V E) turned out the way I wanted them to. Something is wrong, you could say.

Could it be that I haven't read the manual? Surely not!

But it seems that my little point-and-shoot is currently outperforming Big Bad DSLR. And I believe I have only myself to blame.

And the unread manual.

So I need time to study it. The camera, the manual. And I believe taking a class is in order as well.

Ya think?

(The basic problem is: the photos are mediocre at best in clarity. And the file size of most of them is 4 MB or more. For each photo! At that rate my computer will explode before Alex's fourth birthday in September.)

So until I've learned to trust myself with the big gun, I will continue relying on my limping-along 5 megapixel Canon.

As for the video camera, at least I've been able to shoot video and Pete magically made it appear on our TV. But successfully burning a DVD...you know, the really useful thing for videos...is still a mystery. I've been studying that manual, though, so I'm thinking a lightbulb will come on there pretty soon.

I'm sure it'll all come eventually come together and I'll figure out how to make these machines willingly do my bidding.

Probably just in time for my computer to crash.

By popular demand: Ramen-Broccoli Slaw

I admit it: I made this recipe two days in a row because it was so stinkin' easy. I had two events I signed up for and I needed something requiring little time, so I thumbed through my Cook's Country magazines and came up with this one.

This recipe was my dream come true: minimal chopping, no baking, and no bringing anything to room temperature. Ahh, potluck bliss! And people seemed to like it, so that's why I'm putting it out there for the rest of you lazy potluckers like me. Enjoy!

Ramen-Broccoli Slaw
Serves 6 to 8
Source: Cooks Illustrated, Aug/Sep 2008

Dressing:

1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Salad:

1 (12-ounce) bag broccoli slaw mix
2 (3-ounce) packages beef-flavored ramen noodles, crushed, flavor packets reserved
4 scallions, sliced thin
1 cup shelled roasted sunflower seeds
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1. For the dressing: Whisk sugar and vinegar in medium bowl until sugar dissolves. Gradually whisk in oil.

2. For the salad: Combine broccoli slaw, ramen and flavor packets, scallions, sunflower seeds, and almonds in large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss until well coated. Refrigerate salad, covered, for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Toss salad again before serving.

New camera terror continues

So I got my Sony DSLR out of the case, charged the battery, inserted the battery, and turned it on.

And shot a bazillion photos on Auto.

I'm still waiting for a good time to open the manual. And then cross out all the extra languages so they don't add to my confusion.

I'm also studying Darren Rowse' Digital Photography School. There are enough tutorials out there to keep me busy until the boys graduate high school. Maybe by then I'll have figured the thing out.

I'm thinking I'm a bit behind in my camera education, however, since Ritz Camera has already asked me to REVIEW the camera I purchased from them.

Huh?

It might go something like this:

"I just purchased the Sony a350. It's really pretty...no fingerprints or anything. The box it came in was a lovely shade of orange...like a pumpkin! The camera has lots of shiny buttons that make noises when I push them. And the shutter has makes a very satisfying click, a lot more pleasant than my point-and-shoot. The neck strap works great. And attaching the lens to the body was a cinch.

And Auto works."

Ritz says I'd be entered to win $1000 for my submitting review.

But they may want to pay me not to.

What's goin' on

A couple of weeks ago I was talking with my sister who lives only an hour away and I told her something or other the boys were doing and she says "wow, I didn't even know they were doing something or other!"

So for those of you who may be new here, or maybe just curious, or maybe you're reading this Monday morning and you're just putting off the day: here's a snapshot of the Home Team as we are right now. Stuff going on, coming up, and just the way things are settin' for the moment. Pardon the use of a numbered list...I used to write for a living and I miss them!

1. I stay home with the boys. I love it most days, and on the days when I don't love it so much, I still know I'm where I'm supposed to be. It really feels like all my years working up until now were just busy-ness while I waited for my destined role in life. That's not to say I wouldn't mind getting paid to write again. No siree, not at all.

2. The boys are in swimming lessons. Mickey and Alex are 5 and 3, respectively. They are currently in their second round of swimming lessons: twice weekly for four weeks. They absolutely love the water, so much so that the healthy fear of it I was hoping for has yet to surface. I'm starting to think I should have foregone the lessons and just bought bigger lifejackets every year.

3. We're planning to move to a new house. But not a new state, a new city, or even a new school district. Heck, I'd move down the street...if I could possibly score an extra cabinet or two and a fenced backyard. The process of getting our house listed is underway. Decluttering? Not so much.

4. Plans for summer. We're planning a visit to the metropolis of Branson, MO with Pete's family in June. I haven't been to Silver Dollar City since I was in seventh grade; they tell me it's changed a bit since then. I may see another year go by without getting to the beach...excuse me while I grab a Kleenex.

5. Pete's still working. And feeling fine. That's about all he'd like me to write about him, I think. Although I don't think he reads my blog so I believe I could write anything I wanted and he'd never find out. Think I should test that theory?

6. I win things. A few weeks ago I won a random drawing from a local radio station, then right after that a random drawing from BlogHer. With this beautiful randomness, I was able to purchase my dream DSLR camera (Sony a350) and a video camera (this thing is the same size as my point-and-shoot camera!). The DSLR box sat unopened on my table for two days. I'm still pretty terrified of it, but did manage to stop shaking enough to charge the battery. The manual is untouched so far, by the way. After seeing the amount of documentation on the DSLR, the lil' ol' video camera was a piece o' cake.

7. What I'm watching on TV. Nothing consistently. Until I can lock the boys outside in a yard for 30 minutes. I have friends who swear by DVR, but then I'd be watching TV at night instead of blogging. Horrors! I pretend I watch Idol, but really I just read updates the next day and try to chime in on the chatter like I know. It pains me to not keep up with The Office, though.

8. Pete and I just celebrated our six-year anniversary. Holy cow where did the time go?! We celebrated by attending a Fleetwood Mac concert. Pete...bless him...knows about two songs they sing, and yet he knew I'd love it. I did. I love him, too.

9. There's a fungus amung-us. I have a pretty creepy-looking breed of mushroom growing in my flower bed. I'm sure they have something to do with the 47 or so inches of rain (sic) we've had here in the last two weeks. Maybe they'll just disappear and I won't have to touch them...

10. The Okie blogger meet-up Moms' Night Out was a smashing success. I met so many bloggers I read on a regular basis...one of them has actually quit blogging but wanted to come anyway! What a dedicated soul!

Alrighty, that's about as snapshot-y as I'm gettin' right now. Unless you want to hear that I'm currently half-watching the Boston Celtics and the Orlando Magic in a playoffs game. And Pete's asleep along with the other two boys in my life. And I did three loads of laundry and shopped for a week's worth of groceries.

And I desperately sought a way to end this post. To no avail.

One of those days...

I've packed in a little too much today. But I'm not complaining, believe me. After my post last week someone would surely set this blog on fire if I complain about my schedule.

Just peeking in here to say why I haven't posted...I took a little trip over the weekend and I'm just now recovering from the disregard for sleep. So I figure I'm dog-tired, why not add on a bunch of commitments to that just for good measure.

But tonight I'm looking forward to finishing off my busy day with a meet-up of 60 or so area bloggers...a bunch o' women with plenty to say, so maybe I can just sip a beer and listen all night.

Sounds like bliss, actually.