Its the last day of march!

I am sooo glad that spring appears to finally be here. I have really missed the warm weather -- more than I even imagined. Its so nice to get outside and work! So far we've ripped out a small garden, dug out the 4 stumps from that, put in more topsoil and seeded it. I cleaned out the front garden, raked the east side of the house, pruned 7 bushes and laid grass seed where we had removed gardens last year.

Our property came with a LOT of overgrown, OLD gardens. I like to garden, but I like it MANAGEABLE -- which it was not. The property was over-run with overgrown gardens! With the help of my mom I re-worked the front garden last year, and ripped out the one on the east side. The year before we took out the one on the west side. This year I still have a garden near the back deck to remove and then I have to tackle the pool garden.

The garden in the pool area is the worst of all. First of all, its HUGE. You have to climb into it to reach to the back. Its horribly overgrown with plants and trees and is just a MESS. My mother in law got started on it last year, but its just so overwhelming! On top of that, the other 3 sides of the pool also have smaller gardens that I plan to rip out (there is nothing worth keeping in them). We'll spray killex on the soil, and then cover it with patio stones so nothing grows back.

With this lovely weather, I'm able to get out for at least an hour a day to work while P has his morning nap. Its wonderful! So good for the spirit!

I should post a picture of the pool garden. Trust me, its awful.

I think he's trying to drop his morning nap...

...but how can i know for sure?

Its 10:18. We've been up since 7:30. Usually he's back in bed asleep 1-1.5 hours after we get up. He started to tell me he was tired at 9. I held off until 9:30 to be sure. And now it's almost 45 minutes since I put him down to nap.

He's not upset by any means. He's making cute noises and kicking the crib. But I don't know what to do.

Should I change things to let him drop the nap? If we get up at 7:30, and he naps closer to 11, then where do I give him snack and lunch? Perhaps I should start giving him a pre-nap snack, and move lunch later -- when he gets up from his nap.

Ugh.... I guess we'll figure it out.

Now... do I let him continue to fuss, or do I go get him up? The questions continue.

first haircut

Patrick didn't really enjoy his haircut, but at least it is done! Now we won't have to worry about it getting into his eyes.

Here he is, post nap and having a snack. Such a happy boy!

sleep saga continues

sigh.

I think Patrick has reached the 'separation anxiety' stage -- at least thats what his current sleeping habits are telling me. He goes to bed at night just fine! But when he wakes up and realizes he's alone, its panic time. He screames until we come to settle him. This would be OK if it was a once-in-a-while experience, but the nightly routine of many wakings is really starting to wear on us. We have tried letting him cry-it-out but I always feel guilty. He's crying because he needs me, unlike when he's whining because he's grouchy.

Last night Patrick went to bed without issue at 7. Shaun came home around 8 and we watched American Idol (HOUSE was a re-run). There are a couple of REALLY great singers on there, but it drives me CRAZY how long it takes to get from one to the other. Honestly, if they cut out half the commercials (they had a set of commercials after every 2 singers) and cut down on the commentary it could have EASILY fit into one hour. Anyway, thats a different story.

Patrick started about 11:30ish with his routine of 'screaming' for us. I have no idea how many times Shaun got up with him, but I was up 2 or 3. The problem lies in the earliness of the beginning of the 'screaming'. It seems that after the first bout of it, it continues, every 1/2-2 hours until morning. I don't know how 'dead' Shaun was feeling this morning, but I am quite 'worn' from the whole thing, especially every night. I can't remember the last time I had a consecutive nights sleep.

Speaking of sleep, today's nap is apparently a no-go. Of course. We have an appointment with the doctor and have to be out the door by 10:10. Normally, he'd nap starting about 8-8:30 and I would have woken him at 10 to go. How the heck does he know?! I barely got a shower in before he was wailing. I went in and found him in an awful position. I fixed it, and went on to do some chores. Well, it didn't stop. I was in and out several times because of the wailing and fixed his position (crammed up the end, sideways, on his belly; trapped face down (there was room to breathe) under the 'fish'; scooched all the way down the end with feet trapped between the slats) only to have him do something else creative and wail again. I don't honestly care if he naps, but I know what a grouch he's going to be in an hour or so because he didn't. I tried, but its so frustrating. And I'm the one who will pay for it later with a grouchy grouchy-pants. UGH!

Well, time to get ME ready to go. I'm sure I'll have to listen to him wail while I get dressed and attempt to do my hair and face.

Its going to be one of 'those' days. ARGH.

I am NOT a morning person

But unfortunately, Patrick is. Ughhhh! This morning he started at 5 a.m. He was stinky and hungry but I was still so tired. 5 a.m. is just so early, and I know he can sleep longer -- he used to sleep consistently till 7 a.m. -- I really really miss that.

I got up, changed his diaper and gave him a bottle and tried to settle him back down in hopes of catching a few more ZzZzZs, and it worked, briefly. Then Shaun had to get up 1/2 an hour later to give him his soother, re-arange his body (you'd be AMAZED how he can get around in the crib) and put his blanket back on.

So yes, we got a little more sleep, but it was highly interrupted :( I really miss sleep.

Here we go!

Here are the pictures of the completed work. Tell me what you think about the hand rail -- stay white or go black! Oh, and the front door too -- stay wood or be white :)

~Deb

Pics!

I can't upload 'em. Anyone else having issues?

Post Painting

I would up load you some images to be astounded by, but blogger is having a brain-cramp and can't do it right now.

So we're done! OK OK we're ALMOST done, we're MOSTLY done, we've got the MAJORITY done. Just a few little tid bits to finish up.

This past week we did a LOT of work. The painting is finished (1 coat of primer, 2 coats of colour), the custom kitchen cabinet is built (and it looks fantastic!), the new lights are up, the new storage cabinet is up, and the coat hooks and memo center is hung! Yippie! The runner is installed down the stairs AND the front hall carpet is 'created' (we used 2 sections of stair runner, chopped off one side, and then duct-taped them together in the middle to create 1 large carpet).

I'm really pleased with the colour. It turned out better than I expected and looked much more vibrant with the second coat.

I really enjoyed spending the week with my parents. I really miss them when we can't get together. Mom and I spent a lot of time together and Shaun and Dad spent a lot of time together, but we all spent meal times together and post-dinner time playing games :) We really like Sequence and Euchre.

The only tidbits left to finish are painting the stair railing -- I can't decide if I should paint it black or leave it white. The front door is also going to be painted white -- eventually. :) Maybe this summer. I have a lot of scrapbooking to finish up before then.

I'll try to post those photos again now.

Another long weeked OVER! yah!

Shaun worked this weekend, so I am glad to see it be over! It was a rough week: Shaun worked a LOT and P has been very fussy -- probably due to teeth. But, at last, the end is drawing near.

Today was such a beautiful day that I had to get out and walk, so this afternoon P and I walked to SAAN and had a look around before making the return trip. It was a GREAT walk and the weather was soooo nice. I'm hoping for more days like this.

This morning I baked muffins and cookies in anticipation for my parents arrival on Monday. They're staying the whole week! I am sooooo excited and we're going to get lots done and have lots of fun too. There is painting to be done, a kitchen cabinet to install, new lights to put up, coat racks and new storage to install, a carpet runner to install on the stairs, shrubs that need removal, etc, etc, etc! Mom and I are also going to do some shopping! I can't wait!!

New picture of us!

Shaun took it and it turned out nicely! I actually look ok! Patrick ALWAYS looks good in pictures, so no worries there :)

On another topic -- my hair is really getting long, isn't it?

Mean Moms & Dads....

I loved you enough... to ask where you were going, with whom, and what time you would be home..
I loved you enough... to insist that you save your money and buy a bike for yourself even though we could afford to buy one for you.
I loved you enough... to be silent and let you discover that your new best friend was a creep.
I loved you enough... to make you go pay for the bubble gum you had taken and tell the clerk, "I stole this yesterday and want to pay for it."
I loved you enough... to stand over you for two hours while you cleaned your room, a job that should have taken 15 minutes.
I loved you enough... to let you see anger, disappointment, and tears in my eyes. Children must learn that their parents aren't perfect.
I loved you enough... to let you assume the responsibility for your actions even when the penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart. But most of all, I loved you enough... to say NO when I knew you would hate me for it.
Those were the most difficult battles of all. I'm glad I won them, because in the end you won, too.

And someday when your children are old enough to understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tell them.... Was your Mom/Dad mean? I know mine was. We had the meanest mother/father in the whole world!
While other kids ate candy for breakfast, we had to have cereal, eggs, and toast.
When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch, we had to eat sandwiches. And you can guess our mother/father fixed us a dinner that was different from what other kids had, too.
Mother/Father insisted on knowing where we were at all times. You'd think we were convicts in a prison!
They had to know who our friends were, and what we were doing with them.
They insisted that if we said we would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less.
We were ashamed to admit it, but they had the nerve to break the Child Labour Laws by making us work. We had to wash the dishes, make the beds, learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry, empty the trash and all sorts of cruel jobs.
I think they would lie awake at night thinking of more things for us to do.
They always insisted on us telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
By the time we were teenagers, they could read our minds. Then, life was really tough!
Mother/Father wouldn't let our friends just honk the horn when they drove up. They had to come up to the door so she could meet them.
While everyone else could date when they were 12 or 13, we had to wait until we were 16. Because of our mother/father we missed out on lots of things other kids experienced.
None of us have ever been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other's property or ever arrested for any crime. It was all her fault.
Now that we have left home, we are all educated, honest adults.
We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mom/Dad were. I think that is what's wrong with the world today.
It just doesn't have enough mean moms/dads!!!

SUNSHINE!

We did it! We went for our FIRST walk of 2006 today.

Apparently cleaning off your sidewalks isn't a bylaw around here, so no one does, and with the amount of snow we have, we're lucky if the roads are passable.

But today it was sunny, and it was mid afternoon, and I didn't care. We stuck to side-streets because we still have to 'stroll' on the road, but it was WONDERFUL. The sun was so warm, and bright, and there was no breeze.... ohhh how I have MISSED walking. Patrick and I used to walk every day... I am glad we will be able to do it again.

Lets hope the sunshine lasts, and the snow melts!!!!

"next blog" button

I've become fascinated with it. There is such a large range of people blogging -- some are very interesting, and some are really really really messed up.

This one is particularly interesting: http://onceuponasmile.blogspot.com/

Anyone else get into a 'next blog' mood and check out what the rest of the world is posting?

Death to green painter's tape!

UGHHHHHH.

I just spent the last 45 minutes on my hands and knees removing all that wonderful green painter's tape that 'kept my floor clean'. HA! It may have helped to keep the paint off the floor, but it wasn't perfect, AND it was a pain in the A$$ to remove... lots of spots had to be pried away with a steak knife (the pointy end was perfect for this task)!

I must also add that HOME DEPOT green painter's tape is MUCH WORSE than HOME HARDWARE's green painter's tape which came off much easier.

UGH. At least it's done.

Paint.... the never ending saga.

Well with the help of my sister in law, I got more painting done yesterday! The upstairs doors now have their top coat, and the entire main floor trim/doors is done! Yahoo! I even pulled up the ugly green tape from around the trim and windows on the main floor last night. It felt GOOOOOOOD. I do need to go around with varsol and get rid of the dried paint drips on the floor. I am not a neat painter, but I do a good job!

Today I need to finish the upstairs trim, around a window and a few touch ups, then pull up the rest of the tape and varsol the drips/smears.

Everything is very white now. I can't wait for colour. My parents will be here in 6 days! yippie!! I haven't seen them since January.

interesting.

My sis-in-law sent me this forward, which I considered passing along to all of you, but instead I put it here for your amusement. Enjoy.
-------------------------------------------------
Interesting fact about S.H.I.T

Manure: In the 16th and 17th centuries, everything had to be transported by ship and it was also before commercial fertilizer's invention, so large shipments of manure were common. It was shipped dry, because in dry form it weighed a lot less than when wet, but once water (at sea) hit it, it not only became heavier, but the process of fermentation began again, of which a by product is methane gas. As the stuff was stored below decks in bundles you can see what could (and did) happen. Methane began to build up below decks and the first time someone came below at night with a lantern, BOOOOM! Several ships were destroyed in this manner before it was determined just what was happening. After that, the bundles of manure were always stamped with the term "Ship High In Transit" on them, which meant for the sailors to stow it high enough off the lower decks so that any water that came into the hold would not touch this volatile cargo and start the production of methane. Thus evolved the term "S.H.I.T " , (Ship High In Transport) which has come down through the centuries and is in use to this very day. You probably did not know the true history of this word. Neither did I.

Patrick pulled up!

He was in the tub of all places when he decided to see if he could do it!

He's been practicing getting up onto his feet from a sitting position, and also to his knees from a sitting position, but not with much success yet.

He was sitting in the tub, post scrubbing, and REALLY wanted his buppy (soother). It was on the edge of the tub, having been removed so that I could scrub the dried food off his face and brush his teeth. We thought it was really cute when he reached for it, and then, when he pulled himself to his feet on the side of the tub, we were totally amazed! He grabbed his buppy, and we helped him back to sitting.

What a guy! He's growing up so fast!

We do figure that he will walk instead of crawling as he has little interest in crawling -- he never did like being on his belly.

I really hate thinking of interesting titles...

So this weekend was productive. On Friday I got the second gallon of blue-grey paint for the H-S-H. I also went to the market and got 3 coat racks. 1 with just pegs is going in the back hall, below the new cabiet, above the bench to hang coats and such. The other two are going in the front hall behind the door: the top one has 5 pegs and a nice wide shelf to put baskets on, and the second one which is going at kid-height only has 5 pegs. Should help with some of our storage problems.

Saturday I primed the new coat racks and all the doors in the upstairs hall. It sure makes the hall look bigger! I can't wait to see them with the finish coat -- which should happen on Monday. Lisa is coming to watch P so I can get more done. I can't paint upstairs when he's sleeping and he'd never let me do it if he was awake... but theres another story altogether.

Sunday I gave the coat racks another primer coat, and put the finish white on the back door and some of the main floor trim. It doesn't look that different than the primer, which is a bummer, but I know it will look better when the walls get colour. We also bought new light fixtures for the main floor hall -- the ones we have are OK, but dated! These new ones are more modern, flat and boring, but I like I like!

Also on Sunday we bought a BBQ. Some of you might know that we got a BBQ as a wonderful wedding gift, but unfortunately during a storm last year it got picked up in flown across the lawn, and landed, legs in the air like some poor road-kill. Shaun did a great job of putting it back together, but it didn't work properly and did worry us that it was a fire hazzard. He also rigged a system to anchor it to the brick wall with brackets and bungee cords to ensure there wouldn't be a repeat performance.

We couldn't afford a new one last summer because we did the roof, but with Shaun working all this overtime we decided he needed a present. He's been wanting a new BBQ since the incident. The new one is very nice -- stainless steel, side burner WITH cover so it can double as counter space. Its also natural gas instead of propane which is very nice. We have a hook up already outside! No more wondering if the tank had enough to get us through a grilling. Its also bigger, with 2 'grills' that you can light separately, so we can cook for 3, or more, depending on the occasion.

We like it, we like it!

Here are the three attempts at the colour. On the right is the original green-grey, beside it on the left is the first re-tint which made it just grey. Below is the second re-tint, showing that it is now blue-grey! Yippie!!