February 26, 2009

Well, I missed both Abraham Lincoln's birthday and President's Day for this photo opportunity! Better late than never. The kids posed in front of Abe's bust in our foyer to commemorate the holiday - late! I think I need to get a birthday hat for Abe to wear every February 12. Then, that leads to bunny ears for Easter and a Santa hat for Christmas. :)

The drywallers were done at 11:30am with hanging the drywall. They "cleaned," which consisted of quickly sweeping everything into one big, messy pile. Mark and I spent 4 hours re-cleaning: re-sweeping, then shop-vac'ing all the surfaces and organizing the drywall scraps by size and length. Mark hung some of the extra pieces of drywall to the interior of the furnace/hot water heater room that we did not have the contractors drywall. Mark figures we have about 1,500 sq. ft. of "finished" space down there. I have a feeling we'll be spending many more evenings "re-cleaning" during the course of the drywall installation.

February 25, 2009

About 90% of the drywall was hung today. I expected a mess, especially when we get to the sanding. But, it is a disaster already! I keep thinking back to how much time Mark & I spent cleaning and sealing the concrete. :) The drywallers said they will clean up tomorrow, but I don't expect it to be spotless. I believe I will skip Ladies Night Out tomorrow night, to sweep, vacuum, and mop down there just to try to keep up with it.

There are also more pictures in our online basement album here.

Until tomorrow...

February 24, 2009

First off, I forgot to mention yesterday that I won a free photo editing class on www.jessicasprague.com over the weekend. The class starts tonight, so I'm excited to have the opportunity to take it.

Jacob and Kendall had school this morning and I ran lots of errands: Kroger, Sherwin-Williams, Big Lots, and Wal-Mart. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I usually drive another neighbor boy, Frankie, to and from school. Today, he didn't come home for lunch with us like he usually does. Good thing! During lunch Kendall said something silly and Jacob replied, "What the h**l!" I asked him to repeat it and he said it again, plain as day. We had a conversation about the literal meaning of the word (which lead Jacob to tell me all about the devil which was also pretty interesting to hear) and how we don't use the word otherwise. He now knows he may say the word in the bathroom, but if I hear it, he'll have soap in the mouth.

We also talked about school at lunch. He forgot all about playing checkers and played basketball instead. He said he'll try checkers tomorrow. He also said he lead the Pledge of Allegiance, holding the flag, in class today and really liked that job. So, I recorded his rendition below.

The drywall was delivered to the basement today. It took two men 1.5 hours to carry it all. I'm so glad it wasn't Mark trying to handle that job himself. However, one of the men had muddy shoes and tracked mud through the house and down the carpeted stairs. I vacuumed the stairs, but they are now dirty in the middle. I guess I was going to have them cleaned anyway after all this "construction" is done. The actual drywall hangers will be here tomorrow. Until then...

February 23, 2009

It was our typical Monday morning: take Jacob to school, come home and throw a meal in the crockpot, head out to the neighborhood playgroup with Kendall, pick Jacob up from school, make lunch, etc. After lunch, I took the foosball table top off our game table for air hockey. Kendall and Jacob had fun with that. In order to change the table over to air hockey, I also had to remove a top with a checkerboard and backgammon board on it. That tweaked Jacob's interest. I guess some kids at school play checkers with the teacher and he didn't know how. So, most of the afternoon was spent playing checkers, checkers, checkers. He also played with Mark after dinner and with me again after showers. He might be obsessed! However, he cries when I beat him at the game (yeah, I know, it's bad to be beat by ol' mom). I just can't let him win (well, maybe once I did). He'll learn the game better that way and learn that you don't always win, right? It will be interesting to see if he plays checkers at school tomorrow.

February 22, 2009

It was a slow morning...just hanging out. Mark snuck out and surprised us with some donuts from a local shop down the street. He did say their prices have gone up $2/doz. in the last year. Just a sign of the times, I'm afraid, and it will only get worse with inflation coming our way.

Grandma & Grandpa P stopped by for the afternoon. Of course, one of Kendall's favorite things to do is have grandma style her hair. Oh, and she usually tells them at some point, "I have something to show you in my room." She will then lead an unsuspecting visitor to her room, shut the door, and have a captive playmate - no sharing with Jacob! :)

February 21, 2009

Wouldn't you know! Kim K. and I went to Annette's house early in the morning to catch up with each other, have some coffee and treats - and I didn't bring my camera! Ugh! It is good to see my friends and learn what is new with them and their families. While we were visiting, a snow storm started and we got some heavy snow. Kim was taking her two kids out to Stryker (I think) after leaving Annette's to pick up their steers for a 4-H project - I hope they made it safely in the weather! Mark and I were going to go to Adrian, MI to a carpet warehouse, but the weather forced us just to go to Lowe's on the way to pick up the kids from the grandparents.

Here are just some random photos of the basement today.....new cold air return (yes, very exciting, I know!) and all Mark's speaker wire bundled up. He has his speakers stored away until the messy drywall is done.

Oh, and I am totally stoked (that word is much too hip for me! LOL). I discovered tonight that the Sherwin-Williams' website gives you the hex# and RGB values of all their paint colors! If you work in photoshop, you can see where this is leading. If not, well....I can recolor anything to those exact coordinates, creating a perfect match. Imagine the possibilities! Custom wall art matched to our paint colors! I explained it to Mark this way: I can custom make beer signs for the basement to match whatever colors we pick out. Ahhh! Then get them printed poster-sized (possible at 300 dpi) or, heck, even on canvas! Whoa! This is very exciting for me! :)

February 20, 2009

Our Brazilian neighbor, Adriana, and her husband, Marcio, invited a bunch of us over for dinner to celebrate her birthday. It was also the kick off to Carnival in Brazil. Adriana said she had never gone to Rio de Janiero for it because it is much too dangerous. Our dinner party was on the tamer side of Carnival celebrations, but it was very nice. Mark met some other neighborhood men and I hung out with playgroup and bunko women - without children running around. It was a very enjoyable evening.

Earlier in the day, Kendall and I went to the library while Jacob was in school. We picked Jacob up from school and I headed out to the grandparent's to drop the kids off for an overnight stay. Aunt Bev and Kelsie stopped by while we were there - that was nice to see them!

Well, I've been very lax on my photo taking. I must get back in the swing of it! We will see what tomorrow brings.

February 18, 2009

Not a very exciting photo for today, but it is our toy box, unorganized. It gets a lot of use and I am looking forward to moving it down to the basement. The HVAC guys came today. Mark is kicking himself for hiring someone to drop 3 heating ducts, a cold air return, and install a vent. After seeing the work they did, he thinks he could've done the job himself and he would have positioned a couple things differently. Live and learn, I guess. On a positive note, they serviced our furnace and the job is DONE.

I spent the evening at bunko. It is always a good time and great food....this time Brazilian fare since Adriana hosted. Yum! And, most conversation was about suspicious people in the neighborhood lately and other shinanigans going on in the Toledo area. One friend even called the sheriff yesterday. Hmmm...I guess it's a reminder to never completely let your guard down.

February 17, 2009

Mark wired his screen tonight and is quite proud. He is thinking of repositioning the screen a bit, but is wondering if it's worth unmounting and remounting the entire housing. He thinks he could've gone with a bigger screen (just like a man, right?). Now he is antsy to get a projector...can you imagine us watching a movie amidst the construction? Tomorrow the HVAC guys come to do a couple things. Then we are good to go for drywall. We'll see what tomorrow brings....

February 16, 2009

Jacob needed a friend today, on his day off from school. We went to playgroup in the morning, but that just wasn't enough. We called Anna across the street, but she couldn't come over. Then, Jacob and Kendall watched a Noggin program called, "Little Bear." Well, Little Bear's mother sewed/knitted a "friend" for Little Bear. Jacob asked if I could do that. I admitted to him that I couldn't sew or knit as well as Little Bear's mother, but there was something else I could do. So, he watched in amazement as I stuffed an old shirt and pants with towels and socks and banded the arms and legs with rubber bands. I poked the head of his Yoda out the top and voila!: he had his own friend. We then played a couple board games with "Friend" (that's his name). Jacob showed him how to play some computer games. "Friend" also slept with Jacob tonight. Hmmm...maybe I should invite some of Jacob's real friends over?

February 15, 2009

We spent the day hopping from Home Depot to Lowe's to Andersons looking at stuff for the basement. We did pick up a stainless steel sink on clearance for $37, marked down from $150. That's about it. The HVAC guys are coming on Wednesday, then we are free and clear to start the drywall. I need to pick out paint/carpet/countertop colors and get going on that stuff. Once the drywall is done, the finish work can start!
I'm experimenting today....here is a VIDEO of Kendall dancing - she's got rhythm!

February 14, 2009

We were lucky enough to celebrate Carter's birthday in person today. Kim, Joe and kids spent the weekend at Joe's parent's house in Hanover, Michigan. It was great to spend the day there - Rita is always so gracious and welcoming.

Blog Maintenance

As you can see, I changed the coloring and "bling" on the blog. I thought a black background would make the photos "pop" and add some sophistication. However, it might be difficult to read for you (we just got a new monitor, so everything looks mmm-mmm-good!). Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Also, my photos have filled up 15% of my alloted space on blogger and I'm only 1/2 way through February. Not good. I may move all the pictures to a photo-hosting site and link up from there. I'm hoping you will not even notice the change, but if the pictures are not appearing nicely for you, please let me know. I'll probably make that change Sunday or next week.

Later, gators!

February 12, 2009

Kendall had her Valentine's party at school. This is the beautiful dress she wore, made with lots of love by Grandma P.

Jacob did a great job addressing and signing his Valentine cards today. I think he secretly enjoyed doing it! :)

This evening we went to the University of Toledo vs. Bowling Green State University women's basketball game. It is a big rivalry and the stands were packed (though we ended up sitting next to some neighbors!). Mark dropped us off and had to park across campus (past Bachelder Hall, Christine!). It was a good time.

February 11, 2009

Rain, rain, go away! The weather is back into the 50's, with lots of rain and wind. The ground is still partially frozen, so the water doesn't have anywhere to go. I happened to look outside while fixing dinner and noticed our backyard (pic #1). Then, about an hour later, I gasped as the flooding was even worse. (pic #2) At least our basement is dry. This sure is spring-like weather in February!

Another Scrapbook Page

I just stumbled upon this layout I started a few weeks ago and forgot about. I polished up the extraction, did some quick journalling (I'm not good at that part) and was done with it.

Scrapbooking Class-Week 4

I am happy with this week's assignment. I had photos from June 2007 that coordinated with the coloring and flow of this layout. Some pictures are not perfectly in focus, but I kind of like that effect. Oh, and this is a 2-page layout. The dimensions are 24" wide by 12" tall.....my computer was chugga-chugging along, trying to process this one! The full, editable version is over 350MB!

February 10, 2009

It was Purple Day at school for Kendall, so she wore this purple dress that I call her "Snow Princess Dress." She really isn't fond of it, the fur bugs her, but I insisted since she was to wear purple to school! When she got home, I had her change so we could enjoy the 60 degree day on a bike ride. It's amazing that a winter's worth of snow can be gone in a matter of two days. Of course, that means lots of puddles and dirty snow left on the ground. Soooo....the kids had to change clothes again after we spent almost 3 hours outside. They were soaked and muddy.

Another drywaller stopped by the house to estimate the basement job this morning. He gave his quote right then and there. It was higher than our painter's estimate, so Mark told him he had expected it to be lower. Well, by the time Mark drove to work, the drywaller had called and left him a voicemail with a new number - a couple hundred less than our painter's. Mark didn't return his call yet, but probably will accept that bid and it might be started pretty soon. Woo hoo!

I actually won 4 tickets today from a local sports TV station to a University of Toledo vs. Bowling Green women's basketball game. I got an email this morning (as I was working on my scrapbooking class) that said the first 6 people to enter the contest would win tickets. So, I went to their website, filled out the information, and, about 10 minutes later, received an email saying I won. Jacob is super excited...he pumped his fists and yelled, "Yessss!" when I told him. He plays basketball everyday in the gym during free time at school. Plus, he plays basketball in the basement every night with his own hoop down there. The game is Thursday night, so he's counting down the hours.

February 9, 2009

Getting back into the groove on a Monday! The only one in the house who doesn't have a problem waking up at the crack of dawn is Kendall! She was up at 6:30, talkative and ready to go for the day. Jacob, on the other hand, has to be woken every morning. On weekends, he'll just sleep and sleep.

Today was our weekly neighborhood playgroup in the morning. The host mom this week was brave enough to bake Valentine cookies and let the kids frost them! Surprisingly, the kids kept pretty clean - but, I still didn't dare let Kendall wear the Valentine dress Grandma P made for her! The children also exchanged Valentine's - everyone enjoyed it (thanks, Darlene!).

It has been a week since we had our painter come out for a drywall estimate and we still haven't seen the quote. I called him and he said the delay was due to computer problems, but he'd have the quote emailed to us tonight. Sure enough he did, and sure enough it was yet another quote higher than we expected! That's the way it goes when you have a home improvement project...

February 8, 2009

Grandma and Grandpa P happened to stop by this afternoon and got more than they bargained for!! Mark was working in the basement, of course, so he enlisted his dad's help insulating the ceiling. Since they were still working at dinnertime, we treated everyone to Arby's! Still, pretty cheap labor! :) The insulation job was completed.

February 7, 2009

It must be a sign that spring will arrive eventually: Kendall found a ladybug in the bathroom! She and Jacob played with it before dinner. When we were about done with our tacos (thanks, Mom, for joining us!), we saw that the ladybug somehow found its way onto Kendall's chair. They were friends for life, literally (the ladybug's life, that is). The poor thing was handled and played with and coached to do tricks.....then, as all bugs that the kids find, it met its unavoidable death and into the garbage can it went!

Mark made three trips to Menards today, filling up the SUV with insulation. He is just finishing up for the day as I type this, but will soon have all the walls done. Tomorrow, he will tackle insulating the ceiling, which I expect to be trickier. I have uploaded lots of basement pictures...if you're interested, just click on the photo below.

February 6, 2009

The electrician for the basement was at our house at 7:45am this morning. He planned to work late tonight and show up again at 8am tomorrow morning to finish the job. Well, at 3:15 the guy packed up and said he's finished! What?! It's making us a little nervous that he got done so quickly. Basically, they pulled all the wiring and temporarily set the can lighting up in the ceiling. They will be coming back out after we have the drywall done and the ceiling hung to finish the work. Nothing is "live."
Tonight was spent cleaning up all the sawdust and woodchips left behind by the electrician. The whole family was involved! :)

February 5, 2009

The kids enjoyed their first "Pop Rock" candy tonight, thanks to Grandma & Grandpa P.

Scrapbooking Class-Week 3

February 4, 2009

Kendall and I had a special treat today: we saw Dora the Explorer live at the theater. It was hard to tell if she was enjoying herself (as you can see in the first photo), but she was all smiles and very animated telling Jacob and Mark all about it. It was, indeed, a hit. She chose where we went to lunch after the show and her pick was Taco Bell. She gobbled down a taco and asked for another one. Kendall even had pop....it was definitely "her day!"

Now, it certainly takes a picture of myself to realize how I look. My clothing and my hair sure do look "matronly." Oh, my goodness. I think I need a style change - especially in the hair department. I feel a short haircut coming my way soon!

February 3, 2009

Well, I did not take a photo today....I seem to think of it as I go to bed. I think I need to make an "inspiration list" of things to photograph on days when nothing inspires me to pull out the camera. I will post pictures of the kids I took two days ago....their energy is so palpable!

February 2, 2009

Jacob started a new Lego set today and is totally obsessed with completing it. He even asked me to wake him in the morning when I get up (I usually get up about an hour before the kids), so he can work on it. It is a Coast Guard helicopter set that he got from Christmas from Uncle Joe & Aunt Kim. He is excited that it has a mechanical wench for rescue missions!

February 1, 2009

February is officially here and we kicked it off with a little SuperBowl party with the parents and in-laws. What a great game! The kids even stayed up to the end of the game. And, Mark was able to use the extra pairs of hands and mount his screen in the basement.