March 30, 2009

The kids had a joint birthday party for Elyana (1) and Alex (3), both neighborhood playgroup friends, at Chuck E. Cheese. Jacob and Kendall, of course, had a great time playing, eating pizza, and cupcakes.

We decompressed this afternoon with a little TV and blowing bubbles outside. The sun was shining, but it was chilly (in the 40's).

Mark came home today with his Jeep filled up with black ceiling tile. He worked all evening putting them in.

Side note: Kendall said she couldn't go to sleep tonight because "her eyelashes hurt." She gets pretty creative when bedtime rolls around! :)

March 29, 2009

Mark applied the leveling compound this morning and thinks we probably need more. This needs to dry 16 hours before we can continue on with the tiling. So, he shifted his attention to his built-in shelves and picked up some oak planks and plywood today to get it going.


Jacob has been pretty interested in the NCAA basketball tourney these days. There has been a lot of basketball being played in our house - yes, IN our house! We have a 6' kids basketball hoop to play a little one-on-one! Sad to say, Jacob usually beats me. :)

March 28, 2009

The tiling project has begun! I told Mark about the neighbor's tile and we picked it up at Menards this morning. We got this much laid out before we went to the in-laws for dinner (and to check out their kitchen renovations!). However, we discovered a low spot by the bathtub, at the drain end, where the cement is angled toward the drain. So, we stopped at Menards again tonight and picked up some leveling compound....and a toilet! I never thought I would be so excited about a toilet! :) And, we got a manual tile cutter. Mark is hoping that will do the job and we won't have to rent a wet saw.

Once we put down a little of the leveling compound, we'll have to let it dry a while. I'm not sure if we'll get it done this weekend afterall. But it should be done in a couple days.

Here's the link to the type of tile system we are using: http://www.snapstone.net/index.html

March 27, 2009

TGIF! Jacob had school and I brought home some congoleum samples for the basement. I forgot to mention we had a neighbor stop by to estimate installing tile in the bathroom and bar area...we decided either we would do it ourselves or go with a congoleum.


Well, I had the neighborhood bunko tonight. Coincidentally, the host of bunko just installed tile through their living room and dining room themselves using a "snap together" tile system from Menards. They said it was easy to do and turned out great. Ah ha! Too bad Mark was already asleep when I got home. I'll have to wait until tomorrow to tell him about it. :)

March 26, 2009

No photos today. The HVAC guys came this morning to install the registers for the heating/cooling ducts in the basement. They sure aren't the most conscientious workers. They broke two ceiling tile (Mark had to pick up another box tonight to have extras) and I just noticed one is still buggered up. Of course, Mark says he should have just done it himself....

Nice day today...the kids and I played outside. Kendall loves the sandbox and Jacob & I played corn hole. I made a nice Colorado roast for dinner. All is well!

March 25, 2009

Kendall was thrilled to wear her raincoat and boots today, since it drizzled most of the morning. So, the highlight of their day was going to Anderson's with Mark and riding around the store in the "race car" cart! While they were at the store, I left for our annual Homeowners' Association Meeting. I am so glad not to be on the board anymore! Anyway, there was a vote passed to spend lots of money to re-do the entrance to the neighborhood....Mark is not too happy about that.

I took a picture of Jacob and Kendall today with their preschool Art Show creations. I figure now I can justify secretly throwing them out! That sounds kind of bad, but who saves all this stuff and where??? They are cute crafts, but we have 18-20 more years of school projects! I just have to make sure they don't see it in the garbage. :)

More pictures of the basement are here. We now have over 100 photos!

March 24, 2009

Today we took Frankie to/from school and, wouldn't you know, he now has a cough, too! It's not as yucky as Jacob's, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for him.

The kids and I made an impromptu trip out to see my parents. They are leaving for Los Angeles on Friday to visit my grandfather. I took out some magazine reading material for the plane ride (thanks, Lisa!!).

We came home and grilled some steak....yesterday morning's forecast for today was to be 65. Last night's forecast for today was to be 57. It didn't get past 47 degrees! My vision of grilling in mild weather was not reality! The food was good, none the less!

While fixing some accompaniments for the steak, I let the kids play with playdough. Why is that so messy? It makes me very uptight with all the "crumbs" on the floor, the colors inadvertently getting mixed together, and the bits stuck in the playdough tools. I don't do well with it, but the kids enjoy it. It actually gave me a headache - literally. Yes, I need to just chill out about it. :)

After dinner, we did a volcano experiment. Jacob learned about it in school and "taught" us all how to make the volcano explode.

I forgot to mention that Mark is DONE with the ceilings he has tile for. The black doesn't come in until next week. However, the last and largest area he completed didn't go well. He had to trim practically every ceiling tile. Little did he know, as he installed the grid, that his "guide" walls were not square. He got it done, though. I brought home a couple sample tiles today for the bathroom floor. Not sure if I like either one.

Here is the link to yesterday's birthday party video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrwgtH8w0Lk

Until tomorrow....

March 23, 2009

If you are reading this, you know I have finally updated the blog with photos and descriptions of the last week or so. My blogging was de-prioritized for many reasons and the children were patient with me today as I took the time to catch it up.

Jacob was back in school - happy to see his friends again and, at the same time, sad not to stay home with me. He (we) will get back in the routine again! Plus, it seems with the kindergarten schedule next year (every other day) he'll be home more than he is now!

We attended a birthday party for our little Brazilian neighbor, Veronica, who turned 2 years old. What a blast! It started at 5pm and we left at 8pm. Here are a couple pictures (kudos to Adriana for such a nice party) and I have a video I will post tomorrow. We took a "girl" photo. There were as many boys there, but we couldn't "round them up" for a picture! They were always on the move.

March 22, 2009

Well, we spent the morning painting the staircase to the basement - the final big painting project. Mark held an extension ladder while I did the painting. However, it turned out very blotchy - it's the same paint/color we used "in" the basement, but it didn't go on the same. I'm very disappointed and hoping it's better tomorrow once it dries more. I know Mark will not be a happy camper to learn we need to re-do it.

The afternoon was beautiful - in the 50's and sunny, a bit breezy. Again, the kids and I spent lots of time outside. I cleaned the interior of the car - even shampooed the floor mats. The kids played in the sandbox, with sidewalk paints, rode their bikes/scooters all over, and I grilled chicken for dinner. I even sat in a lawn chair for a bit and read more of "The Shack." What an addicting book! Christine mailed a copy to me and Kim M. & another friend also mentioned it to me, so I thought, "I better read this book!" I will be passing it to my mom after I'm done - she will really enjoy it, too.

March 21, 2009

No picture today....hmmm. Uninspired, I guess. The kids and I went back to Dillards to exchange Jacob's new shoes. The pair we bought yesterday were much too big, but Jacob absolutely loves them. Luckily, they had a smaller pair that fit much better. Then we went off to the library to return books and brought home more books and a few movies. From the picture to the left (stolen from an internet image), you can see why the kids love going to the library! :)

March 20, 2009

Jacob is baaack! If he had school today, he would have gone! So, without school, we ran a bunch of fun errands. We have 3 birthday parties in the next couple weeks, so we went to Barnes & Noble and a fun toy store nearby. Then, we went to Dillards and got Jacob a new pair of tennis shoes. His current ones have holes in the toes and the sole is worn out. The kids and I ate lunch at McDonalds and then went to Tireman to have a screw removed from my tire and patched up. After that, the kids got haircuts.

Mark came home early - just as Jacob and I were building a Lego racetrack on the floor, all the way around the kitchen table. I heated up some leftover lasagna made earlier in the week and we were off to the preschool Art Show & Open House.

This is the highlight of the year, in my opinion. The teachers spend a lot of time preparing: Kendall's classroom was decorated for spring with kites and blue birds the kids made (and you can look through photos and the children's workbooks); Jacob has 2 classrooms connected together - one was dinosaur land with a huge dinosaur made from lots of boxes, the other room was a rain forest; a large meeting room was transformed into the North and South Poles/Ocean with penguins, polar bears, fish, crabs, and jellyfish creations; the gym is the jungle room with a swamp in the middle with frogs, snakes, turtles and the perimeter of the gym had monkeys, lions, zebras, etc. Of course, there were lots of cookies and punch. Both sets of grandparents came, as always, and we all had a great time. The turn out was great - hundreds of people/kids attended.

Afterwards, Grandma & Grandpa C. came over (with donuts) to see the progress Mark had made on the basement. We visited for a while, which was nice.

March 19, 2009

Have I mentioned Kendall loves to paint. It's usually a big mess....but I've learned to use a table cloth (even the "washable" paints can stain the table) and a smock! I gave her paper grocery bags today to paint.

Jacob is doing better today....whew! I hope he continues to get better. His cough is just nasty....deep and wet. No fever, though. I'm grateful for that today.

Tonight I enjoyed a couple hours at Ladies Night Out (LNO) with some neighbors at Panera Bread. Each month someone else coordinates the LNO. You pick a date, location, and send a mass email to the neighborhood. In the past we have gone to the art museum, comedy club, seminars, cooking class, salsa danced, out to dinner, etc. This month was my turn and I wasn't very inspired, nor was I in the mood for anything complicated. Panera Bread it was! When I got home, my conversation with Mark went like this:

M-Where did you go for LNO?

J-To Panera Bread.

M-Who picked that? (oblivious that I planned it)

J-I did, it was my turn to do LNO.

M- [chuckle and shakes head]

He thought it was a "nerdy" choice. Oh well, it was a success anyway. I met a couple new and very interesting neighbor ladies (an active-duty Navy pilot and a new neighbor from India).

March 18, 2009

Jacob stayed home from school today again and had a relapse in the afternoon. He had a low fever and was lethargic. He told me, "I can't run, I can only walk slow." Poor kid. I had to call Frankie's mom to tell her we better not drive Frankie to/from preschool tomorrow, for fear he would catch it. Hopefully, we didn't get Frankie sick on Tuesday when he was over. Jacob will be home tomorrow for sure.

Mark has been continuing to hang the ceiling tile for the basement. He has the grid completed in the "theater" area and only the pool table/playroom area to go. His black ceiling tile doesn't come in until the 30th.

Kendall and I made chocolate chip cookies tonight to take into preschool tomorrow in preparation for their annual Art Show on Friday. The kids will not have school Friday - this allows the teachers time to set everything up. That means Jacob will have only gone to school Monday of this week! I hope he is on the mend soon.

March 17, 2009

Happy St. Patrick's Day! It was a beautiful day...unseasonably warm - in the high 60's. Jacob did stay home from school and flopped around while Kendall and Frankie (in photo) were at preschool. Then, after lunch (complete with green milk) we played outside for most of the afternoon. Jacob seemed to be feeling good and enjoying the outdoors. We even opened up the sandbox and hung out with the Glenn's across the street.

March 16, 2009

Jacob woke up with a nasty cough, but off to school we went. Kendall and I went to playgroup and then picked Jacob up from school. As we waited for his classroom to open up, I peeked in the class door window and saw Jacob coughing and just looking ill. Oh, no. The poor kid was not feeling well at all.

March 15, 2009

It was a productive Sunday. Mark hung more of the basement ceiling and I did random chores and the grocery shopping. Later in the day, we celebrated Dad P's birthday at Cousino's Steak House and topped it off with cake and ice cream.

February Photos

I am finally getting caught up with some scrapbooking. Here's the February composite.

March 14, 2009

Mark just finished the ceiling in the storage room. He did a great job!

March 13, 2009

Jacob took a picture of me today: here it is!

We turned in our HD cable box today, so no more Noggin and Speed channels or Video-On-Demand! :( Really, though, for the amount of time we spend watching TV it's not worth it and it really ups the blood pressure when all the cable fees are incrementally hiked about every 6 months. ugh.

Jacob ended up having an impromptu playdate at an old preschool friend's house in a nearby neighborhood this afternoon. So, with Jake having school this morning and gone in the afternoon, it was definitely a Kendall Day. We played a matching card game, Chutes & Ladders, a Discovery Toy bug game, baked cookies, and she helped me with laundry. I gave her a papertowel with Windex on it and she was a happy camper wiping down anything at her level!

Mark has started hanging the ceiling in the basement - starting in the storage room where any "beginner errors" will not really be seen! It's all very exciting to see it come together. Now, we just have the woodwork, flooring, cabinets, countertops, and finish work on the plumbing, electrical, and duct work! It seems we have come so far, but then have so far to go until completion. We'll be done one day!

Until tomorrow....

March 12, 2009

Well, here is the RED bathroom. The photos really do make it look bright. We have no light fixtures in the room yet, so it's hard to tell what it will actually look like. It is a bit radical, but fun. I have decided to let it go at 2 coats of paint. Now, wait until Mark sees the floor tile I have picked out....more wild-ness!

Today Annette and her 2 children stopped by (Aubrey-3; Collin-18 mo.). I felt so bad because the house isn't very baby-proofed for Collin, so we just carried on a conversation while following him all around. It was good to see my friend of nearly 30 years and catch up! We should do that more often. Oh, and she got the job that I was a reference for last week. Woo hoo!

March 11, 2009

Wow...all this painting has really put me behind on my blogging! Today, Mom took Jacob to and from school and was out and about with the kids (and Jacob came home with a "real tool kit"-photos above). That solo time allowed me to put the first coat on the bathroom - YUCK! Not the color itself, but the nature of the color. As I was painting, I began to remember people telling me how difficult red was to paint. Yep. And the man at the paint store mentioned two, possibly three, coats would be needed. He wasn't kidding. The first coat went on and was definitely not acceptable. Plus, my paint skills at the ceiling line were horrible. I used a "edge painter." It worked fine for the green paint, but not for the red.

I let the paint dry until the kids went to bed tonight. Then, I painted a second coat and fixed up my edge line at the ceiling. MUCH better. We will see what it looks like in the morning. Mark says not to worry about a third coat, but it will bug me if it doesn't look good.


Until tomorrow...

March 10, 2009

While Jacob and Kendall had school this morning I ran errands (bank, grocery store), but I forgot my color swatch to take to the paint store in order to buy the bathroom paint. Ugh. The kids and I ended up getting the paint in the afternoon. No actual painting was done today. Here are the colors we are using in the basement.

Can you tell I have painting on the brain? It seems to be consuming our free time lately. I can say that Jacob is enjoying Dinosaur Week at school and Kendall is telling us all about a little boy named Keegan, in her class. It is very interesting to hear them report about their day when we eat dinner with Mark. We usually learn something new! :)

March 9, 2009

This morning I went to an inservice at preschool on dealing with "Challenging Children." There were only 9 other mom's there. Hmmm...we must be in the minority?? Anyway, I learned a few things and got some good tips.
After lunch, the kids went to our neighbor's house to play while I painted the back accent wall a deeper green. I picked the kids up, got the mail and received a nice card from another neighbor. We are so lucky to have the family, friends, and neighbors we do! What would we do without them?
Mark came home and said the wall I painted looked nice (it's the far, facing wall in the photo). Now, I will tackle the bathroom. It will be RED. That is a bit radical for us if you know what the rest of our house looks like. It will be interesting to see how it turns out.

March 8, 2009

This morning we went to church (yes, you read that right!). The kids sang with some of their preschool classmates. Plus, we had a lot to thank God for: Mark's job, our health, the ability to finish the basement, etc. Mark's parents helped us out again: they met us at church and took the kids to Cracker Barrel while Mark and I picked up the paint and got started painting the basement. When they got back home, Mark's dad changed clothes and helped us out again. We got everything painted except the staircase, bathroom and one accent wall. We almost ran out of paint, but were able to just finish the job.
Mark and his dad were calling me the "boss." I definitely have my ideas of what to paint, in what order, and how! They tried to appease me the best they could....:)

March 7, 2009

Saturday......Mark's parents came over: his dad helped up prime the walls of the basement while his mom was in charge of the kids and cooked for us! :) That was very nice - and we got all the walls primed in record time. Mark wanted to start painting, but the primer needed to dry overnight.

Tomorrow's plan is to start painting.

March 6, 2009

I will edit this entry with a photo once I figure out how to upload my pictures from my cell phone. I have a USB cable and software, but the main feature of the software ("transfer files") seems to be missing! I probably bought some "demo"version of it from eBay...no wonder it was so cheap! :) And, I'm cheap because I don't pay for the ability to email the pictures from my phone. I've got a tech support email to Motorola...I'll get it figured out...

Anyway, I took pictures at Jacob's field trip to the downtown Toledo branch of the Toledo Lucas County Library. It is such an impressive building and the children's library is great. Kennedy would have loved the American Girl exhibit, with ALL the dolls on display. Kendall spent the time at the church nursery at preschool with some of her classmates. However, she actually cried when Jacob & I left for the field trip, which was unusual. She ended up having a great time playing there.

It was a great day, in the 60's, and felt a bit like spring. Anna and Ashley came over and played with J & K...we ended up spending about 2.5 hours outside. After a winter season of indoor play, the kids were exhausted and ready for bed early - me, too.

Until tomorrow...

March 5, 2009

The drywallers are DONE! Today was spent shop-vac'ing and mopping the basement. I feel a bit dusty right now from head to toe. :)

In between cleaning the basement: the kids had school; I was called, as a reference, by a potential new employer of my friend, Annette; I discovered that our cable bill has increased AGAIN; and we had a impromptu playgroup at a neighbor's house.

Here is a picture of some play time in Jacob's closet after showers tonight. The kids were squeaky clean.

Until tomorrow...

March 4, 2009

Grandma and Grandpa P. stopped by to check out the work that the drywallers were doing. They are contemplating more kitchen renovations, so Grandpa P. talked to them and did a little "supervising!" The drywallers completed their work today! They started the wall texture in the afternoon and completed it. They just need to return in the morning to clean up. Mark and I are now priming all the walls/ceilings on Saturday. Then, it will be my job to paint next week. (10 more basement photos here)

It was a pleasant day, although still around 30 degrees. The kids spent a little time outside while Grandpa P. cleaned our garage and played cornhole with Jacob. Grandma P. pushed Kendall on the swings and both kids rode their bikes up and down the sidewalks.

The day was full of surprise visitors! Grandma C. stopped by later in the day to say, "hi!" The kids thought it was great to see so many grandparents in one day. Kendall had to call Grandma C. back and leave a message on the answering machine: she forgot to ask "how is Harley?" which is Kendall's standard conversation about their dog every time she sees Grandma & Grandpa C.

Until tomorrow...

March 3, 2009

It was a big day: I registered Jacob for Kindergarten in the fall. He is fairly nonchalant about the whole thing. Now, we just have to wait for the details like what days he goes (in our district classes are every other day, all day) and to what bus stop we are assigned. How exciting!

Kendall and Jacob both had school this morning. I ran a couple errands and cleaned the house a bit. The drywallers are still plugging along. Jacob finished a Lego castle, which used to be Mark's as a young boy. Our neighbor, Anna, came over and helped Jacob set up all the knights, horses, and such.

Bedtime with Kendall was not a big issue tonight, so I have not moved her bookcase out! :)

March 2, 2009

The drywall guys were back this morning and I hosted playgroup here, so it was a little nutsy - in a good way! Let me tell you, our neighbors are some of the nicest people. It is always good to see the moms on Monday morning.

Speaking of nice people, I received a surprise package in the mail today. Pam, Mark's cousin and follower of this blog ;), sent me a cookbook for a belated birthday present. I LOVE cookbooks and this one looks interesting. It caters to cooking for children/picky eaters by "sneaking" healthy stuff in the food....carrots in meatloaf, applesauce in muffins, pumpkin in cakes, squash in spaghetti & meatballs, etc.

Jacob helped put his Star Wars sheets on his bed today. Tonight, he wore his Star Wars pajamas, his Star Wars underwear, and he slept with his stuffed Yoda! He was a happy kid.

Kendall was not so happy. Bedtime is such a battle. I thought we were doing good, as I've been having her pick out 2 books to read right after baths rather than at bedtime. Picking 2 books for her is hard and frustrating for me; it just ends the day badly and ruins my evening. Well, it was another struggle with the books she chose earlier in the night. So, I think I'm going to move the bookshelf (too many choices) out of her room and just leave a handful of books on her nightstand. I hate to do that, but if it makes bedtime more peaceful, without discipline and screaming, it will be worth it.

March 1, 2009

Happy Birthday, Chance! Boy, he would have LOVED the waterpark - and the waffle & sausage breakfast we had this morning! :)

After breakfast, we went swimming one more time before leaving the park. Jacob became much more confident in the water and was actually swimming underwater to me - as long as he had his goggles on! :)

We were home in time for lunch. Then, Mark spotted Star Wars sheets in the Target ad, so I ran over there and picked them up. Jacob is very excited to have them on his bed as soon as I get them washed. Kendall took a good nap - no surprise there after swimming so much. And, I made our dinner choices so bad that Mark asked me to run to Subway for dinner! That works for me.

February 28, 2009

Thanks to a gift from my parents, we took an overnight excursion to a local waterpark in Dundee, MI, called Splash Universe (part of Holiday Inn). The kids had so much fun - especially Jacob who was hard to keep track of as he ran from one thing to another. Kendall enjoyed it, too, but was timid with the slides and such. Her favorite was floating on the "lazy river" with me and bopping around the toddler pool. The hotel and pool were sold out, so many others must have used it for a winter escape, too.