Little Adventures

J and I took a little drive to New Braunfels yesterday morning. It's about an hour and fifteen minutes away. We went to have a quick visit with Cousin M, who is visiting from Geneva by way of Seattle. His sister, Cousin D, just had a baby on Wednesday. Sweet little L clocked in at well over 8 pounds and 22 inches! Wow! Quite the linebacker! Anyway, off we headed south after the rush hour traffic. We passed by the San Marcos outlets, so I taught J how to say "outlets". It was something like "outlas". There was a gigantic county fair going on so we had to take the scenic route around town to get to our destination. Our visit was quick, but involved a trip to a great park so J could play and we could chat. J also had fun exploring the design shop M was working at and leaving a few marks on some decorative apples that looked oh so real. Maybe the teeth marks will make them look more authentic?
It was great to see M even if it was only for a short while. We are hoping that we will get to see him a little longer on his next trip to TX!

I was hoping the sleep gods would work in my favor on the drive home so that I could make a quick stop at the outlets and let J nap in the stroller. Unfortunately he fell asleep after drinking his milk, which was about 2.5 seconds after we got into the car. It was probably better we didn't stop, as the temptation to spend is just too great there.

I had a special treat this morning. I got to sleep in until 7:30 and at about that time, B and J prepared to meet C, Z, T, and S (translation: daddies and kiddos) for breakfast and some morning playtime at the playground and splash park. The idea was to give the moms a little time off to do whatever while they got together for some father/son/friend bonding time.

I used the time to hit some garage sales. Two neighborhoods were having community garage sales, so I got to a bunch of houses. I'm not a broken in garage saler, so I only made it through one neighborhood, but I was pleased with my little stash. I picked up some books, some foam play mat tiles, an automatically inflatable, portable booster seat (this is really neat and I got it for $5), some stacking buckets with opposite pictures and words printed on each side, and a wooden shape toy. I missed out on a garden shovel and a hose roller, both of which we need, but I was too slow on the first one, and the sellers wouldn't budge on their price on the other and I figured I could get a better one new compared to what they wanted. I ended the morning with some coffee, a scone, and a little relaxation time before the boys headed home. I hope they decide to do this more often!

J and I are on our own this evening and probably for a large chunk of tomorrow. B is meeting his brother D in Van Horn, TX (about halfway between here and Tucson) so that B can give D our baby stuff that they wanted to borrow. It seemed so silly to have them buy all new stuff when ours is in perfectly good condition and is just sitting around in our garage waiting for kid number 2. So if you hear of any goings on in Van Horn tomorrow on the news, it's probably because the two boys got a little crazy and shook things up a bit. I mean, you never know what can happen when B tries to take food off of D's plate (chewed or unchewed).

Budding Socialite

I had my first taste of the Junior League today. Well, sort of. B signed me up for the Capital Area Dental Alliance, which is a fancy way of saying "a dental wives club." The first meeting of the year was at the home of another endodontist (that's a root canal dentist to those of you not familiar with all those different types of "ists" out there). They meet monthly to work on volunteer projects in and out of the dental community and also have social functions. Today's meeting was a potluck dinner ( I made that lemon cake again!) with a speaker from a local volunteer organization that helps seniors who live alone in their own homes so that they can stay in their homes as long as possible. This includes providing transportation to the grocery store and doctor's appointments, completing small fix-it jobs around the house, and calling them just to check in and make sure everything is okay. Aside from providing them with a donation, we discussed ways to help this group this year. The alliance also has a scholarship fund set up for dental hygienists and provides assistance during various charity dental events set up around the Austin area. Socially, the next meeting is a trip to Neiman Marcus to view their fall fashion line along with lunch. I'm not sure if I'll make that one because it's during the day and we don't have a babysitter that is not in high school and I don't think I am at the Neiman Marcus age (or price range) yet. I'm trying to be as polite as possible with that wording to any of you who may be around my parents' age or so... :) There is a wine tasting trip planned in a few months, so I will defintely try to go to that in addition to helping out where I can at some volunteer events.

We have officially moved into our house and things are still in the unpacking phase. I'd say we're about half-way done. Mom is still here on toddler patrol. My dad also surprised us for the weekend to help out and showed up on Friday. He was a big help to B doing all of the "manly" things around the house like unloading the truck that I finally convinced him we get instead of making ten zillion trips back and forth, and hooking up the washer and dryer. There was also some master caulking involved, as well as some grandpa babysitting time, where my dad taught J how to dance like a penguin. I have some video of it, which is hysterical, but I have no idea how to get it here. Too tired to try right now, sorry.

Tomorrow will involve more unpacking and possibly a final trip to the splash park for J before it closes for the season. One of the things I don't get about living down here is that it is warm for such a large part of the year, yet the swim season is only May through the end of September. I suppose it's a cost thing, but when it's 90 degrees in October, it would be nice to be able to go somewhere to cool off. I surely won't be complaining when it's warm here and snowing elsewhere, though!

Aargh!

Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. I heard this on the radio while we were driving to pick up my mom from the airport. J and I aarghed a little bit. His aargh was more like, "aahhh" but the sentiment was there, I'm sure. I don't know how days like this get started and I am sure there is information on this out there somewhere, but it just made me chuckle.

Sadly, all that aarghing reminded me of something I found out this week which other Colgaters might like to know. Rusty Jacobs, founder of Woods Tea Company, died back in August of a heart attack. I found out when I went to the band's website to check on their tour schedule. We were lucky to see them back in Feb. when they came through Texas. B and I never missed a show while we were at Colgate and seeing them after being out of school for 10 years made it seem little time had passed at all. Rusty laughed and aarghed back at us when we aarghed at the band after a song. He recalled some of their visits to Colgate with us as we chatted with him during intermission. We've been listening to their CD tonight as we pack up stuff as a little tribute. B and I felt bad because even though we didn't know him personally, we felt like we did know him through his music and his shows. I'm not really sure how to end a paragraph like this, so I'm just going to say thank you for all of the great music, Rusty. Aargh.

Denial

We only got the second coat done on 2 of the 4 walls last night, so we are working on finishing that tonight. While B does that I am trying to begin packing. That's right. Begin. As in, I haven't started and we are moving on Friday. I keep telling myself we have plenty of time. My mom comes tomorrow and everything will be fine because we'll have babysitting round the clock. I'm beginning to think I am in denial.

So, as a way to avoid the fact that we have way too much work that can be done, I'm thinking about other things. Like Halloween. I know it's random, but I was looking at one of the pics on our fridge and kept trying to think of something cool for Jonah to be this year. Last year was so much fun. How can you beat this?

It's not that I have a major desire for my son to have to take down other kids to have a good time, but this was one of the best shots taken last year by any of our friends. I mean, how many people can say that their kid (dressed as a shark) took out a super hero? No worries, it all happened a lot more gentler than it appears. That shark costume was way too much fun. I loved that tail. I wish it still fit J because I would just dress him in it again this year.

Anybody have any ideas of what he could be? I'd love a whale costume, but the only one I can find has the whale part sticking out around the middle and I think he would just be bumping into stuff all the time. I'd love a creative costume, but unfortunately it has to be something I can throw together without sewing or it has to be store bought. This is what happens when you have no sewing talent.

Handsome

J got a haircut this morning. I was a little nervous about how this would go because he screamed and cried through the whole thing last time. However, one of his lift and flap books has a picture of a barber and he loves that one. He says, "Bar Bar" and then grabs his hair and says, "Sip sip" for snip snip. As we got in the car this morning to run to the post office, he kept saying barber, so I figured, why not.

The key to the haircut place is getting there right when it opens. Last time we go there at 10:05 and had to wait over 20 minutes. This time we were first and J was able to get right in the chair. He's not a big fan of the cape and he whined a bit at that. When the stylist offered him some animal crakers, she became his new best friend. He willingly got into the chair and only whined a bit when she first started around his ears. All in all, it was quick and he totally looks like a little boy now.

Not so shaggy anymore

In crib news, we decided to try the temporary solution of turning J's crib around so that the short end faces the wall and the tall side faces out. This was met with much crying the first time and when I say crying, what I really mean is screeches louder than a howler monkey on speed. For forty five minutes. Thankfully he only cried for about 5 minutes the second night. I know he's just mad that we thwarted his escape plans. After we get settled into the house we will look into bringing a bed into his room so he can get used to the idea and eventually transition him over. But, if he gets used to the tall side of the crib being out, we may be able to squeeze a few months of captivity out of him.

B and I got the first coat of paint on the walls of our bedroom yesterday. It looks much better than J's room, mainly because I found an edger that I really like and it doesn't splatter or smear on the ceiling. There will be much less to touch up. We'll take a look later on today at how badly it needs a second coat and go from there.


Our first homeowner's association meeting is tonight. I'm going to go to represent and introduce myself. I don't think we are in a strict association, but I want to see how cranky the board members are. I've heard they can be picky when they want to be. As long as they don't make me approve my flower choices or complain if I have my trash out too early, it'll be fine.

Fantastic!

Guess what J just did instead of napping? He figured out how to.....






















CLIMB OUT OF HIS CRIB.





I think it is safe to say we are officially screwed.

Sweet Little Gardener or Little Devil With a Hose? You Decide

Much to our surprise the other day, J exhibited proficiency at using the hose all by himself. This doesn't surprise me because he has been "helping" me water the plants for nearly six months, but we were still amazed at his strength and control. We just need to work on not over watering the petunias and we'll be all set. Poor things got a little drenched.

Poor little flowers... so wet

Watering the patio furniture

Heh, heh, heh, and now it's time to get you, Mom!

The one gloved weeder

J was nice enough to spare his mother, but the look on his face... he does have a bit of a sinister side. I can't wait until next spring. By then he should be able to help me plant stuff without putting all of the dirt in his mouth!

B is working on priming the master bedroom ceiling. We scraped the popcorn a couple nights ago and spackled some of the rough spots earlier today. Hopefully we will be able to paint the ceiling and begin the walls tomorrow. We have a babysitter coming tomorrow and Sunday night so we can get a lot done together. Our goal is to have this done by Sunday so we can begin moving things over on Monday. I have to admit that the thought of going through all of our stuff again to move is seeming a little daunting. It will get done, though. It has to. Then hopefully we won't have to do it again for quite some time.

A New Name

A new name for this blog came to me last night in the shower. A name worthy of sharing with the rest of the world. So if you are reading this and it's still the second week in September, then I finally got around to telling you about it. I thought of this name because I feel like this is all I have been doing lately. It's most likely what I will be doing for the next couple of years, so I think it's a safe fit for now. As you can see it's taken me over a year to let you in on this little blog-- I'm not really sure why. I was always the first one in school to read what I had written, but I think that was mainly to get it over with. There is something about letting people read your thoughts and actually comment on them. Plus, I feel like all of the blogs I read are always so perky and full of accomplishment. I know there are accomplishments in this one too, but have you ever had that feeling where you wonder if what you have done is really important enough to tell people about? I think it's part of the problem I have with living so far away from people. I'm much better about sharing cool stuff in person.


Anyway, no need to get all deep right away. I had the mamas over for some yummy French Toast and it was a big hit. The kiddos also enjoyed breakfast with plenty of fruit and some blueberry muffins. J kept saying "Mo muffos." He enjoyed entertaining his friends and mom enjoyed some adult conversation. Mind you, it was scattered with all the cooking and keeping little ones away from the stove, but it was lots of fun.


This afternoon I put the second coat of blackboard paint on the closet doors. Then I had to do a massive vacuuming (as per flea sprayer instructions). I only have one question. If the spray kills the fleas, then why is it I was bitten on the leg while vacuuming? I am not happy about this at all. I hope that little flea got sucked up into my vacuum and met lots of his buddies in there. I can't imagine doing this for another 21 days, but we'll try. This is one case where I won't accept anything but positive results. I'm itchy just thinking about those little buggers.


Here are a few pics of some of the cuties who were at our breakfast:

Sweet little JC asleep in her carseat

R and J play tag with a sippy cup

T catches his breath after all that spinning

J tries one more time to grab the camera

Hope you enjoy reading this. Feel free to go back a year or so and check out what we've been up to!

Free time and Breakfast Plans

I decided to take a break from house working today and focus on a little fun. This included taking a trip to the mall (by myself since B is home today and watched J for me) to get new curtains, sheets, and a lampshade for J's room. We still had Pottery Barn Kids gift cards from when J was born, so I thought it was finally a good time to use them. I scored some cute stuff and all of it was on clearance, which is the only way I will by PBK. I haven't been able to bring it over to the house to see how it goes with the paint (that darn flea issue was being taken care of today, hence my break from house working).

This morning I took a little sidetrip to the downtown Whole Foods. This is the largest Whole Foods and really is the only one worth ever going to. The others are so crowded. This one is something like 60,000 square feet and they have EVERYTHING. Of course, you still pay a premium for most of it, but ahh the selection is worth it. I got some cute little tomatoes called Dirty Girls and some fresh mozzarella. We ate them with some fresh basil as a side dish to dinner. So smooth, sweet, and delicious. I also picked up a beautiful challah ring, which inspired me to give a call to my friend K to see if she wanted to come over for breakfast. That got me thinking that I should invite some other people, so I invited about 8 mamas and their kiddos to come for french toast, turkey bacon, fruit, and mini muffins tomorrow (baked them from scratch tonight from a Gourmet magazine recipe. I think the wee ones will enjoy these). I also have some prosecco in the wine fridge, so maybe I will offer mimosas, but right now it's just coffee and ginger peach iced tea. I had so much fun getting everything ready tonight, as well as cooking a big ol' batch of squash and sweet potato fries for J (baked, not fried). This is the first time I'm sitting down in 4 hours. It feels good, but it's time to get up, take a shower, and get some shut-eye. I will probably be punished with an early riser because I decided to stay up late.

No Salt or Butter on this Popcorn

My Coldwell Banker Realtor rocks. B is a friend of ours and also helped us buy our house. She is also handy with all things home improvement related, so when she offered to let me borrow some old paints to test out colors, I didn't refuse. When she said her mother could babysit so she could come over to help me remove the popcorn ceiling in J's room, I said, "I'll bring the wine!"

We spent about 3 hours taking turns with my wallpaper scraper. The popcorn scraping tool I purchased sucked and will soon be returned to Home Depot. Most people scrape their popcorn ceiling after spraying it, but we found it was easy just to scrape it dry and leave a little texture on the wall. Since I have never done this before, I figured I would just make J's room the experiment room. I'm sure it won't look perfect, but you've got to start somewhere.

The scraping only took about 2 hours. The next day I went back over and tried to smooth it out a bit. I bought a litle spray can of orange peel texture to fill in the spots that looked a little more deeply scraped than others. It sprays on blue but dries white. However, I also noticed that it pulled the drywall off as it dried (it left all these little holes.) So I decided that following directions and priming first might be a good idea.

Talk about a messy comedy of errors. I kept banging the extension pole into the walls. And kicking the paint tray. The ceiling was just sucking up primer like there was no tomorrow and because I was doing this at night with no glare from natural light, it was very difficult to see where I had primed and where I hadn't. I needed to go back and finish the next morning. I was a little disheartened by the slight appearance of imperfections that didn't seem to be there before I primed or in the artificial light. DH kept reminding me that this didn't have to be perfect, but it's been so long since I've had a project that was not child related, so I am a litle anxious to put my overachiever/perfectionist genes to good use again. I also decided to cut myself some slack. With this in mind I sprayed some more texture (which for the record dries off white to off green) and painted the ceiling. The texture didn't do too much for me. Either I didn't spray enough of it on (which is probably the case since I didn't see the point of adding texture after scraping so much away) or I didn't spray it evenly enough. All the same, I know that when we scrape the master bedroom I must take the extra step and sand the ceiling lightly first. This should make it easier to prime. I shouldn't have listened to the paint people who said, "Oh no! You can just go ahead and prime." Why is it the people who are supposed to know what they are talking about often don't?

Following the painting of the ceiling came the walls. They were much easier except for where the ceiling meets the wall. There were a few smudges that will need to be touched up, but overall it looks good. And then I painted the closet doors with blackboard paint so that J will always have a place to doodle. I had a chalkboard in my room from 1st grade through college. I always used it, so I wanted him to have something similar.

You'll have to wait for pics of the finished product. One more coat of blackboard paint. Oh and then we are having the house sprayed for fleas. What's that? We don't have a dog and we haven't moved in yet? Don't get me started.