Greencation: Day 3

Yesterday was a long day, very long. I finally gave up around 8pm and begged to come back to the room. The kids were enjoying the night and weather was beautiful but my head was pounding so hard I felt like I had a percussion show going on in the right hemisphere of my brain.

Since we knew the weather would be warmest on Saturday we opted to do the outdoor activities that day. We got up and walked to Sears Tower. Half way there I realized I had left the memory card for the camera inside the laptop so we had one picture we could take on the internal memory of the camera; we had to make it a good one. I had to take and delete about 4 pictures before I got one with all the 3 kids looking forward. I will have to add that picture once we get home because I don't have the cable with us.

After the Sears Tower we walked back to the hotel to retrieve the camera card and sunglasses. I knew a headache was a certainty if we did not get my sunglasses. We jetted off on the subway to find a traditional Chicago pizza place. The kids thought the subway ride was uber cool and groaned when it was time to get off after only 3 stops.

We ate at Giordano's and it seems most other tourists think 2pm would be a great time to eat lunch, just as we did. While waiting, Matthew found the naked lady statue; J and I were placing bets on how quickly he would find the topless statue and it was quicker than both of us had thought. He climbed up and said "MOM, take my picture!" The gentleman next to him thought that was comical. The pizza was very good but so filling and heavy that we just wanted to go to bed afterwards, not walk another 4 hours. We fought this urge heavily but only because three people under 5' tall were ready to ride on the trolley.

We took the trolley out to Navy Pier and enjoyed a boat ride on Lake Michigan and a ride on the huge Ferris wheel. Matthew played comedian again when he jumped up on a wooden box and said "MOM, take my picture while I pretend to be a supermodel" while posing with one hand on his hip and one behind his head and pouty lips. A group of several adults cracked up laughing and we could still hear them laughing after we walked away. I did not get a picture of this; I simply grabbed my son by the waist and carted him off knowing these adults are wondering where my six year old son learned to pose like a supermodel. We'll send him to your party for entertainment, but we charge a steep price.

I had to take a picture of this concession stand, even if the two girls working thought I was a crazy, lunatic tourist. We have donuts (in fact, I had a tasty one for breakfast earlier in the day) and funnel cakes. Now, the one thing those two have in common is being a wad of dough dropped into a 400 degree vat of grease and then usually covered in something even more fat laden such as sugar or "fruit" topping. This concession stand doesn't sugar coat (ha, pun intended) the truth; you will be getting a paper basket full of nothing else but good 'ole Fried Dough. That just cracked me up.

We found a table at the end of the pier and enjoyed the evening for awhile and I got these pictures of my handsome boys and beautiful girl. We were going to try and stay for the fireworks but I couldn't last any later than 8pm.

We've seen more weddings this weekend than I usually see in half a year. We've seen a German wedding complete with fully dressed priests, a Chinese wedding complete with dancing dragons and an extremely wealthy wedding, complete with 49 BMWs, 38 Mercedes, and 52 Lexus'. OK, OK, I'm not sure that is the exact number but only because we hopped on the poor-man's trolley (FREE) and left Navy Pier before the procession ended. This wedding reception included security; complete with the secret service black suits and earpiece communication; it was very entertaining for us to people watch at this particular event.

Greencation: Day 1 & 2

After a day of packing and running around, we loaded up the newly fixed Civic (thanks FedEx for the wreck and the money to fix it) and took off on our "Greencation." We decided to really do our vacation as green as possible we should pile 5 people and luggage for said 5 into the Civic Hybrid and drive to Chicago where we are staying downtown and using only public transit.

So here was the scene prior to leaving Thursday evening. It all fit...barely.

The kids were ready to take off on our vacation even though they were sitting hip to hip and shoulder to shoulder. I was skeptical on how long this enthusiasm would really last. To my surprise we made it the first night (2 hours) with giddiness from all three kids.

Tidbits from the first night:
- We saw a set of fresh burn-out marks on the road and Matthew piped up: "That is a spin-out and I know how you do that. You put one foot on the stop pedal and one foot on the go button at the same time and keep it that way; then it makes a squealing noise and leaves the marks." I then turned my attention to J who gave me a look of "I have no idea how he would know that, I would never take part in that sort of activity." Then Jacob says "Yea, and its really fun too."

- We encountered every animal poo stench there can be while driving for 2 hours in IL. My city-grown children did not appreciate the odors of true nature.

Today we toured Abraham Lincoln's restored home in Springfield, IL before continuing our trek to Chicago. The kids loved the tour and remembered several things about the period from our trip through Callaway Plantation. While the history of President Lincoln and his home are very interesting, the tour of Callaway Plantation was much more informative and educational. I encourage anyone who might be in GA and have an opportunity to tour the plantation to definitely do so.

On the drive in the kids were looking at the skyscrapers and Emily asked if the Sears Tower really scrapes the sky and that is why it is called a skyscraper. Matthew chimed in with "yea, I used to think that is why they called them skyscrapers too, Emmy, but that was when I was a little kid, and then I learned about it." Ouch, that wasn't very nice.

We are in a very nice hotel; I'll write more about it later. Our kids are tripped out by the "FANCY" hotel and all the things that go along with it. They are adjusting to sights and sounds of downtown Chicago. Our hotel sits directly in front of an elevated El track so if you are outside when it passes you can't hear each other talk. Jacob told us later that all the sounds were giving him a headache and he thinks it is just too busy. This might be a long 4 days.

Weekend Tidbits

It is never a dull weekend around this house; I long for the "boring" weekends when we decide to touch up some painting or plant a couple of new bushes.

We took down the dreaded fluorescent light in the kitchen that has been tormenting me for the last three months. Last weekend we put up a new chandelier in the dining room, here are a picture of each.

Sunday morning we were going to get an early start on the wood floors hoping we can get the majority finished before our vacation this weekend but impulsively decided to re-do the half bath instead. We figured the mess would be better tracked across plywood sub-floor instead of finished wood floors. Man, were we right!

Here is the bathroom before, slightly. It originally started with carpet (BLECH!) but we pulled that out about 6 weeks ago and we've kept a big rug on the floor to soften up the look of plywood. We demo'd the bathroom which registered an 11 on the EWWW scale. Notice the tub of Lysol wipes; we used an enormous amount of these because the water was shut off. The builder decided to skip the $5 shut-off valves on the faucet plumbing making it necessary to cut off the water to the house until we were able to install those. We demo'd quickly so we could make a trip for the shut-off valves otherwise we would all be bathing in antibacterial wipes and relieving ourselves in the forest behind the house. Did I say we did the demo very quickly?

We now have a toilet on the patio; it makes for such a nice "getting back to nature" experience. I wish we could always have such tranquility while pooing. If the project goes on too long I might just fill it with potting soil and plant some bulbs in it for next spring. It would complimented nicely by some daffodils.

The bathroom floor is now covered with backerboard and ready to tile today. I predict the bathroom will be finished by Thursday.

Dinner Review

A couple of weeks ago while grocery shopping I picked up a boxed dinner kit that looked tasty. We tested it out a few nights ago and I will definitely buy it again. For 30 minutes I thought I might actually be sitting in Romano's Macaroni Grill with terra cotta tile floors rather than plywood sub-floor. My daydream quickly ended when a server didn't come around and pick up my dishes; instead it was time to clean up the mess myself. Luckily, I have a manly man that doesn't mind getting his hands wet and usually helps with clean-up.

I had been meaning to tell my sister about this boxed dinner because I thought it was something she would enjoy. Yesterday while talking to her she says "We had a pasta boxed dinner last night that was so good, it was actually like I went to the restaurant." I immediately knew we had eaten the same thing. Sure enough, she was also talking about the Creamy Basil dinner kit.

We will be trying out the other varieties now that we know they actually taste better than a box of pasta and sodium.

Please stay silent

Some commercials are better left off the TV. This morning I watched a commercial for Midwest Hemorrhoid Treatment Center. I just have to say it is a bit odd to see a gathering of people enjoying a backyard BBQ while the announcer is talking about hemorrhoids and internal coagulation. BLECH, what?! The word coagulation reminds me of the milk spit-up you have run down your back 20-30 minutes after feeding your young baby.

The best part, they end it with a sweet jingle "Don't suffer in silence." No really, we want to hear all about it the next time you are invited over for dinner.

Thanks

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my Dad for teaching me how to push the lawn mower at a young age. How did you know we would eventually buy the largest lot in the subdivision in an area that has had over 50 inches of rain in 9 months making the grass think it has been fed with speed laced water? Really, mowing 1/3 of an acre twice weekly with my push mower is nearly enjoyable. I've now passed on my lawn mowing knowledge to Jacob who actually seems to enjoy it, for now.

Kid Style Politics

Last night we were watching the National Service Forum on MSNBC. The kids were piled in bed with us because I was reading to them during the commercials. We asked if they knew who the guy on TV was and they all answered in unison "McCain." Wow, I was impressed; we are raising little political junkies. I asked if they knew his first name and Emily replied with "John." Again, I was somewhat impressed.

Then I asked if they knew else was running for president and Emily answered again, "Iraq Obama." I told her his correct name just as Obama was entering the stage. She said "I think he's better and will be a better president." I asked her why and she said "because he's not old like that other guy."

Gotta love kids.

The Inevitable

5.5 inches of rain in 2 days,

.3 acres of mud and grass

1 six year old boy.

Gustav dumped his remnants last week and Ike will be here at the end of the weekend. I hope he knows how to do laundry; I expect help with these mud stains.

Fireplace

This weekend's major project was refacing the fireplace with slate. There were several smaller projects this weekend as well but this one took center stage. Meme came to visit this weekend too; it is always a delight to have her here. Thank you Meme for all your wonderful help!

The fireplace before any work:

First I coated the brick with a layer of thinset to try and even the surfaces, then J started in with his precise measuring and cutting. The hearth was done first followed by the vertical surround the next day.

This is after all the tiles have been set; the only thing left to do is seal the stone and then grout.

Friday night lights

Police, ambulance and fire truck lights that is. While lying in bed late Friday night I heard a crack and some rumbling. I asked J if that was thunder and he said he thought so. A minute or so later I heard commotion and noticed cars in front of our house. Nope, no thunder here, just a car that mistook the house across the street for a McDonald's drive-thru. I don't think he got any fries with that but maybe the police were nice and supersized his handcuffs. The gentleman that hit our neighbors house supposedly passed out from coughing (per his wife) but he'd had enough alcohol to warrant a sobriety test right in the neighborhood street and a chauffeured trip to jail. During his short unconscious spell he drove over a 10 foot bush (starting to resemble a tree), up a slight hill and straight into the house. If he had turned the wheel the other direction he would have driven straight into our front door.

Within minutes every neighbor was in the driveway and people were calling the owner because she wasn't home. After 15 minutes or so a cop rang her doorbell and she answered the door. She slept through the whole thing! By this time there were two firetrucks, an ambulance and four police cars lining the street. What a sight to wake up to!

The floor and more

You would think an entire weekend of work would yield a lot of wood floor installed. Nope, the websites really are accurate when they say you can install about 200 sq. feet per day as a DIY job. J got the rooms measured and the first row of flooring adhered on Saturday. That was time consuming but I guess if we want straight rows it was worth it.
We worked for seven hours on Sunday and installed approximately 180 square feet of flooring.

Day 2 finished the rows across the front of the house up to the stairs. J had a difficult time installing the last couple of boards in front of the staircase.

Day 3 brought the wood into the dining room; it is now a little over half way finished. We also put a few more rows down in the formal living until J had to earn his money with IT help. OK, he doesn't actually get paid to help family members with IT issues but he loves me so much he does it for free. Gotta love him.

A Tribute

Today, we salute you, Mr. Kitchen & Bath Vinyl Installer. You showed up for work on day #187 of construction ready to show this house who's boss.

You brought the biggest air compressor on wheels and the mother of all staple guns. This was "Man Work" and the wimpy tools simply wouldn't do.

After all the thin plywood was cut to fit and laid this kitchen floor was smooth as butta. To make sure this floor wasn't going anywhere you started adhering it to the subfloor. Of course, you knew that one inch staples meant they needed to one inch apart, at a maximum; you were weren't getting fired today.

So away you went all bent over stapling 48279 staples into this smooth kitchen floor. Just a few staples along each seam would not be enough action for you, this floor needed to stay for eternity.

While nothing can compare to the feeling of the kickback of the gun or the poof of air that it sends towards you, blowing your greasy, blond locks, we really know you were just trying to impress the other construction crew with your massively powerful staple gun. You made sure everyone saw just how deep it drove staples into the floor "Hey Chuck, look at this staple; now you see it (ka-wham) now you don't." You followed up with the brand name and store name where you purchased your massively powerful staple gun so everyone could be like you.

Oh, but you are a special one Mr. Kitchen & Bath Vinyl Installer; there won't be anyone that can ever copy your level of staple expertise. Your work will be forever cursed admired in the years to come.

Now that I was able to semi-joke about this removal of our vinyl floor in the kitchen I will tell you somewhat of our experience. I mentioned that grouting sucks, well grouting is a mere inconvenience. Ripping up the thin, layer splintering, staple ridden plywood under vinyl sucks. What sucks more is sitting on your duff for a couple hours each night after the kids are in bed pulling out the 27328 one inch staples left in the floor. The other 20951 staples were designed to rip your hands to shreds as they stuck out of the plywood while being pried up from the floor. This has taken the gold medal of "worst project ever" from the cabinet painting project who now proudly wears the silver medal.

Snap, Crackle, Fizzle

Just so you can be prepared.
If you hit the electrical cord while using the hedge trimmer you will not get shocked (as I had originally hypothesized). You will hear a pop and see the a ball of fire fizzle though. It is a good thing the hedge trimmer loses the juice when you cut the cord because once you see the fire fizzle and realize what just happened you will most likely toss it on the ground without thought of what is around you...including your toes.

I now owe my husband a new extension cord and my half-trimmed bushes are a pretty sight.

Finally...The Kitchen

The major renovations are finished in the kitchen. Ignore the vinyl floor, it will be gone by this weekend. I guess one might consider replacing the floor in the major renovations but my kitchen is fully functional so I group the floor in with the rest of the house. Ask me next week and I might feel differently.

So, first a couple of before pictures; this is a shot we took back in April when we put the contract on the house. You can view an after of the desk area a few posts down.

We have painted the cabinets (that fiasco is detailed a few posts down as well), added hardware, installed new countertops and backsplash, installed a new faucet and light fixture above the sink. We will be installing a new light fixture above the island as well but we have to wait for it to go on sale. Everything in this kitchen was installed by J or the two of us together.

We changed out the hideous countertop looking windowsills and changed them to a travertine sill to match the travertine tiles on the backsplash.

We extended the island a foot on the right side and now have a L shaped overhang. I can comfortably fit 3 stools under the island now and have help with my baking without fighting (well, one can hope.) I still have to buy the stools.

A couple of overall "after" shots.

In the picture below you can see the new dishwasher. It is a KitchenAid and is the best appliance in the kitchen, hands down.

5 Short Years

We took a short trip to the science center yesterday. We paid to become members so we can go back and enjoy it often for a lot less money. We took a trip before J left for Korea five years ago and I remembered some pictures I had taken. I wanted to take some pictures in the same location to show the difference five years can make.; you really must click to enlarge these photos!

Matthew was 14 months old when we visited in 2003, he is 6 now. I guess it is official, he is no longer a "little" boy. Unfortunately for him he was born last in the birth order so that gives me full rights to always call him my baby.

Another area of the science center is a train that is set up to run on binary code. Five years ago J didn't have a brain full of computer knowledge (only about half a brain full) and he was trying hard to figure it out. Jacob and Emily sat so patiently watching the train inside the case.

Now, J figured it out within seconds and then the kids to fight for the controls. This picture really captures the family:
Jacob making his face contortion antics (doesn't he remind you of Jim Carrey? That is how we comfort ourselves on face contorting day.)
Matthew is pushing Jacob's creeping hand off the controls.
And Emily is standing there trying to mother the boys and just acts disgusted to be a part of the entire situation.

Tiny Toby

Toby went to the vet yesterday for his initial check-over. He was so calm the receptionist asked me over and over if he had been sneezing or coughing. The only reason a puppy could be so calm is if they are sick, I suppose. They must have passed the word around because the vet wanted to know if I had given him a tranquilizer, and he was serious. Are you nuts?! If I had any tranquilizers around here they definitely wouldn't go to the dog!

Tiny Toby weighs even less than I thought he did. He nearly broke the scale tipping out at 6.8 lbs. I birthed 2 babies bigger than this dog. I think his 2 inch hair adds at least 5 lbs to his appearance.

Toby

First known as Fluffer Doodle, then Nutter Butter. I thought a mid-30's man outside calling Nutter Butter would be a bit too comical for the neighbors so we settled on Toby. For the record, the first names were not picked by the people 10 years and under in the house...no, try the mid-30's male.

Toby is a Maltipoo and 4 months old. He will not shed so that is good for the dog allergies in the house. After his first afternoon at home we have figured out he is most happy when in your lap, follows you around if you leave the room and looks like a white, fluffed out cotton ball when hopping around the yard. He is probably around 8 lbs right now and shouldn't grow much more. He currently looks like a white Benji. We all love him already.

Grout

Grouting sucks.

If we had flat tiles we would have been able to use a float instead of our hands. No, I had to like the beveled tiles.

If you decide to put tile in your house, be prepared. Grouting sucks.

So long slumber

I love nighttime. It is the only time of the day that I can relish in silence and do nothing but sleep. Well, every good thing must come to an end.

Last night I had just fallen into my silent slumber when J crawled back into bed (like I knew he was gone) and he said "did you hear that?!" I was in my non-chaotic, blissful slumber so of course I didn't hear anything. As it turns out, J heard the front door open and went downstairs to investigate. There he found our Matthew walking around in the front yard!! Of all things he imagined I don't think that thought entered his mind on the way down the stairs. He walked him back up to bed and tucked him in.

I asked Matthew this morning if he remembered walking around he acted completely oblivious. I also asked him if he had a dream that he was walking around outside and again, no. I told him what had happened and he thought it was cool, of course. Then he said it would be cool if he had been dreaming about walking outside so he could remember what he saw. Mom freaks out, boy is disappointed because he didn't get to truly experience the front yard at midnight.

Some updates

Jacob's room is the first room in the house completely finished- wallpaper removal, paint, curtains, bedding and most of all- boxes unpacked. I would love to have all the rooms completely finished but I can't unpack and decorate until the wood floors are finished.

You can barely see the flowered border at the top of the wall in the before picture. This turned out to be 2 layers of border of which the bottom layer had been painted over. It was another wallpaper nightmare in our new house. Thankfully it is all done! We have our eye on a new, cool ceiling fan that we will put up soon.

The kitchen. It has been a longer renovation than expected but we are seeing light at the end of the tunnel. Here is a picture of my desk area, we put up a corkboard in the backsplash area.

We tiled the backsplash today. I think we may leave the spacers in; kind of a new age polka-dot look. The stone will be darker when we seal it. I'm hoping we may get that done before next weekend.