New Room

Handy Man and I have been busy with our winter DIY home improvement project. We are busy framing and finishing a space in the basement - okay that's a bit of an embellishment. Handy Man is really the one doing most of the work. But I have been helping! This new space will be our 4th bedroom and will be used as a guest room/office/exercise room. I also have BIG plans to be able to use this room for future crafting projects and my annual Christmas present wrapping room. I am so excited because I will be able to get all my stuff out, make a big mess of organized piles and then just shut the door in between sessions. Out of sight, out of mind!

The original space consisted of a small office area to the back of the room where the window was and then just open storage area. We originally had planned to expand that old office area for a bedroom and then make a separate office nook. The more we thought about it we decided on one large room. The first thing Handy Man did was tear down the old wall and prep all the space. He bought insulation foam board and adhered that to the concrete foundation. Then he framed up the room, ran ducting and electrical and fitted more rolled insulation. Guests, this will be the coziest room ever! Taking reservations!

Handy Man hard at work.

Future closet space.

The entrance to the room was a little challenging given you enter under the stairs. I really think Handy Man did a great job of contouring the entrance to make it flow well. There is a better picture below once the drywall was up. 

One thing I love that he did was frame a little nook for a special nick-knack item utilizing this odd corner. He didn't even tell me he was going to do it. I was so excited! I mean a cute little place to put - crap.  

 

Future place to store suitcases and left over paint. 

Once all of the final insulation was in, it was time for drywall.

Drywall....

Leave it to Handy Man to swing by the home improvement store after work, the night before we are forecast-ed to get a ton of snow, and bring home all of the drywall. And a LOT of drywall. Exactly 14 12x4 sheets of drywall and 7 8x4 sheets of drywall. One amazing fact about drywall is that you need to keep it dry...

Do you know how heavy a 12x4 sheet of drywall is? Not to mention, do you know how cumbersome it is for two people to carry a 12x4 sheet of drywall. Carry it from the pasture, through the back yard, into the house, around dancing kids, barbies and a futon?

Do you know how many 12x4 sheets of drywall Handy Man and I can carry at one time?

One... Uno... Just 1.

We could carry two of the 8x4 sheets at a time which was exciting.

So at the end of a long day, kids biting our ankles to be fed dinner, Handy Man and I made 18 trips back and forth carrying floppy, fragile, heavy, cumbersome sheets of drywall from the truck parked in the pasture, through the back yard, into the house, around dancing kids, barbies and a futon?

Wife. Of. The. Year.

The next night, a Friday night after a long week, Handy Man asked me if I would help him put the ceiling pieces up. Yeah sure no problem!

As a rational person, I "assumed" the lighter, more manageable, 8 foot pieces were meant for the ceiling. hahahaha - nope.

No, Handy Man intended to put four, 12 foot pieces up that night. The really super floppy, fragile, heavy, cumbersome ones. How does one do that you might wonder? Well, if it were me, I would call 2-3 of my strong, guy friends that all owe me a few favors for helping them build decks and fences and tell them I will be buying a case of beer and feeding them if they come help me for a bit. But not Handy Man. Nope. He asks his wife to help him. Just the two of us. He told me to think of it like a Friday Date Night...

This first piece that went up was HELL.  

Basically, Handy Man screwed two little 2x4 pieces into the studs of the wall to act as our third man. Together we picket up and raised the %$#(*^ piece of drywall to the ceiling. Handy Man guided the sheet onto the 2x4 helpers and then while I held the whole darn thing in place, he ran over and took the end from me. I then ran over and positioned a ladder in the center and climbed up pushing the middle snug against the floor joist. With one hand, Handy Man held his side, climbed a ladder, and used his other hand to screw a few screws in. Of course he forgot to mark the studs before getting to this point. So after a few missed attempts to secure the sheet to the ceiling, several choice words and trembling arms, we succeeded.

But I almost passed out. I was just NOT strong enough to hold the middle up tight against the ceiling like he needed. So for the next three pieces I would climb up as high as I could on the ladder and bend over using my back to press the middle against the floor joist. Either way it sucked. My legs cramped and it was ridiculous.

Almost two hours later... we were done. Done hanging 4 pieces of drywall.

I conveniently had to work the rest f the weekend showing houses.

In two days, Handy Man and his two friends, 2x4 A and 2x4 B, completely drywall-ed the entire room.

I have to give it to the guy... he's a hell of a handy man!

And his work space is so clean.

The new closet again. 

Entrance.

Place for the suitcases and leftover paint.

My cute little shelf. 

Ladies, you won't be disappointed if you marry a handy Man!

Life and Death, The Birds and The Bees, Rules, and Everything In Between

Have you ever had a really intense interview? You spent all if this time learning about the company, researching the company, applying for the job and you finally get that interview and swear it's in the bag as you walk through the front door and sit down patiently waiting for someone to come in and begin. There are introductions, a few pleasantries and then BAM! Rapid fire question after question and you start to sweat a little. A hint of panic starts to set in, your heart rate speeds up a little and you are feeling pretty uncomfortable but you can't just get up and walk out of the room. So before you know it, before you can help it, you find yourself starting to lie embellish a little. As you are weaving these embellishments you start to second guess your answers. Shit, I wonder what my references said. Do you think she'll ever fact check that? Wonder what will happen if they do check and someone gives her another answer? I think I am screwed. 

You wrap it up the best possible way that you can and say your good byes. You walk out feeling like you just got hit by a 10,000 lb Mac truck.

Yep... that's pretty much what happened last night... after story time.


Like any other night, teeth were brushed, a story was read and Mr Blue Eyes was taken into his room to be tucked in. My Brown Eyed Girl patiently waits for Handy Man and I to return after we have let the dog in, refilled our bedside glasses of water and turned off all of the lights and locked the doors. One-by-one we file into her room to kiss her goodnight. I am typically the second one in for there are prayers to be said and the occasional shadow puppet and corresponding voice to be made so she and I can share one last giggle and smile at the end of our day. 

However, last night my Brown Eyed Girl was moping, head hung down, as I entered her room. She and I have been at odds the last few days with our regular power struggle cycle. I asked her to lay down and get in bed and she ignored me. So, I asked again. When I didn't get a reply I said, "Okay then, goodnight. Sleep tight." I proceeded to walk out of her room.

She asked, "Why do you get to be the boss of me?"

"Because I am the Mommy and you are the daughter." and ummm... because I carried you for nearly 10 months and suffered through a c-section. That's why.

"Yeah, well I hate it. I don't think you should get to be my boss. I want to be my own boss and make up what I want to do!"

<deep breath>

"First of all, we don't talk to Mommy like that. Someday when you are 18 you can move out and be your own boss and make up all of your own rules."

As the tears began to well around her tiny little mahogany eyes, "Why do you want me to move out? You don't like me anymore? I don't want to be alone. Won't you miss me?" Must. Remember. She. Takes. EVERYTHING. Literal. Before. Speaking! And she has no concept of ages above 5.

"Honey Mommy doesn't want you to move out. Someday when you get bigger... never mind honey. Look, Mommy loves you very much and it's Mommy's job to help you grow into a good person by teaching you right from wrong, making sure you listen well and are kind to others - like your brother. I am just trying to make you a kind person. And in order to do that, we have rules and I want you to be kind and speak kindly"

"Mommy? Why did you have to have a BOY??? I didn't want a boy I wanted a girl. Why did you do that tooooo meeeeeee? Why did you pick a BOY???" And then there were more tears.

"Ummm, Mommy didn't pick a boy..."

"So how did you get a boy then?" Oh Lord...

"God blessed Mommy and Daddy with a baby girl and a baby boy. He picked what we would have. We were blessed with one of each." Brace yourself, we are just getting warmed up!

"Don't you pray?"

"Yes, Mommy prays."

"Then why didn't you pray to God for a GIRL?? Can you please pray to change Cole into a girl?" more tears...

I then proceeded to explain why having a brother really is cool. He doesn't take or wear her dresses, won't borrow her clothes, she gets to have "Girls Day" alone with just Mommy. If she had a sister, then it wouldn't just be the two of us. She'd have to share her Girls Day with her sister. The tears were fading and a smile was returning.

"Okay Mommy. Can you then just have one more baby but make sure to pray to God and tell him it has to be a girl?' Yeah, that's NOT gonna happen. Sorry love.

"I think Daddy and I are happy with our family just the way it is. We love you sooooo much. Okay honey, Time for bed." Gotta get out'a here stat!

"Mommy? Is it going to thunder, rain, or lightening tonight?"

"Ummm Noooo."

"How do you know?"

"I just do honey. Good night!" because it's winter, and February and there is snow on the ground.  

"Mommy? Can you please make sure your TV is turned down?"

"Yep. It always is. Good night!"

"Mommy? I love you and I make you sooooo happy."

"Yes, you make me soooo happy! Mommy loves you very much! Good night honey."

I barely get in my room and tucked into bed and I start telling Handy Man about getting grilled before our door cracks open and our Brown Eyed Girl is standing there in the doorway. My pleading eyes dart over to Handy Man's and they are shouting Please don't make me go back in there!!!

"Daddy? I am too hot. Can you come fix my covers special like you do?"

A sneaky little grin from me, a roll of the eyes from him and he walks off, entering the land of the unknown. bwahhhhaahaa

About ten minutes later, he returned. His eyeballs ping-ponging around in his head. He lays down beside me and starts laughing. I propped myself up on one arm and he begins to paraphrase their conversation. It went something like this:

"Daddy? Where are we going tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow is Thursday... I think it's Grandma's day."

"Yep! Grandma's day. Daddy, I loooove going to Grandma's house. But you know, I can't visit Grandma Alice anymore - she's dead."

"Ummm yep, she went to Heaven." I was giggling uncontrollably by this point in his story so you know.

"Daddy, she didn't go to Heaven, we put her in the ground. Buried her. I saw them. They put her in the ground. We all did."

"Ummm right. But.... her heart went to Heaven."

"How did her heart get out of her body?"

A little pause, "Magic honey. It's time for bed. Good night."

Like he could get off that easy!!! She takes no prisoners in twenty questions!

"Daddy? Are you going to die?"

Poor Daddy... And how does my super factual and realistic Handy Man reply to this? Honesty my dear friends. Honesty.

"Yep."

"You arrrrre???" eyes filling with tears again...

"Yeah, we all die. But I am not going to die for a long time. So, go to sleep. Good night." so factual that Daddy...

"Am I going to die?" literal... remember, everything is literal.

"Someday... but not for a really, really, really long time. So, don't worry. You will be really, really old."

"Like One-hundred?" she just learned to count to 100. It's her new favorite thing - that and barbequing parents.

"Yep. Like one-hundred. Good night."

"Okay Daddy, good night. I love you. I make you and Mommy sooooo happy."

"We love you too."




~ God give us strength to be good parents and answer hard questions. 

Facial Hair

Ahhhhh Marker Makeover!

Oh my little friend... I am guessing that you were trying to draw a little facial hair today? Dreaming about sideburns?

Perhaps you were going for something like this?

Maybe more like this?

Lord help me if we are headed for this...

Just so you know the above will have you landed in military school faster than you can dream about it. 

Upon further evaluation...

I noticed you had also added a mustache...

All I could thing about was this...

What do they even call that?

My source says it's called The Toothbrush.

I may need to use a toothbrush to get that off of you.

Oh wait, there it is...

The Crybaby.

I know, funny Mommy. Funny guy!

 

 Still handsome and cute!

Frosty Pony

I am pretty sure I have posted pictures of trees before that are covered in frost. When the temperature drops to a frigid temperature yet the humidity in the air it high. Delicate ice crystals covering every surface. To me, the trees look amazing. Especially when the morning sun hits the snow and trees just right and everything glitters like diamonds. My Brown Eyed Girl and I agree that this is Jesus' magic.

It is simply beautiful.

But even more impressive is the way the horses look on these mornings. Their hair gets all puffed up and fluffy to keep them warm while the longer, outer hair fibers are coated like frosted tips. 

Even the long hairs on their ears are frosted.

PS the morning sky is also amazing on days like this. I did not use a filter or photo shop this one of Aspen. The sky was really that baby blue with whispers of pink.

The best horse to really see the frost is on Skip. 

His rich red coat allows you to see every place the frost hides. Under his chin.

Around his ears.

The fine hairs in his mane.

Even the backs of his legs.

It's everything I can do NOT to rub this belly.

Nature is so amazing!

Thank goodness because I am getting sick of cold weather!

Love Notes

My Brown Eyes Girl learned to write her name this year in school. She loves to practice writing her letters and numbers and especially her name. I find her name in nearly every page of her doodle books and almost every page of her coloring books.

I also find her name in many other places.
Like on my grocery lists...

Bread, Hailey's granola bars, pretzels, one Hailey... wonder what isle I can find that on?!?

When I am working from home, I will find her name scattered amidst MLS numbers on my little scratch papers. I think every time I get up to use the restroom or while I am making lunch she climbs up in my chair and tags the first piece of paper she can get her hands on.

The other day I went to an inspection appointment and there on my clients file I found her name.

In pink crayon none the less.

Recently, I went to a continuing education class. I opened my notebook and there on the back page was HAILEY.

I typically shake my head a couple of times and then can't help but smile. I find that girl's name everywhere these days. Especially in places I never thought to check. They sneak up on me when I least expect them. I have come to think of them as little Love Notes. Quiet little whispers from her. A reminder in my day that I have a beautiful little girl who is waiting to see me when I come home from work. No matter where my day takes me she is always with me. Just when I am engulfed in the hustle and bustle of my day - Tiny Little Love Notes.

And I love this about her. 

I love the way she smiles at me when I find one of her Love Notes while I am at home. Her smile is sneaky and loving and happy. 

I always adore her little Love Notes.

Well... almost always. 

We had to have a little talk this morning about how we ONLY write on paper. Nothing else. Especially NOT Mommy's jacket. Only paper!

 Some people wear their heart on their sleeves... today I am wearing mine on my shoulder!

~xoxo