Welcome to the Jungle

Let me just start by saying that I absolutely love my master bathroom.

It is huge. It has really high ceilings.

It has his and her sinks - his is higher and mine is lower - perfect for the Mutt and Jefferina that we are.
It has a big tub and big shower.It has a TV mounted to one wall - installed by Scott, of course! And most importantly, it has its own little water closet with door. Very important feature. Very. Ah, hem.

However, there is one glaring issue with my bathroom.

As you have undoubtedly noticed, it is covered with miles of black and green jungle-like leaf wallpaper.

Will calls it our rain forest.

Why, oh why, for the love of God, why all this wallpaper?

It is a pain.

It is a pain to put up.

It is a quadruple pain to take down.

Unfortunately, the previous owners of our home embraced wallpaper, especially in the master bathroom. Oh, how they embraced it!

Now, after seven years of bathing and dressing in the jungle, we are doing a little ecologically approved deforestation of our own!

Bring on the Dif and that little rolling, wallpaper scoring thingy. Bring on the dry wall knife thingy to scrape the wallpaper off.

It will likely take about a month for us to actually get all the wallpaper down, sand the wall behind it, apply and sand the skim coat (that we will have to do because of all this flippin' wallpaper) before we can even think about painting.

Regardless of all the work ahead of us, I am so happy that we are finally ready to score, spray, scrape and sand our way out of the jungle for good!

Me and Ken

I am tooling down the road after dropping the kids off at school when I heard my car do that little "ding!" to tell me something was amiss.

I looked down at my dashboard and saw the little symbol for window washer fluid was lit up telling me it was empty.

This is a big deal for me.

I am forever cleaning my front and back windows. Since I had a little time, I decided to run to Advance Auto up the street and buy some washer fluid.

While I was still at the store, I popped the hood, flipped up the yellow cap on the right side of the engine and poured the fluid in. It took the whole gallon.

Once done, I noticed that the new battery that had been installed by Advance Auto two weeks prior already had corrosion on one of the terminals. So I left my hood open and went back inside to ask someone to take a look.

Thankfully, Ken, the man who had installed the battery in the first place was there. Noting the corrosion, he went to get his cleaning supplies and battery grease and would be right back.

It was about this time that I looked back at my engine and noticed that there were a couple of yellow capped receptacles in there. Upon closer inspection, I realized that one of the yellow caps on the left side of the engine had a little symbol for window washer fluid. It even said "washer fluid."

Oh crap.

If that yellow cap on the left went to the window washer, what in the heck did the one that I filled up to the tippity-top with washer fluid go to??

It had a symbol on it with some wavy lines but Lord if I knew what that meant!

When Ken returned I was a bit frantic.

"Um, Ken," I said. "I think I have just made a huge mistake! I just poured that entire bottle of washer fluid into this thing and I just now see that it was the wrong thing! Oh, no, oh, no, Scott is NOT gonna like this. Oh, my, what did I do? What does this one go to? Do you know? Oh crap!"

Ken was cool as a cucumber.

"Well, now, that there is not your washer fluid tank but is actually your radiator overflow tank. Did you pour the whole thing in there?"

"Yes, I did! The whole thing! Holy crap, what have I done? The radiator?! Oh crap. Oh crap!"

I was imagining Scott's reaction when I told him I needed a new radiator in a 3 year old van. I was starting to panic.

Ken was calm and sublime.

"Now, now, ma'am. You have not started the car yet, have you? No? Great. So you are ok. Really, it's ok. Let me just see here. So here's what we are going to do. We are gonna go back inside and you'll buy a hand siphon and we'll pump all that out of your overflow tank and then add a little water to neutralize whatever is left in there and then you will be just fine. No harm done, I promise. This will be our little secret and your husband will never know."

Little did Ken know that I am famous for telling on myself, especially to Scott, and I do not hesitate to share my most embarrassing moments with just about anyone (um, hello - this blog!)

But God bless Ken. I was so impressed with his calm and reassuring demeanor.

Then he told me he grew up in Illinois on a 5,000 acre farm with 7,500 head of cattle.

I knew then that I was truly in the best of hands.

Friends, there is no one better in the world to have with you in this kind of situation than someone who grew up on a farm. Farmers can fix anything.

Seriously. All they need is duct tape and bailing wire.

And in this case, a hand siphon.

Add to his upbringing on a cattle farm, Ken is a Vietnam veteran who spent the 10 subsequent years as an Air Force rough terrain recon trainer (we had a lot of time to chat while we were slowly siphoning the fluid by hand.)

No wonder he was so calm. My little mistake was like a flea on the hind end of a donkey compared to what this man had done, seen and accomplished in his life.

Together, Ken and I siphoned almost all the fluid out of the overflow tank (into the now empty washer fluid bottle). And I, of course, bought another gallon of washer fluid and poured it into the correct tank.

Then Ken went on to tend to the battery.

"See this here?" he said. "Your battery cables are all corroded too so let's clean those off and I will seal and grease everything up for you."

I love Ken. He helped me avert an auto-catastrophe caused by my own stupidity. And he cleaned and greased the battery too.

"Ken, you are a real life saver. What do I owe you for all your work here?"

"Not a thing, ma'am. Just come back and see me, ok?"

You can count on that, Ken.

A Daddy, A Daughter and A Dance

Eliza Grace and Scott are staring their 3rd (and final official) year in the Y Princess program.

One of the highlight events for the 3rd year girls is the Daddy-Daughter Dance.

I just sent them off to meet the rest of their tribe, where they will take a limo to the dinner and dance.

Y'all, she just looks adorable. And Scott looks pretty sharp too!

Eliza Grace (left) with next door neighbor and
tribe-mate, Jadon, ready to go

Losing Our Marbles

Cloudy summer Saturdays require action, which is why this afternoon the kids and I headed to the Marbles Kids Museum in Raleigh.

The kids spent a little over 3 hours fighting fires, driving buses, fishing, cooking, farming, building, playing hockey, pirating, surfing and more.

Closer to the Sea

Last Sunday evening, Eliza Grace's bedroom looked like this:As of today, coral reefs have sprouted and are teeming with life...

sea turtles are surfing the WCC (West Cary current)...

and the dolphin are leaping and playing.
Only a few details left - painting the lamp shade to match and finding coordinating bedspread - and we will call this one done!

What Are We Thinking?

It's not unexpected that, since Will now has the ultimate pirate-themed bedroom, Eliza Grace would ask for a new room theme of her own.

We reminded her that a mere four years ago she chose the paint, curtains and other accoutrement that now dons her bedroom as well as a complete four-poster bedroom suite to boot.

Pffftt. None of that meant much as, "please oh please, I really want to redo my room into something special!"

Her first proposal was, and I am not kidding, a mural of Golgotha, complete with three crosses on the hill. The heart-felt sentiment is absolutely precious. The reality is a bit much. How do you tell your child that the site of Jesus' death is not the very best choice for bedroom decor?

Thankfully she decided on an alternative theme in the end: under the sea. This we can handle. I think.

From the top of the door and window casings up will be sky blue with a few clouds and, if I get adventurous, a few sea birds in the air. From the top of the casings down will be the blue sea teeming with life. And the ceiling will be covered in glow-in-the-dark stars, moons and other heavenly bodies.

So once again we are spending the weekend painting, rearranging, cleaning up spilled paint, painting, rearranging, cleaning up spilled paint...you get the picture.

After all this redecorating for the kids is done, I am going to claim my turn and finally take down the miles of green and black leaf wall paper in my bathroom left over from the previous owner. (I know, Gwen, it is about time!)

I'm thinking about a cottage inspired look, with bead board, a chair rail and a pretty Cape Cod color on the walls.

But first, I have to get back to the sea!

Sneak peek: the blue sea color

We started with the glow-in-the-dark ceiling first.
I have to admit that this looks really cool in the dark,
which I will try to capture next time

The Kiss

It was a long week. A frustrating week. The kind of week where I waffled between self-loathing and self-pity. Why me? Why not me?

I was tired.

I was tired of myself.

I went to bed.

It was 3:30 in the morning when you called me to your room.

"Mommy, that stupid cough woke me up and I have to go potty."

"Don't say stupid, honey," I said. "Come on and let's go to the bathroom and take your cough medicine."

We finished in the bathroom and inevitably you asked, "Mommy, will you sleep with me for just a little bit."

I sighed. I really wanted my own bed. My own pillow. But I scooted in beside you, thanking God for the wisdom to buy you a double bed. We settled in and I said, a little gruffly, "Please go back to sleep."

I started to drift off but suddenly I could sense you looking at me. I looked at you beneath my eye lashes and saw you were leaning on your hand watching me.

You started to move closer to me and I was just about to scold you for keeping me awake when you leaned all the way over and gave me the softest kiss on my cheek. "I love you Mommy," you said quietly and then you laid down and closed your eyes.

Then I slept the sleep of the loved and the content.

You Might Be A Smoker Grill Geek If...

...you combine your homemade flower pot smoker with the store bought smoker and then automate the temperature control using HomeSeer.

Flower pot smoker: $45
Store bought smoker: $40
Combine the two to make the most delicious baby back ribs ever: Yummy!


So Scott, why don't you give us a quick tour through all this smoker stuff:

A Visit, A Meal and Blueberry Wheat Beer

Yesterday was a rare treat for Scottie and me. Our friend Holly, the one who is the reason that Scott and I met, was visiting along with her parents, her two boys, her sister Heather, and Heather's two boys. Unfortunately, Heather and Holly's husbands were unable to join them on this trip.

Scott met Holly and Heather way back in 1987 during their first summer as Walt Disney World cast members. I met Holly and Scott the summer of 1988 during my first summer at Disney. Needless-to-say, we have a fun and happy history and have made it a point to keep in touch despite living in different states.

We all met for lunch at Top Of The Hill Restaurant and Brewery in Chapel Hill, where our good friend, George (whom I also met at WDW in 1988 and was best man in our wedding) is a brewer extraordinaire. George and Gwen, George's wife and my dear friend, and their two boys joined us as well. Unfortunately, our children were in school and were unable to join us, much to their dismay!

Anyway, let me stop here and tell you that it is no secret that I am not a great lover of beer. However, I asked George to suggest something he made that I might like.

Oh my.

If you are ever in Chapel Hill, NC, please make a point to visit Top Of The Hill and try their award winning beer. The Blue Ridge Blueberry Wheat just won a gold medal and apparently blew the doors off Samuel Adams and other "national brands." I am here to testify that is delicious and I even took some to go!

But back to our visit. It was really nice to eat and chat with friends with whom we have such a fun history. And although we only see each other in person about every 4-5 years, we are able to fall right back into our comfortable rapport and enjoy our short time together.

Jacob, Isaac and Gwen. Jacob is showing how
big a fish he caught on a recent trip to Michigan.

Scott towering over Heather (L), Holly (R),
the Colonel (Holly & Heather's father, R. background)
and Holly & Heather's boys.
George gave us a quick brewery tour.
In front of a huge mural of Franklin Street and Top of the Hill
after yet another UNC-CH basketball championship :)
(L to R: Holly, Jacque, Scott, Sam, Josh, George, Gwen, Jacob & Isaac)

Shiver Me Timbers...Redux

Ok, I promise this is the last post on this subject, but I did a little tweaking to Will's room and I wanted to capture the updated look.

I had ordered some stickers that arrived a little late but they add just the right little details to make the room look perfect!

(Click on the pics to make them bigger to see the detail)

Yo ho, Yo ho...Well, You Know The Rest

This past weekend I was finally able to make good on my eight month old promise to transform Will's bedroom into a Pirate room.

Scott seemed a bit skeptical when I explained how I would paint the sky, island and ocean but it was my project and he dutifully handled all the higher painting and trim work.

I think it turned out well, with a lot of credit going to the Olive Kids Wallies that gave it a little less amateurish look. They were very easy to apply.

I still need to find a coordinating blue bedspread but Will is thrilled with the room. In fact, he woke up first thing this morning, gave me a big hug and and said, "Thank you for my pirate room Mommy." And, really, that is what makes it worth every minute of work."So Will, what do you think about all this pirate stuff?"

Too Much Of A Good Thing

So there I was, working away in my home office, writing a script for a Director to record as a VoD (video on demand), answering emails and instant messages, all while listening to conference calls.

I am that multi-tasker. And most of the time being that multi-tasker is a good thing.

Since it was lunch / potty break time, I stood up and as I wandered past the laundry room, realized that the dryer was done, so naturally I opened the dryer door and started to fold some clothes.

At which time I noticed a plastic tub Scott uses for brining chicken sitting on top of the washer instead of sitting on the shelf above the washer where it belongs.

So I turned around, grabbed the step stool so I could put the tub on the shelf and when I moved the stool I noticed approximately seven and a half years worth of dust in the corner.

I then went directly to the closet and grabbed my Dyson and, with the appropriate attachments, began to suck up the dust dinosaurs along the baseboard.

About this time I turned and noticed the dryer door was still open (clothes still in it, mind you) and thought I would suck the lint off the filter.

When I went to replace the filter I thought, "Man, there is a ton of lint way down in there."

Before I knew it I had changed vacuum attachments, grabbed a flexible rubber tube (about 1/2 inch in diameter), inserted one end of the tube into the vacuum attachment and the other into the narrow crevice where the dryer lint filter goes and was trying to suck up the massive amount of lint that, for goodness sake, could cause a fire in there some day!

And then I thought, "What in the heck am I doing?!"

So I stepped away from the Dyson, closed the dryer door, backed out of the laundry room and returned to my desk.

Never folded the clothes.

Never ate lunch.

Never made it to the bathroom.

And that is why working from home requires way more self-discipline than sitting in a cube in an office somewhere.

And it is also why being that multi-tasker can really be too much of a good thing.

She Went Down in the River to Pray

O sisters let's go down,
Let's go down, come on down,
O sisters let's go down,
Down in the river to pray.
( by Alison Krauss)
We could not be more blessed or more proud to call this little girl our own.

Too Cool For School

Eliza Grace heading out this morning for the first day of 3rd grade!

The Beach

We spent last week in a little cottage on Holden Beach.

We spent hours playing in the sand and surf.

All four of us are sporting the best tans we think we have ever had.

The kids and I got our nice tans using SPF 60.

Scott used SPF 15 and 30, thus he had a day or so of burn. Silly man.

My happy place is definitely the beach.

This trip we were able to be slightly less vigilant while watching the kids.

I actually read a book WHILE they played in the water.
It was blissful to say the least.

Eliza Grace catching some waves

The water was chilly on occasion, which had Will acting and looking
like a little old man, all wrapped up in between swims

We had a fun afternoon outing down to Myrtle Beach's Broadway at the Beach

We lit a few sparklers in honor of Independence Day.
Why is it people say "Happy 4th of July" instead of "Happy Independence Day?"

And now for your viewing pleasure...and apologies in advance for the wind noise!

Futility

Riding the waves

Will dancing. Yes, that is dancing.

Will rides one in.

A big one:

Fearless One