Wordless Wednesday- Remodel Spokane

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House is on the Market!

SO exciting! Now if we just sell it... FAST! That would be even more exciting. I'll post recent pics soon. Plus, maybe even some before and after remodel pics.
For now, though, I need to vacuum, dust, and tidy up.

It is a BEAUTIFUL day here!! Sunny, bright blue skies, BEAUTIFUL! Wilson is at daycare and we made our first V-day cards for his party this morning. Nothing big. Just construction paper hearts that he colored with crayons and stamped with a dopper marker. I should have saved one for his book. Man, I didn't even take a picture. I was to busy thinking about how great it was that he isn't at the stage where I have to buy him Valentines and we can make them-- FOR FREE.

Alright I am off of here this time. The tidying up is calling my name.

One more thing----Thank you to the FOUR people who told me how you are! I can always count on you. :)

Papaw's Little Helper

The curtain rod and I were having some serious disagreements. So, on Tuesday, Papaw and his partner in crime stepped in to settle the matter. I can happily report that the curtain no longer feels the need to jump off the wall when I try to close it.

Handing Papaw the screwdriver. (Is that one word or two?)

Checking out the progress.

Papaw left for FL early yesterday and we are now officially on our own. Enjoy Florida Papaw. Thank you for everything. Wilson told you good night this evening (he walked to the basement and waved). We love you. Talk to you soon.

Wilson now has pink eye and a cold. He is congested today and coughing quite a bit. It could be from all the dust I've been stirring up from sanding the floor and banister. The good news is the closet floor is finished and I only need, I think, one more coat of varnish on the banister. When Chris comes home we will tackle the hall floor.

Back to Wilson's eye(s)... Any tips on applying drops? Here are the things I have tried: I have held him (in arms and b/w legs); put him in the high chair and on the changing table (counter). This kid is determined to not let me get any drops in his eyes and for what ever reason ( I wish I knew) the doctor will not prescribe me a sav/ointment. The pharmacist was even shocked that the doctor prescribed the drops in the first place... so I have no idea. I just want my baby to no longer be in pain and the YUCK out of his eyes. The other night was heart wrenching... Wilson was rubbing his eye and crying while saying, "eyee, eyeee". Maybe tomorrow will be easier.

Sad.

Another note- check out our art work from today. Well, it is mostly mine. Wilson drew lines with the white chalk. If you look closely you can see them (above and below the fire truck).

Even though the picture's upside down I am still proud of my fire truck. How sad is that?!

Another, another note:

Wilson's new words- bubbles, eye (you probably figured that one out from the post, huh), Bo, Pizza

(pawzpaza), and belly

Body parts W knows- eye, head, mouth, teeth, tongue (he makes a cute noise with his tongue when you ask him this one), arms, hand, feet, legs, belly, nose, neck, shoulder, and new (as of tonight) knee.

Hello Summer!

Alright folks, I am officially on break. I have been since last Friday at 3:30. It feels so good!!! This is the longest break I’ve had in over a year. I am currently sitting outside in my bikini typing (which will only happen in my own back yard since I still have a gross Mom belly- don’t get offended you all know what I mean.) and Wilson is sleeping. Before I bore you with the last 2 days I should go back a little further to last week.

Wednesday was my last day of clinic at the long term care facility. It was a great day. My sup threw a party for me and bought me a beautiful necklace (a total suprize). I have spent the last 8 weeks there and throughly enjoyed the experience. I learned so very much. Some of which has more to do with politics than quality care, but I learned none-the-less. I will miss the residents and staff for sure.

On Thursday, I hosted a party for my class. The theme was: Summer’s Here and Wedding Bliss (2 friends are getting married in August). I picked up some beautiful local handmade pottery for the girls from all of us, fixed chicken enchiladas, black beans, rice, ordered a beautiful cake (that Wilson managed to stick his sneaky little hand in 2 seconds after I got home). We also had good margaritas, and chips and salsa. Delish!! I am happy to report that the party was a total success. I had enough food to feed 28 people and all but 2 people have paid their portion toward the festivities.

Wilson and Momma at the party

Okay... So do you want to hear the cake story? If so read next paragraph if not skip on.

I decided to have a simple cake made for the girls. It was chocolate and white, with raspberry filling. Mmm. The icing decoration was simple- white with little white icing pearls. I wanted to accent the cake with real flowers from my garden. So…. I can home and put the cake in the middle of the table (Out of reach from W) and proceed to take the cover off. I then double check that all chairs were pushed in and went into the kitchen to get the flowers and scissors. In a matter of 2 SECONDS W pulled the chair out, climbed on top the table and stuck his dirty little fingers in the cake- right on Congratulations. (More specifically, the first O & A.)

The cake.

On Friday, I had a presentation and as soon as it was over we were done for the summer!! What an amazing feeling!!Friday night Chris made it in and we just hung out, I think. That’s terrible I can’t even remember my first night with my husband in two weeks.

This weekend Chris and my Dad have been busy wrapping up house finishing touches. All the new doors are sanded, stained (I’ll help with this one), the door jams are also sanded and stained, in the kitchen- the ceiling is painted, the light covers are on the new lights and the exhaust fan is connected, the master closet’s built-in is also stained, and right now they are working on crown molding for the basement and the kitchen.
Meanwhile, W and I have spent hours outside. We washed & dried all his trucks in blue water, made pink play dough, built the best fort you could ever wish for (It has 2 rooms and a security window), made blueberry pancakes (that was inside), read 100 books (exaggeration), finger painted, played in the water sprinkler, and of course, played with the rocket.
Tomorrow, the floors are being sanded in the closet and hall, and the banister is getting stained. Can you feel my excitement? The house is going to be pretty much DONE!!! Just over a year after we moved in. YEE HAW!! Can I hear a “For Sale!”?
Wednesday, we are heading North to see Wes and Lola and cannot wait!! Hence the new countdown clock!

Need to check on little man- who yesterday measured 35 inches!!!

Update- Can I go back 20 minutes to quite sleeping baby? PLEASE! He apparently woke up on the wrong side of the crib. He is (for no reason that I am aware of) acting like a total drama queen. Do you want something to drink? WAHHHHH! Wanna go outside- whaaa waahh. How about a snack- UHHH haa wahhh! No he his laughing and crying at the same time.

Another update- He just wanted to be with his Daddy. Who can blame him? All is better now.

Blog and house PROGRESS

Okay, those of you with blogs who have not updated in the past month or more, you know who you are, POST ALREADY!!! You are seriously affecting my procrastination skills. My daily routine consists of looking at all of my friends blogs. (I must confess that sometimes I don't read them. Instead, I look at pictures of their beautiful babes. I read them later. Promise.) But, these non-posting individuals are making me spend more time on school work and less time on reading about your wonderful lives. I miss you! Post damn it!!!





Now on to the house. Boy, it is coming along. Here are some pictures of the kitchen back splash (It is not completely done. We still have to grout.) and the master bath (it is a work in progress but hopefully we will be able to use it... next weekend...)



Note to post procrastinators: This post took exactly 5 minutes to complete. Including adding pictures and giving you a hard time....

Wilson's room

We have a room done. Well, mostly. My dad and I painted it this weekend. We have some things to hang up but other than that, we are golden. I think Wilson likes it...

Here is what it looked like before:

We had to removed this terrible 50 year old wallpaper. Trust me when I say, "It was NOT an easy job!!!".

Here is another of the new paint job:

Clean dishes and splinter free.

Oh yes... we have a completely functioning kitchen!!!!!!!!!!
What a joyous day it was this past Sunday when the dishwasher was installed. It was the last functioning element needed in the kitchen. What a day, what a day... I have been without a kitchen since August and I can't believe how wonderful it is to be able to put my dishes away and wash them in the kitchen (instead of the laundry room).


I can once again eat my dinner with out getting splinters in my arm... What can I say, it's the small things that bring me joy.

Alright, I must go... I need to study. My first exam in neuro is Thursday and I have much to do between now and then. Wish me luck, or better yet, how about wishing me 6 hours of solid sleep...

Big Boy!

Wilson had his 6 month check up today. I know he is 7 months old... We are behind from when he was sick this summer...Anyway, he is doing well. He is 22.1 pounds, 30 inches long, and his head is 18 cm. Now that is one BIG 7 month old!!! 99%tile in height, 91%tile in weight and 86%tile in head circumference.

I need to get... the dogs are barking, at what I have no idea, most likely waking Wilson (insert some foul language here if you'd like), and I have class bright and early in the morning so I need to try and get some zzz's.

One more thing: Our counter tops are being installed TOMORROW!! So be on the look out for pictures. I SO can't wait!!

A quick update.

Man, it sure has been awhile. What can I say, we’ve been busy. I am back to the grind with classes, and even though I am a bit overwhelmed, I am enjoying it. I have been consumed with classes and clinic, but I try to spend as much time with Wilson as possible during any down time I have. (My time management skills are getting some serious retuning!!) My neurology class is a bit challenging, but I never knew blood supply and the lobes of the brain could be so interesting. In fact, my plastic brain should be here by Monday. Hopefully it will help me in my level of understanding... When I am in class my Dad is Wilson’s “Manny” and I can say that I honestly don’t know if I could have left Wilson with anyone else. The idea of taking him to a daycare makes my stomach cringe. Don't get me wrong, daycares are wonderful, I have worked at two; however, nothing is better than family!!

I am in the clinic with patients 3 days a week and LOVE that aspect of school. I am working with an older individual who recently had a stroke and two preschoolers. The stroke (or CVA) patient is extremely interesting. Very high functioning but has some short term memory issues along with auditory comprehension problems. My first day with the preschoolers was today and everything went smoothly. The kids are adorable!!

Speaking of adorable... Wilson seems to be growing up before my eyes and I am enjoying every new sound and skill he seems to come up with. Lately he loves grabbing the dogs (no surprise) and eating his books (again no surprise). We were discussing developmental charts in one of my classes and the girl behind me said, “Grab it, shake it, and stick it in your mouth.” I couldn’t help but laugh... She’s right, that’s the order they seem to do it and Wilson could be a class example. He seems seconds away from crawling but I am hesitant to encourage it too much. (That sounds terrible, I know, but rolling is about all this house can handle right now.)

The house is coming along. The kitchen cabinets are in and the counter top templates have been made. I’d say we are a solid week out from getting the counter tops installed. Dad has installed the appliances and a Beverly Hillbilly style counter top, out of plywood, for the time being, so the kitchen is functioning, none the less. My flooring is 95% complete (the exception is my new master bath) so that is wonderful. Hopefully we will get some paint on the walls this weekend but if I have learned anything from the renovation project; it is nothing quite goes as planned.

Chris still loves his job. In fact, he just got back (to Vancouver) from a trip to Idaho and seems even more in love with the company. We have been able to see each other almost every weekend so the distance has been really easy. Of course, we miss each other but we are both so involved with work and school that we don’t have too much time to worry about it.
Hopefully I can update again soon but there are no guarantees. My goal is once a week and Friday just might be the day. You'll have to keep checking to see...


I thought you might enjoy this picture. It cracks me up. Wilson is such a character!!

Pullman, Construction and Chris

I had a great time in Pullman. The drive was nice. Mostly two lanes and wheat fields. For some reason I didn't expect the drive to consist of so much farm land. Washington is funny like that. It has mountains, desserts, farms and cities, all in one great state. These few pictures wrap up my drive.

In Pullman we had a great lunch and then set off for Moscow, Idaho, the home of the University of Idaho (where Ann Clay is earning her masters). We strolled downtown Moscow on a quest for ice cream. At first, the ice cream just sounded good, but after a few minutes of pushing strollers in 95 degree heat, it quickly turned from a like to a need. After the ice cream revival we stopped by a park where Jonathon (Ann Clay's adorable 2 year old) took to the slide and Wilson and I couldn't help but join in.

After the playground stop we headed back towards Pullman and drove through Washington State's main campus. I enjoy seeing how other universities are laid out (in comparison to "The" Ohio State) and watching all the young students walk around campus. I like to think about where they have all come from and where they hope to go. How their parents raised them and what their experiences have been. It's just so exciting! Life is such a journey... Sorry, I realize that was random, I better get back on topic. After our campus drive, we headed to the Appaloosa Horse Museum and then I drove on home. The museum was okay. The best part was the horses outside.

I would love to say that when I arrived back in Spokane, everything that was supposed to be completed at the house was; however, I cannot. The bathroom was not completely framed in, the HVac guys didn't show and my carpet guy didn't even call. Nothing can ever go as planned. What fun would that be?? I should have known better. Today, things are looking up and we are getting back on schedule. My bathroom is mostly done, the carpet guy called and will be here tomorrow, and the HVac has been rescheduled for Monday.

Something else happened today that has made my day look up... I found a new passion. Craigslist.com!! I LOVE it!! I posted our kitchen cabinets and dishwasher for sale, and in less than 2 hours, I sold them!! Can you believe it? The cabinets are not only sold, they are gone. Gone I tell you!! The dishwasher would be too, but when the guy called I was washing my dishes so he offered to pick it up tomorrow. I just can't believe it. I am going to turn into a craigslist junky for sure. I have been walking around the house just looking for things to post. It beats Ebay a hundred times over!!! Seriously, you should all check it out.

Okay enough about me and the house. I know that many of you are curious about how Chris is and how he is adjusting to life in the real world (AKA civilian life). Well, he is LOVING it!!! He enjoys his job so much I can hardly believe it. The company is very supportive of him and our family. Every night when we talk he sounds, well, satisfied. I don't know another word that can really describe it better. He is happy, passionate and loving life. I am sure that like all jobs, he will have ups and downs, but the good news is; he is doing what he loves and he is surrounded by others who have similar business philosophies and interests.

American speaking white girl seeks end to home improvements

I have been waiting on my new laptop to post but can wait no longer...

I ordered my Dell on July 22 and am still waiting on it to appear on our doorstep. I called to speak with a customer support representative (whatever!) last week and after 2 1/2 hours on the phone, found out that my computer was back ordered because I picked red! Come on people, I don't NEED a red laptop, I would just like one. So give me a call, explain the situation and just send me a freakin' black one!! It doesn't sound too hard to me. After all, Dell does have employees in almost every country and state. They should be able to find someone to call all the customers that ordered these "hot" new colors and explain the situation. Furthermore, I would think that with all the technology that Dell has put into their ordering and production lines (thank you, The World is Flat) they would be able to anticipate a color ordering frenzy. But what do I know, I am just an American speaking white girl who wants her computer, like yesterday!!

Now off of the computer subject and on to renovation. Everything is moving along. We are all handling the situation well. Wilson doesn't seem to mind that he lives in chaos and the dogs; well, they never care. I am still smiling and focusing on the end result but I have to admit that if my room looked like this for another week I might have a nervous break down.

We are doing the classic construction diet of deli sandwiches and pizza (bought with coupons) to help cut down on costs. Boy will it be wonderful when our kitchen is done!! Fingers crossed the cabinets are here by the 3rd. Dad is working non stop to get as much as possible done before school starts. I don't think I can possibly recall everything he has managed to tackle, because he has done so much, but I will give it a try: He has knocked out walls, added lighting and electrical outlets, taken down cabinets, ripped up flooring (both carpet and hardwood), taken out 6 doors, plumbed for a washer, fixed sprinklers, the list goes on...

We have accomplished quite a bit in the past few weeks but still have much to go. Tomorrow we will have a full house. Some guys are coming to frame up the new master bath and walk in closet; the HVAC team is coming to change out our heating unit (we are converting from an extinct dinosaur oil unit to a wonderful new and modern electric heat pump) and I will finally have AIR CONDITIONING; and the carpet guy will "possibly" be coming by to measure for carpet. With all of that being said I plan on going to pick up flooring for the dining room kitchen and getting out of town. We are heading to Pullman to meet up with my friend Ann (from Alaska) and her daughter Ann Clay.

I will leave you with a Wilson picture since I know that is the only reason you are here.