Saturday, February 25, 2006

Joe's big day in the bathroom

I've been knowing this man for 7 years , wow!, and he never ceases to amaze me. Video games, check, lawn mowing, check, too fast channel surfing, double check, fixing a light fixture, I'm not sure?
We've had a light torn out of our bathroom for um...about two years now, just an empty black hole in our original light fixture. The bathroom was a little dimmer, showers were a bit tougher, and days were longer because of this one broken light fixture. we cursed the builders and envied electricians. We were lost home owners trying to find a solution to our problem.

Low and behold Dennis, the father in law, comes to visit and gives us the 4 steps to fixing up our house to sell. I named atleast 10 items that needed to be fixed around our house because it bothered us, but more importantly it could bother a new home buyer. Boy, o boy did I get an ear full from Dennis. Did you know that you can fix things in your home by simply going to Home Depot? Needless to say, the purchasing of equipment to fix items around the house was not our issue at hand.
Fixing them was!

Dennis, the father-in-law, and I hemmed and hawed about how to fix things, He walked me through technical jargon, gidgets and gadgets, and I broke down.
" I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT YOUR SAYING!"
"well have boy wonder do it than!" he retorted.
Okay I admit it, this thought in my head almost made me irate. If I wanted Ava changed to a Spice Girls song, Joe can do it, If I wanted a whole baseball series played all in one sitting on a beautiful Saturday afternoon, Joe can do it, If I want the lawn mowed with exactness, Joe can do it, but fix a light fixture? Joe? I'm not so sure...
Hours past, the sun rose, Home Depots closed and there I was pondering the inevitable, could my husband fix a light fixture in our bathroom that has been broken for 2 years?
The answer,
yes.
He did it in 15 minutes!
It turns out that the man did this all summer one year as a summer job!
15 minutes folks, 15 minutes.
Instead of being angry at the fact that $35 and 15 minutes later, my bathroom was sparkling with radiant light aimed in all the right places, instead of the 2 years of dim, dark bathing, I praised and lauded the man who CAN, in fact, fix a light fixture!
He is so manly!
I flick and I wap, the light goes on and off. On and off goes the light, and my husband flexes and puffs up his chest and does a light fixure fixed in 15 minutes dance.
There are many good days ahead folks.
Good days are a coming!

Monday, February 13, 2006

Weekend with grandpa Dennis






Dirt's new best friend





babay Avi likes to eat dirt. How do I know? because as I was typing a letter I heard a cough and a sputter. I turned around to see her shoveling her third handful of dirt up to her mouth. She knew she didn't like the tatse. She knew the grittiness of the dirt granuales were not pleasant but yet she couldn't stop the shoveling! Naturally I had to take some photos to prove that my motheryly instincts have kicked in and I can take care of a small vacuum-like-child.

Carpets are kept clean, plants are all maintained ( and now 2 feet off the ground), and the dog is always on the look out for a roving baby. Here comes Avi Baby!

Sunday, February 12, 2006

The McDonaldization of Mrs.Homemaker


I received a new sewing machine a month ago and haven't been the same since. I have a plethora of pillows, my pants are all hemmed, and now my windows are all treated. The sad part is that for all the time I spent sewing my new bedroom window valancces, Joe said he didn't like them. Well I was thinking that I would use them anyway, afterall 1)I did make them, 2) I used up all my material, 3)I also used our table skirts to sew them, so I really had nothing left to put on the windows (I didn't necessarily like them either, it was all too orange for me). Last week, as we showed our house to another perspective buyer, when we got to the bedroom tour, I was embarrassed, the treatments were so ugly. There's one jab against sewing your own stuff (I even sketched the valances out, but they still came out ugly, I guess I didn't plan for the orange overload).
This weekend as I shopped Lowe's for some bathroom accesseries, what did I find, the perfect window treatments! And for only $36, and 5 minutes to put them up on the actual windows of choice, I can make my windows complete! That was the 2nd jab againts sewing! As Shammai would say "what the heck" I feel cheated! Yes my windows are beautiful, and they tie the room together so well, yes they make the master bedroom a tour show quality! Yes the colors all coordinate without making it too overwhelming, Yes I want to take pictures and show off the finished look to all my peeps! But it took $40 of sewing material and one full Saturday to figure out that Lowe's can meet all my window treatment needs. HUMPH!
So much for being domestic... I think I'll go back to making jewlery, oh wait Macy's is having their clearance sale and can out price my jewlery with less overhead! Forget it, I'm just going back to drinking coffee... To bad exercise isn't the slightest of temptation for a new hobbie, I think I would get great reseults.

Monday, February 06, 2006

Psyche Suckers!

For all you who responded to my blog back in December, SUCKERS! Nobody got a Christmas card this year, but yet most of you fell for my silly little manipulative scheme. For those of you who didn't get suckered into my manipulative tactics, bravo, your strong will is quite impressive.
Anywho, this new year has brought the glory of the Lord into our home.. details still pending.
to state a few that are complete....
Joe down graded his car, after I fasted beer an cheese for a year, he finally allowed GOD to change his heart! Hello Acura (poor Joe).
We are on our way to financial freedom. Cutting back on our first class Starbuck coffee and only allowing room for ChockFullofNuts coffee really does cut a pretty penny from the budget, yummy, (nutty cupoJoe).

Ava is a scooter, as Gabe calls her. She finds herself in a precarious split position when her socks slip on the carpet from her standing position. She is a social butterfly, where ever we are, she is sure to follow...
Gabe rejoined Tae Kwon Do and loves it. He digs the fighting. I wish I could tell you about all the belly aches I get from laughing so hard at the kid, but I'm trying not to give him a complex.
Okay, Okay I'll pulla Kathy Lee Gifford, only two stories...
Story #1
On his first sparring match against an 8 year old, he was getting pumbled (there is no contact, but if there was, he would have been tenderized meat), the yellow belt was giving him amazing kicks and transferred his energy to smooth jabs... Gabe was really put out so he pulled out the ol street moves dad taught him... he started hopping in a circle with his forearms over his face. Master Sung told him " good job Gabe!", but Gabe thought he was going to get chastised for the street move defense, so he started shouting from behind his arms "My dad told me that if someone was trying to hit me to cover my face!"
Gabe continued hopping in his fighting circle, until Master Song had to beg him to put his arms down and fight back rather than running himself into more kicks and punches. He never did let down his arms, dad taught him not too.
Story #2
When Mrs. Master Song teaches the class she has the class full of boys run off their energy by doing racing drills. They have to race in some fashion while performing a drill. Gabe being the die-hard competitor decides to focus on his speed, rather than the drill. He's up against a spritey little 4 year old, so Gabe has to win for his ego's sake, can't letta 4 year old beat him. So Master Song tells the boys to focus on the drills and Gabe, always doing what he is told, focuses hard on his skill and loses the race.
As the other kids is declared the winner Gabe shouts "I'm a loser, Oh man, I'm a loser. Loser, loser, loser" With his hands over his face he slides to the floor and bellows one more time, "I'm a big fat loser!"
Needless to say I was laughing so hard I believe he took my laughing as encouragement, because he finished his next few races still focused on his skills.

Till next time!