Addicted

 

I am seriously becoming addicted to chocolate with chipotle. It has to be chipotle, too.. Because I tried a cayenne/pasilla pepper chocolate bar the other night, and it just wasn’t the same.  So I got not one but two more of the firecracker bars today.. that’s the one with the chipotle, salt and poprocks. LOL  I LOVE it.  Seriously addicted.  Maybe when my period shows up and then goes away, this will pass.. lets hope.. because at 26 grams of fat per bar… this is not a good idea but I can’t stop myself!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL

Texas: The Bipolar State!

 

You see the pictures from yesterday… The thick snow falling from the sky.  Children’s cheeks bright red from the cold. Snowballs shaped like hearts from sick little boys who suddenly become Mamma’s boy instead of Daddy’s boy when he’s sick… It was downright WINTERY!

Today it was clear skies.  Bright. Sunny. 60 degrees.  You didn’t even need a jacket, much less gloves, hats and scarves.

Yep. The Bipolar State. 

 

The one bonus: If you absolutely hate the weather here in Texas.. you never have to wait long for it to change. Unless it’s summer and 100+ degrees… THAT sticks around for weeks.   

Snow Day!

Pictures from the Texas Blizzard 2010! And yes, for Texas, this our idea of a blizzard. It hasn’t snowed this hard in a while. I got excited and took a bunch of pics..Even a couple of our neighbors husky dog with pretty blue eyes. She looked like she was completely loving the cold and the snow, and I couldn’t resist snapping a couple of her through the fence. And of course tons of the kids and all the trees covered in snow…My fave’s are the ones where the snow is really coming down hard and you can see it flying in the pics.

What a fun day!!!! Now I’m ready for spring, though. :)

*Hot* Chocolate…

 

So yesterday I finally watched the movie “Chocolat”… Ummm… HOW have I never seen this movie before?!  I freaking loved it! I almost wish I hadn’t sent it back in the mail already because I kind of want to watch it again.. I’m pretty sure I’ll purchase it at some point. I really loved it.. and I loved watching her make all the different chocolates. It made me *really* crave some chocolate.. Not only eating it.. but making it, too. 

Remember a few weeks ago I posted about the spicy chocolate bar, with the pop rocks?  Chipotle and chocolate.. I loved the combination, and a scene in the movie gave me an idea… In the movie the woman (can’t remember her name OR spell it properly in French) made the elderly lade, Armande (I think?!) a cup of hot chocolate with cayenne pepper in it.  Spicy hot chocolate was Armande’s favorite chocolate…  I really loved it in the bar.. so I decided I would use my pure indulgence drinking chocolate recipe a go, with a few revisions.  I must give Simple Daily Recipes credit for the orginal recipe and name for this.. it’s not hot cocoa… It’s drinking chocolate.  Liquid chocolate gold. LOL  Even she suggests a bit of cayenne pepper to the chocolate… I’m telling you.. Mexico and the South American countries know what they’re talking about… Hot spices and dark chocolate play verrrrrrry nicely together.  So here’s what I made for The Husband and I.. on a rare Snowy Texas Night.. we watched a romantic comedy on the couch(The Ugly Truth.. freakin Hilarious!) and had a really great evening together. 

Here’s what I did…

For two small, demitasse size servings

1 Hershey’s special dark chocolate bar (the 1.45 oz one), chopped finely

2 TB very hot water

1/4 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1/4 cup warmed milk

small pinch of cinnamon

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp chipotle in adobo sauce.. minced and mashed until turned into a paste

 

In a bowl set over simmering water: melt, whisking constantly, the chocolate, water, sugar and salt.  Once the chocolate is completely melted and smooth remove the bowl from the heat.  Add in the cinnamon cayenne pepper and chipotle and whisk it really well.  Taste it and add more if you want it hotter (I did! LOL) then whisk in the milk until it’s smooth.. and ladle it into tiny demitasse or espresso cups.  This is thick, rich and DEVINE.  If you just want the chocolate and not the heat.. you could add in a tsp of vanilla extract instead. :)  Or almond extract.. or even orange. :) A little Orange zest would be lovely as well.  But I’m thinking my new favorite chocolate is with heat. It just WORKS for me. LOL  I seriously want more. Right now.  Would it be wrong to ask The Husband to bring me another candy bar and make it, just for me, in the middle of the afternoon????  Yeah, probably.  I’ll be good. Damnit.

Oh No, not again…

 

Andy has strep throat.  Again.  Which means I am going to get strep throat within the week. Again.  Damnit.

He was completely fine on Saturday.  Helped The Husband all day with moving and building the new (way awesome!) shelves for my shoes in my closet.  Sunday morning he wakes up crying.. said his head hurt really bad and he felt like he was going to throw up.  Had a hot fever.  We gave motrin.. fever came down and he perked up.. Then the fever came back and he went back to feeling crappy.. Gave more motrin and he went back to feeling so so.  Then last night as he was trying to eat his sandwich, he couldn’t swallow and said his throat was really hurting.  I knew then. I had felt the tickle in my throat Friday but tried to ignore it.  This morning when he woke up the swelling was even worse and he was in serious pain.  I knew he had strep.. just needed a doctor to confirm it and give me a script for antibiotics. I’m pretty sure we’re both carriers for strep.  I just have to LOOK at someone with strep and my throat is inflamed and feels like razors.  Same with him apparently. So after lunchtime, we headed to the ER.  Gotta love no insurance and having to sit in an ER for hours.  And hours we sat.  3 to be exact.  We sat in the waiting room for almost 2 hours.  Thankfully, the motrin was helping his pain during most of this time.  Most being the operative word.  I could see it in him, and kept asking over and over if he was okay.. he started balling up.. pulled his knees to his chest.  Said he was really sleepy.  Andy is an emotional child and really wears his heart out on his sleeve… and when he’s sick he’s very vulnerable.  He’s such a tough boy, but when he’s down, he cries.  A tear went down his face as he told me he was really sleepy.. So I commandeered 3 armless chairs and pushed them together so he could lay down on them.. The kind police officer that sits at a guard station asked me if he would like a blanket and Andy said he was fine, just wanted to lay down. 

Right as he got settled and closed his eyes, the nurse swung open the doors and called his name.  As we went to the back, he was crying again, clutching his throat.  The pain was back, with a vengeance.  Luckily we did not have to wait long to see the doctor.  Unfortunately, a big trauma came in right then, and even though the doctor confirmed it was strep and ordered some pain meds to be given to him immediately, we were all but forgotten about.  For an hour.  He was so restless.. I knew he was in pain.  I rubbed his back, we joked and made up a fun silly song called “waiting waiting waiting, why are we still waiting?”.. and finally after 55 minutes, I told him.. “alright, I’m giving them 5 more minutes and then I’m going to find someone” He looked relieved.  5 minutes came and went without a peep from anybody.. so I left our curtained area and found our doctor.. right there.  I told her his fever was definitely back and his pain was really getting bad (geesh, he was crying an hour ago, how do you think he feels NOW?).. and she looked completely shocked and said “they haven’t brought him the vicoden liquid yet?!” she grabbed his chart, pointed out the time she wrote on it.. an hour ago, ordering his meds.  She promised to get a nurse on it right away. I let her know Andy said he would like some orange juice and she said she’d get that too. A few minutes later she came herself to let us know that a big trauma had all of the nurses on the floor, but that she’d given Andy’s chart right to the charge nurse and she would be in to see us in just a sec.  And sure enough there she was.  She was really nice, but had brought apple juice.. she just had “juice” written on the chart.. so she thought apple would hurt his throat less.. but when she realized he indeed wanted the orange.. she ran out and got that for him, and told him to keep the apple for later.   

We finally got home, 3 hours later.  His evening was up and down.  The vicoden really helped his pain and he was even able to eat some ramen noodles.. he turned down bbq.. he’s most definitely ill.  LOL  He opted for the pork ramen noodles, since he wasn’t up to the pulled pork bbq sammies. LOL  He ate about half of it.. offering me the first bite like he always does.  He’s so sweet.. he knows I LOVE ramen noodles but never make them for myself because of the fat content.. so he always comes to me and offers me the first bite of his bowl so I can have a taste every now and then.  it’s our little thing, but he was so sweet..because he usually just makes his own ramen and then brings the bowl to me… but I was making it for him so he could veg on the couch.. and he said from the living room “you can have the first bite mom!”. Now is that just sweet as honey, or what? He even managed a few funyons, onion ring chips.  I gave him some more medicine after he ate and Dave got him his favorite orange gatorade.  He’s sleeping soundly right now, and cool to the touch.  He’s going to stay home tomorrow.. and maybe the next day if the pain is still bad enough that he’s needing the vicoden. 

Okay, totally off topic.. BUT. I’m watching today’s Y&R today and I swear, Amber talking to the ouija board is so freaking fake and hilarious. LMAO And WHY is she, who is usually very fashion foreward and put together, wearing GOLD earrings with a silver outfit? And no other gold.  Ummm… clash much?  Just my petty observation to the style department.

Back to Andy the Strep Throat.  I think he’s going to be okay.  He’s a tough kid. The hardest part of this for him is going to be being housebound for a few days.  He gets stir crazy.   But, if I have to choose a kid that is going to stay home because he’s sick.. Andy is the easiest, and always has been.  AND he’s the kid, that when he’s feeling good for a few hours, will help me unpack boxes and carry things in from the truck for me. So, won’t be so bad. :)

I just hope we don’t become The House Of The Plague like we did in October when we all got the Flu.  That was HELL. H. E. L. L.  So, here’s to hoping this tickle in MY throat is from maybe sleeping with my mouth open or something??? Maybe??  Probably not, but here’s to hoping anyway. 

Finally Done!

Moving out of the old house anyway. The only thing there is some stuff that is trash in the garage.. otherwise, we are DONE! Now, if only we could get UNpacked here. I’m pretty sure I’m becoming allergic to boxes. Yep. That’s my story and I’m stickin to it! I simply can not un pack another box because I am now allergic to cardboard. LMAO Yeah, that one didn’t work with The Husband either. Am taking a break though. For the rest of the day! I deserve it. It's been a hell of a day and it started wayyyy to early for my liking. I *never* roll out of been before noon on a weekend (and it’s actually a little more like 1pm)…But The Husband told me yesterday that he wanted to get up this morning and get over the old house and get it done. So grudgingly and most unwillingly I got up this morning at some ungodly hour that I couldn’t even bring myself to look at the clock to see what it was.

I was in a TERRIBLE mood. Seriously. It didn’t help that I woke up to the kids leaving the backdoor wide open when they let the dogs out… which allowed George to escape. At the old house, George was an indoor/outdoor cat. Since moving we have kept him inside or in the garage. I’m afraid he’s going to try to get back to the old house. So I got to chase my cat around the backyard, through the swamp. It was a great way to be ripped out of my sleep. Yeah, not so much. So then, not 10 freaking minutes later, I ask Jason to go outside and wait for The Husband to get back from whataburger (the one bright spot of my morning.. chicken in a biscuit with honey butter.. YUUMMY!), and let him know we were out of milk before he got out of the truck. During which Jason left the FRONT door wide open and both Simon (aka The Idiot Dog) AND George (now the idiot cat) got out. So while he chases Simon around the culdesac, I run around my front shrubs to chase George. Then I had to get in my truck and chase Simon around the culdesac, because that is the ONLY way to get him home when he runs off. And then, in my anger, I gave it just a little too much gas as I was pulling back into our driveway and nearly hit the chairs that were sitting in front of the garage. I was NOT a happy camper. Not at all. Phrases like “How many times do I have to chase the damn animals down before you get it that you HAVE to shut the damn door!?” were all but screamed bright at early in my culdesac this morning. I’m sure the neighbors were impressed. Oops.

So then I’m realizing that perhaps I’m having a bit of PMS, and perhaps I’m overracting *a bit*.. so I go to my room, slam the door (cuz that *always* makes me feel better LOL) and proceed to take a shower. By this time, The Husband is back with breakfast.. which I am no longer in the mood for. Yeah, If I’m so mad I’m not hungry anymore…. Me the queen of food… I’m freakin IRATE. So I take my shower and then my anger just turns to sobs and I start crying as I realize that I have zero coffee creamer and all I want is a cup of coffee to try to make me human when I get out of the shower. And I didn’t want to ask The Husband to go to 7-11 because he just got back from there with the milk. So I’m sobbing in the shower, and ran a bath and continued to sob. The Husband thinks I’m having cramps and that’s why I’m in the bathtub crying. He asks me if I need some Ib Profen. And I confess to him that I’m not crying because of cramps. I’m crying because I have no coffee creamer because I was so mad I forgot to tell him before he went for the milk. That Sainted Man went back to 7-11 for my coffee cream. Now that is freakin love. Or terror at my unhuman behavior. No, it’s love. LOL

Okay so then.. I get my coffee, I finally eat my breakfast.. which was scrumpy, even if a little bit cold. And we head over the the old house and finish up. I’m in much better spirits by the time we return back home. We started unloading a few things.. And me and my inifinte wisdom decide that all this chasing george about shit is getting old. So maybe it’s time to let him outside to explore his new surroundings a bit.. get the lay of the land so to speak. So we’re outside with him.. and he does what all cats do, and jumps up on the fence. And the neighbors pit bull goes nuts barking at him. Which startles him and freaks him out. He begins to run along the fence with no grace whatsoever and promptly falls into the neighbors back yard. With the pit bull. Well, not for long.. next thing we know, George is *flying* up the tree in the neighbors back yard.. to the very freakin top. And refuses to come down. Ummm. Not okay. So we wait outside.. not wanting to go in, only to have him finally come down and escape through the field behind our house. So we’re waiting. Calling him. Trying to coax him down by shaking the food box at him. Nope. Not buying it. He was staying right there.. at the very top of that tree. So then Dave gets the extension ladder. But can’t climb it because it’s against the fence and the fence won’t hold if he climbs.. So we think.. hey.. george is good at walking on ladders.. lets startle him a bit and get him to start coming down the ladder… so we bang the tree with the ladder a bit. No such luck. Just pissed him off and scared him further. So we decide there is nothing to do but wait for the neighbors to come home, ask them politely to put their dog inside for a second and put the extension ladder actually IN their backyard against the tree, climb up there at get him. So that’s what we did. And as I tried to hand George over the fence, to Justin.. he acted as though I was trying to deliver him straight into the jaws of Satan himself and decided to become Satan and scratch the blue hell out of me. Dude. He’s lucky I didn’t just let go of his mean ass and let him go fend for himself. I mean seriously. He’s not even a nice cat on a good day. He won’t even let you pet him without pouting and acting like you are torturing him by touching him. But I held on to him… and the neighbor lady was really nice and said that her dog was actually locked in the bedroom and she didn’t mind if I just walked through her house to get him back home. Nice woman. Lord knows what she must think of me after this and my little tantrum this morning. I need to bake her something nice. But wait, *I* am the new person in the culdesac.. aren’t they supposed to bake for me? LOL No one has really introduced themselves yet. They are probably scared of my 983493 kids and the raving lunatic that comes running out of my house every time The Idiot Dog decides to go for a jaunt.

In better, and much less embarrassing news… we got to watching Food Network, DDD to be exact.. And Guy was at a BBQ place having pulled pork. And it was barely even noon at this point. I was pretty excited because we were done with what we needed to do.. and we decided.. Oh heck yes, we are so going to the store for a pork roast and making pulled pork today!!!!! So we did. It’s on the pit now… getting all smoky and delicious. And some friends are even stopping by for dinner! :) I’m UBER excited about it. :)

The Lasagne.. The Recipe

For those who have asked, hear you go!
For the ragu:
1 package sweet italian sausage links, casings removed (i used turkey sausage)
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced into 1/2 in cube
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic
1 cup marsala or sherry wine (or you can use white wine, I just like marsala)
1 cup chicken stock
1 big handful of fresh basil, roughly chopped.   
3 to 4 fresh sage leaves, roughly chopped

For the Bechamel
6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons flour
4 cups warmed milk

Plus:
1 package lasagne noodles, cooked to package directions for al dente
Shredded mozzarella cheese (I like the bagged pre shredded part skim type for the inside layers, and fresh whole milk for the top)

1. To make the Ragu: Remove the sausage casings and crumble and brown the sausage in a large pot (I like my enameled cast iron dutch oven for this), until slightly crisp.  Remove from the pan and set aside in a bowl.  Add the squash and onions to the same pan, add salt and pepper and sautee until soft and golden brown around the edges about 7 to 9 minutes. Add the garlic and sautee for 1 minute.  Deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up the brown bits off the bottom of the pan, and let it reduce down, about 4 minutes. Add the chicken stock as well as the browned sausage crumbles and let simmer for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chopped herbs and continue to simmer for another 4 to 5 minutes. Adjust the seasonings as needed.

2. To make the Bechamel: Melt the butter in a large saucepan, and then add the flour, stirring and whisking well.  Cook for about 1 minutes and then slowly whisk in the hot milk. All this to boil for a few minutes until you have a nice thick bechamel.  Add salt and pepper as needed (I also like to add a bit of garlic pepper and grated nutmeg to the bechamel). You will probably have a little bechamel left over.

To assemble:
Spread a small bit of bechamel in the bottom of a buttered lasagne pan, add bottom layer of noodles.  Spread with 1/3 of the ragu, then top with enough bechamel to cover the ragu.  Sprinkle a liberal amount of cheese on top of the bechamel.  Repeat this layer in the same order.  How many layers you have depends on the depth of your lasagne pan, I usually get three layers of noodles. When you get to the top layer of noodles, cover with the ragu, but not the bechamel.  Sprinkle liberally with cheese. 

I don’t bake my lasagnes for long.. I usually either put them under the broiler or a very hot (450) oven just long enough to make the cheese on top bubbly and brown.  Let it sit for at least 10-15 minutes after taking out of the oven before you slice it.
Super easy, super yummy!!!!
Something I have wanted to try with this but still haven’t is carmelized fennel in the ragu.

Interesting food…

 

That’s what is on my mind today.  For instance:  I got myself this chocolate bar last night at the grocery store.. It’s made by Chuao Chocolatier and it’s their Firecracker bar.  Most interesting.  It’s Dark chocolate with chipotle, salt and popping candy.. aka pop rocks.  Most interesting indeed.  The spice from the chipotle and the dark chocolate play verrrrrry well together.  I’m totally digging it.  And the pop rocks are just cool.  You let the chocolate just melt in your mouth and you get a tiny bit of burn from the chipotle, the bittersweetness of the chocolate, and the pop rocks go off in your mouth.. I like it!!!  I just gave a little square to Justin and told him not to chew it, to just let it melt in his mouth.. when the pop rocks started going off his eyes got huge, and then he felt the burn from the chipotle and got excited… For being The Pickest Eater in All The Land, he likes some interesting things sometimes.  He likes spice.. he’s really into Thai Red Curry with ground coriander seed and cilantro and lime added to it.

Other interesting food on my mind today:  The Lasagne. That’s right, the food also known as “Cheesy Autumn Deliciousness” is on the menu this evening, winter be damned. The downright unholy, or maybe it is holy? It’s practically a religious experience in how good it is.. The Butternut Squash and Sweet Italian Sausage Lasagne.  Yes, my friends.. it is time once again to gorge ourselves on mounds of melted mozzarella cheese, chunks of sweet buttery squash, perfectly al dente noodles coated in creamy bechamel sauce and bites of sweet basil italian sausage. As The Bestfriend texted the first time she bit into it: “Freakin yummy this stuff is!”.   It’s the comfort food by which all other comfort foods are compared to in The Mammas kitchen, and it’s quite possibly my favorite food.. next to wild mushroom ravioli with light tomato basil sauce.  Can we say YUUUUUUMMMMMMYYYYYYYYY?!?!?!?  I’m beside myself with excitement.  Going to go start breaking down the butternut squash with my shiny new Chef’s knife in a few minutes.

Have I told you about my shiny new chef’s knife?? In all the craziness of The Move, I don’t think I have! How remiss of me!  Let’s recify that now, shall we?  The set of Kershaw knives The Husband gave me for Christmas came with a Santoku and a small Chef’s knife, but didn’t come with the 8in Chef in the set.. when he realized I did indeed want that one too, he ordered it separately and it just got here last week!  I’m damn excited.. it is freakin SHARP and very strong.. It’s going to make quick work of dispatching that butternut squash.  You should see it slice onion.. it’s like going through warm butter.  That’s totally my kind of knife. 

Let’s see.. what else? Not much, really.   Well other than to say, I found out that I actually have quite a few readers, besides The Canadian Friend, JD! How exciting is that?! 

New house, new garden

 

I was rather proud of my climbing jasmine and bouganvilla at the old house.  And the esperanza yellow bells and red and orange lantana were really pretty…

But this is a new house, with a nice big square bed right outside my livingroom windows.  So tonight I bought my first garden plant.  A pink shrub style rose bush.  :)  It says that it’s a constant bloomer with large fragrant blooms.. I’m excited, I can’t wait to put it in the ground and watch it grow and flower..  And it was a great price, only $6.98!

Speaking of roses.. this house already has one rosebush.  It’s on the side of the house, in the backyard right outside H&H’s window.  I can’t wait to see what kind of blooms it has!  That little side of the backyard also looks like it might be a decent place for a small veggie garden.. but we’ll see. I’ve tried veggie gardens in the past and just never had much luck. 

And have figured out where I’m going to put Andy’s apple tree.. On the left side of the driveway, in the small strip of front yard we have on that side..our main front yard is to the right of the driveway and has a large Ash tree already there. 

I can’t wait to buy a couple more rose bushes and other plants for my lovely little garden!! :) 

Some things we’ve discovered…

 

About the new house.. these are not complaints, definitely livable things.. just some observations and things to get used to:

You can NOT run both showers at ones.  The one who was in first gets iced with freezing cold water the instant you turn on the water in the other bathroom.  Bath times are definitely going to have to be spread out.

Opening the fridge door for someone to put something away after dinner does not work when the dishwasher is open.

The garage is freeeezing at night.  If you have to switch laundry at night, you definitely gotta wear a sweater and turn on the space heater that now sits on top of the dryer.  Well I definitely have to do that.. JD could probably do it stark naked and not be cold. LOL

The color of tile in my kitchen, while very pretty when it’s clean.. is not clean for long and doesn’t hide dirt at all, the way our old linolium did.

There are a couple loose boards in the hallway.

Most definitely be careful when getting up off the toilet.. that wall texture is hell on your arm when you bump into it.

Our house gets drafty and chilly a lot, but when the heater is actually blowing it’s almost unbearably hot. LOL  Low ceilings, I guess.. our old house had vaulted ceilings.

The kitchen drawer next to the stove sticks a little bit.

The smoke detector is really sensitive and while that’s great for safety it’s a bit of a pain when I’m trying to pan sear a steak.. Dave finally took it down after Andy broke one of my large pictures that he was using to fan the smoke detector. LOL

2 dogs + 2 cats + wood floors = lots o dust bunnies.. they look kind of like tumble weeds LMAO.

The back yard floods easily.. it’s not so much a lake as I’ve previously described, but rather more like a swamp.  LOL

My closet is colder than an igloo and I don’t know why.. but when I go in there and get clothes out to put on.. I shiver for a good 5 minutes afterwards.  Maybe I could preheat the closet before getting my clothes out?? LOL

Speaking of my closet, you can’t just push it shut behind you.. you HAVE to turn the knob to get it to close.. and that IS a complaint.. it’s downright annoying. A door should shut, no effort.  The Husband promises to fix this soon because it’s annoying him too.

The mailman dislikes it and leaves a little note inside your box if you park on the street too close to the mailbox. Oops.  But said mailman was also nice enough to leave a couple change of address forms for us, and must be the same mailman from the old house, because he brought us mail from the old house and left it here.  Bright guy, considering he must service hundreds, if not more, mailboxes. 

But what I have discovered most of all… I really love living here. :) 

Little by little, box by box…

 

It’s getting there. Slowly but surely.  I unpacked about 15 boxes yesterday afternoon.. maybe more, I’m not sure.  I threw a bunch of crap away.  I mean seriously, where does all this stuff come from!?  I figure, the less stuff they have the less mess they can make. Right?  Yeah, not so much.. I know.  I can try though!

The Bestfriend came on Wednesday and helped me hang pictures.. she’s good at placing pictures. I’m glad she came. :) 

My kitchen is completely put up now.. Even the storage shelves in the garage.. and condensing down to two shelves?? Yeah, not so much. LOL I decided that since I got rid of so much shit I should get to spread my good stuff out more that way it’s not piled high and hard to get things out.  So the linens are still homeless.. but it’ll work out. LOL 

So are you sick of hearing about The Move yet?  Gosh, you should be, because I’m sick of talking about it!  I had the girls brownie troop leader over last night (she bought a whole case of cookies off me, woo hoo!) and she commented on my red wall and how nice my red dishes look in the hutch on that wall.  :)  Totally made my day! Nevermind that I’m supposed to be some awesome cook, and she watched me pull frozen burritos and chicken nuggets out of the oven for dinner. LMAO

Hannah did something most hilarious today.  She barges into the boys room (after being told to “get out!” several times), because The Niece is in there (the older one, not the one that’s same age as them).. anyway.  She tells them “Why can’t I come in here? You get to come into mine and Heather’s room!” and the Niece tells her “because this is the big kid room”.. and Hannah yells “Well I’m not leaving!!! You get to come into mine and Heather’s room, I get to come in here” and she slams the door and plops herself on the floor to watch them play xbox.  You go little girl.. tell ‘em who’s boss! I swear, I think she stamped her foot when she said “well I’m not leaving!” . LOL  I was in my room cracking up at her and how affronted and upset she was.  And totally ready to do battle for her if they pushed her out of the room… cuz she’s right.. they DO go into her room and it’s only fair. 

Other fun happenings.. Heather skidded (is that even a word.. skidded? )out on the wood floor and whacked her forehead on the corner of the coffee table.. Nice little lump happening there.. and this was after Hannah busted her lip open because she was screwing around in the chair at the table and the legs slid on the tile and the chair went out from underneath her, making her whack her chin on the table and pushing her top teeth into her bottom lip.. I saw it all happen and OUCHIE! I had an icepack on her instantly, but it still swelled up like a macy’s day float.  I keep trying to tell them.. not having carpet in the dining room, while very nice for cleanup because carpet+ food=gross, it’s hell when it’s real cermaic tile and your chair legs slide REALLY easy, and balancing the chair around on two legs just isn’t gonna work out like it did on the carpet. But what the hell do I know, I’m just The Mamma. I think it’s going to take a fat lip on each of them to finally believe me. 

Valentines Day…

 

The Husband gave me the best valentines day present.. our new house. :)

And of course, we are now completely flat broke. LOL  So, what can I give The Husband? Food of course! LOL I plan to make him a scrumpy dinner… and send the kids to bed early so we can eat it alone… with the dining room chandelier dimmed, maybe a candle or two.. if I can find the box they’re in… LOL I’m thinking pasta. Of course. When am I NOT thinking of pasta?  But I’m thinking steak pasta.. which is our two favorite things combined.  I’m thinking ribeye steak, sliced up and tossed with low carb penne, carrots, onions, garlic and fire roasted tomatoes with a bunch of basil. Big salad on the side… garlic bread..  MMMmmmmmm

But the ultimate will be dessert.  Chocolate Lava cake. And The Husband gave me the idea tonight by bringing it home for me.  I have a recipe for it, and what a great way to break in my new oven..and talk about a romantic dessert. Worked tonight, anyway! LOL  I can’t wait!!!

Lucky Girl

So text The Husband "Bring me some chocolate, too".. (after our convo on the pizza he was stopping to get). I figured he'd get me a Reeses cups or something.. Nope. Chocolate lava cake from Dominos. Heck yes!!! Yeah, he's just good like that. They don't call him Super Dave for nothin. :)

Dinnner Tonight:

 

Pan seared chicken breast, homemade bbq sauce, brown rice, salad.  And I was so tired I seriously almost screwed up the chicken a couple of times… started with the wrong pan, forgot to put oil in wrong pan, then when I realized I was in the wrong pan, so I get out the correct pan and start heating it.. I set the wrong pan over the sink  because I still haven’t unpacked my wooden trivets and didn’t want to burn the counter.. and as I was trying to move the faucet over to the other side of the sink, I managed to turn the faucet ON.. in the pan with the chicken. Nice, eh?  Yeah.. so I dump the water out.. at least it deglazed things and made the chicken come right out even though it was in there sans oil.. So I get it in the proper pan.. and hear no sizzle.  Uh Oh. Didn’t get the pan hot enough.. or it could have been the fact that the chicken had just received a nice water bath..  But somehow I managed to get both sides browned eventually and by the grace of the food gods, the chicken didn’t dry out in the process.  Yeah.. I just wasn’t really firing on all cylinders tonight.  I’m definitely feeling the exhaustion set in from this past whirlwind week.  And since it’s 2am and I have no good reason to be awake, other than freakin’ farmville, I think I better turn off the tv, laptop and all the lights and get my tired booty to bed. 

I love cooking in my new kitchen :)

My first meal I made?? Spaghetti w/ from scratch tomato, basil and italian sausage sauce.. and homemade garlic bread. It was scrumpy!!! And I totally had a ball cooking in my kitchen.. I just don’t even know what to do with so much counter space!!! LOL

It’s a bit tight going through the kitchen when the dishwasher door is open though.. I’ve whacked my ankles a couple times now. LOL

We really enjoyed sitting down as a family to a home cooked meal for the first time in our home.. when we said grace we thanked God for giving us such a blessing. :) It was perfect. :) I am so happy!

How gorgeous is this?!

Doesn’t the red flower pattern on my grandmother’s china look so great with that red wall as a backdrop?? Honestly, I could not be happier with how this looks.  It’s exactly what I wanted! I seriously just stand in the kitchen and stare at it because I think it’s so beautiful and I’m so insanely proud that this is mine.  I’m always proud of my china hutch.. but at the old house I had The Mother’s pink rosebud china in it, which is really beautiful.. But red is just my color.. I’m sure that’s obvious now.. I have a red laptop, a red bedspread, a red bathroom, a red dining room, two dutch ovens in the kitchen are red, I really want the red kitchenaid mixer.. Red is my signature color.  I really want a red front door.. but our house is cream colored with light green trim.. I tried to get The Husband to let me paint the colonial style door that leads from the kitchen to the garage red.. but he said no. I think that’s bogus because I’ve always wanted a red door.. for longer than I’ve wanted a red wall in the kitchen. He knows this.  I dream of having a grey brick house with black shutters and a red front door… But a red door in my kitchen.. my favorite room in the house.. how perfect would that be?  But he said no. :( Killjoy. I wonder what he’d do if I just painted it one day… LOL

My kitchen partly set up.. I’ve got the pots, saucepans, and sautee pans put up.. the spice cabinet has been organized, the plates, silverware and cups have been up up.. And I’ve got the shelves in the garage set up and anchored to the wall.. I am so lucky that those things never fell over at hte old house.. my kitchen aid mixer is so heavy that it made it start bowing out and leaning forward.. I was just waiting for the day that it just finally had enough and fell all the way forward.  Thank goodness that never happened.. and we took neccessary precautions this time!  We got all the fridge moved over..but I’ll have to do the pantry tomorrow.  The washer and dryer are all set up and I’ve even done about 6 loads of laundry since getting it over here yesterday afternoon.

Almost everything is here.. we still have the garage and the attic to bring over.. and a bunch of random crap throughout the house.. oh and my closet.  We brought my shoes.. of course! But we only brought my dresser and the 3 baskets of clean laundry I had sitting in my bedroom.. I don’t want to bring all the hanging stuff over here until The Husband and Rob add some more shelves, a place for my shoes and another closet rod.. I have a HUGE closet and I want as much storage in it as possible. 

The floors are the bane of my existence.  I’ve swept them twice and mopped them.. And they are filthy again. It’s probably because we’ve been in and out of the house going through the flower bed and whatnot all day.. I hope it’s not always this hard to keep them clean, cuz it kinda sucks. 

All in all it’s coming right along, though… I have a “honey do” list that’s a mile long for The Husband, though.. He’s a little overwhelmed.. we both are.. but it’s going to work out.. we still have 3 weeks before everything has to be here. :) And then we rest. LOL

Honey, I’m home!!!!!

 

We’re here.. lots of our stuff is here.. but there is still much to be done.  Can you even believe that NONE of my kitchen, except for the coffee pot and the spice cabinet is here yet?!!??!  Crazy, I know. LOL  Tomorrow.  :)  Today was a scramble to get as much here as humanly possible.  Mission accomplished. :)  Except for the dining room table and me and Dave’s dressers all the furniture is here.  The hutch is in the dining room, against my gorgeous red wall.. and can I just say again.. I freakin LOVE that color of red!! And my hutch.. it looks awesome against it.  I got a couple things inside the hutch.. but literally just a couple things.  But the kids rooms are set up. We have to find them new dressers tomorrow. We’re going to check out a couple thrift stores and if all else fails, we’re hitting up ikea or big lots.  The ones they have are just so disgusting and falling apart. And they are totally ruining the awesome paint jobs I did in each room, damnit! 

I’m  so excited that now that we have all the livingroom furniture in, I can see just how much space I have to work with.. and I think, I hope, my piano will fit in the livingroom against the front windows.. And since this place did not come equipped with a fireplace, and thus a mantel, I can use the piano as a mantel for my nick nacks and the ivy that usually sits on the mantel.  We’ll just have to see.   :) I just miss my pretty piano, even though it doesn’t work.. and I hate that it’s been sitting in The MIL’s garage for two years, because it was either the piano  or the china hutch at the old house, and the hutch held more pretty things than the piano did. 

I wish I had at least brought the damn microwave or a saucepan over here though.. My freakin coffee got cold and I can’t heat it back up.  My bathroom has yet another challenge.  The shower? Freakin amazing water pressure…felt awesome.. for the 10 whole minutes I had water before the hot water was gone because it had such strong pressure and output that it drained my hot water heater in a matter of minutes.. Yep, definitely going to need to remember to take down my removable showerhead with the water saver thingamabob inside it. Oh and I’m pretty sure the shower was built for elves, dwarves or The Sister (who’s just barely 5foot).. because it was right at my chest.. and I’m not some amazon woman. I’m on the short side of average. It was pretty funny watching The Husband having to bend down to get under the water… that was rapidly becoming cold because I had dared to shave my legs with the shower running. LOL  But the red looks awesome with the new shower curtain I got a few weeks back.  It’s white with all different kinds of circles in red, brown and tan.  Looks awesome with the red walls and the chocolate brown rug mat.  :)

Okay, I keep fucking up typing.. my brain and fingers aren’t communicating very well and I keep typing random words that sound close to what I ment… and I’ve done it 4 times now so I think it’s a time for a little rest for the weary…  I probably missed one or two mistypes, so if you noticed any.. it’s because I’m too tired to go back and proof read.. like I tell the kids: You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit! LOL

No Rest for the Weary...

That's what The Bestfriend just told me when I texted her about how tired I was and should be packing but wanted a nap.

I've been SO busy. The house is almost painted.. my "little" project.... ummm.. Yeah... about that. LOL It's turned into this huge thing. Every room has two walls painted. Including bathrooms. Mine is red. LOVE IT. Gonna look great with my new shower curtain. The kids bathroom is blue and their going to have my celestial shower curtain that I've used for a while but is still in great shape.. just needs a new liner, and maybe a trip through the washing machine. LOL :)

We also decided to do the little bit of wall that peaks out around the backsplash behind the stove in the red.. I'm loving it so far.. it still needs a second coat.. but I'm glad I did it... Just think, it's totally going to hide spaghetti sauce splatter!!!!! LMAO Yes, that really was one of the reasons I did the wall red. LMAO

And Dude. I'd like to get ahold of whatever jackass did the texture on the side wall of each bathroom and rub their arms up and down it until they bleed. Poor Rob.. there's a little of his blood mixed in with the red paint. That freakin wall is SERIOUSLY textured, and for real.. if you rub up against it, it will freakin rub your skin off. Not to mention the "stucco" part of it or whatever that's called sticks out so much that you had to roll it in all different directions and use a TON of freakin paint. I seriously hope that wall doesn't need a second coat because #1 there's not much paint left in either the red or the blue.. and #2.. I don't wanna paint that crappy texture again! I told Rob that The Husband better like our red bathroom because I sure as hell ain't painting that wall again until we have to whenever we move out. LOL

Not too sure about the living room color. When the sun is out and the blinds are open, it looks like the honey sand color I picked out. But at night, with just the ceiling fan lights on and when it's cloudy and raining outside.. it looks kinda peach. And I'm not sure I'm cool with it. But I put my living room pictures up against it today and the more I looked at them there, the more I was liking the wall.. so we'll see. I told The Husband that our furniture will slide to the middle of the room easily enough on the pergo wood floors that I would just repaint it in a few weeks if it hasn't grown on me by then.. I'm pretty sure he rolled his eyes when he turned away. LOL

I so need to pack. I have been over at the house every day this week and a couple of the nights too, painting.. and I'm just so exhausted that by the time I get back here I don't want to pack.. but now it's tomorrow that we're going to try to move the bulk of our possessions... soooo. I need to be packing my china hutch. UGH! I want a nap.

She was right... no rest for the weary.

Having so much fun…

 

I’m really having a blast getting my new house ready.  The girls room is gorgeous, The Sister and I put the second coat of paint on the walls today and it’s ready for some butterflies. I’m really happy that she was willing to spend both of her days off with me this week, painting the kids rooms.  We’ve had such a great time.  Today we remembered the radio so it was really a lot of fun.  It’s nice getting to share this with my friends. 

I was really hoping The Bestfriend would take me up on my request to come over tonight since today was her day off and drink a few bottles of wine and paint while we we enjoy my new house before the heathens invade it.  But she said not tonight, maybe this weekend… but we’re moving the majority of our stuff and all the beds here this weekend, so I guess it’s just not going to happen. :(  I’m trying hard to hide my complete disappointment in not having at least one night with my favorite friend before the kids move in.. but it’s not easy.  I really didn’t expect her to turn down my offer, but I guess she’s had a bad day. Oh well. I guess I’ll just go over there tonight by myself with a bottle of wine and paint the new color on the boys wall.  Maybe I’ll take Sandy (our yellow lab) with me so I won’t be alone.

The homeowner came by today with a roofing company, and they are going to put a new roof on it this Friday.. so that’s pretty great!  We also showed him the crack in the boys bedroom window and  the standing water by the oleander bushes in the backyard, and he’s going to take cake of both.  And he has the missing knob to my stove (which looks very new!) So all in all, things are coming right along! 

And Dave isn’t even bitching about how much the painting project has turned out costing, he’s being such a sport!  LOL   Maybe he realizes how excited I am about this and how much fun I’m having doing it that he can’t be mad about the extra cost.. that’s what The Sister thinks anyway. LOL

Okay, I’m going to get back to packing. Ugh, I hate the packing part. I love the moving in part.. But I *loath* the moving out part. LOL I swear each time I come back to this house, I hate it a little more. I can’t wait to be in my new house for good.. yet at the same time I’m really savoring and enjoying this week of painting while it’s empty and free of the kids and all their crap and noise.  It’s nice. And I love everyone that has taken the time to share it with me… it’s made it the best experience. :)

Adventures in painting…

 

Whoever thought it was a good idea to set me loose in the Home Depot paint department unsupervised was SORELY mistaken.

I have always regretted the fact that we didn’t paint this duplex when we moved in to it.  We said we were going to but were so excited to finally get out of The MIL’s house that we had all our stuff from storage here in one day and unpacked in less than a week. We totally rushed in.. and said we’d paint later and never really did. Except for the dining room wall and the ocean mural in the kids bathroom.  But the majority of the walls are white.. stark white!!! I hate it. I hate these damn white walls.  This time around, we’re taking our time.. we’re painting.. we’re making it us before we get there.  I LOVE IT.. Not to mention my adventures have been quite amusing to those around me… Quick peek..

So I talk myself into painting by saying that it was just a rental, we don’t need expensive paint.. I’d get the cheap 7 dollar paint and at least we’d have some color.  So I decide the colors I’m going with and head to Home Depot. I tried to get The Sister to go with me, for backup.  I was planning to get a red for the dining room wall, but afraid I’d chicken out.  LOL 

So I get to the home depot, and realize I forget the swatches of the colors I really liked from walmart.  So, I found one that I thought was about the same from what home depot had.  I got a slate blue for the boys room, a great color that was both pink and purple for The Twins.. We call it “Pinkle”. LOL It’s the perfect combo of Heather’s purple and Hannah’s pink.  They are both stoked.  It is the perfect color for their room and I’m damn impressed that I picked it. Go me!!!

The boys room…. Yeah.. Ummm…  Not so much.  My slate blue that is called “Heritage” by behr was purple when we started putting it on.  Not pinkle.  Freakin purple. Kind of a light periwinkle/lavendar.  Most definitely not the greyish slate blue I had invisioned. I had second thoughts at the store. I even ran back in the store after checking out to buy a can of sage grey they had marked down to 5 bucks.

So we decide to try it.. and it’s looking purple. Shit.  But we (The Sister and The Bestfriends’s DH) kept on trucking. Because the more you looked at it, the more it looked grey. Which was fine. And then you’d look at it again. And it’s purple. And then it would look grey. And you tilt your head and it’s purple.  Fucking paint. So then we turn off the light but leave the blinds open and go paint the baby girls room.  Now that was purple! So then you’d look at both rooms in your periferal vision.. and that room looked blueish grey.  Not purple! So then you’d get excited and say “okay, it’s NOT purple! This is purple!” and keep on deluding yourself into thinking this color was going to fly with 3 tween boys. Yeah, didn’t happen. I’ll be getting a blue that is not purple tomorrow. I hope.

So then I go this afternoon to get the red paint.. After I made everyone look at all 982 different shades of red paint swatches.  Dave and I both liked Farmhouse Red the best. Everyone else agreed that it was the earthy red we were looking for.  So off I head off to Home Depot confident in my choice of red.  And they bamboozeled me!!!!!  They totally convinced me I needed the most expensive paint they made that had paint and primer in one can and how it was going to take 6 coats to look red and not orange.. and I freaked and said “OK you better get me the 30 dollar paint!”.  The Husband and The Husband’s Bestfriend (who is also The Bestfriends Husband, how convenient  is that!? You haven’t forgotten that she’s The Husband’s ex-wife, right?? I told you it was a good Jerry Springer.. but that’s another show. still.) got a really good laugh.. but then told me I did the right thing. But I went in there determined I wasn’t gonna let anyone talk me into the most expensive paint and I totally did. My $40 project is turning out to me more like $60-70.. Oops.  But hey.. it’s gonna be a fabulous red wall!  I’m excited. And neverous. After the fiasco of the periwinkle man cave…

Oh and The Bestfriend’s hubby is even going to leave The Sister and I unsupervised tomorrow to paint this wall. This could turn out one of two ways.. A most fabulous wall… or a big hot mess that I can blame on Dave because when I started to second guess the Farmhouse Red in favor of Cranberry Whip, The Husband said “No.. I really like the Farmhouse”.  So that’s what I got.. In the best paint possible.  If it looks like shit, this one’s not my fault.  I already took the blame for the purple man cave.  LOL

I’m totally having a blast. I have never once picked out paint and painted all the rooms in my house. 

Good news, freak out, and I finally got some sleep!

 

I went back to bed this morning at almost 6.  Just started to get comfy and a little sleepy when the alarm went off.  Drat.  So I said to heck with it.. I got in the shower and told The Husband I’d take him to work and then run some errands.  Went to walmart and got a shower curtain liner for the kids bathroom as well as a couple bathroom mats (i’m sick of having to throw towels on the floor when we get out!) and a few random (you could tell I was tired LOL) food items.. Like coffee, and butter, and cheese, bread and cereal.  Yeah, I was practically a zombie. But I did managed to remember that Valentines Day is in two weeks and got the kids their favors for the school parties… Sugar dip stick candy, heck yes I am a cool mom. LOL  Just when I was really starting to drag in walmart and decided to heck with the errands, I’m gonna go home and catch a nap.  And then Dave calls.  We’re to meet the leasing agent at her office at 10.  It was 8:45.  So I figured there was no use in even going home.  So I went to the Money Box to get the money orders for the rent and second deposit, and to Big Lots and Home Depot in search of some cheap paint with which to make the house pretty.  No luck on the paint (was hoping to find something marked down in the mistinted section).. I think I’m just going to have to buy full price cheap paint… tomorrow. :)

Once we got the lease papers signed I snatched up my key and went right home!!!  They have some utilities on, electric and water, but not the gas.. so it was FREEEEEZING inside.. I looked at the thermometer and it said the temp inside the house was under 50. My teeth were chattering the whole time. LMAO  JD, I know, you’re laughing.  Your kids were enthusiastically taking pictures in the –22 temps up there in the deep tundra you call Canada, wearing only what I would call a “light jacket”, unzipped... and I still think ya’ll are part eskimo, or maybe polar bear.. But I digress…  Me and my southern heat lovin butt were shivering!

So to clarify a few of my earlier concerns.  There is indeed NO PANTRY.  Damnit.  But there is indeed a DISHWASHER!!! A fairly new looking dishwasher at that, that actually still has the little jet dry door (can you tell my current dishwasher did NOT come with such a door for the jet dry?)… So, the boys are going to be much relieved in knowning that a dishpan hands hell does not await them.  At least not for the next two years!!! 

Okay some things that are going to take, cramming a bunch of crap in *creativity*.  The bathrooms.  Frankly, they both suck.  The only redeeming quality about each of them is the fact that they are those high straight plastic walled tub/shower combos.  And NOT tile with grout.  Do you even know how disgusting a man who works on cars for a living can make a tile and grout shower?  No amount of cleaning, bleaching, chiseling, cursing, and begging will make that black  shit The Husband comes home covered in each day come off the grout. Not even with the beloved Pine Sol.  It just doesn’t happen.  Ask The Bestfriend, it was her major gripe back when she was married to The Husband, yes as in MY The Husband(ooooh, have we gotten into that one yet?  It’s very Jerry Springer.. But as Alton Brown would say… that’s another show… ). SO a tub that is grout free and an easy surface to clean is a very pleasant change.  What is not such a pleasant change is the non existent counter and storage space in said bathrooms.  Our current bathrooms both have decent sized linen closets.. and they are bursting to full most of the time.  There is ONE hallway closet that can be used for towels and such. Luckily it’s right across from the kids bathroom, and my bedroom door is right there as well.  I guess just towels are going to go in there. Each bathroom does have a medicine cabinet mirror, so that’s good at least.  I have no idea how all my crap is going to fit under that sink.. and I’m just talking makeup and hair products!!!  Organization will set you free, right?? That’s what AB always says.  I wish we didn’t NEED that closet for towels.. it’s right outside my bedroom door and it would have been PERFECT for my shoes!!! :(  Oh well, maybe if I figure something out for a pantry that doesn’t involve the second hallway closet then towels can go there and my shoes can go where I wanted them. hmmmm.  As for the rest of the linen closets (you know spare sheets and covers for 6 beds.. LOL).. I’m planning to really thin down some  of my kitchen crap and toss the stuff that I’ve never even used since living here.  Hopefully that will free up at least one of my four shelving units and that can be used for the linens. 

I also totally had a freakout with The Bestfriend.  She talked me down.  For some reason, this house seems much smaller in the daylight than it did the night we toured it.  See, our current house has a rather long hallway that leads from the living kitchen dining area to the bedrooms area at the back of the house.  Well, the new house does not have such a hallway.. the hallway is on the otherside of the living room wall, if that makes sense.  So the bedrooms are just on the other side of the livingroom wall.  And it seemed smaller than we have now.  And I freaked.  But you know what, maybe it is smaller. I honestly am not sure. It probably is. It looks like it is.  BUT.. it has a huge garage that happens to be paneled plus the attic.  And we’re trying to find a storage shed for the backyard.  Not to mention we aren’t taking a bunch of crap that we don’t need.  So it’s going to be okay. Right? Right?  Well, it just has to be. There’s no other option.  We’re living there until January of 2012 and we’re just going to make it work.  The kitchen is also not as wide as my current is, by like one tile square.. I’ll give up that one square for the extra counters that it has.  And since we’ll be able to put the china hutch in the dining room (which is with the kitchen), I’ve decided I’ll clean out the drawers and the lower cabinets and use them for kitchen stuff.  I never use the china pieces that I keep down there, so they can just get boxed up and put in the attic out of the way.  That’s quite a bit of extra cabinet/pantry space right there!  See, it’s all about creativity. :)

Oh and the backyard is not HUGE.. it’s a moderate size.  Bigger than The MIL’s.  Not even close to as big as The Bestfriends.. But compared to the postage stamp we have now… the kids will freak at actually being able to throw the dogs ball.. in the backyard. LOL

And speaking of… they are begging me to take them over there and see their new digs.  So I’m going to take them… and the space heaters! LOL  I hope they like it.  :)

Oh yeah… and the sleep..  I got some in after I came back here and watched Y&R.  I didn’t pack a single thing yet today and I haven’t taken anything to the house yet.. but I’m not a walking zombie any longer! LOL

It feels like Christmas…

 

I often think around the holidays how I just don’t feel that rush of excitement like children do.. because I’m the mom and I’m the one making all the magic happen, you know?  It’s exciting for me to watch them enjoy it.. but I don’t get that same butterfly feeling in my stomach.. crazy giddy with excitement.. can’t sleep because you just can’t wait… I haven’t felt that kind of excitement and anticipation much as an adult..

But this is it.. this is that same warm, giddy, bubbly full of energy so excited it’s 5:44am and I still haven’t been able to fall asleep.

I can’t wait to explore all over my new house.  I can’t wait to decide where we are going to plant Andy’s apple tree.  I can’t wait to explore the cabinets and drawers in my kitchen and figure out where I’m going to put everything.  I can’t wait to look out the kitchen window while I’m washing dishes or getting dinner ready and see my boys throwing their football or the girls jumping on the trampoline that finally has a yard big enough to be set up in..

And I just feel so blessed.  I have a really kick booty new laptop, that’s pretty to boot! (It’s red, my fave color and I think it freakin rocks), I got a newer vehicle that it’s actually nice looking, and I get this new house that’s in a culdescac!!! You can’t even imagine how long we’ve wished we lived in a culdesac.  And it’s the corner of the culdesac, so we have tons of parking along the side.  LOVE that. NEED that with The Husbands four hundred vehicles. 

I’m so happy. I can’t wait to get those keys in my hand and go put something in my new house! :)

P.S.  I’m totally NOT enjoying packing.  Seriously, where did all this crap come from!??!