Nice Trim

We had the trim put up in our kitchen. It is pretty exciting. I feel like we are totally organized and ready to go. Here is one of the most important items in our kitchen, organization for trays and an appliance garage. Too bad the garage doesn't fit my hulking Kitchen-Aid. None the less, I stuck that bad boy in there. We just have to tilt it to get it out. The trim guy also installed the handles. I ordered 52, but we are still 2 short. It pains me to buy them, because when you don't buy them in bulk, they are expensive.

Other items of interest, I had belly shots done yesterday from D'wan. I am so excited about seeing them. She is really talented, and I think she got some really nice ones with peanut and I.

Tonight peanut and I hung out with Sam and her kids. The boys opted for bike rides and really, if both of us weren't knocked up, that is what we would have done instead of dinner. She wouldn't let me pay for even our share, so I left the food I ordered for Mr. T. over there because well, we didn't pay for it. She loaded her 2 kids in the car and drove it over here. Wasn't that nice? Sigh... when life slows down, I am going to keep up with her better.

I asked peanut tonight when we got back from Sam's if she wanted to take a bath or just put on her PJ's. She told me she just wanted to wear her PJ's. She was asleep almost before I left the room because she was so tired. Terrorizing other people's houses is hard work.

Both of peanut and I were feeling under the weather on Sunday so we baked cookies. We had a lot of fun doing it. I can't wait until we get it under control enough to do that sort of thing more often. She was very proud of herself helping me pound balls into a cookie shape. She poured all the ingredients into the mixer and turned it on REALLY FAST, so I had to help her adjust it. We made a mess, but that is why you buy fancy counter tops and cabinets, so it all wipes up easily.

Still Here

We are still here.

Everyone in their place that they were at the start of the weekend, but i feel the clock ticking. Peanut and I have colds that are kicking our afkjeoiaej. It has moved into my chest, so I am hopeing it moves on out soon because when i lay down my breathing is labored.

Mom and Dad were around all weekend so lots of things got done on the house. I also think we have chosen a floor. I am not disclosing the flooring type because i don't want to jinx it.

WE HAVE PICTURES ON OUR WALLS. Our living room only slightly looks like a construction zone. It is nice to wake up to a clean house. I will post pictures because once the baby comes, i will want something to reflect on. "oh this was the time our house was clean". We also cleaned our room and our office. Mom worked on Peanut's room and the kitchen, so there is little that NEEDS to be done.

Peanut has been a pill lately. She is doing the best to try to push our buttons. Some of it is funny, some... not so much. Her big thing now is to ask to go to time out or tell me she does want to go to time out when she is being naughty.

yesterday when we were leaving the playground she told me I was being "ugly", which is what i tell her when she is naughty. She also told me yesterday on our walk, which she whined the whole time, "I want to go home and be grumpy".

I wish that worked at work.

...Because Nina is just as excited as me

Our new countertops

The guys still need to finish one of them and do the trim work on them

We also had a nice surprise and got our new facet.

And two of the tile we are looking at. I think mr. t. is going to need to go to the store to pick out some more that he likes

And a close up

It is really nice when the things I really like are the cheapest.

They will finish the counter tops tomorrow then the trim guy will be out on Thursday. The plumber will be out sometime this week too. We will soon have a functional kitchen. The guy that I wanted to do our floors is no longer taking work. I hope one of his buddies will do it because I really don't feel like finding another tile contractor.

Cleaner... (A long post but it isn't all about me this time)

Another weekend of being at home and cleaning the house. This time, we actually even got to clean the bathrooms. HURRAY. I organized the stuff for Pumpkin's arrival going through clothes and seeing what I had and didn't have anymore. I also put his stuff up in our room and the dresser. I organized the playroom, did dishes, clothes and all the shopping. I even was able to get outside to do a little work there. Mr. T. worked on the yard. Our community had some dumpsters set out for people to throw yard waste and trash into. We were able to get rid of the remainder of the flooring on the carport. HURRAY!!

Tuesday is the big day when the counter tops arrive. Our facet is also suppose to be here sometime next week (i didn't order it until last week) so next weekend, I should have running water in my kitchen AND a dishwasher. SUCH LUXURY.

We tried to pick out our flooring this weekend, but missed the tile store by about .5 hours. Hopefully tomorrow, one or both of us can go by and get some samples. there are still a lot of little things to do in there. I hope that once we get the flooring down, we don't completely forget about it. it is easy to put something aside if it is functional.

Our big weekend purchase was a kite with tigger and pooh on it. She screamed and cried until we took her out to play with it. She became fixated on kites earlier in the week when we saw one at a park with a flamingo on it. She never saw it up in the air, so she really had very little idea about how they worked. I don't think she was terribly impressed. She did get to steer it, but it wasn't really windy enough for a kite that day.

She has also become fixated with the tubes in her ear. Maybe it is because she has been really snotty and I have been worried about her getting another ear infection, but she keeps talking about it. She tells me a couple of times a day how she had a tube in her ear, but the doctor pulled it out. He did, but only because it fell out and got stuck in her ear wax. (gross little girl)

I am afraid this poor girl has allergies. It started in her head and seems to be working its way out. At first she didn't have a snotty nose just a bad cough, now judging from the drainage, I am pretty sure she has a sinus infection. We are going to wait a couple of days before taking her in. I have been keeping her pumped up on Benedryl and that seems to be letting her at least get some sleep at night. She isn't half as crabby as she was earlier in the week.

Peanut is very interested in stores. If she has gone to buy something with me, she will tell other people where we got it. For example "my mom bought these at Target". Or "my mom bought this at the grocery store". It is really funny to hear her talk about Home Depot. (can you see where our money goes)

She was eating her dinner today and started to lean towards me. I asked her what she needed and she said "cuddles". I said "your a sweet girl" She smiled and said "your sweet, too."

Another thing peanut is into lately is singing. Even if she doesn't know the words or can think of any words to say, she will just keep singing some sort of jibberish. Today I went into her bedroom to get her to go to sleep, and she was singing the Barney song. It was so sweet. I laid down in bed with her and sang it with her. She sang it back and told me she loved me. She is a sweet sweet girl.

An apartment

Mom and dad found an apartment to live in.

I guess it is official. They are moving to the ROCK.

A nice DRAMA-FREE weekend

We actually had a drama free weekend this weekend. HURRAY. Last week was a bit of a mess with the daycare situation and dad being ill while at training, but this weekend everyone was at the house. We got a lot of things done.

We finally got into the office and cleaned it up. We installed shelving and threw some more junk away that has now been moved twice. We still need to move some stuff out of mom and dad's room, but it isn't anything we can't do this week. We did have a little drama with some water showing up in the basement, but we easily got it all dried out.

Peanut has been super funny and sweet lately. I think part of her being two is also being really sweet. she wants hugs and cuddles pretty constantly. She is also very into telling me No and being naughty. Yesterday, it was dangerously past nap time, she lay across some boxes in the kitchen when I asked her to come to her room. She said, "No, I am going to lay here and be grumpy". She is so much like her dad.

Some of the women at church threw us a shower. It was super nice. Peanut had a good time and received a couple of gifts as well. She told me "Momma, these people live at church." I guess that makes sense since she only really sees them at church.

She asks almost daily when Pumpkin will be here. I tell her after we get our new kitchen. (I think it is a lie because I don't think that kitchen is going to be anywhere near complete before the baby gets here. At least I will have countertops, though. They are suppose to come this week and install them.)

I was able to break away for a haircut this weekend. I also ran some other errands hitting the half price sale at the sauce company. (the Australians might want to place an order for le cruset cookware as it is half off). I also hit the 2 dollar bin one of the local boutiques walking away with around a hundred dollars worth of stuff for 8 dollars.

We rounded out the weekend with Mackenzie's baptism. She is such a sweet little girl. She was quietly sucking her paci when this crazy lady starting putting water on her head. She cried out a little, but quickly settled down when she realized that there were more lights to look at.

Peanut has grown accustomed to her mom lying down with her in her bed for a couple of minutes before she goes to sleep. I try to leave before she falls all the way asleep, but it is hard. I really like laying down her like that. She throws her little arm (becoming more and more slender as she looses her baby fat) over my neck and pulls my head until our foreheads are touching. We talk a little about the day and the things that we are going to the next day. She tells me about the times she cried that day or if she was naughty. Its really nice. I don't know if she can sense that a big change in about to happen, but she seems to be becoming more into cuddling me. She wants her momma, but luckily, this time around, daddy will also do.

LIES!!

I tell peanut the "princesses" on her pull ups are all scientists. They work to help people and support their family.

I have also told her that all the candy at the checkout line is full of dirt. She no longer asks for it.

cont.... daycare drama

I went and spoke with the director of toddlers and preschool at Peanut's daycare. She seemed concerned about the undocumented bites and hitting and shoving.

She also said that she will try to get someone down there to help Brenda when there is a floater available. I told her I thought Miss Brenda rocked and that her job was really hard. I can't imagine being in charge of 9 kids. I can't imagine 9 little peanuts running around wanting to be changed and taken to the potty and have their fights refereed.

So hopefully, Miss Brenda will get some help. It can't be good for her to have to deal with rowdy 2 year olds like that.

Just when it was so good

I guess anytime you move to a new day school, there is going to be some sort of adjustment. The shoving and biting at Peanut's day school seem to be intensifying. They are getting to the point that I think Mr. T. and I might meet with the director.

It is a little mixed on who exactly it is that is causing the trouble and realistically, for all I know, peanut could be mixing it up as well. I do know that peanut has 4 bites on her right now. I asked the teacher this afternoon if everything was okay and if everyone was fine. The teacher said it was, but while we were talking this one particular little girl started nailing this other little girl over the head with a doll. The teacher broke it up. I asked if she ever put them in time out, she started to explain that she did when someone bit, but not for hitting the first time. While she was explaining it to me that same little girl started hitting another boy. She also said something about how the kids just get out of time out when she turns her back.

That particular little girl is a bit of trouble. I have seen her push and hit on numerous times. I have also seen her hit the teacher. I think she has also hit me.

So I don't know what the deal is. I don't know if there is a complete lack of discipline in their room or if there are just a few kids who act like crazy monkeys or what. The thing is that today peanut was saying it was a totally different girl who bit her. The biting is the least of it though. She also talks about the kids who hit and shove. Maybe the teacher needs another teacher in the room to help her catch things until things get settled down. It just seems like things in her room are starting to get out of hand.

The POWER

Watching TV while surfing the internet is never over rated.

Our power came back around 6 or so tonight.

Still no power

But hopefully today it will be turned back on. Entergy left a message on my cell phone friday night saying most people would be back on by Sunday. Everyone except my side of the street (6 houses) had their power back on last night. (although my "neighbor" behind and a few houses down still insisted on running his generator. I hope they need it to keep the oxygen pumps going or something like that. If not, I am going to be very bitter have to look at their YARD LIT UP while having to listen to their generator IN THE DARK.)

The national guard was still out keeping the onlookers away this morning. (My poor dad wasn't able to drive to our house on Saturday because he didn't live in the neighborhood. Luckily, our neighborhood isn't very big, so walking the 2 blocks wasn't much of a strain.) I asked the people working the barrier when they would get to go home, they said they didn't know. They seemed to agree that having coffee and donuts in Cammack was a lot nicer than being in Iraq. I am just glad they were home and able to help. I am very appreciative.

I have lived through a couple of tornados and personal disasters. It is amazing to me how people come out of the wood work to help. People were just walking down the street with their gloves volunteering to pull debris out of the yard if you were working in it. On Friday, when it was still raining, 4 old timers were on my neighbor's roof nailing down a tarp. I asked him who they were and he said it was "the baptists". My friends have been really amazing as well. I have turned down offers to stay at people's house and offers for dinner. It makes me feel very loved and very special. We are very lucky (our house is intact) and blessed (my friend's are wonderful).

On the upside, we now know our neighbors. We went out to dinner with a set of them yesterday and have been in dialog with the others daily.

updates

It was sunnier today, which is way nicer than rainy and cold like it has been.

We are doing okay. I don't think it is so much the tornado or not having power, but it feels like it is just one more thing to deal with. On the flip side, people have been so nice. I feel really blessed by all our friends and the people that have called and offered to help. Of course, that means my phone isn't keeping a charge, but who can really complain about that.

After seeing our neighborhood and not just our street, I realize how lucky we really are. We ended up with just a downed fence and some flashing issues on one side of the house. Mr. T. worked on our yard today so that is pretty much back to normal. I worked inside the house, so that is just about back to normal. Here are some pictures of the neighborhood.

We have no power, so instead of knitting at knit night, i am uploading photos and blogging.

Our neighbors getting a tree moved off their roof.

Our swing sets

Our house the day after

Storms

We had a very exciting night last night. A tornado came down our street. I had already moved peanut down into the bedroom downstairs when the power went off. I heard the wind start to pick up more and more, so i grabbed her and crouched down where the little kitchenette is downstairs. About that time Mr. T. comes flying down the stairs asking where I am and where Peanut was. We were all huddled up until the tornado passed.

Not to be overly dramatic, but Mr. T. thought he was about to meet his maker. The whole back side of our house is windows. The power went out and as he was picking his way to the stairs the rain started hitting the windows (we have an 8 foot deck) and the windows started shaking like they were going to bust.

We were the luckiest on our side of the street. Our neighbors on our side of the street all had trees fall on their houses. The neighbor to the left of us had a hole in his house with a broken water main leaking into his basement this morning. The neighbor to the right had a tree fall accross his carport and accross his cars. We had about 7 trees accross our street last night, but the emergency workers cleared them out of the road last night.

We lost a tree in the back and another one brushed our house where the bedrooms are. The biggest hassle is not having the leave to just stay home. It would have been a perfect day for it.

Pictures to follow.

small messes getting better

Our closets are still a disaster but at least we have wood on the floors.

Has anyone priced out closet organizers? That stuff is EXPENSIVE!! even the stuff from Home Depot. I started to hang the shelving tonight, but the mister came home so i quit. it is hard to do home projects with him in the same room.

I figure over the next week or so we will get our house in order. After the months and months of renovations, our house is in desperate need of some cleaning. We are getting closer to finishing though. The last major things to pick out are the floor in the kitchen and laundry and the backsplash. After that it will be smaller items that will sit around and never get done.