Momma’s got a brand new…

…pair of garage doors! WooooooHoooo! Aren’t they loverly? I love the way the barn-door-type doors look and I’ve always wanted them…so, my Daddy made them for me. I’m very pleased with them and now E can even get into the garage by herself.

This is what the door used to look like:

BLECH! It was an old, rickety overhead door – and it was broken. The cables had snapped and it took all my strength just to open it.

And in other news, E decided she no longer wanted a pink room. Boo hoo. I loved her pink room – it was so girly cutesy. She insisted we paint it blue. It is a pretty blue – kinda blinding, though. She also insisted that I get rid of all her baby pictures in her room. Her exact words, “You need to remove all of those ridiculous baby pictures of me. It’s embarrassing when my friends come over and see them.” Another boo hoo, from me. She was such a CUTE baby:

Where has my baby gone??

The before – PINK room:

The during – PINK to BLUE room:

The after – BLUE room

I bought some really cool fabric to make new curtains because she also insisted we remove the shutters and the pink gingham shades. So, I whipped up some curtains…

Painted the valance white and voila…

Not too shabby, eh?

We got rid of her full bed and Grandma & Grandpa bought her a lovely daybed with trundle (so she can have her friends sleep over)

I assembled the bed all by my little self and then we went hunting for a cute comfoter set. Surprisingly, we found one right away. It matches the walls and the curtains perfectly. What luck!  She is thrilled with her new room and stays up there for hours – which is good because she still has a ton of sorting and cleaning to do.

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The Grossness Continues…

I know you’re all dying to know how I’m handling the moth situation at my house. So, I’ve decided to share some pics of the moth traps. Warning: this is not for the faint of heart. Honestly, I don’t know where the hell these moths have been hiding out. It was bad enough that I had at least a dozen moths flocking to the trap when I first put it out. BUT…it seems that they are literally multiplying over night. This is the trap after one week.

Gag!

Oh, but wait, that’s not all. They’re on the top of the trap, as well. Take a gander:

Double Gag

Gross, gross, gross (sorry, honey, now you’re never gonna want to step foot in my house, are you?). I put another trap out tonight because as I walked into the kitchen I had to flap my hands about my face so as not to get hit head on with the cloud of moths that were circling. My guess is that not ALL of the larvae were creeping and crawling around in the foodstuff but found another location to inhabit and they are now devoping into these moths that are swarming my kitchen at night. All of my cupboards are bare and all cereal/flour/rice/grain, etc is being stored in the fridge so I know they certainly don’t have any foodstuff to sustain them. I pulled this off a site on the interwebs:

When ready to pupate, larvae leave their tubes to spin a cocoon. They often migrate a considerable distance from their food source while searching for a pupation site, and are found on walls, countertops, and ceilings. This is especially true when infestations are heavy. There can be four to nine generations per year, depending on the food supply and house temperature.

Great. Fantasitc. I think I’m going to barf. This morning I am now taking the ShopVac to the ceilings, walls and any crevice I can find..and will suck those mofo’s out.

And since I’ve already grossed you out considerably, I thought I may as well share some more fun pics with you. Living with a child, two dogs and a cat can get pretty messy.

First, I shall start with the massive quantities of hair that come from the aforementioned animals (except for the cat, which I cannot catch and hold on to long enough to brush). Now, I love my dogs dearly but if I had THOUGHT about how much hair a Lab would put out, eek. I probably would have thought twice about getting one. They shed so badly that a daily vacuuming (sometimes two) are necessary. I brush the dogs every single day and this is what I get:

Umm, yeah. I was thinking that if I saved up enough fur I could maybe spin some yarn out of it and then knit a sweater. How cool would that be if I were to wear my own dogs’ coats. Bleck.

It looks like a small animal and sometimes Ridley is puzzled and thinks it’s some strange creature. Funny, you’d think he’d recognize the smell of his own fur. He’s obviously brilliant.

Ridley’s puzzlement even gets Gus interested

So, times that fur by 3 and that’s about how much I sweep from my floors each day. Would anyone like to volunteer to be my maid? I’ve been seriously thinking about investing in one of those new fangled Roombas. If anyone has had any experience with one…please let me know if it’s worth the investment, because I, sure as hell, am tired of busting my arse vacuuming multiple times a day.

On to the next adventure. Boy, you never know what you’ll get in my little world. The cat, who spends most of his days outside, likes to kill small creatures and drop them in the back yard. Usually he kills moles and mice. Ridley loves to go outside first thing in the morning and see what prize his cat-brother has left for him in the yard. He then puts it in his mouth and throws it around a few times until I decide I’ve seen enough mouse juggling and whisk it off into the bushes. Today the cat left a poor little finch for us.

Unbeknownst to me, Ridley grabbed the carcass first thing this morning and I didn’t see it until it was already IN the house and IN his crate. I couldn’t figure out why he was playing so contentedly in his crate. Upon further inspection I found the bird and promptly grabbed it, took it outside and took it’s photo. Poor mauled, dog-spit covered, dead creature.

There you have it…morose Monday. Oooo. I think I may have a new theme day. Woo hoo.

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It’s all about Meme

I was tagged by the lovely, Teeni at Vaguetarian Tea Room to do this meme. Seeing as I’m never one to pass up a meme I’m running with it. Plus, I have nothing…nada, nill, zilch to write about this week so, here we go…

The rules are simple – just complete each of the following snippets. I’m not tagging anyone so if you wish to play along please feel free to do so. I’m being nice, just like Teeni, and including the blank meme at the end of this post so you can easily copy and paste.

I am: sitting on my deck enjoying a latte (’cause I just purchased my very own espresso machine – ha!)
I think: waaaaay too much.
I know: how to knit and crochet. (stop it! don’t laugh)
I have: to clean my house but I don’t want to.
I wish: I could trust more and worry less.
I hate: that if you buy an older box of hair color (because a particular store doesn’t care to pull old products from it’s shelves) your hair will turn out black (black as midnight, black as pitch, blacker than the foulest witch) no matter what color is depicted on the package. **10 points to whoever guesses the movie quote!**
I miss: sharing my life with a significant other.
I fear: that the cancer will come back.
I hear: a fan, and a dog snoring.
I smell: rosemary/lavender lotion.
I crave: a vacation in some remote location and Joseph Schmidt truffles (in that particular order)
I search: using Google every day.
I wonder: what he’s doing tonight.
I regret: some things; not many, and am trying to get over them and eventually will.
I love: my family, my Dead Charming, my dogs.
I ache: all over since I just got finished sanding, priming and painting a garage.
I am not: going to make the same mistake twice or thrice, or however many times I’ve made it.
I believe: in love.
I dance: in my living room with my daughter whilst listening to Hannah Montana (shhhh! don’t tell anyone!)
I sing: as loud and obnoxiously as I can to embarrass my daughter.
I cry: at movies, at commercials (especially if it involves animals), when I’m upset, when I’m worried, when I’m mad…pretty much all the time.
I fight: the urge to eat the entire 1/2 gallon of ice cream.
I win: at thumb wrestling (’cause I’ve got big, powerful thumbs)
I lose: my patience far too often.
I never: paint my finger nails.
I always: paint my toe nails.
I confuse: my dogs names sometimes…Ridley does sound like Bailey, right?
I listen: but sometimes it goes in one ear and out the other.
I can usually be found: sitting on my deck with my laptop.
I am scared: that my love and I will never be able to be together.
I need: a massage, and a snuggle with my love.
I am happy about: being in love.
I imagine: living happily ever after.
I tag: no one…

I am:
I think:
I know:
I have:
I wish:
I hate:
I miss:
I fear:
I hear:
I smell:
I crave:
I search:
I wonder:
I regret:
I love:
I ache:
I am not:
I believe:
I dance:
I sing:
I cry:
I fight:
I win:
I lose:
I never:
I always:
I confuse:
I listen:
I can usually be found:
I am scared:
I need:
I am happy about:
I imagine:
I tag:

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More Randomness from My Life

Continuing on with the randomness that is my life, I’ve decided to share some photos that are near and dear to my heart. Here is my beach:

Well, it’s technically not “my” beach…but I like to think of it that way…just as I like to think of myself as King of the Mountain. Heh. Isn’t it loverly? I enjoy it immensely. And cannot (I repeat, cannot) wait until I can walk along this beach hand and hand with the one I love. *sigh* (wait, are those lyrics from a song? If not, they should be…gag)

These are my faves. I took them for my dearest, darling Dead Charming…

And some more shots of the beach and the lighthouse (yes! a lighthouse) As a matter of fact, this lighthouse is the very first public building in the United States to be illuminated with natural gas (how about that, a little history lesson thrown in there for you). First, the harbor:

And the lighthouse:

The clouds were magnificent on this day so I had to include a few pictures:

The dogs got to do their favorite thing today (well, Gus’s favorite thing, Ridley’s not too sure about it):

Look at how happy that Gus boy is. He’s smiling! Ridley looks traumatized and just wants to get the hell out. Unfortunately, I missed getting the shot of Ridley panicking and trying to climb up the side of the dock. We had to yank him out of the water, poor thing. I think he just has too much fur and it weighs him down when he’s wet. But, he has webbed feet…he should like to swim, dammit. I also didn’t manage to get a shot of him trying to climb on his brother’s back while swimming. Poor Gus probably feels like one of those kids at the community pool who everyone clings to because they’re a better swimmer. I was sure I was going to have to do some doggie resuscitation, but everyone made it out okay. Phew.

SPLASH!

That’s it for today, kids. I’ll be back with more in a bit.

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La Meme

Yep, you got it, another meme…because my brain is too shot from all the fireworks and noise yesterday to write anything profound. Ready, set, go…

1. Last movie you saw in a theater? Mim‘s Island, and yes, I cried.

2. What book are you reading? “The History of Love” – Nicole Krauss; “How to Practice the Way to a Meaningful Life” – Dalai Lama; and several others that I started, put down, and haven’t picked up in a while because I’m too busy blogging…shame on me!

3. Favorite board game? Scrabble, but I haven’t actually played board scrabble in a long while…I play it on satellite now, ‘cause I’m all technical and stuff.

4. Favorite magazine(s)? Country Living…because I’m a country gal; Bon Appetite…because I can never have TOO many recipes/ideas.

5. Favorite smells? Lavender, lavender, lavender…oh, and crayons, and lilacs, and Yankee Candle balsam & cedar.

6. Favorite sounds? Waves at the beach, pouring rain. (Get that water theme?)

7. Worst feeling in the world? Out of control anger/rage

8. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up? Oh, that’s easy, the one who has my heart… my Charming Prince…*blushes*

9. Favorite fast food place? Don’t really eat fast food, but if I had to choose I’d say McD’s – for their Asian Chicken Salad and their fries. But I’m partial to Burger King’s Whoppers – which I haven’t had in about 8 months…mmmm, now I’m hungry.

10. Future child’s name? If there is another…Charlotte or Alexander or Hannah or Maxwell (pretty decisive, aren’t I? Heh)

11. Finish this statement. “If I had a lot of money I’d….? remodel my kitchen, or better yet, buy a brand new house with a huge kitchen (and a library *wink*), buy myself a brand spankin’ new Honda CRV, take a fab vacation to Europe with my love.

12. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? Not anymore. *blushes* I gave up teddy a few years ago. But I do like to have my arms around something…so it’s either one of the dogs or DC…

13. Storms – cool or scary? Cool

14. Favorite juice? Cranberry

15. Finish this statement, “If I had the spare time I would….”? Clean my house. Ha!

16. Do you eat the stems on broccoli? Of course!

17. If you could dye your hair any color, what would be your choice? Um…I’ve got three colors in there now…and have tried many throughout the years – blond, dark brown, red. I think I’d stick with reddish/brown.

18. Name all the different cities/towns you’ve lived in? Only two…quite boring, really

19. Favorite sports to watch? Don’t really watch sports…but live baseball is my fave

20. One nice thing about the person who sent this to you? Ha…no one sent it…I stole it… from Red, I think…so I’ll use her – she awesomely honest and she’s got spunk, how could you NOT love her?

21. What’s under your bed? Lots o’ dust bunnies, and boxes full of linens.

22. Would you like to be born as yourself again? Yes, if I could come back knowing what I know now.

23. Morning person, or night owl? Definitely a night owl. Me + morning = grrrrrrrr.

24. Over easy or sunny side up? Over easy, baby.

25. Favorite place to relax? The beach or my deck.

26. Favorite pie? Red raspberry…or blueberry.

27. Favorite ice cream flavor? Mint chocolate chip.

28. Of all the people you tagged this to, who’s most likely to respond first? No tagging going on here…as always, take it if you like!

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