Five Days of the Grammy

I'm tired. So very, very tired. But it's the good kind. Wanna know why?

Mom came in from Florida on Thursday night. Joe, Xander and I picked her up at the airport, then grabbed a bite to eat at Friendly's before heading home.

Friday we worked a bit in the kitchen, doing prep for painting. Mom spent some time at Eli's, then she went to school to read a story to Xander's class (she's a good group reader!). Back to Eli's for a family dinner, and Mom spent the night there.

Saturday we joined Eli and the family at the Wildlife Fest at the power authority. It was okay, though we'd missed some things because we got there late. But the kids all had fun with their Grammy, and Braden ended up coming home with us for a couple of hours to play with Xander. Saturday evening we all (except Eli, who had to work) went to the Chinese buffet for dinner.

Saturday night we went through Home Depot and Lowes to get more stuff for the kitchen project, including a very cute little ceiling fan to replace our ugly, circa 1970s light fixture. Xander amused himself by riding around on the dolly, making train noises.

Sunday we spent all day (except an hour or so when Xander and I went to get haircuts) in the kitchen. We painted everything - walls, cabinets, trim. Xander did a great job with the paint roller, even though he mostly had to use "boring beige" because the green was going up higher on the wall than he could reach. Mom also put together one of the two new cabinets. That was a really, really long day!

Yesterday I helped Mom put in the ceiling fan and put together the last cabinet. And then it was time for her to leave. I dropped her off on my way to get groceries (one of our friends took her to the airport), and could barely keep awake on the drive! When I got home I started reorganizing - filled up the new cabinet, reallocated items, cleaned off the counter top, washed the dishes, and put on the rest of the cabinet door hardware. Whew!

I still have to paint window trim and the trim around one of the doors, but otherwise it's just a matter of cleaning everything up and putting everything away. It was worth it, because I love the new kitchen! And Mom loved helping me re-do it! Next time, though, I think we're just going to sit and visit like normal people!

Xander's New Spectacles

Xander broke his old glasses over the summer. He stuck them in his pocket while he was playing outside at daycare, and snapped one of the arms off. Yeah, I was thrilled! We didn't get them fixed because he needed to go back to the eye doctor and I wasn't sure if his prescription would change. It did. Joe picked up the new glasses on Monday, and here is Xander modeling them:

He needs these to correct his lazy eye. (He also has to wear an eye patch three hours a day.) Joe also picked him up a Garfield glasses case, which is furry and has a big puffy Garfield head on it. The good news is that Xander hasn't complained about wearing the glasses, after spending a whole summer without any. And they're the kind you can bend into a pretzel without breaking, so hopefully he won't destroy them.

Is this kid handsome or what??

Kitchen De-Mo-Lition

So, my mother's big idea for her visit this week (hi, Mom!) is to re-do my kitchen. Which, I have to agree, was fairly ugly. Lots of dark green, sunflowers, and gingham. Blech! A redo sounded like fun, until I realized Mom was only going to be here for the easy-peasy painting part. I, on the other hand, get to do all the wallpaper peeling, cabinet door scraping, and general cleaning out of the kitchen. Luckily, I got some peeps to help me!

My co-worker and walking buddy Kathy volunteered not just her services, but also the services of her best friend/our daycare guru Donna. They both came over on Friday night with scrapers and a steam iron. After dinner (great baked chicken, thanks Joe!) we got down to business.

Xander, of course, had to be involved. He did some scraping and peeling, but mostly liked using the sponge to wet everything down with. And then dripping it on Kathy!

We got quite a bit done in about three hours. Now I have to finish the rest by Saturday, which is painting day. Gaa! Luckily, my office mate gave me some handy wallpaper tips (could've used those last week too, Tami!). So hopefully it will all come together in time. Meanwhile, I'm just thankful I didn't have to do the whole job by myself!

Big Man, Little Bike

Let's be clear about this. I hate the bike. I hate that my husband rides the bike. I hate that he wears that teeny little helmet, ensuring his safety only if he lands on the very top of his head. I hate that this will probably only be the first bike, and that the next one will likely be bigger.

However, I love the leather! My man looks awesome in leather! Chaps, vest, jackets...it's all good! He came to visit me at work yesterday, wearing the jacket and the chaps, and I almost swooned.

Stupid bike, awesome leather!

One Morning in September

Xander started off his day sleeping in my bed, thanks to the kid in his class who told him all about Chucky (the murderous doll from the horror movies of the same name).

Then it was TV time. He watched some vintage Scooby Doo while he had his breakfast of mini blueberry muffins and chocolate milk.

Time to get dressed and brush teeth. Amazing how fast he does those teeth...I'm surprised they haven't fallen out!

Slip on the shoes and backpack, then out to the driveway to hike up and wait for the bus. We talk about school stuff, mostly, including a reminder to bring home his lunch box.

And here comes the bus! We have to wait for it to go up the road and turn around, and then Xander scoots off to school. No idea what he does there. All he tells me is, "stuff."

Peace Out!

Xander was looking very cute the other day, lounging on the couch and watching some Scooby Doo. Of course, as soon as I started taking pictures he started freaking out. "Stop taking pictures!" he kept saying, getting more and more agitated. Finally I told him I'd stop if he'd give me one good pose. This is what I got:

Seriously cute, right? I asked him if he knew what that meant, putting your fingers up in a V like that. He didn't, he'd just seen other people do it. So we talked about peace, love and general feelings of harmony and happiness. So now when he uses the peace sign, he'll know why. Hmmm....I'll have to dig out an old pic of my Dad making that same sign, back in the 70s. I feel a scrapbook page coming on!

One Long Flashback

I've been neck deep in college memories lately. (I blame Jay!) In the last month I've gotten back in touch with some old Bona friends on Facebook, and we've all been uploading our pictures from that time. Look how skinny I was!

Anyway, I just completed a mini Bona album (thanks for the coupon, Shutterfly!) and I'm starting another one. In order to make it comprehensive, I've been watching the old videos, reading the old journals, and will soon start reading through the letters I sent to my mom. No memory left behind!

I have to say, I really miss those day. Even though, if you read my journals, it wasn't all just fun and parties. But my hazy brain just focuses on the good stuff. Also, did I mention how skinny I was??

Visiting Annie

On Saturday, the three of us went to visit Anne, Mr. B and Alex down in Binghamton. We hadn't been there since last October (what's wrong with us??) so it was nice to see everyone and get caught up.

We celebrated Xander's 6th birthday and Alex's 2nd birthday (July and March, respectively) with presents and cake. Mr. B cooked up a really good London broil on the BBQ and the kids played together. I was so proud of Xander, he played so nicely with little Alex!

Anne, her mom and I took the boys to a local park, which was a nice walk. We all hopped on the indoor carousel - Xander loved it! We took three spins on it, until my head was spinning! LOL!

Then Alex and Xander played at the playground, climbing and sliding and generally running amok. Before we knew it, it was time to head on back home. Luckily, we'll be back for a return visit next month...our annual trip to the pumpkin farm!

Something Fishy's Going On!

We Brunos are a very serious, refined bunch. Just look how well we behaved ourselves out at dinner the other night! Can't take us anywhere!!


I like to add a little fin action to my fish faces. Joe says I look like a fish having a seizure when I do that.

Xander is still working on doing the fish lips. This is the closest he got. Not too shabby!


And you thought only sharks were scary! Yipes!

The Farmstand is Back!

I am happy to report that the Forgotten Acres Farmstand is back in business! The last few years they haven't been open, which was really sad because Xander loved taking walks up there and getting apples. But now they're back, and we all took a walk up to pick out some corn for the BBQ, and some other veggies that Joe wants to experiment with.

Xander was especially glad to be able to pick out an apple, which he ate on the spot. And there were a whole bunch of pumpkins there already, which he had to examine and carry around just for fun. (Xander calls the farm stand the Farmasty!)

Joe picked out three bags worth of veggies, plus a watermelon and some other kind of melon. I have no idea what he intends to do with them, but since he does most of the cooking I guess I'll just have to wait and see. It sure is nice to be able to take a quick walk up the street and have all the veggies we need, farm fresh!