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!