Date Night!

We purchased a new dishwasher today. Yay! It is black should match the new oven quite nicely... and will hopefully settle the racial conflict in my kitchen until we can afford to replace the frig. With all the expenses of 2007, some planned for...others not so much (health insurance issues that resulted in paying CASH for baby Q, extra ultrasounds, food storage, the kitchen remodel, Q's reflux meds and x-rays, the oven, plane tickets for the funeral, and now a new dishwasher to name a few) we've made some adjustments to the 2008 budget that will allow funding for those unexpected expenses that seem to be inevitable each year. Some people think I am totally neurotic and a sometimes even little ridiculous about our budget and how our cash is spent...and well...that's because I am.
That being said...obviously something had to give, to allow for the budget change. So, we decided to be more creative with our date nights. I thought I was as cheap as they get, since we rarely get sitters or go to movies. But every now and then we do something that is a little more expensive (for us), like rent a pontoon boat, or pay $10 for Reese to have a 3 minute horse drawn carriage ride (still totally worth it).
2008 is the year our creativity kicks in! When our racist frig decides to say, "No More" to the color integration in the kitchen, we want to be more financially prepared to replace it.

This is where you, our beloved fan club, come in! What has been your favorite FREE (or at least really close to free) date? So far, we have come up with a few great ideas on our own, but many of them require warmer (non winter) weather or daylight...and we are short on both of those for the next 3 months! Let's get creative-but not too out there (scott.) We want real date ideas to use.

Tonight we are going to the fitness center to play racquetball or basketball and then work out. We haven't been to the gym together (kid free) since....well before kids. We used to go together all the time at Boise State and we loved it so tonight should be a fun evening. I'd like to plan the next 5 or 6 date nights...so we'll be less tempted to just go out to dinner when we are short on ideas.
Also, feel free to include "dates-in", meaning fun date night ideas to do at home once kids go to bed. Last weekend I kicked Aaron's trash at that Mastermind game Dad gave everyone. He was such a sour sport that he "accidentally" knocked the game over and all the tiny pegs flew everywhere. Quincy's been finding them and eating them all week. No need to vacuum with Q around...she's like one of those Roomba things that wanders around picking the carpet on it's own.

Wow I get off topic easily. Date Ideas....Let's hear 'em!
...and Yes, there will be a prize for the winner.

Highlights

I've had a little trouble with uploading photos this week, and consequently haven't posted anything...but here are the highlights from the week:

We had a WARM weekend! Horray for 70 degrees! It was beautiful!
Aaron took down the Christmas lights and cut up a little firewood, and then we both spent 3 hours raking, blowing and hauling the LEAVES from our yard. We are blessed to live on a wooded lot, but that means we have leaves (and acorns...and needles, and pinecones) from 8 oak trees, 4 dogwoods, a giant magnolia tree, a pine tree, (and a few other trees that I can't identify), to dispose of. It was a lot of work, but I like housework (except for dishes) so I thought it was really fun to do something as a family, and it was nice for the kids to be outside in the sun. I think we hauled away 13 trash cans from the back yard, and then Aaron got smart and suggested we put the leaves on a giant tarp and just carry it across the street to the woods.

We should have known the perfect temperatures would only last 3 days before turning into a disaster...

We started off the week with a TORNADO. HERE! Apparently only miles from our house? We were up all night with the girls because we were pounded with storm after storm after storm and they kept waking up because the hail pelting their windows was SO loud, and the lightning was like having a strobe light in the room all night. By 1:30 am I was sure we were about to lose our roof, and begged Aaron to hunker down in the hall bathroom (our "safe" room) with me and the girls. (he of course gave a half-awake, "ok" and rolled over back to sleep)
At 3 I pulled the mattress from R old crib (yep, she's finally in her big girl bed!) and put in on the floor of our bedroom and let Reese sleep there.

Reese is a SUNBEAM! I can't believe it. She's the youngest in her class, and I nearly shed a tear when I dropped her off at opening exercises. I dropped by later to spy on her and caught a peek of her singing "Lead me, guide me, walk beside me..." in full force, so I guess she had a pretty great time!

Quincy cut 3 molars in 2 days. Molars! She is 13 months! She was a grouch but I can't really blame her. She's such a perfect baby...if I could guarantee that #3 would be this easy I'd be pregnant right now.

I had to re-evaluate my entire cooking and eating process so as to dirty the least amount of dishes possible, because our temporary dishwasher (me) is also starting to break.

Reese also started classes at the WalMart fitness center this week! She went to Fit Kids (which is like a gymboree play class) on Tuesday, and a Swimming Class (no more Mom and Me swim...YAY for that) on Thursday. I was nervous that she wouldn't want to get in the pool without me, but Ms. Joan, her teacher was very convincing...and a little intimidating. Anyway, Reese did great and we got to watch her from an observation room above the pool.

I started running this week. Yay me. I didn't die. Unfortunately, it's still too cold to take the girls, so I've been running at the fitness center. Hopefully, it will warm up again soon (without the tornado side effects please.)

I convinced our trash guy to haul away our old front door (it's been in our garage for a year)

Jimmie and Kasey disconnected our old dishwasher. (thanks guys!) Now we just need to buy a new one (so they can install it for us...again, thanks!)

We discovered the cause of the mystery noise in the side yard. Every now and then we'll hear a THUMP and figure it's just a branch hitting the house or a squirrel or armadillo making noise in the yard. NOPE. The THUMP is the sound of numerous birds flying to their death as they smack into their reflection shining in our kitchen window. We found them all buried among the leaves below the window sill on Saturday. So there you have it...we are bird killers.

Well there were about a zillion other things that happened...this week just flew by!

What was the highlight of YOUR week?

I Need Some Pledge!

Isn't it beautiful?!!! I swear I am going to enter the piano movers into the Iron Man competition, because this bad boy is like 1200 lbs, and two dudes moved it into my home...in minutes! I got it from a sister of one of my friends....FOR FREE! I LOOOOOVE FREE STUFF and I LOVE this piano! I only wish I knew more about it's history! All I know is that it was built in 1901 in Cincinnati by Ellington Piano Company and that all of the ivory is original. The date April 7, 1948 is etched inside the lid, which, I'm guessing, is when it was tuned at one point. It's a shame I don't still live in the house we had in Wisconsin...this piano would have fit in perfectly with the architecture of the 1920's house! For now, it will have to settle for my humble living room that we are slowly de-old-lady-ing. It is going to need a little love, as a couple of the keys make little or no sound, a foot pedal needs to be screwed on correctly, and it will definitely need to be tuned, but I can do all that later. For now, it's VERY DUSTY, but it's just so pretty and perfect for me and I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! I LOVE IT! ...and seriously, FREE!

I should also point out that the pretty mirror that is resting on it (for now) was a gift from my wonderful sister, HolleeAnn...also FREE :o)

Happy New Dishwasher-oops, I mean Year!

Yesterday I decided to play that game, How Much Can I Fit in the Dishwasher and Still Get Everything Clean Game, you know, the one where you have to use one hand to close the dishwasher, and the other to hold back the avalanche of dishes pouring out as you slam it shut?

About once a year I go on a dish strike. I just get soooo sick of picking up after others, finding a mess in the sink 10 minutes after I clean it, scrubbing dried milk from the bottom of glasses (I think milk is disgusting so this is a most-hated chore of mine) and spending the first and last 30 minutes of every day doing dishes. This year the strike only lasted about 4 days before I couldn't take having a messy sink, gave in, and loaded the dishwasher.

Then I pushed start.

Nothing happened.

Let's begin the Eulogy, shall we?

The Willardson's dishwasher was a good little dishwasher. Even in it's final days
when the buttons were slowly killing themselves off one by one, we could always count on the pots and pans cycle to get the job done. Dishwasher left behind a new oven, a dying refrigerator with a leaky seal (next to die in the appliance revolution I am sure...) and a disgruntled housewife who's new year's resolution was to "have a positive attitude".

It took me well over an HOUR to wash the mountain of dishes from the dish strike by hand.

...and now I have PAN HANDS. ew.

My friend, Emily, has a really good theory that this is really all my fault anyway. Because after all, I DID remodel the kitchen, and now it's just so pretty that all the appliances are like,
"Hey...I wanna be black too!"
So basically, they are taking themselves out, because they just can't stand the conflict in the heat of my inter-racial kitchen. I'm really amazed the old refrigerator has held out this long I really think the only thing that's kept it alive this long is the ice maker's fluency in Ebonics. But once it's dishwasher comrade is outta here, I give the refrigerator 6 months before he gives up the ghost as well. Black Power Baby.

Oh well there's always the white hood fan. I accidentally grouted that thing to the wall. It's not going anywhere. Then again, that didn't seem to stop the oven...

So let's see.....the positive side of this? I have a better appreciation for electricity and all high power wash function inventions out there. I am grateful that I was not a pioneer, because washing cornbread pans is a pain...and it would be especially lame with homemade lye soap. Oh! I'm grateful I stocked up on Palmolive dish soap at the Associates store when it was there.
Above all...at least I get a shiny new, pretty, black dishwasher.

And hopefully, I won't have to hand wash another pile like this for a loooong time.

Silly Pictures of Reese Olivia

Reese you are such a fun, spunky, sassy, and emotional little diva. You love this Snow White dress and wear it all the time! 

Reese's Artwork

EARS....Expensive, Aggitated, Red, and Sore

I just returned from the Dr.'s office. BOTH my kids have double ear infections! No wonder they are so crabby! I suppose I would be too. Neither have been sleeping or eating well, and both have been up coughing all night. Hopefully the $48 Rx I just had to pay for (no generic brand available) will heal them quickly! I have an additional $30 Rx of breathing treatments for them coming in tomorrow morning...sick kids are expensive!!!

Anyway, our pediatrician said that if Quincy gets even one more ear infection in the next couple of months they are going to have her get tubes in her ears. I know very little about this procedure. If it will help her, then great. But still....she's so tiny! Surgery just seems so extreme.

It's a shame we didn't discover she would need tubes in November....we met her insurance deductible (and then some) in January when she had those X-rays. Looks like we might be meeting it again in early 2008! Oh well, at least they'll both be feeling better soon!