Where I've been

Remember when I posted a gigantic "to do" list of things that must be done before we list the house?
It's almost done.
Almost.

My goal was to list the house March 1.
Then it was to list it last Monday.
Well, Monday has come and gone, so I'm back to the March 1 plan. I should be able to get a sign up in the yard this coming monday at least, if I finish painting the doors.

The closet doors are up, the bedroom doors are in. All of the door casings and trims have been primed and painted bright white, the kitchen got a fresh coat of paint, a ton of furniture has been donated, sold, or moved to storage, and every room has received a thorough decluttering.  Aside from the gallery wall in my living room, all personal photos and portraits have been taken down and the bookshelves and closets have been thinned down significantly.
That doesn't sound like much, but just painting the door jams and dining room took 15 hours. The first 2 coats on the closet doors took another 5 hours. 20 hours x 2 (sometimes, 3) people = 40+ hours of painting. Mad props to Kasey for sticking most of em out with me. That is true friendship.

Aaron has spent many hours raking and hauling leaves out of the yard and restacking the 3 woodpiles into one neat pile. Winter also decided that it isn't ready to leave us, just yet, so he has kept our little family nice and warm by stoking a beautiful fire round the clock. We may have had snow followed by a small ice storm this week, but it got up to 78* inside this cozy love nest thanks to Aaron's fire tending skillz.  I will miss that wood burning stove.

I won't miss vacuuming wood chips and ashes out of the carpet at. all.

Oh! We celebrated Valentine's Day in there, somewhere, too.
Parties and candy overload for the children.
A family date (we always take the kids out to dinner on Valentine's Day. Yes, it is a lover's holiday, but we freaking love our children, so we date them on Valentine's Day and date each other over the weekend.  We went to Station Cafe with the kids (photos later, when I figure out how to get them off my phone where they are currently being held hostage by technology I am not advanced enough to keep up with.) Aaron bought me the most gorgeous orange tulips (my fave) I've ever seen and we gave each other very small but meaningful sentimental gifts of appreciation. It was nothing grand or fancy, but we don't have to be grand or fancy to love each other. It was a lovely love-day except for the whole fun-dip disaster. We don't talk about that. Fun Dip has been banned until the weather is warm enough to enjoy it outside.

Also, we found a house that we want.  No, it is not a farm on 3 acres like we dream of, but it does meet our family's needs, is in a great location near the girls' school, is for sale by owner, has a great kitchen, and the house does not need a bunch of work. (can I get an AMEN?) I love my home. I am glad that we purchased a modest home, and that I have been blessed with the skills and means to remodel it DIY style, but dang. I'm tired. Most days (not every day, but most days) I feel like I just want to move my little family into a house and never do another DIY project ever again. (she says after being up until midnight hanging tarpaper and cement board at Kasey's house in her soon-to-be custom tiled shower).
I know I'm a project junkie and I should never say never. But after two fixer-upper houses, I'm ready for a low maintenance home that needs cosmetic (aka fun/easy/inexpensive) work only.

So, what's left? 
-more touch up paint (does it ever end? no it does not.) on ceilings and wall touch ups, and one wall in the bathroom must be done.
-3rd coats on the bedroom doors. (2 wasn't quite enough, sadly. Those doors are just sucking up the paint. But with a 3rd coat they'll look fabulous!)
-baseboards. I've started them, but oh boy...painting baseboards is a long, tedious process. The end result is crisp and clean and totally worth it.
-clean out "Aaron's side" (aka the messy, cluttered size) of the garage and get the boat out of there.
-leaves, leaves, and more leaves.
-add live plants
-curb appeal, mulch, flowers, etc. (the bulbs are growing. Yay for tulips!)
-plant garden
-yell, "Driver, move that bus!" and pray that this little nest sells quickly, cuz' these birds are ready to fly.

Candy makers hate my carpet.

Mom, you were right.
Satan invented Fun Dip.
Dear mothers. Why? Of ALL the valentine candies you could have selected, WHY the Fun Dip? It's the worst.
1: It's not chocolate, so it is automatically sub par candy.
2: Packaging.  Ii is impossible for a child to open a Fun Dip without powder exploding all over the place and getting inhaled.
3: The Crazies.  I'm still not sure if kids go crazy after eating a Fun Dip because it is pure sugar dipped in sugar, if it is because it is full of food dye, or because of it's powdered nature.  Know why they call it a "sugar high?" because half of the candy was actually consumed via snorting it like a line of coke when the package was opened (see #2). The kids quite literally, are high.
4: The mess. Now I'm all for letting my kids free-for-all on their hard earned holiday goodies, but the Fun Dip just cannot be trusted. I just sent the children outside to finish their valentine candy so I could have some space while I attempt to clean the gigantic blueish greenish stain out of my carpet.
5: The mess. Oh, did I already say the mess in #4, well it gets two bullets because of the blueish greenish stained teeth and tongues and fingers and clothing. Still waiting for the blue diaper.
6: The mess. Yes again, because I have THREE children that were given Fun Dip today, and the third fun dip has been spilled all over the back patio.  Case in point.

Fun Dip ranks just below cats in my book.

Calzones and Congratulations

Aaron started his new job today as a Sr Buyer for Neighborhood Market today.  He will miss his team and the experiences/opportunities he had in juice, but knows this is a good move for his career path. Bonus: now all of you can stop feeling guilty every time you pass the juice aisle without making a purchase.  But you should definitely start buying meat at Neighborhood Market if you have one nearby and support team Willy.

To celebrate Aaron's new job, I thought it would be fun to get the kids involved to help show our appreciation for the sacrifices Aaron makes for us to live as comfortably as we do.  We're making one of his favorite dinners tonight. Calzones.  It is simple, easy, and wonderful and comes from my friend Tonya, who is not simple or easy ;), but very wonderful. 

Congrats, Aaron!  We are so grateful for all of the hard work you do for our family. Your work ethic exceeds excellence on all counts. We love you.  

Calzones

2 ½ to 3 c. Flour         

1 Tbsp Sugar

1 tsp Salt                     

2 ¼ tsp yeast

3 Tbsp Oil                   

1 c. very warm Water (120 to 130 degrees)

Italian Seasoning to taste

for later use:

Butter

Garlic Salt

Basil

Mix flour, sugar, salt, italian seasoning and yeast in large bowl. Add oil and warm water.  Mix until dough is soft and eaves sides of bowl.  Place dough on lightly floured surface.  Knead 5 to 8 minutes or until dough is smooth and springy.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes.  

To braid bread (after it is done raising) : Split dough in half.  Take section and roll into a thin rectangle (probably a 1/4 inch or so... pretty thin).  Drip melted butter in center of dough and spread within an inch from all edges (don't want the edges wet!).  Then put toppings down the middle of the rectangle maybe a width of two inches. (I quarter my pepperoni/ham to make them more bites size).  I layer the meat first (pepperoni or ham) then the pineapple, olives... and then the cheese.  From there you will take a butter knife or pizza cutter and slice straight lines from the edge of the toppings, out to the edge of the bread, on both sides-- (make sure you have the same amount of strips)  Then you just start at the top and cross, the left piece goes across the toppings (angled slighly down), right goes over the left (angled slightly down) and repeat.  At the end, you just pinch the bottom shut after the last braid.

After calzones are assembled, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with garlic salt and basil.
Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes (give or take).  

They think it's funny

This morning I went back into the bathroom to finish getting ready for church and Aaron shouted, "Get back! There's a beaver in our shower!"

Then he died laughing because I had been alarmed and jumped back 2 feet. 

There was no beaver. Obviously.

There WAS something that looked like a dead animal in our shower. 

It was the massive amounts of my hair that had fallen out of my head.

It happens with every baby, right around 4-5 months.

My hair falls out by the hand full. 

I'm not talking about a few extra strays and fly-aways here and there. I'm talking every time I brush my hair, I cannot see the base of my brush, because it is so full of hair. I have to clean out my brush every time I use it, or hallway through styling my hair, because the brush is so clogged with my hair that it can't be used. And when I wipe down the shower after I use it, I could build a kitten with everything I've shed.  It's pretty sad. 

Not to the males in this house, apparently. They think it's funny to watch all of your hair fall out, and they think it's even funnier that it makes me cry.

 Tonight, this little baby guy thought it was REALLY funny to pull my hair out, and would grab a fist full and then laugh so hard we thought he'd pass out. 

He thought it was so funny when I would squeal and he was giggling so much that his face turned red.

Aaron took some video and pictures of the action because we've never heard Soren laugh so hard.

Baby belly laughs are the best.

Good thing I have a lot of hair to spare.  

Gospel Principles

Q has been assigned to give the talk in primary tomorrow.
Her topic: Why the Fall of Adam is an important part of God's Plan.
Oh boy. This should be a good one.

Goal: Help Quincy better understand The Fall and the blessings that came from The Fall, and develop her self confidence in delivering a talk to 50 of her peers.
Reasonable Goal: Help Quincy resist the urge to giggle and say the word "poop" into the microphone.

Accomplishing any of the above will be considered a total parenting success.

Insert Something Positive

1) Quincy and Corbin spent the day throwing up.

2) Temps reached the 70's today! Loveliness! 

3) My dang chickens are LOVING the empty garden beds and roll around in them like pigs in the mud. It is really funny to watch, and also nice that my soil is getting tilled for free.  The downside: they also roll in the large flower pots and kick the potting soil everywhere, and poop all over the deck.  Free range all you want now, ladies, because come spring, you'll be caged up in your run for a couple months. 

4) We went on a date on Saturday night. Dinner at Table Mesa (hummus platter, sweet potato fries, pork carnitas, and tres leches cake. Very satisfying.)  After dinner we went to a coworker of Aaron's birthday party where another one of his coworkers was performing as lead singer in the rock band.  It was quite an experience.  I don't think there is ever a reason you should know how much chest hair a coworker has. Ew.  The band was actually pretty good though, and they played a great set.  It's always awkward to go to a venue with live music because only a small percentage of people actually dance.  The people watching was top notch.  Every person in the room touched Soren's hands.  We found out today that we left right before the night turned sour as one lady had too much to drink and fell over onto the stage area and took the microphone down with her. Stay classy, San Diego. 

5) Today was the 100th day of school.  I hot glued 100 pom poms to Reese's shirt and 100 buttons to Quincy's to celebrate the occasion. They looked really cute and Quincy was furious with me for not letting her go to school with a fever today. Good thing I made her stay home, because the puking began about 9 am and has outlasted both the clean laundry pile and my sanity. 

6) I have a crafty day with Katie coming up. We're going to make some really cute blocks. Can't wait!  

7) I'm over program for the February Relief Society enrichment meeting and we're doing a parenting forum.  I have a really great panel of people put together and hope that everyone who goes will come away uplifted with some fresh ideas, inspiration, resolve, or answers to their parenting concerns.  We just had our January meeting and I think it went well. It was a nice change of pace to be over food instead of program. We had a nacho bar.  Next time I'm in charge of the dinner I am totally doing Cafe Rio food. 

8) We plan to list the house for sale March 1st. The goal is to list it ourselves for 60 days and if we don't get any lookers, we'll sign with a realtor. Hopefully, this gorgeous weather will last, because we have some projects to do: 

Indoors:

-hang closet doors

-paint the new doors 

-prime and paint trim

-paint kitchen walls (so gross...)

-baseboards

-rearrange furniture

-take a zillion things to the storage unit

-clean carpets

-refinish master shower floor

-caulk bathrooms

-touch up paint spots on ceilings (hallway, bedrooms)

-rehang blinds in the girls' room.

Outdoors:

-clean windows 

-gutters

-plant garden and flowers

-mulch

-leaf clean up

-clean up and stack woodpile 

-paint house # 

-take down Christmas lights

-do something with the boat 

-sell Big Red (the trailer)

-get a tool shed to store the mowers, yard tools, bikes, etc

9) We upgraded to a large file cabinet last weekend. I feel so organized. It's great. 

10) I saved us fat cash by going through our medical bills with a fine tooth comb and asked for discounts on every one of them.  I also discovered we'd been billed for my OB after we'd met our out of pocket maximum, so I called and sorted that out, and was refunded $680. The check arrived today.  Persistence pays off. 

11) I'm obsessed with baking bread right now. 

12) I really wish we were going to California instead of Utah this summer.  I don't love Utah the way everyone else I know seems to love it, so it kind of stinks to spend so much money traveling to a place I don't particularly enjoy.  However, I DO really really love the people we will be visiting in Utah, so that totally makes it worth it. Can't wait to party it up with the Willys! 

13)  Gringo Fiesta is fast approaching. 

14) I started Soren on rice cereal. He loves it, but after 3 days of it he was covered in an allergy rash. I'll wait a couple weeks and try oatmeal. 

15) Potty training is still happening. Corbin always stays dry, but pooping is an issue. 

16) My sister and her husband are foster parents and they are doing amazing things. I am so proud of them both and happy for the children they are rescuing. These kids come into their home with absolutely nothing. I wish I was there to help out. They are doing the work of angels. 

17) While typing this, Quincy threw up two more times. I am exhausted. 

18) I got a full 8 hours of sleep on friday night and ran 7 miles on Saturday. It felt great and I had tons of energy. I haven't had an easy run in a year and a half, so it was victorious to know I'll eventually get back in shape again.  I'm still only managing to get out for a run about once every 2 weeks though, so I'm not committed to running the Bentonville Half Marathon just yet.  My baby won't be a baby forever, and I don't like feeling attached to a schedule or finding time twice a week to train.  I'm planning to run when I can and when I feel like it and see how I feel about it in a month.

19) I'm trying to be more vocal about my beliefs and share the gospel when the opportunity presents itself.  I realized recently that I miss a lot of opportunities to share good things with others by brushing people off or giving quick answers.  Like when the cashier at Walmart asked me "how are you today?" a few fridays ago, I didn't give the typical, "just fine, thank you", I gave the truth, "I'm great! My daughter is getting baptized today!" and at Williams Sonoma when I picked up my clay bread baker, and got into a conversation with the ladies there about milling your own flour, one of them asked me, "Are you a Mormon?  You all know so much about grains and food storage!" I didn't just answer with, "yes"  I told them where I learned about grains and food storage.  One woman asked for my email address and the other offered me a job in the store giving food demonstrations. (how fun would that be?!)  Anyway, I think there are a lot of people searching for more, so I'm trying to be more deliberate in my conversations, so that when the conversation is over, if the person still has questions, they leave without any doubt that they could come back and ask me.  I know I went 30 years afraid to ask Jehovah's Witnesses why there aren't windows in a lot of their meeting houses.  Just a curious question, but I was so afraid of offending them with my generalization that I never asked.  Aaron just asked his friend last week, and I thought....how silly that I've wondered all these years when I could have just asked.  People don't like to ask. After being in the news all of the time with the election, I know that people have questions. The visiting teaching message this month has inspired me to try to be a girl people can count on to give answers. 

20) We went to the Drive Thru Safari two weekends ago.  That place is a must see for anyone visiting Arkansas. Good times! 

Texting With Aaron

Me: Are you available for lunch?
I'm right by the home office and both boys just fell asleep in their carseats.

Aaron: What?
I'm in New Orleans.