P365 - 2014 - Day 31 - I came back a new person

P365 - 2014 - Day 31 - I came back a new person

I went to bed last night very upset about this whole house mess.  My Wonderful Husband let me sleep in and, to be fair, sulk, this morning.  I was one very unhappy camper.  I was about to cancel my hair appointment that I had scheduled for this afternoon, simply because I was just too upset and angry to go.  But then I realized that this whole situation has taken over our lives and I was not about to let it take over my hair ;-) - haha seriously... I needed to go...get out of the house, have someone take care of me for a change and I had been planning on Pinterest for awhile to go darker and far be it from me to make a useless Pinterest board.  So, I went and washed the grey and all the other irritations out of my hair.  I came back a new person.

P365 - 2014 - Day 30 - Breathe in, Breathe out, move on

P365 - 2014 - Day 30 - Breathe in, Breathe out, move on

It was another pretty stinky day, although the work finally started on the disaster of a roof situation.  Part of of our roofing shingles and siding had to be removed to add fiberglass to the area of the roof that was leaking (something that should have been there to start with it seems).  The scene around here was pretty ugly and we are some pretty disappointed customers these days.... so to clear our heads and get out of the house, we walked up to the beach with The Pooch.  Breathe in, breathe out, move on.

P365 - 2014 - Day 29 - Some days stink

P365 - 2014 - Day 29 - Some days stink

Some days just stink.  This was one of those days.  It snowed. Again.  The kids had a delayed opening but unfortunately the dog does not get a delayed opening - he needs to go out in the morning so with his snout staring at me though my covers, I realized I had to get up.  Since he still hasn't mastered the ability to go out in the yard, I had to shovel my way outside and take him for a walk.  On the way back, he yanked the leash and down I went - like a cartoon character.  I should have known right then that this was the harbinger of what was to come on this day.  I continued shoveling a path for the kids to get to the bus stop since no plow had come through our street yet, got the kids off, and sat with a much deserved cup of coffee before tackling the rest of my day.  But the rest of my day was quickly consumed by this mammoth icicle on the outside of our house.  Do you know what happens when water gets trapped under your roof?  Well, the water that sits near the outside in the freezing temperatures turns into icicles but the water that sits further back doesn't freeze...because the warmth from the house doesn't allow it.  Do you know where that water goes?  Down. Down ceilings.  Down walls.  Under tile. Under carpet.  It drips and drips and pools.  This is what happened in our house.  I heard the dripping water and saw the paint and the drywall literally bubbling and rolling down the walls.  I called and called our contractor but he wouldn't return my calls.  I called everyone I could think of.  I am not ashamed to admit - I cried.  A lot.  Because this process has begun to take an emotional toll on me.  I finally got in touch with someone who was able to knock the gargantuan icicles off the house and the dripping and pouring water finally stopped... But now, we need this to be fixed.  I foresee more days that are going to stink.

P365 - 2014 - Day 28 - These photos

P365 - 2014 - Day 28 - These photos

These photos prompted a conversation tonight with The Boy.  I was cleaning up after dinner and he saw these photos lying on my desk, so he picked them up and started asking questions.  "Is that you as a baby Mommy?" "Who is holding you?"  "How old were you in this one with GiGi?"  "Is that the house you grew up in?" When I told him that that was my great grandmother holding me in that photo he said "Wow really?"  I told him that was Mema and she was my Grandma Anna's mother - he wanted to know last names and was fascinated at all of the names that are a part of families on my side and My Wonderful Husband's side.  He went on to ask all kinds of questions about grandparents and great grandparents and who looks like who etc etc... As I was answering all of his questions he said, " I need to remember all of this so I can tell my kids someday.  I want to know the names of all of my ancestors."  Wow.  I was blown away by that and it really made my heart smile.  We all come from so many people that have come before us... all of those people had lives and stories just like we do - I like to think that by sharing some of those stories we keep those people a part of our lives.  I'm glad to know that The Boy shares my feeling about that.
*FYI - The top photo is Mema (my great grandmother) holding me with my brothers standing behind her.  The next photo is of me and my mother on her 50th birthday - I was 18.  The photo on the bottom is my mother's mother - Grandma Anna - this is one of my favorite photos of her. *

P365 - 2014 - Day 27 - his stamp of approval

P365 - 2014 - Day 27 - his stamp of approval

We have been waiting for this to be completed..... for. a. long. time.  I love it but more importantly, The Pooch gave it his stamp of approval.

P365 - 2014 - Day 26 - another project

P365 - 2014 - Day 26 - another project

With our hours dwindling until the start of the work week, My Wonderful Husband and I got a lot of trim painted and hung.  This mess is the next project... with the cabinets done, we can finally start putting things away.  But there is another project I want to tackle... that desk is need of a paint job and some new drawer pulls.  Hopefully I can get everything put away and get started on that soon.

P365 - 2014 - Day 25 - Starting to look like home

P365 - 2014 - Day 25 - Starting to look like home

I have never been so happy to see carpet in all of my life.  Soft, cushy carpet up the stairs and into the bedrooms.  It's starting to look like home in here.

P365 - 2014 - Day 24 - To celebrate

P365 - 2014 - Day 24 - To celebrate

Today the kitchen was finally finished - cabinets, sink, and appliances.  To celebrate, we broke the stove in with a great meal of broccoli and macaroni.  Ahhhh....

P365 - 2014 - Day 23 - A kitchen sink

P365 - 2014 - Day 23 - A kitchen sink

There was quite a bit of commotion going on in the house today - the prodigal plumber finally returned along with the cabinet guys and the stone guy.  The kitchen cabinets are almost completely done, the fireplace is just about finished, and quite a bit of plumbing got done.  While we are still without a range, a washer, and a dryer do you know what we do have?? A kitchen sink!  I am over the moon... a kitchen sink with a faucet and running water!!!

P365 - 2014 - Day 22 - A Summer Girl

P365 - 2014 - Day 22 -

Dear Winter,

Another snow day?  Don't think you won me over by letting My Wonderful Husband come home early because of the snow.  That was a nice perk, but I am still over you.  I am officially counting down until summer.

Sincerely,

A Summer girl

P365 - 2014 - Day 21 - half finished

P365 - 2014 - Day 21 - half finished

The "stone guy" was here all day and he got about half finished with the fireplace.  It's looking really good but I am just looking forward to the day that I can actually have a fire.  Hopefully by the weekend, with any luck, there will be a fire in the fireplace while I am cooking dinner on a stove.... one can dream:-)

P365 - 2014 - Day 20 - trophies

P365 - 2014 - Day 20 - trophies

The Bear's soccer team finally got together for their end of season pizza party.  What a great bunch of boys - it was great to see them and their coach back together again and they were all excited to receive their awesome second place trophies.  They are all looking forward to getting back on the field together.  Spring soccer is right around the corner.....

P365 - 2014 - Day 19 - Who says birthdays need to be only one day?

P365 - 2014 - Day 19 - Who says birthdays need to be only one day?

The kids got to hang out with friends today - which was a great help for us getting work done in the house and was also a great birthday continuation.  The Princess went ice skating with a friend while the boys both got to play at friends' houses.  Then when they all came home we celebrated The Bear and The Princess' 11th birthday for the second time - this time with some cake... Yesterday's house chaos caused their birthday to be minus one cake.  But, who says birthdays need to be only one day?  They can last as long as you want... so today was birthday #2 with some cake for our twins.  :-)

P365 - 2014 - Day 18 - Happy 11th Birthday!

:P365 - 2014 - Day 14 - Happy 11th Birthday!

I remember the day I found out I was having twins.  I went for an ultrasound and there they were...two heartbeats. Two babies.  After all of the waiting, we were blessed with not just one but two little ones.  I sent my mom an email the minute that I got home from the doctor (because 11 years ago we did not have cell phones or I would have called her right there in the office).  My mom not only saved that email... she printed it out and I still have it.  It says... "It's a fire sale... two for the price of one! - Guess who's having twins?"  How we got from there to here in the moment that I took to blink is beyond me.  They made us parents - they made us a family.   It has only been a heartbeat and here they are - 11 years old.  I am amazed at what I see in front of me every day. I am proud of them beyond words and measure - they are two amazing kids and not only do I wish them a happy 11th birthday - I wish them a wonderful year!!  We love you both!!  xoxo

P365 - 2014 - Day 17 - All in a days' work

P365 - 2014 - Day 17 - All in a days' work

This has been a rare sight lately.  We haven't been able to sit back and put up our feet because evry waking moment has been spent, painting, hanging trim, moving furniture, cleaning, or any other combination of house related jobs in order to get this house in shape for our family to move back in.  Yesterday we finally moved back in even though the kitchen is not complete and the two new bathrooms are not done.  We have busted our behinds to get as much put together as we can.  So tonight we took a break - watched our soon to be 11 year olds play basketball, went out to ScoJos with the kids for dinner (see above - no kitchen), and finally got comfy in the family room and turned on the tv that now works.  All in a days' work.

P365 - 2014 - Day 16 - wow

P365 - 2014 - Day 16 - wow

Today the counter tops went in.  While there was a little snafu that requires a little more leveling before the last piece can be secured, the island is done... and all I keep saying is wow.

P365 - 2014 - Day 15 - This is starting to look like a kitchen!

P365 - 2014  - Day 14 - This is starting to look like a kitchen!

The upper cabinets finally went in.. well mostly...it seems nothing is as simple as we once thought.  They will need to come back to install the crown moulding to finish off the cabinets, the cabinet over the refrigerator couldn't go in yet, and the pantry still needs to be secured to the wall, but as of right now, we have cabinets.  This is starting to look like a kitchen!

P365 - 2014 - Day 14 - This was the look

P365 - 2014 - Day 14 - This was the look

The Pooch is still adjusting to My Wonderful Husband being back at work.  Last night I heard him go downstairs in the middle of the night - he may have ended up raiding the trash can, but I think initially he was wondering where Daddy was.   This was the look I got tonight after the kids went to bed.  "Uh, where's that other human?"  I miss him too.

P365 - 2014 - Day 13 - Appliance Delivery - Round 2

P365 - 2014 - Day 13 - Appliance Delivery Round 2

Appliance Delivery - Round 2.  We finally got our refrigerator and stove tonight.  I am quite certain that watching this refrigerator come up the stairs and into the house shaved a few years off of my life. I am pretty sure I will be having nightmares about it for quite awhile.  Since the kitchen is not completely ready, the appliances couldn't be installed yet, which is giving me about as much anxiety as watching the two guys teetering up my stairs with a giant refrigerator strapped to their backs.  I look forward to the day when I can let out the breath that I have been holding in for months, relax, turn on some music, and cook something in here.  In the meantime, some collective finger crossing that this all turns out ok, everything fits, and everything works - would be appreciated and welcome! :-)

P365 - 2014 - Day 12 - project

P365 - 2014 - Day 12 - project

The Bear and The Princess have been working on a project for science class for the past few days.  The Bear came home with a box and a plan and The Princess found a box and started formulating a plan.  This project happened to come right smack in the middle of the enormous house project that My Wonderful Husband and I are engaged in.  But these two 5th graders have been self sufficient and well organized.  They planned what they needed to do and had a list of supplies to gather.  When my cousin offered to take them to the movies today to give us some uninterrupted time to work on the house (which was a HUGE help!! ;-), she also took them for the their list of supplies.  They have been working on their project since they got home and they are so excited to complete these projects.  I am thankful for the help from my cousin today and proud of my two fifth graders for working so hard and getting this done on their own!

P365 - 2014 - Day 11 - My Minnions

P365 - 2014 - Day 11 - My Minnions

Operation "Start Moving Our Things Back to Our House" commenced this morning.  Unfortunately, My Wonderful Husband woke up with a killer migraine. No worries - my minnions were on hand to help.  These three packed up all of their clothes and toys, packed them in the car, then unpacked them and spent hours putting everything away in their rooms.  I was starting to panic about the herculean task I had ahead of me to get everything out of here this week (even though essentially I brought it all here by myself in one day - I didn't really want to repeat that).  I was so thankful for the help of my minnions and so happy to start the job because now it seems so much more manageable.  I have a plan for the rest of the week and that makes me very happy!  We are so thankful to our friends for letting us stay in their home all of these weeks but at the same time, we are soooo ready to go home!!

P365 - 2014 - Day 10 - Life is in the details...

P365 - 2014 - Day 10 - Life is in the details...

The days of My Wonderful Husband's winter break are drawing to a close.  We are trying to use all of our time wisely and get as much done in the house as we can to be ready to move back in.  Given the fact that our contractor seemed to be shortsighted in terms of budget, we took on a lot of the details ourselves.  When your contractor comes to you with a $3000 bill for "extra painting" that includes walls that were going to be demoed you have to reevaluate his planning.  When a 6-8 week project drags on to double that, you have to wonder if he knows how to finish a job, make a tight schedule, and tie up loose ends.  When you doubt that he can and you are tired of all of the "extras" that he conveniently forgot to budget from word go, you take things into your own hands.  At least, that's what you do if you have the time to do it, which, thank goodness, My Wonderful Husband and I did.  Paint, trim, doors, scheduling the last few things that needed to be completed...it's been all about the details for the past few weeks.  So, when I got the first two new interior doors painted and My Wonderful Husband got the new doorknobs on, I breathed a sigh of relief.  We are not done yet, there is some painting left to do, some trim to be completed, and a few more doors and doorknobs, but once again we are making progress.  We should be able to move back in and work on the rest - I like this part.... after all, life is in the details....

P365 - 2014 - Day 9 - a little way to go...

P365 - 2014 - Day 9 - a little way to go...

We put the family room together today.  Its got a little way to go... we need to trim the windows, I want to paint the coffee table and tv cabinet, and I need to decorate - but we cleaned the room and set it up and that was very exciting!!!  We are getting there!! 

P365 - 2014 - Day 8 - priceless

P365 - 2014 - Day 8 - priceless

The third installment of the Project 365 blog book arrived today!  I am so glad that I started doing this and so glad that I get the blog printed each year.  Everyone took turns tonight flipping through the book enjoying a trip down memory lane.  I heard things like, "I remember that day!", "I looked so different last year!", "Look, who's in that picture...", "Why did you take a picture of that?" (then after they read the entry) "Oh, now I get it.", "Look at my hair in that picture", "Mom, I look a lot like you!", "You were in DC? Oh yeah, I forgot...", "I miss summer.", and so on....  This is why I do the blog and definitely why I print this book.  These are our memories of a whole year packaged in a bound book.  It is priceless to me.

P365 - 2014 - Day 7 - Welcome to the "Polar Vortex"

P365 - 2014 - Day 7 - Welcome to the "Polar Vortex"

I have said it before and I will say it again, I hate winter.  I am a summer girl.  I do not like to be cold.  I do not like snow and I certainly do not like ice.  I don't ski or ice skate and I hate running outside in freezing cold temperatures.  So, when I heard the news of the impending "polar vortex" that was to be blanketing much of the country... well first I asked "what the heck is a polar vortex?" then I quickly got annoyed.  Come on, it's not enough to have winter, the dumb snow that delayed my appliances the other day, the freezing cold flooding I had to walk through to get to our house, the ice, and just normal cold temperatures?  No.  We had to take it up a notch and have a polar vortex.  Now, I am still not clear on what this polar vortex is...based on the sounds of the wind I heard last night, I felt like we were sitting right smack in the middle of said vortex though... I had visions of sci-fi movies, space ships, giant icy openings in the sky, maybe even a cold meisser for an added touch.  Was this vortex like the tornado in the Wizard of Oz?  I wasn't sure and I am still not sure.. but I can tell you that it was COLD today.  Crazy,stupid, bone chilling, cut right through you, cold. So I thought I would be remiss to not have this picture (which I borrowed from Harvey Cedars Police Dept.'s facebook page) as the picture of the day.  That is the bay.  Welcome to the "polar vortex".  How many more days until summer?

P365 - 2014 - Day 6 - Love him!

P365 - 2014 - Day 6 - Love him!

You know what I love about this guy? Among other things, he is a problem solver.  He will try to do most things himself or learn how to do something he has never done before and he knows how to get things done.  He has one week left of his winter break and he has spent the past three weeks painting the entire house.  He doesn't complain - he just just does it.  Today he and a friend of his started the task of hanging doors and trim in the house.  He had never done this before, although he has been googling everything he can about it for the past week and his friend walked him through the process today.  In the end, he went and bought this saw so he could have it for "future projects" (I like the sound of that) and he and his friend did a great job on the doors and the trim. There is still some left to be done, but I have no worries that that this guy will get it done.  Because that is what he does.  He solves problems and he gets stuff done.  Love him!!  xo

P365 - 2014 - Day 5 - Just a peek....

P365  - 2014 - Day 5 - Just a peek....

Just a peak....the boys' room is almost done getting set back up.  I washed the bedding and remade the beds today which puts (at least the kids) a step closer to sleeping in our house!  The Princess's room got the first coat of paint today and it looks amazing!!!  I can not wait to put her room back together too.  It is such a good feeling to finally see things being put back together, cleaned up and put away.  Anyone who really knows me can understand how very happy I am to be able to clean up!  First the kids' rooms, then on to the rest of the house!!

P365 - 2014 - Day 4 - appliances

P365 - 2014 - Day 4 - appliances

The appliances were rescheduled for delivery today after yesterday's snow storm.  Unfortunately the stove and the refrigerator were damaged, but the microwave, this dishwasher, the washing machine and dryer were just fine.  The other two pieces should be here soon and that puts us one step closer to seeing the end of this project!

P365 - 2014 - Day 3 - Silver linings

P365 - 2014 - Day 3 - Silver linings

So not only did Mother Nature NOT get my memo entitled, "I do not have room in my schedule for snow", she blatantly disregarded all of my previous memos about snow, ice, and floods.  I woke up with a fever, but decided that it wasn't that bad with a little motrin and My Wonderful Husband needed some help putting the boys' room back together after the paint.  So I walked the block over to our house, in the snow.  Not entirely happy, but overall no problem.  Then, the bay decided to back up and I got a warning text from our neighbor to move our cars.  Lovely.  I looked out the window and saw a  river running down the street where we are staying.  Perfect.  In order to get back to our house, we had to go through the ice cold river.  That's where this picture comes in...I don't really feel this picture does it justice... my boots were actually squishy with ice cold water.  This did not help my fever - by the end of the night I was achy, freezing, and nursing a massive headache.  But, on the bright side, the boys' room was reassembled.  On days when Mother Nature disregards your memos, you really need to look for those silver linings.

P365 - 2014 - Day 2 - I saw light!

P365 - 2014 - Day 2 - I saw light!

Do you know who are my new favorite people?  Our electricians.  Simply put, they rock.  They worked all day and when I came back to the house this evening, I saw light!  I have never been so happy to see functioning electric in all of my life.  It was beautiful...like a sunrise or a sunset.. seriously.  That is how happy I was.  They still have a few more things to do, but the lights are back on, the water heater is back on, and I am one happy girl basking in the glow of it all!  You know what you can do with a house that has electricity and hot water? Live in it.  Hopefully that is what we will be doing very soon.  

P365 - 2014 - Day 1 - He did it!

P365 - 2014 - Day 1 - He did it!

He did it!  He stayed up to see the ball drop.  He has been wanting to do it for the past three years but he always fell asleep.  Last year, we carried him up to bed and the next morning he asked if he missed it.  So this year, he was determined.  If he needed toothpicks to hold his eyes open, he was staying up.  And he did it.  His Daddy fell asleep during our movie.  His sister gave up at around 10:30 and went to bed.  His brother was awake but not nearly as excited about it as he was just two years ago (when he was in third grade as well).  But this guy was excited.  He watched the hours and minutes tick away, watched Despicable Me 2, had a snack, watched some football and Rockin' Eve, and almost fell asleep but woke himself up, shook off the tiredness and counted down as the ball dropped, ushering in 2014.  He was exhausted, but excited, and this was his smile just moments into this new year.  My wish for all of us is that this new year be full of excitement just like this, smiles just this big, and joy just this bright that it twinkles through our eyes.  Happy New Year - 2014!!!  Here's to health and happiness!!!  xoxo