Still Strapped, Still In Love

Last month marked the 21 year anniversary of our first kiss.

We've officially crossed the "we've been together half our lives" mark.  From this point on, we can say we've been together longer than we've been apart.  That blows me away.  Mostly, because I can't believe I'm that old.  But also because I feel like we've only been together maybe 10 years, max.

In both cases, how I feel inside doesn't match up with the sheer volume of years that is our anniversary.  I suppose for some people, twenty years may feel more like 40, but for me, it's the other way around.  So we decided to piece together a timeline, from that first kiss 21 years ago, to now. 

Our goal was to remember something...anything... about each year we've been together.  It didn't have to be anything major, the exercise was designed to prove to ourselves that we've got 20+ years of memories together.

Here's what we came up with

1992 - First kiss at the The Cowboy Boogie. Yes, this great romance has it's beginnings in a seedy country western bar.

1993 - Engaged!  And shacking up.

1994 - "I do."

Weak in the knees.

1995 - First career job; so excited to be making $26k.

1996 - Back to school.

1997 - BH's mom passes away.

Forever grateful to this lady.

1998 - MBA.

Notice that twinkle in his eye?  See 1999.

1999 - Our first bundle of joy!

To say, "your lives will change forever" is an understatement.

2000 - Our first home.

2001 - Cancer scare.

When the doctor puts his hand on your knee, you know it's serious.  Either that or he's a perv.

No evidence for malignancy!  All three times!!!

2002 - Our second bundle of joy.

Hello, my little gift.

2003 - Discover L's food allergies:  milk, egg, peanut, and soy.

This was the last time he had a real baked treat for 6 years.

2004 - Children's Hospital of Orange County; add asthma to the list.

2005 - Guess who's not done making babies?  Me!

There's a bun in that oven.

 

2006 - Our third bundle of joy!

Our family is complete.

2007 - New home; new schools, new community.

2008 - First family camping trip.

2009 - BH's surprise birthday party.

2010 - Charley.

Let it be known that if I have a bad picture of you, it will make its way into my blog.  Not even pets are safe.

2011 - Our little friend, Thomas, loses his fight with cancer.

One brave kid.

2012 - Best camping spot EVER.

San Simeon, CA

 

2013 - And here we are, 21 years later.

That's it, 21 years of memories.  For sure, there are way more than that, but those were the first that came to mind for each year.  After going through them, BH had a moment of silence over how mundane our life appears on paper.  No fancy trips, no amazing stories.

"Still strapped," he said.

"And still in love," I replied.

Q4 2012 Post Season Wrap-Up

Trying turkey neck for the first time.  Gag. 

Never trust the words, "You've never had them?  They're DELICIOUS."

 
Getting a family member to cry at the Thanksgiving table.  Sorry Mom!

Really?  I made someone cry AGAIN?

 
Going salt-free (a fate worse than death).

Low Sodium chicken broth?  Might as well be drinking water.

 
Rum cakes and polvorones.

World's worst baker, right here.

 
Family Time.

Crazy runs in the family.

Mental note:  Stop taking pictures with my 20 year old cousins.

Momma.

This would've been great if it weren't blurry.

 
Gift Exchanges.

Is anyone ever really happy with gift exchanges?

 
Discovering just how bad of a dancer I am.

 
Holiday eating.

BH and my three blessings.

I have no idea when M learned how to eat with chop sticks.

Now that's my kind of holiday spread.

I'm classically conditioned to salivate at the sight of Reynolds Foil.

Hope your holiday season was happy and filled with warm times.

What's To Be Thankful For? A Lot.

In honor of this day of thanks,  I'm going to brainstorm on all the things I am thankful for.

My kids.  As much as they drive me crazy, they fulfill me a thousand times more.

My husband, especially this morning.  I walked downstairs to find the house completely picked up.  Every room.

My health and the health of my loved ones. 

My mind.  I may lose it occasionally, but somehow I manage to find it every time.

The smell of crayola crayons.

Salt.

Butter.

Avocados.

The Internet.

Pain Reliever.

Hot Socks.

Sun Screen.

Windy Days.

Washing Machines.

My Job.

QVar.

Vyvanse.

Beta Blockers.

Lipitor.

Toilet Paper.

Charley.

Makeup.

Music.

Umbrellas.

My Minivan.

Home.

Digital Cameras.

Health Insurance.

Friends.

I'm sure I missed some obvious ones.  What's on your list?

PSA: Removing Water Stains From Wood Furniture

This post provides the answer to one of life's age-old mysteries:

How do you get water stains out of wood furniture?

The solution is unbelievably simple:  you iron them out.

I've read about this before and never bothered to give it any credence.  But last week, after I put another stain in our coffee table, I knew it was time to do something about it.

So I gave it a shot. And guess what?  It worked!

Here's what you need:

1. An iron, set to Cotton
2. A thin, white cloth (100% cotton)

Once the iron is nice and hot, place the cloth on the stain and iron away for about 20 seconds.

(I made sure to lift the iron periodically so that it wouldn't auto-shut off...also because I wasn't sure how long the wood could absorb the heat before burning.)

Note:  do not push the steam button.  This is counter-productive to the whole "removing the water stain" goal.

In my case, some spots needed more work than others.  The fresher stains (1 week old) came clear in two rounds of ironing (about 40 seconds total), but the older ones took 3-4 rounds.

And here you go:  before and after. 

Lots of stains.

Hardly any stains.  See book on top left corner to prove it's the same spot.

Word of warning:  if this particular piece of furniture is heirloom quality or holds a high amount of sentimental value, please, please, please iron at your own risk.  I would hate to be the one who gave you the idea that resulted in irreparable damage to your precious item.

But if you're like me, and only spent a few Benjamins on it (that's me trying to be hip with the lingo), go for it.  

PSA: Sites You Should Check Out

What are some of your frequently visited sites?  Blogs don't count.  I'm always up for wasting some time online.  It's my nature.  Believe it or not, I don't spend much of my time reading blogs.  I like to go where the wind takes me.  Usually, it starts with some aol news, and then something catches my eye, and I'm off.  I surface about 45 minutes later, with no idea how I ended up on a vegan website reading about quinoa chocolate chip cookies. 

Oftentimes, my online activities do serve a purpose.  Usually centered around food, health, home, and children, I have some tried and true regulars in my Favorites.  Here are a few that you might find useful one day. 

Aside:  In no way do these sites need help generating traffic.  This is purely a public service to you, my (7) loyal viewers.

• Houzz - this site is perfect for those who need ideas for designing, decorating or remodeling their home.  I used it to create an idea book after the great flood of 2012.

Before:  a cheap early '70s wet bar

After:  a brand new task area

• MakeupAlley - this place is like having 2,000 shopaholic cosmetic experts at your disposal.  Look up any cosmetic you can think of.  Tons of people have reviewed them here.
• MayoClinic - medical sites are a dime a dozen, I know.  But MayoClinic is legit.
• CommonSenseMedia - I've got this site on speed dial for all our movie watching decisions.  They give recommended viewing age, along with breakdowns on various measures (ie. violence, etc.).  Great tool to help you decide if 6 years old is too young for The Hunger Games.
• GamerDad - My boys have this site on speed dial for all our video playing decisions.  They know that if GamerDad is ok with it, I probably will be too.

Bonus site:  My Pinterest Page - ok, that was just a shameless plug.  But check it out anyway.  And if you like what you see, follow me.

It Felt So Good Between My Toes

While shopping for some new rugs to protect our precious new foors, I came across this little treasure.

Taken with my camera phone.  No instagram here.

I was fortunate to be wearing flip flops, so I threw care to the wind, tossed off my thong and gingerly tucked my toe into that rug.

Pure luxury.

This carpet was so fluffy and soft and decadent,  I had to rub my entire foot on it (a move that is always appreciated by the salesfolk).

No joke, the first thought that came into my mind was, "Ahhhh, it's like I'm walking across a field of baby minks."

My second thought was an edit of the first thought.

As much as I loved the feel of it, I had to tear my self away, because no way was I bringing home a rug that looked like a bunch of cotton balls.  But it's memory will be forever etched in my heart.

Are We Done Yet?

New walls?  Check.

New bathroom?  Check.

New floors?  Almost check.

We're heading down the home stretch in this rebuild after the April Fool's Day disaster.  The wood floors are just about installed, and all that will be left is the carpet and a few baseboards.

The house is looking good, from what I can see underneath the 3 months of asbestos, wood, and drywall dust that has accumulated.  We're contemplating paying someone to come in and do a full top to bottom dusting and vacuuming, but the cheapskate in me is bound to put the kibosh on that one any minute now.  

As close as we are to finishing this ordeal, it really isn't helping me cope with the irritations of having a steady stream of laborers flowing through the house.  For the most part, everyone has been very nice, respectful, and thoughtful.  It really hasn't been until this last crew that I personally had complaints about the situation.  I mean, sure, they didn't take the nails down when they painted over the entire wall, and sure they showed up unannounced on the morning we weren't planning...but that stuff is minor.

At least until this last crew showed up on the scene.

This latest group of guys has zero personality, and in my book, if you're making my life difficult, a good personality goes a long way.  So when they left their Dominos pizza box and empty 2 liter on my lawn, along with a half eaten slice tossed on the driveway, I took names.

And when they missed the toilet and left a little welcome puddle on my brand new remodeled bathroom, I saw red (and yellow).

And when they drove away without telling me they were done for the day, I thought, "thanks for the heads up, I guess I'll just assume the floors are ok to walk on now." By the time I had booked it downstairs to see if I could catch them, they were already pulling out of the driveway.  I felt foolish chasing them down the street, so I just stood there and watched them drive away.

About the same time, one of the workers noticed me standing there.

Fast forward to this morning.  The crew arrived as normal, but this time I made no effort to engage them.  After the peed-on floor, pizza on the driveway, and ninja-like disappearance, I was done trying to maintain friendly relations.  I said hi, let them in, and went upstairs to get started with my work day.

A short while later, I heard one of the guy's phone ring and then heard him say, "yes, we're here already."  A very polite voice then trailed it's way up the stairs, "Um, excuse me, Manuel wants to speak with you."

Well, what can this be about?  I take the phone and am immediately greeted with, "I have to tell you, my guys got some water out of your fridge yesterday and drank your bottles.  I'm so sorry, I'll replace it today."  Followed by lots more apologizing.

What???  They actually went into my fridge looking for something to drink?

That was the last thing I was expecting, and I was caught off guard, so I brushed it off and told him not to worry about replacing the water.  If I had had my wits about me (I'm trying to bring that phrase back), I would've played up the invasion of privacy bit.  Or at least leaned on the pilfering angle.  But as my wits were nowhere to be found, I settled for telling him that if they needed to go into our stuff, they needed to let us know first.

Now tell me, is it normal crew behavior to just go into someone's fridge and help themselves to whatever looks good?  I mean, to be fair, it was a warm day, but 3 months into this, every crew until now has brought their own fluids and foods.  And for most of the day, the kitchen was sealed up by THEM so that they could work in there.

And with that final offense, I officially became sick of this repair project.  From here on out, I'm counting the minutes until my house is finished.

On a more interesting note, we discovered this little gem beneath our floors.

I'm torn between delight and disgust.

And we also finally understood why our baseboards were so thick along this wall.

Every home has its secrets.