A Fabulous Visit!

Hi there! Sorry for the lack of contact the past few days. We've had such a lovely time, and by the end of each day, we were all ready to turn in. Our wonderful guests arrived Saturday afternoon. It was wonderful to see everyone. Gram looks great, and was in such joyful spirits during her visit. The boys were so good to her, and loved having their great-grandmother here to pamper and talk with.

We were thrilled to have Aunt Jo Ann (in the green shirt) and Aunt Linda come, as well. They are both such neat ladies. As you can see, Miss Emily thought the added company was pretty fun, too! (And yes, lest we mar the reputation of the South, I am garbed in my finest Appalachain Gardening Wear and an old undershirt. We wouldn't want folks thinkin' we were getting uppity, now, would we?) We spent most of our time chatting over plates of snacks and hot cups of tea and coffee. In between food breaks, we took walks, enjoyed the foliage, and caught up on life and events.

Everyone came back from the walks with treasures - pretty stones, interesting seeds, and tons of smiles. The boys found a caterpillar (named "S") while out on one of their walks. Great fun!

Aunt Jo Ann allowed us to tap into her horticultural skills, so the boys now have flowers planted and are awaiting germination! (The flowers are in pots for two reasons: the dog eats flowers, and this way the boys can identify what is a flower vs. what is a weed and they won't self-destruct their own garden once we get Balto flower-trained.)

We ate. A LOT. Salmon, shrimp, Honey Baked Ham (thanks, Aunt B! It was delicious!) Fresh fruits and veggies from the farmer's stand down the road... and, of course, pizza! (Thank God for Arrowhead Mills!)

And, of course, there was a lot of baby holding... :-) Miss Emily may never allow us to put her down again!

We took a trek to the Huntsville Botanical Gardens on Tuesday - a perfect day for an outing. We lunched at the little cafe they have there - delicious, and the greatest folks work there. Then we ventured into the garden grounds. We happened almost immediately upon Gigi, the world's sweetest docent, who gave us a wonderful tour of the gardens. She answered the boys' many (many) questions, talked shop with Aunt Linda, and just made us feel welcome, in general. If you hit the garden this summer, see if you can find her for a tour - she's spectacular!

You simply cannot spend four hours there without a picnic, so picnic we did! I can't tell you what a geniunely delightful afternoon it was, but it truly was.

This morning's departure time arrived far too quickly. I couldn't convince the Aunts to leave Gram here, and we have no place to conceal her for a decent Gram-napping, so we had to let them go. We did manage to skip off to Cracker Barrel for breakfast, and Zorak joined us just in time. So, we had one more lovely day together before they headed off on yet another adventure.

We so enjoyed having loved ones come to stay, and for a first-run, these were three of the sweetest, most easy-going, generous guests we could have hoped for. (I'm sure Aunt Jo Ann was thrilled to be the prototype tester for this monstrosity of a project! But she took it well!) Our kitchen was quite well-behaved and worked just as we'd hoped it would: easy to cook for many, plenty of space for helpers, and plenty of room for everyone to just hang out and talk. So, barring any reports to the contrary, I think the house is safe for company now. ;-)

Thank you for coming, guys! We love you and we thoroughly enjoyed having you here! The house seems awfully lonesome right about now, with just the six of us here (ok, so that's not something I ever thought I'd say! But it's true!) Know you're loved and missed!

Kissing our babies for you tonight!
~Dy, Zorak and the Kidlets

Quick Howdy!

Hi all!

Thanks for taking a peek at the bathroom. That was the second room we got functional, but the first one to get to a mostly-finished state. It felt SO good! We'll post more after shots later. For now, though, we are having a wonderful time with Gram and the Aunts.

It's been so much fun to visit and eat, take walks and eat. Then we come in and eat a little more. Aunt Billie furnished one of those wonderful Honey Baked Hams - oh dear, that's delicious! Aunt Linda and Aunt Jo Ann won't let me pamper them too much, but we all get to fuss over Gram, and that's so much fun. The Aunts are so helpful with the baby and the house that I feel like I'm the one getting a vacation! Felt kind of lazy the past two days. ;-)

The boys are thoroughly enjoying a whole new audience. They're quite enamored with each of our guests and do their best to share all the special things they love. James fills Aunt Jo Ann in on all his latest inventions, and guides Gram down the hall. John's enjoying the extra snuggles and someone who hasn't heard his latest jokes, as well as keeping the herd dog from herding the Aunts right off the trails. Smidge has found someone in Gram who will be enthusiastic over his beloved Thomas trains, and he's in love! It's just delightful.

I was going to post some pics, but Blogger's upload utility won't work right now, and everyone is back from their walk now, so I'm going to go. I'll try again later!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

The Story of a Bathroom

Once upon a time, not so very long ago (although it seems that way for those who've been waiting for pictures), there was a bathroom. We use the term loosely, for although it was a "room", one wouldn't bathe in it. Or near it. Or, most likely, anywhere on the premesis. But, I digress...

It wasn't a bad bathroom. Well, no, scratch that. It was. It was bad. But it didn't have to stay that way. Enter our frog-kissing family, looking for their castle (castles, princes, work with me here, okay?)

They took one look:



And said, in a large and do-not-question-me-just-GO voice,

Boys, you need to go play outside while we look at the house...

And so, after a long period of cringing and whining, they set to work. The first thing to do was to get rid of everything. As it turned out, most of it (under the squishy linoleum, anyway) was already gone. Handy, eh?


(Interesting Note: if the floor feels spongy when you walk on it, this is what it probably looks like underneath.)

And now, it's done. We still need to put on the door trim and the baseboard (so please ignore that part, but that's going to be done all at once, when the rest of the rooms are ready. And there's no vanity mirror up, as we are hoping to find some great funky antiques to hang in there - one over each sink.

You can view the photo album of the transition if you'd like to see the bath from start to finish. (I spared y'all the plumbing and wiring shots because not only are they pretty boring if you aren't the one who put them in, but there was a lot of swearing during the wiring portion of this project. So this is a fairly glossed over version of what it took to redo the bath.)

However, it's done. And it feels very, very good!

And our company just rang - they're in town!! I'm going to go meet them at the market and bring 'em on in!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

10:30 and all's well

Hey there. Well, the entire afternoon was wonderfully windy (got the linens washed!) and clear. We had a great afternoon, for the most part.

The HVAC guy came - he seemed okay, but he stayed too long and then lost us when he insisted that they do ALL the labor because "you don't have the tools to do the things that need to be done". Tools? Yes, tools. You know, to sweat copper pipe together and to make the vent holes. Uh-huh. And the vent you saw... the one we told you we built? The fact that we'd run new pipe - copper, black iron and PEX... and had showed that to you. Totally lost on ya, there, buddy? No, thanks. If he can't listen to something as simple as what we are capable of and what we aren't (for instance, we don't have the means to charge the system, and we are willing to pay for that, but we aren't willing to pay for one of his guys to come cut a hole in our roof when we can do it ourselves for far less), then we really don't want to be doing business with him. Anyway, he realized the sale had gone off the game plan when he asked us to let his crew cut the vent in the bathroom because we don't know what we're doing and will mess up that floor... you know, the one we laid. Yeah, brilliant. Fortunately, that was only our first quote.

We didn't hide eggs, as the boys spent the majority of the afternoon down at the creek. James caught a red wasp. *Sigh* They caught a cricket and a couple of moths. Smidge caught a piece of tree bark and three 16 penny nails. He was quite proud.

We're under a tornado watch right now. The Powers That Be have told us to get to our "safe spot" now, but that would be, theoretically, the basement... and in case I haven't mentioned it, we haven't done anything to the basement yet... I think I'd rather take my chances with the tornado than with a flash flood from the waterfall, or the missing sill plates finally collapsing down there. We'll stay put, though, and keep an ear on the radio. I'll blog later w/ an update. For now, though, the lightning is a little close for my comfort, so I'm getting off the computer!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

This'll change your plans in a hurry:

COLBERT-CULLMAN-DE KALB-FRANKLIN AL- FRANKLIN TN-JACKSON-LAUDERDALE- LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE-LINCOLN-MADISON- MARSHALL-MOORE-MORGAN- 345 AM CDT FRI APR 7 2006
...SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER OUTBREAK LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT...

A POTENT STORM SYSTEM MOVING OUT OF THE GREAT PLAINS...COMBINED WITH WARM UNSTABLE AIR AND VERY STRONG WINDS AND WIND SHEAR ALOFT...WILL SET THE STAGE FOR A POTENTIALLY SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER EVENT STARTING THIS AFTERNOON...AND CONTINUING THROUGH TONIGHT.

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BEGIN TO DEVELOP DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS...WITH EXPLOSIVE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT EXPECTED TO CONTINUE WELL INTO THE EVENING. THE GREATEST THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL OCCUR BETWEEN 3 AND 10 PM...AS SOME OF THESE STORMS BECOME SUPERCELLS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND POSSIBLE STRONG TORNADOES.

THESE SUPERCELL STORMS WILL EVENTUALLY CONSOLIDATE INTO A LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS BY LATE TONIGHT. THIS LINE OF STORMS WILL MAINTAIN THE THREAT OF DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AND LARGE HAIL THROUGH THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. IN ADDITION...CONTINUOUS DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE SAME AREAS WILL BRING A THREAT OF HEAVY RAINFALL AND POSSIBLE FLASH FLOODING FROM LATE THIS EVENING INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS.

I love the verbiage they use: unstable, explosive, potentially significant. This is not just any ol' storm system, it's a "potent" one! And "supercells" - storms with capes!

The coordinator of our homeschool group called this morning to cancel the party. She said the public schools will be closing at one today so that everybody can get home and get off the road before the bulk of the storm hits. I guess several of us are coming in from outlying towns and they decided it's not worth the risk. I do appreciate that. The party's been moved to Monday, which is supposed to be exquisite. I don't think we'll be able to go, as the family will be here then, but that's okay. There will be other get-togethers.

So, while I'm eyeballing a suspect tree in the yard and hoping it's not all that bad, I'm also ashamedly relieved that we don't have to go anywhere and I can do some prep work on the windows (not going to paint in this weather - it'd never dry). The boys will be bummed, but hey, I've got 48 plastic eggs and nowhere to go. Maybe we'll hide them around the house or make a scavenger hunt out of it.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Must Slow Down!

Oy!

Today was productive. Of course, it's nearly two o'clock on the next day, and it's just now winding down... at least nobody can say we aren't making the most of our time, right? *wan smile*

We got a lot done today - patched a hole in the hallway ceiling, primed the foyer ceiling, finally textured the closets (yay!) although the kids and I had to make an impromptu run into town for more joint compound. Stopped through Steak 'n Shake for a round of milkshakes (an appreciation gift for my wonderful little helpers) and then back for more work.

The weirdness factor has hit exponential values here with the boys. Smidge is really hitting his stride as a two year old. And I had to sponge the sand out of Emily's neck tonight because of it. James is, from what I've gleaned from other Veteran Mothers, Very Eight. Only, he's not Eight yet. I hope to God this means we will be experiencing an abbreviated version of Eight, because I do not think he and I will both survive the extended version. John is, proportionately, being very middle-of-the-road Five lately: irate that James bosses him around, and yet fully partaking in the bossing of the younger sibling at will. Somehow, those two scenarios are not connected in the least. Not in his mind, anyway. Add in Balto and the occasional mid-afternoon thunderstorm and this place is a regular dark comedy! Those are funnier when I'm not the one caught in them...*

There's only one chunk of sheetrock up in the foyer, but Zorak sent me into town just before supper to make a Lowe's run, so he got to run herd on the boys for supper and bedtime. He was a busy daddy! I got the stuff at Lowe's, and while loading the pickup, I remembered our homeschool support group has its Easter party tomorrow afternoon. Pot luck. ACK! So I had to stop and get eggs and stuff to put in the eggs (non-edible - sheesh, it would've been so much easier to buy candy!! But I was good... did you know books won't fit inside the eggs? *sniff, sniff*) Took three stops before I finally gave up on the local shops (all closed) and hit Wal-Mart. (Hey, I tried, right?) On the upside, however, we're good-to-go for tomorrow's breakneck schedule AND the boys (and Emily) now have baskets for Easter. Yay me!

Friday is going to be a good day. We have an HVAC guy coming in the AM to give us a quote, the party in the afternoon, and a whole lotta cleaning to get done in between. We'll touch base with Zorak at some point and switch vehicles so that we can pick up a bed for the guest room and hopefully hit Sears for a washer/dryer set (they're having a sale, and they have things in stock - although we've still not agreed upon what kind of washer to get, so I'm not sure how that's going to go).

I was *this close* to having actual after photos of the bathroom tonight (you know, the one w/ the Cheech and Chong sanitation in the before pics). Then Zorak and I rethought the towel racks and didn't hang them. We've since decided to go with our original plans, but it's too late to do anything now. But tomorrow, I promise, there will be pictures. I do, however, feel the need to add this caveat: the "after" pictures aren't going to look like normal homes' after pictures. We still don't have trim/baseboards up. We still haven't hit Pier 1 (heck, we haven't even hit the Dollar Store, which is probably closer to the truth). So they won't be all "Oooohhh, ahhhhh, what a lovely display", okay? However, the structural and architectural changes will be apparent. Then I'll need some serious decorating help from y'all!

* Note: they haven't ventured outside the bounds of normal envelope-pushing, and they're very good, very enjoyable children. It's just that at the moment, there are a great many envelopes being pushed all over the place, and that gets a bit chaotic.

And that, my friends, is about all I have the energy to say tonight.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Down to the Wire - Highlights

Sheetrock goes up in the foyer tonight! Gram and the Aunts may have to watch us paint the foyer, but it'll at least when they arrive it's going to look nice shortly.

Supper was roast chicken, mixed vegetables, baked potatoes, and wheat-free biscuits (LB - they were pretty good, but DON'T grease the pan! I essentially fried them in the oven - what a mess!) *happy sigh* We love our kitchen.

Miss Emily decided I needed some rest last night, and so... I accomplished diddly squat. But it was nice to sleep all night long.

The dog needs either another puppy (kill me now), one of those cone shaped collars (the humor factor alone might be worth it), or perhaps a partial lobotomy (better than killing him). He simply will NOT listen to the boys, and there are too many boys for me to be close enough to keep him from biting their feet when we're outside. It's constant. He's like a neurotic heeler. Yesterday was a banner day for him -- he managed to knock all three flat on their faces at least once. *sigh*

No clue where to start today. I stand in the hall and spin slowly in circles, trying to figure it out. So I'm going to finish this cup, stretch my legs and just start somewhere. We'll see where I end up! But, barring computer glitches, etc., there will be some after photos in the next 24 hours!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Oh! I forgot to tell you!

Sunday afternoon, as the boys and I were heading out, that guy came back! And he brought the blueprints to the house. Zorak spoke with him for a while, and told him to come back in about a month, that we'd have the money to buy them then. In fact, we do have the money now, but we'd like to keep a safe distance until all is said and done.

Zorak got the impression that yes, this kid really wants this house and property in a bad way, but that it's like we'd feel if someone outside the family bought Granny's ranch. The kid does know the people who lost it. Whether he's in with them on anything or not, we don't know. But we do believe that he's related to the man who built the house. That was a relief. When this is all over, we'd like to invite him in to see what we've done.

One thing that we both thought was very neat is the original kitchen. When we were trying to figure out what to do with the kitchen, we tried everything we could think of. Something definitely had to be done -- it was a narrow galley kitchen, and that layout is diametrically opposed to the way we live. We live in the kitchen, and we wouldn't all fit in the old kitchen! Anyhow, nothing we tried seemed to work: breakfast bar, peninsula design, partial wall... finally, I told Zorak, "This house wants that wall OUT." He put down his clipboard, turned to me (I braced for him to recommend medication) and said, "I thought the same thing." So. Nobody got medicated, and the wall came down. That one little change completely altered the feel and flow of the kitchen and living spaces. It was amazing.

Well, the original plans didn't have a wall there! It was an open kitchen, not a galley! How cool is that? Our house talks!

And on that note, it's telling me to get off my duff and cover it's receptacles. Show some modesty, for goodness sake, woman!

Kiss those babies!
~DY

HOW? How can this happen?

Would someone please explain to me how a ONE hour time change can throw me off by SEVERAL hours?!? That's each day! I wished Jess a good afternoon as we hung up the phone and she laughed at me. It was six-thirty. By Thursday, I'll be getting up in time for supper. ARGH! I miss Arizona in the springtime. *sigh*

The boys saw Chuck E. Cheese while we were running errands. James went "Price is Right" nuts over it. I reciprocated with the identical reaction when I saw the Dillard's Home Store. The boys didn't think that was an appropriate reaction. That is, until we went inside. They thought it was "so beautiful" and John loved the way it smelled. Yeah, I guess sawdust and electrical fire isn't the potpourri of choice...

Anyhow, we got new sheets. I went with burgundy. Not because I particularly care for burgundy, or because it sets off the rest of the room. I bought burgundy because white is not a good summer sheet color (remember, I married the Human Torch), battleship grey doesn't seem to be "in" this year, and I don't have the pizzazz (or whatever word you want to use) to pull off the Egyptian/Nefertiti Gold that is so popular this spring. Some women can do that. I am not one of them. I'm lucky if I can get the right size, let alone take a bold color and make it blend. What I really need is the McDonald's of Interior Decorating. I want nine basic choices and when I finally pick one, I want someone to ask me, "You want tassles with that?" Done. Wouldn't that be great?

Since I have misplaced several hours today, I didn't get to the texturing of the closets. (Jess' time reminder sent me into a supper fixing frenzy from which I have just now recovered.) So I'm going to sign off and go do something. The boys are passed out with their reading lights on. Zorak is in the attic, doing his Large Rodent Impression. And Miss Emily chatted happily with Pooh Bear for a bit as he dangled above her swing. When she quit talking to him, I peeked over to find she had passed out. WOOHOO! Time to roll up some sleeves and enjoy the nightly lack of sleep that marks Daylight Savings Time.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

So Productive...

...When the boards are down.

*sigh*

This morning I painted the ceiling and trim in the bathroom, then put the second coat on the bathroom walls. It looks so much nicer now! It feels almost arid today (don't laugh, it's relative) so perhaps the tidbits can go up tomorrow sometime (towel rack, tp holder... would be nice not to have to strrreeeeeeeetch to the counter to grab the tp). I got the final outlets wired in, so Zorak can hook up power to the bathroom outlets (we've had lights, but we put lights and outlets on different circuits - very handy feature!)

Got the outlet covers on in the master bedroom. We're all moved into that room now, and it's so pretty. It's on the southeast corner of the house and, even with the small light-sucking holes, mornings are so refreshing and inviting in that room. It was heaven to wake up in Our Own Room this morning!

Then I folded the seven loads of wash I'd done yesterday and put them all away. As good as it felt to sleep in Our Own Room, it felt even better not to have to venture into the "closet room" (the fourth bedroom, which we use for storage as well as a makeshift closet) for clothes. The dresser is right. there. It's funny what I've always taken for granted. Done two more loads today, and will hang them in a minute.

We're going to feast (ok, we'll have lunch, but I'm really hungry) and then head off to Wal-Mart to return the sheets (yes, finally) and get some dog food.

This afternoon, I hope to texture the three remaining closets and line up the wires for Zorak to put in the foyer. That's a good day. If I'm feeling productive, I might take the casings off the windows and scrub everything down for painting. (That makes my knees go first-kiss weak! What joy!)

Anybody else find themselves overly productive when their favorite time-wasters aren't up and running?

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Good Monday Morning!

It's a glorious day. We're gonna be busy. Not terribly interesting, that's for sure. And while I'd love to start posting the after pictures, we're wiring the foyer today and hanging sheetrock when Zorak gets home. So, nothing today. Our wonderful Gram and lovely Aunts will be here on Saturday, and we have a ton to do between now and then.

But yes, as y'all can see, it was gross. One of those things, though, where all the frustration and angst over the house taking two and a half months to close turned out to be a blessing. When we first looked at it and put in our offer, there was no visible mold. It was a little dank and stinky, but we attributed that to it having been empty and closed up all summer. If we'd have closed on it in August, like we wanted to, we may not have known what was lurking beneath. Thankfully, by October, it had sprouted and so we knew what it would need done. I'm glad we had our eyes wide open, that's for sure! And, knowing what we were getting in to, we've been able to take it in stride.

Yes, Hypatia, the carpet's not taupe. Even our wonderful realtor, who had it professionally cleaned twice for us, thought it was taupe. It wasn't until we pulled up the threshold to take out the carpet (this was maybe two weeks into the tear-out) that we discovered this:


That white stripe down the middle there is where the threshold had covered the carpet. Anywhere it was exposed, it was that brown color. We had the willies for a week. And ALL of the carpet came out that afternoon!

But, I don't want to leave you hanging like that. This is why we bought the property:






The structure we live in is just a shell of the one we bought, but we couldn't have designed a better spot for it. The sun comes up over the meadow behind us and bathes the entire place in a gentle, glittery gold. There are flowers everywhere you look - purples and pinks, whites and yellows. The creek is a constant source of adventure for the boys. The barn awaits, silent and large, for some attention, but it's sturdy and strong and will be beautiful when we get to it. The swingset in the yard and the soccer ball up in the upper meadow make me smile. The boys' laughter and the time we spent together, even just sitting on the porch watching the birds and squirrells... it's all worth it.

And now, as if conjured up by thoughts, all four of them are up. It's time to get to work!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Before Photos, Forever Home

Let me begin by saying a few things:

Hillary, don't look. Just trust me.

We bought the place for the property and the potential, not the house.

Yes, we must have x-ray vision, or ESP or something, because the "potential" isn't as visible in the pictures as it seemed to be when we first looked at the place. (There are other viable explanations, but let's not go into those, shall we?)

There are captions to each picture. We tried to set it up as a virtual tour.

As we post "after" photos, we'll try to get a finished shot from the matching angle as the corresponding "before" shot. (I always hate those weight loss pictures that go from scowling, slumping, pasty and badly lit befores to fully posed, highly manicured, deeply tanned, smiling professional shots after. Let the results speak for themselves, right? Yeah, or something like that.)

It was actually much darker inside the house, but even w/ the flash on you couldn't see the living/dining room pictures, so I lightened them up enough that you could see.

Remember: that carpet isn't actually taupe. It was platinum white! (I'll post the comparison shot later on in the week - we're down to the gnat's netherregions on projects today, though.)

Oh, and finally, it did not look anything like this by the time we moved in. It was skeletal, as many of you may remember, but it was better than this...

Forever Home Before Photos

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

We Have A Master Bedroom!

And it's purrrrrty! Or it will be when the trim goes up on the window and the door leading to the back deck gets painted. But even lacking the finishing touches, aside from the actual dimensions, it is not the same room. At all. Doesn't even remotely resemble the one we bought.

And on the whole resemblance thing - I uploaded "before" pictures to my yahoo album. And while I can share them via email using the nifty utility on the page, I can't get the whole url to copy so that I can post a link. Anybody have any experience with this? If you think you can help me get that little glitch figured out, please let me know. It's time to share pictures!

Tomorrow (er, today... later...) I'm going to start clearing stuff out of the foyer while Zorak works on the concrete pours. We'll see some great changes with those two projects!

The boys, Em and I went to Wal-Mart to pick up some fun things, including new linens, which I'll return tomorrow. I don't know why I bought them. I'm not crazy over the color, but they are fairly nice. I just can't see putting 400 thread-count sheets on with my $19.99 IKEA comforter cover (which I love and refuse to part with) - but the sheet selection was really limited. To be honest, I think I panicked. I realized today that while I can accomplish many things (buy groceries, buy books, and heck, even buy clothes) with four children in tow... I cannot pick linens with ANY children. Maybe it wouldn't kill me to look elsewhere for linens? We've been here nearly a year and I haven't set foot in any of the malls other than once, back in December, to see Santa. Eh, we'll see.

When my part of the day's work is done, the kids and I will head off to spend some time with some new homeschool friends in the afternoon. We're all looking forward to that.

And so, with that, I'm off to stand at one end of the hallway and smile at the new door that's now hanging at the other end.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

What a busy day!

There's no sensation quite like sauntering up to a service counter and saying, "We are doing this mongo project that's way over our heads, and in the process we've taken something apart that we aren't certain how to put back together." You know they just loooooove hearing that, right? Especially coming from a woman hauling four children behind her: one in a sling, one asleep in a cart, and the older two covered in white paint and red dirt... wearing overalls. Then, just in case we might be mistaken for normal people, and to make certain we are the butt of all break room jokes for the rest of the weekend, I broke out the digital camera to show them what I was talking about (because when it comes to windows, I know three words and not one of them had anything to do with what I was asking about). Learning a new skill is always a humbling experience. And I learned a new word today: stoop. No, I mean I learned a new application for that word... (Don't want some random soul to stumble on that sentence and think, "And she's educating her own children!?!")

We then headed to Wal-Mart for some primer, more paint brushes (because no, we don't ever remember to wash them out, why do you ask?) and other paints. It took the poor man in the paint department three hours to mix five one gallon cans for us. He was not having a good day, I think, as he yelled at some customers and was quite short with us, as well. I wanted to, as we put it, go all Way Of The Gun on him (not literally, folks - it's a movie, with the best one-line threat we've ever heard). But on occasion we have the chance to set the example we keep trying to convince our children to follow. This was one of them. It worked beautifully, and not only did I set a good example for the boys, but the boys followed my lead, and by the time our transaction with this gentleman was done, he was smiling and being downright nice. He even tried joking with the boys (but by then they were too freaked out by him to be able to shift gears so quickly, so they stuck with being standoffishly formal, yet polite). My brain was fried. There is simply nothing to do to entertain four children in Wal-Mart for three hours. It felt good to head home.

We pulled in to the drive to find Zorak flinging gravel into the chasms we jokingly refer to as ruts. Today was the first time I've ever entered the property without bottoming out! What a treat! Now we can have that construction dumpster hauled away!

I set the boys up with playdoh at the breakfast bar, reveled in the sight of three happy children creating and playing (and not getting anything stuck in carpet), then headed back to paint the master bedroom. I painted the ceiling (one of the many random shades of white with special names) and part of the trim. Then I moved on to the walls. They are grey, rather than orange. I started singing Johnny Cash songs as the paint went on, but when it dried it lost its "prison wall" look. Quite swanky, if I do say so myself. Zorak threw down the tack strips and hauled out the carpet padding... only to discover they'd given us the wrong padding. Dead in the water, and we were on such a roll! ARGH.

Oh, well. Worse things have happened. We'll switch out the carpet padding in the morning and pick up where we left off. The boys got to bed early and are eagerly awaiting a day at the quarry with friends this weekend. Miss Emily fell asleep at a semi-decent hour. That left Zorak and I alone to plot and plan. He worked on the concrete forms a bit. I sorted clothes. Domesticity at it's most blissfully dull. It was a wonderful evening! And a hectic, busy day.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Paint, Paint, and More Paint

Ugh. Well, not ugh, reallly. It's good to be painting the master bedroom. But you know you're not communicating well when you are picturing deep terra cottas and spicy cinnamon colors draped around your room and your spouse brings you color chips in five shades of grey... Yeah, and we're supposed to paint today! (Actually, the grey wouldn't be bad, it's just such a shift from what I've been picturing and anticipating.) So. There's that. Thankfully, Zorak found the Behr website - you can mix colors there and play with rooms to get a general idea of what it'll look like. That's handy. (And addictive.)

OK, so far Dawn (who is my hero!) is the only one who has posted pictures of her windows! Come on, guys! I need help, here. I can install a toilet, but I cannot decorate a home. I'm calling on my imaginary friends to help with this thing. Pretty please?!? *Update: Laney has also graciously posted window shots! Yay!* If you do post them, let me know in the comments. :-)

Our high today is supposed to be 80! Wow. That's quite warm. If we can get the groceries bought and the bedroom painted, then the boys and I are going to swing by a park for a picnic with some of the nice folks we attended the arts festival with. (Eee- that was a grammatical wreck. Sorry. Still on my first cup of decaf - which, yes, means it's not going to get any better as the day goes on. Decaf just doesn't have the brain boosting power of wheat bran, or, say real coffee.)

We're rapidly approaching the arrival of our company, and we're all so excited. There's still much to be done around here, but they know it's a work in progress. And their rooms will be done and nicely appointed by the time they arrive, so that's good. This week we're pouring concrete to fix the front steps. (We suspect that each step was added individually by different people, and not one of them agreed on the ratio or method for making steps.) Not only will that drastically improve the safety of entering our home, but it'll look a whole heckuva lot nicer, too!

I wanted to clean up all the leaves around the yard so we could try for a healthy lawn by the time our guests arrive. Zorak didn't quite threaten to set things on fire if I did that, but he did argue rather eloquently for not doing anything to encourage grass growth until we have a lawnmower. So we still have last fall's leaves in the yard. Not too Springish, it's true, but then the grass around here really doesn't need much encouragement, either.

Oh, Zorak's mom said she is going to send us her baby gown for Emily! How exciting is that?!? I'm going to hold off on Emily's baptism until it arrives so that she can wear it. We thought that would be neat. I love our heritage, and I love being able to bring the years together like that. That little gown has a lot of history, and now we can add to it and keep it alive.

No major injuries from Pioneer Club last night. I took Smidge to the 2 and 3 year-old's class, thinking that he might be more comfortable there than in the nursery (and there's a situation in the nursery that I'm not sure how to handle just yet, but it's best if I'm not in there until I figure it out). It would have gone better if we'd arrived on time, I think. As it was, he stood about five feet away from the group the entire time. Wouldn't get near the table to color, but the minute nobody was talking to him, he bolted to the table and grabbed his coloring page. Then he showed his paper to everyone he saw in the hallway, cradled it lovingly on the drive home, and it was the first thing he showed Zorak when we returned. Boy, I've never seen a child more proud of a piece of paper in my life! If nothing else came of it, that was worth it. So cute!

Oh, and for the record - I know it's "Sancho". I do know that. It hit me this morning that I'd typed "Pancho" instead. I can't believe nobody called me on that - how embarrassing! I don't know if I was thinking the last name, or what. That must be it, because 's' and 'p' aren't even near enough to consider it a regular typo. *sigh* I miss caffeine...

Alrighty, I'd best go prime and play with colors. Y'all have a great Thursday!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Dona Quixote?

Don Quixote: "Fortune is guiding our affairs better than we ourselves could have wished. Do you see over yonder, friend Sancho, thirty or forty hulking giants? I intend to do battle with them and slay them. With their spoils we shall begin to be rich, for this is a righteous war and the removal of so foul a brood from off the face of the earth is a service God will bless."

Sancho: "What giants?"

I'm re-reading Don Quixote, and having a wonderful time of it. This second time through, I've got a better feel for the cadence of the language and the tone of the characters. It's a riot. This morning, though, I realized why I enjoyed this book so much, and it's a scary thought: I am Don Quixote, and am raising three (potentially four, but the little one can't talk yet, so the jury's still out) little Panchos. Would that make Zorak an unsuspecting Dulcinea?

I see giants to be slain (character development issues, academic ignorance, forces to belay mental acuity). The loyal children scan the horizon. They see... windmills. And they're pretty sure I'm insane. But they plug along beside me, nonetheless. It's quite an adventure, this life.

God help us.

This week, we have enjoyed homeschooling in the most integral ways. It's becoming once again a part of our pattern, our flow. This is a good life we're living. But you know, I hesitate to write things like this, although they are true, for there will always be someone who reads it and gasps, "Oh, she's got it all sooooo together." Then promptly starts in on the comparisons and the self-loathing. Please, if that's you, stop now. Take a swig of coffee, hitch up your bra (or pick a garment), and read on.

Homeschooling four children will never be pastoral. We will never have the children donning white breeches with sun hats and skippily merrily to the table singing old English hymns. That's not having it "together". That's a delusion far, far worse than any I harbor (and I do, admittedly, harbor quite a few). Homeschooling four children is, for me, more like hauling cats in a sack that won't close. But I really like the cats, and it's a good sack, so I'm okay with it.

I'm having one heck of a time getting through John's reading lessons with Smidge piling books on my lap and kissing my nose while James shouts from the computer, "Mom! Come LOOK!" (And, of course, I have to go look because I just know the one time I don't, it's going to be the one time our pop-up blocker didn't work and his eyes will start bleeding.)

And it's even more challenging to get through Young Drake with James while John and Smidge duke it out with teriyaki skewers in the living room. Sir Francis Drake did not, as far as we know, ever shout, "You're going to poke an eye out with that thing!"

I have developed the posture of an 80 year old dairy maid from sitting Indian style on the floor, reading aloud while nursing.

The children are convinced there are hidden cameras on the property, filming a warped sequal to "Pioneer House", and they cannot wait to appear on PBS. I have no intention of telling them otherwise, because (a) anything that will keep them on their best behavior is a keeper, and (b) it's kind of fun to watch them make silly faces at the trees, in the hope that they're being filmed. (We have no cable, so I take what I can get for entertainment.)

Our study on blindness turned into quite the adventure the other day, too. I ventured into the realm of the Crafty (I don't live there, and they don't want me there permanently) and made goggles for the boys using wax paper for the lenses so they could get a feel for being blind. The point of our exercise being to foster empathy and understanding toward those who cannot see. The point was made when James slammed into the pre-hung door leaning against the hallway wall. The point was then lost, however, when he backed up and promptly slammed into it again.. and I burst into a fit of giggles.

It's not that we have to "have it all together", ready for a photo shoot from Good Homeschoolers of the Year, in order to enjoy the life that is homeschooling. It's being with our children as they learn. It's hearing one of our children say, "I didn't know I was capable of that!" It's hearing another one say, "Thank you for teaching me this."

It's knowing that those words are sometimes sweeter after a long struggle to master a concept. So during the struggle, it's easier to keep calm and be encouraging. On the days that something (or everything) doesn't click, it's about being able to take a deep breath, share a story, pick another topic, start over tomorrow. There won't be 30 other kids resenting the break you took, and nobody will be behind. Nobody will be "ahead" and get bored, either. We're right where we should be, as homeschoolers. Our goals are on track. Our days are full.

It's enjoying the sense of humor in your children when you begin reading history and lovingly guide them to answer review questions. "The Egyptians live on the ___ ___" Fill in the blank? One of them shouts "golf course" and while that's the end of today's history lesson (you'll never make it to the Indus River Valley through all the golfing jokes now), you've had some good time together, and have seen a side of them you may not see so much of otherwise. (And you pray, when you go to bed that night, that they really did know it was the Nile River...)

I think one of the cats just escaped the sack again, and it's heading for the windmill, so I better go. But I wanted to remind you not to get into the comparison trap. Your homeschooling, your family, your home, it's all good stuff. Just like ours is. Enjoy that for all its worth and don't hesitate to be glad for the life you can live.

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Boys and Balto

Wow, I had forgotten that I have a better image editor on this computer than the Image Mixer Picture Editor software that came with our camera! Hopefully, much better photos will follow at some point, but tonight I thought I'd share a few quick pics of random things around here.

This first one is James, making a vase for the flowers the boys bought me. This was in January, shortly after Emily was born. Yes, we have flowers so seldom around here that we had no vases! I love my vase! (And I love that sweet boy.)


Smidge and the poky ball! A great find, as long as you don't fall and land on one. He's quite the adventurer. (And look, he's not asleep in this one, either!)


Here's John, getting his Big Brother Chet cut. (It's already in need of a trim. I know many women who would love to have hair that grows as quick as his does.) Doesn't he look so solemn?


And here's the Baltoid (and my high-fashion footwear). This was in mid-January. He's much larger now, but I haven't got a recent photo to show the enormous change. I'll get one this week, though. He's going to be a beautiful dog. Right now he's still a cute, gangly pup.


But now I need to ask a favor of you all. Would you please post photos of your windows?? I need ideas on trimming them out, and then on curtains. Pretty please? Just leave a note in the comments section w/ a link if you post them! Thanks!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Don't Wait

This summer, Aunt Bonnie and Uncle John were going to come for a visit. We dearly love Aunt Bonnie and Uncle John, and have jealously anticipated any time we could spend with them, whether while we're driving through Oklahoma, or in knowing they are coming here. Friday, I received a call from Aunt Bonnie's daughter. At first, I was so pleasantly surprised to hear from her, but then her voice cracked, and she said, "We lost Mama this morning."

I haven't been able to write about this, and I've been trying since that afternoon. My heart broke. For her family, her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. For her husband and co-conspirator in life. For her friends at the bakery. For me. Aunt Bonnie was loved by everyone she knew.

Aunt Bonnie spent Thursday baking (she loved to bake, and man, she was good at it - renowned in her community for the best cinnamon rolls on earth!) and then she went to the casino to play with a little of her mad money. She died peacefully, in her sleep, sometime during the night. As last days go, that's not bad. I am thankful she did not suffer, and that Uncle John was not subjected to watching the love of his life wither and suffer, as well.

But I was waiting for the weekend to call her. (Don't wait.)

She was waiting for summer to come visit. (Don't wait.)

The last time we talked was only a week ago. She was up to her armpits in baking flour. She was so proud of her daughter, Linda. She was in love with her wonderful great-grandbabies and shared funny stories about the things kids say. She laughingly and happily relayed stories of Bob, who is living a wonderful, crazy, happy cancer-free life in the Northwest. She was excited about their plans for the trip out.

She didn't wait to enjoy her family. She savored every crazy moment. She shared that love with the rest of us. Don't wait... for things to calm down... for things to improve... for things to be 'just so'. Don't. This is the life we have, and it will be what we make of it. Aunt Bonnie knew that, and she shared it with us. So now, I'll share it with you.

Two of my favorite stories of Aunt Bonnie came from my Mom. At one point, when they were young women, Aunt Bonnie was single and Mom was married. They lived next door to one another, and were the dearest of friends (a friendship that lasted a full lifetime - they could get together after a five or ten year hiatus and within two minutes be laughing and giggling like schoolgirls again). Well, Aunt Bonnie would get home from a date and come over to Mom's house and knock on the window to let Mom know she was home. Mom would take the coffee pot and two cups to the spare bedroom, set it up on the bed and she and Aunt Bonnie would sit back there, drinking coffee, laughing, and gabbing until the sun came up.

Another story, from about the same time period, involved two ladies hopped up on caffeine, trying to paint the ceiling in that spare room. Well, Mom was only 5'3", and they didn't have a long roller. So Aunt Bonnie suggested, after watching Mom jump up and down, trying get paint on the ceiling (getting more on herself than anything else) that they push the bed into the middle of the room and jump on that. They did. I think they still got more paint on themselves than anything else (it's difficult to paint straight lines while you're laughing so hard). But in the end, they got the room painted, brought the coffee pot back there, and enjoyed hot coffee and friendship under their freshly painted ceiling.

I couldn't wait for Zorak to meet Aunt Bonnie and Uncle John. He fell in love with both of them just as much as I had. I'm thankful he got to meet her, and enjoy pot upon pot of coffee at her dining table (which looks ever so much like Mom's always did - it's the command center of the home). The boys fell in love with her, and dubbed her Grandma Bonnie. James said she was a lot like his Grandma (my Mom), and that she gave good hugs.

She had a warm home, where one was always welcome. She always said it was carefully decorated in "Early American Yard Sale" (she did love a good deal). If you stayed for a visit of any length, that front door would open more times than you could count and in would file kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids, just stopping by for a visit. It was wonderful. I want a home like that.

I want another year, another visit, another phone call. But they won't come. I will miss that, miss her. So many of us will. But because she didn't wait for life to come her way, because she went out and rounded it up and fed it and passed the coffee freely, those of us who have been left behind will have one another to continue to love and cherish. We'll have coffee together, and while the table won't be quite as full with that one empty spot, it will be okay. We will have laughter together. We will have silence that descends so fiercely and feels so deep it could rend us in two. We will have memories and stories to help mend our hearts. We will have the pain of her loss, but she made our hearts big enough to handle the scar.

This morning, let's raise our cups and toast life, love, and Not Waiting!

I love you, Aunt Bonnie.

~Dy

When Ya Gotta Sleep...

... Ya Gotta Sleep! (We have no idea how he managed this, but it's certainly a descriptive shot of the life of a toddler: you're on the go. Or you're not. Yes, he was actually standing in front of the futon when sleep overtook him.)

Today was productive, but there was a significant amount of whining going on. I hope it doesn't bleed over into tomorrow. (For the record, it was the boys. Zorak and I were pretty good today.)

The boys spent most of their day getting on one another's nerves. They were just so contrary. It's funny, if you can step back far enough to view it objectively. Zorak and I got to take turns doing that today. I love the tag-team approach to parenting, because it keeps me from getting too focused on the nit-picky things. I can step back and laugh when the child who cried at the mention of having a chicken leg for lunch receives his PB&J sandwich and promptly says, "I'd like some meat with my lunch, please."
"OK," says the unaware subjective parent (in this case, Zorak, which is why I find the anecdote humorous), "What would you like?"

John thought on it for a bit, then perked right up and said,

(Are you ready for it???)

"Chicken would be nice."

Ah, you just can't make that stuff up! And if you don't get the chance to view it from a distance once in a while, it's easy to start thinking they are trying to make you insane. Or that they already have... But no, that's just the process of learning to navigate the world, learning how to bow out gracefully once you've already said or done something less-than-bright, learning how to communicate all those thoughts and feelings and make sense of the mental mush that IS a five-year old's brain. He's doing just fine, and thankfully, so are we.

The master bedroom looks like an actual room. Tomorrow I'll prime the ceiling and Zorak will put the final skim coat on the tape. It can be textured, painted, carpeted, and moved into this week! Yay!

The kitchen received its final coat of paint today, so now all the outlets can stop dangling like gouged out robot eyes and start looking like proper outlets for a change. The makeshift pantries had to be moved away from the walls, so they all got a thorough cleaning, as well. That felt good.

The green in the dining room has grown on us. Thankful for that.

Balto went to the store with us today. He is such a chicken. He wants to ride in the Suburban, but he's afraid to jump in. Then we get home and he's afraid to jump back out. He weighs too much now for me to lift him in and out, so he's simply going to have to get over these little issues of his. However, he's a good traveler once he's in, and he thoroughly enjoyed making the trek with us. I liked having him with us, too. He's a sweet thing, and loyal. He's a good dog.

And on that note, the kitchen is clean, oats are soaking for pancakes in the morning, church clothes are laid out, and it's about time for me to hit the hay so I'm not the weak link in the chain tomorrow morning! I'll leave you with a picture from one of our walks about the property. Zorak and I call this one "Jay and Silent Bob: The Early Years"



Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Hooked up the Printer: Pics Before Monday

Everyone who has more than one child knows about the growth vortex that seems to suck in the first child the day after you've had your second child, and spits it back out three years larger than it was just yesterday. Well, the vortex got Smidge. My wee, precious, little Smidge.



The boys call this her "worried look" - she makes this face right after they've done one of their run-by smoochings on her unsuspecting forehead. One minute, nothing, the next minute, *smack*. What in the world was that?!?


If you sing to her, you'll get one of these expressions. It'll make you laugh, and she'll revert back to the worried look, above. (If she had actual eyebrows, you could tell they're raised. As it is, you have to go by the Bunnicula peak on her forehead - the whole forehead raises up. Weird.)



This was one of the first smiles we got - back in February. Love those cheeks!


I have no idea what Zorak did to cause her to make this face, but had to capture it.


And whatever it was, he soon remedied that and got one of these grins - this is when she's trying to decide if it's worth an all-out laugh or not, but wants you to keep it up while she decides.


This is how she looks most of the day, now. (Well, only in color, but I couldn't get the color true in the pictures, so there ya go, black and white.)


And here she is, the Proverbial Baby. (Note the absolutely exquisite blanket - a blogging friend made that for her - it's like a lacy cloud. She's lucky I let her borrow it.)

We have received some of the most thoughtful, sweet, and loving gifts for her. I will post photos of her with them soon. Thank you, all, so much!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Oh, YUM!

For a snack today, we mixed up a batch of the Sweet Vanilla Milk from the Hillbilly Housewife. (The recipes are about 2/3 of the way down the Powdered Milk page.)

Can I just say WOW-YUM-HOLY-BAT-COW-BATMAN! That is one delicious recipe. I imagine it's even better warmed... with a cinnamon stick... and cookies...

Ok, ok, nix the cookies. Now I'm just feeling gluttonous.

How not to suck down the entire 2Qts. while the boys aren't looking... hmmmm. (Gotta do it while they aren't looking, though, because I think they'd fight me for it if they saw me.)

Tonight we'll try the molasses milk! Mmmm.

Kiss those babies!
Dy

Ooo, that felt good!

Well, yesterday the boys and I found many wonderful books in the basement. They wanted to bring them ALL upstairs, but not only would I have ended the day with thighs the size of Hulk Hogan's, there simply aren't enough finished walls to house the bookcases. You'd have thought it was Christmas, though, the way the boys oohhh'd and ahhhh'd over each opened box. We didn't find the books we were looking for, but we did bring up a nice selection of titles. ;-) And a small bookcase. And the math blocks. I'd call that a semi-successful trek!

When Zorak arrived home, he helped me wrangle the corner hutch back into the dining room corner and the tea cart over by a wall in the dining room. It's found a home! For ten years, we've been sticking that poor little tea cart wherever there was room. Last night, it nestled in perfectly against a little piece of wall that's just the right size, and I just smiled. The little tea cart has a real home now. My Mom would be so happy!

The boys built an alarm last night with their snap circuit set. Using the photosensor, it was set in the window to go off when the sun hit the window. It went off. It was loud. These are definitely Zorak's children, too. They slept right through it. (Personally, I'd have put it in the other window... the one the sun doesn't enter right as it tops the horizon. But that's just me.) So today got an early start. *grin*

We sure are enjoying our four-day school week! We get quite a bit accomplished Monday through Thursday and have Fridays off. We can either enjoy time with Zorak or run errands and work on the house when he's not off. Tomorrow, he's off, and we've a lot to do! Too bad the weather has been completly schitzo - high today of 55, tonight, snow! Springtime in the South? Or just a weird year all around? I don't know, but I'm glad I didn't put the sweaters away just yet. I hope this doesn't kill our pear tree (it's already blossomed).

And I apologize for the lack of pictures. The severe lack of pictures. Not only of the house, but of Miss Emily. She's gone and plumped right up, grew a few strands of hair at the back of her head (her hair, thus far, is brown, by the way), and her eyes have lightened up to a brilliant blue. She's not quite so splotchy anymore, either. (Yay!) And have I taken pictures? Actually, I have been better about that. Particularly considering this is my fourth child and I'm not the photgraphing wiz that Jess is! What I haven't done is hook up the semi-dead printer (or purchase a new one) so that I can upload them. I will do that this weekend. Someone hold me to that, okay?

And that's about it, here. The stove parts arrived yesterday afternoon, so I'm waiting on 8 o'clock to call the appliance store to see when they can get a tech down here. We have no nostalgia for the days before we had a stove. Made eggs in a basket for supper on the waffle iron last night and it gave Zorak and I flashbacks. We had to run to the bathroom and turn on the hot water just to make sure the progress we've made wasn't a dream. *whew* Still have hot water. That's good...

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

What a Wonderful Morning!

It's cold this morning, but dry and breezy. Another laundry day! I got to visit with Gram and Aunt Linda a bit before breakfast. We're so looking forward to their trip out in April! Aunt Linda said she'd be happy to help James plant flowers, and that absolutely made his day when I relayed the news. Then Smidge brought me a book and climbed in my lap. That's all it takes to redirect my attention. We sat and snuggled and laughed our way through Old MacDonald Had A Farm. (This should never have been made into a book. It must be sung, and the children don't like to hear me sing. Who made this into a book???)

The boys are enjoying big mugs of yogurt and hot, buttered toast, while I take a break from hanging the wash and reading to Smidge. When they're done, we'll work out in the yard some, then come in for hot chocolate and stories. We enjoy productive days we can spend together. Days in the car aren't so much fun, but days at home, working and tending, have become quite joyful.

Then it's down to the basement to find our math blocks. It's time. (It's past time, but we've made do pretty well without them thus far.) I've found the videos and the workbooks, but have yet to find the blocks. (Where's the adventure of packing them all in the same box? Organization is for wimps.)

The boys' lessons are going well. I haven't blogged much about the homeschooling, as it's just a part of each day. That's how it goes sometimes. Not every schooling day contains an "ah-ha" or a "eureka". Math, reading, history, Bible, nature walks and read-alouds. It's good, but makes for dull blogging (yeah, like our stove issues make for riveting reading...) I'm digging around for some good memory work, and hopefully I'll find our Latin materials today while we're working in the basement.

I've been trying to convince Zorak to bring up one of the big bookcases to hold the schooling materials, but bringing more stuff upstairs before the house is done just isn't high on his list of Things He'd Like To Do. It ranks right up there with starting over on the house, and having to listen to small children chant songs on CD. So I think today I'll just bring up a little one. Library books on top, school books on the shelves. That'll do nicely, and won't require a ton of heavy lifting and hauling when the time comes to finish the school room.

Oh! We've made a change of plans on the order of things, too. When we finish the master bedroom, we're going to do the foyer next, rather than the fourth bedroom. It's the initial visual impact. And it smells like dog. So, Balto gets a dog house outside and we get a nice foyer. This is good for our mental state, as well, because now the finished (and lovely) walls of the dining room frame the nasty foyer and act as a focal point of Ugly. We made the switch in plans as much out of practicality as out of mental health. The more we finish, the worse the old parts look. This will be great, and leaves us with only the fourth bedroom and the school room to do before the WHOLE HOUSE will have been redone. Not bad. Not bad, at all.

Hmm, I hear giggling. There should be no giggling when you have yogurt in front of you. I'd better go round them up and redirect a little bit. Have a lovely Wednesday! And as always, kiss those babies!
~Dy

Oh, the things that make me smile!

* Hearing James exclaim over snack and a read-aloud, "Wow! This book is far better than I thought it would be!"

* Seeing the smile on Smidge's face when I let him eat some of "my" popcorn.

* Watching John run to the bookshelf to get his writing book down - I don't run that fast unless I'm in imminent danger.

* Reading about other people's tin foil hats.

* Walking through the erstwhile "tool room" and seeing white walls (and not stumbling over tools).

* Smidge hugs, and the impish smile that accompanies them.

* Seeing the light go on in John's eyes when he gets it, really, really gets it.

* Piling on the couch with all four children and knowing that my personal space has been invaded in the most lovely fashion.

* Made-up jokes from children. Sometimes I think it'd be okay to have children just to see the world through their eyes. It's a very funny place.

* Hearing any of my children laugh so hard it causes the others to laugh, too.

* Cooking together. Always a bonus.

* Knowing that although it's cold tonight, we are all safe and warm.

* Knowing that Zorak will scootch aside and let me have the warm spot when I climb in bed.

* Remembering that we aren't the only freedom-loving parents out there who feel so painfully aware of where our accountability lies every time we look into the trusting, loving, eager eyes of our children.

* Looking at our children, and knowing without a shadow of a doubt that raising them is the Best Thing We Could Ever Do.

* Enjoying that whole process, as well.

* Spending two hours at the library and enjoying every minute of it. (Worked hard to get that groove going, but oh, is it worth it!)

* Realizing, at the market, that I've (once again) forgotten to slip out of my slippers and into my shoes.

* Having children who aren't mortified about things like that, yet. (Though the older two will give me a good ribbing and giggle after me for a while over it.)

* Hearing Zorak's voice on the phone, telling us he's headed home after work.

* Hearing the squeals of delight and the tromping of feet as the boys run to meet Zorak at the door.

* Getting a kiss on the cheek, hearing, "How was your day?" - And knowing he really means it.

There's so much that makes me smile! There's a lot to smile about, really.

Kiss those babies (there's another one!)
~Dy

Things you don't want to hear...

Ever.

(From your spouse...)

"Honey, come look at this." (This applies, in particular, to the incident last night, but it's safe to assume this isn't something a woman ever really enjoys hearing.)

"Why is there flame there?"

"I'm going to have to cut off the gas."

(and from the boys...)

"Does this mean no pancakes in the morning?!?!"

(and then from the appliance store we purchased the stove from...)

"Oh no. We don't service that far." (OK, you'll deliver here, but you won't service here? And you couldn't have mentioned that when we bought the stove and made it clear that we were purchasing locally for the s-e-r-v-i-c-e?!?)

(from the two other companies the first company gave you service contacts for...)

"Five Star? Who makes that? I don't think we service those. *pause* Nope. We don't service those."


So much for buying locally. I ended up calling Five Star. For the record, they were truly fantastic! Five Star is sending the parts needed to do the repair and they somehow managed to talk the original shop into sending a technician down to do the repair once we have the parts in hand. Yay, Five Star!!

All this, and we can still make it to the library today! Yippee!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

It's Dead... (rated R, for language and government rants)

My phone, that is. It's been sickly for a while, and we saw this coming. Still, it's a bit of a shock to find yourself without a cell phone. Just wake up and thhhbbttt. It's dead.

I took it to the Verizon technician to see what it would cost to fix the problem (because, of course it's out of warranty and we're three months away from the standard now-we've-got-you-for-another-two-years upgrade). Answered the gazillion questions they ask - what's the problem, what's it doing, how long has it been doing it, and what have you done to resolve the problem. OK, pick it up at three. Well, we weren't staying in town until three, so I just called.

Had to laugh, because when I called the conversation went like this:

CSR - "Well, it won't take a charge."
Me - Um... yeah, I know. That's why I dropped it off.
CSR - "It says it's charging, but it's not."
(Long, awkward pause, as I wait for them to provide me with information I haven't provided them already.)
Me - Aaaannnnddd?
CSR - "Well, there's a few things you can do. You can see if a friend has a phone they don't want. You can purchase a new phone, retail, of course. Or you can buy one off eBay."
Me - What would it cost to fix it?
CSR - "It won't take a charge."
Me - So it can't be fixed?
CSR - "Well, it won't take a charge."
Me - No SHIT, it won't take a charge!* I am well aware of that. Why can't it be fixed? (*That first part was in my head. I don't swear at the poor sap who got stuck answering the phone.)
CSR - "Um, the software won't let us fix it."

Well, okay, it's THEIR software. Are they telling me they coded it to do this? Or that their technician can't be bothered with "software issues"? Did he work for Microsoft before coming to work for Verizon? Bah. I hate planned obsolescence.

We have two old phones, but I don't think they have GPS capabilities. (Yet another Federal mandate in the name of "the people", designed to complicate our lives, waste our tax money, and control our spending habits. Bastards. And we're the idiots who allow things like this to be passed. As much as I appreciate certain things the FCC does, I think it's outlived its usefulness and is now overstepping its bounds out of sheer boredom.)

And if I had a compliant phone, I'd be on it right now, wasting my minutes to make that clear to someone in DC.

Dy, off to piss and moan to the congressman who will never see my email

Many Shades of Green

Well, the best laid plans...

Miss Emily kept me up until five this morning, when I simply couldn't hang any longer and left her to her own devices in the bouncy seat. Needless to say, that rearranged our entire Sunday morning schedule. Pancakes? Nope, Frosted Flakes. Church? Nuh-uh, slept here instead of in the pews.

While Zorak made astounding headway in the back, I primed the living room. (In my defense, before I go any farther, you all need to know that Zorak approved this color! It's not all on me this time!) The primer went on. Uh-oh. "Honey, does this look a little, um, olive drab, to you?" It was, but what could we do? And it was just primer, anyway. It dried to a beautiful, rich, textury green that we both fell in love with. Oh joy! This is exciting!!

Four hours later, I applied the finish coat. Uh-oh. (Yes, again. This time, for real.) "Honey, this is a little, um, yellow..." Zorak said go ahead and slap it on and see what happens. I couldn't bring myself to put it up on more than one wall, at first. It goes on the color of weak split pea soup. (Yeah, ew.) It dries to a vibrant grass color. Hmmm. It's not... bad... per se. But it's not that lovely, convoluted green that begged for bronze trappings and heavy tapestries, either. This green seems to call for more IKEA and less Antique Shoppe. We'll see how it looks in the morning, I suppose.

Meanwhile, Balto figured out how to open the back door, so he spent much of the day inside with us. He's starting to learn that the boys aren't puppies, but I'm not convinced we're making headway. Now he thinks he's a boy! At one point, the balls came out into the living room. I tried to redirect, remind, and guide. Finally I resorted to the Lois technique; yelling.

"THAT'S IT! If you have THAT much extra energy, take. it. OUT. SIDE. NOW!!!"

Balto turned and headed down the hallway and out the back door like a pro! It was all I could do to keep a straight face until all four of them got out of earshot. Too cute. Well, if he's going to be a boy, at least he listens well. That's something.

That's about all I've accomplished today, as Miss Emily has taken the role of Union Boss and she sees to it that nobody works more than she feels ought to be done. Want to work through lunch? Nope, not in the contract. I don't care if this job needs to get done, you're going on break NOW, woman! Ok, ok, just let me put this one little -- Did you not HEAR me? NOW! Alright, already! Sheesh, it's a good thing we're using latex...

And I hear the world's cutest little union boss calling me now, so I'm off!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Captain's Log: Saturday, sometime in March

So who knew yesterday was St. Patrick's Day and didn't tell me? You'd think I'd have been bruised enough in childhood from not wearing green to school that it would be permanently embedded in my psyche, but noooooo. The boys made it until our friends arrived in the afternoon before they figured it out. When they mentioned it, it was all I could do to fight my first reflex of cringing and shouting, "I'm wearing green underwear! Don't touch me!" (And who says public school doesn't teach social skills?) Ah, oh well, one more minor holiday completely spaced by yours truly.

The boys had a wonderful time with their friends. First thing on the agenda: make some horrible concoction out of household goods to see if it will explode. I don't normally encourage James' "recipes", as simply hearing the ingredient list is usually enough to turn my stomach. However, there were eight children and they agreed to take it outside. It didn't explode. Not even when they added dirt. Hmmmm. But they did have fun.

Balto thought we'd had a whole new litter of puppies brought it. They've never been around puppies before (I imagine their dog is as quiet and gentle as this entire family is, from what their mother said), and two of their children were absolutely terrorized if he so much as looked at them. So Balto had to be kept from the festivities. It just about killed him not to be in the middle of the fun, but he's really not very well-behaved (not dangerous, just not bright) and we didn't invite them out to scar their children.

They brought a paving stone kit for a housewarming gift. We let the kids make it at the dining room table - they all stamped their names into it, and it's curing on the table for the next couple of days. When we put in the children's garden, it'll be the first paver we set. So cute!

Their mother was very sweet, and we had a nice visit, but I think the house and the process and the work we've been doing freaked her out a bit. Her exact words were, "Wow. I wouldn't have tackled this." She was nice, and encouraging, but still, I think she'll be much relieved when all is said and done (and the windows have trim). Zorak thinks it may be a cultural thing (both the fact that she was a little weirded out and that she was so polite about it). He may be right.

There are days that I wonder what we were thinking. That this will never be finished. That we're insane. I suppose, though, that seeing it come together day-by-day makes a difference. Whether it bolsters my confidence that we can do it, or just feeds the mental illness is unclear, but that's okay, too. The boys are happy here. They sing while they eat. They run to the creek. They frolick and play like happy pups. Smidge sings "we're home, home, hoooooome" when we turn into the drive. The older two have forts and hideouts and laboratories all over the property. We're giving them the childhood we hoped to give them, and as the work on the forever home itself slows, we're able to give them more of ourselves again, too (which was the biggest part of the childhood we hoped to give them).

We have a bear and a hippopotamus lurking in the back yard for archery time. Granted, they are 55 gal. trash bags filled with insulation, waiting for the trash man on Tuesday. But right now, they're wild beasts the boys hunt on safari. I sit on the back porch (the one that has a serious Appalachain Hillbilly theme going - it's still got a toilet on it, and the roof is downright terrifying) with my cup of decaf, the baby in my lap, watching Zorak with the boys, hearing their cheers and laughter at every shot, seeing them learn new skills and encourage one another. High fives all around for a good shot. Pats on the back and words of encouragement for a wayward arrow. I laugh and smile and give thanks for all this. Insanity or not, it's good, and I wouldn't trade it for something that made my husband sad or feel trapped. I wouldn't trade it for some place that we couldn't do these things together. And it's okay if not everybody gets it. We get it, and that's why we're doing it.

Oh! Another family from church had a play kitchen they were getting rid of and asked if we'd like it. Sure! So it's now sitting in the dining room and hasn't had a moment's rest while the children are up. Smidge has become quite the gourmet chef! Eggs and coffee are his specialities. (Actually, eggs and coffee are about all he will make. Oh, and tea for James.) I don't know why we never bought one before! These things rock!

As I've typed this and tried to enjoy my morning cup, all three of the boys have arisen, one at a time, and come to sit on my lap for a visit and a snuggle. It's now over an hour later than when I began and it's time to get going on the day. So I'll sign off and go round up the wee ones for some more snuggle time (that stuff is addictive, isn't it?) Y'all have a great Saturday!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Living Life in 15 min. Increments

We are Crisis Cleaning today. (Company coming tomorrow, and the lived-in look has been stretched a bit too thin to pass for construction dust at this point.) So, I have 15 minutes to blow - we've cleaned the kitchen and living room and have hung/put away our clothes - but the General board at WTM is down and I'm all caught up on my blogrunning. *sigh* What's a gal to do?

Why, blog, of course!

Amy tagged me, but I'm going hold off on doing it to see if I can find a cool old photo to post with it. It was fun seeing hers. (Come to think of it, I still haven't done the one FarmGirl tagged me with from a month or so ago. I am really bad at team games, aren't I? Sorry.)

Tomorrow is Friday, and it brings with it a flurry of remodel activity. I love payday!

We're going through the pantry today to figure out what we need to buy and what we just aren't eating much of. Then I've got to refigure our meals. This morning I went low-maintenance for breakfast and served hot rice w/ milk, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. The boys ate it like I'd served them ice cream. That makes me leery, but hey, it's enriched rice and there was milk, and cinnamon... um, is tree bark a food group? It should be. When you have three small boys, that's an easy one to get in a full RDA's worth!

Well, there goes the timer. Time to get back to work! Have a wonderfully productive day!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Full Disclosure

Ok, Renee brought up a good point. It takes a certain person to handle living in Alabama, and if you're not that certain person and are thinking of moving here and screwing it up like you did your own state that you can't wait to run from, well, don't.

So how do you know if you're "a certain person"? It's easy. If you're thinking of moving to Alabama, here are a few things we'd like you to know before you make your decision:

Only I-65 is paved. Every other road in the entire state is gravel and oppossum.

Shod children are verbotten. They took our shoes when we arrived.

The ground is infested with hook worms, and your now barefooted children will come down with them.

But you won't notice because you'll be too busy picking ticks off their little bodies.

There are gators in the Tennessee River. (Seriously.)

You will not be able to understand a single person at the drive-thru, and it's not the microphones. You can't understand 'em at the counter, either.

Taxes are atrocious. Simply atrocious. (And those of you from New Jersy, don't laugh. We just can't afford for them to get NJ-bad before we complain!)

After six months, you won't be able to understand a thing your youngest child says.

If you weren't born in the South, you will never attain Southern Hair. This will mark you forever as a fer'ner and you will be mocked at all public gatherings, eateries, and even in church.

OK, I lied. We have no eateries. Just lots of fried food places. This is cardiac central, here, folks. Run!

When we say folks are "friendly", it's a euphemism for "nosey". And the towns are small to facilitate the corporate knowledge of your. every. move.

The Air and Space Museum is a front, just like Old Tucson. It's not real.

The IMAX there is a bedsheet and a slide projector. (OK, it's probably time for me to just go to bed, isn't it?)

In all seriousness, it does take a special person to feel at home here. Not everyone would love it. I don't think we would have been so excited about it three years ago. But that's why we didn't come three years ago. We have friends we love dearly who would wither up and die if they tried to live here. Just as we nearly withered up and died living on the east coast.

But I jokingly told someone a while back that we just tell everybody that nobody here can read and they're all married to their cousins and you can't get indoor plumbing. She was aghast. I mean truly and wholly offended. To the core of her being. Once I realized she thought I was serious, I felt bad. Although you couldn't probably spot that right-off, what with my giggling and all... Gotta work on those social skills. Or find friends who get my sense of humor so I can quit subjecting these sweet old Southern Belles to it.

And that's just what we did today. (Sweet segue, huh?) The children and I went to the festival and had a lovely time with several other homeschool families. I was the dowdiest mother there (but I'm getting used to that - see #9 above - there is no hope). The kids had a wonderful time. The boys made friends and now desperately want to take Judo classes. Emily got lightly toasted. (Oops. Bad Mommy forgot the sunblock!) Just on her head, though. I don't know what they all thought of us, but we enjoyed the company and felt very comfortable with them. It's starting to feel like "home", and we're beginning to gather "our people".

Met Zorak for supper at the New Moon (cheap Chinese buffet - with a sushi sidebar that James loves), then he took Smidge home while the others and I headed to church. Pioneer Club went wonderfully well (I'm going to miss it when they break for the summer!) and nobody got injured. We've got some really wonderful people there, and it's always a nice time spent enjoying one another.

And now, to bed. Tomorrow's a busy, busy day, but it should be a good one!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

PSA - thought I'd share

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Coming Together

I know it all comes together. It does. It has to. And if it doesn't, well, I won't realize that until it's too late and then mere acceptance can replace the misguided hope I've been harboring, right? Right. In the meantime, y'all have shared some great ideas, and made me laugh a lot. Thank you so much.

Today should be sunny and windy. That's a perfect laundry day! Yippee! The boys won't be so thrilled, but that's okay. Slave labor isn't supposed to be fun.

Tomorrow we're going to an Asian arts festival in Decatur. One of the ladies from the WTM boards who'd contacted me about doctors has put together a small group to go and she invited us, also. I'm looking forward to meeting her and her little ones, and the boys are just thrilled. They were beginning to wonder if anybody in Alabama homeschools besides us and the midwives.

We're having a very difficult time showing some restraint in our preparations for the arrival of Gram and The Aunts. The only thing that's slowed us down is that a lot of the goodies we'd like to have on hand are fresh and perishable, and wouldn't be all that impressive if they'd been sitting here for three weeks by the time they arrived. *grin*

The master bedroom is coming along nicely. Not quickly, but nicely. It's going to feel sooooo good to get that room done (and get the queen bed out of the dinky little room it's in now - it's like Romper Room, with wall-to-wall bedding). I think Zorak will bring home a truckload of gravel on Friday, so we can fix the driveway and then we can have the construction dumpster hauled away. That, alone, will do wonders for the outside! (It was supposed to be hauled away a while ago, but they can't get over the driveway with a full load, and that's just been at the bottom of our priorities list until now.) Step-by-step, it's all coming together! And it's fun!

Thursday (yes, this is turning into a "to-do list", hush) we'll clean and get the house ready for company on Friday. Some of our over-an-hour-away friends from church have no school on Friday, so they're coming for a playdate. As long as James doesn't propose marriage, it should be a fun day!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

On Being Outnumbered - Our First Day Back At Church

Well, I can't say it was from lack of trying. We prepared the oatmeal pancake batter from the Hillbilly Housewife on Saturday night. Laid out clothes for everyone. Got to bed at a decent hour, and set the alarm. We were all up, dressed, fed, and out the door bright and early. So far, so good! Zorak stayed home to battle the wiring he'd had to lay aside on Saturday to do brickwork.

Smidge fell asleep on the drive to church. (It was nine in the morning! Noooo!) And Emily screamed the last half hour of the drive. We got there in time for Sunday School, and the older boys were off and running! Yay. Emily was just coming off the indignation that comes from having to wait to eat. Smidge wanted nothing to do with the nursery, so I sat in the adult class with both of the little ones on my lap. (In hindsight, this should have been my clue to leave as soon as class ended, but I'm not too bright sometimes.)

Class let out and we enjoyed visiting during the break. Emily got passed around. One of our wonderful Titus2 ladies helped me get everybody herded to one table and kept the boys' cups filled. Alrighty, not bad... not bad... we're doing okay. As long as nobody has to pee, I think we'll be okay.

We headed into the sanctuary, me and my little trail of ducklings. The boys shot straight to the front of the church. I did have sense enough to sit on the side by the wall aisle so I could slip out if need be. And boy, did need be! After two hours of being awake and chipper, Emily came slowly, yet vociferously, unhinged. I tried nursing, but that wasn't it - this was gas, baby, and there was no stopping it. She's still at the "yell the gas out" stage (I'm so glad this disappears - could you imagine how awkward life would be if everyone did that?) So I gave the boys instructions to sit. quietly. and for the love of God, do not squirrel around. Took Smidge and Em to the nursery to change diapers and see if I could settle her down a bit.

Well, it's dawned on Smidge lately that he's not getting the Lap Time he's accustomed to having. And while he doesn't blame Em for that, he is certainly determined to get it back. So there was nothing doing on the nursery for him. Emily seemed quieter (and I had visions of the boys swinging from the banners in the sanctuary) so we headed back in. No sooner did I sit down that she starts squawking again! And now Smidge is talking - to the chairs, to his brothers, to Emily, to the pastor. Oy! And I'm smiling as I try to get everyone settled, but it's one of those tense, thin-lipped smiles that just screams, "Kill me now!"

Finally, Emily lets out the gas, along with a Braveheart-type war whoop and Smidge starts yelling, "Fart! Fart! HA HA HA HA!! You fart, Mama!" (This is genetically coded in him, blaming others for passing gas, and laughing heartily about it. It should serve him well in college, but for now, not so funny.)

That was it. The end of my fortitude. I'd like to say we quietly grabbed our things and slipped out, but you know it didn't go like that. Oh no. Poor James picked up my Bible by the case, which was open, and out fell the Bible and three year's worth of notes and bulletins. You could see the, 'oh, man' look on his face. Smidge started yelling, "Mess! Mess! OH NO!" Emily's croaking like a frog by this point because I'm stooped down picking up papers, and she's slipped into a hold that vaguely resembles the way Penny from The Rescuers carried Mr. Rufus, the orphanage cat. And John, who had somehow migrated three seats away from us, was completely absorbed in whatever pastor was saying. We couldn't get his attention to tell him we're leaving. Thankfully James hopped over and tapped him on the shoulder before I had to start throwing small pencils at his head.

We did get out. In one piece. And I hugged each of the boys as I hoisted them into the Suburban. I let them know that they were awesome and sweet and wonderful and that I appreciated them tremendously. (Well, the big ones, anyway - Smidge, I just loved on and snuggled. He needed it.) It wasn't their fault. I'm just horribly outnumbered and not up to speed. But boy, did I feel like a total failure.

So. Next week, we'll try again. With a new plan of attack. We'll sit in the far back, which isn't great for the boys, but then I can get up and walk Emily if she gets fussy. It won't disturb the others, and will also allow me to be near the boys. (She was sound asleep not two miles down the road, by the way.) I've got to get a new printer so I can print out some things to distract Smidge, and do up the little activity booklets I used to do for the boys. Um... can you all think of anything else that might help? The lady who works in the nursery on Sunday mornings is awesome, and I'd feel comfortable leaving Smidge in her care, but right now he doesn't remember her (it's been about six months since we've been to a Sunday service) and he feels pretty abandoned. We'll have to work into that.

This has to be doable. It just has to. But I haven't the foggiest idea how to pull it off. Anybody out there keep several small children in church with them, on their own? Zorak may come with us once in a while, when the house is finished, but right now it's just lil' ol' me and the kids.

And in the meantime, we have a wonderful week spread out ahead of us!

Kiss those babies!
~Dy

Hi! :-)

Just a quick post since I MUST get to bed at a decent hour tonight!

The hallway has been textured. *whew* I'll prime it in the AM, before church, I hope.

The laundry room is both primed and painted. As soon as the paint dries (which may take a while - it's kinda humid today), the outlet covers go up and it is DONE. (It's so purdy!)

Zorak discovered a big, big surprise when he removed the back porch light to do the wiring, and he's now up to his elbows in mortar, new bricks, and miscellaneous other BIG repair jobs. We cannot wait to get rid of this horrible brick exterior - it's a poorly done job that's hung on far longer than the laws of physics would suggest possible.

The bathroom got paint touch-ups yesterday, and it looks much tidier now. All we lack for that room are the towels rods. Oh, and two neato mirrors for above the sinks. We were going to splurge at IKEA for the towel rods, but they're more money than we can honestly justify for something like that (as in, we would not get the enjoyment from them that we do from the curtain rod - now that was a good buy!) The mirrors we hope to find at a junk shop antique store.

We wanted to (finally) do the texture in the dining room today, but I used the rest of the joint compound texturing the hall, so it has to wait until tomorrow's Lowe's trip.

Zorak is so sweet. He's terribly excited about finishing the hallway. Do you know why? So we can hang the big family photo in the hall! Oh, I do love that man.

OK, he's back from the corner hardware store. I better get up and look active again! Thanks for taking a tea break with me (yes, it's hot in the south - time for suntea!)

Kiss those babies!
~Dy