Cute kids cure anything

It’s true, when you pick up two cute little kiddos from daycare, and one of them is still sleepy and lays her cute little head on your shoulder everything just feels better. Plus it’s just plain fun to run around like you’re five.

Crazy_kids

A little dark, but I can’t find any software on this PC that will change exposure. This is one area that Macs just totally kick butt, iPhoto is standard people. And aperture, swoon. I digress. A photo by Hogan:

By_hogan_1

It’s a little fuzzy, but so cute. I had the camera around my neck still and let him pull me around walking just in front of me. "Amber I can do it, I can do it, I can do it…. what button?"

House wise things are still heading on the good road. Actually something really awesome happened today. My sheetrock guy, Duane (guessing at the spelling) finished up today and while I was out spray painting the natural gas line he talked to my mom. He asked her if all my hard work was for show or if I was always busy like this. She said I always was and he told her he was so impressed by my work ethic that he isn’t going to charge us for the work. I was so flattered when she told me what he had said. I am working my butt off here so it’s nice for a real tradesman to take notice. The dishwasher also came in today; more about that tomorrow when it gets installed. Also the gas man comes tomorrow, the inspection from the city went great today, got my green tag, so dare I hope second time is a charm? Hot water here I come!!!

The Optimist

Even though I might be going slightly crazy:
Crazy_vacumme_lady
Yeah, 2,812.40 dollars later. You do realize I only had one side done right? Now I really want to roll the side yard flat and put gravel and flowers and trees in planters there, but it will have to wait. Even Franklin looks pissed. I told the fence guy I had to take pictures of everything he’s all, "ya, I noticed that…"

I have a pressure check for the gas tomorrow, then I have to paint the pipes, so I might have hot water very very soon. I am watching my little friends Hogan for until Sunday noon, so I might not be able to update as much as I like.

Shit hits the fan

I wish I could say I have better news, but unfortunately that is NOT the case. Yesterday when I was down in the basement obsessing over all the cracks in the floor I noticed that one of the beams under the stairs had newer looking termite damage. I called my mom down to look at it, but she thought it was old. She said to clean it all up and then look at it again later. Well I did clean it all up, and looked at it this morning. It was all dusty again and one side was eaten up further. When I kicked the beam gross white little termites came out and started squirming around on the floor.

I have live termites. It’s being treated on Thursday. At least $600 for that and a sugar ant treatment at the same time (I would like my house to be a pest free zone, thankyouverymuch).

The gas company won’t turn my gas back on. They say my pipe outside the house is too rusty. They say I need a pressure check. I had to go the city today to get a permit for that. $41.83 and I still don’t have hot water. No matter really since I don’t have a bathroom sink…

I still can not find the bolts for the desk.

The house is messier than ever even though I spent all weekend cleaning up and washing the floors. Dust everywhere, Bugs everywhere, Spiderwebs, Dirt, Paint, Sheetrock, and a whole pile of crap in the driveway that is making me feel like a huge piece of white trash. If I saw someone walking outside adding a trash bag to the pile of wood/sheetrock/dishwasher/metal crap out front of their house in old painting capris with their socks pulled up and no leg showing, big clunky hiking shoes, an old shirt, hair full of paint, and Cheeto dust all over her face I would run. Unfortunately that person is me. And you can’t run away from yourself.

Do you want the bad news first?

Or the good news? Well I’ll give you the good news. I went to a few garage sales this weekend and had a really great find. Something I actually need (!) and have been looking for (!!)
Dishes
I’m using a thrifted letter tray as a temporary dish dryer, do you love how they spelled coming wrong?  Because I do. Anyway happy fun times continued through the evening and into Sunday. Matt’s mom was driving into Salem so he got dropped off at my place. He, Bj and I went to my storage unit where I couldn’t wait to find all my hidden treasures. Things have been in there for a freaking year. Things like this desk. Of course I couldn’t find the bolts to put the thing together (and I have absolutely no idea where they are). But that’s not the really bad news, read on…

So today we got to work. The big job was diamond grinding the cracks in my basement floor to make them bigger. Yes you have to open them up in order to fill them. Here’s Bj hard at work:
Grinder
Bj opened up this crack by the furnace and OH MY GOD water started coming up. We are talking about a summer day where it hasn’t rained in weeks, and it’s over 90 degrees outside. So ya, if water is coming up this time of the year, it’s not looking good for winter. Commence freaking out.

Let me tell you what my neighbor Tracy had to do when water wouldn’t stop coming out of her basement. She had to have a trench dug on the INSIDE around the whole perimeter of the basement. Then after they dug three feet down to the dirt they layered gravel and perforated pipe then more gravel then they re-poured the concrete and installed an industrial strength sump pump. Besides the huge inconvenience there is also the $5,000 fee. Oh, and who doesn’t have $5,000 to spare, that would be me.

Shit.

It’s Magic!

Designer
Not too much to report from thrifting today, a bunch of duds, I don’t think mom and I were that into it really. And a couple of the houses just had so much stuff that it makes you feel like maybe you don’t need to be a hoarder. Seriously this one was just too much, and a ton of craft stuff, but held on to for so long and in bad storage that it was all smelly and… Of course I still came home with a big tin tub (Mom: "What are you going to use it for?" Me: "Um… Drinks at my house warming party?" Mom: "Well as long as it has a purpose."), a few jars, and a metal basket. The estate sale I got this toy from was at this awesome huge old house less than a mile from my new place. Cool to go into just to look around at all the little rooms and nooks and crannies. This is all I took from there, and I love the directions. Some excerpts:

"Even thought the Magic Designer must be classified as a ‘toy,’ it has captured the interest of many ‘grownups’ and has provided pleasant hours not to mention novel results!"

"The results will many times surprise you and be most pleasing."

"Envelope of 100 paper discs 60c, plus 6c postage."

I wish! I might go back and get the other one that didn’t have a box for the one dollar just to get some more discs. They are specially notched, and I don’t think it would be easy work to make more. And if anyone knows of any really thin pens that would fit in here, let me know, because this bic pencil was the only thing I could get to fit in here, and not very well. Not even regular wooden pencils fit. And as the directions say:

"A good ball-point pen should be used for professional work."

Swap Wrap Up

Swap_goodies
My lovely swap buddy was Emily. She sent me all these goodies, and two other things that I snatched up right away to take to my new place: funky napkins and a pretty bar of soap. I think my favorite thing of all is that vintage hip frame, I’ve never seen those before, so cool. In fact all the frames are cool I can’t wait to get into my new studio so I can play, play, play! I know that most of you have gotten your packages, and all have been sent but one (unfortunately a death close to the family, so very understandably she hasn’t gotten to it). I would love to hear if the rest of you got your packages so that I can draw for the super cool swap Ribbon Jar!!! People I still need to hear whether or not they got their package:
Kim M.
Heidi P.
Kay T.
Dawn T.
Sarah M.

Side Splitting

I don’t think there is much in the world that feels as good as a great side splitting laugh. One of those soda pop out your nose, get the hiccups, snorting laughs. The uncontrolable ones that you couldn’t stop if you wanted to. Well every once and a while I laugh like that when I think about the following situation that took place two summers ago….

Bj and I were in the last quarter of our 10,548 mile month long journey around the United States. The night before we had driven one of our longest hardest drives, through windy roads to get to Yellowstone. Bj wasn’t that enthused about Yellowstone, I mean he wanted to see it, but he really had no idea how cool it would be. I had last been there right before the big fire years ago (I think I was eight). So we got a little carried away timewise looking at bubbling mud, and sulfer pits, and all the cool things that are Yellowstone. We even did a mini hike to get a good view of one side of the park. It was then I realized I had to pee. So we hiked down and got in the rig (a champangue colored suburban lent to us by my dad for the trip). I was looking at the park map and getting all wiggly and told Bj to go to a little bathroom area nearby. I had to go so bad by this time and there was no where to park, I was all, "Just drop me off, circle around! I don’t care I have to pee!!!" So I went in and came back out, saw the suburban and gave Bj one of those sigh of relief looks. Then I hopped in the rig, buckeled up and turned to Bj. Only it wasn’t Bj, it was a middle aged man who said, "well hello." OH. MY. GOD. I unbuckeled with out saying a word and jumped out of the Suburban. I looked widely around for OUR rig only to see Bj at the other end of the parking lot crumpled over the streering wheel in laughter. The other guy meanwhile is staring at me like I’m some crazy. Bj drives over and I get in "just drive Bj, get us out of here!" I look back and the other guy is laughing so hard now too. When Bj and I can finally draw breath again he asks me what I was thinking. "Duh, I thought it was our rig." Bj says, "well, ya, but I mean our rig has a huge storage thing on top and different doors in the back, and a different licesnse plate, and…" "And you’re in it?"

So that is the funniest story I have. And since it’s been a while since free associatinos have been in business I’d love a funny story from you. Break up all this renovation monotiny.

oh hey, I realized I have a picture from that day on a layout you can see right here.

Question

Does any one own a button maker? Like a really nice one? Anyone want to lead me in any kind of direction here. Is this the kind of thing that is okay to get off eBay? I was thinking something like this, or this set off eBay. And why are these so expensive? Anyone?

edited to add: I just got this (well Ribbon Jar did), and guess what I’m making all of you? Well you just have to wait and see…

Now the hard work

Oldandnew

Maybe my favorite change in the basement. The stairs open like this are so nice. I’m going to save up for a rod iron railing piece and have it powder coated white. The little wall behind the stairs blocks the water heater and furnace, so it will be quite over in Ribbon Jar land. The door was also hung by my dad and Brent for the storage room.
Concrete_mix
The fence will be done Friday, and none to soon as my neighbor walked right into my house today with out an invite. I know he’s just a friendly guy, but I’m not really digging these boundary issues. Plus I need the security before I put all my stuff in the basement. Okay so along this side of the house I’m thinking some kind of stone someday with little potted plants so I can look out from the basement on something pretty.