Adventures in Life

Hmmm....I have pictures to post, but I can't seem to find them. We bought a new camera that is shock and waterproof (I can drop it from five feet and swim with it underwater down to 10 feet). Let's just say when you have your camera in your pocket, you shouldn't sit down on it. Thus leading to the new camera. The old camera still works, but you can't do things like turn off the flash or look at pictures. Anyway, it has been sent off for repairs. I am hoping that Gabe put the pictures somewhere on my computer, but I suspect he reformatted the card and they are gone forever.

Last Friday Dawn and I went to a scrapbooking store crop from 6:00 p.m. to midnight. I did manage to get a few things done, though I thought I would get even more accomplished.

Today I am heading over to Katie's house to work on some scrapbooking stuff. I am still on March 2009. I am just a little behind. Currently, I am waiting on the painters to come to our house. Yesterday the repair guys came and now the painters need to come and make everything look pretty. Since we have lived in this house almost a year, our yearly inspection was due. Basically, we do a walk-through with the builder's representative and point out any problems that we might have. We have done this every three months up to now. There are no major problems, just little things like nail heads showing.

Hopefully my next post will have some pictures.

Posted by at 8:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Well, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is an interesting movie, but not one that I would want to watch again. I think I should have just quit watching after the first half of the movie. Aging in reverse is just weird. I never read the F. Scott Fitzgerald book, maybe that would have made a difference.

We went to a party on Saturday the 13th. It was actually pool party, but we didn't swim. Alex has taken to hating his baths again. So we were pretty sure he would scream the entire time just like he does during a bath.

Alex & Gabe

Sunday the 14th was a very busy day. After church at the lake, we had brunch and then headed back home. We decided to try out Alex's little pool in our back yard. He loved it! He absolutely loved splashing around in it. Maybe we should have let him splash at the pool in the party.

Splashing in the pool.

Alex very happy after splashing in the pool.

Stephanie & Alex

Next we decided to head out to the zoo. On the way back we stopped by Border's for a free Seattle's Best beverage (courtesy of our rewards card).

Stephanie, Alex, & Giraffe

Cute African Spotted-Necked Otter

The capybara is the world's largest rodent, related to guinea pigs.

Once we were back home again we had dinner and decided to go to our neighborhood pool around 7:30 p.m. Even though it was 90 out it was too cold for Alex. When there is no humidity it feels like air conditioning for any part of your body that is out of the water. I stayed in for a little while, while Alex and Gabe sat on the edge.

I started watching the new season of The Next Food Network Star. I must say I don't miss Jenn and I was happy to see Brett go. It was a tossup between Eddie and Teddy, but I do hope that Teddy goes home next week. I just wouldn't watch a show with him as the star. Gabe thinks that Debbie is going to win, but as of right now I guess I am voting for Jeffrey. No one has really gained my "vote" yet.

Wednesday the 17th Dawn D. and I went for a walk in the morning (Gabe and I usually go in the evenings). She left for Illinois on Monday for three weeks. She was nice enough to drop off an exersaucer for Alex before she left.

Friday the 19th I scrapbooked with Cheri (originally we had plans to do it on Thursday) until around 3:00 p.m. and then we had Victor over for dinner. I cooked Greek food. I really loved the feta and cream cheese dip that I made. I will have to post the recipe the next time I make it (that way I can post a picture).

Saturday the 20th we went out to eat at Macaroni Grill for Father's Day. We were going to eat out on Sunday, but we switched it Saturday and went to a BBQ at one of our neighbor's. Wednesday we had some people over for dinner.

"Ice Cream" Cupcakes that I took to the BBQ. They were ice cream cones filled with chocolate cake, frosted, and then topped with sprinkles.

Gabe & Alex on Father's Day.

We watched Underworld: Rise of the Lycans. I actually preferred the first Underworld movie. Rise of the Lycans is a prequel and takes a five minute portion of the movie and expands it into a full length movie. Slumdog Millionaire was ok. It wasn't my favorite movie. We are currently watching Role Models. I think we should have watched Confessions of a Shopaholic instead.

After dinner we went on our nightly walk. We were going to head out to Old Navy to check out he $5.00 swimsuit and shorts sale, but we both decided to relax instead. We are going to go tomorrow instead. We also having Mike D. over for dinner tomorrow. I have plans to clean out and organize my office this weekend. We will see how it goes.

Posted by at 8:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Here are the long awaited pictures of our house. The lighting is a little odd on some of the pictures.

Front of our house.

Front Room

Dining Room

Living Room

Kitchen

Bathroom

Laundry Room

Office. This is actually a bedroom with a walk-in closet (they all have walk-in closets) but we use it as an office. Large closets are really nice for storage.

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom. There are walk-in closets on each side of the hallway that leads to the bathroom. I will spare you and not post the pictures of our closets, lol.

Master Bathroom with my favorite part...my tub.

Master Bathroom...not the best picture.

Family Room

Office

Guest Bedroom

Alex/Guest Bathroom. There are double sinks, but you can't tell from the picture.

Alex Bedroom

Posted by at 10:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

This weekend was pretty uneventful. Saturday we walked around our neighborhood. There was a town wide rummage sale. Yesterday we went grocery shopping. We also managed to watch a couple of movies. Quantum of Solace was one of them. It is a James Bond movie, but Bond really seemed to have some issues. In Bruges is about two hit men that end up in a medieval city in Belgium (Bruges). Umm...it was different. Let's just go with that. I guess I am just not a fan of dark comedies. The Spiderwick Chronicles is a cute little movie about a boy that finds a book that contains secrets about a secret world that exists in our world. I also finished Why Do Men Have Nipple? It is a neat book filled with medical facts. Hmm...that made it sound boring. It really is interesting and fun to read.

Here are the long awaited landscaping pictures of our back yard.

Our back yard on March 31 before landscaping.

In my opinion, the pictures of our backyard do not actually do it or the view justice.

Elsa and Clara really like looking out into the desert from our backyard. Sometimes they even see cows.

Gabe's dad built a cute little bridge that goes over our river of rock. Since these pictures are from a few weeks ago, I don't have a picture of it yet. Elsa really likes to relax on the bridge.

Posted by at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I am almost caught up! Yesterday Gabe and I caught up on some TV shows. We watched Ugly Betty and Scrubs. We also watched Mr. Rice's Secret and during the day I watched the Darjeeling Limited. I wouldn't really recommend either of the movies. Mr. Rice's Secret is about a man that passes away at the age of 395. He gives the secret to a young boy that is terminally ill. This is actually a children's movie, but it is pretty serious. The Darjeeling Limited is about an adventure through India for three men. Their father recently passed away and their mother abandoned them. It was listed as a comedy, but I didn't find it that funny.

Today we purchased some rocks to fill in areas of our front yard. Some areas were pretty sparse and down to the dirt. Gabe and I worked on it for a little while, but then Alex needed attention, so Gabe was left to do it alone. It looks much better.

We are getting ready to head out. I am not entirely sure what we are doing. I would like to post pictures of our house and yard sometime this weekend. Hopefully it will happen.

Posted by at 12:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

On Saturday (April 4) I decided we were cleaning out the garage. We got a head start by working on it a few hours on Friday night. We finished it Saturday! We had a ton of recyclables, some trash, and a truck full of items that we donated to the local thrift store. Gabe had to wait until trash/recycle day to be able to park his truck in the garage, but it is there now!

My parents flew in on Tuesday evening. Wednesday we went to the mall and did some shopping while Gabe was at work.

Friday morning Gabe and my Dad dropped Elsa and Clara off to get their teeth cleaned and we all headed to Tombstone. We walked around the downtown area and had dinner at a local restaurant.

Tombstone Sign

Tombstone Carriage Ride Tour

Bird Cage Theatre

We were stopped by the border police on the way back. I think that was my parents first border check. We came back and picked up the dogs. They have a follow up appointment in a couple of weeks. When we came back from Tombstone our yard was mostly finished. There are a few finishing touches here and there that should be completed this week. So, I am going to hold off on posting pictures of our yard until it is completely done.

We went out to dinner at Solaris on Friday night.

"Air Alex". He likes to stick his tongue out when he "flies" through the air.

Gabe & Alex at Solaris

Stephanie & Alex at Solaris

Saturday night was a lot of fun. We played Wii and had prime rib. Yummy! They left bright and early on Sunday morning.

We worked on organizing things in our house Sunday. Gabe managed to hang one of our two outdoor ceiling fans and we rearranged our patio furniture. We had some leftover prime rib, so we had it for Easter dinner. If things weren't so busy, we might have invited some of the other people from Illinois that are living in Arizona over for Easter dinner. Maybe next year.

We didn't take Alex to have his picture made with the Easter Bunny this year. So, I snapped a picture of Alex with one of our decorations.

Alex and bunny.

Yesterday we dropped my car off at the dealer. I need a new fan belt. I received a phone call this morning and they informed me that they don't have the part they need. So, I will be without a car until Wednesday evening. I was going to the post office, grocery store, drug store, and Wal-Mart today, but it is a little difficult without a car. I guess we will be running a few errands once Gabe gets home from work. At some point I will post some pictures of our house. Most likely it will be sometime next week. We are getting ready for our party this Saturday (the one we previously canceled due to illness).

I have recently started using Google Reader and I love it. Instead of having to look at all of the blogs I read, I can quickly go to the blogs that have new posts. An added plus, I can post to blogs that only allow individuals with blogger accounts to comment.

I hope everyone had a great Easter!

Posted by at 1:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Make sure and check out the Robots entry. I added a couple of photos.

We did manage to watch Twilight on Monday, the 23rd. It was pretty good. I think I need to watch it again.

Tuesday Alex became ill. He started throwing up and we put him on Pedialyte. He ended up in the emergency room at 2:00 a.m. Thursday. I couldn't go with Gabe to take him because I was at home throwing up every 30 minutes and running a fever. He was finally released at 9:00 a.m. after they give him anti-nausea medicine since he couldn't even keep Pedialyte down. Gabe started getting sick on Thursday, but luckily he only had the fever portion of the illness. We pretty much stayed inside and watched movies and basketball Thursday, Friday, and early Saturday.

Saturday we went to the Butterfly Garden and Safari Trail in our neighborhood. Safari Trail is a path with statues of about 24 different species of animals. There are probably more than 75 individual animals (multiples of some species). Along with the statue, there is a board that displays information about the corresponding animal. It is really neat and a lot of fun. We wanted to go to the Desert Museum, but we didn't feel like walking around that much. Plus, we were able to stay close to home.

Beginning of Safari Trail. (As you can tell by all of the green grass, this area is landscaped and constantly maintained.)

Desert Bighorn Sheep

Gabe and Alex hanging out with the wildlife on Safari Trail.

We were supposed to have a party on Saturday, but we had to cancel it. We will reschedule, but I don't think all of the bread that we purchased will make it. Maybe we should donate it to a food bank. I started feeling normal again Saturday evening and Gabe was much better.

Today we are hanging out at home again. Gabe is pretty much back to normal and so is Alex. He has been back to full strength formula for about 24 hours and things seem to be going well. We might start working on the garage, though I am not holding my breath.

We decided on a landscaper! This is great news for us. Our backyard is currently just dirt. We had three estimates and the one we selected was the design we liked the most, the least expensive, and he can start the soonest! So, the landscaping starts on Wednesday. It should take a week to a week and a half to complete. Hopefully it will be ready for our rescheduled party.

Alex 5 Months (next to a 12 month outfit).

I have been recording Castle after Dancing with the Stars. We decided to watch the show while we were all three sick on the couch. I really, really like it. It is about an author that helps solve murders. It reminds me a lot of James Patterson. I told Gabe this while we were watching and then James Patterson came up on the screen playing poker with Castle. I will be adding it to our list of shows.

Posted by at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I never thought we would be running the air conditioner in our house during the month of January! We also use it in the car (it is hot when you are riding directly in the sun). It has been in the upper 70's/80's here. Heck, it was 86 today!

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Alex.

This week has been super busy! We had our furniture evaluation on Monday. Basically, someone came to evaluate all of the damage to our belongings due to the move. Since a moving service packed everything, they are responsible for all repairs. Unfortunately, we only had a 30 day window to claim all damage and as we continue to unpack boxes we are still finding damaged items. So, we can't claim them and we are just stuck with the damage. The guy is coming back on Saturday to repair the damage. He is with a third party company and he is really nice.

We went to the clubhouse to register. Now I don't have an excuse if I neglect exercising. Up until now, my excuse was I couldn't find the power cord for my elliptical.

Saturday we went to Madera Canyon and hiked around. The weather here is gorgeous and I feel like we should take advantage of it. I guess it still hasn't hit me that it is actually January. It feels more like October (it was in the mid-90's at the end of October here).

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Mountains.

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Madera Canyon.

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Water

We purchased furniture for our family room today. We bought a leather couch, two leather chairs, and a leather ottoman. They are really comfy and they fit well in the room. I like the versatility of the ottoman. We can use it for seating or a table. I also like it because it has soft corners. It we didn't get an ottoman, we were going to get a coffee table. This way if Alex bumps into it, it will be nice and soft. Gabe and I packed the furniture up the stairs. The chairs were 140 lbs a piece and the sofa was 250 lbs. We both got our workouts for the day.

We have made a lot of progress the past few days. I will be posting pictures very soon (hopefully). My camera is currently missing in action again. This time I think it might be for good. I thought I took it with us to pick up our furniture, but neither Gabe nor I can find it anywhere. So, I am still going to add captions for pictures. I am being optimistic that I will find it soon.

We have a prickly pear cactus in our front yard. A piece of it was broken off, so we planted it in a pot in our back yard. Hopefully it will grow.

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Prickly Pear Cactus.

Alex and I watched the Arizona Cardinals play the Philadelphia Eagles today. It was a really exciting game. Arizona was rocking and then the Eagles scored 19 unanswered points to take the lead by one. Then Arizona came back with a touchdown and won! They are going to the Superbowl! Alex has some cute Arizona Cardinal booties that he sported during the game. Don't get me wrong I am still a Chicago Bears fan (and also an Indianapolis Colts fan), but I am living in Arizona and I do have the Hallmark Kurt Warner ornament but it is from when he was a St. Louis Ram (no, I don't like the Rams). I actually like the Cowboys too, or maybe I should say liked. I liked them when Troy Aikman was the quarter back, Jimmy Johnson was the coach, and Emmett Smith was the running back (he was Cardinal after a Cowboy). Wow! That is a lot of football talk and all over a pair of booties.

Posted by at 6:32 PM | Permalink

We have decided not to go to San Diego right now. We both thought it would be a lot of fun but figured we really needed any extra time to work on the house. If I get any extra time today I am going to start working on the fourth bedroom (we are going to make it an office). I doubt I will have extra time though, as Alex is in his "I will only sleep if you hold me" mood. I am slowly typing this entry with only one hand. At least dinner will be easy. I assembled it last night an now I just have to pop it in the oven.

Hanging out in a swing.

We went to the zoo on Saturday. The weather was wonderful. We even sat outside and had ice cream, because we could.

Umm...not helping with the resolution to lose the baby weight.

Some desert scenery

On Sunday we went to Sam's and picked up some canned goods. They also have some leather furniture that Gabe has his eye on. We stopped by Trader Joe's and Alex loved looking around the store. Usually we keep him covered up, but he had such a great time looking at everything we pulled the blanket back so he could see.

Hello

I really, really want to accomplish something on the house this week!

Posted by at 2:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Last night, while Gabe and Alex were sleeping, I made the curtains for our bathroom. I have had the material for a couple of days, but I haven't found the time to make them. I decided that it really needed to be done so I could shower and bathe and definitely NOT flash the neighbors. Gabe was convinced that the windows were too tall for anyone to see anything while getting in and out of the shower or bath, but I just feel better with curtains.

All three bathroom windows with curtains

A closeup of a window. The curtain is hanging in an odd manner, so the bottom doesn't look even (it is even).

I doubled a sheer material to make the curtains since both Gabe and I like the natural light. A single layer of sheer didn't inhibit the view into the bathroom from the street as well as I wanted, so I doubled the material. Originally I was going to cover the entire window, but it made the bathroom feel smaller. So, I only covered the lower half of the window to keep open feeling of room.

I am copying this idea from Nicole's blog. I wanted to do a newborn picture and then take a picture every month with the 12 month outfit to monitor his growth. I was a little late taking the pictures and posting them.

Alex 1 Week

Alex 6 Weeks and 2 Days

1. Update Magazine Addresses...I am up to date!
2. Start packing. I have a feeling this will be a multiple day process. Umm...I tried and Alex kept waking up. Basically, I ordered him some more warm outfits. I am really going to start packing today! After I post this entry...and find my camera.
3. Work on room downstairs. If we ever get our house together I will post pictures. I am hoping Gabe and I can get started tomorrow. If I finish packing I will start this today too.

There are a lot of other things on my list that I don't post on the blog (ex. return Wal-Mart and Fry's items...I did both of these yesterday). So, even if I don't accomplish my blog goals I still do things during the day :)

Posted by at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

We had the 30 day walk through on our house last week. Technically we haven't lived here for 30 days, but they wanted to get it in before January. Basically, we have spent every free moment working on the house and it is looking much better. I wanted to have it completed by January, but that isn't going to happen. Maybe by March 1st.

Gabe and I watched The Dark Knight last night. Christian Bale was an okay Bruce Wayne (I like Michael Keaton better) but I did not like his Batman. Heath Ledger did a good job acting, but I think he was better in A Knight's Tale, The Brothers Grimm, and Casanova. While watching the movie I worked on finishing up Alex's quilt. I started it while we still lived in Illinois and I hadn't worked on it since living in our house. So, instead of checking my email or writing a blog entry while watching the movie, I finished his quilt. It is just in time to take it to Illinois.

Alex's dog quilt

Alex hanging out with the quilt

1. Catch up on email. Check!
2. Make a Menu Check! (I even made January's menu)
3. Grocery Shop Check!
4. Mail USPS Packages Check!
5. Update Magazine Addresses...umm I have a couple left. Darn time zone differences.
6. Send my mom her recipes Check!
7. Kohl's Cash (I apparently have $20) Check! Well sort of...it expired.
8. Order Wedding present for a friend Check!

My Goals for Tomorrow
1. Start packing. I have a feeling this will be a multiple day process
2. Work on room downstairs. If we ever get our house together I will post pictures.

Posted by at 8:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

As far as movie watching goes, I think there are four that I have not talked about. We watched Outsourced. I rented it because it reminded me of Office Space. A guy has to train his replacement (in India). It is funny at times and overall it isn't a bad movie. We also watched Eight Below. It is about a guy that leads expeditions in Antarctica. Due to a storm they have to evacuate and he has to leave his sled dogs. I will warn you that there are some sad moments in this film (especially if you are an animal lover). Kung Fu Panda was surprisingly good. We also watched College Road Trip. Umm...maybe a renter if there is nothing else to rent.

I did get New Moon Friday while we were near a bookstore. Instead of sleeping today, I read half of the book. So far I am really liking the Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer. From the previews that I have seen for the movie Twilight, the actors that portray Edward and Bella do not resemble the Edward and Bella that play the parts in my mind. I like my mind's version better.

I was checking my email today and I received a sale email from Barnes & Noble. I clicked on the link to look at the fiction available. I was really surprised to see the new Alex Cross book, Cross Country, was released today. I know that the next book is always released around mid-November, but I guess it just snuck up on me this time. I have managed to add five books to my book list lately (Cross Country, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, and The Tales of Beedle the Bard). They should manage to keep me busy for a while in addition to a new house that will need to be unpacked, a new baby, our Thanksgiving guests, and Christmas travel.

We get the keys to our house tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m. I am pretty excited. I had plans to pack up all of our stuff at the house we are renting this weekend. It didn't happen. So, when Gabe gets home from work I am going to attempt to start packing and cleaning. This way we will hopefully be able to get all of our stuff from this house into our house before the movers come with all of our possessions. Hmmm...I wonder when I will have internet at the new house.

These are really cute socks from Nicole, Andrew, and Maddie. They look like little shoes and on the bottom they say My 1st Sneakers. How cute!

Alex picture just because I think he is super cute.

Nicole...look for an email soon. Since you are the only one that responded to my thoughts on making Christmas presents for 2009 I will send you some links.

Posted by at 4:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Monday night Gabe and I went out in the inclement weather to purchase a few storage containers to organize our hallway closet. As you are probably guessing, this was entirely my idea. I did manage to talk him into helping me sort through things. I think that the closet looks great. I should probably post a picture so I can show off my newly organized closet. I have another closet to organize, but it is on the list for tomorrow. I think I just need to throw away a lot of the contents. Anyway, I am on an organization kick and there isn't a room in the house that is safe.
Gabe used half of a vacation day and came home early from work. We went to the store and purchased ingredients to make a chocolate cheesecake. Then we came home and made it. We went to Meson Sabika for dinner (even in the crazy weather) and then came back for cheesecake. I didn't like it (I am not a fan of cheesecake), but Gabe did. We just finished playing Dance, Dance, Revolution. Now we are getting ready to play Wii Big Brain Academy.

Posted by at 9:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We have been staying up late to finish working on the house. We are officially finished with the items for 2007. A lot of our time is now getting focused on finishing up with the planning for Spain. I am really getting excited about the trip. Sometimes I feel like Gabe and I could be travel agents if our current careers don't work out :)
I have been tired this week and I was looking forward to going to bed early last night (instead of our usual 1:00 or 2:00 a.m. lately). Well, we stayed up until around 2:00 a.m. making fudge and cookies for my co-workers and our neighbors. We still need to deliver the ones for our neighbors...maybe tomorrow. Maybe we can get to bed early tonight.
Other than planning for Spain, I am currently staying busy doing laundry and working on quilting projects. I have four going on right now.
Off to Blockbuster to return some movies.

Posted by at 7:58 PM | Permalink

I am at work right now and things are little slow...don't worry, they are going to pick up pretty soon...I just looked at the schedule. I now have an internet connection via my cell phone thanks to Gabe. The connection isn't as fast as our DSL at home, but it is much better than nothing. Yesterday we went shopping in Schaumberg. I must say that this was a mistake and helped me to remember why I finish my Christmas shopping well before Christmas. The mall and the stores were extremely crowded and some of the lines to purchase items were almost out of the doors. I found a thing or two that I would have purchased if the lines weren't so dang long. I did manage to find something for our bedroom and the store only had two people in line in front of me!
Our bedroom is officially finished. So, before the end of the year our house checklist includes fixing the mirror in one of the upstairs bathrooms, some sanding of a wall, and replacing a kitchen faucet. Gabe said that he is going to replace the faucet while I am at work tonight. The rest of the things on our list are going to wait until next year. Actually there are only three rooms left that need work, but unfortunately they need a LOT of work. The den, a room without a purpose, and cleaning out the garage are all on the list for 2008.
As far as books go I have finished Double Cross by James Patterson. It is a very good book and I encourage everyone to read the Alex Cross series...they are one of my favorites. I also finished The Witness. It was pretty good. Worth the read if you are out of your favorite author. We started watching I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry. We are only half-way through the movie and I must say that it has had me laughing out loud several times. I am a fan of Adam Sandler and so far this one is pretty good. We will probably finish it tonight or tomorrow. The grocery store is on the list of things to do tonight...if we want to eat tomorrow.

Posted by at 3:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Why is it when I don't check my email for two days I end up with 300+ emails? That is not including what is filtered out by my junk mail filter. So, you can guess what I have been doing this morning.
We went around to a couple of home improvement stores last night trying to buy things to finish up the bedroom/bathroom. We just couldn't seem to find what we were looking for, so we came home and watched Spiderman III. I was pretty disappointed. It just wasn't as good as I expected.
Gabe is at work right now and I am trying to get a few things done. I am getting ready to make some fudge for his potluck at work tomorrow.

Posted by at 11:22 AM | Permalink

Friday evening Gabe and I went to my office Christmas Party. It was at a sushi place called Tsukasa. It was very good. The party started at 8:00 p.m. and we closed down the place. We stayed until around midnight (they closed at 10:30 p.m.). The drive home was around an hour, so I was pretty tired for work on Saturday...and boy were we busy.
Yesterday (Saturday) night we went to Gabe's office's Christmas party. It was at Dave and Buster's. We all ate and then broke apart to play some games. Gabe and I played the Jurassic Park game (we played it last year too). This year we beat the entire game...hmmm...what are we going to play next year?
Friday we ripped up carpet and I started pulling staples out of the hardwood floor in our bedroom. Initially we were going to replace the flooring with another hardwood floor, but the condition is better than we expected, so we decided to keep the current floor. The trim has been replaced and most of the things are back in their respective places. There are a few small things that need to be done in both our bathroom and our bedroom. I almost think that this point of redoing a room is worse than working on major projects in the room. It bugs me when we are so close to completion, but there are a few minor things that still need to be done here and there. I can't officially mark it off of my list until EVERYTHING is done in the room.
Today we woke up early to go to Ikea for breakfast. Then we went to the "As Is" section and purchased a leather couch at a significant markdown ($328 off). We had been eying it for a couple of days.
After running errands we came back home and built a gingerbread house. Clara (one of our dogs) liked it when we dropped candy on the floor and ran around licking it up. It is well after midnight and I have to work tomorrow (or technically today), so I am going to bed.

Posted by at 12:32 AM | Permalink

We have been working on the house a lot. Our bedroom is painted and now all we need to do is install the floor and new closet doors. Gabe is going to take half of a vacation day today so that we can work on the floors. The bathroom has a few small finishing touches for our part of the update. The bathtub and shower doors are going to be professionally installed sometime in early January. We watched the movie White Coats yesterday. My advice would be save your time and watch something else. I could see how the series Scrubs could be based off of it. However, I really like Scrubs and White Coats just didn't do it for me. We are going to my office Christmas party tonight and Gabe's Christmas party tomorrow night. I have been reading Double Cross since Monday. Actually I read it on Monday and for about a half an hour yesterday. I only have about 50 pages left, so I just need to find some time to finish it. Hopefully today, otherwise tomorrow. I just donated a sink, vanity, mirror, faucet, some bathroom hardware, another sink, and counter top to Family Rescue. They found one of my listings on Craigslist, but then I gave them quite a bit more. If you have some things that you don't need they would greatly appreciate the donation. They will even come and pick up your unwanted items. I was going to have a rummage sale this spring, but now I am seriously considering just donating everything.

Posted by at 11:49 AM | Permalink

Thursday I did quite a few things on my list...yippee! Friday Gabe took the day off of work and we hung out. We went to eat at Meson Sabika (yummo!) and came back for ice cream cake. We stopped at Blockbuster and watched Waitress last night. Sometime last week I finished Under the Rose by Diana Peterfreund. It is the second book in the Secret Society Girl series. It was slow to get started, but it picked up and kept me reading well past my bedtime.
Instead of my normal 30 minute drive home tonight, it took me closer to an hour. I spent a good 15 minutes chipping about 1/4" of ice off of my car. I need to buy a new window scraper...I broke mine with the first good sweep across my ice covered window. When I drove my car into the garage to park it (thank you Gabe!) both Gabe and I enjoyed looking at the car. Except for my windows, the entire car was covered with a sheet of ice. Well, I have had a long enough break. We are working on one of the upstairs bathrooms and our bedroom.

Posted by at 8:55 PM | Permalink

We returned on Friday and unpacked a few things, watched Ugly Betty, and October Road. While I was at work on Saturday, Gabe worked on raking and packing the leaves. When I came home I helped him for a while and then we went downtown to the Christkindlmarket. Since 2003 I have been buying an ornament from the market. Gabe has been going with me since 2004. It is a lot of fun, but it was really crowded last night. Usually there aren't that many people there when we go. Gabe had a German Bratwurst. I had a chicken sandwich (I know wild and crazy me). We both shared some potato pancakes and a cherry strudel. We came back, put on our pj's, lit the fire, made hot cocoa, turned on the Christmas music, and put the ornaments on the tree. Our Santa Clause tree topper is missing in action. I think we are going to have to buy another one. I have to put some shoes on, the rest of the leaves are calling for us.

Posted by at 11:57 AM | Permalink

Sunday Gabe and I ran a few errands. We finished the sixth season on Scrubs on Monday. I wish that I would have thought ahead and recorded the seventh season (I remembered to do this with the second season of Ugly Betty). I am eager to find out what happens to everyone in the seventh season...it is the last for the doctors at Sacred Heart. Two shows that I like are going to be back with their second seasons next week. I like October Road and Notes from the Underbelly. We watched Dancing with the Stars yesterday (the performances and the results show). This season has been crazy. I can't believe that Jenny was voted off and Marie is still in the running for the championship. I think that I lost interest once Sabrina was voted off. In my opinion, she was the best dancer and should have been in the final. At least she and Brian came back last night for a performance. I think that they did a great job. We are in the car driving to my parent's house. The cell phone internet connection is VERY slow, but at least I have a connection. We need to rake the leaves in our yard. We will probably work on the leaves this weekend. Actually, Gabe will probably do it while I am at work on Saturday. Hopefully the weather will hold out until we get them all raked and bagged.

Posted by at 10:51 PM | Permalink

We finally finished the extra bedroom that we were working on. The last outlet was replaced today! All of the furniture has been moved back in...well, come to think about it I still think the lamps aren't back in yet. I am not sure what room we are going to start on next. I think that our bedroom will be next, but I am not 100% positive. All of the rooms that we have left to do are pretty big projects. Hopefully we can get started on the next room soon...I am ready to have the house finished. I am off to bed.

Posted by at 12:01 AM | Permalink

On Saturday, after work, we met Aaron for dinner. Gabe, Laura, Aaron, and I all went to Max & Erma's. Afterwards we headed to Starbuck's. I am now addicted to the Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha. If you like peppermint and you haven't tried it yet, I suggest that you do. We took our Starbuck's back to our house and played Battle of the Sexes...the girls won! Then we played Wii bowling...the girls won again!
Sunday we took Laura to the train station to head back home. Afterwards, Gabe and I ran some errands. We also started painting the second bedroom. It took some convincing, but I finally managed to get Gabe to agree that brown would be an okay color for the room. We were both pretty tired and Gabe is fighting off a cold, so around 9:00 p.m. we stopped painting and watched Ugly Betty and a couple of episodes of Scrubs.
Tonight we finished painting one of the extra bedrooms. Tomorrow we are going to change out a couple of outlets, replace some outlet covers, hang up the curtains, and put the furniture back in place. We almost have one more room finished!

Posted by at 11:28 PM | Permalink

Gabe left for a business trip on Wednesday morning. After working I picked Laura, Gabe's sister, up from the train station. She is going to be staying with us until Sunday. Wednesday night we surfed the net and relaxed. Thursday we spent a lot of time shopping and getting things done. I had to drop my car off at the dealer to get an oxygen sensor changed. They gave me a loaner, so it wasn't too bad. We watched Juno yesterday evening. It was okay, but it was nearly as funny as I expected. We were given a free t-shirt for attending the premiere. I can't really say what I have done today...laundry, picked up my car, etc. Now it is almost time to go to bed...almost. Gabe is putting up the blinds in the bathroom. We received them in the mail yesterday. Gabe and I purchased the "Press Your Luck" DVD game. I used to love watching the show on T.V. Gabe won tonight. I kept getting too many whammies.

Posted by at 10:19 PM | Permalink

Yesterday I spent most of the day doing little things around the house. I did some touch-up painting in the bathroom, stripped some wood (I will be staining it today), painted the mailbox, etc. After a couple of months of living here our last name is finally on the mailbox.
At 5:30 Gabe, Aaron (ICO friend), and I all headed to the movie theater to get tickets for the Bee Movie. It was sold out! The tickets were free for the advanced screening. So, we ended up seeing Dan in Real Life. The movie wasn't bad, it just wasn't as funny as I expected. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but I was looking forward to a non-stop comedy and this movie wasn't one of those. It is definitely worth watching, just don't expect to laugh all of the time. Well, I have along list of things to get done today.

Posted by at 10:48 AM | Permalink

We really do go to a home improvement store every night. There always seems to be something that we need to pick up that we didn't need the last time that we were there.
There were three trick-or-treaters at work today. I saw two when I got home tonight. I guess that Gabe had quite a few. I still have a lot of candy left. I will probably send it to work with Gabe.
We watched Dancing with the Stars last night. Spoiler ahead...I cannot believe that Sabrina is gone. I expected her to win it all. Her performances were amazing and a big part of the reason that I watch the show. I guess I will have to find another favorite. I should get to bed soon...I have a lot to get done tomorrow.

Posted by at 11:53 PM | Permalink

We are still working on the house. It is a never ending project. Actually, I hope to have it mostly completed by the end of this year. I guess we will just see what happens. Yesterday we stopped at a pumpkin patch on the way back from Lowe's. We bought a 23 pound pumpkin and a two carmel apples. It was fun walking around. We are still working on the downstairs bathroom. I spent a lot of time yesterday stripping and staining the current wood fixtures. The new vanity is cherry in color. The oak fixtures just didn't match, so I am attempting to make it all match. I need to get ready to leave. One more coat of stain awaits me tonight.

Posted by at 9:45 AM | Permalink

So, after doing laundry and picking up the house I finally went back to bed. When Gabe got up on Thursday he was trying to figure out when I had done everything, because he didn't remember it all being done before he went to bed. I guess I didn't keep him up after all.
I worked on the house on Thursday and our groceries were delivered. We went to Lowes again to look at vanities and paint chips. I think we have made decisions about several items that we need to purchase. Today we went and had our pictures taken for our Christmas cards. I really need to quit procrastinating and steam some border off a bathroom wall. I might actually be able to finish one of the bathrooms this weekend.
Gabe and I watched Ugly Betty last night. I really like the show, but Henry is starting to bother me. I want them to be together. He just needs to get his head on straight, make a decision, and stick with it. I am still trying to figure out how likely it is that the producers will let Henry and Betty be together and be happy.
We purchased our tickets to Spain a few days ago. We have been saying that we are going to go for a while now, but we actually bought the tickets. So, we are definitely going now. I have several travel guides, so the rest of the trip just needs to be planned out. Well, I guess that I really should get something done.

Posted by at 1:50 PM | Permalink

For some reason I just cannot sleep tonight. I think that it might be because I am thinking of the million things that I need to do tomorrow. So, instead of tossing and turning in bed and keeping Gabe awake, I am attempting to get some things done. I am debating staining the new doors in the laundry room, but I might save that for tomorrow. I hope that everyone else out there is sleeping peacefully.

Posted by at 1:02 AM | Permalink

Yesterday we stayed home and watched Dancing with The Stars. Tonight, we went to Lowe's. We actually found a counter top for the bathroom that we both liked. This was something that had yet to be accomplished at both Menards and Home Depot. The only problem is it is not in stock. I have a lot of things to do, but I don't think that they are going to get done until Thursday. I can't believe that it is already almost 10:00 p.m. Any way, I thought that I would share one of my favorite YouTube celebrities with you guys (just in case you haven't heard of him). His name is William Sledd and he is from Paducah, Kentucky. He also has a website. I really like Ask A Gay Man: Fashion Edition #1, Ask A Gay Man: Special Baking Edition, Ask A Gay Man: Denim Edition, and Ask A Gay Man: Wedding Cake Edition. I know that I have told some of you about the site before, but if you haven't watched a video or two, you should give him a try. The videos that I linked to make me laugh.

Posted by at 9:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We are now being recognized by the employees at Menards. We go there a lot and I think that they may start to believe that we are stalking them. I think that we might go there tonight to pick up a few things. Saturday Gabe's parents came up and we went to the movies and saw The Game Plan. It is a really cute and funny movie. Before the movie Anna (Gabe's mom), Laura (Gabe's sister) and I went shopping. I found a new rug for the bathroom. We also sent to a Lithuanian restaurant/shop. I found normal size barley! I make a stew with barley and the tiny pearl barley just doesn't do it for me. Today Anna, Laura, and I went to Ikea for breakfast. They headed out around lunch time and Gabe and I went shopping, to the post office, and to the library. We came back and took the dogs on a walk. It is such a nice day outside. I am going to shower and then I think that we are heading out again. Menards here we come!

Posted by at 5:42 PM | Permalink

Today has been a day of running errands non-stop since 8:30 a.m. This is the first time I am taking a few moments to breathe before continuing on with my "To Do" list. Gabe and I need to make a trip to Menard's later on tonight. There are a few items that we need to pick up (we always seem to need something from a home improvement store). I have about 5 more things that I would like to do before he gets home tonight. I am not so sure that they will all get done by around 5:00. Well, I guess I should get started. Oh, before I go, lately I have read Devil in the White City, Step on a Crack, and finished up the Shopaholic series. I am finishing up Next. Out of all of them I would only recommend Step on a Crack and the Shopaholic series. I think that James Patterson is going to have another good series on his hands with Step on a Crack.

Posted by at 4:04 PM | Permalink

We are back from Wisconsin. Now back to the house stuff. The tiles are down in the laundry room and Gabe is working on the trim. I need to go to Home Depot and buy a different outlet cover. I also need to swing by the grocery store if we would like to eat. We will see how things go. I have a lot of laundry to do.

Posted by at 1:54 PM | Permalink

Now I am starting to think that Sunday is a pretty optimistic finish date. It will happen when it happens and I am ok with that. I have plenty of clothes to get through without a washing machine, but we may have to find a laundromat to wash some towels. Luckily we are going to be staying in a hotel Saturday night, so we won't be needing towels from our home. I have spent several hours picking up the house. Now all three floors no longer look like Home Depot, just the lower level. I am going to work on the den and then only one room will resemble a home improvement store. I can work on it when we get back on Sunday. One room being messy doesn't quite bother me, but when the entire house looked like I could open up a store and start selling home improvement supplies it was a little taxing. I think that we might relax and watch some T.V. The laundry room floor cannot be primed until tomorrow. I think that Gabe is going to work on it while I am at work. Then maybe we will be able to put the tiles down on Sunday.

Posted by at 9:39 PM | Permalink