This big empty wall will be good for something! Kudos to us for thinking of it and Tom figuring it out and making it work!
We’ve found how we’re going to watch movies this winter!
Category Archives: House & Home
I love fall walks in our new neighborhood.
Just down the street from our house on my morning walk.
In the woods on the trail portion of my walk.
Our last outdoor movie night.
Halloween at the Hudson’s. 🎃🕸🕷👻
Stumps be gone!
We are removing some of the dead shrubs and trees so tonight Tom had help with the stumps. David was happy to oblige. Now Tom wants a truck even more.
I think I’m ready for our social distancing campfire tomorrow
Caramel Apple and Strawberries and Cream jello shots.
- Caramel vodka + Sour apple vodka + Sour apple jello
- Whipped cream vodka + strawberry jello
I might have also scooted around the neighborhood tonight delivering testers. Katie and Owen came with me—I needed Katie to carry the shots in her bike basket. And she liked announcing “jello delivery” at each house.
And then a friend wrote a poem about me. LOL
I don’t think my room was ever this bad.
I know I’m not supposed to care what their rooms look like but I CANNOT handle this. I am ready to clean it all out myself. As in empty it.
There were basically two schools of thought on Facebook:
- It’s her room. Let her live with it.
- OH HELL NO.
It’s just so frustrating. We’ve tried random and various rewards and prizes and money and everything is glorious for 2-3 days and then it stops. We’ve tried chore charts and boards and tokens and iPhone apps. Nothing works. Part of it is we just don’t have the energy to police everything. We also do it strong for a few days and then we miss a day and then it all goes to hell.
We do make them pick up their rooms every so often—they are supposed to do at least 5 minutes a day but they don’t even do that. Her room was decently picked up less than a week ago. 🙁
I have also bought a nice kid book that tells HOW to clean it. I have walked her through it (and done it with her) multiple times. She knows. And every time I try to help her or guide her, I get “I KNOOOOOOW MOM” but she doesn’t do it.
She did recently have a totally clean slate as we just moved in two month ago. But it’s pretty much looked like this since Day 3. I have told her she will not get a nice pretty new girly room (we are prepped to totally Pinterest her room) unless it gets and stays clean. And again, it works for 2-3 days and then…this. We moved at least five garbage bags of stuff we removed from her room already that she literally SOBBED over but hasn’t given a second thought to since.
Owen HAS lost everything in his room one time already (at the last house) and his isn’t quite this bad but it’s bad enough. But they know I’m serious when I say I WILL do it.
This is dedication.
1. Drinking outside in 50° weather with our neighbors so we can stay socially distanced.
2. Washing my face even though I had way too much to drink. But…I realized the next morning that I had forgotten to take out my contacts!
Looooove this DiSaronno Velvet Cream.
Plot twist! #lifehacks #winning
Oh look! My blender knows more than just margaritas!!
Today’s menu? Butternut squash soup!
It ended up turning into a curry soup (which tasted a lot like Massaman Curry) and it was delicious. Neither kid liked it.
His turn…and now he gets it.
Tom was home for the long weekend so I told him he got ALL tech questions and school issues today. He kind of said WHATEVS and planted himself on the couch playing video games.
School starts at 9.
8:55—Owen discovers he has no power on his entire workstation. No lights, no Chromebook charging, nothing. Katie (across the room) is fine. Whaaaaat?! Tom looked at me like AYFKM? I just smiled, chuckled, and said welcome to my Life.
While he was troubleshooting, I was getting Owen set up on my laptop (I kinda wanted to make Tom do that as well so he could truly experience what my days are like, but I didn’t want to be that cruel). Then, because he was messing around with the breaker box, he cut power to Katie’s station (and Chromebook!) so the WiFi went out and she was dropped from her class. And of course could not reconnect. SO PANIC AND DRAMA ENSUED.
Time? 9:03am
Me: Yep. That’s about right.
Hubby: ——
Turns out one half of the wall outlet Owen was plugged into just up and died. Completely random. You can’t make this shit up.
Then there was drama with Katie’s headphones (every damn day) and Owen was caught watching YouTube. 臘♀️
Needless to say Tom has newfound respect for me and promises not to complain about my daily texts I send him when he’s not here.
So I have an electric scooter.
I’ve forgotten to mention that I now have an electric scooter. It came about quite suddenly around our anniversary. We were at a friend’s house a ways away in the neighborhood and were joking about how it was a little too far to walk to easily and Tom mentioned I should get this scooter that he saw on a deal group. Everyone joked about how awesome that would be so I bought it as an anniversary present!
I will say the first time on it was super scary as I’ve never really even tried one of the kids’ manual scooters, but turns out it’s pretty fun.
Anyhoo, it makes it very convenient to bop down to a neighbor’s house for a quick drink.
Someone hacked my Starbucks account?!
CON: Someone hacked my Starbucks account?!
PRO: Starbucks is ON that and it’s escalated to a security team and my account is closed with a new card on the way and my balance refunded (all within a three-minute phone call).
No one remembers doing this, either.
Pool time with new friends!
One of the new mom friends I have has a pool and invited our small group over for a play date! I was sitting in the water for most of the time (it was HOT) so I only got one pic to show Tom (who opted to stay at home and work on the garage).
The kids had a blast on the diving board and the slide. We had fun watching them of course. The parents basically stayed in the shallow end and visited.
We always have too much charcuterie.
I think this is half what we had the first time we did this. Maybe next time if we halve it again…
My first batch of easy margaritas!
So with my love of margaritas, can you believe I’ve never really made any? (Well, I have made a special “beergarita” for parties, but that really isn’t a margarita as most people would think of one.) I even bought the Margaritaville drink machine to make them but never really did anything except use it with premade margaritas.
Enter our new friends Lindsay and Mike, who regularly (and quickly!) make frozen margaritas. Of course I had to ask how they do it… And turns out it’s super simple.
The funny thing is they make completely different ones. He gives her crap about using limeade vs real limes and she gives him crap about taking longer to make his. Both are good but I’m usually lazy so I’ll do the limeade ones!
I did my very first batch—actually in my Vitamix—today. And they were super easy and super delicious.
I actually got out the margarita machine for the kids to make lemonade slushies! They came and sat at the bar and said “This is like being on the cruise—you just hand them your glass and they refill it!”
This was found packed in a box with stuff it should not have been.
So now I get to find someone who can repair it. We were just going to take it back whether we bought it in Michigan (The Stained Glass Cabinet Co. in Traverse City) but they recently closed up shop after 38 years!!
Shopping then destroying!
Anna had the idea to take all the kids to Goodwill and let them pick out something to take apart (okay, destroy). So we all masked up and wandered the aisles until the kids found fun stuff. Then we just gave them screwdrivers and let them go.
Okay. You saw the plasticware. Now it’s spices.
And I need help.
Up until today, they had been in a completely different cupboard because this one housed mixing bowls, measuring cups, strainers, etc…which I loved, but I hated that it was impossible to see and easily reach most of my spices (kinda far away in a corner).
Now I’ve discovered that a lot of them fit in the drawer—which means I can see them—but they obviously don’t all fit. (Tom still has a full shelf of his BBQ and meat seasonings.)
So what do I put in the white pull out sheves? Mixes like chili and chip dip and buttermilk dressing? I thought maybe basics like salts and peppers and garlics but I feel like I want quicker access to those via the drawer. Tom has too many to fit in there. I could use the space for a lazy susan I have with my oils, vinegars, and other big glass bottles…but then I can’t use the white shelves anywhere else (they have to be low).
This will all be moot eventually (maybe next year?) when Tom puts in pull out shelving specific for spices. But in the meantime I need a working solution.
Side problem: how to organize within an area? I kinda do alphabetical even though I know it’s best to keep like spices together…but having the Costco-sized spices throws that off.
Katie is on major lockdown.
So we’ve been letting the kids go to both parks—the one across the street and the one on the other end of the neighborhood. I originally thought Katie was a little young to go by herself so I made her go with Owen a few times but eventually they want to do different stuff plus she wasn’t afraid to go by herself so I let her go alone. She has to take her watch and be home at a certain time. She might meet a friend there or just go to see who is there. No big deal.
Well today Owen was also at the park (her went before her) but he texted me from his friend’s phone to ask if it was okay to go to the friend’s house. Yep, thanks for texting and asking.
Fast forward to Tom coming home early to surprise me…and then noon when Katie was supposed to be home. And she wasn’t home. Hmmm. Okay. We’ll give her a few extra minutes.
And then…I got a text from a mom friend asking if Katie could come to the park to play. Um, what? She’s there. Or rather she most definitely SHOULD be there. They looked around and said she wasn’t.
CUE INSTANT PANIC.
Tom took off toward the park while I finished talking to the mom. I was about ready to get in the car to also head to the park when it hit me—she was probably with Owen at his friend’s house. Which would have been fine…except no one told me and she was supposed to be home at noon.
I texted the friend and Owen called me back immediately. Yes, she was there. Phew. So I told them they were both to leave immediately and meet us at the park. “But Mom you said I could stay here!” Change of plans, buddy.
Needless to say she got in big trouble. She got a stern talking to in the parking lot from both of us, she got her bike thrown in the car, plus she also had to see her friends at the park that she couldn’t play with because she didn’t follow the rules. Owen also got into some trouble because (long story short) he didn’t put his foot down and tell her no she couldn’t be there. (She actually bullies him into things by threatening to tattle on him for stuff he didn’t even do but he’s afraid of getting in trouble so he lets her get away with murder.) He did not want her there but since he let her, he was also kind of responsible for her and to let us know what was going on. (We also told him he could have called us when she wouldn’t listen and let us deal with it.)
It’s tough because they have both gone over before to swim in their pool and Katie ended up playing with one of the older daughters (like age 12) so she thinks she can just go over and play with them any time. She doesn’t really understand that they really only played with her that day because they were over on a play date with the brother and the boys went off and did their own thing and they were nice and hung out with her—and that a 12yo doesn’t really want to hang out with an 8yo.
So they both got a huge lecture about us needing to know where they are and if they can’t handle the responsibility they will no longer be able to go on their own. And Owen is the big brother so he needs to watch out for his sister.
Tom had to run somewhere before we could discuss her punishment so Katie got sent to her room—no music, no Alexa, no talking to Owen—until further notice. After a mere 15 minutes or so, she announces on Alexa that she doesn’t want to stay in her room. Hahahahahahahaha! She’s never really been punished before so she doesn’t get that I don’t really care and it’s not supposed to be fun. Then I didn’t hear this but it came across as a notification…
Tom and I eventually decided that she was locked down at home for two days, then for the next few days she could only go to the close park if Owen wanted to (because she had to stay with him), and then she could start going by herself but had to come home and check in at random times (like in 20 minutes or 10 minutes).
Owen’s punishment was having to take Katie with him. Haha.
When Tom comes home early to surprise me…
and I put him to work juicing limes (testing Lindsay’s juicer).
No better time to clean the basement than during a tornado watch!
We knew storms were coming (I even moved patio furniture) but then we heard the sirens! Everyone down to the basement—cats and all! Owen actually did really well for being the one who gets super freaked out about storms. I worked on getting the pantry organized and opened a bag of M&Ms as a treat for everyone. Tom was working on the bathroom toilet as we learned it’s in need of fixing. It only lasted about an hour, nothing bad happened, and then it was back to normal!
A quick trip to Costco while the kids were at a friend’s house.
The margarita motherlode! It’s not my favorite flavor but it will do!
And then it was the start of an unexpected round robin to buy some new bedroom furniture…
The movers ruined some of our bedroom dressers so we knew we’d have to replace them eventually. (We also realized they were like almost 20 years old—and they’ve been moved a bunch of times—so it was time. We’d also been looking at new headboards.)
So we were at Costco and saw a set we both liked (!!) and one piece was on sale…but we weren’t ready. Well…the more we thought about it, the more we decided it was a good idea since it was a good price and if you see something at Costco you need to grab it otherwise you’ll never see it again.
I wanted to do some due diligence though so we went to a local furniture store just to see what they had…and it was slim pickings. So we went to our local Costco to see what they had (we had been at the Wisconsin Costco earlier). Well, they were almost out of everything (!!) but they had two pieces of floor samples that they sold us at a discount (!!) but that meant the rest of our day was trying to get that stuff home AND going back to Wisconsin to grab the other pieces while they were still in stock! And borrowing a friend’s truck to do it. Gah! That was NOT what was on our schedule for the day!!!
We managed to get everything but the king headboard (we ran out of time before they closed)…and shoved everything in our already-full garage!
You know it’s a good night with the neighbors when…
this is the amount of limes in the sink.
The night started innocent enough. Lindsay said she was out relaxing in her back yard while the kids played and whoever wanted to come down was welcome. Tom was napping and the kids were out and about so I left a note and drove down. Shortly after u arrived, Angela and Ryan showed up (with their two littles) as they were out on a walk.
The margaritas were flowing and I texted Tom that he needed to come with the kids. It took some convincing because he was tired. But I assured him he really did need to show up because the dads were there and this was going to be a good opportunity to meet them all and just hang out and get to know them. So he came. Other neighbors and kids showed up and we ended up ordering pizza!
We even sent Owen home on his Segway to get some fruit from our fridge. He got to feel responsible and we got the fruit so it was win-win.
The littles even did sparklers before we left!
Yeah. We’re gonna have fun in this neighborhood.
When you’re making dinner with hubby…
…and a new friend texts they’re making margaritas and says “be ready…” and then your doorbell rings 10 minutes later!
I then sent Lindsay home with some of Tom’s Hopsy beer.
Today ended up to be a busy day.
First, home demo. (Masks off for a pic!)
I finished my look after Angel left… I forget how good Mirage is. And Cinnamon Shimmer.
Second, a visit with a friend/playdate for the kids.
Third, an unexpected driveway visit with the people who are living in our old rental house (I was dropping off some stuff were accidentally moved that belonged to the owners).
Fourth, an unexpected trip to our park to visit with Hannah, a friend I hadn’t seen in a long time. (The kids went down there randomly and were surprised to see their friends who don’t live in this neighborhood!)
Fifth. Bag collection, sorting, and folding by the kids. They didn’t love it. Didn’t care. It was something they could do.
Their second night in the gazebo.
They spent their first night out there last night while I was at my mom’s night. Tonight Tom is at a guy’s night (totally separate from the moms I just met!) so they’re out there again! They love it!!
It’s never just a small project.
It was supposed to be a quick and easy project: repaint the front door. Tom had a new paint sprayer and it should have taken 30 minutes. Should have being the key phrase.
Tom started to paint the door and got clumps and spatter and he had no idea what was wrong and it was drying and it was a disaster. He tried to fix it with what he had handy (all our paint stuff was obviously packed away) and I was trying to be helpful by googling the brand of paint and the brand of sprayer and hints but it was just not a good time.
Longer story short, turns out the sprayer hadn’t been fully cleaned after the last job. Doh! Lesson learned. So once that was fixed—and once the door was scrubbed with hot soapy water and then sanded—the door was painted in about two minutes.
Thankfully we had enough paint left to do the door…plus my cement Michigan!
BUT THEN! We had also wanted to put new hardware on and that was an epic disaster. It took FIVE attempts (from least to most expensive!) over a week to get working hardware:
- Amazon refurb—was missing pieces.
- Amazon new (same as refurb)—broke during install!
- Home Depot—after much debate we settled in one and Tom got it fully installed…and then realized the keys were missing (it had obviously been returned).
- Home Depot—deadbolt too big (who knew there were two sizes?)
- Home Depot—a winner! Finally!
But it looks good!!
Moms night down the street!
So I’ve been chatting with the ladies I met from my “ad” for friends and tonight we had a meet and greet at a house down the street—so I walked there with my bag of margaritas! We all sat around the fire socially-distanced style and visited for hours! Everyone was great and I am totally excited about being friends with them! It went so well that I was there until almost 2am! (Yes I was the last one there but not by much!)
